South Florida Reviews

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Recent DVD Release: Mud

Published August 22, 2013 by mrsrag

Starring:  Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Sam Shepard, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Paul Sparks, Joe Don Baker, Bonnie Sturdivant.

Rated: PG-13.  Drama.  Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes.

 

We’ve been on a roll of reviewing some really predictable and extremely mediocre movies of late.  If you’re a regular to MRSRAG, you know on occasion we get viewing suggestions from our friend Kevin (usually films off the beaten path), and he hasn’t let us down yet.  The Intouchables was his best referral; a sub-titled, must-see that we never would have caught if not for him.  So here we are again with Mud, and for the first time, we’re a little worried.  The problem: the last two McConaughey movies we’ve seen were dreadful.  Killer Joe and The Paperboy.  Unwatchable cinema at it’s very worst.  Trepidation unwarranted, Kevin was right as usual.  Mud is the story of two teenage river rats from Arkansas, Ellis (Sheridan) and Neckbone (Lofland).  They happen upon Mud (McConaughey ) on a deserted island while seeking a boat in a tree, deposited there during a flood.  Mud is living in it and the boys want it.  We don’t find out for a while that Mud is on the run from the law, but it’s easy to deduce.  He’s also waiting to meet up with his true love, Juniper (Witherspoon).  The boys befriend Mud, and soon a scavenger hunt for boat parts is on.  No formulaic predictability in this one, thank goodness!

Those two films Ross mentioned earlier were atrocious.  So you can understand our consternation with Kev’s newest suggestion.  McConaughey has been on some career path.  I recall a time when every movie the guy touched turned to gold; A Time to Kill, Amistad, Frailty, Reign of Fire, The Lincoln Lawyer, and a slew of memorable romantic comedies including The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, Fool’s Gold and Failure to Launch.  Recently, he’s been hitting the independent film circuit, but his choices have been strange.  He’s also been favoring roles where he gets to play a perverse or exaggerated version of himself, most apparent in last Summer’s Magic Mike.  Mud has the usual makings of a McConaughey character: scarcity of shirt, down South townie roots and an innate resourcefulness.  However, this film had an incredible supporting cast that authenticated his portrayal.  The two young boys were spectacular, especially the lead, Ellis.  His performance was spellbinding and heart wrenching as he realizes the painful truth of the hardships surrounding life, family and love.  I also thoroughly enjoyed Sam Shepard’s character, Ellis’ neighbor & a retiree who spends most days on the river fishing.  Mud had the originality, the heart and the talent that a lot of films lack in this day and age.  And it is, by far, the best piece of work McConaughey has done in several years.

McConaughey, like Johnny Depp, seems incapable of playing any kind of “normal” role.  Nothing wrong with wanting to be unique, but after too much of the same thing, the quirky-ness becomes tiresome.  Honestly, I think they’ve both lost it.  Matthew is only comfortable playing southern drawling, sweaty, half-naked, dirty, smarmy weirdos of which Mud is no exception.  The difference here is, while he is the title character, as Maria has already alluded to, Mud absolutely belongs to the two boys.  Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland are wondrous as Ellis and Neckbone.  Two relative newcomers who I believe you’ll be seeing much more of in the future.  Ellis is kind, tough, a protector of women and a romantic.  He loves living on the river, and dreads the thought of moving into town, if his mother has her way.  Neckbone is not quite as quick to help or believe, but he is fiercely loyal, has a keen sense of self preservation and generally ends up onboard with whatever Ellis wants to do.  The boys learn some tough lessons along the way about truth and trust and love, but they always have each other in this ‘us against the world’ tale.  It made me think back to my teenaged days hanging with my buds, getting into some mischief and the great feeling of someone always having your back. 

Ross could identify with Ellis, while I found much in common with the skeptical Neckbone.  Ellis was eager to help, while Neckbone kept a practical and level headed approach to the dubious Mud.  Mud was suspenseful, touching and well executed.  Overall, I enjoyed the film.  It was well worth our usual Redbox stipend, which has not been the case recently.  I hope Ross’ prediction is right & we see more of these two young boys in the near future.  They seem to have a ton of potential and they basically stole the show.  Let’s hope McConaughey plots a new course from here on out, Mud is the right direction for him.  And we have to give one more note of thanks to our pal Kev again!  You, my friend, have exquisite taste.

 

Ross’ Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Gummy Bears.

Maria’s Rating: 4 Gummies.

Movie Review: Planes

Published August 20, 2013 by mrsrag

Starring the Voices of:  Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett, Terri Hatcher, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Priyanka Chopra, John Cleese, Cedric the Entertainer, Carlos Alazraqui, Roger Craig Smith, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, Sinbad, Brent Musburger.

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

I was shocked.  Not by the formulaic plot.  Or the predictable twists.  What was shocking was that even with all these flaws, I still enjoyed the movie somehow.  I entered the theatre with the lowest expectations possible.  Mostly because I knew from previews and pre-release press that Planes was going to be a Cars/Turbo hybrid.  Crop dusting plane wants to race around the World; crop duster qualifies due to glitch; blah blah blah.  It’s difficult to get hyped up for the same crap all the time in these kids movies.  Every storyline is about some type of underdog with big dreams.  Believe me, I’m all about encouraging kids to achieve great things, but aren’t there plenty of other life lessons we can start portraying on screen.  Anything original that doesn’t involve racing?  Maybe a story about how hard work results in success or how being kind and generous is rewarding.  There has to be some new subject matter we haven’t yet tapped into.

I realize lately we’ve become somewhat of a broken record when it comes to the lack of originality in movies, and that Planes is another in the line was certainly no surprise.  Maria has hit it on the head with her assessment of Planes as a cross between Cars and Turbo.  Slow snail gets fast, wins Indy 500.  Underestimated crop duster……..yeah, okay, got it.  Dusty’s (Cook) sidekick Chug (Garrett) = Mater.  Broken down mentor Skipper (Keach) is Doc Hudson.  It’s especially distressing to me because I have been saying for ages that the animated features, as a whole, are far superior offerings than mainstream Hollywood.  Now, it seems, they’ve finally decided to sacrifice quality for money grabbing and that is truly a shame.  I also liked Planes better than Turbo, but I’m definitely not nutting over it.  Check out that voice cast!  They deserve better.  I really hope the studios get back to serving us the quality we’ve come to know, and stop taking advantage of our kids and the parents. We deserve better too.

Going to the movies is an expensive venture, which is the main reason we deserve better.  We skipped the 3-D this time, because quite honestly, we haven’t been impressed by the use of the effect on screen.  And it’s an extra 3 or 4 bucks per ticket!  The only movie I have seen that truly wowed me was Jackass 3-D.  Now that was well worth the extra cash because they used the effect to its potential.  Shooting things out into the crowd and dusting us with faux confetti; that’s what going to a 3-D movie should be like.  I want to be grabbing and dodging things.  Keep that in mind, Hollywood.  Planes had some indescribable charm.  And I enjoyed the manner with which they executed the race.  There were more laughs and clever antics than Turbo, but it fell short of its predecessor, Cars.  Needless to say, this latest kids flick was mediocre.  I won’t be racing out to grab it off shelves.

Ethan enjoyed the movie, that’s all that matters really.  Though I’m sure even he would admit it’s not going on his all time favorites list.  We didn’t go 3-D, that was a plus, waste of money.  I’m going to make two prediction: 3-D offerings will decrease significantly, soon.  And, sometime in the future, you’ll see a Cars/Planes release.  Hopefully they’ll come up with a script worthy of the actors and the audience. 

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

Ross’ Rating:  2.75 Gummies. 

 

Recent DVD Release: Olympus Has Fallen

Published August 18, 2013 by mrsrag

Starring:  Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Dylan McDermott, Angela Bassett, Rick Yune, Ashley Judd, Cole Hauser, Robert Forster, Finley Jacobsen.

Rated: R.  Action/Thriller.  Running Time: 2 hours.

In recent years an annoying phenomenon has appeared in Hollywood, the release of movies with nearly identical subject matter, right on top of each other.  There was Deep Impact and Armageddon.  Red Planet and Mission to Mars.  The Girl and Hitchcock.  Now we have White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen.  We haven’t seen the former yet but we just rented the latter out of our beloved Redbox.  A far-fetched, action packed, predictable hostage story that I realized half way through, was just Die Hard set in the White House.  Gerard Butler is John McClane, Rick Yune is Hans Gruber.  The White House is Nakatomi Plaza, Robert Forster is the inept FBI agent that sends in the troops against our hero’s advice.  Morgan Freeman and Angela Bassett team up to form a composite of the sympathetic Sgt. Al Powell, and Aaron Eckhart plays the President but is really just Bonnie Bedelia as Mrs. McClane.  There’s a failed helicopter assault/rescue, and plenty of wise-cracking one-liners from Butler, as he McClanes through the scores of North Korean bad guys.  I loved this movie, in 1988, the first time I saw it.  Now?  Not so much.

Recently, Ross has been offering up insightful synopses of our entertainment.  He first pegged my new series crush, Ray Donovan (Showtime), as “Soprano’s West”.  And when he fixed Olympus Has Fallen as a Die Hard rehash, I knew he nailed it again.  Although, if it wasn’t for Butler’s McClanesque one-liners I would have found nearly no amusement in this flick.  Sure there are some action packed artillery scenes and tons of dramatic explosions, but it definitely didn’t add up to Die Hard standards.  It lacked Die Hard’s effortless charm.  To sum up Olympus Has Fallen in one word: forgettable.  I found myself missing the days of Butler donning a red loin cloth & ball kicking some Persian dude bellowing, “THIS IS SPARTA”.  I like to remember him at his best.  As for the other mish mash of famous faces, I saw people who I also like to remember as their past characters.  Aaron Eckhart; Harvey Dent a.k.a. Two-Face.  Ashley Judd; Dr. Kate McTiernan (Kiss The Girls)…I’d have to include Olympus co-star Morgan Freeman with this film.  He is the only man allowed to play Alex Cross.  That last line is directed at you, Tyler Perry.  Please stick to what you know – dressing up as old black ladies.

Gerard Butler is a likeable dude, and man’s man.  He disposes of the henchmen well in this movie and has some pretty cool moves.  That being said, I’ve always found him lacking as a movie star.  I did enjoy 300 and Chasing Mavericks was okay, but he is just stiff.  He doesn’t have “It”.  You can’t really define “It”, you just know it when you see it.  Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Humphrey Bogart, Jack Nicholson, De Niro, Pacino, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cary Grant.  You get the point.  They’re trying to make Butler a star.  They’re trying with Ryan Reynolds too, but you can’t make champagne out of lemons.  The other actors in Olympus Has Fallen don’t do much here either.  For crying out loud, Morgan Freeman just played the President not long ago in the aforementioned Deep Impact, now he’s the acting President.  Ashley Judd and Cole Hauser stop by for a cup of coffee.  Aaron Eckhart is tied up most of the movie, probably wishing he could escape entirely.  Rick Yune is okay as the head bad guy, but really he’s pretty much the evil nephew from Karate Kid 2.  And his female sidekick is a carbon copy of the Asian bad girl who gets her ass kicked by John McClane in Live Free or Die Hard.  Hell, that fourth installment of Bruce Willis’ series was ten times better than OHF.  And come to think of it, they fake blew up the White House in that one too.  Instead of renting or ordering Olympus Has Fallen, take the time to revisit any Die Hard movie, the guy in those films is a bona fide movie star.  “Yippee ki yay, Motherfucker!”  

Butler’s McClane tribute was a lame, “Let’s play a game of fuck off, you go first.”  I’m not saying I won’t use the line, it just didn’t suit Gerry.  Anyhow, OHF was a mediocre movie with a potentially decent plot that failed to execute its ideas.  There were some glimpses into clever writing, such as the relationship between Butler and the President’s son, which proves to be an asset as the boy seeks refuge during the attack.  It just seemed like something we’ve already seen, good guy is offered redemption, saves the day, blah blah blah.  In order for a story of this nature to translate, it has to find its niche.  Olympus didn’t have a niche, it just carved out a tiny little spot next to the Die Hard series.  Sorry Mike Banning (Butler’s character in OHF), but John McClane kicks your ass.

 

Ross’ Rating:  1.75 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Maria’s Rating:  2.25 Gummies.

August trip to Saratoga Raceway…

Published August 10, 2013 by mrsrag

We are rounding out the end of our annual trip to upstate New York and just wanted everybody to know we’ll be back in action early next week with a clue to our latest trivia.  We have had a blast hanging out with some of the people we love most in the world and playing the horses at Saratoga Raceway.  What an experience!  Just wanted you all to know we didn’t forget about you.  Lots of things in the hopper for us, including cementing our wedding plans.  Keep calm & read MRSRAG.

Recent DVD Release: Evil Dead

Published July 26, 2013 by mrsrag

Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore, Phoenix Connolly, Jim McLarty.

Rated: R.  Horror.  Running Time: 1 hour 31 minutes.

I hate horror movies.  Somehow, I missed out on that gene that certain people, like my brother and his wife, innately possess.  I, much like my two sisters, steer clear of most things described as gory and terrifying.  My sister Marcia literally won’t even watch the commercials for a scary flick.  I’m not that bad, but they are most certainly not my first choice of entertainment.  Luckily, Ross isn’t a huge fan either.  We spotted Evil Dead in our favorite renting vessel, the Redbox, and we decided that as critics, sometimes you have to branch out of your comfort zone.  Evil Dead is a remake of a 1981 Sam Raimi film, which I’ve never seen.  I’m sure you horror fanatics are gawking at the screen right now.  It’s a story about five friends who find themselves at a cabin in the woods where they unknowingly summon demons with an evil book, you can imagine what ensues from there.  It’s easily one of the goriest and grossest films I’ve ever seen in my limited knowledge of this genre.  Sadly, I can’t compare it to the original, but suffice it to say, I haven’t converted to a fan.

I’ve been thinking about my proclamation that “I hate horror movies”, and you know what?  I’ve realized I’m kind of full of shit.  Over the years I have actually loved some horror movies, while watching through the slits between my fingers.  The Exorcist, Poltergeist, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, The Ring, Scream, Saw.  There are a few more I can’t think of, but I’m pretty sure I can’t say I “hate” the genre with a clear conscience.  I will say that I never go back for more, i.e., I haven’t seen any of the ensuing endless sequels like Saw 7, Halloween 15 etc.  I’m going to leave it with, they aren’t my favorites.  Okay, so there is no way we even see this movie if not for Maria’s brother Ed.  He is a big fan, and he mentioned to Maria that he heard Evil Dead was decent and she should check it out.  I went along for the ride with Maria, because well, I’d go along for any ride with her anywhere, and it was $1.27 from Redbox.  The movie was a gross out fest, but that is about where it ends in the “entertainment” department.  I think what turned me off to these movies in recent years are the inevitable scream at the screen, “don’t go in the basement!”, “don’t run into the woods!”, “don’t go outside alone!”, “don’t open that evil book, that says don’t open!”  moments.   Evil Dead had all of these and more.  It had gore, and….nothing else of value (if you happen to value that) in my opinion.  I didn’t even have to look through my fingers if that tells you anything.  “You are planning to have some scares in your scary movie, aren’t you?”  Sorry, I always love bastardizing Jeff Goldblum’s line from Jurassic Park anytime I can.  Anyway, these words are directly for Ed:  I’m certainly not the expert you are about these movies, but my advice is, steer clear of this movie, it blows.  That goes for the rest of you too. 

I beg to differ.  I think Ed will watch this movie and I believe he will thoroughly enjoy it.  It seems like something that would tickle him.  Surprisingly, I didn’t find it very scary either, but it had some parts that made my skin prickle.  Mostly because of the gruesome nature with which some bloody scene was unfolding.  I think that if I had the past experience of the original in my rearview mirror that I would have more reverence for this movie.  I’m trying to think back to 1981, but I would venture out on a limb to say that Raimi’s NC-17 rated version must have been groundbreaking in specific aspects.  Today the genre is largely formulaic in plot, gore and universal stupidity.  One thing that bothered me was how they couldn’t figure out what was happening.  They kept chalking it up to one character’s heroin withdrawals and then no one could put the pieces together that each individual that became possessed had come into contact with some of the evil ‘muck’.  Halfway through this film I was actually rooting for people to die and disappear.  Penance for their idiocy.  Nevertheless, I didn’t enjoy watching it and I don’t plan on venturing out again anytime soon.  To the horror fans out there, you would probably like this film and enjoy ‘The Conjuring’.  I’ll be skipping that little gem as well!

In this video game era of exploding heads and spraying arterial blood, perhaps that’s all you need to make a good horror movie.  I’m not squeamish about the blood, but, I need some build up to those jump out at you scares and “look out behind you” scenes.  I like watching through my fingers.  Evil Dead did none of that for me.  It wasn’t the worst movie I’ve seen lately, that honor goes to co-winners The Paperboy and Melancholia, but it was very close.  Maybe I am wrong Ed, maybe you will like it.   I’m interested in finding out for sure.  Anyone else out there who thinks I’m way off base, let me know, I can take it.  We can agree to disagree.  Excuse me now though, I have to go cut my own brain out, so I can forget I saw Evil Dead. 

Maria’s Rating:  1.5 Gummy Bears out of 5.

Ross’ Rating:  1 Gummy. 

Book Review: Joyland

Published July 24, 2013 by mrsrag

Author:  Stephen King.  Crime/Mystery/A Smattering of the Paranormal.  288 pages.

Easily the best author of my lifetime, perhaps any lifetime, Stephen King has been entertaining and scaring the shit out of me for over three decades.  From The Stand (my all-time favorite) to Cujo, Christine, The Tommyknockers, Dreamcatcher, Hearts in Atlantis, Carrie, The Shining, Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, It….sorry I have to stop.  The list is nearly endless, and I’m sure my point has been made.  You’d be hard-pressed to find a person on this planet who hasn’t been touched at some point by the man’s words; in print or on the screen.  We recently embarked on a colossal road trip and we made the wise decision to bring a book on CD, Joyland, with us.  Set in the 1970’s in an amusement park in North Carolina, Joyland follows the story of Devin Jones, a young man working his way through college at a summer job.  Sad and confused because the love of his life has seemingly cut him loose, he makes new friends and learns of some dark secrets at his new position on the midway.  Devin tells us the tale of his summer those many years ago, teaching us the language of the “carnies” and pulling us into his attempt to solve a cold case murder along the way.  Devin is a writer in the present, and I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that Stephen King has written A LOT of himself into the character.  Joyland is yet another masterpiece of story telling from the master of masters.

I am nowhere near the caliber of Stephen King fan that my writing partner is, but I thoroughly enjoy the man’s work.  I think the first King masterpiece I ever experienced was Carrie.  And holy crap, what a first!  I don’t think I slept for a good week.  The depth of his stories and the details that create unbelievably vivid characters are a distinct characteristic of his exquisite writing.  He can paint a picture so well that you feel as though you know the people and the places as he’s creating them or describing them to you.  We had an added effect since we were driving right through North Carolina and other towns mentioned in the tale, both on the venture up and the trek back down the Eastern seaboard.  Including an exciting stop by the writer’s home in Bangor, Maine!  We hadn’t even planned on checking out his digs, but we literally were in the neighborhood.  The story was also markedly enhanced by its reader, Michael Kelly, known for numerous acting gigs on some small and big screen features.  You’ll recognize him, but it’s hard to describe one specific role he’s played…

MKread

This guy is really good.  We’ve listened to our share of audiobooks and Kelly was by far the best reader ever, his different voices for both male and female characters alike were spot on.  It truly improves an audiobook experience when you have an entertaining reader who cares about the integrity of the story.  King does so much research for his novels and this is evident in the way he nails down specifics like the jargon between carnies.  I found Joyland suspenseful, exciting, intriguing and intelligently delivered.  It was an excellent choice for our trip and would be a great decision if you find yourself bored in the car.

We listened to, and ripped via review,  Fifty Shades of Grey.  Beyond being some of the worst writing in history, the woman who narrated the story was abysmally putrid.  Michael Kelly was nothing short of phenomenal on Joyland.  Of course, he was working with light years better material, but you could feel that he was invested in the story.  The narrative flowed so naturally that I was totally immersed in it.  Devin Jones is a good guy, trying to do the right thing, and you’re right there with him every step.  Nothing too creepy or scary in this one; when all is said and done you’re left with a good, old fashioned, twisting murder mystery.  Well mostly, but with a few Stephen Kingian ghosts thrown in for good measure.  I loved trying to figure “whodunit”, and did a pretty good job I might add, though not without a bit of waffling.  Also, it was truly a kick seeing SK’s house in Bangor.  Nice, big, but not pretentious, and nary a feel of foreboding while standing in front of it.  The only glimpse of anything dark were the bats on the fence, and they were cool not scary.  I couldn’t thank the guy enough for the hours and hours of joy he’s given me through his books and movies.  And Joyland is right there with some of his best, as he proves again, that he doesn’t NEED to shock or scare us to keep our attention.  But damn, he is sooooo good at it.

He is truly a master of his craft.  One of my favorite things about King is how he examines a different perspective of the human condition in each of his tales.  Joyland examines the difficult nature of growing up; coming-of-age while dealing with the trials of love, the emotional impact of loss and the certainty of death.  King seems to have a deep understanding of all these experiences, which is why he can deliver his message with such clear conviction.  Whether you give it a listen or a read, Joyland is a thrill ride you don’t want to miss.

 

Ross’ Rating:  5 Bookmarks out of 5!

Maria’s Rating:  4.5 Bookmarks.