Infinite Music: "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" Soundtrack

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

About a year ago, I rented "The Perks of Being A Wallflower" from the public library.  I liked it so much that I picked up a copy out of the Walmart bin.  Such a great movie.  It is based on a teen novel written by Stephen Chbosky (who also wrote the screenplay and directed, also produced by the same company that did "Ghost World" and "Juno").  My daughter had actually read the novel and loved it.

There are many reasons I love this movie.  First of all, it takes place in Pittsburgh, a city that is beloved to me.  Part of the plot involves the excitement of emerging from the Tunnel into the city.  I have done it many times, and it was exhilerating every time.  Next, it takes place in the time of my youth - the early '90s.  Even though it takes place back then, this is not quite a period piece.  It is kind of timeless.  It could take place at any time.  It is about being a misfit, not really fitting in, and finding friends who give your life some meaning - a theme that many, including me, find resonant.

But what I found most compelling in the movie was the music.  Music was an important part of the book as well.  Charlie (played by Logan Lerman) makes mix tapes for his friends.  I was the music geek who handed  mix tapes to all of my friends, so I can relate.  The book mentions several of these artists like Ride, The Smiths, Nick Drake, and many more artists that I grew up with in the late '80s and early '90s.

I liked the soundtrack so much that I went out to buy it.  Many of these songs play an important part of the story like "Asleep" by The Smiths, "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners, and, my favorite, "Pearly Dew Drops" by Cocteau Twins.  The Tunnel scene uses "Heroes" by David Bowie in that the song comes on the radio, and they set out on a quest to find out who sings it.  The other songs are a drape over an exquisite movie that creates a sense of nostalgia in me.  "Teenage Riot" by Sonic Youth, which was an anthem in my younger years,   "Temptation" by New Order, one of their earlier pieces, and, also, one of their best, dominated by its electronic beat and Peter Hook's high-end bass, a sound that he created and is much imitated.  Cracker, The Innocence Mission, XTC, and Galaxie 500.  It really is a great soundtrack.

There are additional songs that didn't make it from the movie onto the playlist of the soundtrack that compliment the movie as well - "Counting Backwards" by Throwing Muses, "Araby" by my favorite Austin band, The Reivers, L7, Bongwater...

It is nice to see my era eulogized so nicely, and with some of the better music from my day.  The sense of nostalgia takes me back to those moments.  But that's kind of the poetic point of this picture.

Steampunk Fast & Furious: My Review of "Mad Max: Fury Road"

Tom Hardy & Charlize Theron in "Mad:Max: Fury Road

The title of this review is perhaps the most accurate description of this movie - funky steampunk costumes (or perhaps apocalyptic cyberpunk, to be more exact) all during a fast and furious car chase that lasts the whole movie long!

When I was thirteen, one of the best things about having cable TV was being able to watch "The Road Warrior" over and over again.  This dystopian vision by George Miller and starring Mel Gibson became part of my repertoire growing up along with "Conan the Barbarian", "Beastmaster", and "Krull".  At fifteen, I felt let down by "Beyond Thunderdome", as it lacked the pace of the previous two films.

So you'll imagine my surprise when I saw the trailers for "Mad Max: Fury Road" and learned that George Miller would be taking helm of the fourth installment of the franchise.  The previews were amazing, vivid, the action spectacular.  This is what "Road Warrior" would have looked like if Miller had the technology back then.

The story is never clear on whether this is sequel to the other stories, or if it is just a reboot of the whole concept.  It starts with Max (Tom Hardy as an excellent replacement for Mel Gibson) being captured by a group called the War Boys and being taken to a mighty, stone Citadel ruled by a bloated villain named Imortan Joe (played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played the villain in the very first "Mad Max" film).  Joe is some sort of Halloween Warren Jeffs, in that he has super-model wives known at the Five.  As a former polygamist, I had to laugh at the plot, which reads like Carolyn Jessop book.  Charlize Theron plays a tough-as-nails truck driver named Furiosa who spirits the girls away in a chase across the wasteland, aided by Max, a group of old ladies, and a young boy played by the nearly unrecognizable Nicolas Hoult, whom some may remember from "Warm Bodies".  They are chased by the denizens of the desert at high speed velocity.

I suppose I could use this movie as a chance to pontificate on the ills of human trafficking, or even about polygamy.  But this is just not that kind of movie.  This movie is like the most expensive B-movie ever made.  If you try to think too hard about it, you'll hurt your brain.  Like, where do they get car parts?  Or speakers?  Or their outlandish clothing?  No, just go with it.  There is definitely a cheese factor - like the guy perpetually mounted in front of a truck, violently strumming a flaming guitar.  But the other movies were slightly cheesy as well.  I felt like a thirteen year-old boy again.  It was an intense ride from start to finish - like a Monster Truck Rally, like demolition derby meets WWF Wrestling.  The dialogue is sparse and stilted.  The best interaction between the actors is found in shared looks.  All in all, the movie will wow you.  Visually, the film is sweeping and panoramic.  The stunts are brutal and crushingly breathtaking.  I sat on the edge of my seat the whole time.

This movie is definitely worth it, if it is your type of "thing".  I foresee this film becoming a cult classic - just like the originals.  And there are talks of Max returning in a sequel.  I can't wait for the next wild ride...

American Sniper Kills It

Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle

So I generally despise politics, and I try to avoid writing about it in any way.  But reviewing a movie like "American Sniper" it becomes increasingly difficult to keep politics and America's foreign policy out of it.

Since the end of December, I had been hearing hype about this movie, which has garnered six Academy Award nominations.  From the conservative, flag-waving element, I was hearing what a great movie this was, that Chris Kyle (played by Bradley Cooper), a Navy SEAL marksman called the deadliest sniper in the history of American military, was a hero.  On the flip side, you had liberal critics calling Kyle a "baby killer", that the film glorified American warmongering, and was a propaganda movie justifying continued U.S. presence in the Middle East.

First of all, you should know my views, which I usually keep close to my chest.  I am somewhat of a conspiracy theorist.  I believe that 9/11 was used to justify, if not outright orchestrated, to plunge us into illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - not in the interest of protecting our freedom - but for economic reasons.  I believe in neither the Democratic or Republican parties, that they are different sides of the same proverbial coin, and that American interests are controlled, not by the federal government, but by a consortium of mega-corporations and banks.  I don't support any of the wars we are involved in.  In fact, I don't support any war or military aggression at all.

That said, I don't  believe that any of our military servicemen are to blame for any of that.  Their service is based on misguided patriotism and a desire to serve the American people.  I love this nation as much as they do.  I still salute the flag, and I have gone to rallies in support of our troops.  Still, until the U.S. military truly represents the interests of the American people, and not the corporatists, I would strongly advise any of my children to not join the military.

That said, I am a sucker for these kinds of movies.  I am patriotic.  I loved this movie, just like I loved "Lone Survivor", a book that I also read.  I didn't read the book that this particular movie is based on.  Some critics have stated that it was embellished, and sometimes outright lied.  Frankly, I don't care about that.  It's a given that a Hollywood movie based on real events is going to spin and twist events from their actuality.  As far as this movie being propaganda, show me a movie that isn't.  Every narrative has an agenda.  The key is to be able to look beyond those things.  In other words, I can watch a movie like this, enjoy it, and not be swayed by whatever message it is promulgating.  I am not that gullible.

As far as this movie being pro-war, I guess that I didn't see it that way.  In fact, I kind of saw it as opposite.  Bradley Cooper brilliantly portrayed Kyle as tortured by the things that he was forced to do and the tension that it placed on the relationship with his wife (played by Sienna Miller, whom I didn't recognize until the end credits).  It showed the cost that war exacts on men.  And, really, it was these human moments that made the story so poignant, not the battle scenes (which were still pretty cool).

I disagreed with his frequent use of the word "savages" to describe the enemy combatants.  Who were the savages?  The terrorists?  Muslims?  Arabs?  I have only ever had positive experiences with Muslims, and I have a deep respect for Islam.  I have always taken umbrage with the Muslim-hating that seems to be prevalent since we went to war in the Middle East.

Whatever you feel about this topic, whatever your political views, you should see this movie.  Clint Eastwood has spun a brilliant masterpiece that at least deserves to be seen.

There And Back Again: Review of "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

It was a Christmas tradition for us in the last decade to head to the theater to see each "Lord of the Rings" installment.  For the last three years, it also became our tradition to see the latest episode of the "The Hobbit".  This Christmas was no different.  We headed out into the cold December air to see "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies".

I actually went to see this movie twice.  The first time, I felt disappointed and let down.  The second time, I enjoyed it.

Of course, I have read "The Hobbit".  Many. many times.  It was the first novel I ever read at age 7.  So I knew that they had taken many artistic licenses with the story.  I know that they had converted two movies into three.  But this felt really stretched thin.  In the book, the whole battle takes place after Bilbo (Martin Freeman)is knocked unconscious, and he awakens to the aftermath.  This movie deals mostly with the battle, and, as fever-pitched as it gets, it is still not as cool as any of the battles in "The Return of the King" - giant "Dune" sandworms (hey, wrong movie!) or troll-mounted catapults notwithstanding.

The first two films did a great job of building up characters, but characterization took a back seat to the the epic battle.  Some of the dwarves didn't even have any speaking parts in this movie.  Even Bilbo's character seemed sketchy in this film, taking a back seat to Thorin (Richard Armitage).  I couldn't help but feel let down.

Then I saw it a second time with my kids.  And they loved it.  Believe it or not, I enjoyed it, also.  Probably because I had fewer expectations.

The conclusion of the Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) conflict was really cool.  And the confrontation between Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and the Necromancer(also, Benedict Cumberbatch)?  Totally epic.  Scottish dwarves riding pigs?  Classic.  Legolas (Orlando Bloom) using a ginormous bat to fly?  Awesome.

This movie was all that my kids hoped for, and more.  It left me kind of sad that our Christmas visits to Middle Earth are now at an end.  Oh well.  There is always "Star Wars".

Interstellar Is Out of This World

Interstellar

"Interstellar" was such a great movie that I went to the theaters twice to see it.  It was definitely the best movie of the year.

I think that is because most boys of my generation, in the wake of man setting foot on the moon, wanted to be astronauts when we grew up.  Astronauts were like rock stars back then.  Whenever a movie came out about space, it truly spoke to kids like me.  "2001: A Space Odyssey" was way cool, even with its trippy, psychedelic ending.  Okay, "Apollo 13" made me not want to go to space.

When the teaser trailer first came out for "Interstellar", it was cryptic enough to not know what the movie was about, but I knew it would be good, directed by Christopher Nolan, director of the Dark Knight series and the masterpiece, "Inception".

The story deals with a dystopian society not too far in the future where climate change and blight are killing our crops and reducing the population to dangerously low numbers.  Matthew McConaughey is at his best as Cooper, a washed out pilot recruited by a barely-functioning NASA to go into space through a freshly-discovered wormhole to scout for potential planets to relocate the human population.

The story is complimented by laudable, if sketchy, performances by Michael Caine, Wes Bentley, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, and Casey Affleck.  Anne Hathaway, as usual, was highly annoying.

The science of this film is spot on.  It is refreshing to see realistic portrayals of space, gravity, and celestial bodies beyond the Star Wars genre of space movie.  The visuals and the anticipation of seeing what they encountered held me breathless.  Especially the end, when Cooper descends into the black hole, which was slightly reminiscent of the end of "2001", except that the filmmakers actually tried to make sense of it.

The most triumphant part of the film, however, is the human element - the anguish of a parent being separated from his children by billions of miles and the ravaging effects of quantum mechanics and time dilation.  There were moments so poignant to me that I had to fight back tears.

That does not mean that everyone will love this movie.  I went with my mother, and she really didn't understand the movie.  My daughter thought it was overhyped.  But I loved it.  If you have not seen it, believe me when I say - it is out of this world.

Catching Up: 8 Mini Movie Reviews of 2014

So I let my blog lapse a little.  Truthfully, I haven't been to the movies that often.  The economy has prevented me from indulging in this particular vice.  I generally have been waiting for movies to come out on video.  (Perhaps another blogging opportunity.)  So rather than try to blog for each movie I've seen individually, I decided to write eight mini reviews for each of the movies I have seen in 2014, all in one post.  Here it goes:

Orlando Bloom as Legolas

1.  The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug - Okay, I went to see this one three times while in the theaters, and I already own this one on Blu-ray, and I just purchases the extended version.  Peter Jackson would crap, and I would probably give it a good review.

This second installation of the film version of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic picks up where the first left off - with Thorin's company continuing their trek towards the Lonely Mountain to confront the dragon Smaug and reclaim their lost treasure.  Their adventure will have them face dirty spiders, cruel elves, and greedy humans before circumstances bring Bilbo (Martin Freeman) face to face to Smaug, played to the hilt by Benedict Cumberbatch.

The movie is great, but it gets frustrating to have your viewing experience broken into three parts.  I spent way too much time during this movie worrying about when they would end the movie, And it ends, predictably at a cliffhanger.  Many have argued that the original trilogy was better.  That may be true.  But it is still wonderful to be back in Middle Earth, again.

Russell Crowe as Noah

2.  Noah -  There were a few things I liked about Noah.  Being somewhat of a biblical historian, I liked that they portrayed the antediluvian society as industrial.  I liked that they dug into the apocryphal "The Book of Enoch" and implemented the Nephilim, or giants.  But I was vastly disappointed that they turned them into stone giants.  There were some superb special effects - battle scenes and epic flood waters.  There was some fine acting - Russell Crowe as Noah, Jennifer Connelly as his wife, and Emma Watson as his daughter-in-law.  Ray Winstone was positively frightening as Tubal-Cain, and Sir Anthony Hopkins was perfect as the ancient Methuselah.

But none of these was enough to save this from being just a plain bad story.  Imagine for a moment if a Hollywood atheist made an environmental movie using a story from the Bible.  What would you expect?  Certainly a trashy movie, just like this one.

Geoffrey Rush & Sophie Nelisse in "The Book Thief"

3.  The Book Thief - Based on a novel of the same, this story centers around a young girl named Liesel in wartime Germany (played by the brilliant Sophie Nelisse).  Her mother is being transported by Nazis to a camp for being a Communist, and she is placed in custody of Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson), a childless couple.  After adjusting to her new life, she finds entertainment by books - sometimes stolen - from the private library of a Nazi commander.  The family also finds itself in peril when they take in a runaway Jew, Max (Ben Schnetzer).  Max and Liesel spend their days with Max teaching the young girl how to read.

Colorful and hauntingly beautiful, this film gives a different perspective to World War II and shows what it is like to live right in the middle of the conflict.  Newcomer Sophie Nelisse gives a convincing performance, and Geoffrey Rush is superb, as always.  This movie is definitely worth seeing at least once.

Sherman & Mr. Peabody

4.  Mr. Peabody & Sherman - I am definitely a child of the '70s.  I grew up with Saturday morning cartoons.  Faithfully, I watched "Superfriends", "Schoolhouse Rock", and "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show".  I knew these shows well.  I especially liked a segment of Bullwinkle that featured Mr. Peabody, a genius canine, and his adopted son Sherman.  The two would take adventures through different periods of history a la Bill & Ted.

That's why it was nice for me - more than 40 years later - to be able to introduce these characters to my kids when they released an animated movie.  Peabody - I was surprised to learn was played by Ty Burrell of "Modern Family" fame - is forced to travel back in time with Sherman (Max Charles), along with Sherman's classmate Penny (played by another "Modern Family" veteran, Ariel Winter).  This movie is a delight.  It has plenty of cultural references and tongue-in-cheek humor geared towards a Generation X audience, and there is plenty of action and funny moments for kids.  Add some snazzy cameos by Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, and Stanley Tucci, and you have the perfect family movie.

Chris Evans & Scarlett Johansson

5.  Captain America:  The Winter Soldier - The merger of Disney, Marvel, and Lucasfilm was genius.  Seriously, between the three, that's all my kids watch.  Not that I am complaining; I really think all of the Marvel movies are really cool.  The new installation of "Captain America" is no different with Chris Evans reprising his role as the patriotic superhuman.  It takes place two years after the events of "The Avengers", and the captain must combat a hostile takeover of the super-secret government agency, S.H.I.E.L.D. by Hydra, a neo-Nazi organization.  (Those who watch the TV show "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." can witness this infiltration from a different perspective.)  Scarlett Johansson resumes her role as resident badass, Black Widow, and the ever-present Samuel L. Jackson stars as Agent Nick Fury, all of them together with Falcon (Anthony Mackie) confront Hydra, and their mysterious warrior called "The Winter Soldier".  This film is action-packed, and, in many ways, better than the first movie.  A definite see for your kids.

How To Train Your Dragon 2

6.  How To Train Your Dragon 2 - Honestly, I wasn't that excited to see this movie, but my kids were.  I thought it was alright, but my kids loved it.  The fact that the kids loved it was good enough for me.  The story picks up several years from the first movie where Hiccup (Jay Barushel) discovers a Viking tribe that captures dragons and makes slaves of them, endangering the good rapport that Hiccup's village has created with the dragons.  Along the way, he meets his mother, played by Cate Blanchett, who has also mastered the art of training dragons.  The movie climaxes with an amazing battle scene that includes behemoth dragons.

The true mark of a movie - do I look at the time all through the movie to see if it is almost over?  Sadly, yes.  But go for the kids.  The kids will love it.

Seth MacFarlane & Charlize Theron

7.  A Million Ways To Die in the West - My older kids took me to this one for Father's Day.  This film was directed and stars Seth MacFarlane of "Family Guy" fame.  It became very distracting watching it, because, every time he opens his mouth, one hears Brian or Peter speaking.  The humor was typical of MacFarlane - that is, some of it is hilarious, and some of it is just plain crude.  I did chuckle quite frequently, but, honestly, this movie is now out on video, and I have no desire to own it.  Not even the stellar cast could save this film, which included a sneaky villain (Liam Neeson), a love interest (Charlize Theron), and many other colorful characters played by Neil Patrick Harris, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, and Sarah Silverman (whose dialogue made even me blush), plus many, many other cameos.  Some great moments here, but I think MacFarlane should stick to animation.

Guardians of the Galaxy

8.  Guardians of the Galaxy -  This is possibly the perfect summer flick I have seen in a while.  This Marvel epic has action, special effects, and a great story.  But most of all, it is a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously.  There are no angst-ridden superheroes, but a group of five selfish characters who do not hesitate to screw each other over, but have to learn to work together.  I won't sat much about the plot.  I will just say - you need to see this movie, if you haven't already.  I have seen it twice, and that says something.  The cast is superb - Chris Pratt as Starlord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, and my kids' favorites - Vin Diesel as Groot, who only speaks three words throughout the film ("I am Groot"), and the machine-fun wielding raccoon, Rocket, played by Bradley Cooper.  The dialogue is witty, and the visuals are panoramic.  Quick, go see this movie!

Moroni's Review of "Thor: The Dark World"

Thor: The Dark World

Two months ago, I made an arrangement with my son, Alex, that I would take him and his sister, Siobhan, to the movies for his birthday.  So earlier this month, I made good on my promise and took them to see "Thor: The Dark World", the second movie in the franchise.  So what do I think?  This is a movie that will please both kids and adults.  This movie is better than the first one, and I really liked the first one.

The film starts when Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns to Earth when his former love interest, Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), becomes infected with a primeval dark substance called Aether.  To heal her, Thor is forced to take her into the dimension he inhabits, Asgard.  This substance causes an ancient enemy of Asgard, the Dark Elves, to awaken ad lay siege to the ancient city.

Like the first film, this story takes us to many fantastical, dream-like landscapes - the aspect of the film that I actually like the most.  It introduces us to several mystical creatures, cool weapons, and superhuman battles.  It is the characters that make us invest in the fantastical.  Chris Hemsworth bears the hammer of Thor with dignity.  Natalie Portman is just exquisite.  Stellan Skarsgard plays his best role, reprising his portrayal of Dr. Erik Selvig, the events of "Avengers" unhinging his mind.  It is always great to see Sir Anthony Hopkins on the big screen, wearing the mantle of Odin for this endeavor; who know how many more movies he will do?  But again, it is Tom Hiddleston as Loki who steals the show.  He plays the villain with such panache that it is impossible to hate him.

Obviously the franchise will go on.  There are references to "Avengers" and "Captain America" in the film, tying each of these stories into one solid narrative.  I enjoyed it.  My kids loved it.  Our consensus is that it would not be such a bad thing if this became a trilogy.  At least.

Hint:  Stay in the theater until the credits end for a view of what's to come in the Marvel World.