Category: Comedy

THE BIG YEAR (2011) movie review

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The Big Year for the “birder” is the Olympics for the athlete and the Oscar for the actor.  Highly observant, trail mix toting, feather-frenzied fanatics fight for first. How’s that for alliteration? I know a few closet birders who seize the snapshot whenever possible. Sadly, despite funding the extensive cast list: a zesty Jack black, a punchy Owen Wilson, and a seasoned Steve Martin, not to mention every “funny” person who has walked on and off the set of the Office, bird watching just doesn’t make for an exciting movie.

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (2007) movie review

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Don’t be shocked. Lars is a comfort film.

Cradled in pink hues in a plaid flannel town. Blue collars breathe cold air in a tight-knit community. Society decreased to three spaces in which you shop, work, and worship. Lars is the boy, the brother, the friend. He’s quiet. Comely. He is Ryan Gosling, pre-6-pack. Shock-value lifts and lowers in waves as the “real girl” surfaces. But, it’s not what you think.

Some of my favorite people are in this film: Patricia Clarkson, Paul Schneider, Emily Mortimer.

The script and score lock-step. Comedy reigns. But beyond the realm of filmology, it’s the felt that makes this film – the true and basic element of love from an entire community, love for a boy who grieves and lives a quiet life. They sit, they sing, they pray, they accept, they hope, they grieve, they love. Perhaps all it takes is a casserole to heal a heart. Perhaps that’s real love.

TOWER HEIST (2011) movie review

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It’s funny when all of the characters and scenes in a movie remind you of the funny parts of other movies. In Tower Heist (2011), I kept expecting Ben Stiller to crawl out onto a roof just in time to see a hoopa explode. And, I kept hearing those classic Eddie Murphy SNL moments like “Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood.” And you’ll almost have that Oceans 11 feeling toward the end there, but the visual ka-thunk doesn’t drop with the same sassy beat. Alan Alda‘s character is more reminiscent of the last season of Mash rather than the happy Pierce & Hawkeye first seasons. Casey Affleck whines like Jesse James just got shot, Gabourey Sidibe is not so precious in this one, and Matthew Broderick mopes like a lost Despereaux. I love Tea Leoni. There. I said it. It’s not her fault that her role as shoddy, knowitall, FBI mentor lacked, well, character. I blame Brett Ratner. Does it shock you at all that the same man who made this film also killed off Professor X in XMen3 (2006) and produced Horrible Bosses (2010).

DAN IN REAL LIFE (2007) movie review

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On the subject of music in film, I tend to trust the voice of Jack Black‘s character from The Holiday (2006)

Steve Carell remains the “it” man to cast these days. Despite his beloved go-to Michael Scott character role in The Office,

somehow his peculiar, unpretentious likability as DAN in his “Real” Life supersedes Carell’s usual funny man.

Dan is flawed but funny, jealous but loyal, a dad to three daughters. From the first frame, we’re drawn to him. We empathize with his loss before we know the details. We hear bits and pieces throughout, but we don’t need more. The story is rarely told from the father’s perspective. We hear the daddy issues in every story, but this real life tale shows a lovable Dad’s journey from loss to life. This film is perfectly cast, and the family interactions are priceless and quotable: “This corn is like an angel.” “Why do we keep lighthouses? …Cause they’re neat?” “Put it on my tab.” 
Dan’s story is memorable – the stuff comfort films are made of. I give much of the credit for this to the phenomenal Sondre Lerche, who scored this film.

His songs are ingeniously inlaid throughout, singing what Dan’s character cannot speak, revealing his insecurities, his heart’s palpitations, worries, and fears. This was filmmaker Peter Hedges’ brilliant plan: to make his movie with a built-in soundtrack by one artist, like Simon & Garfunkel did for The Graduate. Sondre gathered ideas from the screenplay, wrote and played music while on set with the actors, developed and pitched tunes and lyrics throughout the project, and recorded continually as the film was being made. Check out the “Handmade Music” featurette to watch him in action behind the scenes.

I met Sondre Lerche at Bumbershoot in Seattle a few years ago and asked him about making the film. He said it was both the hardest and most rewarding thing he’d ever done. He said it was fast-paced and high pressure, but that the outcome was a project that he was truly proud of.  He was able to make his on-screen debut as the hired band in the final scene. Even if you’ve seen it before, watch again with Sondre’s music in mind, and “be prepared to be surprised…”

REAL STEEL (2011) movie review

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A father. A fighter. A boy who needs both. The boy cries out to his father, “I want you to fight for me! That’s all I ever wanted.”

Hubris takes Hugh Jackman‘s character, Charlie, to new lows as pride cometh before each crushing blow. High roller and a bad bet, Charlie takes robots into the boxing ring in the not-too-distant future. A favorite scene overtly nods to Rocky-lore as Jackman dons the grey sweats and hoodie to train for the big match.

This is not a fearfully deep film. Most characters wax one-dimensional. But it is redeeming and well-made.

Spielberg and family film director Shawn Levy (Date Night (2010), Night at the Museum (2006,2009), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), cast a new “Elliott”- a boy without a father who befriends an “alien” and learns to fight for family. Max, the boy, the mentor, the prize, rolls all of his punches into one soulful, Dr. Pepper-selling Beiber-ite. And E.T. to this Elliott is Atom, the ancient sparring robot who mirrors the father figure beautifully until the finale in which they act as one – symbiotically fighting to win back the boy. Ah, to be fought for. I believe it’s what we all want.

STRANGER THAN FICTION (2006)

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Will Ferrell as the humorless, mathematical tax man. Emma Thompson, the brooding and lifeless wordsmith facing writer’s block. A truly brilliant script analyzing the questions of life and purpose. Is the art more important than the artist? – usually to the artist.
Dustin Hoffman demands: go out and live your life! “…of course that depends on the quality of the pancakes.” Life is precious. Monotonous and mundane may be okay for some, but friendless and fearful is life half-lived. Be counted among the millions who have seen this film, but be one of the few who sees the message and lives it.

CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE (2011)

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“We are all fools in love”
— Jane Austen

Harry met Sally. Monica married Chandler. Cary Grant finally took Grace Kelly into his arms and outside: fireworks! Inside the curtains flutter and that’s when mothers hit the fast forward button or push the kids out of the living room until she says “Okay, it’s over.” Oh those Thornbirds and the naughty Father de Bricassart. Finally, a film written to go beyond the meticulous tension build to the crescendo’d self-indulgent …make-out scene. I knew there had to be more afterglow post curtain-flutter.

This film banks on the much debated thesis that soul mates exist and must be continually fought for. It is also about choosing wise counselors.

A good mentor is hard to find, and over and over I wondered why no one was listening and speaking into the life of the babysitter who finally takes her cues from the school slut? In awkward parallel, Steve Carell‘s frumpy but faithful leading man allows sexy, sarcastic Gosling (from Notebook to notable) to show him the ropes. And by ropes I mean game-playing, pretending to listen by asking questions that make it look like he cares, blatantly objectifying women, and finally wooing young women to his bed. Gosling wants to help him regain his manliness, but all he makes in this carbon copy attempt is another lonely man. Sex is not a healer. It doesn’t solve the problem. Rather, it sets the house on fire, burning up a marriage when played with outside of the context of loyalty and faithfulness.

Ironically, Gosling’s character is always hungry. Ryan Gosling is a smart actor. He knows to give his characters an outward manifestation of his inward truth, which he finally speaks to Emma Stone in confidence. He’s been trying to buy away his loneliness and emptiness, but can’t . Meaningless sex can’t even fill the void. Shocker.

“My dad’s the better man, and he’s going to win.” Before the too-long 2nd act montage showing easy women on the heels of  both men, I wanted to claim this film. I’d love to write something this funny and serious at the same time. The first hour is truly brilliant – every character says what he or she means with true intention, even tossing the “L” word about freely like a frisbee to a waiting dog. 

All in all, this film proves to be as hilarious and heartbreaking as …well, as love itself.

Visit Scarecrow Video!

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Scarecrow Video, just off of Roosevelt & 50th in the U District in Seattle has EVERY title! Ask any one of the employees as you walk in for any new release, genre, director, obscure indie or international title and their degree in film studies will register beneath the lenses, and a pointer finger will raise to the exact location of that movie. Beware. When I say EVERY movie…I mean it. Many are not for young eyes…or mine. But go.

If you remember seeing The Hunt for Red October on an old gigantic lazer disc and you’ve ever wanted to relive that experience, you can rent players there. Even VHS players (what are those, right?), and projectors for that backyard film fest. Remember that one that you saw with your mom on Turner Classics when you were little that just haunts you? They’ve got it. What’s that one Wes Anderson movie? It’s there, and they know.

So, go! Visit Scarecrow Video and support a local legend. If you have out of town guests coming in, show them Seattle and take them to Scarecrow. Let them pick the movie or take them to the Italian film section and rent Life is Beautiful for a lovely and memorable evening.  Say Hi to Kevin for me while you’re there. Shake his hand. He’s a good man.

I heart Scarecrow Video!

PIRATES 4: On Stranger Tides

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A fresh start on the old tides. A new director, (Gore Verbinski directed the last 3) Rob Marshall offers a likable new storyline under fast action starring our classic hero. Jack Sparrow is as likable as ever – perhaps more so. No despicable rabbit trails in this one – sure this one has zombies, but even they are likable. And the three or so longer moments of “background story” dialogue are fashionably delivered when a lull is allowable. Pirates 4 tasteful with only the expected amount of double entendre, surprising with Penelope Cruz on set. She plays the perfect pirate, perhaps her most fitting role yet. But, the favorite character was the prayerful one. Reverence, and the fight for a soul despite his past sins – this is a rare theme in popular cinema. We’ll now be on the watch for the up and coming Sam Claflin. This precious boy fights for even the worst of characters, stands up for the helpless, and sacrifices to save others. He is not overtaken by lust. He is the true hero of this story. Pirates, we well know, are not men of their words, do not stand for truth, and serve only selfish ends. This character, Philip, redeems the soiled name of the clergy by remaining righteous to the end.
At last, a new Pirates movie that did not make me stand up at the end and scream, “I want my life back! 3 hours of my life!”
I’d see it again. Absolutely.

FAST FIVE

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My brother took me to the perfect birthday movie: FAST FIVE. Imax. Bellevue. 11am. I’m one of 2 girls in the theater. This movie has everything that a true action movie should: a) non-stop, pump-up action scenes

b) fist pumping and high-fiving (puns intended)
c) explosions and hot people

d) high kicks and crazy parkour jumps off of buildings

e) short sentences

f) family bonding and team training scenes ala Oceans 11,12,&13.

g) fast face close-ups leading to slow curving half smiles that exude those juicy one-liners like Vin’s “We gonna need some guns.” followed by his, “We gonna need some cars.”
[aside: I think I need more Vin in my life].
And finally, what we’ve all been asking Santa Clause for for years now: a muscle to muscle, brawn to brawn, fist battle between Vin and the Rock.
Mark Sinclair Vincent versus Dwayne Johnson. Pipe-busting, cement-crushing, face-mashing, throat-choking fun. I haven’t laughed so hard in a movie since…

This one is about loyalty, about fatherhood, about sticking up for your family and your friends, against the Brazilian bad guy who smuggles hot cars and weapons and drugs, who uses the police to forward his cause, who kills blindly for money in Rio – …gorgeous, sweaty, tropical, colorful, crowded Rio.