FilmFather

The Great Bear (2011)

2012-01-31T11:58:00.002-05:00

IN CASE IT NEEDS TO BE SAID, great animated films don’t always come from Pixar, Disney, DreamWorks, or Blue Sky Studios. Sometimes they don’t even come from America (i.e. Japan’s Studio Ghibli, home of legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki).

If The Great Bear is any indication, we might soon be looking at Denmark as a future hotbed of well-crafted animated storytelling. The film follows big brother Jonathan (Markus Rygaard) and little sister Sophie (Alberte Blichfeldt) as they visit their grand-dad (Elith Nulle Nykjær) at his home in the woods next to The Great Forest. Grand-Dad warns the kids never to enter The Great Forest because “it’s full of strange animals,” including The Great Bear – a gigantic brown bear (we’re talking stories high) with a forest of trees growing out of its back. When Sophie mistakenly enters The Great Forest and vanishes, Jonathan goes in after her, crossing paths with a lone hunter (Flemming Quist Møller) who’s determined to kill the bear after it demolished his village.

Comparisons of The Great Bear to Miyazaki’s classic My Neighbor Totoro are fair: Both feature a pair of bickering siblings who discover magical creatures in a neighboring forest. To that extent, The Great Bear is My Neighbor Totoro’s rougher, tougher older brother. There’s danger, gunplay, and more perilous action in Jonathan and Sophie’s adventures, which has them encountering such surreal creatures as a herd of miniature moose, comical blackbirds, and frogs that bring rain when you make them croak.

Then there’s The Great Bear himself, an ursine behemoth and a masterwork of CGI animation. Yet despite his gargantuan girth, Jonathan soon learns what Sophie’s known all along: The only thing monstrous about the bear is his size. He’s actually a gentle giant who only lashes out when provoked or threatened. Jonathan then stops trying to rescue Sophie from The Great Bear and starts helping her protect him from the determined hunter.

With The Great Bear, first-time feature film director Esben Toft Jacobsen mines the many strengths of CGI animation to create a rich, deep, captivating experience, just like Miyazaki did with Totoro’s gorgeous 2-D animation nearly 25 years ago. Jacobsen’s film features beautiful, fantastic scenery, plus a distinct European style of animation that may seem slightly different (and a bit less refined) than what American audiences are used to.

A hit at international film festivals, The Great Bear touches all the sweet spots that a children’s film should: friendship, loyalty, adventure, and love for all living things. Sadly, it has yet to find a U.S. distributor. If you or anyone you know can help distribute The Great Bear in America, contact the filmmakers and let them know. This film deserves an audience here in the States.

Danish, with English dubbing.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

The Great Bear is not rated, but does have some violence/scariness: Jonathan tells Sophie scary stories about The Great Bear; he slaps her when she calls him “dumb;” he falls in a hole and gets a bloody wound on his wrist; he follows drops of blood to locate the bear after the hunter shoots him; and he pulls a bullet from a wound in the bear’s mouth. The size and growls of The Great Bear may be scary to very small children. The hunter gets scarier and more violent as the film progresses: He shoots into a cave, nearly hitting Jonathan; he shoots at the bear multiple times, hitting him once in the mouth and causing Sophie to plummet from the top of the bear’s head to the ground; he calls Sophie a “little brat,” takes her away from Jonathan, and locks her in a closet in his cabin; he crushes one of the blackbirds in his hand (we’re to believe it’s dead); he sets fire to the forest to flush out the bear; when Jonathan tries to stop him from shooting the bear, the hunter hits Jonathan in the face with the butt of his gun, knocking him to the ground; in the finale, he shoots the bear again, this time in the back. Also in the finale, someone is killed by a falling boulder; the screen cuts to black upon the impact. The only questionable language is Sophie calling Jonathan “dumb” and, when Jonathan says he smells something funny, she asks, “Did you fart?” 8 years and older is probably the appropriate age for viewing.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

If she’s a fan of animated films and magical storytelling, and can handle animals and children being put in peril along the way, she’ll surely enjoy The Great Bear.

Don’t even think of asking me if I want a pic-a-nic basket.

The Great Bear trailer:

The Great Bear
* Director: Esben Toft Jacobsen
* Screenwriters: Jannik Tai Mosholt, Esben Toft Jacobsen
* Stars: Markus Rygaard, Flemming Quist Møller, Alberte Blichfeldt, Elith Nulle Nykjær
* MPAA Rating: N/A

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)

2012-01-23T15:14:00.020-05:00

I VAGUELY REMEMBER the kids cartoon The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius airing on Nickelodeon during its 2002-2006 run. But since my boys were born in ’03 and ’06, any TV time offered to them would have been in the more appropriate worlds of PBS Kids or Disney Junior (nee Playhouse Disney).

However, my wife came home recently from our local Once Upon a Child with a near-mint copy of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, the movie that begat the TV series. It follows the antics of Jimmy (Debi Derryberry), an inventive and occasionally mischievous young boy in the town of Retroville, where he lives with his doofus dad (Mark DeCarlo), strict mom (Megan Cavanagh), and trusty robot dog Goddard. All day, every day, Jimmy comes up with outlandish inventions and contraptions, including a communications device that lets him talk with unknown life forms in outer space.

Unfortunately, one of Jimmy’s conversations launches an alien invasion of Retroville, with the parents of the town being kidnapped as part of a ritual sacrifice. Initially, Jimmy and the kids of Retroville are thrilled that that are no more parents to tell them what to do. But when they soon realize that they really do need their parents in their lives, the kids – led by Jimmy and his friends – head to the alien planet to rescue their moms and dads and bring them home.

There’s rarely a dull moment in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius – whether it’s Jimmy causing chaos with his inventions, or the kids of Retroville arriving on the aliens’ home planet to do battle and bring back their parents. (There’s an especially exciting sequence as Jimmy and the kids turn the rides of their town carnival into spaceships to go battle the aliens.) Yet director and co-writer Jon A. Davis keeps the action from getting too overwhelming, while offering just enough character depth to make you care for everyone involved, even Jimmy’s classmate and nemesis, Cindy (Carolyn Lawrence). Also, the underlying message of not chatting with unseen strangers – which is what Jimmy does, causing the aliens to invade – definitely has a parallel to the Internet safety we preach to our children.

The film also features a pretty rockin’ soundtrack, with covers of classic songs by Thomas Dolby, Kim Wilde, and The Ramones, plus original songs by Aaron Carter and N*SYNC (hey, it was 2001; those guys were popular at the time).

If your kids like the Disney Channel show Phineas & Ferb (also featuring overachieving kids making wacky inventions), they’ll probably enjoy Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. It has continuous action, peppy dialogue…oh, let’s be real: It’s about a smart kid who makes cool inventions, owns a robot dog, and travels to outer space to battle aliens. What kid wouldn’t be intrigued by a combo like that?

Rating:

What did Dash and
Jack-Jack think?

Both boys really got a kick out of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. They were caught up in the action sequences, and – like any young boy – laughed at many of the jokes involving bodily functions (see some examples below).

Is it suitable for your kids?

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is rated G, but there’s content that some parents may find objectionable…

Language: The following are said by different children: “barf,” “dweeb,” “nerd,” “got their butts kicked,” and “kick some alien buttocks.” There are also passing mentions of constipation, puberty, and a bachelor party.
Humor: The film has its share of scatological humor: Goddard, Jimmy’s robotic dog, poops out nuts and bolts in one scene; an abducted father is sitting on the toilet when the aliens beam him up to their spaceship; one kid declares, “I’m peeing in the shower!” as he is shown from the waist up; the word “POOP” is shown as graffiti on a school statue; and several characters, including Jimmy’s parents, go into belching fits after drinking some of Jimmy’s specially created soda. Dad even says, “At least it’s coming out of the attic and not the basement!”
Behavior: Bad-boy Nick (Candi Milo) encourages Jimmy to sneak out of his parents’ house after bedtime to go to the carnival. Jimmy does in fact sneak out, disobeying his parents’ orders.
Scariness: The idea of aliens kidnapping and eating kids’ parents may be a bit much for very young children (though five-year-old Jack-Jack didn’t seem fazed by it). Also, one of the aliens declares to the children, “Now, you all must die!”

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

If she has no objection to the content described above, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is a film for the whole family to enjoy, FilmMother included.

'Neutron?' Sorry, not on the list.

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
* Director: John A. Davis
* Screenwriters: John A. Davis, David N. Weiss, J. David Stem, Steve Oedekerk
* Stars: Debi Derryberry, Megan Cavanagh, Mark DeCarlo, Jeffrey Garcia, Carolyn Lawrence, Andrea Martin, Candi Milo, Martin Short, Patrick Stewart
* MPAA Rating: G

Rent Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius from Netflix >>

Tales from the Script (2009)

2012-01-17T12:17:00.017-05:00

DURING HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH for his honorary Oscar at the 2001 Academy Awards, legendary screenwriter Ernest Lehman (North by Northwest, West Side Story) said, “I accept this rarest of honors on behalf of screenwriters everywhere…we have suffered anonymity far too often…please always bear in mind that a film production begins and ends with a screenplay.”

After watching director Peter Hanson’s documentary, Tales from the Script, it’s debatable whether Lehman’s plea has ever been considered. Featuring interviews with dozens of screenwriters – including William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver), Shane Black (Lethal Weapon), Guinevere Turner (American Psycho), John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing), and Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist) – the film pounds home the painful truth to those who don’t know it: While the screenplay may seem critical to a film’s creation, screenwriting is arguably the most put-upon, degraded, and ultimately discarded profession in Hollywood. “An abused entity,” as Ghost scribe Bruce Joel Rubin puts it.

Of course, Hanson’s aware that people like to hear other people’s war stories, and that’s what makes Tales from the Script so engaging. Nearly every experience the screenwriters discuss has significant amounts of hardship or heartbreak. The fact that these people create stories for a living makes the tales they tell even more compelling.

But the film isn’t just a bunch of screenwriters lamenting their trade. They offer advice on a myriad of topics: how to deal with producers, directors, and actors; the screenwriter’s role on a movie set (spoiler alert: there isn’t one); and how to cope when your script or project is taken away from you (“Learn to love it,” Carpenter says wryly).

While Tales from the Script is largely about the harsh reality of being a screenwriter in Hollywood – bad pitch meetings, disingenuous agents, endless rejections, moronic “notes” from studio execs – it does have occasional bright spots. Hearing how some of these established screenwriters got their big break is fascinating, and Justin Zackham’s story of how he wrote The Bucket List (and got it made with Rob Reiner, Morgan Freeman, and Jack Nicholson) is probably the most inspiring story in the film.

If it’s not already, Tales from the Script should be required viewing for all film school students and aspiring screenwriters. Because much like Tales from the Crypt – the horror series from which this film cribs its name – the life of a screenwriter can often be scary, and sometimes downright terrifying.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Tales from the Script is not rated, but does contain about two dozen profanities, including several F-bombs. There are also a couple of brief scenes of gore from the film BloodRayne. 13 and older would probably be the appropriate age for viewing.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

She would probably find it pretty interesting. And it’s not all just male screenwriters – Hanson also has several female screenwriters telling their stories, including a doozy by Guinevere Turner and her experience writing a script for Z-list director Uwe Boll (the aforementioned BloodRayne).

Tales from the Script
* Director: Peter Hanson
* Screenwriters: Peter Hanson, Paul Robert Herman
* Stars: Scores of screenwriters
* MPAA Rating: N/A

Rent Tales from the Script from Netflix >>

We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)

2012-01-06T14:35:00.024-05:00

WE SEE IT WAY TOO OFTEN: A school shooting where students die at the hands of one of their classmates. We eventually learn more about the killer – what he was like, if there were any warning signs, etc. – but what about the parents of such a child? What life is left to live after the kid you raised is responsible for a mass killing?

That’s the premise for director Lynne Ramsay’s grim and unsettling We Need To Talk About Kevin, as we follow Eva (Tilda Swinton) while she tries to rebuild her life after her son Kevin kills several classmates at his high school with a bow and arrow.

A former high-profile writer and traveler, Eva now works at a two-bit travel agency, consumes large amounts of wine and pills to dull the pain, and lives in a tiny, beat-down home that, as the film opens, has been splattered with red paint by vandals. As Eva struggles with her daily existence, we’re shown flashbacks of how she went from carefree newlywed to bearing and raising Kevin – a cold, emotionless, hurtful child played at different ages by Rock Duer (toddler), Jasper Newell (gradeschooler), and Ezra Miller (teen).

Each scenario in We Need To Talk About Kevin is more unsettling and disturbing than the previous one. Ramsey and co-writer/husband Rory Kinnear make each interaction between Eva and Kevin uncomfortable, pitiful, or downright heartbreaking, and any occasional glimmer of hope for these two to form a true mother-son bond is quickly dashed by the next scene.

The performances in Kevin are top caliber. Swinton is in virtually every scene, yet barely speaks (her total dialogue is 30 minutes, tops); her expressions and body language are what speak for Eva, and in volumes. The always reliable John C. Reilly plays Eva’s pushover, all-is-well husband Franklin, who’s more of a buddy to Kevin than a father and oblivious to how Kevin treats Eva. Ezra Miller is creepily effective as teen Kevin, combining adolescent attitude with a dead-behind-the-eyes stare that gets under your skin and stays there. And while the plot of the film is pinned on Kevin’s high school rampage, it’s his years as a gradeschooler that are the most terrifying. Jasper Newell delivers a scarily realistic performance as a child who’s become a cruel, sadistic sociopath by the age of eight.

Ramsey’s use of red permeates the film, seen in everything from food and clothing to the flooding lights of emergency vehicles at the scene of Kevin’s massacre. And while Eva’s ongoing struggle to clean the blood-red paint off her porch may seem a bit too symbolic, it almost becomes its own subplot. We want to see if, both literally and metaphorically, Eva can ever cleanse herself from what happened with Kevin – or if she’ll be permanently stained, forever marked as the mom who’s kid killed his classmates.

Kevin does have its debits. Occasionally, Miller’s portrayal of the evil Kevin teeters on caricature. Some “tell-tale signs” of Kevin's penchant for violence – a fascination with weapons, killing the family pet – could be seen as a bit cliché. And the ending may have some viewers wanting more of an explanation or closure.

With We Need To Talk About Kevin, Lynne Ramsey creates one of the most gripping, unnerving horror/thrillers in recent history. It’s extremely powerful, yet very difficult to watch. That goes double if you’re a parent.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

We Need To Talk About Kevin is rated R for “disturbing violence and behavior, some sexuality, and language.” There are several scenes of the aftermath of Kevin’s attack at his high school, with bloody bodies carried out on stretchers. Several people, including a young child, are shown dead by Kevin’s arrows. A few sexual situations are shown in shadows or silhouette, except for one fully lit scene where Eva catches Kevin in a compromising position in the bathroom. In terms of alcohol and drugs, Eva consumes a lot of wine and pills. Ironically, teenagers about Kevin's age and older would be the appropriate audience.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

It’s a safe bet that We Need To Talk About Kevin will be a tough film for any mother to watch, especially one with young or teenage children. You might want to watch it yourself, then decide if she’d be up for it.

We Need To Talk About Kevin
* Director: Lynne Ramsey
* Screenwriters: Lynne Ramsey, Rory Kinnear
* Stars: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell
* MPAA Rating: R

Rent We Need To Talk About Kevin from Netflix >>

Congrats to the winner of theAlvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwreckedprize pack!

2012-01-01T10:45:00.007-05:00

And...

The winner is...

Alvin Chao!

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest!

The Green Slime (1969)

2011-12-22T08:08:00.003-05:00

WATCHING BAD MOVIES CAN BE FUN. If a movie has the right combination of poor elements, it can be a blast to sit through. (I taught Dash about this with Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.)

So when I saw that the long-heralded bad movie The Green Slime was airing on Turner Classic Movies (on the heels of a remastered DVD last year), I decided to see if it was possible to have a good time with this supposedly horrible flick.

Plot:
With a giant asteroid heading toward Earth, a group of astronauts led by Commanders Jack Rankin (Robert Horton) and Vince Elliott (Richard Jaeckel) disembark from a nearby space station to blow it up (sound familiar?). The mission is successful, but they return to the station unknowingly bringing back a gooey green substance that mutates into one-eyed tentacled monsters that feed off electricity. Soon the station is crawling with them, and members of the station’s staff are being zapped by the giant creatures.

Critique:

The Green Slime opens with an effective, mysterious shot of space – one that’s immediately marred as an obviously miniature space station comes into frame, orbiting in fits and starts as if the effects person who's spinning it is getting a wrist cramp.

Things don’t get any better from there. The film’s first 30 minutes, focusing on the destruction of the asteroid threatening Earth, features long stretches of dead silence as our heroes make their journey. No dialogue, no sound effects, not even a musical score. This is probably why I fell asleep three different times trying to get past this opening sequence.

Things go from painfully dull to laughably bad once the asteroid is destroyed. The biggest offender is the film’s special effects, including:

Set pieces that often make The Green Slime feel like a Godzilla movie without Godzilla
Rocket ships that look like something from a kid’s backyard launcher, or maybe the old Thunderbirds show
Our heroes “floating” in space, obviously suspended by wires
The titular green slime – gooey blobs brought to life by air bladders and the type of reverse film effect usually reserved for such high art as the Purina Cat Chow commercials

When we finally see the creatures that are spawned by the green slime, they’re revealed to be rubber-suited, hulking green beings who walk upright, have wavy tentacles and a giant red eye, and sound like baby ducklings stuck in an echo chamber.

If the effects aren’t bad enough to torpedo The Green Slime, other aspects of the film provide the additional ammo to sink it:

A ridiculous script with lines like, “Since that’s the way it is, let’s be sure that’s the way it is.”
Random goofs, such as a gaping wound in Jack’s arm that mysteriously disappears (or rapidly heals) by the next scene later in the day
Realizing they can’t shoot the aliens for fear of their spilled blood turning into more aliens, the crew resorts to – I’m not making this up – shoving hospital beds at the creatures and throwing helmets at them. (After that, they break out the heavy artillery: flashlights and flood lamps.)

The Green Slime was shot in Tokyo by Japanese director Kinji Fukasaku, who knew very little English and relied on a translator to give direction (many of the extras were American GIs from local military bases). It’s hard to believe he would go from directing this debacle to helming the Japanese sequences of the highly acclaimed Pearl Harbor film Tora! Tora! Tora! the very next year, after legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa was fired. Fukasaku also went on to direct the cult classic (and precursor to The Hunger Games) Battle Royale.

There are good bad movies, and there are bad bad movies. Despite occasional moments of cheese-tastic hilarity, The Green Slime lands largely in the latter category.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

The Green Slime is rated G, but it’s a “’60s G” in that the newly created MPAA was less scrutinous about questionable content in its all-ages G rating. Several men are electrocuted to death by the alien creatures; one man falls to his demise, his head splatting blood on impact; and we see the tattered, electrocuted body of one victim. There are also a few profanities, including several “hells” and “bitch” (as in “complain”). Tweens and older is probably the appropriate age.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Highly doubtful. Even if she’s into watching bad movies for fun, there are better choices than The Green Slime.

Fall in love with the groovy, out-of-place, deliciously awful theme song:

The Green Slime
* Director: Kinji Fukasaku
* Screenwriters: Bill Finger, Tom Rowe, Charles Sinclair
* Stars: Robert Horton, Richard Jaeckel, Luciana Paluzzi, Bud Widom, Ted Gunther
* MPAA Rating: G

Win a prize pack from the new movie Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked!

2011-12-14T11:58:00.003-05:00

YOU COULD WIN a prize pack courtesy of the new movie Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked!

Synopsis:
The vacationing Chipmunks and Chipettes are turning a luxury cruise liner into their personal playground, until they become "chipwrecked" on a remote island. As the 'Munks and Chipettes scheme to find their way home, they accidentally discover their new turf is not as deserted as it seems. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked is rated G (fun for the whole family) and is in theaters nationwide this Friday, December 16th.

One winner will receive:

$25 Fandango Gift Card
Alvin and The Chipmunks and Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel on DVD

How to Enter:
Comment on this post by December 29, 2011. I will then pick one comment at random and post the winner soon after. (The winner will have to e-mail me their mailing address to receive their prize pack.)

Rules:

You must have a link to your e-mail address on your Blogger profile page. If not, you must provide your e-mail address in your comment.
Prize pack is available to United States mailing addresses only.

Good luck!

L.A. Confidential (1997)

2011-12-08T10:55:00.023-05:00

IF SOMEONE TOLD YOU they were making a movie about police corruption in 1950s Los Angeles, starring two unknown Australian actors, and directed by the guy who did The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, would you believe it would win two Oscars and turn out to be one of the best films ever made?

Plot:
Against the background of 1950s Los Angeles, L.A. Confidential intertwines stories of police corruption, the battle for control of the L.A. underworld, a mass shooting in a late-night café, and a pimp who has his prostitutes surgically altered to look like famous Hollywood starlets.

Critique:

It shouldn’t have worked. A period piece, two virtually unknown foreigners as the leads, and half a dozen plotlines running concurrently over a span of nearly two and a half hours. Yet L.A. Confidential is one of those rare instances when all the elements come together to create, without hyperbole, a modern masterpiece.

From the performances of the actors (perfectly cast by the legendary Mali Finn), to director Curtis Hanson’s vision of the L.A. of yesteryear (he’s a lifelong Angelino), to the Oscar-winning script by Hanson and Brian Helgeland (brilliantly pared down and adapted from James Ellroy’s mammoth book), to the infectious soundtrack (mixing standards and Jerry Goldsmith’s score), to Ruth Myers’ costume design, all the pieces of L.A. Confidential connect masterfully into one perfect, ambitious puzzle.

In terms of the performances: Yes, Kim Basinger’s Oscar-winning performance as high-end call girl Lynn Bracken is good and worthy of recognition, but it’s hardly the best performance. It doesn’t even come in second or third. She’s trumped by a top-tier ensemble cast that includes:

Russell Crowe, who’s brutish Bud White has a deep-rooted issue with criminals who abuse women
Guy Pearce as clean-cut Edmund Exley, who won’t step outside the law to deliver justice, but learns how to work the system
James Cromwell as police captain Dudley Smith, who questions Exley’s abilities to go above the law to stop criminals and get confessions
Kevin Spacey as slick detective Jack Vincennes, who thoroughly enjoys his gig as advisor on Badge of Honor, the hottest cop show on TV
Danny DeVito as Sid Hudgens, publisher of the scandal magazine Hush-Hush, who’s always looking for an angle or scoop
David Straithairn as Pierce M. Patchett, a respected businessman and philanthropist who also employs prostitutes who are “cut” to look like movie stars

With L.A. Confidential, Hanson perfectly captures the dichotomy of Los Angeles that exists to this day: The idea of image versus reality. The glitter and fame of Hollywood that masks the city’s seedy, violent underbelly. And a supposedly honorable police force that’s mired in corruption, racism, and brutality. (The fact that Hanson opens and closes the film with Johnny Mercer’s “Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive” is no accident.) It’s a world where polar opposites join forces to help each other’s cases and uncover awful truths – and where one cop sworn to serve and protect turns out to be a callous, cold-hearted criminal behind the very crimes and corruption our anti-heroes are investigating. It all culminates in a final shootout that’s a master class in choreography and editing.

L.A. Confidential is one of those films that requires a second viewing to catch everything you missed, but it’s hardly a chore to do so. Character nuances become more noticeable, the narration and multiple storylines flow together better, and terrific instances of foreshadowing are much more appreciated.

Kevin Spacey has said that if L.A. Confidential hadn’t been released the same year as Titanic, it would have won the Oscar for Best Picture. Off the record, and on the QT: He’s absolutely right.

Rating:
Is it suitable for your kids?

Despite being set in a time when movies were largely free of inappropriate material, L.A. Confidential has plenty of content not meant for all audiences. There are scenes of brief nudity, discussions of drug use, graphically violent footage of mob hits, and more than a dozen people dying by bloody shootings. There’s also frequent adult language, plus occasional glances at vintage nudie and S&M magazines. High school kids and older is probably the benchmark to use when deciding if L.A. Confidential is suitable for your kids.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Factoring in its subject matter, nearly all-male cast, and police procedural setting, I’d gamble that L.A. Confidential is more for dads. In fact, it should be required viewing for all dads who love movies.

L.A. Confidential
* Director: Curtis Hanson
* Screenwriters: Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland
* Stars: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell
* MPAA Rating: R

Rent L.A. Confidential from Netflix >>

The Muppets (2011)

2011-11-30T15:34:00.025-05:00

REALITY CHECK: There are now generations of children who haven’t been properly exposed to the special brand of adorable anarchy that is the Muppets. This is a crime.

Apparently, actor Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) felt the same way. Drawing on his fond childhood memories of the original Muppet movies and The Muppet Show, he championed a new feature film for his formerly famous felt friends (fun fact: I love alliteration). That film, simply titled The Muppets, opened over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Plot:
The premise is inspiring, and has one foot in pseudo-reality: The Muppets disbanded years ago, and no one has heard from (or cared about) them since. But this may change as Kermit, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, and the gang reunite to throw a telethon to save the Muppet Theater from being demolished by a greedy oil tycoon, Tex Richman (a perfectly evil Chris Cooper). Leading the charge are two brothers: human Gary (Segel) and his Muppet brother Walter (voice of Peter Linz), who dreams of one day being an official member of the Muppets himself.

Critique:

In creating The Muppets, Segel (who co-wrote the script) and director James Bobin had two daunting tasks: 1) Satisfy the nostalgia of Gen X-ers raised on the original Muppet movies and The Muppet Show; 2) Hook the current generation of children who only know Muppets from the benign edutainment of Sesame Street.

Did they succeed? Regarding the latter, time will tell if there’s room today among kids’ fast-paced, CGI-laden entertainment for a bunch of felt characters who haven’t been big since the Reagan administration. But for parents who were raised on Kermit, Fozzie, and Miss Piggy’s antics, The Muppets hits all the sweet spots of nostalgia. If you’re a Gen X-er (like yours truly), you’ll feel like a kid again as the film shows clips of the old Muppet Show, pans past framed pictures of former guest hosts, and hauls out a new yet faithful rendition of “The Rainbow Connection,” the signature song from the original Muppet Movie.

Like the Muppet films that preceded it, the humor in The Muppets is very self-aware. Clever bits include traveling “by map” to get places faster, and the Muppets agreeing that a montage would be the best use of time for rounding up the remaining members of their gang to save the theater.

The Muppets works best when the humans don’t get in the way. Yes, there are human villains and a slew of celebrity cameos in the original trilogy of Muppet films (The Muppet Movie, Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppets Take Manhattan). But the Muppets didn’t share the main storylines in those films with anyone who wasn’t a fellow felt creation. While it’s understandable Segel would want to write himself into his dream project, you wonder how much leaner the film might have been had he relegated himself to a cameo or supporting role.

The Muppets’ original musical numbers by Flight of the Concords’ Bret McKenzie are good, the standouts being the big opener “Life’s a Happy Song” and the hysterically overwrought “Man or Muppet.” However, the licensed soundtrack choices are trite and uninspired, including tired anthems such as “Back in Black,” “Bad to the Bone,” and “We Built This City.”

Another area that’s anemic is the lackluster roster of celebrity cameos, which in past Muppet films has been populated either by current A-listers or Hollywood royalty. To compare: The original Muppet Movie has Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Mel Brooks, James Coburn, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, and Orson Welles. With The Muppets, we get Emily Blunt, Judd Hirsch, Ken Jeong, Jim Parsons, Sarah Silverman, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, and the kid from ABC’s Modern Family. (One plus: Neil Patrick Harris’ cameo is both fleeting and funny.) You also have to wonder if kids who watch The Muppets generations from now will know or remember Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda 2), the “celebrity host” (emphasis on the air quotes) that the Muppets get to emcee the telethon.

Soundtrack and celebrities aside, nearly everything about The Muppets feels right. It’s fun to watch, and it exposes today’s kids to the joys of Muppet mayhem. After a rousing finale, the audience in our theater applauded. And as we left the theater, I was happy.

But once we got home, the cinematic equivalent of buyer’s remorse set in. Did Segel and Bobin just use a large chunk of Muppets nostalgia to make their movie work? Aside from some new, uneven musical numbers, what did they bring to the Muppet legacy to re-establish it, as was surely the plan with this project?

Look at it this way: Midway through The Muppets, Miss Piggy declares they’re going to get a celebrity host for their telethon “by any means necessary.” The same goes for the film itself. If it means nostalgically hijacking the Muppet memories of Gen X-ers to get a new generation of kids to know, cherish, and bond with Kermit and company, fine. Whatever it takes. The truth is, as you’re watching those memories unfold on screen, you won’t care. You’ll just be happy to see the Muppets again – and that today’s generation of kids can now discover what they’ve been missing.

Rating:

What did Dash and Jack-Jack think?

They loved The Muppets, laughing frequently and eating up the antics. Some of the plot logistics may have gone over their heads, but it didn’t faze the fun they were having – though Jack-Jack was quick to point out, upon Fozzie demonstrating his “fart shoes:” “See, that’s why it’s rated PG.”

Is it suitable for your kids?

The Muppets is rated PG for mild rude humor, aka the aforementioned fart shoes. Aside from those shoes, a comical fistfight breaking out at a relaxation center, and some menacing by Cooper’s Tex Richman, there’s nothing terribly inappropriate for kids.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Absolutely. And she should. Despite its minor flaws, she’ll love The Muppets. See it as a family; if you don’t have kids, see it as a couple. It’s worth it.

"Wow, there it is...where all the Oompa-Loompas make Everlasting Gobstoppers..."
"Uh, Gary, you're thinking of a different place..."

The Muppets
* Director: James Bobin
* Screenwriters: Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller
* Stars: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Jack Black
* MPAA Rating: PG

Rent The Muppets from Netflix >>

The Golden Blaze (2005)

2011-11-12T08:08:00.002-05:00

FOR HOW MUCH NETFLIX crows about its Just For Kids section, their selection of animated G-rated movies made for children above the pre-school level is anemic, to put it lightly.

But after several attempts to find just the right family film suitable for both Dash and Jack-Jack, one seemed to keep popping up: the relatively unknown 2005 release The Golden Blaze.

Plot:
Bullied schoolboy Jason (Khleo Thomas) has his world turned around when his dad, fumbling scientist Mr. Fletcher (Blair Underwood), accidentally gains superpowers much like Jason’s comic book hero, The Golden Blaze. However, the town’s Trump-like business tycoon, Thomas Tatum (Michael Clarke Duncan), was also affected by the accident – slowly turning him into The Golden Blaze’s arch-nemesis, Quake.

Critique:

The Golden Blaze sets itself apart from recent animated films in several ways, the first being director Bryon E. Carson’s choice of Flash animation (a la The Chosen One) versus CGI or 2D. True, it may have been a budgetary choice, but it immediately sets the film apart in today’s crowded animation market.

The plot is also unique, yet also so obvious it’s hard to believe no other superhero or family film hadn’t done it before. Watching Jason give his dad tips and lessons on how to wield his newfound powers provides many funny moments, but it also serves as a way for them to bond as father and son in a much less awkward way than before.

They say that a superhero movie is only as good as its villain, and The Golden Blaze delivers with Thomas Tatum, who eventually becomes the villainous Quake. He’s probably the best-written character, with a story arc and dialogue worthy of any mainstream or live-action superhero film.

Other strong points: The Golden Blaze’s action sequences come at a pretty steady clip, but stop short of becoming relentless. And it’s refreshing to see a superhero movie featuring a predominately African-American cast – including Thomas, Underwood, Duncan, and Sanaa Lathan (The Cleveland Show), as well as Neil Patrick Harris (A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas) as a sarcastic comic book store owner – giving much-needed diversity to a genre usually populated by eccentric white billionaires with daddy issues.

It’s no surprise that The Golden Blaze won the 2005 Children’s Jury Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. It hits all the marks for a kid audience: an animated superhero film about a boy who’s dad becomes a superhero, and the two grow closer because of it. But The Golden Blaze also does an effective job of addressing the struggles boys and dads can have when they realize neither one of them is perfect.

It’s the world’s worst-kept secret that every dad wants his kids to see him as a superhero, even if he’s not invincible. And in the highly entertaining Golden Blaze, that’s exactly what Mr. Fletcher wants from Jason: to love him for the man he is, not the superhero he’s become. And along the way, Mr. Fletcher is reminded that with great power comes great responsibility – not just as a superhero for the town, but as a father for his son.

Rating:

What did Dash and Jack-Jack think?

The boys were a little apprehensive at first, trying to adjust to The Golden Blaze’s unique animation style, but they quickly ate it up – enjoying the action and laughing often. The fact that the plot centered around superheroes and villains, and a boy’s role in it all, surely helped.

Is it suitable for your kids?

The Golden Blaze is rated G, but it does have a bit of questionable content for very young viewers. There’s a solid amount of comic book violence (punching, hurling, etc.), and Jason is bullied by several boys, including Thomas Tatum’s son Leon (Rickey D’Shon Collins), who verbally harasses Jason and punches him once in the face off-screen (you hear the thud, followed by Jason sporting a black eye). In terms of language, someone calls a fellow kid a “dodo head,” and Jason and Leon each utter “this sucks” once. Looking back, The Golden Blaze may have been a bit inappropriate for someone Jack-Jack’s age (6), but more suited for older kids and tweens.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

The Golden Blaze seems more like a film for dads and sons to watch together, but there’s no reason the whole family can’t enjoy it – FilmMother included.

Behold their awesome powers of...bowling? Skee Ball?
Bocce? Intergalactic soccer?

The Golden Blaze
* Director: Bryon E. Carson
* Screenwriter: Archie Gips
* Stars: Blair Underwood, Michael Clarke Duncan, Sanaa Lathan, Neil Patrick Harris, Khleo Thomas, Rickey D’Shon Collins
* MPAA Rating: G

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Gumby: The Movie (1995)

2011-11-07T08:08:00.002-05:00

LAST MONTH would have been Gumby creator Art Clokey’s 90th birthday (he passed away in 2010). Google even honored Clokey’s birthday with an interactive Gumby-themed homepage logo:

Dash and Jack-Jack loved what Google did and, since they had never heard of Gumby, started asking questions about him and his friends. It was the perfect opportunity to show them Gumby: The Movie, which I had just put in my Netflix Instant queue a few weeks earlier.

Plot:
Gumby’s band, the Clayboys, decide to throw a benefit concert to raise money for local farm owners who are losing their farms, thanks for the evil Blockheads who run the local mortgage loan company. But when the Clayboys perform, Gumby’s dog Lowbelly cries tears that turn into valuable pearls – prompting the greedy Blockheads to kidnap Lowbelly and keep the pearls for themselves. In addition, they start kidnapping Gumby, Pokey, Pickle, Goo, and all the Clayboys and replacing them with robot look-alikes.

Critique:

Everything about Gumby: The Movie – the simple plot, the animation, the innocence of the characters – is a refreshing trip back in time for kids’ filmmaking. Granted, 1995 wasn’t that long ago, but Clokey (who directed the film) embodies everything that made his earlier Gumby series so endearing to generations of children. The ability of Gumby and his friends to enter storybooks and live the adventures within (farms, science laboratories, medieval times, etc.) adds to the magic.

That’s not to say Gumby, Pokey, and the gang only do it old school. Gumby’s band, the Clayboys, bring the rawk – jamming to the most hard rock/metal tunes ever shredded by animated lumps of clay.

Clokey’s “claymation” style of animation is pleasantly nostalgic, and the performances – aside from the Clayboys’ rockin’ numbers – are downright tame compared to today’s animated films.

The action in Gumby: The Movie does pick up in the second half, as Gumby and his evil robot twin chase and fight each other through different stories, even jumping into a few “videocassettes” (well, the film was made in the ‘90s). A couple of sequences even have subtle winks to Return of the Jedi and Terminator 2.

Nothing is heart-poundingly exciting or outrageously hilarious in Gumby: The Movie, but it gives kids and their parents a simple, enjoyable, fun family film that does Gumby – and Clokey’s legacy – proud.

aka Gumby 1.

Rating:

What did Dash and Jack-Jack think?

Since Dash and Jack-Jack have been raised on CGI and 2D animation, I had concerns they’d be jaded about the simplistic, occasionally crude claymation style of Gumby: The Movie. So I was happily surprised that they were glued to the screen for the entire film, even during the quieter moments – though at times, Jack-Jack was a bit confused (frankly, so was I) as to who were the “good” Gumby & Friends and who were the robots.

Is it suitable for your kids?

Gumby: The Movie is rated G and contains nothing overtly offensive. The robot dog falls in manure, and at one point Gumby and his evil robot twin fight each other with light sabers (leading to one of them losing a hand and the other getting sliced into pieces), but it’s not done violently or traumatically. Children of any age should be fine watching the film.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

If she watched Gumby as a child, Gumby: The Movie could definitely be a fun, nostalgic trip for her.

*Sigh* Where do you run the swipe key on these doors?

Gumby: The Movie
* Director: Art Clokey
* Screenwriters: Art Clokey, Gloria Clokey
* Stars: Charles Farrington, Art Clokey, Gloria Clokey, Manny La Carruba, Alice Young, Janet McDuff, Patti Morse, Bonnie Rudolph, David Ozzie Ahlers
* MPAA Rating: G

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The Other F Word (2011)

2011-11-01T08:08:00.001-04:00

BEFORE BECOMING A FATHER, you have your own set of priorities, ideologies, and views of the world. But when children enter your life, you have to make a seismic shift in how you live. And let’s be honest: It’s hard for the average man to stop being so selfish and start giving all his focus, love, and attention to the new child in his life.

But what if you weren’t the average man before fatherhood? What if you were a hardcore punk rocker with no responsibilities, complete disrespect of authority, and lived life day to day on your terms? How hard is it to go from barely caring about your own well-being to being unconditionally protective of a life you created?

Plot:
Featuring interviews with dozens of punk rock’s leading men, including Jim Lindberg (Pennywise), Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Tim McIlrath (Rise Against), Tony Adolescent (The Adolescents), and Lars Frederiksen (Rancid), The Other F Word documents what happens when society’s ultimate anti-authoritarians become its ultimate authorities: dads.

Critique:

The dads in director Andrea Blaugrund Nevins’ The Other F Word largely fall into one group – the dad who successfully balances parenthood and punk – yet there are a couple of examples at far ends of the spectrum: Ron “Chavo” Reyes, former lead singer of Black Flag (one the most violent and influential U.S. punk bands), is now the most domesticated, while Fat Mike of NOFX is the most resistant in terms of giving up the punk lifestyle (now in his forties, he still gets completely sloshed before every show).

It’s intriguing to see how becoming a dad makes these punkers think deeply about their own fathers, the majority of whom were pretty poor role models. The examples of bad childhoods described by Nevins’ subjects in strung-together segments are depressing – at times heartbreaking – but they also serve as testaments to how hard, and how successfully, these guys have worked to be better fathers than their own.

Not only do the traumas of their childhoods still affect these punk dads (Everclear’s Art Alexakis is amazingly frank about his many abuses), but tragedies involving their own children haunt them as well (the toughest to watch: Tony Adolescent describing holding his stillborn daughter and U.S. Bombs’ Duane Peters discussing his son’s death in a violent car crash).

While the dads in The Other F Word may have varying methods of parenthood, discipline, and responsibility, not one of their children is neglected – in fact, they appear to be loved very much. We also see never see any of the dads openly struggling to be a responsible grown-up or the father they never had. In other words, there’s no sustainable tension or conflict surrounding the subjects or the subject matter – and that’s the film’s one notable flaw. Obviously, no one wants to see a child mistreated, abused, or abandoned; but in a warped way, it’s almost a detriment to the film that none of Nevins’ subjects is a failure as a father.

Can the sins of the father be avoided by the sons? Judging from the subjects of The Other F Word, the answer is yes. And to a certain extent, it hurts the film – ultimately making it interesting to watch, but not compelling.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Despite being about fatherhood and parenting, The Other F Word features many trademarks of the punk lifestyle: loads of profanities (sometimes in front of the young children), inappropriate sayings on clothing and gear, and alcohol consumption (with a few of the punk dads appearing drunk onstage).

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Possibly/probably. If she has an interest in (or history with) the punk lifestyle, she may want to see how these guys are making the adjustment from punk to papa.

Hey! You shouldn’t start a sentence with a preposition…
uh, but in your case, I’ll make an exception.

The Other F Word
* Director: Andrea Blaugrund Nevins
* Screenwriter: Andrea Blaugrund Nevins
* Stars: Jim Lindberg, Mark Hoppus, Flea, Tim McIlrath, Tony Adolescent, Lars Frederiksen, Tony Hawk
* MPAA Rating: N/A

Rent The Other F Word from Netflix >>

Congrats to the winner of theJohnny English Reborn prize pack!

2011-10-28T12:42:00.009-04:00

And...

The winner is...

Budd!

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest!

The Black Cat (1934)

2011-10-25T08:08:00.003-04:00

I’VE BEEN MEANING to see Edgar G. Ulmer’s The Black Cat ever since it was part of Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments several years ago.

And even though the clip shown of The Black Cat on that special gave away the ending, it was such a horrifying image for its time that I felt compelled to see the entire film – and find out if Ulmer had pushed the envelope in other areas as well.

Plot:
Honeymooning in Hungary, Joan (Julie Bishop) and Peter (David Manners) share their train compartment with Dr. Vitus Verdegast (Bela Lugosi), a courtly but tragic man returning to the remains of the town he defended before becoming a prisoner of war for fifteen years and losing contact with his wife and daughter. When their hotel-bound bus crashes in a mountain storm and Joan is injured, the travelers seek refuge with famed architect Hjalmar Poelzig (Boris Karloff), whose house is built fortress-like upon the site of the bloody battlefield where Verdegast was captured. It turns out Verdegast and Poelzig share a past: Poelzig had coveted Verdegast’s wife, and Verdegast believes that Poelzig knows what happened to her and his daughter. Meanwhile, Poelzig has several creepy secrets of his own…and a hidden agenda.

Critique:

Lugosi and Karloff were two of Universal’s heavy hitters when they made The Black Cat – having starred, respectively, in Dracula and Frankenstein three years earlier. This was their first pairing together, and it’s exhilarating – almost surreal – to see them share screen time if you’ve never done so.

The ghoulish Karloff – clothed in black robes and constantly looking up at his guests from a downward tilted head – is the creepier of the two. He’s even introduced rising slowly in silhouette from his bed, making comparisons to his Frankenstein monster rising from the lab table impossible to ignore. Lugosi largely plays it straight as Verdegast, a wronged man bent on revenge. He’s so methodical about plotting his vengeance, at one point he even sides with Poelzig to prevent Joan and Peter from leaving. (The scene of the symbolic chess match between Poelzig and Verdegast is also a nice touch.)

However, The Black Cat is disappointing for anyone hoping to see true horror unfold. The first half is very pedestrian, with only an occasional dash of creepiness. That leaves roughly a half hour in this 65-minute film, and Ulmer (working from a script by Peter Ruric) doesn’t ratchet up the action or terror until it’s too late. Everything starts to come together in the last quarter of the film, but it feels like Ulmer’s racing to the end and merely touching on key story points so they’re resolved before the credits.

Other elements also tarnish any chance at The Black Cat delivering true scares. The dated, melodramatic, and sometimes inappropriate score by Heinz Roemheld often spoils what could be perfect scenes of tension or suspense. Poor editing reveals several continuity errors. And that horrifying scene mentioned earlier? The glimpse shown on Bravo is actually, and sadly, the entire shot – its shocking effect gone as quickly as the scene itself.

Revenge, secrets, betrayal, devil worship, necrophilia, incest – one would think all these topics rolled into one film would make for a shocking story to watch. But with the exception of a couple of moments and the final, frenetic fifteen minutes, The Black Cat is more drama than horror. It’s exciting to see two legends of the genre square off, but the pacing and payoff of the film are lacking.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

In The Black Cat, several people are shot, with one person dripping blood from their mouth; a driver is killed in a bus accident; two people are choked unconscious; Poelzig walks past a collection of dead (yet immaculately preserved) women suspended in glass cases; and a person is skinned alive in silhouette for several seconds.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Unless she’s a devout fan of classic Universal monsters, or the careers of Lugosi and Karloff, I doubt it. And if she’s a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, be forewarned: The Black Cat is Poe in title only.

"I like her hair. It reminds me of this bride I used to know..."

The Black Cat
* Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
* Screenwriter: Peter Ruric
* Stars: Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Julie Bishop, David Manners, Harry Cording, Lucille Lund
* MPAA Rating: N/A

Rent The Black Cat from Netflix >>

The Bleeding House (2011)

2011-10-19T08:08:00.006-04:00

I LOVE HORROR FILMS. But lately, I’ve been underwhelmed by what’s being released.

Major studio horror has been largely tepid PG-13 fare, while my attempts to appreciate independent horror films have left me unsatisfied and frustrated.

So when I came across The Bleeding House, I wasn’t sure what to think. It’s not a mainstream release from a big studio, but rather Tribeca Film, who knows a thing or two about championing quality filmmaking and up-and-coming directors. Yet there still is a bit of an indie vibe with their releases…

Before I could overthink any more, I popped in The Bleeding House and hit play…

Plot:
Meet the Smiths: milquetoast husband Matt (Richard Bekins), resentful wife Marilyn (Betsy Aidem), even more resentful teenage son Quentin (Charlie Hewson), and troubled teen daughter Gloria (Alexandra Chando), who only answers to the name “Blackbird.” They’re a family living in a back-road Midwestern home and sharing a mysterious, traumatic past. When sweet-talking southern gentleman Nick (Patrick Breen) arrives on their doorstep, his calm, outgoing nature and neighborly Christian personality seem to be just the remedy the Smith family needs. However, as the stranger’s true intentions come to light, he emerges as a cold, driven killer, who thinks he has been sent from God to serve punishment upon the family for their past.

Critique:

The Bleeding House is writer/director Philip Gelatt’s first film, and it’s a doozy. He lets the tension and discomfort in the Smith house grow slowly and steadily, until Nick’s true intentions are revealed. Even then, Gelatt doesn’t let up on the uneasiness or queasiness, doing it all at a pace that’s as methodical as Nick when he's delivering his special brand of salvation.

As the Bible-toting, self-righteous stranger, Patrick Breen owns every scene he’s in without being showy. He portrays Nick as every bit the southern gentleman, whether he’s spouting homespun colloquialisms or daintily washing blood off his hands and knife so as not to soil his immaculate white suit. He’s essentially a traveling salesman of salvation – the Smiths aren’t the first family he’s visited – who’s committed to his twisted sense of “kindness” as he literally bleeds people dry.

With The Bleeding House, Philip Gelatt eschews the jump scares and heavy-handedness of many recent horror flops and delivers a film that’s both captivating and harrowing, with a dash of nihilism for good measure. Seek it out to experience genuine, well-crafted terror.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

That would be no. A bird’s neck is snapped; several people are hit on the head with blunt objects; many people are stabbed; three people have their throats slit, with a lingering shot of one dead person’s head and neck, blood oozing out of the wound; Nick drains the blood from two of his victims via a pump and tube mechanism; a person’s head is bashed in with a rock; two people are shot dead; and a person stitches up their own knife wound, in close-up.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

If she likes effective horror/thrillers, The Bleeding House is one worth watching together…provided she can stand close-up shots of blood being siphoned out of people and into large containers and mason jars.

God is great, God is good,
but he sent a weirdo to our 'hood.

The Bleeding House
* Director: Philip Gelatt
* Screenwriter: Philip Gelatt
* Stars: Patrick Breen, Alexandra Chando, Betsy Aidem, Charlie Hewson, Nina Lisandrello, Richard Bekins
* MPAA Rating: R

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Win a prize pack from the new movie Johnny English Reborn!

2011-10-14T08:08:00.003-04:00

YOU COULD WIN a prize pack courtesy of the new Universal Pictures film Johnny English Reborn, in theaters October 21!

One winner will receive:

A $25 Fandango Gift Card
A Universal Double Feature DVD (Bean: The Movie and Johnny English)

Synopsis:
Rowan Atkinson returns to the role of the improbable secret agent who doesn't know fear or danger in the comedy-spy thriller Johnny English Reborn. In his latest adventure, the most unlikely intelligence officer in Her Majesty's Secret Service must stop a group of international assassins before they eliminate a world leader and cause global chaos.

How to Enter:
Comment on this post by October 28, 2011. I will then pick one comment at random and post the winner soon after. (The winner will then have to e-mail me their mailing address to receive their prize pack.)

Rules:

You must have a link to your e-mail address on your Blogger profile page. If not, you must provide your e-mail address in your comment.
Prize pack is available to United States mailing addresses only.

Good luck!

Kirby: Fright to the Finish (2005)

2011-10-10T16:01:00.017-04:00

MOST KIDS HAVE one obsession. Something they know everything about. Something they can’t stop talking about. For Dash, it’s Kirby.

You may know Kirby from the many Nintendo videogames he’s starred in over the last twenty years, each featuring a massive cast of characters and powers that make me feel older every time I try to memorize them. In other words, if you’ve ever felt confused or overwhelmed by shows such as Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragonball Z, or Bakugan, you may feel the same way with Kirby’s universe. (Click here for a primer.)

But in addition to videogames, Kirby also has been the star of his own TV series, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, which ran on American television in the early 2000s – and culminated with the full-length movie, Kirby: Fright to the Finish.

Plot:
Kirby finds his greatest challenge yet when an invasion of alien spaceships nearly destroys his planet, and he sets off into outer space to confront his archrival eNeMeE ("enemy").

Critique:

Kirby: Fright to the Finish wastes no time getting started: It jumps in exactly where the TV series left off, as we watch Kirby and his friends try to stop eNeMeE once and for all. The action and chase sequences are pretty exciting, even a little bit intense – with lots of weapon attacks and explosions. It all leads to a final battle sequence (Kirby’s crew attacking eNeMeE’s fortress) that gives big-budget, wide-release films a run for their money.

Throughout Fright to the Finish, Kirby acquires unique superpowers by inhaling certain items while riding his Warpstar. It’d take a whole other review to name and describe them all, but here’s a sampling: Baton Kirby, Water Kirby, Iron Kirby, Top Kirby, Crash Kirby, Cook Kirby, Ice Kirby, Bomb Kirby, and Fire Kirby. With each power Kirby obtains, he’s able to lay the smack down on the bad guys in a new and unique way.

For grown-ups, there are a couple of characters whose voices will sound familiar: The awesomely named Meta Knight sounds like Bela Lugosi (he even dons a Dracula-like cape), while King Dedede’s lackey, a snail named Escargoon, sounds like an aggravated Paul Lynde.

I can see why Dash likes Kirby so much; frankly, I probably would have dug him if he were around during my childhood. He’s the classic case of not judging a book by its cover: a cute and unassuming pink puff who, when provoked or threatened, can kick some serious butt.

Yes, there are many, many characters in Kirby’s world. But even though I can’t tell Waddle Dee from Waddle Doo, or Lololo from Lalala, it doesn’t take away from how much fun it is to watch Kirby: Fright to the Finish. It stands on its own as a highly entertaining film.

Rating:

What did Dash and Jack-Jack think?

Are you kidding? Finding Kirby: Fright to the Finish on Amazon for a measly $4 was the biggest and best investment we’ve ever made, as far as Dash is concerned. It’s one of his favorite films, if not the favorite. Jack-Jack enjoys the Kirby-verse as well, getting a kick out of all the different, colorful, magical characters.

Is it suitable for your kids?

Some action scenes in Kirby: Fright to the Finish can get a bit intense, with explosions and Kirby and his friends in peril (the scene where eNeMeE’s “Destryas” (right) attack Kirby’s village is pretty heavy). There is also some minor name-calling (“lame-o”), and a villain describes his wish to push someone off a bridge.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

She might make an emotional investment when Kirby and his equally cute friends are in danger, but the amount of action, battles, and stuff blowing up makes me think she may tune out before the end credits.

'Cuz every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed...uh...
I'll say "vertically challenged humanoid?"

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Without Warning (1980)

2011-10-05T08:08:00.003-04:00

IT’S FUNNY what you remember from your childhood.

A couple of years ago, there was a great website called Cultra Rare Videos, whose owner posted full movies for download – mostly out-of-print VHS or films in the public domain.

It was there I noticed Without Warning, a sci-fi/horror flick from 1980, and my mind immediately went to my grandparents’ house, where I watched it on HBO in their wood-paneled living room.

I remember thinking it was pretty awesome. I was also 11 at the time.

And even though I’ve been burned quite often trying to relive the greatness of movies I saw and loved as a kid (see: The Cat from Outer Space), I downloaded Without Warning, let it sit in my hard drive for two years, then finally re-watched it last week.

Plot:
With the use of disc-like flying creatures, an alien hunts human prey in a rural lakeside town – including four young adults on a camping trip.

Critique:

It’s hard to believe it took four screenwriters to come up with this.

The plot and dialogue of Without Warning are by-the-numbers moviemaking for early ‘80s horror: Clueless teens/twentysomethings go out in the country/wilderness, encounter local yokels who warn them of dangers, they pay no attention, proceed to their destination, make out, then get picked off one by one.

Without Warning’s biggest enemy is its pacing. Director Greydon Clark never latches onto a tempo to help build momentum or suspense. Sure, he creates a foreboding atmosphere here and there, but true terror is never achieved. (The most effective element is composer Dan Wyman’s spooky blend of piano tinklings and early ‘80s synth.)

The four lead young actors go through the motions as eventual victims to the alien and his Frisbee face-huggers. But just like the original Friday the 13th (also 1980) features a then-unknown Kevin Bacon, Without Warning has a then-unknown David Caruso (NYPD Blue, CSI: Miami) – who rocks the turn-of-the-‘80s gym shorts like nobody’s business.

In addition to the young foursome, Without Warning offers a two-for-one on eccentric character actors, each bringing their own brand of crazy: Martin Landau as the local nutjob who swears he’s also seen the flying alien critters, and Jack Palance as the local hunter who knows what the alien’s doing (“He came down here for the sport. He wants to get himself a few trophies.”). It’s hard to believe they’d each win Oscars for Best Supporting Actor a few years after slumming here.

Clark relies heavily on POV camerawork, for both the alien and its potential victims. He also pulls the Jaws card by not showing the monster until late in the film. But while Steven Spielberg’s classic does an unbeatable job of cranking up the tension and dread in place of showing the creature, Without Warning’s story and characters just plod along from one scene to the next until the alien is finally revealed in the last 15 minutes.

And even when the alien is finally revealed (in an admittedly cool shot where he’s standing stoically in a field, surrounded by low-hanging fog), he looks like something you’d see in dozens of ’50s B-movie sci-fi flicks: a giant bulbous head with pointy ears and teeth (1957’s Invasion of the Saucer Men comes to mind). He doesn’t do much but stand still and toss his flying creatures at people. I think he growled once.

The flying creatures are an interesting dichotomy: In flight, they look incredibly hokey; you’d swear you could see the strings if you squint. But once they’ve latched on to the one of their victims, the effects are largely impressive for their time: lots of pulsating/suction movements, expandable talons that puncture the victim’s flesh, and a nasty mouth on its underside lined with frantically gnashing teeth.

If you’ve never heard of Without Warning, you’re not missing much – unless you’re morbidly curious to see what cheapo B-sci-fi/horror films from the early ‘80s were like. Contrary to its title, you have been warned.

aka It Came Without Warning, The Warning.

Tidbits:

Without Warning is basically a blueprint for Predator: A giant alien from another planet comes to hunt humans for sport. In fact, 7’ 2” actor Kevin Peter Hall played each alien in both films.
The special effects and makeup designer, Greg Cannom, would win Academy Awards for his work in Dracula, Mrs. Doubtfire, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
F Troop’s Larry Storch appears as a doomed scout leader, much like Dick Van Patten’s scout leader from Beware! The Blob.
There has never been an official DVD release of Without Warning, due to the rights being sold to companies who then go bankrupt or are in financial turmoil (Orion Pictures, MGM). However, it’s pretty easy to find on YouTube.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Without Warning is rated R and features several scenes of graphic violence: The flying critters drill into victims’ flesh, accompanied by crunchy, gooey sound effects; Sandy and Greg find the bodies of the aliens’ victims in a shack, and two of them have gaping, gooey holes in their heads and eye sockets; Taylor shoots the alien in the arm, and blue alien blood squirts from the wound; Landau’s character accidentally shoots the local sheriff in the gut; and an explosion claims the lives of two key characters. There are also mild profanities here and there, and Tom and Beth make out by the lake.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Unless she has a soft spot for early ‘80s B-horror/sci-fi, I doubt it.

Looking at legs as white as those should come...(puts on sunglasses)...
with a warning.
YEEEAAAHHHHHHHH!

Without Warning
* Director: Greydon Clark
* Screenwriters: Lyn Freeman, Daniel Grodnik, Ben Nett, Steve Mathis
* Stars: Tarah Nutter, Christopher S. Nelson, Jack Palance, Martin Landau, David Caruso, Lynn Theel, Neville Brand
* MPAA Rating: R

Bridesmaids (2011)

2011-09-20T13:31:00.020-04:00

BACK IN JULY, my wife and I celebrated 14 years of marriage with a week-long getaway (Dash and Jack-Jack enjoyed the spoils of spending the week with my folks).

In addition to the fine dining, gorgeous scenery, soothing atmosphere, and rediscovering each other, we did something we hadn’t done since April’s Win Win: We saw a movie in a theater without the kids.

Plot:
Down-on-her-luck Annie (Kristen Wiig) is asked by childhood friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) to be maid of honor at Lillian’s wedding. But Annie’s competition with wealthy and beautiful bridesmaid Helen (Rose Byrne) threatens to destroy the engagement party, the bridal shower, the wedding, and even Annie and Lillian’s friendship.

Critique:

The comedy in Bridesmaids is an effective mix of smart and broad humor, with conversations between the women (especially Annie and Helen) reaching Office-like levels of awkward, cringe-worthy moments.

For the first half of Bridesmaids, Wiig (who co-wrote the script) largely plays the straight role to the punchlines and sight gags happening around her. That thankfully changes halfway through the film, when Wiig gets to show off the comedic chops that made her a star on Saturday Night Live – especially the scene where the bridesmaids fly to Vegas and Annie gets loopy on pills and booze during the flight.

The stellar supporting cast includes The Office’s Ellie Kemper as a sexually repressed newlywed, Wendi McLendon-Covey as a sex-craving wife and mother, Mad Men’s Jon Hamm as Annie’s ongoing, regrettable hook-up, and Rose Byrne as Annie’s passive-aggressive nemesis Helen, a trophy wife who’s trying to wrest the title of Lillian’s BFF away from Annie. And Chris O’Dowd, as a cop who falls for Annie, is both funny and charming, eliciting quite a few “awwww” moments from my wife.

But the hands-down scene-stealer in Bridesmaids is Mike and Molly’s Melissa McCarthy as the profane, ambitious, inappropriate bridesmaid Megan. McCarthy’s delivery of lines such as “You feel that heat? It’s coming from my undercarriage” are worth the ticket price alone.

I hope I’ve made a good case to male readers to see this very funny comedy. But lest the women think it’s just a riotous raunchfest, I want my wife to explain how well Wiig and co-writer Annie Mumolo capture the female dynamic:

“This movie nails what it’s like for a woman when she feels like she’s competing with someone over a friend – especially some newcomer who thinks they know your lifelong friend better than you do.”

A few nits: Bridesmaids clocks in at over two hours, about 20 minutes longer than the sweet-spot running time for any comedy. Most of that extended time can be credited to several false finishes; each time you think you’ve seen the final confrontation or resolution, another one follows it. Also, there’s an ongoing theme surrounding Annie’s out-of-business bakery that’s never resolved. And a cheesy surprise cameo at the end has producer Judd Apatow’s fingerprints all over it.

Bridesmaids really is the best of both worlds: It’s a no-holds-barred, proudly R-rated comedy for the guys, and a well-written, terrifically acted female ensemble piece for the girls. It’s available on DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD starting today; make a point to see it.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Bridesmaids is rated R for “some strong sexuality, and language throughout.” There are several scenes of graphic, aggressive (yet nudity-free) sex; lots of explicit language and frank dialogue about sexual acts and bodily functions; and a brief scene of Wiig topless, with her hands over her breasts.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Absolutely. In addition to laugh-out-loud dialogue and antics, Bridesmaids effectively portrays the relationships between women in all levels of friendship, from childhood best friends to casual acquaintances to oil-and-water mismatches. As long as your FilmMother can laugh at some scatological, sex-based, foul-mouthed humor, she’ll love Bridesmaids.

Say cheese! Or is it cake...? Chocolate...?

Bridesmaids
* Director: Paul Feig
* Screenwriters: Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
* Stars: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Chris O'Dowd, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Jon Hamm, Jill Clayburgh, Kali Hawk
* MPAA Rating: R

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Rango (2011)

2011-08-23T08:08:00.004-04:00

WHEN IT COMES TO animated feature films, there’s Pixar, DreamWorks, Blue Sky Studios (to a lesser extent), then everyone else.

Sure, Sony Animation Studios delivered the great Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in 2009, but this summer they brought us The Smurfs – and from what I’ve heard, it’s smurfin’ terrible.

Now there’s a new player in the feature-length animation game: Paramount Pictures, who teamed with Nickelodeon earlier this year to bring us Rango…

Plot:
A pet chameleon (Johnny Depp) bitten by the acting bug is tossed from his family’s vehicle during a close call on a desert highway. He stumbles into the creature-sized western town of Dirt, dubs himself Rango, and uses his acting skills to make the townsfolk believe he’s a stone-cold killer who shouldn’t be messed with. Convinced of his toughness, the people of Dirt see Rango as the man who can help them solve the mystery of their vanishing water supply – and in turn, save their town.

Critique:

With Rango, director Gore Verbinski (who worked with Depp on the Pirates of The Caribbean films) delivers a fresh, offbeat, occasionally dark, and wonderfully unique picture. Working from an intelligent, homage-laden, and often funny script by John Logan (Sweeney Todd, The Aviator), Verbinski keeps everything moving at a steady clip without it feeling rushed, while making masterful use of foregrounds and depth (no doubt to emphasize the 3-D when Rango was in theaters).

Everything in Rango is wonderfully drawn and animated by Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). There’s jaw-dropping scenery of deserts and western landscapes, and the frontier town of Dirt is right out of a classic western – featuring rustic saloons, storefronts, and dusty streets. The townsfolk include a very colorful cast of creatures filling the standard western roles: the doctor, the bartender, the banker, the mayor (Toy Story 3’s Ned Beatty) the village idiot, the Native American, and yes, even the ladies of the oldest profession.

Casting Depp as a chameleon is an especially inspired choice, given his ability to transform himself into such diverse characters as Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, and Jack Sparrow. And it’s the ability to blend in which helps Rango hustle his way to the position of sheriff and leader of Dirt’s people as they struggle to find water to keep their town alive.

Rango also features a great mariachi-meets-Dick-Dale soundtrack by the legendary Hans Zimmer, with additional songs by Los Lobos. (Bonus: You haven’t lived until you’ve heard “Flight of the Valkyries” done with banjos.)

While it’s not for all ages (see below), Rango is an original and highly entertaining adventure with a heart at its sun-baked center. Fans of animation will love it. Fans of westerns will love it. Fans of both will most likely have a new addition to their list of favorite films.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Rango is rated PG. As you may expect from a western, there’s a-cussin’, and a-drinkin’, and a-shootin’ goin’ on in this here flick.
Language: There are a handful of “hells,” a cut-off “You son of a –,” and the phrases, “I’ll kill you, you stupid lizard!” “Sign the damn paper!” and “Go to hell!”
Smoking/Drinking: Several characters smoke cigars; there are subtle and obvious references to drinking and being drunk.
Violence/Scariness: There are numerous threats of violence; several animals are killed by being shot, crushed, or drowned; there are mentions of hanging suspected criminals; one character beats his grown sons with a stick; as a laugh, an armadillo is shown after being run over by a car; and Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy), while an amazing feat of animation, could be scary to little children – especially when squeezing a potential victim and saying, “Look into my eyes. I wanna see you die.” (Didn’t Johnny Cash do that to a man in Reno?)
Humor: Most of the adult jokes are probably too quick and over the heads of kids, with mentions of “fecal matter,” someone’s prostate, and taking a laxative. At one point, Rango asks a naked torso of a Barbie doll, “Are those real?” There are also many citizens of Dirt with missing or artificial limbs, and one character goes through the entire film with an arrow through his head (via his eye socket).

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Even if she’s not a fan of westerns, she’ll most likely enjoy Rango. The characters and story are deeper than expected, and there are potential sparks between Rango and Bean (Isla Fisher), the town heroine.

No fair! I can't win a two-on-one staring contest!

Rango
* Director: Gore Verbinski
* Screenwriter: John Logan
* Stars: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Winstone
* MPAA Rating: PG (rude humor, language, action, and smoking)

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The Kids Grow Up (2011)

2011-08-16T11:58:00.004-04:00

DASH AND JACK-JACK are 8 and 5 respectively, so I have a few years before I have to worry about when they are grown up and old enough to leave home.

Still, I wasn’t sure how I’d react to filmmaker Doug Block’s documentary, The Kids Grow Up. Would I be unable to relate to Block’s story of his daughter (and only child) Lucy leaving for college because my boys are much younger than her, or would I end up fretting a decade in advance about that day when my first-born son plans to move on?

Plot:
As his only child Lucy prepares to leave home for college, Manhattan-based documentary filmmaker Doug Block (51 Birch Street) struggles with letting go. Drawing on three generations of evocative family footage, The Kids Grow Up is an intimate first-person look at parenthood in an age when dads are increasingly involved in their children’s lives.

Critique:

While it’s true that not every frame of footage of Lucy can be a heart-wrenching, three-Kleenex event, a lot of The Kids Grow Up plays quieter than expected. The Brocks seem an inherently mellow family, and conversations about exciting or life-changing events are more somber than stimulating – making the film feel longer than its 92 minutes.

The Kids Grow Up is at its strongest when Block directly juxtaposes footage of Lucy today with her as a child or toddler, such as milestones in Lucy’s life (jumping from her first ear piercing as a grade-schooler to her driving test in high school) or when Brock cuts from 18-year-old Lucy breaking down over the incessant taping to a child-age Lucy happily proclaiming that she loves when her daddy tapes her.

In addition to Brock’s feelings about Lucy leaving, Kids also sheds light on other aspects of his life – including his resentment over his emotionally distant father (also interviewed here) and his wife Marjorie’s opinions on what she feels is Block’s clownish or ambivalent approach to parenting. He also finds himself dealing with other events while filming Kids, such as the birth of his first grandson (from Lucy’s stepbrother Joel) and a serious recurrence of Marjorie’s ongoing battle with depression.

While he does have great footage of Lucy and other family members, Brock isn’t the strongest interviewer; he waffles and thinks out loud for the right words when talking to, or attempting to comfort, his subjects.

However, whether you have a teenager who’s about to leave home or you sometimes wonder what it’ll be like when your little kid does so, The Kids Grow Up will affect you…and make you hug them a little tighter afterwards.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

The Kids Grow Up features some light talk about sex, and in one scene Lucy explains through tears how she’s “pissed off” at her dad taping her so much; Lucy and her high school friends drink beer with their meals at a deck party.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Not many mothers like to think about the day their children will leave home, so The Kids Grow Up may stir up emotions. But that’s the point of an effective movie, isn’t it?

Get outta the road, kid! That's dangerous!
Look what happened to your friend above you!

The Kids Grow Up
* Director: Doug Block
* Screenwriter: Doug Block
* Stars: Lucy Block, Doug Block, Marjorie Silver, Mike Block, Josh Silver, David Silver, Romain George
* MPAA Rating: NR

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American: The Bill Hicks Story (2011)

2011-08-10T11:58:00.003-04:00

I’VE BEEN A FAN OF comedian Bill Hicks since I first saw him on a Rodney Dangerfield HBO special in the late ‘80s. He was different, funny, and smart – a trio of traits that stand-up comedy desperately needed at the time.

In his best work from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Hicks proudly talked and joked about his smoking, and the holier-than-thou attitude of non-smokers; his use of mind-altering (or as he saw it, mind-expanding) drugs such as mushrooms and LSD; and his insatiable thirst for challenging the status quo, the beliefs of the masses, and the lies of the government.

Yet Hicks did not achieve comedy superstardom before his death from pancreatic cancer in 1994 at age 32 – nor has he achieved it since then. But in recent years, more and more people are discovering Hicks and his inimitable form of comedy (despite Denis Leary’s best efforts; more on that later). And Hicks’ exposure to the mainstream increased even more this year with the full-length documentary, American: The Bill Hicks Story.

Plot:
Since his tragic death, comedian Bill Hicks’ legend and stature have only grown, and this unique documentary tells his story – blending live footage, home movies, interviews, and animation to fill in the details of a life cut short. A comic's comic and unflagging critic of hypocrisy and cultural emptiness, Hicks was one of a kind – a Lenny Bruce for the late 20th century.

Critique:

Knowing that Hicks was lionized in England when U.S. audiences weren’t “getting him,” it’s a bit ironic that American’s Brit directors Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas couldn’t pull off a definitive and wholly engaging documentary about their subject.

American is a full-length feature documentary, but it feels incomplete for several reasons: Footage of Hicks at his best is shown, but not until almost the third act; there are no interviews with comedians Hicks worked with during his peak; and there is no mention of the long-standing claim by many that Denis Leary stole Hicks’ act to launch his own stand-up career.

For true fans of Bill Hicks, the early rare footage in American is great, but clips of his best performances are overly familiar…and a bit scarce. For the uninitiated, American is a passable introduction to the man who once described the human race as “a virus with shoes.” Both parties will much more rewarded watching Comedy Central’s 1995 documentary on Hicks, It’s Just a Ride; view Part 1 here.

American is essentially shot from one collective perspective: That of his family, childhood friends (and creative partners), and comedians from his early stand-up days in Houston and Austin. It comes off more like a well-produced home movie than a comprehensive, from-all-angles dissection of Hicks and his wicked brilliance.

For more on Bill Hicks:
Required listening - Relentless, Arizona Bay
Additional listening/viewing - Rant in E-Minor, Dangerous, It’s Just a Ride

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

American features clips of Hicks that, while brilliant and often scathing, are populated with lots of profanities and adult language. There are also frequent mentions of drug use, and some very brief nudity.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Even if she knows and loves Bill Hicks – especially if she loves him – American will be a bit of a disappointment. You’re both better off watching It’s Just a Ride or listening to the albums shown below.

One of my favorite Bill bits (a tad NSFW).

American: The Bill Hicks Story
* Directors: Matt Harlock, Paul Thomas
* Stars: Bill Hicks, Kevin Booth, John Farneti, Lynn Hicks, Mary Hicks, Steve Hicks, Andy Huggins, David Johndrow, James Ladmirault, Dwight Slade
* MPAA Rating: NR

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Battle Beyond The Stars (1980)

2011-08-04T11:58:00.005-04:00

THREE YEARS AFTER seeing Star Wars in the theater as a kid in 1977, I was still starving for more science fiction movies and TV. That hunger was fed mostly by lesser fare such as Disney’s 1979 sci-fi flick The Black Hole and the original Battlestar Galactica TV series.

Then, while still riding high from seeing The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, my aunt (and multi-contest winner) Kathy took me to see the latest attempt to cash in on the Star Wars craze, Battle Beyond the Stars.

Plot:
In this Roger Corman-produced sci-fi fantasy, Shad (The Waltons’ Richard Thomas) must scour the cosmos to recruit mercenaries from different planets and cultures to save his peaceful planet Akir from the threat of evil tyrant Sador (Enter The Dragon’s John Saxon), who’s bent on dominating and enslaving the entire universe. The team of mercenaries includes:

a young female scientist named Nanelia (Darlanne Fluegel)
a buxom Valkyrie warrior named Saint-Exmin (Sybil Danning)
a wanted hitman named Gelt (The Magnificent Seven’s Robert Vaughan)
a space cowboy named, uh, Cowboy (The A-Team’s George Preppard)
a lizard humanoid named Cayman (Morgan Woodward)
a quintet of telepathic aliens all named Nestor (led by Earl Boen)

Critique:

Comparisons of Battle Beyond The Stars to the two films probably yelled out at the pitch meeting (“It’s The Magnificent Seven meets Star Wars!”) are so obvious and frequent, they’re not even worth pointing out. But if you must, some quick examples: Robert Vaughan is basically repeating his character from Magnificent Seven as Battle’s Gelt, and Shad’s ship features a sassy, no-nonsense voice system named Nell (Lynn Carlin), who’s essentially Han Solo to Shad’s Luke Skywalker.

And while it’s true that it seems like another attempt to cash in on Star Wars fever, Battle Beyond the Stars has an impressive pedigree: It’s executive-produced by B-movie legend Roger Corman, written by John Sayles (Alligator, The Howling, Piranha), scored by Oscar winner James Horner (Titanic), and features impressive set designs by some art director named Jim Cameron (Avatar).

A big part of what makes the film so enjoyable, next to the cheese-tastic space battles, is Sayles’ dialogue: It consists of real, relatable conversations – the kind that makes the original Star Wars trilogy fun, and its prequels’ oh-so-serious dialogue unbearable. The occasional stabs at humor also largely hit the mark (Preppard’s line about hot dogs is classic).

Yes, some of the special effects look dated (and steal sound effects from Battlestar Galactica), and both the acting and Horner’s score teeter on melodramatic. Also, the action in the third act is a bit uneven, including an abrupt ending probably due to budget constraints. But ultimately, Battle Beyond The Stars is a fun trip through retro B-movie pseudo-camp.

Tidbits:
* Footage and music from Battle Beyond The Stars were re-used in the 1983 sci-fi cheapie Space Raiders.
* Watch for the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene early in the film with comedian Kathy Griffin as an inhabitant of Akir.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Battle Beyond The Stars is rated PG, largely for its sci-fi violence and adult situations and language.
Violence: Many people are shot with lasers, and several die in spaceship explosions; Cowboy stabs one of Sador’s soldiers and green blood pours out; a man is impaled; one of the Nestor’s arms is severed by Sador’s doctor, who then attaches it to Sador (most of this is done in cutaway (no pun intended)); a sonic weapon by Sador’s army causes Akir’s soldiers to scream in pain (one man bleeds from the ears); scenes of scientists working on upper torsos and body parts of lifelike humanoid robots might freak out younger kids.
Adult situations: Nanelia’s father plans to have Shad breed with her, ordering his androids to prepare “the conjugal suite;” Cowboy smokes and drinks on occasion; it’s implied that one of Sador’s henchmen had his way with a woman from Akir (a young Julia Duffy), as she emerges from a back room with mussed hair and a tattered robe.
Adult language: Phrases such as “sons of bitches,” “son of a bitch,” “damn it,” “what the hell,” and “snowball’s chance in Hell;” Saint-Exmin uses several double entendres for sex (“recharge his capacitators,” “tingle his transistors”); there is occasional talk between Nanelia and Shad about mating and breeding (“I think your torque bar slipped its groove”).

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

If she’s a fan of sci-fi and/or quality cheese, you could have a fun time watching Battle Beyond The Stars together.

That’s Shad’s spaceship. Yep, the bottom looks like something. Two things, actually.
There’s even an online debate about whether they’re “his” or “hers.”

Battle Beyond the Stars
* Director: Jimmy T. Murakami
* Screenwriter: John Sayles
* Stars: Richard Thomas, Robert Vaughan, John Saxon, George Preppard, Darlanne Fluegel, Sybil Danning, Morgan Woodward, Earl Boen
* MPAA Rating: PG

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Interview with Cowboys & Aliens’Brendan Wayne

2011-07-29T08:08:00.003-04:00

EARLIER THIS WEEK, I got to speak with one of the stars of Cowboys & Aliens, Brendan Wayne, who plays Deputy Charlie Lyle. He was friendly, enthusiastic, and open for any topic of discussion – whether it was his new film (opening today), his grandfather John Wayne (yes, that John Wayne), watching movies with his kids, or his professional crush on Sigourney Weaver.

FilmFather: Brendan, thanks for taking time to speak with me today.

Brendan Wayne: Hey man, anytime, I appreciate it...I appreciate you taking time to talk to me!

FF: First off, congratulations on the premiere of Cowboys & Aliens at Comic-Con last week.

BW: It was amazing. It was the most overwhelming thing I’ve ever been a part of, to sit there and see those people. I mean, I was excited, and to have that energy flying onto you, was pretty amazing.

FF: That’s a first for a major motion picture and for Comic-Con, isn’t it?

BW: Yeah, and [director] Jon Favreau understands the importance of a movie like this, that it’s taking a chance. It’s incredibly important to get it out there to try to remove some of the silly ideas or the misunderstandings [about the film].

FF: What was the coolest, craziest, or most ridiculous thing you saw among the attendees there?

BW: Well, [co-star] Adam Beach had two tickets, and he was only one person, so he pulled someone from the crowd to go in with him. I thought that was pretty amazing.

But at the Comic-Con, I can’t even think of just one thing…I went inside with my 12-year-old…I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like another world. Imagine a car show, and people went dressed up as their favorite car. I mean, you’re bumping into people and you’re like, “Oh, pardon me, fat Captain America” or “Sorry, naked Mystique.” You’d think as an actor, I’m pretty crazy, but these guys are putting it all on the line.

FF: How did you get involved with the role of Deputy Lyle?

BW: The old-fashioned way: I auditioned. Then about two months later I had a horseback riding callback, which was bizarre – not because they knew that I ride, but because it usually doesn’t take that long. Usually you find out within a couple weeks, yes or no. It was pretty crazy that it took as long as it did. Then not only did I get the part, the role grew while I was on set, which was really gratifying.

FF: The pedigree behind Cowboys & Aliens is pretty amazing. Not just the cast, but the writers, producers, and director all have proven track records of both quality filmmaking and box office clout. Was it at all intimidating to join the film?

BW: It’s intimidating, but it’s also really important to remember that not only do you have pressure to perform in the film, but these guys – they have pressures, too. And to have a pedigree [like this] means that people expect a certain standard from you. So you know that they’re coming in and they’re gonna works their butts off because it matters to them, and so much is riding on it. It bred a really wonderful community on the set – that we were all in it together.

FF: You performed your own stunts in Cowboys & Aliens.

BW: Yes I did. It’s one of the proudest things I’ve ever done. I’ve done stunts in other films, but not to the extent of what was asked of me here. I got to work with guys like Terry Leonard, who is the greatest living stuntman today and who started out with my grandfather. He really took me under his wing and made sure I looked good.

I love to get physical with whatever I’m doing. For me, it’s one of the great ways to get into character. I spend most of my time with the stunt guys because they are very real. They’re having fun, they’re all adrenaline junkies. They’re like, “I’m about to go flying through this roof at a hundred miles an hour. Whoooo!” I admire the heck out of that.

FF: So Cowboys & Aliens gets the honor for most and hardest stunts you’ve ever performed?

BW: Yeah, by far. I was on my horse every time you see me. When I jump off the horse, that’s me. And that was a point of pride.

FF: You’ve taken the Wayne name [he used his birth name, Danny LaCava, earlier in his career], and you’ve been in several westerns before Cowboys & Aliens, including a remake of your grandfather’s film, Angel and the Badman.

BW: [laughs] That was a valiant effort.

FF: Are you ever concerned about being compared to a Hollywood legend like John Wayne? Does it factor into the roles you choose?

BW: As long as the story’s good, and they’re willing to pay me, I couldn’t care less about that. Because at the end of the day, there’s no comparison. At the end of my career, if somebody wants to compare [our careers], let ‘em. It’s not something I can control. I don’t mind it. Being mentioned in the same breath as John Wayne…it’s a pretty nice place to be.

FF: Do you remember what it was like to visit him on his sets?

BW: I have a recollection from The Shootist; that’s the only one I can really recall. It’s relative to me in the sense that I thought that everybody did that. As I got older, I started to marvel at the fact that not everybody’s grandpa does that.

He was always prepared and ready to go, regardless of what happened the day before or the night before. He was a professional. And he cared about his craft as much as any actor before or since.

FF: One aspect of the reviews on FilmFather is describing whether a film is suitable for kids. According to your bio, you have three kids of your own. What’s your policy or philosophy when it comes to deciding what movies they’re allowed to watch?

BW: Subject matter is first and foremost, and how that subject matter is treated. Things that are gratuitous or don’t compel a story…they’re not things I’m bringing my kids to. I brought my 12-year-old to Cowboys & Aliens, and I think that’s as low as I’d go age-wise for a kid to be prepared for this movie. I think there are elements to it that are scary, that younger kids may not enjoy.

The most important thing for me is the overall theme of a movie. Is it hopeful? Is it something you can draw from and start a conversation with your kids? I would show my 12-year-old the Andy Garcia/Meg Ryan movie When A Man Loves a Woman. They deal with these struggles that are very hard, but very real…

FF: It’s been almost 20 years since I’ve seen that movie, yet I still remember the scene with Meg Ryan and her daughter when Ryan’s staggering drunk, and the abuse she hands down, then putting the girl in the most horrible situation when Ryan passes out and crashes through that glass shower door…

BW: Oh my God, I was in tears when that happened. That whole movie was so moving to me, and the subject matter was so important. [Alcoholism] is something that affects all our lives. It’s like cancer in a lot of ways; everybody knows somebody.

How you relate a movie’s theme to your kids in a way that’s not preachy, in a way that affects their decisions through examples that are valuable…those are the kind of things I love.

I was able to watch Zombieland with my oldest daughter, and the things I thought were inappropriate, I was able to explain them [to her]. Again, it starts a conversation, and that’s what stories – movies – are able to do.

A good movie allows you to walk away afterwards and have a conversation. That’s kind of what Cowboys & Aliens can do, in the sense that it can bridge generations. People who are older, who have westerns in their blood, can say to younger filmgoers, “You should also watch Red River. That’s a great western.” Or Shane. Or The Magnificent Seven. Then you have the younger crowd telling the older folks, “You should see Alien,” which was one of my favorite sci-fi movies growing up. I love Sigourney Weaver. I dream to work with her. She is amazing.

FF: I’ve already heard rumors of a possible sequel for Cowboys & Aliens. Perhaps they can get her for the next film…

BW: I’ll be the first one to vote for it. I’ll be like, “Hey, can I carry your bags?” [laughs] She’s sexy, and powerful, and strong. I have three daughters, and I want them to know that women can be bad-ass, too.

FF: James Cameron made the most of her in Aliens. He always makes a point to have a strong female lead.

BW: Cameron does do that, I’m glad you mentioned it. In a lot of ways, Quentin Tarantino does the same thing.

FF: Are there certain films you enjoy watching with your kids?

BW: We’re hooked on Despicable Me right now. I also like to take them back to classics. Anything with Cary Grant; I’m a big fan of his. It’s fun to see my kids stick with those films and enjoy them. It’s great to know they’re capable of watching a classic movie with a long story.

My daughter’s very creative, and she’s really interested in becoming a director. So we watched Cowboys & Aliens and we broke down those things that we loved, and things we’d like to see done differently. Movies are a great way for her and I to connect right now.

Her school allows for a lot of what I would call “hippie talk.” I had a Catholic school upbringing, and now I’m being challenged by her curriculum. It’s the most learning I’ve ever seen children do; their approach to learning is the best I’ve ever seen. It’s not necessarily structured in the way that I remember [as a student]. They have a more free-flowing, experience-driven education where my daughter’s gaining much more knowledge than I ever did at that age. Her ability to perceive the world is much deeper that mine [at that age]. She read Kafka’s manifesto last year. I don’t even read Kafka! But I love what I’m seeing.

FF: Are your kids familiar with your grandfather’s work?

BW: Oh yeah. When his 100th birthday came around, a lot of theaters were showing his films, and we were able to go see The Quiet Man, Red River, and Rio Lobo on the big screen.

FF: What are some films you can’t wait to show them when they’re older?

BW: Funny story, going back to Tarantino: I remember watching Pulp Fiction with my mom [when it came out]. She was a classic, traditional woman, and you wouldn’t think she’d enjoy it. But when [John Travolta] shoots the guy in the head, I remember my mom laughing and turning to me saying, “This is so amoral, but it’s got me laughing!”

FF: I love the way Travolta underplays that line: “Oh man, I shot Marvin in the face…”

BW: [laughs] It’s like, “Oh, I just shot off my toes. Darn it.”

FF: I’d ask you about your next project, but I think I got a glimpse from a recent tweet of yours: “I love night shoots and horror movies. I am about to rip someone’s throat out.” Care to elaborate?

BW: I play a guy named Cole Callahan in The Red House, and it is a really fun role. I’m the sheriff, so I’ve got to do some business in this town to save some people.

And this fall, it looks like I’m going to Spain to shoot a western called Dollars from Hell, where I’ll play a Clint Eastwood-type of bounty hunter. I’m really excited about it, because we’ll be shooting on the same sets used by Sergio Leone. I’m hoping it's further in the fall, so I can continue to coach my 12-year-old daughter’s soccer team.

FF: It’s good to have that balance between work and family.

BW: It’s funny: I finished Cowboys & Aliens, got home, was able to be there for the start of soccer season, and I ended up having our director of photography’s daughter on my team. So I figured there was a good chance I was going to stay in the movie. [laughs]

FF: Thank you so much for your time, Brendan. It was a pleasure speaking with you.

BW: Well, I appreciate you giving me the time, and I appreciate you asking me about parenting, because that’s the most important thing to me.

FilmFather turns 3!

2011-07-20T08:08:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all the dedicated followers, casual readers, and even those who just came by while searching Google Images. :)

Be sure to follow FilmFather for updates on new reviews...
both here (see right column) and on Twitter!

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

2011-07-13T16:18:00.000-04:00

WITH PIXAR AND DREAMWORKS BOTH RELEASING animated films this summer, it’s impossible not to compare them.

I’ve already expressed my disgust and disappointment with Pixar’s Cars 2. But will DreamWorks’ 2011 summer sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2, fare any better?

Plot:
As the legendary Dragon Warrior, kung fu master Po (Jack Black) dutifully guards the Valley of Peace alongside his allies, the Furious Five. When a frightful new enemy emerges, Po and company embark on a perilous journey to save China and the art of kung fu.

Critique:

Like most “part two” sequels, everything in Kung Fu Panda 2 is on a bigger scale than the original, and director Jennifer Yuh Nelson keeps everything epic without being excessive. The gorgeously drawn landscapes offer the ideal backdrop for the many action sequences involving Po and the Furious Five versus the vengeful peacock Shen (Gary Oldman) and his army of wolves. (Po’s master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) is relegated to a bit part, showing up mostly at the beginning and end.)

The fight sequences, while sometimes too fast for their own good, are still amazing to watch. Other action scenes are just as entertaining, including a hysterical rickshaw chase between Po and one of Shen’s henchmen.

A reigned-in yet still-funny Jack Black returns as Po, who, in addition to being tasked with defeating Shen, yearns to find inner peace – which is played out in a touching storyline as Po learns of his adoption and the truth behind his real parents. As Po’s nemesis, Gary Oldman is perfectly cast as the voice of Shen, a completely different (yet just as formidable) adversary compared to the original film’s baddie, Tai Lung.

Kung Fu Panda 2 has great storytelling, exciting action, endearing characters, and even a surprise ending. It’s infinitely more clever, engaging, and emotionally involving than Pixar’s Cars 2. And it marks the first time I’m saying this about the latest DreamWorks film I saw, rather than the latest Pixar film: I immediately wanted to see it again.

Rating:

What did Dash and Jack-Jack think?

They were highly entertained by Kung Fu Panda 2. Dash and I laughed at a lot of the same jokes and gags, and we all got caught up in the action as it intensified in the third act (FilmMother included).

Is it suitable for your kids?

Kung Fu Panda 2 is rated PG for “scenes of martial arts action and mild violence.” There are several mentions of killing and a few implied deaths; a character is killed off-screen by Shen’s cannon; Shen’s army of wolves can be menacing at times; and a major character is killed by a falling boat mast.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

With its great combination of humor, emotion, and action, I think she’ll really enjoy Kung Fu Panda 2. (Oh, and the bunnies. Can’t forget the bunnies.)

Yes, this is Po as a baby. You may commence "awww"-ing.

Kung Fu Panda 2
* Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson
* Screenwriters: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
* Stars: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, David Cross, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong
* MPAA Rating: PG

Rent Kung Fu Panda 2 from Netflix >>

Cars 2 (2011)

2011-06-28T11:21:00.024-04:00

I’M SURE I’M NOT ALONE when I say I have two boys under the age of ten who love Pixar’s 2006 release Cars. It’s a near-perfect match for young boys: A cartoon movie about talking cars, fast races, and the true meaning of loyalty and friendship. (And to my wife’s satisfaction, the meanest villain is merely an obnoxious cheater.)

So when Dash heard there was going to be a Cars 2, we knew we’d be going to see it the moment it hit theaters. It’s Pixar, they’re characters our family loves, and it’s based on Pixar’s most kid-friendly film. It’s bound to be great, right?

Right?

Plot:
Star racecar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and his best friend, tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix. But the road to the championship is filled with potholes, detours, and surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile races and being part of a top-secret spy mission, Mater's journey leads him on explosive chases through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world.

Critique:

In various interviews, Cars 2 director (and Pixar co-founder and Disney/Pixar Chief Creative Officer) John Lassetter has said he wanted to do something completely different with this sequel compared to the original.

And therein lies the problem.

Cars 2 is far removed from what made the original so endearing (even if Cars is basically Doc Hollywood with wheels). Cars 2 is driven entirely by plot, not character – the complete antithesis of any Pixar film that came before it. To make matters worse, the plot (a battle of alternative fuel vs. oil) is far too complex and adult-centric for children to follow, much less care about.

In terms of characters, the old gang from Radiator Springs is back, but almost incidentally: Luigi, Guido, Fillmore, and Sarge join the adventure, but we only see the rest of the gang at the beginning and end of the film. Development of the main characters is also at a minimum: There are occasional hints at the special friendship of McQueen and Mater, but the sentiment quickly vanishes and we’re off to the races again (literally).

Then there’s the noise factor. While it’s expected that McQueen’s three big races will have loud engines, screeching tires, and an occasional crash, the remainder of Cars 2 is flooded with booming explosions, unrelenting action, and extended scenes of bullet-spraying violence.

The screenplay by first-time Pixar scribe (and second-time feature film writer) Ben Queen feels like it was commissioned rather than crafted. There’s near-zero character depth, and jokes often feel like they’re pulled from a sitcom, relying too often on toilet humor and double entendre.

On the plus side: In true Pixar fashion, Cars 2 is visually gorgeous, especially the Tokyo segment. There are grown-up jokes about VIN numbers, Japanese culture, and airport security that hit the mark. And the idea that all the villain cars are discontinued lemons (Pacer, Gremlin, etc.) is inspired.

Unlike Pixar’s previous, moving films like Toy Story 3, Up, and WALL-E, not one tear will be shed by anyone while watching Cars 2…except maybe tears of sadness for how badly Pixar has stumbled with this entry (which unfortunately comes out as the company celebrates its 25th anniversary).

Taking into account Lassetter’s unabashed love of cars and what makes them go vroom, Cars 2 comes off as a pet project by the boss that no one dared question in terms of its unoriginal storytelling, lack of character development, convoluted plot, and inappropriateness for children.

It’s been five years since Lassetter directed the original Cars, and a dozen years since his previous Pixar directing gig, Toy Story 2. In that time, it seems he’s either losing his touch as a director...or has lost touch with what audiences want from a Pixar film.

Rating:

What did Dash and Jack-Jack think?

Sitting through Cars 2 is an exhausting experience for filmgoers of any age, but especially for kids. Dash and Jack-Jack were restless and fidgety by the end of the second act; the endless onslaught of car chases, gunfire, and explosions simply drained them. Also, like the original Cars, this sequel clocks in at nearly 2 hours – way too long for the attention span of children.

Is it suitable for your kids?

It’s unfathomable how Cars 2 received a G rating by the MPAA. It contains even more intense action and violence than Pixar’s PG-rated The Incredibles. Nearly every car involved in espionage fires a gun, and many of the shootouts are excessive; also, several cars are tortured and killed.
In addition to the scatological humor, there’s other questionable language including threats of violence (“Lightning McQueen must be killed,” “I’m gonna make sure you stay dead”), sexually suggestive insults (“Your mother,” “Your sister”), and in the Tokyo segment, Mater hits a gong and declares, “Bang a gong, get it on!”

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

If she’s looking for the sentiment and fun from the original Cars in this sequel, she’ll be highly disappointed.

Vee have vays uff making you like zis movie...

Cars 2
* Director: John Lassetter
* Screenwriter: Ben Queen
* Stars: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, John Turturro, Eddie Izzard
* MPAA Rating: G

Buy Cars 2 from Half.com >>
Rent Cars 2 from Netflix >>

Congrats to the winners of the Mr. Popper's Penguins book!

2011-06-24T13:33:00.003-04:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest!

Leroy & Stitch (2006)

2011-06-16T08:08:00.023-04:00

DASH GOT LEROY & STITCH ON DVD for Christmas last year, and when he eventually asked me if we could watch it as part of our weekly Movie Night, I knew I was taking my chances for a couple of reasons:

Direct-to-video Disney films are sketchy at best, uninspired and slap-shod money-makers at worst (though The Lion King 1 1/2 was a pleasant exception).
The last entry we watched in the Lilo & Stitch film series, 2003’s Stitch! The Movie, was absolutely awful – nearly killing the fun memories of the 2002 original film.

Still, I took a deep breath, popped in the DVD, and hoped for the best. (Or feared the worst, I can’t remember…)

Plot:
Since rounding up all 625 of Dr. Jumba's genetically engineered experiments in Stitch! The Movie, Lilo (Daveigh Chase), Stitch (Chris Sanders), Pleakley (Kevin McDonald) and Jumba (David Ogden Stiers) are enjoying separate vacations in the far corners of space. But when evil Dr. Hamsterviel (Jeff Bennett) returns, forces Jumba to create Stitch's evil twin (a creature he names Leroy), and plans to clone Leroy into an unstoppable army, it's up to Lilo to reunite the gang and save the day.

Critique:

While Leroy & Stitch is pretty quiet until Dr. Hamsterviel arrives, things pick up once he creates the powerful and destructive Leroy. In fact, the battles between Stitch and Leroy are actually exciting and really well-choreographed.

There are a decent amount of one-liners for the grown-ups; a climactic battle featuring Stitch and the “good” aliens versus an army of Leroys; and a great, inspired closing scene that pays tribute to Lilo’s hero, Elvis Presley.

The creative team of Tony Craig, Roberts Gannaway, and Jess Winfield (responsible for the aforementioned, lackluster Stitch! The Movie) have redeemed themselves with Leroy & Stitch. While it may not go down as a classic in the Disney pantheon, it’s an enjoyable and easily digestible 73 minutes of fun for kids and parents alike.

Rating:

What did Dash and Jack-Jack think?

They both really enjoyed Leroy & Stitch, earning it repeat viewings over the weekend after this airing on Friday night. Despite a slow start, the action and antics kept them entertained – the capper being (gross-out alert) when Leroy picks his nose with his tongue.

Will your kids like it?

Kids under ten will probably enjoy Leroy & Stitch. And despite Leroy’s tricky nose-picking, there’s no content that’s inappropriate or scary for toddlers or pre-schoolers.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Leroy & Stitch will probably fall somewhere between “enduring it” and “liking it” – fun to watch with the kids, but not something she’d seek out on her own.

Yikes. Anybody remember that arcade game Robotron: 2084?

Leroy & Stitch
* Directors: Tony Craig, Roberts Gannaway
* Screenwriters: Roberts Gannaway, Jess Winfield
* Stars: Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders, Kevin McDonald, David Ogden Stiers, Jeff Bennett
* MPAA Rating: G

Buy Leroy & Stitch from Half.com >>
Rent Leroy & Stitch from Netflix >>

Win a copy of the book Mr. Popper's Penguins!

2011-06-09T08:08:00.001-04:00

YOU COULD WIN one of three copies of the book Mr. Popper's Penguins!

This book is the basis for the upcoming movie opening June 17th.

Synopsis:
The summer movie season’s first live-action family comedy event stars Jim Carrey, whose chilly relationship with his family heats up after he inherits six adorable, lovable, and mischievous penguins. Mr. Popper’s Penguins is based on the award-winning classic children’s book by Richard and Florence Atwater.

How to Enter:
Comment on this post by June 23, 2011. I will then pick three comments at random and post the winners soon after. (Winners will then have to e-mail me their mailing addresses to receive their book.)

Rules:

You must have a link to your e-mail address on your Blogger profile page. If not, you must provide your e-mail address in your comment.
Prize pack is available to United States mailing addresses only.

Good luck!

Chocolate (2008)

2011-06-01T16:37:00.016-04:00

LAST YEAR, OUR SON JACK-JACK was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

It’s forced us to evaluate every aspect of his life in order to help him continually develop his social skills and avoid negative reactions to situations. Every day and every situation is unique – from peer interaction and school choices to whether he’s happy with the way he wrote his name.

As I was scrolling through my Netflix queue last week, I came across Chocolate by Thai director Prachya Pinkaew. I had considered watching it a couple of years ago because of my love of martial arts films (and the fact that Pinkaew’s 2003 classic Ong-Bak has amazing, action-packed fight scenes).

But after Jack-Jack’s diagnosis, another reason made my interest climb…

Plot:
Zen (JeeJa Yanin), a young woman with autism, is raised by single mother Zin (Ammara Siripong), a former member of a mob ring led by the sadistic No. 8 (Pongpat Wachirabunjong). Growing up, Zen discovered she has the ability to absorb precision fighting skills by watching martial arts movies on TV and observing a class of students training in the courtyard outside her window. When Zin is diagnosed with cancer and can’t afford the medical bills, Zen sets out to collect from those who still owe Zin money. But what will No. 8 do when he finds out the daughter of one of his ex-employees is taking money from his clients?

Critique:

Pinkaew does something very admirable with Chocolate: He doesn’t make Zen’s autism a one-note gimmick. He takes time at the beginning to show the emotional and social obstacles Zen faces growing up (these montages, accompanied by a beautiful lullaby-like score, are both touching and hard to watch).

As Zen, Yanin does an amazing job of capturing the many aspects of autistic behavior, such as obsessing over an item or hobby (be it martial arts, her collection of beads, or her ever-present tube of chocolate candies), fearing an everyday item (for Zen, it’s houseflies), or rocking left and right on her feet while examining something (Jack-Jack does that all the time).

Moving from emotional to physical: The fight scenes (choreographed by longtime Pinkaew colleague Panna Rittikrai) are fast-paced and have moments of inspired greatness. But Pinkaew doesn’t pull out all the stops in Zen’s first confrontation with baddies, or even the second one – he carefully ups the ante with each battle, sprinkling crazier moves and more lethal weapons into each subsequent clash. He saves the best for last: a one-two finale featuring a fight very similar to the House of Blue Leaves scene in Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1, followed by an insanely brutal showdown between Zen and a dozen henchmen along a third-floor window ledge.

A few cons: The continuous cycle of fights in the second act (Zen tries to collect money, debtor sic’s goons on her, she kicks their asses, rinse, repeat) sometimes makes Chocolate feel more like levels of a videogame than a progressing story. The added dashes of slapstick also felt out of place – if I want that, I’ll watch Jackie Chan. And Zen’s one-on-one fight against a martial artist with epilepsy seemed one step away from self-parody.

At the beginning of Chocolate, there’s a message from Pinkaew:

“The making of this movie was inspired by a group of very special children and a personal dream. To unleash the amazing potential of human movement that is not often seen in everyday reality. To be an encouragement to parents and the unconditional love given to all the special children in the world.”

With this highly entertaining film, Pinkaew unleashes that potential through a character whose disorder is her path to strength. And it’s a potential that parents of children with autism strive to unleash in their own kids every single day.

Thai, with subtitles.
aka Fury.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Chocolate is rated R largely for violence. There’s a lot of martial-arts fighting, several people are shot, No. 8 cuts off a woman’s toe, his henchmen rough up some “clients,” and many men die in a bloody samurai sword fight. During a fight sequence in a butcher shop, a man gets his foot caught on a meat hook, while a cleaver gets embedded in another man’s shoulder. Regarding sex/nudity, there’s a brief shot of a man’s bare behind, as well as a lovemaking scene (naked but no nudity).

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

The early montages of Zin caring for Zen will likely appeal to your FilmMother’s maternal instincts, and if you have or know a child with autism, Yanin’s performance will hit home. From there, it depends if your better half enjoys (or at least can tolerate) the violence and bloodshed that comes with Zen’s fights with the bad guys.

The voiceover auditions for Kung Fu Panda 3 went horribly, horribly wrong.

Chocolate
* Director: Prachya Pinkaew
* Screenwriters: Chukiat Sakveerakul, Napalee
* Stars: JeeJa Yanin, Ammara Siripong, Pongpat Wachirabunjong, Hiroshi Abe
* MPAA Rating: R

Buy Chocolate from Half.com >>
Rent Chocolate from Netflix >>

Class of 1984 (1982)

2011-05-24T15:06:00.022-04:00

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING, but it’s here at last: a new addition to Trashterpiece Theatre.

Plot:
The new music teacher at run-down Abraham Lincoln High School, pacifist Andy Norris (Perry King), clashes with student and gang leader Stegman (Timothy Van Patten), who declares the school as his own. The idealistic Mr. Norris soon becomes the main target of Stegman’s gang, as ongoing incidents build to a brutal showdown.

Critique:

Director Mark Lester (Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw, Commando) puts plenty of substance into Class of 1984 to raise it above typical B-movie exploitation. In addition to frequent and brilliant use of foreshadowing, he balances the sleaze and violence with scenes that give dimension to the characters and earn our empathy – such as Norris and his wife (Merrie Lynn Ross) talking about their pregnancy and Roddy McDowall’s biology teacher, Mr. Corrigan, tearfully lamenting to Norris that he feels like a failure at his profession.

A large part of Class of 1984’s personality is its atmosphere. The grimy, graffiti-covered walls of the high school, paired with the eerie and synth-tastic score by Lalo Schifrin, create a setting of decay and grime that oozes off the screen.

King is perfect as the peaceful Mr. Norris, who tries in vain to play by the rules to have Stegman’s gang arrested. Van Patten portrays one of the most underrated sociopaths in B-movie history as the formidable Stegman, the gifted delinquent who runs his gang, the school, and even the town’s punk nightlife. And while it may seem like he’s slumming here, McDowall gives a terrific performance as the cynical Corrigan, bringing more depth and emotion to the role than expected in a film like this. (Best line, as he raises a drink in his classroom full of caged lab creatures after hours: “To the lower animals. They never kill each other without good reason.”)

Of course, films like Class of 1984 aren’t any fun if the good guy always plays by the rules, and Norris finally takes matters into his own hands – starting with trashing Stegman’s prized car and ending with a brutal, nighttime cat-and-mouse showdown in the catacombs of the high school during a band concert.

Normally, the violence displayed would be repulsive and reprehensible. But in the context of a movie like this, it’s delicious, depraved, and deserving. There are gruesome, over-the-top kills – including a final death that’s a literal showstopper.

Class of 1984 does have its shortcomings. There are one too many “nobody saw them do it” excuses by the school administration and the police for not arresting Stegman and his gang. Van Patten overdoes the “crazy eyes” at times when putting Stegman’s psychosis on display. And Ross’ portrayal as King’s expectant wife is underwhelming and more of a plot device than anything (Ross was once married to Lester).

Class of 1984 is exploitative B-movie fun. True, it has a still-relevant social commentary and a solid story at its core. But it’s the layers of sleaze, grime, and violence that make it a highly entertaining Trashterpiece.

Tidbits:
* Co-writer Tom Holland wrote and directed two of the ‘80s biggest horror films: 1985’s Fright Night (also starring McDowall) and 1988’s Child’s Play.
* Lester often shoots Van Patten’s Stegman from below to make him more ominous, following D.W. Griffith’s adage, “Shoot from above for an angel; shoot from below for a devil.”
* Class of 1984 features an early film appearance by Michael J. Fox as Arthur, the innocent trumpeter torn between helping Mr. Norris or facing the wrath of Stegman and his gang.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

No. No it’s not. A big part of Class of 1984 is the violence, and it comes in many forms: People are bullied, stabbed, beaten, burned alive, dismembered, run over, hanged, and fall to their death. Two members of Stegman’s gang occasionally wear shirts featuring swastikas, and in one scene they do a mock Nazi salute as Norris takes attendance. There’s also strong use of profanities (including a few gay and racial slurs), a scene of full female nudity, drug and alcohol use, and a classroom of lab animals are shown mutilated after an act of vandalism.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

I’d love to get my wife, a high school English teacher, to watch Class of 1984 and hear her thoughts (she has a music degree, and both of her parents are retired music teachers). However, I think the brutal violence of the film would be off-putting to her. If you can get your FilmMother to watch Class of 1984, be sure to share her reaction in the comments.

“Hey, weren’t you in The White Shadow?”
“Yeah, aren’t you gonna be in Riptide?”

Class of 1984
* Director: Mark Lester
* Screenwriters: Mark Lester, John Saxton, Tom Holland
* Stars: Perry King, Timothy Van Patten, Roddy McDowall, Merrie Lynn Ross, Michael J. Fox
* MPAA Rating: R

Buy Class of 1984 from Half.com >>
Rent Class of 1984 from Netflix >>

Son of Godzilla (1967)

2011-05-16T16:29:00.018-04:00

TO MY DELIGHT, Dash showed an interest in Godzilla last year when he discovered the Saturday morning animated series from the late ‘70s, which was a childhood favorite of mine during its brief run.

But for Dash and Jack-Jack’s first exposure to the classic Godzilla movies, I needed something just as age-appropriate. That may sound silly, since the Godzilla flicks are essentially men fighting in rubber suits as they demolish models of Japanese cities and villages. But in many of these films, the humans are more violent than the monsters. (In Destroy All Monsters, people are shot in the head and throw themselves off cliffs.)

So after checking the “parents guide” pages of many of the Godzilla flicks at the IMDb, I landed on Son of Godzilla.

Plot:
Scientists experimenting with changes in weather on a tropical island get more than they bargained for when Godzilla shows up to battle humongous insects and protect his newborn child, Minilla.

Critique:

Purists of the Godzilla franchise largely disown Son of Godzilla, calling it pandering and childish compared to other entries in the series. But that’s exactly why it felt like a good place to start with my 8- and 5-year old boys.

It’s easy to see why more fervent fans of the Godzilla series find Son of Godzilla a bit corny. A couple of examples:

The opening situations involving the scientists on the island, and the musical score that accompanies them, are very lighthearted and reminiscent of the tone of live-action Disney films of the same era.
Goofy music plays whenever Minilla is fumbling about, and at one point the filmmakers even have Minilla throw a kicking, screaming temper tantrum on his back.

The film spends too much time trying to give substance to the scientists’ efforts to control the weather, and there’s a budding romance between investigative reporter Goro (Akira Kubo) and native island girl Riko (Bibari Maeda) that’s harmless enough.

But the human storylines aren’t why we watch these films. We want to see giant rubber monsters throw down, which is what makes the classic Godzilla films exciting, cheesy fun (here, Godzilla and Minilla battle giant praying mantises and a monstrous, web-slinging spider). Unfortunately, the battles in Son of Godzilla are infrequent, and the best clash (where Godzilla takes on the praying mantises) is early in the film and too brief to be satisfying.

While Son of Godzilla is by no means a classic (though the ending is oddly touching), it was a good first choice for introducing Dash and Jack-Jack to the Godzilla film series. Now the question is: Which one do we see next? Suggestions are welcome in the comments below.

Tidbits:
* A year after Son of Godzilla, Kubo also starred in the aforementioned Destroy All Monsters.
* Director Jun Fukuda directed several other films in the Godzilla series, including Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla vs. Megalon, and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.

Rating:

What did Dash and Jack-Jack think?

After only one brief appearance by Godzilla in the first 25 minutes, Jack-Jack’s patience was tested, while surprisingly Dash was interested in the dubbed dialogue of the Japanese cast. To their credit, they both stuck with it to the end, even when there were long stretches of action-less dialogue (a pitfall of many of the Godzilla films).
Dash (on the praying mantis): “It’s not really scary.”
Jack-Jack: “I think I like the girl the most. I think the girl knows everything.”

Is it suitable for your kids?

Son of Godzilla is rated PG for “sci-fi monster violence.” Godzilla bodyslams and breathes fire on several of the giant mantises, as well as the giant spider. In a couple of other scenes, Minilla is in peril as the monsters pursue him. Also, a man is attacked by one of the giant spider’s claws, but escapes unharmed.
From the humans, there are separate mentions of a concentration camp and having a cold beer, men shoot their rifles at a giant praying mantis, a man gets grazed in the arm by a bullet, and there is a brief scene of smoking.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

I haven’t met any serious female Godzilla fans in my lifetime, though I’m sure they’re out there. I’m guessing this would be more of a you-and-the-boy(s) situation if you decide to check it out.

And he was stompin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew,

He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad / You know I'm gonna be like you."

Son of Godzilla
* Director: Jun Fukuda
* Screenwriters: Shinichi Sekizawa, Kazue Shiba
* Stars: Tadao Takashima, Akira Kubo, Bibari Maeda
* MPAA Rating: PG

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Rio (2011)

2011-05-06T14:34:00.022-04:00

LOOKING AT MY REVIEWS for April, I noticed there wasn’t one kid movie in the whole bunch. (The last was the terrific LEGO movie from mid-March.)

I usually try to alternate kid movies with dad movies, or at least stick to a 2-to-1 ratio to keep things somewhat balanced. But I fell short last month, and I needed to stock up on more reviews of kid flicks.

As fate, luck, and good timing would have it, the four of us got out to see a family-friendly movie together over Spring Break…

Plot:
Set in Rio de Janeiro and the rainforest of Brazil, Rio centers on Blu (Jesse Eisenberg), a rare macaw who thinks he is the last of his kind. When Blu’s owner (Leslie Mann) is told that there's another — a female macaw — she takes Blue from the comforts of his cage in small-town Minnesota and heads with him to Rio. But it's far from love at first sight between domesticated, flight-challenged Blu and fiercely independent, high-flying Jewel (Anne Hathaway). Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on an adventure where they learn about friendship, love, courage, and being open to life's many wonders.

Critique:

With a lavish opening musical number featuring dozens of colorful tropical birds, Rio makes its intentions of a festive experience known immediately. Yet after that opening number, the festivities take a back seat as Blu and his owner make the tough decision to head to Rio and help his species survive by, um, “relating” with Jewel. (FYI: The mating concept is handled lightly and comically, so don’t worry about having to explain the birds and the bees – or in this case, the bird and the bird – to your kids.)

The design and art direction in Rio are truly something to behold – lush, extravagant backdrops and settings, including wide aerial shots that look like true-life photographs of Rio’s mountains, beaches, and iconic Jesus statue.

Eisenberg brings his trademark neurotic delivery to the voice of Blu, which is a perfect fit since Blu is unsure and skittish about much of what (and whom) he encounters during his journey. Hathaway is a good fit and enjoyable as the strong-willed and eventually sympathetic Jewel. And as much I was fearing over-the-top, grating performances from George Lopez and Tracy Morgan, they reeled it in just enough to make their characters (Rafael the toucan and Luiz and the bulldog) a lot of fun. In addition, Flight of the Concords’ Jemaine Clement provides one of the most memorable animated villains since Toy Story 3’s Lotso Huggin’ Bear as the sadistic cockatoo Nigel.

Music – specifically, Latin dance – plays a huge part in Rio, and rightfully so since the film takes place in Rio de Janeiro during Carnavale. Legendary musician/producer Sergio Mendes, along with Black Eyed Peas leader will.i.am, provide a rich soundtrack highlighted by the film’s signature track, “Hot Wings.” In addition, Rio’s music brings something back to animated features that hasn’t been heard since Disney’s early ‘90s heyday: signature songs by the characters in the film. The best of the bunch is Nigel’s wicked tune, “Pretty Bird."

Character development in Rio is a slow build, but it eventually gets there, along with much more laugh-out-loud comedy. Yes, there’s a pinch of pop culture references, but not too much as to spoil things or jeopardize the film’s freshness ten years from now.

With Rio, director Carlos Saldanha (and a small team of screenwriters) has tapped into something unique in both story and location. Yes, Pixar still has nothing to worry about (though rumor has it they canceled their film Newt because it was too similar in story). But with its gorgeous, vibrant, energetic vibe, Rio is well with the trip.

Rating:

Will your kids like it?

Absolutely. Rio is a lot of fun, with great songs, fun characters, and a visually amazing execution.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

The trailers really didn’t sell Rio as anything special, but the film is much better than she may expect. Convince her to make it a movie for the whole family to watch; nobody will be disappointed.

Hmmm...did the filmmakers intend for this

shot to be in 3-D? Guess we'll never know...

Rio
* Director: Carlos Saldanha
* Screenwriters: Don Rhymer, Joshua Sternin, Jeffrey Ventimilia, Sam Harper
* Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, George Lopez, Jake T. Austin, Carlos Ponce, Bernardo De Paula, Wanda Sykes, Jane Lynch, will.i.am
* MPAA Rating: G

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Win Win (2011)

2011-04-26T08:08:00.002-04:00

IT’S SATURDAY NIGHT, and I’m taking FilmMother out for a belated birthday dinner and a movie. I’m excited about getting the chance to see a film in a theater, and I wonder aloud about when was the last time she and I did so without the kids.

“Valentine’s Day,” she informs me. She’s referring to both the holiday and the movie from 2010. In other words, over a year ago.

So yes, while we have seen movies in theaters since then (Toy Story 3, Despicable Me), this is the first time in a long time that we’re hitting the local cineplex childless.

My immediate thought: Let’s make this count by picking a good movie that the kids either couldn’t or wouldn’t want to see.

Plot:
In Win Win, Paul Giamatti (Private Parts, Shoot ‘Em Up) is small-time New Jersey lawyer Mike Flaherty, who has a declining practice, financial woes (both in his practice and his family life), and an aging client named Leo (Burt Young) battling the early stages of dementia. When Mike learns that Leo’s estate would pay $1,500 a month for an at-home guardian, he offers himself for the job, then puts Leo in a senior living facility and pockets the money anyway. But Mike’s visions of an easy payday begin to fade when Leo’s teenage grandson Kyle (Alex Shaffer) suddenly appears on the scene. And just when Mike thinks he's found a way to make this new development work, the boy's mother (Melanie Lynskey) shows up and puts Mike’s plans in jeopardy.

Critique:

From the opening scene of two joggers passing Mike as he tries to keep a steady pace, Win Win writer/director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent) prepares us for a portrait of a man who is losing ground: Mike’s caseload is waning, expenses at work and home are growing, and he’s coaching a god-awful high school wrestling team.

McCarthy’s films thrive on relatable characters in an environment that captures the realism of everyday life, and Giamatti is a perfect fit for both of these elements as Mike – a good guy and family man who, in desperation, makes a move to improve his life that he believes will truly hurt no one.

Of course, no film is complete without conflict, and Win Win has its share in the form of Leo’s supposedly reformed addict daughter Cindy (played with convincing vulnerability and opportunism by Lynskey) and the fallout from when Mike’s little scam is ultimately exposed. However, the film isn’t just 105 minutes of heavy drama; it also features several laugh-out-loud scenes as well as engaging and well-shot wrestling sequences.

And while the framework of Win Win has been seen many times – guy does something for selfish reasons, grows feelings for those he's exploiting, tries to explain “it's not like that now” when he gets caught – it’s a true testament to McCarthy's vision, and to the stellar cast he's assembled, that in watching Win Win you don’t feel like you've seen it all before.

Speaking of the cast, in addition to the always reliable Giamatti, Win Win features The Office’s Amy Ryan as Mike’s supportive yet Jersey-tough wife Jackie; Jeffrey Tambor as Mike’s colleague and assistant wrestling coach Steve; Bobby Cannavale in a highly entertaining turn as Mike’s childhood friend Terry, who’s still clinging to his glory days as a high school wrestler (even though he sucked); and newcomer Shaffer, who does an impressive job as the brooding and guarded Kyle.

Had it been packed with A-list stars, Win Win (a hit at Sundance) would currently be the talk of the town and number one at the box office. But the fact it’s not jammed with “movie stars” but rather with believable, respected, relatable actors is truly what makes it work.

There were only eight other people in our theater when FilmMother and I saw Win Win. A great movie-going experience for us, but a travesty for such a well-made, feel-good, and rewarding film as this. Right this wrong; go see Win Win as soon as you can.

Fun facts:
* McCarthy planned for Amy Ryan’s character to have a leg tattoo of her favorite Jersey rocker, but he wasn’t sure if it should be Bruce Springsteen or Jon Bon Jovi. He asked Alex Shaffer’s mom, who’s from Jersey, and her immediate response was, “Jon Bon Jovi, of course!”
* Shaffer is a nationally ranked wrestler in real life. A two-time regional champion, he became a New Jersey state champion in his weight class just before filming Win Win (his acting debut).

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Win Win is rated R largely for adult language, with some adult themes and one butt shot courtesy of Cannavale’s character as he e-mails a picture of his bare ass to his estranged wife.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Most definitely. Win Win is a great movie to share together, and she’ll be happily satisfied after viewing it.

They’ve fallen, and they can’t get up!
(What, you think you can do better?
Add your witty caption in the Comments section.)

Win Win
* Director: Tom McCarthy
* Screenwriter: Tom McCarthy
* Stars: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor, Burt Young, Melanie Lynskey, Alex Shaffer, Margo Martindale, David W. Thompson
* MPAA Rating: R

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American Swing (2008)

2011-04-20T08:08:00.001-04:00

AS A CHILD OF THE ‘70S, I sometimes have trouble relating to the fact that while I was enjoying the most innocent years of my life, many adults were engaging in some of the most hedonistic and debauched behavior of modern times. Casual and open cocaine use, key parties, and “swinging” by married couples were apparently taking place across America.

One avid swinger, a former deli owner named Larry Levenson, believed so much in catering to the swinger scene and bringing it to the mainstream that he opened Plato’s Retreat, a sex club in New York City during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s where couples could indulge in spouse-swapping, anonymous sex, and group orgies (not to mention the free buffet).

It’s the ascension, heyday, and eventual decline of Plato’s Retreat that’s the basis for the documentary American Swing.

Plot:
Mathew Kaufman and Jon Hart direct this documentary about the legendary sex club Plato’s Retreat, which catered to adventurous heterosexual couples in the 1970s and beyond. Featuring frank interviews with former members and graphic footage of the club's activities, the film explores how a once-thriving center of free love imploded amid drugs, tangled relationships, and the rise of AIDS.

Critique:

Kaufman and Hart certainly have done their research in order to create an informative and accurate-as-possible account of Plato’s Retreat – American Swing features dozens of interviews with former employees and management, friends and relatives of Levenson, regulars of the club, journalists who covered the scene, celebrities who visited the club, and archive footage of Levenson himself from appearances on Donahue and local New York City public access TV shows.

In addition to the sheer volume of interviews, Kaufman and Hart also provide unprecedented imagery of what went on inside the club – with dozens of photos and many video clips, both showing in very graphic detail the sexual escapades that took place (Swing is unrated, but would have easily been NC-17).

It’s oddly intriguing to listen to people who now qualify for AARP talk about Plato’s Retreat and the anonymous sex, spouse-swapping, and orgies that went on there – especially in the club’s notorious “mat room,” where only the most hardcore attendees would gather.

For the second half of American Swing, Kaufman and Hart put aside the titillating footage and focus on the people impacted by the club’s decline and eventual closing due to IRS woes and the looming threat of AIDS. (Watching Levenson and his cronies argue with callers on public access TV in 1985 as to what does and doesn’t cause AIDS is both laughable and sad, considering how little was known about the disease at the time.)

After three decades of being able to mostly only read and hear about what went on at Plato’s Retreat, American Swing blows the proverbial doors off the place – giving unprecedented access to the people who were there, showing what went on via uncompromising footage, and telling the story of yet another overconfident pioneer who believed his own hype, believed he was above the law, and fell victim to both.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Ah, no. No, no, no. The frank talk and visual evidence in American Swing regarding the sexual activity that dominated Plato’s Retreat is strictly for grown-up folk – and even some of them might be taken aback by what’s discussed and shown. There are copious amounts of nudity and several scenes of multi-partner or group sex, and recollections by former patrons about what they did or witnessed is sometimes as explicit as what’s shown.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

If she likes documentaries, American Swing is very well-made and more thorough than the average doc. But she’ll need to have an open mind to the subject matter.

See? Even casual, anonymous sex with group partners has its rules.

American Swing
* Directors: Mathew Kaufman, Jon Hart
* Stars: Bryce Britton, William Davidson, Dan Dorfman, Donna Ferrato, Jamie Gillis, Al Goldstein, Dian Hanson, Buck Henry, Ron Jeremy
* MPAA Rating: NR

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Black Samurai (1977)

2011-04-14T08:08:00.002-04:00

AFTER RECENTLY FINISHING Michael Adams’ excellent book Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro-Zombies: A Film Critic’s Year-Long Quest to Find the Worst Movie Ever Made, I found myself with a list of supposedly terrible movies I felt I had to see in order to truly savor their awfulness.

First on the list: the 1977 kung fu/blaxploitation flick Black Samurai.

Plot:
Special agent Robert Sand (Jim Kelly) is asked by the CIA to save his girlfriend Toki (Essie Lin Chia) after she’s kidnapped by a voodoo cult led by the evil Janicot (Bill Roy). It turns out Toki is also the daughter of a top Eastern ambassador, and Janicot's ransom demand is top-secret information for a new weapon, the “freeze bomb.” Sand’s search takes him from Hong Kong to California to Miami, facing bad men, bad women, and bad animals (Janicot's pet is a killer vulture!).

Critique:
Black Samurai has all the trappings of the ‘70s action genre: groovy opening credits, a funk-tastic soundtrack, sketchy audio, poor looping, stiff acting, overdone karate sound effects, bad editing, lots of Aviator sunglasses, and sideburns a-plenty. But despite all that tasty kitsch, the film as a whole isn’t as satisfying.

In terms of performances, Kelly – who had a memorable supporting role in Bruce Lee’s smash Enter the Dragon – is the lead plank in the wooden cast. (According to Jim Brown, the makers of their film Take a Hard Ride made Kelly’s character mute because he simply couldn’t act.) Dialogue is delivered either in monotones or with misplaced emphasis; the only exception is Bill Roy, who effectively relishes his role as Janicot with proper inflection and smarm.

Low-budget grindhouse filmmaker Al Adamson – whose films weren’t “fun” bad movies as much as “bad” bad movies – doesn’t provide an even or energetic pace to the proceedings. Fight sequences are either quick and done, or drawn-out and lackluster. (Though Sand’s jet-pack sequence left me in a mix of hysterics, jealousy, and how’d-they-do-that intrigue.)

The framework of Black Samurai is a direct lift (read: rip-off) of Enter the Dragon: a debriefing of our hero by government agents who need him for a mission; the hero’s journey to a mysterious island to bring down the big boss; a climactic battle where our hero wipes out dozens of the boss’ guards almost single-handedly; and a cat-and-mouse finale between the hero and boss (instead of a maze of mirrors as in Dragon, Adamson uses a maze of catacombs beneath Janicot’s mansion lair).

In fact, everything in Black Samurai is second-rate – not just to the classic Enter the Dragon, but to the ‘70s kung fu and blaxploitation genres in general. I watched the first hour in one sitting, but having to finish the last 25 minutes a few days later felt like having to do homework I’d been putting off.

While Black Samurai is nearly unwatchable, it should earn an award for Most Ironic Line of Dialogue: After Janicot forces Sand’s CIA buddy (Biff Yeager) at gunpoint to lie to Sand over the phone and lure him into a trap, Janicot declares: “The government even trains its agents to be very good actors.” Hmm. Maybe Adamson should’ve gotten a government grant from the NEA and sent the entire cast of Black Samurai to The Actors Studio.

Fun facts:
* In Kelly’s opening scene, he’s playing tennis. After his acting career faded, Kelly became a professional tennis player, rising to number two in California in the senior men's doubles rankings and reaching the state's top ten in senior men's singles. He now works as a professional tennis coach.
* Adamson’s death is the stuff of one of his films: He was bludgeoned in 1995 at age 66 and cemented in the Jacuzzi at his home by the contractor he had hired.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Black Samurai is rated R for language (including a baddie declaring Sand will be “one dead n**ger” and Sand calling another bad guy a “Whitey faggot”), chopsocky violence, and other acts of aggression (people are shot, poisoned by snakes, stabbed, and blown up via car bomb). Also, partygoers ogle a stripper during a party at Janicot’s mansion (no nudity, but she gets down to a bikini top and thong).

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Moot point; it’s not worth watching. If she likes ‘70s kung fu and/or blaxploitation, I’d recommend Enter the Dragon for the former and either Pam Grier’s Coffy or Isaac Hayes’ Truck Turner for the latter.

If I cropped this shot any closer, you’d think
they were doing something besides fighting.

Black Samurai
* Director: Al Adamson
* Screenwriter: B. Readick
* Stars: Jim Kelly, Bill Roy, Roberto Contreras, Marilyn Joi, Essie Lin Chia, Biff Yeager
* MPAA Rating: R

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Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

2011-04-08T11:49:00.013-04:00

LAST YEAR, filmmaker Robert Rodriguez released the grindhouse love letter Machete following the buzz surrounding his 2007 then-fake trailer of the same name. Critic and audience response was good, but not great. “Meh”-chete, if you will.

So when an outlandish red-band trailer surfaced online months ago for another grindhouse tribute flick, Hobo with a Shotgun, the question was raised: Was there any possible way this film could live up to such craziness?

Plot:
Rutger Hauer (The Hitcher, Blade Runner) is a hobo who rolls into a deteriorating, crime-ridden town (think Escape from New York meets Robocop’s Old Detroit), only to find it overrun by violence and ruled by a vicious crime lord known as the Drake (Brian Downey). The hobo's solution: Pick up a shotgun and start laying waste to crooks, corrupt cops, and lowlifes who cross his path.

Critique:

It’s funny how mindset and time of day can affect one’s opinion.

After a late-night, caffeine-ridden viewing, it felt like Hobo director Jason Eisener just missed living up to the hype brought about by the trailer. The film seemed compelling yet uneven, with only nominal character development beyond the relationship between Hauer’s hobo and Abby (Molly Dunsworth), the hooker he’s sworn to protect.

But after a second viewing the following day, my head was in the right place to soak in everything Hobo had to offer: It’s an over-the-top, blood-drenched, blood-spurting riot that would make a young Peter Jackson proud (Eisener even offers an homage to Jackson’s splatter classic Dead Alive by featuring a lawnmower as a body-chopping weapon).

Hauer overdelivers nearly all of his vengeful-vagabond dialogue, and rightly so, given the campy and exploitative nature of the film. But screenwriter John Davies saves most of the best lines for the supporting cast of baddies: There are so many ridiculously raunchy catchphrases that I can’t repeat them all here, let alone pick the best one. Beyond the actors and the action, the atmosphere of Hobo is accentuated by two key factors: its oversaturated color scheme and the retro/synth-heavy score by Darius Holbert and Russ Howard III.

Hobo with a Shotgun is an all-out attack on the senses. It’s part grindhouse homage, part graphic novel come to life, and totally out of control…but in the most entertaining way possible.

Fun fact: Much like Machete, Hobo with a Shotgun originated as a fake trailer for Grindhouse (but was only attached to the Canadian theater release). The trailer, also directed by Eisener, was the winner of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Grindhouse fake trailer competition.

Rating:

Is it suitable for your kids?

Hell. No. On top of the endless profanity, the vulgar threats made to random victims (most of whom are women), and the occasional nudity, the violence is graphic and relentless. People are decapitated, disemboweled, dismembered, crushed, tortured, hanged, shot, and stabbed. In addition, a baddie blowtorches a busload of kids, and in one scene Hauer’s hobo chews on broken glass.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

I’m guessing no, unless she’s into grindhouse flicks and can stomach a lot of bloody, graphic violence. Hobo’s more for a group of guys who can play off each other and hoot it up about the insanity taking place on the screen.

"Please don't shoot my dick off! I still have a lot of f**king left to do!"
(Actual line from the movie.)

Hobo with a Shotgun
* Director: Jason Eisener
* Screenwriter: John Davies
* Stars: Rutger Hauer, Gregory Smith, Molly Dunsworth, Nick Bateman, Brian Downey, Jeremy Akerman
* MPAA Rating: R

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Congrats to the winner of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Prize Pack!

2011-03-28T12:36:00.003-04:00

Budd

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest!

LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers (2010)

2011-03-18T08:08:00.001-04:00

WATCHING A MOVIE with your kids that’s a toy or product tie-in can be a risky gamble. Not only could your kids end up asking for the toys that “star” in the movie, but the movie itself could be just a 90-minute toy commercial with no substance or, even worse, unwatchable (though we did have moderate success with Rescue Heroes: The Movie).

So when Netflix recommended LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers, I was hesitant to act. But since LEGO has been a memorable part of childhood for generations (mine and my boys’ included), sentimentality overtook me and we checked it out.

Plot:
The snap-build world of LEGO comes to life in this full-length adventure, featuring master builder and adventurer Clutch Powers and his band of plastic friends as they fight to save the universe across time and space. From Space Police prison to the medieval castles of Ashlar, Clutch and his pals put their skills to work to fend off an evil wizard and his dreaded skeleton army.

Critique:

From its thrilling opening sequence (borrowing from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Aliens) to its over-the-top climax, LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers delivers pure fun and entertainment. It’s amazingly well done, and not just for a direct-to-video movie about a toy line; it easily could have been a theatrical hit.

Clutch Powers features top-shelf production values, inspired and impressive set pieces, ambitious storytelling, a grandiose soundtrack worthy of a major motion picture, and a third act so compelling I caught myself getting sucked into it as much as my boys did.

In addition, director Howard E. Baker and screenwriter Tom Rogers know how to give a few nods to the grown-ups watching, with smart references to Indiana Jones, Aliens, Jason and the Argonauts, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and the Jedi mind trick.

The LEGO logo placement is a bit blatant at times (as if we don’t know what we’re watching), but never mind. LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers is a highly entertaining cross-section of action, sci-fi, and medieval epic, with some positive messages woven in about loyalty and teamwork. I can’t recommend it enough as the next film you should check out for a family movie night.

Rating:

What did Dash (and Jack-Jack) think?

They had a great time watching LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers – laughing at the jokes, soaking in the action, and staying glued to the screen for the big finale. A testament to their love of it: After we watched it Friday night, they woke up the next morning before FilmMother and me, asking by our bedside, “Can we watch the LEGO movie again?”

Will your kids like it?

Absolutely. It’s a smart, fun-filled, thrill-ride of a movie.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Even if she doesn’t think she wants to, convince her to watch it with the family. It’s a great movie experience for you all to enjoy together.

Uh-oh. We’re gonna need some bigger blocks.

LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers
* Director: Howard E. Baker
* Screenwriter: Tom Rogers
* Stars: Ryan McPartlin, Yvonne Strahovski, Paul Michael Glaser, Roger Rose, Jeff Bennett, Stephan Cox, Alex Désert, Chris Hardwick, Christopher Emerson, Richard Doyle
* MPAA Rating: N/A (basically G)

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