Big Screen Blurb: Real Steel

Think Over the Top (Sly Stallone flick from 1987). Replace arm wrestling with robot boxing. And you're watching Real Steel, a movie that delivers a lot of good messages with, well...a punch.

It's the not so distant future. The world is a little more high tech, and that electronic surge has impacted the sports world. Well, at least it has impacted the boxing world. Apparently, society's need for a return to a gladiator-esque blood thirst, has helped destroy the sport of boxing--being replaced by robot boxing, where the thumbs down of death is common place. Enter Charlie (Hugh Jackman). He's a former boxer who transitioned to managing robot boxers. Charlie's one of those act first, think later, sorts. Unfortunately, his first actions are always high risk notions that saddle him with great debt and tons of trouble. Next, we meet Charlie's son, Max (Dakota Goyo). Max is eleven years old and has never seen the slightest attention from ole dad. However, when Max's mom dies, Charlie sees a pot of gold. It's Max's aunt that wants custody and her hubby is willing to pay. So, as long as Max spends the summer with Charlie, he'll make the cash he needs and the hubby will deliver custody of Max to his wife. Max discovers Atom--an ancient, but special robot that helps put Charlie on the map. Yadayadayada the two bond as Atom rises to the top of the boxing world.

I'll give it 3.0 Stars--on the sunny side of okay. It's a good story, that strongly mirrors Sly Stallone's Over the Top from the eighties, where a truck driving absentee father bonds with his kid over an arm wrestling tournament. Similarities aside, Real Steel delivers the expected character growth and actually some of the unexpected as well. Of course, we see dad and son bond. However, in terms of Max, there were two elements missing--one, the kid's bond with the robot (Atom); and two, the kid's obliviousness to his mom's death. Actually, I kinda expected more of a bond between Max and Atom, especially when we hear early talk of the bots unique emotional capacity. In the end, he's just a machine--as is Max apparently, because we never see any hint of concern over his mother's passing. Of course, the flick is not about her, but it is about him. Sure, Max is a rough-and-tumble kid, played very well by Goya, but part of his persona could have at least been developed through his distant emotional approach to his mom's death. It was kind of a missed opportunity at character development that would have been very real. Meanwhile, Jackman provided his typical solid performance to yet another macho character, with a slight, but not over-the-top romance with long time friend and once gf, Bailey (Evangeline Lilly).

Overall, it's a fun flick that definitely worth a view. Good messages abound and are delivered in a fun way that tells a good story. Don't over think this one and you'll probably enjoy it. Worth a BIG screen view? Well, I'd probably rent this one if I had a do-over. It's slated to come out in February on Blu-Ray...give it a shot then.

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Big Screen Blurb: The Three Musketeers

Hair gone wild...flashy fashion...skirmishes all about??? No, it's not patrons of a Grateful Dead concert clashing with Lady Gaga fans. It's the latest edition of The Three Musketeers.

We all know D'artgnan. (Logan Lerman) He's the son of a musketeer and eager to take on the world. So, off he travels to Paris to find adventure, which literally slaps him in the face. He quickly pisses off half of France, including Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen), the head of Cardinal Richilieu's (Christoph Waltz) guards; as well as, former musketeers Aramis, Porthos and Athos (Luke Evans, Ray Stevensen, and Matthew MacFadyen). Of course, this turns out okay for young D'artgnan because he's able to befriend the musketeers and rally against a common adversary. Meanwhile, Richilieu is up to his typical power hungry tricks. He's after the throne--or at least control of it, in the face of a young, fashion obsessed kid king. So, Richilieu pulls a Palpatine (sorry--only Star Wars reference, I promise) and uses a double agent (Milla Jovovich) to create a war which he expects to grant him power. Yadayadayada the musketeers unite to aid their king, saving the day against the British bad guys and setting up at least one more installment in the series.

It was fun. I liked it to the tune of 3.5 Stars. Why not? Sure, I'm perplexed why none of these Parisians speak french, but this was a fun flick. The Three Musketeers offers good action sequences...good acting and an updated storyline to boot. You've got love and betrayal (see Athos and the lovely double-agent, Milady). You've got the retroactive technology of 13th century flying machines and Indiana Jone's-like booby traps. And, you've got new faces playing classic characters with the evil vigor of yet another Walz bad guy (see also Inglorious Bastards, Green Hornet, and Water for Elephants); and further diversity and range displayed by Mr. Lerman (Meet Bill, The Butterfly Effect, Hoot and Percy Jackson).

Big Screen or small? Good question. I've always loved the story, so I went big on this one. If you've got a penchant for a classic tale with a few updates...good action sequences and like any of what is a solid cast--go BIG! If that's not your thing...well, check out these 110 minutes in February on Blu-Ray.

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Big Screen Blurb: Contagion

What Jaws did for swimming at the beach, Contagion was supposed to do for the handshake. Did it? Not so much. What you do get is an all-star director (Steven Soderbergh), cast and an interesting but complex plot, which is both a positive and a neggy.

Our story starts with Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow). She's back from a routine trip to the orient, that ends with a nasty twist. Beth is sick. Jet lag is the suspected culprit, but alas, it's far more than adjusting to time zones. She's picked up a virus that is quite literally a killer. Before settling in at home in Minneapolis, however, Beth has managed to leave a little piece of herself--that is, the virus, in Hong Kong and Chicago. With plenty of healthy hosts for the virus to latch onto, it spreads quickly. Just as quickly the Center for Disease Control is trying to get a handle on it. The key word here is 'trying'. They are trying to identify the virus and develop a cure, all while trying to keep the severity of the disease to a hush in order to prevent widespread chaos and panic. Yadayadayada the virus spreads as the true nature of humanity rears its ugly head on the way to an eventual cure.

I'll go with 2.5 Stars on this one. As mentioned previously, there is both good and bad in Contagion. The positive comes from watching greats like Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne and Kate Winslet strut their stuff. The negatives comes from a simple lack of development. The massive plot structure never really allows for a good sense of character development or thorough development of each point within the plot. Subsequently, time after time, you merely touch on a this character and their situation. Examples abound. At one point, one official is kidnapped and held in exchange for doses of the cure. That situation disappears for 30-minutes before we return to see our hapless victim happily tutoring the village kids. Now, I'm not one to encourage long stories, but repeatedly, we seemed to have left out the story. For instance, as news of the virus emerges, we go from a level of 'slight concern' over the strand to 'total anarchy' without ever really seeing the panic build.

It was a great concept with a potentially great story and a tremendous cast, that was just executed in a very choppy manner. Give me fewer characters and develop them within that great concept. Let me live each step through their eyes so I can feel the situation build into a panic that showcases the good and bad of humanity. Ultimately, it really didn't accomplish that for me. Actually, I wasn't even compelled to pick up an extra can of Lysol, much less stray from a good handshake.

Considering the combination of buzz that I had heard from friends and a great cast, I really had high expectations. However, this would have been a much better rental for me; and that's what I'm recommending on this one. No need to go big here. Add Contagion to to your queue and plug it into your Blu-Ray in January when it's released for the small screen.

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Big Screen Blurb: The Ides of March

As a general rule, I hate politics. Politicians breed corruption faster than a rabbit on Viagra can create a litter of bunnies. It's little more than unfathomably huge egos selling out to preserve their corner of the power struggle and ensure that they don't have to get a real job. So, any guesses on how I felt about the political drama, The Ides of March?

I loved it.

With The Ides of March I didn't have to get caught up, and subsequently pissed off, by the various political issues. Rather, I could just watch and enjoy the strategy unfold. Sure. As you might guess, they were incredibly devious strategies--but hey, it's got to be realistic, right?

Stephen (Ryan Gosling) is the right hand to Paul Zara (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), the campaign manager of Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney). Stephen is well-known for his ability to manage the media and is a strong reason why his guy, Mike, is a front-runner to best his opponent, Senator Pullman, for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Enter Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti). He's the campaign manager for Pullman. It's a close race and Tom is hungry for an advantage, which makes him eager  to grab Stephen away from the competition. Yadayadayada a few sex sessions with interns...abortions...lies...cheating...etc, etc., later you've got a fascinating 101 minutes of the only kind of politics that I can truly enjoy.

It's good. I'll go with 4.0 Stars. What makes this flick work is simple: plot and characters. You've got a plot that works on a few levels and powerful characters that are brought to life through great acting. In typical form, you actually like the characters while simultaneously disliking them...but, that's politics, right? As for the plot, I won't go into detail here, but this much I can say: It holds your attention throughout with very few lulls. It's a series of punch-counter punch in a political fight ring where every move and utterance is put under an intensely powerful microscope. In short, it's interesting stuff that borders on a fascinating storyline and is ultimately very enjoyable.

If you've got a penchant for the political...if you're a sucker for strategy...or if you just love a good story--then see The Ides of March and see it BIG. If you need action, violence and some spilt blood to keep you happy--well, rent Rambo. This is a thought-provoking piece that will spark more conversation than just, "...so can you really strangle a guy with his own small intestines?"

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P.S. This marks my 100th review on the Yada! Thanks to all for reading and Blogger and Tumblr for the blog support!

Big Screen Blurb: What's Your Number?

You think of great movie quests, you automatically turn to Luke Skywalker and Star Wars...Frodo in the Lord of the Rings...and certainly, Indiana Jones and any number of relics he was in search of...finally, there's Ally Darling and her quest to find her man, while keeping her number of lovers at a mere twice the national average.

Meet Ally (Anna Faris). She's under a little stress. She just broke up with her boyfriend. She just lost her job; and her younger sister is getting married. The straw that breaks this camel is an article in a Cosmo-like magazine. The article notes that the average woman has 10.5 lovers in her lifetime. This is a bit devastating news to Ally, who's bedded 20 guys. This news is only darkened when her friends tell her that gals who have more than 20 lovers never find true love and marriage. Thus, Ally begins a quest to renew one of her past love interests, in an effort to prevent that magic number from going over twenty and find true love. She enlists the help of her far sluttier neighbor, Colin (Chris Evans). His interest is in having a safe shelter to wait while his previous night's conquest makes her exit. The two strike a deal and the quest begins. Yadayadayada...to no surprise it's number 21 that brings the magic, but not before many-a-valuable lesson is learned along the way.

It's okay: 3.0 Stars. There's enough funny here...even a few laugh out loud moments...that makes this a flick that lands on the sunny side of okay. With the slew of comedic entries in the move marketplace this year (Bridesmaids,Hangover Part 2, Friends with Benefits, The Change-up, etc.), What's Your Number doesn't quite stack up as one of the year's best. With that said, there are good messages here: 1) Accept yourself; and, 2) You're probably not going to experience true love unless you're able to be completely comfortable with both yourself and your significant other! Good messages and well delivered through a fairly funny script. I actually like Anna Farris, but I've never been a huge Chris Evans fan. I still haven't recovered from his Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four and probably would not have complained about another entrant into the role of Colin.

Bottom line: There's enough here to save it from the "Skip it!" column, but it's not necessarily one to see BIG. Rent it in January when it comes out on Blu-Ray.

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Big Screen Blurb: Moneyball

I'm a big sports fan. When it comes great sports movies, I've got an extremely short list. The movie has to follow the same formula that makes other flicks great, yet it has to be true to the authenticity of the sport. That's why so many sports movies fall short. I routinely find myself watching a sports movie while thinking, "That couldn't happen!", or "There's no way that would happen!" Neither of those phrases found their way into my interior monologue while watching Moneyball. It's authentic and it's good. Of course, it would be--it's true.

Moneyball is the true story of the Oakland A's. It spans over the tail end of the 2001 season and all of 2002. The A's ended the 2001 season on a low note. Oakland took a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five series after winning two games in Yankees Stadium.However, the A's dropped the next two in Oakland--thanks in part to Jeter's miracle relay and another Pettite performance with his pinstripes backed against the wall (actually, it was the gray road jersey, but I was going for a moment there). Finally, the Yank's came home to knock off the A's and complete the come-from-behind series win. Then, New York really beat Oakland. In the off-season, they gobbled up Jason Giambi as a free agent. The A's also lost Jason Isringhausen to free agency and the St. Louise Cardinals. Finally, Johnny Damon also left small-market Oakland for the big market Boston Red Sox. To put it lightly, Oakland was facing a major rebuilding project heading into the 2002 campaign.

Without a lot of money to throw around, A's general manager, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) was very much behind the eight ball...check that...I mean, the Moneyball. That's when he meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill). Peter is a Harvard grad and quickly becomes Beane's right-hand man with a very new approach to building a baseball team. The scouts are essentially usurped with Peter's computer as a rag-tag group of A's is assembled for 2002. This wasn't exactly popular in the front office, including A's manager, Art Howe (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Yadayadayada Beane battles the controversy of his decisions on and off the field on his way to revolutionizing the way small market teams (and now even large market teams) evaluate the game.

It's good. Probably the best sports movie I've seen and easily worthy of 4.5 Star rating. You've got a great cast with powerful scenes and a plot that keeps a viewer very much dialed in. Keep in mind, however, that I fell in love with baseball at the age of 11. This movie was so good to me, because I understand a lot of the in's and out's of the game. I know that it's been said that non-baseball fans are going to enjoy Moneyball just as much as a baseball fan like me, but I'm going to say, "...not so fast!" and respectfully disagree. Many of the moments that were so compelling, spoke to me because I'm fairly fluent in the language of baseball. Don't get me wrong, I think a lot of non-baseball fans will enjoy various aspects of this movie. You've got the side-bar of Beane's own story, rising from high school phenom fame to becoming a bust in the bigs for the Mets, Twins and A's. The family side of Beane is also explored, etc., etc. That's all good, but frankly, if I'm not a baseball fan, I'm not seeing 4.5 stars, here. I saw it on it's opening night with a pretty packed house. You could certainly tell that a lot of people enjoyed it and a good number were fairly bored by it.

The acting is solid all around. Hill was tremendous. His goal with this role was to break from his comedic brand--goal accomplished. He was great. Pitt was Pitt...'nuff said, right! And Hoffman was, well, Hoffman--albeit in a smaller role.

Bottom line: if you're baseball fan, this one is a must see and go BIG for certain. If you're not a baseball fan or a even a sports fan, you're probably not going to enjoy Moneyball as much as you would if 4-6-3 is part of your everyday vernacular.

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