NMR: Double Feature

Cloverfield: I never had the time or energy to check out this monster movie from J.J. Abrams when it came out earlier this year, so I decided to rent it now. I will give the movie credit for not following the normal monster movie conventions (you barely see the monster, and the focus is on a few individuals and their attempts to escape the danger). I'll also say that the film delivers a number of decent thrills. But for all that it does right, the movie doesn't work due to its high level of implausibility. The actions that the main characters choose to do are so unrealistic that I couldn't sympathize with their situation. In addition, the movie was filmed as if one of the main characters was recording it all on their own camera, documentary-style. As I'm watching it, I'm yelling at the screen, 'put the f'ing camera down and save yourself!' Despite trying to give this a very 'real' feel, it felt like one of the fakest movies I had ever seen. Still, if you're looking for a cheap thrill, this is probably better than most of those cheesy horror flicks that come out every three weeks. Netflix rating: **

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: After being so impressed with Robert Downey Jr.'s work in both Iron Man and Zodiac, I decided to seek out some of his other recent work. This relatively unknown film came out 2-3 years ago and is an homage to film noir and detective movies. Downey (again delivering a good performance) plays a small time crook who ends up getting a job as an actor and then becomes a detective to prepare for the role. It sounds confusing, but it (sort of) makes sense in the film. The film has a lot of good laughs and the central mystery is fun. It also has fun at being unconventional with Downey also being the film's narrator and making snarky comments throughout. However, the film at times acts cuter than what it really is. There are also some slow moments in the film that could have been cut out. I couldn't take a steady diet of this, but it offered a nice change of pace. Netflix rating: ****