Movie Reviews

Speed Racer

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Speed Racer
  • IMDB: link

speed-racer-poster

I’m always looking for reasons to love the Wachowskis.  I am one of the few and faithful who have stuck with the Matrix through all of its sequels, and still love it.  But then V For Vendetta came along, and if you know how I reacted to it, then you know that my faith in the duo was thrown into doubt.  With all that in mind, I was excited for Speed Racer – a silly cartoon adaptation that couldn’t be bogged down by politics or philosophy, all it had to do was be superficially awesome.  If the Wachowskis could pull this one off, it might finally justify my love for the writer/directors.  Did I find that validation?

Nope.

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Mamet + MMA = Good Times

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Redbelt
  • IMDB: link

redbelt-poster

Okay, I love David Mamet, but at first glance the mixture of Mamet and mixed martial arts sounds like a formula for disaster.  With memories of many horrific MMA themed films running through my head (including Hollywood’s latest blunder) I sat down to see what one of the best writers working today had to say on the subject.  I walked out a very happy man.

Our story centers around Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a guru and owner of a martial arts dojo struggling to get by.

A series of events disrupt Mike’s world and force him to make hard choices about his core beliefs about martial arts, training, and his disdain for competing in staged MMA tournaments.

This is a David Mamet script and, as you would expect, things don’t go from A to B here, and if they do it’s never in a straight line.  There are surprises, twists, and an elaborate con which leaves our hero out of options and at odds with the world and himself.

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Young at Heart

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Young@Heart
  • IMDb: link

“Oh yes we can, I know we can can, yes we can can, why can’t we?  If we wanna, yes we can can.”

young-at-heart-poster

The documentary by Stephen Walker follows the the Young@Heart Chorus as they learn new songs and prepare for their next live performance.  This, however, isn’t your average chorus.

The Young@Heart Chorus is made up of senior citizens, all over the age of 70, from the New England area.  Led by director Bob Climan, the group has been performing since 1982, although not the type of music you might expect from a senior citizen group.  No, the Young@Heart sing contemporary and classic rock and pop songs such as “I Wanna Be Sedated” by the Ramones and “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by the Clash.

For their upcoming concert the group is practicing hits ranging from “Yes We Can Can” by the Pointer Sisters to “Schizophrenia” by Sonic Youth.  We get to meet each some of the members of the chorus, including two former members who have returned after serious medical conditions to perform one last time with their friends.

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Iron Man

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Iron Man
  • IMDB: link

“I want to protect the people I put in harm’s way.”

The film follows the life-changing events of weapons manufacturer and wealthy industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).  After performing a weapons demonstration in the Middle East Stark is captured by terrorists and forced to design new weapons for their use.  In a last-ditch effort to save his life, Stark creates a armored suit, powered by the small power source keeping him alive, to escape and make his way home.

On arriving back in the states Stark proceeds to shut down the weapons manufacturing part of Stark Industries (which is most of the company), to the displeasure of longtime friend and business parter Obadiah Stone (Jeff Bridges), and begins a new project – one which will eventually be tabbed by local media as Iron Man.

Directed by Jon Favreau, who also has a small role casting himself as Happy Hogan, the film mixes action, state of the art special effects, humor, and drama to give us one of the better comic book films ever made.  This is a fanboy’s wet dream come to life.

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My Other Best Friend’s Wedding

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Made of Honor
  • IMDB: link

“I want you to be my maid of honor.”
 
made-of-honor-poster

After realizing he loves his best friend, Tom (Patrick Dempsey) decides to pledge his love.  The only trouble is Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) has just gotten engaged to a Scottish noble (Kevin McKidd) and has asked Tom to be her maid of honor.  Of course he accepts (leading to mayhem) and tries to win her for himself (leading to mischief).

What follows is exactly what you’d expect.  Tom struggles with his duties as maid of honor and his inability to stop the wedding and tell Hannah his true feelings.

Although the film isn’t awful, it lacks any spark or reason for us to care about these people.  Hannah doesn’t seem better off with Tom or Colin than she would be on her own.  And Tom’s sudden need to express his feelings reeks more of desperation than true love.

Monaghan and Dempsey are fine in the leads, but they come off more as good friends than characters who the audience should be rooting to get together.

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