The War Horse

Posted on December 23, 2011 at 12:30 pm

The second Steven Spielberg movie of the week opens on Christmas Day, a grand epic, is big, long, ambitious, and showy. It is a work by a master, but it is not a masterpiece. Every detail is carefully considered. Every leaf on every tree is perfectly aligned so that every sunbeam and shadow fall perfectly across them. Every equine muscle, every country cottage, every blade of grass, every puff of smoke from a discharged weapon is exquisitely framed and lit, but the visuals outweigh the story. The result is serviceable but stodgy, stuffy, and static. The poetry and symbolism of the stage play (with a multi-operator puppet as Joey) is replaced by postcard-picturesque images that are visually rapturous but feel thin in comparison to the movie’s aspirations.

It’s “Black Beauty Goes to War,” the story of a magnificent horse named Joey and Albert (a dull Jeremy Irvine), the boy who loves him. When World War I begins, Albert’s father sells Joey to a gallant young officer (Tom Hiddleston), who promises Albert he will do everything he can to keep Joey safe and get him back home after the war. But war has a way of changing everyone’s plans and soon Joey is on his own journey that will take him back and forth between the British and the German forces and, for a short idyllic time, a respite with a frail but brave little French girl and her affectionate Grandfather. The horse can switch sides in a way that a human cannot, and the movie makes clear the difference between the soldiers who are taken prisoner and shot and the animals who are inherently neutral and thus commoditized. The brutality of war affects the human characters differently as we see in their responses to the animal.

The sweep and grandeur and tragedy of the film pay homage to majestic WWII-era filmmakers like John Ford, with gorgeous cinematography by Janusz Kaminski. One quiet scene of breathtaking power recalling the real-life Christmas truce reminds us of our better angels. But it also reminds us of Spielberg’s better films.

(more…)

It’s a Wonderful Movie — The Phone Scene from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’

Posted on December 23, 2011 at 10:46 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf6e6dY1F0E

Related Tags:

Great Movie Moments

An Oscar-Winning Animated ‘Christmas Carol’

Posted on December 23, 2011 at 9:52 am

I thought I knew of — and loved — every film version of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” But what a delight to discover a new one, and an Oscar-winning animated version by one of my favorite artists, Richard Williams (of “The Thief the the Cobbler”) and narrated by Michael Redgrave! And Alistair Sim, my favorite Scrooge, reprises his role from the 1951 classic version. Many thanks to Spencer Kornhaber of the Atlantic for this fascinating post, which includes the half-hour long movie in full.

We Bought a Zoo

Posted on December 22, 2011 at 6:07 pm

B+

Lowest Recommended Age:	4th - 6th Grades
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG for language and some thematic elements
Profanity:	Some mild crude language, s-word
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Some drinking
Violence/ Scariness:	Sad offscreen deaths of parent and animal, some mild peril
Diversity Issues:	None
Date Released to Theaters:	December 23, 2011
Date Released to DVD:	April 2, 2012
Amazon.com ASIN:	B004LWZW9W

This is a good, old-fashioned family movie grounded in Matt Damon’s best-ever performance, inspired by the real-life story of a young widower who, without knowing a lot about animals or running a business, impulsively decided to buy a zoo.

Benjamin Mee (Damon) is a reporter still mourning the loss of his wife. His young daughter Rosie (the very gifted and almost impossibly adorable Maggie Elizabeth Jones) is sad. His teenage son Dylan (Colin Ford) is angry and sad. When Mee’s editor tries to reassign him, Mee realizes that the family needs something completely different. And there is not much as different as a zoo. At first Dylan is even angrier. He has already lost his mother and now he has lost everything else that is familiar to him. And the zoo, which has been closed down will be very expensive to get into operating condition. It makes no sense, as Mee’s practical brother (Thomas Hayden Church) keeps reminding him. But after so much loss, Mee needs to feel that he can help something come alive.

The animals are cared for by Scarlett Johansson, looking sensational without make-up, as Kelly the zookeeper. Mee survived a lot of dangerous situations as a journalist, covering dictators and hurricanes, but now he must be a participant, not an observer, and people, animals, and his family are depending on him. Fortunately, he is handy with tools and has a fix-it frame of mind. Unfortunately, that does not work with teenagers. But Dylan is befriended by Kelly’s niece, played by Elle Fanning, who shows herself already a masterful actor by creating a distinctly different character from her equally sensitive performance earlier this year in “Super 8.”

This could easily have been sit-com-ish or corny — there is a persnickety inspector who has to sign off on the zoo before it can open and a group of quirky but lovable staffers, a mostly-humorous search for an escaped animal, and a discreet but sad farewell to one of the big cats. But director Cameron Crowe (“Jerry Maguire”), who co-wrote the script with “The Devil Wore Prada’s” Aline Brosh McKenna, makes it work with the help of a superb soundtrack by Jónsi. And Damon’s performance centers the story with such presence and commitment that even viewers who pride themselves in being impervious to the charms of animals and children will find themselves melting.

(more…)

Now I Am Getting Excited About ‘Avatar 2’

Posted on December 22, 2011 at 3:57 pm

I just read something that made me very excited about James Cameron’s upcoming sequel to “Avatar.” The first one was a leap forward in technology of 3D and motion capture (now often called “performance capture” to emphasize the contribution of the actors). And now Cameron is making what I think of as an even bigger technological leap forward with the announcement that he is going to increase the frames-per-second (fps) rate. Ever since the movies went from silent to sound, the standard has been 24 fps. Interestingly, “The Artist,” this year’s silent, black-and-white release, was shot at a 22 fps rate, prevalent in the pre-sound era. The only reason film-making has been stuck at 24 fps is that all the cameras and projectors are set up that way. But increasing the fps makes the film images stunningly sharper, deeper, and richer. Cameron has said he will shot “Avatar 2” at 48 and possibly even 60 fps, and Peter Jackson is shooting “The Hobbit” at 48 fps. This is a much more significant improvement than 3D, especially post-production 3D, which has just been announced for “The Avengers.”

As home technology improves, with HD, bigger screens, and better sound, it is increasingly important for movie theaters to find ways to stay competitive. If these films, certain to be blockbusters, can inspire more theaters to install projectors capable of giving ticket-buyers the 48- and 60-fps experience, they will raise the standard for all movies going forward.