Life of Pi

         

        The art of filmmaking is something that’s not as appreciated or celebrated as much as other mediums are, like books, painted art, and music…well lately it’s been two out of three.  Anyway, I blame the system for that, because more often than not, it’s about the bottom line and not so much the quality of the product that is eventually put on the screen. Then something comes along that makes you love what movies are and what they strive to be. “Life of Pi” is one of those movies that, on the screen make you really appreciate the art of filmmaking and what it can achieve.

     Pi has what seems as a pretty normal life, as a kid, Pi’s family owned a zoo in India and that is where the fantastic part of his story comes from. Owing a zoo can be quite costly, and when Pi’s family can no longer afford the Zoo, Pi’s father sells all the animals and moves his family to Canada. Passage for the family on a cargo ship is included in the purchase of the animals. On the voyage to Canada, Pi’s life changes forever. During a storm, the ship that Pi and his family are on sinks, but Pi somehow makes it to a lifeboat.  During the chaos a zebra somehow makes it on as well. After the storm it doesn’t take long for Pi to realize that another animal made it on board as well, a hyena, who wants nothing more than to eat. An orangutan also survives the disaster, and is brought on board after floating on a bunch of bananas.  The hyena makes short work of the other two passengers, and just when it seems like Pi would be next, Richard Parker makes the hyena his dinner. Richard Parker though is even a bigger problem for Pi, because he is a Bengal tiger. Pi must survive being stranded at sea and having to share a life boat with a hungry tiger, and after all of this, his story just might make you believe in God.

      Ang Lee is one of the best and diverse directors out there and with “Life of Pi” he shows you why. It’s like a great painter painting his masterpiece and Ang Lee may have made his. “Life of Pi” is everything you want in a movie, and on top of that it is beautiful. The thing that helps make this so is the vividness of the 3D, and it is 3D done right. Too often 3D is used to bring the movie to you with water or an object coming at you, and it usually causes the image to be darker.  “Avatar” got it right, and “Life of Pi” has as well, the 3D is used to enhance the movie in a visual sense. The best part is that this movie has substance as well, not only does it look amazing but the story is just as good. The screenplay was written by David Magee, from Yann Martel’s unforgettable novel and keeps the important parts of the novel intact.  This is why you go to the movies, to be amazed, to feel transported, and this is the perfect movie to remind how magical going to the movies can really be.

 Brian Taylor

                                                   

What's on Redbox?--The Expendables 2

          "Track 'em, find 'em, kill 'em!"

There is one branch of movies that I hope I never lose my love for, and that is the well done action movie.  Back in 2010 I saw and didn’t much care for the Sylvester Stallone action-star packed “The Expendables”.  When people asked me why I didn’t like it, I always said, it wanted to be a throwback to that 80’s action movies that most of the cast were a part of.  I feel they didn’t succeed.  There were just too many trademark elements missing.

“The Expendables 2” picks up the pieces of the first and blows them all to hell in a glorious hail of gunfire.  I really dug this movie.  It had what the first film was missing.  There was a story worth following, the villain was more memorable, the action was bigger and better, but most importantly the movie had heart.  Not a lot, but you don’t need much to keep you invested in the action even if it is mindless and over the top.

Barney Ross (Stallone) is picked along with his band of mercenaries all from the first film, Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture, with newcomers Liam Hemsworth and Nan Yu to do an easy recovery job.  But it’s never that simple in these movies is it?  Something goes wrong and they lose one of their own.  I won’t say who, but by the first twenty minutes, if you’ve seen any action moive, you’ll guess which one it is.  The best part is that it doesn’t matter, that’s the ‘heart’ that was missing from the first one.  It leaves the team hell-bent on revenge.  Add to that a way better and probably intentionally more subdued villain by way of JCVD himself (Jean-Claude Van Damme for the non-fans).  As well as the bad one-liners that characters steal from them-selves from other films, enter Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and best of all, every moment with Lundgren, from writing out Einstein theories on napkins to throwing chickens around, this is a fantastic movie.

What I think helped this sequel to the Expendables was the direction, having Simon West, an action director who knows his way around a gun fight ever since his classic debut of the awesomely fun “Con Air” was the right move.  I appreciate a movie that knows what it is and plays to those strengths.  And while “The Expendables 2” is more of a 90’s action movie with 80’s stars, it works enough to be a really good movie you’d want on your shelf.  Best of all, they leave room for a part 3.  I look forward to it.

 

--Robert L. Castillo

Silver Linings Playbook

           The holidays are always the best time of the year. You get to spend time with the ones you love, and for the most part they are pretty joyful. The other thing that the holidays bring, are all those movies hoping for an Oscar, in other words the best movies of the year usually come out about now. For the next two months you won’t be able to miss a movie that doesn’t hope to take home some kind of award come early next year. Well I might just have found one that is destined to take home more than a few.

          What makes a movie great? Well so many things have to come together to do that. All the elements need to be there: The writing, the directing, and of course the acting.  “Silver Linings Playbook” has all that in just the right mix. Pat (Bradley Cooper) has problems. You might say we all have problems, but Pat’s problems had him locked up in a mental hospital. That also changes when his Mother Dolores (Jacki Weaver) comes and gets him out. It seems Pat had an episode after he found his wife with another man. Pat returns to live at home, and stay with his father Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) with his obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles. Pat has plans to get his wife back; he just wants to show her that he is different now and has everything under control. Pat is invited to a dinner with a friend and he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who might be as crazy as he is. Their conversations have no filters and they say whatever comes to their mind to each other and others as well. Pat wants Tiffany to help him get a letter to his wife, and in return Tiffany wants Pat to enter in a dance contest with her. Pat reluctantly agrees, but soon finds that he enjoys the discipline and structure that dancing requires. Pat and Tiffany seem to have a chemistry that is hard to miss, but will Pat see it before it is too late?

      Just like their characters Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence have some great chemistry together. Every time they share the screen it is hard to take your eyes of the magic that is happening on the screen, which is most of the film. The movie was written and directed by David O.Russell (Three Kings, The Fighter), which is based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quick. There have not been many performances better this year than you will see from Cooper, Lawrence and De Niro. It is great to finally see De Niro not be in a film that has the word ‘Focker’ in it and still show why he is one of the best out there. This movie will make you laugh and at times cry, but when it is all over I promise that you will be clapping, for this is truly one of the best movies you will see all year.

Brian Taylor

                                                             

Rise of the Guardians

             

         Growing up everyone believed in Santa Claus, or at least wanted to. Our parents did the best they could to keep that belief strong, doing whatever it took sometimes to make the stories true. There is a magic to Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and all of the other figures that added to our childhood. Though, what if they all knew each other and their job was to protect children from the darkness that is out there.

         Everything in the world seems great, except Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin ) sees trouble in the form of a black cloud.  It is a figure from the past, long thought to have been contained.  Santa decides he must let the others know what he has seen, and sends out a single call to get everyone together. The group he calls on is called The Guardians; they consist of, Santa, The Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the silent Sandman. Together they protect the children, and they are needed as the Boogeyman is back and wants to fill the children’s world with darkness. His name is Pitch (Jude Law) and he is tired of not being believed in anymore, and is going to give the world proof he exists. The Guardians must add a new member to their group in order to defeat Pitch again, and that new member is Jack Frost (Chris Pine). The Guardians power comes from children believing in them and Pitch’s plan is to end that belief. Jack is not like the other Guardians, he too like Pitch is not believed in, and so kids do not see him. Jack doesn’t want to join The Guardians, he has always been a loner, but they cannot defeat Pitch without him. It is up to Jack to put aside his differences, so that children everywhere have something good to believe in.

        The idea that these mythical creatures exist has always been magic. The thought of them knowing each other and form a super group that protects children, now that is just plain cool. This idea was thought of by a simple question many parents have been asked by their children, “do they know each other?” Now if the movie could only be as good as the original idea. First time director Peter Ramsey does a good job, the problem seems to be in the writing. David Lindsay-Abaire just doesn’t add too much excitement to the story. Adapted from the novels by William Joyce, it just seems that the cinematic version just doesn’t deliver. I love the idea, but sometimes great ideas do not translate in the end. While the film’s story is lacking, the visuals are a treat, with some of the best 3D to date. Is that enough to make “Rise of the Guardians” watchable?  I wish I could say this movie was amazing as its original idea, but I can’t. What I can say is that your children will enjoy it, and if it keeps their beliefs in these characters with them for a little bit longer, then just for that, it is worth it.

Brian Taylor

    

                                             

Lincoln

I was going to start this review with a joke about vampire hunters, but “Lincoln” the latest from Steven Spielberg deserves more respect than that.  It’s not just a story, it’s an intimate and focused look back at a very important time in our history.  The film does not show Abraham Lincoln as a boy, or tough lawyer, or even trying to become president.  This film shows us the worn down aged prize fighter of the people, all the people and what he did and inspired others to do in order to claim equality among all Americans.  Or more to the point, African Americans.

Set in the weeks leading up to the end of the Civil War and the voting of the 13^th Amendment we see the trials and tribulations that Lincoln’s administration had to endure to make his dream a reality.  Leading the way is Daniel Day Lewis (There Will be Blood) as Lincoln, who plays it very quiet and understated leaving it to others to play it big like Sally Field who is amazing as his wife Mary Todd, David Strathairn as his Secretary of State, as well as ‘incredible in every scene they are in’, both Bruce McGill and James Spader, yes, that James Spader, Steph from “Pretty in Pink”, most notably is Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens who brings it “The Fugitive” style.  They are just a few of the great performances that carry the film.  There is air of Shakespeare to the film as well, as we hear people talk unlike they do now.  There is also that sense of Shindler, as we get the feeling of Lincoln knowing that his actions will be important for the future of mankind and letting little stand in his way.

The only thing that takes away from this being a classic is that the filmmakers try to juggle the 13^th Amendment and the Civil War in a very short period of time.  There are really great scenes revolving around both, some with Lincoln just sitting in a chair shouting about the importance of the Amendment, and other scenes with his eldest son played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  These scenes are powerful but don’t add up to the whole in a satisfactory way, and what that comes down to is “stakes”.  We all know the history, even if we don’t know exactly how it played out, but there is no real weight to the build-up when you know the outcome here.  Some movies do it well, mostly sports movies, and Spielberg even did it in “Shindler’s List”, but even though everything feels centered around the finale, it just doesn’t deliver all the way.

In the end what we get with “Lincoln” is a beautiful film, with fantastic performances, a great sense of history, and while it is not destined to be a classic, I would love for this to be required watching in schools for years to come.

--Robert L. Castillo    

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Pt. 2

         I have always tried to look for something good in all the films I see. For the first four films in the Twilight series all I could think was “well the state of Washington sure looks good.” It was real hard to find anything else worthwhile. I think it was because first off I am not a teenage girl and second I think I have good taste. So here we are with the final offering in a very forgettable film series, so what do they have in store for us this time?

      Well Bella (Kristen Stewart) is now a vampire. She awakens from her near death experience with a new look on life, or in her case not being alive. Everything looks and sounds different, except of course how she looks at Edward (Robert Pattinson). The whole Cullen family welcomes her to her new existence. Of course she wants to see her daughter Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy), who has her own special gift. Things though are not all rosy, as the Volturi believe Renesmee is something other than what she really is. The Cullens do not want to fight the Volturi, and instead gather witnesses to help persuade them to tell the truth of who Renesmee truly is. The Cullens know that this may not be possible and also prepare for a fight that most of them may not survive. The Volturi come to punish the Cullens, for what they believe is a crime, but will they be persuaded to believe the truth or will they fight in order for Renesmee to be safe?

     I will say my expectations were rather low coming into this film. I have seen nothing from the previous films to give me any hope that this will end well. I do have some good news, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be, and dear I say it, some parts were actually enjoyable. Now the acting is still questionable, especially the lack of it by both Stewart and Lautner. Also the story is still not something that will ever be confused with being quality. The thing the film lacks though is given life by a few elements. First I will say Bill Condon has added a beauty that the first three films lacked. With Condon’s direction, the Breaking Dawn films had a more clear vision.  I had heard stories that these were the weaker books in Stephanie Meyer‘s series, but I would disagree. The series definitely ended on a good note. With Condon’s direction and a very enjoyable soundtrack, this final film is at more times than I thought possible, worth watching.  Now I won’t be running out to join team Edward or team Jacob, and I am still very glad that this is the last Twilight film I will ever have to see.  Unless Meyer gets hard up for more millions.  All in all I can say though it ended very well, and a small part of me, and I do mean a very small part of me thought it was just starting to get good.

 

Brian Taylor

Flashback Corner--Creepshow

“I can hold my breath for a long time!”

 

          This is one of the best comic book adaptations that was not from a comicbook but was based on a series of comicbooks from the 1950’s was 1982’s horror anthology “Creepshow”.  The comics that inspired this collaboration between horror legends George A. Romero and Stephen King were the EC books like Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror and House of Mystery.  They told grotesque tales of horror that usually ended with a twist of the supernatural or just plain human nature gone evil.  The five shorts that make up “Creepshow” are two based on King’s short stories and the other three and bookends starring King’s own son Joe and future author Joe Hill are originals.

The first tale which begins as panels on a comicbook is straight out of “The Twilight Zone”, only more rated ‘R’ with a family reunion years after the brutal murder of their father who had the fortune they all want.  I think this was the first time I had seen anything by Romero, and I remember being fascinated by the crazy camera angles and bright colors out of nowhere.  It’s a creepy short with an awesome ending.

The next is “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill” another in the long line of great Stephen King names.  Here King himself plays the main character, a hick who sees a fallen meteorite as a big payday, only things don’t go his way.  This one terrified me as a kid.  I was old enough to stay at home by myself when I saw this on cable years later and the thought of being infected by something and not knowing what to do about it was and still is horrifying.  Though the infected crotch moment is still funny.

The third story revolves around a subject I couldn’t relate to at the time, love triangles.  All I remember thinking, was why was the “Airplane” guy torturing that bartender from “Cheers”.  This is my favorite one now, the tension and build-up to the end is really good, as is the hammy acting of both Leslie Nielsen and Ted Danson.

The fourth story is much like the first one, only instead of daughter wanting to kill her father it’s a husband wanting to dispose of his alcoholic wife.  Which he finds his chance with a 100 plus year old crate that lives a creature with huge fangs and an appetite for humans.  I still like the monster, the story is so-so.

The fifth and final tale of terror is the one most people remember because of the universal hatred of cockroaches.  A rich business man lives in a sterile, sealed off apartment with electric locks and cameras.  The creepy crawly-ness begins during a lightning storm that unleashes a horde of roaches that invade the man’s home.  The final shot is the one that sticks with people.

Watching “Creepshow” now, you can see how it’s aged, but still has remnants of that classic nature of anthologies.  I do miss them, I wished more were made.  It did make me want to watch “Creepshow 2” again which in its own right, is a solid follow-up to the original, and in my mind has the more quotable lines. (you know you all just said “Thanks for the ride lady.”)  Nothing however takes away from the great collaboration between Romero and King, who both were able to capture the feel of terror, gore, and that little bit of humor that always seem to fit in the great films of horror.

--Robert L. Castillo     

Skyfall

                   

         There is an old saying that things get better with age. Now that may not always be true, especially with older franchises, but in some instances it is exactly the truth. This past year the Bond franchise turned fifty, and although it has had its downs and even more downs over the years, it’s still going strong. The big question that is on a lot of people’s minds is has Bond gotten better with age? I think “Skyfall” answers that question.

        Six years ago, the Bond franchise had a sort of reboot. They went back to the first novel by Ian Fleming, to take Bond back to his roots. Gone were the gadgets and the glitz, and enter the gritty and emotionless Bond. It seems Bond (Daniel Craig) is getting back the Bond of old.  The latest film “Skyfall” starts off like a classic Bond movie, with a traffic action sequence, and a great chase scene on the roof tops of Istanbul. Things don’t work out for Bond and he is thought to be dead. We all know Bond would never be killed, so when he turns up after M I 6 is attacked it is not much a surprise. It seems someone with a bone to pick with M (Judi Dench) is releasing every name of every uncover agent M I 6 has. Also breathing down M’s neck is Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) who needs answers for what is going on at M I 6. Things always work out when you have James Bond at your disposal. Bond sets to track down the man behind the attack, with the help of two beautiful ladies. First being Eve (Naomie Harris), and then Severine (Berenice Malohe), who gets Bond to the man he is looking for. This is where we meet Silva (Javier Barden), who plays bad so good. Bond must stop Silva and save M and the rest of M I 6, a job he is more the up for.

     “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace” were not bad films; they were just not the Bond we all knew and love. The Bond we knew went through women like he went through martinis, and always had the coolest toys. Well that Bond is almost back, and I have enjoyed the road they took to get us back there. We get to meet characters that we already knew form the Bond films of the past, like Q. The other thing is Daniel Craig has made Bond his own and has put his stamp on a character that is so popular. Even as good as Craig has become, the real reason to see this movie is how good Barden is with a bad haircut and just being bad like in “No Country for Old Men”. With the outstanding direction of Sam Mendes (Road to Perdition), who seems to bring a mood of his own to this entire movie, there is not many things that go wrong. It is good to have this Bond back, even the great musical sequence that just makes these movies feel complete.  I look forward to the direction Bond is going, but for now it is fun to just sit back and enjoy the present, because Bond is back and in a very good way.

 Brian Taylor

                                 

Flashback Corner--For Your Eyes Only

          When I was a kid I saw this movie where this guy was taking out bad guys left and right, doing impossible feats, and gettin’ the ladies.  He wasn’t a superhero, and he didn’t ride around in a spaceship, he was by all accounts a regular guy, only there was nothing regular about him.  He was Bond… James Bond.  And the film was twelfth in the Bond series, but my first, “For Your Eyes Only”.

The opening of the film has Bond played here by Sir Roger Moore, at a grave of someone, and then he’s attacked by a mysterious man in a wheelchair and a cat.  At the time I had no previous knowledge of film rights for characters from “Thunderball” or Blofeld, I just thought the fact that you never saw his face made it creepier.  Then the Sheena Easton jam kicks in, with naked women swimming around and shadows of a guy with a gun, what seven year old wouldn’t instantly fall in love?  I still have a bit of nostalgia for the song.

The MacGuffin of the film is the ATAC which is a device that in the hands of the enemy could bring down the British fleet.  So Bond is sent in, I noticed how they say his name a lot throughout the movie, that or “007” as they do as well in the run of the series.  Bond meets the Bond girl Melina (Carole Bouquet) where he is instantly held at gun point which he escapes from by using a beach umbrella as a parachute (yeah, I tried that jumping off a roof of a shed once).  Then from there it’s all standard Bond troupes, car chase, Q’s gadget room, villains and their henchmen, a great ski chase, and the eventual capture of Bond where the bad guy doesn’t just shoot him, he rather tie him to a beautiful woman and drag him behind a slow turning yacht.  Great plan, oh yeah, and he monologues as well.

The whole film seems very formulaic now, but after coming off the mostly absurd “Moonraker” this slightly more grounded Bond was a return to form.  My favorite moment as a kid and I still enjoyed some of it this time around was the climax where Bond has to scale the side of a mountain.  The sounds, the tension, the silence, really sold it for me, and I became a fan of the James Bond films ever since.

While there are much better Bond films than “For Your Eyes Only” and there are some considerably worse ones, overall it’s where it belongs, right in the middle, and aside from the steady pace and old school spy action, it’s still a really enjoyable Bond film.

 

--Robert L. Castillo

Wreck it Ralph

                               

         


      Video games and movies go together like peanut butter and chocolate to a geek, I should know because I am one. Video games have had a bad run when it comes turning them into movies, with most of them being forgettable.  Even more so now, video games have become inherently cinematic.  So we all have been waiting for someone to figure it out, to tie the two together with the right story and characters to make a movie work. Well thankfully someone found the secret and we have a movie that will be enjoyed by all ages.

      Ralph (John C, Riley) is a bad guy in a game called “Fix it Felix Jr.”. He is been doing it for over thirty years, and is starting to wonder what it would be like to be a good guy. Ralph sees how the other characters in his game love Felix (Jack McBrayer) and wants to know that feeling. During a meeting for bad guys in video games, Ralph voices his feelings to everyone. He is told just because he is a bad guy; it doesn’t make him a bad guy. Ralph does not listen and game jumps into a game called “Hero’s Duty”, hearing that is a place he can win a medal. After getting what he wanted he accidently goes into another game, a racing game that takes place in a world of sweets. It is there he meets Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), who is an outcast in her game, because she is a glitch. Ralph learns what it is like to have a true friend with Vanellope, who he helps build a car so that she can be a closeable character in the game. It’s in doing that, which Ralph discovers, what it truly means to be a good guy.

      Disney has always made great animated movies. It seems over the last fifteen years that Pixar has stolen that magic and made the better films. With “Wreck it Ralph” Disney recaptures that magic and makes a film that can stand up to their best work.  Animated movies depend so much on the voice talent, and that is what this film has got completely right. John C. Riley is perfect as Ralph as is every other character in the movie. I believe “Wreck it Ralph” took a page out of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” when it comes to why this movie works so well. Like Roger Rabbit, you see some of your favorite characters interacting with each other, only from the video game world. This film is hard not to love, especially when you can capture a magic that you don’t see often in movies, even less so this year. This movie made me feel like I felt after I saw “Toy Story” and I am sure you will understand that after experiencing this movie for yourself.

Brian Taylor

     

                                                              

Flight

        Great pairings can really make a difference when it comes to movies. Throughout time there have been some great ones, Ford and Wayne, Hitchcock and Grant, Spielberg and Hanks and the list goes on. “Flight” has added to this list with the pairing of Zemeckis and Washington, but will the film live up to the other great collaborations of the past?

     One place that “Flight” does live up to is its title, has airline Captain Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) who loves to fly. He also loves to drink, and seems to do a lot of that. When flying a routine flight from Orlando to Atlanta he encounters a problem, which causes his plane to dive nose first. Somehow Capitan Whitaker is able to get the plane down with little loss of life. Whitaker is called a hero for saving most of the souls on the plane. It is not long after the crash that Capitan Whitaker is told about the blood test he took after the crash that showed he was legally drunk when he was flying the plane. In the hospital he meets Nicole (Kelly Reilly), who, like himself is an addict. The difference between them is that Nicole knows she has a problem. Whitaker is assigned a criminal lawyer named Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle) who tries to help Whitaker admit his problem and to put responsibility of the crash on the plane itself. “Flight” is the story of self-discovery and the paths life can take us.

       It is easy to have high hopes for a film like this. I always think of making a film is like making a great cake, if you have the right ingredients, and then you will have a great cake. Everything was set up right, but somewhere in the mixing of the ingredients, something went wrong, and the cake didn’t come out as good as it should have. Denzel was Denzel, doing exactly what you expect from a two time Oscar winner. When it came to the direction, you don’t get much better then Robert Zemeckis and he does not disappoint in his return to live action. To me the story, written by John Gatins, is the weaker ingredient. I wanted to get behind the story of addiction and self discovery, but felt bad at the depths some of these characters went to. I didn’t know who to root for most of the movie. Washington really does a great job of showing the perils of being an addict. “Flight” is not a bad movie; it just is not the movie it could have been. The one thing it does do well is redeeming its self with a great ending. Couple that with the opening fifteen minutes and you have a pretty good movie. The problem is the story in the middle. Expectations can be a bad thing when it comes to movies, I just wish this one had lived up to mine.

Brian Taylor