The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Plot: Some old English people move to an old folks apartment-hotel in India to save money in their retirement. Immediately soap opera love stories develop among the old folks. The hotel is broken down, but some of them learn to like it. The hotel owner can't afford to marry his girlfriend, and his mom wants him to sell the hotel.  [imdb link]    [photos]

Review: Marigold Hotel is unpleasant to watch. The individual characters are interesting, but when they talk to each other its boring. Slow pacing and unrealistic dialog kill this movie. None of the relationships are believable. There is constant sermonizing, and offensive racism early in the movie. None of the racist jokes were funny. 

Maybe director Madden thinks that repeated calls to break out of your shell are inspiring, but it is actually old and familiar. Have you ever seen a Hollywood movie where the message is to stay in your shell?  No, it is an overworked movie trope; no amount of stilted language and blank verse voice-overs is going to change that. 

I liked Sonny's (Dev Patel) relentless optimism, especially at the end when things look worst. 

Some of the photography was excellent, especially the texture of the buildings and the wrinkled faces of people. Mostly the scenes were disorganized and chaotic. The pace was too slow for a comedy. 

Cast: Judi Dench, Dev Patel

Directed by: John Madden based on the novel by Deborah Moggach. I have to believe the novel is better than the movie. 

Rating:   1.5- stars

More: Dev Patel was the actor in Slum Dog Millionaire.

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Prometheus

Plot: Scientists Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Hathoway (Logan Marshall-Green) find astronomical clues in archeological digs, and build a spaceship to go to the indicated planet. A crew of 17 fly there on a ship called Prometheus, where they quickly find buildings made by the aliens, whom they call "The Engineers." Turns out there are other creepy aliens living there too, and soon the crew starts dying. Meanwhile robot crewman David (Michael Fassbender) pursues his own agenda, which lead to plot twists at the end. [imdb link]    [photos]

Review: This was intense. I knew it would be scary, and it was.

Once they get to alien planet, it suddenly gets suspenseful, dark and creepy. These aliens have so many ways to kill you, and no one is trust-worthy on the human crew. The humans are nearly as creepy as the aliens.

Noomi Rapace had a great range of expressions, and was a good heroine. I loved the surgery scene. Very creepy and yes intense, plus it just kept going ratcheting up the anxiety.

Prometheus is burdened with the Alien backstory so they had to explain the odd life-cycle of the alien, and introduce "The Engineers." This was cumbersome, but the basis assumptions in science-fiction films are usually stretches, and it is not fair too complain too much. It seems like these aliens have too many ways to kill you.

 I would have liked a climatic battle with Vickers (Charlize Theron.) however. 

Shaw is trying to find God on this space mission. David the robot questioning Shaw about her faith -- especially her cross necklace. In the end, she takes back the cross saying that this was what she chose to believe, and then making a promise that sets up the sequel. The writers don't say much more about the meaning of life than that, but I suppose it is not fair to ask them to. It appears the sequel will have the same theme.

The creatures are always creepy and realistic. There is one exceptional scene with a 3D computer animation that explains "The Engineer" plan that is worth the price of the 3D glasses. There are several "holographic" sequences.  The alien base is rendered well, but it feels a little stilted, and you can't see the scenery that well.  The humans are creepy too. The music is unexceptional. 

Cast: Noomi Repace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, 

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Rating:   2.5+ stars

More: Noomi Rapace had one scene where she flared one nostril to show how agitated she was; clear acting technique. 

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Even more: They handled the detail of how the aliens could be parasites in people with DNA testing in this movie. Typically you'd expect parasites to need to co-evolve with their hosts in order be compatible enough. They figured out an answer in this movie. 


Yet more: How many movies before the alien creatures make it to Earth?  


It just keeps coming: Now check out this 2 minute animated version. Spoilers, but probably too  rapid to understand. 

Snow White and the Huntsman

Plot: It a darker version of Snow White where the Queen (Charlize Theron) is a witch who needs to eat Snow White's (Kristen Stewart) heart to maintain her beauty and magic. Queen Ravenna sends a hunter (Chris Hemsworth) into the woods to hunt Snow White down, but he hates the queen and double crosses her. Snow White meets soldiers, dwarves, fairies, and magic creatures in the woods, and then returns to Queen's castle for the climax. [imdb link]    [photos]

Review: The beginning of the movie is pretty great, I liked the dark set up of the movie, the way Ravenna double-crosses the old king, the creepy evil feeling.  The early scenes in the woods with the Huntsman are solid as well.

When the dwarves arrive in the story, the movie slips because suddenly we have campy comedy -- like March's Mirror Mirror. The trip to fairy land had potential, and it established Snow White as some sort of magical figure, but it did not fit the theme. Now I wonder if this was tied some Disney cobranded spin off.

(No spoiler alert, because I know you've heard the story before.) The climactic battle has some great video riding on the beach -- a great visual. When the sword fighting starts, it is less inspired.

Kristen Stewart gives a decent performance, and Charlize Theron handles her evil role with dignity. Neither actress has dialog that gives them deep emotions. I'd have liked to see some hatred in Snow White eyes, but there wasn't any. Ravenna could have shown some fear but instead there was only steely determination. Chris Hemsworth does a workman-like job as an action hero, but he is clearly a supporting actor.

Like all 21st Century fairy tales, the princess is the hero; Kristen Stewart is Joan of Arc: hair back in plate mail armor.  This Snow White is motivated by political revolution not beauty, power, love or revenge. She doesn't hate the Queen, she feels sorry for her. Chris Hemsworth's hunter has some vital roles fighting people and beasts, but fades into the background by the end. No love story anywhere -- maybe that keeps the action flowing, but it reduces the emotion. Snow White has no mentors or friends either -- if they weren't going to do a lover story, I'd have written a girl friend into the story to talk to. If that is too lesbian, then maybe a dog.

The closing scene was like the end of Star Wars: A New Hope -- the hero on a dais at the head of a great hall.  The end felt strangely empty because Snow White was happy by herself. 

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth

Directed by: Rupert Sanders

Rating:   2.75 stars: In summary, entertaining and fun-to-watch for about 2/3's then not quite. 

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More: More dramatic and enjoyable than the Julia Roberts version. The Julia Roberts version was a satire, whereas this was a fantasy action movie. 

Even more: The only kiss is between the Queen and Snow White. I can't find other evidence of a lesbian theme.  Queen Ravenna seemed to exist for 12 lifetimes in solitary, icy, stoic beauty -- with only her brother to confide in. No one had any interest in having kids. 

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MIB3: Men in Black 3

Plot: Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones & Josh Brolin) have been working together for a while, but Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) escapes. Boris is a dangerous alien that Agent K arrested on the night of the Apollo moon rocket launch in 1969. Boris travels back in time and killed Agent K before he could arrest Boris. Agent J is the only one who remembers Agent K, and travels back in time  himself to fix things. On the way they meet Griffin, who explains about all the alternate futures. Soon, Agent J teams up with the 1969 version of Agent K, and they go after Boris. [imdb link]    [photos]

Review: MIB3 is a big noisy ride that keeps going top speed without stopping to explain. It is loopy and silly with a simple plot -- it carried by Will Smith's likeabilty, the humor, and the special effects. 

There is not much to chew on though, the satire of the first MIB is gone. This edition digs deeper into the relationship between Agents J and K, and we learn something surprising at the end. It would have been cool to have seen a little foreshadowing of that prior. 

Bill Hader has an crazy scene playing Andy Warhol, at a wild party. 

Jenny, my DW, hated this movie. She asked why does everyone like MIB3, and hate John Carter -- John Carter was way better. I agree that John Carter was better. Like John Carter, the action scenes are shown at high speed, and you can't really see what is happening. John Carter had more drama. MIB3 is funnier. 

Cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement

Directed by: Barry Sonnefeld

Rating:   1.75 stars: Better than Crazy Stupid Love; about as good as Mirror Mirror; Not as good as John Carter. 

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The Dictator

Plot: Outrageously crazy dictator Alladeen (Sasha Baron Cohen) runs an imaginary African country, but his aide Tamir (Ben Kingsley) concocts a plot to kill Alladeen, replace him with a double, and then sell the nation's resources to the Chinese and multinational Western companies. Alladeen survives the assassination attempt, and latches on to Zoe (Anna Ferris,) the liberal manager of an organic grocery in Brooklyn -- soon they are flirty and romantic.[imdb link]    [photos]

Review: The Dictator is crazy funny. I laughed so much, my eyes started tearing; really laughing until I cried. 

The Dictator is a satire -- that means it does outrageous and crazy things to make a point, while being entertaining. Don't tell me about how it is so crass and mean-spirited. The politics in this film are actually very liberal, but I am sure many people won't see that. Some people just don't understand satire.  

It is hard to describe how funny the gags are without spoiling them. I loved the funeral gag. I loved the birthing gag. I loved closing speech at the UN. If you like political humor, you will like this more. 

The writing is star of course. I liked Anna Ferris a lot. Sasha Baron Cohen is playing a cartoon character, obviously. You can't really rate his performance based on this emotions. Very different from Hugo.

Cast: Sasha Baron Cohen, Anna Ferris, Ben Kingsley

Directed by: Larry Charles

Rating:   3.0 stars: very funny

More: This is the funniest movie I have seen in a long time. 

Still more: Stay for the out-takes during the credits. 

Yet more: Extreme right-wingers might want to stay home.
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Dark Shadows

Plot: Local witch Angelique (Eva Green) is in love with Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), but he spurns her, so she turns him into a vampire, and traps him in a coffin until 1971, when he gets out. Angelique is immortal, so she is still around, and so are Barnabas' decedents, living in the same old house.  Barnabas quickly rebuilds the family fortune, but Angelique is still trying to win his heart -- or destroy him.  [imdb link]    [photos]

Review: Dark Shadows is a horror-themed comedy -- not a horror movie since it is not scary or suspenseful at all. It jokes about the horror genre and about waking up in the 1970's like Rip Van Winkle. 

The characters are comic personalities not real people, with the exception of 14-year old Carolyn (Chloe Grace Moretz) who channels the rolling-eyed reactions of the audience. We like Barnabas a lot, but we never felt sorry for him. He is just too weird. 

The music is mainly 1970's tracks -- some good, some not. Some of the camera shots are artistic.

The final scene has some outstanding special effects with animated objects, and a woman turning into glass. I liked the whole final sequence.

Bottom line is that Dark Shadows was fun-to-watch. So overlook the absent character development, and roll with it. 

Cast: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Chloe Grace Moretz, 

Directed by: Tim Burton

Rating:   2.5 stars: very entertaining. 

More: Looks like a sequel is coming. 

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The Avengers

Plot: Seven superheroes defend the earth from a supernatural army from another dimension. Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) runs a pan-governmental defense force (Shield) that is developing a high energy weapon. A shadowy mastermind in another dimension sends Thor's brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) with an army to stop Nick and to capture the weapon. Nick enlists one superhero at time, and brings them to his cool, invisible flying aircraft carrier. They quickly capture Loki, but Loki is too difficult to keep trapped. 

There are rivalries between egotistical Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) and everyone else especially Captain America Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth.)  [imdb link]   [photos]

Review: Each character has a personality and a different motivation: that is the best part.  I liked the bickering and problem solving. It was good that bad guy Loki spent so much time talking directly to them. 

My favorite characters were Samuel L Jackson and Robert Downey Jr.  I loved seeing Kenosha native Mark Ruffalo in a summer action movie. He brought a good depth of feeling to Bruce Banner. His part was too small here. They hinted at a sequel when Tony Stark invited him to his lab. Hopefully he will get to be in another movie. Captain America is not my favorite hero, but Steve Rogers pays a pivotal role in keeping people motivated with his old-fashion ethics. I liked the interplay of 1940's patriotism with 21st century individualism. Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) does not have any superpower, but she had a lot of scenes, and kept the plot moving.

The action scenes were first rate. They showed action close-up which gives a sense of speed, but somewhat less spectacle. The best action scene was the big city fight scene where they are smashing the skyscrapers apart. I liked how the pieces of the buildings flaked away as they were whacked. Another great scene is the fight between Thor and Iron Man. The Hulk fight scene with Loki is so funny. 

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson

Directed by: Josh Whedon

Rating:   3.5 stars: A very good movie. Fun-to-watch. It is as good as last year's 3.5 movies like Harry Potter, Super 8, and Hugo. Not as good as Bridesmaids and My Week with Marilyn, or any of my 4.0 star movies. Most important is that I want to see it again.

More: Marvel says future movies with these characters will take place in the same so-called universe, so that characters can interact with each other.

Even More: When I go to a comic book movie, I know what I am getting. It is silly to say it is not realistic. You knew that before you came in. You want interesting, and fun-to-watch. This was that. 

Yet More: See it in 3D.


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