Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

First Hit: There are funny bits in this film and as it progressed, the bits became predictable and grew old.

In parody style, this film is a biopic conglomeration of a unknown country/pop/rock musician played by John C. Reilly, known as Dewey Cox.

Dewey struggles being married, a musician, and making a living. One day he creates a hit record called "Walk Hard". But then he falls into a life of drugs and partying which causes his wife and kids to leave him. As he grows older he slowly finds himself again.

It is an obvious takeoff on the story of many musicians.

The satirical songs are more than adequately performed by Reilly which adds to the films genuineness, however, the parodies begin to lose their fun and overall the film got tiresome and tedious.

Overall: This film was funny at times but between those times I was simply waiting for the next better joke.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

First Hit: Started reasonably well and faded to mediocrity within forty-five minutes.

It started out well enough and there were moments of laughter but it droned on and on and finally ended with a thud.

The premise of this film is based on the creation of their initial song (1958) and subsequent cartoon series. The story begins with the chipmunks having their home (tree) being cut down and sent to its new home in the foyer of an office building with them still in the tree.

Jason Lee, as Dave, is fired from his job and, in his being upset, takes a basket full of muffins from the office. While walking through the foyer, the chipmunks, needing to escape, see the basket and hop aboard as he passes by.

Dave, far too easily, accepts that there are talking chipmunks in the world and after they show him they can sing, he writes a song for them.

This happens to be the first and famous chipmunk song. Dave’s record agent Ian (Played by David Cross) thinks this is his ticket to fame. From this point on, the film really starts to deteriorate with the chipmunks becoming megalomaniacs and fully immersing themselves in toys and candy.

In the end they finally realize that Dave was their best friend and Dave realizes he loves the chipmunks and wants them as part of his family.

I found the computerized manifestation of the chipmunk voices to be overly processed, less compelling, and less clear than the original sped up human voices used in the original recordings.

Overall: Definitely a video for rent film. The little 6 year old boy sitting next to me got bored quickly which was very telling about the films power.

Juno

First Hit: An excellent, wonderfully funny, poignant well acted film.

Ellen Page (Juno) continues to amaze me with her acting.

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of watching this young lady in a very powerful and impactful 2005 released film called Hard Candy.

The characters she plays in these two films are very different and in Hard Candy she brought the kind of intensity and directness that Reese Witherspoon brought to Freeway.

In this film she plays a thoughtful, eclectic, smart, and self directed high school student. 

Juno gets pregnant by a young man who adores her. Paulie Bleeker (played by Michael Cera) is a kind, sweet, and sensitive young man who thinks the sun rises and sets in Juno. In her caring for Bleeker, Juno decides to make love with him in a specific chair.

This initial interaction sets up the premise for the film, a pregnant Juno. After some funny scenes in a local drugstore where Juno discovers her pregnant status, she decides to tell her Dad and Step-mother. In the dialog with her parents you "get" that this is going to be a thoughtful yet funny film.

Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman play the couple who put in an ad in a Pennysaver to adopt a child. They have been through this scenario before and it has failed so Jennifer is sceptically hopeful and Jason appears to be somewhat reluctant.

During Juno's interview with this couple with her dad at her side the stage for this film is fully set. The lessons the characters learn as we travel through this wonderfully directed and poignant film are: The adoptive couple learn they have different wants and needs, Juno learns more about being an adult, commitment, and how to make choices, Paulie learns to stay within his truth and trust, and Juno’s parents see that they have brought up a wonderful daughter.

Overall: This was a very entertaining and thoughtful film and I highly recommend it. There will be awards for this film.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

First Hit: At best, mildly entertaining.

The premise of this film that has Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) handing over his store to his main clerk and manager (Natalie Portman) who is a frustrated composer and is trying to find her way through life.

The film is telegraphed from the beginning and each turn tries your patience. The best parts of this film are the moments when the camera moves through the store without the main characters being the focus.

There are some wonderfully creative and visual moments in this magical store but the story could have been left outside and the film wouldn’t have suffered much. Character wise, Zach Mills, playing Eric Applebaum did a nice job of holding character and his innocence and optimism shines through.

However, I cannot begin to think what Dustin Hoffman was doing talking through his front teeth like a chipmunk. It wasn’t required for the part and I don’t understand why he (or the director) would choose to do this.

Natalie Portman does a good job of acting her character of Molly Mahoney a frustrated composer who is on the receiving end of Mr. Magorium’s gift of the store he has had for 243 years. However, no matter how well she cries on queue or how wonderful she looks with the short hair and open lovely smile, there is nothing in this script that gives it enough chops to bring out her character.

Overall: This is a video only film with the family or for fluff.

Bee Movie

First Hit: Lacking in anything new, generally unfunny, and unimaginative; this film was uninspired. There were about 12 people in the theater besides myself and there was virtually no laughing out loud. This was a real waste of a reported $150 million dollars of animation.

Within the first 5 minutes of this film the sensation of boredom had already invaded.

This film had very few laughs and the term mediocre fits it very well. The animation was good and crisp but nothing inventive. It seemed like someone made an animation film and was more interested in learning about how to do animation versus creating an inventive interesting film.

There was one major gaff: In the scene after the world had succumbed to being without floral color, because pollination had ceased, the aviator bees got ready to head out of the hive to save the pilotless plane, however as they got ready to head out there were beautiful green trees sitting outside the hive door.

The animators had slipped and used a background previously used in the film but forgot that the scene required a different background.

Overall: This was a waste of time and I’m not sure, outside of 2 or 3 funny gags, that kids will find this film amusing, I know I didn’t.