Review: The Lego Movie - Everything is NOT Awesome

First, let me say that the Lego Movie is cute. Cute, cute, cute, cute, cute, cute, cute.  However, it also marks the second animated movie in the past 3 months that has surpassed all monetary expectations and audience obsessions while simultaneously getting this response from me: meh.

Yes, as I said, this movie was downright adorable.  I loved the nostalgia of the Legos themselves and the many, MANY characters in the movie that have been created over the years in that little plastic form, like Gandolf, Wonder Woman and of course, Batman, who got all the best lines (although Dumbledore's high-pitched voice was slightly offensive as a thinly veiled reference to a bit of trivia probably only adult fans of Harry Potter know).  However, that reminiscence really only went so far for me, as the adult viewer.  On the other hand, I think Princess Uni-Kitty sustained my 10 year old daughter for the entire film.  She loved it, of course.  Warning to parents: there is a Lego character decapitation scene, second only to (no spoilers) a recent Walking Dead be-heading.

One of my favorite parts was when a Lego character attempted to use speech recognition to interact with a computer, with the usual difficulties we are all accustomed to.  The reason I particularly enjoyed it is that I work on speech systems and usually these specific theatrical moments are aimed at IVRs, but this one seemed more about Siri and I'm enjoying this trend.  The overall theme of "We're All Special!" is the mantra of Generation X and Y and drilled into the minds of their children of today, for better or worse.  Also, I know I'm supposed to love the theme song, Everthing is Awesome, but I expect better from Tegan & Sara, so, just no.

One more note: There is a nice live action sequence toward the end that was probably aimed more at making the audience buy more Legos than at actually fulfilling the storyline, but Will Ferrell sort of phoned it in and the child actor was also lackluster.  As if the opening weekend numbers didn't spell sequel already, the final moments of the movie set it up perfectly.

3.25 out of 5 stars

Review: Ender's Game (book and movie)

I saw Ender's Game last year with my daughter, mostly because we both love Asa Butterfield after Hugo, but I had not read the famous book it was based on until last week.  Now that I've seen the movie and read the book, I feel I can give a more complete review.

We both loved the movie, and more specifically, Ender, as a character, well beyond our love for Asa, which surprised us.  The character in the movie is one of the most inspirational I've seen in one so young.  He instinctively knows what the right and best thing to do is in every situation, and is able to follow through with the necessary actions more quickly and better than I could ever hope to aspire to myself, though he has not yet reached puberty.  Beyond that, the action kept us consistently involved in the spectacular battle room games, expertly designed and composed (forget Gravity), although all of it takes place in zero gravity.  I'm sure that's one reason the book never made it to screen until now.  Harrison Ford is less doddering than he has been in recent years, which was nice to see, but the talents of The Help's Viola Davis are all but wasted in her antiseptic role as a military advisor. Ben Kingsley, on the other hand seems born to play the ancient and mysterious commander who helps train Ender (hasn't he always had a tribal face tattoo?).  Hailee Steinfeld  was perky as one of Ender's only friends and one of the only girls in battle school, but I keep expecting more from her after her debut in True Grit.  (Side note: She was an early contender after that movie to play Catniss in The Hunger Games, which sounded plausible at the time, but I'm much happier with the way things turned out). Then of course, there's Abigail Breslin, who has come  along way from Little Miss Sunshine to Nim's Island, and my daughter and I have eagerly watched her all the way, but I'm not sure it's in the right direction. She's rather bland these days as she moves into womanhood and tends to blend into the woodwork in this movie as well - fact, I had to go back and add her to this review because I had forgotten about her until just now. I have to say something about Moises Arias, who plays Ender's main bully and one of the more interesting characters in the movie.  He's a former Disney kid, but never fit their typical mold on shows like Hannah Montana.  He's really starting to come into his own as an adult actor and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do.

I know when Ender's Game came out, fans of the book were generally not pleased with the movie and I honestly couldn't figure out why at the time.  Now that I've read the book, I think I have an idea, though I continue to be a fan of both myself.

First, Ender is MUCH younger in the book, though I think Asa is still plenty young enough to make that part of the narrative as effective as it needs to be in the movie.  However, the main complaint that I have is that their is an entire political thread happening back on Earth that takes up much of the second half of the book and really becomes essential to the ending of the entire story.  In the same way that I am now a humble devotee of Ender, the character as written/performed, I was enthralled with the political theories explored in this secondary theme of the book - this part is completely missing from the movie.  So, that is a let down, but it doesn't affect my enjoyment of the movie as separate from the book and I think such a good job was done with the rest of the story, Ender's story, that I am completely satisfied.

I have heard the following books weren't as good as Ender's Game, so I'm not sure if I'm going to read them, because the first book was very complete in itself and the ending was enough for me.  However, I would definitely go see the movie sequels if they ever come to be and I will hope to find more of the political theories brought forth as well.

4 out of 5 stars

Reform the Ratings System Already!!! (The time I saw both Gimme Shelter - PG-13 and Nebraska - R, with my almost 11 year old daughter in the same day)

So, like I said when I started this blog, we're movie people in my household.  That means that my almost 11 year old daughter has seen far more movies than most kids her age (still amazes me - it's just normal to me).  It also means that in addition to all the G and PG cartoons and family films that come out, she has also seen many PG-13 and even a handful of R rated movies (the 80s version, like Stand By Me and the modern version...).   She started asking to see more grown up movies a couple of years ago, most notably with The Help and Eat, Pray, Love (the latter wasn't even something I myself was interested in).  I look into the movies and try my best to decide which are appropriate and which are not.  Heidi and I talk about everything anyway, so when it comes to movies, I know I can help her understand things that might be a bit beyond her understanding and she enjoys learning about the world.  Although she still likes most of the kid flicks, even she couldn't stomach Madea's Christmas when she went to see it with her dad in December.

I say all of this to set you up for a story that is becoming all too common for us.  Simply put, the current rating system is completely out of wack (or maybe it's just wack!)!  Case in point:  Gimme Shelter, a movie starring Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical fame and so will undoubtedly attract many of that younger Disney set, is rated PG-13.  This movie is filled with adult themes from beginning to end (strung out abusive mother, teen pregnancy, abortion) that require an adult to explain and a mature younger person, whether 13, 15 or 11.  I was prepared for that, but most parents probably would not be, given that PG-13 is typically based just on how many "S" and "F" words or how many body parts are shown.  Thematically, this should have been an R rated movie.  Kids can be told not to say bad words and they know what boobies are, but adult themes (or extreme violence or the supernatural) cannot be unseen or even fully explained.  I am not complaining for myself and my daughter (we enjoy the opportunity to talk these things through), but for the system in general.

Nebraska, on the other hand, is rated R.  Why. Why?! Because the "S" and "F" words are used about half a dozen times.  There is literally NOTHING else that would prevent it from being seen by even a toddler!  I am NOT kidding here, folks.  I don't think the people setting the ratings even watch these movies.  They just do some calculation from a spreadsheet on curse words and boobs and call it a day.  This is completely irresponsible, I mean, what's the point of even doing it?  I had waited longer than usual on having her see Nebraska because I couldn't find any solid information on why it was rated R and I figured there might be something I didn't know about, whereas with Gimme Shelter, I knew she would want to see it and with its PG-13 rating, I didn't really think twice.

More examples:
We saw Guilt Trip with Barbra Streisand a couple years ago which was rated R, again for just TWO "F" words, spoken by Babs herself.  Maybe there's some sliding scale that if someone that huge says it, it counts double?  Just the commercials for Mama a couple years ago, rated PG-13 were too scary to watch, let alone the supernatural, unexplainable nature of that movie itself.  Those ratings should absolutely be reversed. 

We also watch a lot of old 70s-90s movies, from an era where the ratings system was completely different (PG-13 only came about after the "heart-wrenching" scene in Indiana Jones II).  Yes, we'll put in Stand By Me, Sixteen Candles, Bad News Bears, even Goonies and hear all kinds of curse words and an occasional boob, but that just makes everyone laugh for a minute and move on with life.  That should be the standard.  Can you get on with your child's day or are you now in for a lengthy discussion that will never end because there is no way to explain it?

Seriously, read this garbage: http://www.mpaa.org/ratings/what-each-rating-means  My favorite quote: "A motion picture’s single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context." Oh, and this, "The theme of the motion picture by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13".

I'm ready to sign a petition. Anyone else experience this type of discrepancy lately?

P.S. I will actually review Gimme Shelter and Nebraska under different posts, along with my favorite Bruce Dern movie, Silent Running, which I also watched recently with my daughter :)

Princess Bride...revisited

The Princess Bride. It's #177 on IMDB but was nominated for just one Oscar in 1987 - for Best Original Song. I love this movie for many reasons. It never gets old. I quote it on a regular basis. In fact, I quote it so often, I've forgotten their quotes at all. I've had a lifelong llove affair with both Cary Elwes and Robin Wright as a direct result of this movie. It's clever, funny and sweet without being too cute. I own a copy of the DVD and just saw it again on the big screen with my 10 year old, who also loved it. It's timeless and enjoyable at any age. I'm actually reading the book again now. My connection with it is personal. (Note: Close runner up Rob Reiner mentions would have to go to When Harry Met Sally, which I re-watch every NYE and to Stand By Me, which is the third perfect movie from that time period of Reiner's career).

RIP PSH

Received this after writing PSH a fan letter while he was doing a play in NY about 10 years ago. My favorites: Almost Famous, Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Love Liza, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Flawless, Twister, The Hunger Games, Charlie Wilson'...s War, Ides of March. Now I will have to force myself to see some of his movies that subject matter kept me away from in the past (Happiness, Doubt), but now that it's all we have left of him.

 

But this is wonderful little story to have out there in the universe: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/02/06/the-night-philip-seymour-hoffman-changed-my-life/

Outsiders - Time For a Reboot!

Sorry to all you Outsiders fans out there, but watching The Outsiders again with my daughter this weekend I realized what a horrible piece of filmmaking it really is, from music to direction, editing and most of the acting (outside of the bright lights that were just beginning to shine in Diane Lane and Matt Dillon). Time for a remake! Any takers?

Lena Dunham Defends Dylan Farrow: "Most Victims Never Speak Up"

More Hollywood types need to speak out like this. Their voices are a lot more powerful than mine and unfortunately even the victim's. When America sees actors publicly giving up the possibility of being in his movies, that they believe!

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/lena-dunham-defends-dylan-farrow-most-victims-never-speak-up-201442

Mirror: Learn the Truth Accepted to Boston SciFi Film Festival

My very talented friend, Tristan Barnard's short film "Mirror", starring another friend of mine, Breawna Schwartz Nylen, was just accepted to the Boston SciFi Film Festival after much voting:

http://www.bostonsci-fi.com/

 

 

Mirror Teaser Trailer #1: http://vimeo.com/70714435

 

Mirror Teaser Trailer #2: https://vimeo.com/57641927

 

They're looking for investors to turn it into a full length film.  More information on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mirrorlearnthetruth.  I will be posting a review in the days to come...

Producer's Guild Awards 2014

So the Producer's Guild did something unusual with a tie between 12 Years and Gravity, but it all still points to 12 Years at the Oscars, not as "up in the air" as E Weekly might have you believe...

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2014/01/20/gravity-12-years-a-slave-win-producers-guild-awards/

20th Screen Actors Guild Awards

Again. Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Cate Blanchett, Lupita Nyong'o. The "movie" award went to American Hustle, but it's not really for the film, but for the ensemble cast, because these are the screen "actors" guild awards, so I don't think that really applies toward the race for the Oscar, although a second winning appearance of the 12 Years A Slave star since Jennifer Lawrence won the Golden Globe is starting to turn that race in her favor...otherwise, yawn, the most predictable Oscar noms/race in years!

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/18/showbiz/sag-awards-2014/

CNN's Razzie suggestions

Madea.  Even my 10 year old thought it was awful and could barely sit through it.  Grown Ups 2 works for its crowd, Lone Ranger and After Earth are only on this list because there were such high hopes for them and they failed, 43 might be the runner up - "hey, let's just get a few minutes of every star we can think of and give them something stupid to do/say on screen that they've never done before, throw it against a wall and see what sticks!?" - blech.

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/showbiz/2014/01/16/orig-razzies-2014.cnn.html

Critic's Choice Awards 2014

So 12 Years A Slave (Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress and Adapted Screenplay), Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto from Dallas Buyers Club, plus Cate Blanchett - all predictable, with Gravity getting direction and Her getting Screenplay, so slight surprises there for a couple of other movies gaining steam.  I'm disregarding the other categories, at least as they pertain to the Oscars, like Best Action, Comedy and SciFi Movie, but it's interesting to note that Blue is the Warmest Color go the nod for Best Foreign Film, not Great Beauty as everyone would think.  Still need to see both of those...

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/12-years-a-slave-takes-top-honors-at-critics-choice-movie-awards-1201061447/

Oscar Nominations 2014

Oscar noms 1/16/14

Dallas Buyers Club got an Oscar Nom, but not directing and those historically go in pairs, though I'm glad still for the recognition.  Ditto Philomena.  Especially after the Golden Globes, I really see NO surprises this year and can pretty much predict the winners: 12 Years A Slave (picture/directing), Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Lawrence - all deserved.  I miss Tom Hanks in the Acting category this year for Captain Philips. American Hustle got too  much attention this year and may walk away empty handed. Scripts may be up for grabs a bit as they tend to award based on which deserving movies didn't get any of the top prizes (and all but 1 of the noms are also nominated for Best Pic this year - boring - Way Way Back, anyone?) I still have a few of these movies to see, but other than a long overdue recognition of Bruce Dern, I see no upsets on the horizon.  One more note, I have to lodge a complaint that Croods was nominated, but not Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 - loved it!

Review: The Nut Job

The Nut Job 1/11/14 (free preview through Gofobo)

2.75 out of 5 Stars

I see EVERY kid movie that comes out.  My 10 year old really liked it.  I thought it was just okay as compared to others.  Loved the use of Psi music and the video at the end.  I was hoping for more "nut" puns, based on the commercial and was actually really looking forward to the movie.  The raccoon was a little over the top and reminded me of the stuffed bear bad guy in Toy Story 3.  The plot reminded me a bit of Over the Hedge, only The Nut Job didn't spend enough time on character development in the beginning, so I didn't care about the main characters enough to get involved in their adventures.  The raccoon kind of killed that for me at the beginning.  We both loved the little pug dog though.  Whoever wrote the dog must have dogs him/herself because they got it just write, cute, funny and dumb.

Welcome to Sim's Movies!

...or S'Movies, for short. You know, like S'Mores, because you always want "some more"? Well, I always want some more movies, so...yeah.

I started this blog because I see LOTS of movies every year, but by the end of the year, I've forgotten some of them and I just want to keep a list. 

My daughter and I see a lot of movies (10 years old now, but saw her first movies on the big screen as a babe in arms at a drive-in (X-Men) and at a matinee meant for parents to bring noisy babies so we didn't have to give up our favorite past time (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). She is a big movie fan as well, even watching three movies in one day at the same theatre with me (something I used to do a lot in my 20s, and no, I've never "theatre-jumped"). This means I see EVERY family movie that comes out, sometimes 2-3 times, but she's also interested in a lot of more "grown-up" movies these days, on up to PG-13 and even the occasional R (a few curse words or even naked butts/breasts out of context are easy to explain away.  I draw the line at scary or adult themes that might haunt her forever).

My husband and I also see a lot of movies - he's mostly a blockbuster guy, but also a movie lover, so we sometimes end up at what might be an Oscar movie.  I only see about 1-2 movies a year by myself, I just feel too guilty, but near Oscar time, I and my family allow the indulgence.  Of course by then, we can get a lot on Netflix or DVD, so we can catch up a bit there as well.

Drive-in movies are a big thing for us March-October.  I've lived all over and always found a hometown drive-in to attend (even if that way 90 minutes away) and on all my road trips, I stop to hunt down and take pictures of former and current drive-ins and have the bulging scrapbook to prove it.  I've even been a member of the Drive-In Fan Club and written an article about my travels for their fan newsletter.  You can find my drive-in pictures littering the internet.

In 1999, I even went to the Golden Globes (sat in the "fan" stands on the red carpet, stayed in the hotel where it and the following parties take place and met about 100 stars in the lobby and bar that evening).  I've also been to the Toronto Film Festival - drove all night from DC and stayed a long weekend with friends - a-mazing! That year I saw Orgasmo and I Woke Up Early the Day I Died, two of the best movies EVER (but you'll have trouble hunting them down anywhere) and the Seattle Film Festival was fun while I lived there too (highlights - the original Dark Water and meeting the actors in Bang Bang You're Dead). I have also been to numerous "Oscar Nights" in various cities, where they roll out the red carpet, put out a nice buffet and champagne and show the Awards on the big screen.  I would do it every year if my husband would go with me and I could get a babysitter.  In truth, one time I took my then 9 month old daughter.

In my early 20's, I seriously used to plan my Saturdays by getting the Friday paper, looking up all the movies and scheduling as many as possible before matinee prices were over (usually involving driving all over DC or Malibu one summer...).  Yes, I paid for every movie, even if I watched 3 in a row at the same theatre, going out in between to buy my tickets so I didn't look like a freak buying them all at once (not sure the "freak" thing was avoided anyway). THEN, on the way back to my apartment, I would stop at the local video store and rent half a dozen more to take me into the early hours of Sunday.  Yes, I know that sounds pathetic, but I loved it and would sometimes even get my roommate to join me.  My roommate, who was always up for seeing those three movies in a row with me at the same theatre - theorizing that we could live there - food, entertainment, bathrooms, just no showers..., or the time we saw The Titanic, bought the soundtrack, then later that weekend when reminiscing about the irish dancing segment of the movie, decided to go back and see it again - all 3+ hours of it. I was also a member of the Key Film Club in DC with Bob Mondello back then and I cannot describe the experience of seeing films there would be no other way to see and then discussing them with a theatre full of fellow film buffs.  No time to find/join one nowadays with a family, so I do it on my own.

Sidenote: My autograph collection numbers somewhere north of 400, with about half of them obtained in person, so I've met many actors I admire and yes, written letters to others.  I have more autographs in person and via mail than anyone should non-pathetically possess, from Bruce Dern to Carrie Fisher and Alexis Bledel.  As a child, I saw a lot of movies at the drive-in, but was also oddly obsessed with every bad 50s-80s horror movie I could find on TV.  This is also how I saw and fell in love with old musicals, Jerry Lewis, Danny Kaye, Doris Day, Audrey Hepburn and Natalie Wood.  Maybe it all started in the early 1980s when I chose to spend Christmas Day watching very old (okay, broken) copies of the original Star Wars trilogy on the big screen.  Mark Hamill and then movies, in that order, became my lifelong obsession. (Speaking of Mark, I finally did get to meet him at the San Diego Comic Con during one of the most epic weekends of my life and the second time I attended that amazing event.  Another story to add to my blog one day...)  I lived in LA for a summer in the late 90s and took several weekend trips there when I lived on the West Coast in the early 2000s, which did nothing but stoke the fires of my movie obsession.  I grew up near Sacramento, California and several of my outgoing theatre type friends (many met through my stint as "Janet" in the local Rocky Horror Picture Show) and family have found work in TV and movies in Hollywood and beyond.

Also, as owner of 3 Girls Cupcakes these past few years, I jumped at every opportunity to help promote and be a patron for cinema in KC, creating promotional cupcakes for movie premieres, parking the Cupcake Cruiser outside movie events and providing cupcakes for the crafts table whenever CinemaKC called.  I also used the business as an excuse to make and present cupcakes to as many fun cinema types as I could reasonably get away with, without going to jail.  I made a lot of friends that way and had many unforgettable experiences that I am gradually cataloging over at www.cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com...

Back to the Blog at hand.  This blog will contain reviews of every movie I see this year.  I will include any other cinema exploits or commentary as well. Maybe I'll be inspired to expand on some of my old adventures and I'm sure there will be a rant or two about the movie world and maybe  my daughter will get in on the act.

Also, Guest Bloggers Welcome!  I have many friends as inspired by cinema as myself, but they are spread far and wide, so I hope we can come together virtually!