cult film freak: October 2011

Written by James M. Tate / 10/30/2011 / No comments / justin timberlake , science-fiction , tens

IN TIME

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JzApnquEza8/Tq30U3X7oXI/AAAAAAAACcg/5BLqnEu0ZOY/s1600/In-Time-2011-Movie-Poster-and-Wallpapers-4-1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669456145228210546" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JzApnquEza8/Tq30U3X7oXI/AAAAAAAACcg/5BLqnEu0ZOY/s200/In-Time-2011-Movie-Poster-and-Wallpapers-4-1.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 142px; height: 260px;" /></a>title: IN TIME year: 2011 cast: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyried, Cillian Murphy, Olivia Wilde rating: *** TIME IS MONEY would be a great alternate title for this science-fiction film wherein the extremely gorgeous population only ages to twenty-five years, but with digital clocks across their arm indicating how much they have left, they can gather more time through working and stealing – some can live eternally having gathered enough – but people also spend time, literally, for food and lodging and… everything else. Sound like a confusing premise? Well it is, sort of, but the film itself is actually lightweight and enjoyable, playing out like a made-for-cable action movie. Justin Timberlake is Will Salas, a working class fellow who saves a guy showing off an unlimited amount of time, quite dangerous in the urban town. The woeful stranger gives Salas all his hours, which adds up to many years and money: allowing our hero the opportunity to meet some heavy-hitters in a gambling casino: including the tycoon behind the time-aging operation, whose reclusive and curious daughter takes to the risky stranger. Then, wrongfully accused of murder, Salas, with the lovely Amanda Seyried in tow, make off like a futuristic Bonnie and Clyde: tracked by cops, villains, and with their lifeline down to the wire (think of a futuristic D.O.A.). Justin Timberlake is a decent actor – he’s got the mannerisms and expressive emotions to hit the marks, but his voice sounds like it's still changing. And the ever-shady Cillian Murphy, as the “Minute Man” cop on the duo’s tail, holds this breezy yarn together.

justin timberlake, science-fiction, tens

IN TIME

title: IN TIME year: 2011 cast: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyried, Cillian Murphy, Olivia Wilde rating: *** TIME IS MONEY would be a grea...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/29/2011 / No comments / amber heard , hunter s. thompson , johnny depp , tens

THE RUM DIARY

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KTgpZzBDxMo/TqyReq1QYtI/AAAAAAAACcI/eZUkz2idPWc/s1600/Rum%252BDiary%252Bmovie.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669065987032376018" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KTgpZzBDxMo/TqyReq1QYtI/AAAAAAAACcI/eZUkz2idPWc/s200/Rum%252BDiary%252Bmovie.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 152px; height: 230px;" /></a>title: THE RUM DIARY year: 2011 cast: Johnny Depp, Michael Rispoli, Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard rating: *1/2 By the film's intentional anti-climax we learn that Hunter S. Thompson, who wrote THE RUM DIARY about his stint as a journalist in Puerto Rico in 1960, would go onto better things, taking on all the “bastards” he let slip by in his youth. The problem is, there’s none in this movie worth troubling over, or for the audience to root against. Which means Johnny Depp’s Paul Kemp (Thompson with a fake name) has nothing for an audience to root for: other than he’s a popular actor that played a pirate who loved rum, and so does this character. (Every time Depp mentions drinking, he’s practically winking at the audience.) Doing the same Walter Cronkite mumble from FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, Johnny’s performance is so low-key it hardly registers at all. His porky photographer sidekick Sala (Michael Rispoli) has more interesting and memorable qualities since he’s sloppy and somewhat humorous. But in this film, there’s a lack of anything meaningful beneath the surface... which is an existential odyssey misadventure, sort of... yet it sporadically plants a political flag; but other than clips of Nixon, or shots of poor people being exploited, there's nothing substantial to hold onto. The "plot" has Kemp hired as a journalist at a fledgling Puerto Rico newspaper, with the task of making the country seem like an accessible tourist trap, and then conned by a millionaire to be his propagandist – a man who seems nice at first, but has his eyes on turning the gorgeous exterior into a real estate landmine. He has a sexy girlfriend who Kemp lusts after, leading to a brief romance more lacking in chemistry than the film does purpose. As a Thompson fan, and having read his posthumous novel, it’s an understandably difficult work to base a movie on. Making it that much more annoying when cinematic clichés – like the scruffy underdogs battling the greedy rich guys, or a drug trip that too easily propels a creative edge – are shoved at the screen: turning a subtle book never intended for publication into a ponderous film trying way too hard to make a point: whatever that might be.

amber heard, hunter s. thompson, johnny depp, tens

THE RUM DIARY

title: THE RUM DIARY year: 2011 cast: Johnny Depp, Michael Rispoli, Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard rating: *1/2 By the film's intentiona...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/28/2011 / No comments / computer animated , tens , zach galifianakis

PUSS IN BOOTS

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zgkR0Xpihzg/TquGYkMv8BI/AAAAAAAACbw/cjTNpkbsu74/s1600/Puss-in-boots.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668772312568033298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zgkR0Xpihzg/TquGYkMv8BI/AAAAAAAACbw/cjTNpkbsu74/s200/Puss-in-boots.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" /></a>title: PUSS IN BOOTS year: 2011 voices: Antonio Banderas, Zack Galifianakis, Salma Hayek rating: ** Well let it be said, for the first ten minutes, this Puss had potential. Making like a Clint Eastwood mixed with Pepe La Pew, the suave feline from SHREK has his own movie – but not for long. Joining the ride is an equally intrepid girl kitty and one of the worst animated characters in DreamWorks history: Humpy Dumpty, voiced by Zach Galifianakis, whose back story with our furry feline is as boring as it is pointless. The plot has our eclectic trio trying to steal magic beans. Some cool action scenes straight from a Western flick moves things along till the seeds are planted. Thus a beanstalk reaches to the skies and the story, now involving a baby goose and its gigantic mother, gets way too convoluted for a character deserving of a less bizarre and more earthy tale. Catisms like licking milk rapidly and chasing light make for humorous intervals, but are quickly ruined by overlong dance numbers seeming more like DVD extras. But what’s important is your kids will enjoy it, just as long as you don’t explain some of the innuendos thrown in to make the film’s writers feel they’re doing more than… entertaining children.

computer animated, tens, zach galifianakis

PUSS IN BOOTS

title: PUSS IN BOOTS year: 2011 voices: Antonio Banderas, Zack Galifianakis, Salma Hayek rating: ** Well let it be said, for the first te...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/25/2011 / No comments / comedy , jack nicholson , james l. brooks , owen wilson , paul rudd , reese witherspoon , romantic comedy , tens

HOW DO YOU KNOW

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sch4QxC2uJw/TqdNcWzAFuI/AAAAAAAACZU/_YX1wf29Tl0/s1600/how-do-you-know-movie.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667583805620229858" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sch4QxC2uJw/TqdNcWzAFuI/AAAAAAAACZU/_YX1wf29Tl0/s200/how-do-you-know-movie.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 240px;" /></a>title: HOW DO YOU KNOW year: 2010 cast: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson rating: *1/2 <div></div>James L. Brooks is a hit or miss director. When he hits, he hits hard: TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, BROADCAST NEWS, and AS GOOD AS IT GETS are three of the best character-driven films balancing romantic comedy and searing melodrama. In other words, they’re brilliant soap operas. And he can turn out garbage like I’LL DO ANYTHING (although it’s a personal guilty pleasure), SPANGLISH, and this limp rom-com centering on Olympic softball player Reese Witherspoon and the two men in her life: Owen Wilson as a playboy big league baseball player and Paul Rudd as a sweet-natured tycoon’s son facing a prison sentence for his father’s wrongdoings. And guess who plays the dad? That’s right, James L. Brook’s stock actor Jack Nicholson in a throwaway role any old codger could have done. And although Witherspoon and Wilson are the crux of the trailer, the film’s bulk belongs to Rudd, who falls for the fallen blonde athlete… recently dropped from her team… thus beginning a life change i.e. he’s fallen in glorified lust. There’s a lot of talk about how athletic Witherspoon and Wilson are, yet we hardly see them in action – so it’s really just wordplay: they could have been accountants or McDonald’s employees for all it matters. The love triangle between the three leads is pointless, and the dialog seems as if spoken by people who had just enough to drink to be candidly (and unrealistically) honest with each other. Only Rudd, doing his usual genuine guy routine, turns in a somewhat involving performance as he’s torn between dad’s indiscretions and a possible future with Witherspoon, who herself has a dilemma: should she date a selfish jerk or a really terrific guy? You can only guess the outcome. And mind you, this drivel doesn’t end soon enough.

comedy, jack nicholson, james l. brooks, owen wilson, paul rudd, reese witherspoon, romantic comedy, tens

HOW DO YOU KNOW

title: HOW DO YOU KNOW year: 2010 cast: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson rating: *1/2 James L. Brooks is a hit ...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/23/2011 / No comments / horror , sequel , tens

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mufBI_k8Oqo/TqSHcF8yfGI/AAAAAAAACYk/A965TFCyU58/s1600/paranormal_activity_3_bed_a_l.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666803147842157666" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mufBI_k8Oqo/TqSHcF8yfGI/AAAAAAAACYk/A965TFCyU58/s200/paranormal_activity_3_bed_a_l.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 147px; height: 220px;" /></a>title: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 year: 2011 cast: Christopher Nicholas Smith, Lauren Bittner, Jessica Tyler-Brown rating: ** This third installment to the popular low-budget horror franchise deals with two daughters; a mother; and a curious step-dad glued to a video camera. Three cameras in fact: one placed inside the master bedroom, one in the children’s room, and another – revolving on a fan base – showing the kitchen and living room. And as pioneered in THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, what's recorded is all we see. It’s difficult to tell which camera, all previewed the next morning, tells a scarier tale – probably the kid’s since the youngest talks to “Toby,” a demon that doesn’t like to be messed with. (Or maybe he does!) The overall problem isn’t the underlying creepy vibe, giving the feeling that anything can happen at… any… given... moment… But that not enough does happen: save for a couple shakes, some furniture moving, and a cool scene involving the sexy babysitter having a really bad night. Yet the loudest actual scream occurs during what horror directors call a cheap shot: one of the characters playing a joke on our camera-happy protagonist. So then when the family finally moves out... venturing over to grandma’s house... you’ll wonder why the entire thing didn’t take place in this spooky Gothic dwelling where we really feel vulnerable and doomed. And that’s the point, right?

horror, sequel, tens

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3

title: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 year: 2011 cast: Christopher Nicholas Smith, Lauren Bittner, Jessica Tyler-Brown rating: ** This third insta...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/21/2011 / No comments / action , logan lerman , tens

THE THREE MUSKETEERS (2011)

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tLnfixpIi0s/UQ33ECqSqPI/AAAAAAAAV5o/ZCSITqIT3k4/s1600/three-musketeers-movie-photos-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tLnfixpIi0s/UQ33ECqSqPI/AAAAAAAAV5o/ZCSITqIT3k4/s640/three-musketeers-movie-photos-03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2011 cast: Logan Lerman, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans rating: ***</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sure it’s a modernized mockery of the Dumas classic, and could have been titled after the young sex symbol joining forces with the titular heroes… the trio remaining a backdrop to most of the heroic deeds… but it all works for a fun ride. 
 
We begin with The Three Musketeers on a mission inside a castle, and get to know each for their separate skills: Athos the leader, Armamis the daring, and Porthos the badass. Tagging along is sexy vixen Milady DeWinter (Milla Jovovich), stealing the show as she fights in slow-motion straight outta THE MATRIX. In fact most of the fight scenes are so glossy it doesn't feel like the 1700s at all. Although the scenery and settings are beautiful and genuine enough to thrust the viewer into a vintage otherworld of sword-clashing soldiers, double-crossing villains, and flawed, intrepid heroes. 
 
The main character is young D’Artagnan, played by Logan Lerman, looking more like a kid who’d hang at a skateboard shop than an agile swordsman, but his acting is pretty good. The daring youngster proves his worth to the Musketeers, and these are the best scenes: the four battling their way through town till a prancing young king gives them their mission. 
 
Midway through there’s too much dialog describing what’s about to happen: a plan involving stolen jewels, which could escalate into war. But this sets up for some more cool battles (within flying pirate ships), all paying off in silver dollars that may be counterfeit, but it doesn't matter somehow.

action, logan lerman, tens

THE THREE MUSKETEERS (2011)

year: 2011 cast: Logan Lerman, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans rating: *** Sure it’s a modernized mockery of the Dumas classic, and could h...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/20/2011 / No comments / comedy , jack black , jobeth williams , owen wilson , steve martin , tens

THE BIG YEAR

<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L422OoikIoM/TqECGo1kxEI/AAAAAAAACX0/s-yXR9v6UCo/s1600/2011_the_big_year_001.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665812119273391170" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L422OoikIoM/TqECGo1kxEI/AAAAAAAACX0/s-yXR9v6UCo/w332-h400/2011_the_big_year_001.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 166px;" width="332" /></a>title: THE BIG YEAR 
year: 2011 
cast: Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, JoBeth Williams 
rating: *** 
 
Though promoted as an ensemble, this really stars Jack Black as a hopelessly drifting thirty-something who loves birds to the point he’s obsessed with “The Big Year,” a competition where bird watchers travel the world to, you got it, watch and count them. Owen Wilson is his arch nemesis, lean and handsome and the best bird watcher around, always one step ahead of our chunky hero, who seems born to lose: which is why he’s so endearing. Steve Martin fills the gap as a successful entrepreneur that befriends Black and becomes a guru of sorts, but that doesn’t mean he lacks his own aspiration of becoming number one birder. But he loses his edge, and the premise is handed entirely to Black, the only character the audience really roots for as he’s up against the overly confident Wilson, who has his own problems at home. The contest itself is a bit shaky, too strange to base a film on. But once the characters begin interacting, and with their families and work on the line, things get more interesting: it’s not so much about birdwatchers, but real people. If you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy, this won’t do. But for a feel-good lightweight time-passer, it works just fine. And perhaps if Steve Martin wasn’t in the movie at all, and it only involved Black verses Wilson i.e. the tortoise and the hare, it might have been funnier or sillier in the standard hijinks sense. But the white-capped veteran provides an essential base for all the running around. Though it doesn’t make you want to study birds like SIDEWAYS made you thirsty for wine, one might yearn to travel those lovely spots the birds call home.

comedy, jack black, jobeth williams, owen wilson, steve martin, tens

THE BIG YEAR

title: THE BIG YEAR year: 2011 cast: Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, JoBeth Williams rating: *** Though promoted as an ensemb...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/19/2011 / No comments / remake , science-fiction , tens

THE THING (2011)

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ktdn_3TA6Ak/Tp_FF6m0doI/AAAAAAAACXc/ZDOxkz0QXCs/s1600/The-Thing.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665463561677469314" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ktdn_3TA6Ak/Tp_FF6m0doI/AAAAAAAACXc/ZDOxkz0QXCs/s200/The-Thing.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 173px; height: 220px;" /></a>title: THE THING year: 2011 cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomson rating: *1/2 John Carpenter’s THE THING is remembered for being a violent science-fiction horror with tons of blood and guts – but what made it a classic is the eerily contained setting and the eclectic characters in an arctic compound trying to figure who's the formidable alien able to replicate into a human being. And the suspense plays out as each member, that we get to know from the inside-out (literally in some cases), fights to survive a desperately grim situation. Here there’s only a quick set-up: the discovery of a gigantic alien hangar beneath the ice by pretty scientist Kate Lloyd, called in to aid a group of researchers – a few Americans but mostly Norwegians – in dissecting the remains of the entombed terrestrial. There’s one human antagonist; Reid’s shady boss who wants to study "The Thing" at all costs, even after it leaps from its encasing and, in a few rushed scenes, enters the body of each member of the group. The only clever twist on the original is instead of checking the blood of each person to see if they’re human, our heroine (played by a dull Mary Elizabeth Winstead) checks the men’s teeth for fillings – turns out the alien can replicate DNA, but nothing man-made. And so, once the violent morphing begins it never ends, but non-stop action in this case means little as the rest of the (very short) film has gory special effects – people turning into beasts – and flamethrowers quickly stopping them. No characters really matter other than Reid and helicopter pilot Sam Carter (Joel Edgerton), a macho nod to Kurt Russell's "MaCready" but without the soul and intensity. And lacking an interesting cast, it simply doesn't matter who buys the farm or survives. All in all, this THING is like a video game using only those bombastic visual elements that'd make a brain-dead gamer feel entertained, but certainly not an audience who paid to see an actual story.

remake, science-fiction, tens

THE THING (2011)

title: THE THING year: 2011 cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomson rating: *1/2 John Carpenter’s THE THING is rem...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/14/2011 / No comments / dennis quaid , drama , remake , tens

FOOTLOOSE (2011)

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a3i5t0wuMfM/TpkMQJORTEI/AAAAAAAACVg/vF5vp0mZxqM/s1600/Footloose-2011-Movie-Poster1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663571477888322626" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a3i5t0wuMfM/TpkMQJORTEI/AAAAAAAACVg/vF5vp0mZxqM/s200/Footloose-2011-Movie-Poster1.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 156px; height: 220px;" /></a>title: FOOTLOOSE year: 2011 cast: Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Miles Teller rating: ** The premise of a small town in America that outlaws dancing has always been farfetched, but during the 1980’s it worked in the lightweight classic starring Kevin Bacon as a big city kid forced to live in Hicksville. There are a few problems with this remake: First off, we relive the origin of the dance-ban as five teens are killed in an automobile accident after leaving a nightclub. This takes away from a haunting moment in the original as that love interest, played by Lori Singer, tells the ghostly tale of her brother’s demise. We also witness the law being put into motion, taking away from the main character's shocked realization of it. But what really made the original work was the town itself, white trash kids who seemed not only unhindered by the ban: but didn’t realize what they were missing – and it took our protagonist to break them from their shell. The kids in this movie seem like AMERICAN IDOL contestants waiting in the Green Room, and have no real need for a hero like Ren McCormack, played by newcomer Kenny Warmald, a Johnny Depp lookalike who, being an actual dancer, brings real moves to the screen. But this makes him more of an athlete hindered by a crazy law than a rebellious kid breaking free from it. Chris Penn’s character Willard is played by Miles Teller with sincere hillbilly charm, although during the montage in which Ren teaches him to dance he becomes a little too good at it – making you forget he had a problem to begin with. Dennis Quaid plays the preacher with cold calculation, but with a one-note scowl throughout, he misses the mark of an everyman torn between what he feels is right and the love of his daughter Ariel, played by Julianne Hough who, seeming like she's posing for a magazine ad in every shot, is the most wasted character. While Warmald tries his best to remain perpetually annoyed by the town’s dictatorship... and has moments of genuine compassion as he reflects upon his mother's death... his performance, and the script, lacks the breezy fun of the original. And his progressive uncle and aunt provide him an out – making Ren seem not so alone in his predicament. Many scenes mirroring exact moments and dialog from its iconic predecessor keeps this from standing (and dancing) on its own two feet. And instead of the tractor chicken race, we have a five truck demolition derby more befitting to Mad Max than a REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE inspired flick about dancing and rebellion.

dennis quaid, drama, remake, tens

FOOTLOOSE (2011)

title: FOOTLOOSE year: 2011 cast: Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Miles Teller rating: ** The premise of a small town in Ameri...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/07/2011 / No comments / action , boxing , hugh jackman , tens

REAL STEEL

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zOsvvD2eH9E/To_kBFsyZqI/AAAAAAAACVM/W95sqMevyJg/s1600/t.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660993963989034658" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zOsvvD2eH9E/To_kBFsyZqI/AAAAAAAACVM/W95sqMevyJg/s200/t.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 168px; height: 200px;" /></a>title: REAL STEEL year: 2011 cast: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, James Rebhorn rating: ** Upon seeing the trailer, people old enough instantly thought of the classic game ROCK ‘EM SOCK ‘EM ROBOTS, but this film, inspired by a Richard Matheson penned TWILIGHT ZONE, is more like THE TRANSFORMERS meets OVER THE TOP. Hugh Jackman plays an ex boxer who, in a near-distant future, trains robots to fight. He’s a loser and a scoundrel and, after being saddled with his son for three months, they discover the remains of a sparring bot that becomes their diamond in the rough, and a possible way to make money. But only the kid sees the potential in "Atom" who, resembling THE IRON GIANT and with a human quality of fear, has a few successful bouts leading to the big event with the formidable, corporate-backed ZEUS. On paper, this sounds like an exciting flick with a lotta punch, but the action takes a back seat to overlong scenes involving Jackman and his kid traveling around misunderstanding each other. But it’s when our grizzled human hero switches the steely palooka from remote control to shadow mode… thus using his own skills as a boxer to try winning the big fight… that the audience has reason to cheer. Mirroring ROCKY's underdog overcoming the odds template, this lacks the training and passion that goes into turning a pile of scrap into a champion. For the most part, the climb to the top seems much too easy.

action, boxing, hugh jackman, tens

REAL STEEL

title: REAL STEEL year: 2011 cast: Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, James Rebhorn rating: ** Upon seeing the trailer, people...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/06/2011 / No comments / andrew mccarthy , comedy , donald sutherland , eighties , kevin dillon

HEAVEN HELP US

<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1rTt4dm5L8o/To37Xvl3GNI/AAAAAAAACUE/iM1WLSxL50M/s1600/Heaven%2BHelp%2BUs%2Bpic%2B1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660456692005411026" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1rTt4dm5L8o/To37Xvl3GNI/AAAAAAAACUE/iM1WLSxL50M/s200/Heaven%2BHelp%2BUs%2Bpic%2B1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 154px;" /></a>title: HEAVEN HELP US 
year: 1985 
cast: Andrew McCarthy, Kevin Dillon, John Heard, Donald Sutherland 
rating: *** 
 
Seeming like yet another teenage comedy from the 1980s, this has a little more. The cinematography, showing life in the early 60’s, looks authentically realistic, as are the locations within the school, especially the giant cathedral where all the students meet every morning. Although there are four main characters (including a young Patrick Dempsey), the two mainliners are Andrew McCarthy, revamping his persona from CLASS but with more confidence; and Kevin Dillon who, like his brother Matt, plays rebel to the hilt – ironically repeating God’s name in vain while picking on their fat, brainy friend. One really mean teacher ignites the adversary spark, allowing our eclectic band of students to band together. And a love story between McCarthy and the willful daughter of a delicatessen owner (Mary Stuart Masterson) provides a nice peripheral. Donald Sutherland plays the hardnosed, monotone head priest, keeping his usual sly humor at bay. While John Heard, as an ultra progressive priest who backs the kids, makes you wonder: Why’s he even there at all?

andrew mccarthy, comedy, donald sutherland, eighties, kevin dillon

HEAVEN HELP US

title: HEAVEN HELP US year: 1985 cast: Andrew McCarthy, Kevin Dillon, John Heard, Donald Sutherland rating: *** Seeming like yet an...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/02/2011 / No comments / action , cop , drama , tens

COURAGEOUS

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tf9K5XXPDw8/ToimlAVht1I/AAAAAAAACTs/E0KdtGqkU4Y/s1600/Courageous%2B3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658956086466688850" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tf9K5XXPDw8/ToimlAVht1I/AAAAAAAACTs/E0KdtGqkU4Y/s200/Courageous%2B3.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 181px; height: 200px;" /></a>title: COURAGEOUS year: 2011 cast: Alex Kendrick, Ken Bevel, Ben Davies, Kevin Downes rating: **** Judging by an industry where “Jesus Christ” is one of the most popularly used “curse words," it’s always a shock when a faith-based motion picture gets through – and more shocking when it's actually really good. After an intense prologue, our story centers on four cops in a small town who are up against local gangs, with action scenes that, although a bit too heavy with the shaky cam, are filmed with spontaneous, gritty realism. But the true story lies within the home of each officer, one in particular played by the writer/director Alex Kendrick, more partial to his sweet young daughter than his stubborn teenage son. A pivotal tragedy changes the course of the film, as Kendrick writes up a list to keep him accountable on being a better father. His fellow officers follow suit, and though mostly centering on the lives of these men and their families, we're always close to the gritty realism of the streets. On the peripheral is scene-stealing character Javier, a working class Latino who happens upon Kendrick and becomes a sort of mascot to the officers, and a worthy comic relief. And although it’s a bonafide Christian film, it works equally as a cop drama, showing policemen how they really are: none of the actors looking like chin-chiseled actors too cool for school, but real guys – as faulty as they are brave – with a dangerous, unpredictable job that’s never easy.

action, cop, drama, tens

COURAGEOUS

title: COURAGEOUS year: 2011 cast: Alex Kendrick, Ken Bevel, Ben Davies, Kevin Downes rating: **** Judging by an industry where “Jesus Ch...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/01/2011 / No comments / action , exploitation , rutger hauer , tens

HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KmAFvfMmN_E/TodaXquQ-KI/AAAAAAAACTI/RFhTtmiJR78/s1600/Hobo-With-A-Shotgun-2011-Front-Cover-52107.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658590819466148002" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KmAFvfMmN_E/TodaXquQ-KI/AAAAAAAACTI/RFhTtmiJR78/s200/Hobo-With-A-Shotgun-2011-Front-Cover-52107.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 178px; height: 240px;" /></a>title: HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN year: 2011 cast: Rutger Hauer, Brian Downey, Gregory Smith, Molly Dunsworth rating: ***1/2 Every once in a while a movie comes out that, to use a clichéd term, pushes the envelope. Well this one signs, seals and delivers blood and guts like it’s nothing doing. But it's quite the chore for the antihero protagonist, a train-hopping hobo who winds up in a small town that makes Sergio Leone’s vilest villas seem like Walnut Grove. While some of the dialog is banally beyond imagination, especially spouted by the intentionally cartoonish villains – a reckless mobster and his two sons – the circumstances leading to each new action scene provides the audience with something to gain or lose. But it’s when Hobo meets a heart of gold hooker – who gives him shelter after he’s beaten by thugs and a sadistic “Bum Fights” director before wielding his titular weapon of choice – that the movie provides heart to the ultra violent bedlam. Reminiscent of exploitation flicks made by Roger Corman, Troma, and Bloody Sam Peckinpah, this overboard odyssey is so drenched in violence it all seems commonplace. Yet the plight of our hero, striving to keep the hooker alive while gunning down all wrongdoers – and eventually centering on the mobster’s favorite son who has no restrictions on murder – never loses a tight grip on the handle. Star Rutger Hauer, iconic for villainous roles in NIGHTHAWKS, THE HITCHER, and BLADE RUNNER, has aged into a gruff, no-nonsense tough guy with a tattered past hemmed into a timeworn countenance.

action, exploitation, rutger hauer, tens

HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN

title: HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN year: 2011 cast: Rutger Hauer, Brian Downey, Gregory Smith, Molly Dunsworth rating: ***1/2 Every once in a w...

50/50

<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vshtY6-UKJ0/Toc452Y6-PI/AAAAAAAACS4/x8QR3THvMx8/s1600/dfdf.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658554023318059250" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vshtY6-UKJ0/Toc452Y6-PI/AAAAAAAACS4/x8QR3THvMx8/s200/dfdf.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 226px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 114px;" /></a>title: 50/50 
year: 2011 
cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Angelica Huston 
rating: *** 
 
The second film in which Seth Rogen plays the sidekick of a guy who gets cancer, that being the drowsy FUNNY PEOPLE a few years back, and the second time is a charm. Thanks to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who shows the right amount of shocked melancholy while he suffers through chemotherapy, the prolonged breakup of his shallow girlfriend, and an impending surgery that could take his life, this is a lightweight take on a heavy subject that’s both funny and emotionally satisfying. Rogen, as Levitt’s buddy who realizes cancer is a great way to pick up on chicks, is a bit too forced into the comic relief department – almost every word spoken is meant for a laugh, and his character rarely gets an opportunity to shine past the caustic rants. Angelica Huston plays Levitt’s neurotic mother, causing stress to her ailing son, but the real depth comes from his relationship with love interest Anna Kendrick as a hospital student shrink, first using Levitt as a case study but eventually – as the two bond outside the office – falling in love. Their relationship makes the movie work, while the buddy/buddy between Rogen and Levitt give routine breaks from the serious underbelly. And as breezy soundtrack tunes provide an out before things get morose, and drugs (both medicinal and recreational) turn gloomy roads into shiny avenues way too easily, it’s Levitt alone, whose character is brooding even before the diagnosis, that makes even the filler moments work: he really seems to be facing a grave future while trying to beat those 50/50 odds.

comedy, drama, dramedy, joseph gordon-levitt, seth rogen, tens