Mini-Review: The Famous Five 4 (Fünf Freunde 4)

Posted on by bernardovillela

As mentioned in my review of the most recent film of this series, learning of the existence of this long-running book-series and subsequent frequent television and cinematic adaptations was rather a revelation. When all is said and done for those unfamiliar with the stories one could look at them kind of like The Hardy Boys plus a pair of Nancy Drews, one a tomboy and one not, with a resourceful Lassie-like dog rounding out the quintet.

Considering that that this is fourth in a series you immediately run in to one positive and one negative: first, as its clear the actors have aged and matured their storylines and characters have as well. The makers of this series rather than recasting their talented bunch have remained realistic avoiding one pitfall the book series seems to have embodied per J.K. Rowling when previewing further Potter books “in book four the hormones are going to kick in – I don’t want him stuck in a state of permanent pre-pubescence like poor Julian in the Famous Five!”

However, the comments on the book series that seem to have come to roost are those about recycled plots and structures. More so than any other film in this series this film seems to most transparently telegraph the very thinly-veiled ulterior motives of characters leaving far fewer surprises in store for the viewer if any. Taking the story to Egypt can add a lot of intrigue and raise stakes but there is little of that and not much overly-unique in the premise here.

Not that this was ever a series that reinvented the wheel but so much of this particular installment on the face of it seemed derivative of other works or redressed self-cannibalized plot points from the past. It doesn’t even move quite as well as the prior installments.

The constants are there, the kids are all right, and there is another very capable new kid on the block (Omid Memar) joins the fray. It’s a film that could be viewed out of continuity if you wanted to, but I’d not recommend it. If interested get to the start of the series, die hards only need apply here.

4/10

2015 BAM Award Considerations – May

Posted on by bernardovillela

It seems that awards season on this blog just ended, however, assembling those nominees is a year-long process. So the cycle begins anew with posts at the end of the month and master lists offline in preparation for the big dates of the award’s calendar year. A collection of most, if not all titles viewed, can be seen on my Letterboxd.

Eligible Titles

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
Hot Pursuit
Cupcakes
Girlhood
The Famous Five 4
The Outlaw League
Poltergeist
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.
Big In Japan
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)
San Andreas
Midnight Sun

Best Picture


Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
T.I.M.
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Foreign Film


Cupcakes
Girlhood
The Famous Five 4
The Outlaw League
T.I.M.
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)
San Andreas

Best Documentary

 

Most Overlooked Picture

As intimated in my Most Underrated announcement this year, I’ve decided to make a change here. Rather than get caught up in me vs. the world nonsense and what a film’s rating is on an aggregate site, the IMDb or anywhere else, I want to champion smaller, lesser-known films. In 2011 with the selection of Toast this move was really in the offing. The nominees from this past year echo that fact. So here, regardless of how well-received something is by those who’ve seen it, I’ll be championing indies and foreign films, and the occasional financial flop from a bigger entity.


Charlie’s Country
The Outlaw League
T.I.M.
Big In Japan
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)
Midnight Sun

Best Director


Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
Hot Pursuit
T.I.M.
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Actress

Charlize Theron Mad Max: Fury Road
Reese Witherspoon Hot Pursuit
Britt Robertson Tomorrowland

Best Actor
David Gulpilil Charlie’s Country
Tom Hardy Mad Max: Fury Road
George Clooney Tomorrowland

Best Supporting Actress
Sofia Vergara Hot Pursuit

Best Supporting Actor
Jeppe Beck Laursen Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Leading Role

Karidja Touré Girlhood
Valeria Eisenbart The Famous Five 4
Raffey Cassidy Tomorrowland
Mia Helene Solberg Brekke Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role

Justus Schlingensiepen The Famous Five 4
André Kasper Kolstad The Outlaw League
Dyon Wilkens T.I.M.
Victor Papadopoulos Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)
Dakota Goyo Midnight Sun

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role

Neele-Marie Nickel The Famous Five 4
Claudia Kanne T.I.M.

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Supporting Role

Quirrin Oettl The Famous Five 4
Kyle Catlett Poltergeist
Thomas Robinson Tomorrowland

Pierce Gagnon Tomorrowland
William Ulrik Græsli Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)
Art Parkinson San Andreas

Best Cast

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Mad Max: Fury Road
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Youth Ensemble


The Famous Five 4
The Outlaw League
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Original Screenplay


Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
T.I.M.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Tomorrowland

Best Score


Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
T.I.M.
Big In Japan
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Editing


Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.
Kick It (Cool Kids Don’t Cry)

Best Sound Editing/Mixing

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Mad Max: Fury Road
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.
San Andreas

Best Cinematography


Mad Max: Fury Road
T.I.M.
Midnight Sun

Best Art Direction

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Charlie’s Country
Mad Max: Fury Road
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.

Best Costume Design

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Mad Max: Fury Road
Cupcakes
Girlhood
Tomorrowland

Best Makeup

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Mad Max: Fury Road
Midnight Sun

Best Visual Effects

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Mad Max: Fury Road
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.

Best (Original) Song


Mad Max: Fury Road
Cupcakes
Tomorrowland
T.I.M.
Big In Japan

I commented last year that there was a film that had me reconsidering the soundtrack as a potential category. It’s happened again so I will be tracking it and seeing if it’s worth re-including this year.

Best Soundtrack


Cupcakes
Poltergeist
Tomorrowland
Big In Japan

Mini-Review: Cupcakes

Posted on by bernardovillela

As it turns out when I viewed this film turned out to be serendipitous, I saw this just before this year’s Eurovision competition in Bulgaria. Since I’ve joined Twitter I have lamented the fact that Eurovision is not broadcast in America even more so as those I follow make me even more envious than I normally would be as I hear a lot of extemporaneous reaction. I’ve known of this song competition for a while, always seeking to broaden my horizons, and due to my innate curiosity; however, I never really was able to get it – only getting snippets I couldn’t see how it worked or an illustration of the fascination.

However, I think even if one is wholly unfamiliar with the song competition it’s an easy enough tale to follow clearly. It’s humorous, warm and more about the characters’ struggles than in-jokes. Clearly, knowing some things about Eurovision will only deepen the appreciation you have for the fun it pokes, and the spirit it tries to invoke.

The film is a welcome bit of escapism taking a group of friends from different walks of life who watch the show annually for a bit of ironic enjoyment into the contest unbeknownst to them in a whirlwind the following year. Its humor and tonality is a welcome departure for director Eytan Fox director of such films as Yossi & Jagger and Yossi.

6/10

Short Film Saturday: Minnie the Moocher (1932)

Posted on by bernardovillela

This is a pre-Code/Depression era short featuring Betty Boop. I’m not much of an authority on the character. I knew some of the shorts when I was a kid before I saw Who Framed Roger Rabbit I’m sure. Those were likely the more sanitized Code era shorts. So, yes, the imagery here will be a littleut even animated shorts felt the power of the Depression.

An interesting pre-cursor to The Three Little Pigs that features similar ideals if a different vibe. It takes some of Cab Calloway’s songs and dramatizes them well. I almost snuck this on to a Music Video Monday post but decided against it.

Enjoy!

Free Movie Friday: Little Men (1934)

Posted on by bernardovillela

Introduction

I wanted to start this series back in January. Basically, there are a lot of good movies out there that you can watch free and clear. Meaning you don’t have to pay for them <em>and </em>by streaming it free you’re not stealing it because they are in the public domain. Also, in some cases, these films are not all as ancient as copyright laws usually call for.

Little Men (1934)

Last week I discussed my history with filmic adaptations of this sequel to Louisa May Alcott’s classic. Another thing to note is that I slid into these adaptations sideways having known how tenuous the connection was and liking this story I’ve not looked into the original. The connection is such that if you’re a fan of semantics, like I am, it’s one you could call a follow-up rather than a direct sequel. It tracks a few characters many years later, to see what they’re doing rather than directly dealing with the events of the first story.

Last week, I also mentioned how I think this version may have had a better idea of how to deal with this story and casting it. Now you can decide for yourself, and if you’ve stuck with it through two versions rent or buy the 1998 version, which is quite clearly still under copyright.

This film is one of those that proves that my annual Poverty Row theme is not always fruitless.

To watch the film visit the link below:

Little Men (1934)

Music Video Monday: Billy Joel – Pressure

Posted on by bernardovillela

Introduction

I’ve debated starting this theme for a few weeks, and I ultimately decided I would as it would encourage me to looks for options that actually fit what I’m aiming for. If one pays too much attention to Top 40 type music you tend to see a dearth of creativity in the music video form. The music video is spawned from short films and can be as creative if not more so than their predecessor. Far too often it does just become singing heads. I want to try and buck that trend and find ones both new and old that do something somewhat outside the box, at the very least have some sort of visual narrative. Here we go.

Pressure – Billy Joel

This was one of the videos I thought of when first considering this theme. I will return with more new-to-me tunes and vids soon but it’s been too long since I posted in this theme, so I figured I may as well get back to it.

One thing I always recall about this was that Joel went with a director’s idea that contrasted sharply with a piece of the lyrics because he misunderstood a baseball reference being from the UK. Joel didn’t want to be too literal. It sets the tone, it’s a memorable one.

Enjoy!

Short Film Saturday: Alma

Posted on by bernardovillela

It would not do too well to set this one up too much, but here’s a teaser: there is no dialogue, a simple, well-rendered premise and one brilliant cut that says it all. It’s visual, jaw-droppingly well-rendered in its simplicity, and memorable even down to the score.

The short has been optioned by DreamWorks Animation to be developed into a feature. See the short now to get a leg-up; and was created by a Pixar animator. Proof, yet again, that animation is a medium and not only for kids’ stories; but kids with an ability to deal with the macabre can see this.

Enjoy!

Free Movie Friday: Little Men (1940)

Posted on by bernardovillela

Introduction

I wanted to start this series back in January. Basically, there are a lot of good movies out there that you can watch free and clear. Meaning you don’t have to pay for them <em>and </em>by streaming it free you’re not stealing it because they are in the public domain. Also, in some cases, these films are not all as ancient as copyright laws usually call for.

Little Men (1940)

I first became familiar with Louisa May Alcott’s not-quite-as-popular sequel to Little Women through the short-lived 1998-1999 TV series adaptation. Though TV may, in fact, be a better vehicle for the quotidien, schoolday adventures as Jo (Kay Francis) cares for her wayward students; some film versions have charmed me as well. Including one released in that year and earlier film versions.

This one is a low-budget rare showcase for Jimmy Lydon and a brisk introduction to the tale – an even brisker, earlier take and overall more well-cast adaptation was released in 1934. Enjoy!