Tim Burton always seizes to amaze me. I haven't been this entertained with a stop-motion feature film since the last one he did with "Corpse Bride" '05. This feature, "Frankenweenie", based on a live short by the same name by Burton in '84 was his extension of that story into this stop-motion animated film.
When young Victor's beloved pet dog, Sparky (who stars in Victor's home-made monster movies) is hit by a car, Victor (Charlie Tahan) decides to bring him back to life using electricity which he learned from his science teacher, Mr. Rzykruski (Martin Landau). But when the bolt-necked 'monster' inadvertently wreaks havoc and terror in the hearts of Victor's neighbors, he has to convince them and his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Frankenstein (Martin Short & Catherine O'Hara) that despite his appearance, and that he was once dead, Sparky's still the good loyal friend he's always been.
Others to round out the cast are Winona Ryder as Elsa Van Helsing, a neighbor, Atticus Shaffer as Edgar 'E' Gore, a classmate, Robert Capron as Bob, Short, also as Mr. Burgemeister, Conchata Ferrell as Bob's Mom, James Hiroyuki as Toshiaki, a classmate, Christopher Lee as Movie Dracula, Tom Kenny as New Holland Townsfolk, and Frank Welker as Sparky.
This was brilliantly directed by Burton ("Beetlejuice" '88, "Batman" '89, "Edward Scissorhands" '90, "Ed Wood" '94, "Mars Attacks!" '96, "Sleepy Hollow" '99, "Planet of the Apes" '01, "Big Fish" '03, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" '05, "Corpse Bride" '05, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" '07, "Alice in Wonderland" '10, "Dark Shadows" '12) in that the pacing, the fluidity and cohesiveness was just spot on. But considering the expansive resume of this guy, it's no wonder. This was written by John August based on a screenplay by Lenny Ripps which was based on an original idea by Burton.
This was executed with such detail-- the editing by Chris Lebenzon, ace. and Mark Solomon, photography by Peter Sorg, visuals by Nvizible VFX, the list is endless. It is truly a masterpiece! It's a great homage to the 1930's horror films, hence the black & white processing, and some recent horror films which makes it a hoot. Even Victor's classmate, Edgar is an Igor type character. The 3D version does enhance this film.
Whether you're a Burton fan or not, you will love this film. It really has it all: comedy, drama, heart, action and adventure all wrapped up as an hour and twenty-seven minute Jewel to revel in.
Out of 4 stars: 4 Rated: PG 87mins.
Films based on true facts or in this case, actual events, are usually ones that definitely have something to say. I guess their premises are so incredible or enormous that it's worthy of mentioning, especially in the form of a film. And instead of just making an obvious documentary, the writers of this decided to get their point across in the form of a story, a tight script, and heart-on-your-sleeve acting, so the end product being "Won't Back Down" is what is presented.
Two determined mothers, one a parent, Jamie Fitzpatrick (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and another, a parent and teacher, Nona Alberts (Viola Davis) with children who are failing in an inner city school in Pittsburgh, join forces to take back the school, and turn it into a place of learning. But before they can change the school for the better, they must first battle the parents, the school board with one board member that's with them, Olivia Lopez (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), and the teacher's union headed up by Arthur Gould (Ned Eisenberg) and Evelyn Riske (Holly Hunter). Because this is for their children, they won't back down from this overwhelming challenge
Others to round out the cast are Oscar Isaac as Michael Perry, fellow teacher, Rosie Perez as Breena Harper, another teacher, Emily Alyn Lind as Malia, Jamie's daughter, Dante Brown as Cody, Nona's son, Lance Reddick as Charles, Nona's husband, Bill Nunn as Principal Holland, and Ving Rhames as Principal Thompson.
This was directed with pathos and determination by Daniel Barnz ("Phoebe in Wonderland" '08, "Beastly" '11). It was written by Brin Hill and Barnz which, as stated above, is based on actual events. This means that Hollywood probably took some liberties with this, but the story is basically what happened. Both Gyllenhaal and Davis give extremely determined performances in this, which helped in making this as moving as it was. The deterioration of inner city schools is a hard-pressed issue, and has been for a while, so maybe a project like this will spur people to getting more involved to try and help the situation.
There is a bit of script non-cohesiveness here, but not enough to detract from such an important issue today, so much so that you will find yourself cheering for these women as they risk everything for the sake of their kids.
Out of 4 stars: 3.5 Rated: PG 121mins.
Films that pertain to time travel have that common problem with a thing called paradoxes, so it's really difficult to find a well delineated script which has little or no paradoxes in them. Well, I must say that if "Looper" has any paradoxes in it, I'm hard-pressed to find them.
In the year 2044, a man, Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) working for a group of killers headed up by Abe (Jeff Daniels) called "Loopers" (they work for the mob and kill people who are sent blindfolded back in time from the year 2074 by their bosses) recognizes a victim as himself 30 years in his future (Bruce Willis). He hesitates resulting in the escape of his older self.
While trying to escape from his boss, Abe, because he didn't kill his target, Joe runs into Sara (Emily Blunt) and her son, Cid (Pierce Gagnon), but this isn't just any chance meeting, for there is a connection with Joe's being this Looper and with Sara and her son and with his older self is certainly planned.
Others to round out the cast are Paul Dano as Seth, a fellow Looper, Noah Segan as Kid Blue, a henchman of Abe's, Piper Perabo as Suzie, Summer Qing as older Joe's wife, Tracie Thoms as Beatrix, Frank Brennan as Old Seth, and Garret Dillahunt as Jesse.
This was intensely written and directed by Rian Johnson ("Brick" '05, "The Brothers Bloom" '08). One thing I can say for Johnson is that even though he doesn't produce that many projects, the ones that he has done are fresh, original, and entertaining. For an over done topic for films as time travel has been in the past, this certainly has been the most original take on that topic bar none!
If you're really into time travel in a thrilling format with tons of originality, this film will be the right ticket for you. Even the certain Bruce Willis squints that Levitt conveys even adds that much more to the belief that they could be one and the same person 30 years apart. This has it all-- suspense, entertainment, action, some romance, in a great cat and mouse chase.
Out of 4 stars: 3.5 Rated: R 119mins.
The need of another cop film in Hollywood is like the need of ice cubes in the Arctic. We have seen a plethora of cop movies-- drama and comedy. Each time one is made, the more realistic they seem to get, and "End of Watch" is no exception.
Two young 'top gun' type of officers, Brian Tyler and Mike Zavala (Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena) are inseparable police partners, sharing their lives on and off their police watch. Mike has a beautiful wife, Gabby (Natalie Martinez) and kids, and Brian has a beautiful, fun-loving girlfriend, Janet (Anna Kendrick).
During a routine traffic stop, they suspect that these guys aren't exactly 'kosher', so they stop them and end up confiscating a small cache of money and firearms.Little do they know that they become marked for death after this arrest, because the guys they stopped were members of a notorious cartel. Will they survive or will they have the back-up they need?
Others to round out the cast are David Harbour as Van Hauser, fellow cop, Frank Grillo as Sarge, America Ferrera as Orozco, fellow rookie, Cody Horn as Davis, fellow rookie, Cle Sloan as Mr. Tre, and Jaime FitzSimons as Captain Reese.
This was grittily and intensely written and directed by David Ayers (directing- "Harsh Times" '05, "Street Kings" '08, writing/screenplay- "U-571" 2000, "The Fast and the Furious" '01, "Training Day" '01, "Dark Blue" '02, "S.W.A.T." '03, "Harsh Times" '05). I realize this is a police drama about the grit, intensity, brutality of cops working in one of the most crime-ridden sections of L.A., but in, at least, two scenes in this, the 'F' word must have been used for half the scene-- literally. Profanity, graphic violence, blood, I realize is all part of this horrific world, but com'on, don't these people know any other words? And, yes the brunt of the profanity was by these evil criminals, but still, it was just over kill. To give Ayers credit, this was well written, but if he left out even most of the profanity, he'd probably come up with a 45 minute running time. One thing is for sure: this gave me a whole new respect for the men and women in blue.
This is a film that was tough to watch, but I'm sure this was purposed, because it shows us, in very graphic ways, what it's like to be on the streets of this and any large city, and if you can stomach this kind of intensity, you will leave the theater a changed citizen.
Out of 4 stars: 3 Rated: R 109mins.
Clint Eastwood films have that certain flavor about them in that his characters he plays are so crusty that he'd rather just shoot you than to look at you. You can especially see this trait in his last 20 or so years of making films when, you know, he's gotten older. When it comes to "Trouble with the Curve", his pattern hasn't skipped a beat.
Gus (Eastwood) is an aging, well known baseball scout with apparent eye problems. His vision has blurred in places of the sight range and can come and go, and he's just not willing to admit it. So when his good friend of 30 years, General Manager, Pete Klein (John Goodman) comes to visit him, he realizes all too well that his ability to scout could be in jeopardy. There is a new baseball player, Bo Gentry (Joe Massingill) that he wants Gus to scout as a number one pick, but is Gus up to the task?
Enters Gus' daughter, Mickey (Amy Adams). She gets a phone call from Pete to go with her dad to help with his eye judgment. Not having the best relationship with her dad, she reluctantly tries to help. She puts off her attorney position for a short while in order to do this. After they've seen a couple of games, Gus runs into Johnny (Justin Timberlake), a baseball player that Gus knew that left baseball to be a scout, because of a torn rotater cuff. Can Gus make the right call so he will be able to renew his contract in 3 months, or will he just be put out to pasture?
Others to round out the cast are Matthew Lillard as Phillip Sanderson, Robert Patrick as Vince, Bob Gunton as Watson, George Wyner as Rosenbloom, James Patrick Freetly as Todd, Scott Eastwood as Billy Clark, Peter Hermann as Greg, and Jay Galloway as Rigo Sanchez.
This was directed by Eastwood's longtime First Assistant Director, Robert Lorenz, who has a ton of assistant directing under his belt, but this is his first solo directing spot. Eastwood knows directing, so I'm sure he must have realized that Lorenz was ready to 'leave the nest', and he was correct. This being Lorenz's first directing project, he should excel from this point. This was written by virtual newcomer, Randy Brown, who has no other writing credits. This is amazing, because even though this wasn't an Oscar worthy screenplay, it's difficult to believe that Brown has no other writings. I've seen worse from seasoned writers. What a natural!
Eastwood plays a guy in his mid-eighties, and I believe he's basically the same age bracket,
so it's amazing he's still able to act as well as he can given the gruelling schedule in this business even if you're not doing the directing, although you know he had to have a certain amount of input. Nothing seems to get this guy down.
If you are an Eastwood fan, you'll revel, because this is exactly what you'd expect out of his performance-- the crusty, aging, bitter, cantankerous old guy that can be vulnerable given the situation. So even though we've down this road before, it's familiar territory that will have you cheering for this guy and wondering why.
Out of 4 stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 111mins.
Paul Thomas Anderson films, by his very resume, puts the 'W' in weird. Either the premise is really 'out there' or his characters odd and dysfunctional at best. With his new work named "The Master", both premise and characters are equally obscure, especially the latter.
After returning from the Second World War, a charismatic intellectual, Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) creates 'The Cause', a faith based organization in an attempt to provide meaning to his life. He becomes known as "The Master". Dodd comes across Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), a Navy soldier from the war, and decides to use him as a guinea pig and protege. Later, as Dodd's right-hand man, this former drifter begins to question both the belief system and The Master as the organization grows and gains a fervent following thanks to assistance from Dodd's wife, Peggy (Amy Adams), his daughter, Elizabeth (Ambyr Childers) and his son-in-law, Clark (Rami Malek). The only one here that doesn't seem to be 'drinking the cool-aid' is Dodd's son, Val (Jesse Plemons) who, at one point, tells Freddie, during one of Freddie's drunken outbursts, that is Dad is just making this up as he goes along.
Others to round out the cast are Madisen Beaty as Doris Solstad, Lena Endre as Mrs. Solstad, and Kevin J. O'Connor as Bill William.
This was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson ("Boogie Knights" '97, "Magnolia" '99, "Punch-Drunk Love" '02, "There Will Be Blood" '07). The direction was amazing in that the way he got his actors to show such pathos and intensity was consummate. The writing was fraught with grit and intensity, however there were places where it just moved a little slow-- the running time could have been a bit shorter, and some places where it had a tendency to wander. It kind of drops you at the end, and comes to no conclusion by films' end, but sometimes life has no conclusions either.
The acting by both Hoffman and Phoenix was absolutely consummate, and by Oscar time they could garner a nomination as could Anderson for directing.
If you're looking for a 'normal' film with a nice tied bow ending, you will be sorely disappointed, however if you're into obscure, weird, with dysfunctional, twisted characters and an odd ending, you will revel!
Out of 4 stars: 3 Rated: R 137mins.
Summer is ending soon and "Finding Nemo in 3D" is the last animated feature of the season. This is that much awaited 3D version of the 2003 original version that was simply a gem as this version is also.
A clown fish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) lives in the Great Barrier Reef and he ends up losing his son, Nemo (Alexander Gould) to a diver from a boat passing by and ends up in a dentist office in Sydney. So while Marlin ventures off to try to retrieve Nemo, Marlin meets a blue tang fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a fish suffering from short-term memory loss. The companions travel a great distance, encountering various dangerous sea creatures such as sharks, anglerfish, and jellyfish, in order to rescue Nemo from the dentist's office, which is in the Sydney Harbor. While the two are doing this, Nemo and the other sea animals which consist of Gill (Willem Dafoe), Bloat (Brad Garrett), Peach (Allison Janney), Gurgle (Austin Pendleton), and Bubbles (Stephen Root), in the dentist's fish tank plot a way to return to Sydney Harbor to live their lives again.
Others to round out the cast are Vicki Lewis as Deb/Flo, Joe Ranft as Jacques, Geoffrey Rush as Nigel, Andrew Stanton as Crush, Elizabeth Perkins as Coral, Nicholas Bird as Squirt, Bob Peterson as Mr. Ray, and Barry Humphries as Bruce.
This was brilliantly directed by Andrew Stanton ("A Bug's Life" '98, "WALL-E" '08, "John Carter" '12) and Lee Unkrich ("Toy Story 2" '99, "Monster's Inc." '01, "Toy Story 3" '10). It just clipped right along effortlessly. It was written by Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds, based on an original story by Stanton. As I've stated before, how do these guys take such a simple premise-- a father trying to find his lost son, and make it poignant, relative, and fresh? Pure genius!
This film is already a great film and the 3D just made it even better.I'm not usually into the 3D process in a lot of films, mostly because I feel they put films in 3D to make more money, but this process actually enhanced the film. If you want to see more Pixar Animated Studios future work, look for "Monster's Inc." in eye-popping 3D come December, and expect to see "Finding Nemo 2" sometime in 2016. Aah, something to look forward to.
Out of 4 stars: 4 Rated: G 100mins.
Tim Burton always seizes to amaze me. I haven't been this entertained with a stop-motion feature film since the last one he did with "Corpse Bride" '05. This feature, "Frankenweenie", based on a live short by the same name by Burton in '84 was his extension of that story into this stop-motion animated film.
