August Rush

 

August Rush (2007) 114 mins.
directed by Kristen Sheridan
starring Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers

August Rush is a musical prodigy living in a foster home when he heads to New York to look for his parents.  He hears music everywhere he goes and knows that the music is going to bring his parents to him.

Q Says:

this is a sweet and heart-warming little movie.  VERY sweet, like syrupy-sweet.  kinda like eating a spoonful of sugar with a sugar chaser.

music is a very important part of my life so i love the movie’s whole “music is a powerful force that can bring this separated family back together” aspect.  i feel that music SHOULD be that important and strong.  i also appreciate the use of music in the movie.  the back and forth blending of the songs played by the characters is very well done and at times this movie FEELS like a musical. it also feels like a bad movie of the week at times with the over-the-top dramatic acting and dialogue. however, there are some good moments, like the scene with august “hearing” the music of the city. it is one of my favourites.  the other would be when august plays guitar with his dad and doesn’t even know it.

the hands-down best part of the movie is freddie highmore.  he is absolutely adorable and endearing.  without him anchoring the movie, it just wouldn’t work at all.  you believe that he can really hear the music and he gives august a sense of lost wonderment that some other child actors probably couldn’t pull off.

the most interesting actor here is robin williams as “the wizard”.  you get the sense that he’s just about to go into a typical “robin williams” diatribe but it quickly turns menacing and angry.  this isn’t your friendly williams that you would find in say “aladdin”.

the main fault i have is with the pacing of the film.  supposedly it took place over the course of 6 months but  it only seemed as though a few days had passed.  it would have been a little better for me if it followed a little more straight forward  timeline.

finally, being a parent and seeing this movie now makes it a little more compelling.  it made me care about the 3 of them to finding each other a little more than the first time i saw it.

overall, though i think it is way too saccharin and syrupy, i still like it.  i would maybe watch this again in a few years or so.

L Says:
  I'm going to admit that his movie is a bit corny.  Okay, maybe a lot corny.  But, I love it just the same.  The whole movie is about music and the power it has to bring people together.  August Rush is a special little boy who hears music everywhere.  In the wind, on a basketball court, in the big city and in his heart.  He truly believes that the music will reunite him with his parents.
   Freddie Highmore as August is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E.  I want to scoop him up out of the streets, save him from "Wizard" and take him home.  It's probably best that I don't though, since he ends up going to Juilliard.  He is so sweet and naive.  August is a true optimist who knows his parents are out there and if they could just hear the music, they would find him.  Some scenes are a touch heartbreaking.  Such as when, "Wizard" exploits August's talent to make money for himself and threatens him into playing in Washington Square.  "Wizard" is like a music pimp.  Living off the money all his little "stars" make on the streets.  Robin Williams plays "Wizard" with his usual over the top style.  Go big or go home, right?  I don't think I've ever seen Williams do subtle.
  Johnathan Rhys Meyers plays Louis, August's rock star dad.  Louis is lost.  A part of him died the day Lyla, August's mom, left.  He quits his band, starts working in an office, but can never forget the one night he had with the beautiful cellist on the rooftop.  And little does he know, but their one-time union resulted in pregnancy and ultimately, the birth of August.  Keri Russell plays Lyla and I think she has some real talent in her.  She, like everyone else in this movie, is lost.  She has believed for the past 11 years that her unborn child died in an accident.  Lyla is a blend of great loss and a touch of hope.  Once she finds out that her son is alive, she begins to look for him, proclaiming that she "has always wanted him".  Russell's character, for me, was a big driving force for the movie.  Maybe it's because I am a mother now and understand how she feels.
   The music is another major player.  It really makes the movie.  Mark Mancini sets the tone with his original music.  This is one of a few movies that I bought the soundtrack for after seeing it.  I can relive some of my favorite moments just by listening.  My hands down, favorite moment, is at the end.  August breaks free of "Wizard" and arrives just in time to conduct his Rhapsody in Central Park.  LylaLyla's name on it, jumps out of the cab and starts running for the park.  (I know this is long, but bear with me) Lyla is slowly making her way to the stage when Louis shows up.  She doesn't see him.  He is just to the right of her, but he sees her.  She is so transfixed by the music and it shows on her face.  She continues walking toward the stage and Louis follows, never taking his eyes off her.  Lyla reaches the stage, and she knows she just knows, that that is her son up there.  Louis slips in next to her, takes her hand.  She looks down and then up and sees him.  It makes my heart swell.  And, then, August turns around, and there they are.  The music brought them to him!  Cue tears.
   This is a great movie with an excellent cast.  I suggest you see it or at least listen to the soundtrack, which had an Oscar nominated song (Raise It Up) AND a Grammy nominated album.  I would watch this again, in fact I think I am going to go watch it after writing this blog.  Or, at least listen to the soundtrack.



 


 


  

Apt Pupil

Apt Pupil (1998) 111 mins.

directed Bryan Singer

starring Brad Renfro, Ian McKellen, Joshua Jackson

 After teenager Todd Bowden discovers that his neighbor is a Nazi war criminal, he blackmails him into telling him gruesome stories of the Holocaust.  As their relationship grows, Todd's whole life changes as he starts to learn what evil really looks like.

Q Says:

i read the stephen king story many, many years ago and i remember thinking it was really good and also that i found it dark, compelling, and disturbing.  i can’t recall any details...just feelings.   like the feeling that i absolutely hated the main character, todd bowden.  i remember wanting to beat him about the head and shoulders for being such a sick & twisted little pissant.

the first thing i thought while starting to watch the film was how easily the nazi-loving high school kid discovers an actual nazi, kurt dussander (ian mckellen), in his hometown.  very coincidental, eh?

also, as a funny aside: it’s really hard for me to see gandalf as a nazi.

the other thing i felt was that brad renfro was not impressive.  he seemed pretty emotionless up until a pivotal scene (we’ll talk about that in a minute).

for the first 30-45 minutes i felt none of the things that i felt while reading the book so many years ago and i have decided to read it again to see if i was wrong.  maybe i’m confusing it with another story.  the movie felt a little glossy and sugarcoated up until the scene i said i would talk about in a minute.

here’s the scene i mentioned: the movie takes a slight turn for the better when todd buys the old nazi a costume nazi uniform.  at first, dussander wants nothing to do with it.  however, todd demands that he wears it or he’ll turn him in to the authorities and he also demands that he marches in place.  as dussander does so you see the slow transformation in dussander as he really starts to relive the old days through this costume.  todd tries to get him to stop but dussander refuses and this is where the tables of power start to turn.  this is where ian mckellen starts to turn on the nazi-evil.  this is where you start to ask, who is really in control of the other? 

that scene held much promise for the rest of the movie...but the rest of the movie fell short. 

typical twists and plot turns lead to the nazi helping the kid study for school so he doesn’t fail and the kid murdering a transient and saving the nazis life to keep their secrets a little longer.

but things unravel when the nazi is in the hospital after suffering a heart attack in the fight with the transient and in yet another blazing coincidence:  there’s a former concentration camp jew in the room with the nazi that murdered his family in the war!!  WTF!??!  the jew turns him in but todd goes free!!  what the hell, man!??  the kid gets to go free and in a pivotal scene in the end you find that he is starting to become more like the nazi than ever before.  and it also took forever to get all this out.  the end of this movie felt longer than return of the king!!

i really wanted to see the kid get his.  i was left very dissatisfied.  the movie, overall, was OK.  bryan singer didn’t bring his A-game on this one and i probably won’t watch this one again.

side note: david schwimmer’s mustache is da bomb!

L Says:

  I got the feeling that this movie was supposed to be a little more chilling than it was.  Todd Bowden (Brad Renfro, who I used to have a MAJOR crush on) is a seemingly normal teenager.  He's top of the class, making A's and in line to be the valedictorian.  And he likes to do research.  Especially on the Holocaust and the horrors of it.  The movie opens with Todd sitting in the library with a plethora of pictures, letters, articles and books about the Holocaust and the men responsible for it.  He also keeps a secret suitcase in his room filled with a file on a man he believes to be a Nazi war criminal hiding in his own neighborhood.  After confronting the old man named Kurt Dussander (Ian McKellen), Todd blackmails him with the file and forces him to tell him stories of the Holocaust.  Todd wants to know what the teachers aren't telling him.  Like how horrible the gas chamber really was and what exactly happened.  And that is the only story we hear.  It was almost as if they wanted to push the envelope, but held back.  A lot.  Todd has one "nightmare" about the gas chamber and later blames his slipping grades on all these sleepless nights we never see.  

  Ian McKellen is the real thing.  Before he was Gandalf.  Before he was Magneto.  He was Kurt Dussander, an old man on the run from his past.  He lives a quiet existence until Todd shows up on his doorstep.  There are two scenes that really stand out for me.  The first is, of course, the marching scene.  Todd buys him a Nazi costume to wear and tells him to stand at attention.  Kurt's face when he steps to attention is great.  A slight smile, as if he finds it funny that he remembers his training after all these years.  Then, he starts marching and slowly gets into it.  Like really gets into it.  Saluting and all.  Todd gets scared and has to tell him to stop repeatedly.  You can kind of see at that moment, that maybe Todd should have left Kurt Dussander alone.  The other scene I really liked, was just after Todd pulled it together and was able to get his grades back up, he and Kurt were in Kurt's kitchen celebrating with melba toast.  Yum.  Anyway, Kurt has one more story to tell.  He tells Todd that he has written everything that has happened down (Todd knowing he was a Nazi monster and never telling authorities, Todd turning into a psycho), and stored it in a bank safe deposit box.  Todd, of course, freaks out.  The old man is not going to let this punk kid take him down without a fight.  Kurt pours Todd a glass of whiskey and insists that they toast on their "friendship".  Todd tells him to go fuck himself.  Kurt replies, "oh, my dear boy.  Don't you see?  We are fucking each other." You suddenly realize that this old man is not someone to mess with. 

  I suppose Brad Renfro does an okay job as Todd.  Just a touch psycho, but still feeling like he was holding back.  He has a few outbursts.  He kills a bird with a basketball.  Oh, and he does kill the homosexual homeless man that Kurt has pushed into the basement (played by Elias Koteas).  You can almost see Todd's hold on reality slipping, but as I said, he never quite loses it.  David Schwimmer shows up as Todd's guidance counselor.  I think he kind of senses that maybe Todd is messed up in the head.  He doesn't do much in the movie.  And Joshua Jackson shows up as Todd's best friend for about 8 minutes.  

  I think this movie was really trying to show how evil can exist in everyday life and can be passed on.  Kurt pushing Todd to kill the homeless man in the basement is a real turning point for the teen.  Later, when Kurt is in the hospital after suffering a heart attack, he asks Todd what did it feel like?  Todd never answers, but as the movie (finally!) ends, and Kurt dies, we see that Todd may be picking up where Kurt left off.  

  I don't know if I will watch this again.  I think I liked it so much the first time I saw it because of Ian McKellen's performance.  I do want to read the story now.  I read that in the story, Todd gets what's coming to him.

David Schwimmer's sweet 'stache

 

 

 

  

 

   

American Hardcore

 

American Hardcore (2006) 100 mins.

directed by Paul Rachman

featuring Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Black Flag, Cro-Mags

The history of Hardcore Punk Rock from 1980 to 1986.

Q Says:

 i am not a fan of punk music.  i kinda put this movie off ‘cos i knew i was just not gonna enjoy it that much.  why do i have it you ask??  it was a freebie from work (b&n) and i actually do like to watch music documentaries even if i don’t enjoy the music or the particular band the doc is about.  i guess it’s just the frustrated wanna-be rock star/musician in me.

being a fan of music in general i appreciate most forms of it.  there are some i just don’t get: gangsta rap, new country, hip-hop dance, lady gaga, and hardcore punk.

i appreciate the movement to a point.  they were unhappy and bored and needed to express that and they chose to do it musically instead of with violence towards the establishment.  they just got violent towards each other.  but that doesn’t mean i have to like it.  the music really is not that great.  you can’t understand what the frick they’re singing about, and they can’t play worth a damn.  it’s just angry and loud.  but it’s punk and that’s what punk is supposed to be- loud and obnoxious.

there are a few bands that came out of the movement that weren’t bad.  bad brains was pretty cool before they went rasta, black flag was decent and got better with rollins (that’s right…the guy from “johnny mnemonic”)…i can tolerate those guys.  what i can’t tolerate are some of the whiny white guys in the movement.  “o we’re unhappy with the establishment…the government sucks, we’re gonna make this music ‘cos we can’t really do anything else and we’re gonna play these gigs in peoples houses and not charge anything but not get any money ‘cos we wanna be punk and if you get a record deal you’re selling out but now we live in the suburbs and have houses with swing sets in the backyard…blah blah blah…”

just play the frickin’ music and leave the whiny crap at home.

sorry, i kinda ranted there…feel free to tell me that i’m an idiot for not liking the punk movement…i’ll accept it.

the movie itself was shot weird, the camera was never stationary.  i don’t know if it was on purpose or what, but just let it sit there for a minute, get the shot…leave it alone.

there was some good footage of the bands playing gigs.  you don’t get to see that very often and it followed the movement pretty well from beginning to end.

i’ll probably never watch this again.  as a matter of fact…it’ll probably come down off the shelf to make room for a real movie.

L Says:

   Basically, what I took from this movie was that Hardcore Punk came about as a response to these kids, who weren't even old enough to vote, about Ronald Reagan being elected president in 1980.  Maybe they just didn't agree with Reagonomics.  I get that it was sort of a remedy to the music of the 70's, mainly disco.  As one guy was saying, bands like the Beatles, and The Who had been around for seemingly forever.  And, yeah, they're great bands with great songs, but we're sick of listening to you.  Hardcore Punk may have been a precursor to Scream-o.  A bunch of 15 and 16 year olds, "singing" about "the man" and how it's not their fault they are white.  Really?  The music is fast and loud.  The same three chords pounded out.  And the singing, if you could call it that, unintelligible and sometimes with a touch of a British accent.  Really??

   Back to the movie.  I really wish that this could have been more...professionally done.  With a narrator possibly.  Sure, they interviewed the guys who lived it.  Most of whom are now living in the suburbs, with kids, and 9 to 5 jobs.  I appreciate that it included lots of performance footage.  Footage "normal" people have never seen.  I think it really helps drive the point that these were just kids, playing whenever and wherever they could because they believed in the music, the energy and emotion.  

  The film felt very choppy.  One minute we are talking about the recording process, then on to Punk Rock in Canada, then back to recording.  There was not a very clear flow.  I found some of the camera work to be distracting.  Suddenly and unsteadily zooming in and then out and shifting to one side as if to include more of the background in the shot.  Just focus on who is talking and leave it at that.  I don't want to see the floor lamp just to the right nor do I care about that picture on the wall.

  Overall, mostly interesting subject.  In the hands of someone more organized and perhaps a bit more money, this could be done really, really well.  Or, maybe they were just being punk about the actual filming and don't give a fuck if you like it or not.

  

American Beauty

 

American Beauty (1999) 122 mins.
directed by Sam Mendes
starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch

Meet the Burnham family.  Dad, Lester, is depressed and caught in a mid-life crisis.  Mom, Carolyn, is trying hard to project an image of success even as her life crumbles around her.  Daughter, Jane, is your typical confused, angry teen who wishes someone would put her Dad out of his misery. 

Q Says:

when this movie was released i had little interest in seeing it.  i liked the poster and i liked kevin spacey mainly ‘cos of “se7en” but i just didn’t care about the subject matter.

i had a projectionist friend who worked with me at the grand cinema and he was really excited about the movie.  he talked about it all the time and watched the trailer 10 times a day.  the night before it opened they were gonna show it and he asked me to stay and watch it with him.  i agreed reluctantly and was actually glad i stayed.

the movie has a slow haunting feel.  it felt like i was watching a ghost story.  i like the approach that sam mendes takes with each scene, setting them up perfectly and letting things just happen.  you are led subtly to things the director thinks are important, like, angela touching lester for the first time.  the score by thomas newman enhances this with a haunting, yet, quirky score.  the score for the fantasy sequences are just a little off-kilter so you know it isn’t real life.

kevin spacey is brilliant here.  his use of understatement with flashes of over-the-top are  perfect.  his transformation from milquetoast to “man” is perfectly paced and not overdone or overblown.  you can almost feel the drool from spacey when he first sees mena suvari.  spacey’s performance is very reminiscent of jack lemmon, who is one of my favorite actors especially in “save the tiger”.

annette bening is a powerhouse!  she literally chews up the screen: “what is this?  is this not a plant?”.  wes bentley is weird and creepy.  chris cooper is great as always.  thora birch is kinda annoying and suvari is really good as angela.

there are a few things that i don’t like about this movie.  one is the drug use.  call me a fuddy-duddy but i’ve never enjoyed seeing people get drunk or high in movies.  second is the “beautiful”  videos that bentley’s character talks about.  the stupid bag flying around is boring.

overall, this is a good movie.  at the time, i thought it deserved the oscar but now i think “the sixth sense” got robbed.

i will see this movie again…but it might be another few years.

L Says:
  In a word: overrated.
  In many words:  I have heard a lot about this movie.  "Oh, it is so great!  You should see it!  Kevin Spacey should win an Oscar!"  Usually, when people go on and on about a movie, I am reluctant to see it.  (Titanic, Avatar, Twilight, The Godfather)  This was my first time.  My first thought was, that it had a Twin Peaks feel.  Some dream-like sequences, families hiding secrets, a shocking murder.  I really liked the way it was shot.  I loved the way some of the scenes were framed.  For example, when Jane (Thora Birch) is asking Ricky (Wes Bentley) about what happened that got him sent to a mental hospital, she is filming him with a handheld camera, and it is playing on a TV just to the left of her.  Or, when Carolyn returns home that rainy night repeating, "I am not a victim", she pulls up in front of her house and across the yard and through the rain, we see the home's red door shining under the porch light.  It just feels like someone really paid attention to the look of the scene.
  I think this movie was excellently cast.  Kevin Spacey was pretty great as Lester.  He starts off quiet and walked all over, especially by his wife and daughter.  Then, he meets Jane's friend, Angela and it is like he has come out of a coma and found something to live for.  He quits his job, starts working out, and buys a mid-life crisis car.  Annette Bening as his cold-blooded wife is perfect.  The two have excellent chemistry and really give you the feeling of a marriage gone wrong.  I love the montage of her preparing for an open house.  She frantically cleans windows, vacuums, and scrubs tile, all while chanting one of her mantras.  There is a shot after she fails to sell the home of her, framed in front of the sliding glass door with the blinds closed, that is one of the best shots in the entire movie.  I liked whenever she came on screen and wanted to see more of her.  Thora Birch was good as a teenager.  Probably because she was a teenager when this movie was shot.  Mena Suvari's character was reminiscent of Sherilyn Fenn's character in Twin Peaks.  Both were made out to be these sexy, desirable young women.  In my opinion, Suvari is cute, but not quite sexy.  I like how she teases Lester and flirts with him.  Wes Bentley was kind of creepy with his secret filming of the family next door.  But, in a way, I could see what he was talking about when he said there was so much beauty in the world.  (I liked the plastic bag footage.)  Chris Cooper was excellent, as usual.  It took me the entire movie to realize that he was in it.
  Overrated, yes, but still a really, really good movie.  This is not a movie I would have bought, but I would not mind seeing it again.      

Amélie

Amélie (2001) 129 mins.
directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
starring Audrey Tautou, Matthew Kassovitz, Serge Merlin

Audrey Tautou plays Amélie, a young French girl who has constructed her own fantasy world around her.  In order, to get what she wants, she must face reality and do things she never thought she would be able to do.

Q Says:
  this was our first movie on the road that had subtitles.  i’ve never seen it before and at first i found it hard to eat, read the ‘titles and take notes all at once.  after i got done eating i was able to settle and focus.  i find it hard to watch foreign films that are subtitled because i feel like i miss the visual story being told.  it also seems that most of the ones i’ve seen are VERY visual (ie: “ crouching tiger, hidden dragon”) so i have to watch them more than once.  anyway…

 at the heart of the movie is audrey tautou and she is an absolute delight and fun.  if she wasn’t cast in this film it would not have been the same at all.  she totally makes the movie come to life and embodies this character perfectly.

 there are a few scenes that jump out in my memory.  one is the “game” that she plays with the boy she likes as they leave notes for each other all over the town and the revenge she takes on the mean produce guy was pretty funny.

 i have also noticed that it’s more difficult for me to write about movies i like as opposed those i do not.  it was easy for me to criticize “aladdin” because i believe that i pick up on the negative aspects of a movie more. 

 i didn’t find that many negatives in “amelie” and i really had to agonize on what to talk about.

 i thought this movie was original, quirky without trying too hard to be quirky, and wonderfully shot.  i would definitely see it again!!

L Says:
  Most people have a problem with foreign films.  They don't like subtitles and they hate dubbing.  Both can be a bit distracting.  When I was younger, I used to watch TV in my room with the captions on.  Always.  Just because I could.  So, I guess I'm used to watching and reading TV at the same time.  I like a lot of foreign films.  To me, most of them feel grittier or more real.  The filmmakers are more likely to push the envelope.  Watching Amélie was no problem at all.  I remember seeing this at the movie theater on Siegen (remember that place?).  I instantly fell in love with it.  At first, I think, it was because it was in french.  But, then I saw it again, and realized how great it really was.  I love the feel of it.  The best way for me to describe it is to say it feels like coming home.  I'm not sure if that makes much sense, but I'll try to explain.  At the end, (SPOILER ALERT!) when Nino shows up at Amélie's place and no words are spoken, no words need to be spoken.  She kisses his face and he kisses her face.  It's like he's come home.  She has been waiting all this time for him.  It's a beautiful moment.
  The whole movie is charming, a bit quirky and heartwarming.  It is shot with an artistic flair that really suits the style of the movie.  It also has a green and yellowish hue going which just enhances the magical feeling.  The soundtrack is perfection and adds to the overall feel.  Audrey Tautou IS Amélie.  There is no one else.  No one.  Without Audrey, Amélie would not exist.  Her character is a dreamer, unique, and brave.  She takes chances.  The games she plays are clever and fun.  One of my favorites, is the traveling gnome game she plays with her father.
  This is easily one of my favorite movies ever.  I love the feel of it.  Everytime I watch it, I wish I could live like Amélie in a small town, in a small apartment on my own.  This movie does exactly what movies are supposed to do and transports you into Amélie's life.  If you have not seen it, you are missing out.

Aladdin

 

Aladdin (1992) 90 mins.
directed by Ron Clements and John Musker
starring Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Jonathan Freeman, Linda Larkin

Aladdin is a street-urchin "diamond in the rough" who finds a magical lamp.  He teams up with the Genie of the lamp to make all his dreams come true.  

Q Says:

i haven’t seen this one in a long time and i remember enjoying it a lot more then.   firstly, the animation is just kinda bland and there’s heavy use of CGI which at the time may have been state of the art but now looks cheap.  nextly, the beginning is pretty boring.  it’s same old “oh, i’m a bum but i have a dream to be somebody” and “oh, my life of riches is actually kinda boring and unfufilling.”  typical stuff really.  i’m also gonna take a moment here to talk about my annoyance at voice actors not doing their own singing.  i find it…annoying.

next-nextly, the story doesn’t really kick in until robin williams shows up.  williams is both perfect and a total miscast at the same time.  he’s funny, of course, but way to reigned-in (it is a disney movie after all).  But with casting williams you lose all connection to the era they tried to replicate because all his humor is “current” (at least for that time…now it’s dated, especially the arsenio hall reference).  i would have liked to have seen a more faithful adaptation of the arabian nights, but whatcha gonna do??

i would probably watch this again, but it would be several years from now…or if ruby wants to watch it, i guess.

L Says:

   This used to be one of my favorite Disney movies.  However, watching it again, and I mean really watching it, it is hard for me to pinpoint why I liked it so much.  I like the story of Aladdin finding the lamp and discovering the Genie.  The movie isn't fun until Genie shows up.  Genie makes the movie and Robin Williams makes Genie.  Robin Williams is brilliantly out-of-control.  But, not too out-of-control.  This a Disney family movie after all.  Much of the dialogue between the characters is not that funny or interesting.  I read that Robin Williams improvised much of his dialogue.  So much, that the studio ended up with over 16 hours from him alone.  Jafar is the quintessential Disney villain with a twisty beard and snake-like demeanor.  Jasmine is the first "non-traditional" Disney princess.  And they made Aladdin a bit hunky so he could really appeal to the ladies.  And, no, I'm not joking about that.  The studio wanted him to resemble Tom Cruise. 

   The animation is not the best.  I know this is early 90's, but it just feels so bland and cheap.  The backgrounds were sorely lacking the detail you would come to expect from Disney. 

  Of course, the day is saved, Aladdin wins over Jasmine, Genie is freed and everyone lives happily ever after...until the straight to video sequel a couple of years later.  I probably will not be watching it again until Ruby is old enough.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) 126 mins.
directed by Terry Gilliam
starring John Neville, Eric Idle, and a young Sarah Polley

Baron Munchausen has some exciting tales to tell.  But, is it all true?

Q Says:

this is one of my favourite unsung movies of all time.  i don’t really talk about it or watch it all the time but i love it when i do.  terry gilliam is also one of my favourite unsung flimakers.  he has some great flicks but i don’t love everything he’s done much like john carpenter and unlike spielberg. 

the film follows the baron through his many unbelievable misadventures with his gifted companions as they reunite to save a town from destruction.  it’s kind of the third part of gilliams unofficial “stages of man” trilogy.  munchausen represents man’s elder years and does this with creative whimsy and dark despair as the baron first wants nothing more than to die then is invigorated with adventure.

i love this movie and everything about it.  it’s one of the perfect fantasy flicks of all time and unfortunately nothing like this will ever be filmed again.

L Says:

   Few directors today have the vision that Terry Gilliam has (Tarsem comes to mind).  There is one particular scene that always sticks out in my mind: The Baron and Salley have just crashed landed on the Moon.  The scene goes dark and a field of stars slowly comes into existence.  You think they must be in space.  Then, the stars and black sky begin to move ever so slightly, as if something is moving across the sky.  The stars fade, more light appears, and it is revealed to be waves of dark water, rippling as the Baron's ship passes through.  And very slowly, the ripples of dark water turn into ripples of dark sand.  It is then you realize that they have landed on the Moon.  It's beautifully shot.  Let's see you do that James Cameron sans 3-D!
   I love how over the top Baron's tales are.  At first, he seems kind of loony and senile.  But, we quickly learn that he is a man of action and adventure, and also a bit of a ladies man.  Sarah Polley does a great job as a young girl trying to save her family from the invading Turks.  She accompanies Baron Munchausen on a trip around the world as he rounds up his old buddies to help.  She also defeats Death twice!
   This was my second time seeing it and I would definitely watch it again.  It makes me want to check out more of Terry Gilliam's work, and especially the "triology" of Time Bandits and Brazil that goes along with this movie.

Aeon Flux

Aeon Flux (2005) 93 mins.
directed by Karyn Kusama
starring Charlize Theron, Marton Csokas, Sophie Okonedo

Bregna seems to be the perfect city, but there is unrest.  Aeon Flux is sent on a mission to eliminate the Chairman and discovers another mystery.

Q Says:

i never really had a desire to watch the cartoon (yea, i’m not gonna call it an animated series).  i tried, but i couldn’t get past the weird art.  so that means i have absolutely no clue what’s going on and to be honest the little note-thingies at the beginning that tell you the backstory that were seemingly written  for a 5 year old sound really silly.

the movie is VERY stylized and seems like it’s trying way too hard to be as “unique” as the cartoon show.  it felt way too stylized for me and kinda confusing, for instance, she goes to disrupt the surveillance equipment and it’s a pool of water and she causes some ripples and i really thought she was going to bathe ‘cos i had no idea that that was the surveillance thing.  couldn’t it just be a computer??  the over stylization made the story and acting seem weak but midway through the plot thickens and a little more action kicks in and it gets better.

basically it goes for style over substance to unique action movie and ending like a typical action movie.

charlize is HOT as usual and i am convinced she should do more action movies.

 overall i think the film was OK.  i may see it again, but it will be quite a while from now....and i would have to pretty bored with NOTHING else on TV.

L Says:

   I like this movie.  I know it did not do well and most people didn't really know what it was "about".  And to tell you the truth, I didn't really know what it was about.  I vaguely remember catching glimpses of the cartoon on MTV.  I knew Aeon was an assassin in all her spidery, sexiness.  She had really cool hair, but didn't seem to be so great at her job because she died a lot.  I knew nothing of the back story or who anyone else was.

   In the movie version, Charlize Theron plays Aeon.  And I don't know who else could have done it.  She's slender, beautiful, deadly.  With cool hair.  Most of the movie takes place inside the Citadel where the Goodchild brothers reign over the last city on Earth.  Aeon is sent to assassinate Trevor Goodchild except she fails her mission and everything changes.  We learn that there is much more going on than we could have ever thought.  The movie is highly stylized.  Perhaps a bit too stylized.  It does have an organic feel to it, but you kind of have to dig through some layers to see it.  I like that the movie doesn't waste a whole lot of time trying to explain things or establish relationships.  After all, it is only 93 minutes long.  Once you get past the fluff, it is your typical fantasy action film.  

  Trevor and Aeon save the day and perhaps all of mankind.  Considering I saw this in theaters and bought the DVD, it is safe to say I would definitely watch it again.

Adaptation

Adaptation  (2002) 114 mins.
directed by Spike Jonze
starring Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper

Nicolas Cage plays real-life screenwriter Charlie Kaufman who has the difficult task of adapting Susan Orlean's book "The Orchid Thief" for the big screen. 

Q Says:

this was a pretty good film.  spike jonze is a damn good director.  i appreciate the quirkiness of kaufman and his writing, but his insights into screenwriting is what i truly find interesting.  the dichotomy between charlie and his "brother" donald is the best part of the movie for me.  charlie is the true talent and donald is writing a thriller after going to a lecture and reading a book about how to write a screenplay.  this infuriates charlie who is struggling so hard to be original especially after donald successfully sells his work to charlie’s agent.

so, after many failed attempts charlie goes to donald for help and the film goes off the rails into thriller territory.  this totally goes against EVERYTHING charlie stands for, but he is so desperate that he follows along.

the cast does a great job, especially nic cage playing both charlie and donald.  this is one of the rare flicks that cage dosen’t “overact”  which is a nice change.  meryl streep is not one of my favourite actresses, but does fine here but chris cooper really steals the show as leroche.  he’s brilliant.

this is the second time i’ve watched this movie and i would watch it again, but not for a while.

L Says:
   My very first impression of this movie was it made me think of the Chuck Norris movie, The Octagon.  Lots of whispering voice over by the main character of Charlie Kaufman.  (Look it up, watch it, it is awesome).
   I found this movie to be a bit distracting, a bit slow and perhaps a bit long.  The first half of the movie was kind of painful as Charlie (played suprisingly well by Nicolas Cage, which is me saying alot because I normally don't like Nicolas Cage) agonizes over adapting a book about orchids into a watchable screenplay, fantasizing about women, and masturbating to said fantasies.  The second half goes all thriller on us as Charlie and his twin brother, Donald (also played by Nicolas Cage) head to Florida to see what they can find out about Susan Orlean, the author of the book and John Leroche, the star of her book.  Chris Cooper also does an excellent job as Leroche and steals the show.
  Then, some orchids are snorted, an alligator gets a midnight snack, and we learn why you should always wear your seatbelt, especially in a high speed car chase.
  Decent movie with some good performances.  I would probably not watch it again.