The Men Who Stare At Goats (2009)

Tags

Comedy, Drama, Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, Movie, The Men Who Stare At Goats

hang on a sec...I'm staring...at a, uh...well...a goat.

R

Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey

Lyn: There’s a story that Wong Wa Foo, the great Chinese martial artist, was in a fight with a guy and was beating him.  The guy gave him this light…tap.  Wong looked at him, the guy just nodded…and that was it.  He’d given him the death touch.  Wong died.
Bob: Then and there?
Lyn: No…about 18 years later.  That’s the thing about the Dim Mak, you never know when it’s gonna take effect.

A journalist, Bob (McGregor), stumbles onto a story about a secret U.S. military operation to create super soldiers with various psychic powers.  Bob accompanies Lyn (Clooney), a former member of the secret military project, on a supposed mission into Iraq.

This movie had a lot of potential that it never quite realizes.  It seems like a premise that should have been handed to the Coen Brothers to write and direct.  Heck, with Clooney and Bridges in it, it’s already a step towards being one of their movies anyway.

I suppose the performances are generally good, and there are some well done comedic moments, but the overall energy level is severely lacking, especially at the end.  It’s almost as if they weren’t sure how to end the movie, and they just let it fizzle out.

Clooney’s bizarre stories about the secret psychic program were probably the highlight of the film, especially all his very serious talk about how he was a Jedi.  There’s added comedy in that, considering he was talking to McGregor who played one of the greatest Jedis in Star Wars lore, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

This is one of those cases where the trailer for the movie is funnier than the movie itself.  They pack all the goofier bits into that preview, and it ends up seeming like a high energy, zany comedy.  When spread out over an hour and a half, though, the energy is lost, and we’re left with a plodding story with no real solid narrative or direction.

If I hated this movie, I would make some lame joke about remote viewing and how you should stay very remote from any viewing of this film.  But, I didn’t hate it.  I simply thought it was just okay.  Not good enough to get too PSYCHed about.  Get it?   Psyched…like psychic…like in the mov- never mind, it’s funny.  I’m funny.  You know it’s true.

Apparently there is no statute of limitations on the Dim Mak (aka Death Touch).

10 – 2 for lack of energy – 1 for weak storytelling – 1 for sparse comedy = 6.0

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Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Tags

Animated, Bill Murray, Comedy, Eric Anderson, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Fantasy, George Clooney, Jason Schwartzman, Meryl Streep, Movie

what do you mean? I'm not badgering you about th-...oh, I see...you're making a joke...

PG

George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Eric Anderson

Mr. Fox: Wake up everybody!  They’re digging us out!
Mrs. Fox: They’ll kill the children!
Mr. Fox: Over my dead body!
Mrs. Fox: That’s what I’m saying!  You’d be dead too in that scenario!

Mr. Fox (Clooney) is an expert chicken stealer.  He promises his wife (Streep) that after their son is born, he’ll leave that dangerous life behind, but a few years later he’s back to his thieving ways.  This brings trouble down on his family and friends.  Can the Fantastic Mr. Fox outsmart the human farmers he’s been stealing from, or will they manage to finally kill him?

Do you like Wes Anderson movies?  Do you enjoy deadpan, dry humor?  Do you like characters that are mean to each other, but in a sort of sweet way?  Characters that are self-centered, but eventually learn to think about others first?  Those are the kinds of things you’ll see in Wes Anderson movies, along with good – usually older – music.  That’s all present in Fantastic Mr. Fox, and it all works well for the most part.

I thought the movie lost a little steam towards the end, but it’s still funny enough throughout for me to like it quite a bit.  The voice work by the leads is good, but not outstanding, though I thought Schwartzman, as Mr. Fox’s son, Ash, may have fared the best.  Poor little Ash is constantly trying to be noticed and impress his father.  When his cousin, Kristofferson (Anderson), comes to live with the Fox family, he immediately impresses Mr. Fox, which angers Ash even more.

It’s really just your typical Wes Anderson type story, featuring a group or family of misfits, who initially don’t get along too well, that must deal with adversity by growing closer.  It just happens to be told in the form of stop motion animation.  It’s not the smoothest animation in the world, but that’s by design I assume.  It gives the movie a strange feel, but that’s okay, it’s a strange story.

To answer my own question up above, I do like Wes Anderson movies.  I like the angry, but willing to change, characters.  I like the soundtracks (great use of Beach Boys music in this one).  I like the humor.

While this one is not yet one of my top 3 favorites of his, I do plan on seeing it again soon.

To kill a chicken, you want to do it quickly, with one swift bite to the neck.

10 – 1.7 for losing some steam in the last third of the movie – .5 because some of the voice work just seemed a little off for some reason = 7.8

Up in the Air (2009)

Tags

Anna Kendrick, Comedy, Drama, George Clooney, Jason Bateman, Movie, Romance, Up in the Air, Vera Farmiga

hahahaha...sorry, it's just funny to say...Farmiga! ahahahahaha

R

George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman

Alex: I’m a sucker for simulated hospitality.

Ryan Bingham (Clooney) spends most of his life flying from city to city, firing people for companies who, as Ryan says…well, aren’t brave enough to do it themselves.  When his loner lifestyle is threatened by new technology that won’t require him to fire people face to face, Ryan takes the young developer of this technology, Natalie (Kendrick), on the road with him.

Finally a movie that lived up to the hype.

There’s nothing much new about the idea of a character that lives an isolated life, devoid of any deep, solid relationships having their life invaded by somebody who breaks down their walls and shows them that there’s some worth in close relationships.  But, if you take a familiar story, tell it well, and throw in a bit of a twist on it, you can have yourself a fine little movie.

It also helps if you can get good performances from the actors involved, and that’s the case across the board here.  Clooney and Farmiga are particularly good, but Kendrick holds her own with them too.  Bateman’s not doing anything he hasn’t done before, but he’s funny and likable as always.  Then there’s the myriad of other small parts featuring people like J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifianakis, Melanie Lynskey, Sam Elliot, and Danny McBride.  They’re all good.

The more I think about this movie, the more I’m torn on which character’s line of thinking I’m in agreement with.  Obviously having close relationships is important, but the hypothetical backpack (which contains the weight of all your possessions and relationships) Ryan keeps referring to is awfully tempting to lay aside at times.  It can weigh you down.  Ryan’s main goal in life is acquiring frequent flier miles.  For him, moving is living.  Even if he’s not moving towards any destination in particular.  As he grows closer to Alex (Farmiga), a woman he meets in an airport, you start to see a possible desire to maybe grow roots.  Maybe.  But by the end…well, as I said, I left being a bit torn…

This and Juno are the only movies I’ve seen that were directed by Jason Reitman (still need to see Thank You for Smoking), but I’m fast becoming a fan of his style.  It’s fun and creative and amusing without being overbearing or cutesy.  The editing, direction, and music add nice touches to both Juno and Up in the Air, but Reitman lets the actors carry both films.

It’s odd to leave a film feeling both depressed and simultaneously uplifted, but that’s how I felt after this one.  I think that’s another sign of a good movie.  It doesn’t tie everything up neatly with a bow on top, and it leaves you with questions on your mind.  Sort of like how the various characters we see getting fired leave their meeting feeling.  Depressed, wondering what’s next, but maybe also feeling some hope for a new beginning.

When going through airport security, always get behind the Asian people.

10 – .5 because yeah, the lonely isolated guy thing is not that original a concept – .6 for a little bit of a slow beginning = 8.9

Burn After Reading (2008)

Tags

Brad Pitt, Burn After Reading, Comedy, Drama, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich, Movie, Tilda Swinton

oooops...oh well...guess we'll have to take the S off the end of Coen Brothers now...

R

George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton

Osbourne: You’re the guy at the gym when I asked about that moronic woman.
Ted: She’s not a moron.
Osbourne: You’re in league with that moronic woman!  You’re part of a league of morons!

Gym employees Linda (McDormand) and Chad (Pitt) discover a disc which seemingly contains top secret government files and attempt to blackmail the former agent, Osbourne Cox (Malkovich), who they believe lost the files.  Meanwhile, the married Harry Pfarrer (Clooney) is having affairs with Linda and Cox’s wife, Katie (Swinton).  There are more complications, but I won’t bother to go into them.

I have a feeling that this is one of those stories that looked really good and clever on paper but didn’t quite translate so well to film.  Though, I must admit that I sort of enjoyed it.

This was my second time seeing it, and my reaction was the same both times.  I like the actors involved, it’s short and easy to watch, and I laughed several times throughout.  The brief appearances by J.K. Simmons are some of my favorite moments.  He’s always dependable.

I also like how the Coen Brothers tend to add such drama and seriousness to smaller stories about random people.  It’s similar to Fargo in that regard, but not as a good a movie.

The problem here is that the movie gets a little too convoluted and plot-heavy for its own good.  There are multiple affairs going on, every character seems to have somebody trailing them for one reason or another, and the blackmail story line wears out its welcome pretty fast.  Though, I do like that the reason Linda is so adamant about making it work is that she needs money for a bunch of body improving surgeries.  Essentially, her self-image issues lead to the deaths of quite a few people.

As I mentioned before, it’s an easy movie to watch, even if it’s not one of the Coens’ best.  I think it should have just eased up on all the plot developments and slowed down and appreciated itself a little bit.

Learn to be okay with yourself…lives may depend on it.

10 – 2 for the complicated/convoluted plot – .4 for a couple characters that weren’t so great – .6 for fizzling out at the end a little = 7.0