Tuesday Movie Reviews

Shutter Island
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson
Directed by Martin Scorsese

When I saw the commercials for Shutter Island before it was released in the theatres, I guessed at the big twist that was being talked about. You may have done the same thing. I bet, like me, you're right. Does that mean all is lost on this movie? The "twist" is not hard to figure out, for sure, but all that follows is quite interesting indeed. I won't go into the story in case it is a mystery to you, but I realized there is a lot more going on throughout the film. Leo is very convincing in his role, contrary to many reviews I read. I don't see why so many people have a problem with this very good actor. Ben Kingsley is great, Max Von Sydow is very good as well (I can't believe he's been soooo good for soooo long!). The movie did seem like a bit of a departure for Scorsese. I didn't notice any of his trademark camera movements (and no Rolling Stones song either). I would liken the look of the film to a cross between Cape Fear and The Aviator. Still, the subject was very interesting, the denouement was wholly satisfying, and I enjoyed the film much more than I expected.

GRADE: B+

From Paris With Love
Starring: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Directed by Pierre Morel

I feel strange reviewing this film and I'll tell you why...I had no business enjoying it as much as I did!! OK, it's not gonna win any awards, but seeing Travolta kick ass all over the place really worked well. Rhys Meyers works for some sort of secret Black Ops government agency and is trying to move up in the ranks. He gets his big chance when he is hooked up with Travolta, an agent that loves to shoot first and ask questions later. Seems like your regular Lethal Weapon type match up, and it kinda was, but the action scenes were actually pretty good and well conceived. The idea for the film came from Luc Besson who wrote such great flicks as La Femme Nikita and The Professional (or Leon for you snobs). He does know how to weave a good action film and had to have some sort of influence on the filming of this one. Ryhs Meyers was really not very good...seems as though he can't handle situational humour very well. But I gotta say, Travolta surprised me and made the 90 minutes more than tolerable. The story is a little weak (there's a twist that I clued into about 5 minutes in), but this isn't the type of film that you watch for deep meaning. Sit back and enjoy the ride, I did.

GRADE: B-

The 41 Year Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall And Felt Superbad About It
Starring: Absolutely nobody of note
Directed by Craig Moss

From the brilliant title you may have guessed that this straight-to-video release is a parody of Judd Apatow's very successful comedies from the past few years. Truthfully, the title is the most clever thing about this movie. I could only watch about 40 minutes of it, but I doubt it got any better through the second half. It saddens me that parody is a lost art form. It's been 30 years since Airplane, the most famous and funniest of all the parodies that followed it. This is a genre that must die unless Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker bring it back with a flourish. The only thing worthy on note in this piece of crap movie is the kid that played the Michael Cera-type character. He had Cera's quirky mannerisms down pat. Other than that small highlight, do not waste your time with it! By the way, director Moss' only claim to fame is an 8 minute short title "Saving Ryan's Privates" about war heroes that have to save their buddy's penis. Hilarious!! (Does sarcasm come across on a blog??).

GRADE: F