As I 've mentioned before, I love comedies. So when I read about this small, independent comedy simply called "Bernie", I became intrigued. It had not only an interesting premise, but a killer cast to boot. Of course, as with any comedy, it's all about the writing.
In the small, rural town of Carthage, TX, assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) was one of the town's most beloved residents. He taught Sunday school, sang in the church choir and was always willing to lend a helping hand. Everyone loved and appreciated Bernie, so it came as no surprise when he befriended Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine), an affluent widow who was as well known for her nasty attitude and personality as well as her fortune. Bernie and Marjorie became fast friends frequently traveling and Bernie even managed her banking affairs much to the chagrin of her accountant, Lloyd Hornbuckle (Richard Robichaux) who was basically jealous of Bernie. After a point, Marjorie became dependent on Bernie and his generosity and Bernie struggled with her increasing demands a lot of which were in the form of tirades.
As months and months went by, Bernie was still handling Marjories affairs with constant questions from the townspeople about where Marjorie was. After a point, the townspeople of Carthage were shocked when it was reported that Marjorie Nugent had been dead for quite some time, and that Bernie Tiede was being charged with the murder by Sheriff Huckabee (Brandon Smith) and Danny Buck (Matthew McConaughey), the town's DA.
Others to round out the cast are Brady Coleman as Scrappy Holmes, Bernie's attorney, Rick Dial as Don Leggett, the town's funeral director and Bernie's boss, Larry Jack Dotson as Rev. Woodard, Merrille McCommas as Molly, Marjorie's granddaughter, Mathew Greer as Carl, Bernie and Marjorie's groundskeeper, and Richard Jones as Professor Fleming.
The pacing in this was well delineated by director Richard Linklater ("Dazed and Confused" '93, "Before Sunrise" '95, "SubUrbia" '96, "Waking Life" '01, "Tape" '01, "The School of Rock" '03, "Before Sunset" '04, "Bad News Bears" '05, "Fast Food Nation" '06, "A Scanner Darkly" '06, "Me and Orson Wells" '08). It was written by Skip Hollandsworth and Richard Linklater which was based on a Texas article by Hollandsworth. Prior, when I mentioned about, it's all about the writing? well, this was well written. The comedy wasn't a physical comedy. It was a subtle, but 'dark' comedy well executed by Hollandsworth and Linklater. So considering one of the writers of the film also wrote the article the film was based on, it's no wonder the writing would be effective.
Being an indie film, it took a while for the film to make wide release. It was originally released on 6-11-11 (LA Film Festival). finally the film reached wide release status by this May 4th. The film was definitely worth the wait. The film was funny, quirky, bizarre, dark, with great performances, especially Jack Black, and great writing all rolled up into one. It will have you loving and cheering for Bernie as his world gets turned upside down.
Out of 4 stars: 4 Rated: PG-13 104min.
I have found that film franchises are either good or not so good. Ever since the original "Men in Black" came out in 1997, it was a fresh, new, original of that particular genre. Well, two more films in the can and "Men in Black III" or "MIB 3" is still funny enough to hold your attention once again. Most franchises I cannot say this, but this installment keeps you moving right along.
An alien criminal, Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) escapes from a maximum-security prison on the moon with assistance of his girlfriend (Nicole Scherzinger) in order to 1) find a guy named Jeffrey Price (Michael Chernus) who has the device for time travel and 2) go back in time to 1969 to kill the younger Agent K (Josh Brolin), who was instrumental capturing Boris before Agent K shoots his arm off. Boris, unfortunately, succeeds, ergo Agent K has now been dead for 40 years., much to the chagrin of veteran Agent J (Will Smith).
Since Boris altered the timeline, that changed the Agency, which now places the Earth in danger, Agent J must travel back in time to 1969 before the murder and work with the young Agent K to save him, the Agency and ultimately Earth.
Others to round out the cast are Emma Thompson as Agent O, Michael Stuhlbarg as Griffin, Mike Colter as Colonel, Alice Eve as young Agent O, Bill Hader as Andy Warhol, David Rashe as Agent X, and Keone Young as Mr. Wu.
This was slickly and colorfully directed by Barry Sonnenfeld ("The Addams Family" '91, "For Love or Money" '93, "Addams Family Values" '93, "Get Shorty" '95, "Men in Black" '97, "Wild Wild West" '99, "Big Trouble" '02, "Men in Black II" '02, "RV" '06, "Hackett" (TV movie) '08, "The Bridget Show" (TV movie) '09). It was cleverly written by Etan Cohen based on the Malibu Comic by Lowell Cunningham. There were a few inconsistencies which is easy to happen when dealing with time and the paradoxes that can happen, but all in all, this was very entertaining. The one sad thing is the omission of Frank, the pug dog. He was funny.
And as usual with summer flicks, the visual effects which were predominantly designed by SPI (Sony Pictures Imageworks) and Prime Focus VFX were absolutely seamless.
As your typical Hollywood summer fare, this was one that you must see on the big screen. I only saw it in 2D and still the in-your-face effect was great, so save yourself 3 bucks. It was also presented in IMAX format. This had a clever script, great visuals, and entertaining all in one and aren't these the ingredients one only hopes for during the summer season?
Out of 4 stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 104min.
I guess I continue to watch rom/coms, because of two reasons. 1) I always hope there's one or more than one that will be something fresh and original. 2) I have a loyal audience of whom I like to give a wide spread, across-the-board scope of genres to as much as I can. But, as usual, "What to Expect When You're Expecting" is just another one of the unremarkable romantic comedies one would expect.
Inspired by the New York bestseller of the same name by Heidi Murkoff, this is a comedy about five couples whose interconnected lives are turned upside down by the challenges of the process of becoming parents. TV fitness guru, Jules (Cameron Diaz) and husband, dance show star, Evan (Matthew Morrison) find that their fast lifestyle doesn't have a chance against the surprise demands of pregnancy. Baby author and advocate, Wendy (Elizabeth Banks) gets a taste of her own over-the-top mommy advice when pregnancy hormones ravage her body, while Wendy's husband, Gary (Ben Falcone), struggles not to be outdone by his competitive alpha-Dad, Ramsey (Dennis Quaid), who's expecting twins with his much younger wife, Skyler (Brooklyn Decker). Photographer Holly (Jennifer Lopez) is prepared to travel anywhere on the planet to adopt a child, but her husband, Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) isn't sure about that, and tries to hide his fear by attending a "dudes" support group headed up by Vic (Chris Rock) where dads tell what being a dad is really like. And rival food truck chefs, Rosie (Anna Kendrick) and Marco's (Chace Crawford) surprise hook-up results in the unexpected: what to do when your first child comes before your first date. Moral of this story: Life doesn't always deliver what's expected.
Others to round out the cast are Joe Manganiello as Davis, Rob Huebel as Gabe, Thomas Lennon as Craig and Amir Talai as Patel.
This was adequately directed by Kirk Jones ("Waking Ned Devine" '98, "Nanny McPhee" '05, "Everybody's Fine" '09). No real surprises here. Everyone basically taking their cues at their respective marks. The screenplay was by Shauna Cross and Heather Hach and it, too, was fairly straight forward. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't without some interesting moments. The scenes with the "dudes" support group had its funny lines with the different dads giving their insight to the fearful dad about the real life of being a dad in very blunt ways. Some of the chemistry between these couples were very good, some not.
Definitely if you're expecting a child or have children, this will be very relatable, but even if you're not, more than likely, you probably know someone who has experienced some of the things going on in this flick. In any rate, you be the judge.
Out of 4 stars: 2.5 Rated: PG-13 110min.
After the summer's big budget kick-off "The Avengers" which is still making a gazillion bucks, can the second big budget film, "Battleship" follow that lead? Suffice it to say, both will be gunning for that lead. Excuse the pun.
Based on the classic Hasbro combat board game, "Battleship" is the story of an international fleet of ships who come across an alien armada whilst on a Naval war games exercise in the Hawaiian Islands area.
The film starts with brothers, Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) and Comm. Stone Hopper (Alexander Skarsgard) celebrating Alex's birthday in a nearby pub. Alex, who is a troublemaker, ends up in trouble trying to impress a girl he met named Samantha (Brooklyn Decker), who happens to be the daughter of Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson), Stone's boss. Ouch! So Stone finally gives his younger brother, Alex an ultimatum: either get out with no more help from Stone or join the navy in which his brother works. It then edits ahead in the not so distant future where Alex is now a lieutenant. But because Alex means well, he's still a screw up. After he blows it one last time, Stone's been told that Alex's time in the Navy is coming to a halt.
A government project called 'The Beacon Project' has been built in Hawaii, which involves sending signals far out in space using our satellites to facilitate this process. The station is run by Cal Zapata (Hamish Linklater) and an intern. All of a sudden, they receive a transmission they soon feel is real.
Soon after, as the Naval war games ensue, the crew of the different ships including the Hopper brothers, Admiral Shane and many others, notice this huge ship coming out of the water which turns out to be hostile. An intense battle begins over sea, land and air. The big question is: What do the aliens known as 'The Regents' want?
Others to round out the cast are Rihanna as Petty Ofcr. Cora 'Weps' Raikes, Tadanobu Asano as Capt. Yugi Nagata, Peter MacNicol as Secretary of Defense, John Tui as Chief Petty Ofcr. Walter 'The Beast' Lynch, Jesse Plemons as Boatswain Mate Seaman Jimmy 'Ordy' Ord, Gregory D. Gadson as Lt. Col. Mick Canales, and Peter W. Berg as JPJ 2nd Gunner.
This was intensely directed by Peter Berg ("Very Bad Things" '98, "The Rundown" '03, "Friday Night Lights" '04, "The Kingdom" '07, "Hancock" '08, "Virtuality" (TV movie) '09).
Berg is an actor who also directs, and he does both about equal time. Being an actor definitely gives him an edge on what to expect from his actors, however this isn't always true which any director i.e. Steven Spielberg. He can't act at all, but knows what to expect out of his actors, but Spielberg is not the norm. It was written by Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber which was based on Hasbro's game, "Battleship". The script is extremely formulaic with a predictable plot and inevitable ending, but you already know this before you walk into the theater. Besides the casting of Taylor Kitsch as Hopper, what is going to draw a viewer is the visual effects mostly by ILM and the special effects by the comparable Burt Dalton.
This is obviously a guy flick designed for the 18-34 year-old single male demographic, but if you are into stunning visuals, loud explosive, adrenaline-packed scenes aplenty with non-stop action, you will be in big-budget heaven.
Out of 4 stars: 3 Rated: PG-13 131min.
The comedy/drama genre is usually a sure fire way to give an audience a top-notch quality film, and with "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", this concept still rings true. This film has plenty to offer with both writing and acting, which is a rarity these days.
British retirees including recently widowed Evelyn (Judi Dench), Graham (Tom Wilkinson), Douglas Ainslie (Bill Nighy), Jean Ainslie (Penelope Wilton), Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith), Norman (Ronald Pickup), and Madge (Celia Imrie) are mostly strangers travelling to India who inadvertently end up taking residence in what they believe is a newly restored luxurious hotel managed by young, affable, head-in-the-clouds Indian, Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel). Less luxurious than its advertisements, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in totally unexpected ways.
Others to round out the cast are Lillete Dubey as Sonny's well-meaning, but over-bearing mother, and Tena Desae as Sunaina, Sonny's girlfriend.
The directing in this was really well paced by John Madden ("Ethan Frome" '93, "Golden Gate" '94, "Truth or Dare" (TV movie) '96, "Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown" '97, "Shakespeare in Love" '98, "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" '01, "Proof" '05, "Killshot" '08, "The Debt" '10), emitting much emotion where needed from his actors. It was equally well written by Ol Parker based on Deborah Moggach's novel "These Foolish Things". The script was a fairly simple premise, but executed so well in that the actors presented themselves as these ordinary people, and when written, their presence as these hurt, troubled people rang true. Dench's role as a recently widowed retiree was so honest and real as was Wilkinson's role as a trouble attorney who hasn't been to India for 40 years out of fear of opening up a wound. Then there's Smith as an old crotchety, bigot who is in need of a hip surgery, who gives a hoot of a performance. Dev Patel as Sonny is a guy who you want to believe, because he's so likable.
This is a charming, heart-warming, very entertaining film that will have you laughing and crying within the same paragraph. The characters are eclectic and rich as are their performances. As you watch these characters change in the most subtle of ways, you'll be rooting for all of them in their own way.
Out of 4 stars: 4 Rated: PG-13 129min.
As I've mentioned in previous reviews, what other field can two men work so well together, are talented artists, both practically certifiable, and make tons of money as with the case of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton? No field that I can think of. These two guys have worked on so many projects that they had to do it again, and this time with the likes of "Dark Shadows".
The year is 1752. Joshua and Naomi Collins (Ivan Kaye and Susanna Cappallaro) respectively, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. Not even an ocean could spare the Collins family from a curse that has plagued them. Two decades pass, and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has everything he's wanted from the town of Collingsport, Maine which is where his father built his fishing empire. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and a playboy... until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). Being a witch, by every definition of the word, she dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.
Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor only to find it in a state of near ruin. The dysfunctional Collins family are not in much better shape each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter) who has her own set of problems, alcohol being one of them. Can Barnabas help his descendants and save Collingsport?
Others to round out the cast are Jackie Earle Haley as Willie Loomis, caretaker of Collinwood Manor, Jonny Lee Miller as Roger Collins, brother of Elizabeth, Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters/Josette DuPres, Chloe Grace Moretz as Carolyn Stoddard, daughter of Elizabeth, and Gulliver McGrath as David Collins, Roger's son.
This was directed by veteran Tim Burton ("Pee-wee's Big Adventure" '85, "Beetlejuice" '88, "Batman" '89, "Edward Scissorhands" '90. "Batman Returns" '92, "Ed Wood" '94, "Mars Attacks!" '96, "Sleepy Hollow" '99, "Planet of the Apes" '01, "Big Fish" '03, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" '05, "Corpse Bride" '05, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon of Fleet Street" '07, "Alice in Wonderland" '10, and the upcoming "Frankenweenie" '12), and as with his prior work, it was delineated with perfection. It was written by Seth Grahame-Smith based on a story by John August and Grahame-Smith, which was based on the TV series created by Dan Curtis. It was written well, but I actually thought it would be a bit more of a satirical parody of the series; a little more zany possibly. I keep forgetting that when you get Burton and Depp together, the comedy tends to be a little darker than most comedies.
Whether you're a Dark Shadows fan or not, just the outright weirdness of this film will keep you riveted to your seat all the while enjoying how well Burton and Depp's chemistry spellbinds us all.
Out of 4 stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 113min.
We've all seen claymation animation before with likes of "Chicken Run" 2000, "Wallace & Gromit" '05, and "Flushed Away" '06 by Sony Pictures Animation and Aardman Productions.
Well, these guys have created yet another claymation project and it is in the form of "The Pirates! Band of Misfits".
The year is 1837. After years of humiliation and failed attempts to win the coveted Pirate of the Year Award, Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) and his oddball crew including Pirate with a Scarf (Martin Freeman), take on the cream of the pirating crop-- Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven), Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) and Peg Leg Hastings (Lenny Henry) in a race to pillage the most booty. They soon cross paths with lovelorn scientist Charles Darwin (David Tennant), who persuades the Captain that the crew's prized 'parrot', Polly could be the answer to the amazing riches they are searching for, because Polly is actually an endangered Dodo bird. Their adventure takes them from Blood Island to Victorian London where they meet Darwin's sidekick 'man-panzee' Mister Bobo, and the notorious pirate-hating Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) herself. It turns out that Darwin's motives for helping the crew aren't what they seem, and the Queen has an evil hidden agenda of her own. The Pirate Captain must choose between enjoying the experience of being crowned Pirate of the Year, or staying faithful to his crew that trusts him implicitly.
Others to round out the cast are Brian Blessed as The Pirate King, Russel Tovey as Albino Pirate, Anton Yelchin as The Albino Pirate (US version), Brendan Gleeson as The Pirate with Gout, and Ashley Jensen as The Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate.
This was well directed by Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt and written by Gideon Defoe based on his book-- "The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists". I believe what makes this script work is that the novelist and screenwriter are one and the same. So much of the time there will be a film that's written by 2, 3 or possibly 4 people and it will be based on someone else who hasn't written any of the script. It's usually never as well thought out. But in this case the writing just flowed, even though it wasn't quite as funny as its predecessors, it was still well written.
This is presented in 3D and, my not being a huge fan of this process, this actually made this film work.The claymation process is always fun to watch and realizing the tedious, meticulous way this had to be made, makes one respect the actual process in somewhat a state of awe.
Out of 4 stars: 3.5 Rated: PG 88min.
Superheroes galore! We have seen a plethora of superhero movies in the past. Now, what if one took all those movies and rolled them into one film? Might it be Marvel's "The Avengers"? Yeah, you guessed it. And what a way to kick off the summer season than with a film that is a totally in-your-face, roller coaster ride as this-- and in 3D?
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is director of S.H.I.E.L.D., an international peace keeping agency. The agency is a who's who of Marvel Super Heroes, with Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), The Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johnsson), and Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). When global security is threatened by Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his cohorts, Fury and his team will need all their powers to save the world from disaster.
Others to round out the cast are Clark Gregg returning as Agent Phil Coulson, Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, Stellan Skarsgard as Selvig, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, and Paul Bettany as the voice of Jarvis.
This was well directed by veteran TV pro, Joss Whedon, who also wrote this. You know, the same guy that wrote "Toy Story" '95, "Alien: Resurrection" '97, "Titan A.E." 2000, "Serenity" '05, "This American Life Live!" (TV movie), '09, and"The Cabin in the Woods" '12, with lots of TV in between. Whedon took all these different superhero films and through a story by Zak Penn and himself based on Marvel's comic book by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, connected them all into an interesting film. It wasn't a perfect film, but it really is about the best anyone could create given so many films in which to extract from without it meandering all over the place.
The visual effects were created predominantly by veterans, ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic), Weta Digital, Inc., and Digital Domain, and, of course, were pretty much seamless. The way that the CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), matte paintings, miniatures and sets were all combined effortlessly to give that certain realism was amazing, but the key word here is veteran, so they should look that way.
No joke, if you like high explosive, high energy, adrenaline-packed type of films, you'll revel. As said prior, it's not an overly original plot, but well put together. Also, stay until the big credits at the end roll up, because there's a little surprise. As the kick-off of the summer season bows, enjoy!
Out of 4 stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 142min.
Disneynature has been producing spectacular documentaries released on Earth Day since 2007 starting with "Earth" '07, then "Oceans" '09, and moving right along with "African Cats" '11, and now they offer us "Chimpanzee".
Oscar, a baby chimpanzee is enjoying his life with his mother in the jungles of the Ivory Coast along with the rest of their 'tribe'. Without warning, a rival tribe of chimpanzees attacks and young Oscar is tragically orphaned through this ordeal. Afterwards, he attempts to survive on his own and to be accepted by the other chimps. But the others push him away, because the other mothers have their own young to hone. So as Oscar struggles, he is surprisingly adopted by the alpha male, Freddie, of his tribe.
This installment of the documentary franchise was wonderfully narrated by Tim Allen. It's a strategical move on behalf of Disney to use major stars to narrate, last year's "African Cats" being narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Not only do these performers have a well spoken voice, but it doesn't hurt in getting people to buy tickets. After all, these are message films in educating the public.
This was directed by Alastair Fothergill ("Deep Blue" '03, "Earth" '07, "African Cats" '11) and Mark Linfield ("Earth" '07). And it was written by Linfield, Fothergill and Don Hahn. But the real credit here goes to the cinematographers, Martyn Colbeck (Ivory Coast), Bill Wallauer (Uganda) and Warwick Sloss (Additional Photography). As with the past Disneynature documentaries, these guys are the real stars. The photography was absolutely stunning. The different time-lapse photography, the way they showed rain water falling on something as simple as a leaf was incredible. The aerials of the falls in the Ivory Cast area was equally breath-taking.
This, as with the past projects, must be viewed on the big screen, otherwise the impact isn't nearly as dramatic. Where else can you see a movie where one can be entertained, see such beauty and be educated with a great message all rolled into one?
Out of 4 stars: 4 Rated: G 78min.
As I 've mentioned before, I love comedies. So when I read about this small, independent comedy simply called "Bernie", I became intrigued. It had not only an interesting premise, but a killer cast to boot. Of course, as with any comedy, it's all about the writing.
