Movie Review - Hail, Caesar!

Hail, Caesar!

Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehnrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Veronica Osorio, Heather Goldenhersh, Clancy Brown, Alison Pill, Max Baker, Fisher Stevens, Patrick Fischler, Robert Picardo, Christopher Lambert, and more.

Directed by: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen Written by: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen Cinematography by: Roger Deakins Music by: Carter Burwell

Premise: Eddie Mannix manages all that goes on at Capital Pictures. He makes sure things run smoothly. But when he has to juggle an unmarried pregnant starlet, a lucrative offer from Lockheed, threats from a gossip columnist and a journalist, plus the kidnapping of the main star of the biggest budget picture ever from the studio - Eddie may have finally reached his limit. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Josh Brolin is fun to watch on this film. He embodies the look and feel of the 40's - a troubled soul with a calling. George Clooney really shows his skills as we see him flip back and forth between semi-brainless Baird Whitlock, bad actor, victim, good actor - he ran the gambit on this film! lol.

Alden Enrenreich was too much fun as Hobie Doyle, especially when he's trying to act! lol. (Wait till you see his roping skills! Dang!) Top performances from everyone involved. It's obvious they had way too much fun making this film. Channing Tatum dances AND sings! It was awesome! That sailor musical number was fantastic! (They even added some cool tricks I'd not seen done before. Fab!)

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: Chunks of the film are done 'old school' style. Here and there they show pieces of the films being made at Capital Pictures. And they have the same look and feel they would have had if they'd been made in the 40's. Even some of the reality took on the feel of a 40's film. :)

They also brought out some old but very familiar sound effects. One of them they had to have done just to do it, because otherwise it would not have been heard at all! Think Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. You'll know when you hear it. :P

3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up: It's going to be hard for me to quantify this film. In the true tradition of the 40's, the tale begins with a voice over and ends in one. And like several movies of the time, it ambles in a general direction but also has a lot of other pins tossed in the air, so you're never quite sure where everything is headed.

The film is a comedy but is also an encapsulation of the times as well as a giant homage machine. It has a TON of loosely veiled references to other films, studios, personalities, politics - there's a bit of that and more in there. And though I applaud them for doing it, I think it might also inadvertently hurt how the film does at the box office. I don't think anyone below the age of 40 will understand and get a lot of what is being presented and why so many bits are funny. I don't believe they'll have the knowledge needed to be able to put what they see in context. But I would be quite happy to be wrong about this! :)

The brothers touched on all sorts of things - the treatment of writers and other staff by the big studios, Howard Hughes (the mysterious backer of Capital Pictures perhaps?), the film Hell's Angels, the big musical's of the times, Roy Roger, Gene Kelly, religion, the scandal and gossip, communist accusations, the wrecking of careers (The Majestic is not only an awesome movie but it shares a ton of info on this controversial time in Hollywood, too!). A ton of scenes and locations of the films being made will seem familiar, poking at your memories.

Some neat duality was woven into the themes, which at times made certain moments truly ironic. Eddie struggles with the fact he lies to his wife about smoking and feels the need to confess and be absolved for this, but giving money to squash rumors, lying to keep from getting bad press, or keeping on the good side of the cops is just everyday life. The oppressed men who are part of "The Future" are raging at the system, but in the end, they willingly play the same role as before (even as they convince themselves they're free) - the working class toiling for those above them, and getting next to nothing for their efforts.

The film is also a view behind the curtain. The audience normally only sees the finished product, the dream as it was envisioned. But this film loves to set the audience to get caught in films being made then yanks the curtain open, forcibly pulling us from the fabrication back to their reality.

4) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The cinematography was great. From the too close overdone filming to spanning vistas, it was all embroiled with new and old techniques. They even throw in cheesy stuff that for the times would have been top of the line tech. Nice!

5) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: The costuming and makeup department did a phenomenal job. Not only did they bring out the fashions for the time, but also made the actors and actresses look like top stars of the 40's and recreated costumes that would look close to those actually used in the films.

Conclusion: "Hail, Caesar!" is a fun film full of all things Hollywood in the early 40's, making it a time capsule of sorts. Top performances by everyone. Younger viewers may not enjoy it as much, though the musical bar scene and Hobie's horseriding and lasso handling are totally worth seeing.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Movie Review - Labor Day

Labor Day

Starring: Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith, Tobey Maguire, Tom Lipinski, Malika Monroe, Clark Gregg, James Van Der Beek, Brighid Fleming, and more.

Directed by: Jason Reitman Screenplay by: Jason Reitman Based on the Novel by: Joyce Maynard Cinematography by: Eric Steelberg Music by: Rolfe Kent

Premise: Over the long Labor Day weekend in 1987, Henry and his reclusive mother end up with a uninvited guest, an escaped convict. With secrets being hidden on all sides, this unexpected visitor might turn out to be exactly what they've needed all along. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Kate Winslet was totally convincing as Adele. Just seeing her for the first time, it was obvious Adele constantly fought battles with herself to try to remain at least partially functional for her son. Josh Brolin as the mysterious Frank also did a superb job - looming one moment, unusually tender the next, then threatening again. Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin had good chemistry. It was fun watching them start to feel for one another even as they fought the unexpected urges. Watching Gattlin Griffith watching them was a treat. His large expressive eyes will get him far. His narratives added an unexpectedly great flavor to the story as a whole.

2)  Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: The film starts as we leisurely travel down a two lane blacktop road. The music is soft. All the views are things you might see while traveling one lane blacktop roads in New England. Put together it generates a laid back mood, like being in a hammock during a soft afternoon. And for the most part, the whole film moves in the same way throughout.

The point of view for the film mostly comes from Henry, with some disjointed tiny flashbacks thrown in about Frank's story here and there, as well as a reveal from Adele of what truly brought her to have the secluded life she leads. But because the film is mainly focused on Henry, the romance element is never heavy.

There are lots of cute, quirky moments, many coming from Eleanor, whose pessimistic wisdom get's Henry into trouble a couple of times.

3) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The story takes place in a lovely New England town cobbled together from multiple locations in Massachusetts. The shots are often idyllic and filled with feeling. Yet it is Adele's home that is center stage for most of the tale. Just looking at the facade of the house instantly gave the audience a ton of information on the status of those living within. The same view is used several times to impart changes in Adele's situation as time flows by.

Conclusion: No gun fights, no real violence, just lots of interesting people you want to know better. Some cute, tender, and even funny moments are sprinkled through the film. "Labor Day" is what you expect, yet at the same time it's not. Your heartstrings will be tugged at the end, no matter how hard you try not to let them.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission (Really! A guy said that! YES!))

And because I gotta - My urban fantasy novel "Inner Demons" has been released! Trade paperback and multiple ebook formats abound (Nook, Kindle, pdf, and more). Paperback are currently only available at the publisher's website but should come down and be available at the usual the channels soon! Huzzah!

Movie Review - Men In Black 3

(Well, this is super late due to computer issues. Eventually gave up and decided to post it while I was off at A-kon. Wheee!)

Men In Black 3

Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Emma Thompson, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mike Colter, Nicole Scherzinger, Michael Chernus, Alice Eve, and many more.

Premise: An alien criminal that Agent K captured forty years before escapes from prison and is looking to change the past to a better outcome. When K won't tell J the details of the case, their partnership is put in jeopardy. But then K suddenly disappears and so does everyone else's memories of him except for J's. J must now take a leap into the past to rescue K and the Earth's future. (Rated PG-13)

Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld  Based On The Malibu Comics by: Lowell Cunningham Written by: Etan Cohen Original Music by: Danny Elfman Cinematography by: Bill Pope

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Josh Brolin all had great chemistry. Josh Brolin did an awesome job as Young Agent K. Not only did he bring a lot of the mannerism of the familiar older Agent K, but he also made the younger agent a different man on several levels, the better to contrast with the events which made Agent K the somber, seemingly withdrawn man he is today.

In a fun turn of events, I loved watching Agent J dealing with his altered future's younger partner, switching J and K's usual roles, and making J look at his own partnership in a slightly different light. Too cute! Tommy Lee Jones also imparted a lot of emotion and subliminal information once he realized his old nemesis Boris had escaped. Great job!

Not all of the old friends from the original MIB film are back, but those not present are definitely represented. Loved how they sneaked Frank into the film though his character was not involved. It was very creative and cute. But don't worry, the worms are there, throwing out their usual fun one liners.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The special effects team did a wonderful job. Boris is in many ways as disgusting, if not more so, than Edgar was in the original Men In Black film. Boris may look human, but as the movie progresses we are shown more and more that it is but a veneer of a strangely symbiotic creature. Totally fascinating!

The weapons, vehicles, ships and more were outstanding. The same look and feel as the modern tech used by MIB, but in a more developmental phase.

The time traveling itself was not in your usual way and incredibly impressive. The fact they were even able to throw in some dark humor into the whole process made it even better. The unexpected visitors right before J goes back in time were all in the background yet spoke volumes in presentation. Nicely done!

The scene with the baseball park was marvelously done.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: The story works with serious issues served up with lots of great one liners and comedic bits. A lot of foreshadowing, which is in itself a 'red herring', the outcome not the one you'd expect.

The story did have some fun with J being sent back to the 60's on several levels. But also didn't overdo it and even twisted one cliche around for a funny moment.

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: With a ton of action comes a ton of stunts and they were all excellent. From attacking aliens, to prison escapes, to the street chases, they were all very visual and smoothly carried out.

5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: Several gorgeous views of the New York landscape from multiple times. The Cape Canaveral shots integrated with original footage and recreations were great.

It was also fun seeing the differences between the MIB headquarters then and now.

6) Costuming/Make-up - Total Thumbs Up: Great work on this category as well. Lots of attention paid to 1969 to make it look and feel as it would have back then. Also between the make-up department and Josh Brolin's acting acumen , you never doubted the actor was a younger K.

Conclusion: MIB 3 is a fun, fast paced film which brings back all we loved from the original MIB film and more!

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price To See Again)