NMR: Everything or Nothing

Prior to the release of Skyfall last November, a documentary was released celebrating the world of James Bond in honor of the film franchise's 50th anniversary. The documentary is now available on Netflix Instant View which enables me a chance to finally see it. Given that this documentary did not receive a lot of fanfare or even a theatrical release made me worried that it would either be hatchet job or look cheap. Thankfully neither are true. I actually loved this depiction. While I certainly knew a lot of the information, I was pleasantly surprised that it did give insight into the franchise that I was not previously familiar with. It goes into a lot of detail about Albert Broccoli, the producer of the Bond films and his often contentious relationships with others associated with the films. We also get some insight from the various men who have played Bond. One of the things that struck me about their comments is that each of them, regardless of how long or successful their tenure was as 007 absolutely loved playing the role. You could tell that for each of them, this was more than just an acting job. The success of these films is nothing short of spectacular and you truly get a sense while watching this film as to how they've managed to keep the franchise alive all these years. Some of it was luck, but it also took a lot of talented people with a devotion to this character to constantly being driven to wanting to always make the best film possible. While Bond fans should absolutely check this out, I do think that those who don't care much for the series would still find the film interesting as well. Not too many franchises can say they've been around for a half century, so why not check out what make this one so unique. Rating: *****

NMR: Mansome

Directed by noted documentarian Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), this is a small film that explores the recent increase in grooming habits by men. Separated into several segments about what makes a man, the information is interesting even if the people always aren't. For instance, one segment explores beard and mustache competitions. The segment would have been much more engaging had the person they chose to follow didn't come off as such a pretentious douchebag. That unfortunately was a trend throughout the film. The narcissistic nature of the people that care so much about their looks was a turn off, even if I was interested the habits themselves. To counterbalance that, however, there were several talking head segments featuring a lot of comedians like Adam Carolla, Judd Apatow, and Zach Galifianakis to offer some levity to the topic. Best of all there are several interludes featuring Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, who also co-produced the film, attending a day spa while comedically discussing their own personal grooming habits. The subject matter is too slights for mass appeal, but if you enjoy Spurlock's work, you'll likely enjoy this film as well. Rating: *** 1/2

NMR: Conan O'Brien Can't Stop

So lo and behold after I just got done saying I probably wouldn't be doing anymore Netflix reviews since I switched to their streaming only package, they go ahead and add a new movie that I wanted to see to their Instant View catalog. The fact that I'm doing this review is probably the most positive thing that's happened to Netflix this week. Anyways, this is the documentary that chronicles Conan's concert tour that he put on during the time between when he was kicked off of The Tonight Show and before he got his current show on TBS. Near the end of the film, Conan remarks that what we're seeing is him in his rawest form and that's pretty accurate. By filming him at the lowest point of his career, we see all the reasons there was such a groundswell of support for him and we also see some of the reasons why his run on NBC ultimately turned into a failure. As a human being, Conan's incessant need to be 'on' often comes out in forms that are hurtful and humiliating to those around him. We see him frequently physically and verbally attacking his friends and staff. It can be a bit shocking, but you also sense that anyone that knows him, like his friends and staff would, know that this just comes with the territory. But we also see how that approach manifests itself into an unyielding effort to please all of his fans. The film goes to great lengths to show how Conan never refuses to meet and interact with the people that consist of 'Team Coco'. His devotion to his fans is impressive, but it's also frustrating as it relates to his comedic efforts of late. Both the content of the shows he did on this tour, as well as what he's doing on his new show seem to be self-indulgent and over-produced. None of it really seems to be for the fans or a natural offshoot of what they would enjoy. At times all of it feels as if we're now just the audience for one big therapy session to help him get through the fact that NBC dumped him. As a documentary, it's an interesting look into this particular time in his life, but also could have been better served by adding some additional commentary from outsider perspectives. Flaws aside, this is definitely worth a look for any Conan fans out there. Rating: ****

NMR: Everything Must Go

This is a somewhat historic review as it is the last movie that I'll watch from Netflix on DVD. Like many Americans, I was not pleased with Netflix's decision to raise their subscription prices. It's a move that clearly seems designed to phase out the hard disc side of their business. For now, I'll remain a streaming customer, but since most of the movies available on their streaming service are older films, I'm not sure how many of them I'll actually bother reviewing on the blog. If they don't improve and update their library, Netflix could be losing me as a customer altogether. So from now on, all of the new movies I rent will come from Redbox. As a result, I'll begin using the code RBR (Redbox Review) in the titles of these reviews.

As for this movie, if you're not familiar with the title, this was a small dramedy that was screened in theaters last May starring Will Ferrell as a man who's losing everything in his life. On the same day he gets fired, he comes home only to learn that his wife has left him and placed all of his possessions on their front lawn. Frustrated and mad, Ferrell decides to simply live on his lawn as a form of protest against everything that's happened to him. Of course, in doing so we see him engage and talk with people who show him a reason to go on and have a happy life. Ferrell, a man mostly known for his comedic roles, does a nice job here pulling off the drama, although I wasn't as sold that he was as big of an alcoholic as the movie claimed he was. I also liked the smaller performances from people like Rebecca Hall, Michael Pena, and Stephen Root. Overall though, I just felt as if there was nothing here. There wasn't a deep enough exploration into either any of the characters nor the story hook about living on the lawn. It's as if we see the whole story from some unseen neighbor living on the street who's watching these events unfold from afar. If you like smaller independent films, you may find this appealing, but I would imagine those who are fans of Ferrell's films like Anchorman or Talladega Nights will likely be bored by this. Rating: *** 1/2

NMR: Take Me Home Tonight

This movie feels very dated and it has nothing to do with the fact that it's set in the 1980s (although the fact that it sat on the shelf for quite a while before actually getting released into theaters last spring may have something to do with it). The story centers around a Labor Day party set during the 80s. The focal point is on Matt Franklin (Topher Grace), an MIT grad who is now wasting his life as a clerk at Suncoast Video. He's hoping this party gives him the opportunity to meet up with the girl he had a huge crush on in high school, Tori Frederking (played by Theresa Palmer). A lot of the story and jokes feel as if this was a poor Superbad sequel. You've got sexual frustration, a big party, and a fat, loudmouth sidekick who thinks he's funnier than he really is (the unfunny Dan Fogler). There are some nice momemts sprinkled in like the scenes involving real life couple Anna Faris and Chris Pratt (Andy from Parks and Recreation). I also liked the chemistry between Grace and Palmer, even if their storyline is overly cliched. Overall though, it just felt like this film had borrowed ideas and themes from other better films and did nothing but poorly emulate them. Everyone in the cast (with the exception of Fogler) deserves better than what they got in this film. Rating: ** 1/2

NMR: Limitless

Apparently, the title of the film isn't exactly true since its limits get exposed by failing to come up with a satisfactory conclusion to the film's intriguing premise. The movie stars Bradley Cooper as a struggling writter who runs into an ex-brother-in-law who offers him a mysterious drug that allows him to unlock the full potential of his brain power. The drug works and soon he's not only able to write books, but conquer the world of high finance. All of this works and instantly hooks you. However, once he's on top the film devolves into a standard drug movie with corruption, violence, and lies. Robert De Niro plays a financial bigwig who tries to do business with Cooper's character. Like the film's plot, his character is interesting but not fleshed out enough and thus ultimately disappointing. I also felt the director tried a little too hard with the visual imagery he included, particularly during the scenes where anyone is using the drug. For a rental, this is a worth a recommendation as the film feels fresh for at least the first half. The second isn't terrible, just disappointing because of the failure to do more with the set-up. Rating: *** 1/2

NMR: The Conspirator

This legal drama unfortunately came and went from theaters this past spring with very little fanfare. Set during the time of the Civil War, the story is based around the court case of Mary Surratt, who was accused of conspiring to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. James McAvoy plays the conflicted lawyer assigned to defend her. McAvoy does a terrific job conveying this character's dilemma of offering her a fair trial and seeing the people responsible for this heinous act punished. The film features a host of other terrific actors including Robin Wright (playing the accused woman), Tom Wilkinson, Danny Huston, and Kevin Kline. I loved all of the courtroom scenes and actually wish there would have been more. However, the film also spends time having McAvoy investigate his client's background, where we learn that things are not completely what they seem. You can easily see some parallels between this court case and current events involving men being held at Guantanamo Bay. Sometimes the desire to see anyone punished for crimes blinds us from actually serving justice. I can't say that this movie is for everyone, but if the subject matter interests you at all, I'd highly recommend you give this one a look. Director Robert Redford does an impressive job of making the film feel authentic while also making it relevant for today's audiences. Rating: ****

NMR: Arthur

It's difficult for me to write a review for this film because it gave me nothing really to work with. It's neither great nor terrible. Ultimately, it's a wholly unnecessary remake that was done in order to combine a popular comedian with a known franchise. While I was not particularly fond of the Dudley Moore original, there was nothing I saw here that provided justification as to why this story needed to be told again. The highlights of the film come from seeing Arthur (Russell Brand) enjoy and abuse the excesses of his wealth. Things like dressing up as Batman and driving in a replica Batmobile or waging in a bidding war with himself at an auction house for old suits of Abraham Lincoln provide at the very least a smile on your face. However, there's nothing really enjoyable about the love triangle storyline that becomes the focal point of them. Both Jennifer Garner and Nick Nolte, who plays her father give unlikable performances. And Greta Gerwig, the woman who Arthur truly falls in love with, has no screen presence or charm. Brand actually has more chemistry with Helen Mirren who plays his nanny Hobson. She, like John Gielgud in the original, is always reliable for a quick quip in an attempt to keep Arthur in line. It's hard to say whether a recommendation is waranted for this film. It neither pays homage nor ruins the name of the original. On its own, it provides a few mild laughs, but nothing more. This is a low risk, low return film. Rating: ***

NMR: Unknown

Typically when I watch my film I do my best to suspend disbelief when things get a bit preposterous or unrealistic, but this film tested my limits. Unknown is apt title for this film because it is just filled with so many plot holes, leaving the audience clueless. The story centers around a man played by Liam Neeson, who while attending a conference in Berlin with his wife, (January Jones) gets into a car accident and is in a coma for four days. When he awakens and finds his wife she claims to not recognize him and says she married to someone else by that name(the fact that she wasn't by his bedside to begin with should clue you in to the fact that something is amiss). From there Neeson's character goes on a quest to find out the truth and once we get some answers, we're only left with more questions. The twist itself isn't so bad, they just did a really poor job of getting us to that point. It's as if they started with the finish and worked backwards. It's clear that this film attempts to cash in on the success that Neeson had with his other Euro-thriller, Taken. And he is good in this role. There's also some nice acting in small supporting roles from the likes of Frank Langella and Bruno Ganz (the man who played Hitler in Downfall). Trying to comprehend the story in this film will simply cause your brain to hurt, so don't even try. If you can zone out and simply appreciate the action and thrill you may enjoy this movie, but that's easier said than done. Rating: ***

NMR: The Lincoln Lawyer

Watching this made me realized how much I had forgotten how enjoyable a straightforward legal thriller can be. The genre has somewhat disappeared from theaters in recent years, likely due to the glut of legal shows on television, but this movie shows that if done right there's no reason why more stories like this can't be made into other films. Based on a novel by Michael Connelly, it stars Matthew McConaughey (in one of his best acting performances in a long time) as a lawyer who does most of his work while being driven around in his Lincoln. He takes on a case defending a rich kid (Ryan Phillipe) who's being accused of beating up a woman. The case takes a number of twists and turns, putting McConaughey's character into quite a pickle. The film is rounded out with a number of excellent supporting actors including Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, Bryan Cranston, Josh Lucas, and John Leguizamo. Director Brad Furman creates a great mood in the film that shows a gritty side of Los Angeles without making you feel dirty or depressed in the process. If the film has any faults, I would say that it probably has a twist too many as the film tries to wrap things up and it also shortchanges some characters, who likely were more developed and/or explained in the original book. Still this is a very solid thriller that is certainly worth a rental if you never got a chance to check it out when it was in theaters. Rating: **** 1/2