This movie is rated "Aaarrrgh". Sorry, I'm done now. Captain Phillips is the latest film by Paul Greengrass (United 93, The Bourne Supremacy) about the real-life events of a 2009 cargo ship hijacking. It is a story of how a captain (Tom Hanks, Big) and his crew aboard the MV Maersk Alabama survived against armed Somalian Pirates. It is also yet another reminder that Tom Hanks should stay away from vast bodies of water and/or islands. A volcano sacrifice, a castaway, and now raided by pirates. At least in one point of his career he found a mermaid. That was cool.
I'm one who is kind of torn on Greengrass's method of shooting a film. He uses a lot of close up shots and is very shaky. That normally bothers me, however, he somehow finds a way to use it to his advantage. Despite it, I really enjoyed his Bourne movies and United 93. This movie is no exception. Like United 93, this film mostly takes place in confined spaces. First the ship, then even smaller with a tiny lifeboat. This is where his filmmaking worked, because it really exemplified the frantic, claustrophobic feel of being trapped in these small spaces. If anything, the biggest problem I had with the film was that the lifeboat scenes seemed to go on a little too long.
In a movie that is so tightly shot, the biggest thing that needs to come through is character. And the movie works in that area. The shining star is actually Barkhad Abdi in his film debut. He wasn't just a straight generic bad guy. The beginning of the film showed a little of how these Somalians were not necessarily doing this because they wanted to. Some are forced into it and have to answer to some real bad guys. This showed through in Barkhad's performance. He had to play this character as someone pretending to be harder than he was, while still showing some vulnerablility. He nailed it. He really gave the impression that he didn't want to be doing this evil thing. By the end of the film you were obviously rooting against these pirates, because it was still terrible what they were doing, but you still had the slightest shred of sympathy for them at the same time. The male version of America's sweetheart also brought his A game. He showed his usual good acting chops as a captain who was forced into a situation where he really had to think on his feet. However, the rest of his performance pales in comparison to the final 10 minutes of this film. If you don't tear up a little, you have no soul. He gives, hands down, the best performance of his career in these final 10-15 minutes and should have been handed an Oscar as soon as they said cut. Instead, not even a nod at the Oscars.
Overall, this was another worthy contender in the line of 2014 best picture nominees. A real solid, intense movie that is worth your time.
Rating: ********-- (8 out of 10)
Memorable Quote:
Captain Phillips: "They're not here to fish."
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Movie Review: Nebraska
Nebraska is the latest film by Alexander Payne (About Schmidt, Sideways). It is the story of an older man, Woody (Bruce Dern, The 'Burbs), who thinks that he has won a million dollars with a PCH type company. Despite the protests of his family who try desperately to make him realize it's a scam, he is determined to make his way from Montana to Nebraska to collect his million. His younger son David (Will Forte, MacGruber) decides to drive him to Nebraska and take this as an opportunity to get to know his father better. Along the way, they get sidetracked into staying with Woody's family in his hometown, which they have not been to in many years.
This film was shot in beautiful black and white that fit well with the simplistic overall theme of quiet life in small mid-western towns. There was a lot of great cinematography of quiet small town streets along with the gorgeous countryside. It cast small town life as simplistic, although how far they went with it may be my one and only complaint of the film. Every one of the people in the small Nebraska town they stop in were all so simplistic as to be kind of dimwitted.
The main cast was pretty great though. Will Forte and Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad) both did acceptable jobs as Woody's two sons. Bruce Dern was wonderful in the role of Woody. Woody was a man who grew up with a little bit of a liking for the alcohol, and seemed to have a hint of dementia in his old age. Dern played this well. Occasionally he would seem to be just not there, and then he'd snap back again and be present. This was also quite a charming and funny movie, and the shining star in my eyes would have to be June Squibb (About Schmidt), who played the mother, Kate. The whole movie was filled with great dry humor and she added a dash of straight up funny. She was a feisty no-nonsense old woman who would get right in your face and not be afraid to speak her mind. She had many lines that had me rolling with laughter.
Overall, this film was a joy to watch unfold. Filled with charm, heart, and humor and some stunning black and white cinematography, I'd say you can't go wrong watching this movie.
Rating: ********-- (8 out of 10)
Memorable Quote:
David Grant: "Jesus mom! Was the whole town trying to seduce you?"
Kate Grant: "These boys grow up staring at the rear ends of cows and pigs, it's only natural that a real woman will get them chafing their pants."
This film was shot in beautiful black and white that fit well with the simplistic overall theme of quiet life in small mid-western towns. There was a lot of great cinematography of quiet small town streets along with the gorgeous countryside. It cast small town life as simplistic, although how far they went with it may be my one and only complaint of the film. Every one of the people in the small Nebraska town they stop in were all so simplistic as to be kind of dimwitted.
The main cast was pretty great though. Will Forte and Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad) both did acceptable jobs as Woody's two sons. Bruce Dern was wonderful in the role of Woody. Woody was a man who grew up with a little bit of a liking for the alcohol, and seemed to have a hint of dementia in his old age. Dern played this well. Occasionally he would seem to be just not there, and then he'd snap back again and be present. This was also quite a charming and funny movie, and the shining star in my eyes would have to be June Squibb (About Schmidt), who played the mother, Kate. The whole movie was filled with great dry humor and she added a dash of straight up funny. She was a feisty no-nonsense old woman who would get right in your face and not be afraid to speak her mind. She had many lines that had me rolling with laughter.
Overall, this film was a joy to watch unfold. Filled with charm, heart, and humor and some stunning black and white cinematography, I'd say you can't go wrong watching this movie.
Rating: ********-- (8 out of 10)
Memorable Quote:
David Grant: "Jesus mom! Was the whole town trying to seduce you?"
Kate Grant: "These boys grow up staring at the rear ends of cows and pigs, it's only natural that a real woman will get them chafing their pants."
Friday, February 21, 2014
A Night Out With Mickey and Friends
So, last night my wife and I took a little break from watching the Olympics on television and took our 2 girls to see some live skating. We got tickets to see "Disney On Ice: Passport To Adventure", and I have to say it was even more fun than I anticipated. Mickey and the gang came out in safari gear before each of the movie themed segments of the show and introduced them as if they were visiting the locations of the films. Then what followed was condensed versions of some Disney classics. There was The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Lilo & Stitch, and finally Peter Pan.
Now I realize how hard all the jumps and lifts in the Olympics must be, but these guys are no slouches either. I can't imagine how cumbersome it must be skating around in the big clunky costumes they were wearing. Clunky not being an insult. The costumes were quite innovative and fun. It was interesting to see how they put together costumes for four-legged characters like Pumba and Nanny and even the crocodile from Peter Pan who laid on a platform with scales on her back and a tail dragging behind. The sets were just as fun. Most came from behind the main curtain, but they also utilized a big stage set 20-30 feet above the curtain. Many characters came down from there by a giant staircase, while Peter Pan and crew actually put harnesses on up top and "flew" down to the ice. A couple of set pieces were giant inflatable characters too.
The music and dialog was all pre-recorded and came over the speakers, but that actually made sense since they need to concentrate on the skating. The skating was varied and great. Most of it was pantomime acting (including the Peter Pan/Captain Hook swordfight, of course). Then there was the synchronized skating and even lifts done to the music. The music, obviously, I knew I would love going in. It was basically all of the more fun and popular music from each of the subsequent movies.
My girls are 4 and 2 years old and of course know all of the Disney movies, so it was fantastic to see the absolute joy on their faces as they watched some of their favorite characters come to life out on the ice. Great music, costumes, skating, sets, and everything else. What is there not to love? I even felt like a kid again myself watching this. If you have young children I would highly recommend taking them out for a night of fun-filled Disney magic!
Now I realize how hard all the jumps and lifts in the Olympics must be, but these guys are no slouches either. I can't imagine how cumbersome it must be skating around in the big clunky costumes they were wearing. Clunky not being an insult. The costumes were quite innovative and fun. It was interesting to see how they put together costumes for four-legged characters like Pumba and Nanny and even the crocodile from Peter Pan who laid on a platform with scales on her back and a tail dragging behind. The sets were just as fun. Most came from behind the main curtain, but they also utilized a big stage set 20-30 feet above the curtain. Many characters came down from there by a giant staircase, while Peter Pan and crew actually put harnesses on up top and "flew" down to the ice. A couple of set pieces were giant inflatable characters too.
The music and dialog was all pre-recorded and came over the speakers, but that actually made sense since they need to concentrate on the skating. The skating was varied and great. Most of it was pantomime acting (including the Peter Pan/Captain Hook swordfight, of course). Then there was the synchronized skating and even lifts done to the music. The music, obviously, I knew I would love going in. It was basically all of the more fun and popular music from each of the subsequent movies.
My girls are 4 and 2 years old and of course know all of the Disney movies, so it was fantastic to see the absolute joy on their faces as they watched some of their favorite characters come to life out on the ice. Great music, costumes, skating, sets, and everything else. What is there not to love? I even felt like a kid again myself watching this. If you have young children I would highly recommend taking them out for a night of fun-filled Disney magic!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Movie Review: Robocop (2014)
Well, it's been a while since I've posted a blog and I decided, why not pick it up again. And what better way for a movie fan to reboot his blog than to write a review about a rebooted movie, right? And, hey, the mediocrity of Robocop matches the mediocrity of my writing abilities. Hopefully both the movies and my writing get progressively better throughout the year.
First off, the movie was not entirely bad. It was just what it was. It is in my Top 10 list for 2014 already, but that may be because it's the only movie I've seen that was released this year. :) And I am going to compare it to the original 1987 film of the same name. I say if you don't want comparisons, then make an original movie. Notice though that even as a fan of the original, I still gave this one a shot.
First problem....Rebootcop took a little different approach than the original when it comes to the satire. It mellowed it way out. Robocop '87 was a loud, over the top, in your face satire. The over the top is what I loved. Reboot seemed to go with a more straight-forward sci-fi action flick. This is fine, and even worked fine. Then there was Samuel L. Jackson. His character of Novak would have worked perfectly in the original (or on Fox news, take your pick). However his scenes in this movie were totally jarring and completely took me out of the movie each time he came on because it seemed to be such a different tone from the rest of the movie.
Reboot also, to me, seemed to gloss over the humanity vs. machine aspect of the original. Yes, it was there, but it was really sacrificed so they could draw out the process of what it took to make Robocop. I don't need to know all the scientific crap you made up as to how he was created. Just leave it at, "Hey we put a guy in a robot suit. Trust us, the science works." Then get on with the action. I will admit that it was cool to see them take away the suit and show what was left, but it was totally unnecessary.
Because the action is what worked in this movie for the most part. There is a scene towards the end that is really jumbled, so they don't have to show any real terrible violence because of the PG-13 rating. You'll know it when you see it. Don't want to give anything away. However the rest worked pretty well for me. The suit worked for me too. There were a lot of naysayers about the suit when the pictures first leaked. However, it really worked in context with the story. We really got a faster, more agile Robocop with this new movie, instead of the clunky old 80's robot. His use of the technology to solve the crimes was well done too.
Another strong point to the movie was the cast. It was good to see Michael "Mr. Mom" Keaton in the corporate douchebag role. Jackie "Rorschach" Earle Haley was just a fun character as the creator of the other robot drones in the film. And I thought Gary "Commissioner Gordon" Oldman shined as the head scientist. He may have shined a little too brightly though because he was so focused on, that I found myself feeling more sympathy for his character than for Robocop himself. Joel Kinneman did a perfectly acceptable job, but he was no Peter Weller. Also, as good as the cast was, there just wasn't a real memorable bad guy. There was no Kurtwood Smith.
Overall, I thought the overall subject matter of the film is more relevant today than ever. Man vs. machine. Humanity vs. emotionless drones. It just would have been better suited if they had not called it Robocop, and made it it's own movie instead. It's worth a rental, or a matinee. It may actually be an even better movie, if you've never seen the original. But overall, it's a pretty generic action flick. I don't see it ever reaching the cult status of Robocop '87.
Rating: *****----- (5 out of 10)
Memorable quote:
Robocop: "Dead or alive. You're coming with me."
First off, the movie was not entirely bad. It was just what it was. It is in my Top 10 list for 2014 already, but that may be because it's the only movie I've seen that was released this year. :) And I am going to compare it to the original 1987 film of the same name. I say if you don't want comparisons, then make an original movie. Notice though that even as a fan of the original, I still gave this one a shot.
First problem....Rebootcop took a little different approach than the original when it comes to the satire. It mellowed it way out. Robocop '87 was a loud, over the top, in your face satire. The over the top is what I loved. Reboot seemed to go with a more straight-forward sci-fi action flick. This is fine, and even worked fine. Then there was Samuel L. Jackson. His character of Novak would have worked perfectly in the original (or on Fox news, take your pick). However his scenes in this movie were totally jarring and completely took me out of the movie each time he came on because it seemed to be such a different tone from the rest of the movie.
Reboot also, to me, seemed to gloss over the humanity vs. machine aspect of the original. Yes, it was there, but it was really sacrificed so they could draw out the process of what it took to make Robocop. I don't need to know all the scientific crap you made up as to how he was created. Just leave it at, "Hey we put a guy in a robot suit. Trust us, the science works." Then get on with the action. I will admit that it was cool to see them take away the suit and show what was left, but it was totally unnecessary.
Because the action is what worked in this movie for the most part. There is a scene towards the end that is really jumbled, so they don't have to show any real terrible violence because of the PG-13 rating. You'll know it when you see it. Don't want to give anything away. However the rest worked pretty well for me. The suit worked for me too. There were a lot of naysayers about the suit when the pictures first leaked. However, it really worked in context with the story. We really got a faster, more agile Robocop with this new movie, instead of the clunky old 80's robot. His use of the technology to solve the crimes was well done too.
Another strong point to the movie was the cast. It was good to see Michael "Mr. Mom" Keaton in the corporate douchebag role. Jackie "Rorschach" Earle Haley was just a fun character as the creator of the other robot drones in the film. And I thought Gary "Commissioner Gordon" Oldman shined as the head scientist. He may have shined a little too brightly though because he was so focused on, that I found myself feeling more sympathy for his character than for Robocop himself. Joel Kinneman did a perfectly acceptable job, but he was no Peter Weller. Also, as good as the cast was, there just wasn't a real memorable bad guy. There was no Kurtwood Smith.
Overall, I thought the overall subject matter of the film is more relevant today than ever. Man vs. machine. Humanity vs. emotionless drones. It just would have been better suited if they had not called it Robocop, and made it it's own movie instead. It's worth a rental, or a matinee. It may actually be an even better movie, if you've never seen the original. But overall, it's a pretty generic action flick. I don't see it ever reaching the cult status of Robocop '87.
Rating: *****----- (5 out of 10)
Memorable quote:
Robocop: "Dead or alive. You're coming with me."
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