"Charlie St. Cloud" Review

The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud is a novel from 2004 written by former news journalist Ben Sherwood. Universal Studios won the film rights in a bidding war with 2 other studios, and this movie was finally made.
Charlie St. Cloud differs in many ways from the book, which is understandable considering some written aspects can't be properly conveyed visually. But it seems like the changes made here were totally unnecessary.

The story involves a young man, Charlie (Zac Efron), who has the ability to see and interact with his younger brother, Sam (Charlie Tahan), who is killed in a car accident early in the film. It is understood that Charlie gained the sixth sense after he himself had to be resuscitated on the ambulance after the accident by a paramedic played by Ray Liotta. The siblings have a pact to play catch everyday at sunset near the cemetery where Sam is buried, which is where Charlie starts working after Sam's death. Later on in the film, Charlie starts a relationship with a beauty named Tess (Amanda Crew), and has to make a tough decision about whether or not to let go of his brother and move on with his life. But there is a "twist" ending.

Sounds cliche, right?
Well that's because it is... VERY cliche.
Less than 10 minutes into the film I wanted to walk out.
I'm going to use Tonedog's review style for this one. My likes and dislikes, coming up...


What I liked about the movie:

The Acting
Now I'm not saying that the acting was extraordinary, I'm just saying I liked it. It worked well for this type of film. This is only the second Zac Efron film I've seen, (the first is the hilarious 17 Again, which I really recommend), and he did a really good job. The boy isn't just all good looks. He can act, too.
The young Charlie Tahan did a great job, too. I was really surprised at how well the little kid could act and really made me feel for him as the younger brother with a tight relationship with Charlie.

The Visuals
This movie looks really good. It helps that it was filmed in very beautiful locations around beaches. The filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia in place of Washington state, where the story is set.
It also helps that the actors are gorgeous. Amanda Crew is growing up to be a Hollywood beauty, not to mention that Zac Efron is such a hottie himself, haha.

What I Didn't Like:

The Story
The story is such a boring one, and is told in such a boring way, too. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't expecting an action movie or anything, but it just didn't reach out to me at all. I liked most of the acting, but it wasn't nearly enough to keep me interested. The film is filled with all kinds of stupid cheesy cliches, and it really hurts it.
There were also a few plot holes here and there that are either ignored, or given a half-assed explanation. What really got on my nerves was the "twist" ending they try to spring on the audience. It doesn't work. And I don't mean that they didn't do a good job at it, I mean that it doesn't even make any sense. It doesn't follow the rules that the movie has applied to itself, and it falls flat on its face.

The Score
The music in this film must have been either really bad, or really cheesy, because I don't remember any of it.

Wasted Talent
I really don't see the point of casting Ray Liotta or Kim Basinger in a film if you're not even going to put them in it for more than 5 minutes. I was really excited to see Liotta for the first time on screen, as I didn't know he was in this. Then he basically disappears for the entire thing except for just one more short scene. Ridiculous.

Overall, this movie was not very good. I don't recommend it, unless you want to see a lot of close-ups on Efron's face, plus a few scenes when he's soaked wet in a white tee or with his shirt off completely. It's super cliche and has a predictable ending, even though it doesn't make much sense.

Did you watch this movie? What are your thoughts? Remember, it's okay to Agree to Disagree...

You know what's a good movie? (Part 4)

Let's recap.

Part 1: Forrest Gump

Connection: Tom Hanks

Part 2: Toy Story

Connection: Pixar

Part 3: The Incredibles

Connection: Superhero Films

Part 4: Batman (1989)

So FattMatt and I need to apologize for not keeping this thing alive, but today we deliver. Batman, 1989... 'nuff said! I spent most of the past few hours "researching" this film. And by research I mean watching hours and hours of special features footage about the film. There's a lot to talk about, so let's jump right in.

Before this movie, there was no place for superhero movies the way there is now. Technology was not what it is today, and there was no way to produce these movies in way that would satisfy fans. Before Batman, there was the Richard Donner film, Superman: The Movie. That film proved you could make a good MOVIE that was about a superhero; it wasn't necessarily a good SUPERHERO movie. Batman carried on that tradition.

Also in 1989, the film's director was a relative unknown... Tim Burton. He had some success with Beetle Juice, but it is important to note that Beetle Juice LATER become the cult classic it is now. To add more doubt to the minds of everyone involved was the budget, at the time, it was the most expensive film in the history of the industry. In 1988, while the film was being made, Tim Burton was only 30 years old! Holy mother of wow!

The most controversial move of all was the casting of Michael Keaton to play the Caped Crusader; a move FattMatt and I LOVE! See, no matter who was cast, fans were going to be disappointed. This was a new take on Batman, never before seen on film. A dark Batman required a dramatic actor, not so much an action hero.

And for every Superhero film, you need a super villain; how about one of the best villains in comic book history... The Joker. The Joker was an obvious move on the part of the filmmakers. The trick of course was to cast someone GOOD enough to carry the roll. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Jack Nicholson. Joker Jack; does it get any better than that? This version of the Joker was true to the source material, far different than the one depicted in the 1960's Adam West Batman TV Series. Nicholson played him with a charisma that made you love the bad guy, even though you didn't want to. Kudos to Mr. Nicholson, and I am a firm believer that NO ONE else could have pulled off Tim Burton's Joker better than Jack Nicholson.

Burton enlisted the help of Danny Elfman for the score.

Batman Theme Song sound bite Batman sound bites

Elfman's theme for Batman was so good, so popular, that the studio gave the score it's own soundtrack, apart from the soundtrack with songs by Prince inspired by the film. The movie went on to gross over 400 million dollars worldwide! The movie and soundtrack were huge successes. It made Tim Burton the must-have director of his generation; it paved the way for Batman: The Animated Series; it lead to three live-action sequels; it opened the flood gates of comic book movies that we all know and love today.
The movie won an Oscar for Design and Nicholson was nominated for a Golden Globe for best Supporting Actor. A pretty good day at the office, Mr. Burton, a pretty good day.