The Wendell Baker Story

I went to see The Wendell Baker Story this morning. I only got to see the first half because the projector ate the film, but the first half had me interested enough to see the end.

The movie has a certain hometown kind of charm, even though I'm not from Austin. Luke Wilson plays title character Wendell Baker, a relentlessly cheerful guy lacking introspection, but full of entrepreneurial ideas--most of them illegal. Wendell has a girlfriend Doreen who just adores him and he adores her, although he doesn't show it much.

The movie starts with a voiceover by Wendell. He says that people always say you never know what you have until it's gone, but that he knew what he had, he just didn't realize how soon it would all be gone. The film continues in that vein, with pithy lines sometimes profound and often funny.

Wendell Baker is such a likeable character that I know I'll come back to this one. And I'll probably get the soundtrack, too. The music is seemingly random, but it really sets the tone, if that makes any sense. I'm not sure what "Scarlet Begonias" has to do with Wendell's insurance scam, but it fit for some reason.

Movie Review -- Night at the Museum

I spent New Year's Eve at the movie theater watching Night at the Museum. I'm not the only one. The theater was packed. Judging by the crowd reactions, I'm not alone in my enjoyment of this comedy. It was great!

Ben Stiller plays a divorced dad who doesn't really have his act together, but he needs to because his ten-year-old son is starting to notice. He gets a job as the night guard at the Museum of Natural History and finds out that the exhibits come to life at night. Things get messy the first night, but slowly, he learns important life lessons while bringing the museum under control and impressing his young son.

But don't think it's preachy. It's not. And even if it was, I was laughing too much to notice. Owen Wilson plays a cowboy in a diorama who is leading the charge against the neighboring Romans (also in a diorama) led by Octavius (Steve Coogan). The two tiny guys were one of the most enjoyable parts of the film.

I'd definitely recommend Night at the Museum.

Happy Feet - Movie Review

Happy Feet is such a funny movie. I loved it. The kids loved it.

The premise of the movie is that there are too few fish in the Antarctic waters. The hero penguin of the movie is blamed for the famine because he is different -- he dances while everyone else sings. He tries to convince the elder penguins he is normal, just different. Then he tries to fake his ability to sing. Finally, he goes on a quest to find out what is happening to the fish, hoping the penguins will appreciate him once he has proven himself.

Happy Feet is a musical, so the penguins sing and dance at every opportunity. I highly recommend this movie. It's good, clean fun and it doesn't contain the heavy-handed moralizing that so many film critics said it did.

Guilherme Marcondi Shorts

Guilherme Marcondi has some talent! If you like the video below, look at the shorts on Marcondi's site. Have your sound on when you watch this.

Animator vs Animation

Here's another one that's popular around our house: Animator vs Animation. Both the first and the second are great. A stick figure decides he doesn't like the animator's plans for him and fights back. Quite amusing.

When I Dream

In looking up the acting careers of the Lost cast, I found out that Yun Jin Kim is a very popular film actress in Asia. I'll have to get hold of some of her movies--dubbed, of course. On Lost Fanatic, I posted When I Dream, a video from Shiri, her first feature film, where she plays a North Korean assassin who falls in love with a South Korean agent.

Chad Vader

Have you seen the short films about Chad Vader? He's the younger, less charismatic brother of Darth Vader. It's fine for all ages, but the younger kids probably won't get it. The films are about six or eight minutes each.

Movie Review - Scooby-Doo in Pirates Ahoy!

Scooby-Doo in Pirates Ahoy! came out, appropriately enough, on International Talk Like A Pirate Day. We had to rush to the store and buy this one immediately after school. My daughter finished her homework in record time and we snuggled up to watch this latest Scooby adventure.

The Scooby gang is going on a cruise, courtesy of Fred's parents. Shaggy and Scooby are thrilled that they get a non-spooky vacation. Of course, you and I know that something will happen, and it does. When they enter the Bermuda Triangle, a green glowing fog surrounds the ship and ghost pirates board the cruise ship. Fred's mom is turned into a zombie pirate and the gang must figure out a way to save everyone.

Lots of pratfalls and generally goofy stuff happens and Scooby and Shaggy save the day. (Oops! Was that a spoiler?)

The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the new treatment of Daphne. She's goofy and imperfect--very un-Daphne-esque. I'm not sure why they chose to do that. It sort of took away from Shaggy and Scooby and their goofiness.

Still, if your kid is a big Scooby fan, this will satisfy. Big thumbs up.

Movie Review - Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses

Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses

This latest addition to the Barbie made-for-DVD movies is a charmer. Barbie is Genevieve, one of twelve daughters of a widowed king. The girls have a happy life until the king is made aware of his daughters' less than princesslike behavior, such as walking on stilts, having insects as pets, and reading books.

The king brings in the Duchess Rowena to teach the girls courtly ways. Immediately, things change as the duchess removes the color from their lives--grey dresses, grey bedspreads, no toys, books, or other things--and sets up a regimented schedule for them. This is particularly hardest on the nearly five-year-old triplets, but when the king, their father, mysteriously takes ill, things go downhill for the girls fast.

When the triplets' birthday arrives, the sisters wake them with the traditional birthday morning song, a dance, and presents. Duchess Rowena arrives and puts a halt to the celebration. Later that evening, the princesses look at the gifts. While their mother was still alive, she had a book made for each daughter. These books, when taken together, hold a key to a magical place the princesses can escape to each night.

Only one part might be frightening, and that was when Duchess Rowena discovered the magical place and trapped them there. I had to reassure my daughter that the princesses would use their minds to figure out an escape and help their father.

Overall, though, this is a good movie for little girls who like fairy tales. Lots of dancing, singing, and lovely visuals keep children entranced.