Without a doubt the most original movie I've seen in the past several years, director Marc Webb's Romantic Dramedy is one of 2009's best movies. Zooey Deschanel's character Summer is the perfect focus on the movie, and Joseph Gordon Levitt's Tom is a great character to become obsessed in a way with that focus. This is very much a movie about Tom and Tom's relationship with Summer and not vice versa, a commendable idea for the movie. The movies best moments are its "Break the Fourth Wall" type moments (Tom looking in a mirror and seeing Harrison Ford instead of his reflection, showing dual screens of Reality and his Dreams) and things that shouldn't work like the musical scene are cute and unique enough to catch you off guard. Go see it!
Grade - A
The Orphan
In a world of generic slayer torture porn esc movies, its good to see a horror film try something different...even if that difference doesn't work and the word "horror" really doesn't apply. The Orphan simply isn't scary, and while the end twist tries something different and screwed up, the movies main character Ester simply isn't scary enough or creepy enough to make the film worth watching. The moments they want to be scary are cliche and aren't even done well. Halloween 2?...
Grade - D+
Funny People
My high expectations for Judd Apatow's third directed feature let me down. Funny People is nothing more than a comedy that tries to be Punch Drunk Love, a serious Adam Sandler with some interesting dark humor, with the heart of a Comedy Central roast screwing it up, all the stars and comedy smashed together, mixed with the vulgarity of an Apatow film. Sandler isn't serious enough, there are TOO many penis jokes, and the celebrity power ends up derailing some of the credibility I'd like to have given the film. Yes Funny People does end up being, well, funny. It never reaches a point of 40 Year Old Virgin territory, or Knocked up territory (my favorite Apatow film). Those movies progress their characters to learning something, and growing up in a way. Sandler simply never grows up, and as much as you buy Seth Rogen he can't hold Sandlers character up. And for the record, 2 and a half hours for a comedy is WAY to long. Cut out all the Hollywood star shtick and you have a decent movie.
Grade - C
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