Theatrical Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Date- Sunday November 20 2016
Time- 1:15pm
Location- Pocono Movieplex (honestly, we go there all the time... I should just leave this field unchecked unless I'm going elsewhere)
Party- 4 (my mom, sister, aunt who loves the same books/movies, and myself)

Director: David Yates
Writer (book AND screenplay): J.K. Rowling
Composer: James Newton Howard
Notable Cast:
Newt Scamander- Eddie Redmayne
Jacob Kowalski- Dan Fogler
Tina- Katherine Waterston
Queenie- Alison Sudol
Graves- Colin Farrell
Credence- Ezra Miller
American Minister of Magic, Seraphina Picquery- Carmen Ejogo

Duration: 133 minutes (+3 trailers)

Write-up:

Audience & Coming Attractions

The next time we go to the movies (which will be later today), we need to bring a flashlight or at least light up a smartphone when we enter the theater. It's getting kind of annoying that we can't see where we're going or which seats are taken because the theater is darkened to show a dozen commercials. Seriously, if I want to see commercials, I could just stay home.
Couldn't even see how many people were in the theater, but there weren't as many as we expected. It was miserable and raining outside at the time.

It seemed like all three trailers figured we were all into Sci-fi (almost spelled that like the network... I don't even watch it that much) because they all fell into that category. I didn't even think Harry Potter fit there (it's more of a fantasy type deal, isn't it?).

First: Valerian- which is based on a graphic novel. I recognized Cat Delevingne from "Paper Towns." (Not quite who I pictured to play Margo Roth Speigelman, but she grew on me pretty quickly). The other guy, not so much. But the trailer promoted it more as a Luc Besson film (since he recently had a lot of success with "Lucy" which I've yet to see, but might need to).
The special effects and the environment look amazing. Not quite at the "Avatar" level, but the closest I'd seen in a while. Unfortunately, I have a gut feeling it's going to do about as well as "Jupiter Ascending."

Second: Ghost in the Shell, starring Scarlett Johansson. I'd heard of the animé series it was based off, but I never watched. It seemed too dark and too sci-fi for my personal tastes (just to give a clearer picture of my tastes- InuYasha, FullMetal Alchemist and Bleach were my favorite series on Adult Swim).
But the way this movie is set up and rendered, it looks really impressive. And Scarlett of course playing a kick-ass bad-ass. Something she brought to Black Widow and "Lucy" (yep, that Luc Besson movie I just mentioned) and may have perfected here.
I also remember the major controversy with this movie for casting her because she isn't Asian.
:sigh: will it ever end?

Finally, the trailer Comic-Con probably saw of the new "Power Rangers" movie.
I grew up on that franchise... well, 2-3 years of my childhood was wrapped up in it... I think I got into Pokémon shortly after I lost interest (which was when David Yost was written out of the show- he played my favorite character).
And I get the feeling that I am going to hate this movie because it's going to rewrite the entire mythology of the franchise. Two characters, I heard called Jason and Zack. And it sounds like they found the Command Center and Zordon instead of the other way around. Not to mention they're all "bad kids." That's completely wrong. The Power Rangers were chosen by Zordon because they were exceptional teenagers that were active in their communities. Unless they're opting for the angle "they're good inside, but have just gotten a raw deal in life"... I don't buy it.
Speaking of race, it looks like they might be doing that thing that got an outcry with the original series- the Black ranger was black and the yellow ranger was Asian. Honestly, I didn't really notice that when I was a kid and it really doesn't matter to me either way.

I remember the names of all the original actors except the Yellow ranger, Trini. Only that she died in a car accident. I know how to pronounce it, but I'll probably spell it wrong. Truy Thang, I think. [okay, I was close- I got two letters mixed up in her name- Thuy Trang].
Quick note: IMDB is great for a lot of things, but I don't get how they know the last names of the characters (when they were never mentioned on the show, yet they don't know Zack was the Black ranger and Trini was the yellow ranger).

Anyway, they lost me after they did an entire recast... end of story.

The Main Event in a Nutshell
What you need to know about the basic story: Newt Scamander is a British Magizoologist (studies magical creatures) who travels to America in the 1920's to release one of his magical creatures to its native habitat in Arizona.
But he picks a pretty bad time to go. New York is currently under siege thanks to something dark and destructive. What that is remains to be seen. But it's been terrorizing the Nomaj (American muggles) and the magical world is trying to solve the problem before their world is exposed and comes under fire. It is believed to be the work of a dark creature, which automatically makes Newt the #1 suspect.

Actors and Actresses

I don't know if I imagined the success Eddie Redmayne what have in his career after being in "Les Mis"... but it's been pretty fantastic. His performance of Stephen Hawking, while it was SO obvious he was going to win... I know the man is a super genius, but I gained so much more respect for him after seeing the movie. And he is great in this one as well. There were just some time I wish I had subtitles. He kinda mumbles sometimes, you see.

Dan Fogler, I knew from "Fan Boys" and it's cool to see him in a role like this. The man isn't obnoxious. He's just a lovable Nomaj that is having trouble getting his dream of owning a bakery. He meets Newt at the bank where he's trying to get a loan, but can't due to lack of collateral. He unwittingly becomes part of this journey into the magical world due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not to mention a "comedy" of errors.

The actresses, I hadn't really known before this, so I don't have much to say for them. Tina (Katherine Waterston) had gotten Hermione comparisons. Some of it is well-deserved. She's very smart and calculating. But her talents aren't taken as seriously due to actions taken before the movie begins.
Queenie is a bit of a scene-stealer and her storyline with Jacob is one I hope gets continued in future movies, despite the fact Nomaj are not supposed to be knowlegeable about the magical world. He's just such a great character.

Colin Farrell, I'd had a lot of moments on this blog where I've given him a hard time. My only complaint with him... he's Irish and he's playing an American character. Seriously, what the hell?! He plays a pretty complex character in that you really don't know what side he's on. We see him in the alleyway a lot talking to Credence, the adopted son of a woman who's been trying to organize a witch hunt.
Credence is played by Ezra Miller, who I know from "Perks of Being a Wallflower"... this was a good role for him, although a pretty sad one. He gets a raw deal and it extends past the fact his mum abuses him.

Same World, But a Different Place and Time

David Yates directed the last four Harry Potter movies and did so very well. We have the same visual look here as well, but considering it's New York in the 1920's, it's a bit different. But an interesting good different.

Visual and Special Effects
My other big negative with this movie... the effects are too chaotic in the action scenes. This is a good movie to see on the big screen, but it was still hard to see what was going on.
As for the contents of Newt's suitcase... well, you have to see it to believe it. It's the most jaw-dropping moment I think I'd had out of all the Harry Potter movies and there was a lot of that back then.
The first creature we meet is a Niffer. It looks like a black roly-poly platypus with maybe some echidna-like spines. I think I heard Ron mentioned in one of the books that he'd like to have one because they're good at finding treasures and shiny things. The one Newt has in his suitcase escapes into a bank, so you can imagine the shenanigans it gets into there. Everything else- I don't remember what any of them are called (like I said, Newt mumbles), but they're just amazing to look at. Hopefully we'll get to see more of them in the upcoming films.

What the Future holds...

I was skeptical at first when I heard that this movie adapted from a Hogwarts textbook was going to be make into a five-movie franchise. But taking into account who the ultimate villain of this movie turned out to be, I have a very good feeling I know what the ultimate goal of this new magical franchise is... and there is one very important casting choice coming up.
I'm sure a lot of Harry Potter fans have already figured it out.
Let's just say I got my idea from a Chocolate Frog card..

Grade: A-
(just to give an idea- I'd give "The Sorceror's Stone" an A+, "Prisoner of Azkhaban" an A, and the "Order of the Phoenix" maybe a B+)

Theatrical Review: EPIC

Location: Pocono Movieplex
Date: Sunday, June 2, 2013
Time: 12:15pm
Party: 2 (my sister & I)

Cast:
M.K.- Amanda Seyfried
M.K.'s dad, Bomba- Jason Sudekis
Ronin- Colin Farrell
Nod- Josh Hutcherson
Mub- Aziz Ansari
Grub- Chris O'Dowd
Mandrake- Christoph Waltz
Nim- Steven Tyler
Queen Tara- Beyonce Knowles
Bufo- Pitbull

[Coming Attractions]

The two of us had the theater all to ourselves... with the exception of a boy about 5 or 6 who claimed he'd seen the movie three times already and his dad was seeing "Fast & Furious 6." 

Question 1: 
Why was he completely on his own?

It wasn't as if he talked through the entire picture, but he had trouble staying still a lot of the time and his attention wasn't where it ought to be.

:sigh: 
I don't pretend to understand any of this. This movie could have gotten away with a G-rating, but I guess the MPAA people thought there were enough somewhat scary moments and bits of rude humor to bump it up to PG.

Are there no G-rated movies anymore?
At least that was my question until I saw that "Monsters University" got a G-rating.
Pixar can be counted on for that about 90% of the time.

The previews were all animated movies and included 2 sequels.

"Smurfs 2"
I saw bits and pieces of the first one. Not quite as bad as I expected, but I don't see myself seeing this unless it's on cable.

"Planes"
The trailer looks nice. It seems they're promoting it as a spin-off of "Cars" because there are cars in the movie. Again, nothing to get super excited about.

"Despicable Me 2"
Saw this trailer during Star Trek and it still looks great. We did go to see the first one, after all.

[Write-up]

Question 2: 
Why did nobody like this movie? 

Richard Roeper claimed that the celebrity voices were a distraction and that it has more stimulation for a younger audience than adults.
Hmm, maybe I answered my first question right there.

Maybe it just caters more to younger people because it has that "child-like wonder" factor. The animation is simply incredible. I remember seeing the teaser trailer last year (it was during a 3D movie so the trailer was in 3D... sadly we didn't have that luxury) and simply being in AWE of all the bright colors and such.

That's just one of the many ways I roll when it comes to movies.

It has an environmental message at its heart, but it's not preachy like a lot of movies people groan at merely the mention of. 
Right now the only example I can draw up is "The Lorax." I didn't read the book as a kid so I didn't know what to expect, but I felt deceived by the trailers that promoted it as a funny, light-hearted kid's movie. In the dark parts, it got REALLY dark.

And before anyone cries out that this is a deliberate rip-off of "FernGully"... I can't speak on behalf of that one way or the other. I saw the movie so long ago that I have no recollection of it.
The end credits said it was inspired by a children's book.

Thankfully, us humans aren't the bad guys in this one.
They're merely visitors.

The movie begins when teenager M.K. (Amanda Seyfried) arrives at her dad's place, which happens to be in the middle of the woods. He'd been spending his life searching for an "advanced civilization of little people living the forest," leading to his estrangement from society and his own family. M.K. wants to explain how she feels about his way of life, but he's too busy tinkering with his latest discoveries (via several of his motion-sensitive cameras strung throughout the forest) to even listen.
But as she's on her way to leave, she ends up having to catch their dog- an old three-legged pug with bad eyesight- who ran into the woods. Did he need to have three legs? No, but even though he's animated, he was freaking cute.

In the forest where the leafman (the little warriors who ride hummingbirds) live, they're preparing for a special day that only happens every 1,000 years. The queen of the forest (a warm performance from Beyonce) has to choose an heir. She picks out a seed blossom from a pond that must be bloom under the light of the full moon when it's at its peak.

But our villains, who are fully aware of this, arrive to complicate things. Their leader Mandrake (Christoph Waltz) wants to make everything in the forest decay simply because that's the way he likes things.

Sadly this massive chase scene that ensues ends with the Queen Tara getting killed, but not before she and M.K. meet and she gives her the task of looking after the seed. Not to mention she shrinks her down to their size.

A few voices stand out and gave decent performances, but I viewed this film as a whole rather than the sum of the parts. 
It's nice to hear Colin Farrell with his Irish brogue for a change. Josh Hutcherson, we all know as Peeta from "The Hunger Games," plays his young charge who is going through some growing pains and rebels, but evolves into somewhat of a love interest for M.K. It isn't explored terribly well, but it's a kid's movie- what do you expect? 
He gets a little friendly competition for M.K.'s affections from Mub the slug (yeah, I totally see that couple happening [rolls eyes]), and his friend Grub continually brings up his dream to become a leafman (despite the fact he's actually a snail).
Christoph Waltz plays a good baddie, but his voiceover work doesn't hold quite as much water as he does in the flesh where his accent alone gives me chills. 

Steven Tyler is probably the biggest stand-out other than Beyonce, making us totally believe that Nim is an eccentric "uncle" wise-man type.

The storyline is pretty easy to follow from there. After consulting Nim on what to do with the seed, they have to take it Moon Haven where the full moon will shine the brightest. The bad guys get a hold of it, Mandrake wanting it to open in darkness so he can use it to destroy the forest. Of course, the good guys have to infiltrate the evil lair to get it back and even then, the battle isn't entirely over.

The action comes and goes as it's needed so the movie is paced really well. And when the chips are down, everyone plays a part, even M.K.'s dad, and you get the desired happy ending.

Overall, it's straight forward, well-written, acted decently, provides a feast for the eyes and has a little something in it for everyone.
I really enjoyed it and hope anyone who reads this decides to give it a shot at some point, no matter what the critics say.

Grade: A

[Program Note]

Speaking of those critics, they all panned the magician heist film "Now you see me." Yet it managed to beat out this week's designated Blockbuster "After Earth" in box office earnings.

I'll be going to be seeing that solo on Wednesday. Not just to prove the wrong critics (something I like to do every now and then), but also because the trailers looked more awesome each time they showed them in theaters.

# 87: In the Land of Women (2007)

Code-name: Colin Farrell sucks

Writer/Director: Jonathan Kasdan
Type: Chick Flick

Cast:
Carter Webb- Adam Brody
Sarah Hardwicke- Meg Ryan
Lucy Hardwicke- Kristen Stewart
Phyllis- Olympia Dukakis
Paige Hardwicke- Makenzie Vega
Nelson Hardwicke- Clark Gregg
Sofia- Elena Anaya

Write-up:

When I first decided to do this list, I knew I wanted to include a bunch of movies that weren't deemed to be among the best... in fact, several were panned by audiences and critics alike. But they were ones that I either responded to on a personal level or, plain and simple, I enjoyed watched them and they always have me coming back for more.

A number of reasons can come up as to why not many like this particular movie.
There's a lot of hate going around when it comes to Kristen Stewart, whether it's the cheating scandal or the standard belief that she's one of the worst actresses in today's ranks... some of the people who believe that are Twi-haters who dislike everything about the franchise and others just aren't fond of her in general.

But this movie predates "Twilight" and its many sequels and happens to be the first time I got acquainted with Kristen Stewart in general. I think she's great in this and the same can be said about all of the cast.

This movie first appeared on my radar because of Adam Brody.
I'm a die-hard fan of "The O.C." and even though things ended on a good note with the series, I wanted to see more of Seth Cohen... the nerdy, socially awkward only child of the Cohens, who came out of his shell thanks to the kid from the other side of the tracks, Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie). It was Seth Cohen who gave us the joy of Chrismukkah, renewed love of comic books and Captain Oats. He was also living the dream as the guy who would go on to win over the "It" girl, Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson). 

Now, Carter Webb isn't quite the same as Seth Cohen. For starters, Carter is an L.A. screenwriter who specializes in soft-core porn. (With the exception of a few lines of dialogue, it's scarcely mentioned in the movie at all). He's also a guy who'd been out of high school for a while, somewhat jaded by the real world and after his model girlfriend Sofia dumps him, he feels lost.
So he makes the drastic decision to go to Michigan to take care of his ailing grandma, if only to get away for a while.
The two characters aren't quite the same, but Adam Brody still brings a lot of what made me fall in love with him in "The O.C." That alone makes me come back to this movie again and again, if only to relive some great memories.

The movie is true to its name... with the exception of Mr. Hardwicke (who we only see in a handful of scenes) and couple guys from Lucy's school, Carter is the one dude in this town surrounded by women, two of which happen to be mother and daughter.

Everyone who was into movies in the 90's (and some of the 80's)... heck, even though who weren't, they know that Meg Ryan is a staple in the "chick flick" genre... most of them just happen to be Nora Ephron movies where she ended up with Tom Hanks.
For a change of pace, we not only see her as a mom, but a woman with ideals that span beyond a relationship with the opposite sex, whether it's the pursuit or possession of it. 

Carter may be a few years out of high school and a veteran of the real world, but he's a bit of an old soul so he and Sarah develop a special bond because they share some of the same values.
It starts when the two of them start walking together and having deep, thought-provoking discussions along the way. Carter is still hung up on Sofia and talks about how he'd written dozens of letters to her that were deeply romantic and among the best stuff he'd ever written. But after a while, he starts to realize he'd done this with every relationship he'd been in: he puts his girlfriends on a pedestal and his expectations of what they are don't equal what they're really like.
He tells all this to Sarah and she says how it's a shame people don't write each other letters anymore. There's a certain sentimentality in this back and forth... it really is a great scene, if only to see the human condition from this unique perspective.

Sarah battles breast cancer in this film, which helps explain her sentimental mood, but part of it stems from the fact her husband had an affair. Perhaps she's seeking counsel with Carter to feel like she's appreciated.

It's also somewhat of a given that because Carter is new on the block, Sarah asks her daughter Lucy to spend time with him, take him out to see a movie and all that. Her younger sister Paige invites herself along as well. In a nutshell, she's one of many precocious little girls in these movies that seems a little too smart for her own good. Ruthie from "7th Heaven" comes to mind for me as the standard example of that archetype. It's not very realistic, but I enjoy it every time.

Lucy, I can only describe as your typical awkward high school girl, who's a helluva painter. She has her own studio in the basement and puts together a pretty amazing piece that looks like a portrait of her mom. Overall, she isn't developed as a character quite as well as the other girls in her family. But by the end of it, despite some discrepancies between her and her mom that have created rifts between them over the years, you see that the love is really there when it counts.

When they go out to the movies, Carter meets her friend Eric, who works at the mall's Orange Julius. (If not for this movie, I would not have known what one of those places was. One of many details I love to log away from the movies I watch). Lucy also asks for Carter's help with a situation she has with her boyfriend, Gabe, who wants to take their relationship to the next level, but because she doesn't want to, he's talking stuff behind her back.
Carter comes with her to this school party to help set the record straight (with some help with Eric, who more or less comes out and says he thinks she's amazing and Gabe blew it with her).
This scene also kinda proves that Seth Cohen still needs to learn how to defend himself in a fist fight.

Of course the greatest relationship in this movie is between Carter and his grandma. She's old, verging on senile, but everything that comes out of her mouth is HILARIOUS. There's a subtle, somewhat demented, sarcasm in her sense of humor, whether her character is aware of it or not.

When I first came across the movie in passing, having forgotten completely about wanting to see it, it was during what looked like a very dramatic scene.
Carter arrives back at the house, things are quiet and Phyllis comes into the room. He asks what's wrong.
Phyllis: It's possible... I think... maybe... my toilet might be stopped up

Geesh, you'd think she came across a dead body in the other room... the shift in the mood was so sharp and it made for a huge laugh.
Throughout the movie, she keeps telling Carter that she's going to die and to be ready to call the hospice because they'll take the best care of her corpse.

"They'll put me in a big zip-loc bag and take me down to the morgue."

And one time when Lucy stops by, she opens the door and she's not wearing pants. Carter tries to talk sense into her, but fails miserably:
Carter: Grandma, listen to me. It's not okay to answer the door when you're not wearing pants. In fact, it's never okay to do anything involving other people when you're not wearing any clothes.
Phyllis: I'm wearing a sweater

(spoilers ahead)

Between this, that and the other, things get a little complicated with Carter and the Hardwicks, especially after he kisses Sarah and Lucy.
Carter stops by later on to drop something and Sarah asks that he doesn't touch Lucy again.

This is in the 3rd act of the film and where it starts to lose me just a little bit.
Me, I'm asking myself what's the logic in this exchange? Lucy's closer to his age and Sarah's married. It sounded to me as if she was jealous and wanted Carter all to herself.
Then I remembered that Lucy was only 16-17 and Carter's in his late 20's.

Things more or less work themselves out, all thanks to Carter simply being there.
Lucy and Sarah repair their relationship.
Phyllis had someone to look after her in her final hours (despite Carter's insistence that she's fine and will be fine, she dies at the tender age of 133... ok, maybe not that, but in their final conversation, she says that she is that old).
Carter got some valuable experiences from the people he met and he's ready to move on to the next thing.

The saddest part about this was that Carter told his grandma that he's writing a children's book... well, you can't tell your grandma you write porn, whether she can understand you or not... he actually does finish his story about Pandy, a Teddy Bear whose character he based on himself.
The story begins when the child he belongs to abandons him and replaces him with Colin Farrell.

..which brings us back to the top.

I actually did not take issue with Colin Farrell until I saw this movie. I enjoyed him in a couple of movies he starred in in the early 2000's.
Colin Farrell becomes a running joke in this movie, a good running joke, but still one I take issue with... because Adam Brody, at least as Seth Cohen, is a guy I'd deem as "my type" and I hate to see anyone kicking him when he's down.

Sofia is a model and it is rumored, according to Paige when they see a poster of her at the mall, that she's dating Colin Farrell.
Five minutes later, they're looking at the movie listings and he's there again:

Paige: Hey, let's see the new Colin Farrell movie
Carter: Hey, let's not... What is with you and that guy?

After he came back to the movies after a couple of years of being away, getting himself in order and all that, I'd seen Colin Farrell in the "Fright Night" remake (where I took delight in his death) and "Minority Report" (where I cheered when he got killed because his character was annoying me)...
then there's the European film "In Bruges" that stars Harry Potter alums Ralph Fiennes and Brendan Gleeson... where his little heard Irish accent (outside of interviews) makes up for the impression I have of him... simply because his mere existence has created annoyance for some movie characters I enjoy watching.

...unfortunately, there is another movie further (much further) down my list that involves another Colin Farrell diss... so Farrell fangirls, my apologies ahead of time, you have been warned.

The movie has its good points and bad points for sure, but it's a personal favorite of mine that I bring out every now and then for another visit.

If anything, it's for the witty dialogue from Olympia Dukakis and the relationship that develops between Carter and Sarah. Granted, it's a little unconventional and unusual (at least the most they do is kiss in one dramatic scene where it's raining... for no apparent reason other than it being a dramatic chick-flick/rom-com scene), but it's a very sweet relationship where the details make it work for me every time.