Tour de Pharmacy

Directed by Jake Szymanski and teleplay by Murray Miller from a story by Miller and Andy Samberg, Tour de Pharmacy is the story of the infamous 1982 Tour de France in which five of its top contenders did whatever it took to win while raising awareness of steroid use. Told in a documentary style, the film chronicles the notorious event as well as the people who were involved in that race as it is narrated by Jon Hamm. Starring Andy Samberg, Orlando Bloom, Freddie Highmore, John Cena, Daveed Diggs, Jeff Goldblum, Julia Ormond, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Glover, James Marsden, Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Kevin Bacon, Phylicia Rashad, J.J. Abrams, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Mike Tyson, Joe Buck, Chris Webber, and Lance Armstrong. Tour de Pharmacy is a wild and outrageous film from Jake Szymanski.

In the 1982 Tour de France, one of the most notorious cycling races occurred as many of the riders participating in the event were all taking some kind of drugs in which five of them were able to continue as this documentary on these five racers are profiled in this film as four of them talk about the race. The film is a mockumentary about a fictional moment in racing as it’s told in a documentary style similar to what HBO sports does as well as ESPN’s 30 for 30 series. The film follow the events in the 1982 Tour de France in which many of its participants paid the then-UCI president Ditmer Klerken (Kevin Bacon) $50,000 in exchange to not be tested as Klerken would use the money to pay off his massive credit card debts. Among those that didn’t pay Klerken were the five riders who would be able to continue the race till the end as the ones who did pay Klerken were all disqualified.

Among these five participants who would continue the race are the American cyclist Slim Robinson (Daveed Robinson/Danny Glover), the Nigerian cyclist Marty Haas (Andy Samberg/Jeff Goldblum), the Austrian cyclist Gustav Ditters (John Cena/Dolph Lundgren), the French cyclist Adrian Baton (Freddie Highmore/Julia Ormond), and the Italian cyclist JuJu Peppi (Orlando Bloom). Four of them would talk about the event that happened many years ago as Baton was really a woman disguised as a man so she can participate in the Tour de France as she was also on some drugs. Murray Miller’s script doesn’t just go into this back-and-forth narrative of the riders talking about the event but also the event itself as it also features commentary from an anti-doping agency head in Stu Ruckman (Nathan Fielder) as well as filmmaker J.J. Abrams and boxing legend Mike Tyson. The latter of which reveals his own original aspirations to be a cyclist until someone stole his bike and he beat the shit out of the guy.

Jake Szymanski’s direction definitely owe a lot to not just the documentary style of most documentary sport films but also has elements of French New Wave to play into France’s own coverage of the sport but also 1980s television. Notably as Szymanski uses some grainy video footage of the race which was covered by the BBC and its reporter Rex Honeycutt (James Marsden) as many of the compositions in the film are straightforward. The present-day scenes with the older bikers and some of the people interviewed including an anonymous racer (Lance Armstrong) as that interview is played for laughs in trying to conceal the identity of this racer. The film also play into some of the outrageous moments as it’s narrated by Jon Hamm that include a few animated sequences including one story about red blood cells that is created by a controversial animator in Victoria Young (Phylicia Rashad). Szymanski’s direction becomes more outrageous as the story goes on whether it’s Ditters on roid-rage or Peppi having to urinate while riding. It all plays into craziness of what goes on in the Tour de France. Overall, Szymanski creates an over-the-top yet exhilarating film about one of the most notorious races in the history of Tour de France.

Cinematographer Craig Kief does excellent work with the film’s cinematography from the clear and stylish look of the present-day interviews to the grainy VHS look of the race itself. Editors Michael Giambra, Daniel Reitzenstein, and Bijan Shams do amazing work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts for the French coverage as well as some of the more straightforward elements in the interviews. Production designer Almira Corey, with set decorator Izzy Ross and art director Jen Dunlap, does fantastic work with the look of the set for the interviews as well as a massage room for the five riders to be in. Costume designer Romy Itzigsohn does some nice work with the look of the spandex costumes of the riders as well as the clothes they wear when they’re older.

The hair/makeup work of Annie Cardea, K.T. Chandler, Megan Nicholl, and Adina Sullivan do brilliant work with the look of the characters from the fake-drawn mustache of the young Baton to the crazy hairstyles of some of the characters including Peppi’s blond goatee. Visual effects supervisor Daniel Barone does terrific work with some of the visual effects in some of the photos as well as the look of the VHS footage. Sound designer Ken Cain does superb work with the sound in the way some of the fighting is presented as well as the VHS tapes. The film’s music by Gregory James Jenkins is wonderful as it play into the period of cheesy music that often accompany sporting events during the 1980s.

The casting by Susie Farris is great as it feature appearances from Joe Buck, Mike Tyson, filmmaker J.J. Abrams, and basketball legend Chris Webber as themselves talking about the event while Lance Armstrong is hilarious as the anonymous racer who talks about all of the things that happened at Tour de France that involves doping. Other notable small roles include Phylicia Rashad as the controversial animator Victoria Young, Maya Rudolph as a cycling magazine editor who lusts for cyclists, Will Forte as a French policeman who accidentally injects himself with amphetamines, and Kevin Bacon in a terrific performance as the former UCI president Ditmer Klerken who would waste all of his money on things that would amass into a big credit card debt. Nathan Fielder is fantastic as an anti-doping agency head who reveal what effects the drugs would do while Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is superb as Hass’ childhood neighbor who really hates Hass. James Marsden is excellent as the BBC reporter Rex Honeycutt as the man covering the event as well as doing what he can to interview the cyclists during the race.

Daveed Diggs and Danny Glover are brilliant in their respective roles as the younger and older version of Slim Robinson as the nephew of Jackie Robinson who was eager to become the first black cyclist to compete at Tour de France with Diggs being quite brash while Glover is more reserved yet both are very funny. Dolph Lundgren and John Cena are amazing in their respective roles as the younger and older version of Gustav Ditters with Lundgren as a more calm yet enjoyable approach as the older Ditters yet it is Cena who is a fucking riot as the overly-excited and roid-rage version of Ditters who would also use a mysterious substance. Freddie Highmore and Julia Ormond are marvelous in their respective roles as the younger/older version of Adrian Baton with Highmore as a young woman pretending to be a man with a drawn mustache and fake boobs while Ormond is just very straightforward as Adrianna Baton though where she’s interviewed is very surprising.

Andy Samberg/Jeff Goldblum are remarkable in their respective roles as the younger and older version of Marty Hass with Samberg as this very outrageous young version who is trying to prove that he’s a true African when he’s really hated by actual Africans while Goldblum is just funny in how laid-back he is. Finally, there’s Orlando Bloom in a hilarious performance as Juju Peppi as the Italian cyclist who is considered the best as he is willing to do whatever he can to win as Bloom just play him for laughs and delivers in every way.

Tour de Pharmacy is a phenomenal film from Jake Szymanski. Not only is it a hilarious mockumentary short about the world of doping in cycling but also play into the things that are just shocking but in a very funny way. In the end, Tour de Pharmacy is a sensational from Jake Szymanski.

Related: 7 Days in Hell

© thevoid99 2017

Accidental Love

Based on the novel Sammy’s Hill by Kristen Gore, Accidental Love is the story of a waitress whose life changes after accidentally being shot in the head by a nail gun where she receives brain damage and the attention of a congressman who would exploit her. Directed by David O. Russell, under the pseudonym of Stephen Greene, and screenplay by Russell (under the Greene pseudonym), Gore, Dave Jeser, and Matt Silverstein, the film that was originally supposed to be called Nailed is a look into a woman looking for support due to her lack of health insurance as she turns to the government for help. Starring Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Marsden, Catherine Keener, Tracy Morgan, Beverly D’Angelo, and James Brolin. Accidental Love is a messy and nonsensical film from Stephen Greene.

The film is a simple story of a waitress who goes to Washington D.C. to get a bill created so that she and several other ordinary people can get health insurance following an incident where she was shot in the head by a nail gun. It’s a film that has an intriguing premise where this young waitress tries to fight for herself and friends in getting the health insurance they need since they can’t afford to get surgery to fix themselves. Yet, something definitely went wrong as it relates the story where it wants to be this political crusade film where an ordinary woman wants to fight for something yet it is also this weird romantic comedy between this woman and a young congressman who would exploit her for his own means. The script not only creates moments that are ridiculous but also has no clear identity in what it wants to be or how to balance the genre. The script that was originally written by David O. Russell and Kristen Gore seemed to have ideas of a political and social satire but that seemed lost due to those who were involved in the re-writes as it would try to be all things for all people.

Yet, it’s not the script that is entirely at fault but also the direction where it looked like there was a good film somewhere from Russell. Unfortunately, it seems like he was trying to go for something that was bit more unconventional in his approach to humor only to delve too much into conventional humor. While Russell would create a lot of straightforward compositions and moments that seem to aim for elements of political satire. It is clear that the film was lost in the post-production where it became something very different from what Russell wanted as it’s probably among the many reasons why he chose to not take credit for it. Anyone not familiar with Russell’s work would probably be confused in what the film wants to be as there’s a lot of people over-acting or moments that feels like it belongs in another film. For those who are familiar with Russell’s work as a filmmaker would definitely see that there was a lot in the film that had the potential to be funny as well as provide some insight into how politics work.

Yet, there were a lot that had happened during the film’s production that said a lot about why Russell left the film and later disown it. The film’s production began in 2008 where it got shut down frequently due in part to the 2008 financial collapse where several cast and crew members walked out of the film at times where re-shoots occurred in 2010 without Russell’s involvement who did leave the film. Through the post-production with the aid of cinematographer Max Malkin, editors Mark Bourgeois and Robert K. Lambert, and sound mixer Jeffree Bloomer, the film is given a look and tone that is best described as bland. Malkin’s photography looks under-lit in some spots and has elements of grain in some spots while the editing feels very jarring and nonsensical at times. Even the sound doesn’t do much in the way the film is presented as says a lot into what was happening in the post production. Overall, the film is just a really bad movie handled by people behind the scenes who really just created something that is just bland and lacks any real heart to a story that could’ve been so much more.

Production designer Judy Becker, with set decorator Vera Mills and art director Dennis Bradford, does fantastic work with the look of the diner that the protagonist Alice worked with as well as the restaurant where she would get shot in the head with a nail. Costume designer Marie-Sylvie Deveau does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with a bit of style in the clothes that Alice wears. Visual effects supervisor Travis Baumann does OK work with the visual effects as it is essentially set-dressing but it never does anything for the film visually. The film’s music John Swihart is just hokey at best where it tries to playful with its mixture of orchestral music and pop but never stands out at all while music supervisor Susan Jacobs doesn’t create a soundtrack that is memorable as it consists of pop and soul music.

The film’s cast features a large collective of great talent but unfortunately, no one is given much to do. Notable small roles from Beverly d’Angelo and Steve Boles as Alice’s parents, Kirstie Alley as Alice’s veterinarian aunt Rita, Bill Hader as a surgeon, Jenny Gulley as Alice’s friend/fellow waitress Brenda, Malinda Williams as a security guard named Rakeesha that Alice’s friend Keyshawn falls for, David Ramsay as representative Harshtone who helps out congresswoman Hendrickson, Kurt Fuller as the Reverend Norm who helps Alice out by going to Washington D.C. with her as he has an untreatable injury, and Paul Reubens as Hendrickson’s aide Edwin never really get anything to do as it’s clear that either whatever material they’re working didn’t do them any favors. In a very brief performance, James Brolin is awful as House Speaker Buck McCoy who is just there as a plot-point in the film where he chokes on a fucking cookie during a meeting with Alice and her friends with Hendrickson in the same room along with girl scouts.

Tracy Morgan is alright as Keyshawn where he tries very hard to be funny but it never clicks while he also show a few moments that he can do more but the script’s shortcomings never gives him to rise above. James Marsden is just bland as Alice’s boyfriend Scott as a state trooper who would propose to her but has trouble adjusting to her mood swings where he breaks it off only to return to help her in the most convoluted way. Catherine Keener is terrible as congresswoman Pam Hendrickson as this former astronaut-turned-politician that is so eager to have a moon base created on the moon while wanting to be House Speaker as she just looks ridiculous as well as that bad haircut. Jake Gyllenhaal is just horrible as congressman Howard Birdwell as this young representative that wants to do good and help Alice only to exploit her for his own means where it’s a performance that tries to be funny but feels forced and unnatural. Finally, there’s Jessica Biel in a decent but underwhelming performance as Alice Eckle where Biel does try to make her character engaging but the shortcomings in the script as well as all of these quirks in her behavior from unexpected moments of rage to speaking in Portuguese makes the character more of a caricature than a real person to root for.

Accidental Love is just a horrendous film that doesn’t just waste a lot of talent but also showcase what happens when a film with some potential just goes to shit. Fans of David O. Russell no doubt will see this as just something they wish never existed while audiences who want to see a romantic comedy will pretty much be confused by a lot of what is happening. In the end, Accidental Love is a film that just really fucking sucks.

David O. Russell Films: Spanking the Monkey - Flirting with Disaster - Three Kings - I Heart Huckabees - The Fighter - Silver Linings Playbook - American Hustle - Joy (2015 film) - The Auteurs #70: David O. Russell

© thevoid99 2016

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Directed by Adam McKay and written by McKay and Will Ferrell, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is the sequel to 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy that explores Burgundy and his cohorts in the world of 24-hour news. Set in the 1980s, the film has Burgundy not only deal with changing times but also the conflict he faces as not just an anchorman but also a father to a young boy with his wife Veronica Corningstone. Will Ferrell reprises his role as Ron Burgundy as he’s joined by Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, David Koechner, and Fred Willard who all reprise their roles from the first film. Also starring James Marsden, Meagan Good, Greg Kinnear, and Kristen Wiig. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is a very funny and exciting film from Adam McKay.

The film is about Ron Burgundy taking on the world of 24-hours news as he is asked to be part of the new medium after he had lost his job that his wife Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) had gotten. With the help of his old news team in field reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sports reporter Champ Kind (David Koechner), and the dim-witted weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), Burgundy does something outrageous to get ratings for the channel where he would eventually lose sight of what he was meant to do as he neglects his son Walter (Judah Nelson) and alienate his friends only to find redemption later on. It’s a film that sort of satirizes the idea of 24-hour news but also about what news channels had become where they give news on what people should see rather than tell more important stories.

The film’s screenplay by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay does have some elements of satire as well as jokes that play into Burgundy’s clueless nature as he has no idea about how much times have changed since the 1970s. Even as it relates to what Veronica wants as well as his relationship with his new boss in Linda Jackson (Meagan Good) who is African-American. Though some of the jokes about Jackson’s race as well as a few others go on for too long where there’s parts of the stories that makes the film uneven at times. Still, there’s some nice subplots that involve Burgundy trying to be a parent to his son Walter as well as a story where Brick falls for an equally dim-witted typist named Chani (Kristen Wiig) that manages to bring in some laughs.

McKay’s direction is a bit more extravagant this time around in not just the way the 80s sort of look but also how out of step Burgundy and his gang are in this new world. Even as McKay would create scenes early in the film about where the rest of the news team had been since the first film as much of the humor is still loose and vibrant. Many of the compositions are straightforward with some exception that includes a scene of the news team crashing inside a RV with all sorts of objects. There’s also another news team battle where it’s much bigger than the first film with more outrageous cameos. Though there’s some flaws in the film due to overlong jokes and some moments that aren’t well-executed. McKay does manage to craft a pretty solid and entertaining film about an anchorman dealing with his ego and role as a news reporter.

Cinematographer Oliver Wood does excellent work with the cinematography where much of it is straightforward in the film‘s locations is shot in Atlanta,New York City, and San Diego . Editors Brent White and Melissa Bretherton do terrific work with the editing where it does play into many of the film‘s humor as well as its structure. Production designer Clayton Hartley, with set decorator Jan Pascale and art director Elliott Glick, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the GNN news office as well as the apartment loft that Burgundy and his team live in.

Costume designer Susan Matheson does amazing work with the costumes from the suits to the clothes the women wear. Hair stylist Monty Schuth does fabulous work with the hairstyles of the men including the perms that Burgundy and his team briefly wear. Visual effects supervisor Eric J. Robertson does nice work with some of the film‘s minimal visual effects such the RV crash scene and the moments in the all-out news team battle at Central Park. Sound editor George H. Anderson does superb work with the sound in some of the film‘s sound effects as well as the chaos in the news battle.

The film’s music by Andrew Feltenstein is pretty good for some of the themes as it‘s low-key in its orchestral setting while music supervisor Erica Weis creates a fun soundtrack that is filled with a mix of 70s/80s soft-rock music of Captain & Tenille, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, England Dan & John Ford Coley, and John Waite as well as music from Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Van Halen, and Hot Chocolate.

The film’s brilliant cast includes some notable small appearances from Josh Lawson as GNN creator Kench Allenby, Greg Kinnear as Veronica’s new boyfriend Gary, Fred Willard and Chris Parnell reprising their roles as Ed Harken and Garth Holliday, and Dylan Baker as the very fun GNN producer Freddie Sharp. James Marsden is terrific as the very good-looking news anchor Jack Lime who becomes Burgundy’s new rival while Meagan Good is wonderful as Burgundy’s boss/new lover Linda Jackson. Judah Nelson is excellent as Ron and Veronica’s son Walter who just wants his dad around while Kristen Wiig is very funny as the dim-witted typist Chani whom Brick falls for.

Christina Applegate is amazing as Veronica Corningstone as Burgundy’s wife who has the same ambitions as her husband but is dismayed by his decision as well as the state of news. David Koechner is superb as Champ Kind who is still this closeted homosexual with feelings for Ron as he brings in some good laughs. Paul Rudd is fantastic as Brian Fantana as the ladies man who is also sort of the group’s conscience as he is alienated by Ron’s growing ego. Steve Carell is great as Brick in the way he falls for Chani as well as respond to certain situations in the most hilarious ways. Finally, there’s Will Ferrell delivering another marvelous performance as Ron Burgundy as this man still out of step with the times while losing himself in his own ego where Ferrell brings a lot of humor and charm that makes Burgundy one of the great characters in comedy.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is an excellent film from Adam McKay with Will Ferrell delivering another superb performance as Ron Burgundy. Along with a great supporting cast, some funny cameos, and lots of moments that will keep people laughing. It’s a film that proves to be a worthy sequel to the 2004 film despite its unevenness and a few lackluster jokes. In the end, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is stellar film from Adam McKay.

Adam McKay Films: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - Step Brothers - The Other Guys - The Big Short - (Backseat) - The Auteurs #63: Adam McKay

© thevoid99 2013

Enchanted

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/23/08 w/ Additional Edits.

Directed by Kevin Lima and written by Bill Kelly with narration by Julie Andrews, Enchanted tells the story of a princess-to-be from a 2-D animated world who is suddenly thrown into a magical portal by a witch. Suddenly, the girl enters the real-life, live-action world of New York City as she meets a single father whom she befriends while her dim-witted prince decides to enter New York City to save her. The film is a genre-bender that is part family-film, part-fantasy, part-2D animation, part-comedy, and part-musical that is in the tradition of the Walt Disney films of the past that features the award-winning team of composer Stephen Schwartz and lyricist Alan Menken who wrote several classic tunes for Disney films like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Rachel Covey, and Susan Sarandon. Enchanted is a delightful, charming, and magical film from the Walt Disney company.

In the world of Andalasia, a princess-to-be named Giselle (Amy Adams) is waiting for the day for her true love to come. Meanwhile, the young yet dim-witted Prince Edward (James Marsden) is battling a troll with the help of Nathaniel, the longtime minion to Edward's stepmother Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon). Edward saves Giselle from a troll and the two are destined to become wedded and Giselle, a princess. Narissa however, has plans on her own as she disguises herself as an old witch who pushes Giselle into a waterfall fountain where she finds herself in the harsh, cruel world of real-life New York City. Lost and confused, Giselle finds a castle billboard as she attracts the attention of a divorce lawyer named Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his six-year old daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey).

Robert is confused by Giselle's whimsical, joyful behavior until she sleeps in his couch. The next morning, Giselle wakes up to clean Robert's home to his own shock with the help of pigeons, flies, and rats as he is bewildered by Giselle's behavior. Especially in front of his fiancee Nancy (Idina Menzel). Meanwhile, Edward learns that Giselle is in another world as with the help of Nathaniel (Timothy Spall) and a chipmunk named Pip, they enter New York City. Yet, Edward's chivalry is unaware that Nathaniel is sent to poison Giselle for Narissa. Robert however, is still confused by Giselle's unique personality as she sings all over the place while trying to tell her about the real world and such. With Edward still searching for Giselle, he becomes amazed by what the real world has to offer while Nathaniel begins to question his own role after his attempts to poison Giselle had failed repeatedly.

When Edward learns of Giselle's whereabouts, he continues his quest while Giselle suddenly starts to fall for Robert despite his no-nonsense, cynical view on the world, love, and such. Edward finally arrives as Giselle is with her prince but becomes confused of whether she wants to be Edward or Robert. Upset over the union of Giselle and Edward, Narissa decides to take matters into her own hands as she arrives to New York City in style. With Nathaniel forced to help her out, she decides to pull another old trick on Giselle as her own feelings for who her true love is becoming more confusing. Yet, when Narissa finally revealing herself, she decides to create her own ending only to realize, this isn't some ordinary fairytale.

While the fairytale films of Disney from years past can be considered fluff and passe in comparison to the harsh realities of the world. It should be noted that the real-world sometimes needed to be slapped with a dose of happiness. Here is a film where those great Disney films of the past are given a chance to look themselves in the mirror and make fun of themselves at the same time. Yet, what this film is really about is a princess-to-be who has always known a world that's been sheltered in all of her life. Yet, when she comes into this other world that is much harsher, colder, and very cynical. She tries to deal with it the best she could through song, cheerfulness, and curiosity. The result is that she brings a new kind of hope to a man filled with cynicism and no-nonsense to believe that it's okay to bring a bit of fantasy into the real world.

Credit must go to screenwriter Bill Kelly and director Kevin Lima for creating a charming, whimsical film that mixes a lot of genres. Kelly's screenplay is excellent for its structure, twists, character development, and most of all, references to other classic fairytales. Lima's direction is superb from the use of animation with its peppy, delightful 2-D, hand-drawn animation style to its colorful, live-action sequences. Lima's work in some of the film's dance and musical numbers is truly magical from the use of wide lenses to capture the scope of the dance numbers. The result is truly a film that lives up to Disney's magical reputation.

Cinematographer Don Burgess creates a colorful look with the film's daytime exteriors shot on location in New York City while the nighttime, interior shots are wonderfully intimate with low lighting set-ups to create an atmosphere that is true to the tone of the film. Editors Stephen A. Rotter & Gregory Perler do an excellent job with the film's pacing and rhythm for the film's musical sequences as scenes that match up with one scene to another. Production designer Stuart Wurtzel with art director John Kasarda do an amazing job in creating the film's sunny, colorful look on location in New York City as well as the ball scene. Costume designer Mona May does a superb job with the filmls costumes that included the huge gown that Giselle wears on her arrival to the city, her curtain-made dress, the sunny dress, and gown as well as the princely clothes that Edward wears along with Queen Narissa's gown that is true to her villainy.

Makeup artist Bill Corso does a great job with look of Susan Sarandon's Queen Narissa look as the old hag that makes Sarandon look unrecognizable. Animation supervisor James Baxter and his team do a superb job with the 2-D hand-drawn animation that is true to the look and style of Disney films of the past. Visual effects supervisors Brennan Doyle and Thomas Schelesny do a great job with the visual effects design of the character of Pip in NYC as well as other visual effects for the film's climatic third act. Sound editor Dennis Leonard does a great job with the film's sound to capture some of the film's moments of fantasy and adventure.

The music of Stephen Schwartz and lyricist Alan Menken is top-notch that includes a sweeping, dazzling score that plays to the film's whimsical tone. Yet, it's the original songs that Schwartz and Menken that really shine. From the sweeping True Love's Kiss performed by Amy Adams and James Marsden, the comically divine Happy Working Song and calypso-flavored That's How You Know both sung by Adams, the ballad So Close sung by Jon McLaughlin, and the country-pop song Ever, Ever After by Carrie Underwood. The soundtrack is truly a standout and definitely a joy to listen to thanks to the team of Schwartz and Menken who both prove they still have a magical touch.

The casting by John Papsidera, Marcia Ross, and Susan Shopmaker should be noted for its assembly of talent that includes cameo appearances from three actresses who are famous for voicing famed Disney heroines, Jodi Benson of The Little Mermaid as Robert's secretary Sam, Paige O'Hara of Beauty & the Beast as a soap opera actress Nathaniel watches, and Judy Kuhn of Pocahontas as a pregnant woman with children. Other memorable small appearances from Marilyn Sue Perry as a bus driver whom Edward annoys, Tonya Pinkins & Isaiah Whitlock, Jr. as a divorcing couple Robert is handling, and in the voices of Pip, Jeff Bennett as Pip in Andalasia and director Kevin Lima as the squeaky-voiced Pip in NYC. Broadway actress Idina Menzel is good as Robert's girlfriend Nancy who is bewildered by the appearance of Giselle while trying to commit with Robert.

Rachel Covey is adorable as Robert's six-year old daughter Morgan who is trying to find a sense of excitement from the realities that her father is trying to prepare her for. Timothy Spall is delightful as the sniveling, cowardly Nathaniel who is doing the Queen's deeds while in NYC, begins to question his own role and self-respect. James Marsden is delightfully funny as the dim-witted, narcissistic Prince Edward who always go into song while being completely clueless to everything. Marsden's smile, winning performance is fun to watch as the actor is showing his versatility from action roles like the X-Men films to the recent Hairspray musical film.

Patrick Dempsey is wonderfully low-key as the cynical Robert who proves to be a great foil for Giselle as Dempsey is also charming and intelligent in being the romantic lead as the actor continues his winning ways following his comeback role on the TV show Grey's Anatomy. Though her appearance in the film is only 20-minutes, Susan Sarandon makes the most of her appearance as Queen Narissa with a great, slimy performance as Sarandon seems to enjoy herself in playing a villain as her performance is fun to watch.

Finally, there's Amy Adams who delivers a performance that lives up to the film's title description. Fresh off from her Oscar-nominated role in 2005's Junebug, Adams carries this entire film with such wit, charm, innocence, and humor. From the way she smiles to how she reacts innocently to newfound situations, it's a performance that obviously cannot be enjoyed for someone, even the most cynical performance. Adams' versatility also proves that she can sing very well as she just shines from scene to scene. Adams also proves that she is capable in being dramatic while having great chemistry with Patrick Dempsey and Rachel Covey in their own individual scenes as she brings a lively character with such charisma and bravado, it's hard to not to smile in everything she does. After toiling in obscurity in small roles like Drop Dead Gorgeous, Psycho Beach Party, and Catch Me If You Can, Amy Adams gives a performance that is surely going to make her a household name.

Enchanted is a delightful, entertaining, and joyful film that lives up to its name and description thanks to the talents of director Kevin Lima, screenwriter Bill Kelly, songwriters Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken, and Amy Adams' dazzling performance. Fans of Disney films will no doubt enjoy the film for its humor and homage to the genre while families will enjoy it for its squeaky-clean yet charming tone. In the end, for a film that is a real feel-good film that does its job to entertain and make everyone feel smile, Enchanted is the film to go see.

© thevoid99 2013

X-Men

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/19/06 w/ Extensive Revisions.

The comic book from Marvel about a group of mutants who become superheroes known as X-Men arrived to the comic book world from the mind of Marvel's comic book main man Stan Lee (who also created Spider-Man) and Jack Kirby in 1963. The X-Men comic book became very popular among its fans with its array of characters in a battle between good and bad mutants over their survival as the good are known as X-Men who believe that humans and mutants can work together while running a school teaching young mutants. Throughout the years, the comic's popularity spawned cartoons and comic book spin-offs where finally in 2000, a movie about the X-Men was finally ready to be made.

To create the first X-Men film, producers and Stan Lee turned to screenwriter David Hayter to write a script with additional help from fan and Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon. For their choice to direct the film, the turned to Bryan Singer who already created some buzz with his debut feature, 1995's The Usual Suspects and 1998's Apt Pupil which starred Ian McKellen. In the first X-Men movie, the plot revolves around a mutant named Magneto and his hatred for humans as he is in conflict with former friend named Charles Xavier. In the middle of this conflict, a young girl named Marie who has runaway from home and found refuge in a mysterious mutant named Logan (aka Wolverine) where they find themselves in the middle of a war. With a cast that included McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Hugh Jackman, Anna Paquin, James Marsden, Ray Park, Tyler Mane, Rebecca Romijn, Bruce Davison, and Shawn Ashmore. The X-Men movie is a fun, entertaining film that is a bit faithful to the comic book.

Fear emerges with humans over the growth of mutant population as Dr. Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) tries to assure the U.S. government that mutants are a threat much to the chagrin of Senator Robert Kelly (Bruce Davison). One mutant who doesn't like humans is Erik Leshnsherr/Magneto (Ian McKellan) who used to be a friend of Grey's mentor Charles Xavier/Professor X (Patrick Stewart). Meanwhile, a young girl named Marie/Rogue (Anna Paquin) has ran away from home after accidentally kissing a boy that drains his powers where she ends up in Alaska meeting a strange man named Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Logan fights humans for a living as an attempted attack has him taking Marie with her only to be attacked by huge mutant beast named Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) as they're saved by a couple of mutants named Scott Summers/Cyclops (James Marden) and Ororo Munroe/Storm (Halle Berry).

Logan and Marie arrive at Xavier's school for young mutants where Logan meets Jean who is revealed to be telepathic along with the more powerful yet wheelchair-bound Xavier who offers to help Logan recover lost memories. Meanwhile, Magneto makes plans of his own with his frog-like mutant Toad (Ray Park), Sabretooth, and the ever-changing Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) as she abducts Senator Kelly for an experiment. Back at Xavier's school, Logan learns about Marie's powers after a nightmare he has where she leaves as Xavier finds her through his Cerebro machine where Logan tries to convince her to go back to Xavier's as they're attacked by Magneto and his henchman with Scott and Ororo trying to help Logan.

Realizing what Magneto wants all along as well as information from an ill Senator Kelly, Xavier tries to figure out what Magneto is up to only to be poisoned by a trap set up by Mystique. With Jean using Cerebro to find Magneto's henchman, Logan teams up with the X-Men to battle Magneto and his team.

While the film does provide a lot of entertainment in terms of action, humor, and drama, it also carries some flaws. While David Hayter's script, that also featured work from Tom DeSanto and Singer, has problems in weaving out the development of some of the characters while hashing out lines that end up being uninspiring at times. Director Bryan Singer does manage to bring in a film that keeps the audience interested. Despite the flaws in its plot and presentation, Singer does create moments where everything does excite the audiences including the battle between the X-Men and Magneto's Brotherhood where it reveals the reluctance of the X-Men in playing the superhero character. They're not perfect yet they all have cool powers and wanting to do the right thing. While Singer does excel in telling the story, he still couldn't develop some of the characters due to the script's shortcomings. While there's full development from Logan, Magneto, Xavier, Jean Grey, and on a lesser extent, Rogue. The rest though are played as second fiddle where from the standpoint of purists, it's pretty upsetting despite the fact that they have some great moments.

Helping Singer with the visual department is cinematographer Newton Thomas Siegel for bringing some wonderful lighting, especially with the blue look for the film's early scenes in Alaska as well as the some of the battle for the atmosphere of the film's look. Production designer John Myhre and art directors Paul D. Austerberry and Tamara Deverell also do great work in creating the metallic look of the underground part of the school. The costumes by Louise Mingenbach also does great work in creating the costumes including the leather suits for the X-Men team. Visual effects supervisors Michael L. Fink and Theresa Ellis do great work in creating the film's visual effects. Steve Boeddeker also does great work on the sound design while editors Steven Rosenblum, Kevin Stitt, and John Wright do great work in capturing the action and intensity of the film. The film's music also plays to the intensity from the late Michael Kamen with his rich, bombast orchestral score with additional work from Matthew Ferraro and Klaus Badelt.

Finally, there's the film's cast where in many ways, it's just a starting point. While Tyler Mane is pretty cool as Sabretooth and Ray Park is funny as Toad, neither actor really have much to work with in their performances. Even then-newcomer Shawn Ashmore's part as Bobby Drake/Iceman doesn't have much but since it's a minor character, Ashmore got to bring a lot of charm where his role was expanded to greater use in the next feature. Rebecca Romijn brings a lot of interesting qualities and a unique presence to her role as Mystique with her wonderfully, curvy body while proving to be a real menace in an excellent performance. Bruce Davidson is great as Senator Kelly whose conservative, cynical take on mutants takes on a great development when he becomes mutated as he learns about their plight. James Marsden is fine in the role of Scott Summers though the subplot about his relationship with Jean Grey is weak as Marsden acts a bit whiny while his scenes with Hugh Jackman are filled with great tension and humor.

Halle Berry is a fine actress in her own right but whenever she’s not doing cool powers or any kind of fighting, her dramatic approach doesn't seem to work, especially with a very bad African accent. It seems throughout some of those moments, Berry seems uncomfortable in that accent where it really suffers in her performance. Anna Paquin also suffers from working with accent as she employs a Southern accent that doesn't help matters, even in some intense dramatic moments despite some nice chemistry with Hugh Jackman. Though Paquin is a very important character, it's pretty badly written in the way she's emphasized, especially among comic books purists who see Rogue as something much stronger. Famke Janssen is the best female performance of the entire cast as she reveals her own insecurities with the potential of her powers and her reluctance to be a field leader as Janssen has wonderful scenes with Stewart and Jackman.

Ian McKellen gives a great performance in the role of Magneto as a villain whose hatred against humans is understandable while his desire to rid of them is good enough to even kind of root for him. McKellen brings a complexity and superiority to his performance that stands out in every way. Patrick Stewart is also great in another complex, superior role as McKellen's opposite, Professor X. Though Stewart is more understated and optimistic, he brings a calmness and almost mentor-like quality to his role as he becomes the one person who can calm the often aggressive Wolverine. The film's real breakout performance is then-newcomer Hugh Jackman. The Australian actor brings a lot of qualities that makes the Wolverine character cool as hell. Jackman brings a wonderfully brooding yet aggressive approach to the character of Wolverine along with a sensitivity and humor to the role as he has great chemistry with his cast. In many ways, the film really belongs to Hugh Jackman.

X-Men is a very good from Bryan Singer that does create an engaging origin story despite some flaws in the script. While comic books will enjoy seeing these characters come to life including Wolverine. The film also serves as a real breakthrough for then-newcomer Hugh Jackman who makes Wolverine into his own as he's supported by a great supporting cast including Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan. In the end, X-Men is a fun, entertaining film from Bryan Singer and company.

Bryan Singer Films: (The Usual Suspects) - (Apt Pupil) - X2: X-Men United - (Superman Returns) - (Valkyrie)

X-Men Films: X-Men III: The Last Stand - X-Men Origins: Wolverine - X-Men: First Class - The Wolverine - X-Men: Apocalypse - Logan (2017 film) - Deadpool 2 – (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) - (New Mutants)

© thevoid99 2011