movie reviews

yet another movie marathon happened yesterday. Was nice to get back to the theatres after a long stay away from them. Anyways, here are some brief thoughts about the movies that we went to see.

Christmas Carol 3D (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1067106/) - This one I have to say caught me sort of off guard. Normally when there is a remake or movie from a Christmas Carol I somehow get it into my head that they are going to make it funny or change things here and there. This one, however, right from the get go sticks directly to the book and there are only a few changes in it from what I can remember. There were the famous lines that I remember in most of the christmas carols like the speech Scrooge tells the ghost of Marly why Scrooge doesnt believe his senses that ends with "...there is more of gravy than the grave about you" as well as the Tiny Tim "God bless us everyone". The ghosts were there in all their glory though the ghost of Christmas Past always seems to change but the present and future are all the same (giant and robed skeleton). Carrey does a good job as Scrooge though he doesnt seem, in my mind at least, to give a truely horrible and despicable miser in the beginning and then a joyful and generous Scrooge at the end. Perhaps it is the type casting or stereotyping that I have for Carrey as being the funny man in that even when he is talking about putting the poor into work houses or prisons I seem to be waiting for the wagging tongue or other stupid gag to make the audience laugh. So his Scrooge seems to be in the middle of slightly miser-ish and then, relative to his miser, he can not reach the happy go generous scrooge at the end.

The animation and 3D effects I did find rather enjoyable and interesting. I have read that there were multiple goofs in that way of the skyline in London but to a lay person such as myself we never would have known.

I would say that this one is a good movie to see for the holidays but if you are wanting to introduce the young children to a Christmas Carol tradition then definitly stick with a Muppet Christmas Carol or Mickey's Christmas Carol for the light heartedness and leave this darker one for the young adults and older adults to enjoy. Also, if anyone watches this movie and figures out where the heck the prize sized turkey went with the butcher by Scrooge or why it was sent where it was in the coach, please tell me cause either I blinked and missed that part or missed it for some other reason.

2012 (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1190080/) - I think the best possible way to describe this movie would be in the two words that were told to me by a friend, and again used by the Mrs when we were walking home. 2012 is pure and simple "disaster porn".

Not really much in the way of story introduction here. 2012, end of the mayan calendar, world gonna come to the end as predicted thousands of years ago, world destruction, one man fights to save his family by getting them to safety. All I can say about this is that the special effects were amazingly good, nice humour used here and there as well as great moments to witness in human sacrifice for their loved ones. However, in the way of the lead character all I can say is that near the end of the movie he has to do some swimming (tsunamis ravaging the world, who isnt gonna be doing some swimming huh?) and I am surprised that he could actually stay afloat with what should have been about 1,000 lucky horse shoes up his butt. I mean, I have seen lucky people in my life and I have even been known to have a stroke of luck now and then but this guy....well, this guy obviously saved up all his lucky karma from his last 5 lives and used them in a 36 hour period of time.

I would say for this film since I wasn't really expecting Oscar award winning performances and writing, I was definitly going for special effects and visual stimulus which I got in spades. Go for the effects, ignore the acting.

The Blind Side (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/) - Heart warming story about a woman that brings in a poor boy, introduces him to the family and he becomes a star football player based on a true story. Sandra Bullock plays a really good strict and forceful mother who takes care of her family. Though as soon as I saw her in this role for the first time I instantly thought "if there is ever going to be a move of Sara Palin, then Bullock has got to play that role". It was definitly a good tear jerking movie (won't list how many times the Mrs shed a tear). Of course with all 'based on true story' movies that I see I always have the question of "did that really happen or was it trumped up for the movie" but I wasn't too concerned with validity but went for the human story of it all. While I wouldn't say that all the acting was Oscar winning, it was definitly on the up side of the ability.

I would put out a warning though to all the men out there saying that while there is football involved this is definitly NOT a male movie...this is a chick flick. So guys, if your gf/so says that you are going to a male football movie called "the Blind Side" then know you are being tricked.