cinevegas - day 3

3:00 PM: Godspeed (Saitzyk, 2009) - 25 / con (-)

Alert; some pretty Alaskan scenery (all that saves this from being squarely in CON territory) isn't enough to carry a thriller. This laughable religious allegory has extraordinarily stilted dialogue, over-the-top performances, and some of the more awkward dramatic momnts I've seen in some time. The ideas behind Godspeed - that religion breeds major hypocrisy (smoking, drinking, infidelity) - aren't bad at all, but the execution is mostly exceedingly painful to watch.

cinevegas - day 2

After a day off from films to play the WSOP Limit Event (eliminated early on Day 2), I only caught one movie the following day. Much more to be seen today and tomorrow.

Yellow Submarine (Dunning, 1968) - 48 / mixed

Some great visuals here that at times conjure up the wild imagery of Fantastic Planet, but there's no cohesion whatsoever when it comes to storyline, and it's not entrancing enough to overcome it. Great music, of course, but I can pop on my iPod for that.

cinevegas - day 1

Okay, so I haven't been particularly responsible about updating this! Between my company, filmandfelt, and, well, life, keeping separate blog has been nearly impossible. But, for now, I'm going to use this to jot down reviews / capsules on the films I see at the Las Vegas Film Festival before uploading them to my web site. And who knows, maybe I'll get the urge to begin updating this bad boy more...

For now, short thoughts until I get to my laptop tonight or tomorrow.

June 11th:

11:30 - In The Loop (Armando Ianucci, 2009) - 67 / pro (+)

Very witty anti-war political satire with sharp dialogue and cussing aplenty. A few aspects are occasionally overdone, but it's mostly really entertaining and savvy, with fun performances and banter.

2:00 - Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009) 75 / PRO

Definitely need a second viewing of this one, but it's a pretty awesome sci-fi with a great twist that doesn't feel at all gimmicky; rather, it just smoothly changes the trajectory of the emotions and storyline. That it's helmed by David Bowie's son is just a cool perk. Sam Rockwell puts in a performance that's destined to make my 2009 top five, carrying the entire picture on his slender shoulders. Think part 2001, part Lost, and part Sunshine, with plenty of originality to put it over the top. I could even see my rating being conservative as this sits and I check it out again.

4:00 - Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (Jessica Oreck, 2009) 30 / con

No, this isn't a monster movie about a 90-foot beetle trampling screaming pedestrians...unfortunately. Rather, it's a documentary about the Japanese obsession with insects, and it's a bore and a half; you can garner much deeper insight from Miyazaki's Nausicaa. This one has its moments (who knew Japanese children craved bugs like Americans do dogs?), but it's completely emotionally detached, with a monotonic narrator quoting passages (some beautiful, some not) from Japanese lore to illustrate the history. Even as a lecture, it's hardly useful; the film is frequently repetitive (seeing a child's eyes light up when playing an insect quest video game is cute the first time, but quickly loses its luster), and ultimately doesn't leave the audience feeling this immense connection that I know exists. And in theory, I'm the ideal audience for this, being an enormous fan of Japanese culture. Not at all recommended.

7:30 - All In - The Poker Movie (Douglas Tirola, 2009) 58 / pro (-)

A solid pro until the unnecessary fourth act that dwells on Chris Moneymaker's impact far more than required (the online section already covered what his WSOP win did for the game). I'll have much more to say about this one in a full review when I get back -- suffice to say, I enjoyed it more than most might due to my love for poker, but I'm also going to be harsher on its flaws in regards to what it didn't cover and what it overdid. It definitely should have been 15-20 minutes shorter. Eductational for those curious about poker's explosion this decade, though, and the Rounders section is perfect.