Summer of Movies #5: Lawrence of Arabia

Today's film is another I've had a hard time with. The first time I watched it, everything was keeping me from doing just that. I had stuff to do, had to help my sister, and somehow everything in my room was a distraction. I kept pausing the movie so much that I lost track of names, places, and motives. I decided to watch it again, and I'm very happy I did. This is my review of...

PLOT
The film tells the story of T.E. Lawrence and his efforts to unite the Arabian tribes against the Turks in WWI.



PROS
Peter O' Toole is simply amazing as T.E. Lawrence. This was his first major role, and the role that made him a star, and it shows why that happened. Lawrence is written as a very complex character full of emotions, and O' Toole pulls it off flawlessly.

The film's cinematography is breathtaking at points. I never thought you could make the desert look beautiful, but they found a way.

The orchestral score is simply epic. It really adds to the film over all. The theme, while simple, is still one of, if not the best, movie themes in history, which you can listen to in the video below...

The movie is on a large scale, and does very impressive stuff with that scale. The amount of hard work, dedication, and money that went into making a film this big, is amazing in itself. 

One thing that I was not expecting was for the movie to deal with dark and mature issues, like the horrors of war, where your allegiance lies, and many others. The film overall is not afraid to go into dark places, which I really appreciated.

This film is almost 4 hours long, which may seem like way too long to tell any story. But I realized something, what could be considered filler, which in my opinion is most of the first part, actually adds a lot of atmosphere to the film and depth to the characters. Without those "filler" scenes, this movie would be very empty and not as great as it is now.

CONS

While I do think the long run time is justified, the first hour or so does drag. It can be hard to get past the first part, but stick with it, and your patience is rewarded.

CONCLUSION

This was one of my biggest surprises so far. I knew very little about the film and went in expecting something like "Spartacus", which I hated. What I got was an emotionally gripping, dark, complex, smart, and to this day, daring film that covers a subject that most people don't know about, but certainly should. This is a required viewing for anyone who even enjoys watching movies, and a new favorite of mine.

RATING

CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!!

  

Paranorman: NR #32

This is a big one. I've been excited about this movie ever since I saw the teaser trailer. I was excited for not only the inventive premise, but also for the company making it. Laika, the stop-motion animation team that made the great "Coraline", is back to make this horror themed kids film. Is it any good? Let's find out in my review of...

Let's Begin

PLOT

Norman has it bad. His family doesn't understand him, his classmates constantly make fun of him, and his only friend is the one kid who gets made fun of just as much he does named Neil. Why does everyone avoid him? Because he can talk to the dead. He's fine with it, even starting to get depressed over it. He then discovers that his uncle has the same powers as Norman, and needs him to stop a witches curse that happens every year. Norman doesn't believe him, mostly because he looks like a crazy homeless person, and goes on with his life. That is, until the dead start to rise. Now Norman must find a way to stop the zombie apocalypse and the witch's curse, all with a little help from his sister, friend, his friend's older brother, and the local bully.

PROS

Laika showed us how amazing they were at stop-motion animation with "Coraline", with this, they perfected the craft and then some. The character designs are very creative, and the animation is almost creepily fluid. There are a ton of scenes and special effects that look CG, but are actually all done stop-motion. The team of animators deserve the highest honor and recognition for their work.

The movie reminds me of something like "Poltergeist" or "Gremlins", where it's advertised as a harmless kids film, but is actually very scary and deals with some dark and mature matters for a "kids movie". People are making a big deal about it, but this is the same stuff they did in "Coraline", just made even bigger.

The movie starts out for the first two acts as an above-average kids movie, nothing you need to rush out and see. But in the last 30-45 minutes, the movie pulls an amazing twist, not just in the plot but also in the zombie genre itself. This leads to some of the most daring, heartfelt, and dramatic storytelling ever seen in a kids film. The twist alone is something most movies made for adults wouldn't pull.

CONS

The whole thing about Norman being able to talk to ghost, never goes anywhere. It's used at one other than after the first act, but they just never use it when they could've used it many other times.

The movie has some really bad jokes. Most of the jokes fall flat, and even though the ones that work really work, the bad ones out weigh the good ones.

CONCLUSION

I love this movie, I think this may be one of the best movies of the year. While some people may have  problems, and I can't fault them for it, I feel the Pros greatly out weigh the Cons. The first and third acts really make this movie special and something I'll want to watch over and over again. Perfect and daring for kids, while still enjoyable for the adults.

RATING

RUN TO

Summer of Movies #6: North by Northwest

Alfred Hitchcock, how amazing you are. You are known as the master of horror, when you only made a couple of scary movies, you are the master of suspense and espionage, yet no one knows about those other films. The exception though, is today's film. This is considered one of the best thrillers of all time, maybe one of the best movies of all time. It's so well known that "Family Guy" has an entire episode that's a parody of it. It is, of course...

PLOT
Roger Thornhill is a New York advertising executive who lives a pretty normal life, that is until he is kidnapped and accused of being someone named George Kaplan. He tries to convince his kidnappers that he's not this man, but they won't budge. They then frame Thornhill for murder of a NATO politician. Rodger is now on the run from not only the mysterious kidnappers, but the police as well. He must find out who this George Kapland is, what he has to do with all this, and clear his name.



PROS
This may be the most well crafted thrillers in history. The mystery is very engaging and keeps you guessing 'till the end. There are even points when the movie tells you what's going on, and yet you're still tense. It also makes sense and never seems too far fetched.

The film has a great sense of paranoia. Hitchcock never lays it out for you, never tells you to be paranoid, he lets you do it all on your own. Their were many points where I thought "That guy, he's in on it...oh wait no he's not".

Cary Grant is great as Roger Thornhill, starting out as a sarcastic jerk, and slowly becoming the one out-smarting everyone.

The situations in the film are amazing. Some examples are the auction house scene, when Rodger is drunk and taken in by the police, and the most famous one, being chased down by the crop duster plane, which ends in one of the most unexpected ways



CONCLUSION
This earns its title as one of Hitchcock's best films. It's tense, action-packed, yet subtle and full of intrigue. I loved this movie and will gladly watch it again. Now, time to watch the last 5 greatest films of all time!


RATING
RUN TO
 

Summer of Movies #7: The Wizard of Oz

I'm not even sure if I should review this. Not because it's bad, but because you already know that this is a great movie. You've seen this movie at least a hundred times, and you love it every time. But, what critic would I be if I didn't review any and all movies, even ones that are classics in the eyes of all 7 billion people on the planet. This is, of course,...

PLOT

Dorothy is a young girl living in Kansas looking for something more, something wonderful and nothing like her boring life on the farm. But when a powerful twister roars through Dorothy's family farm with Dorothy still in the house, she is transported to the land of Oz, a land full of color and life. She also discovers that on the way down, her house killed the wicked witch of the east, bringing peace and joy to half of the land. But Dorothy just wants to go home. She is then told the only way to get home is to meet with the greatest wizard of them all, the wizard of Oz. She then follows the yellow brick road, meets interesting characters and friends, and sings her way to the Emerald city, all while being followed by the wicked witch of the West, trying to stop her at every turn.

Did I even need to do that?

PROS

For the 1930's, this was THE most expensive movie ever made, and it shows. The set designs, the costumes, the special effects, everything is just amazing and surprisingly still hold up after 70 years. It's just fun to watch what they could do with the limited resources at their disposal.

The songs are a lot of fun and very catchy. While some songs are more memorable than others, there's never a bad song, in my opinion.

The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion are the best part of the movie. The make-up, the actors, and their camaraderie all combine into some of the most memorable and lovable characters put on film.

The movie is just simple, it never gets complex or thought-provoking, which can lead to really aggravating or just boring films. But for some reason, it works here. I can't really explain it, but you'll never feel that there should be more there.

CONS

The acting. especially from Judy Garland as Dorothy, can get over the top and even laughable at sometimes. I know this was made back when sound acting on film was still new, but it's still a problem.

CONCLUSION

Everything I just said, you already know. This is a great film that still holds up today. While I won't say you can't live without it, I still consider it a classic and defiantly one you should re-watch, because I know you've seen this before.

RATING

RUN TO 

    

Summer of Movies #8: Annie Hall

After seeing and loving "Midnight in Paris", I was ready to watch any Woody Allen film I could. I never saw another Allen film until today. This is the movie that made Allen's career, a movie that is highly respected and loved by many. Of course, I went in with high expectations, did it live up to them? I don't know...but let's find out in my review of...

Let's Begin

PLOT

The story of neurotic comedian Woody Alle-...I mean Alvy Singer and his relationship with Annie Hall. Don't get more complex than that.

PROS

Alvy and Annie are flawed characters, and Allen gets that, constantly making fun and analyzing his and her flaws. 

This movie does what many movies have tried and failed to do, have you like a douchebag. Alvy is an anal retentive, cautious, hypocritical wreck, and he knows it, addressing the audience many times asking questions and wondering what his doing wrong, and he never forces you to like Alvy, which in turn makes us like him. This leads to Allen making the most believable, lovable, and most hilarious relationship in film history.

The comedy in this film is spot on. It covers all spectrums and moves faster than the speed of light. There's fourth-wall breaking jokes, where Allen will address the audience and basically walk out of own movie, the famous and best scene being in the movie theater line, regular jokes, how lives are different in L.A. than New York, political, goofy, and many more. I was laughing constantly throughout this film

Allen use some very inserting film techniques that really make it its own thing. Whenever Alvy and Annie mention something, the movie will cut to the past and how what Alvy and Annie just said completly contradicts whatever they just said, or in some flash backs the characters will be in the scene with their younger selves, making comments on what's going on. 

CONCLUSION

This was the hardest review I've ever had to do. When the film was over, I still wasn't sure what I thought about it. I spent a whole night and a whole morning just trying to get my thoughts together. I decided that I may as well watch the movie again and see if there is something I missed, 10 minutes in, it hit me. If a movie can make me think for almost 12 hours straight, then it must be a good film, and if I can willingly watch it again even though I'm not entirely sure it's a good film, than it must be a great film. I love this movie. Its made me think more than anything has in my life, it made me laugh just as much, and I'll be sure to keep watching Allen's stuff before that tragic day when he finally kicks the bucket.

RATING

RUN TO

 

   

  

The Campaign: NR #31

This is the kind of movie I usually avoid. Will Ferrell being a man-child is bad enough, but add Zack Galifianakis to the mix, and it's my version of hell. The trailers didn't do the best job selling the film, having only one or two funny jokes were worth only a chuckle. But, I still went in optimistic, leaning a bit towards no expectations. What did I think? Let's find out in my review of...

    Let's Begin

PLOT

Cam Brady is the 4-term congressman of North Carolina, the biggest and only reason he's elected every year is because he runs unopposed. Until now. 2 CEO's (who strangely resemble the two CEO's from "Trading Places") want to bring China's work ethic to America, but Brady won't play ball. But the naive, ambiguously gay Marty Huggins will, unknowingly will, at least. Now Brady has to actually work to win this election, and Huggins has to work even harder.

PROS

While this movie may not have the most consistent laughs, the jokes that work, really work. I laughed very hard at some jokes, which is definitely a step up from my expectations.

Dylan Mcdermott plays Huggin's sleazy campaign manager, and he's the best part of the whole movie. He literally comes out of no where and steals the show. Most of my laughs came from his jokes.

Say what you will about Ferrell and Galfianakis, but when they get a role, they dedicate to that role. There came a point when I forgot they were actors and thought they were their characters.

CONS

This is one of those comedies that wants to say something, this time it's about the campaign process and how it's run with money and not with honesty. That's a good message to put out there, the problem? They beat you over the head with it. Whether it's a throw away joke or a right in your face metaphor, this movie goes overboard reminding you of this message.

While I did say this movie had some very funny parts, it also has some very annoying, unfunny, or just plain embarrassing moments. I mostly chuckled or stayed quiet for a lot of the film.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I didn't hate this movie. Its got some funny parts that are worth seeing, and that joke about punching the baby, you see the whole thing at least three times, and it's actually funny in context. But I don't feel it's good enough to see in theaters. A lot of the jokes fall flat and there's nothing you need to rush out and see. It's a good movie that you'll have fun watching, but will forget most of the details in a matter of hours.

RATING

RENTABLE

Total Recall (2012): NR #30

Why do we have remakes? I'm honestly wondering, because it seems that movies that actually need remakes, whether they are out-dated or could have been done better, never get'em, and the movies that everyone loves or has seen get the unnecessary remakes. While I've never seen the original, Total Recall is one of the most revered Sci-Fi action films in the last 20 years, It's so well loved that I know most of the famous scenes and quotes just from people talking about it. Today's film is a remake of the Schwarzenegger classic. It's...

     Let's Begin.

PLOT

After a devastating nuclear war, the only habitable places left on the planet are the U.K. and Australia. Over-population is major problem and the most valuable resource is living space. Douglas Quaid is an average-joe who's been married for seven years and works a mundane job in his mundane life. He decides to change things up a little by going to Rekall, a device that can put memories in your head and make it seem like you actually did it. Before the procedure can begin, the police bust in the door and Douglas kills everyone in the room. He soon finds that he's a spy that had his memory wiped, and that his wife is actually an agent sent to kill him. Now Douglas must find the truth about himself, but the question remains, is all this real, or is this all caused by Rekall?

PROS

The movie has some amazing special effects. The CG guys put so much detail into everything, you just want to watch this movie in super-slow-mo so you can see every little detail.

Kate Beckinsale as the fake wife/agent, steals the show. Her fight scenes are the best and excels as a cold-hearted agent who won't let anything get in her way.

Bryan Cranston, Walter White from "Breaking Bad", plays a generic villain that would be very forgettable, if he wasn't having so much fun with the role.

CONS

All of the characters are paper-thin and make them almost unlikable. I never cared for anyone because they never went beyond their first scene exposition, some of the main characters don't even get that much detail. The most interesting character is Beckinsale, so I was basically rooting for her through0out the whole movie. 

The action scenes, while amazing to look at and have interesting ideas, aren't because you don't care about the characters. The one set piece that was remotely exciting was one involving elevators, but only because I have a fear of heights.

The whole "What is real and what is Rekall" mystery is poorly done. They bring the question up like twice, and every time they do, they find a way to disprove it. The one time it is actually interesting and started to get me thinking, is literally shot in the head and makes the scene pointless. 

CONCLUSION

Overall, this is a boring, uninspired action-flick that can't even get the action right. The most exciting thing about the movie is looking at all the special effects and the lost potential. But there is one thing this movie contributed to film. It showed us that you can show breast in a PG-13 film, as long as it's three or more. 

RATING

RENTABLE.

  

  

Summer of Movies #9: Chinatown

Today's film is one that made Roman Polanski and Jack Nicholson's careers, a movie that is considered one of the greatest crime drama's of all time. This is...

PLOT

J.J Gittes is a private investigatory hired by Evelyn Mulwray to look into her husband, Hollis Mulwray, owner of L.A.'s water supply. When Gittes thinks his investigation is over, Hollis turns up dead supposedly drowned, during a long drought. Gittes suspects murder and starts going deeper into this investigation. But he soon finds that he's gotten into something more devious than he could ever imagine

PROS

Jack Nicholson is one of my favorite actors, and he doesn't disappoint here. He has that same charm and snarckyness that made Nicholson a household name in the first place.

The script by Robert Towne is amazing. The dialogue is very well done, and the mystery is so well woven that you'll never get lost as long as you pay attention, and believe me you will pay attention

Roman Polanski's direction is also great. The film has some great shots and a lot of the scenes are one takes, which is somewhat impressive in itself.

Polanski decides the shot the few fight scenes very realistically. No one ever goes over the top with their fighting, it's raw and real, and the camera never cuts, showing all the details. It puts you in a state of mind that this is real-life, and it rarely steers into ridiculous territory

This movie is a slow-burn kinda film, but it never lost my attention.

CONS

I got nothin'.

CONCLUSION

This is a great movie with great performances and a great mystery that keeps you engaged the whole 2 hours. Tack on the fact that it has a shocking twist you'll never see coming and one of the best ending lines I've seen in a while, Chinatown leaves you thinking. I highly recommend this thriller classic.

RATING

RUN TO!

   

Summer of Movies #10: Singin' in the Rain

We've made it folks. We've skipped all the way to the top 10, the best of the best of the best of the rest! So what's today's movie? Today's movie is one of the most famous and influential musicals of all time, a movie that I've been somewhat dreading to see. Today's movie is all about just...

Let's Begin

PLOT

Don Lockwood, Cosmo Brown, and Lina Lamont are on top of the world. They're the stars behind some of the biggest silent film hits and are some of the most sought after people on the planet. But after Don runs into aspiring actress Kathy Seldon, who makes fun of Don's acting and silent films in general., he starts to question his acting skills as he starts on his new box office smash. But then everyone's world turns upside down when a new evolution in film is invented. Sound. Now the film company is scrambling and failing to make the new movie a "talkie", until they come up with the genius idea of making the new film a musical.

PROS

The three main actors, Gene Kelly, Donald O. Connor, and Debbie Reynolds are amazing, They have the three killer traits that make movie stars, they are amazing actors, wonderful singers, and spectacular dancers. They make the movie and its dance numbers the legends they are today.

Donald O. Connor is the big stand-out. He has the fastest and snappiest dialogue I've ever seen, his jokes go by so fast I'm sure I missed about 10 of them. He also stars in my favorite number, "Make'em Laugh", which is a hilarious one-man-slapstick-comedy routine that has that old Three Stooges, Charlie Chaplin style of humor that never gets old and makes'em laugh every time.

Gene Kelly is a master of his craft. He's a charming S.O.B that can say the corniest stuff and make it sound cool, his voice is amazing to listen to, and his dancing is unmatched, he really steals the show when it comes to dance numbers, especially when he has scenes with Donald O. Connor.

The songs are very well done and get stuck in your head, but they're the kind of songs you want stuck in your head.

This may be one of the best movies about making movies. It has some great film making scenes that poke a lot of fun at the film industry at that time. It's basically meta before meta was cool. So, yes, Singin' in the Rain is the hipster of meta films

The dance numbers are something to behold. They are simply amazing and every number was better than the last.

CONS

In a film like this, you have to be a cynical grump just to find a nit-pick with this movie, and even than they'll have to stretch it to find one

CONCLUSION

I love this movie. This is the kind of movie we don't see anymore because Hollywood hires people who can barely act but get by on their looks alone. We don't get these kind of actors who put work and dedication into acting, dance, and singing, the kind of people who are real movie stars. This is just an amazing movie that you either get, or you don't, and the only reason you don't get it is because you're living without a pulse. 

RATING

CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!