Open Letters Monthly: Grown Ups 2

Couldn't we have another Hangover movie instead?

Grown Ups was not just a surprise hit when it was released three years ago, but also the biggest-grossing film for star Adam Sandler. With his next few projects garnering mixed reviews and negative box office receipts, he got together the old team from that 2010 hit and put together the aptly-named sequel (his first actual sequel as well) Grown Ups 2.

Lenny Feder and his family have moved to his New England hometown in an effort to lead a normal, low-key life with his friends Eric, Kurt and Higgy and their respective households. On the last day of school, each grown-up is provided with a challenge which educates them about how special their children are and just how good a job they have done as parents. But will rivalries old and new derail those new found discoveries?

Grown Ups 2 is directed by Dennis Dugan and stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Nick Swardson, Steve Austin, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, Maya Rudolph and Taylor Lautner.

Click here for the full review at Open Letters Monthly.

Movie Monday: A 'Savage' Review

This past weekend was all about The Amazing Spider-Man, but what if you've already seen the latest superhero film twice over between its Wednesday release and Saturday morning? What do you do then? As Todd and I discovered, the answer is certainly not to see Savages, the latest film by Wall Street and Platoon director Oliver Stone.

When Ben and Chon, co-owners of Los Angeles' best-run and least crime-ridden marijuana business, feel the pressure from Mexican Cartels who want to partner with their methods, they decide that they want to get out of the illegal drugs business. But the Cartel wants their expertise, and their leader, Elena Sanchez, has the pair's shared girlfriend O kidnapped as collateral to make sure the young men fall in line. When Ben and Chon instead decide to fight back and rescue their girl, the result is an orgy of violence and double crossing that involves rival cartels, Navy SEALS, and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Nothing will get between the pair and O, not even a well-armed militia intent on taking their heads.

Savages is directed by Oliver Stone and stars Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Blake Lively, Salma Hayek, John Travolta, Demian Bichir and Benicio del Toro.

Click here for the full review on Open Letters Monthly.

No Depp, No Pirates

The animated film has really come into its own in recent years. Once an industry dominated by Disney and littered with the refuse of lesser-appealing projects, today the medium looks... remarkably less dominated by Disney. Actually, between DreamWorks Animation, Pixar (okay, it’s owned by Disney, but whatever), Sony Pictures Animation, Studio Gibli and Illumination Entertainment, among others, the world of first-rate film animation is getting much more populated, a boon for the industry. But of all the animation studios out there, only one piques my interest so much to the point that when a new film is released, I make a point of going to see it. Aardman Animation was founded in 1972 as a low-budget animation studio, but most fans know it best for its trilogy of stop-motion films featuring Wallace & Gromit, the absent-minded inventor and his silent canine companion that were released between 1989 and 1995. The series won two Oscars for Best Short Film, and 2005 sequel The Curse of the Were Rabbit was the studio’s first to win the Best Animated Film award at the 78’th Academy Awards. I still have fond memories of seeing The Wrong Trousers on PBS as a child and laughing at the antics of those two characters. Suffice it to say, I’ve generally liked Aardman’s contributions to the medium, whether it be 2000’s Chicken Run or 2011’s Arthur Christmas. The company has managed to combine a solid mix of physical humor with a dry wit, and with the film’s signature animated style, I was more than ready to take in their latest effort, whatever that may be.

You might not be able to afford a better crew... but hope springs eternal.

As it turns out, that film is The Pirates: Band of Misfits. Hugh Grant makes his animated film debut as simply-named Pirate Captain, leader of a band of amateur pirates trying to prove their worth. To that end, the Pirate Captain enters the Pirate of the Year contest, which he has failed to win in over twenty years of competing. The fact is that he is not much of a plunderer, and his repeated failures have caused weariness to settle in. When his crew captures research ship The Beagle, with a young Charles Darwin (David Tennant) aboard, a startling discovery sends the crew to England, and untold riches may turn the race for Pirate of the Year in the Captain‘s favor. Still, he and his crew must avoid the eye of the dread Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) and her sheer hatred of pirates; but if all goes well, the crew will be back in the Caribbean, celebrating their victory before anyone knows any better.

Yup, I'm just going to hang out with David Tennant now. Don't wait up.

Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love Band of Misfits, I can’t help but be disappointed for two reasons. The first was the humor. Sure, the occasional witty line of dialogue is rapier sharp. Sure, the characters are largely designed to be fun to watch in action. So why isn’t this thing funnier? Well, the film really skimps on the physical humor that usually is a trademark of Aardman releases. Many of the potentially hilarious bits are hampered by the fact that they are thrown into an opening montage that doesn’t flow as well as the filmmakers thought it would. Directors Peter Lord (who hasn’t directed a film since 2000’s Chicken Run) and Jeff Newitt were obviously unsure as to what they were prepared to do, as many of their smarter ideas ended up not meaning much. For instance, Ashley Jensen plays a woman who poses as a man to serve as a pirate, complete with ridiculously fake beard. What do they do with that? Nothing. Nothing matters but the main story, and even that wasn’t as well played as the directors intended.

Don't make Queen Victoria angry... you wouldn't like her when she's angry...

Secondly, why do I get the impression that most of the film’s best ideas were stolen from similarly pirate-themed entertainment? While obviously parts were inspired by the extremely popular Pirates of the Caribbean series, I can’t help but see comparisons between Band of Misfits and the Monkey Island video game series. As I’ve expressed here in 2010 and in my Open Letters piece on the subject, I absolutely love the bawdy humor, clever storytelling, and compelling characters of the classic Lucasarts game series. So when I see a clear copycat trying to do many of the same things (and using many of the same ideas), I can’t help but feel as though I’ve been cheated somehow. Granted, this film does have some unique concepts all its own (the Pirate of the Year Award is an excellent idea, making one wonder why Ron Gilbert didn’t think of it), and pirate lore don’t exactly have a whole lot of different tales going for it. Still, I can’t be told that there’s a comically inept pirate convinced of his own superiority in popular entertainment and not think first and immediately of Guybrush Threepwood.

Occasionally there are other characters. RARELY occasionally.

The voice acting at least does its job well, though few of the actors present really do anything to distinguish themselves. Grant, who hasn’t really been relevant since the early 2000’s, proves there is still a career at 52 years of age, and his charming personality is narrowed only by the character’s limitations, and not his own. Tennant is also great, though I bet you likely wouldn’t have recognized him unless I’d told you it was him beforehand. Imelda Staunton is underused, but uses her short time wisely and to great effect. You might recognize some of the others, but Jensen, Anton Yelchin, Martin Freeman and Brendan Gleeson are sadly underutilized as the Pirate Captain’s crew, while Jeremy Piven and Salma Hayek make the most of what they can as his rivals.

Hoping there's a bottle of rum on the other side!

Though a silent monkey does end up providing most of the film’s best moments (and naturally not appearing until the film’s halfway mark), there was simply not enough to like about The Pirates: Band of Misfits. Sometimes when a foreign film fails in America, it’s because they present too much for the normal American film-goer to take in, or is too far removed from the average viewer’s comfort zone. Pirates has the opposite problem, and while it’s still a decent film that you can watch with your kids, it’s certainly not up to the high standards that Aardman has set over the years. There’s still a new Nick Park film on the horizon (Park created Wallace & Gromit), so there’s still hope for the future. As it is, Pirates won’t tickle your funny bone, and for that reason alone you can simply walk away.

Foot Fetish

For 2011, I set out a few goals for myself with the intention being to expand my overall film knowledge and prowess. The first was to of course continue writing these posts three times a week, forcing me to see new things as often as possible. The second was to see every single Academy-Award nominated feature film for 2011, whether it be on the big screen or DVD. Finally, I had to stop ignoring major genres, especially animated films. I've missed a lot in the theater in recent years, most notably the second and third entries in the Toy Story series (which I still haven't seen) and Wall-E and Up (which I eventually did see on DVD). It's actually pretty funny how I often resign this genre to being "just for kids" when the best animated films have something for people of all ages, and even Up and Toy Story 3 were arguably geared more for adults than they were for kids. I DO like animated films in general (Beauty and the Beast is in my top 5 all time), but I often don't show it enough love. And so even though this year I've already missed a lawn ornament take on a Shakespeare classic (Gnomeo and Juliet) and one of the biggest box office bombs EVER (Mars Needs Moms), I've also made an effort to see a wild west/animal hybrid (Rango) and a sequel to a Best Animated Film nominee (Kung Fu Panda 2). This doesn't mean I'll go out of my way to see Cars 2 (I'm not COMPLETELY crazy), but I admit that I was at least interested in seeing Puss in Boots when I learned the Shrek character was getting his own westernized spin-off. I've never seen any of the Shrek films, but combining one part Antonio Banderas, one part Zorro, and one part cute fluffy cat was enough to keep up my interest, even without an extensive knowledge of the universe that spawned this sword-wielding pussy cat.

He's a bad kitty

In a story from before the days in which he traveled with a certain green ogre, Puss in Boots (Banderas) is an outlaw of the sandy deserts. Known for his flamboyant charm, rapier wit and sharp... rapier... Puss is an outlaw trying to clear his name of the wrongful accusations of which he has been charged. When he hears about a legend he had searched for much of his life, the Magic Beans, he cannot help but be intrigued, as he has been searching for most of his life for them. These beans are supposed to help lead to a magical castle and a goose that lays golden eggs. Knowing that just a few of those eggs will pay his debts and set him up for life, Puss teams up with old friend Humpty Alexander Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) and clever cat burgler Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) to find the treasure before psychotic husband and wife Jack and Jill (Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris) get there first.

Never send an Egg to do a cat's job...

As with the Shrek franchise, Puss in Boots borrows liberally from children's folklore in manufacturing this story. It borrows mostly from nursery rhymes like Humpty Dumpty and Jack and Jill, and of course the magic beans and the golden goose come straight out of Jack and the Beanstalk. With the possible exception of Salma Hayek's character, there is very little in the way of original material; what IS original is the method in which it is used, borrowing from Shrek's parody universe but incorporating the Mariachi Western theme that makes it feel wholly unique. The animation is nearly top class, looking perhaps not as perfectly as Wall-E or even this year's Rango, but standing out in more than a few places. Music is where the film shines brightest however; between the score of Henry Pryce Jackman and two songs by acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela, the music manages to perfectly capture the magical and mysterious essences the film provides.

He hates to drink and run, but he will anyway

It's a shame the character design can't live up to the promise present in the film's lead. In Puss, Antonio Banderas has arguably his most well-known character, and a comeback of sorts after a steadily-decreasing level of importance in the Hollywood eye over the past decade. While it's ironic that a man so renowned for his sex appeal around the globe might be best recognized in this day and age as an orange tabby cat with an epee, to be recognized in this manner is no small feat, as it is Banderas' attitude and swagger that makes Puss so heroic and admirable. And Hayek comfortably slips between moods as Puss's equivalent Kitty Softpaws. If only Hayek (or the vocal director) could have actually made a decision as to whether or not Kitty actually has an accent. While most of her English is spotless, there is enough Mexicana poking through that one wonders whether she meant to do so or the people recording her voice just didn't care. Amy Sedaris and Billy Bob Thornton are good if underused as the villainous Jack and Jill, though they're no stretch from any similar characters in film. The only real disappointment is Zach Galifianakis, and that might not be entirely his fault. Every moment with Humpty Dumpty is relatively mediocre, and considering that we're not MEANT to like him, that's hardly a real surprise. However, Galifianakis was just not right for this role, as he doesn't have a compelling enough voice to go the animation career route. As proven in The Hangover and its sequel, he is a very physical actor, with his mannerisms complimenting his relatively deadpan voice to create perfect hilarity. Without actually being able to see the actor (and the character model is a poor replacement), there's no reason to really care about him.

Some cats just stand taller

And that matters, since we have to actually care about for the last act to carry any impact. Unfortunately, that is scarcely the case, as Puss in Boots fares well early on but limps sadly into the sunset. Remember how I said early on that the best animated films could be fun for adults too? Puss in Boots didn't get that memo, as what I saw was certainly entertaining for kids and failing miserably in its attempt to rope grown-ups into the mix. Certainly charming in its own right, Puss tries its hardest to become more than just a Shrek knockoff, but doesn't seem to know where to start. Still, with a true lack of big-name animated franchises these days (not to mention a record-breaking October debut), you can be sure that these filmmakers will be more than willing to try again in a few years.