Blog Archives
Flash Movie Review: War of the Buttons
There was a running joke in my family regarding our inheritance being the jar of buttons our mother got from her mother. I remember that jar; it was stored on a shelf in the back of my mother’s closet. The interesting thing about that jar was the variety of stories attached to each of the buttons residing inside that glass container. There was a small pearl button that was from the sweater of my mother’s older sister, who died in her teens. My great aunt was represented by a black onyx octagon shaped button that I recalled weighed heavy in my palm. For me, buttons represent a family’s history. In this dramatic film, buttons take on a whole different meaning. Set in two small towns during the Nazi occupation of France, there was a rivalry between the kids from each town. Though Lebrac, played by newcomer Jean Texier, was a poor student in the classroom; he was a quick learner in the art of battle, as leader of his gang. With each gang coming up with elaborate ways to ambush the other; the victors started to cut and keep the buttons from one of the losing boy’s clothing. When new girl Violette, played by Ilona Bacheller (Those Happy Days), came to live with her godmother Simone, played by Laetitia Casta (Arbitrage, The Island), her Jewish faith would add a real element into the boys’ plans. Inspired by stories from the resistance, I thought the outline of this movie would make an interesting story. Unfortunately, the movie was too melodramatic for me; with an annoying, syrupy music score. A secondary story line between Simone and the school teacher, played by Guillaume Canet (Tell No One, Love Me if You Dare) was never fully developed, adding only confusion. For a time and place that could have created a well done dramatic story, this film was like a spare button sewed to the inside hem of a shirt. It was only needed when there was a missing button. In other words, there are better films to see in this genre than this movie. French with English subtitles.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Aguirre: The Wrath of God
Obsession can be like a bully in the brain; kicking out reasoning, common sense and morals. Driven by a strong force, it can be relentless. Gratefully my obsessions do not involve other people. Some of you could say I am obsessed with movies; I prefer to say I am just passionate. Or when I have the desire for a particular chocolate ice cream, I will go to multiple stores until I find it. That doesn’t sound crazy, does it? In this unbelievable movie there was a fine line on who was more obsessed: the star or the director of the movie. From renowned director Werner Herzog (Rescue Dawn, Fitzcarraldo), this film showed a prime example on the effects of obsession. Set in the 16th century after the demise of the Incas in Peru, Spanish Conquistadors set out on a mission down the Amazon river in search of El Dorado, the Lost City of Gold. When the struggles of the trip began to overwhelm the expedition, the possibility of retreat looming; a mutiny was arranged by Don Lope de Aguirre, played by Klaus Kinski (The Song of Roland, Nosferatu the Vampyre). Obsessed with finding untold riches, he would manipulate and cajole the rest of the men to continue on, even when things looked hopeless. Klaus’ performance was outstanding in this role as he appeared almost maniacal in his drive to find the city of gold. The pacing of the movie was slow, filled with long head-on shots. Jungle sounds were a constant reminder throughout the intriguing soundtrack. I found it amazing how Mr. Herzog got his actors to go through this ordeal to create an incredible movie. On a sad note, this film was made before there were laws in place to protect the welfare of animals. A fascinating character study was on display in this movie, as obsession’s hunger consumed anything in its way. Brief scenes of violence. German with English subtitles.
3 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Robin Hood
I do not want to be biased here; but when I hear the words Robin Hood, I think of Errol Flynn. I cannot think of anyone else playing this role besides him. When I received this DVD I assumed the story would have a different spin on it, due to the director being Ridley Scott (Prometheus, Black Hawk Down). More than a spin, the movie was a prequel to the Robin Hood story most of us have seen before. Robin Longstride, played by Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind, Gladiator), was an archer in King Richard’s army. Upon Richard’s death, Robin returned to England, to bring the sword of deceased Sir Robert Loxley, played by Douglas Hodge (Vanity Fair, Mansfield Park), to his father Sir Walter Loxley, played by Max von Sydow (The Exorcist, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close). Hearing the news of his son’s death, Sir Walter Loxley convinced Robin to become his son, which would protect his land holdings. In doing so, Robin had to step in and become the husband to the widow Marion Loxley, played by Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Notes on a Scandal). With the English monarchy being threatened by the French, Robin would have to do battle with Sir Robert Loxley’s killer. Are you confused yet? It took me a while to get a grasp of what was taking place in this odd movie. I found Russell Crowe a poor choice; he brought no emotion to the role. Cate, on the other hand, was her usual stellar self. The story made no sense. An entire town was to believe Robin was Sir Robert Loxley? Also, having a battle scene that looked like it was copied from Private Ryan was weird. Instead of robbing from other movies, why couldn’t they make a decent story for us poor viewers? Violent and bloody scenes.
2 1/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Fitzcarraldo
Look at the thousands of objects around us that sprung out of someone’s imaginative dream. I have been accused of being a big dreamer, except my dreams do not always have a basis in reality. Like that time I walked up into my attic and discovered a raccoon had eaten a large hole through the roof of my house. I stood staring at it and began imagining I could put glass blocks in the hole to create a skylight. Or a spiral staircase that would lead to a roof top deck. My daydreaming prevented me from seeing the raindrops that started to come through the opening. In this movie Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald aka Fitzcarraldo, played by Klaus Kinski (Nosferatu the Vampyre, The Little Drummer Girl), had a big dream. He wanted to build an opera house in the middle of the Amazon jungle. To do that, he had to amass a fortune and move a river boat over a small mountain. Fitzcarraldo was a bigger than life character, with an oversized determination. To start making his dream a reality; his girlfriend Molly, played by Claudia Cardinale (8 1/2, The Leopard), provided the funds to move Fitzcarraldo’s vision towards the real world. Besides the strange story, the other reason I wanted to see this movie was to see the great work of famed director Werner Herzog (Into the Abyss, Rescue Dawn), who was also the writer. His directing was fascinating to watch, from the over the top performance by Klaus Kinski to the way the scenes were set up and filmed; I found the movie captivating. The pacing was drawn out which at first bothered me; but as the story moved into the jungle, I found it brought an extra heaviness to the monumental tasks that laid before the crew and ship. If for nothing else, I appreciated the message that one should never give up on their dreams. For Fitzcarraldo, he wanted to bring Caruso to the jungle; for me, I wanted to have a skylight. German and Spanish with English subtitles.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Blood Diamond
The higher the value placed on objects, the more greed comes out in mankind, it seems to me. And the ones that suffer the most are the poor workers. At a time of escalating unstableness in Sierra Leone, conflict diamonds were being used to fund rebel forces. This startling film depicted the horrors people faced when forced to work in the diamond mines, as the wealthy power brokers sought out ways to gain even more strength for themselves. The story centered on a rare, raw diamond that could change the fortune of whoever had possession of it. Forcibly separated from his family; Solomon Vandy, played by Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, The Island), was the discoverer of this unusual diamond. Danny Archer, played by Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception, J. Edgar) was the smuggler who saw an opportunity that could alter his life greatly, if he could only gain access to the incredible gem. With a shaky government, bloody warlords and conniving opportunistic businessmen, the level of greed was astounding to me. Leonardo was absolutely amazing in this role, even if I found the accent a bit odd. Matching in intensity, Djimon was such a strong presence, he filled out every scene he was in; it was a breathtaking performance. In a lessor role, I felt Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind, Hulk) as Maddy Bowen did an excellent job with the dialog she was given. This was not an easy movie to watch with scenes of bloody violence. However, with an incredulous story, along with the brilliant acting, there was no way I could look away. I was amazed how things of such beauty could elicit such ugliness in man.
3 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Into the Wild
Ultimately one must lead the life they choose for themselves, not the one someone has chosen for them. I remember years ago when I was between jobs, I received a great piece of advice: Do what you love and the money will follow. My mother always wanted me to be an accountant; yet, I knew I could never be one. The creative side of my mind would have shriveled up. Even when it comes to one’s personal tastes; do not let people impose their tastes on you. It is funny, no matter what length my hair was, my dad would always tell me to wear it differently. If it was long, he would tell me to cut it and if it was short, he would tell me to grow it out. It was maddening at times. Based on a true story; Chris McCandles, played by Emile Hirsch (Killer Joe, Speed Racer), had to live life the way he felt it was meant to be lived. Seeing the life his parents Billie and Walt McCandles, played by Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River, The Mist) and William Hurt (The Incredible Hulk, Vantage Point), were living; Chris did not want any part of it. After graduating from Emory University, Chris decided to get rid of his material possessions and hitchhike to Alaska, to live with nature. His journey would lead him to unexpected adventures. Written and directed by Sean Penn (Milk, 21 Grams), this was a stunning movie. Sean slowly brought out an amazing performance from Emile; both in acting and with the incredible physical transformation that took place. The supporting cast never felt out of place; they added shading to the adventures. Some viewers may think Chris McCandles was crazy to do what he did. I felt it was better to try something, even if it were to fail; than go through life wondering what would have happened, if I had only tried.
3 1/3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: ParaNorman
Imagine the possibility that there was something more to those people who had an imaginary friend as a child, or possibly as an adult. What if our imaginary friends were actual people from the past? I, for one, wish I could talk to deceased relatives or historic famous people; what an incredible opportunity it would be. Norman Babcock, voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In, The Road), talks to dead people. His deceased grandmother, voiced by Elaine Stritch (Monster-in-Law, Autumn in New York), could be found seated on the family sofa knitting away, but only Norman could see her. It was this ability that made Norman stand out, but not in a good way. His schoolmates made fun of him, he had no friends; even his sister Courtney, voiced by Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air, 50/50), considered him a nerd. Norman pretty much was a loner except to the dead people around him. I was immediately drawn to the story due to Norman being different and a loner, a kindred spirit. The tale was about whether Norman could prevent the destruction of his town by zombies, ghosts and a witch’s curse. I do not know if it had to do with the wonderful stop motion filming used for this exciting movie, but I enjoyed everything about it. From the quick humorous one-liners, to the great visuals; seeing this film was absolute fun. I believe an entire family would enjoy this creative movie, with the exception of very young children below the age of five. And for those of you, who still have imaginary friends, feel free to bring them along for a a wildly good time.
3 1 4/ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Expendables 2
Welcome to Madame Trudeau’s new interactive wax (or maybe plastic) action figures show. See them get up out of their seats, shoot a gun, light up a cigar and even say the wildest things; it will blow your mind. Can you count how many stunt doubles are in this movie? I was not expecting much when I went to see this action film. Not only was there an abundance of testosterone on the movie screen, there was a strong presence of it spread among the theater seats. In this sequel Barney Ross, played by Sylvester Stallone (Cop Land, Demolition Man) returns with his Botoxed band of buddies, along with a few extra surprises. At the start of the film, we see the group battling their way out of their latest job, with explosions and blazing gunfire. There was a constant stream of things blowing up and bullets flying throughout the adventures in the film. I noticed every bullet that struck a person created a spray of blood; it was almost cartoonish to me. The story centered on a job that went wrong. A member of the gang was needlessly killed by the sinister Vilain, played by Jean-Claude Van Damme (Universal Soldier, Double Impact). Yes, Jean-Claude was the bad guy in this film. And to his credit, it appeared he did his own leg kicks. Barney and his band were determined to get revenge. No matter how outnumbered they were or how unlikely the scenario, nothing would stop them. Adding extra muscle, Barney received help from Trench, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger (True Lies, Last Action Hero). There was such campiness with Arnold on the scene. The script took liberties with some of the former action heroes’ famous lines, giving the viewer a smug, tongue-in-cheek pattering of dialog. This is the type of movie you would see if you just want total action, little plot and character development. A straight forward, simple story with aging movie stars trying to remain tough and young. It ain’t pretty. Scenes of blood and violence.
1 3/4 stars
moviejoltz 