It's hard not to think of Judd Apatow while watching I Love You, Man. The players are there, including Jason Segel, who has been with Apatow from his Freak-y beginning. And like Apatow's Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, this film's script skillfully sweetens up its raunchy humor with moments of genuine tenderness. But Apatow's name is nowhere to be found; instead, I Love You, Man arrives courtesy of John Hamburg. He's rightfully not the brand name that Apatow is (his last major screen credit was the awful, sweaty-Phillip-Seymour-Hoffman-filled Along Came Polly), but a scan of his résumé does prove a connection: he directed a few episodes of the Apatow series Undeclared.
Apatow film or not, I Love You, Man is a great comedy that had me giggling throughout, from its high-minded reference to Anwar Sadat to its wealth of jokes about oral sex. The supporting cast, from a hilarious Thomas Lennon to a joyfully jerky Jon Favreau, are nearly perfect, but the film is carried by Paul Rudd. Normally a supporting character, Rudd gets top billing here, and he does it without recycling any old tricks. His I Love You, Man character, Peter Klaven, isn't the one making the jokes--or at least not the good ones. For all his awkwardness, he's usually the butt of the humor, but he's never unlikable. In this comedy, his goal is to find a best man for his upcoming wedding to Zooey (The Office's Rashida Jones), a task that leaves Peter sweating. A few unsuccessful man-dates in, and Peter is ready to throw in the perspiration-filled towel. But then he meets Sidney (Segel), and their friendship begins to follow all the romantic comedy rules, which provides a lot of the fun. From decades of watching Meg Ryan and Katherine Heigl movies, the audience knows exactly what to expect, but I Love You, Man at once follows and subverts the conventions of the genre with hilarious results.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Duplicity
Closer, the last pairing of Clive Owen and Julia Roberts (Oscar or no, that is the order in which they will be announced) left me feeling like I'd been punched in the gut -- in a good way. The big-screen adaptation of Patrick Marber's play was brutal and biting, a fine follow-up to director Mike Nichol's own Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Duplicity is another thing entirely, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. As in Closer, there's plenty of distrust, but here it's all in the name of fun, rather than sheer cruelty.
Like Shoot 'Em Up, Duplicity allows audiences to see what might have been if Owen had been chosen for the role of Bond that eventually (and rightly) went to Daniel Craig. Here, his Ray Koval is a suave ex-spy who is using his vast knowledge and connections to "earn" millions of dollars. He partners with another former agent, Claire Stenwick (Roberts), and they try to steal the formula for a revolutionary product out from under the turned-up noses of two rival CEOs (perfectly played by Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti). Ray and Claire's professional relationship is clouded by their steam-driven personal one, and neither one is sure if he--or she--can trust the other. Out of this lack of trust is born a marvelously mazelike script that leaves the audience wondering who they can trust: Ray, Claire, or filmmaker Tony Gilroy.
Gilroy wrote the scripts for the Jason Bourne films, and he made his directorial debut with 2007's excellent Michael Clayton. None of that work seems to point to the relatively light (but still smart) screenplay for Duplicity. With Michael Clayton, he may have been channeling a '70s director like Sidney Lumet, but this latest offering seems far more in line with Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's 11 or Out of Sight. Like those films, Duplicity is a twist-filled trip that is fun without being entirely frivolous.
Like Shoot 'Em Up, Duplicity allows audiences to see what might have been if Owen had been chosen for the role of Bond that eventually (and rightly) went to Daniel Craig. Here, his Ray Koval is a suave ex-spy who is using his vast knowledge and connections to "earn" millions of dollars. He partners with another former agent, Claire Stenwick (Roberts), and they try to steal the formula for a revolutionary product out from under the turned-up noses of two rival CEOs (perfectly played by Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti). Ray and Claire's professional relationship is clouded by their steam-driven personal one, and neither one is sure if he--or she--can trust the other. Out of this lack of trust is born a marvelously mazelike script that leaves the audience wondering who they can trust: Ray, Claire, or filmmaker Tony Gilroy.
Gilroy wrote the scripts for the Jason Bourne films, and he made his directorial debut with 2007's excellent Michael Clayton. None of that work seems to point to the relatively light (but still smart) screenplay for Duplicity. With Michael Clayton, he may have been channeling a '70s director like Sidney Lumet, but this latest offering seems far more in line with Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's 11 or Out of Sight. Like those films, Duplicity is a twist-filled trip that is fun without being entirely frivolous.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Coraline 3D returns to theaters
Since the Jonas brothers 3D extravaganza didn't turn out to be quite the moneymaker Disney had hoped for, the film is now being kicked out of theaters in favor of...Coraline in 3D! By far my favorite film of the year so far, Coraline is stunning visually, but it doesn't compromise in any of its other elements. It's a beautiful, haunting film that both kids, parents, and the gleefully childless (like, um, me) can enjoy.
Coraline returns tomorrow, and it's definitely worth your time and the extra money for the 3D screening.
Coraline returns tomorrow, and it's definitely worth your time and the extra money for the 3D screening.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
DVD review: Let the Right One In
After playing in limited release since late fall, the Swedish import Let the Right One In makes its way to the shelves this week. Ranking in my top five films from last year (with Wall-E, The Dark Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, and In Bruges), this horror film did remarkably well for its distributor Magnolia, and it's already been chosen for an American remake. But please, please don't wait for 2010 for the English-language redo that is almost sure to lose the heart, mood, and beauty of the original.
Alternately chilling, hilarious, and sweet (sometimes even in the same scene), Let the Right One In centers on pre-pubescent Oskar, a boy living in a snowy Swedish suburb. Brutally bullied by his schoolmates, Oskar finds solace in a single friend: his new neighbor, Eli, who looks like a 12-year-old girl, but is actually an ageless vampire. Eli gives Oskar the strength to stand up to his classmates, making Let the Right One In an engaging coming-of-age tale that is as much a film about friendship as it is about Eli's incredible thirst for blood.
If horror films don't normally rise to the top of your queue (or even if you keep pushing them back in favor of Apatovian comedies), don't fear Let the Right One In. There's violence and blood, but the overall mood is not one of terror. It's surprisingly moving and entirely original, not at all to be confused with last fall's other teen vampire film, Twilight.
Alternately chilling, hilarious, and sweet (sometimes even in the same scene), Let the Right One In centers on pre-pubescent Oskar, a boy living in a snowy Swedish suburb. Brutally bullied by his schoolmates, Oskar finds solace in a single friend: his new neighbor, Eli, who looks like a 12-year-old girl, but is actually an ageless vampire. Eli gives Oskar the strength to stand up to his classmates, making Let the Right One In an engaging coming-of-age tale that is as much a film about friendship as it is about Eli's incredible thirst for blood.
If horror films don't normally rise to the top of your queue (or even if you keep pushing them back in favor of Apatovian comedies), don't fear Let the Right One In. There's violence and blood, but the overall mood is not one of terror. It's surprisingly moving and entirely original, not at all to be confused with last fall's other teen vampire film, Twilight.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Watchmen
Like most of the other fangirls (and boys), I wanted to feel pummeled by Watchmen. Somewhat unrealistically, I had hoped that the film would leave me feeling sore from a punch to the gut, just like the graphic novel did. And while Watchmen features plenty of violence, I left surprisingly unscathed and almost unimpressed.
I say "almost" because there are some amazing moments in Zack Snyder's film, especially in the first few scenes. The moment of Comedian's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) murder is incredible, due in part to the excellent acting by Jeffrey Dean Morgan of Grey's Anatomy fame (does the man always die?!?) as well as the brutal ballet that precedes the actual death. The opening credit sequence establishes the world of Watchmen in a gorgeous way as the photography-in-motion action interacts perfectly with the text of the title and credits. There are scenes that fit perfectly with my memory of the source material, particularly the genesis of Dr. Manhattan, aka Jon Osterman (Billy Crudup).
As a whole, the acting swayed me, with Morgan in particular creating a marvelously human (and not a little flawed) Comedian. Jackie Earle Haley, a former child actor best known for his masterful return as a pedophile in Little Children, is chilling as the vigilante hero Rorschach. Those who were freaked out by Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker have much to fear in Rorschach, and he's (kind of) one of the good guys. Haley's Little Children costar Patrick Wilson is perfectly bland as Dan Dreiberg, aka Night Owl II. That sounds like an insult, but his all-American good looks and normal-guy persona fit well with the Dreiberg character.
Watchmen is the third film from director Snyder, who cut his sharper-than-sharp teeth on gorefest (and solid remake) Dawn of the Dead and fight-filled action hit 300. And like those two films, Watchmen is visually audacious and never lacks in style. It also features more of Snyder's romance with violence, crafting each scene with such loving care that it almost contrasts with the bashing and gnashing onscreen. But it's becoming more and more clear: Snyder can't direct a scene that doesn't have any action in it. If it's just talking, watch as things fall flatter than Dr. Manhattan's abs, and wait for the incredibly loud music to cue you in to start watching again.
The soundtrack is one of Watchmen's greater failings. With the exception of the use of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A'Changin'" in the title sequence, each classic song from Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence" to KC & the Sunshine Band's "I'm Your Boogie Man" serves to take the audience out of the moment, distracting them from the action at hand.
And while Morgan, Haley, Wilson, and even Crudup are well-suited to their parts, Matthew Goode and Malin Akerman drain every scene they're in (when they have to actually act, and not just look pretty and powerful). Both of them have turned in watchable performances before--Akerman in a variety of comedies, most of them bad, and Goode especially lives up to his name when he plays against type in The Lookout--so the problem may not just lie in their acting abilities but in the casting itself.
The screenwriters behind the film do deserve credit for distilling such a complex work into such a relatively short film (it runs 2 hours and 40 minutes, but feels remarkably fast). The plot of Watchmen isn't your standard superhero film, which is certainly one of its assets. The setting is an alternate 1985, where masked heroes are a normal--if recently outlawed--part of society. Nixon is still president, thanks to a law abolishing term limits, and the Cold War is reaching a fever pitch with everyone dreading a fast-approaching nuclear war. In this tense atmosphere, aging hero the Comedian is murdered, and another "hero," Rorschach, begins to suspect that his death is part of a conspiracy to eliminate all of his former contemporaries: the superhuman Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl II, Silk Spectre II (Akerman), and Adrian Veidt aka Ozymandias (Goode).
There are elements here of the conpiracy film, murder mystery, thriller, action, and horror, thanks to the very graphic depictions of violence. Watchmen is almost unspeakably bleak film that doesn't comment favorably on humanity. Like the residents of Gotham City in last summer's superhero hit The Dark Knight, the citizens of Watchmen's New York are getting the hero they deserve. The grimy, crime-ridden city is well-matched in its heroes, who are largely human and far from perfect, blurring the lines between good and evil.
Watchmen has earned some criticism for being too complex, but its lack of black-and-white simplicity (even watered down from the subtlety of the graphic novel) makes for fascinating, viewing. Like its heroes, Watchmen is massively flawed, but that makes it all the more interesting to watch.
I say "almost" because there are some amazing moments in Zack Snyder's film, especially in the first few scenes. The moment of Comedian's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) murder is incredible, due in part to the excellent acting by Jeffrey Dean Morgan of Grey's Anatomy fame (does the man always die?!?) as well as the brutal ballet that precedes the actual death. The opening credit sequence establishes the world of Watchmen in a gorgeous way as the photography-in-motion action interacts perfectly with the text of the title and credits. There are scenes that fit perfectly with my memory of the source material, particularly the genesis of Dr. Manhattan, aka Jon Osterman (Billy Crudup).
As a whole, the acting swayed me, with Morgan in particular creating a marvelously human (and not a little flawed) Comedian. Jackie Earle Haley, a former child actor best known for his masterful return as a pedophile in Little Children, is chilling as the vigilante hero Rorschach. Those who were freaked out by Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker have much to fear in Rorschach, and he's (kind of) one of the good guys. Haley's Little Children costar Patrick Wilson is perfectly bland as Dan Dreiberg, aka Night Owl II. That sounds like an insult, but his all-American good looks and normal-guy persona fit well with the Dreiberg character.
Watchmen is the third film from director Snyder, who cut his sharper-than-sharp teeth on gorefest (and solid remake) Dawn of the Dead and fight-filled action hit 300. And like those two films, Watchmen is visually audacious and never lacks in style. It also features more of Snyder's romance with violence, crafting each scene with such loving care that it almost contrasts with the bashing and gnashing onscreen. But it's becoming more and more clear: Snyder can't direct a scene that doesn't have any action in it. If it's just talking, watch as things fall flatter than Dr. Manhattan's abs, and wait for the incredibly loud music to cue you in to start watching again.
The soundtrack is one of Watchmen's greater failings. With the exception of the use of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A'Changin'" in the title sequence, each classic song from Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence" to KC & the Sunshine Band's "I'm Your Boogie Man" serves to take the audience out of the moment, distracting them from the action at hand.
And while Morgan, Haley, Wilson, and even Crudup are well-suited to their parts, Matthew Goode and Malin Akerman drain every scene they're in (when they have to actually act, and not just look pretty and powerful). Both of them have turned in watchable performances before--Akerman in a variety of comedies, most of them bad, and Goode especially lives up to his name when he plays against type in The Lookout--so the problem may not just lie in their acting abilities but in the casting itself.
The screenwriters behind the film do deserve credit for distilling such a complex work into such a relatively short film (it runs 2 hours and 40 minutes, but feels remarkably fast). The plot of Watchmen isn't your standard superhero film, which is certainly one of its assets. The setting is an alternate 1985, where masked heroes are a normal--if recently outlawed--part of society. Nixon is still president, thanks to a law abolishing term limits, and the Cold War is reaching a fever pitch with everyone dreading a fast-approaching nuclear war. In this tense atmosphere, aging hero the Comedian is murdered, and another "hero," Rorschach, begins to suspect that his death is part of a conspiracy to eliminate all of his former contemporaries: the superhuman Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl II, Silk Spectre II (Akerman), and Adrian Veidt aka Ozymandias (Goode).
There are elements here of the conpiracy film, murder mystery, thriller, action, and horror, thanks to the very graphic depictions of violence. Watchmen is almost unspeakably bleak film that doesn't comment favorably on humanity. Like the residents of Gotham City in last summer's superhero hit The Dark Knight, the citizens of Watchmen's New York are getting the hero they deserve. The grimy, crime-ridden city is well-matched in its heroes, who are largely human and far from perfect, blurring the lines between good and evil.
Watchmen has earned some criticism for being too complex, but its lack of black-and-white simplicity (even watered down from the subtlety of the graphic novel) makes for fascinating, viewing. Like its heroes, Watchmen is massively flawed, but that makes it all the more interesting to watch.
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