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Tag: 2014

  • Land Ho! (2014)

    Land Ho! (2014)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Note-perfect movie of the sort seldom made; genuine older characters played not for laughs (although they’re riotous) but as real humans…

    Land Ho!

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of Land Ho!:

    Land Ho! is a marvelous picture; an absolute joy to watch and reflect on, as it does stick with you. Technically speaking, I guess you’d have to classify it as a buddy comedy, but that sells it short, even if it does follow some of the genre’s conventions.

    Land Ho!

    The film follows a pair of former brothers-in-law whose friendship has dulled in the wake of the death of one sister and the divorce of the other. Australian actor Paul Eenhoorn plays Colin, a reserved and charming retiree and widower, reeling from the dissolution of his second marriage. His friend Mitch (Earl Lynn Nelson), a human spark-plug, surprises him by booking them both for an adventurous trip to Iceland.

    Land Ho!

    Following these two around is simply a blast. There are some similarities to the quieter road trip films like A Walk In The Woods, but it brings to mind nothing so much as the 2010 Steve Coogan / Rob Brydon comedy The Trip, with nearly as many movie references as that picture.

    Land Ho!

    It probably goes without saying that the scenery of Iceland, with locales such as Reykjavík, Skógar, Jökulsárlón, Landmannalaugar, Gullfoss, Strokkur, and Blue Lagoon, is breathtaking. Too bad – I’m saying it anyway. Iceland is one of the few destinations that could get this homebody to take his act on the road, and the setting is as appropriate for the story as it is enchanting. DP Andrew Reed does a nice job.

    Land Ho!

    The pacing is slow but lively, perfect for an amble around a new country. The tone is exactly right. Interestingly, the picture came together very quickly; I read that it premiered at Sundance just over a year after conception. The entire shoot was only 18 days. This is the beauty of digital filmmaking, for all of its detractors – the filmmakers were able to use a couple of Red One cameras, allowing for a quick shoot that captured the natural settings, improvisation and very easy, genuine conversations and interactions. This is entirely to the benefit of the film, as it allows for a closeness and familiarity that makes the picture work so well. I want to hang out with these guys…

    Land Ho!

    The co-writing & co-directing team of Martha Stevens & Aaron Katz have really created something special here. This isn’t a film about “old” people and their wacky ways. It is a charming, funny story about two old friends off on an adventure. The friends happen to be more advanced in age than protagonists in many pictures. There are no cheap laughs here. This is an engaging film about real humans, not caricatures, positive or negative. Very highly recommended.

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Pass

    The Representation Test Score: B (9 pts)

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

    Land Ho! Representation Test

    [schema type=”movie” url=”http://www.sonyclassics.com/landho/” name=”Land Ho!” description=”Back when they were brothers-in-law, married to two sisters, MITCH (Earl Lynn Nelson) and COLIN (Paul Eenhoorn) were close friends, but they drifted apart as Mitch and his wife divorced and Colin’s wife died. Now Mitch, a retired surgeon who can’t quite admit to being retired, recruits a reluctant Colin on a holiday to Iceland – just the ticket to perk up a pair who have endured their share of disappointments but still have a spirit of adventure in them.

    Brassy, relentlessly cheery, and prone to colorfully profane language (“…this is so delicious it’s like angels pissin’ on your tongue!”) Southerner Mitch is the live wire of the duo. Colin, a more reserved Australian, is picking up the pieces after a second marriage gone sour. For both men, aging, loneliness, and disenchantment are silent adversaries to be countered with gumption.

    Women are much on the radar during their travels: in upscale Reykjavik, they hit the nightclubs with Mitch’s much younger first-cousin-once-removed ELLEN (Karrie Crouse) and her friend JANET (Elizabeth McKee), who happen to be traveling through at the same time. Even though Mitch, who is something of a Dapper Dan, disapproves of the unrevealing outfits worn by the ladies (Ph.D candidates both), a good time, of sorts, is had by all.

    As their rented SUV pilots them deeper into the Icelandic hinterlands, Colin and Mitch encounter fellow adventurers, get on each others’ nerves, play movie trivia games, get lost on the moonless moors, grouse about their sons, smoke pot, speak of regrets, and marvel at Iceland’s otherworldly beauty. The vast, haunting landscapes – moss-coated cliffs, fog-shrouded mountains, geothermal pools – form a primordial Eden, the perfect backdrop for the friends’ escapades.

    And as Mitch exclaims when Colin’s spirits flag, “Don’t get that Sunday afternoon attitude – good times are still a-comin’!” – a testament to the fact that joie de vivre can replenish us at any age.” director=”Martha Stevens & Aaron Katz” actor_1=”Paul Eenhoorn” ]

    Main Cast Earl Lynn Nelson Mitch
    Paul Eenhoorn Colin
    Daníel Gylfason Rental Car Employee
    Þrúður Kristjánsdóttir Hotel Restaurant Waitress
    Rating R
    Release Date 2014
    Director Aaron Katz, Martha Stephens
    Genres Adventure, Comedy
    Plot A pair of former brothers-in-law embark on a road trip through Iceland.
    Poster Land Ho!
    Runtime 95
    Tagline Come party with these guys!
    Writers Aaron Katz, Martha Stephens
    Year 2014
  • The Last Time You Had Fun (2014)

    The Last Time You Had Fun (2014)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Let’s hear it for indies that still dare to stubbornly make non-sequel/non-comic book, original films depicting real emotions & experiences.

    The Last Time You Had Fun

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Last Time You Had Fun:

    Do you know how many great little movies come out every year that you never hear about? It’s sort of ridiculous. I try to focus on a lot of them on this site, but I can’t come close to keeping up with them. Some I watch and never get around to reviewing; many more just slip through the cracks.

    The Last Time You Had Fun is a cute little film from Director Mo Perkins, writer Hal Haberman & Producer Drea Clark, focusing on a group of thirty-somethings on a single night in Los Angeles. That summary could be applied to about five other indie films every year, really, but that doesn’t mean that any of them are unworthy of your attention; quite the opposite. Any film reduced to its most basic plot recap sounds trite.

    Featuring an ensemble cast consisting of Kyle Bornhiemer, Eliza Coupe, Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Demetri Martin, The Last Time You Had Fun is messy & complicated, just like life.

    The Last Time You Had Fun

    The Last Time You Had Fun follows two duos; sad sack Clark (Bornhiemer) and over-confident lawyer Will (Martin) & presumably stable Alison (Ellis) and her basket case sister Ida (Coupe).

    Clark has gotten divorced earlier in the day and his best friend Will is trying to draw him out by throwing a divorce party; basically just trying to get Clark out of the house. Will succeeds in getting Clark to leave his teenage kids at home, but not in getting him to change out of his sweatpants.

    Meanwhile, Alison’s seemingly normal home life is disrupted by the arrival of Ida, constantly reeling from her busted marriage and trying to sort it all out.

    The four meet-cute at a wine bar and proceed to spend the night trying to reclaim some of their carefree youth.

    The Last Time You Had Fun

    If the picture were longer it wouldn’t be as effective; it’s great at a modest 82 minutes. The pace is just right – the action keeps moving, yet it retains that late night out vibe and the quiet moments that are so natural on an all-nighter. As the group wanders around the city trading carefree partying with brutal honesty, the constant presence of reality keeps bringing them down to Earth. They can try all sorts of “wild” things like sticking up through the moon roof of a limo “it always looks so fun in the movies” and acquiring marijuana, but nothing can shield them from the fact that these escapades are not only things of their past, but woefully inadequate in shaking up the ennui of life. Instead of feeling younger for their adventures, they likely feel even older.

    All of the acting is fantastic; standouts are Bornhiemer, who had a small but fun part in She’s Out of My League, and Coupe from the world’s funniest too-soon-canceled show, Happy Endings. The funniest character in the picture, however, may be Betty (Charlyne Yi), their young limo driver, who wearily carts these would-be adventurers around town all night.

    Most effective for a similarly aged audience, The Last Time You Had Fun remains an easy recommendation.

    Poster:

    The Last Time You Had Fun_poster

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Pass

    The Representation Test Score: B (7 pts)

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

    The Last Time You Had Fun Representation Test

    [schema type=”movie” url=”http://thelasttimeyouhadfun.com/” name=”The Last Time You Had Fun” description=”When Clark and Will meet Alison and Ida in a wine bar, the foursome set out for an all-night adventure to have the most fun that four decidedly dysfunctional adults are capable of having. This is: The Last Time You Had Fun.” director=”Mo Perkins” actor_1=”Kyle Bornhiemer” actor_2=”Eliza Coupe” actor_3=”Mary Elizabeth Ellis” actor_4=”Demetri Martin” ]

    Main Cast Kyle Bornheimer Clark
    Eliza Coupe Ida
    Mary Elizabeth Ellis Alison
    Demetri Martin Will
    Rating
    Release Date 2014
    Director Mo Perkins
    Genres Comedy, Drama
    Plot When Clark and Will meet Alison and Ida in a wine bar, the foursome struggle to have the most fun that four, bickering, barely married, pre-middle-aged, decidedly dysfunctional adults are capable of having.
    Poster The Last Time You Had Fun
    Runtime 82
    Tagline
    Writers Hal Haberman (writer)
    Year 2014
  • Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys (2014)

    Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys (2014)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Loving documentary is filled with great memories & background into the biggest pop culture and toy phenomenon of all time. Personal & fun…

    Plastic Galaxy

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys:

    Plastic Galaxy is wonderful. There is clearly so much love behind the project, from the clever opening credits to the tons of collector stories. This is truly a personal tale – these people are talking about something that was so integral to their childhood that it’s probably nearly impossible to understand if you don’t share that same background. I hope it isn’t alienating to those poor souls who didn’t grow up in a time when Star Wars was THE most important thing in the world.

    All documentaries feel nearly the same at some level, with the endless talking heads. But these talking heads are my people.

    Plastic Galaxy

    The collectors are very articulate in explaining just why these were so important; you didn’t get to see the movies over and over; in some ways “toys more important than movies” because you’d get to play with them every day.

    John Booth, who wrote the excellent book Collect All 21!, is great in sharing those memories that resonate so much with me. Credits the lasting appeal to the fact that the figures are fundamentally a link to something bigger – no different than talking with your dad about baseball cards.

    Plastic Galaxy

    The film does try a little too hard in some ways; there are all these cutesy animations and effects for emphasis and humor. It’s great for a bit, but gets to be a bit much. That’s a very minor quibble, though.

    The history about why this was such a phenomenon is interesting but nothing you haven’t seen before. The history on Kenner itself is fantastic, though, particularly the interview with the creators. These guys have such obvious pride regarding their part in this tale. It’s not the first insight into this area, there are some great books, but it really comes alive seeing the faces of these men remembering these anecdotes.

    Plastic Galaxy

    Bernie Loomis, president of Kenner – movie has “toyetic appeal” – as insightful as Alan Ladd Jr.; both deserve tons of credit for the role of SW in the world.

    The picture is simply packed with great little memories that take you back:

    • being rough with the figures
    • circling the figures you wanted on the back of the cards
    • rocket-firing backpack – man, everyone swore they knew someone who had one
    • this stuff is just so playable! the “play value” was key to the design;
    • all the photos from everyone’s childhood
    • everyone getting to show off their original stuff; it’s such a treat to see the toys and marketing materials, but much more so seeing the people showing it off with the obvious love
    • The wonderful product photography of Roy Frankenfield & Kim Simmons; these photographers brought the figures and vehicles to life.

    “What makes the movie great is what makes the toys great – imagination.” That quote could easily and appropriately refer to Plastic Galaxy itself. I’ve seen it a couple of times – it’s just such a blast. HIGHLY recommended.

    Check out their links page – lots of great stuff! http://www.plasticgalaxymovie.com/links.html

    Poster:

    Plastic Galaxy

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    n/a

    The Representation Test Score: n/a

    [schema type=”movie” url=”http://www.plasticgalaxymovie.com/” name=”Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys” description=”When Star Wars landed in the theaters, it introduced audiences to a galaxy filled with heroes and villains, robots and space ships, and a dizzying variety of alien life. But when the lights came up, they all disappeared… Unless you had all the toys. In which case, the adventure never had to end. In backyards, playgrounds, basements, and bedrooms, Star Wars toys helped kids re-enact scenes from their favorite movies, and create entirely new dangers for Luke Skywalker and his friends to face. They were lusted after on holidays and birthdays, swapped with great cunning out on the school yard, and carefully collected like fine treasures. Like no toys before them, the action figures, space ships, play sets, and props were a phenomenon that swept the nation with as much force as the film that inspired them. Along the way they transformed both the toy and movie industries, earned those behind them vast amounts of wealth, and ultimately created a hobby that, 30 years later, still holds sway over not only the people who grew up with the toys, but also an entirely new generation of fans. Plastic Galaxy is a documentary that explores the groundbreaking and breathtaking world of Star Wars toys. Through interviews with former Kenner employees, experts, authors, and collectors, it looks at the toys’ history, their influence, and the fond and fervent feelings they elicit today.” director=”Brian Stillman” ]

    Main Cast Tom Beaumont Himself
    Tom Berges Himself
    John Booth Himself
    John Cook Himself
    Rating Not Rated
    Release Date 2014
    Director Brian Stillman
    Genres Documentary, History, Sci-Fi
    Plot When Star Wars landed in the theaters, it introduced audiences to a galaxy filled with heroes and villains…
    Poster Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys
    Runtime 70
    Tagline
    Writers Brian Stillman (story)
    Year 2014
  • The Martian (2014)

    The Martian (2014)

    The Martian
    The Martian by Andy Weir
    My rating: 5 of 5 stars

    Incredible hard science fiction reads more like science fact. I don’t know when I’ve read a tale more rooted in good science. Of course, I’m no expert, so if the author were cutting some corners I might never know about it, but the meticulously detailed descriptions of the issues involved lead me to suspect that this is truly as well researched as it appears. (My own reading has confirmed the same.)

    The Martian is the debut novel from author Andy Weir, who initially published the story in serialized form on his own website for free in 2011, before self-publishing a Kindle version. The experiment was successful enough that Crown purchased the print rights and released a hardcover version of The Martian in 2014. The book appeared on virtually every “best of 2014” list and rightfully so. When I read it at the time, I devoured it, despite the length of the text and the dense technical detail of the narrative.

    The story is easily told: it’s Robinson Crusoe on Mars. Well, not exactly – that actually was an Adam West film in the Sixties. But it broadly explains the setup; the lead character, astronaut Mark Watney, is stranded on Mars after he is presumed dead in an accident during his team’s mission. The crew is forced to make an emergency evacuation and are unable to recover his body. The good news is that Watney was actually not killed during the accident. The bad news? He’s alone on Mars, with not enough supplies to survive and no hope of rescue. But he’s smart and stubborn…

    The Martian is just so well written. Obviously the majority of the tale is from Watney’s perspective, and his humor, determination and intelligence make for a fantastic read. Weir, possibly because he is so damn smart himself, wrote extremely detailed and technical passages, presuming that his audience will be able to keep up. There’s no hand-holding or blatant over-explaining. At the same time, the journal-like observations of an isolated individual necessarily create their own exposition, so keeping up isn’t really a problem. That’s rather clever…

    Watney is not abandoned in the narrative, however, as there are frequent interludes with both the team in space and back on Earth. All of the characters are very well-written and would make for interesting stories by themselves.

    Soon after the novel found a new audience with the print publication, The Martian was optioned for a feature film from Ridley Scott, starring Matt Damon as Watney. The early buzz is positive and the trailers look great. But do yourself a favor and spend some time with the book first. The incredible tale of survival is truly original, even having many spiritual predecessors. It is an electric narrative that is very hard to put down. Weir has created a masterpiece, being both a detailed hard science fiction story and a gripping human thriller with interesting characters. Well done and highly recommended…

    [schema type=”book” url=”http://www.andyweirauthor.com/” name=”The Martian” description=”Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him & forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded & completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—& even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—& a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?” author=”Andy Weir” publisher=”Crown” pubdate=”2014-02-11″ isbn=”B00EMXBDMA” ebook=”yes” paperback=”yes” hardcover=”yes” ]

  • Spell or High Water – Magic 2.0 #2 (2014)

    Spell or High Water – Magic 2.0 #2 (2014)

    Spell or High Water
    Spell or High Water by Scott Meyer

    My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    I read the first book in this series, Off to be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 #1) last summer and enjoyed it for the fun read it was. I didn’t dive right into the sequel as I planned to, because reasons. This may partly explain why it didn’t grab me immediately as the first novel did.

    I think I was reading the Edgewood series by Karen McQuestion series at the same time, and while I quite enjoyed the first one, the sequels were really just more of the same. I think that’s why I haven’t reviewed those yet – I don’t really have anything positive or negative to add to the discussion and I’ve found that in the absence of anything positive that I want to discuss, my writing leans a little towards the critical side, and that’s not fair.

    So I suppose I was feeling a little jaded about sequels at that point. But then, on my second approach to Spell or High Water, it stuck. I’m not sure exactly where the changeover occurred; for some time I was unenthusiastically plowing through familiar territory and in the next minute I found myself really enjoying the story.

    In Spell or High Water, the characters of Off to be the Wizard take their act on the road, visiting Atlantis. Actually, it’s not really the lost city, rather a utopian construct created by new character Brit the Elder. See, her timeline split so that there are actually two versions of Brit occupying the same timeline – one who is proceeding through time semi-linearly and the other who has already experienced these events. I think it was around the introduction of this character that I put down the book for a while.

    But once past that odd storyline, Spell or High Water settles into a good rhythm with the split plotlines of Martin, Gwen & Philip trying to stop Brit from being killed, and that of the formerly banished Jimmy trying to make his way back to the program. Jimmy’s scenes are actually quite funny, making this character much more enjoyable to follow than in the first book.

    There’s a lot of great stuff with the man-servants of the female-run Atlantis and the seemingly pointless assassination attempts, but mainly author Scott Meyer focuses on what he does best: dialogue. This guy writes terribly funny stuff. The characters of Philip & Martin bicker like an old married couple and play well off of the third lead, Gwen, but really all of the characters get some fantastic lines. The entire complement of “wizards” are a riot, and there’s a whole lot more of them this time.

    Ultimately, that is why, against all expectation, I preferred Spell or High Water to Off to be the Wizard. Both are a good time, but it was faith restoring to find a sequel that builds off of all of the good ideas from the original work while pushing forward with new ones. Recommended.

    [schema type=”book” url=”http://basicinstructions.net/store/” name=”Spell or High Water – Magic 2.0 #2 (2014)” description=”The adventures of an American hacker in Medieval England continue as Martin Banks takes his next step on the journey toward mastering his reality-altering powers and fulfilling his destiny. A month has passed since Martin helped to defeat the evil programmer Jimmy, and things couldn’t be going better. Except for his love life, that is. Feeling distant and lost, Gwen has journeyed to Atlantis, a tolerant and benevolent kingdom governed by the Sorceresses, and a place known to be a safe haven to all female time-travelers. Thankfully, Martin and Philip are invited to a summit in Atlantis for all of the leaders of the time-traveler colonies, and now Martin thinks this will be a chance to try again with Gwen. Of course, this is Martin Banks we’re talking about, so murder, mystery, and high intrigue all get in the way of a guy who just wants one more shot to get the girl. The follow-up to the hilarious Off to Be the Wizard, Scott Meyer’s Spell or High Water proves that no matter what powers you have over time and space, you can’t control rotten luck.” author=”Scott Meyer” publisher=”47North” pubdate=”2014-06-17″ isbn=”1477823484″ ebook=”yes” paperback=”yes” ]