Unbreakable

A couple a weeks ago on a night where I had some time to myself I was able to sit down and rewatch one of my favorite movies and my favorite M. Night Shyamalan film. This movie is a suspense thriller with supernatural overtones that revolves around a man who learns something extraordinary about himself after a devastating accident. I don't get why a lot of the reviews for this movie hammered on this movie very unfairly in my opinion. It is rare to see a movie that has buildup of atmosphere, strong character interaction and stories heavily centered on characters and their psychology.

Unbreakable deals with comic books, but approaches it at a level of sophistication and intellect that has never been used before in comic book movies. The movie walks a very fine line between reality and the comic-book world, at the same time walking a very fine line in terms of audience perception. Some chalk it up to be a silly comic-book movie, others a brilliant comic-book movie. While I would guess that most movie viewers would vote that Sixth Sense is the best M. Night Shyamalan movie I would have to disagree in that Unbreakable is a superior movie in every aspect.

Shyamalan really showed a stroke of brilliance by getting Serra to be his cinematographer and to play around with the aesthetics of the film. In keeping true to the comic book theme, it is brilliant that each scene the view is given to us in such a way that you feel like you are looking through or in between something, like the squares of each frame in a comic book. Also they use a dark, slightly blue filter throughout most of the movie, giving the movie a bold yet very eerie tone. Showing that the world can be a rough and scary place, but it can also be fought and overcome. It is evident that time and effort went into every shot. It may not slap many viewers in the face as brilliant, but it really strikes a chord with me.

James Newton Howard gives a stunning score that makes this movie. It is compelling and booming. It's very powerful, but not over-the-top and excessive. For anyone with the soundtrack, check out 'The Orange Man' and 'Visions'. These are two of the most powerful pieces of any film score around. It is compelling and booming. It's very powerful, but not over-the-top and excessive. The emotional weight and emotive power of his chords and his overall composition are just downright chilling.

The writing and the directing are just as stunning and captivating as the score. Almost every line of dialogue and scene is almost left out on an island to stand on its own. Yet the dialogue is minimal and instead uses the emotions and facial expressions by each character to develop greater emotional connection. The character's environment plays a similar role and certain colors are often brought up to represent distinct emotions and thoughts the characters are feeling.

I could probably go on for pages on this film just because of the emotion that it is able to connect to with the viewing audience. Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson were superb and because of the fact that this is a complete film to me I have given it four buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a must own for any movie lover.

-The Movie Man-

Hachiko: A Dog's Story

This is a movie of faith, devotion and undying loyalty that is actually based on a true story. We rented this from the redbox a few days ago after seeing a preview for it on another rental. This movie was actually a remake of a Japanese movie. Unlike other Japanese remakes, this movie actually gives credit to the original story so that you don't get the sense that Hollywood wants to call it its own. All actors/actresses in the movie do a superb job in making you feel as if you were a part of the community embracing the dog.

"Love and Loyalty" succinctly sums up the film. The love so simple, so pure and the loyalty so unfailing, so steadfast that it would melt any steel heart. The main characters never "take flight" but that matters not at all. It's the simple story of the love between a man and his best friend that more than sufficiently works all the wonders. Not a sad one, but profoundly touching.

One of the things that helps to make this movie strong is that of the dialogue being so simple. This movie tells the story with the visuals so that there does not have to be very strong dialogue passages. one of the great unique things that this movie did was they at times show things through Hachi's eyes as opposed to human eyes, which helps you relate to him and understand how he felt and what he thought then, as well as emphasizes that Hachi is the main character of the movie.

The loyalty that Hachi has is a loyalty that no one could ever really believe to happen in real life. This story is one that truly shows us all why the dog is truly man's best friend. While this movie does not blow you away with anything special it will connect with everyone and finds a way to tug at everyone's heartstrings. For the great haeartwarming story I am giving this three buckets of popcorn out of five. Look for it yourself, but be warned if you rent it make sure you have tissues readily available.

-The Movie Man-

Valentine's Day

Well since last weekend ended up being a total guy weekend for me as I saw not only Robin Hood, but Iron Man 2 this weekend ended up being all about Kellianne and movies that she wanted to see. So for our Friday night stay in date I went and picked up some Costa Vida and made the journey to Blockbuster to pick up Valentine's Day. With the romantic comedy genre I go in with very low expectations, due to the simple fact that most play on any and every romantic cliche. This time they went with one of the newer trends in having multiple storylines that are intermingled to give us one overall arching story of couples in Los Angeles going throuhg Valentine's Day.

This movie picks up points just by the fact that they were able to get Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Bradley Cooper and Shirley McClaine all in one movie. This was the romantic comedy equivalent to an Ocean's Eleven casting. The biggest shame to me with this film was that there were so many stars that really there was not enough time on screen for all of them to develop their characters like we are so used to seeing in their films.

With so many different storylines it really does not allow much chemistry to swell between characters which to me is the lifeblood of the romantic comedy. All of the stars in this film do enough to get by, but there was really not one character that made any attempt to be unforgettable. But I think part of that is just due to the writing, the multiple storylines may have worked if there were 3 or 4 but having at least 10 or 11 storylines it just got too crowded.

With the acting the saving grace has to be Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher and Topher Grace who all had great comedic timing that gave me a chuckle or two during those moments when the movie felt like it was dragging or that it may come to a flow halt altogether. While it provided a quick one liner here and there, nothing really stood out as memorable.

While each of the stories had there cliches, some of them were definitely more enjoyable then others. While the high school stories were unbearable to watch and although I believe Taylor Swift's annoying character was done on purpose it came off as unfunny and I could have done without. I think it would have really done wonders for the film had they cut the high school stories completely and used that time to really focus on what was the strongest story of Kutcher and his conflict over his friend Garner and her love interest Dempsey.

Bottomline for me with this is this movie was just mediocore. The problem was that we have seen it before. It is important for the romantic comedy genre to realize that it takes more then just big stars to make a movie be successful. Good writing, strong chemistry and a hint of unpredictability is what propelled some of last years romantic comedies to more then just being mediocore. I am giving Valentine's Day two and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. The movie did exceed my initial expectations and managed to entertain me and I did not keep asking myself when will this end.

-The Movie Man-

Where The Wild Things Are

Last Sunday we finally rented Where The Wild Things Are and it has taken me nearly a week to write the review for it because it has been really hard for me to determine exactly how I felt about this film. I went into watching this movie with not that great of expectations because simply how would a nine line book translate into a full movie. While for me Polar Express successfully made this jump, Wild Things Are did not keep a flow and is really a much deeper movie with a lot of symbolism and for me changed my own outlook on this great children's story.

To me this book has always been about a young boy who after being rowdy is sent to his room but it is there that his imagination takes over and he goes to an island of monsters and becomes there king. It was not until I really watched this movie that I realized that the different monsters represented either parts of Max or others in his life. This was an angle of the book that I had never looked at or even thought about.

Ira is most definitely Max's father, who is never shown in the film, but doesn't have to be. Max obviously longs for him and shows nothing but jealousy and anger towards his mother's new boyfriend. The most obvious clue is that Judith and Ira are the only couple on the island. Ira is a pleasant, lovable character, which is how Max would idealize his father if he was mad at his mother. Furthermore, Ira is the monster that Max goes out of his way compliment—a bit of a role-reversal from father-to-son, now king-to-subject—and Ira is the only monster that Max hugs when he departs.

While this story really becomes a story that looks into the psychology of us and how divorce can affect a family and the relationships between them and was interesting at times it really goves a feeling of being a dark and oppressive film. While Sendak's book was visually dark, it does have an emotion to it that is happy and vibrant. Which the film failed to deliver for me.

While there were parts that I understood in the story for the most part this movie confused me over and over throughout the entire time. I am giving this movie two buckets of popcorn out of five. This is not a movie that if you are a fan of the children's book that I would recommend. However if you have not read the children's story go out and buy the book instead of renting this movie and read it.

-The Movie Man-

Iron Man 2

For me when I go to see a sequel it is always interesting in the buildup to the movie actually coming out to see where the vision is that htey are going to take the movie. Especially in the superhero genre because for the most part the first movie ends up being an origin piece that gives you the backstory. Iron Man 2 did not disappoint me with the directon the Iron Man franchise is going in.They picked up right where the first movie left off  and carried it on in true sequel fashion and even improved on a couple of flaws of the first one. In order for any character franchise to survive each film must be able to stand on its on and Iron Man 2 passes this test with flying colors.

While I know there are those out there that felt like this did not have enough action, they are undoubtedly those that have to find something to complain about no matter what and would have complained about too much action if the writers would have gone the way of Transformers 2 and decided to not give the film a plot. For me there were some great action sequences, but what really made this film so strong in my mind was that of the fact that they made this a film where it does not cram in too many characters which is the cardinal sin of so many sequels but instead is a movie that is all about Tony Stark. It is his story and is about him glibly declaring "I am Iron Man" and what that means for him and those around him.

Robert Downey Jr IS Tony Stark, though less of a playboy following his "change of heart"(figuratively and literally) in the first movie, but still the same wisecracking, smirky eccentric. He shows that wisecracking eccentric CEO right out of the gate while before congress he states "I did you a big favor. I have successfully privatized world peace." Downey and the rest of the cast just have a great chemistry together. Everyone is so natural in there parts that you truly believe that they are not acting but that is who they actually are. The female characters are played impeccably by Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johanson in that while they are women they are no damsels in distress. For me Paltrow's portrayal of Pepper Potts is spot and really comes across as the most real character of any in the film.

One of the great things that was done was to use two villains that actually enhance Tony Stark. Justin Hammer is who Stark was before he was ambushed in Afghanistan, the other side of his personality is the inventor/grease monkey side and that is represented by Whiplash. Rockwell in his portrayal of Justin Hammer does a great job because this character really had all the makings to be a silly one dimensional villainous caricature, but manages to be a well rounded scumbag of a corporate competitor, providing some excellent comic relief while still presenting a credible threat to the hero.

Now, Vanko's (played by Sin City's Mickey Rourke) is a truly tragic tale. It is easy to pass him off as a "darth maul" type character with no other purpose than to provide the hero with a powerful opponent for the mandatory climax. But to the more attentive viewers, one can see how Vanko is basically the dark opposite reflection of Tony Stark. Both are geniuses, both are where they are because of their respective fathers yet different circumstances in life brought them down entirely different paths. The parallels between his origin story of creating the "whiplash" powered armor from scrap, getting captured(in a similarly explosive manner) in order to develop weapons for one man to bring down his competitor all the way to his cunning escape plan and his mistaken impression about his dearly departed father are all uncannily similar to Tony Stark's experiences in the first movie that led up to his debut as the hero Iron Man and his mistaken impression about his own father.

The script is just layered with great witty banter, intelligent jokes and "easter eggs" for the long time comic book fans. Writer Justin Theroux does a great job and really gives us movie full of different themes, but none is as strong as that of the theme of legacy. It is interesting to see how Tony Stark himself struggles with wanting to know what he will leave behind and how others will perceive his legacy.

With as many visual effects companies that were used in this film it is no surprise that the visual effects and CGI were absolutely stunning and seamless.

Anytime I movie is able to successfully implement AC/DC into the music as part of the soundtrack it can not go wrong. I am giving Iron Man 2 four buckets of popcorn out of five. This movie is successful because while it does give a good dose of action it does not use the action to be overbearing and instead actually tells us a story. This is a must see in the theaters and be sure to stay through all the credits for clip after the movie, that while short is well worth staying to see.

-The Movie Man-

Robin Hood

After seeing this movie the first thought that came to my mind was that of a it just be a solid all around movie from the cinematography to the performances. I went in to this movie with high expectations because of the simple fact that the tale of robin Hood has always been a favorite of mine. And the first signs are indeed good, starting as an origin story that traces Robin's steps returning from the Crusades and arriving in Nottingham. The plot is immediately both compelling and fresh with regards to the well known tale.

This was definitely a strong movie, but for me I just had a simple feeling that something was missing. At the end I longed for something extra. I think for me it was a couple of the underdeveloped elements, I mean what is the story with the kids in the forest and the leader with his mask. And while the story flowed I felt that it never lingered which took away from an emotional depth in the characters.

While the score for Robin Hood is not as strong as previous scores that Marc Streitenfeld has given us in the past with Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven this is still a good score that does help to illicit emotion out of the audience at varying times. The thing that always shows in a movie that takes place during medieval times is that of the costuming and Robin Hood does not disappoint. They paid attention to detail in even the simple peasant pieces to the elegant costumes and jewelery worn by the royal court. It is always great to see costuming that is well done and for the most part historically accurate even though the story is mostly fictional.

The acting is solid and while Crowe delivers an admirable role as Robin Hood, for me Cate Blanchett's Maid Marion steals the movie. It is easy to find yourself rooting for her, she is as feisty as she is attractive and very handy with a bow and arrow. What also helps it work is that of the simple fact that Crowe and Blanchett have great chemistry on screen. Mark Strong who seems to be Hollywood's go to villain gives a solid performance as Godfrey. The rest of the cast all give solid performances.

Ridley Scott delivers a great movie that doesn't try to be bigger,better and more expensive than last years summer hits, and does not give us the special effects overkill. While special effects are great at times it is nice to view a movie every now and then that is simple in the special effects department. Scott gives us a movie where everything comes naturally. the action appears violent, without ever really showing any blood. the funny moments just happen and not in a ha-ha-audience-please-laugh-now way. They also deliver amazing sweeping shots of beautiful English landscapes and forests during the scenes where a lot of ground is being covered.

It is important to remember that this is not your Robin Hood of Kevin Costner, but is a gritty and even darker retelling of this legendary tale. I am giving this three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This was definitely well worth the cost of the ticket and I would recommend that anyone make this a priority to see in the theater. Russell Crowe has followed in the recent steps of Depp and Downey Jr. by signing on to a film that will allow him a film franchise.

-The Movie Man

Defendor

You never know what you might get when you rent a movie that was straight to DVD. While for the most part I figured this would be a dark satire or parody of the superhero genre it ended up being much different then I thought and actually very enjoyable to watch. On the surface this seems like it may be a movie that parodies the superhero genre by playing on the excess and the sillier elements. The opening scene of the movie makes you believe this is what the movie will be with a hysterical spoofing of overblown superhero film cliches, including rooftop billowing fog, high contrast city lights against nighttime darkness, and larger than life acrobatic feats, in which Defendor remarks "always check garbage days" as he lays wounded in a garbage dumpster that had been recently emptied. Stebbings though has grander visions of what the film will be and subtly lays this out as the film progresses.

The largest amount of success for this film lays completely in Harrelsons' performance. It relies on his success because 80% of the dialogue is Harrelson speaking. Harrelson's naturally wacky yet powerful charisma exemplifies the essence of the film, beautifully blending child-like emotional simplicity, tenacious determination and enough flat out weirdness to make it all ring true, as well as an inspired ripoff of Christian Bale's now iconic Batman voice. Defendor's narrative becomes steadily more engrossing, settling on a tone pitched halfway between exhilarating crime/mystery thriller and poignant character study.

Stebbings' in his directorial debut does very admirable. While many directors in the early going may lose their vision at times throughout the movie, Stebbings is able to remain focus and really only seems to lose his way near the climax, but even though the rhythm was lost for a moment he successfully pulls the vision back on point. One of the greatest parts that works was the subplot that was actually borrowed from Nolan's recent success with the Batman movies of the importance of heroism, could have been very clumsy and fell flat on its face, yet it added more nuance and complexity to the unfolding film without coming across as excessively pretentious.

With a movie like this that really does not have a ton of dialogue and is told in a narrative form at most spots, the other part of the movie that the success hinges on is that of the score. John Rowley provides a grandiose score that successfully encompass each tonal shift, whether gleefully riffing on superhero musical motifs or offering something more profound and honest, either way adding welcome depth and volume to a film already far from lacking in either.

This was a very enjoyable straight to DVD rental and really allowed me to just sit back relax and think on a whole new level. Because of this I am giving this a three buckets of popcorn out of five. I will give fair warning though as this movie is rated R for language, drug use and some sexual content.

-The Movie Man-