Rebecca's Movie Reviews
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Walt Disney Company 2005
When my ten year old son saw that we were putting this DVD into the machine he threw a screamy fit, "Not that movie! I don't want to watch that movie!"
By the end of the film, hole 18, last putt, Francis is ahead by only one stroke, my son was on the edge of his seat with everyone else.
I didn't want to see "The Greatest Game Ever Played" at first myself. When it first came out I could not believe that a young actor with the incredible talent Shia LaBeouf demonstrated in "Holes" didn't have a better movie to star in than some snoozer about a game of golf. Golf, I thought, is one of the most useless games mankind has invented.
This film changed my mind. I can see now that golf has a certain simple charm. You hit a ball with a stick and try to get it to roll into a hole. Even my two-year-old could understand what was happening in this movie. He stood right in front of the screen and jumped up and down and cheered every time the ball went in.
I can't say enough about the impressive cinematography, from the opening titles to the last time we see Vardon get into his zone, making everything melt away except the flag at the far end of the green. The acting was good, the pacing was a little slow in places, but I tell you, we were all holding our breath there at the end.
As for family friendliness, there was only one case of biblical swearing, and that by a very non-sympathetic character. We all booed him. Best of all, this film sparked a great family discussion on good sportsmanship, which was shown by both Vardon and Ouimet.
The one thing I did not like about the film was the antagonistic father character. Why is it that the dad in these sorts of movies insists that the son to do something practical with his life rather than pursue his dreams? Do any parents really do that? Granted, my mom used to get after me for sitting in bed all morning working on my meta-science-fiction graphic novel instead of cleaning my room, and my dad once suggested to me that engineering would be a more practical course than physics, but in general they always encouraged me to develop my talents and pursue my interests. Maybe I'm lucky to have really nice parents.
But anyhow, it disturbed me that in "Greatest Game" dad made son promise to give up golf, and then son had to go and break promise in order to enter tournament and win first place. It wasn't fair of dad to extract the promise, but that was no excuse to go and break it. We talked about that issue with the children too. And what irks me most was that, in real life, Francis Ouimet's father was probably just fine with his son playing golf! Those lousy Hollywood screenplay writers always think they have to add so much drama. Bah!
So with all the good fodder for family discussion, and a sport that even a two-year-old can appreciate, I recommend this film to all ages. I think it will be an enduring classic, one of the best sports movies ever made. -RJC
Planet Earth
BBC nature documentary
Planet Earth, the stunning BBC nature documentary, uses the latest in film technology to take you to the most remote and fantastic places in the world. To see these films is to stand in awe of the vast beauty of this world we live on.
We bought the DVD set and gave it to our son for his eighth birthday. His birthday party was a few hours ago. The family is still gathered around the television, exclaiming over the swift and deadly beauty of a great white shark attack, mourning for the baby elephant lost in a dust storm in an African desert, and getting a sense of the fundamental interconnectedness of all things as David Attenborough describes how the sun heats the sea and forms clouds that sweep inland and bring fresh water and therefore life to the whole earth.
It is a nature documentary, so be prepared for some scenes of live or recently live things being eaten, and also for a little eco-preaching, but the focus of the film is really the wonder of it all. Watching these programs is truly mind expanding. I am deeply grateful to the filmmakers who shared with the world these amazing things that otherwise we would never see. Every minute brings a "Wow, I never knew that!" or "Wow, did you see that?"
These DVD's are going to be some of the most watched in our collection. I recommend them to everyone.
-RJC
Eight Below
First of all, let me say that this film had some beautiful moments. The final scene where the dogs are at last reunited with their human friends is almost worth all the absurdity we had to go through in order to get there.Why doesn't anybody do any research anymore? So there is this scientist who is going to Antarctica to look for a meteorite from Mercury. He wants to go look on this particular mountain, which our intrepid guide is loathe to take him to because it is on the other side of a melting ice shelf. Just let me say that there is no way to know where you are going to find a meteorite in Antarctica. Going out and wandering around in the snow around base camp would be just as good a bet as anything. But this scientist just has a good feeling about this particular mountain, I guess. The guide says that they'll have to take the dog team because the ice is too thin for snowmobiles.
Of course the scientist almost falls down a crevasse in the glacier. The dogs pull him to safety. Dogs 1, Humans 0. Next thing we know, base camp radios in that a huge storm is coming and they have to turn around and go home right away. The scientist talks the guide into staying just a little longer so he can look for his meteorite.
Now this, for me, was really, really funny. They start looking for a meteorite IN A PILE OF EXPOSED ROCK! The REASON you look for meteorites in Antarctica is because any rock you find lying out there in the middle of the frozen ice MUST HAVE COME FROM OUTER SPACE! Instead, they figure the meteorite was lonely and crawled over to where the other rocks were, I guess.
So the scientist actually finds his meteorite. It's a meteorite, all right, a nice iron meteorite with ablation pits, sitting there on top of the snow, near a large pile of rocks. Now, iron meteorites do not come from the surfaces of other planets. They come from asteroids with metal cores that got broken up in collisions in the asteroid belt. I guess I'm one of the few humans on the planet that know this, and they didn't figure on me watching the movie. This scientist, however, can tell instantly that this rock is a basalt from the surface of Mercury. I guess I should be happy they at least got a meteorite for the movie, even if it couldn't possibly have been what the scientist said it was.
Before they get back to base camp the scientist manages to break his leg and fall through thin ice. The dogs pull him to safety. Dogs 2, Humans 0. If scientists were always so much trouble they wouldn't allow them at research bases, now would they? This mishap delays their return to camp so much that they have to leave the dogs behind all winter. Somehow. I'm a little foggy on that point.
The rest of the film is about how the dogs survive by learning to catch CGI seagulls, and about how the guide tries to get back to Antarctica to rescue them in spite of beaurocrats, girlfriends, annoying cartographers, and ungrateful meteorite hunting scientists.
But Siberian huskies look beautiful running around in the snow! Watch this silly movie just for that. And even though I cringed a bit in the middle, I cried at the end.
Bridge to Terabithia
Walden Media has done it again. I used to say, "never sell the movie rights," but I have amended that to "Never sell the movie rights to anyone but Walden Media!" For their film version of "Holes" they asked the author to write the screenplay. For this adaptation of "Bridge to Terabithia" they asked the author's son to write the screenplay. He did a fine job. I have not ever seen a film that treated so well the interplay between light and darkness, wonder and drudgery, that we experience in daily life. It is also a story about the need for fantasy. Early in the film the girl character tells the boy character that they need a place with none of the sort of bullies and tormentors they have to deal with at Junior High. Strangely enough, when they go into their imaginary fantasy world they find they have not managed to leave their real life enemies behind, only changed them into CGI creatures. Through play-acting and imagination, the two teenagers learn courage and compassion that they can then apply to their real life problems. It is a comforting, classic coming-of-age tale, until you get to the end.Those of you who have read the book know it has a devastating downer of an ending. Take hope. This is a Disney film after all. It does manage to put the end on a more positive note by toning down the angst and emphasizing how the tragedy brings new understanding and prompts Jess to begin building a relationship with his younger sister.
Over all a beautiful film! So go see it! It is great!
Miss Potter
I can not think of the last time I saw a more beautiful film!Perhaps I am biased. The film starts out with Beatrix Potter getting her lucky break with the publishing company. I, myself, have just started trying to sell my first novel, so I nearly cried when the publishers said yes to Beatrix.
As Miss Potter drives away in her carriage, trying not to laugh and scream for joy because all she can prim and properly do to celebrate is have the driver go round the park a few extra times, we find out the publishers didn't say yes because they thought Peter Rabbit would sell. They said yes because their little brother, Ewan McGregor, has just joined the firm and they needed an unimportant first project for him to bumble with.
What begins as another story of a writer and artist whose once disdained work becomes wildly popular turns into a very human story of love, friendship, loss, and recovery. The acting was incredible! I believed every minute of it. I could not ask for a better script or a better cast to bring it to life. So why do sloppy films like "Transformers" get in the regular theaters while the brilliant "Miss Potter" is relegated to the art houses? Let's make amends! Go rent it today! Better yet, buy a copy. It goes right up there on your shelf with your favorite Jane Austen movies.
This film is rated PG for some mild language, which I must say I didn't notice. Smaller children will find this film dull, in spite of the lovely animation sequences, but I bet my eleven year old writing, drawing daughter will adore it as much as I did.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Okay, that's all the summer movie I need!From watching the trailers that ran before the movie, it is obvious that Harry Potter is the trend! Everyone is trying their hand at fantasy film! And why not? Now filmmakers have the special effects capabilities to do it!
But what they don't realize is that flashing lights and flying shards of glass mean nothing unless you care about the characters. Even the most spectacular CGI generated sorcery is dull unless you believe the story.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix gives you plenty to care about and believe in. As the film opens, no one wants to admit that the Evil Overlord Voldemort has returned. Harry is falsely accused of lying by teachers, newspaper articles, and the ministry of magic itself. Meanwhile, the forces of evil are ever on the move, and no one seems to be doing anything about it. In the midst of all this darkness, the great themes of the Harry Potter story come to light. We have weapons the dark side knows nothing about. Loyalty, friendship, family, love, and the ability to choose right.
The scriptwriting was superb! Reducing a twenty thousand page book to a two and a half hour film is quite a task. They didn't have much time to keep the "Room of Requirement" from sounding like the cheap trick it was, but no one minds because watching Harry tutor his friends in stunning each other and making patronuses is so much fun. I can't say enough about that script! I could not get over how clear and natural the dialog was this time, and I don't think I heard anyone swear either! Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
The film's weak point was the sound editing. There were too many loud, unexplained thumps. I kept expecting to see a cup with the liquid trembling inside it, like that water glass in Jurassic Park. Besides the overuse of the Tyrannosaurus effect, the music was seldom used to gently cue us in to the characters' emotions, or provide extra character development by giving characters their own little musical themes. Instead, it stridently reminded us that this is a dark fantasy adventure film with an orchestral style soundtrack. I miss John Williams!
A visually impressive film, it sometimes bordered on headache-inducing with it's fast changing dream sequences and suddenly bright lights. But the most impressive thing for me was watching the closing credits and looking at the size of the cast! Just take a look at the long list of named characters in the film. Have you ever seen anything like it?
In conclusion I would like to say that after all these books and movies are over, I do hope Harry Potter gets a long and quiet vacation someplace. Maybe we could all pitch in and send him to Hawaii.
The Last Mimsy
My definition of good science fiction is a piece of work that asks an intriguing question and then answers it very honestly. By that definition, "The Last Mimsy" is a fine bit of science fiction film. Not surprisingly, it is based on an actual short story, and not an original screenplay. That means there are actually some signs of intelligence in the script.In this movie, a happy spring vacation at a beach house in the Seattle area is interrupted by a strange geodesic box that washes up on the beach. You know you're in trouble when it starts doing strange things and the kids decide to keep it a secret from mom. Not because of what the box is doing, but because of what the kids are doing. How many real kids do you know would look at that thing and say, oh- better not tell mom! Mine would all be running and shouting, "Mom! Mom! Look at this cool thing we found!" They do that whenever they find a piece of glass, a bottle cap, or a lady bug. I think the geodesic box would get similar treatment.
So now we know that these kids aren't real kids, just fictional kids. But it is still fun to watch as they explore the strange powers of their newly found flotsam and finally piece together the puzzle of what they're supposed to do with it, all before the babysitter, the creepy middle school science teacher and his palm reading fiance, the Homeland Security Department, and mom and dad can well-meaningly interfere.
There were some really delightful moments. Whoever directed this film got some wonderful performances out of the children. Young as they were, their acting never jarred me. And the parents were believably jarred when their children started displaying strange powers. I still can't figure out why they decided to consult that creepy science teacher and his astrologist fiance about it, though. I was very disappointed that those two were even in the film.
The special effects were impressive, but not overdone. One of the film's strengths was its power of understatement. Except when Homeland Security breaks in and hauls everyone off to the science lab. What was that about?
So I hope you enjoy "The Last Mimsy" as much as we did. Maybe even more because you don't have a two-year-old screaming in your ear for more m&m's during all the significant dialog. Tune in tomorrow for my rave review of Harry Potter V.
Ratatouille
It just wasn't Toy Story II.But it was pretty good. The ability the folks at Pixar have developed to simulate water, hair, fur, mushrooms, flame, raspberry syrup, and mayhem continue to astound me. They can also tell a good story with some surprisingly honest turns.
Be warned, this is not a film for children. My seven year old son found a scene displaying several trapped, dead rats to be very disturbing. As a matter of fact, I found the scene disturbing too. A bit too much. Too much like coming around the bend in the fog at the concentration camp in the film "Life is Beautiful" on that pile of emaciated. . . okay. We won't go there.
But the film was amazing. It felt like a real movie. Sometimes I forgot I was watching a cartoon. Some of the ideas were hard for me to choke down, like the rat's method for directing the garbage boy's cooking. But overall the film had a very classy feel, perhaps due to all those gorgeous panoramas of Paris at night.
One of the most interesting parts of the film for me was the critique of critics delivered by the intimidating Anton Ego near the end of the film. Critics, so he writes, thrive on negativism. Their writings are less valuable than the garbage that they so label as garbage. He claims, however, that critics can do some good if they discover something great and lead the public to partake of it.
I would say critics have another valuable role. They can make suggestions on the subject of what to do better next time. They can advise the artist as to what did and what didn't work. IS ANYBODY LISTENING?
My suggestion for next time: If you're going to put an animated short in front of the movie, make sure it is worth watching. Just a hint, everyone. Go out and get your popcorn during the short. It was worse than that "Boundin'" thing they put in front of Cars. Way worse.
Night at the Museum
I'm a sucker for an intriguing idea. A musem where everything comes to life after dark sounds like a great place to hang out for an hour and thirty minutes or so.Night at the Museum did a fabulous job of answering the question "what sort of hilarious things would happen if museum exhibits all came to life?" Especially if the waxwork of Teddy Rosevelt looks just like Robin Williams. My favorites were the comedy team of miniatures from the hall of civilizations, Jedediah from the Old West and Octavius from Ancient Rome. My kids loved the dinosaur. I could have done without the monkey, but the mummy was great, and it was fun to see Mickey Rooney and Dick Van Dyke working together as the old night watchmen who were off on a well earned retirement.
What the film failed on was the human story. Into this delightful, light and funny comedy, they throw a main character who is divorced, apparently because he is a failed entrepreneur and can't seem to keep a regular job. His ten year old son is bitterly disappointed in him (why?). His ex-wife seems to be a nice enough person but she's threatening to take full custody if he can't get a job, and so he applies as night watchman at the museum. Was that supposed to be funny? I'm not laughing.
Give me ten minutes and I can think up a more plausible reason for this man to take the job, and to stay in it even when things start coming to life after 10 p.m. I thought the broken family was a sad and dreadfully tedious complication to the plot. And maybe I'm old-fashioned but it gave me the creeps when the main character takes the beautiful but studious museum docent out for coffee. The man has got a ten-year old son! People like that shouldn't have to flirt with anyone, unless they are widowed.
As for offensive material, there was some unfortunate bodily fluid humor (remember that monkey I told you about?). Was that supposed to be funny? I'm not laughing.
So if I'd written the screenplay, it would have been different. But if I'd written the screenplay then I probably wouldn't have the same happy life with five children, four harps, three church callings, two half-written novels, and one review column on MyFamily.com.