The Movie Diary

Despicable? Not Really

By Pat Marcello on Sunday, August 1st, 2010 | No Comments

I can’t tell you how much fun I had watching Despicable Me last weekend. I usually go to these films wondering whether my interest will wane, but I have to say that this film kept me interested and smiling throughout the entire time.

I mean, let’s face it. Even in a cartoon suit, Steve Carell is a funny guy. (I just re-watched The 40-Year-Old Virgin this afternoon and I still laugh out loud, though I’ve seen it multiple times.) Anyway, Steve’s portrayal of Gru, the questionable bad guy, is spot on. His accent is the worst. He’s mother’s is worse yet, and the three little munchkins that come to live with him are interesting characters with tons of personality.

But the show stealers are the minions, for sure. These are Gru’s “henchmen,” but they’re only 2 feet tall or so, yellow, and simple like children. They’re really the charm you can’t resist in that movie. Read the rest of this entry »

Inception is AMAZING!

By Pat Marcello on Saturday, July 17th, 2010 | 5 Comments

I haven’t been this excited about a film in several weeks. In fact, we haven’t been to the theater in several weeks because the playbill has been so horrendous. I mean, Despicable Me is a possibility for next week, but the rest? Nothing at all exciting, until the end of the month when The Little Fockers arrives.

Yet, my daughter and I have been anxiously awaiting the release of Inception. Just knowing that Christopher Nolan was its writer and director was enough to let us know that we wanted to go. After all… The Prestige, Memento, The Dark Knight… need I say more? Those are some of the best films in the last decade. And all completely interesting. Some of you may disagree with me about The Dark Knight, but come on… for a Batman movie, it was pretty incredible. Right?

And in Incepton, Nolan didn’t disappoint. He was both writer and director, and he put together an amazing cast — Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, and Marion Cotillard, who you might remember as Dillinger’s girlfriend in last year’s Public Enemy. Tom Berenger, Michael Caine, and Lukas Haas all had small parts, as well. Read the rest of this entry »

Sex and the City 2: Fun and Visually Amazing

By Pat Marcello on Sunday, June 20th, 2010 | 1 Comment

I’m not sure when they’ll stop making these movies, but I have to say, I hope that it’s not anytime soon. But let’s face facts. Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda aren’t girls anymore and only one of them is single. They’re finally grown up as much as they’ll probably ever be, and they’re still hella funny and Sex and the City 2 is a really good time.

Maybe it’s because I’m a woman that I can relate to these girls and what they go through. I never lived in NY. (Been, would never.) And I haven’t been “single” since I was 16 years old. Married my high-school sweetheart and we’re still together after 41 years, so that’s saying something. I don’t know… maybe it’s just because we’re too lazy to do anything else. But no… when it comes right down to it, we’re mates, and it’s going to last forever. Even after we shed these meat suits, I imagine.

So, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is married to a toad (which I’m not, can’t relate there). He’s a really nice guy (can there), but well… he’s not who I’d have expected her to be with and that’s cool. Long as they’re happy but, they have a braless nanny and two kids. All are driving Charlotte absolutely nuts. And she’s guilty. I mean, come on moms… Be honest. There were times when you wanted to jump in a car and just drive away and never come back. We all have those moments, but with Charlotte… you know. She’s like waaaaay too angsty and guilty and she didn’t grow up Jewish. She must have been Catholic. Yeah, I can relate to that. Read the rest of this entry »

Robin Hood: Quell the Rich and Aid the Poor

By Pat Marcello on Sunday, June 13th, 2010 | No Comments

You’ve no doubt heard the old story of Robin Hood, where he’s Sir Robin of Locksley and he takes the rich people’s money and gives it to people who need food. Good guy, overall. Nasty King John, and bad, bad Sherrif of Nottingham. Feh.

But don’t think that of the new release Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe. It’s a twist on the old story, or perhaps a version that I’ve not encountered. Well… You know how those things go. Word-of-mouth can change things until they’re a whole different story. right? I’m sure that Robin has as many variations as Arthur.

The new film, Robin Hood, isn’t completely different, but it is amazing!

The acting is superb with Cate Blanchett playing the Marian role, and Max Von Sydow as the crochety old father with a big heart, and even William Hurt is invovled as William Marshall.

The script is good. Not great. There are a few good lines, but overall… Read the rest of this entry »

Date Night… Not What Was Expected

By Pat Marcello on Sunday, April 18th, 2010 | No Comments

Date Night, starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey, is about a 40-something couple who begin to feel as if their marriage has been stifled by day-to-day life. So, independently, they get this brilliant idea to go into New York City for a meal at an exclusive restaurant.

Of course, there are no reservations available on a Friday evening, so they steal someone else’s. This leads to a whole evening of mishaps, from one to another, and though the movie wasn’t uproariously funny, it had its moments.

However, unless you’re a total avid movie buff like me, I’d say wait for the DVD. It’s just not that great.

But how does that translate to business?

Simple. How many times have you poured yourself into a project that didn’t turn out the way you thought it would? I mean, you decide what’s missing in the marketplace and spend all this time creating something new that will fill the gap, but nobody is interested? I’m sure all of us have done that at least once in our online careers. I know I have.

The moral? Do some research first. Had the couple in the movie had planned their evening, called the restaurant to see that it would take a month to get a reservation, and waited… wow… think about the anticipation! We’re all looking for something to look forward to. And you know what happens at the end of a really great date in a relationship, right? So…

Do this with whatever you do in business, too. Prepare. Do the research, and then, build excitement. Your projects will certainly come out much better for it.

Clash of the Titans… Pretty Good

By Pat Marcello on Sunday, April 11th, 2010 | No Comments

We saw Clash of the Titans last week, and it looks like there won’t be much happening at the theaters of note for the next couple of weeks. So… I felt no hurry to post this, but here’s the deal:

Clash of the Titans is a remake of a 1981 film starring Harry Hamlin. Pretty face, not really demi-god material, but the film is a good mythical story well told. The special effects then were great, but well, let’s face it… we’ve come a long way baby. Watching the old version certainly seems dated in comparison, but some things just didn’t work as well in the new film as they did in the old.

Calibos, for example, was a much better bad guy in the old fim. He looked like a demon, and had a larger part in the film. This time, he was ugly, but definitely not demonic. Just never get near him when he decides to bleed. Bad idea.

What I really didn’t like was their over-use of the Lady Gaga no-eyes look for the Stygian Witches and the Kraken. It might have worked on one or the other, but twice? Shoulda come up with something different there, guys.

Overall, the film was pretty good. Not great, though the effects were interesting. But let’s say they had only a technical edge on Ray Harryhausen, who gave us all the cool stuff in Jason and the Argonauts, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, and NOT a creative one. Those old films certainly had no Academy-Award winning performances, but the effects certainly were award-winning.

Tthe story in the new film is different from that of the old, too. I won’t tell you how; you’ll just have to see for yourself, and it IS worth seeing. I mean, you have to see a film list this on the big screen to appreciate it. Unless of course, you have a huge screen TV, which many of us do not. Me, included. I love film, and seeing it the right way is half the fun.

Dragons Are Just Like Cats… Who Knew?

By Pat Marcello on Saturday, March 27th, 2010 | No Comments

Just came back from seeing a film that made me happier than most of the films I”ve seen this year so far, called How to Train Your Dragon from DreamWorks, and it was in 3-D. Imagine! I just came back from a kids film in a medium that I formerly despised, and LOVED it.

The 3-D technology is getting much better! I wasn’t impressed when I saw Up! last year. I mean, I liked the movie, but the 3-D just gave me a headache. I wasn’t impressed. However, let me say that they’re certainly doing a MUCH better job of it.

Train Your Dragon is about a Viking village (which Tellman should like, eh?), but the problem is that the old Viking homestead is plagued by dragons. Not one dragon, but all manner of dragon, and each is highly amusing. The different dragon breeds each have their own special attributes, and some of them are quite interesting. For example, one two-headed dragon has a head that spits out gas, and the other head lights it. Another just lights its whole self on fire, making it really hard to fight.

But the best dragon is the one that the main character , Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel , the nerd boy of She’s Out of My League), finds. Well, he actually shoots it down, and finds it the next day, injured. I won’t tell you the rest, but if that darned dragon didn’t remind me of my bad-to-the-bone cat, Blue. He looks kind of like him. The eyes are right on his, and just the way he acts and reacts is Blue all the way. (If you want to learn more about Blue, you can check him out here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Captivating-Cat-Breeds. He’s a real ham for the camera, too.) Read the rest of this entry »

The Bounty Hunter: Hot or Not?

By Pat Marcello on Sunday, March 21st, 2010 | No Comments

I think I lost my ability to judge an OK film this week when I watched Dangerous Liaisons with Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Mildred Natwick, Uma Thurman, Swoosie Kurtz, and Keanu Reeves this week. That film is exquisite in fine detail. The acting is top-level, the script is magnificent, and the set decoration is just plain eye candy. I think that film deserves much more credit than given a film like, say… Gone with the Wind. Yep. It’s just that good.

When you juxtapose that film with a movie like The Bounty Hunter, I mean, there’s no comparison, right? So, that’s probably why I think it was just so-so. I found Gerard Butler and Jennifer thoroughly charming and there were hilarious moments. Siobhan Fallon is the quintessential bored New York receptionist for the bail bondsman, played by Jason Kolotouros. Her quips were laugh-out-loud funny, but she had only a small part in the film.(You might remember her as the Edgar the bug’s wife in Men in Black.) She’s got the dead-pan delivery down. Her performance was definitely one of the highlights of the film. Read the rest of this entry »

Poor Weekend for Film

By Pat Marcello on Saturday, March 13th, 2010 | No Comments

Not a single film out this week that was worth spending money for. I mean, I can wait for Netflix or even HBO.

Yes, Yes… It’s true. My name is Pat, and I’m a movieholic.

I can watch some films every time they’re on the telly, I swear. My Netflix queue is quite long and growing daily, and I love it! It took me a while to get into the Netflix thing. To me, it was wait for a movie to arrive… watch it… drive to mail it back… wait again. And I was thinking in “normal” mail time. Well, jeeeeezzzzzzzzzzz…. I wan’t thinking in Netflix mail time. They’re amazing!

I watch a movie on day 1. Send it back on day 2. On day 3, it arrives back at Netflix, and on day 4, I have another flick. I was nearly shocked the first time ’round, but I watch movies much faster than that, so I had to upgrade my account, but when it’s all said and done… it’s totally worth the extra money. Read the rest of this entry »

Alice Goes Down Under; Julie and Julia Rules

By Pat Marcello on Monday, March 8th, 2010 | No Comments

This weekend, we spent our hard-earned cash on Alice in Wonderland because we’re pretty much Tim Burton fans. We started being fans around Beetle Juice and well… never stopped. His movies are creative and crazy and just a ton of fun. But well… Alice is lacking. Sorry. It just is.

The visuals are pretty cool. The Tweedles, the Jabberwock, the Catepillar, and the Cheshire Cat are amazing. I particularly love Ches, as his big green eyes and blue stripes are a particularly good look for any cat. And he’s charming. Who wouldn’t love him?

What Shannon (my daughter) and I took umbrage with was the script. It totally sucked! Alice in Wonderland (and it was really more Through the Looking Glass) is supposed to be fun and funny. With few exceptions, it wasn’t. The story was bland and the dialogue barely made me smile. Bummer. I had such high hopes for that. Read the rest of this entry »