THE MUPPETS

84th Academy Award for Best Original Score


Musical comedy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan (voice of Peter Liz)
Jason Segel: his brother Gary
Amy Adams: Gary’s schoolteacher sweetheart Mary
Chris Cooper: evil oil baron Tex Richman
Kermit the Frog, spokesman and leader of the Muppets (voice of Steve Whitmire)
Fozzie Bear, perfomer with a tribute band called the Moopets (voice of Eric Jacobson)
Gonzo, plumbing magnate (voice of Dave Goelz)
Animal undergoing anger management counselling (voice of Eric Jacobson)
Jack Black as celebrity host
Emily Blunt: receptionist at Vogue magazine
Miss Piggy: plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris (voice of Eric Jacobson)
Rashida Jones: television network executive Veronica Martin

REVIEW
Getting the old gang together to put on “The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever” to raise $10 million provides lots of opportunities for the many song and dance routines leading up to the big event. Although things start off a bit slowly once Walter and his friends get to Los Angeles we’re on a roll. And what good fun it is.

The producers have retained several of the essential elements of the original television series: high-profile cameos (including Mickey Rooney, Alan Arkin, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez and a host of others) as well as witty dialogue and occasionally breaking the fourth wall.

As one movie-goer was heard to say “Jim Henson would be pleased with what they’ve done”.

CLASSIFICATION

for some mild rude humor.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
Miss Piggy may be the prettiest of the bunch but her geography is a bit off as she said she had travelled 5,000 miles to get to Los Angeles from Paris. In fact these two cities are over 6,000 miles apart.

P.S.
A short film called Small Fry precedes the movie and is an added bonus. Also I suggest you stick around for the closing credits to see "Mah Na Mah Na" sung by various cast members.

P.S.S.
In a traditional stage setting of three walls the so-called fourth wall is an imaginary one between the performers and the audience. Speaking directly to the audience through this wall breaks the established parameters between the two and as such generally is to be avoided.

HUGO

84th Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects

Fantasy adventure

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Asa Butterfield: 12-year-old Hugo Cabret
Jude Law: Hugo's father, a clockmaker
Ray Winstone: Hugo's Uncle Claude
Sacha Baron Cohen: the Station Inspector
Ben Kingsley: Papa Georges Méliès, toy shop owner
Chloë Grace Moretz: his goddaughter, 12-year-old Isabelle
Christopher Lee: elderly bookseller Monsieur Labisse
Emily Mortimer: flowershop girl Lisette
Helen McCrory: Papa's wife Mama Jeanne

REVIEW
A family affair best seen in 3-D, this fairy tale about a boy who lives alone in a Paris train station is but half the story. Midway through we get to learn about one of history’s original filmmakers. Some of the old movie recreations are repetitive with the result the running time exceeds two hours, about a half hour too long in my view.

Apart from that interlude there is a magical quality about the film in keeping with traditional storytelling and it is engaging enough to keep even the youngest movie-goer attentive throughout.

CLASSIFICATION

for mild thematic material, some action/peril and smoking.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• From the opening scene as the camera swoops in from above we see that the train station is one with a clock tower. The Gare de Lyon train station is one of six large railway terminals in Paris. Most notable is the large clock tower atop one corner of the station which has 13 lines leading into the station, not six as seen in the opening shot.
• An exterior close-up of the clock shows it to be exactly 7 o’clock but moments later seen from inside the clock it is 7:15.
• The clock face has Arabic numbers whereas in reality they are Roman numerals.
• A steam train did indeed crash though a Paris train station in 1895 but it was the Gare Montparnasse not the Gare de Lyon.
• Until the Empire State Building was constructed in 1939, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure on earth so Hugo and Isabelle could not have looked down on it from inside the clock tower.

THE DESCENDANTS

84th Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay

Dramatic comedy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
George Clooney: Matt King, a real-estate lawyer
Patricia Hastie: his wife Elizabeth
Amara Miller: their 10-year-old daughter Scottie
Shailene Woodley: Scottie’s 17-year-old year sister Alexandra
Mary Birdsong: Matt’s neighbour Kai Mitchell
Rob Huebel: her husband Mark
Nick Krause: Alex’s stoner friend Sid
Robert Forster: Matt's father-in-law Scott
Beau Bridges: Matt's cousin Hugh
Judy Greer: Julie Speer
Matthwe Lillard: her real estate husband Brian

REVIEW
Carefully balancing comedy with family drama provides for a very enjoyable film experience that mirrors real life. And so we buy into it. With a well developed story line, the complexities of the situation never get muddled nor confusing.

It’s nice to see Clooney actually do some real acting for a change rather than just being himself in some mindless caper with his buddies. The man can do it. However the supporting cast are no slouches either, especially Miller and Woodley. Hopefully we’ll see more of them in the future.

As an added bonus we get to see the real Hawaii, not just the stunning locations such as the iconic Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head in the background but also the more mundane downtown Honolulu, surburbia and the undeveloped rural areas. You can see why it’s called “paradise”.

CLASSIFICATION

for language including some sexual references.

ARTHUR CHRISTMAS

Animated fantasy

PRINCIPAL VOICES
Ramona Marquez: Gwen, a little girl
James McAvoy: Arthur, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause
Hugh Laurie: their oldest son Steve
Jim Broadbent: Santa Clause
Imelda Stauton: Mrs. Santa Clause
Bill Nighy: Grandsanta, Santa's 136-year-old father
Ashley Jensen: Bryony, an elf from the Giftwrap Battalion

REVIEW
A rather creative and entirely new approach to the traditional Santa Clause story, this is about his two sons and their efforts towards getting the job done. In this case, the job is to deliver presents to all the boys and girls. Something the target audience of youngsters are all too familiar with and this keeps them enthralled.

Along the way there are a few laughs and a rip roaring trip to various continents until things get sorted out. The animation is first rate with the colours bright and lively.

One quibble I have though is the plot premise that Steve, the Operations Manager and heir apparent to Santa, is quite satisfied that most kids have got their present so there’s no need to get excited about one little girl that got overlooked. The fact Santa does not step in and insist this be rectified does not fit with the Santa of old.

CLASSIFICATION

for some mild rude humor.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
The Toronto skyline is missing the iconic CN Tower.

HAPPY FEET TWO

Animated action/adventure

PRINCIPAL VOICES
Elijah Wood: Mumble, an Emperor Penguin
Alecia Moore: his wife Gloria
Ava Acres: their son Erik
Robin Williams: Ramón and Lovelace
Meibh Campbell: Eirk’s friend Roadica
Lil P-Nut: their friend Atticus
Hank Azaria: a puffin, The Mighty Sven, ruler of Adélie-Land
Sofia Vergara: Ramón’s love interest Carmen
Brad Pitt: Will the Krill
Matt Damon: his friend Bill the Krill
Richard Carter: Bryan the Beach Master, an Elephant Seal
Hugo Weaving: Noah the Elder

REVIEW
Not a total mess, but close to it, this sequel doesn’t come close to the original. Just one look at the list of characters gives you some idea what you’re in for, a rambling storyline intercut with musical numbers. In fact, it plays out more as a musical than a traditional kid’s movie. And what a musical mix it is, from hip hop and rap to an operatic aria solo.

Along the way there are wholesome lessons about hope and self-confidence even though some will question the wisdom of promoting the idea about “achieving what you want by willing it to happen”. Try willing to fly and see what happens! Giving unrealistic expectations to young ones is bound to cause some difficulties in life.

All the characters are beautifully rendered and some images of Antarctica are simply stunning. The two krill buddies provide some comedic relief as most of their puns are real “groaners”. Thankfully the producers have kept the requisite rude bathroom noises to a bare minimum.

CLASSIFICATION

for mild peril and some rude humor.

A VERY HAROLD & KUMAR

Comedy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
John Cho: businessman Harold Lee
Tom Lennon: Todd, one of his associates
Kal Penn: Harold’s old buddy Kumar
Patton Oswalt: Kal’s supplier Larry
Paula Garcés: Lee’s wife Maria
Amir Blumenfeld: Kal’s buddy Adrian
Danny Trejo: Maria’s father

REVIEW
Anyone who saw the first in this series would know what they’re getting into. I did not so it was a bit of a shocker to find out it’s about potheads and the humour is the raunchy type laced with vulgarities while relying on crude slapstick to garner more laughs at someone’s expense.

I left at this point as this is not my sort of movie.

CLASSIFICATION

for strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, pervasive language, drug use and some violence.

J. EDGAR

Drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Leonardo DiCaprio: J. Edgar Hoover
Judi Dench: his mother Annie
Naomi Watts: his personal secretary Helen Gandy
Armie Hammer: Agent Clyde Tolson
Josh Lucas: Aviator Charles Lindbergh
Jeffrey Donovan: Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy

REVIEW
In a series of flashbacks this biographical film covers the career of the longest serving Director of the F.B.I. including some speculative details of his private life. But that aspect of the man is not the real focus of the movie. Instead we follow his total dedication and uncompromising approach to the job, as he sees it.

Production values are first rate with particular attention paid to period detail. One thing though, I’m not sure why so much of it is shot in sepia-tones which lessens the visual impact somewhat. The acting is uniformly good with DiCaprio the best of the lot.

However typical of Clint Eastwood’s productions it is overlong running in excess of two hours. If only they had spent a little more time editing out the few tedious segments and spent less time on desaturating the film of its colour.

CLASSIFICATION

for brief strong language (brief it is with only two instances of any vulgar words).

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
The time shown on the Library of Congress clock is not the same from one scene to the next during the brief time Hoover and Miss Gandy are there.

When Hoover is in Robert F. Kennedy’s office the producers have used ADR (automated dialog replacement) whereby an actor in a sound studio repeats their lines of dialogue. If done well there is synchronization with the film action. Such is not the case in this instance.

This is one of my classic all-time favourite nitpicks: at the end of the telephone conversation Hoover hangs up and Robert F. Kennedy is left listening to the dial tone. In reality the dial tone is only heard after picking up the phone before dialling. That’s why it’s called a dial tone.

P.S.
I can’t recall the last time I saw such a lousy job of makeup but Clyde in his later years looks like he’s been embalmed rather than made to look older.