Where the Wild Things Are

Goolphipp Award: 3.25 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Phipps:
I was never a big fan of Where the Wild Things Are growing up. But I am a fan of children's fantasy movies, and that's what this film promised in the preview. Crazy amazing Wild Things.

I had a hard time with this movie. I liked some of the pieces, which bears mentioning - performances, costume, cinematography. The whole cast did a wonderful job. The Wild Things did look awesome...CGI faces looked great. Cinematography was solid.

I didn't like that the pace was slow. I know director Spike Jonze was focusing on emotion, but it just took too long to get it. I would be amazed by something, then bored. It felt a little forced at times.

The comedic moments were stellar. I wish there would have been more. This movie was like a stone in your stomach - I needed more laughs and less raw emotions. I have a firm belief that the major camps of people fall into one of the Wild Things. I would be Judith, voiced by Catherine O'Hara. (And I swear, they modeled the ram-like Wild Thing after Seth Green.)

Even so, the biggest problem I have with this movie, is Max never says he's sorry - to the Wild Things or to his mother. I was simply flabbergasted. That's not the message I want to go out to kids. Because this is what I heard, "You don't have to say sorry no matter what you do or who you hurt. People will just know. Especially if you give them a hug." But as a grown-up, I know that isn't true. People need to hear the "I'm sorry," combined with the hug. I will not be showing this film to my children until they are old enough to disregard the "non-sorry policy" that Wild Things promotes.

AND this film showcased a big sister, Claire, who didn't take care of her kid brother when he was crying. It was really sad, and an insult to big sisters everywhere.

I wanted to get lost and run wild in this movie, but that just didn't happen.

Phipps overall: 2.5
Put together well, which saves it.

Goolsby:
I grew up with this book, and the short cartoon feature that circulated when I was a kid too. I have always loved anything animal based. I approached this movie differently. The biggest gimme in the movie was the characters. It's hard conveying consistent personality in heavy hot costumes. The faces were CG enhanced of course, but that doesn't mean that takes care of everything. The people who have to do the live action do a fantastic job. A true character has to be believable in physical actions as well. From the quiet, never heard Seth Green lookalike goat named Alexander, to the loud confident Carol, these wild things came to life.

I was very excited to see this movie, and I think it gave me what I wanted the most. Awesome live action costumes and seamless CG integration.

On the other hand, it was much more intense than I anticipated. I think the raw anger emotions could have been relayed in a less destructive manner. A dirt clod fight with giant beasts is unsafe! And come on, someone's arm gets ripped off! Who cares that there wasn't any blood, it is still an appendage! Comedy was selective but well placed as Phipps said. The stick arm replacement Douglas receives takes the cake.

All in all, I got what I was looking for- beautiful cinematography and awesome costumes. Parents should really think about taking their children, but as an adult, I can overlook the message and appreciate what I love.

Goolsby overall: 4
Still worth it I think.

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Public Enemies

Goolphipp Award: 3 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Goolsby:
First point – empty theaters are the best places to view movies like Public Enemies. We were in a showing with only 2 other people. This means we exchanged banter basically through the whole movie.

Second point – we exchanged banter through the whole movie, because we were both so frustrated and confused with the filming style. This movie can’t make up its mind. You’ve got your artsy epic shots that take up too much time. I’m okay with a few key shots that highlight an actor’s delivery or the action, but this was absurd. There were grainy shots for no reason at all. What was the worst thing was the shaky cinematography. Phipps said something like Blair Witch Project, so I’m stealing her line. It was horrible. I never forgot about it until the last 10 minutes of the film. Since we were basically in an empty theater, I caught myself holding out both my hands trying to steady myself. So distracting. You got to wonder what the director Michael Mann was thinking?

Third point – filming took away from the awesome deliveries. Depp brings in a winner again. And could his hair be any more awesome? Swoon. Maria Cotillard, who played Billie Frechette, was amazing as well. She closed the movie, and that scene was perfect. The whole cast was amazing. And random Leelee Sobieski, where has she been?
And on a final note – the one thing I did like about the cinematography was the color hue. It fit well into the period with the round browns and warm colors.

Oh oh oh, how could I forget this! The scene in which Dillinger (Depp) walks into the police station... it was the greatest thing I've seen in a long time. Loved it.

Goolsby overall: 3
Loved everyone's hair.

Phipps:
This film was a big-budget, period piece modeled after the Blair Witch Project. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a hit, like its predecessor. I was completely distracted by the cinematography the ENTIRE time. I think it was worse than Pitof’s Catwoman, and that’s saying something.

And that is a crying shame, because all the performances were spectacular. I was equally drawn to both protagonists, John Dillinger and Melvin Purvis. Depp pulls off the likeable thief - charming me with his half smiles. Bale, of course, is always stellar as the smart, squeaky clean lawman. Everyone got to see that Channing Tatum could realistically die on screen, which further builds his repertoire.

All the historical junk looked authentic…as far as a layman is concerned. It was weird to see the police action without the use of walkies and vests. I'm glad I live in the age of S.W.A.T.

Public Enemies had all the right pieces, but someone let us down in the sound and cinematography, and I’m going bet it’s the director, Michael Mann. Mr. Mann, shame on you for robbing some people of Oscar nods.

Wait for the DVD, folks, and don’t forget the Dramamine.

Phipps overall: 3
Giving it a 3, simply because the performances deserve the world. Could have easily been a 5, Mr. Mann.

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earth

Goolphipp Award: 3.75

Audience: All Ages

Goolsby: Who doesn’t want to see our furry friends? Bring the whole gang and wait for the collective “Awww” to overtake you all.

Phipps: There’s nothing to worry about for little kids in this one. It’s landscapes and happy animals mostly. There are a few predators, and they only show them getting their prey a couple times, without blood and ripping flesh. So moms, cart your little ones to this movie!

Where’s the Objectivity: Solid
Following a couple animal families through a calendar year.

Phipps: Literally, the circle of life in the frame of the year. Not much else to say. I liked this documentary, which is saying a lot. I’m not the biggest animal fan. But I thought it was presented fairly truthfully and straightforward. I was like a little boy though, I wanted to see the lion shred up an elephant – but I also understand that it was a Disney movie. I was surprised that there wasn’t more overtly liberal. I’m happy to report that it stayed with the facts, and made one comment at the very end. A very solid documentary based on the “Planet Earth” series.

Goolsby: From top to bottom of the planet you get a good overview of how the animal kingdom thrives mostly unbeknownst to us, and definitely unbeknownst to the kids. The facts are presented in a very accessible simple and straight forward form to the kids, who are the real target audience.

Cinematography: Gorgeous

Goolsby: Pristine. Stay for the credits to get a look at the difficulties some of the cinematographers’ had – lets just say, balloon chair meets tree, ouch. Thanks guys for getting dirty and most likely injured to deliver this timeless feature.

Phipps: Just beautiful. Great shots. They did a good job in the editing room, as this movie was a splice-and-dice of the “Planet Earth” footage. Word on the street is it took a month to get the shark shots, and I must say, it was well worth it.

Delivery: No Complaints

Phipps: James Earl Jones – you can’t beat him, ever. He’s got that voice. One small complaint, there was an overuse of the word “starving.” It was a little annoying, but other than that, no complaints.

Goolsby: Now Phipps thinks that the use of “starving” was a bit overdone – I however feel that the word “starving” is one of the few words that really conveys an animal’s true hunger. For kids, and even adults, we have many feelings of hunger. From, “I could go for a cookie,” to I-haven’t-eaten-all-day-stomach-pains, we have a wider base of hunger. But for animals, I think it’s a bit different, especially with their food resources growing limited. I think “starving” conveys primal hunger efficiently. So I’m okay with the use of the word starving – kids can identify with it.

Phipps overall: 4
Solid.

Goolsby overall: 3.5
A good documentary.

Goolphipp rating: 3.75 (No Peanuts Chucked)

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