(Not So) Grown Ups

Grown Ups - (1 1/2 Stars)

Adam Sandler has been making movies for quite some time. Most of these movies, at least the ones he writes, are fairly similar. They follow a loveable loser, always played with the same immature charm by Sandler, who must overcome some obstacle or solve some problem. A common solution to these problems is that Sandler’s character needs to simply learn to grow up and take more responsibility. Also, there are usually a decent amount of laughs to keep the story chugging along. Lately, however, these laughs have been coming fewer, farther between and a lot more forced. “Grown Ups” continues this downward trend despite its all star cast of funnymen in Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider.

The group of friends, who played together on a CYO championship basketball team, is brought back together after 30 years when their coach passes away. Sandler, the leader of the group, is now a successful Hollywood agent whose kids are so spoiled they text their nanny for hot chocolate. The rest of the group, while not as well off as Sandler’s character, seem to be doing well enough. After the funeral they decide to spend the holiday weekend together at a lake house they often spent summers at to reminisce and put the coach to rest. It is at the lake house that they begin to realize that maybe things haven’t turned out the way they had hoped and aren’t living their lives the way coach may have wanted.

The movie is full of the usual sight gags, as well as many scenes where the comedians just riff on each other. Either way a lot of the jokes felt contrived or out of place. Often a joke would immediately be followed by a scene change or transition as if they were trying to fit in too much. While there are some parts where I found myself chuckling, overall the movie never really hits its stride.

I found myself wondering often throughout the movie why, with all of the talent involved, the movie wasn’t funnier? My best guess is that the actors just really wanted to do a movie together and hang out.  Unfortunately, this hang out time does not equal more laughs.

In the end, “Grown Ups” ends up being a disappointment. Despite its title, the comedy included in the movie is a bit childish. If you are looking for a summer movie that you don’t really have to think about and maybe laugh a little, “Grown Ups” should do just fine. If you’re looking for something a bit meatier, I’m sure there are plenty of other good choices at the theater right now.

 (102 minutes – Rated PG-13 for crude material including suggestive references, language and some male rear nudity – 2010) (Netflix)

Avatar Primer - Invictus: The 9 Lovely Crazy Edge of Daybreakers Day

Well, since I will be gone all next week, I held back some reviews to make this special jumbo sized review. As you can see from the mouthful of a post title, there was quite the variety of movies. In the spirit of Clint Eastwood (who is represented in a movie this week) we have the good (Primer, Invictus, Daybreakers, 9), the bad (Valentine's Day, Edge of Darkness) and the ugly (Legion, The Lovely Bones). Stuck between them of course, are the mediocre (Avatar, Crazy Heart). Hope everyone has a good week, I know I will. New movie reviews will be up sometime around June 14-15.

*Primer – (4 ½ Stars)

I’ll start this review off with a warning: “Primer” is probably the most confusing 

movie I have ever seen. However, because of how intricately layered the narrative is, I wanted to watch it again after I finished it. “Primer” follows two young engineers who are trying to create the next big thing. What exactly they are trying to build? That’s debatable, but what they end up creating is a time machine (of sorts). Their venture into time travel results in an incredibly original take on the time travel genre.

One of the reasons “Primer” works so well is that it doesn’t lay everything out for you. It is a puzzle to be decoded and as a result it is definitely worth multiple viewings because it leaves many facets of story open to viewer interpretation (purposely). There are various articles and timelines out there to help decipher what occurs, and I do recommend checking them out, but only after you have watched the movie through at least once.

(Netflix) (77 minutes – Rated PG-13 for brief language – 2004)

Invictus – (4 Stars)

After spending almost 30 years in prison for opposing the apartheid in South Africa, Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) is released from prison and several years later is elected the first black president of South Africa. However, he still faces many tough trials in a divided post-apartheid South Africa. Looking to peacefully unite the White Afrikaners and the Black South Africans, Mandela turns to the Springbok rugby team, a longtime symbol of the apartheid.

“Invictus” focuses on these events as the basis for its story. We follow Freeman’s Mandela as he attempts to set up his new government and promote equality and eventually meets with the captain of the springboks, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) and enlists his help. The movie is a well acted, uplifting story. Freeman has Mandela down to a ‘t’ and the story stays very engaging, whether you know how rugby is played or not. “Invictus” is a truly inspiring movie with a good message, despite your opinion of Nelson Mandela.

 (Netflix) (133 minutes – Rated PG-13 for brief strong language – 2009)

Avatar – (2 ½ Stars)

Going into a viewing of “Avatar,” probably the most hyped movie of all time, it is hard to do so with an objective mindset.  Everywhere you turn, someone has an opinion of “Avatar” be it good or bad. With this in mind I did my best to put aside outside opinions and just focused on the movie and my own perspective on James Cameron’s opus.

 

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a paraplegic marine enlisted to journey to the distant planet Pandora where he will participate in the Avatar program, an interface that allows Jake to take control of a genetically engineered hybrid of Pandora’s native Na’vi people. Some want Jake to use his Avatar to help gain a rapport with the natives and learn their way of life, while others want him to gather military intelligence. The Na’vi are in-tune with their surroundings on a different level than humans have ever been. They literally possess the ability to plug in (via their extensive hair braid) to various plants and animals. However, situated directly below their tree home, is the planet’s largest deposit of unobtanium, the main reason humans are on Pandora.

I’ll start with what works. “Avatar” definitely does feature some of the finest CGI of any movie out there. If everything didn’t look so fantastical, the line between real and CGI would definitely be blurred. With that being said, it’s still CGI and severely overused. In my opinion, CGI should be used to complement the real effects, not be the entire movie. Make no mistake “Avatar” is all about how it looks. It’s definitely not about an original story, as “Avatar” borrows heavily from a lot of different sources (one can’t help but think of Pocahontas as one). Even the musical score seemed to borrow pieces from various other movies.

 “Avatar’s” weakest area is definitely the script. If it weren’t for the state-of-the-art special effects, I’d think I was watching a Sci-Fi SyFy channel original movie. It’s painful to hear some of the phrases that come out of these character’s mouths. This dialogue ineptitude really ends up hurting the character development as well. They seem to be more caricatures than characters. Cameron definitely seemed to dip into the well of stereotypical characters to fill out the story.

Is "Avatar" a terrible movie? No. Does it deserve to be the highest grossing movie of all time? Probably not. But, if I were to make a list of the worst movies of 2009, it would not be on it. The story, while not exactly spectacular, is still coherent and fluid and the CGI is second-to-none in most respects. In the end, “Avatar” is simply mediocre.

(Netflix) (162 minutes – Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking – 2009

Valentine’s Day – (2 Stars)

Following in the success of movies like “Love Actually” comes “Valentine’s Day,” an ensemble Romantic Comedy starring quite a long list of stars. I’m sure this works for getting people into the theatres, but for the story it makes everything drag a bit because there are just too many people. I will give them credit for at least tying everyone together in one way or another, but some of these extra characters could have been cut in order to focus on some of the more important character stories as they only really serve as “bridge” characters. Overall, “Valentine’s Day” is a pretty typical, politically correct and overlong romantic comedy.

 (Netflix) (125 minutes – Rated PG-13 for some sexual material and brief partial nudity – 2010)

9 – (3 ½ Stars)

Sometime in the future, the world has been rendered a post-apocalyptic wasteland due in part to mankind’s dependence on machines. The only creatures still stirring appear to be strange burlap dolls, each with a number designated them and “the monster.” “9” is a fun and inventive animated feature. It has a great voice cast, an interesting and cohesive story and wonderful, creative visuals. The movie is for an older audience, as there is some violence and some images that may be too much for younger kids.

 (Netflix) (79 minutes – Rated PG-13 for violence and scary images - 2009)

The Lovely Bones – (1 Star)

Susie Salmon is dead. She was murdered, she tells you, when she was 14. What follows in this movie, one would hope, is the tracking and catching of her killer and her family finding peace and coming to terms with her death. What actually happens? Not too much. The story starts out promisingly enough, but drags on endlessly as we follow Susie through the “in-between” as she watches her family deal with her loss. However, for whatever reason, we don’t really seem to connect to the characters due to the fractured storytelling. One “bright” spot is Stanley Tucci, who is unnervingly perfect as the neighborhood creeper who murders women out of some deep-seated need. It’s sad that the portrayal of the serial killer is the best part of this movie.

(Netflix) (135 minutes – Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving disturbing violent content and images, and some language - 2009)

Edge of Darkness – (2 Stars)

“Edge of Darkness” is Mel Gibson’s first acting gig since 2002’s “Signs.” One wonders what exactly about this script made him decide to come out of quasi-retirement. Gibson plays Boston cop Tom Craven, whose daughter is murdered in front of his eyes on the front porch. While the police think he was the intended target, Craven suspects that his daughter was caught up in something dangerous and sets out on his own investigation.

With a setup like this, one would expect “Edge of Darkness” to be a typical action revenge thriller. Instead, we are treated to a convoluted and poorly executed conspiracy picture. The movie is very low on character development and we meet a lot of different characters, some of which we never really understand who they are or what they do. What ends up resulting is a very sloppy movie that is not quite action, not quite drama and all kinds of slow-moving. I did discover that this movie is actually based on a BBC miniseries, which makes infinitely more sense. In a mini-series I could see characters being developed and the story taking shape in a much better way. “Edge of Darkness” is just a little too long and yet still not enough happens in it.

(Netflix) (117 minutes – Rated R for strong bloody violence and language– 2010)

Daybreakers – (3 ½ Stars)

“Daybreakers” is a different take on vampire movies. In the year 2019, most of humanity have become infected with a disease that turned them into vampires. As a result, humans are basically an endangered species and are hunted and farmed as a food source. But, there are some humans who claim to have found a cure. The movie does a lot of interesting things with vampire mythos that work (and some that are a bit over-the-top). There are also some interesting conclusions/comparisons you can draw from the situation of mankind in the movie.

Overall, “Daybreakers” is a pleasant surprise of a movie. For the most part it keeps a brisk pace, with only a few plot points and moments that drag it down. The actors all fit pretty well for their roles with Ethan Hawke playing the vampire with a bit of a conscience and Sam Neill as the vampire who definitely doesn’t have one (he also looks quite nefarious as a vampire).

(Netflix) (98 minutes – R for strong bloody violence, language and brief nudity – 2009)

Crazy Heart – (2 ½ Stars)

Bad Blake is a grizzled old country music singer who is prone to drinking and all around hard living. Jeff Bridges plays the alcoholic Bad in a sympathetic, likeable way but movie just seems to aimlessly follow Bad’s exploits for most of the movie before deciding to get to his potential redemption and rejuvenation. Maggie Gyllenhaal co-stars as a reporter who gets to meet the person behind the singer and helps him try to turn things around.

(Netflix) (111 minutes – Rated R for language and brief sexuality – 2009)

Legion – (1/2 Star)

In “Legion,” God apparently loses faith in mankind and decides to eradicate them. Michael the angel disobeys and goes to protect humanity’s only hope: the unborn son of truck-stop waitress. Angels act like demons, possessing people and spouting off expletive laced diatribes, and terribly cliché action sequences abound. Every single character in this movie is completely unlikeable and it doesn’t help that the plot really goes nowhere. “Legion” is one of those movies where you think the writer and director just wanted to “do some cool things and blow stuff up.”

(Netflix) (100 minutes – Rated R for strong bloody violence and language – 2010)

Upcoming Movie Reviews:

The Road

Leap Year

The Great Mouse Detective

The Complicated Imaginarium of Watchmen Broncos

This week's theme seems to be the difference a director can make. Two of the movies ("Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" and "Gentlemen Broncos") have directors that are less mainstream, but are very focused on an idea of what they want their movie to be and who it will appeal to. The other movies ("It's Complicated"  and "Watchmen") have more mainstream directors that more or less have churned out two predictable, mediocre movies. As for my pick for the week, I enjoyed Gentlemen Broncos more, but feel that Imaginarium was a better overall pick in terms of a "must-see movie" due to circumstances surrounding the movie.

*The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – (3 Stars)

As many people know (and if you don’t, you do now) this is Heath Ledger’s last movie. Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell were called in to finish up bits of his role so that his final work would see the light of day. This ends up being one of the hardest things about this movie. The last time we saw Ledger, he was devouring the scenery as The Joker in “The Dark Knight.” So going into this movie after that tour de force is a little bit of a let down. It’s not a bad performance, but the Joker is a tough act to follow.

Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) believes that the world is kept in motion due in part to the stories we tell and our imagination. It is this belief that leads him to meet ‘The Devil.’ I want to pause here and say that while I enjoyed the performance of Tom Waits here, he wasn’t exactly the “root of all evil” kind of person you would expect, although this could have been the intention. ‘The Devil,’ or Mr. Nick as he is referred to by Parnassus, loves a good wager. It is through these bets that Parnassus gains immortality and eventually his Imaginarium, a place where ones imagination manifests in a fantasy world that ends in a choice between good (Parnassus) or evil (Mr. Nick).  The problem is that Parnassus, who is a definite candidate for Gambler’s Anonymous, has inadvertently wagered his own daughter. Losing hope quickly, things begin to look up when Parnassus and his motley crew discover a mysterious stranger who may be able to help turn things around (Ledger).

The prevalent idea throughout the movie is choice. Everything that occurs is the result of one or another person’s choice. More often than not the better choice is also the more difficult one. “Imaginarium…” is a fantastic looking movie. Due to the extraordinary nature of the Imaginarium, Terry Gilliam was able to utilize Depp, Law and Farrell as Ledger’s “through the looking glass” alter-ego. This dynamic works amazingly and improves the fantasticality of the movie. While there are many things that work, there are also many that do not. The story is very convoluted and it is very likely you may walk away from the end a bit befuddled. However, the movie lends itself to another viewing if only to peel apart some of the various layers of the movie’s message and narrative.

(Netflix) (122 minutes - Rated PG-13 for Violent images, some sensuality, language and smoking - 2009)

It’s Complicated – (2 Stars)

Jake (Alec Baldwin) and Jane (Meryl Streep) have been divorced for 10 years. They have finally reached a point of catharsis in their relationship. But when something rekindles the long-lost passion in their relationship, an affair ensues. “It’s Complicated” is everything you’d expect it to be. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve more or less seen the movie. The movie has its funny moments, but just isn’t anything special or new.

(Netflix) (121 minutes - Rated R for Some drug content and sexuality - 2009)

Gentlemen Broncos – (3 ½ Stars)

“Gentlemen Broncos” is the latest zany comedy/coming-of-age story from Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre). If you are familiar with Hess’ campy, low budget, dry as a bone humor style of filmmaking you will know what to expect from this movie. Hess’ movies are not for everyone but if you enjoyed his previous two entries, then this one will more than likely appeal to you as well.

Benjamin (Michael Angarano) is a homeschooled loner who enjoys writing Science-Fiction stories. He is meek and mild-mannered which tends to lead to him being taken advantage of by others. Benjamin’s only real friend is his mother, who designs and sells nightgowns for a living. When Benjamin steps out a bit to go to a writing workshop, he gets a chance to meet his idol, Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement). However, Benjamin quickly discovers that Chevalier is full of himself. To make matters worse, Chevalier steals Benjamin’s story “Yeast Lords: The Bronco Years” and sells it as his own.

Benjamin is definitely a likeable character and it is because of this that “Gentlemen Broncos” works. The viewer gets to ride along with him on his journey of self-discovery and meet all of the strange characters he meets along the way. Characters that you come to expect from a Jared Hess film.

(Netflix) (89 minutes - Rated PG-13 for Some crude humor - 2009)

Watchmen – (2 ½ Stars)

“Watchmen” is based on the graphic novel of the same name and is directed by Zack Snyder (300, the unnecessary Dawn of the Dead remake). The graphic novel is a darker, grittier version of a super-hero story full of well-woven storytelling, moral dilemmas, philosophical ponderings and a lot of interesting visuals. Snyder’s version is more of a copycat eye-candy version of the story. It manages to wonderfully capture the imagery of its source, but without really capturing the essence of it. In many cases the movie seems to be trying too hard to look just like the graphic novel that it’s painfully cheesy. Snyder just doesn’t seem to understand what exactly he was working with and the immense scrutiny he would face by fans of the graphic novel (which is definitely worth a read).

(Netflix) (163 minutes - Rated R for Strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity, and language - 2009)

Upcoming Movie Reviews:

Up in the Air

Crazy on the Outside

The Young Victoria

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans

Defendor

Did You Hear What Happened to the Morgans?

For a full list of upcoming reviews, click here.

Everybody’s Four Blind Goats

Finally caught up on missed reviews. All of these movies were watched this past week. I didn't have time to finish watching "Lawrence of Arabia," so I will review it this week. Next week's movies are a bit of a cheat (and also a slow week in terms of DVDs in from the library). I'm almost positive I will thoroughly enjoy "Sherlock Holmes" (I've seen clips of it) and I have already watched "Zodiac" and 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" before. However, for the sake of people who haven't seen them, I am officially reviewing them. Enough about next week, here is this week:

The Men Who Stare At Goats – (2 ½ Stars) - Based on a true story of a very strange division of the military focused on harnessing the “hidden” talents of soldiers. Ewan McGregor plays the straight-man journalist to George Clooney’s “Jedi.” While the movie was funny in parts, by its drug-induced conclusion it is more ridiculous than anything else. (Netflix) (93 minutes - Rated R for Language, some drug content and brief nudity - 2009)

Everybody's Fine – (3 ½  Stars) – After his wife passes, Frank Goode (Robert De Niro) tries to reconnect with his grown children by traveling cross-country to visit each one. De Niro does a fantastic job as the distant father being kept in the dark by his kids regarding how they are doing. The supporting cast is also top notch (Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore). Has the feel of an “indie journey” movie. (Side Note: I couldn’t resist thinking that besides being “fine,” they were also all “Goode.”) (Netflix) (99 minutes - Rated PG-13 for Thematic elements and brief strong language - 2009)

Four Christmases – (1 ½ Stars) – If you have seen any comedy that revolves around a dysfunctional family, you have in essence seen “Four Christmases.” The movie is predictable and chock full of almost every comedy cliché known to man. That’s not to say that there aren’t parts that were amusing. Even at just under an hour and a half, I felt like my time could have been better spent. (Netflix) (88 minutes - Rated PG-13 for Some sexual humor and language - 2008)

*The Blind Side – (4 Stars) –

I have a love-hate relationship with inspirational sports movies. Being a sports fan, I enjoy watching great (usually true) stories that include the sport(s) I love. I am also partial to great stories of redemption or struggle. The problem I usually have is how these stories can be handled. Usually they are opportunistic, sappy, or downright cheesy. However, “The Blind Side” manages to take an inspiring story and tell it in a way that isn’t any of these things.

Another thing to note about the movie is Sandra Bullock’s performance. I haven’t seen all of the other movies that included the “Best Actress” nominees, but Bullock does a fantastic job. Her character is different than any of her previous roles, and I think this is why she does so well with it.


“The Blind Side,” while it gets close to falling into the same traps as most sports movies, manages to stay “in-bounds” enough to make it stand out. One word of caution is that this movie is PG-13 due mainly in part to the background of Michael Oher, the player the movie is based on. (Netflix) (126 minutes - Rated PG-13 for One scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references - 2009)

Movies For This Week:

Sherlock Holmes

Lawrence of Arabia

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Zodiac

Paranormal Activity (Who You Gonna Call?)

Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night? Do you experience feelings of dread in your bedroom or attic? Have you or your family ever seen a spook, spectre, or ghost? Then get out your video camera and start recording. At least, that's the solution our characters in Paranormal Activity come up with when faced with a supernatural threat.

The movie centers on Katie and Micah, a couple who experience...paranormal activities. In an effort to determine the source of the disturbances, Micah decides the best course of action is to video record their (almost) every move. What they discover shakes them to their core.

The idea for Paranormal Activity seems sound enough: create a ghost story that feels like a home video in order to escalate the thrills. The movie starts out creepy enough but  as additional encounters occur, the movie becomes more laughable. Even during moments that should have been tense, I found myself chuckling as opposed to being scared. This was due to the fact that I had already reinvisioned the threat into something less menacing because of the way in which the filmmakers decided to portray the presence. Paranormal Activity could have been a  pleasant surprise of a movie (Much like what Cloverfield did for monster/disaster movies) but instead ends up as another disappointment in the horror genre. (Netflix)

(99 Minutes - Rated R for Language - 2009)