The saying is there is nothing new under the sun, so writer/director/visionary/king of the world James Cameron took it upon himself to create a new sun, on his path to create “Avatar.” There isn’t much left to say after the years of anticipation, and the payoff the film provides, but let me steer your focus to what it means for the future.

Story

First, our future holds the destruction of our planet. I’m sorry, but if it is in more than one movie, it has to be true (see “2012” and “Wall-E” for support). Instead of rebuilding our planet or embracing alien worlds, American’s will employ mercenaries and mining companies to ravage the landscape of other worlds. In an attempt to appear democratic and peaceful, the corporations will hire scientists to connect with the aliens to study and immerse themselves in the culture. To achieve this, they will use the evolved version of Second Life to transport their consciousnesses into alien bodies, which resemble giant blue feline humanoids, called avatars. Nothing like walking a mile in someone else’s shoes, except these aliens, called Na’vi, live as part of the planet, without shoes, and worshiping mother nature. That’s the backstory of the whole film, which we catch throughout the travels of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic reactivated Marine, who takes over his diseased brother’s avatar. A roughneck colonel missions Sully to infiltrate the Na’vi culture with his avatar in an attempt to drive them away, all the while Sully falls in love with the species. All sides come to heads in the climactic 45-minute battle. Sounds like a fun future for human history.

Themes

Through all the sarcasm, you will find a pretty simple, and already done story, as in “Dances with Wolves.” The themes run fairly deep and touching: respect nature and try to understand other cultures. It shouldn’t take an alien planet or a fantastic story for you to focus on other cultures. Around the world there are rich societies away from technology and western ideology. As for being green, I’m sure the green politicians have crammed it down American throats too much already.

Other disturbing themes do emerge though because of the ‘avatar’ concept. It glorifies the evolution of Second Life and the society disconnect that the Internet brings about. Do we succumb to technology, giving it the power to communicate with people through impersonal means? Texting, instant messaging, Twitter, Facebook, and Second Life already exist to connect people from around this world; Cameron simply imagined infusing biology into these technologies, in a fashion very similar to “The Matrix.” (***MINOR SPOILER WARNING***) The most disturbing aspect is what happens when you fall in love as an avatar? Jake Sully falls for a Na’vi girl and by giving into desire and lust; he brings about the philosophical question of is it right? I don’t know the answer.

Beyond the Film

Maybe I dove deep enough in philosophy and themes so let me shift to the experience of “Avatar.” The 3D is gorgeous with a full immersion to the world. The trend of 3D to build depth continues with “Avatar,” making this the best year for 3D films yet. If you have the opportunity though, travel to an IMAX theater to witness the film. After seeing the film on both versions of the film, I have to say IMAX overpowers the senses. The theater transforms to become Pandora, with the screen engulfing the full field of vision and the sound expanding the depth of the film’s soundtrack and effect mix. All this combined together makes “Avatar” more than any film out now; it is a full visceral experience unlike anything.

Cameron has outdone his body of work with “Avatar.” Previously for “Titanic” he set out to find the ship, and did just that. For “Avatar” he had to create everything, the story, the world, the technology, even the cameras he shot with. I already discussed the story, and I really could never do the lush and gorgeous world of Pandora justice in words. Cameron designed everything to make the film. The green screen motion capture technology to digitize actors was more primitive until this film. Now directors can watch real time renderings of the digital environment through the monitor, as actors walk around green screens. If that wasn’t enough, he made his own camera to shoot 3D in some new fangled way. Genius? Maybe.

“Avatar” opens many new doors for cinema, but it may take some years before it is replicated. Watching trailers on TV and online don not reveal the immersive atmosphere of the world. The characters may look cartoonish in advertisements, but once the reels roll in the theater, you will be mesmerized by the realism. With everything considered, James Cameron has claimed his throne as not only the king of this world, but also the king of any other he so chooses to explore.

Grade: A

More Avatar videos, stills and news

How depressing can a film be before it repulses every viewer? “The Road” might just draw a new line for depression. I would probably have to prescribe several antidepressants to author Cormac McCarthy, author of the book, because here he draws up a post apocalyptic world with no hope for humanity and cannibals at every corner. That’s the basic premise.

Story

Not satisfied? Fine. Viggo Mortensen stars as a man traveling with his son to the coast in a desolate future America.  Desolate probably is the nice way to put it. The landscape is ravaged; trees no longer grow; food is scarce; and the only means of travel is walking. Most species are dead, including the majority of humanity. The majority of survivors have turned to cannibalism with very few good guys left.

Thematics

It’s a simple enough set up to show how society decomposes without any order or civilization. Apparently nothing is civil about a society left in the ashes of the apocalypse, and this isn’t the first time film narrative has taken this position. Why is it that every time the end of the world comes and goes, so goes humanity and order? Even in savage lands around the world, order reigns above all. Mankind finds a way to structure itself to survive. It is hard to see the deep-rooted evil that these types of films believe is rampant within our DNA, when there is so much good that lies beyond the dread of the nightly news.

The comforting thing is that “The Road” focuses on the inherent goodness of mankind. Time after time, the man comforts his son, through memories, stories of the past, and hope. The memories fall through the cracks though; they flash through the celluloid as the film progresses, filled with images of life before the apocalypse. The mainstay of the flashbacks is the man’s wife, played by Charlize Theron. Through these glimpses we find the joy of family and the disaster that the apocalypse brings. Back to topic; the point of all this is that the man creates hope for him and his son; almost the metaphorical reemergence of the phoenix out of the ashes and despair of the barren landscape. Repeatedly the son asks if they are ‘good people’ and the father comforts him by confirming it: i.e. the film focusing on the goodness of people. Carrying the theme further, the father does find food and shares some with an elderly man they find traveling the road as well. That says a lot about our protagonist’s beliefs, especially when he is suspicious of anything that moves throughout the film.

The problem is that even with the hope and goodwill of the man, the world around is full of hardship. Most of the survivors, as I mentioned early, resort to cannibalism, giving the man and his son a living antagonist, beyond the elements of starvation and hypothermia. Even the man is overly protective, and resorts to bad things along the journey, to protect his son. What would you do to survive?  What would you do to protect your child? The man here will fight, kill, and endure to protect them both, but when his son asks him to do something beyond that, he chooses what he perceives as just, even at the risk of creating a rift in his father-son relationship.

Etc.

The cinematography is gorgeous, or at least as gorgeous as you can perceive a desolated, barren, and destroyed landscape can be. I guess in a twisted and dark sense, the film is beautiful; with wide landscape, tracking, and vast shots. The grime builds up everywhere, on the faces of characters and the landscape of the earth. The film’s muted colors evoke the bleakness and colorlessness of the man’s psyche.

Beyond the look of the film, the acting is great, and the story is pretty good. The plot follows a pretty usual plotline with misery around every corner. The thing to take away might be the matter of creating hope vs. finding hope. Can you forge optimism through storytelling and imagining a better future, or do you simply find it in the little things in life, like a hot meal, a bath, or companionship? Believe what you want, but “The Road” excels where films like “I Am Legend” fail, by not showing how the world ends, only at how to endure each day, enjoying the microscopic things of daily life.

Grade: B+

More videos, stills and news from ‘The Road’

We have big plans for 2010 with more and more independent productions using the MovieSet Production Tools and Promotional Services. So … In no particular order, here’s are our list. What’d we miss? What did you love? Let us know and we’ll try to give you more.

Top Ten Highlights from MovieSet in 2009

Kevin Mattson get Beat Down in Austin, TX – The MMA Movie Star Video Contest Winner, gave all of us at MovieSet HQ a thrill with his gratitude and hard work on the set of Beat Down – thanks to the crew who made the experience memorable for this inspiring, tattooed Grandpa and his wife Lisa who traveled down from Michigan for the shoot.

Irishman blows up – Since day 1, we’ve worked with the production of this mafia war period piece ‘The Irishman‘ to find fans and cultivate culture around the stars and technical crew form exploding cars to interviews with Hollywood regulars like Walken, Kilmer, D’Onofrio and Stevenson – working together, we built a huge archive of clips to share while we wait for it on the big screen.

Souvenirs de Cannes – Members of the MovieSet crew were on the ground at the most prestigious film fest of them all and scored first footage of Inglourious Basterds, Dr. Parnassus, Bright Star, Christmas Carol and more – and we shared the videos (and a trinket or two) with all the bloggers who raised their hand.

Twilight Tour - This was the year of the Twilight phenomenon – everywhere – but especially here in Vancouver where New Moon and Eclipse were shot. To spread the love, we sent improv comics Eric and Shaun from the Behind the Scenes show out to tour the Twilight filming locations with movie blogger and admitted Twi-hard Marina Antunes – hilarity ensued as the Twi-hards around the world watched and well… reacted.

Comic Con – Speaking of Twilight, … at ComicCon San Diego, the followers of vampires stirred up commotion with the Avatar die-hards at this enormous fan fest while they waited to see the holy trinity of Pattinson, Lautner and Stewart – we covered costumes, pressers, interviews, previews, and spread it back to you at breakneck speed including early info on Sorority Girls, Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, Green Lantern, and more.

Contest Fest - We’ve done a bunch of contests, competitions and sweepstakes throughout the year, sharing HD Flip Cams, autographed film cells, movie memorabilia and more with eager movie fans. We finished the year strong with comment contests for Quoting Classic Quentin contest, Trailer Park Boys and American Pie 7 – and hey you showed up and entered with creative answers and obscure references! Yes, we are impressed.

Set Visits in Hollywood North - MovieSet was on set of some interesting films shooting in Vancouver in 2009 including Joe Dante’s The Hole 3D, King of Fighters, Icarus, American Pie Book of Love – we captured interviews, previews, inside scoops and behind the scenes wizardry from these diverse flicks and got it out to you before anyone else (not that we’re bragging ;-)).

GSP destroys Death Warrior set - As part of the “Live Death” streaming from the set of this MMA-fueled actioner, ace correspondent Quinn Bender captured some rising stars like Rashad Evans, Rampage Jackson, Keith Jardine, Georges St-Pierre was the main attraction as he inadvertently destroyed the set with his mightiness – we even gave away his bloody hoodie to a lucky fan.

Big with Knuckles - Indie films aren’t all art house – we worked closely with the productions of Wrong Side of Town with RVD, Beat Down with Heath Herring and Bobby Lashley, and Unrivaled with Rashad Evans and Keith Jardine – we admired their hard work and learned alot about the needs and motivations of these filmmakers. Ditto on the indie horror flick: For Whom He Tolls.

Voice of the People reviews – What began as Twitter-sized reviews has grown into a stable of fan pundits offering in depth (and often funny) reviews of movies in theaters and on DVD – Cheers to all the reviewers – many of whom have their own blogs and growing reputations on IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, etc. Austin Lugar, Eric Fell, Alex Kartman, Marina Antunes, Rob Shaer, Faker Paris, Bradley Carver, Gordon and the Whale, Jeff Otto plus all the participants in the Micro Movie Review meme on Twitter.

Finally, thanks to all those colleagues who have gone before me toiling on this digital tome and interns and assistants who lent a hand: Mike Browne, Patrick Sauriol, Kyle Zahar, David Gorozieta, Tim, Felix, Scott, Ricky, …

Characters always have driven films, starting with Chaplin’s Tramp to John Rambo to living figures. Simple stories follow these characters’ daily lives, but a film projects the evolution of a character to maintain audience interest. Plots and stories become difficult when evolving characters find themselves trapped in a stagnant world, or vice versa. “Up in the Air” focuses on this predicament more than most films this year, constructing a great story as it evolves.

Story

George Clooney stars in his third film released within two months (“Fantastic Mr. Fox” & “The Men Who Stare at Goats” being the others) as Ryan Bingham in “Up in the Air.” Ryan travels the country as a consultant in charge of firing other companies’ employees. It isn’t exactly a glamorous job by any means; spending the majority of the year in hotels and racking up frequent flyer miles. He enjoys and lives for traveling, but eventually he faces the changing economic climate. His boss (Jason Bateman) assigns him a trainee, Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), to teach the psychology and tips of firing people. The film simply follows these endeavors of these two.

Sounds like a depressing concept, yet the plot focuses on the relationship development. Natalie may only be a protégé, but she tries to drive Ryan out of his isolated existence, toward family and a woman named Alex (Vera Farmiga). All the while, comedy surrounds the film, through Clooney’s wit and the great writing. Some supporting actors bring their own style for laughs, including Zach Galifianakis and JK Simmons.

The singular and minor flaw of “Up in the Air” is the structure, that sometimes lacks cohesion, and even calling it a flaw is a stretch. It glows decently well, but at times it tends to feel like a situational comedy, with characters simply lading in new situations. To stop being devil’s advocate, the characters truly bind the film together because they stitch each transition together.

Beyond the Lens

Jason Reitman directs his third feature with “Up in the Air,” and clearly he has mastered his craft; he simply was born to tell stories. He co-wrote the screenplay with Sheldon Turner as an adaptation. He knows how people interact and almost creates a Don Draper (the “Mad Men” lead) rival here, with a character leaving the audience wondering what that person’s personal beliefs really are. The story achieves greatness by avoiding romantic-comedy cliché with a heartfelt ending after a heartbreaking climax. Reitman’s writing and directing together add up to his best film, combining the charm and whit of “Thank you for Smoking” with the heart of “Juno.” To cap that off, the camera pushes the audience in and out of scenes with fairly ‘by the book’ movement until one scene in particular/ At Ryan’s sister’s wedding, the camera becomes part of the scene, through handheld, home movie look. You feel as if you are part of the scene, as the crazy aunt or uncle no one talks to. Everything pushes forward to the gorgeous final shot, leaving viewers without a doubt as to who Ryan will become.

Music

The music adds the final garnish to this amazing picture. The song, “Help Yourself” found playing throughout the aforementioned wedding scene is incredible, and encapsulates the entire mood of the film in the four minutes of lyrics and instrumental as it plays. It may be up for the Oscar’s Best Original song, but many of the other great songs throughout the film, including the title track “Up in the Air” won’t even be considered because of ludicrous Academy rules. I recommend giving the soundtrack a listen even after seeing the film because Reitman has a knack for music, as he proved with “Juno.”

I feel like I’m not doing the film justice at all. It represents the evolution and culture shift of a generation, with Natalie as the twitter generation and Ryan as an aging baby boomer. The disconnect between them brings the main tension and plot drive, yet it feels natural to a younger viewer such as myself. I cannot wait to see what awards this brings in, but don’t let Academy Awards be the measure of how great this film is in the future.

Grade: A

More Up in the Air videos, stills and news

James Cameron no longer needs cameras to make a film. He only needs the power of HIS MIND.

‘Avatar‘ is a visually stunning piece of work, best seen on as big a screen as possible. It is certainly not a revolution in filmmaking, and it will not change the way you see movies.

It pushes the limits of CGI, thanks to the folks at WETA Digital, and James Cameron’s solid direction makes the entirety of ‘Avatar’ interesting to look at. Each frame is filled with life, and the experience (at least on an IMAX screen) was almost totally immersive.

A while back I had heard the movie being referred to as “Dances with Smurfs,” and “Dune without the Sand.”  After seeing ‘Avatar,’ I’d say those are ways to describe the plot. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a human who, through the power of SCIENCE, is able to transfer his consciousness into the body of a Na’vi, a tall blue alien native of the planet Pandora.

The humans want to raze the forest to get their hands on a rare substance called unobtainium (yes, you heard me… more on that here), so they get Jake to spy on the Na’vi, who have been resisting the more technologically savvy (and much shorter) humans. Will Jake see the beauty in the world of Pandora and have a change of heart? What do you think?

Cameron pulls a neat trick to get us into the alien world of the Na’vi: he takes the human Worthington, and puts him in a box so he can become one of them. Jake’s Big Blue Alien is his Avatar, and Jake is ours. Like Jake, we’re sitting in a box and transported to another world. On an IMAX screen, in 3D, it’s an incredible experience.

Unlike what you might have seen in ‘Terminator Salvation,’ Worthington can carry a film. His accent is a little wobbly, but his physicality and sincerity more than make up for that. There’s no sense of irony in Jake Sully, and that’s nice to see. He was my main worry about ‘Avatar,’ but that went away about three minutes into the two and a half hour running time.

One of the great things about women in James Cameron films is that they’re never just “The Girl.” Zoe Saldana gives a convincing performance as Neytiri, a Na’vi warrior who befriends Jake.  Not once did I think “Hey, that’s Uhura.” Sigourney Weaver is, as expected, incredible.  Amidst seven trillion dollars worth of effects, she stands out as a powerhouse.

Requisite Twilight slam: "We may look silly, but at least we don't sparkle in sunlight."

The Bad Guys(tm) don’t fare as well in the characterization department. In fact, they’re downright cartoonish. Giovanni Ribisi plays the logical evolution of Paul Reiser’s character from Aliens, and Stephen Lang plays Hardass McStereotype, the trigger-happy soldier with a penchant for cliches (he actually says “We’re not in Kansas anymore”).

The "Alternate Universe Vanilla Ice" subplot was removed from the final cut.

The plot feels overly familiar, but that’s okay. The whole world is new, so I suppose a more “traditional” story keeps things grounded for us. If Cameron hadn’t touted ‘Avatar’ as changing the way we watch movies, then I probably wouldn’t give it a second thought. It was Cameron himself who set that expectation, so I couldn’t help going into the movie thinking “Okay, Cameron… back up your statement.” From what I saw on the screen, he didn’t make his point. I don’t think anyone is going to measure their movie-going lives as “Before Avatar” and “After Avatar.”

I don’t want to end this review on a negative note. I do recommend ‘Avatar.’ if you go in expecting a decent movie with great visuals, that’s what you’ll get.

More ‘Avatar‘ News, Videos, Stills

‘The Limits of Control‘ is a film in which anything that could be of interest to the viewer happens between the edits. It’s like writer-director Jim Jarmusch has told us that he’s too cool to tell a story. Some might see this disregard for the audience as abstract and stylish, but here it simply comes off as tedious.

Tilda Swinton and Isaach De Bankolé in The Limits of Control

The plot is spartan to the point of being nonexistent. Isaach De Bankole plays a man, perhaps a diamond smuggler, who is hired to… well, it’s not made clear. Not even remotely. He is referred to in the end credits as “The Lone Man,” and that’s all we get.

The Lone Man travels to Madrid on this nebulous assignment, and the next 45 minutes are a series of encounters at a coffee shop. Someone sits down, talks for about two minutes on a particular subject (music, science, film, etc), and leaves a matchbox for him. He says nothing. He opens the matchbox, reads a coded message on a piece of paper, eats it, then goes back to his apartment. This sequence of events repeats itself for three quarters of an hour. The only break in the routine is the sudden appearance of Paz de la Huerta as a naked woman (she’s credited as “The Nude”) who does nothing more than sit in The Lone Man’s apartment and pout.

Paz de la Huerta as "The Nude" in The Limits of Control

What does The Nude have to do with the rest of the movie? I found myself asking that of every single character who pops up for two minutes, spouts faux-intellectual garbage, and disappears. Among the cameos (and they are nothing more than cameos, despite being billed on the DVD cover) are John Hurt, Bill Murray, and Tilda Swinton.

The performances of the actors are fine, given the fact that there are no conversations in the movie. There’s no way to react off of anyone, least of all De Bankole, who has one facial expression and manages to utter about a dozen words in two hours.

Christopher Doyle’s camerawork is fluid and lyrical, and his constant pushing in on De Bankole threatens the audience with the notion that something might actually happen. Unfortunately, nothing ever does.

At about an hour into the movie, I found myself craving caffeine. A thought occurred to me: was Jarmusch teasing me? Is he really some sort of fraud in league with Big Coffee? How else could one explain a movie in which the protagonist spends a full two thirds of the movie sitting in a chair drinking espressos, while the other third is made up of endless shots of him staring at things, daring us to stay awake? Of course, that’s not the case. That would be interesting.

The second hour keeps the promise of nothingness made by the first part of the film. There are moments, however, where you think something is going to happen. It then cuts to a new scene that takes place after the thing may (or may not) have happened.

The final shot of the film has the camera falling over, as if it grew tired of following The Lone Man on his quest of… whatever the hell it was. The camera definitely kept its interest longer than I did.

Director Jim Jarmusch on set of "The Limits of Control"

The experience of watching The Limits of Control is about the same as listening to an art-school hipster who thinks he’s far smarter than he actually is talk about the nature of the universe. I would say it’s identical, except Jarmusch’s movie doesn’t reek of Pabst Blue Ribbon. At least it’s got that going for it.

The Limits of Control videos, still, and news

Kids movies are no longer just for kids, or so it seems. This year a trio of ‘kid’s’ movies have all carried heavy themes that are dark by adult standards even. There was the deathly ominous “Up” this summer, and the abandonment of “Where the Wild Things Are” just last week. This past weekend “Astro Boy” blasted into theaters with light children’s fun, on top of some pretty weighty topics.

Widget (voiced by Madeline Carroll), Cora (voiced by Kristen Bell), Zane (voiced by Moises Arias), Sludge (voiced by Sterling Beaumon), Astro Boy (voiced by Freddie Highmore), Trashcan and ZOG (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) take a break after a long day’s work in Summit Entertainment and Imagi Studios’ new animated feature, ASTRO BOY.

“Astro Boy” is much like “Pinocchio” with a man who builds a robot replica of his dead son, Toby, to replace him. (Check the ethics of cloning, defying God, and coping with death off of the dark themes list) The robot has all the memories and look of Toby, but he still isn’t exactly the same, so he throws him away per se. (Fill in abandonment on your Bingo cards) Astro adventures away from his home of Metro City and visits the surface. (Metro City floats in the sky) While there he meets a ragtag troop of kids, very similar to the Lost Boys in “Peter Pan.” The funniest characters also make their appearance, the RRF (Robot Revolution Front – 3 members strong). Astro deals with various things on the surface (reanimation, being enslaved, and one of the movies villains) until he returns to Metro City to fight a boss battle with the “Peacekeeper.”

The Peacemaker in Summit Entertainment's ASTRO BOY.

Where to begin deconstructing? Astro (or Toby) is a nice character that really never undergoes drastic character change. He always is nice to people, as a boy and a robot. He does accept his role in society by the end, but that’s implied in the trailer and in the premise of a boy robot with super powers. The voice talent works here for me. As a child full of awe and wonder for the world, he has the perfect high-pitched voice to fit.

Now his father, voiced by Nicolas Cage, is a different deconstruction. I don’t ever side with how he feels. He is fickle toward what he wants for a son each scene. He abandons Astro to a harsh world, only to suddenly want him back in the middle of a later scene? Then the character Ham Egg becomes a father figure for Astro while on the surface, but he turns against Astro without a moment’s notice going against everything he had been saying through previous scenes. I thought this was a kid’s movie? I guess not with these types of adults, harkening to some of the darker characters in old Disney films.

Freddie Highmore stars as the voice of Astro Boy/Toby

I mentioned how Astro had some good voice talent, thanks to Freddie Highmore. Even supporting characters have good voicing, including Kristen Bell, Charlize Theron, Bill Nighy, Nathan Lane, and Donald Sutherland, but one character irks me. Nicolas Cage (Toby/Astro’s father) is truly forgettable, and ruins every scene he’s in. His voice never strikes a resonant chord, and he simply is bad at voicing anyway. I will cut him slack because he has done a few brilliant roles in his life, none of which are animated. If those aren’t enough big names, I’ll just throw in Samuel L. Jackson and Eugene Levy for good measure.

The animation of the film is interesting. I can’t say it always worked for me, but there were times that I was pondering how far computer animation has come since “Toy Story.” “Astro Boy” is very cartoonish in style. The characters have exaggerated features, and plastic looking skin. Their clothing also helps enforce certain campiness. The environment often looks much better than the characters set in it. Some of the camera movements helped to bring everything more to life, but all in all, the style never reaches revolutionary heights.

Astro (Freddie Highmore) flies through the air

“Astro Boy” remains subpar and fits into the forgettable category of kiddie films. It’s too bad that these dark themes couldn’t be buried into the story deeper, making way for a better developed story arc to bring the characters too life. Pass up on it, unless you want to take your kid’s to a film this weekend, because those options are pretty thin.

Grade: C (2 out of 4)

More Astro Boy videos, news and stills

While catching up on their Toronto-hilarity, I caught the “Watch This, Instead” review of ‘Inglourious Basterds’. Sure the movie has been out for a lil while now but I felt compelled to share this since host Mike articulates what I’ve tried to say about this film since watching it.

In brief: There is *something more* here than the usual set dialog pieces, Mexican stand-offs and sudden bursts of violence – it isn’t a mockumentary and it’s not a re-enacted period piece and it’s not mad-cap caper … but it’s a little of each and more … with handful of other spices thrown in. It’s a movie about movies, remixed with itself and reflected through a mirror … A movie that will get better with subsequent viewings too I suspect.

Be sure to subscribe to TheSubStream’s Youtube channel and check out their new site but mostly hear Mike’s insightful wisdom – including his opinion on which of Tarantino’s film is his masterpiece – delivered with just the right dose of pretension.

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Sam Spark voiced by Anna Farris in Columbia Pictures' animated film CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS.

Based upon a popular children’s book by the same name, ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs‘ is set in a Podunk fishing island. An aspiring inventor named Flint, voiced by Bill Hader of Saturday Night Live fame, fails at almost everything in life, but he has finally invented a worthwhile gadget: a machine that converts water into food. As mishaps ensue, the machine somehow gets launched into the sky, and causes food to rain from the sky. Greed throughout the town of Chewandswallow brings disaster as the food piles up on the island. Flint must save the town from impending doom, as is the usual ending for movies like this. It isn’t a particularly ingenious plot, but it intertwines its elements well and is rather funny.

The animation of the film is something that bugged me at first. While seeing trailers for it, I noticed how different it is from the drawing style in the book. Rather than animating the hand drawn, carefully crafted style of the book, Sony Animation Studios opted for cartoony and very colorful characters and environments. The opening credits alone set the film apart from the book buy using a retro-futuristic look of the 60s. The character looks are somewhat childish and took a while to accept, but it is effective and works well.

A spaghetti twister in Columbia Pictures' animated film CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS.

The comedy of the film is childish at times and brilliant other times. The film was written by some of the “How I Met Your Mother” tv show writers, yet they tone down their adult humor to make this an enjoyable kids film. One of the funniest things is a simple reference to the famous “Twilight Zone” gremlins episode, this time with gummy bears attacking an airplane wing. No kids will understand the reference, but the comedy is layered well enough that they have other elements to enjoy.

The voice talent for the film is a pretty big cast. No characters are A-list stars, but there are so many recognizable names that it doesn’t matter. James Caan voices Flint’s dad; Anna Faris the young love interest; Andy Samberg as the town idiot; Bruce Campbell as the town mayor; Mr. T as the town cop; and Neil Patrick Harris is the pet monkey. All fit their characters well, and do a great job adding depth to a very blasé plotline.

Baby Brent voiced by Andy Samberg in Columbia Pictures' animated film CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS.

The most impressive thing of “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is the 3D element. While it is released in both 2D and 3D, the 3D adds the extra depth to help this film look even more impressive. It never resorts to gimmicks such as throwing things at the audience. The camera angles are great to develop a good film look and to take advantage of the extra plane of view. The 3D in the film is just as effective as “Up” was earlier this year.

Ultimately, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” never rises to the level of great film. The intended audience is children, and not much beyond that. Adults can enjoy it, but it never attempts to capture universal themes like all Pixar movies. The theme is somewhat flawed as well. It tries to preach communication between kids and parents, yet even in the end, the father is not communicating well with Flint. I do however believe that it tries to preach the same morals as “Meet the Robinsons” did a few years ago: follow your dreams and don’t give up on them.

Flint Lockwood voiced by Bill Hader with Sam Sparks voiced by Anna Faris in Columbia Pictures' animated film CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS.

“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is a decent film, and it will make lots of money due to it being the only kid’s movie out. It isn’t the best film out, but it certainly isn’t the worst. It is a fun comedy and looks impressive in 3D.

Grade: C (2 out of 4 stars)

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs – Trailer

Directed by Phil Lord, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs stars voice talent: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell and Andy Samberg.

More Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

• Summary
• Cast & Crew
• Videos
• Stills
• News
• MovieSet Spotlight: ‘Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs’
• Mr. T and NPH Together at Last! This A Team is Eating Meatballs
• Weekend Trailer Round-up Part 2 – Meatballs, Gamers + Gi Joes
• Anna Faris and Andy Samberg throw Meatballs at Comic Con

by Alex Kartman: ‘Scene Selection’
for movieset.com

Movie: ‘The Hurt Locker‘

Release Date: July 26th 2009 (Limited)

Grade: 4/4

Simply put, “The Hurt Locker” is one of the greatest war films I have ever seen (I have to admit I have many still to see). The cast captures the stresses of war in all aspects, and the writing evokes raw emotion that questions the humanity within all of us. Every aspect of the film fits within the opening quote “war is a drug.” The fighting and chaos of war drives the main character, and pushes the audience along with the rush. “The Hurt Locker” became my favorite film of the year after just one viewing.

Jeremy Renner stars as Staff Sergeant William James, a bomb specialist, in charge of disarming all sorts of ordinates. He enters the film as a man apart from his squad by putting them in danger during their first operation together. His two squad partners, Sergeant JT Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge, only have a few weeks left on tour. You can quickly imagine how they feel about this “wild-man” putting them in harm’s way. The story charts their days together for a few weeks, tackling their relationships with each other. Without spoiling too much, the ending ties the story together perfectly and leaves you knowing what becomes of these soldiers.

While the acting creates a certain sense of intensity, the cinematography and camera style complete this depth. Most of the film is shot using the popular hand-held technique, and it is used perfectly for mood and tone of the film. A man who lives on the brink of life or death needs a style to evoke his state of mind, and director Kathryn Bigelow (known for “Point Break”) hits it spot on.

You may be asking “What is ‘the hurt locker’?” the film doesn’t clearly explain what the title refers to, but it hints at the possibilities. Easily put, it could be the mental state when you are between life and death, with adrenaline rushing, and not worrying about death at all. Staff Sgt. James exists only within the hurt locker. He is a man pained by meaningless everyday life, needing to be on the edge. It isn’t something the military creates through dehumanization. It is his human nature, and this character study is fascinating. It begs to question how each of our minds is wired, and what makes a man tick.

The film moves outside of politics and conventional war themes dealing with humanity and depression, To attempt an understanding of a man himself. By the end, that man never waivers from his true nature, keeping in step with who he is at the beginning. His journey throughout the few depicted weeks is tiring depressing and heart wrenching. One of the most powerful scenes on screen is Sgt. James breaking down while taking a shower in full uniform. This image alone captures what it means to be a victim of war, past or present. That is something “Hurt Locker” perfects: the psychological effects of battle as the war are happening. The main victim, Specialist Eldridge, has a broken psyche, yet he is forced to suppress it to enter the war zone for each operation.

“The Hurt Locker” is not without flaw. The story introduces several characters only to kill them off in the same sequence. Some of these are very intriguing people, yet they get shallow development and fade quickly. The pacing is a little slow at times through the second act, but it builds toward a great resolution. The bomb disarmament scenes are thrilling yet they seem a touch repetitive. These are extremely minor drawbacks to the greatest Iraq war film yet, and it has an actor worthy of an Academy Award.

Overall “The Hurt Locker” hits every chord of action, drama, comedy, and suspense to create one emotional ride. The desert firefight is one of the best standoffs I have screened, and I left the theater completely satisfied. As the tagline puts it, “You’ll know when you’re in it” and once you’re in, you’re engrossed.

More Hurt Locker

Check out all the Hurt Locker Videos, News and Pictures on MovieSet.com

Check out all of MovieSets ‘Hurt Locker’ Coverage!

Director Katherine Bigelow talks ‘A Round Oak Table’ and ‘The Hurt Locker’ on Charlie Rose

Check out MovieSet’s Featured ‘Hurt Locker’ Video

‘My Sister’s Keeper’,’The Hurt Locker’ and ‘Cheri’ – Behind the Scenes #54

By Jeff Otto

Movie: Funny People

Synopsis: Fictional comic superstar George Simmons (Adam Sandler) learns he’s dying and realizes his fame has caused him to push away everyone he was once close to. He returns to the stand-up stage for the first time in years and meets an aspiring young comedian named Ira Wright (Seth Rogen). He hires Ira to write jokes and become his personal assistant. Along with his hired new best friend, Simmons starts to examine the shambles his life has become.

Stars: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jason Schwartzman

Written by: Judd Apatow

Directed by: Judd Apatow

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

ADAM SANDLER stars as George Simmons in writer/director Judd Apatow's third film behind the camera, "Funny People", the story of a famous comedian who has a near-death experience.

Opening on: July 31, 2009

EXPECTATIONS

What I’d Seen – In all honesty, I tried not to watch many of the trailers or TV spots. I love Judd Apatow’s work, so this was already a must-see for me. With such a great cast, my hopes were high.

What I’d Heard – Longtime pals Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow finally team up on the big screen. Like I said, I’m a big fan of Apatow. I like Sandler too, although he has the penchant to work with subpar material. Apatow’s sensibilities should be the perfect fit.

Writer/director/producer JUDD APATOW on the set of his third film behind the camera, "Funny People", the story of a famous comedian who has a near-death experience.

What I Wanted – Judd Apatow has been riding a hot streak for five years and everything he touches seems to turn to gold. You know his luck has to hit a snag at some point, but with this cast and a story based so much around the past experiences of Sandler and Apatow, how could this not work?

EXPERIENCE

What Turned Me On – No one balances the masks of comedy and drama better these days than Judd Apatow. While Kevin Smith has often spoken of abandoning the sophomoric in favor of more adult, personal material, his efforts in this area outside of Chasing Amy have been very spotty. He should study 40 Year-Old-Virgin, Knocked Up and now Funny People because Apatow has mastered the balance. No one has you laughing at inappropriate humor in one scene and holding back the tears in the next more seamlessly. Funny People is the most fully realized, layered work of Apatow’s career. He’s been called the King of Comedy, but that might be too limiting of a title.

(L to R) George (ADAM SANDLER) and Ira (SETH ROGEN) in writer/director Judd Apatow's third film behind the camera, "Funny People", the story of a famous comedian who has a near-death experience.

What Turned Me Off - At nearly two and a half hours, Funny People has a few scenes that run a little long, but I didn’t mind it much. As with any movie I really enjoy, I felt a closeness with the characters and didn’t mind more of their presence. I’m eager to see the plethora of cut material on the DVD.

AFTERMATH

I Left Thinking - Judd Apatow just keeps growing as a filmmaker and he’s setting the bar high for the comedy genre and the film genre at large. The old clichéd saying is that inside every comedian is a sad clown and no one proves this theory more adeptly than Apatow.

I Left Saying - Funny People is thought-provoking, entertaining and consistently amusing. A high recommendation and one of the best movies so far this year.

Expiry Date – In a year that has seen record setting box office for dreck like Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Transformers 2, Funny People must succeed if there is any justice in the world. For everyone who complains that there’s nothing original at the movies, here you are. Now don’t let me down. We need more movies like this, so see Funny People as soon as you can. You won’t be disappointed.

More Funny People

Funny People news, pictures, and videos on MovieSet.

Funny People Synopsis:

Over the past few years, writer/director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) has shown that nothing—not even losing your virginity or the miracle of childbirth—is sacred. About his third film behind the camera, he says, “I’m trying to make a very serious movie that is twice as funny as my other movies. Wish me luck!” Apatow directs Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann in Funny People, the story of a famous comedian who has a near-death experience. – In Theaters July 31st, 2009.

Funny People Trailer:

Movie: Orphan

Synopsis: After the loss of their baby, a husband and wife adopt a 9-year-old-girl who turns out of be the daughter from hell.

Stars: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, Jimmy Bennett

Written by: David Johnson

Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra

Distributed by: Warner Bros.

ISABELLE FUHRMAN as Esther in Dark Castle Entertainment's horror thriller "Orphan"

Opening on: July 24, 2009

EXPECTATIONS

What I’d Seen – The vaguely comical trailer looked like another retread on the Damien-esque kiddie-from-hell sub-genre. Could be a good time with low expectations.

What I’d Heard - The director did the Paris Hilton House of Wax remake, which I loathed. I had heard about a shocking twist ending, so that can always be a fun guessing game.

What I Wanted - With a movie like Orphan, you’ve certainly got to know what you’re in for to some extent. We’re not talking Oscar material here, folks. I wanted some jolts that didn’t feel too cheap, hopefully an homage to The Omen rather than an outright rip-off.

VERA FARMIGA as Kate and ISABELLE FUHRMAN as Esther

EXPERIENCE

What Turned Me On – Orphan is funny. I know it might not be intentional, but hey, I enjoy laughing and any movie that makes me laugh gets at least a little credit in my book. CCH Pounder has some knowing looks when the parents first meet Isabelle that are positively priceless. The twist is pretty good and I didn’t fully guess it, but it’s also another laughably ludicrous moment.

What Turned Me Off – The script is often hammy and clichéd. That’s no surprise, but why can’t the writers and directors see the utter silliness of these moments and trim, trim, trim? The third act moves briskly, but much of the first hour and a half should have been cut considerably. Let’s not try to get too lofty in our goals here guys. Two hours is far too long for a Joel Silver horror movie called Orphan.

VERA FARMIGA as Kate, ISABELLE FUHRMAN as Esther and PETER SARSGAARD as John

AFTERMATH

I Left Thinking - That wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. I found myself matching eyeball rolls for enjoyable moments. A cocktail should be considered required accompaniment. Make it a double and you might love it.

I Left Saying – Isabelle Fuhrman was fantastic as The Orphan, but how could a role like this not leave some permanent psychological scarring on an innocent 9-year-old girl? Then again, with agents, managers and publicists likely breathing down her neck, perhaps a horror movie is the least of a budding child actor’s worries.

Expiry Date – Shave off a half hour and I might even recommend it. It’s fun at points, but it’s still a bad movie unworthy of your hard-earned $10 bucks. Save a low spot on your Netflix cue for a night when you’ve had a few drinks and feel like dislodging your thought processes for a bit.

Welcome to round 2 of our Micro Movie Reviews, featuring reviews by people just like you! If you’re curious; the basic idea is we send you a FREE DVD and you Twitter a 140 character review (including “@Movieset“). You can find the more detailed instructions on Micro Movie Reviews.

Now on with the Reviews! (Cheer, cheer, rah rah rah!)

ptrleblanc says: Inkheart – fun family adventure w/ gd darkness – sum story lines get lost, gd movie 4 fantasy fans @ http://bit.ly/17AChZ

But what can you say about a movie in less than a gross of characters? Turns out quite a bit. Take a look at these practitioners of the art of the haiku-sized review for movies ranging from family popcorn fantasies to Scottish capers to Deuce gone bad.

Stone of Destiny

blainecreates Stone of Destiny was interesting because it was based on a true story but doesn’t deliver much tension or twists. http://ow.ly/gJiR – #

shermanscorner @movieset Stone of Destiny/an enjoyable true-story (Ian Hamilton)-caper Solid acting and direction. http://ow.ly/hnw1m #MMR – #

More: Stone of Destiny on MovieSet

Big Stan

thatcraigguy @movieset – Big Stan is the new Rob Schneider vehicle. Rare to see a movie dedicated to making fun of rape. Oh Deuce you’ve hit a new low… #

Inkheart

mariab76 @MovieSet Inkheart starts off slow but the ending has lots of good action. My niece and nephew quite enjoyed it. Good acting w all star cast – #

ptrleblanc Inkheart – fun family adventure w/ gd darkness – sum story lines get lost, gd movie 4 fantasy fans http://bit.ly/17AChZ – #

Beccabue My boys and I LOVED it!!!!! (Inkheart) – #

More: Inkheart on MovieSet

The Deal

shermanscorner The Deal disappoints. William H. Macy stars and co-wrote this Hollywood satire that plays like a student film. Weak. #MMR – #

{More reviews after the break}

Two Lovers

Annenigma55 TWO LOVERS Voyeuristic feel,follows unwell & interesting characters. Joaquin P. genuinely disturbed, acting A+. http://ow.ly/hcTt @movieset – #

Bonus enthusiasm! @Annenigma55: @MovieSet I just got my packet! It made my day! :D Thank you SO much! I will be reviewing A-SAP! – #

More: Two Lovers on MovieSet

Wet, Hot American Summer

uncleweed Hot Wet American Summer ~ weirdly funny camp flick in Meatballs tradition – Surprise stars & montages compensate for weak plot @movieset – #

He’s Just not That Into You

mariab76 He’s Just Not That Into You-Awesome film!You laugh,cry & learn about dating 101 http://bit.ly/faZUX @movieset – #

More: HJNTIY on MovieSet

Here at MovieSet, we receive all sorts of DVDs to screen, review and/or give away as promotional prizes. We sure enjoy watching but there are enough to share. This is where you come in.

What can you say about a movie in 140 characters?

You are probably already using Twitter – the micro-update web tool which limits your notes to 140 characters or less. You are probably already following @MovieSet to find about the tastiest bits of news about films in production.

The Pitch

We send you a DVD and You post a Twitter-sized review. This is all. No catch.

Want in? Do this:

1) Send us a note – Twitter us to say you’d like to be a MovieSet DVD Micro-reviewer (include a note about your tastes)

2) Send your Mailing Address – Use Twitter’s Direct Message feature (or email to contests@movieset.com) and we’ll mail you a DVD (or two)

3) Watch and Review - Screen the DVD(s) – including special features – and post a review on Twitter with a link to the movie’s page on MovieSet (shortened as needed) ~ Here’s an example:

Example of a Micro-Review - Be sure to include URL

3a) Get Famous-ish – We’ll post the best of the DVD reviews in blog posts to build your expert cred amongst your jealous movie fan friends.

What’s in the DVD Stack?

Wanna be a Micro-Movie-Reviewer?

Currently the DVD Stack includes:

• Stone of Destiny
• Before Tomorrow
• Mother of Tears (unrated)
• Elsewhere
• Inkheart
• Big Stan
• Soul Men
• Killshot
• T2 Judgement Day
• He’s just not that into you
• The Deal

Get Going

Get your micro-ideas rolling and follow the steps to get your DVDs.

Larry David in Whatever Works

By Jeff Otto

The Movie: Whatever Works

Synopsis: After a divorce and a botched suicide attempt, the eternally negative Boris Yellnikoff receives a shot of adrenaline when a cute, dimwitted fish-out-of-water from the south winds up on his doorstep.

Stars: Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, Ed Begley Jr.

Written by: Woody Allen

Directed by: Woody Allen

Distributed by: Sony Classics

Opening on: June 19th, 2009 (Limited)

EXPECTATIONS

What I’d Seen – Every episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm and every Woody Allen movie. The two seemed a perfect match akin to chocolate and peanut butter.

What I’d Heard – Larry David is a Jew from Brooklyn who falls for a younger woman. Hmm, where have I heard that before?

What I Wanted – Curb Your Enthusiasm meets Manhattan.

Evan Rachel Wood in the Woody Allen film Whatever Works

EXPERIENCE

What Turned Me On – For as often as you might often want to slap some sense into Larry David during his endlessly entertaining adventures on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, it’s the kind of happy accident from which you can’t look away. David is charming in his own curmudgeonly way, though he is best contained in television’s 30-minute doses. David’s trademark wit is immediately apparent as his character, Boris Yellnikoff, an even more extreme version of the “negative Nelly” persona for which he’s become so well known, breaks the fourth wall in the film’s opening moments by addressing the audience. Yellnikoff’s theories on life are so bleak as to make David’s own seem positively sunny by comparison.

David has a certain ease on screen that runs contrary to his character’s negative rants. Paired with such master thespians as Patricia Clarkson, Ed Begley Jr. and even the coquettishly appealing Evan Rachel Wood, David has immediate palpable chemistry with the entire cast.

What Turned Me Off - Perhaps it’s sometimes best to choose just the peanut butter or the chocolate. While I enjoy Allen’s movies and David’s work, this incarnation got to be a bit much at a certain point. The character of Boris winds up feeling like watching David’s Curb persona filtered through the mind of Woody Allen. While David is generally walking a very thin line between identifiable and certifiable, the addition of Allen’s sensibilities takes him over the edge. Boris is such a jerk you wonder why in the world any of the other characters in the movie would ever want to be around him. More than that, you start to wonder why you should want to watch him for 90 minutes?

Woody Allen and Larry David on set of Whatever Works

AFTERMATH

I Left Thinking - I prefer my Woody and my Larry in separate doses. The combo is just too much. This seemed like such a good idea in theory, but watching it play out feels like a pointless exercise. Both Allen and David need to branch out for their next movies.

I Left Saying – Can Woody possibly come up with a new topic besides an older man and a younger woman? I know its a fascination of his, but good lord, I think he’s said everything that could possibly be said on the topic.

Expiry Date – In time, Whatever Works will exist as a mere curiosity for David fans and necessary viewing for Allen completists. While it is better than some of Allen’s more dubious recent material, it’s a far cry from his best work. Check this one out on cable and maybe watch it in a few parts so as not to ingest too much negativity all at once.

Patricia Clarkson in Woody Allen's movie Whatever Works

More from Woody Allen’s Whatever Works

• Whatever Works video clips
• Whatever Works still pictures
• Woody Allen Returns to His Roots in Whatever Works
• Larry David on his crankiest role ever