Movies!

So I’ve seen a couple movies in the last few months but haven’t written about them, so here are some short, to the point reviews.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: This is a pretty good movie but it reminded me way too much of “Forest Gump” and “Big Fish.” Too bad it wasn’t as good as either of those. Button is a little long for my tastes and since I already knew how it was going to end, how could anyone not, it’s a bit anticlimactic.

Oh, one last thing, Cate Blanchett is freaking gorgeous.

Doubt: This cast is crazy good. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Viola Davis loom like giants over their Hollywood brethren.

The movie was written and directed by the same person who wrote and directed the play of the same name. In a few areas this is blindingly obvious and, to be honest, I sometimes found these instances slightly annoying. I enjoy both movies and live performances but there are definite differences in how each is staged and acted. Sometimes when you stage a movie like a play or vice versa there is just something off putting about it and there were a few times in “Doubt” where I really noticed this.

Still, the movie is fantastic and well worth seeing. If you have seen it, did he do it or not?

Taken: I’d recommend skipping the first 30 minutes of this movie as it’s just poorly done exposition that stands in the way of Liam Neeson kicking major ass. Not since his turn as Rob Roy McGregor has he been this damn cool. (The ex-CIA agent he plays here would stomp a mud hole in any jedi’s ass.)

The action is very Jason Bourne, but this is a plus in my book. Kick ass!

Slumdog Millionaire: This movie is fantastic. It’s well acted, edgy and inventive. The camera work is utterly stunning. So much so, that I’d give it the Academy Awards for Best Movie, Best Director and Best Cinematography based solely on that.

I’m really not sure what else to say about it, except you should immediately go see it so that you can catch it on the big screen. If you don’t, you’ll regret it when you accidently catch it on cable.

Friday the 13th (Remake): I went with a buddy who reviews movies for an indie newspaper to see this, so I got in to the sneak peak for free.

I guess you know what to expect when you go into a movie like this. A remake of a slasher classic by the makers of slickly cut pop music videos. It’s glossy, vapid, and doesn’t make a lick of sense which is bad. But on the other hand, it’s vapid, bloody and filled with boobies galore which is good.

The oddest thing about this movie isn’t how quiet a 400 pound killer wearing work boots can be, but that it’s pretty blatantly racist. I’d be curious if any one else feels the same way, but I know that pretty much everyone I know will never see this movie. I guess I’ll have to take my thoughts to the Internet Movie Database and bounce them around there.

See this if you liked many of the new horror movie remakes, if not, skip it.