Troll Hunter is a low budget Scandinavian found footage movie about a three college kids who are making a documentary about a troll hunter. I know it sounds totally pants, but it is actually quite good. (Full disclosure I was sick on the couch with a stomach flu when I watched it.) The story is surprisingly interesting and the characters are surprisingly well realized.
The whole idea is that this group of friends set out to film a bear hunt, but instead stumble across a giant government cover up. Trolls are real, the government knows, and has an agency dedicated to keeping trolls and humans safe from each other. There are designated troll habitats and as long as the trolls stay on their own land everything is fine. When one leaves and starts causing trouble like killing cows or hikers, the TSS sends out Hans to deal with the troll. Once the troll is taken care of clean up crews come in and make things look like say a rabid bear or a tornado. It is vaguely Men in Blackish.
The movie looks good too. The shots of the Norwegian countryside are spectacular. The effects for the trolls are the perfect blend of cheap and well done. Trolls are clunky creatures. The interior shots are sufficiently bleak to set the tone of Hans. The found footage trope mostly works. The chase scenes early on are enhanced by it, but by the end it was a little distracting.
The movie also has an underlying moral message about living in harmony with nature. Trolls aren't evil. They are just wild animals whose habitat is threatened.
I'd recommend Troll Hunter as a pay rental. It was good fun for a sick day.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Chuck is Over
Chuck was one of my favorite shows of all time. I know it was often ridiculous and had plot holes a space shuttle could fly through, but the show's heart was in the right place. It offered up likable characters that I genuinely wanted to succeed. Even the superfluous characters like Jefster and Morgan had a certain charm.
I am sad that the show is over and even sadder at the way it ended. I wasn't expecting a great ending that displayed all of the best parts of the show. Finales usually don't hit that mark and most wouldn't work if they tried. A finale is for wrapping things up and sending the heroes into the sunset. On one level the Chuck finale succeeded in that it wrapped up the spying and sent the characters into the sunset.
The thing that really got me was that they didn't let Chuck and Sara have their happy ending. All of the other characters, even Jefster, saw their dreams realized and moved onto the next stage of their lives. Meanwhile Chuck and Sara are left wondering if they will ever get their life back. The writers do drop a lot of hints that it will all work out and Sara will get her memory back, but they leave the question hanging. I choose to believe that the kiss is the key and that, like Morgan, Sara will get the important parts of her memory back. However, it would have been better if the writers answered the question before the sunset. It is not like there will be a sequel or a movie to finish things up. Chuck was generally a show that showed all of its cards. Leaving this key card hidden feels gratuitous and out of character for the show. Chuck and Sara were the center of the show and deserved a neater bow.
I am sad that the show is over and even sadder at the way it ended. I wasn't expecting a great ending that displayed all of the best parts of the show. Finales usually don't hit that mark and most wouldn't work if they tried. A finale is for wrapping things up and sending the heroes into the sunset. On one level the Chuck finale succeeded in that it wrapped up the spying and sent the characters into the sunset.
The thing that really got me was that they didn't let Chuck and Sara have their happy ending. All of the other characters, even Jefster, saw their dreams realized and moved onto the next stage of their lives. Meanwhile Chuck and Sara are left wondering if they will ever get their life back. The writers do drop a lot of hints that it will all work out and Sara will get her memory back, but they leave the question hanging. I choose to believe that the kiss is the key and that, like Morgan, Sara will get the important parts of her memory back. However, it would have been better if the writers answered the question before the sunset. It is not like there will be a sequel or a movie to finish things up. Chuck was generally a show that showed all of its cards. Leaving this key card hidden feels gratuitous and out of character for the show. Chuck and Sara were the center of the show and deserved a neater bow.
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Fighter
H and I watched The Fighter on Netflix this past weekend. I found it to be Rocky for the artsy crowd. The plot is the typical stuff. Without knowing any of the real life story of Micky Ward, I knew the basic plot five minutes into the movie. It didn't matter much since I like a good zero to hero redemption tale. I like it even more when there is fighting involved.
What makes The Fighter special are the performances. The male leads, Whalberg and Bale, are excellent.
Whalberg plays Micky with deft physicality. It would have been easy for Micky to be seen as dull or even a tool, but Whalberg brings the character's grace and strength to the fore.
Bale does the opposite. He takes a manic and overly verbal joke and humanizes him. Dicky could easily have become annoying and unlikable. He talks too much and sucks the oxygen out of the room. In Bale's capable hands, however, Dicky becomes human. Even early in the movie, you can see the love and loyalty alongside the fear and desperation in Dicky. It makes the transformation at the end of the movie believable.
I recommend seeing this movie. It has a good, if predictable, story that showcases several great performances.
What makes The Fighter special are the performances. The male leads, Whalberg and Bale, are excellent.
Whalberg plays Micky with deft physicality. It would have been easy for Micky to be seen as dull or even a tool, but Whalberg brings the character's grace and strength to the fore.
Bale does the opposite. He takes a manic and overly verbal joke and humanizes him. Dicky could easily have become annoying and unlikable. He talks too much and sucks the oxygen out of the room. In Bale's capable hands, however, Dicky becomes human. Even early in the movie, you can see the love and loyalty alongside the fear and desperation in Dicky. It makes the transformation at the end of the movie believable.
I recommend seeing this movie. It has a good, if predictable, story that showcases several great performances.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Your Highness
Given the awesome cast signed up to this film, I had high hopes. I should have remembered that the quality of a movie is often inversely proportional to the number of hot stars that are in it.
The performances are passable, but it is pretty obvious that Natalie Portman is not a comedic actor and neither is James Franco. While they have superb dramatic skills, they were unable to find the sweet spot for a satiric performance that was funny because it was supposed to be and not because it was so bad.
The humor also was a let down. The jokes relied too heavily on homo jokes and dick jokes. Sure one or two jokes about macho men being unknowingly gay is funny, but an hour and forty minutes of it is wearing. The rest of the dick jokes were just lame.
I certainly hope that Portman and Franco look back on this movie as a bad mistake. Maybe they will feel guilty enough to make up for the hours wasted by people watching this shlock. If I wasn't trapped on a plane for three hours I would have walked out of this just after seeing Portman semi-nude. That is the only good thing in the whole film.
The performances are passable, but it is pretty obvious that Natalie Portman is not a comedic actor and neither is James Franco. While they have superb dramatic skills, they were unable to find the sweet spot for a satiric performance that was funny because it was supposed to be and not because it was so bad.
The humor also was a let down. The jokes relied too heavily on homo jokes and dick jokes. Sure one or two jokes about macho men being unknowingly gay is funny, but an hour and forty minutes of it is wearing. The rest of the dick jokes were just lame.
I certainly hope that Portman and Franco look back on this movie as a bad mistake. Maybe they will feel guilty enough to make up for the hours wasted by people watching this shlock. If I wasn't trapped on a plane for three hours I would have walked out of this just after seeing Portman semi-nude. That is the only good thing in the whole film.
2012
So this is the last year of the Mayan calendar, so the world might end in December. If that is the case, which I doubt, there is a lot of living left to squeeze into the year....
For me, less is usually more so I'm not going to clutter the year up with lots of big plans and lofty must accomplish goals. Instead, I'm going to set myself a few things to guide how I live this year:
1. I'm going to value time with my family over time at work.
2. I will do my best in all things that I do.
3. I will read indiscriminately.
4. I will prefer outdoor time to screen time.
5. I will stay active.
6. I will eat healthy with the occasional chocolate and ice cream.
7. I will try to relax.
These are just guiding principles. They are not mandates. They are not goals to be reached.
Mandates, goals, resolutions are just another way to beat yourself up. They are carrots to chase and hoops to jump through on the way to the next goal. They are not a way to live a life.
If they Mayans were right, I don't want to be looking back from the end of the world wishing I had accomplished some goal. I want to be happy knowing that I had lived life.
For me, less is usually more so I'm not going to clutter the year up with lots of big plans and lofty must accomplish goals. Instead, I'm going to set myself a few things to guide how I live this year:
1. I'm going to value time with my family over time at work.
2. I will do my best in all things that I do.
3. I will read indiscriminately.
4. I will prefer outdoor time to screen time.
5. I will stay active.
6. I will eat healthy with the occasional chocolate and ice cream.
7. I will try to relax.
These are just guiding principles. They are not mandates. They are not goals to be reached.
Mandates, goals, resolutions are just another way to beat yourself up. They are carrots to chase and hoops to jump through on the way to the next goal. They are not a way to live a life.
If they Mayans were right, I don't want to be looking back from the end of the world wishing I had accomplished some goal. I want to be happy knowing that I had lived life.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
ChronicTaco
While wandering around the suburbs of Vegas looking for food, I found Chronic Tacos in an oasis of strip mall stores. It is a small taco and burrito joint with a distinctly skate punk decor. Don't let the decor put you off though, the food is good if you are looking for basic burritos or tacos. I got a chicken burrito with hot salsa and it was on par with Chipolte Grill. The chips were also excellent.
The ordering process was similar to other joints in the genre. You tell them what you want and they custom build your meal out of the available meats, rices, beans and toppings. All of the food was fresh, but I'm not sure how local, GM free, or organic it was. They kid who served me also had a distinctly skater punk feel, but the other workers looked very Mexican. All of them were polite and efficient.
Overall I enjoyed the meal. If I lived in Vegas, I'd considered making Chronic Taco a regular joint.
The ordering process was similar to other joints in the genre. You tell them what you want and they custom build your meal out of the available meats, rices, beans and toppings. All of the food was fresh, but I'm not sure how local, GM free, or organic it was. They kid who served me also had a distinctly skater punk feel, but the other workers looked very Mexican. All of them were polite and efficient.
Overall I enjoyed the meal. If I lived in Vegas, I'd considered making Chronic Taco a regular joint.
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