Review – Zodiac (2007)

I’m a little late to the party on this one, but I finally got around to watching Zodiac this week. Despite being one of the most notorious serial killers in U.S. history, I knew fairly little about the case, so I was very curious going into this. The plot basically revolves around the newsroom of a major newspaper which received letters from the Zodiac killer in the late 60s. You do witness several murders that the Zodiac commits, but the majority of the story is based on the investigation itself.

The movie appears to have been based on a book that was written about the investigation. The author plays a fairly large role in this movie, so there’s no real surprise there. This doesn’t mean that the story is particularly one-tracked, but it is obviously biased to his experiences.

If I had any complaints, it’s that the movie seemed a little long at times, although it was never really dull. I was also fairly disappointed in the quality of the video transfer, but others have suggested that the yellowish hue and soft picture may have been done stylistically to represent the times.

If you’re curious about the case and investigation surrounding the (unsolved) Zodiac killings, this is definitely a film to check out. I followed-up my viewing with some research on the web and most of the movie seems to be a fairly accurate representation of the events that took place.

Recommendation – Rent it, but make sure you set aside time for the 2.5 hour show

Movie Reviews – Week ending 10/12/07

28 Weeks Later – Good, I was a little skeptical going into this one because I had not heard favorable reviews. I was a fan of the first one, though this one takes a very different approach. It conveys a feeling of tension throughout and provides a few good scares here and there. If you enjoyed 28 Days Later, be sure to rent this one. Without spoiling the movie, it also appears as if a 28 Months (or Years, etc.) is probably in the works.
Recommendation: Definite rental/buy if you like zombie flicks

Bug – Average, To be honest, I’m not really sure where this one ranks on my scale in the grand scheme of things. It was (erroneously) marketed as a horror movie, when it is more of an exploration in psychology. It does have a few frightening scenes, but the fear comes from the power of the mind to persuade yourself and others. As long as you don’t approach this movie thinking it will be a horror-fest (or even particularly scary), you’ll at least walk away knowing what it’s like to be “crazy”.
Recommendation: Rent it, don’t expect a traditional “horror” movie

Vacancy (2007)

I was very much looking forward to this one at the theater, because it looked so interesting on the trailers. When it pretty much bombed at the box office, I lost hope for it. When it finally came to DVD (somewhat under the radar), I decided it was at least worth a rental.

I turned out to be very surprised and impressed with this movie overall. It’s rather short – 85 minutes – but that only serves as a means to keep the action and tension going for the entire movie. Once it picks up, about 15-20 minutes in, it doesn’t slow down until the credits roll.

I won’t divulge the plot, as it’s rather simple, but enough to keep you doing a little guessing. Revealing the plot would also take away some of the “shock” the movie conveys so well. Nothing in this movie should be scary or cause you to be on the edge of your seat…after all, it’s something we’ve seen in thrillers many times before. That’s what made the experience so fun for me – somehow it is scary and somehow it does manage to keep you tense.

Part of that comes from the unknown – the whole movie takes place in the middle of the night in a very cramped motel room. There is a very claustrophobic atmosphere where the viewer feels like they are right there with the protagonists. You can only see and know as much as the characters see and know – and when you’re stuck in an unknown location, that’s not too much.

I would definitely suggest picking this one up if you are a fan of thrillers. The violence is actually kept to a minimum, and the movie relies on fear to keep it moving. Be warned that if you (or anyone sharing the experience) is prone to jump or scream, you’ll definitely have your hands full.

Recommendation: If thrillers are your thing, this is not one to miss. It does have some obvious flaws and very cliche moments, but its still a fun flick.

30 Second Movie Reviews

I honestly haven’t seen too many good movies lately, so rather than trying to point out everything that was wrong with them, I’m going to take a few seconds of your time to give the briefest possible overview.

Miss Potter (2007) – Fair. This is basically the story behind the lady that wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It was interesting, though I’m not sure how factual it is. Much of this movie was an old fashioned romance, which isn’t really my bag, so it’s not really wise for me to judge it.
Recommendation: Rent it

Bloodlines (2007) – Pathetic. For whatever reason, I’m into the whole gross-out horror movie thing. I liked Saw and Hostel, though not so much for the story as the shock value. This movie looked to be more of the same, and I picked it up on a recommendation. I don’t know who recommended it, but I would like to find them and perform some of the same acts to them.
Recommendation: Kick it in the lips and run away

The Astronaut Farmer (2007) – Fair. I wanted this movie to be so much better than it really was. The plot revolves around a farmer (who’s last name is Farmer HARRRR HARRR, those writers sure are original) who dreams of building a functional rocket in his barn. Everything was good until the final act, where things just got stupid and fell apart. I can think of a million different approaches that would have been much more heartfelt.
Recommendation: Rent it

The Lookout (2007) - Fair. This was a case of a movie trying to pack too much story into too little movie. You’ve got a kid with a tragic history, now he has mental sequencing issues, he has a blind friend, he has a dysfunctional family, he can’t find a job, his friend wants to start a business, there’s a bank robbery, there’s shooting, people die, etc, etc, etc. Yeah…all of that in 1hr 42m
Recommendation: Rent it

Rewind – Tears of the Sun (2003)

With the recent stream of movies about the conflicts in Africa in the last few years (Hotel Rwanda, Blood Diamond, Catch a Fire, Last King of Scotland), I decided to watch one that I haven’t seen in a while: Tears of the Sun.

This is definitely more of an action movie than some of the more politically-oriented movies I mentioned above, but it provides an interesting aspect on the situation nonetheless.

For those that may have missed it, Bruce Willis plays a Special Ops captain who leads a team of men into a mission where they must extract an American doctor. When she refuses to leave without her people, things get complicated. Willis does a fairly good job of portraying a strict military guy that has some compassion hidden underneath.

The movie was not without some issues – namely in the believability department. I know that I may criticize films too heavily for not maintaining a believable plot, but this one had some glaring holes. Special Ops or not, soldiers would not disobey orders to this magnitude…nor would their superiors be so easy-going about the incident. Then of course the battle scenes were a little over the top, but I’ve never been in a shootout with African rebels, so maybe I’m wrong. The movie did everything it could to make the Americans look like the heroes of the day and felt a little cheesy, especially when the rest of the world probably sees things a different way.

I did find out that the movie was shot entirely in Hawaii – and I have to say that the location crew did a good job with this. It wasn’t until after this second viewing that I learned this fact, and they certainly had me fooled.

For those with Blu-Ray players, I have read that the transfer is very nice and would probably be worth seeing again in high definition, even if its just for the scenery.

Tears of the Sun is a movie that should be seen at least once, especially if it missed your radar. However, four years after its release, it hasn’t gotten any better either. I suppose there are certainly worse choices you could make for a second sitting, and it works well for what it is – a simple action movie that tries to pull out a little sympathy.

Fracture (2007)

I honestly wasn’t expecting much from a movie that didn’t see much action at the box office and hasn’t been hyped on TV, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The story behind Fracture is that Anthony Hopkins’ character catches his wife cheating and murders her in his house. Being a crafty and intelligent guy, he basically leaves no evidence at the crime scene and challenges the District Attorney (Ryan Gossling) to prove his guilt. With no witnesses, no murder weapon and no confession…it is basically an impossible task.

Folks that study law will certainly snub their nose at the film, as will anyone that reads too much into it. However, if you approach the movie from a “CSI” standpoint (fun to watch, not necessarily accurate), you’ll have a blast.

I don’t know what it is about Anthony Hopkins playing smart and deranged criminals, but his performance is outstanding. Gossling was also very convincing in his role as the young DA.

While it has its flaws, it is still a very entertaining movie and I would definitely recommend it to anyone with an empty spot on their rental queue.

Recommendation: Check this one out, you might be surprised

Post-beach Brief DVD Reviews

Hot Fuzz (2007) – I will be honest, I did not enjoy Shaun of the Dead as much as most people who saw it. However, I did find Hot Fuzz very entertaining. This is basically a cheesy cop movie with some smart, but sometimes silly humor. It could have been the fact that I just watched the retarded-fest Blades of Glory, but I thought Hot Fuzz was the better comedic film. Oddly enough, both sound and video quality were excellent on this DVD. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for something other than the standard comedy that Hollywood puts out these days.

Perfect Stranger (2007) – Despite what most of the critics said, I liked this movie for the most part. It is not one that I would see again, but it was far more deserving than the reviews it received. The story attempted to be interesting, but often got caught up in itself. I would almost call it an “intelligent” popcorn flick, as there were no explosions or car chases, but the story did offer very little substance and believability. My biggest issue with this movie was that it didn’t know when to end and played too much on plot twists.

The Number 23 (2007) – I am not totally opposed to Jim Carrey in serious roles (I enjoyed Eternal Sunshine…), but this was not one of his better performances. His character serves as the narrator of the film and I could not get past his humorous-sounding voice during some scenes. It’s not all his fault though – the movie was not impressive in general. This was another movie that played on catching the audience off-guard too much. It did have me guessing “whodunit” several times, but the result ends up generating a cry-wolf scenario where I just didn’t care when it was over.

Blades of Glory (2007) – DVD review

If you’ve seen any Will Ferrell movie, you will know exactly what to expect. As much as I enjoy his take on comedy, he rarely varies his character…which ranges from silly-and-childish to stupid-and-childish. Such is the tale with Blades of Glory, although there are some good comedic moments from the other cast members.

Jon Heder (of Napoleon Dynamite fame) acts as the rival skater to Ferrell’s character. I thought his casting was a wise choice, as Heder’s form of comedy is sarcastically silly and much more subdued. The frequent exchanges between the two are some of the highlights of the movie.

The basic premise is this – the two rival skaters get involved in a fight that gets them kicked out of competition for life. A loophole in the rulebook states that they are only barred from singles competition, but not pairs. Ferrell and Heder’s characters team up as the first male pairs team and do battle with a brother/sister combo (Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the World Games. Throw in some sexual humor and a love interest, and that’s basically the movie.

The video and audio work well in the movie, and while neither one will be used to show off your home theater, they do their job. The picture is clean and the dialog is clear.

I typically won’t review the extras, as I rarely watch them, but comedies are a different case. There are plenty of extras on this disc and many of them are as funny or funnier than some of the scenes in the movie. The Gag Reel is present, albeit rather short for a movie where the cast goofed off so much.

The real highlights are the Alternate Takes that show just how great Ferrell can pull off the ad-lib performance. Many of his takes border on absolute stupidity, but you already know that if you’re a fan.

Recommendation - It’s worth viewing if you enjoyed Anchorman and Talladega Nights. Fans of “stupid” humor will be rolling on the floor.