A Most Wanted Man (2014)

2/5

Philip Seymour Hoffman's last film is a maddening, frustrating, underwhelming film. Although the movie was described as a spy movie, I somehow mistook that to mean espionage thriller. Silly me. It is certainly about spies, but it focuses more on the bureaucracy of their lifestyle rather than the intrigue of the job. The acting was, unsurprisingly, the best part, with Hoffman delivering a phenomenal final performance. He leaves an indelible impression when the credits finally start to roll.

But it takes so long for those credits to roll. The movie was painfully slow and plodding. And while some individual shots were beautiful, there was too much lingering on meaningless objects that extend the length of the movie without deepening your understanding of the film. I suppose I shouldn't have been all that surprised, since A Most Wanted Man was directed by Anton Corbijn. (Corbijn also directed The American, another overly-stylized "spy movie" that would rather focus on lofty existential crises instead of espionage.) Even knowing this is the last Hoffman project, I still can't recommend this movie to any but the most diehard of fans.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1972571/

About Time (2013)

4.9/5

About Time is billed as a romantic comedy in the same vein as Notting Hill and Love Actually (appropriately so, since they were all written and directed by Richard Curtis). And while it is a remarkably affecting and effective romantic comedy, it is so much more than that. Curtis spends equal amounts of time on romantic love and familial love, on joy and sorrow, on birth and death. It is a grand opera, with equal parts comedy and tragedy, but it never loses sight of the individual. It captures life's little moments, as experienced by a hopeless romantic, and lets us treasure them.

On his 21st birthday, Tim (Gleeson) is told by his father (Nighy) that he has the ability to travel back in time. After a chance meeting with Mary (McAdams), he believes he has found true love. But he later undoes the entire encounter by accident when trying to fix another friend's problem. And so he begins to understand the true nature and the dramatic consequences of his newfound power.

Domhnall Gleeson is absolutely astonishing, bringing an instant charm and vulnerability to the screen. He is the beating heart of the movie and he knocks it out of the park. Rachel McAdams is, most surprisingly, the frumpiest she's ever been in a movie--and she plays it extraordinarily well. I cannot think of a more comforting or attractive version of her than in this movie. Nighy shows his veteran chops, being both stoic and drained, loving and firm. His life story is written in his small actions, his posture, his tone. The cast has an extraordinary chemistry that is nearly impossible to replicate. This movie must have been as magical to make as it feels to watch.

About Time is a whirlwind of emotion. It yanks at the heartstrings in just the right amounts, without feeling melodramatic or manipulative. There is a rare humanity that ebbs beneath every scene and fills the movie with empathy. This is about love, about growing up, about changing but being true to yourself. There are some sappy parts, for sure, and parts that defy the movie's own time travel logic, but they never hamper your enjoyment of the film. It's a movie made for the gut, not the head, and it hits its mark perfectly. About Time is a special movie and one that I plan on enjoying again and again.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2194499/

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (2011)

4/5

Guy Ritchie's sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, is an entertaining action flick that fails to engage the audience in the same way that the original did. The plot centers around Professor Moriarty (Harris), who has been planting bombs in government buildings to incite fear and anarchy. Holmes (Downey Jr.) and Dr. Watson (Law) must figure out his plan and stop him before he starts a world war. The plot itself doesn't matter, however, because this is just a summer blockbuster that was released 5 months too late. Ritchie (or his screenwriter) has eliminated the complex, flawed characters from the first film and instead replaced them with hero archetypes without any unique characteristics. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his creations are nowhere to be found in this film. Just Guy Ritchie and his eye for cool.

This is a solid action movie, exciting and enthralling, dripping with slick humor and slicker style, but there's no substance. Just like the popcorn you eat while watching, nothing on the screen satisfies. It's just empty calories that never seem to fill you up. But this is some of the best popcorn I've had this year.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1515091/

The Vow (2012)

3/5

The Vow tells the ridiculous but apparently true story of a woman (McAdams) who wakes up from a car accident with short term memory loss. She remembers her mom (Lange), her dad (Neill), her sister (McNamee), and her ex-fiancé (Speedman), but not her recently-wed husband (Tatum) and his weird cadre of hipster friends (which is a plus in my book). The rest of the movie is spent trying to restore her memory and win back her love. The script was predictable but appropriately tender. There were scenes with awkward cheesy teen romance and others where we felt intimately close to everything going on.

Much like The Time Traveler's Wife, The Vow is about two imperfect people who do the best they can in an impossible situation. Both tell stories of people who are victims of circumstances beyond their control, whether it's time travel or amnesia, who end up causing pain to the people who love them. McAdams, with that mesmerizing sparkle in her eye, plays to perfection the exact same role she always does: the fiercely independent, slightly selfish artist whose love knows no bounds. The supporting cast, including Tatum, varied between acceptable and above average. Lange stood out the most, delivering a fantastically moving moment near the end of the film.

Although similar in almost all respects to The Time Traveler's Wife, The Vow fell behind in a number of areas. First, its cinematography was nothing to write home about. Second, the medicine was surprisingly less believable than the science of time travel. (I honestly don't think anybody in Hollywood knows what intubation or extubation looks like.) The Vow is a solid romance and a must for fans of Rachel McAdams. But for everyone else, the predictable story and middling technical aspects will leave you wanting more.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606389/

Midnight in Paris (2011)

4/5

Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris is a delightfully light fantasy comedy that takes place in Paris over the course of several magical midnights. The plot follows Gil (Wilson) and Inez (McAdams) tagging along with Inez's parents in Paris for a few weeks. They bump into one of Inez's old pseudo-intellectual friends (Sheen), who is absolutely infuriating to Gil (and the audience), and Inez naturally wants to spend as much time with him as possible. After a few frustrating nights together, Gil decides to walk home by himself only to find himself wandering the streets of Paris utterly lost. An old Puegeot stops by at midnight and picks him up to take him to a very different kind of Paris (which I will let you have the pleasure of discovering for yourself).

The movie is very similar to Allen's previous works, especially The Purple Rose of Cairo, albeit with literary references instead of filmic ones. And it is just as charming, airy, and melancholy as that film. Unfortunately, because it feels so identical, I felt I didn't get much out of the film. It's hilarious in that Woody Allen way, but not much more. It's a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon, but nothing compared to Allen's best work.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605783/

Morning Glory (2010)

4/5

Morning Glory is a surprisingly affecting tale of a young, fiercely independent woman who believes in herself and her abilities. The plot follows Becky Fuller (McAdams), a TV producer who gets hired to rejuvenate the failing morning show Daybreak. Because of her age, nobody takes her seriously. But when she fires one of the co-anchors and hires news legend Mike Pomeroy (Ford) to take his place, people start cheering her on. Her handsome coworker Adam Bennett (Wilson) even asks her out on a date. But her challenges are far from over, as the ratings plummet further down and her boss (Goldblum) informs her that the parent broadcasting company may cancel the show altogether.

We all know this story. We all know the stresses of daily life and the balancing act between our professional and personal goals. We all know the trite romance that will develop between the handsome man and awkward woman. This movie deals with the former with aplomb and thankfully downplays the latter. But Morning Glory is also surprising in a lot of ways. It delves into a different kind of relationship rarely portrayed in cinema: the family dynamic that emerges after working with people day in and day out. It treats the coworker interaction as a special, cherished kind of relationship that is equally as important as the relationships we develop in our free time. It examines the workplace as a joyous environment, challenging but rewarding, filled with obstacles and solutions, instead of a miserable existence we so commonly hear about.

This movie succeeds not because of cinematography or editing, but because of convincing portrayals by the actors. You can see every bit of excitement and nervousness and determination in McAdams's eyes. Underneath Ford's gruff, monotone voice is a depth and texture that is not immediately apparent. It is so much more fascinating than him playing a jaded old curmudgeon. Morning Glory is a movie about love in a very nontraditional way. It's about loving ourselves, establishing priorities and dreams and never letting them go. This is an inspiring and uplifting movie. And here I was thinking it was just going to be another romantic comedy. I'm glad I was wrong.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1126618/

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

4.9/5

Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes lived up to all my expectations, and I was expecting a lot. The plot follows Holmes (Downey Jr.) and Watson (Law) after they capture Lord Blackwood (Strong) and turn him in to the police for sacrificing people in black magic rituals. He is sentenced to death by hanging and Dr. Watson himself pronounces him dead, but Lord Blackwood rises from the grave a few days later and the otherworldly killings begin again. To make matters worse, one of Holmes's old love interests, Irene Adler (McAdams), comes back into his life after being hired by a mysterious professor to ask him to locate a missing scientist. Everything eventually ties together at the end, but a new mystery emerges that will likely be tackled in a sequel. A sequel that I will be first in line to watch.

For fans of Guy Ritchie or fans of Robert Downey Jr., this is a match made in heaven. This ranks up there as one of the absolute coolest movies either of them have done. As an action movie, we get to see Holmes's deductive reasoning in action--literally--in some awesome fight sequences. The difference between this and Guy Ritchie's earlier movies is that here he has excellent source material to provide well-developed characters that round out the over-stylized action. All their flaws and complexities are explored so we can see with absolute clarity how annoying Holmes can be and how angry Watson can get. I'm a sucker for con movies, sweet action flicks, and Guy Ritchie pictures; in Sherlock Holmes I can get all my desires satisfied. Highly recommended.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988045/

The Family Stone (2005)

3/5

The Family Stone is a bit of an awkward family drama/romantic comedy combination. The plot follows Everett (Mulroney) as he comes back home for Christmas to introduce his new girlfriend Meredith (Parker) to his family and to ask his mother (Keaton) for the family wedding ring so he can propose to her. His youngest sister Amy (McAdams) already hates her for reasons that are unknown to me--and presumably everyone else watching the movie--and plays mean tricks on her so the rest of the family will share in her distaste. Everett's brother Ben (Wilson) feels bad for her and tries comforting her, but she feels so harassed that she invites her sister Julie (Danes) to join her. When Everett picks Julie up from the bus station, he falls head over heels for her. There are a few more family members and plot points that I'll let you discover firsthand if you choose to watch this, but that's the basic framework.

Despite the few comedic moments in the trailer, I didn't find the movie as a whole to be very funny. It also wasn't very uplifting or feel-good. A lot of what happened just seemed outright mean and/or depressing. Throughout the movie I felt like it was all a big inside joke that I didn't get, but in the end all was explained satisfactorily with subtle hints instead of over-the-top verbalizations. And the final shot was terrifically bittersweet. All the technical aspects were competent, but nothing truly impressed me. All in all, see the movie if you liked the trailer or the actors, but I don't think this movie is the one to change your mind about the genre.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356680/

State of Play (2009)

3/5

State of Play is a fairly typical journalism thriller with far too many conspiracies and plot twists to be believable, but just enough to keep you from accurately predicting the ending. The plot follows two journalists (Crowe & McAdams) writing separate articles, one on a dual homicide and another on a political sex scandal following a fatal accident, that later become linked by a far-reaching corporation and its deception. But the real focus of the movie isn't the unbelievable ending, nor is it the military conspiracy, nor is it the political cover-up. It's about two people putting their life on the line for something they believe in: discovering the truth and letting everyone know. And because you see their willingness to sacrifice everything for their ethics, you empathize with them. And because you empathize with them, the tension is remarkably palpable.

The cinematography was fairly good, but not consistently impressive. The writing was full of newspaper clichés about being the first to print the breaking story, holding the press for the ultimate story, blah blah blah. Does that stuff really happen anymore? Does anybody ever care about being the first to print a story? Does it provide them with some sort of financial gain? I've never worked in a newspaper before, but it all just seemed so overplayed and unrealistic. It didn't make any sense. As far as movies go, it's enjoyable, entertaining, and extremely gripping, but it's nothing special. If you enjoyed the trailer, you'll enjoy this movie.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473705/

The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

3/5

The Time Traveler's Wife is a surprisingly well-shot romance about a man who inexplicably travels through time and the woman he falls in love with and marries. Henry's disappearing act, which the movie is content to call a genetic anomaly and leave it at that, often keeps Claire without a husband for dinner and alone on Christmas and New Year's. The movie is both depressing and uplifting; it is unafraid to examine tragedy and death but knows that in the end it must give us new birth and eternal hope. The leads give heartfelt performances, but the dialogue and script often fall flat. It was hard for me to treat the scenario as realistically and everyday as they did, which often gave the piece a very written feel to it. Yes, I can see how it would be infuriating for Claire, but it's difficult to empathize with her when she lashes out at Henry for something he can't control. (And on a side note, the broken timeline is just too confusing for audiences to fully unravel on an initial viewing.)

Technically, the movie was an unexpected delight. The cinematography was exceptional. Nearly every scene had a fluid tracking shot with elegant compositions and rack focuses. The camerawork was beautiful and evocative, and it was integrated seamlessly with subtle, understated special effects. The "montage" scene before Alba's 5th birthday--where the camera circles the various rooms in their house to show Alba's childhood--is a perfect example. Another is the scene where Henry steps off the train after speaking with his mother for the first time since age 6. The movie has some truly stunning shots. If you like romances, or if you like technically proficient films, then you will no doubt like this movie. But if you don't, it with fail to change any opinions you hold about the romance genre.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452694/

The Notebook (2004)

3/5

Before I start this review, I should note that there were certain distractions that took my attention away from the movie for several minutes at a time. Thus, it may be an unfair assessment. However, I remain confident in my rating within plus or minus 0.5 stars, which I don't use anyway. With that in mind, let us begin with the review.

The Notebook is a rather simple boy meets girl tearjerker love story. The title refers to a notebook detailing how the couple met and fell in love. Now a grandfather, the man reads it to his Alzheimer-stricken wife to help her get back the memories the disease stole from her. It's a tender premise, at risk of being filled with saccharine sentimentality and overwrought melodrama. For the most part, it manages to avoid the sappiness associated with its cliched and tired story, and instead infuses it with just the right amount of emotion. This is in large part due to the acting by the two leads (Gosling and McAdams), whose performances allow us to feel empathy instead of resentment for the cocky boy and rich girl who find true love in each other. As far as the story and acting goes, this is about as good a film as any other romance.

Technically, the film is about the same as your typical romantic fare. The painterly compositions could be quite stunning, but the overuse of slo-mo was a bit excessive. The simple editing served the story well, with some efficiently-cut scenes and some unnecessary ones. The dialogue, what I heard of it, wasn't particularly poetic or cheesy. All in all, this was a fairly average romance with a few good qualities and a few bad qualities. If it seems like this is your type of movie, you'll probably enjoy it. But it won't change anybody's mind about the genre.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332280/

Wedding Crashers (2005)

4/5

The Wedding Crashers is a hilarious, vulgar, tender romantic comedy. With so many disparate moods, it's a miracle it feels so fluid and put together. The story follows two best buds (Wilson and Vaughn) who crash weddings together; that is, they go to weddings and prey on horny singles seeking true love. It sounds a lot creepier typed out than it plays on the screen. They've been doing it for 12 years and Wilson wants to get out, but he falls in love on his last big crash. And oh no! She's getting married to a creep who sucks! Who could have predicted that? Anyway, it all ends happily ever after as expected, and it's a joy ride along the way.

There are some problems. To start with, there are way too many random and unnecessary moments, scenes, jokes, etc. There is a lot of gratuitous nudity and crude sexual humor. It's certainly more of a guy movie than a girl movie because of it. And it used more wipes than Star Wars combined with Pan's Labyrinth. The ending was a bit drawn out, and they kept adding more and more side characters as the movie went on. Most of the time, all this crap was added in for the jokes, but after a while it just got kind of repetitive. Regardless, it's a thoroughly enjoyable movie and a fun break from the real world.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396269/

The Lucky Ones (2008)

4/5

Neil Burger's The Lucky Ones is a surprisingly poetic, true-to-life dramedy about three soldiers coming back from Iraq. Tim Robbins plays Cheever, a married man coming home to his wife and college-bound son. Michael Peña plays TK, a young soldier who thinks he knows more about the world than he does. Rachel McAdams plays Colee, a naive girl with too much trust in and openness towards others. They may seem like cliches on paper, but with excellent acting and writing, they become unbelievably human on the screen. And as the movie progresses, they seem to develop, mature, and change. But they don't, as much as we might want them to. Similar to the characters in The Band's Visit, here exist honest representations of real people. They are unable to change, just as we are. What changes throughout the film is our impression of them; we are allowed to witness more and more intimate details about their lives, personalities, and feelings and construct who they really are out of that. Their journey from New York to St. Louis to Las Vegas was no doubt memorable, depressing, and inspiring, but a few days on a road trip with random strangers would not make any of us quit our jobs or move to Canada. And neither will watching a memorable, depressing, and inspiring movie. The world just isn't that easy.

Despite my adulation of the film's realism, it is not without its share of problems. I didn't notice anything regarding the film's technical properties, which is more an indication of its mediocrity rather than greatness, I suppose. My main problem was with the plot, and in particular the preposterous situation in which Cheever must acquire $20k immediately to pay for his son's college tuition. Has nobody heard of student loans? As a lot of the movie does hinge on this desperate need for money, I can see how people might get hung up on this incredibly silly notion (I certainly was when I saw 21), but for some reason I was able to look past it here. I can easily recommend this film to anyone looking for a touching yet hilarious foray into humankind.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0981072/