This video describes in words and images what I feel like this far along in my stoke.

That is all for now.

Star Wars failed completely in this when they returned to the story that brought us the impeccable trilogy that has inspired generations to watch over and over. The new prequel films were a joke punctured by terrible direction, horrifying script writing and then slapped about the face in the final chapter with an ending that made just about everyone roll their eyes and throw up a little in their mouths. Or in some cases, lose it all on the floor.

Which brings us to the perennial whipping boy that has shown us what happens when people in corporate positions forget the lore of the past and the greatness that came with Roddenberry’s creation. Star Trek has been in a tailspin of flames and debris careening around the hallways of Paramount. First it was the awkwardly uninspiring show Enterprise that made us all wonder why they had gone back when going forward had been a working formula. Then it was the waning viewership. The “Old Yeller” moment of truth came with the series finale wherein the good old trusty Bob Newhart mechanism is used. The bad math of the entire episode brought about a long silence in Star Trek media.

There are of course independent projects that have garnered the attention of The Original Series crew (Star Trek New Voyages for one) and there’s been rumblings of a “Bring Kirk Back” for years. Nothing solid had caught our pointy ears.

Until now.

For me Star Trek began when I was young. I was a dreamer. I would use a giant cardboard box to lord over the sea as a captain of ill regard. Sticks became guns. Rooms became the bridge of my pirate ship. Then I found Star Trek: The Next Generation. It spilled over into The Original Series. Soon I was a Trekkie. Ever since the ideals, the beliefs and hopes of Gene Roddenberry remain in my heart. Today, the dream was born again.

Star Trek is back and for the first time we’ve got hope. Not “Hope and Change”, but hope that someone isn’t out to destroy a valued and once strong franchise. The director of “Nemesis” whom I will not name was infamous for not caring, not knowing and not wanting to try to do anything like Star Trek. If you can stand to watch the disaster that is that movie, you’ll see what someone hell bent on destroying whatever has come before looks like. You might even need some therapy after.

I feared this was the case with JJ Abrams. Mission Impossible 3 was tepid at best. Cloverfield made me wonder if he’d lost his damned mind. His best successes came from Alias (good television) and Lost (once good, but now off the tracks and in the ocean) both television shows. He had never pounded out a good product for mass appeal onto the big screen that had the staying power one needs to become great.

To say the least, Star Trek takes a different direction. If you don’t want to be spoiled, look away.

Not looking? Good. Here we go.

An alternate universe is created allowing Abrams and his able bodied crew to bring new life to old characters. James Kirk is here and echoes of Shatner exist. The way he sits in the chair brought a smile to my face. There is a deviant grin hiding behind this character’s eyes, as if he’s dimly aware of what history is to come and just how much of a badass James T. Kirk will be. Played perfectly to the pitchj of how it should be.

Doctor McCoy signs on as the doctor. It is hearting to see DeForest Kelley’s mannerisms and even parts of his voice back again. The Spock versus McCoy fights start late in the movie, but its classic when Spock is called a, “green blooded hobgoblin” and you cheer right along with it. We have all yearned to see these characters return to us in some fashion with their moments and Star Trek rewards us.

Uhura is here and breathed much new life. Spock and she share something. It feels odd at first, but you grow to accept it. She does indeed get her first name and no, Kirk doesn’t sleep with her. Who he fools around with is hilarious if you know Star Trek history. Oh and he loves the women. Chekov is spot on and given some room to grow. When the sequels begin I know we’ll see more of him and his partner at the center console, Sulu. Hikaru is the least put upon officer and it’s saddening. George Takei was actually supposed to have a show with Grace Lee Whitney as Rand before Enterprise came into being. So to have Sulu with little is one of the fewer nitpicks. He does get to swordplay and it is a welcome harkening to the future of the Real Sulu.

Scotty is introduced and played to the hilt. Simon Pegg plays up the engineer with comic relief. You see his miracle work, but it’s missing the Doohan touch. Mind you, nobody could ever be as good as Jimmy Doohan, so take that for what it is.

The Enterprise herself is impressive, but we’re missing out on her. Where before she was almost the extra crew member, here she’s simply a ship. Maybe that will change with future sequels.

All in all, a grand entrance for Star Trek to return. Mind you, I still hold “Wrath of Khan” as the best. Eric Bana’s villain is evil, but lacks the punch. This will be a repeat viewing, a DVD buy and definitely a movie I enjoyed seeing.

Mr. Abrams, you done good. Just don’t jack up the sequals, k?

The Oscar Showcase is a genius of a plan. Every year before the bling infested glitzy overload event known as the Academy Awards plays across our televisions, AMC Theatres wrangles together a day of Oscar Nominated movies for viewing by the general public. For the cheap price of thirty dollars, we all get a full day of fantastic film footage.

The social media experiment has taken off with AMC and they’ve actually hired a full time guy to handle that aspect of the machine. With his help, AMC has taken the unique step of asking bloggers, twitterers and others to attend events and blog, vlog and twitter about the entire day. I was among the many chosen. Today was the culmination of that and I have to say it’s started out very well. Five movies will equal about 13.5 hours of moving pictures playing across the screens nationwide.

I’ll be doing my best to review these movies and talk about the experience as this article unfolds. There’ll be video, pictures and of course words to paint the picture. So get ready. Here…we..GO!

The first thing you realize about an event like this is that you are in a crowd of people who believe in movies much like you do. People pack fantastic food, bulky blankets and a plethora of pillows. The audience is there for the purpose of supporting Hollywood and deciding for themselves if indeed any of the nominated films deserve to grasp Oscar.

The second thing you find out is that with five films in one day, you’re going to be sitting most of the day. Moving at short breaks is designed to prevent complete and absolute couch potato transformation.

First up was Milk. Starring Sean Penn it lays out the factual events of Harvey Milk and his crusade to lead the gay movement in San Francisco. He was an unlikely hero to most, but his natural talents play out across the screen as he loses so much you wonder when he’ll ever win. When he finally wins it is a short victory. His life is ended prematurely by an angry and crazy opponent who was unable to fully understand that yes indeed, times were a’ changin’.

Sean Penn is impressive as always. Nothing Penn does is without meaning or purpose. This role is close to his heart and many others in Hollywood. Proposition 6 has echoes of the current fight brewing in California around the issue of Proposition 8. It is an interesting study to watch the moments play out before you with the very real struggle of today just in the back of your mind. Certainly there are strong moments in this film that moved me, but I did not find myself thinking, “Yes, it’s OSCAR!” It was more of a documentary of a man’s life and the nationwide struggle for vindication of a belief in equality.

I would recommend this to those on my side of the fence (aka Republican Conservative Christian) to see this film to have a strong foundational understanding of the movement and where we (as conserv’s) have fit into it. Whenever I saw the Christian leaders denouncing and throwing down fire and brimstone I would shake my head. The supporting cast was perfection, playing the parts strong. Each face was a part of the puzzle of how this movement grew and changed over time.

I don’t think Sean Penn was worthy of the Oscar on this one (I haven’t seen Rourke’s performance, but I understand I’m not alone on this one) and I’m happy it took some of the other awards as the film has strengths. It’s just not a Best Picture. Also, the sex was distracting and annoying. Before you jump all over me about “You just don’t want to see gay sex” I say, “WRONG!” I’d made the point that in each of these movies the glorious depiction of wanton sex made me less willing to declare it Oscar.

Which brings me to “The Reader”. A strong movie with some seriously impressive moral questioning powers, it falls apart in the first half. You see, the story is about a boy who is nary a hair beyond fifteen years. He finds himself attracted to a much older woman. This leads to a “Mrs. Robinson” feel for about ten seconds before we jump (pardon the pun) into a “Debbie Does Dallas” feel that doesn’t make anyone feel anything but dirty watching the moments between these two.

It was distracting and took me completely out of the movie so much that me and a friend turned to each other and said, “More? I mean…seriously? Can we keep our clothes on today?” several times as this illicit affair was happening directly in front of us. There was even frontal male nudity. That’s where I just about threw up. If you removed that part and filmed the love scenes more with more art and less reality you’d have a far richer film that didn’t require you to spend three days in Confession.

It’s in the second half where “The Reader” slinks out of the lazy bedroom and kicks it into high gear. The moment where you realize everything that’s been building and the payoff is one of those moments in cinema everyone wishes they had a part in creating. The rest of this movie creates the questioning and soul searching an Oscar movie should inspire. There are several key scenes where the audience is grabbed into the frame fearlessly to question themselves. The lawyers debate and the audience is unable to really judge, only question what exactly they would do in the stead of the men and women on screen.

There is a visit to Auschwitz that is shot in a manner that refuses to dramatize the death of the innocent. It is simply telling you a story through silence and moments of reflection by our central protagonist. He makes a key decision late in the half that echoes throughout the whole movie. It left me breathless and inspired.

Winslet deserves a win although I was pulling for Taraji Henson but Kate turns in a stellar performance. An impressive tour de force through the second half, it’s good for DVD rental to fast forward through all the naughty bits to get to the real reward of the second half.

A movie that I don’t think did well in either the former or the latter is the longest movie of the Oscar Season. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is just that. Curious. From a forty page short story to a beleaguered three and a half hour movie? I’m pretty sure there are some red flags falling out of the sky somewhere. Strong performances and jaw dropping effects fill the screen as you are guided through the story of a boy named Benjamin from the start of his odd life to the end. Born looking like death at the end of life Brad Pitt plays the character in going backwards; revealing a different kind of life lived. As fascinating as it was it felt too much like Forrest Gump. Southern accents, boats and the war all play prominent parts.

The cinematography in Button makes you want to drool as the rich colors are painted across a wide canvas. The characters fill the roles and inspire some comedy along the way. Watch for Lightening Rod Man. But not an Oscar. Too long, too pretentious and far too drawn out in places. The best moment from this movie is after being in the wrong places and not in the right moment the two titular characters have an exchange that most hopeless romantics understand. “Will you sleep with me?”, to which Button responds in a deliciously delivered, “Absolutely!”

I would use that last word to describe my feelings for “Slumdog Millionaire”. This movie did indeed win the Oscar for Best Picture and it deserves every ounce of praise that comes with such an award. The movie is perfectly perched at each juncture required for an Oscar Movie.

Romance: Check.

Unbelievable odds against the darkness: Check.

A lovable hero that inspires us all to be better people: Check.

Deep social message about a world outside our own that is closer to us than we know: Check.

Moment of truth for each character: Check.

Great moments of both heartbreak and heartsoar: Check

Music that awakens dreams from within soul: Check.

Great story, great plot, great comedy, great drama, great action, unflinching truth…: Check

Lady I’d like to nominate as the future Mrs. DeLay: Check.

Slumdog succeeds on every level as a perfect example of the Best. Simply put, it is a thrilling story of true love and unending struggle to fight for that love. Set against a country foreign to many of us it weaves in the cultural world and backgrounds that inspire gasps and awe in each. The opening scene had me running along with the slum kids, cheering them along. The rest of the movie simply sauntered up to me, planted a wet kiss and kicked me over to the ground and moved onto the next victim.

Just. That. Good. I swear I’ll mop up my drool.

There’s some violence and tense moments that’ll have you squirm. An Oscar movie is supposed to do that, although to that point “The Reader” takes it above and beyond the call of duty.

There’s a moment in Slumdog where the reality of the dream the younger versions of our heroes are living in opens your eyes, literally and figuratively.

See it. Get the soundtrack. Pick up the DVD. Get that lead girls number for me.

Speaking of numbers, I’m finally at “Frost/Nixon” and it only took 1,700 words. As a documentary this film handedly succeeds. As a retelling of one of the most challenging and trying times in the history of our country, it goes above and beyond what has come before. As a thrilling dramatic battle of one of the most powerful men in the country against a know nothing pop journalist, it is by far one of those most fascinating movies I have ever seen.

The story is well known. David Frost had a dream. Take Nixon after he’s out of office and interview him. Getting there was half the battle. Making the next four interviews count was the other. Watching the film unflinchingly take aim at the naivety of David Frost was refreshing. Just as refreshing was the equal treatment given to Former President Richard Nixon. It felt as this was a even handed commentary on the events in question and mostly painted the truth of what had happened over time as the interviews took place. Invented was a drunken phone call from Nixon to Frost which was designed to create drama for the last section of the film. It succeeded. The last fourth of this film rocked my socks and had me on the edge of my seat, completely enthralled as Frost put the rhetorical screws to Nixon, eliciting some of the most damning statements on the part of Nixon.

The film closes out with a final moment shared between the two battle stalwarts as they return to their lives. As the credits roll you hunger for more. You sense the strength and intellect of Nixon holds more and you feel as if Frost himself found out that there was actually a human being within the heart of the lumbering beast of a man. There is so much more to each of these men. Legends and lore are now told of both.

The truth? There’s so much we may never know but “Frost/Nixon” does the best job.

And so, the evening was over much past midnight. Myself, Toby and Sarah all headed home saying farewell to a grand evening brought to us by AMC Theatres. The social media aspect is just starting to catch on with big companies and the theatre chains are at that very moment. Here’s hoping for more of these types of things.

Thanks again to AMC and Katherine Johnson of Allied for the amazing day.

Preshow:

Milk Discussion Part 1

Milk Discussion Part 2

The Reader

Ben Button

Slumdog

I first saw the trailer for “Coraline” and was immediately interested. I’ve long been a fan of the Tim Burton-esque film making. Hellboy II was a visual and action packed buffet that I couldn’t stop feasting from. That idea of a cracked mirror that bends and spins new worlds out from within the frame captures my interested from the get go.

I feared that “Coraline” would be this dark tale of despair that sent you careening on a rollercoaster ride of rancid rapture. I was pleasantly surprised when it turned into a fantastical journey into the mind of a girl caught between her mundane existence that threatens to bore her to near death and a new shiny world of supposed perfection that calls to her in the midst of moving from Michigan to the Somewhere beyond the Nowhere.

The entirety of the characterizations are pretty straightforward. Mom is distant and stern while Dad is an overworked writer for a gardening magazine. Mother edits and together they’re an oddly functional team. Coraline Jones is of course an only child along for the ride. She has friends back in Michigan whom she yearns to see again. You get the sense this family will endure some tests as the film goes on.

They move into an eccentric pink house divided between several tenants. Two old biddies that are has-been performers from the stage live downstairs with a bevy of dogs, past and present. At the top of the house lives an old circus leader who now trains mice to perform a bevy of tricks and talents. There is of course an odd boy to bother Coraline and in the end also help teach some good ole’ fashioned lessons.

His macabre entrance had me wondering just what type of movie I had taken a risk on. As the film continued there was a small part of me that yearned for a few more of those moments.

There is a deep story here that for me was never fully explained and it might be helped had I read the Neil Gaimen tale that inspired this film. There were some moments I wish had played a little different and after thinking a little more I got the sense some regular tightening of the onscreen story could have been in order. My friend Matt was with me on the adventure and said the movie, “…had some real pacing issues — I think they went to the “other parents” maybe one too many times. Needed some judicious editing in the middle.”

Yes, there are two worlds that the character Coraline Jones vacillates between, unsure of what she really wants. There is the alleged perfect life with a family that loves every second or the real family that cares but is not perfect. As a guy who works with kids at church I can imagine all the great conversation this movie could inspire. I’m a simple guy, what can I say.

This leads us to the other side, where as a children’s movie it succeeds on nearly all fronts although some of the images and how they play across the screen could lead to some nightmares for the younger set. The payoff for this movie is the characters. This is not technology where you can see the pixelting pixels. The moments are as real as you allow them. Stop motion combines with many different animation technologies and it definetly succeeds here without pushing that fourth wall out too far. The depth of imagination that went into this would light up any child’s creative senses.

There’s an undercurrent of “Alice in Wonderland” woven throughout the story, even featuring a few moments that were nearly spot on with the original tale that brought a geek powered smile wide across my face. It is a nice tip of the hat without being too much sledgehammer to the head confirmation and lends to creating some great moments on screen.

If nothing else, go see Coraline for the beauty that the filmmakers were able to cast upon the canvas. As the openings scenes started up I heard gasps of wonder from several in our crowd. That initial gaping awe fades as the story beings to spin across the screen, pulling you into the moments. Go in with wanting to discover your inner kid again and the movie will probably be much more enjoyable. There are some pacing issues and there’s some parts that retooling details could fix.

On my facebook status I heralded this movie as, “A must see movie”. Despite my old friend’s cold splash of reality, I stand by my opinion. Of all the movies in release right now I wouldn’t change where I stand. “Coraline” is a richly colored adventure of discovering the true meaning of family, love and friendship that if you allow it to wrap around you a little you just might find something in it for yourself.

I can only hope the DVD release will include five million hours of behind the scenes features as this film would probably send me into a geek induced stroke of awesome.

***********

Previous Reviews:

The Dark Knight

Hamlet 2

This Thanksgiving I’m spending time with my folks up in Montana. It’s been a great time and I could tell you all about it…but I’m not really up for it. Instead, I’d like to post some clips of the men and women of Armed Forces the world over having fun, smiling and just having a great time.

It is because of these men and women that we have what we have to be thankful for today…and tomorrow. As you sit down to feast and laugh and take time away from the ruckus of the world…take some time to be thankful for the amazing people who have decided to serve our country elsewhere in the world.

We are forever in their debt.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all…here, there and wherever you may be.

There, got the exposition out of the way. Onto the real good stuff.

Hamlet 2 is a hilarious movie. It is also a drama filled story of a guy trying to find his meaning. And there’s the whole Latino vs. White Girl thing going on. Yea and there’s some Rent-esque satire. Oh and Jesus Christ Superstar gets lampooned. Of course this movie is as course as a rough black bear on the charge. It’s pretty bleepin’ touchy at times.

First, there’s some seriously hilarity in this film. “Rock me Sexy Jesus” was hands down the best part of this entire film. As a Christian (conservative even!) I followed and enjoyed the entire number. It was a great satire and/or send-up of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and had some hilarious moments lampooning us Christians. It was a cheeky left jib, which had no real menace. That’s good poking of fun at a group.

The poor and despairing part was the (and pardon my language EVERYONE, including apologies to my mother) “Rape to the Face” number. I couldn’t laugh at any of it. It was literally the one let down that kept this movie from being something versus a clunking old heap of rehashes. It was like the “Everyone’s got AIDS” from Team America. Tasteless, dumb and useless. For me there are a few things I’ll never be able to find humor in and such is the act of rape. It’s just not funny.

There are funny moments that are scattered throughout the movie. The biggest failure of this movie is the inability to make the choice between said moments and the dramatic moments meant to make us root for the character. All they do is make us hate his idiotic immature dumb and almost tantrum stupidity. He is literally the dumbest idiot at times and there has got to be a measuring computer they have in Hollywood that detects this stuff.

The machine had to be broken the day they screened this thing. The rollercoaster of laugh, think, pause, are they trying to be serious here?, wait this is funny, no wait it’s not it’s really frackin’ depressing, oh there’s a laugh that I can’t be comfortable with, oh wait funny moment, no it’s back to depressing idiot stupid bum.

Add, repeat, filter and shake. Pour out on audience and think it’ll work. That has to be how this thing got put together. It could have been something. It ended up being saved only by the end finale in which we see the show “Hamlet 2″ put on in all its glory. And even then the “Rape” moment sours it.

All in all a break even movie that could have really taken this idea and ran to the ends of hilarity.

The headliner that you cannot ignore (the interwebs are literally on fire and in full blaze) is the late Heath Ledger as the classic (and original Batman Rouge) Joker. A maniacal creation drawn from several sources it is this villain that has long tortured the Caped Crusader throughout the movies, television shows and comics. And it is here that one actor manages to perfect each and every moment on screen so deliberately and intensely you know Ledger went to his grave with some dark memories.

The Joker is an iconic villain. He’s killed Robin in the comics. He’s been the foil of Batman and others throughout the DC Comics universe. He is The One. Bigger than anyone on the block. And his mannerisms, his speech, his cracked mind and the wild eyed lunacy is spot on. More than anything I squirmed for the first time in a long time as The Joker played out as a spinning spinster of spastic insanity. I actually feared him. I loathed him. And I wanted him to get his from Batman.

That is perfect casting, directing and acting at the peak. Each look, glance, word or even shrug from Ledger conveys something deeper. His mind is a sprawling madhouse on a carnival ride intent on killing, destroying and pushing anyone and everyone to near ends of sanity.

I cannot say enough of Heath Ledger’s performance. It is iconic and legendary. I actually lost sight of it being Ledger on screen and was immersed in the film as if it was reality playing out directly before me. That is the highest compliment any film can be paid. And I’d tip it more if I could.

Batman is just as good. A powerful tale of choices and destiny are wrapped carefully in this powder keg. From one end of the spectrum to the other Bruce Wayne learns the hard way and then the harder way. He loses and wins and struggles to see the point of everything he’s done and will do. And in the end we see him take his mantle (burned and smoking as it may be) and make the unwavering choice that he will indeed be Gotham’s Dark Knight.

We see a transformation of Harvey Dent to Two Face that is just poetic as it plays out across the screen. Watching Two Face and Joker have a chat (Dent in hospital bed strapped in and Joker dressed as a nurse for the cherry on top) is every fans dream. You can only wish that Ledger had survived to see these two iconic characters either join forces or battle it out in the streets of Gotham.

Jim Gordan is a familiar friend you watch and love to see. A fake-out on his fate is played early but you know nobody really dies in Batman, even in this reality based direction they’ve chosen. You see his family (and a small cheer goes up as we see the future Batgirl in her younger years) and you see the pain him and his own endure in the final moments of the film.

Caine and Freeman bring us the good as they always have. Maggie as Dawes is far above Katie Holmes. She can have Tom Cruise. Give me classy sassy Maggie any day. Sadly, we won’t be seeing anymore of the invented character after this film.

This is what Hollywood is about. Iron Man. Hellboy 2. Casino Royale. Movies that are helluva fun but also retain something deeper in between the lines. Go see this movie. I’ll be seeing it several more times and the DVD in December is on my list already.

Superman ain’t go nothing on The Dark Knight. Welcome back to movies Detective…you’ve been missed.

“There’s a few points in this video where you start to slyly smile and your spirit beings to revel in the creation of the music you’re spinning from the guitar…it’s those moments that are the most affecting. Great song and great video. Keep up the great work! Full of awesome and more!”

Watch ‘em both and hopefully you’ll get a kick out of it like I did.

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