What We Learned This Week at the Movies: June 24– July 3, 2013

Busy time of year, which means I’ve got two weeks to cover in this installment. There is one notable film missing from my list, and that is World War Z. Why?  Let’s just say it may-possibly-might-kinda-sorta be the next Talkin’ In the Movies. But for now let’s find out what we learned this week.

Movies Seen In Theatres This Week: The Internship, Monsters University, The Purge, Rebel Without a Cause

Lesson 5. Only Take the Time You Need to Tell Your Story

I don’t talk too much about short films, and that’s mostly because I only see about two a year… the two that accompany the Disney and Pixar releases in theaters. But hey, that shouldn’t stop me right… right…? Moving on… The Blue Umbrella is the animated short that appears in front of Monsters University, and Pixar has knocks it out of the park. This simple story of two umbrellas looking forlove on a rainy day in NYC is the most realistic and breath taking animation I’ve ever seen. The New York street that this film is set on could easily double as a real backdrop for any film, but the fact that it’s animated to where simple things like crossing meters, construction signs, and storm drains come alive is amazing. The story itself is very similar to last fall’s Oscar-winning short, Paperman, but that’s okay. This short is worth seeing, and when Oscar season rolls around this year The Blue Umbrella is going to be hard to beat.

Lesson 4. Owen Good… Vince Bad

Perfect Internship - Make Vince do your grunt
work for 10 weeks and don't pay him.

The Internship is more bad than good, but it’s not as bad as you might think. It’s still very rough. For actual film analysis, there is not much to say: the film is what you think is and it’s not trying to be more than that (it is trying to be funny, and there it fails more often than not). But the real flaw of The Internship? Is Vince “I don’t care about anything” Vaughn. He’s been playing similar characters for a decade. Characters that couldn’t care less about life, people, and have a general disgust for anyone or anything that makes them get off the couch. Memo to Vince: this act is tired, please do something else.  On the other hand we have Owen Wilson (the other half of this apparently “classic” comic duo) who is still actually highly entertaining in this film. Why? The reasons are twofold. Variety and effort, it’s that simple. Owen Wilson is not the best actor, but he understands how to create differences within his characters (they may not be huge but they’re there) which allow for Owen to stay relevant. Let’s look at his last four films: The Internship, The Big Year, Midnight In Paris, and  Hall Pass; two major studio films (that both kind of flopped) and two smaller films (both very enjoyable) that allowed him to play characters on the edge of his range. That being said, Owen Wilson is a movie star (in the classic sense) and movie stars just have to live in their happy zone, do what they do, and audiences will eat them up. This is because they KNOW how to be on camera. Speaking of movie stars…

Lesson 3. The Success of the Studio System: Movie Stars

James Dean and Natalie Wood, movie stars of the HIGHEST CALIBER. Stars who would put most of today’s movie stars to shame. Over the last weekend I saw 1955’s Rebel Without A Cause on the big screen, and it was a joy. Watching those two tragic stars of a past generation was a lesson in what was good about what worked about the old school studio system. In the studio system, actors and directors were tied to studios without much say as to which parts they took, and those films were pumped out without the care of an art form, but if they happened to get great artists then that was a happy bi-product of a commercial system (yes this is still similar to today). But what came of this is a great wealth of Movie Stars, people who were so captivating on film and enthralling to watch that the actual story that is told can be either small or nonexistent. Which is not always the case, but with Rebel Without A Cause is a character study in every sense of the word. The film explores adolescents of the 50s, the relations between parents and children, and what it means to be a man in a modern society. The story elements, visual aspects, and characters still hold up today. I will say that although Dean’s iconic performance completely fits the film and the time that it was made, it was meant more for an acting class then for a film. That being said, Rebel is a great film, a classic watch and a great time at the movies.

Lesson 2. In Pixar I Trust… Again… Finally!

The Pixar movie we've been dreaming of is finally HERE!

Monsters University is the best Pixar film since Toy Story 3. Pixar is finally back to its roots – great storytelling, memorable characters, and amazing visuals. I’m not going to lie, when Monsters University was announced I was very skeptical (especially after the atrocious Cars 2), and then I learned that the original director, Pete Docter, who gave so much heart and soul to Monsters Inc. and UP wasn’t going to be involved. Let’s just say my confidence in a studio I LOVE was shaken. I’m very glad to say that with Monsters University, Pixar is back! Monsters University tells the story of how Mike and Sully (our dynamic duo from the first film) met in college – and that this friendship was not a bromance at first sight. What I love about Monsters University is that it is its own film. It lives within the world that Monsters Inc. set up, but is a completely different story. There was a good reason to come back to these characters and make a second film. What’s clear when watching Monsters University is that this film was made with passion and love for its characters and their story. It was made with passion for its place within Pixar history, and most importantly, it was a made with the passion to make a quality film for one and all.

Lesson 1. So Close! Yet So Far Away

The Purge is a film that I got very excited for based on some awesome trailers and a fantastic concept. Let’s start with this, The Purge was made for 3 million dollars, and has made more than 75 million. It’s a giant success, and we’ll be seeing more of these films, I guarantee it. The Purge isn’t terrible. It’s got some very good ideas and at times executes them well. For those who may not know the entire concept, The Purge is the night once a year, when ALL crime is legal. With no repercussions. Because of this, unemployment, poverty, hunger, and crime have all fallen to under 1%. This is the STELLAR concept of The Purge, and why I believe the film is almost great, despite getting terrible reviews. The film follows one family as they try to survive The Purge. When their 13 year old son lets a stranger into their house and a group of people try to break in after the stranger, things get scary. The film itself has one major problem, it’s half political thriller half horror film. It’s the second half that hurts, because it feels very shoe-horned in. This is not, nor should it have ever been, a horror film. It doesn’t need horror clichés and tropes tossed in. The story and situation is fascinating enough already. Don’t try to scare the audience, let the story and situation of the film do the job for you. So many good ideas are brought up about what happens when you let a society live this lifestyle, what a person would do when faced with a life or death choice and what America can turn into when we embrace violence. The Purge is a film that should be seen just to wrap your mind around all the ideas it presents, and to try and overlook the major flaws with the actual filmmaking. The script and concept are so strong that The Purge is still worth your time.