Man of Steel

"You just have to decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be, Clark. Whoever that man is, he's going to change the world. "

 

It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's.......One of the most anticipated movies of the summer......Man of Steel. I can't lie. I was one of those people who was definitely excited to see this film. The trailers looked amazing and when I heard that Christopher Nolan had a hand in the making of the movie, I was sold. I mean...everything Nolan touches is gold. After sitting through the almost three hour reboot of the Superman franchise, I have to say that I was less then entertained. Don't get me wrong. The movie was OK, but the WOW factor that DC comics appeared to be looking for was just not there. Something, somewhere in the movie fell flat.
The film starts us out on Clark's home planet, we get a glimpse of the collapse of his people and what created the villain. There is this idea of hope that Clark's parents continue to speak out, and just like with every Nolan film there is that underlying human ideal that he likes to focus on. I felt that for this particular film it was that idea of hope. That idea and the representation of the idea didn't quite come across the way that I think it was initially intended too. I think it was supposed to have to do with hope in the human race, and that they would in the end choose the right thing, but there was not much a of a development of this idea. It was just thrown at you randomly through the movie and you just where expected to go along with it.

I also would have liked to have seen a bit more of Clark growing up and dealing with the changes that he was experiencing. It was these experiences and the teachings of his parents that shaped him into the man that he had become and I think that it would have been a much more interesting film if we would have been able to have been given a more in depth glimpse at his childhood and teen years. I went into the movie with the idea that I was going to be watching Superman become Superman, and he does in a way, but it was very much thrown together.
I thought that he found the hidden spaceship pretty quickly and easily. I thought that he just accepted what the alien ship had to tell him easily and without any real questions. I thought that he wasn't superman one minute and then all of a sudden he was. It was such a quick progression that I would have liked to see more a development with rather than the random flashbacks. I did appreciate that when he was fighting he really didn't know what he was doing yet, and didn't dominate every fight because he still was learning what to do, but I felt that it was just to rushed. For a film that was supposed to be about the origin of Superman, it skipped over that part pretty quickly.
The acting was ok at best as well. Henry Cavill did a decent job as Clark Kent. He maintained to poise that Superman always held very well, and I thought defiantly did a pretty good job with the calm and patient manner in which he addressed everyone. I did really enjoy Amy Adams as Lois Lane. I thought she brought the character to life a little when the rest of the movie seemed to be falling a bit. Michael Shannon did a great job as the villain Zod. I thought he had the most life in the entire movie. Laurence Fishburne will just never be anything of than Morphious to me. lol
You can tell that this is a Zack Snyder movie from a mile away. The fight scenes are epic. Nothing is spared. There is much you can do and create in a fight scene when the two people fighting are almost invincible. He seemed to be pretty excited about the idea of the movie being in 3D. You could tell that many of the fight scenes seemed to be geared toward the 3D gimmick. Which we all know I cannot stand.
All in all I would say that the movie was ok. Nothing that I would be telling you to run to theaters tomorrow about. If you happen to miss this one, there is no great loss in watching it on DVD. If you must see it in theatres, I don't think I would spend the extra money on the 3D. If anything, at least he was nice to look at for 3 hours.

Oz the Great and Powerful

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."

Everyone in their lifetime as seen The Wizard of Oz if they are any sort fan of cinema. It was such a groundbreaking movie for it's time and was the building block for much of our film landscape today. I truly wish that I could have been one of those movie goers sitting in the theatre for the first time when Dorothy opens the door and color filled the screen. That had to have been a breathtaking moment for anyone who got to experience it. That being said...I understand that nothing can compare to the original...and I understand that nothing should try to be compared to the original....that is not what I am trying to do.
Oz the Great and Powerful was a huge disappointment. There where so many great elements going into the film; Sam Rami directing, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weiss, and Michelle Williams staring just seemed to be a recipe for a fantastic time in front of the silver screen. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Right away the movie starts off in black and white. While I do appreciate the homage that it was trying to play to the original Wizard of Oz, there really is no need. Maybe if the storyline grabbed me from the beginning I wouldn't have cared so much, but I felt like it was trying to be like the original movie, and that just wasn't going to work.
I found that visually the movie was less than impressive as well. Everything now a days in CGI. CGI has allowed us to explore many different areas of film that we might now have been able to experience otherwise, but I feel that we have become to dependent on it for our movies. It was was to over the top for me, and WAY to computer looking. Even the way the characters moved around was just to artificial. Many movies have been visually stunning without CGI.
I also really hated the 3D...so unnecessary. Nothing was enhanced for me with the 3D at all. I really hate this whole 3D gimmick and I hope that it goes away soon. It takes away from the real point of a movie---to tell a good story.

The story itself really was not that interesting either. Someone said to me that it was because I already knew how the story ends. This is not true. I love stories that take place as prequels so to speak. There are so many possibilities open to HOW you got to the beginning of that movie in the first place. It is no different then making a sequel. BUT how you tell that story is important. This one lack any sort of excitement. I really didn't care about any of the characters, and to be honest with you, I don't know if it was because I was bored from the beginning of the movie, or if the movie lacked the character development necessary for you to really develop a taste for who the characters are. The actors where way to over the top and it was not an endearing over the top that was part of the movie or the characters themselves. You almost felt like you where watching a bad cartoon. I don't know if that was what Rami was trying to go for, but that was really not the way to go. Oz is supposed to be almost like a real place. The people are supposed to feel real, but there are those supernatural elements that are thrown in there to make it Oz.
I thought that they tried to remake the original by following that blue print-complete with meeting some friends along the way and giving them special gifts at the end. Now I have never read the novels, and someone told me that this was close to the novel, but I cannot say one way or the other. Either way, the screenwriting was not very good at all. THAT is what makes or breaks a story. You can have the greatest novel of all times, but if all the elements are not there to help it.... you won't have anything at all to go on.
 
 
 
I guess you could say that I really didn't like this movie. hahaha If this was something that I was watching at home on TV I would have changed the channel about 15 mins. into it. I would really suggest waiting until this one comes out on DVD to see it, but if you really feel the need to go to the theatre DO NOT GO SEE THE 3D. Not really the somewhere over the rainbow I was hoping for.

The Lord of the Rings

"Even the smallest person can change the course of a future."

 

 

Being that this is my favorite movie of all time (yes I count all three of these films as one because lets be honest, they are one movie) some might wonder why I haven't written about them before this moment. (well, maybe nobody but I like to humor myself) The reality is that I just have so much to say about these movies, and it is a daunting task for me because...I mean where do you start with the amazingness that is The Lord of the Rings.
I guess the first part is the world that J.R.R. Tolkien created. He didn't just write a simple story....he created an entirly new universe with a history that dates back to the creation of it all. There is not one thing in this world that you could not find an orgin for or that you could not find a connection to. He left nothing a mystery. Each race has it's own language complete with different lettering AND gramatical rules. There are maps and wars and ages. Tolkien left nothing out of this world. I think that is one of the reasons that this is such an amazing thing.
 
 
The Similirian is where one would find the hisotry of Middle Earth. All the way back to the moment that each elf was created and why. I found this book to be very dense and hard to get through because it was like reading one of our history text books, but I also found it to be even more rewarding than I thought because there was so much from the Lord of the Rings that I began to understand and even apprecaite even more. There are even more stories of the people of Middle Earth than just what one would find in the Similrian, The Hobbit, and even in The Lord of the Rings. This is amazing to me....
The second part is really directly related to the characters that J.R.R Tolkien created in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The fellowship is something that really resignated with me. I love the idea that this group of people, many of whom did not want anything to do with each other, where able to band togehter in the end and to become to loyal to each other. Someone asked me a few months ago who my favorite character in the story was, and I had to really stop for a minute to think about it because I love each character for different reasons.
I think that I would have to say that my favorite character is Samwise Gamgee. He is probably my favorite because I identify with Samwise more than any of the other characters in the story. Samwise is one of the most loyal characters throughout the entire story. He stand by Frodo through the entire journey. No matter how scared he is or how unsure he may be...he stays with Frodo and is willing to protect him not matter what. Even at the end of the story...as Frodo struggles to make it to the top of Mordor with the ring....Sam carries Frodo. He stays with him to the very end, even when he knows that he will not be able to return home. Even when he thought he friend had tossed him away...Sam stays... he never leaves Frodo, and I love that.

The character that I have to say that I wish I was would be Frodo. Frodo was willing to take on a task that nobody in the entire Middle Earth was able to do. He was strong enough to resist the ring and was strong enough to carry it though. Frodo was able to walk away from the fellowship because he knew that the ring would destory his friends and he could not let that happen. He knew that if he did not do what he was supposed to do, nobody would. I love that he struggled through the journey. He was not perfect and there where many times that he began to falter and that he didn't always make the right choice, but Frodo pushed and he went forward. He knew that this was his battle to fight and one that he never atticipated to take. I love that idea that things fall into our lives that we may not expect, and we can let then over take us and ignore them, or we can take up those challenges and push throught them. Frodo pushed through even through there where moments that he didn't want to.

The characters are not the only thing that make this story so amazing. There are so many messages that one can take out of them. I love the idea that everything happens for a reason. Gandalf talks to Frodo at one point about Bilbo meaning to find the ring and that means that Frodo himself was meant to find the ring. Each moment through the course of Middle Earth had lead to that moment. Had Frodo never gotten the ring, maybe Aragorn would not have risen up and taken back his thrown. Had Boramir not died, Faramir would not have been able to rise up and do what he needed to do. Each chain of events needed to happen in order for Frodo to be able to destroy the ring. No matter how awful those chain of events may have seemed at the time.
I also love that notion of holding onto hope and understanding that all bad things must come to an end. Nothing in this world can last forever, and no matter how horrible it may seem now. It will pass and a better time will come. Always hold onto that hope because it is that hope (no matter how small) that will grow and defeat that evil or that hopelessness. Each person in this world holds a purpose....
Peter Jackson did such a wonderful job of adapting this story from novel to film. It is such a detailed piece of writing and taking the story and keeping it's intergity is one of the most difficult things to do when adapting a novel for the screen. He took such care in taking what was important and leaving out the things that where not needed for the heart of the story. The fact that these movies are so long is a testiment to the idea that he tried so hard NOT to leave anything out. I feel that the things he did omit, where nothing that horribly changed the story.
I honestly cannot say enough about these stories. I have said it before, if all you are telling me is that they are long....all they are doing is walking...why don't the eagles just save the day....then you are hoenestly missing the point of this story. There is so much there. Maybe next time you have the chance, stop and open up or heart a little rather than your mind...because there are some things in this world that should be felt rather than thought about....and Lord of the Rings is one of them.

Waiting for Superman

"One of the saddest days of my life was when my mother told me Superman did not exist.... I was crying because there was no one coming with enough power to save us."

 

I am 27 years old and I am a special education Language Arts teacher in a middle school. I have been teaching for almost 5 years. I love what I do, but it does not come without it's share of daily challenges. There is not a moment that goes by that I am not thinking in some way about how I can help my students. There is not one hour that passes in which there is not that nagging worry in the back of my mind that constantly asks if I am doing what is best for my kids. Am I doing what is needed for them to succeed.
I am not naive to think that what I do doesn't matter. I know it does, and I take that responsibility to heart. I know that what I say and do can affect a child for the rest of their lives. I wish that it didn't, but I would be a fool to not understand that and to know that this is the truth. I can make or break a child. How they do in life can depend on me. I could be their crossroads. Whether they decide to go left rather than right. This scares the living day lights out of me, and yes...it is one of the many things that I lose sleep over on a daily basis.
The documentary, Waiting for Superman,  focused on the public education system and how it is failing our students. Being a teacher this is an issue that I am directly involved in. This is something that I battle with everyday. It is so frustrating to see all of these young children struggling. It kills me everytime I hear a public official say that this is "All about the kids." The reality is...no it isn't about the kids. If it was about the kids, so many of our students would not be going through the public education system 2 and 3 grade levels behind in reading and math. The reality is that if you are behind in reading and math, you are going to struggle in other areas as well. How are these students making it through? How are they graduating? Who is failing these students?
There are so many factors that go into a student being successful. This film touched on the ones that involved effective teachers, and administrations doing what is necessary for the students rather than focusing on what the adults need and want. Being on the other end of this, the teaching aspect,  I would be a fool to say that these are some of the problems for sure, but these are not the only ones that are failing our students.
The parents are a huge factor in the lives of the students that pass through the education system. It has been a proven fact that parents with involvement their their students school work will have more productive students. Also, I have seen in just my 5 years of teaching a a decline in the responsibility factor of the students and children in general of today. Many of the student want to see the work done for them, they do not want to take responsibility for their actions and many parents make excuses for their children. These excuses are not helping them. Children have this sense of entitlement, a sense that they deserve to get the good grades and do so well just because they have shown up. They don't have to work for it. This is a problem and one that many people don't seem to want to talk about or to address.
So many people are looking for the person to blame. The people to point the finger at. The reality of this, is that there is not just one person to blame. Everyone has had a hand in the decline in the public education; administration, teachers, parents, and students alike. I do not that any real change will be able to occur until everyone stops pointing their fingers and begins to look at themselves and start to accept the responsibility.
This is not just any job. When you enter the world of education, you have to realize that you are entering a career that your choices are not entirely your own anymore. What you do matters, what you do affects every single one of those students that crosses your path during the course of a day. It is not a choice that anyone should enter lightly or one that should be entered into for the wrong reasons. As much as we don't like it, sometimes you classroom has to come first, your kids come first, because No it isn't JUST a job.  School is the first step for the rest of these child's lives. This is where you will lay their building blocks. This is where they will prepare for a world outside of their homes.
Yes, the education system needs to be reformed. There are problems, but not one person or group is responsible. Change will only come when all parties can come together and understand that it IS ALL ABOUT THE KIDS.
I would defiantly recommend this documentary if you enjoy watching things like this. As an educator this made me sad because I want so badly to be that superman all of these kids are waiting for....maybe one day...

Lady in the Water

 

 

"Man thinks they are each alone in this world. It is not true. You are all connected. One act can one day affect all."

 

 

Before I could even begin to talk about the movie Lady in the Water, it is first imperative that I talk about fairy tales in general. There is not a better story to be told in this world than your classic fairy tale. Looking closer into the definition of what exactly is a fairy tale was a bit overwhelming. It is amazing to see exactly how much is out there regarding defines these stories we all loved as a child. Without being any sort of expert, the conclusion that I have come to is that a fairy tale is any story that has its roots set in some sort of oral tradition. They contain some sort of magical element and clear characters set for good and evil. Many times there is an element of 3 or 7 somewhere in the tale. There is also always some sort of conflict that is presented and needs to be solved. Many fairy tales where presented with lessons or morals that directly related to the society which the story originated from. Last but not least, most all fairy tales begin with some sort of special beginning words like "Once upon a time..." or "A long time ago..."
"Once" is exactly how M.Night Shyamalan's 2006 movie, Lady in the Water, begins. The movies prologue talks about an ancient time when man and the people in the water being linked. It gives us our history with the Blue world and why it was so important to us. It goes on to talk about how man became disconnected with the people and the water because we forgot how to listen, and we became even more separated from these people who inspired us. The prologue tells us that the people in the Blue world are still trying to reach us by sending out their young who are hunted by beings that  wish to stop them from connecting with the humans again and inspiring us.
What is so frustrating when discussing this movie with people is their ignorance towards it. Many people went into this movie believing it was a horror movie of some sorts, and when they walked out of the theatre, they hated it and couldn't understand what it was that they had just watched. What Night does not get enough credit for is his wonderful ability to tell an amazing story. This movie was nothing more than a modern day fairy tale with a simple but important lesson.
The basic plot of the movie focuses around Clevland and his journey to help this mythical creature who has fallen into his lap named Story. Story has come to our world from the Blue world so that she can inspire her vessel who will help to create great change within our world. Simple story with a strong message that was so wonderfully delivered.
The overall message that Night was trying to get across was about the connectivity of all people and how each persons actions affects the others. All of us have a purpose, but it is many times not clear to us what our purpose is. What I thought was so amazing, is that as the characters around Story begin to find their purposes in life, Story too begins to understand just how important she is. She says that she is nothing special, but it is Story that will in turn inspire the man who will create the drastic change that is needed in our world. She will return to her world as a Madame Narf., one of the most important narfs of her people. She is realising her purpose, and it scares her.
This fear that Story holds is one that we all hold. Many of us are afraid of our own destiny's, we are afraid of failing, and we are afraid that we are not good enough. It is often times hard to see the impact that you are having on the world and your importance in it. We are all important no matter how insignificant you may feel. This is what Cleavland also learns through the story as he feels that being the buildings Super, he doesn't really matter. In fact, Clevland matters a great deal to the people around him and the job that he is doing.
It is an amazing lesson and a beautiful story that we told is such a wonderful way. Night is such a talented story teller and I feel that he truly has been lost behind this idea that all of his movies need to have twists and turns. He pays true homage to Hitchcock in his ability to bring characters to life, and make you feel for them. This particular story was very close to his heart because it began as a simple bed time story that he was telling to his young children.
There are all the fairy tale elements that anyone could hope for. There is your mythical or magical being in the narf, Story. There are clear good and evil characters with the people of The Cove (the apartment complex in which the story centers) and the  evil scrunts that are there for kill Story. There is the number 7 when the gilded is called upon to help save the day, and of course their over all moral.
The characters and actors in this film did such an amazing job. Bryce Dallas Howard was a breathtaking Story. Everytime she talks you cannot help, but want to hear what she has to say. Even with her silences she says so much. Paul Giavani was fantastic as Clevland. There is one scene that makes me cry everytime. When he finally begins to face his past. It is so heartfelt, so genuine, so raw, and so beautiful.
There is so much that can be said about this movie, and I know that I am all over the place. There is not one detail that Night overlooked. Each thing had a meaning and a purpose, from the blank slated apartment complex, to the positioning of the pool, to the blue world itself, and the use of the eagle was not mistake. The eagle symbolizes many things, freedom, inspiring, revitalization, and healing, are just to name a few. That was no random bird that he placed that the end of the story in order to take Story back to The Blue World.
As many people will argue that Night is an over rated director, I will continue to stand in his corner. I think that he is trying to do old things in modern times, and people have truly lost sight of what movies are. I can only hope that he will continue to make movies through the years, and that one day people will look back and appreciate what it is that he has done and understand that THIS is what movies are about.
So take a break from reality for a bit and become a child again.....all it takes is a little "Once upon a time..."

Everything Must Go

"I'm no different than any of you. I just don't hide in my house."

 

 

What do you do when you reach rock bottom? I am not talking about oh I had a bad day rock bottom; I am talking about lost your job, wife left you, your things are on the front lawn, and you have resorted back to drinking rock bottom. How about sitting on a chair on your lawn and not leave? That is exactly what Will Ferrell does in the 2010 movie Everything Must Go.
Ferrell plays Nick who is an alcoholic whose wife leaves him with everything on in lawn on the same day that he loses his job. Nick cannot handle what is happening to him and decides to not leave the comfort of his front lawn. It is determined that Nick can only stay on his front lawn for a total of 5 days and if he is having a yard sale. Ferrell befriends a neighborhood kid to help him organize his things in exchange for baseball lessons. A young woman moves across the street and befriends Nick as well. As he begins to sink lower and lower, he starts to actually sell of his belongings and feel better about things.
This movie was based on the short story by Raymond Carver, "Why Don't You Dance". I have never read the short story, but I felt that the movie was really lacking in a lot of spots. It was your basic story about not being able to truly start over until you have shed everything that has ever held you back. Nick was supposed to be a baseball star back in high school. You never learn why he doesn't  play anymore and IF he still loves the game. When the neighborhood boy asks him to teach him, he is reluctant at first but then agrees. He gives him one lesson, and then it is never explored again.
The same goes for when Nick is looking through his high school year book. He comes across something that one of his old classmates wrote to him. He tracks her down to ask her about it, and then doesn't even remember what she talks to him about. That entire scene is never references again. I actually just forgot about it until I started writing this review.
The film only gives you tiny bits and pieces of things. It failed to really elaborate on anything, and because of that you don't really feel a connection to any of the characters. This is always the problem when adapting a short story into a full length movie. Sometimes it is hard to fill in the holes that a short story may have and still keep the integrity of your story alive.
I think that one of the things that this film tried to explore was the idea of hiding behind your curtians so to speak. Everything hides things about themselves, and Nick had left his entire life on his lawn, literally. He didn't hide his drinking problem or the fact that his wife has thrown him out of the house. Nick actually says this to his new neighbor at one point. If this was what they where trying to go for, I love that idea, but it still fell short.
I did find Will Ferrell's performance in this movie to be very good. I am so used to seeing him as Frank the Tank! I thought that he really took this serious role and did it justice. There may be more to this actor than he has been able to show us through his career. I would love to be able to see him do more roles like this one.
This is really not a movie that I would recommend unless you would like to see Ferrell do something different. I didn't feel that there was anything special here or that set it apart from other "starting over" movies. So unless you've hit rock bottom with your movie choices, I would avoid this one.

Buried 2010

 

"I'm buried in a box. I'm buried in a box"

 

 



 

You open your eyes and it is blacker than the blackest night. You can't see your own hand in front of your face. Your hand hits the ceiling, but there is something wrong because the ceiling is only a few inches above your head. You try to stick out your arm and hit the wall which is only a few inches to the side of you. It is then that you realize it is difficult to breathe. A sinking feeling hits your stomach when you begin to succumb to the fact that your greatest nightmare is coming true....you've been buried alive.

Written by Chris Sparling and directed by Rodrigo Cortes, Buried is about Paul, played by Ryan Reynolds,  is  an American truck driver in Iraq. He is captured by some angry Iraqi civilians and buried alive in a simple wooden coffin. All Paul finds when he awakes in the coffin is a lighter and a cell phone. That's it, nothing more....no really.... 

This is an extremely dangerous types of movie to make. Especially in this day and age. The entire movie never leaves the coffin. This is difficult for both director and actor. Reynolds is the entire movie. I have never been the biggest fan of Reynolds. I have only ever seen him in comedic roles. I thought that he did a very good job portraying a man who is trying to do everything he can to get out of a seemingly hopeless situation. He went through such a wide range of emotions and really made the viewer feel like they where there with him. As he begins to feel hopeless, the audience begins to feel hopeless. When he feels like he is getting somewhere, the audience wants to jump for joy. You are trapped with him.

Directing this film must have been a nightmare. All that you have to work with is a small box and nothing more. There are not many camera angles, and how do you go about lighting? It is the desire of every director to make a movie that is true to the story they are telling, so how do you stay true to a movie about a man in a coffin without any light?

Cortes did a great job of using the light of the lighter and the cell phone only. There where many times that the viewer was left with a blank screen and only had the sounds to go on. This is where true suspense comes in. You can't see...There is nowhere to go....what do you do? This is where the art of moving making is at it's best. Keeping the audience on edge with as little information as possible. THIS was the movie technique that my movie idol, Alfred Hitchcock perfected. I think that he would have been proud.

I was very concerned at the beginning of the movie when I realized the entire thing was going to take place in just the coffin. I couldn't see how they where going to be able to fill 95 minutes with enough interesting events to keep my occupied. When I am wrong, I'm wrong and I am willing to admit it. Apparently there are a lot of things that can happen in a coffin in 95 minutes when you are trying to get yourself rescued.

There is something that has been missing for me with many of the modern day films that are out there. There is a sense that all that these films are striving to do is to see who can throw in the greatest special effect, who can shock with the goriest scene, or what movie can push the sex boundaries. Sometimes simple is better. That is where 2010's Buried comes in. Watch it. It made me very uncomfortable watching it, and there where times when i felt like I couldn't breathe myself. THAT is good movie making.