Take 4: More Surreal Estate

Several months back, I reviewed four movies that revolved around domiciles you probably would just rather not live in, near or around. In a similar vein, here are four films that may make you questions where home is indeed where the heart is.

Recommended Reading: Take 4 - Surreal Estate

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Monster House (2006)

The Premise: A group of kids discover that the spooky house across the street may be a bit more than merely creepy. When the house itself comes alive on Halloween and begins eating anything that crosses its lawn, our young heroes realize that they must find a way to stop it...before that night's gaggle of trick-or-treaters turns into an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Initial Expectations: I hadn't seen a feature-length CGI film in quite some time, and have several in my Netflix queue. When this review came up and I was looking for a fourth film to round out the set, I was happy to be able to move this to the top of the list. I expected it to be pretty entertaining.

Type of Conflict: Kids vs. House

Familiar Faces: Er...voices. Like most of these mainstream computer-animated films, you have some well-known voice talent taking part. Monster House includes the vocal talents of such actors as Steve Buscemi, Kevin James, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Lee, Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard, Kathleen Turner and Jon Heder.

And I Quote: Jenny: "Are you guys like mentally challenged? Because if you are, I'm certified to teach you softball."; Zee: "Whatever issue you guys have, I'm sure it has letters and they make pills for it."; Chowder: "My dad is at the pharmacy and my mom is at the movies with her personal trainer."

Random Trivia: The film used 3D motion capture techniques to digitally record the physical performances of the actors before "skinning" them with their animated forms.

Curt's Take: Worth Considering - I really enjoyed this, but no more so than any of the other handful of CGI films I've seen over the years. Not your typical Disney animated film, it has your typical mix of child-focused humor, as well as some stuff that only the adults in the group will get. There weren't any earth-shaking messages imparted, although you do feel the frustration of DJ, Chowder and Jenny, the three young protagonists who have to take matters into their own hands, when they aren't able to get any of the adults in their life to believe them. And, I have to admit, Monster House is the only animated film that has ever made me jump in my seat. In the end, it's very entertaining, so I'd definitely recommend it if you're in the mood for an animated film, but it's not going to change your life in any way.

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Duplex (2003)

The Premise: Alex and Nancy want to make the transition from being apartment renters to being homeowners, so find a nice duplex in Brooklyn. Only problem is that, with the house, comes an elderly woman who rents a suite of rooms upstairs and, contractually, can't be evicted. Things go well enough at first...but the upstairs neighbor proves to be much more than they bargained for.

Initial Expectations: I liked both the main stars of this (see below), so was expecting a decent comedy...in spite of the fact that I remember not being that impressed with the previews. Looking back, I'm not sure how this ended up in my rental queue...if I'd wanted to see it, or if I stumbled upon it as a good way to round out this set of reviews.

Type of Conflict: Landlords vs. Tenant

Familiar Faces: Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore play Alex and Nancy, the young couple that must find a way to deal with their elderly nuisance upstairs. In smaller roles, you also have Justin Theroux (a familiar face on my "Stars to Look Out For" list), Swoosie Kurtz, Maya Rudolph (of Saturday Night Live fame), Harvey Fierstein, and Wallace "Inconceivable!" Shawn (of The Princess Bride). Danny DeVito, who directed this film, also is the voice of the narrator at the beginning and end of the movie.

And I Quote: Mrs. Connelly: "Tell me about yourselves. What do you do Alan?" Alex: "Uh, it's Alex." Nancy: "Alex is a writer." Mrs. Connelly: "Oh, a writer. I always thought of that as more of a hobby than a real job. I suppose I'm forgetting about Joyce." Alex: "Joyce. James Joyce. Of course. Wonderful writer." Mrs. Connelly: "He died drunk and penniless."

Random Trivia: Mrs. Connelly's parrot, Little Dick, is shown several times flying around her apartment. However, in close-up shots of the bird, its wings are clipped.

Curt's Take: Not a Priority - A little like Home Alone, but with grown-ups instead of Macaulay Culkin, and with an elderly Irish Catholic woman instead of burglars. It relied a little too much on visual gags and slapstick comedy for me, as opposed to clever dialogue (in contrast to Meet the Parents, which I think has a good balance of the two). It really reminded of me of the sort of movie you'd sit back and enjoy on a cross-country flight, but might not necessarily get a kick out of at home. If there's nothing else on, maybe watch this...but it's nice outside, so go get some fresh air.

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Cold Creek Manor (2003)

The Premise: After deciding that life in New York City was not the best for their family, Cooper and Leah Tilson move out to the country into an old manor house. As they settle in, the former owner, Dale Massie, returns from prison...and while the Tilson's are the legal owners of Cold Creek Manor, Massie has a tough time stomaching that. A real tough time.

Initial Expectations: I remember the previews making this look like a decent thriller, so I was expecting some edge-of-your-couch moments.

Type of Conflict: Current Owner vs. Former Owner

Familiar Faces: Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone play the Tilson's, while Stephen Dorff plays Massie. Other nice surprises: Juliette Lewis as Ruby, Massie's girlfriend, and Christopher Plummer as Massie's dad. Finally, a young actress by the name of Kristen Stewart plays the Tilson's daughter. It's ironic because I had just recently seen her on the big screen as the daughter in The Messengers, and before I recognized her from that, I had been thinking to myself that this film had many similarities to that one: family moves from the city to a rundown home in the country, family hires local person with connections to the old house to help refurbish it, etc.

And I Quote: Dale: "I got a question for you...do you think I'm nuts? Quick. Yes or no." Leah: "No." Dale: "Wrong."

Random Trivia: Christopher Plummer only spent two days on the set. He was shooting one day each with Dennis Quaid and Stephen Dorff.

Curt's Take: Worth Considering - This was pretty good as far as psychological thrillers go. Dorff and Quaid aren't the best actors here, but the pacing and conflict still make this film pretty nerve-wracking at points. There's one scene, for example, during which I actually had to pause the DVD and get up and walk around a bit because I was a little freaked out. So, if thrillers are your thing, you may want to check this out. And if you really, really can't stand snakes...you may want to avoid this.

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Madhouse (2004)

The Premise: Clark Stevens, a young psychiatry student, starts an internship at Cunningham Mental Health Facility, with the hopes of improving conditions for the patients. Shortly after his arrival, however, both staff and patients start meeting rather grisly demises, while Clark begins to question whether the patients' reports of the asylum being haunted are more than figments of their imaginations.

Initial Expectations: Didn't really have any, but I alway enjoy a good horror film. Just wasn't sure if this would turn out to be a good one.

Type of Conflict: Staff vs. Inmates vs. ???

Familiar Faces: At first I thought that only Lance Henriksen (who plays the head of the facility, Dr. Franks) would be the only person I recognized (he's done a lot of horror/thrillers over the years), but then while playing around online, I discovered that Josh Leonard, who plays Clark, was the same Josh who was one of the three missing film students from The Blair Witch Project. Weird.

And I Quote: Cuckoo Clock: "Cuckoo. Cuckoo. Cuckoo. Cuckoo." (Just thought this was a great bit of humor in a mental hospital, whether intentional or not)

Random Trivia: The address for Cunningham Mental Health Facility is listed on various pieces of mail in the movie as "Kirkside" or "Kirkside, MI." The ZIP code listed is 34076. When looked up online, however, that ZIP code is listed as being reserved for a military installation.

Curt's Take: Not a Priority - The film definitely gets points for creepiness, but loses a lot for predictability. Plus, Josh Leonard's haircut bugged the hell out of me. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it was really off-putting. Like, a really bad wig. It wasn't completely terrible, though...so I think it's still a fair candidate as a last-ditch option for a horror movie if you need one. The tone and style reminded me a lot of the remake of Thirteen Ghosts, which was a much better film in comparison, so I'd recommend seeing that one instead.

Take 4: A Flurry of Murray

This whole review started, I think, with Caddyshack being placed in my rental list. I figured what better opportunity to catch several other Bill Murray films than to do a review focused on his movies. Now, I don't claim that these are his best ones...I just set out to review one's that I hadn't seen before. Otherwise, you can be sure that Groundhog's Day and Ghostbusters would have been present. Enjoy!

Related Reading - Take 4: Cusack Quartet

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Caddyshack (1980)

In a Nutshell: Welcome to the exclusive Bushwood Country Club, where young caddy Danny Noonan is trying to convince club member Judge Smails to award him a prestigious scholarship, thus ensuring he can enter college. One problem...Smails is a pretentious ass. Luckily, Danny also meets Ty Webb, a Zen Buddhist golfer, and Al Czervik, a real estate developer who is a couple sandwiches short of a picnic...two golfers who may help point Danny to an alternate solution to his problems.

Starring Bill Muray As...: Karl Spackler, assistant groundskeeper at Bushwood. He's been tasked with destroying the rogue gopher that is tearing up the greens and landscaping of the golf course. And he's got plenty of heavy explosives to do so. The perks of being a war veteran.

Other Familiar Faces: We've got three other big names in this one: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight. Plus, it was directed by Harold Ramis. Some pretty major powerhouses here.

Random Trivia: The scene that begins when Ty Webb's golf ball crashes into Carl Spackler's ramshackle house was not in the original script. It was added by Harold Ramis after realizing his two biggest stars, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, did not have a scene together. The three met for lunch and wrote the scene together. Although the scene has nothing to do with the plot, it is widely regarded as the funniest in the movie. This is the only time that Chase and Murray have appeared in a movie together.

And I Quote...: Karl: "So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama - long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-galunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

Curt's Take: Must See - I have to be honest here...I didn't find it THAT funny. It's pretty dated, and it didn't really stand the test of time (in my opinion) like other older movies have. That having been said, I think that comedies, more than any other genre, rely on currency and topicality for success...and they have an uphill battle still being relevant decades down the road. So...it gets a bit of a break on that one. Another point in its favor...it's really a classic. Everyone who is a fan of comedies consistently expresses surprise that I've never seen this...and rank it right up there with Stripes and Animal House as part of the "Triumverate of Classic Comedies." Finally, it's got a great cast...and while the story of Caddyshack was created to focus on the lives of the caddies of Bushwood, the originally peripheral characters of the golfers ended up taking center stage when Chase, Dangerfield and Knight got cast. In short...if you haven't seen it, you should...at the very least to check it off your pop culture "to do" list.

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Lost in Translation (2003)

In a Nutshell: Bob Harris, a fading movie star, is visiting Tokyo for a week to shoot a series of local commericals. Newlywed Charlotte is visiting Tokyo with her husband, a photographer, who is out of town for a week on an extended assignment. Neither Bob nor Charlotte are really enjoying themslves...and want nothing more than to leave Tokyo. One night their paths cross, and with the help of the city, they slowly begin to discover and learn more about themselves and each other.

Starring Bill Murray As...: The aforementioned Bob Harris. He's a semi-retired movie star that hasn't really had any big hits in a while, but is taking $2 million to come to Japan and appear in a series of whiskey advertisements. He doesn't really speak any Japanese, and is slowly becoming more disconnected from his wife and kids back in the States. Likeable guy, but a little sad.

Other Familiar Faces: While there are small parts filled in by Giovanni Ribisi and Anna Faris, the big star (other than Murray) is Scarlett Johansson, who plays Charlotte. She's feeling a bit neglected in her marriage and can't bear the thought of being in Tokyo much longer...until she crosses path with Murray.

Random Trivia: Sofia Coppola wrote the lead role specifically for Bill Murray, and later said that if Murray turned it down, she wouldn't have done the movie. She also wasn't sure if Murray was actually going to show up for the film, going by only, according to Coppola, a verbal confirmation. It was on the first day of filming that he showed up.

And I Quote...: Bob: "I was feeling tight in the shoulders and neck, so I called down and had a Shiatsu massage in my room..." Charlotte: "Mmh, that's nice!" Bob: "And the tightness has completely disappeared and been replaced by unbelievable pain."

Curt's Take: Must See - To say there are two main characters (Bob and Charlotte) is a bit off, I think. The city of Tokyo is pretty much a character in itself, providing a necessary backdrop to the story. What you have here are two Americans discovering a new culture together and reflecting on their own situations, and I don't think the film could have taken place anywhere else. Tokyo, at the same time both foreign and familiar, gets Bob and Charlotte to look at recognizable things in a new light...including their own lives. So while there isn't much of a plot here, it's a very engaging and heart-warming story of exploration and personal connection. Definitely check this out. And take a look at the behind-the-scenes feature included on the DVD...it contains about half an hour of footage during the creation of the film, including the kick-off party, on location at shoots, wardrobe, etc. Very interesting.

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The Lost City (2005)

In a Nutshell: The Fellove family of Havana, Cuba is living under President Batista's regime in the late 1950's, but as civil unrest grows, different factions in the city plot the ruler's overthrow. The film documents how these chaotic times disrupt the lives of the Fellove's, focusing on the story of one of the sons, Fico, who owns and manages a nightclub in Havana.

Starring Bill Murray As...: "The Writer." He isn't identified by a name in the film, but he plays an American friend of Fico's, who swings by every now and then to help him write or cast various acts for the nightclub. Kind of a smart-ass, but a good friend. And he's not nearly as central a character here as he is in the other films of Murray's that I've reviewed here.

Other Familiar Faces: With Bill Murray in more of a supporting role, most of the action revolves around Andy Garcia. Not only does he play the lead role in the film, but he also directed and produced it. There are also brief appearances by Dustin Hoffman and Elizabeth Pena, but for the most part, I hadn't heard of any of the rest of the cast.

Random Trivia: Andy Garcia had spent a lot of time and effort on this film, spending sixteen years trying to get it made. His first draft of the script was 306 pages, but it later got trimmed down to 120. In the end, it took 35 days to shoot.

And I Quote...: The Writer: "I have a solution." [Places a Statue of Liberty figurine on the table] "This pretty lady's torch is Aladdin's Lamp...Aladdin's Lamp. And it will grant any wish in your life."

Curt's Take: Worth Considering - I'm normally not a huge fan of dramas, especially ones that are sent against historical/political backdrops, but I was sucked into this film. I'm not that familiar with Cuban history and culture, but once I got a handle on who the characters were, their relationships, and their motivations...the film became very compelling. From the fall of Batista, to the rise of Castro...you got to see how all this turmoil impacted one particular family in Havana. You can tell that the actors, especially Garcia, had a huge passion for the story being told, and that made the movie that much easier to enjoy. That having been said, it isn't a topic that will interest everyone, and the movie is pretty long (over two hours)...so it's definitely not for everyone.

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The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

In a Nutshell: Oceanographer and filmmaker Steve Zissou searches the open seas for a rare species of shark that killed one of his close friends during an aquatic expedition. He and his misfit boatload of crew members and unpaid interns face everything from funding trouble to pirates as they scour the ocean for their quarry.

Starring Bill Murray As...: Steve Zissou. Not sure how to describe him...not the brightest bulb on the tree, but fiercely loyal to his crew. Kind of a poor man's Jacques Cousteau.

Other Familiar Faces: Some other pretty big names in here, including Owen Wilson (potentially, his long-lost son), Anjelica Huston (his wife), Cate Blanchett (a pregnant British newspaper reporter, Willem Dafoe (a German crewman on Zissou's boat), and Jeff Goldblum (a wealthy competitor).

Random Trivia: The film is actually dedicated to Jacques Cousteau, and there are many homages to him within the film. For example, Zissou's ship "The Belafonte," is a sly reference to Cousteau's ship, "The Calypso, for singer Harry Belafonte was renowned for singing Calypso music.

And I Quote...: Steve Zissou: "Don't put that gun at him. He's an unpaid intern."

Curt's Take: Don't Bother - I had heard bad things coming into this...but I also like offbeat films, like The Royal Tenenbaums, which Wes Anderson (the director) also worked on. So, as I sat through the first five minutes or so, I was really enjoying this. It had a comedic documentary feel, like Spinal Tap or Incident at Loch Ness (one of my favorite films that I reviewed back in 2005). However, that mockumentary approach was quickly dropped in exchange for what was pretty much an awkwardly shot film...a mistake in my mind. It would have worked much better if it had been shot in a consistent style (in my opinion, shot entirely as a documentary). Also, I just didn't find it that funny. I chuckled at a couple parts, but overall, I just wasn't a fan of the writing. I really had wanted to enjoy it and be laughing a lot more than I was when the movie ended. In short, you can probably skip this one.