gccuconati
Joined Jun 2017
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My older brother first introduced me to the movie Hugo when he saw it in middle school over a decade ago. And if I have anything to say about it, it is a fantastic movie! In fact, he and I watched it again with a friend of ours at his house this past weekend, and it's still as good as I remember.
Based on Brian Sleznick's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the film is set in 1931 Paris, and centers on a 12-year-old orphan boy named Hugo Cabret (played by Asa Butterfield). Ever since the recent and untimely death of his father (Jude Law), Hugo has been living in the walls of Gare Montparnasse, maintaining the clocks alongside his alcoholic uncle Claude (Ray Winstone). After Claude mysteriously disappears, Hugo continues handling the clocks by himself, but his main task is to protect and repair a broken automaton that his father left him. Aided by Isabelle (Chloe Moretz), the goddaughter of embittered toy merchant Georges (Ben Kingsley), Hugo sets out on a mission to find the missing piece needed to fix the automaton and uncover the mystery behind it, as well as find a place he can call home.
Barring the accent misplacement (WHY do so many movies set in countries like France have all the characters speak with British accents?), the acting in this movie is terrific. Asa Butterfield is fantastic as Hugo, and does a really great job bringing across the pain and loneliness he feels from having lost his father. Chloe Moretz is very nice and compassionate as Isabelle. Ben Kingsley is STELLAR as Georges, just being this cold, troubled old man. Even before we learn about his tragic past (not spoiling anything), there are so many points in his performance where we can tell that something really terrible happened to him. And of course, Sacha Baron Cohen is an amusing villain as Gustave Daste, the Station Inspector, who seeks to apprehend Hugo and put him in an orphanage.
The writing is also fantastic. Essentially, the entire movie is a heartfelt love letter to the art of filmmaking, as is the book that it's based on. And the movie faithfully follows the narrative and themes of the book, only making changes where necessary. For instance, Hugo is noticeably far less of a selfish jerk to Isabelle, as shown when he simply explains to her why he needs her key and she gladly helps him out, as opposed to him STEALING it from her in the book. Additionally, the Station Inspector is given more personality and character depth, as well as getting a name. The movie also has plenty of drama, especially with Georges's backstory, but also enough humor to balance it.
And then, we've got the visuals. Hugo is filmed and edited in a truly gorgeous manner, giving us a sense of the scale of Paris. The set design is equally fabulous, and perfectly encapsulates the 1930's setting of the movie, particularly the interior of Gare Montparnasse, and the special effects, particularly for the snow, are tremendously convincing. Martin Scorsese really is an amazing director!
And lastly, we've got the music. Howard Shore scored the movie wonderfully. His score perfectly meshes with the French setting, and is very mystical and enchanting. It sets the tone of every scene, sounding suspenseful, plaintive and joyful at all the right points.
Everything considered, Hugo is a wonderful movie, and truly feels like a passionate tribute to early filmmaking. Trust me when I say that anyone who finds fascination with the history of movies and how they were invented will find great enjoyment in this movie!!!!
Based on Brian Sleznick's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the film is set in 1931 Paris, and centers on a 12-year-old orphan boy named Hugo Cabret (played by Asa Butterfield). Ever since the recent and untimely death of his father (Jude Law), Hugo has been living in the walls of Gare Montparnasse, maintaining the clocks alongside his alcoholic uncle Claude (Ray Winstone). After Claude mysteriously disappears, Hugo continues handling the clocks by himself, but his main task is to protect and repair a broken automaton that his father left him. Aided by Isabelle (Chloe Moretz), the goddaughter of embittered toy merchant Georges (Ben Kingsley), Hugo sets out on a mission to find the missing piece needed to fix the automaton and uncover the mystery behind it, as well as find a place he can call home.
Barring the accent misplacement (WHY do so many movies set in countries like France have all the characters speak with British accents?), the acting in this movie is terrific. Asa Butterfield is fantastic as Hugo, and does a really great job bringing across the pain and loneliness he feels from having lost his father. Chloe Moretz is very nice and compassionate as Isabelle. Ben Kingsley is STELLAR as Georges, just being this cold, troubled old man. Even before we learn about his tragic past (not spoiling anything), there are so many points in his performance where we can tell that something really terrible happened to him. And of course, Sacha Baron Cohen is an amusing villain as Gustave Daste, the Station Inspector, who seeks to apprehend Hugo and put him in an orphanage.
The writing is also fantastic. Essentially, the entire movie is a heartfelt love letter to the art of filmmaking, as is the book that it's based on. And the movie faithfully follows the narrative and themes of the book, only making changes where necessary. For instance, Hugo is noticeably far less of a selfish jerk to Isabelle, as shown when he simply explains to her why he needs her key and she gladly helps him out, as opposed to him STEALING it from her in the book. Additionally, the Station Inspector is given more personality and character depth, as well as getting a name. The movie also has plenty of drama, especially with Georges's backstory, but also enough humor to balance it.
And then, we've got the visuals. Hugo is filmed and edited in a truly gorgeous manner, giving us a sense of the scale of Paris. The set design is equally fabulous, and perfectly encapsulates the 1930's setting of the movie, particularly the interior of Gare Montparnasse, and the special effects, particularly for the snow, are tremendously convincing. Martin Scorsese really is an amazing director!
And lastly, we've got the music. Howard Shore scored the movie wonderfully. His score perfectly meshes with the French setting, and is very mystical and enchanting. It sets the tone of every scene, sounding suspenseful, plaintive and joyful at all the right points.
Everything considered, Hugo is a wonderful movie, and truly feels like a passionate tribute to early filmmaking. Trust me when I say that anyone who finds fascination with the history of movies and how they were invented will find great enjoyment in this movie!!!!
Back in 2012 or 2011, my older brother introduced me to the movie Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. And you better believe it is a most excellent adventure! I've liked it ever since.
Set in 1988 San Dimas, California, the movie focuses on best friends Bill S. Preston, Esq., (played by Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves), a pair of incredibly dimwitted high school boys, who spend all their time planning a rock band called Wyld Stallyns, despite their total lack of musical talent. But now, the two friends have much bigger fish to fry: because they spent the entire school year neglecting their studies, not turning in their homework and failing every test, their only remaining hope of passing their history class is if they present a stellar final oral report. If not, they flunk out of school, and Ted's dad, Police Captain Logan (Hal Landon, Jr.), sends him off to an Alaskan military school, and goodbye to Wyld Stallyns. Luckily, Bill and Ted receive help from Rufus (George Carlin), a time-traveler from a future in which Wyld Stallyns is the foundation for a perfect society. Using Rufus's time-traveling phone booth, Bill and Ted journey through various points in history, returning home with multiple important figures to show them San Dimas and help them complete their final presentation.
The acting in this movie is nothing short of spectacular. Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves are perfect as Bill and Ted, respectively. If you ask me, they're the quintessential high school protagonists! George Carlin (may he rest in peace) is very warm and charismatic as Rufus. This wasn't too long before he became the first US narrator for Thomas the Tank Engine, so seeing him in this teen movie just a few years before really speaks to his amazing range. All of the historical figures are also perfectly cast.
And the visuals are most triumphant! The movie is filmed and edited in such a skillful and shrewd manner. And the set design for the future is eye-catching and very creative. But what adds to that is the special effects, which are freaking incredible! Every single scene of Bill and Ted traveling in the phone booth is eye-catching, and could NOT have been remotely easy to pull off. For a movie made with a $10 million budget and primitive technology, this movie looks absolutely amazing, I'm telling you!
The writing is most bodacious, as well! The movie is fully consistent with its time-travel logic, and never breaks its own rules. The movie is also packed with exhilarating action and other excitement, especially towards the end. But more importantly, it's also packed with some truly delightful and hilarious humor that will never cease to make you laugh, especially the historical figures getting themselves in trouble at the San Dimas Mall (actually the now-gone Metrocenter in Phoenix, which was in its prime when the movie was made)!
And of course, we have the music. The excellent David Newman scored this movie wonderfully! His score is very epic, exhilarating and suspenseful when it needs to be, not to mention perfectly capturing the 1980's feel of the movie. And obviously, the movie boasts tons of terrific rock songs that are used flawlessly, especially "Breakaway" by Big Pig for the intro, and of course, "In Time" by Robbi Robb.
Everything considered, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is a bodacious movie, easily one of the best of the 1980's, and one that I can watch over and over, and never get tired of. Party on, dudes!!!!
Set in 1988 San Dimas, California, the movie focuses on best friends Bill S. Preston, Esq., (played by Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves), a pair of incredibly dimwitted high school boys, who spend all their time planning a rock band called Wyld Stallyns, despite their total lack of musical talent. But now, the two friends have much bigger fish to fry: because they spent the entire school year neglecting their studies, not turning in their homework and failing every test, their only remaining hope of passing their history class is if they present a stellar final oral report. If not, they flunk out of school, and Ted's dad, Police Captain Logan (Hal Landon, Jr.), sends him off to an Alaskan military school, and goodbye to Wyld Stallyns. Luckily, Bill and Ted receive help from Rufus (George Carlin), a time-traveler from a future in which Wyld Stallyns is the foundation for a perfect society. Using Rufus's time-traveling phone booth, Bill and Ted journey through various points in history, returning home with multiple important figures to show them San Dimas and help them complete their final presentation.
The acting in this movie is nothing short of spectacular. Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves are perfect as Bill and Ted, respectively. If you ask me, they're the quintessential high school protagonists! George Carlin (may he rest in peace) is very warm and charismatic as Rufus. This wasn't too long before he became the first US narrator for Thomas the Tank Engine, so seeing him in this teen movie just a few years before really speaks to his amazing range. All of the historical figures are also perfectly cast.
And the visuals are most triumphant! The movie is filmed and edited in such a skillful and shrewd manner. And the set design for the future is eye-catching and very creative. But what adds to that is the special effects, which are freaking incredible! Every single scene of Bill and Ted traveling in the phone booth is eye-catching, and could NOT have been remotely easy to pull off. For a movie made with a $10 million budget and primitive technology, this movie looks absolutely amazing, I'm telling you!
The writing is most bodacious, as well! The movie is fully consistent with its time-travel logic, and never breaks its own rules. The movie is also packed with exhilarating action and other excitement, especially towards the end. But more importantly, it's also packed with some truly delightful and hilarious humor that will never cease to make you laugh, especially the historical figures getting themselves in trouble at the San Dimas Mall (actually the now-gone Metrocenter in Phoenix, which was in its prime when the movie was made)!
And of course, we have the music. The excellent David Newman scored this movie wonderfully! His score is very epic, exhilarating and suspenseful when it needs to be, not to mention perfectly capturing the 1980's feel of the movie. And obviously, the movie boasts tons of terrific rock songs that are used flawlessly, especially "Breakaway" by Big Pig for the intro, and of course, "In Time" by Robbi Robb.
Everything considered, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is a bodacious movie, easily one of the best of the 1980's, and one that I can watch over and over, and never get tired of. Party on, dudes!!!!
I first learned of Bandslam, thanks to the trailer I saw for it on my DVD of the movie Astro Boy as a kid. But crazy as it may sound, I never actually watched it until about 3 or 4 years ago, on YouTube. And you better believe I enjoyed it!!
The movie centers on high-schooler Will Burton (played by Gaelan Connell), a hardcore music enthusiast (like myself!) and massive David Bowie fan, who moves from Cincinnati, Ohio to Lodi, New Jersey with his divorced mother Karen (Lisa Kudrow) in the hopes of escaping being bullied by everyone at school and starting afresh. Upon his arrival, Will catches the eye of gifted musician Charlotte Barnes (Aly Michalka), who turns to him to manage her fledgling rock band. Charlotte wishes for Will to help her win against her ex-boyfriend Ben Wheatley (Scott Porter) and his band, The Glory Dogs, in New Jersey's biggest event of the year, a battle of the bands competition called Bandslam. Meanwhile, Will also develops feelings for a stoic, apathetic girl named Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens) (the 5 is silent).
The acting in this movie is nothing short of terrific. Gaelan Connell is spot-on as Will, perfectly bringing about his geeky, yet smart nature. Aly Michalka is very cool and spunky as Charlotte. Plus, she's a hell of a singer! But I would have to say the best performance in this movie comes from Vanessa Hudgens as Sa5m. She's literally nothing at all like her character from High School Musical, just being this stoic, detached girl, and that really speaks to her amazing range. She ALSO does a terrific job gradually conveying her nicer side. In fact, everybody does perfect in their roles.
The writing is pretty great, too! The movie is packed with funny and sharp humor. Favorite scenes of mine include Will trying to kiss Sa5m, and first coming to see Charlotte's band jam. Along with that, the movie also has some terrific drama, and is even heartwarming at times. But it isn't without its problems, unfortunately. At one point, Ben finds out about Will's embarrassing past and uses it against him out of petty jealousy, and it's pretty much just forgiven and forgotten. In addition, the ending feels rather formulaic, since it basically takes a page out of School of Rock.
And then, of course, we have the music. The movie wisely substitutes a score for an excellent mixtape of rock, pop and ska tunes, such as by David Bowie, Peter Tosh, The Velvet Underground, and several others. Aly Michalka is also given the golden opportunity to show off her singing chops on the songs "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick, as well as "Someone to Fall Back On" by Jason Robert Brown (the latter of which is presented in-universe as an original song that Charlotte wrote), and Vanessa Hudgens also gets the chance to show off her lovely singing skill once again on the song "Everything I Own" by Bread. The movie also offers a terrific original song in the end credits, "Where Are You Now" by Honor Society.
Everything considered, Bandslam is a really great movie. Its commercial failure at the box office can only be attributed to woefully bad marketing on Summit Entertainment's part, because I don't see how anyone can't like or be interested in this movie. It's got a great story, great acting, and especially great music. Highly recommended!!!
The movie centers on high-schooler Will Burton (played by Gaelan Connell), a hardcore music enthusiast (like myself!) and massive David Bowie fan, who moves from Cincinnati, Ohio to Lodi, New Jersey with his divorced mother Karen (Lisa Kudrow) in the hopes of escaping being bullied by everyone at school and starting afresh. Upon his arrival, Will catches the eye of gifted musician Charlotte Barnes (Aly Michalka), who turns to him to manage her fledgling rock band. Charlotte wishes for Will to help her win against her ex-boyfriend Ben Wheatley (Scott Porter) and his band, The Glory Dogs, in New Jersey's biggest event of the year, a battle of the bands competition called Bandslam. Meanwhile, Will also develops feelings for a stoic, apathetic girl named Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens) (the 5 is silent).
The acting in this movie is nothing short of terrific. Gaelan Connell is spot-on as Will, perfectly bringing about his geeky, yet smart nature. Aly Michalka is very cool and spunky as Charlotte. Plus, she's a hell of a singer! But I would have to say the best performance in this movie comes from Vanessa Hudgens as Sa5m. She's literally nothing at all like her character from High School Musical, just being this stoic, detached girl, and that really speaks to her amazing range. She ALSO does a terrific job gradually conveying her nicer side. In fact, everybody does perfect in their roles.
The writing is pretty great, too! The movie is packed with funny and sharp humor. Favorite scenes of mine include Will trying to kiss Sa5m, and first coming to see Charlotte's band jam. Along with that, the movie also has some terrific drama, and is even heartwarming at times. But it isn't without its problems, unfortunately. At one point, Ben finds out about Will's embarrassing past and uses it against him out of petty jealousy, and it's pretty much just forgiven and forgotten. In addition, the ending feels rather formulaic, since it basically takes a page out of School of Rock.
And then, of course, we have the music. The movie wisely substitutes a score for an excellent mixtape of rock, pop and ska tunes, such as by David Bowie, Peter Tosh, The Velvet Underground, and several others. Aly Michalka is also given the golden opportunity to show off her singing chops on the songs "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick, as well as "Someone to Fall Back On" by Jason Robert Brown (the latter of which is presented in-universe as an original song that Charlotte wrote), and Vanessa Hudgens also gets the chance to show off her lovely singing skill once again on the song "Everything I Own" by Bread. The movie also offers a terrific original song in the end credits, "Where Are You Now" by Honor Society.
Everything considered, Bandslam is a really great movie. Its commercial failure at the box office can only be attributed to woefully bad marketing on Summit Entertainment's part, because I don't see how anyone can't like or be interested in this movie. It's got a great story, great acting, and especially great music. Highly recommended!!!