Dead Man Down

My View:   Dead Man Down  (2013)  R  Victor (Colin Farrell) is the right-hand man to a New York City crime boss (Terrence Howard).  Victor must find the killer who is threatening his boss. A woman named, Beatrice (Noomi Rapace), who seduces Victor and complicates things even more, may push him into a situation that he may never escape. This is one of those films that takes so many twists and turns that you fully don't understand what is happening until about three fourths of the way through the film.  Noomi Rapace is wasted in the character of a damaged woman (literally, her face is severely cut up in a car accident) who meets Victor after a series of flirting glances.  In a film where Farrell is playing a thug enforcer for a mob boss, there is very little action with only one really good action sequence near the beginning, and the climax at the end is highly predicable and totally unbelievable. This film was a waste of a really good cast, especially Rapace, whom, I hope, can find another role worthy of her Dragon Tattoo heritage.     My Rating:  Cable   Dead Man Down Website

Indiefest:  Emperor  (2013)  PG-13  World War II has ended, and General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones) has landed on Japan soil. Emperor Hirohito may now be charged as a war criminal. MacArthur has picked General Fellers (Matthew Fox) to investigate and decide if the Emperor is to be put on trial; a trial that could destroy a country.  The film centers on two stories:  the investigation into if the Emperor ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor and the love story set in the past between Fellers (Fox) and a Japanese girl named Aya (Eriko Hatsune) whom he meets while both are in college in the states.  Fellers sets about trying to put together who made the decisions to attack the US but is hampered by the fact that Japan is in total disarray due to the war, and under the gun to find evidence in ten days time, he is distracted in his quest to try and locate Aya to see if she survived the war.  This film left me wanting more of the war side of the story and much less of the love story.  I think I would have preferred to see a film about the rebuilding of a country with Tommy Lee Jones's MacArthur as the central character instead of him being a supporting character to Fox's love-worn general.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Emperor Website

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

# 8 Best Film

Sunrise  (1927)  This silent film directed by the great F.W. Murnau is a stunning example of a film that was way ahead of its time in both its complex storyline and its visuals.  It's a film about a married farmer (George O'Brien) who meets a "city woman" (Margaret Livingston) who convinces the farmer that if he runs away to the city with her, his life will be full of joy.  But, before the farmer can leave, the city woman wants him to do one thing - kill his wife (Janet Gaynor).  Every scene in this film is shot to showcase the drama, the suspense and the conflict the actors portray.  The acting of the three principles is exceptional, especially Gaynor, who plays the unsuspecting wife so perfectly.  This film was groundbreaking, its special effects are better than some Hollywood films made today, and its plot could stand up to any of today's scripts.   Sunrise Info

Forgotten Film:  Thief  (1981)  R  James Cann plays Frank, a man who dreams of having a family, the two-car garage, kids and the white picket fence.  But Frank isn't your ordinary guy; he makes his money by being a professional thief.  When Frank meets and marries the girl of his dreams (Tuesday Weld), he decides to speed up his plan and make a big, final score so he can retire from the business.  Frank makes one mistake - he takes a job for the mob, a job that may be his last, not because he is going to retire but because he won't survive.    My Rating:  Full Price    Thief Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Life of Pi  (2012)  PG  A young man survives a shipwreck only to be lost at sea on a large lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger.  I picked this film as one of the best of 2012, as the cinematography showcases the unbelievable 3-D scenes, making for an amazing visual experience.  I am afraid, though, that viewers who select to wait for the DVD will not fully be able to experience the wonders of this film.     My Rating:  Full Price    Life of Pi Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):   Scary Movie 5 (2013)  PG-13  You know studios are scraping the bottom of the barrel when you see the names, Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan on the same bill.  Just stop it! Stop the madness!     Scary Movie 5 Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Emperor:  Animal Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Place Beyond the Pines  (2013)  R  A motorcycle stunt man turns to robbing banks to support his family. Just the cast of Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and Rose Byrne makes me want to see this film.  Forget the great storyline.   The Place Beyond The Pines Website

Until Next Time!

Silver Linings Playbook

My Review:  Silver Linings Playbook (2012) Pat (Bradley Cooper) has lost just about everything – his wife, his job and his house. After spending eight months at a court mandated mental institution, he returns to his childhood home to get his life back on track and lives in the attic, a small cramped space above his parents’ (Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver) room. At a dinner party thrown by his best friend Ronnie (John Ortiz) and his wife Victoria (Julia Stiles), he meets Victoria’s sister, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a widow. At the dinner table the two discover they have something in common – they are both struggling with mental problems. And so begins an unlikely friendship. This is a funny, moving film that deals with a problem that many people and many characters in this film struggle to understand – mental illness. Director David O. Russell does a masterful job of keeping the right touch of laughter combined with the scary reality offamily and friends dealing with a person who isn’t always stable. This film drags a little until Tiffany’s appearance at a dinner party, where she and Pat argue about what drugs they have both taken to treat their illnesses. Lawrence brings both an energy and a vulnerability to the screen, driving the story along, and sometimes at break neck speed. The film has an incredible cast with Julia Stiles, Robert DeNiro, Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker shows a wonderful comic touch as Pat’s friend from the institution. This film is worth your time and money, especially for Jennifer Lawrence’s performance, a sure Oscar nominating role.    My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Silver Linings Playbook Website

My View:  Life of Pi (2012) A young man survives a shipwreck only to be lost at sea on a large lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger. Now he must survive using his wits and the teachings of his father. This is a film that you need to see in theatres because its beauty almost spills off the screen. Suraj Sharma plays Pi, and he gives a multilayer performance. The Tiger is mostly animated, but it's so well done that you never question its authenticity. This is deeply spiritual film and shows a young man embracing his religious beliefs to make it through this disaster. And, after seeing this film, you will want to talk about it.   My Rating: Full Price    Life of Pi Website

My View: Red Dawn (2012) When Washington state is invaded by North Koreans, a group of teenagers, led by a marine (Chris Hemsworth) who is home off leave, take matters into their own hands and start fighting back using tactics from the more famous insurgent groups of the past. This film lets the viewers down on almost every aspect including its horrible direction with action sequences done with camera work so shaky that, at times, you have no idea what is happening. Chris Hemsworth gives almost no emotional range in this film with his very wooden performance. The original film was fun and full of life, but this film is dull and boring.    My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again.    Red Dawn Website

Family Faire: Rise of the Guardians (2012) When the evil spirit, Pitch (voiced by Jude Law), attacks Earth, the Immortal Guardians fight to protect the children. In this wonderfully animated film, the Guardians are made up of Santa Claus (voiced by Alec Baldwin), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), Sandman (who doesn't talk), and The Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman). Jack Frost (Chris Pine) has been asked to join the group, and he may be key to defeating Pitch and his plan to conquer the world. I really liked this film with its animation and use of 3-D to great effect. It's a funny, fun film to watch with a new take on all of our childhood heroes. I especially enjoyed Alec Baldwin as a tattooed, sword wielding Santa Claus and Jude Law as the delightfully evil Pitch.    My Rating: Full Price    

Indiefest:  Anna Karenina (2012) In 19th century Russia, Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley) is a married woman with a small boy and is living a content life with her aristocratic husband. Then she meets Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) with whom she proceeds to have an affair, and it’s a relationship that will change her life and the lives of everyone around her. This is a beautiful film that is worth seeing for the interesting staging that the director, Joe Wright, uses - characters interacting with each other on a theatre stage. As the cast move from scene to scene, the stage transforms behind them in an almost magical ways, becoming a ballroom one moment and a train station in another. Keira Knightley does a touching job as Anna, but it's Aaron Taylor-Johnson who steals the film as the brash Count Vronsky.    My Rating: Full Price    Anna Karenina Website

Forgotten Film: Baby Boom (1987) J.C. Wiatt (Diane Keaton) is a high powered businesswoman so dedicated to her job that she is known as the “tiger lady."  She is happy in her career making big deals in New York City and living with her boyfriend when her world is changed.  A relative dies, and J.C. is given their baby. She, at first, tries to handle the job and the baby, but. after losing a big promotion, she decides to shake things up and move to a small town in Vermont. There she finds that the country life she has always envisioned doesn’t quite meet up to her expectations. Keaton gives a funny and smart performance and has great chemistry with her love interest in the film, the local vet, played by Sam Shepard. The film is full of rich, wonderful characters which make it one you will want to see over and over again.    My Rating: Full Price    Baby Boom Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Rise of the Guardians: Ethnic Percussion

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: This is 40 (2012) Judd Apalow’s sequel, sort of, to Knocked Up, with Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, and Melissa McCarthy. Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl are not in this film, which is probably a good thing.   This is 40 Info

Until Next Time!

Flight

My View:  Flight (2012) Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) is an airline pilot whose quick thinking and brave flying saves a plane and its passengers from a fiery death. But when the authorities begin an investigation into the crash, questions arise and Whip comes under the microscope. This is Denzel’s movie, as he is on-screen almost the whole film and his performance is certainly Oscar quality. The crash sequence is absolutely the best one I have ever seen.  You really feel like you are a part of the flight. John Goodman makes a couple of brief appearances in the film as one of Whip’s buddies, and he takes over those scenes with humor that only Goodman can do. I do feel, though, that the script is a little lacking.  It’s too long, full of clichés that you generally anticipate and there is just too much of Denzel’s character brooding about in rooms. But the film is worth seeing because of Denzel and the crash scenes.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Flight Website

My View:  Cloud Atlas (2012) A tale that takes place over hundreds of years where the action of one person affects the lives of many in the present and in the future. If someone commits a horrible act in one life, can that person be redeemed by committing acts of kindness in their future lives? First off, pack a lunch because this movie is 172 minutes long. It’s a film that you have to pay close attention to because it does a lot of moving about from one time period to another, sometimes very abruptly. Each of the main actors play 5 to 6 characters in the film, and sometimes the makeup is so well done, you can’t tell which actor is portraying certain parts. It’s a gorgeous film, and there are quite a few action sequences to keep the film moving. While I did appreciate the film, and I really liked certain portions of the film, I found that it’s not a film that I want to ever experience again, because while I did enjoy the ending and how everything connected together, it just wasn’t that overwhelming of an experience that it should have been.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Cloud Atlas Website

Indiefest: The Sessions (2012) Mark O’Brien (John Hawkes) contracted polio at age 7. It’s the mid-80’s in San Francisco. Mark is now 38 and spends most of his time in an iron lung with almost no muscle control in his body. Mark has tried to start relationships with women, but has never found anyone who is willing to take a chance on him. Mark decides that time is running out for him, and he wants to lose his virginity, so he enlists counsel of his priest (William H. Macy) and the help of a sex surrogate (Helen Hunt) to accomplish his goal. It’s a goal that will not only change Mark’s life but will change the lives of so many people who know him. This is one of the better films of the year with incredible performances by Hawkes and Hunt, with Hawkes giving his performance with just his voice and his eyes. The film is based on a true story and is about 80 percent accurate, with the poems in the film written by the real Mark O’Brien. I am warning you that there are lots of nudity, and you do see the sex acts between Hawkes and Hunt, but they are tastefully done, with the scenes between the two characters filled with humor and warmth.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   The Sessions Website

Indiefest: The Details (2012) A family of raccoons has decided that Dr. Jeffrey Lang’s (Tobey Maguire) beloved backyard is the perfect feeding ground. Dr. Lang becomes obsessed with ridding his yard of the pests, by any means necessary. This war on the raccoons could destroy his yard…and his marriage. This is a dark comedy where Maguire’s character just gets caught up in more and more bad things, some are his fault, some the fault of others. Elizabeth Banks plays his wife, who seems to be the perfect wife until you see that their marriage is just about appearances, much like the yard that Maguire’s character obsesses about. Laura Linney is sensational in the role of the crazy neighbor, who becomes the key to all that happens to Maguire’s character. This isn’t a great film, but it does have some really creative scenes and a cast that is worth watching.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Details Info

Forgotten Film: Freaks (1932) This film, directed by Tod Browning (Dracula), is one of the scariest films I have ever seen. A beautiful trapeze artist, Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova), finds out that Hans, a little person working in the circus, is about to inherit a lot of money. She sets her sights on him and manipulates him into wedding proposal, all the while she is having an affair with the Circus strongman, Hercules (Henry Victor). Most of the cast is made of up of actual sideshow performers, such as Siamese Twins and Human Skeleton. When the sideshow performers find out that Cleopatra is just using Hans for his money, they set out for revenge. The ending of this film must be seen to be believed.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee Freaks Info 

Weird Credits: From the credits of Flight:   Addiction Consultant

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Life of Pi (2012) The story of an Indian boy name Pi, who, after a ship he was on is sunk in a storm, finds himself on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. I know it sounds weird, but it’s directed by Ang Lee, and the word is that this is a magical film.    Life of Pi Website

Until Next Time!