moonstarly Reviews

Inside Man (2006)

pleasantly surprised... sometimes

[7/10 · 11 January 2007]

I'll be honest: "Inside Man" is not Oscar-worthy. But neither is it fantastically horrible. It's one of those movies you borrow from Netflix (because hey, why not?), enjoy on a Saturday afternoon, and forget you ever watched two weeks later.

"Inside Man" has three things going for it: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, and a complicated (if not a little convoluted) plot. Washington excels as the fast-talking, fast-thinking main character. I'm sure he has more than twice the lines of everyone else in the movie, including Clive Owen. Mr. Owen has not impressed me with most of his previous work (perhaps with the exception of "The Closer"), but his complex character and the way he fleshed him out was fascinating to me. The plot, though filled with holes, is interesting and complex enough to keep everyone guessing almost to the end. I also liked the subtle things the movie had to say about race, gender, and age relations.

On the downside, there's Jodie Foster. Though I usually enjoy her work, she was completely wrong for this part. The most annoying part of her performance is her odd hand motions, which I suppose were part of her character...? I thought her inclusion in the movie was somewhat unneeded.

I was also extremely offended by the use of the "c" word... completely unnecessary and cringe-worthy, especially coming out of Christopher Plummer's mouth. Otherwise, I enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to any casual movie-watcher,

The Brothers Grimm (2005)

not bad

[7/10 · 26 August 2005]

Well, my friends, I have just returned from the earliest possible showing of "Brothers Grimm" in my area, and I can assure you it was well worth getting up a few hours earlier than usual to watch. However, I would caution anyone who doesn't like Terry Gilliam's work, Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, or the REAL brothers Grimms' stories that this is not your average fantasy. The story is set in french-occupied Germany in the 1700s, a real time in which real people actually lived. Even some of the magical aspects of the story are explained by real events (I won't spoil it for you). So quite a bit of the plot deals with the realities of the day and age along with the fantastical aspects of the forest and its inhabitants.

That being said, the story also deals with the opposite side of unreality-- the dark and unnaturally gruesome. This is where I think the writer hit on a brilliant point; while the real brothers' stories have happy endings and some lighthearted moments, most if not all of their stories involve some degree of blood and gore. My hat is off to Ehren Kruger for being true to that aspect of their work.

The only aspects of this movie I disliked were the unresolved ending (which I won't spoil, either) and some of the acting. Lena Headey's performance did not impress me, but it could just be lack of material to work with (a very overdone character) and the fact that I've never seen any of her other work. Matt Damon is interesting to watch as usual. Peter Stormare and Jonathan Pryce are wacky to the point of annoyance as an Italian torture specialist and a French general. The only truly wonderful performance, however, is that of Mr. Ledger, whose bumbling, scholarly, tag-along Jacob was both a sympathetic character and a side we rarely see from this multi-talented actor.

This is not a movie for everyone (I wouldn't bring children with the tendency for nightmares or irrational fears, for example). It's not a movie you'll learn from or probably want to see hundreds of times. But for the moviegoer looking for beautiful cinematography, a few good laughs, and a fairly suspenseful story, look no further.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

arigato, miyazaki-san!

[10 July 2005]

I went into the theatre expecting great things from "Howl's Moving Castle" (the English title), being a Miyazaki fan to begin with, but this movie absolutely blew me away! The animation is, as usual, gorgeous; the landscapes are especially beautiful, and few films can compare to the detail of such intricacies as one finds on, say, the castle. But this movie is so much more than pretty graphics-- the plot is interesting, the characters are complex, and the message strikes at the heart of a lot of what is wrong with this world today. A great deal of it has to do with the evils of war, but I especially loved the messages about true beauty and love that this film had to offer. It's been a long time since I've been teary-eyed at the theatre ^.^ Miyazaki also does a great job with the balance between reality, fantasy, and sci-fi, which is always a true pleasure to watch. (I should also probably inform English-speaking fans that the English dub is superb, better by far than most of the abysmal anime dubbing I've heard) I would recommend this film to anyone, whether you're eight or eighty. The whole world deserves to know what an genius Hayao Miyazaki is!

Fantastic Four (I) (2005)

No "Batman Begins"... but mostly solid stuff

[7/10 · 9 July 2005]

Well, I just returned from watching "Fantastic Four"... and I think the mixed reviews it's been getting are pretty justified. For those of you who aren't aware, "Four" is about four (duh) friends whose genetic material is changed by a radioactive cloud on a trip to outer space, and their subsequent evolution into the well-known superhero team. Sounds like a fairly interesting story, right? It would be, but "Fantastic Four" falls short in the one area that gave "Spiderman" and "Batman Begins" such high praise-- character depth. Unlike many reviewers, I don't think the problem lies with the actors; the script was terrible. The screenwriter's one-liners and dumb jokes seem more fitting for a bland teen movie, and there is hardly any room for growth.

In fact, the acting is fairly good. Chris Evans (as Johnny Storm) is probably the funniest part of the movie; all of the good dialogue went to him, and his antics are, for the most part, in line with what I think the comic's creators had in mind. Michael Chiklis (as Ben Grimm) deserves a lot of praise not only for getting into that Thing suit every day, but for giving the gentle giant a depth that none of the other characters reaches. Ioan Gruffudd's Reed Richards is appropriately stiff, painfully geeky, and as a result isn't very likable, but he's a fine young actor, and I give him props for remaining true to the character. Jessica Alba's interpretation of Sue Storm was less than satisfying; however, her lines were by far the worst. Julian McMahon played a pretty flat, one-sided Victor Von Doom, but with a self-explanatory name like that, the creators were already condemning him to the one-sided evil villain subgroup.

Otherwise, if you're looking for something entertaining to watch on a hot summer's day (or want a good smash-em-up superhero film to take the kids to that isn't as dark as the newest "Batman" installment), "Fantastic Four" delivers. If you're looking for an interesting movie that will make you think, I'd advise you to look elsewhere.

National Treasure (2004)

Great for a Friday Night Family Movie

[7/10 · 10 May 2005]

Although the historical accuracy of this movie is questionable, as is some of the action and plot points (such as the break-in at the National Archives), it is a thoroughly enjoyable yarn that kids and parents alike will most likely find enjoyable. Nicholas Cage does a mediocre job as Ben Gates, the latest descendant in a line of "treasure protectors," as does Diane Kruger as his love interest. Sean Bean is, of course, wonderful as always as Ian, the "bad guy"; he is truly unappreciated as an actor. The real show-stealer, however, is Justin Bartha, whose one-liners and comic timing make this movie much more enjoyable. I hope we will be seeing more of him in the future. Seven out of ten stars.