Archive for February 2008

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Charlie Bartlett

Narrative Review

In the first few minutes of the film, I want to pull Charlie aside and have a heart to heart. I want to explain to him he doesn’t have to try so hard, and being popular really shouldn’t be that important. But then we wouldn’t have a movie now would we?
“Charlie Bartlett” is an earnest attempt to tackle the glaring problem of over-medicating today’s kids. Unfortunately, a genuine debate is never created, and our lead character isn’t really that charming.
Charlie (Anton Yelchin) is an optimist who dreams of being the popular kid. After getting kicked out of every prep school imaginable, he moves back home with his drunk mother (Hope Davis) and attends Western Summit High School, a public school run by a principal (Robert ... Continue Reading

TSR Movie Awards - 2007

And here is the list of winners…
(on a scale of 1 to 10)
Funniest - Juno 7.80
Scariest - No Country for Old Men 8
Saddest - Away From Her 7.78
Best Blockbuster - The Bourne Ultimatum 8.2
Best Music - Once 8.87
Most Disappointing - Spider-Man 3 6.2
Best Action Hero/Villian/Superhuman - Anton Chigurh - No Country for Old Men 9.31
Best Ending - Michael Clayton 8.13
Best Documentary - No End in Sight 7.8
Best Animated - Persepolis 8.71
Best Visuals: Special Effects - 300 8.36
Best Visuals: Non-Special Effects - There Will Be Blood 8.84
Best Screenplay: Adapted - No Country for Old Men 8.73
Best Screenplay: Original - Juno 8.72
Best Supporting Actress - Cate Blanchett - I’m Not There 8.69
Best Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem (-) No Country for Old Men 9.39
Best Actress - Marion Cotillard (-) La Vie en Rose 9
Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis (-) There Will Be Blood 9.27
Best Acting - Entire Cast - No Country for Old Men 9.14
Best Film of 2007 - No Country for Old Men 9

Best Cameo - (Tie) Keith Richards - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End & Ryan Seacrest - Knocked Up

Quote of the Year - What’s the most you ever lost on a coin toss? - Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men ... Continue Reading

Definitely, Maybe

Narrative Review
The romantic comedy is a difficult beast to tame.
Love Actually made it look easy; other films, such as 27 Dresses seem to run out of material too quickly.
Definitely, Maybe takes a crack at getting some laughs, some tears and a little romance — and it works. Definitely.
Will (Ryan Reynolds) attempts to explain his past relationships and impending divorce to his 11-year-old daughter, Maya (Abigail Breslin), with a twist — he changes the names of his romantic partners and won’t tell her which woman is her mother.

This sounds like a knock-off of the TV show “How I Met Your Mother,” but quality performances across the board make this ... Continue Reading

Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show

Narrative Review
When you hear the name Vince Vaughn, you expect laughter. That seems to be the rule now.
Sure, for a while he attempted drama with a “Psycho” remake, “Clay Pigeons” and “Return to Paradise,” but the public spoke with their wallets. None of those films made much money, and Vaughn returned to comedy with huge hits such as “Wedding Crashers.”
So who better than Vaughn to lead us through 30 cities in 30 days with four stand-up comedians? “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights, Hollywood to the Heartland” is supposed to be a raucous ride of laughter, but it’s thin on one important aspect: the jokes.
Vaughn is joined by four stand-up comedians (Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst and Sebastian Maniscalco) ... Continue Reading