Slowing Down

Well, it seems like this year I'm only going to have one more full out movie review because there is only one more issue of The Archway coming out. That being said, I still plan on seeing a crap load of movies when I come back home and start working at the theater. I hope to write a bunch of mini reviews for these movies to give you a general outline of my opinion.

Expect mini reviews of the New James Bond, Happy Feet and Tenacious D within the next couple of weeks!!

Mike P

Stranger than Fiction

Little late this week, but here it is none-the-less!

Bulldog Reviews
“Stranger than Fiction”
By: Michael Pickowicz

When watching “Stranger than Fiction”, I like to reflect back on to my review of “Man of the Year” and my shock about how unfunny the movie was. While I was a little less informed about “Stranger than Fiction”, I still was expecting something really funny considering Will Farrell’s participation. While that isn’t exactly what I got, I can safely say that, unlike “Man of the Year”, “Stranger than Fiction” takes a chance and brings something new to the table.
“Stranger than Fiction” is a “dramady” that follows the life of a pathetic and lonely man named Harold Crick (Will Farrell). One day, Harold wakes up to discover that he can hear a voice that seems to be narrating his life. To his aggravation, there is nothing he can do to stop it. When the voice finally hints at Harold’s upcoming death, Harold goes on a mission to find out who the voice actually is and what he can do to stop it.
There is a lot to like in “Stranger than Fiction”. First off, the acting is top notch on all parts. Will Farrell steps out of his usual role and finally play a character that is not only serious, but also a loser at life. It almost reminded me of a role Bill Murray, as of recent, would be playing (minus Garfield) if he was a bit younger. The movie also has a great since of humor. While not laugh-out-loud funny, it does have a great dry sense of humor that is rare to find in comedies today. I’m also impressed at how original the story is. While I was expecting the story to be gimmicky and simply focused on just Will Farrell hearing the voice that makes him go crazy, the nice twist of him realizing he was going to die makes takes the movie in a cool direction. All is not good in this movie however. What ultimately stops the movie from being great is the way the plot was handled. There is so much going on in the movie, it just can’t seem to focus on one thing. The plot switches from point to point so randomly that you never really get a chance to sit back and appreciate what is going on. An example, while not spoiling, would be when Harold finally discovers true love half way through the movie. After it happens, that whole love plot is completely drop for the rest of the movie. Even the narrations almost entirely stop after the voice talks about Harold’s death just to make room for new plots in the mix. This seems to stretch the film some what thin, taking away some of the movie’s heart.
I liked this film. I really did. It’s just tough when a film of this genre lacks the heart that makes you fall in love with the characters. At times, I did, but, in the end, they were forgettable. I do, however, recommend going to see this movie just because of its original plot and humor that entertains to the very end. Fans of Will Farrell beware: this is not Ricky Bobby or Ron Burgundy. Expect to see him in a more serious and, in some ways, better role. I’ve debated for days, but I feel “Stranger than Fiction” deserves 3 ½ Bulldogs out of 5.

Mini-Review: Flushed Away

From the creators of Shrek and Madagascar comes yet another movie about talking animals. The species this time is Rats. The movie follows a pampered rat, Roddy, that lives in Kingsinton, England. He is flushed down the toliet by an unexpected guest and is forced to travel through the sewer to try and find his way home. In the mix is Rita, a street smart sewer rat who makes a deal to get Roddy home. Roddy and Rita have to deal with a pompus Toad, French Frogs, dimwitted henchmen rats and singing Slugs in their grand adventure.

The movie itself was very funny and the little sight gags, what CoCreators Aardman are know for, are everywhere. The film is animated in a way that it makes the characters look clay, similar to Wallace and Gromit. Unlike W&G, Aardman's directors Nick Park and Steve Box are no where to be found on this picture; and it shows. Their is not as much heart or British spunk that was apperent is other Aardman projects like W&G and Chicken Run. In fact, what is really odd is the amount of American references. Their wasn't nearly as many as were in Shrek, but Flushed Away, when ever there was a pop culture reference (other then football=soccer) it was more geared towards America. Little odd since the movie has no main American characters, but still doesn't take away from the fun of the movie. While not quite as good as Cars, it beats the crap out of the rest of the mediocore competition (The Wild, Open Season, Ice Age 2). In an odd fraction, i give Flushed Away 3.75 out of 5.

Borat

Bulldog Reviews
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of
Kazakhstan
By: Michael Pickowicz

Rude, offensive, racist, and unspeakably gross. Could this possibly be the recipe for one of the funniest movies ever made? Borat is coming to the U, S and A and he’s willing to find out.
“Borat” is a fake documentary that stars Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen), a TV reporter from Kazakhstan, who is sent to America to make a video detailing the certain aspects of the American culture. While only planning on filming in New York, Borat falls for a certain television actress and decides to turn his video into cross country tour of the country. The only problem is that he brings his woman demeaning, face kissing, gypsy hating, Jew fearing views from his country along with him, horrifying unsuspecting Americans.
The movie “Borat” works so well on many different levels thanks to the films title character. What makes this movie different then other similar ideas such as Jackass or Punk’d is that Borat does not once break out of character. I never once got the feeling that Borat was just some actor trying to piss people off. Cohen pulls the character off so well, I even start to believe he’s real. Speaking more of Borat, what makes the film funny isn’t all the offensive things said by him, but the fact that the character is actually an innocent and nice man with an entirely different culture. The American people stare in shock at everything Borat says in the movie, but he just goes on like he did nothing wrong. All and all, the character is perfect.
To my shock, there was an actual plot to the movie that keeps the film fresh and interesting. During the cross country road trip to California, Borat gets to interact with a bunch of different American cultures. What makes this hilarious is that the reactions to Borat’s comments actually differ depending on where he goes. Some get pissed off, others fear him and some even agree with him. The film gives has a “What can he do next to top that?” feel to it that keeps everything unexpected. If I have one complaint of this movie, it’s the length. Maybe I never wanted Borat’s trip to end, but at 1 hour and 22 minutes, I felt that another 20 minutes of scenes could have been acceptable. I’m sure we can expect the DVD to fix that problem.
In my life, I’ve been to movies that have made me fall of the floor laughing. Never have I been to a movie where I was laughing the entire time. Looking back at the experience of watching “Borat”, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t laughing. Even as I write this review, my throat still hurts from all the laughing. People will say that this kind of entertainment brings our society down, but in reality, the movie is much smarter then it looks, exposing a lot about the American culture. All I can say now is that if you aren’t easily offended and are in the mood to laugh a lot, go see this movie now. Bring some friends too. Already saw it? See it again. I know I am because I’m sure I missed a lot of little jokes while laughing at the big ones. I give “Borat” 4 ½ Bulldogs out of 5. Niiiiice!