Movie Review: MALEFICENT

MALEFICENT
Director: Robert Stromberg
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville, Sam Riley, Brenton Thwaites

We all have an idea of who Maleficent is from the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Disney has taken one of the most diabolical villains and put a fresh twist on a character we all thought we knew. Maleficent (Jolie) is a powerful fairy who lives in the trees of a magical kingdom called The Moors that borders the human kingdom. She has two horns and gigantic wings enabling her to fly all over the kingdom, and her lively spirit fits right in with the other mythical creatures around her. One fateful night, her wings are burned off which sets in motion a vengeful plot against the person that committed the act.

Through the help of her servant Diaval (Riley), Maleficent learns that the cruel act was committed by the new king (Copley) in order to become the heir to the throne. As an act of revenge for his betrayal, she decides to put a curse on his newborn daughter, Aurora, who on her sixteenth birthday will fall into a deep sleep after being pricked by a spinning wheel. A kiss from her one true love will be the only way to break the curse. Even though Aurora is raised by three pixies, Maleficent continues to keep an eye on her from afar. She may not be as evil as she is often portrayed to be as a maternal side of her starts to appear after the innocent Aurora (Fanning) grows up and could be the key to peace between the two kingdoms.

Maleficent is similar to previous Disney live action movies like Alice in Wonderland and Oz, The Great and Powerful where they reimagine a classic story in a CGI heavy movie. Even though the trailers looked pretty promising I went in with a bit of hesitation as I didn’t want to be burned like I was with both of those wretched films. The naysayers should have no fear as Maleficent is leagues better than both of those, but it doesn’t take much. I wasn’t as bothered by the blatant use of special effects versus realistic sets and effects. The dark and gothic tones seem to work better with the CGI than the bright and colorful palette those other movies used. I still rolled my eyes at some of the Moor creatures and wish they would have treated the pixies a bit differently. They are a weird mix of animation while keeping the faces of Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville. Frankly, I would have been fine with them attempting the Julia Roberts in Hook approach.

Angelina Jolie is the reason to see the movie. How can you NOT be Team Angelina? She brings this heightened, wickedly fun performance to Maleficent. She has a nice blend of being a bit scary and menacing, while not being too cartoonish or over the top. You can tell she is having a hell of a good time playing this character which makes the movie all the more enjoyable. The designers pulled out all the stops to give Maleficent the royal treatment as it is quite evident that so much care and attention is put into the character. The costume design by Anna B. Sheppard (Inglourious Basterds, Captain America: The First Avenger) is exquisite with its sharp and hard structure. The hair and make-up design compliments that quite well and still fits the look of the Disney villain we know and love. The lighting and shadow effects easily pull you into the mystery surrounding her. There is even an ode to the classic Maleficent silhouette.

The story is a bit simple, and I wish more attention would have been made to character development. It gets a bit lost as the attention seems to all go toward Maleficent and the special effects that were needed. I understand she is the title character, but I wish some of the other characters were written with the same juicy material Maleficent was given. It’s almost as if they didn’t want to pull any focus away from her at any point during the movie. Many of the characters like Sharlto Copley’s King and Brenton Thwaites’ Prince Phillip are pretty plain and generic. Elle Fanning brings that sweet, innocent, and angelic spirit about her that she always has to Princess Aurora. Yes, that is Vivienne Jolie-Pitt who has a cameo as the younger Aurora. There is no denying that she looks exactly like Brad and Angelina. Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville are all talented actresses, but I wish screenwriter Linda Woolverton would have gone even further with the ditzy and klutzy aspects about the pixies to make them the scene-stealers they should be.

Maleficent is a marked improvement over some of those other CGI heavy Disney live action movies, but it is still missing the mark at times. I recommend seeing the movie in 2D as the copious use of CGI special effects may be ruined with gimmicky post-production 3D crap. If it wasn’t for Angelina Jolie, this would have been another bloated CGI mess. I can’t imagine another actress in this role. A fair warning that the darker tones and approach will be too scary for little kids. It’s not as kid friendly as other live action Disney movies.

Is it worth your trip to the movies? Angelina Jolie makes the movie worth seeing even though it had the potential to be far better than it turned out to be.

RATING: 3 out of 5 Ticket Stubs

Movie Review: MILLION DOLLAR ARM

MILLION DOLLAR ARM
Director: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Jon Hamm, Pitobash, Alan Arkin, Madhur Mittal, Suraj Sharma, Aasif Mandvi, Lake Bell, Bill Paxton

Jon Hamm trades in his Don Draper suits for a baseball cap as sports agent J.B. Bernstein. His agency is losing money faster than it’s coming in, and he and his two business partners are on the verge of losing their careers unless a drastic move is made. His colleague Aash (Mandvi) is obsessed with cricket, but J.B. does not see the point of it and thinks it pales in comparison to baseball. That all changes late one night when J.B. starts flipping channels between Britain’s Got Talent and a game of cricket in India when a career saving idea pops into his head. He wants to create a reality show style competition in India hoping to attract cricket players and in turn find the next best pitcher in Major League Baseball.

When he arrives in India, the culture shock is a bit alarming to him. The lifestyle is quite the opposite of the normal Los Angeles pace he leads. After seeing hundreds of young men come and line-up for their shot on “Million Dollar Arm”, he sees the potential that could be had. J.B. and retired coach Ray (Arkin) sit through countless of failed try-outs until Rinku (Sharma) and Dinesh (Mittal) show up and may just have the golden arm they are all looking for. The boys head to California to train with USC pitching coach Tom House (Paxton), while J.B.’s career is riding on if they can learn baseball fast enough to get signed by professional teams.

The film follows in the footsteps of many other Disney sports films that are based on a true story like: Miracle, The Rookie, and Remember the Titans. Have we now reached a point where this is too many? Has the genre already grown tired? Million Dollar Arm is beyond predictable in every possible way from the supporting characters to the plot points and conflict. I felt like I already knew the general outline of this script and the writers just changed the names and the sport involved. You probably already knew that our main character was going to be a cocky businessman who only cares about his job and how much money he is making instead of his actual clients. There will be some cute girlfriend type that puts our main character in his place after he becomes a jerk. Of course there is going to be some old retired cranky coach. The ballplayers will no doubt be completely out of their element. With so much of this story played with that Disney sheen to it, I questioned how authentic it was to the true story. That being said, I always enjoy seeing the photo and video montage during the credits of the real life inspirations, and that was one of the highlights of the movie.

Jon Hamm has made a few movies while he has been on hiatus from Mad Men, but he tends to do more supporting roles like Bridesmaids or Friends with Kids. As J.B. Bernstein, he goes back to leading role status, but his character seems far too similar to Don Draper at times. This comes across in a way that he seems to be a bit bored here. I don’t question him as an actor as I am a big Mad Men fan, and I have liked him in other roles. His character is so unlikeable that I wanted him to open up more and show a bit more warmth. I wonder if the real J.B. was really like that. We have seen Alan Arkin (Grudge Match, Little Miss Sunshine) play numerous characters like this cranky coach. He can do this role in his sleep, and conveniently enough, his character spends a majority of the film with his head down or completely asleep. Is he the new Morgan Freeman where we can expect him to play the same type of character in each movie? There are some saving graces here as Lake Bell (It’s Complicated) is completely charming as Brenda, J.B.’s tenant who is renting out the pool house. While there is sexual tension between the two characters, she is not merely a bimbo attached to his hip the whole movie. I suppose that wouldn’t be Disney friendly. Audiences may recognize Suraj Sharma who plays Rinku. He was phenomenal a few years ago in Life of Pi. I’m glad to see he’s getting more work.

I admire the idea behind taking both parties and putting them into worlds and cultures they are not used to and watching them grow in the process. It was interesting to watch J.B. Berstein quickly adapt to the Indian style of doing business, the driving, and the food and how vastly different it is than the L.A. pace he lives. The same goes for Dinesh and Rinku when they land in America for the first time. I think they could have delved into this concept a bit more to give it the full effect. There is so much to learn when you are a fish out of water. I am sure Disney and director Craig Gillespie (Fright Night, Lars and the Real Girl) want Million Dollar Arm to be one of those feel good inspirational sports films. I suppose some moviegoers will feel that way, but I didn’t come out cheering. There are so many other baseball movies that pull at the heartstrings and get the audience rooting for our characters that this one falls flat in comparison.

Is it worth your trip to the movies? At one point we see Jon Hamm and Lake Bell watching The Pride of the Yankees. I’d recommend watching that baseball movie instead.

RATING: 2 out of 5 Ticket Stubs

Movie Review: SAVING MR. BANKS

SAVING MR. BANKS
Director: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Colin Farrell, B.J. Novak, Jason Schawartzman, Annie Rose Buckley, Bradley Whitford, Rachel Griffiths, Ruth Wilson

I would assume it is safe to say that many people, like me, grew up watching Mary Poppins. I consider it one of my favorites in the Disney canon. You believed that Julie Andrews or some magical nanny would fly in and take you on an adventure. Saving Mr. Banks gives us some insight on how that classic made it to the big screen. Author Pamela “P.L.” Travers (Thompson) was strictly opposed to having her beloved novel “Mary Poppins” adapted for the big screen, especially by Walt Disney (Hanks). She assumed he would turn it into some sugary sweet animated movie that would ruin her characters. Disney has pursued Travers for the rights to her story for twenty years as a promise to his daughter. Her agent begs and pleads with her as she has now run out of money.

She finally abides and heads to Los Angeles for her meeting with Disney. Even after their initial talk, she will not sign over the rights quite yet. She makes it quite clear that she will have to be part of the creative process. Not only does she want script approval, but she has very strong opinions about the design and look of the characters, the actors cast, and the conceptual drawings. Composer Richard Sherman (Schwartzman) and his writing partner and brother Robert (Novak) find it quite difficult to appease to her needs as she is not even keen on it being a musical. What they do not know is true meaning behind these characters to Travers. They hold a very special place in her heart as she based them on her childhood and the relationship she had with her father (Farrell).

The film goes back and forth between the two time frames of when Pamela was a child in 1906 and the Walt Disney portion of the story in 1961. I originally thought that her childhood would only be treated as brief flashbacks. I was quite surprised to find that a third, if not half of the movie, is devoted to her childhood and how Mary Poppins came to be. Unfortunately, I think this portion of the film drags the energy down. There is a vitality and sense of humor with Thompson and Hanks, so when we switch out of 1961 and go back to 1906, there is tonal change that is quite evident. That is not to say that Buckley and Farrell are bad, they are actually quite good. The writers could have gotten to the point of that storyline a bit quicker. As someone that is quite obsessed with “Six Feet Under”, I also wanted to see more of Rachel Griffiths who plays the real Mary Poppins.

The film boats quite a strong supporting cast that may go unnoticed next to Thompson and Hanks. There are many actors here like Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, and Jason Schwartzman that are not quite used to being under the Disney banner or making family friendly films. Giamatti has played numerous schmucks, and it is a great change of pace for him to play the sweet innocent chauffeur who has to cart Travers back and forth to the Disney lot. Schwartzman steps away from his usual Wes Anderson fare and pares well with B. J. Novak as the Sherman brothers. Hanks has had a strong year after his stunning work in Captain Phillips. He captures those charming and charismatic qualities that Disney needs. Disney was an iconic figure and you need an actor that is believable as someone who has built an empire that has lasted decade after decade. Hanks is quite believable and capable of pulling off that lofty feat. It should come as no surprise that Thompson is practically perfect in every way. I would watch her read the phone book. There is the outward frosty demeanor to Pamela, but Thompson knows how to easily add that inner dimension behind her eyes that elevates her from being a one-noted bitchy villain. You can see the inner struggles she continually battles. The comedic side of Thompson comes alive as she can deliver every zinger and witty jab flawlessly.

Some people have issues with the fact that Disney is making a movie about one of their own movies. They can just go complain to themselves. Yes, there is definitely a Disneyfied sheen to this story that definitely has some drama behind it, but oh who cares. Like Mary Poppins, this is a wonderful family film that can easily tap into your inner child. The songs are infectious and it is hard to not want to start singing along as the Sherman brothers start to plunk them out on the piano. My Lord, I completely lost it when “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” started. I started to well up, and I rarely cry at movies. I have many fond memories of watching Mary Poppins as a child. I attribute that to my Grandma Lois who has long passed away, so Saving Mr. Banks was a nice trip down memory lane.

RATING: **** (4 out of 5 stars)

Movie Review: FROZEN

FROZEN
Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Starring: Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Santino Fontana, Ciarán Hinds, Alan Tudyk

As little girls, Princesses Anna and Elsa are as close as two sisters can be. Elsa has been graced with a special power to turn things to ice and snow with a simple touch. They love playing around their castle in Arendelle when Elsa creates a snowy play area for them to have with inside the castle. One day the playing gets out of hand when Anna accidentally gets hit with a blast of ice by Elsa. In order to protect both of them, their parents have Anna's memory erased of the incident. This also leads to Elsa being banished to a separate room of the castle so no one in the village has any knowledge of her power.

Years pass and the girls grow up being separated from each other. Elsa (Menzel) has grown to resent her power and is unable to fully control when it happens. She is the heir to the thrown and on her coronation day Elsa and Anna decide to open the doors of the castle to all of the villagers of Arendelle. After the ceremony, another incident occurs and Elsa's powers are exposed to the villagers. She feels so embarrassed and out of control that she runs away. As her frustration grows, the icy cold spreads over the village turning it into a snowy frozen land year round. She retreats to a mountain and tries to come to terms with her power. Anna (Bell) chases after Elsa and runs into the rugged Kristoff (Groff), his reindeer Sven, and an energetic snowman named Olaf (Gad) who help her along the way.

With so many animated movies released each year, it should come as no surprise that the annual Disney offering stands out as one of the best. Inspired by "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Anderson, Frozen hearkens back to the old classic princess stories set to singable score. The story uses that traditional model but puts a different twist on it as this is not about some helpless princess pining after her unattainable prince. Yes, there are two dapper men along the way, but this tale is all about the love and bond of sisterhood. Kristen Bell's Anna is scrappy, tough, and has the never-give-up attitude in her quest to find and save her sister. Idina Menzel has a huge belter voice who completely nails the powerful main theme song "Let It Go". It would have been easy to make Elsa the Snow Queen the evil villain, but I applaud the writing team for not going that route. What would a Disney movie be without the comedic fool. Josh Gad makes Olaf fun and hilarious without ever crossing the obnoxious line which can be tricky with these types of Disney characters.

The songs by husband/wife duo Robert Lopez (Broadway's "The Book of Mormon", "Avenue Q") and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Wreck-It Ralph) have written a Broadway-inspired score with "Let It Go" most likely to get stuck in your head. Long gone are the days where you would have two different actors doing the regular voice and singing voice of the character. All of the actors perform their own singing in Frozen. It also boasts four Broadway actors in the main cast including Menzel, Gad, Groff, and Fontana. The orchestral score by Christophe Beck should also be noted for using Norwegian music and instruments as inspiration. I could not help but envision this being turned into next big Disney Broadway musical some day.

The Walt Disney Animations Studios has hit it a resurgence lately with Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph. You can confidently add Frozen to that list. There were numerous trailers for upcoming children's movies and I think only one, maybe two of them, seemed to stand out and would be appealing for both young movie goers and their parents. The animation of the ice and snow is stunning and beautiful. The story has that traditional Disney feel but takes a different twist on the concepts. The characters are spunky, have determination, and represent good role models for the young girls who go see the movie. I remember for awhile in the '90s, some concerned parents took issue with Disney movies turning a bit too violent or scary with their villains. Rest assured here as Frozen is appropriate for all ages and can be enjoyed by moviegoers of all ages. It has a real wholesome and timeless quality about it that is missing from many of the animated family movies released each year.

RATING: **** (4 out of 5 stars)

AND THE OSCAR FOR BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM GOES TO...

AND THE OSCAR FOR BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM GOES TO...

And the nominees are:

ADAM AND DOG
Nominee: Minkyu Lee



FRESH GUACAMOLE
Nominess: PES



HEAD OVER HEALS
Nominess: Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly



MAGGIE SIMPSON IN "THE LONGEST DAYCARE"
Nominee: David Silverman



PAPERMAN
Nominee: John Kahrs

WHO WILL WIN? I think the race is between Disney's Paperman and Adam and Dog. Many critics think the romantic storyline of Paperman could win. Sometimes the Academy prefers more indie favorites in this category like Adam and Dog.

Movie Rewind: HOCUS POCUS

HOCUS POCUS
Director: Kenny Ortega
Starring: Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, Sarah Jessica Parker, Omri Katz, Thora Birch, Vinessa Shaw

"Oh, look. Another glorious morning. It makes me SICK!"

In my household, one of our must see Halloween movies (outside of Halloween) is Hocus Pocus. Quite frankly we watch it all year round. We even quote it all year round. Like many people of my generation, the love of this Bette Midler Halloween classic goes back to when I was a wee lad. Confession time. I was a little ten year old boy obsessed with Ms. Midler. I do not know if it was this movie or Beaches that laid the foundation for my life-long diva love. I do remember seeing the Divine Miss M Tour as a child. She did the tour right after Hocus Pocus came out and I remember getting excited that she mentioned the movie in her opening bit. I am getting somewhat off track. This is not going to be another blog devoted to my past. Let's get back to the movie at hand.

Poor Max Dennison (Katz). His family moves from Los Angeles to Salem, and now he is stuck with no friends in a town where Halloween is treated like the best day of the year. Salem comes alive on Halloween night due to the legend of the Sanderson sisters. As the legend has it, Winifred (Midler), Mary (Najimy), and Sarah (Parker) were three witches that feasted on the souls of the children of the town. The townspeople rallied together and hung the sisters thinking they were killing them and ending their horror once and for all.

Max is too pessimistic to believe in any of this hocus pocus. He just cannot seem to give into the town’s holiday rituals and festivities. To make matters worse, his parents force him to take his annoying younger sister, Dani (Birch), trick-or-treating that evening. One of their stops includes a nice mansion that is throwing a party. They sneak in to steal some candy where they meet Allison (Shaw). She just happens to be Max’s school crush. Upon noticing Dani’s witch costume, Allison asks her if she knows about the Sanderson legacy. Her family used to run the now-closed museum in the original cottage of the Sanderson sisters. Dani gets all too excited by this and the three of them head out to the museum. Max is basically going along to spend time with Allison as he is way too cool to actually believe in the spooky Sanderson sisters.

Dani, Max, and Allison scope out the various artifacts and supposed belongings as a pair of eyes watch from outside. Those eyes belong to a talking black cat. The cat is Thackery Binx whose sister was killed by the witches. Winifred turned him into a cat when he tried to save her. He stands guard making sure no one brings the sisters back to life. The legend has it that if a virgin lights the black flame candle, Winifred, Mary, and Sarah will come back to life. Leave it to Max to be the doofus of the group. He lights the candle and, true enough, the sisters are arrive with a vengeance! With the help of Thackery and Billy the Zombie, they use various methods like “The Burning Rain of Death” and Daylight Savings Time to stop the witches. The sisters have until sunrise to create a potion and suck the souls of the children to last forever.

Being a huge Bette Midler fan, I have seen her interviewed many times on talk show appearances and once in person. Like I said previously, I have seen her in concert two times as well. She has repeatedly said that Hocus Pocus is her favorite film she has ever worked on and has been the most fun she’s had while making a movie. I think it is easy to tell that the ladies are having a great time. They have wicked chemistry together. Outside of Carrie Bradshaw, I think this is Sarah Jessica Parker's next best performance. She is funny, flighty, and flirty. It is her job to lure all of the children into their cottage. The costume and make-up design is perfect for this kind of movie. Not every witch character needs to be dark and morose in appearance. Each of the three witches has a different color palette and look. The script is quite clever and funny at times. Midler and Najimy have some fun zingers that are instantly quotable. For a movie brought to you by the Disney company, it is quite daring with some of the topics described like the witch mythology or even mentioning that only a virgin can bring the witches back. I do not think that this movie could have been written the the same way if made today.

Even though it may seem like the target audience is for younger children between the ages of 5-13, it appeals to many generations. I do not think parents need to worry if their child will play this movie over and over again. I guarantee you won’t get sick of it. I cannot finish writing this without mentioning my favorite scene. Dani, Allison, and Max drop in on a party to find their parents and tell them that the sisters have come back. Low and behold, the sisters drop in as well. Winifred takes over the mic and performs the show-stopping "I Put a Spell On You". Mary and Sarah join her as back-up singers. Every time I see Bette in concert, I desperately hope she sings a version of this. It hasn't happened yet, but maybe someday. Now available on Blu-Ray and DVD.

"Hello, Salem! My name's Winifred. What's yours?"