Easy A

Title: Easy A (2010)
Director: Will Gluck
Genre: Comedy
Lead Actor(s): Emma Stone
Rating: PG-13
92 minutes

Easy A is told through an internet stream as Olive Penderghast (a fairly awesome last name) (Emma Stone) and flash backs as she tells her side of the story in chapters. It begins when she lies about having a date with a college guy in order to get out of going on a camping trip with her friend, Rhi (Aly Michalka), and Rhi’s hippie parents. Her friend becomes convinced that Olive slept with the guy and when Olive sarcastically agrees, the school goody-goody, Marianne (Amanda Bynes), tells the whole school and now Olive is branded as a slut. Olive decides to embrace this view of her by channeling The Scarlet Letter and letting guys say they did something with her in return for gift cards. The only people who really seem to be consistently are her parents and Mr. Griffith (who I knew was going to hit on her, but you will have to see it to find out if he does) (Thomas Haden Church).

This movie is built around Emma Stone. She is able to display the wit and stamina needed for the role. The one-liners, some of which are seen in the trailer, would not have been nearly as funny if Bynes had been in the role instead. Stone has a dryness about her that differentiates this movie from so many of the other recent high school movies. She really is a funny and self-assured actress. There is a montage of her weekend that I have now watched twice on youtube just because it’s a quick funny thing to watch during dull commercials or breaks from dull studying. Should you want to watch it, search for Easy A pocketful of sunshine.

Besides Stone’s performance, there aren’t a lot of strong performances. The exceptions are Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as Olive’s parents and Lisa Kudrow as Mrs. Griffith, the school guidance counselor. I have by now realized that Tucci is one of those actors who I am just ridiculously biased for. I love his performance and personality and energy. This was one reason I did not want to see him play a child murderer in The Lovely Bones. I doubt I will ever see that movie, even though I am sure Tucci was wonderful in that as well. Here he is over-the-top and funny. Clarkson as her mom is a little more reserved, but still hilarious and Clarkson and Tucci have great timing and chemistry with each other. They could be seen as too exaggerated, but the town that this is supposedly taking place in is supposed to be very small, so instead their performances help us understand why Olive is so different from her classmates.

Lisa Kudrow plays her guidance counselor very similar to her character on her character on “Web Therapy,” Fiona Wallace. Both are more interested in themselves than their charges and have no understanding about how to interact with those who seek their help. She is very funny in the view parts she has, especially when we first meet her visiting her husband in his classroom.

The rest of the characters are very lacking. Bynes’s Marianne is by no means Mandy Moore’s Hillary Faye in Saved. She lacks the dimension and her actions and conviction come off much more artificial than Moore’s. I think the character of Rhianna or Rhi was almost an afterthought. Olive doesn’t really seem to like her “best friend” and they quickly split for the majority of the movie. I also don’t really understand the point of Woodchuck Todd (Penn Badgley) character. Would it be bad for Olive not to find someone in this small and ill-fitting town to have a crush on?

My final issue with the film is a very stupid and petty one, so forgive me. Olive is almost thrown out of school for calling a girl, who called her a slut (or some synonym), a twat. She never gets in trouble for wearing clothing she literally bought at a lingerie store. I find this baffling. They try to wave it off by saying that her pants are always longer than her fingertips, but I would like to know of one school that would not take action when one of their students is essentially just wearing a whole bunch of corsets.

My favorite parts are the ones where it is just Olive talking to her computer. They are simple, but define her character and avoid the majority of unnecessary characters. The directing is not noticeable in a good or bad way. There are moments where it makes the action more fun (the montage comes to mind) and there are moments that are really very cliché (Olive walking through a crowd in slow motion once she decides to embrace her inner Hester Prynne). Overall, it is a fun movie with good wit and great performances from Tucci, Clarkson, and Kudrow and a stand-out one by Stone. If the rest of the Easy A world was as good as these actors, it would be a great movie.

****** 6/10

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Title: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Director: Edgar Wright
Genre: Action, Comedy
Lead Actor(s): Michael Cera
Rating: PG-13
112 minutes

Again this is a movie based on a comic book I have not read. The movie centers around Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera). He sees a girl, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and becomes utterly infatuated with her, despite the fact his is dating a high school student, Knives Chau. Despite the protests of members in his band and his sister, Pilgrim pursues her and ends up dating her. Unfortunately she has 7 evil exes, with super powers, determined to destroy Pilgrim for the love of Flowers. Pilgrim must fight and destroy each one in order to win the right to date Flowers.

I know that several people love Michael Cera, but I don’t think he is strong enough to carry a movie on his own. Despite Scott Pilgrim being the protagonist, I found myself enjoying the supporting character far more than the main character. That being said, I did like seeing this lanky nerdy guy in these crazy action sequences. It is the aftermath of the battles and the scenes leading up to it that are lacking. His character is very much like every other character he has played, and that is fine because they work in supporting roles, but the personality is not strong enough to base a movie around. I have not seen the other movie where Cera plays the lead, Youth in Revolt, but I didn’t really feel a need to see it.

The supporting characters make this movie. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is subtly funny as Flowers. She has a whole festival of crazy going on around her and she is still very calm about it all. Kieran Culkin plays Pilgrim’s gay roommate, Wallace. He is probably my favorite character in the movie. His character is the funniest and the ego he has is fitting for the character, whereas Pilgrim’s seems inflated and aggravating. The drummer is his band, Kim (Alison Pill), also has a very strong character that is funny without pushing it down your throat. I also love all the exes, particularly the last one. There were times I was almost rooting for the exes because they were far more interesting than the main character.

I also particularly liked the style of the movie. It is very old school video game-y. Pilgrim gets points for each ex he defeats and they shatter into coins. There are also flash back sequences that are apparently in the style of the comic. It is a somewhat romantic film, but it is unlike any that I have seen. In basically every genre, the movie is unique. The movie was also really funny. I think it could have been funnier and significantly better, if someone besides Cera were cast. It is still a fun and geeky and good movie. I will probably buy it, but due to the style I think this would be a great one to see in theaters.

******* 6/10

Grease

Title: Grease (1978)
Director: Randal Kleiser
Genre: Musical
Lead Actor(s): John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John
Rating: PG-13
110 minutes

There probably isn’t a musical better known than this one. For the view of you who haven’t ever heard of this musical, Goodie-Two-Shoes Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) moves to the states and remeets her summer fling, Danny (John Travolta), at her new high school. The Danny she met though was much kinder and softer than this Danny. The two try to rekindle their romance but find they both must change to get close to each other again.

Olivia Newton-John is probably my least favorite of the actors in the cast. Her purer than snow Sandy is often grating and unrelatable. I know that the celebrated “Hopelessly Devoted to You” is her big ballad, but it was always one of my least favorite songs. I just found the performance and character bland. She needs more personality and spunk. I find it hard to believe that there was a strong initial connection between the two leads.

John Travolta is much more on point as Danny Zuko. I think he understands this type of character better than Newton-John understands hers. He played a rather similar character in “Welcome Back, Kotter.” I also think he just had more fun with his character and the movie in general. Danny does have a good heart, but he also has a good reputation and sometimes one trumps the other. He is far more believable than his costar.

My favorite characters though are the supporting ones, particularly Kenickie (Jeff Conaway), Rizzo (Stockard Channing), and Marty Maraschino (Dinah Manoff). Kenickie is just a great foil for the characters around him. Whether he is interacting with Danny or Rizzo, he is always giving the support the other actor needs to perform to his best. He also is always acting even when he is in the background. Marty Maraschino is just funny. She is a not always purposeful vixen. She is at her funniest during the dance-off when flirting with the host. Rizzo is my favorite character in the movie. She is head of the Pink Ladies and a very strong character. Although far older than her teenage character, Channing is very strong in her characterization and finds humor in moments that could have been stale. I would argue she is the strongest character both in believability and personality in the movie.

Several of the songs are fun and catchy. The movie is well-directed even if I disagree with the casting of the female lead. After 30 years, the movie is just as beloved as it was then. I don’t know that it will ever fade from the pop culture’s radar. It is not my favorite musical or my favorite high school movie, but it isn’t bad.

****** 6/10

Matilda

Title: Matilda (1996)
Director: Danny DeVito
Genre: Comedy
Lead Actor(s): Mara Wilson
Rating: PG
102 minutes

Roald Dahl was one of my favorite authors when I was younger. I, however, never read this book. The movie follows an incredibly intelligent, young girl, Matilda (Mara Wilson),who is born into a lazy, stupid, and unimaginative family. Her father (Danny DeVito) is a particularly dirty, used car salesman. Her mother (Reha Perlman) is addicted to Bingo. Matilda ends up at a school run by the most horrible “educator” ever, Agatha Trunchbull. She generates a relationship with her teacher, Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz), and through her realizes her power.

Mara Wilson has incredible gravity for such a young girl and that is what makes her work so well in the character. When you look at her, you feel like you are looking at a 37-year-old in a 6-year-old’s body. Matilda is a role that needs this maturity. She is the only adult in her family and every action needs to show this.

I particularly loved Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman as her absolutely hideous parents. Her father buys stolen auto parts to keep his investment down. He puts bumpers on cars with super super glue. He thinks he is a smooth operator while actually looking like a greasy, bad con man. Her mother claims she chose looks over books, but her ideas of looks is Vegas fake. Both actors play their roles with such conviction. It is truly fun to watch them be assholes.

The role that I thought was off was Miss Honey. Her aunt is the evil principal and she acts meeker than a mouse around her. Yet she had the courage to leave her childhood home and find a place for herself. I would have liked to see a bit more backbone in the character. This can be done while still keeping to the heart of the character and the script. I don’t know if it was Davidtz’s decision or DeVito, but there needed to be some more strength to this character that would end up being a second mother to Matlida.

Overall it is an enjoyable film especially for younger kids. The movie is rather obvious. The characters are caricatures, but for a kid’s film that is ok.

****** 6/10

A League of Their Own

Title: A League of Their Own (1992)
Director: Penny Marshall
Genre: Comedy
Lead Actor(s): Geena Davis, Tom Hanks
Rating: PG
128 minutes

This is a more unique chick flick than most. It focuses on a women’s baseball team during WWII and more specifically two sisters on the Rockford Peaches. Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) is the older, prettier, and more talented player, while her sister Kit Keller (Lori Petty) has always lived in her older sister’s shadow. They both end up on the same team managed by a washed-up baseball player, Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks). After a confrontation with Kit, Dottie asks to be transferred, but her sister was transferred instead which leads to a showdown at the championship.

Geena Davis is good in the role. She plays the protective sister who outshines her youngest. Lori Petty is just as good as Kit. She had a more difficult role in my opinion, having to resent but still love her older sister. None of the comedy comes from these two though.

Tom Hanks is pretty funny as the initially drunk, washed-up star. He doesn’t understand how to relate to the girls on his team and initially has little to no interest. His most famous utterance being “there’s no crying in baseball!” I wouldn’t say it is his best role, but I like him in the role and seemed to enjoy the making the movie.

The funniest characters are the duo of Doris Murphy (Rosie O’Donnell) and “All the Way” Mae Mordabito (Madonna). They are the kinds of friends who make fun of each other, but fiercely defend each other against outsiders. They also are able to feed off each other’s timing and lines. The movie would have been very dry without these characters. Madonna’s role, however, is not large or important enough for third billing.

The movie is a fun sports movie without being testosterone driven. It also has some chick power moments and a tiny bit of romance. It would be a decent meeting place for a date night or something like that.

****** 6/10

The hunchback of notre dame

Title: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Director: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Genre: Animated, Drama
Lead Actor(s): Tom Hulce, Tony Jay
Rating: G
91 minutes

This is in my opinion the darkest Disney movie ever made. It features prejudice, potential genocide, homicide, abuse, and religious bigotry. I must preface this review by saying that I have not read the source material, although eventually I plan to, and thus cannot comment on the accuracy of the film. The film’s plot begins with the origin of Quasimodo (Tom Hulce). Judge Frollo (Tony Jay) (I do know that in the book he is an archdeacon) kills his mother on the steps of Notre Dame and is guilted into caring for the orphan by an archdeacon. Several years later, Frollo is still pursuing his crusade against the gypsies when a new captain, Phoebus (Kevin Kline), comes into town and is ordered to arrest a gypsy, Esmeralda (Demi Moore), who embarrassed Frollo at the festival of thieves. Quasimodo befriends Esmeralda and he helps keep her from Frollo.

I am not a particular fan of Tom Hulce as Quasimodo. When I imagine the character, I think of a deeper, rougher voiced actor than the light-voiced Hulce. Even a slightly more masculine voiced would have improved upon it. His inflections are fine, but I think a deeper voice would have been a nice contrast to the character’s personality. I am also think that Kevin Kline’s voice is ill-suited to his character. Phoebus is a fairly serious guy with moments of frivolity, but Kline’s characterization is too happy-go-lucky.

I love the personality of Esmeralda, but am mixed about Demi Moore’s performance. I don’t particularly love or hate it. The character who I utterly adore is Tony Jay’s Frollo. He is a self-righteous bastard and is wonderful at it. He is the same actor that voiced the creepy head of the lunatic asylum in Beauty and the Beast. My absolute favorite scene is when Frollo sings “Hellfire.” He sees Esmeralda dancing in the fire and is taunted by her image. It is a beautifully sung and animated scene. You can find it on YouTube and I highly suggest looking at it. After rewatching this about 2 weeks ago, I immediately bought the song, which unfortunately is introduced by Quasimodo singing “Heaven’s Light.”

I also particularly like Clopin (Paul Kandel), King of the Gypsies. He has a wonderful voice that can both be jovial and threatening. He is a fun character and a sort of narrator for the story.

While I don’t think this is one of the best Disney movies, I do think it is good. Tony Jay as Frollo carries the movie, but there are interesting bits besides his and the rendering of Notre Dame is astounding. I will eventually buy this, but I suggest everyone at least watch “Hellfire” and for a softer fare “God Help the Outcasts.”

****** 6/10

Chicago

Title: Chicago (2002)
Director: Rob Marshall
Genre: Musical, Crime
Lead Actor(s): Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Rating: PG-13
113 minutes

This is the movie credited with the resurgence of the musical genre. The original play premiered in 1974 with a revival in 1996. The movie follows the circumstances of the murder of a woman’s, Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger), lover in the 1920’s. She kills him and is put in jail with the infamous Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who is accused of murdering her sister and husband after finding them in a compromising position. Roxie dreams of working in vaudeville and has musical fantasies in that style.

I have the same problem with the star of the movie as I do with the star of the Broadway show, which I saw while in New York two weeks ago. I just don’t buy them as the character. I think Zellweger was the completely wrong choice. First off her energy doesn’t fit the time period. There is something about her that seems awkward during the jazz age. I also am not a fan of her singing, although I admire her for doing it herself.

I, however, love Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly. She is fantastic in every way as Velma. Her singing and dancing are meticulous. She also seems to deeply understand the character. She is able to turn it on when performing and shows her weakness when the paparazzi are no longer interested in her. She is absolutely wonderful in this role.

Richard Gere as Billy Flynn and Queen Latifah as Mama Morton are both very good in their parts too. Queen Latifah is able to belt it out in “When You’re Good to Mama” and seems to have fun in the scene. Gere is quite surprising as Flynn. I never would have thought that he had this musical ability in him, but he is great as the smarmy lawyer. The supporting character I really like though is John C. Reilly as Amos. His rendition of “Mr. Cellophane” is almost heartbreaking. While not as homely as Amos generally is supposed to be, he plays the gullible husband quite well.

I am also not a fan of the musical in Roxie’s head idea. There were moments where it worked, “Cell Block Tango,” and moments where it really didn’t, “Roxie.” Unfortunately the low points of the movie out-weigh the high. A lot of this is the failure of Zellweger and to an extent, Marshall. It is a fun movie that is both dark and comedic with excellent performances by Zeta-Jones, Gere, Queen Latifah, and Reilly.

****** 6/10

The Terminal

Title: The Terminal (2004)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Lead Actor(s): Tom Hanks
Rating: PG-13
128 minutes

This is a bit different from the films that Spielberg is best known for. Tom Hanks stars as Viktor Navorski, a Krakozhian citizen who tries to visit New York City but is stranded in JFK airport when his country erupts into civil war. He can’t return home due to the danger and isn’t allowed to go into New York because his papers became invalid when the government was overthrown. Instead he spends approximately a year living in the airport.

Again I think Hanks was miscast. Firstly he does not look Eastern European. Secondly I was always distinctly aware that I was watching Tom Hanks in the role. A successful actor in a role should be the role and have the audience forget who the actor is. Hanks does as best as he can in the role. I don’t think he nailed the accent, but it wasn’t hideously distracting. He also displays very little connection with his romantic interest, Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Zeta-Jones is about as successful as Hanks in her role. She doesn’t connect with her role either. She seems awkward and off throughout the majority of the movie.

Where the movie really shines is in the minor characters. Stanley Tucci is the villainous airport immigration officer. As always Tucci is magnificent in the role. I have never seen him in a role where he didn’t shine. I also particularly love Zoe Saldana as the security officer who is a hidden Trekkie. My favorite, however, is Kumar Pallana as Gupta Rajan, a custodian who killed a man in his native India. He seems like a grumpy, crochety old fart (he was 86 when this came out), but he shows that he has a tender side.

The recreation of an airport is astounding. It feels like a real airport. The attention to detail is impeccable and the set dresser/art director should have been recognized. The script has some very tender and touching moments and it is certainly an interesting concept, but the lead actors and, in some part, the direction weight down a wonderfully diverse and interesting collection of minor characters.

****** 6/10

The Jungle Book

Title: The Jungle Book (1967)
Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
Genre: Animation, Adventure
Lead Actor(s): Bruce Reitherman, Phil Harris
Rating: G
78 minutes

This isn’t the best Disney movie ever, but it is probably one of the better loved by boys. Unlike a large amount of the Disney movie, the protagonist is a young boy, Mowgli (Bruce Reitherman). He is orphaned in India and raised by a wolves. When the fearsome Shere Khan (George Sanders) comes into the territory, the wolves decide to send Mowgli to a Man tribe. Along the way, he meets lovable Baloo (Phil Harris) and wild King Louie (Louis Prima) and wise Bagheera (Sebastian Cabot).

My favorite character is easily Baloo. He both wants to be Mowgli’s friend and an uncle like figure. Although Baloo most enjoys partying and floating down the river singing about the “Bear Necessities,” he also fiercely and selflessly protects Mowgli from the evil Shere Khan. Phil Harris creates the perfect voice of growly beariness and fun-lovingness.

I also particularly like the voicing of Shere Khan. Khan is a tiger and has the kind of evil, velvet voice that is necessary for such a smart and manipulative character. Bagheera is a panther who is the sane voice of reason and sort of the grandfatherly character of the movie.

The most lacking aspect is probably Mowgli himself. Where the three previously mentioned are very well-cast, Bruce Reitherman is not wonderful in the role. The movie in general is pretty good, just not the best. I still own it because it is Disney and I own a lot of Disney.

****** 6/10

Kick-Ass

I saw Kick-Ass this weekend and although not the best comic book adaptation/inspired movie, I feel like doing a week of comic book based movies. By the way, I am a total geek.

Title: Kick-Ass (2010)
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Genre: Comic Book, Comedy
Lead Actor(s): Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz
Rating: R
117 minutes

I have not read the graphic novel, so maybe some of my issues are actually loyalties to the comic. Kick-Ass is about a comic book nerd, Dave (Aaron Johnson), who decides that superheros should exist in the real world and orders a neoprene diving suit for a costume and decides to fight minor crime by himself. When he is telling a drug dealer to leave his crush alone and ends up with several weapons pointed at him, he is saved by Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), a father-daughter team that has actually trained to fight crime. Big Daddy and Hit Girl have a vendetta against Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong), a mobster who framed Big Daddy and sent him to jail. Kick-Ass ends up joining them after meeting another superhero wannabe his age named Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).

Aaron Johnson is decent as Kick-Ass/Dave. There are certain times where he isn’t completely believable and I think it is a mix of Johnson and the choices with the character. I am very glad that on his first run out he gets shanked and then run over by a car. This caused several of his nerve to sever so he has a much higher pain tolerance. Although Dave seems to need glasses, Kick-Ass, however, never needs them. At the beginning of the movie, Dave is saying how he isn’t like any of the superheros or their alter-egos, but he seems a lot like Peter Parker prior to the radioactive spider bite. Johnson just doesn’t really seem like a comic nerd. I believe his friends as comic geeks, but just putting a character in a comic store doesn’t make him an actual comic nerd.

Chloe Moretz is already a great actress. She has a very mature quality about her. Hit Girl is the coolest character in the entire movie. She is also the most lethal. After having seen the movie, her character might be more controversial than Mathilda in Léon. She has the foulest mouth in the movie and the most kills. She also fits the character the best in my opinion. The filmmakers are also very good about never showing a physical hit land on Hit Girl. She does get shot (she wears a vest), but the actual punches and kicks are never shown making contact. Moretz is uses the perfect inflections, excitement, snarky looks, etc. in the right situations.

I actually didn’t hate Nicolas Cage in this movie. His over-acting was limited. For some reason, he chose to speak like William Shatner when he was Big Daddy. According to imdb.com, he was trying to sound like Adam West. His costume looks like a mix of Batman and Nite Owl II. His interactions with his daughter are really interesting and actually pretty well acted. I could understand very little of what he said in the middle of his final scene which was pretty annoying.

I liked the little ins for us comic geeks. When Dave and his friends go to the movie, the theater is showing “The Spirit 3.” When Dave is in the hospital, he only has comics, including Watchmen. The mobsters keep saying that Big Daddy is dressed like Batman. The opening monologue is full of comic references. I would have liked if some of the twists were a little more surprising. I also think Red Mist’s car should have been a lot cooler. A car that Tony Stark would own would have been nice. It annoyed me that Dave didn’t mind that Katie, his crush, only became interested in him as a person when she thought he was gay and it took him showing her he was Kick-Ass to get her to like him back. The end of the final fight scene is annoyingly ridiculous as well.

This is not on anywhere near the same level as The Dark Knight. It is also not as horrific as Ghost Rider. Usually comic movies are really good (The Dark Knight, Iron Man, V for Vendetta) or absolutely awful (The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Batman and Robin, Constantine, Howard the Duck). This one is one of the view that is just ok. I don’t have any huge desire to see it again immediately or buy the movie. I really don’t feel a connection to the lead character. I like Hit Girl and Big Daddy better (although the name Big Daddy is a bit creepy). It is a fun movie to see once for those of us who love comics and it would be a good movie for those who like action movies.

****** 6/10