Behemoth - Evangelion

Behemoth is an interesting act. The combination of their extreme style, front man and founder Nergal's vocals, and their obvious distaste for organized religion and Christianity in general make my enjoyment of their music something of a challenge. It is not often my faith is challenged up front like this. In any case, while our belief systems are clearly different, we are all free to follow (or not) who we want. It is something I have worked on reconciling over the years as I enjoy music and films that can contain some wild material that is at odds with what I believe. It will not change my faith, so long as that remains true, I feel freed and empowered to like some of the things I like. One of those things is the music of Behemoth and their latest album, Evangelion, is quite the strong work.

I was first introduced to Behemoth in 2006 with a reissue of their 1994 debut, And the Forests Dream Eternally. It was not my favorite, but it did scare me a little as it sounded like a low-fi compression of the voice of Satan. While I was not completely taken with what I heard, I was intrigued enough to see them live on the 2007 Radio Rebellion tour that saw them co-headlining with Job for a Cowboy. That performance along with the album Apostasy began to win me over as a fan. Yes, Nergal's anti-religion act got to me a little, particularly when he ripped up a Bible onstage to the delight of the crowd, but it was the music and not the antics which proved to be the draw.

Throughout Evangelion, this trio push their skills to the edge and deliver an engrossing experience that leaves me in awe of their abilities while simultaneously reinforcing the thought I am listening to the voice of Satan, perhaps not his words, but definitely his voice.



There are elements of black metal mixed with thrash metal and that combination rubs elbows with Gojira-esque sounds of slowed down doom. It is a great sound, one that challenges with deceptive complexity while getting you into a groove that makes you want to jump on the pit.

Evangelion opens with a punch to the face known as "Daimonos," a lyrical ode to Dionysus. It is not the best track on the album, but it does a good job of setting up what to expect as you move forward. That is followed by "Shemaforash," which keeps the pace high but brings a little more atmosphere. Still, while the first track is a punch to the face, this is a repeating kick to the gut.

It almost feels like they front loaded the album with the fast stuff and progressively slowed down as they moved through the album. This would initially sound like a bad thing, but hear me out. Beginning with the third track, the awesome first single "Ov Fire and the Void," the focus seems to shift from primarily speed to more complex arrangements that truly play off of their strengths and mix up the tempos leading to the 8-minute album-ender "Lucifer" and it is significantly slower pace than "Daimonos." Do not get me wrong, the speed is definitely still there throughout, it is just not the entire song. Just look at "He Who Breeds Pestilence" as a good example of mixing the two.

However you want to slice it, this album will drag you kicking and screaming through its 9 songs and 42-minutes of brutality. Their sound is distinctive, the musicians talented, and it is music that you will want to come back to. Nergal is a fascinating personality. I have heard interviews and he comes across as quite intelligent (not that I did not expect it) and a genuinely nice fellow with a deep love for music.

Nerga's dedication to craft shows through in his impressive guitar and vocal work. Having seen him live, it is easy to believe in his growls, as he would lift his head to open his throat to allow those deathly sounds erupt. Inferno is the man behind the drum kit and he basses with furious abandon with some nice double-bass work. Finally, Orion has his hands on the bass and makes sure the low end keeps moving forward. I admit his work did not stand out as much, but there is no doubt the role he plays in the thick wall of sound they create.

Bottomline. At some point I need to check out more of their back catalog. With that said, this is a fantastic album with just the right balance of technical prowess and brutality. Metal fans will want to seek this out.

Highly Recommended.

New Movies and Box Office Predictions: 12/4

This week's wide releases -
Armored
Brothers
Everybody's Fine
Transylmania
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

This week brings an interesting selection of movies to theaters all over the country. With five new movies arriving you would think it would be easy to pick a couple. However, there is only one title I consider a must see with three others as potentials, and the final one definitely avoidable. So, what is it going to be for the rest of you? Anything looking good?

Armored. (2009, 88 minutes, PG-13, action) Director Nimrod Antal follows up the effective horror of Vacancy with a crime/action film, which he is following up with a new Predator movie. This one looks like it could be fun, I hesitate to think it will be good, but I guess there is always hope, right? The movie centers on the drivers and security guards that work for an armored car service. The group has their eyes set on robbing their own truck of millions. The plan should go down without a hitch, but I guess they never do, do they? It looks to be fast paced and energetic. The cast includes Matt Dillon, Lawrence Fishburne, Amaury Nolasco, Fred Ward, Columbus Short, Skeet Ulrich, and Milo Ventimiglia.



Brothers. (2009, 110 minutes, R, comedy). This stars Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal as brothers. They actually look like they could be brothers, which is made funnier still by the fact that Gyllenhaal had been rumored to be replacing Maguire in Spider-Man prior to the third film. As for this one, from director Jim Sheridan, it tells the story of a drifter brother and a military brother. When military brother is believed killed in action, drifter brother moves in to help out his widow (Natalie Portman) and two young children. Things, as they are wont to do, never go according to plan. Military brother turns out to be not dead. Of course, this complicates matters...



Everybody's Fine. (2009, 95 minutes, PG-13, drama) This film is a remake of the Italian film I have never seen Stanno Tutti Bene. Robert Deniro stars as a widow who sets out on a spur of the moment road trip o visit his children and finds their lives are not what he was expecting. His children are played by Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore, and Sam Rockwell. This look s pretty good.




Transylmania. (2009, 92 minutes, R, comedy) Speaking of that movie to avoid, here it is. A motley assortment travel abroad for a semester of studies in a different culture. Guess what they find? That's right, a cheap looking comedy. This will die fast with nary a whimper.



Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orlenas. (2009, 121 minutes, R, drama/thriller) Sequel to the Harvey Keitel film? I do not know. What I do know is that this movie looks pretty darn fascinating. I mean the pairing of Nicolas Cage and director Werner Herzog alone is enough to get me in the door. Cage plays a substance abusing cop locked in a downward spiral as he investigates the murders of illegal immigrants. I am looking forward to checking this one out.



Also opening this week, but not near me:

• Serious Moonlight
• Up in the Air

Box Office Predictions
New Moon won its first two weekends. Can it take a third? Something tells me no. My first clue was the close finish it had with The Blind Side in week two. How will this weekend turn out? It does not strike me as a particularly strong one, with everyone waiting for the potential juggernaut Avatar on the horizon. I am going to go out on a limb and say The Blind Side takes number one in it third week of release. I am not sold on the strength of this week's new releases to climb to the top.

Here is how I think it could play out for the 3-day weekend.

Rank	Title	Box Office
1	The Blindside	$32 million
2	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	$26 million
3	Armored	$21 million
4	Brothers	$18 million
5	Everybody's Fine	$12 million
6	A Christmas Carol 3D	$8.5 million
7	2012	$8 million
8	Old Dogs	$7 million
9	Ninja Assassin	$6.5 million
10	Planet 51	$5.5 million

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Chrstmas! (1966)

I do not recall my first experience with the Grinch. The story and the animated special both existed well before I came into the picture, so I am guessing that I was pretty young when I first witnessed the Grinch scowling from his lair down upon the cheerful inhabitants of Who-ville. Well, whenever that original experience was, it became one of my most anticipated annual Christmas specials alongside Garfield and Charlie Brown. Each one of these shows heralded the arrival of the season and never failed to put a smile on my face. As I have gotten older some of the luster has dulled and I do not always catch them on a year to year basis, but when I do watch them I still get a little giddy. Yes, the child inside is still alive.

Everyone has their favorite Christmas special, perhaps it is one of those I mentioned or maybe something else like the Emmett Otter Jug Band Christmas or Mickey's Christmas Carol. I am not sure I have a favorite. They all deliver a different experience. However, there is something about the Grinch that makes it stand out from the crowd. That something is the incredible imagination of Dr. Seuss. Now, combine his skills with the word and the pen with the talents of animator Chuck Jones, who directed this special and is the man behind a good number of classic Looney Tunes shorts, and you have a magical combination to bring something very special to the screen.



It is undeniable that How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a classic. I also feel fairly certain that you are all familiar with the story, either through the book, this special, or through the Ron Howard/Jim Carrey live action film. Each of them are a little bit different, but the live action film is undeniably the biggest departure. If your sole experience is through the film, allow me to suggest you get your hands on the book and/or this release and get a better look inside Who-ville and their Who's Christmas experience.

Now, since we all know about the Grinch's distaste for Christmas and his attempts to take it away from Who-ville, so I will not go into a recap. Instead, let's take a look at this new home video release and see if it is worth the upgrade. Without even looking I wholeheartedly recommend picking it up if you do not already own it. Don't have Blu-ray yet? Don't fear, like a lot of Disney releases it comes with the DVD version as well.

The video definitely looks better than the last home video release I saw (the 2000 DVD release). There is less evidence of dust and other marks that appeared previously. The high definition transfer is bright, crisp, and speckle free. It is probably the best it has looked since its original broadcast. However, this image comes with a price that may not sit well with everyone.



The Grinch has gone from a pale brownish color to bright lime green. Quite a drastic change, no? The Grinch is not the only big change, a lot of the colors are much brighter and definitely a different shade from what we have grown accustomed to. This is a change that fans may not care for. I was not distracted by the differences, in fact, the improved contrast, brightness, and detail outweighed any sadness I found in the color changes.

A little research reveals that the new look is in line with the artists original intention, shown by the original film negatives. The colors many of us have grown to love have been more a result of aging prints.

While the video received a definite upgrade, the audio did not get the same treatment. There is no HD or lossless audio to be found, instead we are treated to the same stereo track from the DVD. It is not bad, but it does sound like an old track. It does not have a lot of range and is a bit on the muffled side. It still does the job and sounds fine, bu it seems somewhat lacking when you factor in the video upgrade. It brings to mind those television broadcasts, but I would have liked something more.



The release has a host of extras ported over from the DVD release

• Audio Commentary. June Foray(voice of Cindy Lu Who) and Phil Roman (animator) are on this track. They have a nice, easy chemistry. It is not the most informative but it is an enjoyably listen.
• Dr. Seuss and the Grinch: From Whoville to Hollywood (16 minutes). This has some good information regarding Seuss, his inspirations, and his creations, but it is joined by an awful rap song. Who thought that was a good idea?
• Songs in the Key of Grinch (8 minutes). Composer Albert Hague and "Tony the Tiger" vocalist Thurl Ravenscroft talk about working on the show. This is quite interesting as both speak candidly about their involvement.
• Song Selections. Want to listen to the songs without watching? Use this to select a song to listen to: "Opening Song," "Trim Up the Tree," "Welcome, Christmas," and "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch."
• "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" Special Edition (19 minutes). This originally aired on TNT back in 1994. Hosted by Phil Hartman, the documentary is a little corny looking and feels dated, but it still has some interesting information, particularly with Chuck Jones.
• Who's Who in Whoville. Text-based bios for Chuck Jones, Dr. Seuss, Boris Karloff, and June Foray.
• Grinch Pencil Test. A three storyboards that trace back to the original production. A few more would have been nice.
• Bonus Copies of the Film. A standard DVD version of the film is included and that has a Digital Copy as well. This is nice, but it is not iPod compatible and in order to get it you need to install a proprietary bit of software. What's the point?
• Slipcover. I usually do not mention things like this, but the slip cover is coated in glitter to simulate snow. Before you know it, it is everywhere. This is one cover that will likely find its way to the garbage can soon enough.

Bottomline. Like I said, if you do not have this, get it. If you have the DVD and are happy with it, you may wish to think about the upgrade. This is the only one I own and I am glad that I do. This is a delightful Christmas special that should be seen every year. It is sweet and inventive and just a lot of fun.

Recommended.

The Road

Over the years, there have been countless films that deal with post-apocalyptic settings. I know I have seen my share. There are good ones and bad ones, and ones that there for no particular reason than someone thought they would be good. Most of them have some sort of gimmick or higher concept that pushes them forward. I Am Legend has the zombie things, The Postman has the mailman, Mad Max has its cars, and Cyborg has, well, a cyborg. It seems that all of them have something that pushes them away from reality. They all strive for realism, but that is very different than being real. I believe this is because you want to be entertaining, being real in a post-apocalyptic setting is a disturbing concept that runs the risk of sucking the escape out of the experience and that is not good business for the suits with the funds.

Enter director John Hillcoat (The Proposition) and screenwriter Joe Penhall (Enduring Love). This duo set their eyes on Cormac McCarthy's novel, The Road. McCarthy also wrote the novel that became the Oscar winning No Country for Old Men. I have not read any of his books, but they seem to be complex works that cannot be easy to adapt to the big screen, although given the right creative team can be terribly effective.



The Road is the story of an unnamed father and son traveling along the road in a post-apocalyptic landscape attempting to survive by any means necessary. It is a film of uncompromising vision. It goes for the jugular and does not let go. This is not to say it is a thrill a minute rollercoaster ride, but it is one that engages the viewer on an emotional level from the start. It is a slow burn from start to finish with moments of genuine emotion, fear, love, anger, sympathy, the whole range of human feeling is contained within.

The film takes place in the near future after some unspecified disaster (war? meteor? global warming?) leaves the nation (world?) a wasteland. It does not matter what happened, all we need to know is that something does. It takes the wildlife, plants, animals, everything. Gone. Food is scarce and the people that are left wander, scavenging for food, or join roving gangs, or take to cannibalism, or some combination of the above. Father and son are two of the good guys, they struggle to retain what it is that makes them people, carrying the fire that keeps that human part of themselves alive.

Yes, I said cannibalism. No, it is not what you are thinking. We have all seen the pot-apocalyptic movies that have a gang of wild-eyed survivors with their charismatically evil leader and outfits made of animal furs and leather go about leading their troops to a potential human snack. Here it is more of a mention, an allusion, dealt with in a manner that makes all the more real.



Therein lies the thing that make The Road so effective. This is an endlessly bleak and depressing film that brings real to its reality. It not only creates its own cinematic reality to exist in, it brings the real world with it. As I left, silently, I could not help but feel that I saw a potential future for our world. The vision that played across the screen felt so genuine. I feel pretty safe in saying that this could be the most realistic portrayal of a post-apocalyptic world ever brought to the screen.

The look is authentic. The sky no longer offers any sunlight, perpetually overcast. Whatever happened also brought the demise of flora and fauna. The trees are dead and there are no animals to be found. Cities and towns are burned out husks, roads and highways are crumbling, and when you hear someone else coming, your first thought better be about hiding. You never know who may be coming around the corner.

Aside from the look and the authenticity of the production, it tells an amazing story about father and son trying to survive these harsh conditions. Viggo Mortensen plays the man and Kodi Smitt-McPhee is the boy. He is stubborn, wary, and protective while the boy (who did not know the world before the apocalypse) is innocent, trusting, and honest. Together they grow, change, and react with and to each other. The relationship is heartbreaking. He so wants to protect his son from the harsh world while preparing him for when he is alone while the boy wants nothing more than to be with his father.

On top of them being the only company they have, we learn a little more via flashbacks where meet mother and wife (Charlize Theron). It is clear something happens to her, which I will not spoil here, suffice to say there is a moment when they must choose to cling to the past overcome to grips with it that plays in an achingly quiet fashion that cannot be ignored.



And the performances? Wow. Viggo Mortensen brings such resolute sadness to the nameless man. He is determined to keep moving, keep surviving. However, he recognizes there is no hope, yet still moves forward for the sake of his son who is everything to him. Kodi Smitt-McPhee captures an amazing amount of innocence as he latches onto every piece of hope he can find. The two have such great chemistry that it is easy to believe their relationship and the hard things they have to go through.

One of the things that really cements their relationship is voice over early on where the man says that he believes his son to be the voice of God, and if he isn't then God has never spoken to us at all. I cannot recall the exact line, but the moment and the way it relates to their arc affected me. You will see it when see the movie.

I sat in the theater transfixed by what was unfolding in front of me. My emotions were destroyed by what did unfold. It is a film that demands to be seen. While it has that demand, it is not an easy view. This is entertainment, yes, but it is also a character study. It is impossible not to be affected.

Bottomline. This movie gets a little higher in my estimation the more I think about it. It is the sort of movie that has many layers to it. There is always something more to see. It also does not go so far as to tell you everything. You can fill in the blanks of the world around them (similar to Children of Men). John Hillcoat is to be commended for tackling such difficult material and delivering it in such a powerful manner.

Highly Recommended.

Box Office Update 11/27-11/29: New Moon Nearly Blind Sided

This weekend turned out to be a little different than I was expecting. Film's dropping more than I expected, new films opening below expectations, and one movie making a surprise appearance in the top ten. On one hand some of my faith in the film going public has been restored, just a little bit. On the other hand I am rather surprised at how some of these films fared, both good and bad.

At the top of the pile, as expected, The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The juggernaut has cruised past the double century mark and seems to have a good chance to at least come close to $300 million. That said, it did suffer a 70% drop from its debut weekend, finishing near the $43 million mark. I have not seen the film and therefore cannot comment on its quality, but I an say that I am surprised that the drop was quite this steep. Considering how huge it opened, a big drop was to be expected, but I still expected it to top the $50 million mark. I am curious to see if this sequel's success carries over to the third film, Eclipse, slated to open in June.

Coming in a close second is the inspirational drama The Blind Side. I must say that this one is a big surprise. Who would have thought this movie would increase its take in its second weekend and challenge for the top spot? Certainly not I. I have heard good things about the film and about Sandra Bullock's performance. Still, I cannot say that I have a lot of interest in seeing it. Perhaps one day I will catch up with it.

Roland Emmerich's latest disaster epic keeps chugging along with another $17 million and a third place finish. It is nearing $140 million domestically. Doesn't sound like much for a film with a $200 million budget, does it? Well, consider that it has taken in more than $450 million internationally. Now that is insane!

Fourth place features one of the week's new releases. Old Dogs limped to a $16 million take. I say limped as I was expecting it to pull in double that. I am happy to see that it did not do as well as I expected. The movie just looks bad and most of the reviews seem to confirm that sentiment.

Skipping down a space we come to another new release, Ninja Assassin. This one finished up about where I expected it to. Despite how much fun I had with it or how good I think it is, it is still a movie with limited appeal. That said, if you like fast paced bloody action in a B-movie setting, Ninja Assassin delivers.

Move all the way down to the bottom portion of the list you will find the two best films of the top ten. In ninth place is Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox, a delightful stop-motion animated take on the Roald Dahl story of the same name. There is something about this movie that is absolutely captivating. Following behind it is a movie that can suck the joy out of just about anything. The Road is an amazing film that left me emotionally destroyed. It is possibly the most accurate look at a post apocalyptic world yet seen on the screen. These are two films well worth your attention.

As for next week? Nimrod Antal's new film, Armored, takes a bow and it looks like fun if not all that special. Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhall play brothers with Natalie Portman in the middle in the Jim Sheridan directed drama Brothers. Thirdly is the Robert Deniro holiday movie Everybody's Fine. This one looks pretty good, hopefully it will deliver.

Four movies dropped off the list this week: The Men Who Star at Goats (11), Couples Retreat (14), Michael Jackson's This Is It (16), and The Fourth Kind (19).

This Week	Last Week	Title	Wknd Gross	Overall	Week in release
1	1	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	$42,870,031	$230,947,696	2
2	2	The Blind Side	$40,111,364	$100,238,841	2
3	3	2012	$17,651,729	$138,451,427	3
4	N	Old Dogs	$16,894,511	$24,228,546	1
5	4	A Christmas Carol 3D	$15,758,273	$104,927,816	4
6	N	Ninja Assassin	$13,135,000	$21,193,565	1
7	4	Planet 51	$10,218,641	$28,487,409	2
8	6	Precious	$7,081,032	$32,433,482	4
9	24	Fantastic Mr. Fox	$6,965,267	$10,024,072	3
10	N	The Road	$1,502,231	$1,977,453	1

Box Office Predictions Recap
What an interesting weekend. I did not do particularly well. I am guessing it had to do with the long weekend and my inability to predict what people are going to go see. Still, I am surprised at how the weekend played out, with New Moon slipping more than I expected, Old Dogs arriving DOA, and The Blind Side taking a step up and nearly taking down the teen vampire romance. Fascinating.

Here is how the field matched up:

Actual	Prediction	Title	Wknd Gross	Prediction
1	1	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	$42,870,031	$51 million
4	2	Old Dogs	$16,894,511	$32 million
2	3	The Blindside	$40,111,364	$21 million
3	4	2012	$17,651,729	$14 million
6	5	Ninja Assassin	$13,135,000	$12.5 million
8	6	Precious	$7,081,032	$11.75 million
5	7	A Christmas Carol 3D	$15,758,273	$10 million
9	8	Fantastic Mr. Fox	$6,965,267	$9.5 million
7	9	Planet 51	$10,218,641	$8 million
11	10	The Men Who Stare at Goats	$1,501,837	$2 million

DVD Pick of the Week: Better Off Ted

Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.

Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles, and what follows are not necessarily reviews, but opinions based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.

Better Off Ted: The Complete First Season. This is a fun series that I look forward to returning. It centers on a fictional (duh) research and development company and gives us an inside look at the various projects that go wrong and the variety of characters that inhabit the office. In a way it is like The Office, but in a slightly more standard sitcom format. Where it really wins is in the clever and humorous writing that captures a sort of heightened reality. Definitely worth checking out.

Terminator: Salvation (also Blu-ray). I was really looking forward to this movie, although it was not without some trepidation, I mean McG was directing it after all. The film is an interesting new chapter in the franchise, despite it not being exactly what we wanted. It is a movie that has a good dose of action and a few good ideas adrift in a sea of poor execution. It does have John Conner and a host of Terminator bad guys, but this future is not all its cracked up to be. It is worth checking out, just try not to get your hopes up.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (also Blu-ray). I enjoyed the first film, it is not the greatest thing in the world, but it was fun and had a certain magical whimsy to it. The sequel feels tired and overstuffed. The new locale finds familiar characters doing familiar things while the rules got left behind in New York. Ben Stiller looks like he doesn't want to be there and that sense of magic is lost. The one bright point is Amy Adams who brings an enjoyable sight to the screen as Amelia Earhart.

Snatch (Blu-ray). One of Guy Ritchie's better efforts finds British gangsters, boxing promoters, Russians, Jewish jewelers and a diamond fighting for attention. It arrives on high definition and hopefully will look pretty good.

Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (Blu-ray). Step back a bit farther and we get to Guy Ritchie's auspicious debut, which also introduced the world to Jason Statham. It centers on four guys who put all their money into a high stakes poker game, lose, and find themselves deep in debt to mobsters who are not all that friendly. It is here in time to help us get ready for Ritchie's next film, Sherlock Holmes.

The Green Mile (Blu-ray). I have not seen this movie in such a long time. Never would have guessed this was a Stephen King adaptation. It tells the story of death row guards and their lives leading up to the execution of an inmate accused of child murder who is capable of faith healing. Sounds like a perfect holiday gift!

Paper Heart (also Blu-ray). I missed this when it was in theaters, hopefully I can now catch it on home video. It is a mockumentary centering on Charlyne Yi's search for the meaning of love. Along the way she meets Michael Cera and the unexpected happens. That is an awful description, but the movie still looks pretty good!

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson has played with animation in the past (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) but never has he created an entirely animated film. This does not seem to have been a problem for the talented writer/director. The target this time out is the 1970 Roald Dahl novel Fantastic Mr. Fox. Anderson has taken the tale of a fox's fight with a trio of nasty farmers and translated it into stop motion animation. The end result is a mesmerizing film that is unlike anything that has been on the screen this year. That is not to say it is my favorite, but there is definitely something about the movie that makes it very easy to be drawn into.

Wes Anderson is an interesting filmmaker. He is someone whose films I tend to admire and enjoy to a certain level although I cannot be called a fan. There is always something about them that turns me off. I went into Fantastic Mr. Fox hoping not to have a repeat of my experience with The Darjeeling Limited two years ago. I was happy to discover how much I ended up enjoying this one. I am not sure I got any deep meaning out of it, but the style and Anderson's quirky sensibilities combined into an animated stew that just clicked. It made me laugh, it made me smile, it thoroughly entertained me. It does not hurt that we do not get that many stop-motion animated films.



I overheard a funny comment as my screening began. It sounded like the voice of a teenager. As the film started and we see Mr. Fox standing on a hill with his wife walking towards him the voice says: "That looks so fake." It struck me as an odd comment. Were they expecting a realistic movie about talking animals? The movie is clearly a fantasy and it works great as is. The stop motion gives it an otherworldly feel that suits Anderson's inherent quirkiness.

The story centers on Mr. Fox (George Clooney). He is a fox who specializes in stealing birds from farmers. His life is thrown for a loop when he learns that he is going to have a cub with Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep). This necessitates a change in his life to something a little less dangerous. Of course, you can move the fox from the wild but you cannot take the wild from the fox.

We pick up life with Mr. and Mrs. Fox and their son Ash (Jason Schwartzman). Ash is a weird kid and Mr. Fox keeps longing for his old days of thieving birds. Also in the mix is Ash's talented cousin Kristofferson and a collection of other woodland critters including an opossum, badger, and a rat.



At this point let us welcome Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, a trio of nasty farmers that are near the animal community. Mr. Fox sees their farms as the perfect arena to stage his clandestine comeback to bird thievery. Of course, things go sideways and his actions draw the farmer's attention to their community.

The plot is pretty straightforward. What livens it up is the visual inventiveness. Wes Anderson shot the film with a Nikon D3 DSLR camera at a frame rate of 12 per second. Normal film is 24 frames per second, so cutting that rate gives the film a slightly jerky feel that makes you notice the style. Normally you would think that would be a bad thing, but it works here. It adds to different feel that this film has.

Fantastic Mr. Fox also is a triumph of design. The sets are sparse but brightly colored and the characters take center stage. I love the visual quirks Anderson injects. Things like Mr. Fox acting calm and rather human like before tearing into his meal like a wild animal and the hissing argument between Mr. Fox and the Badger that has two circling each other. These are just a couple of examples of what you will find.



The adaptation was performed by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale). How accurate it is, I cannot say as I have not read the book. In the end, I guess it does not matter as it works as it is. It is a complete tale that is engrossing an involving. It is clever in it's execution. For example I loved it when they were swearing and used the word "cuss." Stroke of genius.

The voice work is generally strong with most of the voices turning in solid work with a few stepping above and beyond. George Clooney and Meryl Streep were quite good playing their roles nicely. Then there are Jason Schwartzman and Wallace Wolodarsky as Ash and Kylie, respectively, they were fantastic bringing their respective characters to the proverbial next level.

As enjoyable as it is, I felt that I was kept at arm's length for most of the running time. I loved watching the endless creativity, but I never felt completely involved with their tale. This is a running trend with my Wes Anderson experience. It was a smaller gap this time around, but it was still there and in the end did a little damage to my overall experience. Fortunately, it was not so drastic as to ruin the film for me. I still loved the movie and have no qualms in recommending it.

Bottomline. Endlessly creative film won me over while never genuinely connecting with me. Good voices, great visual flair, and a fun story all make this a movie that is fun and original. If you want to smile and see something that is not a part of the Hollywood machine and is for the whole family, this is it.

Recommended.

Ninja Assassin

Here is a film that by most standards for quality is not a "good" film. This brings me to the classic defense for someone who is ashamed of a movie they like. You know the line, you have probably used it yourself on occasion. That line is: "It's not a good movie, but it is fun." To me, this has been revealed as more of a cinematic short hand to say that the movie has no hopes of Oscar gold, but still proves to be an entertaining movie that I did not mind sitting through. In other cases it can be used o describe a guilty pleasure. However, if you liked the movie they did something right and this makes it inherently good. Ninja Assassin is one of those movies.

I sat there thoroughly entertained and wanting to watch it again. So, while I can sit here and say it is not a good movie, I would be lying. By the fact that I liked it, it is a good movie. That said, I do not expect everyone to agree with me. There is plenty of bad dialogue and the non-ninja story is downright lame, these indicator would point towards the film being not good. However, take those elements and combine them with a classic ninja/martial arts plot, some wild action, and a ton of blood (albeit CGI blood), and a bit of a throwback feel balance out the bad elements and make this an absolute blast.



Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), and written by Matthew Sand, with rewrites by J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5). Also on board with the Wachowski brothers on board as producers, who know their way around inventive action. With this talent, Ninja Assassin delivers high octane action in a fashion not seen on the big screen in some time.

I do not recall the last time I saw legitimate ninja action on the big screen. More often than not it is some variation on the kung fu movie. American screens have probably not seen this brand of action since the ninja craze back in the early 1980's. This makes it all the more appropriate that the film features old school ninja legend Sho Kosugi.

The story of Ninja Assassin? Straightforward as they come. There are two sides to the story. On one hand there is a Europol (is that a real organization?) investigation by a young researcher named Mika (Naomie Harris) into a series of assassinations she believes to have been committed by ninjas based on money transfers. She digs deeper into the case with the help of her boss, Maslow (Ben Miles). Of course, the more they uncover, the more danger crops up around them. This plays out in typical conspiracist fashion. Nothing particularly special and probably would have been better off if it had not been there.



The other story is the one that makes the movie tick. It provides the real thrust of the film and if it had been fleshed out a little bit more would have been all the story that was necessary. It centers on Raizo (Rain), an orphan taken in by the Ozuno clan and trained in the way of the ninja. The orphan works hard to master the skills required but when he is betrayed, he turns on the clan and flees. This makes him a target even as he turns his not inconsiderable talents on the clan.

Ninja Assassin's story is slight, never developing past the surface. It is what it is, when it comes right down to it, we are not here for the story. Although, it has to be said that a good story will always help. What helps here is Rain's ability to be quietly interesting. He is not great, but he is able to accomplish plenty while doing very little. The other element that helps the story out is Sho Kosugi, the man embodies the evil of the film and is terribly good at it. You will not be able to look away.



You want to know what makes Ninja Assassin successful? Easy. It is all about the ninja action. The action is fast, brutal, and wild. The very first scene of the movie gives you an idea of what to expect. Ninjas melt out of the darkness and inflict their damage quickly and with great amounts of blood. Of course, the blood is CG, but I got over that pretty quickly as the action is wild. Ninja fights are often hard to see, but you see enough to get what they are doing and it works quite well.

Something that helped this film is the authenticity of action. The filmmakers sought out trained martial artists, parkour experts, and gymnasts in an effort to make everything more realistic. There is little wire work here, the majority of what you see is actually being performed. It is a breath of fresh air in this age of wires and CG touch ups.

I really enjoyed this film. It delivers what it promises and that is all I could have asked for. High energy, fast pacing, and plenty of ninja dismemberment. Although, I have to wonder what it may have been like had a director like Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus, Azumi) at the helm. No matter, I still get a blast out of this.

Bottomline. I will make no apologies for liking this movie. You may hear me say "It's not a good movie, but I like it." and you will know what I mean when I say it. I use the short hand to make it palatable to your ears, but make no mistake, I like this movie. The action is fantastic, the dialogue cheesy, and the experience a blast.

Recommended.

Planet 51

Earlier this year Monsters vs. Aliens graced the big screen and attempted to reinvent the feel of 1950's era science fiction for a new era as an animated film. The results were a mixed bag. It had moments of humor, a few clever moments, but in the end it was mediocre at best. Now we have another film seeking to bring a new look to one of science fiction's greatest decades in animated form. Planet 51 takes all that we know about 50's science fiction and sends it spiraling through the looking glass. The result is a fun movie that does not break any new barriers but it does provide a more consistently entertaining experience.

From the opening moments of Planet 51, the audience is bombarded with references to classic science fiction films like The Day the Earth Stood Still, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, and War of the Worlds. There is even a running gag referencing a more recent creation, Alien. These references are folded in and kneaded into a dough comprised of 1950's-era sensibilities. These are then filtered through more modern sensibilities crafting a film that is part homage and part spoof.



Planet 51 opens promisingly enough with an alien teen couple parking for a little alone time only to be interrupted by an alien attack. This is immediately followed by an all out military attack. The scenes are instantly recognizable as pseudo-recreations from other films. From here we meet our main character, Lem (voiced by Justin Long). He has recently gotten a part time job and does not believe in aliens. Little does he know that his life and beliefs are about to be shaken to their core.

One idyllic afternoon the aliens (well, I guess where they are they aren't aliens, are they?) activities are interrupted by a spaceship landing in one small town. Emerging from the ship is Captain Chuck Baker (voiced by Dwayne Johnson). His path crosses that of Lem's and together they must avoid the pursuing military and get Chuck back to his ship before time runs out.



Sure, there is a little more to it than that, but not much. Planet 51 is not a movie destined to have a great impact on the genre. It is also the sort of movie that can be picked apart by those who demand to have logic rule their movies. However, for those of us who still know how to enjoy a movie for its entertainment value, Planet 51 delivers. It is a movie whose sole purpose is to make you smile and let you leave the theater with a little childlike happiness.

It is a difficult task to balance entertainment targeted at the younger set with content that will entertain their parents. Planet 51 succeeds at playing that line. It is not exactly sophisticated like, say, recent Pixar offerings, but then again what is? This movie takes those elements that made many of us fall in love with the genre in the first place and marries it with a lighthearted nature and slapstick comedy for the youngsters. It may not be the smartest movie around, but it will make the young ones laugh and the adults will enjoy seeing a twist on the movies they grew up on.



The movie was directed by Jorge Blanco with co-directors Javier Abad and Marcos Martinez. All three of them making their directorial debuts. They do a fine job of keeping the movie moving and injecting a sense of energy and fun into the proceedings. They worked from a screenplay by Joe Stillman (Shrek, Shrek 2). The screenplay is not the tightest, some things seem a little silly at times and other times character actions do not appear logical. Still, it does the job. The fun factor helps one gloss over some of the not so hot moments.

The voice cast does decent work. None of it stands out as spectacular, but they all do their roles well. Joining Justin Long and Dwayne Johnson are the likes of Jessica Biel, Seann William Scott, Gary Oldman, and John Cleese. My only question here is where is Patrick Warburton? He would seem like a must for this project. Oh well, maybe the sequel.

Bottomline. High art? No. But who cares? They set their sites on a 1950's era inspired science fiction and succeeded in their goal. It is briskly paced and filled with enough references to make the old fan smile and enough goofiness to make the youngsters laugh. Sit back and enjoy.

Recommended.