Alice In Wonderland – Del Amo AMC 18, Torrance, CA
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A delightfully vivid and imaginative “sequel” to Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland as only Tim Burton could imagine it.
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An absolutely phenomenal movie. A breath-taking, story so epic that it’s been told many times before – but never this well. It’s the epic-sized version of Up! The obvious story comparisons are Pocahontas (colors of the wind and savages) and Dances With Wolves (haven’t seen it, I’ve just read the Wikipedia summation), but the futuristic angle does a lot more by showing history repeating itself and demonstrating the evils of man. Made me think of Watchmen with it’s hunt for a new energy source. But it’s really about not letting anything stand in the way – doesn’t matter if it’s sentient, just cast it as a backwards savage and middle-class America will swallow it like syrup(presuming America took over the Earth and that’s went on from there – we’re here in the name of Earth, not in the name of America). Yay Stephen Lang! I’ve loved him since he told … Continue reading →
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
A very enjoyable movie. Â Lots of star power: Sean Bean as Zeus, Catherine Keener as Percy’s mom, Steve Coogan as Hades, Pierce Brosnan as the centaur Chiron, Uma Thurman as Medusa, and Joe Pantolioni as Percy’s drunken slob of a stepfather. I haven’t read the books, so I don’t know how it compares. Â I was initially confounded at the mythology being presented to me – I’m told it’s supposed to echo Percy Jackson’s confusion, but I felt a little more confused than normal and found it harder to get my bearings in the mythology of the story. Â It could be that I just ask too many damn questions about the mythology up front… Not sure how I feel about the emphasis of the three brother gods of Greece being focused on – sure it kind of matches the patriarchal society that the mythology was founded on, but Artemis, Hera, and … Continue reading →
The Tooth Fairy – Edwards Westminster 10
Yay Seth MacFarlane as Ziggy the black market Tooth Fairy! The song Randy keeps practicing on his guitar is “Sunshine Of Your Love” and has been recorded by numerous artists (including Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton – whom Randy mentions while talking about being a great guitarist). Yay Julie Andrews! She’s so adorable when she gets to be sassy. Is she like this in those Princess Diaries films? Billy Crystal is eccentric but comedic. Has Ashley Judd been reduced to playing a mom? Dwayne Johnson is fantastic. Everything I’ve seen him in, I’ve just become more and more impressed.
Sherlock Holmes – AMC Del Amo 18, Torrance, CA
Absolutely wonderful! I mean I already knew I would love it just for the talent (Director Guy Ritchie and actors Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, and Mark Strong!), but it turned out to be 100 times better than I could have possibly imagined. I may boycott movie theatres except for big, BIG, releases (thank God there’s only 2 more Harry Potter movies). Cell phone glows are the bane of my existence. Soundtrack is incredible! Yay Hans Zimmer! We saw at least 20 minute of trailers: Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Youth In Revolt, Cop Out, Clash Of The Titans, Iron Man 2…it was ridiculous! Interesting article on Sherlock Holmes’ Cocaine Habit
Nine – Regal Garden Grove 16
Phenomenal! So much fun! The music, the casting, the performances…my God it’s beautiful! The new songs that original composer Maury Yeston wrote specifically for the adaptation perfectly complement his original tunes as well as uniquely honing Rob Marshall’s vision for exploring the pre-pubescent mind of 50 year old film director Guido Contini.
The Princess And The Frog – AMC 12 Downtown Disney, Anaheim, CA
YES! That’s what sums up this movie at the end of the day for me – it was such a wonderful experience to watch that I can barely express it! I mean it’s New Orleans jazz! It’s Goliath the Gargoyle singing, dancing and casting voodoo spells! It’s got Jim Cummings as an adorable, endearing Cajun firefly – reusing his Jambalaya Jake from Darkwing Duck voice! It’s got a story that rips your heart out, stomps it all over the floor, laughs at you, and then perfectly sews it back up and makes you laugh with joy! Rule Number One of the bayou – never ask directions from a gator. I got confused by the typography, geography…choreography! Gator down! Look in the gumbo! I’ve been looking for you all morning! What a coincidence! I’ve been avoiding you all morning! Disney is doing a decent and amazingly fun thing by tying in … Continue reading →
Planet 51 – Century 20 @ Bella Terra, Huntington Beach, CA
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. The trailer sets up the idea of an astronaut on a routine mission to a supposedly barren planet only to discover the planet is fully inhabited. But it gets better than that – the planet’s civilization has a parallel timeline to Earth but it’s about 60 years behind us (and with various technological differences like hover technology) – so they’re at the peak of the 50’s, listening to rock and roll and watching drive-in movies about – an alien invasion by the humaniacs. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! [As far as I could see,] The vocal cast was unlisted at the end of the film (an interesting choice), but it’s quite an all-star cast: Dwayne Johnson (who doesn’t sound like himself at all, making him an even more versatile actor than before) as wayward astronaut Chuck Baker, Justin Long as the “alien” Lem who … Continue reading →
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs – Century 20 @ Bella Terra, Huntington Beach, CA
My chest hairs are tingling! This contact lens represents you! And my eye represents my eye! I got my eye on you Flint Lockwood! Mr. T is HYSTERICAL and happily doesn’t have the only funny bits in the movie! You’ve got Bruce Campbell, Anna Farris, and Bill Hader (among a host of other wonderful characters) in leading roles and they all deliver wonderful comedy and pathos. I’m actually really interested in reading the book and seeing the source material for the first time. That’s right – I didn’t grow up with this book. I grew up with “Good Night Moon”, “Where The Wild Things Are”*, and the works of Audrey Wood (“King Bidgood’s In The Bathtub”, “Elbert’s Bad Word”) and Graeme Base (“Animalia”, “The Eleventh Hour”), not “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs” or “A Day With Wilbur Robinson”. But that shouldn’t stop you from checking out this wonderful film … Continue reading →
Public Enemies – AMC Del Amo 18
I enjoyed this film very much. I love Johnny Depp and the “story” of John Dillinger presented is visceral and refreshing to watch. He may not have exactly been a noble Robin Hood, but he had a code of honor that is more and more rare in today’s society (unlike Troy). I like Michael Mann. Well I mean I didn’t see Miami Vice, but that’s because I wasn’t interested and had no vested stake in a movie version of a TV show I’ve never seen. I saw Collateral first, liked it, then went back and saw Heat and liked it as well. It’s exciting how realistic Michael Mann films look like…so visceral and gritty. Yay! Filmed all in America! Yay David Wenham! Sure he’s a character on the periphery of Dillinger’s life, but yay Faramir! Pretty clothes! I want to watch Manhattan Melodrama now! I was surprised that the FBI … Continue reading →