And The Award For Most Overrated Superhero Film Of 2017...."Logan"

Logan (2017)

Rated R

Starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Stephen Merchant, Boyd Holbrook

Written and Directed by James Mangold

The Story:

In the future, all of the X-Men are dead, except Logan (Jackman) who now cares for an ailing Professor X (Stewart). With no new mutants to train, and Xavier's mind slowly slipping away making him a danger to himself and the world, Logan is trying to get them away from humanity once and for all. Complicating matters, a little girl named Laura (Keen) who was mutated in a lab to be just like Logan, only smaller and much cuter.

Oh, and pretty much everyone dies by the end.

How's that for a big #@$#$ing spoiler?

Well there's your second hint, the first was the title of this @#$@#!$@ing review in the first place.

Thanks to the success of Deadpool, everyone decided that the finale to Hugh Jackman's take as Wolverine would also be rated R.

Why?

So they could show him sticking his claws in people's faces, cutting them to ribbons.

And saying %$&^

A lot.

Apparently $#@#$ you Mother#$#@#@$ is script shorthand for lazy R rated movies.

I get it.

I've climbed up on this soapbox so many times, usually for the R rated comedy raunchfests.

I chastise those for lazy writing, because anyone can F*&$#@#ing cuss, ooooh, how edgy, but if you're going to do it with jokes, the jokes themselves need to be funny, sans language.

So too, in this edgy mutant action-thriller-drama, so too must everything be interesting and not just a way to keep a generation of fans away from the final installment because, well, @#$# you!

Unlike Deadpool, who had only once been seen in a movie form before, and frankly, it sucked, Wolverine has been with us for what, 27 or so movies at this point. Every X-Men movie, and several of his own films. All rated PG-13.

17 years Jackman has been doing this, and he is still the best there is at what he does.

No, I'm putting the blame squarely on the feet of the #@$@#ing lazy screenwriters who frankly bored me with their overuse of language in an otherwise pedestrian script.

You want a good X-Men/Wolverine movie, go see First Class or Days of Future Past. Some might even say X2, but I haven't seen that in so long, I couldn't tell you for certain anymore.

Nope, at the end of the day, I have to grade this final version of Logan against the likes of Batman vs. Superman, and say that when I go to watch a superhero movie, I go to be excited and entertained.

This didn't do it for me, and frankly, if I were to want to watch a Logan solo adventure, I'd rather rewatch X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Yeah, it's got it's issues (oh boy, does it have issues) but it was depressing because of how it was executed.

This version of Logan set out to be depressing from the word go, and succeeded all around.

Therefore, I can't give a seal of approval to a movie that knowingly turns its back on the millions of kids who grew up on Jackman as Wolverine just to make an edgy, adult thriller that kills him off at the end.

#@$@# that.

Final Grade: C..maybe C-...no, I'll have to go D+

I Wanna Fly Like "Eddie The Eagle"

Eddie the Eagle (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman,

Directed by

The Story:

Eddie Edwards (Egerton) is actually a pretty good British skier, but when he fails to make the Olympic team, he checks the rules and realizes that the British downhill jumping ski requirements are very lax, and exploits that loophole to become the team.

This is the story that, alongside the Jamaican bobsled team, made the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics likely the greatest Olympics in modern history.

Or at least the one with the best "feel good" moments from watching that I can remember.

While the backstory of Eddie gets Hollywood-ized, such as the invention of a coach (Jackman) that didn't really exist, the feel-good nature of Eddie's tale comes through strongly.

The real sad take away from this film is that the British, along with most other countries, have changed the rulebooks so much, they have taken away the opportunity for anyone not entrenched in the Olympic money machine to ever replicate Eddie's journey and even get the chance to compete in the Olympics.

And that's a shame, because while America, or at least journalists reporting from the Olympics, are at least obsessed with the medal count, it's the human stories that touch most viewers.

And you don't need to dig to find how this child was raised in 13 broken homes to reach our heartstrings, it's the passion and joy from the athletes that make us gravitate towards liking them.


Final Grade:  B

All Hot And Bothered... "Fifty Shades of Grey"

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Rated R

Starring Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan

Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson

The Story:

Literature student Anastasia Steele's (Johnson) life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey (Dornan).

Based on the smutty best-selling novel that women can't seem to get enough of, comes the trashy movie version that attempts to make 9 1/2 Weeks and Showgirls look pale in comparison!

You don't really think I watched this, do you?

Happy April Fool's Day.

We'll return to the regular reviews next week.

In all seriousness though, thanks for reading, and for making March's review of Kate & Leopold my most read review on the site since I've been doing this.

Not sure what drove that one, my guess would be Hugh Jackman.

Hmm...

Maybe the ladies that read my reviews are naughtier than I suspected?

: )

Time After Time..."Kate & Leopold"

Kate & Leopold (2001)

Rated PG-13

Starring Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Breckin Meyer

Directed by James Mangold

The Story:

Stuart (Schreiber) has discovered a wormhole in time and is checking out New York in the 1800s when he is followed back to the present by Leopold (Jackman). A respectable gentleman of the past is suddenly surrounded by the modern society and he has much to learn, yet also has a few things to teach as well. When he falls for the lovely Kate (Ryan), it's a match made for the ages, but how can two people from two different times ever really be together?

This is one of those romantic comedies that has been bashed far too often, for far too long.

This was Meg Ryan at the height of her romantic comedy powers, before someone told her that it would be a good idea to get plastic surgery because she was getting older.

If I had a time machine, I would use it to go back and tell her it's not worth it, bad things are going to happen!

This was also Hugh Jackman before he became... Hugh Jackman!

Not yet the megastar he would become, yet he is so effortlessly charming, any plot holes you may have with a time travel film (and there's always plot holes!) are willingly overlooked just by how sweet this film really is.

Not to be left out Breckin Meyer who gives another great "aw shucks" character that he can do in his sleep, as Kate's brother. He is integral to the plot in both teaching Leopold a few things about the present while also accepting some sage gentlemanly advice from the man he is convinced is the greatest method actor of all time! :)

So if you haven't seen this one in the last 15 years, or managed to somehow miss it completely, both Netflix and Amazon have it streaming.

Considering some of the stinkers that Jackman has had lately (where he was usually the best part of the film), it was nice to revisit a movie at the start of his career where the movie was good and he simply made it that much better. You see a star being born, and it's a pretty cool experience.

Final Grade: B

Some Stories Are Better Left Untold..."Pan"

Pan (2015)

Rated PG

Starring Levi Miller, Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, Adeel Akhtar

Directed by Joe Wright

The Story:

A young orphan named Peter (Miller) is whisked away by a flying pirate ship during the height of World War II in Britain. He arrives in Neverland and meets the evil Blackbeard (Jackman) who is forcing all of these "lost boys" to mine for Pixium. He meets a fellow captive named Hook (Hedlund) and they escape Blackbeard's clutches and the adventure is on.

Who am I kidding?

I don't even want to write up a summary for this one.

It's a prequel to Peter Pan.

And it's boring.

End of review.

:)

Nah, I can't make it that easy, can I?

It has great production values, with both World War II era Britain looking great and the Neverland sets are beautiful.

But man, I was bored from almost the beginning. I think I even dozed off at least twice waiting for something to happen.

However, it's when all of the slaves under Blackbeard's thumb break into a rousing rendition of Smells Like Teen Spirit that I lost all hope in this movie amounting to anything but a big budgeted spectacle.

Even Jackman can't save this one, though he gamely tries. Much like Chappie, it's too little, too late in a overlong story that could have used some judicious editing.

Seriously, who thought a 2 hour adventure on the boy who would be Pan would be a great idea?

I'm sure Disney will bring their live action tale to life in a few years, and maybe that will help remove this one from my memory.

We'll see.

Unimpressed, but I'll give them props for making something so boring look so nice.

Final Grade: D+

What If Robocop and Short Circuit Had A Baby? "Chappie"

Chappie (2015)

Rated R

Starring Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver

Written and Directed by Neil Blomkamp

The Story:

Deon Wilson (Patel) takes a destroyed peace-keeping robot and imbues it with personality. Enter Chappie (Copley) who is like a child and has to be taught everything. The problem, he's taught some bad things by some questionable people. But in that machine somewhere is some heart, which is more than can be said for contractor Vincent Moore (Jackman) who wants to take his version of the the robot peacekeeper to the streets, no matter the cost.

Seriously.

I swear, the title of my review had to be Blomkamp's pitch to the studios.

Or at least some hybrid Robocop/Short Circuit mashup.

If you don't see similarities, it's because you haven't seen either of the other movies.

Both of which were made in the 80s, and made way better, both in terms of acting, directing, writing, and very likely, special effects.

This is another 2 hour (2 HOUR!) Blomkamp snoozer that is long on boredom and short on everything else.

When I stack this with Elysium which I was generous with my C- review, and the never-reviewed because I fell asleep trying to watch District 9...

Well, I have no faith in him as a writer or director anymore.

So the next time I see his name on a project, I will likely leave it out of, or put at the bottom of my queue to be watched when I've seen everything else ever made.

By the time the movie even got remotely exciting, it was the last part of the movie as Jackman was firing up his E.D. 209

I kid you not.

Way too little, much too late. And embarrassingly derivative.

If he was hoping to match the charming success of Real Steel, he misjudged badly.

Final Grade: D+

It's About Time...Travel... "X-Men: Days of Future Past"

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellan, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence

Directed by Bryan Singer

The Story:

The X-Men are being wiped out by the Sentinel program. To save themselves, Professor Xavier (Stewart) and Magneto (McKellan) join forces with the remaining X-Men, they run a risky gambit of sending Wolverine (Jackman) back in time to find Professor X (McAvoy) and Magneto (Fassbender) to try and stop Mystique (Lawrence) from making a huge mistake that will cause the creation of the Sentinels.

Confused?

Don't be.

It will all make sense before the whole thing is over.

And in the process, they build on the great work from X-Men: First Class and bring the entire X-Men franchise back to relevance and in direct competition with Marvel Studios.

Nothing like a bit of friendly competition.

If Marvel can't get their franchises all back under one roof (boooo), then I'd like to at least see them be successful and well made.

I was never really thrilled with any of the Wolverine or X-Men movies until First Class came along.

Now, with Days of Future Past, Fox resets the entire franchise and is able to go forward (or backward) and do anything they want.

Bravo, well played.


Fox better enjoy this while they can, because it is just about time for them to begin recasting all of the roles once again.

I'm not sure how many more turns in the claws Jackman has, but he's leaving some really big shoes to fill.

Good luck.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Enjoyed it, bought it. One of the 10 Best of 2014. Looking forward to the next installment.

Now Playing..."X-Men: Days Of Future Past"

X-Men- Days of Future Past (2014)

Rated PG-13 for language, violence, and Hugh Jackman's bum

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter Dinklage, Ellen Page,

Directed by Bryan Singer

The Story:

In the future, the war between humans and mutants is nearing its end.  What is left of the X-Men make one last stand.  If they can use Kitty Pryde's (Page) talents to send Wolverine (Jackman) back to 1973, he can avert the assassination of Dr. Bolivar Trask (Dinklage) by Mystique (Lawrence).  The government will capture Mystique and use her unique DNA to create the Sentinel program and use those weapons to wipe out mutant-kind.  Wolverine will need to reunite Xavier (McAvoy) and Magneto (Fassbender) to help him stop Mystique, and hopefully change the future.

Well, how about 20th Century Fox.

In one fell swoop, they fixed everything that was wrong with the X-Men/Wolverine franchise with a bit of a soft reset button.

All it took was a bit of time travel, and a willingness by the franchise to embrace the awesomeness of X-Men: First Class and move forward.

Initial reaction?

This is probably the best X-Men movie yet. 

I may have to watch First Class again just to make sure, but it was pretty darn good.

I was never that enamored with either of the first X-Men movies, and I didn't hate the 3rd nearly as much as every other human.

Totally disappointed with the first Wolverine solo movie, mostly for the total butchery of Deadpool.

:: sniff ::

But again,  one fell swoop, and everything can now be different.

The best parts of the movie:


1) Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver - Awesome. Hilarious.  Now that we've seen what the X-Men can do with him, let's see what Joss Whedon can do in The Avengers.

2) Blink - She was awesome, and short-lived (once upon a time) in the comics.  She was awesome in the film.

If you've abandoned the franchise at any point, come on back.  If you've never set foot in the franchise... you might get a little confused, but I think the plot is solid enough not to lose you too much, give it a try.

And yes, sit through the entire credits.  You'll be treated to a scene that does two things:

1) It sets up the next X-Men movie.
2) It answers an age old question about how something was made.

:)

And yeah, I still don't get people that get up and leave at the end of comic book films!

I felt bad for this one lady and her kids.  The husband/dad was growing impatient at having to sit and watch the credits roll.

As the credits just about finished, he told her "there's not anymore credits to put a scene into, let's go".

Jerk.

So they left, and were out of the theater just as the teaser played.

Ah well...

I think I'll have to give the X-Men the ranking of 2nd best comic-book movie of the year so far.

Moving ahead of Spider-Man 2, but trailing Captain America.

Let's see how the Guardians do in August.

Final Grade: A-/B+ range

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'll be adding it to the X-Library this Christmas.

How Far Would You Go? "Prisoners"

Prisoners (2013)
Rated R for language and violence

Starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Paul Dano

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

The Story:

On Thanksgiving, the Dover (Jackman and Bello) and Birch (Howard and Davis) families get together to celebrate.  As the day wears on, the little girls ask to go back over to the Dover household to get something.  The parents agree, and the girls leave.  Later, the parents ask the oldest son where the girls are, and he hasn't seen them.  Apparently he did not walk the girls back home like the parents assumed.  They frantically look around the neighborhood and contact the police about an RV that was seen in the neighborhood with some creepy guy (Dano) hanging out inside of it.  Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) takes the lead on the case, but when the girls are not immediately found, Dover decides to take matters into his own hands.

How far would you go to...what would you do... to find and protect your little ones?

This is a very dark film that ratchets up the tension with each passing moment.

The movie runs almost 2 1/2 hours, but amazingly doesn't really ever drag and feel like it.

Everyone does a fantastic job in their roles.

Jackman's descent into madness as he tries to keep his sanity and trying to not cross any lines permanently is the driving force of the film.

Gyllenhaal grows nicely into his role as a detective who knows the dad is onto something, as well as up to something but remains half a step behind.

The ending of the film...

I think it varies between everyone who has watched the movie.

I'll leave it for you to decide.

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Too dark and too intense to make for an enjoyable rewatching experience.

It's A Super Weekend...Part Two..."The Wolverine"

The Wolverine (2013)
Rated PG-13 for Violence and Language

Starring Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen

Directed by James Mangold


The best there is at what he does...mostly.

The Story:

Wolverine/Logan (Jackman) has been in seclusion since last we saw him.  He is haunted by dreams of Jean Grey (Janssen) and longs to join her in death.  Lucky for him, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) has the resources to give Wolverine that peace, and repay a debt of gratitude from long ago.  Accompanied by Yukio (Rila Fukushima), they return to Japan where he meets Yashida's granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto).  However, when Yashida dies and the Yakuza come gunning for Mariko, it's up to Wolverine to keep her safe.  However, there's one problem... his healing factor appears to be gone, so he's going to get hurt...badly... and may not survive what's coming next.

Ah, much better.

To be honest, I have seen the first 3 X-Men movies, and they get a collective "meh" from me.  Amazingly, I think Last Stand, the most reviled of the three, is my favorite.  It's the one that most approached the appeal of the comics.

Then there was X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

So much potential...  so poorly executed.

"Seriously?"

My biggest beef, you don't cast Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, then sew his mouth shut. 

Stupid.
Stupid.
Stupid.

Of course, Fox knows they have a cash cow, they just have to keep cranking out these films to avoid having the rights going back to Disney where a proper X-Men film can be made.

"Do I Want To Be In Your Movie?  Let Me Think About That..."

Thankfully, they hit the reset button with X-Men: First Class, easily the best of the entire X-Franchise, and it seems like Fox was at least willing to try and treat the franchise with the respect and care that it deserves to at least try and compete with Marvel Studios for quality superhero movies.

Then the focus turns back to the star of the franchise, Wolverine.

How do they fare this time?

Better.

"That Plane Can't Be A Good Thing..."

Much, much better.

I absolutely loved the flashback to Logan's tenure in a prison camp during WWII, and how he creates his bond with Yashida.  It's very well done, and makes the comic and movie fan wish that the entire Marvel Universe was under one umbrella, because how cool would a WWII movie with Cap and Wolverine be?

Yeah... Pretty cool!













Then we have Wolverine's Japanese adventures, and aside from a few scenes that just seem slightly jarring in the manner in which they were filmed, overall, everything works.

What I wasn't a fan of...

Silver Samurai as a giant robotic suit.  I understand the why, it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Wolverine's claws.  Never a fan of the bone claws, and hopefully he'll have those things fixed by the next movie.  However, I understand that due to his age, he's had the adamantium claws for much less time than he's had them as bones.  Fair enough.

Which leads me to the closing credits...

Come on people, why do you keep getting out of your seats when a Marvel film from any studio is over?

"Even the God of Thunder and a World War II Super-Soldier Have Figured This Out"

 Would it kill you to sit still for an extra 3-5 minutes?

At worst, you acknowledge the hundreds of people that devoted hours to bringing you entertainment for 2 hours.

At best, you might see something pretty cool.

Looking forward to the next film.


Final Grade: Complaints aside, I'll give Wolverine a solid B.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd happily give this one another viewing, and I'm sure it will find a spot in my library sooner, rather than later.

While I Can't Guarantee You've Never Heard of "Love Birds"... It's Probably Unlikely

That's a duck, not a kiwi...

The Story:

Doug (Rhys Darby) has just been dumped by his girlfriend (Faye Smythe).  It's a crushing blow for Doug, and then he finds an injured duck on his roof.  He takes it to the zoo where Holly, the vet (Sally Hawkins) refuses to take it in.  After talking to another vet (Bryan Brown), he decides to nurse the duck back to health himself.  Doug and his duck bond, and Doug's life begins to change on the romantic front.  Maybe this duck is actually a love bird...

Welcome to a cute little romantic comedy from down under, Down Under.  From New Zealand to be precise, and if memory serves, this is only the 2nd film from that country I have seen.

And it's their best.

Plus the best part, you can watch a foreign film...

Without Subtitles!!

:)

Rhys Darby is charming in the lead role.  Apparently he is a comedian in New Zealand.  Throughout the film, I thought he looked a lot like a less-defined Hugh Jackman. 

Perhaps there's something in the water down there?

Nevertheless, he pulls off leading man duties with ease, and he's rather fun with the absurdity of having a duck invade his life.

It's a fun little film with Doug taking the duck literally everywhere with him, and people not even batting an eye as he rolls the duck through a grocery store inside of the shopping cart.  Probably in New Zealand you actually could get away with that.  In America, it would be dinner...

Naturally, the course for love with Doug and Holly has complications from the get-go as she is a single mother, and then Doug's girlfriend decides that maybe she wants him back.

Oh, and one final thing I failed to mention, Doug is a huge fan of Queen.  If you enjoy the group, you'll love the soundtrack.  A lot of hits, sprinkled with one or two non-radio smashes (at least in America...)

Charming little romantic comedy that should make for a cuddly little date night.


Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could definitely watch this one again.  It's a cute little charmer with a likeable lead, and an adorable duck.  My daughter walked in while I had this on and she got all kinds of excited.  "Duck! Duck!"  Adorable.

Is "Movie 43" the Worst Movie of the Year? Not So Fast...

Get ready for the worst movie of all time...

No.

Not really.

The Story:

Charlie Wessler (Dennis Quaid) is pitching a movie idea to studio exec Griffin Schraeder (Greg Kinnear).  Each story pushes the envelope of sense and good taste.

What in the name of Kentucky Fried Movie is going on here?

First, this movie isn't that bad as people make it sound.  It's not the worst movie ever made.  It's not the unfunniest comedy ever filmed.

This movie won't even make my final list of Turkeys of the Year.

Strange, but true.

Is this movie a laugh riot from start to finish?  Nope, not even close.

What you have instead are a bunch of short skits or commercial parodies stretched over 90 minutes.  Yes, an episode of Saturday Night Live without censors.

Some jokes are hysterical, many fall flat.  The actors and actresses give a straightforward performance, ignoring the silliness of their particular scene and playing it as if they were in a drama.  That naturally makes the movie all the more absurd.

I did vow to watch the entire movie, ignoring my own 20 minute rule, just to see if there were any redeeming skits within the movie.  From start to finish, not really any that you must see, the best overall skit was probably the end of the movie with Terence Howard as the basketball coach, and you already know how that plays out if you saw the trailer. 

Honorable mention goes to the waterproof tampon commercial.  Genius.

The worst skit to make the film starts after the credits begin rolling, and is directed and stars Elizabeth Banks.  They would have been wiser to leave that out completely.

Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Thanks, but no thanks.  Again, not a great movie, but not the stinker people make it out to be. 

Rock'em Sock'em Robots: The Movie... "Real Steel"

Metal Body. Heart of Gold.

The Story:

Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a robot boxer in the near future.  Instead of letting two dudes duke it out, now they have machines that do it, and the sport is all the rage.  Charlie fights on the fringe, making money as best he can to keep his robots running.  One day, he discovers that he has a son, Max (Dakota Goyo) and that Charlie is going to have to raise him, or lose him to the in-laws.  The two begin bonding over their love of robot boxing, and Max helps build their latest, and best fighter, a little sparring bot that just won't quit.  Do they have what it takes to take the little bot to the top?  Or will the two lose each other along the way?

I'm going to need a tissue...

: )

But seriously, this movie has much more heart tucked into this tin man than the Wizard of Oz ever did. 

While yes, it's about boxing robots, it's really the story of a man's journey to get to know a son he never knew he had, and a son's unfailing love for this broken man whom most have already given up on.

But never his son.

Sentimental, sure, but that's what makes this movie more than just fighting robots.

That said, the robot fights are pretty spectacular.  It's amazing to see that the ideas in the movie are advanced from what we can do now, but someday in the near future...

Hmmm...

Maybe this is a prequel to The Terminator?

: )

So if you were avoiding this one because of the the giant boxing robots, give it a try.  You might be surprised.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I had a good time.  While I don't own it yet, I wouldn't pass it up if I see it for a decent price.

The Real Review... "Rise of the Guardians"

 

Okay, now that I had my April Fool's Joke yesterday, let's bring you the REAL review today...

 

 

The only thing that can stop the Boogeyman...

The Story:

The Guardians watch over the children of the world.  North (Alec Baldwin) is the guardian of wonder.  E. Aster Bunnymund (Hugh Jackman) is the guardian of hope.  The Sandman is the guardian of dreams.  And the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) is the guardian of memories.  When all of this is threatened by Pitch (Jude Law) who is attempting to destroy all of childhood's hopes, dreams and wonders.... can the addition of perpetual mischief-maker Jack Frost (Chris Pine) tip the scales in favor of good, or is humanity doomed?

After months of tears and begging, I finally gave in and watched the movie.

It was everything that my kids swore to me, and more.

Much darker than Wreck-It Ralph, that doesn't mean there isn't a sweet side to this story.

It's fun, but not "funny", so the two films are on entirely different spectrums of animated entertainment.

You want fast visuals and fart jokes? Wreck-It Ralph is for you.

You want something deeper for yourself as a parent and for your kids to gather, then this is that film.

The animation from Dreamworks is superb, as always.  The voice acting is stellar, again you never lose sight of the character onscreen due to the voice of the actor in a stunt-casting role.

In fact, Alec Baldwin is all but unrecognizable as North enlisting a jovial Russian/German hybrid for his Santa.

I can see why many people could be turned off by the darkness of this film, but you're wrong.

It was a well-made film, and a shame that we have a generation of kids (and adults) that may not be able to appreciate that.

My only complaint with the film?

Whoever decided to end the film with THAT musical interlude...  I don't care what your intentions were, and from what I read, the idea behind it was sweet....

But that was just plain awful.

Maybe that's where DreamWorks went wrong?  You walk out of the theater, and the song over the credits is your last feeling, and if you walk out to that, you're not feeling it.

Final Grade: A.  You missed out on the + due to the musical choice.

Would I Own It: Already done!  The kids were suitably impressed.

 

 

The First Review of 2013: Like "Butter"!

It was the best of films...

It was the worst of films...

 

The first movie review of 2013!

And it's a film that so far, would make the best of and worst of list, both at the same time.

:)

I'm sure the next 350 some days will provide some other films that will bump this one off of both lists, but for now let's sit back and enjoy...

Butter.


The Story:

The story of the Pickler family from Iowa where the reigning 15 year-in-a-row butter sculptor has been asked to step aside to make way for some new blood.  His wife (Jennifer Garner) thinks that is patently unfair, so she decides to enter the contest herself.  Meanwhile, a little foster girl decides to put her artistic talents to good use sculpting butter.  It's a show-down of epic proportions!

Did I mention this is based on a true story?

Well, at least the fact that people participate in competitive butter sculpting, that part is true.  The rest, I assume, totally made up.

And really, before watching this film, I had no idea that people actually sculpted in butter.  Pretty clever past time for farmers I would imagine.

Amazingly for a film that probably nobody has ever heard of, the cast is filled with some great actors.  Alicia Silverstone?  I haven't seen her since Clueless.

Rob Cordrry as the foster dad was my favorite character in the film.  His chatting with the little girl about "what's the worst that could happen?" was my favorite part of the movie.


So is it worth your time?  That depends.  It's about 90 minutes of mostly entertaining storylines that converge into a climatic butter battle at the Iowa State Fair.  It's not gut-bustingly funny, but it remains amusing throughout.

Oh, and did I mention Hugh Jackman is in it?  He is, and his part is small, but quite memorable.  And his prayers to God?  Hilariously wrong in so many ways...


Available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.