Elf

Elf is a modern Christmas classic from 2003, directed by Jon Favreau (who also cameos as a pediatrician).  It stars Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, Mary Steenburgen and Zooey Deschanel.

Buddy (Ferrell) is a baby in an orphanage when Santa (Asner) pays a visit.  Unbeknownst to the jolly fat man - who is apparently Jewish? - Buddy sneaks into his sack and winds up back at the North Pole.  Raised by old Papa Elf (Newhart) who never took the time to settle down before, Buddy, who was named after the diaper brand he was wearing a la Marty McFly, grows up (and up) feeling a little out of place.  It's thirty years, however, before Papa Elf breaks the news to him.  Learning he was adopted, he also learns that his biological father (Caan) never knew he existed and is a big time publisher working in the Empire State Building.  Unfortunately he is also on the naughty list.  Determined to meet him anyway and give him lots of hugs while eating sugar plums, Buddy sets out and manages to walk all the way from the North Pole to NYC before the beginning of the movie is over, in a nice little scene that pays homage to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Buddy meets his father, as well as his stepfamily (Steenburgen and Daniel Tay) who are a lot nicer than the N-listed head of the household.  He also falls for a enblonded Zooey Deschanel who plays a Gimbels' employee.

While some parts feel typical of Ferrel - such as a twelve second belch and a raccoon attack - the movie evokes an innocent feel that is seriously atypical of the crude actor.  There are some clever parts and some truly endearing scenes.  The plot is about as predictable as something very predictable and is very obvious about its morals of the story and Christmas feelgood message.  There are also a few kind of weird scenes, particularly with the Central Park Patrol, that might be a little off putting to some.

When all is said and done, however, this is a modern Christmas movie that doesn't suck, and it has indeed made it onto many a person's favorite holiday movie list.

*** (3/5 stars)

A Christmas Carol 1999

The second film version of Charles Dickens' famous novel A Christmas Carol I saw this year, this one stars the venerable Sir Patrick Stewart as Scrooge.  Stewart has plenty of experience with the role, having starred in an award winning one man stage production of the Christmas Carol multiple times.  Stewart is joined by Richard E. Grant, Ian McNeice, and more lesser known British actors in this 1999 movie made for television.

Despite being a made for TV effort, this movie excels in nearly every way.  It's biggest drawback is the occasional special effects scene that shows its age and budget in a painful way.  They are few and forgivable, however.  Patrick Stewart plays the role a little masterfully - he knows exactly what he is saying and how he wants to say it in a way that shows he knows the role inside and out.  Unfortunately sometimes that makes his performance feel a little canned, even though it is, indeed, excellent.

This version is extremely close to the source material, including little unusual details like Jacob Marley's jaw becoming unhinged for some unexplained reason that perhaps made more sense in the time it was written.  It is fascinating to realize how many lines of dialogue we know so well are exactly the same in version to version, coming from the original book.  Even the line "there is more gravy than grave about you," is there - something which I had originally thought was a clever cheesy line in the Muppets version only.

All in all, it has a very realistic, very British feel to it that is modern in its presentation but very old school at the same time, making for a very rewarding experience.

**** (4/5 stars)

The Muppet Christmas Carol

There have been dozens of adaptations of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  Wikipedia lists 134 adaptations in fact, including a Klingon stage production among other stage, radio, recorded, film, cartoon, and other versions of this classic tale.  It could very well be the most well known fictional story in the Western World.  The Muppets version has long been a favorite among all ages.

Gonzo the Great (Dave Goelz) is Charles Dickens, narrating the familiar story while accompanied by Rizzo the Rat (Steve Whitmire).  Michael Caine chills your soul as the Humbugging Mr. Scrooge.  Kermit the Frog (Steve Whitmire) is his poor clerk, Bob Cratchit who is married to Mrs. Cratchit, Miss (Mrs?). Piggy (Frank Oz).  Scrooge's nephew Fred is played by Steven Mackintosh.  Fozzie Bear (Oz) is "Fozziewig."  In perhaps the biggest departure from the original plot, Jacob Marley has a brother, Robert, and they are played by Jerry Nelson and Frank Oz, both of whom also provide voices for numerous other Muppet characters throughout, as does much of the cast.

The plot is more or less the same as any standard adaptation of this well known story, with some Muppety twists.  The real beauty of what the Muppets do is integrate with human actors without so much as an eye blink.  Singing fruit is just as commonplace in 1800's England as the cobblestone streets and where else would you get to see a singing frog join in with the penguins annual sliding contest?  This is the Muppets at their near best, full of wit and skillful story retelling.  The old story is fresh again many times over and will be enjoyed for years to come by ages of all variations.  It is not perfect and has a song or two - yes it is a musical - that drag the pace down a bit.  It is cast so perfectly though that you would think that Dickens wrote the story with a cast in mind that includes a beaker shaped person thing that doesn't talk and a brusque female pig.  If you have not yet seen this one, plan to do so next Christmas - or even before!

**** (4/5 stars)

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Based on the comic book series by Bryan Lee O'Malley and taking its name from the second in the six book series, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World is about a Canadian Slacker, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera).  Directed by Edgar Wright, the plot revolves around Scott having to defeat the seven evil exes of his new American girlfriend Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).  Kieran Culkin is Scott's sarcastic gay roommate who steals every scene he is in.  Lesser knowns Ellen Wong, Alison Pill, Mark Webber, Johnny Simmons, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, make up most of the other main characters.  Chris Evans Brandon Routh, and Jason Schwartzman also star. Clifton Collins, Jr. has a cameo as a member of the Vegan Police and Bill Hader narrates.

The whole movie plays out like a video game, using logic that only exists in such instances and includes dozens of different video game references throughout.  Not the least of which is the fact that enemies burst into piles of coins when defeated.  All of the characters seem to accept the bizarre as ordinary despite the fact that their world seems pretty realistic otherwise.  Things like pulling swords from one's chest and Vegans having super powers are just accepted without a second thought.

I have never seen a movie display such symptoms of ADD as Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.  There is always something happening and it's usually happening quickly.  Scenes flash from one to another before the previous two are even properly digested.  Stats about characters and various jokes flash onto the screen for a second or two before we move on.  It is a flashy film often distracted by itself.  Having never read the comics I cannot comment on the accuracy of the movie, but if you are interested, there is a list of changes made to the movie here.

Michael Cera has never been a favorite of mine, but when playing a character that's supposed to be a huge loser anyway, it works.  Sadly he can't ever shake off the loser persona though, so even when you should like him by the end, he still comes off as a jerk covered in a wet blanket.  Nearly every other character in the movie is more likable than he is.

I can't think of another movie that this can be compared to, and I doubt we will ever see another that comes close to the explosive display of something that this is.  I can't imagine most people over the age of thirty will enjoy this movie in the least bit.  If there is a geek inside of you or you just really like video game references, there is a lot here to keep you entertained and on your toes if you can keep up and accept the fact that it doesn't really makes sense much of the time.  Regardless, it does what it does extremely well and is unique to boot.

**** (4/5 stars)

The Fountain

The Fountain comes from the consistently twisted mind of Darren Aronofsky and stars Hugh Jackman - a pairing that is due to be revisited in The Wolverine.  Rachel Weisz also stars in this tale of life and death.

Containing three narratives, The Fountain is the story of conquistador Tomas (Jackman) and his search for the Tree of Life for Queen Isabel (Weisz) in the 16th century, scientist Tommy and his search for a cure for his wife Izzi's cancer, and Tom, a space faring man in the year 2500 who travels in a bubble containing a tree that represents his lost love as he attempts to reach a golden nebula.  Jackman and Weisz play all five of these characters.

It is never made clear which, if any or all, of these narratives are fact or fiction.  They are all clearly intertwined, but whether that is because they exist in the imagination or memories, or past of the characters is never made concretely clear.  The plot is secondary to the theme of death and life with the movie really being about that concept more than a linear story.  As is true of any Aronofsky film that I am familiar with, visuals and music play an extraordinarily large part in the film, illustrating ideas more clearly and conceptually than simple exposition would be able to.

This movie is closer to a painting or a poem than a movie.  Beautiful in parts, open to interpretation, and unclear as to what it's true meaning is.  It could have been better, I think, if at least Aronofsky's meaning was made a little clearer, but a unique experience nonetheless.

*** (3/5 stars)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 marks the first of the two movies being made out of the seventh and final book in J. K. Rowling's epic series.  While squeezing two movies out of one book might seem like a final cash grab to eek the franchise on just a bit longer, it does actually work.

Even if you have somehow never read one of the books or seen one of the movies, you probably know the basic premise.  Boy wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry while at the same time fighting the evil force of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).  The seventh book is the logical conclusion of the fight ending in a final confrontation with Voldemort.  Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Rhys Ifans, Jason Isaacs, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, and more fill out the massive cast.


The first movie covers nearly exactly two thirds of the book, leaving the final third all for the final movie.  While this might seem illogical if you haven't read the book, it makes perfect sense.  Of all the books, the seventh is the most uneven with the first part being long and drawn out with most of the action happening in the final chapters.  The extended time allotted to each part of the story allows for more character development and inclusion of interesting details than the other movies have.  It would have been interesting if all seven books were turned into two part movies but I don't think the American audience has that kind of patience and the actors would likely have aged much more than they have.  As it is, the actors all fit their characters ages pretty closely, which is a pleasant rarity in movies these days.  See Percy Jackson.


All the actors have matured and grown into their roles rather nicely, really becoming the group of magical friends they are supposed to be.  One of the biggest weaknesses this movie has is that because of the extra time allowed and details explored there are characters and relationships that are shown here for the first time or at least the first time other than some passing mention.  The average movie goer may be a bit confused by some things the characters seem to take for granted if they have not read the books and kept up with all the relationships etc.  That said, for being the near conclusion of such an expansive story, things are, for the most part, not confusing and presented in a straightforward yet interesting manner.  One of the pleasant surprises was the animated sequence that tells the story of the Deathly Hallows.


As is true with the books, this movie continues the trend of growing with it's readers/viewers, being the darkest and most serious yet.  This is fine if someone started reading them when they were 9-12 - the reading level of the first book.  Those people are now 22-25 and certainly old enough to deal with more mature themes.  Not so for the 8-10 year old who devoured the series over the summer for the first time and now wants to go see the new movie.  It is a solidly PG-13 movie.


Overall, this is a good movie that stays pretty true to the source material and manages to stay interesting despite the dry spells (no pun intended) that the book presents.


**** (4/5 stars)

The Last Airbender

Not to be confused with James Cameron's Avatar, The Last Airbender is the film adaptation of the first season of the kids' television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, from Nickelodeon.  Despite being an American children's series, Avatar: The Last Airbender has garnered attention from kids and adults alike, especially appealing to fans of Anime.  It was extremely well directed with artwork and writing well above average, excellent voice talent, and a story compelling enough to keep anyone's attention.  It is with good reason that fans of the show were nervous about M. Night Shyamalan directing the film version as his track record has, for the most part, gone steadily down hill.

The story tells of the Avatar, a reincarnated being who can control the elements of earth, wind, fire, and water.  In this case, he is a young boy, Aang (Noah Ringer), an Air Nomad, the last of his kind.  Hence the title.  Having been lost, frozen, for the past 100 years, he awakens to find the Fire Nation has declared war on the rest of the world and things are no longer well for anyone else.  With some new found friends, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone) and Katara (Nicola Peltz), a brother and sister from the Southern Water Tribe, Aang sets out to defeat the Fire Lord (Cliff Curtis).  Along the way he faces the Fire Lord's banished son Zuko (Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire, and the only actor here who acts like he cares he is in a movie) and a Fire Nation General, Zhao (Aasif Mandvi), both of whom have personal reasons for capturing the Avatar.

I went into this film knowing it was bad and still was disappointed.  I am not going to go into detail about all the changes from the source material that were made for seemingly no good reason, but there is a rather comprehensive list here to look at.  I will say this - how the **** do you pronounce half the main characters' names wrong when you can simply look at an entire television series to hear them?

If I had half stars I would add one onto the score because if you have no knowledge of the series going in to it, as a movie in and of itself it is almost passable if you have low standards.  The plot is rushed and often makes little sense, the battles - something the show was known for - are at times tedious, the actors either seem like they don't care or don't know what they are doing.  If there is something opposite of character development, this movie features it prominently.  There are really so many things wrong with it - basically the whole construction is shaky at best and the only thing that saves it at all are some decent special effects at times.  Though, from what I've heard, those are lost in some muddy cinematography if you watch it in post converted 3D as it was marketed.

For fans of the series, this movie feels like a crime against something that had so much potential to be good, and should not have been hard to make as such.  For the average movie goer, this is a forgettable/bad experience that will probably prevent them from ever giving the series the chance it deserves.

*(1/5 stars)

MacGruber

MacGruber, the film version of the SNL skit of the same name joins the ranks of such comedic icons as Coneheads and The Blues Brothers, though this SNL adaptation is not nearly as funny.  A parody of the classic 80's television show, MacGyver, the film features Will Forte as the titular hero.  SNL regulars Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph co-star and Val Kilmer is, for some reason, the villain Dieter Von Cunth, who looks oddly like Steven Seagal, and whose last name is used repeatably.

Cunth has taken possession of a very dangerous nuclear missile and the only person who can stop him from whatever nefarious plot he has up his sleeve is MacGruber who has been hiding out in remote Ecuador after faking his own death to retire.  He has a personal vendetta against Cunth though, he being responsible for the gruesome death of his bride (Rudolph) on their wedding day.  That is enough for MacGruber to come out of retirement and assemble a crack team which includes his new love interest Vicki St. Elmo (Wiig) and a bunch of other people who don't matter because MacGruber accidently blows them all up at the beginning.  Youngster Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) joins them and they are off to stop Cunth using a combination of ripping out throats and waddling around naked with stalks of celery stuck between their cheeks.

Some movies are so stupid that they are amazing.  That's a dangerous goal to shoot for, however, because if a film comes just shy of accomplishing that, all you are left with is an incredibly stupid mess of a film in which people have sex with ghosts and the greatest secret agent of all time has the intelligence of a rat fed a steady diet of LSD and Xanax while wearing a mullet wig.  With the right crowd in the right situation this movie will probably induce a decent number of laughing fits - if only by making people laugh at other people for laughing at the movie in the first place.

Even stupid humour needs some intelligence of some kind.    You know how some SNL skits don't seem to make much sense?  This is like a bunch of those thrown together, connected by a plot concocted by two ten year old boys who were inspired by a funny sounding fart.

*(1/5 stars)

Splice

Written and directed by Vincenzo Natali who is the mind behind the bizarre cult classic - and on my list of best movies you've never seen - Cube, Splice is a strange horror drama thriller starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley.  Guillermo del Toro, whose name seems to be attached to almost everything these days, produces.  Before I go any further, I must disclaim:  This is one of the most disturbing movies I have ever seen - right up there with Oldboy.  If (highlight for semi-spoiler) incestuous bestiality alien rape bothers you terribly, you can stop right now and not even bother hearing what I think of this film.  Otherwise, carry on.

Clive (Brody) and Elsa (Polley) are partners in science as well as in life, working together to combine the DNA of animals to create new species at Nucleic Exchange Research and Development labs.  Yes that does spell "NERD."  Convinced that a human-animal hybrid would revolutionize science and medicine, pushing their research to the forefront of, well, everything, the proceed to do so despite being forbidden by their superiors.  The result is Dren (Delphine Chanéac), a female creature that is part human and part other stuff.  Not content to simply observe that their theories are possible, they raise Dren together in secret, watching her grow and making startling discoveries along the way.  As she gets older things get weirder.

It has probably been brought up in most every review, but for good reason:  The third act changes this film, which is probably a bad thing.  Up until then it was an intriguing, if disturbing, examination of morality, ethics, humanity, and science with some truly unique elements.  As the conclusion draws near, it changes over to one of the strangest horror films I have ever seen and the disturbing factor goes through the proverbial roof.

This is one of the more imaginative, creative, thought provoking and different movies in a long time.  The special effects are almost top notch, as are the actors' performances.  It does have a slightly indie feel to it.  I don't recall being bored during any of it, and despite the nature of the film it felt believable throughout - if a bit far fetched at times.

There were a few things that never seemed to be properly explained or addressed, and the story itself had some uneven patches.  The shortcomings, however, are easily forgiven.  If you can get past the very distubing nature of this movie, it offers an experience you are not likely to find very often.

**** (4/5 stars)

The Karate Kid 2010

As a male who was alive in the 80's it feels almost sacrilegious that I have never seen the original The Karate Kid, but such is the case so I am not able to compare it against the 2010 remake starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan.

From what I have gathered, this movie is more of an homage to the original rather than straight remake.  The plot of struggling kid (Smith) meeting older eccentric mentor (Chan) and using martial arts as a way of achieving various levels of victory, including a tournament are all there.  Names, locations, and even the martial art itself, however, have all changed.  Personally I think that this works to the film's favor, rather than hurting it.  It allows the movie and actors to grow in their own right rather than being shadowed by and perhaps tainting their predecessors.

Dre and his mom (Taraji P. Henson) have just moved to China and as the black American kid on the block, Dre of course makes some enemies rather quickly.  It doesn't help that the girl (Wenwen Han) he hits it off with already had the attention of the jealous aggressive type (Zhenwei Wang).  Luckily he runs into Mr. Han, the maintenance guy, who just happens to be mysteriously good at Kung Fu and will teach him all he needs to know.  Predictable plot ensues.

Just because I knew where it was headed (being a remake of a culturally ingrained movie doesn't help with that) didn't I couldn't enjoy the ride.  Mini Will Smith is busy following his father's footsteps and pulls off some incredibly impressive stunts - all of which he apparently did himself.  Jackie Chan is Jackie Chan with a little less goof than usual and actually displays some genuine emotion and adds dramatic actor to his resume for perhaps the first time.  The pacing is great - it never slows down to a "get on with it" point, but isn't slamming in your face all the time either.

My one complaint would be that Jaden Smith's Dre was a little annoying and dense at times, but what twelve year old isn't?  I'm a little worried that a sequel - as there is one in the works - has no place good to go, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.


****(4/5 stars)

RED

Loosely based on the DC comic book series, RED (Retired, Extremely Dangerous), is an action comedy starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Hellen Mirren.  Mary-Louise Parker, Karl Urban, Julian McMahon, Brian Cox, and Richard Dreyfuss fill out the cast.

Frank Moses (Willis) is a retired hardcore spy who is so bored with his new life that he purposely destroys his pension checks just so he has an excuse to call Sarah (Parker) who is his representative at the pension office.  Things get unboring very quickly however, when, in one of the most spectacular displays of excessive on screen violence, a team of unknown assassins, for unknown reasons, kills his house.  You'll know what I mean when you see it.  Sarah being the only person he has frequent contact with, Frank is fearful for her life so kidnaps her for her own safety, dragging her along as he tracks down his old acquaintances for help.  The team includes his mentor Joe (Freeman), deadly sniper Victoria (Mirren), and the paranoid and slightly insane (years of LSD will do that to a person) Marvin (Malkovich).

The motley five uncover a conspiracy involving the Vice President of the United States (McMahon) and the CIA and of course work together to bring it to light and prevent them all from being killed.  Along the way they do lots of action oriented things while throwing in some witty remarks.

There are no surprises here.  What you get is what you expect - a rollicking action comedy with lots of both, staring some older favorites, and featuring enough of a coherent plot that you don't feel brain cells dying off whilst watching it.  The whole cast is in great form and there is nary a boring moment.  It's not a movie you will be talking about years to come, but there is no denying that it is a heck of a lot of fun to watch.

**** (4/5 stars)

16 Blocks

16 Blocks is probably one of Bruce Willis's more overlooked movies, despite the fact that it was relatively recent, being made in 2006.  Willis is Jack Mosley, a New York cop tired of life and with an alcohol problem.  When he is asked to escort a witness (Mos Def) to the courthouse, what seems like a simple 16 block drive turns into something a lot more complicated that takes a lot longer to accomplish than either of them thought it would.  It takes a whole movie in fact.  David Morse also stars.

Told for the most part in a very linear, real time fashion, we are treated to very little exposition or other devices that would help to clarify the plot.  Even once the story gets going and we think we understand what's going on, it's hard to keep up when our main sources of information come from Bruce Willis's grumpy old drunk, or Def's perpetually mumbling character.  It's also hard to care about what's going on when neither of the protagonists are actually likable.  That does change a bit by the very end, but by then it's too late to have cared before hand.  The protagonist, Morse's Frank Nugent, is also not that great of a villain.  His reasons for chasing the two of them down seem convoluted at best, and he's really not that interesting either.

In the end, it's the end itself that is the only saving grace of this movie.  It's not a horrible movie, but it wasn't very memorable or special in any way.

*** (3/5 stars)

Darkman

Unable to secure the rights to The Shadow or Batman, director Sam Raimi combined the two into a film that sparks of those inspirations along with Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the yet to be made Face/Off.  Coming off of the first two Evil Dead movies, it is difficult to tell whether Raimi was bringing his cheesy graphic horror sensibilities to play with a grittier character driven super hero tale or vice versa.  Either way, the result has become a cult classic, as has pretty much everything else he's done.

Liam Neeson plays Peyton, a scientist working on a revolutionary artificial skin.  When his girlfriend (Frances McDormand) stumbles across a memo she shouldn't have seen, Payton finds himself caught in the middle as the Mobster mobster Durant (Larry Drake) and his goons come looking for it.  Peyton is apparently killed in the explosion that the mobsters inflict on his lab, but miraculously survives.  Disfigured inside and out, Peyton uses his technology to exact revenge and win back the girl as the vigilante Darkman.  Colin Friels also stars and longtime Raimi friend Bruce Campbell cameos.  Darkman also features one of Danny Elfman's earlier scores.

This film certainly shows its age.  Green screen scenes are laughable and the CG is rudimentary.  The special effects overall are a combination of coming from 1990 and Sam Raimi's stylistic approach, featuring lots of double exposures, crazy flashbacks, mirrored camera work and explosions.  The character of Darkman is interesting, though Neeson portrays him in some sort of overacted style that is half appropriate and half jarring.  In many ways this is not what you would call a good movie.  The plot is ridiculous, the acting cheesy along with the special effects, and the cinematography is outdated, even for the 90's.  There is something oddly compelling about the characters and story though.

The characters all take themselves much more seriously than we do, which is, I think, something of a trademark of Raimi's.  He's come a long way since Darkman, as evidenced by the more recent Spider Man films.  Though he still likes to include Bruce Campbell.

*** (3/5 stars)

Megamind

Megamind, in theatres November 5th is Dreamworks' answer to Despicable Me.  Will Ferrell  voices the titular likable villain and Brad Pitt is Metro Man, the Superman-esque guardian of Meto City (or Metrocity, rhymes with atrocity) according to Megamind's charmingly unique diction.

Megamind and Metro Man have both grown up on Earth as rivals, having been sent away from dying world's at the same time.  Things are pretty predictable as Megamind comes up with some devious plot to kidnap the Lois Lane type - Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey) or undermine his nemesis in some other way and Metro Man saves the day with ease.  David Cross is Megamind's faithful fishbowl minion, Jonah Hill is more or less himself in the form of Hal, the lovestruck camera man boy, and Ben Stiller, who executive produces makes a cameo as Bernard, the librarian.

It's looking to be another day of trickery and Roxanne Ritchi rescuing for the two rivals until it appears that Megamind has inexplicably and unexpectedly succeeded in eliminating Metro Man from the picture.  To say more would be to ruin some of this film's fun surprises.

In some ways, this film has a lot in common with Despicable Me.  The villain is the likable star of the show, with possible redemption on the plate.  Make no mistake, however, this is it's own film in every way, satirizing the super hero / super villain genre in a rollicking funny adventure set to 80's rock.  When I first saw the casting choice of Ferrell, I was dubious.  When Will Ferrel is Will Ferrel, he is immature in a way that I don't often find funny in the least.  Thankfully, here, he is 100% Megamind, eccentric alien genius villain who occasionally has bouts of melonkalee.  Brad Pitt exudes cheesy all American hero from outer space, Tina Fey plays the female reporter in distress-but-not-really role perfectly and Jonah Hill is Jonah Hill.

Thanks to some very selective trailers (though there are some new ones surfacing that you should avoid at all costs) there are plenty of clever twists.  Not so much unforeseeable as just unexpected due to the expectations built up from what little Dreamworks has said about the movie up until now.  Even having known about some of them before hand, I still found plenty to enjoy here.

While no one has yet come close to touching Pixar, in my opinion, it is gratifying to see animated films worth seeing come out of other studios lately.  See it in 3D if you can - it adds to the fun.

***** (5/5 stars)

Hereafter

Despite the trailers - which are entirely made up of cliches by the way - this film is not the new Sixth Sense with Matt Damon.  It is, instead, three interlaced vignettes that gently converge by the end, telling the story of three people and their experiences with death and the beyond.

Cécile de France is Marie, a French television journalist (a third of this movie is in French by the way) who barely survives a tsunami, having a near - or slightly beyond near - death experience.  Marcus (Frankie McLaren) is a twelve year old British boy whose twin brother Jason (George McLaren) is suddenly killed, leaving him feeling utterly alone.  Matt Damon is George, just a guy trying to live a normal life after spending years as a successful psychic, having the gifted curse of connecting to people's passed relatives.  Jay Mohr is oddly cast as George's brother and Richard Kind appears as well.

Director Clint Eastwood tries to weave a thought provoking, introspective drama about dealing with death and what happens afterward that is marketed as an action packed paranormal party.  If ever there was an example of deceptive marketing, this is it.  There is nothing in the trailers to give you any clue that Matt Damon is on screen for less than a third of the movie and there are other characters just as important, and possibly more interesting.  Other than the gut wrenching opening, there is also very little action here.  This would be forgivable if the viewer is being happily tricked into seeing something much better than what they expected, but alas, this is not so. 

Hereafter is more or less a solid film that plays very flat.  It's like a straight stone hallway with four walls.  You can see the ends quite clearly and there isn't anything in between.  It is a nice walk though, and there are some interesting pictures hanging on the walls to look at along the way.

There are sure to be a few people that adore this film, and I could probably concede to a good argument on it's merit, but it was much less than promised and not even as much as it should have been.

*** (3/5 stars)

Date Night

Steve Carell and Tina Fey are Phil and Claire Foster, an average couple who never has time for anything particularly exciting in their lives any more.  In this movie, something "exciting" happens.

After learning that their friends, played by Mark Ruffalo and Kristen Wiig, are getting a divorce, Phil and Claire try to spice up their own life in various ways, culminating with leaving their children with the sitter at their New Jersey home and venture into Manhattan to have dinner at an exclusive restaurant.  When they're denied a seat because they didn't have a reservation, Phil claims to be the Tripplehorns (later to be seen as James Franco and Mila Kunis), a couple who has not shown up. Things are working out fine until a couple of thugs (Common and Jimmi Simpson) show up looking for the Tripplehorns, thus launching a mistaken identity night of car chases and Mark Wahlberg's abs.  Ray Liotta, will.i.am, and Olivia Munn also appear.

This movie would have been a lot better if Phil and Claire from Modern Family had replaced Carell and Fey.  As funny as the two of them can be, I didn't see them as anything but Steve Carell and Tina Fey - their characters never came through and it felt more like an extended SNL skit with a big budget.  Half the jokes revolve around people being appalled that the couple took someone else's reservation and not being concerned about the fact that the mob and crooked cops are chasing a couple around the city.  The other half of the jokes were already in the trailers.

There were a couple chuckles here and there, but a comedy needs more than a couple of laughs.  It seems like the actors were having a lot of fun - off screen.  I get the feeling that there were a lot of inside jokes and out takes that made what they were doing and saying seem a lot funnier at the time, but none of that made it into the final cut.

Date Night is not funny and borders on tedious - sad to say.

** (2/5 stars)

Animal Crackers

Adapted from an earlier broadway musical by the same name, Animal Crackers, from 1930 is one of the many comedies filmed by the Marx Brothers.  The film stars the four of them - Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx, as well as Lillian Roth and Margaret Dumont.

Groucho is Captain Spalding, returned from an African exploration, and entertains Mrs. Rittenhouse (Dumont) at a party with such classics as "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know."  Zeppo is Spalding's assistant, Horatio Jamison.  Chico is Signor Emanuel Ravelli, who is apparently in charge of the music at the party, along with The Professor (Harpo).  Lillian Roth plays Mrs. Rittenhouse's niece.

The plot, as much as there is one, revolves around a valuable painting being unveiled at the party and various people stealing/swapping the painting for various reasons that don't always make sense.

I seem to remember the Marx brothers being funnier than this movie was.  Maybe it's just this particular movie, but most of Animal Crackers was just not funny.  It suffers from scenes going on for far too long, something which many comedies of the time seemed to.  I don't know if we just don't have the same attention span anymore or if comedic timing has just evolved successfully, or perhaps a bit of both.  I'm sure many of the jokes were much funnier for people alive in the 20's, but if you're not a history buff, they probably won't do it for ya.

The Marx Brothers had some smarter humour than, say, the Three Stooges, but that is their downfall as it dates them terribly.

**(2/5 stars)

Let the Right One In

Let The Right One In is a Swedish vampire film based on the novel of the same name by John Ajvide Lindqvist and is currently in American theatres in the form of the remake Let Me In which stars Chloë Moretz.

Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a twelve year old boy who is something of a nobody.  He is bullied at school constantly.  He fantasizes about standing up to those who push him around, but can't actually do anything when it comes down to it.  He meets a girl,  Eli (Lina Leandersson), who is apparently his age and also lives in his building.  A unique friendship and young romance begins to form.  Oskar has no idea how unique it is going to  be, however, until he realizes that his new friend is a vampire who needs to kill for human blood in order to survive.

Let The Right One In has enjoyed an incredibly positive critical reception, as evidenced by the fact it had a limited US release and was quickly optioned for an American remake.  Visually, this is a beautifully created film, utilizing a lot of geometric scenery and snowy settings that enhance the off balance melancholic mood.  Unlike many vampire stories, especially as of late, this is a very realistic representation of the mythical beings.  The supernatural/magical qualities of the vampires are seriously underplayed with the focus on the fact that here is a being who just wants to live, and can't unless she continually takes other lives.  There is a disturbing blend of innocence and the macabre between Oskar and Eli and the other kids at school.

There is a mostly consistent feeling and pace throughout the whole thing that keeps it believable and the viewer attached.  There was one scene, the one with the cats, that almost worked wonderfully, but didn't quite succeed because of the lower quality of the effects.  Instead of being super disturbing it was a little distracting and just a lot disturbing. 

The two kids are amazing as they capture the young nature of their characters in a mature fashion beyond what most their age could.  In the same way it takes a genius to really successfully portray a fool, usually it takes an older person to really pull off a younger character.  The actors here are the age of their roles, adding so much realism, believability, and genuineness.

Some foreign films feel a lot like a Hollywood flick, with perhaps the language giving it away.  This is not one of them.  There is that edge to it that says "I'm not from around here," and that works to the film's advantage from the point of view of an American audience.  It will be interesting to see if that feeling can be replicated in the remake.

I'm not a fan of vampires, which does taint my view of this film, but I hope it also adds credence to how good this movie really is that I enjoyed it as much as I did, despite the subject matter.

**** (4/5 stars)

Starship Troopers

Starship Troopers is something of a cult classic, very loosely adapted from the 1959 novel.  In a controversial militaristic world that could be interpreted as satirical, a group of high school graduates enlist in the military to join the fight against a barrage of alien bugs.  Doing so ensures their place as citizens.

Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) follows his girlfriend Carmen (Denise Richards) into the military, along with their psychic friend Carl (Neil Patrick Harris) and end up as an infantryman, pilot, and secret service operative, respectively.  As they start their new lives, each goes their separate ways.  Johnny ends up with Dizzy (Dina Meyer), and old classmate who is in love with him and is at the mercy of Sgt. Zim (Clancy Brown) who drills like no other.  Carmen falls in love with flying while working with Johnny's old rival Zander (Patrick Muldoon).  Carl disappears into the secrecy of his position.  Their paths are sure to cross again.  Michael Ironside and Jake Busey also appear.

The special effects are top notch for 1997 and still watchable today.  The acting is nothing special by any count.  The story is surprisingly bland for everything it has to work with.  The thing I found hardest to figure out was what audience this was made for.  There are gruesome deaths, explicit nudity, and a bit of language.  It apparently only narrowly avoided an NC-17 rating, yet it lacks the gritty realism of an adult action movie.  It also doesn't have the humour of a teen flick.  It's hard to tell if it is taking itself seriously or not, and how much is supposed to be satire.  There are some seemingly obviously satirical parts, such as how their uniforms (especially Harris's) resemble those of German Nazis, but there is never that moment when consequences of this way of life are shown in a way that says, yes, this is satire.  There are, in fact, no negative consequences of kill first, never ask questions, other than some friends getting lost along the way, but such is life.

Overall, it is watchable and not disenjoyalble.  There are some interesting parts, but is mostly offbeat in a way that it probably should not be.

*** (3/5 stars)

It's Kind of a Funny Story

It's Kind of a Funny Story is based on Ned Vizzini's 2006 novel of the same name.  Craig (relative new comer Keir Gilchrist) is 16 and depressed.  His parents (Lauren Graham and Jim Gaffigan) want him to excel and the stress from that, along with everything else in a 16 year old's life leads him to a point where he starts thinking suicide.  Seeking a quick fix, and not really wanting to end it all, he checks himself into a psychiatric ward looking for help.  What he finds are some really unique people including Bob (Zach Galifianakis) who is a longtime patient, and Noelle (Emma Roberts) who's teenage depression is a bit worse than his own.  Zoë Kravitz, Aasif Mandvi, and Jeremy Davies add to the cast.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, but I didn't think it would end up being such a heartfelt tale with a delightful sense of humour.  Having been severely disappointed by The Hangover, though I am apparently in the minority on that one, I didn't have much reason to think I would enjoy seeing ZG (as I hope he will become known as very soon and save some pronunciation and typing difficulties) again.  Surprisingly I found him to an extremely likable, believable character that had real heart and a wit sharpened with an unusually shaped blade.  He pretty much stole every scene he was in.

Gilchrist played the introspective indie character role well, not drifting into the somewhat annoying loser territory perpetually inhabited by Michael Cera.  His narration felt genuine and his fantasies were enjoyable.  This is Scrubs, if Scrubs took place in a mental hospital with younger characters and a little bit more seriousness.

I wish Roberts' character was more developed.  She really was important, yet lacked a bit of depth that the other two main players were given.  Nothing against her performance, it seems to be more of a writing thing.  I know this is not her story, but for how important she becomes, not much is said about her.

The supporting cast all does a great job, though I'm not sure why Davie's had the part he did.  I have a feeling it might have been a bigger role that ended up on the cutting room floor.

I really enjoyed this movie, much more than I expected.  I've heard some talk about how it is a bad representation of depression, but I found it to be a positive look at one.  At the same time, it expresses how our problems are not as big as we think - it's all about perspective, while allowing that just because someone "shouldn't" be depressed, it can still become a serious burden.  This movie is probably going to be overlooked by many movie goers and critics, but it shouldn't be.

**** (4/5 stars)

Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

As the title so blatantly tells it, Precious is based on the novel Push by Sapphire.  From the summaries, the movie seems to follow the novel very closely, though apparently did leave out a few aspects of the story near the end.

Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is Claireece "Precious" Jones, a 16 year old black girl living in Harlem with her vocally and physically abusive mother (an award winning Mo'Nique) who only keeps Precious around for the welfare money.  Pregnant with her second child, both times the product of her father (Rodney 'Bear' Jackson) raping her, she finds herself kicked out of school, her only other option being Each One Teach One, an alternative school where she meets her teacher Blu Rain (Paula Patton) who is the first person she's ever known who actually seems to care about her.  Sapphire, Lenny Kravitz, and Mariah Carey appear as well.

Precious is not based on a true story but it still rings true as I'm sure there are more than one Precious out there.  It may be a work of fiction but its base in reality is what makes this film really work.  It employs multiple cinematographic techniques that are not usually seen together.  On one hand it is filmed docu-style.  Not quite Cloverfield, but the hand-held work is similar to something like Modern Family or The Office.  There are certain stylized shots in slow motion though, there are flashbacks as well as daydreams that are far flung from reality.  It's rather bizarre when you think about it, yet makes sense.  Life is not so straightforward as a documentary.  It has parts that feel like they're going at different speeds than others, and people drift into their imaginations all the time.  The unrealistic aspects actually make this a more realistic experience.

The acting, no surprise given the attention that has been brought to it, is admirable.  The performances given by Sidibe and Mo'Nique are raw, cutting, and powerful.  These are not actors, they are these people.  The chillingly emotional scenes and harsh language define their lives and are enough to make even the least compassionate person wish they could at least do something for these people whose lives seem like an impassable thing.

I'm not sure what was missing from the end, but it felt slightly unfulfilled.  Other than that, superb.

**** (4/5 stars)

Porco Rosso

Porco Rosso was the only Miyazaki film I had not yet seen and is probably the most different from all his other tales.

Porco (Michael Keaton), originally Italian ace pilot Marco, is a bounty hunter in the Adriatic Sea in 1929.  Through events that are never definitively explained, Marco has been transformed into a pig, leaving Marco behind and becoming Porco Rosso (The Red Pig).  In a world where sea planes rule, he protects others from air/sea pirates including the Mamma Aiuto Gang whose boss is voiced by Brad Garrett.  Even though they are rivals, there is a certain understanding between Porco and the pirates that allows them to co-exist.  Some of the pirates tire of this, however, and contract American flying ace Curtis (a southern accented Cary Elwes) to shoot him down.

There's also a love interest, Madame Gina (Broadway star Susan Egan), and a young mechanic girl named Fio (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) who is mature beyond her years.

Despite starring a flying pig, this could pretty much be classified as historical fiction.  There's commentary on Italian fascism and flashbacks to WWI.  It is easily one of Miyazaki's most realistic films despite Porco's condition.  In some ways, this works, but at the same time it means that there's a certain magic that usually embodies a Miyazaki film that is just not here.  Magic, literallys, is present, obviously, but the charm of his other tales isn't.

It is a very interesting and different anime, but it's just not all that great.  It is an odd mashup, sometimes feeling like an old Popeye cartoon, at others, like a hardboiled detective film melded with a war flick.  It does gel, but what it gels into I can't be sure.  I can't quite put my finger on what made this less enjoyable.  It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't recommend it over any of his other movies.


*** (3/5 stars)

From Paris with Love

From Paris with Love, (not to be confused with Paris je t'aime, the collection of short films) is a 2010 action film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers  as a diplomatic assistant in France and part time CIA lackey who finally gets a taste of field action when he's asked to pick up the slightly off kilter agent Wax (a bald John Travolta).

From Paris with Love tries to be a comedic action spy thriller with political intrigue and liberal drug use.  Sure, it's got all those elements, but too many ingredients makes this pot of stew messy.  There a number of great lines or funny moments, but they get lost in a plot that is too often boring, confusing, or just pointless.  John Travolta's character is easily the best part of the movie and I wouldn't mind seeing a spin off just focusing on him and his non-kosher way of getting things done.

None of the other characters are memorable in any way, being pretty much generic, one dimensional bit parts, despite the fact that most of them have multiple facets.  How that was accomplished is beyond me.  I'm wracking my brain for anything else to say about this film but despite having seen it just a few days ago, it's already pretty much slipped my mind, which says more than I could write.

There's nothing horribly wrong about this movie, but it is completely and utterly forgettable in every way.  There were maybe four scenes worth seeing and half of them were already over emphasized in the trailers. 

Fans of Travolta, see it.  Everyone else, see it if you really have nothing better to do.  Like watching a better movie.

** (2/5 stars)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is based on the first book in Rick Riordan's currently popular series which brings Greek mythology to life in modern times.

Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is a 16 or 17 year old (though he and the other characters are all around 12 in the book) who struggles in school due to dyslexia and ADHD.  It's not long, however, before he finds out that these are only symptoms of the fact that he is indeed half god.  Too bad he finds out because he's suspected of stealing Zeus's master bolt and had lots of scary creatures suddenly trying to kill him.  Good thing he has his wheel chair bound teacher Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan) and crippled best friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) who just happen to be Chiron the centaur and a satyr assigned to be his (junior) protector in disguise.  Anyone see a theme of looking at disabilities in a positive light here?

As the first half of the book flashes by in the blink of any eye we find Percy at Camp Half Blood, frenemies with Athena's Daughter Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) and off on a quest to save his mother who is being held by Hades (Steve Coogan) accompanied by Grover and Annabeth with the help of Herme's son Luke (Jake Abel).  This and more happens in about the first 15 minutes and I haven't even talked about the exposition scene with Zeus (Sean Bean) and Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), his mother's (Catherine Keener) death, his step father's (Joe Pantoliano) disgustingness, the minotaur, the fury, the car chase, sword fights, capture the flag and Percy's revelation of his heritage and powers.  The book dragged these things out excruciatingly, keeping the extremely obvious a secret with blatant hints that made you scream "I get it already!" but the movie blazes through all set up so fast that any scene that could have developed any character at all or given any sort of logic to the proceedings is lost.

It's a hard to figure out how such an all star cast, which also includes Uma Thurman as Medusa and Rosario Dawson as Persephone, got involved in such a stinker.  I can only imagine that "Harry Potter" was thrown around a lot.  As in, "this is the next Harry Potter," and " Chris Columbus directed a Harry Potter movie too!"  I was not that impressed with the book, though I thought the ideas had promise.  The movie ignored much of the book, but not in a good way.  It changed things that mattered as well as random other things for seemingly no reason.  Entire parts of the quest are cut out and a new scene involving the Parthenon is added in.  I assume the writers didn't want to waste a perfectly good free set in Nashville.  I realize that the characters have been aged a bit to make it seem like less of a kid movie, but even if they are a bit older than their 12 year old literature counterparts, does casting a 26 year old in the role make any sense?  All of the actors are way older than their characters.  There is just about zero character development, and the acting from even experienced players is like mushy cardboard.

One thing that I was impressed with was the sword play.  Too bad Percy was supposed to suck at using a sword instead of being instantly awesome with no training whatsoever.


There is one demographic that will enjoy this movie.  Very young children who like fantasy action, could care less about the plot, and have not read the book.  This joins the likes of Eragon and City of Ember as one of the worst book to movie adaptations ever.


*(1/5 stars)

Brothers

Based on the Danish film Brødre and borrowing from Homer's Odyssey, Brothers stars  Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal as very believable brothers Sam and Tommy.  Sam is the all American war hero while Tommy is the black sheep screw up of the family.

The story opens with Tommy being released from prison just as Sam is leaving to return to Afghanistan as a captain in the Marines.  When the news comes that Sam is missing in action and presumed dead, his wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and children (Bailee Madison and Taylor Grace Geare) are devastated.  Finding new purpose and redemption, Tommy steps up to support the grieving family who quickly rely on his new strength.  Things get complicated when Sam is not dead.

The film has a small budget indie vibe to it with that slice of life flavor.  The actors all do a tremendous job.  Gyllenhaal fills out his character quite nicely, growing with Tommy in a very believable way.  Maguire follows in the footsteps of Elijah Wood, making the transition from diminutive hero to massively messed up dude ala The Lord of the Rings to Sin City.  Portman continues to show she excels in anything not involving George Lucas.

It's not the first time a movie has explored the cost of war from this - the returning soldiers and their families - angle, but it does it well.  It's a little slow at times and the trailers resulted in it being a bit predictable since many of the plot points have already been given away.  Having been done before, a little slow and predictable prevent this film from really shining in a way that is worthy of the performances given.  Granted, it's a little hard to take Peter Parker seriously in this kind of role, but that's my problem.

The drama here both tries to replace and overpowers the substance making this an average film with above average performances.  To sum up - award worthy acting, mildly forgettable screenplay, decent drama.

*** (3/5 stars)

Hot Tub Time Machine

When this movie was hailed as this year's The Hangover, I did not see that as a good thing.  Much to my surprise, Hot Tub Time Machine proved to be much funnier and infinitely more intelligent than the former.  Not that it's a smart people movie, but really, with a name like Hot Tub Time Machine the bar is not set all that high.

Unexpectedly starring John Cusack along with Clark Duke, Craig Robinson, and Rob Corddry, it also features Chevy Chase, Crispin Glover, and The Middle's Charlie McDermott.

Lou (Corddry) has a sucky life and tries (for what is apparently not the first time) to commit suicide.  In a bid to cheer him up, his old friends Adam (Cusack) and Nick (Webber), along with Adam's nephew Jacob (Duke), (all of whose lives suck also) show up to take him on a road trip to Kodiak Valley Ski Resort where they had some of their best times as kids.  Thing is, Kodiak Valley isn't the hopping place it used to be.  It's ok though because after a night of drunken partying in a mysterious hot tub, mixed in with a strange and illegal energy drink, the group finds them whisked back to the 80's, at the height of Kodiak Valley's party days, and - as far as anyone else can tell - in their younger bodies.  A squirrel is somehow involved.

Events play out more or less predictably as the butterfly effect is discussed and the four friends try to decide between making sure they don't destroy history and changing their futures for the better.  Jacob is especially concerned about these things, seeing as he isn't even born yet at this point in history.

There are some genuinely funny moments, not the least of which being any scene involving Phil the bellhop (Glover).  Admittedly, pretty much any movie involving time travel already has my interest, but Hot Tub Time Machine is actually pretty decent.  There is actually a plot and there even seems to have been some thought put into it.  It's rather clever (in a somewhat juvenile fashion) at times, and is not quite as raunchy as the title might suggest - though still certainly deserving of it's R rating. 

If you like time travel and don't mind some dirty humour, Hot Tub Time Machine is worth a few hearty chuckles.

*** (3/5 stars)