5 Movies

Over the last little while I have managed to see quite a few movies but I haven’t had the time to review all of them. Work has picked up and on the weekend, with the wonderful weather that Toronto has been having, I did not want to stay inside. Since it is raining this afternoon and am waiting for my nails to dry I thought I would sit and write. So here are short reviews for 4 new movies and 1 new to me movie. I think I will go backwards in chronological order.

I was very excited to see this movie as it was from Pixar. They have created some of the best, greatest, animated features in recent history. I am not a huge fan of the Toy Story franchise but I cannot deny the significance of the films and their mass appeal. They have also put out some of the greats films in general including Finding Nemo and The Incredibles and inevitable classics like Monster’s Inc., Up, and Wall-E. But sadly I don’t think Brave will be in either of those categories. Unfortunately this movie falls into Cars territory. It just isn’t very good.

Brave begins well as it sets up the story. The first 30-45 mins were fantastic; a new world was revealed to the viewer, you were drawn in, and become invested in the characters. But at the turning point it just became…silly. Sure there is a suspension of disbelief when watching a film like this but there is a point where your mind will no longer accept it. The story telling became sloppy and boring.

I do have to say though, like with all other Pixar movies, this film was visually stunning. The colours, textures, and environments that were created were simply fantastic. It is a film made to be seen on the big screen but I am not sure I can recommend paying full price to see it. Maybe see in on cheap Tuesdays or find a friend with a big screen tv and watch it there.

Now this next film is a complete departure from the wholesome family viewing that was Brave. Before this film started there was a random mish-mash of trailers, I guess they couldn’t figure out what category this movie fit in. The air is heavy with anticipation as people whispered, “Is this it?” A studio logo appears on screen and fades away to black. The sound of cheering. You see the silhouette of a well formed body clad in leather with a big cowboy hat but you can’t see his face. But you know who it is, his voice is unmistakable. Mathew Machonehey. His drawl, his mirth, his somehow seductive sleaze insights hoots and hollers from his on-screen audience and shamed giggles from the many, many women in the theatre. He says,

“Fact is, the law says you cannot touch! But I think I see a lotta lawbreakers up in here!”

I saw Magic Mike and I enjoyed every minute of it. I know all the guys reading are rolling their eyes at me but whatever I am not ashamed to say that it was a pretty good movie.

I am happy to say that this was not the male version of Showgirls this definitely was a higher caliber of film making. There was actually a story, it was well shot, and you liked the characters. No it is not an Oscar contender but it is a movie that you weren’t just waiting for the guys to pull off their clothes.

This is not the kind of movie where you expect one thing and that thing is missing. My best example of that was another Channing Tatum film called Fighting. With a title like that you would expect to see, well, fighting but that was pretty much non-existent. This movie however does not disappoint. It is a male stripper movie so you see a whole lot of male stripping.

You get to see some of this

and this

and you can forget this

So the 90% female audience was definitely entertained. It was good clean (but mentally dirty, dirty) fun. And for the men you may be dragged to see this there is some eye candy in the movie for you too but I am having a problem finding images of that to share.

Before that I got to see a movie that for me was highly anticipated but I don’t think I should have seen in the mental state I was in at the time.

I was in an unstable state when I went to go see this by myself. It was the first time I had ever done that but I just couldn’t sit at home any longer. I was surrounded by mainly couples which made the whole experience worse.

Moonrise Kingdom wasn’t bad but I actually think it would be unfair for me to review it. Mood and mental state can greatly affect ones feeling toward a movie especially if they hadn’t seen it before and that attachment has not yet been made. What I can say is that it was classic Wes Anderson whimsy; beautiful cinematography, witty dialogue, and strange but familiar environments. The characters are emotionally stunted in some way and grow by the end of the film. This movie isn’t about father son relationships but more about parent child relationships and the intensity of young love.

One thing about this movie that I was disappointed in was the lack of Jason Schwartzman. His role was way too small, almost a cameo, but also the most memorable.

Before that I saw Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter but I managed to do a review for that.

Before that I saw Prometheus and I managed to do a review for that as well.

Even before that, at the end of May, I saw Indie Game: The Movie.

You wouldn’t think that a movie about making video games would be so emotionally charged but it was. You were introduced to an intense, passionate group of people who have put their lives on hold to develop envelope pushing games that give their players a real experience.

The thing that really made this movie was the focus on the people. The film makers did not dwell on the jargon and minutia of video games. There were references and explanations that were all presented in a way that a general audience could understand but they weren’t dumbed down to the point were people in the industry would lose interest. I saw this with people from my department at work who are hardcore gamers, programmers, and artist and like myself we all raved about the film. It is definitely worth the watch.

Now for the new to me movie.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil is a movie I had known about for some time but never got around to watching. When one of my co-workers brought it to work to lend to someone else I was reminded of the film and borrowed it after. This movie flips those hill-billy slasher flicks on their head. And it is done incredibly well.

Like all slasher films it is crazy bloody, there are chainsaws, wood chippers, and table saws but it is also hilarious. It manages to clearly reveal the story from both perspectives, that of the hillbillies and of the drunken college kids. Subtly changing tone with the use of music and camera angle seeing how they experienced the same encounter.

The movie is simply fun and a good watch.

Ok now I am all caught up. Hopefully that wasn’t too long. My nails are dry but I don’t like the way they look. I gotta do them again.

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