The Film: The Box
The Perpetrators: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella, among others.
The Dealio: Short and sweet: folks are offered obscene amounts of money by a shady character, to push a button. When they do, someone-someone they don't know- dies. The family agrees, and I can't really say more about this pic b/c I split right after the scene where Cameron's teacher gives in to a creepy, teeneaged boy's request to 'see ' her injured foot. In English class. That kid is in ecstasy, and I felt the need for a shower, broiling hot and with lashes of exfoliating soap.
The Grading Session: Zip out of 5 stars. They couldn't even get the Virginia accents right. To be fair, perhaps the rest of the film was Oscar-worthy. But...why do I not believe this to be so?
Lessons Learned: Cameron:recognise your limits, as an actress. If you are good at what you do in the arena of action/romance....stick with that. Until something irresistible, something of taste, scope and promise comes along. Then- go for it. This. Thing. Was. Not. That.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Men Who Stare At Goats
The Flick: Men Who Stare At Goats
The Actors: Kevin Spacey, Stephen Lang, Jeff Bridges, and, oh, yeah, that fella from those Ocean's movies.
The Dealio: Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Based on a story too wackadoodle to be made up, MWSAG takes us inside, on the ground level, of a government project, top secret and so far out of the box, that there is no box to be seen anywhere. The goal? To create a New Earth Army with Jedi Knights as soldiers, instead of the standard GI GI. All this is seen and told through the eyes of an outsider, journalist Ewan MacGregor, a sad sack, forlorn guy from a small fish-wrappin' sort of paper, whose wife leaves him for their editor. Now, rudderless and filled with despair, the journalist finds himself scrambling after the most top-secret of all secret, and being guided by a passionate follower of a madman. Along the way, there are riffs on everything from Apocalypse Now to Star Wars (well, duh!) to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. With goats. Fainting goats.
You may think that this is a story about 'getting the story' and winning back some semblance of validation and affirmation of the glories of taking the road less travelled-albeit, through a desert. To me, it was more about finding the remnants of creativity, imagination and essential 'self-stuff' that may have taken refuge away from your everyday life, deep, deep inside you. Can you actually make goats die by simply looking at them? Can you thought-process yourself through walls? Really? That's beside the point. Which, to me is this: do you believe that you can? 'S all I'm sayin'.
The Grading Session: 4.3 stars out of 5. Great casting, metered lunacy, tricky harvesting from other films and a su-weet ending that says nothing. And everything.
Lessons Learned: What is the difference between being gullible and being willing to, at least momentarily, suspend disbelief?
The Actors: Kevin Spacey, Stephen Lang, Jeff Bridges, and, oh, yeah, that fella from those Ocean's movies.
The Dealio: Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Based on a story too wackadoodle to be made up, MWSAG takes us inside, on the ground level, of a government project, top secret and so far out of the box, that there is no box to be seen anywhere. The goal? To create a New Earth Army with Jedi Knights as soldiers, instead of the standard GI GI. All this is seen and told through the eyes of an outsider, journalist Ewan MacGregor, a sad sack, forlorn guy from a small fish-wrappin' sort of paper, whose wife leaves him for their editor. Now, rudderless and filled with despair, the journalist finds himself scrambling after the most top-secret of all secret, and being guided by a passionate follower of a madman. Along the way, there are riffs on everything from Apocalypse Now to Star Wars (well, duh!) to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. With goats. Fainting goats.
You may think that this is a story about 'getting the story' and winning back some semblance of validation and affirmation of the glories of taking the road less travelled-albeit, through a desert. To me, it was more about finding the remnants of creativity, imagination and essential 'self-stuff' that may have taken refuge away from your everyday life, deep, deep inside you. Can you actually make goats die by simply looking at them? Can you thought-process yourself through walls? Really? That's beside the point. Which, to me is this: do you believe that you can? 'S all I'm sayin'.
The Grading Session: 4.3 stars out of 5. Great casting, metered lunacy, tricky harvesting from other films and a su-weet ending that says nothing. And everything.
Lessons Learned: What is the difference between being gullible and being willing to, at least momentarily, suspend disbelief?
A Christmas Carol
The Film: A Christmas Carol
The Usual Suspects: Jim Carrey, Jim Carrey, Jim Carrey and, well, you know. Bob Hoskins, Colin Firth and Gary Oldman.
The Dealio: Well, I think you know the story, so all that remains is to let you know what I thought about this version. First of all, surprisingly, this was rated PG-13. And for a reason: some of the scenes were intense. I've read- you, too?- something along the lines of 'if you chose Jim Carrey to star in this and made him the major focus, why did you then rein him in?' Didn't notice much reining in, ak-shully. But did notice some areas which needed a skosh more editing. I apologise, I know I harp on this with boring frequency. But, here, we had waaaaaaaayyyyyy too long a relationship with 'mini-Scrooge' and the horses chasing him through every street, alley and culvert in London Town. I get it: the animation of the horses was awesome and harkened back to Darby O'Gill and the Little People (introducing Sean Connery!), a flick that scared the sleep out of me for one solid month. But, even though it may have taken the animators months and months to create the artwork, was it really necessary to make us, the unsuspecting audience, sit through this gag in real time?
It was highly interesting to note the comments of two little boys sitting behind us. One -with a very young-sounding voice- asked his companion (brother?) 'Is it all going to be scary like this?' And his bro/compadre whispering back, 'No. It's OK, though. I'm scared, too.' So sweet, and it swept me back decades.
And of course, the message comes through loud and clear: carry the holidays in your heart...all year long.'
The Grading Session: 4 stars out of 5. I am a huge fan of the voice talent. But. What is up with those EYES!? I have watched this studio for years- every since the Polar Express freaked me out with the woogie eyes and turned what should have been a sweet, simple message into a haunting, cautionary tale. Unintentionally. After all these years, and all the tech developments...I should think they would have figured out some way to mitigate the zombie eyes.
Lessons Learned: Out of the mouths of babes: first, Tiny Tim, who saw goodness and promise in everything around him, rather than concentrating only on the bad things that threatened to hem him in. But, also, from the young lads in the theater who were so earnest in their viewing that they disappeared into the film- and kept each other brave. Now, that's a message for ya!
The Usual Suspects: Jim Carrey, Jim Carrey, Jim Carrey and, well, you know. Bob Hoskins, Colin Firth and Gary Oldman.
The Dealio: Well, I think you know the story, so all that remains is to let you know what I thought about this version. First of all, surprisingly, this was rated PG-13. And for a reason: some of the scenes were intense. I've read- you, too?- something along the lines of 'if you chose Jim Carrey to star in this and made him the major focus, why did you then rein him in?' Didn't notice much reining in, ak-shully. But did notice some areas which needed a skosh more editing. I apologise, I know I harp on this with boring frequency. But, here, we had waaaaaaaayyyyyy too long a relationship with 'mini-Scrooge' and the horses chasing him through every street, alley and culvert in London Town. I get it: the animation of the horses was awesome and harkened back to Darby O'Gill and the Little People (introducing Sean Connery!), a flick that scared the sleep out of me for one solid month. But, even though it may have taken the animators months and months to create the artwork, was it really necessary to make us, the unsuspecting audience, sit through this gag in real time?
It was highly interesting to note the comments of two little boys sitting behind us. One -with a very young-sounding voice- asked his companion (brother?) 'Is it all going to be scary like this?' And his bro/compadre whispering back, 'No. It's OK, though. I'm scared, too.' So sweet, and it swept me back decades.
And of course, the message comes through loud and clear: carry the holidays in your heart...all year long.'
The Grading Session: 4 stars out of 5. I am a huge fan of the voice talent. But. What is up with those EYES!? I have watched this studio for years- every since the Polar Express freaked me out with the woogie eyes and turned what should have been a sweet, simple message into a haunting, cautionary tale. Unintentionally. After all these years, and all the tech developments...I should think they would have figured out some way to mitigate the zombie eyes.
Lessons Learned: Out of the mouths of babes: first, Tiny Tim, who saw goodness and promise in everything around him, rather than concentrating only on the bad things that threatened to hem him in. But, also, from the young lads in the theater who were so earnest in their viewing that they disappeared into the film- and kept each other brave. Now, that's a message for ya!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Beautiful Boy
The Book: Beautiful Boy
The Writer: David Sheff
The Dealio: Pure and simple:this is a non-fiction account of a descent into Hell. Don't know how else to describe it. The author is a pretty well-known journalist who has written for Rolling Stone, Wired, the New York Times Sunday magazine, etcetera. Here, he is writing about his oldest son, the beautiful boy in question, named Nic. Who was smart and funny and multi-talented and athletic and full of promise. And also an alcoholic and addict. His poison of choice was meth, and the spiral began when he was about 14 years old. This is a book recommended by a coworker/friend of mine who said, 'It is utterly fascinating and utterly nerve-wracking in turns.' So, I decided to take a chance. At times, I was wondering if I should have (had my head examined). But Mr Sheff is a terrific, humane writer with his finger on the pulse of his audience. By this, I mean, he leads you to the very brink of horror, suffering and despair, then refuses to throw you over that cliff. Instead, he offers you breathing room and a chance to recover when he moves on to information about addiction and rehab, the music scene, life in Marin (where you may be ostracised from the neighborhood picnic for bringing full-on meat hot dogs, rather than the tofu sort), the healing process, Alanon and movies (are you surprised to hear that he hated Sideways?). When I couldn't stand it a moment longer, I felt compelled to 'google' David and Nic and see their actual faces, to read about how they are doing now. To sort of touch base with them. BTW- Nic, also, has a book, 'Tweak', which tells more personally, his side of the story).
The Grading Session: 4.73 stars out of 5; towards the end, I had such an embarrassing feeling of retreading already covered mileage, and, truly, I do feel David is such a talented writer, there is simply no excuse for that. But I split hairs. This is a tough book to read, but it is also a glimpse into such an alien (I hope!) world, that I was glad I read (and survived) read it. And am glad to blog about it.
Lessons Learned: Not original, but here goes: 'You didn't cause it, you can't control it and you can't cure it.' This is a hard one to learn, but sometimes, love, sacrifice, caring, helping, hoping and praying are not enough. And I can not believe I actually just wrote those words.
The Writer: David Sheff
The Dealio: Pure and simple:this is a non-fiction account of a descent into Hell. Don't know how else to describe it. The author is a pretty well-known journalist who has written for Rolling Stone, Wired, the New York Times Sunday magazine, etcetera. Here, he is writing about his oldest son, the beautiful boy in question, named Nic. Who was smart and funny and multi-talented and athletic and full of promise. And also an alcoholic and addict. His poison of choice was meth, and the spiral began when he was about 14 years old. This is a book recommended by a coworker/friend of mine who said, 'It is utterly fascinating and utterly nerve-wracking in turns.' So, I decided to take a chance. At times, I was wondering if I should have (had my head examined). But Mr Sheff is a terrific, humane writer with his finger on the pulse of his audience. By this, I mean, he leads you to the very brink of horror, suffering and despair, then refuses to throw you over that cliff. Instead, he offers you breathing room and a chance to recover when he moves on to information about addiction and rehab, the music scene, life in Marin (where you may be ostracised from the neighborhood picnic for bringing full-on meat hot dogs, rather than the tofu sort), the healing process, Alanon and movies (are you surprised to hear that he hated Sideways?). When I couldn't stand it a moment longer, I felt compelled to 'google' David and Nic and see their actual faces, to read about how they are doing now. To sort of touch base with them. BTW- Nic, also, has a book, 'Tweak', which tells more personally, his side of the story).
The Grading Session: 4.73 stars out of 5; towards the end, I had such an embarrassing feeling of retreading already covered mileage, and, truly, I do feel David is such a talented writer, there is simply no excuse for that. But I split hairs. This is a tough book to read, but it is also a glimpse into such an alien (I hope!) world, that I was glad I read (and survived) read it. And am glad to blog about it.
Lessons Learned: Not original, but here goes: 'You didn't cause it, you can't control it and you can't cure it.' This is a hard one to learn, but sometimes, love, sacrifice, caring, helping, hoping and praying are not enough. And I can not believe I actually just wrote those words.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Where The Wild Things Are
The Film: Where The Wild Things Are
The Genre: Fantasy/Drama
The Talent:Max Record, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo (barely), and the vocal talents of James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Lauren Ambrose and Forrest Whitaker-among others.
The Dealio: Well, you know, right? This was one of my favorite- and, I think, my sons' favorite- childhood books. There was just enough of the subversive and trend-bucking in it to really appeal to me...and them, I think. So, I was really looking forward to the movie version. Saw the sneaks, the trailers, the teasers, and I was overjoyed with the beauty and fitness of this merge of the written word and the artwork with the moving images. SPOILERS AHEAD! PLEASE BEWARE:
So, pardon me if I say that the first 15 minutes of the movie were really alarming. Across the board. First, I was really bothered by the tempestuous nature and raw anger and emotion of what happened in the first few scenes. I did not recall any of this from the book. But, that's okay. The larger crime for me came from the total waste of two newish elements in the beginning of the film: the half-poached role Ruffalo was given(a wonderful actor, but here, just a paper cutout with nothing to contribute. Why?) and the addition of a sister who just didn't get- or dig- Max at all (again, why was this necessary?) There is more than enough going on in this story that those two late-stage add-ons just never made any sense for me.
I despised the scenes where Max hopped on the table and screamed at his mother, then bit her. I was horrified when he ran out the door (not in the book; there, he was locked in his room and it was quite clear that this journey would be woven out of whole cloth from Max's imagination). As a mom, the thought of my child disappearing through the door, into the night, and staying gone for hours, is just too frightening to contemplate, and I was nauseated by the coupling of Karen O's cacophony of screams, ululations and howls that accompanied Max's tirades.
And then, long before he got to the land where the wild things are, I suddenly got it (well, I arrived at an understanding that seemed to make sense to me. I am sure Maurice Sendak would say- a la Marshall MacLuhan in Annie Hall 'No, you didn't get it at all. You are completely wrong'. But so be it. I accept that).
To me what I was seeing, in the wild things, especially, was a personification of Max's inner self: full of selfishness, self-centeredness, angst, turmoil and fears. Destructive and distrustful and yet, eager to please and a bit deceitful. Tender-skinned and not-very-brave, but, at bottom, wanting to do right by those closest to him. That was when I began to relax and taken in the art, the craft and the message of the film. But it was a near thing; I came very close to walking out until that last piece fell into place for me.
I especially related to the wild things individual personalities; each of them seemed to have one dominant trait, which, taken together, would form one complete child: Catherine O'Hara's Eeyore-like fatalist, full of gloom and doom, but also, quite passive-aggressive. James Gandolfini's Carol, lashing out at everyone and everything when hurt- because that is his most primitive response to everything. He is an all-or-nothing type and doomed to be misunderstood. Haven't we all felt like that at one time or another? It reminded me of what childhood- and on into teenagerism- is all about: everything is as important as everything else. Because we haven't lived enough life to be able to put things into perspective and realise that a casual glance is sometimes just that, and not a threat or challenge at all. If the underlying theme to this phase of life is: lights, cameras, action and drama, drama, drama, then Spike Jonze managed to capture that theme exactly.
The Grading Session: 3.98 stars out of 5. Not sure I would call this a kids' movie, as the book was clearly a kids' book. But it was an impressive, expressive one. I do believe that, had you not read the book, you would not have the same reaction I had (or if you are not an admittedly tender mom with 'lost kids' issues, perhaps). I really did not appreciate most of the soundtrack- especially the bits I described above. True, they were extremely apt and underscored the action on screen. Therein lay the problem for me. If what is going on, onscreen, is troubling to you, the viewer, then a perfectly matched soundtrack would emphasise this quality. And it did. But there are lovely moments throughout, too, and so, I will strive to be reasonable about the whole.
There were children of all ages in the theatre with me. Some really enjoyed the movie, some seemed bored by it. Some acted scared. But I really do think parents need to prep for a show like this by reading a wider variety of reviews. I was taking myself to the show, so I didn't prep with any reading of reviews. Thought I knew the story, was interested in how it was translated into a film. End of prep. I would definitely approach the task differently if the deal involved children of a certain age, temperament and imagination.
Lessons Learned: A child's imagination is a strange, alien and complicated realm. All sorts of ideas and emotions are filtered through their specific life-experiences. By which I mean: how they interpret what life has brought them so far. It's probably important to keep that in mind when exposing children to situations, illustrations and experiences for the first time. Sometimes, that old raincoat in the closet really does look like a big, old, scary clown. They process such things in their own personal way and create their unique life view from these imaginations. So- let's be careful out there about the Wild Things we evoke.
The Genre: Fantasy/Drama
The Talent:Max Record, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo (barely), and the vocal talents of James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Lauren Ambrose and Forrest Whitaker-among others.
The Dealio: Well, you know, right? This was one of my favorite- and, I think, my sons' favorite- childhood books. There was just enough of the subversive and trend-bucking in it to really appeal to me...and them, I think. So, I was really looking forward to the movie version. Saw the sneaks, the trailers, the teasers, and I was overjoyed with the beauty and fitness of this merge of the written word and the artwork with the moving images. SPOILERS AHEAD! PLEASE BEWARE:
So, pardon me if I say that the first 15 minutes of the movie were really alarming. Across the board. First, I was really bothered by the tempestuous nature and raw anger and emotion of what happened in the first few scenes. I did not recall any of this from the book. But, that's okay. The larger crime for me came from the total waste of two newish elements in the beginning of the film: the half-poached role Ruffalo was given(a wonderful actor, but here, just a paper cutout with nothing to contribute. Why?) and the addition of a sister who just didn't get- or dig- Max at all (again, why was this necessary?) There is more than enough going on in this story that those two late-stage add-ons just never made any sense for me.
I despised the scenes where Max hopped on the table and screamed at his mother, then bit her. I was horrified when he ran out the door (not in the book; there, he was locked in his room and it was quite clear that this journey would be woven out of whole cloth from Max's imagination). As a mom, the thought of my child disappearing through the door, into the night, and staying gone for hours, is just too frightening to contemplate, and I was nauseated by the coupling of Karen O's cacophony of screams, ululations and howls that accompanied Max's tirades.
And then, long before he got to the land where the wild things are, I suddenly got it (well, I arrived at an understanding that seemed to make sense to me. I am sure Maurice Sendak would say- a la Marshall MacLuhan in Annie Hall 'No, you didn't get it at all. You are completely wrong'. But so be it. I accept that).
To me what I was seeing, in the wild things, especially, was a personification of Max's inner self: full of selfishness, self-centeredness, angst, turmoil and fears. Destructive and distrustful and yet, eager to please and a bit deceitful. Tender-skinned and not-very-brave, but, at bottom, wanting to do right by those closest to him. That was when I began to relax and taken in the art, the craft and the message of the film. But it was a near thing; I came very close to walking out until that last piece fell into place for me.
I especially related to the wild things individual personalities; each of them seemed to have one dominant trait, which, taken together, would form one complete child: Catherine O'Hara's Eeyore-like fatalist, full of gloom and doom, but also, quite passive-aggressive. James Gandolfini's Carol, lashing out at everyone and everything when hurt- because that is his most primitive response to everything. He is an all-or-nothing type and doomed to be misunderstood. Haven't we all felt like that at one time or another? It reminded me of what childhood- and on into teenagerism- is all about: everything is as important as everything else. Because we haven't lived enough life to be able to put things into perspective and realise that a casual glance is sometimes just that, and not a threat or challenge at all. If the underlying theme to this phase of life is: lights, cameras, action and drama, drama, drama, then Spike Jonze managed to capture that theme exactly.
The Grading Session: 3.98 stars out of 5. Not sure I would call this a kids' movie, as the book was clearly a kids' book. But it was an impressive, expressive one. I do believe that, had you not read the book, you would not have the same reaction I had (or if you are not an admittedly tender mom with 'lost kids' issues, perhaps). I really did not appreciate most of the soundtrack- especially the bits I described above. True, they were extremely apt and underscored the action on screen. Therein lay the problem for me. If what is going on, onscreen, is troubling to you, the viewer, then a perfectly matched soundtrack would emphasise this quality. And it did. But there are lovely moments throughout, too, and so, I will strive to be reasonable about the whole.
There were children of all ages in the theatre with me. Some really enjoyed the movie, some seemed bored by it. Some acted scared. But I really do think parents need to prep for a show like this by reading a wider variety of reviews. I was taking myself to the show, so I didn't prep with any reading of reviews. Thought I knew the story, was interested in how it was translated into a film. End of prep. I would definitely approach the task differently if the deal involved children of a certain age, temperament and imagination.
Lessons Learned: A child's imagination is a strange, alien and complicated realm. All sorts of ideas and emotions are filtered through their specific life-experiences. By which I mean: how they interpret what life has brought them so far. It's probably important to keep that in mind when exposing children to situations, illustrations and experiences for the first time. Sometimes, that old raincoat in the closet really does look like a big, old, scary clown. They process such things in their own personal way and create their unique life view from these imaginations. So- let's be careful out there about the Wild Things we evoke.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Law-Abiding Citizen
The Film: Law-Abiding Citizen
Genre: Torture Porn
Abettors: Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, etc
The Dealio: When Butler's family is killed, and he, himself, nearly so, he does what any righteous person with the means to do so, wants: plans revenge. I am all for revenge and caper movies- and especially combining revenge and caper, ( see 'Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less', book or TV mini-series, for the template on how it should be done: cooly, with great style, detail and intricate planning, and a tiny twist at the end to make you say, "Ahhhhh! Did not see that coming, but, nonetheless, 'ahhhhh'.") This was not that. At all. To begin with, much too much adoringly intent dwelling on the most unspeakable images possible. Secondly: oh, come on now. I am as willing as the next person to give the film a bye on suspension of belief. But, unless this is a fantasy film -and I mean, an intentional fantasy film-it really is customary to offer at least the illusion of plausibility. Thirdly- and this is vital for someone who likes a really scorching caper/revenge flick: don't turn our hero into an irredeemable, living, breathing incarnation of evil and expect me to care any more. But that's just me.
The Grading Session: Yuck out of 5 stars.
Lessons Learned: As the accountants would say:'Less expenditure on blood and things that go bang, more on writing and coherence.' You can't buy my affection with gore and mayhem. To do that, you have to add in at least the minimum of thoughtful plot and diligent acting. Done widdat guy.
Genre: Torture Porn
Abettors: Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, etc
The Dealio: When Butler's family is killed, and he, himself, nearly so, he does what any righteous person with the means to do so, wants: plans revenge. I am all for revenge and caper movies- and especially combining revenge and caper, ( see 'Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less', book or TV mini-series, for the template on how it should be done: cooly, with great style, detail and intricate planning, and a tiny twist at the end to make you say, "Ahhhhh! Did not see that coming, but, nonetheless, 'ahhhhh'.") This was not that. At all. To begin with, much too much adoringly intent dwelling on the most unspeakable images possible. Secondly: oh, come on now. I am as willing as the next person to give the film a bye on suspension of belief. But, unless this is a fantasy film -and I mean, an intentional fantasy film-it really is customary to offer at least the illusion of plausibility. Thirdly- and this is vital for someone who likes a really scorching caper/revenge flick: don't turn our hero into an irredeemable, living, breathing incarnation of evil and expect me to care any more. But that's just me.
The Grading Session: Yuck out of 5 stars.
Lessons Learned: As the accountants would say:'Less expenditure on blood and things that go bang, more on writing and coherence.' You can't buy my affection with gore and mayhem. To do that, you have to add in at least the minimum of thoughtful plot and diligent acting. Done widdat guy.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
What part of rated 'R' did you not get?
The Film: Zombieland
The Talent: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin
The Dealio:So, OK, I know you all read my rantique about people bringing young'uns into age-inappropriate movies. So, you gotta know I was doing a slow boil when people began to arrive with under 4 kiddage. Quick review, folks: the movie is called Zombieland; it is rated 'R'; children, even the under 4 set, have great imaginations. What am I, talkin' to myself over here?
Whew! Much better now.
Prendie kept checking for a 'stem' at the back of my neck to see if a pod person (or, a zombie? BWAAAHAHAHAHA!) had taken over my earthly shell. I am the most chicken movie-goer ever. Granted. I'll give you that. But something about this one seemed to call out to me.So, I went to see it by myself and I loved it- especially an unforeseeable cameo (don't worry, I won't spoil the surprise for you). Is it violent? Is it gory? Well, duh! (remind me: what's the name of this film, again? Yeah). Is it smart and funny as well? You know it is! I was especially taken with some of the zombi-fied people; esp the stripper. She doesn't want your money, honey, I'll tell you that for nothing. I adored Columbus' top rules for survival in a zombie-prevalent world. Just exactly the type of thing I would do. When in doubt, start by setting up guidelines. Or am I wrong? Of course, I did get a little tired of the repeated car thefts by 1/2 of the 'team', but that's a minor thing to me. And I refuse to split hairs. Or skulls, even.
The Grading Session: 4 stars out of 5. Everyone, say this together (my mantra desu): "The difference between a good film and a great film is a wizard editor." With exactly the right amount of editing, this one would slide into immediate cult status...and may do so even without it.
Lessons Learned: 1) Never, ever imitate a zombie (if you aren't), 2) Do not underestimate the power of cardio in the post apocalyptic world, 3) Zombies do not speak...important safety tip here, 4) Twinkies actually DO have an expiration date.
The Talent: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin
The Dealio:So, OK, I know you all read my rantique about people bringing young'uns into age-inappropriate movies. So, you gotta know I was doing a slow boil when people began to arrive with under 4 kiddage. Quick review, folks: the movie is called Zombieland; it is rated 'R'; children, even the under 4 set, have great imaginations. What am I, talkin' to myself over here?
Whew! Much better now.
Prendie kept checking for a 'stem' at the back of my neck to see if a pod person (or, a zombie? BWAAAHAHAHAHA!) had taken over my earthly shell. I am the most chicken movie-goer ever. Granted. I'll give you that. But something about this one seemed to call out to me.So, I went to see it by myself and I loved it- especially an unforeseeable cameo (don't worry, I won't spoil the surprise for you). Is it violent? Is it gory? Well, duh! (remind me: what's the name of this film, again? Yeah). Is it smart and funny as well? You know it is! I was especially taken with some of the zombi-fied people; esp the stripper. She doesn't want your money, honey, I'll tell you that for nothing. I adored Columbus' top rules for survival in a zombie-prevalent world. Just exactly the type of thing I would do. When in doubt, start by setting up guidelines. Or am I wrong? Of course, I did get a little tired of the repeated car thefts by 1/2 of the 'team', but that's a minor thing to me. And I refuse to split hairs. Or skulls, even.
The Grading Session: 4 stars out of 5. Everyone, say this together (my mantra desu): "The difference between a good film and a great film is a wizard editor." With exactly the right amount of editing, this one would slide into immediate cult status...and may do so even without it.
Lessons Learned: 1) Never, ever imitate a zombie (if you aren't), 2) Do not underestimate the power of cardio in the post apocalyptic world, 3) Zombies do not speak...important safety tip here, 4) Twinkies actually DO have an expiration date.
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