Date: Sunday July 28 2019
Location: Cinemark Theater in Stroud Mall
Time: 11am
Party: 3 (my mom, sister and I)
Director: Jon Favreau
Writers: Jeff Nathanson (screenplay) and Brenda Chapman (story)
Composers: Hans Zimmer (score), Elton John (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics)
Cast:
Simba- Donald Glover
Nala- Beyonce
Scar- Chiwetel Ejiofor
Zazu- John Oliver
Rafiki- John Kani
Sarabi- Alfre Woodard
Shenzi- Florence Kasumba
Keegan-Michael Key- Kamari
Eric Andre- Azizi
Timon- Billy Eichner
Pumbaa- Seth Rogen
Mufasa- James Earl Jones (seriously- who else?!)
JD McCrary- Young Simba
Shahadi Wright Joseph- Young Nala
(hopefully that's everyone... )
Duration: 118 minutes (+7 previews)
Introduction
OMG- I have been looking forward to this for a long time. I forgot where I ranked it in my top 100, but The Lion King is one of my all-time favorite movies. Not just animated or Disney, but all time. I think the only thing that beat it with animation was Spirited Away. But this one is very close to my heart and a big part of my childhood. Heck, I still have all of my lion plushies- a lion from the Ringling Bros. (a cirus that had no lion tamer, by the way- I'm still disappointed about that), a lioness and three Disney plushies of young Simba, Kiara and Kovu because I LOVED the direct-to-video sequel.
But after seeing Aladdin, I still had some nerves about what kind of adaptation this would be. Even with Beauty and the Beast, as good as it is, there were still some bits I didn't like how they changed it.
Just to get it out of the way, I am very pleased with this version of Lion King. In some respects, it's actually better than the original... or I just liked how they did some things in this version more. And there are parts I prefer from the original and that'll never change. This is one DVD I'll definitely be getting.
One thing I will add about the theater. It filled up a bit, but it wasn't full. But this felt like the stiffest audience. There was no cheering after the Circle of Life and no cheering after the credits. Maybe a chuckle or two, but still... was everyone still asleep or were they really not that impressed?
And I'm not easily impressed either- especially something I feel this strongly about.
Trailers
Clearly these trailers were geared towards kids more than adults... but there were a couple exceptions.
The Art of Racing in the Rain- I'm not seeing a dog movie in the theater again after "Marley & Me", but the fact Milo from "This Is Us" is in it, I might google spoilers to see if anyone dies in the end so I can spare myself the grief.
Playing With Fire- either John Cena has the same agent as Dwayne Johnson or his agent saw The Rock's successful crossover from wrestling to movies to Sexiest Man Alive and wants him to follow the same route. He was kinda funny in "Trainwreck," his acting debut, but a little over the top. Now he's doing a lot of Nickelodeon stuff like hosting "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" This movie-- it's almost as goofy looking as The Tooth Fairy was (somehow The Rock got past that and made something bigger out of his career... the Furious franchie might have helped with that). But John Cena and these firefighters adopt these kids after a fire destroys their house and it's full of stupid humor. Although the kid getting his mastiff to obey in an instant was hilarious...
Dora and the Lost City- this is a weird one for me... Dora the Explorer came around way after I was too old to like kiddie shows, but it's still kinda weird that they're making a live action version of her all grown up. I'm not sure if that same nostaglia factor will be in there. Plus it seems to have that self-aware humor a lot of Nickelodeon stuff has nowadays.
Cats- ooh, mixed feelings about this one... PBS aired the original musical on Greatest Performances years ago. I think I was in 8th grade at the time. I don't know if it was the music or the visuals or the fact the TV was on too loud, but I went to bed halfway through and couldn't sleep. Then I got out of bed, saw the end... and I barely slept and I had school the next day. I love cats in general, but something about this show, I find a little unsettling. Thinking about "Memory" and the ending-- it was a happy ending too... it makes me burst into tears.
I haven't read any comments on the trailer that was just released, but I'm already under the impression that a lot of people aren't going to like this version. The overall look of it is a little strange- although motion capture is a better move than what they did with Mike Meyers and the Cat in the Hat. Some of the same characters from the original I can pick out- like the lithe female white cat, Rum-Tum-Tugger and Deuteronomy (what, that's Judi Dench's character?! That's supposed to be a male character... not sure if I like that). But Jennifer Hudson seems to be playing Grizabella, the cat singing "Memory"... and she's just a diva cat that had her heyday and has become a hasbeen. I'm sure some die-hard fans of the play are not going to like that particular part of the adaptation. Not the diva angle or the race angle, but because she doesn't look old enough for that part. Elaine Paige's talent can't be denied, but the makeup and costume for Grizabella, for me, was scary beyond all reason. I mean, they had a song prior to "Memory" where the other cats were dismissive of her, almost like they were pegging her as a scary old woman that nobody should go near. So they're making her a little more approachable in this version... which I guess is good. It'd make me want to see what they do with it. But there are probably people hating also because Taylor Swift is in it somewhere... I cannot undersand why people constantly dump on her, or any of the clean cut nice girls in the entertainment business.
Yeah... for a musical I have unpleasant memories (haha, not an intended pun) about, I remember a lot... but I have this weird issue where I remember the unpleasant things far more than things that make me laugh and smile.
Angry Birds 2- Um... the fist movie wasn't a success, why are they making a sequel?! (although the dance battle was pretty hilarious)
Abominable- ok, are Bigfoots and Yetis IN now? What is what all of these movies lately about these guys? They're going from an Asian angle with this one and the girl who discovers it plays violin and the music brings the forest to life. That's kinda cool...but still, that's a little strange to me that this is trending and all of the studios are doing it. It's almost like the old days where Pixar and Dreamworks were ripping off each other's ideas-- Antz and A Bug's Life, anyone?
Maleficent- Mistress of Evil... I didn't like how they redid the story in the previous movie. Where Maleficent wakes Sleeping Beauty and King Stephen is actually the bad guy. I did like Angelia Jolie playing this role because I can't imagine anyone doing it better (and I don't like her that much). I don't know if this warranted a sequel. And she finds out that there are more dark fairies like her out there... I have a bit of a problem with that... she's like an evil unicorn, there should only be one of her or it just dilutes the whole evil formula.
Mulan- yet another live Disney remake that's in the works... but this looks completely different from the original... Mulan's suddenly a badass? And where the hell is Mushu? Is this not even a comedy? I'm sure it'll be more culturally accurate than the original, but the original was great because it had a lot of heart, Mulan was an underdog who had to find her own strength and poise being in the army, and it had lighthearted funny moments because of Mushu and the dynamic between him and the lucky cricket. Of course I'll have to see it myself so I can properly judge it, but it's almost like they've erased all of the things I liked about the original. The guy playing Shang better be handsome, that's all I'm gonna say.
The Main Event
In Case anyone by now hasn't seen the original... SPOILERS will be later on... although I can't imagine anyone not familiar with this movie at all...
Clearly I've already written a lot of things about things other than the movie so this isn't going to be a line for line thing where I go through every bit of dialogue or every scene across both movies and say which they did better... that can be its own entry in the future...
One thing about Aladdin that I didn't like so much was the fact that they had a lot of the same dialogue, but it didn't flow as naturally from the actors. It's almost as if they've looked down on the stage where they see the T-marker and realize they have to say this line at this particular moment.
The Lion King had this as well... there were some moments where they had lines identical to the original and they arrived at them without a proper build up. Like they copied and pasted parts of the original script into the new one.
That said, after the Circle of Life scene where everything had to be on point (but there were some things that they could have left out because it was an obvious callback to the original)... after that scene, everyone started to relax and do the movie like they're debuting it for the first time.
One notable difference... how the animals move and interact with one another... even how they look (Rafiki has no tail in this version because, I guess, some baboons don't have tails)... it was truer to life. And I kinda liked that. It made it feel more realistic and believable.
Overall, the story is identical to the original and they didn't add or change too much. That was good. A story this well written, you can't mess with it too much or that just gets lost.
One scene that was added was the circumstance where Nala leaves Pride Rock to find help. In the original, she just randomly shows up in the jungle and nearly eats Pumbaa. We get to see a bit of what the regime is like under Scar and how dire the situation is for the lionesses. It was BAD...
The characters had all of the same qualities as the originals, but some were improved upon quite a bit. Chiwetel Ejiofor has been getting a lot of good roles since he was in "12 Years a Slave" and he's done them well. As Scar, he's downright terrifying and that's what you need in a villain like this.
Scar in the original was oily like a snake and worked both sides with his keen intellect. But once he becomes king, he's a bit of a prima donna-- like where Sarabi tells him that there's no food and they need to leave, he says lines like "you're just not looking hard enough" and "I'm the king, I can do whatever I want"... really?!
So definitely a check in the remake column for Scar.
We also get a little more background about him, Mufasa and Sarabi and that was a nice touch. If you really thought about it, you could have made that same argument in the original. Although why Sarabi chooses Mufasa over him isn't that hard to imagine in the original.
One casting choice that hasn't been popular is John Oliver as Zazu... he's one of those political pundits that reads the news and skews it fully on the liberal angle. Maybe it's because I don't watch a lot of "Last Night with John Oliver"... but I didn't have a problem with him.
In fact, I really liked how they improved upon Zazu in this version. Granted, he's still a bit of a know-it-all who insists on following the rules, but he gets to play the unsung hero in a couple scenes. Not giving all that away, but that was a great way to move the story along. Plus, he has a running gag that throws back to some older Disney characters.
One key element I was following almost the entire movie that they had to get absolutely right or they'd lose me... the score... Hans Zimmer wrote an amazing score for the original and they brought it back with extra oomph in all of the key scenes.
Back to the characters... the hyenas still have that comic relief element, but Banzai and Ed are gone and got completely replaced by Kamari and Azizi. And they have some moments that reminded me of Pain and Panic from Hercules. Shenzi is not just scary, but she's even stronger of a character. In real life, hyenas aren't just scavangers, but they're top tier predators equal with lions. And females are the leaders. So they were definitely more accurate and respectful to hyenas. Taking everything into account, it makes the story even stronger.
One thing I didn't like as much... the dynamic between Timon and Pumbaa. They're still a dynamic duo and it's not like Timon was an angel in the original... but his snark and sarcasm is a little more produced. And their dynamic is a little closer to Laurel and Hardy where one is dismissive of the other, insisting they're the smarter one.
Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, though... dang, he WAS that character. Not that his voice isn't easy to pick out, but I forgot it was him that whole time. And he gets some moments to really shine.
There'd been so much in entertainment lately about female empowerment and while I'm all for it speaking as a female, a lot of it has been over the top. That was one thing about Aladdin I didn't like so much because they were trying too hard for that angle. I was a little afraid that they'd do that with Nala as well because she's such a great character. But they did it in a way that made sense. We see why and how she's the bravest of the lioness to go for help. And she has her own role to play in the final battle with Scar and the Hyenas. I'm not the biggest Beyonce fan, but she did this part well and brought her own spin to it. Sarabi also gets a little more screentime and backstory and she shows her strength in not succumbing to Scar's demands.
I haven't talked about Simba at all and this movie is about him, really... the young actor who played him did a really good job and Donald Glover wasn't bad playing the older version. I'd say on both accounts, the actors did a good job playing the roles in both versions. I'd read one or two comments saying he's not that great of a character or he's nothing special. But we get to see a little more of the struggle he goes through about what happened to his father and living with that guilt for something he didn't do. And there was more dialogue to bolster his character in the moments he needed it the most.
James Earl Jones as Mufasa... it's like he never left... and that's what makes him so good as an actor. He plays this role proudly and brings the strength absolutely needed for it. That's why it's such a shock when he gets killed off. Simba grows up believing his father was invincible and we see a little more of why he's such a strong king and just a good king. Rewatching the original again a week beforehand, I almost feel like Mufasa doesn't get enough screentime and we don't get enough to grasp why he's so beloved. We lose him as we're getting to know him. Here, we get to see this for ourselves more rather than relying on what everyone else says about him and taking their word for it.
The stampede scene is very iconic and it broke a lot of hearts the way Bambi's mom did decades before that... there were parts of it that were more impressive looking... but the moment where Scar throws Mufasa into the gore below... that's a hard scene to duplicate and improve upon. And the original still did it better...
I know this movie practically by heart, nearly every scene and bit of dialogue... I can recall that scene instantly in my mind and that still sends shockwaves through me. Mufasa falling to his death and Jonathan Tyler Thomas screaming "NOOO!!" as he sees it happening.
I can't recall what it was like seeing it happening in the theater for the first time, the exact things I was feeling... I was maybe 8 at the time... but yeah... phew...
And I will concede to another criticsm... people talking about how having well known actors playing these roles takes away from it... my opinion on that is that this doesn't make me want to buy the soundtrack all over again. We do have it in the house somewhere, but I don't feel like I need to have these actors singing these songs.
And I don't mind well-known actors doing voiceovers, but it really depends on who they are. It's not as if in this case I felt like I was hanging around with them instead of the characters themselves and I've felt that way about other actors in the past. I'm someone who worships voice actors almost more than people that are in live action movies. Mostly because they have ties to my childhood. But for iconic characters, the voice actors ARE those characters for me. I wouldn't love these characters the same way if the right actors didn't play them.
That could be another post in itself so I won't yammer about that as well.
While not 100% perfect, this movie is definitely a solid A for me.
Showing posts with label Hans Zimmer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hans Zimmer. Show all posts
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Saturday, August 2, 2014
16. The Lion King (1994)
Code-name: Simba
(ugh, I really couldn't get creative at this point... I'll be on my game next week, promise)
Directors: Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
Type: Disney animation, musical, dramedy
Composers: Elton John & Tim Rice (music & lyrics), Hans Zimmer (score)
Cast:
Young Simba- Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Adult Simba- Matthew Broderick
Mufasa- James Earl Jones
Sarabi- Madge Sinclair
Scar- Jeremy Irons
Young Nala- Niketa Calame
Adult Nala- Moira Kelly
Rafiki- Robert Guillaume
Zazu- Rowan Atkinson
Timon- Nathan Lane
Pumbaa- Ernie Sabella
Shenzi- Whoopi Goldberg
Bonzai- Cheech Marin
Ed- Jim Cummings
Notable awards and animations:
OSCAR- Best Original Song ("Can you feel the love tonight")
OSCAR- Best Original Score- Hans Zimmer
nominations-OSCAR- Best Original Song ("Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata")
Golden Globe- Best Original Song ("Can you feel the love tonight?")
Golden Globe- Best Original Score- Hans Zimmer
nomination- Golden Globe- Best Original Song ("Circle of Life")
Grammy- Best Male Pop Vocal- Elton John ("Can you feel the love tonight?")
Grammy- Best Musical Album for Children
nomination-Grammy-Best Instrumental Composition for TV/film- Hans Zimmer
nominations-Grammy-Best Song written for film/TV- ("Can you feel the love tonight?" and "Circle of Life")
Write-up:[again, if you hadn't seen this movie yet, shame on you... it is awesome... spoilers ahead]
Earliest momentsTo my recollection... okay, my recollection sucks. I remember this being the 2nd movie I saw in theaters... that honor belongs to "Jurassic Park," which my dad and I saw a year after "Aladdin."
Give me a break, I wasn't even 8 yet and as the years pass, my memories get further away.
This was definitely a movie to behold in the classic cinematic format. The absolute size of the opening number was jaw-dropping. I didn't know I felt, but I knew it was something special. A constant stand-out was the comedy in this movie. For all the intense moments involved Scar and the hyenas and wildebeests, comic relief was struck throughout. Early on, it was poking fun at Zazu and later it was the duo of Timon and Pumbaa.
What I don't remember clearly was Mufasa's death and my reaction to it. I think I was crying in the theater... I'm not positive, and honestly who wasn't? That was after so much intensity with the stampede.
I remember the final fight scenes pretty well where all the characters got in on the action, Timon, Pumbaa, Zazu, even Rafiki got to kick some great hyena :P
and Simba's chill-inducing ascent to the "throne" atop Pride Rock. The animation, yes, but a great deal of that goes to the score.
As for the cast and crew, back then I only knew Whoopi and Jonathan Taylor Thomas from "Home Improvement."
...there's one cute episode later in the series where Tim is entertaining his niece with voices and she asks him to be a lion. He says he's never been a lion cub, and JTT comes in and says "I have. You know, I gotta tell you it's a tough gig. Everyone expects you to be king."
Nice little inside joke/bit of homage ;)
for this very reason, I saw "I'll be home for Christmas" and watched his cameos in Tim Allen's newer series "Last Man Standing"...
looking at his profile now... amazed he's originally from Bethlehem PA (I commute there!) and only 5 years older than me
Story
Disney admits they loosely based it on "Hamlet" and had a little bit of "Bambi" in there too... c'mon, what kid is to be familiar enough with "Hamlet" to make this connection?
I'm not super familiar with "Hamlet" (been meaning to try reading it again... I got maybe 10 pages in before I got busy with school... I was reading it for leisure, btw) but other than, you know:
There are enough differences where I don't fully buy into it, nor do I really want to. It overcomplicates things (Lion King II being based on "Romeo & Juliet"... so obvious, but we'll get to my adoration of that movie later).
We have the big EPIC opening with the "Circle of Life" where all the animals venture to Pride Rock to see the debut of the new prince. Just thinking on it gives me chills.
On the other side of this momentous occasion, we have Mufasa's younger brother Scar, who is less than pleased about this news since he was next in line for the throne.
Now a young cub, Simba learns from Mufasa about the circle of life and keeping balance of the kingdom. Later that day, he also learns a valuable lesson: being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble.
Scar suggests Simba check out the elephant graveyard, something too good for him and his friend Nala to resist, and this lands them in trouble with the hyenas... almost deadly until Mufasa comes to the rescue.
[Come to think of it, that was another scene that stood out when I was a kid... Mufasa lecturing Simba with the music all serious in the background]
Because Plan A was a bust, Scar puts together Plan B during his villain song "Be Prepared": wipe out Mufasa and Simba and become king of Pride Rock.
The big part of that, he gets absolutely right and it is really dramatic. Not just super sad and shocking, but the adrenaline rush is RIDICULOUS. More props to Hans Zimmer, for sure, and this was many years before I'd knew his name or had any idea he was attached to this movie.
:shudder: another moment that still gives me chills (and not in a good way)... the fall of Mufasa and Simba's epic "nooooo!"... can hear it so clear in my head, fills me up with so much sadness
Scar convinces Simba that Mufasa's death was his fault and suggests he run away. His big mistake there is sending the hyenas to finish him off... considering they're part of the comic relief, yeah, they fail miserably... and for the audience, hilariously
All the denizens of Pride Rock believe Simba to be dead while he's growing up in the jungle under the "guidance" of the most unlikely duo: Timon (a meerkat) and Pumbaa (a warthog), who teach him the "wonderful phrase" of Hakuna Matata.
"Bad things happen and there's nothing you can do about them, right? Wrong! When the world turns its back on you, you turn your back on the world" and live your life with no worries...
yeah, like with The Land Before Time, I practically know this movie by heart :P
Fast-forward however many months/years, Simba's illusion of paradise is shattered by Nala, who ventures into the jungle to find food for the starving pride. Their friendship quickly gives way to romance (funny... when Zazu told them as cubs that they were betrothed, they were so grossed out... how times change).
Then when the plot comes to Simba's attention, he's reluctant to act on it.
So he gets another "nudge" in the right direction by Rafiki, the old mandrill/shaman.
"Do you knew my father?"
"Correction, I know your father" [actually, a lot of this scene of Rafiki stood out to me as well]
Simba sees a ghostly apparition of Mufasa and finds the courage to return home to confront his past. Not without resistance from Scar, of course. Sure, he let the kingdom go to ruins because his allowing the hyenas to rampage eliminated all the herbivores, but he's pretty good with the mind games.
Or just proving that Simba's still very young at heart and in the mind and the wounds of his past are still fresh in his mind.
Either way, we have a great number of fight scenes where all the characters get in the action. In the theater we agreed that Rafiki stole the show... again...
Then Simba and Scar finally have it out. Not nearly as epic as the opening sequence, but it's impressive to watch. Scar's comeuppance was also a great twist that none of us really saw coming.
Simba ascends the throne (like I said, in epic fashion) and the circle of life continues: now with his and Nala's cub being lifted into the air by Rafiki and the title screen reappears.
Oh wow... I'm getting all the feels recounting all this... again, another great ending to a great animated movie. But instead of the "aww it's over" emotions of "The Land Before Time," it's almost to the point when I want to get on my feet, clap and CHEER.
Characters and Actors
If I didn't know the members of this all-star cast then, I certainly grew to know them as time went on.
Already mentioned Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Simba.
It did not know for YEARS that Ferris Bueller actually did adult Simba :P
Actually, other than James Earl Jones as Mufasa and Cheech Marin as the hyena Bonzai, I don't really think of any of the actors watching this movie because the characters are so memorable and iconic.
But while on the subject of the actors, the hyenas (Whoopi/Cheech/Jim Cummings), Timon (Nathan Lane) and Zazu (Rowan Atkinson) had the biggest names. I didn't see Jeremy Irons until that Bradley Cooper movie "The Words" (grossly underrated IMO but maybe I just related as a writer struggling to get published).
The name that took me the longest time to find the name attached to it: Moira Kelly
not that I was really looking for her, but out of the blue, that familiar name appeared...
during the end credits of "Chaplin" (she played Charlie's last wife, Oona O'Neil)
It doesn't get much bigger than James Earl Jones as Mufasa. He owns this role just as well as he did Darth Vadar. Nobody else could have brought the epitome of African lion to life.
Simba starts out as a brash young cub itching to be in charge and getting his own way, but his personality changes once tragedy strikes. He adopts a care-free lifestyle to put the past behind him, but deep down, when Nala returns, we see that he never did get over it. Believing he killed his father has scarred him for life and despite how big and strong he'd gotten, we see he's very troubled.
Sooner or later, he does come to realize there are things more important than fear.
Nala starts out as his partner in crime and develops into a very compassionate individual, also wants to be the rock to help Simba fulfill the role he was born into.
We see very little of Sarabi, Simba's mother, only in a couple of scenes. She has a strong maternal presence on screen, but wasn't as used as much/well as she could have been.
Other than the first scene with young Simba (with JTT's voice) and where we meet Nala, the most we really see of her is during Simba's return and Scar gives her a lecture.
Sure, Scar may have killed Mufasa in a pretty devious way, but besides that, he's not the strongest character in the bunch. Heck, during this confrontation, his defense to Sarabi is an echo of Simba's as a cub: "I'm the king, I can do whatever I want"... LAME...
How part of the pride ceded from the whole in the "Lion King II" because they supported how Scar ran things... I can't begin to rationalize. He was as good as king as Prince John. :facepalm:
but Jeremy Iron's drawl can be very intimidating. Then again, he's reasoning with a scared lion cub trapped inside an adult lion's body...
Part of the reason this movie succeeds, other than the strength of Simba and Nala and Mufasa... the side-kicks. The hilarious comic relief characters.
Timon with, seemingly, all the brains and Pumbaa with all heart (and farts, lol... first ever Disney character with flatulence issues).
Zazu being the butt of all of the jokes from Simba, the hyenas, even Mufasa who uses him for a pouncing lesson... a neurotic little hornbill serving as advisor to the king. However disrespected, he does know what he's talking about.
Sure, the hyenas are vicious, but they can be pretty hilarious too. How they interact with one another and the other characters. Funny enough, they also get the final laugh at the end of it all.
Music
Since I'm brought up Hans Zimmer a bunch of times already, I'll start with him.
This movie wouldn't be nearly as impactful with that score. It canvases each scene perfectly with the emotions we're meant to have. The other reason (next to the incredible backgrounds) why this movie is meant for the cinematic treatment. Music so explosive in the heart-racing/stopping moments, it fills in all the cracks.
Aside from some of the dark stuff Disney has been known to sneak into their movies (in that, you often don't notice these touches until you're older), and having heavy weights like James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons in the cast, Hans Zimmer's score takes "The Lion King" to the next level. It makes it bigger, but also accessible to a wider audience. It gives it more of an "adult" feel, a professional feel.
Geesh... to heck with Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump and Shawshank, "The Lion King" should have been nominated for Big Picture... maybe should have won with this score :P
[looking him up now...
first of all, he was part of the band who "Killed the Radio Star" with the very first MTV music video...
he'd been nominated for 9 Oscars and this was his only win... other nominations included Rain Man, Sherlock Holmes, Inception and Prince of Egypt...
Sherlock Holmes was the one that made me acutely aware of his name but other than Lion King, it was the only other movie on my list where I thought the score had a lead role opposed to fading into the background]
As for the soundtrack itself, we listened to it A LOT as kids. It has all the songs featured in the movie written by Elton John and Tim Rice, as well as a couple bits of the score, and three of the former songs performed by Elton John himself.
Not just performed, but also rehashed.
That really threw me the first time, especially when I saw a music video for "Can you feel the love tonight?" and the lyrics were all wrong.
Both it and "Circle of Life" were slowed down and "I just can't wait to be king" has a quicker, different melody.
Either version, "Can you feel the love tonight?" has always been my favorite.
Yeah, I had no idea what it meant when I was a kid and I really don't want to think on that too much... While the other songs are catchy and kids easily learn/remember the lyrics, there's a certain beauty to that song in particular. Especially in Elton John's performance version, the quality of the music itself.
Legacy and Sequels
We had a computer game called Lion King Activity Center that had three different areas. One was Rafiki's tree (which had games like his version of Tic-Tac-Toe), another was the Jungle with Timon & Pumbaa (which had a game where you found animals hidden in scenery) and another, I believe, was the elephant graveyard (one of the activities was navigating a maze and avoiding hyenas).
Had so much fun with that 8-)
According to the first diary I kept (when most of my entries were a couple sentences long, opposed to pages) we saw the Broadway musical November 6th 1999.
I believe the guy who did Sebastian in "The Little Mermaid" played Mufasa (funny, he didn't sound Jamaican to me, lol). Most of it was the same, but lots of things varied, including one scene where Timon goes over a waterfall that was not in the movie.
Until I saw "Mamma Mia" with my dad and sister, it was my favorite Broadway experience.
It also comes at the cusp of a pivotal point in my life.
1) it was 9 days before I had surgery on my back and later started writing
2) I saw it with my immediate family, aunt and uncle before he died of cancer a month and a couple days later
...with my surgery, I felt like I left childhood behind and started to blossom into the person I am now. But make no mistake, I still have a lot of "evolving" to do.
In the Kingdom Hearts series (since I'd already brought this up with "Nightmare Before Christmas, "Aladdin" and "Mulan"), Simba appeared as a summon gem in the first game.
In the 2nd game, PrideLands was one of the worlds. When visiting, Sora transforms into a lion cub, Donald into a bird with flight ability and Goofy into a turtle (still don't get what is with Goofy and taking on the shape of turtles).
The storyline takes over from the middle of the movie, the Pridelands are in dire shape and Sora and the others find Simba with Timon and Pumbaa to convince him to come back.
Then when you visit all the worlds in the 2nd half of the game, the story gets a little muddled. Simba is haunted by the ghost of Scar and doubting he'll be as good as king as his father was. Almost like they didn't try to make a compelling storyline to continue the plot.
As for sequels...
I'll get the lesser out of the way.
"Lion King 1 1/2" where we find out Timon's backstory, how he met Pumbaa and how the two of them, supposedly, were present in events that happened in the original movie, though behind the scenes.
I really hated this movie because to me, it stampeded on the memory of the original. Timon and Pumbaa are great, but they're not THIS great where the events of the original couldn't have happened without their "interference." Ridiculous...
"Lion King II: Simba's Pride"... I was about as obsessed with as "Land Before Time IV"...
I believe it came on VHS in summer 1999. So sought after that Blockbuster was fresh out the day it came out (much to my annoyance).
Admittedly, the songs aren't as good or as memorable as in the original, but I do have the soundtrack. Haven't listened to it in YEARS... but loved it.
Yeah, I enjoyed it so much I committed to memory that Neve Campbell (I'd meant to but never saw "Party of Five" to see her) did the voice of Kiara, Simba's daughter and Liz Callaway did her singing voice.
Forgot along the way that Jason Marsdan, whose voice I came to LOVE later in my countdown did young Kovu, and his father was played the late Suzanne Pleshette (who also starred in that movie with him).
Also created a fanfiction based around her going to school with some other lions, getting bullied by a cub later banished from the pride and the narrator was my version of Kovu, the lion she falls in love with. The names were changed, but it was still a true to form fanfiction (before I even started on the endeavor in late 1999 while recovering from my surgery)... now that was something I wished I had kept with me (had long since thrown out my print-outs).
But what I still have are my plushies. I have a young Simba, a lion from Barnum & Bailey circus, a Kiara I got at Blockbuster (that I slept with throughout 1999-2000) and a Kovu I got while we were vacationing at New Orleans. That was also where I picked up the soundtrack (and my dad found a copy of Xanadu's... there's a story there for sure that I'll get into at a later date).
Yeah, I just loved that movie, perhaps more than the original at times. The songs and score didn't stand out, but I fell in love with Kovu and Kiara, the idea of them together. Simba was a decent character, but I thought at times he was a little too overprotective... heck, there was one line of dialogue that still unsettles me.
After Kovu is banished from the Pridelands for betrayal, Simba first says to Kiara that she won't go anywhere with an escort and later says she'll stay on Pride Rock where he can keep an eye on her... well, which is it?
Either way, she does manage to run away so all of this is null and void.
That movie's definitely worth watching again. I came to learn it by heart so I hadn't watched it for YEARS.
Coming Soon
It amazes me how so many of these movies connect to one another without my meaning to connect the dots.
Rumor has it that the next movie on my countdown was one of my late uncle's favorites. He was a cop . I rented it from Blockbuster and fell in love with it... and its sequel...
another great 80's movie with some great funny actors, whether they meant to be or not.
(ugh, I really couldn't get creative at this point... I'll be on my game next week, promise)
Directors: Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
Type: Disney animation, musical, dramedy
Composers: Elton John & Tim Rice (music & lyrics), Hans Zimmer (score)
Cast:
Young Simba- Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Adult Simba- Matthew Broderick
Mufasa- James Earl Jones
Sarabi- Madge Sinclair
Scar- Jeremy Irons
Young Nala- Niketa Calame
Adult Nala- Moira Kelly
Rafiki- Robert Guillaume
Zazu- Rowan Atkinson
Timon- Nathan Lane
Pumbaa- Ernie Sabella
Shenzi- Whoopi Goldberg
Bonzai- Cheech Marin
Ed- Jim Cummings
Notable awards and animations:
OSCAR- Best Original Song ("Can you feel the love tonight")
OSCAR- Best Original Score- Hans Zimmer
nominations-OSCAR- Best Original Song ("Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata")
overachieving, much? lol
Golden Globe- Best Picture- Comedy/MusicalGolden Globe- Best Original Song ("Can you feel the love tonight?")
Golden Globe- Best Original Score- Hans Zimmer
nomination- Golden Globe- Best Original Song ("Circle of Life")
Grammy- Best Male Pop Vocal- Elton John ("Can you feel the love tonight?")
Grammy- Best Musical Album for Children
nomination-Grammy-Best Instrumental Composition for TV/film- Hans Zimmer
nominations-Grammy-Best Song written for film/TV- ("Can you feel the love tonight?" and "Circle of Life")
Write-up:[again, if you hadn't seen this movie yet, shame on you... it is awesome... spoilers ahead]
Earliest momentsTo my recollection... okay, my recollection sucks. I remember this being the 2nd movie I saw in theaters... that honor belongs to "Jurassic Park," which my dad and I saw a year after "Aladdin."
Give me a break, I wasn't even 8 yet and as the years pass, my memories get further away.
This was definitely a movie to behold in the classic cinematic format. The absolute size of the opening number was jaw-dropping. I didn't know I felt, but I knew it was something special. A constant stand-out was the comedy in this movie. For all the intense moments involved Scar and the hyenas and wildebeests, comic relief was struck throughout. Early on, it was poking fun at Zazu and later it was the duo of Timon and Pumbaa.
What I don't remember clearly was Mufasa's death and my reaction to it. I think I was crying in the theater... I'm not positive, and honestly who wasn't? That was after so much intensity with the stampede.
I remember the final fight scenes pretty well where all the characters got in on the action, Timon, Pumbaa, Zazu, even Rafiki got to kick some great hyena :P
and Simba's chill-inducing ascent to the "throne" atop Pride Rock. The animation, yes, but a great deal of that goes to the score.
As for the cast and crew, back then I only knew Whoopi and Jonathan Taylor Thomas from "Home Improvement."
...there's one cute episode later in the series where Tim is entertaining his niece with voices and she asks him to be a lion. He says he's never been a lion cub, and JTT comes in and says "I have. You know, I gotta tell you it's a tough gig. Everyone expects you to be king."
Nice little inside joke/bit of homage ;)
for this very reason, I saw "I'll be home for Christmas" and watched his cameos in Tim Allen's newer series "Last Man Standing"...
looking at his profile now... amazed he's originally from Bethlehem PA (I commute there!) and only 5 years older than me
Story
Disney admits they loosely based it on "Hamlet" and had a little bit of "Bambi" in there too... c'mon, what kid is to be familiar enough with "Hamlet" to make this connection?
I'm not super familiar with "Hamlet" (been meaning to try reading it again... I got maybe 10 pages in before I got busy with school... I was reading it for leisure, btw) but other than, you know:
- king gets killed by brother
- brother takes over throne
- prince is driven away by brother and later returns to avenge his father
- prince sees visions of father who guides him
There are enough differences where I don't fully buy into it, nor do I really want to. It overcomplicates things (Lion King II being based on "Romeo & Juliet"... so obvious, but we'll get to my adoration of that movie later).
We have the big EPIC opening with the "Circle of Life" where all the animals venture to Pride Rock to see the debut of the new prince. Just thinking on it gives me chills.
On the other side of this momentous occasion, we have Mufasa's younger brother Scar, who is less than pleased about this news since he was next in line for the throne.
Now a young cub, Simba learns from Mufasa about the circle of life and keeping balance of the kingdom. Later that day, he also learns a valuable lesson: being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble.
Scar suggests Simba check out the elephant graveyard, something too good for him and his friend Nala to resist, and this lands them in trouble with the hyenas... almost deadly until Mufasa comes to the rescue.
[Come to think of it, that was another scene that stood out when I was a kid... Mufasa lecturing Simba with the music all serious in the background]
Because Plan A was a bust, Scar puts together Plan B during his villain song "Be Prepared": wipe out Mufasa and Simba and become king of Pride Rock.
The big part of that, he gets absolutely right and it is really dramatic. Not just super sad and shocking, but the adrenaline rush is RIDICULOUS. More props to Hans Zimmer, for sure, and this was many years before I'd knew his name or had any idea he was attached to this movie.
:shudder: another moment that still gives me chills (and not in a good way)... the fall of Mufasa and Simba's epic "nooooo!"... can hear it so clear in my head, fills me up with so much sadness
Scar convinces Simba that Mufasa's death was his fault and suggests he run away. His big mistake there is sending the hyenas to finish him off... considering they're part of the comic relief, yeah, they fail miserably... and for the audience, hilariously
All the denizens of Pride Rock believe Simba to be dead while he's growing up in the jungle under the "guidance" of the most unlikely duo: Timon (a meerkat) and Pumbaa (a warthog), who teach him the "wonderful phrase" of Hakuna Matata.
"Bad things happen and there's nothing you can do about them, right? Wrong! When the world turns its back on you, you turn your back on the world" and live your life with no worries...
yeah, like with The Land Before Time, I practically know this movie by heart :P
Fast-forward however many months/years, Simba's illusion of paradise is shattered by Nala, who ventures into the jungle to find food for the starving pride. Their friendship quickly gives way to romance (funny... when Zazu told them as cubs that they were betrothed, they were so grossed out... how times change).
Then when the plot comes to Simba's attention, he's reluctant to act on it.
So he gets another "nudge" in the right direction by Rafiki, the old mandrill/shaman.
"Do you knew my father?"
"Correction, I know your father" [actually, a lot of this scene of Rafiki stood out to me as well]
Simba sees a ghostly apparition of Mufasa and finds the courage to return home to confront his past. Not without resistance from Scar, of course. Sure, he let the kingdom go to ruins because his allowing the hyenas to rampage eliminated all the herbivores, but he's pretty good with the mind games.
Or just proving that Simba's still very young at heart and in the mind and the wounds of his past are still fresh in his mind.
Either way, we have a great number of fight scenes where all the characters get in the action. In the theater we agreed that Rafiki stole the show... again...
Then Simba and Scar finally have it out. Not nearly as epic as the opening sequence, but it's impressive to watch. Scar's comeuppance was also a great twist that none of us really saw coming.
Simba ascends the throne (like I said, in epic fashion) and the circle of life continues: now with his and Nala's cub being lifted into the air by Rafiki and the title screen reappears.
Oh wow... I'm getting all the feels recounting all this... again, another great ending to a great animated movie. But instead of the "aww it's over" emotions of "The Land Before Time," it's almost to the point when I want to get on my feet, clap and CHEER.
Characters and Actors
If I didn't know the members of this all-star cast then, I certainly grew to know them as time went on.
Already mentioned Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Simba.
It did not know for YEARS that Ferris Bueller actually did adult Simba :P
Actually, other than James Earl Jones as Mufasa and Cheech Marin as the hyena Bonzai, I don't really think of any of the actors watching this movie because the characters are so memorable and iconic.
But while on the subject of the actors, the hyenas (Whoopi/Cheech/Jim Cummings), Timon (Nathan Lane) and Zazu (Rowan Atkinson) had the biggest names. I didn't see Jeremy Irons until that Bradley Cooper movie "The Words" (grossly underrated IMO but maybe I just related as a writer struggling to get published).
The name that took me the longest time to find the name attached to it: Moira Kelly
not that I was really looking for her, but out of the blue, that familiar name appeared...
during the end credits of "Chaplin" (she played Charlie's last wife, Oona O'Neil)
It doesn't get much bigger than James Earl Jones as Mufasa. He owns this role just as well as he did Darth Vadar. Nobody else could have brought the epitome of African lion to life.
Simba starts out as a brash young cub itching to be in charge and getting his own way, but his personality changes once tragedy strikes. He adopts a care-free lifestyle to put the past behind him, but deep down, when Nala returns, we see that he never did get over it. Believing he killed his father has scarred him for life and despite how big and strong he'd gotten, we see he's very troubled.
Sooner or later, he does come to realize there are things more important than fear.
Nala starts out as his partner in crime and develops into a very compassionate individual, also wants to be the rock to help Simba fulfill the role he was born into.
We see very little of Sarabi, Simba's mother, only in a couple of scenes. She has a strong maternal presence on screen, but wasn't as used as much/well as she could have been.
Other than the first scene with young Simba (with JTT's voice) and where we meet Nala, the most we really see of her is during Simba's return and Scar gives her a lecture.
Sure, Scar may have killed Mufasa in a pretty devious way, but besides that, he's not the strongest character in the bunch. Heck, during this confrontation, his defense to Sarabi is an echo of Simba's as a cub: "I'm the king, I can do whatever I want"... LAME...
How part of the pride ceded from the whole in the "Lion King II" because they supported how Scar ran things... I can't begin to rationalize. He was as good as king as Prince John. :facepalm:
but Jeremy Iron's drawl can be very intimidating. Then again, he's reasoning with a scared lion cub trapped inside an adult lion's body...
Part of the reason this movie succeeds, other than the strength of Simba and Nala and Mufasa... the side-kicks. The hilarious comic relief characters.
Timon with, seemingly, all the brains and Pumbaa with all heart (and farts, lol... first ever Disney character with flatulence issues).
Zazu being the butt of all of the jokes from Simba, the hyenas, even Mufasa who uses him for a pouncing lesson... a neurotic little hornbill serving as advisor to the king. However disrespected, he does know what he's talking about.
Sure, the hyenas are vicious, but they can be pretty hilarious too. How they interact with one another and the other characters. Funny enough, they also get the final laugh at the end of it all.
Music
Since I'm brought up Hans Zimmer a bunch of times already, I'll start with him.
This movie wouldn't be nearly as impactful with that score. It canvases each scene perfectly with the emotions we're meant to have. The other reason (next to the incredible backgrounds) why this movie is meant for the cinematic treatment. Music so explosive in the heart-racing/stopping moments, it fills in all the cracks.
Aside from some of the dark stuff Disney has been known to sneak into their movies (in that, you often don't notice these touches until you're older), and having heavy weights like James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons in the cast, Hans Zimmer's score takes "The Lion King" to the next level. It makes it bigger, but also accessible to a wider audience. It gives it more of an "adult" feel, a professional feel.
Geesh... to heck with Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump and Shawshank, "The Lion King" should have been nominated for Big Picture... maybe should have won with this score :P
[looking him up now...
first of all, he was part of the band who "Killed the Radio Star" with the very first MTV music video...
he'd been nominated for 9 Oscars and this was his only win... other nominations included Rain Man, Sherlock Holmes, Inception and Prince of Egypt...
Sherlock Holmes was the one that made me acutely aware of his name but other than Lion King, it was the only other movie on my list where I thought the score had a lead role opposed to fading into the background]
As for the soundtrack itself, we listened to it A LOT as kids. It has all the songs featured in the movie written by Elton John and Tim Rice, as well as a couple bits of the score, and three of the former songs performed by Elton John himself.
Not just performed, but also rehashed.
That really threw me the first time, especially when I saw a music video for "Can you feel the love tonight?" and the lyrics were all wrong.
Both it and "Circle of Life" were slowed down and "I just can't wait to be king" has a quicker, different melody.
Either version, "Can you feel the love tonight?" has always been my favorite.
Yeah, I had no idea what it meant when I was a kid and I really don't want to think on that too much... While the other songs are catchy and kids easily learn/remember the lyrics, there's a certain beauty to that song in particular. Especially in Elton John's performance version, the quality of the music itself.
Legacy and Sequels
We had a computer game called Lion King Activity Center that had three different areas. One was Rafiki's tree (which had games like his version of Tic-Tac-Toe), another was the Jungle with Timon & Pumbaa (which had a game where you found animals hidden in scenery) and another, I believe, was the elephant graveyard (one of the activities was navigating a maze and avoiding hyenas).
Had so much fun with that 8-)
According to the first diary I kept (when most of my entries were a couple sentences long, opposed to pages) we saw the Broadway musical November 6th 1999.
I believe the guy who did Sebastian in "The Little Mermaid" played Mufasa (funny, he didn't sound Jamaican to me, lol). Most of it was the same, but lots of things varied, including one scene where Timon goes over a waterfall that was not in the movie.
Until I saw "Mamma Mia" with my dad and sister, it was my favorite Broadway experience.
It also comes at the cusp of a pivotal point in my life.
1) it was 9 days before I had surgery on my back and later started writing
2) I saw it with my immediate family, aunt and uncle before he died of cancer a month and a couple days later
...with my surgery, I felt like I left childhood behind and started to blossom into the person I am now. But make no mistake, I still have a lot of "evolving" to do.
In the Kingdom Hearts series (since I'd already brought this up with "Nightmare Before Christmas, "Aladdin" and "Mulan"), Simba appeared as a summon gem in the first game.
In the 2nd game, PrideLands was one of the worlds. When visiting, Sora transforms into a lion cub, Donald into a bird with flight ability and Goofy into a turtle (still don't get what is with Goofy and taking on the shape of turtles).
The storyline takes over from the middle of the movie, the Pridelands are in dire shape and Sora and the others find Simba with Timon and Pumbaa to convince him to come back.
Then when you visit all the worlds in the 2nd half of the game, the story gets a little muddled. Simba is haunted by the ghost of Scar and doubting he'll be as good as king as his father was. Almost like they didn't try to make a compelling storyline to continue the plot.
As for sequels...
I'll get the lesser out of the way.
"Lion King 1 1/2" where we find out Timon's backstory, how he met Pumbaa and how the two of them, supposedly, were present in events that happened in the original movie, though behind the scenes.
I really hated this movie because to me, it stampeded on the memory of the original. Timon and Pumbaa are great, but they're not THIS great where the events of the original couldn't have happened without their "interference." Ridiculous...
"Lion King II: Simba's Pride"... I was about as obsessed with as "Land Before Time IV"...
I believe it came on VHS in summer 1999. So sought after that Blockbuster was fresh out the day it came out (much to my annoyance).
Admittedly, the songs aren't as good or as memorable as in the original, but I do have the soundtrack. Haven't listened to it in YEARS... but loved it.
Yeah, I enjoyed it so much I committed to memory that Neve Campbell (I'd meant to but never saw "Party of Five" to see her) did the voice of Kiara, Simba's daughter and Liz Callaway did her singing voice.
Forgot along the way that Jason Marsdan, whose voice I came to LOVE later in my countdown did young Kovu, and his father was played the late Suzanne Pleshette (who also starred in that movie with him).
Also created a fanfiction based around her going to school with some other lions, getting bullied by a cub later banished from the pride and the narrator was my version of Kovu, the lion she falls in love with. The names were changed, but it was still a true to form fanfiction (before I even started on the endeavor in late 1999 while recovering from my surgery)... now that was something I wished I had kept with me (had long since thrown out my print-outs).
But what I still have are my plushies. I have a young Simba, a lion from Barnum & Bailey circus, a Kiara I got at Blockbuster (that I slept with throughout 1999-2000) and a Kovu I got while we were vacationing at New Orleans. That was also where I picked up the soundtrack (and my dad found a copy of Xanadu's... there's a story there for sure that I'll get into at a later date).
Yeah, I just loved that movie, perhaps more than the original at times. The songs and score didn't stand out, but I fell in love with Kovu and Kiara, the idea of them together. Simba was a decent character, but I thought at times he was a little too overprotective... heck, there was one line of dialogue that still unsettles me.
After Kovu is banished from the Pridelands for betrayal, Simba first says to Kiara that she won't go anywhere with an escort and later says she'll stay on Pride Rock where he can keep an eye on her... well, which is it?
Either way, she does manage to run away so all of this is null and void.
That movie's definitely worth watching again. I came to learn it by heart so I hadn't watched it for YEARS.
Coming Soon
It amazes me how so many of these movies connect to one another without my meaning to connect the dots.
Rumor has it that the next movie on my countdown was one of my late uncle's favorites. He was a cop . I rented it from Blockbuster and fell in love with it... and its sequel...
another great 80's movie with some great funny actors, whether they meant to be or not.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
25. Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Code-name: 1890's bromance
Director: Guy Ritchie
Type: book-to-movie, mystery, thriller, drama, action/adventure
Music: Hans Zimmer
(I had, unknowingly, been a fan of Hans Zimmer for years and this movie is why he's become one of my favorite movie composers, second only to John Williams).
Cast:
Sherlock Holmes- Robert Downey Jr.
Dr. Watson- Jude Law
Lord Blackwood- Mark Strong
Irene Adler- Rachel McAdams
Mary Morstan- Kelly Reilly
Mrs. Hudson- Geraldine James
Inspector Lestrade- Eddie Marsan
Clarkey- William Huston
[Honorable Mention]
Dredger- Robert Maillet
Notable Awards and Nominations:
Golden Globe-
Best Actor (comedy/musical)-
Robert Downey Jr.
...yeah, it's kind of a big deal 8-)
nomination-OSCAR- Best Art Direction (lost to "Avatar")
nomination-OSCAR- Best Original Score- Hans Zimmer (lost to "Up")
...btw, where was his freaking Oscar nomination for this? :-P
nomination- Grammy- Best Original Score- Hans Zimmer
Write-up:
First Impressions [both of Sherlock and this movie]
I knew nothing about Sherlock Holmes before this movie. The closest I got to it was when we read "The Speckled Band" in 7th grade.
It was announced a few months after Robert impressed me in "Tropic Thunder" that he'd play the title role in this new adaptation. This was a couple years before I became the crazy super fan I am now, so my intentions were just to see another great performance.
I want to say that I saw the movie before he won the Golden Globe. The timing of both things were pretty close. The same weekend I saw it and "Avatar" (the 2nd time, this time in 3D) was the weekend he won...
Anyway, my reaction was mixed. I gave "Sherlock Holmes" a B+
and my first review went something like this:
Overall, I’d say my rating is generous. Of course, I am very generous to my current favorite actor. There was one part towards the end before the climax where I think I was starting to fall asleep. It’s the sort of movie where your paying attention is rewarded at the end where everything is explained. But at times, it's very hard to pick out individual words and phrases from Downey’s British accent. One scene aside (featuring McAdams in men’s clothing and mulitple explosions in slow motion), there are some moments that only RDJ’s charisma make special"
Aside from running a little too long, my first impression wasn't great because I didn't know what to expect coming into it. I expected the typical pensive Sherlock Holmes we're all accustomed to seeing or, in my case, just knowing of. Instead, this was an action/adventure with emphasis on action. It took me a while to get used to the fact that this was a more active version of this character.
As it turns out, this was actually the closest adaptation there's been to the source material.
Aside from the dead-on accent, the comedic aspect and, obviously, Robert's overall performance, the coolest thing about it for me the first time was the final act. When Sherlock reveals to Lord Blackwood how he solved the case and discredited him as a practitioner of dark magic.
My dad's mentioned a few times with a couple movies he'd seen in-flight how it helps to pay attention because it comes together in the end. This was my first experience with this personally and naturally that helped me fall slowly in love with the film.
Unless you're British or have a good ear for accents, on those grounds alone, I'd recommend seeing this movie more than once. Not just catching the dialogue, but also all the tiny details that come together in Blackwood's grand scheme.
Plot
We open up in the middle of the action. Sherlock and Watson are pursing a killer responsible for the deaths of four girls and if not for them, would have killed a fifth in yet another ritualistic sacrifice. Lord Blackwood is apprehended and taken to jail to await his execution.
Three months later, he's to be hanged and Sherlock's biggest concern, aside from lack of cases, is losing Watson to marriage. In this portion, there's a lot of great character development between the two roommates, which helps if you're unfamiliar with the stories. Mostly in the form of witty banter and one-liners from Sherlock.
We get back to the main plot where Lord Blackwood tells Sherlock about the next part of his plan, just moments before he is hanged.
Then reentering his life for, according to dialogue, the third time is Irene Adler. She asks Sherlock to find someone for her and he purses her (in disguise of course) to find more. Particularly a little about her employer.
He does find her missing "ginger midget" (his words), but in the coffin of Lord Blackwood. Scotland Yard had been called to the graveyard initially on reports that he had risen from the grave. And so the game is afoot...
Watson tries his best to break ties with Holmes, but gets roped into one last case with him where they try to discern Lord Blackwood's plan. This is done with some assistance, as well as some hindrance, from Irene Adler.
The Actors and The Acting
Oddly enough, I have a very hard time imagining where I had seen Jude Law before Sherlock Holmes. I'm starting to think that the only place I'd seen him was in entertainment news and as People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive.
After this movie and seeing the amazing chemistry he has with Robert, I'd wanted to see more of him. Plus, he's a good looking guy, so that goes without saying. Sadly, the only other positive venture I got out of it was "The Holiday." I stuck with him and defended him throughout "Closer" until the final moments. And "The Talented Mr. Ripley"... let's say he did deserve what he got.
Between "Mean Girls" and "The Vow," I'd seen so much of Rachel McAdams lately that the illusion I always had of her as Irene Adler was temporarily shattered. She is so into this role and so good at it that I usually see her as the character, not as one of my favorite actresses.
Everyone else, I'm getting to know for the first time. I'd seen Eddie Marsan once or twice since out of pure coincidence. Mark Strong, the only other time I'd seen him was a cameo he had on a Jaguar SuperBowl commercial with Tom Hiddelston and Ben Kingsley (note: all three had worked with RDJ... the only other common link is that they're Brits who play helluva good villains).
Just recently, I've started watching Kelly Reilly's new show "Black Box" and the results have been great so far. There could be an Emmy in it for her ;) assuming it avoids cancellation
As far as the acting goes, this is definitely among Robert's finest performances. The Golden Globe was well deserved. He always has this magnetism on screen. When he's at his best, I feel like he becomes his character and I forget he's playing a role.
Having said all that, I have other roles I prefer him in per my personal tastes. Sometimes it's more about the emotional intangibles than grade A execution. Also, as much as I think he pulls off a great accent here (thanks to his dialect coach Andrew Jack, whom he worked with on "Chaplin"), I find his normal speaking voice much more attractive.
Credits to the Director and Producers
Except for Mel Brooks back in the day, I didn't really pay attention to directors until I watched Robert Inside The Actor's Studio. He spoke so highly of the directors and writers he'd worked with that I couldn't help but want to learn more.
Guy Ritchie is a very hands-on director. Behind the scenes, you'd see him up close with the actors going over the choreography with them step by step.
After Sherlock Holmes, I checked into "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch"... just to see the types of movies he'd been known for doing beforehand.
So far, for me, the results have been mixed. I think I needed subtitles for LS2SB because I could not understand 80% of the dialogue. I don't remember much else except there were no big names in it and the last half hour was actually good. As for "Snatch," I could understand it better but not by much. It starred Brad Pitt and he was rather good in it. It had some comedic moments, but the pacing was slow on numerous occasions.
But I'm not giving up. It might just take multiple viewings for me to wrap my head around this man's style. One thing's for sure: Sherlock Holmes speaks on a grander scale with a much sharper picture, probably thanks to having more resources from WB studios. And kick-ass producers like Joel Silver ("Lethal Weapon" and "Weird Science" to name a few), Susan Downey (yes, Robert's amazing wife 8-) ), and Lionel Wigram (all of David Yates' directed Harry Potter films).
[Just found this out: WB approached Guy Ritchie to direct this movie. Rather fittingly, Guy grew up on the stories and had wanted to bring them to the big screen.
WB wanted him to make it more like the films he'd done in the past and he wanted to do it on a broader, more accessible picture and the result was a compromise of that... fascinating stuff...]
All the Details
Overall, this movie is very cerebral. The dialogue is fast-paced, often with a lot of technical details, so you have to be on your toes. Or better yet, relax the first couple times and you'll absorb the details via osmosis :-P
If you have extra time, I'd recommend just searching the many interviews on YouTube Robert and Jude gave promoting this film. I have four of them saved under my YouTube favorites, but I'd probably seen this one the most out of all of them. They talk about how they go along almost instantly, their chemistry, how the characters relate to one another. Lots of juicy details.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAIHw55aeWM
In another interview, director Guy Ritchie said how he liked the idea of an American playing Sherlock. Then Jude coming on board came down to Robert saying "only Jude would do" and this epic bromance is born.
I've seen so much footage from interviews to Guy Ritchie's Maximum Movie Mode on the Blu-ray extras that I've learned so much about this movie, what happens in it, how certain scenes were shot, where some of the inspiration came from (actual dialogue in the actual stories!)... whether that makes me an obsessed fan girl or movie nerd is your choice.
I just found it all very fascinating, which makes the overall experience even more fun.
Seeing the movie more, going past the obvious things that keep me coming back, I came to love how detail-oriented it is. Every article in each setting belongs there and has some merit and bearing on the overall story. Some more obvious than others.
One thing Guy Ritchie pointed out in Maximum Movie Mode is a post in Baker Street Sherlock likely used to practice his martial arts on.
Like I said, this is a very physical film. Once I got used to that new element, I couldn't help but marvel at the fight scenes. Guy Ritchie worked with a lot of slow motion, especially in key fights where we see the slowed down version and it's sped up to normal speed after all the explanations.
The only scene where I felt this didn't work was during the slaughterhouse explosions... it was just overdone for me. Then again, the following scene where the police find Sherlock, wouldn't have worked if it was all filmed in normal speed.
Of course while doing their research, the guys read all of the stories. Robert went the extra mile by spending time with Leslie Clinger, a tax lawyer who lives in Malibu who happens to be an expert in all things Sherlock Holmes.
Researching The Brand
Part of it is because I'm a sucker for useless trivia and part of it is also living up to the fact this man researches his roles so well that he knows them backwards and forwards. I wanted in on that action. Actually, I think some of that has filtered into the novel I'd been working on for the past several months, wanting to know my characters as well as he does.
Sometime in early 2011, I bought myself the first volume (of two) of Sherlock Holmes and started reading the stories. I finished it within a month and shortly after got the second volume.
Makes me go back to one interview he did with Jimmy Kimmel. Robert asked the audience who read the books and Jimmy discounts the cheering saying they're all liars.
It'd been a year or two after the movie came out, but yeah, I READ THE STORIES, JIMMY KIMMEL!
Did I make that loud enough? :-P
I don't remember which ones, but there were only a handful of stories I didn't get into. One of them was the "Sign of Four," which I found overlong and boring.
With the first story, "A Study in Scarlet," I was impressed by chapter 2 where Holmes goes through his process, talking about how he only keeps the most important knowledge at his disposal (not caring that the Earth revolves around the sun, stuff like that), and at the crime scene where he measured a man's height by the stride of his footprints.
Extraordinary stuff...
it's also great reading Watson's engaging narrative and getting to know him, not as the bumbling old man people had come to know in previous adaptations, but as an ex-military man who battled in Afghanistan. It's pretty obvious how much they care about one another even if some of that involves tough love.
Naturally, I decided to check into as much Sherlock Holmes related stuff because I found the mythology fascinating and of course, part of me wanted to compare and say how much better the Guy Ritchie version is. (And how Robert would always be my favorite Sherlock).
From the scholarly standpoint, I think the CBS series "Elementary" captures the feel of the books better. How eccentric Sherlock was. And I also loved Lucy Liu as "Joan" Watson. On the premise alone, I was intrigued by a female Watson and she's an interesting character. They also take an interesting angle with her relationship with him, showing how she doesn't have much a life going on outside of him and as of recently, she decided that needs to change.
However, I can't stand by all of the reimaginings presented in "Elementary." Case-in-point: how they made Irene Adler and Moriarty THE SAME PERSON. People who saw Sherlock 2 had their complaints that Jared Harris wasn't a sinister enough Moriarty (I'll cover that in a bit). I just felt cheated that they combined two of the most iconic characters from the series. And I rather liked Natalie Dormer as Irene Adler until they screwed things up.
Recently, they also caused a ruckus with Sherlock's brother Mycroft. He'd been featured in a few stories, written as someone even more brilliant than Sherlock, but too lazy to apply his powers of observation in anything constructive. In "Elementary," they wrote him as the estranged brother who had a fling with Watson, was a secret agent and ultimately had to fake his death to get away from the bad guys... yeah, nothing like the books or any other version.
I'd been meaning to see the highly acclaimed series Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch, but the timing was never right. Unless it's available on Hulu, I was always watching something else at the same time. But whatever flickers I did see of it, I did like, but I need to see more to be sure.
I also saw one adaptation of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" where Sherlock was played by Peter Cushing. It was a well-written adaptation for sure. I especially impressed that they had a more active Watson than people were accustomed to seeing.
Sequels
Yes, I have an "s" at the end of that and it's not just blind optimism.
I saw an article on IMDB from one of the producers who said a third Sherlock Holmes is in development. The problem is that everyone got busy... to which I say, "You try being Iron-Man and Sherlock Holmes and in Avengers at the same time" :-P
But it would put my heart at ease to see the moment where Sherlock and Watson have their epic reunion scene... seeing as Sherlock 2 ended with Sherlock believed to be dead by everyone but the audience ;)
I also want to give everyone involved a chance to redeem themselves for "A Game of Shadows."
To put it lightly, I felt like they went too big too fast.
The third act penultimate "explanation" of how he solved the puzzle of Moriarty was extremely rushed and muddled. Instead of laying out the evidence piece by piece in the background like in the previous film, they were barely glanced over to begin with. We're just expected to believe Mary had been playing detective with Mycroft and Sherlock followed Moriarty's whereabouts under more disguises... sorry, I ain't buyin'.
Jared Harris as Moriarty was intimidating at first, but seeing it a couple more times, I think his actions were more intimidating than his on-screen presence. Upon further examination, the final chess scene when he does his own "Holmes-a-vision" bit to counteract Sherlock's fight scene scenario comes off rather goofy.
What did work in its favor was casting Noomi Rapace as the new female co-lead (my first experience with her and I thought she was great). Watson's wedding to Mary was very touching. Every scene at 221b Baker Street felt like home. The train scene had all the elements of a great Sherlock Holmes action scene and is one of the better executed bits of dramatics in the film.
The funniest part with his promotion of Sherlock 2 was talking about this cross-dressing scene and how awkward it became remembering how it was HIS idea :-P
Of course, I have to address the awesomeness that is Robert hosting Maximum Movie Mode on the Blu-Ray. He joked throughout that this was something only of interest to people who are sick or cooped up on a rainy day.
I do not need those excuses to deal with DVD commentary. I do it because I want to know more about movies from the directors, producers and actors that work on them.
As he always is, Robert was intelligent and knowledgeable when he needed to be and comedic in the times in between. Personally, I have to disagree with his belief everyone decided that they loved seeing him get his ass handed to him in movies after getting a taste of it in a certain indie flick he did in 2005... I prefer seeing him able to handle himself ;)
Coming Soon
[here's hoping my next couple entries come out this good]
Next week will be a movie that has a little something for everyone. Action, adventure, romance, comedy (lots of great comedy), loveable sidekicks and much more. It's probably the most quotable movie on this list where I could easily mute it and know it word for word. And it's another movie, for whatever reason, I fought my mom on seeing for years and when I did, I couldn't not find out how it ended.
Friday, January 17, 2014
44. The Road to El Dorado (2000)
Code-name: 7 on a pair of die
("he gave me loaded dice!")
Director: Eric 'Bibo' Bergeron and Don Paul (and 2 others)
Music and Lyrics: Elton John & Tim Rice
Score: Hans Zimmer and John Powell
Type: animated, adventure, comedy
Cast:
Miguel- Kenneth Branagh
Tulio- Kevin Kline
Chel- Rosie Perez
Chief- Edward James Olmos
Tzekel-Kan- Armand Assante
Cortes- Jim Cummings
Write-Up:
Opening Remarks
I wouldn't exactly call this a nostalgic choice because this came out when I was 13-14. I didn't grow up with it as I have some of the other animated movies further along my list. But it has the same two ingredients as my favorite types of movies in those days:
1) it's animated
2) it's a comedy
Days before my tastes in movies had a growth spurt. But even now, I look back some of these films fondly enough that I feel they deserve to be mentioned.
Actors and Actresses
Like a lot of my favorite animated movies, "El Dorado" brought certain actors to my attention that I made sure not to forget about.
Kevin Kline's voiceover skills previously appeared in Disney's "Hunchback of Notre Dame," but he really stood out here thanks to the on-screen chemistry he has with Kenneth Branagh (who, a couple years later, I'd forever link with Hogwarts Professor Gilderoy Lockhart). As for the rest of his resume, Kevin Kline is one of those actor's actors I flat out respect. I always enjoy his work, whether it's the hilarity of "A Fish Called Wanda" or his inspirational teacher film "The Emperor's Club."
Kenneth Branagh, I don't know quite as well, but my hat's off to him for his director of "Thor" (his Shakespearean touch made it very inviting) and the latest "Jack Ryan" movie might end up on my radar (although for Chris Pine more than him, lol).
Aside from being seasoned actors in their own right, their work in this film is kinda special because they did their voiceovers together whereas traditional voiceovers, which are performed separately. Not to mention the potential for ample improv.
Rosie Perez, I recently saw as Woody Harrelson's girlfriend in "White Men Can't Jump," but like her sassy character, El Dorado native Chel, she's more than able to keep up with our two leading men.
Interestingly, according to the DVD extras, this was constructed as a movie starring characters that you'd usually find in supporting roles. So-called "side-kicks" and "losers." I did not pick that up at all, which obviously means that they did a great job.
The Plot
Living in Spain in 1519, Miguel (Kenneth Branagh) and Tulio (Kevin Kline) are con men longing for riches and adventure. In a street craps game, which they'd been winning thanks to their pair of loaded dice, they win a map to El Dorado, the legendary city of gold. A series of events (the reveal of their con, the diversion, the chase scene, etc.) leads them onto a ship headed for the New World, heralded by the Spanish Conquistador, Cortes.
They're caught, he promises they'll be punished, so they decide to make their escape in the dead of night. Along with the unexpected addition of war horse, Altivo, they make their way through everything mother nature has to throw at them.
Eventually, this leads them to El Dorado, where they are mistaken as Gods by the natives... a misconception construed from ancient carvings and the fact it's the first time they've seen white man.
Fearing that the possibility that they'll be discovered, they continue with this misconception long enough to load up on gold to take back to Spain. Chel overhears this conversation and asks to join them, something they reluctantly agree to, but ends up helping them a great deal in the long run.
Then things start to get a little hairy when the High Priest discovers they're mortal and Cortes is hot on their trail after his crew arrives ashore.
The Characters
It's only coincidence that two weeks in a row, my movie features a duo of best friends. Miguel and Tulio feed off each other as well as the best of bromances (a term I'll equate with a film later on in the countdown). Miguel is the dreamer and optimist, blonde haired and green-eyed and Tulio is the dark-haired, blue eyed realist. Between the two, Tulio is the one I can relate to more, but Miguel is the better looking of the two.
As the plot goes on, their relationship is tested between how they handle this newfound "fame" and Tulio's growing friendship with Chel, which blossoms into romance.
Although these two are con men, they really are quite lovable and aside from their big plan (loading up on gold and running back to Spain), they do the right thing in every situation. This is especially prevalent in the scenes where the High Priest wants to do a human sacrifice for them and they advise against it.
There's also an interesting push and pull between the El Dorado Chief and High Priest. The Chief is the heart and soul of the city, a fair and much-loved ruler. On the other hand, the High Priest is a little psychotic, adhering to the ancient texts as if his livelihood depended on it. Reading into it a bit further, it seems like he's just power-hungry and being the speaker of the Gods is his ticket to become supreme ruler.
The Comedy
Yet another of my favorite quotable films. The dialogue comes out almost like a play or musical. It's all in the delivery and the timing with Miguel and Tulio, something made possible by their experienced voice actors. And of course, the task isn't complete until DreamWorks animators put their voices to their sketches. To me, that's positively mind-blowing, how advanced that is for an animated film.
Hopefully in the years to come, that'll gain more appreciation amongst the masses.
[Tulio is banging his head against the wall in the brig]
Miguel: So how's the, uh... how's the escape plan coming?
[Tulio stops banging his head]
Tulio: Wait! I'm getting something!
[pauses, then goes back to banging his head on the wall]
Tuilo: All right. Here's the plan. In the dead of night, you and I grab some provisions, hijack one of those... one of those longboats... and then, we... row back to Spain like there's no mañana!
Miguel: [pauses] Back to Spain, yeah?
Tuilo: Yeah.
Miguel: [uncertainly] In... a rowboat.
Tuilo: Yeah!
Miguel: [sarcastically] Great. Sensational. That's your plan, is it?
Tuilo: That's... pretty much it, yeah.
Miguel: [delighted] Well, I like it!
Miguel: this is really the map to El Dorado...
Tulio: [very dryly] You drank the sea water, didn't you?
Miguel: let's follow that trail
Tulio: What trail?
Miguel: the trail, that we blaze
[hacks greenery away with a machete to reveal a rock]
Miguel: (a beat) [points in another direction] That trail that we blaze!
and just so Chel isn't left out of the fun...
Chel: and I suppose you'll be wanting these back [reveals the loaded dice in her hand]
Tulio: [taps his pockets to find them empty] How did you get those?
Miguel: Where was she keeping them?
The Music
"The Lion King" was another early theatrical experience of mine. One of the biggest selling points of "El Dorado" was the fact it reunited the amazing, award-winning musical team Elton John, Tim Rice and Hans Zimmer.
Their process for this is quite fascinating. Elton and Tim communicated across the pond, Tim would write the lyrics and Elton would construct the music. Then they'd give the songs to Hans Zimmer, who'd revamp them to fit the spirit of the picture (which he co-scored with John Powell).
I'm quite aware of Elton John's massive repertoire on his own right, but there's something about his film work that needs to be celebrated as well. A certain je ne sais qua. All I can kinda say is flock to YouTube, but it doesn't do as much as justice as seeing the film in its entirety. Having the jaw-droppingly colorful visuals accompanied by the triumphant adventurous music.
In Other News...
The Oscar nominations came out yesterday... and most of them followed suit with the Golden Globes. Not too many surprises to report on.
*Jonah Hill got another supporting actor nom for "Wolf of Wall Street." And Martin Scoreses, who also didn't get a nod from the Golden Globes, is in the Best Director category.
*"Nebraska," a film I hadn't even heard of until the Golden Globes, earned several nods including Best Picture, Best Actor and Supporting Actress.
*"Saving Mr. Banks" got snubbed almost completely, it has one for Thomas Newman's score, but there was no love for Emma Thompson, the only nomination the Golden Globes had for this film... the people on GMA made the argument that Meryl Streep took her nomination slot because there's only room for one older woman in that category.
I mean, it's a comfort that of her dozens of nominations that she'd only won three times, but... c'mon, enough is enough, Academy.
*Of course there's a lot of talk about the fact "The Butler" and Oprah were snubbed... as if there's only room for one African-American contender at the Academy. Way back last summer when the movie came out, I figured it'd get some Oscar buzz because it's just that type of movie that does well at these things. But, alas, it is not to be... possibly because it came out too early to be considered.
*There's also talk about no love for Tom Hanks, shut out of the Best Actor category despite having been in TWO big movies this year. "Captain Phillips" and "Saving Mr. Banks," about which I've heard he was a very convincing Walt Disney.
*While people on Yahoo are debating about whether Idina Menzel or Demi Levato should perform "Let it go" at the Oscars (Idina all the way!), I'm afraid it'll be another win for Bono and U2.
*No love for "Blue is the Warmest Color" in the Foreign Film category, but Miyazaki got into the best animated film category with "The Wind Rises"
Other than that, I'll leave this entry off with a remark about next week:
Another comedic, quotable film. This time, it's by one of my favorite actor/writer/directors.
And it's a family-favorite :-P
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
65. Inception (2010)
Code-name: Dream (x 4)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Type: Sci-fi, drama
Cast:
Cobb- Leonardo DiCaprio
Arthur- Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Ariadne- Ellen Page
Eames- Tom Hardy
Saito- Ken Watanabe
Yusuf- Dileep Rao
Robert Fischer- Cillian Murphy
Mal- Marion Cotillard
Miles- Michael Caine
Notable Awards & Nominations:
AFI- Best Film of the Year
OSCAR- Best Cinematography
OSCAR- Best Sound Editing
OSCAR- Best Sound Mixing
OSCAR- Best Visual Effects
Nomination-OSCAR- Best Picture
Nomination-OSCAR-Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer)
Nomination-OSCAR- Best Original Screenplay (Christopher Nolan)
Nomination-OSCAR- Best Art Direction
Nomination- Golden Globe- Best Picture (Drama)
Nomination- Golden Globe- Best Director (Christopher Nolan)
Nomination- Golden Globe- Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer)
Nomination- Golden Globe- Best Original Screenplay (Christopher Nolan)
[For Many] The Stand-Out Film of 2010
What a year that was for movies.
I went to the theater 23 times and I more or less became a movie nerd in the process.
Ironically, this being one of the biggest hits and "movies that got people talking," I didn't see it until it premiered on HBO. The same was true with "The Social Network," which I didn't see until it premiered on FX. In both cases, I loved the movies and it was worth the wait. Unfortunately, "The Social Network" just missed making my list, but I'd been meaning to rewatch it.
Every year, there's always a movie people are talking about, asking if you saw it or if you're going to see it (and if you're one of the lucky few, how you liked it).
At the Oscars, it set the tone for "Hugo" and "Life of Pi," in that it procured almost all of the technical awards and missed out on the BIG wins (although Ang Lee won for directing "Life of Pi").
Why didn't I go to see it? I'm not sure. I certainly wasn't frugal with getting tickets. I was skeptical about "The Social Network," afraid of going there and being disappointed with what it had to offer.
How I'd Describe It...
This is the type of cinematic wonder that obtains one of two reactions:
"WTF was that all about?"
or
"Dude, that was freaking awesome."
In other words, a love it/hate it type of movie.
For me, it was "freaking awesome" and I loved it.
The type of movie you kinda have to see multiple times just to get a better grasp on understanding it. I still don't, but that's okay.
I'm not the type of movie-goer that needs every literal thing explained to them. Additionally, I like to think of myself as someone who takes weirdness and unrealism very well.
Up front, I'll say that if you haven't seen it yet (no worries, I won't wag my finger at the people who haven't), you should be prepared to leave with more questions than answers. Not all is explained. It's more or less left up to interpretation.
Props to the Acting Department
tread lightly, spoilers are afoot
Before I get any further with that, I want to applaud Christopher Nolan for putting together something I actually enjoyed watching :-P I'm in the minority of those who loathe the Dark Knight series, so it's nice there's at least one movie I enjoy from him.
The latest "Dark Knight," I liked more than its predecessor by quite a bit, but I'm still a Marvel fan-girl all the way.
Other than that, the only other Christopher Nolan film I'd watched was "The Prestige." Which I'd been meaning to see, but I just didn't like it. Neither of the two leads had any redeeming qualities, but because I hate his "Batman," I was extra pissed Christian Bale came out on top.
I am grateful, though, that he put together such a good cast for this... and proceeded to bring a couple of them to the latest "Dark Knight," where they consequently stole the show 8-)
As I may have mentioned in my Gatsby entry, it's good to see Leonardo DiCaprio in something I can enjoy. He's a handsome actor and I always harp on the fact he doesn't do movies I'd consider to be "my type." Most of the time, he's in dramas either too serious for my liking or take place in another time/place I don't care to visit.
"Catch me if you can" was a good movie and I enjoyed Leo as the lead, but it isn't a perfect compromise.
(Side-note: Considering how far I'd come as a movie nerd in recent years and that I'd seen several movies by my favorite actors despite less-than-perfect typing, maybe I should consider revisiting or at least doing more research into his resume)
Marion Cotillard would steal my heart in another film further down this list.
Although we only see her character as a phantom in Cobb's dreams, we wonder what happened to her and why she seems to be the one thing standing between Cobb and realizing his ultimate goal: finishing this way of life so he can reunite with his kids.
Ellen Page, everyone saw in "Juno," and as the newest member of this organization, she's the one asking all the hard questions and apparently the only one willing to go all the way through Inception to help Cobb.
She reminds me of a few characters I'd written myself: newcomers to a previously set dynamic of people who ask why things are as they are and feel the need to effect change.
Ariadne derives from Greek mythology as the daughter of the king who established the labyrinth, and after defeating the Minotaur, Theseus runs away with her.
That being said, her character is hired as the new "architect" for the group- someone who creates the maze of the dream world, able to navigate it easily while leaving the enemy unable to escape.
I believe she's hired because Cobb can't be the architect for this final job, seeing as the ghost of his wife Mal always creeps back into his subconscious and throws off the mission.
Although we see less of him as the movie goes on, my favorite contributor was Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I personally hadn't seen him since "Angels in the Outfield," so that alone was mind-blowing. Arthur is Cobb's right-hand man and the only person willing to clue Ariadne in about Cobb's problem with his wife.
It's hard to put it into words exactly, but I really do enjoy watching this guy act. There's just something about his presence. (As a result, I saw "50/50" in theaters and loved him in the latest "Dark Knight").
Let's see if I Got This Right...
I'll explain this the best I can without giving too much away.
Truthfully, this is the type of movie you have to see to believe. Plus, I'd had to set the wrong precedent by fudging the explanation.
For the best explanations, feel free to check out IMDB or Wikipedia... my go-to sources for the movies I don't know like the back of my hand :-P or ones I simply haven't seen in a while and have no means to revisit before the entry date.
Cobb is an "extractor," who steals thoughts and ideas from people in their dreams.
For this last job, his job is to PLANT an idea. According to him, it's a parasite. "Resilient... highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate."
They're hired by Saito to accomplish "Inception"... constructing a dream within a dream (and so on) to plant an idea in the head of his competitor, Fischer (Cillian Murphy). His father recently passed so it's up to him to figure out what to do with the company.
The idea Saito wants them to plant is "I want to split up the company."... therefore, Saito's company will dominate that particular market.
Eventually, this is accomplished through several levels of dreaming and Cobb's personal life adds to the complexity of the job.
Cobb's group and Fischer are on a long flight as they're pulling the job. All of them are sedated.
In the first dream, they're in a van driving somewhere. Meanwhile, cars are chasing them, manifestations of Fischer's subconscious trying to defend itself against their intrusion. Everyone but the driver (Yusuf, because the dreamer must be awake to maintain the conditions of that particular realm) is put under sedation.
In the second dream, they're at a hotel. The next layer is set-up and Arthur is in charge of everything running smoothly.
In the third dream, they're outdoors in Calgary.
An additional layer is required, Eames taking care of matters, and Ariadne and Cobb are left deal with Mal.
From there, it's out of my hands to attempt to explain it all.
The storyline with Cobb and Mal is eventually explained.
Supposedly the two of them spent several years in a dream-world they created with their memories. But he convinced her that "the world we're in isn't real." Inception was achieved, but at a cost.
She was left to believe their world isn't real, so she committed suicide to prove this to him... ultimately she dies for real, but the fact he did this to her haunts him to this day.
Other than being hard to explain, the only downfall of the movie was the ending... which took me a little while to "get"... it fell kinda flat for me.
One Final Thing..
I cannot finish this entry without addressing Edith Piaf's "Non, je ne regrette rien."
This song is played throughout the movie, mainly as the signal to the dreamers that it's time to wake up. Or to the people controlling the dreams, it's time to set up the "kick," the motion needed to shake people out their dream state.
After seeing this movie, it was impossible for me to hear the song without thinking of it :-P
About as contagious and hard to eradicate an idea out of your head once you have... tee-hee
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