O'Horten

The O in O’Horten stands for Odd, and odd this movie is. A 67 year old train engineer is forced to retire after 40 years of faithful service. For 40 years his life has run on a schedule of predictability, but now that his job is gone his life has become as strange as his name. While trying to navigate his way through the first few days of his retirement, Odd encounters strange scenes, chance meetings, and bizarre circumstances until he can gain his footing and sort out his new life.

This strange little film is enchanting and weird with images that probably will never leave me. The story doesn’t really go anywhere and has nothing really profound to say, unless it is saying that we are all driving blind. Anyway, I didn’t feel that it was necessary to understand the film, it was only necessary to take the ride. The destination doesn’t matter, the joy is in the journey and all roads come to an end.

In Norwegian with English subtitles.

Rating: First Run     A odd little film, if you dare

A Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Remember watching Saturday morning cartoons? You would get up early and sit there in your pajamas with the volume turned down low so you wouldn’t get in trouble for waking up mom and dad. They would show these really old Merrie Melodies cartoons where the clock would strike twelve and all the toys would wake up and start dancing around. You would sit there entranced, mesmerized by the fantasy of it and that night as mom and dad tucked you into bed, you would roll over and look at your toys trying to memorize their positions so in the morning you could see if the had moved. Part of you was hoping that they would.

It was with this same childhood innocence that I watched the original Night At The Museum. It was great fun to see all the exhibits come to life. The performances were imaginative and it was very humorous watching Ben Stiller react to the situation and then eventually learn to master it. When I left the theatre I wasn’t thinking, “Boy, I hope they make a sequel.” But when they did, I was open to it. I just wasn’t sure how they were going to pull it off.

Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian, takes place several years after the first one. Ben Stiller, as Larry Daley, is no longer a night watchman, he is now running a successful company selling his latest inventions. When he hears that the museum is closing for renovations, he becomes concerned for his museum friends and makes a visit to make sure they are all right. All is not well though, as the exhibits are being crated up for storage in the federal archives in Washington D.C. Some of the exhibits will stay in New York, along with the magical life-giving tablet, which means that the ones that are being moved will no longer have a night life. Larry can’t see that happening, so he gets involved and tries to solve the problem.

I enjoyed this movie. Some new characters were added to the mix that were very funny. But I wasn’t as charmed this time around. I’m not sure if it’s because we are treading on the same ground, or because the script wasn’t as tight. Either way, I liked the first movie much better. 

Of the new characters, Amy Adams was delightful as Amelia Earhart, but completely unlike the Amelia from our history books. Hank Azaria was hysterical as an Egyptian king, but his accent and mannerisms were so over the top that any historical accuracy was completely thrown out the window. His performance was purely for laughs and he delivered plenty of them.

As a family film, I give A Night At The Museum high marks, it’s good, clean, fun. But overall I found it weak when compared with the original. I’d wait until the crowds die down, or if you want to avoid the kids, rent it. Either way, the film is fun and worth seeing.

Rating: Bargain Matinee     Good, clean, whimsical,  fun!

Angels & Demons

When the country falls in love with something and I don’t share that passion, it really makes me question my take on popular culture. For example, I don’t understand the whole Oprah Winfrey cult, and American Idol assaults my sensibilities. I don’t find dream crushing a form of entertainment. Sometimes when I open myself up, I can see the other side and chalk it up to a matter of taste. But other times I become rather perplexed. I try to see what others do, but end up just scratching my head.

When The Da Vinci Code first appeared it created quite a controversy. It has been my experience that these controversies are usually studio generated as a cheap form of advertisement. But when all the dust settles it’s usually much ado about nothing. I went to see The Da Vinci Code and found it rather flat. The premise was interesting, but after all was said and done, it was just a nice little fantasy and I went home with my belief system still intact and with a much better appreciation for the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci.

This time around Angels & Demons promised to be less controversial. The opening box office was really strong so I was hoping for a better film, but I found it to be about as thrilling as a board game. I was expecting so much more, but I was disappointed. The clues just lined up too easily and because there was only one hour in between murders, there was a lot of shuttling back and forth. If the author’s idea of tension is trying to get across town in a city jammed packed with people, well that is nothing new to me. We do it every day in Los Angeles on our freeways. What really made me crazy was when Tom Hanks’ character stopped to wash his face and change his shirt. I was thinking, you don’t have time for that, get moving, time to save a priest. I just didn’t feel the desperation or sense of urgency. Even a smart professor can get rattled. Even the sharpest minds, falter under stress. I was expecting to see more emotional turmoil, more mistakes, every death a failure visible on the face. How was he psychologically able to go on? I was looking for a little more characterization.

I didn’t dislike Angels & Demons, I just don’t understand why everyone else likes it so much. My feelings towards it are very luke warm. And according to the Bible, when something is luke warm, you should spit it out. I won’t go that far, it’s not a bad film, there are some elements in it that do work. I respect the acting, and I especially liked Ewan McGregor’s part. But overall, the film just didn’t excite me. Therefore I give it a mild recommendation; not hot, not cold, just luke warm.

Rating: Rent It     I bet the book is better

Terminator Salvation

When you have a favorite film that becomes a franchise, part of you is thrilled because you love the characters so much that you want to see more of them. But a bigger part of you is full of dread that someone will come along and screw it up. Whether it is an actor who refuses to return, a lame script, or a bad directing choice, you hold your breath with anticipation until you know that everything is going to be okay.

After seeing Terminator Salvation I have two things to say. McG didn’t screw things up, and Christian Bale is a worthy successor to the John Connor throne. I found the film spare, gritty, and on point. Many of the things that I loved about the original were present, and like its predecessor, Special Effects played its proper role, enhancing the action and not competing with it. In other words, the Special Effects were not the star of this film, the story was. This key element is why this franchise has been so hard to destroy. It has survived multiple directors, changes in cast, and even a TV show version. And yet, like the Terminator, it’s back, with a vengeance.

In many ways this film is a proper link between what has gone on before and what we can expect from the future. Like John Connor, we are pouring over our notes, trying to recall what we already know  and reconcile it with what we are told will eventually happen. In between is that gray area, the unknown. It is here that we live in the present, and like everyone else, we’re making it up as we go along.

From the moment the movie started, I was engrossed, happily eating my popcorn. The outside world was gone and I had become one of them, a resistor, just trying to survive until tomorrow. When the movie was over, I knew that we had won, we had lived to see another day, But the battle is not over yet. By the looks of the film and the box office receipts, there will be another, so don’t resist any longer. See it! This Terminator is a good one. And then you can start holding your breath for the next one.

Rating: Must See     A worthy addition to the franchise

Earth

We have become jaded when it comes to nature photography. Between National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and the like, we have become accustomed to the marvels of nature because it is so easily available to us at home on our television sets. But, that has not always been the case. I remember as a young girl watching these types of films on The Wonderful World Of Disney on Sunday nights. The nature films themselves, started back on the big screen in the early fifties. Walt Disney, applying his genius to the art of nature photography, captured a seldom seen world and captivated the public at the same time. Winning multiple Oscars for his nature films, Walt Disney then re-aired these gems on his television show in the sixties for an entirely new audience. Now that trend is being reversed.

In 2007 the television mini-series, Planet Earth, was presented on television in several countries, and now two years later, Disney Nature has re-release this series in an edited down theatrical version. With the use of every new technological advance in photography, we are taken on a journey across the globe, following the plight of several animal families and through many challenging eco-systems.

I found this film to be very beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing. I went after a hard day at work and found this movie to be the perfect way to unwind. The narrative was less compelling then other nature films I’ve seen, and they kept the violence very sanitary. But, when I discovered that this version had been edited down, it made perfect sense. Perhaps the original version had a little more depth.

Disney Nature promises another film next year focusing on the wonders of the ocean. I, for one, am glad that Disney has made this commitment. I know of no better way to raise up another generation of environmentally sensitive children than through film and environmental education.

Rating: First Run Beautiful and compelling

Little Ashes

I’m a sucker for Biopics, so I was really looking forward to Little Ashes, which tells the story of artist Salvador Dali, writer Federico Garcia Lorca, and filmmaker, Luis Bunuel. These three young men met in college in 1922 in Madrid, Spain. Up until this time, the military and the church ruled Spain and the country was very conservative, but outside influences were creeping in, and the Jazz Age had arrived. This trio of creative, radical, minds worked together to break down conventions, and change the world through their art.

I found this film very uneven. It was beautiful to look at, but some of the camera shots were pretentious. The primary musical theme was very engaging, yet the score was inconsistent and sometimes it over-powered the scene. The performances were good. Robert Pattison had the difficult job of displaying Dali’s eccentric behavior while still keeping the character real. I also found Matthew McNulty, as Federico Garcia Lorca very touching and the most soulful of the trio.

Since I never took Art History in school, I asked my friend Lance to go with me. As a professional artist and teacher, I was relying on him to fill in the details. I felt a little better about myself when he admitted he had never heard of Luis Bunuel either. I have some vague memory of hearing something about slicing eyeballs in film class, but the memory is very weak and that was a long time ago. The film itself doesn’t do enough to fill in the gaps.

Lance and I were both under-whelmed by Little Ashes. The things we found the most interesting, they touched on and left, whereas other less crucial areas were covered in depth. We both noticed that there were very few examples of Dali’s art and we thought that was rather odd. Part of the fun of Biopics is surveying the subject’s works. Whether it is music, art, literature, sports, or public service, you want to be reminded why these people were considered to be so successful. I do want to learn more about Dali though, and that is always a good sign. When a Biopic whets your appetite, you want to go on and expand your knowledge. Maybe I should take Art History.

Rating: Bargain Matinee Interesting, but underwhelming

Star Trek

After moving to Los Angeles, my mother came to visit me and we decided to be tourists and visit Hollywood Boulevard. We went to the Hollywood Entertainment Museum where they have the entire bridge of the Starship Enterprise preserved in the basement. In the same room they had a Star Trek video quiz, and after guessing on the first question, I proceeded to get the following answers right. When done, I turned to my mom and wailed, “It’s official mom, I’m a nerd.”

I loved Star Trek growing up. My father introduced me to Science Fiction short stories when I was young, so I was fascinated with how Science Fiction writers made social commentaries by disguising their point under the thin veil of Science Fiction. On the surface, Star Trek was just futuristic action with fun characters and interesting plot lines. But underneath, America was being asked to examine their views on race relations, sex, patriotism, consumerism and many other deep topics. Star Trek was fun, but it made you think as well. It deserves its place as a television classic.

I wasn’t too worried about the latest incarnation of Star Trek. I figured that if Star Trek could survive Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space Nine, Enterprise and all the other variations, that there was little J.J. Abrams could do to kill it off. I was just hoping for something fun and entertaining. I wasn’t disappointed.

I loved Star Trek! The casting was great, the script was good, the special effects were awesome, and it was also funny. For me the mark of a good action-adventure film is the relationship between its characters, and the humor that prevails. The original series had lots of humor, so I was thrilled that it was present here. There were a few little things that made me raise an eyebrow, but I’ll save those to discuss with my fellow fans. After seeing the final product, I am very pleased, and I hope that J.J. Abrams does another. Since the entire cast is fairly young that possibility is totally in the stars. All I have to say to J.J. Abrams is well done, and do another please. As far as the cast, I say, live long and prosper.

Rating: Must See   Even if you are not a fan, you’ll enjoy this film