Tag Archives: Movies

Trailer Tuesday: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

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Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where I talk about trailers for upcoming movies, since I’ve always found them to be endlessly fascinating.

I was a little ambivalent about the first Amazing Spider-Man movie.  I thought it did a pretty good job of setting its own tone, in order to distinguish itself from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy that had only recently ended.  Director Mark Webb gave it an indie feel, and Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone really helped sell the idea of this new Spider-Man.  I was less interested in the conspiracy background involving Peter Parker’s parents, which I thought was distracting and just a little too much for the movie.  Overall, it was not bad but certainly not great.

Suffice to say, I’m still undecided as to whether or not I want to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in theaters.  And I’m not sure whether this first trailer has made me any more likely to see it.  Take a look below, and read on for my thoughts:

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What if there was a Best Voice Performance Oscar? – 2001

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(Note: This is a fictional creative writing exercise, inspired by hours of contemplation of which animated performances have been most worthy of attention over the years.  This feature imagines that a Best Voice Performance category was added to the Oscars following Beauty and the Beast’s nomination for Best Picture at the 64th Academy Awards.  Each week I’ll cover the hypothetical nominees and winner from one year of animated performances.)

At the 73rd Academy Awards, for the third time in the Best Voice Performance category’s short lifespan, four of the nominees were from the same film.  This recurring issue caused considerable frustration among Oscar fans, and there was even some talk about doing away with the category in the months after the ceremony.  However, 2001 was shaping up to be a more promising year for animation, so much so that a new category was announced for the Oscars, that of Best Animated Feature.  This was thought to be an acknowledgement of the progress made by animation, which consistently ranked among the top grossing films of the year and was now attracting some of the top talent in the industry.  The question was how this would affect the Best Voice Performance category and whether a winner in one category meant that the film would also win the other.

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Favorite Moment – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.

In a further attempt to get over my inability to write about Harry Potter, I give you today’s Friday Favorite, from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  Until the release of the two part Deathly Hallows films, Goblet of Fire was my favorite of the Harry Potter films.  While many people preferred Prisoner of Azkaban, I liked this one the best.  I thought it gave an emotional depth and realism to the characters that was a big step beyond anything we had seen in the previous three movies.  Big credit for that goes to director Mike Newell and screenwriter Steve Kloves, but I also felt the cast had finally matured to the point where their performances could bring the characters to life in a new way.  I particularly loved Emma Watson’s performance in the film, and she’s given so many chances to shine, but there’s one moment in particular that stands out to me.  Take a look, and read on for my thoughts:

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Review: Frozen

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True love, princesses, magic, funny animal sidekicks and fantastic music.  These are the ingredients we expect from a film like Frozen, and it delivers on all of them.  But Frozen is different than anything we’ve seen in the genre from Disney before.  Inspired by the Hans Christian Anderson story, The Snow Queen, it’s fun, funny, emotional and romantic, but it’s also deeper, more interesting and more complex than what we’re used to seeing.  From its top notch cast, to its gorgeous visuals, its outstanding music and its empowering message, Frozen is a must-see for everyone.

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Review: The Book Thief

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Despite World War II being one of the most frequently depicted events onscreen, and those films spanning a range of genres, from epic war pictures to intimate, tightly-focused narratives and from drama to action to comedy, there have been surprisingly few films released here in the US that tell stories of life for German civilians during the war.  And while The Book Thief, based on the novel by Markus Zusak, may be fictional, it paints a believable picture of what life might have been like in Nazi Germany for the characters.  From the air raids to the pressures of conforming to the Nazi Party, The Book Thief told a story that felt, if not unique, at least outside of the norm.  If in the end it plays things fairly safe, it’s still a beautiful and heart wrenching film with some wonderful performances.

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Review: Ender’s Game

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Disclaimer:  I feel like everyone has a right to be informed about Orson Scott Card’s views before they decide whether or not to see a film based on his book.  You can read about his statements here.  Considering that the film reflects none of his controversial viewpoints, I personally have no issue with people deciding to see the film, though I also completely understand those who prefer to boycott.  Judging on the box office performance of the film, it doesn’t seem like a decision either way will make much of a difference at this point.  However, it is always good for people to be informed.

I read Orson Scott Card’s 1985 novel, Ender’s Game when I was a kid and I remember loving it.  It was darker and more interesting than most books aimed at my age bracket at the time (I was probably in late elementary or early middle school), and though I never read any of the book’s sequels, prequels or spinoffs the story still stuck strongly in my mind.  The story’s violence, its interesting moral code, its creative universe where kids are destined to be saviors and its surprise ending were thought provoking and entertaining to my younger self.  The new film adaptation is a faithful, well-crafted one, with some gorgeous effects and an outstanding cast, but it fails to capture the excitement or depth of what I remember from the book.  Whether that’s because I’m incorrectly remembering the novel or because I’m older and have different tastes is up for debate. Continue reading →

Trailer Tuesday: The Monuments Men

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Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where I talk about trailers for upcoming movies, since I’ve always found trailers to be endlessly fascinating.

It’s usually never a good sign when a film that was originally scheduled for release during Oscar season gets postponed into the next year, but I feel like it might be a good choice for The Monuments Men.  While the film seemed like Oscar bait, the way the awards season is shaping up it’s pretty clear that it doesn’t have a chance against the likes of 12 Years a Slave, Captain Phillips, Gravity and others, despite the fact that World War II movies do well and the cast they rounded up for this film is phenomenal.  Instead of competing for this year’s Oscars (it will of course be eligible for next year’s, but movies released in February are forgotten by the time December rolls around) it will instead release in the doldrums with little competition and can be a much bigger box office hit.  The tactic worked for The Great Gatsby, so why not here?  Take a look at the trailer and read on for my thoughts:

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What if there was a Best Voice Performance Oscar? – 2000

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(Note: This is a fictional creative writing exercise, inspired by hours of contemplation of which animated performances have been most worthy of attention over the years.  This feature imagines that a Best Voice Performance category was added to the Oscars following Beauty and the Beast’s nomination for Best Picture at the 64th Academy Awards.  Each week I’ll cover the hypothetical nominees and winner from one year of animated performances.)

Following what many considered to be a huge upset at the 72nd Academy Awards, at which Vin Diesel beat out Tom Hanks for the Best Voice Performance Oscar, the category gained a reputation for being one of the most unpredictable of the Academy Awards.  Since its inception the award occasionally went to the obvious frontrunner, but just as often to a different, more unusual performance, making for interesting viewing but frustrating the odds-makers.  The slate of animated films for 2000 offered up no clear smash hits, making prediction even murkier. Continue reading →

Review: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

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Last year The Hunger Games surprised a lot of people.  It was based on a fairly popular book series, but for most people was something of an unknown.  It featured a handful of familiar faces but no true stars, was directed by a man with only two moderate successes on his resume, and told a story that some found to be conceptually off-putting.  However, all of those potential negatives combined to create something of a phenomenon.  The low-budget aesthetic, gritty storyline and strong performances generated strong word of mouth and the result was one of the biggest success stories of 2012 and nearly $700 million in box office receipts.

For the sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, things have definitely changed.   Continue reading →

Gender Inequality in Film

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The Thanksgiving holiday still has my schedule screwed up, so there won’t be a Friday Favorite today (not that many people will be disappointed by that).  Instead, I present the infographic below produced by the New York Film Academy about inequality in the film industry.  While this isn’t exactly news, it’s still shocking and disheartening to see these statistics all grouped together.  While I appreciate the Bechdel Test for its ideals, we have to understand that there are plenty of films that pass the test but are derogatory towards women, while some films that feature complex and interesting women characters may not pass the test (Gravity).  But the problems that created a need for the Bechdel test go much deeper, and this infographic really shows how far we still have to go for women to be equally represented in the film industry.  What are your thoughts? Continue reading →