Savage Grace

Movie name: Savage Grace
Year of release: 2007
Director: Tom Kalin
Stars: Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Eddie Redmayne, Hugh Dancy, Elena Anaya, Abel Folk, Belen Rueda, Martin Huber
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:When Tom Kalin's first film "Swoon" came out in 1992, he was hailed as part of the new queer movement, which included Todd Haynes (who released "Poison" in 1991), Gregg Araki (who directed "The Living End") and Rose Troche (director of "Go Fish"). 15 years and a couple of shorts later, his follow up is again based on a true event (much like "Swoon"), more precisely the true crime story of the Baekeland murder and suicide. Barbara and Brooks Baekeland were a rich couple, him from inheritance, she a former actress, from marrying into the family. When their child Tony was born, their relationship was already deteriorating, something that as the years passed by became more apparent. Tony however developed a close relationship with his mother, who always cherished and appreciated his presence, unlike his father that always kept him at bay. When Tony became an adult - and his ambiguous sexuality, his father decided to leave his family life and begin living with his mistress, a previous girlfriend of Tony's.
The film covers all these years in the lives of the Baekeland's, always focusing on Barbara and her relationship with Tony. What is implied throughout the film, becomes more visible in the final act, when the incestuous relationship becomes real. The film focuses wisely in Julianne Moore's portrait of Barbara - an ambitious, loving and misunderstood woman, that longs for something that she simply can't attain. Tony is not only her son, he's her companion, and in that sense the final act makes total sense in her life. They are equals. Tony's own life and grasp of reality is at most very unbalanced - from his own sexuality, to his personal longings and his relationship with his father. All the actors do a fine job of bringing to reality these characters, with particular focus to Julianne Moore, that channels a bit of her character from Todd Haynes' "Safe" and also Stephen Dillane, that embodies the cold detachment perfectly. Eddie Redmayne however doesn't convince totally, mostly because he never seems to fully embrace the character. His despair is never tangible, neither his longing - in the end it feels mostly like boredom. Tom Kalin does a good job bringing all these elements together, however the art direction and photography leave a lot to be desired. An interesting film nonetheless.

Hancock

Movie name: Hancock
Year of release: 2008
Director: Peter Berg
Stars: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, Eddie Marsan, David Mattey, Johnny Galecki, Jae Head
Genre: Action, Comey, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3

Synopsis:Here is a film that has so much going for it that somehow when I got out of the theater I couldn't help think - what a sad waste of talent. The film follows Hancock, an anti-hero prone to destruction fits when he comes to save the day. Somehow whenever he tries to do a good deed, his actions always end up hurting someone (which makes him very unpopular with...everyone). When he saves Ray, a PR man from getting hit by a train, Ray decides to change his image to the world (give him the image of the savior). What unexpectedly happens is the immediate rapport that Ray's wife, Mary, has with Hancock.
What sounds like a very interesting deconstruction of the superhero movie, ends up being a mess of a film, mostly because of a lack of direction and vision. Peter Berg, director of "The Kingdom", "Friday Night Lights" and "Very Bad Things", is a protégé of Michael Mann (that cameos, alongside with screenwriter Akiva "The Da Vinci Code/Batman and Robin/ A Beautiful Mind" Goldsman), however the talent isn't even in the same range. Berg is unsure what tone to give the film, therefore he just tries to go in all directions. It's shocking to see how underused Charlize Theron is (very bad casting choice for her) and ultimately the only person that manages to save face is the always great Jason Bateman (who is one of the most interesting underactors currently working). As for Will Smith, after the really great performance that was Francis Lawrence's "I Am Legend", this one feels like automatic pilot for him. A sad waste of resources (lots of them) for such week results.

Kung Fu Panda

Movie name: Kung Fu Panda
Year of release: 2008
Director: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
Stars (voices): Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong, Dan Fogler, Michael Clarke Duncan
Genre: Comedy, Animation, Family
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:Dreamworks Animation is by now an established studio, with the success that has been the "Shrek" franchise, but also "Madagascar", "Over the Hedge" and "Shark Tale". "Kung Fu Panda" is the latest of their efforts, and boasts again an impressive talented voice cast, starting with the irreverent Jack Black as the main character, the Panda named Po. Po is an overweight and sluggish Panda bear that has always dreamed of being a Kung Fu master. When Po is accidentally picked as the "chosen one" (a martial arts master), he starts the training process to be part of the clan that is responsible for protecting the small town within the valley. His training brings him face to face with the dangerous and ambitious tiger Tai Lung, who's bent on destroying whomever crosses his path.
The story brings nothing new to the table - the personal belief in yourself, is all that matters when it comes to overcoming obstacles. What sets this film apart, and places it a few notches above "Shark Tale", is how well it's told and the sheer beauty and virtuosity of the animation and design style. The film has a good sense of humor brought upon by Jack Black/Po and his inadequacy in fitting with a clan that brims with elegance and perfection. His attempts at fitting in are hillarious, particularly when his main motivation - food - is found out.
Ultimately this an entertaining film, filled with a good message, good laughing moments and a very inspired and talented team of designers and animators.

WALL-E

Movie name: WALL-E
Year of release: 2008
Director: Andrew Stanton
Stars (voices): Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy and Sigourney Weaver
Genre: Comedy, Animation, Family, Sci-Fi, Romance
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9

Synopsis:After the huge success that was "Finding Nemo", Andrew Stanton and the creative team at Pixar return with "Wall-E". The film introduces us to Wall-E the little robot that is in charge of cleaning up the planet Earth, after all the humans abandoned it (due to the inability to live there, with all the garbage and exhaustion of natural resources). It's been 700 years since the humans have left, and Wall-E is the remaining one doing his chores, with a lonely cockroach as his companion. When a probe comes to the planet to investigate the possibility of life, Wall-E strikes an interest with the robot model in charge of doing the research, EVE. When Eve goes back to her ship, Wall-E decides to follow through and finds out where all the humans have gone. The story of this beautiful film is almost dialogue free, but it shines through, since it's themes are universal: loneliness, love, companionship. The film is exquisitely designed, and manages to balance out all the drama, comedy and thrill that you've come to expect from a Pixar film. Definitely one of the best films Pixar has ever done.

Wanted

Movie name: Wanted
Year of release: 2008
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Stars: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, Terence Stamp, Kristen Hager
Genre: Action, Thriller
Score out of ten: 6.5

Synopsis:For his first american financed film, russian director Timur Bekmambetov decided to adapt Mark Millar's graphic novel, "Wanted", a hyper violent comic book. The story introduces us to Wesley Gibson, a young man that works in an accountancy firm and that has deep anxiety attacks. Wesley is just a regular Joe, whose girlfriend is fooling around on him and who's basically a lonely person with no family. While running his errands he meets the beautiful Fox, who saves him from a tough situation and ends up introducing him to a secret society of assassins, one that his long lost father was a part of. This is the basis of the story that unfolds in such a succession of thrilling moments and action pieces that knows no stopping points. The film is thin on development, but doesn't try to be anything other than it presents itself as: pure entertainment and very well crafted for that matter. Worth checking out!

The Love Guru

Movie name: The Love Guru
Year of release: 2008
Director: Marco Schnabel
Stars: Mike Meyers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco, Meagan Good, Verne Troyer, Manu Narayan, Stephen Colbert, Jim Gaffigan, Ben Kinsgley
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2

Synopsis:Following a hiatus of some years, Mike Meyers returns with his latest comic creation, the guru Pitka, a love guru (a healer of relationships and life organizer - and rival to Deepak Chopra). The film follows the guru's life and his particularly risky last challenge - getting a very well known couple back together. The story is, as is the case with Mike Meyers' films, extremely thin - and it's stretched to the max. However in this case, the screenplay (?) feels like an amassed series of situations stitched together, some of which are funny, but ultimately the film just feels underdeveloped. This character certainly deserved more work and a more substantial film to let it grow - as it is, it just finds some moderately funny moments, even in the presence of terrible actors as Jessica Alba and Justin Timberlake. This is a definite back to the drawing board...

The Incredible Hulk

Movie name: The Incredible Hulk
Year of release: 2008
Director: Louis Leterrier
Stars: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, Christina Cabot
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:Marvel Studios has followed the gigantic success of "Iron Man" with another adaptation of one of their beloved characters - The Incredible Hulk. The character has a previous track concerning adaptations, with the TV show and the film of the same name that Ang Lee directed in 2003. And I shall start by addressing the previous version - Ang Lee did an interesting job with a character that is complex and quite difficult to move to the big screen. His interpretation was complex and polished, maybe a bit too much for what is expected of this character. Marvel was unpleased with the results (should be read, box office results) and decided to hire Louis Leterrier, a more action driven director (and a Luc Besson pupil, sort of speak) to create a more immediate and comic book faithful version. Leterrier had the incredible luck of attracting Edward Norton to the role, and good actors followed as William Hurt, Tim Roth and Tim Blake Nelson. The film starts by introducing the story of the Hulk within the opening credits - when the film starts, we know that Bruce Banner is in seclusion in one of Brazil's "favelas". What starts is a game of cat and mouse, with the resilient General Ross in persecution of the Hulk, creating in the process another monster in order to capture it's prey. The film definitely works on some levels, particularly the dynamics that Edward Norton brings to the role - he is perfectly well cast, however where the film particularly falters is in the energy and the direction that it has. There is no spark, no inventiveness, it's a film that breathes the industrial concept on which it was based on. Whereas "Iron Man" had a slickness to it that made it an interesting film on it's own, The Hulk tries to be about action and about the inner struggles, yet it feels strangely subdued and restrained. It deserves a director that will bring intensity to it!

The Fall

Movie name: The Fall
Year of release: 2006
Director: Tarsem Singh
Stars: Catinca Untaru, Lee Pace, Justine Waddell, Kim Uylenbroek, Aiden Lithgow
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4

Synopsis:Tarsem Singh made his name as a commercials and music clip director (he directed REM's "Losing my Religion") before tackling the feature film domain, where he made his debut with "The Cell". "The Cell" was a poor film, with a screenplay that borrowed from better films about serial killers, but displayed a visual flair and a production design that set it apart. Following the critical disappointment of that film, Tarsem embarked on a personal project - "The Fall" is the result of that effort. Shot in different locations, the film follows the story of a little girl who's recovering in the hospital from a broken arm, and the relationship she forges with a stuntman from the silent movies era. He tells her a story of a group of rebels out to battle the evil Governor Odious. This fantasy world becomes so vivid for the little girl, that she becomes entangled in it. This short description almost reads like a Terry Gilliam film, and somewhere during "The Fall" you almost wished he had tackled it. The main reason the film feels empty is the fact that none of the characters really exist or have any depth. The screenplay feels underdeveloped and the fantasy that one expects to believe and make the leap with the central character, never really happens. The film ends up having it's strong points visually - the photography, the production design, the fantastic costumes from the Oscar winning japanese designer Eiko Ishioka, but sadly that's not enough to hold the interest of a film. A missed opportunity!

Son of Ranbow

Movie name: Son of Rambow
Year of release: 2007
Director: Garth Jennings
Stars: Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jessica Stevenson, Jules Sitruk, Neil Dudgeon, Anna Wing
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:Following the disappointing "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", Garth Jennings comes back with a terrific film, very much autobiographical, but alive with imagination and nostalgia. "Son of Rambow" follows the relationship between two young boys, Will Proudfoot and Lee Carter, in England circa the early 80's. Will is imaginative, creative and isolated, because of the passing of his father but also because of the religion that his family is a part of. Lee is a troublemaker, that has been "left off" with his older brother, while his mother is in Spain with her lover. Both these young boys come together and start working on their own version of the film "Rambo", the Sylvester Stallone film that has had such a huge impact in their lives. The film is a little story about growing up, learning to have friends and just generally learning to cope with loss and accepting who you are. It's beautifully well done and the actors are perfectly well cast. This is a gem worth watching.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Movie name: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Year of release: 2008
Director: Steven Spielber
Stars: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent, Igor Jijikine
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis: After almost 20 years (the last Indiana Jones film premiered in 1989) and so many rewrites, Steven Spielberg and company return with another adventure of the famed archeologist. At this point one might thing what would be the point of picking up a character that was so embedded within the 80's culture, however the film is an ode to the talents of Steven Spielberg as a filmmaker. Though at certain points the film borders on the risible, Spielberg is still peerless as an entertainer and storyteller. The acting is uniformly good, with Cate Blanchett doing a very good villain, Jim Broadbent picking up where Denholm Elliot left off and John Hurt is always a pleasure to watch, even when he's on auto-pilot. The team that Spielberg usually assembles is impeccable, starting out with Janusz Kaminski that shoots the film beautifully and with the production design of the wonderful Guy Hendrix Dyas. All and all, this is a film that continues what the other films have set in motion, keeping the entertainment value high, even if at certain points the film seems to falter. A good watch.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Movie name: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince of Caspian
Year of release: 2008
Director: Andrew Adamson
Stars: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton, Liam Neeson, Eddie Izzard, Sergio Castellito, Peter Dinklage, Vincent Grass, Pierfrancesco Favino, Damián Alcázar
Genre: Action, Family, Fantasy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4

Synopsis: Following the unexpected success that was the first installment of CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, Disney jumped immediately on production of the following films (more sequels to come). Whereas the third film will have Michael Apted as a director, the first and second films fell on the lap of Andrew Adamson, previously known as the helmer of the Shrek films. This turns out to be the biggest weakness of the first film and now, "Prince Caspian". The first film tried desperately to be a follow up to the "Lord of the Rings" concept and look, something that this film also aims at, however the results have fallen flat and uninspired. Whereas Peter Jackson breathes life to his adventures, Adamson feels too uninspired, which falters the film (particularly considering the huge means he had available in this film). The actors have evolved from their wooden performances in the first film (much like the kids of the "Harry Potter" films), yet the scene stealing goes to the wonderful Tilda Swinton that manages to breathe some menace in the few minutes she's on screen. The film had a lot of potential, and you almost wish there was more to it, but the film feels lackluster and ultimately not very satisfying.

Speed Racer

Movie name: Speed Racer
Year of release: 2008
Director: Andy and Larry Wachowski
Stars: Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, Paulie Litt, Rain, Roger Allam
Genre: Action, Family
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:
5 years after the critical and public meltdown that were the two final installments of the Matrix trilogy, the Wachowski brothers return with a new film and surprisingly it's a family oriented film, based on the cartoon "Speed Racer". The film starts by introducing us to Speed, a young boy that has the gene of race car driving - his older brother is a race car driver also and his father builds the cars that they use. After a dramatic family event occurs, we see Speed as an adult running and being hailed as the great new talent of race car driving. He is proposed a contract by this evil corporate conglomerate, that upon his refusal sets out to destroy his career and his family's opportunities.
This is a film that has been shot almost 100% with green screen, which means the work with post-production has been extensive and the special effects and eye candy will be a major driving force. Whereas the visual side of the film is almost overwhelmingly beautiful (the colors, the framing of the shots), the film ends up faltering in it's premise to be a family film. The screenplay is far too complex at times for a child to understand. The premise promised a lot, and while visually the film is powerful and impressive, the screenplay, the acting in general make it an uneven experience. Christina Ricci ends up being the real sparkle in the midst of all that glitter - all the other actors are either playing too serious, or too over the top - she finds the beat for a film that is about only one thing - having fun! This film is almost pop-saturated art at it's best - see it for what it is, and experiment!

Iron Man

Movie name: Iron Man
Year of release: 2008
Director: Jon Favreau
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, Leslie Bibb, Clark Gregg, Shaun Toub, Faran Tahir, Bill Smitrovich
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:
Jon Favreau is a director that has demonstrated thus far that he can be very eclectic. From "Swingers" to "Zathura" he has helmed films that are mostly light comedies, but with "Iron Man" he has managed to accomplish a very entertaining action film, that is not paper thin on characters like so many other comic book adaptations ("Ghost Rider" springs to mind). Working with a wonderful cast, particularly the wonderful actors that are Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow, Favreau makes a film that is intelligent, exciting and filled with enough eye candy to induce a light diabetic coma. Definitely worth checking out!

Hors de Prix

Movie name: Hors de Prix / Priceless
Year of release: 2006
Director: Pierre Salvadori
Stars: Audrey Tautou, Gad Elmaleh, Marie-Christine Adam, Vernon Dobtcheff, Jacques Spiesser
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:
Following "Apres Vous" Pierre Salvadori returns with another small comedy, with the pretty Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh (who was also in Francis Veber's "La Doublure"). This is a comedy about mixed identities and finding true love. Tautou plays Irene, a woman that tries to find the right older man to bank her exquisite tastes and have a life full of privilege (aka a gold digger). When she mistakes Jean, a modest barman at a hotel, for a millionaire, she ends up giving him more than a night to remember - the poor man falls in love with her. Following this special night, Jean decides to keep the charade going, till all gets discovered - what follows is a comedy of mistaken identities and each one of these "fake and ruthless" gold diggers trying to find the easiest solution. The film always stays in a very docile and sweet tone, never really going to the places it could've have gone, but it is nonetheless an enjoyable comedy (which hopefully won't get remade with Ashton Kutcher).

Baby Mama

Movie name: Baby Mama
Year of release: 2008
Director: Michael McCullers
Stars: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Sigourney Weaver, Greg Kinnear, Romany Malco, Dax Shepard, Steve Martin, Maura Tierney, Holland Taylor
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:
"Baby Mama" is the first directorial effort for Michael McCullers, though not necessarily a first in the themes that it deals with - the odd couple and the pregnancy for a career woman (that immediately springs to mind Charles Shyer's "Baby Boom" from 1987 with Diane Keaton). The film however scores highly as it doesn't try to be something that it isn't - it's aspirations are modest, and it scores most of them mostly thank to it's great cast, starting with the terrific comedian that is Amy Poehler. Poehler has made some easily forgettable films bearable, thanks to her natural comedic timing (witness Mark Waters' "Mean Girls"), and here she is paired with the equally talented Tina Fey (as the career, straight laced woman that can't get pregnant). The cast also ads the hilarious Sigourney Weaver as an oddly mature fertile woman and Steve Martin as an ecological CEO (and these two alone could have a film just for them). The film ends up living of the combination of the two central women, how different their lifestyles are and how they both learn something from each other - but the real score comes from watching these talented comedians going at it with all they have. Worth checking out.