Author: Zac

I am a mid 20's film lover that spends his money on film and DVD/Blu-Ray's. I enjoy writing creatively when I can and reviewing films has become a new passion for me in the last year or so. I am also a big Cardinals fan and can be found playing Softball multiple nights a week when in season. I hope you like my opinion, and that's great if you don't, we need less sheep in this world.

Review: ‘I’m Not There’ on DVD

Zac:

The new film by Todd Haynes is as about as unique and as ambitious as one can get. Based off the songs, stories and life of Bob Dylan, six different actors play different parts of Dylan’s psyche, and they are all inter cut and loosely assembled to form somewhat of a narrative that is kind of sort of linear.

I will admit the editing and arrangement of this film takes a bit to get used to, but once you settle in you just sit back and enjoy the ride. Some might also be confused by the fact that everyone is supposed to be Dylan but use different names, or that sometimes one actor who is a manifestation of Dylan is playing another manifestation of Dylan in a movie within the movie, so Dylan is essentially playing Dylan sometimes, and that’s ok, it might just take a second to wrap your head around that.

Now before I go into my synopsis here, I just want to go on the record that I am not claiming I am right, or know what everything means in this movie. I probably need to even see it again, and I would have probably a much better grasp on the material if I knew more about the life of Bob Dylan.

Now, Marcus Carl Franklin owns the first chunk of the movie as Woody, who I interpreted as Dylan before he became famous. Woody mentions he wrote some other people’s songs, that he busted his chops on stage with some famous names, and everyone that hears him play likes what they hear, he is just waiting to make a name for himself. Franklin is great here as Woody as he is both endearing and funny and really sells the passion of wanting to be a great musician. For being Franklin’s first film, I would say he has a potentially promising future as an actor.

Next up I think I will cover, Ben Whishaw, who plays Arthur. Arthur has the least screen time and is dubbed “the poet” by the narrator. All of Arthur’s scenes consist of him getting interviewed or questioned by an assumed authority figure of some sort. He offers insights and verbiage about the story and helps link things together as best as this film can along with the Narrator (Kris Kristofferson). Whishaw is very good here, and has some of the funnier lines in the film among the headier poems he occasionally spews out.

Heath Ledger has the least to do in the film but is our gateway into Dylan’s home life through, Robbie. We get to see the rise and fall of Robbie as a family man; well actually we miss most of the middle. We get to see Robbie meet his future wife Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and the fun love of their early years, but mostly we watch Claire deal with Robbie and his being on the road and as an absent father. Robbie’s story was the weakest in my opinion, but Gainsbourg is great and Ledger is solid as always.

Christian Bale plays Jack as well as Pastor John who both encompass the eras of Dylan when the people thought they were talking to him with a purpose. Jack sings “protesting” songs and is the folk singing hero that introduced Dylan to the mainstream world. Jack gives the people messages with his lyrics, gives them a unified voice for the politicians to hear, and ultimately gives them hope of better times in their crazy society of the time. Bale is great and seems to be having a blast here as the boozed up, bizarre, and unintelligible Dylan of the early 60’s. Bale also reappears later on in the film as Pastor John, who has had a religious awakening and is preaching his gospel to the people. It is a quick bit in the film, and Bale looks great in that curly fro, but is a minor role in the movie and comes and goes as fast as his Gospel spell during Dylan’s long career. Bale also begins the abandonment of Dylan’s folk fans with Jack’s acceptance of the “Tom Paine Award”, where he compares him self to recent assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

Jude is played by Cate Blanchett and personifies Dylan’s rebellious phase and his leap away from folk music. Most of Jude’s story takes place in England and deals with a bit of a “battle”, you could say, with the British press, with one reporter in particular played by Bruce Greenwood. Greenwood is great as he grills Jude and his new electric sound. But Jude never misses a beat and Blanchett is great bouncing right back and forth with him and all comers that attack him. Jude is about the people still but not the direct voice everyone thinks he is. Blanchett is fantastic as she plays Jude with a “fuck you” to anyone that challenges himself and who he is “supposed” to be. Blanchett’s Dylan is kind of sickly and hangs out with Alan Ginsberg for a while, played by the great David Cross, while also randomly interacting with Coco (Michelle Williams), who may or may not supposedly be Edie Sedgwick. Blanchett gets to do a bit everything in the role and is great at everything she does here.

Richard Gere is our last Dylan, Billy, who is in hiding in Riddle, Missouri, and shows up around the death of Jude. The town is being threatened by a railroad being built Pat Garrett (Greenwood again), the man who apparently shot Billy the Kid. This section is filled with symbolism, mystery, and isn’t quite real. Figuring it all out might take a bit of time, but as the name of the town suggests, this part of the movie probably wasn’t meant to be easy to grasp. Billy is wary to get involved with the issue at hand but what follows will help Billy and Dylan’s life along to wherever it might take them.

I know this film and review might seem a bit confusing and more trouble than worth dealing with, but there is a rewarding experience here if you give it a chance that is as solid as any of the recent string of great movies to be released recently; and it will only get better on repeat viewings and reflection. But just remember this about Dylan, “he is everyone, he is no one”, and maybe the style of this movie will make a little more sense.

[rating: 4.5/5]

The DVD comes with a fine a/v presentation for a DVD that looks great in those up-converting players, still wish this would have dropped on Blu-Ray.

Continue reading Review: ‘I’m Not There’ on DVD

Review: ‘OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies’

Zac:

This French send up of Bond/Spy films is a mostly successful effort that provides the laughs and plays its cards right on most occasions.
We open up on a scene of Hubert Bonisseur (OSS 117) and his partner Jack Jefferson during WWII as they steal a set of blue prints from a Nazi officer, in a minor action set piece to start the film off with a bang. Flash forward 10 years later as we watch OSS 117 swoon an Egyptian princess out of an envelope containing the pictures of a dead Jack Jefferson, which leads Hubert to flashback to a silly game of laughter and paddle ball on a beach. French OSS decides to send Hubert to Cairo to investigate Jack’s death and to take over the chicken business that is the front for the OSS in Cairo.
The movie follows every convention you would find in a classic Bond or spy film and spoofs the genre particularly well. It includes pretty women for the hero to swoon, one that plays hard to get, anonymous henchmen, and masterful plot driven villains. Hubert is suave, smooth talking, and knows how to dance particularly well. Every element is there, the film just does an excellent job at poking fun and putting a silly spin on the genre that keeps it seeming fresh and entertaining.
The film works so well due to the success of Jean Dujardin just absolutely nailing the title role of Hubert, OSS117. He is hilarious in playing the dim-witted, but maybe not, agent who is just as interested in being loved women while being seen as some one special and important wherever he goes. Dujardin nails the look and charisma of the role and is a joy to watch.
He is supported in the film by Bà ©rà ©nice Bejo, who plays the straight laced and attractive assistant at the OSS’s chicken business front, and guide to Cairo’s city and culture, even if Hubert really isn’t all that interested. She plays the straight man wonderfully here and bounces off Dujardin very well. The rest of the cast does an excellent job playing their parts in the fun to perfection just nailing all of the stereotypes they are supposed to be filling.
The films look also nails it right on the head and looks like it could be from the period and filmed back in the day. The color is rich and the camera cuts are hilarious at how bad and awkward they could be. The plot also takes all the right turns and even though it is predictable, they add enough comedy to keep you entertained; and anyways, it is supposed to be blatantly silly and predictable.
Any complaints come from a couple of lost jokes in translation as well as a brief awkwardness and odd set of scenes before the finale kicks in that just didn’t sit right and was all in all weird. Luckily, the final scenes are great and funny and the film definitely ends on a high note that it is hitting most of the time.
In the end, OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, is a great spoof film that hits all the right notes and is thoroughly entertaining. This is a solid little flick worth seeking out if you can find it, especially if you are a fan of the classic spy movie genre and Bond films of old.

[rating 4/5]

Review: ‘Control’ on DVD

Zac:

This is one of those movies that comes out of no where and smacks you in the face with how good it is. Control, by first time feature director Anton Corbijn (veteran of many music videos), knocks the rise and fall of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis. The movie starts with Curtis finding his calling for music along with his high school sweet heart and follows him along his rise to a star of Britain rock scene. I think this movie is best enjoyed with knowing as little about his life as possible, I knew nothing but the obvious about him, so I won’t divulge into details here. But if you know nothing about Joy Division or their music do not shy away from this movie. If you enjoyed Walk the Line or Ray this movie is in a similar vain, as a straight forward biopic, and is definitely the best of the three; and that is saying something! The movie just moves along at a terrific pace, the look of the movie is just beautiful with some fantastic shots caught in black and white (and sepia). The music is performed by the cast members and sounds great and the energy of the band oozes through screen carried by their front man, Sam Riley.
Where did this guy come from? Riley is amazing in this movie. He just carries himself so well and we can buy into his pain and struggles as Riley allows us to see into Curtis’s mind through his eyes and face. Curtis’s troubles and success are the focus of this movie along with his relationship with his wife, Deborah, played by the great Samantha Morton.
First off, I want to commend the movie makers for doing a fantastic job selling Morton and Riley both as teenagers, I was never really pulled out of the movie by the age difference, they looked the part. But Morton does some great work her, as usual, as she has to deal with the coming and going of her husband and the worries she has about him and his life on the road.
I can’t really go into much more without spoiling anything, but just be sure to know that Morton and especially Riley make some great turns as stars of the movie.
The supporting cast is also just as solid, with special mention for Joe Anderson who is better here, and is great, than is role in Across the Universe. There is nobody else in this movie that is really recognizable but that doesn’t mean there isn’t great work across the board.
I can’t say enough for this movie, it is just fantastic and if it wasn’t for a bit meandering in the last 10-15 min, I would have nothing to complain about. Discover this movie, discover Sam Riley, and discover Joy Division (maybe again if you already have) in this great piece of cinema.

[rating: 4.5/5]

The Black and White picture looks pristine on the DVD and Anton Corbijn visual flare really shines through.   And the Joy Division tunes sound great as well.

Extras include an audio commentary with the director Anton Corbijn, a making of featurette, music videos and more.

Review: ‘I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With’

Zac:

Jeff Garlin writes, directs, and stars, in this subtle, sweet, and somewhat subversive comedy that finally dug its way out and into release, very limited, last year. (That sentence was ridiculous, I apologize)
The film follows James Aaron, a forty something that still lives with his mom, to keep her company not because he can’t support himself, that makes his living as a 2nd City comedian and part time actor.
Following a similar feel and style to Garlin’s biggest success, Curb Your Enthusiasm which he stars and produces, the film is focused around random conversations and a lot of walk and talk scenes. There aren’t really any set gags or bits, just a lot of funny conversations about life, relationships, and the absurd. James has awkward and interesting encounters with two separate women that cause him to have some adventure and misadventure over the course of the film. The first he meets is an elementary teacher, Stella, that he had a random occurrence with once before and has an awkward and embarrassing moment in front of her class as he speaks at career day for his friend as an “uncle” to the family. After this he then meets a soda jerk at the local ice cream parlor, Beth, which takes an active interest in pursuing him leading them to have some adventures of sorts around Chicago and in a supermarket. I will not spoil any more as the film is already a bit light at 80 minutes, but the film moves well and is full of interesting and funny conversations that are sure to entertain if your a fan of the style.
The three main actors turn in affective work with Garlin’s James being a guy you can get behind and sympathize with, while also just feeling sorry for him. Sarah Silverman plays Beth and is just a sexual being that knows exactly what she is doing as she tries and get James in the sack. Stella is played by Bonnie Hunt, who makes her scattered and weary teacher a memorable character in the short amount of time she has to work with. The cast is also sprinkled with a number of recognizable faces that turn in quick bit parts but are almost always funny.
The film’s presentation is pretty minimalist with no real tricks or cool shots with the camera, but that is fine as we are here for the dialogue and sweet story that Garlin has assembled. Garlin never lets the film drag though, as it moves right along, and it ends on a very good note.
In the end, I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With is a more positive alternative to Curb Your Enthusiasm while never coming close the greatness of that show. On its own though, it is a sweet little movie that had me chuckling throughout. Definitely not for everyone, but fans of Curb or Indie comedies should check it out.

[rating 3.5/5]

Review: ‘Baby Mama’

Zac:

Tina Fey’s second effort at writing for the big screen is a fairly successful comedy, that doesn’t live up to her comedy chops on 30 Rock. Directed by Michael McCullers, Baby Mama follows the story of Kate Holbrook (Fey), a hard working 30 something that has never had time for a child or family as she worked up the corporate ladder of her whole foods company. After trying the artificial insemination route, Kate, finds out that her Uterus is just not up to snub so she decides to endeavor in the surrogate route.
Her potential surrogate is Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler) a white-trash’ish woman filled with irresponsibility and a childish demeanor, an exact opposite to Kate’s neat and responsible adult figure. The two decide to have a baby together and are forced to live together when Angie moves out of her boyfriend’s place after a recent fight.
Over the course of the film, Kate buds a romance with a smoothie restaurant owner (Greg Kinnear), gains even more respect and praise from her boss (Steve Martin) as she heads the opening of a new whole foods store, and learns some of the pains of child care when dealing with the woman child that is her surrogate.
The film is a bit predictable at the end, but there are plenty of actual interesting twists and turns I didn’t see coming along the way. The movie also manages to be silly without being ridiculous and remains consistently funny throughout. The pacing of the film is also pretty solid with no real areas where it drags or leaves you restless. The comedy is also a nice blend of smart, subtle, slapstick, and geeky, as it is with most of Fey’s work, and has a little bit of everything for everyone. The cast is what makes this film really work though.
Fey and Poehler have been long friends from since before their stint on Saturday Night Live and work well as an odd couple thrown into the mix together. Each of them does a good job of playing to their character’s strengths without over blowing into just playing the stereotypes they can easily fall into. The supporting cast around them doesn’t some great work as well. Kinnear plays the charming everyman role, and we have seen him her before, but he is so damn good and likable it’s just a joy to watch him kind of walk similar paths from time to time. Steve Martin is hilarious in his brief appearances as the CEO of Kate’s company, constantly stealing the scene every time he is on the screen. Sigourney Weaver plays the role of the surrogate owner and is funny as the baby loving and fertile freak that is the bane of Kate’s dreams and desires. Romany Malco also makes the most of his limited screen time as an advisor doorman on the dangers of being a Baby Mama.
In the end, Baby Mama is an enjoyable comedy that has a little bit for everyone. The cast carries the picture and makes us care, while the script keeps us on our toes a majority of the time. Though it doesn’t reinvent comedy, or do anything particularly amazing, Baby Mama is a nice light hearted comedy that is definitely worth checking out at theaters or at home when it hits the rental market.

[rating: 3.5/5]

Review: ‘Silk’

Zac:

Franà §ois Girard follow up to the magnificent Red Violin is a mixed bag that starts of great and slowly devolves into something not quite as great. The film follows Michael Pitt as Hervà © Joncour who decides to take on the job of a silk merchant who travels from France to Japan to get the most pure silk worms possible for local entrepreneur Baldabiou (Alfred Molina). Hervà © leaves behind his new wife Hà ©là ¨ne Joncour (Keira Knightly) for Japan, but when he successfully returns from the first trip he is able to move them into a manor and promises to build her a great garden that she can spend her days in. What Hà ©là ¨ne doesn’t know is that an Asian woman has caught the eye of Hervà © and he eagerly awaits the chance to return to Japan. I will save the story for you to enjoy, but the plot takes some twists and turns throughout that I didn’t see coming.
The look of the film is beautiful. Hervà ©’s journey is just splendid to look at and covers a number of Asian locales as he traverses the long trek to Japan. Girard does a fantastic job technically and his visual eye is just wonderful. The music also works very well with the film and everything thing behind the camera seems to come together, so it’s a wonder why it doesn’t work in front.
The quality of the acting never deteriorates with Molina doing some great work here. I think the Pitt/Knightly romance gets a little to romance novel for me, but also I think the story as a whole is not very grand. A story that spans continents comes across as a bit dull and uneventful with not a lot going on. The story also feels a bit repetitive as Hervà © takes the trek back and forth again and again, and the connection he feels is also a bit hard to comprehend with the lack of good development of the eastern characters.
Silk is an uneven affair, the acting is superb at times, but I don’t know how strong a lead Pitt is here. The supporting role players excel though, and the movie is worth watching for the scenery alone. Fan’s of the Red Violin should check out Girard’s follow up, as should romance fans, but the movie left me wanting more of a complete package over this unbalanced product.

[rating: 3.5/5]

Review: ‘Cashback’ on DVD

Zac:

Sean Ellis’ latest is a feature length version of an Oscar nominated short film of the same name and sadly, I imagine it worked far better in the short subject format. This whole film seems dragged out and stretched like butter over too much bread if I can quote Bilbo Baggins. There is some genuinely funny stuff and the overall idea is clever but there isn’t enough substance to fill a whole movie.
Ben is an art student that just dumped his girlfriend. He is so affected by this that he can’t sleep so he takes up a night shift working at supermarket which is full of interesting characters. Ben slowly and drolly narrates us through his life and his feelings about them and the deep understanding he has for women.
The film itself is just obsessed with the female body, not the mind really, but the body. Ben is able to freeze time in which he sketches all the women that are currently in the store nude by pulling their clothes off while frozen. It is nothing pornographic and Ben does it for the sake of art, but we are left to deal with his pretentious babbling and self pity that is almost unbearable at times. The freeze technique is over done as well. Sure it is cool and Ellis uses his low budget extremely well and does some cool camera tricks but it is all style over substance.
A completely unnecessary soccer scene is the perfect example of how this film is desperately searching for something to talk about. What does work though is the character of Sean, Ben’s best friend, and the flashbacks involving him. Most of the films best jokes and bits come from these looks into the two’s childhood together as they discover the female body.
Sean Biggerstaff has one emotion and that is dumbfounded with no range whatsoever. The other lackeys at the shop are played like they are simple minded heathens or completely pointless kung-fu masters. The store boss is a bit stereotypical, but the actor is at least just having fun in the part which makes him the most bearable of the co-workers.
The female of interest at the shop, Sharon (Emilia Fox), is an interesting and likable character though and we can easily see the attraction; the production cheats her though by hiding her attractiveness for most of the film so we buy into her being a knock out at the end.
The overall message and arc of the film is also just absurd and utterly beyond belief with as sappy and outrageous of an ending as one can imagine. The film seems like an excuse to show female nudity as much as the director intended us to honor and worship the female vessel. The whole film just feels like it’s screaming to say, I am an artist love me because I can see your every curve for what it is unlike anyone else; it’s almost offensive.
The flashback save this from being horrible and the camera work is cool and worth watching if you are into that sort of thing, but other then that, I can’t terribly recommend this film that is a pretentious wash once it is all said and done.

[rating: 2.5/5]

Scott:

One of the things I love about using Blockbuster is perusing through the isles and finding new movies. Well today I did just that. I picked up an indie flick called Cash Back. One of my homies at the store was telling me about how good the movie was, so I picked it up. I haven’t watched it yet, but the cover and synopsis on back are really intriguing to me.

From Wikipedia – “After a painful break up with his first girlfriend Suzy, Ben, an aspiring artist, develops insomnia. To take his mind off his problem he spends his nights working at a local supermarket, where he meets colorful characters. He falls in love with his colleague Sharon.

He lets his imagination run wild. In particular, he imagines that he can stop time for others, so that he can walk around in a world that is “frozen” like in pause mode of a film. He imagines female clients standing frozen in the supermarket, so that he can undress and draw them.

We see in flashback, with Ben’s voice-over explaining how he always has been impressed by the beauty of the female body, how he, as a young boy, could see a Swedish boarder naked while she was going to and coming from the shower; being Swedish she did not believe this situation required modesty. Also we see little Ben’s friend Sean Higgins showing Ben his parents’ adult magazines. Furthermore we see Sean paying a girl for showing him her genitals.

Sharon is Ben’s date when they go to the birthday party of their boss. Ben meets Suzy who wants to continue their relationship. Ben refuses, but Sharon gets a negative impression seeing Ben with Suzy for a moment, and gets angry.

As a practical joke colleagues Barry and Matt phone him, one of them pretending to be an art gallery owner who is interested in his drawings, and an appointment is made. It turns out well: the gallery owner, seeing Ben’s work, is interested, and an exhibition follows. Sharon also visits it and is impressed not only by Ben’s success, but also by the many paintings portraying her; ceasing from being angry.”

Review: ‘Goya’s Ghosts’

Zac:

Milos Forman’s latest wow’s at the start but gets completely lost half way through, leaving one curious as to what happened to the picture by the end.
Brother Lorenzo (Javier Bardem) opens the film calling for the inquisition to return Spain to a god fearing state as they evaluate paintings of Goya that depict the world and church as a wretched and vial place. Lorenzo uses these portraits to convince his brethren to get rid of this image of the world and trains his brothers to seek out sinners based on ridiculous stipulations as reason to hold people captive within the church.
Lorenzo not only used the Goya (Stellan Skarsgà ¥rd) to gain favor with the Inquisition but also hired him to paint his portrait. While there Lorenzo’s eye is caught by a painting of Inà ©s (Natalie Portman), the daughter of a rich merchant that Goya may or may not have affections for, who becomes victim to Lorenzo’s new outlook on identifying heresy in Madrid.
Lorenzo’s infatuation with Inà ©s, the dealings/negotiating with her family for her, and Goya’s role in all of this mess and as the King’s painter take up the remainder of the films first hour of runtime and the results are fantastic. I will try not to shed anymore details, but the film blends comedy, history, and a wonderful look at art into the intertwined story of these three individuals and it works very well. At the hour turn in the film though, an abrupt time jump returns us to Spain 15 years later and things kind of go to shit. The French and British are pressing Spain and the film tries to show the rebellion, but that doesn’t really work.
The film tries to continue the story arc from the first half, but that isn’t very successful either. The second portion of the film is dominated by Portman, and we are left wanting more of Bardem and Skarsgà ¥rd as they are the stars of the show here. Portman has a hard time being convincing in this film and I wasn’t that impressed with her turn in either of her dual roles after the jump. I will say no more, but we are left longing for the two males as we are forced to wallow through a lost plot that lost all of its energy and sizzle in literally a matter of seconds with the jump.
Bardem is excellent though, with his role allowing him to show his range, but it’s his characters first half portrayal that really shines. Lorenzo’s servitude as a Brother of the Church is creepy and quietly menacing while he flip-flops and lies from one person to another. Skarsgà ¥rd on the other hand really shines as Goya in the second half and is the brightest spot of the mess that this promising tale turns into in its second half. Like I mentioned earlier, Portman’s turn is unfortunately weak, and while she bravely takes on the physicality of the role, it just doesn’t work and I can’t really describe it without spoiling things, though she does an admirable job in the first half of the film.
The surprise of this film is Randy Quaid, who turns in a solid and funny, if brief, turn as King Carlos IV of Spain and was a bit of inspired casting, ala Jeffery Jones in Amadeus, by Milos Forman.
If only Forman could have kept the spirit and inspiration the first half of this film throughout as he completely shifts tone, structure, and style and completely loses his viewers. It’s a shame that this didn’t pan out, as I thought it was going to be a hidden gem from 07, but sadly it falls far from where it could have been by the end. If you’re a fan of the two male leads though, definitely rent it, as there is plenty to enjoy. The film is almost worth recommending for the first half alone, but be warned the later part is tough to get through without checking your watch every five minutes and leaves you wishing Milos didn’t drop the ball on this one.

[rating: 3/5]

Review: ’30 Days of Night’

Zac:

David Slade’s adaptation of the vampire graphic novel quickly becomes mess and while having one or two decent moments, it is for the most part and unmemorable failure.
Josh Hartnett stars as the police chief of a small Alaskan town that doesn’t see the sun for thirty days every winter. As he investigates a series of seemingly random acts of vandalism and violence, something a miss begins to figure in his head, but by then it is too late. Upon arresting a drifter he suspects of the crimes, (the always stellar, and best part of this film, Ben Foster) the drifter begins preaching their demise and how there is nothing that can stop them. ‘Them,’ are a pack of vampires who have come to feast for thirty days on the town that is cut off from the world.
The film from here is just all over the place. The vampires are running around town killing everyone, yet the pack of survivors that matter are just sitting in a diner oblivious to the carnage and vampires outside. They show us streets filled with rampage everywhere, yet Hartnett and Melissa George (his separated wife, wonder if they reform their bond, hmmm?) move from building to building and drive the streets with little to no opposition. Hello continuity problem, and this is just the first of many issues the same as this that crop up throughout the entire picture.
The film has a chance to redeem itself as a whole party of people magically is able to cross the town and successfully hide from the pack of vampires running the streets in a well hidden drop ladder attic. Now the film could have played up the character development, shown the people slowly go crazy with cabin fever, and they touch on this briefly, but instead decide to magically move the party of people who decide to go to another location so we can try and be scarred again by this new locales threat of being unknown.
After a couple of other magic locale transfers, one kind of cool scene in the supermarket, a couple of fallen comrades, and a pretty good scene with a giant tractor and a ready to fight driver, we get to the preposterous finale where
**Spoiler**Hartnett injects himself with Vampire blood to be strong enough to fight, putting a punch through the leading Vampires skull and scaring the rest off. Why don’t they bum rush the fool and then kill the remaining survivors; just horrible. Then Hartnett and George finally realize they love each other and spend their last moment watching the sun rise as Hartnett burns to death from the now deadly light.**End Spoiler**
I mean it is all laughable and how horrible it is and just cements this film as one of the worst from the last year that I saw.
The actors actually don’t do a horrible job and are more or less handicapped by the atrocious exposition laced script that was written towards the intelligence of a three year old. Also, I am curious as to why such a talented actor like Danny Huston took the lead vampire role; just odd choice, though he did bring a little something to the character. The look of Slade’s film is actually pretty good, besides the crappy CGI, outside the last shot which looks pretty solid, and he does some fine work with the camera. Besides that the film glazes over everything, doesn’t explain anything, or even try to get us to care about these characters. I can’t recommend you to see this film as it is a weak horror film that does little to nothing well.

[rating: 1.5/5]

Review: ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days’

Zac:

This Romanian abortion thriller by Cristian Mungiu is an effective thriller that meanders too much for its own good and leaving a bit too many things vague while showcasing the trial and tribulations to getting an illegal abortion.
The film feels gritty and real and captures the times of Romania very well in 1987. We get plenty of subtle hints of the control in the country and become very aware of the consequences of the actions that take place if they are caught. The two lead actresses do a very affective job as we fully believe the conflicted struggles of Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) helping her roommate Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) go through with her abortion.
We are thrown right into these characters lives as we get a glimpse of the black market and dorm life of a Romanian student and the comradely that many of these people posses working together to get around the system. We receive little to no back story while we follow Otilia setting up the plans and following the precautions to do prepare for the act in question.
The viewer is left to assume motives for much of the film, which never really comes out and says what it wants you to think. This can be a very good thing, and I applaud the filmmakers for not taking us viewers intelligence for granted, but at the same time there are a few things left too open and with little evidence only allowing us viewers to grossly speculate the cause of certain reactions and emotion.
Both of the female leads bring some excellent work to the table, easily capturing the mystery, interest, and fear in taking the courses of action that they have to take. They both tell so much with their faces and the disgust and pain flowing through them just bounds off the screen.
The other main player in all of this is Mr. Bebe, played with subtle menace by Vlad Ivanov who you can never get a very good read on as the “doctor” who performs the abortion.
What really hurts this film is the extended and dragged out takes that bring absolutely nothing to the table other than to let the director and actors show off that they can do something in one take. I understand budget and time probably lent to the use of single one takes and long shots, and that is fine, and I am a major fan of impressive feats with a one take. The film is actually assembled from very few shots with minimal cuts, but what bothered me were a couple of lingering takes that had no point, and a dinner table extended take that kills the momentum of the movie right before the finale. I mean just grinds it to a halt, and everything that we get out of that scene could have been conveyed in a far smaller amount of time then the long lingering take that ends up in the film. I think this scene also exhausts much of the tension the film was slowly brooding up and I feel like it might have hurt the final act for Otilia in the end.
With that said though, when the film works, it works well, but I feel that the film could have been trimmed down to a tighter and taught 90 minutes and we wouldn’t have lost anything. The film ends on a perfect note as well and I can’t imagine a better ending, even if it leaves too many issues ill explained. This was the winner at Cannes last year and while I think it’s a solid film it is not anything astonishing or amazing. If you a fan of foreign cinema make sure to seek this one out, but if you are not interested in the film by the time you’re reading this, I doubt watching it will win you over by any means. I was going to rate this a hair lower, but that was simply because of my spite for that damn dinner scene. Without that scene though, this could have been 8 or higher; easily.

[rating: 3.5/5]