Movie Monday - Raging Bull

Raging Bull

I have to preface this review with the awareness that I couldn't give this movie my full attention. I was doing laundry / doing push-ups. That said I think I was paying enough attention to write an accurate review. The movie of the week is none other than 'Raging Bull.'

I was introduced to this movie by my wife. Believe it or not I had never heard of it, I've never seen a preview, and I didn't know anything about the plot. What I did know was that it was directed by Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro won an Oscar for it... and that's about it. I love going into movies blind.

It's because of movies like 'Raging Bull' that we respect Scorsese so much. It is a beautifully filmed piece of theatre. The editing is brilliant and the black and white stylization is superb. The small splash of color right in the middle of the film is refreshing and excellent.

Let's just talk about the acting for a minute shall we? I want to use a word like succulent, or divine, or astonishing, but really 'great' is just the word I need. Everyone was great. De Niro was genius. And the rest of the cast was right up there with him. Excellent job all around.

The story was solid. Triumphant and tragic all in one swoop. The story of the great boxer Jake LaMotta. We love him we hate him. We cheer for him and we curse him. A complex character to say the least. My only complaint is that it runs a bit long. Other than that it was a really fantastic film. I definitely recommend it.

One of these days I'm gonna watch a movie I don't like... until then I give 'Raging Bull' an 8/10.

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On a side note I've been invited by this website to publish my reviews. It's pretty cool. If you're looking for a great place to read movie reviews I recommend it.

-TravLCox_

Thespian Thursday - Anton's Uncles

Well, I would love to review DSC's production of 'Miss Saigon' on here tonight... but I really just have to review the production of Los Angeles City College's production of 'Anton's Uncles' I saw here in DC first. I can't help myself. For those of you in 'Miss Saigon,' I promise I'll get to you next week. Sorry!

Anywho, as you know I'm in DC and loving it. My wife competes in two days and so far she has been LOVING all of her workshops. It makes me happy to hear that. We (my mom, mother-in-law, and myself) had some free time tonight after some sight-seeing and I thought it would be nice to spend some time with Whit and catch the production of 'Anton's Uncles' hosted by the Kennedy Center tonight.

Now, I could just say "it was amazing" and go to bed. Because it was. Amazing. Really. Absolutely brilliant. That said, I will take a few minutes to tell you why.

[I sincerely apologize to the director/playwright/choreographer and also to the actors because I don't know anyone's names... if you stumble across this blog and you do know their names please let me know so I can praise them shamelessly.]

'Anton's Uncles' is a 'deconstruction' of Anton Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' which is an extremely hard thing to explain and I'd be lying to you if I told you that I completely understood it. The point is this: it was a piece of theatre unlike anything else I have ever scene before. 'Anton's Uncles' literally takes every theatrical element available and interweaves them together seamlessly. Humor, passion, music both in song and dance, costuming, lighting, set, sound, etc... This production is an excellent example of what paying attention to detail can do. All of the elements are incredibly strong.

As I am going through all the thoughts in my brain I'm realizing how hard this is to explain. 'Anton's Uncles' is very... artistic. It has very specific, usually unrealistic blocking. Not so much blocking, but choreography... Even during the moments where there is no music I would still call it choreography rather than blocking. And when there is music it becomes something so fantastic! Without warning, the lights shift into a deep, saturated, almost club-like, very stylized look, and all of the characters break out into huge energetic dancing that is such a joy to watch, and then, again without warning, everything is jerked back into the subdued "Chekhovian" type of acting.

Some moments of the production even became beautifully absurd. With the stage manager dancing with the actors, a Justin Timberlake reference, and hilarious dance numbers whose sole purpose was a set change. Even a moment when the actors pulled an audience member on stage with them... and it worked! Everything was just so tight. So tight! I can't imagine the hours that must have gone into that production. Everything was so crisp and clean and perfect.

Anton's Uncles is really one of those shows that you come out of with a whole new perspective on what theatre is and what theatre can be. I commend the actors for their incredible dedication and talent. I haven't laughed that hard in quite some time. And to the incredible lady who wrote, directed, and choreographed this piece... there really is only one word to describe you: genius.

Well done to everyone involved. I hope this isn't the end of the road for this script... if somehow you get the opportunity to see it. Do.

-Travis_

Movie Review Monday - Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland Review

I have to be honest with you. I waited a long time to see this movie because I was very very skeptical. When the screen shots were first released a million years ago I was pretty excited. From what I could tell all of the design elements were really clicking, and everything looked super interesting. But then I remembered Sweeney Todd. The screenshots of that movie also looked awesome. But I did not enjoy the film at all. Also adding to my skepticism was Tim Burton's take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Big disappointment in my book. Anywho, what I'm saying is that I was very worried that I would not like this movie one bit... I went and saw it anyway.

Honestly, it was quite good. As I expected visually it was stunning. I'm not sure if Tim Burton is a great director, but as far as I'm concerned he's one of the best designers in the business. The 3D element was not abused and I didn't feel like it took over the story, but simply added to it.

The greatest success for this film, in my opinion, is the casting.

I, for one, can't blame Tim Burton for casting the same people over and over again ie Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Timothy Spall, Alan Rickman, etc... if they consistently do a good job.

Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter had this great duality to him which was wonderful to watch. I loved the Scottish war hero that popped out now and then, even if there were some Jack Sparrow traces mixed in their somewhere.

Alan Rickman was perfect for the Blue Caterpillar, and Matt Lucas was, well, adorable as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Of course Helena Bonham Carter and Timothy Spall were great, respectively, as well.

My favorite character, though, was Stephen Fry as the Chesire Cat. I don't know what it was, but something about him was extremely like-able. In a freaky, not quite sure if I should trust you kind of way...

If I'm honest I wasn't really bothered by Mia Wosikowska as Alice, but I also wasn't extremely impressed. Her choices seemed obvious and safe. I was never taken out of the story by her... I just think she could've gone further is all.

The only casting choice I didn't agree with was that of Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. Not that I don't like her as an actress because I do. I can't even pin down what it was that I didn't like about her in this role. There was just something that I didn't like about her in this role.

The biggest failure for this film is the script.

Right from the beginning we know how it's going to end. We know she's the real Alice, we know she's gonna kill the Jabberwocky, and there are no great surprises along the way. Even the obstacles Alice had to overcome seemed conveniently easy to surpass. Particularly the whole get the magic sword mission. "Here's your eye back big creepy thing, thanks for the key."

The one nugget of unexpectedness that I liked was the little romantic sub-plot between Alice and the Mad Hatter. That was fun for me.

Other than that, the dialogue is fine, it's just the arch of the story that is unoriginal and predictable.

To wrap it up.

Beautiful visually.

Great casting, and acting.

Lacking in the script area.

I give it a 7 1/2 out of 10.

Movie Review Monday - Men Who Stare at Goats

I know it's no technically Monday anymore... but it's close enough. I'm going to start reviewing a random movie here on this blog every week. If you have a movie you'd like me to review let me know. I'll be rating on a scale of One to Ten. This weeks movie is:

'Men Who Stare at Goats.'

From the moment I saw the poster for this movie I could not wait to see it. It is chalk full of actors whom I love. ie: Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey... you have to love them. Then I saw the trailer and wanted to see it even more. Witty dialogue, quirky humor, and truly unique premise. I thought I was in for a treat. Then it came out in theatres. I wasn't able to see it... and I didn't hear much about it. Then I forgot about it... for a while.

Then I walked past a redbox and saw it there, then I rented it, then I watched it. Now I'm reviewing it.

Overall I'm going to say that it's a good movie. Maybe not quite as good as I had hoped, but still quite excellent.

Here are the reasons it is good:

1) Great low stress acting - No super amazing acting moments, but beautifully simple and honest reactions.

2) Incredible dialogue - The dialogue is very honest and believable. It never feels forced or contrived.

3) Jeff Bridges - This man can do no wrong in my book. He is amazing and then some.

4) Everyone else - No weak links in the actor line-up. Great to see these guys playing characters they don't normally play.

5) The Announcement at the Beginning - "More of this is true than you would believe." So awesome.

6) The Dancing - You just have to see it. It's fantastic.

Here are the reasons I probably won't watch it again for a while:

1) The Story is About the Reporter - I understand why it had to be that way... but, (no fault of Ewan McGregors) he's not the interesting one. I was more interested in the psychic powers of the soldiers not the journey of the reporter.

2) It's Fairly Slow Moving - Don't watch this while twittering or playing pacman... you'll get bored. Make sure there are no shiny objects to distract you.

That's about it! Other than that it's a fantastic movie. I think I have to give this movie a 7ish out of 10... If you haven't seen it yet, do.

-Travis_

Star Trek Review

I know this is old news for the majority of you… but I just saw the new Star Trek movie and I thought I would share my thoughts. Before I start getting all analytical and stuff let me just say: Awesome! I’m sorry, I don’t like to shamelessly praise movies but every so often there comes a movie where one just can’t help it. I loved it. Here’s why:

This movie literally had everything the movie-goer could ask for.  High energy action, just the right amount of comedy, some genuinely touching moments, and pretty people! Speaking of pretty people… the casting was absolutely brilliant. They managed to find the perfect person to play every role! Some particular favorites were Simon Pegg as Scotty (Love him!) Zachary Quinto as Spock (He was great in Heroes he was great in this.) And Eric Bana as Nero. (Didn’t even realize it was him until the end.) Oh, and of course Leonard Nemoy was also cast spot on. ;) While we’re on the subject of pretty people I need to give a head nod to the make-up crew of this film. Everything from prosthetics, to cuts, shaving eyebrows, to painting bodies green. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an Oscar nominee for those folks. They helped us believe that these were the younger versions of all the characters we know and love in the original Star Trek.

Now, while I am by no means a qualified ‘Treky’ I do know a little about the original and from what I could tell die hard Star Trek fans should thrilled about the care taken to protect the integrity of the franchise. Everything from the costumes, the sets, the design of the starships, the history, even the dialogue just ‘fits’ into the original. My only qualm on this issue is that Scotty never said “We need more power!”  But he did say “That’s all she’s got!” though, so I’m fairly satisfied…

Well, I guess I never got to the “all analytical” part of this review. But I think that’s because while you’re watching Star Trek you just don’t care about that kind of stuff. The movie is just so much fun.  If you’re one of the few people left who haven’t seen it yet… you should. And see it in the theatres. It’s just not gonna be as good if you RedBox it.

 

I give it an A

Angels and Demons

I saw Angels and Demons last night, and I have to say I loved it. I've never read the book, but I thought that the story telling by Ron Howard was phenomenal, and the Acting by Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Stelin Skarsgard, and really the whole cast was suburb. Dan Browns writing is so great at grabbing audiences, and keeping them on the edge of their seats. Angels andDemons had me guessing the whole way through.

I've heard that some book fan's are a little upset about some inconsistencies, and even some major characters being completely left out. To them I say: so what? My wife has read the book and she explained some of the major differences (ie: the description of the bad guy, the wheelchair guy, the love story etc...) and to be completely honest with you if any of those things had been left in the movie it would've been too much. Dan Brown's storys are so complex already that anymore relationships, or plot twists, would've been overwheliming, and too hard to follow for the average movie-goer. I give kudos to Ron Howard and the writers for simplifying and only keeping what was needed to tell the story.

Without giving away too much of the story allow me to tell you some of my favorite things:
1- Tom Hanks. He has always been one of my favorite actors, and I think he can do anything. He nails this younger version (even thoughTom is now older) of Robert Langdon. Without going overboard he subtly makes us believe that this character is actually 'that good'. When he finds the clues we don't say "oh that was convienient..." we say "this guy is awesome!"
2- I have to say that Ewan McGregor was perfectly cast! I can't think of anyone better to play the role of the Camerlengo. His performance was excellent.
3- I think that Catholics will be very pleased with the way thier church was portrayed overall. I know that there was a lot of fuss over The Divinci Code, but I feel that both Ron Howard and Dan Brown were very delicate in the way they handled religion in this movie. This is a fictional movie, I hope people remember that.
4- The ending was great. But then again the whole movie was great. You laughed, cried, cringed, gasped, cheered, and in the end you were completely satisfied. It was $7.50 well spent if you ask me.

I give it an A-