Grown Ups

Grown Ups (2010) – Movie Review

Director: Dennis Dugan (Dir: Heaps of Adam Sandler Movies)

Screenwriters: Adam Sandler, Fred Wolf

Producer: Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo

Studio: Columbia

Production Company: Happy Madison

Top Billed Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek

LOGLINE: A bunch of 40-somethings bring their families together for a reunion at the lake house they stayed at as a basketball team when they were kids. Shenanigans ensue.

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: At home, in bed, with my wife. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Light hearted (aka silly) ensemble comedy. Basically an Adam Sandler pic.

STORY: Predictable and ordinary, with some funny jokes etc.

PRODUCTION: Dennis Dugan has directed just about every Adam Sandler Movie. I don't mean every movie he's been in I mean the Happy Madison (his production company) ones like Happy Gilmore, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry etc. (not Click, Funny People, Reign Over Me etc). In other words the sillier ones not the classier ones. So you pretty much know what to expect. I will say this though, Cinematographer Theo Van de Sande, who has also worked on a bunch of Sandler/Dugan flicks, seems to have taken it up a notch with this one. Some of the establishing shots of the Lake House are beautiful. 

PERFORMANCE: Not a stretch from any of these guys, who seem to be just hanging out, having fun.

OVERALL: If it's light entertainment you want you got it. If it's anything more, no go.

MEETSLINE: Happy Gilmore meets Semi-Pro

FAVOURITE QUOTE: none.

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Home-style Burgers and fries.

RATING:

3 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

Boy

Boy (2010) – Movie Review

Director: Taika Waititi (Dir: Flight Of The Conchords, Eagle vs Shark)

Screenwriter: Taika Waititi

Producer: Cliff Curtis (Actor: Uncle Bully in Once were Warriors, Amir in Three Kings)

Studio: New Zealand Film Commission

Production Companies: Unison Films, Whenua Films

Top Billed Cast: James Rolleston, Taika Waititi, Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu

LOGLINE: 1984. When Boy's dad rolls back into town after a stint in the joint and who knows what else, the two Maori men struggle to find a rhythm as they search for hidden money, party and hang out with their upstart bikey gang.

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: At home in the loungeroom with my wife as part of our unofficial kiwi film fest in honour of the RWC in NZ this month.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Boy oh boy what a great film (pun totally intended). Just the right mix of quirk, drama, comedy and culture (both pop culture and Maori culture).

STORY: All though I've only given Boy a 1/2 a reel of film extra than my rating of Eagle vs Shark, writer/director Taika Waititi's previous effort (that I watched after this film by reviewed before [i'm playing catch up]), this is a vast improvement and a really classy flick.

PRODUCTION: cool. slightly more slickerer (that's totally a word) editing and higher production value than Eagle and some inventive shots and sequences. 

I love the way he mixes and weaves multiple, unrelated pieces of pop culture into to style of the film, similar to how Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge is a Bollywoodesque modern western rock musical set in Pari, in, made Australia or Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs The World, which mixes comic book, music video and video game cultures.

Michael Jackson + Haka = Fully Sick!

PERFORMANCE: The Boy in Boy is great. These kiwi kid actors are amazing. (Don't forget Melanie Lynskey of Two Half Men and Anna Paquin of X-Men fame both started as kiwi kid actors and the girl in Whale Rider was amazing. They should release a double feature DVD or even big screen screening of Whale Rider and Boy and call it "boy and girl".)


The auteur (writer/director) Taika is awesome as the dad.

OVERALL: Watch this space - Taika co-wrote and directed Eagle vs Shark, 10 episodes of Flight of the Conchords and now this little gem, more good things to come I'm sure!

MEETSLINE: Baadasssss! meets Whale Rider

FAVOURITE QUOTE: "Maori Smurf"

"Teacher: Now, who knows what disease this sheep has? 

Kingi: AIDS?
Teacher: Not AIDS, you dork!"


"Boy: So what you guys been up to?
Dallas: We are self employed now
Boy: What's your job?
Dallas: Chucking mud at those cows"


"Mr. Langston: People call me a dumb honky all the time. I don't go round punching them.
Boy: Why not?
Mr. Langston: Because they're usually children."

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Ice block, "pipeweed", beer or 'real milk'

LINKS:

RATING:

4 1/2 out of 5 reels of film.

 Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

Whale Rider

Whale Rider (2002) – Movie Review

Director: Niki Caro

Screenwriter: Niki Caro

Based on the book by: Witi Ihimaera

Producers: John Barnett, Frank Hubner, Tim Sanders

Studio: New Zealand Film Commission

Production Companies: South Pacific Pictures, Apollomedia, Pandora Filmproducktion

Top Billed Cast: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis, Grant Roa

LOGLINE: A powerful, spiritual young Maori girl struggles to earn her grandfather-guardian's love and respect after her birth (being a woman) broke the line of chiefs that went all the way back to the begining. 

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: At home, in a single sitting, in my loungeroom with my wife, on a weekend. Part of the New Zealand film fest we're havign in honour of the Rugby World Cup in NZ this month.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Wowsers. I'm usually more of an action/comedy/eipc/anything-but-drama kind of guy but this movie, which is pretty much pure drama rocked me! I do have a soft sport for the Haka, even though I'm an Aussie and the Kiwis are are natural enemy, there is a certain level of respect. Without trying to sound condescending, NZ is like Australia's little brother and when they do something kind we (or at least I) feel kinda proud of them. Well in the film and music realms anyway - not in rugby, and certainly not when it's against us!

But there sure are some great films coming out of the little island nation at the moment, Lord of the Rings (my favourite/the greatest film ever), Flight of the Conchords, Eagle vs Shark, Boy and others I'm sure that I haven't sen yet (what's Jane Campion up to? She must have one out...)

STORY: Powerful, heart renching stuff - yes I know, I'm the backwards hat film reviewer, I'm supposed to be cool and into 'regular' (i.e. vacuous) films, but I'm aloud to have a couple of dramas that I did, and besides there are only so many 'regular' films one can watch before you have to turn to other stuff not only to because you're mind might explode from numbness but also because you just ran out of films to watch. Anyway the point is this is a great story. It follows along the mythological pattern of the monomyth/hero's journey pretty strongly, what with the her being of coming-of-age age and quasi-orphaned etc. But it does it really well.

PRODUCTION: Fairly low key, but that was all that was required.

PERFORMANCE: Knock-your-socks-off good, espeically from the twelve year old Keisha Castle-Hughes but really all round. How did they not all win Oscars for their respective roles?

OVERALL: A beauty. Pretty full on, high ups and low downs (but not to messed up). Overall a great flick.

MEETSLINE: The Bible etc meets Maori culture.

FAVOURITE QUOTE: "My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the whale rider. I'm not a prophet, but I know that our people will keep going forward, all together, with all of their strength."

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Pawa

RATING:

4 1/2 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

Rango

Rango (2011) – Movie Review

Director: Gore Verbinksi

Screenwriter: John Logan, Gore Verbinksi, James Ward Byrkit

Producer/s: John B. Carls, Graham King, Jacqueline M. Lopez, 

Studios: Paramount, Nickelodeon

Production Companies: Blind Wink

Top Billed Cast: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Timothy Olyphant, Ray Winstone

LOGLINE: A quirky lizard actor, starved for attention finds the courage he needs by taking on a character, Rango, when he enters a fringe town in the wild west of modern day animal society. His character is soon promoted to Sheriff and he becomes embroiled in a world of treachery and danger.

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: (Today) At home, on a sick day (a real one, not a 'sicky'), in bed, with my wife, over several few hours with naps and a rugby match in between.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Clever, if not a little too self aware. I'm not sure if the screenwriting 101 stuff washed over with 'normal' audiences but I found it a little trite. Other than that though, pretty good.

STORY: Not the most original piece ever, but luckily the characters are interesting enough to carry the day. It borrows heavily from Chinatown and a bunch of Westerns and other films.

PRODUCTION: A great animation, the sunset scenes are gorgeous - very realistic, as are the shots of glass which is used as a symbol throughout to represent Rango's relationship to the world.

PERFORMANCE: Johnny Depp is a very talented actor and really gets to have a bit of a play/stretch his wings here, which I'm sure was as much fun for him as it is for us.

OVERALL: Pretty good, one of my favourite animations for a while (the other being Toy Story 3)

Oh, and I'm feeling better now, thanks for asking.

MEETSLINE: Chinatown meets Gore Verbinski's The Mexican and the entire Spaghetti Western Genre.

FAVOURITE QUOTE: 

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: A big jug of water!

RATING:

3 1/2 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) – Movie Review

Director: George Lucas

Screenwriter: George Lucas

Producers: Gary Kurtz, Rick McCallum

Studio:  20th Century Fox

Production Company: Lucasfilm

Top Billed Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, James Earl Jones

LOGLINE: A simple farm boy comes into possession of two important droids and joins a small party together to take them to their rightful owner a galactic princess who's been kidnapped and held prisoner upon the Deathstar, a spaceship the size of a moon.

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: I can't remember but it was probably on free-to-air television as a kid before I promptly fell in love with it and had my parents by the VHS.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Before Lord of the Rings came along, this was my all time favourite. To some Star Wars fans this is sacrilege. But why must we fight Kevin Smith? Can't there be two THE Trilogies?

STORY: George Lucas admitted/cited that he was strongly influenced by Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which is a study of mythology (religious 'tales' etc) and the monomyth (the theory that all stories share the same certain stages). This story hits all of those marks and reinvents them for a modern audience, in effect making Star Wars the religion of a generation, which it was for me. Literally, I (along with many others), once put 'Jedi' down as my religion on the Australian Census.


Since this little secret came out The Hero with a Thousand Faces has become a bible for screenwriters.

PRODUCTION: A true breakthrough it what was possible from the medium of film making, George Lucas paved the way for many films and it still stands the test of time over 30 years later!

PERFORMANCE: Great performances all round from who were essentially a bunch of unknowns. It's a pity we haven't seen more of Mark Hamill since in non Sci-Fi/SW related stuff. Same goes for Carrie Fisher actually.

OVERALL: One of the greatest films ever made, it has not only influenced film but wider culture and life.

MEETSLINE: Sci-Fi meets Western and Opera.

FAVOURITE QUOTES:


"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away"


"May the Force be with you"


"Boring conversation anyway"


"Stormtrooper: Let me see your identification. 
Obi-Wan: [with a small wave of his hand] You don't need to see his identification.
Stormtrooper: We don't need to see his identification.
Obi-Wan: These aren't the droids you're looking for.
Stormtrooper: These aren't the droids we're looking for.
Obi-Wan: He can go about his business.
Stormtrooper: You can go about your business.
Obi-Wan: Move along. Stormtrooper: Move along... move along. "

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Blue Milkshake.

LINKS: 


Check out my deconstruction of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope here: 

http://filmdeconstructions.blogspot.com/2011/09/star-wars-new-hope.html

RATING:

5 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (2003) – Movie Review

Director: Peter Jackson

Screenwriters: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson

Based on the Book by: J.R.R. Tolkien

Producer: Barrie Osborne

Studio: New Line 

Production Companies: WingNut

Top Billed Cast: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortenson, Andy Serkis, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Cate Blanchette, Bernard Hill, David Wenham, Miranda Otto, Karl Urban, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, Hugo Weaving, John Rhys-Davis, Orlando Bloom, John Noble, Bret McKenzie, Ian Holm, Martin Csokas, Sean Bean, Christopher Lee

LOGLINE: As Frodo, Sam and there ever more unstable Gollum approach Mount Doom, Gandalf, Aragorn, Theoden and others must fight to save Gondor from an army of Orcs and beasts and Nazgul.

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: Originally on opening day with a sold out cinema at 9am with my mum, dad, brother and girlfriend (now wife), after a long line up to ensure god seats. Since then many times on DVD at home and at friends. (I once even watched every single frame of extra footage and commentary for all three of the special edition films, which adds up to well over 100 hours, in just under 2 weeks, whilst I was studying for uni exams)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Epic Climax to the greatest story ever told made into the greatest film series ever made.

STORY: Such scope and such detail. Such a great film! And for those that don't like the multiple endings, tough titties! It is aloud at least three and is it is ending three films.

PRODUCTION: Peter Jackson took his already breakthrough techniques to another leven of quality and quantity with this installment.

PERFORMANCE: All brilliant, business as usual on the LOTR set.

OVERALL: I watch FOTR more than ROTK which I watch more than TTT, but really the best way to watch them is to watch the extended editions back to back or at least on sequential nights.

MEETSLINE: Lord of the Rings meets Awesomeness

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
"My lords, you bow to noone"


"I am no man"


"Share the load"


"My Precious"

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Cherry tomatoes!

LINKS: 

Check out my review of LOTR FOTR here:
http://reviewflix.blogspot.com/2011/09/lord-of-rings-fellowship-of-ring.html

Check out my review of LOTR TTT here:
http://reviewflix.blogspot.com/2011/09/lord-of-rings-two-towers.html

Check out my deconstruction of LOTR FOTR here:
http://filmdeconstructions.blogspot.com/2011/09/lord-of-rings-fellowship-of-ring.html

RATING:

5 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

The African Queen

The African Queen (1951) – Movie Review

Director: John Huston

Screenwriters: James Agee, John Huston

Producers: S.P. Eagle

Studios: United Artists 

Production Companies: Romulus Films, Horizon Pictures

Top Billed Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Peter Bull

LOGLINE: A rough working class man and a lady take a long journey through Africa aboard the African Queen, a small steam boat, on a mission to destroy a Nazi warship.

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES:  At home over two nights, minimal facebooking in the background.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Not bad. Not what I'd call a true classic, though, despite the Bogart/Hepburn pairing. 

STORY: much of the film is spent with the cast of two (three if you include the boat, which at times is almost personified), which makes it kind of like a play on film - any film with few characters and locations, i.e. a film that could be or has been staged as a play.

PRODUCTION: dated, but not too bad, some of the rapid scenes use repeat shots which is annoying, cause if you're going to go to all the trouble to film rapids you think you could make it look like rapids change as the boat moves. Other than that not bad over all, it even an explosion of two.

PERFORMANCE: Believe it or not, the performances were not the strongest aspect of the film. Although they are both two of the great all time actors, there were moments in which their performances felt like... well performances in other words you feel like you're watching Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart put on a show versus watching Charlie and Rose out on the water. Again, I think part of this is due to the age of the film, though I've seen both these actors in other things do a more subtle job.

OVERALL: a pretty good picture, worth a look, just don't expect Casablanca.

MEETSLINE: A road movie on the water.

FAVOURITE QUOTE: none

. 

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Fish and chips and Bourbon.


AN ASIDE: It was interesting to note that one of the scenes was pretty much lifted directly by Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl. See if you can spot it.

RATING:

3 1/2 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

The Big Lebowski

The Big Lewbowski (1998) – Movie Review

Director: Coen Bros (Joel and Ethan Coen)

Screenwriter: Joel and Ethan Coen

Producers: Joel and Ethan Coen 

Studio: Polygram

Production Companies: Working Title

Top Billed Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Juliane Moore, Steve Buscemi, Phillip Seymore Hoffman, Tara Reid, Flea, John Turturro, Peter Stormare

LOGLINE: The Dude and his unemployed bowling buddies become embroiled in kidnapping and embezzlement with Nihilists, porn moguls, cripples and high society folk after some thugs break into his house and pee on his rug.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Cult classic, one of my favourites. I could watch this again and again. And in fact I do.

STORY: Brilliant! Slightly similar to other modern American farces such as Dude, Where's My Car or even Bubble Boy (with the different groups of characters' stories interweaving, most of them out to get the hero and the viewer never quite sure how it all fits together) but way, way, way better! 

PRODUCTION: Great production, the bowling ball vignette (short sequence that's seperate from the actual film) is famous.

PERFORMANCE: Seriously, Jeff Bridge's The Dude is an all time great performance. All supports are top class.

OVERALL: The Coen Brothers' best film and that's saying something.

MEETSLINE: too good for a meets line.

FAVOURITE QUOTES: 
"That rug really tied the room together."

Jesus Quintana: You ready to be fucked, man? I see you rolled your way into the semis. Dios mio, man. Liam and me, we're gonna fuck you up.
The Dude: Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Jesus Quintana: Let me tell you something, pendejo. You pull any of your crazy shit with us, you flash a piece out on the lanes, I'll take it away from you, stick it up your ass and pull the fucking trigger 'til it goes "click."
The Dude: Jesus.
Jesus Quintana: You said it, man. Nobody fucks with the Jesus.

"I do mind, the Dude minds. This will not stand, ya know, this aggression will not stand, man."

"Walter, I love you, but sooner or later, you're going to have to face the fact you're a goddamn moron."

"We believe in nothing, Lebowski. Nothing. And tomorrow we come back and we cut off your chonson." 

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: White Russians or Kahlua and Milk and/or "pipeweed".

RATING:

4 1/2 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

Swimming with Sharks

Swimming with Sharks (1994) – Movie Review

Director: George Huang

Screenwriter: George Huang

Producer/s: Steve Alexander, Joanne Moore, 

Studio: Keystone Studios

Production Companies: Cineville

Top Billed Cast: Kevin Spacey, Frank Whaley, Michelle Forbes, Benicio Del Toro

LOGLINE: A Hollywood V.P.'s assistant struggles to cope with his tyrannical bosses demands.

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: At home (lounge room), on a week night, single sitting, with my wife.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: This film gets mentioned in screenwriting books and filmmaking podcasts etc. along with The Player  as a supposed accurate metafilm (film about a film). 

STORY: The weak link in the chain of the film.

PRODUCTION: nothing really to note here other than it's well put together.

PERFORMANCE: This is one of several films in which Kevin Spacey plays a horrible boss (including Glengarry, Glen Ross and of course Horrible Bosses), which I think is a bit of a shame because these roles don't draw the best out of one of the world's finest actors. Frank Whaley isn't my personal favourite - I think mainly cause I just can't get past that haircut or the Career Opportunities bit (which I loved as a kid).

OVERALL: If you want to work in Hollywood this is required viewing, If not it's still worth a looksy, but maybe while you're doing something else (like I was... writing on this very blog if you must know).

MEETSLINE: Glengarry Glen Ross meets Straw Dogs.

FAVOURITE QUOTE: none.


RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Coffee with Nutrasweet NOT Equal.

RATING:

3 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

Creature from the Black Lagoon

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) – Movie Review

Director: Jack Arnold

Screenwriter/s: Harry Essex, Arthur A. Ross, Maurice Zimm 

Producer: William Alland

Studio: Universal 

Production Companies: Universal

Top Billed Cast: Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, Nestor Paiva, Whit Bissill

LOGLINE: A group of scientific explorers encounter an Amphibious Humanoid in the deepest unexplored reaches of the Amazon.


VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: At home, by myself in 3 sittings over the space of about a week or so.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Wow, what's with the soundtrack? Talk about subtle as a sledge hammer. There's an old adim for making good movies 'show don't tell', well this film tries to tell through music when little else is doing. Other than that - not too bad

STORY: It's less eventful and suspenseful than I expected.

PRODUCTION: I haven't seen too many 50s horror flicks so I don't have a whole lot I can compare too. What I can say is this though, the editing is slow. The costume of the creature isn't shabby.

PERFORMANCE: The best aspect of the film.

OVERALL: Not bad. Worth a watch.

MEETSLINE: This film is in the meetsline of Jaws.

FAVOURITE QUOTE: none.


RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Lagoon Creature.

RATING:

3 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011