I'm a normal guy who watches a lot of movies. I love to compare techniques, cinematography, and acting, but I'm really amazed at what makes movies successful. Why does one film make piles of money while another falls flat on its face? I hope to help other normal people enjoy more good movies and avoid the garbage.
This is such a great movie with its stark contrasts and dark themes. It is perfect Tim Burton. This was Johnny Depp before his downward slide. I hadn’t seen this film in years and thought it would be a good watch for a family movie night. I had forgotten quite how dark it is.
I’m not sure how he did it, but Burton managed to make a beautiful allegory of an autistic man and his attempts to integrate into a harsh society. This was before anyone had published any works on or formally studied autism. I can only think that Tim Burton either is or is very close to someone who suffers on the spectrum. Let’s think about it…
He is very mechanical and somewhat cold in his interactions with people. The inventor teaches him social etiquette and encourages him to smile. He shows particular skill which astounds others similar to a savant. Despite his best efforts he hurts others and those mistakes haunt him like scars. He has an amazing capacity to love but society pushes him away because of his differences.
It really is an amazing story, but I’ve always felt like the characters are overly exaggerated and with this allegory in mind it makes sense. The characters are as Edward sees them, brightly colored symbols of the things that he cannot be. He expresses the desire several times through the film to be introduced to this absent doctor whom people are sure could help him. He wants to be a part of society but like the dark castle on top of the hill all he can do is sit in his childlike state and look out over the world wishing he could join them but forever trapped by the society them at the same time.
We are encouraged to be like the Boggs who loved Edward for who he was. They embraced his differences and loved him for who he was, and their world was forever changed because of him.
I’m sure I’m stretching this a bit, but I can’t help but think of Tim Burton placing himself in Edward’s shoes as he makes this film as a brilliant creative man who would be misunderstood.
I have mixed feelings about The Witch, directed by newcomer Robert Eggers. It is an extremely well made 17th century period piece, with dialogue pulled directly from period documents, there is a sense of realism to the film. I don’t know where they found these child actors, but they absolutely nailed the dialogue. It seems as if they had been speaking old English their entire lives. The cinematography is quite good as well. The atmosphere was so natural and creepy.
Despite the technical proficiency and the rich atmosphere of the film, there were some problems that plagued the film for me. First, the mother is in hysterics throughout the film and berates every member of the family, including her husband. At one point, I wanted it to be her that made the deal with the devil? It didn’t seem natural for a wife in the Puritan setting to treat her husband like she does. Secondly, I think the witch was revealed to early in the film (even for a movie called The Witch). It could have built so much suspicion and tension as they begin to turn on one another. Finally, the last ten minutes was far too on the nose. I would have preferred a more ambiguous ending. instead, we got cheesy special effects and an interaction that was completely unnecessary. I have heard lots of good reviews but I’m just not seeing how it is that special.
Laika studios has brought us the best animated film of the year, and easily one of the best films of the summer. The stop motion and CGI animation is technical and beautiful. It’s easy to get lost in just the spectacle of the technical achievement. Never mind the characters, story and action which are also so great, this film feels like a wealth of riches. I can’t wait for my next opportunity to see the film.
If Laika continues to produce films of this quality, they could give Pixar a run for their money at being the best animation house. Kubo is definitely worth seeing this in the theater. I hate that it’s probably going to be overlooked for garbage like an unwanted Ben Hur remake and a movie about those rainbow haired trolls.
This weekend I will be seeing Life, Animated in a limited engagement at the Hippodrome Theater. It is only playing for 1 week so if you are here in the Gainesville area, you need to act fast. Unfortunately, I have to work on Saturday, but I may be able to check out another movie on Sunday afternoon. Let’s look at the new films hitting theaters and see if they stand a chance of passing Suicide Squad in its second week.
I kind of see this weekend as the unofficial end of the summer movie season. Very quickly studios are shifting to their fall releases which are typically more dramatic and geared towards adults and particularly Academy members. But the three new wide releases compete for second place this week because Suicide Squad, though it is still receiving less than stellar reviews, is almost certainly going to top the box office during its second weekend. I find it funny that all six of the new movies coming this weekend beat Suicide Squad on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m just saying, you can probably skip Suicide Squad this weekend and see a better movie.
First up is Disney’s Pete’s Dragon, the name might sound vaguely familiar because it is a remake of the 1977 film of the same name. Disney is looking to push even further out in front in the box office this year with another big family hit to add to Finding Dory, Jungle Book, and Zootopia. Last month they released The BFG, which I enjoyed and which received good reviews overall but which failed to attract the public at the box office grossing on $52 million.
It is hard to find a film to compare to Pete’s Dragonbecause the source property isn’t nearly as popular as Jungle Book or Cinderella. It is coming out in late August just as school is back in session across the country so it isn’t fair to compare it with others that came in the summer. The reviews are saying that it is great, and it currently holds an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m going to say that it will open somewhere in the neighborhood ofEnchanted or The Good Dinosaurwhich opened at $34 and $39 million respectively.
If Sausage Party taps into the same audience thatNeighbors andTed had then we could be looking at a tight race for the top 3. Those two opened to $49 and $54 million respectively. Amazingly, despite the extremely foul content and crude 3D animation Sausage Party is currently looking at an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it could have a very strong showing. On the other hand, it could go the way of This is the End and Pineapple Express. Those were both also Sony pictures and opened to $20 and $23 million.
Seth Rogen and his troupe hope are hoping that Sausage Party’s unprecedented combination of 3D animation and crude humor will connect with fans worldwide. Part of me hopes it doesn’t because I have three kids and they already want to see it and it’s hard to explain to children why they can’t see a cartoon because it was made for adults only.
Meryl Streep is bankable talent for older audiences. It’s been a while since we had a film appealing to older audiences. It could possibly do very well as counter-programming, but a couple of other films have tried this summer and haven’t taken off. Florence is getting very good reviews though. It is currently sitting at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. I think that this should do better than Ricki and the Flash which she released last August to $6 million, but not as well as Hope Springs which opened in a much less crowded August in 2012 and brought in $14 million.
There are also a handful of Independent films that are worth watching that are premiering this weekend. I hope that if you see them here it might peak your interest and you can keep your eyes open for when they come to your theaters. Also, get to know your local theater managers and try to encourage them to bring more independent films to market or seek out smaller venues that might be more willing to show eclectic films or documentaries that others pass over with a yawn.
