lordjin Reviews

The Lovely Bones (2009)

This is a great, great, great movie.

[10/10 · 30 April 2010]

I'd like to preface my review with a comment about the negativity circulating around here about this movie. I don't think it's any coincidence that some of these self-appointed "film-making experts" who have nothing remotely positive to say about Jackson's effort cannot formulate complete sentences. It's not surprising at all that someone obsessed with the wetness of a prop in one scene and its dryness in the next lacks the faculty and capacity to appreciate the many merits of this film. It's ridiculous to knit-pick on 'unrealistic' depictions of this aspect of day to day life or that aspect. If you want a realistic depiction of day to day life, observe the world around you, not a movie screen.

The Lovely Bones is being unfairly hammered as maudlin drivel. Some of the concepts and visuals are on the representational side, but if you take this film as a strange amalgam of a murder/suspense thriller and a fantasy in the vein of a children's book, it all works perfectly. The emotional outpouring is portrayed very well by all the players involved. None of it seemed forced. I became emotionally invested early on and the overall impact of this work struck a chord in me that resonated deeply.

More than anything else, this film is unique. Jackson takes many chances when one considers all the traditionally accepted conventions of film making, but unless you are one of those self-absorbed, self-important film student types who endlessly struggle with the "rules of making good films," you'll get something out of this.

The use of CGI was adventurous to be sure, but if one views this piece as an interpretation of life, love, and death through a fantastical lens, then the effects remain harmonious to the telling of the story. More, the CGI in this case describes 'world's unseen,' metaphysical possibilities existing simultaneously without the bounds of physical space and time. A welcome departure from space ships and crumbling cities. Some of the nastiest complaints about the CGI are coming from people who probably have no problem with giant robots that transform into cars and trucks.

Acceptance of a fictional story, the suspension of disbelief, these events occur in the relationship between a movie and its viewer… completely apart from all the rules of pacing, subtext, and all the rigid pigeonholes that don't really apply to the creative process anyway. I did not find the Lovely Bones to be maudlin, and I am a pretty jaded movie-viewer.

The Underground Comedy Movie (1999)

Vince Offer, Unsung Genius

[10/10 · 21 April 2009]

This film of films takes comedic excellence to new heights. It is a masterfully woven panoply of thought-provoking satire that will have the viewer laughing while questioning the utter futility of the human condition. "Things You'll Never See," points to the absurdity and cruelty of societal conventions that have locked the masses into a one-way street of what is considered the 'accepted norm.' This work pulls no punches and forces us to look at the underside of our world, as a reflection of our own lives. It's a real eye-opener to say the least. It's not hard to see why Michael Clark Duncan's career took off after appearing in this often overlooked gem. It also reveals a gentle, almost sad side to Slash, the former G and R great.

More than ridiculing the very absurd makeup of our popular culture, this daring work ventures to hold it up to harshest of lights in an intense examination that never forgets to make us laugh. The Underground Comedy Movie is unequivocally more than the sum of its parts.

Iron Man (2008)

awesome

[10/10 · 19 September 2008]

Comic book adapted films just don't get any better than this. And this isn't your casual viewer talking. Iron Man, or 'shell head' as he was nick-named in the marvel comics, was a huge icon for me in my formative years. I was an avid marvel comics geek when I was a kid (not so much in my twenties and thirties thank goodness) and Iron Man was my favorite book of them all. So the jump to big screen for this one meant a lot to me.

Well let me tell you, Favreau didn't disappoint this die-hard. All the main elements of Stark and his world were depicted in an electrifying, larger than life, accessible in relation to today's societal/technological climate, manner. Sure, fantastic enough, but somehow made believable...well, believable enough to enjoy immensely anyway.

The character development was crisp and the plot moved along at a spanking pace. There was not a wasteful moment in the story-telling. The effects were dazzling... and easy on the eyes since CGI rigid bodies (namely things made of metal) always look more realistic than flowing, organic forms.

Watch this and love it like it did! Iron Man still rules! I still want to be Tony Stark!

No Country for Old Men (2007)

Unconventional Cohen Style

[8/10 · 4 March 2008]

I'm a hardcore Lebowski guy. No Country is a great movie, but it's no Lebowski. But then what is? And never mind that comparing the two movies would be like a comparison between a rabid rhinoceros and say, a bowl of oatmeal. But I still believe strongly that if any Cohen movie deserves best pic, it's Lebowski. It was just the right time, the right set of circumstances for them to get the nod for their latest work, which is well deserved, but feels more like a lifetime achievement award than a best pic/best director. I'm impressed, however, that the Oscar would go to a couple of my 'against the grain' film-making heroes and for such a dark, brutal film no less. Maybe things haven't completely given way to shmaltz and fluff in the motion picture academy?

But what about No Country? As a long time admirer, I'm biased towards the Cohens so I loved it (more than many perhaps) for that reason alone. I wouldn't quite say that it's the Cohens at the height of their powers, but they definitely explored another avenue with this one. There's hardly a trace of the bizarre, deadpan humor that one has come to expect from a Cohen movie (even the often brutal Miller's Crossing had some chuckle-inducing moments). No, they definitely turned down another street with this one, a very dark, scary street.

The signature Cohen way of giving the 'chaos and randomness' feel of real life occurrences to circumstances of fiction (even some of the most outlandish scenarios - as they've done in the past) is present, though. And when the Cohens apply their special brand of realism to violence, it produces some of the most frightening scenes of bloodletting in cinema...scenes that can't really be matched (unless you're Cronenberg or Kubrick). I love violent movies that shock you into thinking..."man what would that be like if it were happening to me?" or "That's probably what it would be like if it were really happening." I think that's what really kept the movie afloat for me. It brought back some of the things I liked about Cronenberg's History of Violence, but No Country is a lead foot on the throttle when it comes to violence. Incredible. This movie sports some of the most realistic gunshot wound effects I've ever seen in film, and I've seen lots...I mean LOTS of movies depicting people getting shot. The movie's other main strong point is the the tight, relentless focus. Nothing is ever taken away from the nitty gritty of what is happening. The pacing, even when it slows to a meandering 'observing moments of a character' scene, never takes its eyes off what is unfolding between Brolin, Barden, TL Jones. I liked that a lot.

The Cohens take liberties in No Country, and I sensed that they were indulging themselves a bit at times. But if you're a fan of their work, you'll appreciate this movie for many things that would skip past the uninitiated. They were indeed toying with the audience, but if you like Cohen bros. movies, then you like getting toyed with.

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984)

A pale shadow

[1/10 · 9 December 2004]

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo serves as a perfect example of the more often than not erroneous 'bigger is better' philosophy that pervades American society. This movie, if nothing else, reminds us that more is not always more. This stinker of stinkers succeeds only in cheapening the impact of the dancing in the first movie by reducing it to an ornament for an absurd non-story.

In its predecessor one can detect a tiny drop of integrity where the precepts of story forming are concerned. The conflict set up between 'street culture' and society's 'upper-crust' was less than realistic, but break dancing, as a form of urban art, was presented interestingly enough to capture my interest (I'm willing to forgive a lot for the sake of entertainment). The dynamic dance moves were just enough to suspend not disbelief, but dismissal of the ridiculous. In Boogaloo, that hint, that tiny drop of integrity became a drop of spittle on a hot iron. More thought and attention is generally given to the flushing of giant smelly turds than were given to the creation of characters, dialog, and scenarios in Boogaloo. Sam Firstenberg is no Joel Silberg. What? I'm not sure what that means myself. In fact I'm ashamed I said it.

It's not difficult to see why this movie was made. It was the decade of cashing in on flashes-in-the-pan. If a teet squirts milk, then squeeze it for all it's worth, right? Breakin' 2 is nothing more than a poorly conceived advertisement for the flavor of the month. Sadly, this confusion of marketing and entertainment is not only alive and well today, it's grown into a gigantic retarded baby that's painting everything with a thick coat of mediocrity if not out and out stupidity. This is the devolution of popular culture. Art is no longer a part of the everyday.

Breakin' (1984)

Ah, the care-free days of yesteryear

[29 November 2004]

Remember the days when skin-tight leotards were accepted street clothing? What about jeans so tight that your cock and balls were on display to any and all? Do you remember the days when lookin' good on the cardboard meant more than money, more than fame, more than status? Do you long for the days when hip hop was just a baby and "fresh" really meant fresh (or funky fresh)? I do. That's why watching this movie, for me, was a tour-de-force of nostalgia! I love this dang movie. Sure, sure, at first you're overwhelmed by the moves, the music, the clothes, and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

What? Jean-Claude Van Damme????? What the hell was that? It was only my third consecutive viewing that revealed his presence in the first Venice Beach scene. Needless to say, I laughed my proverbial ass off. I thought this was the gayest movie ever before noticing Jean-Claude!!! Now? Now I'm convinced! This is the GAYEST movie ever!!! But in a really good, fun, innocent way, know what I mean? I think that pretty much encapsulates the pop culture of the time.

The movie is pure unintentional comedy, the best kind of comedy in my humble opinion. The dialog is cheesy, the acting cheesier, but the dancing is hype. That's what really got me. Turbo is amazing. His body is a living rubber-band (or was anyway).

A fun game to play during the film is: "would you wear that outfit in public if someone paid you fifty bucks every time you wore it?" (The amount can be interchanged with a larger or smaller sum depending on the ridiculousness of the ensemble in question.) My final conclusion? I would wear the outfit Ozone sports to the wine-sniffing party for 200.00 a day. I mean, the hat is ridiculous, but fourteen hundred dollars a week? It's not that ridiculous.