DVD Review: 47 Ronin

Due to my health, I was unable to get to the theater to see 47 Ronin.

I recently had the chance to rent it on DVD and jumped at the opportunity.

First, I want to express my dismay at the thrashing this film took from both critics and fans alike. I don't know what they were expecting, but I found 47 Ronin to be a fast-paced, engaging adventure film that was both captivating and memorable.

Based on a real historical story from the days of Feudal Japan, the film incorporates extraordinary cinematography, enchanting set design, gorgeous costuming, stunning orchestral music and a decent storyline that, though it does take a bit of creative freedom, tells a story of the 47 Ronin who sought to avenge their wrongly dishonored former master. The magical aspect incorporated in the film doesn't do any more than others from the era and the Asian studios that produce similar ventures. So I really can't find fault from that aspect.

Led by Keanu Reeves (Point Break, Speed, The Lake House), the acting was adequate, and never stilted. The Japanese acting troupe led by co-stars Hirouki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki and Rinko Kikuchi was excellent in their respective roles. One thing the Far Eastern movie Studios have a great grasp on is the medieval Asian  period piece. This film never really disappoints from this angle either.

Directed by Carl Rinsch (video shorts The Gift, Lovely Weather for Rain, The Quiz), 47 Ronin moves along at a satisfying pace, but never feels forced or clichéd). Personally, I think Rinsch did a tremendous job with his first feature-length project.

If you even entertained the thought of seeing this on, I strongly recommend that you rent 47 Ronin at the earliest possible occasion. I was pleasantly surprised by this highly underrated film, and have already added it to my DVD collection.

See it, suspend your belief and enjoy a surprising great film!

Review: Godzilla

I can easily summarize Gareth Edwards' latest directorial effort, Godzilla, in just two words...

...Freaking Awesome!

This latest incarnation of the Toho Company's creation, delivers a solid film from start to finish. The build-up is expertly guided so that when the reveal happens, you, as an audience member, are primed, ready and excited to see the gigantic reptile.

True to the titular Kaiju's original storyline, Godzilla is fighting for the good of mankind--even if it does so inadvertently; fixing the mistakes of man and restoring the proper balance to nature.

The CGI is exceptional--the 3-D effects were nothing short of spectacular--, and the best film CGI company in the World, Weta Digital (think, Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, Avatar) lends their considerable talent to this film. The result is a visually stimulating, life-like monster mash-up that actually looks as if it really happens.

The acting, led by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick Ass, and an assortment of British productions), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Argo, Malcolm in the Middle) and the always superb Ken Watanabe (Last Samurai, Inception, Letters from Iwo Jima) is outstanding, if somewhat understated at times. The supporting cast delivers strong performances across the board, and help to create the overall authenticity that Godzilla delivers from start  to finish.

An equal part of this film to any actor is the often unheralded music score. Composed by Alexandre Desplat (The King's Speech, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Argo), the Godzilla film score takes viewers on a fantastic ride, as the music is perfectly crafted in every frame; leading us emotionally throughout the film, building us up, then toning things down at just the right moments, and in just the right ways. It was a terrific bit of writing that I'll have to add to my collection of film soundtracks.

Then there is the Director, Gareth Edwards (Monsters), a multi-talented filmmaker who obviously had a clear vision (not to mention an outstanding script) of what he wanted to do with this incredible film. I found his directing to be fast-paced, logical and coherent to the storyline as a whole. As I alluded to earlier, the build-up to the reveal of Godzilla was done with a deftness we rarely see in films these days; giving info away without telegraphing too much, too early. I am rarely drawn into a position of investment in a movie. In Godzilla, I was ready and definitely wanting to see the Kaiju in all its glory--and I was NOT disappointed one bit!

Even my wife, who had doubts that she would enjoy Godzilla, became fully invested in the film; so much so that she was actually cheering at all the right places in this great film. As for me, I analyze films from beginning to end. I easily see plot twists, expositional references, obvious errors and poor writing. In Godzilla, the nasty foe he faces was telegraphed just once; and only for about two seconds of screen time. Other than this intentionally placed bit of info, the script was tight and gave away almost no information that would scream how this film would conclude. It was a well-written effort by award winning screen writers Max Borenstein (Sword Swallowers and Thin Men) and David Callaham (The Expendables--all of them, Tell Tale, Horsemen).

I heartily encourage you to see this film! Even if you don't really care for monster movies, but enjoy good sci-fi (or just appreciate good film making), go see Godzilla! This film made close to $100M in its opening weekend just in the US. Audiences around the world will be flocking to this deserving film; and Japanese fans will be going nuts over this faithful adaptation to a cultural icon.

If you have any doubts about seeing Godzilla, set them aside and see this incredible film!

This one is absolutely a buyer as soon as it is out on DVD!

My Second List of the Ten Worst Films

After I finished my list of ten worst (major release) films, I've had others, equally bad which certainly deserve to be on that list. So, I've created "My Second List of the Ten Worst Films."

*Battlefield Earth: This stinker was the first film (I believe) to sweep the Razzies. It almost single-handedly destroyed the careers of Forrest Whittaker and Barry Pepper. There is literally nothing redeemable about this horrid attempt at filmmaking. Every copy in existence should be destroyed...immediately....I'm serious!

*The Adventures of Pluto Nash: I got to see this for free--and I still walked out after just ten minutes! I couldn't take it anymore! IQ-wise, I think this film equaled a rock...and a dumb one at that! As much as I hate to say it, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was Oscar worthy compared to Eddie Murphy's train wreck of a film. Don't believe me? Go rent it. You'll be demanding your money back before the popcorn is done in the microwave.

*Conan the Destroyer: The original Conan was awesome! The follow-up was terrible! The writing was ridiculously bad, and having Wilt Chamberlin and Grace Jones in the cast was a monumentally unforgivable mistake! Arnold and Olivia D'Abo were good, but everything else was a travesty.

*Red Sonja: This supposed addition to the Conan franchise was so awful that even an appearance by Arnold couldn't hope to legitimize this waste of perfectly good film stock. Brigitte Neilson was just plan terrible in the title role, and the film was merely a reason to show her in as little clothing as possible, while supposedly wrapping a storyline in there...somewhere.

*Fluke: What's wrong with the following premise: A man dies tragically in a car accident. He awakens in the body of a dog, and goes about finding his (now) former wife so he can watch over his family. Need I say more? (I actually fell asleep in this dog (pun completely intended!) of a movie.)

*James and the Giant Peach: I realize this movie was made from a kids book, and was targeted for kids, too; but this film was T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E! The stop-motion animation was anything but pleasing to the eye; the script was beyond even kid audience preposterous, and the film was so boring I fell asleep for about half of it. At least I got a good nap for my cost of admission!

*Dudley Do-Right: I will very rarely diss on anything Brendan Fraser acts in. His skills in front of the camera are generally exceptional. However, Dudley Do-Right, one of those films Fraser picks for reasons only he can explain, is a stinker from the opening credits to the closing credits. Between Fraser and Alfred Molina, you'd think this film had some value. Alas, the script was vomitous, to put it nicely; and so was the film!

*Traffic: I don't care what kinds of awards this film took in--It was a convoluted, tedious, confusing and all together ridiculous film. I never saw this in the theater (Thank Goodness!); but on DVD instead. After about thirty tiring minutes, I'd had enough. The movie was turned off, and I refused to watch any more. The acting was terrible by just about everyone--especially Benicio Del Toro (and he won an Oscar for that role...What a waste of a perfectly good award!), the directing seemed lost, and the whole storyline was far too ludicrous to be even remotely viable. I HATED this utterly AWFUL film!

*Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby: I still cannot comprehend why audiences flocked en masse to this Will Ferrell offering. I usually like his material, so I was looking forward to seeing this movie. The film however, was so gut-wrenchingly bad that I don't remember laughing even once. It was like a nightmarishly long skit from SNL that gets placed at the end of the show because all of the funny stuff was on earlier in the broadcast. Because of this film, I have not seen another Will Farrell movie in the years since.

*Rocky Horror Picture Show: I know I'm treading on hallowed ground for a number of people; but this film is so insanely stupid that I can't even fathom the reasons for its cult status. I saw this in its 1970's heyday at the Guild 45th in Seattle at a typical midnight showing. All the usual costumes, antics and sing alongs were in full swing. However, in spite of literally everyone around me dancing, singing, mimicking lines, etc, I waited for it to get as good as everyone had excitedly told me it was. Unfortunately, the film ended before that could happen...or, maybe the theater lights coming on was the good part.

Things in Films that Drive Me Crazy

I think we all have things in films that drive us nuts. Whether it is a pet peeve that annoys us, or blatant product inclusion, at one time or another, we come across content that just isn't necessary!

Of course, I have my own list of these pet peeves--call them 'Things I wish weren't in a film.' Here's my list:

1) Excessive Swearing. I'm certainly no prude; but doesn't the swearing in films just get tiring? I can understand having a little bit--but when a film has seemingly non-stop vulgar language, I'd rather not be watching the film at all. Personally, I think it is just laziness on the part of the screen writer to include a never-ending stream of crass, vulgar, offensive dialogue.

2) Unnecessary Nudity. I'm not talking the occasional artistic inclusion, such as in Titanic. I'm talking, showing boobs and butts simply for the sake of showing them. Whether to titillate teenage boys, to just be vulgar, or for pure shock value, showing nudity for non-artistic reasoning is pushing things too far. For example, when The Watchmen came out in the Spring of 09 I was excited to see it. However, the only lasting image from that movie was the good Doctor's gigantic blue penis that was onscreen way, way, way too much. We got the image the first and only time it should have been seen.

3) Love Scenes. Again, I'm no prude--but it seems like filmmakers are pushing this envelope further and further each year. Personally, I don't think 13 year-olds should not be seeing the graphic displays so prevalent these days in the so-called "safe rating." What we are seeing today as PG-13 sex scenes were an R rating just ten years ago. Does a graphic sex scene further the storyline? Or is it there simply to show sex? Personally I really enjoy when a film actually fades to black, time passes, and the encounter is insinuated--not, "In your face."

4) Product Placement. I realize that product placement is a necessary evil in the TV and film industry. Placements help pay for a film. Corporations want some return in exchange for [basically] advertising space, however brief. Product placements are literally everywhere in a film. They range from cars to candy bars, from books to beer. You can always tell what car company is a major cash partner. Their cars are all over the place throughout a film. My gripe here is that sometimes, too much blatant product placement occurs and you feel like you're watching a long series of commercials between which is the actual movie.

5) The Audience Are Idiots. (I'll only touch on this briefly because I'll do a blog later on screenplays.)
Are you an idiot? So stupid that you have to be spoon-fed all the relevant story lines and information? This is called "Exposition," and it drives me crazy. There are filmmakers (directors, screen writers, etc) who feel that no one in the movie-going audience has any intelligence. So, they 'exposit' the information via tiring, obvious dialogue. (Think, Wing Commander, or tv's CSI New York as wonderful examples). It is incredibly refreshing when a movie has almost zero exposition. The Book of Eli is a fantastic example of this. Barely any foreshadowing, and very little exposition. By the time the end was viewed, the twist suddenly hits you and everything you may have not understood, suddenly makes all the sense in the world.

These are my main gripes regarding unnecessary things included in film making. I think these are all quite unnecessary in a film. Do you have anything to add? I've love to hear your feedback! If I get enough comments I'll include them in a follow-up blog.

Review: Shrek Forever After

I'll just come right out and say it...BORING!

The first Shrek movie was wonderful. It was original, laugh-til-your-face-hurt funny, and had a number of fun takes on pop culture. I was excited for the second, but wound up disappointed as it replayed the same jokes, offered nothing new, and resembled little plot-wise to the first. When the third movie came out I went to see it and hated it. At least I got to see it for free!

So, we finally come to the [supposed] end of this franchise. I've read a number of articles which all stated that this Shrek was fresher, more like the original. So, I had high hopes going into the theater. The first few jokes were fun; but they soon wandered into too-familiar comedy territory. The "It's a Wonderful Life" twist was just OK; but the storyline grew so cliched that I was getting bored just fifteen minutes into the film. The rest of the movie never relieved me of my boredom. A few chuckles ensued, but certainly no laughter. However, the audience around me was laughing regularly throughout. (???)

Most of the regular cast was as good as ever--too bad the material they had was so bland. I grew really tired of Eddie Murphy. All of his jokes either sounded vaguely familiar, or were delivered in the same irritating way--line after line. Whatever it was, any time Donkey was onscreen I just wished his lines would end.

I will say that this movie is great for kids! Much like the kids in my showing, they'll love it. They won't realize what a yawn-fest this turned out to be. Oh well, at least this tired run is finished...or is it?

And by the way, in case you think I haven't made myself clear already...There is no way I'd see this one again!

Pivitol Movies In Film History

Every once in a while a film comes along that shakes up the film industry.

These watershed moments are rare; but when they happen the entire industry perks their collective ears and does their best to catch up to a new standard. Once a bar has been raised studios either follow suit, or they drift off the radar and struggle until they eventually die.

So let's get started.

Birth of A Nation: This was the first [acknowledged] full-length feature film. DW Griffiths' ambitious project was popular in its day; but looking back, it was nothing more than a hate-filled propaganda piece meant to espouse the goodness and benevolence of the Ku Klux Klan. However, it led to the downfall of the nickelodeons and established a standard of actual storytelling in the medium.

The Jazz Singer: This movie was the first 'talkie' to show in movie houses. Up until this time, actual dialogue was limited to filmed placards inserted in scenes and local piano or organ players supplied the dramatic music that accompanied most films.

Citizen Kane: Whether you enjoy this movie or not, Orson Welles' directorial effort brought about a revolution in scene staging, dialogue interaction, set design and photographic techniques.

Bullitt: This 1968 crime drama starring Steve McQueen established a new standard in film making. It basically re-wrote the book on car chase scenes. This movie is the standard by which car chase scenes are filmed to this day.

Star Wars: Prior to this film, SciFi flicks were generally dialogue oriented with relatively few action shots, and had completely unbelievable mock-ups for sets, ship designs and exterior shots. Star Wars revolutionized the genre with camera wizardry, location shoots, and an introduction to early CGI. There was a reason this film had fan lines going literally around the block as they waited sometimes days to see it.

Toy Story: This movie set a very high standard in the emerging CGI arena. It did things that no one had done up to that point. It was dazzling, fresh, believable, and filled with humor for parents and kids. Even watching it 18 years later, you cannot help but be struck by the artistry involved in its production.

Lord of The Rings: The WETA Digital Studios raised the CGI bar even higher through their creation and use of computer programs that looked like, and mimicked, real-life characters; whether individually, or in masses. Particularly, in the character Gollum. Actor Andy Serkis, dressed in a special suit, was filmed alongside other actors in order to create realism. Then in post production, the final look of Gollum was added thereby making him appear as real as you and I.

Avatar: Avatar was a technical, and a technological masterpiece. New cameras were developed for this shoot, and CGI was pushed even further. Plus, the integration of live action with CGI was nothing short of spectacular.


*I realize that some films you might have chosen for this list were not included. My focus is technical developments/innovations. If you have other possible watershed movies, please leave me your comments.

Movies I Deplore

Everybody has a "favorites" movie list.

We all sit around at one time or another and discuss (or argue...at times) what we think are the best movies ever made. We quickly note our lists, then have the perfect justifications as to why we feel the way we do about each film. It's a fun bit of one-upmanship.

How many of the same people arguing "favorites" lists could actually name the ones they hate the most? I'm talking stinkers, on every level; so bad that you walk out of the theater. Yeah...the films you wish could be unmade so their legacy will have never been.

My list is full of these clunkers. Let's see if you agree with any of my selections:

(These are in no order...not that I need to classify any of these above the others!)

*Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I saw this piece of flotsam for free; but I have to wonder if I can get those lost 100 minutes (or so) of my life back. I think I actually felt brain cells being sucked right out of my head!

*The Third Man. This snooze-fest of a cloak and dagger attempt was so lousy that Orson Welles' 10 screen minutes are more memorable than the rest of this flick. Even Welles' best effort couldn't take the pain away of watching this...thing.

*Cape Fear. (The Scorsese remake) Before I saw this movie, I kept reading what an great movie this was. I was told I'd love it. Well, the whole time I was viewing it, I remember asking myself repeatedly, "When is this going to get good?" Unfortunately, it never did. (I have since learned that all Scorsese flicks evoke the same sort of response from me. But I still see them, ever hoping that one of these days, I'll see one that doesn't stink.)

*Gone With The Wind. I can hear a few gasps already! This movie may be a beloved work, but I was utterly, thoroughly, and unequivocally bored and stupefied with this so-called "classic." Awful, awful, awful!!! The Carol Burnett parody was FAR more entertaining that this film.

*10. This supposed romantic comedy was anything but... It was neither romantic, nor was it comedic in any way. The hype for this flick was literally based on Bo Derek's slo-mo run down the beach; a scene that lasted all of about 30 seconds. Whoopeee.......zzzzzz.

*Americas' Sweethearts. Another so called Romantic Comedy, this movie was actually nothing more than a verbal raunch-fest that was in no way funny--just tiring. I walked out of this dog and got my money back.

*Elizabethtown. A critical "winner," this plodding, over-wrought film did nothing but leave me wondering if I was seeing the same film that the critics were praising. Everything about this screen 'gem' screamed in agony. I walked out of this pile of wasted celluloid after just 20 minutes.

*Sin City. Carla Guigino, at her smokey, sultry best, couldn't hope to save this load of poo called a film. What critics praised, I found to be obscure, redundant and just over-indulgent. As with Cape Fear I kept waiting for this dog and pony show to get good. My hopes were wasted as my senses were dulled to mush by the time it ended.

*The Deep. This underwater cloak and dagger story was as riveting and intense as a curling match. There were exactly two good things about this ponderous flick--1) a 30-something Jacqueline Bissett in a wet-suit; 2) the End credits. That's it. No kidding.

*Memoirs of a Geisha. I'll be the first to admit that this Oscar nominated film is beautifully photographed. The images are sumptuous, dazzling and rich. However, the story arc, the characters and directing were all deplorable--to put it nicely. I had high expectations going into this one, but left devastatingly disappointed by the reality the film presented.

There are many more on my "Worst" film list; but these ten really stand out head and shoulders above the rest.
So what are your most hated films? I'd love to hear your thoughts.