Into the Woods

Into the Woods
December 25, 2014
Disney etc.
Musical, Fantasy
DVD
B-

When I saw this in the theater months ago, I would've given it a B+.  I'd seen two stage productions and I thought it translated very well to the big screen.  This time, I was less drawn in.  The music (especially those intricate Sondheim rhymes) seemed more contrived, and I found the film less emotionally moving.  That said, there are some good performances, most notably Emily Blunt as the Baker's Wife, probably the most complex character.  Christine Baranski and Meryl Streep are not quite reunited from Mamma Mia!, because (as Cinderella's Stepmother and The Witch) they don't really have any scenes together.  Johnny Depp again plays a creepy character, this time Little Red Riding Hood's wolf.  And Anna Kendrick is a bit miscast as Cinderella (as always, she seems like the smartest person in the room) but she does sing well.

Frances de la Tour is sort of typecast, since she was Madame Maxime in the Harry Potter series and is a much larger giantess here.  Gioacchino Jim Cuffaro was a Wizard Parent in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and is a Villager here.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
August 13, 2010
Universal
Comedy, Sci-Fi, Romance, Action
DVD
B-

This is based on a graphic novel series I've never read, other than what appears in the movie itself and its DVD extras.  As such, I'm not going to get into a discussion of how well it translates to the screen, but I will note that I like the comic-like elements, such as the sound effects that we can read as well as hear.  There are also elements of video games, especially but not limited to the fight scenes.  And then are bits of less classifiable whimsy, such as some characters' ability to do things very quickly, even if asleep.  It is an interesting stylistic blend.

Unfortunately, the central couple in this anti-rom-com are the two least appealing characters in the movie (well, other than some minor characters we see much less of).  Scott is in a way the typical adorkable Michael Cera character, but he has to do a lot of very un-Cera-like things, including make various women unhappy, although this is admittedly unintentional.  And his dream girl Ramona Flowers has no real personality; she's just as much of a cypher at the end as she is at the beginning.  It's hard to be invested in their relationship, and I'm not even sure if we're supposed to be, but it does get a lot of screen time.  Luckily, the supporting characters are much more vivid and, even when they do unlikable things, entertaining.  My favorites are Wallace, the gay roommate, and Julie, the foul-mouthed friend of an ex.  The title of the movie is somewhat of a misnomer, since Scott battles Ramona's seven evil exes, but there is a sense that everyone, even his friends, is against him.  This viewing, I was rooting for the world, and I completely agreed with Knives Chau when she said that she's too cool for him.

Nelson Franklin was one of Sydney's Buddies in I Love You, Man and has the small but scene-stealing role of Comeau here.  (He's the one who says the comic book is always better than the movie.)  Bill Hader, who is The Voice, would be Kyle in They Came Together.