quick hits

ive been watching a ton of movies lately, so i figured id do a quick fire review of some of them:


'bourne ultimatum': really good! this was a satisfying end to a consistently good trilogy. the action was insane, and the twists and turns along the way were very satisfying. its always an amazing thing when a series can start strong, and end even stronger. the questions raised in the first two are neatly tied up in this one, and done in such a manic style that it kept the immediacy and tension the whole way through. my only complaint is that by the end it seems that borne has turned into an invulnerable superman. does this man never get hurt?!?


'say anything...': though it pains me to say this, being a john cusack fan, this movie is rather lame. the pacing is poor, and the characters do not follow any sort of clear motivation. i had never seen this one before, so i cant rely on a nostalgia factor like most people. the characters were not real, and they acted more like they were in some strange stilted theater production than actual high school kids. disappointing.


'pathfinder': a unique tale about a viking boy left for dead in the new world. it mostly deals with finding a place with those that are different than you and coming to terms with where you came from. actually, it mostly deals with swords and axes. a bloody action movie that actually has some pretty cool action in it. when it was released it got a bum rap because it came out a week or two after '300', and tried to do similar things with its action scenes. not as successfully, but still a story i havent seen before.


'hot fuzz': this one was a treat. its a buddy cop movie from the guys that did 'sean of the dead'. needless to say, its quite funny (i do love british humor) and never falls into the cheesy spoof category. there are some really great homages to other american movies, but it certainly stands on its own. my one qualm- there are about 3 or 4 endings that make the film feel longer than it is.

'contract': sorry to be dogging john cusack again, but this one stunk. jeffry lee and i have a habit of renting straight-to-video movies based on cover art or who is in them. we figured 'cusack and morgan freeman? what could possibly go wrong?' well, turns out, a lot. the movie was generic and uninspired. i always wonder what caught the attention of such good actors to such a mediocre film?



'daniel tosh: completely serious': i dont know what exactly it is i like so much about this off-color comedian, but i love it! this is the full length stand-up concert video of what was shown on comedy central a couple months ago that first got me into him. his routine is hilarious in its blatant offensiveness. oh, but it hurts so good...

tmnt

dont let its categorization fool you- this is much more than a childrens movie. i saw this one in the theater in the spring, and recently got the dvd and watched it again. and boy, am i impressed! this movie is a lot better than it needed to be- it could have been just a basic retread of the old cartoons, but instead it is a well-crafted thoughtful examination of what it means to be a family and a friend.

the story picks up a few years after where the first live action movie left us. the turtles have, in a way, all gone their own separate directions and have lost touch with their dreams of being heroes. due to the recent appearance of strange monsters and ancient statues, they are required to step back into action. they arent quite ready for it, and must relearn how to work together as a team. there are some really great moments of character development which are surprisingly touching and honest. the animation is very stylized, and the camera shots and framing are creative and impressive. one scene in particular, a rooftop battle between leonardo and the night watcher is both strikingly beautiful, and emotionally powerful. by the end of the film the turtles, casey jones and april, as well as the 'bad' guy, have all taken an important personal journey.

this is one of the rare animated movies that actually left me pondering some of its ideas for quite a while after the credits rolled.