Why So Blu?

I’ve Seenith ‘The Raven’, Nevermore

Here is an example of a film that I wish was sillier.  As it stands, The Raven is a slickly made thriller about a serial killer who goes to implausibly complex extents to recreate scenes from the more gruesome works of Edgar Allan Poe, but it suffers due to it not being much fun to watch.  The film could have gone two ways to help itself out.  The Raven could have gone a very serious route and played out like a 19^th century Se7en.  Or, the film could have added a layer of camp or more dark humor and turned out to be something like Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow.  Unfortunately, The Raven falls somewhere in the middle; with John Cusack being the only thing to help it along, aside from some neat production aspects.  The story never becomes more than bland; the other characters are equally uninteresting, and the results are fairly lackluster.  What starts out as a neat idea is ultimately unfulfilling. Continue reading ‘I’ve Seenith ‘The Raven’, Nevermore’

‘Pirates!’ Plunder A Plethora of Phun!

I will just start by not apologizing for my title, as I will easily sacrifice spelling for the sake of alliteration.  With that out of the way, I think it is wonderful to see a new stop-animation motion picture from Aardman Animations.  Being one who is a big fan of Wallace & Gromit, I was thrilled to be going back into a world of very specific character designs and some dry British humor.  ‘Pirates!’ did manage to deliver quite a bit in that regard, even if it was a bit different from what I was expecting.  Regardless, with plenty of jokes that range from subtle to off-kilter and an inherent level of sweetness that is always seen in Aardman Animations, The Pirates! A Band of Misfits is a fun take on a swashbuckling story and it has a great look to it. Continue reading ‘‘Pirates!’ Plunder A Plethora of Phun!’

Bravely Accept The ‘Sound Of My Voice’

Last year I gave lots of praise to the quietly chilling Martha Marcy May Marlene and the sci-fi, existential drama Another Earth.  Sound of My Voice functions like a film that has the sensibilities of both and will fit in well for those who at least found intrigue in either of the aforementioned films.  The film is an example of low budget filmmaking succeeding in presenting a story that contains science fiction elements without the use of any special effects and getting the best out of limited production values and a small group of talented actors.  The story is certainly one that can draw the viewer in as well.  Despite wishing for a little more and finding the ending fairly abrupt, I can still say that I took away a lot of appreciation for what came from this interesting and somewhat challenging film. Continue reading ‘Bravely Accept The ‘Sound Of My Voice’’

DisneyNature’s Chimpanzee

Two of the most prominent establishments that film nature documentaries these days are the BBC and Disney. The BBC tends to focus on a more straight delivery with a dose of epic-ness thrown in. DisneyNature, however, focuses their films around a story as their crews follow a select group of animals, capturing their plights and good fortunes alike. This past weekend, following a year after its highly successful African Cats, DisneyNature brings us the highly touted Chimpanzee.

Continue reading ‘DisneyNature’s Chimpanzee’

Find Out If You’re ‘The Lucky One’

Vanilla can be an underrated flavor.  The Lucky One is a film that does everything as one would expect it to do and has little shading to really differentiate it from what one expects a romantic drama to be.  It has several impossibly nice characters, one jerk, and plenty of adorable animals living in a beautiful setting, going through the motions of a story that will definitely end in one specific way.  With that said, I have nothing really against any of this.  It is fine for the audiences that this film is meant for (fans of romantic dramas and devotees to Nicholas Sparks books) and does not have anything clunky or poorly handled enough to really make me have any sort of ill will towards the film.  Overall, it may play like a plain, vanilla-type film, but it’s fine. Continue reading ‘Find Out If You’re ‘The Lucky One’’

‘Lockout’: Escape From Space Jail

So I have wrongly been associating this movie with John Carpenter and Kurt Russell.  There is a certain attitude and story structure that definitely evokes this classic 80s sci-fi/action combo, but really, Lockout (or Space Jail, as I’ve been calling it) is much more in line with 90s Bruce Willis action movies.  It has such a care free, “screw it” sort of attitude that making fun of the movie will get you nowhere, because it is very much in on the joke already.  Space Jail cares very little about establishing realistic logic and is more concerned with having plenty of fun, as Guy Pearce spits out one-liners, while aboard a prison that is located in space.  It is a simple gimmick, hovering over a familiar action flick plot, but the energy in its delivery kept a smile on my face. Continue reading ‘‘Lockout’: Escape From Space Jail’

The Cabin in the Woods (Movie Review)

Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen. If you think you know this story, think again. Starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, and Bradley Whitford.  From fan favorites Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard comes The Cabin in the Woods, a mind blowing horror film that turns the genre inside out. Continue reading ‘The Cabin in the Woods (Movie Review)’

‘Cabin In The Woods’ Teaches An Old Dog New Tricks (Spoiler Free Review)

As soon as the marketing for The Cabin in the Woods finally started to kick into gear for this long-delayed release (MGM went bankrupt and the flick was left in limbo), I went on media blackout for it.  Having heard for so long that the movie is quite good and clever (which it is), but also works much better if one goes in completely fresh, I avoided all trailers (not an easy task) and saw the movie with no knowledge of what it was, beyond some of the cast and crew that was involved and understanding that it takes place in the woods, within a cabin.  Now I am tasked with describing why this film is worth your time, while also needing to hold back from revealing any of the surprises.  And that is what I intend to do, so from this point on, while The Cabin in the Woods is certainly a great ride to jump on, I will refrain from any true spoilers. Continue reading ‘‘Cabin In The Woods’ Teaches An Old Dog New Tricks (Spoiler Free Review)’

The Gang Returns For An ‘American Reunion’

These American Pie films have never been shy about wearing their hearts on their sleeves and their hard-ons in plain sight.  I can admit that I was joining in on the joke of regarding this sequel as an easy way for all of the original actors who have mostly gone nowhere (not entirely true) to cash in on their biggest success; however, I have also enjoyed the previous entries in this series (not counting the direct-to-video spin-offs).  While feeling a bit overdue and being more of a film designed to remind the fans of the series how sweet and funny the guys in this film can be, opposed to making way for new fans, it still is a film that does manage to be successfully sweet and funny for the most part.  It’s also still plenty raunchy as well (though little room is left for pie). Continue reading ‘The Gang Returns For An ‘American Reunion’’

The King of the Format Dives Back Into The Deep End: ‘Titanic 3D’ Thoughts

Few filmmakers have been able to take a huge chunk of money, spend it on an epic adventure in filmmaking, riding through waves of bad publicity and production troubles, only to create a huge blockbuster success as a result.  James Cameron has done it twice.  Recently, he managed to shatter the record for biggest film of all time with Avatar, but the record shattered was that of his own previous film, Titanic.  Titanic is a film that by all accounts should not have worked.  A romantic/disaster drama with a huge budget, where everyone already knows the ending, and has no chance of being made into a franchise is not exactly the kind of film studios would want to get their hands on, but Cameron was able to do the impossible and have it succeed.  Now the film has been re-released into theaters with a new 3D conversion, heavily supervised by Cameron, providing audiences with another chance to view the film on a big screen.  My friend and fellow film critic Scott Mendelson has done a job of capturing all of my thoughts regarding Titanic’s legacy HERE, but having now seen this new release, I can still provide some of my own thoughts the conversion and the film, as it stands today. Continue reading ‘The King of the Format Dives Back Into The Deep End: ‘Titanic 3D’ Thoughts’

‘Comic-Con’ Gets Its Own Lighthearted Documentary

I believe San Diego Comic-Con has gained enough relevance in the cultural zeitgeist where people are at least aware of its existence, regardless if they truly know what it is or what it used to be.  In the documentary Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope, Morgan Spurlock attempts to pull back the curtain on what Comic-Con used to be about, what it is about now, and what it means to the various people that attend.  At least one of these themes is best explored, but at least it is the area of the film that provides the most stakes cinematically.  As a whole and as a person who has been attending Comic-Con, I think this documentary skirts past some of the more interesting and important aspects of the convention; however, I think the overall tone of the doc is lighthearted enough to certainly make it enjoyable overall. Continue reading ‘‘Comic-Con’ Gets Its Own Lighthearted Documentary’

‘Bully’ Hits The Message Hard

There is a certain power in seeing parents and children alike present inexcusable situations to what is supposed to be a collection of people responsible for not only teaching, but leading and protecting a student body, and have them do little to stop it.  In Bully, there are a number of scenes that reflect poorly on the actions that are not being taken to stop abhorrent behavior and the audience will react accordingly.  This is a documentary that chronicles a few students from schools in a few different states, as they deal with being bullied, which is an interesting idea for a film topic.  I do think that a proper message is established by the end of this film, which is commendable, but that said, I also think this film has issues of redundancy and focuses to closely in some areas, while staying away from others that would seem to be just as important.  Still, regardless of Bully amounting to being fairly average, and despite its needless controversy, the film presents an important topic, which has enough to make it worthy of a wide audience. Continue reading ‘‘Bully’ Hits The Message Hard’

‘The Kid With A Bike’ Rides Through An Emotional Journey

Given that the month of March was packed with an unusual amount of high budget, blockbuster films, I figured I would balance things out with a couple of independent/arthouse features as well.  One of these was The Kid with a Bike, a Belgian film from the Dardenne brothers (Jean-Pierre and Luc).  This film follows a young boy dealing with being abandoned by his father and attempting to forge new relationships with other potential role models and caretakers.  The film is very naturalistic, a key type of style when it comes to the Dardenne’s work, as it plays out as more character-driven, as opposed to story-driven and plays around a lot with ambiguity, despite straddling a somewhat familiar path.  With that in mind, the film is very good, well-acted, and filled with moments that evoke emotion as well as thoughts based around developing more of an understanding for one’s self, rather than letting the film tell you what to think. Continue reading ‘‘The Kid With A Bike’ Rides Through An Emotional Journey’

Mirror Mirror (Movie Review)

One of the most beloved stories of all time is coming to life in the motion picture fantasy, Mirror Mirror.  A fresh and funny retelling of the Snow White legend, Mirror Mirror features breakout star Lily Collins (The Blind Side) as Snow White, a princess in exile, and Oscar-winner Julia Roberts as the evil Queen who ruthlessly rules her captured kingdom.  Seven courageous rebel dwarfs join forces with Snow White as she fights to reclaim her birthright and win her Prince in this magical adventure comedy filled with jealousy, romance and betrayal that will capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences the world over.  The film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the Prince and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen. Continue reading ‘Mirror Mirror (Movie Review)’

Those Wrathing, Clashing ‘Titans’ Are At It Again

I think there is a certain amount of humor in the fact that Wrath of the Titans is essentially a take-two on this movie series.  Wrath was certainly felt in regards to the 2010 film (which was in no way helped by the 3D that was then used as the key example of bad usage of the format to compare other films to).  Now we have the sequel to a film that doesn’t seem to have much high regard, yet made a huge box office splash during its release.  For being a sequel, Wrath is certainly an improvement.  It follows a lot of familiar sequel tropes, which involves being bigger and badder, yet retreading a lot of the same plot beats from the first film.  Fortunately, the key element is that this film is more fun than the first, which is good, because I did enjoy the idea of remaking the original 1981 Clash of the Titans, but was disappointed with what came out of that.  Wrath of the Titans may not become a cheesy classic like the original Clash, but at least its decent matinee fun. Continue reading ‘Those Wrathing, Clashing ‘Titans’ Are At It Again’

Not “Empire”: ‘Wrath of the Titans’ (Movie Review)

Did they really need a sequel to 2010’s remake of the classic Clash of the Titans?  Of course they didn’t.  But if the success of 2011’s Insidious taught us anything, it’s that any movie that meekly survives to cultivate a profit in this tumulus day and age…well…deserves a sequel.  And rightfully so.  Why not?!  I had fun with the 2010 remake.  And why not?  The CGI was light years better.  Hell…bring on a sequel…I always say.  Low and behold, it’s March 2012 and my wish has come true.  Never did I see this coming as an adolescent child of the 80’s, but say hello to my little friend…Wrath of the Titans. Continue reading ‘Not “Empire”: ‘Wrath of the Titans’ (Movie Review)’

‘The Raid’ Is An Insane Action Experience

Encompassing a lot of my thoughts for how awesome The Raid was can be simply brought down to saying that during my viewing of the film, following yet another incredibly well filmed, well choreographed action sequence, my friend announced that he was sweating.  It was humorous, but appropriate, as the film is so exhausting, yet riveting to watch; so intense, yet satisfying to see the action taking place; and so simplistic in setup, yet so rewarding in regards to seeing filmmakers deliver an enjoyable film, that taking a second to make a statement about one’s awareness is really the only way to keep one from getting too involved and ending up hitting someone yourself.  Ok, so maybe the film isn’t crazy and immersive enough to make someone do something that stupid, but The Raid is easily one of the finest action films to grace screens in quite some time. Continue reading ‘‘The Raid’ Is An Insane Action Experience’

The Hunger Games Are On Like Donkey Kong

It seems like The Hunger Games could have easily been a huge disaster waiting to happen, regardless of the monetary success it becomes in its opening weekend.  The film is based on another popular book series, geared more towards a teenage audience, featuring a familiar narrative, with a romantic angle added on to boot.  We are already seeing crowds go wild and chanting things such as, “Team Peeta,” which could easily come off as nonsense to those unfamiliar.  Thankfully, this heavily anticipated film is pretty damn entertaining.  Given the strong lead performance, solid handle on bringing the source material alive, and maintaining a certain level of excitement throughout, I was very happy to be thoroughly pleased by the results and more interested in reading the other two books in this series.  Now regardless of whether or not one has read the books, I think there is a lot to enjoy in this film, especially given the crazy amount of hype it has to live up to.  Some flaws aside, this could be the start of a new franchise that is both well crafted and worthy of such high fan reaction. Continue reading ‘The Hunger Games Are On Like Donkey Kong’