Film Yap: IMAX Hubble

When you’re a kid, there are two aspects of science that electrifies the imagination: dinosaurs and outer space. IMAX Hubbleis the type of movie that makes you feel that youthful sense of awe.

Watching this on the TV is not like watching it on an IMAX screen in 3D, but the images still have an impact. IMAX films are great because they have a great level of patience with it. The shots last for a lot longer so you can see all of the little nits and bits of a space shuttle or you really have time to grasp the magnitude of the size of the equipment.

The film shows the journey into space to repair part of the Hubble Space Telescope. The launch into space and the spacewalks are a lot of fun to watch. The real spectacle of the documentary is showing what the telescope can see. Looking closely at a nebula and all of the budding stars is a glimpse at natural beauty that is rarely seen with such clarity.

The documentary isn’t just a slideshow of cool aspects of space. Leonardo DiCaprio leads the narration to talk about the science and narrative behind the repairs. He’s perfect for this task because he still has the boyish wonder in his voice while maintaining the professionalism to be an expert.

The only problem with the film is that it’s too short. Clocking in at only 45 minutes, it’s difficult to recommend for purchase. It’s a very fun time and it’s worth watching. It’s nice to be able to recommend something on its spectacle without having to compromise any sort of intellectual perspective.

The DVD only has one bonus feature which is a small look at the making of IMAX Hubble. I found it to be very entertaining how they wanted to use this movie to add more texture to some of the amazing images found through Hubble. Once again, I only wish there was more.

Film: 4.5 Yaps

Extras: 3.5 Yaps

http://www.thefilmyap.com/2011/04/02/imax-hubble/

Film Yap: The Music Never Stopped

\There is a difficulty in reviewing a movie that is supposed to be “feel-good.” If a comedy doesn’t make you laugh, it doesn’t work and people understand that. If a feel good movie doesn’t make you feel good, somehow the fault is on the viewer, not the film. So let me make this perfectly clear.

This is the film’s fault.

I do enjoy sunshine and happiness and characters learning to love. When a film is relying entirely on you liking that before it starts, then there is a problem. The film has to create those emotions in you and have you sympathize withthis situation.

Based off a true story, Henry Sawyer is a man who tries to learn more about his son under difficult circumstances. Gabriel has a severe brain tumor and can’t seem to create new memories. Henry reads about a technique where music can stir specific memories so he hires a professor to help Gabriel however possible. Through music from the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan, Gabriel’s personality begins to resurface, as does his rocky relationship with his dad.

It’s an interesting premise and J.K. Simmons is a wonderful actor, but this movie is completely flat. This should be the go-to example for how to use music in film, but instead none of the scenes connect emotionally because the characters and the script aren’t developed. The core characters never seem genuine and everyone else is either there for dry exposition or underwritten love interests.

Half of the film is flashbacks of what’s happened with Henry and Gabriel. When a film is about memory, especially flawed memories, it’s unfair to give the definitive filmed version of the event. In the film it turns out that Gabriel is the musical Forrest Gump in that every single song from this time is connected to a major point in his life. So he tries to explain his appreciation for the song and it still feels empty. Lou Taylor Pucci plays Gabriel with a bit of embarrassment and he tries to neurotically charm people with the way the Dead make you FEEL. After the third time, it just becomes tired because what he’s saying isn’t good dialog and the only thing Simmons can do is look longingly at his son pacing around the room spouting clichés..

I kept searching for anything in this film to focus on. Simmons is a great actor, but he has nothing to work with her. He’s way more effective as a dad in Juno and was able to show more range in a movie like First Snow. It’s great to see him as a lead, but it’s better to see him in a role with more depth.

The real test of the film was the moment they hinted at for the entire film. Gabe says a million times that he hasn’t been to a Grateful Dead concert. Henry spends the entire movie trying to get tickets. I’m not saying that go, but if they did that scene better feel like the greatest moment of their lives. Instead it’s flat—like the rest of the film—and characters will talk about how it was great.

2 Yaps

http://www.thefilmyap.com/2011/03/31/the-music-never-stopped/

Bridesmaids

My biggest pet peeve with the current state of comedy lately is how women are used. Women are often really really funny, but too many comedies are written by men who only use them as reactionary devices to other men. (Quick name 20 different sitcoms with the CRAZY husband and the sensible wife.)

So I was looking forward to Bridesmaids, a raunchy comedy written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, because it could be a step in the right direction. It ultimately met my expectations because it focused on the right elements. The story is about Annie (Wigg) who is all set to be her best friend, Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) maid of honor. Things start to fall apart when Annie meets the other bridesmaids including Helen (Rose Byrne). Helen is incredibly rich and seems to be fighting to be the real maid of honor.

There are plenty comedic set-pieces around this rivalry including a wonderfully awkward battle for the last speech. What makes the rivalry richer and more frustrating is that they are both so passive aggressive. They smile through their gritting teeth and continue to compliment each other’s wardrobe. Sometimes the Helen character strays a bit far from reality, but most of the time she is someone familiar. The girl who doesn’t mean harm, but in the back of her mind she knows what she is doing.

The rest of the cast is really great too. The best comedies are the ones that know how to have strong supporting characters. Melissa McCarthy is the breakthrough bridesmaid as the upcoming in-law who is crass and unpredictable. Jon Hamm is also hilarious as the worst guy out there. (The opening montage is especially hilarious.) Having a good supporting cast doesn’t just mean having a certain type of jokes for them all to perform. It’s best to see them as full characters who only get to be seen for a brief period of time.

One of the best examples of this is the love interest Rhodes played by the star of The IT Crowd, Chris O’Dowd. He plays a local cop who has a crush on Annie. They have good chemistry together. He’s funny, but never that witty. Near the end of the film, he’s expected to make certain actions because that’s how every movie plays it out. Instead the film remains true to the characters. When the movie ends, there is a stronger resonance because it feels like a real story, not just a collection of gags.

The laughs may not be as strong as other summer comedies, but they are consistent. It’s a very likable movie that will last longer than other films that rely on shock value and outrageous lines. A sequel to this would be nice, but I rather Wiig and Mumolo team up again to give us another story with more characters. They have the talent.