Avatar

5 of 5

The Plot: The story’s hero is Jake Sully, a former Marine confined to a wheelchair. Bitter and disillusioned, he’s still a warrior at heart. All Jake ever wanted was something worth fighting for, and he finds it in the place he least expected: on a distant world. Jake has been recruited to join an expedition to the moon Pandora, which corporate interests are strip-mining for a mineral worth $20 million per kilogram on Earth. To facilitate their work, the humans use a link system that projects a person’s consciousness into a hybrid of humans and Pandora’s indigenous humanoids, the Na’vi. This human-Na’vi hybrid – a fully living, breathing body that resembles the Na’vi but possesses the individual human’s thoughts, feelings and personality – is known as an “avatar.”

In his new avatar form, Jake can once again walk. His mission is to interact with and infiltrate the Na’vi with the hope of enlisting their help – or at least their acquiescence – in mining the ore. A beautiful Na’vi female, Neytiri, saves Jake’s life, albeit reluctantly, because even in his avatar body, Jake represents to her the human encroachment on the Na’vi’s unspoiled world.

As Jake’s relationship with Neytiri deepens, along with his respect for the Na’vi, he faces the ultimate test as he leads an epic conflict that will decide nothing less than the fate of an entire world.

My Review: I remember watching T2 when i was younger and being left in awe when it was said and done. There has been amazing movies since then, but nothing that left me breathless as Avatar did. James Cameron is back in a big way and Avatar is proof of that. From the beginning to end this film is amazing visually and story wise.

This movie pulls you in so deep even from the beginning as the story is rich. Watching Jake go from (as he is called in the beginning of the film) a “baby” to one of the tribe members was great. I love the twist Cameron gave to all of the wildlife on the planet all aquatic based life forms in ways you could never imagine . While you can see the end coming after about half of the movie it doesn’t bring down the film at all.You are pulling for the Na’vi the whole film as Cameron’s hidden message hits your heart hard.

I recommend this film to all who truly love film. You will never forget anything you seen in this movie.

Ponyo – Have you ever seen Disney’s The Little Mermaid? Have you ever seen it on acid? Okay, so it’s not quite that different, but don’t expect your mama’s little mermaid with this new adaptation of the fairy tale classic by Oscar winning filmmaker and Japanese anime legend, Hayao Miyazaki.

The elements of the story are the same – there’s a little girl/fish who rebels against her father and escapes the sea for the love of a little boy. What are different are the perspectives. Ponyo isn’t Ariel. She’s not an angst-filled teenager better suited to star in a John Hughes film from the 80’s. In fact, she barely has any lines, save for a few 1-3 word sentences like, “Ponyo wants ham!”

Ponyo (voiced by Noah Cyrus) is truly treated like someone not human seeing the human world for the first time. For her, it’s exciting and thrilling and fun and it really rubs off on the audience. Each adorable line or face she makes is almost too much to take and believe me, audiences respond accordingly. This all makes her counterpart, the human boy named Sosuke (voiced by Frankie Jonas), all the more appropriate. While Ponyo remains utterly pie-in-the-sky gleeful, Sosuke is older than his years – he’s responsible and down to earth with his dreams and aspirations only reaching to having his Dad (voiced by Matt Damon) back home from the mysterious waves of the sea he sails.

The way these two play off one another, whether it’s their initially fun interactions or the more frightening crises that ensue, there is never an uninteresting or unquotable moment. More than that, their scenes show a growing reliance on each other. Ponyo needs Sosuke in order to survive in the humans’ world and Sosuke needs Ponyo to gain a semblance of joy in an otherwise serious life.

But this isn’t just their story. There are parents to consider and they also equally serve as important counterparts in this story of opposites. The one that gets the most screen time is Sosuke’s mother (voiced by Tina Fey) who is often a bit absentminded but nonetheless likable and, like Ponyo, needs her son to ground her in her quant little house on the hill. Ponyo’s father (voiced by Liam Neeson), on the other hand, is mysterious and irritable, living in an unending, inhuman castle beneath the ocean. He’s a kind of scientist with a coldly rational mind, especially in regards to his school of children of which Ponyo is the leader. Even more mysterious is Ponyo’s mother (voiced by Cate Blanchett), a mostly unseen goddess filled with love and magic who, in the end, carries home the film’s message of unconditional love, sacrifice and reconciliation.

Besides from having a unique story filled with memorable characters and a truly gifted voice cast, the cornerstone of this and every other Miyazaki film is the animation. The opening scene and several following minutes are wordless, much like Wall-E, bringing focus to the character’s interaction with their respective surrounding environments, but while Wall-E’s opening scene is a quiet, day-to-day routine that forces the foreign audience to meditate on the devastation around it, Ponyo is all spectacle, a grand exhibition of magic and science fusing together in a mixture of harmony and violence until Ponyo finally escapes the underwater castle. There’s literally action in every corner of the screen.

There’s been a lot of talk this year for Pixar’s Up, but don’t let that fool you – Ponyo has already grossed $200 million worldwide and has far exceeded the profit of any theatrically released anime in America several times over. This is an important film for all ages that will likely upset Pixar for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

***** (5 out of 5 Stars)

At last a movie worth reviewing has come along, and I gladly bring you the review. At first I thought this was a Blair Witch/Paranormal Activity type movie with added footage of said actors being slowly picked off one by one. Hooray for being wrong!! This film opens with Miss Milla Jovovich giving an intro to the film and how the footage they are using is actual footage and audio from the events that took place in Nome, Alaska.  The director blending both into a masterpiece of a film. Not only a thriller, but a in retrospect a great movie that makes you think.

When the film starts you get thrown right into the mix of the phenomenon with Dr. Tyler and the director of the film sitting at a table having an interview that leads into the actors that play each of the people involved. All of her patients are having problems sleeping and being woken up by an unknown force.   All of them remember a white owl outside their windows quoted as seeing it every night. This leads into one man going under hypnosis and freaking out about what he really saw. (Footage is shown of the real person at this time.)

Shortly thereafter he goes home and takes his whole family hostage and tells the police that he wants to speak to Dr. Tyler. The end of this meeting is sad (also has real footage from dash board cams of the police cars on scene). From this moment on Dr. Tyler is madly hunting down the answers of what’s happening in Nome. Through various moments in the film we get to see what happened during the real events as the film flawlessly switches from real life to reenactments.

Dr. Tyler at one point realizes that she herself has been subjected to this traumatic moment when the tape recorder she is having transcribed is brought to her and she hears herself being abducted from her own bedroom. This is where I will stop spoiling the movie and tell you how much it makes you think when you get to the end of the film. All the footage you see and all the moments the real Dr. Tyler talks about happening make you wonder.

I was very pleased with this film and plan on seeing it again to catch little things I missed from the footage of the real moments. Absolutely stunning film. If you haven’t seen this one yet get out there and give it a shot. By the end what you take from this film is up to you.

8 out of 10

When I sat down to watch this I didn’t really know what to expect. While it lags at a few points, this movie series (if done right) has the ability to be something that can stand out and be original. I have not read the book, so I have no clue if it follows them nor do I care. The lines are drawn from the beginning and you can see who will turn out to be who. John C. Riley did a pretty good job of making you like his character as the film progresses.

While the main character is whiny in the beginning, he slowly comes into his own… as far as he is allowed anyway.  The Cirque is actually full of a few big name stars that all chose the most random parts to play, but it works for each one of them. The film starts off lighthearted as you meet the main characters, and gets a little darker as it moves forward.  I like the twists on Werewolves, and a few other creatures they can bring into the series.

All in all, I liked this film. While I felt it was way too long, it has room to grow if done right. Acting from the big stars was on point while the younger stars need to work on a few things–even though they add their share to the movie. Effects wise, the film was like a vampire comic, if that makes sense at all. “Flash” type running that comes with the blur effect behind it. The weird vampire super strong nails (not sure why that made the film). Nothing was too flashy, but it served it’s purpose.

6 out of 10.

I’ve heard the argument made that Where the Wild Things Are is too dark and too long and basically too gosh-darn intelligent for kids. After all, kids are stupid! They like Nickelodeon, video games and all those weird Japanese trading cards that promote animal cruelty. They like movies that have pratfalls, fart jokes and crotch shots, and there’s very few of those in the new Spike Jonze movie.

So what does Where the Wild Things Are have to say that kids would want to hear? And for that matter, what does it have to say to grown-ups?

The movie opens somewhat traumatically in the way things that seem small to adults can traumatize a child, to which the child goes on a rampage the way children do. Max Records plays this role in a way that encompasses every child – he’s bold but bashful, selfish yet loving, happy but sorrowful. When he runs (or sails) away to the monster-filled island after a blowup with his mother (Catherine Keener), who he views as exclusively his in spite of her would-be boyfriend, the adult in me really wanted to see him caught and punished while the child deep deep down wanted him to keep going and indulge all those fantasies that the real world has a way of smashing to bits. He carries the movie in a way George Lucas could have only dreamed when casting Phantom Menace.

Now, when I say Max just “sails away”, don’t mistake me – that’s exactly what he does. There’s no elaboration on the shift from real to fantasy. He literally runs down a street, hops on a tiny sailboat and sails to a monster island, no questions asked. When he arrives, someone else is throwing a temper tantrum and he’s the familiar nameless creature from the cover of Maurice Sandak’s book. But in this adaptation, he’s given a name – Carol (voiced by James Gandolfini) – and his tantrums are a little scarier than Max’s. And yet Max identifies with him, sticks up for him, and eventually becomes the closest to him, all the while having to find roles for the other creatures. At one point, he even finds himself having to convince one that he loves them all equally. Sound familiar?

Amongst all the pile-ups and fort-building and fun Max and the monsters have, though, glimmers of the Carol’s real destructive capabilities pop up, especially in regard to the much wiser, more worldly KW (Catherine O’Hara). Of course, the honeymoon doesn’t last, and those pop-ups escalate into a full-blown disaster that forces the eventual resolution of the film, which is essentially the same as the book’s – he realizes he can’t stay where there are no rules and he decides to go home to his Mom, “where it’s warm.”

Does this sound like a little too much for kids? I don’t know. I stopped being one a long time ago (though some habits still linger.) What I can say is that the kids in the theater I watched it in were into it. During the funny moments, they laughed and during the scary moments, they couldn’t move. I gotta say, I reacted much the same way, and I think that’s the real brilliance of Mr. Jonze’s adaptation. Everyone can get this. The themes are universal. We have all had a parent in one form or another and we’ve all lashed out at them. The gift the monsters gave to Max was a chance to step into that parent’s shoes, to see what it’s like to love someone but also fear them, to see them get out of control but in the end, return with that same love in them.

***** (Five Stars)

Tom Gavin

10-22-09

8 out of 10

Plot: After a young, middle class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban “starter” tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night.

Especially when they sleep. Or try to.

My Review:  I’ll admit right now I hate documentary type movies, but I was surprised in a good way with this film. It starts off like a home movie–you meet the characters and learn about them as the film progresses. Soon you find out that Kate has been dealing with things like this for a long time and not really talked to her boyfriend about any of it. This film was great, it even brought out the “screamers” in my audience.

While the nights get worse for our doomed couple as the movie goes forward, I’ll have to give it to the effects people on this film as they pulled out some great moments that had me asking how did they do that? Everyone was on edge and feeding off one another as they got pulled into the meat of the film. Very simple film making what turned out to be VERY effective scares. While the end gave me goose bumps, (even though it was very Blair Witch) the scares are a bit far apart as the end holds the best part of the film.

This is a great couple film that will no doubt have your girl buried in your shoulder as mine was. I will see this again with a group of friends to watch them jump and scream at the moments that made this film a must watch for me.

7 out of 10

Plot: Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice.

Fast forward ten years. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die.

Soon Shelton follows through on his threats, orchestrating from his jail cell a string of spectacularly diabolical assassinations that can be neither predicted nor prevented. Philadelphia is gripped with fear as Shelton’s high-profile targets are slain one after another and the authorities are powerless to halt his reign of terror. Only Nick can stop the killing, and to do so he must outwit this brilliant sociopath in a harrowing contest of wills in which even the smallest misstep means death. With his own family now in Shelton’s crosshairs, Nick finds himself in a desperate race against time facing a deadly adversary who seems always to be one step ahead.

My Review:  When the film opens we get to meet Gerard Butler’s character, Clyde, spending time with his family and working.  Soon the night turns for the worse and Clyde’s world is left in pieces. Seeking justice for his family and what happened to them he turns to Jamie Fox’s Character Nick. Only to have Nick make a deal with one so he can walk. Clyde doesn’t see it this way and takes matters into his own hands.  Jump ahead ten years and Clyde’s plan is about to begin. The acting was great from both Fox and Butler. Fox showing he will bring much to the table as he continues his acting career.  Butler turning from meek to super spy shows he has plenty to bring to the table and with all the movies he’s done lately we’ll have plenty of him to come

Visually this film keeps pace with it’s actors. Beautiful city shots, dark and gritty jail cell scenes, gave this “crime” drama everything it needed to keep me entertained and guessing on how he was doing all of this. I plan on seeing this one again and trying to notice things i didn’t see this go around. All in all I’m very impressed with this film, the ending let me down just a tad but it was still good.

Go out and see this film and witness what can happen when a man who loses everything can come up with.

5 of 10

Plot: 28 years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa’s “District 9″ as the world’s nations argued over what to do with them.

Now, patience over the alien situation has run out. Control over the aliens has been contracted out to Multi-National United (MNU), a private company uninterested in the aliens’ welfare – they will receive tremendous profits if they can make the aliens’ awesome weaponry work. So far, they have failed; activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA.

The tension between the aliens and the humans comes to a head when an MNU field operative, Wilus Wikusder (Sharlto Copley), contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. Wilkus quickly becomes the most hunted man in the world, as well as the  most valuable – he is the key to unlocking the secrets of alien technology. Ostracized and friendless, there is only one place left for him to hide: District 9.

My Review; I never thought i would say this but i just spent two hours watching what felt like a documentary film on a concentration camp. The basic plot for the film is an alien race lands on earth 28 year sago and the nations of the world are keeping them here.  While the entire cast of the film consists no name actors and cgi creatures they do well to draw you into the movie.

Visually this movie is ok. At times it has great cgi effects but in the wide angle shots they paid no attention to detail (Even the Scooby Doo live actions movies could do that) leaving this film to fall extremely short in the Visual Fx department. While the story has potential to be great it falls short and never tries to pick it’s self back up.

This film is nothing more than any other aliens come to earth film. An EXTREMLY played out story line that always ends the same as humans attack what we don’t understand and see no wrong in it. After all you go through you get what turns into a bad cliffhanger of sorts that leaves me to say i’d buy it on dvd if they make it worth my wild.