Feb
4
2011
Uxbal (Javier Bardem) is a mover and a shaker in the underworld of Spain; an agent who walks between various ethnic groups all involved in some level of corruption. Upon learning that he has weeks to live, he’s dying of cancer, he needs to get his affairs in order; no easy task with an addict ex-wife, deceitful brother, and two young kids that will need a solid parental figure. 
A heavy film with a seriously convoluted set of plots and sub plots, each one darker than the next but ultimately worth the payoff. As far as screenplays go, this is a prime example of what happens when a writer/director has so many ideas but doesn’t know where to begin cutting;  in defense of this style, the viewer is certainly given a painfully detailed experience that shows more sides to a story than we’re used to getting, interesting. Furthermore, Bardem knocks this one out of the park a million times over, to the point I got choked up several times, I haven’t cried at a film since the horse died in The Never Ending Story in 1984. The film is also a beast as far as runtimes go, clocking in just under two and a half hours, which is a long time to be reading subtitles– still, it’s more than worthy. Biutiful is rated R.
Comments Off on Biutiful | posted in Movie Reviews
Feb
4
2011
Thousands of feet below the earth’s surface a team of diving and spelunking pros are trapped as a tropical storm ravages above. With waters rising and thinning supplies the team must burrow deeper into the earth to find their own way out; but, will they have the endurance and mental strength to push through or will the cave devour them before they reach top side?
Warning sign number one, any time a film top bills itself on its Executive Producer, and the Executive Producer happens to be a mediocre Director at best, you know you’re in for trouble. In this case I’m talking about James Cameron. I accept that the guy has made some of the largest grossing films of all time, but really, when you get down to nuts and bolts about the things we prize most: rich dialogue, superb acting, and cause for self reflection, these are things that Cameron films are devoid of entirely. And, with a such a solid foundation (sarcasm), you might be hopeful that someone working with his blessing might be able to meet or raise the bar– you’d be wrong. Make no mistake about it, a half baked screenplay, poorly developed characters, and pointless use of 3D technology just begins to broach why this film is a failure. Barely worth a rental, Sanctum is rated R
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A heavy film with a seriously convoluted set of plots and sub plots, each one darker than the next but ultimately worth the payoff. As far as screenplays go, this is a prime example of what happens when a writer/director has so many ideas but doesn’t know where to begin cutting;  in defense of this style, the viewer is certainly given a painfully detailed experience that shows more sides to a story than we’re used to getting, interesting. Furthermore, Bardem knocks this one out of the park a million times over, to the point I got choked up several times, I haven’t cried at a film since the horse died in The Never Ending Story in 1984. The film is also a beast as far as runtimes go, clocking in just under two and a half hours, which is a long time to be reading subtitles– still, it’s more than worthy. Biutiful is rated R.