Up: Why Pixar Rules!

Hollywood needs to learn a lesson.  A lesson I get taught almost everyday as a film student.  The lesson: Story is King.  Pixar knows this lesson.  They act on it.  And that is why they are the best at what they do.  Sure they have beautiful films that are fun to look at.  They even have exciting action sequences and funny moments, but first and foremost for them is the story.  Believe me, UP has a great story.

The movie starts out with Carl Fredrickson as a child.  He is a quiet, short, little guy with a big imagination.  He roams his streets imitating his hero, adventurer Charles Muntz.  Later he runs into a spunky girl named Ellie.  She makes Carl 'cross his heart' and promise to take her to South America one day to see the Forgotten Falls.  Carl and Ellie eventually fall in love and get married.  

The film flash forward and takes Carl and Ellie quickly through life and some challenges.  This part of the film is surprisingly sweet and poignant.  It's hard not to quickly fall in love with Carl and Ellie.  When Carl loses Ellie later in life he becomes a bit of a crumudgeon.  He sits on his porch and gets the mail and that's about it.  Carl lives in the same house he has for all those years with Ellie, but a land developer is building all around him and wants to buy Carl's home, but Carl won't sell.

Things change when Carl strikes a worker in anger.  He is forced to move into a retirement center, but Carl's not going to go quietly.  He decides to finally take that trip to South America and does so by lashing thousands of balloons to his house that easily pick it up and carry it away.

Carl is accidently joined by Wilderness Explorer and nuisance Russell.  Russell is trying to earn his last merit badge for assissting the elderly when he is lifted up with Carl's house.  Carl and Russell soon get to South America and make their way towards the falls.  Along the way they meet up with an exotic bird, Kevin (named by Russell) and a talking dog named Dug.  Both of these charaters add some great comedy to the film (listen to Dug's "joke" he tells, I died laughing).  Later the villain is introduced, but I won't ruin all that for you.

The film is just plain fun.  It's a good story, with some touching moments, great comedy, and pretty good action (the fight scene at the end between two old men is pretty great).  You'lll love the characters and the gags, they're just so much fun.  As far as pure entertainment value goes, I would rank this film in my top three Pixar movies along with Toy Story 2 (P.S. There's a Toy Story 3 teaser trailer at the beginning of the film) and The Incredibles.  Pixar wins the year again!

Rating:  99 Luftballoons 

Terminator Salvation: Sometimes Critics Should Just Shut-Up

Wow.   This was a cool movie.  Going in I didn't have very high expectations because I had read so many poor reviews of the film.  I agree with a lot of what the critics say, but not to detriment of my enjoyment of this movie.  It was an action movie.  It does what action movies do best, provide great action sequence with a decent plot and acting.  The performances and storyline are nothing spectacular, but they were good enough for me.

Unlike the Star Trek revamp this year, Terminator Salvation is absolutely for those familiar with the original trilogy because it follows the same storyline.  So maybe it's best if I give a brief synopsis of the original Terminator movies.

The first Terminator is the story of Kyle Reese who is sent from the future to protect Sarah Conner from a killer robot (a terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger).  The terminator has been sent to kill Conner because her unborn son, John Conner, is the leader of the resistance against the robots in the future.  Conner doesn't believe Reese since she is not pregnant and it isn't likely she will be so anytime soon.  Turns out Reese is the father of John Conner.  The film ends with the terminator destroyed, seems like all is well.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day is about another assassination attempt of John Conner, who is now a punk teenager.  A new killer machine is sent to do the work and Schwarzenegger's T-800 is the good guy this time, sent to protect Conner.  At the end of this film it seems as if the war in the future has been avoided. 

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines proves that theory wrong.  It's the same idea, robot killer (this time a girl) is sent to take care of John Conner.  Schwarzenegger is back to protect, but this time it ends with a twist.  John Conner is sealed in a bunker right as Judgement Day (the first attack of Skynet, the bad robots) happens.  The future, it seems, is unavoidable.

So we finally get to the movie at hand, Terminator Salvation picks up some years after Judgement Day.  John Conner (Christian Bale) is leading the resistance against the machines and discovers they have begun to replicate human flesh in preparation for their newest model of terminator the T-800 (in other words the bad guy sent to kill his mother).  Conner becomes worried when this has happened sooner than he thought it would.

Things become more complicated when Conner realizes he is second on the machines' hit list.  First place?  His not yet father, Kyle Reese (currently only a teenager).  So now Conner has to find a way to stop the machines from killing Reese and theoretically ending his life as well as destroying the entire resistance.

More complications come as Marcus Wright, is introduced to Conner.  Wright was put to death in 2003 (15 years prior to the story), but is now alive a mostly machine.  Conner does not know whether he can trust Wright to help the resistance or if he is just part of Skynet's plan to kill himself and Reese.

Most critics complained about lack of story, it's true, it's not the most thoughtful or deep of the Terminator films, but it's good enough.  Plus, it sets you up for a sequel in a great way, because you know more has to happen to finish the story.  Some also complain abut acting, that there's no real depth to the characters.  That's mostly true.  Bale mostly screams at people and robots and doesn't get as much screen time as you would think.  But then there's Marcus Wright (played by Aussie Sam Worthington).  His character is cool.  He doesn't know where he's come from.  He remembers being killed and has no memory of Judgement Day or the resistance.  His story is interesting and it takes up a good part of the film.

So take it for what it's worth.  It's a summer action flick.  It's supposed to fun.  It is.  It's supposed to make you want to watch the original three.  It did.  It's supposed to get you prepared for a sequel.  I know I'm waiting for one.  It may not be your cup of tea, but if you've seen the originals this one is worth checking out.  Besides it's better than any Wolverine or Transformers out there!

Rating: 74 Robot Motorcycles

Star Trek: Remember the Space Times?

All I have to say about this movie is, "AWWW YEEAH!"  I just got back from seeing this for the second time.  It was just as good as the first time, maybe better because it was in IMAX.  This is the movie of the summer.  Sadly it comes out so early in the season that there's not much else to look forward to (Terminator will be okay and Harry Potter will be great, but is so far away).  So by mid-May we've hit the peak of summer greatness, but it's quite a peak.

First of all I need to say this film is for Trekkies and for initiates into the Trek world.  You need no previous knowledge of Star Trek to see it, although if you do it will enhance your experience (see more on this subject later).  The new Star Trek was directed by the genius, J.J. Abrams (LOST, Alias, Felicity, Mission Impossible III) and was designed to reignite the series by starting from the beginning.  So let's start there, shall we?

The film starts with a bang.  A huge battle between a ginormous Romulan (bad alien) ship and a small Starfleet (good guys) ship.  The battle is intense, the ship is destroyed as the acting captain, George Kirk, sacrifices himself so the rest of the crew (including his wife who is at that moment giving birth to their son, the soon-to-be James Tiberias Kirk) can escape to safety.  The scene is both epic and touching and gives a great prologue to the movie.  From the start of the movie you are sucked in, it's exciting and you love it.

The movie goes from there to a brief introduction to the two main characters (James T. Kirk and the Vulcan (smart aliens) Spock as children.  Kirk is a rebel acting out against authority and Spock (who is half Vulcan half human) is a angst ridden youth in a culture that doesn't believe in being angst ridden.  Not a lot of time is spent on the background of the characters, but the time that is spent is effective.  The movie really starts moving when Capt. Pike of Starfleet convinces Kirk to join up and be a man like his father was.

On the shuttle to Starfleet Academy Kirk meets Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (my favorite, played by Karl Urban), the cantankerous medical officer.  The night before he met Uhura (Zoe Saldana), the communications and xenolinguistics expert.  Later we're introduced to Hikaru Sulu (John Cho), the helmsman and Ensign Pavel Andrevitch Checkov (Anton Yelchin).  Each character gets their moment to shine and it's great.  Engineer Montgomery Scott comes in later and while his appearance is a little more than a cameo actor Simon Pegg makes the most of his limited screen time.  All the original crew, with a facelift.  Each actor is great at being true to their original counterparts, while also bringing a new style all their own.  It makes me smile just thinking about it.

With all the necessary crew in place the movie is set for pure fun.  If you're familiar with the old Star Trek, you'll love the references and in-jokes, if you're not familiar with it you'll love getting to know all the old crew with all their new jokes.  Bones has all his obligatory "Damn it man I'm a doctor not a_____." lines.  Scotty tells Kirk he's "Givin' it all she's got."  Checkov has trouble with his V's.  They even have the scene where Kirk beats the infamous Kobayashi Maru test.  Top it all off with a great cameo by Leonard Nimoy and you've got all the right parts.  (If none of this means anything to you, no worries, they're just nerd-talk inside jokes from older Star Trek films.)

Yet there is plenty here for newcomers.  There is plenty to enjoy in this reboot.  First timers to the series will enjoy the fast paced action, menacing villany of Eric Bana's Romulan Capt. Nero, and funny dialogue that keeps the movie light-hearted just at the moments when it starts taking itself too seriously.  It's the epitome of a perfect summer movie.  I wanted to see it again as soon as it ended.  Now I want a sequel.

So if you haven't seen it yet, go now.  See it in IMAX if you can.  (On that note, since going to the IMAX I have to ask myself, why do they keep building normal theaters.)  Anyway, go see Star Trek, it's great.  You'll laugh.  You'll gasp.  You'll hold your breath at the stunning space jump sequence.  Have fun and "Live Long and Prosper!"

Rating: 7 Billion Warp Drives!

17 Again: Another Evidence That Lightsabers Make Movies Better

It's outlandish.  It's ridiculous.  It's implausible.  It's...a lot more fun than I thought it would be.  The formula for 17 Again is not a new one.  It's been done before as Big, 13 Going on 30, and in other variations like Hot Chick (haven't actually seen this one).  But 17 Again, is still fun and it has a lightsaber fight and that makes it all worth it.

I was worried that this movie was going to be terrible at the start when Zac Efron (as Matthew Perry in 1989) got up before his big basketball game and started dancing with the cheerleaders.  "Oh no!  High School Musical 4," I thought, but the film got better as it went on.  Efron and Perry play Mike O'dell.  In the "future" Mike is on the verge of a divorce from his high school sweetheart, his kids hardly know him and he lives with his best friend the uber-nerd, multi-millionaire Ned Gold.  By some magic Mike gets the chance to be 17...again.  He comes back as his fit, good looking high school self to do it all over... again.  At first all Mike wants to do is play basketball and be popular... again, but he soon realizes his son is picked on and his daughter is dating the school jock/jerk/idiot.  So he decides to fix everything and woo his wife...again.

The story sticks to formula, but with funny moments along the way.  The best part of the movie is Ned, Mike's best friend.  Ned is a super nerd and he's rich.  He lives in a sweet house with a sweet car and all the nerd memoribilia you could hope for.  Ned ends up falling for Mike's principal, Jane Masterson (played by Jan from The Office).  Their "courtship" is hilarious.  I laughed lots.

Overall an enjoyable movie, but nothing groundbreaking or spectacular.  A fun movie to watch with your significant other at the dollar theater or at home on DVD.

Rating: 11 Hubcaps

The Soloist: Mental Health and Life on the Streets

So I have been looking forward to this film for awhile now.  It was supposed to come out in November/December of last year, but got bumped to April.  This is not a good sign since most studios have their "dumping" period from about January to April.  I was worried that the film wouldn't live up to the expectations I had from reading the book.  I was not disappointed, though, the film was just fine.  The performances of its two leads (Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx) were great, the story was strong enough, and the film didn't go too long.

The film is based on the true story of Steve Lopez (Downey), a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, who, while searching for a story, comes across Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (Foxx), a homeless, mentally unstable musical prodigy.  Steve begins to write Nathaniel's story of how he went to Julliard and studied cello, had a nervous breakdown, left school and began a life on the streets.  Steve is soon consumed by Nathaniel's situation and tries to help him get back on his feet.  He takes Nathaniel to concerts and tries to get him off the streets and on medication.  Each of these tasks is met with resistance of some kind by Nathaniel.  At times Nathaniel is calm and coherent and takes Steve's advice and at others Nathaniel is violent and irrational.

Ultimately this film is about Steve coming to terms with his own incapacity to love and be responsible for another person.  It's also about educating the public on homelessness and mental illness and the kinds of people these things affect.  It's touching and sappy, but effective and compassionate to its subjects.

Foxx's performance of Nathaniel is especially good.  He does well at conveying the absent-minded Nathaniel as well as the musical genius Nathaniel.  He's likable and we feel bad when he has outbursts, because we know he can't help it.  Downey is also great as Steve.  He is able to make his character likable, even though he's not the greatest guy.  Steve's character arc, his change from the beginning of the movie and the end, is great; due in large part to Downey's performance.

Though the film is strong there are some qualms I had with it.  It should be noted, however, that these are only problems because I read the book and know the full story.  The first is that Steve Lopez is married with a young daughter in the book, in the movie he's divorced (from his editor?) and has a college aged son.  This change kind of helps the story, but not really.  There were touching moments in the book, like Nathaniel coming to Steve's house and meeting his family.  Also, there is not enough about Nathaniel's time at Julliard and how he came to leave the school.  The film makes Nathaniel out to be this perfect genius, but in the book it's clear he was good, but he still struggled in school.  Minor problems for sure, but significant ones.  (If that makes any sense at all).

Overall, I recommend this film.  It's touching, uplifting, and at times eye-opening to the situation of people on the streets, particularly those in large cities.  I'm fairly certain the director used some actual homeless people in the film.

Rating: 12 Barrels of Monkeys

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Marvel Mutants Meander in Mediocrity

Well I waited anxiously.  I watched trailers.  I even went to a midnight showing.  Was it worth it?  No.  Not at all.  A movie that was so hyped and anticipated should have been good.  A movie that took about three years to get made should have been great.  A movie with this cast of characters should have been mindblowing.  The special effects should have been flawless.  The story should have been intriguing.  A lot of things should have been.  Alas, they were not to be.

The film follows the early life (lives) of one of the favorite X-Men, James Logan "Logan" "Wolverine".  Already you're probably confused, as was I, since he has like 15 names in the movie.  Wolverine has long been a favorite because he has a cool history (he's lived since the 1800s and fought in every major war, since he can't be killed).  This history would have been cool to see, but instead they just showed about a minute and a half of him in the Civil War, World War I, World War II and Vietnam over the credits.

The film starts out showing how Wolverine and his brother (Really?) Victor (a.k.a Sabertooth) come to work for the governement as part of a secret team of mutants under Commander Stryker.  The team consists of Deadpool (although in the movie not really) played by Ryan Reynolds, Will I. AM (a rapper who can teleport), Charlie from Lost who can read minds, the marine from lost who killed Ben's daughter (his power is being strong and getting fat later on) and some Asian they call Zero who can shoot real good.  All these characters had some great potential for being cool.  Too bad Logan leaves the team on moral grounds and becomes a lumberjack in Canada.  The team ends up getting killed off one by one.

The film progresses and Logan trades his bone claws in for Adamantium (sp?) ones.  So now he's indestructible and on a rampage against the ones who built him (because somehow during the underwater surgery he gained super hearing and heard their plot against him).  Anyway more mutants come along.  Like Gambit who is now Southern instead of Cajun (and pretty useless) a girl who can turn into diamonds and a young Scott Summers (a.k.a Cyclops).  All of these characters are glorified cameos and serve no real purpose.

In short, this film was disappointing.  It had potential, but suffered in the execution.  The most embarassing thing about this movie was the special effects.  At one point Wolverine is trying out his new claws and they look like the singing sword from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit".  So if you're dying to see this movie, catch it in the dollar or on the redbox.  One can only hope that "Star Trek" will be better.

Rating: 8 Cereal Box Toys