June movie reviews

SUPER 8.  In 1978, four young kids in a small town are making a zombie movie to enter into a film contest. During filming one night, they see and accidentally record a horrific train accident. Before they know it, the Air Force is in town and dogs (and people) start disappearing. The kids know that there’s something mysterious going on, but there seems to be a cover up going on. And the adults aren’t paying attention. This movie is getting very good reviews, but although I didn’t think it was awful, it wasn’t that great. It reminded me of a 1950’s horror movie, where the town is fighting some giant monster created by radiation or something. So it’s a good homage to those 1950’s movies, but let’s face it, most of those movies weren’t that good. Directed by JJ Abrams (Star Trek), I guess I had high expectations.

BEGINNERS. Oliver’s (Ewan McGregor) parents didn’t have a good marriage, but Oliver didn’t understand why until after his mother died, when his 75-year-old father (Christopher Plummer) came out of the closet. Despite being diagnosed with lung cancer, Dad now is intent on living his life to the fullest and being fully involved in his new gay life. The bits of the movie with him enjoying life are the best part. But most of the movie is about Oliver, who, on the other hand, is stumbling through beginning a relationship with a woman who also has parental issues. Then there’s odd stuff about his cartoonist job and painting slogans on buildings and a talking dog and gay history. I guess the theme of the movie is that people who don’t have good role models growing up have challenges developing relationships when they get older, but honestly, despite the good father and son relationship, and even though I really like Ewan McGregor, Oliver’s relationship kind of bored me.

BRIDE FLIGHT. The movie opens with Frank, a successful vineyard owner, collapsing and dying. Three older women receive news of his funeral. Then the movie flashes back to post-WWII, when a plane flies from London to New Zealand. On board are a young Frank, and three young Dutch women, all traveling to join their husbands for a new life. The movie follows the four lives, and the connections they have as they move in and out of each others’ lives. Kind of a melodrama, and a total chick flick, but the characters felt like real people, making mistakes real people make. It wasn’t so soapy that I didn’t enjoy it.

CONAN O’BRIEN CAN’T STOP. After Conan O’Brian was pushed out of the Today Tonight Show on NBC, he wasn’t allowed to go on TV for six months. So he went on a concert tour, doing a combo stand-up and music show. This documentary follows him through the development of the show and on the road with him. This movie isn’t a film of the show itself, and isn’t particularly funny. It is a look into Conan’s personality, which seems to be really driven. He’ll complain about being worked too hard, and having to meet with fans, but at every opportunity he takes on more and more work. He doesn’t really come off very well, but to be fair it was a bad time of his life and he was really angry. Somewhat interesting movie, but definitely not a must-see, unless you live for all things CoCo.

PAGE ONE. A YEAR INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES. This documentary follows the events at the media desk of the New York Times during a very interesting year (2010, I think). Like all newspapers, the NYT is coping with serious financial issues that threaten them because more and more people are getting their news on the Internet for free. They listen to bloggers and other Internet mavens who claim print media is dying or dead. So the media desk in a sense is reporting on themselves and those issues. They also work with WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange, which is a partnership of the old and new media. During the movie someone points out how much of the news from all sources originated with stories found in the Times. There are brief snippets of journalists interviewing sources, and their process is interesting in itself. The movie is kind of all over the place, but a nice reminder of the value of newspapers, emphasizing that most of the news found on the Internet still comes from traditional media, while focusing on some interesting characters.

TROLLHUNTER. This Norwegian movie is a Blair Witch Project-like mocumentary. Three young college students are making a film, and come across what appears to be a bear poacher. However, as they track the supposed poacher into a forest, he comes running out yelling ‘troll’ and they all run for their lives. Of course at first they think he can’t be serious about the trolls. But he allows them to follow and film him tracking various trolls (there are different kinds), because he is disgruntled that the TSS (Troll Security Service) isn’t giving him time-and-a-half and other work benefits he thinks he deserves. Meanwhile, the TSS is opposed to any of this information about the trolls becoming public. So the students are threatened both by the TSS and the trolls. Will they survive? There were a couple of belly laughs, but mostly this is just mildly amusing, barely worth the price of a ticket. Thinking about it still makes me smile, though, I have to admit.

March movie reviews

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU.  Do you believe in predestination or free will?  Matt Damon plays the youngest U.S. Representative ever.  At the start of the movie he is running for U.S. Senator.  During the campaign, he meets a woman (Emily Blunt) and they have an immediate connection.  She disappears from his life, but eventually he finds her again.  Whereupon the Adjustment Bureau (John Slattery, Andrew Mackie) try to intervene.  Apparently they work for a higher power who has a plan for all of us, and when things don’t go according to plan, they make adjustments.  Matt was never supposed to meet Emily, and their being together will change what is “supposed” to happen.  Interesting movie about romance with a science fiction/thriller spin.  Based on a story by Phillip K. Dick (Blade Runner, Total Recall), which is a pretty good recommendation right there.

THE LINCOLN LAWYER.  Legal thriller starring Mathew McConaughey as a sleazy defense lawyer, willing to take any case.  Drug dealers included, because he is all about the money.  Thing is, he is a very smart lawyer.  He ends up defending a rich playboy (Ryan Phillippe) accused of assaulting a prostitute.  Is the guy guilty or not?  Will Matthew get him off regardless?  I saw a couple of twists coming, but there were a couple of surprises.  Also starring William H. Macy, Frances Fisher, and Marisa Tomei.  It’s not a great must-see movie, but it’s fairly clever, for the genre.  Worth a rental.

JANE EYRE.  In this Charlotte Bronte classic, Mia Wasikowska is Jane Eyre, a poor girl who escapes an abusive girls’ boarding school only to become governess at the gloomy mansion of Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender).  Jane is very smart and strong-willed, but life has certainly given her a bad hand.  Still, Mr. Rochester, who seems bored with life, sees something special in Jane.  But  he seems to have secrets, and she of course, must be very prim and proper, despite all the passionate undercurrents.  Very moody gothic romantic melodrama.  Well done, but this kind of overly romantic story won’t be everyone’s taste.  

PAUL.  Two English geek/nerds (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) finally make it to Comic-Con in San Diego where they are in heaven, seeing all the exhibits and meeting their heroes.  To finish off their trip to America, they decide to tour infamous sci-fi sites around the country (i.e., Roswell, Area 51).  They rent an RV, and after a day on the road witness a horrific car accident,  It was an alien (Paul) driving a getaway car trying to escape the government, who have kept him for all the knowledge they can get from him.  After the nerds get over their shock, they try to help Paul connect with his species and escape the evil government goon (Jason Bateman) out to re-capture him.  Along the way they also meet a fundamentalist (Kirsten Wiig), who shall we say, has her ideas about the world challenged.  This flick is by the two guys that did Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead.  Clever, the movie has funny bits and lots of pop-culture references.  Not a but-guster, but amusing.  

RANGO.  Animated feature, with Johnny Depp voicing the lead character.  Rango is a pet lizard, who entertains himself by visualizing himself as an actor and putting on plays.  He finds himself alone in the Mojave Desert when his owners have a car accident.  He ends up in the town of Dirt, where water is a valuable commodity.  Rango puts his acting skills to work and becomes the sheriff.  The towncritters expect him to help, but there are scary villains, of course.  And corruption around the water supply.  Beautifully drawn, but I was really bored.  Critics are giving this high praise, maybe because it is very referential to classic movies, and especially westerns (Timothy Olyphant is the voice of The Spirit of The West), but I don’t imagine even kids liking this one.  

THE MUSIC NEVER STOPPED.   In 1986, a 30-ish man ends up in the hospital with a brain tumor.  After surgery, Gabriel has no short term memory.  In fact, he really only comes to life when he hears the 1960’s music of his youth.  His conservative WWII veteran father (JK Simmons), from whom he had been alienated since he was a rebellious teenager, must come to appreciate his son’s music (especially The Grateful Dead) in order to communicate with his son.  This movie has the feel of a Lifetime movie about it.  It’s not bad (JK is always good), but the father-son conflict and resolution felt very pat.  It was trying to grab my heartstrings, but didn’t wholly succeed.  Based on an factual Oliver Sacks story, with liberties taken.