The start of a new year with movies is always a busy one. There are plenty of old releases to catch up on before my extended year finishes, and plenty of Oscar contenders are hitting theatres. For the record, my movie watching year runs from January 1st up until the Oscars are presented (this year on February 22nd). This is to allow me some time to catch up with all of the contenders that are generally released in theatres late in the year and some into the early new year. This time of year produces reviews with a mishmash of unimportant DVD rentals, forgotten blockbusters and high-brow cinema, and this crop is no exception.
For your reading pleasure, here are the 5 most recent movies I've watched (comparative ranking in parentheses):
The Book Of Life (1)
This inventive animated feature centres around Manolo, Maria and Joaquin, three Mexican lovers caught in a love triangle with dire consequences. Unbeknownst to them, they become part of a wager that holds the fate of all humanity, both dead and alive, in their hands.
Manolo and Joaquin must embrace their own personalities as they strive for the love of Maria, while fending off enemies in three different realms. The only major setback (in my opinion) was the odd use of generic pop songs in a Flamenco style. Otherwise, this movie is creative, beautiful and original. It's funny and charming, romantic and daring. All of these are big positives in my books. The Book Of Life is a movie that the whole family can watch, but broad enough that anyone of any age can enjoy.
My Ranking: 4/5
- Recommended for an evening where the whole family wants to watch a movie together.
- Recommended for people who love not-so-run-of-the-mill animated movies
Get On Up (2)
A pretty standard, yet entertaining biopic of funk legend James Brown. It chronicles everything from his troubled upbringing to his narcissistic leadership issues in a thoroughly non-linear retelling.
A lot of biopics get bogged down in trying to be fresh and new, not realizing that their subject's lives are interesting enough on their own. Ultimately, trying to stand out is what makes a movies not stand out. In this one, director Tate Taylor (The Help) makes sure that his main focus is the music, which is what I would assume Brown's main focus would be. Rehearsals, performances and soundtrack flood this one with captivating soul music. Chadwick Boseman's performance is mesmerizing. Where this one trips up, is in it's reliance on the non-linear storyline. It tries to bounce around so much that at some points you lose track of what era you are in the story, despite the differing hairstyles of Mr. Brown. Get On Up is an entertaining look into the life of a man who changed music history. It's not of one of my favourites, but worth the watch nonetheless.
My Ranking: 3.9/5
- Recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about James Brown
- Recommended for music lovers looking for a date night movie
Into The Woods (3)
(Disclaimer - IMDB's synopsis is too perfect not to use): A witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairy tales to reverse the curse put on their family tree.
So here's the thing... I like musicals. I like Disney. I like fairytales. I like Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt and James Corden. If you enjoy any of these things, you will probably enjoy this movie. I did not. (keep in mind I'm also the guy who didn't like Frozen). Unfortunately, this movie is not the sum of its parts, though there are parts that really stand out. Stephen Sondheim's whimsical unstructured music is at the forefront as director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Pirates of the Caribbean 4) bounces around between fairytales. The world created by set designers is pretty wonderful, and the eery tone plays well. Chris Pine's Prince Charming is amazing. But the finished product just doesn't bring all of those things together like it should. Marshall forces Streep to overact her part as the witch. The theme of death is explored regularly, but not well. It always seems like the movie takes the easy way out when it loses a character, instead of properly dealing with the emotions. To be clear, I am probably in the minority with my negative experience. Into The Woods is a creative new chapter in the newfound Disney-realism movement, but fails in its execution.
My Ranking: 3.55/5
- Recommended for people who like Pitch Perfect, Glee and Broadway shows
- Recommended for fairytale or music lovers looking for a date night movie
The Gambler (4)
A university professor with a careless personality and semi-suicidal tendencies gets caught up in the world of high stakes gambling.
The story is somewhat intriguing, but never really sussed out. The characters are played by well known actors, but they don't really have any depth. The soundtrack is fun and quirky, but it never really matches the action on screen. I think the defining moments of this movie not quite reaching what it should be come in its use of title cards. The premise of the movie is that Mark Wahlberg's character is in trouble with the wrong people. He owes them a bunch of money and has one week to pay them back. The title cards show up randomly, with odd music choices in the background, to act as a countdown clock... it comes out of left field and doesn't work for me. Also, Wahlberg looks really weird when he runs. Why would I say this? Because we're treated to a three minute scene of Wahlberg running... JUST RUNNING! There are better movies out there like The Gambler, and you should probably watch them instead.
My Ranking: 3.55/5 (just so you know, 4/5 is kind of my benchmark for a decent movie)
- Recommended for people who like to see Mark Wahlberg without a shirt
Dolphin Tale 2 (5)
After the death of a beloved aquarium dolphin, trainers must find a match for their lone remaining dolphin. That's it.
My Ranking: 2.4/5
- Recommended for kids under the age of... I don't know... 9?
