Merriam-Webster defines the term half nelson as “a wrestling hold in which the holder puts an arm under the opponent's arm and exerts press on the back of the neck." One of the main purposes of this hold is to exert total control over your opponent and make them feel as if there is no way out.
This idea of complete immobilization is what I believe to be the focal point of Ryan Fleck’s remarkable new film “Half Nelson" in which a middle-school teacher forms an unlikely bond with a student as his life continues a downward spiral into a world full of drugs, depression, and disappointment.
Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) spends his days enlightening inner-city kids on such topics as Martin Luther King Jr. and the Attica prison riot as if his life were going exactly the way he imagined.
Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth. As soon as the bell rings, he instantly becomes a desperate junkie looking for his daily fix of crack cocaine. For the most part, he has been able to effectively hide his addiction from his family and school, but it becomes quite apparent as he continues to use. One day after a basketball game, a student walks into the bathroom to find him lying on the floor and utterly incapacitated, but isn’t quite sure what to think.
When he finally gets up, he agrees to give her a ride home and a unique friendship is formed that will later take on even more meaning. Since the pace of the film can seem quite dull at times, the performances of Gosling and newcomer Shareeka Epps have to be that much more powerful because of it. In undoubtedly the finest performance of his career, Gosling delivers a stunning portrayal of Dunne and makes sure that every note of this film rings true to its audience. He creates a fascinating portrait of drug addiction and shows just how much your life can be consumed by such a dangerous substance.
Epps’s performance is also Oscar-worthy as the student who befriends Dunne and finds out that not everyone is as perfect as they seem. A scene I found to be particularly poignant is one in which Dan is having dinner with his parents and all he can think about is getting home to his crack pipe.
This, I feel is where the title comes in, because no matter how hard he tries to free himself, there is ultimately no way out. “Half Nelson" is a believably engaging film that latches onto its audience and never lets up. Thanks to a brilliant screenplay by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, it is able to go above and beyond the normal expectations of the genre and become a painfully truthful story that hits you directly at the core.
- **** out of 4
Monday, June 23, 2008
An Inconvenient Truth
“America has not led but fled on the issue of global warming" says Senator John Kerry when expressing his opinion on the US government’s lack of effort in trying to combat the cultural phenomenon known as global warming. It’s an ongoing crisis that has left scientists frequently pondering its effects on society, while consistently urging politicians to render more energy conscious decisions.
Director Davis Guggenheim’s breathtaking new documentary “An Inconvenient Truth" couldn’t come at a better time as the United States continues to burn fossil fuels at an unprecedented rate that could ultimately lead to the end of the world as we know it.
Former presidential candidate Al Gore has made it his mission to go from country to country informing people of the dangers that await if we continue down this dark path of destruction and I think people have finally started to listen.
Whether in a college classroom or a political convention, Gore has taken it upon himself to get the message across and has become one of the leading spokespeople on the subject. Here he is in rare form as he enthusiastically presents a revealing slideshow in which he provides the audience with some haunting evidence that illustrates just how serious the problem has become.
Although it may seem like a classroom setting at times, Gore keeps it interesting by putting his own amusing spin on the situation and shows that he really does have a sense of humor. His argument begins with the fact that Carbon Dioxide is incessantly building up in the atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels and will eventually lead to higher temperatures throughout the world.
He then goes through a series of graphs and charts that offer further proof of the damage being done. Some of his most startling statistics include “the number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years" and “the flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade", which are unpleasant to think about, but undeniable nonetheless.
After a while, I began to wonder if anything positive would come from this, but I guess there aren’t a lot of positive things to be said. When you think about the amount of time the government has had to address this, you can almost cringe at how many times this issue has been ignored.
It is something that affects all of us and will bring about catastrophic consequences if not dealt with soon. Gore seems to have genuine concern for what’s going on and is doing his best to get everyone else to join in the effort. I feel it was a great move to turn his presentation into a documentary, because it gives people worldwide a chance to see just what he is talking about. Gore manages to pack enough vital information into his one-hundred minutes that anyone who sees it should feel significantly motivated regardless of their political affiliation.
Gore handles the subject with the utmost sincerity and appears to be speaking as a concerned citizen rather than a politician. His evocative lecture is sure to stir many emotions and several of the images will stick with you long after it’s over. This is without a doubt one the most important films of the year and proves once again, that the truth really does hurt.
- **** out of 4
Director Davis Guggenheim’s breathtaking new documentary “An Inconvenient Truth" couldn’t come at a better time as the United States continues to burn fossil fuels at an unprecedented rate that could ultimately lead to the end of the world as we know it.
Former presidential candidate Al Gore has made it his mission to go from country to country informing people of the dangers that await if we continue down this dark path of destruction and I think people have finally started to listen.
Whether in a college classroom or a political convention, Gore has taken it upon himself to get the message across and has become one of the leading spokespeople on the subject. Here he is in rare form as he enthusiastically presents a revealing slideshow in which he provides the audience with some haunting evidence that illustrates just how serious the problem has become.
Although it may seem like a classroom setting at times, Gore keeps it interesting by putting his own amusing spin on the situation and shows that he really does have a sense of humor. His argument begins with the fact that Carbon Dioxide is incessantly building up in the atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels and will eventually lead to higher temperatures throughout the world.
He then goes through a series of graphs and charts that offer further proof of the damage being done. Some of his most startling statistics include “the number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years" and “the flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade", which are unpleasant to think about, but undeniable nonetheless.
After a while, I began to wonder if anything positive would come from this, but I guess there aren’t a lot of positive things to be said. When you think about the amount of time the government has had to address this, you can almost cringe at how many times this issue has been ignored.
It is something that affects all of us and will bring about catastrophic consequences if not dealt with soon. Gore seems to have genuine concern for what’s going on and is doing his best to get everyone else to join in the effort. I feel it was a great move to turn his presentation into a documentary, because it gives people worldwide a chance to see just what he is talking about. Gore manages to pack enough vital information into his one-hundred minutes that anyone who sees it should feel significantly motivated regardless of their political affiliation.
Gore handles the subject with the utmost sincerity and appears to be speaking as a concerned citizen rather than a politician. His evocative lecture is sure to stir many emotions and several of the images will stick with you long after it’s over. This is without a doubt one the most important films of the year and proves once again, that the truth really does hurt.
- **** out of 4
Apocalypto
From the moment “The Passion of the Christ" was released in 2004, Mel Gibson’s career has been a non-stop roller coaster ride full of commercial success and public humiliation. Despite grossing $370 million at the box-office, his film was condemned by numerous religious sects and he has subsequently become the poster boy for all things anti-Semitic. Some critics even felt that his star in Hollywood was quickly disappearing and that he would be hard-lucked to find another job anytime soon.
Well, it’s 2006 and Mel has returned once again in an attempt to repair what’s left of his public image and show people why he’s still one of the top directors in the business.Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto is another blood-soaked work of genius from a filmmaker who has made a living off dealing with controversial subject matter and could be a major player when Oscar time rolls around.
Deep in the Yucatán peninsula, Gibson tells the harrowing story of a Mayan warrior named Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), who is chosen by the rulers to be a human sacrifice and must ultimately go to great lengths to be with his family once again. In his big-screen debut, Youngblood delivers an intense, haunted performance that really resonates with the audience and makes you feel as if you’re right there with him.
He handles the dialogue with great skill and never was there a point where I felt he was trying too hard to make everything believable. That, I feel is one of Gibson’s talents a director, because no matter what the scene requires, his actors always seem to rise to the occasion. Since there is rarely a dull moment, the audience is treated to some thrilling battle sequences full of enough piercing and decapitation that it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. Some people may criticize it for being too graphic or gratuitous, but I have a hard time believing that, at some point, their society wasn’t really like that.
They performed sacrifices just like many other great civilizations and their methods were not always the most wholesome or compassionate, so I think the bloodshed was important in showing what these people really went through.
Gibson’s tremendous dedication to this project should certainly be acknowledged and casting all indigenous people is one of the main reasons for this film being as extraordinary as it is.
Although there are some observable anachronisms, Gibson and his team have succeeded in creating a skillfully written and beautifully filmed movie in which the Mayan culture is portrayed as a strong, yet doomed empire that had no idea of the danger that awaited them in the future.
No one in Hollywood needs a hit more than Mel Gibson and I think he has finally found what he is looking for. Like the Mayans themselves, Gibson became overly confident in his abilities and thought that he could do anything he wanted without suffering from the consequences.
Regardless of whether or not the public ever forgives him, I feel that with Apocalypto, he has achieved his own personal salvation.
- *** ½ out of 4
Well, it’s 2006 and Mel has returned once again in an attempt to repair what’s left of his public image and show people why he’s still one of the top directors in the business.Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto is another blood-soaked work of genius from a filmmaker who has made a living off dealing with controversial subject matter and could be a major player when Oscar time rolls around.
Deep in the Yucatán peninsula, Gibson tells the harrowing story of a Mayan warrior named Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), who is chosen by the rulers to be a human sacrifice and must ultimately go to great lengths to be with his family once again. In his big-screen debut, Youngblood delivers an intense, haunted performance that really resonates with the audience and makes you feel as if you’re right there with him.
He handles the dialogue with great skill and never was there a point where I felt he was trying too hard to make everything believable. That, I feel is one of Gibson’s talents a director, because no matter what the scene requires, his actors always seem to rise to the occasion. Since there is rarely a dull moment, the audience is treated to some thrilling battle sequences full of enough piercing and decapitation that it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. Some people may criticize it for being too graphic or gratuitous, but I have a hard time believing that, at some point, their society wasn’t really like that.
They performed sacrifices just like many other great civilizations and their methods were not always the most wholesome or compassionate, so I think the bloodshed was important in showing what these people really went through.
Gibson’s tremendous dedication to this project should certainly be acknowledged and casting all indigenous people is one of the main reasons for this film being as extraordinary as it is.
Although there are some observable anachronisms, Gibson and his team have succeeded in creating a skillfully written and beautifully filmed movie in which the Mayan culture is portrayed as a strong, yet doomed empire that had no idea of the danger that awaited them in the future.
No one in Hollywood needs a hit more than Mel Gibson and I think he has finally found what he is looking for. Like the Mayans themselves, Gibson became overly confident in his abilities and thought that he could do anything he wanted without suffering from the consequences.
Regardless of whether or not the public ever forgives him, I feel that with Apocalypto, he has achieved his own personal salvation.
- *** ½ out of 4
The Pursuit of Happyness
It’s 1981. Yuppies everywhere have flocked to such financially flourishing cities as New York and San Francisco in hopes of getting their first taste of success in the Reagan era. While they immerse themselves in a world full of materialism, greed, and outright superficiality, 27-year-old Chris Gardner is struggling just to make ends meet. He invested all of his money into a bone density scanner that most doctors refer to as a “luxury" that they don’t really need. He’s broke, scared, and yet not quite ready to give up on his dreams. His wife has had enough of his inability to provide for them and threatens to run off with their son until he gets things straightened out.
What happens after that is the subject of Italian director Gabriele Muccino’s inspiring new film “The Pursuit of Happyness" (misspelling intended) which follows Chris’s remarkable journey from living in relative obscurity to becoming the head of his own multi-million dollar brokerage firm.
Since Chris is such an easy character to root for, Will Smith is the perfect fit for a role of this magnitude and he undoubtedly deserves any accolades that might come his way. He turns Chris into an emotionally complex character who is willing to do whatever he can to make a better life for his son , even if it means sleeping in shelters and subway bathrooms along the way. His luck changes when he hears about a competitive internship at Dean Witter Reynolds that will award just one person with a job in the end, but he decides to go for it anyway.
Since the program is essentially designed for people with financial stability, there is no salary involved and Chris is forced to go from shelter to shelter with his son until they can afford a place of their own. His life immediately becomes consumed with nothing but work as he has to attend the internship during the day, while still selling medical equipment in his spare time.
Just when his situation couldn’t get more desperate, he is hit with a $400 penalty for being late on his taxes and is left with just $23 in the bank.
Despite his economic shortcomings, his time at Dean Witter has been well spent and he is rapidly becoming one of the top interns in the group. He has been getting all of his work done in almost half the time, because he has to be at the shelter by 5:00 p.m. to ensure a room for the night. Smith’s charm and quick-wittedness are in full effect here as he delivers one the finest and most delicate performances of his career to date.
His real-life son Jaden, plays 5-year-old Christopher Gardner and their heartfelt chemistry on-screen makes them one of the most compelling parent-child pairings since Ryan and Tatum O’Neal. If I seem to be talking a lot about Smith, it’s because there’s not much else worth talking about. He gives an extraordinary performance in an otherwise ordinary film that would be nowhere without his invaluable cinematic presence.
I will say that it’s probably the most depressing film I’ve seen since 2004’s “Million Dollar Baby" and if your heart is not wrenched at some point, it’s probably non-existent.
Although we’re aware that everything has to get better, we still feel satisfied when Chris finally gets what he deserves.Overall, Muccino’s English-language debut is a pure, satisfying account of Gardner’s inspirational life story, but it never really falls into the category of being a great film.
It does, however, serve as a personal showcase for Smith to finally shine under the spotlight and gain further credibility as a dramatic performer. Chris’s story is one that needed to be told and while reading the closing credits, we realize that his pursuit of happiness had finally ended.
- *** out of 4
What happens after that is the subject of Italian director Gabriele Muccino’s inspiring new film “The Pursuit of Happyness" (misspelling intended) which follows Chris’s remarkable journey from living in relative obscurity to becoming the head of his own multi-million dollar brokerage firm.
Since Chris is such an easy character to root for, Will Smith is the perfect fit for a role of this magnitude and he undoubtedly deserves any accolades that might come his way. He turns Chris into an emotionally complex character who is willing to do whatever he can to make a better life for his son , even if it means sleeping in shelters and subway bathrooms along the way. His luck changes when he hears about a competitive internship at Dean Witter Reynolds that will award just one person with a job in the end, but he decides to go for it anyway.
Since the program is essentially designed for people with financial stability, there is no salary involved and Chris is forced to go from shelter to shelter with his son until they can afford a place of their own. His life immediately becomes consumed with nothing but work as he has to attend the internship during the day, while still selling medical equipment in his spare time.
Just when his situation couldn’t get more desperate, he is hit with a $400 penalty for being late on his taxes and is left with just $23 in the bank.
Despite his economic shortcomings, his time at Dean Witter has been well spent and he is rapidly becoming one of the top interns in the group. He has been getting all of his work done in almost half the time, because he has to be at the shelter by 5:00 p.m. to ensure a room for the night. Smith’s charm and quick-wittedness are in full effect here as he delivers one the finest and most delicate performances of his career to date.
His real-life son Jaden, plays 5-year-old Christopher Gardner and their heartfelt chemistry on-screen makes them one of the most compelling parent-child pairings since Ryan and Tatum O’Neal. If I seem to be talking a lot about Smith, it’s because there’s not much else worth talking about. He gives an extraordinary performance in an otherwise ordinary film that would be nowhere without his invaluable cinematic presence.
I will say that it’s probably the most depressing film I’ve seen since 2004’s “Million Dollar Baby" and if your heart is not wrenched at some point, it’s probably non-existent.
Although we’re aware that everything has to get better, we still feel satisfied when Chris finally gets what he deserves.Overall, Muccino’s English-language debut is a pure, satisfying account of Gardner’s inspirational life story, but it never really falls into the category of being a great film.
It does, however, serve as a personal showcase for Smith to finally shine under the spotlight and gain further credibility as a dramatic performer. Chris’s story is one that needed to be told and while reading the closing credits, we realize that his pursuit of happiness had finally ended.
- *** out of 4
Snakes on a Plane
When I first read that Samuel L. Jackson was going to star in a film called “Snakes on a Plane", I instantly questioned what exactly he was getting himself into. For an actor who has done such great work in films like “Pulp Fiction" and “A Time to Kill", it seemed like a risky move to sign on to a film that had such an off the wall story line, but I figured if anyone could pull it off, he could.
After months of generating an absurd amount of buzz on the internet, I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the finished product and hopefully I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Believe it or not, there’s actually an intriguing story here regarding the origin of the snakes and how they came to be on the plane in the first place, but appears to take a back seat when the mayhem finally ensues.
Jackson plays Neville Flynn, an FBI agent assigned to escort a federal witness on a flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles in hopes of putting high-profile gangster Eddie Kim away for good. To prevent that from happening, Kim has deviously arranged for a crate full of poisonous snakes to be put in the plane’s cargo hold with a timer installed so the snakes will be released at some time during the trip.
If that wasn’t enough, he has even had the leis laced with pheromones to ensure that the snakes will attack the passengers more violently.
Now that sounds like it would make for an exciting thriller, but there are many elements of this film that prevent it from becoming as good as advertised such as its clichéd characters and horrendous dialogue.
“We have to put a barrier between us and the snakes" and “Great, snakes on crack" are only a couple of the ridiculously bad lines this film has to offer, but I assure you there are plenty more where these came from.
Another tiring aspect of this film lies in the fact that there are only so many places a snake can harm you and it begins to get quite monotonous after a while. Since Director David R. Ellis makes sure that no area of the human body goes untouched, prepare to be fully disgusted by the time the credits roll and for those afraid of snakes, may I suggest spending your time on another film in its place (World Trade Center perhaps?).
By the time Jackson delivers his already iconic line, I’d had it with not only the snakes, but the entire film as well. Jackson’s performance seems to be the lone bright spot of this film, but isn’t enough to overcome such dreadful material. I understand that it wasn’t supposed to be taken seriously, but I expected a little more substance from such a promising movie and wasn’t given any.
“Snakes on a Plane" is a bad, but also very entertaining film that doesn’t quite live up to its lofty expectations. It had the makings of an exhilarating suspense film, but insisted on settling for trite character development and cheap thrills. For a quick summary, I think Public Enemy said it best when they said “Don’t believe the hype."
- ** out of 4
After months of generating an absurd amount of buzz on the internet, I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the finished product and hopefully I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Believe it or not, there’s actually an intriguing story here regarding the origin of the snakes and how they came to be on the plane in the first place, but appears to take a back seat when the mayhem finally ensues.
Jackson plays Neville Flynn, an FBI agent assigned to escort a federal witness on a flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles in hopes of putting high-profile gangster Eddie Kim away for good. To prevent that from happening, Kim has deviously arranged for a crate full of poisonous snakes to be put in the plane’s cargo hold with a timer installed so the snakes will be released at some time during the trip.
If that wasn’t enough, he has even had the leis laced with pheromones to ensure that the snakes will attack the passengers more violently.
Now that sounds like it would make for an exciting thriller, but there are many elements of this film that prevent it from becoming as good as advertised such as its clichéd characters and horrendous dialogue.
“We have to put a barrier between us and the snakes" and “Great, snakes on crack" are only a couple of the ridiculously bad lines this film has to offer, but I assure you there are plenty more where these came from.
Another tiring aspect of this film lies in the fact that there are only so many places a snake can harm you and it begins to get quite monotonous after a while. Since Director David R. Ellis makes sure that no area of the human body goes untouched, prepare to be fully disgusted by the time the credits roll and for those afraid of snakes, may I suggest spending your time on another film in its place (World Trade Center perhaps?).
By the time Jackson delivers his already iconic line, I’d had it with not only the snakes, but the entire film as well. Jackson’s performance seems to be the lone bright spot of this film, but isn’t enough to overcome such dreadful material. I understand that it wasn’t supposed to be taken seriously, but I expected a little more substance from such a promising movie and wasn’t given any.
“Snakes on a Plane" is a bad, but also very entertaining film that doesn’t quite live up to its lofty expectations. It had the makings of an exhilarating suspense film, but insisted on settling for trite character development and cheap thrills. For a quick summary, I think Public Enemy said it best when they said “Don’t believe the hype."
- ** out of 4
Lady in the Water
Is it just me or has M. Night Shayamalan’s promising career as a filmmaker gone completely South the past few years? It seems that with each new film, he becomes increasingly boring and anti-climactic in his storytelling and always tries to make his films look as if they are more important than they actually are.
His latest movie “Lady in the Water" is no exception as he yet again attempts to pile as many philosophical themes regarding politics and the human condition as he can into 110 minutes of film. His intentions are noble, but unfortunately the end result just isn’t strong enough to support such deep and profound material.
His film centers around an old Philadelphia apartment complex called The Cove that is said to have a mysterious being living at the bottom of its swimming pool. It appears only after the pool has closed for the night and has reportedly been stealing random items left behind by the people who live there.
When it’s brought to the attention of the superintendent, he promises to look into it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) is an honest man who goes about his business everyday constantly doing repairs and other odd jobs to keep his tenants happy, which helps keep his mind off the death of his family. Despite not having a very demanding role, Giamatti (Sideways, Cinderella Man) delivers a sincere performance as Heep and is one of the few bright spots this film has to offer. While in his apartment late one night, he hears strange noises coming from the pool so he immediately goes to check it out.
It turns out that it’s not a creature, but a woman that has been living in the pool and causing quite the stir among the tenants. Her name is Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) and she is a narf (water nymph) that has come from the Blue World to try and save the human race from destroying itself. Now that sounds interesting and all, but it quickly becomes so preposterous and far-fetched that not even Shayamalan’s sense of humor can save this one from an early demise. Whether they were intended to be or not, many moments in this film are so laugh out loud ridiculous that they actually make the film a little more bearable.
There is one scene in which a little boy is receiving theoretical messages while staring at cereal boxes and I couldn’t help but wonder what Shayamalan was thinking about when he wrote that absurd thing. As if the plot wasn’t silly enough, we later find out that certain people living in the building have been pre-selected to help Story return home safely. Determined to find out who they are, Cleveland goes to an old woman who through her daughter’s translation, tells him the bedtime story of the narf and how an eagle is supposed to come down and take her back to the Blue World.
He is told that the purpose of the narf’s visit is to come in contact with a writer living in the building and inform him that his work will ultimately change the world forever. By providing this information, Shayamalan manages to take all of the suspense out of the story and make it quite predictable the rest of the way.
The fact that the writer turns out to be the character played by Shayamalan himself shows just how self-indulgent he has truly become. Although there are a few good jolts in the film, the pointlessness of the ending made everything else seem wasted.
From a director who created such brilliant films as “The Sixth Sense" and “Signs", I found it to be a great disappointment.Shayamalan has created another film with an intriguing premise that wasted no time becoming pointless and forgettable. For those who thought 2004’s “The Village" was just a fluke, you’ll be frustrated to know that not much has changed and that this one is indeed dead in the water.
- ** out of 4
His latest movie “Lady in the Water" is no exception as he yet again attempts to pile as many philosophical themes regarding politics and the human condition as he can into 110 minutes of film. His intentions are noble, but unfortunately the end result just isn’t strong enough to support such deep and profound material.
His film centers around an old Philadelphia apartment complex called The Cove that is said to have a mysterious being living at the bottom of its swimming pool. It appears only after the pool has closed for the night and has reportedly been stealing random items left behind by the people who live there.
When it’s brought to the attention of the superintendent, he promises to look into it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) is an honest man who goes about his business everyday constantly doing repairs and other odd jobs to keep his tenants happy, which helps keep his mind off the death of his family. Despite not having a very demanding role, Giamatti (Sideways, Cinderella Man) delivers a sincere performance as Heep and is one of the few bright spots this film has to offer. While in his apartment late one night, he hears strange noises coming from the pool so he immediately goes to check it out.
It turns out that it’s not a creature, but a woman that has been living in the pool and causing quite the stir among the tenants. Her name is Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) and she is a narf (water nymph) that has come from the Blue World to try and save the human race from destroying itself. Now that sounds interesting and all, but it quickly becomes so preposterous and far-fetched that not even Shayamalan’s sense of humor can save this one from an early demise. Whether they were intended to be or not, many moments in this film are so laugh out loud ridiculous that they actually make the film a little more bearable.
There is one scene in which a little boy is receiving theoretical messages while staring at cereal boxes and I couldn’t help but wonder what Shayamalan was thinking about when he wrote that absurd thing. As if the plot wasn’t silly enough, we later find out that certain people living in the building have been pre-selected to help Story return home safely. Determined to find out who they are, Cleveland goes to an old woman who through her daughter’s translation, tells him the bedtime story of the narf and how an eagle is supposed to come down and take her back to the Blue World.
He is told that the purpose of the narf’s visit is to come in contact with a writer living in the building and inform him that his work will ultimately change the world forever. By providing this information, Shayamalan manages to take all of the suspense out of the story and make it quite predictable the rest of the way.
The fact that the writer turns out to be the character played by Shayamalan himself shows just how self-indulgent he has truly become. Although there are a few good jolts in the film, the pointlessness of the ending made everything else seem wasted.
From a director who created such brilliant films as “The Sixth Sense" and “Signs", I found it to be a great disappointment.Shayamalan has created another film with an intriguing premise that wasted no time becoming pointless and forgettable. For those who thought 2004’s “The Village" was just a fluke, you’ll be frustrated to know that not much has changed and that this one is indeed dead in the water.
- ** out of 4
Click
Over the past decade, Adam Sandler has made numerous attempts at developing a more serious on-screen persona, but few have been critically well-received. Whether he was a loud-mouth golfer in “Happy Gilmore" or a mild-mannered chef in “Spanglish", Sandler just can’t quite convince people that he can be consistently on-target with his performances.
His latest film “Click" has all of the offbeat humor and out-of-control antics you would expect from him, but I still felt there was something missing.This time around he plays a workaholic architect named Michael, who works so much that he hardly sees his kids and has little time to spend talking with his wife.
When he misses the majority of his son’s swim meet and is forced to cancel a family camping trip, he decides to take his life into his own hands and go for a drive.
Oddly, Bed, Bath, and Beyond is the only store open at the time, but it just so happens to offer the remedy he is looking for. It is here that he meets Morty, played hilariously by Christopher Walken, who gives him a universal remote that has the power to control anything with the push of a button.
Michael soon learns just how powerful it can be when it begins to fast forward on its own and leave him wondering how much of his life he missed out on during that time. At one point, it skips an entire year in which his kids grow up and are no longer interested in the same activities as before and Michael can’t believe what has happened.
I found it to be reminiscent of 2004’s “The Butterfly Effect" in that both characters are desperately trying to improve their lives, but each change doesn’t always bring about the most favorable outcome.
As Michael continues to use the remote, his life becomes worse off than it was before and doesn’t appear that it will get any better. Although there are some good laughs involving Michael’s neighbor, it quickly becomes a very sad and depressing story about a man who tries so hard to make things right that he ultimately ends up losing everything he had worked for. Sandler portrays these emotions with great sincerity, but often looks as if he is trying too hard to deliver the perfect scene. I also felt that some of the more critical scenes were sometimes ruined by humor taking over at inappropriate times and leaving much to be desired.
Just when you think Sandler has gone serious, he says or does something to make you believe he’s still the same loud-mouth he’s always been. As a fan of most of Sandler’s films ( “The Waterboy" and “Little Nicky" not included) , I usually enjoy his unique sense of humor, but also like to see him expand his talent and deal with more adult situations.
During the film’s final sequence, many questions are answered and problems are resolved, but I felt a little cheated with the way it decided to end and everything I had just witnessed now came into question. If there is anything important being said by this movie, it is that no matter how hard you try, you can’t please everyone.
Overall, “Click" was an entertaining movie about a man trying to spend more time with his family, but the imbalance between emotion and humor seemed to be too much at times. It is a film that’s not quite sure whether it wants to be a slapstick comedy or a heartfelt drama, which for me makes it an enjoyable, yet somewhat disappointing film.
- ** ½ out of 4
His latest film “Click" has all of the offbeat humor and out-of-control antics you would expect from him, but I still felt there was something missing.This time around he plays a workaholic architect named Michael, who works so much that he hardly sees his kids and has little time to spend talking with his wife.
When he misses the majority of his son’s swim meet and is forced to cancel a family camping trip, he decides to take his life into his own hands and go for a drive.
Oddly, Bed, Bath, and Beyond is the only store open at the time, but it just so happens to offer the remedy he is looking for. It is here that he meets Morty, played hilariously by Christopher Walken, who gives him a universal remote that has the power to control anything with the push of a button.
Michael soon learns just how powerful it can be when it begins to fast forward on its own and leave him wondering how much of his life he missed out on during that time. At one point, it skips an entire year in which his kids grow up and are no longer interested in the same activities as before and Michael can’t believe what has happened.
I found it to be reminiscent of 2004’s “The Butterfly Effect" in that both characters are desperately trying to improve their lives, but each change doesn’t always bring about the most favorable outcome.
As Michael continues to use the remote, his life becomes worse off than it was before and doesn’t appear that it will get any better. Although there are some good laughs involving Michael’s neighbor, it quickly becomes a very sad and depressing story about a man who tries so hard to make things right that he ultimately ends up losing everything he had worked for. Sandler portrays these emotions with great sincerity, but often looks as if he is trying too hard to deliver the perfect scene. I also felt that some of the more critical scenes were sometimes ruined by humor taking over at inappropriate times and leaving much to be desired.
Just when you think Sandler has gone serious, he says or does something to make you believe he’s still the same loud-mouth he’s always been. As a fan of most of Sandler’s films ( “The Waterboy" and “Little Nicky" not included) , I usually enjoy his unique sense of humor, but also like to see him expand his talent and deal with more adult situations.
During the film’s final sequence, many questions are answered and problems are resolved, but I felt a little cheated with the way it decided to end and everything I had just witnessed now came into question. If there is anything important being said by this movie, it is that no matter how hard you try, you can’t please everyone.
Overall, “Click" was an entertaining movie about a man trying to spend more time with his family, but the imbalance between emotion and humor seemed to be too much at times. It is a film that’s not quite sure whether it wants to be a slapstick comedy or a heartfelt drama, which for me makes it an enjoyable, yet somewhat disappointing film.
- ** ½ out of 4
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)