Evil Dead

My View:   Evil Dead (2013)  R    A group of friends want to get away and decide to go to a remote cabin in the woods. There they find a mysterious book called, The Naturom Demono, and, despite warnings written on the book, they decide to read it anyway. It’s a mistake that could cost them their lives. This is the bloodiest film I have seen in a long time, maybe the bloodiest ever. I won’t be surprised to hear people passing out or throwing up due to the ultra-violence. I liked the setup of the film, but because it's  is such a “Gorefest," it starts to lose its punch near the end. I wanted the film to be scarier, and I also wanted just a little more humor. Also, it doesn’t seem to have the catch phrases that were so prevalent in the original film.  Evil Dead fans, stay through all the credits for a little treat at the end.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Evil Dead Website

My Take: The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)  R   Luke (Ryan Gosling) is a daredevil motorcycle rider on the carnival circuit who encounters Romina (Eva Mendes), a woman he had an affair with the last time he was in town. Now he finds out that he has fathered a son with Romina, and Luke wants to do right by his new found family, but he may have to turn to a life of crime to get ahead. Do not be fooled by the trailer, which makes it look like the whole film is about Ryan Gosling’s character. It’s equally Bradley Cooper’s film, as he plays a cop that is on a collision course with Gosling’s character. I felt the film was too long with the storyline giving us way too much information about the films characters. This is a film that some  critics will fall in love with, but I felt it missed the mark by a long shot.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Place Beyond the Pines Website

Indiefest:   The Sapphires (2012)  PG-13   An Australian film about four Aboriginal girls who form a singing group and travel to Vietnam to entertain the troops. Chris O’Dowd plays Dave, the man who convinces the girls’ families that they will be safe on the tour that changes all their lives. I saw this film last year at the Austin Film Festival and just loved it. Chris O’Dowd is perfect as the boozy, scamming Dave who sees, at first, the girls as a meal ticket, then actually begins to care for them. The singing in the film is amazing, and the storyline reels you in from the start.    My Rating: Full Price     The Sapphires Website

Forgotten Film:    Waking Ned Devine (1998)  PG   Ned Devine lives in the small Irish town of Tulaigh Mhor, population 52. Well, it was 52, but Ned dies due to shock after winning the Irish National Lottery, and now the population is 51. Town Leaders Jackie O’Shea (Ian Bannen) and Michael O’Sullivan (David Kelly) decide that since Ned has no living relatives, the town should reap the rewards of the winning ticket and fool the National Lottery official that Ned is still alive and kicking. This is a brilliantly funny film, full of characters that make it so enjoyable to watch.     My Rating: Full Price    Waking Ned Devine Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):   Lincoln (2012)   PG-13  An incredible, Oscar winning performance is given by Daniel Day-Lewis as the title character. The film has a great cast and is beautifully shot, but I think it’s one of those films where the performance is much better than the script. I wanted the film to be more about Lincoln’s whole life as opposed to the last few months.    My Rating: Full Price     Lincoln Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Beyond the Pines: Body double for Mr. Gosling

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Oblivion (2013)  PG-13   I am not a big Tom Cruise fan, but this Sci-Fi film’s trailer makes it look really good. This film, about how Earth is no longer inhabitable after an alien invasion, will be Cruise’s only film released in 2013. My guess is that it’s going to be a winner.   Oblivion Website

Until Next Time!

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

My View:  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012) After the birth of their daughter, Renesmee, Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) gather up the Cullen Vampire clan to protect their child. Irina (Maggie Grace) feels that Renesmee, whose miraculous birth, is a threat to the Volturi, so they set out to kill the child. Now the ultimate battle is about to go down. This isn’t saying much, but this is the best Twilight film. It has the usual beginning of any of the Twilight films, lots of setup with very little action, lots of corny scenes between Bella and Edward (that even my audience full of Twihard fanatics laughed at), and if you haven’t seen any of the other Twilight films, don’t start with this one as you will be completely confused. I thoroughly enjoyed the big battle sequence near the end, but there is a major flaw with this film (that I can’t discuss without giving out spoilers) that really ruined the ending for me.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Website

My View:  Lincoln (2012) As the Civil War continues, Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) is determined to pass the 13th amendment and battles Congress as well as his own cabinet to abolish slavery. The film is only about the last few months before Lincoln’s second term is to start, so don’t expect a lot of setup from this film as it expects that you know most of the history of the Civil War and of Lincoln, himself. Daniel Day-Lewis is incredible in this performance, though it does take a little getting used to his voice, which is sort of high pitched. The rest of the cast does a remarkable job, including Sally Field as Mary Todd, David Strathairn as Secretary of State Seward and Tommy Lee Jones as Congressman Thaddeus Stevens. I really enjoyed the performances of James Spader and John Hawkes, as they try and muster votes for the amendment by just about any means possible. The film is beautifully shot, and its score fits perfectly with what we are seeing on the screen. Steven Spielberg has done a great job in capturing one of our country's  most trying times.  My Rating: Full Price   Lincoln Website

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

#`13 Best Film

North By Northwest (1959) In this classic Alfred Hitchcock film, Cary Grant plays Roger Thornhill, a New York advertising executive who is mistaken for a government agent by some foreign spies. As he travels across the country, he meets a woman on a train, Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint), who begins to help him with his quest to find out why he has been targeted. The film contains many of the iconic Hitchcock scenes, including the crop-duster scene where Thornhill is attacked by a dusting plane, and the film concludes with a major battle on top of Mt. Rushmore between Thornhill and the bad guy. Grant is at his absolute best, and there is a great deal of chemistry between him and Eva Marie Saint.   My Rating: I Would Pay To See it Again   North by Northwest Info

Forgotten Film:  Silver Streak (1976) A mild-mannered book editor (Gene Wilder) takes a cross country train trip. While on the train, he thinks he sees a murder committed, but there isn’t any evidence and no one believes him. He decides to investigate on his own and becomes the next target of the killer. This is a very funny film with superb performances by Wilder and, in a smaller role, Richard Pryor. Jill Clayburgh plays the romantic interest of Wilder, and their meeting on the train is one of my favorite romantic/flirting scenes between two leads in all of movies. The dialogue in this film is witty and fast, and while some of the comedy is a little over the top, it still makes for a highly enjoyable film.   My Rating: Full Price  Silver Streak Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Arthur Christmas (2011) I liked this animated film about Santa, who is getting ready to retire, and his two sons, one of which will follow in his footsteps. The humor in the film plays to both adults and kids, and the storyline is perfect for the holidays.  My Rating: Full Price   Arthur Christmas Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Lincoln: Facial Hair Artist

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Zero Dark Thirty (2012) Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow brings to the screen the story of the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his eventual death by SEAL Team 6. Chris Pratt, Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton fill out the cast on this highly anticipated film.   Zero Dark Thirty Website

Until Next Time!

Argo

My View:  Argo (2012) Based on a true story, Ben Affleck directs this film and stars as a CIA agent who tries to save six Americans hiding at the Canadian ambassador’s home in Iran during the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979. His idea: Pose as a Canadian filmmaker and have the Americans escape by acting as his Canadian crew. Affleck keeps getting better as a director, and he gives this film a wonderful pace that builds toward an incredible ending. What I really liked about this film is that it isn’t all drama based; there are some very funny moments in this film, most of the time, supplied by Alan Arkin and John Goodman, who play two Hollywood filmmakers who help Affleck’s character set up the fake movie, including providing a script and publicity. This is a film that, at its conclusion, you just might feel the urge to clap. Be sure to stay through the first series of credits as the film shows you side-by-side with the actors and pictures of the real people the parts were based on.    My View: Full Price   Argo Website

Indiefest:  Seven Psychopaths (2012) A screenwriter, Marty (Colin Farrell), is struggling to come up with his next script. All he has is a title, “Seven Psychopaths.” His best friend, Billy (Sam Rockwell), makes a living by stealing dogs and returning them to their owners for a reward. But, Billy makes a big mistake – he has stolen the dog of a psychopathic mob boss (Woody Harrelson) who has vowed to find and kill the perpetrator who stole his beloved dog. Think of this film as if the director of Pulp Fiction (1994), Quentin Tarantino, and the writer of Swingers (1996), Jon Favreau, got together and had a film baby. This is a wild, hilarious film that is non-stop fun from the start, where one of the first scenes show two hit men arguing over whether shooting someone in the eye is hard to do. Colin Farrell is funny as the meek Marty, a guy who gets caught in some very dangerous situations with some very dangerous men. But, it’s Sam Rockwell as Marty’s unstable buddy and Christopher Walken, who plays Hans, Marty’s dog-stealing partner, who make this film go. Walken steals every scene he is in, and Rockwell plays off Farrell’s character so well, you almost think they are brothers in real life.    My View: I Would Pay to See it Again    Seven Psychopaths Website    Please note: This film is being releashed by CBS Films and I work for CBS, Inc.

Indiefest:  The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) Charlie (Logan Lerman) is a shy, introverted freshman just trying to survive in high school. He is taken under the wings of two seniors, the openly gay Patrick (Ezra Miller) and the beautiful girl that Charlie quickly falls secretly in love with, Sam (Emma Watson). Charlie’s two new friends soon discover that Charlie has had mental problems and is having trouble getting over the suicide of his best friend and the death of his Aunt. I absolutely loved this film and how it shows how strange, off beat people can find and support each other, even in the scary world of high school. This is an enjoyable film that has terrific dialogue and some excellent performances, especially Lerman, who gives heart to the role of Charlie. This is one of those films that young people will watch over and over again because it so realistically and lovingly shows what it’s like to be a teenager in high school.   My Rating: Full Price    The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The 50 (A Movie From My Best/Worst Films of All time)

#14 Worst Film

Showgirls (1995)  A young girl named Nomi(Saved by the Bell’s Elizabeth Berkley), hitches a ride to Las Vegas with aspirations of becoming a Vegas showgirl. Isn’t that what every little girl dreams about? But, life is hard in Vegas, and Nomi will have to sleep her way to the top, leaving her friends (other showgirls) and boyfriends (why are you in this movie Kyle MacLachlan?) behind. For a film that has tons of nudity, it’s one of the most un-erotic films I have ever seen. The sex scene between Berkley and MacLachlan in the pool is so bad, it’s almost scary. The dialogue is horrible.  It’s as if the writer (Joe Eszterhas) thought the opinions and plot of this film won’t matter because everyone will be staring at the nude girls.   Showgirls Info

Forgotten Film:  Heathers (1988) Veronica (Winona Ryder) is one of the popular girls in Westerburg High School. Her three best friends are all named Heather (Kim Walker, Shannen Doherty and Lisanne Falk), and, as a group, they rule the school with their looks, their attitude and their ability to put down anyone who attempts to stand up to them. Things change when Veronica becomes interested in a new student, J.D. (Christian Slater), who, to put it mildly, is a bit of a rebel. This is a black comedy filled with murder, revenge and very funny lines. Ryder is perfect as the smart, but in-over-her head Veronica, and Slater plays J.D. like a 40 year old psychopath in a teenager’s body.   My Rating: Full Price   Heathers Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Prometheus (2012) Ridley Scott directed this “prequel” to his 1979 film, “Alien,” where a team of scientists are exploring space when they become stranded on an alien world; a world that has many hidden dangers. The cast includes Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Idris Elba. The DVD/Blu-ray contains not only alternate endings, but also alternate beginnings.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee    Prometheus Info

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012) Do you really care what the plot is or what the child of Bella and Edward looks like? Can I just look at the poster and say that I have seen the film, because I think the plot will be about as thin as the poster, itself.

Weird Credits: From the film Seven Psychopaths: Construction Medic

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Lincoln (2012) Steven Spielberg directs Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role, so, sign me up to see this film. The film that just got rave reviews at the New York Film Festival and has an almost perfect cast, including Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Hawkes and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln.   Lincoln Info

Until Next Time!