REVIEW: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End [2007]

“Oooo, a peanut” I will preface this review by saying if you did not enjoy the first two Pirates movies, you shouldn’t be seeing the third. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is the final part of a very cohesive trilogy. There are no recaps between the films; they consist of a single story that is to be followed part by part. You must watch the first movie to be introduced to our heroes and supporting players because it is their actions here that make them the people they…

Read More

REVIEW: Waitress [2007]

“I’m happy enough” I’m not sure whether my wanting to see Waitress was due to its off-kilter humor, shown via its trailer, or because of the horrible tragedy surrounding writer/director/supporting actress Adrienne Shelly. Her murder definitely overshadows the dreamlike comedy she has left behind as her final foray in Hollywood. This is a tale of a poor girl dragging through life, desperately looking for a way out. As far as style goes, I can only think of Edward Scissorhands as having the same hyper-real environment filled with quirky characters and…

Read More

REVIEW: The 40 Year Old Virgin [2005]

“You know how I know you’re gay?” I will preface this review by saying I have never been the biggest Steve Carell fan. I love his bit parts, but seeing him in a lead role after having a start on “The Daily Show” rubbed me the wrong way. Believing that I would hate his writing/lead role debut as much as I do Will Ferrell’s multiple attempts, I shied away from checking the film out. Being that director Judd Apatow’s sophomore film Knocked Up is hitting theatres this Friday, I decided…

Read More

REVIEW: Away From Her [2007]

“Something delicious in oblivion” Canadian actress Sarah Polley has crafted a tale about love in the midst of great adversity by adapting a short story into her new film Away From Her. I have been a fan of hers, acting-wise, for a few years now since Go, and was pleasantly surprised to see that she had written and directed a film garnering a lot of good buzz. What she tells here is a story about an older couple grappling with the wife’s slow deterioration from Alzheimer’s. Although there is little…

Read More

REVIEW: 28 Weeks Later [2007]

“Code Red” This was definitely a film that I didn’t see any necessity for. 28 Days Later was a fantastic genre film whose main success was not really being the film people expected it to be. What worked there was that we were able to wake up into the world just as our main character did. We experience the disorientation and the horror right along with him, as well as the humanity still within him having missed the original outbreak—unlike the disheartened and beaten comrades he meets along the way.…

Read More

REVIEW: 28 Days Later [2002]

“That was longer than a heartbeat” In anticipation for the sequel 28 Weeks Later, I decided to revisit the superb zombie entry 28 Days Later from director Danny Boyle. I remember back to when I first started hearing the buzz about this film and how surprised I was that it came from the guy who brought us Trainspotting and A Life Less Ordinary. However, because this was the guy who made those films, I decided to give it a try despite not being the biggest fan of zombie flicks or…

Read More

REVIEW: The Squid and the Whale [2005]

“The filet of the neighborhood” I have yet to see Noah Baumbach’s debut film Kicking and Screaming, but I can only hope it shows the sarcastic wit and heart that his later effort The Squid and the Whale does. What is supposed to be a very personal story that mirrors his life growing up with his intellectual writer father and misfit family, really hits all its marks. While a film like Running with Scissors fails because its comedy is at the expense of flawed characters, Baumbach’s film succeeds because its…

Read More

REVIEW: Paris, je t’aime [Paris, I Love You] [2006]

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the short film anthology Paris, je t’aime [Paris, I Love You] for a long time. Once I heard of the project it really interested me as something that could be amazing, with some enormous talent attached. To my disappointment, I read about the finished shorts and how good they were, but alas no release date stateside for the entire experience. It will eventually come to the US (limited early May, Buffalo? Maybe), however, I could wait no longer and made the purchase…

Read More

REVIEW: The Wind That Shakes the Barley [2006]

“I try to get out and can’t” Very few war movies will actually give you an insight into the men and the ideas that are being fought for. Usually we will be shown carnage and battle or at least, amidst the strive, a substory about soldiers rallying together in order to save someone. Some of my favorites include the classic Gettysburg. Here is a film about civil war and brother against brother, ideal vs ideal. We are given amazing fight scenes with rifles that have one shot apiece yet often…

Read More

REVIEW: Diggers [2006]

“Marble or wood?” I often wondered, after seeing “Reno 911” and the other TV/movies done by the Michael Ian Black part of MTV’s “The State,” what had happened to Ken Marino? Sure he was in a couple bit parts with “Reno,” but never a regular with any of the future endeavors by his old comedy troupe. Thanks to HDNet Films, Marino has been brought into the film world with his writing debut Diggers. This film is a drama to its core, yet also one of the funniest movies I have…

Read More

REVIEW: Spider-Man 3 [2007]

“I’d give my life for them” So here it is, the final piece to the Raimi/Maguire trilogy of superheroes and love conquering all. The first two installments in the franchise helped rejuvenate the comic book movie, making them be taken seriously and showing that a little imagination surrounded by the real world could create suspense, action, and heart. Spider-Man 3 had a lot of expectations to live up to, and not just to be cohesive and complete with three villains and a couple new faces on the side. I know…

Read More