Burn After Reading

Burn After Reading (2008)
Comedy, Crime, Drama, 96 minutes
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich and Tilda Swinton

Do you remember the first Blu-ray you ever bought? Mine was Burn After Reading on the same day that I purchased my first Blu-ray player. It's a title that receives very little recognition and it regularly features in sales. Why is that the case?

The movie is directed by the Coen brothers and stars Clooney, Pitt, McDormand, Malkovich and Swinton. What's not to like?

I'm hard to please when it comes to humor, but several Coen brothers films hit the spot. It's clever dialogue rather than slapstick physical humor, and some of it is unpredictable. I can't laugh when I see a joke coming from a mile away wearing a T-shirt with "This is funny, laugh now" written on it. I like to be surprised.

So what is surprising about Burn After Reading?

Harry Pfarrer (Clooney) has no redeeming features. He's married, but sees other women at every opportunity. He's having an affair with Katie Cox (Swinton). Harry is shallow, paranoid and somewhat stupid and Clooney plays the character with his usual charm and good humor.

If there is anyone dumber than Harry, it has to be Chad Feldheimer (Pitt), who works in a gym. Chad is a complete idiot in every way. His friend at the gym is Linda Litzke (McDormand), who is obsessed with undergoing cosmetic surgery to improve her appearance.

Osborne Cox (Malkovich) is married to Katie and works as an analyst for the CIA. Most of his sentences include at least one profanity and he's borderline alcoholic. The story begins with a meeting in which Osborne is told that he will be demoted, but instead of accepting the situation, he quits. Katie is not pleased, even though she's on the verge of leaving him for Harry.

There's not much of a plot. Chad acquires a CD containing the beginning of Osborne's memoir and believes it to be secrets of national importance. He thinks that Osborne is sure to give him a reward if he returns it and that leads to an amusing phone call. Linda decides that the Russians may be interested in the worthless CD and that they might reward her for the useless information.

Everybody seems to be sleeping with everyone else and what could go wrong does go wrong. This is not a serious story in any way.

There's a great cameo by J. K. Simmons who plays a CIA boss. He's utterly clueless about the significance of the events we witness because they are all meaningless. Watch his reaction at the end of the movie when he makes a decision about what further action to take.

Burn After Reading is a good way to spend an hour-and-a-half. No analysis is necessary. All of the characters have funny moments. Ignore the negative reviews and see it for yourself. You can pick it up for under $10 if you like it.

Overall score 4.5/5 

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Moneyball - A sports movie with a difference

Moneyball (Biography, Drama, Sport)

Directed by Bennett Miller

Starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman

Sony Pictures | 2011 | 133 min | Rated PG-13 | Released Jan 10, 2012

Video:

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC

Video resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio:

English, French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:

English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Discs:

50GB Blu-ray Disc

DVD Copy

BD-Live

The Film 4.5/5

Moneyball is a refreshing change from the usual type of sports movie. How many times have you watched the story of an underdog triumphing? How many movies introduce us to a controversial coach who is initially resented because of his methods and then revered by all when he succeeds? This story is certainly a celebration of success, but not in the typical sense.

It’s based on the true story of how General Manager Billy Beane (Pitt) employed a new way of thinking in order to enable the Oakland Athletics to compete with the likes of the New York Yankees. He did this with just one third of the payroll of that available to the Yankees.

Beane’s first move was to hire Peter Brand (Hill) – an economics graduate from Yale. Instead of relying on traditional scouting methods, Brand used statistical analysis to determine the true value of baseball players. Instead of paying huge salaries based on a players’ potential, he sought out value by considering players who were believed to have flaws. These might include injury or advancing age. Beane collaborated with Brand to assemble a team on a low budget. Departing stars were replaced with players who were a good fit for the team.

The reason Moneyball appeals to me so much is that I also rely on my own way of thinking rather than following conventional wisdom. That doesn’t mean I will ignore everything, but I will question the opinions of others and decide whether I agree. It’s something I have done my entire life and one reason I review movies. You might not agree with me, but at least you know that I’m not just repeating the opinions of others.

The dialogue is intelligent and full of humor. Some of the scenes, such as Beane pursuing trades with other teams, are quite exciting. Pitt and Hill work well together and are in most of the scenes. One source of conflict is Coach Art Howe (Hoffman). He’s concerned about his own situation and future in the sport, and is reluctant to adopt Beane’s desired strategy.

I enjoyed Moneyball because it was different and the story was told in an appealing way. I won’t ruin the ending for those who don’t remember whether the A’s won the World Series, but I will say that the story doesn’t show a huge amount of baseball action. This is about the people behind the scenes and the way in which they affected the sport.

The 133 minutes race by and that’s always a good sign. I can imagine myself watching this movie several times.

Video Quality 4/5

Sony’s presentation looks great for the most part. There’s plenty of detail and depth. Colors appear accurate and well-defined. The only minor fault is the presence of noise in many of the scenes. It doesn’t ruin the experience, but it’s hard to dismiss it completely. The movie uses a few TV shots and some archive footage, and that’s clearly of lesser quality than the majority of the presentation. That’s purely intentional and no fault in the transfer.

Audio Quality 4/5

This is a story which relies more on dialogue than anything else. It rises to the occasion when required, such as during baseball games, but it’s fairly subtle overall.

Special Features 3/5

The extras are in full HD and offer just the right amount of content for those wanting more information:

Blooper: Brad Loses It (3:11) – A scene in which Pitt can’t stop laughing at one of the lines delivered by Hill.

Deleted Scenes (12:05) – Three extended scenes which didn’t make the final cut in their entirety.

Billy Beane: Re-Inventing the Game (16:02) – A discussion about Beane’s impact on the game.

Drafting the Team (20:51) – A feature explaining the reasoning behind some of the casting decisions.

Adapting Moneyball (16:33) – Showing how Michael Lewis’s book was adapted for the big screen.

MLB 12 The Show Preview Trailer (1:21)

Previews

BD-Live

Overall score 4.5/5

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My Top 20 science fiction movies: Part 1, #16-20

My Top 20 science fiction movies

The good thing about science fiction is that nothing is off limits. You can change history, visit other worlds, have characters that live as long as you like, and change almost any rule you can think of. Some of my favorite movies fall into this genre because they spark my imagination. Like any genre, there's good and bad, but the best science fiction movies can rank alongside more serious films.

I'm still waiting to see an adaptation of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game on the big screen, but I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever happen.

So let's focus on what has been released. The remaining 15 movies on my list will be revealed over the coming week, but here are the first five:

20. 12 Monkeys (1995)

Directed by Terry Gilliam

Starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt

Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys is 130 minutes of confusion and action, but it all makes sense in the end. We are shown a glimpse of the future and it’s not a very nice place. A plague wiped out most of the world’s population in 1996 and the surviving humans are forced to cower underground due to the inhospitable conditions above. Although the setting seems primitive, the technology available is not. Cole (Willis) is chosen to travel back in time in order to stop the plague from happening. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a lot of accurate information available. To make things worse, he initially arrives in 1990 rather than 1996. His ravings about the impending disaster are ignored and he’s considered mentally ill and dangerous. Gilliam’s world is interesting and the plot is intelligent. Willis is great as Cole and I consider this Gilliam’s best movie. He’ll keep you guessing, but you’re always rooting for Cole. It’s a captivating tale.

19. Deep Impact (1998)

Directed by Mimi Leder

Starring Téa Leoni, Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood and Morgan Freeman

If you followed my Top 10 Horror series, you will know that I’m fascinated by how society breaks down when it’s threatened by something serious. Jenny Lerner (Leoni) is a reporter who is hoping to advance her career. She gets her chance when she inadvertently discovers that a comet is threatening life on Earth. The president (Freeman) confirms her discovery and addresses the nation to talk about the threat. A mission, led by veteran Spurgeon Tanner (Duvall), is planned to intercept the comet and blow it apart before it gets close to Earth. The reason that Deep Impact works is the human stories involved. Some involve family, some romance, and others survival. There’s enough to make you care whether these characters live or die. Special effects are good when needed, but this is more about the characters than the effects. Duvall is superb in his role and the story is mostly believable.

18. War of the Worlds (1953)

Directed by Byron Haskin

Starring Gene Barry, Ann Robinson and Les Tremayne

War of the Worlds hasn’t aged well. The special effects look terrible when compared to those produced by modern technology. The scenery is obviously fake; the alien machines are clearly held up by wires; the acting is weak, and the music is overly dramatic. I think it deserves this ranking because it’s an imaginative story which was ahead of its time. The initial sense of mystery and discovery surrounding the first “meteor” landing was handled well. I always find myself wanting to see how everything unfolds. I don’t believe for a minute that today’s military would consult a priest, a professor and his niece, but that doesn’t matter. This was made in a different time. The novel by H.G. Wells has an interesting ending which is entirely possible should an invasion occur, but it doesn’t work particularly well on film. The ending feels rushed and too abrupt. Overall, War of the Worlds was effective and holds an important place in cinema history. How many things have you seen that were influenced by it?

Click here to see a full review for War of the Worlds.

17. I, Robot (2004)

Directed by Alex Proyas

Starring Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan and Bruce Greenwood

I strongly considered three Alex Proyas titles when compiling this list, but Knowing and Dark City narrowly missed out. I, Robot is loosely based on an Isaac Asimov novel. Detective Spooner (Smith) is not entirely convinced that the robots will obey the three laws, and fears that they could eventually become a threat to humans. The year is 2035 and the view of the future is quite convincing. Smith proved that he’s more than a comedian or an action star in such dramas as The Pursuit of Happyness and Seven Pounds, and he shows some of that range here. One of the robots, Sonny (Alan Tudyk), is suspected of committing a crime. Spooner’s hatred of robots initially clouds his opinion, but he shows that he’s capable of change. The story is an action-packed thriller in which Smith tries to solve the crime and discover whether Sonny is innocent or guilty. The movie is a perfect choice if you want to show off your home theater, boasting one of the best live action images available on Blu-ray. The sound isn’t too shabby either.

16. Star Trek (2009)

Directed by J. J. Abrams

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Leonard Nimoy

I grew up watching the original Star Trek crew and feared that this reboot would ruin the franchise, but after watching it, I had a smile on my face. There are just enough references to the original crew, but the movie doesn’t make the mistake of trying to impersonate the old characters. Kirk (Pine) is sure of himself and not afraid to express his opinion, and I could easily see Shatner’s Kirk doing the same thing in his youth. Some of the details that we do learn add something to the original movies. It’s good to know how McCoy got his nickname and why Kirk and Sulu have always been friends. Uhura (Saldana) was another good casting choice. In fact, I was pretty happy with all the casting decisions. Spock (Quinto) has an important role to play in the story, especially when Nimoy shows up. The plot was fairly basic and isn’t the reason I rank the movie in my Top 20. It works because it establishes the new actors in a believable way. It looks better than any Star Trek movie ever has because technology has moved on since the original series. The repeated use of lens flares might annoy some, but I liked the overall presentation. The plot left the future of the franchise completely open and it’s no longer necessary to worry about matching every event that happened to the original crew. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

Click here to see numbers 11-15 on the list.
Click here to see numbers 6-10 on the list. 
Click here to see numbers 1-5 on the list. 

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My Top 20 Dramas: Part 3, #6-10

My Top 20 Dramas (continued)

Most of my favorite movies are dramas. It’s largely because important stories told in a serious way tend to be dramas. Acting is generally better and the story means something.

It’s incredibly difficult to rank films. Much depends on mood or which ones you have seen recently. The order constantly changes and new titles are added as I see titles for the first time.

With that in mind, here’s #6-10 in my favorite genre:

10. Jackie Brown (1997)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Starring Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster and Robert De Niro

Based on an Elmore Leonard novel, Jackie Brown still feels like a Tarantino movie. At 154 minutes it never feels long. Tarantino takes the time he needs to properly introduce the characters and we know them well by the end of the movie. It’s essentially a heist movie with a little romance thrown in. It’s shunned by some because it appears to feature older actors and may be intended for a different demographic than his first two movies. I love every minute and enjoy seeing everything unfold. Jackson is always good when he works with Tarantino, but Forster and Grier have never been better. If you have avoided this due to bad reviews and like Tarantino’s style, check it out. Chances are you’ll end up appreciating it.

9. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Mélanie Laurent

This time Tarantino gives us his version of a war movie, but it’s not like any war movie you’ve ever seen. The opening 20-minute scene is about as tense as it gets and is reminiscent of Hitchcock. The film is driven by dialogue in four different languages, so subtitles are used frequently. Waltz won an Oscar as Hans Landa, the Jew Hunter. The film is typical Tarantino fare with plenty of dark humor, violence, references to film, chapters and outrageous scenes. As always, the music fits the action perfectly. The screenplay was Oscar-worthy and the acting strong throughout. The 153 minutes race by and Tarantino casually changes history with his version of events. It’s a lot of fun.

8. The Double Life of Veronique (1991)

Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski

Starring Irène Jacob and Philippe Volter

This film won’t appeal to everyone. It’s subtitled and tells the story of two women; one French and the other Polish. They look alike and have similar interests. Kieslowski’s story has several different layers of meaning and it’s something for viewers who like to reflect on what they have seen. It’s not a traditional narrative and there’s no obvious plot. This is not a Hollywood production. We never learn why the two women look identical or why they seem to share some of their feelings and experiences. That’s for us to decide and everyone will have a different answer. Irène Jacob, who later starred in Three Colors Red, is stunning in the role and plays it with a lot of emotion. The film is also about relationships and music. In fact, it explores several kinds of love. It’s shot beautifully and watching it is like entering into a fantasy world. If you like to think and find your own meaning, this might appeal to you. If you don’t like subtitles or prefer things to be neatly explained, skip it.

7. No Country for Old Men (2007)

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

Starring Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones

Llewelyn Moss (Brolin) finds a suitcase full of money while he’s out hunting and decides to take it and go on the run. It’s a weird choice considering he could have left the country and never be seen again, but all of his other actions make sense. We see how he hides, fearing that he’ll be pursued. His caution is justified when Anton Chigurh discovers his identity and tries to recover what he claims is his money. The story is told from the viewpoint of the local sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Jones) and the resolution isn’t an obvious one. Chigurh is an interesting character and is afraid of nothing. There’s always tension whenever he’s on screen. The Coens picked up Oscars for Best Directing, Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay, while Bardem won Best Supporting Actor. It’s a unique film.

6. Fargo (1996)

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

Starring Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi and William H. Macy

It’s tough choosing between Fargo and No Country for Old Men, but there’s so much to love about Fargo. The acting is excellent and the characters memorable. It’s full of dark humor and witty dialogue, and the story moves along at a brisk pace. The setting suits the mood of the film and Roger Deakins captured the desolation of Minnesota perfectly. I have a lot to say about the film, so feel free to check out my recent review if you want to know more.

Here’s the full review.

See #16-20 on my list here.

See #11-15 on my list here.

See #1-5 on my list here.

I’ll reveal the final five films tomorrow.

Feel free to let me know what you think about my selections, and what would make your Top 20.

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Megamind: Can a villain become a hero?

Megamind (animation, action, comedy)

Directed by Tom McGrath

Starring the voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill

DreamWorks | 2010 | 96 min | Rated PG | Feb 25, 2011

Video:

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC

Video resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Audio:

English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1

French, Portuguese, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:

English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese

Discs:

50GB Blu-ray Disc

DVD copy

The Film 4/5

Hollywood has made more than its fair share of superhero movies since Superman (1978) was released, but the genre remains one of the most popular. Viewers, especially in North America, enjoy recapturing childhood memories and seeing their heroes on the big screen. Most of the plots are predictable, but that doesn’t detract from the fun.

Megamind deviates from the traditional plot in the same way that Despicable Me did. We are asked to sympathize with the villain.

The movie begins with Megamind (Ferrell) leaving his parents in a ship when his planet is on the verge of destruction. Does that sound familiar? References are made to Superman throughout the film. While this is happening, a child is sent to safety from another world close to destruction. The two children fall to Earth and experience very different childhoods. Megamind lands in a prison yard, while the other child falls to wealthy parents and grows up to be Metro Man (Pitt).

Metro Man is squeaky clean and spends his time doing good deeds. He can fly and he’s invulnerable. The city worships him. Megamind leaves jail and decides that he can’t compete on those terms, so he decides to be bad. Metro Man is loved by the media and Roxanne Ritchi (Fey) is the reporter who plays the equivalent of Lois Lane in the story. Megamind decides to capture her to lure Metro Man into a trap. It works and Megamind discovers an apparent vulnerability in his rival, resulting in Metro man’s death just 20 minutes into the movie.

The city mourns the loss of its hero and Megamind begins his reign as an evil overlord with the help of his sidekick, Minion. It’s hard to hear the name Minion without thinking of Despicable Me. This Minion looks like a happy piranha balanced on the body of a robot. Some of the humor is left to our imagination. For instance, what kind of reaction would Minion get when he buys coffee and donuts to take home to Megamind?

Both movies ask us to focus on the villain and see that they are not all bad. Megamind regrets the death of Metro Man and finds that he can’t adjust to life without him. He functioned better when he had a natural enemy. To remedy the situation, he develops a gun designed to infuse its victim with special powers. He inadvertently shoots Roxanne’s cameraman, Hal (Hill), and decides to groom him to replace Metro Man.

Megamind has the ability to change shape for limited periods of time and that’s the source of much of the humor. Hal is renamed Titan. Megamind gives him a costume and begins to school him while appearing as Jor-El and sounding like Marlon Brando. Titan isn’t cut out to be a hero and struggles to learn. He eventually finds that he prefers using his powers for criminal purposes rather than for good. Megamind has created a monster.

This is where the movie deviates from the expected path somewhat. Megamind is the only one who can stand up to Titan and so he starts to become the good guy. We root for him when he’s battling Titan in scenes similar to those in The Incredible Hulk when Bruce Banner fights Emil Blonsky.

There are a few more plot twists and I won’t reveal them here, but the movie works. It’s funny, fast-paced, and the action scenes are frequent. Megamind is a character with many frailties and we’re allowed to see them. That’s why we are drawn in and made to care about the outcome. Ferrell is particularly good as the voice of Megamind, but none of the actors disappoint. 

Video Quality 4/5

Modern animation is well-suited to Blu-ray and usually results in flawless transfers, but Megamind falls short of a perfect rating. It looks good for the most part; colors are bright and detail is strong. However, on closer inspection, you’ll find frequent aliasing. Whether it’s in hair, buildings, escalators or fire escapes, you’ll see it often. This causes a slight flickering which can be distracting at times. The other problem is not a fault of the transfer, but the source material. Compare Megamind to a Pixar title and you’ll see what I mean. The image, particularly in the background, appears flatter and lacking in detail. It looks less realistic than something like Up. These quibbles aside, it’s still a good-looking title.

Audio Quality 5/5

The English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track does not disappoint. This is one of the better titles for showing off your sound system. There’s a lot going on at all times and you’ll find yourself completely immersed in the action. Ambient sounds are strong and well separated throughout. The soundtrack includes a number of driving rock songs and they sound great on this track.

Special Features 4/5

Audio Commentary with the director, producers and writers

The Animator’s Corner with a PiP track

Comic Creator

Behind the Mind

Deleted Scene (1 minute)

Meet the Cast of Megamind (9 minutes)

Inside Megamind’s Lair (7 minutes)

AnimatorMan (2 minutes)

You Can Draw Megamind (13 minutes)

Mega Rap (1 minute)

The Reign of Megamind: Video Comic Book

Spot the Difference game

Megamind: The Button of Doom – animated short (15 minutes)

World of Dreamworks Animation

Trivia Track

Previews

Megamind is an enjoyable romp with plenty of laughs. The package is good overall despite the imperfect picture quality and I would recommend it to fans of animated movies. It should hold the interest of the whole family.

Overall score 4/5 

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