Category Archives: 2009 theater reviews

by

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

smithsonianI can’t imagine there is any better way to see Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian than the way I did — with my wife and two daughters on the last night of a week long trip to Washington D.C., having just spent hours at all of the places depicted in the film. That sort of experience basically renders moot any traditional criticism of the film.

The film certainly has its flaws, principal among them the complete absurdity of the premise. And no, I don’t mean the idea of museum exhibits coming to life at night — I can accept that. I mean the idea of, say, Abraham Lincoln’s statue rising from the seat of his memorial and walking across the city (and here’s the truly absurd part) seemingly undetected by any human being apart from Ben Stiller’s security guard-turned-entrepreneur. And I’m not sure why the Lincoln statue was affected by the magical museum re-animation tablet in the first place.

Continue reading →

by

Public Enemies

publicenemiesThere’s something about a pedigreed failure. On the one hand, you find things to admire, maybe even love — in a strong performance by a fine actor, in the vision of a strong director — even as the movie leaves you cold. But on the other hand, the potential for greatness, given those ingredients, makes you even more upset when things don’t come together.

I go into The Proposal expecting something far from perfect and I’m able to walk out having enjoyed the parts that clicked. I go into Public Enemies expecting greatness. And it’s a lot of things, but it sure ain’t great.

Continue reading →

by

The Proposal

proposalHollywood must churn out at least a dozen movies like The Proposal every year, cobbled together Frankenstein-style from the parts of countless older films. Romantic comedies (most of them, anyway) are as predictable and formulaic as horror films, with saucy grandmas sitting in for horny teens and fewer axe murders.

The Proposal feels particularly pre-packaged… it borrows its basic premise (couple falls in love while pretending to be engaged for immigration purposes) from Green Card, its lonely-woman-finds-a-family theme from While You Were Sleeping (complete with a nearly identical altar confession by Bullock) and its prickly boss/loyal employee dynamic from yet another Bullock film, Two Weeks Notice.

Continue reading →

by

The Hangover

hangoverI like the idea of The Hangover a bit more than I liked the actual movie.

I love that a low-budget anarchic comedy starring three schlubby second-tier actors outperformed the new Terminator film on its opening weekend. I love that great word of mouth and the buzz of something unexpected and hilarious can overcome blockbuster inertia and surprise everyone.

It’s the same formula that made Wedding Crashers a $210 million sensation a few years back, nestled on the box office top ten between the more predictable King Kong and Batman Begins.

Continue reading →

by

Up

upIt’s become a cliché to say that Pixar is the most consistently wonderful creative force in cinema today. But like many clichés, it’s a cliché for a reason… and Up — the studio’s tenth film — is the latest example of why they leave everybody else in the dust.

I won’t bother with a detailed recap of the film’s plot. Most people who read this will have seen the film already, and if you haven’t you should go do so instead of reading about it here. Very quick synopsis: elderly widower Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) travels in his house via helium balloons to the South American paradise he and his wife always planned to visit. A nerdy and needy kid winds up as an accidental stowaway. Adventures, laughs and life lessons ensue.

Continue reading →