The end of year push for Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and other nominations will be upon us soon. To that end, I have decided to recognize the best movies in the first half of 2011. Many of the movies that release early in the year don't get the recognition that they deserve because studios try to strategically release their movies at the optimum time to garner as many votes for different nominations as possible. You may agree, you may not agree but these are my top 5 movies of this year.
5. Beginners. Directed by Mike Mills and starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Melanie Laurent. This was a touching movie about the relationship between father and son and boy and girl. I think one of the reasons that this movie touched me so much is that Ewan McGregor's character lost his father played by Christopher Plummer. I still have strong feelings of grief and sadness even three years after the loss of my father and this movie stirred many of those emotions.
4. Super 8. Directed by JJ Abrams and starring Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler. In true JJ Abrams fashion we were introduced to a menace that remains unseen until very late into the movie. The story was told through a group of middle school kids in 1979trying to film a movie for a youth film festival. You guessed it, I was in middle school in 1979 and although I never attempted to make a movie for a film festival I did try to make my own movies with my grandfather's super 8 camera. The ELO, Blondie and The Commodores music clinched it for me.
3. Midnight In Paris. Directed by Woody Allen and starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. This movie had three of my favorite topics 1. Comedy 2. Time Travel 3. Authors. It's been a long time since I have seen a Woody Allen movie that I truly enjoyed. I think it's been since Crimes and Misdemeaners (1989) that I really enjoyed one of his movies. This one was great though and had a very interesting means of telling the story.
2. Bridesmaids. Directed by Paul Feig and starring Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph. A female version of The Hangover? Well, one of the most funny movies I have seen in the past 5 years was The Hangover and Bridesmaids is a close second. Kristen Wiig is her normal brilliant self and fellow SNL partner, Maya Rudolph does just as well. The cast was filled with great characters and the comedy writing was hilarious.
1. Win Win. Directed by Thomas McCarthy and starring Paul Giamatti, Melanie Lynskey, and Amy Ryan. What can you say about another great movie starring Paul Giamatti. They guy just keeps putting out great performance after great performance. Melanie Lynskey is also one of the great supporting actresses out there and I think deserves a chance to get some leading lady nods (see her in Away We Go, The Informant, and her debut Heavenly Creatures. All of which can be seen on DVD or streamed on the internet.) This movie was a great story of redemption from so many characters. I won't ruin the plot because I truly hope everyone that reads this blog will see this movie. When you do, please provide feedback.
So that is my top five so far in 2011. I am excited about the list of movies that will be hitting theatres soon and I will be writing about many of those when they do. Until then please feel free to send me requests for review or to post your own review!!
Friday, August 12, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Cowboys And Aliens (2011) Review
Thank you for taking a look at Movies In The Rockies. This blog will take a stab at reviewing movies from the eyes, ears and mind of my non-hollywood mind. I am not an artist, insider or expert. I just like movies and want to share some opinions. Each review will start with a quick synopsis of the film, followed by my perceptions. A final rating will be given with the following rating scale:
Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.
Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.
Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.
Montains = The movie has legs & lungs.
14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.
(SPOILER ALERT: THE SYNOPSIS BELOW WILL EXPOSE THE PLOT)
When I saw the name of this movie I truly couldn't believe it was made. Well I've seen some unbelievably lame titles in my day, like FrankenFish, Dude, Where's My Car or Hot Tub Time Machine. Yet, none of those movies were laden with stars like Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Clancy Brown, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano and Keith Carradine. So with a cast like that, even with one of the most lame titles of all time, I have to see the movie.
The movie starts out in true classic Western Genre fashion. A rough looking, hard nosed, bad ass named Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up with no memory, no clothes, no horse but he does have a futuristic wrist band. Three ruffians without dental insurance show up and tell Lonergan that this is not his lucky day. Of course, Jake kills them all and steals their clothes, guns, dog and a horse. Now this is a guy that can take on beast that happens to be a mix between Predator and Alien.
Jake rides into town to find out that Cattle Man, Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), uses his influence to bully the town into letting him get away with just about anything. The sheriff (Keith Carradine) tries to keep order but Dolarhyde's lackeys keep causing trouble. This is of course until Jake's magical wrist band starts to flash lights and make noises. This signals the arrival of something these 19th century country folk have not only never seen but have never even imagined. Space ships. Not just your ordinary space ships, but space ships that lasso the townspeople and take them away to God knows where.
Along comes the beautiful Ella Swanson (Olivia Wilde). She is the one person (and I use that term loosely) that can get Jake to find the Alien hideout and get everyone's kinfolk back. Unfortunately, Jake can't remember anything so they have to track one of the Aliens who happened to be injured in their raid of the town. The tracking is a success and they are led to a space ship that is burrowed into the ground and is extracting gold and conducting experiments on their kidnap victims with a goal of taking over the world.
You can never underestimate the power of American ingenuity and love of family though. With a group of townsfolks, a gang of train robbers, and a tribe of Apaches Lonergan and Dolarhyde lead a siege of the Alien Space Craft. Things don't go well to start but the Aliens have underestimated this ragtag army. So with great grit and determination the humans win and destroy the Alien spaceship while saving the kidnapped townsfolk.
I have to admit, I didn't go to this movie kicking and screaming. I was intrigued. It must have been the blend of the cast, a hokey title, and being directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf) that drew me in. This movie did get the most that it could out of the premise. There was great action, great sci-fi effects, great cast, and an obvious huge budget!! Where the movie failed though, is in the inception. Come on... Cowboys and Aliens? Futuristic science fiction needs to be set in the future. We all know that Wyatt Earp and brothers fought the Clanton gang at the OK Corral, not the Arachnids from Starship Troopers.
As much as I liked the cast, I don't see Daniel Craig as a western hero. First of all, he's British. Second, he sits on a horse like there is a pole sticking up through the saddle straight into his arse. Clint Eastwood he is not. You won't find me saying anything negative about Harrison Ford, though. This wasn't his best role but he is very believable as a western cattle rancher. Heck, he lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming part of the time. He probably wasn't even acting when he was playing the role of a cowboy.
Director Jon Favreau has made the jump from Indie actor to block buster Director well. As I wrote earlier, he did what he could with the premise. It's not his fault that he was given millions of dollars to put this piece of s#&% of a story onto the big screen. I'm guessing this movie will bring in huge dollars and Favreau will be hired to put together another Comic Book adaptation or Sci-Fi thriller. I just hope the story can hold up better than this one.
Cowboys And Aliens earns a COLORADO PLAINS rating. Great directors and actors can't turn a bad story into a good one. Maybe they can make a sequel though and call it Cowboys And Illegal Aliens. He we could even get Rush Limbaugh to play Jake Lonergan.
Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.
Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.
Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.
Montains = The movie has legs & lungs.
14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.
(SPOILER ALERT: THE SYNOPSIS BELOW WILL EXPOSE THE PLOT)
When I saw the name of this movie I truly couldn't believe it was made. Well I've seen some unbelievably lame titles in my day, like FrankenFish, Dude, Where's My Car or Hot Tub Time Machine. Yet, none of those movies were laden with stars like Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Clancy Brown, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano and Keith Carradine. So with a cast like that, even with one of the most lame titles of all time, I have to see the movie.
The movie starts out in true classic Western Genre fashion. A rough looking, hard nosed, bad ass named Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up with no memory, no clothes, no horse but he does have a futuristic wrist band. Three ruffians without dental insurance show up and tell Lonergan that this is not his lucky day. Of course, Jake kills them all and steals their clothes, guns, dog and a horse. Now this is a guy that can take on beast that happens to be a mix between Predator and Alien.
Jake rides into town to find out that Cattle Man, Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), uses his influence to bully the town into letting him get away with just about anything. The sheriff (Keith Carradine) tries to keep order but Dolarhyde's lackeys keep causing trouble. This is of course until Jake's magical wrist band starts to flash lights and make noises. This signals the arrival of something these 19th century country folk have not only never seen but have never even imagined. Space ships. Not just your ordinary space ships, but space ships that lasso the townspeople and take them away to God knows where.
Along comes the beautiful Ella Swanson (Olivia Wilde). She is the one person (and I use that term loosely) that can get Jake to find the Alien hideout and get everyone's kinfolk back. Unfortunately, Jake can't remember anything so they have to track one of the Aliens who happened to be injured in their raid of the town. The tracking is a success and they are led to a space ship that is burrowed into the ground and is extracting gold and conducting experiments on their kidnap victims with a goal of taking over the world.
You can never underestimate the power of American ingenuity and love of family though. With a group of townsfolks, a gang of train robbers, and a tribe of Apaches Lonergan and Dolarhyde lead a siege of the Alien Space Craft. Things don't go well to start but the Aliens have underestimated this ragtag army. So with great grit and determination the humans win and destroy the Alien spaceship while saving the kidnapped townsfolk.
I have to admit, I didn't go to this movie kicking and screaming. I was intrigued. It must have been the blend of the cast, a hokey title, and being directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf) that drew me in. This movie did get the most that it could out of the premise. There was great action, great sci-fi effects, great cast, and an obvious huge budget!! Where the movie failed though, is in the inception. Come on... Cowboys and Aliens? Futuristic science fiction needs to be set in the future. We all know that Wyatt Earp and brothers fought the Clanton gang at the OK Corral, not the Arachnids from Starship Troopers.
As much as I liked the cast, I don't see Daniel Craig as a western hero. First of all, he's British. Second, he sits on a horse like there is a pole sticking up through the saddle straight into his arse. Clint Eastwood he is not. You won't find me saying anything negative about Harrison Ford, though. This wasn't his best role but he is very believable as a western cattle rancher. Heck, he lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming part of the time. He probably wasn't even acting when he was playing the role of a cowboy.
Director Jon Favreau has made the jump from Indie actor to block buster Director well. As I wrote earlier, he did what he could with the premise. It's not his fault that he was given millions of dollars to put this piece of s#&% of a story onto the big screen. I'm guessing this movie will bring in huge dollars and Favreau will be hired to put together another Comic Book adaptation or Sci-Fi thriller. I just hope the story can hold up better than this one.
Cowboys And Aliens earns a COLORADO PLAINS rating. Great directors and actors can't turn a bad story into a good one. Maybe they can make a sequel though and call it Cowboys And Illegal Aliens. He we could even get Rush Limbaugh to play Jake Lonergan.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friends With Benefits (2011)
Thank you for taking a look at Movies In The Rockies. This blog will take a stab at reviewing movies from the eyes, ears and mind of my non-hollywood mind. I am not an artist, insider or expert. I just like movies and want to share some opinions. Each review will start with a quick synopsis of the film, followed by my perceptions. A final rating will be given with the following rating scale:
Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.
Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.
Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.
Montains = The movie has legs & lungs.
14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.
(SPOILER ALERT: THE SYNOPSIS BELOW WILL EXPOSE THE PLOT)
I have decided to add a spoiler alert to my posts as I do preview the movie for all of my readers. However, Friends with Benefits' plot was spoiled with the title and the previews that you have all seen leading up to the release so feel free to read on. This review will most likely tell you very little about the plot of the movie that you didn't already know.
Will Gluck is on a mini-roll. In 2010 Gluck directed the critically acclaimed comedy Easy-A and then picked up the directing nod for Friends with Benefits. Both are relationship comedys with a little bit of a twist. It's actually very fortunate that I was able to make it out to Friends With Benefits as this is not normally a movie that I would choose. As fate had it, my lovely wife Kellie was picking the details of our date night and she chose Mexican Food and Friends With Benefits. By the way, it's never a good idea to mix cheese enchiladas covered in spicy green chili with movie popcorn, although it does lead to a "Rich" experience at about 2:00AM. I could become very sophomoric but I'm going to just move on.
Friends With Benefits has all of the ingredients for a big Hollywood money maker. 1. Romantic Comedy theme. 2. Big name stars (Justin Timberlake and Mina Kunis). 3. Sex.
The movie starts with Dylan (Justin Timberlake) meeting Jamie (Mina Kunis) in airport as she picks him up for a high level job interview at GQ Magazine. Jamie is an executive headhunter and Dylan is applying for the artistic director job at GQ. Jamie is trying to talk Dylan into making the move from LA to NYC but he is apprehensive. In the end Jamie wins and that is the start to the friendship. Jamie is the only person in NYC that Dylan knows so he relies on her for most of his information about NYC nightlife. He could take the advice of his gay sports editor (not that there's anything wrong with that), played by Woody Harrelson, but he has to continually remind him that he is not gay.
Jamie and Dylan become the best of friends and decide it would be a good idea to start having sex as friends since they both have emotional problems and a relationship would not be good at the present time. They are having sex like friends play tennis. JUST SEX!! NO EMOTIONS!! That always works out well, right. In the suprise twist of the year, Jamie and Dylan fall for each other but neither will admit it. When Dylan takes Jamie home after she gets stood up by her mother on a weekend getaway his family insists that they are a great couple. Dylan tells his sister that he could never fall for Jamie because she is too messed up. Sadly, Jamie overhears this and takes off early back to NYC. OMG, the friendship is on the rocks?!? Jamie will have nothing to do with Dylan even though he realizes that she is the one for him. It's going to take some major sucking up to win her back.
I won't ruin how Dylan does this but let's just say he swings for the fences and hits a Grand Slam.
During the entire 109 minutes of this movie I was not suprised by anything that I saw, with the exception of Timberlake's and Kunis' asses. This movie did have quite a few more sex scenes than your typical romantic comedy which might actually make the movie more enjoyable for my male friends. Let's face it, my male friends are simple. All they really want out of life is a beer and to see something naked. (I digress.) The banter between the characters was humorous and cutting at times. There was an attempt at a touching moment when Dylan's father is suffering from alzheimers and we get the chance to see this on the trip back to LA but the effect on everyone was not dug into deep enough, in my opinion, and therefore failed.
As romantic comedies goes this one was interesting and funny. Interestingly enough, Dylan and Jamie are intent on making sure their relationship doesn't follow the path of Cliche's that most romantic comedies are made of but they turn this movie into just that. Mina Kunis is her normal stellar self. She is an up and coming actress that I would like to see in more serious roles like her "Lily" in Black Swan where she was nominated for numerous awards. Justin Timberlake is not the best actor and was fairly average in this one, but this guy belongs in front of a camera or audience. He is entertaining and likable. I just think he could benefit from a lunch meeting with Bobby DeNiro or Kevin Spacey to talk shop. If he continues to improve he might actually start to win some acclaim other than Teen Choice award.
Friends With Benefits was the cliche it was trying not to be and woefully predictable yet somehow it managed to entertain me. Though I would like to see someone come up with a rom-com that throws a curve, until they do, casting people like Mila Kunis, Woody Harrelson and Justin Timberlake is a way to make the best of a worn out plot line. I give this movie a FOOTHILLS rating and would recommend seeing this movie when you need a laugh but don't care to think about what you just saw even a minute after seeing it.
Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.
Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.
Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.
Montains = The movie has legs & lungs.
14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.
(SPOILER ALERT: THE SYNOPSIS BELOW WILL EXPOSE THE PLOT)
I have decided to add a spoiler alert to my posts as I do preview the movie for all of my readers. However, Friends with Benefits' plot was spoiled with the title and the previews that you have all seen leading up to the release so feel free to read on. This review will most likely tell you very little about the plot of the movie that you didn't already know.
Will Gluck is on a mini-roll. In 2010 Gluck directed the critically acclaimed comedy Easy-A and then picked up the directing nod for Friends with Benefits. Both are relationship comedys with a little bit of a twist. It's actually very fortunate that I was able to make it out to Friends With Benefits as this is not normally a movie that I would choose. As fate had it, my lovely wife Kellie was picking the details of our date night and she chose Mexican Food and Friends With Benefits. By the way, it's never a good idea to mix cheese enchiladas covered in spicy green chili with movie popcorn, although it does lead to a "Rich" experience at about 2:00AM. I could become very sophomoric but I'm going to just move on.
Friends With Benefits has all of the ingredients for a big Hollywood money maker. 1. Romantic Comedy theme. 2. Big name stars (Justin Timberlake and Mina Kunis). 3. Sex.
The movie starts with Dylan (Justin Timberlake) meeting Jamie (Mina Kunis) in airport as she picks him up for a high level job interview at GQ Magazine. Jamie is an executive headhunter and Dylan is applying for the artistic director job at GQ. Jamie is trying to talk Dylan into making the move from LA to NYC but he is apprehensive. In the end Jamie wins and that is the start to the friendship. Jamie is the only person in NYC that Dylan knows so he relies on her for most of his information about NYC nightlife. He could take the advice of his gay sports editor (not that there's anything wrong with that), played by Woody Harrelson, but he has to continually remind him that he is not gay.
Jamie and Dylan become the best of friends and decide it would be a good idea to start having sex as friends since they both have emotional problems and a relationship would not be good at the present time. They are having sex like friends play tennis. JUST SEX!! NO EMOTIONS!! That always works out well, right. In the suprise twist of the year, Jamie and Dylan fall for each other but neither will admit it. When Dylan takes Jamie home after she gets stood up by her mother on a weekend getaway his family insists that they are a great couple. Dylan tells his sister that he could never fall for Jamie because she is too messed up. Sadly, Jamie overhears this and takes off early back to NYC. OMG, the friendship is on the rocks?!? Jamie will have nothing to do with Dylan even though he realizes that she is the one for him. It's going to take some major sucking up to win her back.
I won't ruin how Dylan does this but let's just say he swings for the fences and hits a Grand Slam.
During the entire 109 minutes of this movie I was not suprised by anything that I saw, with the exception of Timberlake's and Kunis' asses. This movie did have quite a few more sex scenes than your typical romantic comedy which might actually make the movie more enjoyable for my male friends. Let's face it, my male friends are simple. All they really want out of life is a beer and to see something naked. (I digress.) The banter between the characters was humorous and cutting at times. There was an attempt at a touching moment when Dylan's father is suffering from alzheimers and we get the chance to see this on the trip back to LA but the effect on everyone was not dug into deep enough, in my opinion, and therefore failed.
As romantic comedies goes this one was interesting and funny. Interestingly enough, Dylan and Jamie are intent on making sure their relationship doesn't follow the path of Cliche's that most romantic comedies are made of but they turn this movie into just that. Mina Kunis is her normal stellar self. She is an up and coming actress that I would like to see in more serious roles like her "Lily" in Black Swan where she was nominated for numerous awards. Justin Timberlake is not the best actor and was fairly average in this one, but this guy belongs in front of a camera or audience. He is entertaining and likable. I just think he could benefit from a lunch meeting with Bobby DeNiro or Kevin Spacey to talk shop. If he continues to improve he might actually start to win some acclaim other than Teen Choice award.
Friends With Benefits was the cliche it was trying not to be and woefully predictable yet somehow it managed to entertain me. Though I would like to see someone come up with a rom-com that throws a curve, until they do, casting people like Mila Kunis, Woody Harrelson and Justin Timberlake is a way to make the best of a worn out plot line. I give this movie a FOOTHILLS rating and would recommend seeing this movie when you need a laugh but don't care to think about what you just saw even a minute after seeing it.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Beginners (2010) Review
Thank you for taking a look at Movies In The Rockies. This blog will take a stab at reviewing movies from the eyes, ears and mind of my non-hollywood mind. I am not an artist, insider or expert. I just like movies and want to share some opinions. Each review will start with a quick synopsis of the film, followed by my perceptions. A final rating will be given with the following rating scale:
Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.
Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.
Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.
Montains = The movie has legs & lungs.
14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.
(SPOILER ALERT: THE SYNOPSIS BELOW WILL EXPOSE THE PLOT)
In 2011 movies about homosexuality and the different types of relationships that are found in the homosexual community are fairly common. Many film makers are finding new and creative ways to show the lives of these people, and some of those have found a way to show their impact on the heterosexual people that are important in their lives as well. Beginners, written and directed by Mike Mills, attempts to do that.
The movie tells the story of Oliver (Ewan McGregor) and his relationships with primarily his father Hal (Christopher Plummer) and his new girlfriend Anna (Melanie Laurent). Oliver's relationship with Anna is told concurrently with his relationship with Hal in a non-linear fashion. Actually, Oliver doesn't even meet Anna until after Hal's death so the viewer has the opportunity to see the two relationships in two very different stages.
Oliver and Hal build a very close relationship after the death of Oliver's mother Georgia (Mary Page Keller). After her death, Hal comes out of the closet and Oliver learns that he was gay during his entire marriage. Hal, at 75 year old, begins a new zest filled life including starting a relationship with a younger man. This "Zest" is something that Oliver never saw in his father before. He witnessed a loveless marriage that led to a lifeless existence in his father. As viewers, we get the opportunity to see this relationship build up and then as life goes, we see it terminate with the death of Hal.
Oliver meets Anna only a couple of months after Hals death and she can see a sadness deep within him. Anna and Oliver are unmistakenly attracted to each other from their first encounter. This happens to be an interesting meet as they both attend a party in which the attendees dress as a different person. Oliver was Freud and spent the entire party by a couch analyzing the other guests, including Anna. After the party their relationship blossoms and we see the many different nuances in which these artistic characters (Oliver is a graphic artist and Anna is an actress) get to know each other. The relationship grows and grows until the two decide to move in together and then for some reason that I didn't find completely clear Oliver breaks up with Anna. Maybe his emotions were on overload because he does come back to her in the end.
Director Mike Mills did a great job of showing the ups and downs of relationships in this film. We all can relate to new found relationships and ones that are coming to an end either caused by drifting apart, break ups or even death. Mills characters and in particular Oliver have great people in their lives that they love very much. Being a witness to their interactions, growth, decline and resolution within these relationships was artfully put together in a complex yet interesting way. Many directors try to do this in an artful way and throw away any sense of entertainment (see my previous blog on THE TREE OF LIFE). Mills was successful in telling a serious story in a complex manner while keeping the audience entertained (partially through the thoughts of a little Jack Russell Terrier that provides some nice comedy relief to a deep topic).
Although this movie's pace was slower than it should have been, it was heartwarming and funny while working on a deep topic. Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Melanie Laurent all played their parts wonderfully and had a great supporting actor in the little dog. This movie has ascended to THE MONTAIN rating level and I recommend the readers see the movie with friends in the late afternoon so you can discuss over dinner.
Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.
Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.
Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.
Montains = The movie has legs & lungs.
14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.
(SPOILER ALERT: THE SYNOPSIS BELOW WILL EXPOSE THE PLOT)
In 2011 movies about homosexuality and the different types of relationships that are found in the homosexual community are fairly common. Many film makers are finding new and creative ways to show the lives of these people, and some of those have found a way to show their impact on the heterosexual people that are important in their lives as well. Beginners, written and directed by Mike Mills, attempts to do that.
The movie tells the story of Oliver (Ewan McGregor) and his relationships with primarily his father Hal (Christopher Plummer) and his new girlfriend Anna (Melanie Laurent). Oliver's relationship with Anna is told concurrently with his relationship with Hal in a non-linear fashion. Actually, Oliver doesn't even meet Anna until after Hal's death so the viewer has the opportunity to see the two relationships in two very different stages.
Oliver and Hal build a very close relationship after the death of Oliver's mother Georgia (Mary Page Keller). After her death, Hal comes out of the closet and Oliver learns that he was gay during his entire marriage. Hal, at 75 year old, begins a new zest filled life including starting a relationship with a younger man. This "Zest" is something that Oliver never saw in his father before. He witnessed a loveless marriage that led to a lifeless existence in his father. As viewers, we get the opportunity to see this relationship build up and then as life goes, we see it terminate with the death of Hal.
Oliver meets Anna only a couple of months after Hals death and she can see a sadness deep within him. Anna and Oliver are unmistakenly attracted to each other from their first encounter. This happens to be an interesting meet as they both attend a party in which the attendees dress as a different person. Oliver was Freud and spent the entire party by a couch analyzing the other guests, including Anna. After the party their relationship blossoms and we see the many different nuances in which these artistic characters (Oliver is a graphic artist and Anna is an actress) get to know each other. The relationship grows and grows until the two decide to move in together and then for some reason that I didn't find completely clear Oliver breaks up with Anna. Maybe his emotions were on overload because he does come back to her in the end.
Director Mike Mills did a great job of showing the ups and downs of relationships in this film. We all can relate to new found relationships and ones that are coming to an end either caused by drifting apart, break ups or even death. Mills characters and in particular Oliver have great people in their lives that they love very much. Being a witness to their interactions, growth, decline and resolution within these relationships was artfully put together in a complex yet interesting way. Many directors try to do this in an artful way and throw away any sense of entertainment (see my previous blog on THE TREE OF LIFE). Mills was successful in telling a serious story in a complex manner while keeping the audience entertained (partially through the thoughts of a little Jack Russell Terrier that provides some nice comedy relief to a deep topic).
Although this movie's pace was slower than it should have been, it was heartwarming and funny while working on a deep topic. Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Melanie Laurent all played their parts wonderfully and had a great supporting actor in the little dog. This movie has ascended to THE MONTAIN rating level and I recommend the readers see the movie with friends in the late afternoon so you can discuss over dinner.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Hoosiers (1986) Review
Thank you for taking a look at Movies In The Rockies. This blog will take a stab at reviewing movies from the eyes, ears and mind of my non-hollywood mind. I am not an artist, insider or expert. I just like movies and want to share some opinions. Each review will start with a quick synopsis of the film, followed by my perceptions. A final rating will be given with the following rating scale:
Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.
Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.
Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.
Montains = The movie has legs & lungs.
14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.
In 1986 two memorable things happened in my life. 1. I graduated from high school and 2. Hoosiers hit the big screen. Ask any basketball junkie what their favorite movie is and there is a great probability that they will tell you "Hoosiers". Hoosiers, directed by David Anspaugh (Rudy, Hill Street Blues), is a story of David vs. Goliath, that is if David wore Chuck Taylors and way too short basketball shorts!! It is based on the real Milan High School basketball team that won an improbable Indiana State Championship in 1954. For those that don't know the story: The State of Indiana had one classification for their High School Basketball tournament until a rule change in 1997. This meant that Milan High School, with an enrollment of 162 total students, was matched up against Muncie Central High School, enrollment over 1600 students. That would be similar to Denver East playing in the state championship in Colorado against Cripple Creek / Victor High School. For those non Colorado readers you may need to look these two schools up on the internet for further reference. Anyway, that is a synopsis of the true story.
The movie begins with Coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) being hired on as the new basketball coach for Hickory High School. Hickory, like the real Milan, is a small rural town in southern Indiana. In his first practice Coach Dale sees that he only has 8 players on his roster, 2 of which quit after a spat with the coach. Of course they return later in the movie as no Indiana parent would allow a kid to quit basketball. That would be like some of my book club friends actually quitting wine.. it aint gonna happen... wink, wink. To say the season gets off to a rough start is an understatement.
Making matters even worse, the town superstar, Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis) isn't on the team for personal reasons and his guardian, Myrna Fleener (Barbara Hershey) encourages Jimmy to avoid basketball. Well the season gets going and the team struggles, to say the least. With only 6 players on the opening season roster they actually end one of their games with only 4 players (non basketball folks need to know that there are 5 players on the court at any given time). Of course later in the movie the 2 other players show up (seemingly out of nowhere) and all seems to be going better until the townspeople get together and vote the have Coach Dale relieved of his coaching duties. Once the results of the vote are read, Jimmy enters the meeting and says "I play, coach stays. He goes, I go." The townspeople re-vote and the coach stays.
With Jimmy, everything turns around. The team is starting to become very good. As all smart coaches do, when things are going well they hire the town drunk to be their assistant coach. Especially when the town drunk has a son on the team. Even the drunken antics of the assitant coach could not stop Jimmy and the rest of the Hickory team from taking down all of their opponents. Hickory wins sectionals, regionals and makes it all the way to the state championship. The Hickory boys walking into the gym for the state championship game are visibly intimidated by the size of the arena and Coach Dale settles them down by measuring the dimensions of the court. Coach Dale tells the boys that they will find the same measurements in their gym in Hickory. They are now ready to play!!
The championship game starts out slow for Hickory. They seem beaten in early action when the coach says it looks like we don't belong. This motivates Hickory and Jimmy turns it on. He starts making everything. With only a couple minutes left in the game Hickory makes a run and as time expires, Jimmy makes a 15 foot shot to win the game.
This movie has been at the top of my list of favorite movies for a long time and has earned a rating of 14ER. Although the movie is headlined by a couple of great actors many of the stars are not your everyday Hollywood types. As a matter of fact all of the Hickory players played college basketball except, you guessed it, Jimmy Chitwood. The movie has a homey feel to it that moves the insprirational story along. I have to admit, I'm a sports fan and a basketball junkie so my rating is definitely biased, but I recommend all readers see this movie if you haven't already. If you have seen it already, I recommend renting Hoosiers and Rudy and watching both in an inspirational movie quinella (both movies directed by David Anspaugh!!
Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.
Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.
Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.
Montains = The movie has legs & lungs.
14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.
In 1986 two memorable things happened in my life. 1. I graduated from high school and 2. Hoosiers hit the big screen. Ask any basketball junkie what their favorite movie is and there is a great probability that they will tell you "Hoosiers". Hoosiers, directed by David Anspaugh (Rudy, Hill Street Blues), is a story of David vs. Goliath, that is if David wore Chuck Taylors and way too short basketball shorts!! It is based on the real Milan High School basketball team that won an improbable Indiana State Championship in 1954. For those that don't know the story: The State of Indiana had one classification for their High School Basketball tournament until a rule change in 1997. This meant that Milan High School, with an enrollment of 162 total students, was matched up against Muncie Central High School, enrollment over 1600 students. That would be similar to Denver East playing in the state championship in Colorado against Cripple Creek / Victor High School. For those non Colorado readers you may need to look these two schools up on the internet for further reference. Anyway, that is a synopsis of the true story.
The movie begins with Coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) being hired on as the new basketball coach for Hickory High School. Hickory, like the real Milan, is a small rural town in southern Indiana. In his first practice Coach Dale sees that he only has 8 players on his roster, 2 of which quit after a spat with the coach. Of course they return later in the movie as no Indiana parent would allow a kid to quit basketball. That would be like some of my book club friends actually quitting wine.. it aint gonna happen... wink, wink. To say the season gets off to a rough start is an understatement.
Making matters even worse, the town superstar, Jimmy Chitwood (Maris Valainis) isn't on the team for personal reasons and his guardian, Myrna Fleener (Barbara Hershey) encourages Jimmy to avoid basketball. Well the season gets going and the team struggles, to say the least. With only 6 players on the opening season roster they actually end one of their games with only 4 players (non basketball folks need to know that there are 5 players on the court at any given time). Of course later in the movie the 2 other players show up (seemingly out of nowhere) and all seems to be going better until the townspeople get together and vote the have Coach Dale relieved of his coaching duties. Once the results of the vote are read, Jimmy enters the meeting and says "I play, coach stays. He goes, I go." The townspeople re-vote and the coach stays.
With Jimmy, everything turns around. The team is starting to become very good. As all smart coaches do, when things are going well they hire the town drunk to be their assistant coach. Especially when the town drunk has a son on the team. Even the drunken antics of the assitant coach could not stop Jimmy and the rest of the Hickory team from taking down all of their opponents. Hickory wins sectionals, regionals and makes it all the way to the state championship. The Hickory boys walking into the gym for the state championship game are visibly intimidated by the size of the arena and Coach Dale settles them down by measuring the dimensions of the court. Coach Dale tells the boys that they will find the same measurements in their gym in Hickory. They are now ready to play!!
The championship game starts out slow for Hickory. They seem beaten in early action when the coach says it looks like we don't belong. This motivates Hickory and Jimmy turns it on. He starts making everything. With only a couple minutes left in the game Hickory makes a run and as time expires, Jimmy makes a 15 foot shot to win the game.
This movie has been at the top of my list of favorite movies for a long time and has earned a rating of 14ER. Although the movie is headlined by a couple of great actors many of the stars are not your everyday Hollywood types. As a matter of fact all of the Hickory players played college basketball except, you guessed it, Jimmy Chitwood. The movie has a homey feel to it that moves the insprirational story along. I have to admit, I'm a sports fan and a basketball junkie so my rating is definitely biased, but I recommend all readers see this movie if you haven't already. If you have seen it already, I recommend renting Hoosiers and Rudy and watching both in an inspirational movie quinella (both movies directed by David Anspaugh!!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Larry Crowne Review
Thank you for taking a look at Movies In The Rockies. This blog will take a stab at reviewing movies from the eyes, ears and mind of my non-hollywood mind. I am not an artist, insider or expert. I just like movies and want to share some opinions. Each review will start with a quick synopsis of the film, followed by my perceptions. A final rating will be given with the following rating scale:
Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.
Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.
Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.
Montains = The movie has legs & lungs.
14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.
Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Taraji Henson, Pam Grier, Cedric the Entertainer, and SULU? This must be the formula for success, right? Well throw in that Tom Hanks directed, starred and wrote (along with Nia Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding fame) and it can't miss. Well let's just see about that...
Hanks plays Larry Crowne (or Lance Corona if you use the Michael Vick name translator on the internet, ask Fillerbuster or TWill if you have questions about this) a former Navy cook and nine time winner of employee of the month at U Save. Within the first ten minutes of the film Larry is canned for not having a college education. With no other options Larry turns to his game show winning neighbor, Lamar (played by Cedric the Entertainer). Well, who wouldn't go to a winner of a game of chance for financial and career advice. Lamar tells Larry to get back to school and all will work out.
Larry does just that and enrolls in classes at his local college where he meets an interesting group of characters, gets a part time job as a short order cook, and joins a scooter gang (think Hells Angels on Vespas and drinking lemonade). One of the classes that Larry enrolls in is Speech 217: The Art Of Informal Remarks. As a speech communication major I never heard of such a class but my course work was 20 years ago and things change. Speech 217 is taught by the lovely Mrs. Tainot (pronounced Tay-No, not Tie-not or Tie-bo) who tends toward the grumpy. Yet, who wouldn't be grumpy with an internet porn hound for a husband and a class load that boarders on cancellation each semester due to low enrollment. This of course all ends when Larry enters the scene.
Larry takes on his course work with a fervor that is unmatched with his younger student counterparts. He grasps Econ: Prime, taught by Dr. Matsutani (SULU from the original Star Trek), at a level that his professor can't fathom even though he can't seem to keep from getting his cell phone taken away from him by the good Dr.
After Mrs. Tainot has a falling out with her scumbag husband (played by Bryan Cranston), she gets a ride home on the back of Larry's scooter where in a drunken stupor she kisses him passionately. The next day Mrs. Tainot kicks out Mr. and although she stiff arms Larry, we see an opening for him.
Final exams are now upon us and Larry studies thoroughly as many older students do. He aces his ECON exam and now is ready for his final speech. Larry nails the speech and in doing so, proves to Mrs. Tainot that he really is a great one.
When the next term rolls around, Larry leaves a note on Mrs. Tainot's door asking her to come to his address for French Toast (remember, he's a former Navy cook and currently works part time as a short order cook). Mrs. Tainot, heads to Larry's place where they kiss and he asks her in for the French Toast (We are left to imagine on our own what else happened after the meal).
My take. Hey, I enjoyed the movie. I have been a fan of Tom Hanks since he played the wacky Rick Gassko in Bachelor Party in 1984 and Julia Roberts... enough said. This will not be another award winner for Hanks or Roberts though. The premise was fun, the characters were interesting, the message of Americans finding a different road when unemployment issues arise is timely, but the movie just lacks any real depth. The whole idea starts with a mostly erroneous concept of a Retail Sales associate losing his job due to lack of education. Not many people will argue that an education is helpful but you can ask Michael Dell, Bill Gates and Larry Ellison if not having a degree slowed them down. Larry Crowne, written, directed and starring the great Tom Hanks earns a FOOT HILLS rating as an entertaining yet benign film.
Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.
Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.
Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.
Montains = The movie has legs & lungs.
14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.
Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Taraji Henson, Pam Grier, Cedric the Entertainer, and SULU? This must be the formula for success, right? Well throw in that Tom Hanks directed, starred and wrote (along with Nia Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding fame) and it can't miss. Well let's just see about that...
Hanks plays Larry Crowne (or Lance Corona if you use the Michael Vick name translator on the internet, ask Fillerbuster or TWill if you have questions about this) a former Navy cook and nine time winner of employee of the month at U Save. Within the first ten minutes of the film Larry is canned for not having a college education. With no other options Larry turns to his game show winning neighbor, Lamar (played by Cedric the Entertainer). Well, who wouldn't go to a winner of a game of chance for financial and career advice. Lamar tells Larry to get back to school and all will work out.
Larry does just that and enrolls in classes at his local college where he meets an interesting group of characters, gets a part time job as a short order cook, and joins a scooter gang (think Hells Angels on Vespas and drinking lemonade). One of the classes that Larry enrolls in is Speech 217: The Art Of Informal Remarks. As a speech communication major I never heard of such a class but my course work was 20 years ago and things change. Speech 217 is taught by the lovely Mrs. Tainot (pronounced Tay-No, not Tie-not or Tie-bo) who tends toward the grumpy. Yet, who wouldn't be grumpy with an internet porn hound for a husband and a class load that boarders on cancellation each semester due to low enrollment. This of course all ends when Larry enters the scene.
Larry takes on his course work with a fervor that is unmatched with his younger student counterparts. He grasps Econ: Prime, taught by Dr. Matsutani (SULU from the original Star Trek), at a level that his professor can't fathom even though he can't seem to keep from getting his cell phone taken away from him by the good Dr.
After Mrs. Tainot has a falling out with her scumbag husband (played by Bryan Cranston), she gets a ride home on the back of Larry's scooter where in a drunken stupor she kisses him passionately. The next day Mrs. Tainot kicks out Mr. and although she stiff arms Larry, we see an opening for him.
Final exams are now upon us and Larry studies thoroughly as many older students do. He aces his ECON exam and now is ready for his final speech. Larry nails the speech and in doing so, proves to Mrs. Tainot that he really is a great one.
When the next term rolls around, Larry leaves a note on Mrs. Tainot's door asking her to come to his address for French Toast (remember, he's a former Navy cook and currently works part time as a short order cook). Mrs. Tainot, heads to Larry's place where they kiss and he asks her in for the French Toast (We are left to imagine on our own what else happened after the meal).
My take. Hey, I enjoyed the movie. I have been a fan of Tom Hanks since he played the wacky Rick Gassko in Bachelor Party in 1984 and Julia Roberts... enough said. This will not be another award winner for Hanks or Roberts though. The premise was fun, the characters were interesting, the message of Americans finding a different road when unemployment issues arise is timely, but the movie just lacks any real depth. The whole idea starts with a mostly erroneous concept of a Retail Sales associate losing his job due to lack of education. Not many people will argue that an education is helpful but you can ask Michael Dell, Bill Gates and Larry Ellison if not having a degree slowed them down. Larry Crowne, written, directed and starring the great Tom Hanks earns a FOOT HILLS rating as an entertaining yet benign film.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Welcome to Movies In The Rockies: The Tree Of Life
Thank you for taking a look at Movies In The Rockies. This blog will take a stab at reviewing movies from the eyes, ears and mind of my non-hollywood mind. I am not an artist, insider or expert. I just like movies and want to share some opinions. Each review will start with a quick synopsis of the film, followed by my perceptions. A final rating will be given with the following rating scale:
Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.
Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.
Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.
Montains = The movie has legs & lungs.
14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.
The first movie I will review is The Tree Of Life, written and directed by Terrence Malick. I had the pleasure of seeing this movie with my wife and daughter on my birthday. It was easy to get them to attend with me since Brad Pitt is one of the stars and easy for them to look at and they would feel bad if they said no on my birthday. Along with Brad Pitt, the movie also included Sean Penn, arguably the best current working actor. Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Laramie Eppler and Tye Sheridan round out the main cast members.
The Tree Of Life revolves around a family and specifically around the relationships and life views of the oldest of three sons, Jack, in 1950's Texas. Jack begins the movie seeing the world through innocence and peace, much as he sees his mother. As the story progresses, Jack starts to realize that he might actually be more like his father, played by Brad Pitt, than he wants to be. The father is a stern man but has a great deal of love for his family, yet Jack as a young boy has a tough time seeing this and his relationship with his father suffers. Jack as a grown man is played by Sean Penn and through deep soul searching and in the end finds a way to reconcile with his father.
Unfortunately, I have to admit, much of this information is vague and empty of any real depth. This of course is because the movie lacked any sort of entertainment value and I actually fell asleep in a theatre for the first time in my life. Terrence Malick has a tendency to be "artsy" with his films, but this story was deluted to the point of taking any entertainment value out of the film. I understand that Malick tells this story through artistic expression but he has lost his audience on this one.
The Tree Of Life earns a rating of COLORADO PLAINS. Although it's obvious that Malick tried to create an interesting way to tell the story of a marginally dysfunctional family, he failed to do so in a way that is coherent and even remotely entertaining. I am certain that Terrence Malick and his film The Tree Of Life will garner recognition during the award season, but I won't understand it any more then than I do now.
Sea Level = The movie falls short of climbing even to the first tier Altitude.
Colorado Plains = The movie starts moving upward but lacks the legs to take it to the hills.
Foot Hills = The movie has legs, but air has left the lungs and stops the movie in its tracks.
Montains = The movie has legs & lungs.
14ers = This movie has eclipsed the summit.
The first movie I will review is The Tree Of Life, written and directed by Terrence Malick. I had the pleasure of seeing this movie with my wife and daughter on my birthday. It was easy to get them to attend with me since Brad Pitt is one of the stars and easy for them to look at and they would feel bad if they said no on my birthday. Along with Brad Pitt, the movie also included Sean Penn, arguably the best current working actor. Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Laramie Eppler and Tye Sheridan round out the main cast members.
The Tree Of Life revolves around a family and specifically around the relationships and life views of the oldest of three sons, Jack, in 1950's Texas. Jack begins the movie seeing the world through innocence and peace, much as he sees his mother. As the story progresses, Jack starts to realize that he might actually be more like his father, played by Brad Pitt, than he wants to be. The father is a stern man but has a great deal of love for his family, yet Jack as a young boy has a tough time seeing this and his relationship with his father suffers. Jack as a grown man is played by Sean Penn and through deep soul searching and in the end finds a way to reconcile with his father.
Unfortunately, I have to admit, much of this information is vague and empty of any real depth. This of course is because the movie lacked any sort of entertainment value and I actually fell asleep in a theatre for the first time in my life. Terrence Malick has a tendency to be "artsy" with his films, but this story was deluted to the point of taking any entertainment value out of the film. I understand that Malick tells this story through artistic expression but he has lost his audience on this one.
The Tree Of Life earns a rating of COLORADO PLAINS. Although it's obvious that Malick tried to create an interesting way to tell the story of a marginally dysfunctional family, he failed to do so in a way that is coherent and even remotely entertaining. I am certain that Terrence Malick and his film The Tree Of Life will garner recognition during the award season, but I won't understand it any more then than I do now.
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