TWIN CITIES LIVE--May 21, 2014

TWIN CITIES LIVE
May 21, 2014

It was a mixed bag today on Twin Cities Live as Elizabeth Ries, Bradley Traynor, and I discussed two theatricals releases and one movie you can now found on Blu-Ray, DVD, OnDemand, iTunes, and other home rental services. I may have claimed that Lifetime makes better movies than one of the ones I reviewed...

Click on the links below to find my reviews of each film.

1. Godzilla, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston
2. Million Dollar Arm, starring Jon Hamm, Lake Bell, Suraj Sharma
3. Veronica Mars, starring Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni

Here's the video:



Video courtesy of Twin Cities Live/KSTP

You can find all of my past segments HERE.

As always, thank you so much for watching and your continual support. I truly appreciate it!

Movie Review: VERONICA MARS

VERONICA MARS
Director: Rob Thomas,
Starring: Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, Jason Dohring, Krysten Ritter, Martin Starr, Tina Majorino, Chris Lowell, Gaby Hoffman, Jerry O'Connell

Truth be told, I have never seen a single episode of the television show “Veronica Mars”. It’s the legions of fans, known as Marshmallows, that made it into the little cult show that now has come back for an all new mystery. The new movie version acts as a reunion for the cast and for the fans to have one more chance at seeing their favorite characters when the show was cancelled far too early on. The question I kept asking myself is if it could still hold up for someone like myself that has never seen the show. I knew the basic idea behind it, but I didn’t have a connection to these characters going in. I don’t know their relationships to each other, who are the good guys, who are the bad guys, etc…

Nine years have passed since the events in the final season of the show. Veronica (Bell) Mars has said goodbye to her life as a private investigator. She has lost too many friends along the way. She has left her hometown of Neptune, California and has moved to New York City to start her life over as a successful lawyer. She has received news that her old classmate Carrie, who is now pop star “Bonnie DeVille”, has been found dead in her bathroom. Veronica’s ex-flame Logan Echolls (Dohring) has been accused of her murder and calls Veronica for some legal aid.

Veronica feels the need to go back to Neptune to help him out but only plans on staying a couple of days. Her dad Keith Mars (Colantoni) is beyond thrilled when she shows up at his office at Mars Investigations. Old habits are hard to break as Veronica cannot seem to shake the feeling that something doesn’t add up. She firmly believes that Logan is innocent and feels compelled to stay in Neptune a bit longer. It doesn’t help that she feels some of her old classmates probably know more than they are leading. Let’s forget that Bonnie had an obsessive fan (Hoffman) that is equally a bit nutty herself.

It’s refreshing for fans to see a majority of the old cast come together again for this new Veronica Mars case. Percy Daggs III, Francis Capra, Ryan Hansen, Tina Majorino, Krysten Ritter and a slew of other cameo appearances get audiences of new and old back into the spirit of the show. There were plenty of fans of the show in the audience and you could tell where there would be a little nod or reference as little giggles happened with excitement. It should also be known that series creator Rob Thomas (not the singer) wrote and directed the film, and Kristen Bell is one of the executive producers. You may be asking yourself how and why they are still in Neptune. Are we to believe that Veronica was the only one that moved away? Their high school reunion just happens to be the same weekend that the murder of Bonnie DeVille happens which coincidentally helps with the idea that all of the old faces are back together. I am getting a bit sick of using a high school reunion as the catalyst to bring people back together. Luckily, it is not the sole focus of the movie like it was for American Reunion.

For someone who has never watched the show, the film is fairly entertaining. There is a quick montage at the beginning to set up the character relations and give a brief recap of what happened during the show’s run. As for the rest of the story, I never once felt like I didn’t know what was going on. Yes, obviously having a background with the show would help deepen your knowledge of the characters but you quickly realize who Veronica’s friends are as opposed to her enemies and whatnot. I must say there were some shocking moments along the way that I audibly gasped at that took me by surprise. Maybe the show was like that and I’m not giving it enough credit. It’s easy to see why the show has appeal as it plays smarter than your average teen soap typically found on the WB or UPN at the time. Kristen Bell and Enrico Colantoni have an infectious father daughter relationship full of fun banter and witty rapport.

It’s due to the fans that this movie even came together. Thomas and Bell created a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds needed to make the movie happen. I applaud their effort as it pays off for the die-hard Marshmallows as well as those like myself that are new to this universe. Anyone that watched the show will no doubt get a big kick out of the film. If you have never seen the show, the film may feel like going to your spouse’s high school reunion. You will most likely go, have a great time, enjoy the people that you meet, but you don’t have the history or connections that everyone else has. I am now even inspired to go back and watch episodes of the show.

Is it worth your trip to the movies? Yes. The film works well as it's own story without making the newbies feel too left out.

RATING: 3 out of 5 Ticket Stubs

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)