Life: Magical and Realistic

Movie: What Happens in Vegas

I was bragging yesterday to some friends as we were sitting on the beach near Half Moon Bay that I get to watch a lot of movies these days and that I kind of review them in this blog.  So that reminded me of the fact that I saw the movie What Happens in Vegas the other day with my wife on our date night, and that I hadn't reviewed it yet.  I guess the reason why I hadn't reviewed it yet was because it was a pretty uninteresting and unmemorable movie.  In fact, I needed to look up the name online to even remember what I saw!  Not an auspicious start to any review...

Now, don't get me wrong:  I love the concept of this movie, and I love Las Vegas.  I was introduced to Las Vegas late in my life (post 33 years old, in fact), and on my way there with friends of both sexes was told to pinky swear (also a new concept) that what happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas.  And Cameron Diaz is kind of a babe, so there is that too.  But the movie didn't really move me, and at the end I walked away thinking I should have just waited till it came out on DVD.  But since I have been on this movie roll, I had to go, and so that was that.

The movie starts by introducing us to the two main characters, a likeable but unworldly Cameron Diaz and her foil, Aston Kutcher (who I also just looked up since I could not remember his name) who have misadventures in NYC and wind up in Vegas to let their hair down a bit.  The funniest bits take place in their initial meetings in the hotel room, and subsequent night out on the town.  Lo and behold, they get married in a drunken misadventure, and wake up the next morning with one of those "who the hell is this next to me" feelings - you know the kind (if your honest, and me).  So, they immediately realize they are not right for each other, decide to annul the marriage, but end up winning $3 million dollars in a progressive slot machine and need to stay together.  The rest of the movie is full of the usual "getting to know you scenes" in which they hate each other, then learn to understand each other, then finally figure out they are actually perfect for each other in a sappy, Hollywoodesque type of long drawn out ending.

I guess I would sum it up likes this:  what starts out as a guy movie, ends up (somewhere less than halfway through) as a chick flick.  So, I guess everyone wins, kind of, although what I really think is everyone goes away half-satisfied.  Kind of like going to Vegas and winning a lot of money at the very end once you have pretty much busted out the first few days, so that you end up "even."  So you leave Vegas with this unsatisfying feeling because if you had won earlier, you could have really lived it up, but since you won late, you are just happy to get out of there "alive." 

And that is how this movie made me feel.

Movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

It was a beautiful, sunny day yesterday, the kind of day you want to just wander around aimlessly on the beach picking up sea-shells and contemplating things worth contemplating while eating a very melty ice-cream cone, chocolate preferably.  But the two kids were at school till 5pm, allowing Claudia and me to go out and actually do something together, sans kids.  So we chose to go to the movies and indulge on popcorn, diet coke, and Indiana Jones instead of aforementioned walk on the beach.  Yes, we do love movies, and Indiana Jones has been one of those "must see" movies of the summer.

A caveat lest you think we are nuts for leaving sunny outdoor balminess and moving toward cold indoor clamminess:  In years past, we have opted to wait to see the big movies due to children, timing, and other issues.  The problem is, our movie theater choice here in town is smallish, and once a movie moves on, we are doomed to wait for it to come to DVD and watch it on our home screen.  Which usually is not a big deal, but this is Indiana Jones!  Having grown up (kind of) with Harrison Ford and his whip, it is hard to say "I will leave this viewing to the movie gods."  No way.  So we went.

And we were not disappointed!  The movie does what I think movies should do:  transport you to another place where you become almost a part of the story because it grabs you so...  and maybe it was just because it was some familiar characters, and maybe it was because I identified with the whole "getting older is not necessarily a bad thing" theme, and maybe it was just cause it was a damn engaging movie.  I dunno.  I just think it was money well spent.  And the tub of popcorn, even though I had to share since Claudia also did not eat lunch, was fabulous as always.

To talk about the plot is a bit pointless, since it is kind of formulaic (bad guys do bad things, good guys, namely Indy + girlfriend + son + crazy guy, do good things).  But the plot devices, the timing, and the scenery could fill pages.  Highlights for me include the ants swarming, the sword fight on moving vehicles through the jungle, the waterfalls, the actual kingdom, the wacky monkey-men who attack, fight and disappear without any real rhyme or reason other than to show Indy still has moves, and the spaceship.  Oh, and the Russian bad-guy (Cate Blanchett), who gives a whole new meaning to icy-hot blue eyes.

Harrison still has the moves and looks very good.  You could call him weathered and scruffy (like people at Facestat.com did to me here although he is  years older than me), but he still looks great.  And the old adage that men age more gracefully than women is especially evident when his old girlfriend from previous Indiana Jones movies comes back onto the scene.  Although physically she is his equal and is evidently in great shape, her "scruffiness and weathered-ness" makes her just unattractive, especially if you remember her from the previous movies (when I actually had a crush on her).  And yes, I do feel it is OK to comment on her physical attractiveness since she is a movie star.

I guess the only distracting part of the movie (and God, I love that theme music!) was in the audience where a mom had brought her 5 and 4 year old to "enjoy" the movie too.  So, the ant swarming scene mentioned above was intense:  someone is actually carried off by swarming ants and sucked into a giant ant-hill (yuck!).  It was so intense, I could hardly look at it without cringing.  But the poor kids!  They were terrified, hanging on to mom and dad and hiding their faces for that scene and much of the scarier parts of the movie.  What is it with parents who would do that?  I think it is a type of child abuse - mental abuse, if nothing else.  But then again, that is only my opinion: I think some kids are less sensitive than me or mine.

So yeah, highly recommended and then some.  But don't bring the kids.

Movie: TCoN: Prince Caspian

It was date night the other night, and instead of going to our favorite Sushi place, we decided to go catch Prince Caspian at the local movie theater.  Two things of note before I start with the usual: I went to Costco earlier and scored those cheaper Regal Entertainment Theater coupons, saving some money, and then went on to blow the savings and a lot more on a large tub-o-popcorn and large diet coke (I know, why diet coke when I am eating a freaking tub of lard?  Dunno, I just like it, that's why).  Yes, I was upsold to the tub, but I am a sucker for popcorn.  I am starting to think part of the reason I like to go to movies so much is not for the movie itself, but for the indulgence in the popcorn!  So maybe if I brought popcorn into other parts of my life... hmmm...  More on that later.

So, the movie was OK, not at all like what I remember the book being about.  Note to self: re-read the book if you can find it.  It starts with the kids being whisked away from the Strand Tube station in London, and plopped straight back into Narnia where, of course, everything has changed for the worse.  It is apparently 1300 years later (we learn that at the end of the film in a sticky moment where one of our heroines, Susan, is tempted to stay in Narnia with Prince Caspian, but I digress) and the evil Telmarines have taken over the place and exterminated -- or so they think -- all the creatures of Narnia.  Later we find out the Telmarines are just another bunch of misplaced humans who came in through another magical hole in space/time, and that they are just acting, well, human, circa 19th century lore: brutal, bad-ass, and a bit boring.  And in a weird twist of fate, they all have odd accents, as is noted by the Movie Mom (who I think rocks for telling me what to bring my kids to - and so far, there is nothing, and I mean not a single movie, I feel I can bring my kids to, but I digress again).

So, this movie is a bit like the Telmarines: brutal, bad-ass and a bit boring.  The fight scenes between the Telmarines and the not-actually-extinct Narnians are brutal, the heroes are bad-ass (as are the bad guys), but somewhere through the forest, Aslan, the White witch (again), and even back in jolly old London, things are just kind of moving along, running in place, or kind of boring, so to speak.  OK, the visual effects were amazing, so I would go again just for that.  But as for adding it to my collection of DVDs at home to watch again another day (of which I am just waiting for the day they are obsolete because of movies moving to hard-drives a la music to ipods), this movie, unlike the original Chronicles of Narnia, fails.  Not to say I didn't get a little teary eyed at the end.  After all, the movie is about the end of innocence and childhood, and Peter and Susan won't be coming back to Narnia.  So, I guess my point is this: if you liked the books, you will like the movie just because it brings the characters to the big screen in a fantastical way (especially Reepicheep, the mouse, who steals the show).  If you haven't read the books but like big action-packed movies, you will also like it.  But if you haven't read the books and want an interesting storyline, stay away from the movie and read the book at home instead.

I guarantee you will like it better that way.  And, if you are like me, devour some tubs of popcorn while reading - it is good for the soul.

Movie: Over Her Dead Body

Claudia was frankly sick of dark movies, and we had somehow wound up with a good share of them.  So, when it was time to reorder Netflix and look at their suggestions, I looked hard in Comedy or Romance to find something somewhat suitable and interesting.  This one was recommended to us, and so I gave it a shot.

Now, maybe it was the dearth of either comedy or romance in the last movies we watched, or maybe it was just the gin and tonics talking... but this movie hit a funny bone towards the middle part of the movie that had us both LOL!  From the reviews I later read, and from the start of the movie itself, I was prepared for the worst.  In fact, the Kate character is so annoying that she made me want to leave the room or otherwise strangle the character, virtually, somehow.  Never a good start.  But inertia kept us firmly in our seats, and so we continued to watch, and eventually to enjoy!  Of course, all good things must come to an end, so during the last third of the movie I have to say I was ready to get up and go to bed, but the belly laughs in the middle made it all worthwhile.

So, what is the movie about?  Basically the annoying Kate gets killed on her wedding day, then comes back to haunt her husband as he starts to date.  The situational comedy part of the movie comes when our hero, Henry (played by an actor I really like, Paul Rudd), goes to a psychic to try to contact his dearly departed ball and chain, and winds up falling for her.  The misadventures continue somewhat predictably, but the best parts involve the psychic, the crazy Kate ghost, and Henry, including a part where they are an unlikely threesome in bed.

OK, sure this has been done better, notably in Dona Flor and her Two Husbands (the book, of course, better than the movie), based in Brazil.  But for what it is worth, if you are OK with 1/3 movie being truly funny, 1/3 being just hum-drum, and the other 1/3 being downright boring, then you should enjoy this farcical and fantastical movie.

Movie: Iron Man

I have to admit that I was very excited to see this movie, and it had nothing to do with Robert Downey Jr.  I am a comic book collector from way back when, and have loved the big screen adaptations of the X-men and Batman (specifically Batman Begins).  So, when I heard about Iron Man I was mildly interested, although it was not one of my favorite titles.  But then the sneak previews appeared, and the film looked like it rocked!  I also liked the way they had updated the storyline to include a whole new beginning for Tony Stark becoming Iron Man.

In addition, the movie soundtrack, with AC/DC and Black Sabbath, appealed to my inner heavy metal rocker, circa 1980 when I lived in Florida.  So, I went to see the film, expecting it to be great, and to a certain extent, it was.  The creation of the Iron Man suit, and the entire middle part of the movie, were hilarious and entertaining.  The setup, at the start of the movie, made the entire rest of the movie believable.  But the end... well, let's just say that if it were a comic book, I wouldn't have kept it in "pristine" state.  I mean, two robots duking it out?  That was pretty anticlimactic.  What I would have expected, in good old Marvel tradition, was for Tony to outwit his foe in some amazing way, using brains over brawn to win the day.  Instead we had the usual Hollywood action drivel the likes of Transformers.  Not exactly satisfying.

I did stay to watch the bit after the end credits to see what the hoo-ha was about.  Basically it sets up a future Avengers movie under SHIELD (read the comic books if you don't know wtf I am talking about), which could be great.  But for now I am waiting to see what they do with their next comic-adaptation-for-the-big-screen in the Incredible Hulk.  My expectations are very low (I intensely disliked the comic book), but the trailer looked promising.  My worry is that Hulk, by its very nature will end up a smash-and-kill over the top nut job movie. 

But that won't stop me from seeing it!

Movie: Gone Baby Gone

It is rare a movie comes along that I like as much as this one.  I have been abusing my Netflix queue, with its three-at-a-time movies-at-home option (we just upgraded from one-at-a-time), watching some pretty amazing movies (No Country for Old Men, Before the Devil Knows your Dead) and some crap movies (Ratatouille -- really, a cute RAT?).  But this one stands out, thus this post.

Based in the rougher edges of Boston, with accents as thick as their Irish forebearers, the movie starts off as a pretty basic kidnapping movie, with a young girl disappearing one night when her mom was at the neighbors.  But that is where the similarity to any other kidnapping movie ends.  From that point on, we are given glimpses that not all is as it seems: we learn that the mom was not just at the neighbors, but was doing coke with her boyfriend at another house, that there is a plot to rip off a dealer, that the police are more involved than they seem, and that how our hero, a Private Investigator, deals with the underworld bosses and the police make him the ultimate anti-hero at the end.  Slowly the plot intensifies, with small seemingly unrelated characters coming together.  The beauty of the film is how it unfolds.  As a viewer, you are torn this way and that, like a leaf in a fast current.  At the end, you are hoping that what you know is true is actually not, as relates to the characters.  But, beyond that, the film is so morally ambivalent, that by the end of it, you are cheering for the "bad" guys and booing the "good" guys -- or are you?  That is the essence of the film: it makes you rethink your belief system and society's belief system as to what is good and what is bad.  A film that does that is rare indeed, which is why I think this should be required watching, at some point, for everyone who thinks they understand good and evil.