Category Archives: 2009 theater reviews

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Zombieland

zombielandIn the past week, I’ve seen two Jesse Eisenberg movies, one called Adventureland and one called Zombieland. I’m sensing a pattern here. Next he should try something in the middle of the alphabet… Neverland, maybe.

In the course of that week, Eisenberg has quickly become one of my favorite young actors. I don’t know how much of a range he has but like Michael Cera, to whom he is constantly (and understandably) compared, the comic sweet spot he hits is perfectly on target.

Columbus, Eisenberg’s character in Zombieland, is a more neurotic version of Adventureland‘s James. Isolated from human contact, he spends most of his time playing video games. Which turns out the be the perfect situation for somebody hoping to survive the zombie apocalypse.

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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

meatballsParking! Purchasing! Sitting! Watching! Laughing! Reviewing!

Sorry, got carried away there. Slipped into Flint Lockwood mode for a minute. He’s the charming hero (voiced by SNL‘s Bill Hader) at the center of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, one of the nicest surprises I’ve had at the movies in awhile. Lockwood is a wildly creative and misunderstood inventor whose mind is in constant hyperdrive as he flits around his homemade laboratory, accessible via hydraulically-lifted port-a-potty, barking out gerunds describing his activity.

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Extract

extractAbout ten minutes into the new Mike Judge comedy Extract, I realized how long it’s been since I’ve seen a really bad movie. I’m just not used to that feeling of “Oh my god… I have to spend another hour and a half forcing myself to laugh at something that isn’t funny.”

At one point I contemplated walking out, imagining that if I came across something this dull on TV, I would certainly change the channel. Even a DVD rental would likely get ejected before the halfway point. But when I pay my $20 and take my seat before the lights go down, it feels like I’ve entered into a contract. And my end of the bargain is staying until the lights come back up again. I might be forgetting something, but I don’t think I’ve ever left a theater mid-movie in my life.

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Inglourious Basterds

basterds[Note: If you have any intention of seeing Inglourious Basterds, I recommend you do so before reading this review. I will avoid major spoilers but it’s best to go in knowing absolutely nothing about the film.]

Inglourious Basterds is the first Quentin Tarantino movie I’ve gone into with relatively low expectations. And perhaps that is part of the reason I consider it, after my first viewing, to be right up there with his very best work. I was surprised by this film in a way that reminded me of my dizzy, ecstatic reaction after first seeing Pulp Fiction 15 years ago.

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District 9

district9District 9 is full of contradictions.

It’s an often horrific science fiction film with uncomfortably funny scenes that would feel right at place in The Office. It’s an allegory about ethnic strife and prejudice that contains some borderline offensive racial stereotypes. It’s a B movie on a shoestring budget (by Hollywood standards) boasting special effects that rival those in films costing 10 times as much.

But the central contradiction is that a film made up of the parts of so many other movies winds up such a surprisingly original achievement.

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