Halloween Flicks!

Oh, October! You can just sense the atmosphere. As I sit here at my desk, there’s a nip in the air (yes, inside as well), lots of leaves on the ground (just outside), and some apple cider in my mug. And, as if I need to mention it, Halloween rapidly approaches. Originally, I was going to countdown my top ten horror films of all time, one day at a time, peaking on that most frightful of days. Instead, I decided to do something a little different. So for those faint-hearted, weak-kneed little children that tend to cover their eyes, wet their beds, and perhaps even pass out at the sight of blood and guts, you get off light. I have haphazardly compiled a list of non-horror films that are perfect for a slightly more wholesome Halloween night. Here they are, all whopping six of them, simply in the order I wrote them:

Ed Wood (1994): For my money, this is Tim Burton’s best film and one of Johnny Depp’s most enjoyable performances to watch. With its beautiful black and white photography, Ed Wood captures the essence of 1950’s monster movies as well as the story of one struggling filmmaker’s continued attempts to make them. It is a compliment to the filmmakers that we root for Wood to succeed even when we know his unabashed enthusiasm leads him in all the wrong directions. Based on the true story of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (aka the “worst director of all time”), it is both aesthetically satisfying and surprisingly touching. Martin Landau deservedly won an Oscar for his portrayal of screen icon Bela Lugosi.

Ghostbusters (1984): If you don’t love Ghostbusters, then you’re probably certifiable. This hilarious, big-budget romp through ghost-ridden Manhattan contains so many things we love about film in the ‘80s: some great, cheesy special effects, a kick-ass theme song (probably second only to “Power of Love” from Back to the Future), and Bill Murray. Along with Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson, these modern day knights rid their city of evil only for it to return in a subpar sequel. Director Ivan Reitman never topped himself with this gem.

American Movie (1999): Not many people would include a documentary on their list of films to watch on Halloween. Not a real one at least. But if there’s a great one to watch that’s not too on the nose, then it’s American Movie. This film examines the plight of Mark Borchardt, an aspiring filmmaker who wants nothing more than to finish his little horror film. He is consistently weighted down by his own ambitions, lack of funds, and alcoholism, but Mark is a surprisingly intelligent and articulate man. From what I can tell, he is capable filmmaker. Like Ed Wood, he is enthusiastic. But most of the time, he gets in the way of himself, and all too often it seems he just wants to be rich and famous.

Shadow of the Vampire (2000): This film presupposes that Max Schreck was so convincing as the vampire in the 1922 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula because he was actually a vampire. That film, Nosferatu, is widely hailed as a classic of German expressionism. Set during the filming of Nosferatu, Shadow of the Vampire focuses on the relationship between Schreck and director F.W. Murnau. Creepy in its own right, this film is interesting as conjecture. With solid performances by Willem Dafoe (Schreck) and John Malkovich (Murnau), it is sure to entertain.

Shaun of the Dead (2004): One of the funniest films of all time, Shaun of Dead is nothing if not the crown jewel of horror comedies. It’s got everything: zombies, blood, Brits. With this and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, as well as Zak Snyder’s remake of Dawn of the Dead, we were treated to a resurrection of modern-day zombie movies. Which is great.

Young Frankenstein (1974): Mel Brooks at his best, Young Frankenstein is a funny look at what happens when the descendent of the original Dr. Frankenstein repeats the experiment. By the way, it’s pronounced “Fronkensteen.”

Okay, sure, there are a lot more films that I could have included on this list. I’ve probably forgotten a bunch as well. You can have your Beetlejuice I suppose, but I didn’t want to include two Tim Burton films, and Ed Wood is better. I would have probably included Death Becomes Her if I had seen it more recently than ten years ago. I remember that it rocks, but I haven’t seen it since then, so maybe it doesn’t. Even Donnie Darko is appropriate—it takes place during Halloween and it includes screenshots of The Evil Dead, which is never a bad thing. While I’m on the Evil Dead series, I feel like they are more horror films than not, so I decided not to include any of them. Though I did include Shaun of the Dead, which is basically a zombie movie. So sue me. For the little ones, the Harry Potter series should suffice. Because it’s awesome and has witches and whatnot.

So in all, you should check out any of these movies if you’re looking for a not-so-scary flick on that very scariest of nights.

Law Abiding Citizen **

About halfway through Law Abiding Citizen we learn that the antagonist is some sort of mastermind pseudo-Jigsaw who was only pretending to be your run-of-the-mill engineer. This character, Clyde Shelton (if that is his real name), is portrayed by Gerard Butler as if he knows he’s in ho-hum thriller that’s meant to make us contemplate the (in)justice of the American judicial system. By this point in the story, Shelton has been imprisoned for murdering Clarence Darby (Christian Stolte), the man who broke into his home ten years earlier and murdered his wife and child as he looked on helplessly. We are meant to feel conflicted about Shelton—we sympathize with his loss but cannot condone his escalating use of violence, and we wonder why his genius doesn’t apply to preventing home invasions.

Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) is Philadelphia’s District Attorney and the man who brokered the deal that gave Darby limited jail time. He is a husband and father, and he while he wants nothing more than to protect his family, he is consistently outsmarted by Shelton, who holds Rice responsible for effectively allowing the man who murdered his wife and child to manipulate the system.

The film is directed by F. Gary Gray, whose last feature was Be Cool, probably the worst adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel to date. Law Abiding Citizen is a better film than that, but it’s riddled with so many problems that it’s increasingly frustrating to watch. Why does Shelton wait ten years to start offing people? I guess it happens to coincide with the execution of one of the men convicted for the death of his family, so it gives him a chance to tamper with the lethal injection formula. He says it’s not for revenge, so it’s about the judicial system, right? But then why must he corrupt the execution, which seems to be just in his mind? It’s simply not painful enough?

As the climax approaches, the film throws a couple of twists and turns at us, but nothing too revelatory. The primary problem is that by the end of the movie, Shelton has orchestrated so many heinous acts that we no longer feel much sympathy toward him. Sure, we’re peeved about the way the justice system rewards criminals for ratting on their criminal buddies. But Shelton is a criminal too. He’s apparently always been a killer. He graduates to full-blown terrorist. And now he’s an asshole as well.

Whip It ***1/2

What a wonderful movie. Whip It stars Ellen Page in her first lead role since her Oscar-nominated performance in Juno. This time around she plays Bliss Cavendar, an intelligent outsider searching for stability in the doldrums of small-town, high school life. Bliss has been playing along with her mother’s idea of opportunity by participating in pageants and mother/daughter brunches in their small Texas town of Bodeen, but it’s clear by her hair-dying defiance that she’d rather be anyplace else. Then, on one fateful shopping trip to nearby Austin, she sees some roller-derbying chicks skate into the store to drop off some flyers. Bliss nabs one up. She’s found her niche.

Before long, she’s tried out for and made the Hurl Scouts, a roller derby team whose members include Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Rosa Sparks (Eve), Bloody Holly (Zoe Bell), and Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore). Bliss tells her parents (played by Marcia Gay Harden and Daniel Stern) that she’s taking an SAT class but instead reinvents herself as Babe Ruthless, a speedy, quick-hitting roller girl whose found a family of empowered women with whom to bond.

The story is simple enough. It is a coming-of-age sports movie with typical plot points. The only significant hiccup is a side story involving Bliss finding and then losing love, hallmarked by an underwater scene that is a bit overplayed. Literally. You can’t breathe underwater that long. Other than that, Whip It is the sort of movie that puts a smile on your face. The coach of the Hurl Scouts is played by Andrew Wilson, who looks a bit like brother Luke and sounds more like other brother Owen, and he is consistently funny. Even Jimmy Fallon, who is better in small doses (check out his role in Almost Famous), gives a good performance as the announcer at the derby matches. Of course, it is Ellen Page who has the most to do, and she does the most with it. Though she will be able to play a high school kid for a few more years, it will be nice to see her in more mature roles in the future.

The film is a joy to watch; it’s entertaining and funny, inspiring and heartfelt. It is the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore, a descendant of Hollywood royalty who’s been on the silver screen since she was a little girl. With Whip It she proves she has more skills than that of an adequate actress. The look of the film is of an established director, and she truly has another career behind the camera. Perhaps that’s for the best.

Where the Wild Things Are ***

In the opening scene of Where the Wild Things Are we see an animalistic little boy named Max (Max Records) chasing a dog down the stairs of his home. Max is brandishing a fork, and that doesn’t look safe for him or the dog. Why does he have that fork? Like all children, Max is aggressive and sensitive, emotional, defiant, adventurous, and above all imaginative. “I’ll Eat You Up!” he shouts at his mother before he bites her shoulder and bolts from the house, running until he finds a boat floating on the banks of his imagination.

The story is based on Maurice Sendak’s enormously popular 1963 children’s book. In the illustrations, Max is sent to his bedroom without supper and a forest grows right up in the middle of the room. For the movie, director Spike Jonze (his first film since 2002’s Adaptation) oddly omits this detail, missing an excellent opportunity to create a special effects sequence that would showcase one of the most iconic scenes in the book. However, when Max hops in the boat, crosses the sea, and then disembarks on foreign lands, the Wild Things are unmistakable. The creatures are a mixture of practical costumes and CGI, and the voice work is superb. It feels like those little drawings have truly come to life.

As in the book, Max declares himself King of the Wild Things. From there on, the movie extrapolates Sendak’s themes to craft a story of heightened emotions. All of the Wild Things are children at heart. They love adventure and fun; they love having a leader; they love each other. And like children, when things go wrong, they throw tantrums, they cry, and they get angry. The problem is their new king is a child as well. Carol (James Gandolfini) is the most prominent of the creatures and the one closest to Max, probably because they have the most in common. Carol too gets easily frustrated, though he would like nothing more than for everybody to just be happy and to be together.

As a parable of family life from the perspective of a child, the film speaks to the experience of childhood. Though it is relatively funny, especially when the Wild Things interact with each other, a lot of the movie may go over the heads of some children and be too scary for others. For those perceptive children, it will be a delight, and they may understand more than their parents give them credit for. After all, when Max hugs his mother upon his return, it is a shared experience. We’ve all been kids before, and some of us still are.

Couples Retreat **

In this newest of Vince Vaughn vehicles, the comedy star surrounds himself with a number of familiar faces, mostly to no avail. Vaughn plays Dave, a family man from Chicago who enjoys his life with his children and wife Ronnie (Malin Ackerman). When their friends Jason and Cynthia (Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell) reveal they are contemplating divorce, they persuade their friends to join them on a vacation to Eden, where a tropical paradise is the backdrop to marriage counseling. The two other couples that take the trip include Joey and Lucy (Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis), high school sweethearts that got pregnant and married early, and Shane and Trudy (Faizon Love and Kail Hawk), an unmarried, surely-meant-to-fail pair looking for different things out of life.

The film quickly introduces the characters by showing superficial glimpses into their home lives, but there is not really enough set-up for any future pay-off. There are just too many characters with which to work. When they do make it to the so-called paradise, it’s a surprise to everyone that couples skill-building is mandatory. This is the angle of the film, and the story is meant to focus on the hilarity that could ensue from dysfunctional relationships. But it never quite clicks. The film attempts to be too real when it comes to the relationship stories and then tries to play fun with it. What’s funny about divorce at this point? Why do they need to come to a tropical resort for relationship counseling anyway?

Alas, the film does have its funny moments, especially when Vince Vaughn is on target. The film was written by Jon Favreau and Vaughn, and it was directed by their long-time producer Peter Billingsley (Ralphie in A Christmas Story). Billingsley definitely has a future as a director, and as the years go on it becomes clearer that Favreau is much better as a director than an actor. As for Vaughn, his last three films, including Four Christmases and Fred Claus, have all been safe, mainstream material designed to showcase his comedic talent, but all three have missed the mark. It would be nice to see him vary his roles a bit, as he has been playing the same character for a few years now.

All together, Couples Retreat is exactly what it’s meant to be: a straightforward romantic comedy with some good scenery, some good jokes, and a lot of uncomfortable moments. Most of the time, that’s not enough.

The Informant! ***1/2

The Informant! solidifies that Steven Soderbergh will continue to be as prolific as ever, seemingly undaunted by the experience of making Che, his most ambitious and challenging project to date. In his newest film, Matt Damon stars as Mark Whitacre, a biochemist turned businessman working for the lysine developing company ADM. When a Japanese competitor reveals to Mark that the reason lysine production has dropped is because a mole has been sabotaging ADM from within, the FBI is brought in to investigate the situation. Then Whitacre drops the bombshell: what the FBI really should be investigating is ADM’s involvement in international price fixing.

So Whitacre turns informant. Or so it seems. He agrees to provide the FBI with tapes proving the price fixing scheme, but he then says the Japanese blackmailer has stopped demanding money for the mole’s identity. He makes no tapes. He claims ADM has changed its ways. The FBI doesn’t believe him, so they give him a polygraph. He fails. This is how Mark Whitacre finally agrees to fully cooperate, and he proceeds to provide hundreds of tapes over the course of nearly three years to the FBI proving that ADM’s corporate malfeasance resulted in the defrauding of hundreds of millions of dollars from consumers worldwide.

If it were only that simple. While The Informant! has been compared to Michael Mann’s whistle-blowing thriller The Insider, it has as much in common with another Russell Crowe vehicle, A Beautiful Mind. Like John Nash, Mark Whitacre lived a double life; he was convinced of his ability and his importance, and he believed in the power of secret intel. “You can call me 0014,” says Whitacre, “because I’m twice as smart as 007.” Whereas the other films are carried by thrilling sequences, however, The Informant! is slower and more comedic.

Matt Damon is terrific as Whitacre, displaying impeccable comedic timing and psychological nuance. The scenes in which he is under pressure are the most satisfying, as you never know if his response is genuine or false. If you do not already know the story, I will not spoil the ending. Suffice it to say, Mark Whitacre lied, cheated, and stole. But he was also an informant. And things are never as simple as they seem. It’s not until the end that we realize that The Informant! is first and foremost a character study of a man we are warned to judge cautiously. There’s no doubt that whether he was with his bosses at ADM or his FBI contacts, Mark Whitacre was always the smartest man in the room. And the dumbest.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ***

If Up is one of the most moving and adventurous animated films in years, then Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is surely one of the funniest. Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) is an enthusiastic, albeit unsuccessful inventor living on the tiny island of Shallow Falls in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. When the island’s sardine-driven economy dries up, its residents are forced to live on a diet that is short on variety if not imagination. But when the FLDSMDFR (Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator) is shot into the sky, food begins to rain from the heavens, and Flint becomes the unlikely hero. What better place for it than the clouds?

Sam Sparks (Anna Farris), an aspiring meteorologist from New York City is on the scene to witness this “food weather,” and it’s a good thing, because the town’s mayor is able to broadcast the phenomenon to the entire world, inviting tourists with the hope of sparking the island’s economy. She also serves as Flint’s eventual love interest, providing the characters with some of their more awkward moments and one very sweet one inside the bowels of a giant gelatinous mountain.

With great, colorful animation and an equally colorful imagination, the film’s greatest spectacle is when the food falls from the sky. As the third act begins, the food portions get bigger and scarier, and where once the island suffered from lack of food it now suffers from an overabundance. And a giant spaghetti tornado. Flint must find the courage to save not only his little island but also the entire planet. The food weather has begun to invade, as the film smartly points out, all of the major landmarks throughout the world.

What makes Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs a great family film is that it’s funny for the entire family, not just the kids. For a movie to succeed in the saturated computer animated film market, it must appeal to everyone. This one fits the bill. It is a broad comedy for children, but it has developed characters, and even the minor ones have significant story arcs, including Flint’s dad (James Caan), Mayor Shelbourne (Bruce Campbell), Baby Brent (Andy Samberg), and Officer Devereaux (Mr. T.). Though I did not see this film in 3-D, it seems to be the perfect vehicle for the technology. It is both lovable and funny. And it makes you hungry.

Zombieland ***

Zombieland sounds like a theme park, so it makes sense the climax of this zom-com takes place in Pacific Playland, a fictional amusement park outside of Los Angeles. The movie stars rollercoaster alum Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland) as Columbus, a shy college student who managed to survive the zombie apocalypse because he follows a list of survival rules. He soon meets up with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a zombie-killing, Bill Murray-loving, Twinkie-craving kind of a guy, and the two of them become the last bromance in z-land.

The film’s plot is pretty standard for zombie movies. Both Columbus and Tallahassee have experienced a tragic loss, and each are seeking solace in survival. They meet up with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), a pair of sisters headed for L.A. in hopes of finding a zombie-free zone and recapturing some happy memories from their childhood. We learn a bit of back story on each of these characters through flashbacks, but the film’s primary concern is laughter, not story.

And there is much laughter to be had. Director Ruben Fleischer integrates Columbus’s rules to survive Zombieland in pop-up text on the screen, and it is one of the funnier gags throughout the movie. As for the characters, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg have good chemistry as the mismatched duo and both are very funny. They are a sort of odd couple for the post-apocalyptic twenty-first century.

But it is Columbus, who narrates the film, to whom we relate. He falls pretty hard for Wichita, which is more daring than it sounds considering the last girl he shared a fleeting moment with ended up trying to eat him. In one scene, Columbus makes the decision to stay with the group instead of heading back to his hometown in Ohio (as in Columbus). For once in his life, Columbus feels like part of a family, and it’s obvious that his feelings for Wichita are more than platonic.

The group continues to move west, bickering along the way, eventually making it to Los Angeles. The last ten minutes of the film ups the zombie body count by about a thousand, and in a pivotal moment, Columbus deliberately breaks one of his rules (gasp!). In sum, Zombieland is America’s answer to Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s brilliant British zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead. That film was more subtle and nuanced, yet somehow still broader and funnier. There are flashes of brilliance in Zombieland to match it, especially in the sequence where the characters crash in the Hollywood home of a star that’s at the tippity top of the A-list. As a whole, though, Zombieland is good fun, but it’s no Shaun of the Dead.

Rule #24: Double Tap Feature.