Haywire

Films about covert operative situations have certainly been made aplenty now and in the past, but how many of those films have had a woman that beats the crap out of these grown men? Let's see. I'd say none until "Haywire" came along.

Beautiful freelance covert operative Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) is hired out by her handler, Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) to many global entities to perform jobs which governments can't authorize or heads of state wouldn't want to know about. After a mission to rescue a hostage in Barcelona, Mallory is quickly assigned on another mission in Dublin. When the mission goes terribly wrong and Mallory realizes she's been double crossed, she needs to use all her skills and abilities including fighting to escape an international manhunt headed up by Kenneth and Rodrigo (Antonio Banderas). She then has to make it back to the U.S., protect her dad (Bill Paxton), and exact revenge on those that betrayed her.

The film starts with Aaron (Channing Tatum), a co-worker of Mallory's arriving at a coffee shop in upstate New York to bring Mallory in. A confrontation and argument ensues and a bystander, Scott (Michael Angarano) steps in to help Mallory and she grabs Michael as a hostage and gets into his car so as to get away from Aaron. Mallory then precedes to tell Michael what's happened to her and the story is then told as a flashback.

The film was slickly directed by Steven Soderbergh ("Out of Sight" '98, "Erin Brockovich" 2000, "Traffic" 2000, "Ocean's Eleven" '01, "Solaris" '02, "Ocean's Twelve" '04, "The Good German" '06, "Ocean's Thirteen" '07, "Che Part 1 & 2" '08, "The Informant!" '09, "Contagion" '11). This guy knows how to put a different kind of twist or quirkiness to his films so they are not only well made, but also entertaining. It was written by Lem Dobbs and even though the plot wasn't overly original, it was the directing that really pulled it off for this movie.

Others to round out the cast are Michael Douglas as Coblenz, Michael Fassbender as Paul, and Mathieu Kassovitz as Studer.

With this slick directing and amazingly eclectic cast, it will keep you riveted for the hour and a half running time you'll spend, and even keep you talking afterwards.

Out of 4 stars: 3                       Rated: R                           93min.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Films based around a crisis or human tragedy usually get bogged down with becoming maudlin or strive to manipulate an audience's emotions. However, with "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close", it was sad, but didn't drag you through that emotional keyhole it could've done with ease.

A nine year-old amateur inventor, Francophile, and pacifist, Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) searches New York City with a mysterious deaf older gentleman simply named the Renter (Max von Sydow) for the lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father, Thomas (Tom Hanks), who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

What's interesting is that the envelope in which the key was in had the name Black on it. So, Thomas, being a very logical thinker, which his father instilled in him, looked up all the Black names in the phone book and started researching. He eventually has an interesting encounter with an Abby Black (Viola Davis) and her husband, William (Jeffrey Wright) that could be a key element to this key in the envelope.

Others to round out the cast are Sandra Bullock as Linda Schell, Thomas' distraught, grieving wife whose trying to cope with Oskar's inability to let his father go, John Goodman as Stan the Doorman, and Zoe Caldwell as Oskar's grandmother.

This was directed with delicate, but at times, intense approaches by Stephen Daldry ("Billy Elliot" '2000, "The Hours" '02, "The Reader" '08) who knew that this script would call for these approaches. And he delivered. One moment it was incredibly intense, then the scene could be somewhat humorous, and he walked this 'tightrope' well. It was equally written by veteran Eric Roth ("Suspect" '87, "Memories of Me" '88, "Forrest Gump" '94, "The Postman" '97, "The Horse Whisperer" '98, "The Insider" '99, "Ali" '01, "Munich" '05, "The Good Shepherd" '06, "Lucky You" '07, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" '08).

Both Bullock and Horn were able to showcase their intense distraught over the tragic death their husband and father in such different ways that one could really observe how death can affect people in such different ways. But who really shined in this was Sydow. How he could emit such emotion without speaking a word, in my opinion, spoke volumes and a much worthy Oscar nomination.

If you're a person who likes a story with a definite beginning, middle and end, with a nice bow to wrap up the end of the film and everyone lives happily ever after, you probably won't be keen on the film, but if you like good acting, directing, writing with a somewhat bittersweet ending, this one will keep you talking about it well after the end credits roll..

Out of 4 stars: 4                      Rated: PG-13                      129min.

The Artist

Movies about movies, whether based in fact or fiction, can be a very interesting premise for a film. As in the case of "The Artist", the story of the rise and fall and rise again of movie stars, in this case wasn't what I would necessarily call original, but the process in which the film was done is what made this so cleverly made.

It's Hollywoodland, or as it's called today, Hollywood, 1927. As silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is at the top of his game, he soon wonders and worries if the arrival of talking pictures (talkies) will cause him to fade into oblivion.

He meets a young dancer, Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) at an audition and helps her get into the biz by talking his producer, Al Zimmer (John Goodman) into giving her a break. She really likes and has great respect for George, even though she knows he's married to an actress, Doris (Penelope Ann Miller). So the relationship stayed platonic, even though George's and Doris' marriage soon ends up on the rocks.

As Peppy accepts this new process of talking pictures, George only sees it as a fad which fuels his spiraling status while Peppy's status only rises. What will happen to George on many different levels?

This film was about 99% silent and that being the case, the director Michel Hazanavicius ("Mes amis" '99, "OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies" '06, OSS 117: Lost in Rio" '09) had to know how to get these actors to show raw emotion so the audience knew exactly what was going on. There was dialogue on the screen, as with any silent film, but it was these actors' ability to be as expressive as it took to relay a message they were putting across. This is also good acting, especially by Dujardin and Bejo. This was also written (scenario and dialogue) by Hazanavicius. There could've been a bit more dialogue shown on the screen, not that one couldn't figure out what was happening.

Others to round out the cast are James Cromwell as Clifton, Missi Pyle as Constance, Beth Grant as Peppy's maid, Ed Lauter and Malcolm Mcdowell as Butlers, Ken Davitian as Pawn Broker, Joel Murray as Policeman Fire, Basil Hoffman as Auctioneer, and Uggie as the dog, who steals the show in many scenes.

The original music by Ludovic Bource was brilliant! It definitely fit the exact feel of the film, and was an integral part of the film, since it was silent. Kudos! And the great black & white photography shot by Guillaume Schiffman, afc had an up to date quality to it, however still had a subtle old time look about it at the same time.

This was a truly entertaining film. Anyone who is a film buff will revel with this type of film. I'll tell you, if an alien came to this planet and saw this, they would think that it's an old film; it is just that realistic to the era. 

Out of 4 stars: 3.5                     Rated: PG-13                        100min.

Red Tails

There have been many films based on World War II experiences in our past. "Patton", "Saving Private Ryan", "Windtalker", "Flags of Our Fathers", "Letters From Iwo Jima", "Pearl Harbor", "Tora! Tora! Tora", "A Bridge Too Far", "The Bridge Over the River Kwai" to mention just a handful. Now we can add yet another film to that arena in the form of "Red Tails".

A crew of African American pilots consisting of 'Easy' (Nate Parker), 'Lightning' (David Oyelowo), 'Deke' (Marcus T. Paulk), 'Junior' (Tristan Wilds), 'Joker' (Elijah Kelley), 'Winky'  (Leslie Odom Jr.) and 'Neon' (Kevin Phillips),in the Tuskegee training program, having faced segregation while kept mostly on the ground during WWII, are called into duty under the guidance of Col. A.J. Ballard (Terrence Howard) and Maj. Emanuelle Stance (Cuba Gooding Jr.). This didn't happen overnight, because if it wasn't for Bullard and Col. Jack Tomilson (Lee Terensen) and some kind of fancy flying by the pilots that received good press, Col. William Mortanus (Bryan Cranston) would've kept them on the ground permanently.

Others to round out the cast are Cliff 'Method Man' Smith as Sticks, Daniela Ruah as Sofia, Lightning's girlfriend, Andre Royo as 'Coffee', the head mechanic, Gerald McRaney as Maj. Gen. Luntz, and Paul Fox as Miller.

This was directed with delineation and great pacing by Anthony Hemingway, whose only other credits to his resume is a lot of TV. This guy is definitely going places if this is his first feature film. It was written by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder based on a story by Ridley which is based on John B. Holway's book. The script jumped around a bit, but it was still a riveting story.

If the historical factors of this film don't get your attention, the visual effects by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) will. This was a Lucasfilm Production, so it was an obvious choice to use ILM since Lucas owns it. The flying sequences especially where some of the planes are hit are absolutely seamless. You'd swear these fights were happening right before your very eyes.

I'd heard about these Tuskegee fighter pilots before, but this film really gives one a heads up of what they experienced and endured in and out of the fighting skies.

Out of 4 stars: 3                   Rated: PG-13                       125min.

Contraband

By and large, action type films have certainly been run in the ground, a rather yawning experience when you've seen so many, however in the case of "Contraband" the genre, all of a sudden, wakes up.

This is an action-thriller about a man, Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) trying to stay out of a world he diligently was bent on leaving behind and the family, wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale) and kids, he'll do anything to protect.

Set in New Orleans, the film explores the cutthroat underbelly world of international smuggling, with desperate criminals, corrupt officials, high-stakes and big payoffs where loyalty hardly ever exists and the possibility of death is just one wrong turn away.

Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), Chris is then forced back into doing what he does best-- running contraband to settle Andy's debt. Chris, a legendary smuggler, quickly assembles a crew with the assistance of his best friend, Sebastian (Ben Foster), to head for Panama and return with counterfeit bills. Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash will Chris' plan work or fall apart like everything else that's been happening?

This was effectively directed by Baltasar Kormakur ("101 Reykjavik" 2000, "The Sea" '02, "A Little Trip to heaven" '05, "Jar City" '06, "Inhale" '10). Wahlberg, being one of the producers of this, obviously had a good deal of input in this project, but Kormakur still paced his actors with incredible delineation. This was written by Aaron Guzikowski based on the film "Reykjavik - Rotterdam" by Arnaldur Indrioason and Oskar Jonasson. There were a few inconsistencies in the script, but certainly not enough to take away from the intriguing plot twists premise. One thing that intrigued me was that these guys, whether good guy or bad, had families that each were trying to protect, indicating that they're also people who have lives that just happen to get involved in very intense, dangerous situations.

Others to round out the cast are Lukas Haas as Danny, Diego Luna as Gonzalo, J.K. Simmons as Capt. Camp, William Lucking as Bud Farraday, Chris' dad, David O'Hara as Jim, and Robert Wahlberg as John Bryce.

Wahlberg simply gets better and better with each project he's involved in, and one can tell his heart is definitely into the film he's working on whether it be acting or producing. The supporting cast also holds their own, such as Ribisi as the villain, and J.K. Simmons as this prick of a captain of the cargo ship.

I'm telling you, the trailer does not sell this movie. It is far better than that. I only went to see it because Wahlberg was in it and he is a solid actor. But after viewing it, it was definitely a very strong solid film. This one will keep you talking even after you leave the multiplex.

Out of 4 stars: 3.5                      Rated: R                        110 min.

Beauty and the Beast (in 3D)

One thing one can expect from an animated feature is pure entertainment with an element of action, adventure, excitement, song and dance. I must say, this 3D special event presentation of "Beauty and the Beast" delivers these elements in spades.

Belle (Paige O'Hara) is a girl who is dissatisfied with life in a small French provincial village, while trying to fend off the misplaced "affections" of the narcissistic, conceited Gaston (Richard White), with incompetent help from flunky, Lefou (Jesse Corti). The Beast (Robby Benson) is a prince who was placed under a spell because of his inability to love. But along with his receiving the spell, his entire staff consisting of Luminere (Jerry Orbach), Cogsworth (David Ogden Stiers), Mrs. Potts (Angela Lansbury), Chip (Bradley Michael Pierce) and Wardrobe (Jo Anne Worley) also suffered from the same spell.

A wrong turn taken by Maurice (Rex Everhart), Belle's father, causes the two to meet in that instead of the Beast imprisoning Maurice, Belle agrees to take his place instead. Hal Smith puts in a good turn as Philippe.

This 1991 re-release was wonderfully directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. It was equally well written by Linda Woolverton based on many that contributed to the story, Roger Allers being the story supervisor.

The real stars of this film were the music composer and lyricist: Alan Menken and Howard Ashman respectively.These guys were a great team, as talented as Lerner/Loewe, Rodgers/Hammerstein, etc. Their short resume proves it: "Little Shop of Horrors" '86, "The Little Mermaid" '89, "Aladdin" '92. Even after Ashman's demise, Menken went on to compose films like "Pocahontas" '95, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" '96, and "Tangled" '10. Their music was the type that once you heard it, it just stuck, extremely catchy. This is difficult to accomplish consistently.

This is a definite classic that is a great feel good film that anyone of any age can watch and be thoroughly entertained. And with the 3D process, it only makes this trip to the multiplex that much more fun.

Out of 4 stars: 4                        Rated: G                      84min.    

The Iron Lady

As I've mentioned in other reviews, biopics are often films you can bank on to have a high-quality caliber about them. Films such as "The Queen"," J. Edgar", "Moneyball", "The King's Speech", "The Untouchables", "Patton", "My Week with Marilyn" all come to mind. It would be difficult to mention all these incredible films without mentioning "The Iron Lady".

This tells the story of a remarkable woman, Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep) who bulldozed through the barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male-dominated world by becoming England's Prime Minister for an eleven and a half year stint basically in the 80's. The story concerns power and the price that is paid for power, a surprising and insightful portrait of an extraordinary and complex woman, and even when it's been years of her husband's, Denis (Jim Broadbent) death, she still hallucinates him still being there in the house which perplexes her visiting daughter, Carol (Olivia Colman).

Others to round out the cast are Alexandra Roach as young Margaret Thatcher, Harry Lloyd as young Denis Thatcher, Nicholas Farrell as Airey Neave, her campaign manager, Anthony Head as Geoffrey Howe, John Sessions as Edward Heath, Richard E. Grant as Michael Heseltine, Angus Wright as John Nott, Michael Pennington as Michael Foot, and Julian Wadham as Francis Pym.

This was exquisitely directed by fair newcomer Phyllida Lloyd ("Gloriana" (TV movie) '2000, "Mama Mia!" '08, "Macbeth" '11), and I guarantee, she will be given future work. It was equally well written by Abi Morgan ("Murder" (TV movie) '02, "Sex Traffic" (TV movie) '04, "Tsunami: The Aftermath" (TV movie)'06, "Brick Lane" '07, "Royal Wedding" (TV movie) '10, "Shame" '11) in that as the script went from past to present and back again, it was done with such fluidity that the cohesiveness of the film was right on the money.

Streep will undoubtedly be nominated for an Oscar as well will the make-up designer, Marese Langan. Whereas Langan made her look the part, clearly Streep became the part because of her consummate acting ability. You've got to see this incredible film, because whether or not one agrees with Thatcher's politics, Streep's performance is certainly worth the price of admission.

Out of 4 stars: 4                      Rated: PG-13                      105min.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Espionage films are usually portrayed as dark, alarming, possibilities of what could happen given certain situations that could explode if not reached in a specific way by a certain time period. As with the case of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", this is still the same formula.

It's the early 70's during the Cold War, the head of British Intelligence, Control (John Hurt), resigns after an operation in Budapest, Hungary goes awry. From this point, Control believed one of four senior figures, Bill Haydon (Colin Firth), Percy Alleline (Toby Jones), Toby Esterhase (David Dencik) and Roy Bland (Ciaran Hinds) in the service was in fact a mole; a Russian agent-- and the Hungary operation an attempt to identify which one of them it was.

George Smiley (Gary Oldman) had been forced into retirement by the exiting of Control, but is asked by a senior government figure to investigate a story told to him by a rogue agent, Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy), that there was a mole. Smiley concludes the failure of the Hungary operation and the success of Operation Witchcraft (a source of significant Soviet Intelligence) confirms this, and starts the process of finding him. Through the assistance of Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch), Smiley obtains information that eventually leads him to Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong), the agent at the core of the Hungary fiasco. At this point, the domino effect starts happening.

Others to round out the cast are Kathy Burke as Connie Sachs, Stephen Graham as Jerry Westerby, and Simon McBurney as Oliver Lacon.

This was intensely directed by Tomas Alfredson ("Kontorstid" '03, "Four Shades of Brown" '04, "Let the Right One In" '08). The way he kept your attention with the pacing, the grittiness, the way he just let the story build gave this film a sense of reality. The culprit here was in the writing which was penned by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan based on a novel by John le Carre. I'm sure the novel was much better in that le Carre is a consummate novelist. The script had a tendency to meander slightly and the plot also jumped around a bit. The two are not unknowns, but I guess everyone has their off projects. I feel I've seen this film in too many other films of the same genre, meaning it's nothing I haven't really seen before.

Where this film actually excels is in the acting, especially Oldman. This man did not have a lot of dialogue to play with which I'm sure was purposed, but his expressions simply spoke volumes. This takes a truly talented actor to pull this off. While the cast were very credible in their roles, Oldman will definitely be the one nominated come Oscar time.

If you like fine acting with a gritty, dark feel to a film, you'll revel with this film. It's just a shame that the script couldn't have matched the same quality. You be the judge!

Out of 4 stars: 3                       Rated: R                      127min.

We Bought a Zoo

Films that are based on a true story, person or situation are usually done with a certain amount of carefulness so as to be 'true' with the information that is being conveyed to its audience. Just our recent past screams this: "Moneyball", "J.Edgar", "My Week With Marilyn", "The Help". In the case of "We Bought a Zoo", this being 'true' stills carries out the message of carefulness.

Set in Southern California, a recent widower, Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) moves his kids, Dylan and Rosie (Colin Ford and Maggie Elizabeth Jones) to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo with the help of the ancillary staff, Kelly (Scarlett Johansson)-- head zookeeper, Peter MacCready (Angus MacFadyen), Robin Jones (Patrick Fugit) and Rhonda (Carla Gallo).

Part of the reason why Benjamin decided to move out to the country with this zoo was to help his son, Dylan, who has had a difficult time adjusting to the demise of his mom. Even after Benjamin moves to the country, he starts to realize himself that it's not about proximity to get through a loved ones' death, but how he needs to cope with it. And besides, Rosie just loved the house after she realized a zoo was attached with the deal. His brother, Duncan (Thomas Haden Church) tried to talk Benjamin out of the zoo, but the more he tried, the more he realized he was really on the same page as Benjamin. John Michael Higgins gives a hoot of a performance as the inspector involved in scutinizing the care of the zoo.

This was cleverly directed by Cameron Crowe ("Say Anything..." '89, "Singles" '92, "Jerry Maguire" '96, "Almost Famous" 2000, "Vanilla Sky" '01, "Elizabethtown" '05, "The Union" (Documentary) '11) in that he's learned a thing or two about being able to write and direct films about relationships, that in other scripts can be mediocre, that are quirky and fresh. This is an untapped quality that I wish the rom-com writers could hard wire into. This was heartwarmingly written by Aline Brosh McKenna and Crowe based on Benjamin Mee's book.

This film has all the elements that many of us have either gone or are going through in that it contains hurt, self-loathing, discovery and re-discovery, redemption, fear and reconciliation all in an entertaining approach, in which we can all choose to experience or not.

Out of 4 stars: 3.5                    Rated: PG-13                     124min.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Re-made films, whether English to English, or some other language to English, interestingly fair well in the 'translation'. We've seen this a number of times: "La cage aux folles" '78 to "The Birdcage" '96, "Planet of the Apes" '69 to the '99 version. Well, the same seems to ring true for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo". This is at least as good as the Swedish '09 version.

This English-language redition of Steig Larsson's Swedish novel chronicles a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), as he investigates the 40 year disappearance of the niece of a wealthy patriarch, Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer). He is assisted by the unconventional, tattooed, pierced, punk computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). As the story unfolds, we learn more about Lisbeth in that she has her own personal demons and other obstacles to cope with.

As these two work together in the investigation, they uncover overwhelming corruption beyond their comprehension. Stellan Skarsgard gives a good turn as Martin Vanger, Henrik's son.

This was directed by David Fincher ("Alien 3" '92, "Se7en" '95, "The Game" '97, "Fight Club" '99, "Panic Room" '02, "Zodiac" '07, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" '08, "The Social Network" '10) with such grit and painstaking realism, that in some places, it was difficult to watch what was happening on the screen, even though you knew this added to the character or situation at hand. I'm telling you, this IS rated R for a reason. This is not one to take the kiddies to. It was written by seasoned Steven Zaillian based on Larsson's novel "Man som hatar kvinnor".

By his very resume, Fincher is into intensity and grit. So basically if you like the same with a good deal of graphic situations thrown into the mix, this will be the flick for you, otherwise it will be a very tough sit. Forewarned is forearmed!

Out of 4 stars: 3                        Rated: R                          158min.

War Horse

I thought Steven Spielberg couldn't top himself after seeing "The Adventures of Tintin", but I stand corrected, for when I saw "War Horse", I was simply in awe. Don't get me wrong, Tintin was incredible. I suppose these are two very different films in that Tintin was like watching an animated Indiana Jones which made it fun, and "War Horse" was an incredible, serious, well shot epic.

Young Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine) enlists in the military during WWI after his beloved horse Joey, who he's raised from a young horse so as to plow the field at his father's farm, is then sold to the cavalry by his father, Ted (Peter Mullan), for the need of money, to Capt. Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) of the cavalry. Nicholls promises Albert he will treat Joey well and will return him to Albert, but somehow Albert finds it difficult to believe.

Albert's hopeful journey takes him out of England to Europe as the war carries on. Meanwhile, Joey ends up in different hands on both sides of the war. A grandfather (Niels Arestrup) and his granddaughter, Emilie (Celine Buckens) find him abandoned in France. The Germans eventually use Joey to pull artillery wagons, etc. Will Albert and Joey finally reconnect?

Others to round out the cast are Emiliy Watson as Rose, Albert's mom, David Thewlis as Lyons, Benedict Cumberbatch as Maj. Jamie Stewart, Toby Kebbell as Geordie soldier, and Matt Milne as Andrew Easton.

This film was brilliantly directed by Spielberg ("Jaws" '75, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" '81, "E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial" '82, "Jurassic Park" '93, "Schindler's List" '93, "Saving Private Ryan" '98, "The Terminal" '04, "Munich" '05).The way Spielberg showed connection between Joey and Albert was amazingly moving without exuding sappiness, which made it much more realistic. The emotions the different characters emitted was strong and gave the film the feel the writers were undoubtedly striving for. It seemed like this was based on a true story instead of a novel because of the painstaking realism. It was equally well written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis based on Michael Morpurgo's novel.

The cinematography by Janusz Kaminski ("The Rain Killer" '90, "Schindler's List" '93, "Jerry Maguire" '96, "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" '97, "Amistad" '97, "Saving Private Ryan" '98, "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" '01, "Minority Report" '02, "Catch Me If You Can" '02, "The Terminal" '04, "War of the Worlds" '05, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" '07, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" '08, "Funny People" '09, "Do You Know" '10) will undoubtedly be nominated come Oscar time.The way he treated the lights and darks in strategic places just gave the right feel of this film.

Spielberg is a consummate filmmaker, and even though he has created so much great work in his illustrious career, "War Horse" really shines. This is one of the best films of the year, and trust me, you've got to see this on the large screen for the sweeping epic that it is.

Out of 4 stars: 4                       Rated: PG-13                         146min.