Sunday, April 25, 2010

Avatar

I am sure that almost everyone reading this review has already seen Avatar but if you haven't you might find this useful and if you have - I welcome your opinion.
Avatar: I didn't get to see Avatar in the movies. And after awhile it had this E.T. effect on me. I didn't see E.T. in the movies because of the insanity over it. It was kind of a turn off. I was sorry I didn't see E.T. in the movie theater and I am sorry I didn't see Avatar as well.
Avatar is not at all what I expected. Just in case you missed it - an avatar is a genetically grown body of the indigenous people of this far away planet. The trick is that this avatar is genetically linked to the human gene donor. Ala the Matrix, the humans are cerebrally linked to their respective avatars so they can go among the natives and try and negotiate with them. That would be to negotiate the natives off of their land so that greedy corporate types can mine some special ore that lies beneath. One of the humans decides that the natives are right to defend their lands and so the story goes. The story is sometimes familiar and a super huge message that Americans know so well. The natives of the planet, Pandora, seem familiar as they have a deep connection to all living things and refer to themselves as the "people." Indigenous people of the Americas know all to well this story. They too were the "people" and thier connection to mother earth was as a strong a bond as the people of Pandora. The U.S. will have to carry that burden of embarrassment forever and in my opinion, deservedly. Too bad there were no avatars when the Spanish, English and French arrived on North America.
James Cameron's story even has the humans on Pandora building schools to teach the People english. Sounds familiar? The advantage of the People in this case is that they are like 10 feet tall and can crush a human very easily. The evil humans do have weapons of stupid destruction and are not afraid to use them.
Avatar goes between the expected typical movie stuff to the deep suffering of it's lead character, Jake Sully, played by Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation). Worthington as well as Sigorney Weaver do well with the human element of Avatar (the only humans you root for) and make it well worth watching. It was hard to get used to the animated world of Avatar. I thought it would be distracting and sometimes it was. I still knew it was animation and not people I was watching. Not that I can't be drawn into animated story and characters it was just...weird. Hard to explain.
I did find myself cheering at the end, getting misty and fully enjoying this movie. I can see why it was nominated for movie of the year. But big spectacle, in my opinion, does not a winner make. (I didn't think Braveheart should have won for that reason. Good movie but a big movie was what made it a winner. )
You can watch Avatar with the entire family. Enjoy!
MMMM (out of 5 M's)
So far I have seen every Oscar nominated movie from last year except Precious. When I ask people if Precious was a good movie the reply is that it is a "hard" movie to watch. They can't really seem to put "good" in with that. When I do see it, eventually, I will post a review. But right now I am not into watching "hard" to watch movies.
And my winner for best movie is...next blog post will talk about that.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Rental Reviews!

Today I am reviewing The Blind Side and The Lovely Bones. I am afraid that all my reviews will come about a month after the movie is released to video because I do Redbox. The commie movie execs and other large retailers don't like the fact that Redbox won't gouge the video viewing public, so are holding back new releases at least a month. Next week will be Sherlock Holmes!

The Blind Side: Best movie of the year? Nah. Feel good movie of the year? Sure. The fact that this movie was nominated at the Oscars makes me look for why it should have been. It was certainly better than District 9 and Hurt Locker. As you know may know, my opinion of a good movie involves the progression of some kind of plot and caring about the characters. I don't ask a lot from a movie.
The Blind Side does not disappoint in my criteria of enjoyable movie watching! Based on a true story of, current NFL player, Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), this is his rise from living on the streets to finding family, football and success in what appears to be a heartless world. Sandra Bullock plays the rich socialite that takes the teenager into her home. This is Memphis, Tennessee and even though they don't show how hard it was for him to fit into a white upper class private school, it does not deter from the enjoyment of the movie. This is a feel good movie after all.
But because it doesn't show the prejudice he surely encountered as well as how hard it must have been on the other two children in the household that attend the school - I found it slightly lacking. This is not a meaty movie or even a message movie - just, dare I say it again, feel good movie.
Virtual unknown Quinton Aaron, plays the big young man with heart and an honest portrayal. He doesn't say much but when he does say it - you believe him. Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for this performance. I admit it is her best performance to date. Little Sandra is all grown up and acting. But an Oscar? Not for this one performance. She will need a body of work (ala Jeff Bridges) to really get the respect she is working for in Hollywood.
I enjoyed this movie and it left me feeling all warm and fuzzy.
MMM M1/2's (out of 5)
Other feel good movies I suggest: The Last Mimzy and The Astronaut Farmer.

The Lovely Bones: I always find it a shame to waste real talent on a movie especially the talents of Stanley Tucci, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Michael Imperioli and Susan Saradon. But this movie has done it!
Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings trilogy) directed this plodding tale of a murdered girl that is stuck in the afterlife and slips in and out of the real life. Setting this movie in the 1970s was a good idea because it did drag out the murder investigation. There were no profilers, DNA testing or a missing children's database. I think that was clever and we know Mark Wahlberg wears (or doesn't!) the 70s well. That is where any creativity ends.
M. Night Shyamalan it ain't although it is trying hard to be through suspense. It also isn't What Dreams May Come, a brilliant movie about the afterlife (but have several boxes of tissues handy and be feeling emotionally strong).
I can't recommend this movie even with the cast.
M (for the cast) (out of 5 Ms)

Sunday, April 18, 2010

TV Review: Fringe

Fringe is one of those shows that creeps up on you. I am a Bones fan and have been seeing commercials for the following show, Fringe, for a couple years now. Never really gave it much thought. In 2008 when the show premiered, I would usually switch over to CSI after Bones and then watch Eleventh Hour. Fringe looked kind of X-Files-ish but with more action and with watching Eleventh Hour, I thought I would get enough of the "out there" factor. I thought Eleventh Hour would be more cerebral and that is what I was looking for. Eleventh Hour only last 18 episodes and I was disappointed to see it go. I had overheard some chatter at work about Fringe but never really got hooked on it. Until...
While watching the most recent cliffhanger of Bones, in February, I stuck around and watched Fringe. WOW! Why on Earth did I wait this long to watch this show? Just one episode of this show had me hooked. I had a slight idea of some of the working relationships of the characters by just bits and pieces of episodes I may have seen but it was enough to be completely sucked into the episode and the series. Hard to believe that one episode could do that but then again, the master, J. J. Abrams is one of those responsible for this show. Never a Lost fan but certainly a Star Trek fan, Abrams has won me over.
Fringe is like X-Files but they have a budget and are not hidden in the basement of the FBI building. Really, the only thing that makes them alike is the fact that there are strange things going on around here and someone has to get to the bottom of it. The twist is they are under the Department of Homeland Security which probably makes the freak-squad able to move more freely around and into freaky business of citizens.
The series centers around three characters an FBI agent - Olivia Dunham, a scientist - Dr. Walter Bishop and his son, Peter Bishop, who works as an FBI advisor. The dynamics between the three is interesting and really come to a head in the first episode that I watched. Since I haven't watched the show since the beginning I cannot comment on how they all came to work together but I'll catch up on that later.
The writing, editing and camera work is excellent. The actors are the kind you have seen before but can't put your finger on it. Anna Tory (Olivia Dunham) has probably the smallest resume with some small and large TV time but no big roles (much like Emily Deschanel of Bones). Joshua Jackson (Peter Bishop) is probably more familiar as he has worked steadily and did teenage TV and movie roles including Dawson's Creek and Scream 2. John Noble (Dr. Walter Bishop) should be the most familiar to viewers although you may not recognize him because he has done many character roles, most notably the very creepy Denethor in The Lord of The Rings: Return of The King. All of them working actors that seem to have fallen into a good thing - good for us.
It is not too late to start watching Fringe. I see a long life ahead of it and I plan on sticking around until the end.
Fringe is on Thursday nights at 9pm EST on Fox (after Bones). See local listings for exact time and day in your area.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Hurt Locker: The Poem

I have had many debates over the movie The Hurt Locker. A good movie but in my opinion not Oscar worthy. Below is the poem of the same name. And it is more profound, deep and penetrating than the movie could ever hope to be.

The Hurt Locker

Nothing but the hurt left here.
Nothing but bullets and pain
and the bled out slumping
and all the fucks and goddamns
and Jesus Christs of the wounded.
Nothing left here but the hurt.
Believe it when you see it.
Believe it when a 12-year-old
rolls a grenade into the room.
Or when a sniper punches a hole
deep into someone’s skull.
Believe it when four men
step from a taxicab in Mosulto shower the street in brass
and fire. Open the hurt locker
and see what there is of knives
and teeth. Open the hurt locker and learn
how rough men come hunting for souls.

- Brian Turner

Return of the movie mommy!

Dear blog readers,
The movie mommy is BACK! Yes, after a loooong winter and hiatus, I have returned to do my duty as your movie, video, TV, music, sports, kid advice and general overblown know-it-all that you have come to know and love!
I had a tough fall, to say the least, and that is why I took a break. Deaths in the family, work, school and my son starting school put some stressors on my life that all came together in the fall. It took a while to get my head back together but after many video rentals (Red Box, baby!!!) and the dismal Oscars - I decided I was once again needed!
I rent a lot of movie and therefore most of my reviews will be from rentals. I will do my best to make them timely. The next movie I plan on seeing at the movies will be Iron Man 2 (yes!!!!) and that should kick off the summer movie season nicely.
Hang in there and watch for my posts!
Thanks for reading in the past and thanks for reading in the future!
hugs and kisses,
the movie mommy