Review of film “CARS 2”

2011, 06-24:

Review of film “CARS 2”

In 2006,  [Disney] PIXAR had a big hit with the animated film “CARS”.  Five years later, there’s finally a SEQUEL, appropriately named “CARS 2”...  

...  This new film starts off with a bunch of action:  A “James Bond”-like car named Finn McMissile (voiced by MICHAEL CAINE) is “undercover” investigating strange happenings on some OIL DERRICKS in the ocean...

...  He has to use special Bond-ish “GADGETS” like built-in machine guns & rockets to try to get AWAY from the scoundrels pursuing him on the derrick...

...  It’s clear that an evil group is involved in some vehicle “shenanigans”, but it’s unclear just why or on “behalf” of who...  Michael eventually talks to his British “assistant” (“Miss Moneypenny”-like) car, Holley Shiftwell (EMILY MORTIMER), & they try to determine a way to get more FACTS and STOP the evildoers...

...  Not long after that, we are taken back to the town of RADIATOR SPRINGS & see numerous of our old automotive “friends” there from the previous movie...

...  Many of them are watching TV, where they see an arrogant race car, Francesco Bernoulli (voiced by JOHN TURTURRO), conceitedly claiming he’s the BEST in the world...

...  In response to seeing that, Tow truck Mater (again voiced by LARRY the Cable Guy) is bragging about how his best friend, race car Lightning McQueen (again voiced by OWEN WILSON), can easily beat anyone in a race...

...  Those words are overheard by Owen, & they cause him to reluctantly agree to JOIN in the upcoming World Gran Prix race... 

...  In time, there’s sort of an homage to the Doc Watson character (which had been voiced by PAUL NEWMAN, who’d passed away since the first film)...

...  For a sort of “pit” crew, Owen gathers together some of his buddy cars & trucks from the town, including Larry (as Tow Mater), & they head off to TOKYO, which is the site of the 1^st in the series of the Gran Prix races...

...  In London, Michael and Emily are working to try to identify more “crooked” cars involved in the still-mysterious PLOT against various drivers... 

...  Two of the “sub-level” villains are old “loser” (failed-design) cars made by now-extinct American Motors:  Acer the Pacer (voiced by PETER JACOBSON)...

...  & Grem the “Gremlin” (voiced by JOE MANTEGNA)...

...  As the various cars travel around Tokyo (including the neon-lit “Ginza” area), Michael mistakenly gets the impression that Mater (Larry) is a “SECRET-AGENT”...

...  Since Larry quickly “falls” for Emily, he readily agrees to WORK with her--  tho he’s too “slow” to realize just WHAT is “going-on” or what he’s really “doing”--  which makes her & Michael erroneously believe he’s “BRILLIANT” in the “cover-up” personna he’s devised...   

...  A misunderstanding causes Owen to LOSE the first race to John, as the baddies work to disable various OTHER cars in the competition...

...  Not long after that, they visit & tour around LONDON, & then they go to PARIS for another race in the area... 

...  We meet various car-racing TV announcers & commentators & the like, such as Brent Mustangburger (voiced by BRENT MUSBURGER), David Hobbscap (DAVID HOBBS), Sir Miles Axlerod (EDDIE IZZARD), Darryl Cartrip (DARRYL WALTRIP), Mel Dorado (PATRICK WALKER), Jeff Gorvette (JEFF GORDON), & others...

...  When the race moves to ITALY, there are various adventures of touring around the area, with scenes in towns & at a racetrack... 

...  We eventually see a bunch of Italian cars such as FIATS, & other vehicles such as small lift-truck Guido (voiced by GUIDO QUARONI)... 

...  All the while, Michael, Emily & Larry continue working on their “SPY” case, trying to battle the machinations of the machines which are trying to control who WINS the race... 

...  We see some of the old “loser” car models shooting a disruptive “RAY” at certain of the racing competitors...

...  Will Michael find out the “importance” of the mysterious “Professor Z” (voiced by THOMAS KRETSCHMANN)?...

...  Will Larry eventually “CATCH-ON” to the fact that he’s involved in a “SPY” mission?...  Will he & Michael & Emily succeed in FOILING the plot of the villains & figure out what they’re “UP” to?...

...  How will Owen do in his efforts to try to WIN the Gran Prix, & what will that “result” in?...  Will there be any more “SURPRISES” we learn as the film goes along?...    

...  I saw a “regular” 3-D version of this film.  While there were loads of well-done “ACTION” scenes in the animated movie (via the racing & “spy” efforts), I was somewhat surprised that the 3-D seemed to be fairly WEAKLY utilized (rather than consistently adding “depth” or the like)...

...  The screening I saw was comprised of around 50-75% pre-teen KIDS.  They were pretty EXCITED at being there, & clearly quite enjoyed the “SHORT” that preceded the feature (with “TOY STORY” characters --  including voicing by Tom Hanks & others -- helping Ken & Barbie who wanted to have a “HAWAIIAN VACATION” adventure)...

...  But, while the reactions by the kids showed they’d gotten a “kick” out of the short, they did NOT seem to get equal pleasure out of the “CARS 2” film:  they clearly liked the “talking CARS” characters, but they seemed to find LITTLE to really LAUGH at...

...  In a way, that’s almost a “PROBLEM” with this film:  it’s “CLEVER” more than outwardly “funny”, & the “jokes” seemed to be somewhat too “SOPHISTICATED” (mature “inside” comments & the like) for a young audience...

...  The film is a CAR-LOVERS delight, almost a “love-letter” to famous designs & the like:  in England, there are characters like “The Queen” (a ROLLS ROYCE-like limo voiced by VANESSA REDGRAVE) + other “celebrated” cars...  

...  When they visit PARIS, you see Peugeot autos (from a manufacturer making cars since 1891) + (as seen in the photo below) 2 classic models by CITROEN (founded in 1919, which introduced the world’s 1^st mass-produced vehicles outside the USA):

...  A tiny Deux Chevaux (2CV 2 cylinder introduced in 1948 & made until 1990;  I once rode in one in the Middle East), and the advanced aerodynamically-streamlined DS (which showcased their 1954 development of the world’s first self-leveling suspension, done via hydropneumatics)...

...  You also see car “homages” when visiting GERMANY & ITALY, etc.... But, while these are fascinating & I personally ENJOYED them, it’s not something likely to especially appeal to young or teen kids...

...  While I myself got a “kick” out of the HUMOR shown in the movie, it’s usually fairly “understated” & done almost as “asides” (except for a few things like “Mater” in a washroom)...  Thus, the film is nowhere near as funny as I’d EXPECTED (from the trailers)...    

...  There are lots of “CUTE” touches (such as the “Bond”-like action segments), & I ENJOYED the film overall...  But, I can’t rate it at more than 7.75 out of 10 stars for its creativity & entertainment levels...

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Review of film: “THE LORD OF THE RINGS [2]: THE TWO TOWERS” = Extended edition shown for 1 day in theaters

2011, 06-21:   

Review of film:  “THE LORD OF THE RINGS [2]:  THE TWO TOWERS”  = Extended edition shown for 1 day in theaters

...  Prior to the release of the entire series on BLU-RAY, it was decided to release each of the 3 films in theaters in “EXTENDED” versions, with each being shown for only 1 time on 1 day...

...  I went to see the # 2 in the Series.  The original release (which came out in 2002) ran 179 minutes.  A later “Special Extended Edition” ran 223 minutes (3.72 hours), & the theater listed this screening at 235 minutes...

...  The showing started out with a special talk by director PETER JACKSON (who’s lost a great deal of weight).  He spoke of how he appreciated the people who were coming to the theater to see this version in advance of its BLU-RAY release...

...  Peter commented on how the original film shoot took a huge amount of time & effort.  The original plan was to have ANDY SERKIS simply provide the VOICE for the “GOLLUM” character, which was to be animated...

...  But then, Andy did such an exceptional job, it was decided to “model” the movements of the character on ANDY’s live movements [& eventually, they utilized things like motion sensors on Andy which were then turned into an “animated” version of what he’d done]...

...   As they were nearing the end of the shooting, there were difficulties in what should be done about a planned scene of showing the “2 sides” of Andy’s character (the bad “Gollum” & the good “Smiegel”).  His partner, FRAN WALSH, came up with a special way she’d thought of to accomplish that...

...  Because he himself was filming some “large” scenes with Elijah & Sean & others, it was decided that Fran would go off with a small crew of like 6 or 7 other people & she HERSELF would direct the scene she’d created...

...  Thus, using stand-ins for the “sleeping” Elijah & Sean, Fran filmed what became one of the most FAMOUS scenes in the series--  where “Gollum” shows the “2 sides” of his personality!...

...  At one point in his talk, Peter related how, since he was a KID, he’d always wanted to direct some big “BATTLE” scene--  & thus he was thrilled to finally be able to DO that in the film we were about to see, via the huge “Helm’s Deep” segment...  He again THANKED everyone for attending tonite’s screening...

...  As to the plot, Frodo Baggins (ELIJAH WOOD) goes with his friend Samwise Gangee (SEAN ASTIN) and Gollum towards Mordor, with their goal of destroying the “One Ring” that’s driving Frodo increasingly “mad”...

...  In the meantime, Saruman the White (CHRISTOPHER LEE) has worked with his mouthpiece Grima Wormtongue (BRAD DOURIF) to try to control the ROHAN area which he wants to conquer (along with other areas he has within his “sights”)..

...  They’re opposed by Aragorn (VIGGO MORTENSON), elf Legolas Greenleaf (ORLANDO BLOOM), dwarf Gimli (JOHN RHYS-DAVIES), and a cast of thousands (both live and via “special effects”)...

...  Because the “original” version was so complex & “multi-layered”, it’s hard to recall specifics on just what was “ADDED” for the “Special” extended edition... 

...  But, my “overall” impression is, there’s a lot more scenes with the “TREES” (always one of the “weaker” & less-interesting segments), more with “GOLLUM” + Frodo & Sam & Saruman, & more re various “BATTLE / confrontation” scenes... 

...  The audience seemed to laugh even more at certain incidents (with Gollum, the trees, etc.) than I remember from the “old” version...

...  Taken as a whole, the movie is a fascinating and FANTASTIC accomplishment (I’d rate at 9.0 out of 10 stars), deeply APPRECIATED by the enthusiastic audience... 

...  Next Tuesday (6-28), they’ll be showing the 3^rd film in the series (2003’s “THE RETURN OF THE KING”) for 1 time on 1 day (before the BLU-RAY release)...

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Review of film: “VIVA RIVA!”

2011, 06-20:

Review of film:   “VIVA RIVA!”

 

 

Think of this as a Congolese POTBOILER centering on BRUTALITY...

...  The setting is Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa.  The country is rich in minerals, but has been beset by WARS and tribal feuds & poverty for the masses for decades...   (The film is in French, with English subtitles)...

...  Riva (PATSHA BAY MUKANA) sees himself as a “BIGSHOT”, & has plans to make a big “score” financially.  He’s in-effect stolen a bunch of OIL from neighboring Angola (the country to the west), & brought the barrels to Kinshasa which is suffering from a SHORTAGE of the product...

...  Patsha meets up with his old friend, J.M. (ALEX HERABO), who speaks of how much he likes being a “family” man.  Patsha tells Alex about the oil he’s hidden away, & liberally “spreads-around” cash, trying to be a “BIGWIG” to all around him...

...  What Patsha doesn’t especially tell Alex is, César (HOJI FORTUNA) -- the big Angolan crime lord from whom Patsha had stolen the oil – is hell-bent on VENGEANCE & RECOVERING the product, bringing his henchmen to Kinshasa to try to find Patsha...

...  Hoji works to enlist the aid of a female military Commander in the area (MARLENE LONGAGE), who’s willing to do almost anything for the MONEY she’s offered--  & also because Hoji makes her think he’s holding her SISTER back in Angola...

...  Patsha is always acting the “important person” around everyone (including his old friend, Mother Edo, played by NZITA TUMBA)...

...  Patsha goes with Alex to a fancy night club, & instantly becomes attracted to Nora (MANIE MALONE)-- a fairly slutty-acting gold-digger who happens to be the “property” of a local crime thug boss named Azor (DIPLOME  AMEKINDRA)...

...  Diplome is less than “thrilled” with the obvious attention Patsha is paying towards Manie, & “THREATENS” him to stay away.  But, typically, Patsha puts on a “TOUGH-GUY” act rather than “backing down” (initially)...

...  All that leads to a situation where both Hoji & Diplome are going “AFTER” Patsha, who doesn’t want to sell his oil until the value rises some more & doesn’t want to “give in” to those pursuing him in any case...

...  There are numerous “CONFRONTATIONS” between Hoji & various bribe-seeking Congolese authorities, & Hoji keeps using the “help” of Marlene who frequently is having lesbian sex with her Whorehouse Madam / lover Malou (ANGELIQUE MBUB)...

...  Yes, you probably get the picture:  this is a “FAMILY” movie (if your family is related to the Borgias or some SERIAL KILLERS or the like...)

...  Who will “catch-up” to PATSHA first, & what will “HAPPEN” to him when that occurs?...  Will he get “with” MANIE as he hopes?...  How will things “END” for the main characters?...

...  This film reportedly got “enthusiastic reviews” when it played at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival...  I can’t quite imagine WHY (unless there’s a lot of people “desperate” for sex-related “action” films)...

...  As I’ve said a number of times previously, while SOME people quite like bloody, gory, VICIOUS movies, I am NOT ONE of those people--  & this is a “PAEAN” to that “genre”...

...  On a TECHNICAL level, especially considering that it’s from a “3^rd world” country with not much a movie “industry” to speak of, the film is well-done, with accomplished & finely-PHOTOGRAPHED scenes of a poor & often forlorn area teeming with “distressed” & unfortunate people...   

...  And, the ACTING is “decent”, considering the extremes of the roles as set-up in the script...

...  But, that being said, there is (to me) horribly POOR PLOTTING & CHARACTERIZATIONS: 

...  One minute, characters (such as Patsha & Marlene) are acting all “rough” & “tough”, & the next minute, they’re suddenly INEPT at fighting & “CRYING” when being beat-up;  then, a minute after that, they’re acting all “TOUGH” again + (shown by Marlene & Manie) often changing “sides” between Hoji & Patsha!...

...  Alex is a loving “family man” one minute, & then he’s BEATING-UP his woman not long after that...  And, that was one of the biggest TURNOFFS to me:        

...  This film is like a “textbook” on MISOGYNY:  women are regularly being threatened,  PUNCHED, smacked around and / or SHOT (or stabbed) by men in this movie.  It’s so often pointlessly BRUTAL, that it came across as a massive “DISPLEASURE”...

...  This film is being planned for general release probably some time in the summer.  For it’s “technical” attainment (re the filming & acting), I could give it a 5 out of 10 stars;  for its “MESSAGE(S)”, I’d give it like a ZERO...

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