Alan Rapp

Keeping Up with the Steins

/ / Movie Reviews

This comedy about parents trying to out-do each other, young boys becoming men, and fathers and sons is okay.  Not groundbreaking or a laugh riot but there’s something to be said for nice (if predictable) family films such as this.  While not as good as it could be and really constrains a comedic actor like Jeremy Piven in a straight-man role, it does come off as much more charming than it should and is worth a look for families looking for films to see together.

Keeping Up with the Steins
3 Stars

A rather small niche film such as Keeping Up with the Steins can easily get lost especially in the shuffle of big summer Hollywood popcorn flicks.  There are some fine performances that makes a nice additional option for families looking to spend some time together at the movie theater.  Not great and not bad, it’s just really okay; not the best recommendation I’ll grant you but there are many less entertaining ways to spend an hour and a half (after all, X3 is still showing).

The Fiedler famly is about to celebrate a milestone as young Benjamin Fiedler (Daryl Sabara) will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah.  It should be a time of great pride and joy, but this is a comedy so things naturally go wrong. 

It all starts out with the Titanic themed Bar Mitzvah of Benjy’s friend Zachary Stein (Carter Jenkins).  Benjy’s dad Adam (Jeremy Piven) once worked for, and is now in competition with, Zach’s dad Arnie (Larry Miller) and is determined to throw a bigger party than his rival.

Benjamin himself is going through crises of his own and to get his parents off his case he invites his long lost grandfather Irwin (Gary Marshall) to the party knowing it will drive his father crazy.  And when Irwin and his new girlfriend Sacred Feather (Daryl Hannah) arrive things get interesting.

The star of the film is Sabara and he does a fine job as the young kid who is still unsure if he’s ready or even wants to become a man.  Over the course of the film with the help of his grandfather and rabbi (Richard Benjamin) Benjy matures and begins to grow up.  Although the story is a Jewish one it’s done in a way to appeal to coming of age stories of any religious background.  It’s the story of fathers and sons and how those relationships change over time as you get older.

There are fine performances from Jami Gertz as Benjy’s mother and Doris Roberts as he grandmother.  And a funny, if somewhat unnecessary role, for Cheryl Hines as the event planner rounding out the cast, and of course Miller is great playing his standard putz role.  It’s Piven who comes off a little too constrained by the script and only can tap into his manic zaniness to provide too few moments of crazed comedy for fans of his other work.

It’s not a must see film by any means, nor will you be missing much by passing.  It’s a small niche film for mostly older women of the Jewish persuasion but one that I think many different American families can enjoy.  The PG-13 rating is due to some minor drug references and comedic nudity of Gary Marshall that is rather harsh as this is a feel good comedy with strong family themes that probably should have been given a PG.

The film is directed by Scott Marshall – son of Gary and nephew of Penny Marshall which obviously got the film more money and attention than a small project like this would normally earn.  Not a must-see but you could find far worse things in your cineplex, and for an entertaining if foregettable film it’s a nice hour and a half that most will enjoy.

Keeping Up with the Steins Read More »

Letter to Hollywood

/ / Essays

Here’s a new feature from the folks at RazorFine trying our best to share our wisdom with Hollywood.  As we view the mass amount of media we are bombarded with daily we notice some disturbing trends and fads that seem to be occurring in Hollywood.  These letters are an attempt to let someone with the power and the intelligence in the industry stop such actions before they destroy us all.  In our first letter we examine – The Comic Book Movie.

Dear Hollywood, with Regards to Comic Book Movies
N/A

With the recent disasters of Elektra, Catwoman, Fantastic Four, and X-Men: The Last Stand, the disappointment of V for Vendetta, and the seemingly ominous return of big blue boy scout in a couple of weeks, we sit down to look at what’s wrong with the merging of Hollywood and comics that leads fans to start slashing and burning their collections.  In this letter we hope to provide some guidelines (7 simple rules you might say) to help studio execs avoid experiences like the Dolph Lundgren Punisher (or for that matter the Thomas Jane Punisher – let’s just stop making Punisher films, okay?).

Dear Hollywood,

It has come to our attention despite successes like Spider-Man 2, Sin City, A History of Violence, and Unbreakable you seem to be struggling with adapting comic books into theatrical films.  We at RazorFine love us some comics so in an attempt to help you out (and avoid disasters like Fantastic Four and Batman and Robin) we offer the following suggestions and guidelines to help insure both the studio and the fanbase can have a pleasant experience at the theater watching over-muscled men and women in spandex save the day.

1. Don’t “re-interpret” the character

One of the biggest issues today is the director or writer coming up with a “brilliant” idea to re-interpret the hero into a more modern or more accessible figure.  Yeah, I’m talking to you Ang Lee.  The characters and origins are what help define the character and give them the coolness and charm we enjoy.  If you tamper with the balance even slightly by having Dr. Doom be present and mutated by the cosmic rays, or the Joker responsible for the death Thomas and Martha Wayne, or turn Bruce Banner’s tragedy into a science experiment by his dad, then the character itself is changed as a result (and often horrifically).  Aaron and I disagree about Ang Lee’s Hulk which I strongly dislike for Lee’s re-interpretation of the character by taking away the responsibility and pathos of Bruce Banner by making the accident and the experiment not his fault.  How would you have liked it if Raimi had made Peter Parker into Norman Osborne’s son and ol’ Norman experimented on him as a child making him Spider-Man and then Norman went crazy and fought him as the Green Goblin?  Would that have made a good film?  Probably not, but no matter how it turned out it wouldn’t really be Spider-Man.  Say what you want about Daredevil, and it has plenty of flaws, but at least they got the characters right.

2. Don’t mess with the costumes

Yeah, I’m talking to you Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, Bryan Singer, et all.  Look at the middle pic – it’s a classic Neil Adams Batman pose and that’s what he should look like.  You notice Hollywood in five tries still hasn’t found a way to capture that look?  He’s not Iron Man, nor is he the incredible rubber guy.  He doesn’t need to take shotgun blasts in the stomach and get up.  He’s Batman.  He’s in the shadows.  He’s stealthy, he’s athletic, and he can actually turn his neck while in costume.  And what’s with the missing eye-lenses and all that black make-up which miraculously disappears when he yanks off that big rubber cowl?  Here I’ll give huge props to Sam Raimi (Spider-Man) and Richard Donner (Superman) for getting the main costumes so right.  However even they took mis-steps with the look of Zod and the black costume in Spidey 3 (which is sad because it is one of the coolest super-hero costumes of all time).

3. Quality over Quantity

Not every comic book character deserves to be made into a film.  I don’t care if you personally love Speedball or Jubilee – they don’t deserve their own films; nor do films on characters such as Ant-Man and Power Pack (both in development) need to be made.  All of the following are in some level of production from script stage to casting to scouting locations – Fantastic Four 2, Black Panther, Captain America, Iron Man, Cloak and Dagger, Magneto, Deathlock, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hellboy 2, Hawkeye, Iron Fist, Sin City 2, Submariner, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Wonder Woman, The Green Hornet, Shazam!, Astro City and The Watchmen.  And there are many more.  Quality over quantity is the mantra you should learn; please choose wisely.

4. In film, looks matter

Jessica Alba as Sue Storm?!  Are you freakin’ kidding me?  Yeah I could buy her as a stripper in Sin City but there’s not enough booze and drugs on the planet to make me accept her as a scientist.  Even Sam Raimi makes mistakes with the casting of Kirsten Dunst as red headed bombshell supermodel Mary Jane Watson.  And Jennifer Garner as the raven haired Greek assassin Elektra?  Um…yeah, sorry but I just don’t see it.  The first order of business, it would seem to me, would see to be examine what the characters look like in the comics and then try and find actors that match up.  Yes it may take more work than just calling a couple agents or actors you like to work with but the effect is much better.  Take a look at the result in Sin City where casting was done to match the character on-screen to that in the novels understanding that preserving the look of the characters and their surroundings is integral in capturing the power of the comic.  So to Brian Singer I have to say kudos for James Marsden, Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart but I laugh at his choice of Anna Paquin as the voluptuous kick-ass sexpot Rogue and we won’t even discuss Ratner’s X3.

5. Respect the Super-Hero world

A world where super-heroes exist is different from the world you look out at from your office cubicle every day.  We as comic fans accept this much as fans of The X-Files or Star Trek accept those realities.  Do your research and capture the feel of a world where men can leap tall stories in a single bound or catch thieves just like flies with a web of any size.

6. Respect the audience

In comic books Hollywood has a built in fanbase for the character and tons of ready market promotions just waiting.  Just because these things exist doesn’t mean the filmmakers can slack off for the film or critics can dismiss it as “just a comic book film.”  Much to the contrary studios should break their backs trying to get the characters right on-screen.  Comic book fans, even die-hard ones, will only go see sub par comic book movies for so long before they stop going to any of them.  We know these characters better than some people know their friends or family.  We’ve grown up with them and for many of us they’ve taught us life lessons and the value of reading, art, and in a few circumstances higher level thinking about ideas such as drugs, racism, poverty, death, crime, love, loss, and so much more.  A few more entries like Fantastic Four and X3 might just do what no amount of bullying or nagging could make these self-pronounced geeks do – grow up and move on.

7. Keep the following people away from such projects

Richard Bowman, Michael France, Mark Frost, Sidney J. Furie, Mark Goldblatt, Akiva Goldsman, Jonathan Hensleigh, Simon Kinberg, Lawrence Konner, Ang Lee, Richard Lester, Raven and Ryan Metzner, David Odell, Zak Penn, Pitof, Theresa Rebeck, John Rogers, Mark Rosenthal, Joel Shumacher, Jeannot Szwarc, Tim Story, Boaz Yakin, and Stu Zicherman.

Letter to Hollywood Read More »

The Inconvenient Truth About Global Warming

/ / Uncategorized

“It ain’t what you know that gets you into trouble.  It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”  Are you so sure Global Warming isn’t real that you’re missing the signs all around us?  Global Warming has been an issue in this country for decades but always pushed to the sidelines for “more important” issues.  Al Gore has been working with scientists and studying the data since his early college days (roughly half his life) and when no one else championed the cause it fell to him to get the message out.  Now in a new book and film Gore goes slowly through the mounting evidence of humans effect on the environment and looks into the future to a world that if changes aren’t made could be catastrophic for all mankind.

An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It
4 Stars

I like Al Gore.  I didn’t really understand him as the VP in Clinton’s shadow and the campaign he ran in 2000 didn’t really show us about the type of man he was and how strongly and passionately he will fight for issues he believes in.  The book’s (and film’s) main subject is Global Warming, but it’s also about Gore and his life and how this issue has become so important to him.  Because of Gore’s political affiliations I’m sure more Democrats than Republicans will pick up the book and take a look but I’d urge everyone out there if they’ve got twenty bucks to spend to spend it here.  Gore’s book looks at those studying the issue for decades and the data (not all of which has been available until Gore pushed for it to be released and much more has been suppressed by the current administration) and looks to a future that demands we take this issue seriously or face dire consequences.

First let me say that the book is the companion piece to the movie (check back on Friday for the review) and while it is made to be easily accessible and very visual I would recommend, though it is not necessary to do so, to see the movie first.  Both the book and the film are structured around the presentation that Gore gives about the subject.  While both are highly informative the book lacks some of the warmth and humanity that comes across in Gore’s presentation of the issue in the film.

We know now that the Earth is not an indestructible ball but instead is a combination of infinite fragile components and the most vulnerable of these is the atmosphere.  As he examines this the book also looks at the disinformation campaign that with the help of some influential people in Washington and the oil industry has worked to confuse Americans about the issue.

I could go into detail of the information covered in the book (shrinking ice-caps and glaciers, rising ocean temperatures, increasing frequency and strength of storms such as hurricanes, tsunamis and tornadoes, rising temperatures and CO2 levels, drought and flooding, the rise of disease vectors such as mosquitoes to higher altitudes, deforestation, and the loss of coral reefs) but it’s easier to just outline how the book is put together and allow you to investigate the information for yourself.

The book begins by explaining the science of Global Warming and the (wrong) idea that humans don’t effect their environment.  If you are under 35 you’ve probably heard these basic principles of how CO2 is trapped and what that means to the environment in junior or high school science but its good to have a quick refresher and for those that don’t quite understand how it works this will be a necessary first step (sadly though the comedic alternative explanation from the film isn’t presented here).  After the basic lesson Gore moves into showing the effects of rising CO2 levels.

From there the book goes on to show examples of effects of Global Warming worldwide that include the graphs and data and several pictures that show climate and temperature shifts in various areas of the world.  Some of these include loss of snow on mountaintops, the disintegration of the Larsen-B ice shelf in Antarctica (and how similar processes may have begun in Greenland),  and the near total disappearance of Lake Chad. 

Through these examples Gore goes on to explain the different types of research being done and how CO2 and Global Warming can be measured today and based on that information how the further effects can be plotted on a scale to help predict future consequences.

The book is well put together and organized in a way that’s easy to follow if it is a bit oversimplified in parts to help bring the attention of the issue to a mass audience that would have trouble reading directly from scientific research manuals.  The information is based on scientific data, facts, and common sense and although Gore’s emotional tie to the issue helps carry the argument it never gets in the way or tries to ignore information just to prove its point.

The book goes on and on and it might seem a little scary and terrifying, and it is.  At the same time however Gore balances that growing sense of unease with a hopeful message.  What we are seeing is a result of our own negligence and by becoming active we can halt the harmful effects and even begin to make headway into reducing such effects in the future.  We have the technology today to do so we just need the will to get it done.  In fact the last sections of the book detail ways every citizen of the planet can do their part to help end global warming.

“The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to its close.  In its place we are entering a period of consequences.”  We need to stop sidestepping the issue and deal with the consequences of our actions now while there is still an opportunity to undo the damage.  We need to listen to the same scientists who told us of the hole in the ozone layer while politicians were still ignoring and debating the problem.  We need to continue to research the issue to weed out the disinformation and deal with the data.  The argument Gore makes in the film and in this book is compelling and I urge everyone to take the time to verse themselves in the issue.  What’s at stake is our very existence on this planet – that’s kinda’ significant and worth some time and serious thought wouldn’t you say?  The issue is neither too big nor too complicated for us to solve, but it will take effort and time and Gore has given us a resounding call to arms to begin now its up to us to answer by providing the will needed to make the necessary changes for our future.

The Inconvenient Truth About Global Warming Read More »

New on DVD

/ / Home Video News 

We’re here to let you know what’s out there for your entertainment dollar.  Every week a new batch of DVD’s gets shipped out and thrown onto the shelves.  This week we’ve got the last (and funniest) film of my best of 2005 list to finally get released, Steve Martin on the trail of the Pink Panther, teenagers finding a mermaid, Neil Young playing that rock ‘n roll, a special edition of an inconceivably good film about a princess a pirate and an giant, and season sets of Cheers, Coach, Dharma & Greg and more.  Take a peek inside for the full list.

N/A

Here’s what is getting released today on DVD:

Film:

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang – Aaron had a lukewarm reaction to writer/director Shane Black’s pulp detective murder mystery but I fell in love with it from the opening credits (read my original review) and still stand by the film that found its way into my best of 2005 list.  The DVD contains commentary with stars Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr and Shane Black.

16 Blocks – Bruce Willis is a New York cop (no, not that movie) who takes custody of a criminal (Mos Def) and must transport him to the courthouse to testify against cops who will do whatever they can to make sure he never takes the stand.  The DVD includes an alternate ending and deleted scenes.  Read the original review here.

A Good Woman – Screen version of Oscar Wilde’s play “Lady Windermere’s Fan” casting Helen Hunt as the seductive older woman, Scarlett Johansson as the young Mrs. Windemere, and Mark Umbers as her husband.  Read the original review here.

Documentary:

Neil Young – Heart of Gold – A little bit documentary and large part concert film of the music legend performing work from his new album and past hits.  The DVD contains rehearsal diaries, six featurettes and a performance by Young in 1971 on The Johnny Cash Show.  Read the original review here.

Dave Chapelle’s Block Party – Speaking of concert films…  Dave Chapelle’s huge Brooklyn bash includes comedy, stand-up, and some darn good music.  The DVD is available in both original and unrated versions and includes a making of the film featurette and extended musical and comedy acts.

Special Editions:

The Princess Bride (Dread Pirate/Buttercup Edition) – What!  You’ve already bought this film on DVD and now they’ve put out a special edition!  Inconceivable!  Rob Reiner has never been better than here telling the story of young Buttercup (Robin Wright in her first film) and her Wesley (Cary Elwes).  The 2 disc DVD contains commentary tracks from Reiner and screenwriter William Goldman, featurettes on the making of the film and Miracle Max, a mockumentary on the Dread Pirate Roberts, behind the scenes footage, trivia game and more.

The Pink Panther (Special Edition) – Forgettable 2006 Remake that casts Steve Martin as the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau.  Extras include deleted scenes, Beyonce music videos, an alternate opening sequence, commentary by director Shawn Levy, a documentary, and featurettes on the making of the film.  Available in the Dred Pirate Edition with Elwes on the front or the Buttercup Edition with both lovers on the cover.

Valley of the Dolls (Special Edition) – 1967 film about sex and show business gets the special edition treatment with commentary by Barbara Parkins and Ted Casablanca, a new documentary on the film, featurettes on the film and its stars, still galleries, a trivia game, and original screen tests.

Family/Animated:

This is America, Charlie Brown – All eight episodes of the CBS run of the blockhead and gang visiting important events in human history including the Mayflower’s voyage, the Wright Brothers flight, and the signing of the Constitution.

Aquamarine– Think Splash for teenage girls.  Extras include commentary by director Elizabeth Allen, deleted scenes, and featurettes.

TV:

Walker, Texas Ranger – The Complete First Season – All 26 first season episodes of Chuck Norris dispensing Texas justice.

The Rockford Files – Season Two – All 22 episodes from the second season with James Garner as the ex-con turned private eye.

Cheers The Complete Eighth Season – All 26 episodes from season eight in the Boston bar where everybody knows your name.

Coach – The First Season – All 13 episodes from the first season of Craig T. Nelson as the football coach of the Minnesota State Screaming Eagles.

Dharma & Greg – Season One – Opposites attract as hippie yoga instructor Dharma (Jenna Elfman) meets and marries conservative lawyer Greg (Thomas Gibson).  All 23 first season episodes are included along with commentary for select episodes by Elfman, Mimi Kennedy and Alan Rachins, featurettes, and an interactive game.

New on DVD Read More »

This Week

/ / Film News & Trailers

So what’s out there this week.  Well today we’ll take a look at the films scheduled to be released this Friday which include a reunion for Speed stars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, sequels to Garfield and The Fast and the Furious, a collection of independent and foreign films in limited release and (finally!) the wide release of Al Gore’s fascinating documentary on Global Warming – An Inconvenient Truth.  Read on…

N/A

Here’s what’s scheduled to hit theaters this week.  Want to know more, just click on the title for film info including a full cast list.  Want a closer look, just click on the poster to watch the trailer.

An Inconvenient Truth

In this documentary former VP Al Gore asks audiences to take a hard look at Global Warming.  The film focuses on presenting facts and scientific evidence and cautions and calls for the need for serious change in the United States and the world.  It’s been playing in limited release for the past few weeks and has already stirred up some controversy (did you see what happened when it was mentioned on our sister site Transbuddha?).  We’ll take a look at Gore’s new book on Wednesday (of the same name) and have our reviews for the film on Friday.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

The third film in the series; this time without both stars (Vin Diesel, Paul Walker) moves to Tokyo as a hot shot American street racer (Lucas Black) finds himself caught up in the underground world of drift racing.  Diesel wisely left after the first film and Walker passed on the franchise’s third (almost always a sign of bad things to come – see Superman III) to make movies such as Into the Blue and Running Scared.  The director behind the camera this time is Justin Lin (Annapolis).  Also starring in the film are Little Bow Wow, Nikki Griffin, Lynda Boyd, Leonardo Nam, and Zachary Ty Bryan.

The Lake House

Speed co-stars Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock reunite for this bizarre love story.  The premise involves two single people staying in a lake house two years apart who can communicate to each other through movie magic and begin to fall in love but attempts to meet in real life always end in failure.  The film is a remake of the 2000 South Korean film Siworae.  If you can wrap your brain around the premise (which just might need to include some alcoholic beverages to do so) then it might be interesting to see how these two work together after so long.  Alejando Argresti (Valentin, Modern Crimes) directs.  Check back Friday for our review.

Nacho Libre

Jack Black plays a priest who dons wrestling attire and enters a luchador tournament in order to win the money to save the orphanage and win the heart of Sister Encarnacion (Ana de la Reguera).  The film teams Black up with writer/director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) and reunites him with co-writer Mike White (School of Rock).  In what is a rather lackluster summer this one could become a big hit.  I was all hyped-up to see it until I started watching the trailers which bare a striking resemblance to a number of Robin Williams’ early career mis-steps (Popeye, The Survivors).  Check back Friday for our review.

Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties

Sequel to the 2004 film returns Brekin Meyer as Jon Arbuckle and Bill Murray as the voice of his lazy lasagna loving feline Garfield.  The plot this time involves Jon and Garfield traveling to the UK and a case of mistaken identity which leaves Garfield ruling his own castle.  Co-stars include Jennifer Love Hewitt, Roger Rees, Lucy Davis, Greg Ellis, Bob Hoskins, Tim Curry, and Billy Connolly as the nefarious Lord Dargis.  Writers from the first film Alec Sockollow and Joel Cohen returned to pen this script and director Tim Hill (Max Keeble’s Big Movie) takes his turn behind the camera.

The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green (limited release)

Based on the gay comic strip the film follows the life of professional assistant Ethan Green (Daniel Letterle) and his misadventures with his mother (Meredith Baxter) who employs herself as a gay wedding planner, and a jealous ex-lover who schemes to sell Ethan’s house out from under him.  First timers abound here in writer David Vernon and in director George Bamber (who worked as an assistant director on films like Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Hope Floats and Phenomenon).  The film has played in several small, mostly gay, film festivals and the response has been mixed.  Some love it and many hate it.

Wordplay (New York and Los Angeles)

This new documentary by first time director Patrick Creadon focuses on the word of crossword puzzles.  The film has two main subjects: the first is The New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz and long time fans of his work which include Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, Ken Burns, and Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina who all appear in the film; the second subject of the film is an examination of the 28th Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stanford, CT where people compete in both speed and accuracy to be crowned the crossword champ of the year.  Check back on Friday for our review.

Loverboy (New York and Los Angeles)

Kevin Bacon directs and stars in this film about Emily (Kyra Sedgwick) a possessive single mother determination to raise her young son (Dominic Scott Kay) and to be a better parent than her own (Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon who appear in flashbacks with Bacon’s real life daughter playing the younger Emily) who obviously screwed this girl up pretty bad.  The film also co-stars Matt Dillon, Oliver Platt, Campbell Scott, and Jessica Stone.  This marks only Bacon’s second stint behind the camera and his first for a full length theatrical film.  The film was adapated from the Victoria Redel novel by Hannah Shakespeare (Paperlily).

Cidade Baixa [Lost City] (New York and Los Angeles)

A life long friendship is put to the test when Deco (Lazaro Ramos) and Naldinho (Wagner Moura) steam down the Brazilian coast and decide to pick-up a young prostitute (Alice Braga) who offers sexual favors for a ride down the coast.  The film also stars Jose Dumont, Felipe Ferreira, Leno Sacramento, and Andrea Elia.  The Brazilian film won the Award of Youth for director Sergio Machado (3 Historias da Bahia, Onde a Terra Acaba) in 2005 at the Cannes Film Festival.  The film is presented in Portuguese with English subtitles.

This Week Read More »