Ed's Review Dot Com

Walt Disney Pictures, Tim Burton Productions, Infinite Detective

Eva Green, Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Nico Parker, Finley Hobbins, Kamil Lemieszewski, Alan Arkin, Joseph Gatt, Sandy Martin, Sharon Rooney, Deobia Oparei, Roshan Seth, Jo Osmond, Jessie Vinning, Douglas Reith

Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) was once a circus star, but an injury during his service in the war drastically changed him. The owner of the circus, Max Dedici (Danny DeVito) is struggling to survive, but when his new elephant has a baby elephant, he hires Holt to take care of them. But the newborn has enormous ears, and Max is really angry because the oversized ears make the elephant a joke and he is the laughing stock of the circus industry. But there is more to Dumbo than just his giant ears, and with the help of a partner and a high wire artist, Collette (Eva Green) Dumbo may be a star after all and save the circus. This is the Tim Burton live action version of the original Disney 1941 animated film, Dumbo.

Tim Burton really put his touch on this movie, changing, and adding a lot to the original movie. First there are rules. The primary one is that animals do NOT talk in real life, so so talking mice, talking crows, or talking elephants. But there is a lot of tribute and homage to the original film, and though the music is not a primary part of this movie, unlike the animated film, it is used wisely and adds a lot to the movie. I was not completely blown away, as some of it was rather odd (with Tim Burton at the helm, how could that not be true), but I still really enjoyed the experience, and I do like these live action versions of the classic cartoons. Colin Farrel was really good in his role, and this was one of the highlights of the movie. This is a new character, and the emphasis on the cast of sideshow freaks is a also something that was added, but with a full length film, a lot has to be added. The original cartoon was only one hour long which won’t cut it in the theater today. All in all, I really enjoyed the film, and I think it was a relaxing evening watching this film. I recommend this one for the whole family.

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American Zoetrope, FR Productions,

Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, Oona Laurence, Angourie Rice, Addison Riecke, Emma Howard, Wayne Pére

Corporal John McBurney is a Union soldier in the last stages of the Civil War who was injured, but lay dying in a forest from his wounds. He’s found by a little girl who brings him to where she lives, an all girl school run by Miss Martha (Nicole Kidman) and the teacher, Edwina (Kirsten Dunst). Miss Martha does her best to patch him up, but as he begins to make a recovery, whether to turn him over to the Confederates as a prisoner or to allow him to recover in the Virginia Mansion becomes a hard question, especially when he’s the only man in a house filled with females. Trouble is sure to follow.

I got to see an early screening of this film on July 4th, and my wife has been very anxious to see it after seeing the previews. I had no knowledge of the 1971 Clint Eastwood version of this film, and it looked like a really decent period romantic drama set in a southern plantation during the war. But as the movie started and the name Sofia Coppola, Director scroll across the screen as feeling of dread struck me in the gut. I turned to my wife (There were only about 5 of us all together in the theater) and whispered, “Oh no!” Dear Sofia has ruined a great many good stories, and this was wasn’t any different. What a terrible disappointment. With such an amazing cast, Colin Farrell, Nichole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, there is tons of talent. The concept of a Union soldier recuperating in a southern mansion filled with women and girls is a great concept, but nothing much develops. I don’t know if there’s nothing in the script, or if it’s just really, really bad editing that makes this such a boring film, but it’s a major bore. The Confederate soldiers show up a couple times with a bunch of kids and a Union deserter hiding out and NOTHING happens. Then the end is extremely unsatisfying with a big dramatic setup for the finish that fizzles out like a dud. There is some hope that something major is going to occur in the ending, but it’s such a soft pedal that it’s completely unworthy of the story. This is a really sad missed opportunity and a real mess of a movie. I have a feeling that this movie, when it finally is released, is going to fizzle just like the ending of the film. all in all, from now on I’m going to stay far away from anything directed by this person. I was really disappointed. I’m going to try to find the 1971 film, to see what was done with the story on that attempt, and if I can find it, I will let you know if it suffers with the same problems that the remake has, but I can hardly think it could be any worse. . I recommend that you skip this one!

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Heyday Films, Warner Bros.,

Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Ezra Miller, Carmen Ejogo, Jon Voight, Ron Perlman, Jenn Murray

Newt (Eddie Redmayne) is a wizard and a writer who arrives via ship at New York City to meet with another wizard about some additional fantastic beasts he is interested in. Newt is carrying a leather briefcase with some of these creatures inside. But when some escape, he quickly finds that the wizarding world in America is much more hidden and repressed than it is in England. The Americans have outlawed fantastic beasts of any kind, so Newt is in trouble when first of all he doesn’t erase the memory of a muggle (or No-Maj as they call them in the US) on top of having some of the beasts escape, so he is pulled before the tribunal for punishment. But they don’t realize the danger that they are in, and they may need Newt’s expertise in saving the whole city.

This film is a spin-off of the Harry Potter series of books written by J.K.Rowling and made into an entire series of movies. This takes places decades before Harry, Hermione, and Ron, and tells the story of the writing of one of the text book studied by Harry at Hogwarts. Newt Scamander is credited as the author of one of the textbooks about Fantastic Beasts, and we get to meet him in this film. This was a good extension of the Harry Potter universe and we finally got to see a little about wizarding in the United States as well. It is quite different on this side of the pond, and we get to see what it was like here at the time. The special effects are outstanding, of course, and 3D and IMAX is well put to use in this film, but the story fails a little. First of all, Newt is not someone you really get to like very much. He’s kind of annoying and just not that likeable. Tina (Katherine Waterston) on the other hand is likeable in her role as a demoted Auror in the MACUSA (American Ministry of Magic organization) but the chemistry never gets off the ground and is not that acceptable. Colin Farrel is pretty good as the bad guy, but just not as impressive as the Harry Potter bad guys. All in all, it’s not a bad movie at all, and a must see for Fantasy fans, but be prepared for some really slow parts, and a lot of muttering that is not easy to follow. Boy, Subtitles would have been awesome! Aside from a pressing desire to fall asleep in the middle while things were crawling along, it was worth the effort to stay awake. The magical creatures are revealed to us one at a time and it takes a while to get to know them, but it’s worth the wait as each one appears and gives us his special abilities and features. I really did enjoy this film, so I don’t want to discourage anyone from seeing it, but I also don’t want you to expect it to be as spectacularly done as Harry was. This is a lot more like the later movies in that series where it turned a lot darker and with a lot less hopefulness. This is supposed to be a long series of films as well, and I hope the first one doesn’t turn people off from the rest of them. I know I’ll be there for the next one and hope it will be better.

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Film4, Irish Film Board, Eurimages,

Colin Farrell, Jessica Barden, Rachel Weisz, Olivia Colman, Ashley Jensen, Ariane Labed, Aggeliki Papoulia, John C. Reilly, Léa Seydoux, Michael Smiley, Ben Whishaw

This allegorical tale tells of a world where marriage is mandatory. Those who are single or who become single are put in a hotel and give 45 days to find a suitable mate. This is not easy because the mate must be suitable meaning you must have the same interests, problems, disabilities, etc. David (Colin Farrell) is a kind and very gentle man whose wife just up and informed him she doesn’t love him anymore, so he arrives at the hotel looking for a mate. If after 45 days you don’t have one, then you must choose which animal you wish to be transformed into for the rest of your days. David chooses a lobster as he loves the sea and figured that’s a good choice.

This is a very, very strange movie. There are actually several different tales, when you come down to it, but none of this makes any sense at all. Yet somehow on a deeply oblique plane, it kind of does. This is not meant to be taken literal in the least. But it’s a really good look into the human condition, and in a hilarious way, points out to us what our weaknesses are. People require some kind of regimen. We need order and a plan or purpose, and need some kind of organization to help us make sense out of the world. After David left the hotel, a new world order enslaves him, and I’m not sure it’s any better than the one he left. I don’t think it’s supposed to be. This film is one of those polarizing movies that is a 5 star masterpiece to some folks who like the crazy storyline that doesn’t make any sense at all, and there are the 0 stars folks who just don’t get it think it’s a total waste of time. I don’t agree with either of these camps, and I hope I’m being fair to the film. It’s a very bizarre concept for a film, but surprisingly I see a lot of Hunger Games and Harry Potter in this film, but in a total unique setting. I did think a lot about it, and I did enjoy it. It was really that funny, nor was it that serious, but right in the middle somewhere. There were funny lines, and some very sad moments. One scene in particular had a lot of people turning it off, or so they claim. I sat through this, and was entertained, and it did make me ponder a lot which I like, but on the other hand, it is very slow and quite absurd, so keep that in mind. I found in in the middle range of the star scale.

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Village Roadshow Pictures, Warner Bros., Weed Road Pictures,

Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, Jennifer Connelly, Matt Bomer, William Hurt, Jessica Brown Findlay, Eva Marie Saint, Lucy Griffiths

Peter Lake (Colin Farrell) was an orphan child taken in by one of the servants of the devil and trained to be a master thief. When he breaks into to a rich Manhattan home to steal their goods, he suddenly finds he is not alone. The daughter, Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay) who is very ill is home alone. But when Peter lays eyes on her, he falls deeply for her and so begins the decade long love story of Peter and Beverly spanning generations.

This is a fairy tale story of good versus evil, magic and miracles, but most of all a love story. Epically spread over a hundred years or so, we get to watch this touching beautiful tale that really impressed me. With great actors in great roles, this is an epic love story that is sure to touch the heard of the darkest cynic. It’s well crafted, told slowly and unfolding piece by piece one step at a time. It will mislead you, break your heart, and bring tears to your eyes. Monumental storytelling at it’s finest, Colin Farrell is awesome. The relationship between Russell Crowe’s character and that of Will Smith will surprise you. This is an epic tale worthy of Princess Bride. This is simply a wonderful story, and one that I would really have hated to miss.

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