People Like Us (2012)

Starring: Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Hall D'Addario
Director: Alex Kurtzman
Genre: Drama
Rating: B

The basic plot of People Like Us, at least as told by the film’s trailer, is one that I feel like I’ve seen before – heck, it’s one that I feel like I’ve seen several times.  I’m not certain what it says about me and the movies that I watch, but I suspect that it’s a lot.  Fortunately, however, the movie is a lot more than just what its trailer presents, and in that I was thoroughly satisfied.  There is a lot that is rather typical of movies of this genre, but it feels like it’s been put together in a new way and the film succeeds in avoiding being predictable.  While People Like Us does have its shortcomings, I found it to be a really enjoyable movie.

Following a failed business deal, Sam (Pine) is threatened with an investigation from the FTC – the only way to avoid it is to bribe an FTC official with a new deck for his home.  Before Sam can begin to complete the deal to get the needed materials, however, he discovers that his father has died and he must travel to L.A. for the funeral – something which he rather desperately tries to avoid doing, resulting in the two of them missing the actual service.  It becomes quickly apparent that Sam had a great deal of issues with his father, who he views as having essentially been a negligent jackass, however he does hope that he might inherit a sum of money which will help to get him out of debt.  He doesn’t, however; instead he inherits his father’s sizeable record collection and is tasked with delivering a shaving kit full of money to eleven-year-old Josh (D’Addario), Sam’s previously unknown nephew.  Sam embarks on a mission to get to know his half-sister Frankie (Banks) and Josh, while straining his already tenuous relationship with his mother Lillian (Pfeiffer), potentially ruining his relationship with his girlfriend Hannah (Wilde), and is repeatedly summoned by his work and the FTC.

My one big problem with People Like Us is the whole FTC subplot.  I don’t object to it on principle, I just can’t help but feel that the movie didn’t really explore it.  The whole subplot of Sam’s job, debt, and impending legal troubles were all interesting but only briefly mentioned.  It’s like a great Greek drama; all the action in that regards takes place off screen, and Sam never really seems to deal with the consequences.  As the film is wrapping up, this whole plot kind of looms over things, a forgotten thread.  The problems with Hannah are similarly treated, but in the end I felt this was pretty well handled.  The whole surprise half-sister plot, however, is handled far better, as is the exploration of Sam’s relationship with his parents.  I especially loved the way that Pfeiffer portrayed Lillian, from the character’s mannerisms to the sheer expression of emotion.  It’s clear that a lot of thought was put into her, as well as the other characters, and I loved how Pfeiffer appears as this dishevelled, unglamorous, mourning woman.  She really showed a vulnerability in this role, as did Banks.  My two favourite characters in this movie were Lillian and Frankie, who were these strong and yet vulnerable women.

The character that I didn’t really like was Josh, played by newcomer D’Addario.  I don’t think the actual portrayal was bad, I just didn’t like the kid in general.  I found him to be this rude, obnoxious little brat and spent a lot of the movie hoping that someone would slap him for his attitude – that and give him a haircut.  I also really wanted someone to slap Sam for his attitude and the way that he treated the people in his life.  There was a lot about him that made me think that he was more like his father than he realized.  That having been said, I really did enjoy the journey that the movie took.  I might have focused more on the negatives in this review, but it was a good movie, with a good journey.  It told an interesting story and it made you root for the characters.  I didn’t want Sam and Josh to get slapped because I hated them, I wanted them to be slapped because I was certain that they were good people who just needed some sense knocked into them.  I was really happy with the way that the film ended too; with the exception of the FTC subplot I felt like things had been nicely wrapped up.

New Year's Eve (2011)

Stars: Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Ludacris, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Héctor Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank, Sofía Vergara

Director: Gary Marshall
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: C-

When you get an ensemble cast like the one in New Year's Eve you should be able to expect something good.  There are a lot of big names in this film and so despite it being a romantic comedy you should be able to expect it to be something great - you look at a movie like Love Actually and expect something great.  New Year's Eve is a failure in that sense; despite having a stellar cast, it's really not that good of a movie.  In fact, I doubt the word 'good' should be used at all when discussing this film.

New Year's Eve is a series of vignettes set on, surprise-surprise, December 31st, in New York.  Swank plays the Vice-President of the Times Square Alliance and is in charge of the ball dropping on time - the biggest event of the year for Times Square.  Despite the importance of her job, however, there's a meeting at midnight that she's debating going to, as is encouraged by her friend Ludacris. Berry is a nurse caring for terminal patient De Niro, who speaks fondly of memories of seeing the ball drop and only wants to see it happen once more before he dies.  Elsewhere in the hospital, parents-to-be Biel and Meyers are anxious for their baby to be born, even more so when fellow expecting parent Schweiger lets slip that the hospital gives a huge bonus to the first baby born in the hospital in the new year.  Pfeiffer is a wallflower of a woman who has quit her job and hired Efron in order to help her make a list of New Year's resolutions come true.  Meanwhile, Bon Jovi is attempting to rekindle his romance with ex-girlfriend Heigl.  Upstate, Duhamel is stranded after a friend's wedding; he must get back into the city in time to give a speech at a ball, but there's the memory of a girl he met on New Year's Eve the year before, and a promise to meet her again that's hanging over him.  Parker is a somewhat highly strung single mother who is planning to do nothing on New Year's Eve but watch the ball drop on television with her daughter, much to daughter Breslin's disappointment - she was hoping to go to Times Square, without her mother, and experience her first kiss.  Oh, and Kutcher and Michele get stuck in the elevator to their building.

There are two major signs in that this movie isn't good; first of all, I skimmed a lot and yet I still had to write 300 words to summarize the film, and second of all, without going onto Wikipedia, IMDb, or another website, I am unable to tell you the name of a single character in the film (other than Jon Bon Jovi's Jensen, whose name is said a lot).  There are so many characters and different plots in this movie that it's hard to summarize it with less.  There's a lot going on, and as a result you really don't get the chance to know and love nay of the characters.  The only character who I really felt like I understood and had a feel for were De Niro and Berry; I was really moved by his struggles and desires and the way that he hopes to make it to midnight.  Beyond that, though, none of the characters were particularly moving.  Sure, some of the stories had potential and could have been great if they were developed more... but in the span of a single movie there was just way too much going on.  You didn't get the chance to care about the characters - you didn't get the chance to learn their names.

The only way that this film is able to really be coherent despite the lack of development is the fact that New Year's Eve borrows heavily from plots of other movies.  The guy who proposes to his girlfriend, gets cold feet and runs, then tries to make things up?  I've seen it.  The couple who's competing with another couple over something ridiculous? Seen it.  The guy who's in love with the woman that he's met once years ago? Seen it. Dying guy wants to make things right with his family?  Wallflower who finally works up the nerve to pursue her life long dreams? Person who has a major deadline for work and has to deal with things going wrong?  Mother has to figure out how to deal with her teenager? Seen it, seen it, seen it, seen it.  Oh, and pair who've never met before get stuck somewhere and have to deal (and of course fall in love)?  Yeah, seen that one too. My suggestion for anyone debating seeing New Year's Eve is to watch Love Actually if you're looking for a touching holiday-themed movie filled with love and vignettes or see one of the many other romantic comedies out there that focus on at most a couple plots and actually develop them.

Recommendations: June 29

Magic Mike - I'm going to quote the Cineplex Magazine's description of this movie: "Based on Channing Tatum's real-life experience working as a stripper".  This is a movie about male strippers.  I'm going to say that again: it's a movie about male strippers.  Based on Channing Tatum's real life.  This could be absolutely horrible, and it'd still be worth seeing.

Ted - Seth MacFarlane's transition into the big screen, Ted is about a kid who wishes for his teddy bear to be real, then grows up.  I'm not really sure what to expect from this movie; I think it could be really good or really bad.  We'll definitely have to wait and see.

People Like Us - Starring Chris Pine, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Elizabeth Banks, People Like Us is about a man who finds out that his father had another family and that he has to give his previously unknown, half-sister $150,000.  I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie and have been since I saw the first trailers for it.  I'm interested in seeing the journey that these characters go on, from Pine's struggling businessman, to Banks' alcoholic, to Pfeiffer's grieving widow.

Take This Waltz - The second film from Canadian Sarah Polley, Take this Waltz is about a woman, Margot (Michelle Williams), who is in love with her husband (Seth Rogen), while attracted to her neighbour (Luke Kirby).  As Michelle Williams appears to be on a kick as of late, I'm certain this'll be a great movie, although I am a bit nervous about Rogen's part in it.  I usually enjoy his movies, but I don't think I've ever actually seen him in a drama.

21 Jump Street - An amazing combination between comedy and action, 21 Jump Street is about two rather failed cops who are sent to a high school to pose as students and uncover a drug ring.  I really enjoyed this movie, and recommend it to others.

The Artist - The 21st century's take on a silent film, The Artist is about a silent movie star who bemoans the coming era of talkies.  While I haven't actually seen this movie yet it was a huge success last year, winning 107 awards during the award season, making it the most awarded French film in history.  Definitely an artsy movie, this film is a must-see.

Mirror Mirror - The year's first Snow White movie, Mirror Mirror was ridiculously overly sugary, but in a good way.  Something to check out when you're in the mood for some easy entertainment.

The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls' memoir, The Glass Castle tells the story of Walls' childhood and family, both which could be described only as unconventional.  There's something about this book that just kept me reading, while also gave me the firm desire to yell at Walls' parents.

Let's Pretend this Never Happened - I haven't actually read this book yet, but Let's Pretend this Never Happened is getting a good reception and debuted at number two on the New York best seller list.  This is a memoir by blogger Jenny Lawson about the things that people like to pretend never happened.

Water for Elephants - This is one of the best books I've ever read.  By Sara Gruen Water for Elephants tells the story of Jacob Jankowski though two periods in his life; one as an old man, in a nursing home, reflecting on how his life has turned out, and one where he's a young man beginning to live said life.  At the start of the Depression, Jacob jumped onto a train that would change his life and, inadvertently, joined the circus.  If you have the time, check out this book.

Dark Shadows (2012)

Stars: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Johnny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloë Grace Moretz, Gulliver McGrath
Director: Tim Burton
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Drama
Rating: B+

At some point in the last decade or so people began to think of Tim Burton as a director of blockbuster movies, which is about the same time that people really started to say that Burton’s movies suck.  I suspect that a huge part of this has to do with Johnny Depp; once Depp did Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl people began to see him as a blockbuster actor and assumed due to their frequent collaborations that meant that Burton was a blockbuster director.  The problem is that Tim Burton are not blockbusters and should not be treated as such.  The man who made a movie about Ed Wood is not trying to be a blockbuster director.  Let’s stop trying to treat him as such.

Dark Shadows is a movie upgrade of a campy 1960s gothic soap opera.  That is the type of movie that this is, and that is how it should be taken, nothing more, nothing less.  The film follows the life of Barnabas Collins (Depp).  Born in the mid-eighteenth century, Barnabas is the son of a wealthy entrepreneur living in the fishing port of Collinsport, Maine.  Barnabas is somewhat of a playboy who breaks the heart of servant and witch Angelique Bouchard (Green).  She, in turn, kills his parents and his lover, Josette du Pres (Heathcote), before casting a spell that turns him into a vampire.  Turning the town against him, she has him chained in a coffin which is then buried in the woods.  In 1972 later the coffin is accidentally dug up by a work crew, releasing Barnabas.  He finds that his family, or the descendants of his family, are living in the shadows of the greatness that they once had, having been cursed by Angelique.  After promising matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Pfeiffer) to keep his true identity secret from the rest of the family and to not feed on them, Barnabas sets out to restore his family’s to their former glory.

This film is campy, but intentionally so.  It’s dark, over the top, and ridiculous, but that’s what makes it fun.  The jokes are a bit corny at times, but for the most part they’re funny.  Watching Depp play an out of time vampire, in the 70s, is pretty much comic genius.  One of my favourite scenes was of him trying to figure out just what a lava lamp is.  At times he’s a bit too over the top, especially in his language (I never want to hear the term ‘birthing hips’ again), but it works within the parameters of the film.  I also really enjoyed the more deadpan humour of Willie Loomis (Haley).  There’s something about Haley that makes him both so creepy and so entertaining at the same time.  The overall plot of the movie made sense and was easy to follow, although I would have enjoyed a bit more character development. You really get to know Barnabas and Angelique, but a lot of the other characters were a bit sidelined.  I would have liked to have seen more of the Collins children, and I think because of the lack of development with them some of the plot twists at the end came out of nowhere.  I’m almost interested in seeing this again, just to see how much foreshadowing there is.  I do have to say, my favourite part of this movie was the music.  The score was done by Danny Elfman which is always a good thing, and the soundtrack is comprised of music from the 70s.  It’s hard to go wrong there.