Movie Review: Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Directed by Peter Jackson
Starring Just About Everybody

I have no idea how many people that read this also follow me on Twitter (@bannedlibrary, catch banned fever.) If you do, you may be aware that on the 27th Day of January, year of Superman 2013 I did a day-long live tweet commentary of all three Lord of the Rings films, the extended editions.  Starting at approximately 8:00 AM and ending nearly 15hours later (I took a break for lunch and paused while doing chores and such), I finally went to bed around midnight.  If you want to find that chain of what I think are honest insights and humorous asides, I suggest you check that out for supplemental material.  Also, it may have my favorite thing I have ever tweeted (toot a horn here), when I said “Frodo: "I wish I hadn't found the Bling." Hobo Magneto: "Tough shit. Keep on truckin." #LOTR #FOTR”

Summary

For those of you who do not really “get” pop culture: A little dude has to take a bit of bling and chunk it into some lava.  He starts off with a bunch of people, but they become assholes and go start a war.  Everything ends up pretty okay after that.

What I liked

• The production

Look here.  This is a gorgeous set of movies that a lot of people took a lot of time to make sure looked freaking amazing.  The mix of practical and CGI is nearly perfect as giant monsters battle wizards and eagles swoop in and things go boom and stomp and crash.  The battle scenes alone are simply awesome in their scope.

• The acting

Three get full mention.  Frodo, Sam, and Gollum carry not only a ring but about half of this movie.  While they do have moments that stretch on forever, when their part of the story gets a boost and something happens besides walking, it is awesome.  Especially when Sam cries or Gollum talks to himself.
The two other hobbits.  The first two movies they are basic comic relief but show true growth and gravitas.  The actors are obviously good at what they do, but I feel this is more the writers and editors finding those moments of truth that made me ultimately root for them over everyone else.

• The moments of brilliance.

Can I stress that I watched these movies (about 11 hours worth) in one day?  I don’t have that kind of time to waste.  I have to write reviews and stuff and do library doings.  So why did I do it?  The moments.  Gandalf Vs the Balrog.  Sam Vs Shelob.  Smeagol Vs Gollum.  I am not sure how many of you have read the books, but they can be dry with moments of divine awesomeness.  The big battles and victories and defeats are what make this story.  As are the quiet moments when characters talk about giving up, losing hope, and letting things destroy them.  Sam crying.  Frodo and Gandalf talking.  Aragon not wanting his fate.  These could be the best movies in the world with the best actors, but the source material was mined for gold and gave a near perfect representation.  

What I didn’t like

• Long

I’m not gonna lie; there’s not much I do not like about this series.  But one thing I can say is that this sumbitch is llllooooonnnngggg.  It meanders at times as characters walk around and give lovely speeches that are either contradicted, dismissed or just given a big ole ‘whatever’ to as they go along.  And then the 15 or so endings that wrap up all the stories.  I can not say what I would have done different because, well, this is not my story, but I do know that if one more person had sang we could have had another soundtrack from the last thirty minutes alone.

Who would like this

Nerds.  Fantasy fans.  Film fans.  Fans of long, long epic stories.  People who like horses.  Jewelry nuts.  Numenoreans.

Why was it banned?

The reasons for banning the books are outlined here.  Mostly for violence, magic, witchcraft, death, smoking, you know.  All the cool stuff that Christians do not like.

Join me on Goodreads

Django Unchained Review

Django Unchained

Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Jamie Foxx, Leonardo Dicaprio and Christoph Waltz

Special Message 

I am going to try not to spoil this movie because I think everyone should see it at least once. However, as I will mention below, this movie contains some extremely offensive subject matter, the least of which is the violence.

Summary

Django is a slave in the pre-Civil War South freed by bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz. The two of them then begin a campaign to free Django’s wife from the slaver Calvin Candie.

What I liked

Tarantino style

If you are like me and enjoy the irreverent take Quentin Tarantino brings to just about every subject matter he handles, then you will enjoy this movie. At its essence, this movie is spaghetti western heist flick where the robbers are cornered from the very start. Instead of an intricate plan to free themselves, out come the guns and everybody suffers. Add into that all the best actors fitting together in the best parts and this movie shines.

It’s funny

All of Tarantino’s movies contain at least a moment of quirky humor or dialog brought on by the ridiculousness of the situation. This movie goes for some of the most direct and pure humor I have seen that I think this is almost an homage to Blazing Saddles as much as it is Sergio Leone. The bag-eye hole scene alone will be remembered in comedy for years to come.

Straight forward.

Look, there’s an elephant in the room and I am going to name him. Racism in the south. Yeah, it exists as it does everywhere, but none more so in the time when we bought and sold people. There’s a word thrown around in this movie that is still thrown around in unpolite society to this day. And this movie is filled to the brim with it. It does not shy away. There is not PC guard on this movie at all. As Blazing Saddles did before it, I just holds up a mirror to the society that was and goes, “Yeah. This happened and it was like this. Fucked up, huh?” And it was and it is. Hell, the real life implications are told so well they almost come off as comical, making this come as close to a work of art as comedy can get.

What I didn’t like

Three. Damn. Hours.

Let’s get this out there: I cannot tell if directors are hearing the complaints of rising ticket prices and want to give people a bang for their buck or what, but I would love to see a movie that tells a gripping story in 90 minutes. Just once. Now that I have said that, this movie does clip along and you only really feel the runntime in the last hour or thirty minutes or so. I am not one to say, “Hey, save that scene for the sequel,” but much like the bloated novels that have come from authors, there’s a couple editors out there that should be given a little more power over their genius creators.

Who would like this

Tarantino fans. Film scholars looking to pad a class or two referencing modern movies taking on old spaghetti westerns. College students finding meaning in blades of grass or whatever. I dunno who this was made for outside of Tarantino himself, but I had fun.

Why was it banned?

There’s been some controversy in reviews over this movie about it’s blatant racist tone, but it has not been outright banned anywhere that I know of. I would not take the bet that there is a theater somewhere that refused to carry it, but none have done so to spark anything that I can find.

Movie Review: Cabin in the Woods

Four friends go to a cabin in the woods for the weekend but things go horribly wrong due to the machinations of a higher power.

What I liked:

The concept of the story is great

This movie has a background concept where it deconstructs the horror genre without parodying it. Smartly written and directed, the movie has many things audiences have seen before portrayed in a whole new light.

Buckets of blood and surprises.

Make no mistake, even as a deconstruction, this is a horror movie and not for the feint of heart. Where Scream was also a horror deconstruction but rather tame, this goes all out and paints the walls red.

What I disliked:

"Twist" is told too early

I would have enjoyed a hold out of what is happening behind the scenes to the characters, but I can see how that would have annoyed audiences. A little more mystery would have gone a long way.

Some turns in character are too easily done.

As with the twist, this movie assumes a lot from the audience's suspension of disbelief. The filmmakers had me pretty early agreeing to go along with whatever they decided to do, but too easily could someone sit back and poke holes in various elements.

Hard to describe to others

Is it horror? Yeah, but not really. Like Scream? No, but kinda. Is it funny? Yeah, but really dark. Would I like it? I have no idea, but you should see it.

Who would like it:

Horror movie fans that like a meta concept.

Movie Review: Skyfall

 Movie Review: Skyfall 

James Bond is back in his twenty something outing as a super spy out to stop a bad guy from terrorizing the world.  Insert more generic James Bond plot information here.

What I liked:

Acting

The actors in this movie are giving it them all to create emotional and engaging characters. Daniel Craig is believable as an aging super spy beaten down by his job but still devoted to queen and country. Judy Dench is simply Judy Dench, full stop great acting that gives gravitas to her character's difficult portrayal by the screenwriters. Javier Bardem???? creates an engaging and enigmatic villian that holds his own against some of the best of the James Bond villains, a credible threat using dubious methods.

Visuals

A beautiful movie shot very well. Establishing shots are sweeping, character moments are surrounded by well crafted sets, and the action is clear and immediate.

Action

Speaking of the action scenes, they take even the most unbelievable situations and make them exciting and tense. If the movie did anything right, it was making the threats and the heroes active and violent without going over the top.

What I disliked:

Story

I am a James Bond fan and fan of spy films in general, so I am used to world in peril plots, but this movie fails to deliver. Halfway through, the plot gets almost thrown away and we are shoved into a movie about something else entirely.

Characterization

Ever wanted to watch a James Bond movie and utterly hate James Bond? This is the movie for you. Sure, he’s stood by and watched the people (i.e. Bondgirls) die before, but not like this, folks. This is super casual Bond-Don’t-Give-A-Shit.

Themes vs What happens

This movie is all about what happens when you live too long with a licence to kill. I think that’s what they were trying for, anyway. It becomes a violent, over-the-top kill fest with a less than memorable bad guy and a few twists that could have been avoided by turning off a flashlight.

Who is this for?

Die hard James Bond fans that don’t care about story.

Really excited for Iron Man 3 and Django Unchained. Will watch DH4 and Gangster Squad. Red Dawn will be great on TBS.

Hunger Games Movie Review

The Hunger Games Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Directed by Gary Ross

If you want to read my full summary and review, check out my book review. It’s really that close to the book. Just to put something here, I’ll give you the notes I took while watching with commentary. 

Because the following does have spoilers, I want to say that I really liked the movie. It stayed true to the character, plot and spirit of the novel. The violence was toned down (not a lot) and some subplots were removed, but nothing casual readers or people who never read the books will miss. 

 I read the book and the movie kicked ass. That never happens to me. Go see this one, you will have fun. Oh, but it is 2hr and 20 min, so don’t get the big soda.

*****Beware, Thar Be Spoilers*****

Opening, well done. I really liked how they set the atmosphere of District 12. They made it feel poor and desperate, almost Great Depression era, but at the same time have hints that this is the future.

Shakey cam. Holy crap, the camera floats like a butterfly, stings like a tracker jacker. Some might need vomit bags.

Gets pin, market A part that deviated from the book, she picks up the trademark mockingjay pin in the black market for some bird meat. It does not hurt the story, but eh..

Good touch, Duck There’s a small moment with Prim at the Reaping that kinda broke my heart.

Casting is awesome Everyone fits the parts well.

This looks like I imagined.

Almost not enough time in the rush to arena I kinda wanted to hang out in District 12 some more and get some character development.

exposition, exposition There’s a lot of talky talky that’s repetitive. But it is over quick and does keep reminding you of stuff that they don’t have time to show. They tell the entire story and give it a great treatment at 2hr 20min.

Took out Avox? Another departure that stuck with me and Katniss in the book but was forgettable enough to leave out.

Careers legal Another departure, apparently the Career Districts have stadiums where the train.

Meeting Peeta The meeting of Peeta and Katniss in flashback is changed slightly... I liked the real way, where he sees her starving then burns the bread and throws it out, but just throwing it out works.

 Scenes with Gamemaker Bigum departure from the book they beef up the role of game maker, taking the POV away from Katniss and into how the games actually are controlled, control room and all. I was a little turned off to be away from our heroine, but this pays off awesomely at the end.

Haymitch not... I never finished the thought, but I always imagined Haymitch as a Falstaff type, a big fat drunk with a sense of humor and a heart marked with tradgedy. Harrelson looks like he could go toe to toe with these kids (and kinda does).

Lenny Kravitz, ernest but likeable I guess he was like Jim Varney... Kravitz is not who I imagined as Cinna, but he works and does a great job. He was not as likeable as I would have wanted that character to be, but filled the role well.

Peeta not very charismatic or big enough. I liked the guy they have doing Peeta, but he is not the leader that is described in the book. He’s the arty guy and won me over but I think there could be better decisions made on how he approaches the character in future movies. Also, you would expect the guy that can throw 100lb sacks of flour to be a little beefier.

Cinna hid pig = book Okay I don’t know what the hell this means. Wait, no, I do. Cinna gives her back the mockingjay pin, not pig, just as she goes in the arena. Again, it tracks for story but there’s not a lot of mention of this item at all to be the symbol of the movie.

Did not set up mutated animals well Every time a new animal came on in the Arena, they cut to Caesar explaining what they were. While this happened a few times in the book, I remember mockingjays, tracker jackers, and nightlock being more Chekhov’s Guns in the narrative.

Cesar and the mines I don’t know what the hell this means. Really.

 

Great Rue POV Um... There’s a moment in the movie where the theatre got really dusty and I couldn’t see because my eyes were watering, but I think this scene was handled with wonderful visual style.

J.L. not singer? Our leading lady does not get the big song and dance number, but that’s okay.

Now Rebellion? There’s a couple of scenes implied in Catching Fire near the end. Spoiler Alert?

She stays pretty. Everyone in this movie has the crap beat out of them, but I guess Jennifer Lawrence was allergic to the dirt makeup or something because she stays fairly clean.)

 

VS

These are from about the same point in the movie.

Game makers omnipotent? The things they can do (forest fires, anmial attacks, etc.) seem to break natural laws. 

  

Action too close. All the fights are Bourne fighting. I was wondering half the time who was winning until everybody calmed down enough to die.

Cato long ass speech. There’s a lot of talking by our bad guys that I must have rushed past in the books.

Katniss meets Snow. The meeting in Catching Fire held some weight. That’s been taken away by this meeting some. Not much, but enough to matter.

So that’s all my notes. Overall, a fun experience. So help me God if any of you start that Team Peeta, Team Gale crap.  I'm Team Katniss and you people better just shut the hell up about your dumbass love triangles before I learn to use a bow and arrow.

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