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)