cult film freak: September 2011

Written by James M. Tate / 9/28/2011 / No comments / action , fantasy , liam neeson , ralph fiennes , remake , sam worthington

CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010)

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1yg_ZwlCpRk/ToNunFO5czI/AAAAAAAACSo/HuXfk7Yf8Rs/s1600/clash_of_the_titans_wallpaper.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657487174606091058" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1yg_ZwlCpRk/ToNunFO5czI/AAAAAAAACSo/HuXfk7Yf8Rs/s200/clash_of_the_titans_wallpaper.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 158px; height: 200px;" /></a>title: CLASH OF THE TITANS<div>year: 2010</div>cast: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng <div>rating: **</div> <div></div>By making Zeus (Liam Neeson) a bitter "General" and his mortal son Perseus an aggravated jar head type who’s ticked at the gods, this is more RAMBO than a remake of the 1981 fantasy classic, the swan song for stop-motion guru Ray Harryhausen. Computers have taken over this department, and all the creatures… including Medusa, giant scorpions, the winged horse Pegasus (hardly even shown), and the Kraken… move so quickly the fight scenes don’t provide our hero with a challenge that’d make him a better warrior after each. Gone also is the love interest Andromeda… Well she’s there but not really. Instead of being protected by Perseus, she waits in town for the Kraken to rise from the earth: making the plot – to kill the beast before it either kills her or destroys the town – seem secondary to the camera-shaky battles occurring elsewhere. Ralph Fiennes is the villainous Hades, and as he shape-shifts into flying harpies, and then becomes a cloud of black mist, he’s not very intimidating because of the effects surrounding him. But the three biggest problems are the character Io, an exposition-spouting supermodel who follows Perseus (and his fellow soldiers) around like a gorgeous soccer mom: deleting any mystery the characters might experience otherwise… An ever-moving camera gliding like a dizzying seesaw… And the finale with the Kraken, resembling a giant octopus and not as big a challenge as anticipated. Basically, the movie feels like a fifteen minute short stretched into two long hours, which can happen if centering on a one-dimensional hero with a one-track mind.

action, fantasy, liam neeson, ralph fiennes, remake, sam worthington

CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010)

title : CLASH OF THE TITANS year: 2010 cast: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng rating: ** By making Zeus (Liam ...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/27/2011 / No comments / eighties , gary coleman , lisa elibacher , michael lembeck , norman fell

GARY COLEMAN IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B-XZ6SmhyOs/Us1AbAwZ0KI/AAAAAAAAcSA/sXF2hCbpsfo/s1600/gal_coleman_14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B-XZ6SmhyOs/Us1AbAwZ0KI/AAAAAAAAcSA/sXF2hCbpsfo/s200/gal_coleman_14.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1981 rating: **1/2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Orson Welles looked upon the set of CITIZEN KANE and referred to it as the biggest train set in the world. Perhaps Gary Coleman felt the same way here, literally: As a real life Lionel Train collector, the young DIFF’RENT STROKES star must have been in heaven as a pint-sized homeless kid living inside a train station locker. 
 
Each morning he wakes up and shines shoes, much to the chagrin of a fat jerk store owner who calls Michael Lembeck, a friendly officer in the Juvenile Court division, quickly and quite understandably falling in love with Coleman’s big sister of sorts, played by the gorgeous and likable Lisa Elibacher, a wannabe singer working at an arcade. 
 
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zI5fpGrsesM/VLHt9sG2TsI/AAAAAAAAmJY/vL48Jh1x0NI/s1600/ontherighttrack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zI5fpGrsesM/VLHt9sG2TsI/AAAAAAAAmJY/vL48Jh1x0NI/s1600/ontherighttrack.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Remember VHS?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lembeck wants to take the young hobo in, and for one reason only: the spunky phenom has a way of picking triples in the horse game. This brings that element needed in any film: the characters, having gained something, now have everything to lose. But it's also when the plot (or plots) get dizzying. Seeing more of Coleman running around the station, playing con-games and avoiding capture, would have made a better film. Pointless perhaps, but far more entertaining than this soup with too many cooks including Norman Fell as a perplexed mayor and Maureen Stapleton as an annoying bag lady... All falling to the charms of our young hero, who eventually finds happiness money can’t buy. 
 
This earned two Razzie nominations but it isn't completely awful. And there's an abundance of sex jokes, some uttered by Coleman himself, giving it a somewhat creepy vibe.

eighties, gary coleman, lisa elibacher, michael lembeck, norman fell

GARY COLEMAN IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK

year: 1981 rating: **1/2 Orson Welles looked upon the set of CITIZEN KANE and referred to it as the biggest train set in the world. Perh...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/26/2011 / No comments / morgan freeman , tens

DOLPHIN TALE

<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e89Dq2RtJag/ToC-8yoSbsI/AAAAAAAACRc/PyYugnrPT7w/s1600/dolphin_tale1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656731083569524418" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e89Dq2RtJag/ToC-8yoSbsI/AAAAAAAACRc/PyYugnrPT7w/s200/dolphin_tale1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 170px;" /></a>title: DOLPHIN TALE 
year: 2011 
cast: Nathan Gamble, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick 
rating: **1/2 
 
<div></div><div>The biggest problem with this movie… about an injured dolphin that’s rescued and given a prosthetic tail… is the dolphin itself, played by real life “Winter,” is hardly around. Inspired by a true story, the main character is a child actor straight out of FREE WILLY. He not only helped rescue Winter, but is the only human being that the dolphin really responds with. Much of the film centers on the kid, his family – which includes a single mother and an athletic cousin wounded in battle – and the aquatic caretakers, headed by Henry Connick Jr. and his young daughter. Things drag along till the kid meets Morgan Freeman while visiting his cousin at a Veteran’s Hospital. Freeman, who creates prosthetic limbs for wounded soldiers, is the man who gives the dolphin its new tail (several, in fact). Winter violently rejects all prototypes till the very ending: when it all comes down to the line. Directed by AMERICAN GRAFFITI alumni Charles Martin Smith, this is more melodrama than adventure, but flows decently enough and most importantly, children will take interest.</div>

morgan freeman, tens

DOLPHIN TALE

title: DOLPHIN TALE year: 2011 cast: Nathan Gamble, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick rating: **1/2 The biggest problem with...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/25/2011 / No comments / brad pitt , oscar nominated 2012 , sport , tens

BRAD PITT IN MONEYBALL

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ppc2C7kplig/Tn7qAdbWbkI/AAAAAAAACRM/q-ZDLesY2cg/s1600/a-omalley-moneyball.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656215475644165698" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ppc2C7kplig/Tn7qAdbWbkI/AAAAAAAACRM/q-ZDLesY2cg/s200/a-omalley-moneyball.jpg" style="float: right; height: 200px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 194px;" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2011 rating: ***</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Baseball isn’t the most exciting sport in the world, but it’s calculating, interesting, and involving, especially once there’s something to lose... 
 
MONEYBALL is like any good ball game: once it gets down to the wire, it really breaks stride, making up for a somewhat fledgling middle where Brad Pitt, as the General Manager of the Oakland A’s, sulks around breaking furniture because a computer-generated system of finding the perfect team without paying a lot of money… by seeking unknown yet talented players and using their combined talents… doesn’t work like expected. 
 
There are confusing flashbacks to a young Brad Pitt who, looking nothing like him, seems like a side-story involving another character. And it takes a while for things to finally start to happen, in both the movie and the team. Although the beginning, as Pitt finds an effective sidekick in economics protégée Jonah Hill, sets a nice stage. 
 
But soon Hills’ character, technically more important than anyone – being the brainy wizard behind the strategy – becomes part of the background, until a scene where the boss teaches his underling how to fire a player with cold efficiency. And it’s after the team starts winning, and we’re down to an important game... which would result in a record breaking twenty wins in a row... that the sparks fly. 
 
Entering this exciting third act of the film, which had previously centered on deals within an office or by phone, we needed to see the action that’d been discussed: putting us right inside an edgy ninth inning. Brad Pitt hasn’t been this good in a while, and he’s so natural in the role, it doesn’t seem a performance at all. And that’s what makes it work. Although at times feeling like a propaganda film for the real life Billy Beane – showing everyone who disagrees with him as one-dimensional jerks – you’ll find it hard not to root for the home team.

brad pitt, oscar nominated 2012, sport, tens

BRAD PITT IN MONEYBALL

year: 2011 rating: *** Baseball isn’t the most exciting sport in the world, but it’s calculating, interesting, and involving, especially...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/23/2011 / No comments / action , robert deniro , tens

KILLER ELITE

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eQnXSCoRozk/Tn10LhXJLJI/AAAAAAAACQ8/JAHo5t1NtGA/s1600/killer-elite-2011-still-12.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655804448330034322" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eQnXSCoRozk/Tn10LhXJLJI/AAAAAAAACQ8/JAHo5t1NtGA/s200/killer-elite-2011-still-12.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 200px;" /></a>title: KILLER ELITE year: 2011 cast: Jason Statham, Robert DeNiro, Clive Owen, Dominic Purcell, Aden Young rating: ***1/2 Why do we care if Jason Statham’s mentor, Robert DeNiro, is held hostage? After all, we only get one short conversation between the two about bad Mexican food, and this sets up their entire friendship… So when DeNiro’s captured by a Middle East leader, who for "ransom" sends Statham – a former S.A.S. agent who’d sworn off killing after the prologue’s botched mission – to kill three men who killed each of his sons… We do care, somehow. Not necessarily about the characters, but each calculated assassination as our tough protagonist, along with two other agents, go from one target to the next – making each seem like an accident. All the while they’re being stalked, and eventually pursued by, Clive Owen as a member of a secret British military force. It’s an action flick that never lets up, and each step along the way has something new to anticipate. Statham has the same intensively brooding expression throughout, working fine for his purposely one-dimensional maverick. Flashbacks to a picturesque relationship with his gorgeous Australian girlfriend, who’s eventually at risk when things wind down, fill a romantic aspect but without taking away from the good stuff. And there’s plenty of it. While fans of Robert DeNiro might be disappointed by his lack of screen time… although he has a few moments to himself… it’s all boils down to Statham versus Owen, who, it turns out, might be fighting for, or against, the exact same thing. All in all, it's a good old fashion action movie that doesn't take itself too seriously; the biggest drawback being the shaky-cam during fight scenes, but this device is commonplace in all modern thrillers. And while the three lead actors get the credit, Dominic Purcell, as Statham's boisterous henchman, adds an unpredictable vitality to the bloody proceedings.

action, robert deniro, tens

KILLER ELITE

title: KILLER ELITE year: 2011 cast: Jason Statham, Robert DeNiro, Clive Owen, Dominic Purcell, Aden Young rating: ***1/2 Why do we care ...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/19/2011 / No comments / biopic , dennis quaid , helen hunt , sport , tens

SOUL SURFER

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fFR_dDNWLEk/TngF5j97LgI/AAAAAAAACPs/Y3TrcqdYM6c/s1600/Soul-Surfer-500x500.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654275818629312002" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fFR_dDNWLEk/TngF5j97LgI/AAAAAAAACPs/Y3TrcqdYM6c/s200/Soul-Surfer-500x500.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 149px; height: 200px;" /></a>title: SOUL SURFER year: 2011 cast: AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Loraine Nicholson rating: ** It is an amazing story… the real thing, not the one depicted in this movie. The acting makes BAYWATCH seem like THE GODFATHER, and there’s little story arc, which is important in a beat-the-odds sports movie: especially about a young female surfer who, after losing her arm to a shark’s bite, relearns how to surf and eventually takes part in a major competition. The lead-up to the shark attack is slow, the characters introduced like a TV sitcom… only without laugh tracks or anything to really smile about. Protagonist parents Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid, both fine actors, seem to be going through the motions. And AnnaSophia Robb, as Bethany Hamilton, has but one expression throughout: even during, and right after, the attack, a pivotal scene that happens much too quickly. But the biggest sin is the lackluster montage during the training sequences as she learns to surf with one arm. There’s hardly any struggle, and before you know it she’s out on the waves like it’s nothing. Although there is a point of no return where Hamilton swears off surfing forever, leading to a “spiritual awakening” during a mission trip, sparking her interest again… These scenes have heart, as do actual footage of the real Bethany Hamilton during the end credits. And it’s nice seeing Christianity as something more than a character’s quirky psychosis, like depicted in most Hollywood films. It’s just too bad they had to rush through the important parts so quickly, leaving little residual soul in the process.

biopic, dennis quaid, helen hunt, sport, tens

SOUL SURFER

title: SOUL SURFER year: 2011 cast: AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Loraine Nicholson rating: ** It is an amazing story… th...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/17/2011 / No comments / action , albert brooks , ryan gosling , suspense , tens

DRIVE

<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ReejActL6n0/TnVn11xhIII/AAAAAAAACPM/oXx3XznIhBs/s1600/drive-2011-movie.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653539081899024514" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ReejActL6n0/TnVn11xhIII/AAAAAAAACPM/oXx3XznIhBs/s200/drive-2011-movie.jpg" style="float: right; height: 230px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 163px;" /></a>title: DRIVE 
year: 2011 
cast: Ryan Gosling, Albert Brooks 
rating: **1/2 
 
If M. Night Shyamalan directed Walter Hill’s THE DRIVER, it might have turned out something like DRIVE, a metronomic, Noirish thriller with a little action on the side. 
 
Story involves a brooding, nameless Hollywood stuntman who doubles as a getaway driver, and winds up falling for the girl next door (the next apartment over). She has a son and a boyfriend in jail, who, once he gets out, owes money to some bad dudes who wind up endangering the family. So the driver, played by Ryan Gosling with a serious scowl and very few words, gets involved…. And winds up in deeper than expected. Meanwhile, his unlucky mechanic/manager partners up with shady mob-connected partners Ron Perlman and get this, Albert Brooks: playing a sadistic killer and doing a passable job. 
 
The purposefully monotonous synthesizer music is reminiscent of 1980’s soundtracks like RISKY BUSINESS, and it provides an omnipresent vibe of suspense, the scant storyline doesn’t always back it up. And while there are a few good action scenes, there’s not enough danger for our protagonist to equal the suspenseful tone concocted through the score: which gives a constant impression anything can happen next. Or perhaps Gosling plays it a bit too cool to have to worry about anything, or for us to worry about him. 
 
The film itself looks slick and neat but seems a bit too artistic for its own good. And while THE DRIVER had Bruce Dern as a pesky cop on Ryan O’Neal’s tail, this needed that one character to keep the protagonist, and the audience, more alert throughout. But there are some decent payoffs, and a lot of blood and guts.

action, albert brooks, ryan gosling, suspense, tens

DRIVE

title: DRIVE year: 2011 cast: Ryan Gosling, Albert Brooks rating: **1/2 If M. Night Shyamalan directed Walter Hill’s THE DRIVER, it...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/11/2011 / No comments / drama , espionage , helen mirren , jessica chastain , nazi , sam worthington , tens

THE DEBT

<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JHnsHI7w37I/Tm2dXs3VBQI/AAAAAAAACOc/CVKSTg23dbo/s1600/2011_the_debt_022.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5651346137925616898" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JHnsHI7w37I/Tm2dXs3VBQI/AAAAAAAACOc/CVKSTg23dbo/s200/2011_the_debt_022.jpg" style="float: right; height: 200px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 173px;" /></a>title: THE DEBT 
year: 2011 
cast: Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain 
rating: ***1/2 
 
An entertaining thriller dealing with the past and present (although the present is 1997, but you get the idea) delivers the goods, mostly when it centers in 1965: where three Mossad Secret Agents plan to kidnap a former Nazi doctor and bring him to Israel to stand trial. 
 
The chemistry between Jessica Chastain as Rachel, Sam Worthington as David, and Marton Csokas as Stephen... holing up for a human heist... are some of the best moments, really putting you inside the bleak, contained atmosphere of an East Germany tenement. 
 
The agent’s personalities: the gorgeous Rachel can kick ass, David is brooding and calculating, and Stephen's an artistic charmer, give each a color and style of their own. And although they fail at delivering the kidnapped Doctor to a departing train, they decide to keep him around till another possible chance. 
 
Here’s where things get personal, as the tied-up heavy, played with goading villainy by Jesper Christenson, gets into the agent’s heads: all having lost relatives in the War. This pivotal mainline is successful enough to make one forget it’s merely a flashback... returning to Helen Mirren as the older Rachel, whose daughter has written a book about their supposed slaying of the infamous Nazi. 
 
The second half fails to deliver like the back-story. The characters, being older, have lost their intensity and, in dealing with a burdensome guilt, do nothing but sulk towards a conclusion. But once our aged protagonist gets one last assignment, all envelopes into a worthy thriller far surpassing the dull title.

drama, espionage, helen mirren, jessica chastain, nazi, sam worthington, tens

THE DEBT

title: THE DEBT year: 2011 cast: Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain rating: ***1/2 An entertaining thriller dealing with the past and p...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/10/2011 / No comments / boxing , drama , nick nolte , tens

WARRIOR

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-13P_x4w-k78/TmxNm-zLzeI/AAAAAAAACOM/VYGIHt4GrrM/s1600/eeeee.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650976964531178978" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-13P_x4w-k78/TmxNm-zLzeI/AAAAAAAACOM/VYGIHt4GrrM/s320/eeeee.jpg" style="float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 143px;" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011 Score: **</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well the fights scenes are cool, and the anticipation leading to each garners enough suspense to keep you somewhat locked into both main characters, who are Brendan Conlon, a financially struggling teacher with a wife and two kids, going back to his old gig as a brawler; and his estranged brother Tommy, a quiet brooding beast who returns to the house of his father, played by Nick Nolte, a reformed alcoholic who will train him for a mixed martial arts tournament that both brothers eventually take part in. While a training montage is usually the most involving in fight flicks – getting to know both fighter and trainer from the inside/out – here it’s a jumbled heap of split-screen boxes that avoids all the blood, sweat, and soul to prepare for the big match in Las Vegas. Which, once underway, is the best part of the film, pitting each brother against various formidable opponents and eventually, each other. The biggest problem exists in what’s not shown. So much is left out of this troubled family’s past that each prolonged conversation about that past (mostly involving their once abusive father, now a sad groaning bear) is a waste of time. The entire movie could have been the inevitable Vegas “showdown,” and it wouldn’t have made any difference. Because here’s where the two leading actors, Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy, really shine: It’s just too bad the characters don’t mean as much as their fights.

boxing, drama, nick nolte, tens

WARRIOR

2011 Score: ** Well the fights scenes are cool, and the anticipation leading to each garners enough suspense to keep you somewhat locked...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/05/2011 / No comments / bradley cooper , robert deniro , suspense , tens

LIMITLESS

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rLHWzMkHy6c/TmW8omzX_pI/AAAAAAAACN8/k7JnK1c9LZw/s1600/images.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649128713402973842" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rLHWzMkHy6c/TmW8omzX_pI/AAAAAAAACN8/k7JnK1c9LZw/s200/images.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" /></a>title: LIMITLESS year: 2011 cast: Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro, Abbie Cornish, Andrew Howard rating: ***1/2 A brainy thriller somewhat reminiscent of THE GAME, but in this case the main character – a scruffy writer living a pointless existence – is aware of everything. Thanks to a wonder drug offered by his ex brother in law... a super secret pill that hasn't hit the market... Bradley Cooper can use 100% of his brain, making him a hopped-up genius who can figure out anything around him. But the drug only works for 24 hours... and as some violent luck would have it, he gets his hands on a whole bunch. He writes a few books and then ventures into big business. Here's where the drug's inevitable side-effects (including blackouts) not only cause problems to our protagonist, but snags the film's energetic pace. Although Robert DeNiro, as a sly mogul not completely enthralled by the protege's wisdom, keeps things on track; one lecture in particular, explaining the difference between flash and substance, proves the icon hasn't lost his touch. But it's Bradley Cooper's film and he makes a terrific pawn whose only control occurs under the drug's influence, which soon winds up in the wrong hands: turning the cerebral odyssey into an action-packed ride. And it all works despite some flaws, including the very last minute: meant as a witty twist but feeling more like a dull hiss at the end of a sparkling fuse.

bradley cooper, robert deniro, suspense, tens

LIMITLESS

title: LIMITLESS year: 2011 cast: Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro, Abbie Cornish, Andrew Howard rating: ***1/2 A brainy thriller somewhat ...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/03/2011 / No comments / cherie currie , drama , eighties , jodie foster , robert romanus

JODIE FOSTER & CHERIE CURRIE IN FOXES

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SuRsS7i6_BM/VLHtBqKy_VI/AAAAAAAAmJQ/RZA4qQ632xs/s1600/Foxes__HS000343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SuRsS7i6_BM/VLHtBqKy_VI/AAAAAAAAmJQ/RZA4qQ632xs/s1600/Foxes__HS000343.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1980 rating: **</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The late seventies didn’t turn out enough films about the youth culture: Teens not wrapped up in anti-war protests of the prior decade, but just wanting a good time, which there’s not much of in this so-called character-study of four girl/friends: two played by Jodie Foster and The Runaway's Cherie Currie. 
 
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
Director Adrian Lyne (who'd later click with FATAL ATTRACTION) doesn’t seem interested in the kids, but rather, how atmospheric the lighting affects each close-up shot, which are very abundant. We never get the feeling of placement nor do we establish any distinct, or interesting, location. And why are these girls so miserable and what are they really escaping from? 
 
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LCRI8aXWJrk/TmLQMLekWCI/AAAAAAAACNU/6DqoxkkVJQY/s1600/dfa.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5648305790334031906" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LCRI8aXWJrk/TmLQMLekWCI/AAAAAAAACNU/6DqoxkkVJQY/s200/dfa.jpg" style="float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 142px;" /></a>Other than dull conversations with their miserable parents in scenes befitting an actor's workshop, it feels more like an After School Special than a teen rebellion flick. The music lacks the essential hard-lined energy of, say, OVER THE EDGE. The melancholy intro of Donna Summer’s “On The Radio” is not only played throughout, but pops up whenever things get “deep.” And Cherie Currie’s wild girl character has potential, but lacks screen time and is so doomed she should have a paper taped to her back reading: BURY ME. 
 
This ponderous melodrama starts off okay: good actors and some cool Hollywood Boulevard exteriors. But none are used for very long, and never establishes our protagonists or their destination, which is pretty much nonexistent.

cherie currie, drama, eighties, jodie foster, robert romanus

JODIE FOSTER & CHERIE CURRIE IN FOXES

year: 1980 rating: ** The late seventies didn’t turn out enough films about the youth culture: Teens not wrapped up in anti-war protests...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/01/2011 / No comments / horror , tens

FRIGHT NIGHT (2011)

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-pe4n8b8FE/TmArsbume-I/AAAAAAAACM8/r6-K07lW5RU/s1600/fright-night-2011-20110513051753185_640w.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647561975080057826" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-pe4n8b8FE/TmArsbume-I/AAAAAAAACM8/r6-K07lW5RU/s200/fright-night-2011-20110513051753185_640w.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 164px; height: 200px;" /></a>title: FRIGHT NIGHT year: 2011 cast: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, David Tennant rating: ** When a relatively big budget film, using abundant computer effects, tries to be an old school cheesy thriller, it’s sort of like a millionaire bumming for change. There’s really no purpose – other than the fact those indie horrors became cult classics, so those proverbial coins might be worth something. Well here’s a remake that cuts too quickly to the chase, so by the time the mysterious new neighbor, played by Collin Farrell (resembling a bionic John Stamos), becomes a known enemy to our hero... taking away from the suspenseful concept of a teen living next door to a guy who might be a vampire… we’re too exhausted to enjoy potentially worthwhile side-characters like David Tennant as a pretentious TV-star vampire slayer, or Charlie’s geeky best friend who knows what’s up before anyone. Farrell seems to savor the role, but is too busy posing like a magazine ad to be truly formidable. The roaring lion sound effects and vampires turning into computerized beasts doesn’t help either. And Anton Yelchin's Charlie isn't vulnerable enough to make the villain seem more frightening. But one thing this film has going for it is sexuality: when Farrell sinks his teeth into two hypnotized lady victims, sparks fly – but not for long enough. Soon we’re back on the rollercoaster ride… but isn’t a Fun House not only scarier, but more entertaining?

horror, tens