Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Sorry I haven't written in a bit. A lot of excuses... I've got some catching up to do as I've seen a number of movies lately.

As for "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," the most important thing I can say is that true sci-fi fans should view this movie. It is an incredible 1956 black/white vision so great that it has spawned (sorry for the pun) innumerable copycat movies.
This movie stars Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter. You may recognize McCarthy from the many MANY guest roles he's played over the years on various TV shows and movies. I realize a lot of people don't like black/white movies because they like the color and more modern effects. True, this movie doesn't have all the special effects today's movies have, but hey, it was 1956! They did a good job with what they had.
The movie centers on a small town, which is typical for most sci-fi creature movies. The doctor (McCarthy) just returns from a medical convention and is greeted by his nurse at the train station. She notes that there have been curious things happening, but just as soon as they started, they went back to normal overnight.
Turns out, seeds from somewhere out in space fell on nearby fields and took root. They grew pods which formed into humans, replacing the population in their sleep. This concept could be used to argue a number of more recent films, such as copycat "Invasion," "The Stepford Wives" or even "Nightmare on Elm Street" as sleep is the key ingredient for human death. Even "Star Trek" used sleep to defeat the Borg (the collective alien race determined to take human bodies and turn them into soulless machines). It is my belief that "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" started the sleep-replacement plot-line. So with that said, it is one of the cornerstones of the modern alien invasion genre.
Sex, well no, there really isn't any. Wynter's character is a divorcee who throws a few quips that are clearly sexual in nature. There are, however, scenes in which McCarthy and Wynter must spend two semi-platonic nights together. Wynter's dresses are fashionable and somewhat daring, especially compared to the rest of the town. It is clear that the producers wanted to make sure she was seen as the helpless sex kitten in the movie rather than an equal to the doctor (McCarthy).
As far as age appropriateness, I'd let middle school kids and up view it. That age and younger might have nightmares. Heck, some adults might have nightmares... I should also note that the movie was so disturbing to some of the preview audience (remember, 50s) that the producers wrote in two extra scenes: one as the intro and the other as the new ending. Personally, I think it would be much scarier had they left those two off. As an aside, if you liked the ending to "Soylent Green," you should enjoy this movie's ending as well.
The violence is minimal, as no one is actually mauled in the picture, but there are some slightly off-camera scenes in which you should be aware.
Socially, this film has been regarded as a reaction to communism. Write me and let me know what you think.
Overall, I'd rate this as one of the better sci-fi films of the 50s. The theme, music and plot-line are still very much alive today.

Twilight

This was an awesome movie! I didn't read the books (yet) but was able to follow along nicely. I had certain expectations and had heard rumors - but folks, it's about vampires so it wasn't really that hard to keep up. Unless you've been under a rock, you know what they look like, eat, act like, etc. No shockers there.
As for the overall feel, I really enjoyed the acting. Both lead characters did an excellent job. I have to say that my favorite acting was the secondary players though. Billy Burke as the dad was great - just like you'd expect in this role. Sarah Chalke as the mom was genius. The whole time I kept wondering where I knew her from and then BAM - she was the evil Nina on "24." (As a side note, several of the actors were in "24"... coincidence???)
There were issues with some of the directing that I need to point out. In the scene in which Edward shows Bella what he really looks like, his shirt is undone (thankyougod). But in the next shot, his shirt is buttoned up - not enough time to do this. There were several timing errors like this one that I caught - and I'm not a professional movie critic. This is the director's fault and it doesn't sound like it will be repeated as the gossip fodder is growing that Catherine Hardwicke may not be at the helm for the next series in this saga.
There is no sex, only a brief make-out scene. You don't actually get to see someone sucking the blood out of an unwilling human. There are a few scenes that border on that, but none that should make your teen have nightmares. In fact, it might make your teens hot for the male lead, steamy Robert Pattinson or the tomboy Kristen Stewart. I have to say that I've really liked Stewart's acting since "Panic Room." She's great in everything - I just wish she'd smile more.
As for the appropriateness, I would let 13 year olds and up view this. There are scenes that parents may feel are too grown-up for their smaller kids.
I would definitely say this movie is one to watch - and watch out for the sequels. I hope they don't disappoint.

Wall-E

What can be said about "Wall-E" that hasn't been said about all other Disney movies? Not much. Sure Wall-E is cute and there is a seemingly impossibly love interest. The one thing that makes this a little more unique is that it is told from a machine's point of view. Wall-E is a disposal unit who remains on earth long after the humans left to form their new life on a spaceship. Earthbound Wall-E is infatuated with all-things human. He collects human objects, much like Ariel did in "The Little Mermaid." And true to the Pixar creed, John Ratzenberger is in this movie too (I don't think they can make one without him.) Another slightly unique item is that Sigorney Weaver is the voice of the spaceship. She was also the secondary spaceship voice in "Galaxy Quest" - which was much more fun than this movie. Last but not least was Fred Willard's human hologram as the CEO of the company. That man is comic gold. He was the funniest thing about this movie to me. Wish I'd been a fly on the wall while taping his scenes.
As you might have guessed, "Wall-E" is about the earth's environment, being eco-friendly, having an apocalyptic trash overload and human redemption.
What made the movie a little more special to me was that one of the robots, Eve, had the ability to show a lot of emotion with her computer-generated eyes. I liked that feature. I also liked that Wall-E was able to mess up some of the machines so that the humans could really take a look at what they had been living in rather than what was on their personal screens (difficult to explain).
What I didn't like was that the Disney aspect showed through. There were no parents in the movie. There were cross-dressing scenes with Wall-E (once with a bra over his eyes and another with makeup on his eyes). I'm afraid Disney showed through much more than Pixar did on this one. I was hoping for more imaginative scenes, but then, I'm a mom - not a 6 year old. There just wasn't that much to laugh about in this movie compared to other recent hits, like "Madagascar 2." What I was hoping for was more fun and laughs.
Despite this, I'd say it was a decent movie and one that most preschoolers up would like. I would not recommend buying it until you've seen it because it just didn't live up to the hype to me. Cute, yes - but no "Nemo."

100 Movies to Watch Before You Die

According to Yahoo! these are the movies you need to see before you die. Take a look and let me know what you think. I think there are some they left out and some that might not need to be must-sees. I'm anxious to hear what you have to say.

Max

I watched "Max" this week and felt it was such a good movie that I wondered why it had not received more buzz.
The movie is about an art dealer named Max who meets a young Hitler after WWI. Hitler is an aspiring artist and desperately wants Max to pick him up as a serious artist with his own show. Max, a Jewish playboy of sorts, is skeptical about the quality of Hitler's art and is concerned about his growing passion for politics, as it may interfere with his artistic career. Max and Hitler share a common background in that they served in WWI and lost something. Max lost an arm but came home to a family and continued wealth. Hitler came home to nothing but increasing bitterness.
Most interesting to me was the relationship between Max and Hitler. At times, Hitler begged Max for help, once even stating that Max had saved his life. Yet when Hitler had a political audience, he ranted on about how the Jews had poisoned the German bloodline. It was as though Hitler was living two lives and consciously knew it.
I did a small amount of research after watching the movie and found Hitler's work to be excellent. You be the judge. If you were to see these paintings in a museum, would you have known they had been painted by the same person who had millions of Jews killed? It doesn't seem possible that someone who could create life on canvas could so quickly take it all away in reality.
I really enjoy historical films and this one didn't disappoint. The actors were phenomenal. John Cusack played the title role while the exceptional Noah Taylor portrayed Hitler in scary detail. Leelee Sobieski played Max's lover while Molly Parker was Max's long-suffering wife. It was very moving - I got chills when Hitler addressed a large crowd in an auditorium. I wept for the real-life Jews who had to be a part of this atrocity.
I would recommend this movie to teens and up. Remember that it is only someone's interpretation of what happened, not that everything is exactly as it is laid out in the movie. Historical movies are usually 50% truth at best. A lot of liberties are taken. As I try to remind high school kids - don't watch the movie instead of studying for the test.

Madagascar

The cast reads like a who's who hot list. Ben Stiller is Alex the Lion, Jada Pinkett Smith is Gloria the hippo, David Schwimmer is Melman the giraffe and last but certainly not least is Chris Rock as Marty the zebra. And these are just the main characters. The animals live in the Central Park Zoo where Alex is hailed king as he is the zoo's star and eats up every bit of attention.

The plot: Marty decides to take a field trip of sorts and the rest of the group either tries to stop him, or are a little encouraged by his bravery. They end up at the train station and are attacked by a granny wielding a purse and finally by the police and vet squad. An outpouring of public sympathy for the animals leads to the animals being boxed up and sent to their native habitat (Africa). Along the way, the zoo penguins get in the mix and take over the ship destined to Africa and hijack it to Antarctica. Once there, they decide it might be better somewhere else and sail off to yet another adventure. This time they land in Madagascar. They are eventually greeted by King Julian (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer). They are skeptically welcomed into the animal fold after Alex scares away the dreaded foosa. Together, the main characters find resolution to their newfound obstacles and learn to live peacefully in Madagascar. Happy, sweet and very funny.
There are parts of this movie that are WAY above the normal kid's intellect. There are references to a lot of sci-fi (love it!) and jabs about New York. For most kids, however, the music will get them in the movie. Somewhat ashamedly, I must admit that my own 4-yr old has to listen to "I Like to Move It" every morning on his way to kindergarten. It's infectious. In a good way. The penguins steal the show. I understand they will get their own cartoon on TV soon. Provided they keep the same writers and voice talents, that too will be great.
I won't say this is a must see, but it is not a waste of your money. It's cute, very funny and filled with references to pop culture. I would suggest this movie for 4 years and up. And they won't get half of it, but the parents will. My favorite part - look for the "Planet of the Apes" homage on the beach.

Oscars and To Be Released DVDs

Sorry I've neglected this blog. Really. I'm planning on writing about a few more movies I've seen lately. I usually don't want to comment on movies that are out at the theater until they are on DVD (hence the blog name) - but I have to admit that I am anxiously awaiting "Slumdog Millionaire" this time. I hope to see it in the theater; but I really know I'll be watching it at home, as usual.

Yes, I try to watch as much of the Oscars as I can stomach. Love the fashion, hate the fake interest in the eyes of the audience. I was moved by the team presenters this year - great move.

I'll reserve my comments on "Button," "Nixon" and "Changeling" until the DVDs come out. That way you can all argue with me. I've been told I'm a "hater" so I'll try to give the people behind the camera a little more credit.

More soon - and welcome third follower, John!