(Movie Review) Les Miserables (2013)

One thing that I am always very open about with people is that I am a geek. Always have been, always will be. But something that I am not so open about is that I love a good musical. Not sure why that is something that I keep a little bit hidden, but I always have. Maybe it’s because it is hard to look masculine while singing along to the soundtrack from Wicked…I just can’t pull it off. Still, there is something inherently beautiful and grand about musicals that I am just mesmerized by. But the process of transforming a well-known musical, such as Les Misérables, into a movie would be a daunting task for any director. Lucky for us Director Tom Hooper’s superpower just happens to be making fantastic movies. That and the ability to fly, but only one is applicable to this review.

Storyline: Jean Valjean (Jackman) has been hiding his identity from his pursuer, Javert (Crowe) for decades. Yet when Fantine (Hathaway), a former worker in Valjean’s factory, is on her death bed, Valjean vows to care for her daughter Cosette (Seyfried) as if she were his own. This is a decision that will change his life, and the lives of many others, in ways that he could have never imagined.

One of the things that I would think would be the most difficult, when bringing stage to screen, would be to figure out a way to insert dialog in to help move the story along. Musicals often include unsung dialog in their performances to help move the story from one number to the next. Films that come from musicals often do the same but normally extend the dialog so the viewer doesn’t get too restless with number after number. This movie refuses to do that. There may be a full paragraph of spoken words that are not to music. The story is not only progressed by the musical aspect but is enriched by it. Using the music to add depth to some already extremely deep performances. Where most stage to film transitions buckle, this movie excels.

Worth the admission? Will Thenardier rob you blind? Of course! This movie was extremely well done. I give a HUGE pat on the back to not only Jackman and Hathaway, both of which have gut wrenchingly beautiful numbers/scenes, but to the entire cast. Everyone was amazing! I have heard some complaints about Russell Crowe in this movie, but what I think that people fail to see is that these actors sang each scene. There was no studio. No lip synced performances. What you see is what you get. Real people that are singing their hearts out to convey the pain, the love, the hate and the dreams of their characters. I can’t remember a film that has been as brave.

(Movie Review) Django Unchained (2013)

Django Unchained paints the screen red and the box office green

What do you call someone that isn’t a fan of a particular person but can’t help but to be a fan of that persons work? I’m very hard on myself for listening to Kanye West because I think that he is a horrible and ignorant person in real life. I openly make fun of Taylor Swift using relationship after relationship to not only gain fame but to profit from her “post break up” music, yet I tend to bob my head along with a lot of her music. That may make me a little bit of a hypocrite, but I tend to try my best to separate a person from their work. The same goes for Quentin Tarantino. I have seen him in plenty of interviews and have always thought of him as someone that considers himself much much more intelligent and important than he really is. He comes across as smug and with a false sense of superiority. But it can never be questioned that he is someone that will go down in history for his film making. Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), Kill Bill (2003/2004) have all been films that transcend the normal path of films and stand out as classics that will stand up to decades of being reintroduced to generation after generation of new viewers.  This past weekend I watched the newest addition to that body of work and I admit that I believe this may be the most remembered of them all.

Storyline: Dr. King Schultz (Waltz) is on the hunt for a particular bounty. The only problem is that the bounty he is looking for has never been identified except by a slave named Django (Foxx). Schultz offers Django his freedom in exchange for his help. Django agrees to help him, but only if Schultz helps him find his wife and to free her from her current owner, Calvin Candie (DiCaprio).

 I honestly have nothing negative to say about this movie. I was very uncomfortable when the film first started because there is a gratuitous use of a very offensive word used to describe African-Americans.  Yet, as many have pointed out, to assume that this word was not used as gratuitously during that time period would be untrue.  This movie deals with some extremely uncomfortable truths about our nation’s history that often make you feel very ill-at-ease…as it should. But the majority of the film is handled with a sharp edgy comedy to it that allowed everyone (regardless of race) to enjoy the film together. That is a rarity in most movies that deal with this subject matter.

Worth the admission? Is the “D” in Django silent? Absolutely! Every actor is at the top of their game. DiCaprio was so in character that at one point he slams his hand down on a table, cuts it badly, bleeds, uses the blood as a "prop" and completely sells you on the ***hole persona that he worked so hard to sell during this movie. During that scene I looked at my cousin and said "I think that was real". He was so in the zone that he kept the scene going and never slacked up. 

Speaking of actors that were truly on point in this movie, Foxx and Waltz both deserve gobs and gobs of praise for not only their fine acting, but also for their character interactions with one another. Amazing stuff. 

(Movie Review) Jack Reacher (2012)

Cruise is immortal. This has been confirmed. I mean, really, go back and look at him in Legend. Or go look at the first Mission Impossible movie. If possible he looks younger NOW than he did in that movie. He might also be in better shape now. Regardless, he is a a freak of nature. 50 years old and STILL a believable action hero. That has never been more apparent than it was to me in this movie.

Storyline: A man is accused of a crime that he claims he didn't commit. While being interrogated he gives them only one name...Jack Reacher. Reacher (Cruise) seeks this man out to try to help figure out if he did or did not commit the crimes that are being accused of. Reacher goes on a mission to gather the facts and find out who committed the crime.

Worth the Admission? I think that it is. Cruise might not be 6'5 and 250lbs, but this movie looks like it was made specifically for Cruise to dominate. He might not be a believable "bad a**" (in the way that the book writes it) but the way that the movie writes him (as a tough guy that is underestimated) is perfect. He pulls off some fight scenes that many people HALF his age couldn't pull off.

I also want to add that Tom Cruise, for 50+ years old, is in amazing shape. Most of the older action guys have let themselves go. But Cruise is is awesome in the movie and shows that he still has what it takes to make a great action movie.

and Rosamund Pike is smoking hot!

(Movie Review) This Is 40 (2012)

Some people are born to do certain things. Steven Tyler was born to scream at the top of his lungs during songs, Ron Jeremy was born to do adult movies. Paul Rudd was born to make people laugh. I have rarely seen a movie that I did not absolutely love him in. He gets comedy in a way that I don't think many actors do these days. Such a talent and someone that should (but will not) be given more credit in Hollywood.

Storyline: Pete (Rudd) and Debbie (Mann) are hitting a rut in their lives. They are both turning 40 this week (Debbie claims that she is only 38) and Debbie thinks that it is time to make some changes in their marriage. Eating better. Working out. Spending more quality time together. But when the changes don't come as easily as Debbie hoped they would, the couple continues to go through problems which culminates in a life altering change.

Worth the admission? Absolutely! It's a bit long, but more of a great thing makes this is a positive in my opinion. This movie is extremely funny. It's filled with plenty of bad language, but the jokes associated with the bad language are side splitting. Some people will argue the point that cussing is pointless in a "smart comedy" but I honestly think that it serves a particular purpose in this movie. It adds to the state of frustration that both Pete and Debbie are experiencing. I would recommend this movie to anyone that is in the mood for a good laugh.

As a side note, the kids in the movie are actually the children of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann. They actually have great comedic timing and I think that they will follow in the foot steps of their talented parents.

My only critique of this movie is that Leslie Mann, yet again, provides a CGI topless shot. It is so stupid to do. If the scene calls for a topless shot, then the actress should pull her big girl panties up and do the shot....not CGI I the shot. If the scene DOESN'T require it, then don't go through the trouble of trying to trick the audience. Just a small gripe, but still... 

(Movie Review) The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey (2012)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is just as grand and fun as I always hoped it would be

I’m not much of a reader. Not of novels and such at least. I love stories that are concise and a little smaller than the average book. This is the reason that I have always been so drawn to comics and short stories. When I was younger I read The Hobbit for the first time. For someone like me it was a huge undertaking, as the book tends to be somewhat slow and overly descriptive. Never the less…I was enthralled.  The world in which Tolkien sets this adventure is full of magic and wonder. Because of this book I fell in love with the Fantasy genre. Since the announcement that The Lord of the Rings (2001) was being made I have patiently waited for this film to come out. I am so happy to say that it was well worth the wait.

Storyline: Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) is a young and reluctant Hobbit that is perfectly happy with continuing to live his quiet life in his hillside home within The Shire. That is until one day he is reintroduced to someone from his past. The Wandering Wizard, Gandalf (McKellen) pays a visit to Bilbo and soon, unknown to Bilbo, signs him up for an adventure to help a group of Dwarves to reclaim their homeland and their gold from within The Lonely Mountain that is guarded by the dragon Smaug. The journey is littered with Orcs, Goblins, and a mysterious riddle loving creature named Gollum that will change the life of Bilbo Baggins forever.

Worth the Admission? Does a Hobbit eat 7 meals a day? Of course it’s worth it. There are going to be some people that complain about the film. There always are. People are going to complain about the length of it, or that the “first hour drags”, but those are complaints that are common when dealing with films that are as epic as this one.  As for the film “dragging”, this film, like the book, is meant to display the beauty of the scenery and to take the audience on visual journey. There is no reason to forgo the visuals in an attempt to get the runtime down. It’s all part of the experience.

I also think that too much negative emphasis has been placed on the style in which the film was shot. A standard film shoots at 24 frames per second, and this film shoots at 48 frames per second. What most do not like about it is that it takes away a bit of that “movie look” and replaces it with visuals that are too realistic. When was being realistic or believable deemed to be a bad thing? The clarity that this film has in unparalleled and makes the film feel like you are along on the journey. It is absolutely stunning. And when given the opportunity, you should see it in IMAX 3D (as I did). It is worth the extra money. 

(Movie Review) Rise of the Guardians (2012)

Rise of the Guardians is an extremely well-produced movie, but I don’t know if it was worth the effort.

This is usually the time of year when Holiday movies roll out and people are bashed over the head with thoughts of good cheer and sugar plums dancing about. The problem with that is I can’t remember a GREAT Christmas movie coming out at this time of year since Elf (2003). Sure, there have been plenty of efforts, but usually they are box office disasters. Fred Claus (2007), Christmas with the Kranks (2004) and Arthur Christmas (2011) are examples of Holiday movies failing to meet expectations. So the people of at Dreamworks had an idea. If Santa Claus isn’t getting people in the theater seats, why not add every other mystical Holiday character too. What they ended up with is a very attractive movie that doesn't really fit in and fails to hit the Holiday sweet spot.

Storyline: North/Santa (Baldwin) notices a dark shadow looming over his globe of the world and immediately realizes that it is that of his old nemesis Pitch Black/The Boogieman (Law). He calls on the rest of the Guardians to help him investigate. This team consists of Tooth/The Tooth Fairy (Fisher), Bunny/The Easter Bunny (Jackman) and the always silent Sandy/The Sandman. The Man In The Moon informs them that the threat is too great and that a new addition to the Guardians must be called. Jack Frost (Pine) is summonsed to meet with the group and to be brought in to help fight the evil threat that is on a warpath to ruin the Holidays for every child. But Jack is at odds with himself and isn’t sure of his place in the group. If he is to succeed, and the group is to defeat Pitch, Jack Frost must become the Guardian that the world needs him to be.

As you can tell from the above description, the movie is a bit convoluted. Not only is it a movie about every major mythical childhood figure, but stuffing all of that into a single story would be a daunting task for anyone. Sure, the movie is cute, and the visuals are stunning, but with this movie being top heavy on characters it doesn't ever really seem to get it right. Within a very short period of time you have dreams, Christmas, Easter, and the belief in Fairies all threatened. Because of that, they sting a lot less that you would think that they should. It’s just a classic example of Hollywood overcompensating when it doesn't need to.

Worth the admission? Only for the kids. They will like it. But the movie falls short of being a Christmas movie. I don’t think that it will perform like the studio wants. I think that it will underwhelm and will be released in time for Easter. Also, I have to admit that the voice acting for Jack Frost and Bunny might be the worst I have seen in an animated film. The voices just don’t match and it is often very distracting. 

(Movie Review) Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

I have a small and, often times, unaccommodating local movie theater that often will not get the majority of the films that I would actually like to see. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World was on that list. It has a phenomenal cast and looked really interesting but I never had a chance to check it out. So on a boring chilly night we decided to rent it. In my humblest of humble opinions...it was well worth the wait. 

Storyline: As an asteroid nears Earth, a man finds himself alone after his wife leaves in a panic. He decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school sweetheart. Accompanying him is a neighbor who inadvertently puts a wrench in his plan. - from IMDB.com

Thoughts? A really fun and interesting movie. I sure wouldn't call it a "dark comedy", but considering that it's a movie about the end of the world...what else could you call it? There is a surprisingly fun and somehow believable chemistry between Steve Carell and Keira Knightley. I, going in to it, would have only that a relationship between the two of them could be viewed as "friendly", but in the end you do begin to think of them as two people that actually care about each other. 

At the front of the movie they explain that the attempts to thwart the apocalypse have been failures, so you go into the movie knowing that the end of the world is upon us. I think that it adds a very fun albeit heartbreakingly sad element to the film.  

Check it out!