Review: Clash of the Titans (2010)

 

 

Somewhere between 2.5 and 3 NF stars for this one.  I rounded up because fun definitely prevails over quality, and what I wanted here was fun.  I love the original cheeseburger with Harry Hamlin and his mechanical owl.  When I first heard they were putting together a remake it seemed an unnecessary heresy (perhaps this still holds true).  No worries there, though, because they didn’t really remake the first movie; they made up a whole new story that has as little to do with the first film as it does with the ancient Perseus myth.  I agree with other NF reviewers that the action sequences are hyperactive, hyperbolic, and pretty well incomprehensible.  And that’s just in 2D, ha.  The so-so-CGI monsters are wimpy caricatures compared to Harryhausen’s creations. There are good and even great actors in the cast (Sam Worthington excepted) but most of them don’t have anything to do, and look like wet wood doing it.  Plot and dialogue are paltry at best.  Fortunately, Mads Mikkelsen provides a welcome high point.  Obvious and numerous flaws aside, the movie still provided me with a fairly fun ride, enough for close to 3 stars anyway.  Most importantly, it retains one of the most notable qualities of its predecessor:  Offering ample opportunities for amusing oneself and friends with scathing sarcasm and caustic wit at every turn.  Now that’s entertainment!    

Review: Goya’s Ghosts (2006)

               

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  Initially favored by royalty, Spanish painter Francisco Goya (Stellan Skarsgård) is targeted by the Spanish Inquisition when he paints young Inés (Natalie Portman), whom the church views as a heretic. Twenty years later, Inés is released from the dungeon and requests Goya’s help in finding the daughter she bore while imprisoned. Javier Bardem and Randy Quaid also star in Academy Award-winning director Milos Forman‘s epic true story.

REVIEW:  Several of my friends told me they were disappointed by this movie. I’m sad to say I now feel the same…but only because I hoped for, and indeed expected, more. There is much good here–the cast is excellent, the costumes and sets superb, the story compelling enough on its face. Forman’s films are always meticulously crafted with a rich and sumptuous look; this one is no exception. It’s just that the whole thing feels as though his canvas ended up being a bit to small for his frame, and couldn’t quite stretch enough to contain the entire vision. The outstanding cast seems wasted, as situations and dialog don’t ring true, and the entire narrative is surprisingly flat, for all the drama inherent in the script. Ambitious but significantly flawed. Goya’s lithographs in the beginning scene and the montage of paintings beneath the end credits are very nearly the high points of the film. For me to feel so disappointed and still give the film 3.5 Netflix stars is a testament to the skill of all involved.

Review: Stay (2005)

       

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  This racy thriller bends reality about five different ways when a psychologist’s (Ewan McGregor) suicidal client starts making bizarre predictions that, to everyone’s mounting consternation, begin to come true. Now, the shrink must race against the clock to save everything he loves before it disappears forever. Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling, Bob Hoskins and Janeane Garofalo co-star in this suspenseful yarn directed by Marc Forster.

MY TAKE:  Well-crafted, visually sleek thriller about a psychiatrist (Ewan MacGregor) racing against time to prevent a young patient (Ryan Gosling) from committing suicide. Or is it? Convoluted sequencing, repetitive clues and a general air of surreality should clue you in that things are not quite as they appear. This type of contrivance often gets on my nerves, but it’s quite well done here. Once you know the story, the film merits a second watch to observe how carefully –and cleverly -– everything is tailored together. Even in the more confusing moments,compelling performances kept my attention from wandering. Gosling is a particular standout, as is Bob Hoskins in a small but pivotal role.