Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

Every movie offers a different experience.  Some blow us away with special effects inspiring adventure, some woo us with love making us cuddle our sweeties, some provide a powerful message challenging us to change the world.  Unfortunately, when movies do nothing more than entertain us for a few hours we often pan them or write them off a trite pieces of trash.  Sitting in the theatre watching Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian I found myself smiling, chuckling and finally laughing.  When I realized what was happening I put down my critical pen for acting, story, direction and all the regular things and simply checked in to see if I was enjoying myself.  Night at the Museum 2 offers nothing more than a few hours of good old entertainment.

A lot has happened since the first Night at the Museum.  Larry Daly, played by Ben Stiller, has left his position as museum night guard and become the successful owner of Daly Devices, a company that sells useful devices such as the glow in the dark flashlight. In his absence the old museum has been handed over to progress, new technology has come in and all the old exhibits are being put into permanent storage beneath the Smithsonian.  When Larry receives a desperate call from Jebediah Smith, the miniscule and tough talking cowboy played by Owen Wilson, that he and all of his wax friends are under attack by the evil Kahmunrah, played by Hank Azaria, Larry must dawn his guard uniform once again to help his endangered friends.

There is nothing grandiose about this movie but there are a few highlights deserving special attention.  Ben Stiller plays the quick witted confrontational character he perfected through films such as Madagascar, Tropic Thunder and Dodgeball.  He does not give us anything new but he is still fun to watch particularly in the scene with Brandon (pronounced Brundun) the Smithsonian guard played by Jonah Hill.  Hill and Stiller stand toe to toe matching wits with the same tempo and speech pattern that Stiller uses for many of his characters.  This mirror image of attitudes is worth the cost of admission.  Amelia Earhart, played by Amy Adams, provides the movie’s straight man.  Adams plays this character with “moxy”, the zest for life which she notes Larry has lost.  Her tongue is quick but not humorous, it focusses on living life to the fullest and following your dreams.  Adams keeps this often heavy handed message light hearted while using it to drive her inspiring character's vivaciousness.  Last but not least, Hank Azaria graces the screen with another one of his great characters denoted by his unique and always interesting speech choices.  As the evil ruler Kah Mun Rah he is everything but menacing and terrible; rather he is quite silly and perfectly suited to play this misguided ruler.  No one stands out and no one will win an Oscar for these roles; however, they do keep us smiling from start to finish.

Keeping us smiling and sometimes laughing is the experience Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian offers.  There are no Oscar winning performances, no life changing messages rammed down our throats, no cutting edge special effects that will change movie the industry, or even a unique or new plot to go down in film history.  Although these elements are not present in the movie, Battle of the Smithsonian does not suffer for their absence.  This movie is light hearted, humorous and fun, and truly it does not need to be anything more or less than what it is.  

Rui Sousa: Plastics Artists

I was recently contacted by this artist inviting me to take a look at his work.  He is a plastics artist and I believe he hails from Portugal.  I took a look at his site and found it to be very interesting.  I openly admit that I am not an art critic, in truth I have no real knowledge of various kinds of art other than that of film and to a good degree food.  With art I also feel it is important to see it in person, something that may be textured, or three dimensional, or using a special media is lost in a photograph.  With all of that said I offer up my humble impressions of Rui Sousa's work.

There are a number of individual portfolios within his work. Each one following a different title and theme.  As I looked through them what struck me most was the difference in each portfolio. Some of the images were disturbing to me.  A mix of natural and unnatural things or a blending of creatures that sat uneasily with me.  Other portfolios were images that reminded me of childhood. Light images that were playful and colourful. Images I could see sitting beside Paul Frank items or hanging on the walls of a children's room.  

With that said I encourage you to take a look for yourself and see how the images effect you.  http://ruisousaartworks.blogspot.com/

Reign Over Me: Whose Reality Guides Us?

When a person loses the drive to carry on what do they have left?  This loss is enough to make anyone shut down and replace the socially accepted world for one of fantasy.  In this state of turmoil the individual feels their only safety is in what they create and it may be their friends who must help them see more.  Reign Over Me tells the story of a man in this situation and the friend who reopens the world to him; however, the film challenges the viewer with the philosophical question: “does everyone need to live in the same reality?”

Since his starring role in Punch Drunk Love, Adam Sandler, well known for his comedy, is slowly showing the world he is a very powerful dramatic actor. Sandler demonstrates his power and skill through Charlie Fineman in Mike Binder’s Reign Over Me.  As the movie develops, we learn Charlie’s wife and children perished on September 11, 2001.  The result of this tragedy is his complete social shutdown; he quits his job, exiles his in-laws, his only remaining family, and hides from his pain in the fantasy world of video games and music.  Sandler plays Charlie’s moroseness and anger with such conviction the viewer feels his pain; however; his ability to find humor, laughter, joy and love in this tragic character truly makes this a powerful performance.  In the brief moments when he smiles while riding his scooter, jest with Don Cheadle, or glances at the woman he so desperately desires Sandler provides stark contrast to the dominant sadness running through this character. This contrast creates an exceptionally layered and interesting character drawing us into the film.  Sandler offers a phenomenal performance but he does not stand alone in this film.

When Alan Johnson, played by Don Cheadle, begins working himself back into Charlie’s life he unconsciously uncovers he is not present for his own.  Cheadle’s choice for consistency in this role makes him powerful.  Alan Johnson is stuck in an unsatisfying marriage, facing a malpractice suit at work and exile from his partners; he is a man defeated by his own life.  His quest to save Charlie is his life’s blood because in saving Charlie he saves himself.  This opportunity is exciting and rejuvenating; however, Cheadle explores the depths of his defeat by approaching his quest for salvation with no more fervor than sitting down to dinner with the family he is slowly losing.  When he finally reaches a moment of explosive excitement we witness the fire burning within this man and know he has the power to reclaim his life.  To achieve this he must challenge Charlie to break free of his fantasy world and challenge himself if breaking the fantasy is the correct thing to do.

Mike Binder’s Reign Over Me is a compelling story dealing with a controversial issue of perception.  Charlie’s diligent fight to preserve the reality he creates makes me wonder if he needs anything else.  His reality is not socially acceptable however it does not adversely effect what is socially acceptable.  In that he does no harm should he be changed?  Conversely, each time someone attempts to bring the socially acceptable reality to Charlie it adversely effects him.  His in-laws, Alan, the psychiatrists all want to help him face “reality”; however, they also demonstrate their selfishness by imposing their wants and disrespecting Charlie’s.  It may appear that leaving Charlie alone is the stronger option; but, I feel the Judge, played by Donald Sutherland, addresses the film’s philosophical question the best with his statement “...this man may or may not need help.”  With this he sums it all up suggesting there is no way to tell or qualify as all options have equally weighted value.  

Reign Over Me is a powerful film dealing with a controversial issue which questions the audiences perception of reality.  The performances by Sandler and Cheadle are exceptionally powerful drawing the viewer into the film so that we may face this controversy on a personal level.  It is a riveting film carrying us through the turmoil and struggle in these men’s lives and leaves us to answer the questions presented for ourselves.

TAKOSUSHI: A Return

This is not a review.  Just a quick little note about a restaurant which is becoming my favorite place.  TAKOSUSHI is run by a couple who were looking to do something a little bit different.  They saw the opportunity in the franchise and decided this was their new path.  I had the opportunity to briefly chat with Shelby Stone, one of the owners, and as he puts it “the night half of the night and day team”.  Shelby is a painter, artist, supporter of the arts and very down to earth.  He was warm, welcoming and willing to sit down over a beer for a little chat.  In the few minutes we spent together I felt like I was talking to an old friend.  His demeanor and character were representative of the restaurant he helped to create.  I was glad to discover that the people who run one of my favorite places represent what they created:  a laid back place to have a good time.  If you want a comfortable different experience stop in order some food, drink some drink and while you are there say hello to the owners: they don’t bite.

Copper River Grill: A Generic Experience

My Southern Guide and I decided eating somewhere more main stream would be nice for a change.  A generic franchise with a menu the same as every other franchise.  When you are not quite sure what you want to eat this restaurant style offers the comfort of a relatively generic menu which has a little something for everyone.  As we drove down the road we saw Copper River and thought this is perfect tonight.

I believe the themed atmospheres makes generic franchises different from their competitors.  Over the years I have sat in rain forests, the old west, a traditional ranch, various 1950’s diners and many different themed locations.  These individual themes make the evening interesting and when you find the theme you like it can make for a wonderfully atmospheric dinner.  Copper River caught my attention with its Chalet/Ski Lodge motif.  Extremely high wood beamed ceilings, with an exceptionally large hearth complete with fire, a long bar with a huge wine selection in square cubby holes mounted behind it and long sun room on the side.  With the size of the bar and the dark colors I immediately felt this was a place for a younger party crowd; a group of thirty somethings on vacation cutting loose from work.  Generic uniformed servers bustled about and the generic hostess welcomed us with her generic smile.  Without delay we were seated in the empty sunroom and tempted with the promise of a quieter meal.  Unfortunately the room filled in minutes with a number of couples and their parents.  As I pondered the number of older individuals a couple and their three month old baby were seated beside us.  Not wanting to compete with the baby’s crying we asked for a different table and were promptly seated in the main room near the hearth.  Immediately following us was a large family with young children.  I looked at the other tables, quickly filling up, and noticed that other than one or two tables families sat and ordered their food.  My first impressions did not hold true, at least during dinner time, Copper River is very much a family friendly restaurant.  With my first impression changed I quickly scanned over their stock menu.

The food at Copper River is your average franchise sit down restaurant experience.  I say average because some things stand out and some things don’t; I imagine if I returned and ordered the exact same menu what I thought was good tonight would be mediocre and what I thought was mediocre would be good. The selections on the menu looked the same to me as any other chain: front page was appetizers, the middle offered soup and salad, next some entrees and below that some traditional favorites consisting of burgers and sandwiches. Their unique menu item was a selection of gourmet pizzas.  I ordered a meat lovers pizza to taste their unique twist while my Southern Guide ordered a house salad with an accompanying crab dip appetizer.  The salad was a good size portion of fresh greens and vegetables; but, the appetizer dip was disappointing at best.  Expecting a creamy dip, or at least a creamier dip, the rather dry and chunky crab mix arrived in a bowl surrounded with pita wedges.  I could taste the flavor but thought to order another glass of water to help wash it down.  In contrast to this; the pizza was fabulous.   A light thin crust, with a good helping of cheese and toppings spread almost to the very edge.  It was not greasy and the mix of meat offered spicy and subtle flavors.  It was exactly what I expected a franchise chain would offer me; nothing special but nothing bad.

After sitting down in this franchise, at 775 Haywood Rd in Greenville, I can suggest that Copper River is a chalet themed family restaurant.  There is enough selection on the menu to satisfy everyone in the family and the price is average for what they offer. Like every other franchise style restaurant it can be expected that some will relish their meal and others will be less than  satisfied, but the overall family experience will be average.

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising

So few stories translate from page to screen; however, this tragedy in translation does not lie within the story but in the over zealous screen writers biting off more than they can chew.  A great thing about books chosen for live action adaptation is they are already recognized, well written and successful stories that the masses love.  It is important to recognize these stories attain revered status because they are well written engaging stories.  Unfortunately, when screen writers attempt the translation of these beloved stories they often feel it is necessary to change, condense, enhance, embellish, omit or modify the story in some fashion.  This unexplained need to fix something that is not broken is typically the downfall of the screen adaptation. Susan Cooper’s series of children’s books The Dark Is Rising is yet another story falling prey to the Hollywood monster known as the screen writer.

The Dark is Rising is Susan Cooper’s second in a series of five books geared for more mature readers and youths.  It is the story of eleven year old Will Stanton, the Chosen One, and his quest to find the six signs that will help ward off the evil powers of the Dark.  Throughout his journey he has the help of the Old Ones, representatives of the Light, to help protect and guide him along the way.  Although they offer him assistance they do not know the answers and this is truly the story of a young boy moving from innocence and youth into knowledge and adulthood. It is a well written fantasy and two of the five books won prestigious awards.  Unfortunately, its screen adaptation falls short leaving the viewer unfulfilled in their quest for entertainment. 

The movie entitled The Seeker: The Dark is Rising lacks plot and character development.  This movie jumps from one isolated action pod to another without taking the time to cross the bridge connecting them.  Key elements, explained in the book and vital to the story’s development, are not given any focus in the movie.  One such element is the rising storm symbolic of the Dark’s growing power.  Its steady progression is a driving force behind the urgency in Will’s quest and important for key plot developments.  It is almost its own character which the movie practically ignores.  There is a suggestion of some inclement weather but no mention of how it is affecting anyone.  About the middle of the film this inclement weather becomes a raging hurricane leaving stores empty of supplies and homes without gas or food.  This convenient and trite way to get all the townspeople in one area so that Will can face his next challenge is the only link the movie storm has to the storm in the book.  This convenient screen writing omits all the explanatory elements of the story and as a result creates plot gaps leaving the viewer confused.   This writing also effects the character relationships and further degrades this great story.

Strong friendships and familial ties are vital elements in developing Will’s transition from innocence to knowledge.  As a book geared towards youth, there is a focus on the importance of team work and seeking help from others in times of need.  Merrimen is the wizened old sage and key guide for Will throughout his journey.  In times of trouble, he is the saving grace keeping Will from harm until he can learn his lessons to stand as a man.  When Will turns to him in the movie a brief scene leaves him feeling chastised and exiled by the only person he feels he can turn to.  This moment completely contradicts the great message Cooper delivers in her series.  Furthermore, Will’s connection to his family is vitally important; so much so, the Dark exploits this as a weakness.  The movie develops this by possessing Will’s brother and using him as a physical tool of the Dark.  Will defeats his possessed brother with a few punches and a simple speech about family love. This weak attempt does nothing to develop the family ties demonstrated in the books and mocks the values Cooper expresses throughout her tale.  With the loss of its values this movie becomes nothing more than a cheap Hollywood action movie.

When adapting a piece of literature for screen it is important to follow the existing story and show what has already been written.  The Seeker: The Dark is Rising does not do this at all.  It steals pieces of plot from the books and throws them on the screen for moments of action.  It devalues the powerful message of family and friends which the author carefully writes into her books leaving us with an empty and meaningless script.   Save your time and read the book, the film in your mind will be much better.

We Own The Night

Directed and written by James Gray, We Own The Night, is a high stakes police drama full of intense moments, betrayal, car chases, broken families and self reclamation. The stellar performances and strong story bring these elements together in a good film; however, this story drags in over indulgent mood shots and could easily be edited to make it tighter.

We Own The Night is Bobby Green’s story.  Bobby, played by Joaquin Phoenix, is the prodigal who left the family tradition of police work behind for a life of parties and fun working in clubs.  Though he does not follow family tradition, he exemplifies the hard work of his Deputy Police Chief father (Robert Duvall) and newly promoted Captain of a brother (Mark Whalberg), as he manages and is truly king of the high class bar where he works.  Typical of the prodigal son, he does everything he can to disassociate himself from his roots; his friends don’t know his family, he changed his last name and the Russian family who owns the bar are more family to him than his own.  Unknown to Bobby, his adopted family is the focus of the biggest police investigation going. When his two worlds collide Bobby must choose between the man he is or the man he can be.

James Gray does a wonderful job establishing the environment for his story. At the top of the film we see the festive mood surrounding our characters; Bobby parties with his friends, his night club is packed and energized, and Joe, his brother, is at the reception for his promotion. Gray also shows us that this world is troubled by violence and loss; Bobby must leave his friends for work, fights occur at the bar, and a moment of silence is held for recently fallen officers during the reception.  This all occurs in the first ten minutes, setting the stage for a great story, but it labors on from there.  As the film progresses Gray becomes overindulgent with these establishing shots.  Wide shots slowly zooming to the hotel, crane shots showing the vast field that must be searched, long shots walking down the hallway with our characters and so on.  By the middle of the film, these establishing elements become tired and almost painful.  Holding these shots for thirty-seconds rather than minutes would give the same effect and pick up the pace of this film; and given its heavy nature, picking up the pace would make a more engaging and powerful film.

Regardless of the above, watching Bobby go through personal trials and sacrifices to find himself is an intense journey worth watching.  Joaquin Phoenix is nothing short of brilliant in this role.  He creates a light hearted and care free character through his interaction with friends and contrasts that with familial conflict through fights with his brother and verbal jousts with his father.  However, when he gets the phone call turning his life around, Phoenix’s character changes becoming driven and determined but unsure and afraid of the action he must take. Through a change in vocal quality and a shift in physical action Phoenix beautifully demonstrates this transformation.  It is the subtle choices, like ever so slightly turning away from the man he clearly wants to hurt but cannot, that truly ignites the turmoil which exists in the character’s soul.  The remaining cast strongly supports this powerful performance.  Mark Whalberg, is well cast playing the work driven brother, who greatly resents his brother’s lifestyle.  He is quick tempered and harsh but Whalberg also demonstrates his ability to be soft and forgiving when it is necessary.  Robert Duvall, playing the father, rounds out this family.  His acting demonstrates where his son’s determinations and drives come from.  Duvall with his stern voice, heavy looks and contrasting moments of softness gives us a clear picture of this family which goes through so much during the film. 

This is a powerfully written story which takes us on a journey of self reclamation.  It is traditional as we watch one man fall from a great height and rise again newly reformed and better for his journey.  If you can accept the drawn out establishing shots that slow this movie down it is worth watching for its story and its performances.