Choke

Hmmm...where to begin with Choke. I tried to review my notes, but I only have two.

1. I think that's Sara Silverman's sister Laura playing Paige. (It wasn't.)
2. Sam Rockwell is very funny. (He was.)

You would think that not having a ton of notes to review would mean that I enjoyed myself very much. That's not true, but I also can't say that I hated the movie. The funny moments in Choke are very funny. The problem is that the movie doesn't really have a plot, so much as it has a collection of funny moments.

Okay, that's not totally fair. Choke does have a plot - A sex addict with a mother in a home for Alzheimer's patients earns extra money by pretending to choke and have people save him. He might be the son of Jesus, and he's in love with a woman he meets at the home - it's just kind of all over the place.

I will be the first to tell you that I am not a Chuck Palahniuk reader and while I liked the film adaptation of Fight Club, I don't think it's the greatest film ever made. So, maybe it's me, but I think Choke is at it's best when it doesn't try to have a heart. The film is funniest when Sam Rockwell's Victor is having sex with strangers and we hear his voice over. If you're a Palahniuk reader you might like it more, but as for me the Greek gives it a C.

Ghost Town

Ghost Town isn't the kind of movie that's going to set the world on fire. That is one thing I can say with absolute certainty. The movie is a formulaic and predictable romantic comedy. What sets it apart from most formulaic and predictable romantic comedies is Rickey Gervais.

It's great to see England's best export since Led Zeppelin land a role in a film that keeps him on screen longer than fifteen minutes. His character, Bertrum Pincus, is the kind of role actors usually take for a quick buck. If he were played by Matthew McConaughey, Bertrum would be just another jerk, but in Gervais' capable hands his mean streak is just a little meaner. His selfishness is detestable, but in a way he is also incredibly likable.

Gervais is so good in fact, that the only time I didn't wish Greg Kinnear weren't in the film was when he shared the screen with Gervais. There is something about these movies, that makes most actors sleep walk through them. Gervais (somehow) pulls the best out of everyone he is on screen with - especially Kinnear.

It's always great to see Kristin Wiig get work, especially when she is adding another great cameo to her résumé. Like her work in Knocked Up and Walk Hard,



her role in Ghost Town provides enough laughs to make her memorable no matter how little time she spends on the screen.

The movie has a great soundtrack. You probably have to be a Hangover Cafe listener to really appreciate it, but the soundtrack is full of bouncy acoustic pop songs (honestly, the kind of soundtrack you would expect a movie like this to have) that stop short of being annoying



and is instead a real pleasure.



Like I said, Ghost Town isn't the kind of movie that's going to set the world on fire. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee that you will see at least 15 better movies this year...and that's assuming you see 20 movies this year. However, if your chick is up for a chick flick you could do a lot worse. At least Rickey Gervais will provide you with plenty of laughs. Think of him as Seth Rogen...only British...and 40.

The Greek gives it a B-.

Righteous Kill

I take pride in being able to spot the twist ending in a film long before we get there, and I'll be the first to admit that I judge those movies harshly when they telegraph their passes. So, obviously when I am duped I tend to be pretty impressed with a film.

That is definitely the case with Righteous Kill, the latest offering from new kid on the block (no pun intended...more on that to come) Overture Films. The studio opened in 2006 and based on the cast, one can guess that Righteous Kill probably sports a higher budget than anything the studio has released so far. Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are the headliners, but the supporting cast is filled with surprising performances from some big names.

The movie opens with surveillance footage of Robert De Niro's character Turk reading a murder confession. That means we know the killer gets caught, so rather than sit through the movie trying to figure out who the killer is or will he get away with it, you're watching to find out why a cop turned into a killer and just how his comrades catch him. The story isn't told with the same inventiveness of Memento, but splicing footage and voice overs from Turk's confession with footage of the murders in question and conversations that take place right before the trigger is pulled is very cool.

The acting is great. You know you're going to get something special from De Niro and Pacino might just be Heath Ledger's best competition for an Oscar so far (surprising since Pacino has been screaming his way through most roles lately). The story regarding the movie goes something like this. Robert De Niro called Al Pacino personally to ask him to be in the movie. Whatever their relationship is away from the cameras, the two are very comfortable together on camera. It's easy to believe that their characters have been partners for almost 30 years.

It's the supporting cast that really sets Righteous Kill apart from most cop dramas. John Leguizamo, who is always good, plays Simon Perez as the kind of hot head that hates De Niro's Turk because he knows that's him in 20 years. The real surprises are a couple of musicians turned actors. New Kid Donnie Wahlberg and rapper 50 Cent (billed here as Curtis Jackson) are both great! Wahlberg plays Perez's partner Ted Reiley. 50 Cent plays drug dealer Spider better than he played a stylized version of himself in Get Rich or Die Tryin'.

The movie is not without its problems, but the one that really jumps out at me can be forgiven. There are a lot of sex scenes between Carla Gugino's Detective Corelli and Turk are largely unnecessary, but any chance to see Carla Gugino in her bra is appreciated.

So you know the final resolution to the murder investigation is revealed in the first five minutes...or is it? The twist is a nice one. In fact, the twist has me considering paying to see Righteous Kill again, and for someone as cynical as me when it comes to movies, that's saying a lot.

The Greek gives it an A.