Showing posts with label Movie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movie. Show all posts
Sunday, October 4, 2009
SAT Time! Night of the Living Dead:Shaun of the Dead::28 Days Later:___________
There are quite a few rules to survival in Zombieland or so we're told by Jesse Eisenberg's Columbus a neurotic survivor of the zombie apocalypse. Rule number one: cardio, rule number 3: seatbelts and so on, it's clear that Columbus has thought a lot about how to survive in a world dominated by the walking dead. And, I imagine most of the audience for Zombieland will have as well considering how popular and prominent zombie horror movies have become in the forty-one years since George Romero created the modern take on the monster with Night of the Living Dead.Romero's zombie is a slow, shambling reanimated corpse, the Romero style zombie was lampooned in 2004's zombie romantic comedy Shaun of the Dead. Romero has publicly stated that he doesn't like the idea of quick running zombies, but with the box office hit 28 Days Later audiences proved that they don't agree. And so we have Zombieland a horror movie that openly lampoons it's own subject matter. But the big question is, does it succeed?
Zombieland follows several survivors after the world is decimated by an outbreak of zombie. Columbus(Jesse Eisenberg) is on his way to his parents house in Columbus, Ohio when he meets Tallahassee(Woody Harrelson). Tallahassee insists that the two don't use real names so that they don't get too attached to one another. Along the way the duo meet with Wichita(Emma Stone) and Little Rock(Abigail Breslin), sisters on their way to Los Angeles to visit an amusement park they once went to before the world went to hell.
The cast is small, but the performances are not. Harrelson in particular wows as the gruff Tallahassee who takes glee in killing every zombie he sees and yearns for a twinkie. Tallahassee at first seems like a one note joke, and honestly he's the funniest character in the picture, but his character has the strongest emotional arc of the film. It's this arc that elevates Zombieland from being a somewhat forgettable comedy to something stronger. Harrelson may be the crown jewel of this picture, but the other cast members don't slack. It's kinda weird to see Abigail Breslin in a zombie movie since the predominate vision in my head of her is as the little girl in Signs, she does a fine job here and when she and Harrelson share the screen it's a joy to see.
If there is a defining fault to Zombieland it would be it's lack of zombies! For a movie that insists that the world is dead and filled with the walking dead, I could literally count on two hands the number of zombies the group encounter between Texas and Los Angeles. I'm not sure if the director was saving money for the big finale or what, but it's a glaring oversight. When the group casually drives into the center of Los Angeles without seeing a single zombie--it's a problem. With a population between the city and the surrounding areas in excess of 17 million I expect to see more than six zombies in downtown L.A. When there ARE zombies in the movie it does work as a horror movie, with quite a few scares, some of them are generic jump scares, but overall the movie doesn't slight on the horror aspect.
One of the greatest aspects of this film is the narration coupled with the "survival rules." Columbus narrates the film and his survival rules accompany the narration on the screen as the happen. It's a beautiful twist that looks wonderful and results in quite a few laughs. It's like we're viewing a movie version of Max Brooks "Zombie Survival Handbook." These parts coupled with the tremendous opening title sequence make this film a visual joy to watch
Whether or not you enjoy Zombieland largely depends on how you like your comedy. Zombieland is an American comedy through and through. There is less subtlety to the humor and it plays less like an homage to it's source material than Shaun did. That's not a slight against the film, but if you liked Shaun and are expecting more of the same you'll be disappointed. The funniest portion of the movie comes during the last third of the film when the group looks for suitable lodging in L.A. I'm loathe to reveal much about it, but it's the highlight of the film and you'll recognize it when you see it.
Maybe I'm not the most partial person to review a zombie movie, I've grown up watching the Living Dead films, one of my favorite video games is Left 4 Dead, hell, my parent's first date was to see Dawn of the Dead, I can basically credit my existence to the the genre. I tell you this as full disclosure, I'm a big zombie whore. I'll pretty much watch anything with zombies in them. But I don't enjoy everything with zombies in it, the Resident Evil films have zombies in them and they are still steaming piles of shit. So, trust me when I say that Zombieland is a great film certainly worth a look during this spooky month.
Its funny, it's scary and really what else is there to look forward to in the genre this month? Saw 6? Now, THAT is funny!
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Saturday, May 9, 2009
Back to the Future's Past or Something...
I've been a fan of science fiction for as long as I can remember. Although my tendencies always leaned more towards the Star Wars side of the equation, it's hard to say that I'm a Johnny-come-lately Star Trek fan when I've been watching some form of the series since I was ten. I don't consider myself a trekkie, but somehow through the course of my life I've picked up a considerable amount of trek-trivia and...well, I did MARRY a trekkie (seriously, once as a complete slip of the tongue I referred to Data as Da-tuh instead of Day-tuh and got reamed out pretty hard for it).So, while I'm too young to have seen the original crew in their glory days, I have seen a good portion of The Original Series and I've seen damned near all of the Next Generation-era Trek as well as all of the movies.
Star Trek: Nemesis may have sucked, but I still liked it. So, yeah, I was apprehensive about director JJ Abrams' plan to return to the unseen early days of Spock and Kirk. I mean, I like the Next Gen universe and isn't Star Trek supposed to be about looking forward? Didn't everyone bitch about this very thing happening in Enterprise? Yes, yes they did. With all that being said, I am a JJ Abrams whore. Joss Whedon may be Jim's master, but I will forever be loyal to Abrams. I don't care for Fringe and he wrote the screenplay for Armageddon...so maybe I should rethink my adulation for the man.
So, was my dislike of continuity futzing overcome by my (sometimes misguided) love of JJ Abrams? Find out after the jump.
Short answer: No. Long answer: Yes, but...
If anyone had actually listened to our summer movie preview podcast, they would have heard me bitch about several things done in this movie, one of the chief concerns I had was the casting. Notably, Karl Urban as Doctor "Bones" McCoy. Everything I saw coming out in the previews did nothing to assuage my fears, and although I LIKED the castmembers in other things, I didn't like who they were cast as. Thankfully, I was dead wrong about the cast on most accounts.
First of all, Karl Urban as Bones was the goddamn highlight of this film. I can't believe that I was ever against this casting. Where other cast members don't really try to catch the body language and ticks of the people they are emulating, you can tell that Urban did his homework. Simply put, Bones works. Chris Pine's James Kirk isn't as close an homage as Urban's work, but every once in a while he'll say something or give a look that just screams "JAMES TIBERIUS KIRK!" Pine has an easier job thanks to Urban. Since Urban won me over so quickly I was more apt to accept Pine as Kirk merely by his association with Bones.
Zachary Quinto as Spock on the other hand didn't do much for me. Sure, it's a huge step up from the horse-shit he is involved with on Heroes, but he never really captured Spock for me. Maybe it's because I've seen him on my television for the last three years but I couldn't really disassociate Quinto from Sylar. That's my fault, but I really do wish the producers had picked someone a little less known. In the end Quinto is serviceable but nothing to write home about especially since we get to see the real Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, later in the film.
The rest of the cast is a mixed bag of jewels and turds. Bruce Greenwood's Captain Pike made me giddy for the second Captain of the Enterprise like I've never been before but Anton Yelchin's Checkov made me wish the producers kept to continuity and didn't introduce the character until later. Yelchin's faux Russian accent is so ridiculous that it borders on racist. I know, I know, Walter Koening's accent wasn't all that accurate to begin with, but at least I could UNDERSTAND HIM. Simon Pegg is Simon Pegg, I find it hard to hate him in anything but his Scotty as written and performed is like a manic child. It's so over-the-top that I couldn't stand the character at all.
Finally Zoe Saldana's Lt. Uhura is a marginal non-entity. Saldana has not impressed me in anything I've seen her in. She was so horrible in Pirates of the Carribean that she was THE ONLY THING TO NOT RETURN in those misguided sequels. Here she does her best to just look sexy and that's about it. She's got a half-assed love story with Spock which just comes out of fucking nowhere. As my wife pointed out, it's probably only there because someone thought there HAD to be a love story in a summer blockbuster.
For his part in this all, JJ Abrams does an admirable job. Star Trek is an exciting and kinetic movie full of color and motion. I'll admit that I liked some of the new additions to the Trek science like the awesome new "warp jump" animation and sound effect. It looks pretty spectacular and sounds even better. Contrary to how I feel while watching most Hollywood pictures (and perhaps this is just because I saw X-Men Origins Wolverine last weekend), I found almost all of the special effects and CGI work to be impeccable. There's a sequence later in the movie that involves a monster-alien thing that looks less impressive, but otherwise Abrams has overseen an incredible looking film. The retro-future look of all the technology is fairly cool if not terribly accurate to Trek-lore.
So, yeah, it's a pretty movie with some great performances and you'll probably have a good time with it IF you:
A.) Aren't a continuity obsessed Trek fan.
or
B.) Don't mind leaving your fucking brain at the door.
WAIT! Didn't I just say that Star Trek is a good movie? Yes, I did, but it is fucking STUPID. Full of Goddamn plot holes and retarded contrivances. Keep in mind that the guys who wrote the screenplay are the two fucking winners who wrote Transformers. Remember when a giant robot pissed coolant all over John Turturro in Transformers? Yeah, you can thank Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman for that and you can thank them for this stupid plot that shits all over Trek Continuity.
Here's where I'm going to go all spastic nerd, so if you want to skip my nervous breakdown--fine, I'm giving it a 3 out of 5.
Still with me? Good. It takes some mighty fucking kumquats, brass balls, huge fucking stones to write a screenplay that COMPLETELY wipes out forty odd years of continuity, but that is exactly what Orci and Kurtzman have done. Now, as Jim pointed out to me after my showing of the movie, there was no way I was going to love anything that erased Star Trek: Deep Space Nine out of continuity. He's right, but it goes deeper than that. This movie was specifically created to appeal to a broader audience. In some ways I can appreciate that (though the dying Nintendo fanboy in me looks at the dusty Wii sitting across the room and sees the horrible end result of appealing to the mainstream). But by wiping out continuity and introducing newer and hipper versions of characters we fans already love they are, to use a line from Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade, "selling our heritage to the same fucking guys who beat us up in P.E."
Want a small example? Orci and Kurtzman actually give us a stupid explanation of why McCoy is nicknamed "Bones." When Kirk and Bones meet for the first time Bones mentions his ex-wife only leaving him with his bones. Ha ha! Clever. Except if Orci and Kurtzman took two fucking seconds to think the goddamn nickname through or check out some BASIC Trek continuity they would have realized that he is nicknamed Bones because he is a DOCTOR...as in old sawbones? Hello, McFly?!
And please don't get me started on the fact that during the time period this film is set NO ONE knew what the Romulans looked like! Yet somehow everyone knows what they look like and that Nero's future Romulan ship was in fact Romulan. Even I know what Romulan ships look like from Nero's timeline and I DIDN'T FUCKING RECOGNIZE IT AS ROMULAN! And that's just the tip of the Trek-anachronism fest that permeates this movie. Seriously? Cardassian beer? Nuh-uh, even if the Federation had met the Cardassians at this point I really doubt we'd be trading fucking beer with evil aliens occupying and enslaving those poor Bajorans.
Want some more stupidity? Ok, I'll back off the crazy Trek minutia for a bit. How about our introduction to James Kirk as a precocious car thief. Never mind for a minute that the whole fucking scene is pointless and could(and SHOULD) have been entirely excised from the film, it's full of stupid moments that will make your head swim if you think about them for a second. So twelve-year-old Kirk steals his step father's car. The step father calls Kirk in an attempt to get his car back. What do we hear? We hear that obnoxious Nokia cell phone ring tone. You know the one, remember Jurassic Park 3? Remember William H. Macy's phone with the ring tone that was supposed to be the jingle for his company? Yeah, everyone knew that was a pre-loaded ring tone back then...am I really supposed to believe that THREE HUNDRED YEARS in the future that annoying ring tone will still exist!? Not to mention the fact that we actually SEE the Nokia phone in the car. Nokia advertising. In a Star Trek movie. Jesus. So young Kirk jams out to some Beastie Boys and wrecks a car, breaks the laws of physics by jumping clear of a moving vehicle and then tells a cop his name. Awesome. Wouldn't the bar-brawl scene have been a better introduction to Kirk? Considering it is the very next scene in the film...yes, yes it would.
How about the scene where Spock has Kirk ejected from the ship for disobeying orders and punching a security guard. Yes, Spock goes the HIGHLY illogical route, ignores the fucking ship brig and sends Kirk to a dangerous ice planet. Oh, but it gets better...this planet just so happens to be the planet that Nero sends Old Spock! It's the worst case of Deus-ex-Spockina! And to make matters worse, not only is Old Spock on this planet, but so is SCOTTY! There's a great big universe out there...too bad Orci and Kurtzman don't fucking realize it.
Then there is the humor. Some of it works...most of it does not. When you see Kirk with elephant man hands and a swollen tongue running around the Enterprise you'll understand. Or how about Scotty beaming into a maze of water tubes and being shot around the ship's innards like a balding-Scottish Augustus Gloop. Seriously, everyone who saw Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and bitched about the misplaced humor (for the record, love T3 but hate the humor in it) has no right to NOT complain about most of the humor in this movie because it's the same tone changing bullshit.
And of course there is the villain. Nero (Eric "I ruined Hulk" Bana)'s motivation is so terribly misguided it's laughable. First of all, unless you have read the awful comic book tie-in, Star Trek: Countdown, you won't have any real inkling of what Nero's intentions are. You see, the comic book explains that Nero is a pretty nice guy. A miner with a wife on Romulus and a kid on the way. One day while out mining Nero's ship comes upon a star about to go nova or something. He returns to the Romulan high council to warn the planet. Spock is there doing the same thing and of course, the entire council doesn't believe Spock or Nero. Spock convinces Nero that the scientists of Vulcan can stop the Nova from destroying Romulus and the ENTIRE GALAXY!!!!! How one nova is threatening the entire galaxy is never explained. So, of course the Vulcans won't help and Romulus is destroyed. SOMEHOW Nero blames Spock and the Federation. It makes absolutely no fucking sense! One book earlier Spock and Nero are friends, enjoying a drink and mind-melding with each other. Romulus explodes and suddenly it's a conspiracy planned by Spock to wipe out the Romulans. Seriously, people, Nemesis sucked, but at least the villain in that movie had motivation that made some Goddamned sense.
In the course of the film, Orci and Kurtzman make it a priority to point out through the characters that the time-line has changed and everything will be different now. Great, thanks for erasing forty years of continuity, guys. Everyone bitched about Rick Berman and Brannon Braga ruining Trek. And, yeah, I'd agree they were beating a dead horse. But what Orci and Kurtzman did was tantamount to skull-fucking that very same dead horse.
The sad part is, that the rest of the movie is pretty good. The stuff that doesn't piss all over continuity is fun and and exciting. The cast is pretty good, good enough that I wouldn't mind seeing another movie with them in it. Everyone keeps telling me that this is just another universe and the time-line I know and love still exists. Of course I know that. But this movie is going to be huge because of the "I don't even like Star Trek but this looks awesome" crowd. More than likely(unless Terminator Salvation actually becomes MY salvation and dethrones Trek) this is going to be fucking huge and Paramount is never going to be able to see the original time-line through the mountains of cash it will be making.
So, yeah. Despite all my griping, I liked it. It's good, not great. But you'll like it. Yes, you. The guy who has never even seen Star Trek before. Just know that you're getting a new franchise at the cost of my fandom. Because, while I'll still go see the new movies and may enjoy them to a certain extent, Star Trek just isn't Star Trek anymore and that makes me very sad.
3 griping fanboys out 5.
Skip to the bottom for VERY spoilerish ending gripe.
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Ok, so in the end Nero is caught in the same temporal black hole thingy that sent him and Spock back in time to begin with only now it begins to destroy his ship. Why this time it is going to kill him is never explained. Chalk that one up to Orci and Kurtzman's shitty script. Kirk, in the spirit of old-school Trek, offers the hand of assistance in an effort to save relations between the Federation and Romulus. Nero, in typical scenery chewing villain behavior, says he would rather die than be saved. Ok, great, the black hole thingy will take care of his death. But then Kirk opens fire on Nero, destroying the ship. Really? That is totally not Star Trek. I mean, sure, it's something that I might have occasionally bitched about in Trek. But when it happens on screen it feels like a complete betrayal of the entire franchise. I was hoping for something along the lines of Batman Begins, "I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you." Instead, Kirk looks like an ass, kicking a retarded kid after he falls on the playground. Are you proud of yourself Kirk?
Ok, enough bitching. Go see this fucker, you know you want to.
Ok, one more fanboyish gripe. Where the fuck were the Temporal Federation guys at to prevent Nero's time fucking? Seriously guys, coffee break or something? You've got a time-line to protect...
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Sunday, March 8, 2009
A Treatise On Blue Dong
Zack Snyder is an artist. His canvas is celluloid. Whatever anyone says about his big screen adaptation of Alan Moore's beloved graphic novel Watchmen, the one thing that no one can deny is the uncompromising beauty of this film. Densely packed with nuances that demand repeat viewings Snyder's film is a paradox in the pantheon of comic book film adaptations. Can an adaptation be too elaborate and yet not enough? Hit the jump to find out.Watchmen is set in an alternate universe where masked avengers rose to prominence in the 1930s and have since become despised and outlawed. It's 1985, Richard Nixon is still president. The world is on the brink of global nuclear war(though no WOPR in sight) and a Comedian is killed in New York. Ok, not A comedian, THE Comedian. Former masked avenger and current government operative Edward Blake AKA The Comedian is killed in his posh apartment. Who was behind the killing and is it a precursor to something bigger? These are the questions that Watchmen asks.
The story is long and complicated and sadly for viewers who've never read the graphic novel, it's probably totally incoherent.
The major issue that exists in this film is the question I posed above the jump. Can an adaptation include too much and not enough of the source material all at once. Watchmen answers yes. YES! There are things that are left on the cutting room floor that absolutely must exist in order for the story to make sense and most importantly resonate with the viewer, and there are things that are left in the movie that are great to see but could have been trimmed to allow for more important things be included. The film is certainly watchable (no pun intended) but could have been so much more. The rumored extended edition DVD (said to include an extra hour of footage) has the potential to rectify these mistakes, but it's somewhat sad to see this version pushed on audiences now, when I know that better version exists.
Much has been made of the ending being changed, and I won't spoil it here, the ending works fine if you've never read the book. I understand why the changes were made, and aside from some small quibbles I have with the resolution. It's not going to replace the book's ending for me, but it doesn't make me angry.
Every frame of film is densely packed with details from the graphic novel that simply demand repeat viewings, and fans of the book will adore the attention to detail that exists on screen. Snyder should be commended for the fight he won in keeping these details in the film as well as keeping the setting and themes mostly intact. I know that the studio (and original screenplay penned by Metal Gear Solid voice actor David Hayter) wanted the film set in present day NYC. Snyder fought to keep the time period and other details true to the book and I commend him for that.
The acting is truly a mixed bag. Billy Crudup as blue superman Jon "Doc Manhattan" Osterman has a difficult job of making a mostly emotionless naked blue man an empathetic character using only his voice. He does a fairly good job. Crudup has prior voice acting experience from Princess Mononoke, being one of the only actors in that film to not rape my eardrums, he is much appreciated.
Jackie Earle Haley truly owns this film. His portrayal of crazed avenger Rorschach, is one of the finest performances I've seen in a comic book film or any other film. It's not quite Heath Ledger's Joker (You can thank the mask for that), but think of Watchmen and Jackie Earle Haley is going to be the first thing you think of. Unless you are infatuated with blue wiener.
On the other side of the acting spectrum, Malin Akerman, Matthew Goode, and Carla Gugino simply ruin every scene that they are in. The disturbing part is that they have important and necessary character arcs, without them the story simply could not exist. And they are horrible. HORRIBLE. For every battle Snyder won to keep the setting of the film accurate to the source material--any praise I give him for the good he's done, is tarnished by the terrible performances that he coaxes out of these actors.
And don't get me started on the prosthetic makeup, Moloch's strange ears, Nixon's wicked witch-esque nose, and Carla Gugino's age makeup (never thought I would miss Benjamin Button's makeup) are all just pathetically done. I can't help but think that if a director such as Guillermo del Toro, who is passionate about prosthetics, worked with this film it would be so much better.
In the end the makeup is a small gripe, and the film that exists IS good. It's loud, fun, and sad all at the same time. It's no replacement for the graphic novel. Nothing is. But as a companion piece to the book, it works. The story isn't as deep, the emotional core of the book isn't there. It's a blue ghostly circulatory system walking through the kitchen of a government testing facility. With some extra care, that director's cut might just be able to restructure it's intrinsic field into a more complete experience. Right now, it's adequate but slightly disappointing.
3 out of 5
treatise
'Till next time!
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Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Old Spice Commercials Were Better...
I can clearly remember the day it happened. When my love affair happened. Twelfth grade. It was a good year. 1999. I sought it out and caressed the sharp edges and thrust it hard into the willing slot. It was my first time. And it was GLORIOUS.Army of Darkness. VHS. Full screen. Without any more vaguely sexual metaphors, I can safely say that summer changed me into the film buff that I am today. There were many films that summer and Army of Darkness was a shining beacon amongst them.
Army of Darkness opened my eyes and introduced me to the awesomeness of Bruce Campbell. You may not know his name, but I'd put wager good money that you've seen him in something. Spider-Man(one, two or three!)? Hell, he spent a season as a recurring cast member on Ellen. Fact is, the guy isn't a big star but he's a face and he's got a fan base. I count myself in that select group.
So, when I hear news of a movie starring Campbell playing Campbell...well, I get excited. Sadly, this should be a lesson in tempering expectations...
My Name Is Bruce stars Campbell as himself. Campbell is a hard drinking, obnoxious prink, who is stuck making C-grade sequels to awful direct-to-video(or Sci-Fi Channel originals)movies. He's just gone through a divorce, his cast and crew members hate him and for good reason. As portrayed Campbell is a total ass. His only "friend" seems to be his agent Mills Toddner(the always affable Ted Raimi) and even Mills is repeatedly fired and rehired by Campbell on a whim.
Meanwhile, in the small town of Gold-Lick, not all is right. Jeff, Campbell's most obsessively dedicated fan, is trying to get lucky in a decrepit cemetery when he unwittingly unlocks Guan-Di! Guan-Di, the ancient Chinese god of war(and bean curd) kills Jeff's friends and begins to terrorize the small town.
Of course, the only thing for the good...stupid...folks of Gold-Lick to do is send Jeff to kidnap Bruce Campbell. Cause...um, as I mentioned above the townsfolk are stupid.
Campbell thinks that the town's plight is an elaborate birthday present concocted by Mills and decides to play along, until he comes face to face with the demon.
The plot is paper thin. Which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, if the jokes were any good. But they aren't. Racist stereotypes, gay jokes, and retreads of old Campbell movie jokes are the best you'll find here. Occasionally there will be something worth tittering at, but these gems come too far and few between to make the rest of the movie worth watching.
Characters attitudes change between scenes with absolutely no context. Literally, Jeff's mother goes from vehemently hating Campbell to being in love with him in thirty seconds.
The most consistent thing about the script is the tired-ass "Bruce, your hand is in an inappropriate place" joke that is repeated at least eight times.
Campbell himself is portrayed as a complete ass. Which I'm sure was meant to be funny, but he's obnoxious here. The real Campbell is sincere and funny in a self-deprecating way. Why couldn't the movie show that Campbell?
Campbell serves as director on this flick, and while he doesn't do a terrible job, it is very clear that this movie was always meant to go down the direct-to-video route. It's lit like a bad television show.
The acting is awful right across the board. Everyone who isn't named Bruce Campbell or Ted Raimi(who plays THREE separate characters) is just horrendous.
So, there I was, watching the credits roll at the end of the movie. When I see the writing credit pop on the screen. Mark Verheiden? Why does that name sound so familiar? Power of IMDB, GO! Battlestar Galactica? THE OATH? No. Noo, no, no, no, no, no...dear God. NO! How does the man responsible for what is arguably one of the greatest Battlestar episodes(Gaeta's attempted coup of Galactica) write...this.
Looks like BSG is Verheiden's yin to this steaming pile of yang.
In the end, My Name Is Bruce is a jumble of wasted opportunities. It seems that the producers were aiming to MAKE a Bruce Campbell film by making an awful movie. It's all very meta and terribly mediocre. This one is strictly for fans of Bruce Campbell. And by fans, I mean super obsessed "I-love-The-Man-With-The-Screaming-Brain" fans. All others need not bother.
1 chainsaw hand out of 5
'Till next Time!
Don't forget to check out the That's A Wrap Podcast!
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Monday, February 2, 2009
Six More Weeks Of Winter?
Punxsutawney Phil is one of the hallmarks of Pennsylvania. Once a year the most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania is forcibly exhumed from his stump at Gobbler's Knob and predicts whether or not we will have six more weeks of winter. Though I wouldn't say that Phil is the "hardest" working hog in the business(That'd be his brother, Gus, Pennsylvania lottery spokes-hog), but he is the only one to have a movie framed around his annual hullabaloo: Harold Ramis's 1993 classic, Groundhog Day!
Bill Murray stars as the acerbic Pittsburgh(yeah, way to go Stillers!) weatherman Phil Connors who has big dreams of predicting the weather on a major network. Phil just cannot stand doing local puff pieces because he thinks he's above them. Unfortunately for Phil it's Groundhog Day and the station has tasked him with covering the venerable holiday.
Phil, of course, is nonplussed by this. I mean, can you blame him? His name is Phil and he has to cover a story about a groundhog named Phil. Can you say awkward? Of course, Phil doesn't have the greatest time covering the festivities and to make matters worse a snow storm(which he DIDN'T predict) is descending on the town making it impossible to leave Punxsutawney.
Phil goes to bed that evening hoping to escape the Pennsylvania hamlet but when he wakes up he's reliving the same day over again! At first Phil is upset and shocked at this predicament, he tries to convince his producer Rita(Andie MacDowell) that he's reliving the same day. But suitably no one believes him.
After he realizes that nothing he does matters, Phil decides to take advantage of his situation. He becomes familiar with the town and it's citizens, but then he sets his sights on the one thing he can't seem to get: Rita.
Though he tries valiantly to learn everything about Rita and pretend that he loves the very same things he is unable to seal the deal. Ramis does a fantastic job of hinting at just how many times Phil has looped through the day without actually showing all of them, giving the audience just a taste of the day replaying without driving us insane along with Phil.
After not being able to bed Rita, Phil snaps and begins an exercise in suicide. Killing himself numerous times, everyday Phil wakes up from the dead as if nothing has actually happened. Eventually Phil decides to be himself and try to woo Rita without trying to bed her. It's when this happens that Phil starts to change. He becomes less self absorbed and generally nicer to everyone. He begins to better himself and learn new things.
Ramis handles the third act of the film with a deft hand, keeping it humorous but also giving it an emotional heft when Phil becomes a hero and saves numerous people throughout the town. Murray is wonderful, going from serious to funny in a moments notice without it ruining the flow of the film. It's no wonder that Murray would find work years later in such serious works as Lost In Translation and while he's still primarily a comedic actor, it's nice to see his flexibility in this film and others.
Groundhog Day is a funny and sometimes moving classic '90s comedy. Although this type of story has been done many times since(The X-Files and Stargate SG-1 immediately come to mind), Groundhog Day remains as engaging and hilarious as it was the day it was released. Besides, what other movie can claim to have BOTH Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliot in starring roles and make them tolerable? That's right. No other movie.
Gus the groundhog says: "Though Groundhog Day focuses on my obnoxious brother's holiday, it's STILL the bee's knees!"
You heard it here, folks. Gus likes it. It's a winner.
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