The Insatiable Critic

Audiobook Spotlight: Me and a Guy Named Elvis gives heart to the icon's soul

2011-09-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Tantor Media, Inc.

Everyone knows the side of Elvis that's the huge aviator sunglasses, the white sequined jumpsuits, the outrageous sideburns. But did you know Elvis studied martial arts and taught karate? Or studied methods of meditation and had light brown hair as a kid?

Me and a Guy Named Elvis, written by Jerry Schilling with Chuck Crisafulli, shows listeners a side of Elvis we so rarely see - the regular guy.

The audio begins with Schilling himself reading the introduction, in a growly, warm voice that pulls the listener in. He was one of Elvis's best friends and a longtime member of the renowned "Memphis Mafia," the group of guys that palled around and lived with Elvis, acting as de facto bodyguards. The transition to William Dufris's lighter, clearer tone starting in the first chapter gives the listener the satisfaction that the book's material is in good hands. It almost feels like Schilling is giving his blessing over the whole audiobook experience before handing it over to Dufris.

And he really does the icon justice by not trying to imitate the drawl we've all come to know, rather just hints at it, allowing us to break down all our preconceptions about the guy and really go beneath the surface. Schilling doesn't spin a drama-filled, expose-all tale about the ups and downs of Elvis's life. Yeah, there are the fights at the Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tenn., and the discussion of Elvis's drug use; Schilling certainly doesn't shy away from the dark stuff. But he also talks about the good times, the parties at Graceland, and Elvis's incredible generosity, like one Christmas when they delivered a new wheelchair to a paralyzed friend who couldn't afford a new one. How he cared about his family and cared FOR them, letting them live at Graceland with him. Schilling writes with a kind of good-natured honesty with a massive amount of respect for the man as an artist as well as his friend.

And that's really what makes the book such a joy. It's everything you would hope your best friend would say about you - accepting your faults, working beyond them, but remembering you as that all-around generous good guy. Schilling talks about his personal transition of looking at Elvis with the kind of awe to becoming equals with him. It's a book about the power of friendship as much as about Elvis, and how strong friendships allow themselves to grow and evolve over the years, even if that involves a couple of break-up make-up fights. And well heck, it's nice to imagine Elvis as a light-brown haired 19-year-old with floppy hair in Memphis, just on the cusp of his music career, but taking the time to play touch football in the park with a bunch of his pals - including then 12-year-old Schilling - before changing the world with the force of his personality.

This audiobook is also chock-full of extras - after the tale is told Schilling graciously allows Dufris to interview him about what inspired him to write the book and what he hopes listeners took away from the experience. And the final icing on the cake - a recording of Elvis himself during a very personal moment reflecting on his music and his life.

This audiobook is a must for any die-hard Elvis fan, but also for anyone who believes in the power of a lifelong friendship between two regular guys. I'd like to think if Elvis were alive today, he would be moved and touched by this incredible tribute to him by someone who knew him best.

Click here to listen to an audio clip!

Kinda quiet out on the range....

2011-09-05T11:12:00.001-07:00

Sad cat is sad.....

Sorry about the lack of updates folks. Last week we had Hurricane Irene rip through Connecticut and left me without power for several days, and a lot of work at my day job to catch up on. I'll be doing a double-header to make up for the power loss: Look for a review of The Help and the audiobook Me and a Guy Named Elvis coming this week!

Thanks for reading and for your understanding!

We Interrupt our regularly scheduled programming....

2011-08-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

My friend Tina Pratt, who runs the awesome-tastic webcomic The Paul Reveres and is also responsible for the creation of my site banner and the Insatiable Critic logo, was in a very serious car accident with a drunk driver, who was idiotically attempting to operate a rather large pickup truck. She is in good condition but has been recovering in the hospital for several days after having to have surgery on her knee. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers that she continues to make a safe and speedy recovery.

Toby sends lots of licks and purrs!

Audiobook Spotlight: Magic in the Shadows casts its spell on readers

2011-08-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Tantor Media, Inc.

Since the dawn of the Harry Potter craze, many of us out there have started to get a sense of “wizarding fatigue” as I like to call it. There’s got to be other intriguing magic plotlines that don’t revolve around high school characters waving magic wands, right?

The author Devon Monk has found a cure for readers looking to sink their teeth into something a little different, and boy to we get it with a shot of adrenaline in her Allie Beckstrom series, revolving around the adventures of a very funny and true spitfire character (Allie) who can sling magic like a cowboy can sling a Colt revolver.

This type of magic is grittier and more complicated than traditional wizard stuff, and Allie has the unusual condition of actually having magic INSIDE of her – it comes to her naturally and flows through her, so much so that it becomes a detriment to her having a “normal” life. The upside is, it gives Allie some highly evolved senses, especially smell. Taking place in the city of Portland, Oregon, we are set in a world where the use of magic comes with a price – and people are paid good money to be the “proxies” (that is, the recipients of the pain associated with the use of a significant amount of magic) and it is a part of everyday life. Allie's job (when she's not dealing with other out-of-control supernatural elements) is to to be a Hound, a person who can track down people who abuse their power in magic and keep them from causing harm to innocent non-magic users.

Magic in the Shadows is the third installment in Monk’s series, but it is written in such a way that it could be read as a stand-alone without readers being too lost. Monk does a wonderful job in giving readers enough background to get grounded before the plot takes off at a breakneck speed. Engaging and funny, the book is filled with numerous wonderful characters, including Shamus, a death magic user who dresses gothy, drinks like a true Irishman, and has a smart mouth to match. This book lends itself well to audio because the characters play off each other so well, and the chemistry between Allie and her budding romance with Zayvion Jones, (affectionately known as “Zay”) a member of the Authority – an elite group in the city whose job it is to keep magic in check – practically sparks and dances off the pages. They are worthy of one another as allies and lovers.

Another character that gets introduced in this book is Stone, a gargoyle that Allie accidentally releases into life through an accidental surge of magic during an attempt to have a quiet dinner out with Zayvion. He becomes an unforgettable and important character in this book as well as the subsequent volumes in the series later. And honestly, people that know me well know I have a thing for gargoyles, and Stone is just flat-out adorable!

Despite all the magical properties in the world that Monk has created for us, the characters are very real and relatable. Allie gets tired. She gets stressed. And she’s really tired of having to deal with the spirit of her dead father in her head. Okay, so thankfully we in the real world don’t have to deal with that, but there’s a very human element that runs through Monk’s writing, that there are consequences to people’s actions; there is a price to pay for the magic that is used.

Perhaps it is that human element that makes for such a great audiobook. Emily Durante brings attitude and flair to Allie, as well as embodying the cool straight-man aura that Zayvion embues. She does a fantastic job with Shamus’s Irish accent, giving him just the right amount of snark his character requires without going over the edge and making him totally obnoxious. Her voice makes the book come alive in the way a truly well-done audiobook should, and makes the reader hungry for more. And thankfully there IS more: there are three more volumes awaiting after Magic in the Shadows, the most recent volume, Magic on the Hunt available through Tantor Media through CD or download as of Aug. 29.

A truly compelling listen, anyone who is looking for a fresh voice in the genre of urban magic should check out this series. You can listen to an audio clip from Magic in the Shadows here.

Current Reels GUEST Review: Cowboys & Aliens has the look but not the thrill

2011-08-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig lookin' grim in this image courtesy of Universal Studios and Dreamworks Pictures

And now...for something a little different.

I am proud and happy to have the equally insatiable Libby Cudmore, writer extraordinaire, throw in her two cents on my blog. For guest reviews, we also have a guest rating system, featuring Roxy, my friend's epically amazing pooch who is a very good girl and also has good taste in movies. Same gig, one through five. You'll see her featured at the end of this review!

For more of Libby's writing goodness, giddy-up and turn your browser horses (or "hosses", as they say in the Old West) towards Record of the Month Club/Boys on Film.

Without further ado...take it away Libby:

Cowboys & Aliens was, for me, like my 13-year-old self and my 27-year-old self giving each other a high five. Harrison Ford (as Han Solo) was my first love, and Walton Goggins (as Shane Vendrell) is my most recent. So while IMDB-stalking Goggins the night before Predators opened, I saw a listing for Cowboys & Aliens and have been anxious for it ever since.

In addition to being a fan of Harrison Ford, Walton Goggins, Clancy Brown and Toby Huss, I also like big bloated silly action movies. Not like Transformers or, even worse, Battleship (which has the silliest looking trailer ever), but big cheesy ones like Independence Day. From everything I’d seen, Cowboys & Aliens looked like it was trying to bring fun back to the movies, and I can get behind that. Cowboys fight aliens. Awesome.

The problem I’ve had with recent alien invasion movies, like Skyline, is that Our Heroes inevitably look to the sky and point and scream, “What’s that?” Well, let’s see, we’ve had alien invasion movies since the fifties, and they all have giant flying saucers hovering in the sky, what the hell do you think it is, it’s ALIENS, what, are you Amish!?! But Cowboys have never seen aliens, so the believability is already there. Imagine, you’re just a normal guy, riding your horse and you see a giant THING flying past you. Holy cats, that’s got to be scary! I like that kind of rooting interest in my films. I also like the idea of Walton Goggins in a cowboy hat.

So I put on my refashioned vintage western shirt and got tickets for the midnight showing. I took a nap, I got some Bottlecaps and I was all geared up. I was ready. I needed my Walton Goggins fix.

I need to say this first: Guys in western gear are really hot. This is part of Shane Vendrell’s sex appeal on The Shield—he wears snap-front western shirts a girl could just rip off his body and inappropriately tight boot-cut jeans. The real, old-timey western costumes are even sexier, even on Daniel Craig, who has a mouth like a puckered cat butt. Harrison Ford’s still got it and rocks that paisley scarf, even if he is a million years old and can barely move his mouth anymore. Olivia Wilde has creepy doll-eyes and looks like she wore her Laura Ashley pajamas to the gunfight. Paul Dano has a pube ‘stach. But other than that—Sexy City.

(This does not mean, gentlemen, that you can start wearing cowboy hats. Chances are you are not a cowboy, nor are you Daniel Craig, and you will end up looking like a dope in a cowboy hat. And unless you have an ass like Walton Goggins, step away from the boot cut jeans while you’re at it. Vintage snap-front western shirts make you look like a hipster. So really, just don’t bother trying, because you will hurt yourself and those around you.)

But I digress, and I’d like to point out one more great thing about the film—it has an awesome ensemble cast. You have two TV Cops (Adam Beach of short-lived SVU fame joins Shield alum Goggins) a guy from another western show (Keith Carradine of Deadwood, although you could also make the Justified argument in Goggins’ case) two dudes from Carnival (Toby Huss and Clancy Brown, once again playing a man of God) James Bond and Indiana Jones. Really, how do you screw that up?

Two hours later I was sleepy and slightly disappointed. The movie wasn’t bad (except for Paul Dano and Olivia Wilde’s sad attempts at “acting”) but it wasn’t especially good either. It wasn’t even bad/good, (although it is ripe for riffing). Walton Goggins is barely in it. I was expecting a summer thrill-ride, but what I got was a generic blockbuster with nothing memorable or unique.

And that’s what hurt most of all.

I was so pumped for this film. I’d waited a year, scanned for screenshots, watched the trailer, stayed up past my bedtime and for what? Nothing special. I didn’t even come away with the same goofy affection I have for Predators. At least in Predators, Walton Goggins (who is the only good part of that film) got to say lines like, “If we ever get out of here . . . I’m going to do so much cocaine.” I don’t remember a single gruff, muttered piece of dialogue from Cowboys & Aliens.

While the cowboys are mostly hot, the aliens look like Silent Hill villains, and poorly-rendered ones at that. I’m a big fan of guys in rubber suits, so I can see right through CGI—but bad CGI is even worse than the zipper hanging out. It’s lame and it’s pathetic and it makes you sort of sad. Luckily they weren’t in it that much, probably because the budget was used up on making Olivia Wilde look less like a Real Doll and more like a human being (they almost succeeded).

If you’re looking for a way to hang around in the A/C and eat some snacks, by all means. Cowboys & Aliens is a perfect film. It’s inoffensive, it doesn’t put cocaine directly up Michael Bay’s nose and tells Hollywood, “Hey, we like Jon Favreau. We still like Harrison Ford, and we’ll tolerate Daniel Craig.” The western is making a comeback, and I think we need to support that as best we can. I’d rather see this than, say, a gritty reboot of Wild Wild West.

Video interview with Kung Fu Film Expert Ric Meyers!

2011-07-21T04:54:00.000-07:00

Ric Meyers, famous writer, fellow critic, and some say the American expert on Kung Fu films, graciously allowed me to interview him about his new book and corresponding movie, Films of Fury! before he trotted off to the San Diego Comic Con. At this biggest and baddest of the comic cons, at 7:45 p.m. in Room 6A, yesterday he premiered Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Movie!

We had a great time. UPDATE: So I had a great, edited, wonderful copy of the interview with a header and footer and lots of bells and whistles, and for some reason Windows Movie Maker will not process it. I begged, pleaded, and almost came close to throwing my laptop out the window. So here it is folks, the raw copy, uncut and unplugged. The first chunk is about 20 minutes long and the second is about 11 minutes long (don't have to watch it all in one go if you don't wish) long and no fancy intro but bug-free. Hope you enjoy! MANY thanks to Casey Schoenberger who played cameraman and managed to get the video uploaded to his YouTube channel, and for Ric for being patient and a good sport as always.

Without further ado....parts one and two!

Audiobook Spotlight: British WWII soldier breaks silence to tell tale of extraordinary bravery

2011-07-08T03:51:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Tantor Media, Inc.

After over sixty years and in his early nineties, British soldier Denis Avey broke his silence and found a way to tell the incredible tale of his experience as a POW in World War II.

The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz tells of a British soldier's courage to go-willingly-into a Jewish prisoner camp to give one man two days of freedom - and find out for himself the horrors that the prisoners were being subjected to.

This is a very personal and important book, which must have been very hard for Denis Avey to write, even with the assistance of BBC journalist Rob Broomby. What I enjoy so much about the way this book is written is you not only get a feel for what Avey experienced while he was in the war - watching his friend get literally blown to smithereens, for one - but the loneliness and isolation he felt AFTERWARDS.We get the back story, the aftermath, that one so rarely gets to hear about; the long healing process and mental and physical toll the experience took on him as a soldier and as a person. He doesn't tell any of this in a self-pitying way. The writing is direct and finds humor in the most unlikely places.

British narrator James Langton is really quite perfect for making this tale come to life. He strikes the balance between the lighter and darker moments of the book, yet giving it the overall solemn poignancy that the subject matter requires. What makes this such a great audiobook is because the content is so personal, having a compelling voice relating it and infusing it with the appropriate emotions for each passage gives the story an even deeper dimension.

The book takes us through Avey's earliest days of the war fighting Italians in the desert, jumping off a ship to avoid being a POW, his tense flight as a fugitive in Greece, and his capture by the Nazis. Avey was taken to Poland and placed at the British POW labor camp, labeled E715, near Buna-Monowitz, more famously known as Auschwitz III. He recalls the chilling sign in front of his camp and others, reading "Arbeit Macht Frei", which translates as "Work Will Set You Free."

Avey tells of his deeds switching uniforms with Jewish prisoner Hans and writing in code to another Jewish prisoner’s sister in England in order to send him cigarettes, which was the currency of the camps - a valuable asset that could prove the difference between survival and death. He tells all of this with a matter-of-fact attitude that neither pats himself on the back nor diminishes his heroic actions. He unflinchingly relates the horrors of the camp and the war itself not with the intent to shock, but to honestly send forth the message that yes, all of this really truly did happen, and history must never repeat itself. He also includes how he had an opportunity to have an easy time of it during his early involvement in the war after he saved a man in the desert, but went back to fighting because he felt in his gut it was the right thing to do.

This book left me with renewed focus on the importance of the Holocaust and how it is a terrible chapter in our history that should remain undimmed for the ages. Remain so, because it reminds us of how close we are to becoming inhuman and how valuable the lives of others truly are. And it also reminds us that the soldiers who fight for us are very human as well, underneath a hard shell of discipline and courage that allows them to do what they have to.

Whatever made this man tell his story - I am grateful for it. Had it gone to the grave with him; what a huge loss for all of us, what an important message gone unsaid. This is a story that will stay with me for a long, long time.

Click here to listen to a sample of the book.

July Fourth special: Super 8 is really great, let's make a date watch Super 8!

2011-07-04T06:24:00.001-07:00

Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, and Bad Robot Productions

No movie this year has surprised and delighted me as much as Super 8 did; which I managed to see this weekend quite by chance. It's been one of the most rewarding viewing experiences I've stumbled upon lately.

I chose this movie to review on Fourth of July partly because I just can't contain my enthusiasm for seeing a film THIS good, but mostly because I can't think of anything more American than a plot that revolves around a bunch of precocious kids in 1979 Dayton, Ohio, running around making movies.

It's a good old-fashioned, growing up geeky in America mixed with a good dose of action/thriller supernatural good times. The brain child of Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams, the two directors use this film to wax nostalgic about their mutual passion for film-making from a young age. Indeed, young Spielberg was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and started his film career running around with, you guessed it, an 8 mm.

The film has a kind of movie magic, a kind of wonder, that I have seldom seen since the great adolescent/coming of age films of my youth - The Goonies, E.T., Flight of the Navigator and Summer of 42 all come to mind. Indeed, the Amblin Entertainment logo featuring the iconic scene from E.T. of the bike flying against the moon is the first thing the audience sees, already stirring up the nostalgic cockles of the audiences' hearts.

The biggest complaint I have about the film really only involves the massive amount of suspension of belief the first dramatic scene asks of the audience. You'll see what I mean. But as things get increasingly weirder and weirder; the quality level just goes up and up.

A big part of it is that the kids, who are trying to film a zombie movie in the midst of a real supernatural occurrence going on in their town, are all great actors. Many of them are newcomers - according to Entertainment Weekly, Joel Courtney, who plays the main character Joe Lamb, went to Los Angeles last summer to visit his brother without a single acting credit. "I really wanted a commercial and $100, and I got Super 8," the article says. Elle Fanning, who plays Joe's love interest Alice Dainard, is probably the most well-known out of the bunch for being the kid sister of Dakota Fanning. Riley Griffiths, who plays the obsessive director Charles, definitely comes across as kid Spielberg personified. Add in a stoner friend with a car and a kid with a penchant for explosives and flames, and you're in for one wild, fun ride.

I won't get into the plot. I think its important to watch the story unfold on the screen without knowing much about it. I will say this - there are some scary moments, one that actually made me jump back against my seat, but just as things are on the verge of getting a little too tense, the directors toss you a lifeline of levity with great writing that shows no matter how crazy their current situation might be, kids will still be kids.

What most impressed me about Super 8 is the writing of the script shows kids being intelligent; not stereotyped cardboard cutouts that many high school films portray them to be. It's not about the jocks vs. the nerds, or who's better than who. You never even see the kids at school because its summer and the directors wisely chose that as the perfect time A. to release the movie and B. set the movie because it allowed them to focus solely on this small group of adolescents that are just doing their damndest to follow their hearts and their passions. And best of all, the message brought home at the end is that there's a whole lot adults can learn from kids as well, if they would only listen.

So seriously, what are you still doing here reading this? Go forth and Super 8!

Audiobook spotlight: To End All Wars - WWI through the eyes of the peacemakers

2011-06-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Tantor Media, Inc.

To be totally honest, what I knew about World War I would fit into a very small teacup before I started listening to To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918. Usually I shy away from these types of war biographies, but what intrigued me about this book is that it is told through the eyes of the peacemakers in the war, from a very human, vulnerable point of view.

Narrator Arthur Morey sets the right tone for this book: his voice is clear and soothing, but gives the kind of depth and solemness needed for such a serious topic. Rather than being told as a straight-out chronology of events, author Adam Hochschild engages the reader by focusing on the relationship between the people fighting the war and the people opposing it. One of the most interesting points the book makes is how World War I really set the stage for World War II; and how Germany's losses in World War I embittered a well-known soldier, Adolf Hitler.

The book picks apart several major historical figures, delving into their psyches as only an author who has done an exhausting amount of research can. Field Marshal Douglas Haig, who was the British senior officer, became so obsessed with the idea of Britain claiming a victory that his ambitions led to the deaths of thousands of soldiers, particularly during The Battle of Somme in France. The opening day of the battle saw nearly 60,000 casualties on the British side.

The book also talks about the women who were very influential during the war, such as Maria Bochkareva, a 25-year-old Russian woman who was given special permission by the goverment to enlist in the Army. She then organized the "Women's Battalion of Death", whose members "shaved their heads, slept on Bar boards during training, endured the same corporal punishment as male Russian soldiers, and sported a skull-and-crossbones insignia." Boy, would they have made a great Roller Derby team or what?

The book also talks about the Pankhursts, a family of powerful women who promoted their ideas through newspapers and public gatherings. However, two of the sisters would find that their differing beliefs about the war would divide them straight down the middle. The book also talks of the writer Rudyard Kipling, his involvement with the war effort, and the crushing blow that the death of his young son John in the war dealt him. For John had bad eyesight and the Army would not take him, but his father, ever supportive, managed to get him in anyway through his political connections. His son's body would never be found.

Hochschild reminds us that the impact of the war remains prevalent today...."some half-million pounds of First World War scrap is still collected from French and Belgian fields each year. And everywhere along the old Western Front the soil continues to yield up bones: the remains of 250 British and Australian soldiers were found beneath a French field in 2009."

Sobering, but vital, it is a book with much heart, as well as being a great, easily understood overview of the war, its immensity, and its impact. Morey's gentle voice and incredible research on the pronunciations of names and places gives the story its due honor as well as making it a great listening experience.

Click here to listen a sample.

Current Reels: Kung Fu Panda 2, or How My Inner Peace Can Kick Your Butt

2011-06-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Dreamworks Studios

Following up an already great film is never an easy task, and some don't always hit the mark. Take Iron Man 2, for example. The first one was pretty much flawless - great acting, great plot, wonderful special effects, snappy dialogue and killer pacing. The second- not so much. It had all the right pieces on the game board; with Mickey Rourke as Whiplash and Don Cheadle a worthy replacement for Terrence Howard as Rhodey/War Machine, but it just didn't have the zip and zing of the first. Perhaps in its own right, its not such a bad movie, but once you've seen the first you can't help but wish it was just as clever and brilliant.

Such is the burden on filmmakers with sequels; particularly second installments. There are benefits too - not being weighed down by character development and setting the stage, you can just push play and hit the ground running. The creators of Kung Fu Panda 2 used this benefit to their full advantage. Right from the start, you get a loving reference to a dearly departed character from the first film artfully rendered into the studio logo, and then BAM away we go.

And WOW is the animation gorgeous; even more so than the first. The textures in fur and the patterns in clothes are detailed to the extreme, and Po, though slimmed down a tad (all that kung fu will do that to you) is fuzzier and cuter than ever. The 3D well-worth the extra couple bucks on the movie ticket; it enhances rather than hinders the already dazzling animation.

Things I loved about this film- more scenes done in the unique hand-drawn animation style that we got a glimpse of in the first film. It looks like ancient Chinese tapestries come to life. I also enjoyed the evolved friendship between Panda and Tigress, considering their relationship was definitely off to a rocky start in the first film. When I first read that the villain was going to be an albino peacock named Shen, I was like rather skeptical. But the ever-versatile Gary Oldman really rose to the occasion and made him menacing to the point of scary, especially to very young children.

It was also a joy to hear more from Mr. Ping, voiced by James Hong, who will always remain endearing to me as Cassandra's Dad in Wayne's World 2. His character is a duck who owns a noodle shop and happens to be Po's clearly adopted father. He becomes a central character later in the first film and remains central in the second. And here's where the plot becomes tricky to navigate.

As my boyfriend said to me after the film was over; I LIKED just having Mr. Ping be Po's Dad without a lot of explanation. And delving into one's mysterious origins is a well-trod plot path, and is tricky to make fresh, new, and well, not downright trite.

But somehow, they did it. The sequence when Po begins to put the pieces of his past together (the flashback scenes rendered in that gorgeous hand-drawn animation style I gushed about previously) literally brought tears to my eyes. It brought home the idea that family is where you find it, which is a theme I think is too seldom seen in films.

I just wish the last few moments of the film had been taken out entirely, or at least put at the end of the credits. But I would've preferred to not have it in at all. Without giving too much away, it is in direct conflict with all the previous statements and themes the film has built up to this point. It left me feeling a little cheated. And honestly, would it have been too much to ask to give Monkey (voiced by Jackie Chan) a COUPLE more lines? Maybe in the third movie...

]The action continues to be fantastic and well-researched, and a delight to see especially if you know anything about kung fu. Watching Shifu, Po's teacher, do the Tai Chi move "Wave Hands Like Clouds" at the beginning of the film made me tingle a little inside with happiness.

Overall, a solid follow-up with plenty of fun for kids and adults alike. Stay for the great animation during the credits! Very much looking forward to seeing what they come up with for DVD extras.

P.S. Look for Master Croc, who gets a pityingly small role, voiced by Jean Claude Van Damme, do a signature "Van Damme" split!

AnimeNEXT: 10 years of wacky geeky goodness Part I

2011-06-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

Like father, like daughter: The Critic with her Dad after his panel, Anime Under the Radar at AnimeNEXT 2011

I realized that as AnimeNEXT turns 10, a convention held in Somerset, NJ that I attended from June 10-12, I will also be reaching a geeky milestone myself.

Ten years ago, almost a wide-eyed freshman in college, I wrapped up my college days by setting foot inside my first anime convention, which was Otakon 2001 in Baltimore, MD. And much like this year, my Dad was by my side, ready to geek out with the best of them. I guess you could say in terms of conventions, I'm as of this year, a proverbial "X-Man" (sorry guys, if you know your Roman numerals, I couldn't avoid the obvious pun.)

Flash forward, and things really haven't changed much. Sure, I've graduated and somehow through a lot of hard work and the grace of God I have a full-time job that I actually like and an apartment to call my own (plus kitteh!) but my love for the proverbial "con" remains the same.

What is it about the con that draws myself, my Dad, and all the lunatics I know that I'm proud to call friends? For me, it's always been the chance of being able to gather with like-minded people and feel like I'm a part of some kind of huge, slightly scary, but never boring family reunion. Yes, I happen to be one of those freaks who dress up and I love it. There is nothing cooler to me than wearable art. If it works for Lady Gaga...

Speaking of wearable art, I made a little slide show of some of the best costumes I saw at the show. I hope you all like it, and if you happen to see yourself in here, feel free to comment and tell us a little about the creation of said costume!

Being on staff this year gives me a somewhat biased opinion of the convention, I admit, but I enjoyed myself a heck of a lot more this year than I did the year before. Part of it was that there seemed to be more staff in general and the con overall had a better sense of what panels were going to be super popular and putting them in rooms that didn't cram everyone in super tight. There were still the usual bugs - events starting late, the Artist Alley being in way too small of a space which counteracted the convenience of it being across from the Dealers Room as opposed to in another building like it was last year. But overall the people working the con were knowledgeable and polite, and the tech guys were really on the ball in making sure projectors and the like could be hooked up to laptops and net books easily for presentations. Both my Dad (AKA: Professor Bill Ellis), and my boyfriend, Casey Schoenberger, did panels and neither had any problems setting up their Power Point presentations or getting sound to work, or any of the usual pitfalls that can bog down and plague a panel presentation. Also, the con staff was pretty johnny-on-the-spot about making sure people didn't run over the time limit, and would pop in and say courteously (and then, if they had to, slightly less courteously) if the person only had 10 to 5 minutes left. This made for smoother transitions between panels.

And then there was this guy...CHIPOCRITE. He came. He saw. He geeked hardcore. And then we were compelled to do the same, as you can see...

Basically, this guy (Paul Weinstein's) shtick is that he "repurposes" old video game hardware into synthesizers, so he's actually controlling the music using an old Game Boy. Pretty great stuff. I wanted to buy his CD because it was only $5, but they went like hotcakes, as they say. Thankfully, this Philly native's music can be heard and bought here.

I also went to some pretty awesome panels, one of which was called Fandom & Criticism:The Art of Active Viewing, which was put on by these cool guys. Basically it gave an interesting overview of how does one decide what is actually good or not, and can BAD anime or movies actually be GOOD? And considering critiquing is what I do on this site, it proved to be a very enriching panel that left the neurons in my brain singing long afterwards. When I handed one of the presenters a bookmark for this blog, he said "Wow. Movie reviews and cats. You must be the most popular blog on the planet." High praise indeed. Working towards it a little at a time...

Anyway, I'll get into more of the other cool panels in Part II! But at least gives you a taste of the good times that were rollin' out.

Current Reels: Pirates o' the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides proves goodly enough, mateys

2011-06-06T04:35:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Yarr mateys, here we be again with Jack Sparrow and his son of a sea rahhht friends On Stranger Tides. And it wasn't half bad.

I have to say, I had my doubts. As many of you know I am a big fan of pirate lore and pirates in general, but the thing I didn't like about the last film, At World's End, was that they were trying too hard to make it into a BIG EPIC TALE: sort like Lord of the Rings with pirates. SPOILER AHEAD MATEYS IN REGARD TO WORLD'S END: About the time I got to the scene where Jack Sparrow and Davey Jones are fighting each other on the prow of their decks as their ships swirled around in a giant sinkhole in the middle of the ocean...well, I'd had enough.

I didn't go to this film expecting a bucket full o' treasure, but I left feeling like I had a lot of fun.

You could tell from the start they had stripped down a lot of the characters from the first film, not having Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan (played by Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, respectively) which I was just as happy about. Their plotline had gotten worn down to the nubbin and frankly, their constant whining was starting to piss me off. A lot of the minor characters were chucked, which made for a more streamlined story that revolved mainly around Blackbeard (Ian McShane), his daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz) Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp, of course), and Captain Barbosa, played by the ever-versatile and captivating Geoffrey Rush.

I would like to take a moment and just gush about Rush's performance in this film. He is 150 percent pirate. There is a great part when he is telling Jack about his epic battle with Blackbeard and you can see the story unfold in the fire of his eyes. This is a true actor, my friends; when someone can steal you into a tale on the strength of their voice and expression, that defies all action sequences and special effects. And when Barbosa gets his just deserts at the end, you can't help but feel a swell of pride on behalf of his character.

The saddest part about this film is despite the scaled-down nature and more plot-based storyline (less reliant on a variety of action sequences and special effects that bogged down the third film) is the plot isn't terribly good. Jack is on a quest for the fountain of youth, as is Spain, as is Blackbeard. And everyone seems to find it without too much trouble, which seems odd for being such an elusive thing. Cruz is entertaining as Angelica, a good strong pirate gal (with a kickass hat) that Geena Davis of Cutthroat Island could be proud of, but her relationship with Jack is rather frustrating. One minute they love one another, the next they are trying to kill one another. The playful banter is nice but some kind of consistency in what the heck is going on between the two of them would be nice.

Also, while I love Ian McShane and he always plays a good villain, his rendition of Blackbeard didn't exactly shiver me timbers. I never got the impression he was truly as evil as he was portrayed to be...maybe just indifferent to good rather than opposed to it? And his ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, was impressive but a wee bit too CGI-ed for my taste.

The mermaids are terrifyingly lovely and some of the best use of non-action CGI I have seen as of late. I particularly enjoyed that when they showed their more deadly side, they did not transform completely into ugly, terrifying beasts - the fact that they retain their beauty while adding just a touch more bite to their bark was highly enjoyable.

In essence, this film was a fun ride, and a good coda, bringing back some of the beloved characters of the past movies, but the script be gettin' a little green around the gills, me hearties. The sharp biting crispness and pace of the first movie seems te be all but lost, but endin' the film on the shore with Sparrow and Mr. Gibbs, his loyal mate from the start, seems like a good enough endin' fer the likes o' me.

Now, let's be pointin' our compass for other shores besides the Caribbean and leave Capt. Jack well alone. There be other pirate tales and plots uncharted to explore.

The Critic invades AnimeNEXT!

2011-05-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of AnimeNEXT 2011 promotions

Just a heads-up folks: I will be attending/staffing AnimeNEXT, the anime convention that will be held in Somerset, NJ from June 10-12. I will be taking photos of great costumes and doing some video, all of which will eventually pop up on this site, so be sure to stop and say hi! Look for the girl in the glasses that will be cosplaying as Jin from Samurai Champloo on Friday and Dilandau from Escaflowne on Saturday (although I'll have a white wig on for that) to get a free bookmark!

Here's a preview of what they'll look like:

Front

Back

Pretty nifty swifty, huh? Hope to see you there!!

Audiobook spotlight: The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: Where do I sign up?

2011-05-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Tantor Media, Inc.

I have to admit, when I first picked up this book, I was skeptical. The title - The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life, gave me visions of a Sweet Valley High book only grown-up and with (more) alcohol. But as I started listening, it revealed itself to be a series of hilarious comic essays about the young adulthood of the author, born in Brooklyn and replanted in the hot dusty landscape of Phoenix, Arizona.

I have to give the narrator, Hillary Huber, major props on this book. The expressive quality of the writing begs to be read aloud, and Ms. Huber does so – with gusto. As Notaro writes about everything from being mistaken for a homeless person on her way to jury duty to helping her friend get back home after passing out face-down in a stranger’s desert landscape lawn, Huber uses her magical powers of vocal diction and variety to make those passages even funnier. For instance, Huber chose to give Notaro’s three-pack-a-day mother from Brooklyn a husky, Fran Drescher voice (minus the laugh, not to scare away any potential listeners), whereas her grandmother and her grandfather are given slightly softer accents. It also helps that Huber happened to be born in NYC, so she has the attitude as well as accent.

I would liken this book to a box of dark chocolate truffles: even if you listen or read only one chapter at a time, it’s still sweet, satisfying, and just the tiniest bit of the actual bitterness of life thrown in there. Absorbing the whole thing in one listen might be a little much. But what I most love about this book is that the author is not perfect. She is almost self-deprecating, and yet in almost every tough situation she faces, she manages to get the upper hand and accept herself for what she is – an imperfect person. In a world where women are told to eat this, not that, fitness is based around dress sizes rather than actual health charts, and magazines and websites tell us to pluck, dye, wax and shave ourselves into perfection; it is good to have a comedic voice cut through it all and tell us that it is okay to accept, and sometimes even embrace, our imperfections.

This is not high-brow writing requiring a deep sense of intellect, but it has a helluva lot of heart, and for me that carries its own merit. Though this book is clearly geared toward women, men will definitely get a good laugh at it too. Notaro is not a man hater by any respect, and this is not intended as some kind of rant about female empowerment – it’s just life. And though life does have its share of tragedy, Notaro reminds us with her wink-and-smile writing style that even at the lowest of the low moments, life is also a whole lot of fun if you want it to be.

For more Laurie Notaro goodness, visit her website here.

Audiobook spotlight: The River of Shadows makes a splash

2011-04-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Tantor Media and used by permission of artist Connie Lemieux

Some books you simply read and absorb. Others take you on a journey, and leave you never quite the same.

There are a few books that have given me that experience: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I am proud to give The River of Shadows by Robert V.S. Redick a place on that particular shelf.

This is the third book in the Chathrand series, and sorry to say I have not read the first two, although I am well on my way to, as my British friend would say, "tucking into" the first one, The Red Wolf Conspiracy. So how did I stumble upon this one?

For those of you that don't know, my day job when I'm not tapping away on this fabulous blog I listen to audiobooks. Yes, I get paid listen and proof audiobooks all day. It's okay, I know you're all jealous. When I saw this book come up on our projects list I knew from the synopsis I had to nab it. Ancient magical schooner? High seas adventure? Get me on board! And luckily enough, no one else had a burning interest for it, so I found myself launched headlong into the world of the Chathrand, and what a bewildering, compelling and complex world it is. It's the kind of book that will get under your skin, into your bloodstream, and stay there long after the last page or the book (or the last minute is heard, as the case may be) is over.

I should warn you right now the book is a monster. At 592 pages, which translates to 24 hours of listening time, this is no light read. But let me tell you, it is worth every second of your time.

The last book I developed a strong emotional bond with was The Golden Compass. I remember putting the book away and letting the tears flow freely - tears of compassion for the characters, for the bravery of Lyra, the main character, and tears that the book was over, and while I could always reread it again, I would never be able to have the new experience with it once again. I felt the same way with River of Shadows, only MORE so because by listening to it, the characters had life breathed into them by the extremely talented British narrator Michael Page, who somehow has a unique voice for all of the myriad of characters that appear in this book.

Being the third in the series, it takes a little while to catch up on what exactly is happening, but the author has a gift for weaving an extraordinarily complex tapestry of plot while giving us enough background to find our "sea legs" so to speak (please forgive the bad pun). The gist: the crew of the Chathrand, which is a huge floating palace of sorts, is comprised of several uneasy alliances and a race of small, pixie-like creatures called Ixchel who have taken several of the crew hostage, including the ship's captain. Led by young adults Thasha Isiq, a fierce warrioress the tar boy Pazel Pathkendle, and their compatriots Neeps and Marila, they fight through the social unrest on the ship to track down the powerful sorcerer Arunis before he gets a hold of - and learns how to wield - a powerful weapon of black magic called the Nilstone, which is aboard the ship.

This is an extremely watered down summary of the plot. There are intrigues, people and creatures who are not what they seem, heartbreak and a very brave and loquacious rat with some VERY big dreams. This book will take you on a roller coaster of emotions, and Mr. Page's brilliant voice talents never waver for a moment. I have no idea how he was able to keep track of all the character's voices he did and keep them consistent and true, but somehow he did.

What is so truly incredible about this book however is that while Mr. Page can give each character its own voice and inflection, Mr. Redick does a stunning job of creating a back story for said characters and giving them emotional depth. There are very few "side" characters in this book - like on a ship, everyone is essential, and everyone plays their part, from the lowliest tar boy up to the unpredictable and vituperative Capt. Rose himself. And many parts of the book will have you questioning the ethics of humanity - who is too young to do what - when you have young adults of 17 or 18 killing and fighting for their lives, taking on challenges way beyond their years, who's to tell them what becomes right or wrong in matters of the heart? It reminds me of an old, sweet song, that has a lyric, "They try to tell us we're too young, too young to really be in love......and yet, someday, they may recall we were not too young at all."

I have waxed long on this book, but only because I will tell you truly - it is worth your time and money. And frankly, I can't wait to listen to the first two books (also available through Tantor Audio) because I know I will look at all these characters with new eyes once I have their previous histories under my belt. And I can't wait for more Chathrand voyages to come.

The audiobook is available for purchase now here.

The hardcover is now available! Please click here for more information about the Chathrand series.

Current Reels: Hop proves to be refreshingly bizarre

2011-04-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Universal Pictures.

It's a dicey situation when you give someone the premise of how a man becomes an Easter Bunny. But yet, somehow, Hop, created by the same minds that brought you the delightful Despicable Me, pull off a charming film.

Granted, this isn't the best film I've ever seen, but the critics at large have come down on it a bit too harshly. The problem is, it doesn't have mass appeal. You have to be either a very small child, or a very geeky adult to really enjoy it, or (in the case of adults) a bunch of pop culture references and in-joke winks will go right over your head. And of course, if you're a kid it doesn't matter because you are treated to the stunning animation of some of the fuzziest, fluffiest bunnies you've ever seen if your relatively short life thus far.

Here's the litmus test: would you find someone getting a cherry cough drop on top of their sundae rather than a cherry because the diner ran out of them and they thought that was just as good to be even remotely amusing? No? Then this probably isn't the film for you.

James Marsden was the perfect casting choice because I've always thought he looks a little like a bunny anyway, with those prominent front teeth and sweet cheeks. This kind of film would have succeeded in being a total disaster if it hadn't been for one crucial thing - it was fully aware of it's own bizarreness. There's nothing I hate worse than a film that presents a wacky situation and then switches gears halfway through to suddenly become a serious, soul-searching drama. (I'm looking at you, Due Date.)

I have to admire a film that takes chances and gives an unpredictable plot. One of the funniest parts of the film is how when E.B., the son of the Easter Bunny, escapes through a rabbit burrow to Hollywood to become a drummer rather than follow in his dear old Dad's legacy. Once he arrives, no one there seems particularly perturbed about witnessing a talking rabbit in a little flannel shirt. And from what my co-worker has told me from visiting Hollywood, that's just about the state of things there.

Things that did bug me about the film included putting the only Spanish-speaking character (a rather overworked disgruntled chick) as the villain. Okay, can someone explain to me why all the rest of the characters in the magical bunny world, headquartered, where else? on Easter Island, are British and this one villain happens to be Spanish? Just unnerved me.

Also, was it REALLY necessary to have E.B. poop jellybeans? Not very creative or funny. I think if I were a kid, that would put me off jellybeans for a lifetime. And someone needs to put the proverbial kaibosh on comparing Easter to Christmas, like they do so at the very end of the film. If you count "Christmas in July" we already have six months of Christmas advertising, so if they could keep it the hell out of my Easter basket, I'd really appreciate it.

Lastly, I adored the Pink Berets, and especially the third, smaller one that was slightly hapless and had to use an inhaler at times. But would it have really killed the animators to have given them a couple lines?

But overall, it made me laugh more than a couple times and I came out of the theatre not feeling jipped out of my $11. That might not be enough for some people but it's enough for me. I'm just thankful that A. they didn't make it 3D, because the plot really wasn't worthy of it, and B. James Marsden was totally, 100 percent into the role. His zeal at taking on this wacky scenario is really admirable. I could just imagine him reading the script and saying "Cool! Let's do it up!" Because that's the secret really for making a film that pushes the envelope a bit - to just "hop" into it with all four feet. And that kind of enthusiasm has got to be worth something.

Note from Toby: This movie made me hungry.

The Critic's Oscar Best Picture Pick: The King's Speech

2011-02-27T14:10:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of the Weinstein Company

The King's Speech, based on the best-selling novel by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi, follows the extraordinary true story of King George VI and how his speech therapist Lionel Logue - using unconventional methods - literally gives the monarch the voice he needs to lead the people.

Could there be a better man to play the unsure king that the British actor Colin Firth? He is nothing short of stunning in this role, with a speech impediment that not only shifts and changes with the character's moods, but never breaks for one moment. It must have been an incredible challenge to hone and develop such an ability without seeming insincere or inconsistent, but somehow, Firth rises to the challenge. And Geoffrey Rush as Lionel is the perfect foil for the stuffy proper king, letting not the man's royal birth or stature get in the way of him doing his job as a therapist.

As overtones of war began to creep up on England, George (Bertie, to his friends) is found drawn into the struggle when his older brother Edward (played magnificently by the urbane, if now slightly aging Guy Pierce) abdicates from the throne for the love of a divorced woman, whom the Church of England will never allow him to take as his queen. With radio quickly becoming the newest social medium of communication, Bertie, now king, finds himself met with what seems to be an unsurmountable challenge -communicating directly with his subjects during a time of war.

But through a series of odd excercises and practice after frustrating practice, "Bertie" succeeds in giving his first speech that announces England will become engaged with the rest of the world in defeating Adolf Hitler and his Nazi army. Tantor Media, the company that has produced the audiobook of The King's Speech, has made the actual famous broadcast available for people to listen to for FREE right here.

It must be said that Helena Bonham Carter is sublime. It is so refreshing to see her in something other than a Tim Burton film; being given a "serious" role for once. She plays the "Queen Mum" Elizabeth's mother, with great aplomb and sensitivity. It is the kind of role the reminds me to never dismiss the acting chops of this actress when I have so often wavered on writing her off as only being worthy of playing the weird, gothic roles that the father of her children, director Tim Burton, so amply dishes out to her. Had it not been for little Hailee Steinfeld rocking my socks so much as the vengeance-thirsty Mattie Ross in True Grit, I would be all for Ms. Carter getting the Oscar as best supporting actress. But the truth remains that as a character, she is a true treasure in this film.

The cinematography and details are perfection - right down to the Queen Mum's corgis. In one great moment of well-placed levity, Bertie almost trips over one of the little dogs on his way to making THE speech, illiciting a response of something on the order of "damn dogs." The camera work is oddly different, sometimes putting Bertie in the corner of the screen rather than the center, indicating in a literal way how much Bertie does not want to have the focus on him, and yet cannot altogether avoid it. Lionel's nervous, and yet determined handling of the situation (his insistence on calling the King "Bertie" despite the monarch's constant protestations is one small example)despite the vast social gap between them and their social status is perfection, and it is a direct result of his smooth easy nature ultimately closes that gap between them.

And face it - speech impediment or no, who doesn't know what it feels like to have that cold sweat, that moment of dread, that feeling of the crowd drawing itself on forever like an endless ocean, right before we have to do any kind of public speaking? British director Tom Hooper taps into that common dread each of us have and so when, by the end, the speech is given successfully, I found myself rooting for Bertie as if it was a personal triumph within myself, as well.

I hope this film wins best picture because it has it all - a true story, history, extraordinary performances, evocative storytelling, and an uplifting ending that all of us can relate to. Truly a film that will last into the ages.

The Insatiable Critic's Unabashed Oscar predictions

2011-02-27T11:13:00.000-08:00

As the 83rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony draws ever nearer, here's my candid opinion on who's going to make the cut tonight and why.

Best Picture: Toss-up between The Social Network and The King's Speech

Why The King's Speech: The Academy is a sucker for true stories that shows someone with a disability overcoming the odds. Just look at A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Forrest Gump (1994). Throw in a little bit of true history and a stunning performance by Colin Firth and you've got a strong contender.

Why The Social Network: The Academy also leans strongly toward films that touch on current social events and situations (just look at last year's Hurt Locker). It also happens to discuss something that has become very much a fabric of the daily existence for many Americans.

Best Actor: Colin Firth in The King's Speech

Why: Firth is the clear winner in this category. His consistent and believable stutter that never breaks for a moment throughout the film just blows everyone else out of the water. Plus, Jeff Bridges already got an Oscar last year, and entertaining as he was in True Grit, I think speech impediment trumps being wasted on a horse.

Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Why: The real question here should be, why not? Black Swan has no hope of being Best Picture given it's fellow contenders, but it is clearly deserving of recognition. And seeing how Portman mentally and physically gave herself up to the role of the tortured ballerina Nina, reshaping her body to that of a dancer and doing most of the complicated ballet sequences herself makes her a clear standout.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit

Why: I read in an interview in Entertainment Weekly (my Bible) that the Coen Brothers auditioned 15,000 girls for the lead role in True Grit. They said when Steinfeld came into the studio, they knew she was the one even before she said her lines - it was her presence that made them stop dead in their tracks. For a 14-year-old, Steinfeld brings a depth to the role that is far beyond her years and though she is hardly a "supporting" actress, if she had been put into the category of Best Actress Portman would have blown her out of the water. In this category, she has a much better chance of getting the recognition she so richly deserves.

However, had it not been for True Grit, I would totally root for Helena Bonham Carter as the long-suffering and always supportive wife of King George (Bertie) in The King's Speech.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:Toss-up between Christian Bale in The Fighter and Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are All Right

Why: Christian Bale was born to play the rough-hewn role he portrays, and also he has been cast over once before by the Academy for his highly acclaimed role as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho (2001). Mark Ruffalo's turn as the fun-loving guy who haplessly turns a happy same-sex marriage's household upside down is not only the perfect role for him, but also gives The Kids Are All Right a place in the Oscar spotlight.

And the other awards:

Best Costume Design: Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

Why: This film had precious little else going for it, but at least everyone looked awesome.

Best Cinematography: Black Swan

Why: The jarring camera angles, the artful use of filters, and the endless magical use of mirrors successfully sucks us into Nina's downspiral into madness.

Best Directing: I always find this to be synonymous with Best Picture, so my answer and why is the same as that.

That's all for now folks! We'll see how well our hosts, the sublime Anne Hathaway and James Franco do as hosts this year (how does that man host the Oscars, star in 127 Hours, and still manage to study for midterms at Yale?)

Oscar frontrunner: Black Swan

2011-02-26T14:50:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of Cross Creek Pictures.

If you're as crazy about films as I am, you are probably getting as juiced as I am about the Oscars tonight. In honor, I will be doing a double-header review of the two films that, in my opinion, are going to sweep the awards tonight.

Black Swan is a strange, dark dream. Having done ballet when I was younger, the dedication of dancers to their craft - mentally and bodily - was always a bit disturbing as well as admirable. It is a world made more beautiful by obsession to detail - the quest for perfection.

I also grew up watching a rather obscure film called The Red Shoes (1948) starring an actual ballerina, Moira Shearer, that focuses on the very obsession to the art - and the disastrous consequences when it is taken too far.

Black Swan is like the evil twin of that film. It deals with the same themes in the same world, but it is far more cerebral; far more intense, because we are placed INSIDE the head of Nina, a talented dancer just on the verge of breaking into "prima" ballerina territory. It is directed by Darren Aronofsky, of whom I became endeared to after watching The Wrestler (2008) starring all-too appropriately, Mickey Rourke. But there was another film on my shelf by Mr. Aronofsky that I picked up on sale and had yet to watch - The Fountain (2006). It was a film that took a long time to make and in the end, was a bit of a dud. And it is understandable why. It shows one man's journey to learn how to cope with death, but everything is dreamlike, and even when scenes are set in the "real" world, the characters attitudes and dialogue are still not of this world. Or at least the one I live in anyway. And yet, it had a poignant message that rang through. The Wrestler, on the other hand, was gritty, reality to the extreme, nothing airbrushed or dreamlike about this film, no way.

Black Swan is a marriage of elements between these two films. The Wrestler was almost too gritty and raw, while The Fountain was too unreal in its tone and feel. Black Swan strikes the right chord by showing all the sometimes very painful physical rigors required of ballerinas, while also showing the surreal reality that Nina's world is comprised of. It's no wonder she's having delusions when she is wandering around with people dressed as black, feathery owl magicians day in and day out.

Black Swan is also, strangely, very funny at times. Mila Kunis plays a large part in being the delightful reality check for us, but sadly poor Nina is just too far gone for even Mila to be able to pull her back to true reality. Also, it should be mentioned that Vincent Cassel really should've been included in Best Supporting Actor as the urbane and manipulative ballet manager who simultaneously aids in expanding Nina's darker, more sensual side, which unwittingly on his part leads to her downfall. Aronofsky, through trial and error, knows just how far to take the audience - indeed, at times, he brings us right to the edge - before pulling us back into safer emotional territory. Natalie Portman, as Nina, is nothing short of extraordinary. It is clear she has given over her body as well as her soul to the role, and much of the dancing we see is actually HER. There is no question in my mind that she will obtain at least an Oscar for Best Actress, and if she does not The Academy really should get their heads examined.

About the only thing about Black Swan that keeps it from entering the realm of Best Picture in my book is it is not accessible to everyone. I believe much of my enjoyment came from knowing Aronofsky and what his films are like, but had I not had that background I would have been much more confused as to what the heck he was trying to do. There are several truly bizarre elements to it that will not gel with all audiences, and no tidy social commentary that the Academy loves so well. And, as darkly lovely as it is, it will never quite replace The Red Shoes for me in my heart.

Lastly, a bit of advice - do not see this film alone. It is not the most terrifying film, but it has some very frightening cerebral moments that made me happy I had my beloved with me to clutch at times.

Valentine's Day DVD Spotlight: High Fidelity makes beautiful music

2011-02-13T20:27:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of Touchstone Pictures.

Once in awhile, a rare film comes along that cleverly disguises itself as a guy comedy, but in the case of High Fidelity (2000), it gives a realistic look at true romance from a man's point of view. It's one of those films that pretty much has it all - great acting, great music, great plot and great cinematography in the great city of Chicago. This film and buffalo wings for a week straight helped me get through a breakup once. Wouldn't recommend eating wings for that long, but the rewatchability factor of this movie is very high.

The plot is pretty straightforward. John Cusack, playing an evolved version of his memorable turn as Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything (1989) - the misfit with the heart of gold - is Rob Gordon, a 30-something guy who just got dumped by his girlfriend Laura. He can't deal with it. He runs a dead-end record store on the edge of town that attracts every social reject within a 10-mile radius, and two of them work there (one of which is Barry, played by Black Jack, back when he was still fat and funny.) Based off the novel by Nick Hornby, which I should really get down to brass tacks and read, it chronicles Rob's evolution from boy to man, and how to commit without losing sight of yourself and everything you hold dear.

It's not your typical romance, and in many ways the film is downright painful. It shows the hard knocks you take when one puts their heart on the line, and how all of us at some point or another have to commit to SOMETHING - be it a life goal, a person, or hell, just ourselves - in order to stay sane. It's also a smart, funny take on life lived on the frayed edges of society, and answers the question of what exactly does happen to those offbeat guys with hearts of gold that we ignored in high school? Turns out they're just like the rest of us - they screw up and take the heat for it, but the best of us pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and try, try again.

I'm a big fan of Iben Hjejle, who plays Laura. She's not pretty in a traditional sort of way, but she is attractive in a very REAL way. She makes mistakes too and is not held up as some unattainable, flawless being. Everyone in this film makes mistakes and it comes as close to true romance as a film can get without cutting too close to the quick. It is the humor that acts as our novocaine.

And humor there is plenty of. Jack Black is in top form, long before the Hollywood machine slicked and slimmed him down to barely a shadow of the hard rocker funnyman he used to be. And the hapless Dick, played wonderfully by Todd Louiso, is the perfect foil. Cusack doesn't attempt to control the show even though this is his story. He knows on some level just like life itself, things are going to unfold the way they want to, and he resigns himself to sigh and grab another cigarette as Barry and Dick argue over their "Top Five" musical artists.

There's a kind of elitism that I can relate to - a know-it-allness about trivial matters that these characters cling to that I can't help but relate to as well. (Heck, just look at this blog.) These people are not likeable. They are rude and gauche and probably haven't showered in a couple of days. But by God, they know what good music is and what it is supposed to sound like. And if the rest of you don't agree, piss off with ya.

I was interested to see that in 2006 there was a musical made from this film that flopped hard. I decided on a whim to download the music from it and see what it had to say for itself. The music, for the most part, is great. What is not so great is that it's really silly. The balance that the film so lovingly creates between the sublime and the ridiculous is somehow lost in the happy-go-lucky musical numbers. Barring what I just said, you really should click here and give a listen to the opening number "The Last Real Record Store on Earth." It was a good try and some of the tracks are pretty decent, but a couple of good songs a musical does not make. And let's face it - John Cusack will always be Rob Gordon to me.

Die-hard Cusack fans will get a kick out of a few cast choices - Joan Cusack, John's real-life sister, plays his sister Liz in the film, and Lili Taylor, who played Lloyd Dobler's best friend in Say Anything comes back as one of Rob's ex girlfriends. The DVD extras aren't much to shout about, but for a comedy that hits the heart maybe a bit too hard but manages to keep the warm fuzzies around, pop this one in today for a great movie both sexes will enjoy.

If you happen to like this film, you may want to check out Hot Tub Machine, which also features John Cusack and directed by Steve Pink, who was co-producer of High Fidelity. (But maybe not as a Valentine's Day option.) It has the same brand of biting humor, if perhaps lacking some of the brains. You can read my review of it here.

Oscar Nominations announced and WAY too much snow

2011-01-27T21:50:00.000-08:00

In case ya'll have been hiding under a rock, the Oscar nominations are in! Check it OUT!

I, for one, am extremely excited about both Black Swan and True Grit getting into the Best Picture category. I have a long review in my head for Black Swan that will be coming to this site soon. In the meantime, I have been dealing with this:

Oh yes. That is my car under all that. And that was from the FIRST round up. Far too much shoveling and not enough blog and movie time, for my taste. I feel like I'm living in the Yukon, not New England, U.S. Anyway, I'll be back soon as I dig out and make up for lost time at my full-time job.

Oscar Watch: True Grit earns its name

2011-01-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

When I get tired of looking out my window at the frozen tundra of snow the Northeastern portion of the U.S. brings this time of year, I long for the West. And since I have neither the time nor the means to go out there, I do the next best thing: see True Grit.

First off, is there nothing that Jeff Bridges can't do? He's the rare breed of actor who chooses his parts carefully and once chosen, becomes them. Bridges plays the trigger-happy U.S. Marshal Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn, and under his cowboy hat and eyepatch, I could barely recognize him, which is ideally the spell you want to cast on the audience. Too many actors just play themselves in films, but the sign of a true professional is when you can be watching them for about 15 minutes and suddenly say to yourself, "Oh, right! That's Jeff Bridges."

The Coen Brothers have had their ups and downs in my book, and often the sort of films I've enjoyed by them have been the least popular in the eyes of critics, such as The Ladykillers (still one of my absolute FAVORITE roles Tom Hanks has ever done), whereas O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which was lauded profusely, is still only so-so in my book. But something about True Grit really touched my spirit in a way that no other Coen Brothers film has been able to do.

This is probably due in a large part to Hailee Steinfeld, playing 14-year-0ld Mattie Ross who hires Rooster to hunt down her father's killer. Steinfeld is the right combination of persistent and headstrong without managing to be a total bitch. Some of the female pride in me, and perhaps the fact I love my own father very much, caused me to become very much taken with Mattie. Maybe it was also the fact she didn't lose her accent or any of her character's attributes at any point in time, which, I hate to say, couldn't be said for some of her co-stars.

There were parts of the film that I thought were a little sloppy in terms of consistency. For instance, Matt Damon, playing a fully-outfitted, fringes and all, Texas ranger named LaBoeuf (pronounced "LaBEEF," extra drawl included) gets seriously injured at one point by being hogtied and dragged through the ground. His chin is cut and bloodied and supposedly his tongue has been mangled, but the next day there is not a trace of a cut on his face and his speech impediment, caused by the tongue injury, comes and goes. That was disappointing because beyond that Damon does a pretty solid job with the role.

The film moves fast in a sun-baked, dusty haze relieved only by occassional flurries. By the time you get to the end it's hard to believe it's actually over. And yet the evolution of the relationships between the main characters, particularly between Rooster and Mattie, are not rushed at all. Through tough times and hard experiences, both Rooster and LaBoeuf come to respect Mattie despite her youth - not unlike what might happen in the real world. And seeing Rooster's drunken, fat, bloodthirsty self turn a new, fatherly corner is one of the finest movie-going experiences I've ever seen. That's really what the story is about -the retribution plot is just the vehicle. The Coen Brothers have learned a tough technique in film storytelling - how to create a believable, evolving relationship between two hearts in a limited period of time.

In the end, you realize that the term "True Grit" is really earned by Rooster, LaBoeuf, and Mattie, as justice is served the only way it can be in the old Wild West - at the end of a pistol.

Also, if you check out the movie's website you can enjoy a rather well-done rendition of the folk tune, "God's Gonna Cut You Down."

Tron Legacy: Never has cyberspace been so much fun

2011-01-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of Disney Studios.

Doing follow-ups to films made almost 30 years ago is always a challenge, so when I first saw the trailers for Tron: Legacy, I was a little nervous. This was a film that I grew up with as a child since every time I turned on the Disney channel it was either Tron, The Neverending Story, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, or The Flight of the Navigator playing. I had not seen the original in perhaps 12 years, and I made it a point to not see it again before seeing Legacy because I did not want this review to be a comparison piece - I wanted to view this in its own right.

And wow, was it a whole lot of fun. First off, this is one film where it is definitely worth shelling out the extra cash to see in 3D. It fits the Tron universe so perfectly it's a shame the technology wasn't around for the first. From the motorcycle races on the nefarious "Grid", set in a new-age Colosseum-type atmosphere, to the high-speed jet chase, the film takes every possible opportunity to swing it's way out at you and make you part of the cyberscape.

The first 15 minutes of the film are not the best. The opening is left with much to be desired, however Garrett Headlund, who plays Flynn's son Sam (Flynn is the creator of the world Tron, played by the inemitable and timeless Jeff Bridges) strikes the right chord between being the cocksure hero and the relatable decidedly human trait of not really knowing what the hell is going on. Too often in action/scifi adventures, the hero character can become really bland and is only colored by the characters he interacts with (I'm looking at you, Luke Skywalker.) But Sam is really likeable. He's not the prodigy like his Dad, but he's got enough street smarts to be the only one who can take care of business. Perhaps I can relate more because Sam is probably supposed to be my age - a kid that understands the 80s from a child's perspective, when videogames were the new kid on the block and Journey ruled the airwaves. Once in the world of Tron, the film starts getting its sea legs. There is a moment when Sam first enters his father's old store right before getting sucked in that literally sent a rush of anticipation down my spine. It was at that moment I knew the film really had me locked into its world.

That is the biggest success of the film - immersing you into the world of Tron. It's a pale, sleek, stark landscape that suggests a cleaned-up Matrix - indeed, some of the action sequences purposefully give a nod to it. And the cerebral, synth-cyber music of Daft Punk is the perfect accompaniment that finds its way into your blood stream. It would be so easy for the actors to cave in and give performances as cold and shallow as the filaments of light on their body suits but instead, everyone - down to the all-too-brief performance of Michael Sheen as the urbane Zuse- takes their roles to their maximum potential.

There are flaws of course - those not having seen the first Tron might get a little confused as to the relationships between the "users" and the "programs", and the digitized younger Jeff Bridges still looks a little...off. It is scary to see how close they are getting with merging the digital with the real in films. Also, there could have been more development on how the world of Tron has evolved since the rise of a little thing called the Internet.

But I always evaluate my movie experience by how I feel at the end of it, whether it be indifferent or angry that a film did not achieve its full potential. Tron Legacy left me feeling like I just got off Space Mountain-exhilarated and addled, my heartbeat pumping to the electonica bass and my inner 80s child grinning from ear to ear.

I also highly recommend downloading the Tron: Legacy soundtrack. Daft Punk pays the film the ultimate tribute by incorporating the latest in electronica while maintaining the very 80s-esque tunes.

Now, where can I get one of those cool light-striped suits??!

First runs: Due Date misses the deadline

2010-11-07T20:36:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Studios.

This is one of these films where I came out of the theater, went home, sat in front my laptop and ran my fingers through my hair because I really don't know where to start with this one. It's not as bad as the Clash of the Titans remake, of course watching bread rise is better than that.

Due Date, simply put, is a weird film. It actually made me nervous. Like, oh my god, oh my god, what horrible thing is going to happen next kind of nervous. I'm not sure that's really how you are supposed to feel during a comedy. Director Todd Phillips, who did amazing work with The Hangover, is known for his extreme, over-the-top gags. But in that film, you had four, fine comedic actors (not to mention the ever-foxy Bradley Cooper) that each brought something fresh to each scene and to one another. Having a full-force of Zach Galifianakis, trotting out again his weirdo-loser persona from The Hangover, is just a bit too much, thank you very much.

The premise is a clear riff on the "buddy" comedies of old featuring Dean Martin (sexy straight man) and Jerry Lewis (doofy goofball) carrying on together through wacky hijinx and despite being polar opposites, learning to love one another in the end. Or at least mostly tolerate. This time around, Robert Downey Jr. plays the Dean Martin type whereas Galifianakis is Jerry Lewis, but both are on a far more dangerous and yes, on occasion, actually SCARY road trip after they are thrown together under the most unusual circumstances.

The gist: Peter (Downey) ends up losing his wallet and getting kicked off a plane with Tremblay (Galifianakis) and Peter needs to make it home, doing whatever it takes, to witness the birth of his first child. The film did have some very funny moments. But it also had some moments that were supposed to be funny and just ended up being close to frightening. There was not much you had to tweak about this film to make it some kind of psycho thriller because basically, Tremblay is the devil incarnate. Props for Galifianakis for trying so hard to make this completely awful human being a poor, well-meaning dope, but every time you start to get warm fuzzies for this guy, he does something so hideous, so unbelievable, and so insanely selfish that you are just as happy when SPOILER poor Peter finally loses it and decks him.

It reminds me of an even worse film that came out years ago with Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Pullman called Mr. Wrong. Touted as a comedy, it is actually an extremely disturbing film about a woman who falls in love with a guy and then finds out he's actually a possessive wacko who ends up kidnapping her and taking her to Mexico. And this is supposed to be funny?

SPOILERS AHEAD just FYI, in case you actually want to pay money to see this. (For reals yo? Believe me, wait and Netflix it.)

For instance, there is a touching moment near the end when Tremblay spreads his father's ashes across the Grand Canyon, which Peter is generously taking time out to let him do even though the clock is ticking. Immediately afterwards, there is a jaw-dropping revelation that Tremblay has had Peter's wallet, with all the IDs, money, EVERYTHING in it, in his pocket the whole time. The lack of a proper ID and money is, of course, one of the reasons why Peter is stuck on this road trip from hell with this guy. Tremblay's excuse for putting this poor, decent man through hell? He's lonely.

And yet, after all this, they end up being the best of friends and everything works out. No consequences, no worries, just a nice, happy ending. I'm not sure what kind of message this film is putting out. So we should be kind to the people that treat us like total shit and put us through unimaginable anguish for days on end because they have "issues" and are "lonely?"

Nice try, Mr. Phillips, but I think I'll hold out for Hangover II to come out on Netflix next time. I think I've had enough Tremblay for a long while to come.

A Rare beauty is found in Sita Sings the Blues

2010-11-04T17:06:00.001-07:00

Image downloaded courtesy of www.sitasingstheblues.com

Every once in awhile one gets a chance to experience a film that's truly rare and compelling. I had such an experience this past weekend while attending MangaNEXT, a Japanese anime convention held in East Brunswick, N.J.

There are several things that are downright awesome about Sita Sings the Blues. First off, New York City resident Nina Paley created this movie on her home computer over the course of five years. Secondly, this film is free for anyone to watch by clicking here. My advice: go watch it now and have the next hour and a half of your life illuminated. Read the rest of this review afterwards. This is the stuff that Disney wishes it could aspire to. I found myself in tears at the end of the viewing because due to the fact that for reasons I will get to later, this film has never had a commercial release and therefore will never be able to win an Oscar, although it is utterly deserving of one.

The movie is based on the tales about Rama and Sita from the Ramayana (all Indian folklore, fyi). Sita is at first embraced by her husband, but after a series of misfortunes, is shunned, and then ultimately redeemed by the gods (and goddesses). Woven within the story is Nina's own tale of how her marriage dissolved but ultimately led to her doing this very film. What is so captivating is Nina uses four different animation styles to tell various parts of her stories. The funniest parts of the film go to the three narrators of the stories of Rama and Sita, whom Nina recorded and then animated based on their conversations, which often involve them arguing about "what really happened."

What you get is an exquisite tapestry of color, animation, and humor, as well as music! Sita indeed does sing the blues (1930s and 40s blues sung by Annette Hanshaw, in fact, to add a twist) in various montages that reflect her current situation.

Having Nina actually there to answer questions about her fabulous work was a real treat. She's an incredibly kind and patient person who also happens to be a super genius when it comes to animation. In Nina's own words: "I'm just an ordinary human, who also can't make her marriage work. And the way that it fails is uncannily similar to the way Rama and Sita's [relationship fails]. Inexplicable yet so familiar. And the question that I asked and the question people still ask is, "Why"? Why did Rama reject Sita? Why did my husband reject me? We don't know why, and we didn't know 3,000 years ago. I like that there's really no way to answer the question, that you have to accept that this is something that happens to a lot of humans." (quoted from the movie website with permission.)

Having the film completely free to watch was something that Nina decided after she found out how expensive it would be to buy the rights to use the music in a commercial setting, and that it would take her years to earn back the money. As it is, Nina explained at her panel she is making more money having the film - and everything about it - free and open to the public. In a sense, we are all giving her free publicity, myself included, and I'm proud of that because it's a damn good movie.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is is Sita. And I dare you to find a more exhilarating and soul-filling moment than the sequence that comes at the end of the "intermission", which is a treat all by itself. Look for Ravana wandering off with several cokes for each of his several heads.

Well, what are you waiting for? Be inspired!

Critic BOOK Special: SNL vet Jim Breuer comes clean in "I'm Not High"

2010-10-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

Jim Breuer is known for a lot of things: Joe Pesci, Goat Boy, that stoner guy in the movie Half-Baked. I was ready for a lot of silly comedy in his latest book, "I'm Not High". What I wasn't ready for was the deep spirituality that resides in the man and comes through in the pages.

This is by far one of the most compelling memoirs I've read lately - I simply could not put it down. Breuer writes with a kind of raw honesty that makes you want to cry and laugh all at the same time. Being a writer, there is nothing more frustrating to me than a memoir that is poorly written, or spends a lot of time trashing other people, or worse yet, is begging the reader to be uber-sympathetic to him or her for all their foibles and mishaps.

Breuer comes completely clean in his book. He's really not high, although he's been high in the past, multiple times, and certainly LOOKS high. But he's also just a really decent guy who uses laughter as a tool for healing.

This book is a lot of things. A collection of funny stories, a case for the power of prayer, a confessional, a diary. It's definitely never boring. Breuer takes us through the highs and lows of his childhood, the long road of breaking into fame and all the heartbreaking disappointments and temptations that come with it. But the message Breuer comes through with time and time again is to never lose yourself in success. Never think you are invincible, or that fame and fortune can replace love and family.

What is most impressive about Breuer's book is how he can talk about his faith in God so freely and not make the reader uncomfortable or make himself sound like some sort of evangelist. It's clear the writing comes from the heart, and that's what makes Breuer so likeable, even when some of his experiences could be speculated to have just been coincidence rather than divine intervention. This book made me think a lot about my own life and what I should be grateful for.

The Insatiable Critic meets Jim Breuer

I would like to mention that seeing Breuer live in New Haven earlier this month is an experience I will never forget. The man is freakin' hilarious. Even the way he laughs is hilarious - I always thought it was just part of his characters but that's actually just the way he is. And having heard him tell some of the tales in the book live, while doing voices people such as Dave Chappelle, it made the book all the more enjoyable because I could hear his impressions in my head as I read through the chapters.

And honest to God, he's just a great guy. After his stand-up routine, we all lined up to have a copy of our book signed. When I came to him, I told him how much I had loved him on Saturday Night Live back in the 90s. He said to me, "Wow, that really means a lot to me. Also, I saw you laughing so hard in the second row there. I'm glad you were really enjoying yourself." And I could tell by the look on his face that he really meant it.

If you are looking for straight-up, honest and funny writing, look no further than "I'm Not High."
Come for the humor, but stay for the heart.

For more about Jim and his upcoming tour dates, click here.

DVD Spotlight: Clash of the Titans remake needs to get over itself

2010-10-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. and downloaded here.

A few weeks ago, my beloved and I did a back-to-back marathon of Clash of the Titans, the remake and the original, in that order. I can safely say that the original, in all its cheesy glory, was way, WAY better.

Its pretty sad when filmmakers can't make a decent remake with all the access they have nowadays to computer graphics. This new film really should've been called "Clash of the Poorly Laid Out Plot and Underdeveloped Characters" because it was barely recognizable to the original movie.

Keep in mind I had not seen the original so I was trying to appreciate this film in its own right without getting caught in the critic quicksand of "Weelllll they didn't do this like they did in the FIRST movie...."Guess what kiddies: it was still crap.

How do I even begin to dissect this deplorable mish-mosh of Lord of the Rings meets 300 only both done shoddier? Well, let's start with Liam Neeson as Zeus. I'm sorry, but the last time I cracked "Mythology" by Edith Hamilton, Zeus was supposed to be a bad ass. Neeson plays Zeus like a sympathetic father who only wants the best for his world, and yeah, humans are flawed, but that doesn't mean we should kill the little buggers off. Plus, Greek women are just too damn hot. But he lets Hades, played by Ralph Fiennes, who I'm sorry to say is given John Travolta's hairdo from Battlefield Earth, push him around and convince him to start a war between humans and gods. Both actors do their damndest with the sad lot they are given, but when you've got a bad script and a bad plot, it's hard to rise above that no matter how good you are.

Also, the gods of greek mythology did not wander around wearing clunky, 12th century European armor that somehow sparkles of its own accord because uh, THEY'RE GODS. THEY DON'T NEED ARMOR. They wear helmets because it makes them look that much cooler, and that's about it.

Meanwhile, our hero of the hour Perseus, played by Sam Worthington (of James Cameron's Avatar fame) spends an inordinate amount of time whining about having to be half god and half man. Damn buddy, if I had the abilities of a god and my Dad was Zeus, I'd be pretty stoked about it. Also, the sword his Dad leaves for him looks way too much like a light saber for my measure.

From there, the plot gets more and more incomprehensible. There's some stone guy who helps them out but I'm not even really sure what he's doing there, and a woman named Io who follows Perseus around being somewhat supportive but why her character even exists is pretty much beyond me. We finally get to something that makes sense: Hades is going to release the Kraken, a big ugly beastie that's going to lay waste to everything and Perseus has to cut off the head of Medusa in order to turn the Kraken into stone. Medusa's character design was pretty well done. It was nice to show her as being attractive - considering the reason they claim for her existence in the film is a jealous goddess punishing her for being too beautiful.

But one character being well done does not a movie make, although if you are going to do one thing right, it might as well be Medusa. The director Louis Leterrier, whose credits include The Incredible Hulk, overloads the plot with too many characters that he doesn't have time to develop meaningfully and thus, kills them off or just lets them hang. Plus, he takes non-sensical liberties such as making Pegasus, who is classically white and pure, black. Why? To make him look cooler? We'll never know. And really, by the end, you don't really care.

Watching the original was like having the scales fall from my eyes. So THIS is what this movie is supposed to be about! Other than the plotline with Medusa and the Kraken, the movies are completely different. Yes, the special effects are pretty campy, but I'll take a decent plot that makes an ounce of sense over the previous mess I just watched. Laurence Olivier -now there's a Zeus. He's rude, pompous, and is looking out for his own, a far cry from the sniffling pushover that Neeson portrayed. Also, we actually get a look at the power of the goddesses, who are hardly given a nod in the remake. Perseus, played by Harry Hamlin, is elated to discover he has the powers of a god and proceeds to go on an awesome quest to find an awesome babe. No Hades, no war between the gods, no politics. Just a good solid adventure story that doesn't take itself too seriously. And let me tell you ladies, some of the outfits they put Perseus in don't leave much to the imagination, which is an awesome plus.

This is a classic case of a director trying to take a fun-loving, semi-campy adventure story and making it into "SRS BZNS EPIC TALE," when that's not what it is, nor what it ever will be. The presence of Bubo, a quirky mechanical owl that Athena makes in defiance of Zeus when she refuses to give up her own owl, embodies the fun-loving aspect of the film. But sorry folks, this remake is just too serious to have a character as silly as Bubo in it for more than just a mere scrap of a reference to appease the die-hard fans of the film, provided they had not left the theater already. Even though we've got giant scorpions and winged horses and a Jedi knight-type sword. Yeah.

Leterrier, just a small piece of advice for the future - if you don't want to continue to make spectacularly awful films, get over yourself.

On that note, I leave you with this charming and incredibly well-filmed snippet about what Bubo has been doing with his time since the original Clash of the Titans you can see here.

Toby sez: Clash of the Titans remake:

Vs. the Original:

A curve in the road

2010-10-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

First of all to all my loyal readers I am sorry for not having updated this in a long time. Things have been busy. And by busy I mean....I lost my job.

It wasn't a total surprise, gentle readers, but it was hard to deal with and on some level, heartbreaking. Many of us grow up with the concept that if we work really hard and try our best, that things will turn out all right in the end. The bitter pill that life makes you swallow on occasion is that your best isn't enough. Sometimes it has nothing to do with you. And then you find yourself on a path you never dreamed you'd be on, trying to make the best of it all.

After the axe came down last Friday, I dived right into the job hunt and have been busier in this past week than I ever thought I'd be. Some people need time to collect, to lick wounds, etc. For me, the way I deal with a bad situation is I start working as fast as I can to fix it, and with every click of the button on my laptop that sends off my resume to a possible job opportunity my heart and soul feels a little bit better.

One thing I am infinitely grateful for is the parting of the ways from my previous employer was very civil and there is no bad blood between us. My bosses told me they have no problem with me using them as references. I don't think anyone really wanted it to happen, but it is what it is and they did their best to help me out by giving me a very decent severance package.

I have been humbled and awed by the unbelievable amount of support my friends and family have sent my way. They always say in times of crisis you find out who your real friends are - boy, do I have a lot of them. To those people who have offered me food, lodging, job opportunities, or even just notes of encouragement and love in the digital realm as well as over the phone and in person, I can't thank you enough.

During this time, I have had some very powerful signs come to me. Yes, as hokey as it sounds, I believe in signs. Recently my friend gave me a purse charm that is a moth in lucite; a few days later my Dad had a dream that he was in my apartment with my mother and moths were coming out of cocoons, drying their wings and getting ready to fly. Our dear family friend Janie tells me that in Native American lore, moths are symbols of transformation and new beginnings.

Sign number two came today at a job interview for a part-time position at an audio books company. One of my all-time favorite blogs is The Daily Coyote, written by a woman named Shreve who left her fast-paced city life behind her to live in Wyoming and raise her ever-expanding "farmily", which includes a coyote, Charlie. She is an amazing writer, photographer, and woman and I have had the great opportunity to talk with her not only over the phone but over email as well. Although I hardly know her personally, she is very dear to me. She came out with a book called "The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming" in 2008 and I have an autographed copy of it. During my interview today, they showed me one of their most recent audio book covers that had one of the employee's dogs on the front of it. The dog looked so much like Charlie I started talking about Shreve and the site, and they said to me, "Oh actually, we've produced her audio book!" I couldn't believe it. They handed me a copy and told me to keep it.

Now of all the thousands of books in the world and the numerous audio book companies out there, what were the chances, really?

As I drove home, I popped in the first disc, and a clear voice read out the first line of the book. "The jewels in this life are the events we do not plan; at least that is how it has always been for me."
I felt my eyes fill with tears. It was exactly what I needed to hear. And in that moment, in my car driving down 95 on my way back home, there was this cosmic sensation that all of this has been woven into the fabric of my life forever. That I really am exactly where I need to be right now. People always say things happen for a reason, but it wasn't until I heard and felt what I did that I really believed it.

I promise that there will be a real movie review blog coming soon, but I felt that you all deserved to know what the hell was going on. Thank you for your patience and stay with me - after all, I am insatiable!

Bring on the feedback!

2010-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

A dear friend notified me that it was rather difficult for non-Google users to comment on my posts, but now I have made it easier! You can now choose the option of OpenID or just add your name and a URL if you so choose and voila! Your comment will appear below. You can also choose to remain anonymous, but then we'll all wonder what you have hiding up your sleeve...hmmmmmm. ;) No more snarky word verification nonsense!

Next up, a review of Clash of the Titans remake! (hint: it's beyond terrible.)

Special Talk Like a Pirate Day DVD Spotlight!

2010-09-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

Image be courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn Mayer (no pirating of images here, matey)

Avast, me hearties! In honor of International "Talk Like a Pirate Day" I take it upon meself, Captain "Cutlass" Ellis, te write a review about o' the best pirate movies of all time: Cutthroat Island.

Now to be sure, not all landlubbers will like this film, because not all of ye squid-faced sons of sea rats like pirates. And you know what happens when people don't like pirates - they walk the plank! Well, more likely they just don't watch the movie. Anyway, back to my heading.

Geena Davis plays Morgan, a pirate captain who must recover a lost treasure as her father's dying wish. Matthew Modine, the eventual love interest (aye matey even pirates need a little love) is the unwitting con man who gets dropped in the middle of the high seas action. The ever-sinister Frank Langella plays Dawg, Morgan's uncle, who will stop at nothing to get the treasure.

There's plenty o' steel, guts, and even a rather annoying monkey, but even though the film got a baaad reception with audiences at the time, it is still a ripping good time, even 15 years later. Pirate queens never do get their proper credit, arrrgh! Ye can tell much of Pirates o' the Caribbean took its inspiration from this film.

I owe my discovery of this film to me best hearty, Libby Cudmore. The DVD edition isn't exactly a treasure trove of special features, but the archival featurette on the making of the film includes swashbuckling interviews with the cast, including the notorious Geena herself.

So today, cast off yer landlubber status, pour yerself some rum and step aboard the Morning Star for some good ol' fashioned, buccaneer high seas adventure!

DVD Spotlight: Taking a blind date with Date Night

2010-09-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

I happened to see Date Night quite by chance at my friend's house not too long ago, and was pleasantly surprised.

There's a little something called a screwball comedy that Hollywood seems to have forgotten the significance of, but Date Night brings it back with a vengeance.

There is something delightfully forgettable about Date Night. It's like a glittering glass of champagne you had at the beginning of the evening, and the next day you can almost remember what it tasted like, and yet not enough to readily identify what the brand was to buy it for next time. Date Night has no real need to actually exist; it just happens to be a whole lot of fun.

Steve Carell plays Phil Foster, a decent guy with a hardworking wife Claire (Tina Fey) and a couple kids living in New Jersey. Claire has a demanding job as a real estate agent, but in an effort to keep some of the romance alive, they have a date night every week. However, even that has become dull and routine. Phil, determined that he's not going to let the spark die out completely in the monotony of their lives, decides to take Claire out to New York City for dinner at the most posh seafood place in town. When they can't get a seat, they take someone else's reservation. They get mistaken for criminals, the chase is on, and hilarity ensues.

Could there be a more perfect pairing of great, talented comedians? What is so charming about watching Fey and Carell act together is you can actually believe these two people would be married to one another. It is comedy with a razor-sharp edge - jokes about infidelity, c-sections, and the like are thrown around with wild abandon. And the few heartfelt talks about marriage sprinkled here and there are sincere without slowing down the film's momentum. And Mark Wahlberg is brilliant as Grant Holbrooke, the swaggering, hot macho guy who hates shirts and becomes an integral part of the poor Fosters getting their identity back.

The only shame is that it all goes by a bit too fast. I got to the end of the film and wondered if there could've been a slightly more coherent plot, but perhaps you're not supposed to think too hard. The genius is in the moments where Claire asks for her husband's coat and he gallantly lends it to her, believing she's cold, only to see her wrap it around her fist and punch her way through a glass door to enter a locked building. To which Phil responds, quite reasonably, "Who ARE you??"

It is interesting to see how this film is a throwback to the capers such as "A Fish Called Wanda" and yet uses a brand of humor that is reflective of people's current tastes now - many of the jokes are so funny because they are so true, and as an old friend of our family once said, "If we weren't all laughing, we'd be crying."

The kind of bawdy, over-the-top humor so indicative of successful films in the 90s (such as Ace Ventura, Pet Detective) has stepped aside in this case for a more sarcastic, edgy humor that tries to put a wry grin on the face of cold reality. In other words - it hurts so good.

Date Night reminds us that win the shit hits the fan, all we have is each other. And that's something no one should ever take for granted.

Consorting with the enemy - a chat with Jessie from Team Rocket!

2010-08-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Image downloaded from www.pokemon.com

Hello all! Saturday counts as the end of the week, right? So sit back and enjoy my interview with Michele Knotz, a voice actress whose best known for the voice of Jessie from Team Rocket, the (semi) villains of Pokemon!

Many thanks to the staff at Connecticon for letting us use their staff room as interview space, to Dylan Ferrara for holding the camera steady, and of course, to Michele for agreeing to do the interview in the first place!

Also, thanks to Laura Robida, member of She Eats Planets, for letting me use their song "No Time At All" as part of my ending credits. You can find more about the band here.

The music used under the video, "Amanda" by Aisha Duo, was a free download that came with my Dell laptop. More information can be found about the group here.

A new banner and a guest reviewer!

2010-08-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

I would like all of you to just take a gander at the top of this site. Even the short guy in the corner over there. This is the shiny new banner that the amazingly talented Tina Pratt, the mastermind behind one of the funniest webcomics out there, made for me. Tell me - is it not EPIC???

No, you can't tell me it's not because the unabashed awesomeness of it denys - nay - wipes the very thought from your mind.

And there's more fun stuff coming - by the end of this week, I will have one of the video interviews I have promised you with voice actors of Pokemon talking about their favorite anime series and movies.

But for now, I must share this thought-provoking review of Eat Pray Love, the recent film starring Julia Roberts. It is written by a brilliant woman named Amanda who runs this gem of a blog. I'll leave you with the first part, and if interested the rest you can read on her site, which is well worth looking at. You may not agree with everything she writes but I appreciate her honest writing and reactions. This has been linked and copied by permission from the author. (P.S. Thanks Ro for linking me to this site!)

Movie Review - Eat Pray Love

My brother won tickets to an advance screening of a new movie, and he was kind enough to offer them to his mother and little sister. Awwww. What a nice guy.

Except the movie being previewed was Eat Pray Love.

Oh. Well, he’s still a pretty nice guy, I guess.

So now that I’ve watched Julia-Roberts-as-Elizabeth-Gilbert prance self-centeredly through crowds of foreigners trying to find herself, what do I think? Here’s my brief summary of Eat, Pray Love, as reported on my Twitter feed:

Hi! I’m an upper middle class white woman who doesn’t like her husband. I’m going to let a bunch of cute people with accents change my life. Fix me, brown people! Your poverty & inability to escape your problems centers me. Me. Meeeee. MEEEEEEEEEEE! Now I’m centered. I’m going to go marry Javier Bardem.

Read the rest of the review here.

Gettin' our freak on

2010-08-10T11:26:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

So I am patiently awaiting the DVD arrival of the best cult classic animated series of the 1990s and perhaps the best cartoon of my youth.

FREAKAZOID!

Thank goodness for the Amazon gift certificate.

To those of you not in the know, it was a series that permanently warped me in the best possible way. It took the idea of a superhero and turned it completely upside down. In the words of Hunter S. Thompson, the series was "Too weird to live, and too rare to die."

Sprung from the minds behind Tiny Toons and Animaniacs, Freakazoid ran for two seasons from 1995 to 1997. While I enjoyed all three series, Freakazoid had an acerbic wit that was a little sharper and more bitter than its contemporaries. It was the kind of comic genius that couldn't quite capture the minds of the kiddies and not fully engage the attention of adults. EDIT: my Dad actually remembers more of this show than I did now that I have the DVDS in my clutches. For some reason I remember him not liking it very much, but apparently he did...huzzah!

The plot (on the occasion it had one) revolves around Dexter Douglas, who gets sucked into the Internet and is given all of the information from the worldwide Web (which was even back in its earliest days was a pretty weird place), which in turn, makes a wise-cracking, fast-talking superhero out of him.

The episodes pulled punches, making fun of nineties pop culture and politics with a kind of wild abandon. If Animaniacs pushed the envelope in that regard, Freakazoid tore right through it. One memorable episode shows Freakazoid hunting down a fellow driver just to tell him his tail light is out. When Freakazoid tells him he has to give him a ticket, the man takes it and it reads "One free admission to the Jerry Springer Show" which causes the man to be rather traumatized. Executive producer Steven Spielberg even makes an appearance at the start of one episode (in his animated form) when the group of writers can't figure out what the hell they should make the episode about.

I look at today's Adult Swim shows, particularly Venture Bros., and I realize the creators must have all watched Freakazoid a million times over. This show made random weirdness in cartoons hip long before Adult Swim even existed, and unlike many shows or movies, it can actually make me laugh right out loud. In its fun, likeable way, it held the world of the mid-90s accountable for all its crazy, silly actions. It's as if Freakazoid exists to say "Hey guys, I'm acting really strange and weird over here, but look at what YOU guys are doing!"

It's a shame the show was cancelled, but perhaps if it had kept going it would've been too hot to handle. Can you imagine a show's cartoon theme song today ending with "He's here to save the nation, so stay tuned to this station. If not we'll be unemployed, Freakazoid!"

Being cut a little close to the quick is not for everyone, and I understand that. But for those who can appreciate the artful balance between genius and insanity, this is the show for you.

I can't wait until Friday when I blitz myself into a papaya-induced hallucination.

Shooting for the Moon: Despicable Me aims high

2010-07-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Universal Studios and downloaded at www.despicable.me

Every once in awhile, a movie exceeds the expectations set by the trailers. When I first saw the clips of Despicable Me last fall, Universal Studios' first foray into the computer-animated realm, I thought to myself: what is this piece of crap?

I had no intentions of seeing it. Another kids film that demeans its adult audience and insults the intelligence of our children, I thought. Also, the previews didn't give a very clear picture of what precisely the film was even about. Villain against villain? Stealing the moon? But where do these cute little girls come in?

If the trailers, like the movie posters, had shown more clips of the adorable minions, perhaps I would've been more intrigued. Which is why I was surprised when the reviews of Despicable Me, directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud (Ice Age films)showed that it was not, in fact, despicable.

Well. Being the critic that I am, it was up to me to get to the bottom of this. With my $13.50 in hand and my brain primed for pure analysis, I went and saw what there was to see.

Turns out there was a lot. So much, in fact, that I didn't feel comfortable doing a full-on review of this film until after having a second helping. One welcome change was seeing 3-D that was purposefully done, not a gimmick tacked on as an afterthought to satisfy the latest craze (i.e. Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.) I'm not sure the sheer giddy joy of Despicable Me could be properly replicated without it, as minions bounce through the air, rockets go off, and all manner of colorful gadgetry crawls toward you, freed from two-dimensional bonds. But paying twice for good 3-D is something that I can only bring myself to do if the actual plot and characters of the film are compelling.

Gru is voiced by the ever-versatile Steve Carell, who gives the villain with the soft heart a very thick accent, somewhere between Hungarian and Russian. There are elements of the Addams Family in his look, style, and certainly in his house - he might be the third brother of Gomez and Fester. Repulsive in some respects but rather debonair, like any good villain, there is something irresistible about Gru. His minions, which easily could have become annoying vapid fodder to satiate the kiddies, have individual personalities, an evil edge, and are rather sophisticated for being cute-as-a-button medicine capsules in overalls. The way they love Gru and come to love the little girls that come into his life is sincere and altogether, heart-melting without becoming soppy.

There are details a-plenty to look at that take a second viewing to really see and get, such as the "Gru-ray" logo on the sound system that one of the minions operates towards the end of the film. And groan-inspiring puns become devices for fun sequences, such as when Gru's associate Dr. Nefario (voiced by Russell Brand) makes a series of "Boogie robots" rather than "Cookie robots." And the level of detail, particularly to the textures of clothes and hair, is stunning.

The voice actors in this film (Julie Andrews makes an appearance, and I dare you to spot her) are so far into their characters it's impossible to pick them out, which allows for further enjoyment of being immersed in this little world that very quickly goes other-worldly.

There are moments where Despicable Me walks the knife-edge, almost dipping into the realm of cloying over-sentimentality, but in those moments the words ring so true we can allow ourselves to inwardly go "awwww" rather than "oh brother." And the back story - a young boy with a dream who wants to have the moon for himself - compliments the tale rather than hindering it with yet another stale child back story. This time, we actually CARE.

Do yourself a favor and go see something fresh and original. And tell me if you don't want to just take one of those little minions home with you by the end of the film!

Stay for the credits, and be sure to download the IPhone App (if you have one of those things) to translate what the minions are saying. If you don't have one, it's still hilarious.

DVD Spotlight: The Soloist has heart and soul

2010-07-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Image downloaded from www.soloistmovie.com and courtesy of Universal Studios and Dreamworks Pictures.

It's hard to make a good film based on a true story without it being cloying or over-sentimental. So often, they end up being soupy, sappy messes (I'm looking at you, Patch Adams) that tend to induce the gag reflex rather than warm the heart. The Soloist, under the direction of Joe Wright, is one of those rare gems that stays true to real life while still remaining upbeat and - dare I say? - joyful.

The story revolves around journalist Steve Lopez, a writer for the Los Angeles Times, and his chance encounter with a homeless musical virtuoso named Nathaniel Ayers. Lopez, played by the ever-versatile Robert Downey Jr., is immediately intrigued and wants to do a story on the kind-hearted, but mentally scattered Ayers (Jamie Foxx), but finds himself quite literally having to hunt down Ayers to try to interview him. Being a journalist myself, I appreciate and relate to the lengths we writers have to go through to capture a story that is really worthwhile (i.e. the woman from Juilliard abruptly hanging up on Lopez as he is trying to confirm Ayers's attendance there). His growing friendship with Ayers plunges him deep into the heart of being homeless in the city, but Ayers never asks Downey to pity him - he says this is a life he has chosen, for his own reasons, as well-placed flashbacks tell us.

Downey is still wise-cracking and slick, but in a very different sort of way. The jet black slicked hair and well-groomed goatee of Tony Stark are replaced with a scruffy, graying beard and short, low-maintenance trim. He looks like the average, hard-working joe who's gotten successful based on his talent, and though his posh home in Los Angeles is impressive, he is still plagued by raccoons digging up his yard every night. Wright directs the film with a kind of deftness, like the well-tuned cello Ayers plays he knows how far to take the heartfelt encounters but still keep a pulse on what real life is like - without breaking the delicate strings of the storyline.

Perhaps what I appreciated the most about The Soloist is that it does not have the traditional happy ending, or even an overly sad ending. The ending is just life. Wright has a confidence in the viewer's intelligence and doesn't feel the need to spoon-feed some sort of trite moral lesson. He delivers, and we take from it what we will.

The only true weak point of the film was including Mary Weston (Catherine Keener)as the estranged ex-wife of Lopez who still works with him...not really the best idea, guys. Her emotion for him seems forced and frankly, even at the end, Downey acts like he could care less when she tries to be the good friend to him after Ayers's mental illness reaches a critical peak.

But no matter. What counts is that the story between Lopez and Ayers rings true, and the message of knowing how far you can go to help someone before you have to let go is an important one and definitely not stated enough. Wright shows us the extent of homelessness in America but doesn't harp on the awfulness of it, which makes it all the more poignant. And when an older woman reads Lopez's article and is moved to donate Ayers her cello that she can no longer play due to arthritis, it shows the power of the press and the capacity for kindness in the human spirit. My editor at work always tells me as a writer when telling a story to "show, don't tell" to get maximum effect. This is exactly what The Soloist achieves.

Be sure to watch the DVD special feature that interviews the real Mr.Lopez and Mr. Ayers. Hearing the story from their point of view is just one more bonus to this wonderful movie.

The Great Connecticon Caper and hooray for Totoro!

2010-07-13T11:11:00.001-07:00

Dear friends, thank you for being so patient. Interviews with the lovely Miz Michele Knotz and Mr. Bill Rogers have been accomplished. Videos will be going up, I hope, this weekend after I've had time to toggle and edit them a bit.

Connecticon this year was probably the best I've ever been to. Being only 40 minutes from me, it has always been the kind of convention that if it weren't so close, i probably wouldn't bother with it. But it was apparent this year that the convention has really come into its own.

One very interesting panel included Michele and Bill (voice actors well-known for their roles as Jessie and Brock in Pokemon) talking about their favorite anime and movie series. You'll see a tiny overview of that discussion in my interviews. Afterwards, they opened up the floor to allow the audience to join in what their favorite series were. I jotted a list down, enough to keep me in what looks to be quality anime fodder for some time now. The list includes:

The movie Five Centimeters Per Second
Pretear
Last Exile
And the manga series Future Diary

My mission during the con was to find a copy of Heat Guy J, a cop buddy series with a sci fi twist created in 2003, and thankfully due to the eagle eye of my friend Dylan, I found all 26 episodes for $30, quite the deal! If any of you have ever seen Escaflowne, it's the same design team. Neo Tokyo has decided to build themselves their very own private eye android, whose construction is a combination of old-school steam power and high-tech gadgetry. Much like the antique look of the mecha in medieval Escaflowne, it incorporates the same mash-up of genres, but in the most intriguing way possible. I've just seen the first few episodes and it seems pretty solid. Of course, The Insatiable Critic will always give you the proper lowdown upon completion!

Another great panel I went to was on Hayao Miyazaki's films and the common themes that run through them. For those of you not anime-inclined, you probably know him because of Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, both of which had a wide release in the U.S. I have just recently seen one of his great masterpieces called My Neighbor Totoro, which was created in the late 80s and I'm glad I saw it because it was discussed a great deal in the panel. It is such a sweet, simple story premise but it is far deeper than I expected it to be. Two young girls move into a new house with their father, an anthropologist, and discover several spirits that are living in and around the house. One of these spirits is Totoro, who I have been told makes an appearance in Toy Story 3. Maybe I'll actually have to bite the bullet and check it out. The two girls, Satsuki and Mei, try to make the best of their new home while their mother is in the hospital. Mei, who is about four, ends up meeting Totoro, a big, fluffy grey creature who is known to be the king of the forest. What happens after that is pure magic. What really struck me about the film is when Mei tells her sister and her father what she has seen, they don't pooh pooh her - they believe what she is saying and think it is wonderful she has had that experience. Seeing the adult world paying homage to the child's world did my heart good.

The movie explores an ever-constant message in Miyazaki's films of man's role in nature and the responsibility that goes with it, but it also explores the joy and strength of childhood imagination. It was so incredibly moving and delicately sad that I had tears in my eyes by the end of the film. It will make you believe in the goodness of the human spirit and take you on a spiritual journey without you having to leave your chair. That is the power of Miyazaki's films - they are not just animated eye candy, they are a voyage for the mind and the spirit. I can't say enough about it. Just go see it. And make sure you have tissues handy for the last incredibly touching sequence.

Also, I have a new love, and it's name is www.paul-reveres.com. I can't tell you how glad I was to run into this in the artist's alley in Connecticon. Hooray for twisted history!

Til next time, stay classy cyberpeeps!

The long-awaited update

2010-07-07T13:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
I am sorry I never did actually get around to watching and reviewing The Soloist yet - believe it or not it is actually still sitting on my coffee table waiting to be watched. The muse hasn't been in me to watch and review it just yet, and I've been crazy busy with other responsibilities that pervade my life.

However, your wait will not have been in vain. This weekend I will be attending Connecticon and interviewing two voice actors - Michele Knotz who is most famous for the voice of Jessie in Team Rocket on Pokemon, and Bill Rogers, who does the voice of Brock, on what their favorite movies and anime of all time are. Stay tuned for a special post of The Insatiable Critic!

Sex and what City?: I'll pass and review The Soloist this weekend

2010-05-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Studios.

I seriously considered reviewing Sex and the City 2 film for my blog, but after some thought, I'm going to stay home and watch The Soloist.

A devotee of the TV series, Sex and the City has surprised me multiple times with its wit, humor and - dare I say - depth. I didn't start out with a very good impression of the series or the movie, but having watched the DVDs of both I can say that they all bring something meaningful to the table.

So when I heard that another film was coming out, I had my doubts, but having avoided the first film in theatres only to have it charm me later with its biting commentary on the ridiculousness of the wedding industry in the U.S., maybe I should cut this one a break. Watching the girls do their version of a road trip movie might be fun.

That was before I saw the full-length trailer.

Sorry folks, but I'm a Mr. Big fan who (SPOILER ALERTS FROM HERE ON OUT) is the man that Carrie marries at the end of the first movie. I liked Aidan as a character but it was clear from the first go-round he and Carrie were never going to make it for the long haul. I didn't buy the fourth season DVD set because I didn't feel like rewatching them go through their SECOND go-round. So when I saw Aidan in the trailer, it stopped me dead in my tracks. How many times are we going to beat this dead horse? The do I want Big do I not want him...get real people. Even worse, am I really going to spend $10.50 to watch Charlotte complain about having children after she spent six seasons talking about wanting children?

We have come to the end of the line. While I don't typically judge a movie by its cover, I do when it comes to either paying for it in theatres or waiting to rent it later when it comes out on DVD in three months. And from the synopsis I've read, Aidan is just the tip of the iceberg - now, we don't even have the city anymore, the notorious "5th star" of the show. At a running time of just over two hours, apparently the audience only gets a brief glimpse of NYC. As the wonderful A.O. Scott says in his review, "Is Manhattan really that over?"

It's as if we had a cake that was made beautifully, then the movie was the icing. Now this seems to be dumping the cake and the icing, rolling it in fudge, and dumping champagne all over it until the cake itself is barely recognizable.

The girls finally get all they want - and now they are not even happy with that. They want more - but that doesn't mean I do or audiences in general do.

But I invite you all to prove me wrong - if anyone can give me a convincing argument to see the film then I'll happily go - and conversely, if you are going to see it, let me know if my fears are justified.

DVD Spotlight: Bringing Down the House, can't you color me blind?

2010-05-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Touchstone Home Entertainment and downloaded here: http://video.movies.go.com/bringingdownthehouse

I've been on a Steve Martin kick ever since watching "It's Complicated", so I decided to try something from the not-too-distant past: the 2003 comedy "Bringing Down the House" by Touchstone Pictures.

Being someone who likes Queen Latifah and Steve Martin, it seemed like an odd combination but possibly one of those unlikely sparks that will make a film something special.

Well homeslices, this film didn't quite shizzle my nizzle, dig?

It wasn't an awful movie but that's not to say it was a good movie either. The amount of incredibly outdated racial jokes were pretty shocking, considering this movie was filmed in 2003 - not exactly ancient history. It simultaneously manages to offend both black people and white people: the black community is a bunch of partying, drinking convicts and the whites are all country club racist yuppies. Though this particular vein of the film is thin and manages to be tempered by Queen Latifah's good nature and the presence of a budding mixed race romance - it still exists.

There are some fun moments, mostly supplied by Latifah, who plays Charlene, a smart savvy woman who breaks out of jail after doin' time for a crime she didn't commit. When she shows up at Peter's Sanderson's (Steve Martin) door, who had been IMing her sight unseen and thinks a romance is about to begin, he doesn't even try for one second to reconcile the woman he met online to the woman at his doorstep.

Sweet, funny Steve sadly gets absolutely nothing to do with his bland as unbuttered toast role as Peter. He's the straight man while Charlene runs the show, which is fine if you like Latifah, as I do, but not so much if you are hoping for a balanced chemistry between the actors. In fact, beyond a small, almost indiscernible spark of mild respect for one another, you wonder how on earth these two ever hit it off in the first place online. Eugene Levy as Howie is brilliant and though he gets less screen time than Peter, he steals every scene he's in as the love-struck stuffed shirt who thinks of Charlene as a "Coco goddess." In fact, I wonder if it would've been a better film if Steve and Eugene had switched roles...

No big spoilers here: Charlene's name gets cleared and all is well, with Peter going back to his bland wife and Eugene getting the Coco goddess he so rightly deserved. There's something about an heiress and Peter's kids, but that's just filler. A part of me secretly wanted Peter to be able to make it with Charlene, but he's so damn boring that he really deserves to be with his equally boring wife, who makes such little impact on the film that I can't even recall her name. Basically, everyone gets what they deserve in the end.

One absolutely hilarious scene is the down-and-dirty girl fight that happens between Peter's venomous sister-in-law named Ashley (Missi Pyle) and Charlene. You don't often get full-fledged cat fights in films and this one is a doozy - it's also nice to see Ashley's self-righteous white butt get pummeled by a sista.

But in the end, blind eyes cannot be turned from the truly outrageous racial commentary that is meant with kind hearts but executed in very bad taste. If you like Latifah, rent it if there's nothing else in the hopper for movie night. If you are a die-hard Steve Martin fan, you can do better.

Let's get metal!

2010-05-04T09:49:00.001-07:00

Image was downloaded from http://ironmanmovie.marvel.com and is property of Marvel Comics and Paramount Pictures.

It was hard for me to view Iron Man 2 with an unbiased mindset. Having loved and adored the first film, so much so I actually shelled out the extra cash for the special edition metal DVD case copy, it was hard to not set the bar high for this film as well.

The beauty of the first Iron Man was that it was great fun and yet it sent a powerful message about militarized weapons, and that combination creates a repeatable, enjoyable experience. Also, the number of treats thrown in for Marvel comic fans (i.e. Stan Lee's cameo as Hugh Hefner) didn't hurt either. Iron Man 2 was still a lot of fun, but what it wanted fans to walk away with is anyone's guess.

Let's start with the positives. Robert Downey Jr. didn't skip a beat. It's like Tony Stark is a suit in his closet that he slides into when he needs to. He's still the swaggering anti-hero we've come to know and love, bursting onto the scene in a cheezy, Broadway-esque way that's more leer than sneer. What Downey is able to do with Stark, which is not always successful in sequels, is remain true to what the core of the character is while creating more depth; showing us more angles. Jon Favreau, who helmed the first movie, takes care not to let us forget that Stark was taken down in a terrorist camp, and that experience still haunts him.

Don Cheadle steps in as Rhodey in place of Terrance Howard, doing such a great job that we really don't miss Terrance at all (sorry man.) Gwyneth Paltrow takes another spin in the vertigo-inspiring heels of Pepper Potts, and the chemistry between her and Stark is just as vibrant and inspiring as the last - seeing their relationship deepen as she exhaustively tries to keep it all together is one of the reasons this film is worth seeing.

The other major reason to see this film is Mickey Rourke as Whiplash. He is crude, rude and just plain doesn't give a damn. He is the heartbeat for the minimal plot line that keeps the film going and his sheer lack of regard for what anyone thinks is scary as well as inspiring.

There are fun tidbits aplenty: the portable Iron man suit wrapped up in the red pimped-out suitcase was pretty freakin' cool, as is the usual slew of Marvel references that will beg the DVD viewer to stop, pause, and zoom in.

Now for the things that don't work: too many unnecessary rock 'em sock 'em fights, too little Nick Fury, and too much Sam Rockwell. A particularly entertaining scene where Stark gets wasted in his Iron Man suit at his lush home in California is cut short by Rhodey crashing the party in one of the extra suits Stark's got lying around and the ensuing fight proceeds to break everything. The scene is necessary but completely overblown (no pun intended.) Also, how does Rhodey know how to work the suit? Is he just that cool? Really, Favreau, I think we could've had a better plot transition here.

And uh, what happened to Nick Fury? Besides getting one of the best opening lines of any character ("Stark, I'll have to ask you to exit the donut") you don't get to see much of him. I'd take out at least three scenes with Hammer, the unctuous rival weapons manufacturer who talks...and talks...and talks. I was waiting for Whiplash to put him through a wall at some point, but no. I know the guy is not supposed to be likeable, but Rockwell, come on. Overacting much?

Overall, it's a fun ride,and for all you guys out there you even get to see Scarlett Johannson do some Kung Fu. As a standalone film, it stands out, but as a sequel, I wish it had the same clear sense of intention like the first film. In Tony we trust, but hey Favreau, for the next go-round let's get Fury on board for most of the film instead of only 20 percent?

Oh yeah, and don't forget to stick around after the credits. Just sayin'.

Slight Departure from the usual: New Soundings Dispatches!

2010-04-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Wanted to give some props to my other life, staff writer for Soundings Magazine. Our newest e-newsletter features a daring rescue, a new boat feature and a hurricane story written by moi...what more could you ask for? And best of all, it's FREE!

To read my story click here: http://www.soundingsonline.com/news/dispatches/452-april-29/254952-2010-an-active-hurricane-season

Sign up for the e-newsletter here: http://www.soundingsonline.com/subscription-services/subscribe-to-e-newsletter

It's Toby-approved!

How to Train Your Dragon: Like Avatar, but shorter and less pretentious

2010-04-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

This image has been downloaded from www.howtotrainyourdragon.com and is courtesy of Dreamworks Pictures.

I apologize for the massive lag in updating - the last two weeks were probably one of the toughest I've ever faced in my relatively short time on this planet.

How To Train Your Dragon was, in a word, beautiful. Wonderfully timed at an exhilarating hour and 38 minutes, it's just enough to keep the kiddies entertained and the adults captivated.

The story focuses around a young Viking named Hiccup, who is voiced by Jay Baruchel, bringing a perfect balance of nasal and flat-toned vocals to the pint-sized unlikely hero who cowers in the shadow of his father, Stoick the Vast. (The name alone brought quite a few chuckles to the audience.)Stoick is voiced in the gruff Scottish brogue of Gerard Butler, who can't understand why his son can't get started on a beard long enough to braid more importantly (though not by much) start slinging axes at the dragons that plague the craggy mountainous somewhere in the Arctic circle that they call home. As Hiccup says, "Old village, lots of new houses" just as a dragon torches a neatly constructed thatched cottage.

The dragons themselves just happen to be cute as buttons, despite the fact they are such terrible pests. So when Hiccup manages to down one of the most vicious of all, the Night Fury, he is determined to do his Dad proud and bring home its heart. But looking deep into the dragon's amber eyes, he realizes he just can't do it. And seeing as the dragon reminded me way too much of my own cat Toby, I'd have trouble doing him in too.

What follows is a tender tale of tolerance (how's that for a tongue-twister)for both Hiccup and Toothless, who the Night Fury becomes known as. Not only does the tale provide lush visual effects in the form of misty forests and sweeping landscapes, but it also shows the consequences as well as the benefits of doing what's right.

Perhaps the only sad part of the film is we don't get to find out too much about the backgrounds of the dragons. Hiccup says at one point that everything they know about dragons is wrong, but what we do find out about them - beyond the fact they are rather amiable creatures whose pillaged food from the village, as it turns out, is not for them - is precious little.

But perhaps it will give an excuse for an equally well-developed sequel. I wouldn't mind seeing more of the growls and warblings of Toothless, who looks extraordinarily like Stitch from the wonderful 2002 Disney feature Lilo & Stitch. No surprise considering the co-director of that film Dean DeBlois was the author of the screenplay for How To Train Your Dragon. I would be remiss not to mention Hiccup's cohorts, which includes Astrid, the beautiful Viking gal who despite her snotty demeanor is entertaining as a fiercesome warrioress, and Fishlegs, the good-hearted geek who makes some very funny Dungeons and Dragons quips throughout the film.

When you do see it, be sure to go 3D. The high-flying areal sequences alone are worth it.

So what are you waiting for? It won't be in theaters much longer! Go! Go!

DVD spotlight: Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day proves all that glitters isn't gold

2010-04-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Focus Features http://www.filminfocus.com/article/the_song_in_their_hearts_

Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day is a charming way to pass an hour and a half if its pouring rain outside or dismally cold. Unfortunately the day I viewed this film it was neither.

Based on the 1939 novel by Winifred Watson which follows the whirlwind adventure of a rather plain, sour-on-life, and unbelievably poor woman who gets swept up in the socialite London of the pre-WWII glittering 1930s, the film stars Frances McDormand as the title role of Guinevere Pettigrew and an overly giddy Amy Adams as Delysia Lafosse, the would-be man-eating starlet that comes to depend on Miss Pettigrew to clean up her messes.

Delysia is presented as a free-spirited woman who dangles men on the end of a string in order to get ahead in life - somewhat shocking stuff to be writing about in the 1930s. In fact, Miss Pettigrew quickly discovers the apartment Delysia is residing in doesn't even belong to her, but rather a strong-nosed man by the name of Nick Calderelli (Mark Strong) who allows her to sing in a club that he owns. Then there's the good-guy pianist Michael Pardue (Lee Pace) who wants nothing more but for Delysia to realize he is the one for her and spend the rest of his life accompanying her on the keyboard. Finally, there's the young and silly Phil Goldman (Tom Payne) who it seems will cast whatever girl will give him the best sex in the lead role of his new West End play. All of these men, sad to say, are rather boring.

McDormand does an admirable job as playing the Ugly Duckling role while maintaining her rigid personality and morals - and it is indeed pleasant to see her be rewarded for being simply herself, just in better clothes. Adams, however, seems to be on giddy autopilot throughout the film, giving little to no variety from her virginal turn as the wide-eyed innocent in Disney's Enchanted. It's hard for me to even buy that her character has slept with all these men, like Adams is trying to apologize for Delysia's loose behavior by amping up the heart-of-gold aspect to her personality. She bounces through the honey-colored lens of the camera, but as a viewer I wasn't convinced she was having all the fun that she seemed to be having. A little more devil in the details would have spiced up her vanilla performance quite a bit.

However, the budding late-stage romance that forms between Pettigrew and Joe Blomfield (Ciarán Hinds) could be the only real thing that escapes from this overpuffed cream pie of a film. A quiet gentleman who just happens to run one of the most successful lingerie companies in England, his slow smile and gently persisting courtship of Pettigrew despite his engagement to the much younger and delightfully poisonous Edith (Shirley Henderson) make him loveable and endearing. I found myself unexpectedly falling for him in much the same way Pettigrew does.

The whole film could have easily been scaled down to a stage play. Most of the action takes place in Nick's apartment, and while there are overtones to the impending World War about to take place, all darkness is quickly brushed aside in the glitter of high society. The film goes down with the ease of a fine glass of white wine, but leaves an eager mind on an empty stomach.

Gettin' Tubbed

2010-03-26T14:09:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy of NY Times and MGM Studios. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/movies/26hottub.html

Remember the worst dorm party you've ever had back in college. Yeah, that one where maybe you had a little too much of any particular substance that was being passed around and things went a little too far with some of the party's participants. Now, imagine if the movie Back to the Future was playing in the background. Put that whole situation in a blender and add a hot tub just to spice up the batch.

That's pretty much the experience of watching Hot Tub Time Machine, the latest collaboration between Steve Pink and John Cusack, the minds behind High Fidelity. It doesn't try to make sense and that's the key to its success, making for one hilarious, guffaw-loudly-in-your-seat experience.

A bit of advice to dear readers: if you Netflix the following films and see them beforehand, the movie will be a whole lot more enjoyable for you: Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, The Karate Kid, Better Off Dead and Back to the Future. And that's just the ones off the top of my head - the filmmakers did their research to try to cram in as broad an array of 80s culture as possible. The movie ends up depicting the 80s not as it was, but the 80s our culture at the time wanted it to be.

Right from the get-go the movie shows that it is going to be rude, crude, and tasteless. It is a rated R, and a hard R it truly is. The jokes are completely politically incorrect, which is a plus - its rare to see anything nowadays that has such a no holds barred approach to dumping on the face of any sort of common decency. What's not a plus is the amount of homosexual jokes that fly - I know we're trying to make this 80s, but note to director Steve Pink: let's not lose sight of the fact this is a 2010 audience watching this.

The plot is pretty simple: a bunch of depressed 40-somethings (plus one nerdy teen) decide to get away to an old ski lodge, jump into a hot tub, and after a night of hard-drinking and god knows what else, they end up at Winterfest 1986. Having the original 80s boy John Cusack playing the down-and-out insurance salesman Adam with poor taste in friends makes this movie on several levels. Cusack's ability to laugh at himself allows him to be both the straight man and the comic relief in this film. He also seems so happy to not be playing another "serious" movie role and just get to roll with the boys. Adam's pals include Lou (Rob Corddry) who becomes the hero in the weirdest of ways, and Nick (Craig Robinson) who are good foils for each other - Nick is the soft, sensitive man and Lou is the loud obnoxious jerk. One memorable quote from the film Nick says in regards to Lou: "He's an asshole, but he's our asshole." Chevy Chase has a small role as the jaw-droppingly unfunny hot tub repair man, who thankfully vanishes soon after he appears.

Beyond the feel-good nostalgia trips, from the music to the aforementioned movie and TV references, what I enjoyed most about this film was it showed people behaving as they truly are, for better or worse. Clark Duke, who plays Cusack's nephew Jacob, gets increasingly frustrated as he sees his elders acting like total idiots. Creepy old man Chevy warns the older guys they all must do exactly what they did during 1986 and not deviate from the path, lest the future be changed for good. As that plan goes out the window for each one of them, Jacob resigns himself to stop trying to make sense of it all, go with the flow, and hope for the best. I have often found myself in that very situation, trying to keep a group together when ultimately all the individuals want to go off and make their own bad choices.

We, the audience, are in Jacob's shoes as we watch this weirdly entertaining pastiche of 80s culture. Don't think too hard about what might be simmering in that hot tub. Just jump in and enjoy the ride.

DVD Spotlight: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day all glitter and no substance

2010-03-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Focus Features http://www.filminfocus.com/article/the_song_in_their_hearts_

Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day is a charming way to pass an hour and a half if its pouring rain outside or dismally cold. Unfortunately the day I viewed this film it was neither.

Based on the 1939 novel by Winifred Watson which follows the whirlwind adventure of a rather plain, sour-on-life, and unbelievably poor woman who gets swept up in the socialite pre-WWII glittering 1930s, the film stars Frances McDormand as the title role of Guinevere Pettigrew and an overly giddy Amy Adams as Delysia Lafosse, the would-be man-eating starlet that comes to depend on Miss Pettigrew to clean up her messes.

Delysia is presented as a free-spirited woman who dangles men on the end of a string in order to get ahead in life - somewhat shocking stuff to be writing about in the 1930s. In fact, Miss Pettigrew quickly discovers the apartment Delysia is residing in doesn't even belong to her, but rather a strong-nosed man by the name of Nick Calderelli (Mark Strong) who allows her to sing in a club that he owns. Then there's the heart-of-gold pianist Michael Pardue (Lee Pace) who wants nothing more but for Delysia to realize he is the one for her and spend the rest of his life accompanying her on the keyboard. Finally, there's the young and silly Phil Goldman (Tom Payne) who it seems will cast whatever girl will give him the best sex in the lead role of his new West End play. All of these men, sad to say, are rather boring.

McDormand does an admirable job as playing the Ugly Duckling role while maintaining her rigid personality and morals - and it is indeed pleasant to see her be rewarded for being simply herself, just in better clothes. Adams, however, seems to be on giddy autopilot throughout the film, giving little to no variety from her virginal turn as the wide-eyed innocent in Disney's Enchanted. It's hard for me to even buy that her character has slept with all these men, like Adams is trying to apologize for Delysia's loose behavior by amping up the heart of gold aspect to her personality. She bounces through the honey-colored lens of the camera, but as a viewer I wasn't convinced she was having all the fun that she seemed to be having. A little more devil in the details would have spiced up her vanilla performance quite a bit.

However, the budding late-stage romance that forms between Pettigrew and Joe Blomfield (Ciarán Hinds) could be the only real thing that escapes from this overpuffed cream pie of a film. A quiet gentleman who just happens to run one of the most successful lingerie companies in England, his slow smile and gently persisting courtship of Pettigrew despite his engagement to the much younger and delightfully poisonous Edith (Shirley Henderson) make him loveable and endearing. I found myself unexpectedly falling for him in much the same way Pettigrew does.

The whole film could have easily been scaled down to a stage play. Most of the action takes place in Nick's apartment, and while there are overtones to the impending World War about to take place, all darkness is quickly brushed aside in the glitter of high society. The film goes down with the ease of a fine glass of white wine, but leaves an eager mind on an empty stomach.

Alice, by any other name

2010-03-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

This picture belongs to Disney and was downloaded directly from the movie Web Site at http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/aliceinwonderland/#/epk/downloads/

There's been a lot of discussion swirling around about the new Alice movie as to whether it is any good or not, and I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring among others, if only as a writing exercise in a different venue.

I thought it was a fun film. I was entertained and even enchanted, which says something considering the glut of CGI films out there. What computer wizardry has been able to create with such relative ease has set the bar a little higher on originality, particularly when it comes to Tim Burton, who has struggled in recent times to create a film that is not a facsimile of his previous work in terms of weird characters running around in black and white stripes.

Burton does have the usual roundup of actors, with a wonderful performance by Helena Bonham Carter as the narcissistic Red Queen (a combination of the Red Queen in Alice Through the Looking Glass and the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland...not too much of a stretch) and Depp as, what else, the Mad Hatter. Depp doesn't do a particularly convincing job of being mad, but that is all right, because in this case he's a supporting character rather than the sun the movie revolves around - a welcome change, I found. In truth, it is the side characters that tend to carry this movie, with an absolutely irresistible Cheshire cat with a smile like Jack Skellington that almost splits his head in two, with luminous eyes that shine out of the night sky. He rolls in and out of the screen with a grace that is accompanied wonderfully by the velvety voice of Stephen Fry and has a penchant for disappearing in wispy strands of blue. Anne Hathaway also does a memorable turn as the White Queen, with her royal grace accentuated by rather neurotic tendencies (like potion-making), making her equally as lovable.

There is no dirth of strong female characters in this film, which is something that is particularly appealing to me. When Alice burst out of the Red Queen's palace on the back of the Bandersnatch, a great, large spotted beast that looks like a cross between an ocelot and a polar bear, the Cheshire cat inside of me smiled wide. Each character, no matter how small, is given heart, personality, and depth rather than simply being so much CG confection filling up the screen.

Alas, this is where the magic ends. Burton suffers from a lack of the big picture. His most successful works are close in, painfully detailed small stories that work in worlds that have boundaries and limits. Edward Scissorhands, one of his most beautiful pieces, is about a kind misunderstood creature plopped in a conservative Florida suburb. The entire story takes place in this suburb. The Nightmare Before Christmas takes place in very specific worlds with very specific boundaries - and the stop-motion creative process close in by its very nature.

Unfortunately that bodes ill for a place like Wonderland, whose only boundaries are one's own imagination. Underland, as Burton calls it, looks like a bombed out shell of its former self, save a few green tendrils Alice encounters on the way in. We don't really get to see much of the place and frankly there isn't much there to see due to the Red Queen burning the hell out of everything with her fire-spewing beast, the Jabberwocky. How much more rich the film could have been if only Burton could have looked up from his computer screen and tried to see his Wonderland from a bird's eye view. I also missed certain characters - I was hoping the talking flowers could have had more than a few moments in the sun before getting trampled over by death and destruction.

But setting aside all it could have been, what we do have still makes for a lot of fun. The story is well thought out and I liked the intensity of this older, warier Alice. and there is something to be said for a bold step in another direction. The title "Alice in Wonderland" is misleading because it is not the Alice we once knew. But the Alice we are given isn't so bad, either.