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Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2009 > September > 04
Friday, September 4, 2009
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At first I lamented the fact that lack of screenings meant I could not review anything new this week. The only movie that truly interested me was Mike Judge’s Extract, and reviews of that are pretty mixed. Gamer didn’t ring my bell, reviews or no. And ye gods, after seeing the abysmal reviews for All About Steve, I’ve decided the less I know about Steve, the better. Ty Burr of the Boston Globe calls it “easily the worst movie of the week, month, year, and Bullock’s entire career.” As they said on the old Batman series, POW!
Really, it seems to me the best bet this weekend is the double feature of District 9 and Jaws playing at the Holiday Auto drive-in in Hamilton. They’re also playing Halloween II, but considering what I thought of its predecessor, I’ll be leaving after the credits roll on Jaws.
There are still a number of good movies playing in theaters now. My capsule reviews will link you to the full reviews, if I’ve written them. If you don’t see the film you’re interested in here, try the Reviews category.
District 9: This terrifically inventive science fiction thriller, about a government bureaucrat trying to round up feared aliens, boasts great action scenes and a brain to boot. Cleverly directed by Peter Jackson protege Neill Blomkamp, this is one of the rare movies that leaves the door open for a follow-up — and made me actually want one. GRADE: A
500 Days of Summer: One of the best films of this year is this story of a romance gone wrong as Joseph Gordon-Levitt tries to figure out why his relationship with Zooey Deschanel never worked out. The movie is filled with wonderfully inventive ideas, ranging from split-screens to a stream-of-consciousness timeline. It’s the best offbeat romance since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. GRADE: A+
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: My second favorite film of the series, after Azkaban. GRADE: A
Inglourious Basterds: Quentin Tarantino’s World War II rewrite is uniquely his, for better and for worse. He doesn’t escape the self-indulgence that has marred his work lately; however, the cast is outstanding, and the best parts of this movie are as good as anything the director has made. GRADE: B+
Julie & Julia: This wonderfully entertaining movie is a double chronicle of Julia Child’s quest to get her first book published and of writer Julie Powell’s quest to cook every recipe in that book within a year. It’s a great showcase for two of our best actresses, Meryl Streep (as Child) and Amy Adams (as Powell). GRADE: A-
Ponyo: Disney gave this Japanese animated film a wide release, wanting to introduce Japanese animation master Hayao Miyzaki to a bigger audience. Good call. His work in general, and this film, certainly deserve to be seen by a great many people. It’s not quite up to his masterpiece, Spirited Away, which won the Best Animated Feature Oscar, but this tale of a sea creature who wants to be human has a lovely, lilting quality that will especially appeal to young children. And it’s filled with the sort of breathtaking imagery only Miyazaki could create. Who else could dream up an ocean where the waves themselves are fish? GRADE: A
Feel free to comment on any film mentioned here, or even any film that’s not. What do you recommend, or discourage, for the holiday weekend?
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