Tuesday Movie Reviews

Hot Tub Time Machine
Starring: John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Chevy Chase
Directed by Steve Pink

I saw the commercials. I heard the ads on the radio. I couldn't imagine a movie titled Hot Tub Time Machine being any good at all. I was wrong. Even though I thought The Hangover was funny, I never thought it should have been the huge success it was. This movie, in my opinion, was funnier and better! Sure the concept is absolutely ridiculous. Three down on their luck friends of more than twenty years decide to go back to the place where everything was once carefree. They bring along the twenty-something nephew of Cusack's character. When they get in the hot tub of their chalet, it magically transports them back to 1986. They can now re-live the great times they had, but they have to be very careful. By changing something in their past it may effect their lives in present day 2010. Silly...but hysterically funny. Yes, there are some silly scenes, but done in such a way that even the main characters find them silly. It's like the viewer is not only in on the joke, but part of it. It may be that I was a kid of the 80's and remember a lot of the stuff they were seeing and hearing, but I truly felt I was watching something fun and original. The four main guys were perfect, but John Corddry was a real stand out for me. He was the hardest guy to like...rude, brash, depressing even. But something rang true about him that I could sort of relate to. I really liked this film, and what makes it more impressive is, I shouldn't have.

GRADE: A-

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Starring: Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Joe Pantoliano
Directed by Chris Columbus

There will be obvious comparisons to this movie and the Harry Potter franchise. In fact, Chris Columbus directed the first two Harry Potter movies. What I think is important to mention is that Percy Jackson should be for older kids. There a many frightening scenes that would have freaked me out at age 10 or 11. Still, the story was quite interesting. Percy is a demigod, the son of Poseidon and a mortal woman. He is destined to be a hero and goes for his training after it's thought he has stolen Zeus' lightning bolt. He has no idea what the hell is going on, but soon learns to accept his destiny and superhuman powers. He must find out who actually stole the lightning to clear his name and save the world from the feuding Gods. I really liked the interaction of the kids trying to help Percy on his journey. The special effects were top notch. Even the big name actors in their cameos were quite enjoyable. If I was 14 years old, this would probably be my favourite movie of all time, but, alas, I'm no longer 14. I still liked the film, though, and I look forward to the inevitable sequels.

GRADE: B

The Crazies
Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson
Directed by Breck Eisner

This is a remake of a film done in the 1970's that I always wanted to see but never got around to. I kinda wish I did. It's usually the case that the original is much better than it's remake (see Planet Of The Apes!!). It's not that I hated The Crazies, but I did get a little bored at times. It was quite obvious to me what was making the people want to kill others, even though it was supposed to be kind of a surprise. What I didn't like was the fact that the entire small town of 1200 people seemed to be affected except for 2 people. I guess that's why there was a movie. I liked Olyphant's character. He was strong enough but also human enough to question what was happening. Radha Mitchell made me cringe every time she was on screen. It's not that I don't like her as an actress. I think her character was very poorly developed. There were some good scenes of fright and gore, but, for the most part, the film left me wanting more...kind of like Eisner's other big movie, Sahara.

GRADE: C+

When You're Strange
Starring: Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, narrated by Johnny Depp
Directed by Tom DiCillo

There have been many documentaries about The Doors, and the major film directed by Oliver Stone. I've read a lot about the band as well. So, seeing these other films and reading these books, I didn't find out anything "new" about the band. Everything that there is to tell has been told. What I loved was the footage of the band that had never been seen before. That stuff was very interesting. The problem is there wasn't enough to fill an entire movie, so director DiCillo decided to put in some strange scenes that didn't seem to fit with the flow of the documentary. At times the film was a jumbled mess. If you're a true fan of The Doors and the mystery of Jim Morrison, this is probably not the movie to watch. You already know what's being told, and the extra crap may upset you.

GRADE: C

Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage
Starring: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart, Jack Black, Sebastian Bach, Les Claypool, Kirk Hammett, Billy Corgan, Trent Reznor
Directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn

McFadyen and Dunn were the guys behind the brilliant Metal: A Headbanger's Journey which, even if you're semi-interested in the heavy metal genre, should be required viewing. They bring their love of music and film together once again to detail the rise and success of Rush, the biggest band ever to come out of Toronto. I've always been a fan of Rush, but never a hardcore fan. I may become one now that I've seen this documentary. The film starts with Rush's humble beginnings in Toronto, how they had to replace their original drummer, how they grew to fame and fortune, and about their avid following all over the world. The band seems down to earth and quite humbled by their decades of success which is really refreshing to see. Geddy Lee even jokes that when he was approached for the idea of a documentary he thought the band was far to boring to fill 2 hours. I'm here to tell you he was wrong! Many musicians are featured talking about how Rush influenced them in one way or another, but all of them agree that the members of Rush are some of the finest musicians ever. Great fun, interesting and the music ain't bad either.

GRADE: A

Leah

I'd like to introduce the new member of the Steinberg/Mundier household...her name is Julia, but we've decided to call her Leah. She's a two-year-old German Shepherd/Huskie mix, rescued from Montreal after her elderly owner had to move into an old age home. She has spent the last three weeks in Scugog, Ontario at a Doggie Camp. I think she already misses her friends, but she seems to be adapting well and taking to Denise and I very well. She's a little skittish at the moment (probably because she fell down the stairs in the house and landed on her head!!), but she's checking out the place slowly. We just took her for her first walk around the block and she tried to get into every parked car we passed! She likes car rides apparently. She will be loved and pampered and treated better than she ever thought could be possible. We are not replacing are beloved Saffy, who will always be remembered as the best dog EVER, but we felt we needed to hear the pitter-patter of four hairy feet in the house again. Here's to many happy years with our new best friend....welcome Leah!

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Green Zone
Starring: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson, Amy Ryan
Directed by Paul Greengrass

Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon have teamed up in the past to give us some exciting action films from the Bourne series (Supremacy and Ultimatum). Their collaboration with Green Zone doesn't disappoint. The story revolves around a team of soldiers in Iraq that are trying to track down WMDs. The troupe is led by Bourne...I mean Damon...who thinks something strange is going on when they're never able to find any big bombs. He questions high ranking officials to the validity of the intel they're receiving. When he feels he's getting the run around, he decides to take matters into his own hands. Now, by no means is this a Rambo-type move. He's not taking on the entire US and Iraqi armies on his own. He's clever enough to ask the right questions of the right people to figure out what he'd been fearing...lies from the US government. What I liked so much about this film is the total believability of the story. It feels like this could have been a 60 Minutes expose. The action is pretty much non-stop and Damon, as always, holds your attention throughout. I really enjoyed the way the US government were made to look like total jerks...that always makes me happy. Even though there a few political-type ideas to remember and recall, and I usually hate following those kinds of things, the movie moves along at such a pace that it seems easy to handle. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and look forward to watching it again.

GRADE: A

She's Out Of My League
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller, Debra Jo Rupp, Krysten Ritter
Directed by Jim Field Smith

There were things that I really liked about this film and things that I really didn't like at all. Let's start with Jay Baruchel. I've enjoyed watching his geeky act ever since his days on "Undeclared", a very underrated TV show from the early 2000's. Problem is, he's never really dropped that persona (although I hear he's great in Trotsky). I started to become annoyed at his facial expressions and movements which I know is a bit trivial, but when he looks as though he is constantly constipated it starts to bother me. That was a real disappointment. Another thing I didn't really care for was one scene that I would call "bathroom humour" that I didn't feel needed to be in the movie at all. It was obviously there to make the teenage crowd howl with laughter, but after the age of 18 or so I stopped thinking that kind of stuff was funny. Also, T.J. Miller, playing Stainer, reminded me of a cross between Will Ferrel and Napoleon Dynamite...not a good combination! What I did like was the honesty in the dialogue through most of the film. It was refreshing to hear. Also, the performance of Alice Eve as Holly. Sure, she's gorgeous, but I found myself really liking the character she became. I was under the impression that she would be a bitch in the film, I don't know why I came up with that, but she was totally engaging. Did I mention she's gorgeous as well? Anyway, She's Out Of My League was enjoyable but a little disappointing all at once. Maybe I expected more...I don't know...but I have a feeling it will please the masses.

GRADE: B-

Baseball Is Cool Because...

So I heard today of a very cool happening that took place in the Blue Jays/Giants game yesterday and it made me think of some of the things that I truly love about the sport. It's not always about the great plays and the reams of stats. It's very often the "human factor" of the game that makes my heart swell. John McDonald, a utility player for the Jays, just lost his father to a battle with liver cancer. He had taken the last week or so off to be with him. He returned for yesterday's afternoon game, but wasn't in the starting lineup. One of his dad's last wishes was for John to hit a home run for him. John apparently told him that hitting a home run was not that easy. If you check his career stats, John McDonald is not what you'd call a slugger. Well, as the Jays were losing 9-3 in the 9th inning, manager Cito Gaston decided to let John hit for a slumping Aaron Hill. Remember, this was his first at bat after losing his father days before. It was Father's Day no less. John McDonald hit a home run over the left field fence!! If you were to watch the video, you can see him holding back his tears as he rounded the bases. The Toronto bench acted as if they just won the game...they didn't of course. It was an unbelievably emotional moment that Vernon Welles said he'd never forget.
Check out the video at this link:
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=9201989&topic_id=8878984&c_id=tor

This event made me think of a couple of other plays that have stuck with me for their emotional value rather than the big home run to win a game or the perfect game that wasn't thrown....

The most famous would have to be Lou Gehrig's famous speech near the end of his career...and life. Gehrig was a powerhouse hitter for the New York Yankees and famously was dubbed The Iron Horse for his incredible streak of consecutive games played, 2130 of them. (Later eclipsed by Cal Ripken). He is also famous for contracting the deadly disease ALS, now widely known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. After playing his last game in 1939, barely able to stand straight anymore, the Yankees held a game in his honour. Gehrig made his famous speech at that game where he called himself "the luckiest man on the face of this Earth". He was in physical pain, he knew he didn't have long to live, but the love of the fans made him feel that way. He was dead less than two years later, but is still remembered as one of the best to ever play the game!

Ted Williams is widely regarded as the best pure hitter that baseball has ever seen. He started his career in 1939 and made a splash right away by hitting 31 home runs, driving in 145 runs and batting .327 as a rookie. His career stats are some of the best in any hitting category, and that's with 4 years to service in WWII, where he was a decorated war hero, and most of two seasons to The Korean War. Baseball pundits think Williams may have shattered all career records if he had played those seasons. He is the last player to hit .400 in a season, batting .406 in 1941...and that's where my story begins. On the last day of the season, Williams was batting .400...well, .3997, but his average would have been rounded up to the .400 in the record books. His manager and teammates told him to sit out the last day of the season, a double-header, to secure his .400 average. Ted Williams was never one to take the easy way out. He said .3997 is NOT .400 and he'd be playing both games of the double-header. He not only played both games, but collected 6 hits in his 8 at-bats to finish at .406!! That's my favourite Williams story, but he tried to top it in 1960. Williams was never a fan favourite in Boston. He was rude to the fans and the press. Everybody appreciated him, but nobody really liked him. He vowed to never give the fans the satisfaction of a curtain call after a big home run. On the last day of the season, on his last at-bat for his career, Teddy Williams hit a monster home run in Fenway Park. He rounded the bases and went back into the dugout. The fans knew this would be his last career plate appearance, and to hit a home run was a very special thing. They gave him a rousing ovation for many minutes...but Williams refused to make a curtain call and tip his cap to the crowd! He may have been a jackass, but he was easily one of the greatest hitters ever.

There are many more stories like these, but I'll save some for another time.

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Youth In Revolt
Starring: Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Jean Smart, Zack Galifianakis, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Fred Willard, Justin Long, M. Emmet Walsh
Directed by Miguel Arteta

I have become bored of Michael Cera. His role as George Michael in the brilliantly funny TV show Arrested Development was refreshing, but he has been typecast because of it. Everything he has done since that show was cancelled has had elements of George Michael in it. The same can be said for Cera's portrayal of Nick Twisp, a troubled lad who just wants to fall in love and, foremost, get laid. The brilliance of his role comes when Twisp creates an alter ego by the name of Francois Dillinger. This naughty French boy is rude, crass, much more dangerous and hysterically funny. He was created through a number of circumstances too lengthy to get into here, but the short form is, Twisp needs to be bad to get the goods. Cera's foray into other territory is refreshing and comical...and good! I enjoyed this film because of the odd performances and the twisted lengths that Cera goes to in order to find true love. This is a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously, which makes the ride more enjoyable. There are also very cool animation cuts between a few scenes. And Fred Willard??? He's the best!!!

GRADE: B+

The Book Of Eli
Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Beals, Tom Waits, Michael Gambon
Directed by The Hughes Brothers

I really wanted to like The Book Of Eli. I loved the teasers I saw on TV and on trailers. I have to say I was slightly disappointed after watching the film. I'll talk about the things I did like, but I have to warn you now, the things I didn't particularly like may CONTAIN SPOILERS!!! Denzel Washington was great. He is one of a few actors out there that can play just about any role and I'll wholly believe it. He commands the screen in every scene. I also liked the way most of the movie was filmed. There were flashes of creativity I've seldom seen. One shot in particular went from outside to inside, through a window, turned, and went back outside, turned again, and went back towards the house. (You'll understand this when you see the scene). The look and feel of the film was presented very well...muted browns and yellows in a dry world with little water. The action scenes were well conceived, too. Now, what I didn't like. The story was very weak and predictable. (If you can't figure out what the Book in the title is, you should be shot). It was quite obvious what was going to happen minutes before it did, except for the twist. The twist in the story comes out of nowhere and is only there to make the viewer gasp. If you were to look back at everything you saw and heard throughout the film, the "twist" makes very little sense and has little importance in my opinion. There are too many actions that can't be explained if we are to believe what is revealed...and since this happens near the end of the movie, it takes away from all I liked previous. It will create interesting discussions, but I feel it was a cop out, a plot turn for plot turn's sake. Wow, I didn't spoil anything...I'm pretty proud of myself.

GRADE: C

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Shutter Island
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Jackie Earle Haley, Patricia Clarkson
Directed by Martin Scorsese

When I saw the commercials for Shutter Island before it was released in the theatres, I guessed at the big twist that was being talked about. You may have done the same thing. I bet, like me, you're right. Does that mean all is lost on this movie? The "twist" is not hard to figure out, for sure, but all that follows is quite interesting indeed. I won't go into the story in case it is a mystery to you, but I realized there is a lot more going on throughout the film. Leo is very convincing in his role, contrary to many reviews I read. I don't see why so many people have a problem with this very good actor. Ben Kingsley is great, Max Von Sydow is very good as well (I can't believe he's been soooo good for soooo long!). The movie did seem like a bit of a departure for Scorsese. I didn't notice any of his trademark camera movements (and no Rolling Stones song either). I would liken the look of the film to a cross between Cape Fear and The Aviator. Still, the subject was very interesting, the denouement was wholly satisfying, and I enjoyed the film much more than I expected.

GRADE: B+

From Paris With Love
Starring: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Directed by Pierre Morel

I feel strange reviewing this film and I'll tell you why...I had no business enjoying it as much as I did!! OK, it's not gonna win any awards, but seeing Travolta kick ass all over the place really worked well. Rhys Meyers works for some sort of secret Black Ops government agency and is trying to move up in the ranks. He gets his big chance when he is hooked up with Travolta, an agent that loves to shoot first and ask questions later. Seems like your regular Lethal Weapon type match up, and it kinda was, but the action scenes were actually pretty good and well conceived. The idea for the film came from Luc Besson who wrote such great flicks as La Femme Nikita and The Professional (or Leon for you snobs). He does know how to weave a good action film and had to have some sort of influence on the filming of this one. Ryhs Meyers was really not very good...seems as though he can't handle situational humour very well. But I gotta say, Travolta surprised me and made the 90 minutes more than tolerable. The story is a little weak (there's a twist that I clued into about 5 minutes in), but this isn't the type of film that you watch for deep meaning. Sit back and enjoy the ride, I did.

GRADE: B-

The 41 Year Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall And Felt Superbad About It
Starring: Absolutely nobody of note
Directed by Craig Moss

From the brilliant title you may have guessed that this straight-to-video release is a parody of Judd Apatow's very successful comedies from the past few years. Truthfully, the title is the most clever thing about this movie. I could only watch about 40 minutes of it, but I doubt it got any better through the second half. It saddens me that parody is a lost art form. It's been 30 years since Airplane, the most famous and funniest of all the parodies that followed it. This is a genre that must die unless Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker bring it back with a flourish. The only thing worthy on note in this piece of crap movie is the kid that played the Michael Cera-type character. He had Cera's quirky mannerisms down pat. Other than that small highlight, do not waste your time with it! By the way, director Moss' only claim to fame is an 8 minute short title "Saving Ryan's Privates" about war heroes that have to save their buddy's penis. Hilarious!! (Does sarcasm come across on a blog??).

GRADE: F

Give It To Him!!!!

So I feel I need to weigh in on the perfect game thrown by Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers earlier this week. Notice how I wrote "perfect game"...because it was!!! For those who don't know what I'm talking about, let me summarize. On June 2nd I'm sitting in my living room watching the Jays. During an inning change there comes a report that Armando Galarraga was in the eighth inning of a perfect game. Laptop is now open and I'm watching the Detroit game live on mlb.com. Down to the last at bat, Galarraga has retired 26 batters in a row. Jason Donald comes up for the Indians. The count goes to one ball and one strike when Donald hits a ground ball to the right of first baseman Miguel Cabrerra which pulls him off the bag. Galarraga covers the bag, receives the throw from Cabrerra, puts his right foot down on the bag a good step ahead of Donald....and umpire Jim Joyce calls him safe!!! Unbelievable!!! This umpire's blown call just took a perfect game away from a young guy, 28, who has never, or would never again, know the pure joy of what he had done. Perfect games in baseball are rare. There have only been 20 of them since 1880....that's 130 years folks!! It's much more rare than a hole in one in golf. (Strange enough, there have been two other perfect games thrown this year: Dallas Braden on May 9th and Roy "Doc" Halladay on May 29th). So, after the game, umpire Joyce takes a look at the replay that millions have already seen. Sure enough he admits to blowing the call. He apologizes, Galarraga understands, everybody goes on with their lives....
BUT WAIT A SECOND!!! The league is sent the tape for review for a possible reversal of the call, giving Galarraga the perfect game he deserves. Bud Selig, the commissioner of baseball, says they will not overturn the call but will take a look at using instant replay for such things in the future. What bullshit! They have the proof in their hands, the umpire said he blew the call, the hit made absolutely no difference in the outcome of the game (the Tigers were up 3-0) so why not reverse the call?? Some people talk of the purity of the game, how it's always been about human error on the part of the umps (who, by the way, get well over 90% of close calls correct!), how stats would have to be reversed and asterisks placed beside Galarraga's name, and blah, blah, blah. Jason Donald is a rookie hitting .250 this year...do you think he'd care if they took away a hit from his end of year totals?? I highly doubt it. Do you think anybody would care if Cabrerra got another assist on his yearly fielding totals?? Not bloody likely. Do you think Galarraga wants to be known as the 21st pitcher in the history of the Major Leagues to have thrown a perfect game?? Fuckin' right he does...and he should!!!

Tuesday Movie Reviews

Alice In Wonderland
Starring: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover
Directed by Tim Burton

I'm sure someone, sometime, when I was young, read Alice In Wonderland to me. I don't remember it though. My only knowledge of what transpires in the story comes from a Jefferson Airplane song and a Tom Petty video. So when people tell me that this is a re-telling of the story, making it creatively different than the original, my only thought is "THANK GOD"!! I would hate to have thought of all the young children that would have to grow up with this version of Alice. Boooorrrrring!!!! First of all, why is the Mad Hatter speaking in a Scottish accent?? Why is the little door-mouse so incredibly violent?? Why does the story become a bad version of The Lord Of The Rings?? I was so confused and bored by the entire movie. The only two things I enjoyed, which saved me from turning the film off early, were the performances of Mia Wasikowska as Alice and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen. What??? You didn't think Johnny Depp was great?? NO!!!! He took Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka and Michael Keaton's Beetlejuice, mashed them together and came up with one of the most annoying characters I've ever seen. He even looked bored doing it! Mia, on the other hand, was totally engaging and believable (except for the crazy "battle" scene at the end). I really liked her and will have to find other movies she was in. Helena Bonham Carter was the real star of the show and I wished she was in the movie much more than she was. You could tell she was having a great time hamming it up as the Red Queen. Even though the character is one dimensional, she definitely did the most she could do with it, and then some. Kids may like the bright colours and inventive sets, but all in all, for the most part, this movie sucked!

GRADE: D-

Now a movie that was released on video about a month ago that I just watched this weekend...it's called...

Peacock
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Susan Sarandon, Josh Lucas, Bill Pullman, Keith Carradine
Directed by Michael Lander

I had no idea what this movie was about when I took it home, but people at the store were saying it was really interesting. I have to say, I really liked it. We start with a woman bringing in her laundry from outside, very quickly, and her motions make the viewer think she's agorophobic. She prepares some breakfast, a bagged lunch, and watches the kids across the street get on the school bus, all behind tightly drawn curtains. She goes upstairs, takes off her dress, and lo and behold, she's a dude! OK, I saw that coming. What I didn't see coming was the complete schizophrenia that Cillian Murphy's character experiences. The female, Emma, has no idea what the male, John, is doing and vice versa. This all comes to a head when a train derails near the house and Emma is "discovered" by the startled neighbours. This gives Emma the opening she's been looking for, to take over John for the body the both inhabit. I may be making this sound more confusing than it is, but I have to tell you that Murphy is absolutely brilliant! Every move he makes, as John or Emma, is totally believable, as if we're watching a real person suffer from this illness. Ellen Page and Susan Sarandon are pretty much painting by numbers, but the movie is definitely worth seeing for Murphy alone, who appears in just about every scene. I also found myself getting caught up in the story as well. Try it, you might like it...I did.

GRADE: B+