A Wide Variety of Filmmaking

From this weekend until now, I've seen a very disparate group of films. Here's my take on them:

First up is Collateral. My aunt and I went to see this on Sunday. I really enjoyed this movie. Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise gave great performances. After seeing this, I cannot wait to see Jamie take on Ray Charles in Ray. Tom Cruise did a great turn as Vincent, the villain. He made Vincent a cool person who you'd want to be friends with if he wasn't a brutal hitman. Mark Ruffalo (who is virtually unrecognizable) and Jada Pinkett Smith turned in great supporting performances, however brief. The humor present in the film surprised me. It wasn't so much that the film was trying to be funny, but it found dark humor in certain situations. Much of it comes from the exchanges between Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. There is a scene that involves the two of them and a cop that was dark and hilarious at the same time. The look on Jamie Foxx's face was almost worth the price of admission alone. Also, the film doesn't progress the way you'd think it would. There are some genuine surprises in it. Michael Mann's direction was tense and by filming it on digital video, it has a more realistic feel to it. All in all, it's a wonderful film that I'd reccommend to anyone who wants a fast-paced and interesting thrill ride.

Now, a movie I wouldn't reccommend to anyone is The Girl Next Door. Ugh, that was a cruddy film. It could've been a funny, American Pie-esque sex comedy, but instead it's a boring, lackluster film. The only notable thing I can say about it is that it features Jacob Young (aka J.R. of All My Children) in a small role. But I don't think he'll be highlighting that anytime soon. So, avoid this movie if you can.

However, Shaolin Soccer is a movie I think people should see. It's a silly, and at times hilarious martial arts comedy. Since I saw this on DVD, I watched the original Chinese version as opposed to the shortened English dubbed version (which is more than 20 minutes shorter than the original). I enjoyed the wonderfully over-the-top special effects, the silly slapstick non-martial arts/sports comedy (such as the fat guy's wild reaction to his eggs getting messed up), and of course, the bad guys. I liked that the bad guy's soccer team was named "Team Evil" and that he looked like a Chinese version of Robert Evans (the famous producer who most recently voiced Kid Notorious). It's a shame they edited it when it came to theaters initially (it's not a slow-paced movie, surprisingly) and that the DVD has zero extras (but has both versions). However, if you're looking for a fun rental that's a bit different from a tired American comedy (such as The Girl Next Door), check this movie out.

And for every good movie or bad movie, there is one that is neither. That's the case with Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London. The original Agent Cody Banks wasn't a bad movie. This one isn't as good as the last one, but it's a lot better than The Girl Next Door. Anthony Anderson (poor guy) added some much needed humor to the movie. The plot is kind of silly with a former CIA agent trying to use control the minds of world leaders, but it works. The action is halfway decent too...considering it's rated PG. I don't think the movie is really good, but I'd take it over...you guessed it...The Girl Next Door.