Sam Roeder's Movie Reviews

Star Trek

2009-05-10T10:57:00.001-07:00

I have never had any kind of passion for Star Trek, but J. J. Abram’s new adaptation of the Star Trek franchise is absolutely stunning. This film will undoubtedly be the premier blockbuster film of the summer and even rivals previous blockbuster hits such as The Dark Knight and Iron Man. Star Trek is pleasurable in so many facets; it successfully pulls off comedy, action, adventure, and most importantly science-fiction. The latest installment of the Star Trek series is aesthetically brilliant with its complex action sequences and wonderful CGI.

The film opens with USS Kelvin and an advanced and hostile Romulan vessel. While the volatile, pugnacious Romulans are destroying the Kelvin, all occupants evacuate the ship, all but its acting captain George Kirk, father of James Tiberius Kirk. Next the film moves to James’s childhood in Iowa of all places. James Kirk is a polymath yet a rebellious one. After a tussle with some Starfleet Academy trainees at a local bar, he is urged to join the Fleet by Captain Christopher Pike, who preformed his dissertation onboard the Kelvin, and challenges James to outperform his father. Kirk initially ignores Pike’s pleas, but ultimately accepts the challenge laid before him. Kirk goes on to excel at Starfleet Academy and along the way befriends Dr. McCoy. During his studies he partakes in the impossibly exigent Kobayashi-Maru Test, which is a simulation designed to test mettle and commanding capability of the Academy’s enrollees. On Kirk’s third attempt, he passes with apparent ease, which subsequently arouses suspicion in the test’s designer, Spock. In the middle of the trial to determine the legitimacy of Kirk’s test results, the Romulans that attacked the Kelvin are beginning an assault on Spock’s native planet Vulcan. A distress signal is sent from Vulcan to the Starfleet who immediately respond in a planned rescue mission. Then the madness ensues. A progression of cumbersome yet entirely functional events advances the plot along, eventually concluding in an engulfed Vulcan, a protected Earth, and a new captain for the USS Enterprise.

Star Trek’s story is intermittently infused with time travel, portable black holes, Romulans with terrorist sympathies, and inter-species erotica; however, none of these detract from wholly entertaining and bemusing adventure that is Star Trek. I am supremely confident that all sci-fi neophytes and seasoned, fanatical experts will thoroughly enjoy the newest chapter of the allegorical Star Trek saga.

The Soloist

2009-04-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

Joe Wright’s The Soloist is an aesthetically and emotionally brilliant film. Based off of true events, it tells the story of Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Jr., a gifted musician who unfortunately loses any recognizable sanity. The narrator is Steve Lopez, a staff writer with a widely popular column at the LA Times. Mister Lopez, like Ayers, has recently had a few impediments in career and societal areas. These two, after a couple awkward and difficult encounters, develop a bond that helps and educates them both.

Steve Lopez is a journalist whose stories would largely be classified as human-interest stories. He stumbles across Nathaniel Ayers while recovering from researching a Blood Donor Clinic. He hears the muted sound of a violin in the distance and wanders to a statue of Beethoven only to find destitute man playing a damaged and vandalized instrument. The conversation is slow to start and understand, as Ayers continually digresses and deviates via loose tangents in whatever off-hand comment he or Lopez makes. Lopez inquires about a few names written on a palm tree located near the Beethoven effigy and Ayers responds by saying that the names were that of his classmates at Julliard. After confirming this conjecture, Lopez abruptly realizes that Ayers would make a superb subject for his column, which is aptly dubbed Pointwest. Then the madness ensues.

Lopez has dived into the rabbit hole that is Nathaniel Ayers and his crime-filled abode Skid Row. His first column inspires a former musician to donate a proper cello to Ayers. Lopez subsequently passes along the gift to Ayers who is taken aback by the generosity. And so begins the slow and difficult process towards rehabilitation. Nathaniel can readily be categorized as a contrarian. He opposes adopting an apartment as a home, he resists playing his newly acquired instrument at the Lamp Shelter, he fights efforts by Lopez to have his mental disorders professionally diagnosed and treated. All were attempts by Steve, whom Nathaniel says he has chosen as his God, to normalize Nathaniel. Lopez constantly worries if his actions are best method to improve Nathaniel’s situation, largely because of Ayers’ hostility to change. Do not mistake Lopez’s efforts as invariably against Ayer’s wishes because such sentiment is far from the truth. Lopez invites Ayers to a practice recital at the LA Philharmonic which Ayers immensely enjoys, and there are many more examples to boot. After ardent opposition, Nathaniel makes a few concessions, such as moving into the apartment, but by and large Ayers remains that unforgettable, schizophrenic character.

The Soloist incorporates all elements of beautiful and masterful cinema. It is aesthetically pleasing in its shots of LA’s poorer communities and infrastructural marvels; it conveys a beautiful story via realistic dialogue, wonderful directing and acting, and a bit of well-placed paranoia. The two main characters have a wonderful relationship and acts as perfect comic foils. But most importantly, The Soloist finds genius in the most unlikely of places. This film brilliantly integrates comedy, drama, tragedy, and near horror. The Soloist, as Lopez says of Ayers’ music, “will take you home.”

Che

2009-04-06T15:05:00.001-07:00

Che is a supremely entertaining film from the ingenious talent of Steven Soderbergh. Che is a bio-pic centered on the revolutionary life and times of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. It begins with a mundane dinner scene in which Ernesto joins a group comprised of many likeminded revolutionaries, including Fidel Castro. This well-done scene launches the subtitle-dubbed, two-hour epic into a fury of action, passion, and politics.

Soderbergh’s Che is divided into two parts, which are aptly entitled The Argentine and Guerrilla. They run two hours and nine and eight minutes, respectively. The first chronicles Ernesto’s revolutionary triumph in Cuba, and briefly displays his foray into world affairs. The second details Che's attempt to further his socialist ideology into South America. A trip by Ernesto to the UN is shown intermittently throughout Part One in a passé yet functional black-and-white. Coupled with his contentious UN discourse is an interview with Lisa Howard also shot in an effectual black-and-white. Through this query-based medium some striking and poignant lines are delivered that encapsulate one’s image of Che and of the film’s tone. She questions Che about his worldwide acclaim and his politics concerning America-Cuba relations. The rest of the film is devoted Che’s and Fidel’s conquering of Cuba.

It all starts in that aforementioned dinner scene where a band of insurrectionists join together to topple a despotic Cuban leader Batista. Their initial strength is far from sufficient, so after months of further preparation they begin the fight. It is a long and hard-fought battle for both sides, yet in the end the 26th of July Movement is triumphant. With this new found control, Fidel asserts himself as a dictator of sorts (albeit much less repressive than his antagonist Batista). Che is endowed with the position of Head of Industry and was the de facto arbiter of economic policy. Throughout the skirmish, Che’s position oscillates from what would be a general-equivalent to an unassuming recruiter. Che often expresses frustration with Fidel’s leadership and with the movement in general; however, Che puts it best in his New York interview in that, “a revolutionary goes where he is needed.”

There is minuscule time lapse from the first to the second part. The beginning of the Part Two chronicles Che’s departure from Cuba and Fidel’s and the Cuban people’s reaction to said exodus. It then skips straight from his economic leadership in Cuba to his efforts in Bolivia, while glossing over his myriad of failures in Congo, Mozambique, and various other parts of his native South America. This revolution is much less effective than his staggering feat in Cuba. His labors hardly produce a quantifiable positive result; conversely they attract attention to him which he’d rather avoid. The latter half of Che Part Two is Che evading enemy hands. Ultimately, despite Che’s best efforts, the CIA captures, tortures, and executes the dynamic Ernesto Che Guevara. At the close of Part Two, footage is brought back from the first part to remind the audience of Che’s domineering presence and worldwide esteem. It harkens back to the dinner meeting that commenced it all, most notably when Fidel promises Che that he will be permitted to spread this revolutionary fervor across the globe.

All in all, Part One is likely the better film, but incomplete without its counterpart. Part Two was missing some sense of history or tie to world politics as one had in Che’s speech to the General Assembly and his interview with Howard. Both are incredible achievements and together formulate a political and human epic. Soderbergh’s Che will likely never be forgotten and is undoubtedly a masterpiece of bio-pic cinema.

Burn After Reading

2008-09-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

Burn After Reading is a dark spy-comedy from Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen. The madness begins when a ex-CIA analyst’s memoirs make their way into the hands of two gym employees. The ensemble cast could not be improved, George Clooney and Brad Pitt are A-list morons, John Malkovich is volcanically abusive, and Tilda Swinton, stiff with beady-eyed suspicion, is a perfect comic foil. After the portentous No Country for Old Men, Joel and Ethan Coen return to their trademark brand of cruel, misanthropic farce with dark comedy and a bizarre narrative. In the end, Burn After Reading is a film that is essentially about nothing much at all but it goes about achieving that nothing in such audaciously funny ways that it turns out to be something extraordinary.

Tell No One

2008-09-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

Tell No One is a French action thriller and murder mystery that doesn't cheat. This is a splendid ensemble doing its level best to keep the audience guessing all the way through an increasingly knotty narrative. Eight years after the heinous murder of his wife, a doctor by the name Alex Beck gets caught in new evidence and a new investigation. Mister Beck, throughout the film, to deal with suspicion, doubt, cover-ups, and conspiracies to prove his innocence. There will be times you think it's too perplexing, when you're sure you're witnessing loose ends. Whether devised that way or not, Tell No One is at times baffling, but never boring.

Encounters at the End of the World

2008-09-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

Encounters at the End of the World is a visually stunning documentary that takes the audience to the southernmost continent, Antarctica. This documentary displays the trek in four parts. First, Werner Herzog goes through the history of exploration on this enigmatic landmass. Second, he dives into the research being done. Third, the audience takes a look at the people who inhabit this esoteric place. And finally, the austere future of the continent is discussed. The images captured by Herzog and cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger are dazzling all on their own, finding the disorienting psychedelic feeling that is nature at its weirdest. Mister Herzog is cinema's poet of the empty spaces.

Traitor

2008-08-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

Traitor is a taut international thriller set against a jigsaw puzzle of espionage operations. This film is adroit, effective, and at times suspenseful. It's one of a very few terrorist-themed movies that presents its situation without resorting to exploitation or oversimplification. Traitor is an earnest and beneficial tale that makes a valiant effort to untangle some of the moral complexities of the post-9/11 world. An FBI agent Roy Clayton starts an inquiry into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn. Samir is a mysterious figure with a myriad of connections to terrorist organizations. Mister Horn’s tale; however, is more complicated than meets the eye. Traitor is great suspense flick with a message.

American Teen

2008-08-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

American Teen is a documentary following the experiences of four high school seniors. This group of four is comprised of a jock, a rebel, a geek, and a ditsy popular girl. The look and feel of American Teen is authentically 21st century, yet the rites of passage it records are universal. American Teen shows how a documentary can be as moving and suspenseful as the best narrative feature. Burstein (the director) may not know when to back off, but she's genuinely curious about all she sees. By the end of the film, you'll be firmly on the side of each of these kids, hoping the best for them, or at least some of them. While at times dull and others unrealistic, American Teen does give an authentic high school experience.

Pineapple Express

2008-08-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Pineapple Express is a jocular film about two friends on the run from a powerful drug dealer. It is the tale of Dale Denton. Mister Denton is the witness to a murder and is also spotted by the gunman. He suspects the drug gang can track him down, so he and his drug dealer, Saul Silver, go through a boisterously entertaining series of events while on the run for their lives. Pineapple Express is a fitfully amusing tale of drugs and crooks and general dilapidation, but the more it goes on, and the loonier it gets, the less it connects with the audience. In summation, this film is a profound mix of action and humor, yet lacks all intelligence. An intensely amusing flick that is worth the effort.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

2008-08-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Gonzo is documentary covering the iconic journalist Hunter Thompson. It's a fond and very revealing portrait of a writer who stands alongside Samuel Clemens and Walt Whitman as an American original. This documentary is a mesmerizing look at the mythic quality and anarchic spirit of the irreverent and rabble-rousing journalist. While the claim that his post-1970s lacks his former brilliance is hard to refute, Gonzo proves that edginess is an insipid commodity, championing Thompson's best work for its insight rather than its outrage. This film is a fascinating lesson in history that shows how eclat can be the infliction of talent.

Swing Vote

2008-08-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

Swing Vote captures the spirit of an election year when many once-apathetic Americans are keenly interested in the outcome. The nonsensical plot starts with the main character Bud being informed that he has cast an irregular ballot. Bud is given the opportunity to recast his ballot in ten days. Within this span of time, a myriad of entertaining and satirical events occur, ranging from presidential meetings to flip-flopping commercials. As often happens with politics, even as Swing Vote entertains, it leaves us feeling like we have been subjected to some slick manipulation and worse, left with promises unfulfilled. All in all, Swing Vote raises important issues worth looking at, yet does not deliver a worthwhile answer.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

The Dark Knight is an engrossing film concerning the caped crusader’s struggle for a peaceful and orderly Gotham. This piece of cinema is visually stunning from the first shot of towering skyscrapers. The performances are all worthy of recognition and prestige. Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker is profound and ingenious. This captivating film is far different from any other action or comic book movie; it is darker, more twisted, more despairing, and more bleak. In the motion picture, the Joker is trying to destroy both Gotham and Batman through a simple campaign of fear and violence. In the end; however, The Dark Knight wins a Pyrrhic victory. All in all, The Dark Knight is a pristine example of cinema at its finest.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

2008-07-31T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hellboy returns with an amusing romp of a demon’s fight against malfeasance. During Hellboy’s unflagging crusade against wrongdoers, he meets a plethora of interesting creatures and discovers more about himself and the mystical world around us. Back from his recent Oscar success, Guillermo Del Toro directs and writes this comic book adaptation. With a barrage of one-liners, Hellboy 2, though not as keenly conceived or nimbly executed as its predecessor, is still likable entertainment. This piece of cinema lacks substantive characters and plot, yet makes up for it with stunning visuals and well-choreographed action. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is a pleasurable flick.

The Children of Huang Shi

2008-07-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Children of Huang Shi is a touching tale set against a backdrop of war, depression, and chaos in China during the years leading up to the Second World War. Based on true events, it centers on an English journalist’s struggle to help an orphanage grow and persevere. While dealing with a civil war, famine, and an occupying army, the youthful free-lancer defies all odds and succeeds in this improbable task. This daring Englishman is not without help though; an American nurse and a Chinese military leader who is in collaboration with the Communists aid him during this period of his life. The Children of Huang Shi tells an engrossing story of a remarkable man, but nevertheless it is not entirely overwhelming.

WALL-E

2008-07-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

WALL-E is yet another masterpiece from the inventive storytellers and technical geniuses at Pixar Animation Studios. This film is undoubtedly the superlative work of cinema I have ever seen that received a G rating. It is a solemn (though far from simplistic) fable, but it is also a disarmingly sweet and simple love story. The premise of this adorable motion picture is two automatons unflagging quest to inform humans of their newly habitable home planet. WALL-E is a pure gem of movie-making excellence in absolutely every element.

Mongol

2008-07-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

Mongol is a stunning historical epic that humanizes the brutal emperor and conqueror. This piece of cinema can be defined by one word: panache. The scale was grand and epic, the battle sequences were stunning and brilliantly choreographed, the dialogue was well written and not jejune, and the histrionic art was impeccable. Although the historical accuracy was a bit questionable, historians and history lovers can find solace in the message Mongol displays. The film tells the tale of Genghis Khan's early years and his rise to power. This piece of cinema depicts the tale of an innocent child becoming a ruthless yet benevolent warrior. Mongol shows us why foreign cinema is a powerful force in art and storytelling. Mongol bodes well for the planned trilogy yet to come.

Wanted

2008-07-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

Wanted, based upon Mark Millar’s explosive graphic novel series, is an action-packed thriller to say the least. In-between the visually stunning and well-orchestrated fray scenes, there is an almost undesired plot that lacks substance and thought. This piece of cinema deals with a very tricky and fickle element of filmmaking, self-awareness. (Self-awareness being classified as characters being aware of their presence in a film.) This motion picture is entertaining, but in no way is it a quality film. In conclusion, Wanted is pleasing in a visual manner but not intellectually.

Get Smart

2008-07-07T12:57:00.000-07:00

Get Smart is yet another link in the chain of bringing back old television series. Maxwell Smart is once again trying to foil the amoral plot for world domination by the mischievous crime syndicate known as KAOS. Steve Carell, who plays the lead of this capricious film, once again proves himself as a thespian who possess the ability to always make the audience chortle. In between all the gags and all the action scenes, there is refreshing political satire that contains a true message of our government’s incompetence. All in all, Get Smart is a quality summer blockbuster destined to, at the very least, amuse you.

The Happening

2008-07-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Happening is a horrendous piece of cinema that never should have happened. Nothing positive can be said about this motion picture. Every component of this film is dreadful and poorly thought, ranging from the dialogue to the science. The multitude ways in which this film is horrid lead the audience to believe that M. Night Shyamalan phoned this one in. To save you all the trouble of being curious of whom the culprit is, THE PLANTS DID IT. The flora of the world felt threatened and released a virulent toxin into the air. It was a force of nature humanity will never fully understand.

Standard Operating Procedure

2008-06-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

Standard Operating Procedure is a graphic, eye-opening, and provocative documentary dealing with the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. This documentary starts out with the terrible volumes upon volumes of photographs taken and the comments of the soldiers stationed at the prison. Standard Operation Procedure forces the audience to look outside the frame of the photos. One line spoken by a civilian interrogator sums up all of our impressions of the lurid acts of the soldiers, " It's disgusting what these schmuck, idiot MPs did." Standard Operating Procedure is a very well edited film. Sometimes painful and onerous to watch, but a film that must be viewed.

Before the Rains

2008-06-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

Before the Rains is a tale of lust, love, and tragedy. This motion picture is an account of a British man's affair with his Indian soubrette. The film's conflicts are numerous. The British man is a striving entrepreneur trying to complete a road for the purpose of transporting desired herbs and spices. While taking on this immense project, he becomes embroiled in a controversy of the traditions and politics of the local tribes. After his paramour commits suicide, the tribe goes on an unflagging search for her. In the end, the British man escapes from the villagers and the woman receives a proper burial. In conclusion, this motion picture is well-acted, visually gorgeous, and truly a masterpiece.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008-06-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a follow up to the trilogy that showed audiences the excitement of history. It is nineteen years later and the political and social landscapes are vastly different, but Henry Jones Jr. remains the same. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is not a good movie or a bad movie, but rather it is enjoyable. Although, there was too many "oh, come on" moments, due to the absurdity of the plot. There are a few stupendous scenes, and a couple of performances that deserve recognition and merit. However, the unprecedented blend of tomfoolery and action that made these films more fun than any other adventure series is mostly gone. All in all, it is a bitter-sweet conclusion to a historic series.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

2008-06-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

Prince Caspian is an exciting adventure for children and families, yet it tries to be much more. Based on the second novel in C.S. Lewis's beloved Chronicles of Narnia series, this motion picture has much more action than its predecessor, and unfortunately much less substance. Prince Caspian is an epic battle between good and evil in a fanciful land. This sequel holds and employs many of the same elements as the first, such as the infamous White Witch and Aslan the deific lion. The protagonists are four pensive youngsters who save this land for a second time in a manner that is twice as jejune.

Redbelt

2008-05-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

Redbelt is the chronicle of Mike Terry, an esteemed jiu-jitsu instructor, who desires to lead an honorable life in a sleazy world. The title is based of the fact that only one person may possess the Redbelt at a single point in time. Mister Mike Terry’s story starts out as quest for a more secure fiscal situation, the charge; however, is led by his significant other. He is discovered and befriended by an eminent actor of film after Mike impressed this actor with his expertise in fighting while in a brasserie. This new founded relationship does not work out in the greatest manner for Mister Terry. This thespian ends up swindling Terry in a cumbersome and conspiracy-like chain of events. In the end after a battle of grand scale, Mike Terry earns his rightful spot in martial arts history when awarded the Redbelt by the master of jiu-jitsu. A running theme throughout the motion picture is there is always an escape from any position; however, the audience certainly does not wish to escape this magnum opus.

The Visitor

2008-05-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

The Visitor is a lovely, poignant piece of cinematic work that deals with subjects thought of as provocative and sensitive. The Visitor is a chronicle of Professor Walter of Connecticut College who encounters bizarre, strange, and most importantly life changing experiences. He stumbles upon two unwanted (only at first) house guests living in his New York City residence. These two foreign guests modify this dismal economics professor's outlook on life. This moving work of cinematic perfection reminds the audience of why independent theater can be substantial and momentous pieces of true art.