Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium: Blu-ray Review

The Movie Itself is written by — and serves as the directorial debut for — Zach Helm. Prior to dreaming up “Magorium“, Helm penned the script for “Stranger Than Fiction“, a film that also deals with the magical. It’s very clear that Helm is drawn to, or intrigued by the surreal, or even magical-realistic elements in film, taking into account his prior works.

“Magorium” details the final chapter in the life of “Mr. Edward Magorium“, an avid shoe wearer and toy store owner. From the onset of the film, Helm primes us for the ultimate departure of the titular character, an arch that was aptly cut from the films theatrical trailer — that instead focuses on the “feel-good” moments of the film. “Mr. Magorium” knows that his time here on earth is limited, and that he has even less time before his “departure” to groom his heir, “Molly Mahoney” (Natalie Portman) and get his estate in order, with help from a by-the-books accountant (Jason Bateman). The problem that “Mr. Magorium” hadn’t forseen is that “Molly” isn’t terribly keen on inheriting the Wonder Emporium, instead favoring her life-long dream of becoming a composer. All the while, the store itself begins to rebel and fight back — it is magical after all — in protest of “Mr. Magorium’s” ultimate departure.

Amidst the magical hijinks and chaos, “Mr. Magorium” seeks to teach “Molly” that perhaps the greatest magic of all is within us, and that we need only believe in ourselves in order to fully realize our potential, as well as our dreams.

Regrettably, “Magorium” isn’t nearly as cheery as it was advertised, nor as insightful or meaningful as Helm’s previous endeavor, “Stranger Than Fiction.” “Magorium” also differs greatly from “Stranger Than Fiction“, both in resonance and in quality. Each film wrestles with the acceptance of death, and benevolence but where “Magorium” differs is the film’s target audience — children. Billed as a Thanksgiving holiday film, “Magorium” should have been a shoe in for the family audiences — instead grossing $32.1 million domestically — but critics disliked it and most families opted to see “happier films” after catching word of the “sad” ending.

To be fair, “Magorium” makes an earnest attempt at being a heartfelt piece of cinema, and in many ways it succeeds. The main problem is that a lot of the potential emotional gravity is lost due to the whimsical nature of the film. However, I believe that this is Helm’s intention, or perhaps his message to the audience — that we should be able to accept and make light of our death. It’s impossible to know whether or not this was Helm’s true message, but given the parallels between this and his previous script, it doesn’t seem far off to me.

Ultimately, I think it’s sad that more people haven’t seen this movie, and that even fewer had any emotional connection to the story, or the characters. It’s not a master-work by any means, and despite Stranger Than Fiction being the better of the two, I still find something rather redeeming in this film. I realize that I might belong to a distinct minority, but I’m fine with that, and I wish that more people would have given this movie a chance.

A Bridge Too Far: Blu-ray Review

The Movie Itself is directed by Academy Award winning director, Richard Attenborough (of Ghandi-directing fame). The film’s cast is filled to the brim with A-list actors, including Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Gene Hackman, James Caan, and Anthony Hopkins.

The film’s screenplay is adapted from the book by Cornelius Ryan, and it shares the same name. Given the film’s literary roots, and the old stature of the film, it doesn’t play at all like the war films that we’ve all come accustomed to. Instead, it ambles along — sometimes all-too-leisurely — whilst bombs, bullets and bodies fly through the air. I’d like to say that this works to the film’s advantage — providing us a rare glimpse at something new — but more often than not, it tends to hurt the progression of the film’s narrative, and it does little to engage the audience. As a result, by the time the film’s bloated 176 minute running time expires, the viewer will lack any sort of compassion, whatsoever, for anyone on screen that the film will seem — in retrospect — as meaningless as the botched offensive, Operation Market Garden.

I myself, am a huge fan of “epic” films. In fact, I typically relish the excitement of discovering a film with a running time far beyond the 90-120 minute norm. When done right, films with an above average running time can soar far beyond the likes of their shorter-running brethren. Given a longer span of time, and more room to breathe, most films flourish. Far more story-lines can be introduced/explored and characters fleshed out, among other things (ex: The Departed, Heat, The Godfather, Titanic).

On the flip-side, when done wrong, the results can be catastrophic. Thankfully though, A Bridge Too Far, is no train wreck, and despite its lofty ambitions and bloated running time, there are a number of redeeming scenes, shots and performances that salvage this film. Ultimately though, the film strikes me as being overly dull, and I believe that this stems mostly from the film’s production value, age and source material — though I can’t be entirely sure having never read the book from which the movie spawned.

In the end, with such superb talent at Attenborough’s disposal, it is a pity that the resultant film flounders and bores more than it entertains or excites. Therefore, what could have been a fantastic and exhilarating movie, ends up earning nothing more than a slightly below average rating of 2 1/2 stars.

Galapagos : Blu-ray Review

The Series Itself is another beautifully-shot nature-doc from BBC and 2 Entertain — the folks who brought us the groundbreaking and awe-inspiring Planet Earth series. Where Planet Earth is far more epic in its scale/purpose, Galapagos instead focuses intently on the titular islands. Within the opening seconds alone, it’s easy to see why these islands are deserving of their very own series. From the perpetual creation and ultimate destruction of the islands, to the unique forms of life that inhabit the land, Galapagos is a land all its own, and it is nothing short of incredible.

This three-part series does a fantastic job capturing the flora and fauna of the various islands, in addition to educating the viewer with respect to the island’s history. Perhaps of greatest interest is the second episode that chronicles the discoveries of the young Charles Darwin through his explorations of the alien-like territory — ultimately leading him to write his masterwork, “The Origin of Species.”

Galapagos reaches spectacular visual highs and does a very good job of keeping the viewer enthralled throughout the three-part series. If you’re a fan of Planet Earth, this should definitely make its way into your Blu-ray collection, or at the very least, your Netflix queue.