January 15, 2009
The Number 23 (2007)
Should I see it?
No.
No.
Short Review: It’s more like number two.
The first two thirds of this film are passable. The final third is a complete embarrassment. It’s like enjoying a moderately prepared dinner and then topping it off with an apple cobbler that was warmed in the chef’s armpit.
Jim Carrey attempts yet again to “be serious” (see Man on the Moon for another attempt – then again, don’t). This outing, he grumbles his way through a film about a troubled man who becomes obsessed with finding the number 23 in his life. Walter Sparrow (Carrey) is given a book entitled The Number 23 by his wife Agatha (played by Virginia Madsen who is now apparently the one to call on when a production needs a pretty but passive female presence to counter a lead actor over the age of 40). Walter becomes convinced the book was written about him and quickly becomes dangerously obsessed with the work. The beginnings of this obsession are interesting and handled well by director Joel Schumacher and screenwriter Fernley Phillips. Carrey also handles his roles (he also portrays the main character in the book) with some skill. It is when the piece wraps up that everything goes to pot. Carrey’s acting goes into overdrive as he attempts to be as dramatic as possible while the script attempts to sell a completely irrational resolution. Schumacher’s pacing tightens up to heighten the impact of the big reveal, but this backfires. Instead of providing a taut, surprise ending, the hasty pace comes off as someone hurrying through the crappy resolution hoping to mask its stupidity. Many films manage to hide their illogical choices and poor construction until after they're done. This one flaunts theirs.
There is also an issue with a number of very grizzly scenes of murder and death. You see everything. If someone falls from a high place, we see them hit the ground, if someone gets their throat cut we see the slice open up. This lack of imagination on the part of Schumacher is disgusting. We do not need to see a woman’s body slam into the cement after dropping from a third story window. In a time long past, this would have been handled off screen and with reaction shots from those who witnessed the event. By showing us the grim moment of death, along with the thick “thud” is simply bad film making. It is cheap and it is the stuff of hacks.
I see it as yet another instance of Jim Carrey not doing what he was meant to do (make us laugh). He was made to be a goof and these excursions into more serious roles don’t succeed. Carrey is a good actor but his demeanor lends itself to comedy not drama. He’s been misusing his gifts and it’s a shame.
Related Reviews:
Jim Carrey Movies
Dumb and Dumber (1994)
The Mask (1994)
Other Critic's Reviews:
Ill-Informed Gadfly
The Flickering Wall
Labels: film, Jim Carrey, movie review, Virginia Madsen
posted by Michelle Obama's Left Nut at 9:00 AM
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October 18, 2008
Movie Trailer: The Haunting in Connecticut
Same stuff, different title. A family, meaning a pretty mother and her children who look nothing like her move into an old mortuary only to find it haunted. They move in, they begin to see ghosts and they all begin to hallucinate and then of course the son gets possessed and well, it goes on from there.
They actually have a girl attacked with a shower curtain? Honestly? This is what they came up with? A shower curtain. I suppose later in the scene she's ambushed by a hair brush and possibly a washcloth.
They actually have a girl attacked with a shower curtain? Honestly? This is what they came up with? A shower curtain. I suppose later in the scene she's ambushed by a hair brush and possibly a washcloth.
Screenwriters: Adam Simon (An American Nightmare) and Tim Metcalfe (Kalifornia)
Director: Peter Cornwell (Ward 13)
Actors: Amanda Crew (John Tucker Must Die), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Martin Donovan (The Visitation), Elias Koteas (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), and Kyle Gallner (Red)
Director: Peter Cornwell (Ward 13)
Actors: Amanda Crew (John Tucker Must Die), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Martin Donovan (The Visitation), Elias Koteas (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), and Kyle Gallner (Red)
Labels: Amanda Crew, film, Martin Donovan, movie trailer, Virginia Madsen
posted by Michelle Obama's Left Nut at 8:00 PM
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August 18, 2008
Movie Trailer: Ripple Effect
Written, directed by and starring Philippe Caland, this film tells the tale of a man who fears his life is condemned by bad karma for an awful act he committed in his past. He sets out to right that wrong to wipe the slate clean and then experiences a "spiritual awakening".
I wonder if his "spiritual awakening" is that karma is bunk. Or that even if karma exists it doesn't resolve itself and ends up being a never ending back and forth that can't logically be supported.
The trailer itself is disjointed. It most of it avoids mentioning the man's terrible deed, to the point of being distracting. Then they drop in what he's done and it spoils the mystery. The filmmakers have not been well served by this piece of marketing.
Screenwriter: Philippe Caland (Hollywood Buddha)
Director: Philippe Caland
Actors: Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting) and Philippe Caland
I wonder if his "spiritual awakening" is that karma is bunk. Or that even if karma exists it doesn't resolve itself and ends up being a never ending back and forth that can't logically be supported.
The trailer itself is disjointed. It most of it avoids mentioning the man's terrible deed, to the point of being distracting. Then they drop in what he's done and it spoils the mystery. The filmmakers have not been well served by this piece of marketing.
Screenwriter: Philippe Caland (Hollywood Buddha)
Director: Philippe Caland
Actors: Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting) and Philippe Caland
Labels: film, Forest Whitaker, Minnie Driver, movie trailer, Virginia Madsen
posted by Michelle Obama's Left Nut at 12:00 PM
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July 3, 2008
Movie Trailer: Diminished Capacity
I have mixed feelings about this one. This appears to be just another East Coast neurosis flick where the pathetic urbanite is cured by seeing the "real life" out in the sticks. In addition, the presence of Matthew Broderick, and his very limited ability to deliver a line, doesn't help matters. On the other hand, I do like the premise of said pathetic urbanite joining with his Alzheimer's impaired uncle to venture to a collectibles convention to sell a rare baseball card. Simple plots like this can be very successful - then again, movies starring Matthew Broderick aren't. One can hope Virginia Madsen, Alan Alda and Dylan Baker in the supporting roles can give enough charm to the piece to overwhelm Broderick's flat performance style.
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Screenwriters: Sherwood Kiraly and Doug Bost
Director: Terry Kinney
Actors: Matthew Broderick (The Stepford Wives), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Alan Alda (The Aviator), Dylan Baker (Planes, Trains & Automobiles) and Louis C.K.
Labels: Alan Alda, Dylan Baker, film, Matthew Broderick, movie trailer, Virginia Madsen
posted by Michelle Obama's Left Nut at 12:00 PM
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