Hollywoodland (2006)

3/5

I saw this with my mom and brother tonight. Let me just say that this is not a film noir (or neo-noir), which is what I was expecting going in. Don't get me wrong; it tries to be with its hard-boiled style and sometimes clever dialogue, but the images are too perky, Adrien Brody is immensely unconvincing as the tough-as-nails detective, and the plot is just too simple. What this movie is, is a murder mystery set in the 50's. It reminded me of Michael Crichton's book Airframe because the main character just goes back and forth between theories of what "actually happened," except in this movie the murder is never solved. The method of flashback used is so conventional that it became jarring because it took me away from the 50's setting of film noirs. The movie can't really decide whose story it wants to tell: the detective who loses sight of morals and family or George Reeves and the mystery surrounding his death. So it tries to tell both but fails to quench your thirst for either. The recurring side characters were worthless. Utterly. The feeble attempts at giving the characters backstories by referencing one unique feature felt like something learned as a requirement in a scriptwriting class.

Even so, this movie is mesmerizing, which I think it takes partly from the true mystery surrounding Reeves' death. Despite what I said about leaving the theater knowing as much as when you went in, I like the fact that the director doesn't impose his own point of view on you. Despite the flashbacks, I found the directing to be surprisingly competent. He really respects the audience's intelligence and maturity levels. There were some really nice transitions and artistic flourishes that elevated this into a film instead of just a script. I can't really say I recommend it to either the film noir crowd, the cinema as art crowd, or the murder mystery crowd as it doesn't particularly excel in any of those facets. But it's a worthy attempt.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0427969/

The Brothers Grimm (2005)

3/5

Terry Gilliam's movies are always a pleasure to watch; they are visually appealing and inventive. The Brothers Grimm, while not very coherent or cohesive, is tons of fun. It has entertainment, laughs, thrills, and Gilliam's beautiful shots. I really like how all of the Grimm stories were incorporated, although they were incorporated in the most random and nonsensical manner. Which brings me to the negatives. This movie makes absolutely no sense. You will not be able to understand what is going on half the time. If you like Gilliam, though, you might want to check this out.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0355295/

The Illusionist (2006)

3/5

I saw The Illusionist with Sameer and my brother last night and was very entertained by it. However, I did have some complaints. It builds itself off of one big mystery. The rest of the movie is relatively pointless in that you could have seen the movie without the other parts and left the theater feeling exactly the same. There is no point to watching it more than once; the mystery is solved and that's about all this movie has to offer. Also, magic tricks in a movie just aren't that exciting. I especially disliked the use of in media res (starting in the middle of the action and then explaining how you got to that point). It didn't actually serve any purpose and merely justified sloppy (technique-wise) voiceover narration.

The "big mystery" itself was really refreshing and intriguing; I found myself guessing and just not finding the answer. Acting by Ed Norton and Paul Giamatti was superb as always, but they didn't particularly stand out in their roles for this movie compared to other projects they've done. Jessica Biel was mediocre; neither laudable nor laughable. The cinematography was pretty good, but I was vexed by Burger's choice of some queer angles. One thing I really like seeing was Paul Giamatti's teeth when he solves the big mystery. That almost made me happier than finally having the mystery solved.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0443543/

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

2/5

This is a pretty boring movie. The worst part is that it tricks you into thinking you're seeing a good movie because of its meditative pace. Scenes last so long, you ask yourself, Am I missing something? Nope, that's all there is. I wonder if it is Guillermo Arriaga who writes the script in flashback-mode or just Tommy Lee Jones' interpretation of it, but the nonlinear storyline really did not help the movie at all; it only hindered our understanding of it and took away from the power of the plot. The same thing happened in 21 Grams (also written by Arriaga). There seems to be something manipulative about introducing the past only after it is mentioned in the present instead of already having it shown and having the audience remember it. It's like baby-feeding and so the audience doesn't feel involved in or attached to the movie. In addition, there were a lot of unanswered questions that arose because of either curious/bizarre acting or unexplained plot twists. The plot wasn't very compelling and the end was neither sensational nor redemptive; it just stopped. In my eyes, this movie was all the bad stuff that didn't make the cut for Amores Perros and 21 Grams.

I liked the characters and how almost all of them were fleshed out by being involved in the plot after being introduced as side characters (like in The Station Agent, but not done as well). Some of the dialogue was pretty good, but I know that Guillermo Arriaga can do much much better. Some of the cinematography was absolutely mesmerizing, but that also took away from the story because it focused on the landscapes for too long.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419294/

Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000)

4/5

Ordinary Decent Criminal is a very entertaining crime flick. Kevin Spacey plays a gangster who is also a family man. The characters are all pretty unique and interesting, and Spacey's acting is surprisingly distinct from his other roles. The movie takes on a Heat-esque theme as a cop takes on the job of tracking him down, finally resorting to the same tactics Spacey's character used. There are some very clever heist scenes that make you want to be a criminal yourself because of how fun it looks. It leaves you with the feeling, why didn't I think of that? I could be a millionaire by now.

The negatives. I thought a lot of the music choices were odd and didn't fit the mood very well. Also, the accents take a little while to get used to. Some of the dialogue and plot had nothing to do with the overall movie, even though they had the potential to make it very interesting. It's not particularly ground-breaking or innovative as far as crime movies go, but what it does, it does well. So, some unexplored avenues, some heavy accents, and some awkward music. Otherwise, a very entertaining, very clever movie that I would recommend if you like Kevin Spacey or Irish accents.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160611/