The Beaver (2011)

When it's over, this was one of those films I chose to watch solely based on the director.  Director and Actress Jodi Foster manages to hook me with her sensitive, yet bold, storytelling of a fragmented family trying to find its way back together.  The Beaver is a very small film with a very small budget, but it has huge heart.  It tells the story of Walter Black, a father and a once successful businessman, played by Mel Gibson, who suffers from mental illness.  Not only does Walter's severe depression and anxiety spill into his family and professional life, it ultimately pushes him to the brink of suicide, until he finds The Beaver, a raggedly puppet who becomes his sole means of communicating.  At first, the idea of The Beaver serving as a conduit for a cure or solution or voice seemed rather unconventional, but within 15 minutes into the film, I was sold on the idea that the Beaver represented an alternate personality - a suppressed voice Walter needed in order to survive.  The Beaver became a character and took on the manifestations of the good and the bad that lied within Walter, and in many ways, all of us.  Great performances from the whole cast: Gibson who takes on the double role of Black and The Beaver;  Foster playing the loving supportive wife who is at her wits end; Anton Yelchin is very convincing as the troubled teen son, Porter Black, who helps others find a voice, and yet, cannot find his own; 8 year old, Riley Thomas Stewart portrays Henry Black, the representation of innocence, joy, honesty, and unconditional love; and finally, budding actress, Jennifer Lawrence is wonderful to watch as the high school valedictorian who has everything, but secretly tries to cope with her own family tragedy. 

My rating: 4 out of 5

Gulliver's Travels (2010)

When it’s over, Jack Black is Jack Black, need I say more?  The film was mildly entertaining with Black adding some light humour to the classic Jonathan Swift book-to-screen adaptation about a man who gets shipwrecked on an island inhabited by little people.  The film’s got a decent love story, plus it’s got some decent character development, plus a pretty rocking soundtrack, plus a transformers-like battle at the end, balancing it out as a decent film suitable for the whole family.  No overly crude behaviour or swearing from Black, except maybe peeing on the king, that was a bit unnecessary.  I thought the special effects could have been better considering the technology the film industry has available.  I thought the integration of past and present cultures colliding added a fresh change from the original classic. 

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

Morning Glory (2010)

When it’s over, I was exhausted.   Keeping up with the frantic pace of the film was distracting and frustrating.  Rachel McAdams plays Becky Fuller, a highly ambitious producer who is hired to helm a failing morning television show close to being canned.  The job comes with more challenges than Fuller anticipates as she tries to juggle the tasks of keeping the show afloat and making sure the egotistical reporter, Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), stays sober and does his job, while at the same time falling head over heels for Adam (Patrick Wilson), another fellow producer.   Fuller talks way too much and half of what she says is indecisive and gibberish.  I felt like shaking the poor girl so she’d snap out of it.   How Adam falls for her is beyond my understanding, maybe it’s the cuteness or naivety McAdams brings to Fuller that makes her likable.   Much of the story is unrealistic and in the “real” world, things would happen much differently, in a career setting as well as a personal setting, than it does in the film.  But, then again, this is Hollywood, and make believe is the name of the game.  So, I did get a few laughs out of the flick, and I really liked the cast, so that counts for something.  If I was producing this film, I’d give Fuller more depth.  She’s ambitious, she’s hardworking, she’s a “I can get it done for you” kind of employee.  I think most people can relate to that, but she’s not complete without a soul and heart and that’s what the film needs to work on – who is she outside of work, what are her weaknesses, what keeps her going, what motivates her?  Show me these things and maybe I’ll respect her a whole lot more.

My rating: 2.5 out of 5

All That Heaven Allows (1955)

When it's over, it's amazing how a movie made more than 55 years ago still resonates many parallels to films we see today.  The clothes, people, and music have all changed, but the themes haven't.  Actress Jane Wyman plays a wealthy widow, Cary Scott, who falls in love with her much younger gardener, Ron Kirby, played by Rock Hudson.  They're romance and engagement triggers disapproval from Cary's children and alienation from her snobby country club friends.  Cary must struggle with the emotional tug-of-war between what is expected of her and what she really wants.  The film clearly reminds us that love holds no age restriction nor is it prejudice against social class status.  The timeless theme of following your heart is prevalent throughout the film making this film as relevant today as it was back in 1955.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 

Rango (2011)

When it's over, my favourite part was the dream sequence of the Spirit of the West (aka: the Clint Eastwood scene from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly), which pays tribute to the old 1960s spaghetti westerns.  I thought it was Eastwood voicing the part of himself, but in actuality, it was Actor Timothy Olyphant, who fooled me completely.  I'm rarely surprised in films, and the scene with Eastwood was a pleasant surprise.  Johnny Depp lends his voice as Rango, a domesticated chameleon who suddenly finds himself sheriff of a lawless town named, Dirt.  Rango vows to save the town from drought and dehydration, and in his search for water, he uncovers a conspiracy.  There's a lot of silliness and humour in the film the way only Depp can deliver - kinda like watching Jack Sparrow in the wild west.  I had some good laughs. The story was decent.  The action was well paced.  I only wish the film was live action rather than animated.  I couldn’t identify half of the animal species in the film, and sometimes, the animals looked rather creepy.  

My rating: 3 out of 5