By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

It was during the ending of the first movie that I realized that How to Train Your Dragon was going for something deeper. With the onslaught of animated motion pictures, one felt a sense of diminishing returns, although the visuals, humor and musical score made the original Dragon film a cut above most offerings at the time. Would How to Train Your Dragon 2 survive high expectations?

It is the first moments of both brilliant and supple animation that one knows they are going on an epic journey. The first view is that of Nordic water. As the scope expands, one sees the depth of details on the island village of Berk. Our hero,

Hiccup (voiced again by Jay Baruchel), and his best friend, Toothless the dragon, are surveying uncharted isles. The two run afoul dragon poachers, who want to enslave dragons to take over Hiccup’s hometown. Hiccup warns his father and tribal chief, Stoick (Gerard Butler) and sidekick Gobber (Craig Ferguson) about the threat. When the name of “Drago” (Djimon Hounsou) is mentioned, Stoick prepares for the worst, (as Stoick said earlier, “Men who kill without reason are men you cannot reason with”).

Dragon 2 takes on a darker tone with a touch of Scottish melancholia. Parents be warned, there is a traumatic scene that is as stunning as Lassie getting shot in the paw. Somehow the film ends in triumph that does not seem forced.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a full epic presented in 98 minutes, with a score worthy of an Oscar nomination. Guillermo Del Toro and Drew Suzen are acknowledged in the credits for their contributions, most likely for so many visual Easter eggs. How to Train Your Dragon 2 has earned it’s box office and critical success.

A French comedy with English subtitles, Le Chef opens tomorrow. It stars Jean Reno and Michael Youn as bickering chefs who unite to challenge the status quo of snooty food critics and corporate downsizing. Based on a true story, this light comedy provides much mouth-watering close-ups of French cuisine.

Living is Easy with Eyes Closed (Vivir es Facil con los Ojos Cerrados) is inspired by John Lennon’s visit to Spain, circa 1966. Spoken in Spanish with English subtitles, a classroom teacher uses Lennon’s lyrics to teach English to his students. Planning a road trip to meet the myopic Beatle, the teacher takes two passengers on his quest, a runaway and a pregnant teenager.

There are plenty of dramatic choices this weekend at the movies.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

When Pan’s Labyrinth was released seven years ago, fairy tales were allowed to explore the dark side of metaphor if the film was successful. Some of Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales presented gruesome descriptions of a wicked step-sister who sliced off her toes to fit into Cinderella’s slipper.

Maleficent is Walt Disney’s attempt to interpret the dark side of Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent tells the story of a flying fairy. When she confronts the heart of darkness, she is betrayed by “true love’s first kiss.” Proving that hell hath no fury like a fairy scorned, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) plots revenge upon her lost love, King Stephan (Sharlto Copley), who marries a Queen and has a daughter. When Princess Aurora is born, Maleficent places a curse upon the child.

From this point forward, the film creates a dead pan comedy showcase for Angelina Jolie. With excellent cinematography and artistic design, Jolie takes the underwritten material and creates a memorable character. Maleficent is not a great movie, but it’s a fun summer movie at a matinee price.

In the past nine years, it seems as if Tom Cruise, science fiction and summer are synonymous with the release of War of the Worlds, Oblivion and now Edge of Tomorrow. While Edge of Tomorrow has proven to be a box office disappointment, it will likely be remembered fondly as a DVD/Blu-ray release.

Tom Cruise plays a propaganda officer who is drafted to the front lines to combat an alien evil. He is killed in the field of battle. He comes back to life to fight again … and again … and again.

Things go slightly differently each time and the film takes on a similar tone to a Warner Bros. Road Runner cartoon, with Tom Cruise as Wile E. Coyote. Then Edge of Tomorrow tries to get serious again for a climactic moment, but one wonders if the climax is merely an illusion created from a well-intentioned dream.

For those seeking more grounded entertainment, Ida opens tomorrow. This Polish fi lm with English subtitles features a novice nun who learns that her family was a victim of Nazi war crimes. Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, Ida is a search for truth and identity.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The modestly budgeted The Fault in Our Stars provided a wide return of investment compared to the much hyped, big budgeted Tom Cruise vehicle Edge of Tomorrow. Given the manic energy and huge production costs of Summer blockbusters like Godzilla, X-Me: Days of Future Past and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Hollywood is examining “little” dramas like The Fault in Our Stars.

Words and Pictures opens tomorrow and this film qualifies as a “little” drama. The pace is deliberate, but not slow. The story features two strong protagonists who suffer from illness, but features some gorgeous cinematography. As a writer, I could not but feel that the “Words” people were given short shhrift compared to the “Picture” people. After all, the “Words” leader is personified by Professor Jack Marcus (Clive Owen – who looks like he is revisiting “Ernie” from his award-winning movie Hemingway & Gellhorn), while “Pictures” is represented by Professor Dina Delsanto (the lovely Juliette Binoche).

Professor Marcus is a scoundrel, but a charming one. Professor Delsanto is the Ice Queen with a warm heart. The two bicker and defend what is more important, “Words” or “Pictures?” A philosophical war is declared, with the outcome being decided by the student body of an Ivy League prep school.

The head games between Binoche and Owen are a delight to watch and listen to too. Being adults, the two strike each other like a fire poker, but know when to cool off in a moment of serious crisis. One sees both professors’ professionalism rise to the occasion when two students are involved with harassment charges.

Near the end, Words and Pictures suffers from a scene of over-the-top melodrama. However, the conclusion works and that is all that matters.

The best thing about this film is watching two artists overcome their own handicaps. While Clive Owen presents an easy vice – vodka and lime – Juliette Binoche’s character suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. Words and Pictures is a worthy alternative to over produced and over hyped Summer Blockbuster

(On left): Cinema Dave meets Heather Langenkamp

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.live journal.com

Like last year’s The Lone Ranger, Maleficent was skewered by urban elitist film critics upon release. Much like the recent release of Mom’s Night Out, there is a disparity between public perception and mainstream critics. With $69 million box office revenue, Maleficent proves that everything old is new again.

At a recent Spooky Empire convention [May-Hem, held May 30-June, 1 in Orlando], Grumpy himself — actor Lee Arenberg from the television show Once Upon a Time- addressed this disparity.

“You do not know how much power the fans hold. Critics had judged The Lone Ranger even before it was released. Studios are putting more emphasis on computer metadata as generated by the fans.

While Walt Disney studios is best known for their animated fairy tales, the studios recent adaptations have taken on a darker tone. Last summer, the Magic Kingdom was forced to close their gates on “Villain’s Day” due to overcrowding. With this emphasis upon villainy, one has to ask “Do heroes matter?”

Best known for playing Freddy Krueger’s arch nemesis “Nancy” in The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, actress Heather Langenkamp addresses this question in her documentary, I am Nancy. Featuring writer/director Wes Craven and Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, Langenkamp asks the question, “Why Freddymania and not Nancymania?”

I am Nancy is a poignant documentary that is fan-based. The fans who Heather interviews come from all walks of life, i.e. doctors, lawyers, children, paraplegics, hearing impaired, victims of domestic violence. While most people agree that Freddy Krueger is “cool,” most people are really “Nancy.”

Instead of being a victim (for whatever reasons), Nancy chooses not to empower evil.

Langenkamp knows her success; she’s happily married with kids, owns her own business and acts occasionally. She definitely understands that fine line between fantasy and reality.

Fairy tales, villains and monsters like Maleficent have been with us since the dawn of time. Through history, one sees how each generation interprets these stories. These interpretations often reflect a culture in decline or on the rise. As Langenkamp says at the end of her documentary, “Be Nancy.”

(On left): Cinema Dave meets Godzilla.

By Dave Montalbano

cinemadave.livejournal.com

Since Mother’s Day, there has been a film that has quietly earned 9 million dollars, 10 percent of what X-Men: Days of Future Past has earned over Memorial Day weekend. Produced by Patricia Heaton and David Hunt, Moms’ Night Out cost 5 million to produce and has earned a nice profit before DVD/Blu-ray release. This film did not have a multimillion dollar budget. While urban elitist critics have shredded the film, it ranks 90 percent on the audience rating on RottenTomatoes.com.

The plot is very simple. A church group of females decide to let their husbands and boyfriends babysit the kids. Things go awry for the mothers, who end up in renegade taxicabs, tattoo parlors and jail. The set-up for each gag is well-executed and the comedy ensemble players (Patricia Heaton, Trace Adkins, Sean Astin, Sarah Drew) pull it off with much heart. Remember Moms’ Night Out on home video next Mother’s Day.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is one of the most anticipated ensemble superhero moves in two years since Marvel’s The Avengers. Beyond recruiting the old ensemble cast with the young ensemble cast (XMen: First Class), the X-Men franchise reinstated director Bryan Singer, who directed the first two movies. Days of Future Past is a title with double entendre for the XMen franchise.

The new movie opens 10 years into the future. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry), Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Professor X (Patrick Stewart) are under siege from the Sentinels – robot predators whose original goal was to eliminate XMen mutants. Professor X hypothesizes a strategy to send Wolverine to 1973 and prevent the manufacturing of Sentinels.

Upon waking up in 1973, Wolverine meets young Professor X (James McAvoy) and his arch enemy, young Magneto (Michael Fassbender). The three travel to the Paris Peace Accords to prevent Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), the Sentinel’s mastermind.

Like X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past takes a historic time and attempts to present a “mutant back story.” Whereas First Class focused on the Cuban Missile Crisis, Days of Future Past over reaches with stories about the Kennedy Assassination, the Vietnam War and Richard Nixon. While visually interesting, the climax on the White House lawn involving Richard Nixon breaks the 4th wall of verisimilitude.

It would help to see the previous six X-Men movies to appreciate the details and nuances of X-Men: Days of Future Past. The new movie is fun , but it falls short of high expectations.

By Dave Montalbano

“History shows again and again how nature points up the folly of men.” ‘Godzilla’ by Blue Oyster Cult

People who bingewatched the previous 60 years of Godzilla movies were disappointed in the recent release, but those seeking Popcorneating Saturday matinee entertainment shelled out $93 million in the United States to spend time with the radioactive-breath 350 ft tall giant lizard. The box office performed better than expected and Godzilla 2 has been greenlit.

The plot is very simple; it involves a family dealing with a cosmological crisis of epic proportions. To reveal more would be a disservice to Director Gareth Edwards’ modern vision of ancient mythology. Suffice it to say the tale of Godzilla has been told for many years on cave drawings.

The film is filled with many visual details. Godzilla’s slow reveal (through editing) is recreated from the original Godzilla movie from 1954. The opening credits acknowledge the “Godzilla reboot” from 60 and 16 years ago, respectively. As the primal monster attacks highly populated cities, one recognizes individuals held captive by government bureaucracy. This is good science fiction entertainment because it presents the monster as a metaphor for a given time.

The Love Punch opens tomorrow at area theaters. It is a full out romantic comedy fully realized from beginning to end. Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson are a divorced couple whose retirement nest egg has been stolen by a corporate raider from France. Given that their two children are in college, the couple reunite to reclaim their retirement fortune.

While both characters are suffering from empty nest syndrome, Brosnan’s character is the one who wants to reconcile. As Thompson’s character hatches a heist to reclaim “The Eye of the Rainbow” diamond at a wedding ceremony in a Paris suburb, the couple recruits their best friends (Timothy Spall and Celia Imrie – who should get their own caper someday). As the heist becomes more dangerous, the two couples still find time to bicker about their personal picadillos from the past.

The Love Punch is a simple story filled with farcical elements. Writer/director Joel Hopkins sets the tone very early with the prologue before the colorful credits roll. The film is full of energy, but it is not rushed. Each laugh is logically organized with a punch line that pays off each time.

Both Godzilla and The Love Punch provide fine entertainment diversion this Memorial Day weekend for their respective audiences. For those sticking around the house Sunday night, check out the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS. Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna return as co-hosts, with Jackie Evancho singing the National Anthem. Party hearty Memorial Day, but don’t forget to thank a veteran this weekend.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Nineteen years ago this month, when I was a Social Studies teacher at Loggers’ Run Community Middle School, my 6th grade students helped me produce A Tribute to the Men & Women of the World War II Generation. Besides listening to Big Band music, hearing a patriotic chorus with some goofy Three Stooges like stagehands, the assembly also had some serious moments. Tammy Greenberg read a letter written by Erika Hubert, who talked about her German childhood during World War II. Andrea Rajier read a letter written by her German grandmother who fled to Argentina during the rise of Adolph Hitler. Tammy and Andrea’s no nonsense performance brought tears to the eyes of cynical 6th Graders and several weary Middle School teachers.

As a journalist and information scientist, it pains me to see how important lessons of history are being forgotten by this new generation raised on video games and tablets, as if any news story three months old is considered ancient history. This is why a movie like The German Doctor is still being produced in these days of raunchy low budget comedies. This film was Argentine’s representative for best foreign film for the 2013 Oscar season.

It opens with a title sequence similar to a Guillermo Del Toro’s monster show … notebooks filled with sketches of human anatomy with charts and graphs written in German. It is as if we are reading The Secrets of Life written by Henry Frankenstein from those Universal monster movies from 80 years ago. We learn that these are the notebooks of Josef Mengele (Alex Brendemuhl), the notorious Nazi war criminal who specialized in genetic research using Jewish citizens as unwilling subjects.

Mengele befriends an Argentinean family and the secret Nazi becomes a fixture in the community. After doing a few good deeds and earning the trust of the family, Menegele is able to convince them to try his “harmless” serum that will prevent genetic defects. As the serum causes side effects, Menegele and his assistant accurately record and write about their scientific experiment.

Unlike Gregory Peck’s over-the-top performance as the hyperactive Menegele in The Boys from Brazil, Brenedmuhl is a silent, but charismatic predator. He has a good bedside manner with his patients, especially children. The true Menegele is revealed as he cold bloodedly writes about the genetic mutations he is causing with his “harmless” science experiments. Written and directed by Lucia Puenzo, this Spanish language film with English subtitles, features gorgeous cinematography with a dark story and noir characters.

As I write this, it is May 12, 2014, which marks the 40 year anniversary that my parents and I moved into Palm Aire at Coral Key in Lighthouse Point. While unpacking my stuff, the movie playing in the background was The Jugglar, one of the first movies to deal with post traumatic stress syndrome for Holocaust survivors. John Banner (Hogan’s Heroes Sgt. Schultz) and Kirk Douglas starred, who also produced this movie. Besides being the birthday of Florence Nightingale, Katharine Hepburn, Malin Akerman and Emily VanCamp, May 12 also marked my Mom’s 90th birthday.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

While the numbers are not as strong as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opened with an impressive $91 million box office last weekend. Not part of the Avengers canon, this series of Spider-Man movies is seeking to develop its own comics mythology for Sony’s Columbia pictures. FYI: The post title sequence features an action sequence from the soon-to-be-released X-Men: Days of Future Past from 20th Century Fox.

For the 5th Spider-Man movie in 14 years, the audience is finally able to see a movie in which Uncle Ben does not die. However, grief is an overall theme that hangs over The Amazing Spider- Man 2. Peter Parker, alias Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield), and his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) graduate from High School. Peter is late to his own graduation because he is battling the Rhino (Paul Giamatti), a pesky Soviet villain.

While Gwen, the school’s valedictorian with a steady job at Oscorp, is entertaining offers to attend a special program in Oxford, Peter is conflicted. He adores Gwen, but has promised her dearly-departed dad (Denis Leary) to stay away from her and, being Spider-Man, he is obliged to stop crime in New York City. Meanwhile, Peter tries to uncover a conspiracy of events involving his parents, who left him at a young age.

Being Part 2 of a projected 4-part series, this movie throws a lot of dialogue and teen angst at the viewer. Occasionally, Spider-Man battles Electro (Jamie Foxx) [and another surprise villain] to break up the exposition tedium, but these nighttime battles lack the clarity of vision. A much-anticipated climax from the comic book series is presented; but, instead of being emotional, the scene feels manipulated and mechanical.

The film does have some moments of luster, in particular when “Spidey” remembers that he is a role model. Before confronting a villain with his web-slinging, Spider- Man takes the time to talk the bad guy out of making bad choices. The film also redeems itself in its final moments when a miniature Spidey-clone attempts to confront a scary villain without Peter Parker’s help.

John Turturro’s directorial debut opens tomorrow, Fading Gigolo, co-starring Woody Allen, Sharon Stone and Sofia Vergara. Unlike his previous creepy on-screen personas, Turturro portrays a nice guy with a touch of Cinderella. This comedy from New York has garnered good word-of-mouth.

As Disneyworld completes its recent expansion of New Fantasyland, plans are underway for a larger expansion of Animal Kingdom.

Groundbreaking occurred last January for James Cameron’s Avatar inspired park. As Cameron prepares to create his next three movies, one can see the original Avatar with additional footage at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery & Science IMAX theater. (See more about Disney on Pg. 10).

Make a good Mother’s Day choice this weekend!

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Having opened at the 2013 Palm Beach International Film Festival, Decoding Annie Parker will be opening nationally tomorrow. In the year since its first public exposure, the reputation of Decoding Annie Parker has grown, given the subject matter and a blossoming supporting cast of actors – Aaron Paul, Marley Shelton and Alice Eve.

Having witnessed her mother and sister fade away from cancer, Annie Parker (Samantha Morton) basically lives in the moment and tends to her family. While performing a routine breast examination, Annie discovers a lump on her breast. Annie laughs at her apparent death sentence.

In spite of radiation, chemotherapy and being told that her cancer is in remission, Annie confronts this devious disease. Enter Dr. Mary- Claire King (Helen Hunt), a research doctor who believes that there is a link between cancer and family genetics. Though it takes decades to meet, both Dr. King and Annie Parker develop a unique relationship via letter writing.

Based on a true story, Decoding Annie Parker is a textbook story about the medical profession battling a dreaded illness. Yet Samantha Morton’s performance raises the film above an episode of Grey’s Anatomy disease of the week plotting. Having met the real Annie Parker last year at PBIFF 2013, one sees that a positive attitude is powerful medicine.

For Joe, Nicholas Cage is getting his best performance reviews since World Trade Center. Cage is truly invested in this character, a supervisor who specializes in the killing of trees in the swamplands. Enter Gary (Tye Sheridan), a 15-year-old who seeks employment with Joe’s crew. Gary admits to suffering from domestic difficulties, Joe agrees to hire Gary’s father, Wade aka G-Dawg (Gary Poulter), figuring that hard work cures most problems.

Wade G-Dawg is pure white trash from the neighborhood of Bob Ewell from To Kill a Mockingbird and Jonas Wilkerson from Gone with the Wind. Joe is forced to fire the father, who takes it out on his son. Despite his own violent past, Joe becomes increasingly involved with Gary’s plight.

To add authenticity to his story, Director David Gordon Green hired Texas locals. Poulter was a homeless man who was given a job. As the title role, Cage deserves his kudos for playing an explosive character with restraint. Yet Joe will be haunted by Poulter’s realistic performance as “Daddy Dearest.” After production closed, Poulter returned to the streets and died before Joe was released.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

With most films being marketed for middle school students with disposable incomes, I found it refreshing to be the youngest member of the audience of the Good Friday screening of Heaven Is for Real. The matinee screening was a virtual sell-out and the film ended with a round of applause. Lacking the multi-million-dollar marketing push of Transcendence (which bombed at the box office), the box office receipts have made Heaven Is for Real the certified sleeper hit of 2014.

With the exception of the film’s opening and closing shots of a young female artist painting a picture in Russia, this film is set in the flatlands of Nebraska. Minister Todd Burpo (Greg Kinnear) and his wife Sonja (Kelly Reilly) are community leaders who are working hard to maintain their home. While relaxing on a Sunday afternoon after church services, Todd breaks his leg playing baseball. After recovery, the Burpo family takes a much-needed vacation and Colton Burpo’s (Connor Corum) appendix bursts.

As Sonja arranges for community prayers and Todd gets into an argument with God in the hospital chapel, Colton recovers. As the family returns to a routine life of financial strife, Colton starts talking about visiting Heaven and meeting Jesus. While most people dismiss Colton’s words as hallucination, Todd listens attentively. Colton begins talking about meeting deceased family members who passed away before he was born.

The television commercials fulfill the cheesy expectations that a title like Heaven Is for Real would bring. Yet, these cheesy scenes occur within the first 1/3 of the movie, which makes the viewer wonder — “What is going to happen next?”

The answer is a satisfying confluence between pragmatism and faith. Writer/director Randall Wallace excels with this form of visual storytelling. Wallace was Oscar-nominated for his screenplay of Braveheart and directed The Man in the Iron Mask, We Were Soldiers and Secretariat. Heaven Is for Real is Wallace’s most quiet movie, yet with an intense visual clarity.

Connor Corum will steal hearts. Kinnear and Reilly provide understated, but sincere, performances. Ten years ago, Reilly gave a noteworthy performance in Mrs. Henderson Presents … Since then, she has been working steadily in supporting roles (most notably as Jude Law’s longsuffering wife in Sherlock Holmes movies). Tonight, she takes center stage as a bipolar doctor in Black Box on ABC. Reilly is one of many reasons to see this lifeaffirming movie.