Kung Fu Panda

I think Jack Black did a great job as ‘Po’ the Panda. He brought a level of comedy to the film that is just ‘Jack Black’ awesomeness.

It was great to hear the kids laugh through out - and I confess I laughed with them, because it had some great characters and funny scenes. This is definitely an animated film for all ages and one you could watch over and over.

Personal highlights from the film were the action scenes, Jack Black ‘fat jokes’ and Po’s ‘noodle’ dad!

Steph’s rating: 8/10

LITTLE OTIK

We Love Movies - The - you’ll wish you were really high before you watch - Video recommendation of the Week:

I knew that when I started to classify movies (comedy, drama, horror, western, etc.), I was eventually going to run into trouble. Some films just don’t fit into a single category. So …… you start to combine genres: part drama + part comedy = dramady; part horror + part comedy = black comedy; etc. Sometimes you get longer combinations. Take the Stephen Chow movie, Kung Fu Hustle - described as a “martial arts -30’s -gangster -action -comedy”. Now, would that be a “kung-fu gangedy”? or maybe a “com-martial actionster”? Or ……..shall we come up with a whole new word, not based on any other description, like “schma”? “Schma” is good, and I don’t think it’s being used for anything else - and even if it is, so what? “Kung-Fu Hustle? What kind of movie is that?” “Why, it’s a delightful schma.”

However, ….. I can’t even think up an entirely new word to describe LITTLE OTIK……..

TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY

We Love Movies - Video recommendation of the Week:

I can’t help it - but sometimes I just think about everything that’s wrong with the world.

In an effort to keep this review to a reasonable length, I’m limit myself to one thing - ghost stories. Ghost movies are inherently funny and not at all scary like they’re suppose to be. You might not notice it unless you actually think about it. If the movie isn’t scaring the beejesus out of me, my mind starts to wander and think about - well, logic. I start to ask too many questions, and then the movie is doomed. Ghosts just can’t stand up to logic. Try it yourself sometime - when you’re watching a ghost movie, see if one or more of the following questions don’t come to mind…….

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Let me say from the start that I really enjoyed this movie, it was superior to the first movie in virtually every aspect and most importantly captured the essence of the book really well. Director Andrew Adamson really lifted his game and should be congratulated.

The acting was of a good quality and the animated characters were more realistically portrayed this time around with Reepicheep (the sword welding mouse) a definite star. There was added comedy in places but it wasn’t overdone, and the action scenes were excellent. I particularly enjoyed the storming of the castle.

The movie received some criticism from a segment of avid readers who were annoyed that a few plot items were left out, that Peters character was a little immature, and that Aslan was hardly seen. I have read the series a few times and it did not bother me at all.

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL

We Love Movies - Video recommendation of the Week:

When I think about it, I realize that it could have all gone terribly wrong!

I know that Stephanie recently reviewed this film but I thought it was time to add my recommendation to hers.

I never doubt the power of a film to reestablish faith in my fellow human beings ……especially those human beings in the film. Film people are so fascinating. When they’re well written, they lead fascinating lives, they experience perfect fascinating romances, they have exciting and fascinating adventures, and - and this is very important - always say just the right things - fascinating. They have problems - they resolve problems. They have conflicts - they resolve conflicts. They sometimes die, but you can always restart the DVD …….and there they are again! The Kinks’ song says, “I wish my life was a non-stop Hollywood movie show.” Maybe they were onto something.

BUT ………when a film is NOT well written or directed or produced, it could easily all go terribly wrong.

I live in small town USA. It’s not really that small. It’s not small enough for everybody to know everybody else - but it IS small enough for a lot of people to know a lot of other people, plus there are little sub-communities of families and neighbors who are very close-knit. But I can only imagine an entire town, even a small one, pulling together the way people do in this week’s film, LARS AND THE REAL GIRL.

Now here’s where this review can all go terribly wrong.

THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA

We Love Movies - SciFi Geek video recommendation of the Week:

Full of insane goofy sci-fi goodness.

When I was a little kid, one of my greatest joys was staying up late at night. I would stay up after my parents went to bed (on the weekends, of course) and watch the late night movies on TV. These consisted mostly of B-grade science fiction and monster movies. My 10 year old imagination readily sucked up features like The Forbidden Planet, Dracula, Attack of the Crab Monsters, and Plan 9 From Outer Space.

They weren’t necessarily great movies, but they were simple - and had the prerequisite elements for an exciting time. Aliens, monsters, vampires, commies, atom bombs, etc. And of course, there was at least one scientist who would figure out how to kill them all. The scientist was always the hero of the story (exactly the opposite is true in today’s films), and maybe because of that, I always wanted to be a scientist ………………….and do science.

THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA (TLSOC) is not just a parody of these films. It doesn’t make fun of them. It’s more of a tribute…….

Sex and the City

A perfect outing with the girls.

I love that guys hate this movie so intensely especially since they are not the intended target market. This is a movie for women and women only. And how we loved and enjoyed it.

Maybe its just the girlie clothes, the close girl-friendships or again the clothes! But its a goodie. For many years I’d watched and loved the TV series and this movie did not disappoint. It was just as wonderful (although very sad in places).

Charlotte and Carrie are my favourite characters and i loved their storylines in this film. I don’t want to spoil the fun for any would-be viewers, but know you will laugh and cry!

I now look forward to it coming out on DVD to enjoy it all over again.

Warning: The sex scenes were more explicit that expected.

Steph’s rating: 8/10

10 ITEMS OR LESS

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If you like Morgan Freeman, this film is for you!

This movie revels in all that is Morgan Freeman. It glows with brightly colored Freemanosity. It’s thick with Morganess and punctuated with Freemanitude. Characters are buoyed up with giddy Freemanistics, and are propelled along the film’s arc on the Morgan Freeway of life.

OK, you get the idea. This film has a lot of Morgan Freeman in it. But, that’s actually a good thing. Morgan Freeman is like the Labrador Retriever of actors - he’s easy to like. Everybody loves him, and everybody loves him in this film. And, on top of all that Freemanism, it also stars Paz Vega! You may remember her from such films as Sex and Lucia, and Spanglish.

Morgan Freeman plays a character that is ………well, Morgan Freeman. He’s an actor – although he’s never really called by name. He’s referred only as “him” – as in, “Hey! You’re him, aren’t you?” The only effort they (the filmmakers) have made to suggest that he isn’t really Morgan Freeman, is that he claims not to have worked for 4 years. That is obviously fiction, because, as we all know, Morgan Freeman has been in every movie during the last four years.

He is researching a role as a store manager for a new movie, and so he spends the day at a grocery store. The exquisitely beautiful Paz Vega plays Scarlet, who works the day at the “10 items or less” express checkout line. At the end of the shift, he doesn’t have a ride home and, for some reason, he can’t remember his telephone number. Scarlet agrees to give him a ride – but she’s got some errands to do first.

Thus begins their afternoon of fun and adventure together.

Sex and the City: Back in Fashion

The countdown is on to the fashion event of the year.

SATC style has never been hotter. For an exclusive view into the SATC wardrobe by stylist & cast click here.

21

Is this a dream script or what? Something we all secretly wish we could do…taking Las Vegas for millions!

Likable student and maths genius Ben is recruited by Prof Micky (Kevin Spacey) into a secret team of MIT blackjack card counters. They hit Vegas in the weekends and win big. Ben (Jim Sturgess) just wants to earn enough to pay for Harvard Pre-Med… an ends to a means, however he is soon exposed to an exciting new life and experiences.

Kevin Spacey is excellent as the Prof/ mentor with a ‘dark side’. Lots of fluff, plenty to enjoy. Would watch again.

Steph’s rating: 7.2/10

No 2

A New Zealand film (2006) written and directed by Toa Fraser that received 2 nominations at the New Zealand Screen Awards and won the “Audience Award” at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

As a European Kiwi I appreciate the special aspects of island culture, the laughter, the importance of family, the love of FOOD, and I expected to see this in abundance, Instead we start from a place of dysfunction where the family has let life issues and culture build walls to the point where the main character and family matriarch Nana Maria (Ruby Dee) no longer has cordial contact with her children and she misses the family times of the past where laughter and life were center stage.

BUG (2006)

We Love Movies - Video recommendation of the Week:

Film makers have some nerve these days.

If you’re going to make a film called “BUG”, you should at least have the decency to make it about a government lab near an isolated rural community. The refuse from a secret experiment infects some cockroaches (movie rule #154: always use cockroaches for maximum “bug” effect), making them both super intelligent and super aggressive (plus they reproduce quickly – so they’re also super ……what? horny). They get out and head for toward town. Here’s where you can take time to introduce the main characters and give a little back-story. Cliff is a stranger in town. He’s just passing through, really – but he has a secret he’s not telling. Trevor, the sheriff, years ago had a relationship with Sally, the woman who owns the diner. Sally’s been widowed for four years now but has a teenage daughter who is dating (sort of) the smart kid at school – even though the football jock keeps hitting on her. Then, of course, there’s Professor Evans who, by coincidence, is an entomologist (he studies bugs). He will eventually find a way to destroy the bugs, but will be horribly killed before he can tell anybody. There’s the mayor who will refuse to contact the authorities or admit that there’s anything wrong. Then there are the Gladwells (Molly and Dan) who run their farm out on RFD 122, but don’t get too attached to them – they’re the first ones to get killed.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

‘Ode’ to the action genre. This franchise is renowned for quality action so expectations were high and excitement was pulsing as we headed off to the most anticipated action movie of the year. So did it live up to the expectations set by the prior trilogy? I’m not convinced.

However this is definitely a film all Indiana Jones fans need to see - and there were some fabulous and intense actions scenes, but was it better than the first three?

It’s obvious they are setting us up for more, but I have to say (this is going to shock many out there), I didn’t leave the cinema feeling fully satisfied. I felt the ending let the rest of the movie down.

Somehow it kinda lost its way… It left the path of the archaeologist and stepped over into the land of ‘too weird’ in a bad way, for an ‘Indy’ flick. Did anyone else think that?

WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY

We Love Movies - Video recommendation of the Week:

I cried at the end of Old Yeller.

Of course I was only six, but still …… so what? I also teared up a bit for Grave of the Fireflies, and Love Story, and Ghost, and My Girl, and Bambi, and Pandora’s Box, and The Bridge to Terabithia, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. You know …….the usual tear-jerkers. The point is, I consider myself relatively normal. My black sense of humor non-withstanding, I usually react to films the same way that most people do. So - when I say that I found this week’s movie, about an afterlife populated by people who have committed suicide, rather sweet and endearing, it’s not because I have a warped sensibility (I do, but that’s not why), it’s because the movie really is sweet and endearing.

Untraceable

I love cybercrime stories and I really enjoyed the byline in Die Hard 4.0 about ‘Fire sale’, when all the computers in the country go down. Real conspiracy stuff.

So when I saw the trailer for Untraceable I was really keen to see this film. The plot is about a FBI agent who tries to shut down a live website showing people being tortured and murdered. I was very concerned when I bought my ticket and it has R18 on it. It’s pretty gruesome stuff.

However in the light of ‘cyber bullies’ and ‘humiliation by Youtube’ being a plague of the modern age, I was curious as what this film would depict.

I didn’t really enjoy this film, its not the kind of film you’d sit down and watch again, but it was a suspenseful thriller and it did make me think. Has technology gone to far, or is technology just reflecting society and all its woes as it currently is? Deep stuff.

Second-Hand Wedding: Celebrating NZ Film

NZ Film is really coming of age. We’ve had some remarkable examples, Sione’s Wedding, The Piano, Whale Rider, Eagle vs Shark and now Secondhand Wedding.

I love the honesty of this film. It depicts typical NZ streets, suburbs and characters. Geraldine Brophy has always been one of NZ’s most likable actress. Here she plays a well-meaning Mum who is a Garage Sell junkie. It’s so delightful, you even convince yourself ‘maybe you wouldn’t mind going to a few yourself’! Geraldine’s character ‘Jill’ is well supported by her husband Brian (Patrick Wilson) and Cheryl her daughter played by Outrageous Fortune’s Holly Shanahan.

The plot is simple, a daughter is reluctant in telling her mum of her engagement as she is afraid that the wedding will turn into a jumble sale. The rest is predictable comedy,but delightful all the same. Highlights of the film include the ‘garage sign’ robber and the consistent references to popular 60’s NZ music icon John Rowles.

Click here to view trailer.

PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER

We Love Movies - Video recommendation of the Week:

I’ve decided that I don’t read enough books.

This week’s movie, PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER, is the big screen adaptation of the highly acclaimed bestselling novel by Patrick Suskind. It has been translated from the original German into English and various other languages. It was long thought unfilmable as a movie because it’s about the sense of smell - which is difficult to convey in a visual medium like film ……..but I guess they were wrong!

Iron Man

Heroes aren’t Born. They’re Built. That’s the tag-line for Ironman a comic book hero from the Marvel Studio stable.

The plot revolves around wealthy inventor Robert Stark (Robert Downey Jr) who designs hi-tech leading edge weapons for the US military via his retired fathers tech company. Stark is a larger than life character with an ego just as big and has a personal assistant “Pepper” Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) who ends up being a love interest.

Stark is kidnapped by a terrorist group while demonstrating a high tech missile system and is operated on by another captive who designs a magnetic chest implant to stop shrapnel from a bullet wound he incurred from entering his heart. The terrorists want Stark to build them the new high tech missile he was demonstrating however Stark instead redesigns the chest implant into a power source and builds the first prototype of his “IRONMAN” suit. Here the Legend is born as Stark escapes in the suit mostly oblivious to bullets and other explosives.

What Happens in Vegas

Strangers meet in Vegas, enjoy a wild night, then wake up the next morning to find themselves married. Before they leave Vegas Jack (Kutcher) wins a 3 million Jackpot, then the battle for the money begins.

A light romantic comedy. Unfortunately the trailer shows many of the best laughs. The highlight of the film is the constant fighting/ battle between the leads. Similar but not as snappy as How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Cameron Diaz is always delightful in this rom/com role and her film wardrobe is just sensational (a must for any chick flick lead actress).

Once

We Love Movies - Video recommendation of the Week:

Perfect!

It has occurred to me that, of late, my recommendations have been getting – shall we say – wordy. That is, long. I sometimes have a tendency, when I can’t think of what to write, to start off in an arbitrary direction (like now) and approach it from another angle. It also occurs to me that a lot of you don’t have time to waste and so, are not reading my post. I understand – you mainly want just enough information to decide whether or not this is a film you want to watch. So, I’ve decided to get this part over right at the beginning and let you go on with your day – and for anyone that wants to stay, I tell you WHY you should watch this film.

VERDICT: Yes! You should definitely see this film! You will love it! You will adore it! It will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside and make you want to call your best friend that you haven’t seen since high school. Go out and hire it or buy it today! It’s one of the best movies of the year (2007 not 2008)!

Dan in Real Life

Remember Chicken Soup for the Soul, those lovely stories that just made you feel all warm and gooey inside? Well Dan in Real Life is definitely a soul flick for the ladies. This movie has so many wonderful warm moments.

Steve Carell plays ‘Dan’ a likable but lonely widow and newspaper columnist, who takes his three daughters to a family gathering/ holiday in Rhode Island. The family casting is perfect and all roles large or small are interesting. The fun starts when Dan meets an intelligent beauty (Juliette Binoche), who then turns out to be his brothers new girlfriend!

There were so many hilarious scenes from the shower, to the bowling, aerobics, bar dancing - OK 90% of it. It was just great. I loved the family dynamics (reminded me very much of my own family) from the games, to the integration of new boyfriends/ girlfriends - to the ’special room’, the makeshift area (closet/laundry) that becomes a ’sleeping’ area when there are so many family members all in the house at one time. Also a very humorous cameo by Emily Blunt (Devil Wears Prada).

Made of Honor

Patrick Dempsey plays ‘Tom’ a popular ladies man who finally realises that long time girl-friend ‘Hannah’ (Michelle Monaghan) is the one he wants - unfortunately he realises this too late and Hannah is already engaged. Tom agrees to be Maid of Honor in an attempt to sabotage the wedding.

I get so excited about new chick flicks, that my expectations can rise sky high - then when the film is just OK I feel a little disappointed. But that’s just me! This film is definitely enjoyable and cute, but it was just OK.

GRINDHOUSE

We Love Movies - Cheesy video double feature of the Week:

DEATH PROOF

PLANET TERROR

Perfect memory rarely is.

The problem with memory is that the world is too full of detail. And as marvelous as the human brain is, it has a finite capacity. So, to conserve resources, it decides what is worth remembering - the rest is discarded. You know this is true - how many times, while driving, have you suddenly realized that you can’t account for the past twenty minutes? Were you not paying attention? Of course you were, but nothing happened of any importance, so why waste brain bytes? You usually do store a certain amount of detail – but with time, keeping it needs to be weighed against cleaning up the clutter and making space for new memories.

People my age remember the sixties as though it were the Golden Age. They remember the great music and the revolution (everything was a revolution in the 60’s), the Cultural Revolution, the political revolution, the sexual revolution, the civil rights revolution, and the lesser known squid revolution (people started eating more squid for some reason). They remember the excitement of big things happening and especially the music. Ask anybody around at that time and they’ll tell you the same thing, “The music was the best, and things - man, things really seemed to matter. Not like today.” Was it really that great?

No.

But the emery cloth of time sands down the structure of memory until you get a little polished marble that represents just the thing you’ve decided was important to remember, the essential concept. Details like The Cold War, the filth, the bad drugs, the gender gap, the generation gap, the bad music, clashes with the police over civil rights and the war, the “real” war in Viet Nam – these are just sawdust that end up on the workshop floor. Does that mean memory becomes less perfect with time? No, just the opposite. Memory becomes more perfect with time because it becomes more focused ……polished ……..shinier.

Lars and the Real Girl

This movie is extremely quirky and heart warming. If you only see 1 movie this year - make sure its this one.

This film has already won 2 awards with 12 nominations. Ryan Gosling plays an extraordinary man whose wounded and isolated after losing his parents and has become frightened by human touch, consequently he leads a lonely and solitary life unable to communicate comfortably with others. That is until ‘Bianca’ arrives.

Bianca is a ‘doll’. His ‘relationship’ with her allows him to communicate and interact with his community.

Please don’t let any misconceptions deter you from seeing this film - it will be nothing like you expect and you’ll be thankful you did. Gosling is amazing in this Oscar worthy role. He conveys the innocence and the genuineness of this character beautifully.

U23D

This U2 3-D production boasts the greatest number of 3-D cameras ever used for a single project and the technology really is something to go ‘WOW’ at.

At times I felt like I could reach out and give Bono a hug (OK maybe a kiss!).

I especially loved the ‘midst of the crowd’ shots best looking onto the stage, you could feel yourself there.

Sydney White

This is a lovely - modern ‘fairy tale’ for teens (and those of us who still feel like teens).

Loosely based on Snow White and Mean Girls this chick flick is delightfully watchable. Amanda Bynes plays ‘Sydney’ a like-able tomboy starting her first year of University (or College as the Americans say).

She doesn’t fit in with the petty and shallow sorority girls who soon reject her for being an individual. They embarrass her publicaly, kicking her out of the sorority house - leaving her to move in with 7 likable ‘dorks’. Like Snow White she eventually meets her Prince - the Uni President (Matt Long).

The movie is sweet and easy-going like Bratz last summer. It has a nice story and some good laughs. If you like chick flicks you with enjoy this sweet story.

BLACK BOOK

We Love Movies - Video recommendation of the Week:

World War Two was not my fault! Honest!

They tell me my ancestors came from Germany - maybe three generations before me. That’s way before WW2, isn’t it? That’s even before WW1 (which, by the way, was also not my fault). But I still have the German name and when I give it, in certain circles, some people still say, “That’s German, isn’t it? The Nazis started WW2 you know.” To which I have to remind them - my name may be German but I am not. Besides, I wasn’t in Germany during the war, and I was pretty young - too young to fight. To which they’d ask, “Really? How old were you?”, and I’d say, “Approximately ……….oh - about minus ten.”

The Holocaust notwithstanding, Germans sometimes get a bad rap for the war. I know plenty of Germans and some of them - a few of them - one or two ……..er, three …….. half a dozen at least - are pretty decent people. Now, I’ll admit that these are not war-era Germans - these are ‘far removed from the war’-era Germans. Still …….. I imagine that, even during WW2, there were good Nazis as well as bad, evil Nazis. I know people who will hate me for saying this stuff, but it’s true. In fact, it’s true for virtually every ethnic group you can imagine.

Having said all that, it’s still pretty hard not to villainize Nazis in WW2 related movies. It’s pretty cut and dry in films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler’s List, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Blues Brothers, just to name a few. Now, movies where you don’t have a clear cut bad guy tend to make you think. Quite often this is good. But films where you do have a definite villain to oppose tend to be more pure entertainment - such as the movies mentioned above - and such as this week’s movie BLACK BOOK.

2 Days in Paris

I liken this flick to a French version of ‘Lost in Translation’.

Marion (Julie Delpy) and Jack (Adam Goldberg) decide to spend two days with Marion’s parents in her childhood home in Paris before heading home to New York. The audience quickly become immersed in the French culture, from opinionated taxi-drivers to a ‘typical ?’ French family dynamic. All very opinionated and passionate (nothing PC here).

We soon learn that the French are very liberal - so there’s heaps of sexual innuendo and more. This film is very artsy has some good laughs - but just as foreign to a Kiwi as the Japanese culture - worlds apart.

Enjoyable 2hrs of light entertainment in Paris.

Steph’s rating: 6.5/10

Horton Hears a Who!

What a disappointment!

If you’re hoping for another ‘Finding Nemo’ or ‘Ice Age’, this won’t compare. I had high expectations that the wit of Jim Carey and Steve Carell would make this a non-stop laugh - in fact it was a long bore.

This movie will make a lot of money as parents look for a 2hr babysister over the school holidays.

Steph’ rating: 4/10

Definitely, Maybe

No maybe’s about it… this is a great chick flick. I was surprised at how much I liked Ryan Reynolds as I have seen him in other films and was not that impressed. Rachel Weisz and Isla Fisher are fantastic in this film.

This film was very humorous and watchable, all the characters were endearing and the storyline refreshing.