Cloverfield (mini-review)

Cloverfield
85 minutes
PG-13

This movie is a non stop thrill ride. It's a Godzilla rip off, which in itself is not a problem. Cloverfield was full of cinematic gimmicks and trickery. It sucks you in, even though it's completely hollow. After the film ends, you are left with an empty feeling, a feeling we are all too familiar with, like after watching Micheal Bay's ejaculate on celluloid (Transformers). It would be unconscionable to recommend this movie to your worst enemy.

Final Verdict: 12 out of a possible 100

First Sunday

First Sunday

PG-13

Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan

98 minutes

Ice Cube (Durell) and Tracy Morgan (Lee John) decide to rob a church out of sixty-four thousand dollars because... well it's not really that important why, they need the money. They break in at night thinking no one is there, but the deacon catches them red-handed, breaking into the safe. Eventually the entire church is held hostage. From all this one can only assume hilarity ensues.

This is one of those 'better than you expect' comedies that typically comes out in January. These movies are actually better than you expect, the problem is the bar was set pretty low to begin with. Case in point, Kangaroo Jack came out at this time about five years ago, and it was indeed better than I expected, but I digress.

The humor was fairly low brow, and the one-liners where hit and miss (mostly  miss), yet I couldn't help but chuckle throughout the film. It almost seemed like they were making fun of the whole 'bad urban comedy' genre. I had no problems with Ice Cube, but Tracy Morgan's performance seemed rather restrained and perfunctory. The movie is not without its charm though, the story made sense, some subtle social commentary was present; the more dramatic elements of the movie are done quite well, enough to make you really feel for the characters.

First Sunday is not god awful, it's a little bit better, I would rate it at slightly better than medicore. If this type of movie suits your fancy, buy it when it comes out on dvd (used), but don't embarrass yourself by displaying it prominently on your movie shelf.

Final Verdict: 65 out of a possible 100

Side note: a couple actors from the television program, Boston Public are in this movie. Guess which ones, you may be surprised.

The Orphanage

The Orphanage (Orfanato, El )
100 minutes
Spanish with English subtitles
Limited Release (currently)
Rated R

Takes place in Spain, begins with a girl (Laura) playing outside with several other children at an orphanage. Thirty years later, that woman is living in the former orphanage with her husband (Carlos) and an adopted boy (Simon). They adopted the child as an infant, knowing he has a life threatening illness. He has a wild imagination and loves playing games, gradually his antics become more annoying. Soon as the Laura starts to realize how real and haunting these games actually are, the boy disappears. Fliers are posted all over Spain, but he has vanished without a trace. This is where the story takes off, and the parents employ a less orthodox approach in the search for their son.

Guillermo del Toro produces another fine movie, quite easily on par with his earlier film, Pan's Labyrinth. We should look forward to many more quality films from this director. The color, soundtrack, and essentially, the overall ambiance of the film, make for one genuinely frightening movie. Not one moment of wasted celluloid, every character and scene had its place within the story.  Unlike most suspense films, this one had a satisfying ending, but enough of The Orphanage is kept a mystery to leave the viewer with their imagination intact.

Final Verdict: 94 out of a possible 100

Sidenote: My reviews are based in the context of their respective genre.
Look foward to a review of First Sunday next week

The Great Debaters

THE GREAT DEBATERS

The Great Debaters is based on a true story of a black high school debate team, which eventually goes on to challenge the Harvard debate team. At various points of the film I experienced déjà vu because huge chunks of the movie seemed to be borrowed from other black civil rights movies (e.g. Mississippi Burning). Denzel Washington makes one of his trademark, self-righteous speeches. The plot lacked soul and is filled with psedointellectual garbage. Any adversity the characters had to overcome was unrealistic or purely gratuitous. All the characters are multi-dimensional, which saves the movie from being a complete disaster. Forrest Whitaker, and Denzel Washington gave stellar performances. No one else really stood out. Jurnee Smollett has a dreadfully irritating southern accent, reminiscent of Jasmine Guy on the television program A Different World. In short, The Great Debaters is on par with a solid made-for-TV movie, which is why I would wait until it comes out on TNT before watching it.

Final Verdict: 67 out of a possible 100