Hugo

"We could get into trouble."
"That's how you know it's an adventure."

Hugo (Butterfield), an orphan, lives in the Paris train station.  He watches the activities of the station from behind the clocks he winds every day, and steals food and supplies for the station merchants.  The supplies are for an automaton that he was rebuilding with his father (Jude Law).  Hugo believes the completed automaton will have a message from his late father.

To get the automaton to work, he steals parts from the toy store, but is caught by the owner Georges (Kingsley).  Instead of calling the police, he forces Hugo to work in the shop.  Hugo befriends Georges' goddaughter, Isabelle (Moretz), and they try to finish the automaton and find it's secret.


I can say without hesitation... this is my favorite Martin Scorsese film.  It is a special film that loving looks back on the early years of film.  The plot twists and turns and are never what you expect... and do not disappoint.  The casting is solid, if unexpected, and everything works.

Filmed in 3D, the movie has a unique look and feel that add to its overall mystique.  As Roger Ebert said, "Leave it to Scorsese to make his first 3-D movie about the man who invented special effects."  Regardless, it is a well-made, entertaining film with incredible special effects, which is the reason it won all of the visual Oscar awards in 2012.

Hugo (2011) 126 minutes
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Asa Butterfield as Hugo Cabret
Ben Kingsley as Georges Melies
Chloe Grace Moretz as Isabelle
Sacha Baron Cohen as Inspector Gustave

Flypaper

"Shoot anything that moves... unless it's me."

At the end of the day on Friday, the bank is updating security protocols.  As the tellers count money and the security system goes offline, two groups of men with guns attempt to rob the bank.  Darrien (Phifer), Gates (Ryan), and Weinstein (Ventimiglia) arrive with high tech gear and black masks, and plan to steal the money in the vault.  Meanwhile, Billy Ray "Peanut Butter" (Nelson) and Wyatt "Jelly" (Vince) are incompetent robbers, who plan to use dynamite to steal the money from the ATM.

Caught in the crossfire are a few customers and bank employees.  In the confusion, a man is shot and killed, so Tripp (Dempsey), an eccentric customer, makes a bold suggestion: rob the bank.  His suggestion is met with confusion, "Are you seriously suggesting that we rob the same bank?" and finally they agree to share the bank.  The hostages are taken to a holding area, where they try to find a way to escape.  Meanwhile, more and more problems arise during the heist.  Can Tripp figure out what's really going on and save the girl of his dreams, Kaitlyn (Judd), or are they doomed to evening trapped in the vault?


I won't lie... Patrick Dempsey is the only reason I rented this film.  The trailers looked interesting and the premise sounded interesting.  The trailers were not a clear indication of the tone or even plot of the film.  The story is ok, but there are too many characters to focus on.

In addition, most of the characters are not likeable.  Dempsey's Tripp is supposed to be a Sherlock Holmes knock-off, figuring out the truth of the situation from small clues.  However, he is borders on grating.  Ashley Judd is ok, but not great.  The cast is talented, but the movie is just o.k.

Flypaper (2011) 87 minutes
Director: Rob Minkoff
Starring: Patrick Dempsey as Tripp
Ashley Judd as Kaitlyn
Tim Blake Nelson as Peanut Butter
Mekhi Phifer as Darrien
Matt Ryan as Gates
John Ventimiglia as Weinstein
Pruitt Taylor Vince as Jelly

The Hunger Games

"They just want a good show, that's all they want."
"There's 24 of us Gale, only one comes out."

Panem is comprised of 12 districts.  Seventy-five years ago the districts rebelled, but the rebellion was crushed by the Capitol.  "And so it was decreed that each year the twelve districts of Panem shall offer up in tribute one young man and woman between the ages of twelve and eighteen to be trained in the art of survival and be prepared to fight to the death" in a televised event called the Hunger Games.

District 12 is the poorest district, with most people starving.  Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) is a skilled archer and goes hunting everyday with her friend Gale (Hemsworth) to bring home food for their families.  On the day of the reaping, all the teens get dressed up to await their fate.  At the reaping, Katniss' sister Prim (Shields) is selected, and Katniss volunteers to take her sisters place.  Soon Katniss and the other District 12 tribute, Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson), are headed to the Capitol with their mentor Haymitch (Harrelson), the only winner from their district, and their Capitol liason Effie (Banks) to begin training.  Can Katniss make an impression and survive against the other 23 tributes?


In 2008 Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games about a future society that glorifies pitting teens against each other in a death match.  The book, and subsequent sequels became bestsellers, and made Hollywood take notice.  The books are well written and addictive (I read all three in a week).  I loved the books, and was nervous about a Hollywood version.  Typically, movie adaptations pale in comparison to the book (the best exception is The Lord of the Rings films, but they are over 3 hours long...), so I did not have high expectations.  Despite my reservations, I was intrigued enough to convince my roommate to see the midnight showing on March 23.  The movie was good, but the books are better.

The film sticks pretty close to the source material, condensing a few characters and plot lines for time issues.  Most of these changes are minor and do not affect the story.  However, there are major changes that do change the story: the Mockingjay Pin is given a new setup / meaning.  The violence of the Games is shown, but is toned down to achieve a PG-13 rating.  The kills are still brutal and shocking, but not all are shown (which was a smart choice).

The worst part of the film is the camera work.  Many scenes, especially during the games, are shaky...  and draw you out of the film (my roommate commenting on the shaking camera during the film).  Sometimes it works, like when Katniss is running through the woods, but in most cases the shaking camera is unnecessary and completely unacceptable (and annoyed me).

The costumes are interesting: hideous and over the top at the Capitol, and muted and dull in the Districts.  And most scenes play up the contrast between the over-excess of the Capitol and the reality of life in the Districts.  The casting is excellent.  Woody Harrelson is the obvious choice for Haymitch, and as usual he brings an incredible energy to the character... whether he's drunk or planning, he has the best lines.  Stanley Tucci, like Harrelson, has the ability to play a large range of characters, and is perfectly cast as the Games announcer / host Caesar Flickerman.  He is an extreme, but still has quiet moments of realization that soften the character.  Elizabeth Banks lobbied to play Effie, her favorite character in the books, and does justice to the character, who skates the line between annoying and endearing.  She is oblivious to the gravity of the situation, but truly cares for her tributes.  This is rocker Lenny Cravitz's first film, and while he may not be the first actor you picture for the roll of Cinna, you can't really see anyone else in the roll.

Jennifer Lawrence proved she could be a tough, mountain hunter in The Winters Bone, and brings the same intensity to Katniss.  Josh Hutcherson's Peeta is a toned down version of the book's Peeta.  He is more cookie cutter, without any dark side, but it works.  Liam Hemsworth doesn't get to do much in the film, besides look annoyed or disappointed, but hopefully he will still be a good choice when the character is more involved in the subsequent films.

At this point they have not announced plans to adapt the other 2 books in the series, if this film is a success the other 2 will be made.  Based on the numbers for the opening day, the sequels will be made.  If you can get past the shaky cameras and changes to the novel, check out the film.  But first, read the books... you won't be disappointed!

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 

The Hunger Games (2012) 142 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images - all involving teens
Director: Gary Ross
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark
Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy
Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket
Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne
Lenny Cravitz as Cinna
Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman
Donald Sutherland as President Coriolanus Snow
Willow Shields as Primrose "Prim" Everdeen

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

"Unless someone like you cares an awful lot, things aren't going to get better. They're not."
"You do know that you are talking in rhyme, don't you?"

The people in the town of Thneedville live in a plastic paradise.  They purchase fresh air and put fake plants in their yards.  The entire city is surrounded by a wall and no one leaves town.  Ted (Efron) is content with life, but the girl of his dreams, Audrey (Swift) dreams of having a tree.  To make Audrey's dream come true, Ted ventures outside the city walls to see the Once-ler (Helms).

After some prodding, the Once-ler tells Ted his story.  As an idyllic youth, he left home and found a paradise.  The soft tufts of the Truffula Trees are the perfect material for his invention: the thneed.  He chops down a tree, upsetting the creatures of the forest and annoying the Lorax (DeVito), the guardian of the trees.  With the Mayor, Mr. O'Hare (Riggle), tracking his movements, can Ted hear the end of the story and save the day?


Hollywood has a spotty track record adapting Dr. Seuss' stories.  In the 1950's-1970's several of his stories were adapted into animated TV specials, that added songs and music to Seuss' text.  These specials were magical, and perfectly captured the whimsy and heart of the prose, and continue to be enjoyable.  In the 90's, Hollywood started trying to bring the stories to film.  The live-action films have been hit-or-miss.  A few years ago, they made the decision to make a feature-length animated film of Horton Hears a Who, which was a success.

The story of The Lorax works best in the animated format... but I don't think this was the best they could do with the story.  They remove almost all of the original dialog.  The few scenes (such as the one quoted at the beginning of the post) that keep the prose, treat it as a joke or gloss over it, in favor of more "contemporary" language.  Dr. Seuss' prose is part of what makes his stories charming and memorable (along with the fun illustrations).  Yes, keep the Seussian dialog throughout could be problematic and isolate some of the audience, but the film could definitely use more.

When I saw this film at the theater, all the children in the audience loved it.  They laughed and had a great time, and during quiet moments you could hear them ask their parent(s) questions.  It was adorable.  Adults probably won't enjoy it as much.  The actors / actresses lending their voices to the film are interesting choices... some (like Betty White) feel like missed opportunities.  The film is a musical (unlike the other Seuss feature films), and features numerous original songs... some work better than others.

Ultimately, read the book, then watch the 1972 TV special.  It isn't a bad film, but it doesn't reach it's potential.

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012) 86 minutes
Director: Chris Renaud & Kyle Balda
Starring: Danny DeVito as The Lorax
Ed Helms as The Once-ler
Zac Efron as Ted
Taylor Swift as Audrey
Betty White as Grammy Norma
Rob Riggle as Mr. O'Hare

Attack the Block

"We should call the police."
"You'd be better off calling the Ghostbusters love."

A group of teens mug Sam (Whitaker) on her way home.  Before they can take all of her stuff, a stray firework strikes a nearby car.  When the gang investigates, their leader, Moses (Boyega), is attacked by a creature that scratches his face.  They kill the creature and decide that it is an alien.  Thinking they could make money with it, they take the creature to the apartment of their drug dealer, Ron (Frost).

They notice more creatures falling from the sky, and decide to kill more.  Armed with whatever they can find: a samurai sword, a baseball bat, etc, they head to the park.  But the new wave of aliens is bigger and stronger than the first, and they are outmatched.   As they run away, Biggz (Howard) is trapped in a recycling bin and Pest (Esmail) gets injured.  The streets aren't safe, so they force Sam to fix Pest's leg.  With the police and gangster Hi-Hatz (Hunter) in pursuit, and the aliens on the streets, can Moses, Pest, Dennis (Drameh), Jerome (Jones), Biggz, and Sam save the block?


I read about this film through Entertainment Weekly.  As a Nick Frost fan, I was excited to see the film and immediately added it to my Netflix queue.  Prior to this film, I had only see Frost in films and TV shows with Simon Pegg.  Despite his prominent billing (and all the film artwork includes him), Frost took a supporting role in the film.  He is great, but only appears in a few scenes.

The guys in the gang are unknown actors.  John Boyega carried the film well and had the strongest character.  The other standout performance was Alex Esmail, who gets the funniest lines.  The other guys in the gang are o.k., but not memorable.

It's funny and intense... there is significant language and violence throughout the film.  But an excellent action comedy film.

Attack the Block (2011) 88 minutes
Rating: R for creature violence, drug content and pervasive language.
Director: Joe Cornish
Starring: Jodie Whitaker as Sam
John Boyega as Moses
Alex Esmail as Pest
Franz Drameh as Dennis
Leeon Jones as Jerome
Simon Howard as Biggz
Luke Treadway as Brewis
Jumayn Hunter as Hi-Hatz
Nick Frost as Ron

Kung Fu Panda 2

"Okay, Step One: Free the Five."
  "What's Step Two?"
"Honestly, I didn't think I was gonna make it this far!"

Po (Black) is living his dream: he's the dragon warrior and protects the valley alongside his friends, the Furious Five: Tigress (Jolie), Monkey (Chan), Mantis (Rogen), Viper (Liu), and Crane (Cross).  Po is still training with Master Shifu (Hoffman), trying to find inner peace.  But training is put on hold, when the city and kung fu are in danger.

The city was attacked by Lord Shen (Oldman), the heir to the peacock throne.  Years ago, Shen was creating a weapon to rule the country.  Soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh), predicts Shen's defeat by a warrior of black and white, so Shen destroys all the pandas in the country... and he is banished from the city.  Shen vowed revenge, and has returned to the city with an army of wolves and a new weapon.  Can Po and the Five defeat the weapon and Shen, or will they (and kung fu) become extinct?


Animated sequels are tricky... sequels in general are a challenge, but it seems to be especially difficult with animated films, probably since more animated films get sequels.  For every success (like the Toy Story films) there are the misguided attempts (like the straight-to-DVD Disney versions).  Somehow, new director Jennifer Yuh and writers Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger, were able to preserve the feel of the original, while progressing the stories and characters in a natural and interesting way. Some of the questions from the original were answered, such as how can a panda have a goose for a father? 

The original cast returned, once again breathing life into the characters.  Black is the standout, which is good since he is the focus of the film.  The Five are under utilized: if you are going to get this many talented actors together, why not play to their strengths or at least give them each a memorable moment in the film?  Seth Rogen's Mantis gets a few funny quips, but the rest don't have enough to do.  James Hong is great as Mr. Ping, bringing new depth to the character.  And Gary Oldman manages to make a peacock sinister (who knew that was possible?).

The animation is good... giving each character a unique fighting style and paying homage to classic kung fu movies.  A good sequel and animated feature.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) 91 minutes
Director: Jennifer Yuh
Starring: Jack Black as Po
Angelina Jolie as Tigress
Dustin Hoffman as Shifu
Gary Oldman as Shen
Jackie Chan as Monkey
Seth Rogen as Mantis
Lucy Liu as Viper
David Cross as Crane

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

"Why are you reading that book? Nobody reads books anymore! Movies are always better, especially sequels."

When Hansel (Hader) and Gretel (Poehler) are kidnapped by an evil witch, Verushka (Cusack), it is up to Happily Ever After, HEA, Agents Granny (Close), Wolf (Warburton), and Twitchy (Edwards) to save the day.  But Wolf's antics lead to the Witch escaping with the kids and Granny.  Meanwhile, Red (Panettiere) is in training at the secret base of the Sisters of the Hood.  During training, she learns that Granny has been taken... and then the Sisters discover their secret truffle recipe is missing.  Can Red and Wolf find a way to work together to find the recipe and rescue Granny?

Despite having mixed feelings about the original Hoodwinked!, I had a 1/2 price rental at Redbox and decided to give the sequel a chance.  The sequel takes all the good things from the original, throws them on the ground, stomps on them, and then uses the broken pieces to build the film.  There are good moments (and talented voices), but overall it was a mess.

The good
Bill Hader and Amy Poehler are a riot as Hansel and Gretel... they dive right in and play to the rafters.  The characters are funny and just the right amount of adorable and evil.  More Twitchy and Wolf... Twitchy is funny and gets the best sight-gags, while the Wolf gets the best lines / ad libs.  Patrick Warburton is an incredible voice actor (he also provided the voice for Kronk in Disney's The Emperor's New Groove), and sounds great here.  The 3 little pigs, as voiced by Cheech and Chong and Phil Lamar, more of them would be better.

The bad
Why bring back Kirk the Woodsman?  He was funny in the first film when performed by Jim Belushi.  In this film he is a waste and voiced by Martin Short (who is funny in his own right, but just out of place here).  And what was the deal with his yodeling team?  Yes, it was funny to realize that Heidi Klum voiced the Heidi character, but they didn't have a strong purpose.  The Nicky Flippers (Stiers) and Granny characters are sorely underused... and the Sisters of the Hood plot line fell flat.  Hayden Panettiere was ok as Red, but not stupendous.  All uses of the Japeth the Goat (voiced by Benji Gaither).  He was great in the first, but is a walking un-funny punchline.

Overall, it felt like the writers, director, etc dropped the ball.  This could have been a smash hit... the type of film that did better than it's predecessor, but they just never made it.  It felt like they didn't even try.  A bitter waste.  Nice try, but if you make a third film.. step it up and make it good!

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2011) 86 minutes
Director: Mike Disa
Starring: Hayden Panettiere as Little Red Riding Hood
Glenn Close as Granny
Patrick Warburton as The Big Bad Wolf
Joan Cusack as Verushka the Witch
Bill Hader as Hansel
Amy Poehler as Gretel
Cory Edwards as Twitchy
David Ogden Stiers as Nicky Flippers