Up -
The men and women at Pixar are some of the few filmmakers still carrying the torch for responsible, powerful, beautiful storytelling. I dread the day when they put out a bomb, like Dreamworks animation and others are occasionally releasing. If/When this happens (Pixar releasing a bad movie), prepare for the apocalypse. So, everytime i go to a Pixar flim, part of me is anxiously waiting for this to prove to be a great movie, and part of me is calmly anticipating what will indeed be a great movie.
Up is a great movie, simply put. Whether you see it in 3-D (like we did) or in old-fashioned 2-D, you won’t be able to avoid being bathed in a palette of rich color. The depth of color used in this film really pulls you into the world of the characters. Although there aren’t enough moments to necessarily demand that it be viewed in 3-D, i can’t complain about forking out the extra cash to have this movie just a little more “in” my face. The textures are great, and even though the human and animal characters are given exaggerated/cartoony features, they look like you could reach out and touch them.
Up has some very intense moments of personal intimacy, and some very sweeping moments of epic locales. The pinnacle of the story, for me, was the old man’s relationship with his wife - i even cried at one point during the film, which hasn’t happened in several years during a movie. Although the story is moved along by the old man’s relationship with the little boy, the motivating factor of his wife really resonated with me, a relatively-newly-wed young gentleman. Even right now, thinking about this particular aspect of the movie, i start to tear up as my thoughts move to my own wife and how much i want to cherish her in a way that would approach what is communicated in this part of the film.
There are tons of slapstick moments and little-kid humor, which illustrates Pixar’s uncanny ability to reach many audiences at once - adults, singles, married couples, kids of all ages, etc. There is something in this film that will resonate with you, regardless of your station in life or the season you’re in. Take the time to see it on the big screen so that it can really sweep you away, but even if you wait for DVD, make sure that you take some time to watch this with your family and/or friends.
Transformers 2 -
Two men in Hollywood have an unnatural, even preternatural, tendency toward large explosions. Michael Bay, producer/director of this movie, is one of those aberrant men. He managed to completely surprise me with the perverse amount of explosions of all types to be found in TF2.
Granted, one of the things i am looking for in a summer movie is ridiculously-good-looking explosions - BUT, i also prefer for there to be a story in between explosions. TF2 has no identifiable story, and really no reason for human characters. All of the awkward, pointless things from TF have been drawn out even more in the sequel. Remember how dumb the dialogue was? now it’s worse. Remember how stupid the Witwicky family is? They get stupider. Remember the awkward jokes about sexuality? There’s more, and it’s even more inappropriate for kids. Remember the strange racial stereotype embodied in the Autobot Jazz? Well, take that racial stereotype and literally multiply it by two. Remember John Turturro’s embarrassing role from TF? He gets an even more embarrassing role this time around. Such a good actor… sad times.
So, you may be wondering, “what is worthwhile in this movie?”
The Robots and the Explosions.
I loved all of the scenes with robot battles, robot chases, robot mayhem… completely satisfying eye candy, and completely suited for the big screen. I may buy this on DVD, but i’m sure that the scenes won’t be quite as engrossing on the home TV… but, on DVD, i’ll be able to skip all the unnecessary scenes with human characters! The explosions in this film are epic, creative, and exciting. I really am impressed with how Bay visualized these special effects while shooting, and then implemented them on the computer. i cannot think of another movie even close to comparable in the explosion department. and the Star Wars special editions have an exploding DEATH STARS.
If you are wondering whether to take your kids or not, i really think this one is skippable. If you are a diehard action-movie fan, or a true TF fan, there are some things worth seeing in this movie, and it can be enjoyable to a point. Just make sure you have NO EXPECTATIONS from Shia LeBeouf, Michael Bay, or the absent ‘plot’ of this movie.
Public Enemies -
Captain Jack Sparrow. Edward Scissorhands. Willy Wonka. The Mad Hatter. John Dillinger. Johnny Depp.
Bruce Wayne. John Connor. Patrick Bateman. Laurie. Jack Kelly. Melvin Purvis. Christian Bale.
These two actors are shockingly capable men. When Bale was in 3:10 to Yuma with Crowe, you were able to watch two equally strong screen-personalities go AT IT in their subtle dialogue and not-so-subtle action sequences. it was a great film, you should see it. Depp, although overused in Burton movies, is a very adept actor, making all the right subtle choices that convince the viewer of his characterization.
I’m a history buff, so this movie was right up my alley. Billy Crudup (Dr. Manhattan) has a believable turn as J. Edgar Hoover, and all the other bit players in this piece play their roles nicely. All of the settings and dialogue are believable, and pretty engrossing to someone who enjoys the attention to detail.
This film serves as a sort of vignette, definitely an abridged picture of Dillinger’s life. All of the keys are there, however, so in its brevity it is succinct. There are only a few times where the two main characters interact, so they don’t really go head to head as much as you might hope. Depp, in my opinion, embodies the famous Dillinger charisma very well, and intrigued me enough to the point that i want to do some more Dillinger research - to read the newspaper articles from the time, read some more biographical stuff, or even re-read the book on which the movie is based. Dillinger was a bank robber who you’d probably enjoy having a beer (or soda - it’s the prohibition, after all) with, unless you were J. Edgar Hoover trying to make a name for your Bureau. I think that Bale plays a Purvis who would even have enjoyed the chance to sit down with Dillinger.
This is not necessarily a theatre movie… you could wait for DVD. There are a couple gun battles that are pretty fun on the big screen, but certainly not necessary for the experience of engaging in Dillinger’s story. I highly recommend this film to fans of the 20’s, Dillinger, Depp, or Bale. Michael Mann’s direction is subtle and not as energetic as Collateral or Heat, mostly because of the different level of intensity that Dillinger’s story requires.
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