The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story

In the 1950s brothers Richard and Robert Sherman began collaborating on songs.  Their songs were performed by Annette Funicello and eventually they were introduced to Walt Disney.  Disney saw potential and hired the brothers to the Disney studio to contribute songs to their animated and live-action films.

Their father, Al Sherman, also a songwriter, suggested the brothers write songs together.  Robert was a war veteran with dreams of writing a novel, while Richard had dreams of writing the "Great American Symphony."  They wrote memorable family friendly songs, but could barely get along...


I discovered this film while watching the previews for Waking Sleeping Beauty, and wanted to see it ever since.  The Sherman Brothers wrote many beloved Disney songs (from before the 1980s).  They wrote all the songs for Mary Poppins (they won 2 Oscars in 1965 for this film) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang... which both feature Dick Van Dyke (and happen to be the favorite movies of my 2 year old niece).  In fact, it's hard to think of a live-action Disney film from the 1960s-1980s that doesn't include at least one Sherman Brothers' song.

The documentary was directed and produced by Bob and Dick's sons: Greg and Jeff, who were reunited at a Sherman Brothers' event.  Their fathers estranged relationship caused their families to drift apart, to the point where Greg and Jeff hadn't seen each other in years.  In an effort to reunite their fathers at the premier of Mary Poppins Broadway debut.

The documentary features interviews with both Bob and Dick Sherman, along with their families.  The actors that made their songs famous and other composers (mostly Disney affiliated) also talk about their experience with or reaction to the songs of the Sherman Brothers.

An intriguing documentary.

The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009) 102 minutes
Director: Gregory V. Sherman and Jeffrey C. Sherman
Starring: Richard M. Sherman
Robert B. Sherman
Roy E. Disney
Julie Andrews
Dick Van Dyke
John Williams
Stephen Schwartz

Mr. Popper's Penguins

"Dear Lord, thank you for the food we are about to eat. Please use your mighty power, to stop the melting of the polar ice caps. Amen."

Tom Popper (Carrey) is a workaholic whose children avoid spending time with him.  And he has a strained relationship with his explorer father.  After his father dies, Tom receives a box containing a live penguin.  He tries to return the penguin, but the moving company gets confused and sends 5 more penguins.  His children, Billy (Perry Cotton), and Amanda (Gugino) fall in love with the penguins and name them: the Captain, Bitey, Stinky, Lovey, Loudy and Nimrod.

Over time Tom grows accustomed to his feathered roommates.  He lowers the temperature in the apartment and buys lots of fresh fish.  But his nosy neighbor, Kent (David Krumholtz), and a snooty zookeeper, Nat Jones (Gregg) threaten to ruin the fun.  Can Tom keep the penguins, spend quality time with his kids, and convince Mrs. Van Gundy (Lansbury) to sell her property so he can become a partner at his real estate company?


As a child I loved the book Mr. Popper's Penguins.  We read the book many times and I even remember hearing it "Reading Rainbow."  It was a cute story that won the Newberry Award in 1939 and the Young Reader's Choice Award in 1940, so obviously I was not the only one that loved it.

I was nervous about a film adaptation, especially with Jim Carrey in the lead (I enjoy his movies, but I had higher expectations for this story).  The trailers were funny, so I had some hope.  The film received good buzz and so I decided to give it a shot.

Carrey proves that he is still funny after all these years, and give a heartwarming performance.  The penguins are cute (seriously, who doesn't like penguins).  Although they changed the story a bit, it worked for the film.  And I loved the dance sequence:

It's not the greatest movie ever, or the greatest adaptation of a beloved children's story, but it was still cute.

Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011) 94 minutes
Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Jim Carrey as Tom Popper
Carla Gugino as Amanda
Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Van Gundy
Ophelia Lovibond as Pippi
Madeline Carroll as Janie Popper
Clark Gregg as Nat Jones
Maxwell Perry Cotton as Billy Popper

A Goofy Movie

"Watch carefully now. You gotta stay loose, relaxed. Keep your feet apart. Now, ten o'clock, two o'clock, quarter to three, tour jeté, twist, pas de deux, I'm a little teapot, then the windup... and let 'er fly! The Perfect Cast."

Max Goof (Marsden) is sick of being the school joke.  On the last day of the year, he has a plan to get noticed and ask out the girl of his dreams, Roxanne (Martin).  But the stunt gets him in trouble and causes Principal Mazur (Shawn) to contact his father Goofy (Farmer).  Concerned about Max's behavior, Goofy decides to plan a father-son fishing trip, using the same route he used to take with his father.  However, the trip means Max will miss a date with Roxanne.  So he lies and claims they are going to see Powerline (Campbell) concert.

They hit the open road and begin clashing.  Can they survive the togetherness or will the road bring them together?


In 1932, Walt Disney added the character of Goofy.  At first he appeared with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, but later received his own shorts.  In the 1940s he was the star of the "How to" shorts.  In the 1990s, when Disney turned their movies and beloved characters into TV shows, Disney gave Goofy a TV show Goof Troop.  In Goof Troop, they gave Goofy a son, named Max, and placed him next door to Pete, another Disney regular.

A few years after the show was cancelled, Disney made the film, making Max a high school student and removing a few of the characters from Goof Troop.  They decided to make the film a musical with a bunch of catchy tunes: "After Today", "Nobody Else But You", "Eye to Eye", etc.  It is a fun film.  A few years later they made a sequel An Extremely Goofy Movie, that sends Goofy and Max to college... but it isn't as good as this.

The DVD of the film includes a featurette about Goofy's rise to fame... with the announcer from the "How to" shorts narrating Goofy's life, and different Goofy cartoons.

A Goofy Movie (1995) 78 minutes
Director: Kevin Lima
Starring: Bill Farmer as Goofy
Jason Marsden as Max Goof
Jim Cummings as Pete
Kellie Martin as Roxanne
Rob Paulsen as P.J.
Wallace Shawn as Principal Mazur
Tevin Campbell as Powerline
Jenna von Oy as Stacy
Pauly Shore as Bobby

Monsters University

"I am going to scare circles around you this year."

Since childhood Mike Wazowski (Crystal) dreamed of attending Monsters University to become a Scarer at Monsters, Inc.  He reads anything and everything about scaring tactics, and is thrilled to be accepted to the University.  His roommate, shy Randy Boggs (Buscemi) who can disappear, is also a Scaring student, and they instantly bond.  While Mike is the smartest student in class, he is constantly shown up by lazy James “Sully” Sullivan (Goodman), who comes from a long line of well-known Scarers and excels without opening a book.  Sully and Mike instantly dislike each other, and an incident involving the Fear Tech mascot solidifies their rivalry.

Their animosity escalates quickly and they are kicked out of the Scaring program.  Both are miserable in their new classes, but Mike has a plan.   He wants to join the Scare Games, the ultimate competition for the Scaring Program students.  But the Scare Games are only open to fraternities, so he joins the outcasts of Oozma Kappas.  He makes a deal with Dean Hardscrabble (Mirren): if his team wins, he will be allowed to rejoin the Scaring Program.  She agrees with some additions: if they win, the entire fraternity can join the Scaring Program; if they lose, Mike will leave.  Sully sees an opportunity and also joins the fraternity so he can compete.

The Oozma Kappas are the campus losers and laughingstocks.  Don (Murray) is a mature student that returned to college after a long career in sales.  Terri (Hayes) and Terry (Foley) share a body, but have nothing else in common and constantly fight.  Art (Day) is a free spirit, and Scott "Squishy" Squibbles (Sohn) is shy and nervous.  The fraternity house belongs to Mrs. Squibbles (Sweeney), who tries to mother all of the boys and continually embarrass her son.  None of the other fraternities respects the O.K.s, especially the jocks of Roar Omega Roar, led by Johnny Worthington (Fillion).  Can Mike and Sully put aside their differences and lead their team to victory, or will the other fraternities, including the jocks of Roar Omega Roar, leave them in the dust?

 

I have been excited about this film for months... don't judge me... the trailers were funny and Pixar has yet to disappoint me (I haven't seen Cars 2 and don't intend).  So, I went to a "Special Preview" of the film the night before it opened (again, don't judge me, there were other adults in the audience that didn't have kids with them).  And it did not disappoint!

 

In 2001, Pixar released their fourth film: Monsters, Inc.  The film was a twist on the childhood nightmare of monsters under the bed/in the closet, focusing on the monsters who are terrified of the children they scare.  The film was a success and led to talk of a sequel.  Ultimately Pixar chose to make a prequel, which gave them the difficult task of creating a unique beginning to the beloved characters.

Director Dan Scanlon and the writers chose to take the characters back to college to show how Mike and Sully first met and became the success they are in the original.  They brought back the majority of the main characters, many in simple sight gags or brief sightings, and gave them a slight twist.  All of the characters, including the new ones, are fully fleshed with unique mannerisms.

Billy Crystal and John Goodman are perfect as Mike and Sully.  They play off each other well, and easily carry the film.  Helen Mirren is intimidating as Dean Hardscrabble.  Sean Hayes and Dave Foley are brilliant as the Terri/Terry's, you completely buy them as brothers.  The voices are fun, and it was entertaining to look at the cast list later.  And sit through all the credits to see the scene at the end.

Another hit for Pixar!  And check out the website: http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/

Monsters University (2013) 110 minutes
Director: Dan Scanlan
Starring: Billy Crystal as Mike Wazowski
John Goodman as James Sullivan
Steven Buscemi as Randy Boggs
Helen Mirren as Dean Hardscrabble
Peter Sohn as Squishy
Joel Murray as Don
Sean Hayes as Terri
Dave Foley as Terry
Charlie Day as Art
Nathan Fillion as Johnny Worthington
Aubrey Plaza as Claire Wheeler
Tyler Labine as Brock Pearson
Julia Sweeney as Sherri Squibbles

Now You See Me

"I did *not* see that coming."

A mysterious stranger recruits four street magicians: cocky card shark J. Daniel Atlas (Eisenberg), mentalist Merritt McKinney (Harrelson) who also specializes in group hypnosis, Jack Wilder (Franco) a pick pocket and talented sleight-of-hand magician, and Henley Reeves (Fisher) a former magician’s assistant turned escape artist.  Each receives a Tarot card with a date and location.

One year later, they are a combined act called "The Four Horsemen" and are a headlining act in Las Vegas.  They are backed by wealthy insurance mogul Arthur Tressler (Caine).  The grand finale of their act involves robbing a bank, without leaving the theater, and giving the money to the audience.  This stunt attracts the attention of the FBI and the following day they are brought in for questioning.  Agent Dylan Rhodes (Ruffalo) is reluctantly pulled from an ongoing case to investigate the robbery, and is forced to work with newbie Interpol agent Alma Dray (Laurent).  Rhodes is skeptical but vows to solve the case. The Horsemen are also pursued by Thaddeus Bradley (Freeman), a former magician who is now famous and wealthy for revealing magician's secrets.  With the stakes getting higher with each trick, can the FBI solve the case before someone gets hurt?

I have been interested in this film since I first saw the trailer several months ago.  This week I finally had a free evening and decided to take a chance... and I was not disappointed.

The film is set up like a magic trick, with the audience guessing along with the detectives: you only see what the detectives see.  Don't read spoiler reviews before seeing this film or you will miss out on some interesting twists.  I thoroughly enjoyed trying to guess what would happen next (I guessed 2 of the twists, yay me!).  It is refreshing to see a film that isn't predictable.  In some cases the payoffs are complicated, but intriguing... and you don't see the ending coming.

Director, Louis Leterrier is known for action films (Transporter, Transporter 2, The Incredible Hulk), and doesn’t disappoint here.  Once all the characters are introduced, it becomes a long chase, with the detectives’ one step behind.  There is a mesmerizing fight, using magician props, and an intense car chase, and enough suspense to keep you interested.  In addition to the action and stylized camera work, there is a healthy dose of humor.

The cast is excellent.  The actors stick with their wheelhouse, playing characters they’ve played before, but use expectations to keep you on your toes, particularly with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.  Jesse Eisenberg is the smartest guy in the room, and knows it.  Woody Harrelson is charming and off-color.  Isla Fisher is pretty but complicated.  Dave Franco is talented, but overlooked... much like in real life (his brother is James Franco).  Freeman gets to delivery heavy exposition, but you don't notice because it's Morgan Freeman.  Caine is the wise mentor who is willing to over-look shady dealings.  I don't know much about Melanie Laurent (I've only seen her in The Beginners and Inglorious Basterds) or the characters she tends to play, but she is fine here.  Mark Ruffalo is the complicated and conflicted lead.

While this film won’t appeal to everyone, it is an enjoyable summer flick and worth the price of admission.

Now You See Me (2013) 115 minutesRating: PG-13 for language, some action and sexual content
Director: Louis Leterrier
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg as J. Daniel Atlas
Mark Ruffalo as Dylan Rhodes
Woody Harrelson as Merritt McKinney
Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves
Dave Franco as Jack Wilder
Melanie Laurent as Alma Dray
Morgan Freeman as Thaddeus Bradley
Michael Caine as Arthur Tressler

Star Trek (2009)

"Dammit, man! I'm a doctor, not a physicist!"
 

James T. Kirk (Pine) is reckless, but intelligent young man.  After a brief conversation with Captain Pike (Greenwood), who served in Starfleet with his late father, Kirk decides to follow in his father's footsteps and join the Starfleet Academy.  Three years later he is still trying to prove his worth, by taking the Kobayahi Maru for a third time.  Kirk outmaneuvers the simulation, and is brought before a disciplinary council by the creator of the test, Spock (Quinto).  During the trial, the Academy receives a distress signal from Vulcan, and the cadets are mobilized for a rescue mission.

Captain Pike is the commander of the USS Enterprise, a new ship, with the most promising cadets serving on his crew.  Kirk realizes it is a trap, and warns Pike before they arrive at Vulcan.  Pike is called aboard the attacking Romulan ship, captained by Nero (Bana).  He leaves Spock in charge, with specific orders for a rescue mission.  Can the cadets come together to save they day, or are they doomed to watch Nero destroy all they hold dear?


The original "Star Trek" TV series has cult status.  It was ahead of it's time and influenced technological advances... and made stars of the original cast, who will always be associated with the characters they played.  Besides the show, there were numerous "Star Trek" films that featured the original cast.

In the 1980s "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was on TV, with a new cast (this is the Star Trek I am most familiar with).  In the 1990s it was "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: Voyager."  And finally in the 2000s it was "Star Trek: Enterprise."

This film returns the series to it's roots, with the original characters... but with a twist.  The opening sequence of the film changes everything you know about the series, giving the filmmakers the ability to give you the characters you know and love, with some twists.  It also gave them the freedom to recast these iconic characters, without forcing the cast to duplicate the original portrayals.  Each actor makes the part their own, without forgetting the original portrayal.

When this film was announced, I was not particularly interested.  I grew up with the "Star Trek: The Next Generation Series", but was not particularly attached.  I knew nothing about the original series, except for how it is mocked / revered in popular culture.  Despite the buzz surrounding this film, I never got around to watching it.  However, with the sequel Star Trek: Into Darkness premiering this year, my interested was piqued.  My boss raved about the film, so I borrowed it from my local public library and resolved to give it a shot.  But before I could do that, I wanted to get a taste of the original series.  So I watched 2 episodes from the first season, and then dove right into the film.

The film is well done: a nice mix of humor and sci-fi gadgetry.  It manages to update the TV show, while still feeling like the TV show.  It was the right time to update "Star Trek" with the right cast and right writer / director.

Star Trek (2009) 127 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine as James T. Kirk
Zachary Quinto as Spock
Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike
Karl Urban as Dr. "Bones" McCoy
Zoe Saldana as Uhura
Simon Pegg as Scotty
John Cho as Hikaru Sulu
Anton Yelchin as Chekov
Eric Bana as Nero

TV: Eureka

"If I have to come back, I'm bringing a stun gun and a weed whacker."

The town of Eureka is home to the greatest scientists in the United States.  The scientists work in Global Dynamics, a safe haven for scientific discovery.  While the geniuses experiment, the town is protected by Sheriff Jack Carter (Ferguson), a former U.S. Marshall.  Carter uses his years of law enforcement experience, and his gun-happy ex-military deputy Jo Lupo (Cerra), to keep the town safe from the latest breakthrough.

Global Dynamics, known as G.D., is run by brilliant narcissist Dr. Nathan Stark (Quinn) and grounded DOD liaison Dr. Alison Blake (Richardson-Whitfield).  Stark and Carter do not get along, but are frequently forced to work together in difficult situations.  They are aided by Carter's best friend and Stark's mentor, Dr. Henry Deacon (Morton), who runs the local mechanics shop and is the town mayor.  With criminal computer hacker Zane Donovan (Matter), eccentric animal expert Dr. Jim Taggart (Frewer), accident-prone Dr. Douglas Fargo (Grayston), and other assorted scientists, keeping the town safe isn't easy.


In 2007, after graduating from college, I started working with cancer researchers.  Six years later I'm still working with scientists...  For that reason, I find shows like Eureka and The Big Bang Theory extra funny because I know / work with people with some similar personality quirks (and occasionally I understand their words, and if nothing else, I can spell some of them).

I fell in love with this show from the very beginning.  The characters are fun and funny, with actual stakes involved.  You care about the characters from the beginning and want to see them, all of them, succeed.  The minor characters are quirky and entertaining, and you want to see more of them.  The show was successful enough to inspire successful crossovers with other Warehouse 13, another SyFy show: Claudia Donovan comes to Eureka in Season 4, and Fargo has appeared in 2 Warehouse 13 episodes.

Loved the show and all five seasons, and was sad to see it go (especially now that Warehouse 13 has an end date).  After six years, they brought the show to a solid and satisfying conclusion.

My favorite episodes:
Season 1- H.O.U.S.E Rules
Season 5- Jack of All Trades

Eureka (2006-2012)
Creator: Andrew Cosby and Jaime Paglia
Starring: Colin Ferguson as Sheriff Jack Carter
Salli Richardson-Whitfield as Allison Blake
Erica Cerra as Jo Lupo
Neil Grayston as Douglas Fargo
Joe Morton as Henry Deacon
Niall Matter as Zane Donovan
Jordan Hinson as Zoe Carter
Ed Quinn as Nathan Stark
Chris Gauthier as Vincent
Kavan Smith as Deputy AndyMatt Frewer as Jim Taggart

Django Unchained

"I wish to parlez with you."
"Speak English."
"Oh, I'm sorry, please forgive me. it *is* a second language."

Dentist turned bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Waltz) buys the freedom of slave Django (Foxx) to help capture 3 fugitives from justice.  Once the Speck brothers have been dispatched Schultz grants Django his freedom, and they team up to dispatch justice.  Django ultimately wants to find and free his wife, Broomhilda (Washington).

They learn that Broomhilda was sold to Calvin Candie (DiCaprio), a ruthless plantation owner.  They devise a plan to fool Calvin and purchase Broomhilda.  They pose as Mandingo experts to entice Calvin, but can their ruse fool his cruel head slave Stephen (Jackson), and will they survive the trip?


Director Quentin Tarantino has a very distinctive style.  From the opening moments there is no denying who wrote and directed the film.  Going to a Tarantino film you know what to expect: lotta blood, lotta cursing, many deaths, etc.  It was only a matter of time till Tarantino made a "western"... and made it his way.

Christoph Waltz won his second Oscar for this film (he won in 2010 for Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds).  He is mesmerizing as Shultz, a role very different from his Basterds villain.  Jamie Foxx is a strong lead, but is outmatched by his co-stars.  Leonardo DiCaprio is an intriguing villain, a despicable character that dominates the screen, matched only by Waltz.  Frequent Tarantino collaborator Samuel L. Jackson is strong in his role (it's Samuel L. Jackson, of course he's excellent).  Kerry Washington, as the only female character worth mentioning, is decent, but not a major focus of the film.

From the beginning this film was the subject of controversy.  The film liberally uses the "n" word (according to IMDb.com it is used over 110 times), which sparked heated debates and condemnation.  Despite this controversy and condemnation by celebrities, the film was still nominated and won various awards (it had 5 Academy Award nominations and 2 wins).

The performances are great and if you enjoy Tarantino, can stomach gratuitous bloodshed, and excessive use of the "n" word, then check it out!

Django Unchained (2012) 165 minutes
Rating: R for strong graphic violence throughout, a vicious fight, language and some nudity
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Jamie Foxx as Django
Christoph Waltz as Dr. King Schultz
Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin Candie
Kerry Washington as Broomhilda von Shaft
Samuel L. Jackson as Stephen
Walter Goggins as Billy Crash