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Archives for : Cameron Diaz

The Green Hornet

January 14, 2011

Director: Michael Gondry

Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz

Release Date: January 14, 2011

Bee-lieve

When I first saw a trailer for The Green Hornet, I couldn’t green_hornet_3d_postershake the feeling that Seth Rogen had sold out.  The nuanced Apatow king-of-comedy appeared to have abandoned his wildly successful mantra of making and starring in offbeat comedies that appealed to the dry, extraordinarily low-brow wit of contemporary America.

Thankfully, I was wrong.

While The Green Hornet is, in many ways, “old hat,” it certainly adds some desperately-needed humor to an otherwise played out formula.

The same bumbling, good-hearted protagonist that we’ve come to know in love in just about every one of Rogen’s offerings can be found here, and it seems that casting someone who’s not uber-sleek/muscular as a mainstream hero was a very good idea.  The decision to parody much of what typically happens in this sort of fare is welcome, as is the seemingly “random” (let’s so “idiosyncratic”) pop-culture references that are sprinkled throughout.  Nothing here feels trite, and, when it’s all said and done, it feels as if Rogen has remained true to form.

Christoph Waltz is, of course, great as the self-conscious, aging L.A. crime lord who feels that he needs to revamp his identity in order to maintain an intimidating persona.  Also of note is Jay Chou as Kato, the true brains/muscle behind the Green Hornet operation.  The dynamic that exists between Kato and Britt (Rogen) isn’t stale by any stretch of the imagination, and it seem as if they were both having tons of fun with the ridiculous characters they were given to play with.

As is the case with any modern day superhero flick, there are oodles of explosions, guns, hand-to-hand combat, etc.  Some of it is over-the-top, but, really, isn’t that the point?  When we see something unfold that completely defies the laws of physics (and or anatomy/biology) are we supposed to question its logical credence?  With this sort of film, I’d argue that the answer is “no,” and it seems that Rogen, Gondry, and everyone else involved knew just how self-aware this flick would have to be in order to succeed.

And succeed it does.  It doesn’t quite have the edge of the R-rated films we’re used to receiving from our lead, but it’s funny nevertheless, and never really hits a lull.

That’s a good thing, isn’t it?

redstar2redstar2redstar2redstar2 out of 5

–Chris Flowers

Check out a trailer for The Green Hornet:

Knight and Day

June 26, 2010

Director: James Mangold

Starring: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz

Release Date: June 23, 2010

Cruise Control

It’s no surprise that films like Killers and the movie in question, Knight and Day, are being produced on a fairly regular basis. Think about it: these sorts of pictures cross genres by working overtime to balance action, comedy, and romance: there’s a little something to satisfy the ADD male who’s pretty much dictated the frenetic nature of the overblown shoot-em-ups we expect from directors like Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, and there’s a smattering of romantic appeal for the ladies who want to see a dashing protagonist win over a reluctant (and oftentimes ditzy) female lead.

These types of offerings run the gamut from awful to awesome.  Knight and Day falls smack dab in the middle of the spectrum, registering merely as average.

You’ve probably seen the trailers, so I’ll briefly elaborate on a few tidbits you might be unaware of.  Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) is a rogue spy who’s trying to protect a nerdy tween (Paul Dano) from greedy federal agents.  knight_and_dayAn innocent bystander named June (Cameron Diaz) is swept up in Roy’s breakneck world of espionage and international intrigue.  There’s elaborate shootouts atop speeding vehicles; a chase scene that parallels the running of the bulls; the improvised crash landing of a commercial airliner; etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

I should clarify that I’m not suggesting these scenes are—in and of themselves—boring.  They’re often well done, though questionable effects work leaves a little something to be desired from time to time.  The problem here—and this is something just about anyone could’ve anticipated—is that it’s all been done before.  People go to see a movie like this because they’re hoping against all hope that the stunt coordinator(s) involved will be able to up the ante in some measurable way.  Again, even though what we see in Knight and Day is competent (even spectacular at times), it never pushes the envelope.

The next big question, of course, is this: Is there any chemistry between Cruise and Diaz?  In short—”kind of.”  They play off of one another as seasoned actors who have settled into their respective niches, Diaz flubbing spy movie conventions—such as answering her cell phone while in hiding, which everyone in the audience knows will lead to the good guys being tracked by the bad guys via omnipresent satellite technology—in her “I’m too cute to care about my incompetence!” sort of way, while Cruise embodies the cool-as-a-cucumber super spy who delivers curt observations about dead people that any sane person would react to with blood-curdling screams.

So, yeah; it’s all routine, but you’ve got two Hollywood giants who are obviously having a ton of fun, and that’s somewhat infectious.  By the time you’ve started your car after the movie, though, you’ll only be talking about one thing: how cool the trailer for The Adjustment Bureau was.

redstar114redstar114redstarhalfout of 5

–Chris Flowers

Rated PG-13 for sequences of action violence throughout, and brief strong language.

Check out a trailer for Knight and Day:

The Box

May 12, 2010

Abracadabra!

If you happened to catch any of the film’s trailers, you’ll know that The Box is anchored by an intriguing premise.  A couple in 1970′s Virginia is presented with a mysterious box that features a single red button protected by a small glass dome. It turns out that the monetarily troubled pair has been given an unusual offer by a disfigured man named Arlington Steward (Frank Langella): they can press the previously mentioned button and receive one million dollars; however, if they decide to do this someone they don’t know will die.  If they don’t press the button within 24 hours, the offer is rescinded and passed along to the next person(s).

That’s what it’s about, right?  I mean, the title is, in fact, The Box.  Well, as it turns out that’s not what it’s about.

At all.

And that’s why movies like The Box are so frustrating.  Its plot is oozing with potential, but only a small amount of this promise ever comes to fruition.  5437About a third of the way through things take a drastic turn for the worst: the alluring concept of an ethically charged dilemma that would almost certainly fuel a riveting story of self examination and nail-biting decision making is ditched in favor of something so far-fetched and unexpected that you’ll feel as if you’ve been had by a seasoned con-artist.

Be warned: spoilers lie ahead.

One of our protagonists—Arthur Lewis (James Marsden)—works as a rocket scientist for NASA, and is heavily involved with the Viking missions that first surveyed the surface of the red planet.  After the initial soil samples were analyzed and the subsequent data was transmitted back to Earth, lightning struck and killed an employee he’d worked with to help develop the camera systems onboard the probe.  Before long, people begin acting like zombies, are suffering nosebleeds left and right, and spend their time standing ominously around motel swimming pools.

You can probably see where this is going.  The movie works overtime to try and squeeze in some sci-fi underpinnings that, I have to say, unequivocally fail on nearly every level.

I don’t want to ruin too much of what unravels later in the film, but it feels very, very contrived.  For a movie that could’ve been effective in so many other subtle ways, this is a real heartbreaker.  I’ll be the first to say that science fiction is far and away my favorite genre, but there are times when it’s appropriate (you know, typically when it’s advertised as such) and times where it’s just horribly out of place.  Such is the case here, and as the film continually trips over itself with false ending after false ending, you can’t help but feel the smallest twinge of pity for writer/director Richard Kelly.  But I will say this: even in the final (the really, very final) rushed moments, where our protagonists grapple with the heaviest decisions imaginable in less than a nanosecond, The Box does make an attempt to salvage the whole affair with a conclusion that provides at least a sliver of closure.

It’s also clear that a noble attempt was made to deepen our empathy with the two lead characters by touching on their financial straits, but this is so brief (and so overshadowed by the X Files-esque fable) that one can’t help but feel disconnected.

So, when the dust finally settles, we’re left with a film that misfires badly.  I can certainly appreciate what everyone involved was going for (and the directing is actually quite beautiful), but that doesn’t change the fact that this one misses out on what could’ve been an extraordinary character study.

redstar114redstarhalfout of 5

–Chris Flowers

Check out a trailer for The Box: