May be the best kept secret in America. Should be a holiday classic watched every July 4th, except WGBH/PBS never re-airs it. Fatal mistake.
Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters:
Jean Shepherd was an unique voice and national treasure. Many people loved his various radio & tv performances over the years, but he is probably best remembered as co-writer and narrator of A Christmas Story. And what a great legacy to be remembered by, of course. But there are a great many other of his tales out there, even if they require some searching.
My dad loved Jean Shepherd from his performances on WGBH in Boston and a show run on PBS American Playhouse. They made four shows for American Playhouse, one being The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters. I saw it as a kid growing up in the suburbs of Boston, and it is the only one I’ve seen to date, but I will be looking for the rest, because it is amazing. Having found it on Youtube (thanks interwebs!) I watched it for the first time since it aired in 1982. It is even better than I remembered…
The story finds the same family from A Christmas Story but takes place when Ralphie is in high school, and played by a very young Matt Dillon. Ralph plays in the high school band (played by the Chelmsford High School Marching Band) and fancies himself a cultured stud who feels put upon when he is talked into taking his friend’s cousin out on a date. He’s got to endure a blind date, march in the parade, and be ready for the Old Man’s massive fireworks spectacular. And he can’t even find a wash cloth…
The show shines the same insightful light on the Fourth of July as the film did on Christmas, and all of the hallmarks of that picture are here: that great narration, the zany schemes of the characters, the side-splitting scenarios when life intervenes, all with that great heart and nostalgia-tinged recollection of a master storyteller. A must-see…
Trailer (actually, it’s a playlist containing the whole show):
[schema type=”movie” name=”The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters” description=”Matt Dillon plays a young Jean Shepherd (author and narrator of A Christmas Story). Through Matt, Shep tells several humorous stories about his teen years in an Indiana steel town.” director=”Richard Bartlett” actor_1=”Matt Dillon” ]
Matt Dillon plays a young Jean Shepherd (author and narrator of A Christmas Story). Through Matt, Shep tells several humorous stories about his teen years in an Indiana steel town.
The total embodiment of the blockbuster concept. Played far better in 1996 than in 2014, especially the major American cities exploding…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Independence Day:
So, how to review this movie – as a film or as a phenomenon? Because really, it’s not much of a movie.
That’s not to say that it doesn’t succeed at its goals, which it surely surpasses. It was ridiculously successful, becoming the 2nd largest grossing film at the time. It probably created or at least greatly contributed to the way modern movies are teased & marketed (I’m not thanking them for that…), if not ringing in a new era of “event” movies than being a big part of the movement.
It also reinvigorated the sci-fi genre, which was getting a little stale at the time. It launched actor Will Smith into the stratosphere, expanding his profile from Bad Boys to become one of the world’s largest movie stars.
The movie couldn’t have been less subtle if they casted Schwarzenegger or Van Damme. (I wonder that they didn’t; I bet they tried.) It’s helmed by German director Roland Emmerich and produced by Dean Devlin (they both also co-wrote) and these guys don’t exactly deal in middle distances.
The film’s casting is definitely a case of quantity over quality and fails the Randy Quaid test (i.e., it contains Randy Quaid). Ever character is a caricature and the picture is lousy with character actors for that reason.
Perhaps uniquely for this genre and style of filmmaking, the digital effects are rather minimal. I don’t know if it’s still true, but at the time of release this movie featured the most miniatures ever used in a feature film. The practical effects help sell the action quite well. Although it really doesn’t still elicit positive thrills watching famous buildings explode, for obvious reasons, you have to admire the technique and realism.
Independence Day is sort of a transitional movie. I can’t be sure, but I suspect that a number of people went to go see this movie for the same reason I did; because at the time it didn’t appear that they were going to be making any more Star Wars movies and this might be the closest we’d get to seeing big-budget space action. Of course, we’d soon realize that the Wars would be continuing, and thanks in no small amount to the success of this movie, that there would soon be a ton of genre pictures with great effects. So it’s sort of a time capsule – worth more for its impact than for its merits. But not a bad picture all the same…
[schema type=”movie” name=”Independence Day” description=”The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy. Fighting superior technology, Man’s best weapon is the will to survive.” director=”Roland Emmerich” actor_1=”Will Smith” actor_2=”Bill Pullman” actor_3=”Jeff Goldblum”]
A breathtakingly unique animated film – an instant classic. Many different visual styles come together to make something truly spectacular.
Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Secret of Kells:
My daughter has seen a great many movies, being the child of a movie geek (and a patient mom…), but once we watched The Secret of Kells earlier this year, it jumped into her number one slot.
Fairly easy to understand why – this is one of the most original and beautiful films I’ve ever seen…
Young Brendan (Evan McGuire) is being raised as a monk by his uncle Cellach (Brendan Gleeson), Abbot of the Abbey of Kells in medieval Ireland. Cellach fears the Vikings and spends all of his time fortifying the Abbey. The work of building a great wall has caused him to give up his work as an illuminator, the gifted artists who create ornate decorated manuscripts. Brendan tries to please his uncle, but he yearns to become an illuminator and spends all of his time in the monastery’s scriptorium.
When master illuminator Aidan of Iona, fleeing the Vikings, comes to Kells, his work will tempt Brendan to learn more of the world and sneak out of the Abbey into the nearby forest in search of ingredients to make inks. There he meets the mysterious Aisling (Christen Mooney), who protects the forest and helps Brendan, as does Aidan’s cat Pangur Bán.
As Brendan struggles to find his path, the appeal of the film for kids is obvious. This isn’t an art movie, despite the sumptuous visuals. Disney could have (should have) made a picture like this. It’s a classic animated film.
One of the driving forces behind making this film was to emulate the great work done by Hayao Miyazaki, as well as the traditional art inspired films like The Thief and the Cobbler and Disney’s Mulan. The idea that animated films based on the traditional art of their respective cultures might be interesting was an inspired one, no matter who you credit, and using the gorgeous artwork of medieval Ireland and the Book of Kells is a masterstroke. Scholars and art historians will find plenty to sink their teeth into here as the film directly incorporates elements of the Book of Kells. For the rest of us, it’s simply a strikingly beautiful film.
It’s hard not to over-focus on the visuals of The Secret of Kells. The movie is more than just the look of the thing. It’s a very good story with all of the classic conflicts of loyalty, caring, tradition and finding your own way. It just so happens to also be among the most refreshingly original and lovely films you’ll ever lay eyes on.
[schema type=”movie” name=”The Secret of Kells” description=”The animated story of the boy behind the famed Book of Kells.” director=”Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey” actor_1=” Evan McGuire” actor_2=”Brendan Gleeson” actor_3=”Mick Lally” ]
Very entertaining, but also surprisingly detailed & informational documentary about one of the most important & least appreciated careers…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of I Know That Voice:
This documentary on voice acting and the details of the job is the brainchild of renowned voice actor John DiMaggio, who also narrates. Even if you think you know a lot about how important talented voice actors are to the entertainment industry, there is a lot of great information here. I knew it would be entertaining, but I had no idea how informative it would be.
In some ways, this film is almost a recruitment tool for future acting talent. The interviewees spend some time looking for some respect as actors and explaining the importance of the gig, but far more time going into detail about the ins and outs of the business. This includes how to develop your craft, what their agent does, what goes into a typical session, the nature of the employment – it’s really quite extensive.
That doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining or for the casual viewer. The actors are fascinating to listen to and very funny. No amount of listening to them show off their abilities is sufficient, as I was in awe of how completely they control their instrument and the level of understanding that goes into the process of developing a character’s voice. There’s plenty of “funny voices” to laugh at and enjoy, but even more interesting are the discussions of how they arrive at the techniques used.
The movie is really well put together, with quick editing and fun little visuals to organize the conversations into different topics. It has a very nice flow to it, naturally addressing all parts of the business.
I Know That Voice is highly recommended for any fan, but particularly those of animation & video games. You’ll gain a whole new perspective on these enormous talents.
Starring (a list of all of the talented actors interviewed):
John DiMaggio
Kevin Conroy
Jim Cummings
Corey Burton
Gregg Berger
Diedrich Bader
Grey DeLisle
Colleen O’Shaughnessey
Jason Marsden
Phil LaMarr
Maurice LaMarche
Tom Kane
David Kaye
Josh Keaton
Tom Kenny
Rachael MacFarlane
Laraine Newman
Daran Norris
Nolan North
Rob Paulsen
Kevin Michael Richardson
Stephen Root
Cree Summer
Fred Tatasciore
Wally Wingert
Alanna Ubach
Kari Wahlgren
Jim Ward
James Arnold Taylor
Billy West
Gary Anthony Williams
Jim Meskimen
Jessica DiCicco
Robin Atkin Downes
Nika Futterman
Jennifer Hale
Jess Harnell
Richard Steven Horvitz
Elizabeth Daily
Nancy Cartwright
Hank Azaria
Edward Asner
Jack Angel
Carlos Alazraqui
Charles Adler
Pamela Adlon
Dee Bradley Baker
Eric Bauza
Jeff Bennett
Bob Bergen
Robert S. Birchard
Noel Blanc
Steve Blum
Chris Borders
Devon Bowman
Justin Brinsfield
Clancy Brown
Gerald Burke
David X. Cohen
Kevin Connolly
Matt Corey
Debi Derryberry
Mark Evanier
Bill Farmer
David Faustino
Dave Filoni
Kelly Ann Foley
June Foray
Pat Fraley
Stan Freberg
Morgan Gerhard
Frank Gladstone
Seth Green
Matt Groening
Mark Hamill
Jim Hanks
Peter Hastings
David Herman
Gordon Hunt
Danny Jacobs
Tom Lawless
Meredith Layne
Jeff Lenburg
Eric Lewis
Jeff ‘Swampy’ Marsh
Mona Marshall
Chuck McCann
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
Tom McGrath
Ginny McSwain
Breckin Meyer
Kate Miller
Gary Owens
Dan Povenmire
Bill Ratner
Andrea Romano
Marion Ross
Will Ryan
Lisa Schaffer
Jeremy Shada
Sara Jane Sherman
Tom Sito
Dana Snyder
Carlos Sotolongo
Kath Soucie
Wes Stevens
Tara Strong
James Patrick Stuart
Lee Supercinski
Jamie Thomason
Lauren Tom
Andrea Toyias
Heather Vergo
Janet Waldo
Pendleton Ward
Nancy Wolfson
Cedric Yarbrough
Kris Zimmerman
Poster:
Trailer:
The whole thing – I believe this to be an official link to the film. If not official, I will happily take it down.
Bechdel Test:
n/a
The Representation Test Score:
n/a
[schema type=”movie” url=”www.iknowthatvoice.com” name=”I Know That Voice” description=”Several voice actors discuss their art and their careers.” director=”Lawrence Shapiro” actor_1=”John DiMaggio” ]
Can someone please wake me when the 3D CGI movie boom is over? This movie sucked. I know I’m usually more political than that, but it did…
Alternate 140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW
A lesser writer would make some crack that it’s a standard soulless 3D CG action/fantasy in a magic bean; just add water. Yep, that works…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Jack the Giant Slayer:
When Jack the Giant Slayer opens, it is with interspersed scenes of main characters Jack & Princess Isabelle as children, excitedly listening to the same bedtime story from opposite ends of the kingdom. The tale of King Erik, who defeated an entire army of giants, fascinates the children in the best scene from the movies. It is so well written, filmed and edited that it raised my expectations for the film. Would that it had not.
Because from the start, I knew exactly what this thing was going to be, although I hoped it might outplay its potential. From the initial trailers, this looked to be the sort of CG-infested fantasy film the likes of which are all too familiar these days. But I had hopes for more based largely on the talent involved and the perceived fun tone. I give a little more leash to family friendly adventures that don’t take themselves too seriously.
Sadly, while the movie is for the most part true to that spirit of adventure, it tries for epic at the same time and lands uncomfortably somewhere in between.
The updated telling of Jack and the Beanstalk leaves virtually nothing of the tale intact. Jack (Nicholas Hoult) does indeed get sent to town to sell his cow (actually, it’s a horse in this version, so that isn’t even the same) and comes away with magic beans, but even that is less the action of a simpleton and more a framing device for a complicated plot. It seems that these beans were stolen from the grave of King Erik by Lord Roderick (a moustache twisting Stanley Tucci, who must really be tired of these roles) so that he can rule the realm or something. (I’m giving nothing away here – it’s all laid out within 10 minutes).
Princess Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson), who is not allowed to be a person because she’s required to be a Disney princess by her father, King Brahmwell (Ian McShane in not to be believed outlandish costumes), who wants her to marry Roderick. So she constantly acts out and explores, leading to her meet cute in the town with Jack. And then another meet cute when she runs off a second time in the first 15 minutes and ends up at his house seeking shelter from a rainstorm. (This film doesn’t believe in doing anything once if it can do it twice.)
Said rainstorm causes magic bean to sprout massive beanstalk which sends the Princess up to the land of poor CG. Jack will need to rescue her, helped by Elmont, Captain of the King’s Guard (Ewan McGregor), and his number 2, Crawe (Eddie Marsan). Hindering them will be Roderick & his toady Wicke (Ewen Bremner). The movie doesn’t totally know what to do with Elmont, saddling him with heroism and humor in equal parts. That’s fine, but the humor seems to be taking him down a peg for being a pompous hero, then celebrating his pompous heroism in the next moment.
All of this up to this point is flawed but ok. No, the trouble comes as soon as we meet the giants. Yes, plural. There are tons of them. Again, not a problem in of itself, except that these giants hail from the (sadly not lost) land of poor character design. The problem isn’t the motion capture or even the CG itself (though it’s pretty poor), it’s the all too familiar decision to make them all “interesting” and different creatures. So some will be funny and some will be menacing and they all will have easily identifiable features because someone with unwarranted optimism thought they might be able to make action figures out of them if the movie became a hit. (Since every movie since Star Wars has mistakenly thought this would work, I’m going to call it the Kenner Effect.)
King of the heap must be Fallon, a two-headed giant who’s sort of the leader. This two-headed thing is not only pointless and ridiculous; it actually marks the moment that the movie crosses the line into cartoon and becomes untenable. One of the heads, the only one that does any real talking, is over-acted by Bill Nighy. His performance is aimed at the two people who found his work in Pirates of the Caribbean too subtle. I love the good roles Nighy has turned in, but the poor ones are staring to cancel out any goodwill he’s fostered.
It all just descends into CG tomfoolery from that point on.
There just isn’t much loveable about the movie. It gets the tone wrong and is full of discrepancies, particularly in the makeup of the characters. Jack is never really anything but a hero – he starts off too strong to ever have any type of arc. Princess Isabelle seems like she’s going to be an actual character, but quickly becomes a damsel in distress. It’s really disheartening.
Most disappointing, though, is how many talented people went into making this weak of a film. In addition to Singer and all of the actors, DP Newton Thomas Sigel’s talents are completely wasted on 3D digital cameras. The movie looks awful and that’s too bad. It really is a missed opportunity.
[schema type=”movie” name=”Jack the Giant Slayer” description=”The ancient war between humans and a race of giants is reignited when Jack, a young farmhand fighting for a kingdom and the love of a princess, opens a gateway between the two worlds.” director=”Bryan Singer” actor_1=”Nicholas Hoult” ]
The ancient war between humans and a race of giants is reignited when Jack, a young farmhand fighting for a kingdom and the love of a princess, opens a gateway between the two worlds.
Poster
Runtime
114
Tagline
If you think you know the story, you don’t know Jack.
