Baby Mama (2008)

* *

There are very few comedies that be carried by two female leads into the realm of movie-lore. If there are two ladies up to the task, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler would be at the top of the list. Unfortunately, not even they are funny enough or consistent enough to take a film that starts behind the count from the title screen (Baby Mama? Awful) to such great heights. Written and directed by former Austin Powers and SNL writer Michael McCullers, Baby Mama is the story of Fey's character Kate, who cannot mother her own child and seeks Poehler's Angie to be the surrogate mother. The catch is the clash between Vice President, career woman Kate and trailer-dwelling, high school drop-out Angie in their effort to bring a healthy baby into the world. Literally everything that follows is exactly what everyone would expect. Every character, plot twist, scene, song, and situation is almost blatantly generic. Baby Mama is destined for USA/TNT re-runs and may have been more successful as a TV-movie. Despite the overwhelming flaws, Baby Mama contains a considerable number of laughs. Fey and Poehler are great on-screen together, and it's disappointing to see such talented actresses follow a huge laugh with a joke that has been recycled in twenty prior films. At times they look in prime form, but minutes later look like they know as well as the audience that the joke wasn't funny and appear to have a face that screams "I hope this doesn't make the final cut." It seems that if paired with a better writer or director, Fey and Poehler could make some good movies. The supporting cast is filled with big names which provide mostly average but some surprisingly funny performances. Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, and Sigourney Weaver are stale, but Steve Martin and Romany Malco (40 Year Old Virgin) do their best to give the film a bit of flavor. Not even a star-studded cast can save a bad story, particularly one loaded with horribly worn-out, stereotypical portrayals of African Americans, rednecks, and hippies plus odd references toward surrogacy, vegetarians, and other sectors of society. In the end, there are memorable laughs but only some women and huge Fey/Poehler fans will find it worth trudging through ninety minutes of blah to find them.

Good for: chick-flick fans, Tina Fey fans

Bad for: fans of Judd Apatow movies, 98% of the male population

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

* * * *

How is it possible that Judd Apatow slaps his name on multiple comedies per year and the well of hysterical, not-repetitive humor never runs dry? Yet again an Apatow produced film exceeds expectations; Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the funniest film of 2008 so far, that is until another Apatow film tops it. Although the producer extraordinare deserves his share of acclaim, the true stars of this film are the actors, including the star and writer of the film Jason Segel. Segel stars as Peter Bretter, the boyfriend of TV star Sarah Marshall. When Sarah dumps him and brings his life to a crashing halt, Peter goes to a personal hell and back (through Hawaii) to resurrect his life. The casting of the supporting characters by first time director Nicholas Stoller is brilliant. Apatow veterans Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, and Bill Hader are spot-on, as would be expected, and newcomers Mila Kunis (That Seventies Show), Jack McBrayer, and particularly Russell Brand effortlessly join the team, acting as if they have been delivering obscenely raunchy lines for years. Brand plays the rock star Sarah leaves Peter for, and his brain-dead, sex-crazed British lead singer is the most memorable and quotable character in the movie. The script, written by Segel and pitched to Apatow courtside at a Laker's game, is loaded with line after line of in your face vulgarity and subtle quips that may not hit you at first. Scenes with unabashed full-frontal nudity are paired with unthinkably original ideas such as a Dracula-based rock opera, and ingenious quick, cut-in scenes depicting a characters thoughts or words. Whereas Knocked Up combined raunch and unexpected pregnancy, and Superbad mixed the profane with adolescence, the newest film in the Apatow collection fuses a large dose of adult humor with the heartbreak and coping involved with an ending relationship. Each joke about genitals is backed up with a meaningful scene that most of the audience will be able to relate to. Like all romantic comedies there is some cliche, and the film runs a bit long at nearly two hours, but there are so many well-written characters, large and small, that the laughs keep coming, so much so that some jokes will be missed due to excessive cackling. The Apatow brand has added yet another classic to its dynasty, which now includes nearly ten films and countless big-time comedic actors. Forgetting Sarah Marshall isn't easy to forget, and provides enough laughs to make the next Apatow feature the most anticipated movie of the year.

Good for: any adults that laugh, a date

Bad for: uptight people, people offended by nudity and/or profanity

The Gallery
The Film Maker: * * *
The Writer * * * *

Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who (2008)

* * * *

In yet another big screen adaptation, Dr. Seuss' classic tale of Horton the elephant who discovers Whoville and his subsequent efforts to prove it exists is treated with an extended script, a star-studded voice-over cast, and vibrant computer animation. To transform a sixty-page children's book beyond a thirty minute animated special into a full-length feature movie requires a significant amount of original material, but this version of Horton stays true to the vision and spirit of the original work for the most part. The cast, which features Jim Carrey as Horton, Steve Carell as the Mayor of Whoville, Carol Burnett as Kangaroo, and Will Arnett as Vlad the vulture, is at times genius and off base. Carell is perfectly cast as the goofy, insecure mayor and brings depth and humor to the character. Likewise, Burnett and Arnett are superb as Horton's detractor and nemesis, respectively, both staying true to the original character and adding great original material. Carrey, and Seth Rogen, as Horton's best friend Morton, have their moments but are also distracting as Carrey goes way beyond what is necessary to portray Horton and is almost annoying at times, and the character of Morton is so clearly voiced by Rogen that it takes away from the unique environment of the film. The film is surprisingly very funny for children and adults, particularly for a G-rated movie, which is a credit to both the voice-acting and the writing. Original scenes, such as a short Japanese anime sequence, and original characters, such as the bizarre and hilarious Katie, are good for plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. The animation is stunning, up to par and beyond what is now expected from computer animation, and creates a unique atmosphere for the strange characters and events. There are many characters, small and large, and to watch them interact in the Seussian world many have come to love is great entertainment. Some dedicated Seuss fans may think too many liberties were taken with the script, which may be true, but this is simply another, more modern version of Horton for a new generation. Is it better than the original hand-drawn animated version? Probably not. But it maintains the fun and essence of Dr. Seuss to a great degree with many laughs and lessons for kids and their parents. Long-time Seuss fans will enjoy Horton for its faithfulness to the original, and those new to the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss will likely find much of what his dedicated fans have loved and more.

Good for: Seuss fans, children of all ages, the young at heart, a date

Bad for: mean people

Eastern Promises (2007)

* * * *

The formula of director David Cronenberg (The Fly), leading man Viggo Mortensen, and serviceable leading lady led to the highly disappointing, utterly awful A History of Violence; but somehow, the same formula results in the highly surprisingly, utterly brutal Eastern Promises. Italian and Irish mob films have become overplayed and run-of-the-mill, but Cronenberg's take on the Russian mob operating in London is an engaging thriller with moral undertones and strong performances. Mortensen stars as Nikolai, a callous, focused grunt on the rise, ready to take on any task handed down to him by his ruthless boss Semyon, played excellently by Armin Mueller-Stahl. Nikolai encounters Anna, played by Naomi Watts, a midwife who discovered a diary with a young girl who died giving birth to a baby. After asking her Russian uncle to translate the diary, Anna finds that the young girl and the father of her child had strange, dark ties to the mob. In her efforts to seek justice for the young mother's death and safety for the young baby, Anna must deal with the pressure from her own family to stay out of trouble and the interesting characters in Senyon's crime family. Cronenberg weaves the multiple stories involving Anna and Senyon's family masterfully with both revolving around Nikolai. This is likely Mortensen's best performance, menacingly strong, but subtle and human. The supporting cast is also well above average with noteworthy performances by Watts, Mueller-Stahl, and Vincent Cassell as Kirill, Semyon's flamboyant, erratic son. The original screenplay makes this more than just another gangster-flick, and the depth of the story will engage a broad audience. Eastern Promises is also one of the darkest movies of 2007 with a handful of scenes involving excessive violence that are difficult to watch. Although the scenes may be he necessary to convey the nature of the characters and events, some drag on and come across as unrealistic. The strong accents make the English difficult to understand, and even the most attentive viewer won't feel comfortable with the plot until nearly halfway in. At only 96 minutes, however, the movie never drags and comes and goes before you know it, so that difficult to watch and difficult to understand parts are never excessive. The fine editing, direction, and acting produce a compelling thriller that is surprisingly entertaining, but may be just dark enough to only merit one viewing.

Good for: crime-film fans, fans of dark movies, Viggo fans

Bad for: people bothered by violent films

The Gallery
The Economist: * * * *
The Film Maker: * * * *

The Bank Job (2008)

* * *

The Bank Job is a guilty pleasure; a thrill ride that is quite fun at the time but has little, if any, redeeming value. Thoroughly British, the film is based on the true story of the most lucrative and peculiar heist in the history of England. Jason Statham, most well known for his role in The Transporter series, stars as Terry Leather, a part-time villain given the opportunity to strike-big one last time before getting out of the world of crime. Saffron Burrows co-stars as Martine Love, the bombshell ex-model who gives Leather the tip on the caper. The heist is complicated but plausible, but what Leather doesn't know is the role and stakes Martine and the British government have in the heist. The back story involving government corruption, political and social radicals, and the underworld of pornography and the sex business provide a terrifically entertaining counterpart to the thrills involved with the heist itself. Unfortunately, beneath the shell of entertainment, the audience will likely find absolutely nothing. The acting is definitively mediocre, the direction rips off countless heist movies of the past, the score could not possibly be more chiche', and everything from the characters' names to most of the dialogue is pure cheese. The only noteworthy performances are by Peter De Jersey as Michael X, Britain's counterpart to Malcolm, and David Suchet as Lew Vogel, a smut-director and sex entrepreneur who has paid off Britain's finest for years. The two bad-guys are both deliciously dirty and the few scenes involving the two of them together stand out. There are more than a handful of honest laughs, most provided by the typical "team" of friends and specialists involved in the completing the heist. The laughs are supplemented by a twisting plot involving many shady characters who have a lot to gain and even more to lose. The silver-lining surrounding the entire film is that it is somehow based on truth. The plot seems inconceivable in terms of reality and cheesiness, yet the fact that the events actually happened the way they are presented takes away some of the shame felt for having enjoyed a film with zero emotional, artistic, or social value. The loony British humor and "how did this happen?" factor make The Bank Job an unexpected, yet slightly embarrassing, suspense-thriller indulgence.

Good for: heist fans, fans of "based on true story" films, British film fans, someone bored

Bad for: "film" lovers

The Gallery
The Economist: * * *

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

* * * *

Ben Affleck was brilliant in choosing the source material for his first turn as a director. Gone Baby Gone is an adaptation (screenplay also by Affleck) of a novel written by Dennis Lehane, whose last novel to be adapted for the screen was Mystic River. Affleck stayed close to home in more than one sense; the film is shot in Boston and Affleck cast his brother Casey as Patrick Kenzie in the lead role. Kenzie and partner Angie Gennaro, played by Michelle Monaghan, are two private detectives asked to investigate the case of a missing girl. As the investigation ensues it becomes clear that there is more to the story than a simple missing girl or kidnapping. The child's mother, played by Amy Ryan, is found to be a drug-user, accessory to drug-deals, and neglectful mother with strange family members, and the private investigation begins to conflict with the police investigation headed by Captain Jack Doyle, played by Morgan Freeman. Casey Affleck delivers a surprisingly powerful performance, showing he is capable of starring the show, at least with his brother in the director's chair. Supporting roles by Freeman and crime-movie veteran Ed Harris playing a cop for what has to be double-digit times are what can be expected; competent and adequate. Amy Ryan, nominated for an Oscar for her performance, effectively plays the troubled mother in what is probably the most believable and most bizarre character in the film. Gone Baby Gone comes extremely close to falling into average-movie traps with some painfully cheesy lines, scenes, and performances. The character played by Michelle Monaghan is a combination of bland acting and completely forgettable writing. But what makes the film a success is the unexpected transformation from a simple spider-web plot suspense-thriller to a contemplation on personal values, morality, and humanity. All of the twists of a mystery, surprises of a thriller, and relevance of a drama are there, and the impact of the conclusion will just be icing on the cake for most. Gone Baby Gone rewards the viewer for having attention to detail and will leave many with something to talk about for a few days after. As Affleck's first film as director, it will be interesting to see what comes next.

Good for: mystery fans, a date, philosophers

Bad for: the easily confused, those bothered by violence

The Gallery
The Economist: * * * *
The Surfer: * * * *

Annie Hall (1977)

* * * * *

For those who have never seen a Woody Allen movie, the door to his unique-brand of cinema should be Annie Hall, his 1977 romantic comedy and Best Picture winner. Annie Hall may be best viewed as a virgin to Allen's work, so that all of his idiosyncrasies and quirks as an actor, writer, and director can be experienced in a raw, to-the-point, finely crafted film. Allen is not a great actor, but the character he created for himself, Alvy Singer, is a great character, and only Allen could play him. Neurotic, witty, pessimistic, and bitingly sarcastic, Singer is a stand-up comedian that meets and falls in love with the young Annie Hall played by Diane Keaton. Hall is a simple yet talented girl that sharply contrasts with Singer who is beyond complicated. Keaton won the Best Actress award for Hall in 1977, and her performance is subtle and elegant, but not phenomenal. Despite the lack of mesmerizing performances to draw the audience to the characters, the perfect script and timeless dialogue produce effortlessly real characters. To add to the feeling that the audience is sitting in on real life, Allen adds abrupt asides where Singer speaks directly to the camera and absurd situations the scene breaks and Singer approaches extras to ask them a question or the topic of a random conversation happens to appear in the room. Singer's cynicism and references will seem over-the-top and over-the-head of some viewers, and some of the lines and scenes are a bit indulgent, but Allen clearly understands the beauty and pain of the human relationship, and explores it in a way that is clearly distinct in film history. The opening and closing passages, spoken to the camera and in voice-over by Singer, are perfect book-ends to the perfect romantic comedy. The romantic comedy has been beaten to death in the 30+ years since 1977, leaving little relevance behind. But with Annie Hall, Woody Allen delivered an enduring blend of intelligent, sharp humor and thoughtful meditations on how essential and absurd relationships are.

Good for: Allen fans, fans of romantic comedies, a date

Bad for: those bored with art-films

Michael Clayton (2007)

* * * *

Despite having a remarkably unoriginal title, Michael Clayton succeeds due to a sharply written script, perfect casting, and strong performances from lead roles. Clayton is the directorial debut for Tony Gilroy, the writer behind all three films of the Bourne series, and stars George Clooney as an attorney who doesn't do typical "attorney" work, but works more as a fixer or legal handyman. Clooney has become synonymous with conspiracy films and this is no different, as the twisted inner-workings of the legal system are deeply explored. Clayton is responsible for pulling together the life of a manic depressant lawyer, Arthur Edens, played excellently by Tom Wilkinson, who has come off his medication and "seen the light" in terms of the case he had been working on for over five years. Tilda Swinton co-stars as Karen Crowder, one of the head-honchos for agricultural company U-North, who is trying to reach a settlement through the attorney Edens with those claiming they obtained cancer through U-North products. When Edens goes bananas, however, Swinton goes to all lengths legal and otherwise to maintain the integrity of her company and the settlement that is days from being completed. The dialogue that ensues is masterfully written and pieced together by Gilroy, as the pace of the film is quick, yet deliberate enough to envelop the viewer in the schemes being put in place by both sides of the story. Clooney fills the role of the down on his luck character who is smarter than everyone thinks he is just as well as he did in Syriana, and Swinton and Wilkinson are a double-dose of hysteria and conniving to balance the coolness of Clooney. Michael Clayton isn't anything that has never been seen before, in fact it plays like an homage to 1970s thriller/dramas that were well constructed and performed. In a genre full of average or worse entries, Clayton has a well-defined plot, doesn't over stay its welcome, and builds to an intense climax. The final scene, like most of Clayton, also isn't anything revolutionary. Unlike Clooney's last thriller, Syriana, which was too confusing for a vast majority of the audience, the plot of Michael Clayton is deep and clear. Because Gilroy built a plot in which every character's decisions, no matter how extreme, are made for a reason the viewer is shown and understands, the conclusion has much greater impact, and the case involved seems like something that could actually happen, and likely has happened. Hopefully Gilroy and Clooney will unite again in the future to continue to elevate the state of the conspiracy thriller genre and shed light on other shady dealings.

Good For: conspiracy-movie fans, Clooney fans, people who like legal movies

Bad For: those who are bored easily

The Gallery
The Economist: * * * *
The Surfer: * * *
The Film Maker: * * * *

Persepolis (2007)

* * * * *

Persepolis is one of the most original, fresh movies of the year; a film that makes you feel like you have seen something unlike anything you have previously watched or thought of. The animated film, presented in French and with subtitles, is based on an autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi and was adapted for the screen and directed by Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud. Satrapi's self-narrated story begins as a little girl being raised by progressive parents in Iran during the Islamic Revolution of the late 1970s and the fallout that occurred afterwards in the 1980s. Her account of the events involving both her family and country reveals that a girl raised in an overtly tyrannical country isn't that different from an American or anyone else growing up in the same time period. The film's best character, Marji's grandmother, provides the story's funniest humor and most lasting relevance as she lends advice to Marji and tells stories and parables. The independent spirit imparted on her by her grandmother lead to some of the films greatest scenes, such as teenage Marji negotiating a deal to buy a new Iron Maiden album on the streets of Iran and subsequently rocking out to it. Due to the increasing conflict and violence, Marji's parents send her to France for high school, and these years illuminate even more of the world's harsh realities such as prejudice and isolation. As Marji becomes a woman we see her cope with issues such as finding an identity in society and starting and ending relationships. The film is fast-moving while covering many years and many events and is proportionally amusing and moving. What makes Persepolis so brilliant, however, is the style of animation used to present the story. The black and white, nontraditional, sometimes abstract illustrations and over-the-top flashes and and cut-ins create an environment that is not only entertaining but universal in that no preconceived notions will influence the audience in any of the scenes. Whereas real actors and film may have isolated particular audiences, the drawings provide a means to portray very specific situations very few have experienced in a way that everyone can relate to. The voice-over work is nothing extraordinary and the soundtrack is fairly generic, but the story in this case is so incredibly strong that it carries the entire film on its shoulders into film history. The script and presentation of the script is legendary, so imaginative, refreshing, and thoroughly enjoyable that it is one of the best coming-of-age stories in some time. Equal parts a reflection on history and the lessons learned by fire in life, Persepolis unites the audience and drives home the point that in such a large world, the differences between us aren't that vast, and everyone has the same common pursuit of love, freedom, and happiness.

Good For: all movie fans, people interested in history, fans of foreign films

Bad For: people who cannot read subtitles, mean people

The Gallery
The Film Maker: * * * * *

The Hoax (2007)

* * * *

The Hoax is one of a very small group of movies that have very little depth or resonance but is a must-see simply for being a non-stop roller-coaster of entertainment. Based on a book and true story, The Hoax is the story of Clifford Irving, a down-on-his-luck writer who fabricated a mountain of lies to reach the top of the journalism industry in 1971. Irving is portrayed by Richard Gere, who turns in a surprisingly well-rounded performance. Irving is funny, charming, clever, creative, selfish, weak, greedy, devious, sly, obviously a bit crazy, and tremendously fun to watch. His writing partner, Dick Suskind, is played by Alfred Molina, one of the better character-actors in the business. Their friendship and partnership are constantly at edge as the high-stakes of their scheme weigh heavy on their personal lives. The Hoax, like other true stories, attains most of its drawing power from the amazement that something as unlikely and unfathomable as the events that take place actually did occur. To watch Irving and Suskind time and again hang on the fringe of failure and revelation but weasel their way forward in their quest for fame and fortune is enthralling. The supporting cast has no stand-out performances but is strong and creates an appropriate landscape of reality and reason against which the absurd events take place. Lasse Hallstrom, best known for directing the cult-classic What's Eating Gilbert Grape, stylistically presents the events in a fast-paced manner that keeps the audience guessing and at the edge of their seats, and creates the 70s environment of living to excess with a good soundtrack and real film clips. Although it could be said that The Hoax brings light to the inherent greed of both individuals (Irving) to go to such great ends to reach prosperity and of the corporate world (publishers) to be fooled so easily time and again in an effort to make a dollar, the film is much more of a thrill-ride than an expose'. It seems that only in America could something like the Hoax take place, where lies upon lies upon lies somehow begin to blur the scope of reality until something brings the truth into focus. The truth about this film, though, is that it is far from classic cinema, but will appeal to almost all audiences.

Good For: fans of conspiracy films, fans of "based on true stories" movies

Bad For: people who get frustrated with twisting storylines