The French Connection (William Friedkin)(1971)

Although this movie robbed a Clockwork Orange of the Oscar in 1971 it is defiantly not undeserving by any means. It is a slowed paced, gritty crime drama which still stands the test of time today. Sure here are some problems with this film but in total it was not a terrible effort.

A stand out feature was the absolutely superb acting. Gene Hackman is absolutely amazing as "Popeye" Doyle the rough , aging crime detective. He is by far the standout performer of this movie, since he truly does capture the spirit and essence of his character. Scheider also was great in his role as Doyle's partner. They make quite a good team and the chemistry they share is top notch.

The plot in this one is gripping and filled with tension. It may be slow paced but it is extremely well told and exciting if you truly are paying attention. I found it worked better and the holes in the plot weren't as noticeable if you pictured this movie as a bunch of loosely strung together series of vignettes. Doing this it is easy to fall into the story without seeing the gaping plot holes.

The plot holes in this movie are big but they are not quite enough to ruin the movie for me. Some of the major plot holes for me had to be how Fernando Ray's character manages to escape the bridge. For one it is not a huge bridge why not just surround the thing(I for one thought that they had done that but when they turned around, nope! he was able to make a break for it.) Another hole is how they manage to rip apart a huge car and put it back together with absolutely no damage in under 5 hours. This would be an impossible feat. There are a couple others I cannot recall at this moment. Again these are small plot holes that don't ruin the movie only damper in the final results of the film.

What really works for me is what I think one of the main themes is, the differences between the rich and the poor. This is shown well in the constant juxtapositions between the two classes. (ie Popeye eating pizza in that shoe repair shop while like 50 feet away a bunch of people eat like kings and queens and eye the dessert cart. Another example is how Popeye lives in a dumpy apartment while Weinstock has a nice Hollywood Esq hotel room.

Finally probably the most talked about part in this whole movie, the car chase scene. It is absolutely phenomenal. A work of pure cinematic genius and superb editing. No one was told about the scene being shot that day so the frenzy it causes is totally real and it really shows.(although the producers did pay for the man's car which was smashed.) Another factor which feeds into the excitement of the car chase is the fact that this movie moves rather slow so when this car chase happens you really get the adrenalin pumping. This is a car chase that goes down as one of the best and it truly is.

French Connection the often imitated is one that will go down in film history(I am sure it is already). This movie manages to not get ruined by it's plot holes that often plague it's genre mates through it's suburb acting performance by the great Gene Hackman and it's strong writing. This gritty crime drama is one you would not if you are a fan of police/detective movies. Hell you should not miss this movie if you care about cinema at all.
83/100 B
-Hutz

And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks(Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs)(1945*)

This novel comes from not one great author but two! What is not to like? Two of the greatest writers of the 20th century writing one novel. This novel was based on the real life events that unfolded around Kerouac and Burroughs in the 40's. The raw and real events of a murder that shook the Greenwich Village and forever changed the two aforementioned authors.

Okay it may not have changed them forever but this novel really did give us a look into the underbelly that the Beats lived in. Also Burroughs became addicted to morphine after this incident so who really know how much this experience truly had on them. We also cannot forget that this whole incident really did really help spark the Beat movement. It introduced them all together(Burroughs, Kerouac an Ginsberg) and also showed them of the protege author relationship.

I am not going to say this is as good as either of the works each author is known for (On The Road by Kerouac or Naked Lunch by Burroughs) but it is a solid outing nonetheless. It can also be forgiven since the young age age of our authors, I think Burroughs was 30 and Kerouac was a mere 21. From this book you can see the seedlings that would make the authors literary powerhouses. For Keroauc it shows the descriptiveness he would show the bizarre nature of days spent and Burroughs his fascination with abuse of authority. For both it truly showed how much detail they put into every piece of writing and how precise they could be with their writing.

This story is written in a way that has not really chosen too often, for obvious reason it works. Each chapter swaps between being written by Kerouac and Burroughs. Burroughs writes as Dennison and Kerouac writes as Ryko.

Many people have described this book as simply a showing of post WW2 New York underground hipster scene but I found it too be more than that. I felt it read as more of a noir novel. Of course we cannot simply throw of the fact that it really is a book showcasing the Beat "scene". It reads as a memoir with some omissions intact so that they could cover the murder up. The obvious omission of Ginsberg and no overly homosexual activity since this would have been perilous for the murder trial of Lucien Carr since it was the 40's and homosexuality was not even close to being accepted.

It cannot be denied though that there is obvious homosexual undertones to this book. This are portrayed immensely through the Dennison character(surprise Burroughs wrote this character.) He often expresses homosexuality through his acquaintance Al. The homosexuality was obviously hidden so the cover up would succeed. It seeps through in a couple lines like wish "girls could just be done with" and also with Ryko going out to sea with the Navy which is classically known for its homosexuality romanticism. You can also see the satire in Dennison's voice when he wants to "get girls"(he reads like a Naked Lunch character who is subvertly homosexual.)

Some scenes that really stuck with me were the one where Dennison was rubbing the leg of a women in a New York apartment. This one stuck with me because it seemed so anti-Burroughs also the other scenes were the bars scenes with Ryko. Man at age 21 even Kerouac knew how to write with the best of them. The barflies and dives described rival Bukowski in there detail and realism. These men know detail!

You may have noticed the asterisk beside the date. This was because it was written in 1945 but was not published until 2008 at the wishes of Lucien Carr and also Burroughs did not think it was worthy of publishing. He said it was primitive and held no literary value. Mr. Burroughs I am sure there are quite a few people who would disagree!

From the two most important writers of the Beat Generation comes a novel of a harrowing murder and the events leading to this murder. It was the novel that is seen as a catalyst for the Beat Generation and it is a shame it took so long to be released because it is truly a gem. Also I am hoping this novel finally put to rest the ridiculous idea the Burroughs became influenced to write after the tragedy in Mexico. This book shows that Burroughs was simply born a writer.
86/100 A
-Hutz

Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich) (2010)

From a studio known for making the best animated films this one is no different. An instant classic that succeeds in being as good or even better than the first two movies.

First off I have no idea why people would be worried about this movie being terrible. It's coming from Pixar! They do not make bad movies(There worst movie, Cars was still good even though it was a blatant marketing ploy) so I have no idea why this one would be any different. I guess people were just worried about people "screwing up" their beloved childhood series but in truth Pixar will not continue a series unless it has a really good idea anyway so to me there really was no worry.

Te animation was just spot on perfect! It was vivid and lifelike, with every single character, setting and background filled with tremendous attention to detail. It is simply mind blowing how realistic they can make these toys look through animation. They are all carefully crafted with precision and detail. Some moments that stuck out for quality animation were when Buzz is dancing in Spanish mode. The movements were so fluid you barely realized you were watching animation. It is clear who truly i the giant in the animation department and it is Pixar.

The voice acting was again just amazing. Avoiding actors who will just get people in the seats they get actors who actually can deliver their lines with character and emotion and it truly shows. Not that I am saying they didn't have some big names( they had Tom Hanks and Micheal Keaton for crying out loud) the only difference is these actors chosen are able to deliver there lines in a believable way that makes you believe them. The ensemble is just fantastic and truly shows what great acting can do, move you. You cannot really pick out a person who was wrong in his or her role, that's how great it was.

Animated movies for some odd reason are seen as movies for kids when in reality this could not be further from the truth. I believe like most other Pixar films this one was made for all ages. It had a lot of jokes that the kids would find funny but the jokes were done in a way that people no matter how old you are would find them funny. They did not stick to juvenile stuff but laced their kid jokes with subtle humour. This was also chalk full of references to old Pixar films(WALL-E and Monsters Inc. ) but also to other movie classics such as Star Wars Return of the Jedi and Jurassic Park. This is why Pixar films stand above the crowd, they do not limit themselves to lowbrow child humour but they do throw it in the mix every once in a while.

This installment was also darker than its previous counterparts. With themes dealing with subjects such as abandonment and loss it is no wonder. Most of the darker scenes do come from old memories of Lotso. These moments are not few and far between but constantly lay just beneath the surface of a lighter, fluffier film. It manages to portray these themes in way that is not significantly cheesy or anything like that. In fact you always feel for the characters even the ones that are supposed to be the "bad guys". That's what good writing does. Other animated films take note, hell regular films take note, this is how you can portray deep emotion in movie that is still madly funny.

I cannot finish my review without mentioning the little intro animation Night & Day. This little intro was not my favorite but it still was pretty cool. The animation was great and it was a nice little intro to a magnificent movie.

As a lover of the first two installments I had high hopes for this movie and it sure did live up to those high expectations. I even let this review stew in my brain a while so it would not be clouded by over-hyped nostalgia but it truly was just a standout film. The story telling and the animation were just spot on and I couldn't have asked for a better third to one of my favorite trilogies.
87/100 A
-Hutz


Pixar makes yet another brilliant film in the third installment of the Toy Story franchise. It is really no surprise as they've been making some of the best American animated films for years.

People often worry about whether or not movies will ruin some nostalgic moment from their childhood by adding a sequel(Star Wars/Indiana Jones) but as a kid who grew up entranced by Toy Story I can say that this movie was the best of the franchise and a good finish to the trilogy. It had everything it was dark but funny and the plot was layered with emotion. It was good for anyone of any age as it had jokes for kids but also a perfect movie for adults.

The plot of this movie was much darker than the first two installments. The themes dealt with various deep subjects such as abandonment, loss and growing up/nostalgia. The growing up topic was easily shown through Andy's character and his never playing with the toys etc. But he certainly felt nostalgic when he saw Woody every time in the toy box. The darker themes which would've most likely been noticed by adults was the depressing theme of abandonment shown mostly in Lotso's character and even Andy's toys as they never got the love from Andy which they needed/wanted. Lotso's abandonment was one you could see clearly and you could certainly see his foil to the other toys(Andy's). Where's Andy's toys at the beginning tried to get Andy's attention. Although they did give up after operation toy chest they later regained faith from Woody's constant pushing to remind them that they were Andy's toys and he needed them. But Lotso just gave up immediately when he saw his replacement of another Lotso bear. But he also took the other toy with him.

The section of the movie revolving around the daycare center was very Orwellian. With the constant trucks driving around and the Monkey surveillance. Lotso was the big brother character (although he was directly seen) while all the other toys who had given hope because of abuse at the hands of "playtime" and other tactics(Buzz and the chair) reminded me of the people who went through the ministry of love etc. The escape plot was my favorite part of the movie with every toy working together to complete a common goal. It was full of jokes including my favourite of the pig playing the harmonica and the potato heads. I really liked how they pulled the toys together by showing Andy really did mean to put them into the attic with Mrs Potato heads eye being under the bed being use as a sort of psychic mind mechanism.

The heartfelt emotion was really running high in this movie with Andy's constant ignoring of the toys and their desperation in wanting to be played with. Although when they did get their goal they absolutely hated it as they were abused harshly by the little kids who go to play with them. But anyone who didn't feel something when Andy was forced to put the toys in the attic and take Woody doesn't have a heart. But the most emotional heavy scene is defiantly the part when the toys are going down the belt about to be killed it the raging fire. It was extremely tough to see Woody rescue Lotso only to get his tables turned by him because he was still the same selfish toy who couldn't get over his own personal abandonment. But the Aliens did manage to save the day right as I was on the brink of tears. "The Claw" was my favourite thing that they brought back from the two previous movies as it was probably my favourite thing in the first two movies. Lastly the part where Andy is giving up the toys was also a deep tear jerker as he gives everyone up fine and can deal with his connection to the toys but when the girl asks for Woody it is truly heart wrenching because you know deep inside he doesn't want to give up the toy but he knows what is right is to give the toy to a person who can play with they toys. At least Andy got one last play session (by this point I was balling) with the toys and he explained what every toy meant to him and how to play with them. So the toy got what they really always wanted to be played with by Andy and to remain together.

The animation along with every Pixar movie was fucking the pinnacle of animation. Everything looked really fluid and beautiful and lifelike. After a while in my opinion you couldn't notice that it was truly animation as it looked so incredibly lifelike. Every scene stood out as just brilliant and even the scenes with the humans looked real. Pixar has always been the best in animation in my opinion and with this movie they surely continued tht streak.

The voice acting talents of all the people involved in this flick really helped this movie although it didn't not need the help at all. It had Tom Hanks,Michael Keaton,Joan Cusack, Don Rinkles, Ned Beatty and Tim Allen. A stacked cast for an animated film. Every single voice actor held their own and advanced the character and deepened the depth of the character and the story.

Lastly the short of Night and Day was really cool. It was a nice beginning to the film although not the best one Pixar had made not even the best one preceding a Toy Story film. I liked how in the end the night and day combined and they both got what they wanted with the girl etc.

Overall the best movie I have seen in 2010 in theaters. It was close to being the perfect movie but it had a few tiny flaws. This was what every film needs a layered plot along with a stacked cast and emotional depth. Nostalgia aside it was the best movie of the franchise and I really hope another one doesn't get made as I really don't see it going anywhere but this one was great.

90/100 A
-Mcclure

From Paris With Love (Pierre Morel) (2010)

From Paris With Love is John Travolta trying to recapture the base he had lost (young males) but it fails miserably. The plot was cliched and boring. Basically it was John trying to be bad ass again it was a blatant advertisement of his rebirth blah blah ( remember me I was a bad ass in Pulp Fiction).


Many of the movies "funny" moments relied on cliched stereotypes about military and post 9/11 humour which can be brilliantly funny but the writing was far too sloppy to be considered laughable. The movies plot derives from a very cliched place a person(Rhys Meyers) who has a great life, hot girlfriend etc is just dying to see some action as a "agent" oooo lala. The thing is he gets paired up with a person who shoots first and asks questions later ( Travolta). But it gets better and better because the two of them get into so many jobs and places where it would seem that escape was inevitable but they manage to pull it out with Travolta killing 12 at a time while they're surrounding him. So of course they do the most obvious thing with the plot and involve terrorism and drugs original I know. But as it turns out Rhys Meyers girlfriend is actually one of the terrorists and he most confront her. But the greatest part of this masterpiece is that guess what country the drug smuggling and plan to bomb the UN embassy? That's right Pakistan and guess where the bombs are hidden under heir burkas. An obviously blatant propaganda push as France had just placed a law banning burkas to stop fundamentalism and stop terrorism. SEE it's beautiful.

The one bright spot in this mess is the romance between Rhys Meyer's and his girlfriend in the movie but they fuck that over by making her the main terrorist who he must kill in the end and he does. The movie ends in one of the shittiest looking shots of the characters playing chess and Rhys Meyer revealing that he now carries a desert eagle and is now a lot like his thuggish partner( Travolta). There is talks of turning this abomination into a franchise I really hope not. I can normally jsut stand that are pure escapism but this one has no real value or evn re watch ability if a sequel were to arise. Man Morel is doing pretty bad with this directing thing but then agin his movies aren't my style.

4o/100
-McClure

Half Nelson(Ryan Fleck)(2006)

This movie is set in a cliche ridden movie area, inner city school with and idealistic white teacher trying to advance the children further in life. Half Nelson manages to steer clear of the cliches that plague other movies of this type through it's strong acting, believability, great shooting and strong writing.

This movie stars Ryan Gosling as an idealistic teacher who is well liked and cherished among staff and students. At night though he drugs himself with cocaine to get by. He is incredible in this movie. He is believable and truly takes on the role of Dan Dunne. He is touching and he portrays his character with so much emotional depth it is a travesty he didn't win an Oscar that year. This was one of my favorite actor performances of the last decade. The girl who plays Drey also gives a likewise performance as a girl whose parents are never there for her and a brother who is in jail for dealing narcotics, who finds comfort with a teacher who rarely finds comfort in others. She was simply mesmerizing and it truly showed. She was totally believable and real. There really was not a person out of place in this film. all the actors were believable and kept you connected to the story.

A strong central theme to this movie was how two opposing forces go up against each other. This was done incredibly well in this movie with a number of inter cut juxtapositions(Dan sex scene juxtaposed with Drey). It is also portrayed in almost every aspect of Dan's life whether it be him being an idealistic teacher while at night he is addicted to cocaine or how both the lead characters are struggling to escape from a drug filled world.

The shooting style of this film almost felt documentary like at times. It has no fancy lighting no heavily decorated sets or anything like that, just the bare bones stuff. It could not have suited this movie better. The movie tried to portray a movie that feels real and the shooting style definitely helps that. It had the raw indie feeling to it(it almost felt like a foreign film) so that really helped. It is also has a soundtrack of Broken Social Scene songs that fit the movie well but are used sparsely. This is a good trait. The lack of music and external sounds really helps portray the reality of the situations and helps you feel the emotions between the characters.

The writing of this movie to put it simply was stunning. It was real and raw and you couldn't help but feel for the characters as they struggled in everyday life in the inner city. It was subtle and did not shove a message of the school system, race or drug abuse down your throat but let let you come to your own conclusions about these topics. It also portrayed drug use in way rarely seen in movies. It did not portray drug users as so sick diseased person but like people you'd meet everyday and that's the true reality. Drug users can be anyone and that is great that this movie portrayed it in such a real and honest way.

As a last point I would love to touch on Dan's family. We see his parents both political activists in the 60's now just a couple of suburbanites who are alcoholics. We also see his brother and girlfriend. These two go on peaceful protests and the like and are in fact cardboard cut outs of a happy couple in the suburbs. The interesting part of the family is truly the parents. I feel that they are the foil to Dan's character. They have substituted political action for alcohol and have truly given up hope on politics and the future(the father mocks Dan about teaching). They were once in the middle of the action but have now detached themselves from it. This is far from how Dan is trying to teach the young inner city children about civil rights and the like.

Half Nelson manages to avoid the cliche of the inner city school children being taught to succeed and manages to paint an authentic and harrowing tale of struggle with modern, everyday life. It is acted by an incredible ensemble who are lead by Ryan Gosling, who gives the performance of his life. It was a first for director Ryan Fleck and he shows great promise in his career(I have yet to see his follow up Sugar but I hear it's fantastic. He also has a new movie coming out Sept. 2010 which looks promising so we will see.)
86/100 A
-Hutz

Revolutionary Road(Sam Mendes)(2008)

How was this movie get denied for a Best Picture nod at the Oscars? It was one of the best movies of the year if not in the last five years. This movie is shot beautifully, acted well and writing with precision and is hard hitting. I know this mellow dram is not for everyone I understand but I love it and find it a film masterpiece.

Another terrible decision for the Oscars was not even nominating Kate Winslet for this movie. This was a great acting performance. She feels so real and you can truly feel her pain and agony of being stuck in suburbia. She portrays a women who is cold and unlikable so well it is unbelievable. You also feel strongly for her husband played by the versatile Leo Dicaprio. You feel the pain of not being loved by the person who he still has extreme feelings for. The struggle he feels as he gives up his dream because he realizes that he has responsibilities and that his Wife cannot understand this. They both play so well off each other that you truly buy into the situation. They fill the situations in their suburban smear with extreme tension and hate. Kathy Bates portrays a women who has completely bought into the suburban dream. She loves things only to be the way they should be, the grass and inch long and the couples lovable. She is an incredible actress and it is no difference in this picture. The secondary character that really steals the scenes he is in is Micheal Shannon. The relatively unknown actor plays the psychotic math genius John Givens. His mannerism are perfect and he truly steals the scenes he is in as he carefully breaks apart and analyzes the couple's dream. He is simply spell binding in it and is a severely underrated actor. Many comparisons people are making are to the late Heath Ledger in his performance as the Joker. I can defiantly see it. I find that Micheal Shannon almost outshines him though. There is not an actor/actress out of place in this film and it truly shows.

This was also one of the most beautifully crafted movies of the year. The scenes in the car after the play in the first ten minutes are mind blowing. They are so dark and portray the breakdown of their marriage perfectly. The suburban house shots are shot beautifully perfectly portray the 50's suburban life. The lighting is flat out amazing. The close in shots of the couple eating breakfast after April's breakdown is simply stunning. You could cut the tension with a knife and the shot selection defiantly helps portray this.The art direction is just stunning. It's no wonder it was nominated for the Oscar. Also the sound was absolutely brilliant. There would be no music in some scenes such as the breakfast after April's meltdown and it rose the tension even more. While it some parts it had the same little sound loop playing which was perfect in it's place.

A great part about this film is also it's way that it is able to split so many different people on it. Some people believe April to be in the wrong and others Frank. This is what makes a true film great. There is not an easy answer to this question so it opens it up for multiple viewings and plenty of discussion. I find April to be in the wrong in this one though. She manipulates, and twists Frank until he nothing but a broken shell of a man. She blames him for her not becoming an actress and living and adventure filled life but truly it is no ones fault but her own. She has a complete breakdown and in the end just ends up torturing Frank until he literally is cracked and broken beyond repair. Of course Frank is not without his faults. He is unable to truly break free from the so called "American Dream" and is unable to truly live. Truly though would the situation have been fixed in Paris? No. April could just no longer stand Frank because she see him as the reason for her pitiful existence in the drab suburbs, being a housewife just like every other woman on the block. You can defiantly see where April is coming from though. Also another strong point of discussion brought up was abortion*Spoiler* was the abortion justified? I truly believe it was. The child was not conceived through love and would have grown up in a poisonous environment. The home they made is no place for a young child. It would not be loved in that household. Therefore it should not be brought into it. It truly was a noble thing that April did.

A sequence that truly did stand out for me as portray the suburbs for me was after the entire Wheeler breakdown no one wanted to talk about it. The Campell's, their best friends in the neighbourhood just wanted to forget it ever happened. After the meltdown they just find another couple and after discussing the Wheelers for two minutes Shep can stand it no longer and demands that they stop talking about them. Also when Kathy Bates' character is discussing it with her husband simply turns his hearing aid off drowning her out and us out as well.

We truly feel for the Wheeler's marriage. This is because of superbly potent and precise writing. It is truly a raw look into the "American Dream" and into a marriage that is crumbling from the top down. The characters are less just characters in a script but feel like your own family, friends or neighbours. People who truly cannot stand each other but stay together for face sake. That is where the film truly rocks you. It is almost too real. You do not want to see these characters tortured emotionally like they are but at the same time that is what makes a film great. It is an amazingly crafted view of a suburban prison and it's effects on it's inmates.

Some people are making comparisons to Sam Mendes' other film American Dream and that is fair. They both deal with suburban zombies and the effect the "American Dream" can have on you. It in no way should affect the way you see this film though. This movie as great as American Beauty is cannot hold up to this movie.

Truly a great American movie(finally) open for many viewings(also rare among American made movies.) A perfect viewing of a "perfect" marriage destructing from the inside and with it the "American Dream" crumbles behind it. This film is not for everyone as it can be hard to watch and for some may be over dramatic. I found it however to be a perfect melodramatic balance. Never relying too much on it's melodrama to grasp at your heart strings but is filled with raw, real emotions which give you an immense feeling for the characters of Revolutionary Road.

-89 A
-Hutz

Zombieland(Ruben Fleischer)(2009)

This is the second time I watched this movie and let me tell you it definitely does not get better the more times you watch it. It is movie solely made to watch once with a couple of your buddies and then play Call Of Duty and forget about it.

The movie is acted well by most of the actors. Jesse Eiseberg plays a character that is ever so popular nowadays, a young white male who is smart but cannot get laid for the life of him. He acts his part well and overall is a good actor(see him in Adventureland a far superior comedy film). Woody Harrelson is a bad ass. He plays this character type well. Even when we see him in his emotional states it is believable so good job on that. The two girls in this film are alright. Not great but not terrible either. Big ups on getting a Bill Murray guest appearance. He was great in his little cameo and the guy rules!

There of course is some flat out hilarious scenes but of course there is going to be. The thing is that there is nothing beneath the surface of this movie. It's just a laugh and see it once because you'll get all the jokes the first time through. They barely break the surface on what could have been an even funnier movie.

The writing is what I find really lackluster. There was a bit of a stab at character development but for the most part it is just a gory, action, comedy but what can you expect I guess? The running gag of the Twinkie was seriously painful. It was good for the first bit but then just turned to the worst. When he finally gets one at the end you are are not really emotionally satisfied but I guess that is because you really have no emotional attachment to his character. Also the whole girls back stabbing them and then becoming friends then back stabbing them again was just boring and cliche. Movies do not have to stick to that same boring archetype that most comedies have.

All in all it truly is not too bad. I mean it's an okay way to spend ninety minutes(more than that and it would drag). I would suggest instead though, if you are in the mood for a zombie comedy rent Shaun Of The Dead because it is better written, more clever and just an overall better film.
71/100 C+
-Hutz

Grosse Pointe Blank(George Armitage)(1997)

My first review of a movie from the ever so glorious decade that was the 1990's. This movie was extremely dry and a little absurd but in a way that worked. It stars the ever so dreamy John Cusack and the ever so dreadful Minnie Driver. It has many scenes that work and a couple that are really terrible. This is a a movie that portrays hit men in a funny way without being insanely cheesy and unwatchable.

John Cusack is dreamy. There I said it. He also is a great actor. This is probably his best role besides maybe Say Anything. He plays the role of a troubled hit man very well. His arguments with Dan Akroyd are flat out hilarious. They play so well off each other it is unbelievable. Cusack's therapy session are dry and incredibly well written. The only weak point of the acting comes from the ever so awful Minnie Driver. She could've easily ruined this movie but somehow the part she plays is small enough that it does not ruin it. She is a terrible actress and should never have gotten work ever! Dan Akrod plays a great villain. He acts like an absolute maniac when he is shooting up the house. The scene him and Cusack have in the diner is hilarious and fast paced. The line dealing with the omelet was so simple yet worked.

The writer of this movie surprisingly has no prior experience and no more pictures written to this day but it really does not show. The writing is incredibly well suited for this movie and works for all the characters. It is incredibly dry in parts and over the top in others. The characters are very well developed. The only problem I see is how the two government agents are developed and then discarded like they are nothing. Why waste our time developing them if you are just gonna toss them away like that?

Of course though this movie couldn't miss some stupid cliche ridden parts. For example the giant shoot up and explosion in the store and the guy playing video games was so oblivious to it that he could not hear it. Like come on! Do they really need something like that? I hate scenes like that. It just reeks of 1990's cliches.

Lastly the soundtrack on this movie is just killer. So many great 80's alternative bands on the soundtrack that it is worth seeing just for the amazing soundtrack.

For a genre so cliche ridden it works extremely well and manages to pull itself out of the proverbial shit that is the hit man genre. It is because of the amazing writing and the great comedic performance between the main actors. This movie delivers on what it is supposed to be, a dark yet fluffy comedy.
74/100
B
-Hutz