I must warn anyone about to watch this movie: It is not the cute light movie the trailer or the cover make it out to be, nor is it adorable and funny like Zack Braff’s last movie. This movie is more of a drama than a coming of age comedy. In fact, there is more depressing screaming in this movie than there are in most movies not involving war or some sort of national tragedy. The fact of the matter is this movie is about what happens to people as they hit 30 and realize they have nothing left in life that excites them or surprises them. Braff is formidable as a leading man except he is such a snobby elitist that it makes it sometimes hard to feel sympathy for him. In fact, he really is the villain in this movie. Whereas Rachel Bilson, containing her “The OC” tendencies, comes off absolutely adorable and sympathetic as her character gets played by Braff.
There are other people in the movie but frankly they are nameless faceless characters for the screenwriter to make miserable. See, the item that most attracted me to this film was the fact that Paul Haggis wrote it. For you non movie dorks, Paul Haggis is the brilliant writer of Crash, Million dollar baby and the new Bond Movie. I was interested to see how he handled something less traumatic and after watching it, I found out it was actually a remake of 2001 Spanish film, so the idea wasn’t really his, but man does he put some pure venom in the words. There are a few arguments in this thing that just leap off the screen! I guess I could get around to discussing the plot. Braff has the perfect life- a gorgeous pregnant girlfriend, a great job and still has his best friends from childhood. I know, it sucks, right! Poor Poor, little Zach “My taste in music is better than yours” Braff. The girlfriend is played by former The Real World star, Jacinda Barrett and she has managed to turn herself into a fine actress. I mean she doesn’t get to do much but worry and second guess everything, but it works. Rachel Bilson plays the free spirited, temptress preying on Braff’s unhappiness but in the end she is the only character I actually felt bad for. The other plots involve Casey Affleck realizing he is miserable in his marriage, Eric Christian Olsen having semi graphic R-rated sex with some incredibly hot girl before realizing she wants a relationship and the dullest story involves Tom Wilkinson and Blythe Danner as a couple having been married for 30 something years and still trying to figure it out.
It isn’t easy to really like this movie except that I kind of did because of how real the writing felt and much of directing was well done. It is hard to sit through a movie when you kind of despise every character for one reason or another, but at the same time you can’t help but wish you had 4 friends you were that close to. Braff will probably amount to be a bigger star than he deserves, but because he walks around with this kind of cocky, goofy thing, I can forgive it. This movie was the first time I had seen him do much of anything other than smile and say something supercilious. I may be speaking in hyperbole but I haven’t seen enough of Scrubs to know if he does anything interesting on that show. Bilson looks incredibly hot even if she is playing a pretty typical college movie girl and she definitely would have had me choosing her!
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
The Holiday
On average I see 2 or 3 romantic comedies every year and usually I find them to be cute for about 40 minutes and eventually just go overkill on the sweet and like over syrupy pancakes, I have no use for them. So I went into this movie with no real delight. Add to the fact that I hate Jack Black, Cameron Diaz and often Jude Law, I have no idea what got into me when I decided to join a friend for this movie. Nevertheless, I fully enjoyed the movie and even gained some respect for Jack Black in the process. The Movie stars the brilliant Kate Winslet as a woman fed up in love (rightfully so as well) and so she needs a change. Lucky for her Diaz is also looking for a change, so they decide to swap houses for the Christmas holiday. Winslet inherits Diaz’s gorgeous Los Angeles mansion while Diaz inherits a quaint, cute little European cottage in Surrey. While Winslet falls right in love with Los Angeles, Diaz does not enjoy Surrey. Well that was until she met the drunk, gorgeous and incredibly charming Jude Law. I imagine most women would fall in love with a country if Mr. Law started sweet talking them so one cannot fault Diaz for the change. Stateside, Kate is trying to wash a smarmy Rufus Sewell out of her hair because he took her for granted for years and she had finally had it, although she was still secretly pining for him. Enter a very toned down and utterly convincing Jack Black as a sensitive yet passionate musician.
What follows could be considered a fairly basic game of cat and mouse, or a better named game would be lets all hide our feelings inside because we fear pain. While things like this often annoy me in movies, the script handles the entire thing with genuine emotion and a realistic underlying pain. When jack Black finds out his girlfriend was cheating on him Kate goes into this amazingly real monologue about “The wrong guy” or the “wrong girl”. I wanted to applaud when it was all over. Of course, I really wanted to cry because of how true it was. Also, we learn Jude Law has a very good reason to be cold and standoffish. A reason better left to people who actually see the film. Never does this movie appear fake or at face value. I know a lot of that realism belongs in the hands of the actors but the movie is directed by an up and coming romantic comedy director who seems to have found her groove after movies like “What women want” and “Something’s got to give”. She seems to have a real eye for catching the fantasy of movie romances in a light or realism that leaves those of us watching with a sense of hope, no matter how false that hope may be.
Another thing I would be remiss to mention is a huge side plot involving Kate’s character. She is a writer and while in Los Angeles she is living next door to a very old man who was a part of old Hollywood as a screen writer. The part is played by Eli Wallach and he is something to behold. He is just the right amount of old school charm and old school knowledge. I honestly have no idea who he is but he adds so much to the movie and even gets Kate’s character to watch all these classic movies starring classic Hollywood beauties who all had “Gumption.” It is because of all those movies that Kate is finally able to put the sleazy Rufus in the past and allows her to take a chance with Jack Black. I wanted to despise this movie but it won me over very early on and the only real complaint I can give it is that it really shows us how much better of an actress Kate Winslet is than Cameron Diaz.
What follows could be considered a fairly basic game of cat and mouse, or a better named game would be lets all hide our feelings inside because we fear pain. While things like this often annoy me in movies, the script handles the entire thing with genuine emotion and a realistic underlying pain. When jack Black finds out his girlfriend was cheating on him Kate goes into this amazingly real monologue about “The wrong guy” or the “wrong girl”. I wanted to applaud when it was all over. Of course, I really wanted to cry because of how true it was. Also, we learn Jude Law has a very good reason to be cold and standoffish. A reason better left to people who actually see the film. Never does this movie appear fake or at face value. I know a lot of that realism belongs in the hands of the actors but the movie is directed by an up and coming romantic comedy director who seems to have found her groove after movies like “What women want” and “Something’s got to give”. She seems to have a real eye for catching the fantasy of movie romances in a light or realism that leaves those of us watching with a sense of hope, no matter how false that hope may be.
Another thing I would be remiss to mention is a huge side plot involving Kate’s character. She is a writer and while in Los Angeles she is living next door to a very old man who was a part of old Hollywood as a screen writer. The part is played by Eli Wallach and he is something to behold. He is just the right amount of old school charm and old school knowledge. I honestly have no idea who he is but he adds so much to the movie and even gets Kate’s character to watch all these classic movies starring classic Hollywood beauties who all had “Gumption.” It is because of all those movies that Kate is finally able to put the sleazy Rufus in the past and allows her to take a chance with Jack Black. I wanted to despise this movie but it won me over very early on and the only real complaint I can give it is that it really shows us how much better of an actress Kate Winslet is than Cameron Diaz.
Night at the Museum (possible spoilers)
Allow me to begin by stating that I loathe Ben stiller movies. I can recall liking 2 movies in which he is featured and he isn’t really the star in either of them- Royal Tenenbaums and Dodgeball. So, when I say I overall enjoyed this it is really saying something. Ben Stiller stars as a loser father who needs any sort of job possible so he won’t have to move and disappoint his kid yet again. See, the kid’s mothers has a new husband who is incredibly successful and played by the un-credited and perfect Paul Rudd, and Stiller’s character is intimidated by him. Stiller finds a job as a night security guard at a museum of natural history because the museum is getting rid of their 3 night guards and replacing them with just one single guard. The 3 night guards are crucial to the story of this film and are played with glee by Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs (A man with over 100 IMDB credits but no one has any clue who he is). The interesting thing about the museum is that all of the things inside come alive at night and run amuck on the premises. Owen Wilson pops up as a hilarious miniature cowboy with a serious complex over his height; Robin Williams is in pretty mellow mode as Teddy Roosevelt and then we have someone as Attila the Hun, Christopher Columbus and various other creatures. Also, there are two side plots involving Sacajawea.
To be honest, the first hour of the movie drags pretty hardcore and I was afraid it would never turn around but Ricky Gervais as the museum manager gives the movie a much needed shot in the arm and after his hilarious word fumbling performance the movie kicks into high gear. The last hour breezes by and when it is over you really feel as if you were just taken on a magical journey. The Special effects are excellent, especially the T-Rex, who is just a big dog and the winning spirit of Ben’s kid in the movie make it a worthwhile adventure. Of course it wouldn’t be a movie without a conflict and it doesn’t actually happen until the final 40 minutes and it involves stolen museum merchandise and the eventual team work of all the different beings within the walls of the magical museum. I am sure since it is a movie for kids or family, there is a message about taking pride in ones work and ownership of ones life, but to be honest, I wasn’t watching this movie for a moral or a lesson. I wanted to see Owen Wilson be his hilarious self and watch Ben Stiller get pimped slapped repeatedly by a funny monkey, both of which I got in spades, so I was a very happy camper.
To be honest, the first hour of the movie drags pretty hardcore and I was afraid it would never turn around but Ricky Gervais as the museum manager gives the movie a much needed shot in the arm and after his hilarious word fumbling performance the movie kicks into high gear. The last hour breezes by and when it is over you really feel as if you were just taken on a magical journey. The Special effects are excellent, especially the T-Rex, who is just a big dog and the winning spirit of Ben’s kid in the movie make it a worthwhile adventure. Of course it wouldn’t be a movie without a conflict and it doesn’t actually happen until the final 40 minutes and it involves stolen museum merchandise and the eventual team work of all the different beings within the walls of the magical museum. I am sure since it is a movie for kids or family, there is a message about taking pride in ones work and ownership of ones life, but to be honest, I wasn’t watching this movie for a moral or a lesson. I wanted to see Owen Wilson be his hilarious self and watch Ben Stiller get pimped slapped repeatedly by a funny monkey, both of which I got in spades, so I was a very happy camper.
The Break up
Having decidedly taken myself out of the "know" of our famous people's lives, I could watch this movie without the stench of "overhype" over Vinnifer of Jence or whatever inane mash up name our celebrity stalker gave this oh so important couple of the moment and I have to say it probably helped. See the movie is basically the Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn show. Yes, there are a few supporting characters in the forms of a very bloated Jon Favreau, the under used Joey Lauren Adams and the badly wigged Justin long but they are all fairly unnecessary in this film. That is not to say that I didn't like it because in all honesty I loved it.
I have always routed for Jennifer Aniston to succeed, some would say I hope that because of how unbelievably beautiful she is, but it stems from watching her in a movie called "Leprechaun" and thinking "ah poor girl, she is never going anywhere." I am glad she has proved me wrong and in this movie she seems to play into her niche. She gets to look amazing, cry over a boy, scream and throw stuff, oh and she gets to be naked, well sort of. With regards to Vince Vaughn, I have always been a fan of funny Vince. I tried to go with him to the dark side in movies like Psycho and Domestic Disturbance, but he is just better when he is playing a version of his Swingers character and again this movie plays well into his wheel house while showing he actually can act. The plot involves a couple who has been together for two years and own a condo together, but realize they are over as a couple and deals with the complications after a break up. It is pretty basic, yes but that is almost what makes it such a great movie.
Vaughn and Aniston share a hilarious opening scene which shows them meeting for the first time, then the opening credits take us through the two year relationship and then we open with yet another hilarious scene involving Aniston's character's brother trying to get a table of people to make noises like musical instruments. However, as far as comedy that's about all we get. This movie is sad, I mean really sad. That is also the beauty of it because the sadness always feels real. Granted, I can't say much because I have never been in that situation but every conversation between the now ex-couple felt like a real argument and every emotion felt real. The movie is also incredibly awkward as the two characters attempt to 1. play nice in public and 2. Attempt to make each other jealous. There are a few funny moments within the awkwardness but this movie is not really played for laughs, it is played for sympathy for both of these characters and in the end we do feel bad for them, just for different reasons. Also, movies like this have a habit of happy, tied up ina pretty little bow endings, but this one takes a different variation on tat ending and it was much appreciated by me!
I have always routed for Jennifer Aniston to succeed, some would say I hope that because of how unbelievably beautiful she is, but it stems from watching her in a movie called "Leprechaun" and thinking "ah poor girl, she is never going anywhere." I am glad she has proved me wrong and in this movie she seems to play into her niche. She gets to look amazing, cry over a boy, scream and throw stuff, oh and she gets to be naked, well sort of. With regards to Vince Vaughn, I have always been a fan of funny Vince. I tried to go with him to the dark side in movies like Psycho and Domestic Disturbance, but he is just better when he is playing a version of his Swingers character and again this movie plays well into his wheel house while showing he actually can act. The plot involves a couple who has been together for two years and own a condo together, but realize they are over as a couple and deals with the complications after a break up. It is pretty basic, yes but that is almost what makes it such a great movie.
Vaughn and Aniston share a hilarious opening scene which shows them meeting for the first time, then the opening credits take us through the two year relationship and then we open with yet another hilarious scene involving Aniston's character's brother trying to get a table of people to make noises like musical instruments. However, as far as comedy that's about all we get. This movie is sad, I mean really sad. That is also the beauty of it because the sadness always feels real. Granted, I can't say much because I have never been in that situation but every conversation between the now ex-couple felt like a real argument and every emotion felt real. The movie is also incredibly awkward as the two characters attempt to 1. play nice in public and 2. Attempt to make each other jealous. There are a few funny moments within the awkwardness but this movie is not really played for laughs, it is played for sympathy for both of these characters and in the end we do feel bad for them, just for different reasons. Also, movies like this have a habit of happy, tied up ina pretty little bow endings, but this one takes a different variation on tat ending and it was much appreciated by me!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
We are Marshall
Being a sports fan and knowing a bit about this story, I was very excited at the prospect of this movie. That was until I saw who was directing because McG would have been my first choice to direct something that should have heart. If you don't know who he is allow me to give you a little list of his credits- Charlie's Angels 1 and 2 a sublime concert DVD as well as a Cypress hill DVD concert. He is also the executive producer of guilty pleasure shows like The OC, Fast lane and the soon to be produced "The Pussycat Dolls." The Marshall University tragedy is worlds away from Cameron Diaz dancing around in her underwear or motorcycles exploding, so I was a bit worried how exhaustingly edited the football cuts would be. However, McG does manage to tone down the the flashy no heart style but unfortunately he allows the overly sappy music to rampant over this film.
For those unaware of the story in 1970 an airplane carrying an entire college football team, parents and coaches crashed and everyone was killed. The president of the school and the board members had decided to shut down the football program for a little while in an effort to regroup but one member of the football team who had stayed behind due to a shoulder injury rallied the students together to show the school board that they needed a football team. Enter Matthew McConaughey as a cheery, analogy speaking football coach. Matthew has proven to be both an amazing actor (A Time to kill and Amistad) . a horrible actor (Sahara and Two for the money) and a pointless actor (Failure to Launch and The Wedding Planner) but here he falls somewhere in the middle. In scenes of light hearted banter or intense football screaming he is flawless, but he falls short in a lot of the sympathetic moments and trips over his drawl often in the final big speech before the big game. Also, he talks out of the side of his mouth for the entire film and it gets very annoying very quickly. The real star to me in this movie is Anthonie Mackie. Most people won't know who he is but he has had bit supporting roles in movies like 8 mile and million dollar baby, but here is the one actor who rises above a cliche riddled script and finds the perfect mix of guilt, anger and pride to his performance. I don't have much to say about Matthew Fox because until the end he didn't really do much for me.
As an inspirational sports movie, this falls below the upper echelon ones but above the bad ones. The story is pretty remarkable and McG along with his writers seemed to find the right side stories to focus on. We have the girlfriend of a lost player as well as the father of her boyfriend. We get a little glimpse into a kid whose father was killed but McG never pulls too much focus away from the main story at hand. The football games themselves are interestingly shot and edited. In fact, there isn't much to them which leads me to believe McG had no clue how to do football well. Perhaps that was for the best because it gave us a chance ot focus on the characters. Overall the script is bad and the music is worse, but it is hard for me to hate such a well intentioned movie.
For those unaware of the story in 1970 an airplane carrying an entire college football team, parents and coaches crashed and everyone was killed. The president of the school and the board members had decided to shut down the football program for a little while in an effort to regroup but one member of the football team who had stayed behind due to a shoulder injury rallied the students together to show the school board that they needed a football team. Enter Matthew McConaughey as a cheery, analogy speaking football coach. Matthew has proven to be both an amazing actor (A Time to kill and Amistad) . a horrible actor (Sahara and Two for the money) and a pointless actor (Failure to Launch and The Wedding Planner) but here he falls somewhere in the middle. In scenes of light hearted banter or intense football screaming he is flawless, but he falls short in a lot of the sympathetic moments and trips over his drawl often in the final big speech before the big game. Also, he talks out of the side of his mouth for the entire film and it gets very annoying very quickly. The real star to me in this movie is Anthonie Mackie. Most people won't know who he is but he has had bit supporting roles in movies like 8 mile and million dollar baby, but here is the one actor who rises above a cliche riddled script and finds the perfect mix of guilt, anger and pride to his performance. I don't have much to say about Matthew Fox because until the end he didn't really do much for me.
As an inspirational sports movie, this falls below the upper echelon ones but above the bad ones. The story is pretty remarkable and McG along with his writers seemed to find the right side stories to focus on. We have the girlfriend of a lost player as well as the father of her boyfriend. We get a little glimpse into a kid whose father was killed but McG never pulls too much focus away from the main story at hand. The football games themselves are interestingly shot and edited. In fact, there isn't much to them which leads me to believe McG had no clue how to do football well. Perhaps that was for the best because it gave us a chance ot focus on the characters. Overall the script is bad and the music is worse, but it is hard for me to hate such a well intentioned movie.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Blood Diamonds (spoilers)
Over the last few years I believe we have seen Leonardo DeCaprio quickly emerge as the new generation version of Robert De Niro or Al Pacino. It may seem like hyperbole but I truly believe it. While I didn’t enjoy The Aviator, he was phenomenal and already this year he was brilliant as an undercover cop infiltrating the brutal Irish mob in, The Departed. Now, here is again blowing me away in Blood Diamond, as a quick thinking, ex-military diamond Smuggler. The movie is about an African man, played with some serious fire and intensity by Djimon Hounsou, who finds a diamond while being a slave. He hides the diamond and eventually lands in prison. DeCaprio is in some heat after his latest shipment of smuggled diamonds gets snatched so he tries to convince Hounsou to help him by promising to help find Hounsou’s family. Add a drop dead gorgeous Jennifer Connelly as a thrill seeking do gooder reporter and you have yourself a whirl of a movie.
The movie is unflinching in its violence as well as in its politics. Diamond sellers were outraged by the movie. The Country, Sierra Leone, was embarrassed, promising the country was no longer like that but the movie is never dull, never lets up and even has some wit within the dialogue. I believe this is the highest body count I have seen on film this year and much of it is in up close full view and nearly 75% of it involves kids with guns. It is merely a side plot within the film but in reality could be an entire new film on its own. The concept of the rebel army kidnapping young boys, brainwashing them and giving them guns is a real scare and deserves to be probed by a filmmaker. That might actually be my one complaint about the movie- there is almost too much material for one movie. One more thing about the violence, it is realistic and shocking, but I think it is shocking because it feels real and almost organic. It is meant to stir feelings of uneasiness and it fully accomplishes that goal.
All of the acting in this thing is top notch but Hounsou matches his obvious physical presence with a serious level of crazy over the top intensity that some might say is too much, but if you look at it from the place of a man desperately holding onto hope that is family is still alive, you believe every single second he is on the screen and DeCaprio matches him step by step with an easy attitude and a sense that his character has thought of everything ahead of time. Leo truly excels in this movie. There are 2 scenes I could point out that show a stark contrast in the characters personality but both feel very real. There is a scene where he finally opens up so Connelly that could break your heart and later in the film he shows a menacing and threatening side as he gives warns Hounsou about something.
The movie may be a few years to late to change anything in the world since Sierra Leone is no longer in that bad of a shape and the civil war ended, but it is still good to see films like this being made. Some may find the film preachy and one person described to me as “limo liberalism” because it implies “oh when you go out to buy diamonds this week make sure they aren’t blood diamonds” but I found the film to be realistic, brutal, thought provoking and ultimately worth the ride. If for no other reason than watching Leonardo DeCaprio take his character and progress in a full 180 degrees from beginning to end. It really is like watching a genius at work.
The movie is unflinching in its violence as well as in its politics. Diamond sellers were outraged by the movie. The Country, Sierra Leone, was embarrassed, promising the country was no longer like that but the movie is never dull, never lets up and even has some wit within the dialogue. I believe this is the highest body count I have seen on film this year and much of it is in up close full view and nearly 75% of it involves kids with guns. It is merely a side plot within the film but in reality could be an entire new film on its own. The concept of the rebel army kidnapping young boys, brainwashing them and giving them guns is a real scare and deserves to be probed by a filmmaker. That might actually be my one complaint about the movie- there is almost too much material for one movie. One more thing about the violence, it is realistic and shocking, but I think it is shocking because it feels real and almost organic. It is meant to stir feelings of uneasiness and it fully accomplishes that goal.
All of the acting in this thing is top notch but Hounsou matches his obvious physical presence with a serious level of crazy over the top intensity that some might say is too much, but if you look at it from the place of a man desperately holding onto hope that is family is still alive, you believe every single second he is on the screen and DeCaprio matches him step by step with an easy attitude and a sense that his character has thought of everything ahead of time. Leo truly excels in this movie. There are 2 scenes I could point out that show a stark contrast in the characters personality but both feel very real. There is a scene where he finally opens up so Connelly that could break your heart and later in the film he shows a menacing and threatening side as he gives warns Hounsou about something.
The movie may be a few years to late to change anything in the world since Sierra Leone is no longer in that bad of a shape and the civil war ended, but it is still good to see films like this being made. Some may find the film preachy and one person described to me as “limo liberalism” because it implies “oh when you go out to buy diamonds this week make sure they aren’t blood diamonds” but I found the film to be realistic, brutal, thought provoking and ultimately worth the ride. If for no other reason than watching Leonardo DeCaprio take his character and progress in a full 180 degrees from beginning to end. It really is like watching a genius at work.
Happy Feet (possible spoilers.
While many were annoyed at the obvious liberal political platform shown in this movie, I have to say that I was not bothered by it at all. In fact, I loved this movie more than I have enjoyed an animated feature in years. For those of you who don’t know, Happy Feet is a movie about a penguin who tap dances. That in itself is nothing exciting except in this fictional world of penguinism, penguins sing not dance. So when mumbles, our tap dancer, is unable to sing he is looked down upon and leaves his father shamed. This first reoccurring theme of conformity is probably overlooked do to the later leftist agenda, but I feel that this is what the movie is about at its core. The movie is about finding a place for oneself and proving that happiness lies in individuality. There are also a few not so vague shots at organized religion running rampant within the movie
Voice wise, this movie seems to be perfect. Elijah Wood captures an innocence and spirit needed and Robin Williams, doing his multi voiced character thing is spot on as one of a group of shorter, renegade penguins. With their help Mumbles finds his “voice” sort to speak and helps shape penguin culture. The star to me though is Hugh Jackman. He voices Mumbles’ father with a faux cheesy Elvis style voice and it is amazing. Also, his vocals are spectacular which leads me to want him back on Broadway, just in a good show this time! Nicole Kidman is the supportive caring mother and Brittney Murphy rounds out the leads as Mumbles’ would be girlfriend, the sexiest most talented penguin in the tribe. Also, the animation is flawless which isn’t a surprise because most animated movies these days look flawless.
I have to admit I was a bit shocked by how scary and mean the movie was at times. I mean I know every animated film has conflict but this seemed like a more realistic conflict because it was a man made conflict. While, I am not what you would consider an “animal lover” it was hard to watch as a penguin nearly suffocated because he got one of those plastic 6 pack holders around his throat. This movie did not back down from showing the dangers involved in mass pollution and mass fishing. I guess that is why those geniuses over at Fox News were calling the movie pure propaganda. Good to know people have nothing better to do than pick apart a kids movie. I mean God forbid we teach children about the dangers of littering!! Oh no! The movie does take a bit of a bizarre turn that reminds you that you are watching a kids movie but it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment. This movie has everything you need in an animated feature-singing, dancing, crazy animation and an interesting story.
Voice wise, this movie seems to be perfect. Elijah Wood captures an innocence and spirit needed and Robin Williams, doing his multi voiced character thing is spot on as one of a group of shorter, renegade penguins. With their help Mumbles finds his “voice” sort to speak and helps shape penguin culture. The star to me though is Hugh Jackman. He voices Mumbles’ father with a faux cheesy Elvis style voice and it is amazing. Also, his vocals are spectacular which leads me to want him back on Broadway, just in a good show this time! Nicole Kidman is the supportive caring mother and Brittney Murphy rounds out the leads as Mumbles’ would be girlfriend, the sexiest most talented penguin in the tribe. Also, the animation is flawless which isn’t a surprise because most animated movies these days look flawless.
I have to admit I was a bit shocked by how scary and mean the movie was at times. I mean I know every animated film has conflict but this seemed like a more realistic conflict because it was a man made conflict. While, I am not what you would consider an “animal lover” it was hard to watch as a penguin nearly suffocated because he got one of those plastic 6 pack holders around his throat. This movie did not back down from showing the dangers involved in mass pollution and mass fishing. I guess that is why those geniuses over at Fox News were calling the movie pure propaganda. Good to know people have nothing better to do than pick apart a kids movie. I mean God forbid we teach children about the dangers of littering!! Oh no! The movie does take a bit of a bizarre turn that reminds you that you are watching a kids movie but it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment. This movie has everything you need in an animated feature-singing, dancing, crazy animation and an interesting story.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
The Pursuit of Happyness (spoilers, I guess)
Before I begin, I must mention that there is significance to word "happyness" being spelled incorrectly. I wish the trailer had shown us why because it seems to annoy those who haven't seen it, but trust me there is a reason for it. Ok, on to the review. I cried, a lot. By a lot I mean pretty much the entire last 35 minutes of the movie. Of course, evoking tears doesn't a great movie make, on its own, so, is the movie very good or just able to get the tear jerker reaction. Simply put, the movie works in every way imaginable, if you let it. It is very easy to walk in this thing with a pessimistic attitude, looking for faults and completely missing the point of this incredibly well acted, well paced well intentioned film.
Will Smith loses every single trademark mannerism or character quirks that he has built a career doing. Yes, he is charming, but he isn't oozing charm. Yes, he still has that smile, but here he uses to fight through the tears. He uses it to keep from losing his mind. He is a tremendous father, but still gets on his child when he can't quite articulate to the child what is happening, and oh what a child it is. The kid, played by Will's real son, is acting in his first role and is equal parts adorable and crazy talented. I imagine it was easy to do along side dad, but he never backs down from the emotional scenes and helps the movie complete its quest of having us believe in these people. In reality, the movie only works because they give us the first 35 minutes to fall in love with Smith and his son. However, we never blame the wife for leaving because we get to know her and we come to understand the hardships of trying to make ends meet.
The movie is heart breaking without question, but it never feels cheesy or contrived. You can't help but want this family to get through the lose of apartment, loss of hotel room and the nights sleeping in a bathroom or on a subway car. Smith is smart, caring and strong willed and pulls it off without ever playing into too many cliches. Of course, because it is inspired from a true story it will have its cliche riddled moments, but because Smith is so capable you never focus on them. I have seen some incredible movies and performances this year, but I think This performance by Smith is my favorite of the year. Never have I seen a character on screen I was routing for more than this one. Never have I felt like jumping for joy when the characters did, or never have I wanted to help a character when they were down. Also, the director chose the perfect ending to the film. We see the completion of one section of this man's life and he gives us that ending. If he were to go much longer the movie could become a slogan for capitalism meaning "money makes one happy", but they didn't. Instead they let us in on the joy of a man accomplishing the impossible and finally able to provide for his family and that is true happiness.
Will Smith loses every single trademark mannerism or character quirks that he has built a career doing. Yes, he is charming, but he isn't oozing charm. Yes, he still has that smile, but here he uses to fight through the tears. He uses it to keep from losing his mind. He is a tremendous father, but still gets on his child when he can't quite articulate to the child what is happening, and oh what a child it is. The kid, played by Will's real son, is acting in his first role and is equal parts adorable and crazy talented. I imagine it was easy to do along side dad, but he never backs down from the emotional scenes and helps the movie complete its quest of having us believe in these people. In reality, the movie only works because they give us the first 35 minutes to fall in love with Smith and his son. However, we never blame the wife for leaving because we get to know her and we come to understand the hardships of trying to make ends meet.
The movie is heart breaking without question, but it never feels cheesy or contrived. You can't help but want this family to get through the lose of apartment, loss of hotel room and the nights sleeping in a bathroom or on a subway car. Smith is smart, caring and strong willed and pulls it off without ever playing into too many cliches. Of course, because it is inspired from a true story it will have its cliche riddled moments, but because Smith is so capable you never focus on them. I have seen some incredible movies and performances this year, but I think This performance by Smith is my favorite of the year. Never have I seen a character on screen I was routing for more than this one. Never have I felt like jumping for joy when the characters did, or never have I wanted to help a character when they were down. Also, the director chose the perfect ending to the film. We see the completion of one section of this man's life and he gives us that ending. If he were to go much longer the movie could become a slogan for capitalism meaning "money makes one happy", but they didn't. Instead they let us in on the joy of a man accomplishing the impossible and finally able to provide for his family and that is true happiness.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
The Fountain
The one very easy thing about reviewing this movie is that spoilers don't exist because no one actually knows what the hell is going on in this movie. Like Pi and Requiem for a dream, this movie is never quite sure of itself, yet manages to have a stranglehold on your attention for some unknown almost hypnotic reason.
Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz star a couple in the modern time, but may also be playing a couple from the past and future as well. Jackman is amazing with fairly limited dialogue and with one character probably did all of his acting against a big green screen, yet that doesn't seem to slow him down as he impressively gives us 3 distinct yet connected characters. The connection is love. A love that may or may not span generations. A love that is possibly eternal or perhaps some of it is in someone's head. There are no real answers here, just a lot of questions about love, passion, spirituality, mortality, obsession, science and time. If it seems a lot to comprehend, also take into account that the movie is a very brisk 95 minutes long.
While you may never actually figure what is going on, you cannot help but be visually stimulated by the amazing effects and shots. The movie is truly breathtaking and stunning in terms of the visuals. The bright, muted yellows clashing with the darkness, or a black silhouette of Jackman doing karate against a background of pure glowing stars. Regardless of how you feel bout the barely there dialogue or the seemingly incoherent plot, it is impossible not to be impressed with Aronofsky's attention to the minor details of how his film looks. The camera work is beautiful and often I felt as if I was watching a gorgeous masterpiece of art in motion, which is enough of a reason to spend the money to see the film.
Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz star a couple in the modern time, but may also be playing a couple from the past and future as well. Jackman is amazing with fairly limited dialogue and with one character probably did all of his acting against a big green screen, yet that doesn't seem to slow him down as he impressively gives us 3 distinct yet connected characters. The connection is love. A love that may or may not span generations. A love that is possibly eternal or perhaps some of it is in someone's head. There are no real answers here, just a lot of questions about love, passion, spirituality, mortality, obsession, science and time. If it seems a lot to comprehend, also take into account that the movie is a very brisk 95 minutes long.
While you may never actually figure what is going on, you cannot help but be visually stimulated by the amazing effects and shots. The movie is truly breathtaking and stunning in terms of the visuals. The bright, muted yellows clashing with the darkness, or a black silhouette of Jackman doing karate against a background of pure glowing stars. Regardless of how you feel bout the barely there dialogue or the seemingly incoherent plot, it is impossible not to be impressed with Aronofsky's attention to the minor details of how his film looks. The camera work is beautiful and often I felt as if I was watching a gorgeous masterpiece of art in motion, which is enough of a reason to spend the money to see the film.
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