47 Ronin

47 Ronin, the first full length feature film by director Carl Rinsch was a colorful, beautifully rendered remake of the 1961 film The 47 Ronin. It was an entertaining film though there were some head scratching moments. Thankfully there weren't that many of them, because of that I give 47 Ronin two and a half buckets of Killer Korn.













Like the story of the 300 (or 500 depending on which version of the story you believe) Spartans that stood up against the massive Persian army, the story of the 47 Ronin is very similar. It's a tale of great shame and heroism both at the same time. The story deals with the half breed outcast Kai, played by Keanu Reeves who was raised in the woods by certain creatures that taught him their ways who he then turned his back on. He was instead found in the woods by Lord Asano, played by Min Tanaka and his men. Lord Asano brought Kai into his home and raised him with the help of his daughter Mika, played by the beautiful Mo Shibasaki. Because Kai wasn't full Japanese he couldn't become Samurai and the leader of Lord Asano's Samurai Oishi, played by the very talented Hiroyuki Sanada and his men never let Kai forget what a shame it is that he's even allowed on the property.

This story takes place in feudal Japan, with Lords protecting his people and their lands from other Lords who are seeking to expand their kingdoms. Lord Asano's rival is Lord Kira, played by Tadanobu Asano who has grand designs on Lord Asano's land and his daughter. Lord Kira doesn't play fair  and solicits the help of a very powerful witch, played by the lovely (but creepy in this movie) Rinko Kikuchi to help him get what he wants. After a fateful evening, the Emperor orders Lord Asano to take his own life via seppuku. When a Samurai no longer has a Lord to follow, he becomes a Ronin and Lord Asano's Ronin are ordered by the Emperor to not seek revenge for Lord Asano's fate. That's when the movie truly get's interesting. Lord Asano's men are scattered to the four winds, Oishi is imprisoned for a year, his lands are taken over by Lord Kira and his daughter Mika has been given a year to grieve for her father but after that, she's Lord Kira's wife and will be the mother of his children. The problem with that is Kai and Mika have been in  love with each other since they were children so Kai is enlisted by Oishi, upon his release to help avenge Lord Asano's shame and to prevent the marriage of Lord Kira to Mika.

47 Ronin is a visual feast for the eyes. The colors, the costumes, the makeup, it's all there to titillate that particular sense. And for a movie that was all about feudal Japan to not be shot in Japan, it was a job well done by production designer Jan Roelfs. There should be a nomination for some award coming his way soon for this movie. The sets felt organic, like they were filming in existing locales and not on built stages. The cinematography was gorgeous and again for 47 to not be filmed in Japan the shots were impressive. The score by Ilan Eshkeri was graceful, gentle, and dramatic, and sometimes the music was all those at the same time. 47 Ronin had the potential to be a really bad film but surprisingly it was a job well done all around, well maybe not with the dialogue which at times didn't really connect but that tends to happen in Keanu Reeve's vehicles for some reason. If you want a fantastical romp through feudal Japan and you enjoy tales of Samurai, or if you know about the 47 Ronin already and are interested in it's retelling then check out 47 Ronin, and I'll see you in the theater.            

Her

Her, the latest film by accomplished writer and director Spike Jonze, whose last feature length film was the wonderful Where The Wild Things Are delivers an amazing fun and heartbreaking film. It's the most creative take on male/female relationships that I have ever seen and it's because of this that I give Her four buckets of Killer Korn.












Spike Jonze has delivered yet another movie that seems to have taken the romantic relationship movie genre up another level. It's a charming movie that has all too familiar moments to those that have been in a relationship of some kind. Her will make you smile, laugh, and make you uncomfortable as you're taken through familiar relationship circumstances. The difference here is that the relationship is between a man and his computer's operating system. It's not just any operating system though, it's the most advanced OS ever created. It's an artificial intelligent, intuitive, ever evolving operating system and it gives you the choice of picking a male or female voice. The main character in the movie, Theodore played by the talented Joaquin Phoenix chooses a females voice and what man wouldn't when the sultry voice of "Samantha" is provided by Scarlett Johansson.

Theodore is your every day, garden variety hard worker in the somewhat distant future, working for HandWrittenLetters.com. He dictates letters to his computer at work and when they are printed out, they look as if they were written by hand. He's recently divorced and seems to have great rapport with his upstairs neighbors Amy, played by Amy Adams and her husband Charles who is played by Matt Letscher. Theodore, a recent divorcee isn't quite ready to date yet and though seems truly mortified by the idea of it, goes on a date with the lovely Olivia Wilde. That leads him, somewhat unwittingly to get the latest OS and soon after, Theodore has never been happier. He finds himself thinking of Samantha as the girl he's dating and not his computers operating system. Samantha is taking care of him in ways his wife never did and even gets Theodore a book deal. There is this odd moment when Samantha and Theodore try to include sex into their "relationship" but I won't divulge that secret, you'll just have to see it to believe it.

Her is a movie I couldn't wait to see once I saw the trailer and it did not let me down. While I wasn't all that big of a fan of Spike's Wild Things, I was impressed and Her has impressed me yet again. He is a great director and a very talented writer and I almost wish it didn't take years to get another film from him. Shot by cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, Her has a very soft look. Nothing is too bright or dark and the colors red and orange are often prominently displayed. The city landscapes seem to change in the blink of an eye. One moment it appears Theodore is in L.A. and the next he's in Japan. I'm guessing that's done to give us the idea that future cities will be even more massive in size and scope. There is no "score" for Her, instead there's music by Arcade Fire, Karen O, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and others. The music selections fit this movie perfectly, a movie that really didn't need much music to begin with. I highly recommend Her if you're looking for an intelligent, well written, and well acted film and I'll see you at the theater.

Saving Mr. Banks

Saving Mr, Banks, the latest film from director John Lee Hancock is not the "feel good" movie of the year, to say the least. Brought to life by the man that brought us The Blindside, Saving Mr. Banks is a true dramatic retelling of how the iconic Mary Poppins was brought to the screen. It's a heavier film that I thought it was going in and it possess more heart that I initially gave it credit for, because of that I give Saving Mr. Banks three buckets of Killer Korn.










I honestly don't think Saving Mr. Banks could have cast any better. Tom Hanks playing Walt Disney, Emma Thompson playing the immovable author of the Mary Poppins books P.L. Travers, Colin Farrell playing Travers Goff, Paul Giamatti playing the affable limo driver Ralph, Bradly Whitford playing Disney screenwriter Don DaGradi, and B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman playing the talented songwriting brothers Robert and Richard Sherman respectively. If they gave out golden statues for best cast then Ronna Kress would walk home with one. I'm sure it wasn't hard to get this movie cast, but to get the right people into the right roles is never easy. They got the job right on this movie.

Saving Mr. Banks is the story of the struggle Walt Disney and his crew underwent to get the rights to and make the movie of the iconic character Mary Poppins. According to the story, Walt (he prefers first names) has been approaching Ms. Travers (she doesn't) for almost twenty years about the buying the book rights to her book and she has declined him every year. This time however, she's not selling anymore books, her royalties have dried up, and she could lose her house and that just won't do. So she reluctantly flies to Los Angeles to meet Walt and what she does to her hotel room after Walt adorns it with the stuffed animal likenesses of his famed characters, you have a pretty good idea Ms. Travers won't be an easy sell (spoiler alert, they all end up in the closet...well not all of them).

Ms. Travers has final script approval, doesn't want the movie to be a musical, and demands no animation in the movie, with Walt is at his wits end Ms. Travers flies back to London. Now while Tom and Emma are on the screen together are magical, the real star of the show is Colin Farrell. His Travers Goff grabs your heart, captures your imagination, and puts a smile on your face with his sense of humor. Sadly he is a tragic character that needs saving, more from himself than from something else. The relationship between him and his daughter "Princess" Ginty, played wonderfully by relative newcomer Annie Rose Buckley is full of laughter, wonder, and tears.

Once Walt figures out the Mary Poppins didn't arrive to save the children, but instead was there to save their father did things finally start moving in the right direction. Saving Mr. Banks is a charming yet heartbreaking tale of learning how to let go of your past and how not to let it get in the way of your present or future. Scored wonderfully by Thomas Newman, the music added a really beautiful element to a movie that could have done without music. It was a fitting score. I highly recommend Saving Mr. Banks, but you may want to keep some tissues on hand, yeah...it's another one of those and I'll see you at the theater.

Trailer Alert: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

This trailer looks intense and I am now truly looking forward to the movies hatching in 2014. I was a fan of Ruper Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes but sadly Rupert is not doing Dawn. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the work of Matt Reeves, the man that bought us the impressive Cloverfield. Now sadly he followed up Cloverfield with the atrocious Let Me In, but hopefully he's learned his lessons from that debacle and Dawn mirrors the drama and excitement of Cloverfield. Starring the chameleon Gary Oldman, the intense Jason Clark, and the amazing Andy Serkis reprising his role as Caesar, Dawn looks like a worthy successor to Rise to me, what do you think?

Philomena

Philomena, the latest from accomplished director Stephen Frears, the man behind such films as The Queen and one of my all time favorites, Hi Fidelity delivers a heart breaking and ultimately satisfying tale of love lost. At times this movie broke my heart and made me laugh out loud. For that, I give Philomena three and a half buckets of Killer Korn.












Stephen Frears has never failed to impress me as a movie goer and his streak is intact. Philomena is a true story about Philomena Lee, a woman who kept the fact that she had a son fifty years ago hidden from even her own daughter. She finally comes clean on his fiftieth birthday and the only thing she has to remind her of her little King is an old black and white photograph of him when he was two or three and his name, Anthony Lee. When she was very little, Philomena's father dropped her off at an orphanage after her mother passed away and never came back for her. There she was raised by the nuns and forced to work seven days a week as payment for her room and board. One day she goes to a carnival, meets a charming man and gets pregnant. Her son is born and reared in the orphanage until some rich Americans come to purchase a child. The nuns sell the children for a thousand pounds a head and only the wealthy can afford that price back then, and they usually were Americans.

Philomena Lee is played by the incomparable Judi Dench and she is, in a word, marvelous. She is charming, shy, reserved, sarcastic, and plays the "fish out of water" thing perfectly. Her daughter Jane is played by Anna Maxwell Martin and upon hearing that she has a brother out there in the world, she turns to disgraced politician and one time reporter for the BBC, Martin Sixsmith, played by the charming Steve Coogan to see if he can help. Martin has just recently had his fair share of troubles with the current administration and was let go. He picks up Philomena's story at first in the hopes of getting some semblance of his career back on track, but he eventually becomes a dogged an impassioned investigator while trying to find Philomena's son. The two don't always get along or see eye to eye but they are quick to forgive and they ultimately care for one another. The quest takes them from England to Ireland to America and that leads them right back to where they started, back at the orphanage.

What's so heartbreaking about Philomena is that it's based on a true story and that Philomena Lee is a real person. Her story is horrific on one hand and uplifting in another. Martin Sixsmith wrote a book entitled The Lost Child of Philomena Lee and Steve Coogan not only acted in the movie, he was also one of the producers on the film, and he also co-wrote the screenplay based on Martin's book. This was obviously a passionate project for him. According to the text at the end of the film, there are thousands of mothers looking for their lost children and children looking for their mothers. Records have been lost or destroyed which makes that quest all the harder and speaking from a limited experience in that regard, I know how painful that can be. Shot by cinematographer Robbie Ryan, the camera is always present and in the middle of it all but it doesn't feel intrusive. Everything is shot just off to the side, making the audience bystanders in this unfolding drama. Scored beautifully by Alexandre Desplat, the music was subtle and moving which made it perfect. I commend Desplat's light touch and I recommend Philomena, but if you go, you might want to bring some tissues and I'll see you in the theater.

Trailer Alert: Jupiter Ascending

This looks...interesting. I don't know how excited I am to see this, but the trailer has some impressive visuals. Directed by the Wachowski's, the brother and sister team that brought us the Matrix trilogy and most recently Cloud Atlas, Jupiter looks to be just as confounding as the latter was (though I did enjoy it). Starring Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, and Sean Bean, Jupiter Ascending appears prime to be the most expensive sci-fi film of 2014. Will I see you in line is the question. :)

Trailer Alert: Edge of Tomorrow

I love Doug Liman's work, I have been a huge fan of his since Go back in 96. While I loved The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I did not enjoy Jumper (though I think that was more due to the bad acting than Doug's directing. Hayden Christensen is just...bad). I didn't hold Jumper against Doug and when I learned that Edge of Tomorrow starring Tom Cruise and the lovely Emily Blunt was his movie, it has been placed on the top of my must see list for 2014. The premise is not original but the look is, and with Doug's direction anything is possible. It drops June 6, I'll see you in line.