Color Me Kubrick

**.5/****     COLOR ME KUBRICK

In the early 1990’s, London-born Alan Conway began impersonating legendary film director Stanley Kubrick. A four-time Academy Award nominee for Best Director, Kubrick helmed such critically praised work as 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. Yet, Kubrick shied away from the lime light, becoming the J.D. Salinger of the movie industry — a reclusive artist who rarely gave interviews and rarely made personal appearances. Conway soon found ways to capitilize on the lack of public knowledge of Kubrick, convincing several actors that he was the famed director, promising them roles in upcoming Kubrick films, while also dining out and receiving several monetary contributions and free gifts along the way.

These real-life events are the inspiration behind the recent Brian Cook film Color Me Kubrick. Despite knowing very little about the work of Kubrick and the fact that he bears no resemblance to the famed director, Alan Conway (John Malkovich) manages to con several innocent and unaware individuals into believing he is Stanley Kubrick. Occassionally, because of his lack of knowledge of Kubrick’s films, Conway stumbles a time or two in his deceptive ways, but he continues to deliberately mislead nearly everyone he comes in contact with, benefitting with free drinks, free meals and free places to stay by ignorant people who are too astonished and star-struck to question Conway’s identity.

Instead of playing like a typical biopic, Color Me Kubrick leaves the recognizable narrative behind and instead follows Conway around London with the camera simply playing the part of a fly-on-the-wall witnessing Conway’s impersonation tactics. The most remarkable of cons occurs at a restuarant, where Conway is able to convince New York Times drama critic Frank Rich that he is the renown director. Conway, as Kubrick, takes Rich to task for dire comments made about the filmmaker in a Times article.

Malkovich (Art School Confidential, Eragon) does an amazing job losing himself in both the Conway and Kubrick personas, giving the first standout performance of 2007. Malkovich encompasses the quirky and eccentric elements of Conway with ease, and it is fascinating to watch him trying to con unsuspecting bystanders.

Unfortunately writer Anthony Frewin, who worked as an assistant to Stanley Kubrick on such films as Eyes Wide Shut and Full Metal Jacket, never attempts to develop a backstory to Conway’s character and why he has resorted to impersonating the director. Instead, we literally get a series of sketches that are slightly entertaining, but also gradually become old and tired throughout the runtime of the film.

Without a distinct narrative and any strong supporting players, the audience is left without ever feeling any sympathy for the individuals who become affected by Conway’s lying ways, nor do we ever discover the emotional elements that have driven Conway to want to personally ridicule people for limited benefits. Even the beforementioned scene between Conway and Rich feels deep, with a ton of texture just begging to be fleshed out, but is instead quickly glossed over to allow us to meander on to the next antic.

The London backdrop for the movie adds to the surreal moments, and makes it slightly easier to comprehend some people’s misplaced trust in Conway’s impersonation. Also, references to several Kubrick films will likely appease fans of his work, and singer-songwriter Bryan Adams provides a wonderful soundtrack to the flick.

But the only real selling point of Color Me Kubrick is Malkovich’s endearing caricatures, which unfortunately are asked to float lifelessly amidst a poorly constructed and mishandled story.

The Last Mimzy

*/****     THE LAST MIMZY (PG)

Child fantasy films hit a pinnacle in 1982 with Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. The science-fiction adventure film geared towards kids turned out to be a wonderfully enchanting movie with several warm moments, built around some awfully clever humor. I don’t know if the filmmaker’s behind The Last Mimzy were hoping to make poor man’s version of the sci-fi family flick E.T., but they have succeeded admirably in creating a movie completely void of warm, clever and enchanting moments.

Based on the Lewis Padgett 1943 short-story “Mimsy were the Borogoves,”
The Lasty Mimzy follows the life of Noah and Emma Wilder — two kids who find ways to keep themselves easily amused while being neglected in family life by their overworked father. Noah (Chris O’Neil) is an average student who finds enjoyment by filling the majority of his spare time playing videogames. His younger sister Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) is an exceptionally gifted child who enjoys deriding her older brother with her vast wisdom.

The two spend their spring break at the family’s isolated Seattle beach house, where the two kids discover a box of toys floating in the water. The kids soon learn that these aren’t just any regular toys, but they contain mysterious powers that allow the children to expand their mind and intellect. Average-student Noah soon wins his school’s science fair, and some of his impressive classroom doodles soon catch the eye of school science teacher Larry White (Rainn Wilson). Emma, on the other hand, finds a stuffed rabbit named Mimzy hidden away in a compartment in the toy box that her and her brother located. And it turns out that Mimzy has the ability to not only communicate to Emma, but also provide her with several distinct, magical powers.

The movie sounds like a great idea on paper, but has been shoddily put together on-screen. The film’s prologue is rather abrupt, and does very little towards establishing the characters that make up the Wilder family. Worse yet, Noah and Emma appear to have no chemistry with each other, and the brother and sister tandem have been poorly constructed to play bratty siblings who most people find absolutely annoying in real life, and have no desire to see portrayed on film.

The kids themselves do a commendable job in their roles, especially seven-year old Wryn. She certainly has the cute and adorable look that audience’s love, but the filmmaker’s have given you no reason to find her character likeable. Still, Wryn manages to be the most believable and enjoyable character throughout the course of the film.

Timothy Hutton (The Good Shepherd, Kinsey) and Joely Richardson (TV’s Nip/Tuck) play Noah and Emma’s naive parents, who fail to recognize and or to even become concerned with the kids’ very apparent, abnormal behavior. Wilson (TV’s The Office) shows up at various stages throughout the film as Noah’s science teacher, and finds himself inexplainably connected to Noah after having odd dreams of the same images that Noah has drawn in his school notebook.

And to jumble things up even further is Michael Clarke Duncan (School for Scoundrels, Sin City) as the Head of Homeland Security, investigating a black-out in the city of Seattle caused by Noah and a toy generator he is playing with in his room.

A convoluted mess that is far too pretentious for its target audience, The Last Mimzy should be an easy film to miss, and a hard one to recommend.

The Astronaut Farmer

***/****     THE ASTRONAUT FARMER (PG)

I once read that “titles must do more than get attention. They must hold it.”  The title to a movie is just as important as the wrapping on a Christmas present. It’s job is to intrigue you as to what is inside. And while it may not exert the same cringeworthy reaction that film titles like Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever or Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo can, Michael Polish’s latest flick The Astronaut Farmer is done absolutely no favors towards attracting interest with such an unappealing title.  And that’s unfortunate, because The Astronaut Farmer is actually a wonderful, early-year surprise.

Charlie Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton) is an ex-astronaut trainee, turned ambitious rancher who remains obsessed with aeronautics and space travel. A loving family man, Farmer manages to find ways to involve his wife, son and two daughters in his efforts to carry-out his life dream of orbiting Earth with his very own rocket he built in his barn. But, after he attempts to buy large quantities of rocket fuel, Farmer soon draws the ire of both the FAA and the FBI.

That plot description alone reeks vigorously of something absurd and insulting, yet the movie is able to succeed based on the awfully hard to resist combination of a great script and wonderful acting, led by Thornton. Billy Bob (Bad Santa, Friday Night Lights) is one of the few of the more recognizable names and faces in acting today who still manages to completely transform himself into his character, as you easily forget you are watching a major Hollywood player. And Thornton is exceptionally well-cast as the small-town man with big dreams, with his can-do attitude not only rubing off on his family, but on the audience as well.

Behind every good man stands a good woman, and Farmer’s quest is met with tons of spousal support from his wife Audie, played beautifully by Virginia Madsen (The Number 23, A Prairie Home Companion). She encompasses the small-town rancher’s wife role with ease, and it’s very heartwarming to see her pull shifts at a local diner to help support not only her family’s basic needs, but also her husband’s odd, and at-times irrational, dreams. Charlie also finds eager support from his son Shepard (Max Thieriot), and from daughters Stanley (Jasper Polish) and Sunshine (Logan Polish).

While the family’s love for one another could have been easily contrived and annoying, it comes off as genuine and sincere thanks to the great screenplay from twin brothers Mark and Michael Polish (Jackpot, Northfork). The typical feel-good family moments are present, but they are welcomed in several sweet and fun moments. And it feels unique in this day-and-age to watch a family with few signs of dysfunction struggle through some real-life ordeals and handle those problems in a real-life and recognizable manner.

There are plot elements that you can’t help but question, cameo roles that the film truly didn’t need and a climax that you sometimes feel like will never arrive. But the characters keep you intrigued, and from the beginning you find yourself along for Charlie’s ride. And it helps when the movie also offers so many beautiful landscape shots from the Farmer’s ranch, becoming a more visually enjoyable film than most studio live-action family fare.

Containing a lot of warmth and charm, The Astronaut Farmer is an easily likeable and inspirational tale.

300

***.5/****     300 (R)

Occasionally as a film goer, you enjoy sitting in the theater and laughing uncontrollably at a low-brow comedy that dares to pull-no-punches and boasts about its status as an equal opportunity offender. Also, there are those moments that you find yourself ashamed to have enjoyed an overtly sappy and emotional tale that yanks at the strings of your heart and somehow still manages to bring a tear to your eye. And then their are those movies that are brazen about appealing to the lowest common denominator in people, through shear testosterone-driven action and violence. While it may in fact be embarrassing to note that you actually liked these types of movies, deep-down you know that you actually loved this shameless form of entertainment.

And if the latter description is in line with your particular taste in film, than you are sure to find a cinematic thrill in Zack Snyder’s latest film 300.

In the best comic book or graphic novel adaptation since David Cronenberg’s 2005 flick A History of Violence, 300 is a story centered around the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 B.C., where 300 Spartans engaged in a fight with the advancing and invading Persian army. Vastly outnumbered, the 300 Spartans sacrifice themselves in order to buy time for the rest of the Greek forces to prepare for the pending invasion.

A polished, big-budget action flick, 300 borrows the highly-emphasized computer graphic techniques witnessed in the 2005 film Sin City to create another stylistic treat. The CGI-work makes the movie a visual delight to sit through, and brings to life beautiful landscapes, gorgeous backgrounds and adds several amazing dimensions to the live-action characters. The breathtaking imagery also provides the extraordinary feel of a comic book brought to life, and gives off the impression that you are watching an original and unique film, instead of another banal entry into the endless and trite list of epic battlefield movies.

An exorbitant amount of editing and visual effects also go a long-way in helping 300 to distinguish itself from recent historical war films like Kingdom of Heaven or Troy. They especially illuminate the tremendous battle sequences, with spectacular moments of brutality oftentimes either sped up or slowed down to keep the audience visually hooked. The film doesn’t hold back from showcasing excessive amounts of blood and gore, either. And although it isn’t as skillfully done as the violence in last year’s Apocalypto, the at-times cartoonish nature of the events in 300 once again feel very distinct and incomparable.

The Spartans are led into battle by King Leonidas, portrayed brilliantly by Scottish actor Gerard Butler (Beowulf & Grendel, The Phantom of the Opera). You instantly believe in Leonidas and the level of brutality he could bring to battle, given the anger in his eyes and the passion in his voice. The other notable actor in the movie is beautiful British actress Lena Headey (The Brothers Grimm, Imagine Me & You), who plays Leonidas’ wife Queen Gorgo. Headey provides the needed female eye-candy in a film layered with males covered in very little attire, but she is also strong in her role of trying to rally support back home for the ongoing battle.

Plot-holes are certainly apparent, and the dialogue is at times slightly embarrassing when it is delivered in comic book fashion. But everyone should be allowed at least a couple of popcorn flicks per year to enjoy, simply by turning off the brain. And it no doubt helps that process when you can sit-back and gaze and marvel over the visual spectacle that is 300.

Wild Hogs

*.5/****     WILD HOGS (PG-13) 

I have always been a big fan of comedic road movies, inlcuding the memorable 1983 Chevy Chase vehicle National Lampoon’s Vacation, and last year’s off-beat and quirky Academy Award nominated surprise Little Miss Sunshine.  But as a fan of the genre, I have also been treated to many mediocre — and much of the time, very dismal — film offerings with standard on the road-based premises, like Johnson Family Vacation, RV and Rat Race.  Newly introduced to the cluster is the recently released Wild Hogs, which feels like Road Trip twenty years later, and without the minor laughs.

Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy and John Travolta headline the film as four suburban bikers all nearing a point of mid-life crisis, and deciding to take to the open road in search of an escape and possibly an adventure. Along the trek from Cincinnati to the west coast, the four wannabe motorcyclists calling themselves the Wild Hogs end up stumbling into the wrong bar, igniting a biker feud with a tough gang known as the Del Fuegos.

Allen (The Santa Clause, The Shaggy Dog) plays Doug Madsen, a former party-type college guy who has now settled into his career as a dentist and into his life as a family man. Lawrence (Bad Boys, Big Momma’s House) is Bobby Davis, a recently unemployed plumber and stay-at-home dad who is frustrated by the fact that his wife Karen (Tichina Arnold) wears the pants in the relationship. Macy (Bobby, Thank You for Smoking) plays Dudley Frank, a guy who we see rarely in pants and lacks the communication skills to develop any close relationships with women. And Travolta (Be Cool, Ladder 49) stars as Woody Stevens, the richest member of the clan who appears to be the most unhappiest, with the news of his pending divorce from his supermodel wife.

On the road, the four wind-up in utterly predictable scenarios, chocked-full of poorly-staged physical gags and more homo-erotic humor than any PG-13 film before it. Allen and Lawrence continue down the same tired beaten path they have been traveling for well-over a decade, while Travolta’s comedic timing is simply nonexistent and he dreadfully overacts through every awfully bad written beat.

It’s no surprise that Macy, the best actor of the bunch, is also the most enjoyable actor to watch in this film. He helps deliver the film’s very small amount of laughs, and the audience actually cares about him in his efforts to woo small-town diner waitress Maggie (Marisa Tomei). Yet, even in those positive moments, you still cringe having to watch Macy take giant leaps backwards away from his respected element and watching him bumble around in such a haphazard, second-tier City Slickers-style comedy.

The film’s most enjoyable characters are the side-show, zany supporting players brought to life on-screen by people like John C. McGinley and Ray Liotta. But they are so underused and poorly constructed that all of these moments mean little, if anything, to the overall story arc. And the message behind the film of strong friendships and enjoying what one already has are never truly apparent, with the entire meaning becoming lost amidst the abundance of failed silliness that the filmmakers intend to draw the audience in with.

With a paper thin plot, endless and outdated slapstick humor and overall flat exectution from nearly all participants, Wild Hogs is not original, not insightful and probably the most disappointing truth of it all, it’s not funny.

Bridge to Terabithia

***/****     BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (PG)

Family friendly movies are an important genre of film.  They are positive works of art that, for the most part, look to both teach and entertain, while also instilling important values. Sometimes the formula is delivered out of kilter, as a fairly tepid melodrama or as a nonsensical comedy filled to the brim with several low-brow high jinks. Fortunately, Bridge to Terabithia decides to aim much higher than most, providing plenty of crossover appeal for mainstream moviegoers.

Fourteen-year old Josh Hutcherson (The Polar Express, RV) stars as Jesse Aarons, an eighth-grader taunted repeatedly by the movie’s familiar and stereotypical school bullies. Not the type to retaliate, Aarons trains all summer to become the fastest runner in school, in an effort to humiliate his overbearing peers once and for all. But on the first day of classes, Aarons finds himself upset in the race by quick, new student Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Ross).

Despite the humiliation brought on himself by losing to a girl, Aarons soon discovers an unavoidable liking for the new girl whose family has moved in just down the street.  Aarons and his family of six struggle with financial issues and making ends meet, while Burke is an only child with a wild imagination that has been molded after several years of being neglected by her creative and loving, but at times burdened with work parents. Burke soon helps Aarons discover his own vivid imagination, as the two create a secret kingdom known as Terabithia.

A faithful adaptation brought to life on screen by writers David Patterson and Jeff Stockwell and first-time director Gabor Csupo, Bridge to Terabithia is a pleasant story that introduces you to the idea of fantasy, but keeps you enveloped in the harshness of reality.  Unlike most story’s based around childhood, the charming lead actors in this movie are actually provided with some character depth. Hutcherson does a commendable job as the grounded Aarons, while he also has great on-screen chemistry with co-star Robb, who wonderfully draws you in with her remarkable youthful exuberance.

Zooey Deschanel (Failure to Launch, Elf) makes a couple of appearances as the artistic and lively teacher Ms. Edmonds, while Jesse’s younger sister Mary Belle (Bailee Madison) is just one of those adorable kids who effortlessly warms your heart in her small, honest moments of screentime.  The rest of the cast is required to simply fill the needed parental and sibling casting positions,  in turn adding very little to a story that actually doesn’t need any additions. In fact, you enjoy watching Hutcherson and Rob together so much, that the film tends to drag when the two are seperated from each other on-screen.

The visual effects in the movie’s fantasy moments are very subpar compared to what we have come to expect from recent Hollywood productions, but had those been overdone, the emotional moments in the film’s far more interesting reality wouldn’t have felt as genuine. Instead, the movie relies on easily gripping the audience through compelling characters and strong sentimental elements and wisely steers clear of creating any schoolyard love between Aarons and Burke, wisely establishing a friendship amongst the two, who together try to cope with difficult real-world situations.

Based on Katherine Paterson’s 1978 Newbery Medal winning children’s novel, Bridge to Terabithia is a gorgeous film centered around simple messages and told in an authentic and touching way.

Zodiac

***/****     ZODIAC (R)

In the late-1960s, a serial killer murdered five known victims in northern California. Coining himself the Zodiac killer, he sent a series of taunting letters to several Bay Area newspapers with cryptogram’s that supposedly reveal his identity. Yet, all of the murder cases remain open and the identity of the Zodiac killer remains unknown.

Last year, Justin Chambers, Rory Culkin and Robin Tunney starred in Alexander Bulkley’s The Zodiac, a simple crime story about a police detective and his son who become obsessed with the real-life murders. Exactly one-year later, critically-acclaimed director David Fincher (Panic Room, Se7en) takes a similar approach to that of Bulkley’s film, but instead focuses the story mainly around true-crime author Robert Graysmith.

And while both takes on the Zodiac story are well-made, consider Fincher’s film to be Capote to that of Bulkley’s Infamous.

Focusing on the lives and careers of the detectives and the newspaper employees whose lives change dramatically from the emotional impact of the notorious killing spree, Fincher’s Zodiac wisely decides not to sensationalize the brutal murders, but instead entrance the audience into the lives of the bystanders who ultimately become either obsessed or endangered because of their partial involvement in investigating or reporting on the Zodiac killer.

Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle, one of three newspapers that receives a taunting letter from the Zodiac. Graysmith quickly finds himself enraptured with the murderous tales, including the cryptogram’s sent by the killer. Graysmith’s fixation in the ongoing case soon turns into an obsession, similar to the attention given to it by San Francisco Chronicle reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.), who begins to over-step his journalistic bounds as he tries to unravel the evidence in the case.

And on numerous occasions, the two Chronicle workers find themselves associated in the crime spree with police inspectors William Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) and David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), whose lives begin to become dejected after devoting there professional careers to solving the murders.

David Fincher and screenwriter James Vanderbilt (The Rundown) have created an intriguing environment full of unease, mostly built around the film’s effective cinematography and production design. But the success of Zodiac is a result of the movie’s ensemble, with every notable actor turning in a top-notch performance.

Each of the film’s main characters are mysterious, with a great amount of depth, that resonate with the audience and increases the movie’s suspense. Graysmith is tremendously puzzling, but played with an extreme amount of likeability by Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain, Jarhead). Downey Jr. (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, A Scanner Darkly) is remarkable as unbalanced reporter Avery, while Ruffalo and Edwards give two of the best performances of their careers.

The film has a varying pace, as it covers a lot of ground. During most of the film’s 165-minute runtime, the movie has an extremely engaging flow, but the movie does near some tedious moments down the stretch.

Still, Zodiac is a well-crafted and intriguing film, with compelling characters and a dark and moody atmosphere that manages to keep you on the edge of your seat.