Just a few thoughts
on a few films
that few cared for…
SOLITARY MAN
I’m surprised this one wasn’t a bigger hit, since it’s another dark, lovable anti-hero character for Michael Douglas. He’s amazing in the film, and the script is everything that last year’s Up in the Air should have been. Rather than being so caught up with crowd-pleasing, this is a movie that bravely and ironically plunges into some uncomfortable scenarios, often for laughs. It could have easily been a train wreck without the outstanding cast and craft.
TRON: LEGACY
Was it a disappointment overall? Yes. Was it just as silly and non-sensical as the original? Yes, what’s your point? You can’t argue that the first half of this sequel/remake wasn’t breathtaking and fun. Overall, the visual design is dazzling and the music score swelling. This return to the grid was as unnecessary as its 3D IMAX treatment, but in so many other ways it’s a mid-brow geek-out worth experiencing.
I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS
I’ve already defended it on this site, but given the almost non-existant theatrical release and Oscar campaign from Roadside Attractions, it deserves to be said again. This is of the craziest love stories you’re likely to experience, not to mention Jim Carrey’s juiciest role since equally throwing audiences for a curve with “The Cable Guy.” His absurd con-man character is one half absurd, one half sincere, successfully throwing off the narration of the film constantly, fooling on-screen characters and in-theatre audiences alike.
THE HOLE
Just when you thought 3D was a dying gimmick once more, THE HOLE (which began production in advance of even AVATAR) comes along to spark it back into life. Joe Dante still makes movies unlike anyone else, and this is a horror/comedy for kids that should provide the right amount of scares and fun factor, as GREMLINS did over 25 years ago. If only it could get a distributor.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
I am a massive fan of the original Wes Craven Elm Street, and after the unbelievably bad Friday the 13th remake in 2009, I went into this one with the lowest expectations possible. What it lacks in recapturing from the original film are the pure scares and compelling characters, but this version has a great style and some interesting enhancements. Freddy is less demonic or otherworldly, and motivated by a sick revenge. The film unfolds more as a mystery, with the primary dread being lack of sleep.
JONAH HEX
Once you get past the head-scratching question of why the film was even made, it’s actually a pretty passable B-movie. True Grit it ain’t, but the horror-western tone from which it spawned makes up for the paint-by-numbers plot, the phoned-in acting and the sloppy editing. There have been plenty worse in the way of comic adaptations, and this one at least ensures no Haunted Tank movie on the horizon.
