DARK HORSE (2012)

September 11, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. Director Todd Solondz is the master of film uncomfortableness. If you have seen his Happiness or Welcome to the Dollhouse, you won’t debate whether that’s a real word or not. Mr. Solondz has a way of finding the worst in his characters and then taking it even darker and more negative. And yet, somehow, his latest (and maybe his simplest film to date) could be called a comedy.

We are first introduced to Abe (Jordan Gelber) and Miranda (Selma Blair) as they share a table at a wedding, though obviously aren’t remotely together. He is oblivious to her near silent attempts to nicely avoid providing her phone number to him. The film moves quickly to provide proof that Abe is the epitome of arrested development. A mid-thirties something who not only “works” for his dad, but still lives with his parents (Mia Farrow, Christopher Walken) in a bedroom decorated with action figures. It’s difficult to look at someone who takes up as much space as Abe and categorize them as a kid, so I believe the better term is “not an adult”. He stalks Miranda and doesn’t seem to mind/notice that she is a heavily medicated depressed individual who looks at him like he’s a circus act.

Abe’s work environment is no better than his personal life. He brings nothing of value to his dad’s company, yet somehow thinks he is always being mistreated. This carries over to his feelings toward his brother Richard (Justin Bartha), who is a doctor. Abe, who dropped out of college, believes the only difference is that Richard was the favorite son and received special privileges. It’s very easy to label Abe a “loser”, but somehow Solondz manages to maintain our interest with small sparks of hope (very small).

 The hope quickly fades and Abe’s life heads on a fast downward spiral. There are some bizarre fantasy/dream sequences that involve the quiet, much older co-worker Marie (Donna Murphy), and a conversation in the car with his mother and brother that plays like something directly out of a Woody Allen movie (made even creepier with the presence of Mia Farrow), plus another odd sequence featuring Miranda’s ex (Aasif Mandvi) and the source of her Hep B.

There are some funny moments, but as Mr. Solondz would prefer, the laughs are tainted with guilt. We can’t help but wonder why we laugh at a guy for whom we have such little respect … actually bordering on disgust. I must admit to being pretty tired of Abe by the end of the movie, and couldn’t help wondering if it might have been more effective as a short film. Still, the acting was superb, and unfortunately Abe isn’t that much of a stretch from someone you probably know in real life.

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you don’t mind a dose of guilt mixed with some humor

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you prefer to avoid the depressed and the losers amongst us.

watch the trailer:

 

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE CAMPAIGN (2012)

August 18, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. Director Jay Roach seems to be the perfect guy to direct a political campaign parody during a Presidential election year. He has had plenty of low-brow comedy success with Austin Powers and Meet the Fockers. He then gained credibility with his political sharpness in Recount and Game Change, and he is co-founder of “Funny or Die”. Instead, the movie has the feel of being thrown together during a long weekend with his drinking buddies. Luckily for him, his buddies include Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis.

Revolving around a North Carolina Republican Congressional primary, we are first introduced to a smug Cam Brady (Ferrell), the four term incumbent who expects to run unopposed. Not long after, we learn local twit Marty Huggins (Galifianakis) is entering the race … even though he freezes in front of the camera and has no apparent platform or special issue to support. Of course, that is the one thing both candidates share – the issues aren’t the focus of the movie or their campaign. Rather, this is meant to poke fun at what political campaigning has devolved into, and how we as voters continue to fall for the dirty game of politics.

 We soon learn that the billionaire Motch brothers are financing Marty’s campaign. Their single interest is making more money and they need an indebted politician to help them buy up cheap district land and re-sell it to the Chinese so that cheap labor can be “insourced”. Clearly the Motch brothers (John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd) are meant to spoof the real life political power brokers, the Koch Brothers.

Clueless Marty gets help from intense campaign manager guru Tim Whattley (Dylan McDermott) who is there to make him not suck so much. First thing is to re-do Marty’s image … they remodel his house, right down to replacing the family pugs with two more popular breeds. As Marty gets caught up in the campaign fervor, we get the expected results: he drifts from his family, the dirty stuff includes real life political sojourns like drunk driving, sexting, infidelity, false accusations, religious hypocrisy and public embarrassment of the opponents.

The real statement here, if there is one, seems to be that we the voters have allowed political campaigning to turn into a contest of who connects with us and who seems to be like us, rather than a focus on issues present and future. Kissing our baby or attending our county fair shows the candidate is one of us, while in fact, gives no indication of whether the candidate has any true beliefs or understands the issues. There are plenty of laughs in the movie, though it’s not my particular favorite type of comedy (think Talladega Nights). I will especially tip my cap to Zach G for his willingness to do whatever is necessary for a laugh. He is a fearless comedian.

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: if a lightweight parody of political campaigning is just the kind of escapism you are looking for OR you never miss anything from Will Ferrell or Zach Galifianakis, two of the funnier people on the planet.

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you are expecting a biting expose’ of political campaigning.  It’s not even as deep as HBO’s “Veep”.

watch the trailer (all the funny parts):

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Posted by David Ferguson

HOPE SRINGS (2012)

August 17, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. I often give extra credit to filmmakers for trying something challenging and different, even if the final product might fall a bit short. What I refuse to do is ignore the opposite … a lazy attempt by a filmmaker who thinks they can skate by simply because they picked a interesting topic. Director David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada) takes the screenplay from Vanessa Taylor and then seems to sit back and bank on the strength of three lead actors to make a statement.

Meryl Streep is the greatest living actress and maybe the greatest of all-time. She can turn any character into a subject of interest and doesn’t disappoint here as Kay, the disenchanted wife of Arnold, played by Tommy Lee Jones (himself an excellent actor). In an effort to save a marriage gone stale after 31 years, she books a week of intensive marriage counseling with Dr. Bernie Feld (Steve Carell). Grumpy Arnold reluctantly agrees to attend despite his belief that all is “fine” with their marriage for the singular reason that it’s lasted 31 years.  Besides that, he has golf to watch on TV … well, “watch” with his eyes closed.

What follows is not the laugh-fest promised by the trailer, but rather a semi-serious look at marriage for the over-60 generation. I say semi-serious because intense and thoughtful topics are raised, but the film continually makes U-Turns at each fork in the road so as to avoid coming up with any real solution or digging deeper into cause/effect. Instead, some prime opportunity is wasted for this to be either a riotous look at marital frustration or an intriguing dive into what makes men and women of this generation unable to communicate.

My contention is that just because this is a movie about marriage for 60-somethings, we shouldn’t give the filmmakers a gold star for effort. The great John Wooden said, “Never mistake effort for results“. There are some humorous moments … some laugh out-loud moments, but not very many. There are some serious topics broached, but only by skimming the surface. Mostly, the scenes are obvious and predictable and Streep and Jones carry the burden of lifting the material.  As a movie lover, I demand more.

 The three leads are excellent. Mr. Carell does a nice job of playing the understated counselor role. He is smart enough to know that this film belongs to Streep and Jones. There is also minor support work from Ben Rappaport, Marin Ireland, Mimi Rogers and Elisabeth Shue. All of these characters seem tossed in for variety only. None really drive the story. though it seems either one more or one less scene with with Shue in the bar would have made sense. The first 20 minutes of the film has three songs that just overpower the scenes.  I guess this is to ensure that every viewer recognizes the mood of the characters.  It’s as if the director recognized the material was lightweight.

I have labeled this genre Gray Cinema, and have previously stated that I expect we are on the front end of this trend as baby boomers demand more movies about themselves. The trend is commendable, but again I say, we should demand more and better.  Showing up is half the battle … now let’s see the other half.

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you enjoy watching the great Meryl Streep brilliantly craft another of her cinematic characters

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you find the raising of issues to be a starting point, not a finish line for a story

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson

DUCK SOUP (1933) revisited

August 10, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. This Marx Brothers classic was selected to kickoff the Comedy Series presented by The Dallas Morning News and Dallas Film Society.  To demonstrate to my buddy Robert just how far he has come in life, I invited him to join me.  He seemed pleased that we didn’t have to manually push the car to jump start it and that no Auto-Bomb exploded on ignition (two of his memories associated with previous Marx Bros events).  It’s been 20-25 years since I last watched this one, so catching it on the big screen was a real treat. I laughed at almost every scene, as this is the Marx Brothers best combination of quips, puns, political satire and physical sight gags. They are in prime form and for the first and only time, are directed by a real director … Leo McCarey (also known for An Affair to Remember, and Going My Way). The script is from Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, with additional dialogue by the great Arthur Sheekman.

 Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo star together for the last time, as Zeppo decided to join brother Gummo on the business side. Groucho plays Rufus T Firefly who is (somehow) named as the new leader of Freedonia, the bankrupt country backed by millionaire widow Mrs Teasdale (played by Margaret Dumont). A childish spat between Firefly and the ambassador of Sylvania lead the two countries to war. Of course, in between, there is a huge musical production sequence and too many funny gags to keep track of.

The film is recognized as the first political satire film and was released just 3 years after the death of silent films. Much of the film is spent as commentary on the absurdity of war and ego involved in most political conflicts. A couple of the iconic sight gags include the famous “mirror” scene with Groucho and Harpo, and the hilarious “hat scene” with Chico, Harpo and silent film star Edgar Kennedy (as a lemonade vendor). There is also one of the most bizarre early special effects (a tattoo on Harpo’s chest) and a Dallas, Texas joke that generated applause from the hometown audience. The film even pokes fun at the Hays Code (morality censorship) with a shot of a pair of men’s shoes, a pair of women’s shoes, and a set of horseshoes, and then a quick cut to twin beds and an odd sleeping arrangement.

The film came out at a time when much cynicism existed toward the Great War and the Depression was still a fact of life in the U.S.  Because of that, the film may be easier for us to watch now than it was at the time of its release. Even the Freedonia anthem, which is played several times throughout, is a spoof on the Star Spangled banner with it’s only line being “Hail Hail Freedonia, land of the brave and free“.  So that it was clear they were not choosing sides in their political shots, Groucho is seen in at least five different uniforms during the battle scenes … each a bit more outlandish than the last.

 Support work is also provided by Louis Calhern, but it’s Margaret Dumont who never ceases to amaze. A consistent presence in Marx Brother films, she is the epitome of the “comedy straight man”. How she ever played her role seriously given the Marx Brothers hijinks is beyond belief. She even gets to flash her classically trained singing voice, though it provides a flying fruit ending.

The Marx Brothers made 13 movies and this was their fifth, and probably best. The five brothers (including Gummo) only appeared together on screen one time … on a TV talk show in 1957. Their vaudeville and stage act continued to be the basis for their films, and was undoubtedly a factor in their incredible comedic timing. While it is understandable that the Marx Brothers humor may not be to every person’s taste, it is impossible to ignore their impact on film comedy (Lucy, Daffy Duck/Bugs Bunny, The Monkees). Hail Hail Freedonia!!

the classic mirror scene:

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE GRADUATE (1967) revisited

August 9, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. It’s the 45th anniversary of this film’s release and it was awarded a limited theatrical re-release, which I took advantage of last evening. Unlike so many films, the big screen doesn’t really bring anything special here, but then, it really doesn’t require any assistance. I fall into the category of those who consider this one of the all-time best films. Not only is it off-the-charts entertaining, the dialogue is brilliant, the performances are pitch perfect, and the camera work and soundtrack are highly complimentary.

 As my number of viewings have increased over the years, I have become a true admirer of the performance of Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson. It is heart-breaking and emotional. The first glimpse of her always makes me smile … she is in the background as Ben (Dustin Hoffman) pinballs through the party trying to avoid the clutches of his parents’ friends. In her scene in bed when she tells Ben about her college background in art and how her dreams came crashing down, her voice and facial features are filled with pain. Watch the movie from Mrs. Robinson’s point of view and my guess is you too will have a renewed understanding.

Of course, the age differences of the lead actors breaks all of my “movie pet peeve” rules. Dustin Hoffman was 30 at the time and he is playing a soon to turn 21 year old Ben. Anne Bancroft has a line to Ben where she says she is “twice your age“. Actually, she was only 36 at the time, and Katharine Ross (Elaine) was 27. Also, William Daniels who plays Ben’s dad, was only 10 years older than Hoffman.

 The movie is based on the Charles Webb novel and the screenplay was written by Buck Henry, who also plays the hotel clerk with whom Ben has an ongoing dialogue. Calder Willingham is also credited thanks to a lawsuit brought after the fact. The director, Mike Nichols has had a terrific career, and was also a co-founder of Chicago’s Second City Improv. He is also one of only 12 EGOT’s: winners of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. One of Mr. Nichols’ most famous collaborators is Elaine May, who plays the roommate delivering the note to Ben … and is the target of a most interesting camera angle.

There are so many iconic moments and shots from the film. Everyone is aware of Mr. McGuire’s “Plastics” advice to Ben, and we see Norman Fell as Ben’s landlord who has no appreciation for “agitators“. It’s also fun to note that we see a glimpse of a young Richard Dreyfuss who says he’ll “get the cops“, and Mike Farrell (from “MASH”) makes his film debut as a bellhop at the hotel. It’s also the final screen performance for Alice Ghostley, who many know from “Bewitched”. One of the most famous film posters in history shows Dustin Hoffman photographed through the leg of Mrs. Robinson. Actually, that leg belongs to Linda Gray, who went on to fame as Sue Ellen Ewing in the “Dallas” TV series. It should also be noted that the pivotal Taft Hotel in the film is actually the very famous Ambassador Hotel, which of course, is where Presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy was assassinated in 1968. The hotel was later demolished in 2005.

 On a personal note, some of my favorite moments in the film include the shot of Mrs Robinson reflected in the glass top table as she arrives for her first night with Ben. Also, director Nichols allows the camera to linger on a furious and disgusted Bancroft as Hoffman shows up for his date with Elaine. And yes, it should be mentioned that Katharine Ross became the “dream girl” of the 1960’s thanks to this role and her role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. As for the Simon and Garfunkel music, the most interesting piece is the unfinished “Mrs. Robinson” song that Nichols selected, even though Paul Simon presented it to him as “Mrs. Roosevelt” (as in Eleanor). Singing only the chorus and relying on acoustic guitar and an endless supply of Di-di-di’s, the unfinished version is a perfect fit for Ben’s pursuit of Elaine. One of my guilty pleasures from the film is courtesy of Murray Hamilton who seems to just choke on his lines as he spits them out to Ben – in both of their key scenes together. Hamilton went on to be Mayor of Amity in Jaws, but his career peak was in not shaking hands with Ben.

Though it’s not technically the final shot, the faces of Elaine and Ben on the bus is one of the most memorable endings in movie history … the cherry on top for one of my absolute favorite films.

 

 

 

 

 

Mrs Robinson opening up her personal life for Benjamin:

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Posted by David Ferguson

RUBY SPARKS (2012)

August 6, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. Well it took six years, but co-directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris finally deliver their follow-up to the smash hit Little Miss Sunshine. With a script from first time screenwriter Zoe Kazan (granddaughter of legendary director Elia Kazan), we get an odd mash-up of would-be Woody Allen, Charlie Kaufman, Stranger Than Fiction, and a “Twilight Zone” episode.

The story begins almost as a whimsical fantasy. Paul Dano plays Calvin, a blocked writer 10 years after writing the next great American novel, while he was still a teenager. The necessary comparisons to JD Salinger are made, and we witness Calvin as a socially-inept type who was never comfortable with his early success, and now can’t find a way to move on with life. Given a writing assignment by his shrink (Elliott Gould), Calvin discovers the true power of the written word is far beyond anything he had previously imagined.

 After a dream of meeting a lovely girl in the park, Calvin’s fingers tear through his manual typewriter and develop a story around his literal dream girl. And literal means literal. He runs into her downstairs. His creation has become his creation. Once he realizes they aren’t going to lock him away for insanity, Calvin and Ruby (also Zoe Kazan) begin a real relationship. Well as real as it can be with a girl who is not really real and whose actions can be changed simply by typing words on a page. If you think this sounds like a male fantasy, then you are in agreement with Calvin’s brother (Chris Messina).

 A trip to visit the brothers’ mothers (Annette Bening) and her boyfriend (Antonio Banderas) adds some humorous scenes while also signaling the beginning of trouble for Ruby and Calvin. It turns out that bringing your invented dream girl into the real world doesn’t always work so well. Who would have thought? There is much humor in the film including Steve Coogan as Calvin’s mentor. Deborah Ann Woll (“True Blood”) has a scene as Calvin’s ex-girlfriend and it is probably the best written scene in the film. Really good insight into how two people’s view of the same relationship can vary greatly.

 The story can be looked at from different perspectives. It certainly serves as insight into how a writer’s mind can work. Many writers need a muse … but few get to create their own! More importantly, it makes a statement on how we (well, not me) often try to control and manipulate the other person in our relationships. This is a sterling reminder to be careful what you ask for … you just might get it.

**Note: on a side note, it is refreshing to see a love story between two actors who look rather “normal” rather than so perfectly beautiful they appear to be a genetic experiment

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you enjoy off-beat, quirky humor with an underlying message

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: the last thing you wish to do is crawl inside the head of a Hollywood writer

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson

TO ROME WITH LOVE (2012)

July 22, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. I certainly consider myself a fan of Woody Allen‘s films and am in awe of his prolific ability to write and direct a new movie most every year since 1969. With so many films to his credit, it’s expected that a few will be clunkers. After a pretty nice run of non-New York based films, his love letter to Rome falls short … not from lack of ambition, but rather from a feeling that these stories have been on his “to do” list for too many years. They feel mostly stale and dated.

With one of the world’s most beautiful and interesting cities as a backdrop, Mr. Allen delivers four stories – none of which intersect with the others. There are some similar shared themes, but mostly what the four stories have in common is mass overacting by all involved. Surprisingly, the one exception might be Alec Baldwin, whose wise-cracking lines are played pretty close to the vest. Unfortunately, all of the other key actors seem to think they are onstage at a dinner theatre and that hyper-activity and bellowing one’s lines are required.

In one story, Woody Allen (his first acting gig since Scoop) and Judy Davis head to Rome to meet their daughter’s (Alison Pill) fiancé (Flavio Parenti). Allen overhears the mortician father singing in the shower and works out a scheme to get him an audition that could lead to a career. The father is played by famed Opera tenor Fabio Armiliato and this story is so goofy, it could easily fit into Allen’s “early funny ones”.

Another story has newlyweds played by Alessandro Tiberi and Alessandro Mastronardi in a series of innocent happenstance that leads to some not so innocent events that include her favorite actor (Antonio Albanes) and high-priced call girl (Penelope Cruz). Most of this has the feel of a Benny Hill skit.

Jesse Eisenberg and his girlfriend Greta Gerwig share time with her visiting friend played by Ellen Page. This is the Alec Baldwin sequence, and he is a near-ghost-like entity who pops in to provide obvious advice or warning to the players so they don’t make the same mistakes he made as a younger man. This sequence had potential, but never amounted to much.

The fourth story is just an absurd commentary on reality TV and instant fame. Roberto Begnini plays a normal Italian citizen and family man who one day gets thrust into the world of celebrity for no apparent reason. See, that’s the joke. Probably ten years past the time when this was relevant.

Bashing Woody Allen is not my intent here. Simply pointing out that there are four stories and numerous actors and none of it struck a chord with me. Not to say there weren’t a few well written lines and a couple of terrific shots of Rome … just not enough to keep me going for two hours.

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you need your annual Woody Allen fix, even if it’s not up to the level of last year’s Midnight in Paris OR you just want to see Penelope Cruz in a red dress that’s probably two sizes too small for her.

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: catching a few glimpses of the amazing sites in Rome is not enough reason for you to sit through some of Woody Allen’s worst written dialogue in years.

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE RULES OF THE GAME (La regle du jeu, FR, 1939)

July 4, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. What a thrill to see both of director Jean Renoir‘s masterpieces on the big screen within a couple of weeks of each other. The other is Grand Illusion and the two could not be less similar. In this film, Renoir presents a farcical display of societal “rules” of the time, and even draws a parallel between the upper crust and working class when it comes to love and lust.

The film was not well received upon its initial release because, times being as they were, very few enjoyed laughing at themselves. The film was seized by both the French government and later the Nazi’s. Both labeled the film dangerous to society. The original negatives of the film were destroyed and the film was pieced back together in the 1950’s and now, with technical advancements, we get to watch a beautiful print as Renoir intended. Today, however, it is quite fun to see how Renoir was poking and prodding and very precise with his aim.

 The story begins with the heroic landing of French aviator Andre Jurieux (Roland Toutain) after his solo trans-Atlantic flight. Once you realize this is 10 years after Lindbergh’s flight, you start to understand why the French were not pleased with the film. To make it worse, Jurieux acts like a teenager as he pouts in public when he realizes the woman he loves didn’t come to welcome him home. Nevermind that Christine (Nora Gregor) is married!

 Circumstances bring many to the country estate of Christine and her husband Robert de la Chesnaye (Marcel Dalio) for a hunting expedition. What we actually have is a gathering of wives, husbands, mistresses, lovers, house servants, and French ruling class in a tangled web that obviously influenced Robert Altman for his classic Gosford Park. Robert’s mistress (Mila Parely) is there and though Robert has promised Christine the affair is over, a wonderful scene finds her lowering binoculars to spot the two kissing in the distant. This leads Christine to be a more open to the advances of Andre the aviator.

 To bring in a bit more fun and action, we see the working class mirror the actions of their bosses. Lisette (Paulette Dubost) is married to the gamekeeper Schumaker (Gaston Modot) who doesn’t take kindly to poacher Marceau (Julien Carette) making advances on Lisette. During the shenanigan’s, Octave (Jean Renoir himself) alternates as both an entertaining clown/bear and peace-keeper to ensure that he is continued to be welcome into Robert’s home. He is a bit of a hanger-on.

 There is little plot per se, though we do get a surprising, erroneous murder, and that event brings even more unclear thinking to the group. The key to the film is the wonderful direction of Renoir. So much is going on simultaneously that your eyes must stay sharp and alert. Few directors of the time used such depth in the action … pay attention to the foreground and background or you’ll miss something! My favorite scene is when Robert unveils his latest find – a mechanical musical gadget (pictured left) that runs on precision. It’s in stark contrast to the party and the lives of these people.

** Note: Marcel Dalio and Julien Carette appear in both The Rules of the Game and Grand Illusion

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson

TED (2012)

July 1, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. Upon watching the trailer, it would be easy and understandable to simply write off this movie as a ridiculous piece of junk produced merely to capitalize on the popularity of Seth MacFarlane (“Family Guy” creator). That would be a mistake. While much of what Ted has to say will burn your ears, the insight that goes into his lines is often unmistakeably brilliant.

The movie opens with terrific narration from Patrick Stewart. It’s done in A Christmas Story style, only with a caustic and deadpan irreverence that will jolt you before the opening credits have even rolled. We learn the story of 9 year old John Bennett, a social outcast who receives a teddy bear for Christmas. First, what parent buys their 9 year old a teddy bear??? Anyway, that night, under the covers, young John wishes that he and Ted could be lifelong friends. In the morning, he awakes to find a sweet, lively teddy who startles everyone.

 The talking bear becomes an instant celebrity and is even booked on the Johnny Carson show … the first of many 1980’s pop culture references. As in the case of Corey Feldman (pointed out by the narrator), celebrity often fades. Flash forward 25 years and John (Mark Wahlberg) and Ted are living together with John’s girlfriend (Mila Kunis). The boys spend most of their time smoking pot and watching TV re-runs and worshiping the 1980 Flash Gordon cult movie. It’s a typical man-child existence except that one of them is a vile, 4 letter-word spewing teddy bear, and there is no logical reason that the beautiful Kunis hasn’t walked away from the four year relationship with the hapless floater John.

 Mr. MacFarlane’s true talent lies in laughing at our societal norms and encouraging us to laugh at ourselves. He does this through Brian, the pet dog on “Family Guy“, and now here with a talking teddy bear. He holds little back in ripping our obsession with celebrity, our near-clinical anxiety towards all things Politically Correct, and the villainous ways of entitled corporate types (played here by Joel McHale). Luckily the same rules don’t apply for talking teddies, so we hear things that we aren’t even allowed to think. Because he can, MacFarlane mixes in his love of the 80’s with numerous references and we even get odd cameos from Tom Skerritt, Nora Jones and Ryan Reynolds. The most bizarre reference takes up a substantial part of the movie … Sam Jones, the star of Flash Gordon, appears as an aged party animal, teaching the boys some new tricks. Most of this will be dead time to those unfamiliar with the 1980 movie … and evidently few of us have been impacted by it like MacFarlane.

 Ted is a mash-up of John Waters, Bad Santa, Jackass and just about every stereotypical slacker-buddy movie from the past 25 years. It’s all of that and none of that at the same time. Depending on your viewpoint, Ted is either a crass, irreverent, totally inappropriate waste of movie time, or it’s a comical, insightful observation on where we are as a society right now. Only you can decide … just please don’t take your kids.

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you always wished your teddy bear would come alive OR you have a freakish attraction to Flash Gordon

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: your preference in comedy leans towards the sweet and innocent (two words that have no place near this movie)

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson

MOONRISE KINGDOM (2012)

June 5, 2012

 Greetings again from the darkness. Not many people think like Wes Anderson. That’s probably a good thing in real life. It’s definitely a good thing for movies. He is a creative and distinct filmmaker, though not one with mass appeal. My two personal favorites of his are The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore. His previous film, Fantastic Mr Fox, was a solid hit and critically lauded. Now he delivers one that will probably only click with his core fans. It’s a thing of beauty … if you keep in mind that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Set on the fictional New Penzance Island off the coast of New England in 1965, the movie opens with terrific visuals of the Bishop family’s lighthouse/home. Our tour is conducted as if the home were a dollhouse, and our eyes struggle to keep up with the detailed decor. We are struck by the color palette of tans, greens and splashes of red. This will continue throughout the movie.

The story centers around two 12 year old misfits: Sam and Suzy. Sam is an orphan and outcast in his Khaki Scouts troop, and Suzy is misunderstood and ignored by her selfish parents, who communicate with a bullhorn and through legalese at bedtime (they are both lawyers). Sam and Suzy are attracted to each other’s misery and decide to run away together (yes, they are on an island). This ignites a flurry of activity on this quiet island and showcases two first time actors with remarkable screen presence: Jared Gilman (Sam) and Kara Hayward (Suzy).

 The “grown-ups” on the island include Suzy’s parents played by Bill Murray (a Wes Anderson regular) and Frances McDormand. The island police chief is played Bruce Willis, who we soon figure out is also a social outcast. The Scoutmaster is played by Edward Norton with a regimented weirdness that will have you laughing in confoundment. For such serious topics, Mr. Anderson and co-writer Roman Coppola provide us many comedic moments – both through dialogue and site gags.

During the search, other colorful supporting characters get involved. Social Services is pursuing Sam. Tilda Swinton plays Social Services. In one of the few gags I’ll give away, Swinton’s character only introduces herself as Social Services. This is a gut punch to a system that is often under-staffed and forgetful of it’s true mission. We also get Jason Schwartzman as a very helpful, though slightly seedy, Cousin Ben. Harvey Keitel plays the senior Scoutmaster who is unhappy with Norton for losing a scout. Bob Balaban makes periodic appearances as a narrator … either for a documentary or for the movie, depending on the moment’s need.

The script does a wonderful job of capturing how the 12 year old brain works. Some of the scenes with Sam and Suzy are almost like looking a photo album … exactly the way our childhood memory works. Flashes of moments. The Alexandre Desplat score is heavy on percussion, but it works well with the minimalistic look of the film. It’s also interesting to note that this is one of the few movies where it makes sense to have a soundtrack with Benjamin Britten, Hank Williams and Mozart! If you go to this one, keep your eyes open and moving, and your ears receptive. The payoff is worth it.

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you are a devoted fan of Wes Anderson OR you are ready for an example of what makes indie films so intriguing to those of us who crave them

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF:  your movie preferences lean towards straightforward entertainment rather than off-beat dialogue from disturbed characters

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson

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