Cess Pool Cinema:
The Last Airbender (2010) Dir. M. Night Shyamalan - US
The Banal, the Blah, the Banausic:
The Other Guys (2010) Dir. Adam McKay – US
How Do You Know (2010) Dir. James L. Brooks – US
The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) Dir. Earl McEvoy – US
Of Interest:
Unstoppable (2010) Dir. Tony Scott – US
The Switch (2010) Dir. Josh Gordon & Will Speck – US
That Hamilton Woman (1941) Dir. Alexander Korda – UK
Recommended:
Charulata (1964) Dir. Satyajit Ray – India
Beeswax (2009) Dir. Andrew Bujalski – US
Forever Lulu (1987) Dir. Amos Kollek – US
Two Of a Kind (1951) Dir. Earl McEvoy – US
Rewatched:
You Again (2010) Dir. Andy Fickman – US
Baby Mama (2008) Dir. Michael McCullers - US
The Last Airbender (2010): A week after watching, I can only recall this film in nightmarish detail. The worst type of hell I can think of is one where I would be forced to watch dull and uninspired like this. To watch again would be a Sisyphean torture. And Jackson Rathbone---what a tool. This would have been on worst list of 2010 if I had seen it last year.
The Other Guys (2010): I felt this movie consistently tried WAY TOO HARD to be comical. And Mark Wahlberg just isn't a comedian. However, I did laugh twice, both in scenes involving Eva Mendes. Other than that, this is entirely forgettable.
How Do You Know (2010): I couldn't believe how flat and dry this James L. Brooks piece felt. Nicholson is bland and Reese Witherspoon's character is quite poorly conceived. In reality, her professional ex-softball player wouldn't have a conflict if she had a brain. The Owen Wilson character, while the most entertaining, is so over-the-top asshole-ish that it's quite unbelievable a smart gal in a tailspin would go for him. While Paul Rudd and Witherspoon manage to have a handful of albeit touching scenes, this is really a bit of a snoozer. Too bad.
The Killer That Stalked New York (1950): I was quite excited for this little medical noir about a woman jewel thief trying to find her philandering husband in Manhattan while she spreads smallpox all over hell and high water. Oddly, this came out only several months after Elia Kazan's (extremely superior) noir, Panic In The Streets (1950), about a dude spreading the bubonic plague. What utterly kills this film is the procedural and monotonous narrator (not unlike The Street With No Name, 1948). The film is just entertaining enough with it's 1950's Manhattan streets (but damn doesn't Evelyn Keyes look beat down!), but entirely forgettable. Lola Albright and Dorothy Malone pop up in supporting roles.
Unstoppable (2010): This well reviewed Tony Scott feature from last year is an action packed, fast paced film....if not a little one note. The unstoppable train has the best role and Chris Pine, Denzel Washington and Rosario Dawson only get to act concerned.
The Switch (2010): I still think that this film should have maintained its original title, The Baster. A big flop, I was actually quite entertained by this slight comedy. Justin Bateman is quite good, especially in his scenes with child actor, Thomas Robinson. Jennifer Aniston does her best to be herself. I like Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, and Juliette Lewis--wish they'd all had more screen time. But don't judge this one by its cover. It's entertaining.
That Hamilton Woman (1941): A historical romance from Hungarian born Alexander Korda, this is most notable for starring real-life couple Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier. She plays a woman of little means that marries the King of Naples, but falls in love with ambassador, Olivier. Predictable and a tad forgettable (just my opinion) this was reportedly Winston Churchill's favorite film and he apparently watched it 83 times. Meh....
Charulata (1964): I broke my Satyajit Ray cherry with this film, aka The Lonely Wife. Charulata's huband spends more time running his newspaper than he does with her, and, well, you can guess what happens when he invites his brother-in-law for an extended visit to keep her company. Other stuff happens, too, and while this film isn't a tragedy of epic proportions, it is an interesting piece of work from a certain time in a certain place--in retrospect, it's a very similar (though much more realistic and serious) that the latest Ozon film, Potiche (2010).
Beeswax (2009): On the surface, a very simple, slice of life film, with a lot going on underneath. Basically this is a story of twin sisters in Texas (one a paraplegic and part owner of a consignment shop), grappling with getting out of their comfort zones while the other sister deliberates taking a teaching position in Africa. Evocative and intriguing, it's a pretty decent little indie film from Andrew Bujalski.
Forever Lulu (1987): While this satire of Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), (right away, shouldn't you think WTF??) is not highly regarded from the intriguing and strange director, Amos Kollek, I found it very entertaining. It stars Fassbinder and German New Wave star Hanna Schygulla (my first time seeing her in an English language feature), and I find her absolutely entertaining and amazing. A struggling writer supporting herself by writing pornos, she becomes involved in some silly intrigue involving Debbie Harry as some spectral figure that crosses paths with Schygulla. This is also Alec Baldwin's debut.
Two Of a Kind (1951): This vicious and delicious little noir plays pretty fast and loose, but skimps considerably on the finale. Lizabeth Scott and Edmond O'Brien play a couple of cons trying to convince an aging millionaire couple that O'Brien is their long lost son from decades ago. A noteworthy genre title.
You Again (2010): I had to rewatch this film for my gal, Sigourney Weaver. On a second viewing, it's painfully obvious that she is well above this trite material. I still though Kristen Bell gives a decent effort, but the miserable acting talents of Odette Yustman (now Annable) bog this film considerably (likewise for her fiance, James Wolk). Too bad, Siggy looks great.
Baby Mama (2008): And so, I also had a hankering to re-watch Sigs in this 2008 film---a lot of talented people are kind of wasted, but Siggy is good, though Amy Poehler steals every scene she's in. I feel as if this will at least be fondly remembered.
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