Love and Other Drugs (2010) Review

Jake Gyllenhall and Anne Hathaway reunite for one of the most predictable movies of last year. Love and Other Drugs tells the tale of a charming pharmaceutical rep, named Jaime (Gyllenhaal), who meets a free-spirited painter named Maggie (Hathaway). He falls for her and the two begin a no-strings attached love affair (although that's only after she exposes herself to a doctor who's pretending Jaime is an intern). The only problem with that friends-with-benefits arrangement? Jaime wants to have a deeper relationship but Maggie doesn't. Why? Because she suffers from Early-onset Alzheimer's and does not want Jaime to take care of her.

There isn't much I can say about this movie. It's as though the director (Edward Swick) and writers (Charles Randolph, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz) think the audience has failed to see a romantic comedy/drama before. The movie is so predictable and formulaic that I sat there the whole time saying "Here comes the fight between Maggie and Jaime, now they're going to make up, Ah now they break up for good, Big surprise he does something selfless that she will realize she loves him for. Now they stay together." Guess what? All that happened. This is precisely why I can't exactly recommend this movie. If you seen one movie in this genre you've seen them all.

With every review I write I try to look for something good in the movie. Sometimes this is impossible. I looked for something good in this film and did in fact find it. The best thing about the movie is the performances, in particular by Anne Hathaway who never fails to give a gracious and unique performance. I'm glad that both of them were at least nominated for Golden Globes although I wish they had gotten Oscar nominations as well. If for nothing else than the fact that, although saddled with a clichéd eye-roller of a screenplay, they keep the film from being boring. That speaks volumes about their talent.

One more thing I have to mention. The film is rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, pervasive language, and some drug material. The nudity is largely one-sided (Gyllenhaal shows less skin than Hathaway). That's not necessary. The filmmakers don't need to show Anne Hathaway taking off her clothes. Yes, she is a very pretty girl but the only reason to show what they had her show was to get a higher box-office gross. I don't need to watch that in order to enjoy her films.

★★1/2

Conversation(s) With Other Women (2005) Review

★★★1/2

There are several good, small, dialogue driven movies but they are so difficult to find among the schlock that is out there. There is also so few directors who can handle such a movie. Among the ones that come to mind: Sidney Lumet, Richard Linklater, Joel and Ethan Coen. Judging by the way he handles this film, Hans Canosa can be added to that list.

When a man (Aaron Eckhart) and a woman (Helena Bonham Carter) flirt with each other at a wedding reception the tension between the two could be cut with a knife. They go up to the same hotel room where, during a night of passion and discussing their significant others, we discover that they are not as much of strangers as we once thought.

The entire film is edited in split-screen and rather than doing fast cuts we see different angles of the same scene. This is an original and interesting way to approach the film. Don't let the whole multiple things going on in the same picture thing frighten you away. There is a single frame version. Even if you do watch the split-screen, you could close your eyes and fully understand what is going on in the movie because there is so much well-written dialogue.

I'm going to risk offending some of her die-hard fans but I don't like Helena Bonham Carter in her Tim Burton movies or in her roles in the Harry Potter films. I much prefer her in roles like this one. Her films where she plays calm non-eccentrics are so much better than the loud, obnoxious ones we see so often.

Folks, you need to watch at least one of the two versions of the film. Preferably both of them.

Schindler’s List (1993) Review

During his review for Shining Through, Gene Siskel said that "It doesn't work to make a film about World War II in general and the Nazis in particular. A movie without some real bite on those subjects can really come across as trivial". I believe Schindler's List has that bite that Gene was talking about.

It tells the true story of Oscar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German businessman who owns a factory. He witnesses the horrifying events of the Holocaust and the toll it takes on the Jewish people. Eventually, he creates a list of over 1100 Jews whom he saves from certain death. He bribes, schemes and cons members of the Nazi party to get Jews into his factory. Because the factory is a protected war industry a job there may guarantee longer life. At first all that Schindler cares about is making money. He's not exactly a good man. He's a womanizer, he's selfish, he drinks. But he did an extraordinarily good thing. This movie is absolutely incredible.

The director of the film (Steven Spielberg) always either is able to reduce an audience to tears or at the very least get some type of emotional reaction from the audience. Never have I seen a movie that leaves me more at a loss for words. Never have I seen a movie that moves me this profoundly and deeply. Spielberg never talks down to the audience. With this film he completely respects the audience's intelligence and maturity. With this film he says, "I don't blame people for the horrors of the past. This was something we can't allow to happen again"

I was extremely impressed by all the performances. In particular Ralph Fiennes as the real-life Nazi commander Amon Goeth. He's frightening and, in my opinion, deserved the Oscar over Tommy Lee Jones

The musical score, as composed by John Williams, is performed by world renown violinist Itszhak Perlman. This decision creates a haunting and highly memorable score and fits so perfectly with the black and white camera work.

I wouldn't let the violence of the movie dissuade parents from showing their children the film. Although the movie is extremely violent there is a purpose for it and it's a very important film.

★★★★

Rio (2011) Review

Here we are more than four months into 2011 and overall the films so far this year have been disappointing. Fortunately we appear to have broken out of that rut with Rio.

Blu (voice of Jesse Eisenberg) is one of the last two remaining Blue Cockatoos in the world. He lives with his bookstore owning best friend Linda (voice of Leslie Mann) in Minnesota. He has a good life but is unable to fly. One day a doctor of Ornithology comes to the bookstore and convinces Blu and Linda to go to Rio De Janeiro to meet the other Blue Cockatoo and save the species. Her name is Jewel and she is voiced by the always charming Anne Hathaway. Jewel wants freedom. Unfortunately for her she is chained to Blu after bird smugglers steal them from an aviary. Then they escape and go on an adventure where they meet a toucan named Rafeal (George Lopez), a bulldog named Luiz (Tracy Morgan) and a pair of song and dance birds (Jaime Foxx and Will. I. Am.)

The only criticism I have for the movie is the use of slow motion in one scene. I'm tired of seeing that in every animated movie these days. It's a cliché and it doesn't add anything special for me.

I am most surprised by the fact that, although they normally irritate me, George Lopez and Tracy Morgan are great in this movie. I found myself enjoying the movie much more when Lopez' character came on. Both of them are kept in check enough that they don't take over the screen. As I said I adore Anne Hathaway. Every one of her films I enjoy enough to watch more than once. Well, except maybe Bride Wars.

The movie is charming and bright and colorful and fun. Even the human villains are more bungling idiots than a real serious threat. It wouldn't fit this movie for them to die so instead each one of them is embarrassed beyond belief.

This is the best movie I have seen this year.

★★★★

Scream 4 (2011) Review

Scream 4 or as the posters spell it, Scre4m, is the third sequel in the blockbuster franchise by the second master of suspense Wes Craven. It follows the rules of sequels that says if the third movie sucks then the fourth won't be as bad but still will not be up to par with the original.

It's been ten years since the events in Scream 3 and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has finally been able to put her life back together with the help of a bestselling book. She returns to the town of Woodsboro, a place she hasn't been to since the first movie. There she, once again, meets up with Ghostface.

Fifteen years ago director Craven and writer Kevin Williamson were able to somehow capture lightning in a bottle. Everything about the original film worked. It was a great combination of horror and satire. Now the series has its own clichés.

Like I said earlier this movie is better than Scream 3 but that's like saying Rocky V is better than Rocky Balboa. Not much of an accomplishment. This movie follows a formula. First a phone call, then a threat, then a surprise, then a killing. The whole movie is largely nothing more than a series of setups and slashings, setups and slashings, setups and, well you see where I am going with this.

The major problem with the movie is that Kevin Williamson doesn't seem sure about which characters to focus on. Instead of giving new characters the spotlight he chooses to sort of write the three main ones into a storyline that doesn't really need them that badly.

Remember The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King? The one with six endings. This movie had six openings with each one being revealed to be nothing more than the opening for the fictional Stab movies. First Stab 6, then it's revealed that the people watching Stab 6 are actually in Stab 7.

I must say that watching the movie wasn't even half as enjoyable as listening to the audience I was watching it with.

★★

127 Hours (2010) Review

127 Hours is 5 days. That's how long Aron Ralston (James Franco) is trapped between a rock and a hard place. Literally. Based upon a true story, 127 Hours is about a young engineer who, when hiking in the desert, gets his arm stuck between a large boulder and a canyon wall. The boulder is too big to move and has wedged his hand just perfectly. The next hour and a half of the movie takes place in that canyon. Aron never actually gives up trying to escape but has no qualms about the fact that he is probably going to die. No one knows where he is because Aron broke the number one rule about hiking alone. Always let someone know where you are going.

Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) is famous for doing weird things with the camera. At first he begins the film with wide shots and is able to show a carefree feeling. Then by filming the last two-thirds of the movie in extreme close-up he creates a sense of claustrophobia. We feel stuck in that tiny canyon along with Aron.

Over the last couple of years James Franco has consistently given believable performances. 127 Hours is his best yet. So few actors are able to carry an entire movie all by themselves.

However I must confess that I do have some criticisms with the picture. There are far too many flashbacks that Aron goes through with no real explanation or purpose for them. I would much rather have spent time seeing Aron try to get out and talking to a hand-held camera where he creates a sort of manifesto. Those moments are by far the most compelling and the flashbacks slow the film down.

Aron manages to escape but in order to do so he must do something that the audience sees as unthinkable. There is no way around that outcome or reaction from the audience.

★★★

Sidney Lumet

One of the last great directors, Sidney Lumet died last Saturday. He was 86. I feel that he was worthy of a blog post as one of my own personal favorite directors and a huge influence on me and a major reason why I want to be a director.

There really isn't much that can be said about him that hasn't already been said by anyone else but I'm going to make an attempt.

With a career spanning half a century and such films as Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, 12 Angry Men and Before The Devil Knows You're Dead few directors were always so respectful of an audience's intelligence. He was so wide-ranged that he could not be put into any category.

Much like Robert Altman and Alfred Hitchcock he is in a special class of directors who never received an Academy Award despite being nominated several times and being highly respected in the film industry and around the world. Fortunately his films and his genius will continue to live on in other filmmakers and his films will continue to be talked about and revered for years and years. You mark my words.

The 13th Warrior (1999) Review

Why can't Hollywood ever seem to get Michael Crichton's material right? Jurassic Park was the one time it was done satisfactorily. After that all of it has been bad. This is just another example.

Arab courtier Ahmad Ibn Fadlan (Antonio Banderas) is sent to the barbaric north as an emissary, because he fell in love with the wrong woman. In AD 922, this usually meant goodbye forever. Shortly after the party ran into exploring Vikings and befriended them, a young boy reaches the camp to call the warriors home: The Wendol, creatures of the Mist, have started attacking their homeland, killing and eating everyone in their way. The oracle forces a thirteenth warrior to accompany the Vikings, but this must not be a man from the north. Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, who quickly is nicknamed Eban, is chosen. At first Eban does not feel comfortable with the strange, smelly men of the north, but when he finds out that the Wendol are only men, he bravely fights alongside the Vikings in a battle that probably can't be won.

The movie has far too many inconsistencies to overlook. At one point one of the Vikings gives Eban a long sword. He says he can't lift it, so what does the Viking say? Grow stronger. Ahmad doesn't grow stronger but instead he has the sword changed to a curved blade. All of a sudden he is a master at swordfighting simply because he changed the sword. Another issue is how easy it becomes to kill the Wendol when it is discovered that they are not super bear-human hybrids but are only cannabilistic cavemen. How does Ahmad communicate with the Vikings? They speak a different language that he manages to learn in one night around the campfire.

The movie is full of excruciatingly violent deaths (decapitations, dismemberments, arrows into the skull etc.). The story seems to take a backseat to those deaths, many of them are difficult to see because of the poor cinematography.

I don't know what movie director John McTiernan (Die Hard) was trying to make. It tries to transcend between horror and action but doesn't have the balance to walk that line.

★1/2

The Gingerdead Man (2005)

I know what you are thinking. Why would the creator of the best review blog on the planet, who has incredibly high standards, waste a portion of his life watching a movie called The Gingerdead Man? Well, I’m going to tell you. It’s the same reason I watched The Mangler and Monkey Shines. Some movies are so bad they are entertaining. If for nothing other than give you the material to make some good jokes. I picked this up with the hope that I would have a fun-filled evening laughing at stupidity and meaninglessness disguised as a movie. Let’s just say I didn’t.

The movie is about an evil Gingerbread man who comes to life with the soul of a convicted killer (Gary Busey). He wreaks havoc on the girl who sent him to the electric chair with her testimony. Did I mention that his name is Millard Findlemeyer? Clever.

The movie wasn’t even worth making fun of. It was a profoundly pointless experience that I wish I never had. It wasn’t funny or even slightly humorous and it certainly wasn’t scary (although I didn’t think it would be)

To prove how bored I was I’m going to tell you a little bit of a story. My uncle has a bedroom just on the other side of the room where I was watching the movie. His room is complete with a flat-screen TV and DVR satellite. We actually became more interested in trying to figure out what it was that he was watching without going in there.

Clocking in at just south of seventy minutes this story of a cookie monster is too short to be a feature film.

It’s as though they had a movie and then unmade it. I wish they had completely unmade it and let the cookie crumble.

I refuse to assign this trash a star rating of any kind.

On Golden Pond (1981) Review

Anyone who knows me well, or even anyone who looks at one of the pictures in my office, knows that my favorite actress is Katharine Hepburn. She may have not always been in great movies but she was always, as she wrote in her biography, adorable in all of them. On Golden Pond is a great movie where she is perfect.

Based upon the stage play by Ernest Thompson (who also wrote the screenplay) takes place one summer on a lake that is, of course, called Golden Pond. Norman (Henry Fonda) and Ethel Thayer (Hepburn) are an aging couple who own a cottage on the lake that they visit every summer. Together they have one daughter, Chelsea (Played by Henry Fonda's real life daughter Jane Fonda), who decides that she needs to visit for Norman's eightieth birthday. She brings along her boyfriend Bill (Dabney Coleman) and his son Billy (Doug McKeon) and then travels to Europe with Bill. They leave Billy to spend the summer with Ethel and Norman.
The entire film centers on the various relationships that the other characters have with Norman. Ethel loves him and Chelsea feels neglected by him.

As I said above Katharine Hepburn is perfect in this but I also need to mention the incomparable performance given by Henry Fonda. On the surface Norman is a humorous old man but there is a visible tragedy beneath that humor that Fonda balances in a way that is extremely subtle but nonetheless moving.

I think it's everyone's secret wish to be like Norman and Ethel. People want to find someone to grow old with and still be in love. That's why this film is so readable and touching.

Definitely worth watching more than once.

★★★★

Waterloo Bridge (1940) Review

On the eve of World War II, British officer Roy Cronin (Robert Taylor) revisits Waterloo Bridge in London. He recalls the man he was during World War I and the young ballerina named Myra (Vivien Leigh) who he met fell in love with during an air raid. That love will be the one of the wars unspoken casualties. Heartbroken after Roy is reportedly killed in action Myra turns to prostitution to make her way. The report however is false and Roy later returns from a POW camp eager to begin life anew with his beloved, but Myra's shattered spirit may no longer hold any room for happiness.

This is one of the better movies of the 1940s. The material is handled perfectly despite the possibility of it deteriorating into a bad soap opera and it isn't dumbed down for the audience. Never are we explicitly told what Myra is doing for money but we still know what happens. I don't think that if we were told it would not have the same emotional impact.

Vivien Leigh is, I admit, one of my favorite actresses so you probably won't ever see me write that she gave a bad performance. This performance is no exception. In the hands of a lesser actress there might be the need for dialogue to explain Myra's pain. Leigh shows it in her facial expressions that say far more than any words possibly could.

The other end of that emotional spectrum is Robert Taylor who delivers the best performance of his career. His everlasting hope and optimism for love keeps the film from dragging.

So often, dramas of this type try to force an emotional reaction from it's audience. Here it simply happens naturally

★★★1/2

Rango (2011) Review

An overall entertaining and visually stunning film Rango tells the story of, well, Rango.  Voiced by Johnny Depp, Rango is a chameleon who is inadvertently lost in what appears to be the Nevada desert. He comes to the town of Mud which is filled with little furry or scaly critters experiencing an unprecedented drought. Rango, who besides being an outsider and a college student's lost pet (and therefore hardly able to survive in the harsh unforgiving terrain), is a pathological liar. Rango becomes the sheriff of Mud after he accidentally kills a bird of prey and sets out with a posse to find who is stealing the water (which turns out to be humans).

The movie is filled to the brim with western homages which might be a miss for younger children or even only occasional movie-goers (including a character patterned after Clint Eastwood who incidentally is called "The Spirit of The West").  The animation is  fantastic but the jokes just fall flat. I don't say that no one would laugh but, much like Coraline two years ago, that excellent animation is wasted on the occasionally boring story and one-note jokes. Even the voices of Ned Beatty and Bill Nighy (who is one of the high points) can't help those problems.

The movie is financed by Nickelodeon Films and although not up to the standards set by the Pixar or even the Dreamworks films the movie would be good for ten or twelve year-olds and is far better and filled less with childish humor than The Spongebob Squarepants Movie.

★★★

The Adjustment Bureau (2011) Review

Here’s a movie that makes an attempt to be original and entertaining without being laden with major special effects and characters that you can’t relate to. Inception anyone?  Don’t worry this isn’t another review about Christopher Nolan’s “masterpiece”. As mentioned in the title, I’m going to talk about the 2011 action-thriller that stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.
 On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt)-a woman like none he's ever known. But just as he realizes he's falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart. David learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself-the men of The Adjustment Bureau-who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her go and accept a predetermined path...or risk everything to defy fate and be with her.

The movie is based upon a short story called “Adjustment Team” by Philip K. Dick (who also wrote Blade Runner, Total Recall) and is written and directed sharply by George Nolfi.

I must say I enjoyed this movie. I thought it was as original as it was entertaining and I found myself really rooting for the main characters even though the villains appear to be from heaven. Besides who doesn’t want to look at Emily Blunt?

The best character is an adjuster named Thompson aka “The Hammer”. He’s played by Terrence Stamp in one of his best roles in a very long time. He is the main adjuster sent in to break up the romance between David and Elise and of all the performances his was the most riveting

One thing that did bother me was the opening. It’s so abrupt that for a moment I thought a reel might have been missing.

So, like I said I enjoyed seeing it at least once. I probably wouldn’t pay to see it in the theatre again but I’ll
definitely look for it when it comes out on DVD.

 

★★1/2

The Fighter (2010) Review

This is a mixed review because I had mixed feelings on the movie. I really liked the good things and really was offput by the bad things.

The movie is another one of those Oscar-bait films about boxing and unfortunately keeps to a formula. Mark Wahlberg plays real-life welterweight boxer Micky Ward. His Rocky-like road to the championship is shepherded by his crack addicted half brother Dicky Eckland (Christian Bale) and his domineering mother Alice (Melissa Leo), who believes it's better to keep everything in the family. Because of his crack addiction Dickey is unreliable and Alice cares more about Dicky than she does Mickey. A decision at a boxing match leads Mickey to realize that his career is being stalled and even undermined by the two, who only seem to care about themselves. This stance is further fostered by Micky's new bartender girlfriend, Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams).  As Micky tries boxing life without Dicky and Alice, much to their anger, he has to figure out where they fit into his life, especially as they do not get along with Charlene, or if they even fit in at all.

There is one great thing in this movie and that's Christian Bale because, despite being the most flamboyant character, he is the most real. I didn't care about Micky or Alice or Charlene. There is a moment near the end where it looks like a sober Dicky seems to be going back to the crackhouse that occupied most of his time. I sighed in relief when he didn't do that. That tells me that Bale managed to create an emotional impact without forcing the audience to feel for him.

One problem is the accents. Sometimes they have them and sometimes they don't (especially Wahlberg). But I'm willing to overlook that. What I can't overlook is that I didn't feel any sense of urgency or that anything was at stake if Micky didn't win the championship. I find it difficult to believe that Charlene, who says she loves Micky and when watching Micky get the hell beat out of him, doesn't seem to be all that bothered by it.

Otherwise the movie is good enough to watch more than once

★★★

The Motion Picture Production Code

The Motion Picture Production Code, or MPCC, was the set of industry guidelines that governed the vast majority of American films released by major studios from 1938-1960. Basically it was a way to monitor the content in films and make sure that they were appropriate for all audiences. Under the code filmmakers could not show certain things...In 1968 the code was officially dropped in favor of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) code that we have today, where a film is rated based on it's content...In some ways I miss the MPPC.  I am conflicted on it because I hate the idea of censorship, which was exactly what it was, and yet I dislike the basic carelessness that is used by filmmakers today. They show the violence and sex because they can but it's not to drive the story or advance the importance of the character's struggles. It's to sell more tickets. Filmmaking should be about the art. Not the grosses. That's why the studio system fell apart because all they cared about was making the money. 


The best thing about the production code was that it forced filmmakers to be creative and subtle if they wanted to communicate something in their movie that they weren't allowed to actually show (whether it be sex or violence or something else.)  A perfect example was the 1934 film The Black Cat. In the film Bela Lugosi's character brutally skins Boris Karloff's character alive. We don't see the actual act. We know what is happening but it's all in silhouette. The ending result is far more terrifying than if it had been shown, like we would get in any movie done by Eli Roth.


Sometimes it is needed for the story. Can you imagine Schindler's List without the violence? You would not see the same brutality of the villains and you would not care if Schindler saved so many Jews if you didn't believe that their life was in danger and you may not have gotten to have the cathartic ending.  How about if the love scenes in The English Patient had been restricted to the morning after? Would you have felt the passion between Katherine and Almasy? When Geoffrey loses it near the end there is a sympathy that you feel for him and so what he does is understandable to the audience. Without those scenes you wouldn't have felt that.


I guess what I am saying is that the Production Code had it's good and bad things but sometimes I wish it was still around.

Top Ten of 2010

Here is my as of yet not annual (I will have to do Top Ten of 2011 before it becomes annual) Top Ten Films of 2010

10 Tangled

9 Shrek Forever After

8 The Social Network

7 Waking Sleeping Beauty

6 The Fighter

5 The Wolfman

4 Black Swan

3 Toy Story 3

2 True Grit

1 The King's Speech

Black Swan (2010) Review

Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina in the New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her obsessive and controlling former ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey). When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake. Nina is his first choice for the coveted role of the Swan Queen. But Nina has competition: a new dancer named Lily (Mila Kunis). Leroy's vision for Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly while Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side and slowly descends into madness as she becomes the Black Swan.

This movie was fantastic. It had excellent cinematography, acting, direction, score, costumes, etc. I think it's fantastic what director Darren Aronofsky and Natalie Portman have done but I hated watching it.

Don't misunderstand what I'm saying. It's just that this movie has provided for a very uncomfortable movie going experience for me that I haven't had in quite some time.  The story is not meant to give one that happy-let's-go-hug-a-bunny feeling that we get from the Disney/Pixar films. It's a visceral look at obsession and the dark places performers go when they completely become their roles. It's meant to make you uncomfortable and get under your skin. In that respect it succeeds.

My favorite performance of the year goes to someone that I normally am not a big fan of. Without any hesitation I predict Portman will win Best Actress and deservedly so.

I love the musical score in the film so much so that I went out after the movie and tried to buy the soundtrack but alas I could not find it.  Composer Clint Mansell takes from Tchaikovsky's original ballet music and turns it on it's head by playing it backwards and slightly distorted.

As a critic I have nothing but admiration for the film's craftsmanship but as an audience member my stomach was in knots.

★★★★

Humility In The Film Industry

There have been times where one person in the film industry is truly inspired by someone else and rather than gloating and being smug and self-congratulatory (George Clooney winning an oscar he did not deserve) they pay tribute to that person who inspires them...Here are just a few examples of that

A tearful Ving Rhames calls an awestruck Jack Lemmon onto the stage and gives his (Ving's) much-deserved award away to his idol.

This was just about a week and a half after the death of Heath Ledger. The always eloquent and selfless Daniel Day-Lewis pays tribute to Ledger.

Take a look at the other nominees reactions when they find out they didn't win

RIP Kenneth Mars 1936-2011

Kenneth Mars, a farcical character actor perhaps best known for playing the police inspector with a creaky prosthetic arm in Mel Brooks’ 1974 classic Young Frankenstein, died Saturday of pancreatic cancer at his home in Granada Hills, Calif. He was 74.

With a flair for German-type accents, Mars also appeared as the insane Nazi playwright who creates Springtime for Hitler in Brooks’ The Producers (1968) and as a Yugoslavian shyster in Peter Bogdanovich’s What’s Up, Doc? (1972).

Mars has regular roles on TV as ranch owner Otto Mannkusser on the Fox series Malcolm in the Middle, as W.D. “Bud” Prize on Norman Lear’s Fernwood Tonight and its offshoot, America Tonight, in the late 1970s and as Paula Prentiss and Richard Benjamin’s fireman neighbor in He & She, a 1967-68 CBS series.

The Chicago native cultivated a robust career as a voice actor during his 40-plus years in show business, working on such projects as The Jetsons, The FIintstones Kids, The Little Mermaid, We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story and Life With Louie. He was Grandpa Longneck in many installments of The Land Before Time series that ran on film, video and TV.

In a take-off on Lionel Atwill’s local police Inspector Krogh character with a mechanical wooden arm in 1939’s Son of Frankenstein, Mars’ Inspector Kemp in Young Frankenstein sports an eye patch and monocle over the same eye, a disjointed wooden arm that moves in all manner of ways and an accent so thick even his own countrymen can’t understand him.

Mars also appeared in the Woody Allen films Radio Days (1987) and Shadows and Fog (1991), and in another dramatic turn, opposite Shirley MacLaine in 1971’s Desperate Characters.

Truly another great has passed and now has been added to the list of late Mel Brooks alumni including Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Dom Deluise and Marty Feldman.

Test audiences...

I want to talk briefly about something that is used in the film industry frequently and that is the use of the test audience.  What happens is studios and filmmakers take random people off the street and give them a free ticket to an upcoming, but unreleased, movie. The audience views the movie and then tells psychiatrists what they thought on little cards. More often than not it is not used the way it should be. Below are some examples.

1. During a preview of The Little Mermaid a child dropped a popcorn box while the song, "Part of Your World" played and became restless with needing to clean it up. Jeffrey Katzenberg took that as a sign that the song was boring and decided the song should be taken out. He relented though after a second screening of adults who enjoyed the song. Can you imagine the movie without the song?
2. The original play version of Little Shop of Horrors contains a sad ending. Everyone dies and the plant takes over the world. Test audiences hated Frank Oz for including it in the film version and so the filmmakers rewrote the ending and filmed it as the happy ending we get now. Oz regrets doing that.
3. Okay this one is fiction but I will include it as an example of how stupid the average audience member can be. In an episode of The Simpsons, Mel Gibson (who voices himself) directs and stars in a remake of Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. Everyone in Springfield loves it except Homer, who says it wasn't action-filled or violent enough to be a Gibson movie. Gibson takes his criticism as the only real one and changes the movie to suit Homer.

Sometimes test audiences help. Mel Brooks said he wanted to cut the now iconic 'walk this way' line from Young Frankenstein. He thought it was a cheap joke and didn't belong in the movie but allowed it to stay in for a test screening. The audience laughed harder at that five seconds than at any other point in the movie.

I guess what I am trying to say is every audience is different. Recently I saw my sister in a stage version of The Diary of Anne Frank. My sister told me that one of the cast members was upset because they didn't get many laughs.  Apparently an earlier audience laughed quite a bit. The audience I was in felt unsure if it was appropriate to laugh given the serious subject matter but they were far from bored by it.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) Review

A good chunk of the reviews recently have been of movies that I hate.  It's easier to write a review of a bad movie than it is to write a review for the good one. Adjectives such as "awful", "terrible", "unbearable" are easy to write but I'm certain that all that negativity shortens my life by ten minutes every time I use those words. I suppose I think of it as my revenge for those movies taking away a portion of my life that I can't get back. Here's a review for a movie that I liked.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit takes place in 1947 Los Angeles where toons and humans live and breathe in the same world. The main character is, you guessed it, a cartoon rabbit named Roger who is framed for murder. Roger enlists the help of an alcoholic private eye named Eddie Valiant, played by Bob Hoskins (in quite a performance), to clear his name and protect his wife Jessica Rabbit (She's not bad just drawn that way). Eddie hates toons ever since a toon dropped a piano on his brother, killing him.

The man who wants to see Roger hang is Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) who seems more like a gangster than an elected official. Doom has invented a way to kill toons called "The Dip" made up of turpentine, acetone, and benzine (essentially oil, paint thinner, and film dissolver) and any toon that comes in contact with it melts instantly. The Judge employs a group of weasels as his henchman to help him hunt down Roger for the murder of Marvin Acme (I would have placed my bets on Wile E. Coyote what with all those faulty products Acme sold him).

Eventually the good guys win and without giving anything away Eddie gets justice for his brother's murder.

In 1964 Mary Poppins was the first feature-length movie to mix live-action and animation. The goal for this film was to go above and beyond Dick Van Dyke dancing with penguins (who actually appear in this). The special effects team and animators succeed at this and it still hasn't been surpassed. There is such a great detail to the movie that the same light that falls on human characters falls on the cartoon characters as well. The cartoon characters interact seamlessly with real objects like plates, chairs, boxes, guns, handcuffs....The list goes on and on

More than just spectacular special effects and animation the movie also has great, entertaining characters in a great, entertaining story. Maybe it's the fact that I get caught up in the story and I have no problem believing that toons are real.

Kids and adults should love this movie. Kids will like the cartoon characters cameos (Everyone from Dumbo to Woody the Woodpecker) and adults will love the noir mystery and the humor

There now wasn't that a lot more pleasent than some of my recent reviews?

★★★★

The Hottie And The Nottie (2008) Review

 Every fiber of my being told me to not watch it but I wanted to see if it's as bad as I heard it was.  It's worse...Sometimes I'll watch a movie just to see how much worse it can get.  I don't see how much worse it could get then the shallow, pretentious, sickening thing I just witnessed.

The movie is about...You know what? I'm just going to cut and paste the "plot" from IMDB...I don't agree with it but here it is:

"Nate moves to L.A. to track down Cristabel, the woman he's been in love with since childhood, only to discover that his plan to woo her only has one hurdle to overcome: what to do with June, Cristabel's ever-present, not-so-hot best friend? What's even more complicating is Nate's growing feelings for June, whose true beauty starts to emerge"

See what I mean? It's deplorable that anyone would green light this trash...Cristabel is played by the outlandishly stupid Paris Hilton. Her first scene references something out of 10 where she is running on a beach, in slow motion, in a scantily clad outfit.  There are many things that Paris Hilton is, some of them I won't say because I'm too much of a gentlemen, but actress is not one of them and, while I'm at it, the word "movie" seems to be just as inapt when referring to this as saying she is an actress.

The characters are so obsessed with outer looks that they even have mathematical formula to prove that the “hotness of one girl is directly proportional to the ugliness of her best friend”.  I fear for the young kids who will undoubtedly see this...It makes an attempt (and I use that term loosely) to say that beauty is on the inside. Nate falls for June but only after she has plastic surgery.  It makes me absolutely sick at how the character of June is treated by everyone else in the movie. Supposedly humiliating ugly people is funny.

I write this review as a public service.  Let me save ninety minutes of your life.

Now if you'll excuse me I am going to go shower to try and get clean after this.

Zero Stars

Trading Mom (1994) Review

This movie is along the same plot of North (Except that they don't trade mom AND dad they just trade mom) and will also receive a great hateful review.

Three kids are sick of their mother. She works too much and nags them constantly so...they say a magic incantation to make her disappear and then go to an underground slave trade where they shop for a new mother. Sissy Spacek plays the real mother and the outdoorsy mom and the french sophisticated mother and a clown mom. That's right, she plays all the parts and none of the performances are very good

Not only does the performances suck the kids are whiny and supposedly learn their lesson. Guess what? I don't buy it. Any kid who would be willing to trade their parents deserve to not have any.  Maybe that's a little caustic on my part.  I didn't buy the lesson in North and you know something Tia Brelis? I don't buy it from your movie either.

½ ★

Oscar Predictions

The Oscars are on Sunday February 27th 2011...Here are my predictions which are colored in red

BEST PICTURE:
127 Hours
The King's Speech
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
Winter's Bone

BEST DIRECTOR:
Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
Joel and Ethan Coen for True Grit
David Fincher for The Social Network
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech
David O. Russell for The Fighter

BEST ACTOR:
Javier Bardem for Biutiful
Jeff Bridges for True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network
Colin Firth for The King's Speech
James Franco for 127 Hours

BEST ACTRESS:
Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence for Winter Bone
Natalie Portman for Black Swan
Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Christian Bale for The Fighter
John Hawkes for Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner for The Town
Mark Ruffalo for The Kid's Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Amy Adams for The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech
Melissa Leo for The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit
Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone\

BEST FORIEGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful
Dogtooth
In A Better World
Incendiaries
Outside The Law

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
How To Drain Your Dragon
Toy Story 3
The Illusionist

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Inception
True Grit
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Black Swan

BEST EDITING

127 Hours
Black Swan

The Fighter
The King's Speech
The Social Network

BEST ART DIRECTION
Alice In Wonderland
Inception
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
The King's Speech
True Grit

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice In Wonderland
I Am Love
The King's Speech
The Tempest
True Grit

BEST MAKEUP
Barney's Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
127 Hours
How To Train Your Dragon
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
If I Rise from 127 Hours
Coming Home from Country Strong
I See The Light from Tangled
We Belong Together from Toy Story 3

BEST SOUND MIXING:
Inception
True Grit
Salt
The Social Network
The King's Speech

BEST SOUND EDITING:
Inception
Toy Story 3
TRON: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
Alice In Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2

BEST DOCUMENTARY:
Exit Through The Gift Shop
GasLand
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land

BEST DOCUMENTARY-SHORT SUBJECT:
Killing In The Name Of
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Quigang

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM:
Day & Night
The Gruffalo
Let's Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, A Journey Diary

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM:
The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish143

I predict that The King's Speech will be the big winner with 5 Awards followed by True Grit with 4 awards..The most acting will be for The Fighter

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Boy meets girl...Boy meets plant...Plant eats people.  That's the setup for one of the most enjoyable movies of the last twenty years.

Based upon the Off-Broadway musical created by Howard Ashman, who also wrote the screenplay and lyrics, which was inspired by the cult classic directed by Roger Corman of the same name, the movie tells the story of clumsy flower shop employee Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) who's in love with his coworker Audrey (Ellen Greene) but lacks the confidence to tell her because after all she has a Elvis-like boyfriend, Orin Scrivello, DDS (Steve Martin) who's also a sadist. One day, during a total eclipse of the sun, Seymour comes across a strange plant. He names it Audrey II and puts it in the store window.  The plant attracts customers, reporters, and people trying to make money off it but there's just one problem. The plant can only eat human flesh.

The movie is ripe with camp and crazy supporting characters, including a WEIRRRD radio dj and a masochist who likes visiting the dentist.  It never takes itself too seriously and so it manages to entertain. Director Frank Oz has managed to capture the brillance of the stageplay.

The puppet of Audrey II was designed and created by Lyle Conway and is really one of the high points of the movie and features the voice of motown singer Levi Stubbs.

The biggest difference from the stage production and this wholly entertaining film is the ending where, SPOILER ALERT!!!, the plant is defeated and Audrey and Seymour go somewhere that's green. In the play both SPOILER ALERT!!! of the lovers are swallowed by the plant and Audrey II multiplies and his species take over the world. It was changed because test audiences didn't like it but the ending here works well

★★★1/2

Oscars...

At the request of my sister I'm going to do something a bit different and post a blog about the oscars

I'm going to talk about my predictions for this year and what I think of the actual nominees and categories but it won't be so much a review of the movies
Why is there so much prestige for some categories rather than others? Best Actor is always a higher honor than Best Supporting Actor or even Best Actress...You can only give a loud (not in terms of volume but in terms of what transformation the individual made) performance unless you have a more stoic anchor that might be provided by a supporting person (Would Geoffrey Rush be able to do what he did for "Shine" without Lynn Redgrave?).  I've played that quiet part on stage many times and it so often gets no notice...

Since last year Best Picture has been extended to ten slots from five...It's great that the academy is willing to give animated films and foriegn films a better chance at winning but, let's face it. The major contenders are still only two or three films anyway. For example this year I'm going to say it's between True Grit, The King's Speech and The Social Network with a high possibility of going to The King's Speech. Best Picture has always been the most prestigious award given but there are many movies that just plain don't deserve it (Crash over Brokeback Mountain? Are you kidding me?)

Maybe someday I'll win an oscar

Inception (2010) Review

Maybe I should have tried to go in without expectations because that's fair but I couldn't help it.  I don't see the greatness of this movie.  I don't even see the goodness of it. It's an extremely dim-witted movie that tries to disguise itself as intellectual profundity. As Forrest Gump said, "Stupid is as stupid does".
Dom Cobb (Leonardo Dicaprio) is able to use his unique skills to his advantage - he can enter people's minds through their dreams and thereby learn their secrets. He is a thief for hire but Japanese businessman Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe) has a somewhat different proposition for him. He wants Cobb to enter the mind of Robert Fischer Jr. (Cillian Murphy), who is about to inherit his father's massive business empire, to plant a simple notion: to break-up his father's conglomerate and sell it off. In return, Saito will make it possible for Cobb to freely return to the US where he is currently wanted by the police. Cobb accepts and assembles his team (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Brady etc.) with a plan to plant the idea deep in Fisher's mind by generating a series of dreams within dreams so that he eventually thinks he came up with the idea himself. As the intended deception grows ever more complex so does Cobb's own feelings of guilt which projects itself in all the dreams he is involved in.

The first hour of the movie is the slowest where director Christopher Nolan seems to have spent all his energy on loud noises and visual overloads (all of which you can see in the trailer) rather than getting the audience to care about the characters or the predicament which is to follow.  At the film's climax I didn't care whether anyone made it out of the dreams (aka levels) or not.  At a certain point Ellen Page's character (I don't even remember the character's name and am far too lazy to look it up) is trying to convince Dicaprio to not go after Watanabe who is stuck in limbo (That's where you go when you die in a "level" that low) and I found it difficult to believe that all of a sudden she is caring or motherly towards someone she sort of maybe knows.

One thing really, really, really bothered me the entire film and that was the laziness of Hans Zimmer in his scoring of the movie.  It's as if he took music rejected for "The Dark Knight" and placed it in "Inception".

Nolan, if you were trying to make an intelligent pile of drek, you only partially succeeded.

★1/2

The African Queen (1951) Review

Stanley Kubrick once said, "A film is - or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings."  That's what The African Queen is like. Music

This exsquisite piece of art stars Humphrey Bogart (in his only oscar-winning role) and Katharine Hepburn

The film begins in the summer of 1914. News reaches a small African village that it's motherland (Germany) is at war. The Rev. Samuel Sayer and his sister Rose (Hepburn) have become enemy aliens. Eventually the good reverend dies and the village is destroyed by German troops. Charlie Allnut (Bogart) comes to the village and taking pity on Rose agrees to take her down the river battling rapids, Germans hiding in a fort, bloodthirsty parasites and an endless swamp of weeds which seems to go nowhere in order to destroy a large German gunship using makeshift torpedoes. Despite fierce rows and moral antagonism between the bossy devout abstentionist and the free-spirited libertine drunk loner, the two grow closer to each other as their quest drags on.

Most of the dialogue is between Charlie and Rose and takes place on, of course, The African Queen. No easy task for director John Huston who is able to keep the audience interested in these two consistently throughout the film. Their blooming love never feels rushed or contrived. Hepburn and Bogart deserve much of that credit as well being able to hold the film for as long as they are without any other person to react with. Even James Stewart had more people to talk to in "Rear Window"

I definately suggest watching this one and please don't take it for granted.

★★★★

Obsessed (2009) Review

Save yourself the aggravation and don't view this tripe. It hardly functions as anything but boring and clichéd. The story has been seen so many times before. From Play "Misty For Me" to "Fatal Attraction" the crazy female stalker has, let's face it, been done to death and has always been far more superior. Jesus even "Malicous" was better

The screenplay feels more like a first draft of a x-rated movie then a good Hollywood script with characters screaming lines such as "I'm gonna wipe the floor with her skinny ass" and since the screenplay is so flawed the acting suffers as well (Not to mention that Beyonce can't act her way out of an empty room). The performances seem to be right out of a high school play filled with cheerleaders and jocks whom don't have any real talent but are only doing the play so that they might have enough extracurricular activities to get into Harvard.

This movie just plain pissed me off...Not because I was involved emotionally but because here you have all this money to spend and it is wasted on a cheap MTV-style knockoff of something that has been seen before

I don't recommend it for anyone

True Grit (2010) Review

This is not the 1969 classic starring John Wayne. Much like the Tim Burton version of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory was with Roald Dahl's children's classic it is an adaptation of the book by Charles Portis.

Everyone in the film is at the top of their game. There is not a single bad performance in the film.

Jeff Bridges shines as Rooster Cogburn. In the original we could tell it was Wayne. Here, we see nothing of Bridges.

For it being Hallie Steinfield's first film she is phenomenal and has just as much screen presence as Bridges.

After he got away from the Bourne films Matt Damon has consistently impressed me. His performance in this film is no exception playing the exact 180 of Rooster Cogburn and the residential knucklehead seen in every Coen Brother's film.

Josh Brolin, despite only appearing in about ten minutes of the film, gives a great interpretation of the film's villain. More of a wet dog than an immediately noticeable threat but is just as willing to kill Mattie Ross as he is anyone else

The cinematography is, in many ways, exquisite. There is one shot in particular where Cogburn, trying to show his skills at shooting throws a biscuit in the air and fires. The angle chosen is a highly interesting one The film is rich in humor and smart dialogue. Exactly what one would expect from a Coen Brothers film.

Try to remember that the original will always be there. This film does not change that but it only adds to the original which when you think about it...Isn't that special

I recommend it

Freddy Got Fingered (2001) Review

This movie is quite possibly the worst, most disgusting, vomit-inducing film I have ever seen. Although from the title I should have known what to expect.

It is nothing but ninety minutes of Tom Green doing things that even the devil himself would go, "dude". The garbage begins six minutes in where we see his character, Gord Brody, leap out of a vehicle to rub a horse's genitals. Bad right? It gets worse. Later he shoots his father (Rip Torn) with elephant semen.

Among the other sick things is a scene where Gord's best friend breaks his leg so Gord decides to do the only thing he can think of. He licks his friend's protruding bone. Then while visiting his friend in the hospital he decides to deliver a baby. The baby appears to be dead so Gord resuscitates it by swinging it around his head by the umbilical cord. As to why his friend is put in the maternity ward of the hospital we will never know. Just like we will never know the day that this becomes even remotely funny.

I don't exactly have a problem with gross-out humor but this movie is just punchlines...There is no setup so it's not funny. Just gross.

The film is far too vulgar for anyone seventeen and under and far too stupid for anyone eighteen or older and right now it is only a milestone of how low the American audience has sunk.

Usually I measure a movie by how many times I look at my watch when I'm watching it. This movie holds the record. I didn't laugh once while watching it.

The Rainmaker (1956) Review

Like a fine wine some movies get better with age while others get better the more wine you drink...The Rainmaker is one of the former.

It tells the story of Lizzie Curry (Katharine Hepburn) who is on the verge of becoming a hopeless old maid. Her wit and intelligence and skills as a homemaker can't make up for the fact that she's just plain plain! Even the town sheriff, File (Wendell Corey), for whom she harbors a secret yern, won't take a chance --- until the town suffers a drought and into the lives of Lizzie and her brothers (Lloyd Bridges, Earl Holliman) and father (Cameron Prud'Homme) comes one Bill Starbuck, aka Bill Smith, aka Bill Harley, aka Tornado Johnson (All of whom is played by Burt Lancaster)...He promises to bring rain to the small town but he might be nothing more than a con man preying on poor farm people desperate for a little water.

Although the screen adaptation of "The Rainmaker" remains firmly stage bound, once the film's fine cast involves viewers with the characters' complex emotions, the obviously fake sets are rarely noticed again. The painted skies, over-lit interiors, and western back-lots would under cut the film's veracity with a lesser cast. However, the leads are sterling, and, only a short time into the film, the small dreams of a lonely woman, who is just beyond her marrying years, engage the audience to such an extent that distractions from pedestrian direction, an often overly dramatic music score, and sound-stage exteriors will fade away.

It's a wonderfully colorful film about believing that the impossible is possible and that it is never too late for someone to find true love

This film is a must for fans of Katharine Hepburn, who once again manages to have the audience in the palm of her hand.

I recommend it

North (1994) Review

Eleven-year-old North (Elijah Wood) has had it with his parents. They are always busy with their careers and don't give North the attention he needs, so he files a lawsuit against them. The judge rules that North should either find new parents or return to his own parents, who are comatose with shock, within two months. Thus North starts off on an "hilarious" journey around the world to find the parents that really care about him. During his travels a rather mysterious character (Bruce Willis) keeps showing up as a beach-comber, a ranchhand, an easter bunny, and a FedEx driver who manages to plug that company to no avail.

The jokes are not funny and are just embarassing. There is so much ethnic stereotyping in the film that it's appalling the film even recieved a PG rating. At one point North goes to Hawaii and learns why his new parents have never had children. "Hawaii is a lush and fertile land" says North's latest pop, "in fact there is only one barren spot on all of our islands. Unfortunately it's Mrs. Ho"

The film was directed by Rob Riener who has made some very enjoyable films over the years (The Princess Bride, This Is Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men, Misery, Stand By Me) so I would like to think of it as his Jack.

½ ★

The Wolfman (2010) Review

This is not a factory werewolf movie. It's so much better than that.

By far the greatest things were the technical achievements in the movie (for example the cinematography, costumes, art direction, and makeup effects)

Benicio Del Toro is tragic as the iconic monster and Anthony Hopkins is especially creepy

I enjoyed it more the second time I saw it because I realized it is an homage to the classic "B" horror films of the 30's and 40's. It does not try to be a reboot in any way and that is one of it's strengths

The extended cut is even more superior to the theatrical version. There are more scenes of dialogue then originally...It is obvious that the edits of only about seventeen minutes have a large difference on the overall feel of the film and the way the audience is able to connect to the characters

The cuts were a bad idea and I believe the studio should have left the extra footage there

One of the problems is that when the wolfman runs on all fours to gain speed he has no weight. He looks like a CGI creation which he is

I recommend the Extended Cut over the Theatrical Cut

The King's Speech (2010) Review

The King's Speech is one of the best films of the last year. Brilliantly acted, in particular by Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, and directed by Tom Hooper.

After the death of his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall), the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle.

As I already said the acting is brilliant. Geoffrey Rush is at his best since Shine and Colin Firth brings a heartbreaking realism to Bertie but it also is a subtle performance. Every time he tries to speak but chokes on his words you feel a great compassion and pity for him. Every stammer is a stumble on his road to finding his voice.

I loved the cinematography of the film. Director of Photography Danny Cohen places the camera in such interesting places without getting in the way of the emotional investment created by the actors. He frames the actors off to the left or right instead of in the center of the screen

In short I would highly recommend this film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) Review

This film has the same basic idea and moral as 1991's Beauty and The Beast. Adapted from the classic by Victor Hugo it tells the tale of Quasimodo (Voiced by Academy Award Nominee, Tom Hulce), The deformed bell ringer who has been locked away in the bell tower of Notre Dame by his cruel master Judge Claude Frollo (Tony Jay). Frollo tells Quasi that he is a monster not a man and that the world would never accept him as anything more. Urged on by his friends the Gargoyles, Victor (Charles Kimbrough), Hugo (Jason Alexander), and Laverne (Mary Wickes with additional dialog by Jane Withers). Quasi disobeys his evil guardian and ventures into the city on the day of The Festival Of Fools. The crowd rejects him and tortures him because of the way he looks. After being disgraced and mistreated Quasi meets Esmeralda, the beautiful kind gypsy girl voiced by Demi Moore, and the heroic and often humorous Captain Phoebus (Academy Award Winner Kevin Kline).

Quasimodo finds himself battling his master (and his band of guards) to save the city and the people he loves and through all of this he finds out the truth about his past and is able to rise above evil and Judge Claude Frollo is destroyed in the fiery pit.

This film is a masterpiece. Alan Menken's original score sets the mood for the film while Stephen Schwartz's lyrics always tell the story that needs to be told.

It is at times darker and more violent than it's thirty-three predecessors. Still children of all ages will adore the songs and hilarious characters and parents will love the uplifting and thrilling story with a heart touching message that emerges from the film's dark undertone

I recommend it

The Doors (1991) Review

I watched this film because of Val Kilmer. His performance is one of the best I have seen in my whole life. Automatically I had no problem believing that he was the holier-than-thou Jim Morrison.

That aside the film is tedious and redundant. It takes way too long to develop and when it does finally start to become entertaining the film ends. Did Jim Morrison really live that boring of a life or is Oliver Stone change facts to suit his film? I'm gonna go with the latter.

I was constantly looking at my watch wondering when the movie would end and even managed to make dinner while it was going on.

The thing that saves this film is the fantastic performances.

I recommend it if you like Oliver Stone

The Dark Knight (2008) Review

This film is in a word, "Amazing". Batman Begins was a great movie that I enjoyed immensely but The Dark Knight blows that one out of the water and obliterates any other comic book movie ever made period.

Let's go right to what everyone has been talking about. I have never seen another performance like that of Heath Ledger's. He inhabited the character of The Joker to the point that he is unrecognizable as anything but. He became The Joker. I don't feel it was Heath Ledger playing The Joker as much as it was The Joker playing himself. I left the theatre bloody well speechless. Nothing against Nicholson's Joker but Ledger's Joker is so far superior

This isn't hype...I recommend it

Beauty and the Beast (1991) Review

This is Disney's greatest achievement. From the first shot of the castle right on to the end view of the stain glass window it is funny, frightening, and powerful. Every shot is even more enchanting and fantastic than the last. Walt Disney would be very proud of this film.

Howard Ashman and Alan Menken have done what most composers can only dream of. To create a "script" in every lyric and every note that is heard. This film is nothing short of spectacular.

Every voice is flawless. Robby Benson in particular reminds us all that you do not have to be in front of the camera to give off a believable and touching performance.

The film is Oscar worthy in every way. The viewer would be well advised to bring a box of tissues during some of the films more tender moments. The ballroom scene is an example of how seamless the animation really is. Other tearjerker moments include a fight between Belle and The Beast which ends with the Beast leaving the protection of his castle to rescue the one who could break the spell from a pack of savagely monstrous wolves, the transformation of a monster into a man, and a dedication to the late Howard Ashman. You too will fall instantly under the spell of this beautiful story. If there is ever anything you will miss out on don't let this movie be it.

I more than recommend it

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) Review

Naive and idealistic Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), leader of the Boy Rangers, is appointed on a lark by the spineless governor of his state. He is reunited with the state's senior senator--presidential hopeful and childhood hero, Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains). In Washington, however, Smith discovers many of the shortcomings of the political process as his earnest goal of a national boys' camp leads to a conflict with the state political boss, Jim Taylor. Taylor first tries to corrupt Smith and then later attempts to destroy Smith through a scandal.

Stewart is heart-wrenchingly real as Jefferson. He never gave a finer more honest performance. There is a final scene in which Jefferson, hoarse from talking for over twenty-two hours, talks about lost causes in a way that causes the entire audience to silence as much as the characters in the senate. The supporting actors are forced to pull up to the quality of Stewart's deliveries and they step up to the challenge. Rains in particular shows perfect guilt at having to betray his colleague yet at the same time is willing to do so.

In my life I have been to very few films which receive applause at the end. Any person with a love of film must view this exquisite film as an example of what film can be.

I say without any hesitation that I recommend it

Iron Man 2 (2010) Review

This is one of the few sequels that certainly meets up with if not surpasses the original...

Iron Man was the origin story. Now that that is out of the way the story focuses more on Tony facing the consequences of being Iron Man which is great. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect at delivering those sarcastic lines while remaining completely stone faced.

Mickey Rourke as Ivon Vanko/Whiplash is one of the high points of the movie. His Russian accent at times is hard to understand but let's face it Rourke himself is at times hard to understand...
The visual effects are some of the best. During the flying sequences you feel like you are flying as well...The CGI characters have weight

I recommend it simply for the sake of entertainment

House Arrest (1996) Review

This film has quite possibly one of the most unrealistic premises on the face of the earth. Two kids lock up their parents in the basement and when other kids hear of it they too lock their parents in the same basement. Stupid. The film is rancid with clichés of the worst kind. For example the main kid is picked on unmercifully by a bully who then becomes a good friend or the neighbor who thinks of himself as the mayor interferes with the kids' plan.

The thing that bugs me the most is the kids, after kidnapping their parents, spend one count 'em one day in juvenile hall and then get off Scot free. In fact two of them get to go to Hawaii. The police in the film are as unrealistic as a car with wings.

I recommend it if you are bed-ridden and the remote is broken and you have two channels (the other one showing the history of golf). I don't recommend it for it's quality.

Batman: Under The Red Hood (2010) Review

Batman: Under The Red Hood is one of the better DCU animated films.

The film is dark, violent, emotional, and gripping...It has the same feel as a live-action film and works on so many different levels...

There is so much fluidity to the animation that you want to watch it in slow motion just to see how it's done The voice acting (as is often in the DCU films) is perfect. Bruce Greenwood reminds the viewer of Kevin Conroy's voice that you almost think it's the same person...John Dimaggio takes The Joker in a different direction than Mark Hamill and at first seems the wrong way to go about the character but as time continues it is obvious that, at least for this film, it was the right choice...

Under The Red Hood is a great movie that is a great companion piece to "The Dark Knight" as well as "Batman The Animated Series"

I recommend it (especially for fans of dark, mature Batman)

Australia (2008) Review

This film was a big letdown for me. I watched it expecting so much more than what it was....

I lost count of all the different story lines (there were at least five). Because of the fact that there was so many they all required a climax. Too many climaxes is anti-climatic. The REAL movie doesn't start until WWII does.

The beginning is far longer than the end where the best story is The film's only saving grace was a heart-wrenching scene with Hugh Jackman giving probably one of the best deliveries I have seen in a long time...

I recommend it provided you have the emotional ability to get through five endings

300 (2006) Review

There is absolutely no character development or for that matter plot line...I love comics and thought Sin City was great but the only good thing about this is the visuals and fight scenes (however inaccurate) which weren't even that great. Here's the basic "plot", boy grows up goes and fights the Persian army, talks with people, fights more Persians, talks some more, eats an apple and then dies. That's not storytelling (in other words the basis of film-making) that's wasting money trying to make people grow physically sick from boredom and gain bruises from uncomfortable seats while sitting through an hour and a half of garbage...

Lena Headey's character having a huge influence over other characters was ignorant. She would have been butchered in reality. Not be the one who does the butchering.

I was so severely disappointed in the film I would have left if I wasn't surrounded by others in the theater.

If it's a cold wintery afternoon and you have nothing better to do go ahead and watch the movie.