Not bad for a dumb shoot 'em up sci-fi movie, this story of a gravely injured cop turned into a cyborg has lots of special effects and violence and a few laughs, primarily in the scenes with Samuel L. Jackson as an outspoken TV personality. The description of the 1987 original calls Detroit (then a bustling metropolis) a dystopia, but this Detroit (now full of urban blight), seen in computer-generated aerial views, has in 2028 all kinds of shiny skyscrapers added to some existing buildings, and, in a few shots, some Toronto landmarks the filmmakers forgot to remove. Several heavy hitters were considered as director, but we ended up with Brazilian José Padilha (new to me) at the helm and Joshua Zetumer in his debut adapting the old screenplay. Other stars' names were bandied about but Swedish actor Joel Kinnamen (never heard of him) plays the title role, with supporting duties taken by Abbie Cornish (last blogged in Seven Psychopaths), Gary Oldman (most recently in The Dark Knight Rises), Aimee Garcia (the babysitter in Dexter), Michael Keaton (profiled in Clear History), the afore-mentioned Sam Jackson (last in Django Unchained), and more.
A couple of songs caught our interest: If I Only Had a Heart (the Tin Man's song in The Wizard of Oz), written by Harold Arlen & E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, covered by Andrew Page and I Fought the Law and the Law Won, written by Sonny Curtis and covered by The Clash.
I wouldn't urge anyone to rush out and see this but if it's the only thing on, those who like the genre will probably have a pretty good time.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Gloria (2013)
This story of a 50-something free-spirited Chilean woman's search for love is fun but a reviewer's "nearly perfect" puzzled Jack and me. It drags here and there and, although there's definitely a plot, Gloria doesn't transform the way we'd expect in a "nearly perfect" movie. Paulina García shines (and occasionally gets naked) in the title role, which earned her a couple of film festival best actress awards. Sebastián Lelio (new to me) directs and co-wrote the screenplay with Gonzalo Maza (ditto), his writing partner on a few other projects as well. Winning and nominated for a handful of awards, this played locally for a week last month.
Considering the raves, averaging 99% from critics on rottentomatoes (65 audiences) I feel snarky criticizing this much-loved movie. Jack says I'm simply displaying human nature and he adds that the most nearly perfect movie ever made is still Zombieland. If you do watch Gloria, available on DVD at the end of April, and probably streaming later, you'll be treated to a number of disco hits as she dances the night away in Santiago clubs, beginning with Donna Summer's I Feel Love and ending with Laura Branigan's Gloria.
Considering the raves, averaging 99% from critics on rottentomatoes (65 audiences) I feel snarky criticizing this much-loved movie. Jack says I'm simply displaying human nature and he adds that the most nearly perfect movie ever made is still Zombieland. If you do watch Gloria, available on DVD at the end of April, and probably streaming later, you'll be treated to a number of disco hits as she dances the night away in Santiago clubs, beginning with Donna Summer's I Feel Love and ending with Laura Branigan's Gloria.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Love Is All You Need (Den scalded frisør - 2012)
This romantic comedy rises above chick flickdom in the capable hands of director Susanne Bier. Its Danish title translates to "The Bald Hairdresser," which describes the post-chemo, bewigged heroine, who meets the father of her daughter's fiancé before the wedding in Italy. Trine Dyrholm (blogged for In a Better World, a masterpiece which was also directed and co-written by Bier, with a screenplay by Anders Thomas Jensen who wrote this one as well) is great, as are Pierce Brosnan (after he was in Ghost Writer he narrated the 2009 Disney Earth Day spectacular Oceans) and the rest of the Danish cast. The pretty music by Johan Söderqvist (also scored In a Better World and lots more) can be sampled here.
Jack and I watched this on demand about seven weeks ago and he agrees that it's not just for girls. 74% critics and 60 audiences on rottentomatoes. Still available on amazon instant video, google play, DVD from netflix, and probably more.
The Book Thief (2013)
Jack and I liked very much this adaptation of the young adult novel about a tween in Nazi Germany who becomes obsessed with books after learning to read quite late. Young Sophie Nélisse is delightful as the scrappy girl and Geoffrey Rush (last blogged in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) and Emily Watson (most recently in War Horse) wonderful as her adoptive parents, supportive and curt, respectively. Director Brian Percival (six episodes of Downton Abbey) is new to me but leads with a steady pace. Michael Petroni (co-writer of one of my faves, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)) adapts the book by Markus Zusak.
The Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated soundtrack by John Williams (last in Lincoln) is lovely and can be previewed here. The gorgeous cinematography is by Florian Ballhaus (some of my favorites of his work are The Secret Lives of Dentists (2002), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), and Red).
As usual, the haters, er, critics, are hating, averaging 46% on rottentomatoes to audiences' 76. Rated PG-13 for some violence, this is playing in at least one second-run theatre this week near me, in time for spring break. Don't worry about subtitles for the kids. Although set in Germany, it's almost entirely in English.
The Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated soundtrack by John Williams (last in Lincoln) is lovely and can be previewed here. The gorgeous cinematography is by Florian Ballhaus (some of my favorites of his work are The Secret Lives of Dentists (2002), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), and Red).
As usual, the haters, er, critics, are hating, averaging 46% on rottentomatoes to audiences' 76. Rated PG-13 for some violence, this is playing in at least one second-run theatre this week near me, in time for spring break. Don't worry about subtitles for the kids. Although set in Germany, it's almost entirely in English.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Better Living Through Chemistry (2014)
Sick, twisted, and hilarious, this story of a milquetoast pharmacist taking a walk on the wild side shows Sam Rockwell at his best--and few can walk wild as Rockwell (this time with Olivia Wilde). Jack and I particularly liked his starting as straight-laced and then going all out, because often Rockwell's characters start extreme, such as in his last blogged feature, The Way Way Back. Wilde (most recently in Her), as Rockwell's instigator, is pretty funny and sexy, and Michelle Monaghan (after I covered her in Source Code she brought a lot to season 1 of True Detective) is the bitch on wheels wife, literally--she rides bikes--from whom Rockwell needs distance. Ken Howard (Jack always brings up The White Shadow, the TV series 1978-81), Ray Liotta (last in The Place Beyond the Pines), and Jane Fonda (most recently in The Butler as Nancy Reagan) have some funny bits, too. Ben Schwartz (Jean-Ralphio in Parks & Recreation and Clyde Oberholt in House of Lies) has a small but good part as the pharmacy delivery guy.
Co-directed and co-written by writing partners Geoff Moore and David Posamentier (although a spoiler-laden interview on cinemanerdz says they have impressive resumés, nothing is listed on imdb other than the latter as Zach Braff's assistant on Garden State (2004)), this has dismal ratings on rottentomatoes (21/22). Variety called it "dreadful." What drugs are they on? We laughed a lot and forgot our troubles for 91 minutes on opening night tonight. Try it. You'll like it.
Co-directed and co-written by writing partners Geoff Moore and David Posamentier (although a spoiler-laden interview on cinemanerdz says they have impressive resumés, nothing is listed on imdb other than the latter as Zach Braff's assistant on Garden State (2004)), this has dismal ratings on rottentomatoes (21/22). Variety called it "dreadful." What drugs are they on? We laughed a lot and forgot our troubles for 91 minutes on opening night tonight. Try it. You'll like it.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)
Opening night Jack and I went with a bunch of boomers and we all loved this animated update of the Rocky & Bullwinkle segment from our childhoods, in which a brainy talking dog and his adopted human son travel in time with their WABAC (way-back) machine. So many great puns! Lots of stars! Ty Burrell and Ariel Winter (Phil and Alex Dunphy from Modern Family, Burrell was last blogged in Morning Glory) voice Mr. Peabody (the dog) and Sherman's nemesis Penny Peterson and both are wonderful: authoritative and loving for the former and bratty, manipulative, and more for the latter. Ten year old Max Charles (21 credits already!) voices Sherman, doing a good impression of the original. Stephen Colbert and Leslie Mann (she was most recently in The Bling Ring) voice Penny's parents, Paul and Patty Peterson. Try saying that five times fast. Allison Janney (skip her most recently blogged and forgettable movie The Oranges and laugh at her antics in the series Mom instead) is hilarious as the voice of mean Mrs. Grunion. Stanley Tucci once again voices a specific Italian man, though not the same man as he did in The Wind Rises, and Lake Bell (In a World...) does the voice of his model. The great Mel Brooks has a funny cameo as the voice of Albert Einstein.
Rob Minkoff (co-director of The Lion King (1994)) helms solo this time and the result is good, with fine pacing and rapid-fire action and jokes. Craig Wright (a playwright who's also written for a number of TV series) wrote the screenplay, based on the original series by Jay Ward, with additional dialogue credited to writing partners Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon (Night at the Museum (2006), Reno 911!, more).
Danny Elfman (most recently scored American Hustle) gives us a rousing soundtrack reminiscent of his for Beetlejuice (1998) (I know it well because I own it). You can hear a number of clips on youtube starting with this one (sorry about the ads). John Lennon's Beautiful Boy is included among the extra songs.
The movie opens with a special Dreamworks logo featuring Sherman as the boy with the fishing pole and ends with a drawing from the original cartoon after prodigiously long credits about which my friends opined that everyone who works at Dreamworks was listed.
If you're not familiar with the original cartoon, here's some history for you, followed by a particular (and peculiar) telling of the Rapunzel story.
Rottentomatoes critics are averaging 77 and audiences 80, but it came in second at the box office when it opened. There was supposed to be a new Rocky & Bullwinkle short preceding it, but something else played instead. We were all disappointed and I've already forgotten what it was.
Rob Minkoff (co-director of The Lion King (1994)) helms solo this time and the result is good, with fine pacing and rapid-fire action and jokes. Craig Wright (a playwright who's also written for a number of TV series) wrote the screenplay, based on the original series by Jay Ward, with additional dialogue credited to writing partners Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon (Night at the Museum (2006), Reno 911!, more).
Danny Elfman (most recently scored American Hustle) gives us a rousing soundtrack reminiscent of his for Beetlejuice (1998) (I know it well because I own it). You can hear a number of clips on youtube starting with this one (sorry about the ads). John Lennon's Beautiful Boy is included among the extra songs.
The movie opens with a special Dreamworks logo featuring Sherman as the boy with the fishing pole and ends with a drawing from the original cartoon after prodigiously long credits about which my friends opined that everyone who works at Dreamworks was listed.
If you're not familiar with the original cartoon, here's some history for you, followed by a particular (and peculiar) telling of the Rapunzel story.
Rottentomatoes critics are averaging 77 and audiences 80, but it came in second at the box office when it opened. There was supposed to be a new Rocky & Bullwinkle short preceding it, but something else played instead. We were all disappointed and I've already forgotten what it was.
Nonetheless, we recommend this feature for kids of all ages, including members of AARP.
The Monuments Men (2014)
Jack and I loved this based-on-a-true-story tale of a ragtag band of folks saving European art from Hitler at the end of World War II. Jack called it an homage to a 50s war movie. Critics have been harsh (34%, audiences 51% on rottentomatoes) (when we saw it a month ago critics were at 33 and audiences 58) and we don't get it. The script is funny, the art beautiful, and the cast star-studded.
On NPR I heard co-writer/producer Grant Heslov (George Clooney's partner in both) tell of the day he walked into a bookstore and happened to see the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter. Heslov bought it, read it, optioned it, co-wrote the script with Clooney, they co-produced it with a few others, and Clooney directed and starred in it. Oh, and Heslov has a cameo as a chain-smoking doctor.
Despite everyone's jokes about whom he dates, Clooney (last blogged as an actor in Gravity and as a director in The Ides of March) plays his own age, with gray hair at the temples and his signature wry sense of humor front and center. Matt Damon (most recently in Behind the Candelabra) isn't as funny but is a good foil to Clooney. Trivia: Daniel Craig was supposed to play Damon's part. He wouldn't have been funny at all. We get plenty of funny from the next three. Bill Murray (last in Hyde Park on the Hudson, playing FDR), John Goodman (Inside Llewyn Davis), and Bob Balaban (mentioned only briefly in Moonrise Kingdom, discussed more in Thin Ice) play off each other beautifully. Then there's Jean Dujardin, having moved seamlessly from the silent movie The Artist to speaking roles such as The Wolf of Wall Street, he brings passion and humor as well. Hugh Bonneville (his 34 episodes as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in Downton Abbey make it hard to remember any of the 101 other credits listed on imdb) has a good part, and one woman, Cate Blanchett (just collected her second Oscar for Blue Jasmine), shines as the all-business Frenchwoman Clair Simone. Each of their characters is based on a real person with a slightly different name. Because of spoilers, read the Rolling Stone review after seeing the movie to learn the real names and characters' names. Watch for a cameo from George's father Nick Clooney at the end.
The prolific Alexandre Desplat (last blogged for Rust and Bone, despite being Oscar-nominated for scoring Philomena afterwards) gives us a rousing soundtrack, quite reminiscent of Jack's 1950s war movies. You can listen to a nice 20 minute set on this link.
In the closing credits there are stills of the real Monuments Men, and much more can be learned at Edsel's foundation, the "official site," and the movie site. Slate.com did a thorough analysis and points out discrepancies in this spoiler-laden article.
Well, we say damn the torpedoes, er, critics, and full speed ahead. We thought it good fun.
On NPR I heard co-writer/producer Grant Heslov (George Clooney's partner in both) tell of the day he walked into a bookstore and happened to see the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter. Heslov bought it, read it, optioned it, co-wrote the script with Clooney, they co-produced it with a few others, and Clooney directed and starred in it. Oh, and Heslov has a cameo as a chain-smoking doctor.
Despite everyone's jokes about whom he dates, Clooney (last blogged as an actor in Gravity and as a director in The Ides of March) plays his own age, with gray hair at the temples and his signature wry sense of humor front and center. Matt Damon (most recently in Behind the Candelabra) isn't as funny but is a good foil to Clooney. Trivia: Daniel Craig was supposed to play Damon's part. He wouldn't have been funny at all. We get plenty of funny from the next three. Bill Murray (last in Hyde Park on the Hudson, playing FDR), John Goodman (Inside Llewyn Davis), and Bob Balaban (mentioned only briefly in Moonrise Kingdom, discussed more in Thin Ice) play off each other beautifully. Then there's Jean Dujardin, having moved seamlessly from the silent movie The Artist to speaking roles such as The Wolf of Wall Street, he brings passion and humor as well. Hugh Bonneville (his 34 episodes as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in Downton Abbey make it hard to remember any of the 101 other credits listed on imdb) has a good part, and one woman, Cate Blanchett (just collected her second Oscar for Blue Jasmine), shines as the all-business Frenchwoman Clair Simone. Each of their characters is based on a real person with a slightly different name. Because of spoilers, read the Rolling Stone review after seeing the movie to learn the real names and characters' names. Watch for a cameo from George's father Nick Clooney at the end.
The prolific Alexandre Desplat (last blogged for Rust and Bone, despite being Oscar-nominated for scoring Philomena afterwards) gives us a rousing soundtrack, quite reminiscent of Jack's 1950s war movies. You can listen to a nice 20 minute set on this link.
In the closing credits there are stills of the real Monuments Men, and much more can be learned at Edsel's foundation, the "official site," and the movie site. Slate.com did a thorough analysis and points out discrepancies in this spoiler-laden article.
Well, we say damn the torpedoes, er, critics, and full speed ahead. We thought it good fun.
Monday, March 10, 2014
GasLand (2010) & GasLand part II (2013)
I'm a fracking-hater, and this pair of documentaries gave me more information to fuel, pun intended, my hatred. Both directed by and starring Josh Fox, they are available streaming on amazon.com (free with a Prime membership), as DVDs on netflix, and, of course, you can buy both DVDs on amazon to benefit the anti-fracking movement. I don't really have to tell you that "fracking" is short for hydraulic fracturing, whereby toxic chemicals are shot deep into the earth to release natural gas, some of which is harvested as fuel, some of which is totally wasted. The technology does not yet exist to fully clean/dispose of the chemicals, leaving a poisonous residue that threatens water supplies wherever they go. Not to mention the prodigious amount of fresh water--a limited resource essential to all life--literally trashed in the process. Don't get me started. Oops. Too late.
Both documentaries are really good. I watched Part I at home, streaming on netflix, the night before going to a local screening of Part II in January. Part I (107 minutes) was nominated for an Oscar, losing to Inside Job, and has dramatic scenes of tap water being ignited in many locations. Rottentomatoes critics rate it an impressive 97% and audiences 87.
Part II (125 minutes) begins with the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon oil spill and has lots more terrible stuff, including sick people and life savings destroyed when homes become unsellable. Only three critics, albeit positive, weighed in on rottentomatoes, so it's unrated by them, but audiences averaged 80%.
I guess if I had to choose one to recommend I'd choose the first because it's a better movie overall. I get why he wanted to make another, but the first one is tighter. Then again, the second one travels to locations farther afield and details more horrors. Really, anyone interested in our precious water should watch both. Fox is still an activist and you can keep up with his work at his website. You want to be afraid, be very afraid, as I am? Look at the map on that site.
Both documentaries are really good. I watched Part I at home, streaming on netflix, the night before going to a local screening of Part II in January. Part I (107 minutes) was nominated for an Oscar, losing to Inside Job, and has dramatic scenes of tap water being ignited in many locations. Rottentomatoes critics rate it an impressive 97% and audiences 87.
Part II (125 minutes) begins with the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon oil spill and has lots more terrible stuff, including sick people and life savings destroyed when homes become unsellable. Only three critics, albeit positive, weighed in on rottentomatoes, so it's unrated by them, but audiences averaged 80%.
I guess if I had to choose one to recommend I'd choose the first because it's a better movie overall. I get why he wanted to make another, but the first one is tighter. Then again, the second one travels to locations farther afield and details more horrors. Really, anyone interested in our precious water should watch both. Fox is still an activist and you can keep up with his work at his website. You want to be afraid, be very afraid, as I am? Look at the map on that site.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
The Wind Rises (Kaze tachinu - 2013)
Jack and I loved this dreamy, nerdy, and beautiful Japanese animated feature, adapted from the lives of WWII airplane designer Jirô Horikoshi and Tatsuo Hori, who wrote the short story of the same name. Before going in I had read that the wartime atrocities would be glossed over, and they are, despite all the main characters claiming to be anti-war.
Dubbed for our ease, the English-speaking cast is prodigious, featuring, among others, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (last blogged in Don Jon) as adult Horikoshi, John Krasinski (most recently in Promised Land) as his best friend Honjô, Krasinski's real-life wife Emily Blunt (last in Looper with Gordon-Levitt) as love interest Nahoko, William H. Macy (last in these pages in The Sessions) as her father, Martin Short (not blogged yet--you know exactly who he is!) as the grumpy little boss, Mandy Patinkin (ditto) as the calmer big boss, Stanley Tucci (last in The Company You Keep) as the Italian Caproni, and Werner Herzog (Cave of Forgotten Dreams) as the German Castorp. Their voices aren't that easy to spot because they're all affecting various accents and vocal mannerisms. Short, particularly, makes his voice so gravelly, we were sure it was Patton Oswalt, who did a mostly voice-over part in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. But it was Short.
At 126 minutes, only certain (nerdy) kids will be able to sit through it, which is a shame. We appreciated the slow pace, but would have been perfectly satisfied with a shorter running time. Apparently director/writer Hayao Miyazaki (covered in The Secret World of Arietty) claimed last year this was to be his final feature, but recanted a few months ago.
The music, by multi-award-winning Joe Hisaishi (has scored most of Miyazaki's other work and more), is very nice, with a combination of old-fashioned anthems, accordions, oboes, European and Japanese influences. You can hear one clip at this link and a playlist at this one.
We strongly suggest you see this Oscar-nominated movie (it lost to Frozen, which we didn't see, but millions did!).
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