I'm so excited for this week. And here's why.
1) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. A murder mystery that could be wrapped in a bigger mystery perpetrated by Holmes' greatest rival, Professor Moriarty.
The Good: Did you see the first movie? It was awesome. Now we throw in the greatest criminal mastermind? This is just too much awesome.
The Bad: It hasn't come out sooner.
Final Thoughts: I want to see this movie so bad. The wait is killing me.
2) Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol: Ethan Hunt and IMF are implicated in a terrorist attack. Hunt must clear his name while bing completely off the grid.
The Good: It looks like the best Mission Impossible movie yet.
The Bad: Being the best Mission Impossible movie is a very low bar.
Final Thoughts: My personal feelings about Tom Cruise aside, this looks like a great movie. But it is going to be stupid and cheesy. Watch at your own risk.
3) Alvin and the Chipmonks Chipwrecked: The chipmonks and chimpettes are stranded on a deserted island. Or are they?
The Good: Fans of the Chipmonks are going to like it.
The Bad: Only fans of the Chipmonks are going to like it.
Final Thoughts: I know it's a kids movie. I know it's big business and makes a lot of money. But haven't we had enough of this series? The Chipmonks were old when I was a kid. Isn't it time to exploit some other old cartoon series? How about a Snagglepuss or Wally Gator movie?
4) Carnage: Two kids have a fight at school. The parents agree to have dinner together and all hell breaks loose.
The Good: It's funny and has a message behind it.
The Bad: It could get a little preachy.
Final Thoughts: It's an amazing cast with a really good idea. Give it a shot.
See you at the movies!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
The Adventures of Tintin review: Great Snakes!
When it comes to this movie, I need to just come clean and say that in my eyes, Steven Spielberg can do very little wrong. Before a certain movie with the refridgerator, a nuclear bomb, and dead psychic aliens from dimention X, I had never seen a Speilberg movie I hated. But if that wasn't enough, we also get Peter Jackson's name attached to this movie! Ok so he was just a producer, but still! What kind of adventure would you get from the guys that did Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones? A really kick ass one! And that's what we have here.
For those not familiar with the Tintin comic strip, I don't blame you. Tintin was a Belgian comic strip written by Georges Rimi (aka Herge) that was first published back in 1929. It's about a young reporter named Tintin and his trusty terrier, Snowy.
Herge himself came under quite a bit of scrutiny since much of his early work was political in nature. And one doesn't need to do much math when you add political commentary, Belgium, and 1939.
Our movie was actually adapted from Herge's eleventh book featuring Tintin called "The Secret of the Unicorn." And that is where our movie starts. Tintin is in the park getting a character drawing of himself by one of the local artists. I felt this was a great wink to the audience. We see the comic drawing of Tintin before we ever see the modernized Tintin we see through the rest of the movie.
Tintin then finds a model ship called the Unicorn and is infinately fascinated by it. A Man-O-War with six masts and fifty guns. As soon as he buys it two different men try to buy the ship from him. Being the detective/journalist that he is, he instantly knows there's more to this ship than just a beautiful model. This leads him on a great adventure with Captain Haddock to discover the secret of the Unicorn.
The overall acting of the movie was wonderful but again Andy Serkis proves why he just might be the best voice actor of our generation. After having such roles as Kong in the King Kong remake, Smeagol/Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, he brings his talents to this movie as Captain Haddock. Captain Haddock wastes no time stealing the show. He's such a likeable and funny character. The only other character I loved more than Haddock was Snowy the dog.
The music was just awesome. Again, a staple of Spielberg's directing; heavy orchestrial scores to enhance the action scenes. And there are a lot of action scenes. The movie wastes no time getting to the conflicts. This does hurt the characterization of Tintin but really that is in keeping with the comic strip. Tintin is meant to be a wholesome everyman type of character. Whatever you want him to be, he is. He's far more defined by the courage he shows in solving the mystery.
It's a great movie but unfortunately with movies like this I can't say too much about it without spoiling the surprise. So, I'll leave my review by saying that it's a great movie and I totally recommend it.
For those not familiar with the Tintin comic strip, I don't blame you. Tintin was a Belgian comic strip written by Georges Rimi (aka Herge) that was first published back in 1929. It's about a young reporter named Tintin and his trusty terrier, Snowy.
Herge himself came under quite a bit of scrutiny since much of his early work was political in nature. And one doesn't need to do much math when you add political commentary, Belgium, and 1939.
Our movie was actually adapted from Herge's eleventh book featuring Tintin called "The Secret of the Unicorn." And that is where our movie starts. Tintin is in the park getting a character drawing of himself by one of the local artists. I felt this was a great wink to the audience. We see the comic drawing of Tintin before we ever see the modernized Tintin we see through the rest of the movie.
Tintin then finds a model ship called the Unicorn and is infinately fascinated by it. A Man-O-War with six masts and fifty guns. As soon as he buys it two different men try to buy the ship from him. Being the detective/journalist that he is, he instantly knows there's more to this ship than just a beautiful model. This leads him on a great adventure with Captain Haddock to discover the secret of the Unicorn.
The overall acting of the movie was wonderful but again Andy Serkis proves why he just might be the best voice actor of our generation. After having such roles as Kong in the King Kong remake, Smeagol/Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, he brings his talents to this movie as Captain Haddock. Captain Haddock wastes no time stealing the show. He's such a likeable and funny character. The only other character I loved more than Haddock was Snowy the dog.
The music was just awesome. Again, a staple of Spielberg's directing; heavy orchestrial scores to enhance the action scenes. And there are a lot of action scenes. The movie wastes no time getting to the conflicts. This does hurt the characterization of Tintin but really that is in keeping with the comic strip. Tintin is meant to be a wholesome everyman type of character. Whatever you want him to be, he is. He's far more defined by the courage he shows in solving the mystery.
It's a great movie but unfortunately with movies like this I can't say too much about it without spoiling the surprise. So, I'll leave my review by saying that it's a great movie and I totally recommend it.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
From the Vault: Spaceballs
Spaceballs was made back in 1987 and oh is it glorious! As a child of the '80s I'm no stranger to movies like Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, and Alien. All movies parodied to perfection by Mel Brooks.
Our story begins much like the beginning of Star Wars Episode 4. Instead of Darth Vader, we get Dark Helmet played by Rick Moranis. If ever there was an exact opposite to the iconic Darth Vader with the chilling robotic voice of James Earl Jones, it is the nerdy and unintimidating in any possible way Rick Moranis. Rick Moranis had an amazing career in the 1980s. He had supporting roles in the Ghostbuster movies and Brewster's Millions along with starring roles in Little Shop of Horrors and Honey I Shrunk the Kids. The spaceship spaceball is in a heated firefight with the space car of Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga). Princess Vespa ran away from her wedding to Prince Vallium because she didn't love the narcoleptic, but she is legally bound to marry a prince.
With Princess Vespa is our C3PO knockoff Dot Matix played by Joan Rivers. Once they come under attack, Princess Vespa calls her father for help. King Roland of Druidia then hires our hero Lone starr (Bill Pullman) and his faithful sidekick Barf (John Candy). Lone Starr and Barf agree to rescue Princess Vespa and return her to Druidia for 1 million spacebucks so they can pay their debt to the dreaded space gangster, Pizza the Hut (Dom DeLuise).
Spaceballs is loaded with comedic talent. Not only getting some of the hottest comedians of the 1980s like John Candy, Rick Moranis, Dick Van Patten, and Joan Rivers; but also getting people like Michael Winslow (Police Academy movies), Jim J. Bullock (Hollywood Squares), and John Hurt (Alien) to do cameos.
Without spoiling much more of a must see sci-fi parody comedy, my favorite scene is the diner scene. I will say no more about it. If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about.
Easily one of Mel Brooks' best movies. It's a laugh riot from start to finish and one of my personal favorites.
Our story begins much like the beginning of Star Wars Episode 4. Instead of Darth Vader, we get Dark Helmet played by Rick Moranis. If ever there was an exact opposite to the iconic Darth Vader with the chilling robotic voice of James Earl Jones, it is the nerdy and unintimidating in any possible way Rick Moranis. Rick Moranis had an amazing career in the 1980s. He had supporting roles in the Ghostbuster movies and Brewster's Millions along with starring roles in Little Shop of Horrors and Honey I Shrunk the Kids. The spaceship spaceball is in a heated firefight with the space car of Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga). Princess Vespa ran away from her wedding to Prince Vallium because she didn't love the narcoleptic, but she is legally bound to marry a prince.
With Princess Vespa is our C3PO knockoff Dot Matix played by Joan Rivers. Once they come under attack, Princess Vespa calls her father for help. King Roland of Druidia then hires our hero Lone starr (Bill Pullman) and his faithful sidekick Barf (John Candy). Lone Starr and Barf agree to rescue Princess Vespa and return her to Druidia for 1 million spacebucks so they can pay their debt to the dreaded space gangster, Pizza the Hut (Dom DeLuise).
Spaceballs is loaded with comedic talent. Not only getting some of the hottest comedians of the 1980s like John Candy, Rick Moranis, Dick Van Patten, and Joan Rivers; but also getting people like Michael Winslow (Police Academy movies), Jim J. Bullock (Hollywood Squares), and John Hurt (Alien) to do cameos.
Without spoiling much more of a must see sci-fi parody comedy, my favorite scene is the diner scene. I will say no more about it. If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about.
Easily one of Mel Brooks' best movies. It's a laugh riot from start to finish and one of my personal favorites.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
From the Vault: High Anxiety
The 1977 comedy from Mel Brooks looks at the work of The Master of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock. Of the movies parodied, Vertigo is the most prominent. Also seen are parodies of The Birds, Psycho, Spellbound, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Tom Curtain, Shadow of a Doubt, The Ring, The Thirty-Nine Steps, Suspicion, Notorious, Under Capricorn, Dial M For Murder, The Wrong Man, Frenzy, Family Plot, Rebecca, and The Lodger: The Story of the London Fog.
(Notable Hitchcock movies not parodied: Strangers on a Train and Rear Window)
Mel Brooks himself plays the lead role of Dr. Thorndyke, the chief psychologist at the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the very VERY Nervous. While there he suspects something is wrong with Dr. Montague and the head nurse Nurse Diesel played by Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman respectively.
With all the suspicion surrounding the Institute, it is also discovered that Dr. Thorndyke suffers from High Anxiety. A condition that causes him to go into panic attacks and lose equilibrium. So, in other words High Anxiety is Vertigo.
My personal favorite scene is either the parody of Psycho or The Birds. In the Psycho parody a highly strung bell boy is asked for a newspaper which ends with the bell boy repeatedly stabbing Dr. Thorndyke in the shower with the paper while screaching "Here's your paper!"
The parody of The Birds has Dr. Thorndyke sitting in a park reading a newspaper when birds start to appear. Leading up to the birds repeatedly pooping on him.
This was Mel Brooks' third film and the first where he had a speaking role as the lead. (His second movie was Silent Movie where nobody talked out loud.) This movie doesn't lack for creativity, a staple of all Mel Brooks movies. If you haven't seen it yet, it is one worth watching. You'll never hear the words "fruit cup" again without laughing.
(Notable Hitchcock movies not parodied: Strangers on a Train and Rear Window)
Mel Brooks himself plays the lead role of Dr. Thorndyke, the chief psychologist at the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the very VERY Nervous. While there he suspects something is wrong with Dr. Montague and the head nurse Nurse Diesel played by Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman respectively.
With all the suspicion surrounding the Institute, it is also discovered that Dr. Thorndyke suffers from High Anxiety. A condition that causes him to go into panic attacks and lose equilibrium. So, in other words High Anxiety is Vertigo.
My personal favorite scene is either the parody of Psycho or The Birds. In the Psycho parody a highly strung bell boy is asked for a newspaper which ends with the bell boy repeatedly stabbing Dr. Thorndyke in the shower with the paper while screaching "Here's your paper!"
The parody of The Birds has Dr. Thorndyke sitting in a park reading a newspaper when birds start to appear. Leading up to the birds repeatedly pooping on him.
This was Mel Brooks' third film and the first where he had a speaking role as the lead. (His second movie was Silent Movie where nobody talked out loud.) This movie doesn't lack for creativity, a staple of all Mel Brooks movies. If you haven't seen it yet, it is one worth watching. You'll never hear the words "fruit cup" again without laughing.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Coming Soon: 12/9/11
Here's the new movies for this week.
Here we go!
1) London River: Two polar opposites put aside their differences in hopes of finding their children.
The Good: It screams of drama and conflict. Religious, personal, and cultural conflict.
The Bad: It's trying too hard to create conflict.
Final Thoughts: It's going to be dramatic. I think it'll be good. But I can also see how it can cross the line into pointless melodrama.
2) New Year's Eve: Different stories told by different people about how they celebrate the new year.
The Good: Look at the cast involved. Jon Bon Jovi, Robert DeNiro, Halle Berry, and Jessica Biel.
The Bad: I have no clue what the overall story is going to be. If there even will be one.
Final Thoughts: Should be funny. Should be romantic. I'd watch it.
3) The Sitter: The world's most irresponsible man is put in charge of the world's worst kids and they all get lost in New York.
The Good: Jonah Hill is a likable guy.
The Bad: Ever watch Bebe's Kids? Jonah Hill isn't all that funny.
Final Thoughts: I'm expecting a lot of tired gags and sex jokes. keep moving.
4) Knuckle: A movie about the brutal world of bare knuckle underground fighting.
The Good: It sounds like vicious action. Gotta see it.
The Bad: It's a documentary more than an actual movie. Might turn some people off.
Final Thoughts: Give it a look. You might see something great.
5) Catch .44: A job for three women to intercept a drug shipment for their mob boss goes bad and could be something they didn't expect.
The Good: uhm... lots of guns? and stuff?
The Bad: This is what you'd get if Charlie's Angels were played seriously.
Final Thoughts: It's going to be stupid and might actually have too much plot. Expect something stupid and possibly confusing.
See you at the movies
Here we go!
1) London River: Two polar opposites put aside their differences in hopes of finding their children.
The Good: It screams of drama and conflict. Religious, personal, and cultural conflict.
The Bad: It's trying too hard to create conflict.
Final Thoughts: It's going to be dramatic. I think it'll be good. But I can also see how it can cross the line into pointless melodrama.
2) New Year's Eve: Different stories told by different people about how they celebrate the new year.
The Good: Look at the cast involved. Jon Bon Jovi, Robert DeNiro, Halle Berry, and Jessica Biel.
The Bad: I have no clue what the overall story is going to be. If there even will be one.
Final Thoughts: Should be funny. Should be romantic. I'd watch it.
3) The Sitter: The world's most irresponsible man is put in charge of the world's worst kids and they all get lost in New York.
The Good: Jonah Hill is a likable guy.
The Bad: Ever watch Bebe's Kids? Jonah Hill isn't all that funny.
Final Thoughts: I'm expecting a lot of tired gags and sex jokes. keep moving.
4) Knuckle: A movie about the brutal world of bare knuckle underground fighting.
The Good: It sounds like vicious action. Gotta see it.
The Bad: It's a documentary more than an actual movie. Might turn some people off.
Final Thoughts: Give it a look. You might see something great.
5) Catch .44: A job for three women to intercept a drug shipment for their mob boss goes bad and could be something they didn't expect.
The Good: uhm... lots of guns? and stuff?
The Bad: This is what you'd get if Charlie's Angels were played seriously.
Final Thoughts: It's going to be stupid and might actually have too much plot. Expect something stupid and possibly confusing.
See you at the movies
Friday, December 2, 2011
Movies I want to see: December
Oh December. Where would we all be without the Christmas movies? Lots of kids movies this month but there is plenty for all of us to get excited about. Here is my list of movies coming out in December I'm really excited to go see.
1) Outrage: This movie looks awesome. Yakusa action in a bloody feud. Gotta love it.
2) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: Based on the book of the same name, it's spy vs spy action during the height of the cold war. This movie has everything. Disgraced spies, double agents, KGB, MI6... do you need more? We have more. Gary Oldman and Colin Firth. Get in line now!
3) Knuckle: A great movie about bare knuckle fighting. Sounds brutal. Must see.
4) Sherlock Holmes, Game of Shadows: Did you even see how awesome the first movie was? I have to see this.
5) The Adventures of Tintin: Everything about this movie looks beautiful. A magical adventure with the animation style of the Polar Express. A 3D movie out just in time for Christmas.
6) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: If you liked the books, you should like the movie. Daniel Craig in the lead role. The movie is insanely long however but I'm curious.
Here we go. Have fun this holiday season.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
1) Outrage: This movie looks awesome. Yakusa action in a bloody feud. Gotta love it.
2) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: Based on the book of the same name, it's spy vs spy action during the height of the cold war. This movie has everything. Disgraced spies, double agents, KGB, MI6... do you need more? We have more. Gary Oldman and Colin Firth. Get in line now!
3) Knuckle: A great movie about bare knuckle fighting. Sounds brutal. Must see.
4) Sherlock Holmes, Game of Shadows: Did you even see how awesome the first movie was? I have to see this.
5) The Adventures of Tintin: Everything about this movie looks beautiful. A magical adventure with the animation style of the Polar Express. A 3D movie out just in time for Christmas.
6) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: If you liked the books, you should like the movie. Daniel Craig in the lead role. The movie is insanely long however but I'm curious.
Here we go. Have fun this holiday season.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Thursday, December 1, 2011
50/50 review: Might need a second opinion
I was hesitant to go and see this movie. I've been feeling sick and a little depressed and the last thing I needed to see is a movie about a guy who is sick and depressed. But I finally did see it and for most of the movie, he isn't depressed. I guess I'm glad Joseph Gordon-Levitt wasn't moping through the whole movie but I never really felt he tapped into the experience. He never looked sick. Most of the time he's happy and smiling with some occasional mood swings towards anger. But he never felt sick to me.
I really liked that this took place in Seattle. Hey. My home town. Of course it isn't filmed anywhere near Seattle, but again Joseph Gordon-Levitt wore a Mariners throwback baseball cap so all sins forgiven there.
Adam (Levitt) must've had the most apathetic doctor in history. The first scene we see with the doctor. He comes in, turns on his tape recorder, punches a bunch of stuff up on his computer, and never acknowledges the fact that the man he's talking about is in the room. Our next scene is with Adam's best friend Kyle played by Seth Rogan. I was all prepared to hate this character. The first few words he spoke were all about sex. He really was the stereotypical sex crazed best friend. Until we got further into the story and he became the kind of friend I wish we all could have. I criticized Levitt's performance in that he never appeared really all that sick. But the argument could be made that Kyle was instrumental in keeping his spirits up. He took him to bars, he drove him to his appointments, Kyle had his back the entire time. The character won me over.
The characters overall in the movie were both good and bad. Bryce Dallas Howard played Adam's girlfriend, Rachel. I immediately hated this actress. Not the character. We barely know anything about her. But the acting just sucked so much. I'm glad she left the movie fairly early. Then in walks Anjelica Huston. Why is she not one of the biggest stars in Hollywood? She was amazing. She took a very stereotypical character and made her compelling. She stole the show whenever she was around. I haven't seen her in too many movies since starring in the Addams Family movies. That was almost 20 years ago! Someone needs to get her some more work. She deserves it. Likewise Anna Kendrick. She did a great job playing the inexperienced psychologist. I truely felt she was in way over her head and didn't know what to do. That sounds like I'm slamming her as an actress, but I'm not. She did great.
The biggest issue I had were the subplots. Some of the subplots are just there. Others are there but they go about the way anyone would suspect. For example: here's one that they just don't do anything with. Rachel rescues an old greyhound from the pound in order to help Adam. I loved this dog. They don't even try to hide the fact it's meant to tug at your heart. The dog looks so pathetic and has the biggest, lovable eyes ever. And the dog gets a few scenes and the whole thing amounts to nothing.
An example of a subplot resolving predictibly was with Adam's cancer friends. He meets this group of old guys and he really likes them. They are all very chummy, they get high on marijuana together, etc. They all meet up at the tall one's house for marijuana and a little bit of fun. Next scene: the tall guy is dead. Who didn't see that coming?
Overall, I don't know how to feel about this movie. It wasn't as emotional as I thought it could be. I think there were some opportunites they missed. I would've liked to see more from the Mom dealing with a son with cancer and a husband with alzheimers. I would've liked to see more of his friends and how they reacted. I would've liked to see more scenes of Adam actually being sick and not just wearing pale makeup. But I didn't hate this movie. There were lots of scenes that I thought were very funny and some scenes that were really moving.
I guess it's worth seeing but I'd recommend a rental.
I really liked that this took place in Seattle. Hey. My home town. Of course it isn't filmed anywhere near Seattle, but again Joseph Gordon-Levitt wore a Mariners throwback baseball cap so all sins forgiven there.
Adam (Levitt) must've had the most apathetic doctor in history. The first scene we see with the doctor. He comes in, turns on his tape recorder, punches a bunch of stuff up on his computer, and never acknowledges the fact that the man he's talking about is in the room. Our next scene is with Adam's best friend Kyle played by Seth Rogan. I was all prepared to hate this character. The first few words he spoke were all about sex. He really was the stereotypical sex crazed best friend. Until we got further into the story and he became the kind of friend I wish we all could have. I criticized Levitt's performance in that he never appeared really all that sick. But the argument could be made that Kyle was instrumental in keeping his spirits up. He took him to bars, he drove him to his appointments, Kyle had his back the entire time. The character won me over.
The characters overall in the movie were both good and bad. Bryce Dallas Howard played Adam's girlfriend, Rachel. I immediately hated this actress. Not the character. We barely know anything about her. But the acting just sucked so much. I'm glad she left the movie fairly early. Then in walks Anjelica Huston. Why is she not one of the biggest stars in Hollywood? She was amazing. She took a very stereotypical character and made her compelling. She stole the show whenever she was around. I haven't seen her in too many movies since starring in the Addams Family movies. That was almost 20 years ago! Someone needs to get her some more work. She deserves it. Likewise Anna Kendrick. She did a great job playing the inexperienced psychologist. I truely felt she was in way over her head and didn't know what to do. That sounds like I'm slamming her as an actress, but I'm not. She did great.
The biggest issue I had were the subplots. Some of the subplots are just there. Others are there but they go about the way anyone would suspect. For example: here's one that they just don't do anything with. Rachel rescues an old greyhound from the pound in order to help Adam. I loved this dog. They don't even try to hide the fact it's meant to tug at your heart. The dog looks so pathetic and has the biggest, lovable eyes ever. And the dog gets a few scenes and the whole thing amounts to nothing.
An example of a subplot resolving predictibly was with Adam's cancer friends. He meets this group of old guys and he really likes them. They are all very chummy, they get high on marijuana together, etc. They all meet up at the tall one's house for marijuana and a little bit of fun. Next scene: the tall guy is dead. Who didn't see that coming?
Overall, I don't know how to feel about this movie. It wasn't as emotional as I thought it could be. I think there were some opportunites they missed. I would've liked to see more from the Mom dealing with a son with cancer and a husband with alzheimers. I would've liked to see more of his friends and how they reacted. I would've liked to see more scenes of Adam actually being sick and not just wearing pale makeup. But I didn't hate this movie. There were lots of scenes that I thought were very funny and some scenes that were really moving.
I guess it's worth seeing but I'd recommend a rental.
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