Martin's Musings

In the new film Inglourious Basterds, writer/director Quentin Tarantino offers up a revenge fantasy that I can totally identify with: dorky-looking Jewish guys killing Nazis.

And sure enough, when Adolph Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, and hundreds of Germans get what’s coming to them in the same brutal style that they have shown millions of other innocent people, it’s a cool thrill.

Still, the movie itself leaves a bit to be desired, so the fantasy never quite feels complete.

And as a result, Inglourious Basterds is a bit of a disappointment. Continue reading →

In the kind-of annoying trifle Paper Heart, comedian Charlyne Yi (who you might remember from Knocked Up) plays herself in a mock documentary about love.

She claims she doesn’t believe in it, and so she heads off with her director and friend Nick Jasenovec to interview random folks across the country about why they believe in it.

Along the way, she meets and develops a not-love (or is it?) relationship with Michael Cera. Sounds cute enough, but the film actually shares quite a bit of fakery with other mockumentaries, such as Sasha Baron Cohen’s Borat or Bruno. Continue reading →

They’re two of those unfortunate truisms about show business: funny people always want to be taken seriously, and when the cameras are off and the crowds have gone home, those same people who make us laugh are often very unhappy people.

Trying to understand the off-stage life of stand-up comics has been a longtime fascination of movies and television, and with the exception of Seinfeld, I can’t think of too many other movies or TV shows that have been as funny when the comic wasn’t performing. (Punchline, anyone?)

The latest such portrait, Funny People, continues this idea. Continue reading →

Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat was so over-the-top good that his next film was bound to pale by comparison.

Which is not to say that Bruno isn’t funny or worth seeing; on both counts it is.

But there’s something about it that feels very “been there, done that,” and most of the movie is maybe even a little too over the top to be believable in the same way that Borat was.

And that’s why I was a bit disappointed. Continue reading →

Because I see a lot of movies, people often ask me what they should see. Well, it’s now halfway through 2009, and so far I’ve only seen 19 films. (By comparison, last year at this time I had seen 23.) Of those 19, there are four that I’ve given a grade of A or A– to: Two Lovers, The Girlfriend Experience, Star Trek, and Up. (Last year there were none.) So, next time you’re looking for a good rental or trying to decide what to see in the theater, pick one of those four titles.

During the Great Depression, John Dillinger gained national attention for his thrilling bank robberies. Hailed as a modern-day Robin Hood, Dillinger was slick, suave, and cool, and the media, while covering his violent crimes, also augmented his legend. Dillinger took money from the banks, but respected the common people, who were hurting financially. And despite the public’s love for his exploits, Dillinger hid from the feds right in plain sight. Michael Mann’s Public Enemies details the attempts by FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to capture Dillinger (Johnny Depp), and romanticizes the high-style life that Dillinger lived and the excitement of his robberies — with Dillinger often leaping over the counter and getting away from police by narrow margins. The movie is elegantly filmed at times, thrillingly told at others, and quite muscular in sound, what with all the heavy gunfire. It even has a heavy dose of authenticity, since much of it was filmed in the same locales the real-life Dillinger had visited.

If only the movie had more dramatic tension. Unlike some of Mann’s other films (like Heat and The Insider), the mano-a-mano just isn’t as compelling here. Depp, with his charisma, his confidence, and his charm pretty much runs away with the movie, and Bale never quite measures up as a worthy opponent. Even Oscar winner Marion Cotillard feels wasted in the thankless girlfriend role. In addition, there’s not enough character development, so as a result, we get to watch some cool robbery scenes, some good chases, and some fun prison breaks, but there’s not much more to the film, no real arc that makes us invest more in Dillinger and feel a sense of loss when he does eventually meet his end. I’m only going to give Public Enemies a B, because Depp’s always great fun to watch, but it’s a crime that this film doesn’t really make good on its promise.

No doubt the title of the new film (500) Days of Summer (which hits theaters in mid-July) has to sound like a bit of a fantasy for all of us here in Boston, where it’s been a pretty bad summer so far weather-wise, what with the rain and cooler temperatures that have lasted into late June.

The tough news to share is that this movie does not offer sunshine and warmth; it’s actually a bit of a cold shoulder.

But the good news is that should the weather stay miserable, (500) Days offers a decent alternative to walking around town with an umbrella. Continue reading →

It’s just another day in New York City when the message comes in that a subway car has been taken hostage.

And so begins The Taking of Pelham 123, a remake of the 1974 film that starred Walter Matthau.

In this update, Denzel Washington is subway dispatcher Walter Garber, and John Travolta is the mastermind behind the crime, a man who identifies himself only as “Ryder.” Also in a high-profile role is James Gandolfini, who plays the lame duck mayor and at one point says he won’t call a press conference because “I’m not running for president. I left my Giuliani suit at home.” Continue reading →