Book Review: Disney's Animated Classics

This new book explores the iconic features from the Walt Disney Studio's first 100 years, from Snow White to Wish. A love letter to storytelling and collaboration, each chapter takes readers behind the scenes of a different movie, uncovering the hidden secrets, creative geniuses, and surprising connections that will enthral die-hard Disney fans and casual viewers alike.

It also examines how the studio's films have shaped and been shaped by the world around them and how they have attempted to reflect a changing culture. From the studio's representation of race and sexuality to its fluctuating creative fortunes through the decades, it offers an unflinchingly funny history of one of the biggest icons in cinema.

Book Review: The Needle and the Lens

What movie do you think of when you hear “The Sound of Silence”? Better yet, what song comes to mind when you think of The Graduate? The link between film and song endures as more than a memory. It is, in fact, a sort of cultural symbiosis that has mutually influenced movies and pop music, a phenomenon Nate Patrin tracks through the past fifty years, revealing the power of music in movies to move the needle in popular culture.

These commentaries run the gamut from comedic irony to cheap-thrills excitement to deeply felt drama, all of which Patrin examines in pairings such as American Graffiti and “Do You Want to Dance?”; Saturday Night Fever and “Disco Inferno”; Apocalypse Now and “The End”; Wayne’s World and “Bohemian Rhapsody”; and more.

Pretty In Pink (soundtrack) (30th anniversary)

Welcome to another Soundtrack Sunday.

Today (February 28th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the soundtrack from Pretty In Pink. The album spent a grand total of twenty-seven weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 5. The album appears on the Huffington Post's list of "Best Movie Soundtracks: the 15 Film Music Compilations That'll Change Your Life" and on Rolling Stone's "The 25 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time".

For my full album review, click here.

Star Wars and Me

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

It was the summer of 1977 and I was twelve years old living in a small town in western New York. On that fateful day, the much younger next door neighbor kid Teddy came up to the group of us who were hanging out playing and excitedly said, "I just saw the coolest movie! There were space ships, and robots, and this guy got his arm sliced off by a laser sword!"

Film: The Avengers - Age of Ultron (2015)

This past weekend marked the theatrical opening of The Avengers: The Age of Ultron, the second live-action installment in the Marvel super-team and the eleventh overall film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Given all that, if you expect this one-hundred and forty-one minute installment to be jam-packed, you are right on the money! Come on - just look at that movie poster to the left! This is one big blockbuster.

Film: Ted (2012)

This weekend was the opening of Ted, the first motion picture written, directed and produced by Seth MacFarlane. You might know him as the creator behind the FOX animated shows Family Guy, American Dad and The Cleveland Show. As an animator and writer, he got his start on such Hanna-Barbera shows as Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, and Dexter's Laboratory.

Ted stars MacFarlane as the voice of the title character, a talking stuffed animal wished for by a lonely child. The two grow up together as best-friends forever, but things get complicated for John Bennett (played by Mark Wahlberg) when it is time to get serious with his girlfriend of four years Lori Collins (played by Mila Kunis).

Film: The Avengers (2012)

Last night, the family went out to see The Avengers at the local movie complex. Even a week after the American debut, the theatre was packed. They actually had to ask people to shift over seats before the film started. That's a good thing.

The Avengers, of course, was the culimination of a number of Marvel movie franchises and featured an all-star cast. We got Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (the Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (the Black Widow) and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) as the heroes. Tom Hiddleston returned to play the villain of the piece (Loki), and we had a health dose of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well (Samuel L. Jackson as Col. Nick Fury, Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Colson, and Cobie Smulders as Agent Marie Hill).

And, of course, we have the screenplay and direction done by none other than the legendary Joss Whedon, the ultimate in fan-favorites.

Did I love it? Read on (warning - there will be Spoilers)...

Film: The Hunger Games (2012)

On Friday, my family (my wife, my teenaged son, and me) took in a movie. It was the opening day for The Hunger Games, a sci-fi, action-drama film directed by Gary Ross and based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins.

The cast of the film includes Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz and Donald Sutherland.

Collins has crafted a dystopian reality where the nation of Panem has risen up from a war-torn and ravaged North America. There is a controlling, lavish Capitol surrounded by twelve poverty-stricken districts. As punishment for a rebellion, the Capitol holds an annual Hunger Games tournament where twenty four youths (one boy and girl from each district) compete in a battle to the death.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

Last month, the latest installment in director Guy Ritchie's franchise based upon the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character made its debut.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows once again stars Robert Downey Jr. in the title role, Jude Law (as Dr. John Watson), Rachel McAdams (as Irene Adler), and Kelly Reilly (as Mary, fiancee to Watson). Added to the cast this time are Jared Harris (as Professor Moriarty), Noomi Rapace (as the gypsy Simza) and Stephen Fry (as Mycroft Holmes).

Film: The Muppets (2011)

This weekend I was finally able to set aside some time to go to the movies to see the Muppets, the first Muppets theatrical film to be released in twelve years. Yes, I know, the film has been in theatres since Thanksgiving week. Things have been a little busy.

I won't give too much away from the plot. Basically, it is the story of Walter who is the world's biggest Muppet fan. He and his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary's girlfriend of ten years Mary (Amy Adams) plan to visit Muppet Theatre while on a vacation in Hollywood. However, they learn that the theatre is in trouble and only Kermit and the gang can save it. Problem is that the gang has long since parted ways. So, in the most classic of film traditions, the trio has to help Kermit get the gang back together and to put on a show.

DVD: God Bless Ozzy Osbourne

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Ozzy Osbourne has lived a very infamous rock and roll lifestyle. From the days of Black Sabbath in the 70’s to his solo career in the 80’s to the Osbournes reality show on MTV in the 2000’s, his life has always been one of public display with over-the-top moments.

In 2011, his son Jack Osbourne and film directors Mike Fleiss and Mike Piscitelli put together a documentary film entitled God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, a very intimate and honest look at the rock legend’s life. Starting with growing up as one of six children of a factory worker in war-torn Birmingham, England, it chronicles the events of Ozzy’s career and personal struggles, ending with the over-60 rocker still touring to sold-out arena stadiums all over the world.

Film: West Side Story (1961)

Earlier this season on Glee, McKinley High School was mounting a production of West Side Story for the fictional-school's play. The auditions and show performances were used as a backdrop for ongoing storylines with the characters. Many of the play's songs (brilliant compositions by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim) were featured on the show, sung by the talented cast.

Having not seen the film in decades, I decided to see if I could track down a copy. After all, this year was the fiftieth anniversary of the film's release. How hard would it be to track down a copy?

Turns out in the podunk town we live, impossible.

Film review: Valentine's Day (2010)

When is having too many stars a bad thing? When you try to cram twenty-one of them into a two hour movie with various plot lines that criss-cross, intersect, and diverge multiple times over.

Valentine's Day, which was released on Valentine's weekend in 2010, was that for me. We watched it last night On-Demand because my wife had wanted to see it. By the end we both agreed that we were glad we had not spent money to see it in the theatres. It wasn't horrible but it just wasn't that great. With all that star power, you'd expect great.

The Social Network (2010)

Last night, my wife and I were rummaging through the movies On-Demand and came across Starz offering 2010 film The Social Network as one of the free films. Since the price was right and we had some time on our hands, we decided to give it a watch.

Now, my impression of the first five minutes based on the scene with Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and Erica Albright (played by Rooney Mara) was that this might be too much of a talky-film and not very interesting. Boy, did that change when the date ended and Zuckerberg went into uber-geek programmer mode. That got my interest going!

Movie Review: Green Lantern (2011)

This afternoon, my family and I hit a matinee of the latest summer super-hero spectacular - Green Lantern. As a long time fan of the hero (I first started picking up GL's comics in the mid-1970's), this was one of those characters I really looked forwarded to seeing up on the silver screen. The idea of a hero who could create energy constructs with a power ring was the perfect visual concept for a film. Thus, I had pretty high expectations for this release.

The story is of pilot Hal Jordan (played by Ryan Reynolds) who is chosen to be a successor of Abin Sur in the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic peace-keeping organization. Of course, with this great power comes great responsibility - something that Hal seems a bit reckless with. Over the course of the film, he comes to grips with his own personal faults and manages to become a true hero.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Today we took in the afternoon matinee of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment in the Disney film franchise.

Back on board is producer Jerry Bruckheimer and musical director Hans Zimmer, giving the film the visual and audio continuity from the earlier installments. Also on board are Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush and Kevin McNally, reprising their earlier roles of Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa and Mr. Gibbs. Joining the cast are Penelope Cruz (Angelica) and Ian McShane (Blackbeard).

Film Review: Thor (2011)

We just got back from seeing Thor in the theatres. And, for those concerned, this will be a spoiler-free review (I don't like ruining films for others).

Let me preface by saying that I never was a huge fan of Thor comics. Yes, I am very familiar with the character, his origin, his supporting cast, villains, etc. I got a lot of this from the cartoons in the 60's (taken directly from the comics - remember those Marvel 'toons? Classic.). I also got a lot from Thor's appearances in Avengers which I did love - I always felt he made for an interesting team member.

So, going into this movie I was not going to be a stickler on continuity. Granted, for super-hero movies I never am. I always feel these films need to stand on their own - that they take place in an alternate universe. That way they live and die on their own merits.

Given all that, I must say I enjoyed Thor quite a bit. I was impressed with the acting, the special effects, the plot. It all worked together to tell a good story - amid the backdrop of the bigger shared film continuity that the recent Marvel films have been doing. All the elements of the comics I would have expected were there - Thor's coming to Earth, Asgard, Odin, Loki, his allies, Jane Foster. They managed to fit all of this in, give a solid origin, tell a good story and do it all without getting boring or feeling rushed. I never once looked at my watch. I was thoroughly entertained!

Now, my only suggestion - if you want to save a little green, forgo the 3D. While the 3D doesn't hurt the film, I don't think it needed it. If I had the choice (which I didn't really - outvoted 1 to 2 in our household) I would have gone to see the 2D version and would have been perfectly satisfied.

Oh, and stay through the credits for the "final scene". It is small but revealing.

I definitely give this one a big "thumbs up" and recommend you see it on the big screen if you can. An action film like this one warrants seeing in the theatres.

Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time (2010)

Yesterday afternoon while scrolling through On-Demand, I ran across the 2010 films Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time which starred Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, and Alfred Molina. I remembered the trailers and thought it was interesting at the time, but never saw it in the theatres. Since all I had to invest was time (it was a free flick on Starz HD), I gave it a go.

This is a Jerry Bruckheimer film and it had lots of those elements to it: lots of action, exotic locals, and the potential for a franchise (think Pirates of the Carribean or National Treasure). In some ways, it even had the feel of a live action Aladdin for me.

The story itself was typical fantasy-adventure fare. I bought into the plot and loved the element of the dagger/sands-of-time. The ending was fairly predictable but really how else would the story go? It worked for me. It definitely was a good way to unwind on a Sunday afternoon and worth checking out if you like these sorts of films (as I do).

Film Comments: Paul (2011)

We just got home from the 7:40pm showing of Paul, the new comedy that starts Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Sigourney Weaver, Jane Lynch and Seth Rogen as the voice of "Paul". While the film has been out in the UK for over a month, it just opened in the US this weekend. The theatre was fairly full - there is a lot of competition with new releases today.

Now relax, dear readers, I'm not about to give any spoilers away. Trust me, I want everyone to be able to go into this one as open as my wife and I did. If you've seen the commercials or trailers though, you know it is about two British comic-book geeks who travel across the US mid-west and stumble across an alien (the aforementioned title character Paul). That's all the plot you will get out of me.

Suffice to say, this card-carrying, proud-to-be geek loved the film. The opening moments immediately had me sucked in (trust me, you'll know why once you see it - my good buddies will know what I mean - SDCC, baby!). There are also so many nods to great sci-fi here that the inner-nerd will be loving it. It is all done so well. The story might seem predictable in spots but that's okay - it works. I even loved the choice of songs used as part of the soundtrack. Make sure you watch the credits as final scenes are interspersed during them (with a song I love being used during them - it is from another film which I enjoy, but I'm a dork that way).

One thing I do have to talk about though is the fact that this is not a kids' movie. It is rated R for a reason - the language is very strong - very funny for adults, but not for kids. It's language I wouldn't want to be sitting in the same room with my parents hearing, either.

We were shocked to see people come into the showing with their children under 10 years old. Hello! Irresponsible parenting much? I think so. Unless you're fine with your kids hearing the F-bomb (among other things) dropped a few dozen times, you shouldn't be bringing them to this film. This isn't a cute E.T. alien kind of movie - this is an adult comedy. This isn't the first time we've seen folks in our town do that; a few years back we witnessed a couple bring their two under 10 kids to a 10pm showing of Watchmen, also rated R for a reason. I just don't get the thought process behind this.

We have a teenager. He expressed interest in seeing this film. We told him that since it is rated R, we have to see it first. That's how we do things in our home with films - we evaluate first to determine whether it is appropriate for him or not. Until he is of age, it is our job to do our homework. Our conclusion? Well, we're on the fence. The very strong language is the factor that might tip it onto the side of "you'll have to wait another couple years, okay?" side of the scale. We'll discuss that more.

As for my recommendation, if you're comfortable with course language and some crude humor (and absolutely if you're a huge comic-book/sci-fi geek like me!), you'll want to check this one out. Even my wife, who's only geek cred is being married for over two decades to a big geek (okay, she does like Tolkein and Dune so she qualifies for a geek permit at least) enjoyed it. We both laughed out loud a number of times.

Pretty In Pink (soundtrack)

Welcome to Soundtrack Sunday, another feature I want to try here on my blog. Each weekend (for awhile at least) I'll pick an album that served as a soundtrack for a film, giving you my thoughts on the music that makes it up.