Couldn't be any better.....

That about sums up this next film: 

 "Toy Story 3" 

If you haven't seen it yet - GO!  Even if you didn't see the first two films, this one will delight you, both visually and emotionally.  Of course, if you have seen the first two then it is imperative that you finish the series and GO SEE THIS BEFORE IT LEAVES THE THEATRE! 

From the first opening sequence, this film does what so many mainstream adult films do not - it captures you with a cohesive story with action scenes that make sense and move the story along.  The plot builds on itself until the final moments of the film when it comes to a satisfying conclusion.  The story is that Andy is now 17 and is about to leave for college.  While Andy is cleaning out his room (for some reason his mom is giving his room to his little sister - not nice) he divides his toys up into those he wants to give away and those he wants to keep.  Lucky Woody is elected to be the one toy that goes to college with him.  But the bags get confused and all the toys end up being donated to a preschool.  Mayhem develops as the toys realize they've been discarded and the preschool is not the wonderful place they thought it might be.  There are some wonderful new characters, and the heart of this movie franchise is never lost, especially when Woody manages to escape from Andy's car when he realizes that his pals are in jeopardy. 

The visuals are stunning and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it in 3d, although I think it would be just as good in high quality HD.  This film made me laugh, cry, cheer, and it had me on the edge of my seat.  Not bad for a cartoon.  I'm continually amazed at how sophisticated and well-done these "kids" movies are.  I've said it before but I'm gonna say it again - mainstream Hollywood, please take note.  

"Dear me, Watson...."

Yes, I finally had the chance to watch one of the most anticipated films to come out at Christmas time last year:

 "Sherlock Holmes"

Starring Robert Downey Jr. in the title role, with Jude Law (Dr. Watson), Rachel McAdams (Irene Adler), and directed by Guy Ritchie.  Now, maybe it's just me but this film was a huge disappointment.  I knew going into it that it was more of an action film than the Sherlock Holmes stories should ever be considering it was directed by Mr. Ritchie ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", "Snatch" and the horrible "Swept Away") but it also turned out to be a mess of a story as well.  To tell you the truth, I can't really remember what the story was.  I got lost in the action scenes and the slow motion and the fact that Sherlock Holmes was being depicted as an emotional cripple who relied upon his intellect (said intellect being represented as a strange kind of mind-warp.)  Now, I do realize that Sherlock Holmes was an emotional cripple who relied upon his intellect, but he was not shallow or crass or simple as he was depicted here.  Robert Downey Jr. is always a kick to watch and he is very likable, but he did not give off the air of someone who was a genius.  Jude Law did a better job as the side-kick, but Rachel McAdams was totally miscast as the bad girl.  I didn't believe for a minute that she was conniving or devious.  She just seemed lost and a little bit of a brat.  

Why someone thought this screenplay would work is beyond me (and the fact that it took five people to write it ought to have given them a clue.)  It didn't work as a story, it didn't work as a film, the actors were all wrong and it was almost as if they were trying to make a comedy.  Maybe they should have gone all the way with that idea - it might have had a chance. 

A New Look and a New Start

I'm back!  With a new fresh look to the blog and a new resolve to write more about this thing that I love - movies!  So let's get going.

First up is a small film that I kept seeing wonderful reviews about called:

 

"Winter's Bone" 

This indie film is based on the novel of the same name written by Daniel Woodrell, and directed by Debra Granik, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Anne Rosellini.  It is set in the Ozark Mountains in a time period that I assume is the present but it gives me great pause about the state of our society if it is.  Ree Dolly (the heart-breaking and tough Jennifer Lawrence) is the oldest of three children whose father has disappeared, leaving Ree, her siblings, and her mother who won't speak, to fend for themselves.  Ree does everything for the family until she receives the news from the local Sheriff that her father put their home up for collateral for his bail and if he doesn't show for his court hearing, they will lose the house.  Ree goes on a quest to find her father to bring him to the hearing herself.  She must face some of the most vile people you can imagine on this quest as her father was involved in the making of meth in the backwoods of the Ozarks and these people do not offer up information lightly.  Her uncle, Teardrop (John Hawkes, who was so good in "Deadwood"), comes to tell her that he thinks her father has been murdered, which would negate the bail, letting Ree and her family keep their home.  The sheer force of this young girl as she encounters drug dealers and the women who support and defend them, is nothing short of astonishing.  The depiction of the society in these woods is reminiscent of "Deliverance" and it will haunt you, just as "Deliverance" did me as a young girl of 15.  Jennifer Lawrence is an actor of great depth and she presents Ree's predicament and turmoil over wanting to find her father, but also hoping he is dead at the same time, with a subtle nuance and she does most of her acting with just her expressions and the tone of her voice.  John Hawkes is always good in his roles and he does not disappoint here.  He is also playing a character who is torn between two things - his allegiance to the drug lords and his duty to his family.  It's not a happy story but it is one that will touch your heart, and you will want to take Ree and her family out of those woods to a safer place.  That is what a good movie does - takes you places you wouldn't ordinarily go and it makes you love the characters in those places.  This small film does just that.

Next up:  A blockbuster that was just a mess and another kid's film that surprised and delighted me.  Mainstream Hollywood should be listening!!

Three Very Different Films

This Spring has turned out to be very busy but I wanted to take some time and share my thoughts on three films that I managed to see in the past month. They couldn't be more different and yet I was moved by each one for varying reasons. I'll start with the most recent one:

"The Ghost Writer"

I suppose that many people would be put off by seeing a film by Roman Polanski given his many troubles but never let it be said that this man is not one of cinema's greatest directors ("Repulsion" "Rosemary's Baby" "Chinatown" "The Pianist".) It's so unfortunate that this film came out about the time that he was arrested because it is a tour de force. It is an adaptation of the novel "The Ghost" by Robert Harris and stars Ewan MacGregor and Pierce Brosnan, both of whom give wonderfully subtle performances that add so much to the mystery. The film opens with The Ghost (Ewan MacGregor) being interviewed to take over the ghost writing of a memoir of the ex-English Prime Minister, Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan.) The previous ghost writer is thought to have committed suicide but we soon learn that this may not be the whole story. The Ghost takes the job and is flown to an island somewhere on the East Coast of the United States and sets to work on the memoir. The house is a gorgeous almost all glass beach house that I personally would give anything to own. But the weather is constantly gray and misty and the sea is always rough which gives a feeling of foreboding throughout the entire film. It becomes clear that Adam Lang's wife, Ruth (the wonderful Olivia Williams) knows more than she's telling and his personal assistant, Amelia (Kim Cattrall, who I hardly recognized) is hiding something as well. I don't want to give away any more of the story but suffice it to say that the mystery of what happened to the original Ghost (who becomes one of the central characters of the story without ever being seen, a brilliant bit of storytelling by Polanski) and just how much danger this Ghost is in if he discovers the truth, is told in such a way that you will be on the edge of your seat at every turn. The ending is one of the most affecting endings I've seen in a long time. It leaves you breathless. I sat with my hands over my mouth, gaping, for the longest time. It is an amazing film in every way - from the subtle acting, the use of weather to create a mood, the intricate story line and unveiling of the story layer by layer right up to the shocking ending. There's never a wrong turn. If only all of our directors today could present their stories in such an intelligent and masterful way. Only Hitchcock could have done better.


The next film is a small independent film that I watched at home and am very glad I did. It's called "Adam", written and directed by Max Mayer. It is the story of Adam (Hugh Dancy), a man with Asperger's Syndrome, who's father has just passed away and is dealing with living alone for the first time. He strikes up a friendship with his upstairs neighbor, Beth (Rose Byrne) and an unlikely romance develops between them. What I really loved about this film is that it doesn't make Adam into a cartoon like Forrest Gump. He seems real, not unlike someone you might actually know. Hugh Dancy did his research well for this character and it shows. Rose Byrne also does a wonderful job in creating Beth. Beth comes across as someone who has been around and has been hurt, but is open to trying something new with someone who is obviously unlike anyone she's ever dated before. She appreciates his innocence and naivete, without making fun of it. I also really appreciated that the story doesn't quite end the way you think it will. It's not an unhappy ending but it's not all hearts and flowers, either. It's always refreshing to see a film that relies on acting and not special effects and/or blood and guts. If you agree with that, then I highly recommend you add this one to your list of must sees.

Last but certainly not least we have one of my favorite films so far this year. When you look up "Feel Good Movies" in the dictionary, this one should be at the top of the list. It is "How To Train Your Dragon" directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, based on the novel by Cressida Cowell. Don't be put off by the fact that it was a children's book and that it's animated, you won't even notice. The screenplay (written by the directors and William Davies) is very clever and very adult, and the voices as done by Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, the hilarious Kristin Wig and best of all, the voice of the main character, Hiccup, by Jay Baruchel, will delight you. Their deliveries are priceless and the humor is very dry - my favorite kind. Then there's the animation. It's nothing short of miraculous. Please see it in 3d if you can. The scene where Hiccup is flying with Toothless, the dragon, actually made me grip the arms of my seat so I didn't fall into the ocean. It was that real. This is a coming of age story about family, love, discrimination, prejudice, and everything else that young people face as they grow up. Especially if you are a Viking. Please see this movie, no matter what age or gender you are. Even the most cynical movie goers will not be able to be anything but entertained, filled with laughter, and cheering by the end.

Ripley is a beast!

I promised you I'd continue my SciFi fest with the next chapter of the Alien saga and, so, here it is. It was a dark and stormy night...oh, wait, that's not right. Well, actually it was a stormy night as we sat down on the couch to watch the James Cameron film, "Aliens." I had even talked my daughter who is terrified of scary movies into watching it with us. We huddled on the couch as the opening music came on and we see Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and Jonesy (the cat) sleeping peacefully as their escape pod is picked up by a salvage ship. They are awakened and Ripley learns that she has been drifting out in space for 57 years. She tells her story of what happened to her ship and the crew but they don't fully believe her and she is horrified to learn that the planet (LV-426) where she and her crew encountered the Alien has been colonized by the "Company." Contact is eventually lost with the colonists on LV-426 and a rescue party is put together that includes Ripley, a representative of the "Company" (Paul Reiser with very '80's hair) and a tough bunch of Marines. From the minute they set foot on the planet, the suspense is palpable and grows with each passing scene. We are trapped in the buildings on the planet right along with the characters, in darkness, not knowing what is around each corner. The Aliens don't show up at first but once they do, they do with stealth and horror. The Marines are sent out to discover what has happened to the people stationed at the colony and are forced to use a tracking device that only shows heat signatures. It's a little bit like "hot, hotter, colder..." only with your life on the line. When the life forms do show up on the device and the Marine holding it tries to steer the other Marines away from it, the tension is unbelievable. You feel as if you are stuck in that hallway or air shaft with "something" baring down on you. You can't see it or hear it until suddenly it's right on top of you. The camera work is brilliant and so evocative of being trapped in darkness and close spaces. The battles between the Marines and the Aliens are horrific and the Aliens seem to just keep coming and coming.

They discover a very young girl, Newt (Carrie Henn), who seems to be the lone survivor at the colony and take her in. Ripley and Newt become very close and eventually it's Ripley's desire to save Newt at all costs that brings about the destruction of the Aliens (until they get resurrected in Alien 3, of course, but we won't talk about that.) Newt knows the station inside and out so she is a very valuable asset for the Marines as they attempt to fight their way out. However, all the Marines gradually give up their lives, except one, Cpl. Hicks (Michael Biehn, in his first of many rolls like this.) He seems to be the only one who really believes Ripley and when they discover that the "Company" has actually been capturing and studying the Aliens for use as weapons, he bands with her to do whatever they can to make sure that doesn't happen.

The most famous scene is, of course, the last battle between Ripley and the mother "Alien." Both females are furious at the prospect of their young being harmed and they fight it out in an epic confrontation that has Ripley driving a full-body forklift and some how managing to fling the Alien into an airlock. Ripley gets pulled down with it but good trumps evil once more as Ripley pushes the button to open the airlock and out goes Mama Alien. I make it sound a heck of a lot easier than it really is and I highly recommend that you view this film for yourself and watch one of the greatest female heroes of our time. I guarantee you will be screaming "Get away from her, you b*&^%/!" right along with Ripley and cheering as that Alien goes squealing into space.

And then you'll turn on every light in your house and not sleep for a week....

Alice in Weirdoland

Now, don't get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, as I have always been a fan of Tim Burton, but really, I don't think Lewis Carroll had this in mind when he penned this story. It's dark, even creepy at times, with lots of humor and goofiness thrown in, as only Mr. Burton can do. The story begins with Alice attending a party in the English countryside (the scenery is gorgeous but I felt that the 3d actually made it look flat.) Her friends are introduced to us through conversations and then you start to notice that many of her friends look familiar, such as the two sisters who have on striped dresses like two little characters who show up later in the film. Alice then discovers that the party was actually thrown in her honor and that her suitor, a very stiff and stuffy young redhead named Hamish, was going to propose to her in front of the 100's of guests. When he does, Alice runs off following the White Rabbit she had seen earlier in the garden and falls down the same hole that she had fallen down as a child. That's when the 3d really takes hold and the mayhem begins. The scenes in the house as she's trying to get out are wonderful as she first becomes small, then large and then small again. She finally gets out the little door and continues on her adventure. She meets the Tweedles, who are very odd little people very similar to the very scary (at least to me) Ooompa Loompas, the White Rabbit again, and many other very strange creatures in her new world. We all know this story so I won't go into further detail but I do want to mention the stand out performances. I am very glad that Mr. Burton choose to use a relatively unknown actress (Mia Wasikowska) as Alice. She was delightful, strong, willful, and very funny at times. A perfect casting choice. Johnny Depp was very good as the Mad Hatter and the relationship that develops between he and Alice is very touching and believable. But the show stopper is Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen. Go see this film just to see her and the very funny Crispin Glover (remember Back to the Future's George McFly?) as her knight, Stayne. Crispin and Helena steal the movie. There are many other famous voices (Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen, Stephen Fry) and Anne Hathaway does a fine job as the White Queen, despite her bushy black eyebrows that I couldn't stop staring at. So, I guess I'm recommending this film but if you don't get to see it at the theatre, it's okay. Even without 3d, Weirdoland is still Weirdoland - I sure wish I could hear what Mr. Carroll thought about it.

Fantastic Mr. Fox??

This is hard for me to write because this movie, "Fantastic Mr. Fox", was recommended to me by some very dear friends. I had been looking forward to seeing it for weeks, especially since it was nominated along with "Up" as one of the best Animated Films of the year. When it finally arrived in the mail, I sat my whole family down for a movie night. Now, animated films have come a long way in the past 20 years. The stories are better, funnier, they have a new appeal that reaches across all ages, and the advancements made to the actual animation are astounding. So I was expecting something pretty special. I didn't get it.

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" is based on the Roald Dahl story of the same name. Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) is a fox who has a wild past but has now settled down to domestic life and is trying his best to be good. However, when he becomes dissatisfied with living in a hole, his wife (voiced by Meryl Streep) drolly points out that they are foxes, foxes live in holes, that's what they do. This does nothing to alleviate his dissatisfaction and he decides to move the family to a tree house. One of the funniest scenes in the movie actually happens right at the beginning when Mr. Fox is discussing his dissatisfaction with their hole with Mrs. Fox and their son, Ash (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) keeps appearing in the kitchen. The dialogue between the teenager and his parents is spot on (obviously the writers have teenagers at home.)

Mr. Fox takes the family to look at tree houses and another quite funny scene unfolds with the real estate agent and the buying of the house. This house happens to be right across from three of the meanest farmers in town, Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Mr. Fox can't help himself and he decides to pull a raid on the three farmers as his last escapade. From there the film disintegrates into a madcap, ridiculous adventure that, for me, lost all of it's humor and appeal. It was full of cliches, and while some of the dialogue and portrayals were clever, most of it was just silly. Another problem with this film was the style of the animation. It's a stop-action film that reminded me of the old Gumby cartoon at times and had an almost claustrophobic feel to it. I realize that most of the film was acted out underground, but even the scenes set on the farms or around the tree seemed dark and heavy. By the end of the film, I felt relieved to get out. I also felt relieved to stop listening to George Clooney. I admire George as an actor, but he does tend to do roles where he has to talk a lot ("Michael Clayton" "Up in the Air") and this was no exception. I kept drifting off during Mr. Fox's rants and getting confused as to what was happening in the film. His voice just became irritating.

I wish I had read the original story of "Fantastic Mr. Fox" before I saw this film. Maybe it would have helped, or maybe not. Animated films today are held to a higher standard than ever before so it may be that this just didn't live up to those standards for me. I expect a beautiful film, both in the way it looks and in the story, and this fell short in both regards. It's still fun at times and has a good message, but for me, I'm with Mr. Fox - I don't want to be in that hole again either.