42

Thursday, April 11, 2013 7:23 PM

My View:  42 (2013)  PG-13  This film tells the courageous story of Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) who was signed by Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) to the Brooklyn Dodgers to become the first African-American player to break the baseball “color line.” Unfortunately, this film doesn’t live up to the legend of Robinson as it’s filled with clichéd moments, some of which made me cringe. Chadwick Boseman just doesn’t have the charisma that Robinson had, making it hard to see why people were so enamored not just with the baseball player, but with the man, himself. And I hated Harrison Ford in the role of Rickey, as Ford plays him way over the top, almost making it a parody of the man who changed baseball. I also wanted to see the time that Robinson spent in Montreal, playing Triple A baseball, as I know that city rallied behind Jackie, but the film skips over that time period. There is an impactful scene between Robinson and Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black) on the baseball field near the end of the film, but unfortunately that’s the only part  that really stands out, making the rest of the film feel like a made for TV film from the 70’s.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   42 Website

Indiefest:  Trance (2013) R  Simon (James McAvoy) works as an art auctioneer at a prestigious auction house. While auctioning off a painting worth millions of dollars, the auction house is hit by robbers, resulting in Simon getting hit over the head. When he wakes up, the burning question everyone has, including the robbers is, where is the painting? But Simon can’t remember a thing about the robbery. This is one of those films that you never know what is real and what is made up, and I guarantee that you won’t see the ending coming. I liked McAvoy in the role of the auctioneer who gets in with the wrong people, but the performance that really impressed me was Rosario Dawson in the role of the hypnotherapist who is hired to help Simon remember. While I didn’t enjoy this film as much as some of director Danny Boyle’s other work (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire), it was fun to watch it spin its tale of intrigue.   My Rating: Full Price   Trance Website

Indiefest:  Starbuck (2013) R  David (Patrick Huard) is in a world of trouble. He has a low paying job delivering meat for his family’s butcher shop. He owes money to the mob and, to complicate matters even more, he has just found out that his policewoman girlfriend, Valerie (Julie LeBreton), is pregnant with his child and doesn’t want him to have anything to do with the child once it’s born. But, that’s nothing compared to the latest news David gets.  Under the name, Starbuck, David deposited sperm at a local sperm bank over 600 times, resulting in David fathering over 500 children. Now David decides to find out what kind of kids his children have become. This film is funny, warm and has a lot of heart, and Huard is the reason why this film works, as he makes David a very likeable guy and someone that you would want to be in your life. This is one of the better feel good films of the year, a film about family, both lost and found.   My Rating: Full Price    Starbuck Info

Forgotten Film:   Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)    Student Riff Randell (P.J. Soles) runs the school, and new principal, Miss Togar (Mary Woronov) just doesn’t know it yet. The only thing that Riff loves more than her high school is the punk rock band The Ramones. When Principal Togar bans Rock n Roll from the high school, Riff gets the Ramones to help her take back the school. This is a goofy, fun film that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Soles is adorable as the Ramones obsessed Riff, who brings a high energy and enthusiasm to the role. If you want to experience a little of the punk rock scene in the 70’s, this is the movie for you.   My Rating: Full Price   Rock n Roll High School Info

In Case You Missed It ( A Film Just Released on DVD):   Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)  R  Set in 1939, this film is about the love affair between President FDR (Bill Murray) and his distant cousin, Margaret Stuckley (Laura Linney). The backdrop of the film is the coming to America of King George IV (Samuel West) and the historic meeting at Hyde Park between the Roosevelt's and the King/Queen of England. I liked the performances in this film, which made it enjoyable to watch, but the film didn’t have a lot of substance to it.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Hyde Park on the Hudson Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of 42: Baseball Costumer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:   Now You See Me (2013)  PG-13  A team of Illusionists are pulling off bank heists while performing on stage in Las Vegas, all the while the FBI is trying to figure out how they are doing it. I will go see any film that Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds, Beginners) is in, but this film looks like it’s going to be a blast to watch with a cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg.    Now You See Me Info

Until Next Time!

Django Unchained

My View:  Django Unchained (2012) Set in the South in 1858, Django (Jamie Foxx), a former slave who has turned bounty hunter, with the help of his partner, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), look for Django’s long lost wife, Hildy (Kerry Washington). They find her on Calvin Candie's (Leonardo DiCaprio) plantation, where the main sport is slaves fighting to the death. I loved the first 45 minutes of this film, which is part comedy, part spaghetti western (western films made in the 60’s/70’s in Italy). Waltz and Foxx play off each other extremely well, as Dr. Schultz teaches Django the finer points of bounty hunting. But the film bogs down when DiCaprio’s character enters the picture, as there is quite a bit of sitting around dinner tables and porches, talking about slavery. Samuel L. Jackson, in a part that only he could play, is the butler Stephen, who is Candie’s right-hand man, and helps with the rest of the slaves, looking out for his master. I did enjoy the ending, but I just wish the film was about 20 minutes shorter. Be warned that there is an incredible amount of violence with lots of bloodshed, whipping, raping and other really savage.   My Rating: Full Price   Django Unchained Website

My View:  Les Miserables (2012) Based on the Broadway hit, this musical takes place in 19th century France where Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), has been running from the law for decades after breaking parole. Valjean agrees to take care of Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), the illegitimate daughter of Fantine (Anne Hathaway), after Fantine can no longer afford to take care of her. But by doing this, Valjean may be discovered by the police inspector, Javert (Russell Crowe), and his life could take a turn for the worse. Anne Hathaway is amazing in this film as the mother of Cosette who loses her job and has to sell herself to make sure her daughter survives. Hathaway’s song, "I Dreamed a Dream", is the highlight of the film, and the use of live recording as they were filming is displayed at its best with her performance. The other notable performance is Samantha Barks, who plays Cosette’s rival, Eponine.  Barks solo song, ”On My Own”, is an extraordinary bit of singing and is probably the best song in the film.  But, 99 percent of the dialogue is sung, and I found that the constant singing was a little tiring. Microphones were mounted under the cameras to catch all vocals, so there are quite a few close ups in the film, and this also gets very old during the film's 157 minutes. Jackman has the most to sing, as he is in almost every scene, and, as expected, does a superb job. While I found Crowe’s voice enjoyable, it is a performance that you will probably either love or hate. Overall, while there were some enjoyable performances, and a couple of amazing songs, the film was not the experience that I felt it should have been and, by the final scene, I was just ready for it to end.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Les Miserables Website

The 50 (A Movie From My Best/Worst Film of All Time)

#10 Worst Film

Gigli (2003) Ben Affleck plays Gigli, a mob hit man who has been hired to kidnap the brother of a district attorney. Jennifer Lopez plays Ricki, a lesbian hit woman who is assigned by the mob to make sure Gigli doesn’t screw up. Affleck and Lopez were a couple in real life when this stinker was made, but there isn’t any evidence on film, as their isn’t an ounce of chemistry between the two. The plot is as dumb as the hit man that Affleck plays, and Lopez keeps claiming to be a lesbian (she tells just about everyone in the film this), but she is about as believable as Christopher Walken is as the detective trying to solve the case. Lopez and Affleck were paid a combined 25 million dollars for this film.  I think they should pay us every time we see it.   Gigli Info

Forgotten Film: Tender Mercies (1983) Robert Duvall plays Mac Sledge, a legendary country singer, who has fallen on hard times due to his drinking. He finds himself abandoned in a small, west Texas motel run by a widow, Rosa (Tess Harper) and her young son (Allan Hubbard). Through the kindness of Rosa, Mac slowly gets his life back on track, falling in love with Rosa, and he begins to write songs again. But life is complicated, and his ex-wife Dixie (Betty Buckley), a big country star herself, comes back into the picture to possibly mess things up. Duvall gives one of the best performances of his career, bringing depth and warmth to a very flawed character. Everyone in this film did their own singing with Duvall and Buckley lighting up the screen with their vocal talents. This is almost a perfect film with an incredible script by the Texan writer Horton Foote, whose talent for finding the right words for his characters shines throughout.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Tender Mercies Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Total Recall (2012) Not really a remake of the 1990 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger but more like a total retooling. I liked Kate Beckinsale in this film but found it way too long and very confusing.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Total Recall Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): The Last Exorcism Part II (2013) Should it really take two films to perform an exorcism? I think one was enough.    The Last Exorcism Part II Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Les Miserables: Petty Cash Buyer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: 42 (2013) The life story of Jackie Robinson. Trailer looks amazing. Just hope the film lives up to the man himself.   42 Info

Until Next Time!