About Time (2013)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFyCfFJC0no  (Il Mondo)

"Best song ever recorded by an Italian who looks like he's got a dead badger on his head," (Dad- Bill Nighy)

What a beautiful and emotionally tender movie. I wish it had a bit more substance, but that probably would have ruined the feelings and broad strokes of memory that About Time worked so hard to create.

Alternatively, if the director and producers had taken the opposite approach to the exact same premise for a film, I fully believe that they could have made a far different yet equally engaging movie.  If I had the power to go back in time whenever I wanted and spend time as I felt, there really wouldn't be anything more important than love, so I maintain content in their production decisions.

Ratings
Lovers:  See it
Sappy lovers:  Skip it.  it's too much
Dr. Who?:  See it
Wedding Planners: See it
Awkward Brits: See it

On a scale of Time Bandits to Turtles in Time, I give About Time 3.2 out of 5 stars. 

Apollo 13 (1995)

"I don't want to hear about what they haven't got.  I want to hear about what they got." -Gene Krantz
"The constellation urIne." -Jim Lovell

Tom Hanks is the Joe Dimaggio of late 20th century cinema.  Hit after hit after hit after hit.  Oscar night after Oscar night after Oscar night.  Its kinda incredible when you IMDB him.

As for Apollo 13, Hanks delivers a subtle and thus believable Jim Lovell.  I thought the real home run was the scene where he is drunk in his backyard with his thumb over the moon.

Apollo 13 is a Ron Howard film.  I have one or two of his movies on my blog currently and another one coming up.  He is a competent if not occasionally genius film maker.  In the case of Apollo 13, I have to applaud Ron's ability to create dramatic tension in a story that would lack tension if told in a deft way.  When I thought about this, I wondered if Ron modeled Apollo 13 as the reverse of a prison break movie.  Instead of applying an unknown and escalating series of new threats.  He simply worked backwards to take threats away from our heroes one at a time and in order.  Making an order of operations centric movie exciting should be rewarded.  Well done.

Ratings:
Apollo Astronauts:  See it
Slide rule enthusiasts:  See it
Engineers:  See it
Medical practitioners: Skip it.  (The measles....pbhhhh)
Six degrees of Kevin Bacon: An essential

On a scale from human factors to human division, I give Apollo 13 3.89 out of 5 stars.  

The Triplets of Bellville (2003)

(Silence)

I like languages.  I am good at some of them.  I am terrible at others.  I am terrible at French.  I wish I was better, but I am not.

For those of you who remember my post in Ratatouille of how spacial and shape iconography can be/should be used within animation as a tool to communicate with the audience, I present The Triplets of Belleville as a striking if off-putting example of the same principle.  It is as if the artists and directors set out on a task of making the shapes speak louder than the characters and then stretched them out to outlandish proportions.  Champion is a skeleton with enormous thunder legs.  The henchmen are blocks, and anyone not a main character is outrageously fat.  The spacial communications of the Triplets of Belleville are actually a bit unnerving.

I will state that I loved the heart and soul that went into this amazing piece of Cinema.  As long as movies like this exist there is always hope for moments of brilliance in a commercial world.

Ratings:
Tour de France fans:  See it
Loved the Andrews Sisters?: See it
Fans of Music Land:  See it
French:  See it

On a scale of Dorian to Mixolydian, I give The Triplets of Belleville, 3.8 out of 5 stars.  

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

"Don't you think it's a little dangerous to hand out guns at a bank?" (Michael Moore)
"I wouldn't say anything to them.  I would listen to what they have to say, and that's what no one did." (Marilyn Manson)
"If its a choice between covering a near drowning, and someone with a gun, which do you cover?" (Michael Moore to Reporter)
"The gun, every time." (Reporter)

What a highly disturbing and insightful movie.  It is always a good thing to seek out new opinions perspectives to tough questions.  I must admit that I don't own a gun, I don't want to own a gun, and I am generally surrounded by people who don't own guns and don't want to own guns.  I do know many hunters.  However, it is an entirely different perspective to hunt than to keep a gun for protection.  I remember going on a hiking trip in Wyoming, and one of my group insisting that we needed to bring along a hand gun for protection against bears.  I found this dubious and dangerous, and thus he had to carry the gun himself.  We never even came close to seeing a bear.

As for Bowling for Columbine, I think that a movie on the topic of guns and gun related violence in America, can only go so far.  The topic cannot be contained in one movie.  The topic is just too big.  I appreciate Michael Moore's opinions and the way in which he put forth information on a serious subject in a lighthearted manner for the purposes of sparking discussion and self reflection.  That is a noble cause.

Ratings:
Members of well-regulated militias: See it
NRA members: See it
Television News Editors:  See it
Want to be on COPS?: Take your shirt off.
Thinking of committing a violent act with a gun:  Please seek help, tragedies can be avoided.

On a scale of a 10 pin bowling to a 10 point buck, I give Bowling for Columbine 3.69 out of 5 stars.

Thor: The Dark World (2013) *Special Guest Review by Larkspurblossom

**~**Spoilers**~**

"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help." - Loki (to Thor)

Your brother isn't coming, is he? -Dr. Erik Selvig
Loki is dead. -Thor
Thank God... I'm so sorry. -Dr. Erik Selvig

First of all, comic book movies are awesome. They (usually) come out every year on or around my birthday in May, so maybe that was my precursor to liking them so much; I always knew that there would be something to see for my birthday that would have action, comedy, a bit of romance, and a bit of drama as well. Thor was no exception. Perhaps the criticism I have for it is that it, and everything Marvel churns out, is becoming incredibly formulaic. Big strong superhero has problems at home, comes in to save the day, girl gets sappy, evil forces get vanquished, and then BOOM! Cliffhanger!

Would I be happier with whatever ending Thor gave, if I didn't know that he'd return to my movie screen in the 2nd Avengers movie? Probably. Does that mean I didn't enjoy having him (shirtless) in said movie? Not at all. Just because I enjoyed the visual appealing-ness of Thor 2 does not mean that I agreed with the director's cuts and choices of random scenes to move the story along.

That said, good job Christopher Eccleston. I had no idea that was you.
Also, Renee Russo: when did you become such a badass??

So. Ratings. I never understand the blog's, so I guess this means I get to be as random as possible with mine.

From a scale of Odin's-day to Thor's-day, I give Thor: The Dark World a rating of 3.5 stars.

Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

"Darling, you're exposed."  (Miles Massey, Marylin Hamilton Rexroth Doyle Massey)

"The Massey pre-nup." (Everyone)

Intolerable Cruelty is an acceptable, well-crafted, and occasionally funny movie that does not merit inclusion into the pantheon of either the Coen Brothers or  Rom Coms.  It has many laudable and attributes including great performances, sharp dialogue, classic narrative style, and quirky Coen-nesses, but all of them feel subdued and flat.  Worth one's time once for a second date, but probably not a second viewing.  

Ratings

Coen Brothers:  I love your movies.  This one is good not great.  It is my least favorite of your catalog to date.  Please keep making movies.  

Classicists:  The plot and structure of Intolerable Cruelty is far to Shakespearean to not have been heavily influenced by one of the bards creations.  I just don't know which one.  If anyone can tell me I would be interested.  

Romantacists:  Skip it

Schisters:  See it

Edward Herrmann: You are a rock star in everything.  Act on!

On a scale of a Bell Boy to a Concierge, I give Intolerable Cruelty 3.3 out of 5 stars.