2014 @ The Movies Archives - August

Below is a monthly compilation of my 128 2014 film reviews originally published on Facebook:

August 1 2014 through August 29 2014:

2014 @ the movies take 75: “The Guardians of the Galaxy” A recipe for disaster: take a 70’s half-forgotten D-list Marvel comic book series featuring a green-skinned amazon, a talking raccoon and a linguistically-challenged tree person, place them in space and stir to “Hooked on a Feeling” by the Blue Swede. The result is an unexpectedly fun bubbly stew where the minority human race greatest claim to fame in the galaxy is a 60’s-70’s mixtape (captured on something we call a a “cassette”) YUM! I hope my culinary metaphor did not go over your head. "Nothing goes over my head! My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3isCLVghoI

2014 @ the movies take 76: “Magic in the Moonlight” Woody Allen’s 49th feature film doesn’t have the strength of "Blue Jasmine”, nor the wit of “Midnight in Paris”, but it is a pleasant like a BBC Masterpiece summer picnic led by a solid Colin Firth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNJ_x3nQsgI

2014 @ the movies take 77: “A Letter to Momo” (ももへの手紙, Momo e no Tegami) This Japanese animated feature from 2011 was just released theatrically in NYC only. That’s what you call “timely” distribution work :(. The film tells the story of a young girl dealing with the death of her father with the help of 3 yokais (spirits of Japanese folklore - oddly referred to as “goblins” in the english dub). It is a beautiful subtle piece with beyond gorgeous animation. The ending delves a bit heavily into some explanatory sappiness. It might be imputed to the English dub - that could very well have ad-libbed kid-friendly pointers (thus explaining the 3-year delay of the US release - *wink*). Japan loves its sap too, so I reserve judgement until I catch the subbed version on Blu-ray. Highly-recommended anyway!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4KLGfBb_3M

2014 @ the movies take 78: "A most wanted man” [Second viewing] As promised, I caught it a second time at the Moxie :) It’s even better the second time around! The subtleties of the script and the foreshadowing-layered character development will be more apparent to the repeat viewer unencumbered by the complexity of the plot. The very last shot is still heartbreaking, but week worth it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yuGlJ47s4M

2014 @ the movies take 79: “What if” As semi-indy rom-com that asks the age-old question “Can platonic friendship withstand the hormonal pull (in Canada)?” A rather boring premise almost saved by a sharp script and the witty performance from the 2 leads (Daniel Radcliffe & Zoe Kazan). Too bad the supporting cast is so insipid that it neuters the conflict of the piece. Not to mention the ending that undermines any last spark of originality seen past the first half… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A86JGbBEaBk

2014 @ the movies take 80: “Boyhood” In a way Richard Linklater had already done the adult version of this film with the tryptic Before Sunrise, Sunset & Midnight. It was achieved more stealthily and not in an overtly planned way like here, but the real-time aging of actors was there. The novelty here is how the film documents American teenage milestones. It is, to me, more a cultural document than a plot-driven coming of age story. It might not be the masterpiece it is touted to be, but it remains a filmmaking feat and honest portrait of teenage-hood (if we ignore the 2 girlfriends that are way too perfectly cute.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0oX0xiwOv8

2014 @ the movies take 81: "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” When “Sin City” is one of the most faithful attempt at translating a graphic novel to the screen - It managed to recreate Frank Miller’s wit, creative layouts and bold inking - this second chapter falls flat. A great part of the script is not from the original books. It was written especially for the screen by Miller. The first chapters (the meat of the first film) were maybe Miller’s best writing. Since then, nothing has come close to it. As he showed with the truly horrible “The Spirit”, he can’t write for the screen successfully. In the end, this second opus takes itself too seriously and is visually uninteresting (not to mention the completely empty use of 3D). Rodriguez doesn’t save the stew that turns quite bland when Eva Green is not on screen… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqRRF5y94uE

2014 @ the movies take 82: “Life After Beth” In the indy zombie romance niche, this is an instant classic. Who knew that going on a hike strapped to an electric oven could give an actress such “range". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdu0H-jTx1M