2 Dollar Productions

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Avatar 3-D: Full Price; Avatar without 3-D: Matinee Price.


Will I Own It On DVD: Probably not. The caveat – if 3-D televisions do come out in the next few years, work well and aren’t priced sky high, then I probably will own ‘Avatar’ at some point. Until then, however, the answer is no.

Overrall Grade: Movie itself: B-; Movie Experience: A-


1) To finally watch ‘Avatar’ I spent the past two weeks trying to figure out a system. The first time I simply showed up at the local IMAX theater 45 minutes early for the first showing on a Saturday only to discover the entire day was sold out and people were lined up out the door to get seats for the showing once the ushers opened the theater. This was 5 weeks into the film’s theatrical run.

So, this past weekend, I bought tickets online a few days before Saturday, got there 1 hour early and extracted a fine pair of seats to watch the flick. The question in my mind was: Is this going to be worth the hassle, and the answer was yes.

2) The plot of ‘Avatar’ is nothing new – it reminded me greatly of ‘The New World’ (sans the sci-fi angle) in the most recent cinematic example I could summon – as the film is set in a future where Earth has been ruined by the depletion of its natural resources, so humans have gone to the planet of Pandora to harvest a rich energy source that occurs there. As could be expected, they come into harsh conflict with the indigenous blue inhabitants, a group of people who are in complete tune with Mother Nature and revere their surroundings. You can guess what conflict happens next . . .

3) But the best parts of ‘Avatar’ occur away from the main plot thread as I would guess that nearly an hour of the 2 hr and 43 minute running time is spent exploring Pandora’s geography, which is very cool with the 3-D effects in full force. During the day, the planet is a lush environment filled with massive trees, mountains and waterfalls, and at night, it turns into the best black-light poster ever conceived as vibrantly-lit, neon exteriors abound in every direction. It looks absolutely fantastic.


4) The acting in the film is universally solid with few real stand-outs. Sigorney Weaver as a scientist trying to ingratiate herself with the natives rises above some of the bludgeoning dialogue, and Zoe Saldana as the warrior princes of the native tribe is also quite good. The men don’t fare quite as well. Sam Worthington is servicable as a marine sent in an Avatar blue body to learn more about the natives, and instead, ends up falling for their way of life. Shocking, I know.



5) Overrall, 'Avatar' is a visual feast with a pedestrian story supporting it. This turns out to be enough, however, because the 3-D effects are astonishing, and they really place you directly in the action, which is only heightened by the fact that it occurs on a different planet and so it's easy to get lost in there, especially when it appears that trees and flying creatures and other foliage are constnatly coming at you from the screen itself.

This film really will suffer greatly when it transitions to home video. If 'Avatar' holds any interest for you, then I definitely recommend going to a theater with 3-D and checking it out for yourself.

-BDS

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Matinee. ‘Sherlock Holmes’ is frivolous fun, and despite clocking in at more than two hours, this one is perfect for a low-pressure matinee price.

Will I Own It On DVD: No. I would watch it one more time, but that’s not enough to justify a purchase.

Overrall Grade: Movie: B-


1) ‘Sherlock Holmes’ is very much an updated version of the famous super sleuth. This new spin maintains Holmes’ powers of detection, but also casts the well-known figure as a backstreet brawler, a man who likes to use his mind to inflict punishment with his fists. I wasn’t entirely excited about this addition to the character as my favorite parts of the new film showcased his powers of mental deduction, however, the fisticuffs didn’t detract from the overall product either.


2) The actual plot of the film centers around black magic, the occult and vaguely on Manifest Destiny or something like that. It’s really not that important, but instead, merely serves as a vessel to allow Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as his best friend and ally, Dr. Watson, to run around London while trying to foil the nefarious plans of Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong).


3) Downey Jr. and Law display a really fine chemistry that is by far the best attribute of the film. Without their dynamic and frequently amusing interaction, the movies would have suffered greatly. Instead, these actors play off one another with excellent precision, and the casting director made a stellar choice in pairing them together.

4) The rest of the cast doesn't fare quite as well. Strong makes a servicable villian, however, Rachel McAdams is painfully bad in several scenes as Holmes' former lover and a mysterious woman of action. She appears to be acting in an entirely different movie on occasion, and never settles comfortably into her role.


5) 'Sherlock Holmes' is an entertaining update of the classic character that is also unmistakably a Guy Ritchie ('Snatch') film. Ritchie never met a project that he wouldn't try to stuff with slow-motion brawling body shots and quivering muscles and he brings that to bear in this one as well. But while the explosions and fighting keep the pace moving along, it is the bantering between Downey Jr. and Law that makes it worth paying for a ticket.

-BDS

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Matinee - although you could justify paying full price if you love this kind of music, or if you based it around watching Jeff Bridge's performance, which is excellent.

Will I Own It On DVD: Probably.

Overrall Grade: Movie: B; Jeff Bridges: A


1) 'Crazy Heart' is a character sketch with Bridges portraying Bad Blake, a one-time country music star, now reduced to playing low-rent venues while spending his days and nights in one long boozy slog to the bottom. His descent is buffered when he falls for a single mother music writer (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and attempts a comeback by writing songs for his one-time protegee Tommy Sweet (an unbilled Colin Farrell) who has since exploded into a huge recording star.


2) This plot material could have played like, well a bad country song, if entrusted to lesser hands, however, 'Heart' pulls stellar performances from its cast, and just as importantly, the music feels authentic and essential to the storyline.

3) The songs and score were largely overseen by T. Bone Burnett ('O Brother Where Art Thou') and longtime Austin musician Stephen Bruton. In addition, Bridges plays guitar and sings all his songs in the movie, as does Farrell. I generally loathe Nashville country music, and so I was relieved to watch as 'Heart' is more concerned with the singer-songwriter tracks that were both orginally written for this film as well as pulled from other artists like Waylon Jennings, Townes Van Zandt and Billy Joe Shaver. Finally, real life artist Ryan Bingham, has a song over the closing credits - 'The Weary Kind' - which is excellent and has been nominated for a Golden Globe for best original song.

4) None of the above would have mattered nearly as much without Jeff Bridges in the role of Bad Blake. He wears this sloppy yet prideful singer's warts and depleted talent like a second skin. With a halting gait and gnarled voice from too many late nights and cigarettes, Bridges nails the role, which will surely earn him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor this year (joining George Clooney for 'Up in the Air').


5) Overrall, 'Crazy Heart' is a worthy effort that is only hampered by a somewhat implausible romance, at least to me, and the relative ease with which Bridges cleans himself up. But the music and the acting is top-notch, and makes this one easy to recommend.

-BDS

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Full price. 'Up in the Air' uses a timely storyline and pulls stellar performances from its entire cast to deliver what is easily one of the best movies of the year.

Will I Own It On DVD: Probably. I'm trying to recalculate exactly what my criteria will be for buying movies moving forward in 2010, but I definitely want to see this film another time or two because it's worth it.

Overrall Grade: A-


1) Occasionally, through a sliver of foresight and an extreme bit of luck, a movie will be released that fits so nicely into the current cultural climate that it seems a physic must have green-lit the project. So it goes with ‘Up in the Air,’ a movie about a professional corporate downsizer (George Clooney) who travels back and forth across the country while delivering painful job news for the masses, and due to the rotten overall economy, this position keeps Clooney constantly in the air, which is just where he prefers to be. His life becomes complicated, however, when a recent Cornell graduate (Anna Kendrick) joins his firm and recommends cutting back on travel costs by having associates terminate employees via remote teleconferencing. As this unfolds, Clooney also meets a fellow corporate traveler (Vera Farmiga) who enjoys the transient lifestyle as much as he does.


2) ‘Up in the Air’ has been sold by its marketing team largely as a comedy, and while there are occasionally amusing bits which offer smiles rather than laugh out loud moments - despite a large woman sitting a few rows up and to my left whose crazed staccato laugh painted even the most mundane scenes with an unwelcome tenor - the film tilts far closer towards drama than anything else. It’s a tough movie, especially given the subject matter, but it is also a rewarding experience.

3) Clooney’s performance is one of dignified detachment – at least until he decides he does indeed want to connect with real people on the ground. He gives a performance that is generating Oscar buzz for Best Actor, and I would be surprised if he doesn’t receive a nomination.


4) The overall cast is also uniformly excellent as there is not a weak link among them. Kendrick takes what could have been a cloying role as a young, ambitious newcomer and turns it into a vaguely sympathetic one. Jason Bateman is also very good as Clooney’s boss. But it is Verma Farga (‘The Departed’) as a fellow frequent flier who develops a romance with Clooney who really shines and who might end up with a Best Support Actress Oscar nomination.

5) ‘Up in the Air’ is a really fine film. It’s a project without obvious good guys and villains. Instead, it accomplishes an even trickier narrative where complexity reigns over the participants, and the end results are well worth viewing even when the subject matter is tough.

-BDS

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Rental. Unless you are already missing summer and need - just plain NEED - to see a beach, then this one would be fine as a rental because it only rarely rises above a mediocre comedy, which is disappointing given the cast involved with the project.

Will I Own It On DVD: No. Right now, I don't feel the need to ever see it again, although I would watch certain segments if it was showing on cable some lazy afternoon.

Overrall Grade: C


1) I love movies set on tropical beaches. I am a total sucker for them every single time. I've seen fairly good ones ('Forgetting Sarah Marshall'), solid if unspectular ones ('The Beach') and bad ones ('Turistas'). I would probably pay to watch Lindsay Lohan read the phone book to Josh Hartnett if they set it on a beach in the Carribbean. Maybe not as we all have our limits, but anyway, 'Couples Retreat' falls into the middle-of-the-road category where most of the jokes have been shown in the previews, and this high concept comedy generally fails to create anything particularly memorable.

2) The plot involves 4 couples who travel to the Eden resort - located in Tahiti - to work on their relationships in paradaise. There's the couple lacking alone time because they have small kids (Vince Vaughn, Malin Akerman), the couple who want kids but can't have them (Jason Bateman, Kristin Bell), the couple together since high school who now hate each other (John Favreau, Kristin Davis), and the newly divorced man now dating a 20-year-old party girl who calls him 'Daddy' (Kali Hawk, Faizon Love).

As you might expect, they all learn certain lessons along the way from the specific programs crafted for them by Jean Reno, a legendary relationship master who likes to wear skimpy bathing suits and silk robes.


3) The cast of 'Couples Retreat' boasts several members that I generally like including Bateman, Vaughn, Favreau, and Reno. The women were also appealing as they all have good comic timing, and the fact they look great in bathing suits doesn't hurt either. Still, for the number of funny people involved in this movie, there is a noticable dearth of laughs and considering that Vaughn and Favreau co-wrote the script, they have nobody to blame but themselves.


4) That being said, the director doesn't help them out by elevating the material. The kid from 'A Christmas Story' directed this movie, and I'm not sure if it was his first effort, but regardless, he failed to milk the maximum amount of fun/laughs from the set-ups which were given to him. A 'Guitar Hero' sequence in particular seemed like something ripe for caging a few more audience chuckles, and yet, they never fully arrived.

5) The main problem I had with 'Couples Retreat' was that it played it far too safe. This should have been a R rated comedy versus the PG-13 film they released, a decision that I'm sure was a calculation to bring in more box office money by the studio. That decision, however, has produced a decent yet wholly unspectacular comedy that largely wastes a cast who are never challenged to flex their comic muscles in new and unexpected ways.

-BDS

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Matinee or rental. 'Zombieland' is an enjoyably light comedy that still delivers some unruly flesh-eating zombies, but there's simply not enough meat on the cinematic bones of this project to pay full price for at the theater, and really, it would be just as good as a rental, maybe better.

Will I Own It On DVD: No. I'd watch it one more time, but that's not enough to justify buying it on DVD.

Overrall Grade: B-


1) 'Zombieland' is exactly the kind of movie it sounds like from the title, and from the plethora of previews on the television. It's a consistently funny - though not hilarious - movie where a group of rag-tag survivors from a massive zombie infection ban together to make their way across America while killing a hell of a lot of the undead along the way and laughing about it while they go.

2) The tone and pacing of the film never wavers, and the cast delivers performances that mesh perfectly with the humor and the occasionally gruesome decapitations. Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg ('Adventureland'), Emma Stone ('Superbad') and Abagail Bresnin ('Little Miss Sunshine') all bring different attributes to the group with Harrelson and Eisenberg being my favorite players. Harrelson is casually hilarious as a Twinkie-loving, dim-witted Zombie killer extrodionaire and yet Eisenberg's nebbish survivor mentalilty rivals him for laughs, especially when he constantly introduces the rules of Zombie survival to the audience.


3) There is also a totally unexpected cameo from a big star in this flick. I won't spoil the name since most reviews go out of their way to avoid even hinting at it, however, I will say that it's one of the best uses of this device I've seen during a movie in several years.

4) One of the finest things about 'Zombieland' is that it realizes exactly what kind of movie it is, and the purpose it serves. Consequently, the running time clocks in at 80-something minutes, and I rejoiced at a film that can edit itself based on the content it delivers, and doesn't feel the need to bloat the running time with unnecessary nonsense.


5) That being said, I've got nothing else to add about 'Zombieland' because it is so inconsequential, which isn't a bad thing. It's as light and airy as a popcorn fart and equally as enjoyable and you could do worse than attending a quick matinee on a lazy Sunday when the NFL games look particularly lame.

-BDS

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Matinee. This film, loosely based on a true story, is an enjoyable ride with many solid laughs even if I never felt like I was having quite as much fun as the filmmakers.

Will I Own It On DVD: No. It's worth watching one more time for Damon's performance, but that doesn't justify the cost of owning the DVD.

Overrall Grade: B-


1) 'The Informant!' is a different kind of corpoate whistle-blower saga. The exclamation point in the title should be a tip-off, and this project is tilted towards comedy versus the traditional dramatic arc of previous films such as 'The Insider,' which treads similar thematic ground. This absurdity is a refreshing take on the genre, and the choice allows for easy laughs throughout even as the situations in the film become increasily grim for the participants.

2) Director Steven Soderbargh ('Ocean's Eleven') delivers his mainstream directing style with this project instead of his thread-bare independent mannerisms when he toils in smaller films. I wasn't wild about the look of this movie, which takes place laregly under a soft glow of lightbulbs throughout the running time, and consequently, everyone seems a bit fuzzy and diluted. But the pacing of the film is top-notch as it moves along well even when working through many scenes dense with exposition.

3) Matt Damon makes this movie. This was a vanity-free project for him as the actor added 30 lbs, sports a porn-star mustache and tops it off with a buffoant haircut as the somewhat delusional biochemist working with the FBI as well as with his own agenda, a course which is constantly flip-flopping. Damon totally commits to his role and disappears inside a character which could have easily been played for cheap laughs, however, Damon finds the bizarrely realistic center where his corporate spy is coming from and delivers a much more robust performance for it. His interior monologues were the highlight of the movie for me.



4) The supporting cast is also uniformly excellent. It was especially fun to see Scott Bakula back onscreen as an FBI agent who develops a complicated relationship with Damon. Joel McHale (The Soup), Tony Hale (Arrested Development) and many others are equally good.


5) With its upbeat musical score and oddly compelling dorky whistle-blower at the center, 'The Informant!' accomplishes its goal of turing this familiar plot on its head. It's hard to believe any of this ever happened in real life, but the concept of truth drives most of the characters and the plot in this film which is made by Damon's most anti-Jason Bourne role to date.

-BDS

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Matinee. If you’re starved for comedy, then ‘Extract’ delivers a solid value at discount prices, however, it would probably work the best as a really enjoyable rental.

Will I Own It On DVD: No. I would be fine watching it on a lazy Sunday one more time, but it’s not funny enough to own.

Overrall Grade: B-


1) ‘Extract’ is the new comedy from Mike Judge, and it provides a steady stream of solid laughs – though only a few hilarious moments – in a shaggy dog work comedy that returns Judge to the corporate world where he made his name with the cult success of ‘Office Space.’ ‘Extract’ serves as a completion to that theme as it takes on the business world not from the cubicle viewpoint of ‘Space,’ but rather from the headaches and tribulations that a boss must endure when forced to manage a group of people with their own eccentricities and competing agendas.


2) But the corporate world of ‘Extract’ is only part of the battle as the other war is being waged by Jason Bateman with his wife (Kristin Wiig) as she no longer wants to sleep with him and instead, starts wearing sweatpants earlier and earlier each day to ward off his advances. Under the influence of drugs and questionable advice from his bartender friend (an excellent Ben Affleck), Bateman decides to hire a dim-witted gigolo to seduce his wife so he can feel better about potentially cheating on her with a new factory temporary worker (Mila Kunis).

3) The cast of ‘Extract’ elevates the material, and pulls more laughs than the writing often deserves. Jason Bateman is an adept everyman character as the head of the extract company, and his reactions to the increasingly odd situations are funny and also help ground the absurd into some semblance of reality. But everyone in the cast is good even though Kunis and Wiig deserved more richly conceived characters to work with as both roles are a bit lacking in depth. Affleck fares much better as a bartender. Hidden behind a beard and long stringy hair, Affleck gives a very funny and relaxed performance and it is to the movie’s detriment that he disappears during the second half of the running time (and it’s been a long time since audiences were probably wishing for more of Affleck).


4) I generally find Mike Judge movies to be better to quote among your friends than to watch repeatedly and enjoy as full-fledged projects. I’ve never found anyone who can actually remember what happens during the last 1/3 rd of ‘Office Space’ yet most people like the film. ‘Extract’ also suffers from a last act paralysis as it doesn’t follow ‘Space’ into the abyss, but neither does it rise much above serviceable in wrapping things up.

5) Overall, ‘Extract’ is a solid comedy. It has an appealing cast, and you could do far worse for an end of summer project than this film.

-BDS

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Matinee. I'm a big Quentin Tarantino fan, however, despite 5 chapters and 2 1/2 hours of film, I'd still recommend a matinee based on quality even though you could argue that you get an extended running time if you opt for a full-price ticket.

Will I Own It On DVD: Maybe. The movie might grow on me with some time and distance, but right now, I wouldn't buy it on the initial release price, but might grab it later at a discount or if I wanted to keep my Tarantino DVD library complete.

Overrall Grade: B-


1) 'Inglorious Basterds' treads a different path than the one the trailers led you to believe. Of course it concerns itself with the Basterds, a group of Jewish soliders in WWII who are led by Brad Pitt and commanded by him to scalp 100 Nazis a piece so the Germans "will fear us." But they are actually only a relatively small part of the film (appear for roughly 1/2 the screen time). The other chapters focus on an opportunistic and brutal German commander (Christoph Waltz), a Jewish escapee who assumes a different identity and runs a movie house in France, a secret British operation to infilitrate the Nazis and these threads all conclude during an explosive finale at a German propoganda movie screening.


2) The chapters vary in both length, and quality yet a common theme is that many of them feature extended conversations with characters sitting around tables. A lot of them. And they are mainly carried out in the character's native language, which is usually German or French. I can appreciate the authencity of the decision, however, it also makes it difficult to fully enjoy the performances when you are staring at the subtitles versus their facial expressions and delivery. Tarantino has been steadily falling in love with these long conversation pieces that typically involve a mounting tension which may ultimately lead to violence, and before that, a Mexican stand-off. He has used this device effectively in the past, but this is also starting to produce mixed results as he has begun to really take his sweet time in reaching the end of the conversation. The first chapter in 'Basterds' utilizes this device extremely well. Chapters 3 and 4 are a different matter, however, as that is where the film bogs down and loses some of its momentum.

3) Brad Pitt does an excellent job as Lt. Aldo "The Apache" Raines, a clever and violent hillbilly commander of the Basterds. With a thick backwoods accent and porn-star mustache, Pitt underplays the role, which makes it even funnier and more rewarding as the part was written in such a way that it could have invited overacting. But unlike his recent turn in 'Burn After Reading' (where he went over-the-top), Pitt utlitizes a less is more attitude and the movie is much better off for his choice.

Tarantino has always had an eye for casting, and 'Basterds' is no exception. The supporting and minor roles are all fleshed out extremely well by the actors with Waltz's German enforcer leading the way in terms of quality. He is outstanding, and a possible dark horse candidate for a best supporting Oscar nomination. Eli Roth as "the Bear Jew" who decapitates Germans with a baseball bat is also quite good.




4) If there's one group of people who directors can take violent aim at while not losing their audience sympathy it's the Nazis. The only other group that comes close is pedophiles.


5) Overrall, I was slightly disappointed with 'Basterds.' You can't expect a director to repeat his past glories ('Reservoir Dogs' and 'Pulp Fiction' for me), however, my main wish for Tarantino's next film is that he freely chooses or someone forces him to move back into writing it so that it exists somewhere inside the real world. 'Dogs' and 'Pulp' existed on that plane, but Tarantino has steadily been moving into a hyperbolic B-movie existence that started with 'Kill Bill' (a really fine and entertaining set of movies) kept going with 'Death Proof' (his weakest movie by far and which mainly consisted of characters sitting around tables and talking) and continues with 'Basterds,' which re-writes history so completely that it slams you over the head with how fake everything is.

Tarantino couldn't make a boring movie if he tried, and while 'Basterds' does deliver many thrills and excellent stretches during the running time, I'm simply ready for him to take aim at a project that moves back towards his roots.

-BDS

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Matinee. If you're a Sci-Fi geek or someone who gets turned on by anything having to do with aliens (I do not), then you could justify paying full price for 'District 9." If not, a matinee would deliver excellent value as this is an entertaining and clever film.

Will I Own It On DVD: Doubtful. I'd like to watch it one more time on Blu Ray, but I don't see a purchase in my future unless it was on sale for a deep, deep discount.

Overrall Grade: B+


1) You have to hand it to the marketing team for 'District 9' because this movie boasts no stars, a low budget ($30 million), a no name director and yet it has generated enormous buzz in recent weeks as a must-see summer movie (see recent cover of 'Entertainment Weekly' among other things). Good buzz can sometimes fizzle out when the actual product is released - see 'Snakes on a Plane' or better yet, don't - but 'District 9' warrants its attention as it provides a refreshing take on the alien movie genre and uses a propulsive style to keep the action moving at a crisp pace.

2) The plot follows what happens once an alien spaceship comes to Earth, and instead of landing in a major city in the United States (where most of these movies typically take place), it hovers above Johannesburg, South Africa until authorities converge on it and open the hatch to find a million starving aliens running around helpless in the dark. The government ends up taking them off the ship, and places them inside a plot of fenced-off land called District 9, a place that quickly becomes an alien ghetto. The aliens remain there for 20 years until a privately-run security company is asked to move them to concentration camps after the city residents become fed-up with their presence.


3) The movie is shot with a documentary style which gives it a newsworthy feel, a decision which establishes credibility that the scenario depicted in the film could actually be happening right now. This definitely helps ground the movie in some kind of reality that you can believe in for the two hour running time, and is a choice that allows for a suspension of disbelief to take hold that allows the audience to invest in the characters as they respond to increasingly difficult situations.

4) As I mentioned, there are no "stars" or name actors in this film. This is another fine choice by the producers since it only reinforces the believable fictional world that has been created. That being said, the main actor who plays an enthusiastic bureaucrat who goes from a promotion to the hunted following alien contamination is excellent. He nails both the bland, nice-guy middle manager corporate drone as well as the resourceful fugitive and gives the audience someone to root for among the action.


5) 'District 9' has been hailed as a monumental film in this genre, an allegorical alien tale that is as deep as it is entertaining. I don't entirely buy that line of thinking. It certainly has more on its mind than your standard alien movie fare. It also treads lightly on the effects of discrimination and apartheid, although it wisely doesn't beat you over the head with that message, and at the end of the day, the film is simply a clever and entertaining project that delivers the goods.

-BDS

{Editor's Note: Since writing this review, 'District 9' opened as the #1 movie of the weekend with nearly $40 million in ticket sales.}

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Matinee or rental. 'Funny People' is sporadically funny though far enough away from a traditional Judd Apatow comedy that it should be viewed during an afternoon theater trip or possibly by waiting for DVD as it won't suffer much at all in the transition to the small screen.

Will I Own It On DVD: No. I might watch it one more time (or at least parts of it), but that doesn't justify spending money to buy it.


1) 'Funny People' is a movie that happens when a writer/director (Apatow) decides that he wants to explore deeper concepts from his first few projects ('40 Year Old Virgin, 'Knocked Up'), and the studio agrees due to the overhwhelming success of those earlier efforts. The results in 'Funny People' are uneven - although still largely enjoyable - and it's the juxtaposition of the heavy subject matter (serious illness) alongside the standard dick jokes of the Apatow genre that push this film to nearly 2 1/2 hours, a running time that is utterly ridiculous and more than a bit self-indulgent.

2) That being said, I don't begrudge Apatow for wanting to add more depth to his movies, and he does a fair job in 'Funny People.' The plot concerns a comedy star (Adam Sandler) who learns he has a serious blood disease which might kill him. Sandler's character came from the world of stand-up comedy, and when he starts to examine his life after the diagnosis, he returns to the stage and hires a young, hungry comedian (Seth Rogen) to help him write jokes and act as his personal assistant. Together, they bond over the process of making people laugh as Sandler attempts to fight his illness and possibly re-connect with the love of his life (Leslie Mann) who got away.



3) I'm not a big Adam Sandler fan. Outside of 'Happy Gilmore' and 'Punch-Drunk Love' and maybe 'The Wedding Singer' on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I could do without him. I certainly don't think he's a comic genius like some people do. But he's very solid in 'Funny People' as manages to capture the self-absorption of a major movie star yet couple it with enough self awareness and humor to make him palatable to the audience. He holds the film together with a serious boost from a talented supporting cast of familiar Apatow players.

4) Apatow regulars Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann and Jonah Hill all give Sandler excellent support, although Rogen does look a little strange having lost significant amounts of weight, a condition that other characters in the movie comment on as well. In addition, Jason Schartzmann and Eric Bana both prove to be good additions to the ensemble cast, especially Bana who seems to be having a fun time playing a comedic role for a change.


5) As much as anything, ‘Funny People’ is about the world of stand-up comedy. This was one of the more interesting parts for me as Apatow came from that world, and he nails the dynamics by showing the camaraderie and the competition, the boasting and the insecurity and the quest of everyone to find something that is funny above all else.

Overall, ‘Funny People’ is not a complete misfire, nor is it a rousing success. Instead, it falls somewhere in the middle as it’s far from a waste of time thanks to solid performances and writing, however, it’s also not quite good enough to demand 2 ½ hours either.

-BDS

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: '500 Days of Summer': Matinee or possibly full price if your wife/fiance/girlfriend would make you see another romantic comedy like 'The Ugly Truth' instead of this one, which is several cuts above most projects in this genre.

'Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen': Matinee. Unless you're paying per explosion - in which case you could easily justify payiing full price - then you might not be too disappointed with paying matinee prices even though this is a long, loud and fairly dumb exercise in summer movie-making.

Will I Own It On DVD: '500 Days of Summer': Possibly. If the price comes down on this one ($15 or under), then it might be worth owning one day.

'Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen': No. It might be worth one more viewing (though probably not) to watch Megan Fox and the fairly nifty special effects, however, it is not worth owning.




1) '500 Days of Summer' was a buzzed-about project from this past Sundance film festival, and it generally earns the praise that was heaped upon it because it soars above most romantic comedies thanks to a story that is frequently more tart than sweet, and above all, realistic versus merely a stylized pairing of actors. A narrator (one slightly irritating part of the film) warns viewers from the start that '500 Days' is not a love story, but that is not true, it's simply not a neatly presented one, which makes it more believable.


2) The other trick that the film uses effectively is time sequencing as the title refers to 500 days in the relationship between Gordon Joseph-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, a narrative device that skips all over the place during its running time, so you might see an early blosomming relationship vignette followed by another where things are becoming strained. This is not as gimmicky as it sounds, and to its credit, the film tends to focus on the in-between points of a relationship instead of the standard arc that most rom-coms adhere to with a fierce devotion.

3) At the end of the day, however, these kinds of films rely heavily on the chemistry (or lack thereof) of the lead characters. In '500 Days,' both Gordon-Levit and Deschanel give fully realized performances both individually as well as when they are developing their relationship. This allows the audience to pull for both characters even though neither is wholly guily or innocent as things start to unravel, and it is a testament to both actors skill that they don't allow anyone to turn into an audience scapegoat.



4) I only saw the first ‘Transformers’ movie a month or two ago mainly because from the first preview and description of the idea, I thought I would absolutely loathe everything about the project outside of Megan Fox. But it turned out to be perversely entertaining – if far too long – mostly because it didn’t take itself too seriously, had some cool special effects, a less irritating turn by Shia LeBeouf than I figured and also had a fun performance by John Turturro as well as the aforementioned Fox, who director Michael Bay liked to film with an unseen wind machine constantly blowing her hair around like a soft-core porn video.


5) Unfortunately, ‘Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen’ is louder, longer and dumber than the original and even seeing it on an IMAX screen (which was semi-cool) couldn’t enhance the material enough to even recommend it as a guilty pleasure. I guess if all you want is 2 ½ hours of bombastic explosions and people yelling ‘Run,’ then you’ll probably like the movie, but for me, this got tiresome fairly quickly. That being said, the special effects are even more impressive this time around, although that also means new robots, the majority of which range from mediocre to irritating to borderline racist.


6) ‘Transformers’ is not a franchise overly concerned with acting, so it’s hard to rate performances when the majority of screen time is spent running with sweat dripping off your face (Shia LeBeouf) or with a heaving bosom (Megan Fox). But nobody really stands out in this sequel as everyone is adequate (even Turturro isn’t quite as fun as the original), but the law of diminishing returns has definitely set in, which is unfortunate because the movie sets itself up for another entry and based on the vast sums of money this one is raking in, it seems like a foregone conclusion that a 3rd film is inevitable.

-BDS

Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Matinee. If you're a Dillinger fanatic, then you could justify paying full price since you get strong performances and a nearly 2 1/2 hour running time, however, I felt the overrall product is only good enough to pay for matinee box office prices.

Will I Own It On DVD: Doubtful. If I can get it for a good price (i.e. $15 or under), then I might grab it on a whim, but I'm in no rush to own the film since I think viewing it one more time will suffice.


1) I wanted to like 'Public Enemies' more than I did. It boasted an excellent cast, a strong director and an interesting public figure that I knew very little about outside of the legendary name of John Dillinger. But even with a long running time, 'Enemies' sheds very little light on Dillinger's motivations and character outside of a few broad entertaining strokes, and reveals even less about Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), the FBI man who hunts him down.


2) The lack of character depth and details could have been overcome with a more propulsive movie, but Mann directs 'Enemies' in his familiar slow burn style which favors a low-key approach that carves out a fine realistic perspective yet this tone also makes for occasionally flat viewing. 'Enemies' never drags or feels indulgent, however, it could have benefitted from manufacturing more tension in a few places for a stronger overrall product.

3) 'Enemies' also parallels nicely to 'Heat,' a superior cops and robbers saga that Mann directed in the late 90s (?). Both films deal with professionals who take their jobs very seriously despite being on different sides of the law. They both touch on subjects of honor and loyalty and working with a strong crew to succeed. Finally, they both feature excellent actors taking on one another - De Niro and Pacino in 'Heat' and Depp and Bale in 'Enemies' - who unfortunately share only one real scene together.

4) Johnny Depp inhabits the Dillinger character well. It was nice to see him play a flesh and blood person versus a fantasy creation (Sweeney Todd, Willie Wonka, upcoming Alice in Wonderland) as he makes Dillinger easy to pull for thanks to his charisma and live today to the fullest mantra, a theme on display throughout the movie.

The supporting cast is also uniformly excellent with strong turns from Marie Collitard as Depp's love interest, and especially from Billy Cruddup who shines in his role as J. Edgar Hoover.




5) Overall, 'Enemies' is a worthwhile effort that produces consistently good results without ever soaring to spectacular heights. That still vaults it far ahead of most of the other summer films in circulation, and if you keep your expectations in check, then it is a rewarding experience and a fine way to cool off for an afternoon away from the sun.

-BDS