Marley & Me-- I read the book, and while it did get some guff for being a bit too sentimental, I didn’t think that at the time. How could a much-loved dog not be written about so fondly? Anyone who’s had a pet knows what they can mean to a person or a family. And, agree or not, you usually can’t find a better pet that gives unconditional companionship/love like a dog.
So, the movie: There was a lot of story to tell; almost too much for one film; so it felt a bit rushed at times. But the story of Marley and Me for both the book and the film was one about becoming a family, so we had to see the newlyweds picking out the first family member (Marley), then growing a little older, and moving jobs, and having kids, and just living. And Marley is “the world’s worst dog”, so we needed to see some of his antics (all of which were funny—and very well done, considering they involved animals).
About mid-way through the movie, things slowed a bit, and I saw something I hardly ever see in a movie: real parenting. TV and movies make being a parent seem like this thing where everyone is perfect (no crying babies, parents have unlimited time energy) or extremely dysfunctional (kids are wiseasses, parents either are too hard or too soft), or the family is forgotten about (where are the kids?). This one had America’s Sweetheart, Jennifer Aniston, looking like Hell with nerves frayed to their ends, at the brink of sanity/civility. That’s real life parenting little kids, people. It was the most true-to-life thing I’ve seen because I live it. I’m tired all the time, and I’m short with my family often enough to know it’s not a fluke. It’s hard being a parent—and this film showed it.
But I digress…
Anyway, we all know the story is about the time they pick up Marley to the time they had to put him in the ground, and that was as terribly depicted on screen as it was in the book; real and unvarnished. Dogs don’t live as long as people, and they had to adjust. I don’t care how cold-hearted you are; that was a tough thing to see on screen that should bring tears to your eyes.
Now for the part that has me on the fence: this film was heavily marketed for kids and was rated PG. But there were a few things that were a little older content than the elementary grade kids out there (although I know much of it would go over their heads). And the death of Marley was not a quick thing like you’d see in some movies (like say, The Lion King) that gets the plot moving; it happened at the end. It’s real life, and usually having a kid go through that in a movie before real life would be helpful, but I would expect there was more than one parent who probably had to explain things after the movie ended. I didn’t get a chance to see this with my kids, so I don’t know how they reacted (and it’s entirely possible they didn’t even see the ending considering their short attention spans).
All in all, this was a well-done, if a bit scattershot in tone, film. I have to say I was impressed by both Aniston and Owen Wilson’s work. They carried that movie yet let the story tell itself without getting in the way. B
The Mummy: Curse of the Dragon Emperor—Actually better than I expected it to be. It’s one of those “fun ride” movies that maybe not have always has realism in mind, but it was what it was supposed to be: fun and exciting. Brendan Frasier doesn’t get the respect he deserves for being able to pull this type of movie off (not many actors can), and Maria Bello is always a treat to watch (and unlike most women’s roles in this type of film, she held her own as a character). And, most importantly, not one person survived a nuclear explosion by hiding in a refrigerator. B
New in Town— I watched this with a great deal of trepidation. It’s about a ladder-climbing Miami executive who takes a management position in a small Minnesota town to whip the plant they just bought into shape (namely, change everything and lay off most of the employees). And then she meets a man… So, okay, the story is already a little familiar-sounding, and the thought that my native Minnesotans would be made fun of with their quirky personalities and accents (of which not many Minnesotans have) made me dread what I was going to see. But, you know, I smiled a few times at those quirky things like tapioca pudding and the sense of community I saw these characters had. It felt like home.
It’s not a great movie, and all respect to Renee Zellweger, the lead acting wasn’t stupendous. Zellweger did her thing, and she’s good at it; but it was the supporting characters (many of whom played by actors we’ve seen many times before in supporting roles) that stole the show. And I was pleasantly surprised to see a movie with such “good heart” to it—and not only did the film/community have it, but it’s was actually noteworthy, like it was important, and not just a little quirk the “flyover states” have that make them inferior to the coast states. B-
Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist-- This is a tough one. All the pieces were well-done, but the whole just didn’t amount to much. Michael Cera played his usual awkward character—a role he has down pat—in Nick, and Kat Dennings was very good (smart, funny) as Nora. The supporting characters (many played by familiar faces) also contributed well to the film. But there didn’t seem to be much purpose to it. I guess the best way to describe how I feel about it is: “It’s a good movie that I didn’t care about.” C+
Punisher War Zone—A movie that should have been good but wasn’t. It had a great cast (Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, and Julie Benz—some of my favorite TV actors) and the overall plot was perfect for the character, but it failed on so many levels. Stevenson managed himself fairly well, but some of the stunts/actions the film had him doing were ridiculous. The Frank Castle of the comics I’ve read would walk into a room and start firing his many guns, all with pinpoint accuracy. This film saw him take the time to move into weird positions that looked cool on screen while he dispatched his targets, often in close-up. Dominic West was horribly under-utilized. He either said, “Frak this” once he realized this film was gonna tank and decided to ham it up-- Tommy Lee Jones style (in Batman Forever)-- or he was cut off at the knees and given little more to do than laugh at the antics of his character’s brother. And Julie Benz didn’t have to be anything other than be the typical weak victim/mother that any actress could have been cast as. A complete waste of talent as it came to the actors.
The people who did get utilized well were the foley artists (who got to make many, many wet “splutch” noises that were heard when people were killed) and the people who mixed up the copious amounts of fake blood. My opinion is the studio had left over blood from some splatter movie and gave it to these producers at a discounted rate.
The film got a few things right: it was based in a big city (NYC, maybe) and most of the action took place at night (something the previous film starring Tom Jane failed in), but otherwise it was ridiculous. I imagine the tone of the film was based on Garth Ennis’ Punisher stories (I read that they were the comics Stevenson found the most interesting in his research), and that would explain it. But the thing is, Ennis writes over-the-top as a parody of violent comics. The creators of this film didn’t understand that it’s a joke. Frank putting his fist into—and almost through—a man’s face plays much better on the page than on the screen. Ennis (and his artists, most likely Steve Dillion and Darick Robertson in this case) masters of their craft, so we as readers buy into it. There’s a “shorthand” Ennis and his collaborators are afforded by readers because we know what kind of book we’re getting. The War Zone crew don’t have that relationship with us. They failed terribly.
And don’t even get me started on Micro. What a waste. D-
Religulous— I’ll say right now that I like Bill Maher. Say you will about his politics—or his beliefs—you have to admit he’s at least thoughtful with them (unlike many of our loudmouth political/religious commentators). I’ll also admit to being an atheist—although not what I’ve come to coin a “militant atheist” like Maher or author Christopher Hitchens. So I was very interested in this film.
But I kept hearing how controversial this movie was, and it really wasn’t. Maher was very thoughtful and more respectful than I think he needed to be (which was absolutely the right way to approach this film for him), but not very probing. I didn’t learn much from it, and that was very disappointing to me because I know Maher could have dug a little deeper without offending anyone.
His last monologue in the film was a work of art, though. He encapsulated much of the thoughts I know he has for religion and also explained why he has become more “aggressive” in his stance against it (and it also verbalizes how I feel about religion). That I can get behind. Watch the movie, but stay for the end; it’s worth it. B (B+ for the end)
The Rocker—Rainn Wilson playing a man-child is pretty much a no-brainer after seeing him on The Office. This movie could have used the connect-the-dots method most other movies of this type would follow, but this one had a lot of heart underneath the ridiculousness that helped it exceed expectations. Sure, Wilson’s “old man” drummer had his silly moments, but he pulled them off without ruining the tone of the movie. And I was also very impressed with Josh Gad’s work as the geeky Matt; he could have been a typical band nerd, but Gad really gave the character heart. C+
Role Models-- Another bad movie made better by the acting. First, the stellar Paul Rudd. That dude can do no wrong right now. Then Seann William Scott did his usual thing (hey—if it works, do it…). Christopher “McLovin’” Mintz-Plasse had, maybe, the toughest role (being a wimp, yet still likable). And Bobb’e J. Thompson in one of the funniest, most vulgar performances I’ve seen in a while. And let’s not forget the actress who’s quickly climbing to the top of my fave list: Elizabeth Banks. She didn’t have much to do, but what little she did was done well.
The film itself was a paint-by-numbers flick (you knew exactly where it was going), but there were enough surprises along the way to make this worthwhile. B-
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