edited by Jonathan Doyle

Cloverfield [BLU-RAY] (Paramount Home Entertainment, 6.3.2008) Disguised under deliberately goofy, yet deliciously edible-sounding, aliases such as Cheese and Slusho, Matt Reeves' Cloverfield was produced and rushed into theaters under an equally appetizing shroud of secrecy. From last year's incredibly elusive Super Bowl ad to the film's viral marketing campaign, Cloverfield had everybody scratching their heads and drooling in anticipation. Aside from the as-yet untitled title and the Blair Witch-ian visual style, the film's biggest appeal was the enigmatic creature who was last (un)seen hurling the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty onto the crowded streets of New York City. All we knew about the mysterious beast was that it was big and angry. Now that the highy-anticipated project has come and gone, one question has fortunately been answered: Cloverfield was a major success. (continued)

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November 12

Slumdog Millionaire

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A Christmas Tale

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Dostana

The Dukes

Eden

House of the Sleeping Beauties

How About You

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We are Wizards

November 21

The Betrayal

November 30

Evans Is The Guy

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Keanu Reeves' portrayal of his ragged-edge L.A. detective in David Ayer's Street Kings is one reason I wasn't very comfortable watching it. Forrest Whitaker's performance, as I explained on 4.5, is another. There's a costar I did like, however -- took to him immediately, decided he was cool. I'm speaking of 26 year-old Chris Evans, who plays a younger cop who pools forces with Reeves around the beginning of the third act.

Chris Evans in Cellular

I was therefore doubly irate at this film when...how can I put this? If you have a strong character with natural charisma, a director should introduce him early and keep him around until the end.

Evans has had decent roles in '05's Cellular and Fantastic Four and '07's Sunshine, Rise of the Silver Surfer and The Nanny Diaries. But these and Street Kings are second-tier audience movies directed by B-level directors (or, in the case of Sunshine, an A-level director off his game.) Evans has the stuff, I believe, that can move him up the ladder. But it won't happen if he doesn't hook himself up with A-level guys -- Paul Thomas Anderson, Michael Mann, Wes Anderson, Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, Alfonso Cuaron, Steven Soderbergh, the Coen brothers, etc.

It seems odd, also, that in her half-joshing review of Street Kings, Manohla Dargis doesn't even mention Evans. She's one of the sharpest critics around and I'm not wrong about Evans, so what's the explanation? I know what I know and I'm right. Evans is the guy you like in this film.

The only problem is that he needs to lose the U.S. Marines haircut, which he had during the Street Kings junket.

Expelled in L.A.?<< previous | next >>Busch's Bad Time

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on April 11, 2008 at 1:30 PM

comment #1

admiralmpj says ...

I'm surprised at the accolades, because his turn as Johnny Storm was one of the things that ruined Fantastic Four for me (him, and the fact it was awful).

Posted by admiralmpj at April 11, 2008 2:27 PM

comment #2

Ray says ...

Evans has natural charisma and plenty of attitude. Sometimes that plays without having much acting ability. His filmography has not (yet) revealed how much of an actor he is, but I must admit that I am interested in his performances.

Posted by Ray at April 11, 2008 2:28 PM

comment #3

storymark says ...

Totally agree. I can see Evans going places, if he gets the right role. He was about the only thing good about both Fantastic Four movies. And I really enjoyed his role in Sunshine.

Posted by storymark at April 11, 2008 2:29 PM

comment #4

actionman says ...

He was a lot of fun to watch in Cellular, which was about as good as a B-movie of that sort can get. I also liked his work in Sunshine. But, he was hysterical in Not Another Teen Movie; the riff on the Varisty Blues-whip cream bikini scene still makes me laugh just thinking about it.

I met him about 2 years ago through a mutual friend and the guy is totally cool and very genuine. I wasn't surprised to learn that he's an east-coaster.

Posted by actionman at April 11, 2008 2:34 PM

comment #5

Griff says ...

Evans was very good in both Cellular and even better in Sunshine. He deserves better than he's getting.

Posted by Griff at April 11, 2008 2:37 PM

comment #6

C Toto says ...

Agree. His "Fantastic Four" work gave me pause ... director Tim Story pushed the films' humor beyond its natural limits - although the Surfer sequel found a better balance. But Evans hung tough through the gleefully silly "Cellular" and really stands out in "Street Kings."

Posted by C Toto at April 11, 2008 2:41 PM

comment #7

K. Bowen says ...

TO be disaappointed by Fantastic Four, don't you have to have expectations? :)

Posted by K. Bowen at April 11, 2008 2:51 PM

comment #8

parttimesaint says ...

Jeff, he's playing a soldier in an upcoming movie so I doubt the haircut was his idea.

Posted by parttimesaint at April 11, 2008 2:52 PM

comment #9

Tom Logan says ...

Hes an actor in a similar rut to Ryan Reynolds where its obvious they have the talent and charisma but just not the projects to showcase them.
Both Reynolds in "The Nines" and Evans in "Sunshine" were on top form because they had something to work with and get their teeth into.

Posted by Tom Logan at April 11, 2008 2:58 PM

comment #10

actionman says ...

Tom Logan: I'd agree with you on that assessment of both Reynolds and Evans.

Reynolds was great in this year's Definitely, Maybe....I think that's his best work yet.

Posted by actionman at April 11, 2008 3:10 PM

comment #11

Devin Faraci says ...

I've been supporting Evans for a while. Him and Channing Tatum.

Posted by Devin Faraci at April 11, 2008 3:13 PM

comment #12

Jay T. says ...

I agree, I just think he needs to get a few years older and then maybe he'll land some roles with better directors. There's really not a lot of good roles for guys in their 20's unless they look significantly older. However, there are lots of great roles for guys in their 30's...

Posted by Jay T. at April 11, 2008 3:14 PM

comment #13

George Prager says ...

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU FUCKING NEGATIVE-NANCY NAYSAYERS.

Get ready, bitches, cuz this isn't going to be pretty.

And my IRONY MODE is set to MOTHERF*****G OFF, because this one is for real.

KEANU REEVES is my IDOL.

Has been for 20 years. Dude is the GREATEST MOVIE STAR of the last 25 years, a LEGEND on par with Grant, Gable, THE DUKE, CLINT, you name it.

BOW BEFORE REEVES. BOW!!!!!!

HMM, let's see, here's some DIRECTORS who've worked with Reeves:

COPPOLA
BIGELOW
HUNTER
MEYERS
AMIEL
KASDAN
HOWARD
FREARS
RAIMI
BERTOLUCCI
VAN SANT
WACHOWKSI
WACHOWKSI
DE BONT
HEREK

You think those guys suffer fools? You think those guys aren't in total fucking command of their medium or don't know EXACTLY what they want? Hmm, and they've all worked with THE GREATEST MOVIE STAR OF OUR AGE. And up until two or three years ago, most of you would have agreed.

How many BILLIONS of fucking dollars did this man make for this industry? How many MASTERPIECE f*****g movies? How much f******g JOY did he bring to the MASSES AROUND THE GLOBE WITH HIS ACTING?

What have any of us accomplished? Eating a bowl of f******g cereal? Doing some niche bullshit? This is a MOVIE STAR who has BROUGHT THE WORLD TOGETHER, and you're all sounding off alarms like a February release date is some walk of shame level disgrace.

F**K THAT.

The man is the GREATEST MOVIE STAR of our age. The man's HAIR is INCREDIBLE and if you don't seek to style your WACK-ASS COIF after KEANU REEVES in your day to day life, you are the lesser man for it.

REEVES IS KING. ALL HAIL. And Ayer's no fucking slouch. That trailer looked AWESOME. Gee, real sorry a bunch of gossip-mongering, pissy, petty-ass BITCHES have to snipe at a MOVIE STAR WHO'S SUPERIOR TO THEM ON EVERY LEVEL OF SUCCESS IN THE WORLD, taking cheap shots to gratify their own bullshit sense of insecurity and creating a story WHERE THERE IS NONE. (Not Poland specifically, just this tide of phony-ass backlash dating back to '05 on the subject of Reeves.)

How many of Reeves's DETRACTORS have worked with that list of directors? F**k, how many of REEVES'S PEERS IN ACTING have worked with a comparable list of directors? The man is a GENIUS at seeking out material, seeking out GREAT DIRECTORS and GREAT COLLABORATORS.

STREET KINGS WILL OWN YOUR ASS. EVERYTHING REEVES EVER HAS DONE AND EVER WILL DONE, with the exceptions of maybe JOHNNY MNEMONIC, EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES, and CHAIN REACTION, are LIFE-CHANGING PAENS TO THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING.

RECOGNIZE."

Posted by George Prager at April 11, 2008 3:37 PM

comment #14

Indeed says ...

I gotta concur...Evans was phenominal in Sunshine.

Posted by Indeed at April 11, 2008 4:11 PM

comment #15

Nick Rogers says ...

I like Chris Evans, too (especially in "Cellular" and "Sunshine"), but the Human Torch has all the personality of an unlit match in "Street Kings." Not entirely his fault, though, because Ayer has bludgeoned the charisma out of damn near everyone in that movie except Hugh Laurie and The Game (whose nonchalant moment of pouring King Cobra into his Froot Loops is laugh-out-loud brilliant).

Posted by Nick Rogers at April 11, 2008 4:16 PM

comment #16

Aris P says ...

Hmmm "George Prager" sounds AWFULLY familiar...

On a less sarcastic note -- does anyone think this film will make any money? I have not seen one billboard, or commercial. Who or what is "The Game"? What is this movie even about? 3 million weekend gross max.

Posted by Aris P at April 11, 2008 4:37 PM

comment #17

actionman says ...

Prager...please....enough....

"...whose nonchalant moment of pouring King Cobra into his Froot Loops is laugh-out-loud brilliant"

Now this I've gotta see....

Posted by actionman at April 11, 2008 4:40 PM

comment #18

frankbooth says ...

Plus, he was great in Batman and Robin.

Posted by frankbooth at April 11, 2008 5:11 PM

comment #19

Jay T. says ...

I actually kind of like Keanu Reeves and think he is overly criticized... but man, George Prager, that was fucking hilarious. I like how you censored your profanities too.

Posted by Jay T. at April 11, 2008 5:22 PM

comment #20

Mr. Gittes says ...

Danny Boyle's Sunshine is a fantastic movie. And John Murphy is the most underrated composer out there.

Posted by Mr. Gittes at April 11, 2008 5:24 PM

comment #21

actionman says ...

I loved the first 2/3rd's of Sunshine

The last 20 minutes were so out of place and felt like it belonged in a completely different movie

Posted by actionman at April 11, 2008 5:29 PM

comment #22

Mr. Gittes says ...

actionman: I kind of agree with you, however, watching Cillian Murphy's character trying and struggling to complete the mission was, I thought, captivating cinema. And with Murphy's score it made the 3rd act much more tolerable. Yes, the big reveal was lame but I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Murphy. Watching Sunshine on Blu-ray is nice, too.

Posted by Mr. Gittes at April 11, 2008 5:38 PM

comment #23

Mgmax says ...

As pro-suicide bombing movies go, Sunshine was great.

Posted by Mgmax at April 11, 2008 8:29 PM

comment #24

D.Z. says ...

Mgmax: So I take it you weren't impressed by V is for Vile Adaptation, either?

Posted by D.Z. at April 11, 2008 9:34 PM

comment #25

Mgmax says ...

God, no, I gave up on that after about 20 minutes. Sunshine portrays the orgiastic joy of the true believer. V For Vendetta tried to make it actually seem rational. Which meant that, like the last two Matrix movies, it TALKS TOO GODDAM MUCH.

Posted by Mgmax at April 11, 2008 9:36 PM

comment #26