Showing posts with label *1/2stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label *1/2stars. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

'360' *1/2stars


'360' is currently in limited engagements but is available on vod. it aspires to 'babel'esque storytelling but fails miserably. although rachel weisz, jude law and anthony hopkins give good performances they can't save this meandering and boring tale. and the 360 doesn't really work as there is no 'center' to connect the disparate tales. rent 'babel' instead which is brilliant.


2006 academy award nominee 'babel' and one of the best of the decade so far is the real deal.


Monday, December 13, 2010

'Cairo Time' *1/2stars




i love small films that give us an unexpected love that will be all to brief. i could not wait to see this 2010 film. and i love patricia clarkson who is totally underrated and under utilized in film. this film and her performance is not going to help her out much. 

the director for some odd reason has her walking in slo-mo for the entire film. it's almost as though she just finished a guest star role on amc's 'the walking dead' and didn't get out of character. her lines are delivered, and i use that word deliberately, no matter the emotion with a one notemonotone. it's as if ms. clarkson filmed this entire movie stoned. what the hell was the director thinking?

the only saving grace in this film is the performance of egyptian actor alexander siddig. i can't figure out how he could even react to the wooden ms. clarkson.

forget this one.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

'Brooklyn's Finest' on Bly Ray and DVD Rates *1/2stars

good cop, bad cop, indifferent about to retire cop. priest who gives cop absolution for committing cold blooded murder and gets 'one hail' mary as penance. talk about a hail mary pass...damn. same old same old with some good acting by ethan hawke, richard gere and the always better than most of his films don cheadle.





fagetaboutit!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Revisiting: 'Hair' *1/2




i love to revisit film yesterday. i pulled out my dvd of 'hair' and much to my surprise i hated it. i can only say i must have been stoned or tripping when i first saw this. though the locations shots were mostly authentic the wardrobe came right out of costume. show me one real hippie and/or flower child that had 'designer hippie' clothes. the orchestrations though serviceable killed a few of the numbers and a few bars in almost every number.

the acting was appalling thus i apologize but treat williams you sucked. and beverly d'angelo got the career she deserved following her portrayal of shelia...no career...gone...forgotten...take a hint anne hathaway.

john savage as claude was almost redeemable but just almost.

i have no idea what i was on the night i went with my friends to see this in 1979 but i'd love to get my hands on some of it, well a lot of it, today.

p.s. 'hair: a tribal musical' opened in 1967 off broadway. in 1968 it transferred to broadway and caused a sensation and quite a stir. waiting until 1979 to film it was so untimely as those days were well gone. at best some musicals should never be filmed. this stands atop a semi long list. this milos forman directed movie was so far from tribal and as close to hollywood mediocrity as one could get. what was i thinking or yet again what was i on?

Saturday, June 12, 2010

'Dear John' on DVD and Bluray: *1/2 stars



i truly don't know what to say about this film. well it is getting 1 1/2 stars and not 0 stars because of tatum channing's understated wonderful performance. throw in richard jenkins as his mildly autistic dad and a semi charming amanda seyfried. semi charming as in the first half of this somewhat disjointed film. at first miss seyfried is a wonderful wide eyed charmer who turns into a real bitch. what she does and how she does it is totally fracked up. any woman, or man, who does what she does to john should be sent to dick cheyney's house for slow torture. she becomes despicable...sorry no excuses...cheyney her now! amanda this role was not for you...only a really cold and not too talented actress should have played this role. was anne hathaway unavailable?

what really amazes me is that director lasse hallstrom's last film, the wonderful 'hachi: a dog's tale', went straight to dvd and this story of a pathetic miserable creature saw the light of day or should i say the darkness of a movie theatre.

rent at your own risk. tatum channing and richard jenkins kept me watching. i can't speak for you. this is in the running for my worst of 2010 based solely on the subject.

i've said it before and this is the perfect time to say it again do yourself a favor and rent 'hachi: a dog's tale"




Sunday, June 6, 2010

On DVD and BluRay: 'Alice in Wonderland' Rates *1/2 stars

can't say i'm sorry i missed this in a theater...not tim burton's best that's for sure (edward scissorhands) or his worst (charlie and the chocolate factory). it is mediocre at best. the whole thing is stolen by helena bonham carter as the red queen. and trust me i was rooting for her over the gothed up white queen destroyed by another awful and bizarre can't be called acting job by the terrible anne hathaway. she is a disaster on film. can no one find this woman a desk job?

be forewarned: avoid this one.



Tuesday, May 11, 2010

'The Big Gay Musical' on DVD and Blu Ray *1/2stars




a silly romp that takes on some serious topics in a retelling of 'adam and steve'. the music and lyrics are mostly inane and definitely forgettable. i think it can only appeal to those who enjoy camp. if i want camp i'll revisit 'valley of the dolls' or 'the legend of lylah clare' which are sooooo bad that they are make good camp.







Sunday, April 25, 2010

'The Lovely Bones' on DVD and BluRay: *1/2

not even rachel weisz, mark wahlberg, saoirse ronan or the brilliant stanley tucci were, are, able to save this overdrawn movie. admittedly i was not a fan of the novel but this adaptation is 10 times more boring. skip it!