RAMBLINGS OF A FILM AFICIONADO: May 2010

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

9 (2009)

Animated films these days are just as, if not more, compelling as live action film and they are becoming more universal as far as age groups. Adults and kids alike can come together and make a film gross more than 200 million dollars worldwide. So when Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov ("Wanted") get on the animated train, it's just something that you go see period. Now the two producers are producing another animated film called "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". Now that sounds awesome!

"9" is a film directed by Shane Acker and stars the voice talents of Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover, and Martin Landau. This film is about 9, a rag doll in a post apocalyptic world holding the key to the future of humanity. After a war between humans and machines the world has been left with no human life. Now 9 fights, along with other numbered rag dolls, a huge machine called "Brain" to destroy the machines.

I have to say right off the bat that this is a very ambitious animated film. It has a very unique sense of style and Shane Acker really brings the vision to life in a very effective way. The animation is a wonder to behold and the design and look of this world is executed perfectly. However, I felt that this is a film that held back. It really didn't utilize the set up. This could've been a groundbreaking animated film, and it is to a certain degree, but it spends too much time worrying about the plot that it forgets it's external function. The world never fully comes to life. I did enjoy the film though. It reminded me of Don Bluth's animated films back in the day and how much I loved that aesthetic that most animated films don't have anymore. Don wasn't afraid to be dark and Shane is the same way. The eye candy is amazing. Especially on blu-ray. The effects are outstanding and the sound design is euphoric. For a home theater enthusiast like me, this is reference material.

The voice acting was as well as could be expected by a cast such as this. Most of the dialogue seemed repetitive at times but not enough to be annoying. By the end of the film you do sort of feel like you haven't seen enough. You feel almost like you have blue balls and you can't have an orgasm. I was really looking for that spark that would make this animated film different from the rest. It does have a difference but not enough to make me LOVE it.

I do highly recommend this film though. You have to see it to judge it for yourself. It's an original film and has everything going for it, but you may feel like you want more at the end. Netflix it and enjoy the eye candy.

Moonlight Serenade (2009)

Anytime there's a film that involves music, I'm there. Any film that involves jazz music, I'm just as good as sold. So when I heard there was a film about a jazz singer starring Amy Adams, one of my favorite actresses, it was a must see for me. I was surprised in more ways than one with this film.

"Moonlight Serenade" is a film directed by Giancarlo Tallarico and stars Amy Adams, Alec Newman, Moon Bloodgood, Harriet Sansom Harris, and Michael Raymond-James. The film is about a business man by day and a piano player by night named Nate Holden. Nate isn't very happy with his job but pretends very well and he is on the verge of a very big deal. One night he meets a coat check girl at a jazz club and she tries to convince him to perform a musical act with her after hearing him play. The plot is simple enough and sticks to that formula as well as it can.

There is so many problems with this film and I'm actually surprised that Amy Adams signed on for this mess of a film. Sure this film has enormous promise, but like a few films that I've reviewed before, this never heightens to it's potential. The entire idea is wasted for a formulaic set up. I wanted to love this film so bad and I was shocked to discover that it wasn't a gem. This film looked cheap to me like a film student may have shot it and edited it. However, I think even a film student could do a better job. The film just felt stilted most of the time and some of the performances, not including Amy of course, were wooden and over the top at times. That's another thing, the writing of this film was horrible. The dialogue wasn't real, it felt like dialogue and no viewer should be able to tell the difference. I suppose I shouldn't have expected much from a direct-to-video film but these days those films have been better than usual and even has you questioning why they didn't get a theatrical release, hello "Trick 'R Treat".

Amy Adams is obviously the best thing about this film but even she falls prey to the material given to her. She plays the part with as much conviction as she can and it works wonderfully. Alec Newman is alright but not great. He definitely has potential to be a great actor. The most ANNYOYING actress in this film is Harriet Sansom Harris. In every other film that she's in, she's great but in this she just ruined it for me. She was probably the worst performer in this entire film and if you don't know who she is, you will know her after you see this because she'll annoy the hell out of you. Moon Bloodgood was wasted as the seductress and her character's story never gets developed.

This film could've gone so many ways. It could've even had some noir in it. It's a jazz film it would've fit the profile. The director didn't craft the film it seems like. The look of the film is great, particularly in the club scenes. It has it's mild charm and succeeds in being charming occasionally but never uses the city of New York to it's full advantage and that, my cinephile friends, is a crime in itself. In other scenes the sets looked cheap. I do admire the fact that this film was made. It takes a lot to make a film and the very fact that this was a vision that was finished says something. He just made a film and put jazz music in it. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone but if you're curious, netflix it.

The Wackness (2008)

It's been a while since I've written a review but I have watched nearly two dozen films since and I'm going to be writing until I get them all in here. I'll also finally put up my Best of 2009 list even though it's WAY too late for it now.

I adore Sony Pictures Classics because they almost always put out quality films much like Fox Searchlight Pictures.

"The Wackness" is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics and was praised at the Sundance Film festival in January 2008. The film is directed by Jonathan Levine and it stars Josh Peck, Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen, Olivia Thirlby, Mary Kate Olsen, Method Man, and Jane Adams. The film takes place in the summer of 1994 in New York City and follows the coming of age journey of a recent high school grad, Luke Shapiro. After graduating from high school, Luke spends most of his summer dealing pot and seeing his shrink. He ultimately falls in love with the shrinks daughter, Steph, while having drug fueled hang out time with her father and his shrink. Luke also has to deal with his parents constantly fighting over money and their pending eviction from their apartment so he tries to help out by selling more dope.

This is a neat creative little film that I did enjoy intermittently. The performances are decent and the music takes you back in time. The thing that I liked about this film is that it takes place in the summer of 1994 and it sort of reminds you of days when things weren't as bad as they are now. The music reminds you of the time when hip hop was actually hip hop and not some hybrid of something else like it is, for the most part, now. There was a lot of neat little fantasy sequences that I thought were pretty great and added more life to the film. Mostly it makes you fall in love with New York all over again if you weren't in love with it enough before. Josh Peck's performance is a good one but sometimes I felt like he was mumbling a lot of the time which may or may not be intended. Ben Kingsley, as always, is fantastic in this as a drug addicted shrink. He really doesn't have much to work with, but he makes it work because he's so good at what he does. Olivia Thirlby does a great job of playing Steph. The reason I say that is because the character she's playing is like so many teenage girls. They don't know what they want, they just want to have fun and she plays that confusion VERY well. I think she's a very underrated actress. The rest of the performances were decent enough to keep the film afloat and I felt like most of the supporting actors were wasted in this.

As far as the film itself, I did enjoy it for the most part, like I said, but sometimes it felt too far fetched or that it was trying too hard to be the "cool indie flick of the year". However, there are things about it that warrant a viewing. The soundtrack alone, the cinematography has a golden tint to it and make the city look beautiful and also sort of a softness to it, and Ben Kingsley's performance.

So if you're looking for a neat little indie flick to watch, I recommend this. It's a fun watch and you might want to leave your brain at the door for this one. Enjoy!