I Love You, Man

I Love You, Man
2009 - Dreamworks
Directed By John Hamburg



SYNOPSIS
Realtor Peter Klavin (Paul Rudd) proposes to his girlfriend (Rashida Jones.) When he realizes he has no male friends to be a potential Best Man, Peter begins a massive search. While giving an open house he meets Sidney (Jason Segel.) The two hit it off and become fast friends... but will their friendship put Peter's wedding in jeopardy?



MY THOUGHTS

The 'Judd Apatow formula' can still be successful, even without Apatow.
As a producer or director Judd Apatow has established a definite niche in the comedy movie market (with films like the 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up) and that leaves him ripe for imitators. I Love You, Man clearly fits the mold.
The humor isn't as outrageous as most films with Judd Apatow's name attached, but the humor is just as consistent and raunchy. Apatow staples such as an LA setting and adults with serious cases of arrested developmentplay major parts in the story.

Two of Apatow's long time regulars Paul Rudd (since Anchorman) and Jason Segel (since Freaks + Geeks) star and are great as usual and all of their Apatow creations. Their characters are very likable and endearing as are most of the supporting ones.
Lou Ferrigno plays himself and is hilarious but his appearance is too brief.

Chances are if you liked the 40 Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up or Superbad... and hate the standard romantic comedy, I Love You, Man is a must-see.

Point Break

Point Break
1991 - 20th Century Fox
Directed By Kathryn Bigelow



SYNOPSIS

Rookie FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) is tracking a group of serial bank robbers. His partner (Gary Busey) believes them to be surfers. So, Utah learns to surf, and soon learns the surfers he has fallen in with (led by Patrick Swayze) are the very same people he is looking for.



MY THOUGHTS

There's cheddar, Swiss, Feta, Gorgonzola and Point Break.
This cult classic action film is a highly entertaining trip if you turn your brain off and just ride the wave.

The film is well shot. The surfing and skydiving scenes are rarely captured on film looking half as good as they do here. The foot chase near the end of the film is a highlight due to the care in how well it was shot.

The script and direction do serve up a lot of action, which comes at a fast pace and there's never a dull moment. Even the love story between Keanu Reeves and Lori Petty doesn't feel tacked on.

The film is weakest when it comes to dialogue. Lines like "You crossed the line. People trusted you and they died. You gotta' go down." or "I know Johnny. I know you want me so bad it's like acid in your mouth. But, not this time." You want to shake your head. Much of the cheesiness comes from the dialogue.

The acting is a mixed bag.
Keanu Reeves is unsurprisingly wooden and doesn't bring much depth to his role. It's hard to believe this film came out the same year as My Own Private Idaho, one of his best performances.
Swayze is clearly more interesting and plays his role with a twinkle in his eye (maybe letting us know he knows how silly everything is) and you end up rooting for the bad guy over Reeves bland hero.
Gary Busey does an amazing job at actually coming across as a mostly sane person. He's just off enough to make his character interesting to watch though.
John McGinley plays Busey's and Reeves' boss. He is the stereotypical police sergeant pissed off at his subordinants that you've seen in countless film and TV shows multiplied by 100.... way, way over the top to the point of being completely unbelievable.
The poor dialogue may play a role in some of the poor performances.

Point Break however carries a great feeling of fun, energy, and bit of goofiness that propels it above you average hammy action film.
The film may be a big piece of cheese, but its a pretty tasty flavor... and goes great with some popcorn.

Lupin The III:The Castle Of Cagliostro

Lupin The III:The Castle Of Cagliostro
1979
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki



SYNOPSIS

Master thief Lupin and two friends try to rescue a princess who's being forced to marry an evil count. Along the way, they try to discover the connection between the kingdom and a bunch of counterfeit money they previously uncovered... and a big treasure.



MY THOUGHTS

A fun and exciting thrill ride featuring the directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki.

The film does lack many of the characteristics of Miyazaki's later works. His later films are mainly for children like Kiki's Delivery Service or My Neighbor Totoro. This film features a bit stronger language than those.
Many themes such as man and his relationship to nature and environmental issues are not present here. This is likely due to the fact that the film is based on a series of comic books that was turned into a TV series that Miyazaki worked on... and is not an original work of his.

The animation is also not as outstandingly detailed and beautiful as Princess Monoke or Spirited Away, but it fits the story fine and is still light years ahead of American TV animation of the 1980's.

The story moves at a brisk pace and there's never a dull moment. There's also a lot of humor to keep the mood light.

The American version lacks the star-power that Disney was able to assemble for his more recent work, but the voice actors fit their roles nicely.

The film is different from Miyazaki's later work but it shares the very enjoyable sense of fun and wonder of his greatest animated films.

A Face In The Crowd

A Face In The Crowd
1957 - Warner Brothers
Directed By Elia Kazan



SYNOPSIS

A radio host named Marcia (Patricia Neal) seeks out real people for her show on a rural Arkansas radio station and decides to visit the local jail. There, she meets a man she dubs "Lonesome" Rhodes (Andy Griffith.) Soon he gets his own show on the station singing, telling stories and sharing his folksy wisdom. It's a smash and he moves on to do a TV show in Memphis. That goes over big and soon he's in New York and has the biggest show on television. He has the ears of powerful wealthy men and senators. His rising megalomania alienates all those around him.



MY THOUGHTS

There are three things you can always guarantee when watching an Elia Kazan film, amazing performances, great cinematography, and a great script.

Kazan somehow gets more out of his actors than any other director in every film of his I've seen. Each role is totally believable and seem totally real, without a fault.
What he does with Andy Griffith (in his film debut) is stunning. This isn't your TV Andy Griffith. He retains the same folksy charm you'd see in any episode of the Andy Griffith Show or Matlock... but when the power goes to Lonesome's head, Griffith becomes a totally different animal. He's practically frightening, which is never a word I would have ever associated with Andy Griffith.
Patricia Neal is equally outstanding in an understated performance. Walter Matthau also turns in an excellent supporting performance as a disenchanted TV writer for Rhodes.

The cinematography is superb and often evokes a film noir feel, especially after the story gets darker the further it goes along.

Budd Shulberg wrote the film. It was his second collaboration with Kazan (On The Waterfront was the first.) It's amazing how the story was structured around Marcia's feelings for Lonesome. When she meets and gets to know him and immediately takes to him, so does the audience. As the relationship is tested we become unsure of Lonesome, then when she turns on him, so do we.

My only fault with the story is that it seems to move almost too fast. We're never given a time reference. It seems like Rhodes is only on the radio for just a few days, then on the air in Memphis for a few days before New York. Much of it is done with montage, which makes it seem even faster. At that excessive speed, it feels like it's trying to be a satire or a farce. By the time it's over, you realize it's not trying to be either of those.

But that fault wasn't enough to derail this excellent study of how television could/did change politics and advertising... and this turned out to be one of Elia Kazan's best films.

Bloodsucking Freaks

Bloodsucking Freaks (AKA The Incredible Torture Show)
1976
Directed By Joel M. Reed



SYNOPSIS

The sadistic Sardu (Seamus O'Brien) operates a 'theater of the macabre' in the SoHo section of New York. His shows feature nude women being tortured in front of an audience who believes these are an act. Sardu gets ambitious and decides to kidnap a famous ballerina, brainwash her, and add her to his show. Her football-playing boyfriend and a crooked cop find a lot more than they were bargaining for when they try and locate her.



MY THOUGHTS

When you decide to watch a film called 'Bloodsucking Freaks' you should immediately know what you are getting into, but this film surprised me with its sheer level of smuttiness.

The violence is extreme. You see limbs cut into and chopped off. Heads are chopped off or drilled into. Various people meet various Medieval torture devices. And a few people even get ripped to shreds.
The extreme violence keeps you watching, oddly intoxicated, not knowing how they are going to show next, somehow to top the depraved images you just saw.

The film contains some hilarious imagery among the horror. Sardu's dinner table is a nude woman crouched down on all fours and his dart board is a woman's bare butt. Then there's the group of feral nude women kept locked up in the basement... and I'm going to try and explain that one (because I can't.) And don't forget the brain-sucking scene!

These along with some witty, dark and sadistic one-liners keep the film from being too heavy-handed (or severed-handed.) The film is essentially the blackest of black comedies... and high camp as well.

The film's extremely low budget affected the casting. Despite the film near constant cacophonous screaming, none of them ever sound authentic. Sardu's sidekick, the evil midget named Ralphus, is so over the top you wind up laughing at him even when he's serious. When the famed ballerina takes the stage, it's quite obvious the actress has never ever danced in her life! Her boyfriend could have been played by a tree and no one would have noticed.
The makeup/ gore scenes never look like the real thing thanks to the budget... yet are still effective.
The low budget also affected the costuming (for the men anyway) and the sets and just about every other aspect of the film, but all of it ads to the sleazy filthy quality of the film's atmosphere.

This is probably the most misogynistic film I've ever seen. Every woman is treated like dirt. Only a few of them are even allowed to wear clothes (briefly.) In fact I've seen porn with women with more clothes on than this! (though the nudity is not there for titillation)
But then again I don't believe this film is intended to make any statements on the treatment of women. The film clearly only has one intent, that to shock.

So if horror films make you the least bit squeamish, avoid this like the plague. Otherwise, this could be an interesting and eye-opening trip into the macabre for those who could handle it. Bloodsucking Freaks remains a shocking piece of cinema, even with its shortcomings, in the 30+ years since it was unleashed on an unsuspecting public and is worth a view (though you'd probably not want to go back for seconds.)

Coraline

Coraline
2009 - Focus Features
Directed By Henry Selik



SYNOPSIS

Coraline moves to a new apartment in a new town with her parents. She discovers a small door that's a portal to an alternate universe, complete with 'other parents.' Soon she finds her self trapped there and her 'other mother' is revealed to be far sinister than Coraline ever believed.



MY THOUGHTS

A dark children's tale is vividly brought to life for kids of all ages.

The film's dark, scary and sometimes nightmarish subject matter may not be for everyone. It is based on a novel from Neil Gaiman, and it is dark like most of his body of work. Coraline is frequently threatened by dark forces in the alternate universe, after she realizes her 'ideal' sitaution really isn't ideal at all.
The film's 'be careful what you wish for' theme is evident and may teach a lesson to the youngest, at least those who can handle the frightening imagery and darker plot elements.

The film's stop-motion animation is amazing. Director Henry Selik (best known for 'The Nightmare Before Christmas') even eclipses that film's outstanding animation. Stop-motion is definitely a nice change of pace from all the CGI animated films that are all the rage today, and you can tell the difference on screen.

The voice work is also well done and helps the film's overall atmosphere of the plot.

The film is an excellent kids movie, but the more disturbing scenes may frighten the youngest ones in the audience.

Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island

Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island
1983 - Warner Brothers
Directed by Friz Freleng



SYNOPSIS

While stranded on a desert island Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzalez find a treasure map that leads them to a wishing well that grants real wishes. They turn the island into a resort (a la Fantasy Island) and charge customers $500 to toss a penny down the well and make a wish... but Yosemite Sam comes looking for his map...



MY THOUGHTS

The legendary Warner Brothers animated characters come together but fall short to compare with their classic shorts of the past.

The greatness of the old shorts was in their simplicity of plot (ie - Wiley E. Coyote vs. Road Runner.) This film's plot is very convoluted. Daffy and Speedy first expect to be rescued, then find the map, then follow the map, then find out the treasure is a talking wishing well, then transform the island, then 'de plane' arrives, then each character gets their turn to drop in a coin. I even left some plot out. This is all a very complex, convoluted plan to showcase some classic clips from the good-ole-days of Looney Tunes.

The art of the newer elements is fine, but pales in comparison with the classic clips contained in the film. There are fewer laughs in the script and visuals of the new elements than in an old one-reeler.
However this is forgiven with an excellent choice of older material. Highlights include: Granny as a nurse, tending to the injured Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, and the Bulldog who's always out to get him; and Yosemite Sam must be nice in order to collect a major inheritance, but he must put up with Bugs Bunny.

The film is directed by longtime Loony Tunes and Merrie Melodies mastermind Friz Freleng. He is probably only second to Chuck Jones in terms of his influence on the series... and directed many of the all time classics.
Mel Blanc returns to do 99.9% of the voices here and helps to add a little bit extra to help bring humor to a less than stellar script.

The film pales in comparison to the classic Looney Tunes/ Merrie Melodies shorts, but is still an enjoyable experience, providing you enjoy the wit and sophistication of the great Warner Brothers animated characters.

This film is not yet available on DVD.