Big Screen Blurb: Red Riding Hood

First up...my advance apology! Forgive me if this review lacks the quirk, insight and 'hint of wit' (--that's the right descriptive, right Kara?) that I've been told these reviews deliver. I saw this flick Wednesday night in the middle of a live showing of Wizard of Oz; well, in the middle of a tornado anyway because we sure weren't in Kansas anymore. Never fear...we didn't start in Kansas, so it was all good. However, rumbling winds and pounding hail made me want to run to the parking lot just to throw my body across the hood of my pummeled L! I say all of that to say simply this: I was distracted okay! 

Red Riding Hood is a blend of a classic tale told in a very unique way. Yes, you get the standard fare expected line of: "Grandmother...what big eyes you have!", but it's story delivered in an intriguing way that holds one's interest, drawing you in to what becomes a great mystery to solve. (Having solved the murder at last November's Murder Mystery Party, I thought I had a leg up...wrong! I got burned!)

Red Riding Hood (a.k.a. Valerie played by Amanda Seyfried) is in between that well-known rock and hard place. Well, actually there are two hard places, because two fellas gots-it-bad for Red. The problem is she's involuntarily engaged to one when her ticker belongs to the other. Henry (Max Irons) is her betrothed, a successful man in the ole village. Meanwhile, Peter (Shiloh Fernandez) is a simple wood-cutter, which is apparently code for peasant in this world. BTW...this is a very unique world we've entered in Red Riding Hood--we're not talking about Manhattan here. It's a technology starved village from a time that is clearly off the charts and in a land clearly uncharted. Let's just say it takes place post-caveman and light years before any communication device hit the streets.

This village has had it's ups and downs. Mostly downs, actually. You see there is a wolf that has connected to this village for eons. Now, after years of gratefully accepting the poor little pig left tied to the front porch, the wolf takes up a craving for human blood. The wolf kills Red's sister. This obviously angers the villagers who are left crying, "Hey...didn't we have a deal with the wolf!" So, they try to hunt it down. Wrong answer. The wolf kills again. Enter Father Solomon (Gary Oldman). He's the out-of-town padre with a ton of devil in him. Along the way, he sheds some light on the wolf, who is actually a werewolf and a much tougher kill. Yadayadayada the village is out to catch a werewolf while we're all left trying to figure out which of the villagers needs a major hair removal treatment for the ole back.

It's pretty good. I'll go with 3.0 Stars. It's a classic story told in such a unique way with a mystery that anchors it nicely. It was almost enough to distract me from wondering what state my car had landed in due to the twister! Yes, the mystery anchors it. However, it's this unique world that truly solidifies the tale. Anytime you 'create' a world in an imaginary time frame, presumably taking place on earth, there are rules automatically created as well. Sticking to those rules makes for a viable setting. This story does that nicely. The acting is sound. Attractive people doing attractive things in a believable way! What's not to appreciate, right?

If mystery intrigues you...along with an interestingly familiar storyline...see it. You're running out of time on the ole "See it Big" (sorry for the late review btw). Soooo...rent it, if nothing else!

True...OUT!

Big Screen Blurb: The Conspirator

Yeah, I know it's not a unique choice, but Abraham Lincoln has always been my favorite president. He was a fascinating man. He was tremendous leader; and a president that met an incredibly tragic end. That's certainly one reason that I was clamoring to see The Conspirator: To learn more about the events surrounding two of our nations darkest moments. Those black clouds involve both the assassination of arguably our country's best president and the injustices perpetrated on alleged conspirator, Mary Surratt.

April 14, 1865 marked three assassination attempts. Of course, there was the successful attempt on President Lincoln along with failed attempts on the Vice-President and Secretary of State. Captured along with the plotters and executors of the plan was Mary Surratt (Robin Wright). She ran a boarding house used by several of the conspirators to plan the evening's treachery. One of the conspirators was Surratt's son, Johnny, who promptly fled to Canada days ahead of the attempts. Mary Surratt was left with egg on her face for hosting the planning sessions; and was quickly charged with conspiracy.

Enter Fred Aikens (James McAvoy). Aikens was responsible for defending Surratt in a military trial containing a jury of Union Generals. This was not an easy task for a Captain in the Union Army. As the proceedings evolved, however, Aikens realizes the incredibly unfair nature of the trial and the certain innocence of his client. Not that Surratt was completely innocent, mind you. It becomes apparent to audience and Aikens alike that she knew something was about to be rotten in the DC of Washington after Lee's surrender. The exact nature of what's amiss, is uncertain. However, it emerges most likely that Surratt should be cleared of conspiracy charges and yadayadayada we watch as a dark cloud grows darker and darker while covering post Civil War US Government.

It's good. Very good. I'll go with 4.5 Stars here. It's a gripping story that will hold your attention throughout the 123 minutes. McAvoy is great...playing the loyal Union soldier and emerging attorney who comes to grip with the gross injustices aimed at a presumably innocent woman in a grossly unfair trial. Actually, it's one of those events that makes you want to shake your red,white and blue head and migrate to Canada. The story is told in a highly effective way by none other than the legendary Robert Redford. Not too many flashbacks to lose the audience, just strategically placed scenes that guide the viewer through the story. The script was built largely on transcripts of the trials, so we can assume the 'Hollywood' influence, while certainly prevalent, was not necessarily prominent in terms of impacting the overall storyline.

All in all--if you're a history buff (as were the friends that accompanied me), then you'll love it! If history is not your thing, you should probably skip this one altogether. Me? I thoroughly enjoyed it. It makes you think and truly stays with you after the fact. It was the staple of conversation for our little group well into the night at SteakNShake following the flick.

Well...it's nearly 2AM so True is OUT!

Big Screen Blurb: Insidious

I admit it. I've been waiting for long time to fall in love with an intensely, suspenseful, scary movie. It's been a long wait. I've been looking for something to freak my freak for awhile now and yet, my freak remains safely intact. The last decade hasn't exactly produced a bumper crop of nailbiters. Let's face facts, Paranormal Activity, Scream and The Rite aren't exactly the freakshow parade of the turn of the century when we saw with Sixth Sense, The Ring, or even The Others. So, fall in love lately? Not so much.

Then along comes Insidious. Okay, maybe I didn't fall head over heels in love, but I'm definitely ready to court! I wanted to see this flick, and almost saw it Friday night, but opted for Source Code. My hesitation with Insidious was simple: I was afraid that it was going to be another Drag me to Hell, where the entertainment value is not in the 'fright' or 'suspense' as much as it is in the 'stupid funny' that ensues. Well, theres nothing really stupid or funny going on here. It's a good plot that actually sticks, without petering out as the various points unfold.

The Lamberts have recently moved to a new home. It's an older home with the typical bells and whistles that an older house brings. You've got your creaking floors and your unlatching doors...and oh yeah, a few ghosts too. This comes to a head when the Lambert's oldest son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins) hits his noggin when falling from a ladder. He's fine until the next morning when ma and pa Lambert (Renai and Josh played by Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson) find Dalton fine and dandy except that he's in a coma. Paranormal stuff picks up from there forcing the Lamberts to flee their home to the safety of a new house. The trouble is that the freaky-deaky seems to have followed them. With that in mind, they seek the help of a paranormal team (nope, Jason and Grant weren't available) and pyschic Elise (Lin Shaye). Elise sheds light on the situation. As it turns out the Lamberts didn't need to move at all. After all, it wasn't their house that was haunted...no, not at all...it was just little Dalton. He was responsible for all of the freak.

It seems that Dalton is a 'traveler'. While his body remains safely in tact on earth, his spirit is wondering in another realm. Whilst Dalton is ringing up all kinds of frequent other-world miles, a whole host of spirits are laying in wait to stake claim on his body...thus all of the paranormal stuff. Yadayadayada Renai and Josh make a wild dash to bring Dalton back to this realm to restore normalcy to the homestead.

It's good. I'll go with 4.0 Stars here for one reason: It really freaked me a little bit and I'm not easily spooked. Admittedly, I don't freak easily. My defense mechanism has always been logic. I try to rationalize my way through a situation rather than getting caught up in the emotion of the moment. With that said, Insidious did freak my freak. It was thoroughly entertaining with solid acting, effects and most importantly a storyline that stayed intact throughout. So often you get a great plot in one of these flicks, but just when everything is supposed to come together, it crumbles. That wasn't the case here. There just weren't too many holes to be punched in this storyline. Plus, there was a distinctive Hitchcockian flare to the movie's shooting that so many flicks try to achieve but can't seem to pull off! Insidious pulled off that flavor quite effectively.

So, have I found a new love? Well, I'm not ready to make a commitment, but this is a movie that you should see and see BIG--that is, if you have an penchant for the frightening. After all, I think my friend Dawn was sufficiently freaked enough to spend the night had she not had pet obligations back at the ranch. (I did get a text earlier so I know she survived the night) I on the other hand, did okay, too. Nothing a little 'cover over the head' trick couldn't cure.

True...OUT!

Big Screen Blurb: Source Code

Life is good. Death sucks. Just ask Colten Smith, Jake Gyllenhaal's character in Source Code. It's a flick that is one part Die Hard and one part Groundhog Day with a little Clue thrown in for good measure.

Colten Smith is a military man who is caught up in a big government experiment on the war against terror. Actually, he's caught in a shadow of time. This sci-fi shadow provides him with an 8-minute window to solve a mystery that will save millions of lives, with the certain exception of those on board his commuter train to Chicago. The train has a bomb planted on it. However, that kaboom-in-waiting is just part of the problem. That bomb is merely a distraction for a yet another device that could essentially level the city. I know, right! Where are the Cubs going to lose for another century if not in the Windy City? But...I digress...actually, Colten is not Colten. At least not on the train. He's morphed into a man of similar physiological make-up, a teacher named Shane. He's got 8-minutes to figure out who the bomber is and report it back to authorities. The trouble is that it requires several takes, which means time after time, our hero is blasted into oblivion along with a chickadee that he begins to grow rather fond of in Christina (Michelle Monaghan). Along the way, we learn much about Colten and yadayadayada, we see his numerous attempts at saving the metropolis of the Midwest on his way to saving the show.

It's pretty good. I'll go with 3.0 Stars. It's certainly an interesting concept and one that is at least somewhat reasonably explained. I guess my real issue with the plot is the timeline along each of Colten's journey's into this time shadow. It's supposed to be 8-minutes, right? Right. And it might be in the first journey. However, by the time you get deep into the flick, each 8-minute jaunt either lasts an eternity or he accomplishes so much in that small window of time, you're left thinking--"No way all of that happened in 8-minutes." I mean, for crying out loud (which I'm a big proponent of by the way), he sends e-mails, chats up his new crush, calls his papa, crowns a suspect, etc, all in the span of eight minutes??? Come on! Where was the back rub? The manicure? Checking out the latest and greatest viral sensations on YouTube before checking out how his flick ranked on True's Yadayadayada? It all became a little too much to be believable.

Plus, I'm all about Sci-Fi and messin' with time in a movie, but there were a few elements that extended beyond the realm of plausibility. No, I'm not talking about the time shadow itself. I was okay with all of that within the confines of the fiction. I/m referring to a few other elements that will go nameless (...you know I hate ruining even a part of your flick experience...that's right, True cares!), but left me scratching my head a little too much.

All in all, it's a pretty entertaining flick. Love Jake (loved him since Brokeback Mountain). Love Maggie (loved her since The Heartbreak Kid). It's worth a view, but take a Dramamine...or maybe some Drambuie to help you navigate the numerously inevitable death sentences imposed on poor Colten by the ole US of A. There's enough entertainment value here for me to have made it part of a great Friday night out for a movie and a Menchie. So, I'll say, "...see it and see it BIG".

True...OUT!