Public Enemies – 3 out of 5 – Michael Mann’s gangster film about the Great Depression outlaw John Dillinger may be called an epic by some. To me, it was just a tad bit too long. Plenty of loud shootouts were mixed with quiet dialogue (I hate to have to “rewind” and turn on the subtitles). And it was difficult at times to distinguish the criminals from the feds; they all dressed the same. And there’s no real character development. Despite all this, Johnny Depp is convincing as Dillinger. I think Mann’s Heat is a much better crime drama.
Gran Torino – 5 out of 5 – A cranky old man takes on some “boyz n the hood”. Clint Eastwood is outstanding as Walt Kowalski, an angry, retired widower who’s alienated from his family and despises the Asian immigrants who’ve taken over his neighborhood. A relationship then develops between Walt and the Hmong family next door after a gang incident pits Walt right in the middle. I cannot believe this film was left out of the Oscar race in 2009.
The Day After Tomorrow – 3 out of 5 – When this first came out 6 years ago, I called this Independence Day with weather instead of aliens. I chose not to see it based on that. I finally watched it Friday night. Impressive special effects make up for the dull, predictable story. But what gets me the most is the reality that this can happen.
Saturday was Day 2 of AMC’s Best Picture Showcase. Daniel, however, was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict at work. I met my friend and his sister at the First Watch restaurant for breakfast in Chesterfield. I had myself a Far West omelette; pretty tasty, and if I may add, no upset stomach this week.
Read more…
After the announcement was made that the Academy Awards would have 10 Best Picture nominees this year, there was speculation on whether AMC Theaters would continue their Best Picture Showcase. Well, I’m happy to see they are; they decided to show the 10 films over the span of 2 Saturdays. Yesterday, I took Daniel and his friend to the theaters in Chesterfield Mall. In previous years, we’ve gone to the AMC in West Olive; the folks there have always done a great job. But we chose Chesterfield based on the movie schedule; the mall also provides us with a food court, which was a nice bonus.
Read more…
If you want to try Netflix, get a free month trial here. Offer expires on 10/31/09!
Knowing – 3 out of 5 – this sci-fi thriller stars Nicolas Cage as a professor whose son comes upon a list of numbers obtained from a time capsule buried 50 years ago. After a closer look, he determines the numbers are predictions of actual disasters that have happened since the list’s creation, and there are more that have yet to occur. A great story that took us for a ride. Plenty of great special effects (especially the New York sequence). Would’ve given 4 stars, but CL and I felt gypped by the end.
