Yes Man Review

Although Jim Carrey’s new comedy, Yes Man, seems like a cookie cutter redux of his 1997 hit Liar Liar, there is more personality than expected in this formulaic, but enjoyable movie. The film, directed by Peyton Reed (The Break-Up, Bring It On) features Carrey as Carl Allen; a divorced, pessimistic bank associate who wants nothing to do with anyone or anything. His best friend Peter, played wonderfully by Bradley Cooper (Midnight Meat Train, Wedding Crasher), is getting married and wants nothing more than Carl to be a part of the celebration. Carl does everything in his power to not be a part of it. That is, until an old acquaintance introduces Carl to a “Yes!” seminar. Carl decides to go and after some enticing he follows the plan. It’s simple; say yes to everything, no matter what. This proves to be interesting in a certain sexual scene involving a much, much older woman. Carl’s similar answers don’t always bring him bad luck though. On the contrary, everything pretty much turns out well for him when he starts trying new things. He finds a new girl, Allison, played by Zooey Deschanel (The Happening), new opportunities at his job, and rekindled friendships.

Starting off fairly slowly, but picking up the pace as it goes along, the film proves to be persistently funny. As expected, the funniest parts of the film come when Carl, against every power in his mind and body must say yes. The best supporting role turns out to be Carl’s eccentric coworker, Norman, played by Rhys Darby of the outstanding TV show, Flight of the Conchords. He is eager that Carl’s optimism means he will have to accept every invite that he extends, including a hilariously awful Harry Potter themed party. Although Carrey and Deschanel don’t have the best chemistry I’ve seen, they certainly have enough to keep the film moving. Their relationship is always engaging to watch as we see what can happen when someone says yes to everything. The film is a pleasant escape and will keep you laughing but after the slew of excellent comedies this year this one doesn’t quite live up to what we have already seen. Also, there is a pretty amusing special scene a couple minutes after the credits roll, so don't miss it.

6 out of 10

Gran Torino - A Vintage Model with Old Kinks (6 out of 10)

Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino is a comfortable film that deals with uncomfortable themes, never taking the time to get comfortable with itself. Once again taking a common genre of Hollywood film and turning it over on its head, Eastwood directs himself as Walt Kowalski, an old Korean war vet who growls a whole lot at everyone, his family included. After his wife dies, Walt watches a slew of Hmong immigrants move in next door (and all over the neighborhood for that matter), muttering to himself literally every racist Asian slur known to man in the process. Add on to that two rather ungrateful sons and a persistent baby-faced priest looking to get a confession out of Walt, and you've got conflict. And I didn't even mention the Asian gangs that come into to play. Soon Eastwood becomes involved with his neighbors, against his will, when their quiet son Thao attempts to steal Walt's 1972 Gran Torino (he does it for gang-related reasons). As serious as all of this sounds, however, this movie is funny; probably the funniest Eastwood's been in a long time (Space Cowboys does not count as funny, by the way). Walt's racism is so over-the-top it becomes a gimmick. Unfortunately, the gimmickry within the screenplay does not stop there. Not by a long shot. Written by newcomer Nick Schenck, the dialogue is brutally simple and self-explanatory. Any visual confirmation of an emotion is quickly confirmed with a vocal confirmation. It becomes irritating fast. The acting is also hit-or-miss. When Eastwood delivers, the scenes become something that should be taught in acting school. However, sometimes the growling becomes too much, and Eastwood does little more than mock the Dirty Harry image. While this is most likely his intention, it does not belong with the rest of the film. Or maybe it does. I couldn't tell you because the screenplay is all over the place. It plays like Schenck had a great story (something like The Karate Kid with character development, back story and an acknowledgment of prejudice) and let it get away from him. Some scenes are incredibly forced, such as the one in which Sue, the Hmong neighbors' spunky daughter, is getting roughed up by three black men and Walt just happens to drive up and notice it at the moment it's happening, saving the day. This happens more than once in the film, so keep the eye-rolling to a minimum.

All this being said, the film is enjoyable to watch, mostly for those great Eastwood scenes, which come around every 20 minutes or so. The acting around Eastwood isn't too bad, except for Bee Vang's turn as Thao, which is so unsure and robotic that it nearly derails the entire film. Eastwood, for me, is a hot-and-cold director whose levels of hotness and coldness are way above most other directors. This one is cooler than usual for the old-timer, but still better than your average Hollywood fare.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Trailer

20th Century Fox Finally releases the X-Men Origins: Wolverine trailer online, after many bootlegs this weekend. Check it out here or in HD on Myspace.  The film is being released May 1st, 2009.

I think it has some potential, but there are many other summer movies I'm looking forward to a bit more. Tune in to the upcoming Oscars where Jackman will assume hosting duties.

Top 5 Most Underappreciated Films of 2008

5. August
This smart taut 85- minute character study watches the collapse of the '01 web bubble the month before 9/11 through the eyes of Tom Sterling (Josh Hartnett), one of two brothers who founded Landshark, a dotcom business running on speculative fumes. Directed with a fast-paced style and written with quick dialog by Austin Chick, this film has become more and more timely since its non-existent summer release, observing how overblown stock speculation can lead to mass irrationality.
4. Blindness
While certainly not a masterpiece on the level of director Fernando Meirelles' City of God, this allegorical, sociological film is certainly on par with the critically-lauded The Constant Gardener, Meirelles' most recent work before this. The film features a brutally honest turn from Mark Ruffalo as a doctor who, like nearly all of the inhabitants of a unnamed city (that looks like L.A.), has lost his eyesight. The content is realistic and graphic and the tone is bleak. Perhaps critics and viewers were just not ready for it.
3. Snow Angels
Blame it on the release date I guess. This film, directed by David Gordon Green (the same guy who gave us the decently funny Pineapple Express), came out in the late winter/early spring of '08 to virtually no audience. And even though critics loved it, it has since been forgotten. Literally every performance in this film is phenomenal. From Sam Rockwell to Kate Beckinsale (believe the hype, she's a good actress now, legitimately) to Olivia Thirlby (she was Juno's best friend in Juno), the acting carries this thing all the way, obviously helped by Green's simple screenplay and careful direction.
2. W.
Oliver Stone's surprisingly unbiased examination of our lame duck president is an insanely interesting film that was split nearly in half by critics. While some hailed it as something similar to what I just wrote, the other half felt it was either to soft on Bush or too hard. It's neither. Despite a couple of bust performances (well, really just Thandie Newton), Josh Brolin embodies Bush while Stone presents the Commander-in-Chief as a man who never had a life goal, so more or less fell into the Presidency as a way to make his dad happy.
1. Australia
We live in a cynical, cynical world. Baz Luhrmann's adventure romance is an epic of our time, featuring big performances from performers, not actors. This is the stuff of Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh; Old Hollywood, when actors expressed their emotions externally rather than internally. This thing is beautiful and fun and passionate. In a perfect world, Australia would get a Best Picture nod, Luhrmann would get Director, and Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman would get acting noms. Incidentally, the closest this film will get to the BIG 4 will be Jackman's hosting of the bloody ceremony.

Top 5 Disappointments of 2008

I'm going to roll out some of my top 5/10/20 lists before the New Year, leading up to my favorite films of the year. This is the first of the series. The following are five films that I was eager to see and while not bad films by any means, each left me terribly disappointed.

note: Valkyrie barely misses the top 5, too bad I wasn't more excited for it in the first place.

#5. (from least-most) Ghost Town

Ricky Gervais is one of my favorite comedians. His British TV shows, The Office and Extras, stand as classics in my mind. I couldn't wait to see how his first job as a lead actor in an American film would go. On top of that I love Greg Kinnear and enjoy David Koepp's writing and directing. I heard great buzz while I was at the Toronto International Film Festival. Although I didn't get a chance to check out there, I went to see it opening night during the wide release. As the film went on I was waiting for it to improve. I kept chuckling here and there, but ultimately kept getting disappointed scene after the scene. My main problem with the film was that it plays it way too safe. I guess expecting normal crude Gervais comedy was too much to ask. The casting choices further hindered the film. While I like Tea Leoni, she has absolutely ZERO chemistry with Gervais. If you get easily offended by the slew of excellent, raunchy comedies this year (Sex Drive, Role Models, Step Brothers, Zach and Miri Make a Porno, Foot Fist Way, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Pineapple Express, and Tropic Thunder) I would give this a chance. You may enjoy the cookie-cutter story. Sure the film is cute, with a nice tight screenplay that fulfills what it set out to do, but if you are expecting anything out of the ordinary, skip this film.

#4. Body of Lies

Oh, Ridley Scott. I don't know how I feel about you. In terms of your recent films I loved Black Hawk Down and Matchstick Men, even Kingdom of Heaven. I was underwhelmed by Gladiator and was surprised how bland last year's American Gangster was. Here it is, 2008, Leo's first film since the entertaining Blood Diamond and mob masterpiece; The Departed. I was looking forward to his performance in this film, and he delivered. The problems were elsewhere though. As I noted in my earlier review, the problems I had with last year's American Gangster carry over to this film. I have seen all of this before. It is undoubtedly done well, but the material has been retreaded to death. The best part of the film is Mark Strong, seen in this year's fun gangster romp RocknRolla. He delivers a intense performance as Hani, Leo's go-to man in Jordan. Unfortunately the film stays wrapped up in boring back and forth double crosses with Leo, Crowe and Strong while never really going anywhere. Body of Lies turns out to be a mediocre political thriller that will keep you entertained, but not deliver much to think about.

#3. Miracle at St. Anna

Spike Lee's heist drama, Inside Man, was in my top ten films of 2006. He is a legendary filmmaker that has output some of the most important films of the last 20 years, my favorite being the 1989 classic, Do The Right Thing. How could one not be excited for his next theatrical release, a sprawling WWII epic? Well, turns out there is alot missing. The film has some real promise as it begins with a present-day mystery featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. As we dig deeper to the past, specifically 1944, the problems begin. We tread in scenes that take way longer than necessary to get the point across. For such a long film (160 min.) we never are able to feel the scope Lee intended. It becomes frustrating as the film goes on because there are great moments, they are just very few and far in between. With some tighter editing, and a bit more feeling this could have been a decent WWII film, but instead it just feels like a cheap TV movie.

#2. Quantum of Solace

There is no reason for me to explain why I was excited for this film. It's Bond, James Bond. Unfortunately, after viewing, I wouldn't be surprised if people completely forgot this movie was an addition to the franchise and not a sequel to Crank. It's too bad the latter was better. Note to Marc Forster and Paul Haggis: more action DOES NOT make a movie good. Also, please give us some motivation for actually wanting the villain to fail. The constant widening of his eyes just is not enough for me. I don't even want to go into the reasons why Casino Royale was better, because it is quite apparent. Much of the disappointment comes from the simple fact that this was after that film, and not something like Die Another Day. As a Bond film on its own though, it still falters. Daniel Craig tries hard to give us his best but all the factors around him keep him from doing just that. There is no heart, no soul, no charm, and worst of all, no fun.

#1. Be Kind Rewind

Why, why, why, why was this film not great? I love Michel Gondry, Jack Black, Mos Def, movies, making movies, movies about making movies, and even some freaking Danny Glover. This had all the right ingredients yet it left an awful taste in my mouth. They did get one thing right. The best part of the film is when they make other movies. Gondry uses his wildly inventive mind to create a wealth of different ideas for films. That lasts all of maybe five to ten minutes. What is left is ninety minutes of some of the most boring, uninteresting dialogue of the year. You almost forget Gondry, the brilliant creator of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a modern classic, is behind the camera and the pen. The film meanders around scene after scene until it reaches the most tacked on ending of the year. Let's all hope Gondry puts some more effort in script and direction next time around.

Marley & Me's Ending Spoiled Graffiti Style. MAJOR SPOILERS.

Some LA'er found a special spoiler surprise today when walking around and was nice enough to take some pictures. I'm kind of looking forward to the film. I'm partial to Owen Wilson and dogs. My mother read the book and absolutely loved it so I think I will take her to this Christmas Day, after The Curious Case of Benjamin Button of course.

MAJOR SPOILERS

DON'T CONTINUE READING IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK OR WANT TO SEE THE FILM

The heartwarming and unforgettable story of a family in the making and the wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life. Marley & Me hits theaters on December 25th 2008.

The Wrestler Release Schedule and Free Screenings

Be sure to check out Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler, simply one of the best films of the year. 

Here are some free screenings; via 1) Fox Searchlight  and  2) Film Metro

If there are not any there, check back, as more will be added. 

Fox Searchlight has also announced the initial listing of cities that Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler will begin to roll-out into starting on December 17th. The cities and dates are tenative, and are subject to change.

Wednesday, December 17th

Los Angeles

New York

Friday, December 26th

Boston

Chicago

San Francisco

Washington, D.C.

Friday, January 9th

Austin

Dallas/Ft. Worth

Denver

Detroit

Hartford/New Haven

Minneapolis

Philadelphia

Phoenix

San Diego

Seattle

Friday, January 16th

Albany

Albuquerque

Atlanta

Baltimore

Boca Raton/West Palm Beach

Cincinnati

Cleveland

Columbus

Honolulu

Houston

Indianapolis

Kansas City

Las Vegas

Madison

Miami/Ft. Lauderdale

Milwaukee

Northampton/Springfield

Orlando

Portland

Rochester

Sacramento

Salt Lake City/Boise

St. Louis

Friday, January 23rd

Anchorage

Asheville

Baton Rouge

Birmingham

Buffalo

Champaign/Decatur/Springfield

Charlotte

Charlottesville

Colorado Springs

Corpus Christi

Dayton

Des Moines

Ft. Myers

Gainesville

Grand Rapids

Harrisburg, PA

Ithaca

Jacksonville

Knoxville

Lansing

Lexington

Lousiville

Memphis

Nashville

New Orleans

Norfolk/Newport News

Oklahoma City

Omaha

Pittsburgh

Portland, ME

Providence

Raleigh/Durham

Reno

Richmond

San Antonio

Santa Fe

Sarasota

Spokane

Syracuse

Tallahassee

Tampa/St. Petersburg

Tucson

Tulsa