Burlesque

Burlesque is an escapist musical-theater drama. It is made for people who love song, dance, and diversions from reality. The script is so very conventional and unoriginal that the ending can be seen from a mile a way. The main ingredients in the formulaic recipe of this film are: one small town girl Ali leaving for LA from her dismal midwestern life in search of stardom, one Burlesque club in LA in financial peril that is owned by former dancer Tess, and one engaged bartender Jack with a couch for Ali to sleep on. Mix these ingredients together and add in a pinch of jealousy among the dancing performers and a splash of cocky rich guy wanting to buy the club to turn it into a high-rise and you have yourself the mediocre plot of Burlesque. It does not take much to guess where the story will end up, especially if you have seen the preview to the film. Of course, if you have seen the preview then you know that there is more to this film than a horrible storyline. There are also the musical theater flavors to it: the singing and dancing. You'll hear no complaints from me on this front. Christina Aguilera (Ali) is a phenomenal singer/performer and her acting was surprisingly OK. And then there is Cher (Tess). Cher is almost a caricature of herself. She is a person who is larger than life. You can choose to look at her perfomance in Burlesque as stiff and phoned-in, but I prefer to look at it as subtle and heartfelt. Cher is amazing. Burlesque, on the other hand, is not so much amazing as it is 'blah.' It's almost so 'blah' that it is 'ah.' It's almost so bad that it is, in some weird guilty-pleasure way, good.

Midnight in Paris

Midnight in Paris is the best Woody Allen comedy to come out in at least a decade. The opening sequence almost fooled me into thinking that the film was going to strictly be a love letter to Paris. But not long after Gil (Owen Wilson) is introduced I saw how this film is also a tribute to the arts, love, and passion. Gil, an American writer, is visiting Paris with his fiancée and her parents. These characters have an interesting and uncomfortable dynamic with one another. Yet this film is not so much about all of these characters together in Paris; it is really about the fantastical journeys Gil has while he is on his own in the city. Gil is something of a hopeless romantic who believes that past is where its at. His idea of the Golden Age of art, music, and literature are his inspiration for life. Wilson is the perfect person to play Gil, he is humorous and actually quite charming. He and the entire motley cast are a delightful ensemble. Midnight in Paris is a cute and utterly clever film. It is a crowd pleaser.

X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class has great special effects and plenty of pretty faces. I am both fairly satisfied and painfully disappointed by this prequel/reboot. It is somewhat effective as an origin story of the X-Men, but the film does a piss poor job at developing all of the characters, only two mutants shine in this film. The best story and character development is given to Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, played expertly by Michael Fassbender. He is likable and has clear motivation for his actions. He is perfectly cast; Fassbender is THE number one best thing about this film. The second best thing about the film is James McAvoy as Charles Xavier/Professor X. However, his story is not as well written. He is an uneven and less impressive character. Luckily, the movie does an acceptable job of showing the relationship between Magneto and Professor X. If the movie had just been about the two of them it could have been fantastic. Unfortunately, the rest of the mutants got a lot of screen time and were less engaging (i.e., January Jones as Emma Frost). They make it clear that the film makers tried to fit too much into X-Men: First Class. Overall, I cannot say that it is not a complete let down; but its shining moments are too few and far between.

Everything Must Go

Everything Must Go lulls you into its depressing and oddly uplifting story with its slow and steady pace. It is a well-made film about a few life-altering days of an alcoholic salesman named Nick (Will Ferrell). Ferrell has played serious roles before so it is no surprise that he is able to pull off such a dramatic self-destructive character. He plays a hollow man exceedingly well. He knocked it out of the park and yet he is almost out-shined by the young enigmatic bike-riding Kenny (Christopher Jordan Wallace). Kenny is a memorable and important part of the film. Kenny lightens the mood and Wallace plays the character expertly. All the characters in the film leave a lasting impression on Nick and he seems to do the same for them. And this film has the potential to leave a lasting impression on the viewer. Everything Must Go is a sad film filled with a lot meaningful human interactions...

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids has an impressive ensemble cast, however (and thankfully), the film is mainly about the character Annie played by Kristen Wiig. Annie is asked to be the maid of honor in her best friend's wedding and the movie follows her downward spiral after this honor is bestowed upon her. This film provides more evidence that Wiig is an intelligent and witty entertainer. She is the whole package. But for as superb as Wiig is, Melissa McCarthy, who plays Megan, is also a force to be reckoned with. She provides the perfect level of vulgarity and raunch in the most endearing and exquisite way. She is extremely bawdy and so is the film. The storyline of the film works fairly well. There is, of course, a bit of a love story which is awkward and sweet but by no means is that the reason to watch the film. The ridiculousness and one-liners make for a pleasing laugh-fest and for a highly quotable film. Bridesmaids is made for a much larger audience than the title suggests. It is a must see.

The Ghost Writer

The Ghost Writer is an artistically shot slow-moving thriller. In it a ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) reluctantly takes on the job of redacting and finishing the memoirs of former UK Prime Minister Andrew Lang (Pierce Brosnan). The job came open when the previous ghost writer drowned under suspicious circumstances. A scandal breaks out shortly after the ghost flies to the US, where the Lang is residing. Mystery and intrigue ensue. The story itself is not as complex and twist-filled as one might expect from a political thriller; however, the way The Ghost Writer is filmed makes up for many of the flaws in the story. The colors in the film are muted both indoors and out, the music is soft and meandering, and the timing of events and subtle movements in the film all impeccably add to the tension and suspense. It almost goes without saying that The Ghost Writer feels like a tribute to Hitchcock, but I feel the need to say it since it is the main reason that I like the film. The film has an overwhelming sense of a black cloud looming overhead from beginning to end. It is, in fact, thrilling.

I Love You Phillip Morris

So, even though I am upset that I was only able to see the American edit of I Love You Phillip Morris, I am glad I at least got to see that...

I Love You Phillip Morris is an unusual movie...unusual in a good way. It is a TRUE story about con-man Steve Russell (Jim Carrey) finding the love of his life, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), in prison. It is one of the the strangest and most hard-to-believe true stories that has been made into a film. Russell's character attempts and succeeds in multiple crazy schemes that seem like they would have to be completely fictitious. The cons that Russell pulls off and the things that he does make him both impressive and infuriating. Russell is a more complex character than I would expect to see Carrey play, but Carrey pulls the role off. It is refreshing. Plus he works exceptionally well with McGregor in this film. They are THE two biggest reasons to watch the unique and enigmatic I Love You Phillip Morris.