My Dinner with André - 6 stars out of 10

My Dinner with André - 6 stars out of 10

"My Dinner with André" is an iconic film but I struggled to stay awake.  The film is literally a 100-minute long conversation and I would struggle to stay awake listening to two people converse for that long in real life.  In spite of my focus-related struggle, the content of this film is fascinating.  The screenplay by Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn explores a variety of interesting topics, eventually pitting Gregory's over-the-top new age worldview against Shawn's humanist worldview.  The entire film feels very candid and real.  My favorite moment is Gregory's impassioned telling of a Halloween experience in which he was nearly buried alive.  He has such fire in his eyes that you will absolutely believe this to be a true retelling of a life event.  Shawn combats this with a skeptical view of omens, stating that the future must exist now in some form if messages are being sent back to this moment in time.  This film is filled with heavy content brought to life through simple yet interesting cinematography (particularly the mirror in the background that often reveals the characters reactions).  "My Dinner with André" is definitely intended for intellectuals and it manages to inform just as much as it entertains.

Waiting for Guffman - 7 stars out of 10

Waiting for Guffman - 7 stars out of 10

"Waiting for Guffman" is deliriously funny.  This small town's community celebration is highlighted by their extreme lack of talent, all gathered together by the never-famous runaway from Broadway, Corky St. Claire.  Christopher Guest again shows off his ability to weave together an absurd stereotype of a mediocre group of people.  His script is great, but his acting in the lead role is even better as he pulls together a bunch of nitwits and turns them into acting... nitwits.  The amazing thing is that the music from his shoe "Red, White, and Blaine" is actually incredibly catchy and good!  And Lewis Arquette's acting in the show-within-a-show is really impressive.  Guest's standard cast is intact with Eugene Levy as the cross-eyed dentist, Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard as the married travel agents who have never traveled outside of their small Missouri community and don't have much acting talent, and Bob Balaban as the outcast music director (who ironically/conveniently is the only one with any talent).  Every situation is absolutely absurd and is then exponentially magnified by these clueless characters and their leader.  The cherry on top is the misunderstood arrival of Guffman and subsequent postlude that reveals the theatrical "successes" of the Blaine troupe of actors.  This film will be funny for any viewer but will strike a particular chord with anybody who has ever been involved in a theater production, preferably one that was embarrassingly bad.

What to Expect When You're Expecting - 5 stars out of 10

What to Expect When You're Expecting - 5 stars out of 10

"What to Expect When You're Expecting" is deserving of it's average 5-star rating.  There isn't anything wrong with the movie, but there isn't really anything great about it either.  You would expect a lot more from a cast composed of popular actors but it eventually turns into a collection of cameos.  The highlight of the film for me is Anna Kendrick.  She is cute as a button as usual but has a chance to tap into that emotional side that we got to see in "Up In The Air."  The devastation on her face is chilling and I found her story to be the most realistic (and most enjoyable) of the film.  The characters have loose connections to each other but the writers never really capitalize on this.  Their paths have limited crossings and the plot feels disjointed because of it.    J-Lo is still looking good, Cameron Diaz is not, and the male actors don't add much.  Their interactions with their pregnant significant others are good but every scene with the "dude group" creates more annoyance than entertainment.  This film is more of a dramedy than a chick flick so its target audience can probably be found watching Lifetime Original Movies.  I can't call it a great film but it's worth watching for Anna Kendrick's smile.

I Confess - 8 stars out of 10

I Confess - 8 stars out of 10

"I Confess" is a great suspense film in true Hitchcockian style.  Montgomery Clift and Anne Baxter are amazing as they play opposite of each other in this film.  His attractiveness and her classiness make each perfect for his/her role.  Hitchcock used so many creative camera angles that have become standard in thrillers today.  Some of my favorites in this movie include the view from behind Baxter's chair during her phone conversation where we just see part of her head leaning against her hand with the phone and hearing her sad voice.  Also, when Clift and Baxter are on the ferry and suspicious that there are cops on board and the music booms each time the camera cuts to a different person.  The concept of this movie is fantastic.  It would be good if we had to wonder whether the priest would reveal what was told to him in confession.  But it is GREAT when he would have to do so in order to prove his own innocence.  All of the actors display great talent in this film, as every emotion can be seen each time Hitchcock shows a close-up of their eyes.  You will feel frustration, uneasiness, and angst as you are left to anticipate the final resolution of this film.

30 Minutes or Less - 2 stars out of 10

30 Minutes or Less - 2 stars out of 10

"30 Minutes or Less" is an enormous dose of "Who cares?"  The characters, the conflict, and the story were all inconsequential to me from start to finish.  I like Jesse Eisenberg but appearing in this film was a mistake (along with "Adventureland").  His interactions with Aziz Ansari were entertaining and some of the circumstances were comical, but the story was so pointless that it felt like shock-value language and annoying characters.  The deceptively good preview was enough to draw theater audiences (and me) into this spiderweb of poor scriptwriting, but hopefully this film has developed enough of a bad reputation that people won't waste their time watching it.  After experiencing the pizza-boy-must-rob-a-bank-when-he-has-a-bomb-strpped-to-his-chest plot, I wish that this terrible film would have taken a cue from its title and lasted for 30 minutes or less.

Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyenas - 3 stars out of 10

Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyenas - 3 stars out of 10

Wow, who knew that "The Lion King" was so true!  "Eternal Enemies" is a fairly brutal look at the battle between lions and hyenas in the wild.  From the start, it is obvious that these cameramen were lurking in the foliage to get these shots, catching nature at work.  Although the majority of the action takes place at night, the night vision isn't bothersome.  You do need to be prepared for a lot of graphic imagery as the cameras show exactly how much these animals hate each other.  If dead baby lion cubs and a hyena abandoned by her underlings will upset you, it might be smart to skip this one.

Finding Nemo 3D - 10 stars out of 10

Finding Nemo 3D - 10 stars out of 10

Nemo was meant to be seen in 3D.  The underwater atmosphere lends itself perfectly to the depth created by this third dimension.  These Pacific waters come to life with vivid colors, motion, and incredible underwater animation that will make you forget that these creatures aren't actually underwater.  I have always loved the refraction of the sunlight through the water and it just gains even more depth with the 3D glasses.  The film avoids hokey "stuff popping out of the screen" effects in favor of using the animation as an artistic form.  I hope that Disney continues to re-release their classic films in 3D.  These new effects add a freshness to these films and they are worth seeing, simply to experience them on the big screen again (or for the first time)!

For my review of the film (and not just the 3D enhancement), see:
http://jonnysdailymoviereview.blogspot.com/2012/09/finding-nemo-10-stars-out-of-10.html