Newsies

I am sure that most of you when you read that I was going to do a theme week with reviews of Christian Bale movies figured I would start out with either Batman Begins or Dark Knight. I decided I would throw a curve at everyone and review the 1992 Disney musical Newsies. I am sure most of you may not even remember that Christian Bale starred in this musical. For me this is a movie that never gets old no matter how many times I have seen it. It is just a solid movie that does not disappoint. While this seems like a great story it is great to know that it is based on actual events and Disney does a fairly decent job at keeping the story close to what actually happened.

With a great ensemble cast that all play so well off each other, in typical Disney fashion they give us a great villain played by Robert Duvall. Duvall does not disappoint and plays the big, greedy businessman perfectly. I think though the star of the film was the true surprise as Bale does an amazing job of not only just acting but also delivers on the singing and the dancing. The singing is believable as well in such a way that you almost buy into the fact that the real newsies may have sung to sell the papers.

The music of this musical, while I am not the biggest fans of musicals is nothing but catchy. I find myself that on any day that if any of the songs somehow pop into my head, it is stuck there for the rest of the day. The great part about it though is that the songs are very well written and really portray the story and even help keep the movie pacing moving. For me personally I think "King of New York" is probably my favorite song that actually gets popped into my head a lot. The biggest shame from Newsies though is that while the movie is very solid it did not do very well financially and it is very surprising for that with a Disney movie. Unfortunately both of Kenny Ortega's movie that he directed with Disney struggled financially at the Box office.

While most may think musical, it must be lame that is not the case because Newsies delves up its fair share of action. There are a couple of fights, and the newsboys use a lot of slang and slurs from that era that just make me chuckle. The movie delves up its own comic relief moments throughout. The character of Crutchy along with Pulitzer deliver the most one liners that help make such a dramatic story of a David and a Goliath lighthearted.

Newsies is a fun, action packed, musical that can be enjoyed by viewers of all ages, no matter what mood you are in. Newsies has the ability to take someone from having the worst day to wanting to even sing along with the movie. I am giving this movie three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five and it really is the movie that helped to let Hollywood know that Christian Bale would be an actor that would have to be reckoned with. this is definitely a great family movie that is well worth finding and adding to your own movie collection.

-The Movie Man-

Whip It

Whip It came out and was a generally overlooked movie when it came out in theaters Its opening week it finished in sixth place but had a rottentomatoes review percentage of 82%. Unfortunately the chick power of this movie kept a lot of movie goers away from it, and it was a shame that people judged this movie by the movie poster and have not been willing to give it a chance. While we did not make it to seeing it in the movie theater this was one that both myself and Kellianne have been wanting to see. Finally, after we added a netflix membership we got Whip It. I really enjoyed this movie and even though it may be considered by a lot to be a chick flick, it was one that was chock full of action.

While Whip It starts out slow, once it gets moving the brilliant ensemble cast meshes together and gives great chemistry. One of the greatest strengths for this movie was that of just when you thought that it was going to go the way of a sports romantic comedy cliche territory, the different surprising twists keep the movie original and refreshing. While the ensemble cast is great, this movie is clearly carried by Ellen Page and she does a great job at stepping into the role and easily shows how great she is able to control the material.

The production rate of this movie is naturally first rate with vivid colors and costumes that are in your face and even at times are over the top, but that is what we expect from Roller Derby. Drew Barrymore could not have done a better job in her directorial debut. She does a brilliant job to contrast the slow rural town life that Bliss has versus the fast paced one that flies around the Austin track. With the use of great camera work they place the viewer right in all the action. The last great aspect is that Barrymore's role is very low key and mellow, which is something you don't always get when you have an actor directing.

After seeing this movie I can't believe how overlooked this film has been. Ellen Page is continuing to show how great of an actress she is and that in the future she is one that you know will give you a great performance. I am giving this movie three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. Be sure to put this movie on your netflix queue. It is definitely a movie that will entertain you. Of course one fo the great aspects of roller derby is the fun names that they give themselves. So those of you that read this review if you leave a comment, add what your roller derby name would be.

-The Movie Man- 

Grown Ups

Life here has been very busy with work and family so I have let the movie blog slip but don't worry we have still been watching movies so I have a bunch that are just waiting for me to write up reviews on. This past weekend while we were down in St. George we made a trip to the movie theater and were able to see Grown Ups. This movie was definitely enjoyable and funny, but as can be expected the plot is fairly thin and hinges around the death of their middle school basketball coach and the funeral bringing the five middle schoolers back together. After seeing this movie the first thing I thought was wow this was fairly clean for an Adam Sandler movie.

Of course with a movie like this the acting is not going to win any awards, but they are all serviceable in their roles. For me though I was surprised as Adam Sandler really gave a performance that shone. While the movie has its running gags of Kevin James being fat and Rob Schneider marrying a much much older women for me one of the best one liners was not even delivered by the main five characters but actually the kid that plays Chris Rock in middle school made me really crack up.

It would be impossible not to laugh at the good moments of this film, which seems like a long improvisation by these experts of comedy. There are some great lines and funny situations, certainly. No, its probably not the most memorable film of the year but if a feel-good experience is needed, this one should fit the bill. The cast is stellar, with all of the major actors doing fine and funny work. For the most part, too, they seem to work as an ensemble, passing around the catch phrases nearly equally. This viewer, however, wished that Rock had had a few more lines but he certainly makes the most of what he was handed. Hayek, Maria Bello, Maya Rudolph, and Joyce Van Patten, as the leading ladies, support the men nicely. The scenery, from the lovely wooded home to the riverfront, is a joy and the costumes, camera-work, script and direction are above average as well.

While this is not a movie that I will go out and try to buy immediately but it was well worth the price of the movie ticket. While a lot of critics hammered this movie I feel that those that are willing to go in with an unbiased mind they will be able to see this movie for what it is, just simply entertainment that will help you forget the troubles of the world. I am giving this movie three buckets of popcorn out of five. Be sure to go and see it or even rent it when it becomes available.

-The Movie Man-

When In Rome

When in Rome is a fun, romantic comedy that serves up some laughs and in terms of a chick flick movie is very serviceable and enjoyable to watch. While the storyline is not as strong as other romantic comedies it did try to be different and unique. With the great cast of rising stars it was great to see them make die with the at times cheesy plot and dialogue. Although this movie would never win any awards it was defintiely enjoyable.

Both Bell and Duhamel shine in their roles. I was greatly impressed to see Duhamel conitnue to show his great acting abilities. He plays the flawed charmer role perfectly that makes the audience not only believe his portrayal but totally endears himself to the audience. Bell works alright in character although she does seem awkward in her role at times. Yet even with herself being awkward she has some great chemistry with Duhamel and they both seem to work well off one another.

The supporting cast does a great job. I really enjoyed the roles of the other male suitors whose coins Bell takes out of the fountain. DeVito and Heder are definitely great in playing the different unique suitors. Heder's brand of street magic is hilarious and when he breaks in to Bell's apartment to perform the "Mummy Escape" got a great laugh out of me. Devito you simply enjoy with him being the sausage king, and he gives a great creepy feeling in his chasing after Bell.

While I did like the way that they came about the story in a new way and even took the usual way that the guy loses the girl, the dialogue was very lackluster. I think they had a great story especiall about the "fontana de amore" but unfortunately do not give the story of the fountain its due. I think part of this may be that a good portion of it was left on the cutting room floor. They had a tendency to take some of the for laugh moments and string them too long. One such example was that of the vase breaking in the wedding.

This movie was decent and I did enjoy it. It was a good entertainment and a movie that is easy to allow you to cuddle up with a loved one. I am giving this movie three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is definitely one worth renting.

-The Movie Man-

The A-Team

I absolutely enjoyed every moment of this movie. The A-Team is a summer blockbuster that knows precisely what it is and does not try to be anything that it is not. With this being an adaptation of the 80's show it follows suit of the original and is a very over the top and cheesy action flick. Yet from ninety seconds in this movie does not let up.

The reincarnation by the hands of Carnahan however, avoids many of the pitfalls that the outdated format has to offer. For one, the director has brought the well known premise of the series to the present. Vietnam has been replaced by Iraq and the bad attitude of Bosco Baracus is not the only thing that makes the foursome dangerous: the happy-go-lucky stance of a team that rarely asked for enemy casualties has been replaced by an attitude that better suits a group of elite soldiers. What is especially striking is how well the cast handle their roles, and how much fun they have doing so.

While Neeson and Cooper are great in their roles, Copley as Murdock stole the show with his antics. He occupies the crazy pilot with both a zest for life and an absolute fearlessness of death – cue the suicidal midair antics. His inimitable flying skills, Murdockian features (sock puppets and his interaction with BA for example) and especially his imitation of Mel Gibson in 'Braveheart' - including stick horse - make him the movies' main asset. Cooper continues to show his great abilities to act and for me I am really interested to see him in a movie where he is the main star alone and it is not a group of stars, that will be the real test in my book to know how much of a star he can be. The A-Team was his first step toward that as the focus on the movie was him and his character. He shines and really gives a great performance in that with his character there is a part of you that hates him and a part that loves him.

Of course one of the biggest surprises for me about the acting was the fact that Quentin "Rampage" Jackson was serviceable in his acting and that Jessica Biel's character actually brought nothing to the screen. The addition of her character seemed almost an afterthought as if they decided hey we should put in a pretty face for the guys to look at. If you do anything other then just look at her then you are doing more then was intended with her character. Other then her the supporting cast does a great job, you can truly despise the villain characters and just like in the real world you have a general hatred for bureaucracy and politicians.

The only disappointment for me with this film at times was that of the CGI. With the advancements in CGI I expect that if it is used in a film then it should be seamless and should not make you go wow that is totally CGI because it sticks out like a sore thumb. For me the climax action sequence fell short with the CGI and looked like they ran out of time on the CGI to meet the premiere of the movie. I am sure there are those out there that will say that the CGI is not the only problem in that there are many sequences that are so out there and unrealistic that they may scoff at the movie because of it. To those types I say ummm it is a movie.... the sole purpose of a movie is to take a person out of the real world for two hours and give them great entertainment.

Alan Silvestri delivers a great action movie score. The score for the film really works and helps to keep the film moving. He does a great job though of taking the TV theme song and updating it and giving it a movie feel without taking away the nostalgia that many feel toward this great 80's show.

This was a great action flick that will not leave you disappointed. I am giving this movie three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This is definitely a movie that will be added to the collection when it comes out and it is one that I highly recommend you go and see in the theater.

-The Movie Man-

American Outlaws

American Outlaws is a fun look back and attempt to go back to the great westerns of old. While I would guess that this is a definite glamorization of the life of Jesse James. As a viewing audience we like the outlaws to be more Robin Hood in nature rather then terrorist. This ends up being an action packed movie that provides fun explosions, and great one liners. I was impressed that this movie was enjoyable and unlike other westerns in todays day and age they did this movie on a relatively small budget. American Outlaws though is very successful to give an epic movie feel on the small budget.

The cast for this movie for the most part are a bunch of younger rising stars from the time. With some great veteran actors to handle some of the heavier roles. Timothy Dalton plays the role of chasing Jesse James perfectly. You get the feeling that he understands why the James/Younger gang is doing what they are doing, and while he has to do his job of tracking them down, he seems to have a great respect for the gang and longs not to have to chase them down. Farrell does a great job as Jesse James, and gives a feel that he truly got into character and was natural in his role, but really for me Scott Caan stole the show. This is really one of his first major type roles that has led to a lot of other more major type roles.

For me I really enjoyed the music throughout the film. Trevor Rabin gives a great score throughout the film that really helps to set the mood. And while there are those out there that would complain that the music of Moby being in a western set in post civil war Missouri is inaccurate, I just have to say folks it is JUST a movie, meant to entertain and the music helps give a fun feel. The stuntwork was pretty amazing and there is one scene that is a lot of fun to see, just because it is one of those mouth dropping "wow" moments in a film. While this film did not have the strongest scrupt out there it was serviceable and because of that it makes a lot of sense that this movie only won some awards for the stunts.

This is a fun movie that does not try to do anything more other then to just give you great entertainment. It has some great action, some awesome old west guns, and some great one liners to give you some fun comic relief. While this is not a must have it is a definite fun movie and that is why I am giving it three buckets of popcorn out of five. Even with this movie not being a must have I would definitely consider adding this one to your movie collection if you can find a great deal on it.

-The Movie Man- 

Leap Year

Last night we used a free Redbox code and decided a chick flick is what we would rent. This is a really hard review to write because simply it bored me out of my mind. I don't know it if was because neither of us really wanted to watch it or what but it was just not me that was bored. The story was very predictable. While most romantic comedies are predictable this one due to the pacing of the whole movie made it even more unbearably painful to watch.

The chemistry between Matthew Goode and Amy Adams is not there. Really there is nothing believable between the two of them. I was most disappointed with Adams performance, while she usually brings something vibrant and comedic to roles, she looked very lost. I t may have been cheesy line after cheesy line but she did not make the character come alive but seem flat and completely uninteresting. Goode is servicable in his role, but brings nothing new to the role of the man interested in the unattainable.

The pacing for the movie is very slow. The movie is a simple case of nothing going right as Amy Adams character tries to make it to Dublin. While the imagery of Dublin is great and the countryside is so green, it does not really do much to transport the viewer to the place.

I think my running feeling about this whole movie was that it was just boring. It brought nothing and made it so that the specifics of the movie were very forgettable. I am giving this movie one bucket of popcorn out of five.

-The Movie Man-