Hotshots Movie Reviews
Hotshots Movie Reviews by Dan Culberson
“The Princess and the Frog” Too Sophisticated for Its Own Good
Jan 13th
Too Sophisticated for Its Own Good
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG is the latest animated film from the Walt Disney Studios, and it received a lot of publicity for having the appearance of the first Disney African-American princess.
Well, not exactly.
That may be true at the end of the movie, but what is probably more noteworthy is that at the beginning of the movie there is the appearance of one of the main characters who is an African-American prince.
And although the story is inspired by a fairy tale and contains many bits of fantasy, it is not a fairy tale, but takes place in the reality-based early 1900s down in New Orleans.
The story contains stereotypes right and left, and it panders to children up and down, and then you realize that the stereotypes were all mostly created by old Disney movies to begin with. In fact, this movie even steals from old movies.
When it opens, we see two young children, Tiana and Charlotte, who love to be told the story of “The Frog Prince.” Tiana is black, Charlotte is white, and through the magic of movie editing they become grown up, and the story becomes nothing more than “Cinderella” turned upside down, inside out, and inverted.
In addition, it contains messages that adults might consider suspect to be taught to children, such as you can get what you want just by wishing for it.
One character says to another, “The real power in this world ain’t magic.
It’s money.”
And then you realize that this movie isn’t for kids. It is for adults under the guise of being for kids. That fact is made obvious by all the drinking that is shown, and I don’t mean milk and juice.
To its credit, however, the movie redeems itself about the money bit and even the bit about wishing for what you want.
However, forget about any moral of “Love conquers all.” The moral of this movie that makes you wonder if Disney even tries anymore is “Magic conquers all.”
And as further proof that this movie isn’t really for kids, the children in the theater at the showing that I attended all got bored during it and started running all around the auditorium.
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG is too sophisticated for its own good, which makes it perfect for adults.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
“Nine” Does Fellini Proud
Jan 6th
Does Fellini Proud
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
NINE is the film production of the 1982 award-winning Broadway musical, which in turn was based on Federico Fellini’s 1963 award-winning film 8-1/2.
Expect this film to win many awards, as well, and it is great entertainment, even for those who don’t care for musicals.
The story is about how a famous Italian film director is all set to begin his next film, but he has no idea what the film is going to consist of, and all he has is the title, ITALIA.
The title of Fellini’s 1963 film, which was autobiographical, reflected that he had made 8-1/2 films, the “half” representing the one that he had co-directed. The title of the Broadway musical and this film means that the director is trying to make his ninth film, but is blocked creatively, and his personal life and professional responsibilities come crashing down and have put him into a suicidal depression.
In other words, it is a musical comedy full of beautiful women, elaborate musical numbers and songs, and gorgeous sets and locations.
Daniel Day-Lewis plays the director, Guido Contini, and the women in his life, each with a musical number, are Marion Cotillard as his wife, Penelope Cruz as his mistress, Nicole Kidman as his film star and muse, Judi Dench as his confidant and costume designer, Kate Hudson as a fashion journalist, Sophia Loren as his mother, and Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas as a prostitute from Guido’s youth.
The story mixes reality, fantasy, and memories seamlessly as we follow Guido’s impossibly difficult efforts to begin–much less make–his ninth film.
In fact, at the beginning of the story, Guido ducks out of a press conference about his next film, telling his costume designer, “I can’t face these reporters. I have nothing to say.”
You see, Guido’s last two films were flops, and he is terrified that his next one will also fail, the nightmare of all creative artists who have achieved success.
Guido escapes from Rome to a hotel at a spa, but he is recognized everywhere he goes, and his producer finds him and shows up with a film crew ready to begin work.
In addition, Guido has called on the women in his life to also come there to help him.
NINE does Fellini proud, and I give it an “11.”
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
“Sherlock Holmes” Deconstructing Holmes
Dec 30th
Deconstructing Holmes
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
SHERLOCK HOLMES takes one of the most famous of all fictional characters, the brilliant but eccentric London detective created in the late 1800s by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and turns him into a modern-day action hero.
The setting is still London in the late 1800s, but Robert Downey Jr.
plays Holmes as just as much a martial-arts fighter as a brilliant thinker.
And Jude Law plays Dr. Watson, Sherlock’s partner, colleague, and writer of Sherlock’s famous cases, as just as much an equal in the martial arts as Holmes is.
To steal a line from somebody else, “This is not your great-grandfather’s Sherlock Holmes.”
In fact, Watson himself may be onto something, because a major subplot in this mess of a movie is that Dr. Watson is engaged and preparing to move out of their digs at 221B Baker Street.
The fault, Dear Audience, lies with the writers and the director, Guy Ritchie, known for his rock-’em, sock-’em modern-day British crime-caper comedies, but most famous for being the recently divorced husband of Madonna.
When the movie opens, Holmes is in a foul mood, and Watson says to Mrs.
Hudson, the woman who keeps their rooms as tidy as she is allowed to, “He just needs another case, that’s all.”
The last case that Holmes had and presumably solved was three months ago, but before he acquires a new case, Holmes is invited to dinner in a restaurant with Watson and his fiancee, Mary, who insists that Holmes examine her at the table and tell her what his observations reveal about her.
To say that it doesn’t go well would be the understatement of the 19th century.
Holmes eventually gets a case that involves black magic, a midget, a plot to rule England and to reacquire the United States, and Holmes’s female nemesis, Irene Adler, played by the beautiful Rachel McAdams.
Yes, this movie is more like a James Bond adventure than a story about the Sherlock Holmes we have come to know, love, respect, and admire.
The movie is preposterous, the story is preposterous, the action scenes are preposterous, even the acting is preposterous.
And, unfortunately, the ending has all the earmarks of a sequel in the works.
SHERLOCK HOLMES is a silly deconstruction of the four novels and 56 short stories that we have read and loved.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
