Film Week

A review of the films I've seen this past week.

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (2009)
I think the original is one of the great horror films. This one... well, it's a competent action thriller that's pretty well-made, but it doesn't have much to say beyond being an action thriller. Does that make it a bad movie? No, not at all. But I still don't think there's a reason to remake it if you don't have the same kind of points to make about society as the original did. This one just does what most thrillers do, and manipulates you into thinking that revenge-driven vigilante justice is a good thing. They couldn't even make the point that society's response to brutality is brutality? Either way, it's not a bad flick. *** stars.

ME AND ORSON WELLES (2009)
Zac Efron stars as a high school student who wants to be an actor and, in 1937, gets himself cast in Orson Welles' production of Julius Caesar. I'm a real sucker for movies like this--reminds me a lot of myself in high school, with similar dreams (and a similar worship of Orson Welles) but less ambition and less opportunity. And I really enjoyed it, even though I knew most of the time where it was going. Welles (Christian McKay in one of the best portrayals of Welles I've seen) takes the boy under his wing and teaches him all about the theater, radio--and really all about bluffing your way into a reputation as a genius. Efron also has a romance with one of the girls at the theater, Claire Danes (whom I always like), and finds himself briefly a romantic rival of Orson Welles. I loved it. And congratulations, Zac, you're a real actor after all. **** stars.

CHLOE (2010)
Weird, complex drama about a married couple (Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore) who may be at a crossroads created by routine and familiarity. Moore thinks Neeson is cheating on her, and hires a prostitute, Chloe, to approach Neeson and see what he does. What follows is several layers of psychological. It's too bad it ends on somewhat of a predictable note, but as a drama based on our layers of identity--sexual, nuptial, familial--it's very interesting throughout. Not a total success, but certainly not dismissible, I think. As Chloe, Amanda Seyfried is excellent. She's capable of so much more than the soppy sentiment porn she loves to make. *** stars.

DEAR JOHN (2010)
Soppy sentiment porn starring Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum. It could have been 22 minutes and been the exact same terrible movie, but instead we get nearly two hours of predictable tragedy and overwrought romance novel. Thanks, but I know how to feel without the insultingly obvious manipulations. * star, probably because of Richard Jenkins, whom I always like.

HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENATE PEOPLE (2008)
Simon Pegg is wasted in another movie, this one about an irreverent British writer who comes to New York to work for a publisher (Jeff Bridges) he once worshiped. And there's a romance with Kirsten Dunst and Megan Fox as a vapid starlet and Danny Huston proving once again he's very good at playing pricks. It has its moments, but it's just such a pointless waste of a movie.. *1/2 stars.

SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE (2010)
Surprisingly sweet and somewhat emotionally genuine romantic comedy about an average-looking guy (Jay Baruchel, whom I always like, but I wish he'd make eye contact a little more; he's always doing some kind of James Dean thing) who starts dating a really beautiful girl. Predictable, right down to the run through the airport, but there's a quality about it that I really appreciated. The characters are a little more than the usual pawns of the romantic comedy plot. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it for that. Also, I love Krysten Ritter. *** stars.

THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO (2009)
Everything you've heard is true: it's silly, juvenile, dumb, childish, sophomoric, etc. But I also thought it was really funny. Too long, maybe, but very stupid and funny. **1/2 stars.

SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL (1959)
Don Murray stars as an American medical student who gets drawn into the IRA by his professor (James Cagney). It's interesting because it doesn't dispute the IRA's cause (freedom from British rule) but is very critical of their methods, warning against the way war corrupts everyone it touches. Cagney is excellent as an ideologue who is so wrapped up in his hatred for the English that it blinds him to his basic humanity. Michael Anderson's direction is dynamic, and the cast also includes Dana Wynter, Glynis Johns, Michael Redgrave, Richard Harris, and in a small role, William Hartnell. A superb film. **** stars.

THE BRIDE CAME C.O.D. (1940)
Bette Davis stars as a socialite about to marry radio personality Jack Carson against the wishes of her rich father (Eugene Pallette from The Adventures of Robin Hood). James Cagney, a pilot, makes a deal with the father to stop the wedding and deliver the bride (charged by weight, as freight) back home. And things go wrong, and they hate each other, and then... well, you know where this is going. It's a plot as old as the movies, but Cagney and Davis are just so much fun that I didn't care. I enjoyed it. The supporting cast also includes William Frawley and Harry Davenport. Good stuff. ***1/2 stars.