Finding Neverland

Marc Foster - Director
Johnny Depp - Sir James Matthew Barrie
Kate Winslet - Sylvia Llewelyn Davies
Julie Christie - Mrs. Emma du Maurier
Radha Mitchell - Mary Ansell Barrie
Dustin Hoffman - Charles Frohman
Freddie Highmore - Peter Llewelyn Davies
Nick Roud - George Llewelyn Davies


Captain Barrie is about to make one of his crew walk the plank in Finding Neverland.


Johnny Depp, as I've said before, has made a career out of portraying odd characters and roles most actors would be unable to pull off. Finding Neverland marks a departure for Depp, playing the nice, normal (comparitively speaking) character of Sir James Matthew Barrie - the author of Peter Pan. This film (which is based on true events) is about Barrie and the people and events that inspired his writing of Peter Pan.

At the onset of the film we learn that Barrie is a playwright who's latest project is a flop. We also soon learn that his marriage is floundering. He and his wife seem to live in different worlds and have little common ground. One day while sitting in the park he meets the Davies family who would become his muse for his career masterpiece, Peter Pan. He plays with the children as if he were one of them, teaching them to harness their imaginations and play without abandon or embarrasment. The widow Davies (Winslet) enjoys his company and the happiness he helps provide for her children. 3 of the 4 children adore him and his free spirited, fun loving ways. Peter, however, will have none of it. Some of film's best dialogue takes place between Barrie and Peter. It's amazing that the other children take to his imaginitive, playful ways as well as they do; few things can make a child grow up faster than losing a parent.

Barrie represents an important force in the lives of the Davies children. Their controlling grandmother (and Barrie's wife) lives in a world where being proper is more important than being happy, where holding one's teacup the Wrong Way would be an embarrasment, where missing a day of church would be cause for vicious gossip. Young boys are not allowed to thrive in such an environment. There is a scene where one of the boys, George, finally tells off his grandmother. It should be satisfying to watch but it isn't because you can see him slipping away into that adult world as so many of us have done in the past.

As the story plays out, Barrie finishes his new play, based on his experiences with the Davies family. The proprietor of the theatre where it is to show is understandably concerned about the play's prospects. "James, we have doctors and lawyers and people dressed in their finest attire coming to watch theatre. You're giving them pirates and indians and fairies!" In a stroke of genius, Barrie reserves several seats in the theatre for children, whose laughter helps ease the crowd and allow them to remember what it was like to be children themselves.

Finding Neverland is another masterful performance by Depp, who has become one of this generation's finest actors. The film is well acted, well written and touching. It touches on the subject of living in the adult world but remembering to visit the world of imagination. This is easily the best movie I've seen in a while, and one that I reccomend to anyone.

Finding Neverland earns 4 wombats out of 4.

The Life Aquatic

Wes Anderson - Writer/Director
Bill Murray - Steve Zissou
Owen Wilson - Ned Plimpton
Cate Blanchett - Jane Winslett-Richardson
Angelica Huston - Eleanor Zissou
Willem Defoe - Klaus Daimler
Jeff Goldblum - Alistair Hennessey
Michael Gambon - Oseary Drakoulias


Murray and Wilson eye each other up in The Life Aquatic


I didn't hate this movie, it just fell far short of my expectations for both Anderson and Murray. Perhaps I judge it more harshly because of these peoples' involvement. In The Royal Tenenbaums, Anderson made both a great comedy and a decent drama. The Life Aquatic aimed for both of these and went right down the middle, missing both targets. But anyways I don't feel like a normal review so here's a couple of little lists I made.

Good Things:
- Bill Murray
- Wes Anderson
- Pirates
- A scene where Bill Murray singlehandedly fights off invading pirate crew like he were in a John Woo film.
- Old, run down ship crewed by weirdos and misfits
- Jeff Goldblum gets shot
- The trailer was pretty funny
- Willem Defoe turns in a quality, funny performance.
- Each member of the sea exploration crew gets a red hat, a speedo and a gun. Pretty cool.
- Clever design for the boat. For cinematography purposes, the boat was basically cut in half so the camera could pan or the whole thing and see into each room like looking at an ant farm. Very cool.
- The various crews, props and sets are fun in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way.
- Bill Murray's character is kind of an asshole.

Bad Things:
- Owen Wilson using a southern accent. Never again please.
- Jeff Goldblum
- Goldblum is shot but refuses to die.
- Scenes that were not shown in the trailer were not very good.
- Not terribly entertaining.
- Many of the film's quirks seem telegraphed, some of the dialogue struck me as "Look at me! I'm being quirky and weird and funny!" Anderson's other films I've seen really were quirky and funny but also had dramatic moments mixed in. Not here. Drama was too heavy handed, humor not humorous enough.
- No Steve Buscemi
- The characters were not endearing in any way to me. Except maybe for Klaus.
- Bill Murray's character is kind of an asshole.

Given the talented director and cast, it should've been a whole lot better.
The Life Aquatic earns 2 wombats out of 4.

White Noise

Geoffrey Sax - Director
Niall Johnson - Screenwriter
Michael Keaton - Jonathan Rivers
Chandra West - Anna Rivers
Deborah Kara Unger - Sara Tate
Ian McNeice - Raymond Price




Careful, Keaton! You're about to be the victim of poor storytelling!

In some ancient Greek drama, an apparently insoluble crisis was solved by the intervention of a god, often brought on stage by an elaborate piece of equipment. This "god from the machine" was literally a deus ex machina. This term is often used to describe a scene in a movie where something happens not because it makes sense, but because the story needs it to happen. These scenes may be exciting for some viewers who don't bother to question things, but they're generally seen as a thinly disguised escape route for a scriptwriter who has written him or herself into a hole. In simpler terms, using a deus ex machina is cheating.

White Noise could've been a good film. I wanted to like it. I like Michael Keaton and it's been a while since I last saw him in a movie. He was quite good here, I can't really fault the acting in any way. Keaton's character is the portal through which we watch this film. He plays a sympathetic character who is as lost as the audience is. When bad things happen to him, we feel bad. When strange occurences begin happening he is confused but hopeful along with the audience. We are hitched to his wagon, along for the ride. He probably thought the last 20 minutes of the movie sucked too.

The movie opens on The Rivers' blissful marriage. Jonathan and Anna are completely happy, they then recieve news that make them even happier - a sure sign that something very bad will happen soon. Sure enough Mrs Rivers is dead within the first 15 minutes. A short time onto Jonathan's grieving period, a man approaches him and informs him that Anna has been communicating with him through Electronic Voice Phenomena or EVP. This is the term used for a means of the dead to contact the living through electronic devices such as cassette tapes, VCR tapes, radios, etc. They communicate through very faint images on VHS tapes, or faint voices buried in static on tapes. Working with this subject gives the filmmakers some leeway. After all, there are no steadfast rules for how the dead behave. Unfortunately, the film makers still have the job of making sure they explain things to the audience.

Anyhoo, Rivers hears evidence of his wife communicating via EVP and becomes obsessed with the phenomena, neglecting his job and child in the process. The film shows us the process of recording and interpreting EVP messages, and it is pretty entertaining for awhile. Rivers begins receiving messages and acting on them in the way he thinks is best. Eventually I began getting a little antsy and wishing the story would go somewhere more meaningful to the central character. After all, the movie brings up several questions early on and, no matter how interesting the onscreen action is, I eventually want to see those questions answered. This is where the Suck Factor begins to accelerate to terminal velocity for White Noise. I will not spoil the last 20 minutes of the film; that was the screenwriter's job. The movie had potential and intrigued me for a while. It just should've gone somewhere better with it rather than insulting the viewers.

White Noise earns 1 1/2 wombats

O Brother, Where art Thou?

Joel Coen - Writer/Director
Ethan Coen - Writer/Director

George Clooney - Ulysses Everett McGill
John Turturo - Pete
Tim Blake Nelson - Delmar O'Donnell
John Goodman - Dan Teague
Holly Hunter - Penny
Daniel von Bargen - Sherriff Cooley/The Devil
Michael Badallucco - George "Babyface" Nelson
Stephen Root - Radio Station Man
Charles Durning - Pappy O'Daniel
Chris Thomas King - Tommy Johnson

Turturro, Nelson and Clooney shine in O Brother

The Coen brothers make quality movies. I've liked everything I've seen so far from them, (Fargo, The Big Lebowski, The Man Who wasn't There) and this film did not disappoint. (I've been told that Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty were duds; I haven't seen them.) Their films have a certain whimsy and tongue in cheek humor about them which make them a joy to watch.
O Brother Where art Thou is based (loosely) upon Homer's "The Odyssey." I've never read it, but the film contains sirens, a cyclops and a blind prophet, all of which I'm sure reference the source material. The three main characters have their roles established within the first 5 minutes of the film; Everett is the brains, Pete is the hothead and Delmar is the dimwit. Each actor plays his character quite well. Clooney impressed me in particular. Everett's words are the medium he uses to weave intricate tapestries of bullshit. He is charismatic and outspoken without being obnoxious.

The movie opens on Everett, Pete and Delmar. Having just escaped from a chain gang (they seem to have been the only white men there) they must make their way to a buried treasure while overcoming obstackles and avoiding The Law (and the Devil.) The other catch is that the treasure is buried in a valley that is due to flooded in 4 days time. On their way they meet a bizarre array of enemies and allies. The Coen brothers always manage to incorporate outlandish characters into their stories. They have an ear for dialogue and an appreciation of odd, slightly off-kilter humor. They do go off on a lot of tangents, most of which are entertaining, some of which don't work for me.


Everett and Pete do battle with the wicked sirens.


The film takes place in post-depression era 1930s which is beautifully portrayed here. The soundtrack* is an item of note. The film is chock full of music that helps to set the tone and feel of the era. Almost every scene has a track from the album somewhere in it, but it never seems obtrusive. Indeed, the O Brother Where art Thou soundtrack is probably the best film compilation I've ever heard. Indeed, O Brother Where art Thou is smart, fun entertainment. Go watch it.

O Brother, Where art Thou earns 3 and 1/2 Wombats out of 4.

*Best Album of the Year: 2001 - 44th Annual GRAMMY Awards