An extremely important aspect of films is the ability to escape into a fantastical world and have fun being in that world instead of our own stressful, boring, and humdrum world we live in on a daily basis. We know the fantasy genre is a favorite since so many films of this genre have been created as far back to 1939's "The Wizard of Oz" to the most recent "Oz: The Great and Powerful". Others such as "Pans Labyrinth", "Winter's Tale", and even "Field of Dreams" to mention a few, add to that ever growing list. So it's not tough to believe that we would be ready to sink our teeth into "Maleficent".
A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army lead by King Henry (Kenneth Cranham) threatens the harmony of the land, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal-- an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces a battle with the invading king's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As Aurora grows into a teenager, Maleficent realizes that Aurora (Elle Fanning) holds the key to peace in the kingdom-- and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well. This untold story of Disney's iconic villain from the classic "Sleeping Beauty" teaches us the truth of what causes her to go to such extremes to demonstrate why she was as revengeful as she was, and what could be done to healthily rectify this act of revenge.
Others to round out the cast are Sharlto Copley as Stefan, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, and Juno Temple as Flittle, Knotgrass, and Thistlewit respectively, three fairies, Sam Riley as Diaval, Brenton Thwaites as Prince Phillip, Miranda Richardson as a Queen, Ella Purnell as Teen Maleficent, Jackson Bews as Teen Stefan, Janet McTeer as Narrator, and Guy Potter Stefan's Page.
This was actually directed by Robert Stromberg, a newcomer to theatrical features, however a seasoned professional with visual effects as supervisor and matte paintings. He really knew how to emit incredible emotion out of his actors that fit any given scene. This guy will certainly receive more work. It was written by Linda Woolverton ("Beauty and the Beast" '91, "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" '93, "The Lion King" '94, "Alice in Wonderland" '10) plus TV. It was based on the story, "La Belle an bois dormant" by Charles Perrault, which was based on the Grimm Brothers "Little Briar Rose", which was based on the motion picture "Sleeping Beauty", story adaptation by Erdman Penner. Woolverton's script was cohesive, strong, and had all the elements that make for a great fantasy and then some. The visual effects and animation were predominantly created by Digital Domain and MPC (Moving Picture Company), which were definitely seamless and gave just the right feel of the film.
This film had it all. From Anna B. Sheppard's beautiful costumes to the dark and intense cinematography by Dean Semler, acs/asc, from James Newton Howard's haunting and sweeping musical score to Angelina Jolie's incredible yet fun role as Maleficent, this film will delight all with its great story, great escapism all with a great message. What more could anyone want?
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: PG 98mins.
Movies have been, since the invention of them, a place to be entertained, to escape into some other place, time or situation, but at times, we need to learn something so we can be better informed individuals. And what a better way to achieve this than that of the documentary. As I've mentioned in prior reviews, I love documentaries, because the filmmakers of them challenge the way we think or the way we can become conformed to a certain stance. We've seen so many great documentaries: "Murderball", "An Inconvenient Truth", "Looking for Sugarman", "The Cove", "Super Size Me", "Bowling for Columbine" "Capitalism: A Love Story", "The Tillman Story", just to mention a handful. When I viewed "Fed Up", it started a bit slow, but as it evolved, some of the information I knew about, however the parts I had no idea, just blew me away.
Upending the conventional wisdom of why we gain weight and how to lose it, this unearths a dirty secret of the American food industry that far more of us get sick from what we eat than anyone has previously realized. Filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig and TV journalist Katie Couric leads us through this potent expose that uncovers why-- despite media attention, the public's fascination with appearance, and government policies to combat childhood obesity-- generations of American children will now live shorter than their parents did.
This covers four young teenagers, Brady Kluge, Maggie Valentine, Wesley Randall, and Joe Lopez and their daily struggle to lose and keep off the weight because of their obesity. These kids already have Type 2 Diabetes, and are asking for more chronic metabolic diseases. And if this wasn't enough, but the stigma of being huge is overwhelming as well. And to my amazement, the statistics are alarming! Statistically, if we don't change our diets, in two decades, 95% of Americans will be obese, and by year 2050, 1 out of 3 Americans will be diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Right now, 30% of Americans are obese. With these statistics, why do the food companies still produce all these processed foods which oppose the very workings of the human body? What else, of course, but for the money.
Others interviewed in this are Dr. David Kessler, Dr. Deborah Cohen, Kelly D. Brownell, Phd., David Allison Phd., Marion Nestle Phd., Sen. Tom Harkin, past President Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Robert Lustig, Michael Pollan, Dr. James Gavin, Mark Brittman, Michael Moss, and Sonya Grier Phd.
This is an exhaustive investigation of why we are obese, that with all the exercise programs, we still cannot lose weight, to what we can do to counteract this serious problem. The obesity problem is the number one health crisis in this country, and if left unchecked, we won't have people living very long lives like once occurred. This was well directed with passion and grit by Stephanie Soechtig ("Tapped" (Documentary) '09). She hasn't achieved a lot of work, but after this she WILL receive more work. It was written by veteran documentary writer, Mark Monroe ("Morning Light" (Doc.) '08, "The Cove" (Doc.) '09, "The Tillman Story" (Doc.) '10, "Chasing Ice" (Doc.) '12, "Sound City" (Doc.) '13) and Soechtig ("Tapped" (Doc.) '09). This was incredibly comprehensive and exhaustive--a truly must see for all who are concerned what food items they are putting in their mouths. The evidence is awe-inspiring, and begs our own investigation of what is really going on with our food and the food industry.
All I can say is, if you are truly concerned about the food you eat, I beseech all to take time out of your busy schedule, and plan to see this--it IS an eye opener to say the least.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: PG 92mins.
Question. Was I dreaming or did I see a very funny comedy today? Answer. One could have knocked me over with a feather, but the answer is YES! As I've stated in previous reviews, I like the genre of comedy and with that, I've seen a plethora of them. But when so many comedies aren't really funny because you can't get through all the four-letter words, and references to lots of sex and toilet humor in order to see a decent premise or script, I am extremely leery of the next comic vehicle that comes down the road. When viewing "Chef", all I got was fine writing, directing and a great eclectic cast to really sink my teeth into.
Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant the same day that a well known L.A. food critic Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt) is to critique the menu. Carl leaves after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner Riva (Dustin Hoffman) and is then left to figure out what to do next.
His ex wife Inez (Sofia Vergara) had been hinting to Carl that maybe he could run a food truck and, of course, his ego of having something so gauche would be unacceptable. Now, he's been put in a place where tough decisions have to be made, so they-- Inez, Carl and their 10 year-old son, Percy (Emjay Anthony) go to Miami where Carl actually is reduced to groveling with Inez's ex, Marvin (Robert Downey Jr.) in order to obtain a food truck. So Carl teams up with Inez, his former cook who's a friend, Martin (John Leguizamo) and Percy to launch the food truck. Taking to the road to get back to L.A., Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen-- and zest for life and love.
Others to round out the cast are Bobby Cannavale as Tony, a cook, Scarlett Johansson as Molly, the restaurant planner, Amy Sedaris as Jen, and Russell Peters as Miami Cop.
This was directed with such clarity and hilarity by Jon Favreau ("Bad Cop, Bad Cop" (TV movie) '98, "Smog" (TV movie) '99, "Made" '01, "Elf" '03, "Life on Parole" (TV movie) '03, "Zathura: A Space Adventure" '05, "Iron Man" '08, "Iron Man 2" '10, "Cowboys & Aliens" '11) plus TV. The evidence of everyone playing a pivotal role in this was amazing, and Favreau really was able to pull this off. The writing by Favreau ("Swingers" '96, "Smog" (TV movie) '99, "Made" '01, "The First $20 Million is Always the Hardest" '02, "Couples Retreat" '09) was equally polished. This was a road trip, a vehicle in which Carl could reunite his family and a film where Carl has to reinvent himself all rolled in one, and this is not easy and still have a script that is funny, and incredibly cohesive.
This is, without a doubt, the funniest comedy I have reviewed this year which isn't giving this film where credit is due. This is an independent film that probably won't be seen by as many people as would truly like this given the shoestring budget indie films run on, but if you want, and are yearning for, top notch art that is also entertaining, "Chef' serves it up on a plate. The selling slogan says it all: "Starting from scratch never tasted so good".
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: R 115mins.
Well, the franchise season, oh, I mean summer season is in full swing this being the long Memorial Day Weekend. Can you say cha-ching? Whomever started the idea of making films from comic book premises was a financial genius, because we've seen a plethora of them: "Spider Man", "Captain America", "Iron Man", and now another X-Men film appropriately titled "X-Men: Days of Future Past". with these films and all their sequels, Hollywood has raked in serious bucks.
The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods-- present day and 1973. The characters from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from "X-Men: First Class" in an epic battle that must change the past-- in order to save our future.
One individual must go back to 1973 to get things going. Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), a mutant, has the power to send people back in time-- but only an hour, a day, a week, maybe two at best, but certainly not decades lest being majorly injured if not die. So Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) agrees since he has the ability to rapidly heal. The one catch in going back? No one in 1973 will know anything about Logan or why he's there, especially when he approaches both younger Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender). Logan must warn these two that Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) will have to kill Dr. Trask (Peter Dinklage) back in 1973. However this must be averted in order to change the starting of a horrifying event that not only could be the end of mankind but mutants as well.
Others to round out the cast are Halle berry as Storm, Nicholas Hoult as Hank/Beast, Anna Paquin as Rogue, Shawn Ashmore as Bobby/Iceman, Omar Sy as Bishop, Evan Peters as Peter/Quicksilver, Josh Helman as Maj. Bill Stryker, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Daniel Cudmore as Colossus, Adan Canto as Sunspot, Mark Camacho as President Nixon, Booboo Stewart as Warpath, Bingbing Fan as Blink, Lucas Till as Havok, and Evan Jonigkeit as Toad.
This was directed by the incomparable Bryan Singer ("Public Access" '93, "The Usual Suspects" '95, "Apt Pupil" '98, "X-Men" 2000, "X-Men 2" '03, "Superman Returns" '06, "Football Wives" (TV movie) '07, "Valkyrie" '08, "Mockingbird Lane" (TV movie) '12, "Jack the Giant Slayer" '13). The effectiveness in which Singer was able to relay to us that Magneto and Xavier were so evidently similar to their counterparts in 1973 was amazing. And the use of Logan in making that connection with the characters in the present as well as in the past was equally strategic--being the 'anchor' for the audience. He is making the next, "X-Men: Apocalypse"--I know, what a shock. It was written by Simon Kinberg based on a story by Jane Goldman, Kinberg, and Matthew Vaughn which is based on the Marvel comic book. In my opinion, Kinberg can write the rest of the films of this franchise. This film simply rocked. It could have easily been convoluted in its writing, but, aside of a couple of very small choppy parts, this script was spot on. Wow! I did not see that one coming. This has you riveted from beginning to end. The visual effects predominantly created by Digital Domain, Rhythm & Hues, and Hy*drau*lx were absolutely seamless all in a 3D process.
Whether you're a comic book film afictionado or not, this is a crowd pleaser second to none. So, if you're looking to fill your Memorial Day festivities, look no farther--this has all the bells and whistles a moviegoer is looking for in a summer flick and more.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 131mins.
We've all seen films in which many actors are playing roles where they and others are in extreme peril, but there aren't many movies whereas the peril is centered on one character in which the premise centers around. We've seen films like "Phone Booth" '02 with Colin Farrell, last year's "Getaway" with Ethan Hawke and also last year's "All is Lost" with Robert Redford. I'm sure there are a few others, but with "Locke", we can now add to that list.
Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) has worked diligently to craft the life he has envisioned, dedicating himself to the job as a construction manager which he loves, and to the family he adores. On the eve of the biggest challenge of his career, Ivan receives a phone call that sets in motion a series of events that will unravel his family, job, and soul. All taking place over the course of one riveting car ride, "Locke" is an exploration of how one very wrong decision can lead to the collapse of a life. The more Ivan attempts to correct one bad situation, it only opens up Pandora's box to another bad situation and then the 'dominos' just keep falling.
The others in the cast are actually voices as he speaks with them on a hands free phone. These are Olivia Colman as Bethan, Ruth Wilson as Katrina, Ivan's wife, Andrew Scott as Donal, Ivan's contractor, Ben Daniels as Gareth, Ivan's boss, Tom Holland as Eddie, Ivan's son, Bill Milner as Sean, Ivan's other son, Danny Webb as Cassidy, Alice Lowe as Sister Margaret, Silas Carson as Dr. Gullu, Lee Ross as PC Davids, and Kirsty Dillon as Gareth's wife.
This was tightly and grittily directed by Steve Wright ("Redemption" '13) plus TV. He's more of a writer, but with the limited experience in the director's chair, this guy is a natural. He will shine even more with future projects. It was also written by Wright ("Carrott U Like" (TV movie) '94, "Gypsy Woman" '01, "Dirty Pretty Things" '02, "Amazing Grace" '06, "Eastern Promises" '07, "Redemption" '13, "Closed Circuit" '13) + TV. This guy seemingly writes cutting edge scripts before his particular style becomes chic, which I have great admiration for. This is a biz that is so fearful of breaking the mold, for fear of flopping and going into oblivion, that the chutzpah this guy displays certainly deserves praise even if one isn't into the subject matter. So much went on in this that it seemed longer than its 85 minute running time, but this is complimentary, because most screenplays would have needed a couple of hours to make sense of this plot. This guy was able pull it off in only 85 minutes. Of course, when you have someone like Hardy in the title role, this is just frosting on the cake. This has got to been one of Hardy's better efforts, and he's a fine actor.
If you can wrap your head around the claustrophobia of this premise--remember, it's all shot in the confines of a car, then I really believe you'll be pulled into this guy's life being turned totally upside down.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: R 85mins.
There are films based on true stories and then there are films based on an inspirationally derived event or story that just cause one to stand up and cheer and Disney's "Million Dollar Arm" fits the bill. We've seen other films of the like: "Remember the Titans", "Miracle", "Bend it Like Beckham", "Invincible", "Invictus", etc. These films hit one at the heart all the while teaching valuable lessons.
Based on a true story, this follows JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm), a once successful sports agent who finds himself edged out by bigger, slicker competitors. He and his business partner Aash (Aasif Mandvi) will have to close their business down for good if JB doesn't come up with something fast. Late one night, while watching cricket being played in India on TV, JB comes up with an idea so radical it just might work. So why not go to India and find the next baseball pitching sensation?
With a cantankerous scout Ray (Alan Arkin) in tow, they reach Mumbai where 40,000 hopefuls vie in a competition called 'Million Dollar Arm'. The two finalists, Rinku and Dinesh (Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal, emerge as winners, only then to fly back with JB to train with legendary pitching coach Tom House (Bill Paxton) in LA. The goal: get the two 18 year-olds signed to a major league team while only having a year for this to happen. These boys not only have to master the game, but life in the U.S. with a committed bachelor makes this even more complicated--for all of them. JB and the boys learn much more than they realized they would learn on and off the field.
Others to round out the cast are Lake Bell as Brenda, JB's tenant whom he slowly becomes attracted to, Pitobash as Amit, an interpreter who's a hoot in his role, Tzi Ma as Chang, an investor, Gregory Alan Williams as Doug, Tom's assistant coach, Darshan Jariwala as Vivek, Allyn Rachel as Theresa, and Rey Maualuga as Popo.
This was directed by Craig Gillepsie ("Mr. Woodcock" '07, "Lars and the Real Girl" '07, "Fright Night" '11, "Trooper" (TV movie) '13). By his very resume, this guy knows a thing or two about emitting passion--sometimes over the top passion out of his characters whether that passion is a positive thing or not. It was written by a seasoned pro who knows how to write. What? A script that actually works? Huh? And what a better writer than that of Thomas McCarthy ("The Station Agent" '03, "The Visitor" '07, "Up" (story) '09, "Win Win" '11). This was pure entertainment just by the writing, since there haven't been too many films of late that I would consider having quality writing. Other than a couple of very small slow areas, this script kept you moving right along. Not only was Hamm's performance believable, but the two that played the new ball players, and, of course, Arkin as Ray were equally played out well--basically a well casted film.
There aren't too many films out there now that one can be entertained, taught a valuable lesson and move one to realize that relaxing and having fun in order to earn trust trumps a venture money-making business any day of the week. Have fun with this--I know I did.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG 123mins.
Question? How many "Godzilla" movies have we seen since its conception? Answer? Four, not including this new incarnation of the franchise we call "Godzilla". The others span a lengthy time period including "Godzilla" '58, "Godzilla" '98, "Godzilla Millennium" '99, and "Godzilla: Final Wars" '04. One would question: aren't we Godzilla'd out by now?
The world's most famous monster, Godzilla is pitted against malevolent creatures, called Mutos who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence. Our military tried to kill the creatures back in the '50s through nuclear warheads, but they only went dormant until in 1999, when unexplained earthquakes and other odd phenomena were occurring, scientists started getting alarmed.
Enter-- Dr. Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston), a scientist at a nuclear plant in Japan and his wife, Sondra (Juliette Binoche) who works along side him. An incident occurs and the plant ends up having a meltdown killing his wife. Fifteen years later, Joe's son, Ford (Aaron Taylor- Johnson) is grown, has a loving wife, Elle (Elizabeth Olsen), and is military. Joe tries to relay that something strange is happening--not earthquakes or tsunamis, but something the government is apparently not telling us. Soon, Joe's very concerns eventually materialize and Ford will have to work with the military including Admiral William Stenz (David Strathairn) and Capt. Russell Hampton (Richard T. Jones) to try and kill these creatures before they kill millions of people.
Others to round out the cast are Ken Watanabe as Dr. Ichiro Serizawa, Sally Hawkins as Vivienne Graham, CJ Adams as Young Ford, Carson Bolde as Sam Brody, Ford and Elle's son, Victor Rasuk as Sgt. Tre Morales, Patrick Sabongui as Lt. Commander Marcus Waltz, and Jared Keeso as Jump Master.
This was adequately directed by relative newcomer to feature films, Gareth Edwards ("End Say" (TV movie) '05, "Monsters" '10 plus other TV). The guy has potential, and given more work and time, he'll find his niche. This was just a bit choppy and did a little jumping around, but as said prior, he's relatively new to the director's chair. It was written by Max Borenstein based on a story by David Callaham. Even though the storyline was better than its predecessors, this isn't giving this a great deal of credit. The premise was certainly palatable, but not enough to not have to look at my watch twice throughout the film. Some of the areas of script were just dragged out and took time to really get going. The visual effects were created by way too numerous of companies to even list, but they were truly outstanding, but one has to realize this before you walk through the theater doors. This was also presented in the 3D process.
If you are a Godzilla or even sci-fi afictionado, you will be in Godzilla heaven, because this pulls out all the stops, however if you're looking for something a little meatier, try the next door film at the multiplex.
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: PG-13 123mins.
After all that I've said prior about comedies today being vulgar, toilet-humored, tasteless vehicles, I finally found a comedy that isn't a great comedy, but it is certainly a family friendly film that has funny places and does it with taste. "Moms' Night Out" is a film that not only the adults can fun with, but kids as well. When was the last time we've seen a comedy that is geared to such a vast demographic?
All Allyson (Sarah Drew) and her friends, Izzy (Andrea Logan White) and Sondra (Patricia Heaton) want is a peaceful grown-up evening of dinner and fun-- a long-needed moms' night out. But in order to enjoy high heels, adult conversation, and food not served in a bag, they need their husbands, Sean (Sean Astin), Marco (Robert Amaya) and Ray (Alex Kendrick) to watch the kids for a few hours... what could go wrong? What!? We're talking about a bunch of guys who don't really raise the kids thinking they know their kids. So between Allyson making a dinner reservation on the wrong Saturday and losing it at the restaurant when they deny her and her friends a table, to the husbands injuring themselves when they take the kids to a video arcade and everything in between, these characters are in for one long Saturday night.
Others to round out the cast are David Hunt as the Cabbie, Trace Adkins as Bones, Abbie Cobb as Bridget, Allyson's sister, Kevin Downes as Kevin, a longtime buddy of Sean, Harry Shum Jr. as Joey, Bridget's ex, Sammi Hanratty as Zoe, Sondra and Ray's daughter, Michael Leone as Brandon, Shiloh Nelson as Bailey, and Brett Price as Sergeant Murphy.
This was effectively written and directed by the Erwin Brothers (Andrew and Jon) ("The Cross and the Towers" (Documentary) '06, "Alumni" (TV movie) '09, "October Baby" '11). Granted, this wasn't an overly original premise to work from, but this brand of comedy is much needed in a society of people feeling beat up, depressed, dragged out from all sorts of problems, that to see something one can take the whole family and get a good laugh might just what the doctor ordered. Maybe this film isn't based in anything real, but sometimes we need and want to see something fun and entertaining whereas this type of film works. Sugar-coated? Sure, but I'd rather see a comedy like this than endure four- lettered words, toilet-humored, fart jokes type of 'comedy'.
As said prior, if you like the typical comedy that we're besieged with far too often, this is not the film for you, however if you are looking to take your family to see a nice, clean comedy and get some laughs, this will fit the bill.
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: PG 99mins.
For this being the summer movie season, it has gotten to a slow start, and it's already May 10th. Yes, we've seen the two Marvel comic book films released, but where's the variety? I've seen a few independent films which have been well done, but I'm still waiting for Hollywood to start releasing good solid summer fare. Which takes me to "Fading Gigolo", a small independent film which seemed much longer than the 90 minute running time.
Fioravante (John Turturro), a florist, decides to become a professional 'Don Juan' as a way of making money to help his cash-strapped longtime friend, Murray (Woody Allen). Fioravante only makes this decision after Murray's constant justification and rationalizing of the decision. With Murray acting as his 'manager' and receiving forty percent of the profits, the duo quickly finds themselves caught up in the crosscurrents of love and money.
Fioravante subsequently comes into contact with Avigal (Vanessa Paradis), a widow of two years, who misses her husband tremendously. They meet, and as they have their 'session', she begins to cry, because she has never been touched since her husband passed away. He obviously decides to stop and is considerably understanding. This event not only helps her but him as well as they start to fall in love and he starts to question this new found profession.
Others to round out the cast are Liev Schreiber as Dovi, Sharon Stone as Dr. Parker, Fioravante's first client, Sofia Vergara as Selima, a subsequent client, Tonya Pinkins as Othella, Jade Dixon as Cee Cee, M'Barka Ben Taleb as Mimou, Bob Balaban as Sol, Murray's attorney, David Margulies as Chief Rebbe, Abe Altman as First Rabbi, Sol Frieder as Ancient Rabbi, Max Casella as Guy at Counter, Allen Lewis Rickman as Hasidic Driver, and Teddy Bergman as Yossi.
This was directed with such pathos and empathy by actor, John Turturro ("Mac" '92, "Illuminata" '98, "Romance & Cigarettes" '05, "Passione" '10). As a 'chameleon', this guy has acted in so many different roles in so many films, that this would have to give him that edge, he would need, to know how to get these consummate actors to respond as they do. This was also written by Turturro and even though it was written extremely well in the purist sense, it did take a long time for this to actually get off the ground. Maybe I was a bit impatient at the time, but it had some areas that just didn't seem crucial enough even though it was a relatively short film. Even though Allen didn't have any input, credit wise, in this, the feel of the movie was very similar of that of an Allen film.
If you are either an Allen or Turturro fan, you will revel, however if you like comedies with more pratfalls, toilet humor, this is not the film for you. This is a very powder dry comedy/ drama, that unfortunately will leave you wanting more.
Out of 4 Stars: 2.5 Rated: R 90mins.
We have seen a plethora of films based on true stories, and I mean just recently. We've seen "Heaven is for Real", "Cesar Chavez", "The Monuments Men" and most recently "Walking with the Enemy", and these films cover only this year. When I saw my first trailer of "The Railway Man", I thought it might be good--certainly a great cast, but I had no idea how powerful this film was until I actually experienced it.
Eric Lomax (Colin Firth) was one of many thousands of Allied prisoners of war forced to work on the construction of the Thai/Burma railway during WWII. His experiences, after the secret radio he built to bring news and hope to his colleagues was discovered, was one of torture by the hands of the Japanese and a young Takeshi Nagase (Tanroh Ishida) being responsible for the torture. This left him traumatized and shut off from the world.
Years later he met a beautiful woman, Patti (Nicole Kidman), on a train, fell in love and subsequently married. Patti was determined to rid Eric of his demons, so after speaking with Eric's colleague as a POW, Finlay (Stellan Skarsgard) about their experiences during that time, it caused her to try to be more understanding of Eric's nightmarish past. Discovering that Nagase, who is now older (Hiroyuki Sanada)-- being the one that haunted her husband, was still alive, Patti faces a terrible decision. Should Eric be given a chance to confront his tormentor? Would she stand by him, whatever he did?
Others to round out the cast are Jeremy Irvine as younger Eric as POW in WWII, Sam Reid as younger Finlay as POW in WWII, Ewen Leslie as Capt. Thompson, Tom Hobbs as Thorlby, Tom Stokes as Withins, Michael MacKenzie as Sutton, Yutaka Izumihara as Japanese NCO, and Akos Armont as Jackson.
This was directed with severe clarity and intensity by Jonathan Teplitzky ("Better Than Sex" 2000, "Gettin' Square" '03, "Burning Man" '11). It was as though he dissected these characters to a point that was so delineated, one felt that these actors were the people they were portraying. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson based on the book by Eric Lomax. Firth as Eric was written as a character with a traumatized past, otherwise known today as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), something that we, unfortunately, didn't realize its full damage to an individual until the last few years. This disorder was written so well indicating the severity of this condition, that if you didn't know that Firth was an actor, one might think this person was actually experiencing this--of course, a lot of validity was from Firth's performance.
This could be a contender come Oscar time, because between the acting, writing and directing, not to mention the cinematography by Garry Phillips, acs, this film simply is entertaining, and shows power, forgiveness, redemption and grit all within the confines of less than a two hour running time.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: R 116mins.
As the summer movie season starts this weekend, it starts off with a bang and the visual effects companies are loving it, not to mention Hollywood as a whole--cha-ching! Sci-Fi seems to be the favorite genre as we are off and running with "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" which will undoubtedly make a ton of money. This being the second installment of the much improved overhauled franchise, this will definitely captivate that younger audience who just happen to be out of school. Did I say cha-ching?
We've always known that Spider-Man's most important conflict has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in this installment of the franchise, Peter Parker finds that his greatest battle is about to begin. It's great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there's no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro who is also Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) returns after his father Norman (Chris Cooper) dies, Peter comes to realize that all his enemies have one thing in common: Oscorp.
Others to round out the cast are Colm Feore as Donald Menken, Felicity Jones as Felicia, Harry's assistant, Paul Giamatti as Aleksei Sytevich, Sally Field as Aunt May, Embeth Davidtz as Mary Parker, Peter's mother, Campbell Scott as Richard Parker, Peter's father, Marton Csokas as Dr. Ashley Kafka, and B.J. Novak as Alistair Smythe.
This was directed which such measured ingredients probably so as to be as true to the first installment by the formidable Marc Webb ("500 Days of Summer" "09, "The Amazing Spider-Man" '12), that it almost seemed 'clinical'. I'd like to see this guy direct more than franchise commercial film work, because the independent, "500 Days of Summer" was crafted well by this director. He can do it if given the opportunity and right project. It was written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Jeff Pinkner based on a screen story by Kurtzman, Orci, Pinkner, and James Vanderbilt which is based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. With the exception of some sappiness in a few places and a bit of non-cohesiveness, this was not a bad plot. Shocker--there's going to be a third installment. Please tell me you weren't shocked by that news. The visual effects predominantly created by SPI (Sony Pictures Imageworks) were a little over the top, but certainly seamless.
If you're a comic book or especially a Spider-Man affictionado, you will be in your own form of bliss, but if you're not, you'll love the visual effects with the nifty 3D process to bide your 141 minute time.
Out of 4 Stars: 3 Rated: PG-13 141mins.
An extremely important aspect of films is the ability to escape into a fantastical world and have fun being in that world instead of our own stressful, boring, and humdrum world we live in on a daily basis. We know the fantasy genre is a favorite since so many films of this genre have been created as far back to 1939's "The Wizard of Oz" to the most recent "Oz: The Great and Powerful". Others such as "Pans Labyrinth", "Winter's Tale", and even "Field of Dreams" to mention a few, add to that ever growing list. So it's not tough to believe that we would be ready to sink our teeth into "Maleficent".
