Murder on the Orient Express features star-studded cast

Movie Title:     Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)

Grade:  B

Rating: PG-13, 1 hour 54 minutes

In a Nutshell:  With an incredible A-list cast, this is a well-made, stylish “Who-dunnit” mystery directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as the Belgium inspector Hercule Poirot.  

It’s extremely picturesque and beautiful, yet slowly fizzles with a disappointing reveal of who the murderer is.

 

Uplifting theme: 

• “We seek the truth from within, not without.” – Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh)
• “Sometimes the law of man is not enough.” – Pilar Estravados (Penelope Cruz)
• “poison of deep grief”, healing, peace
• Revenge 
• Right vs. wrong and everything in between
• Truth

Things I liked:

• The period pieces and costumes of the 1930’s are beautiful.
• You don’t often see movies that take their time telling the story.  Both the time period and the style of movie-making seemed old-fashioned.  It was shot in 65 mm and really immerses you in the various environments.  The sets are incredible.
• The all-star cast includes the talented Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Leslie Odom Jr., Daisy Ridley and Derek Jacobi.  Kenneth Branagh was absolutely outstanding. You might wonder how old Judi Dench is…She was born in 1934, making her 82 years old.
• There was some humor, although the tone was a bit inconsistent, beginning with a very light feel and then remaining mostly dark for the rest of the film.
• There were some really great camera sequences.  One scene was shot from above the characters as they talked.  Another scene was shot from outside the train as it scanned the people walking down the hall through the windows.  You really feel the movement of the train and feel like you're on one.
• There is a reference to a murder on the Nile, possibly a sneak peek into a sequel, but definitely a reference to another one of Agatha Christie's books called Agatha Christie's Poirot: Death on the Nile.  Speaking of the author, Agatha Christie's Poirot: Murder on the Orient Express was her best-selling novel.
• The movie begins at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem with some gorgeous vistas and a funny sequence.  One of these days, I'm going there.
• There are some beautiful vistas in Istanbul.  One of these days, I’m going there too. 
• Michelle Pfeiffer sings "Never Forget", which was co-written by director/actor Kenneth Branagh. Wow, he was really busy with this film.
• The photo of Katherine, Hercule Poirot's lost love, is actually Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh's real ex-wife.

Things I didn’t like:

• Some say it grinds to a halt, rather than get more intense.  Yeah, it's true.  The ending is anti-climatic.
• In the 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express, the star-studded ensemble had equal moments of importance; whereas this version doesn't have much character arc and kind of fizzles.  A lot of movie critics are comparing it to the movie Clue which was able to develop characters much better.
• Daisy Ridley’s character is way too young for her character, who should be much older.
• Sergei Polunin is a famous ballet dancer in real life, but we don’t get to see him dance at all!  Instead, we get to see him beat up some people.
• All of the actors were great, but felt underutilized.  So much talent wasted.
• I heard a lady sitting near me say, “That mustache has to go!” Hercule Poirot’s double-decker mustache is ridiculous, but his mustache mask is even worse.  Ha ha   When the 1974 movie of Murder on the Orient Express  Agatha Christie was still alive and she commented on how much she didn't like Albert Finney's mustache on his Hercule Poirot's character.

Interesting lines:

• “Romance never goes unpunished.” – Hercule Poirot
• “To a man with a hammer, everything is a nail.” – Mary Debenham (Daisy Ridley’s character is actually quoting Mark Twain.)
• “There is right.  There is wrong.  There is nothing in between.” – Hercule Poirot  (He learns about grey areas.)
• “Vice is where the devil finds his darlings.” – Pilar Estravados (Penelope Cruz) 

Funny lines:

• “Did we die?” – Hercule Poirot 

Tips for parents: 

• Young children may get bored, as it’s a “talking” movie that unfolds slowly.
• There are some subtitles when two people speak German.
• French is spoken, but there are no subtitles.

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice 

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales fatigues fans

Movie Title:  
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Grade:  B

Rating:   PG-13, 135 minutes

In a Nutshell:  I guess this is what you call "Franchise Fatigue."  Audiences are getting a little tired and so is this series.  Disney might see a surge in the 50 year old theme park favorite, but overall, fans are wistfully remembering back to the old days when Jack Sparrow was fresh and new.  Don't get me wrong though...if you're in the mood for some pirate shenanigans, you'll be entertained.

It's better than the last couple of installments.  Will there be a #6? Probably.  What am I saying?  Of course there will be!  This is the 12th highest grossing franchise film of all time.

Uplifting theme: 

• “Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there.” – Carina Smyth
• Friendship, loyalty, family 

Things I liked:

• Great special effects.  Pretty amazing visuals above and below the water.
• While totally over-the-top, Javier Bardem plays a sufficiently scary villain named Captain Salazar. Did you know he was married to the beautiful Penelope Cruz, who starred in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ?
• Brenton Thwaites is just the eye candy young female fans want.  SPOILER:  I love that Orlando Bloom makes a couple of appearances.
• SPOILER: Great ending!  The audience cheered when they saw Keira Knightley.  At first, she said she wasn't interested in being in the movie, but audiences will all be grateful that she changed her mind.
•  Horologist.  Ha ha
•  CGI Jack Sparrow when he was young.  Interesting.  At first I thought they found a young actor who looked like Johnny Depp, but then I could see when the lips didn't quite match the words and could tell it was CGI.
• Captain Jack Sparrow's father was played by a Rolling Stone (Keith Richards) and now, his uncle is played by a Beatle (Paul McCartney)!  He's seen singing "Maggie Mae", which is an old drinking song of the sea from Liverpool.
• "A skeleton walks into a bar, orders a mop and a beer...." is the same joke told by Al Pacino to Johnny Depp's character in Donnie Brasco

Things I didn’t like:

• It’s so loud that a lot of the lines get swallowed up in other sound effects and so you can’t always hear what people are saying.
• Kaya Scodelario just a good job as Carina Smith.  Her dress was so low cut and she was always out of breath that I got tired of seeing her heaving chest in almost every scene she was in.
•  Slapstick comedy and goofy lines get wearisome.
• As much as I love Johnny Depp, his character didn't bring anything new to this movie and was far less interesting than the others.  He supplies some humor, but that's about it.  He's not clever and witty, like in the first movie; he's just a drunk buffoon. 
• A lot of jokes are recycled over and over.
• There's no sense of urgency.  The pacing kind of lags and I started actually getting sleepy.  It feels long, even though it has the shortest running time of all the Pirates flicks.
• They filmed some of the boat scenes in the first movie on the actual ocean, but a lot of the similar scenes in this movie look like they're on a set with a green screen.  Disappointing.

Funny lines:

• “We’ll honeymoon in the barn.” – ugly lady who Jack Sparrow is forced to marry 

Interesting lines:

• “Dead men tell no tales.” – Captain Salivar
• “Who am I to you?” – Carina

“A treasure.” – Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush)

Tips for parents: 

• Lots of fighting, violence, and high body count.  Umm...pirates.   Duh.
• Decapitated heads in a basket.
• Lots of destruction.
• Some inappropriate sexual innuendos.

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice 

Alice Through the Looking Glass shares insights about time and family

Movie Title:      Alice Through the Looking Glass

Grade:   B-

Rating:  PG, 1 hour 48 minutes

In a Nutshell:  A lot of movie critics hated this movie, but I actually enjoyed the colorful ride.  It veers from the source material by Lewis Carroll, but offers some deep insights on time, family, and friendship.

Tim Burton's first Alice in Wonderland movie made a ton of movie, despite the fact that a lot of audiences and critics didn't like it very much.  As Alice says, "Curiouser and curiouser."

Uplifting theme: 

• “Every day is a gift: every hour, every minute, every second.” – Alice (Mia Wasikowska)
• “You cannot change the past, young lady, but I dare say you can learn from it.” – Time (Sacha Baron Cohen)
• Friendship
• “Every second counts.”   (I thought the little creatures that played “seconds” were interesting and creative.)
• “Time waits for no man or, indeed, woman.” – Alice
• Alice shares something her father used to say: “The only thing worth doing is what we do for others.” – Alice
• “The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it’s possible.” - Alice

Things I liked:

• Helena Bonham Carter nails the Red Queen.  She’s fantastic.  I love her laugh in this movie.  The last time we saw her as a love interest with Sacha Baron Cohen was in Les Miserables, a wonderful movie that makes me cry every time.
• Sacha Baron Cohen usually plays disgusting characters in R rated movies, but he shines in this movie as “Time”.  The film is filled with both visual and verbal puns about time.  The back of his head has intricate clock mechanics, which looks pretty cool.
• We get to hear the voice of beloved Alan Rickman as Blue Caterpillar one last time.  I thought he was a wonderful actor and miss him.
• The special effects are really great, although 99% of the movie looks like it's filmed on a green screen with very little real things for the actors to react with.
• Keep watching during the rolling credits at the end to see some more silly moments.
• Alice is the captain of a ship named “Wonder” in the beginning of the movie.  In a discussion about the legal deed to the ship, someone says “Don’t give up the Wonder.”   Indeed.
• When you see this movie in the theater, you’ll get to see Pink’s music video before the movie plays for her new song: “Just Like Fire”, which marks the end of a three-year hiatus for the singer.
• See it in 3D if you can.
• I love Anne Hathaway and how she moves her hands and body as the White Queen.  Watch how she walks.  Priceless.

Things I didn’t like:

• The movie makes more sense if you have seen the last one that came out in 2010.
• The music on the trailer sounds like a 1960’s acid trip.  This movie did feel a bit trippy.  
• I adore Johnny Depp, but his character as Mad Hatter can be a bit frightening for children at times in this film.  The make-up is so overdone that it distracts you from his performance.  Someone offers an interesting insight that the Hatter is mad because “he denies himself laughter.”
• SPOILER:  The plot is pretty silly.  Alice is willing to destroy the time-space continuum in the entire universe because her friend is sad.
• Alice says that the Mad Hatter is her truest friend.  Really?  She doesn't have any good friends in the "real" world?
• Sometimes the actors look like they just "phone it in" emotionally.

Funny lines:

•  “I’ve always wondered when ‘soon’ is.” – The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp)
• “Stupid me-shaped corridor.” – Time
• “Will this day never end?” – Time
• “Do you promise to be concise?” – Time (who then proceeds to ramble on and on)
• “Don’t abandon me when I’m sulking.” – The Red Queen
• “We’ll split up together.” – Tweedle Dee (Matt Lucas)  He and his twin brother look amazing.

Interesting lines:

• “Must you always be so head-strong?” – Helen Kingsleigh (Lindsay Duncan)

“No.  It’s just more fun that way.” – Alice

• “You’re running out of time.  I am inevitable.” - Time
• “Everyone parts with everything eventually, my dear.” – Time
• “It’s impossible!” – Mr. Phelps

“You know my views on that word, Mr. Phelps.” – Alice

• “Time is a cruel master.” – Helen Kingsleight

“Time is a thief and a villain.” – Alice

• “I wanted to believe I could do just six impossible things before breakfast.” - Alice
• “All will become clear in the fullness of time.” – The Blue Caterpillar

Tips for parents:   

• Young children will be entertained by the outlandish characters, but might get confused by the story that loops back and forth in time.
• No profanity.  Nice.
• Children will see that lying can have terrible consequences, even what seems like a small lie.
• There is a scary dragon that burns up an entire town.

Into the Woods brews mixed messages for adults and children

Movie:  Into the Woods

PG, 2 hours 5 minutes

Grade: A-

In a Nutshell:  Once upon a time, there was a Broadway musical that Disney remade as a feature film for families. This deconstructed twist on some of the familiar The Brothers Grimm fairy tales is an interesting brew of humor, music, slanted wisdom, dark moments, and unsatisfying endings.  

I had such high hopes for this movie. Two years ago we all laughed and cried and sang to Les Miserables (2012) on Christmas day.  This is definitely no Les Miserables (2012) .  It's not even last year's Frozen .  I wish…

Uplifting Theme:
      ·         Be careful what you wish for.

•          You are not alone.  No one is alone.
•          “Careful the tale you tell.  That is the spell.”   That’s good advice for Director Rob Marshall and Stephen Sondheim.

Things I liked:

•          I’ve always loved Chris Pine and his beautiful blue eyes.  Who knew he could sing too?  In an interview with Anna Kendrick, she said that Chris was very shy about his singing voice.
•          With very little CGI, the scenery and landscapes in the film are beautiful and feel like fairy tale settings. 
•            Lilla Crawford, who was FANTASTIC, replaced another girl as Red Riding Hood, after only one week into filming!  Her voice sounded like a real Broadway voice, unlike in this year’s Annie, starring Quvenzhane Wallis.
•       Some of the lyrics are pretty witty, evoking eager laughter and winces from the audience I sat with.
•       The story has not one prince, but two, played by Chris Pine and Tony nominee Billy Magnussen.  Their duet together is hilarious.
•        Anna Kendrick does a great job as Cinderella and will soon grace the big screen again in Pitch Perfect 2.  I have high hopes for that movie too.

·          

Things I didn’t like:
      ·         For a Disney musical, the ending was a downer.  It had a dark satire like Sondheim's style in 
            the incredibly disgusting Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street .
      ·         The messages in the songs are mixed.  Life is full of moral dilemmas and so is this story.

•      None of the melodies are very memorable.  I do remember they sang "Into the Woods!" a lot.  ha ha  Quite a few songs from the original musical were cut from the movie.
•     Several people die horrible deaths.  It’s not an innocent movie for children and is very dark in spots.   Jack’s mother smacks him often and the audience gasped each time.  Cinderella’s step-sister smacks her.  Red Riding Hood stomps on the baker’s foot.  There are some gruesome moments, but I won’t give you any spoiler alerts….just a head’s up for parents.
•   Johnny Depp's role is way too short. I would have liked to see Christine Baranski sing more as well.  She and Meryl Streep created a fun spark together in Mamma Mia! The Movie

Funny lines:
·         “I was raised to be charming, not sincere.” – Cinderella’s Prince   (The audience booed when he said that.)
·         “I wish my house were not a mess.”  - Jack’s mother (Tracey Ullman)  Me too, Tracey.  Me too.
·         “Perhaps it’ll take two of us to have this child.” – Baker
·         “This is ridiculous!  What am I doing here?  I’m in the wrong story!” – Baker’s wife
·         “I’ll gladly help you with your house.  There are times I actually enjoy cleaning.” – Cinderella

·          

Interesting tidbits:

•  Director Rob Marshall almost chose some of the actresses he had already worked with for the role as the witch, such as Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago), Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman, and Penelope Cruz.  Can you believe he didn’t pick Idina Menzel?  Still, Meryl Streep did a great job.
•    You may have recognized the young boy who played Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) from Les Miserables (2012) .
•  James Corden plays the baker.  He begins hosting his new talk-show in just a month.
• In the original musical, there was a role of narrator.  Some big names were considered for this part as well: James Earl Jones, John Cleese, Alan Rickman, Christopher Plummer, and even Disney favorites Julie Andrews and Angela Lansbury!
• Emily Blunt, who is warm and charming as a baker’s wife who can’t bare children, was actually pregnant during the filming!  You can notice her baby bump in one of her later scenes with Cinderella's Prince.
• You might also have recognized one of Cinderella’s step-sisters, Lucy Punch.  This is her 4^th time playing this role: Ella Enchanted [HD] , Cinderella 2000, and a BBC version of Cinderella.
•  Emily Blunt (the baker’s wife) and Meryl Streep (the witch) also starred together in The Devil Wears Prada .

Tips for Parents:  There are several themes that are too adult for young children, even though this is a Disney production.  There is some violence and morbid scenes.

 If you liked this movie, you might also like:

 

Transcendence weighs humanity vs. technology

Movie Title:   Transcendence

PG-13, 1 hour 59 minutes

Grade:  B

In a Nutshell:  This was a really interesting movie about awareness: both computers’ ability to become self-aware, as well as humans’ struggle to truly understand what’s inside each other’s hearts. 

Dr. Will Castor (Johnny Depp) explains in the beginning of the movie at a technology conference: “For one hundred and thirty thousand years, our capacity to reason has remained unchanged.  The combined intellect of the neuroscientists, mathematicians and engineers pales in comparison to the most basic A. I.  Once online, a sentient machine will quickly overcome the limits of biology; in a short time, its analytic power will become greater than the collective intelligence of every person born in the history of the world.  Some scientists refer to this as the Singularity.  I call it Transcendence.”

The film addresses the haunting “unavoidable collision between mankind and technology.” The overall feeling of the movie is, ironically, a bit artificial, but I still enjoyed it.  This is the first directorial effort from Wally Pfister, who is receiving some negative reviews for a few of the film’s clunky issues, but his cinematography experience (The Dark Knight trilogy) shows through and elevates the movie.

Uplifting theme:  The movie tries to preach two simultaneous, yet opposing messages:  Humanity is more important than technology; technology can help us heal the world.  What role should artificial intelligence play in our lives?

Things I liked:

• I adore Paul Bettany in any movie and who can’t say the same thing about Johnny Depp?   My kids laugh that Morgan Freeman is in every movie ever made; sure enough, he’s in this one too. 
• I loved the small twist at the end.  (No spoiler alert) The entire spark that sets off this artificial intelligence conundrum is the perfect love between two imperfect humans.

Things I didn’t like:

• Some of the scenes are ridiculous with plenty of holes and uninspiring dialogue.

Things to notice:

• Preppers will get a kick out of seeing the items listed as being in demand on the store door after all the power goes off the grid. Non-preppers should ask themselves what might happen if there were an EMP or some other trigger that knocked all of our power out and sent us back to the stone age.  What would you do?  How would you live?  What would you value?
• Someone hangs a computer motherboard of sorts on to a dream catcher.

Interesting lines:

• An audience member listening to Dr. Castor’s presentation asks him “You want to create a god?  Your own god?”   Dr. Castor answers “That’s a very good question.  Isn’t that what man has always done?”
• “I don’t want to change the world.  I just want to understand it.”  - Dr. Castor
• They’re short on logic, but there’s no shortage of irony.”  - Dr. Castor
• “The internet was supposed to make the world a smaller place.  It feels smaller without it.”  - Max
• “Artificial intelligence is an unnatural abomination and threat to humanity.” – R.I.F.T.
• Evelyn asks her husband “Where are you going?”  He answers “Everywhere.”
• Dr. Caster says to Evelyn “I can upload you.  I can protect you from them.”  A suspicious Evelyn replies: “I’m not afraid of…them.”
• Evelyn worries about one of her employees who has become “transcended” and asks the anti-technology fanatics who beat him up “What did you do?”  Max responds “We gave him back his mortality.”
• “Human emotion…it can contain illogical conflict.”  - Max

Tips for parents:   

Any parent who has watched their kids get sucked into their cell phones or other electronic devices will question how well technology is serving humanity.  The film has very little bad language, but some violence.  Young children may get bored, but older children could be guided into an interesting conversation about the role technology should play in their lives.  Check out this movie clip to get you started.

Another movie your kids and you might enjoy on this topic is: