Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol

From what I've heard, the time of year is approaching when new releases worth seeing in the movie theater are few and far between. Surely all the Golden Globe winners (after Sunday) and soon-to-be Oscar nominated films will be in theaters for the time being, but if you're lucky enough to have seen all of those and made it to The Muppets, then what? I kind of can't believe I'm saying this, but check out Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. We were going to see the new Sherlock Holmes but decided on Mission: Impossible instead due to mixed reviews of the Robert Downey Jr. flick.
Mission: Impossible definitely was not my top choice of what is in theaters now, but I actually found the movie entertaining for the full 2.5 hours.

That is really long for a big-budget popcorn movie, but I didn't even realize that much time had gone by until we left the theater.

For the record, I've always been indifferent about Tom Cruise as an actor and he really didn't make or break the movie for me. However I just might become a crazed fan of the Mission: Impossible franchise if rumors that Jeremy Renner's Ghost Protocol character, William Brandt, could be the next lead agent are true.
Renner plays an "analyst" in Ghost Protocol who turns out to be secret agent material alongside Cruise.
Cruise reportedly did his own stunts in the movie and whether that's the case or not I will say they were pretty fantastic if you're into that sort of thing. My partner in crime at this movie was literally on the edge of his seat during some scenes.
He and other viewers have director Brad Bird, of Pixar fame, and action giant J.J. Abrams as producer to thank for that and I suppose Cruise -- again if you're into that sort of thing.
I imagine for fans of Abrams' latest work in the action movie realm that a little known fact is he co-created one of the best shows ever to air on TV -- in my opinion -- Felicity. How he changed from a four-year series based on a college student following her high school crush to New York to projects where things blow up a lot is a mystery to me, but I digress. (To be clear, I am not criticizing Abrams because his IMDB resume does show a lot of street cred and smart choices, but Felicity is still my favorite project of his.)
Anyway, moving back to secret agents and million-dollar BMWs, I feel I don't even need to describe the plot of Mission: Impossible since I knew nothing about this installment before going to the theater. Basically Ethan Hunt returns to the secret agent game to prevent a nuclear weapon from destroying the world by using every gadget, fast car and fight move possible. Then, Ghost Protocol happens and agents in IMF are pinpointed as the bad guys and need to go undercover to accomplish their mission to save the world.
Again, Cruise was really just an afterthought in the movie for me but Renner and the tech guy for IMF Benji (Simon Pegg) turned out performances that gave Mission: Impossible just a little bit more substance and comic relief at times.
I also enjoyed that Renner's character was masked as the smart, quiet guy but he really could fight off the bad guys just as much as Ethan Hunt.
I would hope, if there is a No. 5 to Mission: Impossible, Renner stays on board and Bird and Abrams continue to be attached to the project. Bird mastered his first live action film very well with Mission: Impossible and frankly the franchise doesn't need yet another set of creators to put their spin on it. Abrams produced Mission: Impossible III and I think now that he and Bird found each other in Hollywood they should stick with the partnership.
We missed the trailers before the movie, but should you accept the mission to succumb to watching Cruise and the gang in the theater, I heard there is an extended peak of the new Batman movie at the beginning.

The Descendants

I've been a bit behind on my blog, but still have been slowly plugging away at my pre-Oscar season movie list. I made it through The Descendants last week and before that saw Hugo. Luckily the two are completely different films because I would have a hard time deciding which one is more deserving in the best picture category.

But I also think that's the least important factor when it comes to The Descendants. I've had many a conversation about the film in the last week but it's been difficult to express my thoughts about the layers of this story and its meanings into writing.
On the surface, the story is of Hawaiian native Matt King (George Clooney) and his plight to raise his two daughters while his wife Elizabeth is in a coma after a boating accident. He is also involved in the final days of a decision whether to sell family land to a developer and split the money with his relatives or do nothing.
Those two plot points are very significant and telling in the film, but the lasting impact is director and writer Alexander Payne's perfect mix of emotion and realism in adapting Kaui Hart Hemmings' novel to the big screen.
Clooney and the young actresses who play his daughters Scottie (Amara Miller) and Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) come in here and deliver some of the most emotional scenes I've seen in a movie lately. Payne directs those scenes to show the power of human nature over emotion rather than to simply have his actors do their best cry on screen and have the audience join in.
Payne slowly builds the dynamic of the characters' relationships for the viewer as he does the climax of this chapter of their lives.
After Elizabeth's accident and coma, members of the King family had to start to repair their strained relationships without being able to directly communicate with her. Many of the scenes focus on secrets, loss and blame and in those scenarios Payne and the actors kept the emotion reined in just enough so as to not overshadow reality.
An example, which was one of the most telling and memorable scenes in the movie for me, is when Matt finds out Elizabeth was having an affair with another man before her accident. King's response is a mixture of sadness and anger and he actually goes to the hospital where Elizabeth is and verbally expresses that to her.
The scene was hard to watch, but didn't cause an emotional flood of tears for me because Matt's need to confront his wife as if she were able to respond was simply human nature.
Overall, I would say what I enjoyed most about Payne's approach to developing the story and characters in The Descendants is I didn't feel the need to ask: What would I do if I were in that situation?
I do often try to apply films to my own life or involuntarily can relate to them in some way, but I left The Descendants with the humble feeling that I have no idea what the King family could possibly be going through if I did know them.
The Descendants is unique in that regard and most of all carries the lesson that in times of change -- good or bad, sad or happy, we're all human.

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.