A Bit of Everything

I've been to four movies in the past week including an awful screening of "Labyrinth" at the Varsity. The print was in incredible shape but what a horrendous audience. Snickering Seattle people. Even worse than my experience at "Sunshine," which had some awful people too. Anyway, the three new releases I saw were...

Becoming Jane- Having brought most of her novels to the big screen already, Jane Austen was due for her own biopic. "Becoming Jane," detailing Austen's early life before she was published is an interesting concept and American Anne Hathaway ("The Devil Wears Prada") does very well in the role. James McAvoy (the real lead in "The Last King of Scotland") plays Tom Lefroy, a man whom the filmmakers clearly speculate was the inspiration for "Pride and Prejudice's" Mr. Darcy. Julian Jarrold's ("Kinky Boots") film has some interesting things to say about the process of becoming a writer and while it's probably more fiction than fact, it is a pretty enjoyable look at what Austen's young life may have been like. However it never takes flight the way the recent "Pride and Prejudice" or Ang Lee and Emma Thompson's "Sense and Sensibility" did. Austen seems to have said the most interesting things about her life through her own fiction. 7/10

The Bourne Ultimatum- Somehow Jason Bourne becomes more and more badass with each film. This time Bourne is out to find those responsible for turning him into a killer and taking his memory from him. Matt Damon gets better in the role every time out. We really believe that Will Hunting can beat trained assassins to death! Director Paul Greengrass (who directed "Supremacy" along with last year's "United 93") keeps the tension up and creates action sequences that actually did make my jaw drop.
Much is made of the hand held style that Greengrass uses. Some seem annoyed by it. I barely noticed it in this film. He has you so wrapped up into the world of the film that it doesn't distract in any way. Julia Stiles and Joan Allen (maybe the most underrated actress working today) return and newcomers David Strathairn, Paddy Considine (one of the Andy's from "Hot Fuzz"), and Albert Finney are all terrific as well. The best "Bourne" of the bunch. 9/10

Hot Rod- Every year Hollywood gives us a selection of unabashedly dumb comedies. Some are the cinematic equivalent of having your face shoved into a toilet ("Dude, Where's My Car?"), while others ("Pootie Tang") are like a breath of idiotic fresh air. "Hot Rod" thankfully falls into the latter category. Rod Kimble ("SNL's" Andy Samberg) is a man in his late 20s (or possibly early 30s) with no job who spends his days and nights as a stuntman. Rod's problem is that none of his stunts have been successful. Ever. But he and his friends are having too good a time to notice. In fact the only person who seems to see Rod as a failure is his step-father, Frank (Ian McShane of "Sexy Beast" and "Deadwood"). Rod wants nothing more than Frank's respect, which he can only earn by punching Frank in the face in a fair fight. Frank has a weak heart however and can't afford the transplant. It's up to Rod to raise the money by pulling off the most amazing stunt the world has ever seen.
With his friends (including "SNL's" Bill Hader) and the girl of his dreams (Isla Fisher of "Wedding Crashers" and "The Lookout") by his side, Rod's training kicks into high gear. "Hot Rod" is supremely stupid every step of the way, and I loved almost every minute of it. Pam Brady's screenplay gives us characters who we like and root for right away and Akiva Schaffer makes all of this work. Somehow he manages to make Europe songs seem cool, which is an achievement in and of itself. He doesn't even use "The Final Countdown," which as much as I love for its special brand of awfulness, would have been way too obvious.
"Hot Rod" is a movie so stupid it makes "Blades of Glory" look like a Merchant-Ivory film. And it has Will Arnett playing a jerk. In other words, it's "cool beans!" 7.5/10