The Descendants

                Whether you've seen the trailer to The Descendants already or not, on the surface it looks like a good movie. It's set in Hawaii, directed and co-written by already two time (and now three) Oscar nominee Alexander Payne and stars George Clooney. Sounds like a good recipe for success, and I'm glad to say the recipe works. Though like many real recipes it could have used a little tweaking here and there to just be that little bit better. Okay, don't worry I'm done with the recipe analogy.
                The Descendents is just like Alexander Payne's other works (Sideways, About Schmidt) in that it's a dramedy. In case some readers out there aren't familiar with that term that's a dramatic comedy.  Though set in Hawaii, where many like to think of as paradise, is far from that for Matt King (Clooney). King is a real estate lawyer and the sole trustee of a family trust that controls 25,000 acres of land on Kauai and is set to expire in 7 years. Him and his many relatives, who are descended from some of the first white settlers of Hawaii, as well as Hawaiian royalty, must make a huge decision on whether to sell the land or not and if so, then who to as it could have a huge impact on many fronts.
              As if this were not enough for King to be going through, his wife is in a coma after a boating accident. Now he must figure out how to deal with an ailing wife and 10 and 17-year-old daughters. This proves to be even more difficult as he is in his own words "the back-up parent." Think his plate can't get any fuller? Well it can, as he learns that his wife had been cheating on him. From here King goes on a journey to find out who his wife's love was, while along the way trying to connect with his children along the way.
              As with many good movies, it all begins with the story. This one is no original as it is based off of the novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings. However, though I haven't read the book, from my point of view Payne and his two fellow co-writers have done a great job at adapting it. I'm not the only one as the Academy has nominated the three men for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. Payne is also recognized with an Oscar nomination for his work behind the camera and he rightfully should be. He creates some incredible and beautiful shots of the landscape in Hawaii, but more importantly throughout the movie he is able to shoot and portray the many different emotions and reactions the characters have to their circumstances. Some of these scenes come through with such honesty that it allows the viewer to connect and relate with the characters and what they're going through.
            Now in front of the camera the real applause must go to George Clooney. As many other critics have praised I believe this to be one of Clooney's best performances. Overall, it's a character I find it must be difficult to play with all that's going on in his life. Yet, Clooney seems to be on point as his portrayal of King throughout is one that is real and for lack of a better term, just seems to make sense with everything he does. Having already taken home a Golden Globe for his performance, I think he has a good shot of walking away with the Oscar for Best Actor. With that I don't want to shy away from the great performance by Shailene Woodley (The O.C.) who plays Alexandra King, Matt's eldest daughter. She is great as a troubled older teen trying to make sense of all that is happening in her life. It makes sense she was rewarded with a Golden Globe nomination and that there was some talk of a possible Oscar nomination for her performance.
           Overall, I thought this a creative story with many different pieces to it that bring in many different human elements. It's entertaining to watch it unwind and see the different characters deal with these elements in real ways. The setting of Hawaii is an added bonus as it creates some great backgrounds and scenery. Though I did like the movie, I was not fully taken with it as many other critics were. Though it dives right into it's plot lines, I felt like it was still a bit slow to taking off per say and really grabbing me. It was also a bit heavier than I expected going in, and thought there would be just a bit more laughs than there ended up being. With that said it is still deserving of the 5 Oscar nominations it has received, including Best Picture.
           I give this movie 3 out of 4 stars and a thumbs up. This movie is still in theaters now, though unless you want to go see it before the Oscars it is not one I say must be seen in theaters. If you're willing to wait for it on DVD then I don't see the harm. Enjoy!

Editor's Note:  My next review will be on the Best Picture nominated film War Horse directed by Steven Spielberg. Also here is a pictures of the land they use as the land King owns on Kauai. In the movie King and his family stand just feet from where I took these pictures. It is real privately owned land on Kauai that you can get to on a ATV tour on a private ranch. I highly recommend doing so if you ever visit.

Midnight In Paris

              Nostalgia. It's quite something when you think about it. How something, such as a memory, object, or even a perception of something from the past can make you miss and want that time to happen again so badly. Think of a happy moment in your own life about anything at all. Does it make you happy? Do you wish you could perhaps live that moment again to feel that original happiness the moment brought you? If you could, would you? In Midnight In Paris, a man is given the opportunity to do just that as the undeniable yearning for the past we all get now and then over whatever it may be is the film's major theme.
              Midnight In Paris centers around Gil, played by Owen Wilson (How Do You Know?). Gil is a successful screenwriter, who is at a bit of a mid-life crisis as he tries to transition from screenwriting to novel writing. Or as he puts it, write something of actual artistic value. He is enamored with the era of the 1920s and the artists from it, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein.
             The film begins with Gil and his fiancee Inez, played by Rachel McAdams, vacationing in Paris with her wealthy, conservative parents. While there they run into Inez's friend Paul (Michael Sheen of Frost/Nixon) and his wife. They spend some time together and while Inez adores him, Gil can't stand another minute of his company (Who can blame him? Paul is a pseudo-intellectual. Barf). To break off from their new found friends Gil decides to walk home one night. As he wanders the streets of Paris an old car drives up next to him at midnight and the people in it, all dressed in '20s clothing, invite to come along. Gil accepts and they go to a bar where it doesn't take long for him to notice that he has all of a sudden traveled back to the '20s. He is surrounded by the people and artist's he idolizes. From here Gil is off on a search of self discovery as he continues to visit the past and write his book.
             This movie has the potential to really connect to certain viewers, while perhaps shunning others. Fans of history (such as myself), or perhaps old writers and artists like Gil, will surely be intrigued and delighted by the constant cameos and drop ins of all the old well known artists that appear throughout the movie. I, myself highly enjoyed it, though I must admit I didn't know of everyone that popped up. Though I was constantly Googling names to learn about who I didn't know and I think that's another great affect this movie can have. You may not know all of the historical figures, but if you're interested than I can safely bet you'll probably be trying learn who they are.
            A huge piece to making this movie good goes to the acting of Owen Wilson. His enthusiasm and sincerity he brings to Gil's character is perfect in reflecting how excited he is to meet the people he idolizes, while also how confusing and complicating it's making the rest of his life. His Golden Globe nomination was well deserved, and in perhaps a lighter year with not so many strong candidates he could have scored an Oscar nod as well. But, if he had I don't think many critics would be saying anything against it.
            Rachel McAdams as always is charming and delightful in playing Inez, who though loves Gil, is just not on the same page with him in much of anything. Marion Cotillard (Inception) is wonderful as Adriana, a mistress of Picasso who begins to fall for Gil. Sheen is also perfect as Paul, who is just a tool. Though brief, the cameo roles are great as we get to see Kathy Bates (Revolutionary Road) play Gertrude Stein, and Adrien Brody as Salvador Dali, both of which just seem to fit perfectly.
            This review cannot be complete without mentioning Woody Allen. The great writer/director has done it again with this movie. The story idea is very fresh and original, not to mention well written and funny. Being shot on location in Paris makes it that much better as it really helps the audience get in with the feel of the city and connect with the characters more. It's no surprise this movie is up for 4 Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Director for Allen, as well as the biggie, Best Picture.
            Overall, I have to give this movie 3.5 out of 4 stars and a thumbs up. I believe it is a story many can enjoy, but can see others not connecting with it and thus not enjoying it as much. However, I recommend you all see it first before you judge. This movie is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now and is also available at your local Redbox. Enjoy!

Editor's Note:  My next movie will be on the Best Picture nominee The Descendants starring George Clooney and directed by Alexander Payne.

Tangled

          Well everyone, first off I'd like to apologize for being pretty much non-existent over the last month and a half. I've been pretty busy and to be completely honest, haven't really watched any new movies. Buy I've got a couple that I've seen in the last week so it's time to let you know what I thought. The first one we'll talk about is the animated Disney movie Tangled.
           Tangled is loosely based off of the Brother's Grimm fairy tale Rapunzel. In this version Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is a princess born with magical hair after receiving the powers from a magical flower her mother ate during pregnancy to cure her illness. This flower was being used by Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) to keep herself young and in her desperateness to stay young she kidnaps Rapunzel for her hair. To keep her from being discovered Mother Gothel locks Rapunzel up in a tall tower and never lets her out in to the world while pretending to be her mother. This goes on for years until a thief on the run named Flynn Ryder, voiced by Zachary Levi (Chuck), hides out in her tower and discovers her. Rapunzel who has been dying to see the floating lights that appear on her birthday every year, makes a deal with Ryder to be her guide in exchange for his satchel which she holds as a ransom. Little does Rapunzel know she is about to discover a lot more than she bargained for, all the while Mother Gothel desperately tries to get her back to the tower to protect the magic hair and her secret.
            Though Disney has said that this will be their last "princess" movie for awhile its obvious they have discovered their winning formula again. After their torrid streak in the 90s of successful animated musicals they've been on a bit of a down slide, relying heavily on their pals at Pixar and discovering more success in live action. Though they've adapted with the times and animated Tangled in 3D they created a film along the lines of their successful films in the 90s. They don't need a princess movie to be successful again. Just a good creative story, with plenty of laughs for kids and adults with a great musical score. With Tangled they provided all of that.
           They hired old pal Alan Menken to compose the score. Menken having won 8 Academy Awards for his work on The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Beauty and the Beast. Menken does not disappoint, as just like in those other films he composes fresh, fun songs that fit perfectly into the story and provide plenty of laughs and emotion. Example, "I See The Light" was nominated for Best Original Song at last year's Academy Awards.
             Mandy Moore does a very good job of voicing the sheltered, naive Rapunzel. Also, it certainly helps that she can sing as she's the one singing most of the songs. Zachary Levi is also good at voicing the care free self involved Flynn Ryder. His voice was also quite impressive in the couple of songs he had to contribute on.
             As with most Disney films the cast wouldn't be complete without some great sidekick characters. In this case the two best ones in my opinion were the non-speaking animal pals. Just like Aladdin had a Abu, Rapunzel has Pascal her cute little chameleon pal. There's also Maximus, the horse of the palace guard that's after Ryder. He's hilarious has he tries to track Ryder down, all the while being smarter than the other guards and reminding one of a bloodhound on the scent.
             Tangled is a cute funny film that is appropriate for all ages. I hope Disney sees the success of this film and realizes this formula worked throughout the 90s and they continue to stay with what works. If that's the case then us viewers could be in for a treat in the years to come.
              I give the movie a solid 3 out of 4 stars and a big thumbs up. If you haven't seen this yet then I recommend doing so regardless of your age. It can be found on Netflix's instant streaming service or through DVD mail order. It is also available to purchase now on DVD and Blu-Ray. Enjoy!

Editor's Note: As I stated above sorry to anyone who has been curious of what movies to watch lately. I'm going to try and get back in the groove of things and put out at least one review a week. My next review will be on the film Revolutionary Road starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Until next time readers!

The King's Speech

            I-I-I-I-I r-r-r-e-eally enjoyed this movie. Now all stammering and poor (and perhaps tasteless) attempts of humor aside, there is a reason that this movie led this year's Academy Awards with 12 nominations. It's a great freaking movie from beginning to the end. It's funny how sometimes the best movies put out there are the ones that get by all of the big shots in Hollywood and were made on relatively small budgets and are independently produced. Just look at Slumdog Milionaire a couple of years ago and Black Swan this year as well. Both were produced by 20th Century Fox's offspring for independent films, Fox Searchlight, and The King's Speech went down a similar road of independent producing.
            But sometimes I believe the best things need to be those diamonds in the rough as it gives them that extra little appeal. The King's Speech centers around the true story of King George VI (played by Colin Firth) as he goes from being the Duke of York, and second in line to the throne, to being tossed into being King despite his reservations against it, at the outbreak of WWII. Oh and did I mention that during all of this he has a terrible stammer, which is really unfortunate to have when you're a part of the English monarchy and must constantly make public speeches.
            Now the movie spans over a good decade before WWII, as King George VI tries to deal with his speech problem. The King decides, with the pushing of his wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), to see speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) about his problem. The film follows brilliantly the ups and downs over the years of Logue and the King's work together, thanks in part to the great script written by David Seidler, who used his own experiences of having a stammer and actual journals from Logue to make the film as real and historically accurate as possible.
             As with a lot of British films the cast was stellar even down to the bit players. Michael Gambon (Dumbledore in Harry Potter) did a great job as King George V and Guy Pearce (LA Confidential) did a stand up job as King Edward VIII who forced the throne on his brother after resigning. Colin Firth is absolutely excellent in his portrayal as I can't imagine how hard it must be to act as if you have a stammer, and he won the Oscar for Best Actor quite deservingly so. Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter each deserved the Oscar noms for supporting actors as well. David Seidler won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and it was deserved, but I don't believe director Tom Hooper should've won the Best Director Oscar, though he definitely deserved the nomination. That's a debate for another time however.
             All in all I'm glad this movie won the Best Picture Oscar as it had my vote for it, if I had one that counted anyway. But in the end if you enjoy good acting and a good story then you should enjoy this movie. I give it a thumbs up and 4 stars out of 4! Go see this movie if you haven't already!

If you have any suggestions for my next review feel free to comment