Saving Mr. Banks

Expectations:
Of all the December-released movies that I wanted to see, I probably wanted to see Saving Mr. Banks the least. Not to say that I expected bad things, but I have no special connection to Mary Poppins nor was I blown away by the magic-filled trailers for a film that looked as if it would shove Disney down your throat until you could no longer bare it. However, I knew that Emma Thompson's performance would be impressive, and I was intrigued to see how well Tom Hanks handled Walt Disney (even though I don't really a preconceived notion of what Walt Disney should act like). Also, I usually enjoy dramatic, non-cartoon, non-action Disney films, such as The Odd Life of Timothy Green, The Rookie, and Remember the Titans, so I figured I might enjoy Saving Mr. Banks...

Plot:
Although I knew the story would eventually end in the making of a Mary Poppins film, I must say that the path to the making of the film was quite intriguing. I don't know how true the story was, but I didn't really care. I just wanted to be entertained, and that I was. Thankfully, the amount of Disney-shoving-down-the-throat was minimal. Sure, there was a lot about Disney, but I wasn't overwhelmed by the praise that landed on the shoulders of Walt Disney and his love of all things him. With the good, there was some bad, however, and that bad came in the form of flashbacks to the childhood of Emma Thompson's P.L. Travers. Each and every time that the movie cut to Travers' childhood I just couldn't help but cringe. Not only did I not care, but I also hated the fact that the interesting story was being continually interrupted by an uninteresting story. If they had a spent a moment at the beginning of the film explaining her childhood, I would have been content. If they had spent a moment late in the film allowing her to tell the story of her childhood, I would have been content. But, instead, they interrupted the movie every ten minutes and revealed what was the slowest unfolding of a flashback that I have ever witnessed. Everyone may not have the same opinion as me, but I just couldn't stand that part, and it was a huge portion of the film.

Characters:
Saving Mr. Banks was certainly well-cast, and the performances were quite impressive. However, they weren't quite as impressive as I expected them to be. In fact, I wouldn't expect a film of this kind to be getting so much Oscar praise, but what do I know... Sure, Emma Thompson was good, but I don't think she was amazing. Luckily, however, there were a few actors who shone bright...

Negatives:
Ruth Wilson's Margaret Goff was one of the most shallow characters that I have ever been meant to feel sorry for. Although Collin Ferrell's character was supposed to cause her grief, I really didn't care about her whatsoever. Additionally shallow was Aunt Ellie, played by Rachel Griffiths. Her character was quite important, in the grand scheme of things, but she was only on screen for like 5 minutes, which was quite disappointing. If they were going to flash back and forth 300 times, they could have at least included her a bit more. I can't really explain who all these people are without ruining a large part of the story, so just take my word on these two.

Positives:
As I said before, I don't have a preconceived idea of the true Walt Disney, but I will say that I was quite impressed with Tom Hanks's performance. The way that he was able to make me care for Disney and avoid shoving Disney down everyone's throat was quite impressive. Without his performance, I think the film would have failed... big time. The only other character that I loved was Paul Giamatti's limo-driving Ralph, who really helped bring out the best in Emma Thompson's performance. Giamatti is one of my favorites, and I love it when he finds a role, such as this one, that is so well suited for him.

Conclusion:
Going in, I thought Saving Mr. Banks would be a bit of a one-woman show, but, as it turned out, the men really carried the film. Tom Hanks was absolutely great, and, if you take his performance from Captain Phillips and ad it to this one, he might make my list of best actors in 2013. You will just have to wait and see! Saving Mr. Banks was a nice family film that any Mary Poppins fan would thoroughly enjoy. If I was a Mary Poppins fan, there is no telling how much I would have enjoyed it. However, as far as being an Oscar contender goes, I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Usually, I can at least see what the Academy likes about a movie, but that is not the case with Saving Mr. Banks, which suffers a bit from that sappy Disney feel. Unlike Remember the Titans (one of the greatest sports films of all time), Saving Mr. Banks is not one of the greatest sports films of all time... In case you couldn't figure that one out on your own! But, oh well! I give Saving Mr. Banks 2.83 out of 5 stars.

Captain Phillips

 

I know this review is quite delayed, but, unfortunately, I have this thing called school that takes up a lot of my time. Over the past few weeks, this thing has been absolutely insane, so please forgive me!

Expectations:
Each and every trailer that I saw for Captain Phillips resulted in absolute boredom! I just didn't think the film would entertain me much at all, but, like its predecessor, Gravity, the positive reviews for Captain Phillips were rolling in, causing me to rethink my expectations. It's been a good while since Tom Hanks has had a successful, non-Toy Story film, and it is good to see folks appreciating him again. Sure, he may have made some poor choices in taking roles in Cloud Atlas and Larry Crowne, but the man can act. His amazing career has garnered such respect as mine, and, heading in to watch Captain Phillips, I was hopeful that his performances in both this film and the upcoming Saving Mr. Banks would get him back on track...

Plot:
Considering that I expected very little, plot-wise, Captain Phillips was much better than expected. However, it did take a little too long for the drama to get going. In an attempt to create an emotional connection to the character, the film opened with Hanks' Phillips talking with his wife, as she drives him to the airport. To me, the introductory scene did very little to establish said connection but, instead, added unnecessary length to the film. As Hanks' dramatic performance progressed, he was able to create an emotional connection that no "talk with the wife" could possibly create. As the film moved onto the water, there were still some moments that I found unnecessary. Fortunately, I was on the edge of my seat throughout the film, which made up for the length.

Characters:
Although I did expect a great performance from Tom Hanks, I never thought I would be so blown away by his relationship with his pirate kidnappers, particularly their leader, played by Barkhad Abdi. I expected the pirates to be portrayed as these evildoers, who would keep Captain Phillips in captivity. Instead, the root of their piracy was their attempt to do their job, as piracy was truly their only option. This innocence led to the true heart of the film, as Hanks' Phillips begins to connect with the young pirates, leading to the climactic ending that is sure to have an emotional effect on anyone who watches the film. Was Hanks' performance good?... Absolutely. But, in my opinion, the relationship between Phillips and the pirates was the key to the drama in this film.

Conclusion:
There is very little, in this world, that I hate more than being wrong. Unfortunately, my expectations are on this horrible streak of failing me, from Don Jon to Gravity to, now, Captain Phillips. not only was Hanks performance great, but I also loved the performances of each of the pirates, as well as the great connection that developed between the pirates and Phillips. The plot was not fantastic, but it is a true story, so I don't know how you really fix that. Everything was drug out a bit, which may have taken away from the potential dramatic effect of the film. Thankfully, however, the drama was so, so real, and it was easy to put yourself in the shoes of Captain Phillips. For me, it would have undoubtedly led to my being seasick, but I probably would have been a bit worried about the pirates too. I give Captain Phillips 3.56 out of 5 stars.

The Notscars 2012

While 2012 got off to a pretty rocky start movie-wise, the end of the year was quite good, which made it difficult to really come up with a whole list of the worst of 2012. Also, this year, I've done a much better job of picking movies to watch that I know I will enjoy. So, unlike last year, I'm not going to list everything out categorically. Instead, I'm going to give out some random awards to various actors, actresses, and movies. These awards are meant to be funny, so please laugh, if only to make me feel accomplished!

The Stupid Avenger
Chris Hemsworth - The Avengers

Worst Steve Carell Movie EVER
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Forgot How to Act
Anna Kendrick - Pitch Perfect/What to Expect When You're Expecting














Worst Five Performances in One Movie
Tom Hanks - Cloud Atlas

Finally Picked a Bad Role
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Lincoln

Waste of Funny
Jason Sudeikis - The Campaign

Sings WAY Worse Than Russell Crowe
Paul Giamatti - Rock of Ages

Twilight Was Ten Times Better Than You
Snow White and the Huntsman

Worst Sideburns/Beard Ever
Wes Bentley - The Hunger Games

Worst Performance of the Year
Cobie Smulders - The Avengers

Worst Film of the Year
What to Expect When You're Expecting

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Expectations:
When I first saw the trailer for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, I was 100% hooked. Stories about 9/11 are always emotional and usually lean toward the sad side, but sometimes you want to see a movie like that. I don't know about you, but I get so sick of the happy endings that Hollywood pours out onto the big screen. Based solely on my knowledge of the preferences of the Academy Awards, I really thought this movie would do well when it came to picking up nominations, but it looks like it will be kept off the list this year. The biggest thing that worried me about this film was it's 50% rating on the Tomatometer. I tend to agree with the Tomatometer, so I just had to hope they were wrong when I went to see Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close...

Plot:
This story is absolutely fantastic. It really has so many different elements, such as the whimsical nature of a kids adventure film, the emotion of a sad drama, and the mystery of a great thriller. As I'm sure you have seen in the trailer, Oskar (Thomas Horn) spends the movie searching for the lock that fits a key he finds in his father's closet. At the beginning of the story, I didn't think there was going to be much depth to his search, seeing as he is just a kid, but, by the end, I really REALLY wanted to know where his adventure would end. It was really a story about letting go and moving on but not forgetting what we learn from those who pass through our lives. There is a lot of depth to the plot, but I don't want to ruin it for you, so just watch it!

Characters:
Anytime you have the likes of Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, you can expect to have a great movie. Of course, Hanks and Bullock play Oskar's parents. Thomas Schell (Hanks) is killed in the twin towers on 9/11, and his wife Linda (Bullock) is left to deal with the effects of her husbands death on her own life, as well as keep Oskar stable, as he was very close to his father. While Oskar's parents were important to the story, they didn't see very much screen time. Oskar was the only one who was in the majority of the film, but he certainly wasn't the only great character. A man (Max von Sydow), known only as The Renter, really added an extra element to this film. He began going with Oskar on his quest and really helped him face some of his greatest fears. There were also many great small performances from characters that Oskar met throughout his journey. Everybody in the story had a common bond, and that bond was Oskar.

Best Character: Oskar Schell, played by Thomas Horn, is one of the most memorable characters of 2011. If you can't tell from the trailer, Oskar is a very different kid. He is certainly not a "cool" or "normal" kid, and it is obvious that his intelligence and quirkiness holds him back from the rest of society. At the same time, he is very lovable, and you really want him to succeed. He sort of reminds me of Mr. Spock, because he truly cannot find the logic behind his father's death. If you didn't know, Thomas Horn, who did a fantastic job playing Oskar, is a Kids Jeopardy champion. Director Stephen Daldry saw Horn on Jeopardy and knew that he wanted him to play the lead in this film. The fourteen year old Horn had zero acting experience before this film, which certainly makes his performance even that much more impressive.

Worst Character: William Black, played by Jeffrey Wright, was probably my least favorite character. He is greatly involved in the end of the movie, but I didn't think he did a good job of expressing the emotion that he needed to, in what is probably THE most important scene in the entire film. This could be Wright's fault or the fault of Daldry, but, whoever there is to blame, they need to be blamed.

Conclusion:
I was certainly impressed with Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and I don't know why the fancy Oscar critics don't think it is fantastic. The story was great. The cast was great. The end was great. There really isn't much more to making a great movie, if you haven't yet realized that in your lifetime. The connection between Oskar and his mom really got my emotions stirring, and I am no emotional individual. If you are a movie cryer, do bring the tissues. I was fascinated by the results of this film and the portrayal of a family, who lost their father on 9/11. The only negative to the entire film was a lack of humor. There were times when I laughed, but it was a bit awkward, We have all seen movies about 9/11, but I promise that this one is different. I give Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close 3.97 out of 5 stars.

Movie News for the Week of June 28, 2011

Sorry the news this week is not very exciting, but these are the most interesting things I could find.

1. Super 8 star Joel Courtney has signed on to play Tom Sawyer in a new remake of the classic tale. The movie will begin shooting in August.

2. Vin Diesel has announced a summer 2013 release date for the next Fast and Furious movie. The sixth installment of the series is much anticipated following the success of this year's Fast Five.

3. The new Spy Kids 4 will feature 4D Aroma Scope. This will allow the audience to smell certain parts of the movie. Kind of weird if you ask me.

4. Comedic genius Judd Apatow has begun working on a Pee Wee Herman feature film. Yay for the Pee Wee fans!

5. Warner Bros. will move forward on the making of a Green Lantern sequel despite the first film underperforming at the box office. Green Lantern was made for $200 million and given $100 million for marketing and has only made $180 million at the box office so far. This really surprises me. If you read my review of the first film, you will see how I feel about a sequel.

6. A screenwriter has been found for Will Smith's recreation of the classic Annie. If you did not know, Willow Smith (Will's daughter) will play Annie and Jay Z has signed on to do the music for the film.

7. Tom Hanks said this week that Toy Story 4 is already being prepared by the fine folks at Pixar. Although Pixar has not made an official statement regarding another sequel, Hanks would be the one to know if this was the truth.

For the Pixar fans, this is the teaser trailer for Brave, out next summer: