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Movie Review: The Fantastic Mr. Fox November 29, 2009

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A stop-motion film based on the novel by Roald Dahl, you realize shortly into Fantastic Mr. Fox that it is not an average animated effort. It opens with an English rhyme about the movie’s villains, a rhyme that rules over the animals who are the main characters in the story.

Boggis and Bunce and Bean,
One fat, one short, one lean.
These horrible crooks, so different in looks.
Were nonetheless equally mean.

But that is later down the road for Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) and his wife Felicity (Meryl Streep), who are first shown raiding a chicken farm when a fox trap is triggered upon them. Felicity tells Mr. Fox she is pregnant, and makes him promise to find a safer job for his family. Two years later, the Mr. and Mrs. are living in a hole with their son Ash (Jason Schwatzman). Mr. Fox, now a newspaper columnist convinced no one is reading his column, decides to move his family into an affordable tree across from three crooks, which is where Boggis, Bunce and Bean come in. From a tiring of his domesticated life or being the wild animal he knows he is, Mr. Fox makes plans to steal the Boggis’s chickens, Bunce’s geese, and Bean’s apple cider, dragging his opossum landlord Kylie with him in the process. These plans eventually put his family and friends in jeopardy when they are tried to be digged out of their homes. Meanwhile, Ash faces a problem of his own when his cousin Kristofferson moves in,  and becomes the son Mr. Fox wishes he had.

To name one thing, director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore) has created a breathtaking  world, one of the most inspired I have seen. It is hard to believe how realistic the texture on each of the miniatures used in the movie are. The animals have real fur that move so well it is uncanny. You could say that  the art design of Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of the factors that adds to the movie’s appeal. All the animals have a human-like depth to them; none of them act like they are in a cartoon, willing to slow down what they are doing for their audience. This makes you want to care about them, rather than caring because you should. You understand what Mr. Fox is going through between his family and his instincts, because of how easy the film makes it to do so. Though it is animated, these characters are more heartfelt than anything I have seen in a while.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is the best animated movie of the year (sorry Pixar), and a triumph in the genre. It helps that it is very funny, always with its own timeless sense of comic wit, never using pop culture references that would be dated months after the movie comes out. It uses ideas that few other animated works would dare to use, but is always accessable to a very wide audience, proving that family films do not have to be dumbed down to enjoy. By going against the norm, it manages to make an urgent connection with the viewer, one I certainly did not expect to find, but makes Fantastic Mr. Fox all the more engaging.  And that is a paw hopefully anyone can raise to. Movie Jacuzzi Temperature: 98º

Short Take: Up June 26, 2009

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Put as simply as possible, Pixar has done it again. Up is unlike anything the studio as ever done, and at times it takes such big risks it could have been a disaster, like talking dogs (the CGI film cliche) or an old man and a boy scout having adventures in South America, but everything works and works well. Character development, like most of the films from the studio, will make Carl and Russell feel more real than the animation showing them. Though it may sound like the hyperbole to end all hyperbole, you may find yourself on the verge of tears sometimes, whether it be of sadness, laughter, or sheer joy. I could not be more positive this will be one of the best Summer 2009 films and one of the year’s greats in general. You didn’t really expect anything else, did you?

Movie Jacuzzi Temperature: A boiling 100°

Movie Review: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian May 23, 2009

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Though it was a film snobby critics loved to look down upon, I still enjoyed the 2006 Night at the Museum. It carried a decent plot with better-than-decent laughs, and while perfect it’s a film kids would love (and oh, how they did) and I could accept that. Consider it a guilty pleasure, but either way I was worried about the sequel made only because of the first one’s massive success, because no matter how bigger and better they try, the film’s purpose would feel like another quick buck and little more. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian throws every idea they have at the wall, probably more so than the first, and whether it sticks or not is entirely dependant on the viewer. About as much stuck as I thought would. This movie is everything you would expect to the point you could guess which scene came next. Nothing more, but at least nothing less. As one in many recent films where the story seems to be one of its weakest factors (and yes, Star Trek is included in that too), good performances, solid comedy and strong special effects make up for a poor way to schlep these characters to a new backdrop. Kids will probably love this one more than the original, and others will tolerate it, or maybe even like it. Which means the people behind this movie have done their job well. Right?

We meet up with Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) a while after he left his job as the nightguard at the Museum of Natural History running Daley Devices, who sells and manufactures his inventions in a very ‘as seen on TV’ approach. Returning to the museum, Larry learns from museum head Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais, who is given very little to do here) that they are closing for renovations, and most of the exhibits will be moving to the Federal Archives in Washington D.C- the Smithsonian. But along with Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) and other characters, the tablet of Arkmenrah that makes museums come to life at night will not be transferred. That is, unless one of the monkeys takes in along for the ride, and all pieces in the 19 Smithsonian museums come to life, including the evil Kah Mun Rah (Hank Azaria), who will use the tablet to rise the underworld and rule again.

In an effort to save his not-real friends from this not-real bad guy, Larry heads to D.C and finds a wax sculpture of Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), and together the two try and figure out the combination to the tablet before the museum pieces are harmed. Along the way, they meet The Thinker, complete with a Brooklyn accent and ‘fire powah’, a bunch of Einstein bobble heads, and some Cherubs that sing an awful lot like the Jonas brothers. Oh yeah, there is a second monkey, too. But there are so many characters, way more than I could list in one review, but so little time to be with them. Even Darth Vader and Oscar the Grouch are confined to what we saw from them in the advertisements. Luckily we do get to see a lot of the fun guys. Azaria was really funny and a decent foe for Stiller and pals, something the first movie lacked in, and Adams gives enough life (no pun intended) to Earhart for you to care about her. Her chemestry with Stiller is good too. Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan as miniature figures are also worthy of their larger roles this time around. But with lots of stuff going on, the movie often loses its focus and drags out until the finish line.

And when Museum is not overwhelming, it can be boring. It takes the movie 20 minutes to have the Smithsonian come to life, but at least when it does the movie becomes entertaining. Like the first, it is not a movie I see holding up well upon multiple viewings, nor is it something I would really try to watch again. But there is enough here to create a film that differs from the original in its own fun way. I’m not the target audience, so there is little I can say other than if you like this stuff, you will like this stuff. It is certainly a bigger night, and maybe a better one too. Movie Jacuzzi Temperature: 80° (B-)

Picture Citation: www.collider.com

Movie Review: Angels & Demons May 17, 2009

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I think it is best that for the majority of this review, I resist mentioning The Da Vinci Code, but not for the reasons you may think. Yes, the Ron Howard/Tom Hanks sequel based on the best selling novel by Dan Brown is miles ahead of what was an absurd and just plain awful affair, but felt like a different movie in general, even though most of the themes were similar. Because Angels & Demons is a movie you can enjoy. It is not great, obviously. The story and execution carries so many plot elements and twists that it almost falls over its own weight. But ‘almost’ is the key here, and because the film stayed afloat, it soared to heights I never thought were possible. A movie with a focus, the pace is set fast enough to interact with Langdon’s mission while not weaseling out of exhilarating chases and action sequences. Its plot is a little messy and the structure could be better, but in this reviewers opinion, it was a well-done movie that provides the finest surprise of the year-thus-far. We deserved to watch this one first.

In seeing the movie, you need to be ready to follow a complex but often interesting plot. The Pope has died in the Vatican, four cardinals most likely to replace him have been kidnapped, and a large amount of antimatter has been stolen from CERN, a scientific research facility in Geneva. Not only will the kidnappers kill these popes every hour starting at 8 PM, but the battery in the antimatter container they stole, which keeps the antimatter from touching the bottom of the case, will run out at midnight. This will cause the entire Vatican City to blow up. Who could have pulled off such a scheme? When Professor Robert Langdon (Hanks) is brought into the case, he concludes it was a group called the Illuminati after a Vatican police official gets a message following the threat with only the group’s name. A rivalry between the Illuminati and the Vatican, which began in 1668, caused the Vatican to purge Catholics who were willing to accept science over creationism. Thus began the Illuminati becoming a secret society, finally out to get their revenge.

Having got that history lesson out of the way (just to let you know, I would not use any of this movie as a history lesson), Langdon and scientist Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer) track down the cardinals, who Langdon believes will be killed symbolizing the Illuminati’s connection to the four pillars of science: earth, water, air and fire. In a high-speed, bomb-ticking-and-about-to-go-off mad rush, Langdon and Vetra are off to protect the men of the church and save Vatican City. They are joined by Camerlengo (Ewan McGregor), the assistant to the previous pope, who is also involved with the idea inside the church that the pope may have died due to an inside job. These events lead to a very satisfying conclusion, one that wraps the plot elements up decently and provides a twist I admit would never have seen coming. The film had the opportunity of just ending at the two hour mark, before a massive plot twist that I am sure will divide audiences. But sticking to the story and venturing a little bit further paid off. It was an element I did not expect, but eventually liked.

All of this occurs while Howard ‘gently’ enough balances the scales between their ideas of science and religion. I will admit the subject is intense enough to possibly offend some, but I would say it respects both sides of the argument. When Camerlengo asks Robert Langdon about his faith, he responds ‘faith is a gift I have yet to recieve’. Sounds like something everybody can agree on. But my largest issue with Angels & Demons, if any issue, was the plot. While less on the ridiculous and more on the logical, there are plenty of implausible ideas thrown around. I will not spoil which- that will be for me to know and you to hopefully find out- but it is everything you would expect and probably more.

But elsewhere, the film deserves a pat on the back. It had a lot to hurdle over, and it meets that challenge acceptably. Hanks, as one of my favorite actors, once again does a solid job as the professor, and manages to be open enough in describe the situation to get the audience into the story. McGregor starts off pretty bland and generic, but later turns into a character you will be sure to remember. Ayelet Zurer does not give any more than the script allows her, primarily because most of the time she is just there listening to Hanks talk about events she already knows. Still, I found her performance good enough. It is certainly a well-made movie too, filled with fun stuff to watch. And the score, the only thing I loved from DVC, as just as great here. In the end, Ron Howard gives a good movie. Under these circumstances, consider that a favor from God. Movie Jacuzzi Temperature: 86°(B+)

Picture Ciatation: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/44/Angels_and_demons.jpg. I have learned that whenever you want to see a movie poster, Wikipedia is there for ya.

Movie Jacuzzi’s Super Crazy Ultimate Summer 2009 Preview: July Edition May 15, 2009

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Welcome to Part 3 of Movie Jacuzzi’s Super Crazy Ultimate Summer 2009 Preview, where I give you all the info on this year’s jam-packed July movie schedule. Overall it looks like a very good month- we will not have a critically-acclaimed superhero film breaking box-office records, but we have Scrat, Bruno and The Boy Who Lived, so that will make me happy enough. Scroll down to read my two cents on each pic releasing over the hot summer session.

That looks an awful lot like the mouth of a dinosaur...

Read Movie Jacuzzi’s Summer Preview Part 1 and 2 before you move on. If you have read them already, you are a good person.

July 1

- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, 20th Century Fox

Scrat and other, less memorable cartoon creatures come back in this prehistoric threequel about nothing more than what the title suggests. If I were you, I would ignore the time differences between the dinosaurs and the ice age. It’s all just to push the story they have along. I personally think the first two Ice Age movies while not Pixar-level were very entertaining, and I expect the same from this one as well. Following two movies that combined made $1.2 billion dollars worldwide, it is pretty clear that this one will be a global smash as well, especially with the release date moving from spring to summer, the 3D screenings and dinosaurs, which are probably the most marketable thing you can serve to a younger audience. Sequel fatigue may occur in some way, and Harry can pose a threat to its longevity, but those are just small bumps in the road for what should be one of the biggest movies of the summer. For anything that involves that squirrel and his acorn, I would be willing to sit in the front row.

$85M 5-day opening, $205M total

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

- Public Enemies, Universal

The trio of director Michael Mann, Johnny Depp playing bank robber John Dillinger, and Christian Bale as the FBI agent Melvin Purvis after him should be more than enough to get you to see this movie. If not, how about Marion Cottillard as Dillinger’s girlfriend Billie Frechette? Billy Crudip acting without his Dr. Manhattan flacid blue dick distracting you? Channing Tatum as- wait forget I mentioned him. With these names and this plot, you don’t even need to see the various trailers, which are pretty awesome anyway. I actually see this being more of a summer blockbuster than an adult-oriented sleeper.

$54M 5-day opening, $158M total

July 10

- Brüno, Universal

Sasha Baron Cohen is taking his other character from Da Ali G Show (after Borat and Ali G himself) in his follow up to Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glourious Nation of Kazakhstan, as the gay Austrian TV reporter out and about in our great country. I understand this will be a movie countless people will find offensive, but when it’s this funny I could not care less. I have not seen Borat yet, but both in my opinion and what seems to be the early reviews, this is and will be unbelievably hilarious. This is the comedy of Summer 2009.

$35M OW, $120M total

- I Love You, Beth Cooper, 20th Century Fox

Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) headlines a teen comedy about a nerd who says he loves this hot girl in his graduation speech, and she shows him the summer of his life afterwards. After watching the trailer, I understand that these movies are not meant for me, but still. I hate it when stuff like this gets made.

$13M OW, $37M total

July 15

- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Warner Bros.

It’s Harry Potter! I’m sorry, if you didn’t hear that, I said IT’S HARRY POTTER!!!! In the penultimate chapter of the Hogwarts saga, Voldemort tightens his grip on the school, and when you combine that with teenage hormones life for the wizard will never be the same. The trailers look fantastic and even darker than you can imagine, so I am excited as hell for this one. Who cares if it is PG, or got held back 8 months? That was the past- let us look into the future and how great this movie will be. We only get a Potter pic once in a while, and until they run out of books to base them on and I don’t know what to do with myself anymore, I will savor every moment. Needless to say, this will be one of the biggest movies of the year.

$154M 5-day opening, $322M total

July 17

- (500) Days of Summer, Fox Searchlight

I am growing tired of the usual romantic comedy routine, so I’m looking for this hit Sundance Film Festival hit starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel to rise above the norm and please audiences of all kinds. Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl doesn’t. Sounds  interesting. I’ll put it on my increasingly-long list of movies I really want to watch.

$14M OW, $65M total (assuming a wide release)

July 24

- G-Force, Buena Vista

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer. OK, I’ll work with it. Highly-trained guinea pig spies. You lost me. A live-action comedy adventure in Disney Digital 3D. I have to admit I would have found this idea awesome when I was 8, and all this time later I think this could be awesome. But considering it’s Disney I doubt they will take any risks. Still, a voice cast of Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan, Penelope Cruz, and Nicolas Cage does not look half bad. Should be a solid late-summer success for the kiddies, if it’s not a little too close to the opening of HBP.

$25M OW, $82M total

- The Ugly Truth, Sony/Columbia

And here we are back to the romantic comedy norm… or are we? Starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, this is an R-rated film about a TV producer outraged by being forced to work with the star of a crude show about what men and women like. This one could be OK, and could give these stars more of a status besides ‘that girl from Grey’s Anatomy‘ or ‘that guy from 300‘, but I’m not convinced. I expect The Proposal to be the rom-com of the summer while Funny People picks up and adds some guys into the mix, and with the restrictive rating I think its box office potential will be handicapped. But we could still have a decent movie. Maybe? I guess I wouldn’t count on it.

$18M OW, $60M total

- Orphan, Summit/Dark Castle

In 2007, horror films seemed to be ignored by audiences (besides the usual Saw film), so now that Hollywood has adjusted their schedule, fright flicks seem to be popular again, especially ones that feature scary little kids in them. So this and Drag Me to Hell are the only scary movies for the larger part of the summer, but unlike the latter this one looks really scary. Esther is a sweet little girl that gets adopted into a loving family she eventually terrorizes. Pretty horror cliche, but a modest success should be in order. Who knows? Could be good too.

$16M OW, $38M total

July 31

- Funny People, Universal/Columbia

Judd Apatow’s third turn as director comes in this comedy/drama about a comedian (Adam Sandler) who faces a near-death experience, and the early word on it is so fantastic, several are saying that a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nod could be in place for Apatow, as well as a Best Actor nod for Sandler. Wow- I never thought the words ‘Adam Sandler’ and ‘Best Actor Oscar’ could be placed together, no matter how many attempts the guy has made to go beyond his recent raunchy PG-13 crapfests. Also starring Apatow or Apatow-related usuals Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill, the trailer was superb in offering both melodrama and humor, particularly that terrific Hans Gruber reference. The stars seemed to be alligned, so I am anticipating this more than any other film from the Apatow-subgenre, and from Sandler too.

$32M OW, $130M total

- They Came From Upstairs, 20th Century Fox

Every summer needs an awful kids movie, and I pick this one as the top candidate. About a group of kids who find little aliens in their summer house that cause trouble and munch on the latest snack food products in the market, the advertising looks bad even for bad standards.

$8M OW, $25M total

And that’s it for now. Wait until next week when I wrap up my Super Crazy Ultimate Summer 2009 Preview; you won’t believe how it ends. Unless you find another website to tell you, of course.

–

Picture Citations: http://www.johnnydeppfan.nl/Johnnydeppfan%20-%20Engels/Public-Enemies_l.jpg, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6d/IceAge_DawnoftheDinosaurs_TeaserPoster.jpg, http://lodim.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/funny-people-poster1.jpg, http://cinematicpassions.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/ugly-truth_l.jpg, http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/article/943/943025/g-force-20090108011707647_640w.jpg, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d1/Five_hundred_days_of_summer.jpg, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/Bruno_poster.jpg, http://blog.newsok.com/bamsblog/files/2009/01/harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince2.jpg, http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00458/Ice-Age-3_682_458812a.jpg

Movie Review: Star Trek May 8, 2009

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Nuqnuq (what do you want), movie watchers? Apparently that’s the closest word in the klingon language to ‘hello’. I don’t know- it seemed like the most appropriate way to start this review of the J.J. Abrams revival of Star Trek, at least until I learned that the language would not be used at all in this reboot, as well as everything else that restricts this franchise to only its core fanbase. Needless to say, the idea of going back to the beginning made us know that this movie would not be anything like what Trek was when we last left it; alienating general moviegoers and angering loyal followers. Even though this movie strongly appreciated the previous movies and various TV shows, it was a fresh start that not only left me begging for a sequel, but got me interested in this decade-spawning series for the first time. Star Trek sets up its targets and hits every one of them squarely in the middle. It provided everything that a movie like this needed and more. Setting up the origin story while providing a good first adventure for the USS Enterprise? A young, talented cast who are all well-casted and give even better performances? Riveting action sequences? Humor? Leonard Nimoy? Abrams gives us all of this in the true launcher of the summer movie season and one of the best films of the year-so-far. Sorry, Wolverine.

The movie opens in the year 2233 where the Captain George Kirk of the USS Kelvin receives a phony distress signal, which proves to be a trap from an attacking ship led by the Romulan captain Nero (Eric Bana). Lured into the ship for ‘negoiations’, George is killed as he sacrifices himself for the ship and his wife, who is coherently giving birth to James T. Kirk. The film picks up 22 years later when Jim (Chris Pine) is a smart but reckless young man, convinced by Captain Pike to enlist in Starfleet, daring him to do better. Three years later, he is suspended for cheating on an un-passable test created by the half-human, half-Vulcan Spock (Zachary Quinto) while Starfleet gets the same distress call that lured in Jim’s father.

After getting on board the Enterprise with the help of his friend Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (Karl Urban), he tries to warn the crew about this, which includes Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg), and Hikaru Sulu (John Cho), but despite all of their best efforts Nero manages to turn Spock’s home planet of Vulcan into a black hole, killing billions. This serves as the turning point for the movie, as the story from here on out dives into time travel (which explains Nimoy’s role), vengance, emotion, and everything that would keep this film exciting and fun to watch.

While Abrams’ work was strong, Star Trek was not a perfect movie. It is Star Trek, after all. My primary concern was that, likewise series starters like Casino Royale, Batman Begins and Iron Man, that it set up the following movies almost too well. It tried to get reintroducing the characters and plotlines out of the way, which makes it feel a little uncompleted. I personally found the many references to the franchise’s past nearly too much, and not knowing the series at all made me feel uncomfortable when all the Trekkies in my theater were applauding at random lines and gestures. It’s all supposed to be new, but contrary to what others have said, I don’t believe that this is something completely different.

Yet that is as far as my complaints go, because everything else in this movie was simply pitch-perfect. I just loved the performances from Pine and Quinto and the chemistry between them, and the rest of the cast could easily compare. They don’t mimick Shatner or Nimoy, and they don’t try to do something on their own. They capture the spirit of those two characters while being distinct enough to like for other reasons. The action was just badass; I knew it was in the right hands, and yet the scenes blew even that statement out of the water. Though it was certainly a character-driven movie, the special effects were dazzling and thrilling, simply a great movie to look at. It didn’t try to question a greater power like so many movies have tried and usually failed to do; Star Trek just wants to be a great ride, and it passes that with flying colors. Nimoy didn’t just show up for the heck of it either, as he was written very well into what was a great script written by Trek fans but serving to anyone that wants to watch an awesome story unfold in front of them. There is just too much to like in this movie I can not write all of it in one single review, so just go see it and catch everything for yourself. But most of all, I think the sequel will not only meet all of these goals, but exceed them as well. For the popular movie series still to come, Live Long and Prosper, Star Trek. Movie Jacuzzi Temperature: 94°

Picture Citations: http://infinity.usanethosting.com/StarTrek/StarTrek_2009Movie.jpg

Movie Jacuzzi’s Super Crazy Ultimate Summer 2009 Preview: June Edition May 6, 2009

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Hi, everybody. Welcome to Part 2 of Movie Jacuzzi’s Super Crazy Ultimate Summer 2009 Preview, where I fill you in on this year’s June releases. Sad to say, it looks like a poor month. We have one huge robot actioner that is nearly certain to be the biggest movie of the year, though. There should be plenty of other good films to see as well. Let’s get to it!

Part 1 can be found here.

June 5

- Land of the Lost, Universal

When this adaptation of the 1974 Gen-X TV series was announced, I was not the least bit skeptical. Starring Will Ferrell, the film follows paleontologist Dr. Rick Marshall as he and two others find an alternate world filled with crazy stuff like dinosaurs, Sleesaks and anything that could make a movie an easy sell to audiences. But then the trailer appeared during the Super Bowl, and I lost a lot of hope. The action looked stupid and cheesy, the comedy felt tired and the whole preview just seemed bland. The actual trailer was not any better. It almost seems like a bigger-budget Bewitched. I remain hopeful that this will still be decent entertainment, but it’s harder and harder to be so. This could very well be huge success or disappoint big time; it all depends on how good of a film it actually is. I have my doubts, though. And am I the only person that noticed how fake that last shot with Ferrell and the dinosaur behind him was? Just wondering.

$40M OW, $104M total

- The Hangover, Warner Bros.

From the director of Old School Todd Phillips comes a comedy about four friends in Las Vegas for Doug’s bachelor party, and what happens to them when they lose the about-to-be-wed groom in the biggest hangover of their lives. On paper this does not like anything outside the usual R-rated, sex-driven raunchy comedy that nobody can stand. Once you actually see the advertisments, it looks a whole lot better. Babies and tigers in hotel rooms? Mike Tyson? Count me in. Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers), Ed Helms (The Office) and Zack Galifianakis can all be very funny, so I am hoping a film like this should give them a bigger status in the industry. The trailers are really exciting audiences, which leads me to believe we may have a breakout hit on our hands.

$26M OW, $80M total

Opening in limited release is the Sam Mendes comedy drama Away We Go, starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. Hopefully it will expand, because this is a very interesting project. Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) also stars in stars in a romantic comedy My Life in Ruins about a tour guide in Greece who finds a bus driver to fall in love with. Having hated both the trailer and Greek Wedding, I could not care less about its release.

June 12

- The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Sony/Columbia

John Travolta and Denzel Washington star in this remake (something we have not seen… forever) about a highjacker named Bernard Ryder (Travolta, in a role we have not seen him in since… forever) who takes over the New York City subway train Pelham 1 2 3. Washington plays Zachary Garber, the lieutenant of the Transit Authority who negotiates with Bernard. As an action thriller, this looks quite exciting, and as a popcorn movie for adults it looks even better. The original 1974 Walter Matthaw/Robert Shaw wasn’t that well received, but I think this movie is aimed at a different audience that should turn out in pretty good numbers.

$32M OW, $85M total

- Imagine That, Paramount/Nickelodeon

Forgive me if Eddie Murphy in a family comedy reminds me more about Meet Dave than Daddy Day Care, but after seeing the advertising (which I have recently learned can be helpful when judging a movie) I think this could be somewhat of a rebound for Murphy. Maybe not so much in box office, but in quality, too. About a financial executive whose career becomes successful due to the imaginary world his daughter created, the actually decent trailers and Nickelodeon name could provide an alternative to kids who have seen Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Up twice. Anything with him only playing one character seems better.

$16M OW, $52M total

Sam Rockwell’s sci-fi indie pic Moon is also opening in limited release this weekend. Do yourself a favor and go see it. I know I will.

June 19

- The Proposal, Touchstone

Sandra Bullock headlines this movie about a boss who forces her assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her when she is about to be deported to Canada. Now that we have that premise out of the way, I would consider this just another romantic comedy if not for a few issues. First of all, for what it is, it does not look terrible. At least they could have done worse. People seem to think that a whole lot more due to the wildly enthusiastic trailer responses the trailer has received in theaters since the holidays. With no competition, I think the film will see financial success, but quality is a little more uncertain. Even with Bullock, who has proven many times she can act well, I don’t see it being all that great. But I am clearly not the person this movie wants money from.

$34M OW, $130M total

- Year One, Sony/Columbia

Another prehistoric comedy (depends on what you consider Land of the Lost, though), this time coming from Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day) and starring Jack Black and Michael Cera as lazy hunters who set off on an epic journey after being banished from their village in the year… take a wild guess. I hate adoring half of the comedies opening this summer and trashing the rest, but this just looks terrible. Unlike the advertising for Land of the Lost, which just looks somewhat boring, these trailers and TV spots are making me cringe. Still, with the director, writers and stars behind this, I really, really hope this will be good. But if all of that is lost, I smell a flop here.

$16M OW, $38M total

June 24

- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Paramount/Dreamworks

I don’t really want to explain this one too much. It’s freaking Transformers, which probably means something on its own. In what essentially looks like a bigger and badder version of the first, Michael Bay’s sequel to the 2007 monster hit will be even more successful as audiences continue to buy into the most mindless of buttered popcorn entertainment. However, now that I know what I am expecting, maybe it won’t be so much of a letdown this time around. By ‘letdown’, I mean from the story and characters, not Megan Fox or the robot-on-robot action.

$53M OD, $95M OW, $170M 5-day, $376M total

June 26

- My Sister’s Keeper, New Line/WB

Based on the 2004 Jodi Piculot novel, this movie follows a young girl named Anna (Abigail Breslin) who was born as a genetic match for her older sister Kate, who has leukimia, and how she sues her parents for forcing her to undergo a kidney transplant to save Kate’s life. Melodramatic stories like this one are most of the time hit or miss, so I’m not convinced, no matter how acclaimed the book was. Directed by The Notebook’s Nick Cassavetes, it is possible that this one could succeed. But I’m not liking the trailer.

$15M OW, $46M total

Opening limited but expanding later is the critically-acclaimed war thriller The Hurt Locker. Not a whole lot seems to be known about this Summit Entertainment release, but it could be the first successful Iraq war-themed movie, which sounds like something that should have happened a long time ago.

Most of June should provide somewhat of a rest for moviegoers before Transformers and the other big movies come out to play later on. I think there will be plenty of modest hits to make audiences happy, though. Stay tuned throughout the month for the final parts of my Summer 2009 preview.

–

Citations:http://joyhog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/transformers2empireusaversion.jpg,http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Land_of_the_Lost_poster.jpg, http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/6/e/S/thehangoverpuba.jpg,http://www.daemonsmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/taking_pelham_123-336×500.jpg, http://www.smartcine.com/images/imagine_that_still.jpg,http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/proposal-b.jpg,http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2009/01/yearonepuba-(2).jpg,http://cinemaverytasty.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/transformers2-trailerstill.jpg

Movie Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine May 2, 2009

Posted by moviejacuzzi in Movie Reviews.
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Expectations can be a tricky thing to work with. Sometimes they can destroy any respect you have for a movie if they are sky-high, and sometimes they can set you up for a pleasant surprise if they are low. So, something like 20th Century Fox’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine could possibly be better than expected if you thought it would be something a whole lot worse, like me. Yet for a comic book movie I actually found worse than X-Men: The Last Stand, how can it stack up to the thinking superhero films from Batman, Iron Man or the Watchmen? Not well. The film is not a disaster, or even really bad. Let me put it this way- the movie is everything you would expect. Nothing less, nothing more. These include ridiculous flaws such as unnecessary or underdeveloped characters, a running time that tries to cram everything in very poorly and clumsily, and the fact that this is a movie that never needed to be made. However, I cannot trash the film any further than that. Because I had quite some fun with this movie, and that was all I really needed.

If you saw the three X-Men movies, which actually might have made this less enjoyable, you would know how Wolvie would not remember his past, and this is the past he cannot remember. The film opens pretty well with half-brothers James and Victor (later becoming Wolverine and Sabretooth) running away after Jimmy kills his real father with claws that randomly come out of his hands. After we see them as adults fighting together through the Civil War, WWI, WWII and eventually Vietnam, they meet William Stryker (Danny Huston), who convinces them to join a group of mutants he is building. It turns out that group is after a rock that can provide ultimate power, and when they use force to get one, James runs away in disgust. Six years later, he is a lumberjack living in Canada with his girlfriend Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins), having a happy life until Stryker tracks him down and Victor kills Kayla. Out for revenge, Stryker promises him the rock power called Weapon X so James can kill Victor. After learning they would lie to him and wipe his memory through the process, James (also called Logan, somewhat confused where that came from) makes a break from Stryker and friends, and learns the group of mutants have been capturing their own kind for Stryker on an island so he can make the biggest mutant yet. Will Wolverine find this island and save the mutants from Stryker? Well, you already know how it ends, so, yeah, he does.

The funny thing about this movie was that this was supposed to tell the origin story of Wolverine, who is played rather well by Hugh Jackman once again, but that seems to be its least important focus. What the movie’s goal seems to be, and correct me if I am wrong, is introduce dozens of random mutants who will mostly never be seen on screen again. Probably the best out of all of these was Sabretooth/Victor (played by Liev Schreiber), who is dark and charismatic enough to make someone like Logan look like a softie. He was the mutant I was looking forward to watching the most, so I was happy to notice he was the only character who was given any sort of respect. Teleporter John Wraith (will.i.am), card-tossing Gambit (Taylor Kitsch), and fatty Blob (Kevin Durand) are all played very well, but the script gives them absolutely nothing to do but move the plot forward. And what about all of those other guys who don’t even have time to tell their names? Cyclops (Tim Pocock) had always been one of my favorite X-Men, so I was angry that all of his 30 seconds from the movie were in the trailers. The series has treated him so horribly thoughout, but not as bad as how they utterly wasted Deadpool/Wade Wilson (Ryan Renolds) and what they did to him in the ending fight. Did they really need that? I saw pieces of a good origin story, one that actually makes the audience think about Wolverine himself, but there were just too many mutants to let that be.

Yet like I said, there were still some things to like. The action sequences were all very good; even the final fight, while not with the people I had hoped, looked pretty awesome. I found William Stryker very intriguing, as he was in the other movies, and I must say I liked the ending I saw with him. I do not really understand how that ‘easter egg ending’ thing worked, because it seemed like the one in Japan was irrelevant and the one with Stryker was really important. The film was well made- the editing was very good, so was the CGI. And the whole spectacle makes for a good start to the summer movie season. Yet it still feels like something was left on the table. Looking at a press release, I learned that most of this movie took place in the 1970’s. That’s when I realized that I could not feel connected or even care about anybody in this story. I did not learn what Wolverine’s origins were, there were just little parts of something uncompleted, with a script that needed much work. Next time Fox tries to mess with Logan, I’m coming for blood. Movie Jacuzzi Temperature: 75° (C+)

Picture Citation: http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/x-men-origins-wolverine-image1.jpg

Movie Jacuzzi’s Super Crazy Ultimate Summer 2009 Preview: May Edition April 30, 2009

Posted by moviejacuzzi in Lists on Movies.
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Movie watchers of all ages, it is that time. It is that glorious, wonderful time that millions can hardly wait for. Ladies and gentlemen, the Summer movie season is here. You can insert any epic film score at this point; Star Wars would work quite nicely. Of course, summer doesn’t really start for another month and a half, but the big ticket movies will get underway Friday with the highly-anticipated release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, followed by even bigger films with robots, wizards and a dog that speaks through his collar.

Before we get into the preview, I wanna take a moment to go into what this summer has to offer. Overall, I think the slate is weaker than in previous years. There is still plenty to look forward to, I’m not saying there will not be plenty of quality movies- because there will be- but there just seems like less options this year. May looks great, with plenty of movies that can appeal to everyone, but outside a certain robot sequel June looks like the weakest in a long time. July and August only seem about average, too. One can hope that the summer will impress us all and soar above all others. But Movie Jacuzzi will be content if it’s just OK.

Here’s how this will work; each week I will provide you with one out of four parts for my preview of dozens of movies hitting the air-conditioned multiplexes. They will only include wide releases or at least ones that expand into such, mostly because I don’t have the time to do them all. These will also count as my weekly Box Office Mania, and unless I update these count this post as my predictions as well. So without further ado, here begins Movie Jacuzzi’s Super Crazy Ultimate Summer 2009 Preview, Part 1: May Edition.

May 1: It Begins

The launch of the summer movie season arrives with Fox’s superhero origin story X-Men Origins: Wolverine in a weekend that should easily get people back into theaters. And yes, we have a lousy rom-com opening as well. Ugh.

- X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 20th Century Fox

There is not much to say about this superhero prequel that has not already been said. You have the massive internet leak, the poor buzz, the fact that people will still go see it because it’s Wolverine, the fact that it is the first movie of the summer, and the idea that while it may not be a perfect movie, it should still be a fun adventure. One can hope, right?

$82M OW, $175M total (actual: $85M OW, and heading towards a $180M finish)

- The Ghost of Girlfriends Past, New Line/WB

Let me get this out of the way- I think Matthew McConaughey is the biggest douche in the world. The reason he was so good in Tropic Thunder was that he was more or less playing himself. Here he is a womanizer who gets visited by three of his past girlfriends one night, who make him remember about one woman (Jennifer Garner) who he used to have a good relationship with. It sounds just awful on paper, and even worse off paper, but I guess I’m not the one who would buy a ticket for this just to stare at McConaughey.

$16M OW, $43M total (actual: $15M OW, around a $50M total)

Also opening is the 3D action toon Battle of Terra. Expect this one to go by unseen as Monsters vs. Aliens keeps most of its 3D screens.

May 8: Trekkies Attack!

Usually, the second weekend of May is boring for movies. Nothing new opens that really makes an impact, tentpole films make astronomical drops from their opening weekends, and moviegoers save their money for later. This year bucks that trend as Paramount launches Star Trek, a $160M budgeted reboot hoping to please the millions of Trekkies/Trekkers and the iGeneration alike.

- Star Trek, Paramount

Completely starting the decade-spanning franchise over, the eleventh Trek film to hit the movies introduces us to James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the other members aboard the USS Enterpriseas they battle the evil Romulan Nero (Eric Bana). Directed by J.J. Abrams, the trailers and hugely positive early reviews are enough to make me thrilled to see this, and that is coming from someone who has never seen one Trek show or movie. I think many others feel the same way as well.

$70M OW (w/$5M from Thursday night previews), $224M total (actual: a terrific $79M OW w/$4M from previews, maybe around a $250M total)

Summit Entertainment’s action comedy Next Day Air also opens, if by ‘opens’ you mean ‘a blimp on the radar’. Have not heard anything about it.

May 15: Religious, Ridiculous and Ready to Offend

Does this really need an introduction outside that title?

- Angels & Demons, Universal

As the third potential blockbuster in three weeks, Ron Howard’s adaptation of the prequel to The Da Vinci Code hits theaters in Angels & Demons, based on the Dan Brown bestseller. The film follows Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) investigating a murder victim connected to the secret society of the Illuminati ambigram, who are out to kill four cardinals and destroy St. Peter’s Basilica. Yeah, it sounds like some people will get angry. Even so, I do not see this drawing the oodles of controversy DVC saw, and with more competition, less recognition (even though I would hardly call this book unpopular) and the awful word-of-mouth the last movie had, there will not be as much box office here. However, recent advertising has been very good, and since it should be a much better movie I think this can be a modest hit. I don’t really care for these movies, but I know plenty do.

$51M OW, $144M total ($46M OW, ~$132M total)

May 22: The Beginning of the End of the Beginning

The frame that used to kick off Summer, Memorial Day weekend has always hosted the releases of some of the biggest movies of the year, and this time should be no exception. We see the openings of two huge films- Christian Bale’s robot epic Terminator Salvation and the Ben Stiller sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, sure to give everybody what they want at the movies.

- Terminator Salvation, Warner Bros.

Instead of the older Schwarzenegger-led films, McG takes the franchise into a new era of moviegoing, and the latest installment looks like everything I wanted in Transformers. You know, no peeing or farting robots, awful jokes, annoying human characters, or Michael Bay directing? Anyway, the movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic 2018 where the humans led by John Connor (Bale) fight against the SkyNet robots. The entire project has been kept under wraps, but the latest ads look very promising, and the Governator making a cameo sound great as well. Even if it not the awesome spectacle many are hoping for, this should still be a great ride.

$20M OD, $57M OW (3-day), $86M 5-day, $205M total

- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, 20th Century Fox

The original Night at the Museum, which is not as bad as many have said, was a holiday smash back in 2006, grossing $251M and even more than that internationally. Taking in that much money and not making a sequel is just absurd. So, the follow-up takes Larry Daley (Stiller) to Washington while the Museum of Natural History in New York is renovating, so not only will the museum pieces from there will be moved, but Larry now has to deal with millions of new crazy things, including possible love interest Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams). Don’t think how a human and a wax figure would work out, because it gets kind of creepy. I am certainly looking forward to it, but because of the jump from the holiday season, where this movie would feel more comfortable, I don’t expect this to have the kid audience all to itself this time. Having a Pixar movie open the week after makes matters more complicated. Still, I expect kids to flock to it anyway, and who cares about the upmost of quality? Like many movies this season, all we should expect is a fun time.

$75M 4-day OW, $190M total

- Dance Flick, Paramount/DreamWorks

The Wayans Bros. are back to making awful spoof movies (never cared for any of the Scary Movie franchise), except this time about dance movies. After being pushed back from February, the film follows random characters making fun of good movies in the lamest ways imaginable. Don’t want to sound like such a hater, but the fact that these movies often make money makes me want to cry.

$10M OW, $13M 4-day, $29M total

May 29: Just Another Universally-Acclaimed Film From Pixar

Recently, the final weekend of May has seen very large openings. This year will continue that trend as Up opens on the same frame as Finding Nemo, Pixar’s largest movie yet. Expect rave reviews from both audiences and critics and a run that will last the entire summer. Let’s not forget Sam Rami’s return to horror in Drag Me to Hell either.

- Up, Disney/Pixar

This adventure comedy toon is about an senior citizen named Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Edward Asner) who fulfills the dreams he had of going around the world in a balloon-carried house while a Wilderness Explorer named Russell (Jordan Nagai) comes along for the ride. That is quite an intriguing premise, and may be a movie to look forward to. Then you look and see that it is from Pixar Animation and you show up on opening day. You know why? Because the day Pixar releases a bad movie is the day the world will end. I’m not kidding, so you should be happy that early buzz has positioned this as another terrific film from the studio. Another good thing is that many have said this is their funniest movie yet, which should please kids that did not feel like the target audience for their recent work like WALL-E or Ratatouille. Either way, this is the only movie of the year I actually have huge expectations for. Will Up meet them? Hell, yes.

$58M OW, $232M total

- Drag Me to Hell, Universal

If the person directing this movie was not as big as he is, this would just be another PG-13 horror movie. But instead Rami brings us this film about Christine (Alison Lohman), a women who does not give an old lady an extension on her mortgage payment, and therefore is cursed by her to Hell. I think this is supposed to be more campy than actually scary, but that always-trusty early WOM is saying that it is supposed to be a lot of fun. Horror movies have generally been doing well recently, and provided the extra buzz here I see no reason why this cannot do any better.

$28M OW, $65M total

The other wide release is The Maiden Heist, a comedy starring Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken and William H. Macy. I expect this to be pushed back as the date is only tentative, but it does sound intriguing.

Overall, it’s looking like a very different May fromprevious years. It is unlikely we will see any movies grossing over $300M, but withsixmassive releases we should see a month that should be equal if not greater than previous years, unless they divide audiences and cannibalize each other. Either way, Summer 2009 should be off to a strong start. Watch for Part 2 of Movie Jacuzzi’s Super Crazy Ultimate Summer 2009 Preview to be posted soon.

–

Picture Citations:http://blogs.e-rockford.com/movieman/files/2009/04/x-men-origins-wolverine1.jpg, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4e/Wolverinetheatricalposter_a.jpg, http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/3100000/Ghost-of-Girlfriends-Past-matthew-mcconaughey-3118251-595-392.jpg, http://lifebrisbane.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/star_trek_2009_movie_poster_11.jpg?w=270&h=401, http://www.collider.com/uploads/imageGallery/Angels_and_Demons/angels_and_demons_movie_image_tom_hanks_and_ayelet_zurer.jpg, http://angryweb.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/terminator_salvation_2.jpg?w=436&h=242, http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/qq313/somanymovies/night-at-the-museum-2.jpg?t=1241234921

Movie Review: State of Play April 27, 2009

Posted by moviejacuzzi in Movie Reviews.
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Hi there, film followers. Going into Russell Crowe’s latest political thriller, I had my doubts. I had only heard good things, but I was not convinced by the poor advertising, which I eventually tried to stay away from. Luckily, it was different movie than I thought I would be seeing, and a better one at that. State of Play, based on the BBC television series, is a smart film that not only has an interesting story to follow, but a fun one, too. The cast is good all around, with Crowe in a performance that makes you forget about his really distracting hair. Well, almost. It’s certainly flawed, in both the concept and the execution, and the final consequences of the characters is exactly what you would expect from the beginning, even if the road there may surprise you a little. Still, as far as ‘whodunit’ films like these go, I can easily recommend this one.

The movie has a plot that requires your full attention, because it can get a little complicated. Cal McAffrey (Crowe) is an investigative reporter at the Washington Globe, mentoring Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) and working under editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren). He’s pretty hardcore at his job, always making sure he gets the entirety of the story, but when government official Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer) has an incident at the subway station that results in a assumed suicide, this system of honest journalism is questioned. Why? Because his old college roommate and U.S Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) was having an affair with this woman, which is later found out by the public. The set-up of this was done quite nicely, introducing us to these characters and what their goals are, which is a good thing to know as the plot kicks into full-gear as Cal working with Della are in a mad dash to get the story. But in the next hour and a half, the movie needs to tie all of this in with an affair Cal has with Stephen’s wife (Robin Wright Penn), the military firm PointCorp which Stephen is after due to some unusual business, and a twist at the end which works but wraps everything up way too fast. Well, it’s based on a 6-part miniseries. Can you really blame them for all of the lose ends?

The biggest problem I had with State of Play was how the suspense varied from scene to scene. Some parts of the movies were just as thrilling as they needed to be, and others were not nearly as much. This means the acting and story need to provide an alternative, and, well, it can’t do so enough. I really liked Crowe and how he played his character, though. Something about his personality combined with the long hair and extra weight made him feel like less of a douche, which people pretty much thought of him as, and more like a person you could care about. Helen Mirren as always stole any scene she was in, and despite being Ben Affleck, Ben Affleck managed to act pretty well. However, there was another half that did not work very well. I could not find anything in the character of Rachel McAdams that was not completely generic and boring, Robin Wright Penn was not given nearly enough screen time and/or she just did not come off memorable enough. And I sort of feel embarrassed that I did not see why that Michael Berresse’s assassin was given so much to do and no reason to do so except provide some decent action.

But, yet again, it was simply enjoyable. Call it a popcorn movie for the brain and just have fun with the plot and the characters, and since they don’t seem to be shooting for anything more you should accept that. The movie needed to shift more of its focus to one particular goal instead of tackling several, which can make a movie unmemorable, with emphasizing more characters too. However, I was happy with what I got. And I think you will be too. Movie Jacuzzi Temperature: 82° (B)

Picture Citation: http://www.collider.com/uploads/imageGallery/State_of_Play/state_of_play_movie_poster.jpg