Mini Movie Reviews (aka what I have seen recently)

King of California
3.5 out of 5

This film was a weird one. At the end of it I totally enjoyed it (if for nothing else than Micheal Douglas' stellar performance) but this film was a bit strange. It has to be the most bi-polar film I have ever seen. At one point it wants to be a kooky comedy about a girl and her slightly deranged father. Then 5 minutes later its a touching drama on the strained relationships children can have with their parents followed again later by a satirical look at consumerisms rapid destruction of California. Either the director wasn't sure totally where they wanted to go with it, or it was a direct parallel to the mental state of the main character. Either way, the film is worth a watch but don't expect much coherence.




Beowulf
4 out of 5

Finally got a chance to see this. A loose retelling of the Ole English poem this entirely Motion Captured CGI film was entertaining. Other than the abysmal Angelina Jolie (seriously, she can't act her way out of a wet paper bag) the voices/faces* captured for this animated film worked wonders. Creating the film in a CGI world worked really well IMO instead of making a set and shooting it for real. The only thing that bothered me about the film was since this was originally made to be a 3D film, many of the "in your face" moments were a bit jarring in a 2D presentation. Quite a bit more violent than I thought it would be but an enjoyable experience.

*most of the main cast were digital recreations of the voice actor supplying the part. Very well done and quite fluid.




Passchendale
4 out of 5

The uber talented and quite gorgeous man Paul Gross has continued to entertain me. His Grandfather who fought in WWI shared only with him a horrific detail he encountered while in the service. Paul dedicated this film to his and the other thousands of Canadian soldiers who gave their life. As for the actual Battle of Passchendale, the film comes up a little short but in reality, that was not it's goal. Showing us only a little of actual fighting in the beginning and then more at the end, the flim primarily focuses on life back home in Canada and the actions of soldiers who made it back. A decent love story interweaves into the whole story and connects the whole thing together. Saving Private Ryan level of graphic war time action is shown in both fighting sections of the film. Highly recommend if you want to see a fictional tale in a quite realistic setting and history.