The trailer for Knives Out presents what looks like a classic whodunit while also hinting that we should expect some distinct differences. The cast includes some hot current actors as well as some popular established actors who we haven't seen much from lately. This provides a nice balance and will likely help to draw in a varied crowd. Clips from the trailer also show that the writer and director are obviously having a little fun with the genre and filling it with humor amid the somber topic of murder.
In many ways, the story is reminiscent of an Agatha Christie or Conan Doyle story. The patriarch of a wealthy family has been found murdered in his luxurious estate and a brilliant investigator shows up to help the police in their investigation. Before long, it becomes clear that everyone has a motive and the clues are elusive. Naturally this review will try to steer clear of any spoilers that would ruin the experience, although it is unlikely that anything but the most overt spoiler would lead a reader to a correct deduction.
Once the initial plot is set forth the movie plays with the viewer in a few ways. First, we are presented with a series of unreliable narrators each telling their version of what happened "that night." Rather than just let us discover the inconsistencies in their tale later on, the movie lets us watch the "actual" sequence of events that the character experienced and then see them tell the detectives a slightly different story. The story draws the audience into a special confidence by giving us information that the police don't have. In doing so, the audience is also subtly persuaded to try and solve the crime before the investigators.
I suspect I'm not terribly unique in never having read Bambi and having my only knowledge of the story being the Disney film. Bambi is a short novel written by Felix Salten in the early 1920s and was widely popular when it was released. It even had a sequel (Bambi's Children).
For those unfamiliar with the concept of the novel, Bambi is a book set in a forest and centered around the character of Bambi. It just happens that Bambi is a deer. We start the novel learning of Bambi's birth and then continue through the various stages of his life. Initially, the only characters are Bambi and his mother. Slowly, Bambi's circle of existence expands and he meets other animals and eventually even meets other deer, including a pair of other fawns born the same season as him.
The story progresses at a leisurely pace, letting us grow slowly with young Bambi. We learn about the way of life in the forest, the way things are balanced, the various small dangers lurking about. We also see Bambi's innate curiosity when he discovers various topics that his mother is unwilling to expound to him. She teaches him that there is danger standing out in the open meadow in the middle of the day, but she isn't willing to go into detail about the threat of Man. She only tells him that they must only go to the meadow at night and that if they are ever in the meadow and she starts to run, that he must run as well and keep running no matter what.
In case you didn't see my super mini review on opening night, it consisted of a picture of the movie tickets, my own Tomorrowland pin and the words "loved loved loved loved loved it!" For those who know me and know the general gist and history of this movie, the mini-review shouldn't have been too surprising. I've been anticipating this movie for at least the last 3-4 years when initial rumors started becoming more concrete. Even with the slow filter of hints and rumors, the overall plot stayed fairly secret until fairly recently. With all that build up and hype I knew I would either completely love this film or it would suffer from an inability to live up to my expectations and be a total flop.
Glancing at some of the negative reviews I have to agree that there are some holes in the plot and some definite imbalances. I agree with the people I've talked with that I would have loved to have spent more time in the idyllic version of Tomorrowland and experience more of its shiny fun. Still, I can see a distinct risk in presenting TOO MUCH time in the utopian bright and wonderful Tomorrowland. The idea of Tomorrowland is a place where boundaries are truly pushed...a place where technology and innovation have taken huge leaps. By showing us just a few brief moments, the audience gets a sense of the grandeur and awe that's been created without spending so much time that we start to see beyond the smoke and mirrors. It allows more to be left to the imagination of the viewer which means the viewer will criticize their own personal interpretation of futurific leaps rather than those of the director (which could quickly become dated or look cheesy).
I hope everyone is having a fabulous December, a wonderful Christmas and a thrilling holiday season. May you all be happy, healthy and have a wonderful New Year.
Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!
Over Thanksgiving weekend we took the kids to see Wreck-it-Ralph. With plenty of video game nostalgia and Disney and Pixar love, I think I was as excited to see this film as the kids were. From the trailers we knew the premise to be centered on the villain (Ralph) of an old ~80s era video game called Fix it Felix Jr. The game is similar to Donkey Kong with the single screen platforming action, the villain at the top causing destruction and the hero racing up the building to conquer him. Ralph is frustrated that he's always the "bad guy" and thus feels like a bit of an outsider and wants to do something heroic. He even goes to a "Bad Guys Anonymous" meeting to discuss his frustration. So he starts "game jumping" and chaos and hilarity ensue.
The high level premise seems kind of fun on the surface but a little trite. I was a little nervous that it would face-plant much in the way of other "video game movies" from the past (I'm looking at you Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Doom, Super Mario Bros., etc…they had twinges of fun but certainly weren't "all that"). Fortunately the execution was better than the sugary glaze promised by the trailers. I suspect part of the success lies in having John Lasseter on board as part of the production team. Lasseter headed up creative control for Pixar for many years and I'm glad to see his creative force and vision applied to the core Disney Animation concepts. Not that there have been "awful" Disney films in the past decades…but they've certainly been overshadowed by their siblings at Pixar (and even competitor studios like Dreamworks).
My other worry was that the movie might cater too much to gamers and be less interesting for the non-gaming crowd. While there was plenty of video game fun to draw in gamers old and new, I think the writing and plot holds the interest of non-gamers and will work to draw them in. The meta-setting for the movie is an arcade building with tons of great cabinet games. This in itself was great since I loved going down to the arcade to pump quarters into machines. Sadly, the nearest arcade to our house recently closed to make way for a pizza place (the third or fourth in that mall). Even recent movie theaters built in the area don't house arcade cabinets anymore. It makes me sad. I somehow doubt it, but it would be cool if this film generated a resurgence of the old arcade parlor. But I regress.
Within the arcade, each of the games are connected. At the end of each day, the characters (if they wish) can hop a train/shuttle transporting them (via power cables, plugs, outlets, etc) down to Game Central and from there they can visit other fun locations. I loved seeing the characters interact in other fun game worlds (I especially loved having them sit on barstools in Tapper…fabulous fun).
The impetus for Ralph's escapades comes not just from dissatisfaction but also from contention between him and the other characters. He feels awkward, out of place and snubbed. One of the other characters in his game says (somewhat sarcastically) that Ralph could hang out with them if he was able to win a medal like Felix has. With that goal in mind, Ralph sets off to get a medal from some other game.
57 years ago today, Walt Disney officially dedicated Disneyland:
“To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
Happy birthday to the happiest place on Earth. Here's to many more happy years to come.
Well, in case you hadn't heard yet or have been living under a rock off the grid, The Avengers officially opened in theaters this past weekend. This movie has been at least 3-4 or more years in the planning/making with plenty of anticipation built through little teasers at the end of the various Marvel films released over the past few years.
If you're unfamiliar with the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" over the past few years or where The Avengers takes us, here's a quick sum-up. Look back at the last few years of superhero movies: Iron Man (1 and 2), The Incredible Hulk(apparently they're ignoring the previous "Hulk" movie from 2003), Captain America, and Thor. Take each of the films in this universe and overlap them to see where they have common ground and then bring them together for the ultimate superhero mashup.
First let me admit that I have not seen all of the films leading up to this movie. Specifically I haven't seen the Incredible Hulk or Captain America movies. That said, it is a testament to the writing and direction of this film to say that I was not lost at all in the plot nor did I feel like I missed out on anything major by not having seen them (though I do now have a desire to go back and watch them). This is one of many places where I felt like this film really worked well.
Knowing that this is essentially a sequel to 5 movies, they had to decide how much backstory and exposition they would include to bring people up to speed. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they did very little exposition or lengthy narrations of backstory. Rather, they assumed the audience was smart enough to follow along and connect the dots delivered through very quick dialog snippets, plot points, or minuscule flashbacks or news reels.
Each major character received his own solo introduction segment that didn't act as an "origin" or "history" lesson but rather showed us "real world" situations for each character that brought us quickly up to speed on their history, characteristics, mannerisms and motivations. I think the one whose history is important and is made least clear would be the villain Loki…but they give enough of his current actions to help you quickly determine what kind of character he is without having to understand exactly what happened in Thor.
Individual characterizations and origin/history stories aside, this movie is very much an origin story of a different kind. While we don't need to spend time learning how each character became a super hero, we spend most of the movie learning how the Avengers become a team.
The main threat of the film comes from Loki wielding a mysterious form of power and plotting to bring an alien army across the universe to destroy the Earth. While that problem is looming from the very beginning of the movie, in many ways it stays in the background…Loki and his team create brief skirmishes throughout the film but they're not the source of much large action until the end. Instead we are thrown into the conflict of trying to get this very diverse (and headstrong) group of people to work together in a cohesive manner.
As I said, we're given individual introductions to each character as a solo player. But the real fun comes as the heroes are brought together. The interactions between them is well written and superbly played. Tony Stark's egotism and snarky attitude are wonderfully paired against Steve Rogers (Captain America) and his selfless patriotic respectful attitude. Tony Stark really just played it up against all of the characters…his interactions with Bruce Banner, with Thor, with Hawkeye…they're all just witty and fun.
In spite of the fact that the main antagonist crew of Loki isn't constantly in contact with the heroes, there is plenty of action and tension throughout the film. There are great battle sequences as we have infighting among the heroes. There are smaller scale action sequences when Loki and his team are setting small elements of their plan in motion. I really enjoyed these multiple smaller scale action-adventure moments. They continued to add depth to each of the characters while still advancing the plot in interesting ways.
Don't worry though, if you're in it for the big sustained heavy action sequences, the "final" battle of the movie is a lengthy multi-faceted war fought in the streets, skies and buildings of New York City. The effects are over the top and intense. There is just so much going on and we are almost constantly shifting between different points of interest as we follow the actions of each of the various heroes and the current foes they're facing. I loved the small little elements that happen so briefly without any additional commentary or focus (such as Iron Man using Captain America's shield to help with an attack…watch for it). These small little nods didn't need to happen and are easy to gloss over, but when you get a bunch of these little things put together it makes the entire experience all the more enjoyable.
Overall, this film is amazing. I'm not a die-hard comic reader, so I can't speak to the comic fanatics and whether or not they'll enjoy or hate this interpretation. But for a fan of super hero movies, I dare say it's impossible not to enjoy this film. If you don't lean towards super hero films but enjoy action and adventure, I'd wager that this will appeal to you as well. While it's definitely got the "super hero" vibe dripping from it, the production, writing and direction are solid and help make the universe feel "real" at least within itself.
The over-the-top elements are done in a fun and realistic way and never came off as cheesy or ridiculous. Even though our heroes are "super", they are not invincible and it should be refreshing to general action-adventure fans to see the heroes pausing for breathers or grimacing after an intense fight. I think the "chick flick" or "sedate drama" crowd will have the hardest time with this film…while there are dramatic elements of tension and intrigue as well as brief moments of romantic interplay, these are few and far between. So if you absolutely don't go in for a romping adventure, then this film might fall short for you…even then, there are quite a few clever and witty lines that may keep you interested.
This is definitely an escapist film that brings back that childhood nostalgia of moviegoing for me. It drives the adrenaline rush…the laughter…the tension…and the overall fun that I loved about movies as a kid. It takes itself as serious as it needs to in order to stay credible and still pokes enough fun at itself to keep the audience laughing. It includes plenty of nods to fans of super-heroes and especially the Marvel films of the past few years. It has tons of great smash-em-up and blow-em-up battles and enough tension to leave you a little concerned about whether our heroes can really pull this off.
My only worry is whether or not the studios will be able to maintain the quality as they move forward with future films. I believe there are Iron Man, Thor and Captain America sequels already planned. I certainly hope we'll see more full Avengers films and I'd love to see more team members come in (though I would really hate to see us lose any of the current crew).
In short, this is probably the best Super Hero movie I've ever experienced and it's definitely up there in terms of the great action-adventure movies of all time.
Hey there, Hi there, Ho there. Welcome to the final post in my four part recap of my family's recent trip to Southern California and all things Disneyland. Hopefully I didn't bore too many of you or scare away any readers. Don't worry, the blog will soon return to its more "normal" style of posting (ie - irregular posts reviewing movies, books and random activities).
But since you're here now, go ahead and join me as I reflect on the final days of our trip and on the trip as a whole. Before that though, let me share this little video Disney put out that reminds me a bit of how our trip went.
As we prepped for the last days of our vacation, we sat as a group momentarily and discussed the few things we MUST do. The one thing we had to do, but nobody wanted to really worry about, was make sure we allowed ourselves time to pack up and be ready to go so we could get back to the airport without being frantic or forgetting anything. Naturally, even though we thought about it, the packing was still held for the final hours of the night before we left.
Welcome back. Hopefully I didn't scare off too many readers with that VERY LONG post recapping the first day of our vacation. Don't worry…the rest of the vacation post(s) will be significantly shorter, at least in text. I do have a ton of photos I'd love to post, so today's post (and any future posts) will likely have big chunks of text but will then end with a big string of photos.
But that's all beside the point. You're not here for an intro to the post, you're here for the follow-up to the previous post. So, without further ado, let's get going.
Well, it's been a couple of weeks since my last blog post and as you may have guessed from the title of today's post, it's because I was off on vacation. Over the next couple of posts I'll give a recap of our festivities filled with plenty of pictures. These posts will largely just be a travelogue for myself and my family and mostly just an excuse to post lots of cute and fun pictures. This "first day" post will be the longest and most detailed…I'll not likely go into as much depth on future posts. But if the length overwhelms your reading sensibilities, just scan through the pictures and live vicariously through our vacationing joys.
Andrew's 10th birthday was at the end of September, but we didn't want the Church Conference to interfere with his party so we waited until this weekend to have his party. We still had fun festivities as a family on his birthday...gave gifts, had his favorite dinner (Chinese from Joy Luck), sang Happy Birthday and had cake & ice-cream. But he still needed a party with friends and extended family.
So, this past Saturday, we partied down at our local pool.
We let him invite a handful of friends and we also invited cousins, grandparents, aunts & uncles to make for a rip-roaring group.
We swam for about 2 hours and then moved into the Party Room for pizza, cupcakes and gifts.
Everybody seemed to have a good time...most of all, the birthday boy.
Yes, I'm alive. I've been AWOL from the blogging world for the past couple of weeks due to a bit of wild and hectic craziness IRL. So I figured, what better way to try and get back on the blogging horse than with a random assortment of random fun and silly images, videos and links that I've collected while lurking around the blogosphere for the past few weeks (yes, I have been reading blogs…just haven't been posting on my own).
Enjoy some of the fun stuff that I've found. And hopefully this will be the start of more frequent posting.
Second here's a news article about a woman who tried to mail a puppy to her son and was shocked when she got in trouble for it.
Here are a couple of links to articles at Cracked.com where they talk about plot major plot holes from Hollywood.
I know that the thumbnail used for that video is pretty gross, but it's a rather interesting video about a "skin gun" that can be used for burn victims to essentially spray the burned area with skin cells that will grow back much faster and healthier than the older grafting methods.
