tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7888430699236049242024-02-21T00:26:27.801-05:00Maki at the MoviesGREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.comBlogger211125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-21166408578758710402013-01-04T14:30:00.000-05:002013-01-04T14:30:02.827-05:00New homeBecoming more official-like, Maki at the Movies has moved to <a href="http://www.stardem.com/">The Star Democrat's website</a>. New reviews and other movie-related posts will be at <a href="http://www.stardem.com/MakiAtTheMovies">www.stardem.com/MakiAtTheMovies</a>.GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-84615969713790080042012-12-27T12:39:00.000-05:002012-12-27T12:40:29.901-05:00The Best of 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnwQoTydGOD0s1MxRFSob5zKfor8G9DD9ZDueiu3JL7oN-n9aSUvUmUMuOh-wBznGAQ0D2NqqZ0OBrODbi8LwdHnxx2elpUurfTUQVq3e3C7FtTp8IuueOOrgKMldTGnUlShxglwfxqI7/s1600/film_review_lincoln_jpeg_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The 10 best movies I saw in 2012:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DREAMWORKS, 20TH CENTURY FOX, DAVID JAMES <br />
Daniel Day-Lewis, center rear, is shown in a scene from "Lincoln."</td></tr>
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<b>1. "Lincoln"</b></div>
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Steven Spielberg directing a film about our 16th president,
with Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role—sounds like a slam dunk, right? Well,
yes, it is, but expecting it to be great doesn't diminish its tremendous
achievement.</div>
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Instead of being a biopic spanning decades, the movie is set
primarily in January 1865, when Lincoln
pulled out every political trick he could find to secure passage of the 13th
Amendment (abolishing slavery).</div>
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Day-Lewis fully inhabits Abraham Lincoln, bringing him to
life in a way we've never seen before, whether he's delivering a passionate
speech or telling one of his folksy stories. It's a performance of
extraordinary power in a career filled with towering achievements. The
supporting cast, including Tommy Lee Jones as the abolitionist congressman
Thaddeus Stevens and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, is filled with many of
today's best character actors.</div>
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This is the work of a restrained Spielberg, who allows the
extraordinary performances to carry the film.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WARNER BROS. PICTURES<br />
Martin Freeman is shown in a scene from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."</td></tr>
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<b>2. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"</b></div>
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The first film in a trilogy that will serve as a prequel to
"The Lord of the Rings" is a triumphant return to Middle-earth.
Lighter in tone than the "Rings" movies (but nearly as long),
"The Hobbit" follows Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he joins a
band of dwarves—and the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen)—on a quest to
reclaim their homeland from the dragon who drove them out years ago.</div>
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Beefing up the back story of the would-be dwarf king, Thorin
Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), director Peter Jackson supplies an epic scope
somewhat lacking in J.R.R. Tolkien's book and adds material to set up stronger
links to events of "The Lord of the Rings." It all comes together
smoothly, especially in the thrilling second half, during which Bilbo finds the
One Ring and engages the creature Gollum (Andy Serkis) in a game of riddles—the
scene of the year.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WARNER BROS. PICTURES<br />
Ben Affleck is shown in a scene from "Argo."</td></tr>
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<b>3. "Argo"</b>
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Based on the real-life rescue of six American diplomats from
the home of the Canadian ambassador during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, Ben Affleck's
"Argo" is a meticulously crafted, intelligent picture that seamlessly
blends elements of the thriller, political drama, heist movie and comedy.</div>
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Expertly paced and edited, it is one of the most gripping
thrillers in years, accomplishing that feat without the benefit of action set
pieces or flashy computer effects. It's a love letter to the movies, their
power and appeal, while also poking fun at the Hollywood
culture that produces them.</div>
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Raising the stakes and widening his scope, this is Affleck's
most ambitious effort as a director and his biggest success. He also headlines
a cast that features fine supporting work by Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and
Alan Arkin.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LIONSGATE, DIYAH PERA <br />
Fran Kranz is shown in a scene from "The Cabin in the Woods."</td></tr>
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<b>4. "The Cabin in the Woods"</b>
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From the minds of writer-producer Joss Whedon and
writer-director Drew Goddard, "The Cabin in the Woods" manages to
comment on the nature of horror movies, the making of them and why they have
endured throughout the history of cinema—all while being an effective horror
movie in its own right and a whole lot of fun.</div>
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You think the movie is one thing. Then it becomes something
else. And then it becomes even more in its fevered final act. This is genre
filmmaking at its very best.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNIVERSAL PICTURES/SUZANNE HANOVER<br />
Paul Rudd, left, and Leslie Mann are shown in a scene from "This is 40."</td></tr>
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<b>5. "This is 40"</b>
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What's this? A mature Judd Apatow?</div>
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"This is 40" follows married couple Pete (Paul
Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) a few years after "Knocked Up," and
deals—in a very funny and very real way—with issues of entering middle age,
marriage and parenting. They bicker, they pull away from each other, but a deep
love that goes beyond words holds them together.</div>
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Without a strong narrative backbone, the film simply exists
with its characters and the wonderful actors who bring them to life, including
Albert Brooks, John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Charlyne Yi, Jason Segel, Chris O'Dowd
and Lena Dunham. It might not be Apatow's funniest movie, but its heart and honesty
make it his best.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IFC FILMS, ADAM BECKMAN <br />
Mike Birbiglia is shown in a scene from "Sleepwalk With Me."</td></tr>
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<b>6. "Sleepwalk with Me"</b>
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In this only slightly fictionalized story from comedian Mike
Birbiglia, the combined stress from his struggles to make it on the standup
comedy circuit, his long-term relationship with his girlfriend (Lauren Ambrose)
and pressure from his family lead to often-dangerous nighttime activities for
Matt Pandamiglia (Birbiglia).</div>
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Breaking the fourth wall, telling the story directly to the
camera, Birbiglia's easygoing nature shines through, making Matt relatable if
not always likable. His casual tone carries forth throughout the movie,
welcoming the arrival of a unique new voice.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY, JOJO WHILDREN<br />
Jennifer Lawrence, left, and Bradley Cooper are shown in a scene from "Silver Linings Playbook."</td></tr>
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<b>7. "Silver Linings Playbook"</b>
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David O. Russell's offbeat romantic comedy features Bradley
Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro as three of the year's most
memorable characters: a man fresh out of a mental hospital determined to win
back his wife, a young widow who draws his attention and his
obsessive-compulsive father.</div>
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Funny without being glib, dark and serious without taking
itself too seriously, this is a movie that, until its fairly standard
conclusion, refuses to adhere to the well-worn traditions of its genre.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT<br />
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, left, and Bruce Willis are shown in a scene from "Looper."</td></tr>
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<b>8. "Looper</b>
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In the year's best science fiction movie, Joseph
Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis play different versions of the same man, the
elder sent back in time to be executed by the younger.</div>
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Writer-director Rian Johnson uses this setup to dig deep
into the character and tell a story that exists in the gray areas of morality.
Young Joe (Gordon-Levitt) wants to kill his older self and collect the hefty
payout that comes with it; Future Joe (Willis) wants to kill a child who will
grow up to become a ruthless mob boss. There are no easy answers when it comes
to the question of who is right and who is wrong.</div>
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PARAMOUNT PICTURES</div>
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Denzel Washington is shown in a scene from “Flight.”</div>
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<b>9. "Flight"</b>
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Denzel Washington takes on his most challenging role in
years as alcoholic airline pilot Whip Whitaker, who miraculously crash-lands
his plane, saving the lives of almost everyone on board—while drunk. Instead of
being the story of a man wrongfully accused, which is as it appeared in
promotional materials, it is a dark, harrowing tale of addiction. A welcome
return for Robert Zemeckis, directing his first live-action feature since 2000.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
MILLENIUM ENTERTAINMENT</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jack Black is shown in a scene from “Bernie.”</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>10. "Bernie"</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Richard Linklater's fact-based film, Jack Black gives a
nicely understated performance as Bernie Tiede, a kindly mortician so popular
in little Carthage, Texas, that the district attorney (Matthew McConaughey) has
to request a change of venue to get a fair trial after Bernie shoots his
wealthy, elderly companion (Shirley MacLaine) four times in the back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Incorporating interviews with real Carthage residents, "Bernie" is a
darkly comic take on the quirks and simplicities of small-town living.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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-----</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>BEST DIRECTOR:</b> Ben Affleck, "Argo"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>BEST ACTOR: </b>Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>BEST ACTRESS:</b> Helen Mirren, "Hitchcock"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:</b> Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings
Playbook"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:</b> Sally Field, "Lincoln"</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-45912203253671766682012-12-21T00:01:00.000-05:002012-12-21T09:22:55.249-05:00Jack Reacher<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMe8onKbGEU2KtGzXKV5UWtKSE7Rod6Dj_214TFS_SzhlU8x2eDuItkKm2SymdJyLatm48NcNHwAb2opR0IUEzdaT2kEo6VB0M39FrbjTMEUMoGglimfbg8KPeNU8RtorHjLw28qeZdLSf/s1600/Film-Jack+Reacher+.JPEG-08b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMe8onKbGEU2KtGzXKV5UWtKSE7Rod6Dj_214TFS_SzhlU8x2eDuItkKm2SymdJyLatm48NcNHwAb2opR0IUEzdaT2kEo6VB0M39FrbjTMEUMoGglimfbg8KPeNU8RtorHjLw28qeZdLSf/s400/Film-Jack+Reacher+.JPEG-08b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PARAMOUNT PICTURES<br />
Tom Cruise is shown in a scene from "Jack Reacher."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"You think I'm a hero? I'm not a hero. I'm a drifter
with nothing to lose."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He's Jack Reacher, protagonist of the film of the same name,
a former military police officer who now wanders the United States, regularly
collecting his pension but leaving no other trace—no family, no home, no car,
no driver's license, no clothes other than what he's wearing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He's the star of a series of mystery novels by Lee Child
(now at 17 and counting); "Jack Reacher" is based on the ninth,
"One Shot," published in 2005. In the books, he's an intimidating
physical presence—6 feet 5 inches tall, 250 pounds—not exactly what comes to
mind when you think of Tom Cruise.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
At 50 years old(?!), Cruise still doesn't look his age (he
looks younger than me, and I'm 33), but he's got enough years on him to
effectively convey the world-weariness of a military veteran. Tight-lipped and
stoic, he makes every word count and carries himself with a quiet, menacing
confidence. When he's involved in a five-on-one brawl, it's the five who are at
a disadvantage. He's Jason Bourne if Jason Bourne had the comic timing to
deliver a good wisecrack.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He's also a brilliant investigator, with a photographic
memory and unencumbered by those pesky laws police officers must follow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When a sniper murders five seemingly random people in Pittsburgh, accused
shooter James Barr (Joseph Sikora), instead of confessing, writes three words: "Get
Jack Reacher."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reacher, who has a history with Barr, becomes the lead
investigator for defense attorney Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike), daughter of the
district attorney (Richard Jenkins), and quickly comes to the conclusion that
Barr was framed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PARAMOUNT PICTURES, KAREN BALLARD<br />
Tom Cruise, right, and Jai Courtney are shown in a scene from "Jack Reacher."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Written for the screen and directed by Christopher McQuarrie
(writer of "The Usual Suspects"), "Jack Reacher" is a smart
whodunnit punctuated by visceral action and sly wit. The bad guys' Evil Plot
and the shoot-'em-up climax are a bit of a letdown, but mysteries are more
about getting there than what the "there" actually is.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With so much more available source material, this could be
just the beginning for Jack Reacher on the big screen. Given Hollywood's willingness to make a franchise
out of anything, we could do much, much worse.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: A-</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated PG-13 for violence, language and some drug material.
130 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-38488884761997723102012-12-19T15:28:00.001-05:002012-12-19T15:31:11.047-05:00Les Misérables<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jQidKDYQFI6sdwSdhNl7BN2C2RbwXr11jMwKhSg5P25EB0RcyrkFtlaFh541itCewRgJG7LVe-pneHjeeHjJz_9UtZqmp9k9kCxhya4oRCnunNcQdvllujxrSHW7kg-reTNxX2n3yZvR/s1600/Film+Review+Les+Miserable%233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jQidKDYQFI6sdwSdhNl7BN2C2RbwXr11jMwKhSg5P25EB0RcyrkFtlaFh541itCewRgJG7LVe-pneHjeeHjJz_9UtZqmp9k9kCxhya4oRCnunNcQdvllujxrSHW7kg-reTNxX2n3yZvR/s400/Film+Review+Les+Miserable%233.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNIVERSAL PICTURES, LAURIE SPARHAM<br />Hugh Jackman holds Isabelle Allen in a scene from "Les Misérables."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let me put this out there right at the start: I don't
"get" musicals.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe I'm being shortsighted, but they just don't make much
sense to me. I know the genre is no more artificial than any other, yet I can't
help wondering how all the characters knows all the words, melodies and dance
steps. (Maybe these are the original flash mobs, and the filmmakers left out
the scenes of them planning their little get-togethers.) And I simply don't
care for the music of most musicals, which probably is my biggest problem.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, I can sit back and admire parts of "Les
Misérables" without becoming remotely engaged in the material.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Directed by Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech), the movie
is based on the popular stage musical by Alain Boubil, Claude-Michel Schonberg
and Herbert Kretzmer, which in turn was based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo.
This is the first film adaptation of the musical, which premiered in 1980 in France and 1987
on Broadway.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With virtually no spoken dialogue, Hooper had the actors
sing live on the set, lending an immediacy and intimacy to the performances
that's rare for a musical. They might not hit every note perfectly, and that is
a welcome change of pace.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hugh Jackman leads a stellar cast as Jean Valjean,
imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread, now free on parole.
Struggling to find his way in the world, he's taken in by a kindly bishop, who
encourages him to start a new life. After breaking parole, he reinvents
himself, and eight years later, he's become Monsieur Madeleine, owner of a
factory and mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of his factory workers, Fantine (Anne Hathaway in a
heartbreaking turn), resorts to selling herself after she loses her job due to
the discovery of her illegitimate child. Valjean comes to her aid, and with
Fantine near death, promises to care for her daughter, Cosette. At the same
time, Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe) recognizes Valjean as the ex-convict he
has been hunting ever since he broke his parole nearly a decade earlier.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While eluding Javert, Valjean collects Cosette (Isabelle
Allen) from a pair of crooked innkeepers, the Thénardiers (a scene-stealing
Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter), and spends the next nine years
raising her in anonymity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsjsXmPKSVDGHsHmpju1PxrbHk3znE8KMkZ9wpacZVQpLTyWZTX6zXQMed-684y0qIkpEsziRJjRvpLC8cWHhLDvFHYH8uzU7QWI4F4Sr0_l-vASGRRhparRuFURGo4QP94XE00-Gl6_9/s1600/Film+Review+Les+Miserable%25236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsjsXmPKSVDGHsHmpju1PxrbHk3znE8KMkZ9wpacZVQpLTyWZTX6zXQMed-684y0qIkpEsziRJjRvpLC8cWHhLDvFHYH8uzU7QWI4F4Sr0_l-vASGRRhparRuFURGo4QP94XE00-Gl6_9/s400/Film+Review+Les+Miserable%25236.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNIVERSAL PICTURES, JAMES FISHER<br />
Eddie Redmayne, left, and Amanda Seyfried are shown in a scene from "Les Misérables."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Javert eventually catches up to Valjean again, and just as
Valjean is about to go into hiding, Cosette (now played by Amanda Seyfried)
meets Marius (Eddie Redmayne), one of a group of students plotting a rebellion.
This being a musical, they instantly fall in love. Much of the remainder of the
movie centers on this love story and an attempted revolution.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Given the stage musical's immense popularity, there is a
built-in audience for this that knows the story and won't care about narrative
issues, such as a lack of focus and a running time that stretches beyond
two-and-a-half hours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They "get" it, and I don't, which doesn't make
either of us right or wrong. I#<\p>at least can recognize "Les
Misérables" as being well acted (Hathaway seems most likely to garner
awards consideration), and you probably can tell if it's for you regardless of
anything I write.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: C</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated PG-13 for suggestive and sexual material, violence
and thematic elements. 157 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-72277150543583885932012-12-19T00:01:00.000-05:002012-12-19T15:14:24.196-05:00This is 40<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTH-rxDaAv1bTvprG45SljVstYpdRIdA_rtq8s-DNfMBDkZK-ESjtL9mPZEyBRnyxfIFS7dpi_R1tQXVS3npvjd6QLY-3S9nfQIWDynqLLbiTBFpC9d-I1H3WwO0EgLM1ahY2TmkhRRvu_/s1600/21_ente_thisis40_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTH-rxDaAv1bTvprG45SljVstYpdRIdA_rtq8s-DNfMBDkZK-ESjtL9mPZEyBRnyxfIFS7dpi_R1tQXVS3npvjd6QLY-3S9nfQIWDynqLLbiTBFpC9d-I1H3WwO0EgLM1ahY2TmkhRRvu_/s400/21_ente_thisis40_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNIVERSAL PICTURES/SUZANNE HANOVER<br />
Paul Rudd, left, and Leslie Mann are shown in a scene from "This is 40."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann), the married
couple we met five years ago in "Knocked Up," aren't always 100
percent honest with each other. They aren't guilty of lying as much as they are
of omitting—Pete eats an extra cupcake, Debbie enjoys an occasional cigarette,
Pete misses a mortgage payment due to his floundering record company. Not all
omissions are created equal.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But their love runs deep, feels real, and even as they
endlessly bicker and see their very different interests pulling them apart, it
feels as though that bond, a connection that is not rational or explainable,
will see them through it—not in a way that is trite or predictable, but in a
manner that says these people are right for each other, and smart and mature
enough to figure out how to make it work.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"This is 40," from writer-director Judd Apatow,
deals head-on with the issues of the transition from young adulthood to middle
age, of marriage, of being a parent, of coming to the realization that
responsibility is not something that will go away. And it does so in a way that
is often hilarious and always honest.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lacking a strong narrative spine, it's a hard film to sum
up quickly, and with humor that flows naturally from the characters and where
they are in their lives instead of relying on punchlines and pratfalls, it's
not an easy sell.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It's a mature picture, something Apatow has been working
toward throughout his career after spending time on TV in high school
("Freaks and Geeks") and college ("Undeclared"), and then
in the movies dealing with a man having sex for the first time ("The
40-Year-Old Virgin"), pregnancy ("Knocked Up") and staring death
in the eye at a relatively young age ("Funny People").</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"This is 40" is a family affair for Apatow: Mann
is his real-life wife, and their children, Maude and Iris Apatow (reprising
their "Knocked Up" roles), play Pete and Debbie's kids, Sadie and
Charlotte, respectively.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavLPAEb4S6lYmjDx3yoMhzmVD-NUJIlw5xyUWG7Oz1uH9KkT641T77xZmnFDz0i53wfQoh8zqcSnCskNa6E4DzAgh1UTJZYgaIzMaKg_gJkzYLOW8KaJMyk05mh-gajJYqp7bBjCNlJ-K/s1600/21_ente_thisis40_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavLPAEb4S6lYmjDx3yoMhzmVD-NUJIlw5xyUWG7Oz1uH9KkT641T77xZmnFDz0i53wfQoh8zqcSnCskNa6E4DzAgh1UTJZYgaIzMaKg_gJkzYLOW8KaJMyk05mh-gajJYqp7bBjCNlJ-K/s400/21_ente_thisis40_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNIVERSAL PICTURES/SUZANNE HANOVER<br />
From left, Iris Apatow, Maude Apatwo, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann are shown in a scene from "This is 40."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Stress is getting to both Pete and Debbie as they both hit
the big 4-0 in the same week. Pete's financial troubles might force them to
sell their house. He's pinning all his hopes on a new album by musician Graham
Parker, who hasn't had a hit in decades. Debbie, who runs a clothing boutique,
knows one of two employees, Jodi (Charlyne Yi) or Desi (a surprisingly funny
Megan Fox), has stolen $12,000 from her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pete also continues to give money to his mooch of a father
(Albert Brooks), while Debbie barely knows her dad (John Lithgow), who walked
out on her when she was 8.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rudd, one of our best comic actors and underrated as a
dramatic performer, is at his best here, conveying Pete's frustration and
anxiety, but also his love for and commitment to his family. Mann, something of
a weak link in Apatow's other films, holds her own as Debbie experiences a
similar range of emotions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With their small roles, Apatow uses Brooks and Lithgow as
his secret weapons, while Jason Segel, also returning from "Knocked
Up," provides a few good laughs as Debbie's personal trainer—fingers crossed
for a "Bodies by Jason" spin-off. (There is, however, no mention of
the characters played by Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen in "Knocked
Up.")</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fine supporting cast runs even deeper than that, with
Chris O'Dowd and Lena Dunham as Pete's employees, and Michael Ian Black as his
accountant.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Visually, there is nothing to speak of here, but that is not
what Apatow is about as a filmmaker. People, their lives and relationships
interest him, and though most of us aren't as funny as his characters, he tells
their stories with uncanny truth. He's reached a new level of authenticity with
"This is 40," his finest movie yet and one of the year's best.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg's Grade: A</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated R for sexual content, crude humor, pervasive language
and some drug material. 134 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-35010501198635804772012-12-18T15:34:00.001-05:002012-12-18T15:34:42.282-05:00Life of Pi<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBa5aDOXWSDKfxL3PW7m78njjvmacK9He-kdvtLbJK-SHF9bklPJplBk1vLd3Qm57FPzzaCRZgiiUswaQxZcjvxQiMVdf83fH6zOwqePsluhcXbkGTtOEKqPUdfHWe2Fp1liUZ_-N5W3a/s1600/Film+Review+Life+of+Pi+.J_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBa5aDOXWSDKfxL3PW7m78njjvmacK9He-kdvtLbJK-SHF9bklPJplBk1vLd3Qm57FPzzaCRZgiiUswaQxZcjvxQiMVdf83fH6zOwqePsluhcXbkGTtOEKqPUdfHWe2Fp1liUZ_-N5W3a/s400/Film+Review+Life+of+Pi+.J_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20TH CENTURY FOX, PETER SOREL<br />
Suraj Sharma is shown in a scene from "Life of Pi."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" has grand ambitions. It
aims to be an epic tale of survival and wonder, filled with exquisite special
effects. It mostly succeeds but falls short in one crucial area.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the story of an Indian boy named Piscine Patel,
after a swimming pool in France.
He adopts the moniker "Pi" after schoolmates notice the similarity
between his name and a term for a particular bodily function.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Raised at a zoo and as a Hindu, Pi spends much of his
childhood exploring Christianity and Islam in an effort to love and understand
God.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Pi reaches his teens, his family sells off the zoo and,
along with some of their animals, boards a Japanese freighter bound for Canada and a
new life. A shipwreck in the Pacific Ocean
changes those plans. His father, mother and brother never to be seen again, Pi
finds himself adrift on a lifeboat with an orangutan, a hyena, a zebra and a
Bengal Tiger named, due to a clerical error, "Richard Parker." Soon,
it's down to just the boy and the tiger.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard Parker is no Disney creation; he's a fearsome beast,
and Pi's challenge is not only to survive the elements but to avoid being
mauled and eaten by his shipmate. During months at sea, the resourceful Pi
finds ways to keep his distance from and start to train the dangerous animal,
and keep both of them fed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The animals, as well as the ocean environment that serves as
the setting for the bulk of the movie, are mostly computer creations, and the
visual effects team does astounding work bringing them to life. Richard Parker
is beautiful, graceful and a deadly threat at all times.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdFFIo3NH8P4elsBbOVzE7eoogsXItr_Or8JwuHWzNUc4U9ScLokOGHsXdgkqHaMoGm-DqTwj45xGHnAdZhyd3FjGbvu-Q1L3nsYz7ge_3aLo5cCsERJVj7K2XQlw_1cUoly83n3rORyC/s1600/21_ente_life-of-pi-LOP-275_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdFFIo3NH8P4elsBbOVzE7eoogsXItr_Or8JwuHWzNUc4U9ScLokOGHsXdgkqHaMoGm-DqTwj45xGHnAdZhyd3FjGbvu-Q1L3nsYz7ge_3aLo5cCsERJVj7K2XQlw_1cUoly83n3rORyC/s400/21_ente_life-of-pi-LOP-275_.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20TH CENTURY FOX<br />
The tiger Richard Parker reacts to the sudden appearance of a school of flying fish in a scene from "Life of Pi."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Based on a novel by Yann Martel, with a screenplay by David
Magee ("Finding Neverland"), this is an inspiring tale of two beings
who are so different but cannot survive without the other. It's also gorgeous
to behold, its open water and sky so surreally bright and vivid.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The flaw is that much of the movie rests on the shoulders of
one actor—Suraj Sharma, portraying the teenage Pi—who isn't quite capable of
carrying such a burden. It could not have been an easy task acting opposite
animals that would be inserted in post-production in a setting that wasn't
there either, but Sharma simply is not convincing enough. This requires a
performance with the power of James Franco's in "127 Hours," and
that's missing here. In fact, I preferred the performance of Irrfan Khan as the
adult Pi, who tells his story to a writer (Rafe Spall), to Sharma's.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We're left, then, with a film that is a visual marvel, with
an extraordinary story, that's dragged down by a very ordinary lead actor. A
stronger performance could have made a good movie great.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg's Grade: B</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated PG for emotional thematic content throughout, and
some scary action sequences and peril. 127 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-91034968846272417322012-12-15T16:33:00.001-05:002012-12-16T01:08:17.579-05:00Silver Linings Playbook<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQnw0FwIpP-o1kzo3ncot84vAy-0jpOLZ5SZEE_gbM_Cp6HZZFqcqZyhKJ1yXRP6wrX8Mm_pz3mwKA_LLPU3eUlswI81VdL2vvfQg8U_2w1Z282kXK0N0yp0mRaY7cuJNUIEVEYLH5lTN/s1600/Film+Review+Silver+Linings+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQnw0FwIpP-o1kzo3ncot84vAy-0jpOLZ5SZEE_gbM_Cp6HZZFqcqZyhKJ1yXRP6wrX8Mm_pz3mwKA_LLPU3eUlswI81VdL2vvfQg8U_2w1Z282kXK0N0yp0mRaY7cuJNUIEVEYLH5lTN/s400/Film+Review+Silver+Linings+.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY, JOJO WHILDREN<br />
Jennifer Lawrence, left, and Bradley Cooper are shown in a scene from "Silver Linings Playbook."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pat Solatano's (Bradley Cooper) life appears to be in
shambles. After eight months in a Baltimore
mental hospital, where he's been diagnosed as bipolar, he's lost both his job
and his house. He lost his wife, Nikki (Brea Bee), earlier—finding her in the
shower with another man triggered the breakdown that sent him away. She now has
a restraining order against him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He comes home to Philadelphia
to stay with his parents: caring, supportive Dolores (Jacki Weaver) and Pat Sr.
(Robert De Niro), who is obsessive-compulsive, highly superstitious and a
voracious gambler—a potentially nightmarish combination when he's watching his
beloved Philadelphia Eagles on TV (he's been banned from the stadium for
fighting).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet Pat is upbeat and optimistic. "Excelsior!" is
his motto. He knows he can win Nikki back by bettering himself, which he sets
out to do through a combination of physical fitness and reading the books on
the syllabus of her high school English class.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
He finds himself drawn to Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a
young widow who lives in his neighborhood with a history of her own
psychological issues. The sparks between them are instant, their two brands of
crazy performing a sort of balancing act together. Pat, vowing to remain
faithful to his wife, rejects her advances. Tiffany has semi-regular contact
with Nikki, however, and the two make a deal: Pat will be her partner in an
upcoming ballroom dancing competition in exchange for Tiffany's help in
communicating with Nikki.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Much of the movie's outcome hinges upon this competition and
a crucial game between the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. That doesn't exactly
sound cinematic, but director David O. Russell ("The Fighter"), who
also wrote the screenplay, based on a novel by Matthew Quick, wrings a
considerable amount of drama from it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It's also a very funny movie, though the humor comes from a
darker, more serious place than the zany hijinks of a typical romantic comedy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As one would expect, Cooper, who became a leading man thanks
to "The Hangover," handles the comedy with ease. But it's his
dramatic work that makes Pat real, and though his mental stability often hangs
on whether he's on or off his meds, and there are times when you just want to
tell him to shut up or smack him in the head for wearing a football jersey to a
dinner party, we're rooting for this guy to get his life together and see
what's standing right in front of him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lawrence, who owns an Oscar nomination ("Winter's
Bone") and has the lead in a big-time franchise ("The Hunger
Games"), does maybe her best work yet, conveying the pain, sadness and
tender heart beneath Tiffany's often abrasive exterior.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNk2_hunwkJ1mV6_V4sJ3v-GqhYSJJFgfFpR5DCoSVZbBFBfEYjxS-ZJCtBDyWIwRqJMnduYtvVFf7mDVSgNKqmjWg9vNf55wv8QKt2KuI6zRi2Vi6N5-ACMmppAm-x1kRYyNn1wbiUTi/s1600/Film+Review+Silver+Lining_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNk2_hunwkJ1mV6_V4sJ3v-GqhYSJJFgfFpR5DCoSVZbBFBfEYjxS-ZJCtBDyWIwRqJMnduYtvVFf7mDVSgNKqmjWg9vNf55wv8QKt2KuI6zRi2Vi6N5-ACMmppAm-x1kRYyNn1wbiUTi/s400/Film+Review+Silver+Lining_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY, JOJO WHILDREN<br />
Jacki Weaver, left, and Robert De Niro are shown in a scene from "Silver Linings Playbook."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Best of all, let's welcome back Robert De Niro to the realm
of superior acting after his exile with the Fockers and even worse movies. To
say this is the best work he's done in years doesn't begin to tell the story.
Wrapped up in his own issues, Pat Sr. is all but oblivious to his son's plight
and the blatantly obviously fact that he and his son share a great deal of
their mental makeup—however well-intentioned they may be, they repeatedly fail
to see how destructive their actions can be to those around them. De Niro, too,
creates a character who earns our sympathy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chris Tucker also does good work as Danny, Pat's fellow
patient and friend, as does Anupam Kher as Pat's therapist.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Funny without being glib, serious without being pretentious
or depressing, this is a mature movie with fully realized characters and fine
performances. And if its ending is predictable, at least it follows its own
unique playbook to get there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: A-</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity. 122
minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-40812625714825424372012-12-13T09:30:00.000-05:002012-12-13T09:41:30.481-05:00The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJzw0fWNbVUEZNcYci-zd80SKmBDjtuSx9aUemzROTkCaquWckzVgcmYoEUTSUKZ1KA-AiTR_-BvGZlHdTonnrFPinQ3C1MuSu9178r9XaWmGGYPNGbw4KGUONwtpr_aLCTHO-0EPoZ76e/s1600/14_ente_HBT-000209r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJzw0fWNbVUEZNcYci-zd80SKmBDjtuSx9aUemzROTkCaquWckzVgcmYoEUTSUKZ1KA-AiTR_-BvGZlHdTonnrFPinQ3C1MuSu9178r9XaWmGGYPNGbw4KGUONwtpr_aLCTHO-0EPoZ76e/s400/14_ente_HBT-000209r.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WARNER BROS. PICTURES<br />
Martin Freeman is shown in a scene from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
There's no other way to say it: Peter Jackson has done it
again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is an absolute
triumph, possessing all the magic, adventure and excitement of his landmark
"Lord of the Rings" trilogy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the "Rings" movies, Jackson crafted one of the great epics in the
history of cinema. Large-scale filmmaking with unprecedented visual effects
combined with a moving, intimate, human story of friendship, love, cooperation,
overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles and how even the people who seem
the most insignificant of all have the power to change the world—all in a
fantastical land that still feels like a place we might be able to visit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the three "Rings" films raking in billions of
dollars worldwide and bringing home a host of awards (including an 11-for-11
Oscar sweep for the final installment, "The Return of the King"), all
that's unexpected about "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is that
it took nine years to find its way to the big screen and that it is the first
in a trilogy based on that one book by J.R.R. Tolkien, published about a decade
and a half before "The Lord of the Rings," that introduced the world
of Middle-earth and the race of the diminutive, comfort-loving hobbits.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jackson brought back much of his creative team, including
writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens (Guillermo del Toro, who
originally was set to direct, also shares the screenplay credit), and while the
setting is familiar and echoed musical cues help orient us further, "The
Hobbit" is very much its own film [-] lighter in tone, funnier, faster
paced. Structured much like "The Fellowship of the Ring," a prologue
tells of how the treasure-hoarding dragon Smaug drove a band of dwarves from
its homeland, the kingdom of Erabor, and how these dwarves, following the lead
of their would-be king, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), have lived in
exile ever since.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZlX-6YDOiwQQqcJj6UAS5pWnhhZOaXmDxBpcA24m7QPEJ-nV1y-t82eemAcquwfp6-lR2lOoLDbXhk0J3djTAGRpMX0GmrFBqzhtDyfLYpw2uP81eKtB5FL9TmheY18WavyT6Iussv5e/s1600/14_ente_HBT-031339r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZlX-6YDOiwQQqcJj6UAS5pWnhhZOaXmDxBpcA24m7QPEJ-nV1y-t82eemAcquwfp6-lR2lOoLDbXhk0J3djTAGRpMX0GmrFBqzhtDyfLYpw2uP81eKtB5FL9TmheY18WavyT6Iussv5e/s400/14_ente_HBT-031339r.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WARNER BROS. PICTURES<br />
Ian McKellen is shown in a scene from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sixty years before the events of "The Lord of the
Rings," the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) arrives at Bag End, a
cozy little hole in the ground that the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman)
calls home. That night, 13 dwarves, led by Thorin, in need of a
"burglar" to help them in their quest to retake their mountain home,
find their way to Bilbo's doorstep, as well. (With so many characters
introduced virtually all at once, few leave a lasting impression beyond their
physical characteristics—the old one, the fat one, the bald one, the young
ones, the one with the hearing aid—though attentive "Rings" viewers
should recognize a couple names.) Bilbo reluctantly agrees to join the dwarves
and the adventure is on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More background information is relayed, much of it enriching
Thorin's story, giving it an epic quality lacking in the breezy nature of
Tolkien's book and creating a villain to tide us over until the company reaches
the dragon much later in the trilogy. Things start to feel a bit scattershot
after confrontations with trolls and orcs, and spending some time scampering
about the forest with the addled old wizard Radagast the Brown (Sylvester
McCoy). Yet it's all riveting, and a sense of calm washes over the action when
we reach Rivendell and more familiar faces.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Goblins and orcs are the foes in the climactic battles,
during which Bilbo loses his way and finds himself in a life-or-death game of
riddles with a mysterious creature known as Gollum. He finds himself a nice,
shiny ring, too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbC2NHkh7gHU67pLZSXKxTCKTzA4hX9PPpf8PuUJaIRSfQ2OjfFq3ZvnpTJU24dnffRxeQSVBOtmoFhWnghtGjvXqTMAVuz8ZNonNdBRoCGShI5e6hPdRoEhks1kssPLoWbKEysdrqzN0/s1600/Film+Review+The+Hobbit.JPEG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbC2NHkh7gHU67pLZSXKxTCKTzA4hX9PPpf8PuUJaIRSfQ2OjfFq3ZvnpTJU24dnffRxeQSVBOtmoFhWnghtGjvXqTMAVuz8ZNonNdBRoCGShI5e6hPdRoEhks1kssPLoWbKEysdrqzN0/s400/Film+Review+The+Hobbit.JPEG.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WARNER BROS. PICTURES<br />
Gollum (voiced by Andy Serkis) is shown in a scene from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As impressive and groundbreaking as Gollum was the first time
around, he's even more astounding now in this, the showpiece scene of the
movie. Brought to life by both the voice and motion-capture performance of Andy
Serkis, he has a weight and solidity to him, and an expressiveness to his face
the likes of which has not been seen before. He is the most believable
computer-generated character ever created. He appears only in this scene in the
book, so I'm curious to see how Jackson
uses him in the next two movies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Bilbo, Freeman puts his considerable comedic skills to
good use, especially in the impromptu dwarf dinner party scene at Bag End (no
one plays exasperation quite as well as he does), while McKellen is one of
those rare actors who makes a movie better whenever he speaks. With so much time
devoted to his back story, this film is as much Thorin's story as Bilbo's, and
Armitage brings the appropriate steely determination to the role.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At 170 minutes, "An Unexpected Journey" is shorter
than any of "The Lord of the Rings" films, though with additions to
the book, including material linking these events to those of the
"Rings" movies, this already feels a bit like an extended
edition[-]which is fine by me; I see the extended editions of "The Lord of
the Rings" as the definitive versions, and I still want to see more
whenever I watch them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Plenty more of "The Hobbit" is on the way:
"The Desolation of Smaug" in December 2013 and "There and Back
Again" in summer 2014.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(NOTE: I saw "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
in the much-discussed High Frame Rate 3-D, which presents the film in 48 frames
per second rather than the standard 24. Though a bit jarring at first, my eyes
quickly adapted to the incredibly smooth, sharp, detailed images. I've never
seen anything like it, and 3-D has never looked better, not even in
"Avatar." This is the future of film projection.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: A</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy
action violence and frightening images. 170 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-48587413004215469802012-12-07T00:01:00.000-05:002012-12-07T15:41:20.642-05:00Hitchcock<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5QIupNfDbtXdLoV6r_y8Z2mf63uYCpLiAE3NnAtAJsxgFxeNBDLzxzLZNmgIg2Z5o8mKc_NyCexNPXpKZDs7RZgKpIbcs8lw5p_U6Pq5FYeCPnUEd-s2bhjSIB1Bsv42Bs4lYjlMea79/s1600/Film+Review+Hitchcock.JPE%233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5QIupNfDbtXdLoV6r_y8Z2mf63uYCpLiAE3NnAtAJsxgFxeNBDLzxzLZNmgIg2Z5o8mKc_NyCexNPXpKZDs7RZgKpIbcs8lw5p_U6Pq5FYeCPnUEd-s2bhjSIB1Bsv42Bs4lYjlMea79/s400/Film+Review+Hitchcock.JPE%233.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FOX SEARCHLIGHT/SUZANNE TENNER<br />
From left, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren are shown in a scene from "Hitchcock."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Alfred Hitchcock is perhaps the most well known filmmaker of
all time. Anyone into movies is in some way familiar with the Master of
Suspense. Even someone who somehow has not seen one of his many classics
probably recognizes his famous profile in silhouette or his slow, ominous,
British-accented manner of speaking or maybe the theme music of his TV show,
"Alfred Hitchcock Presents."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But for all his fame, we know little about the man himself.
"Hitchcock," from director Sacha Gervasi ("Anvil: The Story of
Anvil," 2008) tries to rectify that, giving us a peak into the
relationship between Hitch (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife, Alma Reville (Helen
Mirren), in 1959 during the making of "Psycho."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Coming off of "North by Northwest," the pinnacle
and most extravagant of his "man on the run" movies, Hitch longs for
a return to his filmmaking roots, when he wasn't weighed down by big budgets
and bigger stars. He fixates on "Psycho," a novel inspired by
real-life killer Ed Gein. Paramount Pictures executives are less then enthused
about producing a picture of murder (including the death of the supposed
heroine after only 30 minutes), matricide and crossdressing.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Are you sure about this?" asks the director's
assistant, Peggy Robertson (Toni Collete). "It's just so unlike you."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"That," Hitch replies, "is exactly the point,
my dear."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Production quickly gets under way—only after Hitch and Alma
finance the film themselves—with a cast that includes Janet Leigh (Scarlett
Johansson) as the doomed Marion Crane, timid Anthony Perkins (James D'Arcy) as
Norman Bates and Vera Miles (Jessica Biel), who Hitch has resented ever since
she got pregnant and dropped out of his "Vertigo" a couple years
earlier.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The enormous financial risk, coupled with Hitch's unending
obsession with his leading ladies (the "Hitchcock blondes," as they
are known), puts great strain on a marriage that already seems cold and
passionless (they sleep in separate beds and appear to have little physical
contact). Alma finds herself spending more and more time at a beach house
helping friendly Whitfield Cook (Danny Huston) adapt his latest novel into a
screenplay, igniting Hitch's suspicions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Professional concerns eat away at Hitch, as well. At 60, has
he reached the end of the line as a relevant filmmaker? Stress leads to a few
bizarre sequences in which Hitch unburdens his psyche to imaginary therapist Ed
Gein (Michael Wincott), lending a little more weight to Norman Bates's famous line, “We all go a little mad sometimes."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Based on the 1990 book "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making
of Psycho" by Stephen Rebello, with a screenplay by Jon J. McLaughlin
("Black Swan," 2010), "Hitchcock" unfolds without a sense
of urgency, the relationship issues not coming across as dire enough to create
any real suspense. And while Gervasi goes to great lengths to dramatize Hitch's
anxiety over making "Psycho" and its eventual reception, it's
problematic because we already know it was the biggest success of his career.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It falls to the actors then to carry the film, and Hopkins
and Mirren are up to the task. Hopkins
captures the essence of Hitchcock—his mannerisms, his speech pattern, his
devious sense of humor—without resorting to outright mimicry, leaving room for
his own interpretation. Less is known about Alma, which gives Mirren more freedom to
create a character, a woman who is smart, supportive, capable and as stubborn
as her husband. More than a wife, she was Hitch's collaborator, both on and off
the set.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though "Hitchcock" provides little new insight
into the man of its title, it is valuable for finally giving the woman behind
the man her due.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg's Grade: B</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content and
thematic material. 98 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-51376142208212618562012-11-16T00:01:00.000-05:002012-11-16T16:12:08.648-05:00Lincoln<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOX4maUYzSmYD_1qgPz-kPl6VWPOL3ScrIt3oQkh6CVXQWgHLh9jcGsU7aL9oCa26whl0ANu6W66vG7Yg4tVylwx_HSjVJ7hJZZiwb46UegjCZROBBg18kPn83XQCT26QWZ4GU7sUm9GWp/s1600/Film+Review+Lincoln.JPEG-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOX4maUYzSmYD_1qgPz-kPl6VWPOL3ScrIt3oQkh6CVXQWgHLh9jcGsU7aL9oCa26whl0ANu6W66vG7Yg4tVylwx_HSjVJ7hJZZiwb46UegjCZROBBg18kPn83XQCT26QWZ4GU7sUm9GWp/s400/Film+Review+Lincoln.JPEG-04.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DREAMWORKS, 20TH CENTURY FOX, DAVID JAMES<br />
Daniel Day-Lewis is shown in a scene from "Lincoln."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
No figure in American history has maintained a more
prominent place in the collective consciousness than Abraham Lincoln.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The image of his bearded face and top hat is burned into our
brains.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We start learning about him as schoolchildren—how he rose
from his meager beginnings, mostly self-taught, to become our 16th president,
lead the nation through the horrors of the Civil War, free the slaves and die
by an assassin's hand.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He is a towering figure, an icon, known to the average person
more for what he did than how he accomplished those feats or who he was.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In "Lincoln," Steven Spielberg's masterful film
covering the last three months and change of Lincoln's life, we see the
politician at work, maneuvering and exerting all his influence to push through
the 13th Amendment (abolishing slavery) and end the Civil War.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin's 2005 book "Team
of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln," the movie is set
primarily in January 1865, when most agree the conflict is nearing its end, but
the nation is as divided as ever over the issue of slavery. Lincoln believes the amendment's passage will
bring a swift end to the war, while others say the South will insist on the
amendment being dropped as a term of surrender.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lincoln's
urgency is driven also by uncertainty over his Emancipation Proclamation, made
two years earlier and which he was unsure if he even had the power to issue. He
decided he needed that power, but should it be challenged in court, his
executive order might not hold up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lincoln
lays out the dilemma to his Cabinet in a mesmerizing scene. It's one of many
showcase clips for Daniel Day-Lewis, who brings Lincoln to life with a spellbinding
performance. His Lincoln
is a friendly, quietly confident sort, a raconteur who seemingly never came
across a story or joke not worth telling. He's also a shrewd politician
unafraid to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty by playing the backroom
games of Washington.
He's not above employing a group of shady operatives (James Spader, Tim Blake
Nelson, John Hawkes) to buy votes for his amendment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Day-Lewis gives Lincoln
a high-pitched, almost shrill voice that seems much closer to contemporary
accounts than the booming baritone we so often hear in movies. With his lanky
frame, he is a good match physically for our tallest president, and he walks
with the stilted gait for which Lincoln
was known, his shoulders stooped by the weight of the nation and a life plagued
by loss.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The performance is so powerful that you cannot take your
eyes off of Day-Lewis whenever he is onscreen, even when he's in the
background, out of focus.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The screenplay by Tony Kushner, Spielberg's
"Munich" (2005) writer, doesn't take us inside Lincoln's head—I don't
know how that would have possible anyway—but it lets us feel what it might have
been like to have been in his presence, to see how he interacted with others,
to fall under the spell of his oration.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGljRdfCblkWtB32lmy0dKSbq3YHF_6xDfBceZ44hw6Un5ZKEca1zyFzLWUNjWma09KNMPvrhdzPevButcyr__7KU37BK9fU6f_1MWTQYP4fjbQdwBbv89_lKjQqqtKjpRKHpo6xM8fRc/s1600/Film+Review+Lincoln.JPEG-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGljRdfCblkWtB32lmy0dKSbq3YHF_6xDfBceZ44hw6Un5ZKEca1zyFzLWUNjWma09KNMPvrhdzPevButcyr__7KU37BK9fU6f_1MWTQYP4fjbQdwBbv89_lKjQqqtKjpRKHpo6xM8fRc/s400/Film+Review+Lincoln.JPEG-06.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DREAMWORKS, 20TH CENTURY FOX, DAVID JAMES<br />
Daniel Day-Lewis, center rear, is shown in a scene from "Lincoln."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Those surrounding him include his closest friend and
advisor, Secretary of State William Henry Seward (David Strathairn), who helps
the guide the 13th Amendment through the political process, along with Thaddeus
Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), a staunch abolitionist congressman. The superb cast
also includes Sally Field as the first lady, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Joseph
Gordon Levitt as the Lincolns'
eldest son, who, against his parents' wishes, aims to enlist in the Union army.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is a different breed of Steven Spielberg movie. It's
not filled with the horrific violence and bloody battles of his other
historical epics, or the overwhelming sentimentality that has marked so much of
his career. Driven by dialogue, the director mostly stays out of the way and
allows the extraordinary performances to carry the picture. (Day-Lewis will win
his third Oscar, and nominations may be in line for Jones and Fields, as well.)
Spielberg understands Lincoln is bigger than him—bigger than any filmmaker,
bigger than any of us—and showing him in this new, more human light only
enhances his greatness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: A</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated PG-13 for an intense scene of war violence, some
images of carnage and brief strong language. 153 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-13319959139603568582012-10-23T17:26:00.000-04:002012-11-16T16:12:44.622-05:00Seven (1995)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbzj3Ap49B6BbEdbN18q8QoGatSRpjgX-hRiLwqXgsftA4BNdRiEB4I2OyDecHQ-6wycGVFDcdNUgadKRd3hBe4Uz7pZtZxYhLoZxXfgB_Nw4vUPHVbh_2pSWnAHCf5yattTJcGPqzJou/s1600/26_ente_Seven-movie-image-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbzj3Ap49B6BbEdbN18q8QoGatSRpjgX-hRiLwqXgsftA4BNdRiEB4I2OyDecHQ-6wycGVFDcdNUgadKRd3hBe4Uz7pZtZxYhLoZxXfgB_Nw4vUPHVbh_2pSWnAHCf5yattTJcGPqzJou/s400/26_ente_Seven-movie-image-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morgan Freeman, left, and Brad Pitt are shown in a scene from "Seven."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Long is the way, and hard, that out of hell leads up
to light."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In "Seven" (1995), serial killer John Doe (Kevin
Spacey), who chooses his victims based on the Seven Deadly Sins, leaves behind
the quote from John Milton's "Paradise Lost" at a crime scene.
Director David Fincher and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker spend the entirety
of the film showing us just how long and hard that way is, carrying out an
unrelenting examination of the evil that may or may not be festering inside
every one of us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Make no mistake: "Seven" is a bleak, unsettling
picture, its setting a purposely unnamed metropolis where the only variation in
the weather is the strength of the endless downpour; its antagonist left to
plot and carry out his grisly work off-screen for the first 90 minutes (to
maintain his anonymity, Spacey's name isn't in the opening titles); its
protagonists doing little more than recording and cataloging the horrific
scenes he leaves behind.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is at the end of
the line. He's seen too much of this urban nightmare, and in exactly one week,
he'll be retired, somewhere "far away from here." Enter his
replacement: young Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt), recently relocated with
his wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow), from "upstate." While Somerset is weary and
cynical, Mills is eager and optimistic that doing his job will make a real
difference.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The seven days chronicled change both men in profound ways.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Seven" is known as a violent, gruesome film, but
watch it again and you'll notice none of the violence occurs onscreen and
Fincher shows us only brief glimpses of its aftermath. It's <i>implied </i>violence,
which is more disturbing, as it engages the audience, forcing them to fill in
the gaps whether they want to or not. Though we never actually see the head in
the box, there probably is an image burned into the brain of anyone who has
seen the movie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even more unsettling: John Doe, deranged and psychotic
though he may be, might make a kind of sick, twisted sense. "We see a
deadly sin on every street corner, in every home and we tolerate it," he
says. "We tolerate it because it's common, it's trivial. We tolerate it
morning, noon and night. Well, not anymore."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His way of dealing with it obviously isn't the answer, but
it's hard to argue that he doesn't have a point.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With a worldwide box office take of $327 million,
"Seven" was the seventh-highest grossing film of 1995. It established
Pitt as a legitimate leading man and Fincher as Hollywood's go-to man for dark, depraved
material (though he has shown he is capable of more with recent Oscar nominees
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "The Social
Network").</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though a critical and popular hit, "Seven"
received little award recognition—its only Oscar nomination was for editing.
Its influence has been seen in countless violent, grimy serial killer movies
and TV shows in the past 17 years, though none has achieved the dark, twisted
beauty of Darius Khondji's cinematography, of blacks so rich and deep, yet
still full of vivid detail. And the opening title sequence—depicting John Doe's
handwritten notebooks, set to music by Nine Inch Nails—has been emulated just
as much, if not more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Seven" made careers and, for better or worse,
paved the way, both stylistically and in terms of subject matter, for an
extraordinary amount of entertainment that has followed it. As powerful and
relevant today as it was in 1995, "Seven" is the scariest, most
disturbing movie I have ever seen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg's Grade: A </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated R for grisly afterviews of horrific and bizarre
killings, and for strong language. 127 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-43390640762852704152012-10-12T00:01:00.000-04:002012-12-20T12:58:25.569-05:00Argo<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR93Bmo6HPHlABumOZM2Ua6uHsGrPIvMN67eFpT-cTDB_HoMU2tIpbfg-vSX81c39fDx3Tu6HhPrQz6LYVdj-8mlC-9w3J0vCoEIhyphenhyphenQJ1BUCqQ4_29Kuk7lHuxfH5zU-SazYQ6cXHRtnI1/s1600/12_ente_ARG-03803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR93Bmo6HPHlABumOZM2Ua6uHsGrPIvMN67eFpT-cTDB_HoMU2tIpbfg-vSX81c39fDx3Tu6HhPrQz6LYVdj-8mlC-9w3J0vCoEIhyphenhyphenQJ1BUCqQ4_29Kuk7lHuxfH5zU-SazYQ6cXHRtnI1/s400/12_ente_ARG-03803.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WARNER BROS. PICTURES<br />
Ben Affleck is shown in a scene from "Argo."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three films and three home runs for Ben Affleck the
director.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From "Gone Baby Gone" (2007) to "The
Town" (2010) to his latest, "Argo," he's steadily raised the
stakes and widened his scope, this time leaving his native Boston behind and delivering his first true
crowd-pleaser.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The meticulously crafted "Argo" seamlessly blends
elements of the thriller, political drama, heist movie and comedy, with none of
those disparate elements undermining any of the others. It's based on one of
those real-life stories most probably would think is preposterous if it came
solely from the mind of a Hollywood
screenwriter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 1979, during the Iranian Revolution, Islamic militants
storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52
Americans hostage. Six Americans escape and find refuge at the home of Ken
Taylor (Victor Garber), the Canadian ambassador to Iran. They're safe there, but for
how long? The Iranians aren't letting Americans out of the country, and they
have kids hard at work reassembling shredded files at the embassy. It's only a
matter of time until they discover six people are missing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The CIA brings in its top "exfiltration" expert,
Tony Mendez (Affleck), as the State Department brainstorms ways to extract the
six. Mendez's plan revolves around setting up a fake movie, a "Star
Wars" rip-off called "Argo," looking to use the exotic locales
of Iran
as its alien world, giving the six Americans cover identities of a Canadian
film crew scouting locations, and then all seven of them leaving the country together.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mendez enlists Hollywood
makeup artist John Chambers (John Goodman), who worked on the "Planet of
the Apes" films and many more, and producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) to
help make "Argo" appear legit, complete with a fake production
company, ads in Variety and a highly publicized reading of the script.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It sounds ludicrous, but the consequences of failure are
deadly serious. If caught, the whole group, Mendez included, is certain to be
executed as spies. However, the alternatives—having the Americans ride bicycles
300 miles to the Turkish border, having them pose as teachers when no foreign
teachers are left in Iran—are even worse than Mendez's scheme.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"This is the best bad idea we have—by far," says
Jack O'Donnell (Bryan Cranston), assistant deputy director of the CIA.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Argo" is one of the most gripping thrillers in
recent years, and it accomplishes that without gun battles, pyrotechnics or
computer effects. This is straight-up, old-fashioned, intelligent filmmaking.
It's well acted from all corners—Goodman, Arkin and Cranston, especially, are a hoot—and expertly
paced and edited.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It's also a love letter to the power and appeal of the
movies. Everyone—even machine-gun-toting Islamic militants holding dozens of
Americans hostage—loves movies. (In a wonderful scene, several Iranian soldiers
beam like children when they hear the plot of "Argo" and get a look
at the storyboards.) That as much as anything is why this crazy caper even has
a chance of succeeding.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After seeing its premiere last month at the Toronto
International Film Festival, Roger Ebert boldly predicted "Argo" will
win the Academy Award for best picture. That may have been a bit premature, but
this is a movie that should inspire that kind of enthusiasm. And if this one
doesn't bring home the gold for Affleck, he surely has one in his future.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: A</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated R for language and some violent images. 120 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-46405929883713660822012-09-30T11:47:00.000-04:002012-12-20T13:27:25.879-05:00Looper<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAE-fiFpt400AfaiYLjlds4shyphenhyphen2u1j8ineNJ4Qiu1zj0xDImxVORF_SKC5hCFYaDsDxVVaoAxgOFZJJ7UmMFbfgMpJjlhcTHJcbuTVbfNmQvtxNWnkNiI6osXdDlEtpTM9NYk_E0NUYi0/s1600/L_D032_00058_R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAE-fiFpt400AfaiYLjlds4shyphenhyphen2u1j8ineNJ4Qiu1zj0xDImxVORF_SKC5hCFYaDsDxVVaoAxgOFZJJ7UmMFbfgMpJjlhcTHJcbuTVbfNmQvtxNWnkNiI6osXdDlEtpTM9NYk_E0NUYi0/s400/L_D032_00058_R.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SONY PICTURES/ALAN MARKFIELD<br />
Bruce Willis, left, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are shown in a scene from "Looper."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
"Looper" boasts an ingenius premise, a hook most other movies would introduce and simply coast on until the end. But writer-director Rian Johnson never stops working, using the science-fiction setup and trappings to delve into the characters and give us a story with some real meat.<br />
<br />
"Looper" is the story of Joe. Actually, it's the story of two Joes<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">—</span>who really are the same Joe. One, in 2044, is a young man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a junkie who works for a ruthless mob boss known as the Rainmaker<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">—</span>who's running things three decades from now. "Time travel hasn't been invented yet," Joe explains in voice-over, "but in 30 years, it will have been." Joe is a "looper," an executioner who eliminates whoever the future mob sends back in time, no questions asked. The mob literally makes its enemies disappear and rewards Joe handsomely. Each looper does this knowing his future self eventually will be delivered to him. He's expected to pull the trigger as he always does, take the hefty payout that comes along with it and live out his remaining days however he sees fit<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">—</span>until it's time for him to go back and close his loop.<br />
<br />
Everybody got that? Good.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The other Joe (Bruce Willis) is the same man, 30 years older, sent back for his inevitable unpleasant meeting with his younger self. But when he appears, next to a cornfield in the middle of nowhere, there's no hood over his face, his hands aren't bound behind his back<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">—</span>something isn't right. Young Joe looks into his eyes, recognizes himself, hesitates. Future Joe overpowers him and escapes.<br />
<br />
There are no heroes here. Future Joe wants to find the Rainmaker as a child and kill him, though he doesn't know which little boy is the one who will grow up to become the dreaded mobster. He has narrowed his list of suspects to three, and he's not here to investigate further. Young Joe just wants to find the older man and kill him, save his own skin and get his money. Both commit horrible acts through the course of the movie, yet Johnson never loses sight of their humanity. There are no easy answers when it comes to the question of who is right and who is wrong.<br />
<br />
Johnson also deals with time travel in a way that seems to make sense<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">—</span>or at least as much sense as a movie about time travel can make. (Future Joe's memories change based on young Joe's actions; i.e., as soon as young Joe does something, it becomes a memory for future Joe, potentially changing key moments of his life<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">—</span>a problem for a man desperately clinging to memories of his murdered wife.)<br />
<br />
Aided by prosthetics and makeup, Gordon Levitt, who Johnson also directed in his debut feature, "Brick" (2005), bears more than a passing resemblance to Willis. He also subtly mimics the older actor's speech patterns and mannerisms<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">—</span>it's not readily apparent until the two Joes meet at a diner to discuss their unusual predicament. Both actors give effectively understated performances.<br />
<br />
The tone shifts dractically in the movie's second half, when the setting moves to a farm, the home of Sara (Emily Blunt) and her son, Cid (Pierce Gagnon), who may or may not be the boy who becomes the Rainmaker. The character moments here are so involving you almost forget you're watching a science fiction film. The action returns, of course, and the contrast makes it all the more effective.<br />
<br />
"Looper" is not a "prestige" picture (whatever that means). It is, however, as well made and entertaining as anything released so far this year<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">—</span>a sci-fi/action movie with a functioning brain, with actors and a filmmaker unafraid to use theirs.<br />
<br />
<b>Greg's Grade: A</b><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="contentRating">(Rated R for strong violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and drug content. 118 minutes.)</span> <br />
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</xml><![endif]-->GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-85380853283154482412012-09-25T16:57:00.002-04:002012-11-16T16:14:55.556-05:00House at the End of the Street<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdJhOAfB4WBa5Bi6WrJomtUjg9cQzBEQh_0KkvRnC6uaj7wAQjxxOSaEjuco1xjB5KIU0A-s9zGsXxQdKDxVdl_wzSur5uU1wqIHggWKvtc3vUd2YOu0OoYGNAQbYpbgiUMeIpRPmonJx/s1600/28_ente_house-at-the-end-%232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdJhOAfB4WBa5Bi6WrJomtUjg9cQzBEQh_0KkvRnC6uaj7wAQjxxOSaEjuco1xjB5KIU0A-s9zGsXxQdKDxVdl_wzSur5uU1wqIHggWKvtc3vUd2YOu0OoYGNAQbYpbgiUMeIpRPmonJx/s400/28_ente_house-at-the-end-%232.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RELATIVITY MEDIA<br />
Jennifer Lawrence, left, and Elizabeth Shue are shown in a scene from "House at the End of the Street."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"House at the End of the Street" borrows heavily
from one of the all-time classics—revealing which classic film would be a big
spoiler—and does so in a way that is both good and bad.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The good: It's disguised well enough that you might not see it
coming.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The bad: I'm not sure if it makes sense. It feels like the
filmmakers were so enamored of their twist on the well-known story that, along
the way, they got a little lost in the details of the plot.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The setup is typical of a horror movie. Sarah Cassidy
(Elizabeth Shue) and her 17-year-old daughter, Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence), move
from Chicago to
a small, rural town. Elissa appears to have been closer to her father, and we
never learn why she lives with her mother now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Four years earlier, in the house next door to the Cassidys'
new home, a young girl named Carrie-Ann murdered her parents and ran off into
the woods, where, presumably, she died, though her body was never found. Now,
her brother, Ryan (Max Thieriot), the only remaining member of the family,
lives in the house alone, shunned by a community that believes his family
history and continued presence are driving property values down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Against her mother's wishes, Elissa befriends Ryan, a nice,
albeit traumatized young man who is deeply misunderstood by the other
neighbors. Of course, that is not all there is to it, and I'll stop before
entering spoiler territory.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is, for the most part, a well-made, well-acted film,
directed by Mark Tonderai and written by David Loucka ("Dream House,"
2011; "The Dream Team," 1989) from a story by Jonathan Mostow
(director of such films as "Breakdown," 1997; and "Terminator 3:
Rise of the Machines," 2003).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An air of dread and mystery runs throughout the action,
though, typical of modern horror movies, jump-scares (which are startling, not
scary—there is a difference) sprinkled throughout deflate the suspense before
it builds much.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then, of course, there is the ending. Maybe it does make
some kind of sense if you add it all up. It's also somehow clever and
derivative at the same time and, ultimately, unsatisfying.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: C+</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and terror,
thematic elements, language, some teen partying and brief drug material. 101
minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-46983720801760724262012-09-21T00:01:00.000-04:002012-11-16T16:15:13.009-05:00Trouble with the Curve<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztUkX1pWlrMxVP49fT37TBr5EQng-IBwG-2PtQf6Habmz840vAHbze_7hNP6t0HuSu_Yq_elmzkgt-Dn-WdGO61-cAHl2pi4PZugQgN8y9eRVTqopJQPOQwd1WnD8rjfziYlkG5u2_mEh/s1600/Film+Review+Trouble+With+th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztUkX1pWlrMxVP49fT37TBr5EQng-IBwG-2PtQf6Habmz840vAHbze_7hNP6t0HuSu_Yq_elmzkgt-Dn-WdGO61-cAHl2pi4PZugQgN8y9eRVTqopJQPOQwd1WnD8rjfziYlkG5u2_mEh/s400/Film+Review+Trouble+With+th.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WARNER BROS. PICTURES/KEITH BERNSTEIN<br />
Clint Eastwood, right, and Amy Adams are shown in a scene from "Trouble with the Curve."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The trouble with "Trouble with the Curve" is it
feels outdated, as behind the times as co-workers accuse Gus, an octogenarian
baseball scout with failing eyesight, of being.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But because Clint Eastwood plays Gus with his usual
steely-eyed authority, and because his chief critic is a sniveling villain
played by Matthew Lillard, we are expected to overlook that thought.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gus, a longtime scout for the Atlanta Braves, pores over box
scores in newspapers and frequently hits the road to evaluate young talent with
his own eyes—even when those eyes aren't working anymore. The Lillard character
prefers to use statistics and—gasp!—a computer. Though he had a different name,
better actor and superior script, he essentially was the hero of last year's
"Moneyball." Gus is the kind of dinosaur we saw ushered out in that
film.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Trouble with the Curve" asks us to ignore the
reality of the sport.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aha, you might be thinking, it's not really a baseball
movie; it's a family drama, a story about a father and daughter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yeah, but that doesn't work so much either.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Take away the racism from Eastwood's "Gran Torino"
(2008) character, and that's Gus. (You have to wonder why this was the role
that got him to act for the first time in four years.) Amy Adams is Gus' cliche
of a daughter, Mickey, a career-driven attorney with whom he has a strained
relationship.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fearing for her father's health, Mickey takes a break from
work in the middle of a major case to join him on a scouting trip. Along the way,
they meet up with Johnny Flanagan (Justin Timberlake, the only actor in the
movie who seems like he's having any fun), a former pitcher Gus once scouted
and signed, now a scout for the Boston Red Sox. I'll give you one guess as to
what happens between Johnny and Mickey.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Robert Lorenz, who has worked under Eastwood multiple times
as an assistant director, directs with the same confident, leisurely pace and
subdued tone as his mentor. (Eastwood isn't directing himself onscreen for the
first time since 1993's "In the Line of Fire.") It remains a comfort
even when the material isn't up to par.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though he also has produced films with Eastwood, this marks
Lorenz's directorial debut, and it also is the first screenplay for writer
Randy Brown.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the star also producing, it's hard to think of this as
anything other than a Clint Eastwood film. Many times, Eastwood has addressed
his advancing age in movies, but this is the first time he has seemed out of
touch.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: C-</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated PG-13 for language, sexual references, some thematic
material and smoking. 111 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-68977126564052282972012-09-11T16:57:00.001-04:002012-12-20T13:11:31.809-05:00Sleepwalk with Me<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJ7Podn4wQ2gHX14NdjFPVw6NibABICkcSs86_OnK4jhzJE_L6F0T8qPrHCxCtTi8UMhyGPNFLkY2aKlUg1fOnkZXJpQJ7b7uvfE5oin9BJxel985DkfXBaUM0IAh3Irk2lZp-GFrCkEn/s1600/Film+Review-Sleepwalk+With+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJ7Podn4wQ2gHX14NdjFPVw6NibABICkcSs86_OnK4jhzJE_L6F0T8qPrHCxCtTi8UMhyGPNFLkY2aKlUg1fOnkZXJpQJ7b7uvfE5oin9BJxel985DkfXBaUM0IAh3Irk2lZp-GFrCkEn/s400/Film+Review-Sleepwalk+With+.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IFC FILMS, ADAM BECKMAN<br />
Mike Birbiglia is shown in a scene from "Sleepwalk with Me."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes, a story is so good—so darn funny, so full of
real, relatable, human emotion—and the storyteller so engaging that it not only works
but flourishes in any medium.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Take comedian Mike Birbiglia's "Sleepwalk with
Me." It's been a one-man, Off Broadway show; he's performed portions of it
on the radio program "This American Life," hosted by Ira Glass; it is
the title story of Birbiglia's book, released in 2010; and a live performance
is available on CD.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The culmination of it all is "Sleepwalk with Me"
the feature film, directed by Birbiglia, with co-director Seth Barrish; written
by Birbiglia, his brother Joe, Glass and Barrish; and starring Birbiglia as an
only slightly fictional version of himself, Matt Pandamiglio.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
OK, so we all haven't jumped through a closed, second-story
window, or found ourselves threatened by a jackal in our bedroom in the middle
of the night, as Birbiglia has done in his life and Matt does in the movie. But
who hasn't felt the anxiety that can come from a relationship, pressure from
family and friends, and struggles in your chosen career path?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These three issues come to a head at an engagement party for
Matt's sister, Janet (Cristin Milioti). After a day of fielding questions about
his own future betrothal, Matt, with little confidence, says to Abby (a radiant
Lauren Ambrose), his girlfriend of eight years, "You don't want to get
married, right?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Abby: "Are you asking?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Matt: "No, I ..."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Abby: "Then no, I guess."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sleepwalking begins that night.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Professionally, things start to look up. Matt goes from
tending bar at a little nightspot that sometimes has live comedy to touring as a standup comedian, though it
isn't until he stops telling jokes about Cookie Monster and starts developing
more personal material—mostly about Abby and his parents—that he finds his
voice onstage. At the same time, he finds himself inexorably sliding toward a
wedding he knows will never happen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sleepwalking worsens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As an actor, Birbiglia infuses Matt with an easygoing,
endearing air as he narrates and breaks the fourth wall, telling the story
directly to the camera. Matt makes some regrettable decisions, but before one
of his worst, he reminds us, "You're on my side."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"I know," he says later, anticipating and
understanding the viewer's reaction. "I'm in the future, also."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Birbiglia's screen persona has drawn comparisons to Woody
Allen, though his timid nature comes from a different place. While Allen plumbs
the depths of insecurity to no end, Birbiglia's Matt aims to please, seemingly
everyone all the time—so much so that he shies away from any form of
confrontation, even when doing so causes more anxiety and leads to more and
more dangerous consequences during his nocturnal activities.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The filmmaking brings the story in at a tight 81 minutes,
and via creative editing involving flashbacks and surreal dream sequences, the
pace never feels hurried. The movie unfolds with a natural quality, Birbiglia
applying the same casual tone he employs in front of the camera to his work
behind it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With his personal, "painfully true" (to borrow a
phrase from his book) stories, Birbiglia has been a unique voice on the standup
comedy circuit for several years now. "Sleepwalk with Me" indicates
he could make an even bigger impact at the movies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: A</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Not rated. 81 minutes.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>"Sleepwalk with Me" is showing in limited release. <a href="http://www.sleepwalkmovie.com/">Visit its official website for locations</a>. It also is available to watch at home on demand through <a href="http://www.ifcfilms.com/in-theaters-on-demand">IFC Films</a>.</i></div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-79018484879441475592012-08-14T16:54:00.002-04:002012-11-16T16:16:26.870-05:00The Campaign<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7x5Er8izPYYloKaax_9ATxecNnDNcAOJsA6Y9rvHIc5yTGP4GxYNs4EH3sIFhwV3HmEZLUh5KC490bHTPJ2AYqB3BShChumiiC6WoH1LlEkbFZ6X18p2Amnd-xFiftvgVudQ_3R8p95H/s1600/Film+Review+The+Campaign.JP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS7x5Er8izPYYloKaax_9ATxecNnDNcAOJsA6Y9rvHIc5yTGP4GxYNs4EH3sIFhwV3HmEZLUh5KC490bHTPJ2AYqB3BShChumiiC6WoH1LlEkbFZ6X18p2Amnd-xFiftvgVudQ_3R8p95H/s400/Film+Review+The+Campaign.JP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WARNER BROS., PATTI PERRET<br />
Will Ferrell, left, and Zach Galifianakis are shown in a scene from "The Campaign."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the presidential election less than three months away,
"The Campaign," featuring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as
dueling congressional candidates, couldn't be any more timely.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Director Jay Roach pulls from both sides of his career,
attempting to mix the broad comedy of "Meet the Parents" and the
Austin Powers series with the political drama of "Recount" and
"Game Change." The movie doesn't have much to say beyond the obvious—politicians
are not to be trusted, and campaigning is a dirty business. That's mostly OK,
though, for what it lacks in incisive satire, it makes up in big laughs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ferrell is Cam Brady, a long-serving, philandering
congressman representing North
Carolina's 14th District, based in part on former
Sen. John Edwards with a touch of Ferrell's George W. Bush impression. Brady
serves not out of a desire to accomplish anything, but simply because he enjoys
being "Congressman Cam Brady" too much to be anything else. His
constituents keep electing him because he always runs unopposed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
News of Brady's latest affair creates an opening two
industrialist brothers, Glenn and Wade Motch (John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd),
hope to exploit. Searching for someone to serve as their puppet, they come
across Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), a naive, small-town tourism director.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With extensive coaching from campaign manager Tim Wattley
(Dylan McDermott), who makes some hitmen seem warm and cuddly by comparison,
and a makeover that even includes replacing the family dogs, Huggins gains the
upper hand on Brady at their first debate and the race is on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The mudslinging quickly reaches absurdity—Huggins shoots
Brady in a hunting "accident," Brady records himself seducing
Huggins' wife, Mitzi (Sarah Baker), and so on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet somehow, the script, written by Chris Henchy ("The
Other Guys") and Shawn Harwell ("Eastbound & Down"), finds
its way back to a human place. Its treatment of Huggins is key, as it pokes fun
at him, but when Brady shows a slideshow of embarrassing photos at a campaign
event, we see Huggins afterward fighting back tears. He's allowed to be more
than an object of ridicule and the clueless loon most movies would settle for. He's
a good man who genuinely wants to help the place that always has been his home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While a little less likable, Ferrell mostly sticks to
schtick he perfected in "Anchorman" and has done variations of many
times since. Galifianakis, though, brings a new persona to the screen. It's
actually an old one for him, based on the effeminate "Seth
Galifiankis" character he's been developing for years. (Netflix users, see
"Zach Galifianakis: Live at the Purple Onion.") Just as the movie
suggests there is more to Huggins than the man we first see, the role indicates
there is more to Galifianakis the movie star than Alan from "The
Hangover."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though overly crude at times, "The Campaign" is
effective as a ribald romp through election season. But given how well its
small dramatic moments play, I can't help but wonder what it could have been
had it aimed to be something more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: B</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated R for crude sexual content, language and brief
nudity. 85 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-22868005638078931582012-08-10T00:01:00.000-04:002012-11-16T16:16:46.285-05:00The Bourne Legacy<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3KSraThyIA_wL9wzfuIa4JDO9W_4jv0CN3r768u8kLS_7LZfeZhc1iz0eni12BLDsv6k5twjiYnVY6KmgV4aJS_wjv7l5f_bqnOUVQ2q2x7ziPyH6de1vvMqBP3kQrEW9WBRYK-qXTwJI/s1600/Film+Review+The+Bourne+Lega.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3KSraThyIA_wL9wzfuIa4JDO9W_4jv0CN3r768u8kLS_7LZfeZhc1iz0eni12BLDsv6k5twjiYnVY6KmgV4aJS_wjv7l5f_bqnOUVQ2q2x7ziPyH6de1vvMqBP3kQrEW9WBRYK-qXTwJI/s400/Film+Review+The+Bourne+Lega.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNIVERSAL PICTURES, MARY CYBULSKI<br />
Jeremy Renner is shown in a scene from "The Bourne Legacy."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How many times have you seen the fourth installment in a Hollywood franchise and left the theater thinking,
"I hope I don't have to wait long for part five?"</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It doesn't take long to count to zero.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But Tony Gilroy, screenwriter of the first three
"Bourne films," should create that kind of anticipating with
"The Bourne Legacy," which he directed and co-wrote with his brother,
Dan Gilroy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like the films that preceded it, this is a movie that, even
its (brief) quieter passages, is all about momentum. Things are happening, the
good guys are on the move, the bad guys are closing in. Its pulse never drops,
its pace never relents.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Gilroy
might even take that edge-of-your-seat feeling a little too far, barely
offering a moment to breathe before the end credits start to roll rather
abruptly. Maybe that just goes to show how completely I was wrapped up in the
movie's action to that point.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Without Matt Damon and, thus, the series' namesake, Jason
Bourne, a new hero steps to the fore, Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), an agent of
the super-secret Operation Outcome. Treadstone, the program that produced
Bourne, was just the beginning, you see, and after Bourne exposes it, the CIA
is quick to dismantle its similar black ops programs, which includes
eliminating its field agents.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We meet Aaron Cross during a training exercise in the
Alaskan wilderness. He swims in icy waters, climbs mountains, fends off angry
wolves, draws blood samples from his body and takes daily medication, which we
later learn is enhancing both his physical and mental capabilities.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Naturally (or we wouldn't have a movie), he survives the
attempt on his life, just as Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), a key figure in
the genetic science behind Operation Outcome, survives an office massacre
designed to take her out of the picture. The two become allies in an attempt to
find a solution to Cross's lack of meds and, more importantly, to simply stay
alive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The mystery of the earlier movies is not present here—Cross
knows exactly who he is and why he joined the program—so we're left with a
straightforward action picture.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Edward Norton is Eric Byer, the man coordinating the search
for Cross; they have a personal history, though its ramifications, presumably,
are to be explored in a future film. Norton is mostly wasted, spending the bulk
of his time barking orders in rooms filled with men in suits and ties,
computers and large video screens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Renner comes off much better. With "Mission:Impossible — Ghost Protocol" and
"The Avengers" on his resume, he knows his way around an action
movie, and he brings an intense physical presence to the screen. Cross also is
far more loquacious than Bourne ever was, offering Renner the chance to give him
something of a personality.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But, of course, we watch these movies primarily for the
action, and with blessedly real stunts instead of green screen/CGI work, that
is what "The Bourne Legacy" delivers best.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: B</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated PG-13 for violence and action sequences. 135 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-78802257710303768292012-06-29T00:01:00.000-04:002012-11-16T16:17:03.115-05:00Ted<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqOqUSC4RkANhEtui-PbX5XBduktRohSEzmrgi8NP8dQcFv6dp_ldE8PTypr3yXBC72_CdjuwyCEeLOECbosDwbdZF3XPxPAdECur0bAJIUhIjet2LqZXRWiigHEUutjpu1jXC_Dbd8rp/s1600/Film+Review+Ted.JPEG-0ec73.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqOqUSC4RkANhEtui-PbX5XBduktRohSEzmrgi8NP8dQcFv6dp_ldE8PTypr3yXBC72_CdjuwyCEeLOECbosDwbdZF3XPxPAdECur0bAJIUhIjet2LqZXRWiigHEUutjpu1jXC_Dbd8rp/s400/Film+Review+Ted.JPEG-0ec73.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNIVERSAL PICTURES<br />
Mark Wahlberg, left, is shown with the character Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) in a scene from "Ted."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are many reasons we go to the movies—to be thrilled,
to be scared, to think, to learn, to see the future, to visit the past, to
travel to foreign countries and worlds, and one that never seems to get the
respect afforded so many others, to laugh.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Being funny is hard, hard work, especially in a movie, when
you're working without any real audience feedback until late in the process. If
the timing is off or if a couple jokes bomb, that's serious trouble. Sometimes,
a movie can be so bad it's funny; a comedy aims to be funny, so when it's bad,
it's simply bad.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is all to say that a good comedy—even if its goal is no
loftier than to make us laugh—deserves more praise than we often give it. There
should be no shame, even in the snootiest of film circles, in wholeheartedly
recommending a movie about a man's friendship with the teddy bear that
miraculously came to life when he was a boy—if said movie is bursting with
laughs and tells a satisfying story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've just described "Ted," the feature-film debut
of "Family Guy" mastermind Seth MacFarlane, in which young,
friendless John Bennett makes a Christmas wish that gives him a best friend for
life. This walking, talking stuffed animal becomes a media sensation, but 27
years later, Ted (voiced by MacFarlane, doing just a slight variation of
"Family Guy's" Peter Griffin) has gone from trading quips with Johnny
Carson on "The Tonight Show" to being the boorish roommate a
35-year-old John (Mark Wahlberg) just can't bear to get rid of, even though the
bear's presence obviously is wearing on his relationship with Lori (Mila
Kunis), his girlfriend of four years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
MacFarlane, who directed and co-wrote the screenplay with
"Family Guy" writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild, infuses
"Ted" with a scattershot energy similar to what he brings to the
small screen, with a handful of cutaway flashbacks, abundant pop culture
references, an epic night of partying with "Flash Gordon" (1980) star
Sam Jones and a hotel-room brawl presented with "Bourne"-like
intensity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He couples that with what is, for him, a new level of
maturity (despite the fart jokes). "Ted" has a sweet emotional core
once you've burrowed through the R-rated humor, a real story of friendship—it
just so happens that one of the characters is a stuffed animal.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSHY-aRkWcNlaVgBFr_j4koWV6C-7l3SZ7aMODJaWukK9Z9qY48dthYxKLht9iJ0ZHg0YStwWSnxh-yqTMjHwsiqUeOweeCyztzirf1SJijdttGD7vXdFdPMZJKN93hfYgIcXqQjGIve1/s1600/5659_FPF_00085R.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSHY-aRkWcNlaVgBFr_j4koWV6C-7l3SZ7aMODJaWukK9Z9qY48dthYxKLht9iJ0ZHg0YStwWSnxh-yqTMjHwsiqUeOweeCyztzirf1SJijdttGD7vXdFdPMZJKN93hfYgIcXqQjGIve1/s400/5659_FPF_00085R.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNIVERSAL PICTURES<br />
The character Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) is shown in a scene from "Ted."</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ted himself is a visual effects marvel, created in part
through a motion-capture performance by MacFarlane. Though he's not as
immediately attention-grabbing as Gollum or the ape Caesar from "Rise of
the Planet of the Apes" (2011), there is a texture and solidity to Ted
that I have not seen equaled. It never seems as if the bear is not on the set
interacting with whomever he's sharing the screen. While Oscars in this field
normally are reserved for your "Jurassic
Parks" and
"Avatars," "Ted" deserves serious consideration.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wahlberg, continuing his rise as a comic actor, somehow
sells that the bear is really there, and even more amazingly, manages to not
seem foolish while addressing his little friend. The supporting cast also fares
well, including Joel McHale ("Community," "The Soup") as
Lori's lecherous boss and a delightfully creepy Giovanni Ribisi as a man whose
childhood infatuation with Ted has grown into a dangerous obsession. Several
actors whose voices are familiar to "Family Guy" fans appear, as
well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His relationship on life support, John eventually sends Ted
out into the world to fend for himself, the bear getting a job at a grocery
store and his own apartment. The movie's best joke is that everyone in the
world is aware of Ted's existence, but because he's old news, they don't care
anymore. He's just another washed-up celebrity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He's crude, cynical, and he encourages John to skip out on
his desk job at a rental car company to get high with him on the couch. It's
understandable that Lori would want a little space. But, ultimately, he has a
good heart, and nearly everything that comes out of his fuzzy little mouth is
comedy gold.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Ted" is one of the funniest movies I've ever
seen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: A</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language,
and some drug use. 106 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-71574782942536642462012-06-22T00:01:00.000-04:002012-11-16T16:17:21.275-05:00Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_XaMITgArqoAVUjtjoIEAXHNoEyuLrFIYviF9AnfTkhcB7TNAIwc129FJfbpAz3StiHF4027Khi1bqEzkN1Jz4viZuXbY3gCegr_vLAm7D7az69SDGyopbgy7OSi1QZhOnMO8vq_VefJ/s1600/22_ente_ALVH1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_XaMITgArqoAVUjtjoIEAXHNoEyuLrFIYviF9AnfTkhcB7TNAIwc129FJfbpAz3StiHF4027Khi1bqEzkN1Jz4viZuXbY3gCegr_vLAm7D7az69SDGyopbgy7OSi1QZhOnMO8vq_VefJ/s400/22_ente_ALVH1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20TH CENTURY FOX/ALAN MARKFIELD<br />
Benjamin Walker is shown in a scene from "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Honest Abe. The Great Emancipator. Vampire hunter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At long last, the secret, undead-slaying life of our 16th
president has come to light, first in the 2010 novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, now
in the feature film of the same name, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire
Hunter."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The premise might sound ridiculous—because it is, of course.
The key is that Grahame-Smith (who also wrote the screenplay), director Timur
Bekmambetov ("Wanted"), Benjamin Walker in the title role and the
rest of the cast play it deadly serious. Those expecting a high camp factor
will be disappointed; this is a straight-laced action-adventure film with more
than enough blood to earn its R rating and action set pieces at times bordering
on spectacular.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though events (some major) are omitted for the sake of
pacing and running time, there is a real respect for history, the movie
following Lincoln from a young boy in Indiana until his final day in the
nation's capital.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But what if it wasn't milk sickness that took his mother
(Robin McLeavy) but a creature of the night (Marton Csokas) to whom his father
(Joseph Mawle) owed a debt? And what if Lincoln,
once he came of age, set out to avenge that murder, only to encounter the
mysterious Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper), who instructs him in the ways of
vampire slaying? (A silver-edged ax apparently works best.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The South, Henry tells Lincoln,
is the seat of the vampires' power, slavery springing from their need for a
convenient source of food. Led by a particularly troublesome bloodsucker named
Adam (Rufus Sewell), they intend to expand their sphere of influence in America.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recognizing the scope of this scourge, Lincoln decides to fight back with speeches
rather than his trusty ax, eventually winning the presidency and leading the
nation through its Civil War, which is not so much a conflict of North versus
South as it is the living versus the undead.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirO70afDERprqu3ttMZAkkKx9NY7vLb89uu5C4VQwIQm-7E90nRFWfpmJRa-G9pqs8YAAIfEm4845enLp6sBZ0l5pR3NdHs6p9-ICLW-klq6Kx_zGFjh4YA8Fh8u7hFvQ4GtVBA5D5Ze4u/s1600/22_ente_ALVH7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirO70afDERprqu3ttMZAkkKx9NY7vLb89uu5C4VQwIQm-7E90nRFWfpmJRa-G9pqs8YAAIfEm4845enLp6sBZ0l5pR3NdHs6p9-ICLW-klq6Kx_zGFjh4YA8Fh8u7hFvQ4GtVBA5D5Ze4u/s400/22_ente_ALVH7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20TH CENTURY FOX/STEPHEN VAUGHAN<br />
Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) makes an historic speech in a scene from "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Portraying Lincoln over a
period of 35 years, Walker
brings real humanity to the iconic role. The extent to which we care about the
outcome of events we learned about in history class is largely due to his
likability and conviction. By day, his Lincoln
is a Clark Kent figure—a shopkeeper, attorney, politician, bumbling suitor of
Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, far more fetching than the real Mary Todd,
by all accounts). By night, he plays the hero, dispatching his foes with
"Matrix"-like dexterity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sewell, in a role created for the movie (the book lacks one
central villain), fails to register as much of a threat, which is just as well,
as the protagonist and his partnership with Henry, who harbors a doozy of a
secret, is of much greater interest.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A longer film, or maybe even a TV miniseries, would do this
crazy mashup more justice than what we get here. But even in its abbreviated
state, this is a clever, elegantly made melding of fact and fiction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: B</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated R for violence throughout and brief sexuality. 105
minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-52388984305058126442012-05-10T00:01:00.000-04:002012-11-16T16:17:33.733-05:00Dark Shadows<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8G1TrXD9MKR98BaEh1XkkDnRMuKoK7qPwIGLdarMZHEyYVbXDWU0WxotvLKtePw3uktmJwSxXljseCzKT6kCSdd9bzMCiVBTf00FQqDA04H2XxPK2s5JZfMh8hri6CqwkQpjjOqGoYeFh/s1600/11_ente_DSTF-0146r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8G1TrXD9MKR98BaEh1XkkDnRMuKoK7qPwIGLdarMZHEyYVbXDWU0WxotvLKtePw3uktmJwSxXljseCzKT6kCSdd9bzMCiVBTf00FQqDA04H2XxPK2s5JZfMh8hri6CqwkQpjjOqGoYeFh/s400/11_ente_DSTF-0146r.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WARNER BROS. PICTURES<br />
Johnny Depp is shown in a scene from "Dark Shadows."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"Dark Shadows," a daytime soap opera that aired
from 1966 to 1971 on ABC, was popular in its time, adored by some (now
forgotten by more) and unique in that after its run began, it introduced
ghosts, vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches and other sorts of supernatural
happenings. It might seem a weird choice for a feature film in 2012—but not for
director Tim Burton and star Johnny Depp. For them, teaming together for the
eighth time, it feels routine, safe.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After all, Burton has been mining "weird" at the
movies for more than a quarter century, while Depp has become one of the
world's most popular actors by disappearing into outrageous costumes, makeup
and hair, and speaking in different variations of an English accent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So there is a been-there-done-that feeling permeating all of
"Dark Shadows," no matter how entertaining it might be at times.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There also is the not-so-small matter of the movie's
soap-opera origins, which Burton, a devoted fan of the TV show as a child,
lovingly translates to the big screen. It might be unfair to fault a film for
being what it is supposed to be, but scene after scene of two characters
standing in a room speaking to each other isn't exactly cinematic—what a waste
of the beautiful, Gothic sets that make up musty old Collinwood, the mansion
that houses the Collins family.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Depp is equally devoted to his character, the vampire
Barnabas Collins, getting some laughs of the fish-out-of-water variety
(reminiscent of "Edward Scissorhands"), but refusing to pander and
endear himself to the audience. I suppose 200 years in a coffin would make one
a little cranky.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Barnabas ended up there thanks to Angelique Bouchard (Eva
Green), a servant girl whose affections he spurned. Too bad for him she's a
witch who murdered his true love, cursed him to be a vampire and buried him
under ground until, in 1972, an unfortunate construction crew unearths him and
lets him out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From there, it's back to Collinwood, where he intends to
reintegrate himself into his family and his descendants, including matriarch
Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer), have fallen on hard times
thanks to Angelique's Angelbay Seafood doing its best to ruin the Collins'
fishing business.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The supporting characters—including the new governess with a
mysterious past, Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote), and Julie Hoffman (Helena
Bonham Carter), the psychiatrist trying to help Elizabeth's young nephew
(Gulliver McGrath) cope with his mother's death—are woefully under-developed.
So it falls on Depp to virtually carry the movie alone. But even he can't
overcome a plot that feels unimaginative even by daytime TV standards.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: C+</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated PG-13 for comic horror violence, sexual content, some
drug use, language and smoking. 113 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-72234873627803016762012-05-03T00:01:00.000-04:002012-11-16T16:17:50.952-05:00The Avengers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2R-fylYecwaLUJ2qGsg-Hk6plHpea7WrNTIoORRbKfXkjdYa57jlN74jEMPA0HoZKE1rpeCO1NTw9opxo3WWSbV1X3sMdOzqq_vJvhyp8Xt-uZrxaoXdVjddkJ8ny1drlHkAjnavIoHIn/s1600/Film+Review+The+Avengers.JP.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2R-fylYecwaLUJ2qGsg-Hk6plHpea7WrNTIoORRbKfXkjdYa57jlN74jEMPA0HoZKE1rpeCO1NTw9opxo3WWSbV1X3sMdOzqq_vJvhyp8Xt-uZrxaoXdVjddkJ8ny1drlHkAjnavIoHIn/s400/Film+Review+The+Avengers.JP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DISNEY<br />
Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) left, and Captain America (Chris Evans) are shown in a scene from "The Avengers."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Five films in four years, plus an even longer wait for
legions of comic book lovers—and the payoff, "The Avengers" (or
"Marvel's The Avengers," as the studio insists on calling it),
delivers all anyone could hope for.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans),
the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett
Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) all are here, mostly ready to take on
each other at first, then teaming up to battle Thor's brother, Loki (Tom
Hiddleston), and the army he intends to unleash upon the people of Earth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More importantly, writer-director Joss Whedon makes sure the
people behind the silly names and costumes always are present, as well [-] Tony
Stark (Iron Man), Steve Rogers (Captain America), Bruce Banner (the Hulk),
Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) and Clint Barton (Hawkeye).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So while the sheer spectacle—this is a vividly shot and designed
film, even in dreaded 3-D—is almost overwhelming, especially during the
climactic smackdown in which seemingly half of New York City is reduced to
rubble, it is the quieter character moments that give the movie its beating
heart, that make us care about whether these superhumans (or demigod, in Thor's
case) can come together and cause us to think there is a chance they could be
unsuccessful once they do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The plot concerns Loki's theft of the Tesseract, a little,
glowy, blue, cubey thing that could be the key to unlimited energy and which
Loki uses to open a portal and bring his army to Earth. Nick Fury (Samuel L.
Jackson), director of the super-secret organization S.H.I.E.L.D., reactivates
the Avengers Initiative, bringing together the heroes of "Iron Man"
(2008), "The Incredible Hulk" (2008), "Iron Man 2" (2010),
"Thor" (2011) and "Captain America: The First Avenger"
(2011), plus Hawkeye, who popped in for one scene in "Thor" and
really got the short end of the stick in the superpowers department—he's just a
dude with a bow and arrow, and he's standing side by side with a demigod and a
huge green monster; it's like a Major League Baseball team drafting a player
out of tee ball.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66s2Jci_2h8-LPbMCpbKWQnTUEI8Qd532U3aN47z9QcFXsR0c8a4Ez5lSRn4k6xStpkYH5wVJT3l8eUkw9ryuK6rfFHGkpBSl5eTNhkEg94PZfvSB6mYuJRTGwOjF7v3DQXrE3nVBCaaP/s1600/Film+Review+The+Avengers._2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66s2Jci_2h8-LPbMCpbKWQnTUEI8Qd532U3aN47z9QcFXsR0c8a4Ez5lSRn4k6xStpkYH5wVJT3l8eUkw9ryuK6rfFHGkpBSl5eTNhkEg94PZfvSB6mYuJRTGwOjF7v3DQXrE3nVBCaaP/s400/Film+Review+The+Avengers._2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DISNEY<br />
Chris Hemsworth, left, and Chris Evans are shown in a scene from "The Avengers."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whedon, who has experience juggling large casts on TV shows
such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly," keeps all
the players involved, and that includes S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson (Clark
Gregg), whose sharp, dry wit is put to great use. Because he's been defined so
clearly over the course of two previous films and because he's played by Downey, the movie kicks
into a higher gear whenever Tony Stark is on screen. At the same time, smart
writing and solid performances all around prevent him overshadowing the rest of
the group.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whedon has a well-earned reputation for writing strong
female characters, and Johansson benefits from that, Black Widow coming more
alive here than she ever did in "Iron Man 2.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The director also proves to be a master of tone, lightening
the mood with comedy and never forgetting this essentially is a comic book come
to life while still taking the characters and their world seriously. That is
the picture's greatest strength.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Calling "The Avengers" the Best Superhero Movie
Ever Made is a little overblown, though it easily is Marvel's best outing since
the original "Iron Man" and more than justifies the years of buildup.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Greg’s Grade: A-</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and
action throughout, and a mild drug reference. 142 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-24261365363031646302012-04-27T10:56:00.000-04:002012-11-16T16:18:08.865-05:00The Five-Year Engagement<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6J9a1uuIE9XYKp0MnXuQkvSNH_QNEorW3wEht0djrybnOXfSKSm3yxyoRCpmglL7C7aKovjjwtLIx0zd2pe0x11FQcUgpDsJxgHE6fewnA41cn3vcdXseOprtoFbDg8aoLBdjKtoMoYBD/s1600/27_ente_fiveyearengagement1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6J9a1uuIE9XYKp0MnXuQkvSNH_QNEorW3wEht0djrybnOXfSKSm3yxyoRCpmglL7C7aKovjjwtLIx0zd2pe0x11FQcUgpDsJxgHE6fewnA41cn3vcdXseOprtoFbDg8aoLBdjKtoMoYBD/s400/27_ente_fiveyearengagement1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNIVERSAL PICTURES/GLEN WILSON<br />
Emily Blunt, left, and Jason Segel are shown in a scene from "The Five-Year Engagement."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Collaborating again, director Nicholas Stoller and star Jason Segel have
made in "The Five-Year Engagement" sort of the opposite of their
first film together, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (2008).<br />
<br />
"Sarah Marshall" is about a man's struggle to move on after a bad
breakup; in "The Five-Year Engagement," a man puts his life and
ambitions on hold to stay with the woman he loves.<br />
<br />
Segel is Tom, a chef who dreams of opening his own restaurant and is on the
fast track to becoming a head chef, which is almost as good. But his fiancée,
Violet (Emily Blunt), lands a dream job of her own. So Tom leaves behind his
beloved San Francisco, following her to
snow-covered Ann Arbor, where she works in the
psychology department at the University
of Michigan.<br />
<br />
While Violet strikes up a close friendship with her new boss (Rhys Ifans),
Tom is floundering, settling for a job making sandwiches at a deli, taking up
hunting and growing a scraggly beard. The initial two years in Michigan become more,
and a wedding is nowhere in sight.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Segel and Blunt are wonderful together, and while Tom and Violet each do
things to which we might object, we root for them to make it work.<br />
<br />
The real highlight, though, is the supporting cast, especially Chris Pratt
("Parks and Recreation") and Alison Brie ("Community") as
Tom's best friend and Violet's sister, who embark on a relationship that moves
at a breakneck pace, while Tom and Violet are stuck in neutral. Best known for
their TV work, Pratt and Brie--the pairing feels like something out of some kind
of weird, crossover fan fiction--steal virtually every scene in which they
appear.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggTR_Pqyqs-AtyTJAwJmB06-3DpI8S2O5pG_QOIspN_yzeJHgNIEtwQN3XKCsZ_GAhgLhGVJ_fIwECogKJBtP7kn1zBmowo8EKVRouJa8EuiTyzgQrHTqM83VgcJPs9wthfKFep6Y6-u-/s1600/27_ente_thefiveyearengageme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggTR_Pqyqs-AtyTJAwJmB06-3DpI8S2O5pG_QOIspN_yzeJHgNIEtwQN3XKCsZ_GAhgLhGVJ_fIwECogKJBtP7kn1zBmowo8EKVRouJa8EuiTyzgQrHTqM83VgcJPs9wthfKFep6Y6-u-/s400/27_ente_thefiveyearengageme.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNIVERSAL PICTURES/GLEN WILSON<br />
Alison Brie, left, and Chris Pratt are shown in a scene from "The Five-Year Engagement."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We also get quality moments from Jim Piddock, David Paymer, Mindy Kaling
("The Office"), comedian Kevin Hart, Chris Parnell ("Saturday
Night Live") and comedian Brian Posehn.<br />
<br />
Topping two hours, the movie runs a little long, which is typical of Judd
Apatow productions. But there are many laughs to be had, and it's worth
sticking it out until the end.<br />
<br />
<b>Greg’s Grade: B+</b><br />
<br />
(Rated R for sexual content, and language throughout. 124 minutes.)GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-19414908242113685712012-04-13T00:01:00.009-04:002012-12-20T13:00:34.136-05:00The Cabin in the Woods<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYAaFjX773-_4tsdnVEmKj0UsB6PYliK9ZSHL9N9B9blmPDktf9dibmfJQXzaLbUabm-IvJxWfw10lzMZ9zo7LtKdCXRCZB-NMabCdqd1cNYvKvZibEOrUKZk-JYJNzoRRSsFIJVMMX53/s1600/Film+Review+The+Cabin+in+%234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfYAaFjX773-_4tsdnVEmKj0UsB6PYliK9ZSHL9N9B9blmPDktf9dibmfJQXzaLbUabm-IvJxWfw10lzMZ9zo7LtKdCXRCZB-NMabCdqd1cNYvKvZibEOrUKZk-JYJNzoRRSsFIJVMMX53/s400/Film+Review+The+Cabin+in+%234.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LIONSGATE, DIYAH PERA<br />
Fran Kranz is shown in a scene from "The Cabin in the Woods."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are a fan of horror movies, or have even a passing interest in the genre, you must see "The Cabin in the Woods."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We're not debating this.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don't even care if you read to the end of this review first.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pull up the Fandango app on your phone, figure out when (sooner is better) and where you want to see it--make it happen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then we'll talk.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still here?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
OK, I'll give you a little more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I won't be so bold as to declare "The Cabin in the Woods" the Best Horror Movie Ever Made, but it is sort of the ultimate expression of the genre. "Genius" is a word I'm toying with.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Creative masterminds Joss Whedon (producer/co-writer) and Drew Goddard (director/co-writer), who previously worked together on Whedon's TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," long have used genre conventions and expectations as their personal playgrounds. The brilliant concept they put to work here essentially sums up and explains the entire history of horror movies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They start with a well-worn premise: A group of young adults--college students--leaves the city behind to spend a weekend partying at an old cabin in the middle of nowhere.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The characters are the types we know so well: the virtuous protagonist, Dana (Kristen Connolly); her more sexually liberated friend, Jules (Anna Hutchison), and her football-star boyfriend, Curt (Chris Hemsworth, aka "Thor"); the sensitive brainiac, Holden (Jesse Williams); and the stoner, Marty (Fran Kranz).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It all seems very "Evil Dead"-ish, right? Especially after they scare up some evil spirits, a family of zombies in this case.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If this were all the movie was, it would be a success. Whedon and Goddard's clever script lifts the characters above their initial stereotypes and the actors take them home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kranz, who performed a sort of sneak attack on Whedon's TV series "Dollhouse," starting as weird and annoying, and in a span of only two seasons, becoming the most sympathetic character on the show, pulls off a similar stunt here. His Marty is good for laughs early, then plays a more pivotal role when he is the first to discover something is amiss.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hemsworth, meanwhile, shows he can bring a real presence and charisma to the screen even when he's not portraying a hammer-wielding god.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Smart and funny, the movie would work as a straightforward slasher. But "The Cabin in the Woods" is much, much more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMloQ8GTieVHpvBrFimWd_CVJxmPagl7NxhteGn-hznKL1r3BZp82Rmnb79f6l198X-CYc4LFKUbz8L-cOqh0biUn8IjHohao-ONw_swCc_QpumH8QTpj-PKb8zgfTnD1-5ZxVeDpASSst/s1600/Film+Review+The+Cabin+in+%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMloQ8GTieVHpvBrFimWd_CVJxmPagl7NxhteGn-hznKL1r3BZp82Rmnb79f6l198X-CYc4LFKUbz8L-cOqh0biUn8IjHohao-ONw_swCc_QpumH8QTpj-PKb8zgfTnD1-5ZxVeDpASSst/s400/Film+Review+The+Cabin+in+%25232.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LIONSGATE, DIYAH PERA<br />
From left, Richard Jenkins, Amy Acker and Bradley Whitford are shown in a scene from "The Cabin in the Woods."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A team of men in white shirts and black ties (including two very droll characters played by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford), and a few women, is in a high-tech facility, watching and manipulating the group's every move, providing reasons for Curt and Jules to have sex outside in the woods in the middle of the night, and for Curt to suggest the group split up as they barricade the cabin against the attacking zombies.</div>
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(I don't think it's a coincidence a new security guard (Brian White) at the facility is named Truman.)</div>
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Heading into it, you think the movie is one thing. Then it becomes something else. And then it becomes even more in a final act that plays out like the fevered dream of the world's biggest horror fan.</div>
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You could call it a twist, though it's one Goddard and Whedon roll out over the course of the film rather than in a single, shocking moment.</div>
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"The Cabin in the Woods" is not only a vastly entertaining film in its own right, it elevates virtually its entire genre.</div>
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Thinking about the future of horror movies, I keep coming back to two words: Now what?</div>
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<b>Greg’s Grade: A</b></div>
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(Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity. 95 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-788843069923604924.post-64444187327022999172012-04-06T00:01:00.006-04:002012-11-16T16:18:33.210-05:00American Reunion<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsy1IkP5y1ut8JQas-I5J6Ffu93PMzEGO5GDk1YvNx1LR63KT2h4BKMz6Y5nxBrSDsKcdDRnGovHXUNbty_e9xco3-4Uw-m489ShPOOil9Bzm_Z3Idfd9Gf71u_HnrkbBLXfMPZT6gpaUP/s1600/Film+Review+American+Reun%232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsy1IkP5y1ut8JQas-I5J6Ffu93PMzEGO5GDk1YvNx1LR63KT2h4BKMz6Y5nxBrSDsKcdDRnGovHXUNbty_e9xco3-4Uw-m489ShPOOil9Bzm_Z3Idfd9Gf71u_HnrkbBLXfMPZT6gpaUP/s400/Film+Review+American+Reun%232.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNIVERSAL PICTURES, HOPPER STONE<br />
From left, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Chris Klein and Eddie Kaye Thomas are shown in a scene from "American Reunion."</td></tr>
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The kids from "American Pie" are all grown up.</div>
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When we catch up with the gang at the start of "American Reunion,"#<\p>Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), married since 2003's "American Wedding," have a 2-year-old son and a dormant sex life.</div>
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Oz (Chris Klein) is a famous TV sportscaster with a supermodel girlfriend.</div>
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Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is a happily married architect. And he has a beard.</div>
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Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) returns to East Great Falls with the tales of a world traveler.</div>
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And then there's Stifler (Seann William Scott).</div>
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Living with his mom (Jennifer Coolidge), working as a temp, he hasn't changed a bit. He's always looking to start the party, but when his old friends return for their high school reunion (held after 13 years, for reasons never explained), he finds they all have become adults, with real jobs and responsibilities. In fact, they purposely leave him out of their plans for the weekend, perhaps because they know he's played by a more talented comic actor who routinely steals scenes from them. Stifler, though, easily finds a way to crash those plans.</div>
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The whole cast of characters is back, including Heather (Mena Suvari), Oz's conservative, choir-girl girlfriend; Vicky (Tara Reid), Kevin's high-school flame; and, of course, Jim's dad (Eugene Levy), still dispensing inappropriate fatherly advice and, coping with the passing of his wife three years earlier, in need of a little guidance of his own.</div>
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Written and directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, the team behind the "Harold & Kumar" movies, "American Reunion" is a sweet, honest look at that point most people reach, when they finally leave behind their reckless youth and become who they will be for the rest of their lives. Of course, it's an "American Pie" movie, so it comes with an abundance of sex-related humor and a bevy of crude jokes and sight gags for the sake of having crude jokes and sight gags.</div>
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Thankfully, there is much more to it than that, the crudity merely window dressing used to sell tickets to a movie that tells a real story about the strange journey into adulthood.</div>
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A tinge of sadness runs through all four films in the series, the result of the characters knowing their time together is running out and things never will be as wonderful as they are right now. No two people's paths are exactly the same, but that's how life is.</div>
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People mature, priorities change, responsibilities mount, and though the relationships may evolve, the bonds of friendship remain true.</div>
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<b>Greg’s Grade: A-</b></div>
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(Rated R for crude and sexual content throughout, nudity, language, brief drug use and teen drinking. 113 minutes.)</div>
GREG MAKIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09551224444112201906noreply@blogger.com1