FosterBreadford Reviews

Flyover Country (2013)

Funny, Poignant Portrait of Life

[9 November 2016]

Walt Whitman once wrote: "Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)"

The contradictions and complications of real people are often eschewed in films, hoping to create something more accessible, but perhaps at the cost of that humanity. Jim Fields, with Flyover Country, has made a movie about real people who are able to inhabit the contradictions of characters who haven't figured themselves out yet. Rather than resort of the clichés of a coming of age story, Fields has created a cast of characters starring Mike Mecek and Myles Dabbs that believably move from one conflict to another, solving some, and learning to live with the others. Shot beautifully by Matt Patterson and set to a vibrant soundtrack by Dereck Higgins, Omaha comes to life in a funny, poignant portrait of life in this perfectly titled flyover country.

John Carter (2012)

John Carter is Silly Vintage Science Fiction and Little More

[21 March 2012]

Nearly a century ago, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote the first of many John Carter novels. It's very much vintage science fiction; the novels went on to inspire minds like George Lucas and James Cameron, who created their own adventures with many throwbacks to Burroughs' work. Despite numerous efforts, John Carter did not make it to the big screen until 2012 under the direction of Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton. It's Stanton's first live action film, and is clearly meant to be a huge event like Star Wars.

You've probably seen the confusing and rather stupid trailers. With this, you probably also have no idea whatsoever what this film is about. John Carter is a reluctant soldier in the Civil War who stumbles upon a strange cave and medallion that transports him to Mars. Mars is, in fact, inhabited by multiple races of Tharks (15 foot tall aliens) and humans, who are in the middle of planet spanning wars. Carter finds himself in the middle of this political controversy and ends up confronting the evil forces threatening to destroy the planet.

It's plain and simple cheesy vintage science fiction. That's really all this ever was and all it is. As someone who would lump Star Wars into that same category, don't think I'm saying that as a condemnation of the film. This is simply the genre we're dealing with here. If you're into this sort of thing, definitely go see John Carer because it's really not all that bad of a film. It has plenty of problems, but is entertaining enough for what it is. The largest differentiating factor between John Carter and Star Wars doesn't come from the direction or even the outlandish stories, but rather in the simple talent of casting.

Star Wars is fun not only because it has interesting special effects, but because there is a great cast that's clearly having a lot of fun together. The main reason why the prequels failed was because there was no one as charismatic and charming as Han Solo to keep things out of pure science fiction. This is a guilty pleasure genre that needs a charming lead to justify watching to the masses. John Carter is a character who could easily have combined the traits of a Luke Skywalker and a Han Solo, only we have Taylor Kitsch here playing it straight and lacking completely in the charm department. There's no real chemistry in the love story and he's rather wooden. This is a big problem, and keeps the film from really being fun. Basically, you need a Harrison Ford to carry a film like this, and Taylor Kitsch is no Harry Ford.

As it is, it's not necessarily fun, but it's an interesting two hours where you learn a lot of information about Burrough's universe. It's not anything that groundbreaking in the modern age where these stories are fairly common. The characters adequately serve the story while never really being anyone you root for. This keeps you at a distance, while not exactly turning you off completely. As I've said, there are plenty of problems that keep John Carter from being a successful epic, but it does not deserve the horrible reputation it currently holds.

So, you're left with a mixed bag that's interesting to look at. Is that enough for you? I can kind of appreciate the throwback to old science fiction as well as old Hollywood epics. That's enough for me for two hours, but you should take a lot more into consideration when you're making a $250 million investment on something like this.

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The Dark Knight (2008)

"I'm gonna tell them it was your idea."

[18 July 2008]

This film is simply jaw dropping-ly amazing. When I first saw Batman Begins, I was expecting something decent, something that would hopefully be better than Batman and Robin, and I came out of the theatre amazed. Batman Begins was the best comic book movie ever made. Was being the key element. It no longer is, The Dark Knight, without a doubt is the best comic book movie ever made, and in my opinion, one of the best movies ever made. Christopher Nolan never disappoints, and his follow up to Begins was The Prestige, also a favorite of mine. The Dark Knight destroys all his others, though. It is truly amazing, nothing lacking in it at all. Mr. Nolan seems incapable of doing a bad job writing or directing. Actually that's a horrid way of saying it. He seems incapable of writing or directing anything that isn't phenomenal, this being no exception. He wrote with his brother, Jonathon Nolan, and the pair seem a fantastic writing team, for the screenplay is Oscar-worthy. The acting. . .Of course when you have such amazing actors as Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and the late Heath Ledger, you can't really get your movie's acting compared to the acting of a Sci-Fi Channel original movie. All the actors are perfect for the roles, especially the replacement of Katie Holmes. I know I will probably get killed for saying so, but, I wouldn't exactly say it would be a crime not to nominate Ledger for an Oscar, I mean, yes, he WAS the Joker. No doubt about it, he was that man, and did a great job with it, but it his whole role wasn't really so jaw dropping that he needs to get the award or the Academy is just evil. All the music, cinematography, special effects, stunts, makeup, all were perfect. This is very near a perfect movie. I really don't have any problems with it at all. I fear that even with Nolan & company back, part three in the series will never be able to live up to The Dark Knight. With Nolan, of course, we won't be getting another X-Men: The Last Stand, but I don't know if they can top The Dark Knight. I loved this movie, and I loved everything about this movie. As with Batman Begins, but even more-so, when I walked out of the theatre, I couldn't stop smiling.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

Can't Smile Without You

[11 July 2008]

okay, I'll start out simple. This movie is not Gone With the Wind. It isn't Ben Hur, not even Pan's Labyrinth. it is no fantastic achievement in film that will go down in the history books. But really, it's Hellboy - does it really need to be a classic? Honestly, I loved this movie. It was pure fun. I found the first Hellboy movie to be a fun movie. . .but it lacked that certain something that was keeping it from being a great movie. This one introduces all new mythology into the series, which allows director Guillermo Del Toro to invent all sorts of new creatures that all look amazing. The visual aspect of this film is classic, nothing short of amazing. The movie has some flaws, a few strange possible plot holes, but by the end of the day, the humor rules the day, and the humor hit spot on, to make a very funny film. I can't get the song "I can't Smile Without You" now after seeing this film. That segment was hilarious. Hellboy succeeds in being a film with a decent story, good visual work, and great characters with great humor, all to make just an overall FUN movie where Indiana Jones couldn't. (I only mean Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) For someone who believes any film that doesn't win 11 Oscars isn't worth watching, I'll be honest, you'll hate Hellboy 2. For someone who goes in expecting only to be entertained, just to have a fun time, I 100% recommend this film to that kind of person. Go see it, it's very worth it.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Macguffin, Lucas?

[22 May 2008]

Macguffin, right Lucas? For those of you who don't know, a macguffin was a term used by Alfred Hitchcock as a plot item, something that moves the entire plot along without being a main part of the plot. George Lucas had previously said he had found "his Macguffin" and that he knew it was great, but the other guys (Spielberg & Ford) weren't too sure about it. If only Lucas was dead, because Spielberg and Ford had every single right to be suspicious, in fact, instead of suspicion, they should've downright told Lucas "NO!" I already hated Lucas for his hideous embarassments to film also known as the three Star Wars prequels, so back in 2005, when Lucas dismissed a script written by Frank Darabont (2 time Oscar nominated writer), said by Spielberg to be the best script he had read since Raiders of the Lost Ark, I knew Lucas had nothing good up his sleeve. It turns out, his sleeve was full of over the top fight scenes and a formula.

Really, all this movie is is the Indiana Jones formula done in a corny, popcorn flick style, using a Macguffin as an excuse for having a treasure hunt or a story.

The macguffin was the legend of the Crystal Skulls, skulls belonging to ancient beings who helped build the Mayan Temples and who look shockingly familiar to the aliens in the last scene of Spielberg's Close Encounters With the Third Kind. We never really get to know much about the skulls though, but are thrown into a story (while Indy is thrown in a refrigerator), or excuse me, we are thrown into a formula of Indiana Jones, with a macguffin being enough to throw a bunch of characters together and have an adventure.

The characters. Ah, well first off I'll say the character Mac was completely pointless to the story, and isn't even a new character. Blend the character Beni from The Mummy with the image of Chef Boyardee, and you get Mac.

All the new characters in this are underdeveloped, and just thrown together, the only other character we get back from the actual trilogy is Marion. Well, kind of. She doesn't really have much to do with the plot, although my favorite moment in the film was when Indy first sees Marian again after so many years. We get their story finally patched up, and the character work (which is the only interesting aspect of the film) closes up like a direct sequel to Raiders as opposed to the other two.

In fact, no references have been made (to my knowledge) to the Temple of Doom at any point in the series ever, which annoys me, as Temple of Doom was a great adventure. It may not be up there with the 1st and 3rd, but I'll take TOD to KOTCS any day.

I do not mean to say I hated this film. By no means was it hated, I mean, come on, it's a freaking Indiana Jones movie! It was funner than hell! Yet its flaws leave more of an impression than the fun did.

So lacking so far, we have a plot, character work, anything realistic in the least bit, and also the score. John Williams has composed some of the best film scores of all time, and the first three Jones films had amazing scores, and themes you find yourself whistling for a while after watching it. Kingdom has some rehashed verisons of those themes, and really no theme of its own. The music works for some effect, but has nothing to it really, just cues.

This film had so much potential, and it really makes me sad that George Lucas had to disappoint us once again, and that this time he's bringing Spielberg into the shame also. So, because it was Indiana Jones, I loved it to a certain extent, but this isn't gonna stay up with the test of time on its own, only because it had such great predecessors.

Ghost Rider (2007)

It angered me it was so bad

[28 April 2007]

I am a Nicolas Cage fan. I love all his comedies and think his serious ones are okay. After seeing the Wicker Man, I lost my respect for Cage in serious films, and went to see Ghost Rider thinking it would be an average movie, but probably easy to make fun of. It was bad. . . very bad. It was funny at times, I will admit that, but Cage just is bad in the role, the story is not very complex and has many plot holes in it. You know it is bad when you go into a movie only wanting to make fun of it and coming out just depressed because it was SO bad. In short, don't see this movie, if you want a superhero movie done right, see Batman Begins or Unbreakable, or basically, any other superhero movie was better than Ghost Rider. Thumbs extremely far down

Nacho Libre (2006)

By far the funniest movie of this year

[2 July 2006]

I saw this movie with my friend and to be honest, I wasn't expecting much from it. My friend and I were in tears we were laughing so hard after this movie ended. There is not one boring scene, it was consistently hilarious and by the end you were cheering for Nacho to win. This movie was overall, a great movie, I was a fan of Napolean Dynamite so I thought this can't be terrible. I thought that School of Rock was a poorly written tragedy, but this was ten times better than Napolean and a hundred times better that School of Rock. I would advise anyone who just wants to see a funny movie to see this. It should be a classic. I know I will always love it.

The Producers (2005)

One of the worst movies I have ever seen in my entire life, the only movie I've ever walked out of in theaters

[15 May 2006]

I saw the trailer for this movie and thought, this looks hilarious. I loved Mel Brooks and thought, how could you go wrong with Springtime for Hitler? Boy was I wrong. The songs lasted forever, then another song would be sung, and then the same song from twenty minutes ago would be sung again. I didn't smile once at this poor excuse for a movie. I don't think this could have been worse if they had tried. I absolutely hated this film so much that after two incredibly long hours in the theater, I left a movie for the first time in my life. I love all movies, yet I hate this one with a passion. I would have rather flushed five bucks down the toilet then watch this film for three reasons, 1: It would have cost less 2: It would have been more entertaining 3: It would only take about thirty seconds. Nobody should ever have to sit through this terrible excuse for a movie, if you buy a copy of this, feed it to the dog, eat it yourself, or burn it, no matter what, DON"T WATCH THIS MOVIE.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

One of the most original hilarious comedies ever

[6 May 2006]

I originally watched this movie because I thought Jim Carrey was funny, so I saw this movie and to be honest, I don't think I stopped laughing once throughout the entire movie. Not only does it have a plot, all great acting, especially in Jim Carrey's case, and it was hilarious. A must see for funny movie seekers. Two thumbs way up on this one.

I would say that anyone who is a seeker of movies that are original, funny, interesting, and even manage to make you wet your pants, don't even rent this one, if you can find it somewhere, buy it and cherish it.

A must see classic movie that takes everything you think is funny and combines it into one movie, the ultimate motion picture... ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE!