Oct 28: The City of Lost Children

"A scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process."

Directed by: Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Rated: PG-13, 112 minutes

The City of Lost Children is a dark fairy tale from the mind of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the man behind Amelie and Delicatessen. Starring Ron Perlman, Lost Children tells the story of a brute named One and his journey through a dystopian junk-filled city in search of his little brother. On the streets of the city, One encounters a bunch of orphans, all working under the evil Octopus, a Siamese-twin duo that send the urchins out to find all sorts of treasures. However, it's not as simple as pick-pocketing or taking something when someone's not looking and many of the children are kidnapped by Krank (Daniel Emilfork), a scientist who steals their dreams in order to feel emotion. One of the orphan girls, Miette (Judith Vittet) teams up with One and together they agree to help save the kids that were kidnapped and stop the scientist.

Daniel Emilfork plays Krank as both a desperate and tyrannical individual... and it's all sorts of fun. 

The City of Lost Children is a very creative film. Set in a world that looks well past it's prime, a beauty can be found in the effects and sets. Jean-Pierre Jeunet and co-director Marc Caro have an incredible imagination and take a rather "cheap" looking movie to great heights. With practical effects and all sorts of gadgets, the city and its characters come to life in a twisted yet charming way. Ron Perlman is a massive man in his own right by the duo-directors use all sorts of angles and tricks to accentuate his stature and make him appear to be a giant ape of a man in a crowd of children. The Octopus is played by two different actresses but their limbs weave in and out giving the illusion that the person is actually one being with four arms and three legs. The scientist's lab is full of all sorts of gadgets and machines, and the quasi-steampunk style brings each object to life. As for the visual effects, Krank also has clones that work for him (played wonderfully by Dominque Pinon) and their bumbling and bumping into each other look flawless. As opposed to the usual effect you get when you have one man playing multiple roles, these clones appear to be played by six different individuals. Towards the end of the movie there is a quick aging process that happens in a dream and how well it is done leaves you baffled. It looks flawless and you're wondering how it was done. 

More Pinon is a great, great thing. 

As for the story, the first thirty minutes or so feel like forever as the buildup to the heart of it all is rather tedious. Many subplots and characters are involved and you are left a little confused as to where it is all going. However, once the story finds its focus and you realize that it's more about One and Miette's relationship. A giant man who speaks very little and a girl that's more adventurous than anything else prove to be a great combination and as the two grow closer, your heart gets all fuzzy. They share a handful of scenes that focus on their connection and as it grows deeper, you fear they will be torn apart, or something worse. Recognition must be given to the two actors, as without Perlman or Vittet, The City of Lost Children would be much more forgetable. Perlman went into production knowing absolutely no French and yet his lines (although few) are delivered perfectly. As he's limited to what he can express with words, so much of what he says is with his eyes and facial expressions. The film reminds us that Perlman is indeed an exceptional actor and is much more than a brute with a smile. The young Vittet is adorable as Miette and her ability to connect with Perlman is heart-warming. She's much braver than her age allows and proves to be the perfect accomplice to such a large, quiet man.

Perfect.

The City of Lost Children is worth every bit of your time. Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro continue their relationship that started with Delicatessen and create a worthy successor. If you are familiar with either of the men's work, you'll find much more to appreciate in the film and if you're a newcomer to either of them, you'll discover a magical imagination that spills out across multiple movies. The City of Lost Children proves that with a bit of creativity, a decent budget, and great direction, you can go to all sorts of places that you never thought possible. The film is something that can be watched multiple times with new discoveries found each viewing. There's plenty to love and plenty to enjoy and I would highly recommend it. 

The Good:

seeing what two talented men can do with a stretched budget and witnessing the power of great imaginations

The Better:

a film that never feels as cheap as you first assume, with terrific special effects that only heighten the magic

The Best:

a duo of core performances that give the movie a hell of a lot of heart and so much to root for

8.5/10

Discussion Question:

Should filmmakers continue to reuse the same style and techniques throughout their filmographies or is it better when someone experiments and branches out away from the familiar?

Trailer:

Oct 10: Casper

"A paranormal expert and his daughter bunk in an abandoned house populated by 3 mischievous ghosts and one friendly one."

Directed by: Brad Siberling, Rated: PG, 100 minutes

Have you ever watched a movie you loved as a kid, only to realize how inappropriately messed up it is once you see it again? Casper is one of those movies, blending all sorts of childish humor with so many innuendos  adult jokes, and death in the most peculiar little way. The film itself has held up pretty well but once you can understand particular parts of the movie, you feel more depressed than anything else. It's shocking that so many sad scenes and story bits could have been packed into a movie aimed for kids and not have Tim Burton written all over it. 

You were great once, Mr. B. What happened...?

Everyone knows who Casper the Friendly Ghost is. Originally popping up in the 1930s with the hopes of starring in his own set of children books, the rights to the cartoon was sold to Paramount Studios and the rest is history. Casper's starred in tons of cartoons and seems to pop up again in some form or another every Halloween. 1995 gave way to the first live-action version of the character. Casper follows Kat Harvey (Christina Ricci) and her father, James (Bill Pullman) who's a paranormal researcher who's called in to investigate an old house in Maine. Upon arriving, Kat befriends Casper, a 12 year old ghost who just wants to have a friend, as he's been living with his three ugly uncles (also ghosts) for hundreds of years. The rest of what plays out is the two bonding closer and closer, and Kat learning that Casper so desperately wants to become a human again. James is also dealing with the loss of his wife and struggling to raise Kat on his own. Throw in some other sub-plots involving the "new girl at school" and greedy business people and you get an oddly paced film.

These two's relationship is both awkward and inappropriate, yet cute at the same time. 

Casper is not an awful film but it's very, very flawed. Of course, with any kids movie you'll find horrible pacing, with everything moving along really quickly and awkwardly. The movie jumps from gross out humor to depressing death references almost constantly and ends up feeling more bi-polar than anything else. It's almost as though the writers felt guilty after coming up with all the sad stuff that they threw in a bunch of childish jokes to change the mood. If you really focus in on a large portion of the story, you'll realize it's utterly depressing, with a ghost child wanting to be alive again and a family torn apart after the loss of the mother. Casper just brushes on these points, too afraid to really embrace them, but the moments that highlight the sad make you feel like shit. Even then though, the performances are much better than what you'd find in this variety of film and the young Christina Ricci reminds you that she was much more than just a child actor. Bill Pullman is also great as James, mixing a bit of his nerdy self with the paternal charm you'd expect from him. The voice work is also great with each actor voicing the trio of ghost uncles fitting the roles brilliantly (Brad Garrett is Fatso). Casper also has a very haunting, yet memorable, score written by James Horner as well as great art direction and a solid use of practical effects.

Apparition ancestry is always the worst...(so is poorly used alliteration)

I'd recommend Casper just because the revisiting of it will disturb and entertain you. It's really surprising how bleak the movie really is and how the younger versions of all of us didn't take notice. I'd throw it in with Hocus Pocus as two great Halloween movies to see again after you're all "growed up". It's an easy watch, it's nostalgic, and it's much better than half of the kids movies that come out these days. And if you find yourself hating your life after seeing it, write about it in my Most F**ked Up Movies I've Ever Seen Blogathon. Yes, I couldn't figure out any other way to wrap this up so I plugged my own event. 

The Good:

it's fun (at times) and is a pretty faithful adaptation of the beloved cartoon

The Bad:

awful pacing with very little plot, chugging along just because it has to fill a 90 minute run-time

The Ugly:

it's sad... very, very sad

Overall: 6.4/10

Trailer:

Aug 21: Se7en

"Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi."

Directed by: David Fincher, Rated: R, 127 minutes

There aren't as many serial killers movies as one would think, let alone effective ones. The idea of a man (or woman) going around a city murdering unsuspecting people, leaving calling cards or signatures, has always been a creepy fascination a lot of us have. But in that fascination, there is fear and one would think that movies inspired by that fear would be aplenty. Some of cinematic history's greatest villains are serial killers- Norma Bates (Psycho), Alex DeLarge (A Clockwork Orange), Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs). These performances are also considered some of the best of all time, so perhaps a big reason there aren't as many serial killer flicks is because of the level set so high by these previous people. However, David Fincher has managed to produce two terrific movies about this topic- Zodiac, an underrated masterpiece about the Zodiac Killer, and his most certain masterpiece, Se7en.

The movie also has the most disturbing opening credits of all time. 

Se7en follows Dt. David Mills (Brad Pitt) and Dt. William Sommerset (Morgan Freeman) as they pursue a serial killer that bases each of his murders on one of the seven deadly sins. As the two detectives get closer to discovering the identity of the killer, they're thrown into a loop and find themselves even further away. The film's plot is formulaic, and you know that another body will be discovered every fifteen minutes or so, but the way Fincher crafts the story makes everything more intense and downright eerie. Going into the film, most people are aware of the seven deadly sins, but the creativity (if that's the right word) that goes into each of the murders, turns the film into something you can quite never expect. 

You won't be able to eat spaghetti for a long time after watching the film. 

As in all of his films, Fincher throws fully fleshed out characters into an absolutely miserable and bleak setting, where right off the bat he abandons all hope. You're constantly on edge, as are the characters, and each turn holds a danger you know is there, but still can't avoid. It's full force fear in the most successful way, and Se7en grabs your throat at the beginning of the film and only lets go (and throws you to the ground) days after the credits roll. Se7en also features one of the most compelling, frustrating, and genius endings in movie history and brings everything together in the most depressing way possible. As for the identity of the killer, you're completely left in the dark with the detectives, and it's only when they know "whodunit", that the audience is aware as well. Se7en also has terrific performances from both Pitt and Freeman as well as a phenomenal performance from the killer (who's identity I will not disclose for those who have not seen the film). 

Who is the man behind the murders? *ominous music*

I cannot recommend this film enough. Fincher has quite the filmography under his belt, with films (along with the previously mentioned Fight Club and Zodiac) such as The Game, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Panic Room, and The Social Network. With films like those, it means a lot when I say that Se7en is his best film. It's full of f**ked up imaginative murders, taps into the fear we all have, and creates something so dark with no hope you can't help but feel uncomfortable. The audience only witness the destruction one man puts out on a bunch of strangers, and while we never see the actual act of murder happen on film, the consequences and aftermath are all on display. Each glimpse leaves you bothered but also intrigued, and while the film doesn't make you a bad person, it taps into a part of your curiosity you probably wouldn't want on display. 

The Good:
great performances from the entire cast, who are each given moments to shine
The Better:
masterful sequences that play close to even the smallest of details, showcasing a man so disturbed and so twisted, yet genius in his work
The Best:
an overall eerie feeling that doesn't leave you right away and a lasting effect that leaves you knowing full well that you just witnessed a masterpiece

Overall: 9.7/10

Trailer:

Aug. 5: Heavyweights

"Plump kids are lured into joining a posh fat camp with the promise of quick weight loss and good times, only to find that the facility is a woodland hellhole run by a psycho ex-fitness instructor."

Directed by: Steven Brill, Rated: PG, 100 minutes

For all of you that don't know, I'm a big guy. I love food, I can't help it. I've been big most of my life and I don't see my love for food going anywhere. So you can imagine my fondness for a film like Heavyweights. It's a story about a bunch of tubby kids hanging out at a summer camp in hopes of losing weight. The camp, Camp Hope, is glorious. It's full of all sorts of activities, set in the nice, fresh wilderness, and eases kids into losing weight, hiding weight loss methods in with the fun of summer. I have to admit, a part of me really wanted to go to a place like this when I was younger and blend in with all the chub and have a blast at getting "less-big-boned". 

Read more »