Posts Tagged ‘Michael Caine’
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
So I don’t want to ruin it for you, but this movie is about cars. And get this: they talk! If you’re unfamiliar with the Cars franchise, this is Pixar’s sequel to the massively creative world comprised entirely of talking vehicles centered around a super fast race car named Lightning McQueen and his tow truck best friend Mater. While the last movie took us to their home of Radiator Falls, Cars 2 takes us all around the globe! The innovators behind this automotive world are incredibly clever converting everyday objects and ideas into vehicular alternatives but they weren’t as creative with the actual story. Visually, this is Pixar’s best work. If you think they can’t make computer generated animation even better, you’re wrong. However, if you think they can’t take the characters of Cars and make another strong story, you’re right.
Cars 2 starts off with an amazing car chase which brings you right into the spy world with new character Finn McMissile. The chase is as cool as the voice behind the car: Michael Caine. Back in Radiator Falls, our hero from the last movie, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), is returning from another victorious win and ready from some R&R with his best friend Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). Mater steals the show from the very beginning and that’s ok because this movie centers all around him this time. Basically our idiotic friend is mistaken for a world-class agent ala “Accidental Spy.” Lightning McQueen’s relaxing trip is cut short as he’s challenged to enter Allinol’s alternative fuel World Grand Prix by a familiar foe: Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro) aka Mr. San Francisco. The Grand Prix spans three countries and is the backdrop for my favorite part of the film.
From Tokyo, Japan to London, England and Porto Corsa, Italy...Cars 2 takes you around the world!
I love when movies take audiences around the world and expose them to different cultures. Cars 2 does this amazingly through their wonderful interpretations in the metaphorical car world. For instance, when McQueen’s team travels to Tokyo, Japan, you get to see the bright billboard lights, Geisha cars, Sumo cars and a ridiculously high-tech bathroom! They even have those weird vending machines that Japan is famous for where some cars can purchase new tires right on the street. In Paris, you see all of the street peddlers and insane traffic on the Champs Elysees around the Arc de Triomphe. You get to experience a small town celebration in Italy with Guido (Guido Quaroni) and Luigi (Tony Shalhoub)’s family. This is a great way for kids to see the world with new eyes…especially through Mater, a “very” American character as their tour guide.
The whole gang gearing up to board the plane...for cars.
The movie itself is very basic and uninspired. There are too many new characters and distractions taking away from an actual strong and impacting story that we’re used to seeing from Pixar. There’s not much heart in this one…it’s a blatant summer blockbuster filled with eye candy. You could hear many kids in the audience getting bored in the middle of the movie as it goes too deep into the whole spy theme. There were still plenty of funny and entertaining parts, but Pixar failed to bring you deep into the character emotions and the world that they painstakingly built. Even the moral of this one is laid out for us from beginning to end with no thought or interpretation needed: Be Yourself. I wish Pixar was themselves and put the story first above everything else. They did include a great concept of “Go and get more dents” which I really enjoyed and hope people empathize with.
Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) in Cars 2
Thankfully the movie picks up again near the end for a great climatic finish. It’s so good that kids are going to forget the rest of the movie that they just saw and leave the theater in glee. If you liked Mater in the first film, you’re going to love him in this one. The script is smart in the way that they make him so dumb. It’s hilarious watching Mater interact with all the different types of cultures and how he understands so little but still figures out so much. There’s a great push for alternative fuel and energy which I wish Pixar did more with as it could have been a continuation of their social commentary from Wall-E teaching our younger generations that we need to change but they washed over that theme with the hippie car. All in all (get it, Allinol?), Cars 2 is an amazing visual feat and fun watch for kids but doesn’t have the deep story or concepts backing it up to entertain the adults too. The beginning and end go fast but there were a few pit stops in the middle of the movie that throw up some caution flags. I wouldn’t say Cars 2 is a lemon, but it’s definitely not a pristine race car either.
Tags: Cars 2, Guido Quaroni, John Turturro, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Owen Wilson, Pixar, Tony Shalhoub
Posted in Reviews | 1 Comment »
Monday, February 7th, 2011
The movie begins with a “little” monologue letting you know that the story of Romeo and Juliet has been told before…a lot. And that they’re going to tell it again…but different. It’s a cute beginning that sets the tone for a cute movie letting you sit back and know you’re in for a good time. Gnomeo & Juliet is targeted towards the UK but has an international reach with common morals and easy to follow storytelling…I mean who hasn’t heard of the story of Romeo and Juliet!? It’s not a hit out the park but it’s just good enough for kids which the movie is made for.
Instantly you can tell that Elton John was involved with the music but I had no idea that basically all the music was Elton John. If you’re a fan of his, you’ll love it…if not, oh well. I was tapping my foot throughout the movie to renditions of Hello Hello, Saturday Night, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, and my favorite Crocodile Rock. They’re not just the original songs but mixed and twisted to go along with the storyline. For example, Hello Hello is used for when Gnomeo meets Juliet for the first time and it’s by Elton John with Lady Gaga…imagine that baby. Sometimes the songs didn’t fit with the movie, however, and it seemed like I was watching Elton John music videos with garden gnomes.
Nothing but flowers over here!
The lineup who gave their voices for the movie was quite interesting. The stars were James McAvoy (Gnomeo) and Emily Blunt (Juliet) but you’ll definitely recognize Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Ozzy Osbourne, Patrick Stewart, Hulk Hogan, Dolly Parton, and others thrown in there. The animation wasn’t top notch like we’re used to these days from Pixar, Disney, and Dreamworks but it was “ok.” Sometimes there was really high production value but then parts where it looked amateur. The 3D just made the movie pop but there were no cool effects or anything that added to the experience. Kids will still get to say their oooohs and ahhhhs though.
That's a lot of garden gnomes
The script and story is pretty funny and even tells the real story of Romeo and Juliet with a shoutout to Shakespeare but you’ll have to watch the movie to see if it ends the same way! Kids and adults alike will have a fun time with this movie and the characters they introduce. There’s a pond frog that is Juliet’s best girlfriend who’s pretty much obsessed with boys, there is a group of little rabbits who use their ears for sign language, and let’s not forget the latin pink flamingo with flare. The story falls apart in the 2nd act and then rushes to the end. It could have been a lot better if it kept the energy from the first half and was a one hour TV movie in my opinion.
Coolest. Bunnies. Ever.
Tags: Dolly Parton, Elton John, Emily Blunt, Gnomeo & Juliet, Hulk Hogan, James McAvoy, Jason Statham, Lady Gaga, Michael Caine, Ozzy Osbourne, Patrick Stewart
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Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Amazing. Great. Cutting-Edge. Ground Breaking. Wow. That should validate the movie and convince you to go. If you’re like me, you’ll stop reading this review and any other post about Inception, turn off the TV every time you see an ad for it, and go check out the film for yourself knowing as little of the story as you can. I knew the gist of the movie by seeing some early footage that Christopher Nolan presented during WonderCon a few months before but other than that, I went in to the movie with an open mind and loved almost every part of it. I promise this review will not have any spoilers so let’s dive in.
Amazing. Great. Cutting-Edge. Ground Breaking. Wow. I just had to say it again. Let’s start with the premise that you would get from the synopsis and/or trailers and ads. Inception is about dreams and a very special group of people who can manipulate these dreams. You quickly learn that the dream is less about the visuals and more about the feel. You feel this movie. Along with the amazing imagery and visuals, you feel this movie through Christopher Nolan’s directing as he takes your emotions and has his way with them. The movie focuses on one character’s dream and sets it up as a mission so our lead character played by Leonardo DiCaprio has to assemble his dream team (sorry for the pun).
L to R: Dileep Rao, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, and Ken Watanabe
It’s interesting…the names of the characters aren’t too important in this film. I’m not sure if they knew that the star power would outweigh the characters, but that’s what happened for me. It doesn’t matter though, because this whole world is created for you and the characters are each very well played and they truly draw you in with their performances. So, throughout the review, I’ll refer to the actors’ names and not the characters’ names. Leonardo DiCaprio enlists his long-time partner, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, teams up with a known acquaintance Tom Hardy, and teaches a newcomer to the game of dreams, Ellen Page. Ellen Page is our audience surrogate who helps the audience through this extremely different premise. Basically, she helps explain the dream world and all of the terminology that comes along with it in laden terms.
Ellen Page discovering dreams
This is probably my only gripe of the movie. Both the fact that the movie may be too smart for the general audience and that they try to explain too many things too fast in the beginning of the film. You should pay close attention to the first 20 minutes or so of the movie or you’ll be telling yourself that you have to watch the movie again to understand what just happened (this was overheard by a number of people leaving the screenings in various cities). In the middle of the movie, I thought it was too much but in fact it lays the foundation for the rest of the film. You just have to try and keep up. The other side of my argument is that Ellen Page’s character was too explanatory. She literally was there to explain every little piece of the movie and ask all the questions the audience was asking themselves. But when you put both sides of this argument together, you realize it had to be done to an extent to reach a wider audience especially to explain everything in the time frame of a single movie.
Ken Watanabe, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt discussing dreams
Christopher Nolan and his crew shot this movie beautifully. They go in an out of scenes as if you were dreaming. They used the dreams to get around a lot of the movie magic people complain about. You know in the end of a movie where it seems like the bomb which has 30 seconds left lasts 30 minutes? Well, in the dream world, time lasts longer so that problem is solved! I’m sure some movie magic was still used, but we’ll have to wait till those die hard fans time each scene and see if everything matches up with real time. The story itself, which Christopher Nolan wrote, is unique in the premise as well as the way it is told. They turn storytelling on it’s head and give a twisted approach to delivering the movie’s message. In no moment of the film was I bored or not thinking about what was going on in the screen. There wasn’t a second to turn away and after experiencing it all, you realize certain elements of typical film-making weren’t there but they were replaced with something much more…you’ll be talking about Inception for days if not weeks after.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt battling a projection in a dream
When you boil it down, this is an action film. There is plenty of action to satisfy any gun happy fan. You will jump out of your seat, you will squirm and turn with the actors, and you will constantly wonder what will happen next and how they will outdo themselves. You get everything with this movie…even some comedy. You’re reminded that physical humor still works as well as quick quips to get a quick audience laugh. Inception is the smartest student in a class of action films. This movie is expansive…they filmed in seven different countries and the scenery is epic. I want to go research every place they filmed because it backdrops looked breathtaking. Many times you will think…”How did they film that!?” but we’ll just have to wait for the behind the scenes footage from the DVD. This will surely go down in film history and be a must by for any movie collection.
Tags: Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Dileep Rao, Ellen Page, Inception, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy
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Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
Sir Michael Caine is Harry Brown. You don’t want to mess with Harry Brown. At first glance, he’s your typical old Englishmen trying to live the rest of his life in the area he knows. However, his community is being overrun by gangs and young kids doing drugs and up to no good. The police don’t have much presence and most of them would rather just leave the area alone rather than do something about the crime. Initially, Harry Brown is the same way…he turns the other cheek until his best friend has enough and decides to take matters into his own hands. His friend didn’t have much luck…but he’s not Harry Brown….and Harry Brown is a badass.
This is a dark drama. The action is really just violence and it’s pretty realistic. Harry Brown is an ex-serviceman so he has the set of skills needed to kick some ass and take names (sound familiar?). He has one goal in mind: to get revenge for his old friend and clean up his community while he’s at it. He’s had enough and if the police aren’t going to do anything about it, well, he is.
The story is pretty basic and the sequence is pretty similar to movies like Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino and Taken. However, this is Sir Michael Caine, one of the greatest actors of our time and he does an amazing job acting in this movie. As Harry Brown becomes a vigilante and goes on his mission to get retribution for his friend, he runs into a couple of interesting story lines and characters. There is one cop, played by Emily Mortimer, who wants to do the right thing and she and Caine keep crossing paths for better or worse. With these extra twists, the movie doesn’t get confusing and doesn’t go in depth into any of the side stories which is good as it does keep the audience engaged in the story until the final scenes which actually climax in a mini bedlam. Unlike other films, the action in this one isn’t over the top…maybe because the UK doesn’t allow guns and so people with guns is over the top for them. I really like this fact about the film though; it keeps it more realistic. It’s as if this can be anywhere and happen to anyone.
I’m having a little difficulty writing this review because I’m not too sure what to say. I did enjoy the movie and think others will be entertained…but it’s not your typical “have to see” action film. It’s not going to break any blockbuster records or have you running to the theater to see the movie, but while you’re watching the movie, you get pulled in to this not so fictitious world and you try to stop yourself from blinking so you don’t miss the next scene. Maybe that’s why it wasn’t picked up by a major studio but still will be shown in limited theaters in the US…but if it’s playing by you, you should definitely check it out.
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverageThe South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.
Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Tags: Charlie Creed-Miles, Emily Mortimer, Harry Brown, Liam Cunningham, Michael Caine, South By Southwest, SXSW
Posted in Film Festivals and Conventions, Reviews, South By Southwest 2010 | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
I apologize for not updating more but the South By Southwest Conference and Film Festival is hectic! There’s so much to do, I don’t know how anybody can get it all done. I flew in Friday night and today is Wednesday, I’ve seen over a dozen films in the past 4 days and almost all of them have been great. Here’s a quick recap of what I’ve been up to. I’ll be writing more in depth reviews when the festival is over.
Day 2: Saturday, March 13th.
After picking up my badge and finding my way around a bit, I sat down for my first movie, a movie I wasn’t even planning to see: Marwencol. It was a great and tragic story about a man who was almost beaten to death regaining his life through an alter life in the form of action figures and dolls. I tried to get in to a film called Mars at the Ritz but I have still yet to be able to make it into a screening at this theater…it has been packed! Instead, I got some food and then headed over to the Paramount where most of the big premieres were taking place and saw the French film Micmacs and then Cyrus starring John C. Reily and Jonah Hill…they were in attendance for a Q&A afterwards.
Day 3: Sunday, March 14th.
I tried to get a few interactive events in today so I didn’t start watching movies till later. I was back at the Paramount for Mr. Nice and Elektra Luxx. Mr. Nice was the true story of Howard Marks, a British drug smuggler. Elektra Luxx is the sequel to Sebastian Gutierrez’s Women in Trouble starring Carla Gugino, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Malin Akerman, Adrianne Palicki, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and many more…most of them were in attendance which kind of saved the night because the projector stopped working before the end of the film.
Day 4: Monday, March 15th.
To make up for the day before, I watched 6 movies today, yes 6. I started off with a film I really wanted to see, Pelada…and it was amazing! 2 Americans travel the world playing pick up soccer games. I sat next to the 2 player-travellers in the film. It’s my favorite film of the festival so far. I tried to get into Tiny Furniture at the Ritz, but again it was full, so I saw Beijing Taxi followed by American: The Bill Hicks Story. Beijing Taxi was a stale documentary about a couple taxi drivers in Beijing before and during the Winter Olympics. American: The Bill Hicks Story is the story of comedian Bill Hicks who became more of an activist as his career progressed. I went to a smaller venue, The Hideout, to watch a Finnish film called Living Room of the Nation which put cameras in a few Finnish homes to see how stories unravelled through everyday life. Then I went back to the Paramount for the world premiere of MacGruber, the SNL skit starring Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Ryan Phillippe, and Val Kilmer. It was actually hilarious, I’ll write a full review soon. Elektra Luxx was played again tonight since it broke down the night before, so I caught the ending of that.
Day 5: Tuesday, March 16th.
This was the ending of the interactive and film conference so I watched some internet related films. I started off the morning with Erasing David, a British filmmaker sets off to disappear for a month and hires 2 private investigators to try and find him using only publicly available data. It’s about the state of our privacy in society today. Then I set up shop at the Paramount again and watched 3 films back to back. I couldn’t handle the last one (Skateland) and will have to catch it later. I heard good things about it so I’m sure it’ll get picked up. I started off with Hood to Coast, a film documenting a few teams during this epic marathon from Mt. Hood to the coast of Oregon. Followed by The People vs. George Lucas, another documentary about the angry fans of Star Wars. And finished the night with Harry Brown, a great in your face thriller starring Michael Caine.
So that was 14 films and 1 twice. There’s hardly any time in between to eat! I still have 4 more days but I’m probably going to see less and less movies. I took most of today off to try and get some work done in the middle of the week and I’m planning on catching the other side of the South By Southwest festival, the music. Tonight, I plan on seeing Get Low, Cargo, and maybe another film. For the next couple days I will try and see The Runaways, Monsters, Higanjima, World’s Largest, The Red Chapel, and maybe Canal Street Madam, The Parking Lot Movie, and Mars.
Are you guys interested in any of the movies I’ve seen, am trying to see, or other films of the South By Southwest festival? Let us know!
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverageThe South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.
Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Tags: Adrianne Palicki, American: The Bill Hicks Story, Beijing Taxi, Canal Street Madam, Cargo, Carla Gugino, Cyrus, Elektra Luxx, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Erasing David, Get Low, Harry Brown, Higanjima, Hood to Coast, John C. Reily, Jonah Hill, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kristen Wiig, Living Room of the Nation, MacGruber, Malin Akerman, Mars, Marwencol, Maya Rudolph, Michael Caine, Micmacs, Monsters, Mr. Nice, Pelada, Ryan Phillippe, Sebastian Gutierrez, Skateland, South By Southwest, The Parking Lot movie, The People vs. George Lucas, The Red Chapel, The Runaways, Tiny Furniture, Val Kilmer, Will Forte, Women in Trouble, World's Largest
Posted in Film Festivals and Conventions, South By Southwest 2010 | 2 Comments »
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
Right now I’m on my flight from San Francisco to Austin, TX. It was delayed an hour which gave me even more time to finally read through the films that will be screened at South By Southwest and try to plot a plan of which films I’ll be watching. I love film festivals, you can jump from film to film and see a month’s worth of movies in a week (sometimes even 2 months!). I love figuring out the logistics of which movies are must see, which ones are only being shown once or twice, and which films I should skip to catch up with old friends or catch some of the music shows at this festival. Needless to say, it’ll be intense!
Day 1
Totally missed. I flew into Austin on the first day of the festival so I’ll be missing the opening film which was my most anticipated film…Kick-Ass. I’ll just have to catch it with everyone else or hopefully catch an advance screening in San Francisco (wink wink Lionsgate Films).
Day 2
If I wake up early enough, I’ll try and catch The Freebie, a film about a young couple who gives each other a free night with someone else.
Mars – an animated romantic comedy about astronauts and robots travelling towards the red planet. I want to know if the astronauts and robots fall in love with each other or stick to their own.
Cyrus The Duplass brothers comedy starring John C. Reily, Marisa Tomei, and Jonah Hill. John C. Reily’s character hooks up with the ridiculously hot Molly (Marisa Tomei) who has an adult son (Johnah Hill). Kind of sounds like a sequel to Stepbrothers..we’ll see.
There’s also a Super Secret screening…we’ll see if it’s worth going to.
Day 3
I think I’ll take the beginning of the day to attend panels and hang out with my interactive festival friends (I am a developer at heart). Also, Facebook is having a developer’s garage so I’ll attend that and hopefully code some great stuff for the facebook users of advancescreenings.com.
The movies of the day will either be Mr. Nice, a true story about Britain’s most wanted man, or Pelada, the other side of soccer and either Futurestates, which seems to be a collection of short stories about different economic scenarios, or The Parking Lot Movie – the title is exactly what it sounds like. So many options!
Day 4
If I didn’t get to catch Pelada (the soccer movie) I could catch it this morning. Followed by Tiny Furniture and Canal Street Madam or American: Bill Hicks. Tiny Furniture is a tragicomedy about a 22-year-old who comes home from college just as she went in – with no skills, no love life, and a lot of free time. Canal Street Madam is about Jeanette Maier trying to re-invent herself after her infamous family-run brothel is raided by the FBI. American: Bill Hicks is an animated film about the true life story of the outlaw comic who tried to save the world. The highlight of this night is MacGruber, yes a full length movie of the SNL sketch staring Will Forte.
Day 5
One of the movies that I missed on the first day is showing again today. It’s called Erasing David and sounds very interesting and very fitting for this interactive/film festival. Filmmaker David Bond disappears for a month and hires two of the world’s top private investigators to track him down using only publicly available data. Sad to say, it conflicts with a film called Like a Pascha about the largest brothel in Europe…Canal Street Madam is playing again and then the highlight is Harry Brown starring Michael Caine.
Day 6
I’ll start off this film with another one I missed on the first day, World’s Largest. It’s about all those weird roadside attractions you see in tiny towns while driving cross country. If I can squeeze it in, I’ll see Cherry, a film about a virgin who drops out of college and encounters an older woman and her underage daughter, before the film of the night, Get Low starring Robert Duvall and Bill Murray.
Day 7
To be honest, I’m excited to check out Austin Carniville which is March 18, 19, and 20 (Day 7, 8, and 9). Luckily, the films during the day don’t intrigue me too much. The movie of the night is The Runaways starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, I’ll either catch that or Mars and Like a Pascha.
Day 8
I can catch a bunch of films today in case I missed them earlier in the week including Canal Street Madam, The Parking Lot Movie, Pelada, and Mars…or go to the Carniville again 
.
Day 9
THE FINAL DAY!, World’s Largest plays again as well as Hood to Coast, Tiny Furniture, and American Bill Hicks.
That’s the plan…let’s see what actually happens!
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverageThe South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conferences & Festivals offer the unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies. Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW® is the premier destination for discovery. The internationally acclaimed, nine-day Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.
Visit South by Southwest’s Official Website
Tags: American: Bill Hicks, Bill Murray, Canal Street Madam, Cherry, Cyrus, Dakota Fanning, Erasing David, Futurestates, Get Low, Harry Brown, Hood to Coast, John C. Reily, Jonah Hill, Kick-Ass, Kristen Stewart, Like a Pascha, MacGruber, Marisa Tomei, Mars, Michael Caine, Mr. Nice, Pelada, Robert Duvall, South By Southwest, SXSW, The Freebie, The Parking Lot movie, The Runaways, Tiny Furniture, Will Forte, World's Largest
Posted in Film Festivals and Conventions, South By Southwest 2010 | 2 Comments »
