Since there has been such a lull in posts of the Everyman Critics i thought that i might start to post reviews of some movies that i've watched over the past year that i have yet to either thrust upon my fellow Everyman or have thought were noteworthy and should be watched.
-dan
In keeping with the most recent post of the 2010 Oscars i thought i'd like look back to last years nominees and winner of Best Picture. The remaining nominee for Best Picture is Milk. This is a movie that won Sean Penn the award of Best Lead Actor and justly so. (though honestly it was a toss up for me between Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler) It also netted a nomination for Best Supporting Actor to Josh Brolin. While i think that this is a wonderful movie, it is not a movie that i think will be reviewed by the Everyman Critics as the content is one that could divide us more than any other movie that we have watched so far and the vitriol that could be spewed might really take us over the edge. So...on to the review
Milk (2008)
TIME: 128 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: R
LANGUAGE: English
DIRECTOR: Gus Van Sant
STARRING:
Sean Penn, James Franco, Josh Brolin
RATING: 8/10
OVERVIEW:
Based on the life of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, Milk follows his life from his 40th birthday to his untimely death.
REVIEW:
This biopic about the first openly gay elected official is wonderfully shot and acted. Weaving archival footage into the story it paints a picture of a man willing to die for his beliefs and who ultimately was murdered for his activism. Tremendously well acted by every actor in the picture this movie is just as good as other critically acclaimed biopics recently released such as Walk the Line and Ray. Sean Penn gives such a wonderful performance in fact, that when watching Milk following the documentary, The Times of Harvey Milk, it felt like Penn was channeling Milk. And just as 'Walk the Line' got much of it's gravitas and realism from the love story of Johnny Cash and June Carter, Milk becomes more than just a story about an activist for gay rights through it's portrayal of some of Harvey Milk's relationships. One thing that i thought was interesting in this movie is that even though it does address Dan White's murder of Harvey Milk it does not portray White as a monster like so many other director's might, but as a man who felt betrayed and acted upon that emotion. Overall, i highly recommend this movie, unless the topic of gay rights is something that offends you.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Since there has been such a lull in posts of the Everyman Critics i thought that i might start to post reviews of some movies that i've watched over the past year that i have yet to either thrust upon my fellow Everyman or have thought were noteworthy and should be watched.
-dan
In keeping with the most recent post of the 2010 Oscars i thought i'd like look back to last years nominees and winner of Best Picture. Today's movie reunited the tag team of David Fincher and Brad Pitt which put together a dynamite movie in 1999: Fight Club. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is nowhere near as tight a movie as Fight Club, but then there is no reason to remake such a great movie. This movie reminds me of one of this year's nominees for best picture and one which a certain member of our group ranted about on a previous episode: Avatar. Now i haven't seen Avatar yet, but both movies seem to have a common thread. That thread being really "pretty" graphics with a "poignant" story that is way too long. Like i said before you stone me...i haven't seen Avatar, but one of the reasons i didn't go see it in theaters was it's 2 1/2 hour running time. However, i won't hesitate to sit through this entire film. Let the hate mail flood in...
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
TIME: 166 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: PG-13
LANGUAGE: English
DIRECTOR: David Fincher
STARRING:
Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson
RATING: 4/10
OVERVIEW:
Benjamin Button is a man who was born at the end of WWI as an old man who ages in reverse.
REVIEW:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a novel idea that could make a very interesting short story. Well, actually it is based off of a short story, but was somehow made it into a 2 1/2 hour long movie. It reminds me a bit of Forrest Gump only Benjamin Button is not developmentally slow. It won 3 Academy Awards (Art Direction, Makeup and Visual Effects) which were deserved, but that is the problem with this movie: it looks pretty, but lacks any real substance. though there is still one scene that sticks in my mind even though i watched a year or so ago. It's the scene where they are at war on a boat. The scene was well done and fairly intense due mainly to the tight camera work and the acting. Aside from that one scene though there really isn't anything to write home about in this bloated movie.
-dan
In keeping with the most recent post of the 2010 Oscars i thought i'd like look back to last years nominees and winner of Best Picture. Today's movie reunited the tag team of David Fincher and Brad Pitt which put together a dynamite movie in 1999: Fight Club. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is nowhere near as tight a movie as Fight Club, but then there is no reason to remake such a great movie. This movie reminds me of one of this year's nominees for best picture and one which a certain member of our group ranted about on a previous episode: Avatar. Now i haven't seen Avatar yet, but both movies seem to have a common thread. That thread being really "pretty" graphics with a "poignant" story that is way too long. Like i said before you stone me...i haven't seen Avatar, but one of the reasons i didn't go see it in theaters was it's 2 1/2 hour running time. However, i won't hesitate to sit through this entire film. Let the hate mail flood in...
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
TIME: 166 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: PG-13
LANGUAGE: English
DIRECTOR: David Fincher
STARRING:
Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson
RATING: 4/10
OVERVIEW:
Benjamin Button is a man who was born at the end of WWI as an old man who ages in reverse.
REVIEW:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a novel idea that could make a very interesting short story. Well, actually it is based off of a short story, but was somehow made it into a 2 1/2 hour long movie. It reminds me a bit of Forrest Gump only Benjamin Button is not developmentally slow. It won 3 Academy Awards (Art Direction, Makeup and Visual Effects) which were deserved, but that is the problem with this movie: it looks pretty, but lacks any real substance. though there is still one scene that sticks in my mind even though i watched a year or so ago. It's the scene where they are at war on a boat. The scene was well done and fairly intense due mainly to the tight camera work and the acting. Aside from that one scene though there really isn't anything to write home about in this bloated movie.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Reader
Since there has been such a lull in posts of the Everyman Critics i thought that i might start to post reviews of some movies that i've watched over the past year that i have yet to either thrust upon my fellow Everyman or have thought were noteworthy and should be watched.
-dan
In keeping with the most recent post of the 2010 Oscars i thought i'd like look back to last years nominees and winner of Best Picture. Today is a movie that garnered Kate Winslet her first Oscar (Best Actress) after having been nominated 6 previous times. Something i find humorous is that a few years prior she was in the British sitcom Extras and her character said "I don't think we really need another film about the Holocaust, do we? It's like, how many have there been? You know, we get it - it was grim, move on. No, I'm doing it because I've noticed that if you do a film about the Holocaust - guaranteed Oscar!" [side note: if you haven't seen Extras you are sorely missing out on a gem of a show] i know i'm odd, but i just find that extremely hilarious. so...on to the review.
THE READER (2008)
TIME: 125 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: R
LANGUAGE: English
DIRECTOR: Stephen Daldry
STARRING:
Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross
RATING: 9/10
OVERVIEW:
Michael Berg (Fiennes) recalls his relationship with a Hannah (Winslet) and how it formed him into the person who he has become. It follows his life from adolescence in 1958 to 1995.
REVIEW:
When I first heard about The Reader I thought that it was a film that was about World War II. It is however, about post-WWII Germany and the relationship of the generation that was born after the war and their guilt for the things that their parents did during the war. All of the acting is top notch and the writing is phenomenal as well. I can see how Kate Winslet finally got her Oscar for this role, but at the same time I think that she has had at least one other role (i.e., Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) that should have garnered her a win. The story itself is something I don’t really think that I’ve ever seen or heard before, but a very intriguing one. There have been plenty of films about WWII, but very few that deal with the hurt and guilt that the country faced in its wake. Also a note that there is a fairly decent amount of nudity so it’s not a movie to watch if you’re overly sensitive about nudity, but it is a movie that I would highly recommend.
-dan
In keeping with the most recent post of the 2010 Oscars i thought i'd like look back to last years nominees and winner of Best Picture. Today is a movie that garnered Kate Winslet her first Oscar (Best Actress) after having been nominated 6 previous times. Something i find humorous is that a few years prior she was in the British sitcom Extras and her character said "I don't think we really need another film about the Holocaust, do we? It's like, how many have there been? You know, we get it - it was grim, move on. No, I'm doing it because I've noticed that if you do a film about the Holocaust - guaranteed Oscar!" [side note: if you haven't seen Extras you are sorely missing out on a gem of a show] i know i'm odd, but i just find that extremely hilarious. so...on to the review.
THE READER (2008)
TIME: 125 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: R
LANGUAGE: English
DIRECTOR: Stephen Daldry
STARRING:
Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross
RATING: 9/10
OVERVIEW:
Michael Berg (Fiennes) recalls his relationship with a Hannah (Winslet) and how it formed him into the person who he has become. It follows his life from adolescence in 1958 to 1995.
REVIEW:
When I first heard about The Reader I thought that it was a film that was about World War II. It is however, about post-WWII Germany and the relationship of the generation that was born after the war and their guilt for the things that their parents did during the war. All of the acting is top notch and the writing is phenomenal as well. I can see how Kate Winslet finally got her Oscar for this role, but at the same time I think that she has had at least one other role (i.e., Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) that should have garnered her a win. The story itself is something I don’t really think that I’ve ever seen or heard before, but a very intriguing one. There have been plenty of films about WWII, but very few that deal with the hurt and guilt that the country faced in its wake. Also a note that there is a fairly decent amount of nudity so it’s not a movie to watch if you’re overly sensitive about nudity, but it is a movie that I would highly recommend.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Slumdog Millionaire
Since there has been such a lull in posts of the Everyman Critics i thought that i might start to post reviews of some movies that i've watched over the past year that i have yet to either thrust upon my fellow Everyman or have thought were noteworthy and should be watched.
-dan
In keeping with the most recent post of the 2010 Oscars i thought i'd like look back to last years nominees and winner of Best Picture. Today is the movie that walked away with not 1, but 8 golden statues at last year's awards ceremony: Slumdog Millionaire. i would like to be able to say that i was too harsh on a heart warming little independent-type film that could, but then i'd just be lying to you. Perhaps it is because i am so cold and no movie could affect me, but then we all know that isn't true if you listen to this podcast. i would like to point out one thing before we go on...i gave Christmas Evil a 4/10 rating. Just saying. So without further ado...my review.
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008)
TIME: 120 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: R
LANGUAGE: English and Hindi
DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle
STARRING:
Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal
RATING: 3/10
OVERVIEW:
Jamal Malik (Patel), a kid from the slums of India, comes within one question of winning 20,000,000 rupees on India’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Suspected of cheating he is arrested and interrogated. During this time he explains how he knew the answers to the questions based on events in his life.
REVIEW:
Slumdog Millionaire won 8 Oscars at the 2009 Academy Awards so it is a good film, right? Wrong. The whole plot might be fairly original, but the execution comes off extremely dry and does not warrant the critical praise that it has received. The handheld, shaky camera look is overused in the film and could induce nausea. Within the first half hour of the movie I was checking the time begging for it to be almost over. There was nothing in the story that made me feel anything for the characters. It all just seemed to be a Sally Struthers type montage of poverty stricken areas. To top it all off I guess for me would be that the backdrop for the story is the show Who Wants to be a Millionaire as I loathe it as well.
-dan
In keeping with the most recent post of the 2010 Oscars i thought i'd like look back to last years nominees and winner of Best Picture. Today is the movie that walked away with not 1, but 8 golden statues at last year's awards ceremony: Slumdog Millionaire. i would like to be able to say that i was too harsh on a heart warming little independent-type film that could, but then i'd just be lying to you. Perhaps it is because i am so cold and no movie could affect me, but then we all know that isn't true if you listen to this podcast. i would like to point out one thing before we go on...i gave Christmas Evil a 4/10 rating. Just saying. So without further ado...my review.
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008)
TIME: 120 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: R
LANGUAGE: English and Hindi
DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle
STARRING:
Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal
RATING: 3/10
OVERVIEW:
Jamal Malik (Patel), a kid from the slums of India, comes within one question of winning 20,000,000 rupees on India’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Suspected of cheating he is arrested and interrogated. During this time he explains how he knew the answers to the questions based on events in his life.
REVIEW:
Slumdog Millionaire won 8 Oscars at the 2009 Academy Awards so it is a good film, right? Wrong. The whole plot might be fairly original, but the execution comes off extremely dry and does not warrant the critical praise that it has received. The handheld, shaky camera look is overused in the film and could induce nausea. Within the first half hour of the movie I was checking the time begging for it to be almost over. There was nothing in the story that made me feel anything for the characters. It all just seemed to be a Sally Struthers type montage of poverty stricken areas. To top it all off I guess for me would be that the backdrop for the story is the show Who Wants to be a Millionaire as I loathe it as well.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Frost/Nixon
Since there has been such a lull in posts of the Everyman Critics i thought that i might start to post reviews of some movies that i've watched over the past year that i have yet to either thrust upon my fellow Everyman or have thought were noteworthy and should be watched.
-dan
In keeping with the most recent post of the 2010 Oscars i thought i'd like look back to last years nominees and winner of Best Picture. First up is who i thought should have gone home with the golden statue in 2009: Frost/Nixon. i wrote this review almost immediately after watching the film and while in retrospect i think i might have lauded it a bit much, i still stand by my recommendation that this was the best picture of 2008.
FROST/NIXON (2008)
TIME: 123 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: R
LANGUAGE: English
DIRECTOR: Ron Howard
STARRING:
Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Matthew Macfadyen
RATING: 10/10
OVERVIEW:
Based on the Tony Award Winning play, Frost/Nixon is a retelling of the famous David Frost and Richard Nixon interview in 1977.
REVIEW:
Frost/Nixon is an unequivocal masterpiece of film-making. The sincerity, depth and gravity that all the actors bring to the film, especially Frank Langella as Nixon, are absolutely amazing. This is a film without the explosions of many Hollywood blockbusters that packs more wallop and is far more gripping than any other film released in 2008 and quite possibly in the past few decades. Ron Howard has never been as on top of his directorial prowess than he is in this movie. It has done something that I never thought possible and that is to find a sympathetic side to Richard Nixon, but at the same time still allow for a disdain of his crimes.
-dan
In keeping with the most recent post of the 2010 Oscars i thought i'd like look back to last years nominees and winner of Best Picture. First up is who i thought should have gone home with the golden statue in 2009: Frost/Nixon. i wrote this review almost immediately after watching the film and while in retrospect i think i might have lauded it a bit much, i still stand by my recommendation that this was the best picture of 2008.
FROST/NIXON (2008)
TIME: 123 minutes
GENRE: Drama
MPAA RATING: R
LANGUAGE: English
DIRECTOR: Ron Howard
STARRING:
Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Matthew Macfadyen
RATING: 10/10
OVERVIEW:
Based on the Tony Award Winning play, Frost/Nixon is a retelling of the famous David Frost and Richard Nixon interview in 1977.
REVIEW:
Frost/Nixon is an unequivocal masterpiece of film-making. The sincerity, depth and gravity that all the actors bring to the film, especially Frank Langella as Nixon, are absolutely amazing. This is a film without the explosions of many Hollywood blockbusters that packs more wallop and is far more gripping than any other film released in 2008 and quite possibly in the past few decades. Ron Howard has never been as on top of his directorial prowess than he is in this movie. It has done something that I never thought possible and that is to find a sympathetic side to Richard Nixon, but at the same time still allow for a disdain of his crimes.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Oscar 2010 "recap"
Hey everybody! Sorry for the lack of episodes lately but...I've been busy. Can't blame me right?
Anyway, to satiate your thirst for new content we here at the Everyman Critics are proud (sort of) to present our Oscar 2010 Recap!
Download the Episode Here!
This episode is totally uncut and raw, hell we just recorded it like an hour ago! My recording studio ran out of hard drive space last night so the super awesome show lasts for...6 minutes and then me and Dan try to recapture the magic. Did we succeed or not? Who cares, it was fun!
Just in case you guys need a refresher of when we first talked about the Oscars and gave our "predictions" check of this episode here and listen where the time code tells you to!
Stay tuned for future episode that are very much delayed.
Thanks
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Anyway, to satiate your thirst for new content we here at the Everyman Critics are proud (sort of) to present our Oscar 2010 Recap!
Download the Episode Here!
This episode is totally uncut and raw, hell we just recorded it like an hour ago! My recording studio ran out of hard drive space last night so the super awesome show lasts for...6 minutes and then me and Dan try to recapture the magic. Did we succeed or not? Who cares, it was fun!
Just in case you guys need a refresher of when we first talked about the Oscars and gave our "predictions" check of this episode here and listen where the time code tells you to!
Stay tuned for future episode that are very much delayed.
Thanks
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