Ed's Review Dot Com

Amazon Studios, K Period Media, Pearl Street Films,

Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, Gretchen Mol, Matthew Broderick, Tate Donovan, Josh Hamilton, Anna Baryshnikov, C.J. Wilson, Heather Burns

Lee Chandler (Casey Afleck) is a lonely guy. He has a long history and has left home in Manchester along the coast to get away to the city where he works as a handyman for a string of apartments. But when he gets a call that his brother has just died from a heart attack, Lee heads home to Manchester to see what must be done. To his shock, his brother has named him as guardian for his teen aged son Patrick (Lucas Hedges) which he is ill equipped to handle. Determined to do the best he can for everyone, Lee is sorely burdened by certain events in his past that have affected his life.

This film is highly honored by the Hollywood Elite, and up for many awards, which is usually a sign of a problem. Then I start seeing FIVE STAR Reviews all over Netflix, and as I read them, they are rather stuffy as well. Then I notice that this is a Sundance film, and that explains why I was so disappointed in this film. There is a class of people who feel they are the true art lovers and who appreciate the nuances and such of a film like this. But I had a really hard time sitting through it. I wanted to be moved, but I couldn’t. Both the young Patrick and the grown version were highly unlikeable. Casey is in one of the worst roles I have seen, and this guy needs some Prozac right away. Flashbacks were all over the place, and very hard to catch on to what was going on. There are several characters in this film, including Michelle William’s character who I have no idea why they are important to the story. Perhaps I am too dumb to get it, but I just felt that this dragged on and on and on, and I was anxiously watching for the final credits when I could finally put this one back in it’s folder and mail it back. I really felt this was not worth the time that I invested in watching it. Watch it if you’re curious about all the awards, but be prepared to be bored to tears.

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Walt Disney Pictures, Roth Films,

James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs, Joey King, Tony Cox, Abigail Spencer, Martin Klebba, Bruce Campbell

Oscar Diggs (James Franco) is a carnival magician, and a master of B.S. who courts all the pretty girls in each town. But he goes one step too far and has a strong man from the carnival out to twist his head off for chasing after his girl, so he escapes in a hot air balloon, which is carried away in a fierce storm and carries him to the magical land of Oz long before they ever heard of Dorothy. Now Oz has lost their king, and are looking for a new leader, and the legends tells of a powerful wizard who will drop from the sky, but currently it’s being run by a gaggle of witches, some good and some purely evil. This prequel to The Wizard of Oz uses the characters from the stories and the world of L Frank Baum, the author without stepping on the copyrights, and is a fabulous prequel to the early days of the Land of Oz.

Wow, this was a long awaited picture for me, and I paid the price to see this one in one of the old original real IMAX screens in 3D. It was a long trip to get to see it on a real Imax sized screen, but newer little Imax modified screens just wouldn’t cut a film like this. Oh how I was NOT disappointed by this movie. This is the best movie I’ve seen in many years! If I were to look for a weak spot, it might be James Franco. I’m not sure why they cast him as the lead, and he did his very best, but I know there could be a better casting choice, but then I thought and though and thought, and I can’t really come up with someone who would be perfect for this role. Plus, I am a real fan of the original Judy Garland “Wizard of Oz” and I remember loving it as a kid, and I still do. I also really enjoyed the Oz books, all of them. This film did a tightrope walk of homage to the Wizard of Oz, but they had a couple of problems, and they did a great job of working around them. L Frank Baum’s books are about a real land called Oz, and it was absolutely real. MGM, for some reason, threw that all away and made it a little girl’s dream. “And you were there, and you were there, but you couldn’t have been, and all I could think about was how to get back home.” (This is paraphrased with a lot missing, but you get the point.) Perhaps they figured that audience in that day could not handle a movie with so many strange characters that was not somehow just a dream. But this movie is true to the Land of Oz of Mr. Baum’s books, so they treat it as a real place. Still, as you watch, you’ll see a lot of stuff that is pure homage to the original movie, and the ignore some of the stuff that doesn’t quite work out with a fantasy dream world. Disney did an awesome job building this story.

The greatest strength of this film is the beautiful world that was created. The beauty of this world is the most wonderful place we’ve seen since perhaps Avatar, and it reminds me a lot of the world of the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with all the whimsy and wonder, but a beauty of waterfalls and flowers that has to be seen (preferably in IMAX) to be believed. There’s some really cute characters that you probably have seen in the previews, but I’m not going to say more because they way the are found and the way they fit in is really wonderful.

The story is A++ and the characters are great, but this is PG rather than G as it might be a little too scary for little bitty kids. Once they’re old enough to understand that it’s a movie and the witches and monsters are just pretend, it would be okay, and this is highly different for different kids, but little kids could really get nightmares from some of the really scary monsters like the witch’s flying baboons and the witch’s threats and really bad attitude. So keep the 1 year old’s away, but older kids, and teens will probably love it. Whether you’re familiar with the original OZ or not (and who isn’t?) there’s very much to enjoy in this film for everyone, so it’s one not to be missed. This is Disney at it’s very best. Go see it as soon as possible.

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Joe’s Daughter, Astral Media, The Harold Greenberg Fund,

Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby, Sarah Silverman

While on a flight back from a writing assignment, Margot (Michelle Willams) meets Daniel (Luke Kirby), and immediately takes a liking to him. Surprisingly to both of them, he lives across the street from Margot and her husband Lou (Seth Rogan). The urge to secretly meet up with him is strong, yet she cannot seem to resist him, even though she is supposedly happily married to Lou. So, is the fresh exciting new guy better than the old tired boring relationship that was supposed to last forever? That’s the subject of this film.

This is a very simple story. Filmed in Toronto, there is very little put into the sets and scenes. Likewise the people are simple as well. This is a stark story of a crisis in a marriage. As such, it’s done very, very well. Rated R for a couple sequences, this is a very adult subject. It’s one that gets to the point quite directly, and is sure to be one you’ll think about for a long time to come. Especially for anyone who’s been through a similar dilemma. Often the forbidden looks so sweet, the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence. Sometimes it works out well. Sometimes it doesn’t turn out like you expect. One of the shining stars in this film is Geraldine, played brilliantly by Sarah Silverman, is a very small part, but poignant. I must admit that I’m not much of a Silverman fan. She a crude, rude, loudmouth most of the time, but in this film, she actually played a recovering alcoholic with a message. All in all this is a nice little story that carries a lot of power in the simple way it’s told. There are a lot of ways to hate this film because of the subject matter, but don’t get hooked up on whether you agree or disagree with the premise. Just look at it as a morality play, and enjoy the real life story this film tells. It’s got a number of great moments.

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Evenstar Films, Film Science, Harmony Productions

Paul Dano, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson, Neal Huff, Zoe Kazan, Tommy Nelson, Will Patton, Rod Rondeaux, Michelle Williams

The year is 1845 and a group of settlers are travelling the Oregon Trail. They’ve hired Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood) to lead them. Meek says he’s familiar with the area and knows a shortcut across the Cascade Mountains. Taking an unmarked trail, and blazing it most of the way, Meek gets them into a lot of trouble. The become horribly lost, and many people died as a result of a lack of water and the extreme hardship of the trail. As things become worse, a native american crosses their pass, and since Meek has proven to be unreliable, the men are considering trusting the Native American to be their guide and help them find water. But the Native Americans are fierce warriors and enemies of the people and they’re not sure who to trust. Based on a true story, this is the story of some of the first pioneers to cross the Oregon Trail.

This is a western adventure. It should have been much better, but there are several problems. First is the historical accuracy of the story. The travelers are very cruel and mean to the guide. There is no indication that this was the case. Also it builds to a very anticlimactic and abrupt ending which is not warranted. There is a bit more to the story that should have been told and there should have been an ending. There is a point where one of the boys discovers some gold. This is what has been come to be knwn as the Blue Bucket Lost Mine. For years afterward people tried to rediscover this location that was filled with gold, but it has never been found. In order to learn of the history, you have to look outside the film. There is only a single scene here that is never revisited, but it was one of the great mysteries of the trip across the mountains.

That being said, it’s not all bad. The scenery is beautiful and the acting is certainly acceptable. It’s a good western adventure and worth watching. But be sure to look up the facts of Meek’s Cutoff and the history of these people for the background of the story. It’s a fascinating story. The movie is relatively exciting, and fun to watch, and it got me interested in studying more about the events of the story. Decent adventure and well worth my time.

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Hunting Lane Films, Silverwood Films

Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Mike Vogel, John Doman, Jen Jones, Faith Wladyka, Ben Shenkman, Maryann Plunkett

Blue Valentine is an unflinching story of love and hate. Once they were crazy in love with each other, Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling) have now grown far apart. Cindy is bored with her life and dreaming of something better, and Dean is very lonely wondering where Cindy has gone. Not to say it’s not his fault, as he can be mean and violent, but truly wonders why she doesn’t want him anymore.

The story is a gritty, down to the bone look at why people once in love are so far apart. Dean is childish which drives Cindy nuts, and she is cold and aloof. This story is told in two parts that intertwine. One part is when they met and fell in love, and the other is years later when things have gotten about as bad as they can.

I don’t think the story judges them, but looks at what is really going on without holding back. It’s not a pretty story, but it is poignant and cuts right to the chase. The characters seem very real and the actors do a great job. The dreary area of rural Pennsylvania is right on, and very familiar to me. A lot of people are struggling through the same kinds of problems, and maybe looking closely at their situation is useful to help us work out our own issues, whatever they are. It’s an interesting character study and worthwhile if you are interested in a down to earth family tragedy film. It’s not a feel good film by any means, but it’s real life unadorned. I wanted these two to work it out, but perhaps it’s just too much to overcome.

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