Archive for April, 2006

Akeelah and The Bee

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted April 29, 2006 at 4:02 pm

A Film Review By Jason L. King

Starring: Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett
Directed By: Doug Atchinson
Rated: PG for mild language
Review Posted: April 29th, 2006

Final Grade:

I once met someone who once said, “The only thing more boring than a movie about a spelling bee is actually watching a real spelling bee.” If there is truth to that statement, why have we seen so many spelling bee films in the last few years. Akeelah and the Bee is another spelling bee film, checking in quite late in the race for churning out spelling bee films. Does Akeelah bring anything new to the table? Guess you’ll have to keep reading and find out!

Akeelah is a young girl who lives in a suburban neighborhood. Her mother is always at work, her brother is on his way to being on an episode of cops and she attends a school that’s so poor it can barely afford books let alone bathroom stall doors in the women’s bathroom. Akeelah has a hidden talent though, she can memorize and spell words like no one else. When a teacher convinces her to try out for the National Spelling Bee, Akeelah is paired up with a gruff, recluse Spelling Coach named Dr. Larabee (Larry Fishburne). Much to her mother’s disapproval, Akeelah continues her quest to make it to and win the national spelling bee.

This movie may have been one of the cutest, family friendly films I have seen in a while. It’s got everything for the makings of a good movie. The story flows quickly from point to point, and while predictable is a complete joy to watch. Akeelah is a lovable girl and the bond she creates with Dr. Larabee is inspiring. The script is well written, the dialog is believable and not too cheesy. It’s just a great family flick.

Fishburne plays the role of the teacher who learns he needs Akeelah just as much as she needs him and to a perfect tee. He plays role with grace, not over acting but instead complimenting the film with just the right amount of subtlety. The real star of the show is Keke Palmer, who plays young Akeelah, the little girl from the ghetto who inspires everyone she meets.

I could go on and on about this film, but instead I’m going to make it short and sweet, so I don’t give too much away. Go check it out. Yes, that’s right support a Spelling Bee movie. I love the good old action and violence flicks as much as everyone else, but maybe that’s what’s wrong with America today. Akeelah and the Bee can make Spelling look fun. In a world where the crime rate is rising and the literacy rate is falling each year, maybe a film like this is good for the masses. Don’t miss out on this one. It’s a great little inspirational piece that’s meant to ensure a good time is had by all.

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Filed under: Family, Movies

United 93

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted April 28, 2006 at 5:09 pm

A Film Review By Jeff Fro

Starring: JJ Johnson, Lewis Alsamari, Gary Commock, CeeCee Lyles
Directed By: Paul Greengrass
Rated: R for language, and some intense sequences of terror and violence
Review Posted: May 1st, 2006

Final Grade:

As we all sat in the theater together, all facing the same direction and headed into the journey this film would take us on, I had a feeling of subtle dejavu to the many flights I have taken in my life.

You board a plane with hope and some excitement. Your destination is usually somewhere you want to be, either the fun of a vacation or the comforts of going home. If you travel for work then its just another hoop to jump through to get business done. All of this seemed so common and ordinary before 9/11. Sure you heard about planes that had crashed, but that was rare. Of the thousands of planes that take off and land each day in America you have a better chance of winning a lottery than being in a plane crash. In America, most of us have grown up never hearing of a high jacking.

Even when we do hear about a plane crash, it’s always after the fact. It’s something that happened in the past and there is nothing you could have done to change it. United 93 was in the air when most of us heard about it’s destiny. The passengers were alive and in peril to be sure, but it felt like something could be done. There was still hope.

The film United 93 retained that feeling of hope. We hope against all odds that the events do not play out as we know they will. It was produced in a meticulous way to preserve all of the details on that day to a precious fault. The film has no specific point of view. We get no back story on anyone shown and the events roll out as if we are standing in the room or on the plane itself. Anonymous Americans are shown with the strength and dedication you would hope we all would have under those conditions.

The film is powerful and meaningful on many levels. It’s intelligently done and does not have any political axe to grind. The terrorists are shown to be people, emotional people. They are driven by motivations that are not defended or vilified.

Yes, I was emotionally moved by the film. But I did not feel manipulated by it and I think that is important to note. The movie took me back to that day, but it did not rub my face in the details that really could have easily pushed emotional buttons just for the sake of a reaction.

Out of respect for those who died on that plane, I think we all should see this film. It’s not only time to reflect on those events, it’s time to grow from the lessons which the people on United 93 only had moments to learn.

Even though they died, their actions keep hope alive.

God bless their bravery!

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Filed under: Drama, Movies

The Sentinel

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted April 26, 2006 at 2:27 am

A Film Review By Jason L. King

Starring: Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, Kim Bassinger
Directed By: Clark Johnson
Rated: PG-13 for some intense action violence and a scene of sensuality
Review Posted: April 28th, 2006

Final Grade:

Before I go any further into this review, I need to get this out and into the open, so bear with me.

“Hi, My name is Jason and I am a Kieferholic. I didn’t mean to be, I swear. I started when I was younger and didn’t really even know who he was. But then, just like any addict I moved onto the harder stuff. I watched Phone Booth. And when Phone Booth wasn’t getting me my Kiefer high, I started watching the TV show 24. And when 120 hours worth of 24 wasn’t enough, I paid $50 for the 24 video game so I could get my Keifer high by actually playing the game as Keifer. Yes, I admit it. I’ve lost my life savings, countless hours of my time and distanced my self from my friends and family. My name is Jason and I am a Kieferholic.

The Sentinel opened in theaters recently and being the Kieferholic I am, I was psyched about the movie. Part of this was because it was Everywhere I turned around. The theater I worked at plugged the film daily with pre-feature show featurettes about the film, and every time I’d turn on Fox for a night of 24, they’d run an ad for the film there too. I was surrounded and hooked from the get go. It looked like a lot of fun, a action flick with some star power filled with some twists and turns. What could possibly go wrong with that?

Well as I was soon to find out, there are problems with that, especially when there really are no twists and no turns. You see everything you need to know in the trailer and you don’t need to see too much more. It’s one of the most average formulaic films I have seen in a while. We are led to believe that Michael Douglas is a Secret Service agent who has gone rogue and plans to kill the president. The lead investigator on the case is a hard hitting, by-the-book agent (Kiefer Sutherland) who will follow the evidence and do whatever it takes to bring the would be assassin down. Who will win in this battle of wits? If you watch the film it’s easy to see how this one will turn out.

The film touts the aging, yet still cool, Michael Douglas who plays the aging apprentice Secret Service agent to a tee. He does a great job, and watching the film I was reminiscent of Harrison Ford, a la the Fugitive. On the opposite end of the spectrum you have Keifer Sutherland playing the agent tracking down Douglas. Kiefer basically brings his 24 character, Jack Bauer to the big screen, shouting intense things, pointing guns and doing whatever it takes to find his mark. Paired with Keifer is Eva Longoria, in a role that is useless and actually hurts the film. Longoria plays the rookie agent who tags along with Sutherland who’s only true meaning is to provide eye candy and another star name to the cast list. Longoria’s role could have been played by any female in Hollywood, or not even included in the plot at all. Yes, she was that useless to the film.

Where this film fails in the acting department is really due to one actress, Longoria. Now I know Desperate Housewives fans will flood my email box calling me a hater, but she really did ruin it for me. Paired with Sutherland, a guy who plays the intense character just about better than anyone out there (except Samuel L. Jackson), Longoria running around with a gun and trying to act tough sticks out like a sore thumb. She prances around on screen like a low rent soap opera actress (no pun intended) who stumbled into this role by pure luck and doesn’t really fit into the equation at all. Dump Longoria from the plot, this film would have been better. Granted this was not the only problem the film had but dumping her would have been a start.

This movie fails, because it brings nothing to the table. Things are resolved with ease, The film foreshadows everything so well you see every thing play out in your head 10 minutes before it happens. There are no subtle references in this film. They make sure they show the fire extinguisher 20 times in 3 minutes and expect you to be surprised when the fire extinguisher is shot as a diversion for a clever escape. You also quickly learn that despite being a National fugitive with a plot to kill the president, Douglas can pretty easily maneuver inside government facilities without much trouble from anyone. The only one really concerned with finding him is Sutherland. If our national security is that bad in police stations and government evidence labs etc, then we are really in trouble!

All in all, The Sentinel is a mediocre waste of time. A Kieferholic like myself got a little joy out of the film, but not a whole lot more. I can easily resort back to my 24 DVDs and Video Games or even pop in Phone Booth for a much better Kiefer fix. If you want to see Eva Longoria check out Desperate Housewives. If you want to see Michael Douglas watch just about anything else( The In-Laws included) The Sentinel is not a bad film, it’s just not a good one either.

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Filed under: Action, Movies

Friends With Money

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted April 23, 2006 at 3:00 am

A Film Review By Jeff Fro

Starring: Jennifer Ansiton, Frances McDormand, Joan Cusack, Catherine Keener
Directed By: Nicole Holofcener
Rated: R for language, some sexual content and brief drug use.
Review Posted:May 5th, 2006

Final Grade:

Jennifer Aniston is trying really hard these days to make you forget “Friends”. Her characters in her movies recently have varied from a cheating discount department store clerk to a criminally inclined seductress. All of them having huge emotional flaws. All of them so needy in one way or another. Rachel from “Friends” would have hated each and every one of them.

Adding to this list is her most recent role as Olivia in Friends with Money. Yet again we see Aniston play someone who just can’t have a real relationship with a man. In this film she is obsessive about a married man, submissive to the only guy who pays her any attentions, and in the start of the film we are supposed to believe that she uses a client’s vibrator she stumbled upon when she was there to clean the house. See Aniston plays a maid since she quit her job as a teacher at a high class private school. She is also a rumored “pot smoker”. Basically the other characters in the film feel bad for her and constantly gossip about her…..well they gossip about each other too.

Last year I reviewed Match Point and made a comment about how all the “pretty people” end up living privileged lives. Well not in this film!

Aniston is still a knock out. But her friends (the ones with all the money) are not the most attractive bunch. See in this film, the more money you have – the less attractive you are.

Francis McDormand is a clothing designer of over-priced gauzy blouses and dresses. She is at an emotional and mental crisis in her life and has gone to not washing her hair, even though her very wispy (is he gay or not) husband owns a shampoo company. And isn’t it ironic…..don’t cha think?

Her character is rude and confrontational and basically has no filter in her mind to stop her from saying anything she thinks of at any time. Sometimes it’s funny to hear what she says, and other times it is sad because we can see she is clearly not a healthy woman.

Catherine Keener is in a bad marriage to her business partner husband. They are both screen writers. When her character finds she can no longer work with her husband, she also sees that she can no longer live with him. Sure they have a big huge house and just started to build a second story on it, but its not on a good foundation. They have fights in place of conversations.

And last is Joan Cusack. She is married and has lots and lots of money. We don’t really know where all this money came from, but she has it. She also has a husband and basically the most normal life of all of the women. She wants to help them all, but acts as if all the money she has keeps her isolated from the others and not able to really get involved more than to just be a confidant.

If the Sex in the City girls lived in LA and were married with children, this would be their show.

We leave the film with more questions than answers. We seem like we’re just getting to know each of the women and see all of their problems, but then we have no clue if any of them solve anything to a satisfactory resolution. It’s like having lunch with your friends and hearing all of the bad things that are happening to them……and then never hearing from them again.

I enjoyed many parts of this film, but wanted more closure. And no! I am not asking for a sequel!

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Filed under: Drama, Movies

American Dreamz

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted April 22, 2006 at 11:25 pm

A Film Review By Jason L. King

Starring: Hugh Grant, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Willem Dafoe 
Directed By: Paul Weitz 
Rated: PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual references
Review Posted: April 28th 2006 

Final Grade: 

There is a fine line that a director runs when he weaves the web of the perfect satire. How do you take something that is a social or political norm and exploit it to an audience with out being too offensive or running into parody? Creating that perfect satire is a much harder task than you would think, but every once in a while you get that near perfect example of satirical gem that works in perfect harmony.

As I sat and thought long and hard about films that are the perfect balance of satirical humor, the one film that comes to mind in recent years is “Wag the Dog.” For most of you film geeks, you’ll realize that “Wag The Dog” is nearly ten years old, yet inn my mind an outstanding example of great witty satire. I am sure there are others in the last 10 years that have been great satire as well, but to me most of them seem to turn into too much parody instead. That’s why I was shocked when a film called “American Dreamz” came out of the middle of no where last week and despite no one knowing of it’s existence it may be one of the better satires I have seen in years.

American Dreamz is a film about a popular fictional TV show of the same name. The show is is a American Idol style show, one of those “you too can be a star” reality shows that flood the nation today. The host is a crude, rude yet semi appealing (in a Simon Cowell sort of way) man by the name of Martin Tweed. During his search for the next “American Dreamer” he discovers a small town country girl whom he starts to develop an emotional attachment to, an Arab terrorist with a love for show tunes who is secretly living in Orange County and a colorful cast of other contestants including a rapping Orthodox Jew. At the same time across the country we have a dim witted president who has just been re-elected and is suffering from a near nervous break down. In order to re-gain his people’s support, get back on his feet and show the world that he still has what it takes, he decides to make an appearance as a guest judge on the American Dreamz season finale.

The cleverly written script is what makes this film work so well on so many different levels. At first you can take the film at face value. There are funny parts filled with everyday slapstick comedy or even just the irony and parody of real life events this film provides. However underneath all that there is so much that a viewer misses on a one time viewing. By the time you are done watching this film, you’ll almost have to give it a second viewing to catch all those subtleties that you missed the first time around.

The script however only works because of a strong cast. The aging Hugh Grant’s stuffy dry British humor works perfectly when it comes to being a arrogant reality show judge. Grant has perfected his “lovable jerk” character in previous films such as “About a Boy,” “Two Weeks Notice” and “Bridget Jones Diary.” Paired up with Grant is pop star Mandy Moore, who plays that Jessica Simpson/Kelly Clarkson country girl to near perfection. But it’s Dennis Quaid who stands out taking on the role of President Stanton, the dimwitted depressed president who stars as a guest judge. Quaid with the help of his chief of staff, played by a very Dick Cheney-like Willem Dafoe they steal the screen every time they are on it.

So why does American Dreamz work so well? Because it hits close to home thats why. It finds an intelligent and sometimes subtle way of mocking the audience for our social and political situations today. We have a hit reality show that is more scripted than any sitcom in America today, and we have a dim witted president who is spoon fed info by his cabinet without ever being allowed to think on his own. (not that we have one of those in reality!) However the exaggeration of these situations and people mixed with the underlying social commentary this film provides gives us a chance to laugh at ourselves and the world around us.

If you get the chance, go check out American Dreamz. Not once, but twice! It’s a great film that gets better with each and every dose of it. There is so much going on in this film that I couldn’t begin to describe in this short review so you’ll have to trust me on this one. So don’t be afraid of it because you haven’t heard of it. Instead go out and check it out and be more afraid at the fact that it hits a little too close to home. 

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Filed under: Comedy, Movies
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