Into the Wild

2007. Written and directed by Sean Penn, based on the book by Jon Krakauer. Starring Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook, Catherine Keener, Brian Dierker, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Kristen Stewart, and Vince Vaughn.

Chris McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch) is a college graduate who is finished playing by the rules. He discards his wealth (from his very wealthy parents) and leaves everything and everyone behind on a journey into nature and the wilderness. The character is convincingly played by Hirsch and an interesting enough creation to keep you involved. The movie itself seemed to go on too long and the flexible timeline structure was a distraction to me.

My grade: B

Seven Chances

1925. Silent. Directed by and starring Buster Keaton.

The gag in Seven Chances is stretched a little too long (including running back to Mary's house with a bridal riot in tow). It is Buster Keaton and that is enough to make it enjoyable but it would not be one of his best movies even before you factor in poor racial stereotyping (including a man who I assume to be in black face).

The two short films are actually much better. Brady preferred The Balloonatic, which was very good. The gem, however, is Neighbors. It involves feuding neighbors whose children fall in love. The hole in the fence bit at the beginning is great and it is filled with terrific gags and clever moments throughout. A spectacular short film.

Seven Chances: B
The Balloonatic: B+
Neighbors: A

Juno

2007. Directed by Jason Reitman. Written by Diablo Cody. Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, J.K. Simmons, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, and Allison Janney.

"That ain't no etch-a-sketch. This is one doodle that can't be un-did, homeskillet."

When I first saw the previews for Juno, I thought it looked like a fun, little film that would be worth checking out on DVD. Then Oscar season rolled around and Juno turned into a huge deal. My initial assessment is closer to the mark for me. Juno is fun, warm, enjoyable, and certainly offbeat. The dialogue constantly borders between clever and trying too hard (though I have the quote above really grew on me). Michael Cera and Ellen Page deliver their roles well and J.K. Simmons is great as Juno's dad. Is is worth watching? Certainly. Did it deserve a spot in the best picture nominations? Not even close.

My grade: B

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

2008. Directed by Andrew Adamson. Screenplay by Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely based on the novel by C.S. Lewis. Starring Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, and Peter Dinklage.

Vince and I have seen quite a few movies together, but it had been awhile. We finally made it out to this latest installment of The Chronicles of Narnia. I was not disappointed. It is fun, tender, and exciting. I could easily see myself watching both this and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe again several times. It should be a fun journey for my kids to take as well when they are old enough to handle the violence that comes with it. I didn't understand everything that was going on, but that didn't stop my enjoyment. I thought it faltered a little near the end once Aslan enters the film. Still, it is a terrific experience full of imagination and excitement.

My grade: A-

In the Valley of Elah

2007. Written and directed by Paul Haggis. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jason Patric, Susan Sarandon, and Josh Brolin.

I have many movies to catch up on, so many these will not be very lengthy reviews. I just finished watching In the Valley of Elah a couple days ago. It was about what I expected in that it kept my attention and offered a very good performance by Tommy Lee Jones (though I think he was actually better in No Country for Old Men). It do much for me beyond that. It doesn't seem terribly original just a recycled mesh of ideas from other movies put into the context of a soldier returning home from Iraq. It is far from a bad movie and delivers enough to make it worthwhile if you had planned to see it anyway, but I wouldn't tell you to go out of your way for it. There are both better detective movies and better war movies waiting for you elsewhere.

My grade: B

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

2007. Directed by Sidney Lumet. Written by Kelly Masterson. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, and Amy Ryan.

"May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead."

My last post was in February. Ouch! Sorry for the long layoff. I have been extremely busy and have been struggling to find enough time to sleep, let alone visit my blog. I have watched some films along the way and will try to catch those up in the somewhat near future.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a completely griping ride into the depths of human despair as everything goes completely wrong. It revolves around two brothers who develop a scheme to get themselves some much needed money. Nobody gets hurt - that's the theory anyway - but, of course, that doesn't end up being the reality. The plot takes many convincing and satisfying turns and never ceases to keep you glued to the screen. The acting is terrific: Hoffman, Hawke, Finney, and Tomei all do great work. And Tomei looks better than ever, she is a complete stunner, gorgeous (an added bonus). Sidney Lumet is 73 folks, SEVENTY-THREE, and his timing is perfect, he creates a terrific mood, and he offers good dialogue and a terrific cast. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead will likely end up on my top ten list when I finally get around to making it (hopefully soon).

My grade: A-

Oscar Predictions

As the awards are about to be handed out, I'll finally get around to posting a few predictions. The two easiest predictions of the night should be Javier Bardem and Daniel Day Lewis taking the two best actor trophies (Bardem for supporting). They are virtual locks and they deserve to be; they are both phenominal. Best actresss has the potential for an upset, but I am still expecting Julie Christie to win. I think Cate Blanchett walks away with the best supporting actress trophy for her turn as Bob Dylan in I'm Not There. I expect No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood (my two favorite films of the year) to do very well tonight. I think No Country will win Best Picture (though Juno could upset) and I'm going to go with Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood) as winning Best Director. Those are far from sure things. I think the terrific Ratatouille will win the Best Animated Feature, while No End in Sight may edge out Sicko for Best Documentary. I'm going to go with Michael Clayton for Best Original Screenplay and There Will Be Blood for Best Adapted Screenplay. We'll soon find out.

Rescue Dawn

2007. Written and directed by Werner Herzog. Starring Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, and Toby Huss.

In a performance that is certainly worthy of an Oscar nomination, Christian Bale stars as Lt. Dieter Dengler, a U.S. fighter pilot shot down in Laos during the Vietnam War. He is put into a POW camp and must struggle to survive. Bale creates an interesting, engaging character that is completely convincing. Dengler was a real pilot who did beat the odds and successfully escape from the POW camp. The film is "inspired" by the events and I am unsure of how factual it is. Regardless, it is a good film. The details are terrific, from the guards names (apparently all but one from Dengler's story) to the disgusting but necessary means to survive that the POWs go through. I didn't expect much from Steve Zahn, but he certainly held his own and provided a fine dramatic performance. Bale, however, is the star. He is a fine actor and this is a great performance. Werner Herzog keeps the film moving and interesting.

My grade: A-

Girl With a Pearl Earring

2004. Directed by Peter Webber. Screenplay by Olivia Hetreed based on the novel by Tracy Chealier. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Cillian Murphy, Judy Parfitt, and Essie Davis.

I am ashamed at any reservations I had about seeing this movie. I always felt like it was a movie I should watch but it looked like a movie I would admire more than love. It felt, as some movies do, like homework, so I put it off. Only with the upper generation of my family watching it recently, did it make its way to the top of my Netflix queue. It exceeded any and all expectations I had for it. It is a thrilling movie.

Nothing in Peter Webber's filmography suggests he was ready to make a film so confident and assured. He gets everything right. The mood is perfect. The cinematography is superb. The film moves steadily without ever rushing and takes the time to offer details. There is enough information about 17th century painting to be fascinating but not too much to take away from the drama. It is completely engaging and spellbinding. The cast is terrific. Scarlett Johansson, who is surely one of the finest actors working today, delivers a tremendous performance. Colin Firth is also terrific, doing his best acting when he is unable to speak a word but simply has to listen to his wife or his wealthy buyer. Tom Wilkinson is great, as always, in support.

The film is based on a book, which is based on an actual painting of the same name. It creates speculation as to how this painting came to being. This is the (fictional) back story that culminates in the painting itself. I'm so glad to have finally given this glorious film the chance it deserves.

My grade: A

The nominations are in

Once again, I didn't get around to predicting the Oscar nominations before they happened. Tom, who now feels it is his duty, called me on the phone to share the nominees with me. It was a fun phone call. And for the most part, this seems to be a great group of nominees. I say "seems" because I have seen so little to this point. Instead of predictions, you get some comments.

I'm thrilled by the love for No Country for Old Men and it deserves every bit of it. I'm also so happy that Ratatouille gained five nominations and that Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood received the kind of love that No Country did (it was already my next stop in the theatre). I do have some concerns about Juno and all the acclaim it has received. It looks fun and I think I'll like it, but I'm pretty skeptical that it will be great. It reminds me of last year's Little Miss Sunshine. Enjoyable and fun, but it was - in my opinion, nowhere near the best films of the year. Cate Blanchett is a double-nominee - that makes me happy. My boy, as Tom accurately calls him, Phillip Seymour Hoffman's got another nomination - again I smile. I'm pleased for Viggo Mortensen but disappointed (as I expected to be) that Armin Mueller-Stahl (in a masterful performance) wasn't also nominated for Eastern Promises. Michael Moore has another nomination - see they do make me happy.

Now I just need to see some more movies.

Heath Ledger

My clock radio awoke me this morning to people talking. I was about to hit snooze and delight in another nine minutes of sleep, when I realized they were talking about Heath Ledger and it didn't sound good. I was pretty sure he was dead, perhaps even suicide from what they were saying. Nothing is all that clear when I first wake up in the morning, so I verified what I had heard. We did lose Heath Ledger, perhaps accidental overdose of sleeping pills, and that is certainly a loss to the film community. Heath started off in films that left me paying little attention but then took a great, supporting role in Monster's Ball. He showed tremendous depth in a superb performance in Brokeback Mountain, which will now stand as his greatest work. It is a sad day in the film world.

La Vie en Rose

2007. Directed by Olivier Dahan. Written by Olivier Dahan and Isabelle Sobelman. Starring Marion Cotillard.

Inside La Vie en Rose you'll find a wonderful performance by Marion Cotillard. She finds the soul and life of her character: French singer and strong-willed Edith Piaf. We see her rise from very humble beginnings (not really being wanted by either parent, she ends up with her grandma in a brothel) through sudden success as a singer. Even this success is not the end, she is pushed and pulled in different directions as she tries to expand her craft. The movie itself feels extremely long and it drags quite a bit at times, but the performance is absolutely terrific. She deservedly received an Oscar nomination yesterday and she would be a worthy winner. We follow Piaf from child until a time when she is past her prime. Health has made her look older than she is, and frailer than she should be - but she refuses to give up. See it for the performance.

My grade: B

Away From Her

2007. Written and directed by Sarah Polley, based on the Short Story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" by Alice Munro. Starring Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent, and Olympia Dukakis.

Sarah Polley, an impressive young actress, is now an Oscar-nominated writer and has made her directorial debut. It is a confident film that many love. I liked it. There are great moments played out mainly in the face of Gordon Pinsent as Grant, a man who loves his wife very much but has to watch her mind slip from her as Alzheimer's sets in. I have never been a big Julie Christie fan, but she does a good job with this character (gaining an Oscar nomination in the process). Pinsent is just as good, and I think his performance is just as difficult. Christie's face, gripped by Alzheimer's, is often free of deep emotion, but Pinsent's face carries the emotions of the film. It is a quiet film that moves along slowly, but it exists in powerful moments. My involvement came and went. It didn't grip me completely, but it was an honest and thoughtful depiction of how life can change completely when you least expect it.

My grade: B

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie

2008. Directed by Mike Nawrocki. Written by Phil Vischer. Featuring the voices of Mike Nawrocki and Phil Vischer.


The four of us took advantage of the unusual chance to see the VeggieTales in the big, dark theatre. This is only the second VeggieTales movie and we weren't fans yet when Jonah hit the theatre. We are now full-blown VeggieTale fanatics. We love the dvds. They are extremely witty, model great values, and are a lot of fun. Another thing I have come to love is the way the characters act as a theatre troupe. The same characters appear and play out different roles and I actually enjoy the familiarity of Mr. Lunt and Larry taking on new roles.

The movie was a fairly uninspired, elongated show - with the Bible completely removed. There are still good morals in the movie (the definition of what makes a hero at the end was fairly moving). There are many better episodes available on dvd, and while Pirates is enjoyable enough, it is hard to justify this as the one they chose to make into a full-length movie. There is more wit in many of the 30 minute episodes. Another disappointment was the theatre troupe wasn't at full strength. I don't mind a new acting vegetable every now and then, but where was Junior Asparagus, perhaps the most lovable VeggieTale? And why is Bob the Tomato so seldom used anymore (he gets only a brief second at the end of the movie)? Mr. Nezzer the Pickle is gone as is Junior's dad. Jimmy and Jerry Gourd have insignificant roles. And they aren't replaced with any characters worth remembering. As you'll see below, though, the kids loved it. Normally dad loves them just as much, but this time I was disappointed.

My grade: B-

Brady's comments (5 year old): "Who made that movie? They were like the awesomest movie makers! That was the best movie I ever saw." His favorite characters: The cheesepuffs.

Spencer's comments (3 year old): "That was fun!" His favorite characters: The rock monsters and the cheesepuffs.

Superbad

1997. Directed by Greg Mottola. Written by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg. Starring Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, and Seth Rogan.

"Stay calm, okay? Let's not lose our heads. It's... it's a fine ID; it'll... it's gonna work. It's passable, okay? This isn't terrible. I mean, it's up to you, Fogell. This guy is either gonna think 'Here's another kid with a fake ID' or 'Here's McLovin, a 25 year-old Hawaiian organ donor'."

Judd Apatow had a large hand in two films this past year and as one or both of them start showing up on critic’s top ten lists, the question arises as to which is the better, or at least more fun, experience. I enjoyed both but neither lived up to my hopes; nor will either find their way to my top ten list. Like Knocked Up, Superbad is darn funny at times. Like Knocked Up, Superbad has stretches were it drags along for awhile. Like Knocked Up, it is a shred of the film that Apatow's 40 Year Old Virgin is. Superbad has perhaps even broader humor than Knocked Up, especially the stuff with the two reckless cops, and that humor can be really funny but even more often it was a little trying on my patience.

Superbad follows two high school best friends as they desperately try to score alcohol in order to impress a couple of female classmates and try to get them into bed. They have a third friend, the prototypical nerd, who gets a fake id - with the hilarious one-word name "McLovin." They want to use him to get the alcohol, and even really like him, but they are fairly sure that his presence on this important night won't help them win over the ladies.

Superbad is fun, and even laugh-out-loud funny at times, but it isn't a consistent high. The laughs come and go. It is rude, crude, and broad humor. Use your best judgement.

My grade: B

Eastern Promises

2007. Directed by David Cronenberg. Screenplay by Steven Knight. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Vincent Cassel.

"Sometimes birth and death go together."

Viggo Mortensen has risen to the rank of movie star, one critics and audiences alike can celebrate. His quiet, confident, Russian-accented, and bold (the much discussed steam bath fight in the buff) turn as Nikolai may be deserving of an Oscar nomination. I'll have to see a few more films before I'm willing to say with certainty that it is among the top five leading male performances. I am, however, ready to cement Armin Mueller-Stahl's place as deserving of a supporting actor nomination. I had actually forgotten about him. He is a very fine character actor. He received a supporting actor Oscar nomination for his work in Shine, but that was 1996 and I have seen little of him since. I didn't even realize it was him until the end credits. Mueller-Stahl plays the head of a Russian crime family in London, but he plays him with tenderness and quiet charm masking the violence he effortlessly commands. It is easy to see how Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife who looks for the family of a newborn whose mother died giving birth, could give him a small portion of trust, just enough to pull her inescapably in before she begins to realize what she is getting involved in.

David Cronenberg's last film was also a collaboration with Mortensen, the brilliant A History of Violence. Eastern Promises isn't its equal but it is a worthy follow-up. There are moments of shockingly brutal and effective violence, the steam bath scene and a pair of neck slicings, done with great style by Cronenberg. As in Violence, the film grabbed me early and kept me interested throughout. The acting is terrific with Vincent Cassell as the hothead son, Watts doing well in perhaps an underwritten role, and then those two potential Oscar nominees. There is a moment where Mueller-Stahl pauses to demonstrate to two young girls how to make a violin cry that is just perfect. The ending, which has disappointed some, is abrupt, but I think it says what we need to know.

My grade: A-

Knocked Up

2007. Written and directed by Judd Apatow. Starring Katherine Heigl, Seth Rogan, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, and Harold Ramis.

"I wish I liked anything as much as my kids like bubbles."

Knocked Up is funny but, for me, it wasn't the laugh-all-the-way-through funny of The 40 Year Old Virgin. The highs not only aren't as high as Apatow's previous film, but they aren't as consistent either. The odd match itself - the beautiful, successful, fairly mature character played by Heigl and the crude, foul, lazy, immature one played by Seth Rogan - is a pretty hard pill to swallow. Not only does the initial drunken incident seem far fetched but there are so many moments early on where it just seems like Heigl's Allison would walk away and not look back. Some of the humor comes off as mean, like the comments about one of the roommates' increasing facial hair. Now, like I mentioned, it is funny. I laughed. I laughed a good bit. I was just hoping for more. Like Virgin, it is crude and foul-mouthed but has a good overall message (this time: the value of gaining responsibility). I'm glad I watched it, but next time I'm in the mood for Apatow's brand of comedy, I'll simply through Virgin in the dvd player.

My grade: B

Casino Royale

2006. Directed by Martin Campbell. Screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis based on the novel by Ian Fleming. Starring Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, and Giancarlo Giannini.

"Vodka-martini." "Shaken or stirred?" "Do I look like I give a damn?"

I never got into James Bond. I tried From Russia With Love and thought it was okay but it didn’t excite me. I saw part of one with Pierce Brosnan as Bond and thought it was fairly ridiculous. So I never went back until now. Casino Royale seemed different; and it was. It was cool, fun, and exciting without being corny or cheesy. It was filled with action, including an amazing chase sequence high in the air, but it was also filled with intelligence and interesting characters. There were some hot women, but they weren’t merely decoration as it seems some Bond girls have been. They served the story. One of them, in fact, was the second most important character in the film. Daniel Craig does an excellent job taking over as 007. I was engrossed and enjoyed myself throughout. This Bond I’d be happy to follow to another sequel.

My grade: A-