It’s no longer 1985, which means The Breakfast Club, the movie that once defined young generation X, should soon be eclipsed by a more age-relevant film, just like The Big Chill defined the baby boomer’s uneasy move into full-on, child-bearing, striving-for-financial-security, seeing-your-first-gray-hairs adulthood.
This week’s challenger is Away We Go, a quirky dramedy that, on paper, could’ve been hugely popular. It features young, charismatic leads (Maya Rudolph formerly of “SNL” and John Krasinski, who plays Jim on “The Office”), a great director in Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) and best-selling author Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius), who penned the screenplay. Although fun to watch, the movie, like the generation it profiles, doesn’t live up to its full potential.
What would the world be like without the passionate people, the ones who constantly risk and sacrifice to realize their dreams? Well, for one thing, we wouldn’t have the band Anvil … although I’m not sure songs like “Thumb Hang” or “Heat Sink” have added much to culture.
Nonetheless, against constant financial and, some might argue, logical pressure, these Canadian metal demigods have put it all on the line for their lifelong dream. Plenty of hair, sweat and even a few tears are crammed into director Sacha Gervasi’s joyride of a documentary, Anvil! The Story of Anvil.
Director ruins Transformers 2, but you’ll see it anyway
by Ryan Syrek
A critique of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen is as relevant to audiences as philosophy is to lemurs; still, even the staunchest giant-effing-robot proponents will find the latest overproduction from director Michael Bay to be a bitter horse-sized pill to swallow. Beyond the wholly incomprehensible script by Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, which features such choice dialogue as “I’m directly below the enemy’s scrotum,” the film also presents an all-you-can-eat buffet of racial stereotypes and manages an unforgivable sin for a movie that’s only as successful as its eye-gasm-inducing sci-fi-ghting: it’s kind of boring.
At the onset, things are fun, as the surviving good transformers from the last movie — that’s the Autobots, for those who don’t speak nerd — are hunting down the surviving bad transformers — the Decepticons. Meanwhile, Sam (Shia LaBeouf) is still LaBeouf-ing his girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox) while transitioning to college, where he meets his roommate and poorly conceived comic relief Leo (Ramon Rodriguez). Because Michael Bay movies are what testosterone would dream of if it could, every single female at Sam’s college dresses like a Maxim photo shoot.
Drag Me to Hell = B The only thing more satanic than the title is the treatment of this film by so-called horror fans.
The Hangover = B Raunchy, rowdy fun … so long as you don’t mind the “no girls allowed” sign.
Land of the Lost = D- It may be time to start referring to Will Ferrell’s comedy reign in the past tense.
READER RECOMMENDS … See it again! Star Trek = A This ain’t your father’s Star Trek … because people who love the original Star Trek tend not to reproduce.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 = C+ Mustaches, money, murder … and mediocrity.
ON DVD Waltz with Bashir = C+ Impressive filmmaking sadly lost in translation.
Year One = D Travel back with Jack Black and Michael Cera to a time before humor was invented.
Bend Me, Shape Me - 25 Jun 2009
Enlighten Up! seeks to prove yoga’s spirituality
by Ben Coffman
It’s no secret that modern documentarians may not be the most objective journalists. For the past few years, most documentaries I’ve watched have centered on polarizing issues like a) the Bush administration, b) the Iraq War or c) the Bush administration and how they got us into the Iraq War.
I assumed that Enlighten Up!, an indie documentary about yoga, would be wholly objective. After all, there’s nothing particularly controversial about people softly chanting while attempting to press their forehead to their buttocks. I was wrong on the objectivity count. However, Enlighten Up! is still a fun and entertaining meditation on an ancient (or maybe-not-so-ancient) practice.
Watching Year One is like listening to an unfunny coworker tell a long set-up joke full of unnecessary detours. Only, instead of a punchline, the priest, the rabbi and the flatulent nun just make idle conversation and misremember parts of the bible. Audiences watching comedies in a theater are more forgiving than Kobe Bryant’s wife, and yet Year One yielded but one big laugh from the gang at my screening, coming when Michael Cera’s character peed on his own face. Enjoy, America!
* The bad news is that you probably just missed out on something cool. Sorry, but I can’t guide you through every moment in your life, I’m busy ruining my own. The good news is, I have decided to help you avoid repeating this error, as there are still two more free Music and Movies events to be held at the Holland Center’s outdoor courtyard. The first was June 19 and everyone had a great time and you totally should have been there. But don’t worry, because the next one isn’t until Friday, July 17, and the one after that is Friday, August 14, so you have time to jot that in your planner and stop judging me. The courtyard opens at 7:30 p.m., music starts at 7:45 p.m. and the movie begins at 8:45 p.m. The next two flicks are White Christmas and E.T., one of which scarred me as a child (hint: I still love Christmas). For information about food and other stuff, go to omahaperformingarts.org/movies. See, I still love you and care about your needs!
Angels and Demons-- [B] More action than Da Vinci Code, less than everything else. Just blockblustery enough.
Drag Me to Hell--[B] The only thing more satanic than the title is the treatment of this film by so-called horror fans.
Gran Torino (On DVD)--[B-] Clint Eastwood wants you off his lawn. Hurry, he doesn’t have much longer.
The Hangover--[B] Raunchy, rowdy fun … so long as you don’t mind the “no girls allowed” sign.
Land of the Lost--[D-] It may be time to start referring to Will Ferrell’s comedy reign in the past tense.
READER RECOMMENDS Revanche--[B] Austrian revenge is much, much sexier than American revenge. At Film Streams Ruth Sokolof Theater
Star Trek--[A] This ain’t your father’s Star Trek … because people who love the original Star Trek tend not to reproduce.
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3--[C+] Mustaches, money, murder … and mediocrity.
Murder, Money and Mustaches - 18 Jun 2009
Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 has all three
by Justin Senkbile
If you’ve seen a trailer, or even a poster, for director Tony Scott’s remake of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, you’re probably already thinking “John Travolta … handlebar mustache … I’ll be there.” Thankfully, this movie extends beyond facial hair and provides an ample serving of good, old-fashioned caper thrills, with some solid performances on the side.
If you can make it through Scott’s disgustingly mangled opening credits sequence, you’ll be fine. Right off the bat, we meet Garber (Denzel Washington), a former New York Transit Authority big-shot, recently demoted to train dispatcher. After noticing the strange movements of the Pelham 123 train, and losing contact with its operator, Garber finds himself in the middle of a hostage negotiation.
At some point, an American director other than the sorely missed Robert Altman will learn how to use unfetishized nude scenes as well as Austrian director Götz Spielmann to convey intimacy without simplistic titillation. Until then, Matt Lauer will probably still be all atwitter about glimpsing Sandra Bullock’s goodies.
Spielmann’s latest ode to subtlety, Revanche (translated as Revenge), carries the tagline “Whose fault is it if life doesn’t go your way?” This sophisticated inquiry is handled delicately, almost to the point of boring exhaustion, but is ultimately resolved in haunting fashion.
* If you’ve ever been told that you should be in movies by someone who wasn’t trying to get something out of you, be at 1904 Farnam St. between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday, June 20, for your chance to appear in The Yield. Contrary to the title, this is not a fascinating look inside the prices of crops, but a short film from local filmmakers Chris Workman and Adam Fogarty, said to be “action-oriented,” about two powerful Omaha families trying to manipulate a bill into law allowing for a new casino.
Angels and Demons--[B] More action than Da Vinci Code, less than everything else. Just blockblustery enough.
Drag Me to Hell--[B] The only thing more satanic than the title is the treatment of this film by so-called horror fans.
READER RECOMMENDS The Hangover--[B] Raunchy, rowdy fun … so long as you don’t mind the “no girls allowed” sign.
Land of the Lost--[D-] It may be time to start referring to Will Ferrell’s comedy reign in the past tense.
Star Trek--[A] This ain’t your father’s Star Trek … because people who love the original Star Trek tend not to reproduce.
Terminator Salvation--[D+] Divine intervention couldn’t save the latest from the writers of Catwoman.
Up--[A] The studio that can do no wrong does no wrong. One of the year’s best.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine--[C-] To borrow from Tina Fey, this summer move is just like corn; you don’t even have to chew it, it just passes right through you!
Hair of the Dork - 11 Jun 2009
The Hangover features breakout fuzzy funnyman
by Ryan Syrek
Paul Blart to the contrary, it turns out that humor didn’t die alongside Republican political dominance back in January. Director Todd Phillips (Old School) and writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore have crossbred Swingers with Dude, Where’s My Car? and the resulting mutant offspring is an often violently funny half-breed with an IQ well south of functional.
With a plot more obvious than the appeal of Megan Fox, The Hangover has a bare-bones script just meaty enough to clothe with humor. Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) take Doug (Justin Bartha) to Las Vegas for his bachelor party, which turns into an orgy of mayhem so intense that Caligula would weep. This debauchery initially occurs off-screen, as the events are revealed to the audience, they are revealed to the newly amnesiac party participants. In the aftermath, Doug has gone missing, Stu finds he’s married Jade, a stripper/escort (Heather Graham) and Alan finds a baby ... which gets thoroughly (and uproariously) mistreated.
After seeing the new Will Ferrell vehicle, Land of the Lost, you might find yourself scrambling to verify what the running time and MPAA rating were. You might wonder if you’d accidentally stumbled into some failed, tongue-in-cheek satire disguised as a family adventure picture. Most of all, you’ll wonder why you were there in the first place — especially with Pixar in town.
With minimum (as opposed to efficient) exposition, we learn Rick Marshall (Ferrell) has, between fast-food binges, created a machine allowing him to travel “sideways” in time — between dimensions. Ridiculed and forced to teach elementary science, he’s all but abandoned his dream, until approached by cute brainiac Holly (Anna Friel), who convinces him to try out the machine. The test transports the duo, joined by trailer-park stereotype Will (Danny McBride), to an alternate dimension. They lose the machine, their only means of getting home.
Angels and Demons---[B] More action than Da Vinci Code, less than everything else. Just blockblustery enough.
Drag Me to Hell--[B] The only thing more satanic than the title is the treatment of this film by so-called horror fans.
Gran Torino (ON DVD)--[B-] Clint Eastwood wants you off his lawn. Hurry, he doesn’t have much longer.
Star Trek--[A] This ain’t your father’s Star Trek … because people who love the original Star Trek tend not to reproduce.
Terminator Salvation--[D+] Divine intervention couldn’t save the latest from the writers of Catwoman.
READER RECOMMENDS Up--[A] The studio that can do no wrong does no wrong. One of the year’s best.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine--[C-] To borrow from Tina Fey, this summer move is just like corn; you don’t even have to chew it, it just passes right through you!
As Gross as it Gets - 04 Jun 2009
Sam Raimi returns to his roots
by Justin Senkbile
With a few exceptions, horror films are at their best when their intent is simply to put on a good show, and director Sam Raimi has always done just that. Making his name with the quintessentially cult Evil Dead series in the ‘80s, Raimi has returned to horror with Drag Me to Hell, the epitome of schlocky, campy movie fun.
Zigzagging on the line between disturbing and hilarious, Raimi’s latest is packed with countless jump-out-of-your-seat and gross-stuff-flying-into-mouths moments. It’s like an unpredictable amusement park ride: You’re safe, but still shaking with nervous laughter.
To discuss finer points with someone who doesn’t enjoy Pixar movies, you’ll likely have to interrupt their furious dog kicking and baby eating. So, unless you’re mid-puppy punt or newborn chew, I don’t have to convince you that you’re going to like Up. No, my job is to explain how the highest caliber movie-making studio in Hollywood has taken its last, best step forward.
To put it another way: Up is the cherry on the sundae, the five bucks you find in the jeans you washed, the homerun that doesn’t just clear the stands but leaves the park, the cuddle after coitus, the ram in the ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong.
Were the film to end after the first 10 minutes, it would still be on the short list for best films I’ve seen this year. A young boy and young girl meet, develop a friendship, fall in love, get married, live a blissful life briefly interrupted by tragedy and separate only when old age takes her. This opening manages to scrub clean the art of the montage from years of filth hurled at it by rom-com garbage. If you don’t at least get misty eyed, you weren’t hugged enough as a child.
* As if to redeem themselves for the seventh circle of hell I was subjected to in trying to transfer my service to our new home, Cox Communications is offering me some free stuff, and because I love you, I made them share it with you. (let me know if you believed that). On Cox Channel One, digital subscribers can see three award-winning documentaries produced by the University of Nebraska at Omaha for less than the cost of oxygen: If These Walls Could Speak (a documentary on Omaha’s architecture), Omaha Since World War II (a program about post-war Omaha) and Madagascar: Conservation vs. Survival (a film focusing on the struggle between a growing population and an endangered habitat). Just select On Demand on your remote and order the free shows, or, if you’re like my mom, just offer to bake me a pie and love me unconditionally and I’ll come work the “whatsadoodle” for you.
Angels and Demons--[B] More action than Da Vinci Code, less than everything else. Just blockblustery enough.
Wendy and Lucy (ON DVD)--[A+] Michelle Williams loses her dog, finds a good role for once.
S. Darko (ON DVD)--[C] Go figure, Donnie Darko’s direct-to-DVD sequel isn’t that great.
Star Trek--[A] This ain’t your father’s Star Trek … because people who love the original Star Trek tend not to reproduce.
Terminator Salvation--[D+] Divine intervention couldn’t save the latest from the writers of Catwoman.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine--[C-] To borrow from Tina Fey, this summer move is just like corn; you don’t even have to chew it, it just passes right through you!
At the Mary Riepma Ross Theater in Lincoln The Secret of the Grain--[C] Finally, a film that depicts Muslims as everyday folk … boring everyday folk, but everyday folk nonetheless.orn.
READER RECOMMENDS Goodbye Solo--[A-] A movie about a cabbie you’ll think about for days … hopefully unlike most cab rides.
Taxicab Depressions - 28 May 2009
Goodbye Solo’s characters want to go
by Ben Coffman
A large part of writer/director Ramin Bahrani’s appeal is his ability to craft unique characters with real problems. And Bahrani’s truly a genius in finding the perfect unknown actors to inhabit his characters and quietly reveal their souls. Alejandro Polanco and Isamar Gonzales, the young leads in Bahrani’s previous effort Chop Shop, were so good they sometimes helped blur the lines between documentary and fiction at times.
In Goodbye Solo, Bahrani has cast Souleymane Sy Savane as Solo, a gregarious Senegalese cab driver who yearns to quit the cabbie business and fly the friendly skies as a flight attendant. His is a wanderlust borne of self-improvement and the desire to take care of his family. We want to believe in Solo’s dream — he is charming, curious and funny, but he also possesses the deep-seated melancholy of a man who has learned the hard way that life is about human bonds. He has taken this worldview with him to the occupation of taxi driver, and we sympathize with him and believe that he would make a great flight attendant.
