There’s been a real drought of movie consumption this year for The Pop View. I’d apologize, but I’m suffering more from it than you are…
But what does Christmas mean but a chance to watch movies! Even bad ones.
The Holiday is a piffle, a bologna sandwich of a movie. It’s one of those misfires that announces its own failure: retired screenwriter Arthur Abbott (Eli Wallach) tells Iris (Kate Winslet), “You are a leading lady, but for some reason you’re behaving like the best friend.” Well, duh! There’s the problem right there! This is a movie that calls for Kate Winslet and Jack Black to act like meek sad sack losers. Wha…? Plus, the movie starts with a flat-out lie: “I have found almost everything ever written about love to be true.” That statement doesn’t even have a nodding acquaintance with the truth and this movie is proof.
Night at the Museum was better than I thought it would be, although all I really knew was that it featured a museum where things came to life. Seriously. I hadn’t bothered to read anything of the reviews or descriptions — hadn’t even seen a trailer. Is there some significance to the fact that Ben Stiller‘s entire career seems to consist of either lovable loser roles (Meet the Parents) or character parts (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy). Of course, there’s Zoolander, which combined both. The ending of Night at the Museum was a little weak, but it’s clearly aimed mostly at kids, so I’ll let it slide.
Snakes on a Plane — well, I didn’t see it myself, but I am told by one of my associates that its title should be Skanks on a Plane. I watched the last five minutes, after the plane has landed and was stunned at how the finale dragged out. Dude! The snakes are over! Movie’s over! Why are you people still talking?
Little Miss Sunshine was also slight, but harmless. It provides another example of how the indie side of this biz can make ‘em just like the majors — for all the ill that implies.
American Dreamz was not as horrible as I expected (based on the reviews), but not as good as it was trying to be. A simultaneous satire of the War in Iraq and American Idol, the Bush/Cheney parody didn’t work very well, possibly because the notion of Dubya as a dimwit who turns out to have a conscience seems like a compliment. But I really liked the subplot with would-be Iraqi terrorist Omer and his cousin Iqbal, because how better to conquer America than through show biz? Omer-ized, indeed.
Step Up is very much in the mold of “musicals” like Dirty Dancing and Flashdance. It’s old-fashioned, in the sense that they churned out routine flicks like this back in the Thirties and Forties every week. It’s odd to see Rachel Griffiths slumming so much that she’s unrecognizable. There is all this potential subtext about race and class that’s dutifully ignored in a film that’s suitable for the whole family. The script gropes for a urban “street” attitude that is painfully out of reach. Furthermore, this movie was clearly made because of the success of Save the Last Dance, but it paid the bills for Griffiths, Heavy D and Alyson Stoner, so more slack shall be cut.
Tags: The Holiday, Night at the Museum, Snakes on a Plane, Little Miss Sunshine, American Dreamz, Step Up
3 Responses
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Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey Says:
Did you notice that you didn’t actually review Step Up? Was there a plot? How did you like the singing and/or dancing?
I get the impression you didn’t like it much, but you said nothing about what was actually in the movie. If anything.
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The Pop View Says:
The “plot” of Step Up? Good little rich girl and the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks fall in love and battle adversity. Not much singing, as it’s a dance movie, not a real musical. The dancing was… okay. I guess parts of the dancing were executed well.
Honestly, this like reviewing a slice of Wonder® Bread.
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Sophie Says:
I was a bit surprised by Step Up… I thought as usual they’d have horrible dancers but (although the plot has totally been done over and over again) I liked it.
Great blog by the way.