For Your Anticipation: Let the Explorers Through

Do I really have to talk about this less-than-far-below-average comedy starring Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black? I don't care. I don't even know what the hell I'd talk about. I could barely sit through 10 seconds of the clip below. No interest in "The Big Year", and in any case, marketing has been abysmally timed. No chance anyone's going to see it this weekend.

My Beef With "Cars 2"

Rather than put forth a typical review for Cars 2, I'm opting for something a little different. Mostly because I don't feel like going into extreme detail about the film, but I still wanted to let out my anger at why it's such a horrific failure. I'm no huge fan of Cars, but it does have its considerable moments, and I hoped that that might be the stem that John Lasseter was drawing from for the sequel. The thing is, this is a complete and total betrayal of what the first film meant, and perhaps of what this particular series is about.

They could've gone a considerable amount of routes for this sequel, continuing the story from the first film with an emotional tie to continuing the arc of these characters. Unfortunately, Cars 2 wasn't a continuation of anything so much as a rehash of characters and situations. As is the foil of a great many Pixar films, it does a complete 180 and makes it an action spectacle. This isn't just placing an action plot at the end of the film to enhance the already laid out story, much like WALL-E or Up. This is a full fledged action spy film.

Every line that is delivered drops like a ton of bricks, being too obvious and self-indulgent to take seriously. I didn't care about the characters of McQueen or Mater, and I still don't. If I were to make a list of the absolutely worst Pixar characters, they'd land somewhere on that list. Paul Newman's death was bound to make an impression on the plot, but it's a side note rather than an emotionally resonating plot point that enhances the characters' viewpoints on the world. Wasted potential is a word I use quite often in these cases.

Film Review: "Midnight in Paris" (***1/2)

Please take a look at the film ratings I've given out recently, and you'll see they've been scaled back, because exceptional work deserves to be seen as just that. I thought I might be kind enough to give Super 8 a complete three stars, but still chipped off 1/2. I thought 1/2 more might be deserving of Kung Fu Panda 2, but it was ultimately not too special. Midnight in Paris was just the right film to knock me back into reality, as it was the first film this year that truly defied my expectations going in. We set such specific standards going into films, and without seeing them it is entirely too easy to make calls on certain features.

It starts out with a series of images documenting modern day Paris from morning to nighttime, and the immediate impact is as something hollow. People walking idly by, shelling out cash in stores, rushing through rain under cover of umbrella, and ultimately not taking advantage of the beauty of the place around them. Wasted potential is a good way of putting it. Then the credits roll, and we hear Gil Pender, played earnestly by Owen Wilson, raving about the beauty of Paris, and how much he wishes he could live there. His fiance Inez, played by Rachel McAdams, is not as convinced.

Gil is a former Hollywood screenwriter trying to punch out his first novel, and he has a decidedly more idealist view of the world than Inez and her parents. Inez comes from the viewpoint of survival rather than passion, much like most of us. She's fascinated with Paul Bates, portrayed by Michael Sheen, a cynical and pedantic pseudo-intellectual who tries his utmost to best anyone else, even to the point of factual disconnect. After a day of sightseeing and wine tasting, Gil walks home drunk on his own and ends up being picked up by an old style car that takes him to the Paris of his dreams.

For Your Anticipation: That Rabbit Hole in Iraq

Suddenly, now that we have some conceivable idea of what Midnight in Paris is, it looks like something considerably more than just your regular Paris travelogue. If I wanted to marvel at the beauty of Paris, I'd either take out my copy of Ratatouille or I'd go to Paris myself. Unfortunately I don't get paid to make deliveries to France, so the transportation of cinema will have to do. However, as beautiful as Paris may be, there's some intriguing story behind Woody Allen's latest. It's not just a look at Paris, but a look at Paris in the 1920s, and I find it so much more rewarding when a film references the period it's set in. With reviews pouring out of Cannes, it's easy to lose your own critical footing, and I remain interested but cautious in terms of this film.

Theatrical Trailer: "Cars 2"

Across the past few months, I've gradually come to grips with the fact that this is not a good year for Pixar. If you're familiar with the site, you'll know that every single bit of new footage has painted this film as stupid, corny, and actually useless. Cars 2 has abandoned some of the deeper themes that made the first film something of a success, even if it is widely known as the worst in the Pixar catalog. And yet, this trailer forced me to ease up on the hatred a bit, because all of the stupidity and foolishness that Mater's been up to has actually been worked into the plot. There's the bitter truth to the fact that Mater is dumb, and if Pixar has realized that flaw, all the nonsense could just be seen as them embracing it. Is the film suddenly on the top of my list? Of course not, because that song slapped on the end of the trailer is just atrocious. That being said, I've gone from not wanting anything to do with this film to actually being willing to see it.

Cannes Coverage 2011: "Midnight in Paris"

Cannes has officially kicked off, and I'm wasting no time in getting to the main attraction. Midnight in Paris, the film releasing in May that I've been most anticipating, opened the festival on a pleasant note. I refrain from noting it as a high note, because that could easily be misleading. The majority of reviews I have read thus far have been positive, which is something of a relief for those worried that Woody Allen would be dishing out another failure. That being said, I don't detect the same sort of emphatic euphoria that many had for Vicky Christina Barcelona. That being said, if reviews aren't stellar, they are favorable.

Brad Brevet (Rope of Silicon): "Like any film dealing with the troubles of a writer, you look for connection to the screenwriter of the film and comparisons are easy to make as you can see where Allen's career itself was inspired by the writers Gil, and seemingly Allen, both hold in high esteem. Midnight in Paris is also not without Allen's jabs at portions of society that may ruffle his feathers. Republican Tea Party comments stirred laughter from all corners of the Cannes international audience and Michael Sheen playing the role of Paul, a pedantic know-it-all friend of Inez's, is a consistent source of amusement, and Sheen absolutely crushes the part."

Teaser Trailer: Midnight in Paris

Still not a fan of Owen Wilson, and I'm not going to start anytime soon, but I actually didn't mind him too bad in this trailer for Midnight in Paris. I thought that he'd be just a small part of an ensemble cast in the film, but it turns out that he's the main character. After I let that initial sense of melancholy get past me, I was able to respect this trailer as a potential return to form for Woody Allen. I obviously don't expect him to pull off an achievement similar to Vicky Christina Barcelona, but this actually seems like a pretty likable crowd-pleaser. That's something that you can't exactly say about most of Woody Allen's films. Maybe it's the wonderful cast, aside from Wilson, or maybe it's Paris' natural charm. In any case, I liked this trailer moderately enough, and it's hard for me to discount a film with Michael Sheen and Marion Cotillard in it.

Theatrical Trailer: Cars 2

Three trailers in, and there's still no real sign of hope for Pixar's next film, Cars 2. I've really said all I can say about this film already, and not much has changed. This isn't anything new, nor is there much chance of it being emotionally effective. Still, I hold out hope because it features the voice of Michael Caine and the music of Michael Giacchino. Prospects are bleak.

For Your Anticipation: 10 PM to 6 AM

To tell the truth, I didn't know that Hall Pass was from the Farrelly brothers until I read it in a review. It comes as little surprise to me, seeing as I thought the film looked atrocious far before I learned who made it. It has Owen Wilson, which is never a sign of optimistic fortune, and Jason Sudeikis is quite honestly one of the SNL actors I always imagined turning into an annoying leading man. And now we're here, talking about this sad little misfire, as it's sure to be. I have the utmost confidence in my own ability to tell if a film is going to fail or not.

Television Trailer: Cars 2

After three trailers, I am now officially pessimistic regarding Pixar's twelfth feature, Cars 2. I had maintained optimism earlier because of their fantastic track record, but this actually looks kind of stupid, which is something I rarely say of the studio. I'm trying to keep hope alive, but it's really hard to. I think that the character of Mater can very much be acquainted with Hiro from the now failed television show Heroes. He started out endearing, but is just stupid and annoying at this point. In fact, that could be said of this particular series. I'm not going to say it's over until it's over, but this doesn't inspire confidence.

For Your Anticipation: A Lot of Neuroses

James L. Brooks has made several fantastic and award-winning films in the distant past, but not so much in the recent past. That doesn't bode particularly well for his latest film, How Do You Know. He has a nice cast of Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, and Jack Nicholson. In contrast, he also has Owen Wilson, which sucks quite a bit. This should be the perfect formula, but James L. Brooks has simply lost his way. Jack Nicholson hasn't been given a truly magnificent role in quite some time, and I'm still waiting. However, he does have a great on screen presence, especially when given juicy lines with big words. I'm not going to see How Do You Know, as my plate is very much full. Still, take a look at this clip and decide for yourself.