The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe (2005)

Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy (William Moseley, Anna Poppwell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley) are four brothers and sisters who are relocated during the WWII air raids by Germany to a safer place outside of London.  The Pevensies find themselves in the magnificent home of the hermit Professor Digory Kirke (Jim Broadbent), who is a collector of antiques, including a mysterious wardrobe.  Playing hide and seek one day Lucy finds herself slipping further and further into the wardrobe, until she realizes she is not in the wardrobe anymore, but in a snow covered forest.  There she meets a most interesting creature called a “faun” and his name is Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy).  Lucy and Tumnus quickly become friends, but after much time has passed Lucy quickly returns to the wardrobe to find that she wasn’t gone for hours, but only seconds.  She shares her adventure with her siblings and immediately is shunned by her brother Edmund.  Though her siblings don’t believe her tale they accidentally find themselves in the wardrobe as well and soon they have all reached Narnia to discover a fantastical world ruled by the ominous White Witch (Tilda Swinton), and before long they are being hunted by her and her army and their adventure begins.

Being an enormous aficionado of the Narnia novels by C.S. Elliot I was positively terrified on the destruction of one of my favorite childhood tales, but I did retain some form of hope after watching the brilliant translation of Lord Of The Rings.  I knew an epic journey visually and full of thick substance and character development was not a complete impossibility, and I’m happy to say it wasn’t a disappointment.  To begin with, the visuals of Narnia weren’t exactly as I had visioned them from my imagination as a child, but they were splendid nonetheless, and even in moments breath taking.  The snow ridden ice world that the White Witch had frozen was delicate, beautiful, but cold, just like herself.  The other side of Narnia where Aslan had returned was full of warmth and beauty, and was represented in bright deep colors of red, orange, and yellows.  Aside from the basic storyline being conveyed properly, this movie required an amazing set of special effects, and they succeeded.

Next on the plate, or at least mine or any other avid Narnia reader, was how the story actually translated.  And in general the directer (Andrew Adamson) and writer (Ann Peacock and Adamson) stayed very true to the basicallities of not only the basic plot line and story development, but the integrity of the characters.  I remember wanting to smack Edmund through the entirety of the book and I felt the same way about him onscreen as he carelessly gives away his family for some Turkish Delight.  But the likability of Aslan, this magnificent creature, and the fear of the White Witch, not to mention the basic storyline, even the visit from Saint Nick, was just excellent.  I’m hoping they relinquish the same homage with Prince Caspian.

The acting was probably the weakest part of the film, even though I think the casting was done well, I just don’t think the brother’s and sisters fell into their character’s comfortably enough.  Perhaps by the next film this particular awkwardness will pass.  The CGI characters were excellent, with Aslan and Mr. Tumnus being half CGI.  Mr. Tumnus was the most engaging character.  After Tumnus, Tilda Swanson as the White Witch was absolutely scene stealing.

In the end Narnia wasn’t the disaster I had feared, nor was it the masterpiece that Lord Of The Rings was, it was a fun family film that was both entertaining and interesting, and has many possibilities for it’s future sequels.  Narnia gets Three Out Of Four stars. 

 

Drop Dead Fred (1991)

Directed by: Ate de Jong

Written by: Carlos Davis

Elizabeth (Phoebe Cates) is a mild mannered woman who travels through life as a meek little girl.  At a young age her tyrannical mother (Marsha Mason) locked her imaginary friend up in a box.  As this friend was her source of strength, Elizabeth lost her will to rebel and fight.  Most importantly she lost the will to have a voice of her own.  The result of this was having a disaster for a marriage as she fully accepts her husband Charles (Tim Matheson) has cheated on her, and is easily swayed to believe that it was not only her fault, but her idea.  Instead of having a moment of strength and independence from this tragedy, mother appears and whisks her home, making decisions for her once again.  Unable to sleep in the house that haunted her childhood, Elizabeth awakens and opens the box her mother locked Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall) away in so many years before.  Out explodes a foul mouthed man shocked to find his child friend has grown up.  What transpires next is a whirlwind of madness as she tries to hide the fact that as an adult woman, she has an imaginary friend.

Drop Dead Fred is nothing but an insane display of comedy gone completely wacky.  Fred himself is pretty much unlikeable.  He wears an obnoxious neon green color that counters his flame red hair and British accent visually making him just as outrageous as he is verbally.  Instead of making his playmate Lizzie laugh by being hilarious, he calls her Snotface and refers to her mother as the Mega Bitch.  He is offensive and rude, and somehow simultaneously absolutely hilarious.

The ridiculous extremes the film goes to is worthy of confused head shaking.  Because Fred was supposed to support Lizzie as a child and not an adult the conflict is even greater.  The cheating husband, the overbearing mother, and Fred himself are all exaggerations meant to make you laugh but also evaluate the rebellious inner strength Lizzie is searching for that has been repressed since her childhood.  If you want to delve further into the films psyche, I’m sure many themes of that nature run throughout, but it’s my conjecture that it’s a lot easier to overlook any point this film is trying to make and just laugh at the preposterous events that occur and foucs on the ridiculous slap stick humour.  This is the kind of dumb, pointless movie that is hilarious and requires no sense of realism to exist.

Drop Dead Fred is vulgar and offensive, not to mention obnoxious.  But these are the qualities that also make this movie shockingly amusing.  With an obvious lesson being taught that is easily overlooked by the mocking of itself, Drop Dead Fred exists as a movie for anyone with an offbeat sense of humour.  It’s bizarre nature and strange way of telling it’s story makes  Drop Dead Fred pure and simple funny.  Three and a Half out of Four Stars.

Black Snake Moan (2006)

Written & Directed by: Craig Brewer

In the deep south of Mississippi a former blues musician named Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) has been left by his wife for another man, and is stuck on his farm all alone. One morning he picks up his mail to find a half naked white girl, nearly beaten to death.   What he doesn’t know is she is the neighborhood whore.  Rae isn’t an evil girl, it’s her way of dealing with a life of sexual abuse from her father, while her mother ignored it and did her own abuse in the verbal style.   

Lazarus feels God has sent her to him to heal her of her evil and free her spirit.  After he speaks with his reverend he frees her and becomes a safe and trusting father figure, and does help Rae move on.  In the back story Rae’s boyfriend, Ronnie (Justin Timberlake), is taunted by the man who beat her about her promiscuity while he was stationed away.  Having returned early because of anxiety issues he searches for her and finds her in the care of Lazarus, but not understanding is ready to do murder on them both.Black Snake Moan immediately catches the fire and heat of the south, it’s elegance and it’s viciousness and a rawness it exudes.  It’s different than other places in the world, some for the better and some for the worse. 

From the first scene the director gives us a taste of theme sex is going to play in this film.  While it has a storyline to back it up, make no mistake, this movie is more about visually expressing itself than verbally.  It’s told through a tale of intense music and slow motion shots of the half naked Christina Ricci, which most men will certainly not object to, but it’s by my own admission that it added to the art and point the director was making.  It was visually a most intoxicating film.

The acting was stellar.  That being Sam Jackson and Christina Ricci.  They had a great chemistry and played well off each other, but the connection they developed and friendship created felt tangible.  It was probably one of the best roles I’ve ever seen Ricci in.  Though half naked throughout, her character had a huge range of emotions and change she was going through and Ricci interpreted it onscreen beautifully.  And Sam Jackson was subtle when he needed to be and strong when it called for. They were a great onscreen duo.  Justin Timberlake is obviously pretty green, but he shows a lot of potential and actually has some talent.  I’d like to see him do more roles like this, that actually require him to show range and push himself further.  It will only make him better.

The film seemed less about the story and focused more on the character’s and their changes, while their pasts crept into their futures and began meddling for better or for worse. 

The journey’s each take is captivating and makes you sympathetic.  The director, Craig Brewer, took his time to tell the story exactly how he saw fit.  I fear some people won’t enjoy the slow pacing, the attention to detail, nor the drawn out dialogue between Ricci and Jackson, which I found necessary to the way the story was told and developed.

Black Snake Moan was a different, certainly “R” rated flick about two people that have hit rock bottom and find each other, and in some way save each other.  It was an excellent movie that showed the dark and light sides of even the seemingly most disturbed of humans.  I enjoyed it a great deal but this movie really isn’t for everyone.  If you enjoy things that are a little off kilter like Four Rooms, this might be a movie for you.  Three Out Of Four Star

 

Hearts In Atlantis (2001)

Directed by: Scott Hicks

Written By: William Goldman

Based On The Book By: Stephen King

A middle aged man (David Morose) returns home after the news of a childhood friend passing away.  What he finds is a block of memories unvisited for some time. It was a special time in his life after the turn of his eleventh birthday, and it changed his life forever.  Bobby, (Anton Yelchin) Carol (Mika Boorem), and Sully (Will Rothaar) spend a magical summer full of fun together.  Bobby lives with his mother (Hope Davis), a widow who is still bitter five years after her husbands death and constantly reminds Bobby of it.  A new elderly man named Ted (Anthony Hopkins), moves into the neighborhood and befriends Bobby and his comrades.   He is a very different man, but it isn’t long before he takes Bobby under his wing. He shares very little about his secretive past, only asking Bobby to watch out for the “low-men”, who are bad men.  It isn’t long before their summer of self discovery and fun comes to a very abrupt end.

This gentle story contains a mysticism that influences the lives of one boy and one aging man and the people in the boys life.  Scott Hicks takes the livelihood of the youth and exemplifies it’s most exposed innocence and freedom.  With an overall feeling that in the darkness of reality, magical things happen, the film encourages to hope and to dream, but still live with your eyes wide open and really see.  It shows how one youthful summer can change your life forever.

Down to the smallest details time and care was taken to develop the characters of this story.  From Carol commenting to Bobby that his mother has money to buy dresses all the time to his mother repeating the same story of his father over and over again as though she was convincing herself he was to blame for everything wrong in their lives.  Her vanity and selfishness was only exposed in small doses, but painted the picture of her quite vividly.  It’s her rejection of Bobby’s needs that sends him in search for comfort elsewhere.  When he meets his new neighbor Ted, he quickly becomes attached to him as Ted listens and engages quite earnestly with Bobby.  When each realize the other is like them, they become even closer.  The connection created is immediate and done through Anthony Hopkins playing his role of a genuine man, who may not be what he seems, but is intriguing and his goodness obvious, though only shown through subtleties, such as offering Bobby a dollar to read to him, because he can’t “see” well.  While the supporting roles push the movie along, it is Hopkins who carries the film. It seems whatever role Hopkins takes on anymore is just brilliant.  He is a master of his craft.

The friendship developed between Carol and Bobby reflects the innocence of youth throughout the film.  The joy of their friendship and the excitement after that first kiss “by which all others will be measured” defined Hearts In Atlantis entirely.  When things begin to spiral out of control, it is those scenes of a free and beautiful summer that defines the contrast of things not so light and happy even more clearly.  By the final scenes, night and darkness is the back round.  The sunny days of naivete no more.

Hearts in Atlantis is a splendor into a youth of days gone by, but never forgotten.  It is a joyful movie to watch and an enticing journey to reflect on afterwards.  I think Ted’s greatest gift in the film was not to see what was to come, but to see things through the eyes of the young and untainted mind, and remember what it felt like.  He saw what was special in each of them, whether it be the heart of a lion, or another one who had learned to “see”.  A beautiful film.  Three and a Half out of Four Stars.

No Reservations (2007)

Directed By: Scott Hicks

Written By: Carol Huchs and Sandra Nettlebeck

No reservations was a love story, but not the romantic comedy one would expect.  In fact, the entire mood of the film was melancholy.  Kate (Catherine Zeta Jones), the detached chef, is forced to search herself for emotions to connect to her niece, Zoe (Abigail Breslin), when she becomes her guardian after her sister is killed in a car crash.  All Kate knows and understands is food and her restaurant.  Taking time away and being forced to understand her niece proves to be very difficult for her as she is still grieving her sisters death, as is Zoe.  When Kate realizes she needs to try harder to find common ground with Zoe and take some time away from her love, the restaurant, she returns to it to find an unorthodox replacement chef named Nick (Aaron Eckhart).  Suddenly, fate has meshed all three of their lives together, but the future is never predictable.

No reservations was a shockingly somber film that really attacked the feelings of loneliness and loss.  The very tangible way the relationship between aunt and niece is touched on, with each side struggling to just survive, was heart breaking.  The beginning of this movie really gives off a realistic way to connect to each of our main characters.

This is the second film I’ve seen Abigail Breslin in and needless to say this girl has star quality.  She has an amazing natural ability to act and emote the correct emotion that is seldom seen in adult actors.  Her facial expressions and timing are down to a fine art.  This young girl is absolutely brilliant.  Her counterparts played by Catherine Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckhart are no slouches in the acting department themselves and the two pull off a realistic chemistry in this film.  While the development of their relationship is shaky each play their character’s with 100% commitment.  Aaron Eckhart is this free spirit with so much charisma it nearly jumps off screen at you.  He really lightens the depressing feeling of the movie and makes for a symbol of hope for the future.

What ended up being a very negative twist to the movie was when it suddenly seemed like it was turning into a feel good cheesy story, which was not how the first hour was set up at all.  Suddenly the grief stricken Oprah and classical music playing in the back round turning to upbeat tween music that inspired you to skip, except no one wanted to skip in this movie.  I think it would have been more successful if it was advertised as a more dramatic film about three different relationships developing from tragedy.  If the last twenty minutes of the film had followed what the initial portion of the film had structured, this had potential to be a very touching and moving film, but instead it turned to cheese and a typical awkward format with a way too happy ending, which left a really bad taste in my mouth.

Essentially No Reservations was a pretty good movie.  Unfortunately the ending seemed to contradict the rest of the films feel, and while I’m still at a loss for what happened, I’m prepared to still recommend this film as a rental.  Abigail Breslin shines, and the chemistry between Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckhart is enjoyable to endure.  But because of the disastrous ending I have to give it only Two out of Four stars.

Working Girl (1988)

135 Minutes 

Rated “R” for Nudity and Profanity

You can bend the rules plenty once you get to the top, but not while you’re trying to get there. And if you’re someone like me, you can’t get there without bending the rules. -Tess McGill

Synopsis

In the business metropolis that is Manhatten, Tess McGill has spent her life working in a testosorone filled environment where she can’t seem to bypass the role of secretary.  As an attractive woman who can’t escape the perception of a woman as an object rather than another normal, breathing, thinking human being Tess feels frustrated and stuck.  When Tess meets her new boss, an empowered woman named Katherine Parker, she idolizes her as the object of what she wants to be.  When Katherine suffers an injury and is stuck in a hospital for a long period of time, Tess takes over as her personal assistant and accidentally stumbles upon an idea she passed by Katherine that Katherine had intended to pass off as her own.  When Tess realizes her mentor is just as shallow and back stabbing as all the men she has worked for she discovers an inner strength and drive she didn’t know existed and begins to take matters into her own hands.  In Katherine’s absence Tess falsely assumes her position under her own name and chases her dream.

My Review

Working Girl is in a way a modern day Cinderella epic, except in this tale Cinderella isn’t after Prince Charming, he is after her and she’s after the job, the power, and all the comes along with it.  When Katherine poses as her obstacle to succeed Tess requires no fairy godmother to save her, she “makes it happen”.  When she initially meets her Prince Charming (Harrison Ford) she tells him she, “has a head for business and a body for sin” acknowledging and embracing her feminine beauty but making it clear she’s in control.  That was classic writing in a flm with ten other lines just as brilliant.  This movie has amazing dialouge.

It is a beautiful movie visually, with shots of New York and Lady Liberty in particular.  It has a fantastic score, including a powerful song that plays at the end of the film by Carly Simon but also plays in the back round throughout the film.

Working Girl has all the elements for the makings of a real romantic comedy, but I think it crossed the barrier into a dramatic film that simply had some funny parts with a romance as a sidebar.  With an enigmatic screenplay by Kevin Wade this film sets itself into a world all of it’s own.

What I’ve found draws me most to this movie is the message.  When Tess stands in front of the mirror and says quietly, “You make it happen”, it sends a message that if you want to succeed in a dog eats dog world, no fairy tale godmother is going to drop your hopes and dreams in your lap for you.  You have to go after your dreams yourself.  It’s told in an entertaining and fun way, but the message is clear and truthfully is inspirational.

Cast

• Melanie Griffith as Tess McGill
• Harrison Ford as Jack Trainer
• Sigourney Weaver as Katherine Parker
• Alec Baldwin as Mick Dugan
• Joan Cusack as Cyn
• Olympia Dukakis As Personal Director

With huge acting powerhouses in this film, Sigourney Weaver’s performance is the one that actually stood out.  Backed by a smart screenplay with excellent character development it left an acting playground for the main trio of actors.  Katherine was so cold, calculating and completely sure of herself, but also charismatic and engaging, that only someone like Sigourney Weaver could pull it off.  I can’t speak highly enough of her performance in this film.  Both Sigourney Weaver and Joan Cusack were nominated for an Oscar in the best supporting actress category, along with Melanie Griffith for Best Actress.  Though none took the Golden Glory home, the acknowledgement is a clear statement of the success the actresses gave the film.  The men, Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford gave profound performances as well, but were simply overshadowed by the excellence of the ladies in this film.

Suggestions and Ratings

This is obviously an adult themed movie with scenes involving strong sexual content and nudity.  The overall themes are adult oriented with very strong uses of language as well.  While this is not a movie for children or a family film, it’s an excellent date movie or a movie for group of girls and or women.  I can’t speak highly enough about this film.  It is smart, sexy, and an absolute riot.  I absolutely adore it.  I would rate Working Girl Four Out Of Four Stars.

The Mist (2007)

Rated “R” for Gore, Violence, Terror, and Language

2 Hours and 7 Minutes

Sure, as long as the machines are working and you can dial 911. But you take those things away, you throw people in the dark, you scare the shit out of them – no more rules. -David Drayton

Synopsis

A small town on the east coast is bombarded by a massive electrical storm that leaves the town without electricity and contact with the rest of the world.  As the town flocks to the local grocery market for supplies an unnatural mist seems to be floating across the lake heading ominously in their direction.  When the strange mist reaches the store a bloodied man runs in warning everyone that something is in the mist and not to open the doors.  In fear everyone responds carefully and closes the doors, watching it’s thickness engulf the entire store.  Soon small arguments about what to do begin to break out, and when a man, David Drayton, discovers the Mist does in fact have “something” in it he urges the group to stay inside.  Suddenly sides are being chosen and fingers being pointed.  There are three main components of contention in the store and they are logic vs. religious zealot vs. fear and all battle one another.  When the night comes, only one side is right, but only terror reigns. 

Review

As a species, we’re fundamentally insane. Put two of us in a room, we pick sides, and start dreaming up reasons to kill one another. -Ollie Weeks

The Mist center’s it’s structure around the idea’s of how people react in a situation where fear instead of common sense controls decision making.  The idea of the fragility of man’s morality being questioned is blatantly exposed, and the suspicion that our goodness as human beings is entirely circumstantial is mind blowing.  Sure, being a Stephen King adaptation that means the idea is propelled by supernatural events occurring and two dimensions mixing together, but nonetheless it works as a perfect nucleus to make not only a frightening film, but an excellent psychological thriller that has some real relativity as well.

Frank Darabont is a genius of film pacing and character development.  The whole feel of the movie felt like some of Stephen Kings best former adaptations, like “It” or “The Shining”.  Darabont did what he does best once again, he let a brilliant story play out on it’s own without trying to add tricky camera shots and fancy special effects.  They let the tale be the focus, not the monsters, and that’s what kept the feel of mystery and horror throughout.  The scary “monster” moments are broken up enough to give more time for the character’s to reflect, evolve, and for even more suspense to build until the next moment of conflict, which makes this film far from a nail biter.   It’s more of a slowl building knot in your stomach that eventually turns into a white knuckled shocker.

The grim darkness and hopelessness of the film pushes onto a scene which essentially I’m not at liberty to elaborate on because it gives too much away.  But this I can say, the final scene was not a complete shocker to me, but being shocked or surprised didn’t take away from the complete horror of the situation.  The only unfortunate part I found in the final scene was that it did leave a few other options open that weren’t fully eliminated.  Even with that being said, it was dumbfounding and while drastic was essential to make the point of the film clear.

Cast

• Thomas Jane as David Drayton
• Marcia Gay Harden as Mrs. Carmody
• Laurie Holden as Amanda Dunfrey
• Andre Braugher as Brent Norton
• Toby Jones as Ollie Weeks
• Nathan Gamble as Billy Drayton
• Sam Witwer as Private Jessup
• Frances Sterhagen as Irene Reppler
• Jeffrey DeMunn as Dan Miller

The cast seemed to have been chosen concisely.  With a large ensemble, the majority of the main character’s had enough moments to not only recognize them but connect with them as well, and suddenly their well being is very important.  While the entire cast played their parts well, Marcia Gay Harden was phenomenal.  Her performance could have easily gone over the top and taken away from the legitimacy of her character, but instead she gave Mrs. Carmody a real and tangible belief about her that made the viewer recognize how easy it would be to fall behind her words.  It was just an amazing performance.

Ratings and Suggestions

This demented movie is full of violence, offensive language, gore, and a subject matter that is absolutely terrifying.  This psychological story is about how fear can change our morals and who we are as humans.  This is a movie for people who like to be scared, but being clear, this is not a jump out and scare you movie.  It is based around the terror of the human mind.  It’s filled with rich and intelligent dialogue and an excellent cast.  This film will be viewed again and again in my home for it’s entertainment value but also to reflect on it’s poignant goal that led to the final moment where suddenly perception is everything.  The Mist is an excellent piece of cinema.  I rate The Mist Three and a Half out of Four stars.

Dan In Real Life (2007)

Rated PG-13 for Adult Innuendo

95 Minutes

It seems all his best lines were yours… this is unbearable. -Marie

Synopsis

Dan Burns is a local advice columnist who also happens to be a widower with three daughters to raise.  Each year his family gets together for a fun hiatus, and Dan takes a leave along with his daughters.  Once he arrives his family spends the majority of their time embracing each other and having a happy, loving, good time.  Everyone except Dan.  His family begins to push him in the direction of the door and suggests he go find a woman, and when he refuses they send him away for the day where he by chance runs into a woman in a book store who strikes his fancy.  They spend the afternoon together and Dan begins to realize that maybe someday he can love again, and then he discovers she is in a relationship.  Later that night he learns the relationship is with his brother Mitch.  And suddenly his family vacation becomes even more complicated.

Review

I have no idea why Steve Carell agreed to do this movie.  I hope he was offered a bundle of money and decided that was a good enough reason, because Dan In Real Life was one of the worst movies I’ve seen this year.  The first scene of boredom set the pace for the entirety of the film.  Dan Burns is a widower with a permanent frown and three bratty and ungrateful daughters who are preparing to take their yearly trip for family time.

Even more so, the woman who’s supposed to change his world and the way he views things, that alters his solid sense of morality, has absolutely no chemistry with him.  Any feelings of romance between them was lost on me.

The scene with the Lighthouse that was supposed to be touching and profound, really just came off as cliche and forced.  In scenes like this the relationship of Dan with his daughter’s feels beyond distant.  In fact, there were moments when Dan seemed more like a cut off sociopath weirdo rather than a sympathetic man who had lost his way. 

It was never apparent if the film was trying to be funny or trying to be sentimental and  there was no rhyme or reason behind most of the bizarre interludes of the characters it seemed even more lost.

I don’t feel like the actors are to blame for any of this.  Even Dane Cook wasn’t over the top annoying, which tells me something else was awry.  The screenplay just felt like there was no heart or creative force behind it.  The happy family scenes felt like The Brady Bunch thirty years later and not as funny.  The forced perfect family except for Dan just was not plausible, along with all of the stories realtionships.  Meet The Parents had more integrity and truth to it than Dan In Real Life.

Cast 

• Steve Carell as Dan Burns
• Dane Cook as Mitch Burns
• Juliette Binoche as Marie
• Alison Phil as Jane Burns
• Britney Robertson as Cara Burns
• Marlene Lawsten as Lilly Burns
• Diane West as Nan Burns
• John Mahoney as Papa Burns

Each of the cast members played their parts well, there just wasn’t any real sustenance behind any of the character’s to find any of them as something more than a card board standup with a voice over behind them.  It’s because the script and direction was that mind numbing.  Even if the relationship between Dan and Marie had carried some form of chemistry it might have pulled this film off, but there was none, and that’s not necessarily due to the acting of Juliette Binoche or Steve Carell.  I believe it had a lot more to due with the script and the way the film was structured.  As much as I adore Steve Carell and like Juliette Binoche the two came off as awkward and uncomfortable with each other.

Ratings and Suggestions

Though the film is rated PG-13 because there is some small amounts of sexual innuendo, I think it would go over most young kids heads. However, I couldn’t imagine a child stomaching this slow paced sad excuse for a sentimental romance story anyway.  I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone.  It was a complete waste of my time and is a movie that I can’t even laugh about how bad it was afterwards.  I am just annoyed.  However I will rate it a half star and that’s only due to the shocking surprise that Dane Cook was not the most annoying thing about this movie.  Half a Star out of Four.

Interview With The Vampire (1994)

Rated “R” for Nudity, Blood, Violence, and Gore

123 Minutes

Aux contraire mon cher, he could eat the whole colony. -Lestat de Lioncourt

Synopsis

After existing over two hundred years as a vampire, Louis de Point du Lac seeks out a journalist and wants to share his journey of loneliness.  It began in his youth when he had just lost his wife and child.  At the young age of twenty four he seeks out his own death, no longer desiring the things a normal human would.  In his despair he is sought out by a creature of supernatural existence.  Lestat de Lioncourt begins to love Louis and wants to make him his vampire companion.  Lestat presents Louis with his offer of immortality, giving him the choice he never had.  In his shock Louis lets Lestat make him a creature of the night and together they exploit the city of New Orleans, but it isn’t long before their unnatural behavior is noticed and the locals realize they are not what they seem.  In Louis’s remorse and depression, Lestat tries to help Louis in a desperate attempt and together they make Claudia, the beautiful doll like child, a vampire as well.  After twenty years inside a child’s body, with the mind of a grown woman and killer, Claudia falls into a sort of dementia and everything begins to fall apart.

Review

What made this movie so amazing was a perfect cast, but also the adapted screenplay by Anne Rice herself.  Taking her own masterpiece and working it into a dark vampire movie unlike any that had been made before it.  The story is motivated by Louis’s inner conflict.  He has the cravings of a killer, and yet the conscience of a man.  Refusing to let go of his humanity and acknowledging all that he truly is and once was, is Louis’s source of strength and yet simultaneously his weakness.

The story is told in the same methodical manner as Rice’s novel version.  The inner turmoil of Louis’s conflict is so desperate and yet so tangible.  Tangled into the mix with the gleeful and maddening Lestat who revels in everything he is, Louis finally understands he is not just a companion to Lestat, he is his own obsession.  When Louis realizes Lestat’s real affection is for Louis’s humanity and not Louis himself, he and the child vampire Claudia leave the America’s and head to Europe in search of other vampires like them.  Now Louis has Lestat’s demise to wallow over as well, and together he and Claudia are the perfect couple of lamentable despair.

Being a time piece, the costumes of this film are elegant and beautiful.  With the lovely colors and attention to detail in paintings and decorations, the cinematography is stunning in itself.  The visuals of this film are just as beautiful as the tormented tale is.  In the novel it’s always touched on how beautiful each of these vampires are, yet their pale skin and magnificent eyes are clear indications they are not human but immortal beings.  The makeup of the vampires was exquisite, revealing the paleness and unearthly eyes, yet making them look human enough to pass in society.  Anne Rice’s creation is truly brought to life.  There is no question you feel as though you have stumbled into a dark world of beauty and misery.

Unlike other stories, the vampires of this tale are not mindless, blood thirsty creatures that are victims of their unfavorable fortune.  They are thinking, intelligent beings, that are far beyond the comprehension of humanity.  What they are is their own superior race that while in the world of humans, they are not part of it.  The intelligent race they are makes this ideal of a vampire very different than any other movie interpretation before it.

Cast

• Brad Pitt as Louis
• Tom Cruise as Lestat de Lioncourt
• Kirsten Dunst as Claudia
• Antonio Banderas as Armand
• Christian Slater as Daniel Malloy
• Stephen Rae as Santiago
• Thandie Newton as Yvette

This was an enormous break out role for Brad Pitt, who actually won the part due to Tom Cruise challenging Anne Rice who said he could never play the role of Lestat, and so the role of Louis was given to Pitt, who captured the suffering, lamentable existence of Louis in a way so profound and so tangible he seemed to have even more humanity than humans themselves.  With the brilliant chemistry he had with Cruise who played my hero Lestat with all the charisma, the sense of humour, the sarcasm, and the delicious hedonistic pleasure anyone could imagine to every degree of hope I ever had.  Cruise is Lestat, and no one, including Mr. Townsend could ever capture his spirit the way Cruise did.  In fact, this is a role I would have deemed Oscar worthy Cruise played it so powerfully and brilliantly.  I can’t speak highly enough of his performance.  The child vampire played by a very young Kirsten Dunst was an amazing preview for the now very successful actress.  Playing off the powerful duo of Pitt and Cruise was no easy task, but this little girl commanded the screen each time she was on it.  It made for a blissful trio of acting, and while the script was amazing, it was a success because of these three actors.

Ratings and Suggestions

This is a very adult oriented film for viewers in their late teens and up.  I would recommend this film to anyone who loves Anne Rice, it pays such a beautiful homage to her genius of the written word.  Even if you’re not a fan of her novels this movie is worth a couple hours just to watch one of the greatest character’s of all time being visualized so perfectly with Cruise as Lestat.  This epic tale of loneliness, regret, and accepting the gamble of life is a story like none other told, and it’s a vampire film like you’ve never seen before.  The brutality of them and the beauty of them is a most enjoyable paradox.  I rate Interview With The Vampire Four out of Four breathtaking Stars.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Rated “R” for Adult Themes, Sexual Content, Nudity, Language, and Innuendo

135 Minutes 

Ya know it could be like this, just like this always. -Jack Twist

Synopsis

Two cowboys looking for work find a job sheep herding on Brokeback Mountain in the year of 1963.  In the beautiful wilderness of Wyoming, Ennis Del Mar who is a young man about to be married, dreams of owning and running his own ranch someday.  His partner, Jack Twist, is passing the time till he can achieve his dreams of becoming the greatest rodeo cowboy ever.  During their time of enduring the hardships of a working cowboy, Ennis and Jack develop a bond that goes far beyond that of a normal friendship.  After a night of indulging in alcohol the temperature begins to drop and the men break the rule of one staying with the sheep while the other sleeps in the tent.  Together they spoon to get warm, which results in an aggressive release of their physical affection for one another.  The release of their loneliness and subconscious desires break loose.  Afterward, there is much confusion, but soon the two accept their passion for each and spend the summer reveling in their love for one another.  But when the summer ends, will their relationship?  It is time to face the world outside Brokeback Mountain.

Review

Brokeback Mountain was not the movie I had expected.  From the previews I assumed it was a short summer’s love and then they meet a cross road- The End. I never realized how long the two men carried out their relationship and how they dealt with it and the secrecy of their orientation for the rest of their lives.  It was actually the deciding factor that seemed to make this film really worthwhile for watching.  If the film had simply been the summer of them falling in love together and then ended with them deciding how they would carry on their relationship in the future it would have been trite and boring.

The first half of the film that focuses on them falling in love is a bit on the stereotypical, mushy side, but it has it’s purpose.  It gives legitimacy to why the two men endured the things the they did throughout the entirety of the film.  The most compelling part of the story was how both Jack and Ennis dealt with their ambiguity and each lived in secrecy for the next twenty years.  The way it affected their relationships, their success, and their existence was truly fascinating.

A male and male relationship today is not entirely taboo, whereas the semi wild west full of ignorant ideals about what love and a relationship should entail was very different forty years ago and there was very little tolerance for men like Ennis and Jack.  It was this fear and need to keep their love a secret that made the story engaging. 

Cast

• Heath Ledger as Ennis Del Mar
• Jake Gyllenhaal as Jack Twist
• Randy Quaid as Joe Aguiire
• Michelle Williams as Alma
• Anne Hathaway as Lureen Newsome

The supporting ladies and Randy Quaid added a great contrast to the love affair of Jack and Ennis.  They were the eyes that wondered and gazed in curious desire to understand what it was the men were hiding.  Their suspicions were subtle and in some cases obvious, but they created the conflict of interest in a way that made the performances of Heath and Jake even more compelling.  Jake was undoubtedly great, and really sold the eager and love sick Jack Twist, but it was Heath Ledger’s playing of Ennis constantly struggling with his inner conflict that made the story so captivating.  His mind fighting against his desires and his heart was heart wrenching.  It was an outstanding performance from a gifted actor that evoked a real emotional connection to his character.

Ratings and Suggestions

Brokeback Mountain is rated “R” for strong sexual content, nudity, language, and innuendo.  Obviously this isn’t a film for a child or even a young teenager, but it’s worth a watch for those with open minds.  I fear people will focus too much on the homosexual aspect of Heath Ledger and Jack Gyllenhaal rather than really thinking about the big picture.  Unfortunately, due to the first thirty minutes that’s fair because it was full of cliche and boring lovie moments.  The film itself was good but I think it was only acclaimed as it was because of the controversial subject matter.  It was a decent movie but nothing near Oscar caliber.  The film was essentially lonesome and depressing.  I enjoyed it but probably won’t revisit it again for a long time.  I rate Brokeback Mountain Two and a Half out of Four stars.

Walk the Line (2005)

PG-13 for some language, thematic material and depiction of drug 

135 Minutes 

Now I’ve asked you forty different ways and it’s time you come up with a fresh answer.  -Johnny Cash

Synopsis

This story about Johnny Cash has a lot to do with his career and how he got there, but it’s mostly a love story about him and June Carter.  Already plagued by the death of his brother at a young age, Johnny carried a heavy sack of guilt around that shunned a dark cloud on his view of life.  He also knew what he wanted a went after it.  He married the woman he wanted to marry and started his first record in spite of those that didn’t think he could.  When he began to tour he set his sights on the lovely and talented June Carter, who was just out of his reach.  June was the only thing he’d ever wanted that he couldn’t have, and like the death of his brother he began to let it consume him.  The rest of the story showed how Johnny changed his life and the turmoils he went through to get to where he finally felt happy.

Review

I’ve never really been into country music and never really listened to Johnny Cash, and what this movie really did was center itself around the music.  I think I’ve developed a very real appreciation for Johnny Cash now.  I wouldn’t go so far as to say country music in general, but June and him sound so pitch perfect together.  The music is truly magical.

The story is obviously more intriguing because it’s dealing with character’s that are fascinating to the general public.  Character’s that are real are so mystic like Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, and even in the film itself Johnny Cash is a mystery.  He hasn’t even discovered himself threw the majority of the film.  He is simply lovesick and tormented by the death of his brother.  Between the sorrowful tunes with the excellent acting and really depressing, yet hopeful story, it’s no surprise when John realizes that June is the Angel his brother Jack was talking about.

It was a very dark romance story that really dealt with the real issues Johnny faced.  The film centered around him and his relationship with June with his past as a developmental back story.  What the two went through to be together was just gut wrenching.  When Johnny tells June she is his best friend, it’s a moment of complete raw emotion and vulnerability and evokes the same emotion in the viewer.

Cast

• Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash
• Reese Witherspoon as June Carter
• Robert Patrick as Ray Cash
• Ginnifer Goodwin as Vivian Cash
• Waylon Payne as Jerry Lee Lewis
• Sandra Ellis Lafferty as Maybelle Carter
• Dan Beene as Ezra Carter

As far as the performances are concerned Reese Witherspoon was fantastic, infectious, and absolutely adorable as June Carter.  However, seeing the film after her awarded Oscar, I am confused.  She was great, no doubt, but she won and Joaquin did not?   As the duo her performance was so much stronger because of his, and he clearly outshined her.  I am very surprised.  Joaquin Phoenix is one of the most talented actors available in existence today.  He is still young and doing such outstanding pieces of work.  And yet he still hasn’t been acknowledged for that golden piece of glory and I can’t figure why.  Especially his role as Johnny Cash.  He was so perfectly desperate and broken, and somehow the character of June was acknowledged by the golden glory.  It’s a burn in my opinion.  I understand why the academy has turned their head from Johnny Depp all these years due to his insane character’s and off center roles, despite his talent, but Joaquin has paid his dues in roles that are straight laced and immense.  He deserves to win.  He should have won as Commodus for best supporting in Gladiator. Nonetheless, the two leads were both remarkable and the chemistry between them was like fire.   An additional mention goes to Robert Patrick who is just amazing in whatever he does.  It’s refreshing to see him on screen so frequently in the last many years.

Ratings and Suggestions

This film is definitely adult oriented, especially with it’s allusions to drug abuse, but I don’t think it would be a bad view for those in their late teens, despite the “R” rating.  What Walk The Line really boils down to is a story fueled by music, that tells it’s tale mostly threw it’s music.  The visuals and exploring of each of the character’s is left for them to develop and get across in each scene they’re in.  The movie itself is not exceptional, but the music and the story is.  If anything it’s worth watching just to enjoy Joaquin Phoenix’s performance.  This is a good once through for just about anybody.  Walk the Line gets Two and Half out of Four stars.

Ratatouille (2007)

Remy is a rat, who lives in the rural community of an attic of an old lady.  His acute sense of taste and smell makes him different from his clan as he doesn’t like to steal or eat the garbage the rest of the rats are satisfied with.  His father is the leader and is disappointed in Remy’s uniqueness until he finds a suitable use for it and suddenly Remy becomes the rat poison detector.  Unsatisfied in his station Remy begins to wander even further away from his kind, until he finds himself in the old lady’s kitchen attempting to make a meal when he catches a commercial about a chef who has written the cook book, “Anyone can cook”.  Remy is inspired and begins to make his own meal but it becomes too late when the woman has spotted him and discover the entire pack of rats who make a run for it.  Remy is separated and finds himself alone in sewers somewhere underneath the city of Paris.  Hallucinations of Chef Gusteau tell Remy to run to the surface and “create” his own food.  Remy finds himself at Gusteau’s restaurant adding his own ingredients to a bus boy’s soup.  The soup is a sensation and when the boy is asked to repeat the miracle again, he and Remy team up for an adventure of love, creation, and inspiration!

 

There is a certain magic that old Disney movies like Bambi, Snow White, Sword In the Stone, and even The Little Mermaid had that seem to be lacking today.  It’s a whole heartiness combined with a childlike curiosity.  While Ratatouille is a Disney/Pixar manifestation it had that feel of old movie heart and magic.  Leaving the detailed animation aside for a moment, the story itself, and the character Remy, plus his supporting cast had such a palpable, likability.  It was a completely infectious feeling that you never wanted to end.  The enthusiasm of Remy and Linguini often bordered on cheesiness but never crossed the line.  Quite frankly I’ve rarely felt so pleased watching a movie.  I simply sat and enjoyed it.

The details of the characters and build up of their choices leading them to their desires and dreams was sometimes obvious and sometimes not, but a constant ongoing journey throughout.  When Remy has to choose between which tunnel to go down, it suddenly sparked the memory of the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken.  While Remy chose his path unconsciously, the allusion to it was there, and he began a journey very different from those “like” him.

The animation was some of the most detailed and fantastical I have ever seen.  From the eyes of Remy we see the luxurious city of Paris from the sewers bellow to the Eiffel tower above.  The colors are inviting, and down to the smallest detail every spoon and piece of food looks delectable.  Simply, the animator’s outdid themselves this time around.

Ratatouille won the Oscar for the best animated film of 2007, but I will take it a step further and say it was one of the best animated films of the decade.  It made you laugh, feel remorse, cry, smile, and it even gave you hope.  Ratatouille represented all the ideals that Pixar exemplify best.  Dreams can come true, and this film visualized that amazing ideal.  Ratatouille is Four out of Four stars.

  

Monster’s, Inc. (2001)

Directed By: Pete Doctor and David Silverman

Written By: Pete Doctor and Jill Culton

In a world called Monstropolis lives a species humans call Monster’s.  In spite of our feelings about monster’s in their world they are afraid of kids.  James Sullivan (John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) are two monster friends who work for the company Monsters, Incorporated.  It Sulley’s job to go into children’s bedrooms and make them scream.  In Monstropolis a child’s scream is what powers their city.  Sulley’s biggest competition is Randall Boggs, a creepy monster that seems to have an agenda outside of scaring kids.  One evening Mike discovers that Randall has been sneaking into children’s rooms after scare hours and in his error a human child finds herself in the world of monsters.

Monsters, Inc. is one of the few Pixar movies that I think is geared more towards children than adults.  It’s unquestionably cute and the idea that Monster’s are in fact more afraid of the kids than the kids of them plays out in a manner that is purely infectious.  Sully’s sentimentality for the little girl he calls “Boo”(Mary Gibbs) is what really sells the story.  His affection for her is the catalyst for every event that follows after he takes her outside of the scaring room.

 The trio of John Goodman, Billy Crystal, and Steve Buscemi make the characters already brilliant animation really come to life.  In Pixar’s usual form the animation for Monsters Inc is simply brilliant.  The bright colors and totally insane looking creature’s were fun and exciting.  The whole idea of the scare floor, and the closet that stores all the children’s doors is uniqueness in it’s best form.  The greatest aspect of this movie was inspiring kids not to be afraid of the dark or monsters in the closet.

As good as it was, Monsters, Inc. isn’t one of my favorite Pixar movies, but it was a long way better than 90% of the animated movies that have come out in the last five or six years.  One of Pixar’s best qualities is being able to think of idea’s that other animator’s haven’t and then tell them from a perspective that is enjoyable to both adult and child.  While Monster’s, Inc. focuses more on the child portion of entertainment it still embraces jokes and topics that are there purely for adult satisfaction alone.  Monster’s, Inc. is a feel good movie that kids of any age will delight in and adults will appreciate over and over again.  Three out of Four stars.

Erin Brockovich (2000)

2 Hours 12 Minutes 

Rated “R” for language

Yeah. Yeah, sexy, huh? How ’bout this for a number? Six. That’s how old my other daughter is, eight is the age of my son, two is how many times I’ve been married – and divorced; sixteen is the number of dollars I have in my bank account. 850-3943. That’s my phone number, and with all the numbers I gave you, I’m guessing zero is the number of times you’re gonna call it.-Erin Brockovich

Synopsis

Erin Brockovich is a single mother of three who has met a series of unfortunate events that have left her unemployed and injured from a car accident.  When she finally finds a job as a legal assistant for Ed Masry, she struggles to take care of her children and financially provide for them.  Organizing a file for her boss she stumbles upon a real estate case that seems to have a lot more to it than simple real estate.  She finds medical files and blood tests that have something to do with a Gas and Electric Company.  As Erin is not taken seriously, brought on by her risque clothing and foul mouth, she finds the Gas and Electric company is trying to purchase land that they have been illegally dumping toxic waste on.  The result of the waste on the local residents were as extreme as death, but also involved many cases of cancer and other like illnesses.  The single mother, who was unemployed months before now finds herself mixed up in one of the biggest class action lawsuits in American History.

Review

Erin Brockovich is a very smart and impressive movie to watch, filled with engaging character’s and stellar acting, but eight years later I’m still dumb founded at the acclaim this film has received.  Julia Roberts performance specifically.  In a year full of profound film making with movies like Wonder Boys, Requiem For A Dream, Traffic, Quills, Gladiator, The Contender, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Chocolat, Billy Elliot, and Almost Famous what made Erin Brockovich so Oscar worthy?  Joan Allen and Ellen Burnstyn both turned out the best performances of their very excellent careers and Julia Roberts wins on basis of what?  Her boobs looked great?  Temporarily putting Julia and boob jokes aside, the only thing worthy of being nominated from Erin Brockovich in this year of brilliance was Albert Finney’s performance.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy the movie.  Not only was it motivatingl but it was entertaining and enjoyable to watch.  It had excellent dialouge and some very engaging performances.  I just don’t understand what made this so special comparatively to the rest of the films that were released that year. 

On it’s own, it took what on paper sounds like a very boring story that will not translate well onscreen, and made it something worthwhile. Steven Soderburgh has a unique ability to take a story that’s slow moving and slow the pace down even more and somehow make it suspenseful and engaging, which at moments Erin Brockovich was.  What really gave the film it’s success was how well the story was told.  None of the characters were extraordinarily compelling, but they all supported the story that was being conveyed.  In it’s simplicity by letting the story just be told, the movie was worth sitting through. 

Cast

• Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovich
• Aaron Eckhart as George
• Albert Finney as Ed Masry
• Marg Helgenberger as Donna

Julia Roberts won an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in this film.  Taking nothing away from Julia’s performance, as it was very strong, I still simply don’t see where Oscar worthy came from.  She carried the film, but not without help of a very strong cast supporting her.  Her support included Albert Finney, who was amazing, and the ever charismatic Aaron Eckhart, whose character was actually the most intriguing in the cast.

Suggestions and Ratings

Erin Brokovich is rated “R” do to adult themes and profanity, which there is a lot of.  I wouldn’t have a child watch it because they’d be bored silly anyway, but I think it’s okay for a teenage audience and up.  It really is a good movie and I would implore anyone to rent it, just don’t expect to be astounded.  Movies like this, based on true stories, almost always make for an uplifting compelling watch.  This is a good and inspiring movie but not something I’d find worthy of a re-watch. I rate Erin Brocovich Two and a half out of Four stars.

Gladiator (2000)

Plot Synopsis

The unbeatable Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridias (Russell Crowe) has been named as successor to and by the dying Caesar Marcus Aurelias. His dream is to turn the power over to the Senate and not his power driven son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who yearns for his dying fathers acceptance. Maximus is a warrior and is reluctant to accept the dying kings last wishes, but agrees, only to discover later that the king was murdered by his own son and his wishes were never realized with anyone. Commodus takes over rule and immediately orders the execution of Maximus who easily escapes and returns home to Spain, only to find his beloved wife and son murdered. In a fit of despair Maximus allows himself to be taken prisoner by Proximo, a former gladiator, and is forced to do battle to survive. In a turn of events, Maximus along with other gladiators is brought to Rome to do battle in the great Coliseum and Maximus finds himself in a position to not only defy the Emperor Commodus, but overthrow the Emperor and make his dear friend Marcus Aurelias’s dream realized. But the path there is a hazardous one at best. 

Review

 The story of Maximus is incredibly powerful. It depicts the power that inner strength and determination can have in any situation. Maximus is a slave but suddenly becomes more powerful than the Emperor himself. He is so powerful that Commodus cannot even have him murdered. The resolve Maximus has to earn his freedom back and to give a dying friend his last wishes is overwhelming.  

 

The visuals of this film are astounding. Ancient Rome, in her days of glory become fully realized as the Coliseum is restored via CGI. Ridley Scott’s vision, portioning the story almost like a three act play, and exploiting the violence of the time by demonstrating the thrill of the gladiator’s and the vastness of Rome as the most powerful city in the world. The focus of moving the story around Maximus’s simple and determined goal meshes elegantly with the complexity of Commodus and his sister in the back round. The final scene is one of the most powerful movie moments in existence. The visual mixed with the performance of Crowe and Phoenix and the subtle score of Hans Zimmer playing will make your toughest soul burst into tears from this epic journey of betrayal, violence, and pain. And it finally meets it’s end.

Cast 

This role was written for Russell Crowe and no other.  His performance as Maximus is some of the most powerful work you will ever see from an actor onscreen.  His nemisis Commodus, the insecure, incestuous, corrupt Emperor is just as engaging as Crowe. Though his character is loathsome, there is almost a sympathy in understanding his motivation and what has driven him to his madness. The belief that his father loved Maximus more than his own son drives Commodus to commit deeds of the most unholy fashion. It is perhaps Joaquin Phoenix’s best role ever. The supporting roles were played with as much dedication as the leads. Connie Neilson, Oliver Reed, and especially Richard Harris as Proximo.  

 

Ratings and Suggestions

Gladiator is rated “R” due to graphic violence and adult themes.  It is a film made for those who love Epic stories and amazing action adventure.  It is perhaps one of the best Epic stories ever told and earned it’s best Oscar quite deservedly. It will remain a classic for years to come, and will remain one of the greatest films ever in my opinion. Four out of Four stars.