Hugo

The more and more I think about Hugo, the more and more I like the movie. I knew little about the film going into it other than Martin Scorsese is the man behind the camera and my friends who saw it left the theater with high praise. 

Scorsese created his first 3D film (and if you're paying attention has a cameo in it) as an adaptation of a book by Brian Selznick, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret."

I wouldn't say that I thought Hugo would be "my kind of movie," but I was pleasantly surprised and definitely think it's a contender for Best Picture.

Well done, Scorsese, well done. The film has already earned honors from the National Board of Review, Washington DC Area Film Critics and Nevada Film Critics Society, as well as nominations for the Golden Globes.

It centers on Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), an orphan boy living in a train station in 1930s Paris with the mission to continue the legacy of his father, (Jude Law). That mission becomes the platform for a more in-depth mystery Hugo needs to solve.

The story and character development build slowly, but not to the point where I lost interest in the direction of the plot. I am hesitant to say more, as is usually the case, because I don't want to spoil the plot points I didn't know about before going into the film. Those unknowns definitely added to my enjoyment of Hugo.

I will say that as Hugo embarks on his quest he is met with a nemesis of sorts, Papa Georges, played by Ben Kingsley.

Georges is a toy shop owner in the train station on the surface, but his character has a fascinating past based on a real-life person I knew little about. From there, Hugo is a little bit of a movie within a movie for the viewers.

I enjoyed the supporting performances by Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, Chloe Grace Moretz as Hugo's train-station sidekick, Isabelle, and especially Sacha Baron Cohen as the Station Inspector.

Visually, the film was stunning but perhaps there could have been more 3D tricks. (However, some scenes with the Station Inspector's dog were a treat in that regard).

The one question I had before watching Hugo is if it would be a story geared more toward kids or adults. I know the answer now: All you need is imagination.

The Ides of March

Award season is upon us and I'd like to have another week off work to see all the best picture nominees and films with nominated actors. Seriously, can someone make that happen? That probably isn't a valid excuse, even for a film fanatic like myself, to take off work but at least I have time now to catch up on reviews while at my parents' north woods home enjoying my holiday vacation.
Last year, I made a point to see all the best picture nominees before the Oscars and I am planning on a repeat performance of that feat. Going by the Golden Globes best drama and musical/comedy lists I've made it through Moneyball (sigh), The Ides of March, Hugo (loved -- and stay tuned for my review), Midnight in Paris, 50/50, and Bridesmaids.

I need to see The Descendants, The Help, War Horse, The Artist and My Week With Marilyn -- not including films with nominated actors or those strictly on my personal wish list.

The Ides of March was definitely one of those and it and Ryan Gosling's acting nomination have my vote. (He is also nominated for Crazy, Stupid, Love -- ladies watch it).

In addition to Gosling, I think the cast in The Ides of March was one of the film's many strong points.

George Clooney directed and co-wrote the film and based it on the play Farragut North. Clooney also acts in the film as Mike Morris, the Ohio governor in a presidential race that centers mainly on events leading up to the state's primary in March.

I felt the play translated well to the big screen and Clooney successfully intertwined the plot lines of politics and morality.
As a viewer you wonder if particular characters are good or bad and what you would do if presented with the situations they face. At most times all the characters are competing with each other and themselves in deciding between taking actions that are right or wrong. Gosling, as campaign press secretary Stephen Meyers, faces this most of all with his external enemies being Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) on Morris' campaign, and Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) who works for the opposing presidential candidate.

The morality battle and plot twists left me on the edge of my seat for the entire film.

I thought The Ides of March was on its way out of the theater when I rushed to see it last weekend, but now that it's in the award nomination pool everyone needs to mark their calendar to see it.

Like Crazy and Sidewalls

Well I meant to write about Like Crazy shortly after I saw it, but life got in the way and here I am catching up now. Unfortunately, some of my initial thoughts about it escape me today so I thought I'd watch another love story as a source of inspiration: Sidewalls. It helped!

Like Crazy stars Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones as a couple who meet in college, fall in love, but then struggle with a long-distance relationship. They are essentially stuck apart after Jones' character, Anna, violates the terms of her visa and she must stay in London while Jacob (Yelchin) is in America. From there the film follows Jacob and Anna through their personal journeys involving work and even other relationships, but ultimately they want to find their way back together. At times I found myself wondering why these two people were so in love and trying to read between the lines of their relationship. That wasn't the purpose of the story, I learned, it's to shed light on the ups and downs of relationships and to make it seem real to the viewer.

I think the actors' improvisation in some scenes together, referred to by director Drake Doremus in an interview, accomplished that goal and turned out a unique film in the love story genre.

My next film, Sidewalls, also presents a unique love story for the viewer. The film centers on Martin and Mariana, two soul mates who live in apartment buildings across the street and cross paths in the city without knowing it. Writer and director Gustavo Taretto juxtaposes Martin and Mariana's eventual real meeting with the back drop of Buenos Aires using artsy-fartsy camera work and animation.

For that reason I can at least recommend this movie to people who like design and art and say that you'll be pleasantly surprised otherwise.

Sidewalls reminded me some of Amelie and Lost In Translation, but I have not seen two characters like Martin and Mariana before. In addition to their back story (Martin is a web designer who doesn't get out much and Mariana is an architect who has only been able to use her craft designing store window displays), I enjoyed the quirks Taretto developed for his main characters.

On the surface Sidewalls appeared to be two separate stories going on at once, much like parts of Like Crazy, but it has much more depth than I expected. For Twin Citians, Sidewalls' limited run in the theater is over, but I was able to rent it on cable. Like Crazy is still playing at Edina Cinema
If you're in the mood for love, these stories may bring you down before up, but give them a try.

Just as I finished this post one of my guilty-pleasure love stories, Serendipity, came on TV. Signing off, happy Sunday everyone!

Young @ Heart

I haven't been doing so well since I decided to get a library card as a way to see more movies on my list after I cancelled Netflix. I'll go back to the red envelopes someday, but thought I could make do with the library in the meantime. Unfortunately when it comes to movies my eyes are bigger than my stomach, so to speak, and I ended up with multiple DVDs at home I didn't have time to watch before their due date.

After using up all my renewals for the documentary and having only one day left to watch, I dropped everything else I was doing and decided I needed to finally learn the story of group of singing seniors in Massachusetts.

The PBS documentary centers on a group of 80-somethings preparing for a concert while mixing in some of the main characters' life stories and music videos of their chosen song list. Chorus director and founder Bob Cilman challenges his group to sing modern tunes and the oldies during multiple rehearsals per week. What's most heartwarming and perhaps made me turn into a human waterfall (pack the Kleenex for this one folks) is their gusto to try and try again and proudly sing to a packed house of their fans.

They master singing a song with the word can in it 71 times (Yes We Can Can), hard rock from Sonic Youth (Schizophrenia), and ballads like Cold Play's Fix You. That was a somber moment in the film for me, but in the end Young @ Heart is about fun in the golden years and these seniors' goal to live it up to good music. 

The story of Young @ Heart makes you step back and remember to appreciate the small things in life and that you can do anything you put your mind to.

Plus, it has one of the best soundtracks I've heard of late. The chorus is now approaching its 30th anniversary and is even going on tour next Spring. Whether they come to Minnesota or not, I highly recommend taking 90 minutes to watch Young @ Heart.

The Muppets

My short list of movies from back in July is almost complete, especially after seeing The Muppets on Sunday. Movies I've made it to in the theater recently just keep getting better and better and, if I had my own anything-goes version of a certain awards show that airs each February, I'd pick The Muppets as a best picture contender.

Why? Because it's the perfect mix of what Muppet fans have missed of late and enough fresh material to hook any newcomers into the creation of Jim Henson.
Jason Segel is to thank for that and a motion picture complete with a stellar cast of humans and Muppets, musical numbers, and jokes that cover the bases to satisfy adult audiences and the kiddos.
I went into the movie cold, not knowing what type of plot Segel created to bring to life the Muppets again or about the host of surprise celebrity cameos. Segel stars in the film as well as Gary, the brother of a new Muppet in town named Walter. Amy Adams is another of the top-billed actors in the role of Gary's girlfriend Mary.
The story centers on Gary, Mary and Walter traveling to Los Angeles from Smalltown, USA and you can only imagine who they might find there. 
Outside of enjoying 90 minutes or so of nostalgia to what I watched during my childhood, I appreciated Segel's ability to poke fun at his own adaptation and transform actors of all backgrounds to be a part of a lovable, happy story.
As critics indicated, the idea to bring back The Muppets could have gone in the wrong direction. Luckily, Segel started his project as a dedication to growing up watching the furry, talking characters and wanting to extend their story to mass audiences.
Box office reports show The Muppets is doing well, and if I can help at all I'd see it again in the theaters in a heartbeat.

Martha Marcy May Marlene

It doesn't get much better than discussing movies over a couple beers on a Saturday night, for me anyway. So I was thrilled when my sister Carla and brother-in-law Jack wanted to go to the movies last weekend. After much debate (OK, mainly on my part because there are so many good movies out right now) between Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Descendants, we decided there will be plenty of time to see the Oscar-buzzed George Clooney release.

Elizabeth Olsen (yes the sister of Full House twins Mary Kate and Ashley) stars as Martha, a young woman who just escaped from a cult and calls her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) out of the blue for help. From there the story is told in a series of flashbacks between Martha's life at the cult and staying at her sister's house, ultimately to mirror her difficulty interpreting what's reality and what isn't.

Sometimes that style of a film can take away from the meaning, but here I feel it draws the audience in more and provides a platform to think through what Martha is experiencing and why.

The longer Martha stays at her sister's house in a "real environment," the more difficult it is for her to escape the memories of the cult and behaviors she developed there. And, she even fears the cult leaders have found her.

I remained interested in the plot throughout the film and, while the ending was a little anti-climatic, felt it stayed true to the story. It's most fun (again, at least for me) if you see this movie in a group to discuss the little plot clues left by writer/director Sean Durkin and to figure out their place in the big picture of Martha Marcy May Marlene.

Olsen's performance is all the rage right now and I'm sure it's just a sign of what's to come.

 Supporting cast John Hawkes (Winter's Bone), Paulson, Hugh Dancy (as Lucy's husband Adam) and the other young cult members deserve equal credit in telling this multi-faceted story.

From what I've read, this film has received favorable feedback from the critics so whatever it takes to get  more attention from audiences at the box office, I hope it happens.

Joan Rivers - A Piece Of Work

The documentary about Joan Rivers is a real piece of work, but in a good way. It is a unique documentation of a woman and comedian I knew little about and it seemed as though Rivers was taking an inside look at her own life as much as the people behind the camera.  

I've only seen Rivers on Letterman and, while not offended by her vulgar jokes and politically-incorrect puns, never really understood why she went that route to try to be funny.

Now, I do. Because, as Rivers said on camera in A Piece of Work, it's comedy and she's actually not out to offend anyone, just make them laugh. And often times Rivers is poking fun at herself with jokes about age and plastic surgery. I feel audiences shouldn't criticize, which they do when it comes to Rivers, someone who is willing to take it as well as dish it out.

If you're unsure about going to one of Rivers' comedy shows, just watch this documentary first. It may not be for everyone, and I don't know if I'd ever go, but Rivers leaves no surprises for her fans.
What I liked most about the documentary was its peek into Rivers' career upbringing, from the Johnny Carson show to the ups and downs of launching her own performance empire. It doesn't always work and Rivers talks candidly about her fear of not being on stage one day with a blank calendar, which she shows the camera early in the documentary.
Overall, I appreciated Rivers' candor and watching a documentary that the subject wanted to be a part of as much as its creators. Rivers said she is living her dream and will keep on doing it forever. Love her or hate her, I believe her.

50/50

Today was a long day at work. I am sure everybody can say their job is draining sometimes, so I don't claim to be unique there, but today was just one of those days. I'd like to say I just write, write, write all day long, but at a newspaper it takes a lot to get to the point where you can actually start to construct a story for print. The process is what's draining, but I do love my job and to be able to have the opportunity to tell people's stories at the end of the day.

I hesitated to start a blog in fear I wouldn't keep up with more writing, but I find this therapeutic. Plus, I can just focus on the words I want to say and be done with it (after reading the post out loud a few times).

With, 50/50, which I saw tonight at the Hopkins budget theater, I found a film that would be a platform to marry my career and my blogging hobby. I'll do my best to review the story played out on screen, but if I could I'd really like to interview those who lived and created it.
50/50 is inspired by the true story of Will Reiser, who at 27 found out he had a rare form of spinal cancer. He had a 50/50 chance to live or die and judging by the sniffles in the theater (mine included) the authentic portrayal of the film's co-writer hit home. Reiser, played as Adam by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is friends with Seth Rogen, who is a producer and co-start of the film.
Rogen brings his real life to the role as Adam's best friend and rounding out the cast are Bryce Dallas Howard, Anna Kendrick, and Angelica Houston. I didn't realize it until I saw the credits online, but Reiser has a role in the film as a character named Greg.
So, knowing that, I'd ask him: What was it like to be a part of telling your story on screen, both writing it and then joining the cast?
Continuing on, I'd ask, did you have any hesitation about making your life into a film?
How did you contribute to the casting and with your character, Adam, how did you work with Gordon-Levitt to prepare him for the role?
Assuming Gordon-Levitt graciously accepted my interview request, I'd ask how he used Reiser's input to develop the role and about what other resources he found helpful. In The Lookout, for example, I know he spent time with people who had suffered a brain injury, so I wonder what approach he took to get to the levels he did as Adam.
I won't ever get the answers to those questions first hand, but I do know there is a lot of heart behind 50/50 and hope everyone takes the opportunity to see this film. It is hard to watch, it will make you laugh and cry, and you'll leave with a true glimpse of the ups-and-downs of life.
Acting-wise the cast is flawless and I felt Gordon-Levitt and Kendrick, as Adam and his therapist, had some of the most telling scenes. Outside of that and some of Adam's moments with his mother (Houston) Gordon-Levitt alone created some of the real tear-jerkers.
No matter how much viewers know about 50/50 before seeing it, the film and performances will surprise audiences and I'd be surprised if it and Gordon-Levitt aren't the subject of Oscar-season buzz.

The Rum Diary

"Let us leave this confusion and all this illusion behind," swoons Dean Martin in the opening credits to The Rum Diary as a plane weaves through the sky. Enter Johnny Depp as wayward American journalist Paul Kemp waking up in his Puerto Rico hotel room after a night of too many cocktails.

The movie, based on the novel of the same name by Hunter S. Thompson, follows main character Kemp as he writes for the San Juan Star under the spotty leadership of editor Lotterman (Richard Jenkins) in the 1950s. He meets and bonds with photographer Sala (Michael Rispoli) and an alcoholic religion and crime reporter Moburg, played by Giovanni Ribisi.

Kemp's purpose of being in Puerto Rico is a bit of a mystery as he spends his time writing horoscopes for the Star by day and exploring some of the darker side of the island with Sala and Moburg by night.
Kemp tries to almost make a life there as well, rubbing elbows with business-savvy Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart) on a development proposal.
But does he want to live the high life by not always following the rules, or continue to write for a struggling paper and expose the real story?
I didn't read The Rum Diary before I chose to see the movie, but when I do pick up the novel know I will enjoy matching the moving images of the story with Hunter S. Thompson's words.

Depp's performance is honest and humorous and the cast of characters help create the "illusion and confusion" referenced by Mr. Martin as Kemp tries to find his purpose on the island and in life.

Rispoli and Ribisi play Kemp's sidekicks well and Aaron Eckhart, while I'm not a big fan, is a perfect match for Sanderson's slightly villainous character.
Starlet Amber Heard as Chenault is the final piece to Kemp's purpose puzzle. Does he find romance on the island, or not?
I saw this movie a week ago today and feel it is one I could watch at any time, on any day. Of course the story focus on a journalist (and Johnny Depp as the main actor) drew me in, but I stayed for the escape into another life and another world. Isn't that what it's all about?

Adventures in Babysitting

It can be risky to rewatch nostalgic movies that seemed great in the 1980s and are connected to memories of your youth, but luckily Adventures in Babysitting is still as awesome as it was years ago. There's really no other word to describe it.
I've been reserving movies at the library lately and for some strange reason Adventures in Babysitting was available immediately while some more recent films on my list have 300 + requests. But, the 1987 Elisabeth Shue tale of a night of babysitting gone unrealistically wrong came to me just in time for a post-Halloween bash viewing while I enjoyed some couch time on Sunday. I love a good intro montage to "Then he kissed me" and thinking back to how at 17 I though Shue's character, Chris Parker, was so cool -- as did the kids she babysits for.
Some scenes did come off as more cheesy than I may have noticed whenever I watched this movie originally, but it didn't ruin my trip down memory lane. The 1980s clothes, music and references were a welcome flashback to the era I grew up in. If for ANY reason you have not see Adventures in Babysitting, watch it now. I should be bringing my copy back to the library tomorrow.
Moving on, I also rented Chinatown (which I have seen but want to again) and The Big Chill (which I have not seen) and I will report back. This will be a big week of movies for me. My sister Carla and I are going to check out an indie -- to be determined -- on Thursday. My mom also may be coming to visit for a movie weekend on Saturday and The Ides of March, Margin Call and The Rum Diary are all possibilities. I can't wait!!

Paranormal Activity 3

I don't want to jinx myself into suddenly having nightmares and being scared by Paranormal Activity 3, but after seeing it yesterday the movie is just an afterthought. The first Paranormal Activity left me with minor insomnia for weeks and the second was definitely up there on the fear factor charts, but the third prequel did not measure up. I wrote a full review of Paranormal Activity 3 today for "my" paper, the Oakdale-Lake Elmo Review, and I will post it here later this week. At a glance: while I'm impressed with the franchise overall, the third installment was a big disappointment.
I didn't divulge too many details in my newspaper review, and won't here either, but I do have a few things to further point out about the plot.
First of all, while it's been a trend in the Paranormal Activity series to slowly build up to the scary scenes, it took way too long here. And I would say a majority of the moments that did make me cringe or feel like I needed to close my eyes were duplicates or very similar to scenes from the original two.
Finally, considering the warning in one television commercial that the final 15 minutes of the movie would "mess you up for life," the conclusion was pretty ho-hum.
The end is where the plot takes a twist I did not like and goes too deep to explain the demonic force that has been the center of the Paranormal Activity story since its original release in 2007.
In my review today, I recommended for people who have seen Paranormal Activity and Paranormal Activity 2 to see No. 3 and then leave it at that. I saw it because I was curious where the film's plot would go and how scary it would be and I got my answer. Maybe there will be redemption in Paranormal Activity 4, but I think I've had enough.
There are a couple scary movies coming out this year that could restore my faith in the horror genre. I am too chicken to see The Devil Inside after the trailer came on in the theater yesterday, but I might give The Awakening a try. It seems in the same vein as The Orphanage (which I highly recommend) and McNutty from The Wire is one of the stars, so how bad could it be?

hitRECord

"Love is such a far reaching concept." (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)
When I first came across the website for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's collaborative production company, hitRECord, I knew two things: I want to blog about this and I want to blog about this with the secret hope "Regular Joe" sees it, wants to meet me, and we fall madly in love and get married.
So far, a total of ONE person found my blog by typing Joseph Gordon-Levitt into Google, so maybe it was him and we're destined to be together. OK, reality check, someone also came across my blog by searching "baby shower braces," so I am not going to rely on the use of the Internet to be connected to JGL, or any other romantic interest for that matter.
But I will use the Internet to explore the depths of hitRECord, which is a collaborative production company where artists of all sorts can contribute their work, either individually or as an addition to someone else's, and maybe get paid for it. According to "Regular Joe," when a piece of work submitted to the site makes money, the proceeds are split between the company and the artist 50/50.
When I have the moola to do so, I definitely plan on contributing by (until I maybe work up the courage to write something on the site) buying the first book/DVD/CD of work produced by the hitRECord folks entitled RECollection, volume 1.
Putting aside the huge crush I have on JGL, I really respect the film choices he makes and that respect grew tenfold after learning about his "by the people, for the people," production company.
There are endless works of photography, film, music, poetry and stories to browse through on the site and the hitRECord crew also does live shows. I really, really, really, hope they come to the Twin Cities someday, but in the meantime I'll be lost in my forever favorite website. And now I'm sharing it with you, go there!

Drive

I just saw Drive, and I'm kind of at a loss for (pink) words. This is rare for me since I usually have an easier time writing about a movie than talking about it, but I'll do my best.

Obviously I loved this movie, I knew that would be the case before I even watched it, now I just need to figure out what to say to give it justice. 

I'll start with one other obvious point, Ryan Gosling and the story he told in talk show interviews about how the film came to be were a big draw for me to see Drive. He said he was driving with the film's eventual director Nicolas Winding Refn and an REO Speedwagon song came on that prompted their decision to make a movie about a guy who drives around and listens to music.

The result: a story about a stunt/getaway driver who is as much of a bad guy as he is a hero. Throw in some 80s-sounding music, romance, mobsters and a lot of intense violence and you get Drive.

Gosling plays the aforementioned stunt/getaway driver who gets too involved in one of his jobs and has to protect himself and love interest, Irene (played by Carey Mulligan). Gosling's character is billed as Driver and, as far as I could tell, never says his real name. It is a subtle, but significant, detail that adds to the mystery about who his character really is.

After he gets involved in a driving job that doesn't go as he planned, Driver goes on a path to do anything he can to right the wrongs and especially protect Irene and her son.

I don't like violence, mainly because it turns me into the dork in the theater with her hands over her face, but it didn't turn me off from Drive. With this film, Gosling added mysterious bad ass to the list of roles he plays perfectly. Albert Brooks is getting rave reviews for his screen time and Bryan Cranston has a strong supporting part as Driver's boss/friend.

I hope everyone (just not the kiddies) sees Drive. I think it's a film that on the surface may look like something it's not (as in just another action flick), but if you're on the edge of deciding whether to see it, please give it a chance.

Moneyball and ...

Heyo to all my loyal readers (if you're out there) I feel that I've been neglecting my blog lately and now have two movies to dish about.

I saw Moneyball a couple weeks ago and after a discussion with my co-viewers (my mom and sister) have had many thoughts about the movie swirling around in my brain.

While Moneyball was an enjoyable film (other than the extremely annoying woman in the audience with the extremely annoying laugh and her use of it at extremely unnecessary moments), I still felt something was missing from the story.
What I do know is that Brad Pitt plays Oakland A's manager Billy Beane, known for his unconventional method to form a winning baseball team with players that don't require a big salary.
Moneyball is not supposed to be a strictly sports movie, like Major League, but more of a drama and for that reason I don't feel the writers went deep enough.
It's based on a true story and a book so they clearly had enough material to access, but I left the theater only understanding what Billy Beane did in his career as manager but not who he is as a person and how that influenced his choices.
I am not really sure what caused the movie to fall short of its potential, especially with the library of other work by the screenwriters and the fact that the author of the Billy Beane book had his hands in the project too. For me, writers Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin took Moneyball and placed it below the caliber of films they could, and have, put together. I wasn't nearly as disappointed in Moneyball, again because it was overall an enjoyable movie, than in Social Network so maybe Zaillian had more writing influence than Sorkin.
My last complaint, whether this is because of the writing mishaps in bringing the true story to the big screen or the actors themselves, I don't feel Brad Pitt and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are in roles that fit their skill.
Basically, something was missing there too. While they, and Jonah Hill, had chemistry on screen I felt the cast just didn't match this movie.
I've recommended this movie to friends and coworkers, even if they were planning on seeing it anyway, because I think my reaction to Moneyball could be simply a matter of opinion. My mom and sister and I overall happened to agree about the "missing" story, but critics and box office reports show Moneyball is resonating with viewers.

If anything, I think that's because Moneyball will appeal to different demographics rather than a target audiences of  rom-coms or horror movies. Men and women, baseball fans or not, will probably take something away from Moneyball. If you do and happen to read this, let me know what you think.

Since I have no appropriate transition to insert here, I am just going to go ahead and talk about the other movie I finished recently, Jake Gyllenhaal's Source Code.

Can Gyllenhaal save the day by reliving eight minutes on a Chicago train with a bomb on it over and over again? I really have no idea. Source Code is a very entertaining movie and it's a good thing because when it came down to the nitty gritty details in the plot, I was a bit lost at times. That's not to say I am too focused on explosions and eye candy (Gyllenhaal) to pay attention; the plot is just a little confusing and Source Code would probably take another screening to catch all the details I missed the first time around. So ladies (who may like the ending more) and gentlemen, check out Source Code and I hope to be back soon when I finally get to see Drive.

Contagion

Definition of contagion:
a. A contagious disease
b. The transmission of a disease by direct or indirect contact
c. A disease-producing agent (as a virus)
d. A people-centered, realistic movie about all of the above

The fact that Contagion, in part, takes place in Minneapolis doesn't help in remembering that it's just a movie about a worldwide disease outbreak, not the actual thing.
I (surprisingly) wasn't as paranoid about germs after seeing the movie as some audiences I've heard about, but the simple series of events Soderbergh chose to lead to the death of millions and millions of people certainly put the effect of a pandemic in perspective.
Contagion starts in with Gwyneth Paltrow's character, Beth, traveling from Hong Kong to Minneapolis and subsequently becoming sick with a deadly virus that quickly infects more and more people. Her husband Mitch, played by Matt Damon, is immune, leaving him to show the human side of what the disease outbreak causes in society while the world around him resorts to violence and stealing. As more people begin to get sick and die across the world, Soderbergh breaks apart the crisis from the standpoint of Homeland Security, the Minnesota Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization, as well as the media.The film is shown as a race against time while researchers try to create a vaccine to fight the virus as well as find its source.
For me, a film like this could easily turn into one big scare tactic with over the top results, but Sodebergh effectively kept the topic and his cast on a short leash. Simply, and it's not a bad thing, what's scary about Contagion is how believable it is. At no point in the film is there a worldwide war zone, zombies, aliens or some freak accident that caused the virus to spread. There is certainly violence as a result of the disease when people are fighting to survive, but, sadly, in the events that take place it's all human nature that can't be controlled.
I'd say all of the acting performances in Contagion are level with each other, but that's a good thing.
All the characters are fighting for something in their own sector of society and I don't think the actors were meant to shine over each other, but focus on telling a story as if it were actually happening to them.
Of course I have a bias toward Matt Damon on any day and I think he fit the role of Mitch well. For the most interesting character, I'd pick Jude Law's blogging journalist who interjects himself into the disease crisis to experience it first hand.
If Contagion fell short anywhere, the plot surrounding Marion Cotillard's character (a doctor with the World Health Organization) wasn't tied in to all the other events as much as it should have been. It made sense, but fell away from the story at times, then reappeared.
Overall, Contagion comes off as original in the "disease outbreak" genre and I appreciate that Soderbergh and his cast kept the story, despite its many complicated elements, human.

How Did This Get Made?

Podcasts are my new obsession. It all started with a friend's recommendation to check out How Did This Get Made? with Paul Scheer. I thought I could handle one and was pleased to discover something else to listen to on the way to and from work, although I will always love The Current.
The premise of HDTGM is simple, it's about bad movies (so bad they're awesome) and people talking about bad movies. Scheer and his costars see a bad movie and then break it apart scene by scene and play clips of the dialogue. There's also a guest star in each episode to add to the regular cast. At the end they involve a listener challenge, asking fans to give their take on the movies or think of alternative titles/endings. I've made it through their renditions of Smurfs, The Green Lantern, The Tourist, Mac and Me and The Back Up Plan so far and I'm hooked. I actually haven't seen any of those movies, but could listen to the HDTGM folks talk about them all day long.
Then there's all the podcasts I found related to this one and all of a sudden my computer is almost out of memory. I have yet to delve into the Nerdist recordings I've heard about with Chris Hardwick, Doug Love Movies, and don't even get me started on the library of Breaking Bad talks I have waiting in my queue.
I feel like I've seriously been living under a rock as far as the podcast world is concerned and with the amount of time I spend in the car in a given week, it's a true shame all that listening time has been wasted.
Luckily I'm driving to see my parents in Wisconsin tomorrow so I've got 4 hours or so each way, with a fun-filled family visit in between, to catch up.
Signing off now ... must ... download ... more .... podcasts.

Weekend picks

Upon checking the film releases this weekend and reviewing my record of must-sees, I could probably spend the next three days camped out at the multi-plex. I don't think the fall movie season has officially started, so I have a lot of work to do if I am going to keep up. Realistically I hope to see at least one of these films this weekend: Our Idiot Brother, 3D Shark Night, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, Bellflower or The Whistleblower.
In the meantime I can recommend some options based on what I have seen recently, both in the theater and on DVD.

For starters, thank goodness Crazy, Stupid, Love is still in theaters because everyone needs to see it, plain and simple. If I didn't have other film priorities, I'd probably go to it again, I liked it that much. Ladies drag your dates to this one or gather your pals together, heck see it by yourself, I don't care. I may be a little biased here because I've become obsessed with Mr. Ryan Gosling lately, but this movie deserves a first, and second, and third, look. It's like that popular song on the radio you can't get out of your head -- think anything in the Foster the People catalog.
Gosling and his washboard abs star as Jacob, a womanizer who takes Steve Carell's character Cal Weaver under his wing after going through a divorce with his wife Emily (Julianne Moore). Fortunately for audiences, this movie does not go down the rom-com tubes with its plot and has very smart writing. And the cast is the tops with Marisa Tomei, Emma Stone and Jonah Bobo as a kid I actually liked in a movie. Most of the time his type of character is just plain annoying, but Bobo's performance landed on my good side. As Cal and Emily's son Robbie, Bobo masters the angst of an eighth-grader watching his parents' marriage fall apart without coming off as trying too hard or falling into the cliches associated with such a character.
Steve Carell plays the role like he does in most of his other movies -- almost to the point you think that's how he is in real life. True or not, it makes the character seem real to the audience and the entire cast had strong chemistry on screen.
I am sure it will be a stretch to get any guy to see this movie, but my advice is to give it a try.

If they do, a reward could be a viewing of the oldie but goodie Strange Brew.

My friends and I were lucky enough to see it on the big screen last weekend at the Lake Harriet Music and Movies in the park. Sadly it was the last installment of the event and we only just heard about it that week. But the completely weird, crazy and hilarious Strange Brew delivered a fine end-of-the-summer experience. I'll definitely be back in the audience next summer and hope the event organizers replay some of this year's choices such as Pee Wee's Big Adventure and The Labryinth or something of the like. I am sure I am one of the few people that took this long to be on the Strange Brew bandwagon, so I don't need to bother explaining what it's about. Just pop in the DVD this weekend and open a bottle of beer, it's beauty.

My last selection may be a little obscure but if you like indie films, check out Ceremony on DVD. The 2010 release stars Michael Angarano as Sam Davis, a hopeless romantic who crashes the wedding of a woman he met only met once, played by Uma Thurman.

Ever since I achieved my film fanatic status, a good indie is still my favorite genre. There can be unknown or established actors (obviously The Bride Uma Thurman is not a new face in Hollywood) and I enjoy plots that end with some soul searching by the viewer. In the case of Ceremony, the quirky backdrop of a hippie beach wedding and a remote retro hotel create a unique touch and add to the appeal of the film. Most indies I see provide the opportunity to interject myself into the plot and ask, what would I do?

Would I drag my friend on a road trip to reunite with a lost love or do nothing and risk never knowing what would have happened? Ceremony may not please all audiences, but it took a potentially complex and heavy plot and turned it around to be as happy as it is sad. 

Hope those suggestions provide something for everyone, relax and enjoy the show!

Fright Night

I survived one of three horror movies I plan to see in the coming months, Fright Night. This movie is seriously fun, not scary, and I liked it, a lot. Based on the 1985 original, which I did not see, the modern version features Colin Farrell as a neighborly (and hot) vampire hiding out in suburban Las Vegas.

Enter McLovin from Superbad as Ed, a nerdy teen who knows something is up with Farrell's character, Jerry. Ed tries to warn his friend, Charley, who lives next to Jerry, about his blood-sucking tendencies and pays the price. Charley, played by Anton Yelchin, is the hero in this high school student haunt.

Fright Night doesn't stray too far from the standard horror movie requirements where characters fearlessly run into the villain's house and areas they can't escape from; weapons malfunction; and, well, a lot of people die. But in this case they also come back to life as evil monsters of the night.
How does Charley save the day? Well spilling the beans would take the fun out of this movie if you decide to see it, so I'll leave the plot at that.
I will say I am thankful the writers managed to limit the cheese factor in Fright Night and added in some solid humor, especially in Farrell's lines. The Dublin-born actor does well as a sexy/evil vampire and monster.

My only disappointment with Fright Night was the effects because there just weren't enough of them and I am glad I didn't see the movie in 3D.

Overall, you'll have fun if you see Fright Night and I am satisfied my Halloween movie season started off on this note. With Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark and Paranormal Activity 3 on my agenda next, I don't think I'll be so lucky.

The Royal Tenenbaums

"In fact virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums had been erased by two decades of betrayal, failure and disaster."

But there's always chance for redemption in The Royal Tenenbaums.

I recently purchased The Criterion Collection DVD of the film, thanks to a super sale at Barnes and Noble, and needed to revisit it as research for an upcoming costume-related holiday.

Research purposes or not, this is one of my favorite movies to watch.
It's individualistic and quirky mixed in with a dose of sad and happy. I especially enjoy that it's a film where the actors play roles you've never seen them in before and never will again. Especially Gene Hackman, who plays the self-described asshole Royal Tenenbaum. (If you haven't seen it, don't worry, he grows on you).

"You know who I am, I'm Royal. Have you heard of me?"

Royal visits his family for the first time in 17 years to share the news that he is sick with stomach cancer. While of course that doesn't go well, eventually his presence brings peace to the Tenenbaums and he makes up for his past mistakes, which is what he set out to do in the first place.

Usually I don't watch the special features with any DVD, but with the opportunity to have more of a glimpse into Wes Anderson's mind, I just might. He wrote in an enclosure with the DVD that The Royal Tenenbaums contains more unnecessary visual detail than his other films combined and even includes a map of all the elements to look out for.

That's what makes this film. The story is deep and dynamic enough that meaning after meaning can be taken away from it during each viewing and on top of that there is fun stuff to look at in the background. Like the game closet, for example. Add in one of my favorite movie soundtracks ever, and all is right in the world.
Happy weekend!

Beginners

Here's the Top 5 reasons why Beginners is the tops. 

1. Arthur the dog

2. Writer/director Mike Mills' use of flashbacks to portray a series of beginnings in the characters lives (and that it's an original script)
3. 1993 Chicken McNuggets (you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it, and yes I said when, not if)

4. Stealing roller skates

5. I like Ewan McGregor now, and Melanie Laurent even more.

Page One: Inside The New York Times



David Carr

I've been dying to see Page One: Inside The New York Times since it hit the Minneapolis box office a few weeks ago and the documentary recently made it onto my short list blog. THEN I learned yesterday was the last day it had a full docket of showtimes over at the Lagoon theater and this weekend it would only be available at 9:40 p.m. What's up with that? I expected the documentary would be playing longer given the legacy of the subject matter, but all good things must come to an end, I guess.
After making the deadline to see it last night, I find it unbelievable all the news they were able to fit into just under two hours of film. In reality, there is so much content to focus on about The Gray Lady that I could still be sitting in the theater right now. That would be fine by me. Andrew Rossi and his crew created a voyeuristic experience about The New York Times starting with its coverage of Wikileaks in 2010 and weaving through its history, including publication of the Pentagon Papers and more recent controversies caused by reporters Jayson Blair and Judith Miller.
Everyone on camera had nothing to hide as they gladly read aloud their nutgraphs and allowed interviews with top sources to be filmed. In a more humbling and heartbreaking moment, camera crews captured one day where the paper had to layoff 100 employees.
Then, the voyeurism increases with commentary from folks on the outside at journalism summits with the likes of Arianna Huffington, David Simon and Daily Kos blog creator Markos Moulitsas. All their views are enlightening, and a little bit scary, takes on mainstream media alongside the blog-o-sphere and online journalism. Newspaper moguls Carl Bernstein and Gay Talese, author of The Kingdom and the Power, also made appearances in candid interviews.

Most enjoyable to me was the focus on David Carr and his rise up from being addicted to crack and in jail to being a fixture at The New York Times as a reporter covering trends in media, including at the very paper he works at. Following Carr, the documentary includes scenes shot in Minneapolis as well as in New York as he spent weeks on a piece about the bankruptcy of the Tribune Company. He told his editor he was going to spend two weeks reporting on it and one week writing it. Now there's a man after my own journalistic heart.
"If you write about the media long enough, eventually you'll type your way to your own doorstep," Carr said.
He also said in the documentary that most often when he finishes an interview for an article, the source will ask him, "What's going to happen to The New York Times?"
As Carr put many people who challenged the institution in their place during the documentary, the answer appears to be nothing, and everything.
The documentary message rested on this: The public role of journalism and ground floor reporting of mainstream, historical media like The New York Times is everlasting.
Any journalist will certainly be fascinated with this glimpse into the fine print of one the most powerful news agencies in the world, but I strongly recommend everyone take a peek at it.

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger

Woody Allen movies often remind me of plays. From the music, ensemble cast -- but with few people in each scene -- to the sense there are no cameras separating the characters from the audience, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger is no exception.
This time Allen chose Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins and Josh Brolin to lead his story about love, deception and failure all set against the backdrop of the fantasy of fortune telling.
All the characters essentially want what they can't have in their marriage or career, or both, and those who go for the forbidden get burned a little bit. This isn't a drama or a thriller, but the phrase You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger is not as romantic as it sounds.
How Allen weaves these stories in a way that looks so effortless is beyond me, but all that matters is his films provide everything that an on screen escape should.
While in Allen films there typically are not "spoilers," the ups and downs of the characters, from significant to subtle, are not to be known until you see this film. The unknown adds to the mystery and, as Naomi Watts' character Sally says, "Sometimes the illusions are better than the medicine."
I will say that line is one recited by the narrator near the end of the film, and I am still trying to tie in the William Shakespeare quote provided at the beginning: "Life was full of sound and fury and in the end signified nothing."
There is a sense in the film that perhaps some of the characters' wishes and wants and losses don't mean anything, so perhaps that's the connection. Regardless, what I like most about Allen's films is they can be deep and thought-provoking as little or as much as you want.
With that, I turned off my DVD player as the credits rolled with a sense of whimsy and enjoyment. Perhaps most of all because of the opening and closing song and my favorite lyric in it: "When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true."

Short list

When I saw the trailer for Gus Van Zant's Restless this week, I rushed to add the title to the list of must-see movies I keep saved on my computer desktop. I added it and then browsed through the list to delete some movies I've seen recently, only to notice Restless was already sitting at No. 15

Uh oh. When I start doubling up on listing films I would rush to the cinema to see I think it's time to narrow it down a bit. Starting with the aforementioned Gus Van Zant release, I am not sure what prompted its first addition to my list, but the trailer certainly sealed the deal. Restless focuses on the relationship between Annabel (Mia Wasikowska) and Enoch (Henry Hopper). Annabel, diagnosed with a terminal illness, falls in love with Enoch who spends his time attending funerals and with the ghost of a Japanese WWII kamikaze pilot only he can see. Van Zant's creative mind translates to complex, moving stories on screen and I hope he mixes in a silver lining to the plot of Restless.
Moving on to my next genre, Matt Damon (who was in Van Zant's Good Will Hunting and Gerry), has a role in  the Steven Soderbergh thriller, Contagion, due in theaters in September. A disease outbreak and the destruction it causes are at the center of the plot, which doesn't sound all that original. But the top-notch cast, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard and Jude Law in addition to Damon, should carry it through.

For films in theaters now, I am going to try to get out to see Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times or Beginners next and I am intrigued about whether Crazy, Stupid, Love will deliver when it drops in theaters July 29. It looks to be a rom-com but the ensemble cast, Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore and Marisa Tomei, is a step above most so I hope it doesn't fall into the standard formula of most love stories. Ok, so this list isn't so short anymore, but I think it's manageable. In the indie film realm, I'm of course anxiously awaiting Miranda July's The Future. And, The Muppets is my pick for animated fare mixed with real-life actors, Amy Adams and Jason Segel, who wrote the screenplay.

Finally, when it comes to action/adventure/comic books The Dark Knight Rises isn't due until next year but I've enjoyed all of Christopher Nolan's films in the series AND this installment has Joseph Gordon Levitt in it. I heard a sneak peak of the trailer is shown before the Harry Potter movie out now. I haven't seen any of the Harry Potter series, but could stand to watch it to get a glimpse of what Batman will be up to. Too many movies, too little time!

The Witches of Eastwick

If there is anything I know for sure about Hollyweird, if you need  an actor to play a strange, sadistic, criminal, crazy or downright evil character, Jack Nicholson is the man.

Certainly if I were making a movie that required such acting props, he'd be in it.

Then there's the other side to Nicholson, shown in roles he's pulled off flawlessly like Melvin in As Good as it Gets. He can sign on to box office blunders like The Bucket List and Something's Gotta Give and still keep his strong reputation among film fanatics, at least me anyway.

Nicholson can do no wrong in my book. Even as a devilish character with a greasy ponytail and off-kilter costumes, the professional accolades start rolling in.

Nicholson received best actor nods from the New York Circle Film Critics, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films USA for playing the wild Daryl Van Horne in the 1987 film, The Witches of Eastwick.

I'm guilty of owning the DVD for some time and never pulling it off the shelf, but it made for a perfect movie night selection when my friend Alicia and I resumed our weekly tradition on Monday.

Nicholson is joined by Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer in the kooky tale of three women wishing for the perfect man. They concoct a spell based on their criteria and poof, Daryl Van Horne storms into Eastwick.
It certainly shakes things up a bit when the other residents suffer the wrath of Van Horne sweeping through town in his bathrobe and high tops with his faithful servant, Fidel.

I am glad I chose this title out of the others in my collection I still need to see. Witches of Eastwick has something for everyone and I was initially drawn in by the chick flick mantra when Alexandra (Cher), Jane (Sarandon) and Sukie (Pfeiffer) create the vision for Van Horne over pitchers of martinis while complaining about the men in their lives.
From there the tale expands into comedy and science fiction. It did get just plain weird at times, but, I liked it.
Nicholson seduces each of the women individually and then to have them all live happily ever after at his mansion. But is that what these 1980s "witches" really want? Did they wish for the
wrong man and being ousted from town and their jobs forever? If they wanted to escape from ho-hum Eastwick, possibly.
But it's not that serious, rather a chance to see spells, voodoo and scenes akin to The Exorcist without the fright factor.
I haven't read the John Updike book where the film originated from, but I imagine the narrative of Witches of Eastwick is even more intriguing than the on screen version.
Like I said, Witches of Eastwick is very weird, but when Nicholson completely lets loose to capture Van Horne's mesmerizing and strange character and woo the audience, I was spellbound.

Animal Kingdom

Going into watching Animal Kingdom, I knew there would be some similarities between it and The Town. I saw The Town, written and directed by Ben Affleck, with my sister Carla and brother-in-law Jack and they saw Animal Kingdom when it came out on DVD. Carla compared the Australian drama to Affleck's American bank-robber tale so I was interested to see how so when I watched Animal Kingdom this weekend. Although it had been some time since I had seen The Town, I did notice a tie between the family dynamic in each of the two pictures.

In The Town, the "family" isn't all related by blood, but the relationship is similar to a brotherhood and that of the characters in Animal Kingdom.
Both "families" have a tie to crime they can't escape, even if they want to, and there is a leader everyone tends to be a bit scared of.

The title of Animal Kingdom is synonymous with the relationship between the members of the Cody family in the sense that they need to survive on their own as much as they need to survive together.

What I can say about the plot, without spoiling the movie, is J's mom dies and at age 17 he is forced into the care of his grandma, Janine "Smurf" Cody.

She has three sons, Darren, Craig and Andrew, nicknamed "Pope." J's mom shielded him from this side of their family, but when she died they took him into their home and the criminal lifestyle they see as normal.

In Animal Kingdom the life of crime is balanced on screen with the emotion and aftermath of the Cody's actions. There is just enough of how they orchestrate their crimes to get a taste of who is bad and who appears willing to do anything to remain loyal to their family, even if they know it's not right.

"Smurf" Cody is seen as the matriarch, but as the family starts to unravel she doesn't always know what to do or, as she says, how to find a bright side to their problems.

As J begins to understand the family dynamic he's been sheltered from and police become increasingly involved, he needs to decide whether he needs to be protected from his own family or if he can overcome their control, primarily Uncle Pope.

There, J is similar to Ben Affleck's character, Doug MacRay, in The Town. They are faced with survival or family loyalty and in the end both films center on the weight of those decisions.

I wouldn't say you'd appreciate Animal Kingdom or The Town more if you see them both and see The Town first like I did, but having that comparison did help me understand the purpose of the stories: Survival of the fittest.

Somewhere

I'd rather be Somewhere but here. I found myself smiling while watching Sofia Coppola's latest film, Somewhere. I was drawn into the voyeuristic film style and relationship of the characters, mainly Johnny and Cleo, immediately. Stephen Dorff is Johnny, a Hollywood actor going through the motions while living at the Chateau Marmont Hotel and Elle Fanning is his daughter, Cleo. She shows up after her mom leaves town, allowing Johnny to spend more time with her and see his life through her eyes. The dialogue grows somewhat throughout the film, but the non-verbal communication between Johnny and Cleo resonates more with the viewer than the words they speak -- similar in some ways to Bob and Charlotte in Lost in Translation. Coppola chose a simple plot and subtle actions to show the depths of human struggle in the Somewhere. She weaves through Johnny's story and Cleo's more permanent presence in his life frame by frame, taking the viewer into each scene to experience it all. I can't say everyone will appreciate this film, but I do think everyone should give it a try. Just remember in Somewhere it's not important what happens on the surface, but beneath it.

Fracture

I came across a replay of Fracture on TV recently and, not being entirely sure I had ever seen the whole film, needed to rent it on Netflix ASAP. Ryan Gosling cast as one of the lead characters sweetened the deal, of course.

I've been a fan of Gosling since Half Nelson and his range as an actor is evident from it, Fracture, Lars and the Real Girl, and last year's stunning Blue Valentine. I wasn't surprised by the depths Gosling was able to go to to play one half of a struggling married couple in Derek Cianfrance's film, especially after he and Michelle Williams had been dedicated to the roles for years before its release.
Perhaps Fracture is not as serious of a project and the plot is a little weak, but Gosling acted with the same caliber and made the movie.
In the cat-and-mouse "legal thriller" Gosling is a newbie assistant district attorney, Willy Beachum, who secures a gig at a big private legal firm just as he takes an attempted murder case at the end of his job with the city of Los Angeles.
Anthony Hopkins is the defendant in the case, Tom Crawford, on trial for shooting his wife.
Crawford clearly had a plan from the get-go on how to escape a conviction, but Beachum knows there is more to the story and ends up one step ahead.
Crawford represents himself in the trial, which may be possible, but just seemed too unrealistic. I know it's a movie, but the believability of the cop investigation and trial process were a little off. Perhaps it was all part of showing how a young attorney thrust into a high-profile Los Angeles crime would work through taking the investigation to trial, and winning the case.
Having now finished the film, I don't think I had seen it in its entirety after all and recommend it to Gosling fans as perhaps one of his lesser-known roles. The supporting cast isn't so bad either with David Strathairn as Beachum's boss at the district attorney's office and Rosamund Pike as his associate at the private law firm and romantic interest.

All in all, Fracture is a solid film and certainly didn't lessen my admiration for Gosling by any means. At that, I just had to check what he's up to next. 

I've already seen multiple previews for Crazy Stupid Love where Gosling joins Steve Carrell, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei and Emma Stone as what appears to be a studly character who knows a thing or two about charming the ladies. I am sure there is more to the plot than that, but since Gosling's got a second bill in the cast, I'm there.

Next is George Clooney's The Ides of March, which I've been eyeing up for a while, and a return to working with Derek Cianfrance in 2013's The Place Beyond the Pines.

Gosling has lined up comedy, drama, action and maybe a little sci-fi with his role announced in Logan's Run, and I'll take it all. Even as Gosling's career seems to be catapulting into the realm of super stardom, he's got smart roles lined up and likely won't sell out into rom-com land or comic book movies. Not that I wouldn't see those, either.