Movie Review: Ricki and the Flash

Ricki and the Flash
Clinica Estetico, LStar Capital, TriStar Pictures, USA, 2015. 

Let's check some films that the readers of this site have suggested. 

Ricki (Meryl Streep) is a rocker stuck in the 1980s. Although she is living her dream, her band the Flash has seen its better days and plays in small bars. Ricki's day job is being a cashier and she's skint. When her daughter Julie (Streep's real daughter Mamie Gummer) divorces and gets a nervous breakdown she needs to go meet her ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline). Pete is living in a nice house with his new wife. Rock life has been Ricki's main priority so she is estranged from Julie and sons Josh (Sebastian Stan) and Adam (Nick Westrate). The sons have different lifestyles than their mother (she's a Republican), green/leftist Josh is getting married and Adam is gay.

Pete and Ricki

Julie

Ricki makes progress with Julie but Pete's wife Maureen (Audra McDonald) drives Ricki away. Ricki's boyfriend Greg (Rick Springfield) wants to deepen their relationship but Ricki feels that she has messed up her life. So making up with the past is the way to go. Finally Ricki shows the uptight wedding guest's how to rock. It was amusing to see the the shocked faces of the wedding guests when the band started to play.

Emily (Hailey Gates) and Josh

Ricki and Greg

Meryl Streep sings adult oriented rock songs well and shows again her versatility. The soundtrack has good classic rock and some pop cover songs. The character of Ricki (Streep) was inspired by scriptwriter Diablo Cody’s rocker mother-in-law, Terry Cieri, so there is some personal touch in the story. But there are some things that prevent this from becoming one of my favourite Meryl Streep films. The comedic drama is well acted but has quite traditional redemption plot so no surprises here. Emphasis on the word comedic as the marketing tried to market this as a comedy although this is clearly a drama with some funny moments. Rick Springfield is also a fun rocker but it is a pity that the rest of the Flash, with many musicians from famous bands, have only minimal roles so the story is more about Ricki and less about the Flash. Generally it is a warm-hearted film with enjoyable dialogue. Still I think that the slice of life style approach does not fully work here as the other characters do not fully use their potential and somehow the story feels incomplete. We do not learn much about the family members of Ricki except that one kid is neurotic, one is gay and one is green. Still it is very watchable thanks to Meryl Streep's performance and music.

Rating: Good

Starring: Meryl Streep, Rick Springfield, Rick Rosas, Joe Vitale, Bernie Worrell, Ben Platt, Peter C. Demme, Jim Roche, Alexa Klienbard, Keala Settle, Joe Toutebon, Big Jim Wheeler, Brooklyn Demme, Eamon O'Rourke, Aaron Moten, Adam Shulman, Kevin Kline, Chinasa Ogbuagu, Majora Carter, Gus Halper, 'Sister' Carol East, Cherise Boothe, Mamie Gummer, Bill Irwin, Ripley Sobo, Lucy Owen, Sebastian Stan, Nick Westrate, Hailey Gates, Josh Tobin, Carmen Carrera, Li Jun Li, Gabriel Ebert, Lisa Joyce, Jimmy Kieffer, Scott Ripley, Kelsey Didion, John Dreher, Suzanne Lenz, Scott Vicari, Desi Domo, Eliza Simpson, Audra McDonald, Emily Cass McDonnell, Cynthia J. Hopkins, Em Grosland, Charlotte Rae, Beau Sia, Jeff Biehl, Victoria Haynes, Joshua Elrod, Tubten Rabten, Anna Robertson, Tony Costa, Christopher Tierney, Isabella Way, Leah O'Donnell, Erin Mullin, Trevor F. Salter, Mason Ames, Katherine Crockett, Jos Demme, PigPen Theatre Company, Renée Albulario, Leasen Beth Almquist, Barbara Christie, Semar Ghebremichael, Chris Giarmo, Lawrence Goldhuber, Andrew Haserlat, Perri Lauren, Will Mann, Mayumi Miguel, William Ryall, Chinaza Uche, Alain Van Beaux, Nicholas Ward, James Young 

Director: Jonathan Demme

Shameless Pile Keeps on Growing: Never Gonna Give You Up

It has been a while since the last update on acquisitions. This time the focus is bit more on music.

First some animated movies:

Bionicle Mask of Light (Lego), Justice League animation episodes: Paradise Lost, Justice on Trial, Balto, Balto 2 Wolf Quest, Balto 3 Wings of Change, Winnie the Pooh: Share Your World, Winnie the Pooh:A Great Day of Discovery, A Very Merry Pooh Year, Flipper & Lopaka 1, Willy the Sparrow, Tabaluka episodes

Tintin et les oranges bleues, Tintin et le mystère de la Toison d'Or, Tintin et le lac aux requins,

Mill Creek: Giant 600 Cartoon Collection, 150 Cartoon Classics (Both had enough exclusive material to be justified. And the 150 cartoon box was cheap as soap)

10 Sci-Fi Movies (Being, Virus, Creator, Prototype, Def-Con 4, Sci-Fighters, Cyborg Cop, Cyborg Cop 2, TC 2000, Antibody), 10 Great Films Sci-Fi (Circuitry Man 2, Spontaneous Combustion, Blue Tornado, Def-Con 4, Invasion Earth, Project Shadowchaser III, Cyborg Cop, Cyborg Cop 2, Sleep Stalker, Moon 44), Cyborg Cop 3

Ed Wood Coffret (10 Ed Wood movies, note: this edition has non-removable French subtitles), Three Tamil movies starring Jayam Ravi: Daas, M Kumaram, Jayam, Action 1: Expert, Expect No Mercy, Death Ring, Gladiator, Gipsy Kings In Concert, Alice in Wonderland, A Good Man in Africa, Princess of Thieves, El bosque animado, Gui Si,

Mamma Mu och Kråkan 

Music CDs:

Synthesizer music (I had several of the Synthesizer Greatest on C-Cassettes, now updating those to CDs): Synthesizer Greatest The Classical Masterpieces, Synthesizer Greatest 1-5 (Starinc), 25 Greatest Synthesizer Hits (Gino Marinello), Synthesizer Spectacular Vol.  2 (Starinc)

Pop from 1980s-90s:

Jason Donovan: Ten Good Reasons, Kylie Minoque: Kylie, Rick Astley: Whenever You Need Somebody, Andy Kim: Baby I Love You Greatest Hits,Vanilla Ice: To The Extreme, Lighthouse Family: Postcards from Heaven, Seal: Best 1991-2004, Maxi Priest: Bonafide, Inner Circle: Reggae Dancer, Crash Test Dummies: God Shuffled His Feet, Scarlet: Naked, Paula Abdul: Spellbound, Paula Abdul: Greatest Hits, Anita Ward: Ring My Bell, Simply Red: Stars

TV and movie related music:

John McCook sings Bold and Beautiful Love Songs, Beautiful Dreams (Bold and Beautiful CD), Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me, The X-Files The Album, South Park Bigger Longer & Uncut, Xanadu, So I Married An Axe Murderer

More Soundtracks and various:

Beverly Hills Cop III, Twilight Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Twilight The Score, Disturbed: Indestructible, Annie: Anniemal, Suzi Quattro Original Hits, Pitbull: Planet Pit, My Country Vol. 1.

Rock and Metal:

Cardiant: Purge, Einherjer: Dragons Of The North, Graveworm: Scource Of Malice, Eternal Tears Of Sorrow: Children of The Dark Waters, Children Of Bodom: Relentless, Reckless Forever, The Sounds: Living In America, Von Hertzen Brothers: Stars Aligned, Apocalyptica: Worlds Collide, Kent: B-Sidor 95-00, Matchbox 20: Yourself Or  Someone Like You

This is getting quite long, so I'll save the rest for some future post: here are still couple of cool items

Snow White 50th Anniversary Happy Dwarf plush

Godzilla toy (13" Imperial Toho Co. 1985)

Movie Review: Begin Again (2013)

Begin Again (2013)
Exclusive Media Group, Sycamore Pictures, Apatow Productions, Likely Story, USA, 2013.

Alcoholic music mogul Dan Mulligan (Mark Ruffalo) is frustrated because finding new talents is more difficult every year. He gets fired from his record company and decides to spend some time with with his estranged daughter Violet (Hailee Steinfeld). It does not go well and Dan continues boozing.

Dan

In a bar he hears indie singer Gretta (Keira Knightley) performing her song. Gretta has just separated from his boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) who became a famous artist. Now homeless Gretta has temporarily moved to his old friend Steve (James Corden). Dan begins to arrange a recording deal for Gretta. He needs to find musicians for her band and there his contacts and professionalism come in handy. Also one of Dan's talents Troublegum (Ceelo Green) promises to fund the project. At the same time Gretta and Dan try to help each other pull their lives back together.

Gretta and Dave

Steve

Troublegum

"Begin Again" is a nice feel-good music drama that surprises positively. The production of Gretta's album utilizes nicely locations in New York. Ruffalo and Knightley have good chemistry as two different generation music enthusiastics with different backgrounds and problems. Also the production of the album looks fun and creative. The story is quite simple but sympathetic and Knightley has credibility as indie musician.

Rating: Very good

Starring: James Corden, Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld, Yasiin Bey, Karen Pittman, Paul Romero, Catherine Keener, Andrew Sellon, Ed Renninger, Adam Levine, Marco Assante, Mary Catherine Garrison, Jen Jacob, Rob Morrow, Jennifer Li Jackson, Ian Brodsky, Shannon Walsh, David Abeles, Ann McGowan, Ron Voz, CeeLo Green, Kena Onyenjekwe, Harvey Morris, Terry Lewis, Colin Love, Jimmy Palumbo, Simon Delaney, Danielle Brisebois, Keen Ruffalo, Melissa Maria Gonzalez, Nicholas Daniel Gonzalez, Maddie Corman, Aya Cash, David Pendleton, Joanna Mauer, Erik Detusch, Rich Mercurio, Emilie Cardinaux, Curtis Fowlkes, Emily Yarbourgh, Erin Benin, Alexis Sykes, Julia Bruskin, Justin Chauncey

Director: John Carney

Movie Review: A Night at the Roxbury

A Night at the Roxbury
Paramount Pictures, SNL Studios, USA, 1998.

Brothers Steve Butabi (Will Ferrell) and Doug Butabi (Chris Kattan) have a life mission: to get in nightclub named Roxbury. The bouncer (Michael Clarke Duncan) never lets them in. The brothers also dream of starting their own nightclub. Their father (Dan Hedaya) has other plans and wants the boys to work in his fake flower shop. Also Steve should marry pushy Emily of the neighbouring lamp shop.

Steve and Doug

The bouncer

Kamehl Butabi

Richard Grieco collides with their van so they get a chance to get in Roxbury as Richard's guests. They try to introduce their ideas to nightclub entrepreneur Benny Zadir (Chazz Palminteri). Temporarily the boys get into jet set lifestyle as everyone thinks that they are Zadir's business partners. They also attract some gold diggers (Gigi Rice and Elisa Donovan)

Credit Vixen (Meredith Scott Lynn)

Emily

Vivica and Cambi (Gigi Rice and Elisa Donovan)

The movie is based on Saturday Night Live skit from the era that the show was still fun. The Roxbury Guys spawned Internet memes where Ferrell, Kattan and Jim Carrey bop their heads while listening Haddaway's "What is Love."

The story is based on one joke but it is enough as the 1990s style and the overall hilarity carries the film. The silly brothers are sympathetic losers trying to follow their dream. The 90s dance music brings a nostalgic feeling. The dialogue has funny one liners and silly pick-up lines. The plot is not important but more it is a goofy time-capsule of 90s dance club culture. Nice movie to watch with friends on Friday night for example.

Part of The 2016 Movie Watching Challenge (#7. Movie that has a party or festival)

Rating: Good

Starring: Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Raquel Gardner, Viveca Paulin, Paulette Braxton, Michael M. Horton, Richard Francese, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Clarke Duncan, Richard Grieco, Trish Ramish, Loni Anderson, Dan Hedaya, Gina Mari, Roy Jenkins, Meredith Scott Lynn, Kip King, Molly Shannon, Dwayne Hickman, Lochlyn Munro, Mary Ann Kellogg, Maree Cheatham, Kristen Dalton, Colin Quinn, Gigi Rice, Elisa Donovan, Deborah Kellner, Robin Krieger, Betty A. Bridges, Yoshio Be, Victor Kobayashi, Twink Caplan, Eva Mendes, Mark McKinney, Chad Bannon, Jim Wise, Patrick Ferrell, Dorian Spencer, Tina Weisinger, Christina Eliason, Rachel Galvin, Agata Gotova, Andrew Marks, L. Christian Mixon, Chazz Palminteri, Louis E. Rosas, Mary Ann Schmidt, Valentin Siroon

Directors: John Fortenberry, Amy Heckerling

Movie Review: Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem

Toei Animation, Daft Life Ltd. Co., Japan, France, 2003.

In the planet of blue-skinned humanoids Octave (keyboard player with Afro), Arpegius (blond guitar player), Baryl (short drummer dude) and  Stella (beautiful bass player) are performing on a concert. Group of invaders attack and kidnap the band. Space hero Shep, who has a guitar shaped spaceship is a big fan of the band and especially Stella. He gets an emergency message and goes to the rescue.

The band

Evil henchman

Shep

Behind the kidnapping is evil music manager Earl De Darkwood who brainwashes the band members and makes them look like Earthlings. The band Crescendolls gets the most popular band in the world in no time. They are unhappy and overburdened with gigs and publicity events. Shep organizes rescue operation that does not go without sacrifices.

Stella

Earl De Darkwood

Crescendolls

The Earl is an evil alchemist who needs 5555 gold records to rule the universe. He has captured various aliens from different planets and sacrificed themfor cthuthloid space demon when the artists burned out (including Mozart, Janis Joplin and Stevie Ray Vaughan). Will the Crescendolls ever get their memories back and get home?

Fans

Earl ruined many musicians

Back in their alien form

The music videos of Daft Punk record "Discovery" now form a continuous story. There is no dialogue but the songs fit well the mood of the story. It is unique film and the ultimate anime music video. The animation is beautiful and contains some visual puns. Daft Punk make cameo appearance as themselves.

Daft Punk

The characters designed by Leiji Matsumoto look similar as in his other classic films such as "Arcadia of My Youth", "Galaxy Express 999" and "Space Battleship Yamato." Sadly those films are difficult or impossible to get on official DVDs. I once had opportunity to see two of those on the big screen, it was a Japanese movie week in Turku showcasing Japanese films and I became immediately a fan of Matsumoto. Leiji Matsumoto is one of anime artists whose style is immediately recognisable. His female characters are tall, slender and they have pretty 60s style eyes. There are also cool space heroes, comical looking little guys and spaceships with designs based on 19-20th century technology (ships in space, locomotives and in this one electric guitar). The members of Daft Punk are fans of Leiji Matsumoto's "Captain Harlock"-films so they wanted to make a anime musical with him. The story is good with emotional and tragic moments and it has the romantic touch of Leiji Matsumoto.

Here's a trailer for the film:

The 2016 Movie Watching Challenge (#34. Movie that has a number in the title)

Rating: Very good

Starring: Leiji Matsumoto, Daft Punk (Romanthony, Thomas Bangalter)
Director: Kazuhisa Takenouchi

Movie Review: Hannah Montana The Movie

Hannah Montana The Movie

It's a Laugh Productions, Millar Gough Ink, Walt Disney Pictures, USA, 2009.

Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) is a teen girl whose alter ego is famous pop star Hannah Montana. Because the bouncers do not know it she has to sneak into her own concert. Pop star's life takes its toll as Miley does not have enough time for her best friend Lilly (Emily Osment). Hannah's agent Vita (Vanessa Williams) keeps Hannah busy with various publicity events. Paparazzi Oswald (Peter Gunn) is always after Hannah trying to reveal her true identity. After Hannah gets into shoe fight with Tyra Banks her dad Robby Ray (Billy Ray Cyrus) sends Hannah to cool off in the countryside where her grandma Ruby (Margo Martindale) lives.

Country-Miley

Robby Ray

Grandma Ruby

In Tennessee Miley meets her childhood's friend Travis Brody (Lucas Till) and vacation romance follows. To fit in the family, Miley adopts over-the-top country girl attitude. Grandma organizes fundraiser events to collect money for opposing Mr. Bradley's (Barry Bostwick) plans to turn the idyllic town centre into a shopping mall. Miley tries to encourage his dad to go on a date with Lorelai (Melora Hardin). In the fundraiser event Taylor Swift pops in to sing a song. However Miley must also invite Hannah Montana to the fundraiser concert. That's where Miley needs Lilly's help. Nothing goes as expected so Miley must make a choice between her real life and celebrity life.

Travis Brody

Taylor Swift

Lilly and Hannah

In the 2016 Movie Watching Challenge I was supposed to find a movie that is boring based on its description. It was a difficult task because I'm quite easily amused. From the back cover description of "Hannah Montana The Movie": 

"Get ready to be dazzled by Disney's big screen smash hit —Hannah Montana The Movie— filled with laughs, adventure, family fun and fabulous music! Come along for the ride and see Hannah like never before as she returns to her roots and faces the most important decision of her life! When Miley Stewart (aka pop-star Hannah Montana) gets too caught up in the superstar celebrity lifestyle, her dad decides it's time for a total change of scenery. But sweet nibblets! Miley must trade in all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood for some al' blue jeans on the family farm in Tennessee and question if she can he both Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana. With a little help from her friends —and awesome guest stars Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts and Vanessa Williams— will she figure out whether to choose Hannah or Miley? Hannah Montana The Movie is a heartfelt major motion picture perfect for the entire family."

As Hannah Montana's target audience was 8-14 year old girls, I'm far outside of the target audience. I'm not also big fan of Miley Cyrus (although she has a good voice) so these should count as the reasons why I thought this would be boring. However after a plastic start the story went on as better than expected country comedy. Although the teen drama was predictable Disney stuff, there was enough slapstick comedy and country humour to make it tolerable. Also the small town setting was quite nice with some okay country music.

Part of The 2016 Movie Watching Challenge (#38. Movie that you think is boring based on its description)

Rating: Average

Starring: Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Emily Osment, Jason Earles, Mitchel Musso, Moises Arias, Lucas Till, Vanessa Williams, Margo Martindale, Peter Gunn, Melora Hardin, Jared Carter, Barry Bostwick, Beau Billingslea, Katrina Smith, Emily Grace Reaves, Jane Carr, Taylor Swift, Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, JoeDon Rooney, Joshua Childs, Rachel Woods, Natalia Dyer, Jerry Foster, Adam Gregory, Shawn Carter Peterson, Jamal Sims, John Will Clay, D. Todd Hammond, Michael Cornacchia, Valorie Hubbard, Tommy Barnes, Gary Schleimer, Jaci Cordell, Jack Hoke, Lisa Darr, Paul Perri, Mario Carter, Amber Hubert, Ashley Sundberg, Travis Archer, Cole S. McKay, Ben Hatchell, Chris O'Reilly, James Alexander, Shane T. Anderson
Director: Peter Chelsom