Yep, I'm definitely a Wes Anderson fan. Rushmore is probably on my top 10 films of all time, and his other films are damn fine flicks, too. I was a little hesitant when I heard that he was making a stop-motion adaptation of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, written by Roald Dahl in 1970. I was afraid that an animated film wouldn't accurately portray the tension and distance that Anderson's films so brilliantly capture. Turns out that I had nothing to fear, because once again we're treated to a film that has overwhelmingly more good qualities than bad.
The film follows a fox (voiced by George Clooney) who has given up his trade of chicken stealing to become a family man. It has all the great features of a Wes Anders0n film - an ensemble cast, a flawed protagonist, and charming set pieces - and it's perfectly paced. Don't let the fact that it's an animated film, or that it's based on a Roald Dahl book, lead you to think that this is a children's film; it deals with identity, honesty, and Wes Anderson's favorite theme, existentialism. Choosing Clooney to voice the protagonist was a perfect choice, since there are few actors that can accurately capture that "sly" essence of a fox.
The film itself is beautifully animated in a vintage style, and the 1960s soundtrack really helps it to feel like a period piece. Overall, The Fantastic Mr. Fox is an entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable film.
The Informant! is the latest film from Steven Soderbergh (director of Ocean's 11-13, not sure who did the first 10). It is getting a bit of buzz for Matt Damon's performance, which was pretty freaking awesome. He plays the VP of a huge agriculture firm, as he becomes a whistle-blower for the FBI during a price-fixing investigation.
I tend to shy away from most corporate films, or anything with a vague conspiracy notion. Goes all the way back to the time that some girl convinced me to take her to see The Pelican Brief when I was 13. Imagine my dissatisfaction when my parents drove us to see a film that had neither birds nor underwear in it. That being said, I thought that The Informant! would be lighthearted enough for me to overlook its premise. I mean, it has a damned exclamation point! FUNNY.
The film is amusing, but ultimately sad and disturbing. Much like the film Observe and Report, this movie shows what should be a miserable existence in a comedic light, to startling effect. A few days after seeing it, it finally sank in and I can really understand this film. It's a film that tries to show how the guy sitting next to you could be totally fucking nuts and you may not realize it. Matter of fact, you could spend every day with that guy and never know it. The film doesn't try to explain this occurrence, or justify anything. It's just there. Ultimately, this is a film that has a sweet candy shell but is a bitter pill to swallow. You initially chuckle at the fashion of the time period, but its content left me thinking for several days afterwards. It was great.
Lawd, I hate this kind of comedy. You know, those movies where we're supposed to think it's funny to place the protagonist in a series of unfortunate events that spin out of control and make the him look like an asshole. Maybe it's because I unknowingly project myself into every leading character, but this shit just drives me up the wall. It's the reason I couldn't ever watch What About Bob? or Meet the Parents more than once. Sure, I get it; the protagonist makes some sort of stupid initial decision and the rest of the film is "punishment" for acting out against social or cultural norms. I've taken a film class or two. But goddamn if I don't get irked by these downward-spiral films.
Extract is the latest Mike Judge movie (you know, Office Space!) and it stars that guy from Teen Wolf Too and some other shit. He owns an extract factory, he's going through some sexual dysfunction with his wife, and he's friends with Ben Affleck (who's a bartender). These three factors drive the film into my previous-bitched-about subplot, in which things go haywire for our hero. But unlike the few films that get this "downward spiral" mechanic right (see: just about every Coen Brothers film), this slow descent into unhappiness is neither graceful nor deserved, and it never feels like it ends satisfactorily for the characters, and the viewer.
Granted, this film may be the deepest thing associated with Mike Judge ever (we are talking about the guy that made Beavis and Butthead and Idiocracy after all). It deals with death, dismemberment and a failing marriage; but in the end, I can't help but feel that Mr. Judge should stick to shallow and mildly vulgar comedies. Those were at least entertaining.
Best line: "I'd be the laughing stock of the grindcore community!"
I hadn't even heard about Pandorum until it showed up on my TV screen the other day, but I was thinking it was the right film for me. Dennis Quaid in space. You know, like Enemy Mine, or maybe even like Innerspace (although that's a stretch). Awesome. People waking up from deep sleep to find their ship is all messed up and that they aren't alone onboard. Awesome. Sounds like something right up my alley.
Unfortunately, I feel like I've seen Pandorum somewhere before. Nearly every scene smacked of something familiar, and it left me unsatisfied. It's a mix of Alien, Event Horizon, and Total Recall (not really, but nobody talks about Total Recall enough these days), without capturing any of the essences which made these films enjoyable in the first place. In the end, it was a derivative and overly long sci-fi film that was mediocre at best, and as much as I hate to admit it, a waste of my time. I'm holding out for Enemy Mine 2, though.
My wife and I are catching up on some TV, and started watching season three of Chuck tonight. In the first episode, they play Frightened Rabbit's "My Backwards Walk", from their stellar 2008 album The Midnight Organ Fight. The best thing is that the closing line of the song (which is sung several times) is "you're the shit and I'm knee-deep in it", and it slipped by the censors for millions of Americans' unsuspecting family-values-tweaked ears. I found that to be pretty funny. Also, they play a Pains of Being Pure At Heart song, so bonus points!
Coraline is a stop-motion animated film directed by Henry Selick, the guy that directed The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. It's based on a novel written by Neil Gaiman, the guy that wrote the Sandman comic book series. The film centers around a girl named, you betcha, Coraline, and the creepy new house that is the new home for her and her parents.
It was nice to jump into a film geared towards younger audiences and actually be interested the whole time. I had no idea how the film would play out, and it kept me on my toes. The film flows well, it keeps things funny, and it is visually stunning. It sports a darker tone than what I'd expect for a family film, which also made it appealing. Now that I think of it, it reminds me more of Alice in Wonderland than anything. There are some hiccups when it comes to character and plot development, but in hindsight I think this film is definitely worth checking out.
The Box is a 2009 film that is adapted from a short story, that was also adapted for an episode of The Twilight Zone. It stars Cameron Diaz and that annoying guy that played Cyclops, and it was directed by Richard Kelly, the guy that directed Donnie Darko. Its premise starts pretty simply: a man shows up at their house with a box, and an offer. If Cameron and whiny Cyclops boy push the button that's on top of the box, two things will happen: they'll receive one million dollars, and someone that they don't know will die.
Being that it's a Richard Kelly film, I was expecting it to dovetail into a total cerebral mind tease, but it didn't get out of hand. Actually, between Donnie Darko and Southland Tales, The Box is easily Richard Kelly's most easily swallowed film. It does a great job of building suspense but still keeping Kelly's signature style. I have a feeling that a lot of people went into this film expecting your typical Hollywood suspense flick, and were probably pretty angry. With that in mind, I enjoyed this film ten times more because of it.
The Box is a heady, confusing film that's not as heady or confusing as you'd expect. I liked it.
Faithful reader and occasional Twovue writer Kim turned us on to this fairly entertaining website - neverseenlost.wordpress.com - in which someone who has never seen an episode of LOST writes about their experiences while watching the final season of our favorite TV show. You'll see some funny things like mishearing Jack's name as "Jake" for an entire episode, or some pretty spot-on racial profiling. It's spoiler heavy for anyone that isn't keeping up with the episodes *cough* Mark *cough*, but it's worth checking out for a few minutes.
The Invention of Lying is the co-directorial debut of Mr. Ricky Gervais, that funny pudgy man behind The Office, Extras, and that one podcast. I've followed everything he's made except for that movie where he was a ghost. This film takes place in a world where nobody lies at all. Just think of it - no white lies, no flattery, no excuses - it starts to make my brain feel mushy after a while.
The film does a good job with poking fun at its premise, although my wife pointed out one point: just because you can't lie, doesn't mean you HAVE to tell everyone what you're thinking. There are all sorts of moments when people say things that are mildly inappropriate and therefore amusing, until you consider the fact that there is no way that the person should just blurt that out. Maybe if this was a world where everyone told the truth and they had no self control.
Secondly, although this film definitely has some new and clever ways of being funny, at its heart it is a romantic comedy. There is such a focus on finding happiness through finding love that there are so many avenues that don't get explored. Seriously, Gervais' character could have done all sorts of funny things like becoming a superhero or supervillain; instead, he gets misinterpreted as a religious figure and pines away for the ever-mediocre and buff-armed Jennifer Garner. I wasn't expecting for my world to be rocked with The Invention of Lying, but I think its preoccupancy with love and not much else left it a little too shallow for my tastes. Not a bad date movie, though.
Disagree with us? Got an idea? Want to put up your own post with full credit?
Click here to send it to us and we'll post it...as long as it doesn't suck.
About Bloguin
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.
Advertisers
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
Bloggers Wanted
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!