Lawless

My View:   Lawless (2012) During the depression, three brothers (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke) run a successful bootlegging business in Franklin County, Virginia. With corrupt law (Guy Pearce) and a local mob boss (Gary Oldman) wanting to muscle in on the brothers' business, it’s soon up to the brothers to fight back.  I was very disappointed in this film, especially since it has such a great cast, but the film never gets moving in the right direction, which I think is mostly the fault of LeBeouf, who is asked to carry much of the acting load, and he’s just not quite up to the task. Tom Hardy seems to be suffering from Bane aftereffects.  He barely talks in the film, and the usually excellent Jessica Chastain seems to be sleepwalking through the entire film. The film’s action sequences are too few and far between, and I wanted more of Gary Oldman’s character.    My Rating: Cable   Lawless Website

My View:  The Possession (2012) A father (Jeffery Dean Morgan) and daughter (Natasha Calis) go to a yard sale and buy an antique box. Little do they know that the box they now possess is inhabited by an evil spirit, one waiting for the box to be opened so it can unleash a curse. Now the father and his ex-wife (Kyra Sedgwick) must find a way to end the curse or their daughter will die. While watching this film, I kept flashing back to The Shining when the kid talks to his finger saying “Redrum” as the girl who is possessed by the evil being in this film does a lot of talking in a strange voice. The film doesn’t deliver enough scary parts to make up for its slow moving storyline.   My Rating: Cable   The Possession Website

Indiefest:  Robot & Frank (2012)   This film, from Director Jake Schreier, is set in the near future where robots have started taking over tasks that humans normally do, such as caring for the elderly. Frank (Frank Langella) is a retired cat burglar who lives alone.  His only contact with his family are phone calls from his daughter (Liv Tyler), who is always traveling, and weekly visits from his son. Frank has started to show signs of dementia, so his son (James Marsden) brings a robot into the house to take care of Frank. Frank resists at first, as he is set in his ways, and continues taking his daily trips into town to visit the librarian, Jennifer (Susan Sarandon). He soon realizes, though, that the robot can aid him in pulling off one last heist. Langella is terrific as the crusty “second story man” who realizes that things are starting to change, but maybe he can recapture a little of his youth by planning and carrying out the caper.  The friendship that develops between the Robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) and Frank is touching and shows the need of everyone (even the crankiest person) for love and friendship.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Robot & Frank Website

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

#16 Best Film

The Maltese Falcon (1941) Humphrey Bogart stars in this classic film as Sam Spade, a Private Investigator who gets caught up in a search for the mysterious Maltese Falcon. Written and directed by the legendary John Huston, the film sets the standard for Film Noir style of film making with its dark Black and White shadows, which is used in almost every inch of this film.  The film has one of the great casts with Sydney Greenstreet, Elisha Cook Jr. , Peter Lorre and Mary Astor. This film made Bogart the star that he was destined to be.   The Maltese Falcon Info

Forgotten Film:   Slap Shot (1977) Paul Newman stars in this comedy as Reg Dunlop, the player/coach of a failing Ice Hockey team called, The Charlestown Chiefs. The team isn’t doing very well, both on the ice and at the box office, when Reg decides to play the Hanson Brothers, three violent hockey goons, and soon the future of the team starts looking up. Newman is hilarious in the role of the savvy and conniving Reg who will do almost anything to keep his hockey team together. But, be warned.  This is not the usual Paul Newman role as just about every other word that comes out of his mouth is a curse word.    Slap Shot Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):   Battleship (2012) An absolute stinker of a film about an alien invasion and a small navy force that has to defeat the alien army. When I saw this movie in the theatre, the audience was laughing at almost every twist and turn. The only thing I liked about this film was Rihanna, who plays a kick ass Petty Officer who likes blowing up things, but she can’t make up for this complete mess.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again    Battleship Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) Do we really need another Resident Evil movie with Milla Jovovich shooting big guns?  I can’t believe that five of these films have been made based off a video game.    Resident Evil: Retribution Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Possession: Truck Costumer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Liberal Arts (2012) Josh Radnor stars and directs this film about a man who returns to his hometown, a small college town, and quickly falls for a young college student, played by Elizabeth Olsen.  I really enjoyed Radnor's last film, 2010's Happythankyoumoreplease and this romantic comedy looks even better.   Liberal Arts Info

Until Next Time!

The Queen of Versailles

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Indiefest:  The Queen of Versailles (2012):  This film is a documentary about the Siegel’s, a billionaire couple who build the largest private house in the United States - a 90,000 square foot mansion inspired by Versailles. The economic downturn, however, and the banking crisis in 2008, may crush their dreams. This is a fascinating film that shows how out of touch the super-rich are with ordinary America and the film is full of great contrasts, such as when they go pick up McDonalds takeout in a stretch limo.  What really makes this an interesting film is that Jackie isn't your normal trophy wife.  She once worked as a computer engineer at IBM, so you begin to wonder what sort of life she would have had if she had stayed at IBM instead of pursuing a modeling career and later meeting her now husband at a beauty pageant.  This is one of those documentaries where you are constantly changing your opinion about the characters in the film.   My Rating:  Full Price   The Queen of Versailles Website

Indiefest:  Neil Young Journeys (2012): A documentary filmed on Neil Young’s solo tour to promote his album, Le Noise. The film follows Young as he explores his childhood hometown and is interspersed with concert footage from his performance at the historic Massey Hall in Toronto.  Young travels in an old four-door sedan, reminiscing about his early childhood, and the film footage is interspersed with songs from his hits of the late 60′s/70′s and music from his 2010 CD, Le Noise. Young did the concert solo and moved from electric guitar to piano to electric organ, singing in the classic Neil Young style. It wouldn’t be a Neil Young concert without a little message thrown in (since Young is a well-known activist), as the 1970 song Ohio is cut with footage and pictures of the four people killed in 1969 on the Kent State University campus during the height of the Vietnam War protests. I enjoyed the film which had a great sound track that perfectly captured the energy of Young’s performances and his music. I did get tired of the cute camera angles that Demme used to spice up the film, especially shots from the camera that was mounted on Young’s mic, which gave us an unwanted close-up of his nose hairs. Overall, the film presents Young's unique and intriguing story and what it's like to attend one of his concerts.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Neil Young Journeys Website

The 50 (A Movie From My Best/Worst Films of All Time)
#16 Worst Film
Sextette  (1978)  84 year old Mae West came out of retirement to make this move based on a play that she had written about a woman trying to consummate her marriage (to a 32 year old soon to be James Bond, Timothy Dalton).  Mae West was an accomplished actress and a big star on both the Broadway stage and the  screen and wrote much of her own material.  Unfortunately, for this film, her talented writing occurred in the 1930s, not in the 70's.  When released, the film made about $50,000 in the theaters where most of the money was earned at the two premieres where West appeared.    Sextette Info

Forgotten Film:  Get Carter (1971):  Jack Carter (Michael Caine), a notorious gangster based out of London, travels to Newcastle, England, for his brother's funeral.  While there, he determines that his brother's death was not caused by accident but, he was murdered by the local mob.  Carter then sets out to find out who killed his brother and why.  Caine is remarkable as Carter, showing us that once he gets an idea in his head, in this case revenge, he is determined to carry it out till the end, even if it may cost him his own life.  This film is a gritty, violent film that was shot mostly on the streets of Newcastle, giving it a sense of realism that British films before it had never seen.  Watch it and see why many feel this is one of the best British films of all time.   My Rating:  Full Price   Get Carter Info 

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Jiro Dreams of Sushi  (2011)  Incredible documentary on an 85 year old sushi master, Jiro Ono, who has the only three star Michelin rated sushi restaurant in the world.  The restaurant is an 18 seat establishment that is in the hallway of a Tokyo rail station, has a 2 month waiting list and where  a meal that only lasts 15 minutes can cost $600.  This is a beautiful film and a fascinating subject, with one guarantee:  Even if you don't like Sushi, you will crave it after seeing this film.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Jiro Dreams of Sushi Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Sparkle  (2011)  This will be remembered as the late Whitney Houston's last film, but it sure looks like a Dreamgirls rip-off to me.   Sparkle Webiste

Weird Credit:  From the credits of Ted:  Duck Puppeteer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Robot & Frank (2012)  Set in the near future, Frank (Frank Langella), a retired burglar, is given a robot caretaker by his son.  At first, Frank can't stand the robot, but he then sees that he just might be able to use to the robot for one last heist.  I saw this film at the LA Film Fest and thoroughly enjoyed Frank Langella's performance in this funny and touching film.   Robot & Frank Website 

Until Next Time!

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