Rio (2011)

After being a little more than pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Kung Fu Panda, and then adoring last year's How to Train Your Dragon even more than critically lauded Toy Story 3, it goes without saying that in my mind, Dreamworks has gone from being a factory of second-rate animated fare to a studio that could someday rival even the Grand Deity of Animation itself in terms of consistent quality (the "Grand Deity of Animation" being Pixar, of course). Dreamworks' latest effort, Rio, hasn't quite taken them to that point yet, but it's still a ridiculously enjoyable and lusciously vibrant romp.

The film follows Blu (Jesse Eisenberg), a rare blue macaw who lives in Minnesota with his owner,

Linda (Leslie Mann). When Blu is taken by ornithologist Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) to Rio de Janeiro in order to mate with the fierce and independent Jewel (Anne Hathaway), he is promptly kidnapped by a group of bird smugglers. Thus, with the help of the other birds of Rio, Blu and Jewel must go on an adventure through the streets of Carnaval in order to escape and return to Linda and Tulio.

From the very first scene (an exhilarating musical number), the film takes full advantage of the resources that are at their disposal automatically from the plot - those being the gorgeous colors and delectable beats of Rio and of Carnaval. The score, helmed by John Powell (one of my favorite underrated film composers), is, needless to say, amazing - and the use of classic bossa nova is intelligent and perfect. And then there's the visual spectacle on display, one of reds, blues, oranges and yellows, put on display most effectively in the climax of the film, which takes place in a Carnaval Parade. It's in this aesthetic care that the film gets its most success.

Also, it's important to mention the quality of the voice acting on display. Though perhaps Rodrigo Santoro takes it too over the top, the rest of the cast is splendid. I'm a shameless Jesse Eisenberg fan, and I loved him here - he was neurotic, funny, and adorable. Anne Hathaway is, well, Anne Hathaway and what's better than that? And then there's Jemaine Clement, whose deliciously evil work as bad bird Nigel is made even better by a musical number that could have come straight out of "Flight of the Conchords".

As much as I wish awesome voice-overs and great aesthetics are enough to make a film succeed completely, they're not. Unfortunately, Rio suffers from an unspectacular screenplay. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it; it flows well, it's funny, and there are unexpected touches of heart here and there. But, it lacks the sparkle that everything else about the movie has, preventing the film as a whole from reaching the heights that it could have.

However, it's impossible not to enjoy Rio. It's cute, adorable, vibrant and totally entertaining. It may not have taken Dreamworks to a Pixar level (and it's certainly no How to Train Your Dragon) but it's still great fun for any age.

See it: if you like any of the actors involved, if you think Dreamworks has potential, if you like bossa nova, if you kind of want to feel like a kid again, if you've ever seen Black Orpheus.

Skip it: if you didn't like How to Train Your Dragon, if Jesse Eisenberg does nothing for you, if you're imperative to cuteness.

8/10

Mini Review 4-Pack!

Guess what guys? Today you get an extra special treat, which is that I am going to review in short a few movies. It'll be fun!

The Help - The narrative is very clunky, but the spot-on performances from every single member of the cast and the visually appealing aesthetic more than make up for it, and I'll be darned if I wasn't a teary mess by the end. Emma Stone is great, but this is Viola Davis's movie and she runs away with it, giving a performance of sensitivity and gravitas. However, best in show goes to Sissy Spacek, who somehow manages to turn the word "napkins" into one of the funniest moments in the movie. (7)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Cliche time - I admired this movie more than I enjoyed it. Considering this could have been a total joyride made for money's sake only, it was surprisingly artistic and intelligent. It tackles themes like animal testing and human evil in ways that are, while not always subtle, usually successful - not an easy task. Plus, the CGI was UN BE LIEVABLE. Bonus points for the cinematography. (7)

30 Minutes or Less - In short, the movie is as enjoyable and funny as it could have hoped to be but it's nothing really special - and for 83 minutes, it somehow seems to drag. Aziz Ansari and Jesse Eisenberg make a really great tag team though, with Ansari being wildly hysterical and Eisenberg providing a unsurprisingly powerful amount of real acting in a role that could have come off as hysterical and incoherent. (6)

Crazy, Stupid, Love - This one was tough for me. I think that I'm confusing how much I wanted to like this movie with how much I actually did. That being said though, despite being imperfect and falling prey to some minor cliches, it's definitely one of the best big-studio romantic comedies in a LONG time, thanks almost completely to the remarkably talented cast, none of whom can really be singled out because they were all just so good. I will say though, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were simply superb, and the amount of chemistry they exuded was irresistible. (7 - but a super high seven. Like, almost an 8. I'd have to see it again.)

And just for fun (and because I love lists), my top 10 performances from this quartet, in no order:

• Viola Davis, The Help
• Sissy Spacek, The Help
• Octavia Spencer, The Help
• Jessica Chastain, The Help (um, range much? this was completely different from Tree of Life)
• Jesse Eisenberg, 30 Minutes or Less
• Aziz Ansari, 30 Minutes or Less
• John Lithgow, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
• Ryan Gosling, Crazy Stupid Love
• Marisa Tomei, Crazy Stupid Love
• Liza Lapira, Crazy Stupid Love

So, which of these movies or performances was your favorite? As always, your opinions, be they affirmative or negative, are always welcome below

Golden Cornea Awards 2011: The Actors

Oddly I find it much harder to be impressed by male actors than their female counterparts, but this year was actually full of really impressive performances, especially after the rather underwhelming crowd last year (though Jeremy Renner's work in "The Hurt Locker" is simply fantastic).

5. Colin Firth - "The King's Speech"

If you think about it, Firth really doesn't have THAT much dialogue in the whole movie - yet he is able to create a fantastic character. His stutter isn't just a physical impairment, it comes from every fiber of his very being and Firth makes Bertie's journey so relatable for the audience.

4. James Franco - "127 Hours"

Franco's challenge is obvious - to hold the screen with almost no supporting cast for the duration of an entire film. But, with his ever expressive eyes and his brilliant energy, we the audience are completely captivated by Ralston's struggle. Franco skews his natural charisma as the film goes along so that we never lose hope for Ralston, even if he's losing hope himself.

3. Ryan Gosling - "Blue Valentine"

It may miss the point of the film to call Gosling the heart of "Blue Valentine", but his performance, more than any other aspect of the film, is charged with a real emotional intensity that is simply devastating. Dean's fight for what he considers a "perfect family" ends up tearing his marriage apart but his constant and failing attempts are portrayed so painfully and convincingly by Gosling. Oh, and I know everyone's already said it but "You always hurt the ones you love" is one of the best acted scenes of the year.

2. Aaron Eckhart - "Rabbit Hole"

It's shocking how unnoticed Eckhart went throughout awards season. His quiet performance never steals momentum from Kidman, and yet it stands alone so brilliantly and ends up being so heartbreaking. Eckhart layers his character so well that when the breakdown finally does happen it's impossible not to be completely destroyed with him.

1. Jesse Eisenberg - "The Social Network"

Ever since "The Squid and the Whale", I've always thought that Eisenberg had potential - but nothing prepared me for the brilliance that was his work in "The Social Network". Eisenberg is so subtle it's shocking, every emotion lying slightly underneath this facade that Mark creates for himself, Eisenberg always able to show so much while doing so little. Though the snappy, smart alecky dialogue is particularly well played, it's the subtle turns of emotion (such as in the "did I answer your condescending question?" scene) that are truly stunning.

Honorable Mentions:

Jeff Bridges grumbles and mumbles his way amazingly through "True Grit", and the amount of emotions he expresses with his one eye is simply awesome; Ben Stiller is kind of polarizing but I found his performance in "Greenberg" to be perfectly simple droll and ultimately affecting; Ben Mendelsohn is frighteningly unhinged in "Animal Kingdom"; Anyone saying Michael Cera plays the same character every time is missing out on all the hilarious little subtleties he injects into "Scott Pilgrim vs the World"; Leonardo DiCaprio does a perfect spiral into madness in "Shutter Island".

Just Missed It:

Oliver Platt in "Please Give", Alexei Guskov in "The Concert", Christos Stergioglou in "Dogtooth"

Ya'll know the drill. Comments below!

I Finally Saw "The Social Network"!

I know, I know, I'm always behind everybody else. But, hey, I saw it a couple days ago, and I loved it! It lived up to the hype, and then some. It's intelligently written, witty and complex without being cold, it's thrilling and engrossing without losing the human spirit at its center. The ensemble acting is fabulous, Jesse Eisenberg gives his best performance since "The Squid and the Whale" and Andrew Garfield was just wonderful. So much heart. I also want to mention that Rashida Jones was lovely, in her teeny-tiny role. Besides that, I can't really say much more that hasn't already been said, except that I also found the score very, very notable. It was unique, interesting and modern - one of my favorites of the year so far. Anyway, if you haven't seen it yet, go now, because it lives up...and this is going to sound cliche, but seriously, you'll never look at Facebook the same way again! Muahahaha.

9/10