One Paragraph Review: American Gangster

Take the money-making montages from "Scarface," the duality of depicting the cops and gangsters from "King of New York," and the drugs & random hot Latin girl from "Blow" and what you have is American Gangster. I couldn't help but feel that this movie falls short of being in the category of the movies from which it clearly drew inspiration, despite the interesting plot, competent writing and solid performances frmo Denzel & Russel Crowe. Though lacking the emotional weight of "Donnie Brasco," the sweeping brilliance and intimacy of "The Godfather"or the mayhem and violence of "Scarface," "American Gangster" is a solid crime flick that is definitely worth your time.

One Paragraph Review: Superbad

I've always felt that competent comedy was a matter of timing. Get that down and you're good to go. But what makes great comedy? I'm not sure I know, but if I had to guess I'd say that great comedy comes when the subject matter is both funny and true. Superbad fits this bill. It takes juvenile behavior to a high art form. It left me with the feeling that high school wasn't the horrible mess of growth and confusion, but actually was kind of fun. The movies was incredibly clever, and it was oh so Superbad.

One Paragraph Review: Charlie Wilson's War

This is one of those reviews where I make a disclosure which should make you question my critics license: I more than loved the book Charlie Wilson's War and I'm a fan of Aaron Sorkin's work. So what do I think when you put them together? A wonderful, hilarious and even poignant movie. Charlie Wilson's War was just great. Endlessly funny, with the kind of writing and physical comedy you find in Sorkin's good TV works, but also managing to make an important point about people and history. Of the larger lesson about history and foreign affairs, take it or leave it. Tom Hanks and Phillip Seymour Hoffman nail it and you shouldn't miss it.

One Paragraph Review: Ratatouille

As are most Pixar movies, Ratatouille was an absolute home run with me, as I loved both the movie and its message. The characters were hilarious and the movie even took time to poke fun at itself (which always wins points with me): such as when Linguini, in commenting on how his arms move when Remy pulls on his hair, sarcastically comments, "Wow, this is strangely involuntary!" And who can't love a little rat who would rather risk his life to salvage a disgusting batch of soup instead of sneak out of the kitchen to freedom. Great flick with solid humor for adults and a great message for kids about how everybody can (and *should*) be a cook!

One Paragraph Review: The Simpsons Movie

This movie did what South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut did so well, and that is to make you feel like the movie was just one big long episode of The Simpsons. I think when you make a movie out of a TV show that has been around forever it's probably very easy to be tempted to doing something hugely different and grandiose. But I think most people don't want that. We like The Simpsons. No reason to go and do something out of the box and stupid (like a live action movie). As the South Park movie was one extra long and brilliant "South Park" episode, The Simpsons Movie is one extra long and great Simpsons episode. If you like the show, you'll like this movie. Nice and simple.

One Paragraph Review: Beowulf

I like movies based on comic books, such as Spider-Man, X-Men, and Batman. I like movies based on graphic novels such as 300, and V for Vendetta. But I guess I don't like movies based on epic poems, because I did not like this movie. I understand the appeal of reinterpreting the story and turning Beowulf into a flawed character instead of a hero. But if you are going to do that, then why use the animated motion capture film technique that they did? I don't think the screenplay and the film technique meshed.

One Paragraph Review: 3:10 to Yuma

There is a phrase: if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it probably is a duck. The same could be said for movies based off Elmore Leonard novels. If it sounds like an Elmore Leonard movie, it probably is one. And guess what, 3:10 to Yuma walks like a duck carrying a poncho and a rusty six-shooter with something to prove. It's neat to see a piece of pulp fiction translated into a Western story, with Western themes. I love a good shoot 'em up, especially if its got brains. And 3:10 to Yuma has both. The story, acting and imagery were well above average. Definitely check this flick out.

Haiku Review: Stealth

Barely watchable
Unholy pact with Satan
Putrid waste of time

Jessica Biel’s ass
A merciful distraction
But still not enough

What were they thinking?
Barbaric anti-art shit
Thoughts of suicide

Please, never ever,
Contribute to mass dumbing
By watching this film

Put out with garbage
Not even close to worthy
Of these lame haikus

Haiku Review: Charlie Wilson's War

Wonderful movie
Sorkin does not disappoint
So fun, so funny

One Paragraph Review: The Kite Runner

Trying to review this movie leads me to pose a question: what criteria do you use when judging a movie's interpretation of a book? As someone who read and enjoyed the book The Kite Runner, I don't know how well I can assess this movie. I usually judge based on two criteria. First, if it is actually a good movie, and second, if it honors the general themes of the book. Well, the movie Kite Runner met both of those criteria. I thought it was a well done film and did capture the themes and overall emotional state of the book. But then again, the movie wasn't really exciting to me because I knew what was going to happen. I wonder what people who haven't read the book thought of the movie...

One Paragraph Review: The Prestige

You may have missed The Prestige when it came out in the theaters. I missed it in the theaters. Directed by the estimable Christopher Nolan, along with a solid cast featuring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, The Prestige tells the story of competing magicians in late Victorian England. And it is a very dark tale. What is competition? What is obsession? What does it mean to lie? These are not small questions and The Prestige takes them head on. At times this movie is uncomfortable and downright sinister. It can be slow going but if you're game for a good magic trick, it's entirely absorbing.

One Paragraph Review: Michael Clayton

This movie just did not live up to the hype for me. Sure, there were some stellar performances. But I don't think that makes up for such a lackluster and unfinished plot. I was not gripped at all by the story, partially because I just didn't think it was that well-told and partially because they give away one of the most exciting moments in the first three minutes of the film. Even though this movie had environmental health and scientific integrity elements to it, topics I care deeply about, I wasn't that into it. Am I missing something?

One Paragraph Review: Bobby

My first confession is that I don't like politics all that much and my second confession is that I know absolutely nothing about Robert F. Kennedy. So it was with total ignorance and a little trepidation that I watched Bobby, but was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Bobby does what multi-storyline movies with large ensemble casts should do: tell many stories from different viewpoints while keeping you interested entertained. Where Bobby takes it one step further is by showing how all these different groups of people - an aristocratic American couple, Hispanic kitchen worker, young campaign lieutenants, elderly hotel workers - were all affected by and invested in RFK. Some of the storylines are more interesting than others (in particular, Lindsey Lohan's superflous storyline appeared to be pulled out of somebody's ass just so they could add her into the cast), and I can't speak to the movie's factual accuracy, but it's entertaining to watch.

One Paragraph Review: Jumper

If you buy the premise that comic book movies are basically always fun and enjoyable then you will like Jumper. I did. Don't look too deep into this movie about people who can teleport across the planet. If you do, the thing begins to fall apart. Only about half the characters have depth or are interesting. Samuel L. Jackson really plays the purest form of himself: badass black man with one-liners who never has any reason to explain his actions or reasons. But that's a good thing. Samuel L. is great! In many ways, this movie lacked the "umpf" you find in comic book movies such as X-Men and Spider-Man but it will still fun and the girl is pretty cute too.

One Paragraph Review: Across the Universe

I love Julie Taymor for her visual style. I think "Titus" has one the best opening sequences in movie history and Frida Kahlo's art comes to life before your eyes in the move "Frida." So I have to say I was incredibly excited for "Across the Universe," Taymor's latest project that uses Beatles songs to interpret the lives of several interwoven characters in the tumultuous 60's. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my excitement level. About the only thing I did like were some of the cool special-effects visual sequences during the Beatles songs. But the plot was so disjointed it just felt like a bunch of music videos sequenced together to make a film. Trying to combine a rock opera and a typical-talking film just do not work for me.

One Paragraph Review: 3:10 to Yuma

I recognize that this movie has all of the elements of a typical Western genre movie: a hero character, values of honor and sacrifice, depiction of the brutality of life in the American west, not to mention awesome shoot-out scenes and hot, rugged men. But the story was so timeless it could have fit into any era. I loved everything about this movie. The acting was amazing, the directing and cinematography was spot-on and you really felt something about every character. But what really sold me was the plot itself. What a completely unique, unpredictable, and compelling story! I highly recommend it.

One Paragraph Review: There Will Be Blood

I found this movie so difficult to review that it has taken two weeks for my opinions and thoughts to coalesce such that I might jam the big points into just one paragraph. This movie is a magnificently directed exposition on how to master blending the artistically gorgeous with the technically perfect. Every scene is immaculately executed, every bit of the eccentric musical score from Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood matches the films visual brilliance, and absolutely everything that Daniel Day-Lewis does in this film is another piece of evidence in the case for this performance to be one of the definitive acting performances in the last decade. Yet amidst all that artistic exquisiteness, be warned this film may still confuse it's audience and leave them without any sense of closure or purpose (which may or may not deliver an even stronger impact).

Haiku Review: Across the Universe

Beatles songs, repeat

Like long music video

It looked very nice

The Sixties are gone

Why no plot development?

Total waste of time

One Paragraph Review: Gone Baby Gone

I've got to say, this movie absolutely blew me away. It's superbly written and acted. Gone Baby Gone tells the story of a little girl gone missing in a Boston neighborhood. Casey Affleck does a great job delivering some very respectable one-liners. What I think impressed me the most is that this movie is very well directed. It's very well put together. There is a lot of plot and character development but it never feels heavy, never feels like its being foisted upon you. Ben Affleck, half of the superstar formerly known as Bennifer, really hit it out the park in his directorial debut. In many ways Gone Baby Gone is the movie Mystic River tried and failed to be.

One Paragraph Review: Beowulf

This movie is like Shrek for adults. It sort-of looks like the animation like Shrek, but instead of cute monsters and lame jokes it's got scary monsters and lame plot. The action sequences were pretty good, but the movie just never really captured me. Beowulf is such an interesting tale but it seemed like the directors took it in a petty direction. Instead of an analysis of a real "Hero" like Beowulf the movie acts more like a standard action movie. Definitely a good flick to watch on HBO late night when you're girlfriend has nodded off because she didn't want to sleep with you.

One Paragraph Review: American Gangster

As American as apple pie, baseball and a burlesque show is the good gangster flick. Frankly, cinema isn't much worth it unless there's a big crime drama centered around the good guys and the bad guys. Except you usually like the bad guys more than the good guys. But you know the good guys have to do the job they have to do. Of course, the bad guys have to fall because we all know crime doesn't pay. This is all a roundabout way of saying that American Gangster totally lived up to the franchise of the American crime drama. It was pretty awesome. And just to remind you of that they put American in the title.