His Movie Reviews

Last night we went down to the theater to check out the last and final film by the late and more importantly great Heath Ledger. That film is known as the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – and wow that’s a mouth full of title. This film follows the story of a Buddhist monk that wagers bets with the devil on who can lure in more souls. The monk through the allure of the imagination and everything good it has to offer. The devil uses his most common trick of luring through a human’s most desired vice. Basically its a battle for your soul with the good (Dr. Parnassus) and evil (Mr. Nick, or better known as the devil).  I am going to say right up front, the movie can seem a little confusing and at times run long but I absolutely enjoyed it.  I seem to have a soft spot when a film tries to capture imagination running free.  I like the idea of saying, “With imagination, you can do anything.”   Now that’s not what this film’s exact message is, but it spotlights it.  It shows how good imagination can be.  Perhaps its the art student in me – I dunno.

Heath Ledger in the film plays Tony, a man that the Doctor’s traveling circus finds hanging from a bridge that joins their misfit band to help save souls.  And his rapport on life and death throughout the film is quite eerie considering the real-life circumstances.  Christopher Plummer plays the great Doctor Parnassus and I enjoyed him in the role. Actually everyone played their roles quite well including Tom Waits as Mr. Nick and Lily Cole as the beautiful Valentina.  But the most interesting part of this movie has to be what happened behind the scenes in the movie. With Heath’s premature death, the film itself was only partially completed.  So, three well-known actors (Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law) stepped in to try and fill the shoes of Heath and finish the role.  And in pretty much seamless fashion, they were able to complete the film.  As Ledger’s character enter the imagination world, he is transformed to a person that a person would want him to be.  To me its amazing and fortunate that they were able to piece what they had together and make what resulted.  And the really cool thing is those three actors took what they were paid to do the film and passed it on to Heath’s daughter so that her future would be financially secure.  To me, it seems like a very noble and great way to honor a fellow actor in their last part.

Like I said before, the movie is a bit strange and on the artsy side.  Do not go if you are looking to remember Heath as the nicest man in the world.  He does have a dark side in this film.  But I say go, watch it, let your imagination explore the worlds they have created.

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It seems like every year, a sports movie comes along that keeps us reaching for our dreams. I guess it’s because almost everyone enjoys these things.  It’s the underdog fighting for their chance, their dream.  Who can’t get behind something like that?  And so like every other year, 2009 didn’t disappoint.  This time it’s with the new Sandra Bullock movie, The Blind Side. And the best part of this “just another sports movie” is that this one is really good.  Of course every inspirational sports movie has to have a good story (that always seem to be extraordinarily true), so this one is no different, but its really the acting that make this movie shine.  Sandra Bullock is just great in this film.  She plays an upper-middle class housewife who takes it upon herself to take in a really big, homeless, African American child and raise him as her own. Through her nurturing and no back-talking sass, she raises the boy to be an NFL caliber football player.  It’s a heartwarming, family-friendly, all around decent film. And it provides a good mix of comedy and drama that keeps you crying (well not crying, I am a dude after all) and laughing.  Alongside Bullock comes Jae Head playing her younger son that milks every delivered line for all its cuteness.  Some Friday Night Light fans may remember him as Riggins wide-eyed, annoying neighbor that liked to give him two thumbs up (“Hey Tim Riggins!”).  And it seems like he hasn’t changed at all for this film, but damn does he play the part well.  You also have Kathy Bates, Lily Collins (Phil Collins daughter), and Tim Mcgraw that play their parts well and round out the cast. Finally there is Quinton Aaron, who plays the kindest, most polite kid from the wrong side of the tracks that you’ve ever seen.  You fall in love with him and of course get behind him like any good inspirational movie should do.  So like you’ve been suckered into the sports movies before, get suckered again, this one is worth it.

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We rented and watched a movie called Conversation with Other Women starring Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart tonight. Those two actors alone is probably the only reason we picked this up, I mean Helena Bonham Carter is just an amazing actress (just watch her in Sweeney Todd, or my favorite movie, Fight Club) and Aaron Eckhart is pretty great too (Everyone knows him as Two-Face, but he especially shines in Thank You for Smoking). And after viewing the film, I’m still a little iffy on my review – it was just kind of an alright movie. I think what bothered me the most was also what I liked most stylistically about the movie. Throughout the film, the screen is split straight down the middle showing the two character’s perspectives and thoughts. While confusing at first, this allowed the movie to take what would have been a rather boring dialogue (the entire film is one very long dialouge) and give it depth. While a character is talking on one side, you get the back story filled in on the other. Yet the entire time you are focused on the current story and situation. Sounds confusing just trying to explain it. But as a film technique, I say it works perfect for this story. The entire movie is about two people, split apart and living in different worlds, that meet and talk. And the film literally shows you this. You not only get one side of the story or a hybrid, but both sides, both worlds simultaneously. One character may be talking while the other is remembering something from ten years ago. Or perhaps they are daydreaming of what should really happen, contemplating what the future might bring. So the approach of spliting the screen is a good idea, but seems like its also used as a cover-up.
For a film to be based solely the conversation of two people, that conversation better be really, really interesting. And while there are some good moments and the two actors did provide good performances, the story just didn’t seem to cut it. There were points throughout the movie where it seemed hard to stay concentrated on what they were saying and instead would rather get up and get a beer. The film while it had some funny moments and a bit of charm, was just dull and a bit predictable. I say, as a guy, this is a movie you could probably pass on.

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Going to the movies on a lazy Sunday, we decided to check out Where the Wild Things Are by Spike Jonze. I have been pretty excited about this movie for a while through the trailers and it didn’t disappoint. I absolutely, all-around enjoyed this film, and from the giggles and laughs from the kids in the audience, I wasn’t the only one. This is actaully one of the first films that I have seen so many children so intrigued.  The kid next to us literally sat at the edge of his seat the whole movie.  And it is because from the beginning of the film and Max’s improvised opening credits, you are instantly thrown into the protagonist’s world and you never look back. He is an imaginative kid that is a little strange and dealing with his family falling apart. Through a series of events, he runs away from home and adventures to where the wild things are. And this is when the film becomes, well, visually incredible. I mean, it should be considering it was shot in Australia and the creatures are done by the Jim Henson Creature shop. In a time laden with CG animation and computer rendered special effects, it’s so refreshing to see costumed characters fill the screen. There is just a quality about real characters, a tactile look and feel that is far superior to a CG’d character. Perhaps it is the true interaction between Max and the Wild Things – something literally impossible through 3D effects. But this brought me back to the wonderful films like Labyrinth or Dark Crystal that really showed how well Jim Henson’s crew could perform.

The music seems to plays an integral part to the film and at times makes it almost feel like a music video.  Which makes sense, being Spike Jonze.  But, it’s as if the lyrics are another character, adding a new layer to the story.   While some parts the music is a bit overwhelming and detached me from the story, most of the time, it really helped throw you into the film.  For example during the rumpus, there is this excitement, this chaotic feeling that really only comes from the music.  Karen O does a great job with the music and gives the whole film a stylized approach that is refreshing and fun. Go check out the soundtrack on iTunes.

But it’s through Spike Jonze that this this children’s novel come to life and lets kids of all ages enjoy the imaginative, wonderful world in which the Wild Things live. Through it, you connect with the characters – feeling their feelings – being happy and excited when the rumpus starts and sad and lonely when they are.  I, personally, really liked Max’s character – seeing how he sees the world.  And the Wild Things are like another one of his creations.  His imagination is limitless and yet it is through his experiences with the wild things that he is able to understand the real world around him.  I felt like the film really showed how a child might deal with grown-up issues, making up this fantastic world to figure out how to handle things.  And when he does, its not some fantasy-land, happy ending.  It is real, genuine.

Overall, this is a wonderful film that you should go see. Just go to the movies and for a couple hours, let your imagination run a little wild.  Enjoy.

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Having never seen an advertisement for Whip It, I viewed this completely on the urging of my girlfriend.  And I have to say, this movie is actually very good. Perhaps I am completely oblivious to every advertisement they have for this film, but to me this is definitely a nice little sleeper out in theaters right now that should be checked out. The plot-line is sort of predictable, like every other movie where the main teenage character has a dream to do something and her parents don’t approve.  But its not really the plot that drives this movie.  Its the characters and dialogue that really shine.  Ellen Page plays the title role with a subdued witty Juno-like quality that everyone loves her for.  Kristen Wiig plays a great role as sort of a mentor and friend. The characters are smart, funny, and just act real.  Its also not too bad that they roller skate in skimpy outfits as well.  I mean, I obviously knew the basic premise of the movie involved roller derby girls, so how bad could it really be?

It is a movie the can be considered a chick flick, but I definitely think a guy can sit through it and enjoy it.  I mean, there are some hard hits, blood, and broken bones.  I personally think Drew Barrymore purposely had her character injured every five minutes to keep her behind the camera instead of in front – but thats just me.  The only problem I have with the film is Page’s love interest.  That dude is just ugly, no two ways about it.  I mean seriously, he does a great job as the character but bring back the derby girls.  Sorry, dude.  So as far as this movie is concerned, if you’re looking for a nice, light, date-night flick, check it out and I hope you enjoy it.

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