John's Movie Musings

Back when I saw the trailer for Wanted I thought, "Well that looks just awful" with as much pretentiousness as Philip Seymour Hoffman with a venti half-caf double-shot latte. I mean come on, curving bullets by whipping the gun around really, really fast? No. Just no.

I also wondered why James McAvoy was in it. In the happy place my mind exists, Mr. Tumnus does not fraternize with Angelina Jolie. I look at that pairing like I do chocolate-filled bratwurst.

Turns out, the story's not too bad. This is assuming your expectations are appropriately aligned with a typical summer action flick. There's lots of gunplay - both with and without curving bullets, a few good car chases, and a high body count. But the actual story is a few notches above average. It's based off a comic and if they can make a two hour movie intriguing, I'm interested in what they did in print.

The biggest problem is that instead of being all fun and games, Wanted takes itself a bit too seriously. Think of the Garden of Eden. Action movies need to stay in the Garden where it's all fun and happy. But some decide they want to leave the Garden and explore Drama Fields. But Drama Fields leads to Gnashing Forrest, then into the Cliffs of Despair. This is not necessary, Mr. Action Movie. Stay fun and happy in the Garden. It's what's best.

Grade: B-

In your average story, is it important to like the hero? I'd say a good story requires you to root for the hero, but must they be likable?

Gran Torino is Clint Eastwood's latest about an extremely racist vet living with Korean neighbors. Now grumpy old men have long held a high place in cinema. When on the side of the hero, they are usually very popular characters. After The Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson was going to tone down Gandalf's grumpiness until their screen tests showed audiences loved him. He got grumpier in the sequels.

Eastwood pushes his grumpy old man character to the edge of acceptability. His character has no relationship with his family, generally hates people, and is racist to the core.

Yet despite all those flaws, I (and everyone else in the theater) still saw him as a good man. It made me wonder how many character flaws a hero can have and still be "good."

The movie is not perfect, though. The acting is a little uneven at points when it needs to be strong. Most of the performances are great, so those weak scenes don't affect the impact of the story. The ending is also very satisfying.

I've heard some pretty strong reactions from friends who have seen this. If you have, please let me know what you thought of it.

Grade: B+

The French catch a lot of flack for a number of things. Traditionally, they're not known for their cajones. See? I had to use Spanish because there is no French equivalent. n'est-ce pas?

But there's one man in all of France who defied that stereotype: Philippe Petit. Back in the 70s, he made a habit of stringing trapeze wires across tall buildings. And then walking across it. Multiple times. Backwards. As you can see from the poster, his tour de force was the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. France should hang these posters all over the country with a caption, "He's from France, bitches."

Monsieur Petit is such an interesting character that I could have easily listened to him for several more documentaries. He has this charisma that really only a Frenchman could possess. His hands are very animated and every beat of his story is presented in a truly dramatic fashion.

As fascinating as I found his story, it turned out to be a very sad tale. He survives the walks in the sky(sorry, spoiler), but gives up so much in the process. I had wished they talked about 9/11 since the Towers were such a huge focus, the tragedy of them could mirror the personal tragedies in his life.

Man on Wire has so much going for it, the recommendation is easy. It's expected to be up for an Oscar this year, so we'll find out this week if it gets the nomination.

Grade: A

What is it within a man's psyche that causes him - no, forces him on a Quest of self discovery? Every man reaches a point in his life where he finally asks, "What am I made of?" When that question comes and there's not a good answer to be found, every other aspect of life becomes second priority. Wife, kids, job, money...everything. And it seems that answer can be found alone in the most remote parts of this planet.

Several years ago I remember a 20/20 special about Robert Bogucki, an Alaskan firefighter who wandered the Australian Outback for 43 days before being discovered. His reason was a simple, "I just wanted to spend a while on my own. Just nobody else around. Just make peace with God, I guess." When describing his experience on TV, I remember him breaking down at several moments. This question resides deep in a man's heart.

Death isn't even a deterrent for a man on this Quest. In fact, death and danger help find the answer. In the bonus commentaries of Into the Wild, the author makes a comment about his Quest. He says, while sitting up a little higher, "I almost died...twice." Death's presence helps legitimize the Quest.

I say all of this to establish the foundation required for Into the Wild. Without it, the movie would still be good, but you would miss so much. Specifically, you'd still ask "why?" after the credits rolled. With the foundation, you know why.

Into the Wild should be required viewing for any man, or anyone who considers himself one. For those of you who have been on your Quest, it'll stir up things that may have gone unresolved. For those still yet to embark, the movie may touch that dark, secluded part of your heart that's been dead for far too long.

Grade: A

3D movies are slowly evolving out of the Gimmick Goo in Hollywood (It's next to the La Brea Tar Pits, for those taking a vacation). The last effort, Journey to the Center of the Earth, took the "Hey! It's 3D! Do it" approach. In these initial stages, that's ok 'cause it's new. Brendan Fraser can spit on people all day but if any other movies do it, people will realize that it's gross and 3D will go the way of the Dodo.

Bolt treats 3D like a good referee. The ones that aren't a distraction and blend themselves seemlessly into the main event. We watch movies for the story, not so we can wear glasses that make us look totally awesome. Well, I look totally awesome in 3D glasses. You don't?

Is this the perfect use of 3D in cinema? Hard to say. Bolt is a animated, talking dog movie. Not exactly high drama, here. Should 3D be used differently in animated features than say, a Western? That makes sense in theory, but we don't have a 3D drama to test. We may have to wait until Avatar next Christmas to get the answer.

So what about Bolt's story? This question can be phrased, "Is Bolt worth watching in 2D?" I say...sure. It's not the funniest movie ever, but the hamster has so many scene steals that it's probably worth watching just for him. There's some good action scenes worth checking out, too. Oh and it's got funny cats. Gotta love funny cats.

It's still in theaters, so see it for the 3D. When it's out on DVD, it's still worth a rental.

Grade: B-