Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

If you've seen a Wes Anderson film, you know his movies are infused with quirkiness. Fantastic Mr. Fox is no exception.

And if you're a big Wes Anderson fan, you'll also be delighted with the homages to his other films. From a tussle and caper planing worthy of Bottle Rocket, to a precocious, multi-talented cousin out of Rushmore, to a compartmental overview of the Fox tree like in The Life Aquatic to the farmer character introduction and segment labeling out of The Royal Tenenbaums, they're all pieces that work in this movie too.

I don't remember ever reading Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox, so my review is based on the movie on its own. And it definitely stands on its own.

Depicted in stop-motion animation is Mr. Fox, who is voiced by George Clooney. He likes to steal squabs, but one time when him and his wife (Meryl Streep) are in trouble during a theft, she tells him she's pregnant and makes him promise that if they get out of this alive, he'll find a less dangerous career. 12 fox years later, Mr. Fox is now a newspaper columnist and the father of the mopey Ash (Jason Schwartzman). Mr. Fox is getting restless though. He moves the family into a tree across the way from the farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean and the temptation to return to his old lifestyle becomes too much. Soon he's planning raids of the farms with opossum building superintendent, Kylie (Wallace Wolodarsky), and his visiting nephew, Kristofferson (Eric Chase Anderson - the illustrator of all of the maps, covers, and other packaging of the Criterion Collection editions of his brother Wes' films).

Incredible suspension of disbelief is required to watch this - beyond that of accepting talking animals. Plenty of things that don't quite make sense take place, but if you don't bother questioning it all, it's a fun ride. There's plenty of dry humor but it's also whimsical, amusing, and features some great performances by the voice actors.

Meryl Streep is calm, grounded, a bit more timid than we're used to hearing her. Willem Defoe proves he can be creepy as anyone, especially a rat. Mario Batali even makes an appearance as a rabbit who is also a chef... because of course we need accuracy in our rabbit chef portrayal. Wes Anderson seems to have even pushed George Clooney into the Wes Anderson Line Delivery Method. Anderson had the cast go out to a real farm and record their lines as they were acting out their scenes. So many times animated movies are missing that chemistry that appears when actors are actually performing in the same space. But this technique really helped bring the performances into cohesive ensemble work.

I think this movie even has a broader appeal than his others. Some people might assume with Wes Anderson at the helm, the movie's meant for adults but I think kids can enjoy it too. It carries a message that it's ok to be different. And by the end, no matter what your age, you'll probably find yourself wanting a bandit hat.

Rating: 4/5
Recommended for: Anyone in the mood for fun and bandit hats

Star Trek (2009)

I guess I should start with a warning that I watched this movie without immense amounts of Star Trek knowledge. In fact, a large amount of my Star Trek knowledge comes from an episode of Futurama. I think I've seen a part of an episode or two but never a movie. And somehow in my life I became familiar with phrases like "I'm giving her all she's got, Captain." and "Dammit, man! I'm a doctor, not a physicist!" Add to that the facts that director J. J. Abrams said this was made so anyone could watch it regardless of Star Trek background, and writer Roberto Orci has mentioned Star Wars influence and I couldn't help but be curious.

Ironically in a feature on the DVD, they discuss that they felt Star Trek was always like classical music while Star Wars was rock and roll and they wanted to bring some of that rock and roll to this film. Abrams specifically cites that he felt the Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back pace was what modern audiences needed.

So that makes it very interesting that the movie has such a stunted start. While it provides background on some of our main characters, most of it is also relayed later through dialogue that does just fine letting us know what we need to know. So instead of editing that early stuff out, it jarringly skips to a few minutes of one character's life here and another's there. Before you know it, it feels like five false starts and we're already nearly fifty minutes in before the film really gets going. The pacing gets better but the injections of comedy soon fade away and we're thrown into summer blockbuster-style action and it's just not quite as fun.

There are some great filmmaking techniques at play here though. Abrams actually followed the camera around tapping on it and shaking it to get a more organic shudder to action sequences. It's one of those things that you don't give much thought to but really helps make a sequence. ILM did the CGI work on this film and they actually had to find a way to replicate that shaking for consistency. They ended up putting a motion sensor on their desks and tapping it like Abrams did and voila... seamless style.

Abrams also hired kids to walk and run through certain sets to make them seem bigger than there were. It's a pretty brilliant shortcut to saving materials. In another sequence the characters are supposed to be quickly falling down towards a planet's surface so instead of hanging them upside down on wires, the production team built a platform and shot down at the actors standing on mirrors. The mirrors reflect the sky, it really looks like they're falling on film, and no one had to have all their blood rush to their head.

It's this kind of innovation and creativity that makes me curious as to what Abrams and his team have up their sleeve next. This effort was cooled by a story that could have used some more editing and more of a challenge for the characters. It was fun to watch and the acting was fine, but it wasn't anything fantastic.

Rating: 3/5
Recommended for: if you're bored and you like space but you're not a scientist

Underworld (2003)

Underworld was writer/director Len Wiseman's first time writing and directing. Before this his work was in films' art departments. And it shows.

While the film's color tones are dark and a perpetual thunderstorm's lightening provides half the lighting, the film remains visually interesting throughout. Unfortunately the same can't be said of the plot. CGI blends in with the feel of the film and its non-human elements, but talking is minimal and you immediately get the sense that you're interrupting something - a story that's already been going on for awhile.

Sometimes that phenomenon works for a film - here not so much. Apparently there's been a war going on for millennia between vampires and werewolves. Conveniently no one is allowed to look into the past to even know why they're fighting. Then one day in an an unspecified time and place, the werewolves become interested in a human, so the vampires do too. And then they all walk purposefully, run, drive cars, and shoot. Amongst all this, the human in question just takes this all in stride. The lines of who is good and who is not are practically non-existent. All we have is Selene (Kate Beckinsale) who appears to be good, but perhaps only in the context of the world in which she lives.

I have to give these actors credit; they at least appear to know what they're talking about, even when it doesn't make that much sense to the rest of us.

Rating: 1/5
Recommended for: Those who would enjoy putting a film on mute and making up their own story.

Watchmen (2009)

This movie is an experience... a nearly three hour experience, but an experience none the less. Normally the time would be an issue, but this movie had so much to tell. I could only think of one scene I'd trim down and zero that I'd cut out.

Watchmen tells of an alternate 1980's United States where Nixon is still president and the Cold War is still looming. The US was once protected by the Minutemen, a group of masked vigilantes with no real super powers but a desire to fight bad guys. The problem was that the line between good and bad was very squiggly. As that group grew older, a new group called the Crimebusters formed and took up the fight. Eventually the public grew wary of these costumed not-so-super-heroes and Congress passed an act that forced them all into retirement. Now one of the former heroes has turned up dead and Rorschach - a vigilante who never really stopped vigilante-ing - is suspicious and calls on the rest of the Crimebusters/Watchmen to figure out what is happening.

Watchmen was passed around for several years. Many directors were once attached to the project with their many cast wish lists, but when it finally came to fruition, it paid off. The film is intense, the story is intriguing and the majority of cast is fantastic. Jackie Earle Haley and Patrick Wilson are the casting department's winning entries, giving fully-committed performances - not your standard super hero movie fare. Wilson even commented at a premiere that it's nice they didn't have to cut corners for the sake of the genre.

There's action. There's suspense (especially if you haven't read the graphic novel it's based on). But if you're looking for mindless entertainment, you'll be disappointed. Morality issues and gray areas abound. The characters are flawed and complex with differing approaches to their situation. And there's enough of them you'll be bound to find one you sympathize with more than the others. The major elements of the ending are different than the graphic novel, but they add to the complexity and are more believable. Overall, it's the intellectual's badass thrill ride.

Rating: 4/5
Recommended for: Adults who don't mind a little brain work with their action

Wanted (2008)

Wanted is excessive. Its story is too far-fetched to even temporarily believe and its violence/special effects show more than you'd want to see. Wesley is anxious, mentally-abused cubical drone who suddenly is informed his father was an assassin and he now must join the Fraternity (of assassins) to kill the ex-Fraternity member who killed his father. Right.

James McAvoy steps out of his normal fare to take on this role while Angelina Jolie pulls her action boots back on to be Wesley's sometimes teacher, sometimes transportation coordinator, Fox. Morgan Freeman attempts to bring the film gravitas as Fraternity leader Sloan. Even the combo of these three respectable actors aren't enough though to make this the really great action-drama one would expect from them. And there's too many elements, rules, and relationships to remember for it to succeed as a mindless thrill. It probably worked much better in its original graphic novel form.

Wanted should probably come with a warning to stay away if you think you'd mind watching a bullet tear through someone's head and then reverse and un-tear its way back out. The "R" rating is not specific enough to give that heads up.

Rating: 2/5
Recommended for: the un-squeamish who don't mind the unreasonable

Transformers (2007)

Michael Bay's 2007 interpretation of the 1980's tv show/toy line is entertaining if nothing else. Centered around Shia LaBoeuf's character Sam Witwicky, whose first car just so happens to be an Autobot (one of the good transforming robots from outer space), there are three things this movie has plenty of: action, plot holes, and semi-awkward to awkward dialogue.

The funniest scene in the entire film takes place between Sam and his parents, played by Kevin Dunn and Julie White. As they argue in Sam's room, they exhibit what the rest of the film lacks: chemistry. But then again, it's difficult to have chemistry with main characters who are CGI - no matter how cool they may look.

Rating: 3/5
Recommended for: People who don't ask questions that begin with "Wait. Why don't they just...?" during movies. Also, action buffs.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is hands down the deepest and darkest of all the Batman films. The Nolan men weaved a clever and visually intriguing tale. In this one Batman and Lieutenant Gordon are pitted against the manic Joker, whom the crime bosses have called in a bid to regain their power. It's difficult to say much more about the plot without giving too much away, so let's just say it'll have plenty of twists and turns (and an awesome in camera flipping semi-truck) to keep your interest. This may even be one action film that'll be nominated for more than special effects or make-up come awards time.

Heath Ledger gives a thoughtful and committed performance as the Joker. It's always nice to see someone on the screen who has really developed a character, even if he is a bad guy. I read somewhere that he even put on his own clown make-up every day because The Joker would have done it himself. It's a mess but it's a commitment. The best part is with that make-up and that intense of a character, it's easy to forget that's Heath Ledger in there - keeping you rooted in the story.

Christian Bale continues his conflicted Bruce Wayne performance from Batman Begins, although someone decided it was a good idea for his Batman voice to be a much lower, raspy whisper-yell. It wasn't. Maggie Gyllenhaal does an admirable job taking over the Rachel Dawes role, even though the character only exists to give other characters someone to chase after. Gary Oldman puts on his good guy boots and gives it his scrappy all as Lt. Gordon. And shaking his head at them all is the ever-wise Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.

Rating: 5/5
Recommended for: Everyone who is not a little kid.