Downsizing has a big message

Movie Title:  Downsizing

Grade:  C+

Rating: R, 2 hours 15 minutes

In a Nutshell: Alexander Payne directs this social satire that introduces some interesting environmental ideas, but ultimately reminds us that a life lived for others has the most meaning.

Tips for parents: 

• Paul takes the Lord’s name in vain and gets immediately scolded by Ngoc Lan Tran.  She uses the “F” word a thousand times in one scene and he tries to teach her it’s a vulgar word.  There is some more profanity in other scenes.
• Pre-marital sex and discussions about it.
• Oddly, there is a LOT of full body male nudity.
• Kids will mostly be bored.

                                   

Uplifting theme: 

• “The door to happiness opens outward.” – poster on the wall during Paul's high school reunion
• We are meant for something better.
• “The world is filled with things to see.” – Dusan Mirkovic (Christoph Waltz)
• “I finally have a chance to do something that matters.” –   Paul Safranek (Matt Daman)

Things I liked:

• Hong Chau was recently nominated for a well-deserved Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as Ngoc Lan Tran.
• Christoph Waltz always brings such colorful characters to the big screen.  I thought he was fantastic in Big Eyes.
• It was interesting to see how Downsizing  was used in different ways: save the planet, punish criminals and poor people, allow the average person to live a life of luxury, reflect on the meaning of life, opportunity to begin again.
• Gorgeous scenery in Norway.  Parts of the movie were also filmed in beautiful Canada.

Things I didn’t like:

• Some people have been very critical of Matt Damon’s bland performance, but I think that was just Paul Safranek’s character.  I love Matt Damon in anything.  Because Paul rarely smiles, it would have had a lot of impact if the movie had ended with him grinning from ear to ear like in the 1988 movie The Accidental Tourist (which I loved).
• It’s a little slow moving.
• It’s very preachy about global warming and over-population.
• The trailer made the movie appear like it would be a comedy, but it’s really not.  The idea of downsizing could have made for a very funny movie, but it strives to be something much deeper and comes off feeling uneven.
• A lot of plot points are glossed over without much explanation.
• The trailer makes it seem like Matt Daman's boring call center job is what contributes to his wanting to leave his life in the "real" world and downsize, but he actually gets that job after he downsizes!  The trailer scene with Kristen Wiig's character working at a shoe store doesn't even appear in the movie.  It always annoys me when trailers paint a different picture from what the movie actually is or when they show lines that don't appear in the movie.                                           

Interesting lines:

• “Not a very successful species these homo-sapiens.” – Dr. Jorgen Asbjornsen (Rolf Lassgard - This is his first film in English!)
• “Lots of people are in pain, Mom, in all sorts of ways.” – Paul Safranek (Matt Daman)   That’s really true.  We should never judge others, because we don’t know the pain they might be going through.
• “Human life on earth is unsustainable.” – TV talking head
• “Friends tell friends the truth.” – Dusan Mirkovic (Christoph Waltz)
• “When you know death comes soon, you look around things more close.” – Ngoc Lan Tran (Hong Chau)
• “Downsizing is about hitting the reset button.” – Dave Johnson (Jason Sudeikis)
• “It’s humbling, huh? Nature is such a patient sculptor, grinding a tiny bit each day, slowly, slowly for thousands of years to make such a supremely beautiful thing.” – Dr. Jorgen Asbjornsen
• “Downsizing is about saving yourself.” – comedian guy is about saving yourself.” – Dave Johnson  (It's true.  The more we get rid of all the stuff and things in our lives, the more free we are from the things that fill our lives with unimportant nonsense.)

                                           @trinaboice 

The Great Wall opens in China first

Movie Title:  The Great Wall

Grade:  C+

Rating:  PG-13, 104 minutes

In a Nutshell:  China!  I went on a little speaking tour in China last summer and fell in love with the country, so it was fun to see bits of China again, even if a lot of it was through CGI.  

Still, there are some beautiful Chinese elements throughout the movie, including a lot of Mandarin, which is something I have been trying to learn for many months.

This visually stunning film was released in China first and features some of the biggest blockbuster actors in China.  Directed by Yimou Zhang, the film was made in China and cost the equivalent of $150 million dollars, the most money China has ever spent on a movie.  It’s only the second time an American-Chinese collaboration has created a feature film (the first one was Skiptrace, which I saw while I was in China).  Unfortunately, both movies fall short for most Americans.  Will it make a lot of money?  Absolutely…in China.  Not so much in the USA.

Here is a picture of me and my two sons when we were in China!

Uplifting theme: 

• “All we can do is prepare.” – Strategist Wang (Andy Lau)
• “Trust in each other in all ways and in all times.” – Commander Lin Mei (the beautiful Jing Tian)
• Honor, respect, trust.

Things I liked:

• I love Matt Daman in anything. 
• I love Willem Dafoe in anything, although he’s a mousy coward in this one.  In fact, he was super annoying and I wanted him to die.
• Beautiful, colorful costumes by Mayes Rubeo! 
• Gives new meaning to base jumping.
• Fun slow-mo shots.
• You get to see the monsters up close.
• I’ve always wanted to go to a Chinese lantern festival.  This scene in the film is so pretty.  Hopefully next summer I’ll see one when I go back to China!
• Lots of humor.
• It’s fun to see in 3D and on the big screen.  Visually, it’s impressive.
• The musical score was invigorating.

Things I didn’t like:

• A lot of the CGI and stunts look really good, but sometimes it’s pretty fake-looking.
• Jurassic Park meets China.
• The Chinese characters hold the moral high ground over the white guys in the movie.
• The characters are very one-dimensional who suffer from poor dialogue that doesn’t give us much back story or reason to care about them.  The story could have really benefited from time spent exploring the theme of honor, respect, and trust.
• The First Act was intriguing.  The Second Act was ok.  The 3^rd Act was extremely predictable and silly.
• There’s a lot of exposition.  don't TELL us everything. SHOW us.
• I asked one of my friends in China what he thought of the movie.  He said, “It sucked.”   

Interesting lines:

• “This is the first war I’ve seen worth fighting.” – William Garin (Matt Daman)
• “I am alive because I trust no one.” – William Garin

Funny lines:

• “I haven’t surrendered in a while.” – Pero Tovar (Pedro Pascal)

“It’ll come back to you.” – William Garin

• “Maybe they’ll hang us now.  I could use the rest.” – Pero Tovar
• “You smell like animals.” – (Willem Dafoe)

“Thank you.” – William

• “I didn’t sign up for this.” – Pero

‘Which part?”- William

“All of it….but mostly the monsters.” – Pero

• “We are honored to be honored.” – William

“Is that the best you’ve got?” – Pero

• “So, how’s life without me?” – William

“A little slow.” - Pero

Tips for parents:

• There are some scary monsters that might scare young children.

Interstellar is out of this world

Movie Title:   Interstellar

PG-13, 2 hours 49 minutes

Grade:  A

In a Nutshell:   This movie will blow your mind.  Either that or put you to sleep.  Viewers seem to be split in their opinion on this one.  The movie is definitely long, but you’ll feel like you got your money’s worth.

Writer-director Chris Nolan has trained us to expect epic movies under his watch and this one is no exception.  Like his enigmatic Inception , you’ll have to watch it a couple of times to completely understand it. This nearly 3 hour drama is so long that you almost feel like you’ve traveled in space and come back again by the time it’s over.  Its time-space continuum preaches of love, hope, and the will to go on despite all obstacles, including gravity.

I sat with an audience that filled every seat in the IMAX screening, where Nolan’s 70mm movie magic really shines and where the seats practically rumbled while we hurled through space.  The movie simultaneously explores your heart strings and intergalactic space travel.

Uplifting theme: 

• Matthew McConaughey narrates the beginning of the movie, saying “We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars.  Now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt.”  The movie explores a dystopian world   and where mankind may go in the future, both physically and emotionally.
• Some will read spirituality into the story and see God’s hand in the journey, while others will applaud mankind’s strength to take care of ourselves.

Things I liked:

• Hans Zimmer’s new score is fantastic.
• I agree with Matthew McConaughey who said in a recent interview, “This is Christopher Nolan’s most ambitious work.”
• I love Anne Hathaway.  She always brightens any screen.  So does Matt Damon.
• You’ll learn a science lesson or two while being entertained.  Theoretical physicist Kip Thorne was consulted during the making of the film.
• A nod to 2001: A Space Odyssey was included by director/producer Nolan who wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan.
• The visual effects are stunning.  I liked seeing the tiniest reflection in someone's eyes through another's eye, and then the contrasting, grand aerial scenes over earth.
• It’s definitely thought-provoking and a great conversation-starter.
• I thought Amelia’s speech about love was profound and beautiful.
• The frozen cloud was cool.  Literally.  Ha ha
• I love symbolism in clever names, such as the project “Lazarus.”
• Mackenzie Foy is an adorable Murphy.  Jessica Chastain was a beautiful adult Murph.  Nice casting.

Things I didn’t like:

• It’s a bit slow-moving at times.  A friend of mine actually fell asleep.  Don’t expect a fast-paced action movie like Star Trek.
• Some of the script seems nonsensical.  Some of it was simply hard to hear.
• The black, sticky, towering thing that sucked up everything reminded me of the odd ending in the movie Lucy.

Interesting lines:

• “Love is the one thing that transcends time and space.” – Amelia Brand
• “We’ve always defined ourselves by the ability to overcome the impossible.  And we count these moments.  These moments when we dare to aim higher, to break barriers, to reach for the stars, to make the unknown known.  We count these moments as our proudest achievements.  But we lost all that.  Or perhaps we’ve just forgotten that we are still pioneers.  And we’ve barely begun.  And that our greatest accomplishments cannot be behind us, because our destiny lies above us.”  - Cooper
• “Do not go gently into that good night; old age should burn and rave at close of day.  Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” – Professor Brand
• “It’s not possible.”  - computer/TARS

“No.  It’s necessary.”  - Cooper

• “We’re not meant to save the world; we’re meant to leave it.”  - Professor Brand
• “Mankind was born on earth, but it wasn’t meant to die here.” – Cooper
• “You said science was admitting what you don’t know.”  - Young Murphy to her dad
• “They forget who we are – explorers, pioneers, not caretakers.”  - Cooper

Funny lines:

• “You look sic.”  - young Tom

“I cannot be sick.  I am a robot.”  - computer/TARS

• “We’re going to be spending a lot of time together.” – Amelia

“Then, we should learn to talk.”  - Cooper

“And when not to.”  - Amelia

• “We’ve calculated 2 years to Saturn.”  - Professor Brand

“That’s a lot of Dramamine.” – Doyle    (I actually got a little dizzy during some of the spinning scenes and had to look away.)

Tips for parents:

• 1 F-bomb and some other tough language.
• Young children may get bored.
• Kids who want to prove to their parents that all that time playing video games and using a joystick will come in handy now have ammunition for their case.

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Monuments Men movie gets me Googling for more

Movie Title:  The Monuments Men

Grade:  B+

PG-13, 1 hour 52 minutes

In a Nutshell:  This inspiring movie is based on a true story about us all of us.  I admit that I’m curious to learn more about what really happened as the small group of art experts tried to save priceless pieces of history as the Nazi regime began to fall in WWII Europe.  I was in Italy just a few months ago, basking in all of the beautiful artwork and can’t imagine what a terrible loss it would have been to humanity if we didn’t have some of the masterpieces that exist in that country alone. 

Based on the non-fiction telling by Robert M. Edsel,Monuments Men , the subject matter and setting are truly fascinating.  Unfortunately, the movie falls a bit short of what could have been an outstanding cinematic journey worthy of Oscar buzz...for next year.  (It was supposed to be released at Christmas in time for this year's Oscars, but George Clooney chose to wait.)  It misses the German mark...you could say.  The audience I watched the movie with consisted of mostly older people, some who looked like they could have actually fought in WWII. 

This brief tour through war-torn Europe was directed, written, and performed by George Clooney.  It’s a bit of “Geriatric Band of Brothers” heist meets “Saving Private Ryan”, although not nearly as realistic or good as the latter.  The audience loved the camaraderie among the men and were left wanting a little more out of the star-studded cast which includes Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville and the exquisite Cate Blanchett.

Uplifting theme:  What a sobering reminder this film features that Hitler stole lives, art, and even history from all of us.  James Granger says “He really wanted it all.”  Frank Stokes corrects him “He wanted everything.”  Frank Stokes continually reminds his crew that their lives are worth more than a piece of art, and yet they are all willing to sacrifice everything in order to preserve it because it represents mankind’s greatest accomplishments.  

I love that the men refer to various works of art as “she” and “her”, granting true life to images that capture our very soul.  Frank Stokes narrates the journey and explains that they were fighting for culture, our history, and our very way of life.  The works of art are not simply beautiful things to look at and admire, but our history…yours….mine.   It was inspiring to learn that over 5 million pieces were recovered through The Monuments Men project.

Things I liked:

• It was refreshing to see a loyal husband resist an invitation of infidelity, especially on a lonely night in romantic Paris.  Matt Damon’s character, James Granger, even returned the tie he was given by the hopeful woman.
• The sets and scenery were breathtaking.
• One of the most profound scenes was when (SPOILER ALERT) the group finds a big barrel of gold nuggets and then realizes they were from the mouths of Jews who were killed by the Nazis. The scene carried a sobering weight that other scenes lacked.  The audience gasped a few times, which I think, would have made George Clooney proud.

Things I didn’t like:

• It’s a bit slow-moving and disjointed with not nearly enough humor and some missed opportunities to make the film truly wonderful. 
• Substitute the last line of the movie with something better like “Come on, I want to show you something else!”

Funny lines:

• “Do we get to kill anybody?” – Preston Savitz
• “Speak English” said several people to James Granger whose French was terrible.  I’ve been to France and they really do hate it when we Americans attempt to speak their beautiful language.
• James Granger explains “I seem to have stepped on a land mine.” Frank queries “Why would you do that?” repeated by Walter Garfield.  James says “It was a slow day.”  I thought that scene was well done as they tried to come up with a solution and were prepared for any outcome.
• An American soldier says after the war was announced to be over “Isn’t there supposed to be a parade or something?” to which James Granger gently corrects “Probably not in Germany.”
• While talking about setting up some dynamite, two on the team have the following exchange: “Maybe I should do this.”  “What do you know about explosives?”  “Nothing.”  “Ok.”

Inspiring lines:

• “Who will be their protectors?  Who will make sure the Mona Lisa is still smiling?” – Frank Stokes
• “It’s not bad.”  “It’s not good” – an exchange as two of the crew look at a canvas of Hitler’s artwork from his failed run as an art student
• “Frank explains his passion about the Monument Men project by saying “If you destroy their achievements, it’s like they never existed.”
• “Great works of art can never belong to one individual.”  - Donald Jeffries

Things to learn more about:  George Clooney said of this film “It’s so rare to do any story that people don’t know.” I would love to learn more!

• Ghent Altarpiece and the Art of Jan Van Eyck
• Russia’s Soviet Trophy Brigade
• The Nero Decree stated that if Hitler died, the Nazis were to destroy Germany’s infrastructure, as well as other valuables, including art.  Nero was blamed for the fire that destroyed much of Rome.  Forty-two days after issuing the Nero Decree, Hitler killed himself, and a week later, Germany surrendered.
• Michelangelo: the Bruges Madonna and the Piccolomini altar,

Tips for parents:  There is some profanity, but not as much as you would think there would be in a war movie.  People are killed and wounded with some blood and gore.