Dearest Blog, yesterday I talked myself into a double bill for which I
had zero enthusiasm: The Book of Life and John Wick. Hoping for at
least one pleasant surprise, off to the cinema I went.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
First on my agenda was the animated feature The Book of Life.
Torn
between his own dreams and his family's expectations, a young man
fights for the woman he loves...in the worlds of the living and of the
dead.
Dear reader(s), I was pretty excited at the prospect of an
animated movie based on the Day of the Dead, anticipating a fascinating
tale told with beautiful art. Then I saw a trailer and...um...okay,
sometimes a ho-hum trailer isn't really a fair indicator of a movie's
quality, right? Unfortunately...
The Book of Life represents one
of the worst afternoons I've ever spent at the movies. I can't remember
the last time I was this bored with a picture, and if I hoped the art
and animation might compensate for some of the story's flaws, well, I
hoped in vain. I'm not saying the movie doesn't have some beautiful
illustrations and eye-popping colors, but, for the most part, it's
sub-par and even ugly at times (specifically, characters with long,
warty noses...what's up with that??).
The notable exceptions are the
characters who rule over the Lands of the Remembered and the Forgotten,
La Muerte and Xibalba, both of which are stunning. The leading voice
talent--Diego Luna, Channing Tatum, and Zoe Saldana--all mail it in,
none seemingly having even the slightest interest in the proceedings.
The alleged humor is puerile and flat, I don't think I laughed even
once.
In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I'll admit my
experience was not at all enhanced by the mother sitting next to me who
texted for the literally the entire movie, and another behind me who
allowed her small child to cry and talk loudly throughout, apparently
never considering that taking him outside would be more appropriate than
letting him ruin the movie for everyone else.
Still, I was bored enough
to know I wouldn't have liked this much better even if I'd had the
place to myself.
The Book of Life runs the longest 95 minutes
ever, and is rated PG for "mild action, rude humor, some thematic
elements, and brief scary images." (For my money, the imagery alone is
entirely too scary for smaller children.)
Of a possible nine
Weasleys, The Book of Life gets one.
If you're looking for some quality
seasonal animation to share with your children, please go out and grab a
copy of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! or The Nightmare Before
Christmas instead.
Next on the docket was John Wick.
Keanu
Reeves stars as a former hitman who comes out of retirement to take
revenge on those who took what was most precious to him.
Since the
John Wick trailer divulges that the baddies kill Wick's dog, a final
gift from his deceased wife, that is not a spoiler for purposes of this
review.
It does, however, break my cardinal rule of movies and TV, which
is: kill all the humans you want, but leave the dog alone. The movie
doesn't linger on the event itself, and it is the catalyst for basically
everything else that happens, so I'll have to give the filmmakers a
reluctant pass on this one.
John Wick is the pleasant surprise for
which I'd hoped yesterday, a fun actioner that is smart enough to know
what it is and to not wear out its welcome.
Keanu Reeves is, as
always, an engaging lead. Nevermind he's kind of a terrible actor, I
love him in everything and someone else must too, given the fact that he
continues to find regular work. Williem Dafoe has a terrific supporting
turn as one of Wick's old business acquaintances, and the movie is so
much the better for a brief appearance by the magnificent Ian McShane.
The rest of the supporting cast is a veritable who's who of "that guy
who was in that thing"--oh, hey, Mayhem and Sammy Winchester's
girlfriend and Theon Greyjoy!!
The action is strong and bloody and
thoroughly entertaining. Fast cars and big shoot-em-ups keep the film
moving at a slick pace, never leaving the viewer too much time to
consider how baddies always wait their turn when they outnumber the hero
in hand-to-hand combat. John Wick has all the striking visuals I was
looking for in The Book of Life--MAJOR kudos for cinematography,
production design, and art direction--and a super score that sets a
perfect tone every step of the way.
John Wick is rated R for "strong and bloody violence throughout, language and brief drug use."
It
may not have been one of the more anticipated titles of 2014, but John
Wick is definitely one of the most pleasant surprises. Of a possible
nine Weasleys, John Wick gets six and a half.
Until next time...
100% certified badass!
