It struck me that I should probably offer up some space for you all to discuss the latest releases since it’s obviously been a slow-moving week, so if you want to speak up on “It’s Complicated,” “Sherlock Holmes,” “Up in the Air,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “Nine” or, God bless you, “The Squeakquel,” have at it here. I’m on a jet plane back to the West coast tomorrow evening and things will be back to normal Monday.
Comments
52 responses to “Holiday film thoughts”
It would be a lot easier with a forum, you know.
It’s Complicated was cute, Sherlock Holmes was really good, Up In The Air was excellent, Princess and the Frog was dec, and Nine was a hott mess.
No Squeakquel comments. Except one – whoever thought of the whole “squeakquel” idea is a genius.
Forum schmorum, this works fine.
1) Princess and the Frog – My wife loves Disney films and I’m a sucker for a good one. I haven’t seen a Disney film in the theatre since I was in 6th grade and saw The Lion King. I liked this flick. The music wasn’t too memorable, but the characters were. What I liked best? None of the major actors were named I knew or instantly recognized. I hate when animated pics become all about the actors voicing the characters. Solid work by hand-drawn Disney animators. B+.
2) Up in the Air was good. Real good. Reitman is 3/3. I’d rank it slightly below Juno. It speaks to the times, to say the least. Clooney was completely comfortable in the role. Kendrick stole the show. I won’t see Precious, so she’s my instant lock for Best Supporting Actress (i.e. who I’m rooting for).
3) Avatar was one of a kind visually. The story was simplistic, but smart. So Pocahontas-like it’s creepy. Cameron is a master. But it’s no Aliens or T-2. Then again, what is?
4) I won’t see It’s Complicated. Why? I’m 26 and my wife is 23. If I need Alec Baldwin, I’ll watch 30 Rock on DVD.
5) Nine…I only want to see for Kate Hudson. I’ll wait for the DVD. She is soooo hot though.
6) Call me crazy, but I have ZERO interest in Sherlock Holmes. Guy Ritchie lost me after Snatch (which I LOVE). I don’t like Jude Law, either. Call me a hater, I suppose. McAdams is another hottie too. She has the “attainable” vibe going quite well.
All I got for now. Gonna watch Brothers sooner or later.
As for my favorite of the year. Duh. The Hurt Locker. Can’t wait for that DVD to drop. Can’t wait!!!
I can’t put a finger on why I have no particular feelings toward Up in the Air. The movie creates a distance as deep at it is empty.
Sherlock Holmes was a fun ride. 90% of the audience has no idea that Moriarty is Sherlock’s arch-nemesis, thus the ending seemed rather perfunctory. An actual Brad Pitt cameo as Moriarty should have been included.
“The Princess and the Frog” was amazing and a true return to form for traditional 2D animation. Feels so much like a Disney film that would have come out in the 90s, and everything from the toe-tapping jubilant music to the vibrant visuals to the sweet, hilarious story all made it an immensely enjoyable nostalgia trip. Even that ending Ne-Yo tune made me fuzzy inside.
And to those berating the music? Like you can name more than one song from any Disney movie other than “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” or “The Lion King?” The songs in “Princess” are just as, if not MORE, memorable than the songs in, say, “Aladdin” or “Mulan.” Excellent score, too.
An excerpt from my review of “Up in the Air”:
“‘Up in the Air’ is a movie that reminds you why you love the movies, and I would be willing to throw away days of my life to find two hours of cinema as perfect as these.”
Needless to say, I loved it.
You can read my full review at:
http://marshallandthemovies.com/2009/12/20/upintheairreview/
are there any mainstream reviews of “TheWhite Ribbon” out ?
it doesn’t have a metacritic page yet..
saw Up in the Air a week or two ago, loved it. I saw Avatar for the second time last night, it’s great how instantly rewatchable it was. Just got back from Nine and was fairly underwhelmed. I’ll be disappointed to see it get into Best Picture, though it has it’s strengths (Cotillard, Cinematography, Art Direction) it’s just a shame that’s enough to probably get it in to that Top 10.
Seeing A Single Man tomorrow!
The princess and the frog was visual treat, but the songs were completely unmemorable. I don’t know how you could dare to say that Aladdin or Mulan were inferior to this score, because the fact is, Menken and Ashman were geniuses and Randy Newman is not. The man can only write one song, and anyone who knows music can hear that every single one of his songs follows the exact same chord progression, not to mention the lyrics are no way near as clever as the Disney films of the 90’s. I still enjoyed the movie a lot, but the songs were the weakest part, and though the singers did a fantastic job, I couldn’t remember one when walking out of the theater. Randy Newman is way better at writing scores than songs. Just my opinion.
Oh well. All I know is I remember (and enjoy) “When We’re Human” and “Dig a Little Deeper” more than “One Jump Ahead” or “Prince Ali.”
Granted, “Princess” doesn’t have its own “A Whole New World,” but its great jazzy tunes dazzle in the moment and remain consistently lovely throughout, complimenting the action perfectly.
I must say I was pleasantly surprised by “Nine,” with Cotillard and Dench the standouts. Not sure what all the Penelope Cruz “acclaim” is all about…
I really, really enjoyed It’s Complicated. Saw it on Christmas. Sometimes it is nice to just go to the movies for the sheer pleasure of laughing and having a good time. Haven’t heard such audience laughter in years! And Meryl can do no wrong – an absolute goddess! It blows my mind that she is 60. I’m honored to be on the same planet at the same time as she.
I saw “Invictus” and “A Single Man” today. I think “Invictus” was mediocre but well-made, and I guess I enjoyed it more than I expected to — but I wouldn’t ever mention it in a discussion of awards season.
“A Single Man”, however, I loved so much. Colin Firth was incredible, while Julianne Moore was a revelation with such limited screen time. I totally knew this woman, clinging desperately to her youth. I loved the stylistic flourishes by Tom Ford, and I thought the sexual tension between George and Kenny was electrifying. The only thing I’m not sure about is the ending… I don’t know if what happened at the end was quite necessary. Other than that, it’s an exceptional film.
I saw A Christmas Carol one more time Christmas Day, at the Regal E-Walk off of Times Square (so it was PACKED). I still love the film, despite how moot Cameron and company’s work makes Zemeckis’s strides in motion capture seem. And even with that in mind, I’m not sure Zemeckis is going for a sincere look with his work in the medium. So that blend of an animated, vibrant look and the actors’ likenesses lurking underneath just really works for me in this one.
A new holiday classic, as far as I’m concerned.
Nine was mediocre. Good acting from all around, Cotillard best in show for acting, Fergie best in show for vocal performance. Otherwise the plot seemed rather hollow (maybe that was the point?). Nevertheless the musical numbers were staged and shot rather terribly. The structure of the film is also pretty disjointed and comes off as a series of vignettes instead of a whole movie.
Sherlock Holmes was a fun ride. Downey and Law were perfect, but I think some of the “mystery-solving, clue-finding” scenes were rushed through, and Lord Blackwood’s big plan came off as pretty ludicrous. McAdams was adequate, though her character seemed perfunctory. And I agree with Mr. Gittes on the ending. Moriarty isn’t exactly an iconic villian so keeping him hidden seemed pointless. Still, very entertaining and contains one of the best shots of the year – Holmes running through a series of explosions (much more amazing than it sounds).
Up in the Air. Best film of the year so far. Not sure if those calling it “slight” and “fluffy” saw the same movie I did. SHOULD win best picture, not sure if it will. We’ll see. Clooney and Kendrick deserve nominations, Farmiga is good but doesn’t.
I’m off work for two weeks and was going to spend it watching lots and lots of films on DVD. I only watched three – Bad Santa, Bruno and Penny Serenade (and the first half hour of Dogville – I was incapable of watching anymore) and am now halfway through the second season of Gilmore Girls.
Hopefully going to the movies on Tuesday to see The Informant!, Where the Wild Things Are and Sherlock Holmes.
Just saw ‘It’s Complicated’ with some friends today and we had a great time. The movie wasn’t anything special, but it was very pleasant and we laughed. Could you ask for anything more really?
Tomorrow, seeing ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and then ‘Avatar’ on Monday. Will probably get to see ‘Nine’ down the line. Maybe before the Globes (or Oscars) just to complete my list.
Saw ‘Up in the Air’ few weeks ago and loved it. Was a tad disappointed with ‘The Lovely Bones.’ And finally, thought ‘A Single Man’ was quite beautiful.
Saw “Sherlock Holmes” tonight and loved it. It reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean. A really great, smart action movie. Robert Downey Jr. was PERFECT.
There is most definitely something worthwhile about going to the movies and just enjoying yourself and laughing. But the fact that people are having that experience with “It’s Complicated” blows my mind. What a bland, dull, vanilla pap of a movie. I never thought Meryl Streep could be annoying.
I saw Nine yesterday. It was a load of old crusty bollocks, and this comes from a huge Marion fanboy. She was gorgeous, and perfect for the role. But overall the film was tedious and plodding, the musical numbers forgettable, and the whole thing just a HUGE MEH.
Really doesn’t deserve a Best Picture nomination, even with a 10-film field.
I saw It’s Complicated. Wow, Meryl Streep completely blows me away with her performance. If I had to choose between Julie & Julia or It’s Complicated for her Oscar nomination, I’d choose the latter. If you’re over 50 and having a mid life crisis or thinking of having an affair, this film’s for you.
I completely agree that Nine doesn’t deserve a Best Pic Nod or much else for that matter other than Cinematography. Dion Beebe is brilliant.
Really this film had issues. Bored me to death.
And if it were nominated for Sound Mixing just because it’s a musical that would be a joke. Couldn’t understand the dialogue through out the film and the musical numbers were too LOUD. Not a worthy mix at all.
“Sherlock Holmes” was okay, let’s not get carried away. Hans Zimmer’s neo-Western broken-piano score was the glue holding that thing today.
It certainly feels like a Guy Ritchie film – lots of subplots, characters, muffled British machismo dialogue, etc. Once I got past the fact that Sherlock and Watson are now mixed-martial artists, it was okay to sit through.
Although, it was the first Ritchie film I’ve seen in a while that actually made sense.
I saw NINE twice … I know. Once with my mom, who loved it, as did the 3/4th’s full theater.
Then I saw it again yesterday with my friend when Avatar, Sherlock, & It’s Complicated were SOLD OUT.
The second time, the theater sounded more negative about it, my friend didn’t like it, and I picked up on some flaws that one overlooks when you thrive off the positive energy of a theater (first time around).
My overall thoughts on NINE:
Beautiful technical work, very good performances, but a film that is edited too heavily (in the song & dance numbers), and strangely distant (in plot).
Marion, just … sublime. I love her. She made me well-up twice.
Penelope, much better than anticipated.
DDL, good, but you don’t feel anything for him.
Nicole, great, just severely underused.
Judi, fun, that’s about it.
Sophia, barely in it.
Kate, superfluous role & song.
I liked NINE on a “I love musicals” level, but I don’t think it was great.
If it gets into Top 10, it’s from SAG support and technicals. I wouldn’t mind, actually. But it’s not near my Top 10 of the year.
We saw It’s Complicated and LOVED it! Not a brilliant film (it’s not meant to be) but it’s laugh out loud entertaining. Missed some dialogue b/c sold out theater was laughing so much. As for the demographic it was made for: I took my 16 year old daughter and she loved it too!
Never understood the Nancy Meyers hate/disdain in so many reviews that I’ve read. She serves well a demographic that loves her stuff. What’s wrong with that?
Meryl Streep is excellent. She does not giggle her way through this movie (as some reviews say). She has fun … a lot AND she gives us a full-bodied character. I’m not a Steve Martin fan but I thought him terrific in this. Oddly, Alec Baldwin was my least fav of the three to watch.
I will see this one again and will happily add it to my dvd collection when it comes out.
We will see Avatar this week and Up in the Air. No desire to see Sherlock Holmes.
I struggled through “The Squeakquel” the other day. Terrible, truly. Still better than the first one though.
“Up in the Air” was truly astounding. My #2 film of the year, behind only “Precious.”
“Sherlock Holmes” was fantastic, in my opinion. Easily my favorite score of the year.
Had an awesome day yesterday running around and seeing 5 movies.
Sherlock Holmes wasn’t bad, but it just didn’t interest me all that much. I felt like I was just letting Guy Ritchie and his actors do his thing on the screen.
The Young Victoria started off promising (LOVE Emily Blunt) but it is seriously one of the most unfocused movies I’ve ever seen. The tone and theme shifts so drastically that I couldn’t enjoy the second half.
It’s Complicated was a nice change. I would watch Meryl re-write the phone book so seeing her in a straight up comedy was just fun for me. I also really like Nancy Meyers movies but the actors playing Streep and Alec Baldwin’s children were annoying as hell.
Nine…well…let’s just say that I was incredibly disappointed. I am a theater grad so I was really looking forward to this and I was blocking out all the negative reviews in my head. Boy oh boy is that movie a mess. No depth whatsoever. Marion Cotillard was the only driving force for me. She’s so luminous in the movie.
Up in the Air is one of my favorite movies of the year. George Clooney fit so comfortably in this role and I think the script gave him so edge to work with. Vera Farmiga and Clooney have AMAZING chemistry. Anna Kendrick is so damn good.
Good day despite my disappointments.
When people say “mess” for NINE, I honestly don’t get it.
Yes, the screenplay and direction could have been A LOT better.
But mess? When I hear “mess”, I think of ‘Bride Wars’ or ‘Alien Trespass’ or ‘License to Wed’.
I mean, come on, now. Maybe it wasn’t great, maybe even not good, for some. But I think “mess” is highly overused.
Liked, didn’t love NINE, realllkkly liked UP IN THEAIR, liked AVATAR (gorgeous, too cliched/simplistic for me narratively).
Good past 2 weekends, overall.
Up in the Air was just great. Absorbed me completely in every way, made me laugh, broke my heart, and just moved me a lot. Clooney has never been better and both supporting actresses were excellent as well. Reitman surprised me. It’s 6,053,056,045,055 times better than the piece of shit that was Juno and I’d be fine with it being this year’s best picture winner.
Sherlock Holmes was a lot of fun, sort of the same thing that the first Pirates of the Carribean was for me. It’s a bit long, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not going to do anything at the Oscars, but I’d see it again and I’m definitely up for the inevitable sequel.
Off topic, but WEEKEND BOX OFFICE (Box Office Mojo) Top 5 [estimated to the nearest $0.1M)
1. Avatar- $75M
2. Sherlock Holmes- $65.4M
3. Alvin And The Chipmunks 2- $50.2M
4. It’s Complicated- $22.1M
5. Up In The Air- $11.8M
5. Up In The Air- $
Less than a 3% drop?
Ho.
Ly.
Fuck.
Ing.
Shit.
That is all.
Up In the Air is sticking with me pretty well. It may end up in my top ten. Same with The Hurt Locker.
A Single Man is not sticking with me well, and I only saw it last night. I feel that the aesthetic choices were bold and creative, particularly the color changes as key moments. Very nice. But overall I feel that a little more restraint would have served the film well. I don’t love the ending either, narrative-wise. It’s like they were afraid of choosing a side. I’m all about gray areas, but this one didn’t land for me.
I gave Avatar a B. The story was too cliche for my tastes, but there was some relevancy in terms of our military and such (“We will fight terror with terror.”). The film succeeded in making me care deeply about that planet. That’s the big accomplishment. I didn’t care about the romance, but damn if I wasn’t rooting for that Tree of Souls. I really loved the way the Na’vi people connected with the planet.
Princess and the Frog had a personal plus for me, in that I loved seeing such a positive and real African American family. It’s so good for kids to see. The story was cool. I did wish some of the songs had more zip. Not all of the music had to be that slow. There’s more to New Orleans jazz than that.
“Nine” was the biggest dissapointment of my life! I waited two years of my life… for that? The film is simply a mess. It makes no sense. “8 1/2” was great because the surreal sequences reflected the emotional confusion that Guido was going through. “Nine” feels like a Talent Show were every actor would sing a song or dance. There was no plot. There was no emotional connection. Just a bunch of random musical numbers, and some, such as the Judi Dench one or the Sophia Loren one or the Nicole Kidman one, were terrible. When Dion Beebe doesn`t get overexcited with the zoom, there are some pretty shots, the art direction was nice, Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard were good for what they had to do (although I, for the life of me, can`t understand why Cruz is getting awards attention for this instead of the vastly superior “Broken Embraces” were she shines). The screenplay was a catastrophe, the editing was a mess. What the heck does a random reporter singing out of nowhere has to do with anything? (And this is coming from someone who LOVES Almost Famous and Penny Lane). Daniel Day-Lewis can`t sing at all. WHY WOULD TWO ITALIAN PERSONS TALK IN ENGLISH WITH A FORCED ITALIAN ACCENT IF THEY OBVIOUSLY WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE TALKING IN ITALIAN??
I rest my case.
AVATAR – visually stunning, but nowhere near a masterpiece. It has problems – script, for example. The fact that the whole movie looked animated to me. And the fact that the lead actor was an American marine with a weird Aussie/Kiwi accent. Two people in my row fell asleep.
UP IN THE AIR – a truly brilliant, poignant film. Jason Reitman has proven himself as one hell of a director.
SHERLOCK HOLMES – Loved! Total fun! RDJ can literally do anything.
NINE – not perfect but well worth the $14 to see it! It’s major eye candy and I liked it better than most of the people who commented here.
PRINCESS AND THE FROG – no interest, probably because there are no kids in my family.
IT’S COMPLICATED – saw it twice, loved it even more the second time.
Saw Avatar in IMAX 3-D and enjoyed every moment of it. I’m definitely going back a second time.
I’m going to check out Up in the Air later this week.
I just watched Orphan on DVD last night. Really no better or worse then most other films of it’s genre, but Isabella Fuhrman who plays the adopted child from hell showed a great deal of promise as an actress. She’s definitely got a bright future ahead of her, to say the least.
No Sunday Cents? I wanted to see Chad wrap his head around Avatar.
I wish Moore would be nominated and win for A Single Man. She is so overdue an Oscar, but I think the film is too “small” for this to happen. Nine looks like a complete mess. I thought Chicago was way overrated. Wont see Its Complicated. The campaigning on this site and AD annoys me anyway- does not look like Oscar material on any level.
My film of the year- Bright Star
Up in the Air: Not as brilliant as people are claiming but I still loved it. Clooney and Farmiga were incredible and Kendrick was also great. A-
AVATAR: was beautiful and visualy stunning but the dialogue was weak and the story was a bit cliche for my tastes. I thought Zoe was very good and cameron’s direction is amazing, it’s a shame his screenwriting isn’t as good. Probably the worst cameron film I’ve seen and that’s not a bad thing. B+
Invictus: All I can say is meh. Freeman was good but one of Eastwood’s worst films, I can’t believe this is getting awards buzz.
Can’t wait to see a Single Man, Crazy Heart and the Lovely Bones. I’ll also see Sherlock Holmes and Nine but the above comments are getting me very worried.
Forgot to say but Invictus get’s a C-
I’ve only seen Avatar & Sherlock Holmes. Loved SH, very solid movie, much more fun to watch than Avatar which has stunning visuals but that’s pretty much all, in my opinion.
Avatar – ****. Masterpiece.
Nine – **1/2. Strong performance from Cruz, Cotillard and Day-Lewis, but a wasted effort IMHO. Could have made more of the impotence an artist feels when they are at a creative impasse, I felt. Also a waste of Dench and Loren, could’ve worked more with Fergie on her song (though it is sung beautifully) and Hudson was superfluous.
Up In The Air – ****. Like a Billy Wilder film mixed with the charm of Frank Capra and the wit of Howard Hawks. It manages to be timely and feel timeless at the same time. Clooney gives the best performance of her career, Varmiga sparkles and makes the most of her character and Kendrick is a joy to watch. Wonderous.
It’s Complicated – **1/2
IT’S COMPLICATED – minor disappointment. nancy meyers is sooooooooo dull. and why the oscar talk about alec?
NINE – major disappointment. made an utter mess out of the lush and rewarding stage musical. horrible restructuring and choices of which songs to cut. marshall didn’t trust the source material and is clearly out of ideas. daniel day-lewis was boring! – which says a lot. the only two numbers that weren’t butchered were My Husband Makes Movies and Be Italian. big sigh…
I saw “Nine” just now and…meh. That’s all I can say, really. The songs were fantastic but staged in such a way that it actually made the film feel empty. Though I LOVED “My Husband Makes Movies” and “Take It All.”
It’s Complicated was great fun and the perfect choice for this time of the year. Streep was sensational, I couldn’t stop laughing the whole
movie. Of course, it’s a flawed movie but who expected a masterpiece?
Nine was a total disaster, I really hated it. Half of the actors are miscast, the only “good” one being Cotillard, even though she wasn’t Oscar-worthy at all. Nine shouldn’t get a Best Picture nom I agree. I give it a Best Cinematography nom only but that’s not my branch.
Sherlock Holmes was mindless entertainment. It worked or most of the 128 min, although Guy Ritchie’s directing can be insanely distracting at times. Downey Jr deserved his Golden Globe nom IMO.
Anyway, I’ll have to rewatch some
movies now. January doesn’t look any promising as usual. I’ll give Up in the Air a second chance this week.
Andrew, if you really are an Academy member… please do anything for “Bright Star” to get nominated for Picture and Actress. I would love to see that happen. Thanks.
“January doesn’t look any promising as usual. I’ll give Up in the Air a second chance this week.”
As far as January’s go, next month looks pretty damn good compared to what we normally get. I’m not expecting anything from “Daybreakers,” “The Book of Eli,” “Edge of Darkness” or “Legion,” but I’m interested in seeing them.
Last year we had “Bride Wars,” “Notorious” and “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.”
I, for one, can’t wait for “Daybreakers.”
What happened to the Inception trailer coming out on christmas???
It debuted in front of “Sherlock Holmes,” Kevin M.
NINE—I’ve waited for so long for this film! Guido is frustrated (which I knew) but it really makes the whole film frustrating! In chicago, seeing everything threw Roxies eyes worked. It started out in a night club and all the fantasy sequences fit perfectly and worked so well. Not so with nine. The women had stories to tell but were held back only to Guido’s point of view, and the songs did not fit in a fluid manner. Having them all take place on the film set made things more frustrating. How awesome if Fergies entire scene had been on the beach. I will have to see it again to really see what I think…but it was so darn BI POLAR and frustrating, I’m not sure if I could handle it soon! At least Antonio Banderas sounded happy (at times) in the songs he sang on the broadway soundtrack. DDL was just down and sad. Yes I’m still frustrated! LOL