The Irish musical “Once” by John Carney is very much of a gentle and quaint little elegy of life and love much like the subtle whisper that was “Me You and Everyone We Know.” Going in and out of theaters with barely a notice, it’s a shocker something so powerful as “Once” could go almost completely unnoticed. It’s just a painful crime that something as beautiful and utterly riveting as Carney’s “Once” could just completely be dismissed as another indie drama when really it’s a truly powerful musical.
Tag Archives: Drama
American Gangster (2007)
I wonder why it hasn’t been further emphasized that Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster” marks the second meeting between Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Perhaps it’s because during “Virtuosity” Crowe was barely a star, or perhaps it’s because “Virtuosity” just wasn’t that good. True, this second meeting is not as notable as Paul Newman and Robert Redford’s, but I wish it were. We have a slew of incredible actors, some favorites, some up and comers, and two of the current best actors in Hollywood meeting. Yet again. The hook for this crime thriller is capitalism. Capitalism, Zaillian insists, however criminal or legal, is still nothing but deception and appealing to consumers in spite of the sleazy methods in which we act out the primary principle of business in America.
Square Pegs (2007)
There’s not much to say about “Square Pegs” other than it’s probably one of the most surreal, and yet most powerful short films I’ve ever seen. Not only does the imagery spark a head trip of pure acidic proportions, but it’s such a fantastic statement about faith, and the ongoing war of good and evil and the religious belief of the human soul being wrestled with even after we die. Though I’m not sure I agree with the overall statement Ben Hicks makes about the atheists role in the “war” that ensues for our state of being after our death, “Square Pegs” is nonetheless a powerful little film that makes the best of its low resources.
The Return (2006)
Asif Kapadia’s supernatural drama likes to model itself after “The Machinist,” in which our main character has a reality that may not be everything she assumes it is, and is constantly haunted by mysterious figures while always in a dream-like environment where music fades, and space and time are easily bent to every scenario this mystery wants our character Jo to be. “The Return” isn’t the worst movie of 2006 as most others have reported, but is instead a weak and rather dull little drama that really breaks no new ground. Gellar’s performance here ranges from flat out mediocre to as wooden as a stake. Gellar is far from the primary flaw of this picture, as Kapadia can never seem to keep the audience at attention.
The Jazz Singer (1927) (Three-Disc Deluxe Edition) (DVD)
I always manage to garner negative reactions from fellow movie geeks who find my sheer stern love for film rather irritating. I’m told to lighten up, I’m told that I take this stuff too seriously, and that movies are just entertainment; “They’re just movies! They’re there to entertain above everything else! Don’t be so critical!” The reason why I hold movies to such a high regard with a strong importance is because movies are a powerful form of art and expression, and images in film can hold a great deal of power that can affect everyone from casual observers to the deepest of film buffs. If it were the contrary, Warner Bros. would have included the most famous image of “The Jazz Singer” on the box of this new deluxe edition, rather than opting for an image of Jolson’s shadow in a beaming spotlight.
Nature of the Beast (2007)
The death kiss of the “American Pie” franchise continues, as Rodman Flender’s comedy asks us to pontificate the notion of one of the guys from “Teen Wolf” actually growing up to be married. And what if this guy didn’t tell his wife that he was a werewolf by nature, or super nature? Sure, this is really just a ninety minute sitcom in reality that uses a small horror device that doesn’t even place it within the horror fold, but it does indeed rip off “Teen Wolf” considerably. This could very well have been a sequel that occurs ten years later if they pushed for theatrical distribution hard enough.
Poltergeist (25th Anniversary Edition) (1982) (DVD)
Who directed this movie? Was it control freak egomaniac Steven Spielberg (Still my hero, Stevie!), or poor sap semi-talent Tobe Hooper? The debate continues, and I could care less. For me, “Poltergeist” is still one of my favorite horror flicks of all time, and it’s a wonderful combination of both directors’ styles. For the Spielberg nuts, there’s wonder and magic and epic nightmarish fantasy, and for the Hooper fans, there’s the horror, the terror, the frantic energy in the climax, and that great scene of the face being torn from its bone in the mirror. This is a wonderful demented bastard child from two great directors, and “Poltergeist” is simply still a great piece of filmmaking.