Best of 2011

Since I mentioned in my recent review the idea of "Best of 2011" I thought that I would suggest a list of what I thought were the best and worst movies we saw in 2011.  Both lists are fairly short.  I'm sure there are many more that could be on this list...but I can only share about the ones that we saw.

Here's a list of the best in my order (best first):
J Edgar
We Bought a Zoo
The Help
The King's Speech
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Courageous
Dolphin Tale
X-Men 4

And the worst that we saw in my order (worst first)
Puss in Boots
Cars 2

The Muppets (2011)

Everything is "retro" nowadays...even the Muppets.  Not much has been seen of them for a dozen years so this is definitely a "reboot."  We actually own a couple of the videos, including our favorite, Muppets in Space.

This new movie was a welcome movie and funny at times and always "watchable."  The premise within a premise is that Kermit and the new Muppet (Walter) with Walter's "brother" Gary (Jason Segel) and his girl friend Mary (Amy Adams) must raise $10 million dollars to save the Muppets theater/museum and prevent Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) from demolishing the theater to dig for oil.  I like subtle humor in movies like this and that was the reason I hated the Puss in Boots movie because one had to dig pretty deep to find any humor there.  In the Muppets there is underlying humor such as Gary and Walter's unique relationship and the fact that Gary is such a dolt with Mary.  Even the "evil" people in this movie (even the Moopets) are funny and redeemable.  The movie doesn't take itself very seriously and offers some innovative and silly updates on what the Muppets have been doing the last dozen years.  Even the theater trailers six months ago poked fun at the premise of this movie.

Of course, the theater is saved and the Muppets will thrive and even Gary and Mary will become an item.  But it doesn't really matter.  It's just a nice "escape" movie.

I fear, however, that the movie didn't do as well as expected and I'm sorry that it took a month for me to write the movie blog.  When I saw the announcement of the release date for the video in a few months I thought I better quickly offer my thoughts.

Hey...see it at the theater...or, if you have to, wait for the video.  Either way, I don't think you will be disappointed and Disney should make some money on this one.  I wasn't disappointed.








The Muppets is a 2011 American musical comedy film, the first Muppets theatrical release in 12 years,^[6] as well as the first Disney-produced Muppets film since 1996's Muppet Treasure Island. In the film, Walter (performed by Peter Linz), the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary's girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) must raise $10 million to save the Muppet Theater from Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), a businessman who plans to demolish the Muppet Theater to drill for oil. The film is directed by James Bobin, written by Segel and Nicholas Stoller, produced by Martin Baker, David Furnish, Segel, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, and John Scotti, and features Bret McKenzie as the music supervisor.

We Bought a Zoo

I probably tend to be more positive about movies than some reviewers are.  After all, two of the movies I liked in 2011 were on the "Ten Worst Movies" list on Yahoo. earlier this week.  BUT..."We Bought a Zoo" is one of the best movies we've seen in a long time.  (Now I sound like former Vicar Brad..."It was the best...") 

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this movie.  I thought it would be funny.  It was not particularly funny but it was sweet and positive.  I thought that there would be cheap slapstick humor such as was in "Zookeeper" (on Yahoo's worst movie list in 2011) but there was no such thing.  Oh, there was the escape of the dangerous bear but the subsequent encounter and recapture was pretty well done.

OK.  OK.  Get to the movie.  The premise of the movie, based on a true story and what I would call a dramody (comedy/drama), is that widower Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) needs to start over after his wife's recent death and his son's expulsion from school and so buys a dilapidated zoo and its animals and staff and takes on the challenge of reopening it for the public.  Benjamin struggles with his relationship with his 14 year old son, Dylan (Colin Ford), and Dylan's seemingly dark attitude about life as expressed in his art work.  His daughter, 7 year old Rosie, is happy with the zoo and the animals and sometimes is like the "Mommy" to her grieving father who wants to get away from the sad reminders in the city of his deceased wife.  He spends all he has to prepare the zoo and finds himself near bankruptcy but then is blessed with a surprise nest egg that his wife has hidden away to help him.  His brother, Duncan, (Thomas Haden Church) tries to dissuade Benjamin from using the rest of his money to throw at a dream.  Benjamin's innovations with the zoo are apparently in real life, a new wave of zoo engineering, but the movie doesn't focus on that.

Some might suggest that the movie and how it unfolds is predictable but there are some deep emotions in the movie.  The depiction of Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones) is wonderful.  Her smile lights up the screen and lights up their lives. Benjamin is torn in his love for his son.  They are alike and that's the problem.  Benjamin loves him and loves and misses his wife dearly.  The movie gives us time to appreciate his mood and moodiness and his joy and sadness about his lost love.  Though Kelly Foster (played by Scarlett Johannson) is his new love life, their guarded relationship is handled tastefully and carefully.  Benjamin challenges his son to consider "20 seconds of insane courage" in telling his new girl friend what he thinks of her.  Later Benjamin explains to his children that this was how he met their mother, Katherine (played by Stephanie Szostak)

It's difficult to explain why this movie was special.  You have to see it to understand.  If you get past the premise and the zoo and even the animals and some of the regular characters, you quickly see that this is not a movie about zoos.  It is a movie about love for spouse, children, parents, co-workers, and love for life and work.  It is on my top ten list of best movies on 2011.

J Edgar

Wow!  This was quite a movie.  Having grown up during the last 25 years of J. Edgar Hoover's "reign" I was interested in this movie for historical reasons.  Also, the jokes about Hoover's personal life and the mixed signals about his abuse of power present an interesting commentary on life in America.  Hoover brought the FBI into the modern era and created policies about fingerprinting and crime scene procedures that greatly aided crime solving.  His love for his country and his staunch anti-Communist thoughts were commended by many.  At the same time he kept files on political "enemies" and seemed to keep his thumb on most of the presidents under whom he served.

Alice said she saw and learned things about Hoover that she really didn't want to know.  That may sound like the movie sensationalized his life but this just isn't true.  You have to see the movie to understand as the director Clint Eastwood presents a careful look at this life with occasional hints about Hoover's unique personality. 

Leonardo DiCaprio is amazingly transformed into an old and young Hoover as the movie goes back and forth to events in the 1930's and the Lindbergh kidnapping in particular and also the events toward the end of his life.  Judi Dench as his mother is outstanding in her portrayal.  Naomi Watts as Hoover's lifelong personal secretary, Helen Gandy, is also stellar in her performance.  In my opinion, the only problem with the movement back and forth finds his number one assistant (Clyde Tolson portrayed by Armie Hammer) having very poor makeup in the depiction of his later years.

You can learn a lot from this movie but you also have to take certain parts with a grain of salt and a discerning mind.

It was a great movie.

Jack and Jill

I confess that I don't like Adam Sandler and I went to his "Jack and Jill" fully believing that I would not care for this movie.  I was a bit surprised that the movie was better than I thought it would.  I liked the fact that the Jack character kept Sandler from saying and doing much at all.  the Jill character also played by Sandler was a bit irritating but somehow likeable.

Oh, I would never give this movie four stars but I confess that it was definitely better than Cars 2 and, yes, dare I say it, even better than Puss in Boots.

OK.  The premise is based on twins and Jill (Jack's twin) comes for her annual Christmas visit and simply stays.  Surprisingly, despite her irritating personality she is wooed by Al Pacino playing himself and Felipe.  I'm not quite sure how Jill got together with Felipe but their friendship clicked.  I guess I was out for popcorn when they they ended up having eyes for each other.  Pacino does what he can to have a relationship with Jill but she just doesn't like him.  Jack comes to her rescued after insulting Jill and manages to get everyone together and make everyone happy.  Hey, the plot is far from deep but it does work.

The movie is cute and also funny at times, though Alice felt it wasn't as funny as she expected.  It was probably only one step above the average made for TV movie but, as I say again and again, it wasn't that bad.

Puss In Boots

What a disappointment.  The ads were inviting.  The premise was encouraging.  The Shrek movies introduced this wonderful character.  I really wanted to see this movie but the movie let us down.  Thankfully, we saw it before the evening prices kicked in and, thankfully, we did not see it in 3-D for the extra cost.  Alice said that it might have been better in 3-D.  I doubt it.  One lady was heard to say to the ushers after the movie, "What a great movie."  I looked at the same usher and said, "Did she see the same movie we saw?"  He laughed because he knew.  Alice said that "Cars 2" was better than this movie.  Just barely.  Well, I probably liked this movie slightly more but just slightly.

I just couldn't warm up to Humpty Dumpty, one of the key characters.  He had no redeeming qualities.  Oh, Puss in Boots claimed him as a friend.  I'm not sure why.  He tricked him.  Cheated him.  Deceived him.  Left him to die.  Come on, this guy was worse than some of the evil characters in the Shrek movies.

I did like Jack and Jill.  Their dialogue, brief as it was, might have produced the only laughs in the movie.

Oh, the kids will probably like it but it was not the adult fare of the Shrek movies.  Think twice before you spend a lot of money on this movie.  Wait and rent the video.  I think that it will be out soon enough.

The Big Year

This movie is for the birds.  Really.  But it's a pretty good movie.  It moves a little slowly but, hey, how much high drama can you find in a contest to view and record as many North American birds as possible in a year?

Three men portrayed by Steve Martin (Stu), Jack Black (Brad), and Owen Wilson (Kenny Bostwick) set out to break the record first set by Kenny (732).  They take planes, trains, automobiles, bicycles, helicopters and more to criss cross North America in their quest.  The opening credits say that it is a true story with only the facts being changed. 

I guess it's supposed to be a comedy but the laughs are real and careful.  It's just a sweet metaphor about real and honorable competition.  Stu is trying to retire and finds that his "Big Year" pursuit makes him rethink his life, his family, his wife, and his new grandchild.  Jack is divorced and holding a boring computer job but manages to find the time and energy to pursue the contest while holding down his job.  His mother is supportive but his father (Brian Dennehey) is less enthusiastic.  As the movie progresses the tenderness of Brad's relationship with his father is wonderful.  Kenny's role is as an honest and very moral jerk.  He's not above deceiving his fellow contestants but is above cheating in this contest based totally on the honor system.  Winning, however, is everything and he loses his loving wife because he loves his pursuit of the birds more than her.

I won't reveal who wins but, in the end, I see all three characters as winners. 

I think that you will enjoy the movie.  We did.

Courageous

The movie "Courageous" needs to be seen by men, youth and boys but also by any family member who wishes to learn some things about parenting and love.

Some would probably disagree, but I feel that this movie is not preachy and certainly doesn't match the usual criteria of what people might call a "religious movie" or a movie that deals with "religion" on some level.  Yes, there is a church scene and a clear witness of Christ as Savior but it is definitely a part of the plot.  (I do have to smile that the inside of the church in the Father's Day scene seems far larger than the outside of the church as depicted.  Dramatic license, I guess!)

The premise of the movie is stated by the sheriff himself as he urges his Albany, Georgia, deputies to spend more time with their families based on the statistic that fatherless or "under-fathered" children are more likely to get into trouble.  One father, Adam (Alex Kendrick) adores his daughter but is distant from his son.  Nathan (Ken Bevel) has strict rules for his daughter while Shane (Kevin Downes) is divorced and trying to raise his son and the rookie David (Ben Davies) has a child from a teenage fling.  The group also befriends Javier (Robert Amaya) who is struggling to find and keep work.  I love the Javier character.  I think you will too.  Adam's daughter is killed in a car accident and this is an awakening for him to to become and be the father he needs to be for his surviving son.  His study of the Bible leads him to challenge his four friends to take being a father seriously.  He doesn't push them to do it, but they agree to pledge to become better fathers.

There are many fine subplots as one of the men fails to keep his vow, another faces an employer asking him to cheat, one realizes he needs to step up and take responsibility for his actions, and two others must build trust with their very different children.  An exciting car chase and gun battle with a drug gang provides as much excitement as from any contemporary movie.

Ultimately, the closing verses of Joshua (Joshua 24:15), "Choose this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," are words that inspire the movie and the audience.  It was one of those movies where you hear clapping at the end.

The movie is in the tradition of "Facing the Giants" and "Fireproof" and is one of those movies where you can invite your neighbor or friend who will discover it is very moral but not heavy handed.  There is drama, compassion, humor, and morality as well God's love in Christ.  I'm convinced you will love the movie.

"Dolphin Tale"

Another great movie...and more than a movie about "buddies" though one could claim that the Dolphin and the young hero Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble) are buddies.  This is based on a true story.  In Florida on his way to summer school a failing student named Sawyer and a beach comber "discover" a dying dolphin on the beach (Winter) and Sawyer calls an animal rescue unit.  He and a young girl named Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff) are the motivating factor for the vet (Harry Connick, Jr.), Sawyer's mother (Ashley Judd), a doctor who creates prosthetics (Morgan Freeman) and others to save Winter and the animal hospital as the prosthetic doctor (after several miscues) creates a tail for the dolphin.  Kris Kristofferson is also in the movie as a grandfather and mentor.  I wish he would have sung something!

Part of the plot is the fact that the animal hospital is in danger of closing because of a lack of money.  It would be sold to a hotel developer.  As the movie unfolds Sawyer and others organize U Tube publicity to spark interest in school children and adults to save the marine hospital. 

To our surprise there were no evil characters in the movie though for a time it seems as if the hotel developer will succeed in closing the hospital.  In a heartwarming turn of events, he decides to support the marine hospital.

There is a spiritual side to the movie but it's a little thin.  I just wish that characters would be depicted in prayer, in church, or in consultation with spiritual mentors.  I'd like to think that it would make the movie even more realistic.

Take the time to see this movie.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I'm sorry I haven't blogged this great movie sooner.  I better hurry before its out on DVD.

As I said, this was a great movie and Alice and I both enjoyed it.  A long time ago we saw the original "Planet of the Apes" but this was a far better movie.  It really wasn't as much about people as it was about apes or chimpanzees.  I didn't care for the hero character of the movie (Will played by James Franco) because he created the problem and, in my opinion, didn't deal with it properly.

The point of the movie revolves around the Gen-Sys Company which is trying to develop a cure for Alzheimer's.  Will's boss Steve Jacobs (played by David Oyelowo) is an unlikable character who is all about money and when the medicine being developed has negative consequences he orders all the test animals to be destroyed.  Will illegally takes home a test animal and the chimpanzee (Caesar played by Andy Serkis) is remarkably intelligent.  A few years later Will gives the same medicine Caesar received to help his father Charles (John Lithgow) overcome Alzheimer's.  It works but has consequences.  In my opinion, John Lithgow deserves an Oscar nomination for his characterization.

It's complicated but, ultimately, after being confined in a zoo, Caesar is able to share the same intelligence building medicine with apes and monkeys as they escape from the zoo and eliminate the mean zoo keeper.  A standoff on the Golden Gate Bridge leads to the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and, in the closing credits, a plague which will wipe out most of human kind.

Caesar is a character you can love, though he doesn't have as much "soul" as I would like. The elderly Orangutan is a delightful character as are many of the chimps and gorillas.  When they eventually escape to the Redwood Forrest Will warns Caesar that in the forest humans will hunt them down, but that he can protect him if he returns home. Caesar, now capable of speech, gently tells him that "Caesar is home."  The movie ends with the apes standing upright and climbing to the top of the Redwoods overlooking San Francisco Bay.

The movie is definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

The Help

After seeing some pretty mindless but fun movies this summer, it was a joy to see this amazing and thoughtful movie that elicits change.  It was serious while being funny, it was message-oriented while being factual, it was joyful and sobering and it was profound while being simple,  The movie unfolds from the point of view of 3 characters--Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis), a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children, Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer), an African-American maid who alienates herself from her employers but then works for a respectful lady in desperate need of help, and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (Emma Stone), a young white woman and recent college graduate who gets a job as a journalist and who tries to make sense of how "the help" are treated by anonymously recording their thoughts and concerns in a book, "The Help."

The movie is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960's with Skeeter communicating the daily lives of Southern homemakers and their maids.  The poignancy of the movie is shown in some of the amazing and unfair incidents of child-rearing, non-freedom to use public and private bathroom facilities, nasty and deep prejudice and more. 

I really don't want to relate some of the things that happen because it would spoil the flow of the movie.  Suffice it to say that you will be shocked, saddened, encouraged, and renewed by viewing the movie.  It's probably not a movie for those younger than teen-agers but many people could learn much from this wonderful movie.  It can change you.

The Smurfs

Alice didn't appreciate this movie as much as I did.  I confess that I'm not sure why I enjoyed the movie but I must say that I did.  I get caught up in the idea of "Buddy Movies" and this movie again proved my point.  The Smurfs were buddies with each other, especially Papa Smurf (voiced by Jonathan Winters), the hero, Patrick Winslow (Neil Patrick Harris) was a buddy with his wife, Grace (Jayma Hayes) and even the anti-hero, Gargamel (Hank Azaria) was a buddy with his cat.  The plot was sort of unnoticeable but had something to do with the Blue Moon Festival that the Smurfs were celebrating and the fact that Clumsy accidentally leads Gargamel to their lair and in their panicked escape they are sucked into a vortex and end up in New York City where they befriend (and are befriended) by Patrick.  Papa Smurf works on a potion to get them back home while Patrick works on a perfume ad campaignn to please his boss.  They both are successful while Clumsy is successful in rescuing everyone and returning them to the Smurf village which is now rebuilt with a New York City motiffe. As I said, the plot doesn't matter that much.  It's just fun.  I know, I know.  Some people suggest that the wizardry emphasis is not good for children.  Huh?  It's just fun and the "blue" jokes are worth hearing.  Oh, and Patrick and Grace name their son "Blue."

The Frisco Kid

We watched this movie recently at home on one of the movie channels on Comcast.  At times it was very funny but I'm not really sure that the movie was a comedy.  This Robert Aldrich Western features Gene Wilder as a Polish Jewish rabbi (Avram Belinski) who is true to his religion.  For example, he refuses to ride his horse on the Sabbath much to the chagrin of his bank robber companion (Harrison Ford), Tommy Lillard, who can't seem to abandon him. 

The rabbi arrives in Philadelphia and is dogged in his determination to reach San Francisco, despite being cheated, robbed, humiliated, captured by Indians, nearly frozen and more.  One of the most humorous scenes is his brief alignment with some Amish people whom he mistakes as Jewish.  Tommy robs a bank much to Avram's surprise and the rabbi refuses to use the money and ends up sending his "portion" back. 

Despite its droll humor, the movie shows a great respect for the Jewish religion (I feel) and you can't help but root for Avram and feel his devastation when he is forced to defend his friend and kill or be killed. 

All through the movie I smiled a great deal and wanted to laugh but I kept catching myself shaking my head at the gentle truths being portrayed.

This is a great movie!

Zookeeper

I should have shared this review sooner.  We saw the movie a few weeks ago and enjoyed it.  In some ways it is mindless fun.  I think that the hero (Griffin Keyes) would have been a babbling idiot for many days when the animals started talking to him.  Instead, he quickly accepts their unique ability and even allows the animals to teach him some things about dating rituals.  He does care for the animals and is a good zookeeper though the movie occasionally seems to suggest that his job as a zookeeper is not as classy as other vocations.  While pursuing Stephanie (a real "cougar") he discovers that he really loves Kate and his gorilla friend, Bernie, helps him get to her before she accepts a job in Africa.  The movie's not going to win ay awards but it does have its moments of fun and humor.  It's worth watching.

Larry Crowne

Wow!  This is a great movie.  Not perfect...but very, very good.  Larry Crowne (played by Tom Hanks) is a Navy veteran who served as a cook during his 20 year stint.  Now, after divorce and loss of his job at U Mart he enrolls in a community college and takes a course on informal speech and another course on economics.  He ditches his gas guzzling SUV and buys a motor scooter from his neighbor Lamar (played by Cedric the Entertainer) and befriends and is befriended by a group of motor scooter rebels (really!) with a young lady who tries to update his home and his hair style and clothes.

His speech teacher, Mercedes Tainot (played by Julia Roberts) is a burned out frustrated teacher with a husband addicted to laziness, porn and general disrespect.  The ten people in the speech class are interesting characters who seem to learn and bond.  The huge economics class is taught by Dr. Matsutani (played by George Takei) and Larry learns much from him, including his need to allow the bank to foreclose on his home.

There are many sweet moments in the movie with real teaching and learning going on.  The Tainot character probably needs more development (it was difficult to understand why she was so burned out) and we’re so used to negative Hispanic characters in movies and on TV that we’re probably a little surprised about their sincerity as depicted in this movie. 

Larry and Mercedes have a very chaste relationship and real love (appropriately) does not blossom until after Larry completes her course with a great grade.  The ending is simple and rewarding.  It was a very sweet and nice movie.  Take the time to see it.

Cars 2

I waited a week to review this movie...partly because Alice was concerned about my impending negative review.  She liked the movie.  I’m not sure why, though she saw helpful themes about loyalty, friendship and dedication.  Yes, it was a buddy movie.

On the other hand, I just couldn’t get into this movie at all.  I think it probably was/is a fairly good movie at some level.  The dialogue was crisp.  The animation seemed superb.  There was lots of action.  The row of boys 6-12 behind us were on the edge, biting their fingernails and cheering their favorite cars in the various races.  They jumped up and down about the action going on.  They were excited, but, as I said, I just couldn’t get into it.

I can’t remember whether or not we saw Cars 1.  I think we did but I really couldn’t remember that movie at all.  For some reason I thought the first movie had people driving the cars.  The next day I even asked someone if the cars were replacing human beings as characters.  She looked at me as if I was crazy and her droll answer was, “Yes, of course.  That’s the point.” 

This second movie was, in essence, a spy thriller with cars replacing 007 and other secret agents and the tow truck Mater becoming very useful to the government in dealing with a group of “lemon” automobiles trying to take over the earth while battling “green” technology which is trying to replace gas guzzling engines.  The inside joke was that cars such as Gremlins and similar specific brands are visible to the viewer and are part of the lemon “gang.”  I found that there were lots of inside jokes that seemed difficult to understand without some extensive history about cars and lemons and previous spy movies.  By, the way, Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) is really the only character whom I remember in the movie. 

Should you go?  Well, if you like cars and racing there is no question—go.  If you like careful and detailed spoofs of things like spy movies—go.  If you want to have some harmless fun—go.  However, I think I’ll stay home and skip the sequel.

Kung Fu Panda 2

Alice and I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 today.  We had enjoyed the first movie and this movie was somewhat different.  There was less emphasis on the things that the Po could not do and was instead a focus on his surprise that he was adopted as a child by his father who happens to be a goose.  Later in the movie when Po reveals his surprise the tiger character says, “You didn’t know this?”

The point, however, is not so much on the adoption as it is on the fact that he loves the father who raised him.  The evil Peacock (!!!) has a plan to conquer China and Po and his Kung Fu friends are left with the task of thwarting this plan.  It involves cornering all the metal possible to construct an evil and deadly gun.  Despite the excessive fighting and fight scenes, it is interesting that there is no blood and I’m not sure more than two “people” die.  That, I suppose would make the movie too heavy.

The ending with Po telling his father he discovered the answer to his question, “Who am I?”  He answered, “I am your son.”  That little revelation was worth the price of the movie.  One shameless anticlimactic scene after that poignant scene was Po’s biological Panda father realizing that his son was still alive.  It sets up the sequel.  It didn’t have to do this.

Hey, we loved the part about the relationship between Po and his father and that was a nice close to this sweet movie.  Forget the last 20 seconds of the movie.

Mr. Popper's Penguins

After seeing this movie, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, as I was getting ready for this review I checked a couple of review and found them scathing and mean spirited.  I was surprised that many people just can’t stand Jim Carrey.  I must confess that he’s not always my cup of tea but I couldn’t believe how nasty some of the reviews were.

Tom Popper (Jim Carrey) is a divorced realtor who while growing up regularly communicated with his father via short wave radio.  On his deathbed his father decides to send Tom a penguin and then through a series of miscommunications Tom ends up with six in his posh New York apartment.  Tom finds that his estranged wife and children like the penguins and he spends his time hiding them from snoopy tenants, a money grubbing doorman, and a zookeeper who wants to claim the penguins and advance his zoo “fortunes.”

The premise is scarcely profound but the bits with the penguins, their bathroom habits, and their growing loyalty to Tom keeps the viewer smiling.  One review said the movie was “predictable.”  That may well be but that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad movie.  Tom manages to “rescue” the penguins and reclaim a building and restaurant that his father used when Tom was a child.  It’s fun to see Angela Lansbury as the owner who likes and remembers Tom, despite Tom’s many faults.

When one of three eggs laid by the penguins does not hatch, it provides the belated “aha” moment for Tom.  It is sweet to see in the closing scene, the penguins back in their natural habitat rather than confined to the zoo.

Preachy?  Not really.  Sweet?  Yes, at times.  Funny?  It has its moments.  Worth seeing?  I think so.  You could do so much worse.

X-Men 4

I confess.  Alice and I do not follow the "X-Men Universe" and we weren't really too sure about the characters that we saw in this fourth X-Men movie which was, technically, a "prequel" to other X-Men movies.  We liked this movie very much and especially like the unique "handicaps" that the mutants had and how they dealt with them.  Though the movie was violent at times, it's message was one of care and concern in how these young characters learned to support and lean on each other.  Added to this was the scenario of the Cuban Missle Crisis.  Alice commented that both the Russians and Americans were acting the exact same way in how they were responding to this crisis.  There was no underlying evil intent on either side, it seemed.  That was quite refreshing.  We found it unusual that we could enjoy this movie even though we didn't know what these characters were capable of doing and how they became so-called super heroes.  Ultimately, it was not a movie about super powers but about dealing with being different.  It is definitely worth seeing.

Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides

Alice said I need to be positive about this movie that we saw on Sunday, May 22.  To do that I needed a couple of days of reflection.  Alice liked the movie.  So did Daniel.  I think that the movie was probably OK but I had trouble understanding the dialogue.  Like a lot of movies, everything (and especially the dialogue) just went so fast that I had trouble keeping up.  The point of the movie is that Jack Sparrow joins with his "buddy" (Barbossa) and an old girlfriend who happens to be the daughter of Blackbeard in searching for the Fountain of Youth.  The King is in on the intrigue in getting people in on the search and everyone races to the fountain while stopping for a major plot line of getting a tear from a mermaid that must be mixed with the fountain water for the water to "work."  When the protagonists get there they are stifled in their quest by a methodical group of Spanish soldiers (I think they were Spanish) who proceed to destroy the fountain.  Before the final destruction Jack "saves" his girlfriend while tricking Blackbeard.  And at the end the "buddies" sail off into the sunset for a proposed sequel.  Oh, there was a subplot of a sincere Christian who opposes the capture of the mermaid and ends up being "saved" by her.  He was a very positive character and rescues the movie from meaningless oblivion.  Daniel says that this was his favorite character.

Airplane, the Movie!

How about a mini-review of the 1980 movie, Airplane (The Movie)?  We rented two movies and when one didn't work properly the video store gave us a free one so we ended up watching three movies for $1.90.  Wow!  Big spenders!  I decided to get "Airplane" because I wanted some laughs.

I love this movie and love Striker's ridiculous stories (people are bored to tears and to suicide when they listen to details about his life) and Elaine's commentary on their relationship is laced with wry humor.  Highlights include the poor girl on intravenous medicine almost dying from a misplaced folk song, sweet Barbara Billingsley interpreting jive, the "Staying Alive" fight with the girl scouts and the swarthy sailor dancing, Leslie Nielsen's doctor character saying, "And don't call me Shirley," Robert Stack's double sunglasses bit, Lloyd Bridges' character McCroskey giving up more and more things, the endless cameos and bit parts and the unmentionable antics of Otto.  And, just maybe, it is ultimately a "buddy" movie between Striker (Robert Hays) and Elaine (Julie Hagerty) and that's what makes it good!

I'm not sure that you can get tired of this or of watching snippets of this tour de force.  Rent it once in a while or don't miss it on endless reruns.

The Bucket List

We had been wanting to see this 2008 movie for a long time since we missed it when it came out.  One of Alice's pen friends suggested we watch it so we rented it from a video store.  When we went to watch it we the DVD didn't work so we had to get another copy.  Finally, we got it working and watched an incredibly good movie.  I knew it was funny but I didn't realize its depth and spirituality.  It had its moments of humor but it wasn't a comedy at all.

The relationship between two terminally ill men (another buddy movie!!!!!) played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman is precious and memorable.  Billionaire Edward Cole (who owns hospitals) is befriended by Carter Chambers (an auto mechanic) and Cole decides to insist that Chambers follow his heart and pursue a list of lifelong goals before they die.  Cole can afford to do almost anything except cheat death and the poignant things they do and pursue are at the same time humorous and compelling.

Chambers pursues his "Bucket List" against his wife's wishes but he comes home a changed man after 3 months and, sadly, ends up losing his battle with cancer while Cole seems to be reinvigorated by it and lives many more years.  However, he has changed too and reconnects with an estranged daughter (at Carter Chambers' insistence) and an unknown granddaughter and his eulogy for his new friend bespeaks of his discovery of real life.

Pursue your dreams if you can!  That's one of the lessons I learned from this great movie.

Oh, to finish the story of the DVD that didn't work.  After watching the replacement DVD, when we turned off the DVD player at the end we found that the movie had just begun on TBS.  The store gave us a free movie and, so, for $1.90 we saw 3 movies.  They are/were worth every penny!

The Lady Vanishes

For my birthday last year Alice gave me an Alfred Hitchcock collection of movies.  I'm not sure if I was thrilled or not.  Most of the movies were early Hitchcock black and white movies so I haven't been keen on watching them.  On Mother's Day I decided to watch one and picked "The Lady Vanishes" at random, a 1938 movie that I thought would probably put me to sleep.  Hardly!  It has all of the Hitchcock things that you see in his later movies.  Humor.  Strange scenes.  Thrilling camera shots.  And more.  I couldn't believe how good this movie was.

I read that this was the last movie that Hitchcock made in England before he moved to Hollywood.  The movie involves a fictional country that compares with Nazi Germany.  It starts with guests who are snowed in.  Then a young woman, Iris, takes a train out of the country but because of a head injury she passes out only to discover that the lady helping her, Miss Froy, has vanished.  She reluctantly enlists the help of a man (Gilbert) who has insulted her back at the lodge but who now manages to help her "find" the missing woman who turns out to be a British spy.

Included in the movie are a risky outside transfer by Gilbert to a different state room, a diverted train, a gun battle with "Nazis", a daring rescue and escape for Mrs. Froy, and the triumph of love between Iris and Gilbert when Iris decides to abandon her diminutive fiance and commit her life to Gilbert.

I'm told that a 1979 remake was silly but this wonderful classic is far from silly.  It's worth seeing.

Catfish

What do I say about this one?  One of Alice's friends suggested that this was a great movie to watch so we rented it and watched it.  I confess.  It was a little strange.  I had trouble getting into the movie but it compelled me to watch.  Maybe that's the whole point.  It was some kind of reality show documentary (or pseudo documentary) about this man (Nev Schulman) who gets into a Facebook friendship with Abby Pierce, supposedly an 8 year old child prodigy artist.  She sends him paintings and they have phone conversations.  As it unfolds, all of this is being taped by camera.

Nev questions the reality of Abby (and her sister, Megan) and decides to visit Ishpeming, Michigan, to meet the family.  Abby really exists but is not really a painter and her mother, Angela, has created a number of Facebook characters and also "talks" for Abby and Megan.  Her husband has two profoundly handicapped sons from a previous marriage and she cares for him and them as she also paints very well but attributes all the paintings to her rather ordinary daughter, the real Abby.  She also claims to have uterine cancer.

Whoa!  Is it a reality show or is it real life.  Is it real or is it Memorex?  The title of "Catfish" comes from a brief story that Angela's husband, Vince, tells.  Years ago when live cod fish were being shipped to other countries the meat was bland and lifeless and, I guess, tasteless, until the shippers included Catfish in the tanks with them to keep them lively and on edge.  Then the meat was much more tasty. 

I guess I learned a lot from the movie.  Trouble is, I was a reluctant learner...but I did learn to appreciate Angela, her made up world, her daughter and step sons and the whole reality that not everything is real.  Some, I'm sure, would even question if this real-life documentary was real.  In that sense, it reminds me of the movie "True Stories" which was not really true. 

I probably won't forget the movie but I'm sort of glad our rental cost was only 85 cents.

Avatar (Part 2)

Back in February I posted some initial comments on "Avatar" and said that we would probably watch the rest of the movie that month.  On April 12 we saw the rest of the movie.  Recently someone said to me, "Oh, you have to see Avatar in 3-D...you won't believe how good it is."  Hmm.  Perhaps I really need to be wowed to get excited about this movie and I doubt if 3-D would have helped.  I actually thought the first half was OK with the semi-paralyzed veteran becoming part of the story by "infiltrating" (and actually becoming one of the Navi people) but the incredible violence and death in the second half of the movie reminded me (us) of how much we hate war. 

Colonel Miles Quaritch is the "kill and win" leader of the human forces who seems to have absolutely no redeeming qualities.  Does he have a wife and children?  What does he do for fun?  I just didn't like this guy but found myself feelinig guilty that I was glad that he was killed by Jake's Navi "girl friend", Neytiri.

The destruction of Hometree, a wonderful central tree (Garden of Eden "type"?) made me very sad.  How could someone be happy about destroying something that wonderful?  It seemed to me that only Miles Quaritch was the truly happy person about that destruction and that was because he was an idiot.  Perhaps this scene alone was designed to change the hearts of people to appreciate even more our natural resources and surroundings.  Maybe it accomplished that purpose.

I'm sure that many people loved the movie and I realize that the cinematography was stunning but the sheer numbers of people, beasts, and foilage on the screen at one time was a little overwhelming at times.  A big screen might have helped.

Life and death and death and life were constant themes in the movie and the resolution at the end with Jake bedoming a Navi was nice but unconvincing. 

The movie was OK but I didn't like it that much.

Hop

Hmm.  What can I say about this movie, Hop?  It was not a bad movie.  It was certainly harmless fun with nothing dirty or objectionable.  It really had very little to do with Easter and especially had nothing to do with the Christian celebration of Easter.

But, as I said, it was not a bad movie.  It had its moments and fun and occasional humor.  Someone next to me said the movie was "Weird" but this person did not say it was bad...it was just a little "Weird."  Multiple scenes with Dave Hasselhof sort of cement this weirdness.

The premise is that the new Easter bunny doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps and escapes from Easter Island (!) to Hollywood where he meets young Fred O'Hare who wouldn't really mind becoming the Easter "hare."  Fred befriends E.B. (Easter Bunny, I guess) and helps him appear before a talent scout and Fred also upstages his own sister at a school Easter pageant.  Ninja rabbits (or I guess they were called "pink berets") capture the human hero (O'Hare) and take him to Easter Island where an aggressive chicken wants to destroy the old Easter Bunny and O'Hare and deliver his own version of Easter in the form of worms and similar chicken food instead of candy. 

Fred rescues everyone and saves the day.  Ultimately, the new Easter bunny (who also wants to be a drummer) joins with Fred as co-Easter bunnies to deliver the yearly goods when the egg baton passes. 

Hey, it's a buddy picture (once again...is this becoming a Hollywood trend?) with Fred's parents happy that he finally has a decent job.

As I said, it's not a bad movie but is probably just one step above "made for TV."  It seems to have family values with a lot of saying "I'm sorry" and a lot of forgiveness.  You won't have to hold your children's eyes and ears and adults won't fall asleep during the movie.  Hey, there's nothing wrong with that!

"Heaven Can Wait"

As we were channel surfing on Sunday afternoon and I was just getting ready to attend a funeral visitation we came across a movie that had just started.  The character was in hell meeting with "His Excellency."  The movie was on WTTW Prime and, without commercials, never mentioned the movie's name.  I tried to check the WTTW schedule and it said that it was "Heaven Can Wait" with Warren Beatty.  I knew none of the actors was Beatty and we were puzzled about the name of the movie.  Today we found out it was the original "Heaven Can Wait" with Don Ameche, Gene Tierney, Charles Coburn, Marjorie Main (who had been Ma Kettle in other movies) and several others. 

I read a couple of reviews of the movie and they were very positive about the movie.  Oh, it was in glorious color and the scenes were excellent but, in my opinion, the premise of the movie left a lot to be desired.  We were taken through the life of Henry Van Cleve starting with his tenth birthday until the time he was in his 70's.  Henry (Don Ameche) is in hell and addressing Satan ("His Excellency" played by Laird Cregar) and Henry assumes that he belongs in hell.  He relates his story to an interested Satan and it is obvious that his character flaw is that he is a ladies man and general rogue.His wife, Martha (Gene Tierney) puts up with his antics and at one point accepts him back, despite his indiscretions and decides that she will just accept him for what he is.

It's never clear what Henry does for a living.  He is just rich and his grandfather is constantly taking care of him and providing for his needs.  His wife's parents are pig farmers from Kansas who at first disown their daughter for forsaking her first love (Henry's cousin) and marrying Henry. 

Henry eventually is sent to heaven since Satan (His Excellency) doesn't think that he qualifies for hell and muses that Henry may have to spend some time in some kind of holding area until he is accepted into heaven.

The movie was clean and seemed to be well-acted.  Like many movies that touch on a religious theme, it troubles my sensibilities.  Hey, the movie is not a theological treatise and, once again, I'm just puzzled how to take it.  We enjoyed watching it on a lazy Sunday afternoon but weren't really sure what to do with the movie.  I suppose that the remake might be better but I'm not sure I want to take the time to watch it.

Paul

I have mixed feelings about this movie we saw today.  It concerned "Paul," a real alien accidentally left on earth in the Roswell area and then used by the government for decades.  He finally escapes and wants to contact his fellow aliens and leave earth.  It really has a pretty good plot but the "R" rating is indicative of the kind of language included in the movie.  It is strange.  If this were a Disney movie without the questionable language people might "pan" it saying, "Oh, it's just one of those formulatic movies with a somewhat happy ending."  I also struggled with the anti-religious bias which was present.  To some extent the movie belittled ultra conservative and narrow minded religion.  I tend to agree with the point they were making but some viewers might misunderstand that it poked fun at "religion" and not faith.  At the end one of Bible thumping characters said, "God bless you."  Paul smirked about this but I thought it was a sweet scene.  Oh, there were drugs, suggestive innuendos and such things but this was ultimately a "buddy movie" with the four main characters interacting in good ways.  As I said, I have mixed feelings about the movie.  It's certainly not for children and I'm not sure how they will ever clean it up enough to be shown on television.  I hope and pray that I don't see or hear children emulating Paul.  If it had been a Disney movie I think I would be willing to support such emulation.  Take away the language and it would be a legitimate thought-provoking movie.

The Last Laugh

I purchased a VHS copy of this movie at a used book sale at our public library.  Unfortunately, the tracking in the movie was horrible and made the top third of the movie difficult to watch.  It is a silent movie released in 1924.  Emil Jannings stars as an aging doorman who is demoted from his job when his boss mistakenly believes that the man is not doing his job.  He has just completed a backbreaking task and is simply taking a break.  The extreme;ly heavy suitcases that he has just unloaded are even part of a later dream sequence.  The doorman is reassigned to be a bathroom attendant and only a night watchman seems to care about him.  His co-workers, his neighbors and even his family to some extent laugh and laugh.  They can't seem to offer or provide any sympathy at all.  Even though this is a silent movie there are no dialogue cards (except for one just before the end.)  Instead, the movie doesn't really need dialogue.  In a way, it could be made today and, hopefully, they wouldn't add a word of dialogue.  The director, F.W. Murnau, is masterful in presenting this look at German culture.  I suspect that such laughter would well describe some of the humiliation and degradation which was part of pre-World War II Germany.  The end of the movie is a little strange and some people dismiss it but I sort of liked it.  The doorman suddenly inherits millions of dollars from someone he has helped as a washroom attendant.  People are laughing again at the unusual fate of a washroom attendant inheriting money.  And, of course, the former doorman is laughing too as he helps the poor and the underlings.  I recommend the movie and hope I get to see a better copy of it.

The King's Speech

The last movie we saw, "The Eagle" was definitely a movie about friendship.  It might have been classified as a "buddy" movie. "The King's Speech" was even more so but it is hardly a buddy movie.  What a wonderful movie about true friendship without any stupid, childish or meaningless subplots.  The Prince of Wales has a profound stutter and the speech therapist he ends up choosing is exactly the person that he needs. Their friendship isn't automatic and it's not simple.  It is one of mutual respect and laced with tension and emotion.  I confess that the language startled me a bit but it wasn't for comedic effect or to appeal to the masses.  It was necessary to the true plot of the movie.  It will be difficult editing this movie for television because the language does make a point.  The movie is very historical with characters that were and are part of our lives.  The night before we saw the movie we saw on 60 Minutes some of the discoveries which were made to enhance the filming of the movie.  They were wonderful.  It's probably not a movie for children but the events of the movie need to be understood by both children and adults as part of history.  Alice said it was one of the best movies that she has ever seen.  I understand that the movie is up for several Academy Awards.  It would be wonderful if it would win. 

The Eagle

Today (February 12) we saw the movie "The Eagle" on its second day of release.  Once again, Alice enjoy this movie very much.  I also liked it and found that it was a well filmed and well acted movie and a movie about things being saved.  Marcus Aquila takes command of a military post in the area where his disgraced father apparently led a group of 5000 soldiers on a mission from which they never returned.  In addition a valuable Roman eagle symbol was apparently forever lost.  Marcus leads his garrison well and prevents a sneak and surprise attack but he is severely wounded in the battle.  He is then honorably retired as his injuries take many months to heal.  While witnessing a fight to the death in one of the Roman games he rescues a man named Esca, agreeing to make him a slave.  However, he is much more than a slave as he becomes his friend.  So, Marcus saves his honor and then saves Esca.  Together they decide to travel to the north beyond Hadrian's wall in Northern Britain to find out what happened to his father and "save" the Eagle symbol.  When they encounter the Seal tribe way to the north Esca now "saves" Marcus by pretending that Marcus is his slave.  They find the Eagle symbol and take it but are pursued by the Seal people.  Esca again saves Marcus in repeated encounters.  A final battle which summons some of the lost 5000 Roman soldiers (recruited by Esca) finds Marcus saving Esca during a bloody battle.  Together they return the Eagle to Rome where one of the Roman politicians mutters that the rescue was made by Marcus and a slave.  With the honor of the family of Marcus restored and "saved" he says that Esca is more than a slave.  The movie is not Christian but the Christian overtones are stunning and we can learn much from it.  The music is haunting.  I was struck by how primitive life really was in the early years of the first Millennium.  The movie is historical, heroic and honorable.

Gnomio and Juliet

We saw the movie "Gnomio and Juliet" in Freeport tonight (February 11) on its opening day.  The Lindo theater was really packed tonight with most of the customers going to the Justin Bieber movie.  Even getting ready for the movie "Gnomio and Juliet" I thought that the primitive cartoon style was a bit strange.  The movie, however, was pretty good and may go a long way in creating more interest in William Shakespeare among the young.  Lots of subtle humor (and some not so subtle humor) was included.  It was a product of Elton John with both music and production attributed to him.  Twice I tried to go to fill up our popcorn container and I couldn't believe the long lines at the concession stand.  Maybe everyone was just anxious to get out of their houses and homes for a movie.  After all, it's already 13 degrees above zero and supposed to get up to 32 on Saturday.  Enough on the weather and on the concessions.  The movie is worth seeing and I/we recommend it.  People applauded at the end...always a sign of a very good movie.

Avatar

So, we are watching Avatar.  We are about 40% through this movie and Alice isn't sure she wants to see the rest because the idyllic situation is soon to change with tanks moving in to destroy the beautiful "rainforest."  Alice liked the parts about flying.  These dizzying scenes, I confess, aren't really my favorites.  Overall, the movie is OK but we are having a difficult time understanding how it could become the number one best selling movie of all time.  We started the movie in mid-January (it was actually Alice's birthday gift to me) and we hope to finish it sometime in February.

"The Manster"

What a strange Japanese movie.  The Americans in the movie carry most of the heavy parts and they were probably enlisted to give the movie some kind of gravitas.  An American reporter interviews a reclusive Japanese scientist who is trying to create some kind of new species.  Why--no one knows.  His latest experiment was a failure and he drugs the reporter and injects him with a serum that slowly changes him into a monster/manster.  Strangely enough, he grows another head and finally splits into two people.  So...it was the evil part of him that did these terrible crimes of killing people.  Is the unevil part of him then innocent.  His wife admits that he is guilty of something.  The movie ends with a ponderous question.  Worth seeing?  Well, maybe.  The viewer does sympathize with this poor reporter who turns very evil in the process of growing this other person. 

"Never Too Late"

The movie "Never Too Late" was part of a Horror movie collection but it is not a horror movie.  A squire plots to have a young woman for his own.  He frames her fiance for a crime while he is out of town.  The squire intercepts his letters and she thinks that he has rejected her.  The innocent man is sent to prison and endures terrible punishment.  The squire happens to regard the people at the prison as his children but he mistreats them horribly.  The "Never Too Late" is some kind of a punishment machine.  A clergyman visiting the prison becomes aware of the horrible conditions and reports them to the governor and reform eventually comes.  The trailer at the beginning of the movie suggests that it was based on historical fact.  It's not a bad movie but is pretty dated.  Stragnely enough, it's one of those movies that could be remade and could make a rather nice movie.  It's worth seeing, mostly for historical purposes.

"Teenage Zombies"

The move "Teenage Zombies" was definitely made in a hurry and since the date of the movie is 1959 I suspect that the producers were just trying to quickly appeal to a burgeoning youth market.  The Black and White movie starring Don Sullivan (where have I heard that name before) has a group of teenagers taking a boat ride to a stranded island.  Some kind of weird foreign scientist is trying to develop ways of controlling people by turning them into zombies.  Even the trusted sheriff is found to be in cahoots with them.  Why?  I cannot tell.  The special effects are almost non-existant.  The people go into some kind of a glass room and are gassed to turn them into either temporary or permanent zombies.  Why?  I cannot tell...wait a minute, I said that already.  The camera angles and the sets make it look like a home movie.  I think that I have produced better stuff in taking movies of myi family.  Hey, the nerve gas in the movie would probably help us forget this loser.  If you are an insomniac it might be helpful to try to watch this movie.  I doubt if an updated movie version would be made in a million years.

"The Devil's Messenger"

This is a somewhat strange combination of three black and white movies in one.  They are hosted by "Mr. D" in the form of Lon Chaney, Jr.  It is classic Lon Chaney.  He seems the same in any role that he takes.  The first segment involves a photographer who is faced with a beauty that haunts his pictures and dreams.  He slays her and then is remorseful and ends up in hell.  The second segment involes a scientist who is obsessed with a woman encased in ice--an "Ice Princess."  He slays the person who is researching the find and then tries to thaw out the girl (who supposedly comes to life) but finds himself also in hell.  The third segment finds a man who visits a fortuneteller who foretells his death.  Guess what?  He dies and ends up in hell.  The woman who lures all three to their hellish demise then plots with Chaney to destroy the world.  It's a strange combination of movies and hardly worth your time though the second segment does have its moments.  I am amazed at the basic morals suggested and the "reward" of hell for those who "sin."

C.S. Lewis

Alice and I saw "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" movie in the Wisconsin Dells just before New Years.  It was originally a fantasy novel for children written by C.S. Lewis and published in 1952 as the third book in the "Chronicles of Narnia."  We previously saw "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" but did not see the second movie in the series.  Frankly, I had trouble following the movie, especially the first half.  I simply struggle with C.S. Lewis and I'm not sure why.  The second half of the movie was better.  It was almost as if I finally understood the characters.  I recommend the movie but I confess that it was not my favorite movie of the year.  Alice loved it.

Switz Movie Blog: Getting Started

Switz Movie Blog: Getting Started: I am struggling getting this Blog started but I think I'm figuring it out.

Getting Started

Since I enjoy movies and especially old Black and White movies, I decided to Blog brief summaries of some of the movies I watch.  We'll see what happens.