Cool Runnings (1993) **** (rave)

I, like so many other people over these past few weeks, was absolutely addicted to watching the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. I couldn't get enough of it! I witnessed just about every medal Canada won and I got goosebumps every time I heard our National Anthem played. Generally, I'm not a big sports watcher. But there's something about watching competitive sports in a national arena that just thrills me to bits. Seeing the work, talent and determination that all of the athletes from all around the world bring to the Olympics makes me root for each and every one of them. (And if the Canadian athletes just happen to win more gold medals then anyone else , well all the better eh.)

A friend of mine, who knew I was going through Olympics withdrawal, brought in her copy of Cool Runnings for me to watch. I had told her a few days earlier that I'd never seen it before which shocked her. When I told her it was because I heard the movie was bad she almost kicked me (just kidding, she's not THAT violent). She insisted that whoever told me that had no idea what they were talking about. And she told me to go home, watch the movie and then write a review about it. Because I'm afraid of her and I always do what she tells me to...well here I am.

Cool Runnings is directed by John Turteltaub and it is inspired by the true events of the first Jamaican bobsled team that was ever formed and subsequently competed at the Calgary Olympic Games in 1988. Because the film is 'inspired by' true events (not 'based on'), all of the characters in the movie are fictional. In the film, the main character is Derice Bannock (played by Leon) a young Jamaican athlete who is tripped at an Olympic qualifying track meet. Although his dreams of running for gold are squashed in that instant, he does not give up his dream of going to the Olympics. Instead he enlists the help of an American bobsled coach (played by John Candy) and convinces three other Jamaicans to join his team and take part in Olympic history.

As the four-man team learn the ropes of the sport, friendships slowly form and personal obstacles are tackled. But the true challenge lays ahead for them in Calgary where they must, for the first time, familiarize themselves with ice and snow while the whole world watches their every move.

This film is a Walt Disney movie. It's goofy and funny and loaded with slap stick comedy. Some of the characters are pretty outrageous - especially Sanka Coffee (played by Doug E. Doug) who is constantly cold, sings silly songs and kisses an egg for good luck. John Candy has some funny moments in the movie but he's more of the inspirational backbone of the film. He's got a line in the film that I loved: "A gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you're not enough without it, you'll never be enough with it" And it was a real pleasure just to see him on screen again. The Swiss bobsled team are the 'bad guys' of the movie (them and the Canadian -25 degree weather) and they are the team that the Jamaicans aspire to as they try to prove to the world that they too deserve to be there.

What I loved the most about this film was all the stuff that was true - basically what they accomplished at the Calgary games. Four guys who had never set foot on ice before came to the Winter Olympics and performed. The ending of the film (which I cannot tell you about- I don't know if you saw the 1988 Olympics or not) had me crying and cheering. And I felt like I was watching the Vancouver games all over again. I didn't care that I was shouting 'Go Jamaica!' instead of 'Go Canada!'. I didn't care that I was rooting for a bunch of sweet goofy guys that didn't really exist. I loved the spirit of the film. And if you like a good laugh while rooting for the underdog, you'll love it too!

After watching this movie, I did some research about the actual events that took place in 1988. I found out that the Jamaican team was welcomed with open arms by all the other bobsled competitors (no bad Swiss team to be found). In fact, many other countries donated sleds to the Jamaican team to use while in Calgary. I also found out that the bobsled runs depicted in the film are accurate and that one of the runs is the actual footage from the games. Finding out more about the 'true heroes' of the story made me love the movie even more.

Cool Runnings now officially goes right up there with other 'true story' favourites of mine. (Movies that include Rudy and Seabiscuit). And to my friend -who is not the least bit scary but loves to have a laugh- thanks so much for the recommendation. Wanna kiss my egg?

Valentine's Day * (rant)

As if Valentine's Day isn't bad enough, now there's a movie called Valentine's Day. And it's still playing in the theaters! This movie directed by Gary Marshall (Pretty Woman/ Runaway Bride) stars EVERYONE including 4 Academy Award winners ( Jamie Foxx, Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts and Kathy Bates) and 2 Academy Award nominees (Queen Latifah and Anne Hathaway) . With all that proven acting ability, I had hoped this movie would at least be some kind of fluffy fun. But it didn't even come close to delivering anything entertaining. Everything about this movie made me want to barf!

Valentine's Day takes place on Valentine's Day (surprise, surprise) and follows the intertwining stories of many characters. Some young, some old and some somewhere in the middle. Throughout the day of Feb. 14th, each character experiences their own trials and tribulations about the big four letter word: L-O-V-E! Some are trying to find it; others consummate it. Some are trying to define it while others are trying to hold onto it. While each character is struggling with their own "unique" love quest in glossy LA, many stories over-lap, some surprise connections are revealed and most find their own mushy happy ending. There really is no point in telling you the backgrounds of the characters or what these people do for a living because it's inconsequential. It's Valentine's Day and that's all that matters!

Where to begin with why I hated this movie...

I guess the starting point has to be that every single character (and thus story line associated with them) was fake. I didn't for a second believe that any character was genuine or any situation any of them were in was even remotely plausible. The entire script was as plastic as L.A.

Who in their right mind would buy Julia Roberts playing an American soldier on leave? -even the script had her change out of her uniform as quickly as possible so she could just be another "pretty woman" flirting with a guy on a plane (I kept expecting Richard Gere to make a cameo appearance as a flight attendant) And who could possibly believe that Ashton Kutcher could own and successfully run his own business? It was as close to watching him as the dude from Dude Where's My Car delivering flowers as you could get. (If you haven't seen Dude Where's My Car, I'm saying that he's stupid.) Throw in McDreamy and McSteamy from Grey's Anatomy, a copycat story line of a young boy finding his first love from Love Actually and a horrific (what the hell was the point of that?) appearance by Taylor Swift and you've got one really bad movie!

Even though this film is pitched as a romantic comedy, nothing about it was funny. Everything was so way out of the realm of reality. And yet instead of acknowledging that, the movie actually expected the audience to relate to it somehow. I'm assuming, because I'm a single gal, the character I was suppose to relate to was the only anti-Valentine's day female character in the film. She was a successful business woman who was completely neurotic (because she's single, of course) who liked to host an annual anti-Valentine's day dinner at an Indian restaurant, do a little Bollywood-type jig and then watch her friend smash a pinata like a crazed lunatic. Yeah, sure I like Indian food -BUT I'M NOT INSANE!. I can only assume the film makers were hoping that I would find some comfort that this prattling, chocolate popping, "I'm glad my blackberry vibrates", crazy female found love in the movie. But my immediate response was "I hope that guy who's fallen for her gets immediate psychiatric help" (there's no hope for her but he could possibly still be saved).

The only reason why I watched Valentine's Day until the end was because I was expecting Ashton Kutcher to look directly at the camera at some point and state "You've been punked". Sadly, that didn't happen. Instead, I had to watch the extras in the movie make out on park benches throughout the film and listen to Taylor Swift's God-awful song "Today Was A Fairy Tale". That is almost 2 hours of my life I will never get back!

Valentine's Day only made me happier that I'm single. It made me hate the commercially induced "love day" even more. I don't think this is what the movie intended. But that is how I felt as I fought against dry-heaving. I highly recommend you DO NOT see this movie.

For those of you who may be questioning whether or not I have a romantic bone in my body, I'll admit to this...I still think The Way We Were is one of the best love stories of all time (how's that? - surprised you, didn't I?)

If you're not one who embraces Barbra. but might want to see a quality love story, I have a few other films I could recommend... If you want to see a lovely film about a young girl finding her first love, rent Stealing Beauty. If you'd like to see a film about love standing the test of time, rent Iris. Something passionate yet heartbreaking - Brokeback Mountain. Something epic - Last of the Mohicans. Something funny - Bridget Jones' Diary. Something classic - Pride And Prejudice. Something original - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

There's some L-O-V-E for ya. And it's not even Feb. 14th!

Shutter Island **** (rave)

Shutter Island brings Martin Scorsese and Leonardo Di Caprio together again for the fourth time. This thriller, set in the early 1950s, is a tribute to the films produced in that time era, while still incorporating some visual effect tricks that are possible to create today. The two styles combined, plus a strong acting cast led by Di Caprio, made this movie quite enjoyable for me. And because I am a fan of "the look" of a Martin Scorsese film, I recommend that you go a see this one on the big screen.

In this film Di Caprio plays a US Marshall named Teddy Daniels who, with his new partner by his side (played by Mark Ruffalo), goes to an isolated institution for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of one of their patients. Through the course of his investigations Daniels believes there is much more going on on Shutter Island that any of the psychiatrists or patients are willing to talk about. As the story unfolds, we find out that not only is Daniels determined to uncover the institution's secrets (of which he believes there are many) but that he has his own personal agenda for wanting to be on the Island - namely, to find another patient that he believes also resides there. - Someone who had a tragic affect on Daniel's life in the past.

Although this thriller wasn't a real heart-stopper for me, I loved the feel of the film and fully appreciated it's "classic film" style. With the wind and rain and waves crashing against the cliffs (accompanied by single note booming music) I was immediately reminded of movies like the original Cape Fear film. In my opinion, any movie that Scorsese makes showcases his knowledge and love of past films. And as I have already mentioned, I really liked how he incorporated his passion for this classic genre of film with special affects that are available to him now. In the film, there are dream sequences that are both bizarre and beautiful to the eye. And I thought they played well off of the dismal dark look of the rest of the movie.

As you would expect with a thriller movie, there are some twists and turns and people jumping out from the dark. I didn't find Shutter Island to be particularly scary but I liked how it built up the suspense of the story. As the movie approached the end, I was a little concerned about how it would all play out - hoping it wouldn't have a lame revelation or cliche explanation of events. And although I of course won't tell you the ending, I can say that even though you'll probably figure some stuff out before the conclusion, you won't be left completely disappointed. I wasn't. And I was especially pleased to see that Scorsese did not end this film with a shot of a rat running across a banister as he did in The Departed (which made me groan.)

So go see Shutter Island. Jump in your seat a couple of times and enjoy "the look" of another visually impressive Martin Scorsese film.

And The Oscar Goes To...

The nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards were announced yesterday...

I, like many others, was surprised a few months ago when I heard that this year there would be 10 "Best Picture" nominations. I know that was the tradition back in the 30s and 40s but it isn't something the Academy has done since then. I was especially confused by this announcement when I couldn't even think of 5 pictures from 2009 that I thought were worthy of great praise. (Even though I've raved about most of the films I've reviewed on this blog, that doesn't necessarily mean I think they deserve awards). So to resolve my confusion, I recently watched on Youtube the announcement about why the Academy chose to nominate 10 pictures this year. The spokesperson of the Academy stated that the 82nd Academy Award show was going to be a tribute to 70 years of film. And 70 years ago, in 1939, there were 10 films nominated for "Best Picture". He had the list of those ten films beside him and as he read them off, he asked "Looking back, which of these films could you now say were unworthy?" The movies from his list included: Gone With The Wind, Dark Victory, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Love Affair, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Ninotchka, Of Mice And Men, Stagecoach, The Wizard Of Oz and Wuthering Heights. (Wow! I thought. 1939 was a great year for film!) The spokesperson then went on to say "shouldn't we allow more films from the present day to also get the chance to receive such acknowledgement? " I thought about it and begrudgingly said okay. The theory is a good one but now show me what you've picked. Then yesterday the announcement was made.

The nominees for "Best Picture" in 2009 are...

Avatar, Up, District 9, Precious, Up In The Air, The Blind Side, A Serious Man, An Education, Inglorious Basterds and The Hurt Locker. My first reaction was 1939 kicked 2009's ass big time! My second reaction was I could easily pick 5 movies from the 2009 list that didn't deserve the acknowledgement -

Up - cute picture, but the best picture of the year? -no!

District 9 - interesting concept. I liked the documentary feel to it but then the story just got too weird.

The Blind Side - a feel good Rudy meets Erin Brocovich kind of family film.

An Education - a coming of age film that I don't know what all the hype is about.

A Serious Man - I haven't seen this one yet (I don't know a soul who has). I will see it and if I like it better than Precious than that one's off the list.

So ditching 5 movies was easy for me. Even the 5 movies I've kept on the "Best Picture" list aren't my favourite 5 but like I said before, I don't know if I could think of 5 movies that really wowed me this past year. Yes, I was visually impressed by Avatar. I thought Star Trek was really entertaining. And I had a lot of fun watching movies like Whip It and 500 Days Of Summer. But like I said in an earlier blog, I never found one great drama to really sink my teeth into.( Where's the Brokeback Mountains and Million Dollar Babies?) And aside from some great documentaries, there was nothing really original out there this past year that truly got me interested in their story. And I love a good story so that kind of depresses me.

But even though 2009 wasn't a great year for film (and I still think the Academy made a mistake in nominating 10 "Best Pictures"), there's still some happy endings to this year's Academy Awards for me...

-I couldn't be more pleased that Meryl Streep is nominated for the 16th time. (Can you believe she's only won twice?). I love her and I think she always deserves high recognition. Do I think she should have been nominated for Music of the Heart?- no. But, I think she can do anything. and to use a quote from one of my new favourite TV shows - "She could play Batman and be the right choice"

- I think Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hosting this year's show could be fun.

- I've got a new list of "must see" documentaries to watch before March 7th -Although I have been putting off watching The Cove and Food Inc. because I'll cry about Dolphins being killed and I will never want to eat again. Doubly troubling since I do like to eat when I'm sad. (So maybe I'll have to watch them in reverse order.)

-And I've got a whole other list of movies that I haven't heard about like Crazy Heart, The Messenger and The Last Station to check out. Who knows, maybe the drama I'm looking for will be found in one of these films. ( Probably not since none of them were nominated for "Best Picture". But I can always hope.)

So I'll do my research and watch some more movies (which is oh so hard for me to do). I'll do my Oscar picks and have fun following the show at my friend's house. I won't tell you who I think will win because I'm competitive and I'm part of an Oscar pool. But I will say that I think it's a pretty sure bet that "Achievement in Visual Effects" just might (maybe) (could) (possibly) go to Avatar. But that's just a guess.

Have fun at your Oscar parties!

And here's hoping 2010 brings us a better crop of films!

Avatar ****1/2 (rave)

Well I finally went out to see the movie about the blue people. You know the one...the movie that's breaking box office records all over the place. The one that claimed it would forever change how movies are made. The one written and directed by "the king of the world". I finally went because despite all of the hype (and James Cameron's arrogance about the film), friends of mine insisted I go see it in 3D and assured me I wouldn't be disappointed. So I paid my $15.50 for a matinee ticket, sat in a crowded theatre on a Sunday afternoon, put my 3D glasses on and then ... tried to keep my jaw from hitting the floor while my eyes and brain struggled to keep up with all the visual stimulus Avatar threw my way. Visually, this movie is nothing less than spectacular! It IS going to change how movies are made. And Cameron will once again make more money than anyone else and probably sweep up all the awards. (And I thought the folks of Hollywood couldn't hate him more than they already do)

If you are one of the two or three people who haven't seen Avatar yet, I'll tell you what it's about...It's set in the future and an ex-marine named Jake Sully is given an opportunity to go to a place called Pandora and partake in a mission that requires him to interact with the indigenous people there - the Na'vi. In the hopes that the Na'vi will accept the human intruders, scientists who are affiliated with the mission have created Human/Na'vi combined biological entities called "avatars" that the humans can control with their minds while lying in a white tomb-like box that's filled with some kind of gooey gel substance.

While the scientists Jake is working along side want a peaceful relationship with the Na'vi (as they collect samples of their organic world and study their traditions), the company funding the mission (with military back-up) have their own agenda. - to acquire a rich fossil resource that's on the planet. The company has grown tired of trying to "play nice" with the Na'vi and are on the brink of taking what they want by force. As Jake spends more time on Pandora in his avatar form, his loyalties to the company and the mission are tested when the conflict between the Na'vi and humans eventually comes to a head.

-To sum it up plainly...it's bad white people come to peaceful indigenous people to take what is not theirs. One of the bad white people is accepted by the tribe and he falls in love with the beautiful tribal princess. He then changes his ways and fights for what is good. Does this plot line sound a little familiar? Well it should...it's basically Pocahontas in space. (with a dash of Dances with Wolves thrown in).

But even though the story-line isn't that original, the way in which the story is told, is. The Pandora world that is created in this film is rich and multi-layered with all of it's beautiful plant life and bizarre creatures. And to see it all coming at you in 3D just heightened the experience of discovering this fantastical place. The CGI created Na'vi people/Avatars bring a whole new meaning to "special effects". You forget that they're not real and instead just try to keep up with their movements as they keep jumping off cliffs and flying on dragon-like birds.

There's not much to find fault with the movie Avatar. Even the messages of the film are good..."take better care of mother earth", "we're all interconnected", "energy is something that is borrowed and must be returned". And even though the film runs close to 3 hours, it really doesn't feel that long.

So in the end, I was glad I listened to my friends and saw this movie in 3D and on the big screen. The experience of Avatar just wouldn't have been the same otherwise. When the lights went up, and the crowded theater began to applaud (from people who had seen the movie for the first time or the tenth) I had to agree with them. Although it kind of pains me to say it...James Cameron deserves much applause for this film. Avatar is one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time.

UP IN THE AIR ***1/2 (rave)

So Christmas is over, my upset towards Google Ads has subsided and I'm getting ready to watch the Golden Globe Awards tonight. I thought it was time I wrote a new review and I chose a movie that I did see a little while ago. Seeing as it is nominated for a Golden Globe for "Best Picture", "Lead Actor" and "Supporting Actress" (both women from the film were nominated), it seemed fitting to write about what I thought about it tonight before the awards show began. Let's see if my prediction is true...

Up In The Air is directed by Jason Reitman (director of Juno) and stars George Clooney. Clooney plays a businessman named Ryan Bingham who works for a company that is hired by other companies to fire people. His downsizing job requires him to fly all over the United States to meet with complete strangers in a room and give them the worst news possible. Turns out Bingham, who narrates throughout the movie, loves his job and the travelling associated with it. He has no need for home or family and instead prefers a life of transition and the material perks that come with it. During the film, Bingham meets two women: Alex Goran (played by Vera Farmiga) a fellow traveller who describes herself as the female version of Bingham (i.e. shares his "no strings attached" life philosophy) and Natalie Keener, (played by Anna Kendrick) a young protege to the downsizing company who wants to modernize Bingham's job - make it even more impersonable- by replacing the face-to-face meetings (which requires him to travel) with web-cam meetings. Bingham, in an attempt to prove the young protege's business plan impractical (and preserve his lifestyle), takes Keener with him on his trips to fire people while simultaneously meets Goran in various stop-overs so they can develop their own type of "romantic relationship".

Although I really did like this movie, I had hoped to be blown away by it - which I wasn't. (I've been looking for one great drama film from 2009 to really sink my teeth into and unfortunately, that just hasn't happened). But that doesn't mean that Up In The Air isn't a good movie - it is! The style of the film is great. All kinds of little details are incorporated into the cinematography of the film that amplify Bingham's isolation and lack of "baggage". The acting is strong. I love George Clooney and I found his character very believable. Although I found Anna Kendrick's character, "Natalie", a little over the top sometimes, her resistance to Bingham's life philosophy created some great tension between the two of them and provided insight into both characters. I thought the "Alex Goran" character was exceptionally well portrayed. Vera Farmiga, in my opinion, has an ability to take a subtle, quiet character and make little nuances profound (she was a real standout for me in The Departed, as well). Another thing I really liked about the film was how all the small clips of the people who were getting fired had a strong impact. Even though these actors were only on screen for a very short period of time, the script and acting were strong enough for the audience to connect with them and care about their plight. (As a side note... seeing J.K Simmons play one of Bingham's victims was an unexpected pleasant surprise for me. Simmons, if you're unfamiliar with him, is a bald white guy who is always working in both T.V and film. -He's the guy that played a Nazi in the T.V show Oz, played a psychologist in Law and Order and presently plays the police chief in The Closer. And yet he still manages to get great film work-. Personally, I was very happy to see his face on the screen. Each character I see him play, reaffirms to me his incredible acting skills).

So with all the positive attributes I've mentioned about Up In The Air, you must be wondering "why wasn't I blown away by it"? Well, it really only comes down to a couple of things...Although I generally liked the pace of the film, I did find it slow in parts. In addition, I figured out a twist in the story line ahead of time so it didn't have the impact on me that I'm sure Reitman was hoping it would. And finally, although I liked the characters, my connection to them wasn't as strong or as lasting as I would have liked. I enjoyed the film but I don't know if I need to see it again. And for someone who does have a vast movie collection and owns many films that I like to watch over and over again, I was a little disappointed that this won't be one of them.

So my prediction with tonight's award show...although I believe Up In The Air deserves the many Golden Globe nominations it received, I don't think it'll win any of them.

Let's see if I'm right...