Tag: Movies

When The Beating of Your Heart Echoes the Beating of the Drums…

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews10 Comments

les-miserables-jean-valjean-movie-posterYou may recall that I wrote a Very Long Review of my theatre experience with Les Miserables.  So perhaps you’ve been expecting a review of the movie, which just opened on Christmas.  I went to see it this weekend, thoroughly enjoyed it, and yet also have…complicated feelings.  Hopefully a review will help me unpack this.  So here we go–and there will be spoilers, because you can’t talk about anything important in Les Mis without spoilers.

Very brief and abbreviated plotline, in case you need some context as we go forward: Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is an ex-convict, arrested for stealing a loaf of bread, who attempts to remake his life–which involves running out on his parole.  He’s perpetually hunted by Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe), who believes that criminals never change and it’s his duty to bring Valjean to justice.  Valjean’s path crosses with Fantine (Anne Hathaway), who is driven to prostitution to provide for her daughter, Cosette, who’s being raised by the truly horrible yet comical innkeepers, the Thenardiers (Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen).  Valjean ends up taking care of Cosette.  When she grows up, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) falls in love with Marius (Eddie Remayne), a revolutionary whose friends are at the heart of an uprising in Paris.  My favorite characters are on their own sideplots: Eponine (Samantha Barks), the Thenardiers’ daughter, who also falls in love with Marius; and Gavroche (Daniel Huttlestone), a street urchin in the middle of the revolution.

So that was the brief overview.  It’s a long movie!  But so much happens and it’s all carried along with such wonderful songs that it really didn’t feel very long.  Hobbit is only about ten minutes longer, but felt much longer.

A few general comments before I get into the depths of the characters–this is an intense movie, and they did not skimp when it came to intense make-up.  And by that, I mean that they must have gone through barrels of dirt.  There is a long series of poverty-stricken, devastated or ill people, and they brought it all intensely to life with make-up and costumes.  Almost every actor looks horrible at some point–and that’s exactly how it should be.

And the soundtrack–the songs are amazing.  Period.  I could tell you about how wonderful each one is as we go along, but let’s just assume they’re all amazing and leave it at that.

Now, let’s dig into the characters.  There are some very surprising names in the cast here, but I thought the actors all did wonderful jobs.  Hugh Jackman carries the biggest burden of this movie, and he absolutely lived up to it.  The singing was excellent, there are intense moments, and he played a deep, conflicted Valjean. Continue reading “When The Beating of Your Heart Echoes the Beating of the Drums…” →

A Journey Back to Middle Earth

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Reviews5 Comments

Hobbit 1I saw The Hobbit this weekend, and it was so much fun to go back to Middle Earth.  The movie is excellent on so many levels, from the characters to the action to the vistas…and to the return to Middle Earth.  Also–Martin Freeman!

This is a prequel that is self-aware of its own sequel, but that works.  The movie begins, I believe, the same morning as The Fellowship of the Rings.  Bilbo is writing his memoirs and nephew Frodo is eagerly anticipating the arrival of Gandalf the wizard for Bilbo’s party.  And then we flash back sixty years…to watch an unchanged Gandalf select a much younger Bilbo for an adventure–along with thirteen dwarves who invade Bilbo’s home in a very funny fashion.  Bilbo reluctantly embarks on “an unexpected journey,” and soon finds himself engulfed in a quest to fight a dragon to reclaim the dwarf homeland, fighting orcs and trolls and even stranger creatures along the way.  Meanwhile, Gandalf and others are worried about the rise of darker powers in a pretty obvious foreshadowing–but no matter, it gives it a nice all-tied-together feeling.

Let’s start with Bilbo.  To reiterate–Martin Freeman!  This actually makes the long wait for Sherlock feel worth it.  Freeman is playing the character he plays best, the ordinary chap who just wants a peaceful life (and perhaps a hot cup of tea), only to find himself thrust into chaos far beyond his scope.  He has to rise to meet it, and discovers he has a zest for adventure in the process.  Such is Arthur Dent, Dr. Watson, and most definitely Bilbo Baggins.  Starting from a scene where he firmly tells Gandalf that no adventures are wanted here, they’re inconvenient and make one late for dinner, Bilbo grows into a hero almost in spite of himself.  At the risk of a slight spoiler, I will say that he eventually shows courage in battle–but I think I was more impressed by a scene afterwards when he shows that he understands what they’re fighting for, believes in the rightness of the cause, and is willing to persevere to make it happen.  That’s more indicative of character growth than hitting an orc with a sword.

The other biggest character in the movie is Gandalf the Grey Wizard, wise and yet at times very humanly unsure too.  Ian McKellan is excellent, conveying all sorts of depth of emotion with just a twinkle of the eye or a curl of the lip somewhere behind that enormous beard.

It’s a movie of beards, by the way, since we spend most of it in the company of dwarves with some fantastic beards.  Thorin, the dwarf king, is the most serious and complex of the group, the leader of the quest and the somewhat Aragorn-like figure of the movie: rough and sometimes terse, but good-hearted and a brave leader.  The rest of the dwarves shine largely as comic relief, but provide the occasional dramatic insight too.

One of the most striking characters of all is Gollum.  I doubt he was in the movie for more than fifteen minutes, but they are among the most memorable fifteen minutes.  He’s completely mad, big-eyed and sad one moment, snarling the next, and just so excellently done all the time.

There are also cameos by other old friends–Frodo was mentioned above, and we also see Elrond, Galadrial and Sarumon.  I confess I was rather hoping for Legolas (I don’t care what the purists say about his not being in the book), but IMDB tells me he won’t be along until the third movie.  I was also watching for Benedict Cumberbatch, never saw him except in the credits, and figured out after I got home that he was the Necromancer–who I think was only seen in silhouette for about five seconds.  Next movie, I hope for more.

But on the subject of old friends–it is so much fun to come back to this world, to see some of the same faces, to recognize the same creative style.  I am by no means a major Lord of the Rings fan, and it’s been years since I watched the movies.  Yet there’s something so nostalgic about The Hobbit.  This may be enhanced by the fact that we’ve come back to what is, in a way, a simpler time in Middle Earth.  Sauron is just starting to rise, Smaug is a comparatively small villain, and the movie is more light-hearted, at least in spots.

There are certainly epic sword fights and large-scale battles with hideous monsters, and moments that are just so deliciously Tolkienesque.  I don’t really know how else to describe it, because I think he set the definition.  He set the standards that so many others are emulating and going back to the original just brings it to some kind of pinnacle of fantasy.

But there are also funny parts, particularly the beginning as the dwarves run rough-shod over Bilbo’s home, and most especially a scene involving a trio of gourmet if stupid trolls who want Dwarf for dinner.

There are also incredible views.  If Lord of the Rings has led you to expect scenes of footsore travelers traipsing across mountain paths with breathtaking vistas behind them…you will not be disappointed.  The setting is really remarkable throughout, from the sweeping views to the beautiful Rivendell set amidst waterfalls, to the truly horrible troll kingdom, to the cozy homeyness of the Shire.  It’s all so vivid, so beautifully realized…and I saw it in simple old 2D.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t reflect on the fact that this is a long movie.  And it’s part one of three.  It reminds me of Harry Potter 7, Part 1, in that it feels like someone set about to include every detail they could.  The Hobbit is not a slow movie, but it is a movie that takes its time.  It will not be rushed, it will not leave anything out, and if there is an element of backstory or a moment of foreshadowing to be told, it will tell it.  No need to hurry, just relax and enjoy the scenery.  It’s almost a little cosy, if I can use that word to describe a movie involving orcs and swords and falling off of mountains.

I have to admit I’m not quite sure how there are going to be two more movies after this, but I’m content to sit back and see where the journey takes us.  I look forward to continuing to visit Middle Earth, because it’s an amazing place where so many fantastic things can happen.  I mean, there are dwarves, and elves, and a city built amongst waterfalls, and stone giants!  It’s just–wow!

Also–Martin Freeman! 🙂

Movie site: http://www.thehobbit.com

Climbing Notre Dame with Quasimodo

On By cherylmahoneyIn Juvenile, Reviews11 Comments

HunchbackOne of my top places to see in Paris last September was Notre Dame Cathedral–for the architecture and because I like big old churches and because it’s an icon.  But also very much because of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  I’ve never actually read Victor Hugo’s novel (though I have put it on my list since visiting the cathedral) so when I say that Hunchback influenced my Parisian sight-seeing…I mostly mean the Disney movie.

I can’t remember being particularly attached to this one as a kid, but in recent years it’s been emerging as one of my favorite Disney cartoons.  That makes sense, because this is not at all a typical Disney cartoon, and has a much more adult feel.  I love typical Disney and I don’t mean to criticize it in the review that follows, but I do feel this one is on a different level.

I’d really like to know how the first person looked at the book and said, hey, let’s make a cartoon!  Instead of a star-crossed princess and her prince, we have Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bellringer of Notre Dame.  His only friends are three gargoyles (two of whom are named Victor and Hugo–love that) and though he dreams of entering the world he’s watched, this has always been forbidden by his master, the stern magistrate Frollo.  Quasi finds a little daring, the beautiful and bewitching gypsy Esmeralda comes on the scene, and everything changes.

I love Quasi and his growth as a character, as he overcomes his fears and realizes his own value.  Sure, it’s not quite the complexity of Susan Kay’s Phantom, but there’s still a depth here that goes beyond perfect-princess-meets-perfect-prince.  Likewise Esmeralda is a strong, intelligent character, very aware of larger societal issues of class and prejudice.  I even like the prince figure, the handsome Phoebus, who I find more likable than, say, Raoul from Phantom.  Phoebus has his own depth, as a soldier who struggles with a new position and orders he doesn’t like–and he has a sense of humor.  Disney heroes who have funny scenes with horses to seem to work well with me…  And how do you go wrong when he says to his horse, “Achilles–heel.”

Frollo is also a villain with fascinating depth, and he’s a very mature villain for a Disney movie.  His interest in Esmeralda is on a totally different level than Jafar’s decision to marry Jasmine in Aladdin.  I really don’t know how the scene “Hellfire” got into a Disney cartoon.  Frollo is singing about lust and temptation and damnation, while there are flames and demons and hooded figures chanting “mea culpa.”  It’s fantastic and wonderful, but–in a Disney movie?  Really?

I love the songs, especially “Out There” which is one of my favorite songs ever.  It’s just so beautiful and heartfelt, and is one of the main reasons I felt I had to spend time in Paris “strolling by the Seine.”  The only time I got out my iPod while walking around was to listen to “Out There,” sitting on a wall next to the Seine.  I also love “God Help the Outcasts”–again, there’s a depth to it, and to Esmeralda’s character.  From the opening lines, “I don’t know if you can hear me, or if you’re even there–or if you would listen to a gypsy’s prayer,” she’s having a complex religious experience.  It’s deep, it’s emotional, leading up to the end, “please help my people, the poor and downtrod–I thought we all were children of God.”

My only significant reservation on the movie is the last two minutes.  After such a beautifully nuanced movie, it tied up with more of a simple Disney happy ending.  Quasi gives his blessing to Esmeralda and Phoebus, and then is embraced by the crowd.  And…I don’t buy either idea.  He may accept how Esmeralda feels about Phoebus, but I’d find it much more believable if he was less pleased about it.  A little wistfulness, maybe?  And after all the times that crowd has made an about-face, I wouldn’t trust it to stay welcoming for the span of five minutes.

I’m not sure what ending I want.  I don’t want Quasi to die, or even to retreat back into his belltowers (because then what was the point of the character growth?)  But after all the rest of the movie, I feel like they could have managed a more subtle, less conventional ending.  Maybe he retreats to the towers but it’s implied he’ll come out again in the future?  A little wistfulness on the romance question but also make it clear that Esmeralda and Phoebus will be his friends into the future, opening up the possibility that he could venture out farther someday?  There had to be some kind of bittersweet or lightly hopeful ending they could have managed.

I still love the movie–and I loved watching it shortly after visiting Notre Dame.  Someone animating this really knew what Notre Dame looked like, and when I watched it again I kept reacting to things I recognized.  If you go to Notre Dame, you can easily go into the church, which is very beautiful.  I recommend also going around the corner to the left and getting in line to visit the belltowers.  There are a lot of stairs (a LOT of stairs), but it’s worth it to see the gargoyles and the view.  You don’t really get to see Quasi’s bells (just one) or the space where he lives in the cartoon, but it’s still neat–and you can see the whole of Paris below.

I’m planning a Notre Dame Saturday Snapshot for this weekend, so come by for more pictures then!

Rise of the Anthropomorphic Manifestations…er, Guardians

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Reviews3 Comments

When I went to see the adorable Wreck-It Ralph a couple of weeks ago, I saw ads for another animated movie, Rise of the Guardians.  Pretty much all I knew was that it was about Santa Claus and Jack Frost and the like, and there was a monster to fight…but this put it close enough to fairy tales to pique my interest, and so I went to see it this past weekend.  And it was excellent!

The movie focuses on the great mythical figures of childhood–I’m not sure quite what to call them, and “anthropomorphic manifestations” is too long, so let’s call them fables for convenience.  The main fables are Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman–and Jack Frost, our lead character.  The first four are Guardians, protecting children through the centuries.  Now childhood is threatened by Pitch Black, the Bogeyman, and the Guardians are seeking Jack Frost’s help to fight back.

Jack has his own worries to think about–no humans can see him, no children believe in him and he doesn’t know what his purpose is meant to be–but he’s pretty sure he doesn’t want to be a Guardian.  Irresponsible and free-spirited, he doesn’t see himself as Guardian material, yet finds himself pulled into the fight against Pitch.

It’s a good plot that keeps moving at a quick pace, and the movie is enormous fun.  I love the way they play with the portrayal of the fables.  These aren’t the simple, saccharine characters who show up on Hallmark cards.  Santa (Alec Baldwin) seems to resemble a Russian mob boss who runs the North Pole with the help of tiny, hilariously-inept elves and a lot of Yetis.  The Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) is Australian, wields a boomerang with deadly effect, and uses magic rabbit holes to get around.  The Sandman is a tiny gold man with clouds of sand around him all the time, who doesn’t speak but flashes symbols above his head.  The Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) is a hyperactive cross between a humming bird and a human who is a little too interested in everyone’s teeth, and is surrounded by a crowd of tiny, hummingbird fairies.  And Jack Frost (Chris Pine) is an outwardly-tough prankster with a good heart, who is in fact deeply lonely.  Pitch (Jude Law) is suitably frightening, although I must admit a sneaking sympathy with him too.

The characters are engaging, both fun and appealing, and the humor is great–and this movie is SO beautiful.  It’s not the kind of beautiful animation you see in Brave, with all those landscapes (and Merida’s amazing hair!), but the animated medium lets them do incredible things with the magic.  It’s more like some of the scenes from Fantasia, with lights and shapes and beautiful patterns.  Jack leaves lacy flowers of frost behind him everywhere he touches, and there’s a wonderful opening scene as he leaps around a frozen lake leaving patterns in his wake.  The Sandman sends dreams as golden streamers of light soaring through the air to each sleeping child.  And Pitch’s nightmares are horrifying black stallions that stream shadows behind them.  It’s all so vivid, and so magical.

I have one criticism–the holidays are very much simplified down, and the movie exists in a world where Easter simply won’t happen if there aren’t any eggs, and Christmas is irrevocably and entirely ruined if Santa doesn’t come.  I don’t appreciate that message…but I’m also somewhat resigned to it in this kind of story.  Movies almost always equate Christmas with Santa, and I guess I’ll have to watch The Nativity Story if I want something else–or A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Aside from that, this actually has a quite nice message, about the wonders and joys of childhood and their importance.  The story takes a J.M. Barrie-esque twist, as it turns out that the Guardians need the belief of children to give them strength.  I like that balance, of the children needing the Guardians but also the Guardians needing the children.  And even if Santa isn’t really the deepest part of Christmas, this is a fairly deep Santa–somewhere inside the Russian mob boss, that is.

Technically, this is set around Easter, but it feels very much like a Christmas movie.  After all, two major characters are Santa Claus and Jack Frost, and most of the settings feature snow.  It has a Christmas movie atmosphere too.  As the cliche phrase puts it, it would be “fun for the whole family.”  I know it made me smile all the way through!

Movie site: http://www.riseoftheguardians.com/

The World Behind the Game Screen

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, Reviews3 Comments

I headed to the movies this weekend to see Wreck-It Ralph–and it was adorable!

The premise centers around the magical question: what if all the imaginary characters really were alive?  What if toys came to life when we weren’t looking, what if characters crept out of books to hang out together when the library was closed, what if the Tiki Room birds really did get up every morning and perform dozens of shows a day?

And what if the characters in arcade games were going about their lives somewhere behind the screen?

As you might guess, this is a question that has always fascinated me!

Wreck-It Ralph is an enormously fun romp through arcade games, with endearing characters and a surprisingly warm message–without getting saccharine, despite an over-abundance of sugar!

Ralph (John C. Reilly) is the villain character in Fix-It Felix Jr., whose role is to wreck the apartment building every game.  After thirty years, Ralph is tired of always being treated as the villain, even when the game is turned off.  In a slightly contrived plot-turn, he vows to leave his game and go win a medal, proving that he can be a hero too.  The quest takes him first to Hero’s Duty, a violent shooter-game, and then into Sugar Rush, a candy-themed racing game.  In Sugar Rush, he meets Vanellope, a little girl who dreams of being a racer but has been banned because she’s a “glitch,” a program error who visually shorts out when upset.  Meanwhile, Fix-It Felix Jr. is in danger of being turned off without Ralph, and all is not well in Sugar Rush…and a fair amount of havoc ensues.

The concept of this is SO much fun.  I love that arcade game characters can travel between each other’s games.  The support group for Bad Guys is held in Pac Man, and when they’re off-duty, characters hang out in Tapper’s, a bar game.  The animation is great for portraying this world, because it can change as characters go from one game to another.  And there are so many gaming references in here; I’m not much of a video or arcade game player, but some things everyone can get–and I suspect the more you know, the better it is!

This has great characters as well–Ralph is likable as a “Bad Guy who’s not a bad guy,” who’s been trapped in his role all his life.  Vanellope (voiced by Sarah Silverman) walks a very fine line, somehow being  annoying yet ultimately sympathetic too.  And I loved Calhoun, the tough-as-nails, single-minded female soldier from Hero’s Duty.  She’s voiced by Jane Lynch, who you might recognize as Sue from Glee.  I think all three characters are sympathetic in part because you come to realize they’re not nearly as hard or as tough as they want to act.  And then there’s Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer), who is not remotely tough, but literally bounces through life (with sound effects very reminiscent of Mario), wonderfully polite and eager to please.

I have to also note King Candy, the affable yet sinister monarch of Sugar Rush.  I didn’t realize until writing this review that he was voiced by Alan Tudyk, beloved of geeks for his role as Wash in Firefly.  He was plainly channeling Ed Wynn (Uncle Albert in Mary Poppins)–from listening to the voice, I would have sworn it was Ed Wynn if I didn’t know he couldn’t possibly still be alive.

To give due nod to a very minor character, I love that the main human we see playing the arcade games is a girl.  And she’s not just playing Sugar Rush–she’s playing Hero’s Duty too.  Way to break the stereotypes!

If you can’t tell already, this is a wonderfully funny movie, from Felix’s bouncing to Ralph and Vanellope’s banter, from the ridiculous characters in Sugar Rush to the parodies of games–and sometimes life.  Whenever he passes through Game Central Station between games, Ralph gets stopped for security screening and is convinced he’s being profiled.

The plot is occasionally contrived, but the humor is excellent, the characters are endearing, and ultimately it’s a wonderful story about finding yourself.  You may want to bring some candy into the theater–Sugar Rush will make you want it–and you may want to plan some time for arcade games too!

Movie Site: http://disney.go.com/wreck-it-ralph/ (But be warned, the trailer is so-so.)

IMDB Profile: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772341/ (with a better trailer!)