Wild...

This is very cool.

It's the first image from Spike Jonze's adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are. An awfully short book to make a feature film of, granted, but if anybody can pull it off, it's Jonze. Catherine Keener plays the Mom.

Ocean's 13

Date: June 23
Location: AMC Sunset Place

Another South Miami date night. The movie was everything I expected and hoped it would be, no more or less. It's funny, breezy, clever and features some great, charismatic movie stars doing their movie star thing. It falls short of the first film because we've seen it all before, but it's a fun time nonetheless. And of course I'll forget the whole thing in a week.

Knocked Up

Date: June 2
Location: AMC Sunset Place

Ah, Sunset Place. Lining up early, securing the two best seats in the place. Huge screen, great sound. And no babysitter to pay. We did a repeat of last week, putting Fiona to bed at the abuelos and hitting the 8 o'clock show. As for the movie, the ranking at right says it all. One of the best comedies I've seen in years -- better than the Wedding Crashers/40-Year-Old Virgin duo of 2005. It's hilarious from every direction, in unexpected ways, with the leads firing on all cylinders and every bit player fighting over who gets to steal the movie. And on top of all that, it's incredibly sweet and real and honest about relationships and new parenthood. Can't recommend it enough.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Date: May 27
Location: AMC Sunset Place

First "date" movie in Miami in more than 6 months. We put Fiona to sleep in the portable crib at her abuelos' place and hit the road. Worked like a charm. The movie was a lot of fun -- I loved the bold direction they took the Will and Elizabeth storyline, and having Geoffrey Rush back was wonderful. Jack Sparrow was as entertaining as ever. The real star here, and I believe in the whole trilogy, is Keira Knightley. She has such a commanding presence for somebody so young and so beautiful, whether in these films or something like Pride & Prejudice. I am always impressed by her. The film was too long by a good half hour, but all in all a very fun ride.

Shrek the Third

Date: May 23
Location: Muvico Boynton Beach

Well, here's a movie that makes Spider-Man 3 look like, um, Spider-Man 2. As somebody who very much enjoyed the first two Shrek films, I have no idea how this garbage made it to the big screen. The plot was weak, the characters bland and the humor non-existent. I think I laughed twice. I saw it with Sophia on an otherwise lovely evening -- meaning this film puts to rest Dana's theory about the moviegoing experience. Meet the Robinsons was Citizen Kane compared to this dreck.

New Coens!

I have a new addition to my list of most-anticipated 2007 movies, possibly right there at #1. It's the new Coen Brothers film, No Country For Old Men, based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy. It's just been seen for the first time at Cannes, and the reviews are through the roof, some calling it the best thing they've ever done. It appears to be in the vein of Blood Simple and Fargo. It stars Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson and a bunch of other people. I don't want to know much more than that.

Unfortunately, we won't get it until November.

Enter the Labyrinth

I'm straying from the main topic of this blog for this entry to offer up a public service announcement: Pan's Labyrinth comes out on DVD this Tuesday (May 15).

This is one of the best films I've ever seen, and one that gets deeper and richer every time I watch or think about it. It's exquisitely written and directed (by the wonderfully funny and insightful Guillermo Del Toro), the acting is sublime across the board, the cinematography and editing are seamless (though I'm still bummed Children of Men lost the Oscar for the former to this film). The score is particularly memorable, including the plaintive melody line of a lullaby that runs throughout the film (hear it). It's a fairy tale told the way fairy tales used to be told — full of danger, pathos and evil, but ultimately hopeful. Enough of my yakking. Rent this!

The months to come

Here's a look at the movies I'll likely catch in theaters this summer. Some might drop off for one reason or another and others might make the list. (Click on the filmstrip to see my fine PhotoShop work)

May 18
Shrek the Third

May 25
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

June 1
Knocked Up

June 8
Ocean's Thirteen

June 27
Live Free or Die Hard

June 29
Ratatouille

July 13
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

August 3
The Bourne Ultimatum

August 10
Rush Hour 3
Stardust

August 17
Superbad

Spider-Man 3

Date: May 5
Location: Muvico Boynton Beach

First, the good part. Our Muvico is open, and it's very nice. It's literally 5 minutes from our house and we didn't have any problems parking or getting in. In fact, we were the first people in the auditorium without even waiting on any lines. We will be going to this theater for a long time to come (especially in 2 years, when Fiona will be eligible for the kids' room). Now for the bad part: the movie. There were all kinds of elements here that could have been assembled into a good film, but they would have had to start by not trying to include every one of them. Three villains (four, if you count Dark Spidey) is way too much. I wish they had given Topher Grace a lot more screen and plot time and just scrapped the Sandman altogether. And why is it that the evil alien goo turns Peter Parker into John Travolta? I expected so much more from the team behind the wonderful first two films. The summer blockbuster season starts off with a whimper. Bring on Jason Bourne!

Hot Fuzz

Date: April 28
Location: Muvico City Place

We used a babysitter for the first time in 5 years. Amanda (AKA Salty) from across the street watched the girls while we went out. This was really a trial run for next week, when we plan to see Spider-Man 3. Salty passed the test. So did the movie, which was hilarious and bizarre. It's a sendup of buddy action films such as Bad Boys and Lethal Weapon, and it's funny and smart as hell.