"A few days in space. What's the worst that could happen?" (Review)

Sometimes a blockbuster movie gets poor reviews and doesn’t do very well in the theatres. And sometimes that movie gets poor DVD reviews and doesn’t do well in the rental stores either. And sometimes I decide that the reviews are wrong and the movie might actually be great anyway. And sometimes the movie really is great and I’m happy I chose to watch it. Fantastic Four fits the description of those first three sentences. It does not even come close to bearing any resemblance whatsoever to the fourth sentence.

I guess it was inevitable that another comic book movie would be produced, especially considering the success of Batman Begins, the X-Men series and Spider-man. The difference between those films and the not-so-Fantastic Four is this: those other movies had good characters, great dialogue, interesting storylines and top notch direction. Not-even-close-to-being-Fantastic Four has weak characters, mundane dialogue (if you’ve seen the trailers, you’ve heard all the “good” lines already), a pointless storyline and who the heck is Tim Story? Oh wait, he directed Barbershop and Taxi. Well, I guess that explains that.

Five scientists jump on board an orbiting space station to study the effects of a cosmic storm, only to be bombarded by the intense radiation of the storm itself. In true superhero fashion the radiation fundamentally alters their DNA. Now they have super powers. The leader, Reed Richards, now has the ability to stretch himself to incredible lengths and is dubbed Mr. Fantastic (I guess Mr. Rubber-Arms just didn’t have the same ring to it). Sue Storm, Reed’s estranged girlfriend, can turn herself invisible and create force fields. Cleverly enough she is called The Invisible Girl. Johnny Storm, Sue’s brother, can light himself on fire. Ok, so anyone can do that but Johnny, a.k.a. The Human Torch, can do it without hurting himself and can reach temperatures approaching super nova. His role provides the only comic relief in the film and it’s not much. Ben Grimm is the only member of the foursome to have his appearance changed permanently. With orange rocks for skin and organs, Ben becomes The Thing (are these really the best names Stan Lee could come up with?). The fifth scientist, Victor Von Doom (can you see this one coming?), takes on a metallic appearance and can control electrical fields. Since his last name is Doom he has to be the bad guy and voila, we have Dr. Doom.

Throw all these characters together and you have, well, kind of a big mess actually. I can only assume that the comic book is much better written. The dialogue in the film is campy and corny. I groaned more than laughed through this one. And while the special effects are pretty cool, it’s really just a huge mish-mash of CGI effects. I think this film could have done very well as an animated adventure but perhaps The Incredibles was too much to compete with. As it is, it doesn’t appear that opposite-of-Fantastic Four is trying to compete with anything. It really feels like it’s relying solely on the popularity of the comic book to make it successful. I’m sure die hard fans of the series probably enjoyed the film but for the rest of us movie-goers it’s a waste of time.

Fantastic Four is presented in blah-blah-blah aspect ratio and includes a who-cares audio track. Seriously, this movie is not worth your time. A friend commented that he heard someone describe it as the worst movie ever. I don’t think it’s bad enough to garner that distinction, but it is pretty bad. I didn’t look to see if there were any special features. Like I want to go behind-the-scenes and learn how to make a crappy movie.

Bearing-no-resemblance-to-anything-Fantastic Four is over-hyped, over-done and not over soon enough. Again, if you’re a real comic book fan you might get something out of this. If not, avoid in-no-way-Fantastic Four at all costs.

Fantastic (not!) Four gets 4 Mr. Stars – I can think of uncreative names too – (out of 10).

Fundamentally altered trivia for ‘Fantastic Four’.

"But these go to eleven..."

A quick description of the rating system I use:

0 to 4 - "The horror...the horror..." These are horrible, awful, terrible movies. I would describe these kinds of movies as 'complete wastes of my time' or 'a sickening offense to my senses and my home theater system'. There haven't been any of these movies reviewed on this site yet and there probably won't be many in the future. There certainly aren't any of these movies in my personal collection.

5 to 6 - These are average-and-below movies. They have some high points but overall they don't have much going for them. There is a slim chance I might own a 5 or 6 movie in my collection, but rarely would this be by my own choosing. Some of these movies are worth seeing once, but mainly they aren't that great and certainly wouldn't be worth repeated viewings.

7 to 8 - These are above average movies. Though they might have some low points here and there, they are generally good movies and are definitely worth a look, depending on your genre preferences. Most of the movies in my collection are 7 or higher and I like to say that if it's a movie I own, then it's a good movie. I'll rewatch movies with a 7 or 8 rating and will recommend them to most people.

9 to 10 - "Impressive. Most impressive." These are the cream of the crop. These movies must be seen and, in my case, must be owned. Fantastic, brilliant, wonderful, delightful, hilarious, thrilling, dramatic, intelligent and sensational - these films are why I love watching movies.

So what's the difference between a 9 and a 10? They are both exceptional, but a 10 rated movie has to be among my favorite movies of all time. It's a short list, but I'm always hoping another 10 will come along. They are rare though. In the end the only major difference between a 9 and a 10 is my personal preference. The 9s are my favorites. The 10s are my absolute favorites. How's that for ambiguity?

"Just cause you wanna eat the burger, doesn't mean you wanna meet the cow." (Review)

I’m a Michael Bay fan. I think. Bay has directed The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and the Bad Boys films. Most people probably aren’t Michael Bay fans since most people I know didn’t really like Armageddon or Pearl Harbor. I really enjoyed both of them – enough to have them in my DVD collection. The Rock is another personal favourite and so I had high hopes for The Island. It stars Ewan MacGregor and includes Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator), Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings) and the always-entertaining Steve Buscemi. With so much great-actor-potential I was really hoping this would be another fun addition to my collection. Unfortunately, potential is the only thing this film has and rarely does it manage to live up to that potential.

Ewan MacGregor plays Lincoln Six Echo, a member of an apparent utopian society that is fiercely regulated and controlled. Told that he is one of the few survivors of a terrible plague that nearly wiped out mankind, Lincoln Six Echo is confined to a futuristic ‘commune’ where his meals are chosen for him and questions are discouraged. He is told that the last safe place on earth is a paradise island where members of the commune can go if they win the mysterious Lottery. A series of events leads Lincoln to discover the horrible truth about himself and the so-called “Island”.

It’s hard to describe the movie in great detail since much of it would be considered a “surprise”. I think it’s reasonable to assume that most viewers will figure out the overall concept early on, while the movie will fill in minor details toward the end. I had a pretty good idea what the film was about before I saw it and my guesses were accurate. However, I won’t spill the beans just in case you have no clue what is going on and want a little bit of a brain teaser.

Keep in mind that a ‘little bit’ is all you’ll get. While the film is full of great actors and has a fantastic story, it just doesn’t deliver. I don’t know if Michael Bay wanted the viewers to figure out the plot so quickly or if he wanted to keep us in suspense. No knowing that makes it hard to invest in the storyline at all. If it was supposed to be a secret, it was a poorly kept one and disappointed me in how easy it was to discover. If it wasn’t supposed to be a secret, why the lame attempts at secrecy? It’s like the movie isn’t sure where it’s supposed to be and that theme carries on throughout its entirety.

The unfortunate aspect is that due to the nature of the story, the characters are nearly impossible to invest in. Although the characters go through a number of risky action scenes and daring escapes, there was no tension. I just didn’t care about whether the characters survived or not. Not because they were boring or uninteresting, but simply because of who they are. The movie sets itself up in a way that very nearly convinces the audience that the characters are nothing more than props – and easily replaced props at that. In the end, the idea that Lincoln and his friends might die is not as tragic as it should be.

Despite the flaws in character and plot development, the action scenes and stunts are top notch. I could almost consider owning this film for the car chase scene alone. Bay went to great lengths to try and recreate the scenes with as little CGI as possible and it’s an effort that doesn’t go unnoticed. The only time I was really involved in watching The Island was during those fantastic stunts. But again, my enjoyment had nothing to do with the characters themselves or with the overall storyline. It was just great special effects and stunt coordination.

A few other high points include some very witty dialogue at certain points, a wonderfully entertaining scene where Lincoln meets his “sponsor” and, of course, Steve Buscemi. Buscemi’s character was the only one I really invested in and I know that has to do with the movie’s plot. It’s really hard to explain exactly why without giving anything away. You’ll just have to watch it to see for yourself.

The Island is presented in a 1.85:1 Anamorphic transfer and everything looks great. I didn’t notice any graininess or blurring. A Dolby Digital 5.1 track is included, but that’s pretty standard on DVDs nowadays. A DTS track would have been nice, especially for the numerous action scenes, but it still sounds good. There is a featurette that goes behind the scenes on many of the movies action scenes and stunts, which I would have been very interested to watch. Sadly I had to return the DVD before I had a chance to see it. Maybe if I found The Island previously-viewed at Blockbuster for less than $10 I would consider owning it for the action scenes alone. On the whole, though, it's just not that impressive.

One more observation before I sum up. There is more product placement in this film than I have ever seen before. I understand the reasons for product placement here and there in the production of a film. I realize it reduces costs and often the placement itself isn’t so obvious that it takes away from the movie. In the case of The Island, I almost felt like I was watching a two hour commercial. It was so obvious and blatant that it distracted me even more from an already so-so film. But if you do end up watching it, make a game out of it and see how many products you can count!

Having said all that, I realize that my review is likely to encourage most readers to want to see it just for their own curiosity. I will say that the premise of the film is a great idea, it just doesn’t get fleshed out as well as it could have been. The actors do a good job with what they are given, they just aren’t given all that much. And while the action scenes and stunts are incredible, I just didn’t care whether the main characters survived them or not. In the end, The Island is a film with a great set up, poor execution and an ultimate let down. Then again, I’ve never put much stock in film critics so there’s a chance you might really enjoy it. Stranger things have happened.

The Island gets 6 plain, white jumpsuits (out of 10).

You’ve won the Lottery! Click here for ‘The Island’ trivia!

"What up with thee?"

Despite the fact that I find Jim Carrey to be a very funny and entertaining actor, I only own one of his movies, and Bruce Almighty isn’t it. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe it’s because his movies don’t really have that blockbuster quality to them. Or maybe I don’t think I would re-watch them as often as I think. Or maybe every time I consider buying one of them, I’m distracted by some other new release. I don’t really know what the reason is. I enjoy all his movies – I just don’t own many of them. So when I wanted something light to watch a couple nights ago I had to dig into my roommates collection to find Bruce Almighty.

Bruce Nolan is a failing news reporter who thinks God is out to make his life miserable. After one too many complaints, God finally decides to do something about it. Figuring Bruce can do a better job God gives Bruce all his powers. Jim Carrey with all the powers of the divine creator of the universe – let the hilarity ensue. I like Bruce Almighty because it manages to talk about God and religion without getting too serious. It’s got a great message and it’s really, really funny. There are several scenes that make me giggle just thinking about them. If you want something light and fun you can’t go wrong with this flick. I encourage you to come on over and borrow it from my roommate.

After watching the HBO special, From the Earth to the Moon, Shauna and I have been hooked on anything to do with the Apollo space program. A friend at work managed to get me a copy of For All Mankind, which is all original, real footage filmed by the astronauts themselves during the 10 manned spaceflights to the moon. Narrated by a number of the Apollo veterans, For All Mankind portrays a voyage from earth to the moon and back, combining footage from all ten flights. This is a film for those people who are really interested in this subject matter. Although it’s considered a documentary there isn’t much this film teaches you. But it’s not meant to. This is for those people who already know all about the various astronauts and missions and equipment. It’s so those people can watch and say “so that’s what it looked like, felt like, sounded like, etc”. For All Mankind is a fantastic view into the real life of an Apollo astronaut. If you’ve seen Apollo 13 or From the Earth to the Moon and you want to know what it all truly looked like, check out For All Mankind.

Film #2 in the unofficial ‘Nicholas Cage Action Trilogy’, Con Air is everything you could want in a guy’s movie. Prison breaks, explosions, attack helicopters, corny clichés, fast cars, destruction, mayhem, chaos and Steve Buscemi. If you had anything to complain about regarding Con Air then the movie simply wasn’t meant for you. Is it over the top? Absolutely. Is it meant to be? You betcha. Con Air is a thrill-a-minute action flick that also manages to include a number of great performances. John Malkovich is perfectly evil as Cyrus ‘The Virus’, Nicholas Cage is everything you’d expect from an all-American Army Ranger who’s there to “save the day”, and Steve Buscemi is probably the only actor who can portray a frighteningly creepy mass murder who makes us smile right up to the last frame. And, of course, John Cusack does a great job. But John Cusack always does a great job. My only grudge is that the current DVD release is non-anamorphic. That simply won’t do. Buena Vista needs to get its act together and release a special edition with an updated video transfer. Then I can enjoy the running-away-from-the-giant-fireball-in-slow-motion scenes even more.

Divine trivia for 'Bruce Almighty'.
Flight, this is Capcom 7. You are go for trivia.
High-flying trivia for the criminally insane.

"I'm not fighting anyone or anything, anymore." (Review)

The Last Castle is another one of those movies that I don’t remember hearing much about while it was in the theatres. Once it was released on DVD and I had a chance to watch it, I was impressed enough to add it to my collection. The plot of the film is quite interesting and the action is entertaining, but the biggest reasons for watching, and owning, this film are the fantastic performances given by James Gandolfini and Robert Redford.

General Erwin (Redford) has pleaded guilty in a recent court martial, for disobeying orders during the Gulf War, which resulted in the deaths of eight of his men. Sentenced to ten years, Erwin is transferred to the Castle, a maximum security military prison, where Colonel Winter (Gandolfini) runs a very tight ship. Erwin quickly realizes that his fellow inmates, all former marines, have been suffering more than would be expected under the ruthless rule of Winter. The inmates decide to take over the prison with the intention of forcing the Colonel to resign.

As with most movies, a healthy dose of suspended disbelief is required if you’re going to make it all the way through The Last Castle. That’s not to say that it’s over the top or far fetched, just that a few of the sequences are pretty incredible. But we don’t watch movies to see the normal, every day stories, do we? No, we watch movies so we can have a look at some extraordinary people in extraordinary situations. The Last Castle certainly delivers on that order. The planning and intelligence used by General Irwin and his supporters is what makes this film so much fun to watch. We’ve seen prison escape movies before, but rarely do we get to watch a film where the inmates are attempting to make their own prison a better place.

Aside from some great drama and action in the prison yard, we’re given two great performances by Gandolfini and Redford. Their characters square off in a battle of wits against each other and it’s this tension that really gives the movie its appeal. This is one of Gandolfini’s best performances. Winter’s behaviour and mannerisms border on the insane but you can’t deny his flawless record in maintaining control of his prison. Redford depicts General Irwin as a man who is done fighting and just wants to serve his time and go home. However, like any soldier faced with an unjust situation, he must put aside his own desires and once again lead men into battle. Redford’s portrayal of Irwin’s evolution from General to prisoner to leader is very well done. And no, other than the way I worded that last sentence, this movie bears no resemblance to Gladiator.

The DVD is presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic video with extremely crisp colors and sharp images. I’m still amazed at times to see how much detail there is in the human face. From the tense interactions between the two main characters to the explosive climax in the prison yard, The Last Castle looks fantastic. Added to the mix is a wonderful DTS 5.1 audio track. I think it should be a new DVD rule that directors are not allowed to have explosions in their movies unless the DVD has a DTS track. I don’t want to just watch the explosion – I want to feel like I’m standing right next to it! Well, except for the flames and flying shrapnel and all that. Overall, this film looks and sounds terrific.

So, if you have any interest in military affairs, prison settings, explosions, Robert Redford or James Gandolfini, you’ll probably really enjoy The Last Castle. After all, the film did win the Taurus Award for Best Fire Stunt. What more do you want?

The Last Castle gets 7 flags (out of 10).

Trivia for The Last Castle has been confined to solitary. Find it here.

"Seeing is believing...but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see." (Review)

My wife had two really big reasons for picking up The Polar Express on DVD last weekend; 1) Josh Groban performs the title song ‘Believe’, and 2) the title song ‘Believe’ is performed by Josh Groban. I thought number 2 was supposed to be the fact that Tom Hanks features very prominently in the picture, but apparently even a two-time Academy Award winner can’t compete with ‘Joshie’ (as Shauna calls him). Unfortunately for my wife, this is not a review of Mr. Groban. I’m pleased to let the rest of you know this is a review of the movie.

The Polar Express is an endearing and, hopefully, enduring Christmas story about a little boy who is having doubts in Santa Clause, elves, the North Pole and generally Christmas itself. On December 24th a magnificent train pulls up outside his house where the conductor informs him that their destination is in fact, the North Pole. It’s all-aboard the Polar Express where the Hero Boy (credited as such) experiences a number of exciting adventures, meets numerous interesting characters and ultimately has to decide for himself whether he really believes or not.

The Polar Express was created entirely with computer graphic animation. Impressively, Tom Hanks performs the motion capture for virtually every character in the film and provides the voice talent for most of them as well. The animation alone is worth a look at this film. It’s important to remember that the film is based on the children’s book, written by Chris Van Allsburg, and the animation is based on the illustrations within. I’ve read a couple of reviews for The Polar Express where the writers thought the character animation was somewhat creepy – almost real but too cartoony. What those critics failed to understand is that the animation is intended to look like that – an accurate CG representation of the artistic drawings in the book. Funny how some people expect an animated children’s book to look more “realistic” than the illustrations themselves.

In addition to looking beautiful, the motion capture is breathtaking. There were several moments where Shauna and I said to each other “That is SO Tom Hanks”. And these were moments where there was no dialogue. The technology for capturing facial movement and expression is incredible and really brings the film to life. I bet Tom had a lot of fun making this movie.

Overall the story is just what you would expect from a children’s Christmas tale. It’s very light-hearted and with few, if any, dull moments. The story jumps from scene to scene, keeping the audience engaged and interested. I felt there were maybe one too many ‘roller coaster’ type scenes, but these are the kinds of things that kids would love to watch over and over, so I can’t complain too much. There are plenty of gags to keep adults entertained and the wonderful message of believing is here, as it should be in any Christmas movie. While primarily focused on Santa Clause, there are some not-so-subtle references to belief in something more. The title quote for this blog sums it up quite nicely.

The DVD is presented in Anamorphic 2.35:1 video which is perfect for showing off the brilliant colors and detail. As with any computer animated film it’s difficult to find anything wrong with the video. There’s none of that pesky graininess that can sometimes plague live-action films (though not so much with newer releases), nor is there any blurring or color separation. This is one of those films that is just as wonderful to look at as it is to watch. Wait…er, you know what I mean. The audio is presented via a Dolby Digital 5.1 track and there were actually a couple of moments where both Shauna and I thought a DTS track would have been much better. One the things that DTS seems to do better than Dolby is allowing voices to be heard distinctly during musical pieces. It was hard to understand some of the lyrics during the more lively musical numbers and I believe a DTS track would have solved that little problem. Otherwise, the sound is more than sufficient – the train sounds like a train, the people sound like people and the thunderous, cracking, disastrous frozen lake scene sounds like you’re on a thunderous, cracking, disastrous frozen lake.

The two-disc edition comes with a second disc of bonus features, which I haven’t had a chance to watch yet. Surprise, surprise. However, the bonus disc does seem to be chock full of all the kinds of stuff I’m interested in seeing, including a featurette on the motion capture technology used to re-create Tom Hanks’ many performances. Several other ‘making-of’ features are included, as well as Josh Groban’s live performance of ‘Believe’ at the Greek theatre (which Shauna will probably watch even though she already owns Josh Groban’s entire performance ‘Live at the Greek’). There are even a couple of games for the kiddies to play with.

The Polar Express is a great Christmas story that is a delight to watch and I’m sure would be enjoyed by any child out there. That alone is enough to make it a great choice for one of your own movie nights. Tom Hanks’ superb performance, wonderful music, and incredible visual effects are just the icing on the cake, but help to make this film a sure Christmas classic. Try not to be too serious and I’m sure you’ll love The Polar Express.

The Polar Express gets 8 jingle-bells (out of 10).

Merry Christmas to all, and to all some good trivia.

"We were like 'woaahh', and I was like 'woah!' and you were like 'woooaahhh'." (Review)

Last night I was in the mood for something relaxing, fun, entertaining and good looking. But Shauna was out so I had to settle for a movie instead. Fortunately, Finding Nemo fits that description to a tee. It’s easy to watch, a lot of fun, very entertaining, and man does this movie ever look good. This is one of the reasons we got a big screen, high definition television. The picture is just beautiful. Combined with a delightful story, this is definitely one of Pixar's best.

For those poor, unfortunate souls who have not yet seen Finding Nemo, allow me to fill you in. This is the fifth feature film to come out of Pixar Animation Studios. Tragic events leave Marlin, a clown fish, as the single father of his only son, Nemo. Marlin’s past has made him overly protective of Nemo and when his son is suddenly captured by scuba divers during a school trip Marlin must embark upon a journey across the ocean to save him. Along the way he meets Dory, a helpful fish who suffers from short term memory loss and the two continue Marlin’s quest together. Meanwhile, Nemo finds himself the latest addition to a dentist’s aquarium where his new friends enlist his help to try and escape.

Being a Disney/Pixar film, Finding Nemo appeals to both children and adults alike. There’s enough color and flash and movement to keep the most ADD child occupied (well, at least for a couple of minutes) and there’s plenty of humour for us grown ups too. If you’ve seen any of the other Pixar films (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc.) you understand what I mean. Despite a couple of potentially scary moments, Finding Nemo remains enduring throughout. This one will put a smile on your face and keep it there all the way through the credits. Ooh, good chance for a segue here…

Movie credits. You should sit through them from time to time. For any movie. A lot of work goes into making a film and I personally think it’s bit of a “thank you” to the creators. Plus, there is usually some great music to accompany those scrolling names, and in the case of Finding Nemo, a few little ‘treats’ thrown in. Nothing like the outtakes that were presented during the credits of Toy Story or Toy Story 2, however, the credits in Nemo did provide a small laugh or two. Check them out. No seriously, check them out. (Strongbad reference for all you Home Star Runner fans out there).

Did I mention this movie looks good? Finding Nemo is presented in 1.78:1 Anamorphic video and includes an optional Full Frame format. By now you all know that Full Frame movies are a big no-no, right? Good. Moving on. It’s worth saying one more time – this movie looks fantastic. The colors are incredibly vibrant, as one would expect from a movie set in a coral reef. The image is sharp, clean and filled with detail. You can really tell how much work the animators went to in order to create a realistic depiction of the big blue sea. At one point I paused the picture and noticed that the image frozen on my screen could easily pass for an actual photo of Sydney harbour. This is definitely a reference quality DVD. Sadly, there is no DTS option but the Dolby Digital 5.1 track does a satisfying job of filling the room with all the sounds of the sea.

The Collector’s Edition comes with an entire extra disk of special features, true to Pixar form. I watched most of these some time ago and from I recall they are only slightly above average. I’m sure there’s a lot of great stuff in there if you’re a big Pixar/Disney fan. That’s the thing about Special Features – they really only cater to those who are really, really interested in that particular film or genre or setting. At any rate, it’s nice to see Pixar including an extra disc for that kind of thing. It leaves more room on the first disc for a high bit video transfer, which results in an awesome looking film (wait, did I already mention this movie looks good?).

I have yet to see Pixar make a bad movie. On the contrary, it seems like all their movies are excellent. In 2006 we will be treated to the 7th feature film, Cars. You can check out the current trailer here. In the meantime, I highly recommend watching Finding Nemo again. Especially if that means you’ll come over to my house to watch it. I love watching movies with friends. You probably didn’t know that about me.

Finding Nemo gets 9 bubbles (out of 10).

Unfathomable trivia for Finding Nemo.

"SANTA!!! Oh my god! Santa's coming!! I know him! I know him!"

On the weekend I hosted a Christmas Movie Day. We watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Hosting a movie day has a couple of great perks. First and foremost is the fact that you get to watch a lot of really fun movies with a lot of really fun people. Despite having to think creatively in order to have enough room to fit everyone into my basement, it was awesome to have that many people around to watch some very funny movies. The other great perk about hosting a movie day is that you can convince your wife to go buy a new DVD for the party even though you agreed not to buy any more before Christmas.

First up was Jim Carrey in Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It had been quite a while since I’d seen this one and it was one of the DVDs I ordered through my Columbia House promotion so I was really looking forward to watching it. This is a holiday classic for sure. I think Ron Howard did a great job in expanding on the story of the Grinch and the Whos while still keeping to Dr. Seuss’ original storyline. Jim Carrey ensures there are plenty of great laughs – this is one of those roles he was born to play.

Next up was Will Farrell as Buddy in one of my new Christmas favourites, Elf. Considering some of the roles that Will Farrell has played in the past (Anchorman, Old School, Zoolander) it’s nice to see him in a comedy that is still suitable for the whole family. There are a lot of laughs in this film, as well as a great Christmas story that ends the way any good holiday classic should end, happily. I think everyone enjoyed this film, even the grumpy guy (I won’t mention any names, but his initials are Scott Fallows) who thought the film got too “Christmasy” toward the end. That’s ok though. We’ve always known Scott was a cotton-headed ninny-muggins.

Since I have such a loving and devoted wife, we were able to finish our evening with Chevy Chase in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, the DVD that had just been purchased several hours earlier. While Elf is a great family classic, Christmas Vacation is probably better for families that don’t include children under the age of 10 or 11. It is National Lampoon after all. But no Christmas would be complete without Clark Griswold and his obsession with having a big, traditional family Christmas. For some of us it was a chance to point and laugh, for others it was a disturbing reminder of their own childhood. Ah, good times.

Maybe next year I’ll have a bigger house and can invite all my friends for Christmas Movie Fest 2006. As it is, I don’t think I could have squeezed any more people into my basement. So many thanks to Shauna, Dave, Barbara, Scott, Laura, Vince, Brian, Anne, Chris and Amber! I had a blast and hope you did too!

Merry Christmas

If you so much as utter one syllable, I'll hunt you down and gut you like a fish! If you want Grinch trivia, click here.

Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite trivia?

Click here for 23,000 light-bulbs of Christmas Vacation trivia.

"They don't make mistakes. They don't do random."

Some movies do better on a smaller screen. I think The Bourne Supremacy is one of them. Now before you go thinking that I wish I had a smaller TV allow me to explain. The director, Paul Greengrass, decided to use a hand held camera for many of his action shots in order to give a more realistic, gritty look to the film. A hand held does make things look more intense and chaotic. The only problem with that is that things look more intense…and chaotic. A couple of the action scenes in particular start to become so disjointed that it is almost impossible to tell exactly what is going on. That’s a shame when it comes to a movie with Jason Bourne because his moves are so cool you want to be able to see everything that he’s doing. There is a way to minimize this unfortunate aspect – a smaller screen. And by smaller I mean smaller than a theater. Turns out a screen size of about 51 inches is just perfect. I’m happy to say that Bourne looks just as cool as he did in the first film. I really hope they make a third.

Lately it seems like Shauna and I have been on a real World War II kick. I think it’s from having watched the Band of Brothers HBO series a little while ago. Now we’re fascinated with the war. It seemed only natural, especially after watching The Pianist, that we’d be interested in seeing some of the aftermath. Nuremberg does a great job of describing the events that surrounded the war trials of Hermann Goring and 20 other German officers and leaders. Originally presented as a television mini-series, Nuremberg runs just over 3 hours long. But it doesn’t seem that long at all. This is an intense, provocative look at the attitudes of all parties involved in the war. Alec Baldwin and Brian Cox both deliver incredible performances. This one is definitely worth a look if you have any interest in WWII.

Christopher Reeve is Superman. It seems fitting that his legacy as the man of steel lives on after all the he went through. The movie is now more than just a comic book flick – it’s nostalgia for a superhero. The extended edition provides a great deal of back story for Kal-El. In fact, it’s almost an hour before we even first see Christopher Reeve as Superman. But it works really well. By the time Superman saves Lois Lane and carries the helicopter back to the top of the building I was cheering because of how much build up there had been. The extended edition gives you a much better look at what is really going on in Superman’s mind. I think it’s the sense of some vulnerability that makes him that much more, well, super. The film was first released in 1978 and I have to admit it does look dated. There’s a fair amount of cheesiness throughout but the one thing that remains unaffected by the film’s age is Superman himself. Christopher Reeve is so cool. And while I’m really looking forward to Kevin Spacey as Lex Luther in the upcoming Superman Returns, I don’t envy Brandon Routh. He’s got a big cape to fill.

Classified trivia for ‘The Bourne Supremacy’.
Never forget. Trivia for ‘Nuremberg’.
Invincible trivia for ‘Superman’.

"This is the second time he's done this to me. There will not be a third." (Review)

I love this movie.

I sat for several minutes trying to come up with a clever way to start this particular review. I pondered referencing some of Peter Weir’s other movies (Gallipoli, Witness, Dead Poet’s Society) and using them as examples of his genius. I considered discussing Russell Crowe’s brilliance as an actor and referencing some of his other movies (Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, L.A. Confidential). But in the end the only phrase that continued to repeat itself through my mind as I thought about Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World was this: I love this movie.

At this point I usually attempt to give a brief description of the movie’s plot. In the case of Master and Commander, however, the things I love about the film have very little to do with the plot. It’s the realistic portrayal of life aboard a British frigate during the Napoleonic wars that makes the movie so intriguing for me. Like most men and boys, I have always been fascinated with tall ships. I love the way they look, with their numerous sails and masts and gallants. I’m astounded by their ability to remain at sea for months at a time. Even the command structure, the rank and roles of the men and officers on board intrigues me. Master and Commander is a movie I love because it understands my fascination with tall ships and it delivers an incredibly accurate and convincing world of life at sea.

The HMS Surprise, under the command of Captain “Lucky” Jack Aubrey, has orders to pursue the French privateer ‘Acheron’ and “sink, burn or take her a prize.” Both ships play a cunning game of cat-and-mouse, stalking each other off the coast of South America. The film is actually based on two of Patrick O’Brian’s many novels. I’ve tried reading the first one, Master and Commander, but found the pacing to be confusing and tiresome. I would like to give it another try sometime, but for now I’ll stick with the film. However, like the books, the film is not only about life at sea but focuses on the relationship between Captain Jack and his best friend, and ship’s surgeon, Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany). The two have an interesting friendship that plays itself out well during the voyage.

After seeing films like Master and Commander and The Lord of the Rings I’m convinced that the success of a film has a lot to do with the little things. What these films have in common is that the directors were concerned enough to ensure that every detail was looked after. All the props and costumes for these films were made completely from scratch. For Master and Commander, even the ropes on the ship were hand made to ensure that each line matched exactly the kind of rope that would have been used during that time period. The language that the sailors use is completely authentic as are the actions and commands of the officers on board. You could almost believe that Peter Weir simply went back in time and took a few cameras with him.

One of the main reasons I love this film as much as I do can be summed up with three little words – Digital. Theatre. Sound. The DTS 5.1 track on this DVD is simply amazing. You can hear every creak of wood, every footfall, every ruffling of the sails in the wind. During a particularly exciting scene in the gun cabin you’d be convinced that there were people actually running around upstairs in my house. The explosions and cannon fire are thunderous. The room is filled with the sounds of flying splinters, splashing water, tearing sails and musket fire. Winner of the 2004 Oscar for Best Sound Editing, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World just sounds awesome.

The picture quality is equally top notch. The 2.35:1 Anamorphic video transfer is perfect for displaying the vast openness of the sea as well as providing incredible detail during the chaotic and frenzied battle sequences. This is one of those films that really benefits from a large screen, especially considering that the film won the 2004 Oscar for Best Cinematography. It just looks awesome.

It’s worth mentioning that although Master and Commander did not win any other Oscars, it was nominated for Best Art Direction-Set Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Director and Best Picture. Including the two Oscars it did win, that’s 10 nominations in total. Despite all this, the movie never hit #1 a single week during its 26 week run. I still don’t understand why some brilliant movies fail do to very well in the theatre. I wonder if it’s because the majority of movie go-ers are teenagers who would rather see something like I Still Know That You Screamed Last Summer During That Scary American Pie Movie. But that’s a whole other rant.

The Collector’s Edition of Master and Commander comes with two discs, the second chock full of special features, which I have watched. The making-of featurette is very informative and entertaining. After watching the special features for this film, Jaws and The Abyss, I’ve gained a tremendous amount of respect for any director who can successfully pull off a ‘water’ movie. Steven Spielberg summed it up best by simply stating that “filming on water is a logistical nightmare”. The special features for Master and Commander do a great job of showing exactly how Peter Weir managed to get the job done and keep his sanity. Also included are numerous deleted scenes, production featurettes, multi-angle studies of various scenes, art galleries and trailers. It’s a bonus disc that’s packed to the gills.

Three cheers for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World! If you have not seen this film, you should be keel hauled and then hung from the main mast until six bells. Unless boats and the sea are not your thing, in which case you can feel free to abandon ship.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World gets 10 fore topmast staysails (out of 10).

Beat to quarters, and click here for Master and Commander trivia.