Thursday's 3 Line Reviews and One Heck of a Movie

Now, I know I do the 3 Line Reviews every Thursday and I'm sticking with that because I enjoy. It's a challenge to review a movie in just three lines. However, last night a movie came along that I simply cannot review it in just three lines. It was that good. It would be unjustified to try and be gimmicky with only three lines. So, this movie is getting more.

But...first the Thursday's 3 Line Reviews of all the movies I watched during the past seven days.

THE RIVER WILD-
Suspenseful filmed in the beautiful wilds of Montana and Oregon where Meryl Streep is an ex-river guide/mom who is needed to take two seedy characters down (up?) the rivers. Meryl Streep's weakest role, which is still saying a lot because she is brilliant. Kevin Bacon does bad guy well and John C. Reilly reminds us that there is more to him than campy Will Ferrell partnered movies.

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS-
Odd ball movie with odd ball characters played out by good cast including Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller, The Wilson Brothers, Angelica Huston, and Danny Glover. Has some very funny moments and some dark moments. Different and weird, but held my interest.

TWISTER-
Classic disaster movie done right. The storyline is a little corny, but the effects and Bill Paxton steal the show. Flying cow goes down in movie history as one of the most memorable scenes ever.

TED BUNDY-
Cheap, tasteless, tacky movie about the real life serial killer. This movie is a disgrace to Ted Bundy's victims and completely disgusted me on how they felt they needed to add "hip" filming and sorority girls in underwear, jumping on the bed, and having a pillow fight. Michael Reilly Burke's portrayal of Ted Bundy was clownish and almost laughable, yet just the thought of the actual events of this serial killer kept me up the whole night.

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE-
Having never seen this "classic", I decided it was time and was some what disappointed. The "disturbing" scenes were just there to shock you and unfortunately in today's day and age, the shock value just isn't there anymore. I did think the story was interesting and the whole movie was different, but did anyone else think the actors were shouting throughout the whole movie?

THE FIFTH ELEMENT-
After putting this movie in last Friday's 5 Favorites for most colorful movie, I saw that it was on and as I said last week...I cannot resist watching this movie. Bruce Willis is great as he deadpans his one liners and Chris Rock is hilarious as the flamboyant DJ from the future. This movie is sci-fi that is fun, colorful, and unique.

JOE SOMEBODY-
Dull and boring. Tim Allen is a man who challenges the work bully to a schoolyard fight and suddenly gains respect and fame at work. The only shining moments are scenes with Jim Belushi as ex-action star turned drunk martial artist Mr. Miyagi wannabe.

GET SMART-
As a fan of the original television show, I really wanted to like this movie. Steve Carell tries and has a moment or two, but mostly comes across as annoying and Anne Hathaway is miscast. The only laugh out loud moments I got all came from Alan Arkin.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND-
One of the better movies I've seen in a long time. Russell Crowe plays mathematical genius John Nash who is recruited by government officials to help crack Russian Codes. This movie has a wonderful twist that is revealed in the middle of the movie, so the second half deals with the twist and I loved that.

MOTHMAN PROPHECIES-
Based on real events, this movie is eerie and creepy. You never see the boogie man, which makes it a little scary. In the end though, the movie is just a tad bit of a let down.

LA VIE EN ROSE-
The story of French singer Edith Piaf who went from being raised in a brothel and the circus to singing on the street corners to international fame. Was very disappointed in this movie as it flashed back and forth and there were flashbacks within flashbacks and it seemed to even flash sideways and inside out. Marion Cotillard was excellent but her make-up made her look like a cross between Mommie Dearest and a circus clown and I don't believe it did the real Edith Piaf any justice.

A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD-
A very simple story of a very strange three way relationship between a flamboyant gay man, a bohemian/punk straight woman, and a lost and confused bi-sexual man. I thought this movie was touching and warm and loved Sissy Spacek and Colin Farrell. This was an enjoyable surprise for me.

FOUR CHRISTMASES-
Mindless and mildly humorous. If you have nothing else better to watch, then watch this one. I do love Vince Vaughn but thought Reese Witherspoon was miscast and looked and acted older than she actually is.

And now, for the movie that I felt deserved more than three lines. A movie that went it ended I looked at DH and declared "Brilliant!!!"

I'm slowly working my way through the big Oscar movies. I have seen The Blind Side, Precious, Up, and Inglorious Basterds. Last night it was time to watch District 9. I was simply blown away.

District 9 is a very simple sci-fi plot. Aliens are stranded on Earth for 20 years and put in a slum...a camp in South Africa. They live lower than humans, they act lower than humans, they are treated lower than humans, but are they lower than humans?

Some scenes are shot in documentary style. Others look like news footage. The rest is an action/sci-fi movie and it all comes together in one great, entertaining movie. The CGI effects of the aliens are the best I've ever seen. They looked so real. At least to me. My son, who was up with a horrid case of allergies and watched it with us, declared they were fake looking. But I disagree. And the aliens were not cute or cuddly or innocent looking. They were ugly brutes who acted like ugly brutes.

In the movie, it is decided by some government/big corporation bigwigs that it is time to evict the "Prawns" from their slum housing in District 9 to a new district away from Johannesburg. As the newly promoted official, Wikus Van De Merwe is overly confident in his status and abuses his authority to evict the Prawns, but of course things get out of control.

There was not one big name actor or actress in this movie. This movie relies on the effects, the story, and some unknowns to carry it and it works. Sharlto Copely, who plays Wikus Van De Merwe, was amazing. He went from a weaselly, sniveling, cowardly, awkward, brown nosing, geek to a rugged, dirty, sweaty, action filled man of survival. If I were watching this movie in pieces, I would have never guessed it was the same actor or the same character. He deserved more recognition for his work.

The only flaw this movie has is its over use of the F word. I have no complaints of the violence, the blood, the gore that comes with this movie, but when every line contained one or more F word, it just got a little ridiculous. Then again, I'm not from Johannesburg and I've never been, so maybe this is how they talk over there? Maybe the F word is used like that and not considered the offensive word it is over here? I don't know. I think I'm just trying to find a reason as to why the script contained it so often. I'm talking more than a Quentin Tarantino movie.

But other than that, as I told DH, this movie was brilliant. So far it is my favorite of all of 2010 Oscar Nominations that I have seen. This is the movie that I recommend for this week.