Tag: movie review

Movie Review: Real Steel (2011)

Real Steel (2011)

3.5-4 out of 5 stars

I needed some brainless mind candy this week and the next thing in my Netflix queue just happened to serve up Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman (of Wolverine and Leopold fame).

When I saw the trailers last year, the first thing I thought of was a video game my kids used to play called One Must Fall.   Actually, the screenplay is based on a science fiction short story called ‘Steel’ published in 1956 by Richard Matheson (of I Am Legend fame).

For once, I admit I agree with Roger Ebert on this film, when he stated, “Real Steel is a real movie. It has characters, it matters who they are, it makes sense of its action, it has a compelling plot. Sometimes you go into a movie with low expectations and are pleasantly surprised.”  My sentiments exactly.  I came away very pleasantly surprised, giving my heart a much needed boost up from a devastating loss at home this week.

I did get a chuckle out of a couple of scenes as Atom began his climb up the robot boxing ranks.  A nod and a wink back to Every Which Way But Loose and at least one of the Rocky films.  I probably missed some other scenes that referenced other boxing films of the past, due to my limited experience in that film subcategory.

This movie kept me up way past my bedtime, but I didn’t mind at all.  Take a chance on Atom and enjoy Real Steel soon.

Movie Review: John Carter (2012)

JohnCarterMoviePosterJohn Carter (2012)

4-4.5 out of 5 stars

I loved this film.  I would even go so far to say I loved it better than the original book the screenplay was adapted from, A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  As soon as the BluRay for John Carter is released, I am buying it.  That’s saying something, since I haven’t actually purchased a DVD or BluRay for myself in years (as a Netflix subscriber, why would I?).  The last film worthy of that feat (but only on the discount table because I’m so cheap) would have been Live Free or Die Hard, but I didn’t get the chance since my daughter gifted it to me for my birthday last year. I plan to add John Carter to my permanent collection, shelving it next to my special collector’s editions of Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings.

Go see John Carter.  Now.  Don’t wait.

You don’t need to be a fan of science fiction or epic fantasy to appreciate a good tale well told, one that leaves you shouting for more.

***

Oh, and I almost forgot.  I liked the musical score as well, which came as no surprise when the credits started rolling and listed Michael Giacchino as the composer.   His work on The Incredibles impressed me so much I bought the soundtrack CD (another thing I haven’t done since the days of Star Wars).

Movie Review: Conan the Barbarian (2011)

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

3 out of 5 stars

I looked forward to this movie last summer, especially since I’d been watching Jason Momoa for years in Stargate: Atlantis and I’d recently read many of the original Conan stories penned by Robert E. Howard (see my reviews of The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, The Best of Robert E. Howard: Crimson Shadows, and The Best of Robert E. Howard: Grim Lands).  Howard wrote primal, visceral characters, but also had a deft hand with humor.

I grew disappointed with the critical reviews after the release of the movie last summer, so rather than take a chance on wasting my money at the movie theater, I opted to wait for the BluRay release.  After returning The Adjustment Bureau to Netflix on Monday, Conan the Barbarian came next, arriving on Wednesday.  Due to a prior engagement Wednesday evening, my first opportunity to watch the BluRay came Thursday evening.

I can’t help but compare this to the previous Conan film from my teenage years in the 80s.  Even though I know, intellectually, that the other film did NOT adhere closely to Howard’s original creation, it still holds a special place in my memory and my heart.  The most obvious short falling for me, oddly, was the musical score.  I can still hear, in my head, many of the motifs written by Basil Poledouris (who I just learned was born in Kansas City).  Also, Sandahl Bergman as Valeria, remains one of my all-time favorite female warrior/barbarian film characters, and she also happens to be another Kansas City native.

So I had quite a bit of baggage to carry with me while watching the new Conan the Barbarian last night.  I had avoided this gauntlet long enough and now I was determined to forge ahead and damn the consequences.

Terry and I started the film early, because I didn’t know exactly how long it was and I needed to do a couple of after-hours tasks for my employer before falling asleep.  While I frequently checked the progress meter on the BluRay player’s display menu, the movie really didn’t drag or bog down too much.  I was disappointed in most of Momoa’s performance (I’ve seen him give better performances on the small screen in Stargate: Atlantis).  In fact most of the acting seemed ‘off’ for the actors I recognized.  I heard and saw many references to people and places mentioned in Howard’s many Conan stories, but I just don’t believe they quite captured the heart of Conan or the world of his Hyborian Age.

While it wasn’t great, Conan the Barbarian wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared it would be.

My next movie adventure happens on the really big screen at my local theater this weekend.  John Carter opens today.  And I already regret reading one review this morning that reminds me of my feelings and observations on watching Conan the Barbarian.  I will keep my fingers crossed.  Edgar Rice Burroughs, a contemporary of Robert E. Howard, deserves the best adaptation of his iconic character John Carter as we’ve given Conan.

Movie Review: The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

4/4.5 out of 5 stars

Nebula Nominee

If I had a vote or a voice for this year’s Nebula Award (specifically the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation), this movie would get mine.  I’ve watched it twice now and I loved every minute of it.

The film is based on a short story called “The Adjustment Team” written by Philip K. Dick published in the Sep/Oct 1954 issue of Orbit Science Fiction.  I cannot compare the film adaptation to the original short story, as I have not yet read it, but I can see the hand of PKD in the themes exhibited.

What appealed to me most about this story is the questions it raises, about fate and free will, and how we live our lives.  Science fiction doing what it does best.

Movie Review: Hugo (2011)

Hugo (2011)

4 out of 5 stars

Winner of 5 Academy Awards including Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects

Nebula Nominee

I squeeed with delight when I got the e-mail from Netflix on Monday afternoon that they were shipping me the BluRay of Hugo.  I really thought I would be forcing myself to watch the remake of Conan the Barbarian (starring Jason Momoa of Stargate: Atlantis fame).  Since Hugo wasn’t slated for release to the public until Tuesday, I was very pleasantly surprised when Netflix opted to send it to me the day before the official release date (although I didn’t actually receive it until Tuesday, so perhaps that makes it okay).

I got home from work a few minutes early to find Terry concocting a new pasta dish with butternut squash and broccoli. He already had an appetizer in the oven so I removed myself to the great room to do some exercising while dinner finished cooking.  I wanted to make sure that my evening was completely free of obstructions so Terry and I could watch Hugo in peace.  I even remembered to feed the dogs.

I enjoyed Hugo and especially the story of Georges Méliès, excellently portrayed by Ben Kingsley.  I knew of Méliès’ famous film (often billed as one of the first science fiction films) Le Voyage dans la lune (or A Trip to the Moon for us English speaking blokes).  But Hugo exhibited more steampunk and fantasy elements than true science fiction, being based in a 1930s Paris railroad station.   I would really categorize this as a historical fiction piece, since most of the information on Méliès is accurately portrayed.  I did love seeing Christopher Lee again, albeit in a cameo-esque role as the bookshop owner.  Terry remarked after the movie that he recognized the actor portraying the Station Inspector (played by Sacha Baron Cohen of Borat fame – ugh).

Now that I have seen all of this year’s Nebula Nominations for the Bradbury Award, I can make my selection for what I think the best of the lot.  But not in this post.

I don’t want to detract from the magic that is Hugo.  I highly recommend you watch this film.  You won’t be disappointed.

Movie Review: The Counterfeiters (2007)

The Counterfeiters (2007)

3.5 out of 5 stars

Winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

Terry and I avoided watching the actual Oscars Award ceremony last Sunday evening by watching a previously recorded to DVR copy of The Counterfeiters, an Austrian-German foreign language film that won an Oscar five years previously.

Synopsis from Wikipedia:

It fictionalizes Operation Bernhard, a secret plan by the Nazis during the Second World War to destabilize the United Kingdom by flooding its economy with forged Bank of England bank notes. The film centers on a Jewish counterfeiter, Salomon ‘Sally’ Sorowitsch, who is coerced into assisting the Nazi operation at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

The film is based on a memoir written by Adolf Burger, a Jewish Slovak typographer who was imprisoned in 1942 for forging baptismal certificates to save Jews from deportation, and was later interned at Sachsenhausen to work on Operation Bernhard.[2] Ruzowitsky consulted closely with Burger through almost every stage of the writing and production. The film won the 2007 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 80th Academy Awards.

The Counterfeiters (film), Wikipedia article

Not an easy film to watch, of course.  Nothing focusing on the Holocaust and Nazi concentration camps is ever easy to watch and never should be.  Even with the handicap of having to read subtitles, I found it easy to keep up with the story.  But, in the end, I found it difficult to relate to any of the characters, so I failed to make a meaningful emotional connection.  I admired Burger, who kept sabotaging Sorowitsch’s efforts to counterfeit the dollar.

Movie Review: This Means War (2012)

This Means War (2012)

3.5 out of 4 stars

Fun and funny.  Terry and I laughed out loud several times in the near empty movie theater (#7 at the Legends 14 – my personal favorite spot to watch newly released action flix or science fiction extravaganzas) this past Sunday afternoon.

An interesting if a bit of an over-the-top twist on the old love triangle between two CIA agents (and best friends) who discover, date and fight over the the same woman (who is oblivious to their surveillance shenanigans or even to the fact they know each other until it’s nearly too late).

Some discrepancies that bugged me after I left the theater:

If Lauren loved classic rock so much, why is it she only ever danced or sang or exercised to pop or dance music?  Not my definition of classic rock.  And, if she really loved animals and specifically a canine rescue shelter, why did she not foster a dog or two in her apartment?

And since when does a Brit work for the CIA?  Is Tuck on loan from MI6?  Did he defect?  Did he seek political asylum?

That being said, I still enjoyed watching the movie with Terry.  I can’t say I’m entirely happy with the ending, but it still turned out well for everyone involved, excepting the cuts and bruises of course.

Movie Review: The Debt (2011)

The Debt (2011)

3 out of 5 stars

I have to agree with Roger Ebert on this one.  The time-shifting back and forth detracted from the plot.  I would have preferred the movie stay in the past, reducing the cast and the confusion.  As much as I love watching Helen Mirren work, I actually preferred the actors in the past timeline, especially Sam Worthington.

I learned something (yet again) about the Holocaust and Israel’s response (fictional? or based in fact? – I don’t know for sure) to some of it’s perpetrators of terror and torture.

I am glad I watched the film, but do not plan to rewatch it or add it to my permanent library.

Movie Review: Red Tails (2012)

Red Tails (2012)

3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars

As an early Valentine’s Day dinner and a movie date, Terry and I dined at Red Lobster Sunday afternoon and visited the AMC Barrywoods movie theater to watch Red Tails on a ‘big’ screen.  Neither of us had been to this particular theater in years, since we prefer to watch the few movies we see each year on the biggest screen in the Kansas City metro area, #7 at the Legends 14 Phoenix Theater.  We enjoyed the close proximity of the handicapped parking though, something not readily available at the Legends.  We bypassed the concession stand, having just stuffed ourselves on seafood, and saved our pocket books from the incredibly overpriced snack items for sale (especially as compared to the prices at the Phoenix theater).

While I had heard of the Tuskegee Airmen, I knew next to nothing about their service during World War II.  So I cannot  verify the authenticity of the film with respect to historical facts.  I can affirm a well told tale with fantastic visuals, heart-thumping aerial dogfights and a bit of romance that overcomes race and language barriers.

Movie Review: Midnight in Paris (2011)

Midnight in Paris (2011)

3 out of 5 stars

Terry and I watched this over a week ago, on a Monday evening.  We were interrupted a couple of times by telephone calls from our children, so the flow of the movie suffered a bit.  I believe we also paused the DVD while we made dinner.

As with all of Woody Allen‘s films, I take time to absorb his presentation and vision.  In the case of Midnight in Paris, however, additional time did not endear me to the film.  I guess I felt it a bit too obvious.

If I had not read a recent FilmCritic blog post on the past year’s mediocre scifi Academy Award scarcity by John Scalzi, I doubt I would have ever watched this film.  Since Scalzi claimed Midnight in Paris actually masqueraded as a time travel tale, it intrigued me enough to place it at the top my Netflix queue.

As stated at the Wikipedia article, “the movie explores themes of nostalgia and modernism.”  Woody Allen tapped into the ‘Golden Age’ vibe for each succeeding character, leading us down the path of impending disillusionment, liberally laced with nearly every famous author or artist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who conveniently converged at midnight in Paris (insert appropriate year here … and there’s the beauty of time travel as a plot device).  But not all this famous name dropping could elevate this film to greatness, at least for me.