thirdi

I had low expectations going into "Captivity" mainly due to the negative reviews and comments I'd read. However, I didn't expect it to be as bad as it is. It's kind of amazing to me that this film was made by the same director who did "The Killing Fields" and "The Mission", both fine movies. It's amazing because this is obviously someone with a lot of film-making experience and "Captivity" just ends up feeling and looking like a bad, amateurish attempt to cash in on the "Saw" torture craze which is so popular currently in Hollywood. There's nothing wrong with jumping on the torture-porn bandwagon, in and of itself, had it actually been a good movie. But it wasn't, and that's the problem.

Plot twists are seen a mile away and there are no genuine scares really, just a few squirm-in-your-seat torture scenes which ultimately aren't all that memorable. Elisha Cuthbert did a good job given what she had to work with. I think she's actually an underrated actress and of course she's very nice to look at. But I doubt this will be high on her resume as she continues to try and build a career.

It's pretty rare for me to find zero point in a film because I'm usually pretty easy to please with movies, but "Captivity" is about as pointless as it gets, and if it lingers in your mind at all afterwards it's only because you'll be thinking about how poor of an effort it was. If you want to find a much better torture-horror film from recent years that flew under the radar check out "Wolf Creek", it's much more artfully done and actually has some subtext underneath the screams and gore.

I am a huge fan of Michael Mann movies in general. I thought "Collateral", "The Insider" and earlier films like "Last of the Mohicans" were fantastic. And his crime opus "Heat" is an absolute masterpiece. So when I heard Mann was revisiting Miami Vice, with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx no less, I figured it was sure to be a home run. No such luck.

While the movie has a bit of edge-of-your-seat drama, and a few good action scenes, overall I felt this was an unfocused misfire from Mann. There seems to be little or no chemistry between Farrell and Foxx, and even less between other characters. Gong Li was miscast in my humble opinion, and Justin Theroux (a great actor) goes virtually unused. John Ortiz is one of the few high points, giving a truly creepy and menacing performance.

I could get into a detailed analysis of the plot, style, acting and so forth but that's been done to death in these comments. The bottom line is the movie is basically all story, and no character. Which sometimes can be okay, but not when the story is a generic "let's go undercover and bust a drug cartel" plot. When you're dealing with a general idea that's been done a million times, you need characters to make it rise above. Unfortunately Michael Mann wasn't able to accomplish that with Miami Vice.

About a boy kind of flew under the radar for me as I'm sure it did for many others. I finally got around to seeing it recently on DVD and I can say with much certainty that it's one of the best comedies I've seen in a long time. I guess I was expecting a typical sort of Hugh Grant romantic comedy, but it's nothing like that at all. I found it very similar in tone to movies like Rushmore and even American Beauty, but with a lot more laughs than either of those dramedies.

I've never felt too strongly one way or another about Hugh Grant, but he is spot-on perfect in this film as a rich bachelor who lives off his father's money and doesn't have a care in the world. He prides himself on living a life of luxury and comfort, and avoiding complicated relationships. Cleary one of his best performances, Grant's interpretation of Will is shallow and cynical but layered with potential. By chance, he enters the life of a depressed single mother (Toni Collette) and her 12 year old son (Nicholas Hoult) who is in desperate need of some type of a male role model. There's a lot going on and several different sub-plots but essentially events unfold that further entangle Will into these people's lives. And ultimately he must decide if he is going to withdraw to his posh apartment and stay disconnected from people, or face the music and accept that truly no man is an island.

Nicholas Hoult also gives a very strong performance for a first time actor. This is one of those films where every actor seems to be the ideal choice for the character they play, right down to the smallest roles. The moments of hilarious comedy are nicely balanced with a serious, at times melancholy, story. I'm sure there are some deep lessons here about how families can be created in all kinds of different circumstances, and are not always defined by bloodlines alone. Or about maturity, growing up, and finding meaning in life. All of that is probably true, but at the end of the day About a Boy is just a very enjoyable, funny movie that is well worth an hour and a half. An awesome soundtrack too makes this a must see film.