Oblivion

My View:  Oblivion (2013) PG-13  After decades of war with an Alien race, most of Earth has been destroyed. Jack (Tom Cruise) is one of the last few humans stationed on the planet. His job is to repair drones on the surface, kill any aliens still remaining and extract Earth’s few remaining resources. But Jack finds a crashed spaceship, a spaceship that will change his life. This is a big mess of a film that seems to steal ideas from other movies, even other Tom Cruise movies, and the film has plot holes the size of Tom Cruise’s ego. While I did think the film looked amazing, he special effects were outstanding and created a future Earth that was almost unrecognizable, but they don't make up for the lousy script that had an ending that I absolutely hated.   My Rating: Cable   Oblivion Website

Indiefest:   Disconnect (2013) R  This film explores the interconnected world of the internet and its far reaching perils. A husband and wife (Alexander Skarsgard, Paula Patton) have their identities stolen, a widowed father (Frank Grillo) has no idea what his son is doing on-line, a reporter (Andrea Riseborough) is trying to do a story on the exploitation of young men on the internet and a married couple (Jason Bateman, Hope Davis) can’t connect with their son whose whole world is wrapped up with music and the internet. This is a very stylish film with some excellent performances, especially Skarsgard and Patton, who are trying to keep their marriage from falling apart. This is an interesting film to watch, and while not all of its stories are resolved, you do get an idea where most of the characters will end up.   My Rating: Full Price   Disconnect Website

The 50 (A Movie from My Best/Worst Films of All Time):

#7 Best Film

Casablanca (1942) What can you say about one of the most Iconic films of all time? This film about a cast of characters all meeting up at a nightclub has intrigue, romance, humor, and just about any other plot device you can think of. And it all comes together beautifully with marveous dialogue and gorgeous black and white cinematography. You can’t get any better than Humphrey Bogart in the role of Rick, the owner of the nightclub and Ingrid Bergman as his love interest and who has never been more beautiful. What makes this such a classic film is the outstanding supporting cast with Paul Henried, Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, just to name a few.   Casablanca Infor

Forgotten Film:  The Americanization of Emily (1964) In England for the build-up to D-Day, Charlie Madison (James Garner) is a carefree American naval officer who, despite his best intentions, falls for a British widower (Julie Andrews). This film has a brilliant script written by Paddy Chayefsky that was way ahead of its time with the anti-war slant to the storyline. Garner is perfect as the suave military man who works at avoiding the war, only to be sucked into it. Julie Andrews, in one of her first starring roles, is beyond compare as the young woman who falls in love with Garner and changes his life.   My Rating: Full Price    The Americanization of Emily Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD)  Django Unchained (2012) R  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 liked this film but wish it was about 20 minutes shorter. The script by Quentin Tarantino is worthy of the Oscar that he won as it is smart and witty. I loved the first 30 minutes of this film but felt that it slowed down a bit once Leonardo DiCaprio’s character entered the picture.   My Rating: Full Price    Django Unchained Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Disconnect: Driving double

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Big Wedding (2013) R  I am not sure exactly what the plot of this film is but does it matter? Just look at the cast, which includes Robert De Niro, Amanda Seyfried, Robin Williams, Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton.  Tell me this doesn’t look like a fun film to watch.   The Big Wedding Website

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!

Rock of Ages

My View: Rock of Ages (2012) Set in 1987 Los Angeles, a small town girl (Julianne Hough) and a city boy (Diego Boneta) meet while trying to make it in the big city. Both work at the hottest bar in LA, The Bourbon Room (think Whiskey Bar), where rock legend, Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) is scheduled to perform. Will do-gooder, Patricia Whitmore (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who sees the bar as the root of all things evil, succeed in shutting down the bar before Jaxx can perform? Tom Cruise is the reason to see this film, as his portrayal of Rock God Jaxx, is spot-on perfect, and he brings down the house with his performance of the Bon Jovi song “Wanted,Dead or Alive.” I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the banter/interaction between Alec Baldwin, as the owner of the bar, and Russell Brand, his right-hand man. The film never can decide if it loves the 80's or it should make fun of the 80's, so the audience never knows how to react to the musical numbers.  Ultimately, this film is brought down by its overall length, coming in at 123 minutes (way too long with too many songs), combined with the lack of charisma and singing forte' of the two principal stars of the film, Hough and Boneta.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee Rock of Ages Website 

My View: That’s My Boy (2012) As a teenager, Donny (Adam Sandler) has an affair with his high school teacher and she gets pregnant with his child. The teacher goes to jail for seducing Donny, and he has to raise his son on his own. The son, Tom (Andy Samberg), leaves his dad when he turns eighteen and is determined to never see his father again. When Tom is settled in his new life and gets engaged to be married, Donny shows up, unexpectedly, and is determined to participate in the wedding plans and get back into his son’s life.  So, this is an R rated comedy, and, while it doesn't go as far as some of the recent R rated comedies, it still pushes the boundaries of good taste, and too often goes for the easy joke. Sandler's character gets old very quickly.  He is the type of guy who is so proud of himself when he gets into a fight and doesn't spill his beer, and he's the guy who wants to be the center of attention and isn't too proud to sleep with not only your mother, but your grandmother.  While 80's star Vanilla Ice is funny at first, his bad acting dominates his appearances, and Andy Samberg is wasted as the prim and proper son. I did enjoy Milo Ventimiglia as the Marine brother of Tom's fiancée (Leighton Meester), but his scenes are too few to make a big difference in a film that just isn't that funny. My Rating:  Cable   That's My Boy Website

Indiefest: Lola Versus (2012) Lola (Greta Gerwig) seems to have it all with a great boyfriend, a nice apartment, and supportive friends.  It all ends, however, when Lola is dumped by her fiancée’ three weeks before her wedding day, and she decides to go on a series of adventures to prove that she still “has it” before she turns thirty.  Gerwig is brilliant as the quirky Lola, but she is let down by a script that, like her character in the film, isn’t sure where it wants to go. Lola is one of those characters that make one bad choice after another, so much so, that you want to reach into the big screen and shake some sense into her.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Lola Versus Website

Indiefest: Peace, Love & Misunderstanding (2012) An uptight, big city lawyer (Catherine Keener) takes her two teenagers to her mother’s farmhouse in upstate New York.  Mom (Jane Fonda), though, isn’t an ordinary grandmother. In fact, you could say that she never left the 60′s. What is meant to be a weekend becomes a summer of romance, music, and, just watch, a few family secrets might spill out. Jane Fonda is phenomenal as the stuck-in-the-60’s woman who continues to live the hippy lifestyle. I also liked Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Keener’s daughter, and whose character is unhappy with a weekend trip that turns into a week long stay, that is until she discovers the local butcher (Chace Crawford). This is one of those films you wish was just a little bit funnier and smarter.  You may end up liking the film, but you may not love it.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Peace, Love & Misunderstanding Website

Forgotten Film: Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) John Cusack plays Martin, a professional hit man. At the urging of his secretary (played by the very funny Joan Cusack), Martin takes a job in his old hometown. He discovers that they are having his ten year high school reunion and his old flame, Debi (Minnie Driver) is still in town. So, Martin decides to take Debi to his reunion.  Life, though, isn’t easy for Martin. He has Federal agents breathing down his neck, and the head of the hit man union, called Grocer (Dan Aykroyd), is pressuring Martin to join up.  If he decides not to join, Grocer has promised to bump him off.  All Martin wants to do is have a dance with Debi, but he has to dodge bullets and bombs before making it to the reunion.   My Rating: Full Price    Grosse Pointe Blank Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) I enjoyed this film and felt it was better than the first Sherlock Holmes film that starred Robert Downey Jr. I especially enjoyed how Jude Law and Downey Jr. played off each other with humor and ease.   My Rating: Full Price   Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Seen Only in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  The Watch (2012) Okay, so the plot of this film is a bunch of suburban dads who form a neighborhood watch program only to discover that Aliens have invaded the neighborhood. Ben Stiller stars in what looks like another one of his very forgettable films.   The Watch Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Rock of Ages: Tom Cruise’s Makeup, Tattoo design and application

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Django Unchained (2012) A western written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio. Can’t wait!     Django Unchained Website

Until Next Time!