a) Anvil! The Story Of Anvil
I'm such a nerd for rock lore and music career stories that I've watched plenty of movies and even read books about artists I've never owned an album by. So it was kind of weird to watch this, after all the hype about it being so moving and engaging, and just not be able to give a fuck. These guys are kind of entertaining characters and their career is somewhat interesting, but the way it's framed in the film is just kinda dull and in a way it's almost offensive how much they put these guys on a pedestal for still making music and pursuing their dreams with normal working class finances as if that's exceptional. Also, how funny is it that the trailer is full of really schmaltzy power ballad rock background music that sounds nothing like Anvil sounds?

b) Seven Pounds
This movie has maybe some of the most egregious backstory-rationing of all time. I think the main reason I wanted to see it, despite all the negative (and accurate) buzz, was that the trailer was so ambiguous about what the story actually is, and as it turns out practically the entire movie is about stringing you along and making you continue to wonder that. And then when all is revealed, it's vaguely 'profound' but when you think about it kind of headcrushingly stupid, particularly how incredibly unlikely Will Smith's character's plan is to work.

c) Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
In the same way that Modern Girls is the perfect encapsulation of movies hilariously distorting '80s youth culture, or, say, Reality Bites did for the '90s, this is that movie for the '00s. I wanted to stab myself in the brain for sitting through any of this just to stare at Kat Dennings.

d) Ghost Town
I kinda feel like Ricky Gervais seems like a one-trick pony (and I wasn't even that crazy about that trick in "The Office") and I thought this looked like some lame-ass Ghost Dad shit form the trailers. So I was pretty shocked to find myself actually kind of loving this movie. Director David Koepp, who's done seemingly exclusive action and suspense movies in the past, slowly teases out the dramatic, poignant elements of the story by the end of the movie (I cried a little, seriously), while setting up the premise and the dryly witty tone of it really well, and really everyone in it is great. Really big, pleasant surprise.

e) The House Bunny
The depressing unspoken thing about this movie is that Anna Faris has had so much work done on her face that she's really well cast as a Playboy chick in this, I mean you'd barely recognize her from the Scary Movie days.

f) The Promotion
It's weird to channel surf and see that there's a recent movie on that looks like a normal theatrical wide release and has familiar actors (in this case John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott), but you don't have any knowledge of existing and never saw so much as a TV ad or a print review. Apparently this had a tiny theatrical run right around the time I was out of the country last year on my honeymoon, but I feel like I wouldn't have heard of it either way. Anyway, I can't really blame the studio for brushing this under the rug, it's pretty bland and unremarkable. Like Ghost Town, this is directed by a guy who hadn't done much comedy before, and it feels like he saw Election and decided to just make the exact same movie more or less, with a different story and setting but identical tone and narration and overall arc, and of course, not nearly as good.

g) The Strangers
This is definitely really scary, and it gains some of its power to scare from the lack of backstory or explanation, of just watching a horrible thing happen and then it's over, no motivation or subtext or revelation. But that doesn't mean it also doesn't kind of feel like a lazy ripoff that just kind of cops out of having to write an actual plot.

h) The Grand
Ahoy running theme: yet another comedy directed by someone who usually doesn't do comedy, in this case superhero movie screenwriter Zak Penn doing a painfully faithful wannabe Christopher Guest mockumentary (Best In Show at a poker tournament is the most accurate description I can come up with). It's also weird that it's not bad, if inconsistent, and had a ridiculously star-studded cast all hanging out and doing goofy big parts, including Werner Herzog of all people.

i) Be Kind Rewind
This was pretty fun, and kind of weirdly sweet. I still don't really understand why Mos Def is a successful actor and wish they'd cast someone who's actually funny (or even just an effective straight man/emotional center for the movie). It's like when he stops rapping all his charisma disappears.

j) Run, Fat Boy, Run
It's weird how Hank Azaria's movie niche has become playing the musclebound guy who steals the girl from the main character in comedies (see also America's Sweethearts, Along Came Polly).

k) This Filthy World
I like John Waters movies, but I love John Waters the person and the persona and the Baltimore icon, so it was really entertaining to watch this filmed version of his one man show, with all his hilarious droll stories about his career, which I never get tired of. My favorite part of this was that his dream job as an actor would be to star in a Don Knotts biopic, which I now kinda of want to actually happen.

l) Josie And The Pussycats
Finally sat down and watched this after years of hearing about how funny and subversive it is and, well, it does lay on the satire a bit thick, but it's still pretty funny at times. Shame Rachel Leigh Cook isn't really in movies anymore.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 1:35 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.