Speed Racer (2008)

Looking for a nice, low brain power movie this afternoon, I popped in Speed Racer, and once again found myself enthralled in the world of CGI racing.

I never really watched Speed Racer, I think I may have seen two or three episodes as a kid.  And this film received pretty rough treatment from the critics.  But something about this movie captivates me every time.

The movie flows like a cartoon, and has a very distinct style of editing, frequently rotating shots around an actor, to simulate a camera moving around the 'cockpit' of a race care.  Almost every scene looks as if it was filmed in front of a green screen, with the real set pieces having a certain brightness and sharpness to them that makes them seamlessly blend with with their created counterparts.  I have to give it the Wachowski's on that aspect of the film, they did a great job of creating a consistent world.

Now, as far as the action goes, it can be particularly difficult to figure out what is going on in some scenes.  The racing is fast and furious, but the backgrounds have so many flashing lights and details that it is almost too difficult to focus on the cars involved.

As far as plot goes, it's pretty thin.  Racing is corrupted, and Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) and his family are fighting against the system.  The plot delineates into silliness on several occasions, particularly the attack by ninjas, or "nonjas" as coined by Pops Racer (John Goodman).  This line is simultaneously the cheesiest and funniest line in the movie.

This movie also contains one of the worst joke scenes I have ever witnessed.  In the midst of Speed's celebration at the end, just as he closes in for a Winner's Circle kiss with long time flame Trixie (Christina Ricci), the scene is interrupted by Speed's younger brother and his pet monkey, saying that the scene will be disturbing for people afraid of cooties.  Seriously.  This was not a running gag in the film, and came out of nowhere, interrupting what should have been an emotional celebration scene.  Can't stand it.

Overall, while I personally enjoy the film, I can't really recommend it to anyone.  The critics complaints are pretty valid, the action is hard to follow, and the silliness of certain scenes is jarring, but not necessarily humorous.

4/10, and that's generous.

True Grit (2010)

I'll admit that I only had a passing interest in True Grit before seeing it.  I'm usually not a fan of westerns, and I think that if I had heard that joke about Jeff Bridges having the sun in his eye from the trailer one more time, I might have skipped this entirely.

The cast is packed with talent, with young Haliee Steinfield playing the main character, Mattie Ross, and backed up by Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon.  In a surprisingly smaller role than I would have predicted is Josh Brolin, who delivers an excellent and convincing performance as Tom Chaney, the man who killed her father and set them on this grand adventure.

I was impressed with True Grit.  It kept me captivated in this old western world much better than most westerns I see.  The plot follows Mattie Ross as she intends to avenge the death of her father, along the way teaming up with Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) and Texas Ranger Laboeuf (Damon).  Laboeuf is pronounced as "La Beef" the entire film, and I think I snickered every time.  Initially against her tagging along, eventually Mattie earns the respect of the lawmen, and they set out to catch Tom Chaney(Brolin).  

I won't ruin more of the plot for you, I recommend that you see the movie if you can.  My only real complaint was the speed at which the ending wraps up.  The film is told in a frame story, and it seemed that the frame story was going to get some screen time and nice resolution, only for the things to turn out not what they seem and the film end.  Your mileage may vary.

Overall - 9/10.  Very well made, and excellent performances by the four main cast.  See it.

The Fighter (2010)

The Fighter is a film based on the real life story of Mickey Ward, a boxer, and his family.  I did not research the true story very well, but I certainly hope that it was closer than the true story behind Unstoppable.

For the record - the true story behind Unstoppable is a train went through a wooded area at about 45 mph, and was stopped by the company with no injuries or damage.  Quite different from the movie which featured a "missile... the size of the Chrysler building!"

For The Fighter, I have to give props to Christian Bale.  He delivered a magnificent performance, and changed my opinion of him as an actor.  I hadn't seen him in much except for Batman and Terminator:Salvation, and basically wrote him off as average, especially after Terminator. But he proves me wrong here.  And now that this role is over, I recommend that he eat a few cheeseburgers.

The story follows Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) as he is managed by his mother and brother Dickie (Bale), the latter of which is addicted to crack.  Mickey is put up in a fight, and his opponent backs out.  On advice from his mother and brother (so that they can get paid), Mickey ends up fighting a boxer much heavier than him, and loses pretty quickly.  He receives an offer to be paid to train year round in Las Vegas, but his family convinces him not to go.  Pushed by his girlfriend, Amy Adams, Mickey decides to go to Las Vegas, but his brother throws a last ditch effort and decides to pay Mickey himself to have him stay.

Unfortunately, Dickie's plan is to have his girlfriend pretend to be a prostitute, so that he can pretend to be a cop and rob the men she picks up.  During one of their robberies, the cops show up, and then the theater's fire alarm goes off and the movie ends.  At least in the version we saw.

Fast forward to a week later (redbox this time), and we learn that Dickie is arrested, and finally comes clean from his crack addiction.  Mickey gets back into boxing, and works to rebuild his family.  I won't ruin the movie for you there.

Overall, I give The Figher a 9.  Great performances by all the actors and actresses, including two Oscar wins - One for Bale, and one for Melissa Leo, the mother of Dickie and Mickey.  I think it's an excellent film, and recommend it highly.

TRON: Legacy (2010)

Oh Jeff Bridges, why did you let them do that to your face?

I had never seen the original TRON film.  I know that it has cult status among sci-fi fans, and the people who mention it often love it greatly.

TRON: Legacy was an enjoyable film, however I spend most of the film distracted by some of the visuals:

1.  CLU's face - Jeff Bridges was digitally de-aged for the CLU character, and you can tell.  The mouth just doesn't move correctly, and in a movie with all other characters portrayed by normal folks, it's a jarring difference.

2. Olivia Wilde's haircut - Every time they showed her in a close up, I wanted to snicker.  The slanted line haircut in the front was just so comical I couldn't take her character seriously.

3. The Program's helmets - Most likely this was due to the lighting, but I had difficulty telling the helmet of the Main Bad Lieutenant character from the helmet of the regular soldiers.  At one point I thought that the Main Bad Lieutenant had been randomly killed in a scene, just for him to show up later and I had to put two and two together to see it was just Random Soldier A who had gotten killed five minutes ago.


Overall, I enjoyed the film's story.  Despite being a 2010 movie, the story felt dated, however.  I'm sure that some of the details were held over from the 1980s film.  The computer world represented just looked and felt like a 1980s computer world.  I was expecting more references to new computing things, such as internet, viruses, etc.

Score - 8/10.
If you enjoy lighter mood sci-fi, go for it.  It's entertaining, the CGI environments and equipment are well done and visually appealing.  Just don't make eye contact with Jeff Bridges the younger.

Oscar Guesses 2011

The Oscars are a few days away, and it seems that this year, like every year, I am horribly behind on seeing the films nominated.  As such, many of my Oscar "predictions" will simply be guesses, based on my gut feelings, and the many articles I've read about each of the films.

Best Motion Picture Of The Year 
The Social Network


In popular media, this film was the forerunner for most of the year.  I have seen this film, and it's good.   The main competition is The King's Speech, and I could easily be wrong.  But it's The Facebook Movie.  I bet all of the Oscar panel uses Facebook, probably while picking the winners.

Best Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role
James Franco - 127 Hours

A trusted friend of mine told me that this movie changed his life.  He was probably lying, but it's a big compliment for Franco.   Also, I haven't seen this, but I'm pretty sure if he carries the entire film being trapped under a rock, he out-shined his co-star [the rock (a large stone, not Dwayne Johnson, but he could easily outshine both)], and will likely be praised for it.

Best Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role
Natalie Portman - Black Swan

I haven't heard any hype for anyone else on this list, and Portman's name and scary make-up eyes have been posted EVERYWHERE this year.  She's come along way from playing Princess Amidala.

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role
Christian Bale - The Fighter


When I see Christian Bale in The Fighter's trailer, and he looks like he lost 50 pounds since he played Batman, I confuse it with great acting and think he's really playing that super skinny guy.

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role

Amy Adams - The Fighter


I'll see you in Mickey's corner!

Best Animated Feature Film Of The Year
Toy Story 3


I think Toy Story 3 has this one locked down.  If Toy Story wasn't such a popular and well loved franchise, then I'd say How To Train Your Dragon might have a shot.  But Toy Story 3 pulls on all those heart strings, and I think that will push it right over the edge.

Best Foreign Language Film Of The Year
Biutiful


As of voting, it was the only one on the list I had heard of.  Guess I need to get out more.

Best Achievement in Directing
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan


Of the directors and films listed, I think the concept of Black Swan + Darren Aronofsky is the best formula.  David Fincher is an excellent director, however I think Aronofsky will just bring that "extra umph" to get the trophy.  Personally, I've never been overly in love with the Coen Brothers, and haven't seen anything by the other 2 nominees.

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen
The King's Speech - David Seidler


The King's Speech is going to bring home a lot of trophies, and if you notice I didn't pick it for anything.  Well, here you go.

Best Writing, Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced Or Published
The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin

I clicked the thumb's up.

Jumping The Broom (2011)

Due to the vast popularity of my blog (or my fiancee being a member of a website and getting selected, but hey, we all know which it really was) I was invited to a preview sceening of Jumping The Broom, scheduled for a Mother's Day 2011 release.

The movie focuses on two families, the rich, upper class bride's family, and the more blue collar groom's family, and the differences in culture and expectations of the two. Hilarity ensues. Loretta Devine delivers a great performance, as the postal worker mother who is a little lost in Martha's Vineyard.  Her overprotective nature and mistrust of the bride's family sets up most of the film's jokes. Since it's likely that you haven't seen the film yet, I won't ruin any more of the plot.  There isn't anything particularly novel in the film's story, and you may feel like you have seen the story before.  I appreciated that the writers kept the story grounded, instead of adding a "crazy plot twist" or any "zany antics" to spice the story up.

One of my favorite aspects of the film was the relationship between the main character Jason (Laz Alonso), and his friend Malcolm (DeRay Davis). It takes a very different path than I am used to, and I enjoyed the way it played out.  Malcolm slightly reminded me of some of the people who I have known, and trust me, that isn't exactly a flattering statement.

I laughed out loud several times, and the audience laughed more.  I also heard several comments about the attractiveness of the male leads, so if that's your game, buy a ticket.  If anything, at least find and watch the trailer.  The joke about the shirt is enough to get a laugh.

Overall - 8/10.  If you enjoy Rom Coms, or comedies in general, see it.  If you require your films to have a minimum of three explosions, you may want to pass.

Skyline (2010)

Ever seen something that was so horrible that you couldn't take your eyes off of it?

Well, if you want to experience that feeling again, watch Skyline.  Seriously.

The most recognizable actor in this movie is Donald Faison, the guy who played Turk on Scrubs.  The main character is played by Eric Balfour, who I didn't recognize, but he has a lengthy filmography on IMDB, most of it TV work.  His girlfriend is played by Scottie Thompson, who's only other credited film role was Nero's Wife in Star Trek(2009).  Yes, Nero's wife... the hologram on screen for all of  fifteen seconds or so.

This movie has alot of the sci-fi horror cliches down -

You sleep around? You get killed.

You are a minority? You get killed.

You are military? You get killed.

The aliens motivation is completely implausible.  They need human brains to reproduce.  Apparently, human brains must be pretty prevalent throughout the universe, because their society has managed to thrive to the point they have massive space ships and can travel the universe.

Do you want the plot synopsis?
People run around on/in the building.  That's it.  There is no real overarching storyline, basically they run around and are picked off one by one.  And all I want to say about the ending is that sudden plot twists only work if they have some basis in sanity.

My vote: 3/10.  Sadly, I have seen worse.  This film is a good example of how spending most of your time/budget on special effects can make a visually pretty, however HORRID film.  Unless you want to laugh at it, don't waste your time!