AT THE MOVIES WITH KASEY BUTCHER
This time of year is usually a grab-bag of fantastic movies getting in on the race for the Oscars and really pitiful romantic comedies and horror films trying to get in on the big winter box office. I’ve seen a little of both.
Leap Year is the story of shrill, hyper-controlling Anna (Amy Adams), who flies to Dublin to propose to her boring boyfriend, Jeremy (Adam Scott), when he disappoints her hopes for an engagement. As tradition has it, women can propose to men in Dublin on Leap Day. Because, obviously, a woman proposing to a man is unheard-of any other time or place. Thanks to foul weather and the quirks of the Emerald Isle, Anna’s trip goes drastically awry and she enlists the help of foul-tempered Declan (Matthew Goode) to help her get to Dublin in time. Of course, they fall in love and love cures Anna of her uptight ways and Declan of his secret pain.
Leap Year is possibly the most predictable movie I’ve ever seen. I honestly sat there guessing to myself what was going to happen next, with a 95% rate of accuracy. Not only was it predictable, I’m pretty sure I have already seen this movie. Only it was called It Happened One Night (1934-first winner of all four major Academy Awards); or maybe it was The Sure Thing (1985). Granted, some details were changed and the overall quality of the movie dropped dramatically. In addition to the overly recycled plot, the movie also had pacing problems. It’s like it was hitting all the beats I expected, but hitting them in double time.
I’m sure Leap Year could be a fun movie to rent for an evening in, but please do not pay money to see it at the theater. The story is contrived to the point that it’s painful, the acting is forced, and not even the green screen work is any good. Not even Amy Adams could save this one. At least it’s set in Ireland so there’s pretty landscapes to distract the audience from the disaster they’re watching.
«/5
I had really high hopes for Nine, the movie musical directed by Rob Marshall and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, and Sophia Loren. I mean, with a cast like that, how could I not? Even with all that talent and a Broadway musical behind it, Nine was dreadful. I was so disappointed. The film (sort-of) tells the story of Italian film director Guido Contini (Day-Lewis), who is struggling to write his next film in hopes that it will resurrect his career, and the nine women in his life who have inspired him.
Throughout many of the songs, it was difficult to understand what was being sung, the plot was sort of muddled and confusing, and basically everyone looked like they shot the film while hungover. Marion Cotillard and Judi Dench were as fabulous as ever, but their time on screen was overshadowed by the mess that was the rest of the film. At least the camera work, costumes, and sets for Nine were pretty awesome, but, as my best friend said, the best part of a movie shouldn’t be the props. ««/5
Fortunately, there actually is something good at the theaters these days. Up in the Air was definitely one of the best movies I saw in 2009. The story of a Ryan Bingham, a man who spends 300+ days of the year on the road, hired by other companies to fire employees he’s never met before, Up in the Air was pertinent, sad, and skillfully made. With simple settings—offices, hotels, airports—costumes that consisted of nothing more than business attire, and an all-around no-frills feel to it, the movie rests totally on the talent of those who made it. The screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, based on the novel by Walter Kirn, evokes a full range of emotions, creating real engagement with the characters and a genuinely surprising ending. The cinematography makes the pretty drab scenery a poignant metaphor for the isolation Ryan lives in. The acting was outstanding with George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick all delivering award-worthy performances. Because Clooney can do no wrong in my book, I was especially impressed with Kendrick who managed to be both gratingly annoying and surprisingly relatable.
«««««/5 (This was a 4 star review, but the awfulness of Leap Year and Nine just made Up in the Air look even better.)
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