Dogtooth (Kynodontas)

Release Year: 2009

Director: Giorgos Lanthimos

Review:  It is a cruel world full of degenerates, corrupting youth and destroying morality. Or at least that’s the fear of many parents as their children interact with the world outside of their control. Most see this as a necessary evil that their children must overcome. In ‘Dogtooth’, a Greek film by director Yorgos Lanthimos, two parents decide to take matters into their own hands and confine their three children to their house, barring them from any contact with the outside world. Everything that comes into the house is carefully monitored and the, now teenage, children have no idea that their situation is abnormal or have any idea of what life is like outside of their compound.  

The premise is brilliant. The parents create a world all their own for the children, creating their own rules for life and manipulating their children’s behavior to conform to what they feel is ideal. Their day-to-day interactions, and simply their goals in life are carefully crafted to ensure that the children never go beyond the fence around their yard. While the idea of filtering the world from their children may have come from a place of love, and it is clear that they love their children, their imprisonment is closer to torture and is disturbing to watch. Rather than forming exceptional young adults, the family is raising brainwashed zombies in the shells of humans.

While ‘Dogtooth’ is undeniable a fascinating conversation piece, as a film I thought it fell short. There are interesting, unsettling and thought provoking scenes which only highlight how great it could have been. Very rarely did I feel a scene capitalized on the premise it was conveying. There was so much that could have been done, and it felt like only the bare minimum was ever explored. I may be criticizing it more harshly than normal, as I was so enamored with the concept, and was hooked early on, only to be completely under whelmed with the execution.

Rating: 3/5

The Art of the Steal

Release Year: 2009

Director: Don Argott

Review: The art world isn't something I follow too closely.  I enjoy it, but its never anything I get too heated about.  The 'theft' of the Barnes Art Collection would fly completely under my radar even if it were making national headlines.  The film chronicles the efforts to forgo Albert Barnes's will and relocate the prestigious art collection from the suburbs to Philadelphia.  A move which they claim goes directly against Barnes's wishes, and is a deliberate attempt to steal the collection.

It is clear that the people who made this film are passionate about their cause and it's easy to understand their frustration.  Unfortunately where the film fails is making me feel that same passion.  Barnes was never too keen on making his art open to the public.  He and the foundation seem to turn their nose up to the general, art naive, museum goer.  It's only when the foundation became desperate for money that they really started letting people in.  So already I'm not being won over with their attitude on sharing art.  However, if there was a strong legal or ethical breech then I could get behind the plight of the Barnes Foundation.  The problem is that it takes a lot of money to properly house such a collection.  This is money that the foundation does not have.  If they expect the government to foot the bill to ensure the preservation of the art then its only reasonable that its in a location where more money can be brought in to help support it.  Its too bad that Barnes's will isn't being upheld, but if the money isn't there, then changes need to be made.  At least more people get view the paintings and, despite Barnes's view, I can't see how this is a bad thing.
Rating: 2.5/5

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Release Year: 2009

Director: Phil Lord and Chris Miller

Review: I grew up reading the book, but held off watching the movie for a while because I didn't see how the premise could translate well to the screen.  In the book the plot is simple.  There is a town where it rains food, and this eventually leads to some problems.  To make this exciting and viable for a full length movie, there had to be a bit more stuffed in.  Enter a dysfunctional inventor and his strained relationship with his father and a crush on the weather woman.  Everything seems to be turning around for the accident prone tinkerer when he invents a machine which makes it rain food.  It's going great until the machine gets out of control and threatens to destroy the whole world.

The plot is a little over the top and far reaching.  Considering there seems to be very little stakes the entire film, it never really works as a disaster type movie, which is the plot arch.  To be fair, its going for more a spoof, but it felt a little half hearted since they ask you to buy into meaningful relationships.  If I'm going to buy into a spoof, then don't try to hook me in emotionally.  It just doesn't work.  Where it does work however, is the effects and imagination of the actual food storms.  The meat of the book is what saves the film.  Playing very much like a Looney Toons cartoon, nothing is taken too seriously..  at least not until the end.  There are countless sight gags which wink at the audience.  The premise is where the movie shines, but it loses track trying to retrofit an action plot.  All the same, its a good time and encourages the audience to have fun with the material.
Rating: 3/5

17 Again

Release Year: 2009

Director: Burr Steers

Review:  Every once in a blue moon a quality family friendly, studio created, comedy gets made.  This is the mark '17 Again' hits.  It's a solid comedy, with genuine heart.  Zac Efron stars as Mike, a middle age man who gave up his basketball dreams to start a family, something he has never been able to fully come to terms with.  After getting separated from his wife, he is given the chance to start fresh as a teenager and try again.

 

The 'grown up magically being transported back to youth' thing has been done many times before, but really, what does it matter?  It's a fine plot device to explore aging, and usually generates plenty of comedy.  What I like most is that Mike is a good guy.  So many times I'm forced to root for characters who are generally bad people and who make terrible choices in their lives.  In this case, while he may be flawed, Mike doesn't do awful things.  He is a genuinely nice guy, who had to make tough choices in his life.  That's someone I can get behind, and am interested in exploring what the consequences of his decisions are, and whether they were worth it.  It's a great hook, and feeds into thoughtful commentary.

Not everything works.  Thomas Lennon is a great comedic actor, and he does well in his role, but his character the 'uber nerd' is a little over done and got a bit tired by the end.  And am I really supposed to by that Zac Efron turns into Matthew Perry in 20 years?  These are minor gripes however.  Efron does a fine job playing a fairly complex role.  The movie goes some interesting places, but manages to stay light and in it's genre.  It was a pleasant surprise when it so easily could have been the standard drivel.

Rating: 3.5/5



Sherlock Holmes

Release Year: 2009

Director: Guy Ritchie

Review:  A somewhat more faithful take on the Holmes character.  The film plays out much like one would expect from a Holmes story.  A whole lot of mystery that gradually gets weeded down and revealed by Holmes in the final act.  The actual mystery itself is fair enough, what really matters is how it is told.  This is ultimately where things fall apart.  We know going in what to expect out of the movie, so just having a twist at the end doesn't save a weak narrative.

There were plenty of visually stunning sequences and action packed moments.  Guy Ritchie's highly stylized approach work well in a few scenes, and definitely were the highlight of the movie.  The problem is the movie really wasn't that entertaining moment to moment.  Robert Downey Jr. was difficult to understand with his accent and seemed to be mumbling over lines.  The dialog was not as witty as it is intended to be, and most of the humor falls through completely.  The length of the movie did not help its cause, and I wanted it to wrap itself up well shy of the third act.  I liked the direction it was going for, but it just didn't pop like I wanted it to.
Rating: 2.5/5

Bride Wars

Release Year: 2009

Director: Gary Winick

Review:  Full disclosure: as a male I'm probably not the core demographic for this movie.  That being said, this is still a terrible film.  We all know the familiar fantasy of little girls and their weddings.  In this case Emma(Anne Hathaway) and Liv(Kate Hudson) are best friends who have been planning their wedding at New York Cities famous Plaza Hotel since they were six years old.  It just so happens they get engaged at the same time, and because of a clerical mistake both are booked to have their weddings at the hotel at the same day with no chance at a different date.  Neither one is about to give up their dream wedding, and instead resort to sabotage to try and get back at the other one.  It's a charming tale of two women so self absorbed that they are willing to destroy a life long friendship over a wedding venue.

I realize that weddings are important, but the lengths these two supposed friends go to to ensure the perfect wedding is just disturbing.  Rather than actually paying any attention to their spouses wishes they only care about what they want.  Completely caught up with their own shallow desires, they are cruel and vicious to one another to the point where I can't understand how they were ever friends.  It wasn't enjoyable watching two shallow, self-centered characters, essentially have a tantrum for the entire movie.  There is little redeemable from this mess, and any moral lessons the film does impart are not earned.
Rating: 1.5/5



Youth in Revolt

Release Year: 2009

Director: Miguel Arteta

Review:  A film which finds another reason for a role that is all too familiar for Michael Cera.  You have the loser, Cera of course, who is after the girl way out of his league.  In order to be with her, he must be bad and take risks, something he is completely unable to do without creating an alternative persona.  This is pretty much just another variation on countless other teen comedies.  I know this is based on a book, but the plot doesn't scream originality.  The premise at least allows Cera to exercise his acting chops somewhat and break out of his typecast.

 

The alter-ego Francois actually plays a much lesser role than I expected, which is a good thing.  The bad mustache and cigarette seemed a little too uncomfortable for Cera.  The dialog is unique in that its very straightforward and direct.  The problem is that its also very affected feeling and was a bit off putting at times, since I couldn't believe that any teenagers would actually be able to converse with each other so stiffly.  Fortunately, this approach in dialog didn't effect the humor.  While there are plenty of cheesy obvious jokes and stereotypes there were also a fair share of genuine laugh out loud moments.

What didn't work was the character development.  Everyone is pretty much a terrible person and gets what they deserve, especially Cera's character Nick.  He has no problem ruining peoples lives all in an attempt to possibly get a little closer to a girl.  There is no regard for actual consequences for actions which always takes me out of a film.  It's hard to get behind a character who you ultimately think deserves to fail.  Any moral or emotional themes are completely lost in the film.  As a straight up comedy it's hit or miss.  Certainly not the deepest of films, but you could do a lot worse.

Rating: 3/5

Ponyo

Release Year: 2009

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Review:  Sometimes you just have to let go of reality and let your imagination take the steering wheel.  'Ponyo' is classic Miyazaki in all the best ways.  It is fantastically envisioned and beautifully animated.  It truly takes the spirit of being a child and materializes it on screen.  The story is of a young goldfish who has an over controlling human wizard father.  When she gets rescued by a little boy, she falls in love and wants to become a human.  It cribs heavily from 'The Little Mermaid', and yet is very much its own story.

There are definitely some weak points in the film.  The overly broad "the world is ending" scenario never works, and is completely unnecessary for what the film is about.  Fortunately it's so rich in imagination that this can be forgiven.  The concept of a love story between two five year olds is a hard sell, and yet it is absolutely believable in the hands of Miyazaki.  The chemistry between Ponyo and Sosuke is strong despite their age.  It is a credit to Miyazaki to fill the film with enough heart to overcome this and really let the magic of his imagination shine.

What is really heart warming is the sincerity of both Ponyo and Sosuke. There is a gullible tenacity which both of them have which makes the film so much fun.  The interesting part of the experience is being able to view serious events through a child's eyes.  Miyazaki does an incredible job channeling you into their point of view. It's their adventure and going along with them is a pleasure.  The movie drips with fantastic visuals, has a huge heart and is a joy to watch.
Rating: 4/5

The Invention of Lying

Release Year: 2009

Director: Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson

Review:With a film written by and starring Ricky Gervais and with a high concept plot, I had high expectations.  The premise is brilliant.  In a parallel world everything is pretty much the same, only no one knows how to lie.  That is, until the day Gervais' character discovers that he can say things that aren't the truth, and his exploits of this new found ability.  Its kind of the inverse 'Liar Liar'.  It's an interesting hook, but one that falls apart rather quickly.

 

Initially there are some funny jokes riffing off the fact that everyone must be completely honest.  This gets old fairly quickly however, and there isn't really all that much to stand on after these jokes go stale.  There's a constant battle of trying to make everything make sense in this reality where lying doesn't exist.  While you can take a leap of faith and just go with the world's reality, there are some conflicts in what makes sense in the world itself, and I constantly found myself questioning whether or not something constituted as a lie, or how someone could accidentally lie, etc.  All of this could be forgiven if it was funny enough, but while it was mildly amusing, it really doesn't deliver.

Towards the end it does take an interesting turn, where the issue of religion comes into play, and how Gervais invents God with a lie.  It brings under scrutiny all religion and parodies it at the same time.  While I liked that the film took this turn, it felt a bit out of place and it spent way to much time on it.  It felt drawn out and tedious rather than funny or thought provoking.  The film completely ran out of steam about half way through and just never really went anywhere.  I came away with a general sense of contentment but it wasn't anything memorable or even mindlessly funny.

Rating: 4/5

The Cove

Release Year: 2009

Director: Louie Psihoyos

Review: 'The Cove' is a compelling documentary on the whale hunts in Japan and the cruelty to Dolphins in general.  It opened my eyes to the plight of the Dolphins, and beyond that was a thrilling viewing experience.  It combined high tech technology and middle of the night raids which is good fun no matter what your concern for the Dolphins are.  Armed with high tech equipment and enough passion, the group is out to film the cruelty at any cost.  This is why it is such a well made documentary.  It lays out its agenda, gives you the facts and it entertains you in the process.
Rating: 4/5