(500) Days of Mr. Fox

I’ve just posted my first review in almost seven months at theMINIPLEX:

It’s a damn fine movie that moves without following romance convention, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are pitch-perfect throughout. You’ll definitely want to catch it once it hits your neck of the woods.

In other news, I can’t stop watching the trailer for Fantastic Mr. Fox. Wes Anderson has a hard time disappointing, and this one just looks like a lot of fun.

G.I. Joe was a ten-year old boy’s imagination come-to-life. I’ll see about getting a review of that one up soon.

Announcing theMINIPLEX 4.2!

The future is roughly now, my friends. Get on the boat.

I'm proud, happy, excited, and mildly nervous to announce theMINIPLEX 4.2, the latest and greatest in my own special brand of web design by redundant coding! Far greater than the incarnations before it, behold some nifty new stuff I've thrown in to double your pleasure:

• Reviews! I used to write these pretty often, but have managed to get only three together in the past year. I blame working two jobs to the tune of 60 hour work weeks, but what can you do? This site features reviews, reviews, and only reviews. Keeping the focus right where it belongs, ya dig? There's only three posted at the moment, as importing the entire catalog will take me some time. You'll see them pop up over the next few weeks.
  
• Acknowledgment of cineMUSINGS! This is the first theMINIPLEX to fully establish the cineMUSINGS connection. Every single page features a link to the most recent cineMUSINGS post - handy, right? Where theMINIPLEX will house only reviews, cineMUSINGS will be the more candid dumping ground for just about everything else I throw together.
• Simpler navigation! With a simpler premise and design comes simpler navigation! theMINIPLEX.com will always load the most recent review - no more 'front page' with indexed nut grafs and review teasers - just the content you seek! The most recent reviews will be clickable from any page on the site, as will a link to a master index of every review. Suffice it to say, you can't get lost!
• Facebook button! Clicking the Facebook 'share' button at the bottom of a review will auto-populate a post on your wall that will link folks back to the review you're reading. I set it up so that the title, blurb, and an image is auto-populated for you, so if you happen across something worth sharing with your friends, please do!
  
• Clint Eastwood! He overlooks every page and will totally kick your ass.
• Improved back-end! More exciting for me as the person who has to update the site, but beneficial to you as having everything streamlined has made it to where updating the site doesn't take as long as writing the damn review! That has to increase my motivation to publish something, yeah?
  

It's a little light at the moment, but content both past and future is on the way. Many thanks to all who have gotten on my case about writing again - I always said I would when I had a day off!

A very special thanks to my girlfriend and biggest fan, Claire. You keep me motivated, baby :-*

She's also the source of my first endorsement: "that's super cool, sweetie :-*"!

Comments? Questions? Indigestion? Let me know!

In the meantime: Enjoy!

theMINIPLEX 4.2

Cloverfield

A week shy of a full year since the last one, I've finally thrown together a full fucking review. Call it a New Year's resolution of mine to get back on the horse, and forgive a style that differs greatly from that of a year ago. Maybe you'll like it better?

At any rate, here she be, posted in raw and unproofread form. At least three instances of misspellings or awkward grammar or your money back. Let me know what you think, yeah?

-----

Rob is perched on a fire escape in the early going of Cloverfield, attempting to justify his non-pursuit of the girl he clearly loves. “Things aren’t that simple,” he argues to his friends, and he’s as right as he is wrong. The statement turns out to be the working thesis of the film, as no more than five minutes pass before a distant explosion announces the arrival of something that will provide all the complication him and his friends can handle while simultaneously showing Rob how absolutely simple things really are.

Cloverfield is the first event movie of prepubescent (in every sense of the word) 2008, and arrives in theaters atop a wave of hype dating back to that mysteriously title-less teaser trailer attached to prints of Transformers. Little was known about the movie, though it was clear from a vicious beheading of Lady Liberty that something very large and/or powerful would be having its way with New York City. Among the many guesses and theories was the notion that Cloverfield would be a monster movie, an idea that – as obviously true as it may have seemed – has turned out to be as inaccurate as most of the rest.

There’s a monster, sure (oops – does that count as a “spoiler”? One can never be sure these days…), but the movie is less about his (her?) rampage than the effect of that rampage on our cast of characters. Rob and company find themselves neck deep in panic and confusion, and the audience is right there alongside them courtesy of Cloverfield’s unique narrative device; the audience isn’t watching a movie, but rather the video recorded on a camera discovered in the aftermath of the monster’s attack.

The audience is never privy to information that the cameraman isn’t privy to, and the production is surprisingly committed to keeping things that way (in fact, it’s likely that the characters know more than the audience does, seeing as the camera was not recording at all times). Denied is the insider’s understanding typically afforded to viewers, yet little is lost as a result. The terror – driven by the fear of the unknown – is more real, making (as in another great not-“monster movie” of late, The Host) the evidence of the monster’s past or approaching presence (footsteps, roars, distant explosions) scarier than the monster itself.

Suddenly paying no mind to the complications that had stopped him before (a job promotion and imminent move, for all anyone can tell), Rob elects to run into the epicenter of the monster’s attack to save Beth – the one he loves. As he and his friends move deeper into the city and begin to react – in believably distinct and different ways – to the horror unfolding around them, the movie begins to define itself. Cloverfield is not a monster movie: it’s a document of how one group of people was affected by the sudden presence of something they could not understand past all-but-paralyzing fear.

This idea is proven most effectively by the cleverest use of Cloverfield’s camcorder device. It is revealed early on that the events unfolding are being recorded over a tape of something that had special value to Rob (a trip to Coney Island with Beth). Short clips of this video are seen throughout the tape at points that make sense to anyone who has ever operated a camcorder (for example: when recording is stopped to review previously recorded footage of the monster, then reset). These clips provide heartbreaking exposition, and – as the longest of them appear at the beginning and end of the tape – illustrate how the monster’s appearance interrupted (physically, in the case of the tape) something beautiful.

However far these concepts of characterization and reduced screentime for the monster remove Cloverfield from being an action-packed monster romp is made irrelevant by the fact that the result is far more compelling than another Godzilla would have been. In the absence of the devouring of faceless hoards, real people – naïve and, in some cases, punished to the point of disregard – are out there getting shit done, monster be damned. That the sight of Rob holding Beth is more interesting than the eventual (and obligatory) full-on shot of the monster is the finest proof to be found in the pudding. Not typical fare for a blockbuster, and that’s just fine.

[ 8 / 10 ]

2007 To Date

Though I am on the verge of motivating myself to review a film that took me by surprise, I have decided to fight our blog's current stagnation by posting the list of every film I've seen this year.

I started tracking the films I watch in the Summer of 2005, but initially recorded only theater viewings. By the start of 2006, I was recording every movie I watched.

I track date viewed (though I sometimes delay updating the spreadsheet beyond my short-term memory, so some dates are omitted), film title, year of the film's theatrical release, the source (T = theater; V = video; NF = NetFlix; OD = On Demand, C = Cable), the number of times I've seen the film on any format up to and including the viewing being noted (where I can remember - films like Back To The Future have been viewed too many times to possibly guess), the theater where I screened it (if applicable) and the people I viewed it with. Assorted notes are self-explanatory (though I guess I can clarify that 'Late Night' means we viewed it after hours).

How am I vs. last year? As of October 28, 2006 I had watched 111 movies. Dan In Real Life - which I viewed today - marks the 100th film I've seen in 2007. 54 of those 100 are 2007 releases (64 if repeat viewings are counted).

Boring details aside, click here to view the spreadsheet.

Have you watched a movie with me this year? If so, you're now on your way to stardom.

My Motley Month

A few notes on some recently digested flicks, including commentary on any indigestion that might have ensued:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I took this beast in on IMAX 3D and reacted by merely exiting the auditorium and relieving the Mountain Dew that got me through it. My understanding of Harry Potter and his cineverse (I’ve read exactly none of the books) didn’t seem immediately furthered by the experience, and I recall thinking that making one’s way through the book must have been rather laborious.

I took it in for a second time and was amazed at how much more I liked it. The context was no more defined, but something about the atmosphere got to me that second time. It’s dark and unrelenting, even if it’s never quite ‘entertaining’. I agree with the notion that Harry Potter has grown up as much as I agree with the notion that this is a good thing. If I were compelled to give a damn about the saga as a whole, I might rank this one among the best of the series.

The Simpsons Movie

No more or less funny than any given episode of the series, the movie is hard to love or hate. The humor (save for the subtle, yet ongoing joke concerning the EPA’s stature and resources) is a far cry from the satire that is (or was) the lifeblood of the series, but the laughs do come often enough to keep the groans at bay. Hardly a payoff for the long wait that preceded the release, but I can’t imagine that anybody really expected to be blown away by 18-year-old television characters. In most respects, the Simpsons Movie succeeds by not failing outright.

The Host

Much better than even the critic-inflated expectations that I had for it, The Host is a different breed of monster movie. The existence of the monster is treated as alarmingly commonplace, causing no worse a disturbance in the lives of the public than a traffic jam. This notion adds an indefinable layer of horror to the proceedings that removes the viewer from their comfort zone and pokes at those “what if?” nerves until the rhythmic beat of the monster’s footsteps is more frightening than it’s appearance.

Interesting that Koreans seem to have a better concept of the summer movie than we Americans do…

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

I really only had one problem with this movie, but it’s a biggie (and pretty much all-encompassing): it’s full of shit. Gay people are not that stupid, lawyers are not that hot (or easy), and the U.S. Judicial System is not that forgiving. I was starting to develop irrational anger toward this flick… and then it wasted Dave Matthews.

Enduring this movie is a painful experience that can not be remedied by merely two funny lines, and Kevin James’ presence only serves to make things worse – a crumpled paper bag would have more on-screen charisma. Avoid at all costs.

Hairspray

I’m not a fan of musicals – a truth that I perpetuate by rarely taking them in. Call it a whim, call it a lack of something better to do after work, or call it a crush on Brittany Snow – my ass somehow landed in a seat and much musical mayhem did ensue. Minus the “commentary” on racism that seemed a strange engine with which to power the narrative, I was never bored or annoyed by the musical numbers. By the time the finale struck up and segued right past the temptation to include an epilogue, I was sold. Days that the final tune stays in your head? 2.

The Bourne Ultimatum

Something might still come of this in the form of dual-commentary from Chuckwagon and myself, so I will bite my tongue.

Black Snake Moan

Though it wasn’t nearly as exploitive as I originally thought it might be, the real surprise turned out to be that any lack in that department wasn’t such a bad thing. There’s a lot of Christina Ricci running around naked and raping church boys (seriously: not exploitive) and even more psychotic behavior from Sam Jackson’s character, but it all hits an interesting culmination in a musical number that is as masterfully shot as it is terrifyingly powerful; the ferocity of the tune and the approaching “storm” provide enough atmosphere to seemingly carry the whole flick. Unfortunately, that rage is short-lived and ultimately gives way to an annoyingly sunny-side-up ending.

Ratatouille

Not since Toy Story has Pixar hit one out of the park like this. Prior to finally screening it, I didn’t hold much interest in a premise that seemed hokey or any of the “it’s Pixar – it HAS to be good” hubbub that surrounded its release. I stand corrected – and delightfully so.

Ratatouille is the first Pixar film in recent memory that didn’t shove it’s moral down my throat. Subtlety finds an interesting catalyst in an unusually cheery rat with a penchant for all things culinary, and the film breaths easy in that absence of spoon-feeding; viewing it, likewise, is downright liberating.

Not to mention: the voice acting is superb and completely natural. The animation? Sublime.

Rush Hour 3

This movie put me through three phases of hatred. First, I started to hate Brett Ratner and all of those responsible for this mess (honestly – Chris Tucker came back for this?). Then came the self-loathing. Why did I bother? Why did I continue to sit there? By the time “War” kicked up and the credits signaled an end to the suffering, I just hated everybody and was out to pick a fight.

I kind of forget what happened after that – if only forgetting this movie was just as easy.

Superbad

Smell that? That’s the aroma of a full fucking review. A positive one, too.

I know, I know – those are less fun to read. Luckily, the movie will rectify any laugh deficiencies.

I am McLovin’.

In Other News

--> IMAX Corp. has announced that Transformers will soon (as in, Sept. 21 soon) be re-released in IMAX format and feature never-before-seen scenes. An interesting move, to be sure, as an IMAX release wasn’t justifiable with the original release; Harry Potter and his 3Dness loomed a mere two weeks away. Putting it out there with exclusive scenes should prove to be a brilliant stopgap between Harry and Beowulf. I wasn’t a HUGE fan, but the opportunity to see this shit go down on a six story screen is just too sweet to pass up.

--> I’m having to force myself to stop reading updates on The Dark Knight. Every insanely cool morsel is just another that I’m only ruining for myself. Something I’m not upset that I read? That several scenes – including the introduction of the Joker – will be shot with IMAX equipment, making it the first Hollywood production to embrace the medium in such a way. Color me excited.

-->My anticipation for Indiana Jones IV is going in quite another direction. Harrison Ford in the Jones getup had me excited. Spielberg toasting the production as it started seemed pretentious, but certainly excusable. Then Ford straddled Shia LaBeou on a motorcycle and the shit really hit the fan. Please let this movie be good… please.

Until next time…

Wha' Happened?

I'll tell you what: I finally re-(or mis-)prioritized my life to make a blog entry to this fantastic world called the Internet. I've had lots of excuses to put it off the last few weeks, from English papers to weddings to basking in the world of transformers for the first time in essentially twenty years, but I was finally chided into responding about what I'm looking forward to this year (happy birthday Gregorino). So bear with me as I venture into uncharted territories and attempt to reconcile my ability to write both well and succinctly with my passion for movies (read: tendency to rant and overuse parentheses) in my first ever posting anywhere.

First up, five movies coming this month I'll still not have seen the next time you hear from me, no matter the date:

• I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Though Jessica Biel is hot and un-spellable, this still will only accomplish me disliking that tint on my name more than I already do.

• Daddy Day Camp

Good to see Cuba Gooding, Jr. is now the poor man's Eddie Murphy. Yeah Snow Dogs!

• Underdog

Because George of the Jungle worked. Because Dudley Do-Right worked. Because Bewitched worked. Hollywood, you amaze me. When are you going to try The Hair Bear Bunch Movie or Super Globetrotters? Huh? My check better be in the mail. P.S.: Jason Lee - fire your agent or give up whatever drug you're on. And Grow your beard back.

• Bratz

Self explanatory.

• Rush Hour 3

Not surprised they made a movie around Chris Tucker yelling "Can you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?" Kinda surprised they made three. If it's a cliffhanger, I'd put money that the break will be between "words" and "that".


On to the movies that I actually am on the edge of my seat waiting for:

• Synecdoche, New York

Now, as you (the potential reader) probably don't know about how I judge my interest in upcoming projects, I tend to look forward to works by directors and especially writers as much as most keep track of the goings-on of certain actors. There are only a few on that list, but at the top is one Charlie Kaufman. I've been anticipating this outside-the-box writer's next project ever since I left the theatre from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (deemed by me to be 2004's best). In the 3 year interim, I've learned that his next project is to be directed by him to boot. Needless to say, even though I know essentially no details about the film (other than its upstate richness - being both set there and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman) I'm blindly looking forward to this like no other film since possibly Cars, which is to say "quite a lot".

• There Will Be Blood

Another solid hitter in writing / directing to me is P.T. Anderson. The boy from Studio City has an artsy originality in his work that seems to repeatedly pique my interest, a trend likely to continue with an adaptation from Upton Sinclair. I'm not usually a huge fan of period films, but when done right they have a way of completely engulfing my attention, so my hopes are high for this particular project.

• Shoot 'Em Up

I enjoy Clive Owen. I enjoy Paul Giamatti more, his father's decisions about Pete Rose aside. When the two are thrown at each other, the film's potential is proportional to their time acting rather than running around.

• The Bourne Ultimatum
• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Across the Universe

Greg efficiently summed up my feelings of these three with one exception. Though I'm more Motown oriented than my colleague, I've found reworking the composition of established songs to create a whole new meaning to be immensely fascinating. That fully makes up the difference of our interest in the works of the Fab Four, so my anticipation echoes his. With a benchmark like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, it has nowhere to go but up (plus, not a Gibb in sight this time).

• The Game Plan

Not so much interest to see anything put on film for this one, but more curious to see just how low the newly re-christened Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's career is going to (further) fall after this fiasco.

• No Country for Old Men

To bring my writings full circle: the writing duo who have fallen from grace. I still have hopes the Coens will return to form, but with each passing picture, that hope fades a little more. Judging from the trailer, however, it looks like they finally realized that their comedy flows well when it's made up of clumsiness juxtaposed against a beak background, if they choose to use it at all.



Well, that (all that) is it for now, but hopefully reading my first foray into the public collective was as entertaining to read as it was to write. I'll use these paragraph and sentence breaks I've heard so much about next time. Promise. Until a later date, Mahalo.

All Is (Hopefully) Not Lost

I feel compelled to defend myself against the accusation that I am uninterested in 2007’s remaining releases. While there is certainly no King Kong on the horizon (oh, how I miss those production diaries), there are at least a few upcoming releases have managed to catch my attention for reasons that mostly differ from potential headiness. In the name of proving Chuck wrong (and to hopefully provoke him into finally posting something), I present a non-inclusive (and later-to-be regretted) list of those very titles:

The Bourne Ultimatum

A character that isn’t nearly as popular as his seemingly-unanimous appreciation among movie fans suggests he should be is rounding out his very own trilogy. Paul Greengrass (who directed the second Bourne chapter) is again behind the sure-to-be-shaking camera and Matt Damon is again in front of it, reprising the only role that he’s ever played with any sense of assurance. Give me another cool car chase, a little bit of character-closure, and action smart enough to take in more than once and I’ll be one happy camper.

Superbad

This movie looks stupid from almost every angle, but I’m looking forward to it, anyway. Seth Rogan and Michael Cera are both winners in my book, making the hilarious phone conversation in the red-band trailer merely icing on the cake. I am McLovin’.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

I had forgotten all about this one until its blip on my radar was resuscitated by an unlikely source: Joe Carnahan’s blog. Not even Brad Pitt can quell my anticipation for this one – and, impossibly, I don’t even have a good reason why.

Here’s hoping that’s a not a setup for disappointment.

Across the Universe

If it’s sung by the Beatles, it reminds me of summer. By no stretch of any man’s imagination am I a fan of musicals, but the Beatles will land me front and center every time. That, and Evan Rachel Wood is cute as hell.

I Am Legend

Think Castaway with more back story, less hope, and a cooler car (which is to say: a car, period). Now think Will Smith instead of Tom Hanks, and way less opportunity for Fed Ex to place their product. Now think about all that with an apparent element of horror.

Actually, just watch the trailer.

The Golden Compass

Daniel Craig and Sam Elliot in the same epic fantasy? Only the inclusion of an intense (and CGI-rendered) polar bear could make this one more interesting. (... Check)

The story looks every bit as cool as the presentation, and the roster of fine actors and actresses assembled behind that promise lend the hope of enchantment some solid legitimacy.

That’s right: enchantment.