Sly 'Mr. Fox'

I haven't watched many animated films while writing this blog, save for "Up", which was excellent, and the unique "Fantastic Mr. Fox", which was actually filmed in "stop-action" animation. Stop-action moves the figures frame by frame, and in this case, are animated characters, with the frames sped up. It's an awesome visual, and makes the film a stand-out among the 2009 releases. The fact that it was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Film (losing to "Up") and that many thought it should have been nominated for Best Picture is just more of a testament to its impact on viewers. Add to the fact that it's directed by Wes Anderson ("Rushmore", "The Royal Tenenbaums") and he brings along the voices of some of his usual crew: Owen Wilson, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. And don't forget the voices of Academy Award winners George Clooney and Meryl Streep. Wow, that's a lot of talent.

The film begins with Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep) getting caught in a trap while stealing birds from a farmer. Mrs. Fox encourages them to find a new line of work (if the escape) because of the danger and she tells him she's pregnant. Two years later (they escape), the foxes are living in a hole, with Mrs. Fox staying home and Mr. Fox working as a newspaperman (of course!). He clearly misses the thrill of stealing, and is resigned to his life as a suburban father. He decides to move the family to a tree house, which his lawyer, Clive Badger (Bill Murray) warns him against, saying it is too dangerous. Fox disagrees and moves the family.

Once they move, long-lost cousin Kristofferson Silverfox (Eric Chase Anderson) comes to live with the family because his father is sick with "double pneumonia." Immediately Mr. Fox takes a shining to cousin Kris, who seems to be good at everything while his forlorn son Ash Fox (Schwartzman) is more of a "wet rag" type.

Soon after moving, Fox can't resist his life of stealing any longer, and decides to target the farms of Boggis, Bunce and Bean, who have turkey, apples, alcoholic cider and chickens. Fox recruits the hilarious Kylie Sven Opossum (Wallace Wolodarsky) to be his side kick, and the game is on. But once the farmers get wise to the plot, things get pretty wild for the animal kingdom, and they need to find a way to survive...

The story isn't terribly complex, but what really makes the film is the excellent animation and stop-action and the wonderful, funny animal characters. Humans can hear the animals talk, and the interactions between them and their fellow animals is pretty funny. The animals have an interesting society that is just like humans, from lawyers to real estate agents to schools and gym class. Though rated PG, this isn't a film for children. It has adult themes and they use the word "cuss" as an all around curse word (like when they refer to something as a potential "cluster cuss" or "he's a cuss of an athlete") which is actually a pretty funny running joke throughout the film. It's fun and really enjoyable movie that I hope most people like as much as I did.

8 out of 10 stars

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" is rated PG for some mild animated violence, smoking (?) and sayign the word "cuss." Like I said, it's definitely an animated film for adults.

Here's the trailer:

New movie Tuesday

Is anyone else as surprised by the recent (last few years) resurgence of Robert Downey Jr.? The man's everywhere, and he has TWO movie franchises under his thumb: "Iron Man" and a new DVD release today, "Sherlock Holmes." I mean, he gets to play two of the coolest characters around; lucky duck. I saw "Sherlock" when it was at the Polson Showboat Theater; read my review here.

Also out today is "An Education," which looks pretty good, and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," which doesn't. I went with the animated "Fantastic Mr. Fox," which has drawn rave reviews; I'll get a review up soon.

At the Polson Showboat, currently playing is "Green Zone," which I saw and will review. On Friday, Polson will show "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", while Ronan will show "Clash of the Titans," which I'll be interested to see. Enjoy the rest of the week!

'Brothers': A Family Affair

2009 may have been the year of Iraq/Aghanistan war movies, at least good ones. "The Hurt Locker" showed what some say is a realistic view of the Iraq war circa 2004, and "Brothers" shows the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, and what war does to the people left behind while a family member is off to war. "Brothers" is almost a misnomer; the film could almost be called "Family" or something, but as I understand it, it is a remake of a Danish film, "Broders." Regardless of the title, the film creates a unique story that offers a different perspective on America's current war-undertakings, blending home life and actual war scenes into a compelling, dramatic movie that completes other similar war-genre films of the past decade.

The juxtaposition of the two brothers, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) is immediately made obvious. Sam, the military family man with a wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and two young daughters, and Tommy, the younger brother Sam picks up from prison in one of the opening scenes. Not to mention the men's father, Hank (Sam Shepard) who is a Vietnam vet himself, and clearly proud of Sam while equally disappointed and disproving of Tommy's lifestyle. Grace is similarly disproving of Tommy, who drinks a lot and does not get along well with any of the family.

When Sam is sent on another tour of Afghanistan, his family life is torn apart, but he seems ready to get back into battle. His helicopter is shot down, and all people are assumed dead. The news, obviously, devastates Grace, and furthers the rift between Tommy and his father, as well as Grace. But a kitchen project Tommy undertakes at Grace's house helps both with their grief, and the children take a shining to Tommy as well. The new family seems happy, until they get the news that Sam may not be dead. But what he had to endure while captured by Afghan rebels may have changed his mental state....

The synopsis I just gave tells a lot about the plot does not give anything away. The important aspect of the movie is the human interactions, and the effects war has on soldiers and their families. I enjoyed this film, which develops the story well and creates a good plot. The acting is solid, as can be expected from this strong cast, and though slow at times, it never really lost me. A good, different war story that make for an enjoyable watch.

7 out of 10 stars

Here's the trailer:

New movie Tuesday

Bunch of good ones today, so I had a hard time choosing. Biggest one is probably "The Blind Side" for which Sandra Bullock nabbed the best actress Oscar. It looks pretty good and is a true story about a guy currently playing in the NFL on the Baltimore Ravens. Also out is "The Men Who Stare At Goats" starring George Clooney and Ewan McGregor and which looked pretty good as well. "Fantastic Mr. Fox", an animated film which got pretty good reviews and that I'd be interested to see is out today.

I went with "Brothers" which looks pretty intense. It stars Jake Gyllenhal and Tobey McGuire as brothers fighting over one woman (Natalie Portman). I'll get it watched and have a review up soon. Enjoy all the great new releases!

An 'Island' of Insanity

Whenever Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio hook up, the result is an instant classic, right? Those who have seen either "Gangs of New York" or "The Departed" may certainly think so. Those who have only seen "Shutter Island" might think you were crazy -- cause everything about the film itself seems to be. Born out of a great book by Dennis Lehane, author of "Mystic River" and "Gone Baby Gone," the film version is a seeming flop, certainly not worthy of the cast, the budget, or the constantly revised release date.

DiCaprio plays Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshall in 1954 sent to Shutter Island, a mental institution off the coast of Boston (Bahhston), to investigate the disappearance of an inmate who has seemingly "disappeared into thin air." Along for the ferry ride is Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), Daniels new partner who is equally skeptical of the whole ordeal.

Once on the island, things begin to get a little kooky. A massive storm/hurricane hits the island, keeping the marshalls on the rock, despite assuming the investigation is over. The men assumed the escapee has died if she had gotten out of the compound and that there isn't much more to learn. But Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley) and the Warden (Ted Levine) seem pretty intent on keeping the men around. And then there's the whole issue of what happened to Daniels wife, and the man committed to the island for his role in her death...

This isn't a bad movie and it is pretty well made and acted. I just had really high expectations because I'd read the book, and there was a lot of hype leading up to its release. Also, the twist isn't as out of left field as they'd make you believe. It is interesting, but at times drags; the film runs about two and a half hours, so I found myself drifting occasionally.

"Shutter Island"" is rated R for bad language (including bad accents), violence, and generally creepy scenes.

6 out of 10 stars

Here's the trailer:

New movie Tuesday

Hope everyone's having a good week so far. Couple of big releases today. First, the one all the tweens can't wait to see, or probably buy, rather. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" hits the shelves, and the youngsters can't get enough of shirtless Taylor Lautner. Have fun with that. It was out in theaters here, but I didn't see it. Instead, my old colleague Aimee went and reviewed it as a guest on my blog; read all about it here. Also out is Disney's "The Princess and the Frog", "Did you Hear About the Morgans?" "Ninja Assassin" and animated film "Astro Boy."

I saw "Ninja Assassin" in the theaters, and it was OK. Very bloody and a pretty dumb story, but somewhat entertaining. I went with a film that was released a few weeks ago, "The Informant!" with Matt Damon. I'll try to have a review up soon.

Flying high with some serious lows

The bad economy has been a major topic in nearly every medium. You can't go one single hour, it seems, without reading, hearing or talking about the stagnant housing market, job market and how perilous each indicator of economic strength may prove to be. Up until last night, I hadn't seen a movie that really symbolized the feeling of the economic situation. "Up in the Air" isn't about the economy, per se, but it wouldn't be as effective without the massive amounts of layoffs that have been taking place in the last few years. But there's a lot more to it than that.

George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a "career transition counselor" or as he describes it: "the person who sacks somebody when their boss doesn't have the [courage] to do it." His company is based in Omaha, Neb., but Bingham travels everywhere: Tulsa, Wichita, Miami, Detroit, St. Louis. He is good at his job, and can walk in and tell someone they've been "let go" even as they stare at him, never having seen him in their life. Bingham also is a motivational speaker, giving talks at conferences about "What's in your backpack?" and basically advising people to let go of their relationships and problems to live a simpler, less complex life. Bingham clearly lives by this philosophy, traveling more than 270 days a year, firing people for a living. During his travels, Bingham meets Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), another frequent flier/traveler. They compare cards, proving to one another how much they travel, and in their world, how exclusive they may be. They begin a romantic relationship, both seemingly living by the same philosophy of casual sex and no commitments. They check schedules to plan other meeting points when their paths cross in different cities.

Bingham is called back to Omaha for an all company meeting. Once there, his boss Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman) introduces the team to a young, up and comer that is revolutionizing their business. Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) is a recent graduate of Cornell who has come up with a video link system that will eliminate traveling by the firing squad and allow them to work from Omaha. Bingham, clearly a veteran and one of the best workers, is not happy because he admits, he loves flying, traveling and being anonymous. Before they implement the system, Gregory asks Bingham to take Keener on the road with him to show her the ropes, and how the whole operation works.

Immediately the differences, stark and obvious, between the two become pronounced. Bingham is the savvy, veteran traveler while Keener shows up with luggage to check, clearly a violation of any Bingham philosophy. She is young and idealistic, he is a grizzled veteran who knows his profession inside and out. It is clear from the beginning that she might not have the stomach to fire people.

I really enjoyed this film. The characters are well developed and interesting, presenting different viewpoints that tell a complete story. Sure, it's somewhat predicatable and follows a somewhat familiar storyline, but Clooney is perfect in the role and Farmiga is excellent as well. It's kind of funny because the role almost mirrors bachelor Clooney's real life, at least as portrayed in the media. There are funny parts and a good cast, but it is also sad and somewhat real, with deeper storylines than just what the plot synopsis can really give. It's worth seeing and an interesting movie. It won't necessarily make you happy, but it has a genuine message that people can relate to. The fact that Clooney, Farmiga, director Jason Reitman and the whole film were nominated for Oscars says a lot too. The aerial shots Reitman utilizes are pretty cool as well, including the opening sequence and the different cities Bingham travels to. It's a thought provoking film, and may cause you to evaluate or reevaluate your own life.

"Up in the Air" is rated R for some sexual content/brief nudity and language. Some more adult themes.

8 out of 10 stars.

Here's the trailer: