The 200th Review: "The Odd Life of Timothy Green"

 

 

 

 

This sort of thing doesn't happen every day...

The Story:

Cindy (Jennifer Garner) and Jim (Joel Edgerton) Green are a married couple who have been hoping to have a baby, but are told that it is impossible.  Devastated, they write down a list of qualities that they wish their baby would have had, bury it in a box in the backyard, and go to bed.  Funny enough, a rain that lands only on their property, waters that box, and out sprouts a little boy named Timothy (CJ Adams), the only boy name the couple ever picked.  Timothy has an unusual feature:  leaves on his legs.  But they cover those with socks, and the parents and Timothy bond and become a family, with all of its ups and downs.  Then the leaves start to turn color and fall off...

This is a fantasy film from Disney, pure and simple. 

But there is a heart to the film that shines through the fantasy.

For all of those that have ever lost a child or been unable to have that baby they so desperately wanted, this film will shine as an example of why so many couples want to adopt, and the struggles that come for those of any parenting skills as there is nothing scarier, and more fun, than raising a kid.

It's fun to watch the wishes that they had for their child come back to haunt them all in some very amusing ways.

Be careful what you wish for your kids, you might get it! : )

Overall, a sweet little movie that the whole family can enjoy.

Final Grade: B-

Would I Own It: Not sure I would actively seek to own this, but one that was good enough that I could watch again in the future.

The City That Never Sleeps Cures Insomnia With "New York I Love You"

 

 

In the city that never sleeps... love always abounds.

The Story:

A million stars. A half million directors.  All taking a crack at love in the Big Apple.

Zzzzz.

With no style or substance, instead it's a variety of stories taking place in New York where love is the recurring theme.  Each segment segues into the other.  Each shot in a style that the director was wanting to use, edited with their own team, so in other words, a disjointed wreck.

28 minutes in, and I was growing more and more disinterested by the minute.

Trim the number of writers (20) and directors (11) down considerably, find a focus spot, and maybe...

 

Some of the actors used: Bradley Cooper, Andy Garcia, Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, John Hurt, Shia LaBeouf, Hayden Christensen and a cast of 1000s.

I'm sure some out there loved the experiment.

Apparently it is the second part of a planned trilogy of films. 

Which this has saved me from seeing either of those, just on principle.

Available for streaming until the 15th of March, so you have a few days to see if I'm right or wrong.

Good luck!

Final Grade: D

Would I Own It: Not a chance.

A Secret Society for "Seeking Justice"

How far would you go for revenge?

The Story:

When Will (Nicolas Cage) finds out that his wife (January Jones) has been assaulted and raped, he makes a deal with Simon (Guy Pearce), a stranger he meets at the hospital, to have the man who did this to his wife killed, in exchange for a favor down the road.  At first he hesitates, then he agrees.  True to his word, the offender winds up dead, and then suddenly Will is being asked to kill another sex offender.  Will isn't a murderer, but Simon and his partners are very persuasive.  The race is on as Will has to try and clear his name, and get out from under Simon's thumb in this thriller set in New Orleans.

This is another film that came out, and didn't last long in theaters, if it even showed in theaters.

It's really not that bad.

I'm not sure which is the worst part of the film: Cage's goatee or Pearce's shaved head.  Both seemed wrong and unnatural to me.

: )

It's a by the numbers thriller with twists that you expect, and maybe some you don't.

Nothing monumental, but nothing that doesn't hold your attention while you watch it, and that's a good thing.

Now streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C+

Would I Own It: Probably not, but if it was playing, I could watch it again.

Needs More Channing Tatum... "10 Years"

Has it been 10 years already?

The Story:

It's been 10 years since graduation, and a group of friends returns to celebrate their high school graduation.  Are friends still as tight as they once were?  Do any relationships rekindle or spark out after all this time?  Did everyone really grow up?

Only one way to find out...

Ten Years. 

That's about how long my wife thought this movie lasted. : )

Really, it's just about 100 minutes, but it's 100 minutes of talking heads and lots of different characters taking up screen time.

Whether you connect to any of them or not will depend a lot on the actors in question, and perhaps if they had a story that strikes a chord with your personally, or at least is interesting.

The players:  Jake (Channing Tatum) and his girlfriend arrive, but Jake can't shake his former flame Mary (Rosario Dawson) who arrives to the affair...married.

Marty (Justin Long) and AJ who both are trying to get with the popular girl one more time.

Former bully who decides to mend his ways by apologizing to everyone during the party, repeatedly.

Then there is the boy who made good, Reeves (Oscar Isaac) who went on to become a popular musician thanks in part to a song about a girl (Kate Mara) who he was in love with in school, and still is to this day.


It's a cute film with its heart in the right place, but overly long and a bit boring in many places.

Too much reliance on alcohol to get the party started and keep it going, and most of the conversations shouldn't take all night, but they do.  And as they drag on, so too does the movie.

It could have been shorter, tighter scripted and a much better affair.

My recommendation?

If you want a film that celebrates a 10 Year High School Reunion, check out Grosse Pointe Blanke instead.

: )

Final Grade: C

Would I Own It: Nope

Movie of the Week: "Wreck It Ralph"

Who knew being bad could be so good?           

The Story:

Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the bad guy in a videogame.  He spends his days wrecking a building only to have the hero fix everything and win gold medals and the accolades of the city.  This goes on for 30 years, and Ralph is tired of his lonely life.  He wants to win a medal and be... liked.  So he leaves his game, gets his medal... and then things get...

Complicated.

Just as Toy Story showed years ago, that there is life for your toys when you are not around, Wreck-It Ralph shows what happens to the games in an arcade when the lights go out and the people go home.

These characters interact with one another and then when the lights go back on, they head back to their games, and life as they know it.

For most characters, this is great.  But for the villains...

Well, attending Bad-Anon meetings is a first step in realizing that they do indeed have a purpose in life.  Someone has got to be bad, so they might as well be the best bad-guy they can be.

Complications arise when Ralph gets out and heads to a first person shooter game to win his medal. He escapes with the gold, and an alien bug that will infect any game once it gets free.  When Ralph crashes in Sugar Rush, he meets a driver (Sarah Silverman) with a glitch, and a burning desire to be a racer even though the other racers scoff at her.

The two bond, unaware that the bug is multiplying, the very game is in danger, and that Calhoun (Jane Lynch) from the shooter game and Felix (Jack McBrayer) are hot on their trail to get Ralph out of there and save the day.

Bad guys don't win medals though, and they never, ever save the day.

Can Ralph overcome those two obstacles and prove otherwise, or is the whole game destined to crash?

This story was simply too much fun, and for anyone that's played video games ...ever... you'll see some version of a game that you've played once, twice or a thousand times over the years.

The voicework is great, and the stars do not outshine their characters.  Okay, maybe Jane Lynch, simply because she is almost becoming an over-the-top caricature of herself...

But otherwise, it all works.

And yes, I want to play Sugar Rush.  That game looks like Mario Kart... with even cooler weaponry!
: )


And talking to my little Academy Voters... they all agree on one thing:

Brave stole the Oscar this year.

Tsk tsk.


The one upside, the Oscar winning short Paperman is on this disc.


You know those internet memes "..still a better love story than Twilight" ?

Yeah, that's just the tip of the iceberg of cool things you could say about it, and hopefully it can be found on YouTube again now that the Oscars are over.


Final Grade: A

Would I Own It:  Put this on the list, I'm in!

I Will Find You, And I Will Kill You. Again. "Taken 2"

It's like Die Hard...set in Turkey!

The Story:

Dad of the Year, Bryan (Liam Neeson) has held up his end of the bargain of being a good father to Kim (Maggie Grace) and keeps in touch with his ex (Famke Janssen) since the events of the first movie when his daughter was kidnapped and he had to kill a bunch of bad guys to get her back.  Well... it seems the father of one of those dead kidnappers wants to make an example out of Bryan and kill him and his whole family.

Bad move, dude.


So really, it's more like Taken... with the whole family!  But yes, following the Die Hard idea of 'the same thing happening to the same guy' formula, Bryan is once again forced to save his family, even when he is the one that is taken this time.

He does that by luck, skill, and having his daughter help save him.

I don't remember how much I enjoyed the first film, but I found this sequel to be just fine with me, and maybe even more enjoyable. 

Fast paced, action pieces moved along at a nice clip, and Liam Neeson is commanding of a presence as always.  Really glad to say that again after how much I really disliked the  movie The Grey.

I also am adding this franchise to the list of movies that I will give to my daughter's boyfriends when I meet them, and let them know that if you think THESE dads are overprotective, wait till they see me.

>: )

I must also give some credit to Luc Besson.  I find that I really enjoy most of the films where he is the writer, or co-writer, or has some dabbling writing of the film.  In addition to this franchise he's given us: Leon: The Professional, The Fifth Element; The Transporter franchise; and Lockout, those are my favorites from among his many credits.

We'll see if the franchise rolls out a 3rd film...

At this point maybe as an idea, and not the same characters?

I mean, how many times can one family keep getting kidnapped?!?

Final Grade: B

Would I Own It: I'm not sure.  I'd definitely watch it again.  I may have to watch the first one again, and possibly add both to the library. : )

He Shoots...He Misses! "Playing for Keeps"

Gooooo...away.

The Story:

George(Gerard Butler), a former soccer star becomes the little league coach for his son's team.  This gives him more time seeing his son since his marriage to Stacie (Jessica Biel) fell apart. Things get complicated as George wants to become a sports anchor for ESPN, and all the Soccer mom's want to get in George's pants.

Another contender for Turkey of the Year.

Which is a shame, because I love Gerard Butler.  Or at least his accent. : )

Even his romantic comedies which are blasted by critics, I've actually enjoyed because he seems to be having a good time, and generates at least some chemistry with his leading ladies.

And here, Gerard Butler is really the only star who attempts to rise above the atrocities being committed in the movie.

He's a good guy, sucked into bad situations, each one more absurd and foolish than the last one.


As for the rest of the cast... well if they decide to make a Desperate Housewives spinoff, here's the cast to start with:

Jessica Biel plays the annoying ex-wife.
Catherine Zeta-Jones comes off slightly less annoying than the last movie I saw her in (Lay the Favorites) but cannot rise above the script.
Uma Thurman is downright pathetic in her role.
Judy Greer always annoys me in any role she ever plays. : )

Dennis Quaid chomps the scenery overacting to his heart's content as a soccer dad with a wandering eye...

The movie made it past the 20 minute mark, I think, only because nobody was paying attention to it.

It just continues to go downhill from there, I looked around and nobody was paying attention to the film, and those that were, were not too happy with it, so out it comes.

Pretty sure Butler will rebound with Olympus Has Fallen. Or at least, How to Train Your Dragon 2.


Final Grade: D-

Would I Own It: Hahahahaha...