I know the title of this post is a post in itself but that is what happens when you start writing an entry 3 weeks ago and just keep adding to it. It started off as ‘The Goonies Squad T Field’ then added ‘Gets Wrestled and blown up’ then I took out the ‘and’ replaced it with a comma and added ‘and yelled at’. Each part is a reference to the movies that I saw in that time. Adding to the title was a lot easier than coming up with something new. This is kind of long as I did 4 full reviews and added a little culture at the end.
Despite fair warning that Super 8 “sux” I still saw it a few Fridays ago. There was nothing else that i either hadn’t seen or just didn’t want to pay to see plus I showed up late. Which seems to have been a good thing because I have heard the grumblings about Green Lantern and apparently it was just as I had feared, crappy. I wanted to see Super 8 anyways and this allowed me to do so. And I have to say it doesn’t suck.
Super 8 incites a great sense of nostalgia. Not because in takes place in 1979 but because of the type of movie it is. As I was watching it, it felt like a movie I had seen when I was young and was reliving that specific moment even though I was experiencing it for the first time. It wasn’t that I thought this was just a rehashing of classic 80s adventure movies but it embodied that style of film making.
Though written and directed by JJ Abrams it was obvious that the producer Steven Spielberg had a heavy hand in the whole production. His signature was stamped all over the film from the wide angle shots creating beautiful images to the close ups capturing specific emotions allowing the audience to connect on some level with the characters. Even the overall story seemed very classic Spielberg-ian.
The key to making a movie like this work are the child actors. They are the main characters, the focus of the film, and without solid performances the movie would have been haphazard crap. Joel Courtney was the right choice as the main character. He’s a cute kid without being excessively sweet managing to be wounded while maintaining his youthful wonderment without being jaded. I feel kind of sorry for Elle Fanning because everything she does will be compared to the work done by her sister. Hopefully she will be able to develop her own stardom because she deserves it. She was very good in this movie; her character tried her best to be stoic but it was obvious that there was a lot of emotion behind those wide eyes. The thing that really impresses me was that in the role she was asked to drop into some other characters and it was amazing to see her transform into these different people on screen; from scared, loving wife to brainless zombie (that one was really creepy). Riley Griffiths played Charles the amateur film maker. He was bossy, assertive and managed to mask his insecurity. Ryan Lee played Cary, a hyper active kid that liked to see things blow up. He was the main comic relief of the movie and did a good job. He is expressive and has good timing. Other bits of comic relief were provided by Zach Mills; his adorable goofy face in enough to make you smile.
The adults in this movie were just a catalyst to move the film forward but they were needed and did a good job over all. There are a lot of good actors but you will more recognize their faces than their names. There was Kyle Chandler, Jessica Tuck, Joel McKinnon Miller, Ron Eldard, Glynn Turman, and Noah Emmerich.
SPOILER ALERT!!
In the movie there is an alien that goes unseen for most of it. When they do finally show it i was kinda disappointed. It was very much the Cloverfield monster just scaled down. The look of it just didn’t seem to fit in with the type of movie that this was. I know this is a big budget movie but it was just over done.
I liked Super 8 I thought it was sweet. It is not life changing and it is not going to win any Oscars but it is a nice movie to just watch. I know this review is late but if it is still on the big screen that is the right place to check it out.
The next week I didn’t make it to the theatre for no particular reason just life getting in the way of things i want to do. I didn’t mind too much cuz nothing I really wanted to see came out that weekend. I did get a chance to watch Win Win when I was home one night.
In this movie Paul Giamatti plays the down but not quite out Mike Flaherty. He is a struggling small time lawyer and a volunteer wresting coach with a wife and 2 young daughters to support. He sees an opportunity to make some extra money in a not so lawful way and goes for it. His plan goes awry when the grandson of the client he is swindling comes into his life.
I had heard lots of good things about this movie but I have to say I wasn’t particularly impressed. It wasn’t particularly bad – ok story, good acting – I just don’t find it did much. These are some very interesting, layered characters that don’t really develop, change, do anything.
With that said there are some really great performances in the movie. The actors understood their characters and became these people. They were sad, they were happy, sweet, angry, and funny; going through the full range of emotion. There’s Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffery Tambor and the new comer Alex Shaffer. He was really amazing as Kyle.
I can’t say much about Win Win. There is nothing overtly bad about the film and there is nothing extremely outstanding about it either. It is just kind of bland. It is a movie that should be checked out but there really is no rush.
On the holiday weekend I did something stupid wasting both time and money. This was because of a very enthused recommendation and me feeling obliged to being a good friend. I was told the Transformers: Dark of the Moon was, in the words of my colleague “AMAZING!” and it blew her mind. So even though I had plans to see the movie on Sunday on Thursday when it was suggested by someone else to head out and this movie was suggested I was all gun-ho about it. That was such a mistake.
There is a thing about the moon landing, robot on robot crime, a random butt shot, McDreamy being McDouchey, bad jokes, over acting, and a city being destroyed. That is all you need to know.
You would think with all the money thrown at this movie they would be able to put some aside for a decent script. The story itself had a chance there was a lot to work with (prooff that the Russians and Americans started the space race because of a crashed Autobot ship on the moon and that there were alliances made between certain humands and the Decepticons) and it could have been an intriguing story. Instead they filled it with ridiculous imagery, spastic out of place humour, and, of course, explosions out the wazoo.
Transformers: DOTM brought back many people that have been key to the other movies in the series. Shia LeBeouf as Sam who over acted this role like crazy. Kevin Dunn and and Julie White return as Sam’s parents. John Turturro is back as the eccentric Simmons. Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson are also back as the Military dudes. And the robots in disguise.
As for the additions we have Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is the new girl in the movie. Completely useless just like Megan Fox pouting through the whole thing except this an accent. Patrick Dempsey is the human bad guy. They turned McDreamy into McDouchey and he did a pretty good job playing an unlikable smug bastard opposed to a likable one. Then there was the completely wasted talents of people like Alan Tudyk (he was hilarious), Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, and Ken Jeong (who was funny but the humour was completely out of place).
Leonard Nimoy voice Sentinel Prime a new autobot. Throughout the movie they make several references to Spock and Star Trek. I have no problem with that, his voice is distinctive and he is part of a pop-culture mecca. The thing is they go a little too far ruining one of the best lines ever using it in its antithesis. I will not tell you what it is you will understand what I mean as soon as you hear it. I was so angry. And it seemed like someone stuck it in there at the last moment thinking ‘Aw yeah this is going to be awesome!’ BASTARD!
I can say one good thing about Transformers: DOTM the effects are better. In the previous movies I found that when there was a fight scene between the Autobots and the Decepticons it looked like a mishmash of metal making it hard to tell what exactly was happening. In this the ‘bots are more defined making it easier to comprehend the action on screen.
Transformer: Dark of the Moon is a movie to be seen on the big screen but I am not recommending it. Some people will get lost in the effects and stunts forgetting that film is about storytelling and just because it is better than the last Transformers movie that alone doesn’t actually make it good.
Lastly, this past weekend I went out and saw Horrible Bosses.
Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman), Dale Arbus (Charlie Day) and Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) are three friends whose lives are miserable because they all have horrible bosses. They are finally pushed over the edge and decide to make themselves happy by conspiring to murder their bosses.
I had a bad movie going experience when I saw this movie and it may have effected how I feel about this movie. I was distracted and could not give my full attention to the movie so I may have missed some of the comedy.
From what i did catch it was pretty amusing. I smirked, smiled, chuckled and flat out laughed. The thing is all that happened pretty spaced out. There was a lot more smirks and smiles than laughing. It wasn’t bad though, I have to say I enjoyed it for the most part.
Jason Bateman played his usual character but with him I have no problem with that because he does it so well. Charlie Day was his spastic expressive self (the dude is just funny). And Jason Sudeikis was great. It was good to see Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell play characters that are opposite to ones they usually portray. Aniston was just dirty and for a person whose sex appeal I never understood she was hot. Farrell was the opposite. The guy oozes sex but his vulgar character was incredibly nauseating. Kevin Spacey who we have seen as the bad guy before was mean, cruel, and you can tell he loved every minute of it. Jamie Foxx also had a small role in the movie. I don’t like that guy but in such small doses he is standable.
For right now I am going to recommend Horrible Bosses; its funny . I know I am not giving it a stellar review but I think that has more to do with obnoxious movie-goers than the actual film. It is a movie I want to see again but I am not optimistic enough to pay to see it again.
Movie wise that is it. I did do Dream in High Park (aka Shakespeare in the Park) and it was alright but it will take a substantial amount of effort to do a proper review of it. The play they did was ‘A Winters Tale’. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the greatest either. There were a lot of parts that were supposed to be suspenseful/serious that were giggle inducing. But it is good to support the local theatre scene. It is pay what you can so it is affordable. Be prepared though bring a blanket to sit on and your butt may fall asleep.
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