No Strings Attached (2011)

2/5

No Strings Attached is a "romantic comedy" about two friends attempting to be friends with benefits (or actually friends with only one benefit, namely sexual intercourse). I put romantic comedy in quotes because you would be hard-pressed to find any romance in this film and the comedic elements fall flat about as frequently as they succeed. Natalie Portman plays a weird girl who is uncomfortable with intimacy; throughout the entire film we never get a sense of why she is the way she is. Ashton Kutcher plays the same character he has played for the past 10 years in romantic comedies, and there was nothing new or unique about it the first time we saw it. As for the plot, it progresses predictably into disaster when one party wants more than just sex. Whatever will they do.

Movies like No Strings Attached really frustrate me. It's not the quality of the movie that I find irritating, but the fact that it has so much potential that it chooses to throw away on cheap jokes and superficial meaning. Natalie Portman is incredible in this movie; she gives her character as much depth and warmth as possible, but the character is just written so shallowly that her talent is wasted. Half of the jokes are hilarious, but the other half you could practically hear crickets chirp in the theater. It was painful how bad they were and I actually felt embarrassed for the movie. The relationship between the two main characters is absent until the ending (maybe I'm just being naive, but I thought you had to be friends before you could be friends with benefits). The movie itself is okay, and there are plenty of laughs (more than any Will Ferrell or Ben Stiller comedy that I've seen), but it just feels like a half a movie. I can't recommend it in good conscience.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1411238/

New York, I Love You (2009)

2/5

Unlike its predecessor Paris, je t'aime, New York, I Love You is a terrible movie. It is a terrible, terrible movie. It is a collection of short films that reveal characters who become intertwined with other characters in New York City. Unfortunately, you wouldn't know that if you just watched it. It would appear to an innocent bystander to be a random smattering of ludicrous events that are pretentiously written, acted, and directed that give the illusion of lofty meaning and artistic flair. It is filled with empty stories based off of shallow ideas. However, amongst the 11 short films, there were two (2) good segments. The first starred Bradley Cooper and Drea De Matteo as two strangers who spent a night together that became more than a one-night stand; it is about the fears and doubts they have about what it meant for them and for the other person as they barrel through the city to meet again. It has a tremendously powerful ending. The second starred Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman as an old married couple who head out on their 63rd anniversary to Coney Island, where they had their first date. They exchange playful banter, as unique and genuine as a real-world couple who might have lived in each other's companies longer than they have lived alone, who love and hate everything about the other person. It reminded me of No Country for Old Men in the best possible way. Still, those two gems in this giant pile of poop aren't quite valuable enough to recommend wading through it all. Ick.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808399/

Tangled (2010)

4/5

Disney's Tangled is a return to the fairytale genre they seemed to have singlehandedly created way back in 1937 with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The plot follows Rapunzel (Moore) as a young princess who was stolen by the aging Mother Gothel (Murphy) and placed in a hidden tower for the magical healing power of her hair. She dreams of what the outside world is like and one day her wish comes true when she gets rescued by a thief named Flynn Rider (Levi). Flynn is being chased by royal guards, and one particular royal horse named Maximus, who is quite possibly the most hilarious and memorable character in the entire movie, even though he never speaks a word. Disney knows good entertainment, and this movie continues in its tradition by producing this fantastic story with spectacular visuals.

I really loved the animation: it had a distinct style (unlike Beauty and the Beast) that I absolutely adored. It was painterly and beautiful and smooth and luminous and just about perfect. Except for one thing. The eyes really bugged me, because they were huge and outlined with like three million tiny eyelashes. So bizarre. I had smaller qualms with the movie as well. The narration was 100% unnecessary (the intro and ending would have been far more poignant had they tried it silently like in Up). The acting, the music, and the dialogue failed to impress me, although they never detracted from the rest of its greatness. What frustrated me the most about this movie was that it was so close to being something special. It was so close to being more than just another enjoyable flick, but unfortunately that's all I found it to be.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398286/

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

4/5

When I think of Disney, I think of their animated fairy tales. And Beauty and the Beast is a classic one. As the title song says, the story is as old as time. We all know about the beastly Beast (Benson), a previously handsome prince who was cursed with ugliness until he learns true love, and the beautiful Belle (O'Hara), who is able to see past his hideous exterior and into his kind heart. Even I, with my forgetfulness, remember the French candlestick Lumiere (Orbach), the wound-up clock Cogsworth (Stiers), the teapot Mrs. Potts (Lansbury), and her teacup son Chip (Pierce). They stick in your brain for their uniqueness, their depth, and their extraordinary acting. It feels odd to know that they cast Broadway talent to both act and sing in this movie, but it really lets the film exceed expectations. And it gives the movie phenomenal songs. I think everyone knows "Be Our Guest," but my new favorite might be "Something There." It is compelling--and it elevates the film out of its cartoon beginnings into something mature and beautiful. It is with nostalgia that I rewatched Beauty and the Beast recently, but I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

My main issue with the movie was its animation, which is practically everything for an animated film. It didn't feel stylistically unified and complete as so many Pixar films are. I was shocked to find out that each character had their own creative director, because it seemed as if they were all randomly drawn by a collection of people in cubicles who didn't get to see anybody else's work. Not only were drawings occasionally inconsistent, but some were flat-out ugly. Pixar's movies, on the other hand, will be seen exactly the same 20 years in the future as they are now despite their outdated graphics because they have their own distinct style that isn't stuck in a particular time. Still, Beauty and the Beast is as classic as Aladdin and should be one of the first films you pick up to rewatch if you want a walk down memory lane.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101414/

Easy A (2010)

3/5

Easy A is a forgettable teen comedy about a girl (Stone) who is way too smart for high school. Once a rumor is spread by her friend Rhiannon (Michalka) that she lost her virginity to a college guy on a first date, she earns a reputation as an easy lay. She helps a gay friend (Byrd) pretend he's straight by having fake sex with him at a party. The rumors continue to swirl among the popular crowd (Badgley) and offended Christians (Bynes), while the truth makes its way around the losers of the high school. Eventually she realizes that her actions may have bigger consequences than she thinks.

The movie is unimpressive in almost every way except for its dependence on clichés and 80's movies references. The cinematography is bland and the pacing was somewhat uneven. The writing as a whole was superficial. I never really understood anybody's motivations for doing what they were doing and the pointless narration in the form of a webcast didn't help. But this movie is hilarious. The dialogue is sharp and witty and Emma Stone delivers her lines with precise comic timing. The jokes are even better when it comes to the adults (Haden Church, Kudrow, Clarkson, Tucci), each of which are shining, unique gems in an otherwise dull film. But that's not enough to make this film memorable. Watch it if you want a quick laugh, but don't expect anything more than that.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1282140/