Everyone experiences moments in their lives in which escape seems like the best option. You could jump in the car, hop on a plane, or just start walking and never look back. This is, of course, impractical and that is why we don’t do it. We escape in our daydreams or briefly on holidays or we escape by reading books or watching movies. Danny Deckchair is one such escape. Danny wants a holiday…needs a holiday…and just can’t wait to get away. He works a menial job and lives with a woman who no longer really loves him and when his planned holiday is ruined by the deceit of said woman he decides to rise above it all and escape, literally. With the help of friends he ties several large helium filled balloons to his deck chair and soars off into the great unknown. His return to earth lands him in the backyard of an eccentric traffic cop in a small town where he begins to live and breathe anew.

Danny Deckchair is a quirky romantic comedy from Down Under. Romantic comedies have been around as long as movies have been around and the formulas and cliches have remained largely unchanged. Personally that is what I love about romantic comedies. The reason that they continue to be successful is that people enjoy these fairytale escapes. There really is something to be said for a feel good movie. I say all that to say that Danny Deckchair is not a groundbreaking film. It is simply a film that makes you smile and feel good and in the end makes you think about the simple pleasures of life and encourages you to enjoy those around you. While not being a groundbreaking film there are some wonderful film techniques used on occasion and the films’ color is fantastic. The small town is also very idyllic and relaxingly beautiful.

The cast of largely unknown actors/actresses is really very good. Rhys Ifans plays the role of Danny Morgan and is a splendid actor. He does a great job from the very beginning of making you feel comfortable with and compassionate towards this very simple man. A man for whom pancake breakfasts and camping in a tent are nirvana.

Miranda Otto, fresh from Lord of the Rings stardom, assumes the role of town loner Glenda Lake in whose backyard Danny arrives. Australia continues to produce lovely and talented actresses and Miranda Otto is quickly moving up on my list of favorites. She is another of those actresses who appears very natural and normal which is very appealing.

The romance that blossoms between the 2 main characters is really fun to watch as is the way this nosy small town takes to the arrival of a stranger in their midst. The rest of the cast of small town folk is just wonderful and they make me nostalgic for my own small town upbringing.

There are parts of this movie that remind me of the Frank Capra movies of old. If you enjoy simple romantic comedies I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with Danny Deckchair.

You can watch a trailer for the movie here.

For the uninitiated, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is based on a series of humorous science fiction novels written by the late Douglas Adams. I am obviously a fan of science fiction but must start this review by admitting that I am a Hitchhiker virgin. I have read nary a word of Adams’ famed series. I hang my head in shame. Considering the fact that Douglas Adams was a writer for the Monty Python troupe makes it doubly shameful that I have never visited his universe. I admit this only for the sake of saying that I cannot compare the movie to the books. Despite not having read the novels I have been looking forward to this movie with great anticipation. Unfortunately in today’s cinematic world unbridled excitement often equals disappointment once the film begins to roll. I’m happy to say that attending last night’s opening was not a disappointment.

The opening scene of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is an important one. It is the barometer by which I personally judged this film. When the opening music had faded and I heard the last “so long and thanks for all the fish” I knew that I would like this movie. The humor is vaudevillian and Pythonesque and at the same time includes a line of dry humor that runs throughout the whole of the film. The thumbnail version of the plot is that the earth is about to be obliterated to make way for a galactic superhighway and our hero, Arthur Dent, is unsuspectingly wisked off to strange new worlds by an old friend who turns out to be from outer space. Bathrobe on and towel in hand Arthur’s adventure commences and continues until the dolphins come home.

The casting in this movie was terrific. Arthur Dent was played to stunned British perfection by Martin Freeman. The character of Dent was an enjoyable hero to connect with as he was truly an average everyman who could be heroic when he needed to be. Zooey Deschanel, a favorite since hearing her incredible singing voice in Elf, plays Trillian, our heroes’ “one that got away”. Zooey is great as a very real, down-to-earth heroine. Mos Def is also great as Arthur Dent’s friend and rescuer Ford Prefect. Sam Rockwell takes on the role of Zaphod Beeblebrox, President of the Galaxy to annoying, self-centered, and brain-dead perfection. Rounding out cast is a relatively short but important performance by Bill Nighy (Slartibartfast) and the the excellent voice acting of Alan Rickman as the chronically depressed robot, Marvin.

(inhabiting the body of Marvin is none other than Willow Ulfgood himself, Warwick Davis)

The special effects in this movie are terrific. The spaceship and planetary effects are obviously done with the very best of today’s technology and, in my opinion, are at their best near the end of the movie during the initial performance of Bill Nighy (no spoilers!!!). Where I think this movie shines is in the art department. The design of the ships and their interiors has a very 80’s feel to it which complements the time period in which Adam’s wrote the novels. (Hitchhiker was published in 1979). Adams’ novels are a spoof of the conventions of science fiction and I see this humor in the design, costume, and special effects choices that were made for this movie. In simple terms this movie looked like I thought it should look.

As I said in the beginning I was not disappointed with this movie. There were several laugh-out-loud moments and both myself and the audience responded in kind. The sublte, dry, and sometimes stupid humor was also very entertaining. I attended the movie with someone who had read the books and he was very pleased with what they were able to accomplish in a 2 hour movie. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a movie that Douglas Adams was trying to have made for many years. Unfortunately Adams died tragically of a sudden heart attack in May of 2001 at the young age of 49. Douglas Adams was hailed as a both a brilliant novelist and a pioneer in the use of radio and the internet. He was developing the website h2g2 which the BBC has continued with since his death. The h2g2 website is “the unconventional Guide to Life, the Universe and Everything. It’s like an encyclopedia, only better because all the entries are written by people like you!” On this site they also “collect the best in factual writing on all manner of subjects, from comic books, films and pop music to historical figures, scientific discoveries and introductions to different religions”.

I’m looking forward to reading the novels of Douglas Adams to flesh out this universe that I thoroughly enjoyed being introduced to. I’m also looking forward to reading Don’t Panic, a biography of sorts by Neil Gaiman that not only speaks about Adams but also about how this world he created came into being. I hope Douglas Adams would be pleased with this rendering of his creation as I know that I was.

In closing I give this movie one enthusiastic thumb up:

and I say thank you, Douglas Adams.

( Douglas Adams 1952-2001)

Mostly Martha (Bella Martha) is a wonderful German movie that Mary and I watched again this weekend (thank you Netflix!). In recent years there have been a growing number of movies made that could be classified as “food and love” romances and Mostly Martha fits into that category. They are the kind of movies that make you want to go into your kitchen and prepare an amazing meal.

Martha (Martina Gedeck ) is the chef at a very posh restaurant. Her life both inside and outside of the kitchen is lived with an obsession for perfection, a fact that frequently finds her at odds with her employer and argumentative with customers who have complaints about their food. Food is Martha’s life, a fact shown humorously in her discussions during employer-ordered therapy. Martha’s ordered, and frankly lonely, existence begins to become unraveled when she becomes ward of her recently orphaned niece Lina (Maxime Foerste). Longing for someone to cook for, Martha finds herself with a house guest who refuses to eat. Martha continues to make the effort to bond with her niece but finds her to be quiet, morose, and stubborn…..traits not uncommon in Martha herself. Adding to the unraveling is the addition of a loud, up-beat Italian chef (Sergio Castellitto) into Martha’s kitchen, an addition not welcomed by Martha. In Martha’s attempts to share both her kitchen and her home we see the beginnings of Martha’s willingness to share her life.

The casting in this film is excellent. Being a German film I have not seen any of the actors/actresses before. Having seen them in these roles I couldn’t imagine anyone else stepping in. Martina Gedeck is beautiful in a very natural, non-made-up manner and she conveys the aloneness of her character so well. As she begins to interact with other characters and we see her open up this feels very natural, not forced. Sergio Castellitto is marvelous as Martha’s opposite in both mood and manner. He is a very lovable character that you like instantly.

The music in this movie is also excellent. I was very disappointed to find out that they did not have a soundtrack for this film. There are several instances in the film where solo piano music, or piano and saxaphone music, play over the sound of the film and the music in those instances is beautiful. The music during the melancholic moments of the film reminds me of some of my favorite piano music found on the album December. This film also features one of my favorite songs, Via Con Me, by Paolo Conte. The first time I heard this song was on the French Kiss soundtrack. Though there is no soundtrack someone on Amazon.com kindly made a list of the albums where the various songs can be found.

It would be a misnomer to call this movie a romantic comedy as that term frequently conjurs images of the standard, formulaic American version of a romantic comedy. There are many humorous moments in this film but they aren’t laugh-out-loud funny, they are touching comical moments that help us to better know the characters. Like many foreign movies, the pacing of this movie is not the same as similar American movies. Saying this movie is slow brings up connotations that the movie is boring when in fact it is just the opposite. In reading another review I came across this statement which I think sums up the pacing of this film, “a story like this requires patience. Patience and the love for good food are two of the requirements this film asks of us”. I agree. Like a good meal this movie is meant to be savored. I love movies in which food and food preparation play such a central part of the relationship between characters. Watching this movie over a lovingly prepared meal with good friends and a bottle of good wine would be the perfect way to experience it.

If you’re interested, the trailer can be viewed here.

The Anderson family gathered together with some friends visiting from Tulsa and went to see Sahara…mostly on the premise that no matter what the movie was like the women-folk could moon over Matthew McConaughey! We had a good time and enjoyed the movie. One of our guests, Ava, particularly enjoyed the show because McConaughey’s character frequently called out her name…albeit spelled differently!

Make no mistake, this is a popcorn flick filled with the requisite explosions, convoluted plots, handsome bare-chested men, comely heroine, and good-guys-prevail ending. Yes, this is a popcorn flick, but as such it was actually quite enjoyable. Penelope Cruz is admittedly little more than eye candy but adds a little sophistication to an otherwise cookie-cutter role by using her charming accent and by dressing cute but fairly modestly throughout the entire production. I could think of many other actresses I would’ve enjoyed more in the role of Eva Rojas, but she did an adequate job. The real scene-stealer…and this is no surprise to anyone who has seen his work…is Steve Zahn. Zahn plays the role of Al Giordino to comic perfection. His wide-eyed stares and sarcastic one-liners provide a great deal of humorous moments that keep this film from being a pale imitation of the similar films that have come before it. Zahn alone is worth the price of admission.

The nickel version of the plot is this: Two life-time buddies, ex-military turned treasure hunters, are on a quest to find a mythical iron-clad Civil War ship. In the meantime Cruz, as a World Health Organization doctor, is on the trail of a deadly disease that is possibly plague bound. Circumstances put both parties together on the coast of Africa and adventure ensues.

The balancing act in movies like this is to make the plot convoluted enough to keep the audience entertained without stepping over the boundary into sheer ludicrousness. While getting close to the line, Sahara stays just to the right of becoming absurd. The cast gets beat up along the way but has an A-Team-like armor that keeps the ever-flying bullets from hitting home. Sahara was fast-paced but provided enough slow moments to keep the audience from becoming overwhelmed.

I’d give this movie 3 out of 5 stars…maybe 3.5. If you enjoy movies like National Treasure, The Mummy and The Mummy Returns then you will enjoy Sahara. You can view the trailer, look at pictures, download wallpapers, etc. at the official site. See it at the matinee or rent it when it comes out on DVD. Its a fun escapist movie!

(Non-Spoiler Review)

Forgive me fellow blog readers, for I have sinned. I have borne witness to bodies and blood, bodies and bullets, bodies and beatings, and to bodies and…Bruce! April 1st found me with my eight dollar and fifty cent offering in hand attending the opening night of Frank Miller’s Sin City. (Actually it was a slightly higher offering as I treated the guys to a night of Sin!)

Get a sitter for the kids, lock your baby sister in the closet, and for heaven’s sake don’t tell your mother where you are going because this one earns its R rating with its violent content and its obvious appreciation of the female form.

Now, lest you get the wrong idea from my opening statements let me set the record straight….I really enjoyed this movie!

Sin City is the creation of comic book legend Frank Miller. I have not read the Sin City comic series but over the years I have seen a great deal of the artwork and was intrigued from the very first trailer as it appeared that they were endeavoring to capture the exact look of Miller’s art. Their endeavors were entirely fruitful because Sin City looks amazing. From the opening shot you realize that this movie is different and is going to be unlike anything you’ve seen before. Directors Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez work masterfully together to create a gorgeous black and white canvas, with spare use of color, upon which to paint the violence and degredation that is Sin City. Quentin Tarantino is a guest director on this project as well and if you’ve seen his work, especially the Kill Bill movies, its entertaining to pick out his handiwork on Sin City. Its really hard to describe the stunning visuals and the trailer, though very cool, doesn’t do this landscape justice. Like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Sin City is a movie that can be appreciated just for the way it looks on the big screen, regardless of the story behind it. Thankfully there is a very entertaining story to back up the the amazing visuals.

This movie tells a rough and violent tale exploring the darker side of a city apply named Sin. The story is presented in several vignettes that are tied together seamlessly. Sin City is told in voice-over narration reminiscent of old private detective shows, of Mickey Spillane, and (if you’re a PC gamer) of the Max Payne series. It is a dark and turbulent tale that is filmed in such a way that much of the violence is more intense because of what they don’t show you. Don’t dismay, however…if you’ve seen Robert Rodriquez’s other movies, particularly Once Upon a Time in Mexico, then you’ll know that there is plenty of violence to witness as well. In the midst of Miller’s shadowy tale are several instances of a gritty sense of humor that keep the story from becoming too bleak. The plot was intriguing from start to finish and the choice of actors was brilliant.

I generally love ensemble casts and this one was no exception: Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Mickey Roarke, Elijah Wood, Michael Clarke Duncan, Clive Owen, Michael Madsen, Benicio Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Jaime King, Josh Hartnett, Carla Gugino, Rutger Hauer, Alexis Bledel. The cast is a who’s who of today’s hottest young stars and seasoned film veterans. Frank Miller himself makes a brief appearance in the movie. The entire cast did a marvelous job. Even the lesser known actors/actresses were great. It is safe to say that Elijah Wood will make you forget all about Frodo and the Shire and Carla Gugino is definitely not the mother of two children that she plays in Rodriquez’s Spy Kids! 😉 I have to believe that the cast had an absolute blast filming this project.

If you are a Frank Miller fan or a comic book fan in any capacity, you must see this movie. If you like watching movies that stretch the boundaries of how a film traditionally looks then you must see this movie. And if you want to watch a great cast playing interesting characters in a world unlike any you’ve ever seen on the big screen then you must see this movie. I’m looking forward to its future release on DVD just to watch the extras that will undoubtedly be on the disk.

Also, check out the Sin City website. It is one of the best movie websites that I’ve seen in a long while. It is graphically very cool and has a section in which you can take various elements and create your own desktop images. I used it to create the picture at the top of this post. The screen savers are awesome as well. There are also two fantastic trailers and a host of other things.

If you’ve seen Sin City, want to see it, or don’t want to see it, feel free to leave your comments. Please be kind to those who haven’t seen the film by putting the word “Spoilers” at the top of your comment if you intend to reveal anything specific about the movie that may ruin it for others. Thanks! And happy movie viewing!