Dammit! I did it again!… Sorry, folks – VERY busy, travel-heavy weekend that ran over through all of Monday and just completely wiped me out for Tuesday. I promise you – this bad habit of late GOT ME/LOST ME articles will end.
Real quick before I start, you may have noticed a new link on the site’s main tool bar at the top that reads “MCT.” It leads to a mini-bio about my background as a cinephile and – probably most important – my e-mail address in case you should ever feel the desire to contact me with movie questions, suggestions for “Meier! in a Crowded Theater” articles, or virtually anything that pops into mind. I encourage you to take a gander.
On with the show.
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starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Saarsgaard, and Tim Robbins. Directed by Martin Campbell. Rated PG-13.
When I was a child in pre-school, I had a few “Super Friends” action figures – Superman, Batman, Robin, and Green Lantern. My parents could go on and on explaining the backstories, strengths, character traits, etc. of the first three superheroes since they had existed for a long time and become nearly as popular as Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny. When it came to be Green Lantern’s turn, they were both stumped. They knew his story had something to do with aliens from outer space and a ring, but that was it. They couldn’t even provide his alias monicker.
Cut to twenty-five years later, and here I am, still about as clueless as I was then. I now know a few more details (real name: Hal Jordan, continuous theme: will power, etc.), but he remains the most mysterious of the popular comic book heroes to me. If this film hits all the checkpoints correctly, it should be a summer hit as well-crafted and pleasing as another movie about a hero who patiently waited in the wings for his turn to shine – Iron Man. Campbell, the director responsible for not one but two outstanding revivals in the James Bond saga, could be the perfect choice to snag the interest of the unaffiliated. As for Reynolds – the Brad Pitt of Generation Cynic, he knows he’s got some making up to do with the hetero-male viewers after playing a part in royally screwing up über-cool Marvel villain Deadpool (in X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and following that by playing Sandra Bullock’s eye candy (in the highly overrated The Proposal). All the pieces are set.
GOT ME
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starring Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Ophelia Lovibond, and Angela Lansbury. Directed by Mark Waters. Rated PG.
Carrey once again improvises with animals in a kids movie that will make said kids hate themselves for liking it so much when they become adults and look back. This is also clearly going to be an environmental message movie underneath it all, and that kind of message deserves better than this. So does Lansbury – I hope this doesn’t turn out to be her last film.
LOST ME
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starring Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, and Sasha Spielberg. Directed by Gavin Wiesen. Rated PG-13.
Look, I realize this is an indie targeted toward teenagers that will for sure feel like just that, but there are other points to consider here. If the picture above every one of these GOT ME/LOST MEs isn’t a strong enough indication, I too have been (and maybe still am) an aimless doodler who doesn’t quite know how to channel and steer such a talent. I feel it’s fairly easy for me to relate to the protagonist who – even better – is played by Highmore, the child actor who was the top reason to see the Best Picture-nominated Finding Neverland (which included a cast of Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, and Dustin Hoffman). Probably a rental, but I’m definitely seeing it.
GOT ME
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starring Guillermo Barrientos, Dritan Biba, Fernando Cayo, and César Díaz. Directed by Miguel Ángel Vivas. Rated R.
By the looks of the trailer, it appears a much better version of this film was already made in 1997 (and made again in 2007) by director Michael Haneke with Funny Games, a horror-suspense film that’s also about a family held hostage in their summer home and trying to escape from the bad guys. Haneke showed incredible intelligence with this done-to-death plot by (*SPOILER*…………..) giving the villains the power of breaking the fourth wall, causing them to be as unpredictable and – therefore – as frightening as possible. As the plot unfolds, Haneke keeps you guessing to the end. Never mind that his message of portrayed violence in cinema is hypocritical; the final result is illumination.
This film’s production is nicely engaging in the trailer, but I just don’t see how the story has anything new and worthwhile to offer.
LOST ME
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My Afternoons with Margueritte
starring Gérard Depardieu, Gisèle Casadesus, Maurane, and Patrick Bouchitey. Directed by Jean Becker. Rated PG.
Holy baguettes! When did Depardieu become as big as a house? At least his girth appears to lend itself well to the sweetness of his illiterate character who befriends an elderly book enthusiast. If you’re looking for a movie to take dear old Grandma to (and if Grandma still has no problem reading those speedy subtitles), this just might be the one.
GOT ME
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Return next Monday or Tuesday (I always shoot for Monday) for the GM/LM for June 24th, 2011. If you routinely visit Twitter, feel free to follow @MEIER_in_a_CT along with @gttmovies for the complete fulfillment of a motion picture-loving brouhaha.