Scribblerchick's Movie Dish

Nim's Island

We saw the new movie starring Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler called Nim's Island. I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining it was. Kids' movies usually bore me. This didn't.

It was told mostly from the viewpoint of Nim, a little girl who lives on island with her biologist father. Her dad goes off to find plankton or some such microscopic thing, leaving Nim alone. A storm strands him far away and Nim e-mails for help to "Alex Rover" an author whose adventure books she loves.

Alex turns out to be "Alexandra," a woman who is agoraphobic. The only thing that bothered me a bit about this movie was Jodie Foster's seriousness and intensity. This is a fantasy/comedy, and it needed a lighter touch. I always admire Jodie's acting, but here it was just TOO MUCH. Alex goes off the rescue Nim, which really required a stretch, as true agoraphobics really need therapy to leave the house, as I understand it.

Abigail Breslin was wonderful as Nim. She has an un-forced non-cutesy style of acting that is such a joy to watch. So many child actors seem fake and snotty to me. This child seems real.

Gerard Butler makes my heart race. Wowza. The only thing I didn't like about him in this was his American accent, which kept sounding a wee bit Scottish. He had dual roles as Alex's father and Alex Rover, which was cute.

I also noticed that Nim and her father have the last name "Russo." Rhymes with "Crusoe," as in "Robinson." Classics, anyone?

When I saw the previews for this movie I thought it was about a child in mortal danger - I didn't realize it was such a comedy. The "danger" Nim fears is an Australian cruise ship full of tacky people who invade her beach. Encroaching development is not as fearful as she seems to think, in my book.

Any child over age 6 or thereabouts will like this film. Even if you're not into kiddie films or don't have kids, check this out, for Gerard Butler if for no other reason...

Don't Walk, Wag

I write a lot about movies on my other blog, The Crab Chronicles, so there is bound to be some cross pollination happening. I wanted to share an excerpt here of todays' post from there, because it recommends a terrific movie, Wag the Dog.

I understand that "Walk Hard, the Dewey Cox Story" is about to be released on DVD, or maybe is already out. I saw that movie. I was awful, IMHO. I have seen all the biopics it skewers, and it just stinks. Almost none of the satire works. I don't think I laughed out loud but once or twice. There are extended, gratuitous shots of male frontal nudity IN CLOSEUP. Not funny. Not only should children not see it, NOBODY should see it. I have long admired John C. Reilly, and this could have been really funny, but it isn't. It's just stupid.

Anyway, don't waste your money on Walk Hard. Get "Wag" instead. Here's my take on Wag the Dog:

Our movie selection last night was a movie that came out about 10 years ago called Wag the Dog . It's a political comedy of errors, and it's brilliant. Robert DeNiro stars and was a producer. Barry Levinson directed, and David Mamet was one of the screenplay writers.

The premise is that the president has been caught in a compromising position with a Firefly Girl [pseudonym for a girl scout, obviously] and is facing re-election in two weeks. Yes, Clinton was president when this was made. DeNiro is brought in to "fix" the situation, and decides to create a phony "war" and divert everyone's attention from the president's peccadilloes. Dustin Hoffman plays a Hollywood producer who helps create the fake news footage.

I explained the premise to the kids before it started. I even stopped the film a couple of times to explain it, because I could see it was going over their heads. Heck, it was tough for me to understand the first time I saw it. On the plus side, there is no nudity or onscreen violence. There are some curse words, but I don't get too riled about those. At one point Michael turned to me, eyes twinkling, and said "You show these words to us and you have to expect us to say them?" and I replied, "Nope, you know better than that."

After the film was over, both kids said they REALLY didn't like the movie. "It was stupid!" Alesia groused. Michael nodded. He spent most of the movie fidgeting. However, having sat through Jungle Book and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang recently, for the 100th time, I was not in a mood to be generous. "You think this movie was stupid, but High School Musical is a great film?!" I snapped. Alesia giggled.

The Other Boleyn Girl

I got to do something I rarely get to do, last night - go to a grownup movie. Just choosing a movie without worrying whether or not it's appropriate for kids is a rare treat.

I have always been fascinated by history, so the Other Boleyn Girl appealed to me. The story focuses as much on Mary Boleyn as it does on her sister Ann Boleyn.  Just this morning I found this , which explains the actual history. Hollywood always has to simplify stories. For instance, the website says Mary didn't visit Ann when she was imprisoned in the tower before her execution. In the film it shows a tearful reunion, and even shows Mary attending her sister's beheading.

When I was in about 6th grade I developed a fascination for Henry VIII and his 6 wives, and read everything I could find about them. The subject is quite fascinating. Since I was raised Episcopalian, it was doubly fascinating, since Henry started the Church of England.

This film, The Other Boleyn Girl , was a big disappointment.

However, there was one thing I liked - the attention to period detail. The costumes were magnificent. The settings, furniture, jewelry - everything was amazing. I have been to Hampton Court, Henry's home, and the film is very authentic in its setting. One period detail they missed was that Henry VIII had red hair and blue eyes. Eric Bana, the actor who played him, has dark hair and eyes. So I never thought of him as king.

The disappointment was mainly that the film was so simplistic. It didn't show the intelligence and wit and subtlety of the time. The English Court was an amazing hive of intellectual activity. The film simply showed some of the intrigue and manipulation - fascinating, but not enough to be convincing. This should have been a meaty movie - instead, it was more like an appetizer pretending to be a main dish.

The director seemed to want to only do closeups. I don't care about seeing every pore on Scarlet Johanson or Natalie Portman's faces. Ick.

The performances by Kristin Scott Thomas as Ann and Mary's mother was excellent. I haven't seen her in anything lately, so it was nice to see her again onscreen. She was excellent. I just wish she had been onscreen more. Ana Torrent, an actress I'd never heard of, played Katharine of Aragon, and she was also remarkable. I'd like to have seen more of her.

Henry was a notorious womanizer, and there are plenty of bedroom shenanigans here. In fact, it's sort of a Desperate Housewives version of English History.

Don't see this. Rent Ann of a Thousand Days, or either one of the Cate Blanchett films about Elizabeth. Those are far better.