The Journey of Natty Gann - 5 stars out of 10

The Journey of Natty Gann - 5 stars out of 10

“The Journey of Natty Gann” is a nice family film.  It shouldn’t be too difficult to read into that.  The story is interesting, the journey is epic, but the quality of acting and an awkward-looking, 19-year-old John Cusack make this feel more like a kid’s movie than something geared toward adults.  The best actor in the film is actually Jed, the wolf-dog who was featured in “The Thing” and would later go on to play White Fang.  I wasn’t impressed with Meredith Salenger as Natty, though her final scene makes the film worth the price of admission.  I love John Cusack, but this probably won't make your list of "Top 50 John Cusack Movies."  This scenic journey succeeds in displaying the various regions of our country and different aspects of Depression-era lifestyles.  I certainly wouldn’t count down the days until I get to watch “The Journey of Natty Gann” again, but it will make for a great adventure film to watch with my children someday.

[Pictured: Natty Gann, Jed the wolf-dog, and awkward-looking John Cusack]

Nature: Leave it to Beavers - 4 stars out of 10

Nature: Leave it to Beavers - 4 stars out of 10

“Leave it to Beavers” transports us into the often overlooked world of beavers.  These animals are often viewed as pests but this documentary will alter your perspective as we see how the intellect and hard work of beavers is being used by humans for practical purposes.  These have to be the cutest rodents alive, particularly the little ones who sound like babies.  It is amusing to see the accuracy with which beavers are portrayed in cartoons, typically as carpenters and diligent workers.  While the beavers are adorable, I was much more impressed with other documentaries in the Nature series (particularly “Raccoon Nation” and “Tall Blondes”).  “Leave it to Beavers” isn’t the best documentary that you’ll ever watch but is worth seeing to learn about the world’s busiest rodents.

[Pictured: The beavers are cute, but their story isn't as good as many others]

The Giver - 5 stars out of 10

The Giver - 5 stars out of 10

When you take an iconic book like “The Giver” and turn it into a movie, it has to enhance and perfectly portray the original or else it will immediately fall under harsh criticism.  Not only is “The Giver” an iconic book, but it is one that is on most middle school and high school reading lists which puts it under even more scrutiny as everybody is familiar with it.  I enjoyed the seeing the story onscreen but did not care for its execution.  I think that the biggest mistake was the casting.  Of course Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, and Katie Holmes were all smart choices and act as well as you would expect, but their performances are overshadowed by the blandness of the teenage actors.  The worst of these is Taylor Swift, who couldn’t even sing in tune during this performance.  There is so much magic in Lois Lowry’s book and it is pretty magical to see the director’s realization of the Community, but the poignant statements about government control and socialism are lost in this film.  I adore the original book and I adore dystopian films, but this rendition of “The Giver” needs to go to the same place as the lost memories of the Community.

[Pictured: The adults were great... but the kids were not]

Begin Again (2014) - 9 stars out of 10

Begin Again (2014) - 9 stars out of 10

I have waited a long time for a movie that could recreate the magic of “Once.”  Seven years later, director John Carney has put a new spin on his two-strangers-meet-and-record-a-cd concept with the movie “Begin Again.”  Simply put, the story is amazing and this is a must-see.  While the plot is very reminiscent of “Once,” it focuses on the climate of today’s recording industry and the need for “true artists” instead of sell-outs.  The foundation of the film is built on incredible acting from Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo.  I appreciate that the actors in this film do their own singing and I had no clue that Knightley had such an enchanting voice.  It isn’t overly trained; instead, it has a bit of innocence that works perfectly for the character.  Ruffalo has a chance to express an array of emotions and effectively manages the balance between scumbag and hero.  Following the trend created by movies like “Once” and “Before Sunset,” the acting feels very candid as if the conversation-driven script is real life unfolding before our eyes.  The supporting performances by Catherine Keener and Mos Def enhance the realism of the film.  The highlight of “Begin Again” is the inclusion of full musical performances as a natural component of the story.  From Knightley’s first performance on stage, we build a connection to her character through music.  The film gets better with each musical recording sequence and the CD concept creates unique settings for each sequence.  I believe that “Lost Stars” could win the Oscar for Best Song and many of the other songs are just as deserving.  Unfortunately, an overabundance of unnecessary f-words and a poor acting performance by Adam Levine cheapen this otherwise incredible film.  Levine was okay but, when paired with veteran actors like Knightley and Ruffalo, his lack of experience became apparent.  As for the f-words, they really ruined a lot of this film for me.  Only one expletive seemed necessary (the one that occurs in the voicemail song recording), and the rest detract from an otherwise captivating series of conversations.  Still, even those moments could not keep me from loving every minute of the film.  “Begin Again” is a story of friendship, perseverance, and the unexpected turns of real life.  All of these things are centered around the performance of amazing music and its ability to transform people.  I can't wait to see what John Carney comes up with next.

[Pictured: The outdoor recording scenes are the best]

The Citizen (2013) - 5 stars out of 10

The Citizen (2013) - 5 stars out of 10

"The Citizen" is an interesting story about the increased racism again Arab immigrants following the September 11th attacks.  The film makes some poignant statements through its likeable main character and a well-written script.  The writers do a good job of introducing seemingly insignificant characters and events that become important later in the film.  Khaled El Nabawy delivers a nice performance as he carries the film from start to finish.  I will admit, the line delivery is sometimes overly cheesy and the acting isn’t anything to write home about, but the film achieves its goal by bringing attention to the unfair discrimination against innocent Arabs.  The highlight of the film is Cary Elwes’ portrayal of the immigration lawyer as he delivers an impassioned monologue in defense of the main character.  While I wouldn’t rank this film above average, it is definitely worth watching for its important moral lesson.

[Pictured: The movie is cheesy at times but offers some nice acting moments]

Lady and the Tramp - 9 stars out of 10

Lady and the Tramp - 9 stars out of 10

“Lady and the Tramp” has everything that you’d expect from a Disney classic.  Cute characters, comedy, good voice acting, a memorable moment, and a happy ending.  But the details are what set this film apart from the others.  Long before Steven Spielberg had the idea to shoot “E.T. the Extraterrestrial” from a child’s viewpoint by lowering the height of the cameras, Walt Disney animated “Lady and the Tramp” from a dog’s perspective.  The animators created models of the house and took pictures from low angles to help transport us into the dog world.  Very little of the humans’ faces are shown to keep the film’s perspective within the canine community.  This film is Disney animal animation at its finest, highlighting the natural appearance of different dog breeds while characterizing them through their stereotypes (English bulldog, Chihuahua, and my favorite: Jock the Scottish terrier).  The stereotypes extend to the other animals, especially the Siamese cats and the beaver.  The zoo creates a perfect setting for a “Bambi sequence,” in which the animators have a chance to show off their skills through realistic animal movement, while the script ties the scene into the plot through Lady’s muzzle.  The film is very clever, using the shadows in the pound to make all of the dogs appear to be wearing stripes, and creating harmony in the songs through the barking and howling of the characters.  One thing that I love about this story is that it is very honest.  The opening scene where Darling receives Lady in a hat box was inspired by a gift exchange between Walt and his wife, and Walt uses his fond memory to remind us of our own sentimental experiences with dogs.  I also think that the love story is very pure as it is experienced by two dogs that do not have any ulterior motives.  That is why the spaghetti scene has become one of the most iconic love scenes in all of film – their love is completely innocent.  I also believe that this film speaks to adults who can relate to a dog becoming less of a priority once a child arrives, and the writers purposefully cue the adults in to what the change is between Jim Dear and Darling before it is made obvious to children.  The comic treatment of pregnancy is definitely memorable.  The voice acting is fantastic with Barabara Luddy (Kanga, Merryweather, Mother Rabbit in “Robin Hood”) as Lady, Bill Thompson (White Rabbit, Mr. Smee) in five different roles that required five different accents (Cockney, Irish, Scottish, German, and Italian), Verna Felton (Fairy Godmother, Queen of Hearts, Dumbo’s Mother) as Aunt Sarah, and Thurl Ravenscroft (singer in many Disney films) as the alligator.  I believe that a lot of the Disney magic from the 50’s through the 70’s comes from the various combinations of these refined voice actors.  It is also worth noting that Alan Reed (the voice of Fred Flintstone) voiced a character in this film 5 years prior to the release of “The Flintstones.”  While this film doesn’t have a lot of Disney’s most well-known musical hits, the songs are very beautiful.  From the opening sequence that places an original song overtop of Silent Night to the magical atmosphere created by Bella Note and the dog back-up singers in He’s A Tramp, I find this to be one of the most underrated Disney soundtracks.  When you compare this film to “Oliver and Company,” it is amazing how superior one dog film can be to another.  “Lady and the Tramp” is the complete package and should not be looked over when listing the Disney masterpieces.

[Pictured: How could I post any other picture with this review?]

Spice World - 3 stars out of 10

Spice World - 3 stars out of 10

“Spice World” is far from a great film.  These girls aren’t actors and the story is a means to an end.  What “Spice World” DOES accomplish is the cultural preservation of the late 90’s Spice Girls phenomenon.  The film doesn’t really have a plot; in fact, it is more of an anti-plot as the random flashbacks and dream sequences try to create some semblance of a story but just make everything more disjointed than before.  The lack of action brings all of the attention to the personalities of the girls.  If you don’t have a favorite before watching this, you will after (or you will just despise them all, but they are actually pretty likable).  Despite the disdain of critics, this film was a box office smash.  While the Spice Girls have become a forgotten chapter in pop history, I appreciate that this film allows them to live on and serves as a reminder of how big they actually were.  If nothing else, “Spice World” will make you pull out your old Spice Girls cassettes and rock out to Wannabe like it’s 1996.

[Pictured: ...how did this look normal in the 90's?]