Australia: A mesmerizing mishmash of movie love

By Eric Robinette | Monday, December 1, 2008, 10:40 AM

When people say Baz Luhrmann’s Australia is overlong, overwrought and overstuffed, I agree with them.

However, when these same people say these qualities make Australia a bad movie, or at best a misfire, I firmly disagree. Yes, the movie is sometimes a sprawling, ungainly mishmash - but that’s part of its charm.

In other words, it’s every inch a movie by the director of Moulin Rouge! This homage to Luhrmann’s homeland isn’t as frenzied as that musical, nor is it as potent, but it’s just as imaginative and willing to go for broke.

Australia’s very messiness gives it character, as was the case with last year’s Across the Universe. The movie is like Lawrence of Arabia, Gone with the Wind, Rabbit Proof Fence and Tora Tora Tora mashed up in one tangled ball. It doesn’t always work, but even its missteps are weirdly endearing.

Here’s the litmus test: If you can make it past the deliberately hyperactive opening act, you’ll probably love Australia. If the first act makes you shake your head in confusion, the movie might be a tough sit.

Just as Moulin Rouge! did, Australia opens with very broad flourishes, both visually and narratively, to get the audience used to the idea it’s not your typical movie. At times, it plays like a slapstick comedy with Nicole Kidman, relentlessly mugging for the camera. She plays a British aristocrat who inherits a ranch in the title country, working with a mysterious cattle driver known as “the drover” (Hugh Jackman).

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Watched any holiday movies yet? Which?

By Eric Robinette | Friday, November 28, 2008, 11:52 AM

With one major holiday past us, I was wondering: What holiday movie do you tend to watch first, when the season starts?

Since there aren’t many Thanksgiving movies, I spent Thansksgiving morning watching Miracle on 34th Street (the original, of course) - a Christmas movie to be sure, but the film does start out with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, so that seems like the best one to pop in first.

What about you? What holiday movie kicks off the season for you? If there is no traditional starter, how about this: What holiday movie do you see more than once in a single season? That answer for me is probably A Christmas Story, just because that filmed-in-Ohio staple, which turns 25 this year, has become as ubiquitous as It’s a Wonderful Life once was.

Here again is the TV holiday movie schedule and my roundup of current movies in theaters and on DVD. Tell me what, if anything, you’ve seen so far.

PS: Since the blog picture shows Charlie Brown and Linus, and since I aim to be all-inclusive, go ahead and name some TV shows if you feel so inclined. For this lifelong Peanuts fan, A Charlie Brown Christmas is essential viewing.

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Two stars barely redeem ‘Four Christmases’

By Eric Robinette | Wednesday, November 26, 2008, 07:59 AM

Four isn’t the magic number when it comes to Four Christmases - it’s two - as in its two leads.

Some movies are called star vehicles because A-list actors drive them, but there’s a certain kind of vehicle where the stars’ charisma overrides every other factor - so much so that their appeal is the only thing the movie has going for it. Everything else - screenplay, direction, the rest of the cast - is minor if not negligible.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days was like that. So was The Bucket List. Now Four Christmases joins the group. There are only two reasons to see this movie: Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.

At first glance, they might seem to be an odd pair - and I’m not referring to the fact that Vaughn is about a foot taller than Witherspoon. I’m talking about how Vaughn’s snappy smart-aleck humor might not have meshed well with Witherspoon’s romantic comedy persona.

That said, people forget that Witherspoon has a steely, acerbic side too, which she displayed in one of her best performances, as Tracy Flick in Election. In the opening scenes with Vaughn, Witherspoon keeps up well with Vaughn’s rapid-fire banter, getting the movie off to a promising start.

Witherspoon and Vaughn play Brad and Kate, a couple who get along great but don’t particularly care to get married and have kids. “We love each other … we don’t want to have to work at it,” Brad says.

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Need to see a good movie over the holiday?

By Eric Robinette | Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 11:32 AM

I present some of your options for holiday viewing in the next few days.

In theaters:

Australia
I didn’t get to see it yet. I’ll let you know when I do.

Bolt
Disney’s latest animated movie turns out to be one of its best in years, with this cross between The Truman Show and Toy Story. A TV star dog (John Travolta) doesn’t realize he’s not actually a superhero when he sets out to rescue his owner co-star Penny (Miley Cyrus). Filled with many great sight gags and endearing characters, this movie shows Disney is on its way back to greatness.
GRADE: A-

Changeling
Clint Eastwood powerfully directs this tale of a woman (Angelina Jolie) whose son disappears during the 1920s, at the height of Los Angeles police corruption. When an imposter appears claiming to be her son, that’s not even half the story. The dramatics occasionally feel overheated, but the story stokes so many emotions and covers so much ground, it’s fascinating and gripping.
GRADE: B+

Four Christmases
Full review here.

High School Musical: Senior Year
No, it’s not exactly blazingly original, and I didn’t come out humming the tunes, but I enjoyed the big-screen version of Disney’s insanely popular franchise more than I expected to. Young girls may spend much of their time squealing at Zac Efron, but the adoration is justified. The actor is genuine talent and the only member of the cast to play anything resembling palpable emotion. The story is standard-issue hokum, but it goes down easily.
GRADE: B-

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
The sequel with the wayward zoo animals fails to improve on its predecessor. The movie deserves some credit for at least trying to have some heart by telling the story of how Alex the lion (Ben Stiller) was separated from his parents, but there’s still too much emphasis on pop culture gags. Even the penguins, the saving grace of the first movie, aren’t very funny this time.
GRADE: C

Quantum of Solace
James Bond returns but disappoints in this muddled follow-up to Casino Royale. The gritty low-key story is a nice change of pace, both new Bond girls are appealing and Daniel Craig remains excellent as 007. Unfortunately, the action scenes are incoherent, making it impossible to tell who is doing what to whom. When the action scenes don’t work, you don’t have a Bond film. It’s that simple.
GRADE: C+

Twilight
Vampire chick-lit isn’t exactly my vial of blood, but this adaptation of the intensely loved romance series by Stephenie Meyer delivers, thanks to director Catherine Hardwicke’s gifts for working with young actors. The movie has many lines worth of an eye roll, but leads Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart sell them convincingly enough.
GRADE: B

Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Don’t let the P-word frighten you - this is actually a touching romantic comedy with a coat of raunchy humor, not unlike Knocked Up. It’s Kevin Smith’s best film since Chasing Amy. Seth Rogen and especially Elizabeth Banks are ideal as platonic friends who turn to porn to make ends meet. Many of Smith’s jokes are gleefully crude, but most of them are hilarious.
GRADE A-

For a look at what’s on the small screen, hit the jump:

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Give a dog a boost - see Bolt, Disney’s best in years

By Eric Robinette | Monday, November 24, 2008, 08:06 AM

Amid all the excitement about Twilight this past weekend, Disney’s new movie Bolt got a bit lost in the shuffle, and that’s …

Well, I was going to say it was a shame, but I won’t because I fully believe this marvelous movie will catch on. Not only is it lots of fun, It’s the best animated movie Disney has made in many years.

(I will, however, scold audiences for giving more money to Beverly Hills Chihuahua in its first weekend. Shame on you, American moviegoing public! SHAME ON YOU!)

All righteous indignation aside, however, I can kind of understand why Bolt didn’t have so much voltage. Disney’s animated movies stopped being events sometime around the millennium change. People lost faith in the brand.

From the late 80s through the late 90s, Disney cranked out one great movie after another almost every year. Then, the Mouse House got caught in a trap. Hampered by poor management decisions and a loss of storytelling savvy, Disney’s movies became less and less magical. I could find good things to say about every movie Disney has made in the past decade, but I wanted to find great things to say. Since 1999, only Lilo & Stitch and the grossly underrated Treasure Planet counted as near-great films.

Now, however, Pixar genius John Lasseter is nursing Disney back to health by focusing attention back to where it belongs: the story and characters. And Bolt gets high marks for both.

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In a good ‘Twilight’ zone

By Eric Robinette | Friday, November 21, 2008, 12:01 AM

Watching Twilight reminded me of seeing High School Musical 3: Senior Year about a month ago. And that’s not a bad thing.

No, these two mega-franchises don’t have a whole lot in common. There’s a lot less singing in Twilight, and Twilight spurts a lot more blood - or at least as much blood as a PG-13 rating will allow. And Twilight does have a broader fan base than HSM does.

However, the audiences of High School Musical and Twilight are both fueled largely by females swooning over the male leads, Zac Efron and Robert Pattinson, respectively. (God help my eardrums if the two of them ever make a movie together.) And, like High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Twilight is a well-crafted piece of entertainment I enjoyed even though I’m not exactly in the target audience.

Quick lowdown for all of us who are new to the phenomenon created by author Stephenie Meyer: Lonely teen Bella (Kristen Stewart) moves to the Pacific Northwest, much to her chagrin. Her hormones kick into overdrive when she meets the surly, sultry and steely-eyed Edward (Pattinson), who happens to be a vampire.

Edward is far from the only one. He has a family that, like him, does not feast on humans. The same cannot be said for a creepy-looking group of rogues who do like to drink human blood. The nastiest one of the lot, James (Cam Gigandet), develops a dangerous taste for Bella.

I cannot speak to how faithful the movie is to the book, not having read it yet. As was the case with the Harry Potter series, I wanted to see how much I liked the movie before reading the book. I don’t know that I’m any more eager to read Meyer’s novels, but the movie does exactly what it sets out to do - stoke the passions of its intended viewers. For that, director Catherine Hardwicke deserves much of the credit.

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Enlighten me on ‘Twilight’

By Eric Robinette | Thursday, November 20, 2008, 09:09 AM

I have seen Twilight, and it’s …

Well, for that you’ll have to read my review. But first, let me explain where I am on this saga.

As was the case when the Harry Potter movies came out, I’m new to the latest literary rage. I haven’t read any of Stephenie Meyers’ novels, so I’m still trying to sort all this out. Since I’ve seen the movie, I’m familiar with the first story, but I have a few matters I’m curious about.

Most every article I read about the books or movies talks about teen girls being the target audience. Is it really that limited, or are we in the press just focusing on the most vocal contingent?

Is there much crossover with the Potter fanbase? Do Potter fans and Twilight fans hate each other, especially now that Twilight slipped into Harry’s old release date?

And finally, sum up what Meyer’s books mean to you. I’d like to hear some testimonials.

C’mon, bite.

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