*** Stars
NEW MOVIE OUT THIS WEEK
Thursday, July 28, 2005
The Island
Starring: Ewen McGregor, Scarlet Johansson
Directed by: Michael Bay
"We will finally be able to conquer death"
Directed by: Michael Bay
"We will finally be able to conquer death"
-Tony Goldwyn (The 6th Day)
Imagine a world where it was possible that you could get a new brain if yours died? Imagine a world where death was not an option. Imagine a life without fear of death. The answer to that question is cloning. Lincoln Six-Echo (McGregor) is a resident of a facility in an undisclosed location. The environment is closely watched and controlled and Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island," reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet. But he begins to ask questions about his existence. He wonders if his life is really what it seems. Then he finds out that his life is a lie. He and all of the other inhabitants of the facility are actually human clones whose only purpose is to provide "spare parts" for their original human counterparts. Lincoln decides to escape before he is killed with a fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Johansson). Pursued by the forces of the institute that once housed them, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a race for their lives to find out who they are and what their purpose is.
Steve Buscemi gives a great supporting performance as a "Janitor" of some sort. He eventually helps the two escape. Sean Bean has his typical role in the film. He is the doctor of the Island when actually he is the founder and owner of this organization therefore being the antagonist.
Michael Bay is the least respected filmmaker in Hollywood. His other films (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon, Bay Boys II) have been hacked by numerous critics and audiences around the country. In The Island, Bay starts off with the bang. The first hour of the film is a deeply, disturbing science fiction film. Then it's all about the action. Yes, action is great but it leaves unanswered questions at the end of the film. It is a good, solid film and it falls shy of greatness because of an ending that fails to realize what the film is all about.
Imagine a world where it was possible that you could get a new brain if yours died? Imagine a world where death was not an option. Imagine a life without fear of death. The answer to that question is cloning. Lincoln Six-Echo (McGregor) is a resident of a facility in an undisclosed location. The environment is closely watched and controlled and Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island," reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet. But he begins to ask questions about his existence. He wonders if his life is really what it seems. Then he finds out that his life is a lie. He and all of the other inhabitants of the facility are actually human clones whose only purpose is to provide "spare parts" for their original human counterparts. Lincoln decides to escape before he is killed with a fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Johansson). Pursued by the forces of the institute that once housed them, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a race for their lives to find out who they are and what their purpose is.
Steve Buscemi gives a great supporting performance as a "Janitor" of some sort. He eventually helps the two escape. Sean Bean has his typical role in the film. He is the doctor of the Island when actually he is the founder and owner of this organization therefore being the antagonist.
Michael Bay is the least respected filmmaker in Hollywood. His other films (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon, Bay Boys II) have been hacked by numerous critics and audiences around the country. In The Island, Bay starts off with the bang. The first hour of the film is a deeply, disturbing science fiction film. Then it's all about the action. Yes, action is great but it leaves unanswered questions at the end of the film. It is a good, solid film and it falls shy of greatness because of an ending that fails to realize what the film is all about.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Starring:
Johnny Depp, Freddy Highmore
Directed by:
Tim Burton
***1/2 Stars
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a brilliant achievement in imaginative filmmaking. Johnny Depp as the great Willy Wonka is one of the best performances I've seen all year. He brings his usual but brilliant presence on screen (that weird and funny creature) like Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.
You know the story. It is about one boy named Charlie Bucket (another great performance by Highmore), who wins one of five golden tickets. These tickets allow him and four other children to enter the great chocolate factory owned by Willy Wonka. The factory has been closed for years and now these children will enter the wonderful world of Willy Wonka.
This is Tim Burton's best film, with more imagination than any of his other films. When we meet the famous Oompa-Loompa's, all are played by one man (Deep Roy). This alone is flat out hilarious. The movie has heart, laughs, a story, and a wonderful cast lead by the great Johnny Depp. It's hard not to love a film like this.
Johnny Depp, Freddy Highmore
Directed by:
Tim Burton
***1/2 Stars
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a brilliant achievement in imaginative filmmaking. Johnny Depp as the great Willy Wonka is one of the best performances I've seen all year. He brings his usual but brilliant presence on screen (that weird and funny creature) like Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.
You know the story. It is about one boy named Charlie Bucket (another great performance by Highmore), who wins one of five golden tickets. These tickets allow him and four other children to enter the great chocolate factory owned by Willy Wonka. The factory has been closed for years and now these children will enter the wonderful world of Willy Wonka.
This is Tim Burton's best film, with more imagination than any of his other films. When we meet the famous Oompa-Loompa's, all are played by one man (Deep Roy). This alone is flat out hilarious. The movie has heart, laughs, a story, and a wonderful cast lead by the great Johnny Depp. It's hard not to love a film like this.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Wedding Crashers
Starring:
Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams
Directed by:
David Dobkin
***1/2 Stars
When you want to see a funny movie, you can count on these six actors: Vince Vaughn, Will Farell, Owen and Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, and Jack Black. When either one of these actors team up (minus Envy), they give you a taste and a gift of comedy heaven. That is what Wedding Crashers is, comedy heaven. And it's the funniest movie so far this year.
John Beckwith (Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vaughn) are ordinary guys with ordinary jobs. But there's one thing that makes them different, then anyone...they are trained and sophisticated wedding crashers. When wedding season comes along, they go to every wedding they can find, eating all the free food, and scoring all the free chicks. Life really couldn't get any better for John and Jeremy.
When that big wedding of the year shows up, the one that's bigger than all the rest, John and Jeremy must practice all their steps. The wedding happens to be held at the estate of the U.S. secretary of the treasury (I love how it's the legendary Christopher Walken). When they arrive, everything is going great but things get complicated when John does the unthinkable and falls for a bridesmaid named Claire, the Secretary's daughter (the absolutely gorgeous Rachel McAdams). But there is a catch, she's engaged. Still though, John is determined to have her. Things escalate when they are invited back to their cottage for a post wedding party. The dinner scenes are flat out hilarious.
Wilson plays his part great here. He is really funny in a lot of scenes. But his character isn't as funny as Vince Vaughn's. Vaughn is flat out hilarious in every scene. In one scene, Vaughn confesses to a priest that he is aroused by a girl that he slept with at the wedding (the hilarious Isla Fisher). The priest doesn't say one word for the whole scene. All the laughs are coming from Vaughn.
And just when we thought the movie had slowed down, who shows up but the great Will Ferrell. He plays the pioneer of crashing weddings and gives John some advice on crashes. Ferrell was the perfect match.
The movie is just flat out entertaining. It's funny but the movie also has heart. Yea it gets a little romantic near the end. But a little romance never really hurt anyone. The movie is a rare, great date movie.
Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams
Directed by:
David Dobkin
***1/2 Stars
When you want to see a funny movie, you can count on these six actors: Vince Vaughn, Will Farell, Owen and Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, and Jack Black. When either one of these actors team up (minus Envy), they give you a taste and a gift of comedy heaven. That is what Wedding Crashers is, comedy heaven. And it's the funniest movie so far this year.
John Beckwith (Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vaughn) are ordinary guys with ordinary jobs. But there's one thing that makes them different, then anyone...they are trained and sophisticated wedding crashers. When wedding season comes along, they go to every wedding they can find, eating all the free food, and scoring all the free chicks. Life really couldn't get any better for John and Jeremy.
When that big wedding of the year shows up, the one that's bigger than all the rest, John and Jeremy must practice all their steps. The wedding happens to be held at the estate of the U.S. secretary of the treasury (I love how it's the legendary Christopher Walken). When they arrive, everything is going great but things get complicated when John does the unthinkable and falls for a bridesmaid named Claire, the Secretary's daughter (the absolutely gorgeous Rachel McAdams). But there is a catch, she's engaged. Still though, John is determined to have her. Things escalate when they are invited back to their cottage for a post wedding party. The dinner scenes are flat out hilarious.
Wilson plays his part great here. He is really funny in a lot of scenes. But his character isn't as funny as Vince Vaughn's. Vaughn is flat out hilarious in every scene. In one scene, Vaughn confesses to a priest that he is aroused by a girl that he slept with at the wedding (the hilarious Isla Fisher). The priest doesn't say one word for the whole scene. All the laughs are coming from Vaughn.
And just when we thought the movie had slowed down, who shows up but the great Will Ferrell. He plays the pioneer of crashing weddings and gives John some advice on crashes. Ferrell was the perfect match.
The movie is just flat out entertaining. It's funny but the movie also has heart. Yea it gets a little romantic near the end. But a little romance never really hurt anyone. The movie is a rare, great date movie.
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