Some Quick Movie Reviews

In about 2 hours I will be standing in line at United Artist Fossil Creek 11 to see “Watchmen.” It’s been quite a while since I’ve tried to do a midnight show but I’m pulling out all the stops this time around in the name of Nerdom. Will my Friday work experience be awful? Most likely. But I can’t pass up the opportunity. Before I go, however, I feel I should write some quick reviews of the 2009 movies I’ve seen thus far. I saw 3 movies in about 2 days and didn’t have time to write full on reviews for each (except for “Taken”). The launch of “Watchmen” officially marks the beginning of Movie Season, as it is the first one from my “Top 10 Most Anticipated Films” to make it to theaters. So a quick run through of the three 2009 movies I’ve made it to so far.

“Bride Wars”
Let’s be honest here. Was there any chance that I was going to like this movie? Absolutely not. This film was written for women only and there was almost nothing for a guy to latch on to. And there’s nothing wrong with that, per se. Some “chick flicks” are designed to hit the date audience, some to hit the girl’s night out audience. This is 100% the latter. The acting is abysmal. Kate Hudson is rapidly turning herself into a pigeon holed actress who will only be allowed to appear in awful romantic “comedies” and the fact that Anne Hathaway followed up her recent Oscar nominated film with this, we can only hope is coincidence. The jokes fall flat throughout, the story is cliché to say the least, and the whole thing is an exercise in idiocy.
Grade: D

“The International”
I confess I’m a bit disappointed in this. I wasn’t expecting greatness from this film but I’ve come to trust Clive Owen in the sense that if he is involved, it’s usually an attempt to make a legitimately good film. This story about a corrupt bank walked the line between good and bad but eventually fell into the “eh, that was OK” category that so very many action/dramas end up in. My biggest problem here is that for the first hour or so of the movie, it appears to be more of an “action with a purpose” movie, meaning that it isn’t built entirely around effects and shock value. Then for approximately 20 minutes it seems to lose itself in an insane fight scene that is completely and totally out of sync with the direction of the film. Then it returns to its original intention. In addition to this confusion, Naomi Watts is either a much worst actress that I’ve given her credit for or completely drunk throughout the entire filming of the movie. She is just terrible. In all, “The International” was mildly entertaining (all you can really ask for) but instantly forgettable.
Grade: C+

“He’s Just Not That Into You”
The makers of “Bride Wars” could take a page out of this book on how to make a date-worthy “chick flick” if, in fact, they wanted to do so. This film follows the paths of 3 or 4 couples that are kind-of, sort-of connected through “When Harry Met Sally-esque” breaks describing ways to tell if a guy isn’t interested. This is far from great, particularly because it lacks consistency. The film doesn’t flow. In addition, I felt like there are so many characters here that the film doesn’t have enough time to develop all those characters and so at times it feels as if they’re changing their personalities rather than just showing depth. But it is an entertaining and quite honest look into the dating world. I enjoyed the movie more and it’s a pretty solid date movie, if nothing else.
GRADE: B-