The Ghost Writer

Starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, and Kim Cattrall, The Ghost Writer (2010) is the other half of my 2 for $6.98 deal from Blockbuster. I was kind of surprised I hadn't heard of this movie before, it has an A list cast and is directed by Roman Polanski. You may have notice I like to explore my inital thoughts about a movie based on who's in it and go from there, this review will be the same... (I just wanted to let you know that I know I do that, and it doesn't really have any fact, but just my personal feelings).

I fell in love with Ewan MacGregor the first time I saw Moulin Rouge and he belted out "Your Song" to Nicole Kidman, I am not ashamed to say that scene made me bawl like a baby. His eyes are an incredible shade of blue, and his voice is just delicious. Point to Ghost Writer. I have a conflicted opinion of Roman Polanski, on one hand, I know he is a fabulous director. The Pianist was a masterpiece. I love his name, and have been convinced for a couple years now that my first son will be named Roman Michael Carlo (dibs!). So he even gets points just based on his name. But there is that whole raping a thirteen year old in the 70's that I just can't excuse. So, we will say Polanski's involvement in The Ghost Writer is a neutral first impression point for the movie. So, moving on to the actual film....

Adam Lang (Brosnan) is a Tony Blair-esque sort of character, he's the ex-prime minister of the UK, and is writing his memoirs. His original ghost writer is found dead, and McGregor is hired as his replacement. Things get a little more twisted when Lang is accused of war crimes and McGregor finds a link between Lang and the CIA. My first critical thought was "the music is really weird, and doesn't really fit."But the more it played and when it was repeated during the special features, it really grew on me. It creates an atmosphere that is eerie, but fantastical; that is urgent and thrilling. And that was another thing, this movie is a thriller without a big chase scene or explosions or crazy violence, or even things jumping out at you. It is smart, and calculated, and everything seems intentional and well thought out. The location, the weather, the buildings, are all designed to set the tone and make things more interesting in the absence of overused CGI, scary music, and violence.

Brosnan and MacGregor are just great. Brosnan is smooth and charming and always keeps you guessing. I was never quite sure if Lang was a bad guy or not, if he was to be feared or loved, and that is exactly how he needed to be. There is something so innocent and sincere about McGregor, you just can't help liking him. And it is undeniable that Polanski was the architect of this movie, he creates something subtle and beautiful and eerie.

On the negative, Kim Cattrall had a really hard time with an English accent, and the movie can be heavy, so don't watch it when you are in the mood for something light and fun. The revelation at the ending could have been followed through a little more, and McGregor's fate was a neat idea, but seemed a little contrived. But, I'm really just splitting hairs because I really did enjoy this movie.

Leaves of Grass

I've mentioned before how much I like Edward Norton, he's smart, thoughtful, and just a quality actor (and kind of a cutie, and I really like his voice). And during one of my rare visits to Blockbuster I discovered Leaves of Grass (2009) in the 2/$6.98 bin. I hadn't heard of this movie before, but with Norton, Kerri Russell, Susan Sarandon, and Richard Dreyfuss, I figured I couldn't go wrong for $3.49.

Leaves of Grass is the story of twin brothers Bill and Brady. Bill is a young and smart philosophy teacher, and Brady stayed in his hometown and grew weed. They haven't seen each other in twelve years. Norton plays both brothers. Both are smart in their own way and have some interesting things to say about God and life. I guess this could best be called a dark comedy, it is interesting, and well-acted, but things kind of change in the last 15-20 minutes and get a little wacky and maybe a bit too dark. The ending was one of those that feel like it's saying something profound, but you can't quite figure out what. I'll leave it at that, because you can't say much without giving spoilers/

With that said, this movie was a quirky gem.

Soul Surfer

Starring AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, and Helen Hunt, Soul Surfer tells the true story of Bethany Hamilton - a young teen surfer who loses her arm in a shark attack. Going into this movie all I knew was that it was Carrie Underwood's first foray into acting, and the losing the arm part. I think the movie makers figured most people would know about the shark attack, so for the first half hour before it happens, every time there is an underwater shot you think "this is it!" but it isn't. The actual attack is kind of weird and random, I think it's good that it wasn't sensationalized, but it still just seemed silly. With that said though, the minutes following the attack are really well done, the confusion, the horror, the urgency, well played.

Carrie Underwood's acting seemed a little mediocre, but as a first try, it was passable. AnnaSophia Robb, who you may know from Bridge to Terabithia (one of my favourite childhood books) was wonderful and I am always a fan of Dennis Quaid, his smile is just contagious. I watched a lot of "Mad About You" when I was young, so Helen Hunt has a special place in my part. And I must say in a totally platonic way, that at 48, she is smokin'. Oh! And I almost forgot to mention that Hercules, Mr. Kevin Sorbo was in it too! I used to watch that and Xena all the time... good times.

The plot is pretty sticky sweet and typical, adversity overcomes etc. And why does the competition have to be in black? Does Melina know she is the villain? But it's a nice story, I like that there is the faith angle. Bethany is really optimistic and understanding, sure there are the obligatory moments of weakness, but she mostly just presses on, which is what makes the story so inspirational I guess. It's pretty much what you think it will be with some pretty cool surfing scenes.

FYI

It's the season premiere of Storage Wars tomorrow night at 10pm on A&E!

Source Code

I'll try to summarize Source Code without giving anything away. If you've seen the trailer, it's about some guy who gets to (has to) repeat the same eight minutes until he finds a bomb and the person who planted the bomb on some train. I'll leave it at that, but also mention it stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, and that married chick from the airplane movie with George Clooney (sorry if I ruined that for anyone).

The premise of this movie was really interesting and smart, it didn't feel gimmicky or outrageous, but almost believable at times. I was, however, kind of disappointed with what parts of the plot were made a priority. Jake finds the bomb and the terrorist really easily, I kind of thought those things were important and the way it happens seems kind of swept over. Instead the movie focuses on the relationship between Jake and Michelle, and Jake trying to figure out where he is and why. The more I think about it though, the latter is what makes this movie so interesting and so much more than your run-of-the-mill sci-fi action. The love stuff I could take it or leave it, but I guess he needs some motivation to keep on going.

What I thought was the ending (without ruining it, but also to let you know the part I am talking about) where everyone on the train freezes, I was happy with. I don't always need a sappy happy ending to make the movie satisfying. And I kind of groaned in cheesiness when I could foresee the neat and tidy happy ending coming when the movie continued past the part I thought was the ending. But I was pleasantly surprised, yes there was some cheese, but the way it ended left much more to think about than if it would have ended when I thought it did.

Source Code is an original thinker that you will probably enjoy.  There are holes in the reasoning and science they are asking us to believe, the explosions are kept to a minimum, there is no high-speed car chase, but you leave feeling that this movie delivered enough action, romance, and thought-provoking plot to be successful on all those levels.

The Lincoln Lawyer

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, and Ryan Philippe, The Lincoln Lawyer is about Mick (McConaughey) who represents high-profile scumbags, but things become more complicated when he questions the guilt and innocence of a current and past client.

This movie is based on a book by Michael Connelly, I haven't read anything by him, but it had the feel of something by John Grisham, who I am a huge fan of. When I feel like reading something light, I don't head for Danielle Steele or a romance, Grisham is my easy-reading standby. So even though going into this movie I didn't really know what it was about, I got right into it, because I love those legal-drama type movies. McConaughey still has that smooth Southern charm, and we know Philippe can do creepy well, but the last movie I saw him in (MacGruber) he shoved a piece of celery up his ass, so the contrast made me giggle a bit. I like that McConaughey and Tomei were the main love-interest, they are both showing their age and I can appreciate Hollywood movies that go with quality over youth.

This is a good story with a great cast. In addition to those already mentioned, there are roles for Josh Lucas, William H. Macy, Trace Adkins, and John Leguizamo. It is well acted and the plot is interesting. Most of the stuff you can see coming a mile away but you like where it is going anyway.

Like some movies that are based on books fall victim to, it feels like this movie was overwhelmed with the material and had issues fitting in all the plot twists. It doesn't develop some parts, it feels a little disjointed and like something is missing to make it complete. The twist at the end doesn't really serve any purpose except a joke at the hands of a biker gang. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but they don't explore how the mother knew what she knew, or why she did what she did. They don't follow through with the relationship with Mick and Maggie, and the movie is named The Lincoln Lawyer, because he works out of his Lincoln car, but it never really felt like that fact was very important.

Probably if I didn't have this blog, I wouldn't over-think this movie, and just think it was really good. But as it is, it just feels like this movie needed more, a more flowing plot I guess. While McConaughey wasn't as good in this movie as Grisham's A Time to Kill, if you like Grisham-type stuff, you will enjoy The Lincoln Lawyer.

Take Me Home Tonight

What a lazy, lazy attempt at a movie.

Four years after graduation Matt (Topher Grace) has graduated from MIT, but is working at a movie store because he doesn't know what to do with his life, unlike his twin sister (Anna Faris). He runs into his high school crush Tori (who he never made a move on) and tells her he's a banker. And there just happens to be a part that same night and Tori is going. With his BFF Barry (Dan Fogler from Balls of Fury) in tow, they head out.

This movie is set in the late 80's which is cool, because even though I was too young to appreciate the 80's, it's still neat to see what it was like back then. Well, the only thing this movie gains from setting it in the 80's is 80's hair, clothes, and music. Put them in modern clothes and it's no longer a period piece. Although I enjoyed the music, having this movie take place in the 80's was totally pointless, kind of just a gimmick used in the hopes that it would set this movie apart. Just look at the movie poster!

Topher Grace was his usual awkward Eric Foreman self, Dan Fogler was his usual goofy self, Anna Faris was actually the stable one, so that was different. Teresa Palmer (from nothing special) plays Tori. In the commercials I thought she was Kristen Stewart, and thought "cool, K Stew is in a comedy". Well, Teresa is a slightly prettier than K Stew with a little bit more personality.

This movie tries too hard to be cool and funny, or maybe doesn't try enough, either way it misses the mark and is just mostly stupid and cliche. It's nothing we haven't seen before. I was kind of disappointed though because I watched an interview with Topher and the director on some Ryan Seacrest thing and they were talking about the movie and Chris Medina (that guy from American Idol whose fiance was in an accident and has brain damage) and the guys gave Chris some money plus promised him a percentage of sales from the movie to go towards the charity for Chris' fiance. I hope you were able to follow that story, the moral is I was hoping it would do well (and be good) because the people involved did a good thing. Unfortunately this movie was neither.

The ending was lazy. Sure, it ends happy enough, but with movies like that you usually expect a funny follow up showing where the characters end up later on, or even some funny scenes/deleted scenes/bloopers while the credits roll. There was none of that. For goodness sake, the song that is this movie's namesake isn't even in the movie or the credits! (Though the soundtrack is a pretty solid mix of classic 80's) The dad is funny enough, and the movie doesn't deserve a Razzie or anything, but it just doesn't have a lot going for it. Nothing special.