|
|
| l Read GNT l Find GNT l Home Delivery l Advertise l Contests l Neat Stuff l About Us l Contact Us l | |
Movie Reviews From A Family Perspective
Click
on the corresponding letter to search by movie title
For
titles released after July 2005.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Jack Black, Ana de la Reguera, Héctor Jimenez, Richard Montoya, and Peter Stormare. Paramount Pictures,A Nickelodeon Movies/Black & White Production. Written by Jared Hess & Jerusha Hess & Mike White. Directed by Jared Hess. Opens 6/16/06
Jack Black stars as Ignacio (friends call him Nacho), a Mexican monk-in-training who moonlights as a wrestler in order to raise money for his orphanage.
If you’re not a fan of Jack Black, this film isn’t going to change your mind. Though I liked him in School of Rock, his hypnotic wildness has always suggested that he’s close to madness. His lunatic stare has become his claim to fame, this strangeness a catnip to youthful viewers much the way Adam Sandler’s infantilism was throughout his Saturday Night Live/Hanukkah Harry days. I’ll admit (having had to sit through his body of work) that Mr. Black shows signs of growth as an actor. This revelation, however, does not stem from this base nonsense. Painful at times, excruciating at others, I cringed, not just at the string of flatulence rifts and poop visuals, but at the screening audience’s affirmative response. Comic crudity reigns, and like hip-hop gangsters and ball caps worn backward, it just won’t go away.
Movie comedies have often drawn heavily from coarse slapstick or vaudevillian bawdiness, but the genre has been overcome by a combination of plots-doing-cameos, while screenwriters rehash sophomoric gross-outs instead of humor based on real behavior. Like most of their contemporaries, writers Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess, and Mike White draw heavily from shock value, the I-can’t-believe-I-saw-that factor used to the fullest in such films as Animal House and Porky’s. In Hollywood’s defense, comedy from crudity seems to be what the intended audience is seeking. (I weep for the future.)
There are moments in Nacho Libre meant to touch us concerning this man’s faith, his concern for his friend’s salvation and a deep caring for the children under his care – not to mention his crush on the pretty nun-in-training who has somehow joined the monastery, but each of these moments lacks any conviction. They don’t play as drama, which would have added depth to the proceedings and thereby highlighted the comic situations. These melodramas seem to be there because no one could think of anything funny that day.
A word must be said about the casting of the minor roles, from orphaned kids to people our hero encounters. Containing the most bizarre-looking supporting players since James Whale’s Freaks, it didn’t matter to the casting director if they could act or had any comic timing, just so long as they looked strange. Evidently, we are supposed to laugh at kids that don’t seem all there, banshee wrestling midgets, old men with cocked eyes and a lustful obese woman on the make. If you don’t like laughing at how people look, then right away a third of this film will be less than satisfying.
My family video
alternative: Cheaper by the Dozen. No, not the Steve Martin one. Go to a
land beyond – a world seen in black and white and populated by movie
stars who now dwell amid the constellation. Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy raise
a whole bunch of kids with humor and heart.
And for more mature viewers: The Chorus. This French film (with subtitles – sorry ‘bout
that) is an emotional, music-filled tale about how a very humble man’s
simple dreams changed the future for a forgotten group of children.
PG (flatulence sound effects and other gross-out visuals are more prevalent than actual offensive words; the film is both sweet natured and grimy; there are several shots of the lead in the bathroom, after which he never seems to wash his hands -- his job, mind you, is being the cook for the orphanage, need I say more? Slapstick in the ring beatings on several occasions. Also played for laughs, a thrown object is seen protruding from a villain’s eye. There are some positive messages: the lead is devout, concerned about his friend’s salvation and he summons faith when faced with trials).
Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, Kelly Macdonald, Thomas Sangster. Universal. Family comedy. Writer - Emma Thompson. Director -Kirk Jones
Emma Thompson, whose first screenplay won the 1995 Oscar® for Sense and Sensibility, returns to screenwriting with Nanny McPhee, a film adaptation of the Nurse Matilda books. In this dark and witty fable, Thompson portrays a person of unsettling appearance and magical powers who enters the household of the recently widowed Mr. Brown (Colin Firth) and attempts to tame his seven exceedingly ill-behaved children.
At first we see the brats being bratty and chasing off magic-less caregivers. But are the brats really brats? Or are they just afraid of change and responding to dad's busyness? Hey, it's a movie about kids made for kids, they can't be the bad guys. And what's this? Is nanny getting prettier every time she teaches the young ones a life lesson? By film's end, the warts and snaggletooth are gone, the family seeing her in a new light.
A sweet-tempered film about unruly children bewitched by the nanny, at first it may appear to suffer from the inevitable comparison with that other fairytale governess. What's her name? You know, the one who always had a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. But past the magical nanny/ kids in need of love scenario, the two films are apples and oranges, each deserving the same audience. Ms. Thompson's work, both as writer and actress, is gem-like, flawless as she blends pie-fight slapstick with themes of loss and reconciliation. Funny, insightful, even romantic, one could say that Nanny McPhee is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
PG A couple of minor expletives, but nothing harsh or profane; a couple of crude words suggesting flatulence, but the writer usually takes the high road; in the beginning the children are aggressive and behave badly, but they learn life lessons and prove to be caring; there are positive statements being made, including self sacrifice.
Emma Roberts, Josh Flitter, Max Thieriot, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tate Donovan.
Warner Bros. Family Mystery Adventure. Written by Andrew Fleming and Tiffany
Paulsen. Directed by Andrew Fleming. 6/15/07
FILM SYNOPSIS: Based on characters created by Carolyn Keene, Nancy Drew follows Nancy (Emma Roberts) as she accompanies her father, Carson Drew (Tate Donovan), to Los Angeles on one of his business trips and stumbles across evidence about a long-unsolved crime involving the mysterious death of a beautiful movie star. Nancy’s resourcefulness and personal responsibility are put to the test when she finds herself in the middle of the fast-living, self-indulgent world of Hollywood.
REVIEW: I liked everything about this movie, mainly because it’s smart. And witty. After nearly being run down, Nancy asks her friend, “I wonder who tried to kill us?” The filmmakers are spoofing B-film dialogue, but lovingly. The line was purposely corny, but with an affection that caused a warm laughter from young and old at the press screening (the theater was heavily laced with preteen girls). Another moment is equally entertaining. Nancy finds a bomb in her car. Surrounded by unknowing teens, she grabs the ticking device and runs off, throwing away her excuse for rudeness, “Excuse me, I have to defuse this bomb.”
Nancy is her own person and the pension for sleuthing is explained by the death of her mother years before. Mom remains a mystery, one Nancy can’t solve, so she tries to decode other puzzles. And though the world is now populated by world-weary adults and children, Nancy prefers a different time and attitude. She’s encapsulated herself in a sort of retro-cocktail hour, constructed by Bossa Nova music and all things mid-1960s. This is a joke to her new schoolmates, but Nancy sees no need to fit in if it means not being herself.
Nancy wears knee socks and penny loafers and drives a vintage roadster, not because she’s stuck in a time warp ala the not-so-long-ago movies that mocked TV’s Brady Bunch, but because she finds them a good fit. Her style is not predicated on the fickle flair of girls afraid to try anything outside the limited mindset of their peers.
Most everything about the production is geared to adolescent females, giving them an instructive message about being true to yourself while maintaining a kind-hearted perspective that places others first. And Nancy understands that to achieve a goal, you have to work for it, not merely expect it to be given. It’s a kind of lesson in character building, but subtly incorporated into the comic adventure so that youngsters never feel preached at.
Emma Roberts, niece of Julia, has a good screen presence. It takes skill to handle tongue-in-cheek humor and she manages everything the script and her director toss at her. As for the director, he is nearly as brave and chichi as Ms. Drew. He paces the film deliberately, allowing for character-revealing moments and taking his time to show Nancy dealing with predicaments, then wisely speeding up the action before today’s music-video generation can lose interest. That’s an assumption I’m making, but it’s based on the fact that all those preteeners at the screening remained still as if glued to their seats while Nancy went about her business much like television’s MacGyver.
The film has a chic look, taking advantage of colorful Southern California locales. And there’s even a surprise cameo. No, it’s not Julia, but it’s a friend with whom she’s co-starred a couple of times. I won’t give him away, but I wouldn’t be surprised if in real life, Emma calls him Uncle Bruce. Oops.
Nancy Drew is clever, stylish and downright fun.
PG (there are two minor expletives, but no harsh language; “Oh God” is uttered, but not by Nancy, who prefers “Oh goodness;” a bomb goes off, thugs kidnap Nancy, but she is far too clever for them; there’s also a dangerous car chase and talk of murder, but the filmmakers avoid overt fury; a ghost appears, but it may just be in a dream; positive themes concerning being yourself and caring for others, being polite and working toward your goals).
Dijmon Hounsou, Sean Faris, Amber Heard, Cam Gigandet. Summit Entertainment. Action drama. Opens 3/14/08
FILM SYNOPSIS: This high testosterone actioneer concerns a moody transfer student who finds himself the focus of interest because of his fighting ways. But he doesn’t want to fight. He just wants to be left alone. But, there’ll be none of that. You see, the school villain and the prettiest girl in the twelfth grade entice him into a fight club, where kids beat each other up for the pleasure of onlookers. It’s loaded with scantily clad teens, lots of jaw-busting brutality and a hint of a message.
REVIEW: Well, we’re way out of January and February, the months when all bad movies are laid to rest. But the less than subtly titled Never Back Down is another of those monstrosities Dr. Frankenstein spliced together from parts of putrefying old teen movies. And by old, I mean movies released two or three weeks ago. Suddenly I’m filled with dread that March will also be overloaded with Hollywood’s movie corpses. (Still think I have a great job?)
How in the world did they get Dijmon Hounsou involved in this mess? Mr. Hounsou (In America, Blood Diamond) is a solid actor with a good rep for choosing films with substance. And certainly he stands out here, but mainly for the sculpting his trainers did to his physique. This guy looks like he could beat up Tarzan. And certainly he tries to bring dignity to his role. But there’s no more truth to his subplot than there is to any of other nonsense we’re forced to endure.
Now, younger filmgoers may find something to relate to. They like stories where teens are in control, not teachers, not parents. And teen guys like looking at teen girls in itsy bitsy bikinis, and teen girls enjoy bared, muscled male chests. There’s plenty of that here, mostly to hide the feeble plot.
I know from talking to youngsters in my church that the high school crowd, like the rest of us, enjoys a film with something to say. I doubt, however, many will attend this effort for its deep meaning. It’s meant to satisfy baser instincts. Teens can view it with the optimistic illusion that if you train your body enough, you too can beat up the school bully. And of course, there are all those bodies in itsy bitsy bikinis.
There’s a scene where the coolest and best built of the class of 2008 have a party. It looks like the Playboy mansion, with not only every chick a stone-cold fox, complete with beer in hand, but with two of them making out for onlookers while they soak in a bubble bath. This decadent scene would have jaw-dropped Caligula. After this same-sex make-out scene, the tour moves to the backyard where a crowd of swimwear-clad teenagers encircle two bloodied combatants. This scene is reminiscent of gladiators vs. the Christians, where the pummeling and humiliating of fellow beings was done for the satisfaction of the crowd. Watching all these teens enjoying the pain and punishment of their fellow classmates, I kept thinking, this isn’t a teen drama, it’s a horror show. The characters portrayed aren’t humans, but rather soulless replicants covered in fetching human-wear.
In 1999’s Fight Club, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton form a disillusioned men’s club that meets once a week to fight bare fisted. It’s rated R, so the punching and blood-spraying is a bit more explicit than this teen version, but neither film truly explores the cultural phenomenon where people gather to participate in the brutalization of others. Surely there could be a screenplay for this theme. People, including teens, seem so disconnected and desensitized that they want to be hit and do some hitting in order to feel something. They’re emotional dead inside, and the secular society has convinced them that anything, including savage beatings, is superior to exploring the reason for emptiness through spiritual means.
Guilty over not driving his drunken father home, which resulted in a deadly car crash, the moody lead and his mother and brother have moved to Orlando, Florida. Quickly, he discovers that his brawling reputation has preceded him due to the Internet and picture cell phones. The new school has a villainous Arian type, a master at mixed martial arts – a pugilistic sport where feet are used as much as the fists to pummel an opponent. Of course, this smiling creep beats the heck out of our protagonist, a Tom Cruise replicant, with Tom’s hair and toothy grin. So our bruised hero gets proper training from a Mr. Miyagi-like karate tutor, has a final showdown with that Arian fellow, and gets the bodacious babe named Baja. (I kid you not, her name’s Baja.)
The filmmaking is poor at best. One of the messages is that there are consequences for our actions. But not in this film. And along with enduring its anemic message, the film is replete with far too many training montages, and we are subjected to a pounding score driven by non-discernable lyrics. The dialogue is enhanced by words like “dude,” the melodramatic acting is masked by buffed bods, the action sequences muddled, and the direction pointless.
Other than that, I really liked it.
PG-13 (a couple of crude sexual comments; the bad guy uses the word “bitch” to describe guys he thought were weak; 10 or so obscenities, with an equal amount of minor expletives; I caught no misuse use of God’s name other than several “oh my Gods;” though the beatings are handled in a way to avoid an R-rating, still the violence is sensory pummeling; lots and lots of martial arts kicks and flips; all the combatants get bloodied, yet scenes later they’ve healed completely; girls kissing, some suggestive sexual activity; couples making out at a party; a playful, but rough sexual encounter between the teen leads; a gay teen flirts with another boy; two scantily clad girls are making out at a party for the benefit of passersby; a couple of suggestive sexual remarks; it is implied that there is underage drinking at a party; argumentative relationship between teen and his mother).
Running Time: 90-some minutes.
Intended Audience: Older teens and above
DVD Alternatives: The Quiet Man. Romantic
blarney about a retired boxer (John Wayne) returning to the old sod and falling
for Maureen O’Hara, despite her brutish brother’s objections. Good
fight scene during the finale, but it also has other elements: good storyline,
colorful Irish locations, a tender romance and witty dialogue.
Or:
Rocky. Best Picture of 1976, it stars Sly Stallone as an underdog
boxer who gets a million-to-one shot at fame and fortune. Okay, it’s a
little corny, but it has a lot of heart. And the boxing sequences are incredibly
well filmed.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson. Castle Rock Entertainment / Village Roadshow Pictures. Written by Carol Fuchs, based on the original screenplay entitled "Mostly Martha" by Sandra Nettelbeck. Directed by Scott Hicks. Opens 7/27/07
FILM SYNOPSIS: Master chef Kate Armstrong lives her life like she runs her kitchen at a trendy Manhattan eatery—with a no-nonsense intensity that both captivates and intimidates everyone around her. Kate’s perfectionist nature is put to the test when she “inherits” her nine-year-old niece Zoe (her single mother is killed in a car crash), while contending with a brash new sous-chef who joins her staff. High-spirited and freewheeling, Nick Palmer couldn’t be more different from Kate, yet the chemistry between them is undeniable. Rivalry becomes romance, but Kate will have to learn to express herself beyond the realm of her kitchen if she wants to connect with Zoe and find true happiness with Nick.
REVIEW: I call it an uneven production because it contains some positives, but with an equal amount of negative. The good: the actors. Ms. Zeta-Jones is lovely. Mr. Eckhart is suitably antic and little Abigail Breslin is touching. Also, no car chases and nothing blows up. (Did we just lose your husbands, ladies?)
I love movies containing the preperation of food, yet, most films avoid scenes with people eating, let alone the making of meals. That’s a shame as that communal activity is both esthetic and theraputic. Indeed, I suspect God gave the world music and food in order to unite us. (It’s a shame that rather than doing battle, we can’t sit down with our enemies and sup on spiced boiled shrimp or bowls of bouillabaisse.) Well, the action here revolves around a hoiti toiti resturant, where we see exotic dishes being conjured while the relationships simmer. All that’s good.
Alas, the negatives are just as annoying as Catherine and the food are sumptuous. First, the filmmaker gets a case of the cutes. It becomes too saccharine, especially when Aunt Kate and little Zoe have a pillow fight. Suddenly, my teeth began to ache. Added to this shortcoming, the film is also predictable. Oh, is it predictable. Midway through the film, I uttered the name of the resturant the lead twosome would eventually own. And I was right.
There are three things that annoy me most in today’s comedies, eachow which has been incorporated into this production. One is the presence of the hand-hand camera, a technique that began in action films to make a scene more frantic. Now, it is just a gimmick. Next, is my distaste for the use of “comic” montages. If the film is about dating, we get a montage with “funny” wannabe suiters. If it’s about running a resturant, the montage is about hiring “funny” wannabe chefs. And thirdly, there’s no easier way to keep the rating out of “G” territory than to throw in either the f-bomb or profane God’s name. Here, the choice was to have a minor character use a profanity. She’s a waitress, studying to do an acting scene while standing in the food locker. Fumbling with the dramatic scene, out comes God’s name followed by a curse. The harshness of the expression changes the mood of a romantic comedy. Or, at one time it did. Now, both film makers and goers are desensitized to its true meaning.
There are some funny moments, it is diverting, and director Scott Hicks (Snow Falling on Cedars, Shine) mixes the ingredients of tragedy and comedy together sufficently, but everything seems lightweight. Perhaps it’s depth is overwelmed by its candied superficiality and predictability. Ultimately, the film is like tiramisu with too much coffee liqueur – just too sweet.
For better food films, try these video alternatives: Eat Drink Man Woman. This Chinese film takes as much care in developing the characters and their struggles as it does with its depiction of culinary delights. It is an insightful look into the importance of sex, religion, honor and, yes, food. And in the film, one of the sisters has become a born-again Christian. While she is a bit overzealous, she is never ridiculed. She is sincere in her beliefs and her family, though not yet taking that spiritual path, respects her choice. Caution, Eat, Drink, Man, Woman is rated R.
If you would rather not support an R-rated movie, allow me to suggest: Babette’s Feast. This 1987 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film centers around two devout Danish sisters who show kindness to a homeless woman. When she wins a lottery, the woman shares her good fortune in a most lavish manner. Based on a short story by Isak Dinessen, it is a beautiful tale of devotion and sacrifice, as well as a healing parable where quarreling friends and acquaintances are brought together once they shed their pious austerity. The film urges us not to hide behind our religion, but to put it into action.
PG (a couple of crude sexual innuendos, but generally, the filmmaker avoids crudity; one profane use of God’s name; we learn of a relative’s death in a car crash, but do not see the tragedy; one implied sexual situation; some wine drinking with dinner).
Running Time: 90-some minutes.
Intended Audience: Older teens and adults
David Wall, Kerry Wall, Sean Patrick Brennan. Gener8Xion. Written & directed by David Wall. Opens in theaters 12/7/07.
FILM SYNOPSIS: Father Keene, a young Catholic priest seemingly devoid of compassion, arrives at a small New England village to shut down its failing parish. The local church and community suffer from despair and disinterest, except for a handful of eccentric elderly parishioners shepherded by Father Joyce, a faithful but disillusioned pastor who blatantly disregards church regulations and spends his time drinking at the local pub.
Before Keene, who has a secret of his own, even realizes it, he is allowing Father Joyce and his parishioners to stage a unique Christmas pageant – a living Nativity, in hopes of reinvigorating the congregation. Perhaps Keene’s strange brush with human emotion stems from his history with Joyce, having attended seminary together years before. More likely, it’s born from a growing fascination with Marjorie Worthington who seems to him the very essence of the Madonna. Soon, he is devastated when he learns that she is pregnant with an illegitimate child.
But fate, and a mysterious little girl who keeps appearing out of nowhere, have brought these people together. Together they face repressed passions of love, fury, guilt, and learn to forgive others and themselves.
REVIEW: Some Protestants are going to have a problem with all the drinking that takes place among the community, from a priest with a problem, to the owner of a pub who dispenses prudence along with pints of beer, to the townsfolk whose celebration of the birth of Christ is fueled with generous amounts of alcohol. Some Catholics will have a problem with the portrayal of a priest willing to give up his calling in order to marry a woman. Other believers will have a problem with the female lead’s confession of disbelief in the virgin birth (a conflict that not only goes unresolved, but is just plain forgotten). And many critics will cringe at some of the cinematic choices. I must say, however, that it would be a shame to miss this one due to these objections. The nonlinear script has a powerful message that deals with second chances and the need to seek God’s forgiveness. It’s pro-life, but it’s also pro-absolution and mercy.
Writer, director, producer and lead actor David Wall, infuses his film with humor, pathos and dignity of spirit. Looking and conjuring up mannerisms of a younger Robert Redford, Mr. Wall plays his part with conviction and earnestness. And though his script is a bit too talky, and the limited budget gives the film more of a TV Hallmark Hall of Fame feel than that of a theatrical release, still Noelle contains the best element found in either television or on the silver screen – good storytelling. There’s an intimacy in this production few films with religious intent have been able to attain without an overabundance of saccharine-laced dogma.
It’s a moving production, one I’ll share with friends and family.
Gener8Xion is the same company that brought viewers One Night With the King, Megiddo, The Omega Code and The American Heritage Series. More info on that company can be found at 8X.com.
Not rated at time of screening (one use of the phrase SOB is mouthed, but not heard; it is spoken by an outraged priest; a use of the phrase “My God”; a priest loses his temper and gets in a fight, knocking an abusive man down; we learn that the woman has had an affair, leading to an unwed pregnancy; a priest has a drinking problem; we see him in a bar, drinking generously with other men).
Running Time: 90 min.
Intended Audience: Older kids, teens and adults
Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench. Searchlight. Written by Patrick Marber. Directed by Richard Eyre.
FILM SYNOPSIS: When Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) joins St. George’s as the new art teacher, Barbara Covett (Judi Dench) senses a kindred spirit. But Barbara is not the only one drawn to her. Sheba begins an illicit affair with a 15-year-old student and Barbara becomes the keeper of her secret. Notes on a Scandal is a story of loneliness, loyalty, envy and love.
REVIEW: Come awards time, Hollywood seems bent on dismissing the feel-good movie, let alone the feel-good ending. Certainly, some of these bleak storylines are credible as they carry an impassioned message within their sleazy or morose plotlines. The belief of the filmmakers, I suspect, is that viewers may avoid the same pitfalls if allowed to view the moral ambiguity of screen characters. These past few months, most films to be taken seriously by the Oscar folks have contained a bleak, dark look at the future or the bleak, dark side of our fellow man. And one of the few exceptions – The Nativity Story – well, nobody went to see it. After being subjected to such dispiriting subject matter in award-contender after award-contender, one begins to suspect that “serious” filmmakers prefer the darker side of mankind’s nature. Okay, it makes for good drama, but some of these picture makers avoid the light much like Dracula shuns the sign of the cross.
A mix of today’s
headlines blended with a female take on Fatal Attraction, Notes on a Scandal’s
phlegmatic script has to do with one female teacher hot for her student while
another female teacher is hot for her. Though well-structured and meticulously
acted by the eloquent Dame Judi Dench, Notes of a Scandal is also bleak and
dark. Though it is somewhat enticing mainly for its acting quality, the film’s
content is sordid. Of course, what’s sordid to one movie-goer, is catnip
to another.
R (there are a couple of crude sexual innuendos; around
twelve obscenities (a combo of the s- and f-words – some from teens)
and a few minor expletives; two profane uses of God’s name – both
from a teenage girl; a woman slaps another; an outraged mother attacks the
woman who has seduced her teenaged son; there are a couple of sexual encounters,
one rather graphic, between a woman and a 15-year-old boy; the Judi Dench
character harbors lesbian feelings; the camera carefully avoids showing the
fornicating couple explicitly; Barbara makes subtle sexual advances on Sheba;
social drinking. Two teenagers smoke, one in front of her parents; here’s
a new one, we’ve seen men urinating in movies, I can even remember
seeing a film with a woman sitting on the pot; but in this one, we actually
see the woman wiping herself; there’s just no decorum left in movies).
Running
Time: 92 min.
Intended Audience: Adults.
© 2008 Good News Tucson™