It's been a good long time since I've written on this blog. A lot of things have changed. Well, mainly two things have changed--my twin daughters. Because of them, I will be spending less time going out to see movies and more time staying in to see them.
It won't be often, but I'm going to start reviewing DVDs and doing more fun lists and whatnot. Blogging is a great way to escape for me, and blogging about movies is a comfort as well. With a change in approach comes a change in appearance too. Granted, it's been so long you probably forgot what the old site looked like!
So, come check back every now and again for some fun DVD reviews--old and new.
Until next time...
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Friday, October 2, 2009
9: Pretty but Shallow
I know, I know, I've been off the blog wagon for awhile now. But I have two really good reasons! I'm not going to sit here and promise that I will hop back on, but I will say that I do miss it, so maybe that's incentive enough to do a little more.
Well...with that said, let's get on with the review.
I finally got around to seeing 9. I'd heard from many people that the visuals outweigh the story, and I definitely agree. It was a visually beautiful film with grand apocalyptic landscapes and beautifully detailed rag doll figures. But there's just so long you can be in awe of a pretty movie before you start saying, "Um, so when's the story going to get really interesting?"
The story begins when 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) first comes to life in a room whose only occupant is a dead man on the floor. When he ventures out into the world, he finds that all humans are gone and the world is in ruins. Only by sheer chance does he find others like himself hiding in a cathedral to protect themselves from The Beast. 9 doesn't believe hiding is the answer, and against the wishes of the self-proclaimed leader 1 (Christopher Plummer), he convinces 5 (John C. Reilly) that they must go out and fight The Beast in order to save others like them. Of course, they fight and a battle of good vs. evil leads to them learning the truth of their existence and their importance to the future of civilization.
My synopsis sounds far more rousing than the film ended up being. I definitely wasn't bored, but I did randomly find myself analyzing the movie instead of watching it, which is not a good sign ever. The story never dove deep enough for me to really get into it. There are two kinds of apocalyptic movies: the kind that Roland Emmerich makes and those that are more like 12 Monkeys or Children of Men. 9 definitely wasn't The Day After Tomorrow, but it also wasn't Children of Men. It was more an outline than a full script.
For nearly the first hour of the movie, I felt like the story was building up to something bigger and grander that was going to have the massive moral impact by the end. Yet, when the truth about the monster machine is revealed, I felt like I'd fallen into an explanation of Terminator. Then when we finally learn why 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 exist, I feel a little let down--not by the reveal, but by the payoff.
I wanted to care more about these little rag doll people. They get hurt, they die. They sacrifice, but I'm just not invested enough in them to really care too much. Director Shane Acker wrote and directed 9, the Oscar-nominated short film in 2005. The short caught the attention of Tim Burton and voila, a feature was made.
After watching the short, I can definitely see the appeal of making it into a feature. There's so much opportunity to tell more story and create fuller characters. Even though the feature 9 did tell more story, the character development falls flat.
My verdict? It's worth seeing on the big screen for the beautiful visuals, but don't get your hopes up for a really strong story.
Well...with that said, let's get on with the review.
I finally got around to seeing 9. I'd heard from many people that the visuals outweigh the story, and I definitely agree. It was a visually beautiful film with grand apocalyptic landscapes and beautifully detailed rag doll figures. But there's just so long you can be in awe of a pretty movie before you start saying, "Um, so when's the story going to get really interesting?"
The story begins when 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) first comes to life in a room whose only occupant is a dead man on the floor. When he ventures out into the world, he finds that all humans are gone and the world is in ruins. Only by sheer chance does he find others like himself hiding in a cathedral to protect themselves from The Beast. 9 doesn't believe hiding is the answer, and against the wishes of the self-proclaimed leader 1 (Christopher Plummer), he convinces 5 (John C. Reilly) that they must go out and fight The Beast in order to save others like them. Of course, they fight and a battle of good vs. evil leads to them learning the truth of their existence and their importance to the future of civilization.
My synopsis sounds far more rousing than the film ended up being. I definitely wasn't bored, but I did randomly find myself analyzing the movie instead of watching it, which is not a good sign ever. The story never dove deep enough for me to really get into it. There are two kinds of apocalyptic movies: the kind that Roland Emmerich makes and those that are more like 12 Monkeys or Children of Men. 9 definitely wasn't The Day After Tomorrow, but it also wasn't Children of Men. It was more an outline than a full script.
For nearly the first hour of the movie, I felt like the story was building up to something bigger and grander that was going to have the massive moral impact by the end. Yet, when the truth about the monster machine is revealed, I felt like I'd fallen into an explanation of Terminator. Then when we finally learn why 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 exist, I feel a little let down--not by the reveal, but by the payoff.
I wanted to care more about these little rag doll people. They get hurt, they die. They sacrifice, but I'm just not invested enough in them to really care too much. Director Shane Acker wrote and directed 9, the Oscar-nominated short film in 2005. The short caught the attention of Tim Burton and voila, a feature was made.
After watching the short, I can definitely see the appeal of making it into a feature. There's so much opportunity to tell more story and create fuller characters. Even though the feature 9 did tell more story, the character development falls flat.
My verdict? It's worth seeing on the big screen for the beautiful visuals, but don't get your hopes up for a really strong story.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Sweet Adventure
The summer is packed with popcorn movies filled with explosions, huge special effects, and so-so acting. But stuck in there are some smaller movies to give you a break from the flash and bang of the big boys. Away We Go is one of those small movies. And even though I'm still saying Star Trek has been the best summer movie (closely followed by The Hangover), Away We Go is not to be missed.
It's beautiful, thoughtful, funny, and quite touching. All those naysayers out there who didn't like it obviously didn't get the memo about the quirky indie road movie. Yes, just like with romantic comedies, it follows a pattern--a couple goes on a trip and meet strange wacky people along the way. After the trip, they have a profound moment and are happier and better for the experience. What's important about a movie like this are the characters. You want to believe them and believe in them. John Krasinki and Maya Rudolph, as Burt and Verona, are like real people that you want to have coffee with and offer a shoulder to cry on.
Burt and Verona are an expectant couple in search of a new place to put down roots and raise their daughter. In trying places close to family or friends, they make new connections to one another, find out new and interesting things about the people they know, and, of course, find out more about each other.
Like all road movies, the couple has run-ins with the weird and weirder. The best encounter is with Maggie Gyllenhaal's LN (yeah, it "Ellen"). The woman is a natural mom who doesn't believe in secrets or strollers. She's crazy and scary and so hilarious, I think I cried a little bit.
The most heartbreaking encounter is with Munch and Tom Garnett (Melanie Lynskey and Chris Messina), college friends of Burt and Verona. I won't reveal why it's so heartbreaking, but you'll probably put two and two together as the sequence unfolds. Have you ever had a moment in a movie where you've been so involved that you feel like your best friend just went through something horrible? Well, I had that moment in this movie...in that scene. It felt like someone stuck a knife in my gut and just twisted it. I know that sounds awful, but that's how great the characters are. They are real people on that screen, and I felt for them whole-heartedly.
Director Sam Mendes has a true knack for getting exceptional performances out of people.
John Krasinki and Maya Rudolph are both excellent. I didn't see a glimmer of "Jim" from The Office or any of Rudolph's wacky SNL characters. They have great chemistry, and I found myself smiling with them throughout the movie.
This is not by any means a big budget must-see-in-theatres movie. But I always urge everyone to see the small films in theatres. It's always good to show your support to the quiet ones as well as the big explosion big guys who reign supreme this time of year.
It's beautiful, thoughtful, funny, and quite touching. All those naysayers out there who didn't like it obviously didn't get the memo about the quirky indie road movie. Yes, just like with romantic comedies, it follows a pattern--a couple goes on a trip and meet strange wacky people along the way. After the trip, they have a profound moment and are happier and better for the experience. What's important about a movie like this are the characters. You want to believe them and believe in them. John Krasinki and Maya Rudolph, as Burt and Verona, are like real people that you want to have coffee with and offer a shoulder to cry on.
Burt and Verona are an expectant couple in search of a new place to put down roots and raise their daughter. In trying places close to family or friends, they make new connections to one another, find out new and interesting things about the people they know, and, of course, find out more about each other.Like all road movies, the couple has run-ins with the weird and weirder. The best encounter is with Maggie Gyllenhaal's LN (yeah, it "Ellen"). The woman is a natural mom who doesn't believe in secrets or strollers. She's crazy and scary and so hilarious, I think I cried a little bit.
The most heartbreaking encounter is with Munch and Tom Garnett (Melanie Lynskey and Chris Messina), college friends of Burt and Verona. I won't reveal why it's so heartbreaking, but you'll probably put two and two together as the sequence unfolds. Have you ever had a moment in a movie where you've been so involved that you feel like your best friend just went through something horrible? Well, I had that moment in this movie...in that scene. It felt like someone stuck a knife in my gut and just twisted it. I know that sounds awful, but that's how great the characters are. They are real people on that screen, and I felt for them whole-heartedly.
Director Sam Mendes has a true knack for getting exceptional performances out of people.
John Krasinki and Maya Rudolph are both excellent. I didn't see a glimmer of "Jim" from The Office or any of Rudolph's wacky SNL characters. They have great chemistry, and I found myself smiling with them throughout the movie.
This is not by any means a big budget must-see-in-theatres movie. But I always urge everyone to see the small films in theatres. It's always good to show your support to the quiet ones as well as the big explosion big guys who reign supreme this time of year.
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