AJ_Pants's Reviews

The Lovely Bones (2009)

8/10

8 January 2010

OK maybe we could have done without Susan Sarandon's character, but quite an emotionally charged film here by Peter Jackson. The visual contrast between the dark and gloomy real world and Susie Salmon's highly symbolic 'in between' was stunning and well executed.

And as for the music? Wonderful. Cocteau Twins, Brian Eno and This Mortal Coil were perfectly suited to the imagery.

Honestly, I don't understand how critics can shower films like The Blind Side with praise, yet trash this near masterpiece. Looks like another quality film will slide underneath the radar.

Disturbing, sure. Brilliant? Pretty close.

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Knocked Up (2007)

6/10

Poor Messages, Poorer Film.

10 June 2007

Granted there are a few funny moments in this film, but it really lacks the warmth (and dare I say heart) of say, 40 Year Old Virgin. Seth Rogen is too grimy to ever really be likable, the rest of the performances are average at best. As a whole the flimsy storyline is pretty darn bad, let's face it.

What worries me is the film's messages. 1. That it's OK to smoke bongs all day and be a perpetual underachiever, and 2. that unplanned pregnancies end happily ever after.

Sorry, but a film whose laughs come from a 6 year a old girl saying "penis" and "prick" is an insult to everyone's intelligence.

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Fast Food Nation (2006)

4/10

Fast Food Nation Does Not Deliver

15 April 2007

After reading the fascinating book of the same name, I was expecting a lot more from this film. As someone mentioned, the movie has these feeble, loosely connected plot lines that do nothing to draw in the viewer. The performances are drab and uninteresting. And to be honest, Avril Levine should really stick to singing.

The meat industry cares little for it's employees, the environment and most of all the animals it slaughters, that is made fairly clear. But ultimately the film seems to shy away from sending any message or taking any real stance on the matter. Maybe the filmmaker is saying that our efforts to change anything will only prove futile. Much like the kids plan of releasing the cows into the wild.

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Grizzly Man (2005)

6/10

Diary of the Delusional

19 December 2005

Warning: Spoilers

May God have mercy on his soul, but Timothy Treadwell was a highly delusional human being. Not only did he somehow believe he could co-exist with these dangerous animals (and was actually helping them), but his on screen persona and bizarre tendency to do 8, 9, 10 takes of each scene for a non-existent audience show that this guy was definitely not 'all there'.

I knew about the story. I also knew that the audio tape of his death would not be played in the documentary. I watched this with my parents who knew nothing of this guy and what happened to him. I think Herzog could have added some serious punch to the film had he not revealed so early on that the death of Treadwell was only captured on audio tape. Imagine how frightening it would be to watch each clip of Treadwell foolhardedly touching these creatures, not knowing if it was the scene where he met his violent death.

Just a thought.

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