RED STATE.

About a week ago now, I rented Prom from iTunes because I needed to review it for Man, I Love Films. It's a cheesy tween movie, but one of the better stories involved an actor named Nicholas Braun. So this week, I'm taking a gander on iTunes again and am surprised when I see Kevin Smith's Red State available for rent. And I'm even more surprised when I find the likable Nicholas Braun from super-innocent Prom in a film that couldn't be any more different... probably almost the exact opposite.

Red State follows three teenagers, Travis (Michael Angarano), Jarod (Kyle Gallner), and Billy-Ray (Nicholas Braun), as they travel to a nearby small town to have sex with a woman (Melissa Leo) who propositioned them on the internet. But when they arrive at her trailer, she ends up drugging them. And when they wake up, they're being held hostage at an extreme fundamentalist church led by Abin Cooper (Michael Parks). Things become a struggle for survival, especially after the sheriff (Stephen Root) calls in for help and the government, led by Agent Keenan (John Goodman), steps in search the place... resulting in a deadly stand-off and shooting war between the two factions.

This film is nothing like any other Kevin Smith film you've ever seen, with the exception of one thing: There is some hella good dialogue in this movie (sans Star Wars reference). The writing is fantastic. Between the unsettling, almost neverending monologue from Michael Parks' character, or any of the very dark humor from Goodman, this is a very smart film.

What really helps back up the writing is the acting. The highlights, of course, are Goodman, Parks, and Leo. Goodman was my favorite part of the film, and he did have some of the best lines. If you're going to see this movie for only one thing, see it for John Goodman. The others are excellent in their own right, but they're much more serious and sinister. All great performances, but for different reasons.

The film has one detractor, and it's a big one. The film has trouble finding a clear narrative. The first half of the movie leads you to believe the focus is on the three teenagers and their situation. However, almost the second Goodman is introduced, the teens are all but forgotten for the next chunk of the film. In fact, most of what was set up in the first half except for the extremists themselves is all but forgotten. It's almost as if Kevin Smith decided to change what kind of movie he wanted to make halfway through, realized he needed to wrap up the original story near the end, and just... does so. But the whole process is a bit choppy and uneven.

It's not a perfect movie, but it has some really good ideas. The idea that any belief taken to the extreme can be more dangerous than anything is at the core of the film. Another idea this film explores is that it's not only Muslims are terrorists like most of America wants to believe. But it's any extremist who wants to hurt or attack a country or its citizens based on their beliefs--and, of course, this film puts Christianity at the forefront, which--despite being accurate--is gutsy in this day and age. And I strongly respect and appreciate it for that. Still, on an entertainment level, it's very strong in some areas, but the overall film could have used more tweaking.


I Am McLovin!

(P.S. The performances and whatnot should probably knock it up on the rating scale a notch, but I tend to focus more on an entertainment level... and in that regard, it wasn't quite up to par.)

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG.

I wasn't planning on rushing out to see this, but after all the "best animated film in years" reviews, I knew I had to check it out, if just for my "Top 10 Animated Films of the 2000s" post. So I went out tonight on a whim and checked it out. And I have to say... I was pleasantly surprised. It takes place in Jazz Age New Orleans. Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) comes from a poor family, but it was her father's dream to open up a popular restaurant and run it with her. But her father dies before making it come true. Tiana continues to grow, trying to make this dream become a reality. But she's an ultimate realist who thinks you have to purely work hard to get what you want, as just wishing upon a star will get you nowhere. That is, until carefree Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) comes into town with his British man-servant, Lawrence (Peter Bartlett). They stumble across Dr. Facilier AKA The Shadow Man (Keith David), a VooDoo witch doctor with a devilish plan up his sleeves. He turns Naveen into a frog and gives Lawrence the ability to look like Naveen, so that when the right time comes, Facilier can use him to take over the town and fulfill a deadly deal he had made to those "on the other side." Long story short (too late), Naveen escapes and comes across Tiana, thinks she's a princess, and talks her into kissing him. But because she isn't a princess, she turns into a frog herself. They end up on a crazy journey to try and get themselves back to normal, and they come across a couple of new friends, including a jazz-loving alligator, Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley), and a Cajun lightning bug in love with a star, Ray (Jim Cummings). The movie also shares the vocal talents of John Goodman, Terrance Howard, and Oprah.

I know, that's a lot of plot... but it's really not all that complicated. But if I were to complain about anything with this movie, it would deal with plot-related things. For instance, there's either too much story going on or not enough. The beginning moves way too slowly for my liking. It was right before the first song when I started thinking "OK, is this movie gonna, you know, start yet?" It feels like it takes about 30 minutes (and it probably does... I didn't look at my watch) before we even get to the frog stuff. But then the singing starts, and I start to feel better (I'll get into the singing momentarily). Though it really isn't until the frog stuff comes in that I felt the movie really started. But then there's the other side of the spectrum. What kind of debt did the Shadow Man owe? How did some of these characters figure out specific information that hadn't been shared yet? Who the heck said anything about having to be kissed before "midnight" so that the curse could be broken? Naveen didn't even know the kissing thing would work until he saw the fairy tale book and got the idea. And I know "before midnight" isn't in that story, because I researched different fairy tales for a book. And, (SPOILERISH), didn't Naveen explain to Tiana that there was a Human-Naveen impersonator... and if so, why did she react the way she did near the end? (END SPOILERISH).

The only other real issue I had was that I didn't quite buy into the quickness of the falling-in-love of the two central characters. In past Disney films, there's always a passing of time or a musical montage. Sure, there's one in this movie, but there's a difference. I think the difference is that in previous films, the characters have actually liked each other for a bit before the montage so that the "falling in love" sequence works. Here, it feels as if Tiana goes from being highly annoyed by Naveen to being all Ga-Ga over him and falling for his Love Game while Just Dance-ing (sorry, I really couldn't help it). And the musical montage isn't even that long... nor is it much of a montage. It's just the two of them dancing for a brief song. I want another "Kiss the Girl" or "Whole New World" or "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" or "Beauty and the Beast (main theme)." But maybe it's just me.

But speaking of the music, it really was wonderful. Sure, it takes a while for the singing to start in the movie, but once it does, it doesn't let up. I already love the music of New Orleans and the whole Jazz Age thing, so that was actually one of my only initial draws to the film (for instance, one of my favorite things about True Blood is the fact it's based in deep south Louisiana. I'm just fascinated by the culture). I'm not sure there was a song I didn't like.

The characters were good, too. The Shadow Man is a great villain... and actually pretty creepy. I honestly think he might be a little too scary for some small children. But his whole voodoo thing, as well as how they portrayed him and his "shadow" were great. Louis and Ray are good side characters, as well. I particularly loved Ray's neverending love for Evangeline... it was such a sweet aspect of the film, and it really added a whole other layer. It's just upsetting that it had to start so late in the film (I'd say about halfway). Of course, we have Naveen and Tiana, as well. Naveen is the spoiled prince who has never worked in his life, and Tiana is the workaholic waitress who knows nothing but work. So of course their personalities are going to clash. I particularly liked Naveen. He had some pretty funny lines.

And I haven't even talked about the animation yet. As you probably know, this is the first hand-drawn Disney film in 5 years (since Home on the Range)... but it harkens back to the good 'ol films, the myth-and-musical films of Disney, the last of which was arguably Mulan over a decade ago. I would argue that this film, especially the best parts of this film, ranks up there with those late 80s/early 90s films of Disney (Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, etc.).

The animation is gorgeous. The characters are fun. The story is good. The music is great. It has a few issues here and there, but don't most films? I went in not knowing what to expect fully, and I came out really enjoying it. It could have started faster, and it seems they cut out a couple things that maybe they need to put back in. But for the most part, it was a really good movie.


A Keanu 'Whoa'

What If - Odd Thomas: The Movie.

Odd Thomas is one of my all-time favorite books. Never before has a book made me laugh out loud as much, kept me intrigued at what was going to happen next, and had such a huge emotional impact all at the same time. Dean Koontz isn't considered the best writer on the planet by most, but he does have a rather large following. I've read a fair share of his books, and I believe (as do many others) that Odd Thomas is his best. The series to follow, while good, never quite matched the wonder, wit, and emotion of the first book; but, as I said, they were still good.

Dean Koontz also hasn't had the best book-to-film track record. Almost all of his books that have gone to the screen have been the small screen--TV movies with much lacking (I don't think anybody will forgive those who mutilated the film version of Watchers). The biggest film that has ever come from Koontz's work is better known because of Kevin Smith ("Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms."). All of this massive mistreatment has even brought Koontz to (supposedly) disliking even the idea of making another of his works into a movie. And with a collection of books that could even rival Stephen King, who has had his fair share of lackluster films (but also his fair share of amazing ones), Koontz's book-to-film treatment could almost be seen as a crime in these days of an unoriginal Hollywood and book-to-film productions.

However, Odd Thomas is such a good book that it deserves to really shine on the big screen as what could possibly be Koontz's equivalent of a Frank Darabont-Stephen King adaptation. But who would direct it? Who would star in it? These are questions I've asked myself numerous times. First let's go for the director:

The book is mostly supernatural. Think of Odd Thomas as a grown up, though vastly more confident Cole from The Sixth Sense. He can see dead people (though the dead can't speak). Most of them try to come to him to help cross over, but others come to him for vengeance due to murder. Then there's the horror side of it, with the demonly bodachs, these strange shadow-creatures that feed off death and chaos. Then there's the thriller and mystery aspect of it, in which Odd has to try and figure out what's going down and how to stop it before it does. Of course there's the comedy, as the book is hilarious (usually in the first-person narration). Last but not least, we have the romance, which is a huge (though subtle) part of the book. The relationship between Odd and Stormy has to be passionate and deep; there has to be that chemistry. So who is a good director that can cover all of these aspects?

My vote goes to the amazing visionary, Guillermo del Toro. I know he can do horror, supernatural, thriller, comedy, and romance just between Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy alone. Not to mention he has the visual eye that could make this movie look amazing, like it should be. But what about the perfect cast?

Odd Thomas is handsome, but plain. He's an everyman. He has to look ordinary, but special enough to where you could pick him out due to his charisma. He's the best fry cook in Pico Mundo, California, and has a very good wit and sense of humor. He's polite and has a sense of duty. He's also 20 years old in the first book. The biggest suggestions by fans have always been Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal (who look similar enough to each other). However, they're already almost too old for the part. Same goes for up-and-coming charmer James McAvoy. Hollywood go-to-boy Shia Labeouf doesn't even come close to looking the part. Michael Cera, while he has the age, is much too timid for the role. Another up-and-comer, Emile Hirsch, just doesn't look right, either. Paul Dano has the acting skill and close age range, but is just shy of the look. So my vote? Colin Hanks. He looks young, he can act young, he has good range of character, he's good looking but not too good looking, and I could definitely see him in this role.

Bronwen "Stormy" Llewellyn (because 'Stormy' makes her sound less like an elf) had a difficult, abusive childhood. She's described as almost Mediterranean in looks with olive skin, dark hair, and mesmerizing eyes. She's spunky, and is the love of Odd's life. They're soul mates, destined to be together forever. I've only ever had one choice for this role, an actress I've always pictured as Stormy since I first read the book. She might not have the olive skin, but she can do the black hair, and she certainly has mesmerizing eyes... not to mention she's spunky and could play this role lovably down to the 'T'. My vote goes to Zooey Deschanel, and no other.

Chief Wyatt Porter is the older, portly chief of police in Pico Mundo, California, and one of the few to know Odd's supernatural secret (as Odd often helps him out). I read, not too long ago, an inspired suggestion for the role, one which I quite like. And I know this actor can do a good cop, due to the movie Fallen. The vote is for none other than John Goodman.

Robert "Fungus Man" Robertson is the initial main antagonist of the novel, the man to bring the entire hoard of bodachs flooding into Pico Mundo upon his arrival. A lot of good suggestions have been thrown about for him. Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Bettany. My vote is for one of the first two, though I'm not incredibly picky on which. And as much as I adore Steve Buscemi, I think Mr. Hoffman could do some of the later bits better (as well as having more of the look).

"Little" Ozzie Boone is an author of novels, is very articulate, and is incredibly large (large enough to sit on Odd prior to the beginning of the book in order to get Odd to write down the story). This one would be tough to cast. John Goodman was also tossed around for this one, but I think he'd be a much better Chief Porter. One idea I read, and I do agree, would be Kevin Smith in a (good, realistic) fat suit. Otherwise, this is a tough choice. So I'll go with that.

Elvis Presley--yes, that Elvis--is a ghost and following Odd around for some reason or another. Though most of Elvis' appearances are of him in his younger years, making this a bit more difficult. They could cast an unknown, maybe even an impersonator, to do the job (no talking would be required). Though I would love for Bruce Campbell to pull off another Elvis (as previous done amazingly in Bubba Ho-Tep). But I really think it would only work for an older Elvis. So I guess it'd have to be a relatively unknown for the role.

Those are about all of the major roles. Sure, there's a few others in the supporting cast, but those are the big names of the first book. Now get this movie rollin'!

Bizarre Noir #6: Fallen.

Welcome to the sixth of seven posts that will review bizarre noir movies! I hope you enjoy the series. For more information or previous entries, check the posts below this one.

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Fallen.

Year of Origin: 1998.

Director: Gregory Hoblit.

Why it's bizarre: It's a supernatural/horror/thriller.

There isn’t a whole lot to say about this one, though it’s a great one, nonetheless. Detective John Hobbes (Denzel Washington) has finally caught sadistic murderer, Edgar Reese (Elias Koteas). And it’s finally time for his death sentence. But during the whole death sentence thing, Mr. Reese speaks in funny languages and does some odd things. But Detective Hobbes simply shrugs it off. That is, until after Edgar is put to death, when people start being killed in the exact same way that Edgar Reese killed. At first, Hobbes and his partner, Detective Jonesy (John Goodman), think it’s a copycat killer. But after following some clues that lead to speaking with one Gretta Milano (Embeth Davidtz), Hobbes starts believing that it is, in fact, a demon named Azazel that can pass from person to person via touch. And now Azazel is seemingly framing up Hobbes as a murderous and crooked cop, much to the chagrin of police lieutenant Stanton (Donald Sutherland).

There’s a couple other good-name actors in the movie, such as James Gandolfini and Robert Joy, and the acting all around the board is really good. Elias Koteas does his role at the beginning subtly, yet maniacally. Denzel is good as always, and, hey, it’s John Goodman. And while James Gandolfini’s character is, for all intents and purposes, pointless, it’s still done pretty well. The only real shaky ground when it comes to acting is Hobbes’ nephew, Sam, but it’s a child actor, and they aren’t all Abigail Breslin's or Haley Joel Osment’s (whatever happened to him, anyway? He did some video game voice-overs…).

The story isn’t as sci-fi channel cheesy as it sounds. It’s done very well, and with a two hour time-frame, the movie is quite capable of pulling it off nicely. The scenes that involve chasing through large crowds with Azazel going from body to body are really cool. And the song (‘time is on my side’) that he sings and/or whistles throughout the movie is pretty creepy.

The cinematography is excellent, much like any good noir film. And speaking of noir things, there is voice-over narration by Denzel, done in a very Denzel kind of way. And along the same lines, there’s a nice twist ending that’s pretty awesome. Oh, and the music is classic cop/noir jazz saxophone, so it fits nicely with the rest of the feel of the film.

There’s not much else to say about this movie. If you like noir or movies that deal with the supernatural, you should definitely check this one out. It has a great cast and a really good story that culminates into a really good climax and awesome twist.

A Keanu 'Whoa'

SPEED RACER.

I’ve never taken drugs, but if I had, I’m sure the experience would be something a lot like Speed Racer. Even after the controversy over and death of his brother Rex (Scott Porter), Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) wants to be one of the best race car drivers ever. Along with his girlfriend Trixie (Christina Ricci) and his family, Pops (John Goodman), Mom (Susan Sarandon), little brother Spritle (Paulie Litt), Spritle’s pet monkey Chim Chim, and their mechanic Sparky (Kick Gurry), Speed will do whatever it takes. But after Speed wins an important race, super-conglomerate man Royalton (Roger Allam) offers Speed a contract which turns his life upside down, and he must team up with the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) to put it back in order.

The movie isn’t overly complicated. In fact, there isn’t much to say about it. However, I haven’t had THIS MUCH FUN at a movie in a long time. It was very over-the-top, most of the time cheesy, and almost all the time cartoonish in nature, but it worked. In fact, the climax of the movie is simultaneously one of the most over-dramatic/over-the-top climaxes, yet one of the most awesome things ever.

The movie was random, the editing was fast yet fluid (I feel bad for the editor), and it was just zany fun. The dialogue, as I said, could get pretty cheesy at times, as could the acting, but it’s based on a cheesy cartoon, so it works really well. And I couldn’t picture the parts with any other actors or actresses now. They were all cast very well. The races were awesome, too.

As for the multi-color extravaganza, you get rather used to it pretty quickly, but it does make you feel as if you’re on drugs the entire time. And there are moments that even made me feel kinda dizzy, and I did perfectly fine with Cloverfield. And if I had anything negative to say about it, it would be that the first half of the movie moved a lot slower than the second half. Once the movie reaches the cross-country race, it really picks up and gets really awesome.

Overall, I can’t really say much more about the movie. It set out to do something and it did it. The movie was straight-up fun, funny, corny, action-packed, and (at times) even dramatic. I was gripping my seat come climax scene. The Wachowski’s were definitely on something when they made this movie, but it was worth it. And if I ever get in a position to where I’m not sure if I wanna watch a live action movie or a cartoon, I’ll know what to do. Cool beans.

A Keanu 'Whoa'