On Second Look - 24 Day 4: Introduction

I very fondly remember Day/Season 4 of the Fox series 24. I picked it up from Target for twenty bucks a few days ago and I've started watching it (I haven't seen it since the initial run, about five years ago). And I've decided to blog about each episode as I watch it. I've watched almost three episodes so far and I'm struck by the mix of AWESOME moments with LUDICROUS moments. 24 is a show of extremes, and as part of my blogging, I will be highlighting them.

Quick Review: MacGruber (2010)

What do I say about MacGruber? Best to start with the fact that it has almost nothing to do with the SNL sketch that shares its name. MacGruber the sketch was and is a send-up of the McGyver TV series. MacGruber the movie is a broad send-up of action movies. The character of MacGruber is performed the same by Will Forte in both versions and specializes in quirky bomb-making and general ineptitude in both versions. As for the movie, it has a couple of hilarious moments, a couple other bits that fail brutally, and still others that one could feel either way about. The, how should I say, joke-density is a bit low for a comedy, especially early on. The movie makes a bad first impression that way. I thought it was headed for disaster before a couple gut busters saved it from complete ruin. It's a silly, dirty movie that you'll probably feel embarrassed for enjoying at all: C

Quick Review: The Hurricane

I finally watched the The Hurricane (bought it from Big!Lots for three bucks). It was good but I was a little underwhelmed by the storytelling. Denzel was the best part of it: B-

Easy Endorsement: The Crazies

If you like zombie movies, go see it. Best since 28 Days Later (that I can remember off hand).

Movie Ratings: 2010

MOVIES FOR ADULTS

Toy Story 3(2010): A+/A (10/10)
Appeal: 100%
Exciting, funny and touching. My favorite of the trilogy.

Inception(2010): A+/A (10/10)
Appeal: 90% (-confusing)
Unique, clever, fun and engaging.

Date Night(2010): A- (9/10)
Appeal: 100% (+broad appeal)
I laughed a lot. And I connected with the relationship themes and dialogue.

The Fighter(2010): A- (9/10)
Appeal: 90%
Amazing performances. I connected with the internal struggle of the main character. Mark Walberg wasn't bad, but wasn't very good either. He didn't have nearly as much to "do" as the other main players.

The Next 3 Days(2010): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 80%
Almost constantly harrowing and/or gut-wrenching. Very engaging. Just don't think too hard about the plot.

Black Swan(2010): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 90% (+unique,-confusing)
Unique story. Great acting. Movie is a slow starter but has a good 2nd act and 3rd act pay-off. Scarier than you would expect.

The Town(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 80% (+mass appeal)
As much a Drama as a Heist Film. I liked it but I would have preferred Affleck stay behind the camera on this one.

Shutter Island(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 70%
[notes]

The King's Speech(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 80%
Great performance by Colin Firth. A strong performance from Geoffrey Rush. Additional strong performances by supporting cast. Slow starting movie with a great finale.

The Social Network(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 70% (+interesting true story)
Strong dialogue, a captivating underlying story, and good performances couldn't hide a meandering plot and a weak character arc for the main character, Mark Zuckerberg.

Buried(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 50%
Well made but not very pleasant to watch. You really have to be in the right state of mind to sit through this.

True Grit(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 70%
I loved the performance of Hailee Steinfeld. I liked Jeff Bridges' performance once I got used to it. Didn't really like Matt Damon's. I also didn't like the story (what happened) or plotting (how it was told) very much. I never seem to like Coen Brothers movies as much as some but I always appreciate their film making skill.

Green Zone(2010): D (3/10)
Appeal: 30%
I found it to be a dull movie.

[title](2010): ? (?/10)
Appeal: %
[notes]

MOVIES FOR OUR INNER CHILD

Shrek Forever After(2010): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: %
Hilarious. Better than the 3rd one.

The Crazies(2010): B+ (8/10)
Appeal: 80%
Well plotted Zombie fun.

The Losers(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 70%
I just saw it for the second time and I still enjoyed it despite a story that didn't really make sense and several corny moments. Good plotting of a silly story. A lot of the performances were good. Jason Patric worked as the evil villain.

The A-Team(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60% (-Over the top action)
[notes]

Megamind(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: %
[notes]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 80% (+mythology)
Despite iffy plotting and unnecessary length, I found the characters and story very engaging.

Knight and Day(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60% (-lack of chemistry)
Cheesy fun. Even though he generally weirds me out now, I didn't mind Tom Cruise here. He and Diaz have zero chemistry but it doesn't matter. This isn't a movie to take seriously. Just sit back and enjoy the gun play, stunts and amusing, if silly, dialogue.

Clash Of The Titans(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: %
It's a silly fantasy film but the filmmakers had fun with it. It worked for me despite its numerous flaws.

Dinner for Schmucks(2010):B (7/10)
Very funny parts and Steve Carell kills. However, the movie is overly long with pace and plotting issues. The "dinner" referred to in the title is in the third act (i.e. the end of the movie). Knowing that going in may help your enjoyment.

Iron Man 2(2010): B (7/10)
Appeal: 60%
As compared to the first: Better Villain(s); Better Action; Worse Story; Much Worse Plotting; Worse James Rhodes (Sorry Don Cheadle). Hard to say which is better to me.

The Other Guys(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 70% (+charismatic performances)
I wanted to like it more but my enjoyment of the movie fluctuated greatly.

Hot Tub Time Machine(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
Funny in spots with a decent story to go with it.

Lottery Ticket(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: %
Nothing great about this movie, but I found it easy to watch, and amusing enough.

Robin Hood(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
[notes]

MacGruber(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 30% (-utter stupidity)
Had a few very funny parts (and I mean very funny) and a bunch of awkwardly unfunny parts. This movie is utter stupidity and I couldn't recommend it to anybody. But I kinda enjoyed it. By the way, the movie starts slow with strangely few jokes.

Salt(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 60%
[notes]

Resident Evil: Afterlife(2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: %
Silly action sci-fi but it puts a smile on my face.

Tron: Legacy (2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 70% (+mythology)
So much less interesting than I hoped, despite passable story and action. A sense of wonder or amazement is completely lacking. A very hollywood/by-the-numbers movie.

Takers (2010): B-/C+ (6/10)
Appeal: 50%
Plenty of bad acting and heist movie cliche, but I enjoyed the fast plotting, slick directing and TI's comically bad acting.

Death At A Funeral(2010):B-/C+ (6/10)
Though it seemed like an ensemble piece, it ultimately felt like a Chris Rock vehicle. His character is the clear dramatic focal point and also has the most punchlines. Rock does a better than expected job, only embarrassing himself (via poor acting) once or twice. Martin Lawrence, on the other hand, is wasted. Very few jokes, and the material he has isn't very good. It's mostly irritating and/or uncomfortable. Still, I laughed a fair bit and the movie doesn't overstay its welcome. There's a lot going on, and some of it is pretty good. Be warned, the movie's first act is its funniest. Kevin Hart only has one scene but it's a good one.

Unstoppable(2010): C (5/10)
Appeal: 60%
Despite its perpetually moving plot, I was bored at times. Loved Denzel's acting, and much of the other actors' acting, except for Chris Pine's.

Repo Man(2010): C (5/10)
Appeal: 50%
I liked the allegorical sci-fi story at the heart of the movie. Forrest Whitaker was well cast and was a highlight for me. However, I did not like some of the plotting. The movie was overly gory as well. And I had mixed feelings about the ending.

The Book of Eli(2010): C (5/10)
Appeal: %
Didn't dislike it, but I wanted to like it so much more. Utterly underwhelmed by the whole affair.

Predators(2010): C (5/10)
Appeal: 60% (+mythology)
Good beginning and end. 2nd Act (middle) ultimately didn't amount to much. Fishbourne has one good scene.

Grown Ups(2010): C (5/10)
Appeal: 50%
A pleasant experience with very little story.

Daybreakers(2010): C-/D+ (4/10)
Appeal: 40%
N/A

Saw 3D (2010): D (3/10)
Appeal: %
I don't think anybody involved in this move really gave a shit about it. That's how I felt leaving the theater after. And I've been a fan of the series, until now.

Cop Out(2010): D-/F+ (2/10)
Appeal: %
Mostly garbage. A few laughs.

[title](2010): ? (?/10)
Appeal: %
[notes]

MOVIES FOR KIDS

[title](2010): ? (?/10)
Appeal: %
[notes]

MOVIES TO SEE
-Casino Jack and the United States of Money
-The Ghost Writer
-Brooklyn's Finest(Poorly Reviewed)
-Why Did I Get Married Too?
-Kick-Ass
-How To Train Your Dragon
-Jonah Hex(Poor Reviews)
-The Karate Kid(Good Movie)
-The Last Airbender(So bad I have to see it)
-Despicable Me(Solid Reviews)

MOVIES OF GENERAL INTEREST
-Alice in Wonderland
-Edge of Darkness
-Youth in Revolt
-Sex In The City 2

I'll Pass: 500 Days of Summer

I heard it was much more of a romantic drama than a romantic comedy. So, I think I'll pass.

On Second Look: Saw III

First Impression:
Like Saw II, Saw III managed to once again up the ante from a plot twist standpoint. The final twist of Saw III is probably the best of the entire series. It really is a bunch of small twists tied together and revealed almost all at once. It blew me away.
On the other hand, I was absolutely stunned at the amount of gore and the nastiness of some of the traps. The movies are all called Saw, but this one was the first I really had to look away (or almost look away) from the screen. My main problem with this film was the main Jigsaw subject. I didn't like the guy. And I should have. Because we are supposed to be feeling his pain as he struggles to deal with personal tragedy and play Jigsaw's game. Instead, the guy got on my nerves. This blunted the movies impact and kept me from liking it as much as Saw II.


Now:
On second look, the increase in gore stands out even more greatly than when first viewed. It's almost ridiculous. I've heard Saw referred to as torture porn. I think this movie may have come closest to earning that title. On second look, I did look away from a few moments in the film, because I actually don't like gore. I still didn't like Jigsaw's main subject, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of the film as much.

My main problem with Saw III is the epilogue to Saw II that is tacked onto the beginning of this film along with a slow start to Saw III's story. The epilogue itself was cool, and needed, as Saw II's ending left us hanging a bit (as did the original Saw; both are rectified partially in Saw III). But it contributes to Saw III taking a while to get going. Act II being a mixed bag hurts after such a slow start.

Also, the flashbacks are back, but in a reasonable quantity.

On second look, the wild ending (which was set up well by the rest of the film) makes the movie.

Grade: B-

On Second Look: Saw II

First Impression:
Saw II killed to me the first time I saw it. The main selling point was the improved final twist, which was a notch above the first. It also expanding the Jigsaw character's back story, and had an improved plot with more turns. Donnie Walberg's emotional performance gave the story intensity. The other central characters also put in strong performances. I remember feeling a bit jipped by the B-story of the people trapped in the house. It seemed rushed and incomplete. There seemed to be a ton of thought put into it but it also felt rushed. This Saw film impressed me the most on first viewing.

Now:
There is still a clear jump in quality from the first to the second Saw film, in plotting, acting and cinematography. The ending twist holds up but, like Saw, there is a somewhat silly chase sequence towards the end. Overall, the acting doesn't quite hold up as well on second viewing, but it is still an improvement. On second viewing, I felt better about the B-story mentioned above, in terms of timing, and what is shown versus what isn't. Towards the end of the movie, when people start running around the abandoned house, it gets silly, but that's forgivable. Flashbacks are used very sparingly here, which helps the movies pace. This would end up being the exception to the rule, when it comes to flashbacks and Saw films.

This Saw movie does a good job pulling the viewer in and keeping them guessing as it is slowly revealed what is going on. Ultimately, I think this will go down as the best stand-alone Saw film.

Grade: B

On Second Look: Saw

On Second Look:

First Impression:
When I first watched Saw, I was drawn in by the mystery of it all and the slow reveal of it. I also relished the twisty ending. However, even on first viewing, I remember starting to lose interest at points due to the overly long flashbacks. I also remember finding Danny Glover and Cary Elwes performances as odd feeling, especially Danny Glover playing an obsessed cop.

Now:
The B-movish feel, even as compared to later sequels, is glaring. The chase sequence that includes dueling car interiors is just silly. The performace of one of the main characters (who was also the screenwriter) is noticibly weak. The meandering flashbacks still seem so and the twistiness is not quite as impressive as it was. Not that it affected my enjoyment of the film, but the bathroom where the central drama takes place is much smaller than I remembered. Still, on the whole, the film holds up.

One stark contrast to the later films is the lack of a focus on horror or gore. It is a thriller about the hunt of a serial killer told in parallel with the perilous state of his latest victims. There are a few scares and a little gore but not enough to hang its hat on, as it were.

All in all, it holds up a bit better than I expected dispite iffy acting and directing.

Grade: B

Looking back at the Saw Franchise

Having just seen Saw VI, it got me to thinking about the franchise as a whole in terms of the shifting nature of the films and their relative quality. In the next week or two, I'm going to watch the first five again and start a new segment called "On Second Look".

Movie Breakdown: Deja Vu

Plot Architype: A Mystery Type [Come Back To]

Page 1: Terrorist Attack

Act I: Doug Carlin begins his investigation of the attack. He begins to make headway, and impress people.

Inciting Incident: Doug becomes invested in female victim, Claire, professionally and personaly. AND Doug finds out his partner was killed in the attack.

End of Act I: Doug accept offer to help with "special" team despite his reservations because of his partner and the female victim, Claire.

Act II, Part 1: Doug works with secret team to begin to investigate attack with their special technology, focusing on the female victim's life. Doug becomes more invested in Claire.

Mid-Point: Doug convinces team to send note back in time. BUT Doug's partner, Larry, finds it instead of him.

Act II, Part 2: Doug and team catch up with the terrorist using their technology and follow him.

Protagonist's lowest Moment: Larry is murdered by the terrorist.

End of Act II: Doug tries to find peace with Claire's death but cannot. He can't let go. So... Doug is sent back in time.

Act III: Doug, in the past, sacrifices himself to stop the bombing, saving Claire and the 500 people.

End: Doug from that timeline meets Claire.

GREAT SCENE: Mid-Point Scene in which the technology is explained to Doug and he convinces team to send the note back.

ODD SCENE: Doug's scene in Act II, Part 2 when he is deposing the terrorist. Dialogue kinda goes all over the place to get to the end that the writer wanted.

ODD SCENE: Claire's funeral at the begining of Act II, Part 1. Is it needed? What's up with the Limo Drivers?

TIMING ANALYSIS: Act III is a bit long 40+ minutes. Otherwise, the movie is timed well.

Movie Review: W. (2008)

I was entertained watching this movie because of the deftness with which the Bush Administration was portrayed (the acting and the dialogue). There are some well done scenes. However, as a cohesive 2 hour narrative, W. fails.

The movie is an exercise in character study of a sort. It intermixes a narrative of the run-up, execution, and immediate fallout of the Iraq War II with a fast-forward narrative of the youth of George W. Bush. These things are interesting to watch in the abstract, but there is no narrative arch taking you through it all.

The life of George W. Bush is a great (i.e. intriguing) story. But the plot of W. makes poor use of it. It stands only an solid exercise in the staging of history.

Grade: C

Movie Ratings: 2009

ALL MOVIES
The Hangover (2009): A
The Hurt Locker (2009): A
Sherlock Holmes (2009): A
Up In The Air (2009): A-
State of Play (2009): B+
District 9 (2009): B
Avatar(2009): B
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009): B
Notorious (2009): B
A Perfect Getaway (2009): B
Star Trek (2009): B
Moon (2009): B
Fast & Furious (2009): B
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009): B
Zombieland (2009): B
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince(2009): B
Inglorious Bastards (2009): B
Saw VI (2009): B
A Serious Man (2009): B-
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009): B-
The Informant! (2009): B-
Couples Retreat (2009): B-
Public Enemies (2009): B-
Terminator Salvation (2009): B-
Taken (2009): B-
Surrogates (2009): B-
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009): B-
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009): B-
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009): B-
I Love You, Man (2009): B-
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009): C+
2012 (2009): C+
The International (2009): C+
He's Just Not That Into You (2009): C+
Extract (2009): C+
Watchmen (2009): C+
Push(2009): C+
Armored (2009): C+
Away We Go (2009):
The Invention of Lying (2009): C
Knowing (2009): C
Funny People (2009): C
Friday the 13th (2009): C
Dance Flick (2009): C-
Law Abiding Citizen (2009): D
Whiteout (2009): D
Observe and Report(2009): D
Bruno(2009): F (Didn't Finish)
TBD(2009): TBD


MOVIES TO SEE
-Up(Pixar Flick)
-The Messenger(Oscar Flick)
-Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
-Angels and Demons
-Drag Me To Hell
-The Uninvited
-Monsters Vs. Aliens
-Crank High Voltage
-Gamer(Cheesy Looking)
-TBD

MOVIES OF GENERAL INTEREST
-Invictus(Oscar Flick)
-Crazy Heart(Oscar Flick)
-The Blind Side
-The Lovely Bones
-Sorority Row
-9
-Pandorum
-Whip It
-The Final Destination
-Halloween II
-Bride Wars
-The Unborn
-My Bloody Valentine 3-D
-I Love You Beth Cooper
-Year One
-Adventureland
-Coraline
-Tyler Perry's Madea Goes To Jail
-12 Rounds
-Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
-TBD

Stand-Up Comedy Specials 2000-2009

STAND-UP SPECIALS RATINGS
Dave Chappelle: Killin' Them Softly (2000): A
Dave Chappelle: For What It's Worth(2004): A-
Steve Harvey: Still Trippin'(2008): B+
Ricky Gervais: Out of England(2008): Liked (B/B-)

Kathy Griffin: Everybody Can Suck It (2007): B-/C+ Kathy Griffin: ...Is Not Nicole Kidman (2005): C

Movie One-Liners: 2008

New for 2008 are my movie one-liners. They are just a brief bottom line comment on the nature and quality of the films.

Doomsday - 10/20/08 - A Post-Apocalyptic B-Movie with good action sequences and a decent story. It's filled with cliche like the Escape for New York plot and Road Warrior action, but it's all pretty enjoyable. The first half of the movie felt unique; the second half felt all too familiar. The flick was also kinda corny and very gory. You can tell the writer/director had a lot of fun making it: B-

Death Race - 10/20/08 - This movie is exactly what you would expect if you see the commercial. It meets those expectations but doesn't surpass them. It's proud to be a B-Movie. And the ending is a bit under-whelming. The best parts of the movie are the racing scenes. They make it worth seeing.: B-

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanemo Bay - 11/03/08 - About the same caliber a movie as the first Harold and Kumar, though I think the story is actually a bit better. However, this movie was probably not as funny as the first film and the last third of this movie drags a little. FYI, this is a movie made for teenagers and it includes nudity for humor (and just for nudity's sake) and generally sophemoric behavior, language and humor: B

Saw V - 11/06/08 - This is the first Saw movie that, for fans of the series, I would not recommend they see in the theater (they'll feel jipped). What always attracted me to Saw was the twisted plots (and the Saw premise itself). This plot was complex, but that complexity weakened it instead of strengthening it. It barely held my interest. The end twist is particulary poor. There isn't much gore, which I was fine with, but may disappoint others.: C+

EW Recommendations

EW.com had a list of great movie endings. A few of those movies I have listed below.
I haven't seen these and now I want to.

-The Killing (1956)
-Pride and Prejudice (2005)
-North by Northwest (1959)
-Manhattan (1979)
-Boogie Night (1997)
-The Third Man (1949)
-Valley Girl (1983)

Movie Ratings: 2008

ALL MOVIES
The Dark Knight (2008): A
Wall-E (2008): A
The Wrestler (2008): B+
Traitor (2008): B
Quantum of Solace (2008): B
Body of Lies (2008): B
Iron Man (2008): B
Get Smart (2008): B
Frost/Nixon (2008): B
Step Brothers (2008): B
Street Kings (2008): B
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008): B
Eagle Eye (2008): B
Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008): B
Tropic Thunder (2008): B
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008): B
Four Christmases (2008): B-
Incredible Hulk, The (2008): B-
Death Race (2008): B-
Baby Mama (2008): B-
Doomsday (2008): B-
Kung-Fu Panda (2008): B-
21 (2008): B-
Vantage Point (2008): B-
Dan, In Real Life (2008): B-
Sex In The City The Movie (2008): B-
Jumper (2008): B-
Rambo (2008): B-
Wanted (2008): B-
Yes Man (2008): C+ [from memory]
Punisher: War Zone (2008): C+
Be Kind, Rewind (2008): C+
Semi-Pro (2008): C+
88 Minutes (2008): C+
Righteous Kill (2008): C+
Drillbit Taylor (2008): C+
The Happening (2008): C+
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008): C+
First Sunday (2008): C+
Cloverfield (2008): C+
Superhero Movie (2008): C+
Saw V (2008): C+
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008): C+
Valkyrie (2008): C+[from memory]
Untraceable (2008): C
W. (2008): C
Pineapple Express (2008): C
Strange Wilderness (2008): C
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008): C
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008): C
You Don't Mess With the Zohan (2008): C-
Fanboys (2008): D
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008): D
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008): D
Hancock (2008): D
Meet The Spartans (2008): D
The Spirit (2008): D
Prom Night (2008): F


MOVIES TO SEE IN THEATER
-Burn After Reading
-Appaloosa
-The Tale of Despereaux
-Bolt
-The Bank Job
-Milk
-Ghost Town
-RocknRolla

MOVIES TO SEE ON DVD
-Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who
-The Love Guru
-The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
-The Rocker
-Mirrors
-Speed Racer
-The Forbidden Kingdom
-Quarantine
-City of Ember
-Miracle at St. Anna
-Blindness
-Marley & Me
-Twilight
-Doubt
-27 Dresses
-What Happens In Vegas
-The Strangers
-Run Fat Boy Run
-Stop/Loss
-Lakeview Terrace
-Gran Torino
-Cadillac Records
-Max Payne
-

Documentary Reviews: 2000-2009

BEST OVERALL DOCUMENTARY


BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY


BEST SOCIAL SCIENCE DOCUMENTARY


BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY


BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY
Capturing The Friedmans

BEST MUSIC-RELATED DOCUMENTARY


BEST BIOGRAPHY


DOCUMENTARY LIST:
Street Fight (2005): A
Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006): A
Spellbound (2002): A
Word Wars (2004): A
Bigger Stronger Faster (2007): A [Human Interest / Current Events]
Maxed Out (2006): A-
The Future of Food (2004): A- [Current Issues]
Biggie & Tupac (2002): A-
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004): A-
No End In Sight (2007): A- [Recent History Retelling]
Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006): A-
e-Dreams (2002): A-
Capturing The Friedmans (2003): A-?
Beef (2003): A-?
An Inconvinient Truth (2005): A- [Speaker(s)]
Welcome to Deathrow (2001): B+
Super Size Me (2004): B+
Backstage (2000): B
Bowling for Columbine (2002): B
March of the Penguins (2005): B [Science]
The Heart of The Game (2005): B
Life and Debt (2001): B [History]
Outfoxed: Murdoch's War on Journalism (2004): B
This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006): B [Investigative Journalism]
So Goes The Nation (2006): B [Story of 2004 Election from Ohio POV - A Retelling]
Can Mr. Smith Get To Washington Anymore? (2006): B
Everything's Cool (2007): B [Current Issues]
Confessions of a Superhero (2007): B [Human Interest]
Control Room (2004): B [Recent History Retelling]
ENRON: The Smartest Guys In The Room (2005): B?
Hacking Democracy (2006): B?
In Debt We Trust (2006): B-
Beef 2 (2004): B-
McLibel (2005): C+ [Legal Retelling]
The Business of Being Born (2007): C+ [Lopsided conversation about how one chooses to give birth - Also, has story aspects]
The Future We Will Create (2007): C+ [Speaker(s)]
The Corporation (2004): C
The Hunting of the President (2004): C?
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008?): TBD [Biography]


OLDER DOCUMENTARIES:
Hoop Dreams (1994): A-
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky (1993): B?
Roger and Me (1989): B-?
The Show (1995): B
When We Were Kings (1996): B?

DOCUMENTARIES TO SEE:

The Invisible (2007)

"Ghost With Troubled Teens"

PRO: ACT;
CON: PLOT;
The movie does a great job in the first Act 1 setting up the characters; infusing them with personality and giving us sympathy for them. Some of it is a bit heavy-handed, but it works, and efficiently.

One lesson a screenwriter could learn from a movie like this is that a writer must be conscious of what previews and promotions are likely to tell the viewer before they watch the movie. A bit of the second act is spent watching the protagonist catch up with what the viewer was almost explicitly told in previews. This actually didn't take up a lot of time, but it felt like a long time.

Another lesson is that a movie can be ruined by faulty, dishonest promotion. I see this all of the time and 'The Invisible' is another victim. It is sold as a Stir of Echoes / Sixth Sense type of super-natural thriller but has more in common with 'Ghost'. I came in expecting a thriller, but there are few thrills and the plot itself is a bit shaky.

As a drama, I found the character development in Acts 2 and 3 not entirely convincing. The characters have clear cut start and end points, but their journeys have something to be desired.

This movie kinda works as an super-natural drama, but I'd rent Ghost instead: C

Bonus Note: I watched the deleted scenes and they left out an important dinner sequence with his Mother. It isn't very long and explains an important decision later in Act 1. Some of the stuff did need to go, but the last deleted scene should have stayed in. It has dramatic impact.

Heart of the Game (2005)

PRO: N/A
CON: N/A
A solid documentary about a Women's High School Basketball team under the direction of an excentric new Head Coach. The documentary's biggest weakness is the lack of character exploration of the individual characters. In fact the DVD shows some of that very detail that was cut out. The documentary can't seem to decide if it is about the one Black player on an otherwise White team or about all of the players. Ultimately, it chooses a middle ground, giving more focus to the Black player than any other but otherwise giving some "shine" to everybody involved, including a rival's coach. Balancing the different focus points is difficult but the movie is mostly successful.: B