The Final Destination 4
I am not familiar with the first three movies in this series, but, if they were anything like this current movie, then they must have been pretty amazing as well! Through a premonition a group of teenagers escape certain death from a motor racing accident at a speedway. But, ‘Death’ seems to feel cheated by their escape, and it sets about killing them off one by one in the order they were intended to die, in a series of elaborately staged ‘accidents’. The movie is very violent, but, extremely funny! Also, the movie has embedded within it some important messages about safety in the home and workplace. As the ‘accidents’ are ever so carefully set up, you just know what their inevitable outcome is going to be, and this adds considerably to the ‘groan’ value of the movie. Plus, the tatty 3D effects, even though we don’t get their full impact on DVD format, also contributes to the whole ‘sleaze’ factor of the movie.
Bitch Slap
Speaking of ‘groan’ and ‘sleaze’, as we were, this movie, written, produced and directed by Rick Jacobson, also scores very highly on the ‘tatty’ register. Three gorgeous woman arrive somewhere in the American desert, maybe Arizona, in search of 200 million dollars worth of stolen diamonds, buried someplace in all the sand. But, as the girls look for their stash, suspicions and sexual envy begins to mount between them, and their relationship quickly disintegrates into one hell of a ‘cat’ fight. I suppose we have no-one to blame but Quentin Tarantino for this kind of excessive Post-Feminist violence, and, actually, at moments, the movie resembles something Tarantino could have dreamed up on one of his ‘off’ days. All-the-same, if you enjoy watching beautiful women in skimpy costumes attacking one another full on, you are going to get a big kick out of this ‘black’ comedy.
Shorts
This movie is a magical fantasy for children, and it really is quite delightful. When three young boys find a rainbow colored wishing rock, they wish for all the normal things like tiny spaceships, crocodile armies, and gigantic castles, but, when their parents, and other adults in their town, get their hands on the rock, things really start getting out of control! Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, the movie has an entertaining storyline, excellent special effects, and a surprisingly good cast, which includes William H. Macy and James Spader. The movie’s moral that what you wish for is not always what you want, is presented in a very nice gentle manner.
Taking Woodstock
Director Ang Lee’s most popular movie would be ‘Brokeback Mountain’ (2005), but his credits also include ‘Sense and Sensibility’ (1995) and ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ (2000). His latest movie ‘Taking Woodstock’ is nothing like what you expect. Inspired by true events, the Woodstock Festival acts as ‘background’ in this movie, which is really a vicious study into prejudices of a racist, cultural, and sexual nature. A Jewish family, who owns a motel close to the festival site, sets out to milk the visiting hippies for all they are worth. As things progress, the family must confront their own problems, and their son must also address his sexual orientation. The movie is basically a family drama, with Woodstock acting as the catalyst. The ‘hippie’ atmosphere of the festival is brilliantly restaged, but, there is no attempt to recreate the historical big Rock acts. Woodstock’s message of ‘Love’ and ‘Peace’ appears to be lost in this very different ‘take’ on the festival. The movie seems more concerned with greed and corruption.
Love Happens
Aaron Eckhart plays a motivational speaker, still grieving over the death of his wife in a motor car accident. At a seminar in a Seattle hotel, where he is conducting a series of motivational workshops, he meets a florist, played by Jennifer Aniston, who is responsible for the hotel’s floral arrangements, and, of course, love happens! There is nothing much more to the movie than that. It’s simple and very straight forward. Yet, the real strength of the movie rests in the excellent performances of the two stars. Aaron and Jennifer both give convincing and touching portrayals in this slowly blossoming romance.
Carriers
This is another one of those movies where a virus has swept over America killing almost all of its inhabitants. Those who survive wander aimlessly over the wastelands, seeking some place of safety. Along the way, they meet marauding gangs and possible victims contaminated with the plague. Is it too obvious to say that the whole movie seems to be a rather inappropriate comment on the HIV-AIDS epidemic, executed with appalling bad taste?
Funny People
At a stage in every comedian’s career, when he has achieved a certain amount of success, he wishes to prove to his public that he is more than just a funny man. He attempts to make a ‘serious’ work. Such is the case with Adam Sandler’s latest movie. Adam plays a successful film comedian, who finds he has cancer, and decides to rediscover his roots hitting the ‘stand up comedy’ circuit again. The movie is two and a half hours of tedious stand up comedy, combined with some truly atrocious ‘serious’ acting from Adam.
The Box
Most critics in the media, and on the internet, have called Cameron Diaz’s latest film: “the worst movie ever made”. Most critics are absolutely correct.
