Another Lousy Day In Paradise

Movie Review: The Good Guy - A modern take on integrity in love

Lars Hindsley — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:04:54 -0500

I'm a sucker for a New York story, especially ones that are actually shot in Manhattan, not just fly-over shots of the skyline or shots across the Hudson or East River implying the story takes place there. Much of The Good Guy's appeal is its authenticity. It's as if Wallstreet met The Fountainhead, on a smaller scale.

The Good Guy is presented as a romantic comedy, but as most romantic comedies being produced these days, it's more of a romantic dramady. Set in the post economic collapse of contemporary Manhattan, as you may expect the Wall Street decadence has not faltered. It's a story of integrity in love set against the culture of downtown New York City. That is Beth (Alexis Bledel), a young and attractive Manhattanite is in what seems a loving relationship, wrestling with her desire for some elements to be better. Her boyfriend Tommy (Scott Porter) is coming up short on taking her away on a vacation as he appears more consumed with work.

We begin at the end of the story. Tommy, a young Wall Street hot-shot shows up to his girlfriend Beth's apartment explaining he's had the worst night of his life and in need of his wallet. Meanwhile she won't let him in, she takes it to him at the doorstep then turns him away ...

Movie Review: Avatar James Cameron

Lars Hindsley — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 04:03:18 -0500

Every director has a Sci-Fi on their to-do list of film genre's.   James Cameron wasn't satisfied with Terminator. In fact he has a others, but Avatar may be his best film making achievement yet when it comes to pushing the envelope on what is possible in film.   In fact technology took years to evolve and make his vision of Avatar possible. He scrapped the idea of filming Avatar on the heels of Titanic specifically to allow the film industry to mature and make his vision possible.

What is that you ask? We've all seen the integration of live actors interacting with celluloid painted characters like in 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit? or even as far back as 1945's Gene Kelly dancing with cartoon character Jerry of Tom and Jerry in Anchors Away.   Of course there is the poorly executed interaction between CGI (computer generated imagery) generated Gungan's and live actors in the recent Star Wars films shot in the early 2000's. That CGI work was designed developed and implemented by ILM (Industrial Light & Magic). Eventually better CGI came about in films like Lord of the Rings where WETA far and away out-performed ILM in seamless human & CGI interaction. In Avatar, WETA has been teamed up with ILM. Thankfully ILM's shoddy work in Star Wars does not take place in Avatar. That's important as hell because Avatar's entire story hinges on you accepting the world of Pandora as a real environment. Sadly if the film has any flaws it's some of the environmental experiences that remind you this is a film. The most glaring example is that when the humanoid characters step on or touch plant life, the plants respond with a burst of light, from fingers touching foliage to feet walking on branches. Despite it's flaws Avatar holds up nicely in most every aspect.

Avatar is far and beyond anything ever seen on screen to date. The integration of live actors and CGI (computer generated imagery) is flawless and never in question in terms of suspending disbelief.   Seeing the film in IMAX 3D is a must and completes the immersive experience. What is more is the 3D used in Avatar doesn't employ the hokey objects flying off screen at you tactics used by predecessors, instead it's used for depth of field.   The reality is the principal characters portrayed in CGI by Sam Worthington (Jake Sully) and Zoe Saldana (Neytiri - at left) are not merely voiced but they did in fact act out their roles in the film process.

Now that you've got the lowdown on the hype, what of the story? Plausible, but like all science fiction action films, many things are stretched. From the over the top pro-eco environmentalist message which goes as far as to employ the harmony of Zen-like principals to the insulting cliche' treatment of Marines making them out to being no more than

Movie Review: Moon - Sam Rockwell's Stellar Performance

Lars Hindsley — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:22:16 -0500

Sometimes great movies hide outside our orbit. The studios released Moon in limited release in the usual places, L.A. & N.Y. Moon has won various awards, Best Euro Fantasy Film, Best Film at Sitges International Film Festival, Best New British Feature, Silver Hitchcock from Dinard Film Festival and Golden Athena from Athens International Film Festival. So why didn't the savvy theater-goers of these two great cities give Moon enough buzz for wider release?

The reality is Moon is a pensive and thoughtful film. It's hard to market sci-fi films in the first place unless they are action related. Sure it's a sci-fi with a twist, but it is more of an intellectual journey with appropriate special effects to support the story. Moon was destined to miss the big screen. Don't miss it on the small screen!

Moon is a one man show; unless you count the moon-base computer guide, GERTY portrayed by Kevin Spacey a second man. Yet as the story unfolds and other characters are exposed we come back to the same point, Moon is a one man show. Now I hate to give away plot points in reviews because - and especially in this case, it would make the story less enjoyable for you if you are looking to peel back the layers of what you see for the first time on your own.

The premise is simple. A man (Sam Bell) is working on the moon alone. Similar to Robinson Carouse in that he is stranded for a period of time and yearns to be with his family again. Sam has a wife and child and does all he can to fill his time in an effort to finish his three year contract and return to Earth to be with them. His days are filled with repetition so ultimately he does everything almost like a machine despite his outward enthusiasm which he uses to mask his ever-growing longing to go home to his wife. It becomes evident Sam feels no joy in any task...

Movie Review: 500 Days of Summer

Lars Hindsley — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0500

She holds his hand and it breaks his heart.

Now you tell me what is wrong with that sentence? What's wrong with that thought? Yet it is true.

500 Days of Summer is not a love story. It is. It is that story that every guy has buried inside his soul where we all think that only we know romance. It's that story of how we think we are all so special and more unique than anyone else. It's the story about how we believe the myth our mother told us that one day we will find true love.

It's a story about true love. The problem is it's about the truth of love.

Have you seen Casablanca? No... 500 Days of Summer is not Casablanca. It is however a story that delivers the truth of love in the same way Casablanca does. It gives you that kick in the teeth twist that only real life could deliver. It gives you that obvious answer you can't see because you are too busy seeing things the way you want them to be, not as how they really are. It's delicately told story with some hard hitting truth. Oh... did I mention this is classified a 'romantic comedy'?

Hollywood can be evil. Songs can be evil, books and stories... so evil. They all indoctrinate us to believe that each one of us is going to find that one special person that above all others will not forsake us, and make us feel loved. 500 Days of Summer is a reminder that the harder you search for that true love, the harder it is to see what love is.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a compelling leading man. He plays Tom Hansen a young twenty-something that has for all his life felt that regardless of his ...

Film Review: District 9

Lars Hindsley — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:00:00 -0400

Imagine you are three months into pre-production of one of the most elaborate movies of all time. It's big, but not as well known as Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, but just as big. Then due to issues between the studios and the property owners of the story, the plug is pulled on the entire project. What do you do?

If you are lucky and smart you get District 9.

District 9 is the child of 29 year old director Neill Blomkamp. District 9 is entirely based on the concept from a short video Alive in Joburg which Blomkamp directed and Sharlto Copley produced in 2005. It's worth noting that Sharlto Copley (authentic South African) has the starring role as Wikus in District 9.

Both Alive In Joburg and District 9 are truly original ideas which elevates this sci-fi horror film to greatness; yes horror. It's extremely graphic but mostly be inference. Bodies blow up but the action is so fast you are not left watching grotesque images.

You may question what was the original film much of the production of District 9 repurposed? It was none other than Halo, based on the Bungee studios video game built exclusively for the Microsoft Xbox game consoles. If you are aware of Halo's story line it's entirely possible to envision District 9 as the precursor to Halo. In the story Halo, earth is at war with an alien race. A back history question is what caused the war? Generally wars are provoked and story of District 9 could be that provocation towards an alien race that drives Halo.

Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings Director) was slotted to head up the Halo movie and he brought in Neill Blomkamp to direct it. When Microsoft ...

Movie Review: Deadgirl

Lars Hindsley — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:44:54 -0400

This is an early review for Deadgirl, opening in theaters July 24th 2009.

Deadgirl hardly promotes itself as a horror film and it shouldn't; still Ferris Beuller never took a day off like this! Viewing it in its entirety, there is no other genre you can fit it into. It is indeed a horror film. Yet for the style or description you'd tag it with, Deadgirl is original. I can't label it brilliant, but it took some brilliance to make such a smart horror story.

SYNOPSIS:

Daringly original and genre-busting, Deadgirl is an odyssey into the soul of our alienated youth. But by injecting universal teen moral moorings into something fantastical and terrifying, the film takes the conventions of the horror and coming-of-age movies and turns them on their heads. When high school misfits Rickie (Shiloh Fernandez) and JT (Noah Segan) decide to cut school and find themselves lost in the crumbling facility of a nearby abandoned hospital, they come face-to-face with a gruesome discovery: a woman whose body has been stripped naked, chained to a table and covered in plastic. When both react to the situation in extremely different ways, the boys soon find themselves embarking on a twisted yet poignant journey that forces them to decide just how far they're willing to stretch their understanding of right and wrong.

What concerns me is that without a promotional campaign, trailer or any visual aid of what you as a moviegoer are in for, it becomes hard not to spoil the story in a review in a small degree. You see, despite the films teen angst and coming of age sub-plot it's not a film for teens due it's graphic depiction of warped sexual behavior. Deadgirl is certainly not suitable for anyone under 18 in my opinion. The content is intensely adult. Deadgirl exploits teens in a whole new way where horror films have feared to tread. In today's society where parents don't even care were their kids are at night, it would be wise to shield them from the adult sexual theme in Deadgirl.

While I warn you of the content, if you enjoy horror films this one is as the film makers claim; original. Deadgirl crosses-over early on into a suspenseful drama.

Movie Review - X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Lars Hindsley — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:52:49 -0400

There is no doubt that Hugh Jackman is the perfect actor to portray Wolverine; and Marvell's decision to do an origin story on Wolverine is a good idea. The character is steeped in mystery for the average movie goer whom enjoyed the first three X-Men films. The idea is to take us back some 15 years before the X-Men films take place. For the most part we get introduced to many new X-Men when they were young? Cyclops is but a young teen, Emma Frost, Gambit all become small blips in the film. The story itself is worthy and the assortment of other Marvel characters in it, but when you use other characters, you open Pandora's box to their origins too. Certain enough that the bastardization of those characters hurts this film. There is much confusion as to what nationality Wolverine is. He's born in what appears America but as he ages infinitely slower than regular humans, he settles in Canada. The same goes for the key protagonist, Stryker. Is his program an American run operation or Canadian? After all the secret government facilities are housed in both Canada and America. It makes no sense. How can a man travel in both countries and run what appears a secret American commando operation out of Canada? On who's authority does he operate? While I'm condemning all this garbage, the film actually holds together the first 40 minutes. Then the story falls apart. At the seams. From Gambit interfering in a fight between Wolverine and Sabertooth without good reason, to Logan's continued interest in revenge after he learns he has no reason for it.

Aside from the failed story line there are still two major problems with Wolverine, one is story tellers bring in other characters without any true interplay. The second is the ending.

Starting with interplay: While the story between Wolverine and his brother Sabertooth (played by Liev Schreiber) offers some tension, it's not palpable. It doesn't work. With an entire film to build that tension up from, it fails to do so. Then there is the dreaded Weapon X program. This is a detailed storyline which is dismantled and reconstructed without appreciation for how it affects other characters such as Deadpool. I'll get to that. When Wolverine joins the X-Team we get to see him participate in part of one mission. We don't get to experience any true teamwork by the team. Instead ...

Movie Review: The Song of Sparrows

Lars Hindsley — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:46:54 -0400

When I first caught wind of The Song of Sparrows I was intrigued but what I thought would be stunning cinematography but quickly noticed the still photos were saturated and vivid by comparison to the washed out grade of film. No matter, the easy going story and pacing had a throwback feel where as a film goer, you realize a picture really does say a thousand words. Despite the film grade, the story still draws you in as it relies heavily on communication through the unspoken word. The Song of Sparrows was originally released in 2008 in its homeland by Iranian director Majid Majidi; Spoken in Persian with English subtitles.

I find it amazing when we tell stories that draw us in and they don't include bombs, murder, or epic plots. The beauty of The Song of Sparrows is in its serenity. A story becomes most real when all you have are the human elements. Centering around one man Karim and his family it is a journey through values. My only question is that in Iran, the current regime has extreme rules in film making and censorship is a filmmakers enemy when attempting to write any story of substance. While the ultra conservative values of the Iranian government can be beneficial to benevolent stories, it also means that families with loving husbands and wives for example are forced. We as western viewers may admire the love and patience the character Karim shows for his wife, but is it really an honest portrayal of how most Iranian couples interact?

Movie Review Watchmen: No Advanced Book Reading

Lars Hindsley — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:07:46 -0400

My review is backwards and perhaps more appropriate a review for 90 percent of the potential viewing audience of Watchmen as 90 percent of movie goers to Watchmen will not have first read the book; and this is a good thing. That is I may be the only person to watch Watchmen and then read the book. In addition, I'm part of the graphic novel collective in that I do know a great deal about comic book characters from the days of the Death of Superman and Batman having his back broken by Bane and the Spider-Man clone saga to the recent Marvel Civil War series. But somehow I missed Watchmen years ago and never had the notion to read it.

There was a lot of hype about this film. To call it ambitious is wrong. It really is an accessible film based on one of the greatest graphic novels ever written and this is the real problem many may experience in trying to enjoy this film; the hype. For instance when I saw the first trailer almost a full year before the film's release it depicted Dr. Manhattan and Silk Specter II standing in a time piece the size of a tall building in what appeared to be a desert. It cut to a nuclear explosion where Night Owl and Silk Specter II were both about to be wiped out. I figured, "Another trailer ruining a plot line". But I was wrong and the hokeyness of the scenes was a mistake in movie reveals if you ask me because in the end, I was wrong about everything I assumed before watching the film. I'll get to that.

What is Watchmen? Why is it so relevant and important to comic book readers throughout time? Watchmen is the first story to deconstruct, analyze and look at Super Heroes from a non-fictional point-of-view. It takes you into what you could call realism of a super hero. It takes an extreme idealistic personality to be one and these types of people are not the type to just 'fit in' with the general public. What would be the implications of actually having super heroes in our society? Have you ever asked yourself, "Why couldn't they just write that Superman flew over to Russia and dismantled all their nuclear war heads (and America's for that matter)." What if super heroes served nations in war? What are the implications of a super hero destroying public property? And yes we've seen that social commentary play out in the Disney Pixar family film, The Incredibles. You could say The Incredibles owes its original idea to stories such as Watchmen. So while you may read reviews stating Watchmen is not worth watching because of its similarities to The Incredibles, the fact is Watchmen was written 20 years prior and was for all intents and purposes the original idea stolen by Pixars writers. You see, ...

Movie Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Lars Hindsley — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 13:27:27 -0500

There is something about story telling when it is done faithfully to the actual story. This modern film take is a drama on the original F.Scott Fitzgerald short story (a comedy) which takes great liberties and perhaps mostly because I think the writers were high on watching Forest Gump before drafting this screenplay. That is not to say good intentions and good story writing didn't come into play in the making of this updated film version of the short story by F.Scott Fitzgerald - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In comparison to the short story, the film is far better. How often can that be said?

Many changes are made from the original story and aside from the first five minutes of Benjamin Button being completely unnecessary and should have been on the cutting room floor--smart plausible changes were made; from time frame, location and large plot points. In the original short story Benjamin does not spend his life alone and is not abandoned by his father at birth. I won't spoil the film but many other changes are made. For the purpose of a better story in celluloid the changes are a dramatic upgrade. Yet something is wrong with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It is more than just the hype. For example, the soundtrack is a swansong to New Orleans; the composer Alexandre Desplat scored Benjamin's theme to be played backwards as well as forward. That was a lot of hard work for a sublime piece. It seems so much effort has gone into this story, and it falls short of greatness despite it's efforts to be great. It's a good retrofit of a short story, yet Forest Gump has been done once. The Gump manner of story telling is becoming hackneyed.

What may be wrong with Benjamin Button is what is right with it; the director David Fincher. Best known for intense and gritty films such as Fight Club (also featuring Brad Pitt), Fincher excels at cinematography and overall visual performances. Could it be his non-sentimental look at life is what makes it so hard to connect with the characters in this story? As people leave Benjamin's life, you feel for him as you should, but you never get to appreciate the lives of those that come into contact with him. Fincher is a great director, one known for detail. But don't assume his attention to detail is perfect, just look at Fight Club and you'll know the references to Delaware landmarks are wrong. From location and direction to cultural points. But then again, those references were also mistaken by the Chuck Palahniuk. David Fincher has delivered an elegant film but because it is based on a short story which is about an ordinary life going through an unordinary experience, there is not a whole lot that can be done with the story. As a footnote, Wilmington Delaware is referenced for the second time in a Fincher film.

Movie Review: War Dance

Lars Hindsley — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:45:36 -0400

From the moment I decided to screen this film I knew my emotions were going to be overwhelmed. And there is good reason this film has won almost twenty-awards to date.

War Dance is about three children in war displacement camp in Africa (Patongo). Over 60,000 people live in this camp, and it is under constant military protection from rebels. This true documentary takes a look into the escape that a dance competition offers these children in the face of a hopeless future.

The pace is slow at first, soaking in the understanding that without war, this world they live in would be beautiful. We learn the brutal truth of how they live with the loss of their parents by rebel soldiers. Unlike children here in America where 7 times out of 10 some glimpse of hope exist for a child, these children live in silent prisons of trauma knowing the parents and world they had before the war will never return. On this note alone you understand their despair and how a dance competition is something they eagerly embrace and believe in because they will appreciate even a moment of solace from the reality they live in; a camp with thousands of people that don't know them and on a whole shows no signs of ever ending.

The first story told was not only gruesome, it was one that made you doubt humanity.

Movie Review: The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela

Lars Hindsley — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:14:50 -0400

Written and directed by Olaf de Fleur, The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela lacks identity like the nature of it's feature performer whom is transsexual. Is it a documentary? A drama? A docudrama? Somehow it manages to be all and none of these. Imagine how the Blair Witch Project was a put up documentary. There are other films to take this tack and it can work. The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela is shot in the same style less the camera shake and even then points in the film seem disjointed perhaps due to bad editing or intent to look like a real documentary but it doesn't sell.

But what of the story? Thirty years ago this film would have been offensive. Twenty years ago it would have been daring, but in this modern era of actual documentaries this subject matter strangely as it may read, deserves an actual documentary not a pseudo docu-drama.

The film begins in semi-grainy black and white with radio reports of Regan era news indicating our lead Raquela was confused as a young boy and grew to become a transsexual male. Raquela played by Raquela then appears to be directly interviewed stating this is a true accounting of her life. But is it?

With slow pacing and meaningless visuals of Raquela thinking or talking to people in her life that have no real impact we are meant to get the impression she has a life she is at peace with but has serious struggles because of his/her decision to live the life of a transsexual. The term ladyboy is used through-out filming however research shows that actual transsexuals find this term demeaning. The director claims to be sympathetic to the transsexuals plight so why allow a known term so offensive to transsexuals to be used throughout ...

Batman The Dark Knight Review - The realism paradox is achieved

Lars Hindsley — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:20:40 -0400

The title The Dark Knight is very important. The first re-boot of Batman released in 2005 featuring Christian Bale as Batman laid foundation for what was to come in the new franchise through it's gritty realism in the style of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. Frank Miller wrote The Dark Knight Returns storyline in 1986 with absolute acclaim by readers and critics everywhere. It was more of a 'mature' audience read than other Batman comics. For many avid Batman readers the Dark Knight series marked the harshest version of Batman that could be read. This 2008 movie The Dark Knight is not at all the based on the 1986 Frank Miller story. The similarities end with the style, but are none-the-less every reason for the Batman we know today. The Batman we see now in both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are a brave step by DC to represent Batman at his most real and most serious.

What is it that makes the character Batman appealing in the first place? When it comes to graphic novel (comic book) characters or heroic characters in general it comes down to him having no super-powers. None, nada, neinte, ZERO. So how do you make a super-hero movie with a super-hero that has no super powers? The answer is everything must be as close to plausible as possible in order for the movie goer to suspend disbelief. This is the foundation of director Chris Nolan's approach to re-starting the Batman franchise on the big screen.

The Dark Knight is perhaps the best superhero movie made to date, yet it does have flaws. Maggie Gyllenhaal is perhaps one. While Gyllenhaal is a more realistic choice and less distracting assistant District Attorney she is only an acceptable love interest because the character is a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne's. Gyllenhaal has great acting ability of course, I loved her in Secretary but she is not a starlet I see as a love interest worthy of Batman.

Not so many years ago Batman's Bruce Wayne character was played with the best edge by of all people comedian Michael Keaton. Perhaps Val Kilmer was the best tragically wounded Batman, yet Christian Bale has met all sides of Batman with a quality few others will match. If there is any criticism I have of Christian Bale's Batman it is how he speaks as Batman in his horse angry tone. His Dark Knight is only dark and one dimensional. I don't get a sense of feeling other than anger when Batman speaks.

Meanwhile the late Heath Ledger tapped into Mark Hammel's animated Joker with the true character of the Joker that comic book readers have been waiting to see on screen for years. Heath Ledger's Joker is stellar on every level. It is not that Heath Ledger brought something to the Joker character as much as he plays the character in the manner in which he truly is throughout the graphic novel versions that Batman readers know. The Joker is a genius psychotic. Ledger's Joker will have you laughing and horrified within seconds. Ledger's timing is impeccable as he interacts with other characters in the Gotham underworld. Only once during the film (and this was during my second screening) did I try and see through the acting to the actor and that was only because the hype prior to the films release of Ledger's death had me thinking about it. Another realistic feature of this Batman film is that they don't kill off key villains. True to the real Batman he catches them and sends them to Arkham. With the continuation of the Joker, Heath Ledger will be sorely missed. One day when another Joker makes a play... there will be wild speculation of who can fill Heath Ledger's shoes. There will be great anticipation if anyone can pull it off.

Movie Review: Speed Racer - Great for Kids, but not Grown Kids

Lars Hindsley — Wed, 14 May 2008 11:15:49 -0400

Speed Racer was a popular Japanese animated cartoon for kids that came out in 1967. In the early 1970's it was still going strong and among shows I watched were the animated Spider-Man series, the campy live action Batman, Ultra Man, and the cartoon Speed Racer. I knew the Speed Racer world well. It was just something every kid watched and loved.

The premise was great for kids. It was about a teenage boy living in a race car oriented family where he steps out of the shadow of his older brother races all over the world. His older brother left home and changed his identity to Racer X and the brothers race each other many times over while Speed helps fight racing crime bosses along the way. Speed's large family presence is strong and there is a deep sense of comfort and safety built into this dangerous lifestyle because of it. Of course the best part is that Speed Drives an advanced car with gadgets that he gets to use in most every episode.

So as an adult; knowing a live action cgi version was coming... I wanted to think this would be a good film to take my own kids. And for what it is worth, my own kids already knew the Speed Racer world well as they had been watching my original series Speed Racer on DVD at home for years.

Last evening my son's and I went to see Speed Racer. I had prejudice towards not being rewarded with a good experience in the trailers I had previewed previously.

While Speed Racer is family safe, it is not safe from my criticism.

In short, if you are a fan of the late 1960's Speed Racer animations then you too may expect some more. Perhaps a lot more. Otherwise ...

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - detailed review

Lars Hindsley — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:48:34 -0500

Sweeney Todd is a tragedy in every sense of the word. Don’t see it because you expect a classic horror piece, unlike the novel it is a classic revenge tale set as a musical. It is a haunting nightmare experienced awake. However you should be able to stomach blood, otherwise you will find it horrifically overplayed.

I have decided not to write a traditional movie review of Sweeney Todd. My original interest in this movie was all the buzz from the theatrical performance and novel. I now know I must to attend the Stephen Sondhiem musical as part of my own collection of life experiences. This screen version doesn't feel at all like stage and works perfectly, so to get yet another feel for this illicit story is something I will not miss.

What is compelling about this sad and tragic story is the love story behind it despite Sweeney Todd’s nefarious lifestyle. Where this stands on its own is that it gives Sweeney Todd a motive to kill that you accept as a moviegoer. Perhaps you must personally have some romantic tragedy in your life to appreciate this story (not the killing). I understood the sting of what happened to Benjamin Barker from my own life’s sudden tragedies. In that I mean the story begins with a character being “naive” and paying a terrible price for having done no wrong.

The story of Sweeney Todd is a intensely dark tale. The title character is brooding at his most optimistic moments. Sweeney Todd is portrayed here by Johnny Depp and filmed in the same surreal dark artistic manner Tim Burton first made a name for himself with in his own trademark stylized Edward Scissorhands, Batman and Beetlejuice movies. Yet I was drawn to it more as a musical.

I thought ...

Unaccompanied Minors movie review - Kid safe for all ages, strictly for kids

Lars Hindsley — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:33:33 -0400

Last night a group of us sat down to watch Unaccompanied Minors on DVD. For adults this story started off with some hope but quickly lost its appeal. The kids did sit through the whole movie and it was truly kid safe. For children ages 4 to 10, it kept their attention and was fun. My four year old had some laugh out loud moments too.

Now for the review on a grown up level. If you are looking for something to rent for the kids, this will be safe and friendly rental. But for us grown-ups, be aware that this movie is about 20 minutes longer than your patience.

While I love Lewis Black (went to see him in concert a couple years ago) as a comedian, he has yet to really show his stuff on film. He does a great job as a likeable and unlikable protagonist to a group of children caught in an airport during a snowstorm ...without any adult supervision. It was a bit of a downer as the kids explained how they got there and their lives were not so great because of divorced parents, but more and more it seems this is the norm in our society. So it only made sense that a rag tag group of unlikely friends would think of each other as family by the end of the film. The plot was essentially one young man is separated from his sister whom is at a lodge right next to the airport on Christmas Eve and he wants to get her a doll from Santa before the night is out so her belief in the holiday is not destroyed. While trying to escape the Passenger Relations Manager Oliver Porter played by Lewis Black they all learn about each other and eventually get the best of their adversary.

Wilmer Valderrama of That 70's Show gets to play ...

Stardust Movie Review - Neil Gaiman's 1998 graphic novel destined to be a modern classic fairy tale for adults

Lars Hindsley — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:15:32 -0400

How many of us can sit through a movie for children and be glad we did? Stardust achieves this because in short is a fairy tale for grown-ups. Like most great fantasy stories that are not remakes or Hollywood adaptations from classic novels, Stardust is brought to the big screen via the world of graphic novels, a.k.a. comic books. Written by Neil Gaiman (DC Comics, The Sandman), Stardust is not quite a period piece, where the village of “Wall” (England) shares a walled border with a magical Kingdom of Stormhold. Note that Neil Gaiman is far from just a hero to adult comic book readers, he has penned American God’s making him a serious novelist as well. Some even say that J.K. Rowling stole great ideas for her Harry Potter books from Neil’s work. True or not, the point I’m making is that for those of you that don’t understand the value of comic books (graphic novels), you are missing out on some of the best stories and writers.

There are adult concepts that very young children won’t grasp, and although I needed to lean over and explain some things to my four year old, the characters, visuals and action were balanced enough as to keep him happy in his seat. But as I mentioned, this is an adult fairy tale, which if you think about it ...consider Grimm’s fairy tales; they had some grim situations and outcomes that can make a mom or dad squirm when read to a child. This story is PG but as acceptable as any of Grimm’s fairy tales.

Unlike most fantasy fairy tales, this one quickly departs from prince rescues princess concept immediately despite there being a ...

Transformers - Kids stuff that holds a parents attention

Lars Hindsley — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 17:55:14 -0400

What a fun ride! Even while the first 30 to 45 minutes established the plot and characters there was enough action for the kids to stay interested. But when the action began in earnest, the action fan in me was intensely rewarded with extended action scenes, excellent detail and realistic dialogue for a completely unrealistic story. And in a nutshell that is what we are dealing with here. An extravagant story, with no plausability but a fun family ride none-the-less. It's juvenile in every way but still works as a family friendly action movie.

Once again Director Michael Bay (my age born in 65) does it big, I mean real big like his movies The Rock Armageddon, Pearl Harbor and Bad Boys. What I mean is the attention to action scenes. They are completely detailed and roll on long enough for you to feel like there is action, not just a cut scene in a video game. If you want an action movie this one is high octane joy ride. The CGI (computer generated imagery) was honestly flawless; I give the nod to Industrial Light and Magic on this one.

Without spoiling the story, the concept here is that sentient robots from another world are brought to earth by a fated past. The twist is that the robots can identify a mechanical device around them and transform into it which are a vehicle, but mostly cars. They also choose to be aircraft. As the movie reaches the two-thirds mark the back story and current story are tied together. There are a couple disposable characters in this movie which could have trimmed down the length of the film from 2 hours and 44 minutes for those of us that don't like long movies.

The robots of course are based on ...

Spider-Man 3 Movie Review - Wrapped up in a nice bow

Lars Hindsley — Thu, 10 May 2007 10:17:47 -0400

My boys and I saw Spider-Man 3 on opening day. We were unaffected by any other movie review and I went in to see this movie without having watched every trailer or having read spoilers prior. My reaction was simply, nice ending, they wrapped up everything in a bow. So in case you never see another Spider-Man story the Harry Osborn story, the love story between Mary Jane and Peter Parker's coming into his own as Spider-Man are all complete.

What some movie goers and critics are having a hard time embracing is the fact that Spider-Man at its heart is an action based movie, it is not a drama. To view it as such is a mistake. This latest installment of Spider-Man ups the action a lot and this may put you off, so if you don't like action movies then this movie may test your attention.

Now for the details. Anyone that says the story is too all over the place is forgetting this is a movie experience based on an action hero of comic books. It's based on a comic book. Comic books are busy, and hardly ever based on reality. Having said this, what makes the Spider-Man franchise on the big screen work so well is the emphasis on characters and our ability to identify with them, understand the good guys motives and the bad guys motives alike. What we all loved about Spider-Man coming to the big screen was identifying with a human having superhuman powers we all wish we had. Swinging from tall buildings, climbing up the side of buildings and such. Who wouldn't want to be able to jump off the side of a building without fear? To watch Spider-Man do this is us projecting ourselves onto the screen as him. Personally I loved ...

Night At The Museum - Movie Review

Lars Hindsley — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:09:36 -0400

How many family films are actually family friendly at all levels? Night At The Museum is. If you watch this film knowing that it was built for kids in mind, you will be very happy with the experience. I watched this film with my four year old son and ten year old son. I realized early on that the adult characters were not portrayed as dim and the this held my attention more than anything. But let's get to the plot...

Ben Stiller (Larry) plays a divorced father with visitation of his ten year old son. He is coming to terms with not being a business mogul or standout success in life and takes a job as security guard simply because he must have a job as to not let his son down. So you have a guy that is wanted to be great accepting a job that is not so great. What happens is he finds that as another character in the movie says, "Some are born great, others have greatness thrust upon them". And there is lies the plot without giving away the story.

I don't want to spoil the fun, and you must know that from the trailers or even the box cover, that in the museum where Larry works every exhibit comes to life at night. The cause of this effect I'll leave you to learn from watching the story for yourself. But if you are prone to allowing your self to suspend disbelief during movie experiences, this one is easy to accept.

Ben deals with a lot of chaos in a logical and sensible manner. The special effects are perfect as they pretty much go un-noticed. I mean for instance a prehistoric T-Rex (only the bones) meanders around and never once did I ...

Shooter - Movie Review

Lars Hindsley — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 01:18:46 -0400

This is a classic revenge movie. My favorite line had me laugh out loud, "You don't understand, they killed my dog." For the amazing kill count, the one that mattered most to the anti-hero Bob Lee Swagger played by Mark Wahlberg, was his dog. Mark plays an ex-Marine sniper that is still and idealist. After losing a close friend in combat, he becomes seclusive and removed from society. Years later he's recruited to game out how a possible hit on the president can be avoided. He's implied in the assassination and once that's done, it's payback time. And why? Because they killed his dog. :)

As much as I've let out, I can tell you there is enough here to keep you busy, but the story is predictable. It is what it is, a revenge action suspense flick. With a little romance along the way, and an anti-hero on the run Bourne Identity feel to it, you hope the pay off is worth while. And here is where the movie comes up short. Small problems with continuity don't help either. In one scene the President arrives from Baltimore from Camden... Uh... right. Drive south to come from the south? Then there were the "hills of Philadelphia" car chase scenes. No hills in Philly, but hey... it's a movie.

But all these things did annoy enough that when you get to the end and want a decent payoff, something plausible, it isn't there. At least not after you see films like Bourne Identity or the first Mission Impossible where the people in the wrong that were supposed to be on the side of "right" make sense in their warped decisions and positions.

The action is great. The shooting is fun to watch, but some of the gratuitous face shots ...

300 movie review - Gerard Butler is perfect in Frank Miller's masterpiece

Lars Hindsley — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 22:17:08 -0500

300 is the second Frank Miller Graphic novel to make it to the big screen and like 300's predecessor Sin City it has a stunning graphic novel feel where reality is clearly not sought after but believability is dead on. 300 is loosely based on the historical Battle of Thermopylae. There the King of the Spartan’s assembled roughly 300 men whom stood up to Xerxes and his vast Persian Army by holding a narrow passage. For those of you unaware, Persia is now known as Iran and spread as far as Iraq and through-out the middle east. At this battle King Leonidas (played by Gerard Butler) fought side by side with his Spartan warriors to the death. This battle inspired what is now considered the country of Greece to stand up to the Persian empire.

Because 300 is based on a graphic novel (which to those of you unaware a graphic novel is better known as a comic book) there are many freedoms in fantasy applied to the story. Normally fantasy requires some plausibility to suspend disbelief when watching a movie involving fantasy. Because of the nature of filming, there is a clear intent to make the movie feel like a comic book page. The lighting is abnormal the colors are saturated; everything is exaggerated to a point you easily accept this world for what it is.

The acting is great for many reasons. The actors shed their egos or perhaps blew them up in order to achieve the macho persona needed to be such great Spartan warriors. Gerald Butler in particular is almost completely transformed from his good looking model looks into Leonidas, King of Sparta. If you are not familiar with Gerald Butler he’s been in a slew of movies in the past few years and one of his most prominent is that of the Phantom in the movie version, Phantom of the Opera.

Although this is one of the first movies done with complete CGI (filmed entirely in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) and no location shooting what-so-ever, what really carries this movie is Gerard Butler’s utter command of the screen. He looks wise, he looks tough and ever fiber of him is convincing as a King. He nails this role so well that you have to see him coming on strong from here as a very busy actor. One reason Gerard is so believable as a King is that he that he sells the idea of being a Spartan so well. Spartans are a unique social class in all of history, because the are purest to fighting, taught never to retreat or surrender the Spartan is a warrior unlike any other known in history. Gerard Butler takes the screen as Leonidas King of the Spartans and through his strength and charisma holds draws you in to a fantastic story that really has no business being believed.

The fight scenes are busy but actually depart somewhat from the normal clash and kill moves you may have seen in any other battle fight scene. Legs are cut off after an adversary passes a Spartan for instance.

300 is a guy’s movie undoubtedly. However 300 appeals to both genders in the manner in which it celebrates both men and women as worthy and noble fighters standing up for right over wrong and overcoming evil. Both male and female leads standing up for freedom and both making their own sacrifices for the good of others.

This is rated R movie and for good reason. Not only is it over the top in graphic carnage, such as multiple beheadings and dismembered bodies, there is a explicit sexual content. The eroticism is almost pornographic and to some it may be just that. But children should not attend. You won’t just be able to cover their eyes when you see the scenes coming you’d have to cover their ears and it’s just not worth embarrassing yourself or your children among other reasons. Don’t take them for all the any of the reasons above. The content just is not suitable for any child and I think the age limit of 18 is most likely just right under the circumstances.

As a movie going experience I give 300 a rare 10 out of 10 for hitting every note. From acting, to story, special effects, originality and more. The only reason not to see this movie is if you don’t like action movies with violence or gore. As a story it works very well with the right pauses and high-notes and even the over the top violence is not dolled out without reason or purpose and in fact, not over done.

Bridge To Terabithia - Movie Review

Lars Hindsley — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:28:34 -0500

Bridge to Terabithia is classified a fantasy adventure based on a very popular childrens book, but it is an adventure that never leaves reality while the adventure is in your mind.

How many family films have you been stuck in where you get the typical 10 minutes of character development and then the main characters leave on a journey ...

The Best Romantic Movies ever made and not just for Valentine's Day

Lars Hindsley — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:19:03 -0500

I present to you the definitive short list of all time best romantic movies.

What makes a truly romantic movie? What are the best romantic films of all time? None are if you don’t get romance. A true romantic comes in various types. Lonely and yearning to content and appreciative; a romantic person can be ...

The Last King of Scottland: Review by Lars Hindsley

Lars Hindsley — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 21:12:05 -0500

The last King of Scotland is a period piece thriller which tells of a dark time in history. Based on the book, it is a period piece set in Uganda in the 1970’s. The time is perhaps the only real accurate historical telling is of the shrouded evil which was Idi Amin. Idi Amin ruled from 1971 to 1979. ...

Sweetland is a peaceful romance where love endures and is never defeated

Lars Hindsley — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 12:55:38 -0500

Sweetland is for adults that believe in love. It is for lovers that understand love is built on patience. I've always said love is about forgiveness, (being able to forgive the one you love daily for little things and big), however Sweetland makes the case for love that people have to work hard for love. Love doesn't come easy and ...

It's All About Love - Movie Review

Lars Hindsley — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 22:19:03 -0400

So many critics of It's All About Love have discussed the obvious. The script has issues etc... What I found most bothersome was that after all the main characters go through; there is no real pay-off for you the viewer staying with the story. You get to a point where you wonder what is the plot? Is it really ...

Homer's Troy gets modern touch and appealing Characters

Lars Hindsley — Sat, 15 May 2004 08:16:57 -0400

Two ancient societies go to battle in Troy when the most beautiful woman (Helen) in Sparta (Greece) is willfully taken by one of two young princes (Paris and Hector) from the city of Troy (now Turkey). This instantly ignites a war between the two powers. How this comes about is easy to understand however there are many players in the story and with each having their own agenda the story becomes a power of wills off the battlefield as much as it is on. This may be the single best reason for success of this movie.

Troy delivers on all fronts including great characters, yet you find it hard to decide who you should be behind. All are victims of pride and don't always follow the rules of the day as they relate to honor among men and on the battle field.

The end goes against Hollywood tradition. There are many characters that are keenly understood by the movie goer and you easily understand the motivation of each character thanks to good script writing, dialog and acting.

In Homer’s version Greek Gods play a role in the story. Here in today's modern world many of us don't see God having much an impact in our daily life and this modern day mentality is carried over into this updated version of the Iliad by way of leaving the God's out of the story.

Brad Pitt as Achilles is entirely convincing. You feel that everyman honestly respects and fears him. Eric Bana as Hector is a man you want to relate to because he represents all that is real from having a wife and son he wants to be a father to; and Hectors level headed respect for the world around him. Without spoiling the story there are many other supporting players in the story which don't leave you guessing much about where the story is going but you appreciate them none-the-less. There are no sudden curveballs in the movie Troy, you can guess the end quickly but can't help but hope for the ending that would put things right all along.

The Passion of Christ

Lars Hindsley — Wed, 25 Feb 2004 23:40:37 -0500

I was invited by my neighbor to see this movie. And a long time ago I was a God fearing ...