Wall-E, Get Smart

Ironically, of the eight movies I brought for my father to see over Thanksgiving break, we only got around to watching the two I rented while I was home, Wall-E and Get Smart.  Ah well.  That being the case, I figure I might as well write recommendations for those two next.  

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Title: Wall-E

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Summary: In the distant future, a small waste collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind. [imdb.com]

Genre: animation, comedy, social commentary, romance, sci-fi

Audience: Everyone.  Seriously.  I've not met a single person who didn't like this movie.

Occasion: Any time you need a heart-warming, uplifting crowd-pleaser.  

Watch every minute? Not necessary, but you'll miss some of the subtleties if you don't.

Big Screen vs. Small Screen: Fantastic on the big screen, fun on the small screen.

Why I liked it: From the minute I saw the teaser (I recommend watching the vingettes, too) for Wall-E in the run of previews before Ratatouille, I was excited about this movie.  First of all, it's a Pixar film, and they have never disappointed.  That's a huge selling point.  But secondly, from the moment I saw him, I just fell in love with the character of Wall-E, and I wanted to know his story.  He's a robot, sure, but he's also curious and good-hearted and heart-breakingly lonely.  

The film itself is brilliant.  As Peter Travers, the movie critic for "Rolling Stone" writes, "The virtually dialogue-free first half hour is jaw-dropping perfection," and the film only gets better from there.  Some might question my classification of Wall-E as a romance, seeing as it's a movie about robots in the future, but the love story between Wall-E and Eve that is truly magical.

"Own it" vs. "Once is enough": Oh, own it.  You know you want to.  This is one of those movies that I will be asking for for Christmas, and hopefully I'll get the three-disk special edition, which I've been told is packed full of interesting features.  This one's not on my shelf yet, but it will be shortly. 

If you liked...: Toy Story, Toy Story II, A Bug's Life, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Over the Hedge, E.T., Chicken Little... I could go on.  Just see the movie.  Really.  It's that good.

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Title: Get Smart

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Summary: Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 for CONTROL, battles the forces of KAOS with the more-competent Agent 99 at his side. [imdb.com]

Genre: spy, comedy, action, spoof, homage

Audience: Fans of the original Get Smart TV Show (they did consult Mel Brooks for the movie, so it really is that good); anyone with a sense of humor; not good to watch if you don't like slapstick or bodily humor.  

Occasion: Good for a laugh that you don't really have to think about.

Watch every minute? Not necessary, but you'll laugh harder if you do.

Big Screen vs. Small Screen: Either

Why I liked it: This movie is a perfect blend of humor, spoof, and feel-good-ness.  Yes, that's right, feel-good-ness.  Steve Carell plays Maxwell Smart, a character who you think is going to be completely incompetent, but proves to be quite good at both being an CONTROL Analyst and an unorthodox, but effective Agent, for all that common sense isn't really his strong suit.  Anne Hathaway plays his unwilling partner and is a good as she is in everything (even The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, which were popular, but very silly movies), and Dwyane Johnson (a.k.a. "The Rock") does a great job as the slick, competent Agent 23.  As one would expect with a movie based on a show by Mel Brooks, it balances the funny with just the right amount of serious, and it just a darn good time. 

"Own it" vs. "Once is enough": Obviously, I've seen this movie more than once.  This is one that I would own, if only so I could show it to others without having to rent it.  I can see wanting to see this more than three times.  

If you liked...: The 40-year Old Virgin, True Lies, Blazing Saddles, Get Smart (the TV show)

Thank You For Smoking, Lucky # Slevin

When I called my dad and told him that I was coming to town for Thanksgiving, he told me bring a few movies along that I might want to share with the rest of the family. Because what better to do on Turkey Thursday--after you've eaten yourself comatose--then to sit around with people you love (or at least tolerate) and watch something entertaining.

Two of the (eight) movies I brought were: Thank You For Smoking and Lucky # Slevin

This is merely a small sampling of the movies I have on my shelf, but not a bad place to start.

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Title: Thank You For Smoking

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Summary: Satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his twelve-year-old son. [imdb.com]

Genre: Satire, Comedy, Dark Humor

Audience: Best for those with a sense of humor, who don't take things too seriously; probably not younger children, they wouldn't have the patience for it.

Occasion: Good for a laugh, good to watch with friends

Watch every minute? Probably best, but not necessary.

Big screen/small screen: Either.

Why I like it: When I first saw the trailer, I thought, "Who would make a movie thanking people for smoking? That's stupid." Very silly of me, I know, but it's hard to help our snap judgments. (There's a whole book on that by Malcolm Gladwell, but that's a post for a different blog.) I almost didn't see it because of my initial reaction to the trailer. But then it started to get a lot of positive buzz from the critics and my friends all wanted to see it, so I decided maybe it was worth a shot.

So, I did. And it was worth it, definitely. Thank You For Smoking is the best kind of witty and satirical, because it also poignant and thought-provoking. It has almost the perfect blend of laugh-out-loud moments with touching moments. Starring at the head of a fantastic cast of characters (among them Sam Elliot, Rob Lowe, William H. Macy, and Robert Duvall), Aaron Eckhart almost makes you sympathetic for someone who promotes tobacco for a living.

If you liked...: I honestly have no idea.  I trolled the internet for almost an hour looking for sites that would give me recommendations based off of a particular film.  Two of the best I found were Blockbuster.com (but you have to be a member), and the Internet Movie Database (one of my favorite sites, ever).  

Of the movies recommended there, I could kind of see liking this movie if you liked American Beauty, and my step-brother says that he can see liking it if you liked Sideways, which I regret to say I have not yet seen.  But The Big Lebowski? Knocked Up?  Not that I dislike those movies, don't get me wrong, but... they're just not what comes to mind when I think of Thank You For Smoking.  The humor in Thank You seems more... sophisticated, somehow.  

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Title: Lucky # Slevin

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Summary: A case of mistaken identity lands Slevin into the middle of a war being plotted by two of the city's rival crime bosses: The Rabbi and The Boss. [imdb.com]

Genre: Dark Humor, Crime

Audience: No one who dislikes violence; Probably not younger children.

Occasion: In the mood for a good twist.

Watch every minute? Definitely. You'll miss something if you don't.

Big screen vs. Small screen: Big screen is better, but you don't lose much on the small screen.

Why I like it: Lucky # Slevin is a fantastic movie for a bunch of reasons that I'm not sure I can adequately explain.  It's off-the-wall and irreverent when it's funny, dramatic and thrilling when it's serious, and just damn good.  There are moments that evoke the absurd, and it has one of the best twists in any movie I've ever seen.  Josh Hartnett does an amazing job as the main character, and Bruce Willis is wickedly clever and fun.  Add to that Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, and Lucy Liu (who plays my favorite character), and you've got a movie worth seeing for the cast alone.

 

If you liked...: Pulp Fiction, The Usual Suspects, The Professional, or Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang you will thoroughly enjoy this movie. (I might even add L.A. Confidential to this list, just for kicks.)