Horror in the 90s Arachnophobia

Arachnophobia (1990) 

Directed by Frank Marshall

Written by Don Jakoby, Wesley Strick 

Starring Jeff Daniels, Harley Jane Kozak, Julian Sands, John Goodman 

Release Date July 18th, 1990 

Box Office Gross $53.2 million 

Arachnophobia exists in two popular horror sub-genre: Man vs Nature and the Monster Movie. A new breed of spider is located by an arrogant scientist who believes he can control this uncontrollable element of nature that he hubristically believes that he has mastered. The monster movie then comes into play when the scientists creation gets away from him and begins to wreak havoc in a small time while working to perpetuate its species to take over the planet, essentially, the Americas at the very least. 

If you are skeptical that spiders could be considered monsters in a monster movie, you underestimate the talent of director Frank Marshall and his cast. Indeed, Arachnophobia functions as a movie that could induce a lifelong phobia of spiders, arachnophobia of the title. It's so effective at making spiders a horror movie monster that I honestly would not recommend showing this movie to children. I would especially not recommend this movie for anyone who already harbors a fear of spiders as this movie will only exacerbate that condition. 

Arachnophobia stars Jeff Daniels as a doctor who has moved his family, including his wife, played by Harley Jane Kozak, and their two kids, to a small town in California. Dr. Ross Jennings (Daniels) has been promised the role of the only doctor in this small town but things do not go as planned from the start. The elderly doctor he was supposed to replace has now refused to retire and Dr. Jennings' new home in the country is a money pit with termites and a crumbling infrastructure. 

Unbeknownst to everyone in this otherwise idyllic small town, a dangerously poisonous Brazilian spider has hitched a ride with a corpse to the local funeral home. Having killed a photographer working with Dr. James Atherton (Julian Sands) in Brazil, the spider, that Dr. Atherton had assured us was dead, arrives in this small town and finds its way to the barn owned by Dr. Jennings where it cross-breeds with a local spider and begins to create a mutated version of itself that is so deadly its population could wipe out North America in a period of months. 

Thus it falls to Dr. Jennings to first discover that we are indeed dealing with a killer Spider and then, in the final act, to have a face to face fight with the Spider Queen over the massive egg sack the Queen has laid in Dr. Jennings' new wine cellar. Did you know that wine is not flammable? Neither did this movie which seems to think Wine is an accelerant. Anyway, that aside, Arachnophobia has some silly elements but one thing the film gets right is the staging of spider attacks that kill character actors. 

Characters actors James Handy, Kathy Kinney, Henry Jones and Mary Carver each appear in remarkably well-staged scenes where they are menaced by little spiders. These scenes are filled with genuine tension via simple, classic, filmic technique. Good choices in the editing bay and in the staging of each scene create a genuine tension while the familiar and kind faces of these character actors, people you've seen even if you don't recognize their name, add tension because we don't want to see them be killed by spiders. 

Find my full length review at Horror.Media 

Movie Review The Gambler

The Gambler (2014) 

Directed by Rupert Wyatt

Written by William Monahan

Starring Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Michael K. Williams, Jessica Lange

Release Date December 25th, 2014

Published December 25th, 2014

Mark Wahlberg’s star power sustains “The Gambler,” a talky, existentialist meditation on gambling, addiction and self-destruction.  Without a star of Wahlberg’s charisma “The Gambler” would be a tough hike. Though playing against type as a philosophy-spouting, Dostoevsky-quoting college professor, Wahlberg finds just the right mix of magnetism and machismo to give life to the role of Jim Bennett. 

When we meet Bennett, he’s having an epic run of bad luck at a private casino owned by Asian gang members. In short order, Bennett goes way up and winds up way down -- $240,000 down. Desperate for help, Jim turns to his mother Roberta (Jessica Lange) who gives up the cash only for Jim to blow this $240,000 just as quickly. From there Jim begins a high-stakes scam, playing the money of one mobster against other mobsters, including Michael K. Williams as Neville Baraka and John Goodman as Frank. 

As good as Wahlberg is in “The Gambler,” he’s upstaged at every turn by Williams and especially by Goodman, who is Oscar caliber here. If you see “The Gambler,” see it first for a lesson in what Frank calls “Fuck-You Money.” This brilliant, sprawling monologue is delivered with such style and wit that you feel as if you really have learned something important, even if Jim doesn’t feel the same way. 

Also in Bennett’s orbit are a couple of students: Amy (Brie Larson), a talented writer, and Lamar (Anthony Kelley), a talented college basketball star. That Jim draws both into his massive scheme against his criminal debtors is an illustration of Jim’s twisted morality. Jim seems to have little empathy for others when his needs are involved. At least Wahlberg instills a heavy air of guilt in Jim’s manner. 

“The Gambler” was inspired by the 1974 film of the same title starring James Caan. The original was far colder and far more effective than the modern take. Where Wahlberg has guilt, James Caan has zero compunction about what he does to other people in his search for his next fix. Caan’s Axel was more obviously self-destructive than Wahlberg’s Jim. The only qualities the two characters really share are a shifty intelligence and charisma. 

Is Jim addicted to gambling? “The Gambler” doesn’t seem to be all that interested in that question. Certainly, Jim doesn’t seem capable of simply stopping. But his classroom oratories offer up an alternate theory for his gambling: a desire to feel something. As Bennett sounds off on Shakespeare or other legendary writers, he’s quick to share asides about his failure as a writer, where life has failed him and will fail his class. This gives strong indications about why he seeks out the highs and lows of high-stakes gambling as a way of coping with his life. 

“The Gambler” comes up short of greatness. It’s a little overlong in some areas and the soundtrack, though quite good, distracts from time to time. Nevertheless, the film is engaging and, with Wahlberg, it has a star who easily takes hold of our sympathies. Surrounded by Goodman, Williams and Larson, Wahlberg doesn’t always stand out front, but that’s to be expected because he’s among such an incredible ensemble of performers. 

Movie Review: Captive State

Captive State (2019) 

Directed by Rupert Wyatt 

Written by Erica Beeney, Rupert Wyatt 

Starring John Goodman, Ashton Sanders, Jonathan Majors, Colson Baker, Vera Farmiga

Release Date March 15th, 2019 

Published March 15th, 2019 

Rupert Wyatt is a pretty terrific director. His Rise of the Planet of the Apes was an exceptional sequel in a series that was pretty heavy with greatness. Wyatt’s talent for colorful characters and kinetic action set-pieces served him well on Rise of the Planet of the Apes and he brings a similar talent to the new sci-fi action flick Captive State. Unfortunately, for all the good that Wyatt brings to Captive State, the film lacks an essential something, a star quality that could have raised it above the nature of television drama fare.

Captive State stars Ashton Sanders as Gabriel. As a child, Gabriel lost his father and sister to a group of attacking aliens that will come to be referred to as ‘Roaches’ for their bug-like appearance. Gabriel’s brother, Rafe (Jonathan Majors), grew up to be a freedom fighter. While most of the rest of the world gave up hope and began serving the roaches, Gabriel and a small cabal of activists began fighting back.

It’s been five years, as we join the story of Captive State, since Gabriel last saw his brother. He assumes the worst but holds a flicker of hope. In his own little way, Gabriel is rebelling against the system. He and a friend have a plan to get out of their Chicago neighborhood and hopefully out from under the ‘Legislators’ as some have come to call the roaches and the humans who work for them and benefit from their betrayal with wealth and privilege.

The plan involves playing courier to a message, a phone number that he must sneak out of his job where he searches and destroys cell phone memory cards. The phone number is a lovely little creative device as it is written inside a rolled cigarette and we watch it sit precariously behind Gabriel’s ear as he witnesses someone in a similar situation get nabbed and taken away by the police. This sequence is a testament to the talent of director Wyatt and his editor, Andrew Groves, who build a strong, gradual tension even as we know its too early for our hero to falter.

The phone number bit almost coincidentally leads Gabriel to his brother. Rafe has been hiding out in their former apartment in a part of Chicago that had been almost completely decimated years earlier when the roaches sent hunters in to level the place while searching for Rafe and his crew of terrorists. This only hardened Rafe’s desire to battle back and try to light the match that he hopes will spark a revolution.

You may be wondering where John Goodman figures into all of this. He does, of course, feature prominently in the marketing of Captive State as the only recognizable actor in the movie, aside from a bit part played by Vera Farmiga. Goodman plays a police detective who believes that Gabriel may be the key to preventing another attack by Rafe and his freedom fighters. Goodman’s Detective Mulligan is a super smart character whose motives are well shrouded. I especially loved his brief interactions with Farmiga which carry both a ruefulness and mistrust and a genuine tenderness that informs all that eventually happens in the third act.

Again, Rupert Wyatt is a smart director and because of his clever choices and solid artistry, I kind of enjoy Captive State. Unfortunately, the rest of the film’s cast is where the movie struggles to the point that I struggle to recommend it to you, dear reader. Let me preface this that I believe Ashton Sanders is a fine actor. He does the best that he can but as a relative newcomer he is limited and what he lacks is the heft of recognition. You don’t know who Ashton Sanders is and by extension, Gabriel remains something of an unknown.

This problem extends to Jonathan Majors as Rafe. For a time, we are taken from Gabriel who becomes trapped by some alien force for a time and sidelined from the plot. With Majors are four other actors whose names I struggle to even identify on IMDB. None of these people are bad actors but they are about as recognizable as strangers in a crowd. We are supposed to invest in these characters as they plot a major attack on the legislators but I struggled to keep an eye on them and remember who they were.

I know this won’t be popular to say, but these roles needed more than merely competent actors. If these characters are going to be this important to the plot, they need to be played by people who carry some form of recognition with the audience. They need to be played by, for lack of a better descriptor: stars. These actors are competent but not one of them has the charisma of a star. I don’t mean box office attractions, I mean that ineffable quality, that charisma that sets some actors apart from others.

Actor Ben Mendelsohn is a frequent topic of discussion between myself and my friends. I have made fun of the fact that he is not a household name. I’m not wrong about that. But, what Mendelsohn has in spades is that ineffable quality; he stands out in a crowd. The camera doesn’t search for him, it’s attracted to him. Mendelsohn, like great character actors before him such as J.T Walsh or the great Harry Dean Stanton or Ned Beatty, has a charisma that helps him stand apart from any crowd they are in.

Sadly, Jonathan Majors, Madeline Brewer, Marc Grapey, even the slightly more recognizable Kevin J. O’Connor, lack that charisma. This is not to say they won’t ever develop that recognition level, they are already quite capable performers. Unfortunately, a movie that relies so heavily on us being able to keep track of these characters needs actors who draw our eye and our sympathy based almost entirely on our innate attraction to them.

There are simply so many characters to track through Captive State that when things begin to happen at a breakneck pace it’s very easy to get lost in the crowd and our emotional connection to these faces we only barely remember is limited. If one of these characters were played by Walton Goggins or a Margo Martindale or a Kal Penn, we might find it easier to get and stay invested in them and their fate.

I know some are saying that either this should not matter or that the actors in this movie aren’t good enough but I don’t think that is the case. I think these actors are fine, and even the direction is quite good at trying to help us stay with these actors but we don’t have that deeper recognition that comes from an actor or actress we remember. This plot would resonate more if we had a deeper connection to these minor yet important characters. Movie stars matter when you are trying to connect your audience to your characters.

This isn’t the only thing that holds back Captive State but it is the most trying element for me. The film grows a tad convoluted in the final act and the ending has a particular predictability to it but I could have got behind it if I were more invested in the supporting cast. That extends to our ostensible star, Ashton Sanders. As handsome and capable as he is, he’s not yet a movie star. He’s not ready to carry the burden of being the central figure in a major movie.

Some movies do benefit from a less than showy cast. Steven Soderbergh loves working with amateur casts and has made amazing movies with first time actors in unusual roles. His film Bubble is a minor classic that has no movie stars. Captive State however, is basically a big budget sci-fi movie on a shoestring budget. With a plot this big and a story this expansive, we need the grounding of a recognizable face. In this way, Captive State comes up just a little short of something I can fully recommend. 

Movie Review: Confessions of a Shopaholic

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) 

Directed by P.J Hogan

Written by Tim Firth, Tracey Jackson

Starring Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Leslie Bibb

Release Date February 13th, 2009 

Published February 15th, 2009

What a strange bit of timing. When Confessions of a Shopaholic went into production the economy was sluggish but not so bad off. Now, the story of a credit card crazed shopaholic could not be anymore at odds with the times. Nevertheless, this movie is not a social commentary or documentary, it's a dopey, good natured rom-com and judged by that standard, it's not bad.

Isla Fisher, best remembered as Vince Vaughn's sexually rapacious gal pal in Wedding Crashers, takes on her first starring role as Rebecca Bloomwood a serious clothes horse. Rebecca has a problem, there isn't a high end clothing store that she can walk past.

Over a short period of time she has built up more than 16 grand in credit card debt. She is being stalked by bill collector's and to top it all off she has just lost her job as a writer at a gardening magazine. On the bright side, she does get an interview at her favorite high end fashion mag.

However, things don't go quite as planned and instead of working at the fashion mag, Rebecca winds up at a financial magazine. Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy) happens upon Rebecca by accident and ends up hiring her... well... because the plot requires him to.

Using fashion to describe finance, Rebecca quickly becomes a sensation but when people find out about her credit card problems more than her new job will be on the line.

Yes, I cringed a little when I wrote that last line. A 4 year old could see that little complication coming. All romantic comedies consist of two people and the series of roadblocks used to keep them apart until the appointed moment they are supposed to be together for a happily ever after.

Confessions of A Shopaholic is anything but original. The film adheres to all rom-com cliches and requirements without question. The only thing that director P.J Hogan could do to make the movie interesting was get the casting right and he did it.

Isla Fisher is cute as can be and Hugh Dancy matches her in charm and good humor. As a couple they sparkle together and we want to see them in their happily ever after even as we are forced to suffer the false roadblocks of the typical rom-com.

This isn't a great movie but when Fisher and Dancy are together, it's worth suffering a few dull cliches to watch them spark together. If you love romantic comedies and don't care about predictability and cliche, you will smile your way through this superfluous, charming and forgettable movie.

Movie Review Speed Racer

Speed Racer (2008) 

Directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski

Written by Lilly and Lana Wachowski 

Starring Emile Hirsch, Matthew Fox, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, Roger Allam

Release Date May 9th, 2008 

Published May 8th, 2008 

The team behind The Matrix, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, are back behind the camera for the first time since the last Matrix sequel lumbered into theaters 4 years ago. They are back with a big budget bang, adapting the boomer anime retro strip Speed Racer into an eye popping effects extravaganza. This candy colored action-racing smorgasbord is a feast for the eyes and a triumph for modern special effects. 

Emile Hirsch stars as Speed Racer, the hottest young driver on the world racing league tour. Coming off a big win, Speed is being pursued by every corporate entity on the globe, but especially by the smarmy head of Royalton International (Roger Allam). Royalton wants Speed on his team and dazzles him with his sprawling car plant.

Speed however, he cannot be bought. With the support of his family, Speed sees no need to take the corporate money. This means Royalton will have to destroy Speed as well as Racer Motors, the independent team run by Pops (John Goodman) and Mom (Susan Surandon) Racer, Speed's parents. The team includes Speed's gal Trixie (Christina Ricci) and his lead mechanic Sparky (Kick Gurry).

Always along for the ride are Speed's little brother Spritle (Paulie Litt) and his pet monkey Chim Chim. Rounding out the cast is the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) who has a reputation for causing crashes but more often than not he comes out on the side of good. Fox's performance as Racer X is far more key to the plot and to what is so good about Speed Racer than he first 

From a technological standpoint, Speed Racer is a leap forward in the way computers and movies intertwine. The virtual world that Wachowski's craft for Speed Racer is one of the most impressive visuals ever brought to the screen. Some will complain that it is all too busy and jolting, top video game-esque but those are people who are showing their age.

Speed Racer is a movie made specifically for boys 10 to 14 years old. The humor, the videogame visual style and even the cardboard cut out characters are aimed at a younger, less discriminating audience. Where adults may find the flat performances and flabby script slightly tedious, kids will be taken with the film's quick cuts, candy colors and juvenile humor.

Then there is Matthew Fox as Racer X who could be this generation's Han Solo. A taciturn bad boy with ambiguous intentions, Racer X is the big brother every kid would love to have and fills the same role for the earnest young Speed who evokes Luke Skywalker with great ease. I don't make the Star Wars allusions, lightly, I genuinely believe that Speed Racer has that kind of youth defining appeal. 

Though it was made for the kids, all audiences will be dazzled by the technology of Speed Racer. The extraordinary visuals, the exceptional way real actors are integrated into digital backgrounds, and the exciting action scenes crafted almost entirely with computers are some of the most striking and breathtaking visuals in film history.

As film technology improves Speed Racer will be remembered as a historic leap forward. The visionary Lilly and Lana Wachowski have expanded our collective movie imagination and while many will find the experience jarring, I expect that many more will be blown away. Myself, I was immersed in the visual splendor and overjoyed by the fun and excitement of Speed Racer. The movie may rely on technology to a ludicrous degree but it's so skillful in that use of technology that I really didn't mind. 

As Star Wars was a watershed for my generation, Speed Racer may be for a generation of 10 to 14 year old boys who will no doubt begin a lifelong love of movies thanks to the remarkable work of Lilly and Lana Wachowski. Circumstance may conspire to keep Speed Racer from becoming a true world wide blockbuster but history will recall Speed Racer as a historic stride in the history of film technology. On that alone I can recommend Speed Racer.

Movie Review: Death Sentence

Death Sentence (2007) 

Directed by James Wan

Written by Ian MacKenzie Jeffers

Starring Kevin Bacon, Kelly Preston, Garrett Hedlund, Aisha Tyler, John Goodman

Release Date August 31st, 2007

Published August 30th, 2007

Death Wish is the Citizen Kane of revenge movies. That 1974 film starring taciturn tough guy Charles Bronson is too revenge what Julia Roberts is too romantic comedy. The writer of the book Death Wish, Brian Garfield is said to have liked the movie but subsequent sequels that deviated from his best selling book series had turned him off to Hollywood.

Now, more than 30 years later, one of Garfield's Death Wish follow ups, Death Sentence, has been turned into a Hollywood feature and while the author is said to be satisfied with the final product, audience expectations will be left unfulfilled.

Kevin Bacon stars in Death Sentence as Nick Hume a father of two with a great wife (Kelly Preston) and a great job that has given his family security. That security is shattered in the blink of an eye when, after taking his oldest son Brenden (Stuart Lafferty) to a hockey game, Brenden is gunned down at a gas station as Nick looked on.

The murder was committed by a teenager as a gang initiation ritual. Nick saw the kid who did it but when he is told that prosecutors will seek a plea bargain rather than a trial, he decides to take matters into his own hands. Nick tracks down the kid and reaps his vengeance. Actions have consequences however and when it turns out that the kid is the little brother of a ruthless gang leader named Billy Darley (Garrett Hedlund), Nick finds himself at war to protect what is left of his family.

Directed by James Wan, Death Sentence is a complicated revenge fantasy that becomes more and more outlandish as it goes on. Though grounded by a serious star performance by Kevin Bacon, Death Sentence paints an increasingly loony series of deaths and reprisals into its plot, so many that you may have a hard time keeping track of who's dead and who's alive.

That said, James Wan is a pro director. He was the progenitor of the Saw series with co-writer Leigh Whannell and invented the complicated aethetics and plotting of that terrific series. His follow up directing gig, Dead Silence was a twilight zone influenced mindfuck that worked cheap thrills into a grand guignol plot. With Death Sentence he makes an uncomfortable transition out of the horror genre.

In tact is Wan's talent for tight, quick visuals and snaky storytelling. What is missing however is depth and perspective. Where Saw is an intricate morality play covered in blood and Dead Silence was a twisty Twilight Zone homage, Death Sentence is mostly about its violence with only a passing glance at the merits of revenge.

Death Sentence wants to ask the question 'what would you do if someone killed your child'. Unfortunately, the script from first time writer Ian Jeffers becomes distracted with the battle of wills between Kevin Bacon's everyman and Garrett Hedlund's ruthless villain. The battle is kind of compelling but as the violence becomes more and more over the top; the perspective goes missing and it becomes little more than a series of staged gun battles.

It's a shame because there is a good deal of potential in this movie. One big missed opportunity comes in the character of Bones played by John Goodman. Introduced as a gun dealer, Bones' connection to one of the two main protagonists is a sly inclusion that should have had a more interesting payoff. As it is, the potential for this character is unrealized after just one terrific scene between Goodman and Bacon.

Death Sentence is a movie that should be better than it is. With Kevin Bacon's exceptional lead performance and director James Wan's skilled direction, it should be more satisfying than it is. As it is, Death Sentence is a modest disappointment. Not a bad film, just not a good enough film for me to recommend.

Movie Review Princess and the Frog

Princess and the Frog (2009) 

Directed by John Musker, Ron Clements

Written by Rob Edwards 

Starring Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Jennifer Lewis, Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard, John Goodman

Release Date December 11th, 2009 

Published December 10th, 2009

Many of you are of the classic tale of The Princess and the Frog. For the uninitiated, it's about a Princess who meets a frog. They kiss, he magically transforms into a handsome prince and they live happily ever after. Disney's take on this story transfers the settings to early 1900's New Orleans, and instead of having the frog turn into a prince, they turn a prince into a frog and then the princess as well.

It's 1916 and Tiana dreams of living out the dreams of her late father. He wanted to open a restaurant and serve the best gumbo in Nawlins. Tiana has worked day and night for years and has saved enough to buy just the right space. When she is invited to cater her rich friend Charlotte's costume ball it should give Tiana all the money she needs to buy her restaurant.

Also attending the party will be the selfish, self involved Prince Naveen. All the Prince wants is to dance, play jazz and meet pretty girls. Unfortunately for Naveen, he's broke. His parents have cut him off and if he cannot charm Charlotte into marrying him, he may have to do the unthinkable: Get a job.

Before the Prince can get to the party he and his squirrelly assistant Lawrence are accosted by a voodoo witch doctor called Doctor Facilier. It is Facilier who places the frog curse on Naveen while replacing him with Lawrence in his guise. Naturally, Prince Naveen and Tiana's paths will cross and in trying to reenact the fairy tale, Naveen passes along his curse to her.

What follows is a trip deep into the Louisiana bayou, an encounter with a friendly, trumpet playing crocodile, a brave Creole firefly and a visit to Mama Odie, a powerful voodoo priestess who may be able to reverse the curse. More important on this journey are a series of jazzy tunes courtesy of the legendary Randy Newman.

The Princess and the Frog marks a return by Disney to classic hand drawn animation, a genre they abandoned nearly a decade ago. The ascendance of Pixar and Shrek had rendered hand drawn animation a dinosaur and Disney was right to place its bet on Pixar, it may pay off with a Best Picture nomination for Up, but that doesn't mean there isn't a place for the classic style.

The Princess and the Frog makes a strong case for the warm, comforting lines and colors that hand drawn has always thrived on. Combined here in The Princess and the Frog with a welcoming story, wonderful characters and great tunes, we see the form revived.

Princess and the Frog doesn't compare to say any of the Pixar movies, it lacks the story sophistication of those remarkable films. As a film specifically aimed at kids, this is the kind of movie you want your kids to enjoy, if there isn't a Pixar movie to watch. The Princess and the Frog is sweet and funny with characters of conscience, bravery and loyalty. I take issue with the anti-feminist aspects of the story (why can't a woman be happy and accomplished without a man around?) but that stuff will go over the head of kids.

Race is another topic, on the fringe anyway, in The Princess and the Frog. The movie does not explicitly address race but it is notable that Tiana is the first African American Disney Princess. Beyond that, the film's main cultural ingredient is New Orleans with its unique mix of African American and French traditions.   

With great songs, terrific characters and some laughs, The Princess and the Frog is great family entertainment.

Movie Review: Monsters, Inc.

Monsters, Inc. (2001

Directed by Pete Docter

Written by Andrew Stanton, Daniel Gerson

Starring John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn 

Release Date November 2nd, 2001 

Published November 2nd, 2001 

What is the future of the animated film?

Many thought we would find out in Final Fantasy, but if beautiful computer graphics over the top of lame spiritual platitude and sci-fi conventions as old as time then animation is in trouble. My hope is the future of animation lies with the brilliant artists at Pixar who with Toy Story and Toy Story 2 and their latest Monsters Inc. are revolutionizing animation the way Disney did with Snow White. 

Monsters Inc. is the story of Sully and Mike a pair of workaday monsters whose job it is to scare children into screaming and thus providing electricity to the city of Monstropolis. Mike and Sully are voiced by Billy Crystal and John Goodman who are so brilliantly matched you would never guessed they have never worked together before. Steve Buscemi provides the voice of Randall the chameleon-like bad guy and Oscar winner James Coburn is there multi-legged boss. All the voicework is flawless with each actor finding exactly the right pitch for there character.

Monsters Inc. is hampered a little by a tendency toward sickening sweetness but the story is so wonderful that the sugar-shock is worth it. 

If you didn't like Toy Story 1 and 2 you don't have a soul, the same could be said if you didn't like Monsters Inc. Forget about that whole animation is for kids stigma and go see this movie and be a kid again. Monsters Inc. is one of the best movies of the year.

Movie Review My First Mister

My First Mister (2001) 

Directed by Christine Lahti 

Written by Jill Franklyn 

Starring Albert Brooks, Leelee Sobieski, John Goodman, Carole Kane, Michael McKean 

Release Date October 12th, 2001 

Published June 3rd, 2002 

Albert Brooks has been around a long time but yet, he still seems to go unnoticed. The fact is though, Brooks is one of the great comic geniuses in the world. If you've seen his highly underappreciated gems Defending Your Life and The Muse as well as his brilliant guest voice work on the Simpsons, you know what I'm talking about. Brooks is a talented writer who is funny without having to obviously try to be funny. He just is. In My First Mister, Brooks' humor is on display as is his surprising knack for depth and poignancy.

My First Mister stars Leelee Sobieski as Jennifer, a suicidal Goth teen just out of high school and searching for a job. Jennifer's job hunt leads her to Randall (Brooks), the owner of a conservative men’s clothing store. For some strange reason, Jennifer and Randall click and Randall hires her to work in the stock room, and stay off the main floor because he fears her Goth clothes and multiple piercings may frighten his older upscale customers.

As unlikely as these two people are as friends, their connection is believable and the interaction between them is entertaining. They have few things in common, the biggest thing being they both don't have anyone else. Jennifer doesn't get along with her divorced parents (Carol Kane and John Goodman) and Randall has been divorced for 17 years. 

Kane is quite good as Jennifer's much-abused mother who, though she seems like an addled Donna Reed wannabe, is actually just a loving parent at a loss as to how to relate to her emotionally distant daughter. If Kane and the other supporting players (Goodman, Michael McKean and Mary Kay) seem like caricatures it's because we are seeing them through Jennifer’s warped perspective. As the film progresses and Jennifer begins to open up we begin to see these characters as they really are.

First time director Christine Lahti shows a skillful hand in directing two characters whose interactions could seem like a very creepy version of Lolita. Lahti makes sure we know the film isn't about sex or lust but about finding someone who understands you and accepts you for who are. Though towards the end Lahti allows the melodrama to get away from her, the performances of Brooks and Sobieski keep the film from drifting too far off the path.

There is an interesting comparison to be made here between Sobieski and Brooks in this film and Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi in Ghost World. It’s not just the age difference but also the uniqueness of each of the characters and the reasons why they came together. While My First Mister isn't as entertaining as Ghost World, it has the same emotional depth with a slightly less caustic humor. My First Mister isn't the masterwork that Ghost World is,  it is an entertainingly similar work and worth seeing at least once.

Movie Review Storytelling

Storytelling (2002) 

Directed by Todd Solondz 

Written by Todd Solondz 

Starring Selma Blair, Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, James Van Der Beek

Release Date January 25th, 2002 

Published August 3rd, 2002 

Todd Solondz is the brilliant auteur behind the blindingly funny Welcome To The Dollhouse and the endlessly disturbing Happiness. In his most recent film, Storytelling, Solondz attempts to combine the satirical and the disturbing and succeeds to a point.

Storytelling is two entirely different stories, one called Fiction and the other Non-Fiction. In Fiction, Selma Blair plays Vi, a disillusioned college girl who, after growing weary of insensitive freshman boys, begins a relationship with a freshman with cerebral palsy. She assumes he will be nicer than most because his options are far more limited. 

After finding him to be much like everyone else, Vi heads to a bar and is picked up by her creative writing teacher, a bitter African-American Pulitzer Prize winner, who takes revenge on racism by having sadomasochistic sex with young white girls. The teacher, played by Robert Wisdom, has the intense creepiness of Anthony Perkins and is easily the most disturbing character in the film.

Fiction is by far the more compelling of the film’s two stories. Fiction is challenging and confrontational with some shocking laughs. Sadly, Fiction takes up only 20 minutes of screentime, just enough to introduce its interesting characters and raise its challenging issues and then walk away before leaving an impact.

Non-Fiction is a somewhat aimless take on the suburbia Solondz so deftly dissected in his first two features. Here however, he doesn't seem to know what it is he's attempting to say. The lead of the story is Paul Giamatti as a wannabe documentary filmmaker who wants to document the disaffected youth in the suburbs. 

His subject will be Scooby Livingston, played by Mark Webber. Scooby is an aimless gen X'er whose goal is to become a talk show host. Also involved are Scooby's parents, the angry and intimidating Marty (John Goodman) and the meek and clueless Fern (Airplane’s Julie Hagerty). There is also a subplot involving Scooby's little brother Mikey and the family's maid Consuelo, played by Lupe Ontiveros.

Non-Fiction is as aimless as the subject of its movie within the movie. Scooby has no ambition and neither does the story. Admittedly there are a couple of good laughs and a strong cameo by Franke Potente, however, Non-Fiction is undercut badly by the unfocused story and the outlandish and ridiculous subplot. The culmination of the little brothers subplot involving hypnosis and revenge leaves one to wonder if the story was supposed to be satirical or serious.

There was a great deal of potential for Storytelling. That potential goes unrealized, but the attempt is respectable.

Movie Review: Bee Movie

Bee Movie (2007)

Directed by Simon J. Smith, Steve Hickner

Written by Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Feresten, Barry Marder, Andy Robin

Starring Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock

Release Date November 2nd, 2007

Published November 1st, 2007

I'm a big fan of Seinfeld. That talky seemingly going nowhere about nothing style is just hilarious to me. Jerry has significantly lowered his profile since his legendary TV show made him the second richest television personality in America, right behind Oprah. Now Jerry is getting back to business and not being much of an actor, he's found himself a niche in animation. Bee Movie is the brainchild of Jerry and a few friends from Seinfeld. The story of a worker bee who leaves the hive and discovers a whole new world of possibilities is really just a collection of Seinfeld-isms masked by kid friendly animation.

When Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld) discovers that he will be working the same job for the rest of his bee life he longs for an escape. He gets his chance when a squadron of pollen gathering jock bees invite him to fly outside the hive. What Barry discovers is that while most humans want to squash him, at least one human, Vanessa (Renee Zellweger), will defend his right to live.

Though bee law doesn't allow bees to speak to humans, Barry is compelled to thank Vanessa for saving his life. This leads to a friendship, and a puppy dog crush for Barry. Eventually, Vanessa leads Barry to another revelation, humans have been stealing the bee's honey. With her help, Barry decides to sue humanity for the return of the precious nectar they work so hard to create.

So, there is a semblance of a plot in Bee Movie. The whole thing about humans stealing honey from bees gives the film something to do while Seinfeld riffs opposite Renee Zellweger. The dialogue is a combination of classic Seinfeld fascinations (awkward introductions, pop culture, et al) and bee puns. Some of these meandering conversations hit with a good punchline, sometimes they thud like a bad pun. Still, everything is delivered in a good natured and pleasant fashion.

The animation of Bee Movie is in the Dreamworks style, reminiscent of both Shrek and Shark's Tale. Shiny surfaces, oddly shaped bulbous characters and bright colors. For Bee Movie yellow and black are, naturally, the dominant colors, especially in the hive. Outside, bright blue skies and gorgeous green grass standout as some remarkable, eye catching visuals.

Joining the fun of Bee Movie are a number of big name guest stars. It's like a sweeps episode of the Love Boat. Oprah Winfrey, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Matthew Broderick, Kathy Bates and Seinfeld's old TV pal Patrick Warburton each play key roles. Sting drops in for a brief, humorous cameo and Ray Liotta steals the movie in a terrifically over the top bit of self parody.

Jerry Seinfeld is so naturally funny that you will laugh while watching Bee Movie. You just won't laugh enough. Gags and one liners work well in a stand up act but in movies we long for characters with some depth and insight. We long for characters who aren't merely placeholders in search of the next setup and punchline.

Ratatouille is soon to come out on DVD and that film about a gourmet rat shows the potential of animation to create animal characters with depth, insight and more to offer than a few good zingers. Bee Movie is amiable and nice but compared to Ratatouille, it's superfluous and entirely forgettable. While some won't mind the trifle that is Bee Movie, deep down they will long for more. I know I did.

Movie Review: Evan Almighty

Evan Almighty (2007) 

Directed by Tom Shadyac 

Written by Steve Oedekirk 

Starring Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, John Goodman, Wanda Sykes

Release Date June 22nd, 2007

Published June 21st, 2007 

I found Bruce Almighty a little puzzling. Was Jim Carrey God for the entire world or just for the city of Buffalo where the film is set? Who knows, I guess the real question is why I am dragging such a logical question in to a discussion of a movie where logic is the least important thing imaginable? Bruce Almighty wasn't really a movie, in the sense of a series of scenes that coalesce into a story. Rather, Bruce Almighty was a concept blown up to movie length. Director Tom Shadyac and writer Steve Oedekirk simply thought of a one line pitch, Jim Carrey as God, and worked from there. The same creative bankruptcy plagues the even more logic free pseudo-sequel Evan Almighty. This film emerged from yet another one line pitch, Steve Carell as Noah.

Evan Baxter (Carell) was Buffalo's number 1 newscaster. Now he is Buffalo's representative in Congress having recently won election. Moving with his family, including his wife Joan (Lauren Graham) and their three sons, to Washington D.C; Evan has promised voters that he is going to change the world. God (Morgan Freeman) likes Evan's ambition and decides to offer Evan the opportunity to really change the world.

Dropping wood and tools on Evan's lawn, God tasks the former newsman to build an ark. The flood is coming and Evan will have to have the boat built in time if he is going to change the world and save a few lives. Evan is naturally skeptical but when animals begin following him wherever he goes, and he sprouts facial hair that Charlton Heston in The 10 Commandments would envy, he can no longer fight what God has asked him to do.

Directed by Tom Shadyac, who also directed Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty is a spirited but lunkheaded comedy. Star Steve Carell does everything short of roll over and beg for laughs as he tries to wring some humor out the muck of Evan Almighty. It's a tribute to his talent and that of his picking up a paycheck co-star Morgan Freeman, that Evan Almighty does have a happy vibe throughout.

Unfortunately for both performers, director Tom Shadyac simply cannot get ahold of this material. Every plot strand seems to run off in a different direction and he simply lacks the ability to coax it all back into a cohesive whole. Meanwhile, as the story drifts away, the special effects, from CGI condors, tigers and bears to the abysmal, Ed Wood gone computerized, flood, all are strictly amateur efforts.

There are numerous things wrong with Evan Almighty aside from Tom Shadyac's ability to bring it all together as a cohesive whole. A glaring problem is the films gutlessness. This is a biblical tale, God is one of the stars, and yet real religion is scarce. We never learn what denomination Evan is nor do we see him in church. Piety is not entirely necessary but the film never takes a stance on just how religious Evan is aside from a brief, begrudging prayer.

This is also a film in which politics are involved and yet the filmmakers seem to have no concept of how politics or democracy works. As Evan gets into his ark building, robe wearing, shaggy bearded business he worries that he may be fired from his job. Evan is a Congressman. To fire him, the voters have to vote him out; yet he acts as if John Goodman's evil elder congressman is his boss with the ability to banish him if he feels like it.

(Side note, I am aware that Congress can expel a member of Congress, however, one single Congressman cannot fire another Congressman.) 

Of the glaring political misnomers, where is the President? The alternate universe of Evan Almighty has no President. He's not even referred to. One would think that if a nutty Congressman started dressing like Noah and building a giant ark and bringing animals, two by two, from across the globe, the President of the United States just might notice it and have a comment or two.

And in case you were wondering where Evan stands politically, the film does not assign him a political party. Fearing they might turn off potential moviegoers, Evan's politics are mysterious at best. He drives a Hummer which some would see as being Republican-ish, but that is not a great indicator. This might not matter if Evan were something of a political dupe who got elected by chance thanks to a welcoming smile and positive demeanor but the story establishes quickly that Evan is neither incompetent or incapable.

As with all things in mainstream Hollywood, this is a box office calculation. The movie must appear as all things to all people so as not to offend any potential audience. Hence, no religious affiliation for Evan nor a political party. This, of course, only serves to muddy the waters of the films comic intentions. It can't be a satire of anything because that would require a perspective. There is a muddled pro-environment message. John Goodman's evil congressman is trying to push through an environmentally unsound bill, but the details of this plot are too confused for any useful context.

So why did I walk out of Evan Almighty smiling? I'm not exactly sure. There is a big dance sequence over the credits with a lot of behind the scenes footage that is a whole lot of fun. There is also the quick witted performance of comedian Wanda Sykes who seems to be reprising her role from another awful movie, the Jane Fonda-Jennifer Lopez pseudo-comedy Monster In Law.

As she did in Monster In Law, Sykes performs the service of comic fixer. When scenes lack humor, as so many scenes in Evan Almighty seem to, director Shadyac simply cuts to Sykes for yet another of her quick witted quips and put downs. You can sense even when the quips were scripted and when they weren't, the likely ad-libs of Ms. Sykes are far funnier than the scripted ones.

There is a scene where Evan confronts congress in his full Noah garb and Sykes provides comic commentary from an entirely different location, speaking to no one but us in the audience. Intentional or not, this scene seems cobbled together as if it simply weren't working and the editors cut in clips of Sykes to make the scenes funny.

Steve Carell does what he can with this inelegant script and gamely throws his body into as much slapstick as he can endure. His attempts are kind of funny in that classic three stooges, laugh at someone else's pain sort of way, but when not throwing himself to the ground or hitting himself with a hammer, Carell is left at the mercy of this ludicrous script and left only a little dance to try and bring some life to scenes. The dance gets old quick.

Cowardly, confused and amateurish, Evan Almighty is a terrifically bad movie. And yet, I feel bad trashing it too much. Steve Carell is so talented and likable that I want to cut this film all the slack I can. That isn't much. Wanda Sykes is a real scene stealer but there is no need to waste your time seeking her out in this film when DVD's of her stand up material are readily available and free of the yoke of pulling this movie behind it.

Evan Almighty is the most expensive comedy ever made and one of the biggest wastes of money Hollywood has brought to the screen in a long while.