DVDs, Books, Games, and more

X-men Origins: Wolverine - Blu-ray

2009-11-08T10:48:00.001-08:00

AndyO review: * * *

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I'm a sucker for the X-men movies. Compared to The Fantastic Four, X-men films seem like they should be Oscar winners. Recently, I watched the first three X-men films with my son Cameron, and thought they held up pretty well.

While I expected Wolverine to be sub-par, based on the reviews I saw, I actually found it pretty interesting. Especially interesting was the beginning, which showed that Wolverine already had a special gift (as did his brother) before he got the metal claws. He could heal spontaneously; he was immortal. We watch scenes of both brothers fighting in practically every war since they existed.

We also see what drove Wolverine to go from mere immortal to a certified killing machine.

Definitely worth seeing if you like comic book films or Hugh Jackman.

Astro Boy - Theater

2009-11-08T10:32:00.001-08:00

AndyO review: * *

Metacritic: 53/100

This film looked great from the previews. Both my boys were excited to see it. But it ended up being a little too serious for kids (after all, Astro Boy is a robot replacement for a scientists' child who dies at the beginning).

Released: 2009

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Whip it - Theater

2009-10-04T18:01:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * * * 1/2

Metacritic: 67/100

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Whip it is Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, a coming-of-age story about a girl in a small Texas town who wants to join a rollerderby team.

First, Drew Barrymore's direction is excellent. She was obviously taking notes from Spielberg and all the other directors she's worked with over the years.

Second, Ellen Page is a force of nature. Her performance in Juno was no fluke (all you have to do is watch Hard Candy, which was done before Juno, to see that). There are very few actors who can draw you into a character the way Page does.

Third, I didn't know anything about rollerderby until I saw this film. I always thought it was about women trying to kill each other while skating around in circles. Well, I guess there are rules -- and there is a way to win.

Do yourself a favor and go see this film. Today.

Surrogates - Theater

2009-10-04T17:46:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * * 1/2

Metacritic: 45/100

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Surrogates could have been a great Science Fiction film. It combines many of the themes and ideas seen in countless other Sci-Fi films (notably The Matrix) to form something unique and entertaining. But a short running time and formulaic plot hold back the film.

Surrogates shows us a world where humans experience their daily lives through robot avatars. The robots go to work and play and the humans stay home in their pajamas, controlling them in the real world. Crime and disease plummet to all-time lows. Everyone looks great and can jump around like a superhero when they need to.

Thomas Greer (Bruce Willis) is a detective in this world. Instead of the weathered, shaved head version of Willis we're used to seeing, we see a smooth-faced version with a full head of hair. Greer and his partner, Jennifer Peters (Rhada Mitchell), are sent to investigate the destruction of two surrogates outside a night club. When they discover one of the surrogate operators is the son of the inventor of surrogate technology, Dr. Lionel Cantor (James Cromwell), everyone knows something is up. But then they find out Cantor's son is dead, as is the operator of the other surrogate -- something that shouldn't happen with the fail-safe switches built into the machines.

But it wasn't this plot that I was interested in. I wanted to know more about these stories, on edges of this plot:

Greer and his wife Maggie (Rosamund Pike) don't see each other at home, except through their surrogates. When Greer wants to take a vacation without their avatars, Maggie objects. She doesn't want her husband to see that she's not the perfect version of herself that she wants to be.
The operator of the female, blonde surrogate that was murdered along with Cantor's son was a man. As the usual detective story crept forward, I kept thinking about that man and realized surrogate technology would enable people to be who they want to be. (This is already a reality with the Internet where you don't really know who you're talking to.)
Parents are encouraged to get surrogates for their children, so they're always safe at home.
Part of society has rejected surrogate technology and lives in reservations where surrogates are forbidden.

A great version of this film would have found the right story to explore the philosophical and moral questions in more detail. Which is why I think you'll see a Surrogates TV series.

One thing that I found extremely odd was the casting of James Cromwell. He practically plays the same character as he did in I, Robot and L.A. Confidential.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - Theater

2009-10-03T11:51:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * * * 1/2

Metacritic: 66/100

One of the most creative children's films I've seen in a long time that explores the theme of parental (and societal) approval. Well worth the price of admission, but I don't recommend seeing this in IMAX 3-D (unless you want to pay a lot).

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The Informant! - Theater

2009-10-03T11:29:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * * * 1/2

Metacritic: 66/100

Steven Soderbergh and Matt Damon team up again in this true-life tale of Mark Whitacre -- an executive who turns on his employer, Archer Daniels Midland. While this is being marketed as a comedy, The Informant! is not as laugh-out-loud funny as those advertisements would like you to think. And while it might have been different than what I expected, I enjoyed it from start to finish.

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District 9 - Theater

2009-09-08T23:28:00.001-07:00

AndyO review - * * * *

Metacritic: 81/100 (Universal acclaim)

Released: 2009

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It's pretty rare that a movie comes out of nowhere and surprises audiences the way District 9 did. In this age of "event" movies that you hear about a year in advance, District 9 quietly appeared at the end of summer and blew audiences away. Three weeks after its release, it's still a trending topic on Twitter and staying in the top 5 at the box office. No small feat in this age of movies that come and go in one week.

In District 9, an alien spacecraft -- as huge and menacing as the ships in Independence Day -- arrives over the skies of Johannesburg, South Africa. After nothing happens, humans open up the ship and find insect-like aliens -- afraid and starving. The aliens are moved to a holding area in the city called District 9.

Twenty years later, the human citizens of Johannesburg have grown tired of sharing their city with the aliens (referred to derisively as "prawns"). The prawns are being shipped out of town to another "District," far away from Johannesburg. The person responsible for managing this effort is Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley), who works for Multinational United (MNU). Wikus is a bumbling bureaucrat, who's landed this job thanks to marrying an MNU official's daughter.

Wikus and his armed motorcade drive into District 9 and start knocking on doors, asking prawns to sign their "eviction" notices. Things get interesting when Wikus is sprayed with an oil-like substance that starts to mutate his body into one of the prawns. Where the story goes from here is what makes District 9 so original and breathtaking. Let's just say I didn't get up to use the bathroom.

The story behind the production of District 9 is also fascinating. First-time feature director, South African Neill Blomkamp, was working with Peter Jackson on the Halo movie when the plug was pulled. Jackson was so impressed with Blomkamp, he told him to write a script for something else and he'd find the financing.

Blomkamp wrote a script that could take advantage of some of the development he'd already done for Halo. This becomes even more clear when you watch the live-action promo trailer he made for the video game release of Halo 3.

One other thing about the film is it only cost $30 million. After seeing it, you won't believe it. I didn't.

As I watched District 9, I found myself comparing it to Star Wars--mostly, I think, because of how surprised I was with it. But later, when I read more about it, I found other comparisons. Star Wars was also made for relatively little money ($10 million in 1977). George Lucas knew how to take that money and make it look like $50 million. He hired unknown actors (except for Sir Alec Guinness), and put all the money into the sets and the special effects.

Like Lucas, Blomkamp put all the money on the screen. In an interview with Boston.com, he said he kept the costs down by doing the following:

He hired one of his friends to play the lead role (Sharlto Copley). ("We had no $15 million, $20 million star to pay. So that eliminates that expense.")
He knew how to accomplish the effects shots with no research and development ("Because of my background, I know what I can get away with. If we had done R&D [research and development], it would have been $50 million right there.")
He shot it in one of Soweto's poorest neighborhoods, Chiawelo. He hired locals as extras. ("These were seriously impoverished people. Destitute people. The township alone had 70,000 people. But if you hire different groups each day, you get that money into the community.")

All of this is interesting to those who study filmmaking, but it doesn't really matter. District 9 is a great movie regardless of how much it cost, or how it was made. It will surely join the canon of Sci-Fi films and make Blomkamp a star of a director. Whether he stays in this position depends on his next film. I, for one, can't wait to see it.

Ponyo - Theater

2009-09-03T15:49:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * * * *

Metacritic: 86/100 (Universal acclaim)

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Having two kids, I sometimes get to see movies that adults wouldn't normally go to or rent. As we've explored our video store, we've found some non-Disney animated gems, including Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. Both films, I found out later, were directed by Hayao Miyazaki, one of Japan's greatest animators.

Today, I took Cameron and his friend MacLean to see the new Miyazaki film, Ponyo. At first, the animation style (anime) of this film matches many second-rate films and children's shows. But in the hands of Miyazaki, Ponyo is like a waking dream. I saw the tagline for this film is "Welcome to a world where anything is possible." That pretty much describes it.

It's ironic that Disney distributed Ponyo. If you remove Miyazaki's thumbprint on this film, you have themes that were also present in The Little Mermaid or Pinocchio. You get the feeling that Disney's legendary animation and storytelling is echoing back to the United States by way of Japan.

If you've never seen any of Miyazaki's films, I recommend you go to the video store tonight and rent Howl's Moving Castle (nominated for the Best Animated Film Oscar in 2006) and Spirited Away (won for the Best Animated Film Oscar in 2003). (Give yourself a moment to adjust to the choppy anime animation style. It's not as slick as computer-animated films like Toy Story or Shrek.)

Inglourious Basterds - Theater

2009-09-03T14:54:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * * * 1/2

Metacritic: 69/100 (Generally favorable reviews)

I've always admired the gusto that Quentin Tarantino brings to his films. The latest, Inglourious Basterds, is a mashup of 70s cinema, Westerns, and WWII movies -- told only the way Tarantino could tell it. Don't go into Basterds expecting historical accuracy.

As the trailers have shown, Brad Pitt is in charge of the "Inglourious Basterds" as Aldo Raine. In this case, the Basterds are Jewish American psychopaths who want to torture and scalp Nazis as revenge, sport, or both. But the Basterds make up only one part of the story.

The next part concerns Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), a "Jew Hunter" (he was named by his fans and enemies) who seems to have an almost telepathic ability to stalk his prey. We see him in the first scene, speaking to a French dairy farmer in French. His words at first are friendly and disarming, but after they continue to talk (and switch to English) they become like knives. (Watch the subtitles closely during this scene, as they offer a bit of comic relief during an otherwise tense situation.)

The last threads of the story concern two women. The first, Shoshanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent), owns a cinema in France. She also happened to escape from Landa in the first scene, with the French farmer. She, like the Basterds, is also looking for revenge.

The other woman, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) is a famous German actress who's also a spy. She's going to help the Basterds get into a movie premiere, which will be attended by most of the German High Command (including Hitler himself).

Inglourious Basterds, like most of Tarantino's work, is the kind of film that takes time to understand and appreciate. It wasn't until a few days later that I was thinking about the style of the film. Scenes often border on comedy, which, like Landa's words to the farmer, are meant to disarm the audience. One moment you're watching a kind of cartoonish introduction of one of the Basterds (Stiglitz!), the next someone is getting executed or scalped.

Tarantino, like so many great filmmakers, creates a world that is unique and interesting. Roger Ebert summed it up best in his review when he wrote that the characters in this film "are seen with that Tarantino knack of taking a character and making it a Character, definitive, larger than life, approaching satire in its intensity but not -- quite -- going that far. Let's say they feel bigger than most of the people we meet in movies."

Marley & Me - Blu-ray

2009-08-11T01:04:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * * * 1/2

There are few films that capture parenting in all its raw glory. If you haven't had kids yet and want to know what it's like, watch "Marley and Me." If you have one or two kids and are thinking of having another, watch "Marley and Me." Oh, and you'll also find out why having a dog can be such a great adventure.

Marley, the dog, reminded me of my childhood dog, Sunny, a beautiful Irish Setter with a taste for wanderlust. (She got her name from Sun Valley, Idaho, where she was born.) I don't think there was a day that went by that she didn't run away. One time we lost her for months.

Even though she wasn't trained, she could hunt and retrieve. She got car sick. She loved swimming in ponds. She liked chasing golf balls on the golf course in our neighborhood, which sent one golfer in plaid pants into a homicidal rage("I'm going to get my shotgun!").

She slept in my bedroom at the foot of the bed.

Sunny was the kind of dog you see a once, maybe twice, in a lifetime. And so is Marley.

Released: 2008

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Marley & Me

Owen Wilson, Eric Dane, Alan Arkin, Haley Bennett, Clarke Peters, Lucy Merriam,

JCVD - Netflix streaming

2009-08-04T23:20:00.001-07:00

AndyO review - * * * 1/2

I can honestly say that JCVD is one of the more unique films I've seen in a while. It's a film about Jean-Claude Van Damme, the actor, but it's not a documentary. The film is experimental in many ways and shows that Van Damme can really act when given the chance -- even if he's playing himself.

Released: 2008

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JCVD

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Zinedine Soualem, Jean-Fran�ois Wolff, Liliane Becker, Fran�ois Beukelaers, Saskia Flanders,

Aliens in the Attic - Theater

2009-08-04T23:11:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * * 1/2

A good-hearted film about a group of kids who go to battle with aliens in their vacation home attic. Excellent effects.

Released: 2009

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Aliens in the Attic

Carter Jenkins, Ashley Tisdale, Henri Young, Doris Roberts, Kevin Nealon, Andy Richter,

G-Force - Theater

2009-08-04T23:08:00.001-07:00

AndyO review - * * *

Cameron and I saw this in Digital 3-D, and I have to say G-Force had some of the best 3-D effects I've ever seen in a film. I think I now understand how great a 3-D experience can be.

Released: 2009

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G-Force

Bill Nighy, Zach Galifianakis, Tyler Patrick Jones, Gabriel Casseus, Niecy Nash, Loudon Wainwright III,

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Theater

2009-06-27T18:44:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * 1/2

Metacritic: 36/100

After seeing the first Transformers movie, I was hopeful that Michael Bay had finally learned how to make a really good action film. After seeing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it appears Bay has slipped into his ways of old.

Let's put it this way: If you want to see 2-1/2 hours of wall-to-wall explosions, CGI robots destroying each other -- as well as most of what's left of ancient Egypt) -- and some really sexist shots of Megan Fox, then this is the summer film for you.

So, I thought the first rule of storytelling was that you need to have peaks and valleys in the story? If you only write action scenes, it's like listening to AC/DC turned up to 11 for 2 hours.

Steven Spielberg was the exec producer on Transformers, as well as on this film. Surely a director with such great story sense and pacing must have had a conference with Bay during the script development? I imagine it going something like this: "Mike, I love the script, but I have one small question: Why is every scene filled with action? There are no small human moments, like in the first film, where we got to know the characters."

To which Bay answered:

"Steve, who cares? Transformers was pretty much wall-to-wall action. And people ate it up! You can't argue with $319,246,193 in the U.S. and $708,272,592 worldwide! And now that HD-DVD is dead, thanks in no small part to my negative campaigning, and most consumers have no choice for their HD format, we can charge them a sh**load and make even more in the home video market!"

It appears that Bay was right (about the money, anyway), because in three days, Transformers 2 has made $125,946,000. So, it looks like we'll be getting another Transformers in two to three years. I'm just not sure I'll be sitting through another one of Bay's films.

Released: 2009

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Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Kevin Dunn, Isabel Lucas, Matthew Marsden,

Terminator Salvation: Theater

2009-06-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

AndyO review: * * *

Metacritic: 52/100 (mixed or average)

This was the Terminator film I always wanted to see: John Conner fighting the machines in the future. But like many films with a rich back story (namely Star Wars), it's not always easy to make a film about the back story -- or, as in this case, the future story.

Christian Bale, does what he can with the John Conner character, but in the end there's just not much for him to work with. The real story here is with Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), who's a Terminator but doesn't know it. Something tells me if this film had concentrated mostly on Marcus's story, this would have been a much richer, more interesting movie.

One area where the film shines is the production design. All the destroyed cities, all the Terminator factories, and the Terminators themselves are all really interesting to look at. The special effects are also top-notch.

On a final note, it's interesting how the absence of Arnold Swartzenegger is something you really feel in this film. You realize how, especially in the second film, he brought unexpected humor and presence to the Terminator role.

Night at the Museum 2: Theater

2009-06-27T00:03:00.000-07:00

AndyO review: * * 1/2

Metacritic: 42/100 (mixed reviews)

Is Night at the Museum 2 bigger and louder than Night at the Museum? Most definitely. Is it better? Unfortunately, no. In the first film, Ben Stiller took a job because he didn't want to lose his son. In this film, there's really nothing at stake. And that's the difference. Are there some great scenes? Definitely. My favorite was the chase that happens inside a black and white photograph. I also liked the Thinker -- who turns out to be anything but a thinker and delivers a great line ("Firepower!"). It's just not enough to sustain a sequel.

Released: 2009

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Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Alain Chabat, Ricky Gervais, Jon Bernthal,

Miracle at St. Ana - Blu-ray

2009-06-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

AndyO review: * * 1/2

Metacritic: 37/100 (Generally negative reviews)

The story of black soldiers in World War II is definitely one that needs to be told. While there are some great cinematic moments in this movie, I felt lost in the story at times. If Spike Lee could have focused the story, perhaps leaving out the present-day "bookends," I think it would have been a much better film.

Released: 2008

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Miracle at St. Anna

Derek Luke, Laz Alonso, Pierfrancesco Favino, Matteo Sciabordi, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kerry Washington,

Valkyrie - Blu-ray

2009-06-23T23:36:00.000-07:00

AndyO review: * * 1/2

Metacritic: 56/100 (mixed reviews)

This was a film I was excited to see. I'm a World War II buff and didn't know too much about Operation Valkyrie, which was a plan to assassinate Hitler and use the Reserve Army in Germany for a coup.

All the pieces are here to make for a really interesting film, reminiscent of those great 70s films like "Day of the Jackal." As much as I've been one to defend Tom Cruise as an actor, I think his presence in this film detracts from the story. Once he put on that eye patch, I kept thinking about this being Tom Cruise pretending to be a German Colonel. I just didn't buy it.

But it's not all Cruise's fault. Something in the editing or direction of this film just doesn't work. It's almost as if they cut out a bunch of scenes that might have made the film longer -- but would have glued it together better.

Maybe there will be a Director's Cut someday.

Released: 2008

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Valkyrie

Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Carice van Houten, Terence Stamp, Kevin McNally, Jamie Parker,

Star Trek (2009) - Theater

2009-05-23T17:24:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * * * 1/2

Metacritic: 80/100

Full disclosure: It's no secret to people who know me that I'm a big fan of Star Trek. I grew up watching the Original Series, with Shatner and Nimoy. But I'm also a fan of the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise.

I've also enjoyed the Star Trek movies. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was probably the best, with Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VII: First Contact my second and third favorites. But I've actually liked all of them. Even Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Now there's a new Star Trek movie that joins the best ones. This film returns to the original characters.

First impressions

After seeing the new Star Trek film, I'm happy to report the filmmakers have succeeded in relaunching Trek. All our old friends are here: Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Sulu, Scotty, and Chekov. The actors all do a fine job channeling the original actors, while not impersonating them. I thought Chris Pine did a particularly good job with some of the subtleties of Kirk, and Karl Urban hit all the right notes with McCoy.

The look and feel of Star Trek has also been updated. The Enterprise looks a little different, inside and out. The pacing and cinematography are more modern. And because of advances in special effects, this is the most realistic Star Trek universe ever seen on film (I'm sure much of the $160 million was spent on effects). In particular, the shots of the shuttlecraft flying over San Francisco were spectacular.

The story

Abrams and crew have found a unique way to approach the original Star Trek universe: What if a rogue Romulan (Nero, played expertly by Eric Bana) from the future waged a war on the Federation and altered the Star Trek universe as we know it? In other words, Nero's attacks create an alternate timeline.

For example, in the prologue of the film, the U.S.S. Kelvin is attacked by Nero. This is the ship where Kirk's father is serving. Kirk's father dies while saving 800 people, including his son James T. Kirk, who is born during the battle. In the original timeline, Kirk knew his father.

Spock's story

Like many of the original Star Trek films, this is Spock's story. We see how his half-human, half-Vulcan nature creates a ticking bomb that can go off at any moment. We watch Vulcan boys bully him. We watch the Vulcan council accept him into the Vulcan Science Academy, while calling his human mother a "limitation."

And while Spock may be at the center of this story, it's the relationship between Spock and Kirk that is the engine that drives the story forward. As the saying goes, opposites attract; but in many ways, Kirk and Spock (especially in this new universe) are very similar. Both are struggling with their identities.

The essence of Star Trek

So how do you catch the Star Trek essence -- and also satisfy all those die-hard fans out there? In the case of director J.J. Abrams and his collaborators, they give the fans enough familiar images, dialogue, and references that the changes they have made don't seem too severe. Some of my favorite pure Trek moments from this film:

Kirk and his enduring fascination with green women
Scotty giving her "all she's got" in the engine room
McCoy saying his famous, "I'm a doctor, not a <fill in the blank>" line
Seeing the Kobyashi Maru simulator again
Spock saying, "fascinating" and "logical"
The famous "live long and prosper" line and Vulcan hand gesture
Captain Christopher Pike (especially in the last scene and the reference to The Menagerie)
Using the original music and opening lines of the TV show
Chekov's Russian accent: Wictor, Wictor, and the problems it causes him
Sulu's fencing and legendary starship piloting skills
Uhura's ability to "open hailing frequencies" and more
Seeing Leonard Nimoy wearing the Vulcan ears again (maybe for the last time)

Flaws (nitpicks, problems, and what-have-you)

While the film is exciting and everything a summer movie should be, it also includes some pretty big plot holes and problems -- very surprising given J.J. Abrams' fascination with puzzles and crazy plots.

1. The biggest problem for me was when Spock kicked Kirk off the Enterprise. He didn't confine him to quarters, didn't throw him in the brig. He kicked him clean off the ship! This seems a little odd for anyone to do, let alone Spock.

2. Kirk ends up meeting the future Spock on the ice planet where the younger Spock banished him to. The odds of them meeting like this are far fetched to say the least. Surely there could have been a better way to write this in?

3. Spock and Uhura are in a relationship. This one really goes against the Star Trek canon. Even if there is some obscure reference in a Star Trek novel somewhere, this is just not how fans think of Spock and Uhura. Kirk and Uhura I could buy -- given that Kirk is ready to pounce on just about any female life form.

4. Kirk being promoted to second in command when he just graduated from Star Fleet academy. This is one that a friend pointed out to me, and I have to agree it's pretty unbelievable.

The final analysis

The good news is the flaws in this film don't detract enough to ruin it. I for one am excited about where they take this reboot of Star Trek. With the way they've set it up, they could go anywhere.

Battle for Terra - Theater

2009-05-03T12:15:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * * * 1/2

Metacritic score: 54/100 (mixed reviews)

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Battle for Terra is one of the best animated films for children I've seen in a long time. It contains the same serious themes as a film like WALL-E, as well as some brilliant animation. (I saw the regular movie version, not 3-D version.)

The film begins on an alien world, where the inhabitants can fly like astronauts in zero-gravity, and also use flying devices to get around. This is a peaceful race. The children go to school. The people listen to the elders, who know what's best.

But then a strange object covers the sun, like an unnatural eclipse. The elders tell everyone to stay in their homes. Some of the inhabitants think that the Gods have returned. All is well.

But one of the inhabitants, Mala, who doesn't listen to what she's told to think, builds a telescope and sees that the object covering the sun is mechanical, a ship. By the time she figures this out, it's too late -- as an attacking force from the ship is on its way.

I don't really want to spoil the rest, as there are some great surprises as well as interesting themes. This is definitely one you'll want to see, with or without the kids.

Earth - Theater

2009-04-25T18:41:00.001-07:00

andyo review: * * *

metacritic: 72/100 (generally favorable)

Before I took my kids to see the new Disneynature film Earth, I listened to an interview with the directors, Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. The film sounded extraordinary.

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Now that I've seen it, I do think the images are extraordinary. But I realize that part of what made the interview interesting was hearing about how they got all those amazing shots of the animals. It sounds like one of the real stars of the film is the new "Cineflex" camera, which is a gyrostabilized camera, mounted under a helicopter that can shoot close-ups up to a mile away. This is how they got many of the amazing images in this film.

I once read a quote about filmmaking (I think from Roger Ebert) that goes something like this: A film has to be better and more interesting than an alternate film of the actors and filmmakers sitting around talking about the film. In many ways, at least for me, I was more interested in the making of this film -- and I think this is the reason the closing credits of the filmmakers (running from Polar Bears, running into trees in a hot air balloon) has so much energy.

This doesn't mean I'm taking anything away from the images of this film, which are amazing -- but I think a more non-traditional story of what it took to make this film and the amazing images would have been yielded a more interesting final film. It also would have provided a narrative thread that seems missing from Earth. (Contrary to the trailers and posters, this film explores more than the migratory journeys of polar bears, whales, and elephants.)

I only offer this evidence for my alternate vision of this film: My 4-year-old lost interest in Earth after 30 minutes. I think this is because human beings can only identify with animals for so long before they get bored. When I walked my 4-year-old to the bathroom near the last quarter of the film, I was surprised to see so many kids sleeping in their chairs or on their parents.

The only other criticism I have is the obvious special effects shot of the birds migrating over the Himalayas. I wonder why the filmmakers felt they needed this in the film if they didn't have the real footage? Juxtaposed next to the other extraordinary images in Earth, this sequence falls flat (except for the time-lapse shot of the Himalayas during night, with the stars spinning in the sky overhead).

Dragonball Evolution - Theater

2009-04-13T00:46:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * 1/2

Dragonball Evolution is another attempt by Hollywood to make a Karate movie for kids (see Forbidden Kingdom). There are aspects of the film that are entertaining -- but in the end the story just doesn't end up making much sense. Maybe you need to know the Manga source material this film is based on.

Only Chow Yun-Fat, the legendary Hong Kong actor, is able to bring anything original or interesting to the film. It's too bad he was only a supporting character.

Released: 2009

Go to IMDb page

Race to Witch Mountain - Theater

2009-03-15T19:43:00.001-07:00

AndyO review: * * *

Metacritic: 52/100

When I was 7 years old, my Mom took me to see "Escape to Witch Mountain." I remember a few things: A grown-up sat in front of me so that I couldn't see, and I thought a movie about kids from outer space was amazing. (I think I also had a childhood crush on Kim Richards, who played Tia Malone.) "Witch Mountain" probably remained my favorite movie until "Star Wars" came out two years later, showing me what a real Sci-Fi movie could be.

Over 30 years later, we have "Race to Witch Mountain," which isn't really a remake -- but a "re-imagining" of the original film. In this film, the focus has been shifted from the kids to Jack Bruno (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), a Las Vegas cabdriver who's been in and out of trouble. Bruno becomes the chauffer of the two kids, Sara and Seth, who turn out to be (surprise!) aliens. Like the original movie, these kids can do all sorts of cool stuff -- like move objects, talk to animals, etc.

I happen to glance at the review of this film in The Seattle Times before I took my boys, and the title, "Close Encounters of the Robotic Kind." After seeing the film myself, I realize the Times' reviewer, Moira MacDonald, missed the mark somewhat. Yes, there are some robotic performances -- but that's because the kids are aliens and, I guess, English isn't their first language. Sure, Johnson is no Robert Deniro, but he does fine in the role here. I'm always surprised when reviewers don't seem to understand that families are looking for interesting, fun entertainment -- just like "Witch Mountain." The theater where we watched the film was 90% full at 3:30.

The only gripe I have is I think the film was pushing beyond a PG rating, with all the guns and head-bashing going on. This was definitely more worthy of PG-13.

Cameos: The two kids from the original film, Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann, show up as a waitress and sheriff in this film.

Released: 2009

Go to IMDb page

Race to Witch Mountain

Dwayne Johnson, Alexander Ludwig, Ciar�n Hinds, Chris Marquette, Garry Marshall, Ike Eisenmann,

Coraline - Theater

2009-02-17T20:28:00.001-08:00

Go to IMDb page

Artistic direction and animation: * * * *

Story: * *

Overall review: * * 1/2

Coraline is a beautifully-animated film that suffers from a macabre story. My 8-year old hid under his coat for the entire second half of the movie. The movie audience seemed frozen (I heard maybe one laugh throughout the entire film) and uninvolved.

But the stop-motion animation is superb and makes "Wallace and Gromit" look like child's play. I'd never seen stop-motion -- an animation technique that involves moving models or puppets frame by frame (it takes 24 frames for one second of film) -- where the camera was moving around as well. I'd be curious to see how they did that.

I'd think twice before bringing the kids to this one.

Swing Vote - Blu-ray

2009-02-14T18:09:00.001-08:00

AndyO review: * * 1/2

The idea of Swing Vote is a good one: What would happen if a presidential election came down to one person's vote? In this case, that person is Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner), a kind of village idiot who's in way over his head but is too dumb to know it. Part of this character works, but in the end I found him too simpleminded and stereotypical. If he'd been less of an "ugly American," this could have been a much more interesting (and perhaps great) film.

While it's funny to watch the two presidential candidates cater to Bud's comments (the conservative candidate abruptly moves to support Gays and Lesbians in the military), it's too far-fetched to suspend disbelief. The two advisors to each candidate, Stanley Tucci and Nathan Lane, have the thankless role of pushing their candidate where they don't want to go -- another cliche that could have been written in a less melodramatic way.

Of course the great find in this film is Madeline Carroll, who plays Johnson's daughter Molly. She's been forced to grow up and become wise beyond her years -- thanks to her two immature, self-centered parents. And in many ways the film is about her and the way her integrity changes the other characters.

In the end, I'm left thinking about what this film might have been like under the direction of Aaron Sorkin, the creator of The West Wing TV show and the film The American President. We'll never know.

Released: 2008

Go to IMDb page

Swing Vote

Kevin Costner, Paula Patton, Dennis Hopper, Stanley Tucci, Judge Reinhold, Richard Petty,