Movie Review: Twilight

Twilight (2008) 

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke 

Written by Melissa Rosenberg 

Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Anna Kendrick, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli

Release Date November 21st, 2008 

Published November 20th, 2008

I must first admit my ignorance of the Twilight phenomena. Not spending much time chatting with members of the tween set, having no teenage daughters, I was blissfully unaware of writer Stephanie Meyers anguished teen vampire romance series. Now that the series and movie have become inescapable the culture vulture in me has absorbed as much as I can about the series without resorting to actually reading the weighty tomes themselves. Does the overall ignorance of the book prevent me from offering fair insight of the movie? Hardly.

Freed of the need to refer back to the efficacy of book to movie I am able to judge the movie for what it is without the weight of the literary literalism that will, no doubt, arise within those who find Stephanie Meyers words sacred. Twilight is a loosely Shakespearean romance that lifts, as does much modern romance, from the Bard's Romeo and Juliet, a tale of tragic, agonized love. Edward Cullen is a shy, pasty faced young man with no friends in school. He hovers close to four equally pallid brothers and sisters and rejects the world around him.

Bella Swan is similar in ghostly appearance to Edward. Her pale whiteness an oddity as her character comes from the sun drenched deserts of Arizona. Nevertheless, Bella and Edward could bond over the necessity for sunscreen but they don't. Bella is also similarly afflicted with the need to avoid social interaction. Though she is adopted by a social group of boys and girls in her new school in Forks Washington, where this story plays out, Bella is never comfortable. Her elusive manner and general social discomfort are yet another bonding opportunity for she and Edward.

And bond they do. After nearly 2 acts worth of scenes of doubt and confusion, Edward and Bella admit they are destined to be together. Therein comes the major complication. Aware to us from the start, Bella is thusly introduced to Edward's deepest secret; he is a vampire. Moreover, her blood has a particular scent that drives him near frenzy. He fears that he cannot control the instinct to devour her but he cannot stay away from her either. For her part Bella is infatuated with Edward's stunning edifice. The kid is great looking. Add that face to his tortured poet manner and he is irresistible.

Now, if you can't follow the glaring metaphors, shining nearly as bright as Edward's diamond dust skin in the bright sunlight (I'll explain later), you really should pay closer attention. Meyers and now screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, have crafted an allegory about sex, teens, hormones, abstinence and marriage. Lust, temptation and resistance are Twilight's true subjects. Vampires are merely the construct, an enticement to read more about the strength it takes to love but not make love. If Bella and Edward are anything more than lusty teens longing for a backseat or basement couch I'll eat my hat.

The dangers of the vampire are merely a representation of all that could go wrong should the teens indulge their urges. Edward could infect or even kill Bella if he allowed things to go to far. Indeed, Edward carries the burden of much of the metaphor, his being the dangerous condition. Bella is merely tempting and tempted.

The metonymy is fairly simpleminded and once you have sussed it out and discarded it as obvious; you are left with director Catherine Hardwicke and her exceptionally mediocre effort to give it cinematic life. Twilight the movie, beyond the metaphor, is a flabby, shabby effort of a mind numbing length and amateur special effects. Then there is absolute disregard for all that we know of vampires. Edward and his family walk in daylight. No burning skin, no running for cover, not even a passing reference to the need for sunscreen. Now, the Cullen clan does have issues with the sun but it's not a fiery death they fear.

Click here for my review

Movie Review Jumper

Jumper (2008) 

Directed by Doug Liman 

Written by David S. Goyer, Simon Kinberg, Jim Uhls 

Starring Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Kristen Stewart, Michael Rooker, Anna Sophia Robb, Diane Lane, Samuel L. Jackson 

Release Date February 14th, 2008

Published February 13th, 2008

David Rice (Hayden Christensen) can be anywhere he imagines in a moment's notice. Surfing in Hawaii, lunching atop the sphinx, or across his apartment without having to step around the coffee table, David has the ability "Jump" anywhere. It's a cool talent to have. David uses this unique talent to rob banks. Don't fret, he leaves IOU's. That is the premise of Jumper the latest from director Doug Liman starring the perpetually quivery Hayden Christenson.

As a teenager David Rice fell through the thin ice of a lake and was nearly killed. At the last moment he imagined the local library and was transported there. Slowly coming to grips with this new ability to go anywhere he wants with a single thought, David starts by using his new ability to escape his angry bitter father (Michael Rooker). Needing a getaway location, David takes off for New York and is soon robbing banks to finance a comfortable lifestyle. It is then that he meets Roland Cox (Samuel L. Jackson) who is some kind of supernatural cop. Roland explains the plot, David is a Jumper and Roland is a Paladin. Paladin's hunt Jumpers and kill them.

Narrowly escaping his paladin encounter, David meets a fellow Jumper named Griffin (Jamie Bell) and is warned that Paladins will kill everyone he has ever known in their attempt to find him. This leads David back home and to the girl who he left behind, Millie (Rachel Bilson). While David watches out for the Paladins, he and Millie rekindle their childhood romance. Once the Paladins arrive however, it kicks off a worldwide war between Jumpers and Paladins. 

It's not a bad comic book premise really. The problem is it's underdeveloped as a movie. The rules for Jumpers and Paladins are vague and are sloppily made up as the movie goes. along. Rules then are disregarded when the plot requires them to be. The idea is merely a hanger on which director Doug Liman and his effects team can hang a number of huge special effects shots and a travelogue of worldwide locations from Tokyo to London to Rome to whatever other touristy location a majority of the audience might recognize. The effects aren't bad, for the most part, but who cares. If I wanted to watch the world go by I would watch the Travel Channel.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media 

Movie Review In the Land of Women

In the Land of Women (2007) 

Directed by Jon Kasden 

Written by Jon Kasden 

Starring Adam Brody, Kristen Stewart, Meg Ryan, Olympia Dukakis, Makenzie Vega 

Release Date April 20th, 2007 

Published April 25th, 2007 

As a writer myself, I am naturally sympathetic to writers as characters. I was seduced by Sideways because Paul Giamatti's sad sack, unsuccessful novelist, hit just a little close to home. Barton Fink is an almost impenetrable piece; but for the writers of the world it's a work of uncompromising genius because it's about a writer.

So, I was destined to identify in some way with Adam Brody's Carter in the new movie In The Land of Women. As a heart broken writer myself, I can easily relate to the selfish, self loathing, self centered sadness that leads one to write either wondrous prose or sad pathetic trash. Carter's writing is left purposefully vague but the writer's angst is written on Brody's face in a star-making performance.

As Carter Webb; screenwriter for 'feature length softcore erotica', Adam Brody captures that writer's longing to take what has been so desperately percolating in his brain and communicate it to a world he just knows will understand its genius. In Carter's case it's a story about his time in a pricey private high school; far removed from the typical high school experiences of the John Hughes variety.

He's been trying to write this story for years but can't find the words. He will put this story further to the side when his actress girlfriend, Sophie (Elena Anaya), gets her big break and dumps him. Devastated and looking for an escape; Carter takes up an offer to care for his grandmother, Phyllis (Olympia Dukakis), in a tiny Michigan suburb; miles and miles away from his disappointments in Los Angeles.

On his arrival in Michigan Carter finds his grandmother living in filth and slightly demented. On the bright side; his neighbors are a fantastic group of women. There is Sarah (Meg Ryan), mother of two wonderful daughters and the wife of a louse who she knows, without actual evidence, is cheating on her. Smart and headstrong and more than a little quirky, Sarah is the first to befriend Carter when he moves in.

Sarah's daughter Lucy (Kristen Stewart) is equally resourceful and headstrong but far more impetuous than her mother. She takes on Carter after her mom asks her to take him to a movie. Lucy's little sister Paige (Mackenzie Vega), is a strange little thing, funny but just slightly off in every way. This quirky trio each bring Carter into their confidence for their own reasons and through them Carter finds some of the fulfillment his life was lacking.

If you aren't rolling your eyes at that description then you are quite generous. My description doesn't quite do justice to the more subtle pleasures of In The Land of Women. Don't get me wrong, my description is accurate, but thanks to a talented ensemble, the more ugh-worthy moments become palatable and the truly enjoyable moments will have you smiling till the end.

Jonathan Kasdan is the progeny of Hollywood royalty. His father, Lawrence Kasdan, directed Body Heat, The Big Chill and Grand Canyon. Brother Jake Kasdan is a rising star, writer and director in his own right; whose Zero Effect is an underappreciated gem. The pedigree gives Jonathan a professional edge and that professional edge is not just the rub of a famous family.

Jonathan is a legit talent, smart with his camera with a good sense of control over his storytelling. He needs to work on his pacing; at times In The Land of Women drags; nearly to a halt; but, for the most part, the good natured spirit and a very talented ensemble carries over the boring aspects. The story is a little ham-fisted thanks to a couple of truly melodramatic plot points, the disease of the week, and the conveniently evil spouse, but, with time, I'm sure, Jon Kasdan will eventually work out the kinks.

Like his director, Adam Brody is a legit talent. The kid languished for a few overly ironic seasons on TV's The O.C. Now with the yoke of weekly teen melodramatics off of his shoulders he really shows what a funny, sardonic and appealing actor he truly is. His Carter Webb is a lovable sort who has your sympathy from his first pathetic whimper to his final irony laced smile.

Reminiscent of a young Tom Hanks in the looks department, he could be the heir to the throne that Robert Downey Jr was never able to claim. Filling the void of the generation's sad comic voice, Brody is angst rendered in flesh with the perfect sardonic armor and just good looking enough to be appealing beyond his humor. Downey Jr. was set to become to the 80's teens what Brody could be to this upcoming generation, a hipster icon.

Against my better judgment, I liked much of In The Land of Women. The melodramatic elements can be a little irritating and overwrought, and the film drags a bit in the middle but the overall movie works. It works because Jon Kasdan is a director with a passionate voice and a genuine love of these characters and because of a tremendously talented ensemble lead by rising star Adam Brody and a strong comeback performance by the lovable Meg Ryan.

No need to wait for the DVD, take someone you like to see In The Land of Women.

Movie Review: Zathura

Zathura (2005) 

Directed by Jon Favreau 

Written by David Koepp, John Kamps

Starring Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart, Tim Robbins 

Release Date November 11th, 2005 

Published November 10th, 2005

It is one thing for Hollywood studios to slap together big, dumb, loud blockbusters for teens and adults. But when they extend that brainless genre to kids that is where we as an audience must draw the line. The new kid targeted adventure flick Zathura is a rarity for its kind: a big, dumb, loud action movie aimed at the pre-teen market.

Two bratty brothers, Walter (Josh Hutcherson) and Danny (Jonah Bobo), bicker and annoy one another until Danny discovers a unique board game in the basement of their dad's (Tim Robbins) house. The game, Zathura, is a 50's era space adventure, a metal gears and paint concoction that was likely the X-Box of it's time.

Danny the younger brother wants to play but older brother Walter just wants to watch Sportscenter. When Danny turns the key and presses a button to start the game Walter finds he will have to play whether he likes it or not. The game has shot the boys into space and the only way to get home is to finish the game before the various meteor showers, robot malfunctions, or bloodthirsty aliens finish them.

Along for the ride is the boys' sister, Lisa (Kristen Stewart), who was supposed to keep them out of trouble but because of the game, she now finds herself frozen in cryo-sleep, as one of the game cards helpfully explains. Also joining the boys for this adventure is an astronaut (Dax Shepard) who was lost in space some 15 years ago after he and his brother had played the game.

Directed by Jon Favreau, Zathura is a surprisingly bombastic and ridiculous exercise in over modulated special effects and a complete lack of subtlety. The light touch that Favreau brought to his last kiddie flick, the very funny Elf, has been replaced in Zathura by a sledgehammer, hammering into place a pair of unlikable, often nasty, child characters into a predictable plot that is desperately padded to reach a feature length run time.

Zathura was adapted by David Koepp from a short illustrated novel by Chris Van Allsburg. The padding is necessary because Van Allsburg's book is a far from feature length at a mere 32 pages. Many of those pages are filled only with Van Allsburg's lovely charcoal drawings. That does illustrate the challenge that Jon Favreau and David Koepp faced in this adaptation but it does not excuse the choice to make the characters insufferable little brats who push the plot forward with the worst decisions imaginable all while the entire movie shrieks and rumbles like a sugared up kindergarten class. 

The special effects in Zathura are the film's strong point. Jon Favreau creates a terrifically cartoonish outer space that is perfectly in line with a child's imagination. The robots and aliens are cool looking, with the robot also providing the films few moments of genuine laughter. If I have any issue with the aliens it's that they may be a little too scary for the young audience that is being sought after by Zathura.

Unfortunately, the weak points of Zathura are a group of unlikable, unendurable characters. The brothers bicker constantly and meanly and when they aren't bickering with each other they are bickering with their dad played by Tim Robbins in a forgettable cameo or they are bickering with their even less enjoyable sister played by Kristen Stewart. Are kids, especially young brothers, often at each other's throats? Yeah, maybe. Does that make me want to watch a movie about them being at each others throat's? No, especially when the film is supposed to be a fun filled space adventure.

The game plot of Zathura is a direct lift from Jumanji and that is not surprising as both are based on books by Chris Van Allsburg. The books were, in fact, sequels though in the movie there is no recognition of one to the other aside from essentially similar plots.  Where Jumanji succeeds and Zathura fails is in creating characters we like and enjoy spending time with. Robin Williams may have his moments of being cloying and pandering but he can always pull out a big joke here and there and when he's on he is one of the funniest actors in the business. Jumanji only has a few moments of the best of Robin Williams but I will take those few moments over just about anything in the laughless Zathura.

Where is the wonder of a trip to space? Where is the excitement of adventure? In Zathura we have nothing but kids running from loud explosions in between bursts of ugly brotherly spats. Couldn't we have just one scene where the kids enjoy the magic of space? I realize the astronaut has long since been replaced by the sports or TV celebrity in the imaginations of children but come on, space is space and what kid couldn't find being in outer space more important than fighting with their sibling?

Zathura is a frustrating 84 minutes of big, dumb, loud action, special effects and sibling rivalry. Most frustrating, however, is the missed potential of such an interesting plot and such an interesting director. Jon Favreau has the potential to be a very good director if he can develop his characters better than he does in Zathura. He has the right ideas in there but the wrong approach and thus Zathura is a less than stellar effort. Safe for kids between 10 and 13 who enjoy loud noises and big bright explosions Zathura certainly has an audience but it's an audience that would be better served with more attention to character than to how loud you can crank the volume before the speakers blow.

Movie Review: Adventureland

Adventureland (2009) 

Directed by Greg Mottola 

Written by Greg Mottola 

Starring Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader, Matt Bush, Kristen Wiig, 

Release Date April 3rd, 2009 

Published April 2nd, 2009 

When one thinks of Superbad, the hit 2007 comedy from director Greg Mottola, the first word that comes to mind is not thoughtful. That word however, provides a strong description of Greg Mottola's two other directorial efforts. The Daytrippers, the film that brought Mottola to the attention of Hollywood decision makers, was a thoughtful and gentle comic road trip. Now comes Adventureland which, like Daytrippers, is thoughtful as well as gentle nostalgic, sentimental and romantic in its offbeat way.

Jesse Eisenberg stars in Adventureland as Brennen a soon to be New York college student who was  planning for a trip to Europe for the entire the summer before college. That was before his dad lost his job and Brennen lost his funding. Now, even college in New York is in question unless Brennan can start raising money on his own.

Being more of a thinker than a laborer, Brennen finds there is not much out there in the unskilled labor market. Thankfully, an old friend, Frigo (Matt Bush), is able to land him a gig at a local amusement park, Adventureland. Brennen will be in the games section where every contest is rigged and no one, NO ONE is allowed to win a big ass panda. These are the rules laid down by the park manager Bobby (Bill Hader) and his wife Paulette (Kristen Wiig).

With only the goal of making money on his mind, Brennen is shocked when he meets Em (Kristen Stewart) a thoughtful outcast not unlike himself. The two spark some romantic chemistry quickly but there are any number of complications that will keep them apart, not the least of which is Brennen's virgin status and Em's shall we say 'experience'. This isn't so much a boundary as a truth. You will find throughout this wonderful movie that truth is a default setting for these characters no matter how complicated that truth is.

Click here for my review

Movie Review: Catch that Kid

Catch that Kid (2004) 

Directed by Bart Freundlich 

Written by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas 

Starring Kristen Stewart, Sam Robards, Jennifer Beals, Max Thierot, Corbin Bleu, James LeGros

Release Date February 6th, 2004

Published February 5th, 2004

With the success of Spy Kids, a whole genre is springing up - the Kids Action-Adventure movie. The newest example of this burgeoning genre is the kiddy heist flick Catch That Kid. Based on a Danish blockbuster called Klatretosen, Catch That Kid is a clever little heist picture with three terrific young actors and a director, Bart Freundlich, who's previous work would never lead you to believe he could pull this off.

Kristen Stewart stars as Maddy Phillips, the adventurous daughter of a mountain climber (Sam Robards), who once climbed Mount Everest. Unfortunately, Dad had a massive fall in his climb and now would prefer his daughter not climb. Maddy's mother Molly (Jennifer Beals) absolutely forbids her daughter from climbing. Of course, when we first meet Maddy she is scaling a water tower while on her cell phone lying to her mom.

Maddy's dad owns a local go-cart track where Maddy's friend Gus (Max Thierot) is a mechanic building engines for his brother’s go-carts. Maddy doesn't know it but Gus has a huge crush on her. So does Maddy's other friend Austin (Corbin Bleu), a computer geek who's skills will no doubt come in handy later in the film.

The film’s heist plot is set in motion when Maddy's Dad is suddenly struck paralyzed from the neck down, a recurring injury from his fall. The doctors say he will never walk again unless he can get to Europe for an experimental surgery. Unfortunately, that surgery costs 250 grand, money the family surely does not have. There is hope that Maddy's Mom may be able to get a loan from the local bank where she is currently installing a high tech security system but the evil bank manager Mr. Brisbane (Michael Des Barres) denies the loan.

So with the help of her friends, Maddy concocts an elaborate heist that will incorporate Gus' mechanical skills, Austin's computer skills and her climbing ability. While Gus plans the getaway and Austin cracks the security, Maddy must scale the bank walls and climb nearly one hundred feet in the air where the vault is suspended, part of a very cool, very complicated security setup that makes the film’s heist sequence a lot of fun and separates it from other heist films. Maddy must also watch her baby sister, while pulling this off, a nice comic touch.

While there is something a little unseemly about pre-teens who turn to crime in order to solve their problems, the film deftly dances around such moral quandaries. Director Bart Freundlich, who previous films were the adult dramas World Traveler and Myth Of Fingerprints, surprises us with his ability to direct such light, fun material. The pacing keeps the audience from worrying too much about the moral of the film and more focused on the action and the likable characters.

The young actors, especially Kristen Stewart, are terrific. It's the adult characters who are the problem. Jennifer Beals and Sam Robards don't have much screen time so they make little impression. Michael Des Barres as the villain is truly dreadful. The former rock singer preens and chews screen and just stinks up the screen whenever he is on. John Carroll Lynch has a small role as an assistant bank manager and like Des Barres, he is utterly grating.

Still there is enough good about Catch That Kid to outweigh the bad. Especially young Kristen Stewart who should have a big career ahead of her. The plot is fun and surprisingly original and exciting. As long as the film keeps it's pace and it's villains to a minimum, it's not a bad flick. A good way for mom and dad to kill an afternoon with the kids. On an odd note, the film was released under two different titles, Catch That Kid and Mission Without Permission. The film retained the title Mission Without Permission for certain foreign markets.

Movie Review Panic Room

Panic Room (2002) 

Directed by David Fincher

Written by David Koepp 

Starring Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forrest Whitaker, Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam

Release Date March 29th, 2002 

Published March 28th, 2002 

David Fincher is my favorite director. For the uninitiated, Fincher is the brilliant eye behind the lens of Fight Club and Seven, two stylishly violent, high voltage thrillers that pair catchy visuals with blistering commentary on our consumer culture. Fincher's new film, Panic Room, doesn't aspire to social commentary, it's just a straight edge thriller easy to enjoy as long as you don't expect too much from it.

Panic Room stars Jodie Foster as Meg Altman, a divorcee raising a teen daughter (Kristen Stewart) and looking for a new home. A real estate agent shows Meg a gorgeous New York brownstone. 3-stories, multiple bedrooms, single bath, cable ready, and oh yeah there is this little room built by the ultra-paranoid former tenant. This room is essentially a safe built for a human being, with two feet of cement encasing two feet of steel on each side of the 6 by 10 foot area. 

The panic room is meant to keep the owner safe from a break in. Needless to say Meg and her daughter move in immediately and on their first night there is a break in, forcing Meg and her daughter to put the panic room to use. Unfortunately for Meg, the men behind the break in, Junior (Jared Leto), Burnham (Forest Whitaker) and Raoul (Dwight Yoakam, yes Dwight Yoakam playing a guy named Raoul), need to get into the panic room to get what they came for.

The first half of Panic Room encompasses the character introductions, and explores the space of the panic room and it's very good. Director David Fincher's camera helps build suspense through shadow and light. The props go to Oscar winner Conrad W. Hall's Cinematography as well for giving the apartment and the titular panic room dimension, we want a strong sense of the space and we get that while also ramping up tension between the thieves and our innocent mom and daughter duo. 

Once Meg and her daughter are inside the panic room, the film begins to lose steam. There are still a few good moments but the attempts by the gang to get inside the panic room are right out of MacGyver's playbook as are Meg's attempts to thwart them. It is those MacGyver-like logical leaps like Meg's figuring out how to hook up the panic room’s phone line and Burnham’s oh so lucky guess as to what she's doing that border on the ridiculous. That scene, amongst others, undermines the tension and kills some of the suspense.

Still, Panic Room is not a bad movie. Jodie Foster is good in a very difficult role that seems the least defined of all of the characters. Each of the bad guys is able to communicate their motives and personalities in their interaction with each other while Foster's only interaction for most of the film is her daughter, which is confined to being the protective mother. Forest Whitaker and Jared Leto have good chemistry as a team but Dwight Yoakam seems woefully miscast as Raoul, the supposed intimidator who is more laughable than imposing. 

Visually, Fincher is very much on his game, with unique camera work and one of the most visually interesting credit sequences I've ever seen. Be forewarned: if you have a problem with motion sickness you may want to bring some medicine because Fincher's camera rolling through walls and windows and flying through keyholes and air ducts can be somewhat jarring.