Tag: movies

I’ve never read Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, so you can imagine my reaction watching the latest film version with Jude Law, Keira Knightly, and some fey guy playing the player. I hadn’t even checked out the wikipedia page.

And so, I wasn’t expecting all the tragedy as this one had. The only thing missing was how did she fall for him.

The conceit of this film was similar to the film version of Jesus Christ Superstar. It was a “staged” version of the story. It had a backstage and a proscenium, stage lights and rafters. It was a play, and yet, it was still a movie. It took me few minutes to ignore it all, but it was a strange choice of staging by the director.

3 of 5 stars

I believe Lincoln was misnamed. The movie is based on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book, Team of Rivals; The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. As you can see, it wasn’t 100% about Abe Lincoln, but about the team he built to pass The Thirteenth Amendment. So when I walked into the theatre I was expecting a Lincoln biopic. What I got was a thriller, where Lincoln schemed and plotted and politicalled his way to abolishing slavery.

It’s a good piece of American history to watch in this election season. It reminds you that Republicans once had a soul. That we as a nation was so divided that it came to guns and cannons to solve our differences. It reminds you that politics is about being uncompromising in your beliefs, but compromising in your actions; bend don’t break for your beliefs is politics is politics.

We also get to hear two of Lincoln’s greatest speeches: the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural. Those words adorn the Lincoln Memorial. You could love him for those words, a Republican. One of the greatest presidents, but one of the most dangerous.

We live in interesting times. Times that come back again. We don’t learn history. We repeat it.

3 of 5 stars.

Bond, Jason Bond. Or is it, Bond, Bruce Bond?

During the latest Bond adventure, Skyfall, you may think you’re in another installment of Jason Bourne: Die Another Day. Then later on you may think that James Bond is Batman. He’s an orphan with a big, big mansion. And a cave underneath! I’m Batman!

I’m not a big Bond fan. I’ve seen them all, because that’s what you have to watch on occasion. But I don’t try to figure it all out. Except, this latest installment was pretty good. Dark like The Dark Knight.

It is the prettiest looking Bond you’ll see, too. Give credit to Roger Deakins for his cinematography. The scene in the skyscraper in Macau was phenomenal.

And we get the Aston Martin to boot.

4 of 5 stars.

“We’ll face it all together at Skyfall.”

I think I should change my movie going approach. I believe I’m gonna have to be like the Seed and not listen to any reviews. I read a review over at The AV Club that mentioned The Incredibles in their review for Wreck It Ralph. I believed that going into the theatre I was going to be treated to as awesome an animated film as The Incredibles. Not really. Good but not great. Perhaps from reading the review and having The Incredibles in mind, my expectations for the film was too high. If I hadn’t read that review, I would not have been disappointed by a decent film.

Wreck It Ralph is about Wreck It Ralph, the villain of a Donkey Kong, Jr. ripoff called, Fix It Felix, Jr. He hates being the villain, because he gets no respect. He decides that being a bad guy is not for him and he wants to be a good guy. To accomplish that he believes that he must win a medal, and the only place to get it is in some other game than Fix It Felix, Jr. So Ralph goes and gets a medal, but also experiences other games especially a Mario Kart ripoff called Sugar Rush. Ralph must earn the respect to be worthy of a medal. He must learn that sometimes being bad is good.

There was plenty to like about Wreck It Ralph. For one thing, a lot of the playful homages to video games were subtle something that a Dreamworks animated film would beat over the audiences heads. You’ll laugh at the 8bit Niceland characters moving like 8bit animated sprites. You’ll want to play that level of Mario Kart that is Sugar Rush. You’ll also like to think that Vanellope Schweetz is Ellie from Up!. And if you stay to through the credits, you’ll hear Jpop in pure unadulterated form: AKB48 singing the theme to the Sugar Rush game. C’mon, Jpop!

Definitely one of the better animated films, but still no The Incredibles.

3 of 5 stars.

The Paperman short, now that’s another story.