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Movie Club
Feb 1 2011 11:31AM
Posted 367 days 16 hrs 23 mins ago
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Jul 5 2011 10:49AM
Posted 213 days 18 hrs 5 mins ago
The Vow
Release: February 10 Rated: PG-13 Cast: Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum Genre: Comedy Synopsis: A car accident puts Paige (McAdams) in a coma, and when she wakes up with severe memory loss, her husband Leo (Tatum) works to win her heart again.
Jul 5 2011 10:55AM
Posted 213 days 17 hrs 59 mins ago
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Release: December 20 Rated: R Cast: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Robin Wright Genre: Drama/Thriller Synopsis: The story follows a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), as he investigates the disappearance of a wealthy patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined.
Aug 1 2011 11:15AM
Posted 186 days 17 hrs 39 mins ago
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Release: December 16 Rated: PG-13 Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris, Noomi Rapace Genre: Action/Adventure/Thriller Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson join forces once again, interrupting Dr. Watson's honeymoon, to outwit and bring down their fiercest adversary, Professor Moriarty.
Jul 22 2011 9:34AM
Posted 196 days 19 hrs 20 mins ago
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Release: December 11 Rated: R Cast: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy Genre: Thriller Synopsis: In the early 1970s during the Cold War, the head of British Intelligence, Control, resigns after an operation in Budapest, Hungary goes badly wrong. It transpires that Control believed one of four senior figures in the service was in fact a Russian agent - a mole - and the Hungary operation was an attempt to identify which of them it was. Smiley had been forced into retirement by the departure of Control, but is asked by a senior government figure to investigate a story told to him by a rogue agent, Ricky Tarr, that there was a mole. Smiley considers that the failure of the Hungary operation and the continuing success of Operation Witchcraft (an apparent source of significant Soviet intelligence) confirms this, and takes up the task of finding him. Through the efforts of Peter Guillam, Smiley obtains information that eventually leads him to Jim Prideaux, the agent at the heart of the Hungary fiasco...
Jul 5 2011 10:44AM
Posted 213 days 18 hrs 10 mins ago
Breaking Dawn Part 1
Release: November 18 Rated: PG-13 Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner. Genre: Drama Synopsis: The Quileute and the Volturi close in on newly wedded and expecting parents, Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses different threats to the wolf pack and vampire coven..
Jul 22 2011 10:19AM
Posted 196 days 18 hrs 35 mins ago
J. Edgar
Release: November 11 Rated: R Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer, Josh Lucas. Genre: Biography/Drama Synopsis: As the face of law enforcement in America for almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life.
Jul 13 2011 11:43AM
Posted 205 days 17 hrs 11 mins ago
Like Crazy
Release: Now Playing in Select Theaters Rated: PG-13 Cast: Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones Genre: Drama/Romance Synopsis: A British college student falls for an American student, only to be separated from him when she's banned from the U.S. after overstaying her visa.
Jul 5 2011 11:08AM
Posted 213 days 17 hrs 46 mins ago
Drive
Release: September 16 Rated: R Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama Synopsis: A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong.
The Woman in Black
In 1983, author Susan Hill wrote a book called The Woman in Black. It was a story about a young lawyer going to a remote part of England around 1910 to sort out the paper work for a mansion to be sold after its owner died. It's not just a clever title because the mansion is haunted by a woman in black and the lawyer's presence starts a whole new round of disasters for the small town. The book was so successful that it was turned into a play 9 years later that still runs today due to its insane popularity. As good as critics say the play is, it's changed drastically from the book. Luckily for any non-readers, this film version goes back to the source material with attention to detail.
I give actor Daniel Radcliffe a ton of credit. After performing as only Harry Potter for the last decade, he had his pick of any script in Hollywood for his first non-Potter role. He would have had to choose wisely since a lot would be riding on it. Instead of romantic comedy drivel or epic Oscar bait, he made the decision to go with a period horror film. Balls, kid. And despite that he's without his wand and glasses for the first time on screen, he's still not quite believable as an adult yet. That's not to say he's not good in the role. Radcliffe is a pretty decent actor and has blossomed into someone that's very enjoyable to watch on screen. His only problem in this is that he's still too youthful looking to pull off a father of a 4-year-old, widower and grown ass man.
But enough about that, the real question is, "Is it scary?" The answer is, "Yes!" The Woman in Black is a throwback to the creepfests that used to make the hairs on your neck stand up and cover your eyes with mounting tension and deafening silence. You only have to wait about 20 minutes for the spooks to start but from the very first seconds of the film, the tone is set for macbre, dark, gothic storytelling. It's the very definition of the "haunted house" thriller and that's also its downfall.
Director James Watkins gets the spirit (no pun intended) award on this. His only film prior was an indie horror piece called Eden Lake. No one saw it, but it was pretty good despite it being cliche. But with The Woman in Black it was as if Watkins picked up a text book on how to direct a scary movie and followed it with zero deviation. Everything you've seen for decades is in this film as a method to make you jump. There is visual misdirection, creeping-from-behind and point-of-view camera angles, well-placed soundtrack and silence, and even loud sound effects that make no sense in the realm of the scene. It's like comparing a cheap carnival spook house to a legit haunted property - both might make you scared but one is the real thing and the other is tawdry and quick.
I do give massive amounts of credit to his Production Designer and Props team though. Since most of the film takes place in one house, they had to make it as creepy as possible. I appreciate that because when you have a small cast and a very limited set, that location almost becomes one of the characters. I'm not sure if they made them or found them but the film is worth seeing just for the largest collection of nightmare-inducting dolls ever capture on screen. They're the scariest thing about the movie and worthy of mentioning.
If you're in the market for a creepy ghost story that will scare you, you won't be disapointed by The Woman in Black. However, it does have a misplaced scare climax and an ending that peters out into a drab finish that didn't satisfy me. I love ghost stories because they have the potential to scare me more than any other genre of horror. The Woman in Black could have been so much scarier than what it was and I would have welcomed the nightmares. Instead we got a pretty good film with excellent mood, images and tone that ends up falling short in the scare department. Maybe it needed more Dementors.
The Woman in Black (Rated PG-13)
Gavin Grade: B-
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The day that the Academy Award nominations came out, this was the film that was on the lips of most people. The reason why was because it was nominated for Best Picture of the Year and not many people had seen it and those that did were very on the fence about how they felt. Seems like it should be almost a sure shot at Best Picture quality - stars Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, is about 9/11, based on an acclaimed book and had a top tier director attached. But those haters that warned about the mediocre finished product were onto to something.
I can totally understand why people enjoyed the book by Jonathan Safran Foer. It's a sweet tale about how an autistic boy processes his father dying in September 11 and trys to make sense of it. Along the way he learns about different people and how they handled September 11, death, love and forgiveness. But as a film it didn't work and I'm not sure it was any one person's fault.
Director Stephen Daldry is no stranger to acclaimed films. He's done The Hours, The Reader and Billy Elliot; all of which were considered great movies and won awards. He brings a unique approach to everything that is like a watered down version of an Oliver Stone film that moves along at a slower pace so his target audience of crusty, old, art house filmlovers can keep up without getting overwelmed. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is no exception and it's visually a feast in some parts. But it was almost too choppy to come together as a story without looking pretentious and silly.
One thing this film did right was introduce us to Thomas Horn, who plays the main character of Oskar. Believe it or not, this was Horn's first film ever with his only other credit being Jeopardy! when he won on Kids' Week. Although Horn is young and a novice, he does a great job of portraying a high functioning autistic child who lives in New York City and is used to visual chaos but still needs to compartmentalize it in his head to make sense. Because Oskar is designed to be flawed as well as lovable, it makes the character very difficult to enjoy. There are times when you want to wrap your arms around him with a reassuring hug, scream at him to stop being so annoying and laugh at his quirks and traits. He carrys the film on his back and it's not his fault that it doesn't work because he did a great job considering all that...and that it was his first shot.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is an average movie when you smooth the whole thing out to look at it. There are scenes that made me cry a bit but I'm not sure if it's because the plot or acting is so superb or because 9/11 will always make me cry. There are also scenes that are really awful and almost feel like you're watching a dress rehersal of actors running their lines since the delivery seems so hollow that it couldn't possibly have been a final take. I wanted to see this, not because I thought it looked good, but because it was nominated. I suspect that that is the only reason why a lot of people will see it. I can tell you now that it won't win and I agree that it shouldn't have been nominated, so save your money and pass on this one unless you make it your mission to see all the Best Picture nominees each year. If it is, you're my kinda movie fan but you'll still feel "eh" about this.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Rated PG-13)
Gavin Grade: C
Man on a Ledge
Rest assured that Man on a Ledge is truth in advertising; there really is a man on a ledge. In fact that man gets on the ledge within two minutes of the movie and there he stays for most of it. The fact that the title of the movie (which is also said out loud within the first 15 minutes in cheesey fashion) doesn't mislead or lie and prepares you for exactly what kind of movie you're about to see is sadly the best thing about this pathetic excuse for a film.
I don't like bad movies when they aren't aware that they're bad. Not only does this movie not realize it's so bad, but I think the cast and crew thought it was good. It features a script from a 58- year-old guy from Venezuela who hasn't done much that anyone knows about with his career and a director who's only done one film before this and it was a documentary. How the hell did this movie even get made?! It has plot holes so big you can drive a monster truck through them, it's confusing in its logic and almost impossible to believe at all. It's impressive that a major Hollywood studio was tricked into making it, but what's an even better magic trick is how they convinced such an amazing pedigree of performers to be in it.
The film stars Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans) who is someone that no one has been able to explain to me why he's famous yet. The guy is like the state worker of Hollywood actors - he's not good at his job, but he's good enough to not get fired. I have yet to see him impress me with anything and I look forward to the day that he does. He's someone that should be in a movie this bad though. What's shocking is that they convinced Ed Harris (The Hours, The Abyss), Edward Burns (Saving Private Ryan, 15 Minutes) and Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, 40-Year-Old Virgin) to be in it and they are all performers who are good at their craft and respected among critics. So....WTF guys?
The film is about an ex-cop who breaks out of prison just to plan a heist to prove his innocence; and yes that plan involves him standing on a ledge. The plot isn't the worst things I've seen, in fact it would actually have made for a pretty funny comedic premise. The issue is that it moves so fast while being too illogical. Perhaps the rapid speed over crucial plot points is an attempt to usher the audience past them before they have a chance to put it together and see that it doesn't add up. Maybe another motive for the quick-step is the try to stay ahead of the audience in its twists and turns, which it fails at doing - if you don't have the ending called half way through the movie, you're an idiot.
It's not that Man on a Ledge is boring that makes it so bad. It will entertain the average person that just wants to pay for a ticket, sit in a seat and chomp popcorn while they watch pretty girls and tough guys for 90 minutes. It's that it's executed so poorly with zero regard for logical storytelling and quality filmmaking that also suckered such wasted talent into its ranks that makes it so bad. And trust me, it's bad. At its worst parts, you'll with you were on that ledge so you could jump off.
Man on a Ledge (Rated PG-13)
Gavin Grade: D+
The Grey
Oscar-winner Liam Neeson adds a certain level of classiness to every film he's in. Even when he's in something as silly and stupid as The A-Team or Clash of the Titans, he raises the quality up a little more. That's why it's so hard to judge a movie that he's in that appears to be a shallow, tawdry, cliche action film. Taken is a perfect example; if anyone else would have starred in that, it would have been another forgettable action film but he brought something special to it and made you walk away thinking you saw something more. The Grey is no different.
Director Joe Carnahan is someone I want to do well in Hollywood. Mostly because he's a local guy that was born and raised in Sacramento. But the other reason is because I see a talented filmmaker under his films that always seem to hover around more than Hollywood drivel. His former films are The A-Team and Smokin' Aces; both are good in their own unique ways. The Grey is a total departure from his previous work in tone and structure.
The film follows a group of oil drill workers in Alaska flying home after a season of work. Their plane goes down in the snowy wilderness and the survivors fight to reach safety as they're hunted by a pack of wolves. That's the whole plot and its simplicity is one of the best things about it. If you're expecting this to be about regular guys and how they all realize they're tougher than what they are and become action heroes, this isn't the movie for you. This is about pure survival and it's scary. However, it does become monotonous as well. Not everyone makes it and the systematic feasting of the wolves eventually becomes predictable and repetitive.
The film was shot near a small town called Smithers in Canada, making it the most exciting thing that has ever and will ever happen there. I mention this because the fact that it was filmed on location in the actual cold, in the actual snow with actual wolves is impressive and totally appreciated. The isolation permiates every frame of the film and you actually feel cold while watching it. I loved that aspect about The Grey! Nothing about it feels like the old Hollywood standard action film and every actor in it gets my respect for spending a month or two in that mess. The desperation you hear them scream some of their lines out wasn't acting, I'm sure.
The Grey is not without its problems. It suffers from slowing down and making you start looking at your watch or wait for another wolf attack. However it's a much more effective and deeper film than you're expecting. It builds slowly and towards a climax that exists only in your head (this will makes sense when you see the ending of the film, which is the best and most emotional part). Some will fully hate the fact that Carnahan did that, but as a fan of filmmaking and those that take risks with it, I loved it. It makes me look forward to what our local boy has planned next and if I didn't know that Liam Neeson had Battleship the Movie on his plate next, I'd look be optimistic for him too.
The Grey (Rated R)
Gavin Grade: B
107.9 The End
