Monday, May 2, 2011

Weekend Roundup: The Station Agent, I Love You Phillip Morris, Fast Five

This is a new feature I'm going to try out. Over the weekends, I tend to watch at least 3 movies - some are new theatrical releases, some are old yet undiscovered, and some are fresh Netflix arrivals! I'm going to do my best in writing up mini-reviews for these movies. For most theatrical releases, I'll do an individual article - depending on how deserving the movie was. Without further ado, here's my first Weekend Roundup! Enjoy!

"The Station Agent"
Grade: B+


"The Station Agent" is a wonderfully heart-warming indie film, with real-to-life dialogue and a simple premise. Peter Dinklage has caught my attention thanks to HBO's "Game of Thrones," and I totally respect him as an actor. He has a sort of loveable misanthrope vibe about him, which is both humorous and tragic. The movie ended abruptly, which left me wanting more. Overall, "The Station Agent" was a touching movie that I would recommend to anyone with an appreciation for subtlety.


"I Love You Phillip Morris"
Grade: A-


This is romantic comedy done right. Jim Carrey's performance is both hilarious and heartbreaking, and he proves again that he's more than a melange of funny faces. Ewan MacGregor is so flexible, and each role he takes on has the signature MacGregor charm. "I Love You Phillip Morris" is fueled by a touching yet twisted romance, along with an excellent supporting cast. The movie slows down a bit, but only before surprising you with an unforgettable ending. This movie has the right amount of laughter and tears, and Carrey's preformance is unforgettable.


"Fast Five"
Grade: C-


It's not a huge surprise that the only thing "Fast Five" has going for it is the cars. The movie is full of cheesy moments, stupid quotes ("Mission-infrickin'-sanity!"), and a ridiculous plot. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Dwayne Johnson are unbelievably awful actors - but we all knew that already. The car chases were pretty impressive, but not as exciting as previous scenes in previous installments. Stick around after credits for a "twist" that obviously hints to yet another installment. Really?!

6 comments:

  1. I Love You Philip Morris os SO excellent. I definitely approve of the grade. Jim Carrey and McGregor are dynamite together. Fast Five looks exactly as I expected. Good car chases but little else. I've only actually seen the first one and this is the only installment since than that I've been thinking I "maybe kinda sorta" might go see. If just for the women in bikinis and cars. Great reviews!

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  2. glad I skipped the theater this weekend. I ALMOST went and saw Fast Five with friends (even though I knew it was retarded as hell) but we decided to do something else instead.

    I still gotta see I love you Philip Morris. I remember reading about the true story before the film came out and it just seemed unbelievable.

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  3. I love you Philip Morris is on my list, Fast Five though does not interest me, even though the critics seem to be praising it. But I see you did not like the Town, which is a shame. I thought it was brilliant. Nice post!

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  4. With you all the way on The Station angent!! a terrific litle film!!! My only critisim being it was a touch too short and as you say finished rather abrubtly.
    Have you seen Dinkely in Death at a Funeral...not the American re-make but the original English version? He is fantastic in it and it is an absolutely hilarious movie.
    The makers of Station Agent also recently made The Visitor with Richard Jenkins in it from Six Feet Under. I recommend that as it is well above the average.

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  5. Just watched I Love You, Phillip Morris the other day. It was really good. Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor put in excellent performances.

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  6. Hey, that looks like a fun weekend. I am so happy to see that you gave The Town a C. That is one of the few honest reviews I have read. It was sort of like when a child speaks their first word. Up until that point, all they do is string together a mess of sounds. When they finally utter something even remotely intelligible, everyone jumps up and down, grabs their video cameras, and starts talking awards.

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