Adventures From My Netflx Queue: L’illusionniste

broderic on October 28, 2011

Last year’s Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film went to Toy Story 3. In the Annual BrowserMetrics Oscar Pool, most everyone picked it for the winner and the other one for How To Train Your Dragon was most likely a fat finger vote. I think we all need to change our minds. I have just watched the forgotten choice, Sylvain Chomet’s L’illusionniste and couldn’t be more impressed with it. Toy Story 3 can’t compare to L’illusionniste.

The story tells the tale of a magician in 1959 whose fortunes are running out in Paris. He gets a billing in remote Scotland at a small pub wherein he meets a young lady. Impressed with his magical prowess, she follows him to Edinburgh, Scotland. The magician treats her like his daughter buying clothes and gifts for her while trying to keep up his illusionist trade. Yet, the era of magic as entertainment is dwindling and his ill fortune follows him so that it is impossible to make a living doing sleight of hand.

The film reminds me of the joie de vivre first 10 minutes of Pixar’s Up and the silent melancholia of the early part of Wall●E. It is mainly a silent movie as the film makes do with gestures to convey the emotions of the story. What little dialog there is and what little speeches there are end up sounding like Esperanto. Chomet’s animators make it all work though. The emotion of every scene is clearly conveyed in the hand drawn animation. The lack of words do not hinder such a sweet tale. It makes it all the more poignant. There is still a place for hand drawn animation.

In last year’s Oscar Pool, I rooted for L’illusionniste to pull off an upset. It didn’t but most likely because no one saw this movie. When you do, you’ll change your mind. Toy Story 3 will just be a slight cream puff of a movie while L’illusionniste will be a full banquet of delight.

5 of 5 stars

The Three Musketeers (2011)

broderic on October 23, 2011

All you need to know about The Three Musketeers (2011) is that Milla Jovovich stars as Mlle de Winter. She’s the muse to Paul WS Anderson as she has starred in lots of his movies mostly Resident Evil. You could’ve told me that this was directed by Pitof or even Kurt Wimmer of Ultraviolet infamy as the movie progressed it had that campy feel of the worst of the worst films of this past decade. Yet, it didn’t sink towards Uwe Boll infamy because it was campy enough to entertain, and that’s all we want from a movie — entertainment.

The movie had structural similarities to the Dumas book. Besides Milady de Winter, you had the cardinal, the 3 musketeers, the Buckingham and d’Artagnan. De Winter schemes with the Cardinal. The 3 musketeers befriend d’Artagnan. Those are the similarities. The rest of the plot could’ve, but could not be from the book. Sky ships! De Winter as a ninja?! The fat guy? Was this in the book?

Yet it was all fun. Pure entertainment. Like a resident evil, but better as things weren’t as hokie. Campy but never dumb. Stupid but never retarded. Almost, almost straight from the mind of Dumas, but twisted into a steam punk novel. Ridiculous, but entertaining.

So the changes got me thinking about the original novel. I bet you the original serializations were treated as campy fun as well. Pure entertainment. Now we have to wait for the next installment.

3 of 5 stars

Paranormal Activity 3

broderic on October 22, 2011

There are some harrowing moments in Paranormal Activity 3, but the advertised last 15 minutes sinks the movie. I think we all left the theatre feeling slightly ripped off.

I didn’t see the second one. At least with the first one the motivational scare felt organic, part of the story. With the final 15 minutes of this one, it felt tacked on. Something to explain it all. You don’t need to do that! It’s all paranormal — beyond normal. Nothing will make any sense.

Also, if you show it in the trailer, it’s gotta be in the movie. It some kind of rip off if you ask me. And that’s how I felt. Ripped off. That’s not to say I wasn’t frightened at times. Bloody Mary! The ghost in a sheet! The clean kitchen! Yeah, I was averting my eyes. That’s just me.

Overall, it was not like the first one because that one was scary. The static camera shots just make me nervous. The lack of a musical soundtrack even more so. Without a musical cue, you don’t know when to be scared. They did attempt to have a rumbling bass noise to help, but it wasn’t enough to signify a scary moment.

If you watch it in the theatre, watch the cheapest showing. It’s really short.

2 of 5 stars.

50/50

broderic on October 16, 2011

While my reaction to 50/50 wasn’t about my father’s passing in the past, it was about my own future. It had me dwelling on my own health status. Even before, I was apprehensive about seeing this movie. I know I don’t like to think about my health because it scares me.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is confronted with his mortality in the form of cancer. It frightens everyone around him. His girlfriend can’t handle it and bails from the relationship. His best friend, Seth Rogen, can’t handle it, but sticks with him through thick and thin. He even gets him laid although the scene is as sexy as blue balls. All’s said and done it is his family who handles it well. His mother already dealing with dementia in his dad is solid as a rock. Eventually, he turns to her for the strength to battle and you know she is there.

The movie is standard Hollywood uplifting fight story. Lots of the story beats you’ll already know – the girlfriend and best buddy being just one of them. I wondered though if we were going to get the happy ending or the sad. I don’t want to spoil it, but you won’t be crying at the end.

Then there is the Anna Kendrick problem, or rather, patient-doctor problem. I don’t know, but rather feeling good about this couple, I was a little creeped out. They had to make her young to make it seem as it was above her station to know that perhaps having feelings for your patient is too much. It was perhaps misguided even though the story line of a blossoming relationship added a touch of warmth.

But the take away for me in this movie is that death is there. It will kill you without regard to how healthy you are. Young. Old. It don’t matter. We will all eventually pay the ferryman. And this was the most horrific aspect of the movie. Death is near. I can not get away.

3 of 5 stars.

The Ides of March

broderic on October 9, 2011

I’m kind of sick of politics right this moment, so I guess that catching the morning showing of The Ides of March somewhat trying. It also doesn’t help when you can’t figure out the central conflict of the movie. Plus, going in they sold it as a political thriller; yes there was some of that, but it was mostly a character drama — what will Ryan Gosling learn? Speaking of who, this guys in every movie right now, hunh?

Anytime Evan Rachel Wood is in a movie watch out. She plays dangerous very well because she looks so innocent. You know it would come down to her getting into trouble with a capital T. Just pick up the phone.

The overall theme of the movie is that politics is dirty and will make even those with high minded ideas change their tune. I know. That’s why I’ve been sick of politics lately.

3 of 5 stars

“Why don’t you call a specialist?” “I am a specialist.” “At what?” “At everything.”

broderic on September 29, 2011

Moneyball! makes even old people care about baseball. At the showing, the old people liked the game. They seemed to cheer for a game that was played years ago. And that’s the magic of Moneyball!, it made baseball slightly relevant again.

Of course, I was going to watch Moneyball! because I’m a baseball jones. As the Orioles wind down another losing season, we can only hope that the new O’s GM can find some magic and breathe life into a moribund organization. I said it once I have to say it again, “There’s rock bottom, then fifty feet of crap, and then there’s [the A’s].” They’re being held up by the Orioles.

Hopefully, this movie will make our ownership decide to try and find a system to get out of this losing. Or inspire baseball players to go all OBP on us. The Orioles need the players to stop giving up outs. Earl Weaver, we need your guidance!

Anyhow, Jonah Hill plays it straight. Brad Pitt does a Brad Pitt move. It’s great that the A’s have won something. Now when will the O’s.

3 of 5 stars

“Tell us the truth, Lisa. Dave buys his suits at the little boys’ department, doesn’t he?”

broderic on September 29, 2011

The movie bloggers I followed have given good reviews to Drive. I guess I had better go and check it out.

It’s about a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for thieves. He’s a good driver so that makes him a good getaway driver.

The movie opens with a heist. Our driver is waiting for the thieves to get out to make their getaway. It doesn’t go off smoothly so we are treated with a driving spectacle. Except, after 5 minutes he kind of gives up. I want to know what happened.

This opening hints at what you’ll go through watching Drive. You’ll be thrilled at times, but then you’ll want to know WTF.

The movie reminds me of To Live and Die in LA. Moody LA. LA of the night. LA of the 80s.

There’s some violence and gore. What’s a heist movie without violence. When its knife violence, I can do without.

I like blondes when they have short hair. Carey Mulligan’s hair was slightly too short, but I still found her cute.

It’s the year of Ryan Gosling!

3 of 5 stars

“Art comes first for me, Dave.” “I see. And where does your job come in.” “Fourth.”

broderic on September 14, 2011

As I said on twitter, “Watch Contagion and then never touch anything ever again.“

Contagion will freak you out about germs, viruses, the flu, HIV, venereal diseases, and almost anything contagious. It’ll scare you.

I didn’t know this was a Soderbergh movie.

I liked how clinical this movie was. This is the virus. This is the patient. These are the victims. They’re all dead. You couldn’t sympathize with anyone, because you had to sympathize with everyone.

3 of 5 stars.

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but there’s a spunky redhead in every office.”

broderic on September 7, 2011

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark won’t keep me up at night. While certainly spooky at times, it’s frights never materialized to made me admonish myself to “not be afraid of the dark.” Of course, on occasion, I got goosebumps, but that’s just because it was cold in the theatre. I didn’t even have to hide behind the bill of my cap.

The movie was produced and written by Guillermo del Toro. The monsters were faeries like the ones found in del Toro’s adaption of Hellboy. If you think this spoils the movie for you, then you’ve got to watch to see how they spook out the house owners.

The new owners of the condemned house are a couple of nitwits. Guy Pearse is starting to corner the spineless asshole parts. Katie Holmes didn’t have much to say except be the non-sceptic in the house. The young daughter gets them into trouble, first by coming into their home, then unknowingly unleashing the darkness.

If you have faeries swarming about you, you start sweeping the legs and start sweeping the ground around you. Boot them about!

Not scary enough, but worth a look on a cold winter’s night.

3 of 5 stars

30 Minutes or Less

broderic on August 16, 2011

30 Minutes or Less was a dual buddy movie. You had the comedy buddy movie with Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari, and you have the serious buddy movie with Danny McBride and Nick Swardson. One group brought the comedy. The other brought the stupid action. They were stupid. It made me stupid.

What’s strange is that the movie put both couples as sympathetic characters. You expect it from the comedy team, but from the villains? Could they make them anymore sympathetic?

Then the movie got real with the latino, brown skinned bad guy. The tone went from a comedic to gruesome quickly with some gritty violence. Who would’ve thought?

Also, for a 1.5 hour movie it felt long.

Needless to say, I didn’t like this movie.

2 of 5 stars