Something old, something new

In preparation for Tron Legacy (the better part of a year away still), we revisited the original Tron from all the way back in 1982, when music and fashion were totally awesome, and Jeff Bridges was still a toddler.

How did it hold up after all these years, you ask? Well, not too bad. The graphics of course can’t compare to what’s on offer today, but to expect them to would be unrealistic. The story’s compelling enough to allow a person to overlook that, and the story is about a guy (Jeff Bridges) who was fired from an evil corporation by an unscrupulous tool (David Warner) who stole his work, took credit for it, got promoted, then fired him. This evil doer then implements the use of the Master Control Program (MCP), whose job it is to monitor any and all technology and make sure it remains secure. The MCP takes on a life of its own, and can only be stopped by another watchdog program called Tron. If only the writer (Bruce Boxleitner) could get it to run, but he’s been locked out by the MCP. Re-enter Bridges, hacker/genius extraordinaire who agrees to help, but only if he can use the computer terminal strategically placed in front of the experimental object digitizing laser, via which he is subsequently digitized and transported into the system (didn’t see that coming), where he then does battle with the MCP and its minion programs and their frisbees-o-death.

So yeah, there’s a bit of hokey factor with it, but I still enjoyed it and after seeing trailers, and quite looking forward to the sequel which sees the return of both Bridges and Boxleitner. If you enjoy sci-fi, I’d recommend giving this one a go.

A guy getting sucked into the cheesy battleground of a 1982 computer operating system is hardly a suspension of belief compared to Roland Emmerich’s disaster flick 2012.

Much like The Day After Tomorrow before it, this film relies on extremely accelerated and dubious geologic events to provide the impetus for some pretty cool CGI effects. If you can REALLY let your mind go – seriously, turn it completely off – kick back with some snacks, it’s one gigantic thrill ride after another. Limousine racing through a collapsing building? Sounds fun! RV/small aircraft outracing an exploding super-volcano? Why not! Entire chunks of major cities tipping up on end and sliding into the ocean? Sure! Extremely massive amounts of water cresting peaks in the Himalayas? Hell yeah!

I won’t lie. There is much ridiculousness going on here, so watch this only if you’re really checking in on the special effects. For those, an HDTV and Blu-Ray might be pretty sweet.

Not your usual Alice

We recently went and watched Tim Burton’s film Alice in Wonderland in startling 2-D. Generally speaking, we’ve heard pretty decent things about it, but there are some criticisms out there as well. Let me address a particular sticking point right off the bat in this non-spoiler.

This movie is not, I repeat not a remake of the animated Disney film. I am not sure how people have missed this, as it’s fairly apparent in trailers and such that we’re dealing with an older Alice and a different story. This film also draws things out of Lewis Carroll’s books that weren’t in the Disney animation either. So, if you’re looking for the animated Alice as retold through the odd eye of Tim Burton, look no further, cause this isn't it.

This may be akin to a sequel and it certainly contains a whole host of very familiar characters (Alice of course, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the White Rabbit, Tweedle’s Dee and Dum, the Blue Caterpillar, Queen of Hearts, and of course the Cheshire Cat).

In this tale, Alice is older and has more or less forgotten her “dream” of the first go-round with the wacked inhabitants of Wonderland before falling to her surprise back down the rabbit hole. Once she falls back in, Burton and crew let their imaginations loose and the results are brilliant.

Our whole family enjoyed this movie immensely. The story, the animation, the live action, and the scenery were wildly imaginative and refreshing and just made for a really fun ride, and one we’d like to take again. I’d highly recommend this one and would encourage a theater viewing be it 3-D or otherwise. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

A dog, a priest, and a dead guy

I wish I had a good joke to go with the title, but in this case, I’m talking movies, and what a lineup it is. Not a bad flick in the bunch, I’m pleased to say.

Starting us off is Lady and the Tramp, a piece of classic animation by the fine folks at Disney.

It’s a film full of entertaining animals, curmudgeonly relatives, and reminds us that no matter what our current position in society, we can choose to have a good heart and to be helpful to others.  Also, do what’s right even if the consequences might not be favorable.

At the end of the day, it’s certainly more for the kids, but it’s not near as painful to watch as some of the stinkers they’ve churned out (see the review of Oliver & Company). Give it a watch.

In Ghost Town, Ricky Gervais is dentist Bertram Pincus, a man with some serious personality flaws. He just doesn’t like people, and quite often after people meet him, the feeling is mutual.

A minor mishap with a minor medical procedure leaves him with the ability to see dead people. Dead people that would really like some help. Pincus, never one to help the living finds this situation every bit as unpleasant. Central to his annoyance is Frank (Greg Kinnear) who wants Pincus to help his with his widow Gwen (Téa Leoni).

The casting is great and the film, a comedy, is often quite funny, though it does have its poignant moments as well. Overall I found it quite enjoyable, and if you appreciate the humor of Mr. Gervais, you’ll likely enjoy it too.

But for a REAL laugh-fest, check out Doubt! Wow, what a riotess look at Catholic school what with the priest misconduct and the uh…nazi nun…and er…um…yeah…I don’t think this was a comedy.

Doubt focuses primarily on Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) the superior amongst the nuns with a very strict definition of propriety within the Church, Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) the younger priest (yet still of higher rank than Aloysius) who wants to see the 1960’s Church become a bit more modern, open, and friendly to society, and Sister James (Amy Adams) the young and optimistic nun who finds herself at the center of a power struggle between Aloysius and Flynn. When the relationship between Flynn and the school’s lone black student comes under scrutiny, the fireworks start to fly.

The casting and acting here are superb, as is the script writing, which is necessary as this is no action flick. This film rides squarely on the shoulders of the actors to weave the story and take us along for the ride, and there is good reason for the critical acclaim Doubt has received. Powerful performances are delivered across the board, and I’d highly recommend this one.

3 movies, 1 book

I wish this started off better…

The sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian had so much potential. It was set at the Smithsonian for cryin’ out loud. There is a huge amount of potential to be had there…  Alas.

This movie picks up a few years after the first one leaves off, and many of the familiar characters from the first one are being shipped off into storage in the national archives. Larry (Stiller), now a successful inventor of cheezy infomercial products is nevertheless drug back in to the midnight madness that is museum life, this time rushing to the aid of his friends who are under siege at the Smithsonian, where we are ultimately introduced to a few new characters.

In fairness to the movie, there are some pretty funny moments. When an excited General Custer yells “We’re Americans!  We don’t plan, we do!” for instance. In fairness to the readers here, those moments are rare, the plot, such that it is, feels cobbled together. There are huge holes in what little logic exists in this story in the first place, and the overall effect is one of indifference. (or at least it was for me) I wouldn’t recommend it, and horror of horrors, I’ve heard rumor of a 3rd installment in the works. Maybe they’ll get back on track. I won’t hold my breath.

I don’t fit the target demographic for Disney cartoons, but generally enjoy them anyway cause I’m plenty childish, and my kids give me an excuse to watch them completely without shame. So, when my daughter picked out Oliver and Company, I was all for it.

I have regrets.

This movie worked for the kids in a “aww, look at the cute talking animals” kind of way. In that sense, Disney hit the mark. It was otherwise a rather lousy movie and, in my opinion, one of Disney’s low points. On the human side of the plot, our main good guy is actually a down-on-his-luck thief who employs a ragtag group of stray animals to try and help him ply his trade. This man is in a debt of the life-threatening variety to a ruthless mobster (are you experiencing gleeful laughter yet?). Our little girl heroine is the product of inattentive and often absent parents in an enormous house with a butler to take care of her, and he doesn’t seem particularly concerned about her either. The little girl ends up ultimately kidnapped by the mean mob guy who ends up dead after a daring rescue by the good bad-guy and the animals, and we are treated to Cheech Marin, and attempts at music by Bette Midler and Billy Joel. I’m sure it’s a great movie if you’re stinkin’ drunk or high. Spend your money and time on something better.

Like Coraline.

I’m not sure what this was based on, but what a fun and imaginative story! Screen this one or watch it early with younger children though, as for our daughter, late in the evening, parts of it were a bit much. (it IS a Tim Burton production after all)

Coraline (Dakota Fanning) finds a small door that leads from her boring existence into a near-copy of reality where everything is better and her parents are much more fun and caring. She soon starts to realize though that things may not be what they seem.

The imaginations behind this flick did an amazing job. This is raw creativity unleashed, and the result is immensely enjoyable. I’d highly recommend this one!

In the third installment of Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein series, Dead and Alive, I finally get an idea of why they may be pushing this out as a trilogy of trilogies. This third book ends on a note that fairly neatly packages the first three as one story unit.

In the first installment, one of Frankenstein’s new race members “gives birth” in a manner of speaking. In this installment, that resulting creature returns. Frankenstein’s 5th version of a wife has one of the most interesting first days of life imaginable, and we are introduced to some really bizarre creatures – some created by Frankenstein, some who have assembled/reassembled themselves – who start operating contrary to their programming. All of this makes for a pretty interesting story, and overall this first trilogy is good reading. Instant classics? Nah…not really, but good fodder for a rainy day. Give ‘em a try, you may like ‘em!