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10
Mar

2012 (2009) Review

2012 (2009)

You quite certainly get what you might have expected after seeing this one; it delivers enough edge of your seat moments, and the film is on par with other end of the world disaster films. Maybe at times some of the scenes were far too Hollywoodish, and were dumbed down a bit much. I anticipated this being visually exciting to see with all the special effects, and I wasn’t let down. Some of the scenes were surreal in their appearance; you can’t help but appreciate the hard work that went into bringing these disastrous moments to life sort of speak. German director Roland Emmerich directed this, he is known for his past contributions to end of the world films. He has been the executive producer and director for the hit film Independence Day (1996) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004). Harald Kloser worked on the screenplay with Roland Emmerich.

Although I respect a number of the actors who play parts in this film, it seemed like they were a bit off in their performances and didn’t match the story as unknown or upcoming actors might have. I think this would have made the film better overall. I guess what I’m saying is there is a lack of depth to the characters; the film’s leading characters are the CGI special effects that really stood out among everything else. Perhaps the actors didn’t have enough to work with and it fell short somehow.

Many people were disappointed from the lack of the Mayan prophecies which were not explored or explained in some way and then projected into the film. Basically, the story follows around a man named Jackson Curtis and his rocky relationship between his children and wife. Liam James plays Noah Curtis and Lilly Curtis played by Morgan Lily wife. John Cusack plays Jackson Curtis and his wife is played by Amanda Peet as Kate Curtis they share many scenarios together. These trials and tribulations lead them to a somewhat predictable ending.

We also see Adrian Helmsley played by British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor as a geologist who has read many books as a child and helps to predict what will happen next. Thandie Newton appears in this as the president’s daughter Laura Wilson. Danny Glover is President Thomas Wilson, Oliver Platt is Carl Anheuser, Thomas McCarthy is Gordon Silberman, Woody Harrelson is Charlie Frost, Zlatko Buric is Yuri Karpov, Beatrice Rosen is Tamara, Alexandre Haussmann is Alec, Philippe Haussmann is Oleg, and Johann Urb is Sasha.

This would be considered an action film, with some almost comedic moments of cheesy unrealistic scenes which play out. I still think however it is something you can enjoy at home while eating some popcorn.

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8
Mar

Alice in Wonderland (2010) Review

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Many know of this famous childhood story originally written by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in 1865 titled “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. The screenplay adaptation was written by Linda Woolverton, and it was based upon the Lewis Carroll books.

This is director Tim Burton’s take on the famous story. I think you will find it very Burton-like in many respects. It certainly has his style of film-making all over it. I don’t think some people will find it to be that appealing; however it will strike a note with fans of the novel and story. It certainly holds pretty true to how the book was written with some tweaks here and there.

Again, Tim Burton reunites with his longtime friends giving them roles in this particular story. This pairs Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter who both starred together in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) as well as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). There are several other notable castings such as Crispin Glover as Stayne – Knave of Hearts, he is probably best known from other roles such as the character George McFly in Back to the Future (1985) as well as the sequels. Also he starred as Willard in the 2003 film Willard. Anne Hathaway appears in this as the White Queen sister to the Red Queen.

Finally, I will give my opinion of Alice who is the leading character after all; she was played by Australian actress Mia Wasikowska who was voted in Variety magazines top 10 actors to watch in 2008. I think you will find her performance in this quite acceptable, and she certainly did well enough to pull off the part as we see the antics of 19 year old Alice. Tim Burton captures the essence of Alice in some way and brings her to a CGI (Computer-generated imagery) filled screen of different creatures, backgrounds and other eye candy moments. Some of these includes the performance of Tweedledee and brother Tweedledum both played by Matt Lucas who brought the animated facial expressions to the parts.

British actor Stephen Fry appears as a cat in this known as Cheshire Cat. You might also recognize the voice of Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit. And the distinctive voice of the Blue Caterpillar is played by none other than Alan Rickman. Unforgettable Barbara Windsor is the voice of the Dormouse, Paul Whitehouse is the March Hare, Timothy Spall is Bayard, Marton Csokas is Charles Kingsleigh, and Tim Pigott-Smith is Lord Ascot.

I will go ahead and recommend catching this one while it’s still playing in the theatre, it has an element of fantasy and you are along for the ride with Alice as she adventures into the rabbit hole. You kind of know what to expect going into the theater to see this, and it was entertaining enough.

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6
Mar

Moon Over Parador (1988) Review

Moon Over Parador (1988)

This is a charming film that stars Richard Dreyfuss as Jack Noah an actor who impersonates President Alphonse Simms the leader of Parador. In reality there is no such country, but a franchise chain of luxury hotels exist including the Aigua Blava Parador, which overlooks Aigua Blava Bay in the Costa Brava in the country of Spain. Director Paul Mazursky did a really nice job working again with Dreyfuss since their previous teaming from the film Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986). He has also made acting appearances in such films as 2 Days in the Valley (1996). Moon Over Parador’s story was written by Charles G. Booth. The screenplay was written by both Leon Capetanos and Paul Mazursky.

The late Puerto Rican actor Raul Julia also stars in this as Roberto Strausmann. Brazilian actress Sonia Braga stars as Madonna Mendez. Jonathan Winters is Ralph, Fernando Rey is Alejandro, Michael Greene is Clint, Polly Holliday is Midge, Milton Gonçalves is Carlo, Charo appears as Madame Loop, Marianne Sägebrecht is Magda, Reinhard Kolldehoff is Gunther, José Lewgoy is the Archbishop, Richard Russell Ramos is Dieter Lopez, Dann Florek is Toby, and Roger Aaron Brown is Desmond.

The film is rather humorous at certain moments, and you can’t help but get caught up in the story following what will happen next. I will recommend this to everyone as I think they will get at least a few laughs out of it. The story follows dictator Alphonse Simms aka Jack Noah as he tries to win over the people with the watchful eye of Roberto Strausmann looking over him at all times. Along the way, he meets Madonna Mendez the wife of the real Alphonse Simms and they begin to connect to one another. It is considered a comedy with romance and adventure.

If you enjoyed this film, you will like others such as the film Dave (1993) starring Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, and Frank Langella. Only this story takes place in the USA, but the story is very similar.

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4
Mar

Monster (2003) Review

Monster (2003)

This is an astonishing tale of a true life story about an abused prostitute who faces many tragedies in her life. She sees things from her own flawed vantage point. It is an intense roller coaster ride of sorrow and depression as we get a chance to follow Aileen Wuornos through the spiraling whirlwind of self destruction and self loathing in Daytona Beach. The film was written and directed by Patty Jenkins.

The film focuses mostly on the relationship between Selby played by Christina Ricci and the leading character Aileen played by Charlize Theron. Not only did she give an incredible performance, but the academy didn’t overlook her efforts, Charlize walked away with the Best Actress in a Leading Role Oscar in 2004. She also won a number of other awards around the world for her performance in this. It is rare to see such a character come to life on screen and command each scene. I would compare this to Angelina Jolie’s performance in the HBO movie Gia (1998) for example.

Bruce Dern appears in this as Thomas who is kind of friend to Aileen. Lee Tergesen plays Vincent Corey, Annie Corley is Donna, Pruitt Taylor Vince is Gene / Stuttering “John”, Marco St. John is Evan / Undercover “John”, Marc Macaulay is Will / Daddy “John”, Scott Wilson is Horton / Last “John”, Rus Blackwell appears as a Cop, Stephan Jones is a Lawyer, Tim Ware is Chuck, Brett Rice is Charles, Kaitlin Riley is the Teenage Aileen, and Cree Ivey is the 7-Year-Old Aileen.

The film’s facts are pretty accurate; you see the beginnings of her life briefly, and understand what lead her to this path in life. She is constantly plagued by physical, emotional as well as drug abuse living in Michigan, she moves to Florida later on. There things change even more dramatically for her and the story focuses on her meeting with Selby followed by their relationship together.

The film had an older look about it in the way it was filmed; it reminded me of the films from the early 1970’s in the way the scenes were done on the flip side, it also at times seemed like an artsy horror film. I think you will find the story interesting and the acting was fantastic. What a tragic tale of a woman who loses her humanity and spirit.

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3
Mar

Juno (2007) Review

Juno (2007)

This indie film was a cult hit and was popular with the younger crowd of movie goers. I think most people will find it to be quite charming in its own way. The directorial influence was done by Jason Reitman who has done other films such as Thank You for Smoking (2005). He seemed to really capture the character and story of Juno, which is about a 16 year old Minnesota girl who unexpectedly became pregnant, and wants to give her child to a responsible couple. She faces issues with her peers and family…while dealing with a relationship at the same time. This film was written by Diablo Cody based upon some of her own high school experiences. She has also written the film Jennifer’s Body (2009) starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried.

Canadian actress Ellen Page stars in this as Juno MacGuff and is a talented force to be reckoned with, she is unique and this film seems to showcase her talents on screen. Michael Cera also stars in this as Paulie Bleeker who is a good friend to Juno. Jennifer Garner plays Vanessa Loring and Jason Bateman is Mark Loring. They are the couple seeking adoption for a child. Allison Janney plays Brenda ‘Bren’ MacGuff the mother of Juno. Her father Mac MacGuff is played by J.K. Simmons. Olivia Thirlby plays Leah, Eileen Pedde is Gerta Rauss, Rainn Wilson is Rollo, Daniel Clark is Steve Rendazo, Darla Fay is Bleeker’s Mom, Valerie Tian is Su-Chin Qah, Aman Johal is Vijay, Emily Perkins appears as the Punk Receptionist, and Kaaren de Zilva is the Ultrasound Technician.

This film was very well casted, and each of the actors seemed to fit each of the roles, it is not often you will find such a collective pool of talents thrown together. In this, you will see them breathe life into each of their characters. The film doesn’t pretend to be anything else; it has its own kind of thing going on. I think this movie is about acceptance, forgiveness and seems to march to its own path. The film had a meager $7 million dollar budget and has since grossed $231,411,584 million worldwide. That’s pretty good for an independent film such as this. I hope you enjoy Juno as much as we did. It was a real treat to see. I highly recommend seeing this one as well.

“A comedy about growing up… and the bumps along the way”

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2
Mar

Gran Torino (2008) Review

Gran Torino (2008)

Like many great Hollywood magicians Clint Eastwood does it again with his directorial and acting efforts. It is not often you watch a carefully crafted film with many different elements within the story that often reflect issues of modern day society. In this, we see a representation of that and much more. The masterful eye of Eastwood captures the story of Walt Kowalski played by Clint Eastwood as an angry Polish man who fought in the Korean War; he befriends a young boy Thao Vang Lor played by Bee Vang who he mentors in the ways of life helping him see things differently and making an impression upon him. The screenplay was written by Nick Schenk, and the story was written by Dave Johannson and Nick Schenk.

Thao’s sister Sue Lor played by Ahney Her also steps into Walt’s life, she impacts him in a positive way and changes his outlooks on things as well. Christopher Carley plays the character Father Janovich who tries to figure Walt out and his intentions as he meets with him. Walt also has a family and two sons; he has been in mourning since the passing of his late wife. He has become bitter about the world and the environment he lives in as things have changed before his very own eyes.

More of the cast includes: Brian Haley playing Mitch Kowalski, Geraldine Hughes as Karen Kowalski, Dreama Walker as Ashley Kowalski, Brian Howe as Steve Kowalski, John Carroll Lynch as Barber Martin, William Hill as Tim Kennedy, Chee Thao as Grandma, Brooke Chia Thao as Vu, Choua Kue as Youa, Scott Eastwood (Son of Clint Eastwood and Jacelyn Reeves) as Trey, and Xia Soua Chang as Kor Khue.

This film will grab a hold of you and won’t let you go until the end, the characters were quite realistic and seem to be a slice from life captured and represented. I think the film also deals with many issues including race, violence, relationships, territory and dominance. It makes you think what is wrong with society and how people are different from one another. If only we all could see eye to eye on things, if people would spend time getting to know one another better there would be less misunderstandings. Perhaps this film is trying to teach this lesson to us in its own way.

The film was very polished how it was put together the scenes played out nicely. I highly recommend watching this one. It was a fantastic film, one of the better films I’ve seen in the last few years. You will have to watch to find out why the name of the film was used.

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