Big Screen Blurb: Chronicles of Narnia--The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I've been to Narnia three times now. Well, I've vicariously been there through the Pevinsie kids. The first time (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) was okay, but Susan's constant nagging and over-anaylytical annoyances kinda ruined that trip for me. That's the last time I go into a wardrobe without an extra pair of socks or a muzzle. The second time (Prince Caspian) was a fun ride with new characters, plenty of action and sub-plots. The third time (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) is just as fun...a good story with plenty of action and decent acting make for a great journey.

Edmond (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) are back in our world. Just as reluctant about that fact is the notion that they are staying with their aunt and uncle as war continues to rage.  The relatives are oblivious to their presence, except for cousin Eustace (Will Poulter). He's just plain annoyed. Eustace is the intellectual type, who is far more impressed with his allegedly superior intellect than perhaps he should be--not to mention his coveted hygiene awards. Suddenly, and in typical magical fashion, the Pevinsie kids are swashbuckled back in Narnia with cousin in tow.

This time it's not Narnia that needs saving. Rather, the whole world is in need of a little balance. Ed, Lucy and a diffident Eustace have come to help King Caspian (Ben Barnes) fulfill a promise to Aslan to find the Lords of Talmar. Once the threesome are plopped onto the Dawn Treader, they begin the search for the seven missing Lords. The quest soon takes them to an island, where they uncover a slave trading operation and worse: the pure evil of the Green Mist. Many Narnians have been sacrificed to this transparent enemy and, well, let the adventure begin. The group sets off to find the seven swords of the Lords to present to Aslan's table which will swing balance back toward the good guys. Yadayadayada island hopping adventures, rough seas and life lessons abound and are delivered in a fun, exciting and insightful 112 minutes.

Yes, there is plenty of the standard religious symbolism and symmetry that was present in the initial two offerings. If that's not your schtick, but you like a great story--there's still plenty here for you. Ultimately, it's about overcoming your worst enemy: You. It's about self-acceptance and coming to grips with your own reality in trying to carve out a better path ahead. A good lesson, huh? Take Edmund, for example. He's been my favorite character throughout the trilogy. He screwed up big time in round one. Learned his lesson. Accepted his role and has gone on to great things since, but he's haunted. He is still haunted by the mistakes of his past with the White Witch. The same is true for us. Regardless of what we accomplish in life, we often let the lingering mists of those mistakes and regrets cloud us today. It's a great and valuable lesson that encourages us to move beyond the past with a focus on the moment and the 'morrow...with acceptance and peace. And yeah, there's got to be something to the symbolism used by C. S. Lewis because, even as a recovering former fundmentalist (stress on the 'former'), I still get a wave of warm goosebumps when Aslan appears. Good stuff.

All in all, it's good for 4.5 Stars in my book. I've seen it twice and will buy the Blu-Ray. This is one to see and see BIG!

That's it for me in 2010. Thanks for reading. I love the e-mails. I love the feedback. Continue to ask me anything and yes, I love the movie requests. I PROMISE to see Black Swan soon. That is a guarantee! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

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Big Screen Blurb: The Tourist

Romancing the Stone meet The Tourist. Okay, so there are no crocodiles and we've feminized and reversed the characters, but Kathleen Turner/Joan Wilder, meet Johnny Depp/Frank. Michael Douglas/Jack T. Colton meet Angelina Jolie/Elise. It's danger and adventure awaiting a rather reluctant participant with another character caught in the thralls of the espionage that is her life; and, it's fun.

The Brits are due some dough. So is the mafia. So, who do they want to pen them a check? Alexander Pierce. He's a former mob accountant who has alluded all things public since stealing a couple of billion from his boss. The British government wants those tax dollars--$744,000,000 to be exact; and, the Italian mob wants a combination of satisfaction and cash. The trouble is, Alexander has gone to great lengths to hide his identity. He's even shelled out $24 million smackers to have a completely new face put on, so nobody really knows who they're looking for. Neither does ex-girlfriend, Elise (Angelina Jolie). Alexander does, however, instruct her to make an acquaintance on the train to Venice. This acquaintance will eventually serve as both a red-herring and smoe. Enter Frank Tupolo (Johnny Depp). The awkward math professor is taken aback by Elise's attention and is quickly wrapped up in a turkey hunt. Unfortunately for ole Frank, he's the lead gobbler. The feds hone in while the mob struts in and yadayadayada somebody walks away as a winner.

It's fun. From start to finish, you'll enjoy a subtle humor...sometimes a quite overt humor, with plenty of 'not too over-the-top chase scenes' that won't prompt a Dramamine chaser with your Mr. Pibb and popcorn. I'll go with 4.0 Stars on this one. Depp is incredible and Jolie is unmistakeably his equal in this one. It's a good story that balances comedy, plot and adventure, with everything coming together in a grand and fun finale. Plus...and I'm not really one to harp on cinescape, but Venice...wow. Beautiful. The big question is: Will we see a Jewel of the Nile mirror in a few years?

The Tourist. See it BIG. Just avoid the mall theatres until after the holidays! (YEESH!)

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Big Screen Blurb: How Do You Know

Reese Witherspoon. Love her.

Paul Rudd. Love him.

Jack Nicholson and Owen Wilson. Love 'em both.

How Do You Know. Eh...not so much. It's yet another romantic comedy with a promising cast and concept that just fails to deliver enough of the 'funny'. You seen the trailer? Well, you saw about 90 percent of the comedy delivered there, while the romantic component was never really able to carry it's weight.

This slowly developing love triangle features Lisa (Witherspoon), George (Rudd) and Matty (Wilson). They're all going through tough times. Well, Lisa and George are hitting the snags of life, while Matty is too oblivious to anything that drains attention from his Viagra-ladened ego. Lisa was a USA Gold Medalist as a softball player, but she's lost a step and is cut from the team. Lisa is a 'together' kind of gal, who's world has been turned upside down. She's devastated by the loss of a life that is suddenly no more. So is George. George has been running the company built by his father (Nicholson), only to be targeted in a federal investigation. Apparently, and unbeknownst to him, he's guilty as charged. Then, there's Matty. He's a pitcher for the Washington Nationals and very much on top of his game. Whether his game is on the mound or in the sack, Matty is the man. He's dating Lisa, among others, and eventually is love-struck enough to ask her to move in, which she does, in the midst of her "groping through life in the dark" state. Meanwhile, George, who is desperately grasping for a tinsy bit of sanity amid his chaos, connects with a rather reluctant Lisa. Yadayadayada Lisa walks away with...eh, you'll  probably see it eventually, but I'll stop there.

There are a few laughs, but as mentioned previously, you get most of those in the trailer. There's solid acting all around. How can there not be, right? The plot just develops so slowly and never really comes together with any semblance of satisfaction. The characters...and this is surprising to even think (considering the cast), much less write...are  a little flat. This really could've been funny. The script just didn't deliver. Yes, the story does eventually come together...flat...but, it did come together. Too much star power here for me to leave feeling more deflated than elated. For me: 2.5 Stars.

Is it entertaining? Well, How Do You Know has its moments, but ultimately, it left me a little...well...leave the top off a two-litre of Mountain Dew tonight, take few swigs in a few days and you'll know how you'll feel leaving the theatre. If you like that feeling, go see this one BIG. If not, it's worth adding to the queue and checking out in April when it hits Blockbuster. Happy Holidays...

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Big Screen Blurb: Fair Game

All is fair in love and war...and apparently all is fair in politics as it relates to justifying espionage intelligence...oh, who are we kidding...in politics in GENERAL! Fair Game is based on the true story of Valerie Plame, a CIA agent who was outed as such by the White House in 2003. A discretion which was an apparent attempt at discrediting her husband, Joe Wilson, who had written an article critical of the intelligence used to justify the war on Iraq.

Fair Game can sit keenly next to Green Zone in the "What the hell happened in Iraq?"-genre. Fair Game's focus is a little less violent, but just as intriguing. Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) is your run-of-the-mill CIA agent, who is a gatherer of top secret intelligence. She's covering, of course as a civvie.That is, until she's outed as a CIA agent in one swift stroke of the pen. Why? Good question. Months before Plame was pulled from the CIA closet, Joe Wilson (Sean Penn) had used his Nigerian diplomatic ties at the request of the CIA. This was done to learn more about some purchases by Iraq that were suspected of playing a role in the creation of nuclear weapons. His search essentially came back empty. After the U.S. engaged Iraq in war, Wilson sees a news report about the information used to justify suspicions regarding the existence of WMD in Iraq. He learns that his discovery had been used to help justify that war--a finding that was grossly misrepresented. Wilson then proceeds to use his own Weapon of Mass Destruction--in this case, his computer--to write about the wrong. His goal was seemingly to inform the American people that the information being pushed on them was inaccurate. The White House didn't take kindly to this and bada-bing-bada-bang, the next thing you know Plame's true identity is revealed. Cover lost. Job lost. Life turned upside down and yadayadayada the indiscretions of the Bush Administration roll on.

It's an interesting story and rates 3.5 Stars in my book. It's fast paced, well-acted, and pretty disturbingly real. Aside from the sad statement this story screams about ole George's reign, Fair Game effectively showcases the personal side of this tale. The focal point being the marital and relationship woes brought on by this series of unfortunate events. We see the couple struggle separately and together in trying to work through a very intensely public ordeal.

What we probably needed to see more of, however, was the couple's relationship when things were normal (well, normal for them). You had a sense in the early stages of the movie that they had a good relationship, but as the movie rolls on, you wonder how strong those ties really were from the start. In other words, were they really a couple who had fallen and stayed in love. Was there love so strong that it could survive such a public scrutiny. Apparently, it was supposed to be, but I just really didn't see it. In Plame, you don't really see a 'family-first' devoted mom. How could she be? In Wilson, you certainly see a patient husband and loving dad. Put together, however, I never really witnessed a sizzling chemistry on-screen. I think it was supposed to be there; it just wasn't effectively showcased.

Bottom line: if your intrigued by the stories of the fumblings of the Bush Administration, rent Fair Game, it's estimated to be out on DVD/Blu-Ray in April. Or, if you have some pent-up, remnant steam to blow off about ole George's crew, go see it big.

Well, tonight is my big Christmas Party so I need to put the finishing touches on the house for the event. Best to all...
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