Gavin Grades The Movies |
|
|
| Posts from May 2009 |
Up
by Gavin
,
posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
|
 Up (Rated PG)
Gavin Grade: A
I read somewhere that Pixar said they were no longer concerned with making good films for kids but are now focused on making good films. That couldn't be more true with their latest opus. As the first 15 minutes of "Up" are playing out in front of us, I heard a woman talk to her friend next to her and say, "This is way too serious for kids." She might be right, although I don't think kids will understand the gravity of what's going on. But the opening montage shows you one man's life in 15 minutes and I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I had tears pouring down my face from behind my 3D glasses. Don't worry though, it's get lite. But Pixar really has evolved to the point where they can get away with stuff like that. I've been a HUGE fan of Pixar since "Toy Story." But their movies have increasingly gotten better and better. They do such a good job of taking adult subjects and packaging it in bright, colorful, funny stories that kids can still enjoy. And they are boldly taking more risks. Can you imagine how the pitch meeting with Disney went for "Up" when they said they want to make a movie with only 5 main characters, virtually zero celebrity voices and the main one is a grump, old man? That alone shows their power. The Disney marketing team must've scratched their heads till they bled trying to make toys and costume characters that kids would want to hug on that one. But "Up" captures the human soul so well and will strike a chord with everyone who has ever loved and lost or watched their grandparents go through it. The story gets absurd at times, but you're totally willing to forgive that since you feel so deeply for the characters. The animation is still a work of art, although the 3D isn't worth the extra cash at all. Pixar is utterly amazing! They've released yet another movie while still keeping their perfect box office and critical success stellar...and they've made me desire a dog with a talking dog collar more than anything in the world!
|
|
| |
Night at the Museum 2
by Gavin
,
posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
|
 Night at the Museum 2 (Rated PG)
Gavin Grade: B
The last time Ben Stiller spent the night at the museum it got crapped all over by critics but raked in over a half-billion dollars worldwide. However the second time Stiller gets trapped in the museum...well, nothing much is different. But I'm one of the people who don't understand why these movies don't get the love they deserve. Maybe the inner-kid in me is still loving the concept of a whole museum coming to life. When I was a kid and my dad would take me to the museums in Philadelphia, I had that fantasy and would even imagine what that would be like. So to see it in vivid life on the big screen is awesome! I actually found the first one very funny as well as adventurous. But the comedy was definitely punched up for the sequel. When you add gifted comic actors like Hank Azaria, Christopher Guest, and Bill Hader to the already existing comedy team of Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, and Steven Coogan; then add the adorable sexiness of Amy Adams...hey, I'm on board! (By the way, Adams is one helluva an actress. I knew that already but she commits to her part in this with the same "moxy" that she does when she's vying for an Oscar in others.) It's also fun to sit back and count the cameos that float through like Johah Hill, the cast of The Office, the cast of Reno 911, The Jonas Bros and Eugene Levy's voice. The fact that the special effects are as plentiful as a Star Wars movie amazes me because with such an expensive production you'd think they wouldn't allow improv from the actors at all. I'm glad they did though. Some of the improvised scenes between Stiller and Azaria (who steals the show) and the "axis of evil" had me almost in tears. Of course the story is a little absurd. I know it's a kid's movie, but the motives for the plot in the sequel are a little bit of a stretch. That being said, I hope they end these movies on this one so we don't need to imagine a worse plot but as long as they continue to make gobs of money, I'm probably wrong.
|
|
| |
Angels and Demons
by Gavin
,
posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
|
 Angels and Demons (Rated PG-13)
Gavin Grade: C+
I don't get it. When you take an incredible book, add Hollywood's crowning jewel, mix it with one of the best working directors out there, the end result should be amazing. Why isn't it? Where do these movies based on Dan Brown's Best Selling series go wrong? To be fair, everyone crapped all over "The DaVinci Code" and I didn't think it was as bad as they were making it out to be. And just like history repeating itself, the same thing is happening now with this one. To say that these are bad movies does a horrible injustice to them. They're far from bad movies. But they don't capture the excitement and pulse-pounding pace of the books. The complaints everyone had with "The DaVinci Code" was that it moved too slow and was too talkie. So what does director Ron Howard do about it? He made "Angels and Demons" move too fast and too talkie. The good news is that "Angels and Demons" is better than its predecessor. The effects were better, the sets were amazingly accurate and, in my opinion, the story is better. But in its fast pace, I wonder if the story will be totally lost on someone who didn't read the book. They worked so hard on pushing the action forward that they don't let major moments sit and sink in with the audience in time. Of course the pace is moving fast until Ewan McGregor shows up on the screen. I don't know if he was given a tranquilizer before shooting, but he's phoning it in and talking like he just learned the language. Last time it was Tom Hanks who acted like that, so at least this time around we get a leading man with some blood pumping in his veins. I wonder if I would enjoy these movies so much more if I didn't read the books. I certainly enjoyed the Harry Potter movies that I didn't read more than the ones I did. Maybe the lesson learned here is don't read books. Nah! I think the lesson should be that reading the books (especially in "Angels and Demons" case) is almost ALWAYS so much more thrilling and satisfying! And besides, it's summer...aren't you looking for a good book to read anyway?
|
|
| |
Star Trek
by Gavin
,
posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
|
 Star Trek (Rated PG-13)
Gavin Grade: A-
Usually the way the big Summer Movies go is that they're big, flashy, expensive and fun. "Wolverine" was the first Summer Movie and wasn't really any of those things except expensive. So let's say that "Star Trek" is the REAL start of the Summer Blockbusters. For the record, I'm not a Star Trek fan. In fact I think I've only seen one Star Trek movie all the way through and that was when I was like 10. But Director, J.J. Abrams (Cloverfield, Fringe, Lost) said in an interview that he really hasn't either. I wonder if that's why I liked it so much. It's a Star Trek movie that's made for EVERYONE...not just the Trekkies. The entire movie is well-written, well-performed and just looks incredibly sleek and sexy. I enjoy prequels even when they're for franchises that I don't have much interest in. I knew enough about Star Trek though to get by. My girlfriend, Stacy, however knew nothing about Star Trek outside of the fact that there is a character named Kirk in it. She still enjoyed the movie as much as me. But there's moments that Trekkies will love as well. The woman sitting next to me was CLEARLY a Trekkie. She was jumping up and down in her seats like she was being electrocuted for the action scenes and crying like someone who just met their father for the first time at other scenes. In short, you don't need to know anything about it to enjoy it, but you'll enjoy it more the more you know. All the actors were great and perfectly cast (including several cameos), but Chris Pine, who plays Kirk, has etched his future as a successful actor in stone. I've been a fan of his since seeing "Bottle Shock," but this was the mainstream audience he needed to win over; the female fans with his looks and male fans with his charisma...just like Shatner did back in the day. My only complaints with the film is that it does drag at some parts. Maybe 10 or so minutes could've been cut from its 126 minute run time. The other thing is that the plot gets a little confusing. I'm usually an alert movie watcher that can follow most plots, but I don't like to be mentally challenged too much by my Summer Action Movies. My advice to you is to not try to figure out what's going on and just enjoy the Warp Speed ride.
|
|
| |
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
by Gavin
,
posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
|
 Anvil! The Story of Anvil (Rated R)
Gavin Grade: A+
I am not a fan of Hair Metal. Musically, I could care less about this band from the '80s named Anvil. In fact, I was only 4-years-old when they reached the brief height of success. But now it's 2009 and this Canadian band is STILL playing music and STILL trying to make it even though 30 years have gone by. This movie is about that journey. But as it turns out, it's about much more than music. The documentary is a better version (which is no easy task) of the 2000 documentary "American Movie" but it's failed musicians this time and not failed movie makers. It's directed by Sacha Gervasi, who fought to get the movie made since he is and still has been a loyal Anvil fan all these years. I would think that the urge to make this movie and throw yourself in front of the camera and become part of the story (a la Michael Moore) would be overwhelming, but Gervasi doesn't do that. In fact that is part of the reason why it's such a charming film. That type of subjective filmmaking would've made the core of the film seem less authentic and that is the human relationships that the two main characters have with each other and their families. Lead Singer, "Lips" Kudlow and Drummer, Robb Reiner (not the Director/Actor) are more than bandmates, they're lifelong friends that share a bond that most brothers don't even have. It honestly made me miss my best friend (who lives on the East Coast) even more than I already did. Through the strength of their friendship and the impressive and moving love of their families the band is able to go on. Because of that soulful impression they make on the audience, you find yourself routing for these guys even if you think their music is crap. "Anvil" is one of those rare movies that is hilarious, heartbreaking and triumphrant but even more importantly...real. It's the perfect movie for anyone who's still chasing the American Dream...which is ironic because they're Canadian.
|
|
| |
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
by Gavin
,
posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
|
 Wolverine (Rated PG-13)
Gavin Grade: C
Whether or not you like this movie will depend on how geeky you are, but not in the way that you think. As I was getting up to leave the theater, an entire legion of nerds were behind me BLASTING this movie for being "horrible" and "ridiculous" and "pathetic." In reality, it's not that bad. My theory is that these virgin losers read online all the fanboy sites before seeing it, where those exact words were used and they wanted to feel "cool" by being part of that club. "Wolverine" is not a great movie, it's not even a good movie, but it should not be vilified the way that it is by the comic book gestapo. I think the problem may have lied in a rushed production, poor casting and a terrible script. It can't be the fault of director Gavin Hood because if you ever saw his earlier Oscar-nominated movie "Tsotsi," you know he's capable of making a great film. But maybe not a high-budget summer action. We all knew that Hugh Jackman is the quintessential Wolverine, but I thought Liev Schreiber did a great job as well. However some of the choices in secondary casting like Will.I.Am as Wraith were pretty awful. (I really wish someone would tell these musicians that not all of you can make it as actors.) Those things could be overlooked, but really it was the script and special effects that kept this film from reaching its full potential. The script had some of the worst dialogue I've seen in a movie in a long time and a page-count that I'm sure was slashed by studio executives that wanted to make it 100 minutes. So it ends up feeling rushed, watered down and stilted. But the special effects hold hands with the script in partnership. There are some scenes in the movie that look like a kid on YouTube could've animated it better. I'm not kidding and everyone in the theater seemed to agree with the laughter at some of the scenes. I wonder if we've been spoiled by films like "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" or if those films have just raised the bar on what comic book action could be, but either way, this film failed to reach it. However, my girlfriend Stacy thought it was a "B" but I think it's because it's a movie full of hot guys and not one hot girl.
|
|
| |
|
