15 posts tagged “review”

Swear to god, we must have been two of the last people on the planet to see Wall-E, but we finally did on Friday night. And it was good. I don't want to take anything away from it. It was a good solid Pixar movie.

Pixar has yet to make a blunder (with the exception of Cars, but even that wasn't dreadful).

Still, by all accounts, Wall-E was supposed to be the BEST PIXAR MOVIE EVER! And for me it fell well short of that mark. I think Ratatouille and The Incredibles are both way better than Wall-E. Wall-E is almost all slapstick, whereas my own favorites have plots and dialogue. Yes, there are heart tugging moments in Wall-E, and there's even a slight "environmentalism/ appreciate the planet" message tucked in there for good measure, but it's pretty much mostly just sci-fi slapstick. Fun, but ultimately empty calories.

Wall-E was clearly this year's favorite animated film, but you know, for my money, I thought Kung-Fu Panda was better.

We watch lots of movies, but I'm not a good enough reviewer to bother writing up anything substantial on most of them. Still, when we come across movies that are particularly good, I at least like to put it out there as a recommendation.

We watched two movies over the past couple of nights - Perfume, the Story of a Murderer and Children of Men.

Children of Men rates very high on IMDB - it's #179 on the top 250 films of all times and rates 8.1 out of 10. To me, it wasn't quite that good. It was a better than average film, but it drags a bit from time to time and could use with a bit more editing. Still, there's good suspense, and a plot that gets you thinking about what could conceivably happen if the world were to experience some sort of turmoil like, oh, I don't know, an extended global economic recession/collapse. In any case, I wouldn't rate it quite that hight - maybe a 7.4. Recommendable if you want something that's kind of slow moving and depressing - something European-esque.

On the other hand, Perfume rates a lot lower, only 7.5 - a respectable rating for IMDB - but personally I'd pop it onto my own top 250. It's the story of a young man in 18th century France (although the acting is all in English) who has the most remarkable sense of smell and who wants to preserve scent - including the scent of women. That description isn't doing the film justice. It's more complicated than that - you sympathize with the character, despite the fact that he's a murderer. It'ss kind of like Dexter that way. The film has a sort of fairy-tale feel to it, and the visual style is beautiful. It's definitely not for everyone, but we both truly loved it. If you're looking for something a bit different, check it out.

I generally find romantic Comedies to be big turn-off. They're largely carbon copies of one another, forgettable, and with few exceptions they're just about the most insipid things to come out of Hollywood.

That said, we just got through watching Love Actually and I have to say it really is one of the worthwhile ones. It's not a single formulaic storyline, but instead touches on all aspects of love - puppy love, unrequited love, familial love, illicit love, lust, passion, the start of a relationship and the end of marriage. It's at turns heartwarming, laugh-out-loud funny, and devastating (i.e. Emma Thompson to Joni Mitchell) - and it's genuinely entertaining.

It's also responsible for a serious case of earworm today. Now I can't get Mariah Carrey's AllI Want for Christmas is You out of my head!

This year for our Boxing Day film marathon we decided to do a little film study while enjoying our time together. Instead of just re-watching something we'd seen before, we thought we would finally get around to watching what is widely considered one of the very best films of all time - The Godfather (and it's sequels). It didn't take quite as long as last year's LOTR marathon, but we still didn't finish until after 1am (although that had more to do with the time it took us to prepare a yummy stuffed roast leg of lamb for dinner).

Was it worth it? yeah. Watching the Godfather was very rewarding. It had such an intricate plot that we really needed subtitles on just to make sure we didn't miss anything - especially in the second film.

Well, if we're being honest, we kind of messed up with the first part. We watched a version that didn't have subtitles - not even in the Italian sections. So it was a little frustrating for me, and even more so for Junkii who had more trouble understanding dialogue. But we muddled through it together, pausing and replaying scenes we had trouble with. For the second and third parts we ran to the video store and rented the newly released and restored Blu-Ray editions. We threw on the subtitles and, voila! A much simpler film viewing experience.

As for the film - it felt like something complete. It wasn't simply a bunch of disconnected scenes from a life, like Goodfellas - another highly regarded mob movie that I personally found dreadfully hard to get through. Godfather had more than just an interesting story arc though. The actors did a fabulous job developing their characters. Al Paccino (Michael) and Talia Shire (Connie) were especially good over the course of the three films, and Andy Garcia (Vincent) in the third part did amazing work. We were both impressed with the way these characters changed, in a very believable way, through the course of their lives.

Okay, the 2nd and 3rd parts had their flaws - the flashback sequences in part 2 for instance could have been eliminated entirely in our opinion - and yes, it was a bit slow in places, but overall we both really enjoyed the trilogy. For me, that says a lot because honestly I've never been a fan of mob dramas.

Would we watch it again? probably not - at least not as a trilogy. But it was definitely time well-spent. Next year we'll have to find something else to watch. Or we might just go back to LOTR.

...And that's a good thing.

Despite the fact that I've never bought any of their albums, I do like the Killers. They are one of the most promising bands to emerge in the past few years. Every album they've produced has had 2 or 3 real gems on it.

Unfortunately, the rest of those albums - particularly Sam's Town - have been filled with guitar-driven rock tracks that just didn't live up to my expectations. Aside from those few gems, the melodies and instrumentation on the rest of the albums just weren't enough to make them stand out from the general muddle of all the rock bands currently on the scene.

So while I remained interested in their efforts, I was often disappointed. Same has been true of Bowie for ages. I respect his work, but it usually doesn't quite strike a chord with me.

Well, this new Killers album is something else entirely. It's got more of an '80s feel to it. It's more keyboard than guitar-driven. The sound is less rock and more pop - or at least pop rock - and it just suits the music way better. It suits the melodies and it suits Brandon Flowers's voice. It's not just another round of bruce-springsteen inspired songs. And this time, I'll definitely pick up a copy for the collection.

High-end food is a rarity in Ottawa. Or at least good high-end food. Or at least good high-end food that doesn't cost an arm and a leg - I'm looking at you, Beckta.

last weekend we treated ourselves to a little top-chef-style cuisine at a local (and I use the term 'local' loosely) hidden gem: Mariposa Farm. It's a 300-acre duck and goose farm in Plantagenet that promotes local, organically grown products (both veggies and meat). So no sleeping in for us on Sunday; we had to be up with the lark to get out to Plantagenet - about 30 minutes drive past Orleans - for the 11am lunch sitting. Oh, the lengths we go to for good food...

But it was well worth it. The meal was pricey at $35 - but not unreasonable for the quality of both the ingredients (they either produce everything on-site or source it from local farms withing a small radius; something like 100 km, I think) and the food (some seriously tasty and inventive dishes). And this was a 3-course table d'hôte, so definitely a little more bang for the buck.

As for the dishes, they change every week, but we pretty much got to sample all three options available for each course. I was happy with all my own choices. The duo of duck and goose liver pâtés was a nice little starter, but the main course - grilled goose breast with pureed cauliflower, and a white currant sauce was to die for. The addition of a piece of rendered duck skin was welcome, offering a bit of texture in every mouthful. And it was served with fresh fiddleheads! Yum!

While I would usually pick the chocolate item for dessert - like Mel did - I was seduced by the offer of a cheese plate, featuring four locally made cheeses. Needless to say, I had my fair share of Mel's chocolate mousse too.

And what could be better? We ended the meal with a quick tour of the farm, guided by the owner. It was definitely a treat and, despite the distance, something we'll do again if ever we have foodie guests in town that don't mind a Sunday morning drive out to the country.

The Simpsons telly show jumped the shark years ago.

Both Mel and I were devotees of the show for ages. In fact, I used to record every episode on VHS and store them for future viewing. That got unwieldy and I stopped after 8 or 9 seasons, but it's a testament to my love for the show. It's also a testament to the drop in quality that I never started collecting the DVDs when they came out. And that I taped over or tossed my collection long ago

The show started it's downhill slide by Season 8, and now it's just dismal. We held out as long as we could, but this season (what is it, 17? 18?) we finally called it quits. We removed the season pass from our Tivo. Ashes to ashes.

It was sad. I should have liked to see it through 'til the end, but it's just such a waste of time now. It might offer one good laugh in a half hour episode. Which is probably why it took us so long to see the Simpsons Movie. I can't say I'm sad we waited.

The film was okay, but it could have been so much better. Had they made it around season 4 or 5, when the show was at its peak, it probably would have been one of the funniest animated films of all time. As it stands, it improved on the current state of the TV series -- it at least had a single coherent plot rather than a mishmash of ideas, like the show -- but it still pales in comparison to the best seasons. It was just a blip for this fading franchise.

Worst thing is, the producers are in denial about the show's prospects. Last time I read an interview from Matt Groening, he said something to the effect of, "We have tons of great stories for the Simpsons, so there's no reason to call it quits anytime soon." Bullshit! The sooner you put it to rest, the better. It's just sad now.

For several years now - long before the Lord of the Rings films were released, anyway - we've been going to the movies as part of our Christmas day tradition. Last year, for example, we saw Pan's Labyrinth before heading to a fantastic turkey dinner with friends.

Having family and friends to eat, drink, and share with is always wonderful - it really makes Christmas special - and we wouldn't trade that for the world. But sometimes, in the middle of Christmas's warm glowing warming glow, we like to steal a couple of hours to be by ourselves; and films offer us a great excuse to do just that.

This year, we were alone for Christmas. First time in the new house, but all our friends and family are either not based in Ottawa or are gone home to visit their own families. Which is fine - we're quite happy to spend the whole time with one another. But we still made time for our tradition.

We were hoping to see the Golden Compass - a nice fantasy film in the vein of Lord of the Rings or Narnia (which, let's be honest, sucked) - but one of our friends wants to join us for that, so we resisted temptation. But what to see instead?

We opted for a viewing of Sweeney Todd. Neither of us knew much about it except that it was a musical, was directed by Tim Burton in his inimitable style, and that it involved murder. Neither of us knew just how dark and depressing it would turn out to be. I don't want to give anything away - it's really an excellent film and it would be a shame not to experience it for yourselves - but it's not exactly Christmas-day fare, if you get my meaning.

In fact, we were even a little traumatized by the whole thing and had to find something to wash the blood off.

Luckily, we had rented a few films the day before and had been holding on to Stardust to enjoy on Christmas night. Which we did, and it was fantastic film. Which sort of surprised me, because I remember it didn't get very good reviews when it was released.

In any case, we were both pleasantly surprised by this enchanting fairytale. It might not quite rival Princess Bride for humour and quotability, but it definitely holds its own, and the characters in this imaginative universe are all charming. Robert DeNiro's pirate captain is so fun to watch.

Blood-curdling has its place, but heart-warming is definitely the way to go on Christmas day.

Now, I'm off. Today we're hoping to watch the Lord of the Rings series (extended editions) from start to finish. I'll let you know how it goes.

With advice from a few work colleagues I consider to be wine connoisseurs, and more importantly, with the unerring advice of the Vintages Value List,  Mel and I have started to expand our wine collection, and training our palates.

A few years ago, when the Bourne penultimatum came out, I set aside my distaste for the first movie and decided to give it a go. They used a different director than the Bourne Identity and I thought it might be entertaining.

Wrong. Even if the plot was interesting, this was in essence an action movie, and what I want from an action movie is well-choreographed chase and fight scenes. What I got instead was the lazy man’s guide to how to make an action movie – i.e. take Matt Damon, and have him pretend-fight some baddies all while aiming a camera-on-a-fishing-pole in his general direction and jumping on a trampoline. The benefit is that you get what looks like action without ever having to choreograph anything. Throw in some heart-pounding music and you’ve got yourself an action movie.

Needless to say I was left unimpressed, not to mention nauseous, by the whole experience. So when Ultimatum came out this year by the same director, and my Brother-in-Law told me it was more of the same only shakier, I wisely steered clear.

Now, enter Transformers. Here’s a movie that rates 7.6 on IMDb – so I’m expecting a decent action movie with a few plot twists and maybe an interesting character or two. I might not approve of the action in Bourne, but at least the plot was interesting, and the series warrants its respectable rating on IMDb. Transformers is an altogether different animal.

And by different I mean horribly, horribly unwatchable.

And it’s sad because it was a property with great potential. With the amount they spent on special effects, you’d think they would want to show them off. Nope. Not once do we see a nice clear shot of one of the vehicles changing into a robot. Not once!

In every instance where there was a transformation, the camera is rotating, or zig-zagging, or it’s in super-macro, or it’s out of focus. That was fine for the first one or two times, but come on! Even Jurassic Park showed us the whole dinosaur once in a while.

But it doesn’t stop there. No. Any time there’s action, all you see is quick zig-zaggy shot of rifle, quick zig-zaggy shot of smoke, quick zig-zaggy shot of robot hand, quick zig-zaggy shot of helicopter, Quick zig-zaggy… well, you get the picture. And in fact, if you do get the picture, that’s pretty much it. For 2.5 hours.Yeesh.

Oh, forgive me… it’s not ALL action. There are scenes of cardboard characters doing cardboard things. The socially-awkward geek trying to hit on the shallow girlfriend of the sexy football jock. The socially awkward geek buying his first car with his loving but clueless father. The ass who runs the super-secret government wing that deals with aliens. This is a straight ahead action movie with no room for interesting plot twists, or character development. And since the action is unwatchable, what are we left with?

The answer: truckloads of product placement for Chevy, Pontiac, Nokia, HP, Cisco, Hummer, Porsche, and dozens of other things you might like to purchase. Which is sad, because with the money they made from the product placement, they might have at least made an effort to find someone with vision to direct this, and maybe properly choreograph an action sequence or two. Instead, all you’ve got is a 2.5 hour advertisement.