The Blind Side
Reviewed by Mike Attebery
If you see ‘The Blind Side,’ you’re seeing it for Sandra Bullock, who won the Academy Award for her truly-deserving performance. Tim McGraw (incognito sans goatee) is adequate as Bullock’s Taco Bell franchise-owning hubby. The kid playing their son is a bit too cute. The girl playing their daughter is strictly okay. Quinton Aaron turns in a solid performance as Michael “Big Mike” Oher, albeit it one that suffers from some on-the-nose direction and editing by John Lee Hancock. A little more subtley, and fewer knowing smiles would have done wonders. But let’s face it, these folks are all here to help Bullock shine as the brassy southern lady who plays by her own rules (and I don’t mean football), and does what her heart and spirit tell her to do. And God help the down-the-middle-folks who try to tell her otherwise.
There are no surprises in this one, allowing it to rest squarely in the comfort food genre of cinema. This is warm light, cheap beer, hot pizza, family night viewing. Oh, and you can tell your more cynical relatives to stay home and watch ‘Breaking Bad.' This is a movie without conflicted thinking or fuel for great introspection, which is why I find it doubly surprising that it's based on a book by Michael Lewis (The Big Short)! If you’re the type to contemplate watching this, you’ll know it. Yes, I suppose I’m occasionally that type (Though I did watch it when Steph was out), but I can’t say I felt all that great about myself when it was over. Bullock scores a touchdown here. Everything else seems farm league.
As for this Blu-ray. The picture is very, very nice. Audio gets the job done, but never draws attention to itself. Extras are pretty run of the mill.
If you check it out, go for the Blu-ray.
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Reviewed by Mike Attebery
There was a lot of “you’ve never seen Holmes like THIS before” talk last year when the first pictures emerged of Robert Downey Jr. playing the master detective. Between the shots of Downey wearing some sort of absurd hat and sunglasses, and the shirtless stills of him resembling a ‘Snatch’-era Brad Pitt, it seemed the Warner Brothers PR folks wanted us to be agog at the blasphemy with which Guy Ritchie and company were approaching Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary creation.
Now, having seen the film twice, and enjoyed it immensely both times, I see the early photos as merely a rehash of the “Schumacher dared to put nipples on the Batsuit” school of film publicity:
Hopefully this will be the last time we have to see this kind of cheap tactic for a while, cause the film deserved much better. Fortunately, it found an enthusiastic audience, so we’ll soon be watching Holmes square off against Professor Moriarty in a sequel which begins shooting this fall. I’m looking forward to it.
So then, what of the contribution of Guy “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” Ritchie to the world of London detective work? In my opinion, I feel the director and the material are a startlingly perfect match. Frankly, Ritchie’s signature film, and his follow-up, while entertaining enough, just weren’t quite my thing. As for the follow-up to his follow-up, I’m probably one of the very few people who actually watched that train wreck from start to finish, and boy oh boy, it’s every bit as bad as you've heard.
Following the fiasco of ‘Swept Away,’ it seemed Ritchie lost his way in a repetitive crime film/Kabbalahesque haze, until he found his way to this series, and like I said, the combo works wonders. Ritchie is famous for his speed up/slow down, cut-cut-cut style of sequence assembly. Until now, Sherlock Holmes seemed to be the stuff of medium shot talking, mixed with touches of fog and tea. Here the story, which for all intents and purposes feels like a classic Holmes mystery (the screenplay was written by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg) meets a frenetic style that brings just enough impatience and energy to the production to keep things interesting.
As for Downey, he’s perfect. Had Englishman Hugh Laurie not hopped the pond to portray the Holmes inspired ‘House’ on TV, he might have made an excellent choice for yet another BBC deerstalker-sporting rendition of Holmes, but seeing as he’s done such a great job playing America’s favorite anti-social medical sleuth, it seems only fair that an American such as Downey be given the chance to hop a reverse flight to London and try his hand at one of English literature’s most famous characters. As House, Laurie is good. As Holmes, Downey is awesome. He portrayal is a classic, and he brings the rest of the production up with him. Even Jude Law (as Watson) is likable in this one, and that's a first as far as I’m concerned. Rachel McAdams provides solid romance and rivalry. And Mark Strong is a capable villain.
This is a handsome film that hits Blu-ray in a stellar digital to digital print. The picture, sound, and extras, including a Maximum Movie Mode (which should simply be a standard BD feature by now) are all top notch.
I highly recommend this one. If you get a copy, get the Blu-ray. It’s dynamite.
By The People: The Election of Barack Obama
31/01/10 19:13 Filed in: Documentary | Politics
By The People: The Election of Barack Obama (2009)
Reviewed by Mike Attebery
The 2008 election is now slipping away in the rear view mirror, but that only means the books and films recapping that historic election are just starting to pick up speed. Last summer I read the first of those tomes, Richard Wolfe’s Renegade: The Making of a President. That book hit shelves before the Health Care Reform fight had gotten really nasty, before the August recess, which brought with it the Swift Boat-style media attacks from Tea Party sweethearts like Sarah “Death Panel” Palin, and before the passing of Ted Kennedy later that same month. Now, almost six months past the first deadline for passage of a reform bill, and after a mounting number of setbacks, elections (think Massachusetts), and policy shifts, many of which occured this past week, many voters who once rooted for Barack Obama are feeling more than a bit dismayed. I’ll admit that I too have started to have some doubts about this President and particularly his administration (Rahm, I’m looking at you), which has made returning to the events of the 2008 election all the more fascinating.
The similarities between Renegade, The Audacity to Win, and this documentary are strong. The Obama campaign was probably documented in more detail, and with more access, than any prior election. His was a wired campaign, with video updates, online posts, and young campaign workers of the Facebook generation, so its not at all surprising how well the campaign was recorded. This film, produced and directed by filmmakers Amy Rice and Alicia Sams, confirms much of the information I absorbed in the above mentioned books. The difference here is that we get to see live recordings of events, the outcome of which we know all too well, playing out here with participants who do not yet know how this story ends. From the opening scene, in which we see candidate Obama reveling in the thrill of the 2006 mid-term election night, to the moment when his years long campaign comes to his close, and campaign masterminds David Axelrod and David Plouffe head to the Obamas’ hotel suite to congratulate the President Elect, we are given the opportunity to see all the major players in all of their candid glory. More than that, we also see the folks, many of them all but kids, who played such an integral part in making this unexpected campaign such a powerful, and ultimately successful force.
Let me say this up front: If you had any serious interest in the 2008 Obama campaign, and if you’ve already read either of the two books I’ve mentioned, then there’s not a whole lot of information here you aren’t already familiar with. That being said, I found the film to be a refreshing reminder of why I liked this guy, and frankly, why I could not comprehend absorbing another punch to the gut feeling like I experienced on election night 2004. This seemed like a once in a lifetime candidacy that came along at a serious turning point in our nation’s history. Something had to change. And unfortunately, looking back over the past year, things have not yet changed as much as I might have hoped, but after seeing this documentary, and especially after going through a week in which Obama delivered a State of the Union Address that seemed determined to recapture some of that 2008 magic, and especially after watching live C-SPAN coverage of Obama sparring with his GOP adversaries in front of the nation, and in my opinion deftly dismantling their talking point attack attempts one by one, I found it even more reassuring to remember how it all began. This is a truly fly on the wall documentary. The talk to the camera moments are scarce. Aside from a few moments with campaign staff and campaign planners, we don’t see many instance of Obama or any of his close confidants sitting down for question and answer sessions, instead, we get to follow behind like a member of his entourage. And frankly, as someone who have liked nothing more than to play such a part in such an event, I can’t think of any more visceral way to relive the campaign from the inside.
If you were an Obama supporter, and if you’ve been feeling a bit dismayed as of late, I highly encourage you to check out this HBO documentary and see how it leaves you feeling. Again and again throughout the film’s 116 minute runtime, it seems Obama and his team hit their stride and rise to the occasion primarily when they were on the ropes. Now, as the adminatration struggles to reposition itself and right its course, I ended the viewing feeling a little more inspired, and little more encouraged, and really excited to see how things will go on from here. Pick up your copy of By The People here.
(500) Days of Summer
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
Reviewed by Mike Attebery
When I was a kid, one of my favorite parts of going to the movies was the feeling that washed over me as I left the theater afterwards and had to slowly regain my footing in the real world. I don’t know if it’s this way for everyone, but for me, movies swept over me and pulled me in, leaving me unaware of time, space, the people around me, or my cares outside the theater. As I’ve gotten older, that feeling has grown increasingly evasive. There are undoubtedly a number of reasons for this. My worries have become greater. My time seems scarce. And most importantly, my standards grew higher. In short, today a movie has to be a whole lot better in order to successfully pull me in. But when one does, you can be sure I appreciate it all that much more, and I can’t seem to stop recommending it to my friends. Off the top of my head, I can think of three other movies that had this effect on me above all others: ‘Wonder Boys,’ ‘Jerry Maguire,’ and ‘Say Anything.’ The latest is ‘(500) Days of Summer,’ directed by Marc Webb and written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Webb.
I won’t divulge too many plot details, except to recount the much cited opening line, which says rather matter of factly that “you should know up front, this is not a love story.” With that statement, I’m afraid I must disagree. Of course this is a love story, only like ‘Prime’ before it, this is not THE love story, the account of the one and only love of Tom Hansen’s life. Rather, Tom’s brief relationship with Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) is but one of his love stories, and one of the steps along the way to, hopefully, the one lasting relationship of his life. What this film really is is a look backwards and forwards, up and down, at a imperfect relationship (as they all are) and the ways memories and feelings shift and change as we look back on them over time. Every encounter is seen from two sides, but really, as the people involved play them back in their heads, the same sides see things in so many different ways, with elements and tones and moods and intentions constantly floating up into view and sinking down into he shadows. That’s the beauty of this movie. Webb and his screenwriters instill humor and emotion and insight into every minute, and though there are a few moments that might not hold up perfectly, for the most part, they keep this movie firing on all cylinders for its 95 minute runtime. Though Summer’s name apears int the title, this is a story about Tom (played perfectly by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and the important ways in which one relationship and the way he examines its conclusion, shapes the future of his life from that point forward. And like all the best films, this time-shifting, playful little film unfolds so smoothly, so effortlessly, that once it’s over, like a kid, you find yourself trying to regain you balance as you get up and move on with your own life.
The Blu-ray of ‘(500) Days of Summer’ features topnotch video and audio, and a few interesting extras. The commentary starts off strong, but eventually loses steam. Watch the film, then watch it again, and see how differently you see things on each repeat viewing. Pick up a copy.
Julie & Julia
Julie & Julia (2009)
Reviewed by Mike Attebery
Now this was a pleasant surprise! When I first saw the trailers for this film, the account of Julia Child’s life in France, and the parallel tale of cubicle dweller Julie Powell’s attempt to cook each and every recipe from Child’s touchstone work, Mastering The Art of French Cooking, and recount her experiences in her blog, I must admit that I turned to Steph and rolled my eyes. It wasn’t that I’m not a fan of the people involved. Nora Ephron has made some turkeys in her day, but when you have ‘When Harry Met Sally’ on your resume, I can’t help but cut you some slack. A lot of slack. As for Meryl Streep and Amy Adams (who previously worked together in the fantastic film ‘Doubt’), well come on, who could find fault with them?!). No, for some reason the trailer, with Streep chirping and yelping away as she chopped up onions and exclaimed how much she just loves to “EAT(!)” struck me as annoying. After the film had run its course in theaters and eventually hit video,only to receive some positive reviews from people whose opinions I respect, I begrudgingly added the film to our Netflix queue and checked it out. Well, I’ll admit it, I loved it. The Julia Powell storyline did rise a few octaves too high at points, but the portion on Julia Child and the way she handled rejection after rejection as she and her collaborators attempted to find a publisher for their first of its kind cookbook, really hit home with me. Anyone with a creative bone in their body is all too familiar with rejection, and worse, rejection when the person turning you down hasn’t even checked out the work you’ve set before them, but not everyone is capable of handling such setbacks with the class and positive attitude we see Streep’s Child display again and again. Whats more, though again, a couple of moments in the Powell storyline didn’t ring true, (particularly a moment of marital discord that left Steph and I looking at each other and asking, “They call that a fight?!”), the real revelation was the depiction of Julia’s marriage to Paul Child. Talk about a supportive relationship, where as Ephron put it, one waits for the other when they fall behind! We should all be so lucky as to maneuver the challengs of life and love with such aplomb and class.
If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to keep working toward a creative goal. If you’ve ever wondered how a great marriage endures. And if you’ve ever salivated at the thought of boeuf bourguignon, I can’t recommend this movie highly enough. The Blu-ray features sparking video and sound and a few interesting extras. Make sure you’ve prepared a nice meal before you pop this one in the player. Pick up a copy here.