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Reviews
Garden State (2004)
Incredibly Well Written
Maybe Tom Wolfe was right when he said that "You can never go home again", and perhaps Zach Braff has given us a new spin on this statement with his first film, "Garden State".
Braff plays an out-of-work, over-medicated actor/waiter living in Los Angeles. The beginning of the film sees him called home to New Jersey to attend his mother's funeral. Upon his arrival, he encounters high school friends and begins to discover what it means to feel after a lifetime of medicated numbness.
The thing that stands out in "Garden State" is the writing. Braff has an incredible sense of specificity about his writing but is able to make it broad enough so that people of the college/post-collegiate generation can identify with it. The interactions between Braff's character, "Large", and Natalie Portman's character, "Sam", serve not only as witty commentaries on life as someone in their mid-twenties, but also deep philosophical points about growing and maturing into adulthood.
While the writing is exemplary, the acting, direction, and cinematography do nothing to weigh down the material or lift it up to iconic standards. I highly recommend "Garden State" for anyone in their twenties as you will inevitably learn something about your life and reflect on what it means to grow and move on into adulthood.
8/10
Cold Creek Manor (2003)
Steal from the best, bad like the rest.
(WARNING: Small spoilers included.)
I went into Cold Creek Manor without many expectations. I'd seen the previews, was slightly intrigued, and at the behest of my movie company decided to see the show.
First of all, let me say the premise is very hackneyed. A city family is fed up with the hustle-bustle of NYC life and moves to the country "for the kids", only to find that the country life is not what they'd hoped... Yawn. How many times must this premise be rehashed?
Second of all, I was at least hoping for some kind of a supernatural aspect to this movie (as the previews had led me and my company to believe), therefore I was very disappointed when the movie degraded into a homicidal-psychopath slasher film at the end.
Third, the dramatic action and "scary parts" of the movie are completely laughable. I literally laughed out loud at the "tense" scene involving poisonous snakes in the house (As a brief editorial aside... How many poisonous snakes are there in upstate NY, and do Coral Snakes really like the colder climates??? Just a point to consider.). At every corner, a new snake hissing, and a new audience member cries from laughter.
Fourth, the dialogue is terrible. The children are very very poorly written, and I found the paternal side of me wanting to smack the son every time he recited the sadistically stupid poem he found within the house.
Finally, it's all been done. All of the major plot points, action, and shocks are stolen straight from other movies (See; The Ring, Psycho, and virtually any other creepy house movie). In fact, when Stephen Dorff chases Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone with a large spike hammer in the climatic final, I couldn't help but say, "Here's Johnny!" as he smashed through the final door (Yes, that was me you probably heard, admit it, you thought it too.).
Overall, I would have to give this film 2 out of 10 for sheer lack of creativity, hackneyed premises, poor writing, and terrible pace. This is definitely a movie to pass on.
Dreamcatcher (2003)
Who Greenlighted this???
First of all, I must say that this movie intrigued me from the television promos. It seemed like it would be a good movie about a male bonding in the woods gone awry. What this movie was/is, however, is a complete waste of time and money.
Dreamcatcher starts off interesting enough, four friends going to their yearly retreat in a snowy cabin. But the minute the alien menace appears this movie degrades at a rapid pace. The movie shamelessly rips off Ridley Scott's sci-fi/horror classic, Alien but with much less taste, tact and skill, the movie makes no qualms or apologies about doing so (they even call the alien disease "Ripley... after the chick in that Alien movie").
(SMALL SPOILER AHEAD)
The acting is second rate at best, Jason Lee is his usual sarcastic Kevin Smith-style self, but Damian Lewis should receive a Razzy for his performance as Jonesy (he takes schizophrenia to a knew thespic low). I find it very hard to accept that fine actors like Morgan Freeman and Tom Sizemore agreed to be in this movie. The script itself is terrible, the plot conventions are so weak and forced that I laughed multiple times, (A tracking device in a gun? Duddits is an alien?) and the ending is so melodramatic and fuzzy that it made me bust a gut laughing.
Let me be clear in saying this, do not see this movie, do not rent this movie, only watch this movie if it is on cable TV, late at night, and you've seen the Thighmaster three-hundred times.
1 out of 10.
Red Dragon (2002)
Near perfect adaptation of the book.
I, like many people, went into the movie "Red Dragon" with a very specific way I expected the movie to be. I expected it to be true to Thomas Harris' outstanding novel of the same name, in a few words, it was.
The story follows the investigation of the "Tooth Fairy" led by un-retired FBI investigator Will Graham (incredibly portrayed by Edward Norton). In the course of the investigation, Graham attempts to get a psychological profile from Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), and the real adventure begins in the sadistic triangle between Graham, Lecter, and Francis Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes).
While many will say that Lecter is not in the movie enough, I must retort that he is only a minor character in the book, and while a fan favorite, is not the central character of the story. The ONLY reservation I had about "Red Dragon" is that Ralph Fiennes is not nearly big enough to portray Francis Dolarhyde. In the book, Harris implies that Dolarhyde is a weight lifter and absolutely huge. While Fiennes is in great shape, and did put on muscle for the role, I don't feel the physical fear of an imposing figure that should come from Dolarhyde.
All in all, though, this is an OUTSTANDING movie, with chills, sublime acting, good directing, and a great script. If you're a fan of the book, and/or Silence of the Lambs go see this movie. 9/10
National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002)
Good College Comedy
My university had an advanced screening of Van Wilder a couple of weeks ago, and I must say that I found it to be up there with the likes of American Pie and Animal House when it comes to gross out, college humor.
Van is a college student who has spent seven years at his school. Upon learning this, Van's father (portrayed by Lampoon alum Tim Matheson) decides to stop paying his tuition, which leads Van to find other ways of earning tuition money.
Tara Reid plays a reporter for his college's newspaper, and with Van being a BMOC, she is assigned to get Van's story for the graduation edition. Van, however, spends most of their time together trying to get a date, much to the dismay of her boyfriend, Richard (played by Daniel Cosgrove), a pre-med student applying to Northwestern.
The most humorous performance, however, goes to Van's assistant Taj (played by Kal Penn). Taj is an international student who volunteers his time to Van in order to learn how to better pick up women.
This is a very typical college humor movie, along the lines of American Pie and Animal House. The gross-out gags were laugh out loud funny, and the movie moved along at a good pace. If you're in the mood for a very good, juvenile comedy, I'd definitely recommend seeing Van Wilder.
7 out of 10 *'s.
Death to Smoochy (2002)
Hilarious, intelligent comedy for all Barney haters.
I went in to see Death to Smoochy with high expectations, all of which were met. Death to Smoochy is, in my opinion, one of the most intelligent, funny, satiric comedies of the year.
Smoochy is cast brilliantly, Robin Williams exudes psychosis in his role as Rainbow Randolf. He delivers a dynamite comedic performance while playing on his character's mental state. Edward Norton, is absolutely perfect in his casting as Sheldon (Smoochy) Mopes. He plays his incredibly caring, naive, sensitive character with such innocence and flair, that all that seems to be missing is a "gee whiz" thrown in here and there. In the center of these two actors is Nora Wells (played by Catherine Keener), a studio big wig who recruits Smoochy after a legal debacle surrounding Randolf.
If you've seen the trailers you know the central plot revolves around Rainbow's despise of Smoochy. This plot is surrounded by several interesting subplots which give the film intellectual depth.
While Williams, Norton, and Keener carry the film, it is fleshed out incredibly well with a great supporting cast of Danny DeVito, Jon Stewart, and Pam Ferris (who plays a hilarious Irish Mob Boss).
If you've learn to know and hate current children's TV shows (i.e. Barney, Teletubbies, etc.), you will love Death to Smoochy. It left me searching for breath to laugh. It's dialogue is intelligent, funny, and fresh. The characters, while slightly two dimensional, are real and fun. And the action is sublimely wicked, dark, and twisted. This is the best intelligent comedy I've seen all year.
8 out of 10 *'s