Crunching the Numbers: Lucky Number Slevin

[Alpha]

Amulet

An Alpha Production

More with Less: A Jewelry Journey with Pitfalls

Amulet is an animated offering that shows quite a lot, yet lacks some detail and wonder in the presentation. With a budget of $75 million, the film lacks some of the visual/stylistic firepower needed to really capture the wonder of its epic journey. We have robots, walking houses, a giant, a walking robot house fighting a giant, anthropomorphic animals, armies of elves, explosions, octopus arachnid jelly things, and it all feels a bit less remarkable since the animation isn't as detailed and powerful as it could be. Especially with that voice cast eating up budget.

On to the story. Amulet is the story of a family, mourning the loss of the always great Stanley Tucci, whose journey to an old family estate turns up mysteries and dangers almost instantly and it's linked to a strange stone amulet our heroine Joey King discovers. The family is sucked into an alternate reality with monsters and creatures and more. The film features a lot of fantasy conventions but wisely turns them on their head a bit. The elves aren't your typical woodland nice guys but vicious killers. You have robots and planes and other modern conveniences mucking around as well, broadening the world beyond just your regular old fantasy.

The voice acting and choices for the roles are quite good. Jessica Chastain feels a little underused as the mother and Stanley Tucci's in the film for about five minutes (same as Dustin Hoffman) so they also could have gotten cheaper career voice actors to fill those roles. Otherwise Joey King is electric and Daniel Craig brings some cynical feistiness to the proceedings.

Overall I enjoyed Amulet and was very invested in the story and characters, but the discount the studio took on the budget impacted the visual presentation so what was an epic tale and adventure just didn't quite look and feel that way in the end.

B+ (with a more reasonable budget like 100 million [i don't expect 140+ million like most Dreamworks/Pixar outings] it'd be a surefire A-).

I don't really care as much about the techinical details, but I could've bumped the budget to $100 million.

[4815162342]

The Wanders

 

A Hiccup Production

 

 

what.

[Ezen Baklattan]

....that's the review?

[Hiccup]

The Wanders

 

A Hiccup Production

 

 

what.

 

WTF lol

[4815162342]

....that's the review?

"What." You've just been witness to something so bizarre,, that your brain no longer has the cognitive faculties to put together a more articulate response. And that's exactly how it's written, too: "what" with a period at the end.

 http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FlatWhat

[4815162342]

But seriously.

 

 

Aliens.

 

Adam and Eve.

 

End of the World.

 

All suddenly in the last 30ish minutes of a film running over 2 hours.

 

 

 

 

So yeah, you know how Hiccup said he wanted Prometheus reception? Well....

 

 

The final act of The Wanders goes "The Full Prometheus"

Edited April 22, 2013 by 4815162342

[Hiccup]

I am guessing this is negative? Or so bizzare that it is good?

[4815162342]

Category update:

 

The Box Office Category

1. Spark 2: Ignition: B+

2. Amulet: B+

3. Blank: B+

4. Justice League: B

5. Call of Duty: Eye of the Storm: B

6. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: B-

7. The Wanders: Prometheus

8. Journey: C+

9. The Academy: D+

Edited April 22, 2013 by 4815162342

[Hiccup]

The Wanders should do fairly well in the box office. It is getting "good" reception (horror movie standards). It isn't a carbon copy or  rip-off of Prometheus but I would be a liar to say that Prometheus didn't inspire The Wanders.

[Alpha]

"7. The Wanders: Prometheus"

 

[Hiccup]

"7. The Wanders: Prometheus"

 

 

He never said it was bad. Wanders got a B- or C+. B- is great for a horror movie.

Edited April 22, 2013 by Hiccup

[4815162342]

To clarify: First 90 minutes was a strong B+

 

Then the final 30 minutes dove into the toilet

[Hiccup]

To clarify: First 90 minutes was a strong B+

 

Then the final 30 minutes dove into the toilet

 

Hmmm I personally enjoyed writing and reading the last 30 minutes imo

[4815162342]

The Rich & FamousA Spaghetti ProductionThey're Rich and Famous Alright, But Not as Interesting As They Think They AreAlexander Payne, a man who excels at dark humor, subversvie comedy, and intimate drama, tackles for his latest film a fictional member of the Hollywood D-List, a famous sitcom-actress turned writer who has a comfortable life but no longer has the fame and notoriety she craved and thrived on in her youth, whereas her co-star and former friend still has that punch via reality TV. This premise combined with the opening spill of events sets the stage for a promising, biting satire on the Hollywood way of life and the lengths dried-up actresses will go to make themselves feel relevant. This continues through the caustic dinner scene with her parents who try to persuade her that the Good Ship Janie has run around. It's like Young Adult: Hollywood Edition and that is promising.But then the film decides it doesn't want to bite, it wants to feel instead.And so we get therapy sessions with the most unethical therapist in the world played by Jason Bateman who happens to conveniently be a huge fan of Janie's past and gets all goo-goo ga-ga around her and clearly wants to get in her pants from the moment she enters his office.And so we get a middle of the film that drags as it's about Janie learning how to feel and trust in a therapist who clearly is in it for the poontang and clearly isn't telling the whole truth and it's all about emotions and growing and of course he turns out to be a two-timing cheating bastard and this makes Janie depressed and ready to go meltdown on her ex-friend who conveniently invited her to a party her reality show is filming mere days after the therapist reveals his true colors and oh my god where the hell did the first act go.The Rich & Famous is a film that wants to have it both ways. It wants to show its protagonist as a vacuous, greedy, materialistic whore corrupted by Hollywood who wants payback against her former friend and wants to spend and primp and live the high life, but at the same time it wants to turn this Young Adult cousin into an emotion-fest like The Descendants with a tearful hospital scene and deathbed closure and the revelation that the ex-friend wanted to mend fences the whole time only it's too late and where the hell did the first at go.I wanted to think The Rich & Famous would be as excellent as riczhang's review anointed it, I really did, but this is one film that gets swallowed whole by a second film that decides that standard emotional feels trump harsh satire ina film about decadent Hollywood.B/B+

[4815162342]

Category Update:

 

The Prestige Category

1. The Rise and Fall of Julius Caesar

2. Innocense

3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

4. The Three Month Funeral

5. The Rich & Famous

6. Le Plasir, Faux

7. The Fall of Boss Tweed

 

 

 

BET UPDATE!!!!!!!

 

riczhang:

Rich and Famous will score at least an A. (Type 2, betting 40 points)

 

Result: FAILED

 

 

[riczhang]

Damn, I was so certain.

 

And may I ask how your letter grades translate into out of ten?

Edited April 23, 2013 by riczhang

[Ezen Baklattan]

I feel like since there was already going to be a satirical take of Hollywood this year, (Alfred's film, literally titled Hollywood) I didn't want to bring The Rich & Famous quite down in that direction, but at the same time, I fellt that Janie did grow tired of all the Hollywood BS and that's why she decided to leave in the end.

 

Still, thanks for the decent review.

[The Dark Alfred]

I would like Numbers to review Hollywood, off charts.

[4815162342]

I feel like since there was already going to be a satirical take of Hollywood this year, (Alfred's film, literally titled Hollywood) I didn't want to bring The Rich & Famous quite down in that direction, but at the same time, I fellt that Janie did grow tired of all the Hollywood BS and that's why she decided to leave in the end.

 

Still, thanks for the decent review.

 

I think if the tone was more consistent it would have been better, instead  it started out sharp but by the midpoint the main focus turned to emotional drama and the the final scenes dove into a pool of saccharine. I think you could have had something great if the entire film was a drama about a forgotten actress forging a new direction in life.

 

And the whole middle act with Jason Bateman didn't quite work that well.

 

 

Alfred, I got the requests to get through, then I go to the listing, so there are no off-book reviews.

[riczhang]

I liked the Jason Bateman part....