Dark Shadows

My View: Dark Shadows (2012) In 1752, playboy Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) breaks the heart of a witch (Eva Green) and, to get back at him, she turns him into a vampire and buries him in a grave. In 1972, his grave is uncovered, and being undead, he returns to his mansion to discover it in ruins.  Its current occupants are his descendants, but they aren’t quite living up to the Collins name. This film has no idea what kind of film it is.  Is it a comedy, a dark comedy, a drama, a horror film?   It just doesn’t know, and the audience that I saw it with didn’t know either.  It’s like the director Tim Burton and Johnny Deep just threw ideas against a wall and kept what stuck. I thought the appeal of vampire movies was that they were sexy, but there isn’t anything sexy in this film.  And, Johnny Depp's makeup makes him look dead. The film has a great cast with Michelle Pfeiffer, Jackie Earle Haley, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Helena Bonhman Carter, but most of this talent is wasted on characters that seem to be just that - characters. The film is too long (almost 2 full hours) and feels like it could have used a couple of editing sessions to tighten up its pacing.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Dark Shadows Website

Indiefest: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) A group of British retirees travel to India to move to, what they believe, is a world class resort hotel. When they arrive, they realize that it’s not exactly what you would call “World Class,” and it’s nothing like what they expected. Some of the new residents, though, find joy and enlightenment in their new home. The film is fun to watch, India is beautiful to look at, and the cast, which includes Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, and Bill Nighy, looks like they had a blast making this movie. This is the type of film that audiences have been looking for - a smart, intelligent film that has warmth and humor.   My Rating: Full Price   The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Website

Indiefest: Sound of My Voice (2012) A couple (Christopher Denham, Nicole Cicius) who are making a documentary film try to infiltrate a secretive cult led by a charismatic woman (Brit Marling) who claims she is from the future, the year 2054. Will the couple accomplish their task, or will they be sucked into the culture of the cult? This is an interesting character study on how people get involved with cults and start doing things they normally wouldn’t do. Brit Marling is perfect in the role as the leader and helps you understand how someone would be controlled by a cult. While not a perfect film, it is an interesting one.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Sound of My Voice Website

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

#21 Best Film

Pulp Fiction (1994) Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta) are hit men who are sent to retrieve a mysterious suitcase held by a mob boss (Ving Rhames). That’s just one of four stories that magically intertwine to make up a crazy ride of a movie. This film has an incredibly cast which also includes Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, and Bruce Willis.  What makes this movie work, though, is the creative dialogue that Writer/Director Quentin Tarantino brings to  the screen with his wry sense of humor.   Pulp Fiction Info

Forgotten Film: Cinema Paradiso (1988) Winner of the 1989 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, this film is about a successful film director who, in flashbacks, remembers his childhood when he developed a friendship with a projectionist at a local film theatre. The projectionist serves as a father figure to the young boy and teaches him about the magic of film. This film is a celebration of the movies and they can touch our lives.  It’s also a moving coming- of-age tale of a young boy who has lost his father in a war and needs a man to help shape his life.   My Rating: Full Price   Cinema Paradiso Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD): The Vow (2012) A newly married couple (Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams) are in a car accident.  When the wife comes out a of coma, she does not remember what has happened over the last few years, including all her time with her husband. I did not like this film mostly due to the fact that Tatum is not up to carrying the movie in his lead role.   My Rating: Cable   The Vow Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2012): Yes, the film has Bruce Willis, but it also has Channing Tatum and The Rock (Dwayne Johnson).  Do we really need to Go Joe?   G.I. Joe Retaliation Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Dark Shadows: Hair Artist for Mr. Depp

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Brave (2012) Pixar’s summer animated film finally brings us a movie about a female hero, a young girl named Princess Merida, who must rely on her skill as an archer and her bravery to save her kingdom from a curse.   Brave Website

Until Next Time!

Boy

Indiefest:  Boy  (2011)  Boy, an 11 year-old, who lives in Waihau Bay, New Zealand with his younger brother, Rocky (who thinks he has superpowers), and his grandmother, is obsessed with Michael Jackson. His mother died giving birth to Rocky, and Boy spends a good deal of his day thinking about what his long lost father is doing.  Is he a spy, a famous rugby player, a brilliant artist?  Boy’s world is changed when his father suddenly shows up, and he must come to grips with the realization that his father will never live up to the image he created of him over the years.  The director (who also stars as Boy's father), Taika Waititi, gives us a wonderful world of interesting characters, where Boy's fantasies about his father come to life, and cartoon drawings illustrate what Rocky thinks is going to happen when he applies his imagined superpowers.  It's no wonder that this film won the Audience Award at the American Film Institute Festival last year.    My Rating:  Full Price   Boy Website

Indiefest: The Raid:  Redemption  (2011)  A twenty man SWAT team is sent to raid a thirty-story tenement run by a ruthless mob boss. To make matters worse, the whole building is occupied by thieves, murderers and rapists. Soon, it is not about arresting the mob boss…it’s about survival.  This film is non-stop action, with its fast and furious fight sequences so well choreographed that it has quickly become one of the most buzzed-about films on the Film Festival circuit.  But, make no mistake, this is an ultra-violent film where you wonder how many stunt men got hurt during the sequences where you can almost feel bones breaking and necks snapping.  While I did enjoy all the action, the film goes on just too long, and you actually become a little numb to all the violence on the screen.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   The Raid: Redemption Website

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

#23 Best Film

The Palm Beach Story  (1942)  This is a film that only the brilliant director/writer Preston Sturges could pull off.  It's about an inventor (Joel McCrea) who is in desperate need for an influx of cash to develop his next sure-fire idea.  His devoted wife (played by the beautiful Claudette Colbert) decides the only way that they can raise the money is if she divorces him and marries a millionaire.  This is one of the best of the "screwball comedies" with mistaken identities, fast talking dialogue and numerous twists and turns that come at you at such a  fast pace, the audience is constantly straining to keep up with the each changing plot.  Colbert and McCrea have an easy-going chemistry that makes it easy to believe that these two lovers will eventually end up together.    The Palm Beach Story Info

Forgotten Film:  Time Bandits (1981)  From the creative minds of former Monty Python members Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, this is film about a young boy, Kevin (Craig Wamock), who takes an adventure with of bunch of time-traveling, treasure-hunting dwarves.  The band of adventurers has "borrowed," (i.e., stolen) a map of the Universes' time holes, which allows them to jump from one time period to another and steal treasures.  During their time travels, they meet some of the most important and historic figures in time, such as Napoleon (Iam Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese), and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery).  There is a big problem as a number of people are out to get their map, including the Devil/Evil (David Warner) and the Supreme Being himself(Ralph Richardson).  This film is a magical ride across the universe where we wonder if Kevin will ever get back home to his family, or will evil triumph over our merry band of thieves.   My Rating:  Full Price   Time Bandits Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  We Bought A Zoo  (2011)  I liked, but didn't love this family movie about a recently widowed father (Matt Damon) of two who quits his newspaper job to buy a small, rural zoo in hopes of reconnecting with his children.  I especially liked that the romance between Damon and Scarlett Johansson was not the main focus of the film - the healing of a family was.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   We Bought a Zoo Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Battleship  (2012)  All I have to say about this film is that it's based on a board game and in the trailer, singer Rihanna, is shown shooting a heavy artillery gun (insert your own joke here).   Battleship Website

Weird Credits:  From the film Boy:  Goat Trainer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel  (2012)  Directed by John Madden (The Debt, Shakespeare in Love), this film is about British retirees who move to India to live at an exotic retirement community.   The cast is what makes me want to see this film, which includes Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson.    The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Website

Until Next Time!