Movie Review: Robot & Frank

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Robot & Frank

Directed by Jake Schreier

Starring Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon

Grade: B+

I enjoyed the move “Robot and Frank.” There were many twists and turns in the relationships and the history of the characters. These revelations kept my eyes glued to the screen as I watched to see how the story would unravel. There was ironic comedy and endearing moments. One of the most memorable is the growth of Frank’s relationship with the robot. At first, he detested the robot but at the end he grew to think of it as a friend and a partner in crime.
            Throughout the movie, Frank has a hard time coming to terms with the fact that the robot is just a robot and does not have human characteristics. When you wipe the memory of a robot it is just a hard drive and not a brain; the robot has no feelings about this. However, Frank’s inability to understand is what leads him to go on the run. He is trying to prolong time with the robot that he has come to know and love; he is also trying to figure out a way out a way he can maintain that relationship by not letting it end. His mental condition seems to deteriorate during this process as he tends to forget what’s going on a bit more and whom he is talking to. However, he goes out with a bang and it is interesting to see the garden’s ultimate role in the story. The robot wanted Frank to cultivate the garden as a way to keep his brain active and exercise, but the garden ends up being valuable in an entirely different way.

Movie Review: The Burbs

The Burbs

Directed by Joe Dante

Starring Tom Hanks and Carrie Fisher

C+

            The Burbs is an entertaining albeit cheesy movie. The film is filled with kitsch left over from the 80’s, enough so that the director of the movie (which was made in 1989) decided to get as much corny sound effects, physical humor, and overactive camera work in as possible. An excellent example of this chintzy filmmaking is evidenced in the quick zooms in and out on screaming characters, which was more recently made popular by Wayne’s World (1992). The words chintzy and corny may be a bit harsh by ordinary standards, as they have taken on negative connotations. I actually found the technical effects of the movie to be charming, right down to nice use of depth of field with the dog poo in the forefront and the rest of the neighborhood in the background slightly out of focus.

            While I found The Burbs to be entertaining, I also feel it does not deserve a grade better than a C+ because it does not stand up to higher quality movies with stronger story lines and better scripts. The Burbs successfully did what it set out to do, entertain people with a silly suspenseful drama.

Movie Review: Joe Versus the Volcano

Joe Versus the Volcano

Directed by John Patrick Shanley

Starring Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan

Grade C+

            My friends are compiling a list of movies I should have seen by this point in my life. They represent some serious gaps in my movie-watching experience. Their efforts to catch me up on pop culture of old began when they found out I haven’t seen A Christmas Story, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and many other classic Christmas movies. So now, in an effort to catch me up on pop culture of old, I get monthly movie assignments.

            Joe Versus the Volcano is on Katy’s list of top movies of all time. This movie came out in 1990 and perhaps I would have enjoyed it more at the time, but I found myself suffering from a lack of a willing suspension of disbelief. There are many astonishing scenes in the movie, including the very mysterious Brain Cloud that sends the Tom Hanks character on his life-changing voyage. I was unable to go along on the far-fetched journey and found myself constantly questioning the plot and wondering if there is anyone out there willing to believe the massively fictitious story line. The story was told in such a way that the viewers are expected to believe in things that are not near plausible.

Movie Review: Sleepwalk With Me

Sleepwalk With Me

Directed by Mike Birbiglia

Starring Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose

Grade B+

            Sleepwalk With Me is a charming documentary-style drama chronicling a serious sleep problem brought on by relationship stress. The movie included segments where the director spoke directly to the audience and parts of story comedic story telling. The movie is funnier than what you would imagine from a documentary-style movie, but it is what is expected of a movie directed by a stand-up comedian. The story development is strong and believable as the cast reacts and adapts to situations brought on by the sleep trouble, uncertainty about relationships, and a desire to do more in life. There are emotion-filled moments when you truly feel sad for the characters. The drama is successfully balanced with laugh-out-loud comedy.