Saving Mr. Banks

DRAMA

Critical Characters

8.0 out of 10 | Movie or Rental

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Rated: PG-13  Thematic elements including some unsettling images
Release Date: December 13, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes

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Director: John Lee Hancock
Writers: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
Cast: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, B.J. Novak, Jason Schwartzman

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SYNOPSIS:  Author P. L. Travers reflects on her difficult childhood while meeting with filmmaker Walt Disney during production for the adaptation of her novel, Mary Poppins.

REVIEW: The Blind Side writer/director John Lee Hancock flies in with a talking umbrella to uncover how Mary Poppins finally came to the big screen. Written by Sue Smith and Kelly Marcel, and based on actual recordings kept by Walt Disney Studios, this mouse's tale tells more than just how Mary Poppins came to life.

P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson, Beautiful Creatures), writer of the Mary Poppins stories, has been pursued by Walt Disney (Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips) for 20 years to adapt her beloved characters to the big screen. When she finds herself struggling to maintain her finances, Mrs. Travers travels to California to the Walt Disney production complex to meet with Walt and a team of writers and composers to see if Walt will be faithful to her work and the vision of her characters. She doesn't sign her rights to her characters away, doesn't want sappy and snappy music, and forbids - above all else - any use of animation. Every swatch of cloth, every choice of a cast, every nuance of the story plot is a battle between Mrs. Travers and Walt's creative team. Can either side compromise enough to create a finished film?

We all know that Walt Disney Studios produced and put out Mary Poppins as a feature film. That could never come under dispute. What this film shows is the turmoil, both internal and external, that Mrs. Travers underwent while trying to rationalize why and how to bring her beloved nanny to the big screen. The film is aptly named, the P.L.Travers collection of Mary Poppins stories a reflection of her own youth spent at the end of the line in Australia. She idolized her father who held a strong grip on his own imaginative spirit. She idolized him as she was a kindred Celtic spirit. Writing Mary Poppins allowed Travers to pay homage to her father and to attempt to reconcile her own demons concerning family.

The story flashes between Pamela's youth in Australia around 1901, then moving forward to 1960s London, England and Hollywood, California for a fateful few weeks where the battle for Mary Poppins' future commenced. Moving back-and-forth, we catch glimpses of what P.L.Travers has been dealing with her entire life. What starts off as an author's catharsis by putting finger to typewriter ends up being a much larger realization when she is faced with the decision of letting go of her creations.

Emma Thompson is superb as the P.L. Travers. She is prim and proper, holding her values and creations in the highest regard. She is difficult to deal with and more difficult to read. Tom Hanks, as Walt Disney himself, plays the man behind the Mouse with ease and a childlike enthusiasm. He also holds his own values in high regard, as well trying to keep a 20 year promise to his daughters. Paul Giamatti (Turbo) plays Travers' chauffeur Ralph, bringing his own positive attitude to the aid of a difficult woman and situation. B.J. Novak as Robert Sherman and Jason Schwartzman as his composer brother Richard are both very professional when it comes to being the creative force to put Mary Poppins on screen. Both over-the-top and subtle, each gets their points across to the Mary Poppins creator. Colin Farrell who plays Pamela's father and Annie Rose Buckley who plays his young creative daughter have a chemistry matching their creative and imaginative spirits.

Semi-biographical, semi historical, and pulling source material from both archived recordings from the Disney creative team meetings and sketches and movie sequences from the Disney Vault, Saving Mr. Banks has an air of realism mixed with whimsy. As with all stories of this kind there is always embellishment and license, but this feels just right. As Mary Poppins herself would say to the author and her need for closure and letting go, a spoonful of sugar will make the medicine go down.

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Turbo

ANIMATED, FAMILY

He's Fast. They're Furious.

8.5 out of 10 | Movie or DVD

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Rated: PG Some mild action and thematic elements
Release Date: July 17, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes

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Director: David Soren
Writers: Darren Lemke, Robert D. Siegel, David Soren
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Samuel L. Jackson, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Mario Andretti, Mike Bell

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SYNOPSIS:  A freak accident might just help an everyday garden snail achieve his biggest dream: winning the Indy 500.

REVIEW: David Soren has had his hands in the creation of Shark Tale, Madagascar videos and television shorts, and Over the Hedge. Now he hits the big time as the director for an animation bout a snail who dreams of speed. Building a shell for the slug is Jack the Giant Slayer scribe Darren Lemke and Big Fan writer Robert D. Siegel, focusing on a little snail that could.

Theo (Ryan Reynolds, The Croods) is a normal garden variety garden snail. He dreams of going fast, following in the footsteps of his idol and legendary Indy car driver Guy Gagne (Bill Hader, The To-Do List). His brother Chet (Paul Giamatti, Rock of Ages) tries to get Theo to stop thinking about speed and to start thinking about what all other snails think about - tending to the garden and harvesting tomatoes. When an accident makes Theo reassess his slow life, he finds himself injected with nitrous oxide which gives him super speed. Both Theo "Turbo" and his brother are found by a taco seller named Tito (Michael Pena, Gangster Squad) who dreams of making his and his brother Angelo's (Luis Guzman, The Last Stand) taco stand successful. When Tito finds out about Turbo's speed, he and the snail decide to enter Turbo in the Indianapolis 500 race to gain exposure and acclaim!

Dreamworks has a knack for creating unique and interesting animated stories. While Disney Pixar seems to have started to rely on sequels like toy story and spin-offs like the upcoming Planes, dreamworld has dazzled with their recent efforts. Turbo is no exception. Taking a story of a snail that wants to race seems absurd, but they make a great story out of it anyway.

Turbo has a silly cast of characters, especially when dealing with snails. Even though turbo has NOS speed, that doesn't stop other 'need for speed' snails from slithering out of the woodwork. Led by Whiplash (Samuel L. Jackson, The Avengers), Turbo encounters Smoove Move (Snoop Dogg, Starsky and Hutch), Burn (Maya Rudolph, The Way Way Back), Skidmark (Ben Schwartz, The Other Guys), and White Shadow (Mike Bell, Kung Fu Panda 2). All of them are decked out in racing strips and tail fins. Joining the snails are a human cast of characters that seem to have move faith in a turbo-charged snail than Theo's own brother. Tito recruits the other owners in the starlight plaza, including auto mechanic Paz (Michelle Rodriguez, Fast and Furious 6), hobby store owner Bobby (Richard Jenkins, Killing Them Softly), and nail stylist Kim Ky (Ken Jeong, Despicable Me 2).

The animation is dazzling, on par or better than the raceway created on Disney's Cars. From the grooves in the track, to the camera work around and under the other Indy cars, to the discarded tire rubber 'pebbles' on turn four, Turbo does not disappoint. No where near photo realistic, Turbo lets the snails and their human counterparts take on their characters with their voices. The snails are cute and loveable, each with an unique look. The streak trail that Turbo leaves behind is a character all its own, allowing Turbo to speak to Tito in pictionary format when the snail needs to get his point across.

When you are a snail that dreams of speed, you are an outcast from the rest of the snail world. When dreams come reality, Turbo still finds himself a loner until he meets other snails that share his racing vision. At the end of the day, though, Turbo must rely on his own heart and spirit - not turbo-charged speed - if he is to get the job done.

Turbo is a fun ride for kids and adults. Silly, well-rendered, and having a great story of heart and of following a dream, this film will get your motor running.

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Rock of Ages

Come for the Story, Stay for the Music

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Rated: PG-13  Sexual content, language, some heavy drinking and suggestive dancing
Release Date: June 15, 2012
Runtime:  2 hours 3 minutes

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Director: Adam Shankman
Writers: Justin Theroux, Chris D'Arienzo, Allan Loeb
Cast:  Diego Boneta, Julianne Hough, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Bryan Cranston, Catherine Zeta-Jones,  Paul Giamatti, Malin Akerman

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SYNOPSIS: A small town girl from Oklahoma comes to Hollywood to be a singing star, coming across a bar back boy with his own dreams of fame.

REVIEW: Adam Shankman, director of musical projects like Hairspray and Glee and choreographer on dozens of films, takes the popular New York Broadway and brings it to the screen with help from writers Justin Theroux (Iron Man, Tropic Thunder), Allan Loeb (Just Go With It), and Chris D'Arienzo from D'Arienzo's 2009 Tony Award nominated "Rock of Ages" for which he wrote the Book.

Small town girl Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough, Burlesque) travels by bus from Oklahoma to the bright lights and big city of Hollywood, California to pursue her dreams of singing. She quickly comes across a bar back named Drew (Pretty Little Liars) who works at the legendary Strip establishment The Bourbon Room with his own dreams of singin' and rockin'. Both idolize the rock god Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocols) and his hits as the frontman for the band Arsenal. Planning for an Arsenal show at The Bourbon Room by Jaxx's manager Paul Gill (Paul Giamatti, The Hangover Part II), Paul contracts with Bourbon Room owner Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock) and his trusty sidekick Lonny (Russell Brand, Arthur) for Jaxx's last show before he goes solo. Meanwhile, politics play their part as Mike Whitmore (Bryan Cranston, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted) and his wife Patricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones, The Rebound) try to shut down the club and cleaning up the Strip by protesting the club and looking for any discrepancies in their books or practices. As the music and crowds heat up, passion ignites but runs on the rocks as fame gets complicated.

As a person who has not seen the New York Broadway show yet, I can only speak from conjecture and rumor about how the film was crafted in relationship to the Broadway show. From what I have heard, the role of Stacee Jaxx was moved from a minor subplot to a major main plot line for the film. I am sure there are others out there with more knowledge of the live show than me. That being said, let's delve into 1987 Hollywood as it appears on the silver screen.

Rock of Ages is at its beating heart a love story. Drew Boley and Sherrie Christian quickly find each other and their mutual hopes for a more glamorous and adventurous ascent into singing stardom. At first naive and hopeful, miscommunication and poor decisions force them apart in their own musical pursuits. In addition, Dennis Dupree and Lonny are in love with rock and roll, and the continued running of the Bourbon Room. Stacee Jaxx, typically drunk, full of himself, and able to alienate roadies and musicians as well as he inspires and entices the ladies, seems lost, lonely and looking for an elusive perfect song.

Rock of Ages is a fun, tune-filled journey down musical memory lane. Like its live show counterpart, the huge appeal are the songs from the decade of the 80s. Big hair, rubber brackets, and tight clothes are no match for the nostalgia of Def Leppard, Pat Benatar, Gun N' Roses, Poison, and more. Some of the best songs are the ones that are the product of a mash-up. Most notable are 'We Built This City' by Starship and 'We're Not Gonna Take It' by Twisted Sister. Mary J. Blige and Julianne Hough's duet of Quarter Flash's 'Harden My Heart' kicks as much butt as it tells a story. And that is the most important point of all. For good or bad, for seriousness or silliness, each song tells a story, fitting perfectly into the fabric of the film.

All in all, Rock of Ages is a toe-tapping delight with all of the music from my youthful formative years. The story is paced well, even for its 124 minutes length, mostly anchored down and hoisted up by the plethora of music - either sung by one or more of the cast or used as fill in the background. Conflict abounds throughout, starting with the union and breakup of Drew and Sherrie, and continuing with Dennis trying to combat both the lecherous Paul Gill and the vindictive Patricia Whitmore for the survival of the Bourbon Room.

Rock of Ages may or may not live up to the expectations that patrons of the live show may have. I liked the characters and story, and loved the musical selections and mash-ups. The film could have been balanced a little better with some more non-musical scenes, but for those who can appreciate the now classic music of their youth, this film is built on rock and roll! Don't stop believing!

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WORTH: Matinee or DVD

The Ides of March

The Pursuit of Victory 

Director: George Clooney

Writers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon (play "Farragut North")
Cast: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright

SYNOPSIS: Young idealistic campaign staffer Stephen Myers believes his Pennsylvania governor turned Democratic presidential candidate to be one of the few men who could effect real change if elected into the White House. On the road to the Ohio Democratic primaries, he gets a crash course in dirty politics.

REVIEW: George Clooney writes, directs, and stars in an adaptation of the play "Farragut North" by Beau Willimon. Helped along with the writing efforts of Grant Heslov (writer of Good Night, and Good Luck, director of The Men Who Stare at Goats, Clooney assembles a cast of the highest caliber to bring this political drama to the big screen.

Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling - Drive, Blue Valentine) works as a political campaign staffer under lead staffer Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman - Moneyball, Doubt) for Pennsylvania governor turned Democratic presidential candidate Mike Morris (George Clooney - Ocean's Eleven, The American). Charismatic and dedicated, Stephen has complete and utter faith that his candidate is the politician who could really make substantial changes at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. On the opposite side of the Democratic debate against Morris is Senator Pullman (Michael Mantell) and his chief of staff Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti - John Adams, Sideways). Knowing that Morris may win the Ohio Democratic primaries, Duffy calls Myers directly with an option to jump ship to his campaign camp a week before the primaries. Afterward Myers finds himself in a ever increasingly difficult position, first trying to keep his candidate above board, then trying to keep his own future secure.

George Clooney has the influence and star power to draw the best actors and actresses to his projects. Ryan Gosling is coming into his own as a premier leading man, previously nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for Half Nelson. Paul Giamatti was nominated for Cinderella Man. Hoffman was nominated for Doubt and Charlie Wilson's War and won for Capote. Clooney was nominated five times and won for Syriana. Tomei was nominated three times and won for My Cousin Vinny. It's almost criminal the critical acclaim that each of these players command. I know I am rattling off their pedigrees but, upon watching this film, it's obvious that every people is reserving of the awards their peers have bestowed on them. The film is subtle and nuanced, every unspoken word as powerful and meaningful as the lengthy dialogue between the characters.

Admittedly, I am not a huge fan of political drama but The Ides of March is steady and engrossing, moving along as smoothly as the never ending gears of the beastly engine that is the political campaign trail. With deals happening under the table and behind closed doors, the public and the audience is as surprised as Myers when Morris' campaign strategies take abrupt turns - for better or worse.

Clooney's Morris speaks about integrity, about what is right for the American public and the country as a whole, how to decrease dependency on the sands of the Middle East, and how to again become a world leader instead of a follower. To what lengths will Myers go to get Morris man elected? What behavior and immorality will he ignore for the greater good? And what compromises will he make to get the job done?

WORTH: Matinee or DVD