Now Very Bad…

Category: Movies

  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

    Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Better than the 1st one? Guess so. VERY episodic – doesn’t stand on its own at all. Once again, all the best moments are dialogue scenes…

    Avengers: Age of Ultron

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of Avengers: Age of Ultron:

    I really don’t have a lot to say about Avengers: Age of Ultron. I was very excited to see it, thought it would be good and it was.

    It was exactly what I expected. You may have to decide for yourself if that is worthy of praise. The film takes approximately zero risks.

    Avengers: Age of Ultron

    Writer/director/franchise-runner/geek god Joss Whedon is making the smart choice hopping off the horse now. I’m not expecting these films to actually start getting worse, but there’s really little room for them to get any better. It’s a little hard to put into words why such a solid effort is not very satisfying. I guess it just lacks the element of surprise.

    I don’t mean to suggest that the film is perfect as it most assuredly is not. It’s simply that it fails at nothing meaningful. There are all sorts of fanboy gripes and such, and you can pick apart the narrative for its flaws, but ultimately, who cares? It’s a comic book movie and they really can’t make a film with this lineup of heroes any better than this.

    Avengers: Age of Ultron

    Particularly if you know the direction they are headed in. The stories they are working on adapting are completely joyless – great, but low on levity. The fun level of the Marvel movies is going to continue to drop sharply – hence the need for movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man.

    By the way, why does Marvel get a free pass on simply filming the stories that were already comic books? I live to trash DC and Zack Snyder for simply making film versions of graphic novels, feeling that there’s really no point in doing so, but Marvel is even more guilty of this. They don’t even try to pass off their pictures as original in any form, but no one seems to call them on this. Personally, I seldom read these books back in the day, so I’ve really got no skin in the game; whereas I am hugely protective of the old Batman classics. Anyway, I’ve let this pass for too long, so consider yourself warned, Marvel…

    Avengers: Age of Ultron

    If I were to get more specific, I guess I’d say:

    • James Spader is a tool – that’s why he has a tool in his name. His voice is just not the right direction for Ultron, but it could maybe work if Ultron wasn’t such a fluid metal CG creation. Speaking of that…
    • Ultron’s mouth shouldn’t move. It doesn’t make any sense. He’s a creation of Stark – he should move like Iron Man. He doesn’t. His face can actually give off expressions. That’s absurd…
    • Jeremy Renner’s recent comments about Black Widow during the press junket made me actually root for Hawkeye to buy it. The character is never going to be as fun for me again until someone else is filling the role.
    • The action being rooted in a slightly more earthly tale this time should help the climactic battle be more rooted in reality. But it doesn’t. It’s still wave after wave of faceless enemies. And the sheer amount of adversaries is just not credible. They’re everywhere. Everything appens so quickly in this one…
    • Which is another issue. Condensing a long, multi-title arc into a film is always going to necessitate severe acceleration of the narrative, and it certainly does here. Ultron goes from impossible dream to villain in about 90 seconds.
    • Loki’s scepter. Always with Loki’s scepter. Yawn. I hate Loki’s scepter, hate the ability to mind control people. It’s cheap and weak, and this whole massive, overreaching infinity stones thing is making me long for the simplicity of the first Iron Man…
    • Despite my love of Guardians of the Galaxy, my interest level in galaxy-wide space villains can’t even be charted…
    • Danny Elfman did some of the music, except for the themes he inherited. It’s good, if not up to his usual standards…

    Avengers: Age of Ultron

    • When it comes to dialogue, Whedon is best in class. In fact, he teaches the class. And wrote the textbook…
    • The action and effects are excellent, but honestly, that’s table stakes. The humanity, the relationships, the quiet moments – these are what make these films work. Most of the time I’m just biding my time during the action scenes unless they are next-level cool. I want that stuff, I do. But without the brilliant writing of Whedon and acting of the principals I’d be bored.
    • After meeting Falcon (Anthony Mackie) in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it’s kind of a drag that cool characters like him and War Machine (Don Cheadle) are pretty much kept on the sidelines…
    • I’m happy that this film isn’t all about Iron Man, which was how it was headed based on the success of that character. Full credit to Kevin Feige for not pulling an X-Men and turning the whole series into Wolverine Fan Club.
    • Similarly, while Hulk is smashy good times, they resisted the urge to follow the Louis Tully rule after the green guy practically stole the first Avengers movie. I’m impressed/astonished…

    Avengers: Age of Ultron

    Avengers: Age of Ultron is a fantastic superhero movie. Period. We may never reclaim the early excitement and surprise of our first introduction to these characters, but there are beneficial trade-offs to be had in advancing their arcs. And they’re still heaps more fun than the Dour Cynicism movies…

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Pass

    The Representation Test Score: C (4 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    Avengers: Age of Ultron Representation Test
    [schema type=”movie” url=”http://marvel.com/movies/movie/193/avengers_age_of_ultron” name=”Avengers: Age of Ultron” description=”Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

    Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk and Chris Evans as Captain America. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine, Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.

    Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963. Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham, Patricia Whitcher, Stan Lee and Jon Favreau serve as executive producers. Get set for an action-packed thrill ride when The Avengers return in Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on May 1, 2015.” director=”Joss Whedon” actor_1=”Robert Downey Jr.” ]

    Main Cast Robert Downey Jr. Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Evans Steve Rogers/Captain America, Mark Ruffalo Bruce Banner/Hulk, Chris Hemsworth Thor
    Rating PG-13
    Release Date Fri 01 May 2015 UTC
    Director Joss Whedon
    Genres Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
    Plot When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.
    Poster Avengers: Age of Ultron
    Runtime 141
    Tagline A new age begins
    Writers Joss Whedon (written by), Stan Lee (comic book) …
    Year 2015
  • The Rewrite (2014)

    The Rewrite (2014)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    If you absolutely MUST watch a Hugh Grant rom-com – like your relationship and/or life depend on it – still skip this one…try About A Boy

    The Rewrite

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Rewrite:

    I watched this very predictable looking film for exactly one reason: it showed up on a list of newly released Blu-rays with a release year of 2015. I try to review recent films whenever possible, and since I don’t get to the movies as often as I’d like, at least for non-kids movies, I usually rely on stuff I can watch at home. This necessarily means that my reviews are always a bit late, even with the ridiculously short intervals between theatrical release and home video release.

    So when I see something available to rent or stream with a recent date, particularly toward the beginning of the calendar year, I usually try to watch it. I completely realize how flawed this policy is, by the way. Pictures that are available for home video in the first quarter of the year they were released in are almost always dogs and often never got more than a token theatrical release.

    The Rewrite

    The worst part about The Rewrite? The listing was wrong. The movie was released abroad in 2014. It never even got a theatrical release stateside. So that was the end of the one potentially redeeming feature of The Rewrite, that I’d get to add a 2015 review to the site.

    But surely there was something worthwhile about the film? I mean, look at the cast: Hugh Grant, Marisa Tomei, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Chris Elliot. These are good names and good actors. Yes, but they have something else in common; they aren’t terribly choosy. All have a long track record of dogs. My impression of these actors is that they are hardworking professionals who know that it’s a job and you need to keep swimming. I may be wrong, but that’s my take, and I’m not suggesting that there is anything in the world wrong with that outlook – it’s commendable. I’m merely suggesting that their presence in a film should never be taken as an indicator of the quality of the project by itself.

    The Rewrite

    The Rewrite, which in all honesty should probably have been called The Remake, finds Hugh Grant playing screenwriter Keith Michaels, a Hollywood talent who had tremendous early success followed by a period of failure and is now burned out and cynical as he tries to rediscover the magic of his earlier career. It would be in poor taste to suggest that Hugh Grant is, therefore, playing Hugh Grant…

    The Rewrite
    Ok, poor taste it is…

    Actually, cheap shots aside, Grant is an actor I quite like in spite of his tendency to just keep playing himself, or rather, a version of the same character. Grant is probably not the character he is typecast as, any more than Lee Marvin or any other character actor. But he’s played the aloof, cynical, womanizing cad so often and so well that it sure feels like he is…

    Out of work and luck, screenwriter Michaels takes the last available gig open to him: teaching screenwriting at respected Binghamton University in New York. Here he will meet cute with working mother Holly Carpenter (Marisa Tomei), fill his class with attractive co-eds, one of whom he’s shagging (Bella Heathcoate as Karen) and get another shot at success courtesy of one of his students (Clem, played by Stephen Kaplan from the funny Bart Got A Room).

    The Rewrite

    The Rewrite is the vision of the talented Marc Lawrence, who after getting his start with the beloved 80’s sitcom Family Ties went on to carry the torch for 2000’s rom-coms, writing & directing three consecutive Sandra Bullock films. The Rewrite is his FOURTH consecutive Hugh Grant picture. Their first picture together was 2007’s Music and Lyrics, co-starring Drew Barrymore. The Rewrite is essentially the same movie as Music and Lyrics, enough so that it led me to wonder whether it is possible to plagiarize yourself…

    The Rewrite

    The Rewrite is a lazy, unimaginative and derivative riff on the same theme that Grant has been playing for too long. J.K. Simmons has a nice little role that’s fun, and while the story is uninspired, Lawrence writes great dialogue and there are some nice little bits in there. It’s not awful or anything, just lightweight – perfectly fine for streaming.

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Pass

    The Representation Test Score: C (6 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    The Rewrite Representation Test

    [schema type=”movie” name=”The Rewrite” description=”An Oscar-winning writer in a slump leaves Hollywood to teach screenwriting at a college on the East Coast, where he falls for a single mom taking classes there.” director=”Marc Lawrence” actor_1=”Hugh Grant” ]

    Main Cast Marisa Tomei Holly Carpenter, J.K. Simmons Dr. Lerner, Allison Janney Mary Weldon, Hugh Grant Keith Michaels
    Rating o.Al.
    Release Date Fri 13 Feb 2015 UTC
    Director Marc Lawrence
    Genres Comedy, Romance
    Plot An Oscar-winning writer in a slump leaves Hollywood to teach screenwriting at a college on the East Coast, where he falls for a single mom taking classes there.
    Poster The Rewrite
    Runtime 107
    Tagline
    Writers Marc Lawrence (written by)
    Year 2014
  • Annie (2014)

    Annie (2014)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Let’s hear it for lowered expectations. After everyone, including my daughter, panned it, I couldn’t help but like this more than assumed…

    Annie

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of Annie:

    Here’s the quick version: Annie is a completely unnecessary re-imagining of a story you’ve seen a dozen different times that contains little of the characteristics of the more enjoyable tellings. It messes with the formula with varied results and ends quite badly. Still…

    Annie really isn’t as bad as you’ve heard. I’d even go as far as to say it’s got enough decent direction to become a good movie someday and is halfway there.

    Annie

    I attribute the majority of the bad reviews and reception to two main points:

    1. “It never should have been made.” Some people are so weary of reboots and re-imaginings that it would never have gotten a fair shake. The analogue to this thought is the beloved status of the 1982 John Huston film version. It was never likely to touch that version and to many audiences was DOA for trying.
    2. The film goes downhill and fast; despite a strong start and competent early going, the last half-hour is awful, leaving audiences exiting the theater with the feeling they saw a worse film then they actually did.

    Annie

    This factor worked to my personal benefit, as I expected nothing and couldn’t help but be pleased with a film that failed to be truly terrible.

    Make no mistake, Annie is not a good film. It just doesn’t really work. But it is nowhere as poor as you’ve been told.

    For starters, while I truly loathe the Hollywood project to remake every single earlier film, bear in mind that the seminal 1982 film was already an adaptation of a Broadway musical, itself an adaptation of an old comic serial. So let’s not pretend this 2014 remake was somehow the nadir of originality. And the original film version is hardly without warts.

    Annie

    The story certainly deserves an update, although I disagree that a modern setting is required for modern audiences. It was always a period piece. But if they can create modern-day versions of every other stage production, I don’t know if it’s for me to be critical of a desire to reset the tale in a new time. For the most part, the move to 2014 works.

    I generally don’t take notes when watching a film for the first time, believing that I’m not devoting my full attention to the picture. I departed from form on this occasion simply because I fully expected the picture to stink. Shame on me for pre-judging. I’d like to point out, however, that the majority of my comments were positive and I ended up with a favorable review of the picture, so I feel that I made up for my initial read by being particularly attentive.

    Annie

    • Love the rhythmic opening – signals that you’re in for a better movie than you’re likely to get.
    • Mixing in the tunes almost like an overture
    • The whole picture has good musical and rhythmic flourishes, which is entirely appropriate.
    • But auto-tune, ugh…
    • What on Earth is going on with this thing?
    • Miss Hannigan gets a backstory? She doesn’t need a backstory. Oh, she’s a failed star who was in a band before they broke? C&C Music Factory? Really? Who’s going to explain to 2014 youth who that is?
    • Despite my utter dislike of Beasts of the Southern Wild, I like young actress Quvenzhané Wallis – she’s charming and perfect for this role.
    • “Maybe” was and is the best song in the whole play. Thankfully they didn’t mess with it too much here.
    • Kid is cute enough, but she has no voice at all. She sings ok, but there’s absolutely no projection. Maybe it would be ok to have thin voices, but not since they have amped up all the backing music. I actually don’t mind the updating of the songs, honestly. But it just makes the singing seem even more amateurish by comparison.
    • When you make a film out of a Broadway show it should seem more epic, not less. There are only 5 kids and it’s a foster home, not an orphanage.
    • I like the action during “It’s A Hard Knock Life”.
    • I just don’t know why they feel like they need to hit every song with a backbeat, no matter how inappropriate – we get it  – you’re hip.
    • Fantastic imagery during “Tomorrow” – she sees happy families everywhere, even when it’s just workers carrying supplies. Really imaginative and well executed.
    • I really like the narrative update, making the meet cute of Annie and the Daddy Warbucks character (reimagined as a mobile phone magnate named Will Stacks for some reason) a random event and providing a plausible reason for him to get involved in her life. Works better than the original story, actually…
    • So many extraneous characters…
    • “I Think I’m Going to Like it Here” – first song totally off-book – big mistake
    • Man, every Sony movie looks like a glossly, brightly-lit commercial. They could have spliced in scenes from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and you’d never have noticed. I’m not sure they didn’t…
    • Cameron Diaz is so miscast. I can’t believe they let her sing…
    • Wow – they even rewrote the song (“Little Girls”) – not that I liked the original, but this whole updating of the character and backstory is so absurd. Ms. Hannigan doesn’t need a backstory…
    • Of course Jamie Foxx gets a song, which is fair enough, since he’s arguably the only person in the main cast who can sing. I don’t care for his singing, but he certainly knows how.
    • I know Daddy Warbucks had “NYC”, which was admittedly a pretty crap song, but this new New York tune is really dreadful.
    • Sandy the dog is cute…
    • How did they not have enough time to use all of the original showtunes, but enough time for a bunch of “originals”. Why would you adapt a massive hit and then play so loose with the source material? It would have been easier and cheaper to have just made this as an original film…
    • Why does there have to have to be an additional plot – she can’t read? That’s like the 10th plotline going on here…
    • Now Cannavale is going to try Easy Street? You’re out of your depth, son…wait, Diaz is back singing again – he looks and sounds better already…
    • Rooster is my favorite character in the whole story – and they cut him…
    • Diaz gets a second song? Or is this the third? C’mon folks, stop writing new songs…
    • Man, the wheels came off of this fast. I was mostly enjoying it, due the power of low expectations. But this is going downhill fast…
    • The last tune is like the first tune from the musical they’ve done in like a half an hour. Annnnndddd, they’re rewriting it, too…
    • Rose Byrne’s voice is a bit thin, too…
    • Umm, they forgot to kill off Annie’s parents. Hello? You’re giving up on your parents there, kid. Remember them, they’re your raison d’être?  Every other version of the story made sure that it was known that her parents died some way or another so it wouldn’t be weird that she’s willing to be adopted after protesting for the entire story…
    • Mercifully, it’s run out of film before they got themselves into even more trouble.
    • How’d they go so wrong? Here’s a clue: there were eight producers of this film. Not executive producers – producers. Eight…

    Annie

    After re-reading those notes, I’m beginning to doubt my opening words about how poor this film wasn’t. See? You have to take time to reflect on the whole picture, not just how a film ends. Many good films have weak third acts. This isn’t a good film, but the theory still holds…

    No, it’s not as good as the play. No, it’s not as good as the 1982 film. No, it’s not even as good as the 1999 made for tv film. But it does try some new things by updating the story, a few of which even work. Faint praise, maybe, but have you seen any of the other reviews? Trust me, I’m doing Annie a solid…

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Pass

    The Representation Test Score: (12 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    Annie Representation Test

    [schema type=”movie” url=”http://www.annie-movie.com/site/homepage” name=”Annie” description=”A Broadway classic that has delighted audiences for generations comes to the big screen with a new, contemporary vision in Columbia Pictures’ comedy, Annie. Director/Producer/Screenwriter Will Gluck teams with producers James Lassiter,Will Gluck, Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith, Caleeb Pinkett, Shawn “JAY Z” Carter, Laurence “Jay” Brown, Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith with a modern telling that captures the magic of the classic characters and original show that won seven Tony Awards. Celia Costas and Alicia Emmrich serve as Executive Producers. The screenplay is by Will Gluck and Aline Brosh McKenna, based on the musical stage play “Annie,” book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and on “Little Orphan Annie,” © and ® Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

    Academy Award® nominee Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) stars as Annie, a young, happy foster kid who’s also tough enough to make her way on the streets of New York in 2014. Originally left by her parents as a baby with the promise that they’d be back for her someday, it’s been a hard knock life ever since with her mean foster mom Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz). But everything’s about to change when the hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) – advised by his brilliant VP, Grace (Rose Byrne) and his shrewd and scheming campaign advisor, Guy (Bobby Cannavale) – makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in. Stacks believes he’s her guardian angel, but Annie’s self-assured nature and bright, sun-will-come-out-tomorrow outlook on life just might mean it’s the other way around.” director=”Will Gluck” producer=”Quvenzhané Wallis” ]

    Main Cast Quvenzhané Wallis Annie, Cameron Diaz Hannigan, Jamie Foxx Will Stacks, Rose Byrne Grace
    Rating PG
    Release Date Fri 19 Dec 2014 UTC
    Director Will Gluck
    Genres Comedy, Drama, Family, Musical
    Plot A foster kid, who lives with her mean foster mom, sees her life change when business tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in.
    Poster Annie
    Runtime 118
    Tagline It’s a Hard Knock Life
    Writers Will Gluck (screenplay) and, Aline Brosh McKenna (screenplay) …
    Year 2014
  • Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

    Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Not technically a remake of Pretty In Pink, it nevertheless sort of is. But not as good. Or good at all, really. Guess you had to be there.

    Some Kind of Wonderful

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of Some Kind of Wonderful:

    Definitely a case of a film that, not having seen it after all these years, I probably should have just continued to not watch it. Because I find it hard to be truly fair with Some Kind of Wonderful. I know lots of people love the movie, and it was fairly well received by critics at the time, with some suggesting it was an improvement on Pretty In Pink. But I just don’t see it.

    Would it be petty and simplistic to say that the biggest issue I have with Some Kind of Wonderful is that it does not feature the fantastic Gerry Coffin/Carole King song of the same name? Not totally serious (not totally joking either)…

    Some Kind of Wonderful

    No, the real problem is the pacing and execution of the narrative. The whole film seems like a Reader’s Digest condensed book, as though someone took a better, nuanced film and severely edited it for TV run-time. It’s just in such a rush. I know John Hughes wrote astonishingly quickly, a product of his start in advertising and then magazine publication, and maybe those roots inform this picture more than anything. Featuring the same director, Howard Deutch, writer (Hughes) and some of the same production team, it was released only a year (almost to the day – actually only 364 days) after Pretty In Pink. Maybe it really is that advertising instinct of rushing a product to market.

    Some Kind of Wonderful

    The anecdotal / apocryphal line on this film is that Hughes was forced into an ending he didn’t want for Pretty In Pink due to test audience reactions and studio pressure, so he made Some Kind of Wonderful to get the ending he wanted. He simply swapped the genders in the love triangle and made sure it was the two kids from the wrong side of the tracks who got together this time. (Maybe it should have been called Pretty In Pink 2: Duckie’s Revenge…)

    I have no idea if this story is true. It feels true, but there are many stories that seem too perfect not to be true but are nevertheless not borne out by the facts. (e.g., the prevailing belief that Big Trouble In Little China was originally written as the planned sequel to Buckaroo Banzai but was re-purposed into a new story when Banzai flopped. It seems true, it feels true – they share a main filmmaker, the timing makes sense – but it’s simply not so.)

    Some Kind of Wonderful

    If this is indeed the correct information on the provenance of Some Kind of Wonderful, it may help explain why Molly Ringwald took a pass on essentially making the same film twice. What seems irrefutable is that Ringwald turning down this film ended both her collaboration and friendship with Hughes, who was certainly known to hold a grudge. It’s really a shame they fell out, as their partnership produced three classic films, and any reasonable person can understand why an actor would want to move on to avoid being typecast.

    Some Kind of Wonderful

    Here are a few of the reasons I found Some Kind of Wonderful so unsatisfying:

    • The actors are far too old. Sure, this is true of many if not all teen movies, but Eric Stoltz was 25-26 at time of filming. C’mon…
    • It’s simply not believable that anyone would choose Amanda (Lea Thompson) over Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) for any part of the story. I’m not talking about the actresses themselves (well, maybe a little) but their characters. The whole plot of Keith (Stoltz) being obsessed with Amanda makes perfect sense – until they meet. At that point the complete lack of chemistry or even coordinated conversation should have been a deal-breaker. What makes it worse is that the two have most twisted interactions once they actually have their date. Which leads me to:

    Some Kind of Wonderful

    • THE DATE. I put it in caps because it clearly is this enormous momentous event in the picture. This is what I’m talking about with the sprinters pace of the picture; every agent of change in the picture occurs before the big date. It’s like they are dealing with the consequences of an action before the action itself. The second these two characters are even contemplating going out on a date everyone turns the volume up to 11. We never really get to see Watts & Keith’s friendship. It’s not the slow burner of a friendship that gains a new aspect. They know each other – not even really well, and then she’s grilling him about this other girl. Really within the first conversation between these two friends where Keith asks Watts about Amanda the dynamic changes. Instead of the feeling that maybe Watts is beginning to see something else in her friend, it comes off as a knee-jerk jealous reaction, as though she is only interested in Keith once he’s attracted to someone else. And I don’t think that’s what the character’s arc is meant to be.

    Some Kind of Wonderful

    • Since Hughes is such a great writer, I’m quite sure this is supposed to indicate the intricacies of personal relationships and the subtlety of those interactions. But it doesn’t. Some Kind of Wonderful feels like a typical teen movie in this and only this respect; everything leads to the big event (usually a dance or party).
    • The internal logic of the characters and the narrative simply don’t make sense. I still don’t understand Keith’s actions or what the whole money subplot is about. I don’t get why he’s spending to put on a show for Amanda, I don’t get why he still wants to go out with her if he thinks it’s all a set-up, or if he does why he then acts the way he does. I don’t understand what she’s after or why they come together only when they’re being jerks to each other. I don’t get why Watts wants to tag along and I don’t get anything about how this thing ends. The ending makes every character less likable except possibly Amanda. Even Duncan seems lessened…

    On the plus side of the ledger, the acting is quite good. Stoltz, Thompson and especially Masterson are excellent, though I wish they had a longer run-time to let things simmer a bit more. It was great to see Springfield, MA native John Ashton get a role that let him show that he’s more than just a hard-ass; he’s really been under-utilized over his career. Elias Koteas is a lot of fun as the tough-guy Duncan, justifying the sizable amount of screen-time for such a minor character.

    Some Kind of Wonderful

    The music is also quite good; it even has two separate versions of the Stones’ Miss Amanda Jones – the source of the character’s name, I presume. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. When I heard The March Violets version I actually groaned, not recognizing the original tune and thinking they’d written a theme song for the milquetoast character. But the original recording effectively anchors the pre-date montage. The opening credits sequence works very well, too.

    Despite all of the above objections, I can’t be too hard on Some Kind of Wonderful. I can recognize the bones of a better movie in here, and more importantly I know enough that these things never quite play out as well after the fact. When the film was released in 1987 I’m sure it was incredibly meaningful to a lot of people – some of my friends among them – and I probably would have gotten more out of it at the time.

    Some Kind of Wonderful

    The really funny thing is that I actually have grown to appreciate this film more in the weeks since I watched it. As I wrote this piece and looked for images and quotes and just generally reflected more on it, I found myself re-evaluating my earlier criticism. While I still steadfastly insist that Some Kind of Wonderful is a hurried and unsubtle mess, as I’ve let the film rest in my head for a bit I’ve come to respect what they’re going for here. If you look at the film as a selection of “John Hughes” moments rather than the cohesive film that it isn’t you can find some good stuff here. That’s without re-watching it. Funny how that happens with movies sometimes; they take on additional value or meaning if you leave yourself time to let them settle in your mind. Of course, I’d argue that if the filmmakers had taken that same advice about leaving room to let things slowly germinate, I wouldn’t have had to deal with such a mixed bag in the first place…

    Some Kind of Wonderful

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Pass

    The Representation Test Score: C (5 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    Some Kind of Wonderful Representation Test

    [schema type=”movie” name=”Some Kind of Wonderful” description=”A young tomboy, Watts, finds her feelings for her best friend, Keith, run deeper than just friendship when he gets a date with the most popular girl in school. Unfortunately, the girl’s old boyfriend, who is from the rich section of town, is unable to let go of her, and plans to get back at Keith.” director=”Howard Deutch” producer=”John Hughes” actor_1=”Eric Stoltz” actor_2=”Mary Stuart Masterson” actor_3=”Lea Thompson” ]

    Main Cast Eric Stoltz Keith Nelson, Mary Stuart Masterson Watts, Lea Thompson Amanda Jones, Craig Sheffer Hardy Jenns
    Rating PG-13
    Release Date Fri 27 Feb 1987 UTC
    Director Howard Deutch
    Genres Drama, Romance
    Plot A young tomboy, Watts, finds her feelings for her best friend, Keith, run deeper than just friendship…
    Poster Some Kind of Wonderful
    Runtime 95
    Tagline Before they could stand together, they had to stand alone.
    Writers John Hughes (written by)
    Year 1987
  • Song of the Sea (2014)

    Song of the Sea (2014)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    The Secret of Kells filmmaker Tomm Moore has created something even more beautiful & lovely for his 2nd film, if such a thing is possible…

    Song of the Sea

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of Song of the Sea:

    Earlier this week, in my review of HOME, I wrote of how I despaired of the the state of animated children’s films – at least from the major studios. Today I get to point out how completely this concern does not apply to the more independent studios, such as Cartoon Saloon and its co-founder Tomm Moore, who directed The Secret of Kells and now, in his second picture, Song of the Sea.

    I’m afraid that this review may prove to be a bit redundant after writing about The Secret of Kells, as the two films share many traits; gorgeous hand-drawn animation, uniquely Irish cultural hallmarks, astoundingly beautiful visuals, hauntingly gentle music, great stories full of human emotion, wonderful pacing, comfort with an understated feel devoid of the quick cuts and urgency that define modern film, Brendan Gleeson, Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature (both were robbed of the statues), honor of being my daughter’s favorite films…

    Song of the Sea

    Where Song of the Sea differs in large part is in its modern setting. Although one of the nice things about the feel of the film is that modern in this context could mean any time in the past 100 years (or even the next 100). It’s completely free of any technology more time-sensitive than the automobile and portable camera, giving the picture a lasting appeal completely at home with the ethereal quality of its subject matter.

    Ben (David Rawle) is a young boy who loses his mother Bronagh (Lisa Hannigan) to an unspecified complication during the birth of his sister Saoirse (Lucy O’Connell). His anger and resentment over his mother’s death keep him from remembering his promise to look after his now six-year old sister, who has yet to speak. But he will have to help her find her voice, as she is a selkie, capable of turning into a seal underwater, and one with an important mission.

    Song of the Sea

    When the children are moved from the island where Conor, their father (Brendan Gleeson) is the lighthouse-keeper and brought to live with their no-nonsense grandmother (Fionnula Flanagan) on Halloween, Ben must find a way to get his sister back to the sea where she belongs.

    The grandmother character was the only red flag in the picture, as it seemed that it was going to be the old cliche of the stuffy old naysayer who crushes the hopes of the protagonists. The role sort of is just that, but it isn’t as stifling to the narrative as usual. Gleeson, on the other hand, once again gets a nice quiet role that plays to his gentle but stern strengths. I would whole-heartedly support the addition of Brendan Gleeson to every film made. I could listen to his voice all day and he has this disarming manner of being steely and kind, patient but resolved.

    Song of the Sea

    It’s so unfortunate that these movies don’t receive the audience they so richly deserve. With so many filler kids movies finding their way into multiplexes every year, it’s a pity (bordering on a crime) that the truly masterful films are so inaccessible. Song of the Sea probably was readily available in other areas of the world, but received only a minor theatrical release in the States. Even in a city like Boston, with an intellectually firm arts crowd and scores of students, these pictures are usually relegated to one of a couple of arthouses for short runs. And if the options are thin on the ground here, at least we have some. Move further away from a major city and the opportunities cease to exist. At least the state of modern film delivery methods through streaming, download and Blu-Ray somewhat level the playing field.

    Song of the Sea

    When I reviewed The Secret of Kells, I suggested it was one of the most original and beautiful films I had ever seen. Song of the Sea is even better. With apologies to Miyazaki-san, Song of the Sea may be the most beautiful animated film I’ve ever seen…

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Pass

    The Representation Test Score: B (7 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    Song of the Sea Representation Test
    [schema type=”movie” url=”http://www.cartoonsaloon.ie/” name=”Song of the Sea” description=”From the creators of the Academy Award®-nominated “The Secret of Kells” comes a breathtakingly gorgeous, hand-drawn masterpiece. Based on the Irish legend of the Selkies, “Song of the Sea” tells the story of the last seal-child, Saoirse, and her brother Ben, who go on an epic journey to save the world of magic and discover the secrets of their past. Pursued by the owl witch, Macha, and a host of ancient and mystical creatures, Saoirse and Ben race against time to awaken Saoirse’s powers and keep the spirit world from disappearing forever. As enthralling for adults as for children young and old, “Song of the Sea” is a wonder of magical storytelling and visual splendor that is destined to become a classic.

    “Song of the Sea” features the voices of Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan, Pat Shortt and Jon Kenny. Music is by composer Bruno Coulais and Irish band Kíla, both of whom previously collaborated on “The Secret of Kells.”” director=”Tomm Moore” producer=”Cartoon Saloon” actor_1=”Brendan Gleeson” ]

    Main Cast David Rawle Ben (voice), Brendan Gleeson Conor/Mac Lir (voice), Lisa Hannigan Bronach (voice), Fionnula Flanagan Granny/Macha (voice)
    Rating PG
    Release Date Wed 10 Dec 2014 UTC
    Director Tomm Moore
    Genres Animation, Family, Fantasy
    Plot Saoirse, a little girl who can turn into a seal, goes on an adventure with her brother to save the spirit world and other magical beings like her.
    Poster Song of the Sea
    Runtime 93
    Tagline
    Writers Tomm Moore (story), Will Collins (as William Collins)
    Year 2014