Ed's Review Dot Com

Ilion Animation Studios, Midnight Radio, Nickelodeon Movies,

Sofia Mali, Jennifer Garner, Ken Hudson Campbell, Kenan Thompson, Mila Kunis, John Oliver, Ken Jeong, Norbert Leo Butz, Matthew Broderick, Brianna Denski, Oev Michael Urbas, Kate McGregor-Stewart, Kevin Chamberlin, Kath Soucie, Noen Perez

June (Sofie Mali, Briana Denski) is a young girl with a vivid imagination. With her Mom (Jennifer Garner) she uses her toys to design and build an imaginary amusement park called Wonderland. But things change as Mom becomes sick and Wonderland gets put away. On a trip to summer camp, June runs away to go back home, but on the way she finds that Wonderland is real, and that since she left it behind, it has fallen into decay and is in bad shape, but with the help of her toy friends, she may be the one who can put it back together again and save the park.

I have been looking forward to this film since I first saw the preview, and thought that I had to see this one. I was disappointed though and I feel quite a bit let down. The colors and the design of this animated film are really good, and the music and soundtrack are well done, but the story lacks any oomph to make it interesting, and I found it just didn’t move me. This is more like a Saturday morning cartoon than a feature movie, and it should have had a lot more work done on the actual story itself which is where the movie fell short. I definitely think it is worth seeing, but as to paying the cash to see this in the theater, maybe there are better things to see than this one. This is a definite rental somewhere down the road, but I sure wish there had been a better story to tell than it provided, so I can’t really recommend running out to see this. Nickelodeon has disappointed me in the past, and I think perhaps they don’t have the depth to make a really good feature film. They just often don’t compare to the big guys. It’s a shame as this looked like a really great opportunity. I am sad.

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Les Productions du Trésor, Worldview Entertainment, Caneo Films,

Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldana, Matthias Schoenaerts, James Caan

In 1974 Chris (Clive Owen) has just been released from prison and standing outside the gate waiting for him is his brother Frank (Billy Crudup). Chris has a long history of getting into trouble, and Frank on the other hand is a cop, on his way to making a name for himself in the force. Their Dad Leon (James Caan) seems to like Chris better, despite his history of getting into trouble. These are not young kids. Chris is 50 years old and still looking for trouble. But when it comes down to it, will blood be thicker than water, as Frank has to decide whether despite his promise to show Chris no favors, will he turn him in or protect him in this crime drama.

This movie is really the story of the Prodigal Son from the Bible. Frank’s issues with being the good son and not being appreciated for it, and the Dad’s doting over his troubled son makes Frank feel neglected. He cares for his brother, but he has a strong desire to do the right thing. This is a little known movie. I hadn’t hear of it until it came out on DVD this week, but I was pleased with it. Truthfully, these crime dramas, cop stories about a family being torn apart by problems doesn’t usually appeal to me. There have been so many stories like this, but I found this one to be refreshing. It’s a somewhat new slant on the subject, and the family dynamic is much more important in this story than the rest of the facts. There are some really good stars in this one, and it is interesting to see the effects of crime, especially organized crime, and the effects on 1970’s Brooklyn. This is a story of the streets, and it’s gritty and dirty as it should be. But there’s a look at this family and how choices of on person or another can have a major impact on the whole family. I thought that was a pretty decent crime story, and I can recommend it, mildly, for those who like these kinds of stories. It wasn’t a fantastic film, or a must see, by any means, but it’s decently done, well acted, and fresh enough to enjoy.

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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.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Universal Pictures, Media Rights Capital, Fuzzy Door Productions,

Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane, Joel McHale, Giovanni Ribisi, Patrick Warburton, Matt Walsh, Jessica Barth, Aedin Mincks, Bill Smitrovich

John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) was a lonely child who had no friends. None of the kids liked him, so one Christmas this little boy made a big Christmas wish that his favorite teddy bear, Ted (Seth McFarland) would become real and be able to talk to him. Well, it came true, and Ted and John became best friends for life. But just like “Puff, the Magic Dragon” John grew up and found Lori Collins (Mila Kunis) and fell hopelessly in love with her, and though she was very tolerant of John and Ted’s antics, eventually you know it’s going to cause a big problem. Having a stuffed toy for a best friend definitely delayed John’s maturity, but somehow he’s going to have to grow up. This is a buddy picture, but it’s definitely not a kids movie. Ted is one naughty little teddy bear!

This was a very popular film, and I understand that. It’s unique, that’s for sure. Like movies like “The Muppet Movie” where they treat puppets like they are real people, this film just accepts Ted for what he is, a live teddy bear. But it’s probably closer to “Child’s Play” character Chucky than it is to the Muppets. There are several things I really liked about this movie. One has to be the narration which is hysterical. The narrator gets off on a tangent, and says the most unexpected things sometimes, but it’s done in the serious voice that any fairy tale would have. Secondly is the way everyone treats Ted like you would a live teddy bear. He becomes a celebrity for a while, until everyone gets used to him and his 15 minutes is all used up. Ted gets his shot on the Tonight Show, but soon he’s just accepted as normal. This is funny too, as it’s the opposite of how they usually do things in this kind of movie. Remember the classic Warner Brothers cartoon where the guy found a singing frog? Every time someone was around he would stop singing and just sit there and say “Ribbit”. Well, that’s not very realistic. Ted, on the other hand, acts like anyone else would. When young Johnny tells his parents that his bear has come to life, of course they don’t believe him, but Ted steps right out and says hello.

There are some other jewels in this film as well. Patrick Warburton has a role that is really out of character for him and is really funny at several points in the film. He’s John’s co-worker at the rental car place and is a surprising characters. Joel McHale also has a small role that adds a lot to the humor as Lori’s horny boss. Mila Kunis as Lori is also a big add to the movie. I don’t think anyone could have done a better job of playing this character, and she does a really good job!

The key to the humor in this movie is just like Seth MacFarlane’s other work, like Family Guy, where it’s all about saying the most inappropriate things at the most unexpected time. This is definitely all Seth’s movie, and if you’re not the kind to get shocked by a foul mouthed talking teddy bear, but are a fan of his other work, you’re going to enjoy Ted. It definitely is different, but I found out why it was so darn popular. It’s really funny in it’s own unique twisted way.

Here is the red band trailer for “Ted”

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Screen Gems, Castle Rock Entertainment, Zucker Productions,

Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Richard Jenkins, Woody Harrelson, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone

Jamie Rellis(Mila Kunis) is a New York head-hunter trying to get Dylan Harper (Justin Timberlake) to take a job with GQ Magazine in New York and move from the Los Angeles, the area which he loves. When he takes the job and makes the move to the Big Apple, he doesn’t know anyone and is kind of lonely. He and Jamie quickly become friends. As they become friends, they both realize that normal “romantic comedy” stuff is not for them. Sex is great, but the problems and jealousies of the relationship wreck everything. They find they both agree that becoming Friends With Benefits is perfect and they agree not to let any feeling wreck the connection they have. Jamie is emotionally damaged and Dylan just doesn’t want to get attached to anyone. But as time passes, they find they cannot help but develop feelings for each other, and if that is not cut off at the start, it may destroy everything after all.

This is basically the same story as “No Strings Attached” [Click here for EdsReview], but this one had the misfortune of coming second. Both movies are very similar, and I couldn’t really tell you which one is better. I enjoyed the first one because it was fresh. This then, seems similar. But if it were the other way around, this could easily have the 4 rating and the other one the 3.5. 🙂

This film has a lot of funny moments, and Justin and Mila pull it off pretty good. There are some really great supporting characters here too, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, Andy Samberg, and even Shaun White playing himself. It’s textbook romantic comedy, and has some very touching moments. So perhaps, not quite as good as No Strings Attached, it’s able to stand on it’s own fairly well. If you’re looking for a decent romantic comedy with a few really good laughs, you could do much worse than this one.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog