Finding Nemo (2003)

4/5

Finding Nemo is another home run for Pixar, filled with expectedly charming anthropomorphic ocean creatures, superb writing, and exciting action. A family film about a clownfish named Marlin (Brooks) searching for his son Nemo (Gould) in the Great Barrier Reef, it has memorable characters and funny situations that will delight and surprise you. And despite what I say in the next paragraph, it is a fantastic movie that would be hard not to recommend to just about anyone. But it didn't light a fire in me.

The problem with the movie is that it lacks a propulsive premise. It has a cohesive, all-encompassing arc with effective character development and plot progression, but it feels too episodic. This would have been better served as a miniseries or television show. Every step on Marlin's journey is a random aside, a small comedic sidestep, none of which contribute much to the overall narrative. Some games have minigames that add to your enjoyment of the primary game; Finding Nemo feels like it has nothing but minigames. Because of that, we as viewers are lost in the same expansive ocean, pulled forward unaware. In certain movies this can be exciting and enthralling; in this one it merely serves to frustrate. And though it seems like I'm complaining, would anybody have objected to seeing these characters reprise their roles weekly on the Disney Channel, becoming ever more complex, fascinating, and endearing?

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/

J. Edgar (2011)

4/5

Clint Eastwood's biopic of J. Edgar Hoover is a compelling portrait of a unique character in American history. The plot follows the controversial rise of J. Edgar Hoover (DiCaprio) to the director of the FBI--his anti-Communist crusades, criminal forensics, and government blackmail--and then analyzes how those same ideas eventually contributed to his public downfall. It tackles his personal relationships and his political ambition in equal parts, forming a tapestry of contradictions and dichotomies inherent in everybody but rarely projected onto the big screen with such clarity and precision. It chronicles his complex love for his mother (Dench), his secretary (Watts), and his number two man (Hammer) with tenderness and honesty instead of the gaudy spectacle and homophobic fantasies that seem to have incessantly plagued his reputation.

DiCaprio's understated performance is remarkable, providing depth and subtlety alongside rage and hidden feelings. He is able to generate empathy for a hard, rigid, oftentimes unlikeable man. His portrayal serves as the foundation for this phenomenal film. While the supporting cast throws in stellar performances, they quickly fall by the wayside in the grand scheme of things. Without DiCaprio in the lead, J. Edgar would still be a good movie, but it would be a forgettable movie as well.

The movie has its fair share of imperfections. Eastwood did not do enough to lift the screenplay out of its decidedly literary beginnings and translate it to the medium of film. There are often "profound" ramblings by Hoover--unrelated to the images on screen--that were arbitrarily lodged in anytime there wasn't dialogue. The timeline would flip between eras too eagerly, making it difficult to get a sure footing on the time and place of certain events. The cinematography was post-processed too much, giving it an inconsistently old-timey look that felt disingenuous. Minor side characters, like Robert Kennedy and Richard Nixon, were cast to mimic the famous political figures instead of to act as them. They focused on the accent instead of the words and the motivations behind the words. Despite these minor niggles, this is a terrific film and should not be missed.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1616195/

Rango (2011)

3/5

Rango tells the story of a lizard (Depp) who stumbles into a Western. The town of Dirt is inhabited by other similarly-sized creatures, although sometimes it's really difficult to tell what kind of animal each character is supposed to be, and they are in the midst of a water shortage crisis. Rango manages to earn himself a sheriff's star by unwittingly taking out the town's predator and is soon tasked by the mayor (Beatty) with giving the townspeople hope in the face of rapidly dwindling resources. They must find out who is stealing their water and why before it's too late.

The acting is solid, the animation is fun, and the pacing is fluid. The plot is essentially a rehashing of Chinatown with the occasional twist and turn to make it a little bit more exciting and kid-friendly in the hopes that it doesn't feel predictable. Unfortunately, it is predictable. Adding failed plan after failed plan in the last 10 minutes doesn't make it surprising. It just makes it painful for everyone waiting for the film to end.

The best part about this movie is probably the character of Rango, who seems to be able to confabulate on the fly in a very entertaining manner. It makes for a clever script with sharp dialogue, including some excellent jokes, but on the whole I didn't get much out of it. Ultimately, the film tried too hard to satisfy too many different genres that it never really impressed me on any one of them. All in all, this is a strange but fairly mediocre film that entertains but doesn't stick with you. Watch it if it sounds interesting, but don't go out of your way to see it.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1192628/

The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

2/5

The Men Who Stare at Goats is a disappointing "comedy" about the US Army's attempt to engineer psychic spies and the adventures of one journalist (Ewan MacGregor) as he tries to cover the story. It was advertised as being based on a true story, but that statement rings false. It's either an inside joke or an outright lie. The plot is so preposterous that it is impossible to suspend your disbelief.

The characters are shallow, unoriginal caricatures of people we've seen a million times before. The acting is only mediocre, even from some of my favorite actors (Kevin Spacey, George Clooney). It's probably not their fault and instead the fault of the terrible writing. The jokes are few and far between. When they do pop up, they fall flat about 25% of the time (and that's a lot for a movie that pauses for expected laughter). Coming out of the movie, I thought it was decent. Sitting down to write this review made me think about it more. And that only made it less and less appealing. Don't waste your time with this movie. Just watch the trailer and pretend the movie is as good as that.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234548/

Leatherheads (2008)

2/5

It's a shame that this movie was bad. It had so much potential, only to fall flat on its face. I love John Krasinski, I love George Clooney (both as an actor and as a director), and I love the screwball comedies of the 1930's and 1940's that this film paid homage to. But it was just so much worse than what I've seen before from all three. Krasinki was inappropriately cast in a role he didn't fit into, a role that was ridiculously one-dimensional to boot. Clooney's direction was uninspired and generic; he brought nothing new or interesting to the piece. And the movie just wasn't that funny. It was way too long and drawn out and carried with it almost none of the rapid-fire witty banter that characterizes the older films. The pacing was atrociously slow--with many unnecessary scenes left in--while bad jokes were emphasized and lingered on.

On the positive side, there were some very funny, clever moments. Unfortunately, they were fewer and farther between than the kind of crappy comedies from the late 1990's and early 2000's that I hate (you know, the ones starring Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, and Adam Sandler). One delightful surprise was Renée Zellweger; I am far from a fan of hers, but she pulled off her role perfectly. All in all, this movie goes highly unrecommended by me. I can't imagine anyone who might truly enjoy this movie, except maybe the cohort of John Krasinski's adoring base of fangirls who will sit through anything he's in.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379865/

Over Her Dead Body (2008)

2/5

Jeff Lowell's Over Her Dead Body is a clichéd romantic comedy about a woman who dies on her wedding day (Eva Longoria Parker), the groom who can't move on a year later (Paul Rudd), and a psychic who will tell him her dead fiancée wants him to move on (Lake Bell). It gets a bit more unnecessarily complicated, but suffice it to say that the two living people end up living happily ever after in the end. The hour and a half it took to get there involve a jealous ghost, a gay/straight Jason Biggs, and endless scenes where nothing interesting or funny happens. Actually, if you do find this plot mildly interesting, I recommend instead that you just watch the trailer, which contains all the good jokes, is available online for free, and only takes 2 minutes.

The characters are appallingly shallow, the music is magnificently inappropriate, and the special effects are low-budget and unconvincing. The plot detours a number of times and opportunities for cleverness and unique characterizations were ignored. Still, it was able to generate some honest laughs from me. I was surprised at some tender scenes in the beginning and Paul Rudd's acting was genuine throughout. But trust me--just watch the trailer.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0785007/