Snow White and the Huntsman

My View:  Snow White and the Huntsman  (2012):  In this retelling of the fairy tale, the Evil Queen (played by Charlize Theron) plots to kill Snow White (Kristen Stewart), the only person in the land who is fairer than the Queen. The Queen sends a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to kill Snow, but when he can’t bring himself to do the deed, he decides to train her to take on the Queen and her evil minions.  My biggest problem is that while Kristen Stewart is a pretty girl, she isn't the great beauty that they make Snow White out to be in the film, nor does she possess the charisma that her character needs to inspire an army to overcome the odds.  Plus, she just doesn't impose an impressive picture of a fighter, which you are supposed to believe that she has become (with very little training) by the end of the film.  I did like Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen, as she milks her scenes for everything they've got.  Hemsworth makes a fine huntsman and does well in the battle scenes but the film lacks an overall air of excitement that a film of this scope needs.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Snow White and the Huntsman Website

My View:  Chernobyl Diaries  (2012):  Six tourists hire a guide to take them to the abandoned city of Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Soon after arriving, they realize that this isn’t any normal tour and discover they may not be alone...something was possibly left behind after the disaster.  People love being scared, and that's why Hollywood keeps making Horror films.  If you want to be scared, go see anything else, but don't see this film.  Horribly acted, badly written and worse yet, boring, this film isn't scary at all.  It tries to build a sense of foreboding with dark shadows and things that go bump in the night, but this film is highly predictable, and you'll want a refund from that shady travel guide from whom you bought your trip.  My Rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Chernobyl Diaries

Indiefest:  High School  (2012): After a night partying with a childhood friend, Henry (Matt Bush) realizes that, by agreeing to smoke the joint that Travis (Sean Marquette) gave him, he just kissed his valedictorian/college career good-bye. That is until Travis hatches a scheme to get the whole high school high on high grade pot before the mandatory drug test on finals day.  This is a stoner film with a capital S, with our heroes trying to outwit the principal (played by an almost unrecognizable Michael Chiklis) who makes it his mission to rid the school of drugs while trying to dodge the drug dealer (played by Adrien Brody).  This film is a one joke movie, and it just doesn't have the wit or wisdom to carry it off for longer than the first fifteen minutes.  While it's fun to watch an Oscar-winning actor (Brody) go absolutely nuts with his role, this film gets old very quickly, and it has an ending that most of the audience (even the stoners) could have written while watching the opening credits.  My Rating:  Cable   High School Website

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

#20 Best Film 

Lawrence of Arabia  (1962)  This epic film won 7 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director for David Lean, and the film probably should have won more, with, at least, Best Actor for Peter O'Toole for his outstanding work as the title character of the film.  The film is based on the historical figure T.E. Lawrence who, as a young British intelligence officer working in Egypt, rises to power leading an Arab revolt against the Turks during WWI and defeats the Ottoman Empire.  O'Toole is mesmerizing as the charismatic Lawrence who brings together unorganized Arab tribes to mount a successful guerrilla campaign.  Lawrence, though, is a flawed man, and his bravado eventually is his undoing.  This is a sweeping film with brilliant cinematography that shows what a vast open space the desert can truly be. It's truly a film that can be watched again and again.    Lawrence of Arabia Info

Forgotten Film:  King of Hearts  (1966)  Near the end of WWI, the German army is in retreat and has left a small French village booby trapped, set to blow up the whole town.  A Scottish solider (Alan Bates) is sent to the town to disarm the bomb.  When he arrives, he finds the town has been abandoned, with the exception of inmates from an insane asylum.  To escape a few remaining Germans, the soldier hides in the asylum and releases the inmates when he leaves to dismantle the bomb.  The inmates promptly take over the town and make the solider the King of Hearts, the leader of their ragtag bunch.   This is smart, funny film that is one of those films that will have you smiling from start to finish.  Bates is a blast to watch as he has to continually react to his new friends, and Genevieve Bujold is just beautiful as his love interest, a girl who is quite happy living in her strange little world inside the asylum.  My Rating:  Full Price   King of Hearts Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Man on a Ledge  (2012)  I found the leads of Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks lacking in this caper of a film about a man who is trying to clear his name while pulling off a heist.  I did enjoy the performances of Jamie Bell and Genesis Rodriquez, who play a bickering couple and the mostly unlikely of cat burglars you will ever meet.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Man on a Ledge Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Film I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks like a Bad Idea):  Step Up Revolution (2012)  Do we really need any more of these Step Up films?  How about Step Off the Cliff?   Step Up Revolution Website

Weird Credits:  From the film Chernobyl Diaries:  The Producers wish to thank the Antiterrorist Unit, Serbia

Coming to Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Safety Not Guaranteed  (2012)  Three magazine writers head out to interview a guy who places a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel.  You had me at time travel and classified ad.   Safety Not Guaranteed Website

Until Next Time!

The Grey

My View: The Grey (2012) Liam Neeson plays a hunter whose job is to protect the men who work on the Alaska pipeline from wolves. Traveling in northern Alaska, a plane full of workers, including Neeson’s character, crashes into the Alaskan wilderness. Not only are the men low on food and other supplies, they are smack in the middle of the territory of a pack of wolves and the wolves, wanting to get rid of the invaders, start picking off the men one by one. While I enjoyed Neeson’s role, much of the characters in the movie are very predictable, and, at times I found myself even rooting a little for the wolves. If you see this film, be sure to take a sweater, as this film does an impressive job of showing you the harshness of the Alaskan Winters. Just a footnote:  there are very few cases of wolves attacking humans and most occur after humans have been living for quite awhile in their territory. My Rating: Cable   The Grey

My View: Man on a Ledge (2012) Sam Worthington plays an ex-cop who, after being convicted of stealing a 40 million dollar diamond (which has never been recovered), escapes from prison then steps out on the 20th floor ledge of a hotel to draw attention to his plight of being wrongly convicted.  But there is more to this than meets the eye, and while he captures the attention of NYC, his brother (played by Jamie Bell) and girlfriend (played by Genesis Rodriguez) might be in on a scheme to get Worthington’s good name returned.  I found Worthington a little bland in his role, and Elizabeth Banks is sorely miscast as a jaded NYC cop psychologist who is assigned to talk the ex-cop off the ledge.  What makes this film fun to watch is the bickering couple of Bell and Rodriguez, who make an unlikely pair of cat burglars. My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Man on a Ledge

Indyfest (A Look at a Small, Indie or Foreign Film): Albert Nobbs (2012) Glenn Close plays the title character, a woman, who for the past 30 years, has posed as a man to get work as a waiter in 19th century Ireland. She is quiet, unassuming, and perfect in her job as a butler at a small hotel, but her dream is to own her own Tobacco shop, a goal that she almost has enough money for. But Albert’s world gets very complicated when a new maid (played by Mia Wasikowska) joins the staff and Albert’s dream could come crashing down. Glenn Close deserves her Oscar nomination in a role of a lifetime.  You really root for Albert to succeed, but an even better performance is by Janet McTeer, who plays a painter who befriends Albert, and is a role that got her a Best Supporting Actress nomination.  My Rating: Full Price   Albert Nobbs Website

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

27th Best Film

Sullivan’s Travels (1941) A director (Joel McCrea) of light, musical comedies decides he wants to make a serious film about the downtrodden, a film that shows how hard life is. He realizes he can't create this type of film while living the life of a Hollywood director, so he decides to live a hobo’s life, with no money, riding the rails, experiencing the real world. He meets a young woman (played by the beautiful Veronica Lake) who, after trying to make it as an actress, is on her last dime and is headed out of town. After discovering his true identity, she decides to help him on his travels. This is a warm, funny film that pokes fun a the “Hollywood lifestyle” and the men who make films. There is incredible chemistry between McCrea and Lake as their relationship is built on friendship and compassion. Writer/Director Preston Sturges is masterful at writing witty dialogue, and makes his characters seem full, well-rounded, and funny.  In my opinion, this is one of the best films made in the 1940’s and is well worth rediscovering.   Sullivan's Travels Info

Forgotten Film: My Favorite Year (1982) It’s 1950’s NYC where a popular weekly live variety show is based. A junior writer (played by Mark Linn-Baker) is assigned the task of keeping a matinee idol out of trouble and sober for a week leading up to his appearance on the show. Peter O’Toole plays the actor who is known more for his boozing and womanizing than his acting. This is a very funny comedy that gives you a look into the backstage goings on in the world of 1950’s television, its Golden Age.  O’Toole is truly great as the boozy swashbuckler who tries to get in as much trouble as he can, all with a twinkle in his eye. This film is loosely based on a true story where Woody Allen, a junior writer on Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows, was assigned to make sure that Errol Flynn showed up for the live telecast.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   My Favorite Year Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD): 50/50 (2011) I picked this as one of my top ten films of 2011.  Based on a true story, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a producer of an NPR-like radio station whose life changes when he discovers he has cancer and only has a 50/50 chance of survival. I loved the female leads in this film with Bryce Dallas Howard playing his selfish girlfriend and the very cute Anna Kendrick playing the inexperienced therapist. This is a comedy that has heart and will make you laugh and cry.  My Rating: Full Price   50/50 Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance  The question is not why was this film made when the first Ghost Rider was such a stinker.  The bigger question is why are studios still making films with Nicolas Cage?

Weird Credits: From the credits of Underworld: Awakening (2012): Automotive Sprayer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: John Carter (2012) Pixar’s first live action movie based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel about a man from Earth who mysteriously travels to the war-torn world of Mars. The director is Andrew Stanton who directed some of Pixar’s best films - WALL-E, Finding Nemo - and wrote Toy Story and A Bug’s Life.   John Carter Info

Until Next Time!