May 21
This Means War is one of the most abrasive, frustrating, mind-numbingly terrible films of 2012. It presents itself as a romantic comedy action flick, but it fails on all fronts and winds up a blubbing mess “highlighted” by foolish characters, awkward lightning and set design, and Chelsea Handler’s nauseating attempts at humour.
You can check out the rest of this review at This Means War DVD Review: A Blubbing Mess at Cinema Sentries
Drake Doremus’ Like Crazy is a confounding piece of mood movie-making that feels like a really long, really pretentious Apple commercial. Almost everything is purportedly communicated through “knowing” glances, with minimal enlightening dialogue managing our path through what should be a very emotionally dogged set of conditions.
Water for Elephants is a lumbering pachyderm of a film, featuring none of the animalistic grit and/or danger of Sara Gruen’s novel of the same name. The 2011 movie is directed by Francis Lawrence and boasts a screenplay by The Fisher King scribe Richard LaGravenese, but the performances are bland and the overall product is an unenlightening, uninteresting snooze.
Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris is a delightful piece of comic fantasy. It is, at times, hysterical and touching, a warm ode to a city and a lifestyle of romance, literature, art, sex, and, above all else, love. Allen’s 41st film brims with all of the brightness of his best work, containing thoughts about his legacy and his passion in the midst of a story that is brilliantly funny and warm to the touch.
You can check out the rest of this review at Midnight in Paris Movie Review: A Beautiful Fantasy at Cinema Sentries.
Love Actually is one of those movies that I’ll throw in when I need an assured boost. The Richard Curtis picture is a favourite of mine because of its barefaced production and lack of guilt. It is a romantic comedy that knows exactly what it’s doing, cruising cheerfully through several stories about love in countless forms.
