Everybody's Fine (2009)

What movie do I write about now?  Easy my wife tells me so I have to think even less, a win for laziness.  I'll say at times picking a movie to write about is almost as frustrating as doing the review.  If you've never heard of this movie in which Robert DeNiro really delivers then please don't look at the rotten tomato's rating for it, 46% rotten.  That's part of the problem with a mass rating system like RT, you get too much input by society which is never good.  This movie is a pleasant surprise that should NOT be missed.  It's also got my guy Sam Rockwell along with Kate Beckingsale and a delightful performance by Drew Barrymore.  I'm not a big fan of her but she actually acted in this movie and she can pull it off if she's not alongside Adam Sandler, burn!  What is the flick about though?  Alright let's check it out.

Robert DeNiro is a widower and he's sick due to his job coating phone lines all his life.  His kids are those named above plus David, the son you see little of but who is in the biggest misfortune of all of them.  A wonderful family reunion is planned at Dad's place but guess what?  All those rotten kids cancel on poor sick old dad at the last minute which is emotional but on a slight scale.  He basically says screw this, my wife is dead, I'm home alone (with no Marv or Harry) I'm going out across the country to see what my no good kids are up to.  As he travels its neat to see him interact with people, particularly explaining life experiences in a subtle way.  He seems like he could be a good dad but you learn as the movie progresses that he isn't the perfect, innocent, done nothing wrong father.  He's done nothing terrible but ignore certain aspects of his families life.  All I have to say is if you start watching it you'll see it through.  I was watching it with my baby niece in the vicinity and I paused it anytime I heard the crying start.  I had to listen and make sure I heard it all.  I won't rag on my poor defenseless niece she just had a bad day.

The family seems alright at his first visits with them all except for David whom he couldn't reach.  Later he learns in a fantastical dream the truth with all of them which puts light on all of their lives in a very interesting way.  Pay attention to it as he speaks with his kids as small children around a picnic table, it's rough man.  It will pierce your heart in a way that's unique, at least I haven't seen anything quite like it. The part I like is discovering what has been up with David, the son who was treated the hardest by dad.  I won't kill it about what happens to him but DeNiro upon finding out that David did become an artist like he always pushed him to be finds a painting his son did that pulls that tear from your eye and forces you to suck on it.  The painting was of a simple telephone pole with the lines connecting from pole to pole expressing how much his dad meant to him through all the tough love.  The dad learns he ended up doing well by his son after all and well "Everybody's Fine" at the end, right?

It's the type of movie I can't let out the details or it'll be ruined but see this movie, treat your brain to art in cinema form because the mass audience (people) will never appreciate such a movie.  They want sex, blood, superhero tights, boom booms and gossip but what you want is a well told story with real human feelings in it to get a break from what Hollywood wants you to like.  Don't believe me?  Then I'm surprised you read this far down.  Can't I be such a hardcase?  I don't sugarcoat it's more fun this way.

Rating: 9 of 10

Prometheus (2012)

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It's been some time since I've posted and that is on account of being lazy.  Truth be told that's how I am most of the time but my wife has expressed how she misses my reviews.  She even requested I review this particular movie that we saw a few weeks back.  I've decided to make a comeback as it's ever so possible that perhaps there are more of you out there that miss what I write.

7-10-2012 {Update} I scored some free tickets to see this movie again!  I was pleased with this second viewing as much as the first and really like being left wondering a few important questions while still getting some answered.  I’ll state now that the events of this movie pre-date the original ‘Alien’ movie but I wouldn’t say it’s a direct prequel.  There is a different storyline that dominants but does include some information about our favorite two-mouthed friends.

The beginning of the movie see’s one of the humanoid creators drinking some vial looking drink then promptly dying off into a gushing waterfall.  What is the point in this scene?  The visuals?  The use of CGI?  I think it’s to show the actual creation of the human race on earth.  As the creator dies and fizzles away under the water its DNA is destroyed but new cellular growth forms which could represent the birth of humanity at a singular level.  Is this what really happened?  I don’t know but it interests me.  Was it an accident that our creators spawned life on earth which was us?  The questions that spike out of this movie are very fascinating to me although I could understand why many people would rather simply bash on it or dismiss it as ‘just a movie’.  The best part of science fiction is all the variables that don’t work in reality can surge to the surface and dominant a movie if done well.  

I liked this movie.  I prefer the Ridley Scott versions of this story line as opposed to whatever else has been made with the same 'aliens'.  This movie did satisfy me with what I wanted to know which was; who are the beings that were on board that alien spacecraft in the 1979 'Alien'.  It's a victory for a science fiction fan like me to discover that humans were created by these other humanoid species.  The moment the characters find out that our DNA matches theirs exactly is incredible!  I fill with intrigue simply wondering why we were created which is exactly what some of the characters in the movie do.  The question remains as to why they made us though.  Was it because they could?  It’s neat as the movie moves along that our creators were bound for earth with their new weapon before they lost control of the situation.  What was this new weapon though?

The tickling point that made me want to watch this movie stems from the idea that we would at last discover the origin of the 'aliens'.  Now don't get aroused into thinking this movie is all about aliens because it’s not and it’s even better that way.  Our humanoid creators used a desolate moon, as an outpost to experiment on.  They are creating yet again but this time in the form of what seems to be a biological weapon of terrible means.  A black sludge stored in vases is the primordial single cell base for the alleged creation of the 'aliens'.  During the climatic finale it’s discovered our creators were set on a course for earth with thousands of these vases on their ship!  Did they plan to wipe us out to create a planet full of aliens?  Did they simply wish to use us as test subjects for their unmentioned plans?  That thought process of being curious as to why they were bringing it to earth does make them seem like they don’t really treat us as nothing more than lab rats. 

Thanks

It's neat to see the two bumbling idiots, yes even with such an expedition at hand with such high stakes they are allowed, get to be graphic victims of the black ooze.  I didn’t like these guys much anyway and it’s a great way to showcase some gruesome nasty happenings.  A couple of worms slither into the stuff and grow into what looks like ‘facehuggers’.  Could that be how they began?  It seemed that way to me but the mystery of it after you see it is interesting to someone like me.  It’s like, you know but you don’t know!  The characters are not anything special but the acting is better than I expected. 

To me the story this movie offers over decades of alien’s movies is what makes it better than all the rest. I love origin and finding out how everything came to be.  The ending of the movie leaves you with the lone human survivor and an android's head heading for their creators home world.  It sets up a sequel that is dying to be made but will it?  I would love to see it happen as the opportunity to learn more about why humans were created in the first place would be awesome.  You also get to see a gigantic facehugger battle one of the creators and witness the birth of what I would guess is the queen alien that will inhabit this rock.  The scene where the humanoid creator species guy is struggling for his life against that creature is fantastic!  It showcases their strength as he fights for release but ultimately gets impregnated.  This movie is sick with disgusting scenes but it’s appropriate nonetheless.

My favorite actors were Michael Fassbender, the android who had his own agenda and Idris Elba, the captain of Prometheus.  I thought they really performed well and would like to note it.  The lone female actress, who survived, Noomi Rapace also got better as the movie went on and should also get a nod.  I like Charlize Theron but I've seen her do better maybe I just didn't like her character.  I can't wait to own this on BluRay and seeing it again in theater is still a possibility, even if for now a third time.

Back to the android topic before I finish, it’s interesting that in both of Scott’s film’s they have a sick fascination for superior beings.  In this movie it’s our creators while the older movie it’s the aliens themselves.  The humans managed to create an android with extreme intelligence with none of our human frailties, the guy talks after being decapitated!  I like how David, this movie’s android, still doesn’t understand why Elizabeth, the lone female survivor, wants to know why humans were created and why they are to be seemingly destroyed.  It explains that having a soul is the vital difference between human and android which gives the movie some heart, not much but it’s there.

I suppose I hit on enough of this movie for now but I’ll be back here when I own this sucker and I’ll get into whatever else I feel needs sharing.  Remember don’t expect ALIENS around every corner there is a deeper story that at last has arrived. 

 If you like science fiction, alien entities, darkness, disturbing deaths and originality then I'd say you can't miss with this movie.  If not many of the above applies to you, you'd be better suited to skip out on it and pick a safer movie like 'Avenger's' or something.  I haven't seen it yet but everyone seems to like it, I can guarantee Prometheus will not be regarded as such.

Rating: 9 of 10