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5/23- My Most Anticipated Summer Films - Brinton
Winter 09,
Summer 09,
Winter 08,
Summer 08,
Winter 07,
Summer 07,
Winter 06,
Summer 06
Review: Shrek Forever After
What I hope to be the final chapter in a far too prolonged series, the latest Shrek chapter does nothing more than continue to beat a dead horse... or donkey.
When you get to four movies in a series it's only natural to compare it to its predecessors. You can tell how the style of comedy changed throughout. Shrek 1 relied on gross humor, clever antics and movie references. Shrek 2 was pretty much all movie references. Shrek 3 wanted to make the film timeless so they abandoned movie references and relied solely on clever antics and gross humor, but made it the least funny episode to date. The final chapter continues that method making it take the place as the least funny chapter ever, but at least it didn't have some jokes that were just annoying like the third chapter.
I'm giving the film the same number of stars I gave the third film because it's less funny, but at least it had slightly a better message to it. Also, I'm glad they abandoned trying to include every character that has appeared in the franchise and instead focused only on what they needed. And I sort of favor the idea of writing a plot that involves elements from the first film as opposed to creating something completely different just because it helped bring the series back to how good it used to be. But ultimately, the lack of good jokes and a plot that is unnecessary in the series is what doom this film to oblivion.
I said it with the third film and I'm saying it again here. This feels less like a sequel and more like one of many episodes of Shrek: The Television Series. I say that because the story has no impact on the series and feels like something that was churned out on the money-needy studio's assembly line. I certainly hope that the assembly line is finally now shutdown.
Stars: 1.5 (out of 4)
Oscar Contention: Animated Film
Review: Iron Man 2
The action picture that officially launches the summer movie season this year gets it off to an okay start, but being one of only a couple films I look forward to, it doesn't really bode well for the summer as a whole.
Comparing Iron Man 2 to its predecessor, I'd say it's about equally good. It's made some improvements in the action sequences, the wonder and the humor. Though I don't find Iron Man's type of action sequence to be the most thrilling type, it did have its creativity and the visual effects held up. And for a superhero film, there were a good number of strong performances namely from Downey, Paltrow, Rockwell and Rourke, though like many films Scarlett Johanson is the exception to the good acting trend. But you know who I feel bad for: Mickey Rourke. He put in so much research and effort into creating his performance that the likes of an Oscar-winning method actor would, and yet the role turns out to be one that didn't really require much effort. Kudos to him nonetheless.
However, compared to its predecessor, Iron Man 2 gets too tied down by characters and subplots. War Machine, Vanko and Hammer were all good characters. But I really think the whole Fury/Black Widow subplot should have gone out the window. I know they're trying to build up to the Avengers movie, but that's what the clip and the end of the credits is supposed to be for. Furthermore it seems somewhat self serving that director Jon Favreau would turn his one-line cameo appearance in the first film into a full supporting character with action scenes in the second film. At least his direction stayed on mark.
Alas I'd still say the film holds up as a decent action/comedy film. It doesn't hold the weight of The Dark Knight or my beloved X-Men franchise. But it might end up being the highlight of what might be a rather disappointing movie summer season.
Stars: 3 (out of 4)
Oscar Contention: Editing, Visual Effects, Sound, Sound Editing
The Breach Awards: Best of the '00s
Click the link to learn about what I think were the best films and performances of the '00s. Over 70 different films got nominations. The winner talley is below.
Winner Talley
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 5
The Dark Knight - 3
Tropic Thunder - 1
The Simpsons Movie - 1
Gangs of New York - 1
Revolutionary Road - 1
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire - 1
Crash - 1
Children of Men - 1
The Curse of the Golden Flower - 1
Planet of the Apes - 1
Avatar - 1
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith - 1
Once - 1
Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy - 1
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - 1
Review: How to Train Your Dragon
This last weekend, How to Train Your Dragon did something very few films do. It regained the number one spot at the weekend box-office after being at number four the week before. I was part of its haul this weekend. Clearly good word of mouth is spreading for the film, and I see why.
Though I wouldn't hold it in as high esteem as the emotional and stylized best of the Pixar films, I can see why the good word on the film is spreading. Though there really aren't any surprises to the story, like pretty much any other family film, it's simply a nice story that deals with common family movie themes: intolerance of other creatures, and living up to the standards expected of you.
Though there's humor, it's not quite a laugh out loud comedy. It focuses more energy on stylization, as well as some entertaining high-flying dynamic sequences. I didn't see the film in 3D, but I figure it might have been worth it due to the similar fast flying sequences that made Avatar so good in 3D. However, there's nothing that really lifts it high above the Pixar standard for great animated films, but it's solid. I do make a small complaint though that some voices didn't seem to fit, likely a result of designing the characters before casting the voice actors, something that should have been done in reverse.
Though it doesn't soar high above the standard of animated films, How To Train Your Dragon is an entertaining film for its action and style. Kids will probably get more of a kick out of it, but adults certainly won't mind sitting through it. And if dragons were real, I certainly learned a thing or two on how I would train mine.
Stars: 3 (out of 4)
Oscar Contention: Sound Editing, Score, Animated Film
Review: Clash of the Titans
The big action adventure that feels more like it belongs in summer has its fine moments but lacks stylistic fun.
This is meant to be an enjoyable action film, and it does a decent job at that. A sequence fighting giant scorpions was exciting and the eerie battle against Medusa was captivating. It's tough to please my criteria for strong action choreography, but Titans did a fairly good job. There were also some good visual designs such as the Kraken, and the godly grand hall of Olympus. However I must admit that the effects seemed a little weak for being one of the first films of the new decade.
Yet I think the film's biggest weakness is its lack of style. There were several great sword and sandal epics this last decades like Gladiator, Troy and 300, and they all worked because they had their own stylistic integrity of their directors Ridley Scott, Wolfgang Peterson and Zach Snyder. But Titans director Louis Letterier brought no style whatsoever to the film, that it was practically shot the same way you would do a romantic comedy. The lack of style damped the action, the visuals, and the significance of the story. In the end it felt like the movie was made with only half-effort, a concept that is reinforced by the film's relatively short runtime.
Action aficionados might enjoy Titans for some exciting sequences and some interesting portrayals of classic myth characters. However, you're not going to see the breathtaking stylized Greek tragedy that you saw in Gladiator or 300. And though I did not see this one in 3D, I doubt it would have made it any better.
Stars: 2 (out of 4)
Oscar Contention: Art Direction, Costumes, Makeup, Visual Effects, Sound Editing
5. The Expendables
Overall, I'm not very excited about the slate of summer 2010 films. I struggled a bit to find five films that I was eager to see. Just barely qualifying in the number five place is this hardcore action film written and directed by Sylvester Stallone.
I think the simple but fantastic poster shows just how extreme this film is. It's meant to be Stallone's throwback to classic '80s action films where bloody violence outweighed plot and substance, a better time in many ways. He also managed to wrangle up a cast of classic action films like Jason Statham, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke and even Governor Schwarzenegger. I hope I can enjoy this film for being a simple orgy of bloody violent enjoyment.
Expendables hits theaters August 13. Watch the theatrical trailer... when it comes out.
4. Toy Story 3
Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are two of the best animated films ever, and made for a great start to the prosperous Pixar franchise. It felt like after the second one the series was over since the story had settled, and due to the passing of the voice of Slinky Dog, Jim Varney. But surprisingly, Pixar decided to make another sequel eleven years later, quite an unusually long time gap for a sequel.
In this chapter, Andy is grown up and going to college, so he drops off his childhood toys at a daycare center. There Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the others work on escaping and making their way back to Andy. Originally I was opposed to making a third Toy Story for several reasons, but mostly because there's no way it can be nearly as good as the first two. But then I realize that Pixar has made nothing but great films year after year, and they wouldn't make this film if they weren't confident they can make it great. So I'm going to see it because I continue to have faith in Pixar.
Toy Story 3 hits theaters June 18. Watch the theatrical trailer here.
3. Inception
Christopher Nolan has been one of the most revolutionary writer/directors of this last decade thanks to films like Memento, The Prestige and The Dark Knight. Thanks to this slate, he has become a director with whom, for me anyway, any film he makes is highly anticipated.
The trailer and description for Inception are vague. I can't quite tell what it's about but it seems to take place in some alternate Matrix-style universe, starring Leo Dicaprio and Ellen Page. I still don't know much, but if it's like Nolan's previous work, it should be great.
Inception hits theaters July 16. Watch the theatrical trailer here.
2. Robin Hood
Ridley Scott has had a long and prosperous, and notably unrewarded career directing films. His latest is a retelling of the classic tale of Robin Hood, the prince of thieves who freed England from the tyranny of Prince John. Ridley Scott's favorite leading man Russell Crowe stars as the hooded hero.
Watching the trailer for this, it looked like a combination of Braveheart and Gladiator, both great films that I love. For that combo reason, I'm betting that Robin Hood will be another of Ridley Scott's big-scale war adventure stories that I love so much.
Robin Hood hits theaters May 14. Watch the theatrical trailer here.
1. Iron Man 2
The last several summers have been overloaded with sequels to big action blockbusters. This summer seems to have an unusually low amount. I guess it's technically a good thing since it shows Hollywood still has some original ideas. But the big sequel of the summer is also my most anticipated.
The sequel to the highly successful Iron Man continues Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) battle for good. This time he has help from his friend Rhodey (Don Cheadle) who suits up as War Machine to battle Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), a Russian prisoner keen on revenge against Stark.
Though I wasn't quite as big of a fan of the first Iron Man as most fanboys were, I did recognize it as a good start to a potential franchise that has the opportunity to go far, the same way Batman Begins wasn't great but it served as a good setup for a great film like The Dark Knight. I do fear that this chapter might be like Spider-Man 3 and be too crowded with new characters and subplots to get any depth in. It will probably be my birthday movie this year, and I hope it serves that purpose well.
Iron Man 2 hits theaters May 7. Watch the theatrical trailer here.
Likely to be disappointments:
The Last Airbender, Sex and the City 2, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Undecided:
Jonah Hex, Predators, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Shrek Forever After
Review: Alice in Wonderland
Tim Burton brings his gothic fantasy style to the classic tale, but serves more as a pretty picture than as a deep story.
Frequent readers of this site know that I'm a big Tim Burton fan for his ability to bring out the creepiness in everyday life. Because of his style, The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite animated films, and Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical. Alice has the same features as any of his other films: weird characters, Victorian England, tall top hats, and black and white stripes. You can also recognize a whole cast of Burton regulars: Depp, Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Michael Gough and Christopher Lee. Despite all these traits, it's one of the least Burtoneque Burton films due to its PG rating and lack of anything remotely creepy. I know it's meant to be a family film, but it feels a little too alienating of adults, like the Chronicles of Narnia films.
Much has been said about Burton's decision to change the story from Alice merely meeting one crazy character after another to creating a plot of tyranny and warfare. I find this to be a good move. The new plot is still somewhat underdeveloped and cliched, ripped a little off of other fantasies like Lord of the Rings. But it's still a lot better than it would have been had it been Lewis Carroll's original plotless narrative.
Also, this is the third film I've seen as part of the fast-growing 3D craze, and I'm still trying to determine if it's worth the extra $2.50 per ticket. To me, a big high-flying action-heavy film like Avatar made it worth it, but a calm animated film like Up really is not. Alice in Wonderland is borderline not worth it, despite the heavy CGI and lavish sets and characters. Dynamic action seems to be the key that makes the 3D glasses worth the price. Maybe Clash of the Titans next month will confirm that theory.
So Alice is still enjoyable for the creative design of every shot and good performances by all actors as their strange characters, not to mention being the best incarnation of the classic story yet. But it's held back by too simple of a story and lack of engagement, plus abandoning the traits that make Burton films great. Frankly I wish Tim Burton would do less of the Willy Wonka side of his career and more of the Edward Scissorhands side.
Stars: 2.5 (out of 4)
Oscar Contention: Art Direction, Costumes, Makeup, Visual Effects, Score, Song
It is with a saddened heart that I inform you that the 2010-2011 Oscar season will be the last for me. I have greatly enjoyed hosting Awards Breach for six seasons, but I feel like I can't keep it up much longer. Therefore I plan on leaving the website in March 2011. I just want to tell you this now because a lot of other Oscar sites just stop updating, or they shut down without warning. I thought I should have the good grace to give you plenty of warning.
My reason for leaving is not that I have grown tired of the Oscars. It is simply that constantly updating and maintaining this website is a very time-consuming process. My first five seasons of hosting the site were when I was in still college. It was a hectic point of my life, but I managed to find the time to keep the site up to date. This last Oscar season was my first when I was out in the real world and with a real job, and I was shocked to discover that I actually have less free time now than I did in college. I thought it would be quite the opposite. Consequently, finding the time to update this site and get everything done that I wanted to was something of a struggle these last few months. I realized that if I want to keep my job and live a rich full social life, I would have to free up several hours of every week, and the best way to do that would be to quit my involvement in Awards Breach. Plus it's hard to compete with the professional Oscar sites like Awards Daily and In Contention who can afford to make a living out of what they do. But of course I'm sure I'll continue watching the Oscars every year, seeing several of the nominated films, and contributing to social Oscar prediction pools.
Now I don't want you to think that this is the end of Awards Breach altogether. It is possible that I might shut down the site, but what I am hoping to find is somebody who would like to buy the site from me. That's right, I'm looking for a successor, hopefully somebody who has the Oscar knowledge and love that I have, and somebody who can devote the required time to the site. I probably won't charge much to turn the site over, just a little something so that I'm not technically giving it away. So if you've ever wanted to host an Oscar predictions website of your own, perhaps you can start thinking about buying this one and get the advantage of having a huge built-in fanbase. But you have almost a year to think about it, so don't bother contacting me just yet. However, if I can't find anybody interested in taking over Awards Breach, then I'm afraid it will shut down in March 2011.
Nonetheless I'm going to remain as active and vigilant as I can during the 2010/2011 season. Some things you can expect in the next few weeks include a full update of the statistics page and the Breach Awards: Best of the '00s. My year in advance predictions may not come until May this year (I realize they won't be a year in advance by then) since I want to focus on the Best of the '00s article first. So I hope you enjoy my final season here as much as I will.