Viewed in
2011
Formats
DVD
Premise
Matt Damon stars as a New York Senator who falls in love with a ballerina (Emily Blunt), but mysterious men in hats keep them apart for mysterious reasons with mysterious powers.
Liked
The acting.
Disliked
The similarities to Dark City.
Thoughts
From the moment I saw the trailer, I instantly thought of my favorite film of all time. The plot, premise, and archetypes all looked too familiar. Sadly, I was right.
Having said that, it was still a good film. It obviously had much better star power with Damon as the lead. He was excellent as a promising politician with a checkered past, carrying the film through its sci-fi and romantic moments with natural ease. Blunt was lovely and had good chemistry with our hero. Like most American films, you need a British accent to let the audience know "don't mess with this guy", and Terence Stamp was very strong as the antagonist. I also liked solid performances by John Slattery and Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker).
For me, everything else was predictable because I had seen this story before in Dark City. Hero fighting the system? Check. His history and love life possibly manufactured? Check. Horde of baddies with abilities to control time and space? Check. Free will versus fate? Check. Retro metropolis setting? Check. Heck, even both films' bad guys have weaknesses against water! At least the Strangers from the 1998 masterpiece didn't need hats to keep them in power.
Obviously not everything was identical, but you get the picture. There were some aspects of this film that were superior, such as star power, special effects, better developed love story, and overall production value.
Look, I know The Adjustment Bureau probably got an unfair shake because of I happened to love Dark City with a passion. I highly doubt most moviegoers love or remember an indie sci-fi flick released a dozen years ago (though a quick web search yielded a surprising number of hits), so their experience won't be as deja vu as mine. So without bashing it any further, I thought it was a decent, accessible science fiction thriller that didn't dumb things down for the audience.
What I would change
No idea. I never read Philip K. Dick's short story, so I don't know how close this was to the original source, which would give it some leeway in terms of coincidental similarities with you-know-what.
Showing posts with label 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2011. Show all posts
The Adventures of Tintin
Viewed in
2012
Formats
Movie theater (3D)
Premise
Steven Spielberg takes a stab at Robert Zemeckis-style motion-capture animation by adapting the famous comic book characters.
Loved
Edge-of-your-seat action.
Liked
Use of 3D, Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig.
Thoughts
I've actually never heard of this series of books, so obviously I have no clue how close this film was to the original source.
What I loved about this film was the inspired action sequences, from a motorcycle chase lovingly reminiscent of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to exhilarating pirate ship battles that give Pirates of the Caribbean a run for its money.
What gave the film its exhilarating scenes and fun energy was Spielberg's ability to utilize the 3D motion-capture animation, especially in terms of unchaining the camera from the laws of physics, giving us interesting angles that take advantage of 3D. I would say it's borderline between "really beneficial to see it in 3D" and "must-see 3D".
Another strong aspect of the film was the voice acting. I was rather surprised by Daniel Craig's chops playing the antagonist, and blown away be Serkis' force-of-nature performance as the sidekick Haddock.
I know many still get creeped out by the uncanny valley issue with this technology, but either it's gotten better or I'm just used to the glassy-eye characters. In any case, The Adventures of Tintin was definitely recommendable, especially in 3D form, thanks to some really exciting action sequences, strong directing, and impressive voice overs.
2012
Formats
Movie theater (3D)
Premise
Steven Spielberg takes a stab at Robert Zemeckis-style motion-capture animation by adapting the famous comic book characters.
Loved
Edge-of-your-seat action.
Liked
Use of 3D, Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig.
Thoughts
I've actually never heard of this series of books, so obviously I have no clue how close this film was to the original source.
What I loved about this film was the inspired action sequences, from a motorcycle chase lovingly reminiscent of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to exhilarating pirate ship battles that give Pirates of the Caribbean a run for its money.
What gave the film its exhilarating scenes and fun energy was Spielberg's ability to utilize the 3D motion-capture animation, especially in terms of unchaining the camera from the laws of physics, giving us interesting angles that take advantage of 3D. I would say it's borderline between "really beneficial to see it in 3D" and "must-see 3D".
Another strong aspect of the film was the voice acting. I was rather surprised by Daniel Craig's chops playing the antagonist, and blown away be Serkis' force-of-nature performance as the sidekick Haddock.
I know many still get creeped out by the uncanny valley issue with this technology, but either it's gotten better or I'm just used to the glassy-eye characters. In any case, The Adventures of Tintin was definitely recommendable, especially in 3D form, thanks to some really exciting action sequences, strong directing, and impressive voice overs.
Arthur Christmas
Viewed in
2011
Formats
Movie theater
Premise
On Christmas night at the North Pole, Santa's youngest son looks to use his father's high-tech operation for an urgent mission.
Loved
Christmas spirit.
Liked
Creative premise, comedy.
Disliked
Justin Beiber.
Thoughts
The marketing did not do this film any favors, but it turned out to be a very good holiday family flick.
I enjoyed the funny premise of a family of Clauses of different generations, each member well-fleshed out with agendas and conflicts. In addition, the writing made me laugh a lot. It had a strong blend of slapstick and British humor, and contained inventive twists on Santa cliches and myths.
When the credits rolled, I was surprised to see so many recognizable British names. Kudos to the casting and directing for assembling such a talented voice cast who breathed life into these characters without distracting me as recognizable voices.
The undercurrent driving the film was the themes and spirit of St. Nick and (non-religious aspects of) Christmas. Beneath the computer graphics and sharp comedy was a story full of heart.
While watching it in regular 2D, I thought to myself that it might have been pretty good in 3D. The film had a plethora of epic, sweeping shots of the Claus head quarters in the North Pole and energetic reindeer flying scenes.
Despite its dopey look, I definitely recommend Arthur Christmas as a fun choice for the Christmas season, with its sharp writing and spirited story. Although I could've done away with the sloppily put-together Justin Beiber music video at the beginning.
2011
Formats
Movie theater
Premise
On Christmas night at the North Pole, Santa's youngest son looks to use his father's high-tech operation for an urgent mission.
Loved
Christmas spirit.
Liked
Creative premise, comedy.
Disliked
Justin Beiber.
Thoughts
The marketing did not do this film any favors, but it turned out to be a very good holiday family flick.
I enjoyed the funny premise of a family of Clauses of different generations, each member well-fleshed out with agendas and conflicts. In addition, the writing made me laugh a lot. It had a strong blend of slapstick and British humor, and contained inventive twists on Santa cliches and myths.
When the credits rolled, I was surprised to see so many recognizable British names. Kudos to the casting and directing for assembling such a talented voice cast who breathed life into these characters without distracting me as recognizable voices.
The undercurrent driving the film was the themes and spirit of St. Nick and (non-religious aspects of) Christmas. Beneath the computer graphics and sharp comedy was a story full of heart.
While watching it in regular 2D, I thought to myself that it might have been pretty good in 3D. The film had a plethora of epic, sweeping shots of the Claus head quarters in the North Pole and energetic reindeer flying scenes.
Despite its dopey look, I definitely recommend Arthur Christmas as a fun choice for the Christmas season, with its sharp writing and spirited story. Although I could've done away with the sloppily put-together Justin Beiber music video at the beginning.
The Artist
Viewed in
2011
Formats
Movie theater
Premise
A silent film about a silent film star's fall from grace.
Loved
Silent film premise.
Liked
Performances.
Disliked
Story.
Thoughts
Sadly, this was a classic case of the premise being better on paper than on screen.
The premise and spirit of doing a silent movie about silent movies was brilliant. I enjoyed the fun acting by the cast. And I especially dug the play on sound and sound editing.
For me, I didn't find the story to be interesting, so the novelty of watching a modernized silent movie wore off about halfway in. Also, there was this wonderful moment when sound breaks through the "fourth wall", and I thought the film would venture into Pleasantville, only to be disappointed by its retreat back to status quo.
I really wanted The Artist to succeed because the hook was so interesting and cool, but the old dogma of "story is everything" still applies to movies new and old.
2011
Formats
Movie theater
Premise
A silent film about a silent film star's fall from grace.
Loved
Silent film premise.
Liked
Performances.
Disliked
Story.
Thoughts
Sadly, this was a classic case of the premise being better on paper than on screen.
The premise and spirit of doing a silent movie about silent movies was brilliant. I enjoyed the fun acting by the cast. And I especially dug the play on sound and sound editing.
For me, I didn't find the story to be interesting, so the novelty of watching a modernized silent movie wore off about halfway in. Also, there was this wonderful moment when sound breaks through the "fourth wall", and I thought the film would venture into Pleasantville, only to be disappointed by its retreat back to status quo.
I really wanted The Artist to succeed because the hook was so interesting and cool, but the old dogma of "story is everything" still applies to movies new and old.
Attack the Block
Viewed in
2011
Formats
Movie theater
Premise
Teenage hoodlums from the projects of London, aka The Block, take on an alien invasion.
Liked
The premise, the kids, some of the comedy, the creativity.
Disliked
The underwhelming plot.
Thoughts
I think I over-hyped myself for Attack the Block.
There was definitely some creative moments. And it's true that one of Earth's greatest monsters are reckless teenage boys. Watching them running amok with bats, fireworks, bikes, and a samurai sword, taking out malicious aliens was quite fun. (Too bad for the inauspicious timing of the London riots.)
The action sequences were fun mash-ups of parkour, X-Games, hooliganism, MacGyver, and old-school horror. The violence and gore was well done, given its budget, with cool visuals of shadowy beasts that were entirely black, except for their rave-ready canines. I also appreciated some thought into the reason behind the invasion.
I probably missed a bunch of British jokes, despite recently completing a Doctor Who marathon. But I was in better shape than my buddy. There were some funny dialog between the main teenagers, as they traded insults and made pop culture whimsy. I liked the moments with the two preteens trying join their gang, but keep getting rejected, ordered to go home and "watch some Naruto". They could've done more with the absurdity of teenage boys unaware of the significance of their actions, as they dealt with aliens, drug-dealers, and annoying relatives.
The characters were surprisingly well-drawn. The original gang of five was pretty easy to distinguish, and organic, not caricatures. The Nick Frost pot-head, on the other hand, was pretty useless.
Again, maybe I would've laughed more had I been a Brit. But when the film was over, I felt underwhelmed, as if they ran out of ideas out from the promising premise. Or perhaps the premise was not as bad-ass as I thought and was simply in denial.
Overall, it was a bit scary, a bit silly, a bit gory, a bit hilarious, a bit cool, a bit creative, but also a bit disappointing, considering Nick Frost and Edgar Wright were involved.
What I would change
Not sure.
2011
Formats
Movie theater
Premise
Teenage hoodlums from the projects of London, aka The Block, take on an alien invasion.
Liked
The premise, the kids, some of the comedy, the creativity.
Disliked
The underwhelming plot.
Thoughts
I think I over-hyped myself for Attack the Block.
There was definitely some creative moments. And it's true that one of Earth's greatest monsters are reckless teenage boys. Watching them running amok with bats, fireworks, bikes, and a samurai sword, taking out malicious aliens was quite fun. (Too bad for the inauspicious timing of the London riots.)
The action sequences were fun mash-ups of parkour, X-Games, hooliganism, MacGyver, and old-school horror. The violence and gore was well done, given its budget, with cool visuals of shadowy beasts that were entirely black, except for their rave-ready canines. I also appreciated some thought into the reason behind the invasion.
I probably missed a bunch of British jokes, despite recently completing a Doctor Who marathon. But I was in better shape than my buddy. There were some funny dialog between the main teenagers, as they traded insults and made pop culture whimsy. I liked the moments with the two preteens trying join their gang, but keep getting rejected, ordered to go home and "watch some Naruto". They could've done more with the absurdity of teenage boys unaware of the significance of their actions, as they dealt with aliens, drug-dealers, and annoying relatives.
The characters were surprisingly well-drawn. The original gang of five was pretty easy to distinguish, and organic, not caricatures. The Nick Frost pot-head, on the other hand, was pretty useless.
Again, maybe I would've laughed more had I been a Brit. But when the film was over, I felt underwhelmed, as if they ran out of ideas out from the promising premise. Or perhaps the premise was not as bad-ass as I thought and was simply in denial.
Overall, it was a bit scary, a bit silly, a bit gory, a bit hilarious, a bit cool, a bit creative, but also a bit disappointing, considering Nick Frost and Edgar Wright were involved.
What I would change
Not sure.
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
Viewed in
2012
Formats
DVD
Premise
A documentary about A Tribe Called Quest.
Liked
Everything.
Thoughts
I'm actually not familiar with A Tribe Called Quest, so I found this very educational.
Director Michael Rapaport did a great job of getting the four members to be candid and unfiltered on camera. The subject and characters were compelling, so he just kept a steady hand, letting the personalities, interviews and footage do the story-telling.
In the end, I got a great feel for their music, each member's thought processes, their personalities, and the group's influence on hip hop. I also got to know Q-Tip and Phife, and how their relationship evolved over the year, no sugar-coating, no sensationalizing.
I think all music fans should check Beats, Rhymes & Life: A Tribe Called Quest out. I learned a lot about them and learned to appreciate them as artists, pioneers, and people.
2012
Formats
DVD
Premise
A documentary about A Tribe Called Quest.
Liked
Everything.
Thoughts
I'm actually not familiar with A Tribe Called Quest, so I found this very educational.
Director Michael Rapaport did a great job of getting the four members to be candid and unfiltered on camera. The subject and characters were compelling, so he just kept a steady hand, letting the personalities, interviews and footage do the story-telling.
In the end, I got a great feel for their music, each member's thought processes, their personalities, and the group's influence on hip hop. I also got to know Q-Tip and Phife, and how their relationship evolved over the year, no sugar-coating, no sensationalizing.
I think all music fans should check Beats, Rhymes & Life: A Tribe Called Quest out. I learned a lot about them and learned to appreciate them as artists, pioneers, and people.
Being Elmo
Viewed in
2012 (2)
Formats
Netflix streaming (Xbox 360)
Premise
A documentary about Kevin Clash, the man behind Sesame Street's Elmo.
Loved
Everything.
Thoughts
What made this great was its journey of Kevin Clash as an artist and a fan. We got to see some fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the Jim Henson workshops, from Sesame Street to The Muppets to Labyrinth. At the same time, the film had great heart, as it showed the magic of Jim Henson's genius and impact through the eyes of one of his biggest fans.
I was truly astounded by how much footage they had of Kevin in his early years. One could be skeptical in noticing how convenient that the cameras were for the first time he met Kermit Love and such. Personally, I'm not cynical about all the amazing videos of him performing. They just helped to tell a wonderful story of success.
Even if you're a casual Henson fan, I highly recommend Being Elmo. It's interesting and emotional, especially experiencing a glimmer of Jim Henson's legacy through Clash's eyes. Had I watched it sooner, I might've chosen it as my favorite documentary of 2011.
2012 (2)
Formats
Netflix streaming (Xbox 360)
Premise
A documentary about Kevin Clash, the man behind Sesame Street's Elmo.
Loved
Everything.
Thoughts
What made this great was its journey of Kevin Clash as an artist and a fan. We got to see some fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the Jim Henson workshops, from Sesame Street to The Muppets to Labyrinth. At the same time, the film had great heart, as it showed the magic of Jim Henson's genius and impact through the eyes of one of his biggest fans.
I was truly astounded by how much footage they had of Kevin in his early years. One could be skeptical in noticing how convenient that the cameras were for the first time he met Kermit Love and such. Personally, I'm not cynical about all the amazing videos of him performing. They just helped to tell a wonderful story of success.
Even if you're a casual Henson fan, I highly recommend Being Elmo. It's interesting and emotional, especially experiencing a glimmer of Jim Henson's legacy through Clash's eyes. Had I watched it sooner, I might've chosen it as my favorite documentary of 2011.
Bridesmaids
Viewed in
2012
Formats
DVD
Premise
Kristen Wiig stars as a woe-is-me lady who's life goes to hell when her best friend gets married.
Liked
Comedic performances.
Disliked
Crawling pace.
Thoughts
Even after waiting months for the overhype to die, it still could not escape underwhelming my expectations.
The best part of the movie were the performances. Wiig acted the heck out of her role and Melissa McCarthy's presence was definitely properly-hyped. But I also give props to Wendi McLendon-Covey as the bitterly disillusioned mother and Chris D'Owd as the absolutely charming state trooper/love interest. The jokes basically worked, from the scatalogical to the broad to the irreverent. My favorite scenes were Wiig breaking traffic laws to get the attention of D'Owd, and pretty much every line uttered by McLendon-Covey.
While I liked Wiig's performance, I found her character increasingly annoying with her blatantly woe-is-me attitude. Like many Apatow-stable movies, it felt 20-30 minutes too long: too many minor characters (Wiig's roommates were totally unnecessary), the temptation to cram every joke variation in each scene (instead of selecting the best), and the inability to know how to exit a scene.
Another annoying thing about Bridemaids was the misleading title. It was hardly an ensemble piece at all. Had it been called "Woe-is-me Annie" I would've liked it 15% better.
As for people calling it "Hangover with chicks", I do not get that one bit. Not only was it not ensemble, the premise was completely different. And the humor was much different. The Hangover was an unabashed onslaught of raunchy outrageousness. Here, it tried to balance broad comedy with some raunch, while still succumbing to some pitfalls of chick-flick-ville.
I know plenty of gals who are just as foul, unrestrained, and sexually unabashed as any normal American, so if the shock value of this movie is "Look! Girls can be dirty too!", my response is "duh". The Hangover succeeded because it took raunch to a new level, not because it was about a subset of people. A better comparison for Bridemaids might be Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, "Look! Asian can be dirty too!".
Bottom line, you can never have enough un-dumb, interesting female-driven movies, but we can do better than this as a watershed moment in cinematic history.
2012
Formats
DVD
Premise
Kristen Wiig stars as a woe-is-me lady who's life goes to hell when her best friend gets married.
Liked
Comedic performances.
Disliked
Crawling pace.
Thoughts
Even after waiting months for the overhype to die, it still could not escape underwhelming my expectations.
The best part of the movie were the performances. Wiig acted the heck out of her role and Melissa McCarthy's presence was definitely properly-hyped. But I also give props to Wendi McLendon-Covey as the bitterly disillusioned mother and Chris D'Owd as the absolutely charming state trooper/love interest. The jokes basically worked, from the scatalogical to the broad to the irreverent. My favorite scenes were Wiig breaking traffic laws to get the attention of D'Owd, and pretty much every line uttered by McLendon-Covey.
While I liked Wiig's performance, I found her character increasingly annoying with her blatantly woe-is-me attitude. Like many Apatow-stable movies, it felt 20-30 minutes too long: too many minor characters (Wiig's roommates were totally unnecessary), the temptation to cram every joke variation in each scene (instead of selecting the best), and the inability to know how to exit a scene.
Another annoying thing about Bridemaids was the misleading title. It was hardly an ensemble piece at all. Had it been called "Woe-is-me Annie" I would've liked it 15% better.
As for people calling it "Hangover with chicks", I do not get that one bit. Not only was it not ensemble, the premise was completely different. And the humor was much different. The Hangover was an unabashed onslaught of raunchy outrageousness. Here, it tried to balance broad comedy with some raunch, while still succumbing to some pitfalls of chick-flick-ville.
I know plenty of gals who are just as foul, unrestrained, and sexually unabashed as any normal American, so if the shock value of this movie is "Look! Girls can be dirty too!", my response is "duh". The Hangover succeeded because it took raunch to a new level, not because it was about a subset of people. A better comparison for Bridemaids might be Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, "Look! Asian can be dirty too!".
Bottom line, you can never have enough un-dumb, interesting female-driven movies, but we can do better than this as a watershed moment in cinematic history.
The Captains
Viewed in
2012
Formats
Netflix streaming (Xbox 360)
Premise
William Shatner interviews all the actors who've played starship captains in the Star Trek franchise.
Liked
Parts of the interviews.
Hated
Sloppy storytelling, annoying score.
Thoughts
As a fan, I really wanted to like The Captains, but found it a meandering bore.
Obviously, it was cool to see him talking to all the captains from each series, one-on-one. The most interesting conversations involved topics like the actors' hesitations to attend conventions, the dislike of being known just for their captain role, and the hardships of shooting their series. I also got a glimpse of each actor's personalities.
Unfortunately, as a whole, the narrative was all over the map, which is probably what a conversation with Shatner would be like. I frankly could care less about their life philosophies nor anything unrelated to acting/Roddenberry's creation. Same for the Chris Pine interviews, who I'm sure is a fine fellow, but at the time of this documentary, had only one Star Trek film under his belt and had very little to offer.
Shatner the personality was fun. Shatner the writer/director/interviewer was not. He was too close to the subject to help mold a coherent, interesting narrative to the fascinating subject. There were bizarre editing choices left and right, and he kept interjecting himself during each conversation, coming off as a control freak diva. Music choice and placement was super distracting as well.
Even for hardcore Star Trek fans, I'm on the fence to recommend it. There was some nice nostalgia and nuggets of insight, but unfortunately, Captain Kirk could not steer this vessel into the territory of a fascinating story to an interesting subject.
2012
Formats
Netflix streaming (Xbox 360)
Premise
William Shatner interviews all the actors who've played starship captains in the Star Trek franchise.
Liked
Parts of the interviews.
Hated
Sloppy storytelling, annoying score.
Thoughts
As a fan, I really wanted to like The Captains, but found it a meandering bore.
Obviously, it was cool to see him talking to all the captains from each series, one-on-one. The most interesting conversations involved topics like the actors' hesitations to attend conventions, the dislike of being known just for their captain role, and the hardships of shooting their series. I also got a glimpse of each actor's personalities.
Unfortunately, as a whole, the narrative was all over the map, which is probably what a conversation with Shatner would be like. I frankly could care less about their life philosophies nor anything unrelated to acting/Roddenberry's creation. Same for the Chris Pine interviews, who I'm sure is a fine fellow, but at the time of this documentary, had only one Star Trek film under his belt and had very little to offer.
Shatner the personality was fun. Shatner the writer/director/interviewer was not. He was too close to the subject to help mold a coherent, interesting narrative to the fascinating subject. There were bizarre editing choices left and right, and he kept interjecting himself during each conversation, coming off as a control freak diva. Music choice and placement was super distracting as well.
Even for hardcore Star Trek fans, I'm on the fence to recommend it. There was some nice nostalgia and nuggets of insight, but unfortunately, Captain Kirk could not steer this vessel into the territory of a fascinating story to an interesting subject.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Viewed in
2011
Formats
Movie theater (3D)
Premise
Chris Evans stars as Captain America.
Liked
The 3D, the story.
Thoughts
That was fun, and with substance.
It was definitely one of the more interesting origin stories for a comic book character in a while. There was some thought put into how Steve Rogers becomes Captain America with well-done character-building obstacles. I especially loved the twist after he became 'roided up and single-handed taken out some bad guys while weaponless.
Another cool aspect was the old-school feel in terms of visual style, setting, and dialog. Obviously it made sense, since it took place in 1940's America. The film makers succeeded in creating an old-fashioned universe without being anachronistic nor archaic.
Like recent Avengers Marvel flicks, the cast was solid. Surrounding Chris Evans were the likes of Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones and excellent Hugo Weaving. Hayley Atwell was quite the looker. And Dominic Cooper was very fun as Iron Man's old man.
The 3D was very well-done. Director Joe Johnston was diligent in making sure the post-conversion did not feel like one. The depth of that universe was truly immersive and enhanced the well-executed action sequences. While there was hardly any gratuitous 3D shots, I was definitely caught off guard by the shield ricocheting towards the camera that I actually ducked my head out of instinct. Too bad my local AMC theater gipped me of clarity by dimming their projectors again.
While the story was interesting, I could've done without the two prologues before finally meeting our beloved protagonist. Speaking of Evans as Rogers, he was believable as the underdog and hero, but I still found him to be quite a stiff. I don't think it's entire Evans' fault, as his character lacked any personality other than his underdog-ness.
Thanks to a strong story and 3D, Captain America: The First Avenger was another enjoyable Marvel film that also helped build up to the Avengers movie in 2012.
What I would change
Moved the second prologue later.
2011
Formats
Movie theater (3D)
Premise
Chris Evans stars as Captain America.
Liked
The 3D, the story.
Thoughts
That was fun, and with substance.
It was definitely one of the more interesting origin stories for a comic book character in a while. There was some thought put into how Steve Rogers becomes Captain America with well-done character-building obstacles. I especially loved the twist after he became 'roided up and single-handed taken out some bad guys while weaponless.
Another cool aspect was the old-school feel in terms of visual style, setting, and dialog. Obviously it made sense, since it took place in 1940's America. The film makers succeeded in creating an old-fashioned universe without being anachronistic nor archaic.
Like recent Avengers Marvel flicks, the cast was solid. Surrounding Chris Evans were the likes of Stanley Tucci, Tommy Lee Jones and excellent Hugo Weaving. Hayley Atwell was quite the looker. And Dominic Cooper was very fun as Iron Man's old man.
The 3D was very well-done. Director Joe Johnston was diligent in making sure the post-conversion did not feel like one. The depth of that universe was truly immersive and enhanced the well-executed action sequences. While there was hardly any gratuitous 3D shots, I was definitely caught off guard by the shield ricocheting towards the camera that I actually ducked my head out of instinct. Too bad my local AMC theater gipped me of clarity by dimming their projectors again.
While the story was interesting, I could've done without the two prologues before finally meeting our beloved protagonist. Speaking of Evans as Rogers, he was believable as the underdog and hero, but I still found him to be quite a stiff. I don't think it's entire Evans' fault, as his character lacked any personality other than his underdog-ness.
Thanks to a strong story and 3D, Captain America: The First Avenger was another enjoyable Marvel film that also helped build up to the Avengers movie in 2012.
What I would change
Moved the second prologue later.
Cars 2
Viewed in
2011
Formats
DVD
Premise
In the sequel to Cars, Mater gets caught up in international super-spy caper.
Disliked
The story.
Thoughts
Good enough to entertain kids, but really an unnecessary sequel.
The car characters were still cute, the chases were energetic, and there was some fun cultural material with the Japanese and European countries.
But the plot was flat out ridiculous. They struggled with figuring out whether it's Mater's movie or Lightning's. And the story was eye-rolling with its flimsy way of getting Mater involved into the spy games.
Cars 2 technically didn't suck, but with such a high standard for Pixar, it sure felt like it did, even with lowered expectations.
2011
Formats
DVD
Premise
In the sequel to Cars, Mater gets caught up in international super-spy caper.
Disliked
The story.
Thoughts
Good enough to entertain kids, but really an unnecessary sequel.
The car characters were still cute, the chases were energetic, and there was some fun cultural material with the Japanese and European countries.
But the plot was flat out ridiculous. They struggled with figuring out whether it's Mater's movie or Lightning's. And the story was eye-rolling with its flimsy way of getting Mater involved into the spy games.
Cars 2 technically didn't suck, but with such a high standard for Pixar, it sure felt like it did, even with lowered expectations.
Catching Hell
Viewed in
2011
Formats
HDTV (w/ commercials)
Premise
A documentary about sports scapegoats, focusing on Steve Bartman and Bill Buckner.
Loved
The attention to detail of the foul ball and the aftermath in those seats.
Liked
Use of Buckner as a contrast.
Thoughts
Quite a riveting doc.
The breakdown of when Bartman touched the ball and the immediate aftermath was exhaustive and compelling. Director Alex Gibney explored numerous aspects of how such a typical event became a perfect storm of irrational and embarrassing tide of sports fandom. I really liked all the angles that I never thought about, from the seven-second delay in Bartman's headset, to Moises Alou's immediate reaction, to the really interesting way how animosity originated from the crowd outside of the stadium, then seeped into the stadium.
All of this fascinating phenomenon would not have been captured had it not been for all the interviews with everyone around Bartman, including a pub owner who probably would've been the scapegoat had it not been for the wind. More importantly was the really good fan footage from people in that section. It was haunting to see these never-before-seen angles. Gibney used these to show how different things felt in the bleachers, and how the vitriol actually took time to develop.
Not surprisingly, Bartman refused to interview. But actually, this seemed to make the film better. Here was this poor fan caught in the storm, mysterious and aloof. As the subject of the documentary, his absence was just as mysterious, aloof and compelling. I loved the testimony of a writer who was assigned to hunt down Bartman for an interview.
Gibney wanted to explore the theme of scapegoats in sports. While it made sense to use Bartman and Bill Buckner as main subjects, I was disappointed that he did not take a wider look at it, with other incidents or sports. I don't think he was intentionally exploiting those two, but he could've done a more comprehensive job on that topic. I learned a lot of details, but I didn't learn anything about sports scapegoats.
Having said that, the Buckner stuff was equally intriguing. It was a great contrast and comparison to Bartman. It definitely put things in context with his experience and the Red Sox pre-2004 and post-2007. I was never a big baseball person, but the footage of his return to Fenway in 2008 was quite emotional and awesome.
I think even casual sports fans will find Catching Hell film enlightening and engaging, thanks to the Zapruder-like analysis of the foul ball and very thorough examinations of what Bartman and Buckner experienced.
What I would change
Nothing.
2011
Formats
HDTV (w/ commercials)
Premise
A documentary about sports scapegoats, focusing on Steve Bartman and Bill Buckner.
Loved
The attention to detail of the foul ball and the aftermath in those seats.
Liked
Use of Buckner as a contrast.
Thoughts
Quite a riveting doc.
The breakdown of when Bartman touched the ball and the immediate aftermath was exhaustive and compelling. Director Alex Gibney explored numerous aspects of how such a typical event became a perfect storm of irrational and embarrassing tide of sports fandom. I really liked all the angles that I never thought about, from the seven-second delay in Bartman's headset, to Moises Alou's immediate reaction, to the really interesting way how animosity originated from the crowd outside of the stadium, then seeped into the stadium.
All of this fascinating phenomenon would not have been captured had it not been for all the interviews with everyone around Bartman, including a pub owner who probably would've been the scapegoat had it not been for the wind. More importantly was the really good fan footage from people in that section. It was haunting to see these never-before-seen angles. Gibney used these to show how different things felt in the bleachers, and how the vitriol actually took time to develop.
Not surprisingly, Bartman refused to interview. But actually, this seemed to make the film better. Here was this poor fan caught in the storm, mysterious and aloof. As the subject of the documentary, his absence was just as mysterious, aloof and compelling. I loved the testimony of a writer who was assigned to hunt down Bartman for an interview.
Gibney wanted to explore the theme of scapegoats in sports. While it made sense to use Bartman and Bill Buckner as main subjects, I was disappointed that he did not take a wider look at it, with other incidents or sports. I don't think he was intentionally exploiting those two, but he could've done a more comprehensive job on that topic. I learned a lot of details, but I didn't learn anything about sports scapegoats.
Having said that, the Buckner stuff was equally intriguing. It was a great contrast and comparison to Bartman. It definitely put things in context with his experience and the Red Sox pre-2004 and post-2007. I was never a big baseball person, but the footage of his return to Fenway in 2008 was quite emotional and awesome.
I think even casual sports fans will find Catching Hell film enlightening and engaging, thanks to the Zapruder-like analysis of the foul ball and very thorough examinations of what Bartman and Buckner experienced.
What I would change
Nothing.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Viewed in
2012
Formats
Netflix streaming (XBOX 360)
Premise
Werner Herzog's documentary about the Chauvet cave drawings, the oldest of its kind.
Loved
The subject.
Liked
First hour.
Thoughts
It was interesting, thanks to the fascinating subject, and the amazing access to such an incredible piece of history. As expected, Herzog's quirky, hyperbolic narration added a fun style to it. But he also did a thorough job of educating me about the drawings, scientifically and artistically. I could really feel some mystical, spiritual aura permeating through the screen.
Where the film loses steam was the third act. After all, how many times could you see the same set of paintings before it got repetitive? The annoying trippy music didn't help either.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams definitely had some mind-boggling, historically-haunting visuals, and worth checking out. I heard the 3D version was well-done, so I'm bummed it missed it.
2012
Formats
Netflix streaming (XBOX 360)
Premise
Werner Herzog's documentary about the Chauvet cave drawings, the oldest of its kind.
Loved
The subject.
Liked
First hour.
Thoughts
It was interesting, thanks to the fascinating subject, and the amazing access to such an incredible piece of history. As expected, Herzog's quirky, hyperbolic narration added a fun style to it. But he also did a thorough job of educating me about the drawings, scientifically and artistically. I could really feel some mystical, spiritual aura permeating through the screen.
Where the film loses steam was the third act. After all, how many times could you see the same set of paintings before it got repetitive? The annoying trippy music didn't help either.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams definitely had some mind-boggling, historically-haunting visuals, and worth checking out. I heard the 3D version was well-done, so I'm bummed it missed it.
Cedar Rapids
Viewed in
2011
Formats
DVD
Premise
Ed Helms stars as a small-town insurance agent who finds himself over his head at a "big time" conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Liked
The charming characters, interesting story.
Thoughts
This was better than I expected.
What won me over was the characters and the cast's performances. They definitely felt like people I would want to hang out with in real life. Helms pulled off the lead role very well, especially the clueless small-town dorkiness. John C. Reilly made a great wild child, and Anne Heche was an incredibly MILF-y redhead. I haven't seen The Wire yet, but fans would probably get a kick out of cast member Isiah Whitlock Jr quoting it throughout. Stephen Root, Sigourney Weaver and Kurtwood Smith put in some fun performances in smaller roles. Lastly, Rob Corddry's cameo slayed me.
Going in, I anticipated this to be The Hangover for insurance agents. Turns out it was quite different. Helms' character's arc was well-executed, and the interesting twists in the third act were a pleasant surprise. The story had some heart and brains and the characters behaved logically (for the most part).
While Helms' character had a strong arc, his path was a bit extreme. His early dorky behavior was at times annoying and broad, which made his second-half transformation hard to believe. I was also bugged by the change in tone by the film halfway through.
I recommend Cedar Rapids for the really likable characters and some smart writing.
What I would change
Get rid of the drug house scene. It was really funny and took Helms' character even deeper in the hole, but it just seemed way out there compared to the rest of the film.
2011
Formats
DVD
Premise
Ed Helms stars as a small-town insurance agent who finds himself over his head at a "big time" conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Liked
The charming characters, interesting story.
Thoughts
This was better than I expected.
What won me over was the characters and the cast's performances. They definitely felt like people I would want to hang out with in real life. Helms pulled off the lead role very well, especially the clueless small-town dorkiness. John C. Reilly made a great wild child, and Anne Heche was an incredibly MILF-y redhead. I haven't seen The Wire yet, but fans would probably get a kick out of cast member Isiah Whitlock Jr quoting it throughout. Stephen Root, Sigourney Weaver and Kurtwood Smith put in some fun performances in smaller roles. Lastly, Rob Corddry's cameo slayed me.
Going in, I anticipated this to be The Hangover for insurance agents. Turns out it was quite different. Helms' character's arc was well-executed, and the interesting twists in the third act were a pleasant surprise. The story had some heart and brains and the characters behaved logically (for the most part).
While Helms' character had a strong arc, his path was a bit extreme. His early dorky behavior was at times annoying and broad, which made his second-half transformation hard to believe. I was also bugged by the change in tone by the film halfway through.
I recommend Cedar Rapids for the really likable characters and some smart writing.
What I would change
Get rid of the drug house scene. It was really funny and took Helms' character even deeper in the hole, but it just seemed way out there compared to the rest of the film.
Charismatic
Viewed in
2011
Formats
HDTV w/ commercials
Premise
A documentary about the race horse Charismatic and his troubled jockey, Chris Antley.
Thoughts
Meh. I thought it was a pretty standard sports doc.
The movie did its homework on the Charismatic and Chris Antley's background, as well as play-by-play of their bid for the Triple Crown. My favorite part was the nerve-wracking twist at the end.
Having said that, I didn't find it all that interesting or significant. Granted I'm not a horse-racing fan. However, neither the characters nor the subject was compelling enough to seem to justify a documentary.
What I would change
No idea.
2011
Formats
HDTV w/ commercials
Premise
A documentary about the race horse Charismatic and his troubled jockey, Chris Antley.
Thoughts
Meh. I thought it was a pretty standard sports doc.
The movie did its homework on the Charismatic and Chris Antley's background, as well as play-by-play of their bid for the Triple Crown. My favorite part was the nerve-wracking twist at the end.
Having said that, I didn't find it all that interesting or significant. Granted I'm not a horse-racing fan. However, neither the characters nor the subject was compelling enough to seem to justify a documentary.
What I would change
No idea.
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Viewed in
2012
Formats
DVD
Premise
Steve Carrell stars as a middle-aged father who loses his ways after his wife (Julianne Moore) wants a divorce. He befriends a ladies man (Ryan Gosling).
Loved
Gosling and his abs.
Liked
Extremely smart writing, strong cast.
Thoughts
Don't let the clueless marketing or the seemingly lame premise fool you. This was an incredibly funny and tender dramedy.
The writing was very clever. I laughed out many times to the truthful humor about adolescence, marriage, and the art of seduction. Mixed in with the observant stuff was the occasional, but often funny random comedy and poking fun of rom-com cliches.
Just was good were the dramatic moments, thanks to insightful dialog and genuinely flawed characters. Their foibles and face-plants were really sweet, rarely sappy. Some scenes just spoke volumes about the complexity of love, my favorites being the moments between Gosling and Emma Stone, and the phone conversation between Carrell and Moore.
The cherry on the top was the cast. There were charming performances from everyone, delivering comedic and dramatic gold. I liked everyone, from Carrell and Moore, to the sexy Stone, to great moments from Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei, to unknowns like Jonah Bobo as the love-struck son. You'd think his eyebrows would give him away, but somehow I missed Josh Groban's brief appearance. But really, this was the year of the Gosling. He dominated every scene he was in, with his lady-killer swagger, his comedic chops, and of course those lovely lovely abs.
In the first act, there were times when it felt like there was one character too many, but have faith that they all make sense in the end. Unfortunately this required multiple coincidences to pull it off, but the execution of the payoffs were so awesome, I had to forgive the implausible moments. The only other flaw was that the film was slightly all over the map, probably a biproduct of having co-directors.
Crazy, Stupid, Love was sharp, nuanced, and insightful. It was so enjoyable, it hardly felt like a chick flick you watch to "take one for the team".
2012
Formats
DVD
Premise
Steve Carrell stars as a middle-aged father who loses his ways after his wife (Julianne Moore) wants a divorce. He befriends a ladies man (Ryan Gosling).
Loved
Gosling and his abs.
Liked
Extremely smart writing, strong cast.
Thoughts
Don't let the clueless marketing or the seemingly lame premise fool you. This was an incredibly funny and tender dramedy.
The writing was very clever. I laughed out many times to the truthful humor about adolescence, marriage, and the art of seduction. Mixed in with the observant stuff was the occasional, but often funny random comedy and poking fun of rom-com cliches.
Just was good were the dramatic moments, thanks to insightful dialog and genuinely flawed characters. Their foibles and face-plants were really sweet, rarely sappy. Some scenes just spoke volumes about the complexity of love, my favorites being the moments between Gosling and Emma Stone, and the phone conversation between Carrell and Moore.
The cherry on the top was the cast. There were charming performances from everyone, delivering comedic and dramatic gold. I liked everyone, from Carrell and Moore, to the sexy Stone, to great moments from Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei, to unknowns like Jonah Bobo as the love-struck son. You'd think his eyebrows would give him away, but somehow I missed Josh Groban's brief appearance. But really, this was the year of the Gosling. He dominated every scene he was in, with his lady-killer swagger, his comedic chops, and of course those lovely lovely abs.
In the first act, there were times when it felt like there was one character too many, but have faith that they all make sense in the end. Unfortunately this required multiple coincidences to pull it off, but the execution of the payoffs were so awesome, I had to forgive the implausible moments. The only other flaw was that the film was slightly all over the map, probably a biproduct of having co-directors.
Crazy, Stupid, Love was sharp, nuanced, and insightful. It was so enjoyable, it hardly felt like a chick flick you watch to "take one for the team".
A Dangerous Method
Viewed in
2011
Formats
Movie theater
Premise
Michael Fassbender stars as Carl Jung who develops feelings for a former patient (Keira Knightly) while debating and pushing the envelopes of psychoanalysis with Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen).
Liked
Acting, the debates.
Thoughts
It was well-acted and tickled my brain.
Fassbender and Mortensen were very good, smoldering in intensity. Knightly successfully balanced her performance as mentally-unstable without falling into over-acting. Vincent Cassel stole scenes as the seductive wild card.
The writing was strong, especially characters and debating dialogs. All the major characters had their own voice and clearly fleshed out. But what I enjoyed most were the heated discussions and arguments between Jung and Freud. Themes tackled included the boundaries of psychoanalysis, Freud's stubborn insistence on everything derived from sex, and dream interpretation.
What disappointed me in A Dangerous Method was the lack of emotional payoffs. While each actor was excellent on their own, I never felt much chemistry between characters, like the forbidden attraction between Fassbender and Knightly, and the restrained tension/mind games between Mortensen and Fassbender.
Intellectually it was very interesting, but soon I lost that intrigue waned without feeling the heart of the story.
2011
Formats
Movie theater
Premise
Michael Fassbender stars as Carl Jung who develops feelings for a former patient (Keira Knightly) while debating and pushing the envelopes of psychoanalysis with Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen).
Liked
Acting, the debates.
Thoughts
It was well-acted and tickled my brain.
Fassbender and Mortensen were very good, smoldering in intensity. Knightly successfully balanced her performance as mentally-unstable without falling into over-acting. Vincent Cassel stole scenes as the seductive wild card.
The writing was strong, especially characters and debating dialogs. All the major characters had their own voice and clearly fleshed out. But what I enjoyed most were the heated discussions and arguments between Jung and Freud. Themes tackled included the boundaries of psychoanalysis, Freud's stubborn insistence on everything derived from sex, and dream interpretation.
What disappointed me in A Dangerous Method was the lack of emotional payoffs. While each actor was excellent on their own, I never felt much chemistry between characters, like the forbidden attraction between Fassbender and Knightly, and the restrained tension/mind games between Mortensen and Fassbender.
Intellectually it was very interesting, but soon I lost that intrigue waned without feeling the heart of the story.
The Descendants
Viewed in
2011
Formats
Movie theater
Premise
George Clooney stars as the father of a dysfunctional Hawaiian family who's about to lose his wife.
Liked
Acting.
Thoughts
It was well done and well-acted, but it never blew me away.
As expected, Clooney was very strong as the disconnected leading man. Judy Greer, usually known for comedic characters, showed some excellent dramatic chops in a supporting role. Robert Forster also put in fantastic minutes as the critical father-in-law. But I did not expect the younger cast members to nearly steal the show, especially Shailene Woodley as Clooney's disillusioned daughter and Nick Krause as the dopey Sid.
The film never really had any weak points, but I was never swept away by it either. The entire first hour seemed to just go through the motions, as if it was a checklist for "how to win an Oscar with a dysfunctional quirky family movie", and you could see it cross off items one by one. The voiceover narration technique felt hackneyed.
Having said that, when the second half rolled in, the characters grew on me, and there was some emotional payoff.
I really enjoyed the acting in The Descendants, but for most of the film, it felt like it screamed "Best Picture, please!" while extending hand, expecting a prize, a la Stephen Colbert.
2011
Formats
Movie theater
Premise
George Clooney stars as the father of a dysfunctional Hawaiian family who's about to lose his wife.
Liked
Acting.
Thoughts
It was well done and well-acted, but it never blew me away.
As expected, Clooney was very strong as the disconnected leading man. Judy Greer, usually known for comedic characters, showed some excellent dramatic chops in a supporting role. Robert Forster also put in fantastic minutes as the critical father-in-law. But I did not expect the younger cast members to nearly steal the show, especially Shailene Woodley as Clooney's disillusioned daughter and Nick Krause as the dopey Sid.
The film never really had any weak points, but I was never swept away by it either. The entire first hour seemed to just go through the motions, as if it was a checklist for "how to win an Oscar with a dysfunctional quirky family movie", and you could see it cross off items one by one. The voiceover narration technique felt hackneyed.
Having said that, when the second half rolled in, the characters grew on me, and there was some emotional payoff.
I really enjoyed the acting in The Descendants, but for most of the film, it felt like it screamed "Best Picture, please!" while extending hand, expecting a prize, a la Stephen Colbert.
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (Di Renjie)
Viewed in
2011
Formats
Movie theater (digital)
Premise
Andy Lau stars as an exiled detective who's brought in to solve mysterious self-combustion deaths on the eve of Empress Wu's coronation during the Tang dynasty of Ancient China.
Liked
The creative martial arts fights.
Disliked
The uninteresting story/characters.
Thoughts
It's a decent Asian action flick.
I enjoyed the fight scenes. Action director Sammo Hung got some creative stuff out of traditional feudal Chinese settings, such as a buck-infested temple and the innards of a 60 foot Buddha statue. My favorite scene was the underground bazaar channeling the River Styx. While there were traditional weapons like swords and arrows, some cool stuff was used, like whips and a weakness-seeking mace.
There were a lot of computer graphics, but mostly used for creating landscapes and special effects, leaving actual martial arts to still feel genuine with wires and stunts.
Unfortunately the story and characters did not match the interesting action. There was a cool albino character and Lau always lends gravitas, but none of them had enough charm to get me to keep caring about them as the convoluted mess of double-crossing and suspicions began to confuse me. I definitely felt cheated near the end as resolutions of minor characters/suspects led to red herrings. Once you apply Ebert' The Law of Economy of Characters to a small role played by Tony Leung (the other one), well, things got predictable.
Considering the pedigree of Asian/martial arts talents of Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Sammo Hung and Tsui Hark, I was underwhelmed at the end.
What I would change
The English-translated title that made it sound like a cross between Harriet the Spy and Percy Jackson.
2011
Formats
Movie theater (digital)
Premise
Andy Lau stars as an exiled detective who's brought in to solve mysterious self-combustion deaths on the eve of Empress Wu's coronation during the Tang dynasty of Ancient China.
Liked
The creative martial arts fights.
Disliked
The uninteresting story/characters.
Thoughts
It's a decent Asian action flick.
I enjoyed the fight scenes. Action director Sammo Hung got some creative stuff out of traditional feudal Chinese settings, such as a buck-infested temple and the innards of a 60 foot Buddha statue. My favorite scene was the underground bazaar channeling the River Styx. While there were traditional weapons like swords and arrows, some cool stuff was used, like whips and a weakness-seeking mace.
There were a lot of computer graphics, but mostly used for creating landscapes and special effects, leaving actual martial arts to still feel genuine with wires and stunts.
Unfortunately the story and characters did not match the interesting action. There was a cool albino character and Lau always lends gravitas, but none of them had enough charm to get me to keep caring about them as the convoluted mess of double-crossing and suspicions began to confuse me. I definitely felt cheated near the end as resolutions of minor characters/suspects led to red herrings. Once you apply Ebert' The Law of Economy of Characters to a small role played by Tony Leung (the other one), well, things got predictable.
Considering the pedigree of Asian/martial arts talents of Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Sammo Hung and Tsui Hark, I was underwhelmed at the end.
What I would change
The English-translated title that made it sound like a cross between Harriet the Spy and Percy Jackson.
Dolphin Tale
Viewed in
2012
Formats
DVD
Premise
A young boy befriends a dolphin who lost her tail in an accident.
Liked
Overall vibe.
Disliked
Acting.
Thoughts
Overall, Dolphin Tale was a likable heart-warming film. It was occasionally corny, but it never overwhelmed me with its sappy message about the undying human spirit.
The biggest flaw was the wooden acting, which is usually more the fault of the director. It didn't help that the actors had to regurgitate obvious dialog. Ashley Judd seemed to be the only one who could plow through the material with gusto and charm. Morgan Freeman was strong as well, but he could've been on auto-pilot and we wouldn't have known any better.
As a film buff, there were a few incredulous moments during the story that made me roll me eyes. Also, the CGI wasn't well integrated into the live-action footage.
As a family film, it was perfectly suitable. It should entertain kids with a likable dolphin story, there was nothing subversive or cynical for parents to fear, and it won't bore the hell out of an adult.
2012
Formats
DVD
Premise
A young boy befriends a dolphin who lost her tail in an accident.
Liked
Overall vibe.
Disliked
Acting.
Thoughts
Overall, Dolphin Tale was a likable heart-warming film. It was occasionally corny, but it never overwhelmed me with its sappy message about the undying human spirit.
The biggest flaw was the wooden acting, which is usually more the fault of the director. It didn't help that the actors had to regurgitate obvious dialog. Ashley Judd seemed to be the only one who could plow through the material with gusto and charm. Morgan Freeman was strong as well, but he could've been on auto-pilot and we wouldn't have known any better.
As a film buff, there were a few incredulous moments during the story that made me roll me eyes. Also, the CGI wasn't well integrated into the live-action footage.
As a family film, it was perfectly suitable. It should entertain kids with a likable dolphin story, there was nothing subversive or cynical for parents to fear, and it won't bore the hell out of an adult.
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