Movie #188........................."The Rivals"

Movie #188 "The Rivals" won the best picture award in the Phoenix Film Festival, and we saw this when we had bought a ticket for the best picture viewing. I'm sorry out of all the movies this one made it because there was way too much football for this viewer. The premise of this documentary was that there are two schools in the state of Maine that have been rivals for a while --- the two schools are Rumford Mountain Valley H.S. and Cape Elizabeth. What makes the rivalry is: Cape Elizabeth is a moneyed area, whereas Mountain Valley is a rural community that owes most of its livelihoods to the local mill. All Mountain Valley really has is this fantastic winning football team for years and years and years. Cape Elizabeth is busy building its team and it has money, and a coach that would love to be the other coach ---The kids that attend Cape Elizabeth all want to get scholarships to good colleges; the Mountain Valley kids will go work at the mill or some other blue collar job OR go into the service. For the first 45 minutes, I was so bored I found myself not always looking at the screen --- as aforementioned, too much football! Give the nonfootball viewer a break! (and I felt a prisoner, because I hadn't picked this movie --- it was forced upon me) But then there was a pivotal scene where Cape Elizabeth beats MV at the very end of the game, and they and their fans are so excited they don't line up and congratulate the other team, which the other team, and esp. the coach takes as a slap in the face. (and rightly so, really) So the older coach chastises the younger coach, and that interchange started the ball rolling, in my opinion. From then on, it was a bit more interesting. I guess I bought into the "experience wins out" attitude , and that motivated me to be interested in who actually won by the end of the film. Other than that, I wouldn't recommend it. I'd give it 3 stars, knowing that some people would probably like this film much more than I did because.............duh! they like to watch football! and they understand all the plays that you have to watch in this film.

Movie #187........................."Cyrus"

Movie #187 "Cyrus" was one of those awkward, but funny, romantic comedies with two very, very very good actors elevating the script in a number of places (for example, the last moment of the film is all them and it is wonderful) Add Jonah Hill to the mix and you get still another film I'd recommend that we saw from the Phoenix Film Festival. This film had a lot of physical comedy, but it didn't pass the stupid line for me --- it seemed all embedded in the reality of the situation so it worked (and Dave liked it even more than I did) . It's not a jokey film at all =- in fact, much of the humor comes out in the characters themselves and their reactions, and I think that's what I liked most about it. Nice job, Jay and Mark Duplass. I'll have to look up other indie films they directed to see if I like them, as well.





Average rating: 3.843
I gave it 4 stars
Cyrus
(2010) R
Indie favorites Jay and Mark Duplass co-direct this wry look at modern love and family dysfunction. John C. Reilly plays a recently divorced man who thinks he's found just the right woman (Marisa Tomei) to help him recover and move on. Unfortunately, the woman's son, played by Jonah Hill, has no interest in allowing another man into their lives -- a stance he proceeds to demonstrate in a variety of obnoxious ways.

Movie #186........................."The Square"

Movie #186 "The Square" has been likened to an Alfred Hitchcock thriller or the Coen Brothers' "Blood Simple" --- well, it is a good comparison esp. with it being a tense film full of lots of twists and terms, and as the two lovers kill off one after another of the people who see more than they should, they get deeper and deeper into this chasm , unable to get out. In those ways, the film excels. And the photography is good; it's just not near as stylish as "Blood Simple" nor "Double Indemnity" but I kept thinking about the latter as I watched this. This was part of the Phoenix Film Festival, and it was quite enjoyable. esp with the strong plot and jittery tone. I highly recommend it.



Average rating: 3.466
I gave it 4
The Square
(2008) R
Bored with married life, middle-aged Ray (David Roberts) devises a dangerous scheme to steal a large sum of money and run away with his beautiful young mistress, Carla (Claire van der Boom), in this neo-noir thriller from Australia. It looks as if the plot involving Carla's unscrupulous husband and a career arsonist is a success -- until an anonymous blackmailer threatens to expose the truth. Anthony Hayes, Joel Edgerton and Peter Phelps co-star.

Movie #185 ........................."Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans"

Movie #185 "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" is NOT Dirty Harry, but it tries to be. I've seen this movie over and over -----we're supposed to find this bad cop endearing --- doesn't work for me. First, he's a hideous human being, and second he's played by Nicolas Cage (one of my least favorite actors) and then to top that, his partner is Val Kilmer (another disliked actor) and finally, it's directed by Werner Herzog, who is supposed to be this great director, but I rarely like what he does. So it has three strikes against it before I even watch it............watch "Criminal Minds" or "NCIS" for better stuff than this movie metes out. Blah!





Average rating: 3.007
I gave it 2 stars
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
(2009) R
Corrupt Det. Terence McDonaugh (Nicolas Cage) -- whose bad habits include pain drugs, reckless sports gambling and accepting sexual bribes -- investigates the murder of five Senegalese illegal immigrants in New Orleans. Co-starring Val Kilmer as McDonaugh's partner, Xzibit as drug supplier Big Fade and Eva Mendes as prostitute Frankie Donnenfield, director Werner Herzog's action drama is a loose update of Abel Ferrara's 1992 film, Bad Lieutenant.

Movie #184 ........................."Amreeka"

Movie #184 "Amreeka" is a wonderful movie to teach us all how difficult it is to live one's life where there is so much discrimination no matter where you go. Mother and son journey from their beloved home in Palestine to America because they are tired of the police guarding their city --- they can't travel anywhere anymore --- it just isn't safe, so they think it will be better to live with relatives in America (Amreeka), but it isn't. The mom goes from an okay banker's job to working at White Castle. The son goes from being an excellent student to one who is called a terrorist by his fellow students. (just because he's Arab, does not mean he is a Muslim) And this is in Illinois, where I live!!!! it seems pretty grim through most of the movie, but there is a glimmer at the end ---- just a glimmer, and that's the reason for the 4 rating instead of 5. Ending could have been a tad more satisfying, but it was really a slice of life and so it ends in that tone. I really recommend this -- kept me thinking all day today.




average rating: 3.504
I gave it 4 stars
Amreeka
(2009) PG-13
Eager to provide a better future for her son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem), divorcée Muna Farah (Nisreen Faour) leaves her Palestinian homeland and takes up residence in rural Illinois -- just in time to encounter the domestic repercussions of America's disastrous war in Iraq. Now, the duo must reinvent their lives with some help from Muna's sister, Raghda (Hiam Abbass), and brother-in-law, Nabeel (Yussuf Abu-Warda). Cherien Dabis writes and directs.

Movie #183........................."17 Again"

Movie #183 "17 Again" --- Again (for the 17th time probably) the use of the "if I could go back in time" idea, well played by an excellent cast, headed by teen idol Zac Eron, who proves he's worthy of all the attention. The movie plays to his talents and he comes out very impressive, so if you are a fan, this is the movie to watch. He also has a pal who is a stitch and while acting as Zac's dad, pursues the principal of the school in hilarious fashion (he's a star trek geek, enough said). Leslie Mann (Apatow's wife) plays the soon-to-be-ex-wife of Zac/Perry, and she does it with aplomb. Michelle Trachtenberg plays the daughter. Better than average on the topic with good messages for kids and parents. A nice surprise.




Average rating: 3.728
I gave it 3 stars
17 Again
(2009) PG-13
On the brink of a midlife crisis, 30-something Mike O'Donnell (Matthew Perry) wishes he could have a "do-over." And that's exactly what he gets when he wakes up one morning to find he's 17 years old again. With his adult mind stuck inside the body of a teenager (Zac Efron), Mike actually has the chance to reverse some decisions he wishes he'd never made. But maybe they weren't so bad after all. Leslie Mann and Michelle Trachtenberg co-star.

Movie #182........................."Jeffie Was Here"

Movie #182 "Jeffie Was Here" was the comedy we saw at the Phoenix Film Festival last night, and we both gave it 3 stars. I'll put the plot in here, as well, since it isn't listed on netflix --- but it might be, some day, who knows? The guys who put the film together are also in it --- Todd Edwards and Peter Bedgood, and their gain to fame is an animated film they wrote entitled "Hoodwinked" which I didn't know about (I plan to see it in the future, if it's avaialble on netflix). Anyway, "Jeffie" is about a college professor and live-in girlfriend who are in dire straits when it comes to money --- you can tell this in the opening scene, because their apartment they are renting on the east coast is the size of a small closet. Anyway, an opening phone call beckons the professor home (on the west coast) and they can't afford the trip ---------unless, they advertise for a third person to accompany them on the trip........entrance Jeffie, and the comedy escalates (too much, in my opinion) on his entrance. He becomes an annoying traveling companion (that's an understatement) as this film gets bigger, bigger, and bigger until it builds to its unrealistic climax. The movie works too hard to get the jokes. It takes too long to get its jokes, and the guy playing Jeffie is not Bill Murray --- whom he is trying to be, because this movie is a lot like "What About Bob?" in the premise. One thing Bill Murray had was some charisma, which this guy lacks, so we find him as annoying as the couple do, and that doesn't help the comedy here. There are some funny bits, and it's quite an ambitious film and it DOES take risks, and some people would probably LOVE it, but we just thought it was way over the top (and past that stupid line!)