Amazon Holiday

Showing posts with label magical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label magical. Show all posts

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Tangled 3D


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Disney's animated version of Rapunzel, about a lost princess, who longs to get out of her tower and visit the world. Is it just me, or does anyone else not remember her hair being magical in any previous versions?

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman, M.C. Gainey, Jeffrey Tambor, Brad Garrett, Paul F. Tompkins

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. It's very cute, but not the most original or funny animated Disney movie of the bunch. Most disappointing are the songs, which seem like rehashes of better songs from more remarkable Disney musicals. I guess the bottom line is that now that they've spoofed themselves in Enchanted, it's very hard to go back to making these princess musicals in a non-joking way. They just seem like some old-fashioned thing trying desperately to make a comeback, and you find yourself thinking of Amy Adams and laughing when you're not supposed to.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Aside from when you're imagining Amy Adams, not so much. But I find Dan Fogelman to be a comedy writer whose forte isn't really humor.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Your small children might cry at the blood, and the multiple frightening falls from high places that seem to pollute these films, which are supposedly made for kids, but clearly only exist to teach them what their nightmares should be about.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Probably not Best Animated Picture of the year. It's a small category, but the competition is thick this year, and this isn't the best one.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The chameleon is right on hue, but the horse chews up the scenery.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: On the plus side, there is a beautiful shot of lanterns floating in the sky that both parallels and exceeds the beauty of the flying balloons of Up. On the minus side, the prince and the horse each take several falls that they shouldn't have survived, which jolts you right out of the reality of this fantasy film. That's why when the prince dies at the end, it almost makes up for all the times he didn't... Come on, that's not really a spoiler, this is a Disney movie, the Prince couldn't possibly die!

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There's not nearly enough of a fish out of water moments for a girl who has never seen anything besides the view from her window. The love story is only thinly developed. And the ending seems like a cheat... I mean, sure I'll buy that it could work, but it's not set up and it's hardly justified.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: Did you ever notice that the bad guys always get the most powerful songs?

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/tangled/33552/trailers

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Friday, January 22, 2010

Tooth Fairy


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A failed hockey player they call "The Tooth Fairy" (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), who no longer believes that dreams can come true, gets sentenced to spend time as the real Tooth Fairy. That'll teach him to dream small!

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Ashley Judd, Stephen Merchant, Julie Andrews, Billy Crystal, Ryan Sheckler, Chase Ellison, Destiny Grace Whitlock, Seth MacFarlane, Brandon T. Jackson

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. The Rock makes another perfectly sweet, perfectly enjoyable, perfectly innocuous movie for kids.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you don't associate the name Stephen Merchant with funny, then you probably don't realize that he's Ricky Gervais' side-kick/writing partner/producer, and therefore hilarious... and that's without even getting to the fact that he's almost as tall as a doorway.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you've ever had a dream, and someone told you that you couldn't have that dream, this movie might-- you know, maybe they just said that because they had failed at their own dream, or maybe they said it because you really suck at the thing you dream of being great at... but nonetheless, your dream was crushed, by someone, for some reason and-- still no, this movie still won't make you cry.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best Dressed on the Red Carpet! And I'm of course talking about Rock in a pink tutu... Who are we kidding, with his giant pecks hanging out all over the place, it's actually deeply disturbing. I'd rather see Bjork in a swan dress.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I'm so glad to see Stephen Merchant doing his own thing, and Julie Andrews doing anything, and I'd really rather see Ashley Judd doing nothing-- but that's just me. She's a fine actress, in that perfectly innocuous way that works so well for a movie starring The Rock.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I really enjoyed the colorful special effects and the dreamlike fantasy look of Fairyland... Which reminds me of one of my favorite things a friend of mine ever posted on Facebook.

If you've ever been to Stockton, California, you know exactly how true this is.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Ah, the script... Well it has 5 writers and a separate "story by" credit, so probably it was one of those scripts where they liked the concept, then they got The Rock attached, then they realized he only had the month of March available to shoot anything for the next 3 years, so they quickly hired some people who are known for getting the story beats as simple as can be, then they hired some more people to rewrite those people on the outside chance of adding a teeny-tiny bit of complexity, and then, at the last minute, right before they lost their window with The Rock and the whole deal fell apart, they hired Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel to throw in some jokes and some people falling down on their faces. And that, Junior, is how scripts are born.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: It has nothing to do with this movie, but it has finally happened! This blog has finally won an award. So I'd like to thank Reel Whore for nominating me for The Kreativ Blogger Award!

I don't normally participate in this kind of thing, but since I truly appreciate Reel Whole for gracing me with this honor, I'm gonna go ahead and do all the things I'm supposed to do-- which are:


1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.


The 7 Blogs I would like to nominate are:
Razzball-- for getting me into this blogging racket, and being the only person I know in real life who gets about 10,000 hits a week on his site- even in the off season.
Film-Book dot Com-- for being my best blogger friend. (Film-Book is probably thinking that's very sad for me, since we hardly ever-- almost never-- talk... on any of the social networks we're "friends" on... And obviously we've never met.)
Nikki Finke's Deadeline Hollywood-- I admire her partly for her ability to scoop everyone, partly for her consistently intelligent insight into the business side of Hollywood, but mostly for her ability to openly be honest in a town most famous for lying. Her boldness scares me a little bit.
Heat Vision & the live feed-- I like that when the staff at Hollywood Reporter gets lazy, they just link all their headlines to these two blogs and let Borys Kit (movies) and James Hibberd (TV) do all the work for them. I should really be giving this award to the THR Editor for finding such a brilliant management idea as handing off the work of most and putting it on the backs of two-- Whoo-hoo! more vacation days for everybody else!
The Business of Show Institute-- Marvin Acuna has literally the best advice I have ever seen given to aspiring screenwriters trying to break into the business. He regularly comes up with outside the box gems that you may not have thought of yourself, no matter how long you've been in the business. And he gathers other experts (from fields covering internet opportunities to legal advice) to contribute to his incredibly informative weekly newsletter, which he'll send to you, just for signing up.
Notes from a School Psychologist-- This is for actually doing something for the betterment of society. Becki Branstetter's blog is both funny and informative for anyone who wants their kids to make it in the American school system, is in the American school system, or wants to help improve the American school system... in other words, it's for everyone.

And finally, the 7 things about me you might not know. (I'm hoping you've stopped reading by now.)
1. Though I'm not a very private person, I am a very private blogger.
2. I am probably the least technically competent person on the internet to have a blog. (This explains why I'm still on a blogspot platform, rather than a fancier version of a website.)
3. While I am snarky and complain a lot on my blog, in my real life I am one of the happiest most fulfilled people I know... But I'm still pretty snarky. It's fun. You should try it.
4. I am learning about the power of healing myself with my mind because I have lost faith in my ability to receive reliable healthcare service through the traditional means. I know, that's not funny, it's just sad.
5. I love my family more than the amount of hours I spend with them. And you can quote me on that.
6. I have been full grown for a while now, and I have still not decided if I believe in marriage or children. I'm starting to think my biological clock may be broken, cuz it probably should've started ticking some time ago.
7. I am highly superstitious about seeing the clock at 11:11, and I feel deeply disappointed when I just miss it. 11:12 is a very difficult time for me.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Yes, we're back to talking about Tooth Fairy now. http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-tooth-fairy/34807/video/tooth-fairy-trailer-no-1/44593788001

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Thursday, December 10, 2009

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An ethereal battle between good and evil, which takes place in each character's imagination, as interpreted by the old mystic, Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Christopher Plummer, Heath Ledger, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield, Tom Waits, Verne Troyer, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. If you've ever seen a Terry Gilliam film, you know what you're in for: a lot of style and theory, with very strange substance. This film is as visually beautiful and imaginative as the storyline is surreal.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: That depends on if you have a subscription to Bizzaro magazine or not. If you do, this humor will fall right in line with your sensibilities. Also if you do, you are the proud owner of a magazine that I just made up.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you're an aspiring actor, you'll cry when you realize that Mini-me has a legitimate acting career and you don't.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I might give this movie an award for premonition, because it seems as if they knew Heath Ledger was going to drop out (read: die) mid-filming. They managed to have him in all the "real-life" scenes, where his presence is necessary, and the way they use Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell to replace him in the imaginings actually makes a lot of sense for the "logic" of this story.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Tom Waits, as the devil, gets applause just for showing up... Or at least that's what the people in my theater seemed to think.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Lavish and riddled with over-the-top, fun-loving, and sometimes campy special effects-- which begs the question: how does this guy continue to get these giant budgets to make esoteric comedies that nobody is going to see? I guess his financiers are still hoping he'll accidentally churn out another Monty Python film, despite the lack of any Monty Python players.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Terry Gilliam is like a fun and upbeat version of David Lynch. In both cases, it's easier to call them genius, than to admit that you have no idea what they're talking about... But what really makes them genius, is I'm pretty sure that they have no idea what they're talking about either.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-imaginarium-of-doctor-parnassus/33122/trailers

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Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Bedtime Stories

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) babysits his estranged niece and nephew for a week, and the bedtime stories he tells them start coming true.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Russell Brand, Richard Griffiths, Teresa Palmer, Lucy Lawless, Courteney Cox, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Laura Ann Kesling, Jonathan Pryce, Nick Swardson, Allen Covert, Carmen Electra, Rob Schneider, Aisha Tyler

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. As far as children's fantasies go, this one is rather pleasant. And it's not boring for adults either, so long as those adults don't require too much edge in their entertainment.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Welcome to the softer side of Sandler. But don't worry, Adam Sandler light still comes with a fair amount of jokes that hit.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The drama in the love story is the one place where the tension isn't quite built up enough to summon much-- well, really, any-- emotion.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Somebody's gonna get slimed! (If you don't know what that means, you're probably older than a Nickelodeon.)

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Nothing too remarkable amongst the human actors, but the computer generated guinea pig with bug eyes is pretty talented.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: With fantasy scenes that range from Greco-Roman Gladiator shows to zero gravity outer space battles, director Adam Shankman gets a chance to show that he can do more with special effects than you'd expect from the director of Bringing Down the House and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. Although the CG shot where the camera POV enters the Roman Colosseum is so vivacious that I almost threw up from the velocity.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: While the bedtime stories told are fantastical, the ways in which they come to life and play out in the real world setting are always very plausible, and that's what makes this film imaginative and clever.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/bedtime-stories/29706/trailers

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