"Top of the Queue Review" Hereafter

"A life that's all about death is no life at all" is a quote heard early in the film Hereafter.  My own quote after seeing this movie would be "a movie about life after death where the story has a pretty meaningless conclusion is no movie at all."

Now I have to commend director Clint Eastwood.  In the past decade he has churned out about a movie a year and most of them have been pretty good dramas.  His movies have been set in various periods, dealt with a wide range of topics including true crime cases, Nelson Mandela and the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the battle of Iwo Jima.  I've actually liked all of these movies but then he made Hereafter.

Now maybe the point of the film went over my head, but let me give you the brief plot highlights for this film that encompasses three seemingly unrelated stories:   French woman Marie survives being swept away in a tsunami while on vacation in Thailand but has a near death experience before she awakens that she can't stop thinking about; 12 year old London boy Marcus is unable to cope now that his twin brother has been killed in a car accident and tries to find a way to speak to him; and in San Francisco, George, a former professional psychic, keeps finding himself pulled back into his old profession even though he has tried desperately to move on with his life so he doesn't have to deal with the intense emotional connection that comes with talking with the dead.

Cecile de France and Matt Damon

I'm a big fan of movies that present characters in different parts of the world with unrelated stories that you know will eventually all come together before the film is over.  So, when Hereafter shifted between these three very different story lines I was intrigued with the possibilities of what would come next and how they would ultimately intertwine.  All three stories are given equal weight in the film and the three leads couldn't be better.  Matt Damon as George, Cecile de France as Marie and Frankie McLaren as Marcus all exhibit perfectly the sense of suffering, and wonder that one would imagine comes with dealing with the afterlife.

However, the film is 2 hour and 9 minutes long and could have dealt with some significant trimming to make it more compelling and not so slow going,  Eastwood's gentle touch works effectively in many of the emotional scenes but the story just doesn't come together to effectively portray an ending that does justice to the characters.  In fact, the "readings" that Damon's character gives aren't anywhere near emotionally intense and draining as he mentions the main reason why he stopped doing them and he so easily agrees to do them that it really goes at odds with what his character has said before.  And, as much as I liked Bryce Dallas Howard as a woman who George meets in a cooking class, the way their relationship unfolds and ultimately concludes is so by the book that it is just another example of how the script for this film isn't anything special.

Frankie McLaren

There is a great effects scene in the beginning of the film of the tsunami which makes you really realize how quick and traumatic an event it is, but the rest of the film is dull and long.

But again, maybe I'm just not smart enough to understand what Eastwood and writer Peter Morgan were getting at.

If you were thinking of putting this in your Netflix queue or a possible Redbox rental, consider yourself warned.


The Tsunami sequence -

"Top of the Queue Review" - Rabbit Hole

Rabbit Hole is such a perfectly made film it's amazing that it didn't do better at the box office or get more than the one Oscar nomination it received.  Based on the Pulitzer prize winning play of the same name, the movie stars Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Tammy Blanchard and Miles Teller.

Now this isn't a light, happy movie as it deals with the pain and suffering that come when something terrible happens to a middle aged married couple.  But it isn't a dark depressing movie either.  Rabbit Hole is one of those movies that slowly pulls you into it's story using very little dialogue in the beginning, then adding layers of information until the details behind the story come through.  It ends up being an uplifting story about how people deal with suffering, each one in their own way.

The story follows Becca and Howie, a couple in their early 40's, who seem to have everything, including a beautiful house in the suburbs, but you immediately know something isn't quite right when the film begins.  Kidman and Eckhart perfectly play the couple with the mannerisms one would expect from people who have known each other for such a long time.  Since there are moments in the film with very little dialogue, their ability to tell us exactly what they are feeling and thinking just through their facial expressions is extremely effective.  This is something that obviously couldn't quite be done on the stage, and is one reason why the film is only 90 minutes long, as there is less necessity for the actors to tell us what they are thinking, as we can see it on their faces.  Dianne Wiest is Nat, Becca's mother, who we later learn has had to deal with her own suffering from something that happened to her many years ago.  Tammy Blanchard is Kidman's sister, and her dark hair is in perfect contrast to Kidman's blond locks, but their hair is just one of the many traits that mark these two sisters as polar opposites.  Blanchard portrays the sister who is less successful in both career and relationships than Kidman extremely effectively, especially when some news about herself is revealed to Kidman.  Blanchard also just received a Tony nomination this week for Best Featured Actress for her performance in the Broadway revival of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.



Nicole Kidman and Miles Teller

Kidman is so amazing in this movie.  The pain and suffering she portrays and her ability to effectively make us understand what she is going through even when she says few words about it, is why she got both an Oscar and a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
Miles Teller is Jason, a 17 year old boy that we first see Kidman following home from school but don't quite understand his connection to the plot until later.  Even though it wouldn't give much away if I told you his role in the story, I'll let you  discover it on your own.  Teller completely holds his own with Kidman in his scenes with her.  I think this is his first major film role and I have to believe he will be getting many more from his performance in the film.

Kidman and Eckhart

The play was written by David Lindsay-Abaire and was also nominated for the Best Play Tony.   Lindsay-Abaire adapted his play for the screen and while the entire play was set in the house of Becca and Howie, he has opened up the story beautifully to now include many scenes outside the house.  I guess this is another reason for the shortness of the film, as instead of having to have the characters explain things, they did outside the house, like they did in the play, they can easily be shown in the film, thus avoiding the need for additional dialogue.  There is also not one moment in the film that is unnecessary to tell the story.

Dianne Wiest

John Cameron Mitchell directed the movie, and while Mitchell is well known for his New York theatre performances in Secret Garden, Hello Again and The Destiny of Me, he is perhaps best known for writing and starring in the Off Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch.  Mitchell made his film directing debut when he made Hedwig into a movie in 2001.  He followed that film with the controversial Short Bus in 2006.  He would never have entered my mind as someone to transform the play of Rabbit Hole to the screen, but this film is so well made, everything from the camera work, the editing, the lighting to the impeccable acting, I am so impressed with Mitchell's directing of this film and I think you will be too.  I can't wait to see what his next film is.


The original Broadway cast starred Cynthia Nixon in the Kidman role, John Slattery in the Eckhart part, Tyne Daly in Weist's and John Gallagher Jr. as Jason.  We saw the original Broadway cast in this right before Gallagher left the production to star in the Off Broadway production of Spring Awakening, which transferred to Broadway in late  2006 and won him a Tony just one year after he was in Rabbit Hole.  Nixon won the Tony for her performance, and the show was also nominated for Tonys for direction, set and Daly's performance.

John Slattery, Cynthia Nixon, Tyne Daly and Mary Catherine Garrison

John Gallagher, Jr.

The play was just as effective in telling the story, and Nixon, Slattery and Daly were on par with their film equivalents, but I really appreciated how the film completely opens up the story so you can experience certain things the characters in the play only speak about.   I also liked how the film was able to update a key plot element- a home video, and make it more current by now being video shot by a cell phone.

Put this in your queue now.

And Mom, this is a movie I highly recommend for you.

Amazon link for Rabbit Hole [Blu-ray]

Amazon link for the dvd of Rabbit Hole

Amazon link for the Pulitzer Prize winning play of Rabbit Hole

Trailer for the movie -

"Top of the Queue Review" - Black Swan

If you haven't yet caught the film Black Swan and you're a fan of psychological thrillers or suspense films with strong performances then I highly recommend this movie. 

There isn't that much of a plot, just the story of a girl's determination to get the lead role in her ballet company's production of Swan Lake.  But the style and look of the film and the amazing performance from Natalie Portman as the determined ballerina raise this movie to a must see in my book. 

Set in an always dark New York City, the film has a driving force at it's center, just like the drive that Portman has as Nina, a dancer trying to be as perfect as possible so she can get out of the ensemble and into the lead roles.  Her fanatical and very demented mother, played amazingly by Barbara Hershey, seems at some times to be on her side and at other times working against her, something that Nina starts to believe many others in the ballet company are doing as well.  Nina wants complete control of her craft and her mom wants complete control of Nina.

Now this film has some very adult moments, so don't watch this with the kids.

Natalie Portman

So much has been written already about Portman and this film so there really isn't much more for me to add except that I was blown away by her.  She portrays the crazy determined person who believes everyone is talking about her or working against her in a way that I don't think I've ever seen before.  She definitely deserved the Oscar.  And her dancing is impeccable, even if some of it was done by a dance double (mainly the close-up foot work.)  We saw her on Broadway about ten years ago as Anne Frank in the revival of The Diary of Anne Frank and I was taken by her back then, so I'm really happy to see all of her hard work paid off (even that slight sidetrack into three Star Wars films.)

Besides Portman and Hershey, the film also  features Mila Kunis as the new ballerina Lily, who Nina feels is out to get her part.   She is the exact opposite of Nina in her constant training and need for perfection as Lily is a party girl who also happens to be a great dancer.  Kunis is the type of actress, like Portman, that you can't take your eyes off of.  Also in the cast is Vincent Cassell as the leader of the dance company.  He has the perfect balance of romantic charm and drive to get what he wants from his dancers.  His facial expressions tell you exactly what he is thinking and when he doesn't believe Nina is doing what he needs to have her do, she and us immediately know it just from looking at him.  Winona Ryder also appears in a small part as the ballet company's current lead dancer who is a bit past her prime.  She's a little nuts as well.

Millepied and Portman

Also of note, the lead male dancer is played by Benjamin Millepied, the film's choreographer who also is now the father of Portman's child.  Millepied's choreography for the film is inventive and stylish and I loved how the camera work and editing combined brilliantly to work with the choreography to show many unbroken dance scenes instead of the rapid editing we're now used to in films.

The film makes you start to believe, just like Nina does, that everyone is out to get her and will have you second guessing, just like Nina does as to what is real and what is all in her head.

Rent it now.

Amazon link for the dvd of Black Swan

Amazon link for the Blu-ray of Black Swan [Blu-ray]

Official trailer for the film

Behind the scenes- talking about the training for the film -

"Top of the Queue Review" - Tangled in 3D!

We just gave Tangled in 3D a spin and I have to say that the movie and the in-home 3D experience is top notch by all accounts.  Now I previously wrote about how much I'm enjoying the at home 3D experience.  The outcome is the same as seeing a 3D movie in theaters but without all of the annoying things that come with going out to see a movie:  noisy people that always seem to sit in front of you, people texting and, most thankfully absent, the ads before the film which is the biggest annoyance that I'm glad is missing when watching a movie at home.  The experience is so enjoyable that I'm actually surprised that it seems it is taking a longer time for home 3D to be embraced. 

For those of you who missed this and all of the commercials for it, the plot of Tangled is basically a revised version of the classic early 1800's fairy tale "Rapunzel" by the Brothers Grimm.    While the basic plot is the same- girl locked away in the tower by an old woman, young man stumbles upon the tower, etc. - the more tragic parts of the story like where the young man (a prince in the original story) is blinded by thorns below the tower when he leaps from it in despair upon learning he will never get to see Rapunzel again, have been eliminated, as it is a Disney film after all!  Of course there is plenty of singing and two cute animal sidekicks as well - again, it is a Disney film.  Fortunately they've eliminated giving the two animal characters the ability to speak, so at least it is slightly more realistic in that regard.

Zachary Levi and Mandy Moore

The strength of any animated movie lies on three things, the story, the songs and the cast.  Fortunately for Twisted, all three exceed.   Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi are the two leads.  Moore is "Rapunzel," and in this story, she is a princess who was kidnapped by an old woman when she was just a baby. 

The old woman knew of a secret flower in the forest that would make her young.  But when the Queen is dying in childbirth the King, also aware of the flower, sends his men out to the forest to find it.  They find it, and after the flower heals the Queen, she gives birth to Rapunzel.  The old woman, no longer having the flower to keep her young, steals the child as she knows that since the Queen drank a potion made from the flower that the child's hair now has the same magical powers as the flower.  Levi is "Flynn Rider" who is nowhere near on the calibre of a prince, like in the original Grimm story, but instead is a thief who gains entry into the tower as a means to escape being caught by the Palace guards after having robbed them of the tiara that was once worn by the baby Rapunzel. I liked how they updated the classic fairy tale and now made Rapunzel the one with royal ties instead of the main male character. (Though of course this does tie perfectly into the "Disney Princess" line of merchandise.)

The score by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater includes songs in the typical Disney Animated style - the "I want" song for the lead, that is reprised a few times, the "misunderstood villain" song, in this case for "Mother Gothel" - the old woman who stole Rapunzel, and the love song where our two leads express their inner feelings and ultimately end up singing the song to each other.   Think of any of the songs from previous Menken scores for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin and you'll know what I mean.  And while the songs may not be the groundbreaking Oscar winners that Menken wrote in the past they are good and serviceable.  Another nice bonus is that they are sung by our three leads who not only speak but sing their roles as well (unlike a lot of previous Disney animated films.)

Donna Murphy as "Mother Gothel"

Which brings me to my favorite part of the movie- Donna Murphy.  The two time Tony winner is "Mother Gothel" and she gives one of the best performances in an animated film.   While she may not be as over the top as Pat Carroll was as "Ursula" in The Little Mermaid, or as evil as Jeremy Irons was as "Scar" in The Lion King, the accent she has picked to use and her soaring voice on her songs really makes her stand out above the rest.  Check out the clip below to get a sense of her performance in the film.  Also, Levi who is best known for playing the title role in the tv show Chuck, is a really good singer, who knew?

I also liked Maximus, the Royal Guard horse and Pascal, Rapunzel's best friend who happens to be a chameleon - both are prominently featured in the poster for the movie above and both are in the line of Disney animal characters that are stand alone individuals even though they don't say a word.

The film in 3D includes a beautiful color scheme with fully fleshed out three dimensional characters and settings.  And while there aren't a lot of the "in your face" moments that some more gimmicky 3D films use, there is a sense of depth to the film where you feel you could step into your tv and walk for miles before reaching the end of the settings.  This is definitely one of those films that if they demo'd it in 3D in a Best Buy they would definitely sell 3D tv's. 

the original logo for the film

Concerning the title, I heard a little before the film was released that Disney did originally plan to call the film Rapunzel, but decided to change the name to give it a more modern title as well as to hopefully not alienate the male and especially young boy audience.  And while the character of Flynn is in a lot of the film, and is featured on the movie posters, this is really Rapunzel's story, so maybe the title change got the male demographic into the theatres, but the story, cast, songs and the 3D experience is what got them to stay and to recommend it to others.  This is Disney's 50th Animated feature film as well.

So go out and buy a 3D tv and a 3D blu-ray player so you can start to enjoy the 3D at home experience yourself.  Disney just announced that they are updating both The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast to be 3D and the 3D blu-rays of both are coming out this Fall.  I'll definitely be picking those up!

Amazon link for Tangled (Four-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy)

Amazon link for Tangled (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Amazon link for the cd of Tangled

Amazon link for the 3D Blu ray of The Lion King (Four-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy)

Amazon link for the 3D Blu ray of Beauty and the Beast (Five Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy)

Trailer for the film -

A fun compilation clip that shows Donna Murphy as "Mother Gothel" -

"Top of the Queue Review" - The Tourist

The Tourist is the type of movie that Alfred Hitchcock would be making today if he were still alive.  It has A list Hollywood stars, exotic locales, mistaken identity, high speed chase scenes, romantic tension and our leads followed by both the bad guys and the police - all necessary elements for the best Hitchcock films. The only thing it is truly missing from a Hitchcock film is a really gruesome murder, but then sometimes Hitchcock didn't always include one of those in his films.

Now, I'm not saying that The Tourist is as good as any of Hitchcock's movies, all of which are pretty much considered classic examples of motion picture suspense movies.  But this film is an enjoyable two hours, with some of the most beautiful cinematography you'll see, thanks to the location at the center of the film- Venice, Italy.

Jolie and Depp in route from Paris to Venice

The film begins in Paris with Angelina Jolie as Elise Clifton-Ward, a British woman who is followed by the French police and who's every move is analyzed by them and communicated to Scotland Yard.  She receives a note from Alexander Pearce, a man with some connection to her past, that tells her to board a train to Venice and to find someone who looks just like him and to convince the police that that man is Pearce.

Of course that man she finds on the train is Johnny Depp, "the tourist" - a math teacher from America.  He plays the part that Cary Grant played in many Hitchcock movies - the "everyman" pulled into something that he never thought he'd be involved in. I don't want to say anything else about the plot, just watch it and enjoy how the film builds to it's climax.

Jolie and Depp arrive in Venice.

Now there are some things in this movie that go a little bit beyond reality, but for the most part the action and intrigue and the acting by Jolie and Depp are well within the boundaries of many classic suspense films.  The movie also stars Paul Bettany and Timothy Dalton as the men from Scotland Yard who are following Jolie and Depp.

Now the film got mixed reviews last Fall, not exactly sure why that was as I had a good time watching it.  It was also nominated for Golden Globes for both Jolie and Depp as Lead Acting in a Comedy- which I find quite odd as even though there are a couple of humorous moments in the film, this is definitely more of a suspense movie than a comedy.

Directed by the German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who's first film The Lives of Others was a truly great movie, The Tourist has plenty of twists and turns and keeps you watching and guessing until the final minutes.   Jolie looks absolutely stunning in the movie, her hair, her make-up and her clothes are simply amazing.  But even Jolie can't compete with the beauty and splendor of Venice.  I'm sure this movie has increased that cities tourism.

Recommended for a fun night, put it in your Netflix queue if you like suspense movies with plenty of intrigue and romance, or if you just feel like a trip to Venice -and Mom, this is a movie I think you'll really enjoy.





Official Trailer for the movie -

Amazon link for the Blu-Ray of The Tourist (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Amazon link for the dvd of The Tourist

Amazon link for the Blu-ray of von Donnersmarck's first film The Lives of Others [Blu-ray]

"Top of the Queue Review" - Inside Job

Inside Job is the kind of documentary movie that will possibly piss you off but will also have you laughing at some of the ridiculous responses the people who are interviewed give.  Those responses will probably piss you off as well since this movie documents the financial crisis that happened in 2007 and 2008 and the people who are interviewed almost all had something to do with what happened.

I don't think there is anyone I know that wasn't impacted in some way by what happened in 2007 and 2008.  Many people lost their houses, investments or jobs because of the actions of numerous people involved in the financial organizations.  And seeing this documentary of the events that led up to the financial melt down will most like have you shaking your head at how pompous some of the people who were interviewed react when questioned.  Inside Job perfectly explains in easy to understand terms, how the perfect storm of the actions of a multiple of greedy people snowballed into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.   The movie won the 2010 Oscar for Best Documentary and after seeing the in-depth research and dedication the filmmakers went to in order to document and explain what happened, this honor is very well deserved.

The film was directed by Charles Ferguson.  It was very interesting to me to see how far back the seeds of the crisis were planted as well as how it wasn't just one thing that made the crisis what it was, but multiple things happening in multiple areas.  Ferguson easily explains such a difficult subject, through the narration as well as visually through the shots he chooses and breaks it apart to show how various policy changes in the banking and investment industry resulted in deregulation and how the rise of risk taking rose especially in relation to the sub prime loan market.

Matt Damon narrates the film and his voice is soothing and clear using easy to understand terms to not only explain the various actions that caused the meltdown to happen but to also go in depth into areas that you didn't exactly realize had an impact on the outcome.  The dialogue is concise as well in it's ability to really make you understand and relate to what happened.  Damon's narration also gives the film an everyman feeling, as even though he is a movie star he comes across as a celebrity who is concerned about the world and is thus easy to relate to.

I definitely recommend this movie- just know that it starts out in Iceland of all places and dissects what happened to that country when the banks were privatized - not good things to say the least.  But stick with it and pay attention and you'll really understand exactly what happened and how, hopefully, something like this will never happen again.  Though, trust me, you will be pissed off and in shock at the actions of most of the people who are interviewed or profiled.

Amazon link for the Inside Job [Blu-ray]

Amazon link for the Inside Job

Trailer for the film -

"Top of the Queue Review" - Love and Other Drugs

The recent romantic comedy Love and Other Drugs stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway.  It is an enjoyable movie that shows the on again, off again relationship between a pharmaceutical salesman and a young woman who has stage 1 Parkinson's Disease.   It also co-stars Josh Gad who is currently staring in The Book of Mormon on Broadway and will most likely find himself with a Tony nomination in a couple of weeks -see my review of that show here.

The film is actually based on a non fiction book by Jamie Reidy called Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman.  The plot follows Jaime Randall (Gyllenhall), a self centered, handsome and charming salesman for Pfizer, pushing Zoloft in the mid 1990's who meets Maggie Murdock (Hathaway) at one of the doctor's offices he is trying to get to switch from prescribing Prozac to Zoloft..  Murdock is a free spirited artist who works at a coffee shop and the two of them start a casual relationship just as Jaime starts to sell the new drug Viagra that Pfizer has developed.  He finds great success in marketing Viagra just as his relationship with Maggie becomes serious for him.   But Maggie seems only interested in a casual relationship so no one has to deal with the baggage she has that comes with suffering from Parkinson's disease.  

Jake and Anne were previously partnered in Brokeback Mountain, playing a young married couple in that film.   They had great chemistry in that movie and it is the sparks they are able to make together that propels this film along.

The interesting thing about this movie is that while Gyllenhaal and Hathaway are relatively young, the movie deals with more adult issues that you would usually find in a movie that starred older actors.  This isn't your typical teenage or even young 20's relationship movie, but is actually more in line of classic relationship dramas of the past like Love Story, movies that try to show both sides of romance, the comical and the serious.  While this film doesn't get as deep as Love Story does,  Love and Other Drugs pretty much succeeds at playing both sides, though in doing so it is a little disjointed at times.

Josh Gad and Jake Gyllenhaal

The film was directed by Edward Zwick who is known for directing more serious films like Glory and Blood Diamond.  The movie also features Hank Azaria and Oliver Platt as a Doctor and a fellow Pfizer salesman. Both are given a few nice moments in the film, mainly with Gyllenhaal.   George Segal and Jill Clayburgh are Jake's parents.   Both parts are pretty much cameos and this is, I believe, Clayburgh's final film role.  She passed away about three weeks before the film was released last November.

While I can't say I was every truly emotionally attached to either of the two lead characters, I did find the combination of the two genres somewhat refreshing - so would recommend it.   But, I actually had no idea it was going to be somewhat serious, so if you go in knowing that then you'll probably enjoy it even more than I did.

There is a decent amount of nudity in the movie - mainly on Anne's part, but Jake gets his share as well, so take that as either another reason to watch or to not watch, depending on how you feel about nudity in film.

One last comment - Jake and Anne have such good chemistry together that it makes you wonder what they would have been like as this year's Oscar hosts- as she and her co-host James Franco seemed to have no connection or chemistry at all.

Also, Anne Hathaway grew up in Millburn, New Jersey which is where the Paper Mill Playhouse is located.  She appeared in a couple of shows that we saw at the Paper Mill, the musical Gigi and the non-musical Jane Eyre -appearing in the ensemble in both.  With her stage background, hopefully she'll appear on Broadway in a musical soon.
Amazon link for Love & Other Drugs [Blu-ray]

Amazon link for the dvd of Love & Other Drugs

Trailer for the movie -

"Top of the Queue Review" - Cannibal! The Musical

cannib

While most everyone knows that The Book of Mormon (scroll down to see my review of that show or click here) isn't the first "musical" from the brains of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, since they did create South Park, which had musical moments in some of the episodes, the movie of South Park, which got an Oscar nomination for one of it's songs and Team America:World Police which had various songs as well - what you may not know is their first musical effort isn't any of those, but is actually from the early 90's and is called Cannibal! The Musical.

Filmed in 1993 when Parker and Stone were attending the Universtity of Colorado at Boulder and originally called Alferd Packer: The Musical,  the film was picked up for distribution by Troma films and released in 1996.

The story of the film tells the true tale of Alferd Pecker, played by Parker, a prospector, and his five companions who were killed and partially eaten on their treacherous journey between Utah and Colorado in the winter of 1873.  Pecker was the only one who survived and he was accused of cannibalism and tried for manslaugher and sentenced to 40 years in jail.

Of course, the story is told with extreme black humor and seven musical numbers.   There are several references to Oklahoma! - including the opening song with Parker singing on his horse, and there is even a dream ballet!

Is is the greatest film ever made?  No.   Is it so bad, it's good?  No.  But, is it a fairly professionally made movie, made on a shoestring budget, with good acting and filmmaking, some very funny parts, some funny lyrics and a good view into the early creativity of the guys who created South Park and now The Book of Mormon?  Absolutely.   And, the character that Stone plays actually dresses and talks just like Kyle, one of the characters in South Park!

If you are a South Park fan or just curious to see the first project the South Park guys created, then check it out.

Various stage productions of the musical have also been produced.

After seeing the movie you might just want to sing out and say, as Alferd does in the film, "my heart's as full as a baked potato!" - see the video clip below to hear the very cute and funny opening song from the movie as well as the same sequence from a regional theatre production of the musical.

Official Site - where you can watch the entire film as well as download for free mp3's of the songs.



Opening song from the movie-

The same scene from a theatre production of the movie musical -

"Top of the Queue Review" - 127 Hours

Set in 2003,  the film 127 Hours depicts five days in the life of Aron Ralston, a man who lives in his own private world, and the mountains of Utah are his escape and his life.  Biking and climbing around them, the canyons are his second home.  He knows his way around them like the back of his hand and runs around, over and under the wide cracks and crevices with complete confidence.  He is a loner, but still eager to help other climbers who might be lost, especially when they are a couple of college girls.  James Franco manages to capture the introverted loner aspects of Ralston while also showing the fun loving, outgoing parts of him as well.   The film got six Oscar nominations including a well deserved one for Franco as well as a Best Film nomination.  The film is based on the autobiography that Ralston wrote about the events.

Now, usually when you see a movie you don't know what is going to happen, but for this movie, unless you don't remember the news stories that surrounded the real event that is depicted, or live under a rock, you know where the film is going and exactly what is going to happen.  Much like the film of Titanic I suppose.  Still, that didn't stop me from enjoying the film or seeing the beauty in the world the film explores.

So, spoiler alert for those of you who have been living under a rock for the past several years: Aron falls deep into a narrow passage, getting his hand and lower arm caught between the canyon wall and the large rock that fell into the crevice with him.  His right forearm is crushed and immovable, and with little water left, he also realizes that he didn't tell anyone where he was going.  For five days, or 127 hours, he is stuck there and realizing he will die unless he does something, he ultimately uses the extremely dull knife he has to amputate his forearm to free himself.

Danny Boyle, the Academy Award winning director of Slumdog Millionaire, brings an eclectic and explosive visual style to the film.  Using a loud rock score, stunning visuals and a completely dedicated performance by Franco, the film pulls you into Aron's world, his thoughts, his feelings and his dreams.

The beginning of the film shows the majesty of the canyons and you understand why Aron is drawn to this place.  Even when he is trapped Aron still finds the beauty of the sun falling into the crevice and dancing on it's walls.  I was completely amazed with how the film shows how Aron is able to think what he needs to do to survive like how he measures the rationing of his water and how he uses the supplies in his backpack to assist him.  How he keeps himself warm and invents a pulley system out of his climbing ropes are just two of the interesting things the film shows.  He also uses his video camera to record a personal diary of the events.  Franco is amazing in his ability to show his feelings and thoughts on his face, as when he is trapped there is minimal dialogue.  Franco vividly displays the pain and fear but also the intense joy and, yes, even humor you realize one must go through when trapped the way he is. 

The film has a claustrophobic feeling for the 2/3 of the film when Aron is trapped, which perfectly makes you identify with Aron's predicament.  And once the desperation and dehydration set in, the way the film depicts Aron's hallucinations in a fantasy and dreamlike style is pretty beautiful, completely visual and wonderfully cinematic.  

But the film doesn't make him out to be a hero in all regards, just someone whom is resourceful and realizes the errors of his ways and the mistakes he has made. After all, loners in the canyons have huge downsides especially ones who bounce around the cracks and crevices like Aron does and don't tell anyone where they are going. 

The film does lag just a bit in parts, so I wouldn't exactly say it was one of the Best Pictures of last year- but it is worth seeing for Franco's performance, the visual and aural qualities and the documentary like feel of what really happened to Aron.

Treat Williams, Amber Tamblyn and Kate Burton do appear in cameos with Williams and Burton as Aron's parents (and Broadway connection- I've seen Burton on Broadway numerous times) - but they are very small parts, the film really is 95% Franco- and he delivers on all fronts. 

The moral of the story? 
#1 - Don't give up

#2 - Make sure to leave a note.

The film is very intense for the last 10 minutes - so beware if you're squeamish.

Trailer for the film

Interview with Aron Ralston -

Amazon link for the 127 Hours [Blu-ray]

Amazon link for the dvd of 127 Hours

Amazon link for the book  127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

"Top of the Queue Review" - Hachi: A Dog's Tale

I'm a dog lover.  Though we never really had a dog when I was growing up, except for one that my sister had for a short time when I was about 12, I found myself drawn to wanting to own a dog in my late 20's.  Our first dog was a part of our family for almost 12 years, and our latest one has been with us for 6.  I find myself in conversations with other dog owners about our dog's behaviours and also am drawn to movies with dogs in them.  

So, Hachi: A Dog's Tale - not exactly the best name for a movie.   But it got good reviews so into the Netflix queue it went.   As it was getting to the top of the queue, and when I saw the title, which, come on, is just a pretty bad one, I questioned why I put it in there, as I couldn't quite remember why it got into the queue in the first place.  But once I saw the pic of the dog in the film's poster, I smiled at the site of it and decided to keep it where it was, and it arrived a couple of days later.

Now, those of you who aren't into movies about dogs or who don't cry when sad things happen in movies, you might as well stop reading now.  But for everyone else out there, go ahead and give this one a spin- it has some big names in the cast and a series of dog's that play the title character that will make you tear up.  The dog "cast" is simply amazing - after you watch the movie definitely check out the special feature about the making of the film that includes a lot of behind the scenes footage of the dogs that were used, how they got them to perform and how they made them to look older then they really were for the later parts of the film.

The story is actually based on a famous Japanese tale of a dog who would follow his owner to the train station every day the man went to work, and the dog would be there to greet him when he came off the train at night.  The man died, but the dog kept going back for YEARS until the dog died.   There is even a statue at the train station in Japan that honors the bond this dog had with it's owner.

So, knowing that you can guess where this story is going - but the way it is told and the way it plays out still has some surprises in store.

Richard Gere is the dog owner, Joan Allen is his wife and Jason Alexander is the station master at the train station.   The film is directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the Swedish director who also directed  Chocolat, Dear John, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, My Life as a Dog and The Cider House Rules- a pretty good list of movies.

It really is all about unconditional love, which when you think about it is really the best love there is.  The film is touching, poignant and will make you think of ones you have loved and loved you- both humans and animals.  A deeply moving movie that I never thought would touch me the way it did.  

And- Broadway connection- Joan Allen won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for Burn This.  Unfortunately by the time I got to NYC and saw Burn This, she had left the cast.  For Jason Alexander, however, we did see his Tony Award winning performance in Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989.  Richard Gere has been on Broadway in a few things, including having been a replacement in the original production of Grease, but he hasn't been in a show on Broadway since 1980, so a little before my Broadway going time.

Amazon link for the film on blu-ray - Hachi: A Dog's Tale [Blu-ray]

Amazon link for the film on dvd - Hachi: A Dog's Tale