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Movie Reviews From A Family Perspective
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titles released after July 2005.
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Pearl Diver (on DVD)
Penelope
Pirates
of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End
Poseidon
Prairie Home Companion, A
Joey Honsa, Amy Jean Johnson, Yevgeni Lazarev, Brian Boland. Monterey Media. Written & directed by Sidney King. Release Date April 29th, 2008
FILM SYNOPSIS: Pearl Diver is the story of two sisters, how they are haunted by the twenty-year-old murder of their mother, and what happens when a farming accident rips away the layers of secrecy and buried trauma surrounding that night.
Marian is a young mother who lives in the Mennonite farming community where she grew up, while her younger sister, Hannah, left the community to pursue a writing career in Chicago. When Marian's six-year-old daughter, Rebecca, is badly injured in a farming accident, Hannah returns home to help. As the two sisters struggle with the circumstances surrounding Rebecca's accident and how to pay for her medical treatment, their opposing world views drive them towards a penultimate confrontation and reconciliation over their shared past, a past that simultaneously divides them yet binds them together. What they learn is that sometimes the secrets from the past can bring hope for the future.
Pearl Diver won BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE at the Winnipeg Int’l Film Festival and at the East Lansing Film Festival, the CRYSTAL HEART AWARD at the Heartland Film Festival, the GRAND JURY PRIZE at the Indianapolis Int’l Film Festival and BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY at Woods Hole Film Festival. It has also screened at the St. Louis Int’l, Ashville, Bethel, Temecula Valley, Kansas Int’l, Rhode Island, Gloria Int’l and Stony Brook Film Festivals. It has been selected to screen at the upcoming Global Peace Film Festival, Malibu Celebration of Films and the Vermont Int’l Film Festival.
REVIEW: Wow – a film whose special effects are story, character development and themes (forgiveness and the priceless gift of love) rather than explosions or mutilating monsters. I was very moved by the film’s incisive themes, which remind us that no sacrifice ultimately goes unrewarded. Sadly, few moviegoers saw this limited release back in 2006. That was their loss, as it was one of the best films of that year.
Now on DVD, it contains bonus features: Deleted scenes and thoughts from the director.
PG-13 (one obscenity (the s-word) and two minor expletives
two misuses of Christ’s name, by the worldlier sister; when surprised,
she also utters “oh my god,” twice; a man dies in quicksand; a
little girl is badly injured in a farming accident; we do not see the accident,
just a blood soaked kitchen where the father had rushed her in; thieves kill
a woman when she refuses to tell them where an expensive piece of jewelry can
be found; this is seen through flashbacks; though unnerving, because
two little girls are involved and traumatized by their mother’s murder,
it is not meant to be exploitive, but rather incorporated to further the story,
allowing us to understand the girls’ pain; the film presents Christians
in a positive light). Running Time: 90-some minutes.
Intended Audience: Older teens and adults.
“An uplifting movie about forgiveness and the treasure of family”
-
Phil Boatwright
Christina Ricci, Catherine O’Hara, Reese Witherspoon, James McAvo, Peter Dinklage. Summit Entertainment. Romantic comedy. 2/29/08
FILM SYNOPSIS: A modern-day fairytale about a curse placed on a family by an angered witch causing a female descendant to be born with pig features. In order to be released from the spell, the young woman must find true love with “one of her own.” The parable has to do with liking yourself for who you are.
REVIEW: The humor is often forced, especially from Catherine O’Hara as Penelope’s haranguing mother. Normally the thief of any scene, here Ms. O’Hara chews scenery, as the saying goes, in an attempt to bring humor where there is none. But the tale is a gentle one aimed at those suffering from feelings of inadequacies. And it’s a pleasure to see a romantic comedy sans crudity and profanity. Diminutive Peter Dinklage is terrific as a newsman looking for a story at any cost.
PG (two sexual innuendos, but I caught no other crudity; two minor expletives, but no harsh language; in the telling of a doomed romance, we see a woman commit suicide by jumping off a cliff; this causes her mother, the town witch, to put a hex on the family; this is all played as a parable and is handled with discretion; a frightened suitor depicts Penelope as having fangs and being vicious (neither being the case); because of his fears, he sees a vision of her attacking him, baring monster-like teeth; it’s a scary shot for little ones, but it is brief and only shown once; social drinking in a bar; our innocent heroine gets a bit tipsy after having one beer).
Running Time: 101 min.
Intended Audience: Teens and above
DVD Alternatives: The Nutty Professor. Jerry
Lewis was in top form as the lovable Professor Julius Kelp and his alter ego,
Buddy Love. A comic version of Jekyll & Hyde with Lewis providing
some of his greatest sight gags before he learns it’s best to be yourself. Though
the remake with Eddie Murphy is funny, it’s also much cruder, filled
with fat and flatulence jokes.
Or:
Beauty and the Beast. For mature audiences,
the 1946 French version with Jean Cocteau. In order to save her father,
a beautiful girl agrees to live with a feared wolf-like beast. But after
time passes, they learn to love one another. This moody, atmospheric
B&W rendition of the classic tale is a masterpiece. In French, with
subtitles, it is both beguiling and fanciful. For the family, the Disney
musical version is also most enjoyable.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley. Disney. Action/adventure. Written by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio Directed by Gore Verbinski. Opens 7/7/06
The further misadventures of Captain Jack Sparrow concern our intoxicated pirate trying to outsmart the legendary Davy Jones, who has morphed into a kind of squid-like devil god of the sea. Jack traded his soul to the ghostly Davy Jones in order to captain a ship. Now the evil and slimy Davy, and a crew of fish-like ghouls, has shown up to collect. To escape his watery fate, Captain Jack promises to find a hidden treasure. Jack’s plans further complicate the lives of the good Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and the beautiful (and I do mean beautiful) Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley).
In 2003, my first reaction to the mascara-wearing, swishy Captain Jack was that he was a bit foppish, a bizarre acting choice. Then we learned that the character was marooned for several years by a traitorous first mate and left with nothing to nourish the body and soul but a buried reserve of Jamaican rum. So he may be in a perpetual state of intoxication. Either way, Depp unapologetically played his swishing seafarer as if he were a cross between Dudley Moore’s inebriated Arthur and England’s Dame Edna. Here there is no explanation for his behavior. In fact, explanations just seem to take up time, and as the film is already two hours and thirty minutes, we’re grateful for any shortcut to the end credits.
Whereas the first installment was full of swashbuckling derring-do and not overly campish, chapter two in the life of Captain Jack goes overboard with its cursed crew damned to an eternity of servitude. In the previous adventure, the crew was a shipload of “yo ho ho” pirates by day/marauding skeletons at night. This was an interesting twist, spooky and thrilling. But this cast of barnacle-encrusted ocean bandits is more silly than scary. Oh, there will be Oscar nominations for makeup, special effects, art and set direction, but about midway through the endless action, one begins to think, enough already.
PG-13 (three minor expletives, but I caught no harsh language; cartoonish, but still the imagery is bizarre; lots and lots of pirate at sea battles; our heroes are constantly in perilous situations; there are many other images that would be disturbing to children; there are a few sexual innuendos; the pirates drink run. Lots of run; it’s the imagery that receives the rating. Ghoulish ghosts covered in slimy sea barnacles. Hidden in a coffin dumped at sea, Captain Jack, snaps off the leg of his deceased companion and uses it as an oar; a ghost pirate can’t find his glass eye; there’s a big black cavern where the eye should be; there are magical spells; birds peck away at a caged captive, plucking out his eye).
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END.
Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush. Disney Studios.
Written by Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio. Directed by Gore Verbinski. Opens 5/24/07.
FILM SYNOPSIS: Will and Elizabeth (Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley) align with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) to save Jack (Johnny Depp) from Davy Jones (Bill Nighy). Betrayals, battles and buffooneries ensue.
REVIEW: Okay, I preferred the Disneyland ride that spawned this swashbuckling franchise. I think what I really enjoyed about that attraction was the fact that afterward we would eat at the attached restaurant, the Blue Bayou. When the ride was re-formed as a modern-day outrageous blockbuster-themed adventure with Johnny Depp portraying the Paul Lynde of pirates, I was even less thrilled. Interesting characterization, but three films worth of watching this guy preen and prance? Depp unapologetically plays his swishing seafarer as if he were a cross between Dudley Moore’s inebriated Arthur and Dame Edna. A little of that goes a long way.
I knew this sequel would be loud and long. And I was right. Lots of “Yh maties” and other pirate jargon shouted over the roar of a swirling sea would be supported by battle scenes laced with swordfights, things that go boom, and enough special effects to, well, sink a ship. Again, I was right. But all this clamorous cacophony seemed strained towards the end of the second installment. Make that endless second installment.
Despite, or because of, this latest sequel’s multitudinous explosions and countless characters and ceaseless yak-yak-yaking (the girl even gives us a speech about freedom ala Braveheart while standing on the rail before her scurvy crew), I was bored to death.
Okay, the curmudgeon has spoken. The audience at the screening seemed more accepting. There was no clapping at film’s end, but the moviegoers, there on a free pass, seemed to enjoy all the activity. It cost a great deal of money to make this movie and it shows. It has a spectacular look and the special effects guys must have put in a lot of overtime, giving the audience a treasure chest of eye-popping visuals. And if you like your pirate movies full of battle scenes – you got it.
Hint to ye hearty souls, should you attend this nearly three-hour movie, sit through the ending credits, despite their seven-minute length. There’s one more scene. And it would suggest, oh Lord, Pirates of the Caribbean Part Four!
PG-13 (there are a couple of slightly suggestive remarks, but mostly the filmmaker sails clear of crudity; lots of swashbuckling daring do; people are hung at the film’s opening, including a kid; dead bodies are thrown onto a cart; lots of explosions and pirate ship battles; through floorboards, a pirate looks up the skirt of the film’s heroine; the audience does not see anything; it is played for laughs, but the visual is rather crude and insensitive; a couple of kisses; at the end, it is suggested that the wedded couple have consummated their marriage; the husband caresses and kisses his wife’s leg; rum drinking).
Running
Time: 2 hrs. 45 min.
Intended
Audience: Teens and adults
Kurt
Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss. Warner Bros. Pictures / Virtual
Studios. Action/adventure. Written by Mark Protosevich. Directed by Wolfgang
Petersen. Opens 5/12/06.
When a rogue wave capsizes a luxury cruise ship, a career gambler (Josh Lucas)
ignores the captain’s orders to wait below for possible rescue and
sets out to find his own way to safety. Others join him, including a desperate
father (Kurt Russell) searching for his daughter (Emmy Rossum) and her fiancé (Mike
Vogel), a single mother (Jacinda Barrett) and her wise-beyond-his-years 10-year-old
(Jimmy Bennett), an anxious stowaway (Mia Maestro), and a despondent gay
passenger (Richard Dreyfuss) whose lover won’t return his cell phone
calls.
In the 1970s moviegoers were thrilled by disaster movies such as Airport, Earthquake, The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure. Critics were not so thrilled. The corny sub-melodramas and the nonsensical dialogue made for an insufferable time for most movie reporters. Well, skip an era or two and a new generation of popcorn munchers is again being introduced to the epic disaster, thanks to Warner Bros., which is praying to Neptune that these new ticket buyers will be equally as thrilled as their ancestors. Alas, critics looking for a little listenable dialogue will just have to grit their teeth and silently count how often lines such as “Oh my God” and “It’s our only option” are uttered by a straight-faced cast.
No stranger to disaster themes, director Wolfgang Petersen (Outbreak, The Perfect Storm) is given a hearty cast and a $175 million budget in order to sail fearlessly across the celluloid abyss with one intent: to once again satisfy the Coliseum mob. For despite the story’s true catastrophe (the script itself), spectators still enjoy seeing the Christians thrown to the lions. Only in modern times, we not only see the not-so-good Catholic girls meet their doom for our amusement, but also middle-aged gay Jewish guys, and other assorted rainbow victims. The movie-going public doesn’t seem concerned over the fate of the cardboard cutouts that stand in for human beings in disaster films. They’ve come, Jujubes in hand, to see the ingenious ways the lower-billed actors bite the big one (through electrocution, drowning or plunging from floor to ceiling - splat).
The remake stays close to the original, with updates in effects magic, character transformations and the updated moniker for tidal wave – rogue wave. Richard Dreyfuss now plays the Shelly Winters role, here morphed from overweight Jewish grandma to sensitive middle-aged gay guy. The Gene Hackman role of radical clergyman has become a gambling maverick played by Josh Lucas. And stalwart Kurt Russell is added as a rugged and overprotective father (he’s also the ex-mayor of New York and an ex-fireman). More macho this guy could not get, evidently to make up for Josh Lucas, whose bid for action hero depends desperately on our suspension of disbelief and a three-day beard growth. (By the way, when’s that look ever going to come to an end? He’s not a cowboy on the trail. He’s a gentleman gambler on a luxury ship, it’s New Year’s Eve and everyone in the high stakes poker game is tuxedoed, yet, he’s sporting a three day beard. Bugs me.)
Poseidon is not meant to stimulate the intellect, but rather to provide thrills of a more visceral sort. If sweaty palms are any indication, then I’d have to say, it succeeded in its objective: “Damn the torpedoes (logic), full speed ahead!” If, however, you do not wish to support a film where a main character profanes God’s name several times, then try renting my video alternative: A Night To Remember. This English 4-star version of the Titanic tragedy from Walter Lord's vivid and emotional novel is exceptional filmmaking. Made in 1958, it still holds up, containing great disaster spectacle and moving performances, while avoiding objectionable content.
PG-13 (4 harsh words, 3 minor expletives; 4 times God’s name is followed by a curse; 4 or 5 “oh my gods;” the intense prolonged sequences of disaster and peril include people hurling to their deaths, drownings, electrocutions, etc.; dead bodies are seen floating throughout the film; several lead characters die; several people are bloodied by flying debris; An engaged couple are caught nuzzling, but no graphic sexuality).
© 2008 Good News Tucson™