Frozen River

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Plot: Frozen River is a drama about a single Mom, Ray Eddy played by Melissa Leo, who undertakes smuggling illegal aliens across a frozen river from Canada to the US in order to buy herself a new doublewide trailer-home. She is assisted by Lila Littlewolf, played by Misty Upham, and meets state cops and assorted criminals.

Review: This movie is too slow -- way too much time showing the scenery and allowing the mood to build. The two actresses, Leo and Upham, give us interesting characters that we want to follow. The dialog could have been less wooden. Charlie McDormott is the boy actor who plays Ray's son. His performance is important to the success of the movie as he tries to rein in Ray's schemes as well as take care of his younger brother. Ray and Melissa are both disfunctional women who are in trouble due to their husbands as well as their own weaknesses. 

Cast and crew:
Melissa Leo, Misty Upham; written and directed by Courtney Hunt
Rating: 2.0 flasks


More: 
The films is set in the Akwesasne Mohawk nation, but actually filmed elsewhere in New York state. The St. Lawerence river scenes were actually shot on a frozen lake.

Even more:

Better than most Sundance award-winning movies. 

State of Play

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Plot: Congressman Steve Collins' (Ben Affleck's) head researcher and mistress dies. Is it suicide? Is it murder? Drugs? Lust? Cover-up by Pointcorp (read Blackwater or Halliburton). Wily reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) and Washington Globe blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) chase down leads as the suicide becomes linked to other deaths, and a supposed killer is identified. There was a big twist at the end. 

Review: The story is the star as Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams peck their way though a complicated police story as dogged reporters tracking down a criminal and then political story. The chemistry between Crowe and McAdams works. Helen Mirren steals the scenes she is in, and I really liked watching her tell off reporter  Cal or insulting rookie Frye. 

Crowe's performance is solid although he was a bit too crusty for me. McAdams and Affleck were OK, but not outstanding. This movie had more dramatic office scenes than chase scenes, with no car chases and just one fight scene.

The movie is a political thriller, but does not have a political or social message. It is just escapist entertainment. Perhaps it promotes newspaper reading. 

Cast and crew:
Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren; directed by Kevin Macdonald
Rating: 2.5 flasks
1/2

More:
Who named this move "State of Play" and why?  This forgettable title has no link to the story that I can figure out. 

Best Movies of 2008

Top Movies of 2008
1. Doubt 4.0
2. Wall.E 4.0
3. The Bank Job 4.0
4. Vicky Christina Barcelona 3.5
5. Iron Man 3.5
6. Frost/Nixon 3.5
7. Quantum of Solace 3.5
8. Forgetting Sarah Marshall 3.0
9. The Dark Knight 3.0
10. Burn After Reading 3.0

I Love You Man

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Plot: Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) gets engaged, and his fiance's friends think it is weird he does not have any male friends for the bridal party, and so he goes on a campaign to meet some male friends. There are several "man-dates," but eventually he meets Sydney (Jason Segel) who becomes his new best friend. Eventually his fiance, Zooey (Rashida Jones), gets jealous and makes them break up. The movie ends happily with the wedding.

Review:
This is a dumb movie, and I can't remember ever wanting to get out of a movie more. The whole thing made me want to cringe. 

The premise of the movie, to meet some friends, might have been played out in an interesting way, but it regressed into fart jokes, masturbation jokes, air-guitar, oral sex jokes and most especially stupid made-up lingo that cool-guys are supposed to use with each other.  Oh, did I mention projectile vomit?

The performance and some of the dialog by Paul Rudd and Jason Segel was not bad, but it could not overcome the plot and the dumb jokes. 

Cast and crew: Raul Rudd, Rashida Jones, Jason Segel; written and directed by John Hamburg

Rating: 1.0 flask -- Usually a movie needs to be offensive to get a "One Flask Rating" but this movie was so unpleasant that I will make an exception.


More:
Seriously, if I would have had earplugs and a blindfold I would have put them on.

Even More:
If you stay and watch the credits, there are more scenes. Take my advice and leave anyway.

Sunshine Cleaning

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Plot: Rose, a single Mom, (Amy Adams)  starts a specialized cleaning business which she cope with her father's sister's, son's, and high school sweet-heart's screwed-up lives. For example, Rose's ashamed that her life is not coming together in front of her high school friends.

Review:  Sunshine Cleaning is the best movie that I have seen in months. It is a well-written movie that grapples with issues everyone has played out in a believable family situation. It is largely a female movie in that it deals with the relationships of the woman characters.  It is a human movie that deals with many personal and family issues. The performance of  the whole cast was tops, especially the facial acting. It has engaging likeable characters in situations that are not too stretched and removed from realistic situations. The very cute, small boy (Jason Spevack) has troubles at school. If there is a weakness it is the movie gets a little too sweet at the end. 

Cast and crew: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin; written by Megan Holly; directed by Christine Jeffs

Rating: 3.5+ flasks
1/2

More:
I'd like to see it again.

Duplicity

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Plot: Duplicity is a love story about MI-6 agent Ray Stovel (Clive Owen) and CIA Agent Claire Stenwick (Julia Roberts) who became lovers, and try a scam to make millions so they can run away together. They get involved in a rivalry between two companies, and try to sell the secrets of one company to another. Paul Giamatti steals the show as one of the evil CEO's.

Review: This is an intelliegent movie that goes for more complicated laughs. You need to understand the motivations of the people to see the humor. I think business people will like this more than others.  The writing is excellent with good dialog, an understandable plot, clever plot twists and a good ending. I would like to have seen our spies be a little less cerebral.

This was the funnest movie of the year so far. We have had better movies, but nothing as fun as this yet.

Cast and crew:
Julia Roberts, Clive Owens, Paul Giamatti; written and directed by Roy Gilroy

Rating: 3.0 flasks


More:
There seem to have been more than one page to that formula. The structure seemed have silicon, but later there was an actual formula with supplier names. What were the Swiss guys looking at on the screen? Most lotions don't have silicon. I wish someone would post that structure.

Knowing

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Plot: Knowing is about a numerical prophecy written by a schoolgirl and found fifty years later by John and Caleb Koestler (Nicholas Cage and Chandler Canterbury.) John decodes the prophecy, and tries to interpret the unfulfilled prediction of coming disasters, which turn out to be increasing serious. John picks-up Diana Wayland (Rose Byrne) and her daughter Allison (Adrienne Pickering), and soon they encounter the mysterious Whisperers who are talking to the children.  This leads to a science-fiction apocalypse conclusion with biblical overtones, and lots of people die. 

Review: Knowing is a decent movie. I can't help seeing Nicholas Cage in National Treasure being obsessed about clues only he can see, and I was looking for something new. I an unknown actor would have been better. I also think the decoding of the numbers just seemed far fetched. 

The film has some interesting visuals, and the special effects do not rise to the level of recent masterpieces. My standards for excellent special effects have increased. I could not help thinking -- "that looks fake". Despite the fakeness, I liked the subway crash scene. It reminded me of Silver Streak. 

Cage is a decent actor, but I am tired of him. The two kids were a bit flat. Rose Byrne does an excellent worried and scared look, but her part is small.

Cast and crew:
Nicholas Cage, Rose Byrne; directed by Alex Proyas

Rating: 2.5 flasks
1/2
More:
How can a movie with so many people dying have a happy ending?

Even more: The movie wrestles with determinism versus randomness issues, but I don't get how aliens mean that we are all going to see each other in heaven.