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Bill C’s Review – 1.5 out of 5

I took one for the team and went to see the Lone Ranger this afternoon even though the reviews were awful.  The best thing I can say about it is that it got me out of the 100 degree heat for almost 3 hours (when you factor in 20 minutes of coming attractions).

At 2.5 hours this would have been too long if it was a good movie, which unfortunately it was not.  I have included a link that Billy I. posted of someone else’s review.  Unfortunately  I hadn’t read the whole thing at the time as it told me I could have saved 5 minutes by not staying for the scene with Tonto during the closing credits that I thought might have a point.  The linked review He provides a lot more detail on the movie than I do and it is an interesting read.

The plot is sort of crazy (as apparently is Tonto).  the movie tells the story of naive (really naive) John Reid being transformed from pacifist lawyer, teaming up with Tonto and becoming the Lone Ranger.  We also get Tonto’s backstory  as a heavily made up, old Tonto recalls the entire story.

The movie tries to throw in some humor some of which is ok but much falls flat.  As an action movie much of the action goes over the top and I am pretty sure that both Tonto and The Lone ranger would have been disabled or dead (although come to think of it (Spoiler Alert) according to Tonto The Lone Ranger can’t die (end spoiler alert)).

Bottom line is I wish I had gone to see Despicable Me II.

Review from someone else that Billy I posted

IMDB

Rotten Tomatoes

Bill I’s Review – 3.5 out of 5

I don’t normally go for zombie movies, or world war movies, much less a world war movie with zombies like this, but it’s a lot of (I was going to say “fun” but definitely not that) cool action and fantastic zombies. I always wondered why zombies would always move so slow, which they certainly do not here. These undead are super fast (but only when they are agitated!), crazy obsessed about attacking and biting humans, and seemingly super strong. There’s some incredible scenes, which I won’t give away here. Brad Pitt is excellent as the hero, and everyone else is a minor character (most of them turn into zombies, no surprise). This movie is not for the young teen age set, as it will likely cause nightmares. I saw a tweet from a Palestinian who saw this as Israeli propoganda, which I don’t agree with, although I could see how some might interpret racist undertones (e.g. during the initial attack Brad takes his family to Newark and everyone’s looting the stores, while a wino sits in the alley and pays no attention, then an African American cop shows up and…starts grabbing stuff off the shelves himself). But at least the zombies are multi-cultural.

Bill C’s Review 2.5 out of 5

The Internship is a re-teaming of Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson from the very funny 2005 movie Wedding Crasher’s.   Vaughn and Wilson still have undeniable chemistry and this film has a lot of funny moments  but I was hoping for something that approached Wedding Crashers in quality.   They try, but fail to reach the comedic level or the emotive relationships between. the key characters of their earlier collaboration.  This movie is also a lot tamer than Wedding Crashers.

This movie stretched for a premise in having their characters be two middle aged, recently unemployed that convince the powers that be at Google to give them a shot in their intern program.  Google gets a lot of free publicity and  I guess the idea was to make Google look good.  Having interns compete in teams for jobs (only members of the winning team get jobs) by tasks such as a game of  Qidditch seemed stupid (and then Vaughn and  Wilson becoming computer whizzes able to compete with the best and the brightest seemed stupider).

I think if I didn’t have such high expectations due to Wedding Crashers  I might have liked this more.  If you’re a real fan of theirs you should still consider this.  It’s not bad, just not really good and overall I was disappointed.

IMDB

Rotten Tomatoes

Bill I’s Review – 2.5 out of 5

I almost gave this a slightly better rating, but in retrospect, there’s not much to rave about in this film. It was pleasant to watch, and the story is lifted carefully from the book, but at no point did I get enthralled, surprised, or emotionally invested in the characters. Leo DiCaprio is excellent, Toby McGuire is serviceable, and Carey Mulligan is perfect as Daisy Buchanon. This might have been better as a made for TV movie of the week. The gangster side story was cliche’d, as was the speakeasy and party scenes. Elizabeth Debicki caught my eye as Nick Carraway’s love interest:

Bill C’s Review – 2.5 out of 5

I read this book a very long time ago so I don’t really remember it. The most interesting aspect of this version of The Great Gatsby is the presentation, and not necessarily the story itself.  The movie is directed by Baz Luhrman who is best known for the stye and showmanship that he brings to his films  His best known movie was Moulin Rouge which also had really interesting-looking sets and great use of music.

I agree with Bill that DiCaprio and Mulligan were excellent, although none of the characters were really likeable. Overall this was an OK movie. If you are really into the packaging, you might like this more than we did.

IMDB

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For those in Austin, a great way to escape the heat is at the Paramount Summer Film Classic Series. The movies play at both the Paramount and the State theater (right next door) downtown from Memorial Day through Labor Day. There are films from all eras and tastes—noir, comedies, musicals, foreign, silent. You name the genre, they’ll have it.

Here’s some of what I’m looking forward to from this year’s schedule:

• Charlie Chaplin movies

• Daniel Day-Lewis

• Hitchcock week

• Dirty Rats and Grand Dames

• Frank Capra series

Last night, film critic Leonard Maltin was at the Paramount to screen one of his favorite movies, Frank Capra’s little-seen Lady for a Day. This 1934 film was very entertaining. Maltin was introduced by Austin Chronicle publisher and SXSW founder, Lewis Black, who has been lifelong friends with Maltin. Who knew?!

Tickets are cheap if you get a book of tickets.  Try to check it out.

Bill I’s Review – 2.5 out of 5

I rate this somewhat better than Hangover Part II, due to the fact that it’s got a different plot, although the great fun scenes are few and far between. Zach Galifinakas does the heavy lifting, while his buddies basically are there to react to his wackiness. Ken Jeong has a major role, and it’s not so funny. Heather Graham reprises her Vegas hooker with a heart of gold role, which is basically a wasted scene. I enjoyed it nevertheless, but it’s not a very good film.

Bill I’s Review – 3 out of 5

A Tyler Perry production that is not typical, with no Medea in sight. It’s like an African American Meet the Parents, similar premise with a hard ass dad meeting his daughter’s beau, although in this case the dad is a super rich, snobby judge with a seemingly perfect family that in reality each member has their own secrets, unveiled as the story progresses. I had a smile throughout. Although the ending is predictable, it’s fun to watch.

Bill C’s Review – 4.5 out of 5

Below is the short review  I wrote after seeing Mud at SXSW.  It opens in Austin this week.  Definitely go see it!

This films reminded me a little of Stand By Me.  Two young teens are convinced to help an outlaw on the run.  Matthew McConaughy is great as the outlaw.  The two kids are great too.  The film also has Sam Sheppard, Reese Witherspoon, Joe Don Baker in small roles.  This is a good coming of age movie by Jeff Nichols,  the up and coming director of 2011′s Take Shelter.  Both Nichols and McConaughy were there for a Q+A after the film.  Definitely see this when you can!

Bill I’s Review – 4 out of 5

The plot is not important, it’s the characters that captivate and their relationships. I can’t remember the last time I saw such realistic portrayals of teenagers, and the complicated relationships they have with the grown-ups in their life. The impact of a troubled marriage, with both parents struggling to raise their son the right way, was amazing to watch. Reese Witherspoon was almost unrecognizable, not due to her appearance, but due to her character. McConaughy is terrific, coming off his great showing in Magic Mike. But the real star is the main teenage boy.

IMDB

Rotten Tomatoes

NY Times Article

Bill C’s Review – 3 out of 5

42 is the story of Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) breaking the color barrier in baseball in 1947.  It focuses on a relatively short time span, starting a couple of years prior to Robinson coming up when Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford!), the Brooklyn Dodger’s General Manager, decides to break the color barrier, and goes through Robinson’s first major league season in 1947.

For the most part, I liked the movie although there were certain parts where they took poetic license and factual liberties that were just unnecessary.  For example, in the movie Leo Durocher says his famous ‘Nice Giuys Finish Last’ line when talking to Rickey about whether Robinson was tough enough to make it with all the abuse he took.  I knew this wasn’t the proper context. There were other things like that, such as Branch Rickey miraculously showing up in the tunnel by the dugout at the precise moment that Robinson needs an inspiring speech. During the rest of the movie Rickey is comfortably seated in the stands. Gratuitously including things like this made me question more important part of the movie: were Ralph Branca and Pee Wee Reese correctly portrayed so positively or was it for dramatic effect?

For sports movies, the first thing that can ruin it is the quality of the sports scenes (think Gary Cooper in Pride of the Yankees). Here the movie did OK. The actors could all play pretty well. I think I did audibly groan however when Robinson got on base for the first time and started smiling as he prepared to steal a few bases.

I was surprised how much Harrison Ford looked and sounded like old clips of Branch Rickey I remember seeing, and I thought Boseman, for the most part, did a good job capturing the intensity of Robinson. The movie did a good job of showing the abuse Robinson must have taken (although I’m sure it was much worse) and the racism of the times from both the fans and the players..

The discrimination depicted in the movie is relevant in today’s world as demonstrated by recent discussions about whether men’s professional sports are ready for openly gay athletes.

Right now there are a couple of other movies I’d put ahead of this, but if you’re a big fan of history, sports or both, this film is worth considering.

IMDB

Rotten Tomatoes

SXSW is over! It was a great week (with a few exceptions that you’ll see below).

Here is a link to the Audience Award winners.  Somehow I only managed to see one of these movies so next year I’ll need to do a better job of selecting movies! Here are the Jury and Special Award Winners. I saw just one of these also!

Here are some of the highlights of the films that I (Bill C.) did see during SXSW days 4-9.

Getting Back to Abnormal – 4 out of 5

A really good documentary about race and politics in post-Katrina New Orleans. Some very interesting characters make this a very entertaining doc.

The Retrieval – 3 out of 5

A good narrative set during the Civil War about two former slaves trying to find and bring back another former slave for the bounty. Very well acted.

Muscle Shoals – 3 out of 5

One of two entertaining documentaries about recording studios (the other was Sound City). This little town in Alabama had not one, but two, recording studios that produced some amazing music. The ‘Swamp Boys’  backed bands on a lot of the recordings and appeared at the music portion of SXSW later in the week (although I did not get to see them).

Hawking 4 out of 5

An excellent biography of Stephen Hawkings. Hawkings also serves as the narrator. It dealt with his discoveries and public life, his dealings with his disease as his health deteriorated beginning during his college days, and his personal life.

Sound City – 3.5 out of 5

The second documentary I saw dealing with a sound studio, this was directed by David Grohl (of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters). It reminisced (and jammed) with some of the people/groups that made music there, including Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, Neil Young, John Fogerty and others.  While never recording there, Paul McCartney appeared in a very entertaining segment.  Grohl and the rest of the Foo Fighters backed Stevie Nicks, John Fogerty, and Rick Springfield at a great concert at Stubbs later in the week!

William and the Windmill – 3.5 out of 5

Another documentary. William built a windmill just based on pictures he saw in a book to provide electricity and water to his impoverished village. Benefactors then provided William the opportunity to get a formal education. This is his journey as he continues to aid his village.

Elena – 4 out of 5

This was a moving documentary about Elena directed by her sister about Elena’s life and suicide and the impact it had on the director. It included home movies of Elena and her sister as well as recordings by Elena

Some Girl(s) – 3 out of 5

A successful journalist travels around the country to supposedly set things right with some of his old girlfriends. Pretty entertaining and well acted. Men are scum!

A Band Called Death – 4 out of 5

This documentary is the year’s Searching for SugarMan! Three brothers from Detroit recorded some music in the mid-seventies and 35 years later they become overnight sensations. Definitely see this if you can. Death also performed at SXSW, but I didn’t get to see them.

Good Ol Freda – 3.5 out of 5

Freda was a big fan of The Beatles in Liverpool when they were regulars at the Cavern. When The Beatles starting gaining traction, they needed a secretary and so Freda was with them from the age of 17 until they broke up. This film includes great music, old footage, and an interesting vantage point for The Beatles’ story.

Maladies – 2 out of 5

James Franco and Catherine Keener in a very strange movie set in the 1950’s about people with problems. The movie had problems too.

Computer Chess – 1.5 out 5

This year’s ‘Trash Humpers’ (the worst movie I ever saw at SXSW). This was set in the 1980s at a tournament for chess playing computers. Clearly I didn’t get it.