Madeleine the Movie Maven

On DVD: Little Miss Sunshine brightens any day

Screenwriter: Michael Arndt

Having a bad day? Bad week? Watch Little Miss Sunshine. I guarantee you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll cheer for what has become one of my favorite movies of 2006. (And if you’re having a bad year – already – well, I suggest you call off work and watch it twice.)

Little Olive (Abigail Breslin, who played Mel Gibson’s daughter in Signs) caught the beauty pageant bug while visiting her out-of-town cousins. Now she dreams of taking that famous stroll down “runway lane” as a beauty pageant queen. As luck would have it, the winner of the regional pageant Olive participated in had to forfeit. As runner-up, Olive gets the chance to compete in the state competition.

Olive and her out-of-sync family – comprised of her motivational speaker father, Richard (Greg Kinnear); frazzled but supportive mom, Sheryl (Toni Collette); mute-by-choice brother, Dwayne (Paul Dano); suicidal, homosexual uncle, Frank (Steve Carell); and out-spoken paternal Grandpa (the one and only Alan Arkin), who also happens to be her choreographer – travel in their VW van to help Olive fulfill her dream and end up getting to know each other a little better in the process.

What I liked: Every single minute of this award-winning film! The acting is outstanding, the writing is believable and brilliant, and the story is simple yet highly enjoyable.

What I didn’t: Not a darn thing.

Madeleine says: Add it to your collection

What do you say?

Movie Review: Night at the Museum is good, clean family fun

Screenwriter: Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon; based on the kids’ book by Milan Trenc

Museums are elaborate time capsules stocked with information that tell us humans where we’ve been, what we’ve endured to get to the present day and, in some cases, how to avoid the past mistakes in the future. But, there are times when a museum becomes a time machine. When, you might ask? At night, of course, when most magical stories like this happen.

Besides a playful dinosaur skeleton, raucous Huns and cavemen, competitive cowboys and roman soldiers, an impish primate, and Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams), Night at the Museum unfortunately also features a familiar storyline and predictable dialogue.

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is a divorced dad and wanna-be inventor/entrepreneur who’s having trouble finding his true calling in life (read: he's having trouble finding a job he likes). The pressure is magnified when Larry’s only son, Nick (Jake Cherry), begins to emulate his bond-trader stepfather.

Afraid of disappointing his son and losing visitation privileges, Larry accepts a mysterious job as the night watchmen at the Museum of Natural History, taking over for three retirees: Cecil (Dick Van Dyke), Gus (Mickey Rooney!) and Reginald (Bill Cobbs). But Larry’s responsibilities may be more than he can handle when he discovers that the museum’s exhibits come to life at night. And adventures ensue!

What I liked: The special effects; Ricky Gervais is funny as the museum curator/director; good way to spend some quality time with the family

What I didn’t: The back-story, predictable dialogue, and canned humor

Madeleine says: Matinee

What do you say?

And the Golden Globes went to...

The first award show of the year has come and gone, and left me cheering, dreaming and, at times, scratching my head.

In my last post, I picked the categories I was most interested in and shared with you my favorites along with a few predictions (I just wouldn't be me if I didn't share my opinions!). In case you didn’t watch the show or read about the results, here’s how it played out….

Best Motion Picture – Drama: Congratulations to Babel!
I still say Blood Diamond should’ve been part of this list, and dare I say, won this category. Maybe it’ll have a bigger presence at the Oscars. At any rate, Babel won and I'm glad for them. I meant to see it when it was in theaters but I ran out of time. With any luck, I’ll find it at a cheap theater or it will be re-released before the Oscars.

Best Performance, Motion Picture – Actor – Drama: Congratulations to Forest Whitaker!
Although I chose Leonardo DiCaprio, I had a feeling Forest Whitaker might take the prize and I was right. I missed this one also when it was in the theater, but maybe it too will be re-released.

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: Congratulations to Dreamgirls!
My pick was Little Miss Sunshine, however, Dreamgirls topped this list. (I’m still scratching my head on this one, but good for them.)

Best Performance, Motion Picture – Actor – Musical or Comedy: Congratulations to Sasha Baron Cohen!
I was rooting for Will Ferrell in this category, but my hunch about Sasha Baron Cohen winning this award turned out to be correct. Admittedly, this movie doesn’t really snag my interest but I may watch it when it comes out on DVD just to see what all the fuss is about.

Best Performance, Motion Picture – Actor/Supporting Role – Drama: Congratulations to Eddie Murphy!
I’m a pretty big Eddie Murphy fan, but I have to say I was stunned by this outcome. And although I enjoyed his performance in Dreamgirls, I didn’t see the role as all that compelling. Maybe the HFP wanted to send a message to Murphy that we’re glad to see him back in “meatier” roles, and we’d like to see him do more of them.

Best Director, Motion Picture: Congratulations to Martin Scorsese!
Loved the film! Thrilled that Scorsese took home this prize!

Best Screenplay: Congratulations to Peter Morgan!
2006 seems to have been a good year for this screenwriter. Not only did he win a Golden Globe for The Queen, but he also wrote The Last King of Scotland. Well done! I hope one day to be in such good company.

Congratulations also go to these fine actors/actress from my favorite TV shows:
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) for Best Actress, Drama
Hugh Laurie (House) for Best Actor, Drama
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) for Best Actor, Comedy

And congrats to Helen Mirren – who was “queen for the evening” by winning two Golden Globes, and to America Ferrera and the cast of Ugly Betty.

Finally, I have a couple of awards of my own to give out:
Best Acceptance Speech – Actress: Meryl Streep
Best Acceptance Speech – Actor: Hugh Laurie
Both were funny, thoughtful and entertaining.

Next up, the SAG awards on Sunday, January 28….

Golden Globe Awards on Tonight

“Overture, curtain, lights. This is it, the night of nights…”
– Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck, theme song from their TV show Looney Tunes

The wait is over! The 2007 award season officially begins tonight with the Hollywood Foreign Press’ Golden Globe Awards. I admit, I’m pretty excited.

Although it doesn’t quite seem to carry the “weight” of the Oscars®, I like this awards show better because it seems more…relaxed, more fun, more informal. Maybe it’s due to their inclusion of Television Land. Maybe it’s because the nominees and their significant others are crammed into a hotel banquet room and have no choice but to be jovial. At any rate, I’d have to guess the final voting results are a little less biased than the Oscars considering non-industry insiders vote for their favorite nominees.

Unfortunately, my day job (and sometimes night job, and sometimes weekend job) as a freelance writer has interrupted my regularly scheduled movie-going during these past few weeks. Therefore, I haven’t been able to see everything that’s been nominated. On the upside, I’ll be able to pay some bills, and that’s a winning proposition in anyone’s book.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the nominee list, click here. While it’s not logical (or perhaps, fair) to root for one particular offering over another when you haven’t seen all the other nominees in a category, I’m setting logic aside and will share with you who/what I’m rooting for.

Best Motion Picture – Drama
By all accounts, the competition seems to be quite stiff in this category. The only one I’ve seen is The Departed, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s the front-runner. Note: Blood Diamond, which to me is one of the top three movies of 2006, is conspicuously absent from this nominee list.

Best Performance, Motion Picture – Actor – Drama
I’ve seen two of the five in this category and I’m going with Leonardo DiCaprio all the way! However, based on the trailer alone, I wouldn’t be surprised if Forest Whitaker takes this category (look for my review of The Last King of Scotland in the near future).

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
I’ve seen two of the three: Little Miss Sunshine, which is by far one of my top five favorites of 2006; and Thank You for Smoking, a smart satire about the U.S. lobbyist system. My pick: Little Miss Sunshine! (my review of this film is coming soon)

Best Performance, Motion Picture – Actor – Musical or Comedy
I’d bet the votes for this category had to be recounted once or twice. I saw Pirates, Thank You and Stranger Than Fiction. For me, it’s a tie between Will Ferrell for STF and Johnny Depp for Pirates. Still, based on buzz and box office sales, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sasha Baron Cohen comes out the winner.

Best Performance, Motion Picture – Actor/Supporting Role – Drama
Hmmm… Another tough one. Ben Affleck probably gave his best performance to date in Hollywoodland. Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg were both great in The Departed. And while it’s nice to see Eddie Murphy back in a well-written role, I wouldn’t say his performance was award-winning. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Babel yet. For me, I’d say it’s between Nicholson and Pitt.

Best Director/Motion Picture, and Best Screenplay
Again, I haven’t seen them all, but again, the list is incomplete without Blood Diamond.

As for the TV awards, my picks are:
Heroes for Best Drama
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) for Best Actress, Drama
Hugh Laurie (House) for Best Actor, Drama
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) for Best Actor, Comedy (although Zach Braff is a very close second)

So, who will take home a golden statue?! I’m looking forward to finding out….

On DVD: Get away from it all with Danny Deckchair

Screenwriter: Jeff Balsmeyer

This is a charming romantic comedy about how a change of scenery can change your life – for the better.

Danny Morgan (Rhys Ifans, of Notting Hill fame), cement truck driver and all-around good guy, was a restless dreamer who possessed what his live-in girlfriend, Trudy (Justine Clarke), described as “crazy ideas.” Ideas that you and I would call brainstorms conceived by an imaginative child.

Things are looking up for Trudy’s real estate career when local anchorman/heartthrob Sandy Upman (Rhys Muldoon) hires her to find him a house. Trudy gets stars in her eyes and considers dumping working class Danny, whom she now considers to be one of the “little people” (socio-economically speaking).

Meanwhile, with their vacation plans postponed (thanks to Trudy), Danny goes stir crazy while hanging around the house and ends up overhearing how Trudy really feels about him. Heartbroken, Danny looks for a way to improve his status to save his failing relationship with Trudy.

After running into a high school classmate who is now a successful entrepreneur, Danny plans to unveil his latest “crazy idea” – piloting his deckchair like a hot air balloon – during the “barby” (Australian for “cookout”) he and Trudy are throwing at their house.

Danny gets more than he bargained for when the chair takes flight, and a thunderstorm – and Fate – whisk him away to the land of Clarence, where he meets meter maid Glenda Lake (Miranda Otto, The Lord of the Rings II and III). Will Danny discover his true calling, and his true love, in this quaint town? Will he become one of the “big people?” Ah-ah-ahhh… Not so fast. I don’t give away endings. You’ll have to take the journey to find out!

What I liked: As a hopeless romantic, I found this Aussie film to be delightful and entertaining. Good acting. Funny script. Observant movie-watchers may notice the movie tipping its hat to The Wizard of Oz.

What I didn’t: Can’t think of anything.

Madeleine says: Worth full rental price.

What do you say?

Soundoff: New "Milestone" in Movie Going

Well, fellow movie fans, it seems I've hit a milestone in movie going, and an unhappy one at that.... This past Saturday, when I patronized my favorite movie theater to see Children of Men (see review), something strange and unsettling happened -- I actually paid $1.25 more for my small bag of popcorn and medium-size, half-flat pop than I did for my matinee-priced movie ticket! I'm shocked and dismayed! Now I know why people smuggle in their own snacks.

In the past, I accepted the highway-robbery prices on concessions as "all part of the movie experience." But that was before I was paying more for my snacks than my ticket.

Here's what I'm thinking... If they can offer us matinee pricing on the ticket, surely they can offer matinee pricing on the snacks! It's time to take action...Step #1: Boycott the concession stand the next time you go to the movies. Who's with me?!

Movie Review & Lab Results for Children of Men

Screenwriters: Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, and Hawk Ostby; based on a book by P.D. James

FIRST THINGS FIRST

I have good news and bad news. The good news is I saw Children of Men, one of four movies that are part of my current movie trailer experiment (see Madeleine’s Film Labs: Trailer Experiment #1). The bad news is my prediction was wrong. And I’m really quite sad about it. Not because I was wrong, but because the movie didn’t live up to the high hopes I had for it after watching the trailer.

What’s worse is, I left the theater wondering why I was disappointed. Most of the critics have been raving about this film. Why didn’t I agree? In an attempt to understand my reaction, I drove to Borders to find a copy of the P.D. James’ book (of the same name). After reading the first few pages, I realized what I thought CofM was missing: a foundation of emotional depth and profound consequences at the beginning that would have intensified/ensured my need to care more about the story, the quest and the characters’ futures.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the premise, CofM portrays a not-too-distant future where a mysterious, worldwide infertility problem has forced mankind into a race against time to prevent its probable extinction. To complicate matters further, each nation operates as a police state, reminiscent of George Orwell’s “1984.” Special documents are required to travel from city to city. Ominous “big brother”-like propaganda statements appear as public service announcements on city jumbotrons, and home computers and televisions: “Avoiding fertility tests is a crime,” and “Report all illegal immigrants.” (I’m still not sure what illegal aliens have to do with a massive infertility problem, but this issue was a constant thread throughout the story.) And most disturbing of all, suicide kits called “Quietus” are advertised like Viagra is today.

Then, of course, we have the FISH activists, led by Julian (Julianne Moore), who are working with the elusive, unseen folks running The Human Project, a scientific organization that’s trying to solve the infertility problem. Julian kidnaps Theo (Clive Owen), a former activist and disillusioned Ministry of Energy employee who also happens to be her ex-husband. Julian asks him to acquire travel papers for Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) a young girl who, miraculously, is eight months pregnant. The travel papers would allow Kee to reach The Human Project scientists who hopefully would discover how she was able to conceive. While on the run from good guys turned bad, Theo, Kee and midwife/caretaker Miriam (Pam Ferris) wind up at the secluded home of Theo’s hippie friend, Jasper (Michael Caine), who lives off the radar with his catatonic wife.

Jasper arranges a rendezvous with a crazy soldier named Syd (Peter Mullen) in an effort to get the trio to their final destination.

What I liked: The art and set direction have a present day look to it, which made me feel as if this kind of crisis could take place tomorrow. The camera work gives it an "up close and personal" feel. The acting was decent, although the Syd character was way over the top. (Not that you couldn’t meet this kind of person on a journey such as this…)

What I didn’t: Usually, when a screenplay has more than two writers it means the plot had some issues. That seems to be the case for this film.... The incomplete storyline setup in the first 20 minutes.... The lack of emotional depth regarding the consequences of how quickly mankind could cease to exist. I didn’t feel compelled to discuss the, albeit obvious, ramifications from a tragedy of this magnitude like I did at the end of Blood Diamond.... And I’m also confused about key plot points that weren’t set up and/or explained. For more on this, read the Mini Spoiler Section at the end of this post….

Bottom line, I guess I would’ve made different creative choices.

I predicted: I’d pay to see it twice!

After seeing the film, I say: Matinee. (And I’ll probably read the book to discover the intentions of the original author.)

What do you say?

LAB RESULTS

So what did we learn from part 1 of this experiment? For me, I’m reminded of the old advertising adage: A product’s advertising can be award-winning, but that doesn’t mean the product will be. I still think the trailer did a great job in getting my attention and making me want to see this film. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the film itself didn't live up to the trailer's promises.

Stayed tuned for results from part 2 of this trailer experiment.

WARNING: MINI SPOILER SECTION!

Besides the lack of emotional depth and really giving the audience a true understanding of the desperate nature of the whole situation, I also had trouble with three key turning points:

1. Why did the FISH activists assassinate Julian, their current leader? This was never explained.

2. How did the FISH activists find Jasper’s home? The way it was setup, it would’ve taken weeks to discover his hideaway in the woods.

3. (At the end) Upon seeing the newborn child, why wasn’t a group of soldiers assigned to escort it, the mother and Theo out of the refugee camp/city to safety?

I also think the emotional drama could've been improved by Theo showing Kee how to take care of her new infant.

Feel free to email me your thoughts/speculation/explanations/opinions….

On DVD: Lucky Number Slevin took a gamble that didn’t pay off

Screenwriter: Jason Smilovic

You know that unfortunate feeling you get when you’re watching a movie but you’re painfully aware that you’re watching a movie? And then you distract yourself further by trying to figure out why you don’t feel fully engaged, involved, committed. In the corporate world, this phenomenon is known as a “disconnect.” In the movie world, I call it “jumping the track.” The film doesn’t qualify as a full-blown train wreck; it just lost its footing a little. So to speak.

And that, I’m sorry to say, is what happened with Lucky Number Slevin. A bump here, a jolt there and off it went, heading west when it should’ve kept going north. With a talented cast like Morgan Freeman, Sir Ben Kingsley, Bruce Willis, Stanley Tucci, Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu, this film’s derailment really surprised me.

So what caused LNS’s wheels to fall off? As with other typical gangster flicks, LNS featured rival gangs, lots of guns, pints of spilled blood, and the brutal treatment of victims of circumstance. Unlike its brethren, a mistaken-identity device served as the catalyst for the intricate storyline. But in the end, this film had a few more brains than brawn.

Interwoven throughout the clever, sometimes philosophical script, were themes like revenge, patience and discipline. One could sense the essence of a Chinese fable (real or imagined) about two adversarial emperors who are so afraid of each other that neither one has stepped foot outside his brick fortress for over twenty years. Maybe LNS tried too hard while answering the “ancient” question: How do you get to two men that can’t be gotten to?

Maybe the script’s who’s-on-first, answer-a-question-with-a-question, everyone’s-a-smartass style of dialogue was a little too clever, and was spoken too quickly at times. I found myself perplexed during certain scenes.

Maybe the filmmakers stretched their Kansas City Shuffle theme too thin. It’s a clever con to be sure. But relying on flashbacks at the end of the film to reveal how some earlier scenes really played out, well, that’s just cheating, boys. "Slight of hand" film magic is tough to pull off. Only a perfect execution earns the coveted audience reaction, “Wow! I never saw that coming! What a great ending!” (Good examples of this: The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense.)

Then, when you think the credits are about to roll, the writer and/or director seem to say, “Silly audience, you can’t turn us off yet. We also threw in a twist…We placed the clues right before your very eyes…. Remember? Here, and here, and here…. Oh, look, here comes the twist…” [that some of you may have figured out half way through the film]… “Wait for it…wait for it…There it is!” So now you think, “Okay, the real end. You got me. Time to watch ‘The Daily Show.’ Well, not quite. They still had one more trick up their sleeves.

What I liked: Good energy from, and on-screen chemistry between, Hartnett and Liu, although she mumbled or rushed through half of her lines.

What I didn’t: I'm the first one to complain about bad/inane/cliche writing. However, this script was probably too clever for its own good. LNS's complicated dialogue probably would’ve been better appreciated if this story had been written as a novel instead of a screenplay. And the distracting wallpaper designs used on every set made me cross-eyed.

Madeleine says: I hate to say it, but I’d recommend using a rental coupon for this one.

What do you say?

On DVD: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Screenwriter: Shane Black, based in part on Brett Halliday’s novel, “Bodies Are Where You Find Them.”

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is fun fun. And witty witty. And nutty nutty. And I loved every frame of it!

It’s been said that the book is always better than the movie. In this case, I’d bet it would come out even. This fast-paced, perfectly cast, modern-day detective story has so much action and twists and turns and dead bodies and witty repartee, I don’t know where to begin my review. Except to say that I hope to be able to write a screenplay as good as this someday.

In 2005, writer/director Shane Black, the creator of the Lethal Weapon franchise, gave us this clever dime store novel spoof for our viewing pleasure. It stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Harry Lockhart, a petty thief turned aspiring actor, and his temporary partner-in-solving-crime Val Kilmer as Perry Van Shrike a.k.a. “Gay Perry,” a private investigator based in L.A. who was hired to teach Harry the ropes for an upcoming role. Or was he…?

It all starts in typical detective story fashion – the shadowy figures in a dark New York City alley, who turn out to be Harry and his cohort running from the scene of a crime… the dame in L.A., struggling actress Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), who turns out to be Harry’s secret love from high school and the sister of… the other dame, who hires the homosexual private investigator (Perry) to follow Harlan Dexter (Corbin Bernsen), because she was told Dexter's her natural father… the reluctant partners (Perry and Harry) who think they’re in for an easy night of surveillance but end up smack dab in the middle of a multiple murder mystery… you know, typical Phillip Marlowe stuff.

If it sounds a little confusing, never fear – Harry will guide you through his four days of crime-fighting hell with the wit of Nick Charles and the keen eye of Sherlock Holmes. Well, sort of.

What I liked: Everything, especially the witty repartee between Harry and Perry, and Harry and Harmony. Robert Downey, Jr. and Val Kilmer give some of their best performances in years, and they make a great, uh, dynamic…duo. Well, let’s just say they have great chemistry. Wait, let me rephrase… Ummm, to put it simply… Oh, just watch it and you’ll see what I mean!

What I didn’t: The “Gag Reel” in the special features section wasn’t that funny.

Madeleine says: Add it to your collection! Immediately. If not sooner. And Mr. Black, wherever you are, I hope you’re working on a sequel.

What do you say?

Madeleine's Film Labs: Trailer Experiment #1

For those of you who, like myself, get disgusted when a movie doesn’t live up to its trailer (or when it reveals too much), I thought it might be fun to conduct a little experiment. Who knows? Maybe a movie studio exec or director will stumble across our likes/dislikes, observations and recommendations and consider them when creating future trailers. I invite you to play along….

I’ve chosen four trailers of movies I plan to see in the next few weeks, three of which I’d like to see and the fourth because I believe a lot of moviegoers will see it. Plus, I’m curious to see how this franchise pans out. Here are the trailers I’ve chosen and their expected wide release dates:

Rocky Balboa (trailer 1) – in theaters now

Children of Men – January 5

Pan’s Labyrinth – January 19

Fast Track – January 19

Okay, here’s how this will work. Click on the links above to view the trailers then make your predictions in the Comments section below. After watching the movies, post your actual ratings and compare them to your predictions. (Don't feel you have to see all four to participate.) We can use my regular rating scale (see My Rating System) for simplicity sake.

Based on their trailers, here are my predictions:

For Rocky Balboa, Madeleine predicts: Matinee. Although the trailer gives us a good idea about the concept, I’m left to wonder how the filmmakers have made this story fresh, interesting and unpredictable.

For Children of Men, Madeleine predicts: I’d pay to see it twice! When I first saw this trailer, I nearly jumped out of my stadium seat with joy. This movie is right up my alley. The trailer tantalizes the audience with its premise in a concise, organized manner.

For Pan’s Labyrinth, Madeleine predicts: Worth full price. While this also appears to be “a Madeleine movie,” its trailer is the perfect example of a big pet peeve of mine – quick cuts from various scenes that match the voiceover dialogue I’m not paying attention to because I’m too busy trying to figure out the storyline from the massive jumble of quick-cuts being flashed before me. Which makes me think the storyline might have some problems. If it weren’t for the mesmerizing art direction and incredible CGI effects, I might not have predicted such a high rating.

For Fast Track, Madeleine predicts: Matinee. I’m a big Zach Braff fan, but this movie looks to be a tad predictable, and I’m afraid all of the funny scenes are in the trailer.

So, those are my predictions. I hope you’ll play along! Click the Comments link below to post your predictions. Let’s see how we do….