WALL*E Trailer Hits....

While I'm reasonably excited for Pixar's upcoming Ratatouille, ever since I heard the concept for next summer's WALL*E---a small robot travels through space searching for a purpose, I've been far more excited for Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton' s sophomore effort.

Thankfully, today apple released a teaser trailer:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/walle/

I can feel my heartstrings tug already.

Pixar already has its fair share of masterpieces, but if this film turns out half as good as I hope-it could be their best yet.

H-DoGG Unimpressed By New Transformers Theme

So I ran across the new music video over on YouTube featuring the new theme for the new Transformers movie, performed by Black Lab. At first I was hopeful... and it quickly faded to disappointment. This new theme is a watered-down version of the original (which was awesome) in my opinion. Also my opinion - the vocalist is TERRIBLE!

Watch the video here.

It's just a music video and I reserve judgement on the film until I see it in its entirety. Still, I have not gotten on the bandwagon and remain very cautious about this one.

Best of 2006…6 Months Late

I know what you’re all thinking…

“Damn that guy’s lazy! It’s frickin’ June and he’s just now coming out with a top 10 list for last year? Lame.”

My undeniable lameness aside, let me explain myself: I live in Iowa. While that in itself may seem to explain a lot, allow me to divulge further: living in “The Land of Golden Corn and Hogs” (OK, I don’t really know the state motto) and not even the Des Moines area, mind you, we get passed over when it comes to some major film releases. While I was able to see many of the films in my list in the theatre, there were a handful of worthy releases (for example: Letters from Iwo Jima, The Good German, Shortbus) that never came within an hour-and-a-half’s drive from my place. I could have easily produced a list of films I was able to see in the theatre, but I know I’d be regretting it by this time. Now that I’ve caught up with every film I believe would be in contention for my list this year (knowing that I’ll probably come across a missed gem a year or two down the road) I’ll get on with it:

1. Children of Men- Creating a world as engaging and frightening as any put on film, Alfonso Cuarón’s tale of a society without a future was the most viscerally exciting film to hit cinemas in 06. Much like Blade Runner 25 years before, this film will be looked back upon as an essential piece of science fiction that was sadly overlooked (in awards and at the box office) the year it was released. The best science fiction uses high concepts to get us to look at the world around us. Children of Men does this while being both haunting and optimistic.

2. United 93- While not a film anyone would probably want to revisit over and over again, Paul Greengrass’ docudrama United 93 is an experience that displays the power of the cinema. Heart-wrenching, it presents a you-are-there account of the events of 9/11 through the eyes of the passengers of United Flight 93. It’s understandable that not a lot of people went to go see the movie in the theatre, but also a shame because I fear it won’t be nearly as gut-twisting in a home theatre setting.

3. Letters from Iwo Jima- Check The Film Lounge archives for a full review of what I think is one of the greatest World War II films ever made.

4. Pan’s Labyrinth- In my recent Pirates of the Caribbean 3 non-review I did a rant on a problem I have with the fantasy genre. I had totally forgotten about the ‘childhood/is this a dream or is this the reality’ subgenre consisting of Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and Spirited Away—of which I’m a fan. In that subgenre the fantastical is allowed to be nonsensical, this is how a child’s imagination works. Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is an instantly classic example of this form of storytelling- a dark fairy tale that follows a young girl who, when not dealing with her abusive (and insane) stepfather, performs a series of tasks for a faun she discovers in the labyrinth behind her house.

5. Little Children- I’m a sucker for dramatic irony and Todd Field’s adaption of Tom Perrotta’s novel has it in spades. Centered on a couple of young, desperate housepeople in a small community, the film is carried by strong performances by the always great Kate Winslet and former child star Jackie Earle Haley as a sexual deviant, just-released from prison. The film is surprisingly funny while it prepares to stab you in the heart.

6. The Fountain- A lot of people will no doubt absolutely hate The Fountain, Darren Aronofsky’s sci-fi epic about the search for eternal life. It’s a bit pretentious, it’s certainly over-reaching, and it gets a bit kooky in the third act---all three reasons why I loved it. I’ll admit to personally reacting strongly to the subject matter while conceding that it may be more of a brilliant disaster/future cult classic than a legitimate cinema great.

7. Marie Antoinette- A smart, light film about the horrors of young womanhood and the expectations and isolation that comes with privilege, Sophia Coppola’s third film is a real charmer. Kirsten Dunst glows in the title role while a pop music soundtrack keeps this period piece from feeling old and stuffy.

8. The Departed- Martin Scorcese’s best film since…The Aviator is a twisty-turny crime thriller that touches upon the same ‘what does identity mean’ ground as 06s A Scanner Darkly (just shy of making this list.)

9. Dreamgirls- Throwing any man-credibility I had out the window, I can’t deny the infectious energy this film radiated from the screen. Doling out strong musical numbers and a history lesson on race/image issues in the music industry, Dreamgirls’ tale of an alternate Supremes universe is a real crowd-pleaser. Jennifer Hudson probably doesn’t have much of a future acting in films where’s she’s not required to sing, but at least she has a well-deserved Oscar for her role as Effie, the singer with the voice and depth that strongly contrasts Beyonce Knowles’ Deena.

10. The Descent- I’ve been making top 10 lists for my own personal gratification for around eight years and I usually like to throw an oddball film as my tenth choice. While there were certainly better films this year than The Descent that didn’t make this list, none got my blood racing like this film did. A mixture of the scariest parts of Deliverance, Aliens, and Ravenous, The Descent is also the rare horror film with depth. Watch it in the darkest room possible.

The Pick of Destiny ROCKS!

The next band asked me to read the following statement...

Watching the following movie is hazardous to your health. It is like a lethal injection of rock in your ass or getting gunned down in a hail fire of awesomeness.

There are two types of stupid movies - those that are stupid but hilarious (BASEketball) and those that are stupid and a complete waste of your time (Date Movie). Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny is solidly one of the former. Yes, it is probably best you have some familiarity with "The D", but either way, I know I loved this movie!

The rock duo known as Tenacious D (Jack Black and Kyle Gass) are a joke band (the self-proclaimed greatest rock band in the world) that consistently deliver the laughs, whether through their crazy songs or their film shorts (HBO's Tenacious D: The Masterworks). I heard the soundtrack to The Pick of Destiny long before I saw the film and, if the soundtrack was any indication at all, I knew I would enjoy the film. Yes I did!

Knowing the D's material prepares you for what is to come - 90 minutes of drug induced stupor, rock antics, profanity and juvenile raunchiness... all worth the price of admission or, as the case is now, the cost of a DVD rental. Just like another juvenile classic (and favorite from high school) BASEketball, this film had me laughing beginning to end and well afterwards. I will never outgrow it.

To give a brief synopsis, The Pick of Destiny serves as an origin story of sorts for this duo and we follow their epic quest to possess the most powerful rock artifact EVER - the legendary Pick of Destiny! We come to learn that the success of such bands as Van Halen didn't rise to stardom by accident, but rather they came into the possession of the pick, which just so happens to be one of Satan's teeth, dislodged hundreds of years before in a battle with a dark mage. They just need it to win an open-mic night so they can pay the rent. I'm sure you can reasonably infer the rest of the goings-on. Even Ronnie James Dio and the venerable Meatloaf make appearances.

The thing about Tenacious D is that they are talented enough musically to make screwing around and being silly still extremely entertaining, watchable and listen...able. That and Jack Black has that class clown charisma and charm that always gets the laughs. And unlike many bad comedies, they keep their antics contained in a small 90 minute package; not too long, not too short - just right.

If you are a fan of the D and haven't yet watched The Pick of Destiny, go out and rent it. You will not be disappointed. Its time to ROCK! 8/10

ARGH! Me Mateys! A Non-Review of Pirates 3

I really had no intention of writing a review for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. It’s been a week since I saw it in the theatre and it didn’t compel me in any fashion to rush home and write about it. Still, a week later I’ve decided to write down some quick thoughts for the benefit of ‘future me’----the ‘me’ in eight months, who sees the DVD on sale for $5.99 on Netflix and can’t decide if he wants to complete his collection or not. So, this isn’t really a formal review w/ intelligent discourse (because my other reviews are FULL of that) or plot synopses (it’s barely been a week and I honestly can’t remember half of it)…just whatever thoughts I have while typing.

The creators of the POTC franchise must think the audience REALLY loves these characters…not the main ones, mind you. I personally do really enjoy Captain Jack Sparrow (there may be too many of him in this film, though….yeah, I typed that right) and I can understand if fans of the film have affection towards Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner, Kiera Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann, or Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Barbosa, but the filmmakers don’t stop there. Is the fandom so large for Fat-pirate-with-bad-teeth and Wooden-eye-pirate that, not only are they back in both sequels, but their roles grow with each movie? I guess this sequel wouldn’t be able to capture the magic of the original movie if it didn’t bring back the two dim-witted, bickering navy soldiers who guarded the ship that Jack purloined in the original. This is using the charms of the original as a crutch instead of carving out a new identity for the sequels. The best sequels know that they have to tweak the dynamic a bit (Aliens is the best example I can think of this, The Mummy Returns the worse.)

Not only are all these characters back, but they all have vague agendas and, while I don’t want to say there needs to be more exposition in this film-God no!, they certainly needed to telegraph some character’s intentions a bit more. This will probably improve with a second viewing of the film---it is a complex plot for what many go in expecting to be a brainless summer blockbuster. I have no objections to an action movie that requires me to think (I’m psyched for the third Bourne movie), but at two-hours and forty-eight minutes, this one just got tiresome.

Pirates brought to light a problem I have with fantasy/magic movies---they don’t need to follow any specific logic. The first film established a set of rules w/ the Aztec treasure and stuck to them and it made for some cool twists in the third act, whereas this film had a series of things that annoyed me: most of them involving magical squid pirate Davy Jones. I guess this is why I’m a sci-fi guy, but when magic items or a character w/ magic powers is established to have certain characteristics, it annoys me when they play loose with the rules or explain an arbitrary loophole (usually another type of magic item) that exists simply to advance the plot. I fully realize that these types of ‘deus ex machina’ exist in science fiction (technobabble usually), but the script usually has to work harder to justify it—instead of ‘ooooh, it’s maaaagic.’

The film is not without its bright spots, though. The effects, as expected, are top-notch and it certainly delivers on spectacle. The actors all commit to their characters and deliver better performances than any ghost/squid/stereotype pirate movie series ever (I’m assuming-I haven’t seen a ton of that genre.) Also, the third film succeeds in actually providing an ending to the series---and it’s actually a good one. I won’t give anything away, but it serves as a sea fable as enchanting as the ones that inspired the series.

1/3 dreadful, 1/3 not-good, and 1/3 not-bad—Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End provides a satisfying conclusion to the series…after two hours of nonsense and confusion. Future Jacob, I know you’re too compulsive of a DVD collector to leave out the third part of a trilogy---just make sure you pay no more than $5.99 for it.

5/10