Movie Review - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2011)

Starring Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, and Bailee Madison

Directed by Troy Nixey

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is an okay horror flick that felt like a slightly more adult version of Nickelodeon's 90s series Are You Afraid of the Dark.  Although tense, the film had a rather childlike innocence to it -- no cursing, no blood (for the most part), relying on tense build-ups and taut direction (although only in certain scenes).

That being said, despite a decent lead performance from the young Bailee Madison (whose character Sally started out a bit too one-note bratty to work completely for me) and fine turns from Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce (whose characters aren't given a whole lot to do other than doubt Sally when she says little gnome-like creatures are wreaking havoc on their newly bought hundred-year-old mansion), the film even at 99 minutes goes on too long.  It felt like the story could have (and should have) been told in the 30 minutes that those Are You Afraid of the Dark episodes were given.  The story was just dragged out too long to be effective.  Rather than excite, I found myself bored too many times.

It doesn't help that the aforementioned gnome-like creatures prove to be a little laughable rather than scary (which, once again, makes me feel like it would've been more at home on that 90s Nick show).  I just wanted to tell these folks to stomp on these little devils and run out of the house (because, just like every other horror movie, no one leaves the house until it's much too late to do so).

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - Just Go With It

Just Go With It (2011)

Starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker, Nick Swardson, Bailee Madison, Griffin Gluck, Dave Matthews, and Nicole Kidman 

Directed by Dennis Dugan

Perhaps it's a sign of the apocalypse, but I just finished watching an Adam Sandler movie that I legitimately liked it and found myself laughing out loud on multiple occasions.  Granted, Sandler isn't doing anything vastly different from his usual schtick in Just Go With It, but for some strange reason that probably had more to do with the people surrounding him than Sandler himself, I couldn't help but have a smile on my face while watching this one.

Sandler is Danny Maccabee, a successful plastic surgeon who seems like a genuinely nice guy.  Over twenty years ago, he found out some disturbing news about his fiancée on his wedding day and called the wedding off.  However, he discovered that pretending like he was still in the midst of an unhappy marriage was an ideal way to pick up women.  One night, he meets the lovely (and much younger) Palmer (Brooklyn Decker) and they hit it off right away.  However, unbeknown to Danny, he had taken his ring off prior to meeting her so when Palmer discovers it the morning after their first tryst, she is immediately upset.  Danny tells her that his marriage is through, but Palmer, not wanting to break up a marriage, insists on meeting his soon-to-be ex-wife to hear it from her.

This throws Danny into a tizzy and his thoughts immediately shift to having his office supervisor Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) play the role of his ex-wife.  Katherine reluctantly agrees, but soon their lies begin to take on a life of their own, and Danny, Katherine, Katherine's two kids (Bailee Madison and Griffin Gluck), and Palmer end up heading to Hawaii to celebrate some family time together.

I honestly can't believe that this whole thing works, but it does.  Adam Sandler actually has some pretty solid chemistry with both Brooklyn Decker and Jennifer Aniston (oops, did I spoil something by suggesting that there's chemistry there between Sandler and Aniston?), and Sandler definitely tones back his usual immature humor here.  Decker (a newcomer to me) is certainly beautiful and, while not given a whole lot to work with, manages to come off as a bit more than just a pretty face.

It's a pleasure to report that Ms. Aniston is pretty good here.  Granted, I can't help but think she couldn't have pulled off this role in her sleep (it's Rachel from Friends with more grown-up kids), but she plays the romantic comedy lead pretty darn well...and I certainly have no qualms with watching her onscreen.

With some surprisingly funny turns from Bailee Madison and Griffin Gluck as Katherine's kids and a nice cameo from Nicole Kidman as an old college enemy of Katherine, the cast certainly helps raise this up several notches even when the humor runs a tad thin at times.

I've got to say that I found myself laughing much more than I thought I would.  Sure, it's not high-brow and there are more than enough jokes that fall completely flat (pretty much anything involving Danny's "Austrian sheep selling" cousin played by Nick Swardson), but Just Go With It is absolutely a solid romantic comedy.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Brothers (2009)

Starring Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Sam Shepard, Mare Winningham, Carey Mulligan, Clifton Collins, Jr., and Bailee Madison

Directed by Jim Sheridan

There's something so emotionally gut-wrenching about watching the family members of a soldier being told that their courageous war hero has died in battle. As evidenced by the stellar film The Messenger earlier in 2009, the reactions of the family when they're told of the horrific news really seem to get to me. This holds true in Brothers, and although my fellow moviegoer (the poster known as "Anonymous" around these parts) will disagree entirely, I was quite moved by this surprising little movie. The emotional triangle that's crafted in this tale is entirely believable and certain scenes here packed quite a wallop.

Captain Sam Cahill (Maguire) has a loving family and as he heads off to Afghanistan for a second tour of duty, he knows that his wife, Grace (Portman), will hold down the fort with his two daughters (played by Bailee Madison and Taylor Geare in two of the most effective "young actor" roles this year). With his father (Sam Shepard) and mother-in-law (Winningham) helping out, Sam heads off to war feeling like things will be okay. The only wild card in the situation is his brother, Tommy (Gyllenhaal), who was released from prison a mere two days before he ships out. After serving his time for robbing a bank, Tommy's a loose cannon who appears to be resorting back to his old alcoholic ways.

After a few months in Afghanistan, Sam's helicopter is shot down and he is presumed dead. The devastating news hits each family member in a different way, but it causes Tommy to begin to realize his hurtful ways and he begins to help out Grace and the two young girls. Seeing a new side of Tommy and being an emotional wreck herself, Grace is quite befuddled, and, one night, Grace and Tommy kiss. Although they both realize they can't begin to consummate this relationship, they both know they have feelings towards one another. And those feelings only become more confusing when Sam, as it turns out, is discovered alive and returns home, emotionally ravaged by the heinous things he was forced to do as a prisoner of war.

I bought into this movie from the very beginning. I didn't feel a false note onscreen at all. True, Tobey Maguire isn't my favorite actor and there were moments where I felt he went a little overboard (he's "wide-eyed" way too much), but he also has an amazing scene at the end that simply riveted me. Gyllenhaal is fine and Portman continues to be a joy for me to watch. Supporting turns from Sam Shepard and Mare Winningham as the parents of Sam and Tommy were excellent, and the two young daughters of Sam and Grace were incredible. In many flicks, kids can either be too cloying or too smart for their age, but every scene the two girls were in here rang true. [Although, as I said in my last review of a Clifton Collins, Jr., movie, Mr. Collins is not a good actor despite his ubiquitousness this year.]

Brothers certainly takes its time, but it manages to explore every family members' emotions in a way that isn't often seen in movies. From the little girls to their older grandfather and everyone in between, all their feelings are unearthed. There's definitely something special going on here.

The RyMickey Rating: B+

Movie Review - Phoebe in Wonderland (2009)

Starring Elle Fanning, Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson, and Bill Pullman
Written and Directed by Daniel Barnz

This is another one of those indie movies with characters that are too smart for their own good. However, what saves this movie from the downfall of recent flicks I've watched like Gigantic and Sherman's Way is that the story is interesting and nearly every actor is strong, particularly a winning performance by Elle Fanning.

Phoebe (Elle Fanning) is a nine year-old girl who lands the lead role in the school play Alice in Wonderland. Phoebe has some psychological issues, the biggest being obsessive-compulsive disorder (and a moderate case of Touette's, too). Phoebe loves the play and excels at it, but her imagination oftentimes gets the better of her and she envisions the play literally coming alive all around her which oftentimes causes problems with her fellow classmates. Her parents (Felicity Huffman and Bill Pullman) seem to be in denial about their daughter's issues and it certainly seems to be putting a strain on their marriage.

The film belongs to the young Elle Fanning and there is something so beautiful and simplistic about how she plays the difficult role of Phoebe. The role could easily have veered towards over-the-top and showy, but Fanning is something special. From the opening scenes, she conveys so much with a simple raise of a lip or eyebrow. There must have been something in the water that those Fanning girls drank as babies (Dakota is her sister), because they both have amazing talent. There's one scene, in particular, where Phoebe breaks down completely in her mother's arms that was amazingly powerful. Speaking of Phoebe's mother, Felicity Huffman is touching and I was quite surprised by how well-written and thought-out her role was (kudos to the screenwriter).

In addition to Fanning and Huffman, Patricia Clarkson takes the clichéd role of the over-the-top drama teacher and makes it her own. Although her role wasn't without its faults (she falls into that "too quirky" indie character category and is forced to play that inspirational teacher role), Clarkson brings something special to the table. One of the most powerful scenes in the movie belongs to Clarkson -- when the word "fagot" [spelling is correct] is found written on a young male member of the play's costume, her anger is real and visceral. After criticizing the culprit for not spelling the word correctly, she makes them read the definition of the word -- "a bundle of sticks" -- and then says one of the best lines I've heard this year -- "Does anyone want to own up to idiocy as well as cruelty?" Although I had slight problems with her eccentric character, Clarkson can deliver a well-written line with gusto and meaning.

In addition to my slight problem with Clarkson's character, the school's principal (played by Campbell Scott) was a guy that was so inadequately able to run a school that the character took me out of any type of reality that the film was trying to create. The same could also be said for Phoebe's wiser-beyond-her-years sister. Once again, it's that pet peeve of kids being too smart for their own good...why not just make the kid normal? It's disappointing that the screenwriter who created two stellar characters in Phoebe and her mother wasn't able to continue the quality with the other folks in the movie.

Despite its faults, Phoebe in Wonderland is a perfectly "nice" movie filled with some winning performances. Fanning, Huffman, and Clarkson alone are worth the price of the rental (or the current streaming via Netflix). Sure, it's warm, sentimental, and a bit treacly, but sometimes, you're in the mood for that sort of thing and this movie's good at it.

The RyMickey Rating: B