So many movies....

Be Kind Rewind - MosBlack Surprised Me!

2008-02-22T19:42:09Z

Be Kind Rewind is a sweet, funny, cockle-warming movie sure to make you smile long after you’ve left the theater.

Mr. Fletcher (Danny Glover) owns the failing neighborhood VHS video store Be Kind Rewind. When he goes on a personal trip, he leaves Mike (Mos Def) in charge of his store with only one instruction, Keep Jerry Out. Jerry (Jack Black) is Mike’s friend, lovable conspiracy nut and general attractor of destruction. We learn Fletcher’s instructions were well-founded when Jerry accidently erases all the videos in the store. In order to keep Be Kind Rewind from closing its doors, Jerry and Mike set off with a video camera and attempt to reshoot the movies that were erased.

Be Kind Rewind is one of the most charming movies I have seen in some time. Given the cast (specifically MosBlack) and genre, I was skeptical but Gondry made me a shameless believer. Michel Gondry, the writer and director, created a community of characters whose quirks and eccentricities capture the audience’s attention and emotion. I was impressed by how such a ridiculous premise could make me laugh so much and so often.

There is a magical mojo between Mos Def and Jack Black in Be Kind Rewind. MosBlack’s on screen chemistry reminds me of vinegar and baking soda (you can decide which is vinegar and which is baking soda). At first the fizzy-sizzle is a little worry-some but once you realize the bubbles won’t hurt, you just want to play in them. When you get older, the smell of vinegar and baking soda, which is a little offensive at first, harkens back memories and brings a smile to your face. Be Kind Rewind starts off filling your nose with the smell of expired wine and the bubbles filled my sinuses. By the end, I wanted to stick my fingers in and feel the little explosions as they, excited by the stimulation, pop harmlessly on my skin.

Jack Black’s combustive personality usually tempts my skin to melt off my face and run along the ground into the gutter, contaminating the ocean. Maybe he was reined in by Gondry, maybe it is that he isn’t the main character or maybe because he was mixed with Mos Def, Black’s performance in Be Kind Rewind, is nothing less than charismatic. His brand of wacky fits Jerry’s vagaries and gives animation to a character that would be less than resistible if he weren’t one foot over the edge.

Mos Def is brilliant in Be Kind Rewind. He is awkward, odd and ridiculously irresistible. He gives Mike warmth and sincerity. I was taken by how much he seemed to adore the character to which he was giving such captivating depth. He gives a levity that is enrapturing. He captivated me whenever he was on screen.

Be Kind Rewind administers a brand of comedy that starts off slow but eventually works the audience up into comedic euphoria by the end. The audience will enjoy the well placed, good natured laughter. There are no aisle-rollers but a constant stream of chuckles that, perfectly released, get you through the film.

Be Kind Rewind is a hard movie to wrap up and leave the audience satisfied but Gondry’s ending, which I won’t give away here, is emotionally nourishing without being ten packs of Equal sweet.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. I walked in skeptical of the idiocy that surely would be laid at my feet but in the end, I walked out of Be Kind Rewind smiling. Be Kind Rewind would be a great date movie, dude movie or just an emotional pick me up.

"Untraceable"

2008-01-26T07:39:59Z

So i went to see "Untraceable" tonight. It was creepy and horrifying. The idea that we are all so connected is cool, but the natural extension, that anyone can connect and take root in our digital life for malicious purposes, is chilling. The movie was well-done. A bit over-the-top with the "this is how tech-obsessed America is" stuff, but it didn't take away from it. I guess it would serve us well to remember that anytime we use our cell phones or log into our wireless networks, we are fair game for anyone to infiltrate. The gore of the torture-porn side of the movie was fun, too, if you like that stuff. Overall, it was a really satisfying thriller.

Michael Clayton: Boom Run Corporate Guns

2007-10-13T22:39:34Z

Michael Clayton is the fast paced legal, corporate greed and assassination thriller that starts and ends with a bang. Michael Clayton sizzles with skin crawling gluttony, blood moving action and overflows with tragic characters.

Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is an ethically questionable problem fixer for a high priced corporate law firm whose largest client is an agricultural products company. The ingenious lawyer assigned to the case, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) begins to slip down the mental health mountain and eventually succumbs to a near mental collapse. Clayton is assigned to containing Arthur, his mentor and good friend. Not everything a crazy person says is crazy, no matter how crazy it sounds, and Clayton has to decipher what is corporate insanity and what is personal insanity!

Michael Clayton doesn't rely exclusively on the thrill of the law to raise the blood pressure and to titillate the senses. They use the explosions, fighting, break-ins and mental breakdowns to get the audience utterly wrapped up in the rise and fall of the tumult raging on screen. The characters aren't spared any fear; mental, emotional or physical.

Clooney and writer/director Tony Gilroy, formed Michael Clayton as morally derelict as Arthur Edens is mentally depreciated. Clooney's portrayal is as insanely smarmy as the lawyer whose morals have been sold to his law firm for the cost of his gambling debts. Clooney masterfully spirals Clayton down an emotional whirlpool without drowning him in melodrama or trite clichés.

Playing someone headed for Looneytown is hard to do without driving the audience bananas. Tom Wilkinson made me furrow my eyebrows and sit on the edge of my seat. Arthur is over the edge but hanging onto the edge by his fingernails. Wilkinson gives Arthur one of the strongest set of fingernails I have ever seen in a movie. His cranial dilapidation is one of the most captivating elements of the movie.

The last fifteen or thirty minutes of Michael Clayton left me shaking. My muscles were tense, my heart was pounding. I could barely stay in my seat I was so worked up. I didn't realize it until I finally let go but my hand were so tense around the cup holder, it was painful to take them off and my arms were sore from the exertion. My jaw hurt from grinding my teeth. I haven't had as much fun or thrilled while sitting upright in a very long time.

See Michael Clayton because it is one of the scariest and most exciting corporate greed stories because of its great acting and fantastic action sequences.

The Rocket - A sports movie with a great plot and wonderful acting? Who knew?

2007-10-11T05:59:04Z

The Rocket or Maurice Richard, the biographical story of hockey legend Maurice Richard, is the best sports biography I have ever seen. It is also the best movie that uses sports to highlight historical bigotry I have ever seen. It is the best sports movie I have ever seen.

A poor machinist in the slums of Quebec, trying to do his part for the War effort during World War Two, Maurice Richard decides to try out for the Canadiens hockey team. His amazing talent wasn't enough, though; there were concerns that he was just too frail for hockey. After an extended time of not playing hockey, the Canadiens put him on the ice where he becomes the legend every hockey player studies. He struggles with the uncertainty of his job and supporting his wife and children. During his rise to fame, it is brought to his attention that the French speaking hockey players and citizens are being treated as second class citizens. Using his fame, and with some trepidation, he decides if he is going to be part of the movement for equality or another quiet French-Canadian who accepts the status quo.

The Rocket is not an uplifting, heartwarming, blood pumping movie shallow in plot, like most sports movies; it is a slower-moving, complex and dramatic biography supplemented by exciting hip checks, high sticking and the occasional fight. The pacing is like a train going over a mountain, patience is required to go up but your patience is rewarded when you have an exciting trip down the mountain. There is more plot than hockey and a person who doesn't care about hockey will still enjoy the dramatic feelings and settings cultivated in The Rocket.

The Rocket is as much about the time that Maurice Richard lived in, as it is about him personally. For those of us not familiar with general World War Two Canadian History, this film gives the audience a brief insight into internal strife during that time in the peaceful giant to the north. Using such an icon to display the times is a tired way to tell history but in The Rocket, it seems more natural. Richard is not glorified as beyond human or hero worshiped. He struggles with the people of his country, the same way they do.

The acting in The Rocket is hard hitting (pun intended), and will hip check (I'm not ashamed to make hockey puns) your emotions when you aren't expecting it. Roy Dupuis, who plays hockey megastar Maurice Richard, is a quiet storm, rolling over the hills of emotion. Julie LeBrenton, who plays Lucille Richard, Maurice's wife, performance is like a hurricane blowing in without mercy or regard. Her performance is a powerful triumph. No, in case you were wondering, they don't let the professional hockey players act much, thank you director Charles Binamé for making a thoughtful decision.

The Rocket is beautiful. It's dark and grainy feeling leaves you feeling a little dirty in an industrial way, but intrigued and curious.

In our house, we wouldn't dream of wasting our entertainment money or time on baseball or basketball. We probably could be bothered to see football on someone else's dime, if there wasn't paint to watch dry. What we will do is climb a stack of chairs to change the channel at a sports bar during baseball playoffs to watch hockey because we are a hockey family, through and through. If you've never been to the Shark Tank in San Jose, you just haven't lived. So believe me when I say the hockey in The Rocket is exceptionally fun to watch and technically correct. It makes sense because all of the hockey scenes are played with National Hockey League players. That's right, they don't pretend to play hockey, they actually play professional hockey! If you are a hockey fan you'll see faces you recognize, like Mike Ricci of the San Jose Sharks. Even if you aren't a hockey fan, you'll enjoy the hitting and bleeding.

If you love great hockey, see The Rocket. If you love great writing, see The Rocket. If you love phenomenal acting, see The Rocket. If you aren't a complete idiot, see The Rocket. Just see The Rocket or I'll see you in the boards!

King of Kong Review and Director Interview

2007-09-04T17:50:28Z

King of Kong-Fist Full of Quarters is the good vs. evil tale of the world champions of Donkey Kong: Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe. These characters couldn't have been made up better and if they were fictional, if this weren't a documentary, the film would be unbelievable.

In 1982, Life Magazine did a story on the world's best video gamers at the time. In that picture was Billy Mitchell, the champion of Centipede, Donkey Kong, and Donkey Kong Jr. It was the beginning of Billy's rise to fame. After a scandal rocked the video game world, Walter Day decided he would start Twin Galaxies, the official score keepers for video games. It also became headquarters for the Billy Mitchell Cult. The employees, even Day himself, worship Billy Mitchell with a frightening reverence. Their reverence for Billy makes them absolutely unable to verify a score when newbie Steve Wiebe shatters his record.

Rest of the Review

Seth Gordon, director of documentary film King of Kong: Fist Full of Quarters, a David vs Goliath documentary about two men competing for champion rights to the classic arcade game Donkey Kong, opened up about his new film, its process and his future.

"My favorite place is Fun Spot [arcade in King of Kong]. Family reunions were in New Hampshire. I burn in the sun, so my family would leave me at Fun Spot. It is a family place and they would give tokens for grades. I would think about it all year. I met Steve Wiebe [one of the main characters in the movie] four days after they had been in his garage. At first I thought he was too vanilla but after I met all the players, I wanted to do the project. It took a year and a half."

Rest of the Interview

ATHFCMFT - A dreadful movie could do so much for the world!

2007-04-14T03:56:58Z

I'm not supposed to post this until Friday but I'll do it just for you! Shh. Keep it on the DL.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (ATHFCMFT) is a cinematic blessing that will surely lead to better film making in the future. Thank you writer and directors Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis for creating a movie that opens the way for the next great novel.

This is where I usually do my plot summary, but because I have no idea what the plot of “ATHFCMFT” was, I’m skipping that part. I will say I did get something about a work out machine, a weird guy and Abe Lincoln. I did have an epiphany during this movie, “ATHFCMFT” could actually force film companies to make better movies.

“ATHFCMFT” is full of idiotic jokes. There is a plot that wanders away like an Alzheimer’s patient. It only seems to come home when a child turns it around and leads it back to its retirement home. Ten minutes into the movie I desperately wanted the recipe for “Who Framed Rodger Rabbit’s” “Dip”. That way I could permanently exterminate these half joked cartoon morons forever. Where do Dana Snyder, Dave Willis, Carey Means (Master Shake, Meatwad and Frylock), Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis live so that I might send my ninja henchmen after them? Why doesn’t this have an “S” for Stupid warning? And what the F**k?

Then I realized this must be how the government is going to do the much alluded to “Morons and Idiots Census.” Hopefully while all the single digit IQers are all in the same place they will release gas the theaters that will sterilize them and this will permanently stop their substandard genes from entering our gene pool. It would be best if the government made the sterilizer of something sticky so all of his friends and family would suffer the same fate. When all the morons are dead, the movie industry would have no reason to make “ATHFCMFT,” “Norbit,” “White Chicks” or any other ridiculously stupid movies. Furthermore because all of these idiots and their families have been wiped out, I suspect all our insurance rates would go down. The idiots who drive too fast, break into houses and get stuck in chimneys would become extinct, which would mean fewer accidents and lower rates. Their idiotic enabling parents would be dead also so thus ending the idiot-moron cycle. People around the world could rejoice because they once again could breathe fart free air. The lack of farts in the air would cut down on methane, a green house gas. The reduction in intentional flatulence methane could improve global warming. A reduction in global warming would stop all potential flooding. People all over the world could breathe more easily. Pollution related asthma rates would drop dramatically in children and the elderly. Eventually asthma would become a tale for the history books, a song for the playgrounds. Parents wouldn’t have the pain of worry of their children’s pain anymore and could spend their sorry time trying to find a cure for AIDS. When AIDS is cured people who would have otherwise died can contribute to the world in new, awesome ways. One of them would write the next great literary work that revolutionized thinking and improved the moral fabric of the world. That AIDS survivor would then sell the rights to a movie company. The “Idiot Movie” producers, viewers, directors, writers are all dead by now so the movie companies put huge resources into a movie that will change the world. Now that the world only has those intelligent enough to string full sentences together left, they all are touched by this orgasmic cinematic experience.

Who knew one dreadful movie could do so much for the world.

“ATHFCMFT” is an abomination. No, I recant that, as abominations have more class and make more sense than “ATHFCMFT.” There is no excuse for such a rambling, irritating, bunch of almost jokes drawn together into a mind melting, IQ depressing, movie blunder. This movie has caused me to reconsider my absolute positions on blacking listing, censorship and free speech.

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After The Wedding - A+ Movie

2007-04-14T03:35:44Z

After the Wedding (Efter bylluppet) is the marvelously subtle story about the value of family, the decisions we make and the decisions people make for us. It beautifully spins a story of the lengths people will go for who they love and how four people find their worth.

Jacob, played by Mads Mikkelsen, runs a nearly bankrupt orphanage in India. In order to get a substantial financial gift for the orphanage, he must travel to Copenhagen, Denmark to meet in person with the benefactor. Jørgen, the benefactor, invites Jacob to his daughter’s wedding while they finish up the paperwork for the gift. At the wedding, Jacob learns a life changing secret about his family. The movie’s drama starts “After the Wedding.”

Writer/Director Susanne Bier and co-writer Anders Thomas Jensen wrote a movie that can best be explained as emotionally complex. The characters are three dimensional, flawed, and perfect. Bier and Jensen created characters who are more human than I’ve seen in a film in a long time. They make tension without guns or explosions, and yet the emotion that runs through feels just as dooming. Each twist and plot turn leaves the plot better explained and yet opens you up to an intimacy in the characters you didn’t have before.

The acting in “After the Wedding” is incredible. “After the Wedding” ranges the emotional spectrum and none of the actors miss their mark, never. The movie spins on palpable tension between all the characters. There are scenes where you can tell exactly what the characters are feeling, worrying, thinking about and they don’t say a word. Jacob is probably the least complex character in the movie, but Mads Mikkelsen’s performance is multifaceted and captivating. Jacob is stoic but not staunchly so. Mikkelsen lets the emotion ooze out of him smoothly. The few moments where he loses control altogether are extraordinarily powerful. Jacob has to make a life changing decision and Mikkelsen’s masterly portrayal of Jacob’s toil is understated and profound. Helene (Sidse Babett Knudsen) Jørgen’s wife, is the source of most of the tension in the movie. Helene is a labyrinth of complexities. You waver between loving her and being angry with her. Through “After the Wedding” Knudsen gives Helene such a raw humanity that you can’t hate her. Stine Fischer Christensen plays Anna, Helene’s daughter. Anna seems to be as fragile as a bird in the beginning of the movie. As it progresses, Christensen gives Anna an unexpected strength. She is the weakest performance in the movie but she still gets a solid A.

The most complicated character, by miles, is Jørgen (Rolf Lassgård). A drunk, control freak, loving father and husband, Jørgen is impossible to completely figure out. Outside the press screening room a spontaneous conversation broke out between reviewers about him, his motives and behavior. Rolf Lassgård is shocking, awe-inspiring and mighty. At the end, your own personal beliefs will dictate if you feel like he is a villainous monster or good intentioned but made bad decisions. His performance made me cry for ten minutes.

The music in “After the Wedding” adds perfectly to the movie. Most of the music is violin with the typical Hindi music we think of when we think of India. It is Jacob’s thinking music, and reminds us of both sides of his difficult decision.

This movie isn’t perfect though but its imperfections are minimal. The beginning is pretty slow. The movie runs about 20 minutes too long. It would have really benefited from a better film editor. There are too many establishing shots (shots that show the outside of a building or the like to tell you where the action is happening.) There is a lot of walking away. Shots linger too long with no benefit to the story. I haven’t seen a movie since “Climates” that has so many eyeball shots. For some people the subtitles might be annoying. These problems are barely worth mentioning.

“After the Wedding” is surprisingly powerful. Rarely can an ending that wraps everything up leave you with so much to talk about. “After the Wedding” left me feeling like an outsider watching the most intimate parts of their lives. I loved it, it was wonderful. See this movie.

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What Love Is - Pretty Funny.

2007-03-28T03:39:30Z

“What Love Is” tries to answer the question the title asks by cramming emotionally diverse men and women on a small set. A witty spin on romantic comedy, “What Love Is” was an enjoyable exception to the rule that romance and comedy don’t mix.

Tom, Cuba Gooding Jr.’s character, excitedly rushes home to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day to find that she has left him. Soon after he gets home a gaggle of his friends come over to visit. Each of his friends have a special, individual neurosis they shamelessly share with each other. A candid conversation breaks out between the five friends. Eventually a group of equally vocal women arrive to illuminate and chisel at the men’s foredrawn conclusions.

Mars Callahan, the writer and director, relies on a lot of battle of the sexes clichés. The women have a potty party in the bathroom. There is a lot of macho prancing about and drinking for the men. While you can tell who will be which by looking at them, the dialogue makes up for the unoriginal characters. “What Love Is” is less a story and more a dialogue. The movie is mostly set in one room and relies heavily on the acting and the script. Mostly the male perspective on dating, relationships, pain and love, the movie uses the cookie cutter characters to try to examine the behavior of real people. There is a gay man, a professional man in a steady relationship, the jerk gangsta, a married man and the nice guy. Men aren’t the only characters though. There is a herd of women who eventually arrive to show the feminine perspective.

The screenplay doesn’t feel like a natural conversation but it doesn’t entirely miss the target either. The film has great flow, winding up emotion and then releasing it with well timed humor. The “gangsta”, Sal, is the loudmouthed blow hard in the film. Sal, played by Matthew Lillard, spews his derogatory blatherings while crawling around in his own insecurities. Tom (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is lost in his own pain and shock. He jumps into hurt and then into anger. Andrew Daily plays the flaming gay Wayne, newly engaged to a professional soccer player. Wayne character oozes flamboyance which is painfully unoriginal but his monologues are also painfully funny. Mars Callahan is happily married Ken. Sean Astin plays the nice guy George. George refuses to pretend he doesn’t like women to play the game to get one. The men share an intimate connection of knowing each other for years. Their conversations are mercilessly frank. Even though the female characters do have their own personalities, I felt they were only there to show the strengths and weaknesses in the men’s arguments. They aren’t shallow but their focus is definitely to make points about the men’s perspectives. Both the school of men and the covey of women call each other out in ways only close friends can.

Matthew Lillard is my favorite actor in “What Love Is.” He shamelessly puffs himself up, strutting around like a male peacock who is seeing a female peacock for the first time in his life. Squawk, squawk, ruffle, squawk. His performance is frighteningly sincere. He rails on everyone else but only to cover his vulnerabilities.

Cuba Gooding Jr.’s performance leaves much to be desired though. He seems to be pulling his inspiration from previous movies and I expected him to shout out “show me the money.” Most of the character’s monologues are done in one solid shot. Gooding’s are all done in multiple cut together shots. The editing is poorly done and the performance is obviously sub-par.

There are a few strange scenes in “What Love Is.” There is a spontaneous stripper scene. I haven’t decided if I like it or not. I think Mars Callahan was trying to show how the men were objectifying the women but it wasn’t in any of their characters to treat women as objects. Even the pig-dog in the group is a gentleman. The scene extremely funny but it doesn’t quite fit the rest of the movie and feels awkwardly out of place.

Even with its faults, I enjoyed “What Love Is.” The writing is funny though the entire movie. Even serious topics are covered with razor sharpness and powerful wit. “What Love Is” looks like a play filmed and brought to us on screen. If you can appreciate a movie made up primarily of dialogue, you’ll enjoy “What Love Is.”

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TMNT - Heros on the half shell; TURTLE POWER!

2007-03-28T02:54:46Z

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hero’s on the half shell...Turtle Power! Ok, now I have that out of my system. Written and directed by Kevin Monroe, “TMNT” is a revitalization of comics beloved in my childhood. “TMNT” lacks depth, feels like a Saturday morning cartoon but is visually interesting.

After being away for a year at training, Donatello returns to his brothers and sensei. He returns to find his city falling into crime, monsters running the street, his brothers out of shape and a vigilante is trying to protect the city. The brothers are eager to get back out and take back the streets. Eager friends April and Casey help the turtles kick major butt. When a crazy immortal tries to regain his mortality, he has to confront his own generals.

The plot requires that you don’t ask too many questions. That’s fine when you are a nine year old boy but I had more questions when the movie ended then I did in the middle. The movie is full of scenes stolen from other movies. There is the standard one million fighters vs. a handful of ninjas scene. At the end of the movie there is a direct rip off of a scene in the Disney version of “Beauty and the Beast.”

None of the voice work is particularly memorable, even those famous people who lent their voices were not that noticeable. I love Kevin Smith, (the truth is I want to marry him) and I didn’t even recognize his voice. The only voice I did recognize was Patrick Stewart and how could you not? His voice was a horrible case of overkill. Why have such a powerful voice for such a powerless character? His part is too large for a cameo and too small for the full “Stewart Impact.”

The visuals were enjoyable. The director decided to stay away from the classic turtle hand drawings and went for computer generated characters. The scenes where the characters are wet are fun to watch because their skin looks wet and the rain drops even drop properly. It was surprisingly interesting to watch.

Thanks to “TMNT” the cartoon world does have what might be a first, a woman who could take care of herself. What a step forward from the annoying Lois Lanes of the comic world. It’s nice to finally see women not as helpless, tied up, morons. So how is it that “TMNT” could get it so right by having kick butt women and so wrong when it comes to the women themselves.

I was annoyed that April and Karai look like they are wearing corsets and are going to fall over under the weight of their breasts. Take it from a girl with big boobs, it’s not easy to carry these things around and people with DD’s have small waists only if they are rich enough for saline. Have those animators ever tried to fight in a corset? It isn’t easy.

After I saw this movie I went out to pick a fight with foot soldiers in a corset (didn’t you guys know I’m a ninja?) and let me tell you, without a sports bra I was pretty hampered by these melons. The corset did provide a little bit of armor but when I tried to run but I couldn’t breathe because corsets restrictive. It did hamper my ability to turn quickly, bend down to avoid kicks and swords. I had to just downright seduce the foot soldiers so they wouldn’t kill me. It’s tough being a bad ass, corset wearing, big breasted woman.

It would be nice if a woman looked even a little realistic. Do I think it causes self esteem issues for young girls, no. Do I think it is freakin’ stupid, hell yes I do. Hey, dumb-dumb animators, do you think a woman with combat training could be snapped in half if a butterfly landed on her? Then stop drawing her that way.

I should have brought a ten year old boy with me to see if this movie hit the mark between keeping their attention and not boring them. I think “TMNT” would have strong appeal to tweener boys.

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<img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/custom/20/1162720.jpg" />

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hero’s on the half shell...Turtle Power! Ok, now I have that out of my system. Written and directed by Kevin Monroe, “TMNT” is a revitalization of comics beloved in my childhood. “TMNT” lacks depth, feels like a Saturday morning cartoon but is visually interesting.

<lj-cut text="Heros on the half shell, turtle power!">
After being away for a year at training, Donatello returns to his brothers and sensei. He returns to find his city falling into crime, monsters running the street, his brothers out of shape and a vigilante is trying to protect the city. The brothers are eager to get back out and take back the streets. Eager friends April and Casey help the turtles kick major butt. When a crazy immortal tries to regain his mortality, he has to confront his own generals.

The plot requires that you don’t ask too many questions. That’s fine when you are a nine year old boy but I had more questions when the movie ended then I did in the middle. The movie is full of scenes stolen from other movies. There is the standard one million fighters vs. a handful of ninjas scene. At the end of the movie there is a direct rip off of a scene in the Disney version of “Beauty and the Beast.”

None of the voice work is particularly memorable, even those famous people who lent their voices were not that noticeable. I love Kevin Smith, (the truth is I want to marry him) and I didn’t even recognize his voice. The only voice I did recognize was Patrick Stewart and how could you not? His voice was a horrible case of overkill. Why have such a powerful voice for such a powerless character? His part is too large for a cameo and too small for the full “Stewart Impact.”

The visuals were enjoyable. The director decided to stay away from the classic turtle hand drawings and went for computer generated characters. The scenes where the characters are wet are fun to watch because their skin looks wet and the rain drops even drop properly. It was surprisingly interesting to watch.
<img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1162720/photo_28_thumb.jpg" />
Thanks to “TMNT” the cartoon world does have what might be a first, a woman who could take care of herself. What a step forward from the annoying Lois Lanes of the comic world. It’s nice to finally see women not as helpless, tied up, morons. So how is it that “TMNT” could get it so right by having kick butt women and so wrong when it comes to the women themselves.

I was annoyed that April and Karai look like they are wearing corsets and are going to fall over under the weight of their breasts. Take it from a girl with big boobs, it’s not easy to carry these things around and people with DD’s have small waists only if they are rich enough for saline. Have those animators ever tried to fight in a corset? It isn’t easy.

After I saw this movie I went out to pick a fight with foot soldiers in a corset (didn’t you guys know I’m a ninja?) and let me tell you, without a sports bra I was pretty hampered by these melons. The corset did provide a little bit of armor but when I tried to run but I couldn’t breathe because corsets restrictive. It did hamper my ability to turn quickly, bend down to avoid kicks and swords. I had to just downright seduce the foot soldiers so they wouldn’t kill me. It’s tough being a bad ass, corset wearing, big breasted woman.

It would be nice if a woman looked even a little realistic. Do I think it causes self esteem issues for young girls, no. Do I think it is freakin’ stupid, hell yes I do. Hey, dumb-dumb animators, do you think a woman with combat training could be snapped in half if a butterfly landed on her? Then stop drawing her that way.

I should have brought a ten year old boy with me to see if this movie hit the mark between keeping their attention and not boring them. I think “TMNT” would have strong appeal to tweener boys.

<a href="”""> IMDB Link</a>
<a href="”http://tmnt.warnerbros.com/" “="“">Official Site</a>

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The Last Mimzy-Little Bunny Fu-Fu Hopping Though The Forrest

2007-03-28T02:22:07Z

The Last Mimzy” is the cinematic adaptation of C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner’s short story “Mimsy Were the Borogroves.” “The Last Mimzy” is a disappointing movie but an endearing story of the value of a child’s shameless hopefulness.

While on vacation with their mother, Emma and Noah, find a small stuffed rabbit and other artifacts on the beach. Each of the artifacts seem to have a supernatural power, doing bizarre and fantastic things. Emma, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, and Noah, Chris O’Neil, slowly figure out how the artifacts work together. Soon the children are saving the day, and all other days.

Rhiannon Leigh Wryn is a twinkling star in this movie. Her wisdom doesn’t feel forced. Her tears roll gently from her eyes. When there is a monumental revelation about her value, she handles it exactly how someone like her should. She is so freaking cute, I just wanted to pinch her. If she were less strong, less smart or sane seeming, a lot of the things she does and says would be Looney Toons. I was constantly amazed by her performance.

I can’t say the same thing for the rest of the actors in “The Last Mimzy.” Joely Richardson plays Jo Wilder, the children’s mother. If she has any endearing feelings toward the children she hides them well. Every time she is supposed to be nurturing or motherly, she disappoints the viewer with a cold impersonal inflection that could cause any child to become a serial killer. Even the scenes where she becomes enraged she doesn’t seem to actually lose control. David Wilder, the father, is played by Timothy Hutton. The stay away, workaholic father, Hutton is too warm to be away from his family that much and too cold to be with them more often. His performance is flat, dull and uninteresting.

Chris O’Neil performance suffers from all the problems of a child actor. It isn’t his fault he’s young and for a child, his performance is fine. Still, he can be a little annoying from time to time. Annoyances aside, his character is charmingly attached to his sister. Even if he can’t get surprise, anger or frustration quite right, he does charming attachment wonderfully.

It might be unfair to be so harsh to the actors. The screen play is shallow. I suspect the writing is a case of too many cooks spoil the stew. All together there are six writers on “The Last Mimzy.” First are the two short story writers, Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore who laid down the basic ingredients and original recipe for “The Last Mimzy.” Then came the screen writers, Carol Skilken and James V. Hart to throw in their ingredients. Lastly, stirring the pot and adding their own spices is screen play writers Bruce Joel Rubin and Toby Emmerch. How many times does a studio need to reinterpret a short story before it is a complete script? How many different people have to season a script before you realize you’ve gone too far and now it takes like licking the inside of spice rack?

I was utterly annoyed by the ending. The main plot ending is fine, not interesting but not horrible. It’s the wrap up at the end that made me want to bite someone. Excuse me, a government security agency acted like a four year old. Psst, Carol, James, Toby, or Joel; why didn’t you fix that before you subjected me to it? Look, I know it’s your job to do what the studio says but come on; you put your name on it. You have earned a dirty look and a booger flick for such a ridiculous ending.

Visually speaking, “The Last Mimzy” is astonishing. The animators took special care to not over do the visuals and I commend them for it. Instead of making every single special thing that happens a major event, they instead made them less intimidating so it could stir our curiosity. I enjoyed watching the generated scenes.

If I were six years old, I’d like “The Last Mimzy” but I’m not six years old. “The Last Mimzy” is a bland movie but an adorable story. That makes it an utter shame.

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<img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/custom/22/1171422.jpg" />

The Last Mimzy” is the cinematic adaptation of C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner’s short story “Mimsy Were the Borogroves.” “The Last Mimzy” is a disappointing movie but an endearing story of the value of a child’s shameless hopefulness.
<lj-cut text="wiskers and nibbles">
While on vacation with their mother, Emma and Noah, find a small stuffed rabbit and other artifacts on the beach. Each of the artifacts seem to have a supernatural power, doing bizarre and fantastic things. Emma, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, and Noah, Chris O’Neil, slowly figure out how the artifacts work together. Soon the children are saving the day, and all other days.

Rhiannon Leigh Wryn is a twinkling star in this movie. Her wisdom doesn’t feel forced. Her tears roll gently from her eyes. When there is a monumental revelation about her value, she handles it exactly how someone like her should. She is so freaking cute, I just wanted to pinch her. If she were less strong, less smart or sane seeming, a lot of the things she does and says would be Looney Toons. I was constantly amazed by her performance.

I can’t say the same thing for the rest of the actors in “The Last Mimzy.” Joely Richardson plays Jo Wilder, the children’s mother. If she has any endearing feelings toward the children she hides them well. Every time she is supposed to be nurturing or motherly, she disappoints the viewer with a cold impersonal inflection that could cause any child to become a serial killer. Even the scenes where she becomes enraged she doesn’t seem to actually lose control. David Wilder, the father, is played by Timothy Hutton. The stay away, workaholic father, Hutton is too warm to be away from his family that much and too cold to be with them more often. His performance is flat, dull and uninteresting.

Chris O’Neil performance suffers from all the problems of a child actor. It isn’t his fault he’s young and for a child, his performance is fine. Still, he can be a little annoying from time to time. Annoyances aside, his character is charmingly attached to his sister. Even if he can’t get surprise, anger or frustration quite right, he does charming attachment wonderfully.
<img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1171422/photo_08_thumb.jpg" />
It might be unfair to be so harsh to the actors. The screen play is shallow. I suspect the writing is a case of too many cooks spoil the stew. All together there are six writers on “The Last Mimzy.” First are the two short story writers, Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore who laid down the basic ingredients and original recipe for “The Last Mimzy.” Then came the screen writers, Carol Skilken and James V. Hart to throw in their ingredients. Lastly, stirring the pot and adding their own spices is screen play writers Bruce Joel Rubin and Toby Emmerch. How many times does a studio need to reinterpret a short story before it is a complete script? How many different people have to season a script before you realize you’ve gone too far and now it takes like licking the inside of spice rack?

I was utterly annoyed by the ending. The main plot ending is fine, not interesting but not horrible. It’s the wrap up at the end that made me want to bite someone. Excuse me, a government security agency acted like a four year old. Psst, Carol, James, Toby, or Joel; why didn’t you fix that before you subjected me to it? Look, I know it’s your job to do what the studio says but come on; you put your name on it. You have earned a dirty look and a booger flick for such a ridiculous ending.

Visually speaking, “The Last Mimzy” is astonishing. The animators took special care to not over do the visuals and I commend them for it. Instead of making every single special thing that happens a major event, they instead made them less intimidating so it could stir our curiosity. I enjoyed watching the generated scenes.

If I were six years old, I’d like “The Last Mimzy” but I’m not six years old. “The Last Mimzy” is a bland movie but an adorable story. That makes it an utter shame.

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Zodiac- Who is the zodiac?

2007-03-27T02:08:44Z

Based on the book by Robert Graysmith, “Zodiac” is by far the best movie made on the subject of the infamous Zodiac Killer. Less thriller and more expose, Zodiac tries to answer the one million dollar question; “Who is the Zodiac?”

Chance drops Robert Graysmith, a political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle, in the middle of the Zodiac killings investigations when the news room is chosen to get a letter from the Zodiac Killer. The as more letters are sent by the killer a spark and obsession is kindled in Graysmith. Graysmith takes an active role in the case, interviewing witnesses, encouraging the police, trying to break the codes given to the newspapers. The two detectives in the case, Inspector David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Inspector William Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) devote years of energy, and life in the hunt for the killer. As time goes on, the Zodiac takes the lives of people he didn’t kill.

Gyllenhaal gives a cloudless good nature to Graysmith. Even though Graysmith often wanders into naivety, and occasionally dips his toe in the pool of childlike behavior, he never comes across as an idiot. Instead Gyllenhaal’s poise saves Graysmith from being reduced to a moron and gives him an almost comic book idea of wrong and right when it comes to the Zodiac.

Paul Avery is one of the more entertaining characters in Zodiac. Robert Downey Jr. plays the ace crime reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. In order to be an effective reporter, you can’t be too concerned with the feelings of the people around you and you must be willing to rip into someone for lying to you while keeping them talking. Downey Jr. expertly crawls into the skin of a big city reporter, waving attitude over the newsroom, on the streets and at the police. Downey Jr. occasionally even walks hips first, swinging his arms, notebook in hand and cigarette in mouth and almost always in some idiotic hat. When I thought I knew what he would say, he surprised me.

There is a bushel of secondary characters freckling the screenplay. Maybe necessarily, the non-main characters are flat, lacking any depth; they don’t have much in the way of back story or forward story for that matter. The detectives from Napa and Vallejo definably do have their own personalities but are only in the story to further Graysmith on his journey to find the Zodiac.

Attention to detail was obviously a high priority for David Fincher, director of “Zodiac.” I have heard former reporters of the Chronicle comment on how accurate the newsroom seems. The scenes in Vallejo captured the tract housing, suburban community from which the victims came. Using the Transamerica Pyramid, now a prominent feature in the San Francisco skyline, was an interesting way to show time elapsing in The City. (“The City” is what us Bay Area folks call San Francisco.) The haircuts and costumes were accurate and continue to follow the characters though the decades. The way the Zodiac Killer killed his victims is accurate to best of my knowledge.

Aesthetically “Zodiac” is uncommon and special. Cinematographer Harris Savides pays attention to light, angles, framing, rule of thirds and centering. Obnoxious angles can be distracting but Savides knows how to make the angles and lighting compliment the other aspects of the film. The mood set by the visuals only accentuates the actors and events but does not unhinge your attention from the plot. The scenes that are computer generated are a little bright for San Francisco but they still glisten with the same attention to the elements of design and atmosphere as the rest of the film. The set dressing gives clues to the wellbeing of the characters.

“Zodiac” is a long movie with excellent flow. The editor may have been able to cut a few minutes here or there but the extended length is necessary to the story. The editors mad the right choice when they decided to go with a longer movie with better content.

“Zodiac” is worth seeing for the way it looks, for the acting and for the story. “Zodiac” rekindles my hope in serial killer investigation movies.

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Pride - A light escapist film

2007-03-27T01:50:57Z

Jim Ellis, a Philadelphia recreation center swim coach, is the true life basis for “Pride.” A light, escapist flick, “Pride” is Hollywood’s newest “Sports Savior” film.

Terrence Howard portrays Jim Ellis, an African American swimmer with a master’s degree in mathematics who can’t find a job because universities find him too black and the black community ridicules him for being educated. Finally, when he can’t find a teaching or coaching job, he takes a job for the City of Philadelphia to pack up a closing recreation center. There he meets crotchety center maintenance man, Elston (Bernie Mac). He reopens the pool and encourages youth to come and swim. What was first recreation, changes when he trains Puddin Head (Brandon Fobbs), Walt (Alphonso McAuley), Willie (Regine Nehy), Hakim (Nate Parker) and Andre (Kevin Phillips) to be competitive swimmers. Each of the characters faces a personal struggle including facing the streets alone, losing an important part of their life, being small, racism, and being abandoned.

Terrence Howard’s performance struggles a little in the beginning of the film but as the film progresses, he finds his groove and becomes Jim Ellis. By the end of the movie, I was wrapped in his story, rooting for his success and wishing I could fight his battles for him. Howard’s “Pride” performance is one more example of why he is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood today. He is the only actor in the film who can carry off the dramatic scenes with out making forcing out drama like toothpaste from a tube.

Who knew being a cantankerous old man would be so easy for Bernie Mac? Well, anyone who has ever seen him perform, of course. Still, his performance is funny and sweet. He spends a good portion of the movie trying to convince the city to not shut down the recreation center. Bernie Mac is adorable when he begs with a city council woman, bribing her with chocolate covered cherries. He always has a quick quip for the kids that will make you chuckle. His chemistry with Terrance Howard is like chocolate and strawberries, a timeless combination.

The when the kids get together, they rail on each other in ways that would make strangers cry but amongst friends is gut jiggling humor. At no time did I break out in wild hysteria, they did leave me smiling though most of the movie. Disappointingly, none of the youth hit the mark when it came to their personal struggles or any dramatic scenes. Their performances reminded me of tofu, rolled in bread crumbs and baked for an hour and a half: total blandness.

The two antagonists in the film, Franklin (Gary Anthony Sturgis) and The Bink (Tom Arnold) suffer from melodrama. The Bink is the white oppressor in the movie but he tries too hard to be racist. He never has a look of disgust that isn’t scripted toward the black swimmers or coaches. He only speaks racist, but he doesn’t act it. Gary Anthony Sturgis plays the drug boss that runs the neighborhood. When he gets angry he puts his lips in his mouth and tilts his chin up. When he gets angry face he looks like a black iguana and reminded me of when I was in junior high and the boys would puff themselves up before a fight over the chance to ask a girl out. I felt no fear of him and am entirely sure that I could punch him out or at least knock him down. The casting director relied too much on the fact that he is big and black and not enough of whether or not he could be scary.

I am not a big fan of the “Savior Sports” genre of movies. I think anything that keeps at risk youth busy and away from drug dealers will achieve the same goals as sports. Still, “Pride”’s competitive scenes are surprisingly exhilarating. At the end of the movie I was only half cheeking my seat, as was everyone else in the theater.

Except for the ending, nearly nothing dramatic in the movie really clicks. Screenwriters Kevin Michael Smith, Michael Gozzard, J.Mills Goodloe, Norman Vance Jr. do a poor job of writing dramatic situations that have resonance. I suspect some of the actors could have done a better job if given a better script and better direction. There was a lot of pre-production work needed to be done on “Pride” that was either dreadfully done or detrimentally ignored.

“Pride” won’t go down in the annals of history as the best “Sports Savior” movie in history but it is a fun, feel good movie for when you just need to escape. It is also a safe choice for a pre-teen or early teenager or people who believe in the power of sports to change the lives of people.

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Premonition - Oh yeah, I'm psychic

2007-03-06T07:01:08Z

I must be psychic because I had a premonition about this movie and it came true! The plot of the movie came to me while relaxing in my living room. I was in a nearly comatose state, my attention solidly on the boob tube when, out of no where, there was a message, from whom, I do not know. It came to me, but in snippets. I consulted with my psychic message adviser (ok, it is my husband) and asked him what he thought this blessed premonition meant. I will not tell you the answer because he, in his magnificence, was able to put the pictures together and figure out the parts that were missing. I will share with you an important insight given to me by my wealth of psychic experience; you don’t need to pay $10 bucks to see “Premonition” in the theaters to see most of the movie and all of the important parts and to figure out the twists. Just be open to psychic messages coming to you though your television, crammed between segments of your favorite show and save yourself the money! Then thank Sony Movies for approving a trailer that tells you the entire plot, if you have imagination enough to figure out the five minute twist they left out! Directed by Mennan Yapo and written by Billy Kelly, “Premonition” is full of problems, from beginning to end.

Linda (Sandra Bollock) wakes up the day after she is told her husband, Jim (Julian McMahon) is killed in a car crash to find him alive and in her bed sleeping. Every time she goes to sleep she ping pongs between days, forward from Monday and backwards from Saturday. When she jumps to the future, she has no memory of the days in between and as a consequence, she doesn’t how some serious events occurred. Each day she gets though in this Plinko situation gifts her new information about what happened the week her husband dies and how she might be able to prevent her husband’s death. To her loved ones and the people around her, her strange behavior makes them worry that she’s lost her mind.

“Premonition” has serious writing and plot problems. People, who know exactly how things happen, magically forget them later in the week, doctors who give out serious psychotropic medication at the drop of a hat, days that fall out of order in the sequence set out earlier in the movie to name a few. Premonation also has seemed to become a staple of thriller movies when they can’t explain something, The Catholic Church. Of course, lapsed Catholic Linda, returns to her church for answers; answers they have for her of course. Mr. Kelly, would it be possible to come up with an original idea, rather than falling back on the “Catholic Excuse?” The ending was unnessary

Visually speaking, the film could teach film students what not to do, effectively. The characters live in a beautiful home, full of character and appeal; it could be one of the most charming characters in the film. Instead, they show shots of the house from the top, the most unappealing angle. Surrounded by dead grass, grey streets, trees void of leaves and their silt green roof, the house’s beauty, warmth and charm is exiled to memories of the beginning of the movie. There are scenes in a beautiful church, again shot from above, killing the mood and character of the setting. They went a step further with the church scenes and shot them from below, rocking the two and fro, bouncing it subtly. I have not been as nauseated by a non-war film in a long time. Why even bother to hire someone to scout locations if you are going to kill their beauty and add nothing to your picture. There are a few computer generated effects in “Premonition” that live up to Yapo’s standards. Let’s just say that Hitchcock did a better job with his birds then Yapo.

A small saving grace, the acting didn’t completely suck. During the Saturday scenes Bullock performance is saddening and convincing. She is limited by the script; an unfortunate limitation in this case. Julian McMahon did leave a lot to be desired though. He seemed indifferent to his family, his life or his job. He was essentially void of affect through the entire movie.

By the end of “Premonition” I wished all the characters dead, except the children, just too cute for death. When the writing leaves something to be desired, the direction should have been done by someone dead thirty years, and the visuals make you want to vomit, you’ve got a must miss on your hands.
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your_movie_club @ 2007-03-05T21:04:00

2007-03-06T06:54:23Z

"Beyond the Gates" also called Shooting Dogs, is the story refugees in the Ecole Techniques Officielle (ETO), a secondary Catholic School, in Kigali, Rwanda during the mass genocide of the Tutsi in of 1994. Told through the eyes of those people trapped behind the school gates, "Beyond the Gates" made me cry, tremble with fear and helped me see what our role was, as members of the U.N., passively standing by as hundreds of thousands of people died.

On April 6, 1994 the Rwandan Military shot down their president's plane and started a coup that eventually led the to the slaughter of 800,000 Tutsi Rwandans. During the first days of the genocide, thousands of Tutsi flocked to the the Ecole Techniques Officielle (ETO) a large catholic school where the U.N. Peace Observers were stationed. The priest stationed to the ETO, Father Christopher, brilliantly portrayed by John Hurt, walks a thin line between hope and hopelessness. He forces the UN to open the gate after the killings begin and their fortifications are set. Eventually, at his insistence, thousands of people find their way into the safe haven in his school. Young school teacher Joe Connor, masterfully played by Hugh Dancy, is forced to face his innocence and leave it on a Kigali dirt road.

The U.N. is the only thing between the Hutu and the Tusi, keeping a parameter at the edge of the school. The U.N. refuses to enforce the peace, and take active steps against the Hutu to stop the slaughter because their mandate was only to observe the peace. As more people shove onto the school grounds, the U.N. support becomes less sure.

David Wolstencroft, Richard Alwyn and David Belton wrote each of the characters with care, all with surprising strength and weaknesses. Even the characters in the film for a brief moment have emotional complexities. Every character surprised and touched me. It is also very rare that a film would have characters that are representative of a larger group of people, or message and still give them an individual humanity relatable to by any person with a heart.

"Beyond the Gates" is filmed on location in Kigali, Rwanda. Director Michael Caton-Jones believed that by filming there gave more credence to the story because it was just above the surface there. Many of the cast and crew were either at ETO, such as one woman who was raped and transacted HIV, or were affected by the genocide in Rwanda but outside the ETO. Many of the people on the cast and crew lost their whole family. Having so many people affected by the events portrayed gave the film a sincerity that made me angry, dejected and engrossed in the story.

[I feel the need to put a small disclaimer in here. I have to be vague about a lot of the character traits because if I say too much, I will have spoiled the ending of the film for you. I am understating the quality of each of the performances because I can't fully develop their qualities with out giving away the ending. So, for that reason, I'm tying my own hands and under valuing the performances in my review.]

John Hurt's character, Father Christopher, tries to give hope to the people in his school but can feel his hope fading away. The transformation from carefree to emotionally spent weighs heavy on the audience. It's as if the writers pulled the plug in his emotional bath tub. Use Christopher's conversations with the Counsel to tell you what is going on in the story. You have to read between the lines, but what they are actually saying is obvious. It is the best dialogue in the movie. Their smiling conversations are an exercise in diplomatic brinkmanship.

Joe Conner, Hugh Dancy's character, shows the truth about courage. As he is trying to hold on to his courage, Dancy gives Joe Conner a wealth of insecurities in which I was able to relate. Seeing Conner stripped of his child like impressions of the world and himself was heartbreaking.

Capitaine Charles Delon of the Belgium Army dispatched to be a U.N. peacekeeper is one of the most dimensional characters in the story. As a person wants nothing more than to act on the violence outside the gate but as a solider feels honor and duty bound to follow orders. Delon's, played by Dominique Horwitz, conscience suffers from the events in his past and he struggles with making it suffer in the future. He spends a lot of the movie trying to answer the question: Am I soldier or a person first?

Marie is the symbol of hope in the film. Her unwavering faith is inspiring and sometimes feels a little naïve. Claire-Hope Ashitey gives Marie a light way about here, even when the days are dark. Her part is small, but important to the movement of the story.

Rachael, a BBC reporter, speaks for the western world. Her brutal honesty about a situation and the way she feels is a highlight of the film. Rachael (Nicola Walker) says what so many people were thinking and no one would say.

There are a few film problems. There are a few scenes that are over processed and a few out of focus. These small problems didn't take too much from the film; they last only a few minutes but were enough for me to notice.

Why didn't I know about these things before the trend of movies on the subject of late? Why does it take over ten years for stories like this to touch us? Are we so ethnocentric that we can't see these people as people, relate to their strife or have active compassion for their situation? It makes me angry that we don't reach out to people like this when they need us, not ten years later.

See this movie. If your theater isn't showing it, ask for it. Call them and say, I WANT THIS MOVIE, because you want to see this. The acting is amazing, the writing is exceptional, the direction is flawless and the story left me shaking with fear, searching for a tissue, and most importantly, interested in Rwanda.

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an unreasonable man - one person can make a difference

2007-03-06T04:24:45Z

"An Unreasonable Man" is a documentary about activist and politician, Ralph Nader. Obviously meant to sway our opinion in favor of Ralph Nader, "An Unreasonable Man" isn't entirely a puff piece and certainly doesn't shy away from the resentment people feel for him. I expected an "Ode to Nader" and in fact it focused on his disappointments as much as his accomplishments.

"An Unreasonable Man" starts in the 1960's as Nader crusades to make cars safer. A person with no organization, no back up, he personally goes head to head against the leading car manufactures, especially GM to require Detroit to manufacture cars geared toward safety, not just sex. GM sends private investigators to dig up dirt, women to try to seduce him and put him in a compromising position, and threatened him with bodily harm in order to get him to stop his push for safety. Eventually, Nader wins in congress the mandate to make cars safer, makes manufacturers put seatbelts and airbags in cars and gains a national following. Soon he has a collection of college students called "Nader's Raiders" who crusade with him in the fight for social justice. The film follows his career though today, including the last two presidential elections.

The movie interviews about fifty people, including Nader, and clips from other sources, on their feelings and recollections of their experiences with him. Some famous people include Phil Donahue, Pat Buchanan, Tim Robbins, Bill Maher, Susan Sarandon, and Michael Moore. There are a lot of journalists, politicians, public interest attorneys, his family and friends, former Naider's Raiders, researchers, traffic safety experts, publishers, public officials, music studio executives, and more. Each of them have an insight to Nader as a person, a policy maker and an advocate. At the end of the movie, they give their personal opinions about the elections and if he did the right or the wrong things. You can tell that the people in the film, even when they disagree, still respect Nader. It was interesting to see why people feel so strongly for Nader, and how their opinions about his place in politics, and the world of policy advocacy has changed so much over time.

The film does have some problems. It moves slowly though the stories, some parts taking a little too long to get to the point. Its editors Beth Gallagher and Alexis Provost, don't know how to cut someone off mid sentence through editing, so sometimes you'll catch half a word indicating the continuation of a sentence. Not only is it annoying, it makes you wonder if what they were saying is important or contrary to the filmmakers desired point. There is nothing special about how the film is shot. Directors Henriette Mantel and Steve Skrovan rely too much on the organization signs in the background to explain who someone is and why they are important. I'd never heard of some of the organizations, so I was a little befuddled as to the point of some of these people until late into the film.

I knew very little about Ralph Nader before I saw this movie and I think a lot of people my age don't either. To be honest, I knew of Nader that he was involved in politics, but I had no idea what he had done. The documentary is rich with information that people under 50 might not know. I have gained a great respect for Nader after this documentary. Something I'm sure you guys don't know about me is I used to be a legislative advocate and rights violation investigator for foster children in California and the US. I personally faced corporations, state agencies and groups that were larger and more powerful than myself. I had my person besmirched, my character and motivations questioned and had to trudge up hill. It isn't easy to enact legislative or policy change by yourself, or even with the support of a powerful group when the people you are facing have millions and you have nothing. I too have testified in state congressional hearings as an expert/witness and had to stand my ground when legislators' ignorance and insolence boiled over. When I say I admire Nader, it is out of knowledge of how hard it is to do what he has done as well as for the things he has actually done.

I learned that Nader was instrumental in passing such monumental legislation as: The Freedom of Information Act, National Automobile and Highway Traffic Safety Act (1965), Clean Water Act (1968), Clean Air Act (1970), Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) (1970), Co-op Bank Bill (1978), law establishing the Environmental Protection Agency (1970), Consumer Products Safety Act, Foreign Corruptions Practices Act, Wistleblower Protection Act, Mine Health and Safety Act, Medical Devices Safety, Nuclear Power Safety, Mobile Home Safety, Consumer Credit Disclosure Law, Pension Protection Law, Funeral Home Disclosure Law, Tire Safety and Grading Disclosure Law, Wholesome Meat Act, Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, Wholesome Poultry Production act, Safe Water Drinking Act, National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. These acts made car manufactures put seat belts in cars, label your food, gives you safe drinking water, protects the land from pollution, monitors nuclear power plants, etc. These are things we take for granted every day.

If you are at all interested in politics, or policy this movie is a great one to see. Not only does it look into Nader, but they way policies are set and factors other than morality that determine the validity and success of legislation. I would also recommend this to people who want to know why people hate Nader with such viciousness. Even with its few hiccups here and there, "An Unreasonable Man" has a message we all need to hear: one person can make a difference, and does.

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Starter for 10 - Did they do their talent scouting in a high school?

2007-03-06T03:20:23Z

Have you ever sat though a movie and had a distinct feeling of déjà vu? Sure the names and settings have been changed to protect the innocent but “Starter for 10” will give you that slightly clairvoyant feeling. I guessed the ending ten minutes into the movie; I hate that.

When Brian Jackson (James McAvoy) sets off for college, he enters a new posh world of academics, women and booze. He leaves his idiotic friends Patrick (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Tone (James Corden) with the promise he won’t turn into a wanker. He makes new friends Rebecca, the smart and funny brunette who enjoys his company and who he always has fun. He decides to join the University Challenge Team (University Challenge is a British answer to Jeopardy, where universities’ brightest people compete against each other in a trivia challenge.) On his University Challenge team is the painfully annoying Spencer (Dominic Cooper), the akward Lucy Chang (Elaine Tan), and the blond bombshell Alice Harbinson (Alice Eve). Brian is instantly attracted to Alice, and a kind of romance begins. The contest, college and love challenge Brian’s character. Will outstanding beauty beat out a great personality? Will Brian throw everything away because he can’t handle the pressure? How will it end? Can you figure it out?

“Starter for 10” is set in the eighties. I think director Tom Vaughan and writer David Nicholls wanted to use the humorous aspects of the 80’s to boost the laughs. They can’t quite put their finger on what was funny or ridiculous about the eighties so they spontaneously throw annoying eighties references at us. If I see one more fat guy in a leather jacket rocking out to eighties music with long hair and saying “dude”, I don’t care if I’ll be charged with murder, my fingers will find a comfortable place in the actor’s eyes. I don’t think any jury in the US or UK will convict me.

I think a bunch of amateurs worked as the crew on this movie. During the opening scenes of the movie you can see the boom coming in and out of scene. It’s distracting, to be nice. This isn’t a low budget film, it was produced by Tom Hanks, and yet they can’t get a professional boom holder upper? The editors didn’t notice? The videographers didn’t see it floating in and out of their frame? Did they do their talent scouting in a high school?

The “University Challenge” scenes are the best part of the movie. They are full of quirky rivalry. One of the characters on the other team looks like a blond Harry Potter. Mark Gatiss plays Bamber Gascoigne, the host of “University Challenge.” His uptight snobberty and elitist attempts at humor are the funniest part of the movie. He uses the upper crust exaggerations of vowels to extend answers, and even though nearly every response is the same, it’s funny every time.

James McAvoy’s has no chemistry with any of the other actors. Alice Eve and he kiss and fireworks turn to duds! When Rebecca Hall and he kiss, they looked like they were just waiting for the scene to end. When he is fighting with Benedict Cumberbatch it has so much fiery passion, I heard my water turn to ice. The only exception is when he is fighting with Dominic Cooper, who plays Spencer. The witty quips tossed back and fourth turned the corners of my mouth upward more than once. Spencer comes from the right side of the tracks and holds it against Brian that he comes from the wrong side. It felt exaggerated versions of scenes from Goodwill Hunting.

“Starter for 10” is a reasonably enjoyable film that hits the mark from time to time. Most of the characters except Brian are prosaic and usually are there only for a cheap laugh in one or two scenes. It is sometimes funny, sometimes sweet but is predictable and consequentially boring.
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Ghost Rider - Action Packed, Plot Dry

2007-02-24T02:38:37Z

“Ghost Rider” is a comic book take of how a curse and a bad decision for the right reason can be used for good. Directed and written by Mark Steven Johnson. Ghost Rider has a lot of the fun qualities about action movies but falls flat when it comes to substantive or interesting plot and occasionally gets downright dumb.

Nicholas Cage is Johnny Flame, a motorcycle stunt driver. When he’s offered the opportunity to save his father from cancer at an unclear cost, he takes it for the opportunity to save his father. He finds out later that the cost of his father’s health is loosing everyone he loves and having to become the devil’s bounty hunter: The Ghost Rider.

The Ghost Rider has to collect some of the angels fallen after the battle between God and Lucifer. In order to do that he puts himself in some of the most idiotic situations. He could easily avoid some of the demons if he wanted, make a plan for attack and defeat them with his brain. I guess if you’re an idiot, that’s asking a lot. Instead he wanders right where he should know they would be, without taking proper preparations. It’s obvious that he never was a boy scout.

The first five minutes tell us what the final conflict is going to be. If you have any ability to pick up on foreshadowing, it’s imperative that you come to the movie only for the action scenes. I was annoyed that I knew the ending and I had to sit through the rest of the movie. If you are going to tell us the end, make the rest of the movie worth watching.

The special effects range from fun to watch to fun to throw popcorn at. The close ups of Ghost Rider himself are well done. The big exception is when Ghost Rider takes on and off his chain. I get that he has mystical powers but come on, the chain never gets unwieldy? It never crumples up a little?

There is a steamless love story that runs though the movie. The chemistry between Cage and Eva Mendes who plays Roxanne Simpson, Blaze’s long time love, is like water hitting a wok heated by a tea candle. Their love story doesn’t have the emulsifier needed to hold together the oily Cage and the ice cold Mendes.

I’d love to watch this movie while doing the dishes but I don’t think I’d pay full price for it.

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Daddy's Little Girls - almost heartfelt

2007-02-24T02:10:07Z

“Daddy’s Little Girls” is the nearly touching story of a father’s attempts to win custody of his children and for a neighborhood to take back its streets. Written and directed by Tyler Perry, I was surprised by the quality of this movie and the issues it tackles.

When his daughters’ caretaker dies, Monty, Idris Elba’s character, takes custody. The children’s mother fights him and wins temporary custody. The mother, Jennifer, played by Tasha Smith, lives in a big beautiful apartment with her drug dealing boyfriend and exposes the children to her criminal lifestyle. Monty meets Julia, a high priced, successful attorney when he takes a job as her driver. Julia, played by Gabrielle Union, and Monty strike up a romantic relationship when she agrees represents him in his custody suit. The movie also addresses racism and classism between black people through the relationship between Julia and Monty. Julia is very wealthy and Monty is ghetto poor. Julia and Monty’s relationship tries to highlight the way African American people think of each other and how money divides the classes.

Monty’s struggle from visiting dad to father embroiled in a custody fight, helpless and afraid, is riveting. When faced with highly stressful situations he does a poor job of containing his anger and occasionally pops his top. The father’s custody issue is by far the best story in the movie. Idris Elba gives life to this father lost. He has a strong “inner city, of the street vibe” but no “gangsta-thug” feeling. Monty shows us his side of issues including love, poverty, street justice, single fatherhood and anger. The character development is limited but Elba embodied the Monty perfectly.

Even though Gabrielle Union is good as Julia, the script isn’t fair to her. Her shallow understanding of poor people and willingness to dismiss Monty is cliché. In one breath she is snobby and abrasive then all of the sudden she is infatuated by Monty. She refuses to learn from her mistakes, perpetuating the same ones over and over again. The real benefit of Julia to the movie is to understand the class divide. Her privilege shelters her from the community that Monty comes from. As a result, she has predigested ideas about why he might want his children and his behavior.

It’s a shame that Tyler Perry wrote Jennifer, the children’s mother, so poorly. He had the opportunity to write a character rich with complexities and insecurities. Her character is as complicated as vanilla ice cream. She acts like she has never actually been a human being. Her dialogue is shallow and her scenes dreadfully predictable. If a thirteen year old white girl from Beverley Hills tried to write a story about an abusive mother whose boyfriend’s job is “head drug dealer” of the local neighborhood, it would be a carbon copy of what Tyler Perry wrote.

The three daughters China, Sierra and Lauryn are an adorable and charming addition to the cast. Their acting was of the child actor level but they add a humorous sass needed to lighten up the story. Their dramatic scenes are a disappointment and they are so essential to the plot that relying on them for drama was a serious mistake on behalf of the director.

There is a music video slapped right in the middle of the movie. For a few minutes we watch as he sings and people dance in the club. I don’t know if the director was inspired by VH1 videos but it was an inappropriate addition to the film.

Even with the plot flaws and character’s lack of depth, I felt like I was having an experience with these people; until the last half an hour. The ending is where the movie fully implodes. To call it cheesy would be an insult to all bovine byproducts everywhere. I was in desperate need of crackers by the end of “Daddy’s Little Girls.”

The writing in “Daddy’s Little Girls” is almost heartfelt and for the most part is pretty even. There are long stretches in the movie that feel natural. Still, the actors were unable to fully blossom in the darkness of the script. Even though this film did fall short eventually, it wasn’t a complete wash and definitely had more than a few endearing qualities.

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Norbit - Ignore it.

2007-02-24T01:48:27Z

“Norbit” is Eddy Murphy’s newest multi character movie and is about a fat wife, and a weakling husband. Directed by Brian Robbins, “Norbit” is one long, annoying fat joke sprinkled with physical humor and a dash of physical humor and all warmed by charming portrayals of domestic violence and animal cruelty.

Norbit, played by Eddy Murphy, is abandoned at the “Golden Wok” orphanage when he was a baby. Racist orphanage owner Mr. Wong, played by Eddy Murphy, raised Norbit his entire life. While in the orphanage he falls in love with Kate, Thandie Newton’s character. When Norbit is still in elementary school he meets Rasputia, who protects him from the bullies of the world. They grow up and they marry. The years of Rasputia’s physical and emotional abuse take their toll on Norbit’s confidence. When Kate returns with her fiancé Deion Hughes, Cuba Gooding Jr.’s character, his world is thrown into a tizzy.

Is Eddy Murphy so bad to work with that he has to play all the characters in his movies? Or does the man have a latex fetish? Maybe he just loves the smell of makeup so much he wants has to live in pounds of it. It’s bad enough when one person writes, directs, and stars in a film. But writing the story, and starring as almost all of the characters? Come one now! Let some oversight in!

There is nothing charming or lovely about Rasputia. There could not be a more obnoxious human being on the planet. Rasputia’s wardrobe and cosmetics were brought to us by Lee Press on Nails. Her annoying talons of doom were always raised above her head as she attacks Norbit, as she shrills her attack scream. Why her mother didn’t drown her in a bathtub at birth is beyond me. It might be funny if she weren’t so abusive. Trust me, if you are stupid enough to see this movie after reading my review, you’ll never want to hear “How you doin’?” or “Hell to the no!” because Rasputia says them almost as often as she beats her husband.

One of the two reasons to watch is for the relationship between Norbit and Kate. Even though most of the scenes with both of them are painfully Saccharin, they are charming. Thandie Newton does try to shove out more sweet then occurs naturally and that’s more than a little eye roll inducing.

The other reason to watch is the two pimp restaurant owners Pope Sweet Jesus and Lord Have Mercy. Their wild silliness left me giggling. They are so stupid but at the end of the movie come through and save the day. They were the only characters who made me laugh.

I am still amazed that film distributors shovel this idiotic horse shit at us. I was extremely uncomfortable with the blatant racism, animal cruelty, fat jokes and attempted portrayal of domestic violence in “Norbit.”

I have serious problems with the relationship between Norbit and Rasputia. Rasputia is severely physically, emotionally and sexually abusive to Norbit. Nearly one quarter of the movie is Rasputia chasing, hitting, or some other act of abuse. Another quarter of the movie is Rasputia emotionally breaking Norbit down. She calls him names, berates him publicly, and tries to exact control over him in the way a classic abuser would. When Norbit wants to wait to have sex, she ignores him and does what she wants.

If the roles were reversed and Norbit were the batterer and Rasputia were the person maltreated, we wouldn’t find it humorous. Rasputia’s demonstrative behavior is no less domestic violence then if she were a man. I hate to get preachy but as long as we find things like domestic violence against men funny, and portrayals of men who are in abusive situations as “pitiful” we won’t liberate men from the bondages of abuse that women only recently have shed the shameful stigma from.

When domestic violence isn’t funny enough, they move on to animal cruelty. Nothing makes you roll around on the floor in stitches like purposefully maiming and paralyzing the neighbor’s dog. Ah ha ha. I could not start laughing. Nothing gets me going after a long day of domestic violence and animal cruelty like fat jokes. Yes, she’s fat, very fat. Does every single thing that that she does have to show us how fat she is? It’s boring.

The subject matter lends itself better to drama then it does comedy. I’m confident that Norbit would have been a good movie if it were a drama. What happens when you try to make subject matter that isn’t funny as wacky as a Saturday morning cartoon? “Norbit” happens. If you find poor writing and abuse funny, see Norbit, but I’m not letting you watch my kids.

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The Bridge to Terabithia - A surprising movie.

2007-02-22T20:50:31Z

“The Bridge to Terabithia” is the film about the power of imagination based on the novel by Katherine Paterson. Written by Jeff Stockwell and David Paterson and directed by Gabor Csupo is too dark to be a children’s movie and lacks the certain X factor to make it a wonderful tale.

Josh Hutcherson plays Jesse Aarons, a poor farm boy who is picked on at school and alone at home even though he is one of several siblings. Leslie Burke played by AnnaSophia Robb moves in next door to the Aarons family. A special friendship develops between Jesse and Leslie. When they discover a rope hanging over a creek they take the opportunity to create a magical world to escape real life. Whenever there is a problem at school or at home, Terabithia provides the answer or at least an outlet to deal with typical adolescent garbage.

Josh Hutcherson’s performance was tender and touching. I was amazed at his ability to emote complex emotional expenses with out cracking under the weight of the topics covered in the movie. It’s hard to play adolescence with the over-emotional vigor they experience with out getting annoying. Even though his character was very internal, his outward expressions of feeling are always in character and subtle. Most child actors can’t cry well (or adults for that matter) but Aarons’ tears are full and have no shoulder seizing. His acting is a beacon of light at the end of the movie. After an unexpected event changes his relationship with Leslie, his portrayal of a boy lost is gut-wrenching. I thought I couldn’t be more affected but during the next scene I was devastated just a little bit more.

AnnaSophia Robb’s character Leslie, is a light hearted addition to the story. Her ability to dismiss the real world and delve completely in a world that her mind creates is the basis for the whimsy in the story. Even though Leslie’s character nearly puts her toe in the pond of hippyness, Robb does a good job of keeping her feet dry. She’s very good at reminding the audience the importance of childlike whimsy and the value of imagination with out seeming like an airhead.

Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb’s performances outshine the adult supporting cast. Robert Patrick plays the over stressed father Jack Aarons. He is so angry and punchy that you don’t think there is any affection left for his son. Patrick over plays the amount of stress and anger necessary to motivate Jesse’s anxieties and move the plot along.

Bailee Madison was incredibly adorable. She plays Jesse’s little sister May Belle. Every scene she’s in, she owns the screen. I looked forward to seeing her again when ever she was off the screen.

I watched this movie, wondering when anything was going to happen. It is a little slow to start and you wonder if this is all you get. I was stunned when it did happen, caught completely off guard. It takes a very dark turn, and it surprised me how much I cared when it happened. I could not stop crying for the rest of the film.

There are a lot of revelations about the characters, lead and supporting, that are heavy and probably over the heads of small children. For some reason Jeff Stockwell, David Paterson and Gabor Csupo decided to wiz pass some of those weighty topics and leave the adults who watch the movie annoyed there is no resolution. I was disgusted that when one of the people in the film confesses something potentially life or death for her, no one acts on her behalf and it is only used as something to move along a fantasy.

The weight of the poor supporting cast really drags this film down. The places where this movie is poorly written pull it down a little more. If this movie were marketed to adults and really tackled the serious aspects of the film with fearlessness it might have been a great movie. As it stands, “The Bridge to Terabithia” isn’t a great movie. It’s defiantly worth seeing as a matinee or as a rental.

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