Archive for December, 2004

The Aviator

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted December 25, 2004 at 11:31 pm

A Film Review By Jason L. King

Rating:Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual content, nudity, language and a crash sequence. 
Starring:Leonardo DiCaprio, John C. Reilly, Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Kate Beckinsdale and a cameo by the one and only Jude Law! 
Directed By:Martin Scorsese 

Final Grade: 

Leonardo DiCaprio makes his Christmastime appearance this year in the Martin Scorsese directed film, The Aviator. Leo and Christmas time movies are about as American as apple pie anymore, it seems that moviegoers can’t get enough of their Leo over the Holidays. Catch Me if You Can, Gangs of New York and now the Aviator have suddenly made Leonardo DiCaprio a household name once again. All grown up from his Titanic days, Leonardo has found himself playing big roles in some big budget Oscar flicks over the last few years. This year expect the same from Leo as he takes on the challenging role of Howard Hughes in “The Aviator.”

Going into the film I have to admit I knew about as much about Howard Hughes as I know about Quantum Physics and Rocket Science (That’s Nearly Nothing!). To me the name Howard Hughes was familiar, I knew of his work in Hollywood with pictures such as Scarface (the original, not the Al Pacino version) but beyond that, I can’t stress enough that I was going into this picture fairly blindly. With that being said, I was surprised to find Leo playing the part of a multi talented hypochondriac. As I came to learn Howard Hughes played a major role in the development of TWA airlines and had an obsession with airplanes. This obsession led him to attempting to develop one of the largest planes in history as well as many other spy planes, all while continuing his movie making passions as well. But Hughes’s over ambitious nature also led to 2 massive mental breakdowns and near bankruptcies on more than one occasion. Martin Scorsese’s picture gives us only a snippet of the life of Howard Hughes, but still gives you enough to wet your appetite to want to learn more about this eccentric character.

I personally really enjoyed Leonardo’s performance in this film. From beginning to end, I found his character interesting and very believable. DiCaprio made a very wise decision by being very choosy when it came to his filmmaking. With his monumental Titanic success he could have signed on and starred in more films than Jude Law did this year, and could have made more cheesy comedies than Ashton Kutcher could ever make while raking in boatloads of cash. Instead he chooses his films wisely and does a great job at what he does. I have to admit being annoyed with him in Titanic, but Leonardo has grown on me over the years and I am actually excited to see what undertakings he will take on next.

Another fine point of the Aviator is the performance by John C. Reilly, a man who has found himself wound up in more Oscar flicks in the last few years than any other movie star in showbiz now days. In the last Few years alone Reilly has found his way into the cast of Gangs of New York, Chicago and The Hours and soon should be able to add The Aviator to his list since it is an Oscar shoo-in. Once again Reilly gives a great supporting performance which once again made me realize that he may be one of the most under appreciated supporting actors of his time.

Director Martin Scorsese does a great job directing the film. Lots of trademark Scorsese shots make their way into the film and he does a great job of helping Leonardo bring the Howard Hughes story to life. Anyone who is a fan of Scorsese will find this film to be a visual treat as well as an all around entertaining flick. The film however runs about 2 hours and 45 minutes so it takes up a good chunk of time to watch it. The film definitely feels long, but you never really want to leave your seat.

I think my biggest problem with the film is that I felt as though I was missing something when it ended. While I found Howard Hughes to be a very interesting person I had wished they would have given me more. Blindly going into the film, If you don’t know much about Hughes they barely touch on where he gets his millions to start with, and they stop fairly abruptly at the end. I guess I could say I wanted more before and after in the story just so I could say I felt confident I knew about Howard Hughes rather than just a small piece of the pie instead.

But in the end, Scorsese delivers again with a big budget winter flick that should have the critics and the audiences cheering for Oscar Nods for both best director and best actors and probably many more. If you get a chance to see this film, don’t pass it up. It’s quite possibly one of the year’s best. 

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Filed under: Drama, Movies

Finding Neverland

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted December 21, 2004 at 2:54 am

A Film Review By Jason L. King

Rating:Rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief language
Starring:Johnny Depp, Kate Winslett
Directed By:Marc Forster

Final Grade:

What if there was a place where a boy could never grow up? What if there was a place where all your dreams could come true? There is such a place, and that place would be Neverland. No, not Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, where the only thing magical is what keeps little boys coming back and the place where the only pixie dust present are rufies in a little boy’s kool aid, this Neverland is the real thing. But how does one go about finding Neverland? In Johnny Depp’s newest flick, Finding Neverland, he teaches you how you can find Neverland yourself.

Johnny Depp plays James Barrie, who was the creator of the children’s story Peter Pan. After a recent theater flop and a marriage that is on the rocks, Barrie stumbles upon a woman (Kate Winslett) and her four children who become Muses for his next play, the story of a magical little boy who never wanted to grow up.

Depp’s latest flick is getting some great critical attention, and it has already picked up best picture nods at many of the red carpet award shows. The film is well directed and manages to nicely illustrate both the vivid imagination of Depp’s character and still keeps the film set in a world of reality. I was very afraid that this film could easily become another wild and crazy “Tim Burton-like” flick. I enjoy Burton’s work, but there is a time and place for every thing and I just don’t believed that would have worked in this instance.

What really makes this film work is once again Johnny Depp. Depp is one of the greatest character actors on the screen today. Watching Depp on screen it is easy to forget that you are watching an actor portraying someone on the screen. Few actors are able to do that without a few slip-ups. Depp Manages to literally become someone different with each and every film he does. What makes him so versatile as an actor is that once he becomes someone on the screen, he never once seems to break character. His performance shines far above anyone else in the film, making it easy to forget some decent performances from his co-star, Kate Winslett.

The story is easy to follow, family friendly, and even PG rated. Few films now days, especially the ones that are usually Oscar nominated, can boast that now days. It’s got enough elements in it to keep the adults and the young adults entertained for its two hour run time and can boast a colorful cast of characters.

But the big question is if Finding Neverland is really worth all the hype it is getting? Other than a strong performance by Depp, this film doesn’t have a lot of truly outstanding things going for it. It’s a solid flick but nothing in my opinion really makes it award worthy. Sure, I was entertained during the time I was in the theater, but I never really want to see it again. As I look back on the film the few things I remember is Johnny Depp who sounded an awful lot like Shrek, and a small but fun role played by Dustin Hoffman, who played a stuffy, old theater owner. Beyond that the film has already slipped my mind after watching it less than 12 hours ago.

All in all, Finding Neverland is a flick that is a year-end popcorn flick. It has some solid performances, a decent lighthearted story, but suffers from being one of the most easily forgettable flicks in the Oscar races this year. It’s worth checking out on video, but in the end, this Peter Pan flick is really not worth its weight in Pixie Dust.

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Spanglish

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted December 17, 2004 at 6:11 am

A Film Review By Jason L. King

Rating:Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and brief language
Starring:Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni, Paz Vega
Directed By:James L. Brooks

Final Grade:

It seems every year there are films that want to be Oscar contenders that don’t really belong. They try and try to build them up, but in the end it’s easy to spot which films are trying to be Oscar posers. Like playing “which of these things doesn’t belong” with Big Bird on Sesame Street, we as film audiences have to figure out which films really don’t deserve that big chance at the top Awards shows.

Writer and Director James L. Brooks has seen the Oscar Red Carpet before and has received a few academy awards. This year he tries again by teaming up with Adam Sandler and newcomer Paz Vega in Spanglish. Spanglish tells the tale of a rich Los Angeles family who hires a Mexican Immigrant maid to help out with the family. Their new maid, Flor, has a lot to learn. Even though the family she works for looks happy on the outside,it is really hurting on the inside. Successful chef John (Adam Sandler) is having trouble with his insecure wife (Tea Leoni) and their emotional problems are making troubles for their kids as well. With a tale told through the eyes of Flor’s young daughter (who eventually comes to live with the Clasky family and her mother) Spanglish tells the tale of the not so perfect American family.

Spanglish was very hit and miss for me. First off, I would like to say James L. Brooks at times could be a genius when it comes to writing. Brooks has a brilliant style that allows him to make some great laughs out of life’s subtle moments. Mannerisms, and just everyday, run of the mill ordinary stuff is what Brooks hones in on and lets his comedy flow around those moments. He does a great job with this and I think that is what gives Spanglish its great charm.

For the last few years I have been poking fun at Adam Sandler. I multiple times can be quoted on saying that he is an actor who needs to hang it up. As I have said before, “No one wants to see a 50 year old Adam Sandler saying things like “Abbie Doobie.”” It would be a shame. I have also said, I really hope Sandler will take a chance and try some different roles. Sandler surprised me with Spanglish. This is a step in the right direction. While I admit to loving Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore just as much as the next 23-year-old, I really like this career choice for Sandler. It’s still a comedy, but it’s a far more serious comedy than he has ever done. Sandler hits one out of the park with some great humorous moments and some solid character acting as well. Well-Done Mr. Sandler, Well Done.

As for the rest of his cast, we get to see a great performance from newcomer Paz Vega. The actress, who sort of resembles Penelope Cruz, does a wonderful job in the role of Mexican Immigrant worker Flor Moreno. She has a natural talent and I hope to see more of her in the future. As for Tea Leoni, who plays Sandler’s wife, I found her to be an annoyance. I lived in pretty much a Tea Leoni free environment up until this film (I swore never again since Jurassic Park 3) and I forgot how nice it was without her. I wasn’t convinced by her performance and I found her more of a distraction than anything else. I really think they could have found a better actress for the spot. Naomi Watts comes to mind, but even Jude Law in a dress would have worked better. Besides, Jude Law probably would have done it; he’s been in nearly every other film this year!

My problem with Spanglish is that it wore out it’s welcome fairly fast. I felt that the plot moved slowly, and that it went in this circle and never really accomplished anything. By the conclusion of the film I realized there was easily at least 20 minutes you could have cut out of the film. Throughout the first half of the film, I enjoyed most of the characters, the performances and had a good time with the film. But then it started to feel as though it was dragging on, and we were seeing once again, the same things in just a new situation. By the 10th time you see Sandler pretty much spelling out in not so many words to Vega “My role is the sensitive father who says funny things, my wife is a raging psycho B—” you have the point and want a conclusion. But Brooks sells us short and doesn’t really give us a conclusion at all. Instead he leaves the film open-ended and leaves audiences guessing. Brooks doesn’t give you the “happy ending” you expect from the first half.

In the end, Spanglish wants to be an Oscar contender, but it doesn’t really fit in. I had a decent time while watching the film. I really like Sandler and think he made a great move by signing up for this film. I enjoyed watching Paz Vega on the screen, and I even enjoyed some of the quirks that go with a James L. Brooks script. But it was an easily forgettable film and nothing really special. Save your cash, pick it up as a rental. The experience will be the same on the Small screen as it is on the big one.

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Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Movies

Blade Trinity

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted December 8, 2004 at 11:43 pm

A Film Review By The Mike

Rating:RATED R for Violence, Language, and Eurotrash Accents 
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Jessica Biel, Ryan Reynolds 
Directed By: David S. Goyer 

Final Grade: 

Blade’s back, in his third filmed hunt for vampires. This time, under the direction of his long-time screenwriter David S. Goyer, he’s up against the original vampire. That’s right, the character who’s appeared in more American movies than any other…Dracula. As the rules of the trilogy say….in the third, all bets are off.

Wesley Snipes’ Blade is as bad as ever. He’s less talkative, and actually, less involved. The story spends more time introducing us to the Nightstalkers, a group of vampire slayers that’s led by Blade cronie Whistler’s (Kris Kristofferson) daughter Abigail (Jessica Biel, who’s scrumptious) and former vampire Hannibal King, a cocky youngster who’s played by Ryan Reynolds. The group saves Blade from an early “faux pas,” and soon enough are joining in his quest to stop a bunch of evil vamps who’ve found the grandfather of vampirism….good old Drac.

Or Drake, as he’s apparently known more simply, which is just one of the signs that this is not your father’s Dracula. He doesn’t turn into mist or a bat, he doesn’t wear a black cape, and his accent is only a little bit European. He looks more like a professional wrestler than the lord of the vampires should, and he finally shows his full image in the final battle. I highly doubt it’ll remind you of Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee.

The Dracula story is, as always, malleable. Goyer sculpts a picture of Dracula as the original, un-evolved, vampire, who’s been sleeping one off for a few hundred years. This may be due to the fact his minions/descendants now look like depressed anorexics or steroid pumped freaks that are only interested in showing their fangs at all times, probably because it looks cool. These vamps are led by Danica Talos (Parker Posey) and her biggest hench-vamp, Jarko (professional wrestler Triple H), and are really the worst part of this movie.

Posey’s performance ranks as one of the year’s worst. If you saw the trailer and noted that one shot of her walking, looking anorexic and trying to jut her fangs out with all her might, you’ve seen the entire range of her performance. Triple H gets in a few decent lines as the tough guy opposite the sarcastic slayer Hannibal King, but he’s mostly there to look tough, which he doesn’t always do. In fact, he looks a little constipated. I think the film missed the mark here, and could have left these characters’ involvement at a much smaller level – Dracula needed to be focused on more than these fellows.

Fortunately for us, the good guys aren’t unwatchable. Snipes does his thing once again, and does it well. His trademark quips of the first two films are not as numerous, but he still gets in a few good ones while being ruthless as ever. I think Goyer wanted us to see this as a more “burnt out”, cynical Blade, which is accomplished, if only through Snipes’ mannerisms.

The more likable characters are Biel and Reynolds’ Nightstalkers. I’d heard the rumblings about a possible spin-off following these guys instead of Blade, and I’m all for the change of pace. Biel oozes hotness, while not really saying much, and also handles herself well in battle scenes, keeping up with Snipes for most of the film. Reynolds, on the other hand, is mostly there for comic relief. Here he’s as sarcastic and sharp-witted as ever, channeling his “Van Wilder” persona perfectly into this role. His barbs with Blade really save the first half of the movie from being boring exposition, and, through the finish, he always has something entertaining to add to the film. Except for that hideous beard.

This movie also gets extra points for having James Remar in a small role as an FBI agent. James Remar is cool.

As for the technical, Goyer’s direction is nowhere near as polished as the filmmakers that came before him were, and he overuses montage and slow-mo shots to an annoying degree. The film still feels fresh, however, possibly due to the slower pace than its predecessors. It may lose a little of the intensity that made its forebearers so loved, but it fits the tone of this story perfectly. This time Blade’s not about frantic energy, he’s about preparing for the “endgame” (boy, how I hate that silly term). It needed to be a more restrained film, and it is, thanks to another very good script from Goyer.

It may be hard for fans of the first two Blade films to accept the change of tone Goyer brings here, but I thought it worked well. It’s not as cool as Stephen Norrington’s original film, and not as stylized as Guillermo Del Toro’s sequel, but it fits into its own place well. As a whole, I think I liked Trinity a little better than the second film, but, like that one, it’s a far cry from the original Blade. Goyer isn’t succesful enough (and the villains are far too annoying) to make me give it a full recommendation, but fans of the character and/or comic could do worse. Blade Trinity is just entertaining enough to keep me smiling, while just off the mark enough to make me want more.

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Filed under: Action, Comic Book, Movies, Science Fiction

Ocean’s 12

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted at 5:59 pm

A Film Review Review By Jason L. King

Rating:Rated PG-13 for language.
Starring:George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and more.
Directed By:Steven Soderbergh

Final Grade:

This weekend marks yet another milestone in the world of sequels. Steven Soderbergh returns once again with his full cast of the 2001 heist hit Ocean’s 11 (a remake of a 1960’s Rat Pack Flick) to bring us the newest saga of Danny Ocean and his crew of master thieves in Ocean’s 12. Soderbergh brought back the cast fairly cheaply and made the film on pretty much the same budget as what he did the first one for. But with the first one being a cult success, the big question on everyone’s minds is what is left for Danny Ocean and his crew, and can a sequel actually live up to expectation?

Ocean’s 12 picks up after Ocean’s 11 left off. Danny Ocean is retired happily with the love of his life, Tess, and his crew has disassembled across the globe, and thoroughly enjoying the riches they acquired from casino mogul, Terry Benedict, during the 2001 casino heist. But as we soon are reminded, Benedict (Andy Garcia) is a ruthless man who holds a huge grudge. Determined to get his money back (which was already federally insured) with interest, Benedict seeks out each member of Ocean’s 11 one by one and tells them they have 2 weeks to return their share of the money to him. Unsure of how to handle the situation, Danny and his crew reassemble to try to plan a heist in 2 weeks that will settle the score with Benedict once and for all.

The idea of Ocean’s 12 has the potential to work very well. We already know the ruthless nature of Benedict from the first film, so we really find it as no surprise to find him seeking out his money even though he has long since already cut his losses over the heist. The idea of Ocean’s crew having to travel abroad to pull of a million-dollar heist has the potential to work as well. Add that in with the entire crew willing to return and you have a film that could be huge box office bank as well as a great sequel. The problem is they fell victim to a few flaws that really took away from the end product. Like most sequels they felt the need to tell more back-story and try to give certain characters more depth. There is a whole sub plot telling us of the story of Rusty (Brad Pitt) and how he met and fell in love with sexy detective (Catherine Zeta-Jones) years ago. Of course this does come into play in the film, so its not really pointless information, but it could have been information that could have been easily left out.

This flick is the perfect example of a film where the chemistry is there, but the film doesn’t back up the actors. Clooney, Pitt, Damon and the gang are all back and it is evident that they work together well and are having a great time doing it. They feed off each other’s energy extremely well and each of their characters gets time to shine and have their own bit of clever wit, which is what made the first film so much fun. But this time the script didn’t work as well. The comedic moments felt awkward quite a bit and moments that could have been really funny just felt too forced to provide the chuckles they intended.

Just like the forced wit, this film also felt like a forced plot as well. It stammered and stumbled about and never really chose one direction to focus on. In the first film you knew the end goal, you knew pretty much how they got to it (and what they didn’t show you initially, they cleared up clearly and concisely in the last few minutes). Ocean’s 12 had more twists and turns than the first Mission Impossible film and while it makes more sense than Donnie Darko ever will, it leaves you a bit confused and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Add that in with more “endings” that Lord of The Rings: Return of the King, and you have a film that was just trying way too hard to trump the first one, and failed in the process. At least 3 or four times I thought the film was over, and by the time it was over, I wanted it to end about 6 scenes ago.

What Ocean’s 12 did do well is provide us with a few new colorful characters, including Vincent Cassel who does a great job as an arch rival master thief, and of course the addition of Catherine-Zeta Jones to the already star studded cast. While each of their roles is small, they are both fun, especially Cassel’s “dance” sequence near the end of the film. I would tell you more because after all it is not my nature to be mysterious, but I can’t talk about it, and I can’t talk about why. Also as an added bonus once again, Soderbergh makes sure that Brad Pitt’s character, Rusty is eating in nearly every scene once again. If you’ve never noticed this check it out in the first one and you’ll get a great laugh.

In the end, Ocean’s 12 was a mediocre film with high expectations. In the process of trying to trump the original Soderbergh and friends lost direction of the true spirit of what made the first film such a success. I’ve always held Ocean’s 11 in high regard. In fact, Ocean’s 11 was the very first review I ever wrote for what eventually became Box Office Boredom. To save you from reading what is the shortest and worst review ever (but does exist in our archives) I gave the first film a B+. Unfortunately for Danny Ocean and friends this time their film was far too misguided to get a review much more than average.

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