Movies

All posts in the Movies category

Movie Review: Rise Of The Guardians

Published November 30, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring the voices of: Chris Pine, Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher.

Rated: PG.  Animated.  Running Time: 1 hour 37 minutes.

We just recently reviewed Life of Pi and I mentioned that my boy Ethan didn’t really want to see it, but went with us anyway because he’s a good sport (he ended up liking it more than we did I think).  At any rate quid pro quo was in effect, so we took him to Rise of the Guardians, and Maria and I got the best part of the bargain.  Pi was okay, Guardians was better.  A magical story that centers around Jack Frost (Pine), who is portrayed as a teenage boy who “wakes up” one day 300 years ago out of a frozen pond as Jack Frost.  He only knows who he is because the Man in the Moon “told” him so, and he has no memories at all.  Flash forward to present day, and at the North Pole, Santa Claus (as you’ve never seen him before and voiced by the unrecognizable Baldwin) gets an April visit from the ominous and long missing Pitch Black (Law) AKA The Boogeyman.  Pitch is threatening children everywhere, so Santa has to summon the rest of the guardians of children; The Sandman (who doesn’t speak), the Tooth Fairy (Fisher), and the Easter Bunny (Jackman, and again a version like you’ve never seen).  While they’re deciding what to do, The Man in the Moon (who is just a big full moon that doesn’t speak but communicates just fine to our heroes and seems somewhat “in charge”) informs the group that they will have and need, a new guardian, Jack Frost.  They all know Jack and find him an odd choice, as does Jack for that matter.

Alec Baldwin!?  I would have never guessed that in a million years.  I had thought the Boogeyman was voiced by Paul Bettany…wrong again.  And we’re usually so good at putting names to voices in these animated films.  Ross is certainly correct in saying that you’ve never seen this clan of childhood legends like this before.  They are all these badass versions of themselves armed with serious weapons and supernatural powers to better guard the children of Earth.  And these powers become quite useful as they find themselves up against Pitch and an army of nightmares.  The nightmares are children’s sweet dreams that the Sandman has given them, but Pitch has manipulated them into frightening and fearsome dark horses.  The visuals and effects of this movie were quite stunning, but the thing I found most impressive about this film was how far they pushed the envelope.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a children’s movie approach such a dark and scary subject with such vigor.  And it’s no wonder with Guillermo del Toro’s fingerprints all over this project.

I agree honey, maybe the only other person out there with a more recognizable style is Tim Burton, but Guardians has a del Toro look that is uniquely his and unmistakeable.   I’m not a super big fan of his, but “Pan’s Labrynth” was an awesome movie and the visuals there were certainly an influence here.  And as with that film, the darkness is trumped by purity, goodness and faith.  This movie is original, innovative, daring, sinister and touching.  It’s really not your standard Christmas release, the movie takes place at Easter time?  But the messages are clear and driven home with authority.  Fighting, when necessary, for what is right.  Having hope when all seems lost and never giving up.  Redemption.  The bottom line is, it boils down to a fairly basic “naughty” versus “nice” story, but I don’t see anything wrong with that, and who do you think wins?  A final note, one of my favorite characters in the movie doesn’t have any lines.  The Sandman is a central figure to the story, and simply through facial expressions, symbols and various gesticulations; he exudes kindness, playfullness and strength.  Rise of the Guardians, it’s not “It’s A Wonderful Life” (my personal Christmas favorite, “Merry Christmas Bedford Falls!”), but I think like most really good movies it will age very well. 

I sincerely enjoyed this tale and I truly appreciate the values it embodies; wishes, dreams and the wonder that surrounds childhood.  In a World where cynicism is the new fad, it’s comforting to still have something pure and idealistic to share with the children in our lives.  Obviously, as adults we know that Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Sandman, the Easter Bunny, Jack Frost and the Boogeyman don’t exist.  But what they stand for and represent are very real.  And in time as we get older, we realize that even though these iconic figures aren’t alive, we can adopt their values and share them with our family and friends at festive times of the year.  I do have one complaint regarding all children’s films that I have recently viewed.  What happened to the catchy and spectacular songs!?  I grew up during the era of Disney’s Aladdin, Beauty & the Beast, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King.  I still know every word to most of the songs featured in each of these films.  In fact, during Thanksgiving my best friend and I had a Disney sing-a-long for hours, playing all our favorites from “Little Town” (Beauty & the Beast), “A Whole New World” (Aladdin) and “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” (The Lion King).  Etc., etc., etc.!  Please bring back the catchy and wholesome tunes, I miss the music.  Guardians is a great film to bring your kids to or just something to get you into the holiday spirit, which I can attest is sometimes a challenge.  Especially when you find holiday music heinous, as I certainly do.  It just about makes Wal-Mart, which is borderline intolerable without “Deck the Halls”, that much more unfavorable.  Happy holidays to you and yours…just abstain from carolling outside my home.

Ross’ Rating: 4.25 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Maria’s Rating: 4 Gummies.

Movie Review: Life Of Pi

Published November 26, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Kahn, Adil Hussain, Tabu, Rafe Spall, Gerard Depardieu.

Rated: PG.  Adventure/Drama.  2 hours 7 minutes.

Anyone who has seen the trailers for Life of Pi has a decent idea of what the main plot of the movie is.  A young boy is in a terrible shipwreck and ends up on a lifeboat with a ferocious Bengal tiger.  Life of Pi is much more than that in fact, not all of it good unfortunately.  As the title states, this is the story (the fairly complete story) of the life of Pi Patel (Sharma).  It is told by the very grown up Pi (Kahn) to a writer (Spall) who has been sent to visit him at his current residence in Canada.  The story begins in India when Pi is very young living with his family who own a zoo.  The story is an interesting one, but there is too much of it.  The feeling of “get to the good stuff” was running through my mind and I’d wager through many others in the packed theater as well.  Once we do get there, Life of Pi begins in earnest, and the visuals are indeed stunning.

It was visually mesmerizing. However, the dramatic and heartbreaking story was overshadowed by the trippy 3-D sequences. The director, Ang Lee, should not expect to garner such success as he had previously seen with features such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Brokeback Mountain”. Life of Pi was like a melding of these two; an emotional heart-wrenching story like Brokeback with the artistic visuals and cinematic spectacles of Crouching Tiger. These aspects of the film work better as singular focuses rather than the attempted dichotomy in Pi. I have to agree with Ross that I was eagerly awaiting the shipwreck and other action packed scenes I had seen in previews. The first hour or so seemed to drag on and the last twenty minutes ruined the whole thing for me. The story didn’t have any closure, nothing seemed to come full circle. And there were too many boring lulls between the spectacular scenes and the core of the plot.

I’m not feeling quite as negative about the film as Maria seems to be, but I wholeheartedly agree with her assessment of the use of 3-D.  First, they’re remaking and re-releasing everything in 3-D these days.  We saw a preview for Jurassic Park in 3-D coming soon.  An obvious and overtly whorish money grab.  Second, personally I don’t find the effects of the 3-D to enhance my viewing pleasure at all.  It’s already a high definition gigantic screen, how much more do you need?  Life of Pi would’ve been better without it IMO.  So, back to the movie.  The story is being told by Pi as an adult, so you know he’s going to survive.  This in and of itself doesn’t ruin anything, but there are many truly life-threatening scenes that you know aren’t going to kill him.  Granted, many movies have similar situations and you pretty much “know” the star isn’t going to die.  But there’s always that puny hint of doubt in the back of your mind, isn’t there?  Still, the interaction between Pi and the tiger, their battles with each other and their battles to survive, were well done and Ang Lee at his best.  Pi survives obviously, but there is a twist at the end that left me thinking, and I’ve decided ultimately, diminished the entire movie.  My boy Ethan (9) didn’t really want to see it with us but he went anyway (a really good boy), and though he was pretty scared a few times, he enjoyed it.  There was one “juvenile-type humor” scene that especially tickled him, but I think PG-13 might have been a better rating.  I recommend seeing Life of Pi.  It explores spirituality in a straight forward, unbiased way that I found interesting.  It’s well acted and beautifully filmed.  It’s also a bit too long and the end bothered me.  I think with the right editing it could’ve become a true classic.  In it’s current form I believe it falls short of that.

Perhaps, I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the story.  I truly loved the examination of faith, hope and spiritualism, but it seemed like a difficult book to bring to the screen.  Also, I wasn’t thinking about the movie for hours afterward – asking myself the same questions from the film surrounding faith and the human spirit.  The deeper themes didn’t stay with me and I didn’t feel moved to further ponder the ideas from Pi.  I know that a film has truly accomplished something amazing when I can’t stop thinking about it several hours later or before I fall asleep.  Something was missing here for me and I’m not sure I can pinpoint exactly what it is.  However, there were several things I thoroughly enjoyed, such as the scenes with the beautiful Bengal tiger.  What a magnificent animal!  I also love the story of Pi’s survival, of how he never gave up hope and was determined to make it back to civilization.  I found his friendship with the tiger moving and inspiring.  It reminded me of Tom Hanks’ friendship with the volleyball, “Wilson”.  Although, of course, Wilson was an inanimate object, but I felt the same emotional weight in both these relationships.  I cry everytime I watch that volleyball float away on the sea in “Cast Away”.  Pi is a heartbreaking tale coupled with vivid and splendid visuals, but it left so much to be desired…for me at least.

Ross’ Rating: 3 out of 5 Gummy Bears. 

Maria’s Rating: 2.5 Gummies.

Movie Review: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2

Published November 16, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Mackenzie Foy, Billy Burke.

Rated: PG-13.  Adventure/Drama/Fantasy.  Running Time: 1 hour 56 minutes.

Twi-hards rejoice, its finally here – opening weekend of Breaking Dawn part deux.  Eternal love.  Always.  Forever.  Well, at least for Edward and Bella.  Not so much for Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.  K-Stew’s off-screen love affair didn’t kill my interest or respect for the extremely successful franchise.  I adored the books and I wasn’t about to let a Hollywood indiscretion ruin the movies for me.  If I ever allowed that to happen, there wouldn’t be much cinema left to enjoy.  Lastly, regarding that subject matter, keep in mind that if every twenty-two year old’s mis-steps were shared Worldwide, we’d have a lifetime or more of stories.  Luckily, not everybody’s business is newsworthy.  So, I found this latest and last installment to be one of the best out of the five that make up the entire saga.  I wouldn’t necessarily say its my favorite…yet.  I have a feeling that it will grow on me in time, but its definitely at least in the second spot.  Director Bill Condon finishes us up with a decent balance of fun, conflict and stylish visuals.  The fun parts focus mainly on Bella’s newfound talents as a newborn vampire and her charming half-mortal, half-immortal little girl, Renesmee.  My best friend, who first gave me the books back in 2010, had guessed I wouldn’t care much for the name.  I still don’t.  Namesakes aside, the character was well cast with the stunning Mackenzie Foy who almost looks surreal on camera.  Of course, the flawless Cullen’s are overwhelmingly stylish and perfect looking throughout the 156 minutes.

Maria and I are coming from different directions as pertaining to the Twilight franchise.  First, I haven’t read the books, which worked perfectly for me during the epic Harry Potter series, because as is universally recognized, books are always better than the movies.  I had no idea what was coming, which I prefer.  Second, I don’t have a vagina, which I’m fairly certain is required to be truly blown away by these movies.  That being said, I did enjoy the whole story.  The dynamic love triangle, the feud between the vampires and werewolves, the anticipation of Bella becoming a cold immortal and the hugely underused Billy Burke as Bella’s dad.  One of my favorite parts of BDP2 is when Charlie finally gets a glimpse behind the curtain.  This is a tough review to pen without ruining the plot.  I’ve read other reviewers write things like “If you don’t want to know what happens then you shouldn’t read my review” or ” Caution Spoiler Alert!!”   I like to think that Maria and I have gotten across our opinions quite nicely without ever divulging crucial plot points, and we certainly aren’t going to start now.  But this is a tough one.  Often I am the set-up guy when we write, giving a brief brass tacks synopsis of the flick.  Unfortunately, if you’re going to see BDP2, no set-up is really required so I’ll try a little different approach.  It was great to finally see Kristen Stewart not constantly brooding around, and she is a badass vampire!  Their daughter Renesmee (that name really does blow) is a cool human/vampire hybrid and her connection with Jacob (Lautner) is very sweet.  And whether you’ve read the books or not, the inevitable confrontation between the Cullen Clan and The Volturi will have you riveted to the screen.  Guaranteed. 

I love the Volturi.  They add such a dynamic to the on screen ensemble.  Michael Sheen as the all powerful Aro, with his apathetic sidekicks Caius and Marcus.  Their numerous minions doling out punishments to anyone they perceive as a threat.  Dakota Fanning does a wonderful job as Jane, who literally has less than 20 lines spanning over several of the sequels.  There is a palpable tension between Jane and Bella, which is realized in this conclusion.  Their animosity seemed to blossom from a scene in Twilight New Moon when Jane’s propensity for distributing pain is thwarted by Bella’s uncanny talent for shielding from vampire’s powers, even Edward’s.

One thing missing from our viewing experience was a theater full of Twi-hards.  BDP2 was playing at like 5 different times and our room was kind of dead.  I know Maria would’ve enjoyed some hearty gasps, oohs and ahhs from the tween crowd.  I would’ve had some laughs myself watching the youngins lose their minds.  Vampires are everywhere these days and I will reiterate that I enjoyed the Twilight Saga, but I didn’t have a hard time sleeping thinking about seeing any of them.  Truth be told, give me HBO’s True Blood anyday.  That show delivers every week and is definitely made for grown-ups.  Bill rising up out of that puddle of blood in last season’s finale was off the hook!  Sookie and Eric are going to have their hands full next season.   And it has the best opening theme song in history.  “When you came in, the air went out…”  Hells yeah!

I agree sweetheart, True Blood kicks Twilight’s ass, but I still find both enjoyable.  Even though the subject matter is still vampires, they are both such different animals.  True Blood is cheeky, wicked and gory.  While twilight tries to examine a tamed vampire capable of certain human emotions that we often don’t expect from such creatures.  The true focus of Twilight is star-crossed teen lovers from two distinct Worlds, the immortal and the human.  The love story is the real core of Twilight.  Readers and viewers alike become invested in the success of Edward and Bella’s relationship, which is why I believe there was such an uproar with Kristen’s indiscretion.  I also think Ross may be on to something with that vagina hypothesis.  The lead isn’t bad eye candy and his character’s relentless love and protective nature appeal to all women in some capacity.  The books are exquisite – the movies are good.  It’s fun to watch one of your favorite books come to the screen, even if it misses the mark by a smidge.  By the way…TEAM EDWARD.  Just Sayin’.

Thanks baby, for the vagina monologue.

Maria’s Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Gummy Bears. (And 4 out of 5 for the entire saga!)

Ross’ Rating: 3.25 Gummies. 

Movie Review: Wreck-It Ralph

Published November 6, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring the voices of: John C. Reilly, Jack McBryer, Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman.

Rated: PG. Animated/Comedy. Running time: 1 Hour and 41 Minutes.

 

Maria, Ethan and I have seen some wonderful animated films together since we started our MRSRAG blog in June.  I have pointed out on several occasions that these movies are easily and consistently better than the mainstream Hollywood offerings.  Maria has often extolled the virtues of the lessons taught and learned, some veiled and some not, for young and old alike.  Well, I will say right here that Wreck-It Ralph is hands down the best yet in my opinion.  Ralph (Reilly) is the “bad” guy in an old school video game.  He “wrecks” this apartment building, while Felix (McBryer) attempts to fix it with his magic hammer.  After the lights go out in the arcade, the video game characters have their own lives, and Ralph’s leaves a lot to be desired.  He is lonely, lives in an actual dump, never gets invited to any parties, and he is tired of being the bad guy.  He even attends AA type meetings for video game heavies called “Bad-Anon.”  These scenes will tickle even the most casual of video gamers.  The movie begins in earnest when Ralph decides to leave his game in the pursuit of a “hero’s medal”, hoping it’s aquisition will bring some happiness to his life.

I was quite excited to see this movie, mostly because of the casting of voices for the lead characters.  I am a huge fan of both Sarah Silverman and John C. Reilly, so my expectations were that the film would at least be decent.  Wreck-It Ralph pulled out all the stops and left me utterly shocked and impressed.  It had the usual makings of animated children’s films – great graphics, clever humor and pertinent lessons.  However, it added several new aspects that I haven’t seen exercised in this genre.  Firstly, there’s a twist!  I won’t embellish any further, but take it from someone who watches a lot of children’s films – there is rarely a twist that an adult won’t see coming.  Ross and I were pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case with Wreck-It Ralph.  Secondly, the plot of this film was inventive and original.  I love watching a story that’s sharp, smart and fresh.  I was recently complaining about watching the same regurgitated ideas, so I found this movie invigorating and refreshing – for a change.  Lastly, I love a film that pays homage to its roots.  Adults will love seeing jokes and references to some of their favorite childhood memories of arcade and video games.  My personal favorite nostalgic moment was when they showed an old Nintendo Gray Box controller being used as an opening device for a safe.  The Gray Box was one of my all time favorite Christmas presents ever and I will never forget playing the Super Mario Brothers game until I finally beat every single level.

Ahh the Gray Box!  Super Mario 3, Castlevania, Zelda.  And what about in the arcades, with Ms. Pacman, Donkey Kong, Galaga et al.  Wreck-It Ralph seemingly touches on them all, the new and the old.  So Ralph leaves his game and heads to Hero’s Duty, a game of warfare against some nefarious insects, where the good guys are led by the extremely hard-assed Calhoun (Lynch).  She of course gets immediately pissed at Ralph’s incompetence, but somehow he perserveres and “wins” his medal.  He promptly attempts to fly home but ultimately crash lands in a racing game called Sugar Rush, that looks a lot like the board game Candy Land.  There he meets the wise-cracking, cute, displaced Vanellope (voiced perfectly by Silverman), and their exchanges along with a growing friendship are the absolute heart of the movie.

Vanellope is my favorite.  She embodies cuteness, even with her ill-intentioned plan to “borrow” Ralph’s medal, which she needs to gain a place in competition amongst the other racers of Sugar Rush.  She convinces Ralph to help her build a race car, but they find themselves up against an overwhelming opposition to Vanellope’s participation in the race.  Predominantly the main lesson of this film is standing up for what’s right.  Ralph finds himself in a predicament after hearing misinformation from King Candy, the malicious monarch who seems bent on keeping Vanellope at a safe distance from his race and his kingdom.  Ralph learns a valuable lesson at this point in the story and decides to truly become the good guy he has always wanted to be.  With some help from his old friend Felix he becomes Vanellope’s hero and aids her in achieving her dream of racing.  Another important lesson of this film is simple kindness.  This lesson is made apparent by the other characters from Ralph’s game who never appreciated him or respected him.  These same people realize they need him and when he returns to the game where he belongs he is greeted with the kind of treatment that would have prevented his absence in the first place.  Lessons aside, I really enjoyed this movie.  It had a lot of heart and I was uncharacteristically moved by it.

I’ll be honest, I can be a pretty big softie, and Wreck-It Ralph had me misty on a couple of occasions.  It delivers some truly meaningful messages that parents should want their kids to see, hear and learn.  And what better way in this day and age to convey those messages, than through a movie based inside video games.  My boy Ethan (9) is a gamer extraordinaire, and I would guess many of you out there have one or two of your own.  He loved Ralph, and I’m sure the lessons got through to him easier and meant a bit more, because of the way they were delivered.  I would highly recommend Wreck-It Ralph to the young and the young at heart.  Not to get too deep, but on this election night in America, where we’re all on the edges of our seats, rooting for our own biases – and it seems, no matter who wins we’ll still be a nation divided; I guarantee we would all agree on the pure slice of apple pie ala mode that is the sweet, endearing and enduring Wreck-It Ralph.

Maria’s Rating:  4.5 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Ross’ Rating:  5 emphatic Gummies.

 

Movie Review: Seven Psychopaths

Published October 22, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring:  Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson.

Rated R.  Comedy/Crime/Drama.  Running Time: 1 hour 50 minutes.

I’ve tried to pick my favorite psychopath, but it proves quite a task with casting like this.  Just take a peek at the rundown of actors involved in this film listed above.  Walken is always a selling point for me, personally.  Add to that Tom Waits, two beautiful women that you’ll no doubt recognize on screen – if not by their names (Abbie Cornish & Olga Kurylenko) and a special guest appearance by two of my favorite Boardwalk Empire characters, Michael Pitt (the late Jimmy Darmody) and Michael Stuhlbarg (Arnold Rothstein).  Not that casting is a definitive slam dunk in any film, but it helps generate a certain feel for the production at hand.  The vibe you should probably gather from this present selection of characters is a violent one…lots of blood and guts.  Not gore necessarily, but spatter.  Seven Psychopaths had a similar feel to the 2008 critically acclaimed “In Bruges” – and with good reason.  The very same man, Martin McDonagh, wrote and directed both films.  He most certainly has a style, as I had the inkling before we conducted further research.  I would describe McDonagh’s style as intensely dark and brutally humorous.  Nonetheless, even if you don’t like the style of Seven Psychopaths, I can pretty much guarantee you won’t be bored.  The confluence of characters in this film is a trainwreck and you won’t be able to avert your eyes, even if you hope to.

Maria and I have had a run of “six degrees of Kevin Bacon” lately.  First, the same night we watched the movie, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, we caught Louis C.K.’s stand-up act where he talks of his ‘man crush’ on Ewan McGregor.  Now just days after watching the quirky, but entertaining, In Bruges, we went and saw Seven Psychopaths.  Written and directed by the same man McDonagh, as noted by Maria above.  She was indeed all over the similarities between the two movie’s styles, as she pointed it out to me minutes in.  McDonagh loves to put serial killers, murderers and other odd characters in unexpected settings.  And though he certainly doesn’t mind shedding some blood – dialogue and character development are his real strengths.  In Seven Psychopaths, he tells us the story of alcoholic writer Marty (Farrell, who he cast in In Bruges as well), who has a name for a movie and little else.  His good friend, the oddball, struggling actor Billy (played by the always fantastic Rockwell: Green Mile, Cowboys and Aliens et al), has some wonderful suggestions for Marty’s movie and would love to be involved in the writing of the screenplay.  In the meantime Billy and his friend Hans (the legend, Walken) steal people’s dogs to make ends meet, waiting until they put up a reward, then cashing in on the return.  Unfortunately for them, they steal the dog of true criminal psychopath, Charlie (Harrelson), who loves his dog more than any human being.  As you may guess, it’s at this point that the Shih Tzu really hits the fan.

Fantastic pun sweetheart.  One of my favorite things about this plot is that it kind of follows the evolution of Marty’s screenplay.  McDonagh cleverly intertwines the development of the screenplay with the unfolding story that his viewers watch on screen.  We don’t want to give anything away, as there are some interesting twists and turns.  However, suffice it to say that this plot line is engaging, groundbreaking and drastically original.  Seven Psychopaths and In Bruges are similar in style, but the themes and colorful storylines are brilliantly diverse.  The longer removed from viewing the movie, the more impressed I was with its composition.  It certainly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but you have to give credit where credit’s due.  Seven Psychopaths is refreshing and a pleasure to watch.  Especially in the present movie business where recycling and reinventing old ideas is the new trend.

I agree with you on several points.  Martin McDonagh’s writing is a breath of fresh air of originality, in a predominantly unoriginal time for movies.  Also, we have to be careful what we divulge about the plot, it would be easy to say too much.  And, the more I think about Seven Psychopaths, the more I like it.  I would add that I think it’s the kind of movie that should be seen again, perhaps when it comes out on DVD.  The things you know the second time around will give you clarity from the opening scenes through the end.  Not exact comparisons for sure, but The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense could be examples of the point I’m trying to make.   Time will tell if Seven Psychopaths can be mentioned in the same breath as those two classics.  But the exquisite acting by the four lead actors, coupled with superb writing, give it the feel to me of a movie that will get even better with age.  

Calling all psychopaths…

Ross’ Rating: 4 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Maria’s Rating: 4 Gummies.

 

 

 

 

Recent DVD Release: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Published October 15, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring:  Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Amr Waked, Kristen Scott Thomas.

Rated PG-13.  Comedy/Drama/Romance.  Running Time: 1 hour 47 minutes.

The second review we ever wrote was of the Savannah Nail Bar.  I had dropped Maria off to get her nails done and went on a couple of errands, one of which was to check the starting time of a movie we potentially wanted to go see, truth be told Maria wanted to see it more than me.  As you might have guessed, that movie was indeed Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.  In that review I wrote, “The time was a no go.  No offense baby but I wasn’t too disappointed.  The word Yemen in the title didn’t scream movie magic to me.”  Almost immediately after writing that, my friend Kevin called me and said “You know that statement is somewhat racist, beside the fact that the movie is pretty good.”  I informed him I was just attempting to be humorous and vowed someday to see the movie.  Well, we took advantage of Redbox’s 10th anniversary and rented it the other night for free.  Kevin was right, not necessarily about the racist comment imo, but the movie was very good.  You can’t get much more original than the premise.  Yemeni Sheikh Muhammed (Waked) an avid fisherman, wants to build a river in the desert and stock it with salmon from England.  Enter his associate Harriet (Blunt) who attempts to enlist the services of a fisheries expert, the incredibly boring Dr. Alfred Jones (McGregor).  He, of course, initially finds the whole project insane, but eventually is forced into service by government pressure.  I know it doesn’t sound too exciting, but the movie is superbly acted at every turn, and the chemistry between McGregor and Blunt is felt from their first scene.

The movie appealed to me for several reasons.  For starters, I had heard from several people that it was worth a watch.  Secondly, Emily Blunt is the cutest ever.  I loved her in “The Devil Wears Prada”, she’s equally adorable in “The Adjustment Bureau” and she proves herself again as a great female lead in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.  McGregor does a fantastic job opposite her, portraying the serious doctor who can’t help sharing his often sarcastic and comical thoughts on the absurdity of the project he’s been forced to oversee.  His socially awkward delivery paired with an underlying cynicism colors his character perfectly.  As a whole, the movie was relevant, smart and extremely original.  A delight from start to finish, Yemen made me feel good and inspired after watching.

Emily Blunt is cute and she is definitely working her way up the pecking order toward “A” list actress.  I personally love Ewan McGregor as well, and can’t think of a movie he’s been in that I haven’t enjoyed.  What an evolution of characters he’s had!  From one of his first efforts (if not his very first) a heroin junkie in Trainspotting, to a naive writer (with some seriously decent singing chops) in the musical Moulin Rouge.  A young Obi Wan in the Star Wars prequels, an untested but gallant medic in Black Hawk Down.  Even his Dr. Jones in Salmon Fishing, who I just described as “incredibly boring” has more layers than a parfait (a shout out to Donkey from Shrek).

McGregor is impressive in a lot of different roles, I thoroughly enjoyed him in Big Fish as the sweet talking, charming Mr. Edward Bloom.  Apparently we’re not the only big fans of Ewan.  Ironically, only hours after watching Salmon Fishing, we stumbled upon Louis C.K.’s ‘Shameless’.  I love a stand up comic by the way and Louis is hilarious.  He has a knack for perversion (which we love) and a killer delivery.  He starts this bit about meeting McGregor at some event and thinking to himself, “Wow, this guy is gorgeous.”  He went on to say he found himself later daydreaming about McGregor’s beautiful face…and other parts of his body.  And there’s another item for you to rent or add to your queue – his stand up is brilliant.  But I digress.  Salmon Fishing is a gem that you should not miss.  It touches on numerous subjects, examining love and marriage, but also religion and faith.  It doesn’t just spew out the usual formulaic romantic comedy dribble, it has real depth and range.

I totally forgot about Big Fish!  Another McGregor movie and role I love.  As Maria told you we happened upon Louis C.K. later that night, and we were rolling.  Then he does the bit about Ewan and we both knew that had to go in this review, just too coincidental.  Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is unique, entertaining, full of heart and recommended for your viewing pleasure.  As is Louis C.K., I might add.  If you want to catch some of his act now, I’ll give you two words to Google that will bring it right up for you: “duck vaginas.”  Enjoy.

Maria’s Rating: 4 Gummy Bears out of 5.  Also…5 Gummies for Louis C.K.’s “Shameless”.

Ross’ Rating: 3.75 Gummy Bears.  A big ditto 5 for LCK too.

 

 

 

Movie Review: Looper

Published October 6, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring:  Joseph Gordon -Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segun, Pierce Gagnon, Jeff Daniels, Qing Xu.

Rated R.  Action/Science Fiction.  Running time: 1 hour 58 minutes.

Joseph.  Gordon.  Levitt.  Seriously!  I don’t know if you’ve seen any previews, but honestly I did not recognize him.  I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I am usually right on with putting names to faces in the film industry.  Of course, there’s always that one pesky actor that shows up after major plastic surgery or being on hiatus for several years, but Gordon-Levitt’s face is one that I easily recognize.  I’ve seen it countless times in the past few years in Inception and the lesser known 500 Days of Summer.  But he looks so different in this role.  Ross and I were both speechless at his epic Bruce Willis impersonation.  He must have studied Willis’ work incessantly.  He had his mannerisms, facial features, his coy looks and wry smile down to a science.  In the first twenty minutes Ross turned to me and said, “This kid should win the freaking Oscar for this performance!”

Honestly, Maria wanted to go see this movie much more than I did.  The little I knew about Looper from the trailers, Bruce Willis time traveling and running into another version of himself; made me think, Twelve Monkeys.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Twelve Monkeys, this movie just felt like it might be “been there, done that.”  No way.  Maria told you about JGL’s performance, it was sick!  We’re sitting there trying to figure out what he’s done to himself to look so different.  Is he just getting older and changing?   Is he working out?  Then it hits me, he has Bruce Willis’ exact nose.  I don’t know if it was prosthetic or CG, but beyond the nose, the kid is supposed to be a younger version of Bruce Willis.  He turned into Bruce Willis!  It really is unbelievable.  I was a huge “3rd Rock from the Sun” fan, but I never thought Gordon-Levitt would go anywhere.  Wrong again.  I’m batting a thousand here so far.  Anyway, the movie.  JGL is a looper.  Time travel is invented in the future, but only gangsters have control of it.  When they want someone dead they transport them back in time 30 years where loopers exterminate them upon arrival.  When the gangsters want to “close the loop”, they send the looper’s older self back for him to kill himself.  (Are you keeping up? I know some others that weren’t.  We’ll get to that in a bit.)  The body is strapped with gold and the looper has his severance pay and thirty years to enjoy it.  I don’t think I’m spoiling too much here telling you that Bruce gets away from Joseph and the game is most certainly on.

Needless to say, it was a total mind fuck.  One of those you take with you from the theatre and end up discussing hours later in bed or at a bar.  This innovative science fiction film had my head spinning for hours, which I enjoy occasionally.  I like a film that makes my mind work a little harder.  Looper is the best grown up film I’ve seen in the theatre for years.  The plot was original, engaging and brave.  I thoroughly enjoyed the whole film, and although the ending didn’t sit well at first – it has slowly grown on me.  Of course, you’ll have to go see the film for yourself to see what happens.  Hopefully, if you go to view it, the people in the theatre will have some common courtesy and not babble throughout the first hour.  These two old broads a few rows back from us would not shut up.  I realize the plot was a little difficult to understand, but these women were so rude.  I almost applauded when they finally got up and left in the middle of the movie.

I’m guessing they thought Looper was the latest Woody Allen movie, or a Meryl Streep vehicle.  They were totally bewildered, their “months away from the nursing home” brains jangling wildly in their skulls.  They were screaming at each other like 8 year olds.  “But Mildred this movie got such good reviews.”  “I don’t know what the hell is going on.”  Yelling, I’m sure because neither of them could hear a fucking thing.  I was seconds from screaming myself, “would you just shut the fuck up!”, when mercifully they left.  Fortunately they were the only bad part of our Looper experience.  Beyond the aforementioned brilliant performance of JGL and Bruce Willis’ usual professional turn, my favorite character in the movie was the little boy Cid played by Pierce Gagnon.   I don’t know how old he is in real life, his bio says he can play 5-8 year olds, but this kid is pure genius.  I don’t know where they’re finding these kids these days.  A couple of months ago we saw and reviewed The Odd Life of Timothy Green, and that boy CJ Adams was also very impressive.  Pierce Gagnon steals every scene he’s in, and I’m curious to see if we see more of him in the future.  If you like Sci-Fi, by all means go see Looper, but bring your thinking cap with you.  If you’re old and can’t hear, I think they’re having a Mel Torme tribute at the Kravis Center next month.  Wait for that.

I’m laughing to myself right now because Ross went on a similar rant as soon as we left the theatre, but he was right – these women were dreadful.  I understand that it was a hard plot to grasp, but at least give everyone else a chance to view it in peace.  Watching Bruce Willis sit across from a guy doing a perfect impersonation of him was worth the price of admission.  Looper is the type of movie made for theatre viewing, I just hope that if you do go to see it everyone’s quiet and courteous.

Ross’ Rating: 4 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Maria’s Rating: 4.5 Gummies.

Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania

Published October 2, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring the voices of: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon, David Spade, CeeLo Green.

Rtaed PG.  Animated.  Running Time: 1 hour 31 minutes.

Today was my son Ethan’s birthday, he’s 9, and even though he saw it already he was nice enough to agree to go again with Maria and I because we really wanted to see it.  He’s an awesome boy my Ethan.  He told us ahead of time it was a great movie, and he was spot on.  Hotel Transylvania was a joy from start to finish.  Count Dracula (Sandler) opens a hotel for monsters only, no humans allowed.  Humans in his view, only want to kill monsters, and he desperately wants to keep his daughter Mavis (Gomez) safe.  Dracula is a stereotypical protective single father, and he has kept Mavis smotheringly safe for over a century.  On her 118th birthday he throws her a huge party, and everyone shows up.  Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, assorted zombies, The Blob, The Werewolf,  Bigfoot etc.  Everything is going according to control freak Dracula’s plan, until the clueless, kind-hearted, surfer dude, human Jonathan (Samberg) stumbles into Hotel Transylvania.  Then everything gets turned upside down and the movie gets even better.

Jonathan literally breathes some life into the hotel of the undead, which could use some breath.  Sandler and his crew of boogeymen have become so accustomed to residing in the shadows that they’ve lost some lust for action along the way, but it doesn’t take long before they loosen up and start enjoying themselves.  Initially everyone takes a liking to the new guest, except for the Count.  Eventually, he can no longer resist Jonathan’s charms, especially when he sees how happy his daughter is around the human boy.  The film had a wonderful plot and many parenting tips on letting children experience life for themselves and learn from their own mistakes.  Hotel Transylvania took a fresh look at a theme we’ve seen displayed in many films, but at a relevant time.  Vampires have seen a huge upswing in popularity following the success of Twilight, True Blood and Vampire Diaries – just to name a few.  It’s refreshing to see a playful and humorous take of the undead in a kids movie and I love hearing a guy like Buscemi as Wayne The Werewolf dad, who I see every Sunday playing Nucky Thompson (Boardwalk Empire), in this type of role.

Couldn’t agree with you more honey, some truly wonderful messages for the kids in this movie, and they’re not rammed down their throats.  The voice actors are all fantastic and the story, though not anything near unpredictable, is heart-warming and appropriate for kids of all ages (which is a cool feat with all the monsters about).  The scariest moment in the movie for me, was when Ethan asked if he could go to the bathroom by himself.  Obviously, I know he could make it there and back alone, but like the over protective Dracula, I just couldn’t do it.  We compromised and I walked to the end of the hall and watched him go the rest of the way.  Good thing too, because he ran right by the bathroom heading toward the movies on the opposite side.  I sceamed “Ethan”, he turned back and looked at me while circling to run into the Ladie’s room.  Another scream from me, and I eventually had to go all the way down to guide him anyway.  He still needs his Pop, that’s not such a bad thing.  We made our way back to our seats, Maria and our popcorn, and enjoyed the end of the entertaining and sweet Hotel Transylvania.

I was hoping Ross would let Ethan go by himself, but after hearing about his oblivious ventures down the hall, I was glad he had his dad following.  Life imitating art.  Sure the plot of Hotel Transylvania is predictable, but done with such clever flair.  Something about this movie made a lasting impression and had me cracking up for hours later.  It’s one of the few that I’ll be looking forward to viewing again, and I’m sure my companions feel the same way.

Ross’ Rating: 4 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Maria’s Rating: 4 Gummies.

Movie Review: ParaNorman

Published September 1, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring the voices of: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein, John Goodman.

Rated PG.  Animated.  Running Time: 1 hour 32 minutes.

What a pleasant surprise ParaNorman turned out to be.  Although, I wasn’t expecting much to begin with.  I definitely wasn’t tripping over my feet to get to the theatre for this one, but it was probably the best film I’ve seen in a few weeks.  We go to the movies A LOT.  Not just for the sake of writing relevant reviews, but because we love going.  Once again, the movie was 3-D, which is starting to literally drive me crazy.  I don’t even remember a great deal of the 3-D effects, so how good could they really be?  I do remember the story, which was unique and, quite frankly, a little scary.  However, it balanced its chilling undertones with clever humor and an intriguing gang of characters.  The plot and theme explored some similar topics we’ve seen in a lot of children’s films lately; bullying, tolerance and the importance of friendship.  Sounds familiar, I know, but I’m glad they are broaching these important subjects.  Especially the bullying, which has become a prevelant issue across the country.  It seems bullying has been on the rise with the influx of technology into our children’s lives or maybe we’re just becoming more aware of it.  One thing I’m certain of is that there are MORE ways to bully now.  A bully is not just confined to confronting their victims at school, they have outlets such as cell phones and computers.  They can harass by text, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter etc. etc. etc.

It is good to see Hollywood adressing bullying, a serious problem in this country.  ParaNorman does a good job of that and much, much more.  The same people that brought us Coraline, the animation company LAIKA along with Focus Features, have created another entertaining but dark tale.  Norman (Smit-McPhee) is a loner who constantly sees the dead (they all seem to really like him too), much to the chagrin of his father (Garlin) who just wants a normal kid.  Their relationship totally reminded me of the father/son dynamic from the film Chicken Little, his dad just wanted CL to stop with “The sky is falling” routine.  At any rate, as Maria pointed out there are meaningful themes in ParaNorman and they are delivered very well.  The only downside is that some of the visuals are quite frightening.  Readers of our blog know that we see lots of kids movies with my son Ethan who is 8.  He was pretty brave thoughout, but I would certainly think twice taking anyone younger than him.  The zombie chases, a scene with Norman’s crazy uncle and a couple of scenes with the “witch” were great cinema, but intimidating in the stop-motion 3-D animation.

Ethan was very brave, but I think you’re right Ross, 8 and up is a pretty good policy for this one.  It was a fairly difficult story to bring to the screen for its intended audience.  They really had to be cogniscent of how dark and scary it got.  This seems to be a recurring theme in Hollywood.  I loved the Harry Potter series, which Ross turned me onto, and that took some very dark turns for its intended age group as well.  We’ve really started to become quite lax when it comes to entertainment ratings for kids.  This seems most apparent in The Hunger Games trilogy that recently took to the big screen.  That first installment just seemed too mature for children under 16, in my opinion.  ParaNorman isn’t nearly as daring with pushing the boundaries as the aforementioned films are, but it still flirts with that very thin line of acceptability.  I enjoyed seeing the use of the less popular stop-motion animation in this movie, which reminds me of claymation in some ways.  In fact, I thought it was claymation until Ross informed me otherwise.

This was a tough movie to review for me.  I did enjoy ParaNorman, it had a lot of heart.  I liked Norman, he’s a good kid.  My favorite part of the movie was the friendship that he and Neil (Albrizzi) formed.  Neil is an overweight boy who gets picked on and doesn’t have any friends, but he hasn’t let that ruin his zest for life, and he is a fantastic friend.  I guess the “problem” I’m having is, that when we see an animated movie we really love, we generally can’t wait until it comes out on video so we can rent it or buy it.  Sometimes we will even go see it again in the theater.  I don’t have that feeling with ParaNorman, but I’m still going to recommend you see it.  I think because it’s so different.  No madcap romp through (Madagascar), or race around (Cars), Europe here.  Just a good story with good lessons.

ParaNorman isn’t rocketing to the top of my favorite animated movies list, but it’s worth a watch.  If your kid really wants to go see it, bring them – you won’t be disappointed.

Maria’s Rating: 2.75 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Ross’ Rating:  3 Gummies.

Movie Review: The Campaign

Published August 26, 2012 by mrsrag

Starring: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd, Brian Cox.

Rated R.  Comedy.  Running Time: 1 hour 25 minutes.

We watched an interview of Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis on the Charlie Rose Show shortly before we saw the movie, and they really had some chemistry going on.  They were feeding off each other, making the usually serious Charlie Rose lose his shit laughing, and they were effusively extolling their awesome experiences on the set of The Campaign.  I just knew this movie had to be fantastic.  I love Will Ferrell.  Old School, Stranger Than Fiction, Step Brothers, Saturday Night Live.  C’mon.  Galifianakis.  Quirky ass dude from The Hangover movies.  Can’t miss.  Cannot miss.  Guess what?  Missed.

I love Will Ferrell.  Ross likes him…I. love. him.  Step Brothers is one of my all time favorite movies.  It’s like Adam McKay (1 of 5 producers of The Campaign), Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly went into my head and created the story.  I’ve wasted numerous hours watching and re-watching Old School, Anchorman and, the lesser known, Blades of Glory.  I’m no stranger to Galifianakis either.  I’ve been a fan of his for years.  I first came upon Zach while he was doing stand-up and even got a chance to see him for peanuts at Edwards auditorium, whilst attending the University of Rhode Island.  Chatted and hung out with the dude for a bit.  My college friends and I even had him prank phone call a good friend of ours, Jon, who couldn’t make it to the show because he was studying for finals.  The show was great and he was very gracious afterward.  Sadly, I was mildly disappointed with this film.   Mildly – because I half expected it.  Just seemed too good to be true from the start.  I believe it must have been a hoot to film, but on screen it just appeared over-the-top.

I had forgotten Maria told me about meeting Gakifiankis in college.  But I know she loves Ferrell.  She quotes the guy so often, sometimes I’m not sure she’s talking TO me or using Ferrell wisdom ON me.  I’m like, “Wait, are you asking me a serious question, or is that a Will Ferrell quote?”  I’m batting .500.  Okay so the movie, they’re opposing candidates in a North Carolina congressional race.  Ferrell is the incumbent, who ususally runs unopposed.  His character is a caricature of every horny, corrupt, useless politician; and the reason the movie lost me very quickly.  Even a spoof comedy has to have a base in somewhat believable reality.  This guy couldn’t possibly get elected to any position anywhere.  He’s so morally bankrupt, he couldn’t be elected shotgun on a garbage truck.  Galifianakis’ character isn’t much better.  A quasi-gay, married man, who is clueless about anything in real life.  His father (Cox), is a grizzled, old timer, obviously disappointed with such a fop for a son.  He jumps at the opportunity presented to him by the Motch brothers (Aykroyd and Lithgow), to have his son run against the ridiculous Cam Brady (Ferrell).  They’re super rich and want to bring a Chinese sweatshop to North Carolina to make even more money.  Buy the election with the naive doofus, get what you want.  Maybe I’m losing my je ne c’est quoi, but I need a little more for my comedic entertainment.

I didn’t completely hate it – the film had its moments.  I guess we just come to expect a certain degree of hilarity from these two stars, especially when they’re together.  I found the WMHT interview with Charlie Rose, the one Ross mentioned earlier, more amusing than the movie.  Galifianakis is so noticeably stoned in the interview and he takes some classic stabs at Chick-Fil-A and Sarah Palin.  At one point in the interview he tells Rose to let him know when he’s thinking of retiring because he would love to take over.  Then he plugs his bit on Ferrell’s website ‘Funny or Die’.  The bit is called ‘Between Two Ferns’ and its similar in premise to Rose’s show, except that Zach is a complete asshole to his guests.  I would seriously recommend you give the bit a look.  Some of my favorite interviews he conducts are Jon Stewart, Richard Branson and Jon Hamm.  Sadly, The Campaign just didn’t float my boat, which doesn’t jive with their track record.  It seemed like a great idea that just didn’t translate to the big screen.

Never a giant fan of horribly uncomfortable humor either, I’m not as wild about “Between Two Ferns” as Maria is.  If you do like that, Meet The Parents-type, cringe worthy stuff, you will love it.  Galifianakis has no conscience with his “guests” and anything goes (the Michael Cera interview is unbelievable).  I do agree that the Charlie Rose piece and BTF are both better than The Campaign.  Of course it had a couple of laughs, and there are a few incidents that are incredibly over the top.  Without giving anything away, a couple of the ads they each endorse are absurd, as well as the hunting trip incident which you may have seen in the previews.  Let me sum up my feelings.  If this movie was presented as an Airplane!, or Naked Gun-type total spoof, I probably could have bought it more, but it isn’t.  They are parodying Washington and these characters are just not believable at all.  I actually found the end to be the best part of The Campaign and that surely isn’t saying much.  My advice would be, at best, wait for the video.  At least then if you hate it, you’ll only be out two bucks.  I’m sure Ferrell and Galifianakis have much better in store for us in the future, they have to, because they couldn’t do much worse.

Maria’s Rating: 2.5 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Ross’ Rating:  1 Gummy Bear.