Pecker

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John Waters does…. a John Waters movie. I don’t know whether these movies are good or just a bunch of crap. I suppose they’re their own genre, so what can I say? This one is a little more “normal” than most John Waters movies, but it has the same elements: a straightforward although wacko story, overblown (intentionally?) characters, homosexual overtones… My favorite scene in the movie was the “teabag incident” at the very end. The one character gets his teabag, everyone stops for just an instant… looking for a reaction, then they all start dancing/partying again all at once. A brilliant 5 seconds of film.

 

Pearl Harbor

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Probably the most marketing-oriented movie I’ve ever seen – Something for women + something for the men = big bucks! It’s like they were trying to make another Titanic or something. It was entertaining, but the whole end-thing was a bit much. Apparently that did actually happen, but I was watching the movie just waiting for the one guy to die dramatically – it was the only way to make everyone happy. They could have squished the plot a little bit and made a better and shorter movie. (he could have died at pearl harbor instead)

 

Pay it Forward

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Sure, it’s a feel-good movie with a difficult to believe premise, but I liked it because it didn’t slide into the realm of ridiculousness. It wasn’t really as much about the “pay it forward” concept as it was a love story. There were a few eye-rolling bits though – the suicide on the bridge scene & the ending… but that’s forgivable. It would have been so easy to have made this a really silly movie… which is what I expected, but didn’t find.

 

Oyster Farmer

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I almost gave up on this movie halfway through. I didn’t like any of the characters, and the plot wasn’t going anywhere. But, it did get a better in the second half… I’m not sure if I’d recommend it or not. If you want to see a movie about some oyster farmers in rural Australia, learn about their problems, and spice it up with a little crime and sex… maybe it’s for you?

Over the Hedge

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Urban sprawl is eating the soul of this nation, and this movie is telling kids it’s all OK – we can just co-exist. Ya, well what about the roadkill, and pesticides, and that scourge of suburbia – the completely antiseptic, unnatural and dead “green lawn” (I could go on and on about how I hate the concept of lawns). This movie would have been much better as a full-on tradgedy.

 

Osama

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Tragic story set in the time of the Taliban about an Afghan girl who pretends to be a boy just so she can earn some money for food (don’t hold out hope for a happy hollywood ending). This movie portrays such a desparate & hopeless situation… though I guess there is some hope just in the fact that the movie did indeed get made. Now, if there is just some way to get everyone to see it…

 

One Hour Photo

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Nearly perverted & nearly freaky… I was actually quite happy that the movie didn’t end with a bloodbath. Strange how a mellow ending can be a surprise ending. I really liked the set they created for the Walmart-lookalike store though, almost more like a medical lab. One thing though, I thought the photos the woman took were too well-done for her character – they were obviously done by a professional photographer, who was probably too proud to take mediocore photos… or just didn’t think of it.

 

On a Clear Day

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A guy gets laid-off from his job & finds a new purpose by swimming the English channel. Along the way, he confronts other personal demons and inspires those around him to confront their issues as well. By the end, everyone is crying, smiling, and wet. This wasn’t as sappy as I thought it’d be (well, at least until the end) – there was actually some interesting directing, and there were some decent scenes. But the story & writing seemed a bit contrived & formulaic at times – there really weren’t any surprises throughout. But, I’m not sure what really could have happened to fix that – it’s not like they could throw-in a bank robbery or car chase for flair. It was a fine diversion if you want to be uplifted and have a couple hours to kill.

 

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

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A thoroughly entertaining film with a great sountrack. Apparently, it’s a 1930’s take on the Odessey – yes, the old geek story (I mean gReek story). A trio of prisoners escape a chain gang to find some hidden treasure… or maybe not. The movie is all about their encounters with strange characters along the way (all parallels from the Odessey). Good stuff from start to finish.

 

Office Space

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If you work in an office, this movie should make you laugh. If it doesn’t, then you have serious problems – get help. Alas, the movie did lose some of its steam toward the end… The best part of the movie was the general feel of it (characters, setting, some scenes, etc), not the overall plot. So don’t expect a masterpiece, just a bunch of entertaining bits.