With the holidays upon us, it's supposed to be time for all the "good" movies of the year. So I was more than a bit disappointed that neither of my movie picks from the weekend turned out to be that great. From the first time I saw the trailer, I've been surprised by the acclaim "Black Swan" has been getting. As I've been saying over and over, it looked to me to be another cookie-cutter "trying to replace someone" thriller that was so huge in the '90s. (See: "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle," "The Temp" and "Single White Female," to which this one looked most similar.) But with numerous friends and critics insisting this was an "instant classic," I figured there had to be a lot more to it than met the eye. There really wasn't. The film is fine. Natalie Portman is pretty to look at, and the casting of Mila Kunis (whom I didn't even realize was that chick from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" till Michael mentioned it afterward), Vincent Cassel and the always-great Barbara Hershey was great. All give fine performances. But there literally nothing about "Black Swan" that was not derivative of other films of this genre (the dash of "American Psycho" made it even more annoying). Even worse, there was NOT ONE THING that happened that was not already revealed in the trailer. Granted, this is a common problem with previews these days. But when a film is supposed to be suspenseful, the last thing you need is ... well, all the
suspense removed. Still, chicks and gays seem to love it. My grade: B minus.
I wasn't expecting much from "I Love You Phillip Morris," yet still managed to be underwhelmed. It's not a horrible film, as its delayed release might suggest. Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor both gave admirable performances as jailhouse lovers, and the true-life story on which it's based certainly suggests there's a great movie in here somewhere. Somehow, though, I just never managed to care about either of their characters enough to have any vested interest in them or their story. Not sure if it's Carrey's slapstick persona or the film's candy-coated look (I wonder if it was the same crew that did Lily Tomlin's "Incredible Shrinking Woman"), but I just never really got lost in the story -- even when it became dark or emotional. And with no connection I found myself glancing at my watch, even though I don't have one. My grade: C minus.
With the holidays upon us, it's supposed to be time for all the "good" movies of the year. So I was more than a bit disappointed that neither of my movie picks from the weekend turned out to be that great. From the first time I saw the trailer, I've been surprised by the acclaim "Black Swan" has been getting. As I've been saying over and over, it looked to me to be another cookie-cutter "trying to replace someone" thriller that was so huge in the '90s. (See: "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle," "The Temp" and "Single White Female," to which this one looked most similar.) But with numerous friends and critics insisting this was an "instant classic," I figured there had to be a lot more to it than met the eye. There really wasn't. The film is fine. Natalie Portman is pretty to look at, and the casting of Mila Kunis (whom I didn't even realize was that chick from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" till Michael mentioned it afterward), Vincent Cassel and the always-great Barbara Hershey was great. All give fine performances. But there literally nothing about "Black Swan" that was not derivative of other films of this genre (the dash of "American Psycho" made it even more annoying). Even worse, there was NOT ONE THING that happened that was not already revealed in the trailer. Granted, this is a common problem with previews these days. But when a film is supposed to be suspenseful, the last thing you need is ... well, all the suspense removed. Still, chicks and gays seem to love it. My grade: B minus.
I wasn't expecting much from "I Love You Phillip Morris," yet still managed to be underwhelmed. It's not a horrible film, as its delayed release might suggest. Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor both gave admirable performances as jailhouse lovers, and the true-life story on which it's based certainly suggests there's a great movie in here somewhere. Somehow, though, I just never managed to care about either of their characters enough to have any vested interest in them or their story. Not sure if it's Carrey's slapstick persona or the film's candy-coated look (I wonder if it was the same crew that did Lily Tomlin's "Incredible Shrinking Woman"), but I just never really got lost in the story -- even when it became dark or emotional. And with no connection I found myself glancing at my watch, even though I don't have one. My grade: C minus.
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