Work it out.

Ah summertime.  While many choose to make the most of the beautiful weather by experiencing the great outdoors, and exercising outside the confines of the gym, I will burn my calories through movie watching osmosis.  Ten points to anyone who can name the origin of each GIF.

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Out on December 2, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" stars Tilda Swinton as the mother of a teenage boy who goes on a shooting spree in his high school.  I wish this film was coming out around Halloween, and not the holidays.  It looks so fantastically creepy with numerous laughing clowns sprinkled throughout the trailer, and Tilda's non-existant eyebrows.



Don't fuck with me, Rodrigo.

There still hasn't been a great comedy out since the original "Hangover."  Some girls wistfully argue that "Bridesmaids" was just as good as Judd Apatow's "Knocked Up," or "Superbad," but I just don't buy it.  "The Sitter" which stars Jonah Hill, looks like it could be one of those unexpected comedic hits.  

August Oscar Predix

Back in March I posted a very early prediction of what the top movies would be leading up to the 2012 Oscars.  Now that the summer movie season is winding down the studios will begin to roll out their award fodder, so I’ve updated my top ten list and included three possible replacement choices.

1.) A Dangerous Method (November 11)

Showrunners

Slated for release in 2012, the feature length documentary "Showrunners" takes a look inside the world of television writers.  The filmmakers interviewed the creators of "Lost," "House" and "Sons of Anarchy" among many others.  It's a film that will appeal to anyone who's passionate about quality television programming.

Brave

On Friday, Pixar debuted its twelfth feature film, "Cars 2."  The consensus is that it's Pixar's weakest film, and I have to say I agree.  While Pixar's animation is superior to all other CGI films, the stories that they tell are what make each film so beloved.  "Cars 2" felt recycled, and the new characters introduced were heavily underutilized.  Luckily, the trailer for next years feature, "Brave" has been released and it gives Pixar fans something to look forward to.

My Kermy...

I'll forgive Jason Segal's work on a CBS sitcom if this movie is good.  Fingers crossed.  I'm not the biggest Muppets fan in the world, but the plot does sound pretty good..  Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) try to save the Muppet Theater from being bulldozed by Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) who wants to drill for oil discovered beneath the theater.  Gary, Mary and Kermit must reunite the rest of the Muppets for The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater.  The only problem is all the muppets have gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate 

Oh, Rob Lowe.

Rob Lowe says, "Stop. Pooping."

Rob Lowe is as lovable as ever. 

Lowe has been making the rounds for his New York Times Bestseller book, which details his rise from Midwestern boy to Hollywood leading man, and struggles he endured with substance abuse. 

Lowe has had a successful run on cult favorite “Parks and Rec.” 

And last week Lowe inked a deal to star in the film “Knife Fight.”  Though it won’t be a reprisal of his role as “West Wing’s” Sam Seaborn, it will bring him back to the world of politics.  He’ll play a political crisis specialist navigating the October campaign surprises.

Just like Jon Hamm and Justin Timberlake, Lowe has the leading man looks and the comedic chops to set him aside from the rest of the bunch.  Lowe is able to poke fun at himself and go places other actors would be afraid might tarnish their image.  See the above GIF. 

Bridesmaids

It seems that critics and audiences really love “Bridesmaids,” and I’m one of the only people who was underwhelmed by the movie. 

The studio, creators, and cast have been marketing the film as if it’s the “female version of ‘The Hangover’” so I went into the theater expecting to see an ensemble cast get caught up in some far-fetched, incredibly crude hijinks.  Instead,   I got a chick flick hybrid of a Judd Apatow/Paul Feig film.

Chosen to be her best friend's maid of honor, Annie, played by Kristen Wiig, looks to fake her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals that lead up to Lillian’s wedding.  The oddball group of bridesmaids includes the eccentric groom’s sister Megan (Melissa McCarthy), the bride’s married yet love-starved cousin (Wendy McLendon-Covey), Lillian’s innocent and newlywed co-worker (Ellie Kemper), and Lillian’s perfect-in-every way boss, Helen (Rose Byrne).  

Scenes that featured the rest of the bridal party got the most laughs in the theater, and rang true to the Hangover comparisons.  Most notable was the dress fitting scene, where the entire group (except Helen) gets food poisoning while wearing expensive dresses at the bridal salon.  In a normal chick flick you wouldn’t see the women vomiting, and going to the bathroom in a sink, or in the middle of the street while wearing a wedding dress.  If the Wiig and co-writer Annie Mumalo had written more scenes like this, I think “Bridesmaids” would have been a monumental step for women in comedy.

Instead, Wiig and Mumalo erred on the side of caution and marketability by including a whole love interest subplot.  The chemistry between Wiig and O’Dowd is believable, and would enhance the story in a conventional chick flick, but it seems out of place in a movie that aspires to be cutting-edge.  “Bridesmaids” is a great starring vehicle for Wiig, but the best parts of the movie were those that showcased the talents of McLendon-Covey and Kemper.  Additionally, Rose Byrne was heavily underutilized as mega-bitch Helen. 

It wasn’t quite in line with Apatow and Feig’s uber-successful comedies, but at least we’re making progress from rom-coms like “He’s Just Not That Into You.”

World War Z

Zombies are so hot right now.  AMC's "The Walking Dead" was a critical success.  Now, pre-production has finally started on the long stalled adaptation of Max Brooks's "World War Z."  

The book is constructed in a series of short anecdotes, none longer than twenty pages, detailing the global war against zombies.  The story is set in a post-zombie era, as the author travels the globe to interviewing survivors about their experiences before, during and after the war.  The piecemeal accounts come together to give a reader a full scope view of the war, and overall creates a very compelling read.

After finishing "World War Z," I'm very curious to see how the book will be adapted to film.  Part of the book's novelty was the high volume of characters, over thirty, and the broad range of experiences they had, which helped bring the entire plot together.  As a movie, it would be impossible for audiences to keep track of, or become attached to, over thirty meaningful characters.

Set for release in 2012 or 2013, the movie will star Brad Pitt as the traveling author, and Mireille Enos from "The Killing" as his wife.

Summer Lineup: Comic Book Movies

I don't read comic books, but I have a soft spot for movies based on comic books.  Almost always, the dialogue is overly cheesy, but ultimately they're fun to watch, with the exception of "Spiderman 3." Emo Tobey McGuire as Peter Parker was pretty bad.  This summer there's a comic book movie coming out virtually every other week:

May 6: Thor
May 13: Priest
June 3: X-Men First Class
June 17: Green Lantern
July 22: Captain America: The First Avenger
July 29: Cowboys & Aliens
August 19: Conan the Barbarian


Below are the trailers for "X-Men: First Class," and "Captain America: The First Avenger."

Skinny Chris Evans creeps me out.

The year of the documentary

This past week I had the opportunity to see two really interesting documentaries, "The Bully Project," and Morgan Spurlock's "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold."  Review on TBP forthcoming, and Spurlock's movie comes highly recommended.  It's awfully clever, and lighthearted.


Out in limited release on June 24, yet another doc: "Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times."  Any journalist, aspiring journo, or news junkie will be drawn to this film.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer. Rejoice.

Let the countdown begin, the last movie of the series is released at midnight on July 15.

The Bully Project

Happening right now in New York is the Tribeca Film Festival.  While it's not nearly as big as Cannes, Venice or Sundance, it has gained a lot of steam since its inception in 2002.  "The Bully Project" screened before a full house on Saturday, and has been getting very strong reviews.  Watch the heartwrenching, yet uplifting trailer to see why.

Today, Harvey Weinstein secured the rights to the film, so it's likely to be an entrant for the Best Documentary Oscar next year. 

War Horse, the play.

I had the opportunity to go see Broadway’s newest play, “War Horse,” which is currently being adapted for film by Steven Spielberg.  Originally scheduled for a limited engagement at Lincoln Center, the play has been extended due to the overwhelming positive response it has received.

Based on the book by Michael Morpurgo, and brought over to the United States from the National Theatre of Great Britain, the play centers around 16-year-old Albert and his horse Joey.  Set in England between 1912 through the end of World War One, it would seem impossible to bring a story to the stage that’s so heavily centered on an animal.  Handspring Puppet Company from South Africa created three horses for the play, each operated by three people.  The puppeteers create a performance that is truly mesmerizing and overshadows the performance of all the actors on stage.  That is not to say that the acting in “War Horse” was weak.  Seth Numrich who portrays Albert did such a fabulous job creating the illusion of having and ironclad bond with a horse puppet that many audience members were in tears by the end of the play.

The music and the stage set supplemented Numrich and the puppeteers’ performances brilliantly.

The only weak spot I saw in “War Horse” was the young girl who played Emilee.  It felt a bit over the top, but she’s probably only nine years old, so I’ll ignore it in my overall assessment of the play itself.

I recommend “War Horse” to anyone who has the opportunity to see it, or has any interest in Spielberg’s movie that comes out December 28.

Meek's Cutoff

The American West has been romanticized in film many times over, just as the American pioneers are often portrayed in pop culture as adventurous, courageous and filled with determination. 

“Meek’s Cutoff,” though slow and plodding, serves as a realistic portrayal of the arduous trek west.  Michelle Williams stars as the level-headed, but meek woman in a group of eight crossing the Oregon territory in 1845.  Led by Stephen Meek, a fur trapper and an explorer, the group forges through uncharted territory only to realize their guide is much less familiar with the land than he initially led on.  They go days without water, cross rocky and mountainous terrain in their wagons, and are under constant fear of being attacked by Indians.  Eventually, they are forced to follow that fear in the form of a captured Cayuse Indian, who they hope might lead them to water.

Though the setting of the film is beautiful at first, it’s much less grand than Monument Valley or the Arkansas Plain.  The tension increases gradually as the travelers’ circumstance become more dire.  Overall “Meek’s Cutoff” is a very quiet film with no major plot twists or turns, until the uncertain and unsettling ending.

The Conspirator

"The Conspirator," Robert Redford’s latest film, focuses on the trial of the lone female charged as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Robin Wright plays the stoic Mary Surratt, owner of the H Street boarding house, where the plot to kill President Lincoln was hatched by John Wilkes Booth, Lewis Paine, George Atzerodt and Surratt’s son, John.  Following the assassination, Mrs. Surratt is among the conspirators arrested and tried by a military tribunal.  Fred Aiken, a former captain in the Union army, and a young lawyer played by James McAvoy is enlisted to defend Surratt.  Though Aiken is not convinced of Surratt’s innocence, he defends her on the belief that there is insufficient evidence to prove she played an integral part in the assassination.

“The Conspirator” is a wonderful Civil War movie, and history buffs will relish how closely the film adheres to historical fact.  The downside of sticking so closely to historical fact is that it leaves little room for the actors to breathe or develop their characters.  Wright is terribly underutilized, and McAvoy makes a concerted effort to show his abilities, but it just falls flat.  Redford who is much better known for his acting has proved his skills as a director in the past, but there are a few scenes in “The Conspirator” that show cracks in the façade.  There were some scenes that seemed out of place and a bit comical in such a serious film.  A more adept director would have been known better to leave those bits on the cutting room floor. 

The tenor of the movie is quite timely considering the Obama administration’s decision to try the 9/11 conspirators in front of a military tribunal, after failing to gain political support for a federal trial.  Redford may have intended for the film to be an allegory for the treatment of prisoners in Iraq, but he could not have anticipated the underlying message to become as heavy as it has with this recent news.

Overall, “The Conspirator” was an enjoyable experience and worth the money spent on the movie ticket.  I would highly recommend the film to history buffs, and half-heartedly suggest it to anyone else.

Indies to Watch For in 2011: Like Crazy

"Like Crazy" won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance this year and was quickly picked up by Paramount for distribution.  It's about two college students, one American (Anton Yelchin) and the other British (Felicity Jones), who meet in Los Angeles and fall in love.  Over the course of eight years they must learn to cope with the difficulty of being in a long distance relationship, and all the bittersweet aspects of first loves.  Although I haven't seen it yet, I would liken it to last year's "Blue Valentine."  "Like Crazy" comes out on Friday, October 28.

Cowboys & Aliens

"Cowboys and Aliens" is directed by Jon Favreau and written by Damon Lindelof, co-creator of "Lost."  This is one of the top movies I'm looking forward to this summer because it could be one of very few successful hybrid genre films, like "Shaun of the Dead."

Sidney Lumet, 1924-2011

Last week director Sidney Lumet passed away at the age of 86.  I rewatched "12 Angry Men" this afternoon and again was amazed by how simple such a great film could be.

It made me wonder if a movie like "12 Angry Men" could get made in 2011, and if it did would people go to the theater to watch it?  One star, eleven character actors and one set.  No special effects, or violence, just a strong script.  It reminded me of Hitchcock's "Lifeboat," and to a lesser extent "Rear Window."  It takes a skilled director to make a movie like that successful.

I'm not the only one who has these feelings about "12 Angry Men," because the movie is ranked number seven on IMDB's top movie list by 138,000 users.  The only movies ahead of it are "Shawshank Redemption," the two first "Godfather" movies, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," "Pulp Fiction" and "Schindler's List."