Doubt

Doubt is a film adaptation of the same-named stage play. The film stars a trio of Oscar nominated actors: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. The plot involves the Catholic Church, specifically P.S. Hoffman's (the priest) relationship to a young male student. Streep and Adams are two nuns (the tough one and innocent one, respectively) who attempt to unravel the truth about the priest and the student.

Kinsey and I were both looking forward to this film, specifically because of the cast, and we both came out of it a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong, the acting was good, especially P.S. Hoffman (I think Meryl might've pushed it too hard). But overall, the film was pedestrian and forgettable. The director, John Patrick Shanley (who wrote the play and the screenplay), attempts to jazz up the film with the occasional canted camera angle and an overdone sense of visual metaphor, but there's no rhyme or reason for any of it. In my opinion, he should've taken the approach of Ron Howard, director of the film version of the stage play Frost/Nixon (which I haven't seen), and let the acting be the focus.

And as for the main conflict, well, the answer seemed fairly obvious to me. The film doesn't give the audience a straight answer of did-he-or-didn't-he and tries to place seeds of doubt (hence the title) in your mind, but I didn't really buy it.

For me, the saving grace of this film was Philip Seymour Hoffman, who has become such a good actor that I will see any film he is in (I sat through Synecdoche, NY, didn't I?). The guy is so natural and is able to envelope such an array of different characters, it's really astounding. He strikes the opposite tone of Meryl Streep in this film, who really forces the representation of her character as the stereotypical "to be feared" nun (Kinsey would vehemently disagree with me on this note). Their scenes together are still the best ones in the movie, however.

Like I said before, Doubt was disappointing and I doubt (ha, ha) that it'll stand out in my memory for very long.

Wade: 3 stars
Kinsey: 3.5 stars

Anthony: 3.5 stars

Ashley: 3 stars

Drive Home Review: Doubt

Click on the title of this post to listen to our drive home review of Doubt, featuring special guest critics Anthony and Ashley!

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is the new film from Danny Boyle, director of such eclectic fare as the underappreciated sci-fi flick Sunshine, the zombie movie 28 Days Later, and the dark comedy Trainspotting. Slumdog Millionaire follows the story of Jamal Malik, a kid from the slums of Mumbai, as he competes on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. Suspected of cheating, we flashback to situations from his life that help him know the right answers.

Kinsey and I were both amazed by how good this movie was. Everything, from the directorial style to the soundtrack, effectively captured the aura of the story, creating an interesting and modern spin on the typical fairy tale/love story/rags-to-riches story. Its amazing how hopeful and uplifting a movie featuring torture, mob violence, and murder can be. The acting was competent (I think the movie featured a lot of nonactors or at least inexperienced actors) but the real star of the film is director Danny Boyle. Just his ability to make a feature-length film in the slums of one of the largest cities in the world is enough to justify that praise. But also the way he captures the feel of these places is really well done. The frenetic pace and handheld style of the images shot in the slums build layers of grit and tragic beauty that you can almost feel. At certain points you could almost say that he shows the slums in too beautiful a light, but that is quickly balanced by stark images of slum reality.

There are only a few small faults I can find with Slumdog Millionaire. One of them, and I've been struggling with this, is the way the film presents its story. The relationship between Jamal's life and the questions on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? seem a little too tidy at times, especially considering the last question. But once you appreciate this film as a fairy tale, that conceit gets easier to swallow. But, overall a wonderful film that I really recommend everyone see.

Wade: 4.5 stars Kinsey: 5 stars

Drive Home Review: Slumdog Millionaire

Click on the title of this post to listen to our drive home review of Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire.

Australia

It's been a couple of weeks since we've seen this movie, but we weren't exactly clamoring to get the review out there, which should tell you something about the quality of the film.

But first, the details. Australia is directed by Baz Luhrman, most well known for his modern musical Moulin Rouge! and his MTV generation adaptation of Romeo + Juliet. The film stars Nicole Kidman as a proper English lady trying to figure out what to do with her dead husband's ranch, and Hugh Jackman as the Drover, an Outback cowboy. The plot ranges from a cattle drive to save the ranch, a Japanese air attack, and a fight to protect a mixed race Aborigine boy from bigoted white people, with a little romance between Kidman and Jackman tossed in for good measure.

I don't even know where to start with this film. Kinsey and I are pretty big fans of Baz Luhrman's previous work, so we had big expectations for this film. It was a huge disappointment. Australia is a bloated, overwrought attempt at an epic, filled with subpar acting. It's over two and a half hours long, which isn't a big deal in itself; there are plenty of really great films that long that are very entertaining. But Australia was a really dragging two and a half hours. There comes a point in the film where everything wraps up and you think it's going to end, but then it goes on for another hour, on an entirely different plot loop. It's like it comes with a built-in sequel.

My biggest beef with the film, however, was its cinematography choices. I think Australia was Baz Luhrman's ode to the close-up and slow-motion shot, because 90% of the scenes seemed to be composed of those types of shots. And I got real sick of them real fast. If you're going to make an epic, don't spend so much time zoomed in on the middle third of an actor's face. Noses and eyes aren't epic. The actual climax of the film is ruined by close-up shots. Not to give anything away, but it involves a character attempting to shoot another character, and a character getting speared. Sounds like a fairly easy scene to shoot, right? Now imagine it with nothing but close-ups. It gets confusing, to say the least, and borderlines on becoming ridiculous.

I really have nothing positive to say about this movie. I think Kinsey somewhat enjoyed the first 2/3 of the movie, but if you want my opinion, skip it.

Kinsey: 1.5 stars

Wade: 1 star