Bad Teacher

Has Cameron Diaz ever carried a movie before? This was the first thought that came to my mind when I exited the theatre and every title that I came up with had her in a supporting role or sharing the screen. But in Bad Teacher, Cameron Diaz is definitely the star. The question is did she pull it off and if so, how did she do? Well after weighing the pros and cons I have to say she managed to hold her own and if I was going to grade the film overall, I think I would have to give it a C; a solid effort, but room for much improvement.

In Bad Teacher, Cameron Diaz plays Elizabeth Halsey a shallow, self-centered, duplicitous woman who becomes a teacher because the hours are short, you have summer’s off and there is little to no accountability. Ready to kiss her one year teaching career good-bye, she plans to marry over the summer, but her situation suddenly changes when her gold-digging motives come to light and her rich fiancee dumps her. Nearing forty and running out of time, Elizabeth decides to focus all her attention on finding a new millionaire and she feels that the best way to achieve this is with a boob job. Instead of throwing herself into her second year of teaching her new focus is raising cash and finding a rich husband. After all, new tits are not cheap and you have to buy two of them.

As a character, I think that Cameron Diaz had a clear vision of who she wanted Elizabeth Halsey to be, but when you consider what an awful, morally bankrupt person that is, it was kind of brave of her to throw her self completely into the role. The R rating is deserved, but on the other hand there is little nudity involved. There is however a lot of profanity, racial slurs, gay jokes, vulgarity and explicit drug use. If your idea of funny is watching a teacher light up and engage in the kind behavior they told you not to do, then you will like this film. But if you think that is too easy and you expect more cleverness in your script, then you are going to be sorely disappointed. This film is wearing a dunce cap, it could have been much smarter.

One of the strengths of Bad Teacher is its stellar comedic cast. There are some real pros in this film and the featured actors are funny too. Jason Segel plays a flabby easy-going gym teacher, Justin Timberlake, a repressed substitute teacher, and Judy Punch portrays a over-zealous colleague who has Elisabeth Halsey in her crosshairs. The dolphin-loving school principal is nicely played by John Michael Higgins and Phyllis Smith from TV’s The Office plays a weak-willed teacher who looks up to Halsey for validation and approval. But as good as all these actors are, their comedic styles didn’t always mesh. Some characters were broad and over the top while others were a bit more restrained. There were sparks of brilliance and some really funny moments, but overall the film lacked cohesiveness. The tone was consistent, but it needed more color and shade. I often felt that the film lacked originality.

I wouldn’t say that Bad Teacher was a bad movie, I did laugh and I found a lot of scenes in the film to be funny. But it is too inappropriate for teenagers and probably not raunchy enough for young adults, so I wonder who this film is made for. If this movie was a teaching assignment an evaluator would ask what the objectives were and what was the goal of the assignment. A little clarity and more direction would have made a much better film. The result seemed like a term paper written the night before it was due. It got the job done, but if better planned, it could have been brilliant.

Rating: Bargain Matinee I think I would have to give it a C; a solid effort, but room for much improvement.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Everyone loves finding a package on his or her doorstep, but for Tom Popper (Jim Carrey) that experience has lost its thrill. For years his globetrotting father has been sending him exotic gifts from all around the world. As a child Tom Junior loved his dad and was thrilled to follow him on his ham radio at night. But now a package means a missed birthday, Christmas, or other landmark occasion. For “Tippy Toes” Popper a package has become synonymous with disappointment.
 
As an adult Tom has created his own kind of adventure. He has become one of the premiere real estate developers in New York City and for him New York is the world. To match the prestige of his envious position Popper has traded in all the curios and souvenirs of his youth for a sterile, cold penthouse apartment. He is rich, successful, and at the top of his game, yet he is divorced, alone, and only sees his kids on alternate weekends.
 
One day Popper receives some devastating news. His father has died on an expedition to Antarctica and during the reading of his will it is revealed to him that Tippy Toes will be receiving one last gift. When it arrives Tom opens the crate with resignation and is surprised to find a frozen box containing a full size Gentoo penguin. Tom is less than thrilled with his father’s gift but admires the expert taxidermy. Little does he know that the penguin is alive and about to upend his life.
 
Due to a bad phone connection and a language barrier, Tom receives five more penguins. He’s called every agency in the book and no one will take them off his hands. Finally the zoo agrees to give them a home, but before they can pick them up his son mistakes them for his birthday present. Popper decides to go along and now his kids can’t wait to visit him. Enjoying his newfound status as the world’s coolest dad, he puts the zoo off for now and decides to enjoy this time with his kids.
 
As the needs of the penguins soon outweigh his own Popper begins missing work, changing his priorities and forges a new relationship with his kids (Madeline Carroll and Maxwell Perry Cotton). Even his ex-wife (Carla Gugino) is enamored of his new house guests. For the first time in a long time the family is together and happy.
 
If you are expecting this film to be similar to the Newbery Award children’s book, let me stop you right here. The original book Mr. Popper’s Penguins written in 1938 by Richard and Florence Atwater has a completely different story line. The only thing that this film shares with the classic tale is the title and a basic premise. But both stories have something to offer. This film just has a different emphasis. In Jim Carrey’s version it is about love, loyalty and a strong sense of family, qualities that penguins exhibit in the wild. You won’t be getting the Popper’s Penguins of your childhood, but you’ll be getting a new story to cherish and love.
 
Jim Carrey is delightful as Mr. Popper. Using live Gentoo penguins in the making of this film, all his comic skills come into play just to keep up with their chaos. Jim, who loves animals, thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but admits that working in a refrigerated environment was quite a challenge. Another treat in this film is the return of Angela Lansbury. She plays the fictional owner of Tavern on the Green, Mrs. Van Gundy. This film is a real love letter to New York, and you will thoroughly enjoy visiting some of its most beloved sites.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a quality family film that everyone can enjoy together. With the mix of live animals, animatronics, and CGI you’ll be hard pressed to tell where the real penguins end and the animated ones begin. In this film Jim Carrey has returned to the comic silliness that made him a star. And if you are not already a fan of penguins, you will be. To quote Jim Carrey, “They’re like puppies times ten.”

Rating: First Run A quality family film that everyone can enjoy together.

Bride Flight

Ravished by WWII and a devastating flood, three young Dutch women and a man meet on an airplane flying to New Zealand. The Dutch airline KLM was part of an air race and since the majority of the passengers were war brides immigrating to New Zealand to start a new life, the plane was dubbed Bride Flight. The three women of our story, Esther (Anna Drijver), Marjorie (Elise Schaap) and Ada (Karina Smulders) all come from completely different backgrounds. The one thing they have in common is the desire to start over and the willingness to make sacrifices to do so.
 
On board with the three young ladies is Frank (Waldemar Torenstra). He lost his entire family in the war and spent time in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. All he wants is a place of his own and the land to start a vineyard. He befriends all three women but it is Ada that steals his heart. They fall in love but it isn’t meant to be. She is promised to another and all four part ways as they see what this young country has in store for them.
 
Our story starts at the end with Frank bringing them all together once again. Rutger Hauer plays old Frank and he’s always been the glue that’s kept them in touch. As they each gather at Frank’s vineyard our journey takes us to the past where we get to know our characters, what happened to them and how their lives intersect.
 
If you enjoy star-crossed love stories, epic sagas, and historical fiction, you’ll love Bride Flight. We’ve seen this before in American and British productions, but it is nice to see this story from another perspective. When immigrating some assimilate better than others and some find it hard to adapt. But each one has their own past to escape and their own future to embrace. Bride Flight is a very satisfying adventure and the excellent acting and beautiful scenery make it even more so.

Rating: First Run Four brave souls start fresh in post war New Zealand
 
 

X-Men: First Class

I have never read a single X-Men comic book and I am completely ignorant when it comes to their origins, but for some reason I’ve enjoyed every film, including this year’s addition, X-Men: First Class. X-Men: First Class features James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr. What I learned is that they were friends before they became enemies and the film also shares how Xavier became Professor X and started his school for exceptional youths.
 
I have some friends who are huge comic book fans and they’ll go on and on how the film differs from the series. But as a three-time attendee of Comic-Con now I have learned that even within the comic book industry, characters re-invent themselves. So as far as I’m concerned, it is all fair game, a film is a film and a book is a book.
 
I believe that the reason this series works so well is that it has a social message underneath all the explosions and special effects. These are humans who have discovered that they are different and they don’t know whether to embrace or hide their special talents. In this film, we learn that Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) began life as Raven and that Xavier discovered her when he was a boy and treated her like a sister. They grew up in the same home, but as young adults the ways that they adapted to their special talents started a rift between them. Soon, Xavier’s new friend Erik spoke more her language. Xavier was all about service, duty and sharing your gift for the greater good. Erik, who becomes Magneto, is more about power, payback, and not apologizing for anything. When you look back to what was happening in the world when these stories were first written, it all makes sense.
 
What I liked the most about this film is that the special effects supported the story and didn’t overpower it. The center of the film was the mutants, the kids, and how they felt about what was happening to their bodies and how they learned how to control it. It is also about acceptance and inclusion, something that we are still learning today. That is why these stories resonate. As a society it is a quality that we still haven’t mastered.
 
Since this film will probably be built upon, others characters are mentioned or shown briefly. Also it must connect with the X-Men films that have gone before. One of the new major characters to appear is Kevin Bacon who plays the evil nemesis Sebastian Shaw. Rose Byrne also appears as Moira Mac Taggert, a government agent who befriends Xavier. But please don’t ask me if these characters appear in future films or have appeared in any of the other films that have gone before. I can’t keep them all straight. The first film came out in the year 2000 and a decade has past since then. What I can tell you is that the mythology is deep and rich; these stories can go on for a very long time.

Rating: First Run The X-Men and how they began

Super 8

School is out and Joe (Joel Courtney), Cary (Ryan Lee), Preston (Zach Mills) and Martin (Gabriel Basso) are all sneaking out of the house at midnight to help their friend Charles (Riley Griffiths) finish his film. Charles is consumed by film and he believes that with the help of his friends that he’ll be able to win a local Super 8 movie contest. With Joe doing make-up, Martin playing the lead, and Cary willing to die multiple times and blow things up, all that is left is Preston behind the camera and their little zombie flick has a chance. But when writer and director Charles begins to doubt the quality of his script, they are competing with high schoolers after all, he decides to give his detective a wife, So, he recruits Alice Dainard, played by Elle Fanning, to play the love interest and Joe for one is thrilled.

While out at a remote part of town, filming at an empty railroad station, an unscheduled train approaches and Charles decides to use it in his film. But just as it passes by the train derails dumping its load and a very nasty secret. As the army tries to cover things up, Joe’s dad (Kyle Chandler) who is the local sheriff becomes mighty suspicious and starts digging for the real truth. The whole town gets swept up in the subterfuge and only the kids have proof of what the army is really hiding.
 
Super 8 is a pure, overblown, popcorn chomping, summer flick. Yet when the kids are on screen the entire film is elevated. They provide an underlining tenderness and weight to the film and an excuse for all mayhem. Elle Fanning is tremendous in this film and Joel Courtney provides a nice natural counterpoint for her intensity. Ron Eldard plays her dad and he is indirectly responsible for the death of Joe’s mother. This dynamic fuels the film because Joe’s dad, the sheriff, still can’t forgive him. Alice and Joe’s attraction becomes like Romeo and Juliet as their two widower fathers deal with their grief. Joe and Alice are the heart of the film and their relationship is the catalyst for all kinds of action.
 
Super 8 writer and director J.J. Abrams keeps the army’s secret hidden for as long as possible and then when he must reveal it, he only gives us a piece at a time. Like a certain smoke monster on a Lost island in the pacific, the answer to this mystery is slow in coming. But luckily for us the kids are so engaging that we enjoy the wait. Also it was fun having a 1970’s rural America setting. It reminded me of a time when children still came together to play, sharing a summer of magic. A time before videogames, iPods, and DVR’s began to keep us apart. Super 8 is a reminder of a different era when the lives of kids were more simple. Soon Stars Wars would premiere and then Raiders and all the rest. The world would enter the digital age with home computers, mobile phones and things would never be the same. This film is a throwback to when the “Event” film got started. It’s a nod to Spielberg, Lucas, and the films of that age. But what I liked best was the capturing of innocent youth. Super 8 is a tribute to a simpler time when the imagination of children ruled the summer. Thankfully some of them grew up to make films and our summers will be forever captured.

Rating: First Run A pure, overblown, popcorn chomping, summer flick

The Hangover Part II

“Honey, we’ve done it again.” Phil has just woken up from a blackout on the floor of a seedy Bangkok hotel. He, Alan, and Stu have no idea where they are or how they got there. As Phil (Bradley Cooper) begs his wife to cover for Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) until they can gain their bearings and find their way home he adds, “This time it’s worse, much worse.”
 
In 2009 when the original Hangover came out it was a surprise hit that became one of the highest grossing films of the year. The tagline read, “Some people just can’t handle Vegas.” And the country fell in love with a schoolteacher, dentist and a funny little bearded man that carried around a baby named Carlos. The film was shocking, vulgar, crude and for most people, hilarious. But then they announced that they were making a second film and the news was received in two different ways, “Yes!!!!” or “No, they are going to ruin it.” I was amazed that they were trying to do a sequel at all.
 
Since the first film’s success relied on surprise, shock and an unusual storytelling technique, the sequel had to be very creative not to let their fans down. I couldn’t imagine how they were going to maintain the element of surprise since we are all aware of the premise by now. Yet, in The Hangover Part II, I believe they did. The Hangover Part II is just as crude, tawdry and shocking as the first film and I for one was pretty impressed.
 
Now in general, I don’t go for this type of humor. Many of the elements in this film were too vulgar for my sensibilities. On the other hand I find these characters very appealing and this bothers me. I’ve put a lot of thought into this; how can I be attracted to three men who are completely reprehensible and morally bankrupt? But I think I figured it out. We still love them because like us, they are just as disgusted and disturbed by their behavior as we are. These are guys, average guys, but when under the influence of illicit drugs, demons are released and things get screwed up. So this is really a cautionary tale, a warning to all that moderation is the key. That is unless you’re talking about comedy, and then more is better.

Ken Jeong reprises his role as Mr. Chow and he is just as outrageous as ever. Also, I think that it is funny that the fourth member of The Wolfpack (Justin Bartha) still gets left out of all the action. Not a very lucky break for the actor, but in the context of the movie it is very amusing. In addition, this time around Mason Lee is introduced into the gang as Stu’s future brother-in-law Teddy. Teddy plays a key role in the plot of this film which adds a new element of danger.

Speaking of danger, Paul Giamatti is in this film. And when you add in his character with the underworld elements, anything can happen including a monkey, a priest and a mountain of blow. This is not a film for the kiddies, but if you like your comedy with edge and your humor blue, this film delivers big. This is not P.F. Chang’s man this is the real deal. Just don’t lose yourself to Bangkok.
 
Rating: First Run This time it’s worse, much worse

The Trip

They say that to really know someone you have to travel with them and after The Trip it becomes very clear that you should never enter a car with two British comedians. In The Trip, which is both hysterically funny and mind numbing at the same time we get to better know England’s Steve Coogan and Wales’ Rob Brydon.  Originally conceived as a six-episode television series The Trip has been edited to produce a feature length film. In it Steve Coogan plays Steve Coogan, a British actor who is trying to break free of his television persona and become the star he’s meant to be in American films, and Rob Brydon who plays Rob Brydon, a popular British television star who is beloved in his home country.
 
In the beginning Steve has accepted a writing assignment from a magazine to tour the north country of England and sample various culinary hot spots and country inns. He took the assignment to impress his “foodie” American girlfriend, but she abandons him at the last moment to take a job back in the states. This leaves Steve scrambling for a traveling companion and the task falls to his old friend Rob.
 
Since both men are playing variations of themselves it is hard to know where the truth ends and the fiction begins, but according to the film Rob and Steve have known each other for eleven years and have worked together in television. Rob is a happy sort. He has a wife, child and a successful career. Steve on the other hand is very frustrated. After a few critically acclaimed roles in American film his career has stalled and he feels his celestial clock ticking. He has been forty-one for the past three years and feels that if something doesn’t happen soon he’ll lose all his momentum.
 
On the road Steve takes every opportunity to ridicule his friend and make sure that he is always viewed as the bigger star, but Rob takes it all in stride. He feels like the luckiest man in the world and he doesn’t resent Steve’s his American success. But Steve is indignant that his romantic trip is now being shared with a short, loutish Welshman. Steve is miserable and doesn’t mind sharing his discontent.
 
What makes this movie so funny is the constant banter between the two comedians and their clash of personality. Steve is supposed to be critiquing food but after his first meal enjoying some tomato soup all he could come up with is that it tasted very “tomatoey” and very “soupy”. Rob counters with an equally inane description, which leads to an extended comic riff. Steve and Rob compete over everything from celebrity impressions, to line readings, to who has the better room. And Steve must always come out on top. But Rob doesn’t care; he’s just enjoying the ride and time spent with his sparring partner. You can’t put a happy man down and that makes him even more annoying.
 
I really enjoyed this movie and found myself chuckling throughout. Some have said that it worked better on television being divided into smaller doses so it’s easier to take, but I don’t know. I’ve been around guys like these and the constant need for affirmation can be exhausting, but for me that’s what makes this film work. Underneath the laughter is the insecurity found in most comedians and Steve’s character is in a delicate place. In truth he is jealous of Rob and envies his modest life.
 
I love the contrast in this film. On one hand you have these posh, elegant dining establishments full of pretentious servers and serious chefs and on the other hand you have these two guys getting loud and doing dueling impressions trying to decide who does the best Michael Caine. You have the inns, the country, the historical significance and then you have a guy pouting because an old lady was more excited about meeting a TV star than an award-winning film actor. I found the juxtaposition poignant and funny. And like any road trip if your companion becomes too tedious and begins to drive you crazy, just put on your sunglasses, nod a lot and enjoy the scenery out the window. This movie may have felt long to some but for me it was a pleasant ride. Besides, the good thing about roads trips is that they always end. This one may have been long, but for me it was a good one. I wouldn’t mind traveling with them again.

Rating: First Run Posh food, country inns, and dueling Michael Caines
 

The Beaver

 Standing on the ledge of a hotel balcony Walter Black is ready to jump. Suffering from major depression for years he’s tried everything including doctors, pills, and eastern philosophies, but nothing seems to work. Tired of the strain it has put on the family, his wife Meredith has finally thrown him out. Walter is sick, really sick and ready to end his life. With the shower rod still attached to his neck after a failed attempt at hanging himself Walter has dragged the rod, shower curtain and all, with him to the ledge. In his hand is a toy hand puppet that he tripped on along the way. Just as he is about to leap, bam, the puppet slugs him in the jaw.
 
Deep down inside Walter is still there but since he was ready to give his life away, “The Beaver” has taken control. With the puppet and a funny voice Walter can now function again, but without The Beaver Walter is worse than ever. The problem is everyone else. Will his colleagues and family learn to accept “The Beaver?”
 
I was very moved by this film and feel that Mel Gibson is very brave to do it. To see a grown man of his stature interact with a hand puppet is really something to see. Mel makes himself extremely vulnerable in this movie and I totally bought into his relationship with The Beaver. It reminded me of a film a long time ago with Anthony Hopkins called Magic. At times it’s a little creepy and at other times it’s scary. Like everyone who meets The Beaver for the first time you ask, “This is a joke, right?”
 
Directed by Jodie Foster, The Beaver is given a light touch. At times it’s funny, at times it’s poignant and at other times it will break your heart. Jodie plays Meredith, wife to Walter Black and Cherry Jones plays the vice president of the toy company Walter owns. It is very interesting to see how the women in his life react differently to The Beaver. His oldest son portrayed by Anton Yelchin wants nothing to do with him. His father embarrasses him and he is trying desperately to destroy anything about himself that remotely resembles his father. His youngest son Henry (Riley Thomas Stewart) loves The Beaver. The Beaver spends time with him, talks and shares his feelings. His dad Walter never did that. As far as Henry is concerned, The Beaver is great.
 
Walter’s oldest son Porter is so miserable at home that for two years he’s been planning his escape. With a knack for composition, Porter has been writing other people’s term papers and charging them dearly for the service. This practice leads him to Norah (Jennifer Lawrence) and her own problems at home. On the surface Nora is perfect, smart, pretty and a cheerleader to boot. But with a closer look her family is just as screwed up as his is. It is good to discover that he is not alone. By seeing family life through her eyes Porter eventually softens towards his father. But will The Beaver ever let his dad return?

Rating: First Run A personal film about how we cope

Midnight in Paris

For nostalgic types we all have a favorite era. A film buff may fantasize about the golden age of Hollywood, a musician may pine for Vienna in the time of the Beethoven or Mozart, and in Midnight in Paris, first time novelist Gil (Owen Wilson) is enamored of 1920’s France. This was the time of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein. The literary scene was exploding, artists were changing the world, and intellectuals were shaking up politics. Picasso and Dali did it with paintbrushes, Cole Porter did it with song, and Bunuel did it with film. But the writer’s did it best. It was heady time and Paris was the center of it all. For Gil, this city was magic.
 
Back home Gil is a successful motion picture writer. He has come to Paris with his fiancé (Rachel McAdams) and her parents John and Helen (Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy). John is a rich conservative businessman and he is there for an international merger. They thought this would be the perfect opportunity for a little pre-wedding vacation and a chance to buy furnishings for their daughter’s soon to be new home. But Gil isn’t so sure. His fiancé Inez wants them living in Malibu with all the trappings of the Hollywood elite. But Gil has other ideas. He once had a chance to live in Paris and has always regretted his decision not to do so. Now that he’s taken off time to write a novel, why not stay here? He could write his book and spend time in the city of his dreams.
 
One night during dinner they run into Paul and his doting wife Carol. Inez invites them to join their table. Paul (Michael Sheen) is a professor that Inez had the biggest crush on in college. They have all kinds of plans for dancing, museums and trips to the country and since Paul likes to have an audience he insists that they come along too. But after spending one day with Paul Gil looks for any excuse to get out. In the name of fresh air he wanders about the streets of Paris and gets seriously drunk and completely lost. As he sits on some steps trying to decide what to do next the church bells toll midnight, Just then an exquisite antique car drives by and the beautiful couple inside offer him a ride. The occupants are Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald.
 
Midnight in Paris is a magical film full of warmth, humor, whimsy and fun. It is less cynical than Woody Allen’s more recent films and Owen Wilson does a tremendous job as the Woody Allen alter ego. He easily captures the pessimistic nature of Woody but still brings a pensive, sweet, reflective quality that’s all his own. I absolutely loved him in this role, especially the boyish glee he displayed when he got to meet his favorite literary idols.
 
In addition to the aforementioned cast Midnight in Paris is full of wonderful supporting roles. I don’t want to give too much away but some of these parts are delightful. As a fan of Adrien Brody I was thrilled to see him in the film and Kathy Bates as well. Marion Cotillard is also wonderful as a woman with many admirers.
 
Watching Midnight in Paris I was transfixed from beginning to end. I found the movie funny, romantic, and I learned something as well. But mostly I just had fun. As Owen Wilson’s Gil says in the film, “Somebody should notify the chamber of commerce.” If you’ve never been to Paris before you’ll definitely want to go now. I can see why Woody loves it there. With this film they should make him ambassador.

Rating: First Run A love letter to Paris