Reviews by Xanadon't

Funnier than The Hangover, with more heart than you'd guess, and yet still over-rated. Hot Tub Time Machine earns a hard R rating with ample nudity and an almost uncomfortable amount of drug-use for a light-weight comedy. Provided this doesn't pose a problem there is a lot to enjoy in this film, but very little to warrant a repeat viewing. Chevy Chases' role doesn't even come close to Bill Murray's epic Zombie Land cameo, much less achieve the laughs hyped up by the critics. This film is at its best when it isn't trying too hard, which is disappointingly seldom. A killer soundtrack brings more life to this story than the cast ever could, but there are enough laughs here to make it worth your while if all you're looking for is a goofy, ridiculous comedy. Watch it, but don't buy it.

The Scorsese-est of Martin Scorsese films, in the fact that with Goodfellas our beloved director expertly fuses the bio-pic with the mobster movie, two genres that Scorsese has come to master and redefine. Never has the gangster life been so thoroughly and effectively undressed of all its glamour and romanticism. Goodfellas follows the life of Henry Hill and delivers a thrilling ride through the tremendous ups and tragic downs of his introduction, immersion, and eventual departure from mob life. Scorsese's signature visual touches are on full display here, the soundtrack invigorates, and the performances are superb. Goodfellas is the definition of powerful storytelling, while also succeeding wildly as a character study in its ability to achieve such rich psychological subtext concerning all the major players. Goodfellas is as close to perfect as films get. Highly entertaining, haunting and captivating. And all Scorsese had to do was tell us the truth the way only he knows how.

Wow. Steve Carrell was reeeally left to carry the load on his own in this one. In less capable comedic hands Dinner For Schmucks would have played out as an incredibly formulatic and extremely tedious film. As it stands, the film passes as an incredibly formulatic, moderately tedious excersice with some doses of real humor and passing instances of near-conclusive proof that Carrell is not only a great comedic talent, but possibly the seemingly nicest genious youd ever wish to meet. It's a shame that so much of this movie is so mediocre because Carrell delivers a remarkable performance in an otherwise largely forgettable film. Paul Rudd is flat; his character lifeless with a dash of shmaltzy. His girlfriend is a pretty face and little more. The rest are unimaginative charactatures that prompted a few laughs out of me, but far more irritated impatience. The director should be given some credit in his ability to coreograph some of the more elaborate, physical comedy scenes, but that's about the extent of any noteworthy efforts in that department. By the end of the film we are rewarded, however modestly, but only through watching Carrell gradually and entirely disappear into his role as Barry, as he quietly grows on us and endears himself to us. Barry is a noble fool indeed, charming in his apparent simplicity, suprising in his more elusive complexity. Dinner for Schmucks is worth a rental, but don't run out and buy it.

To me Chan Wook-Park is one of the most visually fascinating directors working today. His film's are worth watching for this reason alone. Luckily he's also a sly and crafty story teller, one that challenges and engages viewers in ways many aren't accustomed to. Lady Vengeance is the final installment of what has become known as the Vengence trilogy, preceeded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy. LV may be the most accessible film of the three in terms of wrestiling with the big ideas present in most of his work, namely morality, guilt, revenge, and suffering (emotional, physical, spiritual). Here Woo-Park appeals to audiences in an almost participatory manner, compelling us to ask ourselves how we would respond if confronted with the realities faced by the characters. He does go to extreme measures to raise some of these questions, fliriting with absurdity in a film that asks to be taken seriously. I'll leave it up to you to decide if this discredits the process/result or not. My largest complaint with LV involves the narrative mess that occupies the first half of the film. Woo-Park enjoys dropping viewers right into the middle of dramatic events, something I generally enjoy as well. But in this effort he plays around with jumps and loops in time and story-telling that seem to detract from the film's power and effectiveness more than anything. A second viewing may alter my opinion, and this one is worth a second watch regardless.

I had high hopes for this classic and was terribly disappointed. It puzzles me how a film revolving around two characters as one-dimensional and uninteresting as these could come to be regarded so highly. There is truly little imagination going on in this story as we are assaulted with the same transparent message over and over again in uninspired, absurd ways. More drama than comedy, this film fails at both. The films attempt at bold, black humor simply cannot make up for lazy, contrived story-telling. The love story exists only as a flat, static IDEA that never truly comes ALIVE on screen. Still curious as to what I might have missed in this one I looked up Roger Ebert's review (worth a look if youre interested) after finishing this movie. I was satisfied to find that he disliked it, and was quite unapologetic about it. Rather than regret not being among those that "get" this film I think I will settle for his company.

If I am totally honest, my very favorite Scorsese film. This is the one I can watch over and over again with sheer enjoyment. Casino is seductive, brutal, intense, funnier-than-hell and heart-breaking. Everything about this one appeals to me...I could go on and on about it. I know Casino is not among his masterpieces, but it's the one I adore.

One of the best slasher films you've never heard of. Black Christmas is an expertly paced suspense horror film featuring a strong cast and an obviously talented and enthusiastic crew. There's an almost tangible love for the genre that seeps through into your living room. The music and sound-effects are top-notch, moody and ominous, creepy and exhilerating, while the camera seems to find the right shot at the right time at every turn. All of this works great as the script and film play with many of our collective fears and repulsions. Some here have complained about the ending, though I thought it REALLY solidified the over-all frightening, uneasy feeling effect of the film. If you are a fan of horror don't miss this one.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a highly immaginative film directed by Edgar Wright, the emerging talent behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. As with his previous films this too is a genre mashup of sorts, this time a 20-something slacker Rom-Com meets video-game inspired comicbook madness with a bit of Kung-Fu flavor. The result is a quick moving, stylish visual feast, unique in is visual storytelling, and extraordinary in its ability to maintain a cohesive identity all the way through. To be sure this film knows exactly what it is and it is well researched in everything it mimics, parodies, and pays homage to. Scott Pigrim vs. The World greatly benefits from this self-awareness. Even so, I'm afraid that there is far more style than substance going on. At no point in watching the film did I feel there was much at stake for any of the characters, despite all the melodrama and endless Street Fighter-esque show-downs. Most of the actors turned in strong performances and yet I had trouble attaching myself to any of these characters. And while there were a few laughs here there just wasn't much in the way of real joy or humor to be had. Chalk this up to largely shallow and formula-driven subject matter I suppose. While worth seeing for its ambitious visual handling and commentary on all things Trending Now, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed at the amout of oridariness also going on here.

If you like your humor and satire extremely obvious and incredibly unclever than this just might be the movie for you. Imagine if you crossed Little Miss Sunshine with Fargo...that is if Little Miss Sunshine sucked and Fargo was one of the worst films of 1996 instead of one of the very best. Then cross it with a bad TV sit-com and tack on a faux-documentary style. That's Drop Dead Gorgeous. Really. That's all it is. Not much to "get" here. Just the same clumsy social satire and heavy-handed jokes over and over again. The film eeked out a second star from me based on the reasonably adequate performances by most of the actors given what they had to work with. Unless your tastes are drastically different from mine, or you would rather not bring/take away much intelligence to/from a film you can probably just avoid this one.

Whoa. I'm not sure I've ever seen an interogation/discussion of the idea of a sentient God presented in a more moving and compelling way. If ideas about faith, monotheism, and the nature of a sentient/ personal/ rational god are interesting to you than you really must watch this film. Anyone bent toward a scholarly approach at theology or Jewish law/faith certainly should see this, but I think nearly anyone with ANY interest in history, humanity, religion, or philosophy will take strongly to this impressive, courageous film. As others have noted, this feels more like watching a piece of theatre than watching a traditional film. The work revolves almost entirely around discussion in a single setting as the inmates of a Geman Nazi concentration camp expound on the idea of God, what kind of god he is and what kind of meaning can or cannot be made of the horrors of the Holocaust. Truly brave and intelligent piece of film and the strength of each and every actors performances will astound and move you in some way. What a devestatingly sad and important film.