The MAX POWER System

Thumbs and stars have been overdone, so here on Arabian Monkey we use a scale using bananas (what did you expect?)  Here’s a breakdown of the rating system:

• 0 bananas- This is a classification only allotted for the worst possible movies.  Do not under any circumstances waste your time or money on any movies with this rating.
• 1 banana- Poor.  This movie isn’t worth watching unless it’s 1 a.m. and you can’t sleep…and even then, sleeping pills may be a better option (then again this movie may bring about the same effects).
• 2 bananas- This movie has it’s spots, but nothing spectacular.  Average.
• 3 bananas- Take some time out of your day and grab a bucket of popcorn.  This is a quality flick for you and some friends to enjoy.
• 4 bananas- A must-see movie.  Drop what you’re doing and clear your schedule, you have a movie to watch.

Some movies just can’t be defined on this scale, so you’ll find at times that I’ll give a movie a half banana when it fits in between two parts of the scale.

 

 

New in Theatres: “The Nanny Diaries” Runtime: 1h46m Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama/Comedy

            Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus’ top selling novel, “The Nanny Diaries,” hit the silver screen this week.  The film, like the book, is aimed at women of all ages, though it may peak some male interest with the young Scarlett Johansson taking the lead role.  Don’t be fooled though, this is a chick flick through and through.
            "The Nanny Diaries" follows the story of Annie Braddock (played by Johansson) a recent college graduate with no direction, and no idea of who she is.  In a twist of fate Annie is offered a job as a nanny for a well-to-do upper Manhattan family’s son Grayer (played by Nicholas Art).  Though she has little desire to be a nanny for the rest of her life, Annie decides it could be the perfect opportunity for her to pass time as she “finds herself.”  But watching Grayer turns out to be a handful, leaving little time to “find herself.” Any extra time she may have expected is filled by her employer Mrs. X (played by Laura Linney) who fills the rest of her time with errands and favors despite her status as a stay at home mom, leaving Annie little time to catch a breath, let alone do some much needed soul searching.
            Unfortunately the acting in this film is about as depressing as the plot.  Scarlett Johansson is a sexy young starlet with huge potential, who gives a believable performance but it won’t exactly blow anyone away.  Laura Linney, however, turns in an awful performance as Mrs. X.  When she finds time to stop overacting, her true abilities are overshadowed by a poorly developed stereotypical character.  The fairly fresh face of Nicholas Art works well with the movie.  Art is young, so there is no telling where his career is heading, but you can see a potential.  Paul Giamatti on the other hand makes several brief appearances as Mr. X, and it’s clear to see that after winning his Oscar this year he decided to phone in a few performances.   Several people did chip in with average to good performances such as Donna Murphy and Alicia Keys, but not enough to register the overall acting in this movie as average or good.
            The movie itself has a decent message.  It sends a reality check to all those parents out there that are too rich, or too busy to spend time with their children, but it was lost somewhere in the poor script writing and bad acting.  While I can’t claim to have read the book, I’m sure after watching this film that it does little to live up to what made it a best seller.

Rating: 1 ½ bananas

 

On the Rack: “The Ex” (Fast Track) Runtime: 1h29m Rating: PG-13

Genre: Romance/Comedy

            An awkwardly funny comedy hit the shelves in a local rental store near you this month; it’s title “The Ex.”  Originally dubbed “Fast Track,” this movie from USA is filled with plenty of treats.  TV junkies will get a kick out of this movie, as most of the stars are popular sitcom vets.  Zach Braff, Amanda Peet, and Jason Bateman all show up just to name a few, but more important than who they are is the fact that they’ll make you laugh.
            Zach Braff stars in this romantic comedy as Tom Reilly, an all-around slacker, more specifically, a recently out of work slacker bouncing around from job to job.  Better yet, Tom’s wife, Sofia (Amanda Peet), just gave birth to their first son.  Strapped for cash with nowhere else to turn, the Reilly’s look to Sofia’s Dad to work at an ad agency.  It’s at this ad agency that Tom meets his mentor, and soon to be rival, Chip Sanders (Jason Bateman).  Overtime Tom realizes Chip isn’t the nice guy everyone thinks he is; in fact, Chip’s trying to steal his wife.  But with Chip’s loving personality hilarity ensues as Tom sets out to prove Chip is truly a sociopath.
             The acting in this film is superb for one reason: Jason Bateman.  Bateman, playing the role of a handicapped ad agency employee, shines and makes everyone around him better.  While Zach Braff is the lead in this movie, it’s Bateman that steals the show both with his comedic tendencies and his presence.  Both Braff and Peet struggle towards the beginning of this movie to carry the load alone, but once the jokes start flying and Bateman gets involved it’s smooth sailing from there. 
            That’s not to say the rest of the cast doesn’t do their part.  I was happy to see Zach Braff doing something outside of TV that wasn’t artsy, while his role may not have been as good as his past movies for once it was full of laughs instead of his usual stiffness we’ve seen in his earlier projects.  Amanda Peet plays the part of a new mother trying to adapt well to a new city and a new lifestyle, and while her character doesn’t get as much development as either Braff or Bateman, she plays her part nicely.  Both Donal Logue (Grounded for Life) and Amy Poehler (SNL and Blades of Glory) turned in small but funny parts as well.  Overall, despite being a group of popular TV veterans their talent as a whole transferred to the movie quite well.
            The movie itself warrants a look to anyone looking for a good laugh.  It’s not exactly the smartest comedy; you get a majority of laughs from typical thoughtless comedy like people falling, getting hit, awkward situations, etc.  If you’re not into physical comedy, this movie won’t cut it for you.  It also lacks something towards the beginning of the movie, but if you hold out the second half of the movie will repay you.

Rating: 2 ½ bananas

 

From the Vault: “Adaptation” Runtime: 1h54m Rating: R

Genre: Comedy/Drama

            This is quite possibly one of the best movies in the past decade you’ve never heard of.  Adaptation is clever, funny, and most of all exhibits some of the best acting of any movie in several years.  Critics have raved about this film, and have been quick to rank it among the top screenplays of all-time.  Despite it’s rave among critics, it seems this movie is largely unknown, truly a shame for such a wonderful film.
            Hollywood screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Nicholas Cage) is trying to adapt a New York best-selling book, “The Orchard Thief,” into his latest screenplay.  In the process he writes himself into the script along with it’s main characters: John Laroche (Chris Cooper) and New Yorker journalist Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep).  As the story progresses, several storylines converge with Charlie, Laroche, Susan, and Charlie’s twin brother Donald (also played by Nicholas Cage) all crossing paths.
            Without a doubt this movie exhibits some of the greatest acting of any movie ever made.  Nicholas Cage gives everything he has into his character, Charlie Kaufman.  What emerges is a brilliant, neurotic writer who can’t help but second-guess himself.  As if Cage wasn’t successful enough with his portrayal of Charlie, he also gives a brilliant performance as Donald.  Despite Cage, Chris Cooper may give the best portrayal of any character in this film.  For his work as the orchid thief John Laroche, he won both an academy award and a golden globe.  Streep also grabbed a golden globe for her part in the movie, as a journalist that’s gotten deeper into her story than she ever imagined.
            For those of you who haven’t seen this movie I recommend you find a copy as soon as you can.  For those who have seen this, watch it again- it’s that good.  It’s an instant classic that won’t go away any time soon.  Personally it makes my list of top 15 movies of all time, but that is for another article, another time…

Rating: 4 bananas

 

 

Check out our sponsored links!