Movies

Andrew: We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all.

John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton lead an all-star cast in this hilarious and unpredictable thriller that critics are calling "very funny stuff" (Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper).

When lawyer Charlie (Cusack) and his partner Vic (Thornton) steal from a mob boss, they think they've pulled off the perfect crime. But when they race through a night filled with mayhem, lust and lethal surprises, they realize that the biggest risk they'll take will be trusting each other.

From the director of Analyze This and Groundhog Day, The Ice Harvest cracks with outrageous laughs and slippery twists that will keep you guessing until the very end.

I liked John Cusack's character (Charlie). He is a mob boss's lawyer, so he has probably worked a few too many hours, which has caused at least one woman to walk out of his life. He is just not happy with his station in life; something needs to change. He tells a story about how his father always played by the rules and respected the law. He wanted his son to grow up a lawyer and protect those same rules he held so dear. And we can imagine that working within the confines of those rules to assist a man who does bad things is as close as Charlie has come rebelling or acting out. The character really allowed Cusack to get back to the type of acting that makes me like him so much. He is a nicer guy than he tries to let on. He is on edge, angry about something that may have never happened. And he is impatient. It was refreshing to see old Cusack in a new role.

Billy Bob Thornton (Vic), as far as I am concerned, was just another actor in this movie. I probably shouldn't admit that I am generally a fan of his work. I like his personality and the quirks he brings to his work. (There, I said it.) There wasn't much depth to Vic. Putting Thornton in the movie helped impress people with the names associated with the project I am sure, but I think he was underutilized.

I never thought I would say that the highlight of any movie I had seen was the performance delivered by Oliver Platt. I mean no disrespect to Mr. Platt, but in what few roles I have seen him in, he has not played any characters that have left a positive impression on me...until now. His character Pete, the drunk, unhappy architect, brought some much needed comedy to The Ice Harvest. He had what may be seen as the easy job of delivering the best lines in the movie, but I think he brought a lot to those lines and did a great job.

As for the movie itself, I think it was good for the performances by Cusack and Platt. It was in the theaters so long ago that I was able to let go of the expectations that once had been for a great movie. I did not love the movie, but I am glad I was able to watch it somewhat objectively and enjoy it for what it was and not see it through let-down eyes. It took a few weird (maybe even unnecessary) twists to eventually lead up to the ending, but the ending was great.

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Lonely hit man Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan in a Golden Globe-nominated performance) and struggling salesman Danny Wright (Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear) form an unexpected bond during a chance meeting in a Mexican bar. Six months later, when the self-proclaimed "facilitator of fatalities" turns up on the doorstep desperate for help, Danny and his wife (Hope Davis) are both horrified...but intrigued enough to oblige. Together, the two men set out for the most thrilling adventure of Danny's life and the most critical kill of Julian's career. Deftly mixing explosive action with savage wit, The Matador is "effortlessly entertaining" (Rex Reed, The New York Observer).

I cannot remember who it was that suggested I watch The Matador. I always try to get back to those who make recommendations I use and offer my feedback, but this time please forgive me.

I have always enjoyed Pierce Brosnan. I never really thought he was the best James Bond, but he did well in the roll...if that makes any sense. Either way, you understand that he is always the cool Brit chick-magnet. In The Matador, there is a small twist on that as he has a strong penchant towards booze and loose women. Not only does Julian Noble lack the class of James Bond, but he may be completely devoid of tact as well. He is a loose cannon and completely socially awkward. For 22 years he has enjoyed a career that has kept him in total isolation from other people's personal lives. Or more so that it has been his personal life that has remained in isolation.

Things have changed. While in Mexico on a job, he has a startling realization that he has no friends. Drunk and lonely he stumbles into the hotel bar and finds an unsuspecting Greg Kinnear character (Danny). This poor man, who is nervously waiting to hear back from the company he just pitched for business, breaks the commandment of thou shalt not be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is the first friendly face Julian has come across since he realized he had no friendly faces in his life and he is immediately labeled "friend."

The unlikely duo plays the get-to-know-you game for a little while before Julian oversteps his boundaries by asking Danny to help him on a job. Julian asks Danny to help him kill a man. Pulling the trigger or distracting body guards, there is no difference to Danny who wants no part of Julian's business in Mexico, a decision from which we are shown the seeming end of the friendship. Until Julian shows up on Danny's doorstep in Colorado.

For a few days Danny stayed in Mexico in case the company whose business he sought needed to hear his pitch a second time, and over those few days he shared a few drinks with a man who kills people for a living, a man with no one else to turn to when he is at his wit's end. Julian needs a friend again and with no one else to turn to, he gives Danny the choice to help or turn his back.

Brosnan and Kinnear play an odd-couple of sorts, two personalities who could hardly be more different. I would argue that they did not have good chemistry together, but that was the whole point. I believe every interaction between Julian and Danny was supposed to be as uncomfortable for the viewers as it was for Danny. That was mission accomplished.

I liked where the movie started. I liked where it was going. I did not like where it ended up. The final scene was the best way they could have ended the movie, but it was the conflict resolution I did not like. I liked the Julian Noble character, but the movie would have been better had it been about all of the years he was the best at what he did. Remove the conflict in The Matador and let Julian do what he does best with a camera over his shoulder. Give me a The Matador prequel and I bet you sell more tickets.

The movie was luke warm. You would be ok to see it at someone else's request, but you needn't actively seek out The Matador.

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Andrew: Dude, did you just give her the family discount? Richard Swersey: Yeah. She's my neighbor, and I'm trying to work on my karma. Do you know what karma means? Andrew: Yeah. Richard Swersey: It means that she owes me one.

1. Billy Madison

2. Airheads

3. Punch Drunk Love

4. Big Daddy

5. Happy Gilmore

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M

A simple, haunting phrase whistled off-screen tells us that a young girl will be killed. "Who is the murderer?" pleads a nearby placard as serial killer Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre) closes in on little Elsie Beckmann. In his harrowing masterwork M, Fritz Lang merges trenchant social commentary with chilling suspense, creating a panorama of private madness and public hysteria that to this day remains the blueprint for the psychological thriller.

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Willy Wonka: But Charlie, don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted. Charlie Bucket: What happened? Willy Wonka: He lived happily ever after.

Beerfest is the latest project to hit the theaters from the Broken Lizard team who has been responsible for the rip-roaring comedy Super Troopers and the lesser-known, though still funny (to me), Club Dread and Puddle Cruiser.

My expectations were left at the door and all that I sat down with was the hope that it would be better than Club Dread. As the movie started, I had my reservations. I am never one to shy away from gratuitous nudity, but I have often considered it a last-ditch effort to wrench a laugh from the audience. If they were resorting to that in the first few minutes of the movie, things did not look good. Little did I know at the time that there was a necessary set up for the storyline. There had to be some actual time spent on explaining a thing or two before things could progress. The nudity, reminiscent of comedies from nearly a generation ago, was only something to hold your attention while they warmed the engine. It was as if Broken Lizard said, "We apologize that our plot line is a little far-fetched. We have to jump through a few hoops and clear up some red tape before we can get going. Oh, here are some topless girls to help pass the time and make up for any inconvenience we may have caused." And then the movie took off...

This is such a stupid idea -- getting five guys together to compete in a secret beer-drinking competition in Germany -- that the strength had to be in the writing. And it was. The dialogue was great, the sight gags were great.

Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske are Jan and Todd Wolfhouse, brothers and the descendents of the Germans which lead them to Beerfest. Jay Chandrasekhar plays Barry, a character who was the best at all drinking games in college. Jan and Todd find him a bit down on his luck when they ask him to join the team. Aside from directing the movie, I have to say that Jay is the most talented of the Broken Lizard team. Kevin Heffernan who is most beloved as "Farva" (Super Troopers) plays "Landfill," the team's former competitive eater. (According to the credits, he also painted the portraits of Stolhanske and Soter that appear in the Beerfest arena.) Steve Lemme is single handedly (pun only slightly intended) responsible for the beginning of the hilarity in the movie.

This is the perfect movie for me to want to say, "Hey, remember the part when..." and when you do, we share a laugh. I would love to recite the movie for you quote by quote, but obviously that would ruin it.

The movie was very funny and I loved it. I'm not ashamed to admit when a movie makes me cry. During Beerfest I had tears streaming from my eyes. I have not laughed that hard in a long time. Beerfest had my face contorted in laughter until my cheeks hurt. My hat is off, once again, to the Broken Lizard team. I may have laughed more frequently during Super Troopers, but I laughed harder at Beerfest.

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Young Ed Bloom: There's a time when a man needs to fight and a time when he needs to accept that his destiny's lost, the ship has sailed and that only a fool will continue. The truth is I've always been a fool.

1. Princess Bride

2. Flight of the Navigator

3. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

4. Labyrinth

5. Bedknobs & Broomsticks

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For months I waited in anxious anticipation for Little Miss Sunshine. I all but counted down the days until I would be able to see this cast come together and lend its collective hand to a simple story. The movie has been receiving very favorable reviews from movie lovers and casual viewers alike. Somehow, however, I managed to miss the boat on this one. I may have to reserve judgment somewhat until I can see it again, but who knows when that will be. For now, I will give you my first-impression thoughts.

Some of the things I have read about the movie have praised the character development. I must have been asleep during the part where they added depth to any of the characters. I won't go into too much detail to save the spoilers for a separate conversation, but I only liked what they did with two characters and one of them received about half of the screen time he deserved. The only development given to any character was how he or she contributed to the problem(s) that threatened to pull the family apart.

I was excited for this cast to see how its members would interact on screen. I wanted to see how well they would banter together. The focus of the movie, however, was the story rather than the writing/dialogue. The story did not deserve all of this attention. Each character provided maybe one scene of comedy and that was it.

So many scenes and ideas were run into the ground. Something would be suggested in dialogue and the theater audience would laugh. Those who laughed would see the suggestion play out in their minds and that, in most movies, would be the end of it. Little Miss Sunshine then took it a step further to then act out that suggestion after the laughs had already been received. Too many scenes dragged on with almost no purpose. I think Little Miss Sunshine could have been a short film if only the length of the movie weren't necessary to build the suspense leading to the actual beauty pageant (and even that scene ran too long).

I like the idea of a movie geared towards the importance of family; one that shows us that usually no one understands or accepts our quirks better than our family. We all have problems, and together we can work them out. Each member of the family was different. They thought they were all on their own, isolated island. It was from a last-minute road trip, which forced them into each other's lives, that they began to see that they were there to support each other. I like the message, I just did not care much for the vehicle with which they pushed the message.

Abigail Breslin was adorable. I cannot, and I need not, elaborate much further. She was the bright shining star in this picture that played the young girl, Olive, and she was figuratively the glue that held this movie together. Credit is due, also, to the costume team who dressed her in the most freakishly bizarre yet amazingly precious outfits.

Alan Arkin was the other highlight for me in Little Miss Sunshine. It was his on-screen time that I mentioned above was not what it should have been. He deserved more, alas the part was not written to allow it. He has always been the Police Captain from So I Married An Axe Murderer to me, and now he's Grandpa from Little Miss Sunshine. This was a great part, and I cannot articulate how fantastic he was.

On their contributions alone I wish I were able to suggest you go see this movie. Maybe upon a second viewing I would find the magic everyone else sees in this movie. For whatever reason, I did not really enjoy Little Miss Sunshine.

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Baron Munchausen: Your reality, sir, is lies and balderdash and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever.