Surf’s Up (2007).
The Scoop:
With just its second full-length feature, Sony Pictures’ fledgling animation division scores big-time with “Surf’s Up,” jumping on the penguin-themed bandwagon of the previous year’s “Happy Feet” and outdoing that film. It is the story of aspiring smalltown surfer Cody Maverick (voiced by Shia LaBeouf), who goes to the Big Z Memorial Surfing Championship on Pen Gu Island with dreams of making it big. To go up against reigning champion (and all-around bully) Tank Evans (Diedrich Bader), he’ll need the help of his newfound friend Chicken Joe (Jon Heder), lifeguard Lani (Zooey Deschanel) and mysterious guru Geek (Jeff Bridges).
Directors/co-writers/animators Ash Brannon (“Toy Story 2”) and Chris Buck (“Tarzan”) have crafted a fast-paced and fun little film with a wonderfully hilarious screenplay. But their most interesting creative choice was to tell the story in the form of a mockumentary, which might seem like an alien concept for an animated feature, but winds up working well. It gives a familiar story a fresh spin, and even opens up some new areas for the film to explore.
The animation is superb, at turns mimicking the look of handheld documentary filmmaking, ESPN style sports coverage, archival newsreel footage and in-the-water surfing cinematography, all with great precision.
If there’s any drawback to “Surf’s Up,” it is the clutter of minor characters, especially since some of them (primarily Chicken Joe and the trio of penguin kids) wind up being woefully underused. But that really just amounts to a minor quibble. This is one animated feature you won’t have to be a kid to fully enjoy.
Best Line:
“Tank’s not a winner. He’s a big furry trash can full of poop.”
Side Note:
Brannon and Buck essentially play themselves in the film by voicing the two documentary filmmakers who are following Cody around. Pro surfers Kelly Slater and Rob Machado, and X Games host Sal Masekela also cameo as themselves.
Companion Viewing:
“Happy Feet” (2006).
Links:
IMDb.
Official Site.
Take a Look:
The trailer:
A montage of the penguin kids:
Tank shows off his trophies:
Metapost: Kaleidotropically Yours.
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Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971).
The Scoop:
This early directorial effort by Dario Argento is the final film of his so-called “animal trilogy” that started with “Cat o’ Nine Tails” and “The Bird With the Crystal Plumage.” It is also pretty much indistinguishable from his other early films — same Hitchcockian aspirations, same plot themes, same visual artistry. The man practically invented the “giallo” subgenre of Italian thrillers, but he just seems to be on cruise control here.
The story concerns a rock drummer (played by Michael Brandon) who kills a man in self-defense, only to be blackmailed my someone who witnessed the killing. Anyone who has seen any other Argento murder mystery will already be familiar with the plot’s twists and turns, and probably even guess the blackmailer’s identity well before the end.
The film is great to look at and the attention to bloody detail is a gorehound’s delight, but the uninvolving story, lifeless acting and oddly misplaced bits of humor conspire to make this one of the Italian master’s lesser films. Which is probably just as well, since it’s very difficult to find anymore, with no current commercial release in the United States. Unless you’re a completist, do yourself a favor and stick to his better and more readily available work.
Best Line:
“Oh, you heterosexuals!”
Side Note:
Brandon, who does a merely marginal job portraying the drumming hero, was far from Argento’s first choice for the role. Among those who couldn’t do it for one reason or another were Michael York, Terence Stamp, singer/songwriter James Taylor and even two Beatles — John Lennon and Ringo Starr.
Companion Viewing:
“The Bird With the Crystal Plumage” (1970) and “Cat o’ Nine Tails” (1971).
Links:
IMDb.
Terror Trap.
Take a Look:
The trailers:
William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999).
The Scoop:
Michael Hoffman’s version of Shakespeare’s classic romantic fantasy gives the material the lush, sexy treatment it deserves. Hoffman has transplanted the action to the late 19th century in the Italian countryside, and the beautiful landscape sets just the right tone. An gorgeous looking all-star cast (led by Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Calista Flockhart and Christian Bale) takes its crack at the Bard, and doesn’t embarrass itself too badly, despite a few difficult performances.
(Difficult performances seem to be par for the course with filmed Shakespeare in the past couple decades, but Hoffman does a good job here of minimizing their impact.)
Still, the art direction is memorable and Hoffman shows more skin and sex than is typical, giving the material a much more modern feel, while still maintaining the spirit of the original text. Definitely a winner, and a film that should be accessible even to those who don’t ordinarily “get” Shakespeare.
Best Bit:
“The course of true love never did run smooth.”
Side Note:
As the Mechanicals are waiting to perform for the Duke, we see other groups rehearsing their own plays — which include “Oedipus Rex” and “Othello.”
Companion Viewing:
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1935).
Links:
IMDb.
The original text.
Greg Ferguson drops some essay-ic knowledge.
Take a Look:
The opening scenes:
The Mysterious Doctor (1943).
The Scoop:
This low budget production, set in Britain, manages to wring some good atmosphere out of its limited sets and personnel.
In the small Cornwall village of Morgan’s Head, residents live in fear of a headless ghost that stalks the local tin mine. The villagers get suspicious when a doctor (Lester Matthews) on a walking tour of the area turns up at the local inn one evening. Their suspicion turns to paranoia when someone spots a parachutist landing in the moors. Pretty soon the doctor turns up dead, the ghost is running wild and the village is in a tizzy. Along for the ride are the obligatory bland romantic leads (Eleanor Parker and Bruce Lester), the sympathetic village idiot (Matt Willis), the hooded innkeeper (Frank Mayo) and the local squire (John Loder).
Even though this is an American production (made at Warner’s), it’s full of that stiff-upper-lip British wartime spirit. The moody cinematography by Henry Sharp and taut direction by Ben Stoloff are both top-notch, and at only 57 minutes, the story flies by at a brisk pace. In that sense it fits the B-movie mold perfectly — a fun, engaging appetizer that still leaves you hungry for the main feature.
Best Line:
You’ve got to love a dramatic climax that begins with, “I see you don’t know much about the early history of tin mining in Cornwall.”
Side Note:
Although she kind of gets short shrift here, in one of her earliest roles, Eleanor Parker went on to have a wonderful (but unjustly overlooked) career in Hollywood. She later costarred with the likes of Charleton Heston in “The Naked Jungle” (1954) Frank Sinatra in “The Man With the Golden Arm” (1955), and Kirk Douglas in “Detective Story” (1951).
Companion Viewing:
“The Cat Girl” (1957), “The Undying Monster” (1942) and “The Man From Planet X” (1951).
Links:
IMDb.
1,000 Misspent Hours.
Take a Look:
The trailer, which seems to lean awfully heavily on our bland lovebirds, is over at TCM.
Desuko Movie Spot. 