ÉVOCATEUR: THE MORTON DOWNEY JR

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1edvVRwMyvSCVZ2ExYruhDwn4xYP2sDu4SKHoCYvLVyiS41Qt4vTaXmkJgAFTIL1h66LmhurCL1IFkH_b8uDNzJm43tJWIF9cfMgnlgbxTx5HiB_cVHVkVTzaUrWeRJtEO31CRGZQ7_A/s1600/0.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1edvVRwMyvSCVZ2ExYruhDwn4xYP2sDu4SKHoCYvLVyiS41Qt4vTaXmkJgAFTIL1h66LmhurCL1IFkH_b8uDNzJm43tJWIF9cfMgnlgbxTx5HiB_cVHVkVTzaUrWeRJtEO31CRGZQ7_A/s320/0.jpg" width="197" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2012 rating: **1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> In the late 1980’s, Morton Downey Jr. entered the daytime talk show circuit as a chain-smoking firebrand screaming at guests, backed by a noisy and adoring audience who insiders nicknamed The Beast. And over a decade after his death, MDJ is subject of this interesting, involving yet distractingly biased documentary about the quick rise and even quicker fall of a television personality whose countenance was that of a bullying bull dog…<br /> <br /> The film begins by showing clips of Morton Downey Sr., famous in the 1930s as a singer on stage and screen, and his dancing girl wife. The filmmakers chose to insert the words DADDY and MOMMY when referring to their subject’s parents, so right off the bat Junior’s getting bashed in a subtle way: Which is fine since no one would care about a propaganda piece… And the Downey legacy truly deserves a slap or two... But when a ten minute segment compares him with the modern <i>Neo Cons</i> (including Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity), while ominous music grinds in the background, you get the feeling there’s something deeper here than a retrospective on a – for use of a better word – “groundbreaking” talk show host.<br /> <br /> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86UOs3ha2uSIdSevS6yxf-9AaHDtfc3q4u0S2-dVBfm62SvyIyCgL4b7TgN8N2WXzlk0g3mUYyV66b_Bd1ybAyNuRLn-nQuNsT8ZUNFzZ3c1-jXpVv8nl2Z_BUod6ocaYYGavTP8-I8E/s1600/Picture+1.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86UOs3ha2uSIdSevS6yxf-9AaHDtfc3q4u0S2-dVBfm62SvyIyCgL4b7TgN8N2WXzlk0g3mUYyV66b_Bd1ybAyNuRLn-nQuNsT8ZUNFzZ3c1-jXpVv8nl2Z_BUod6ocaYYGavTP8-I8E/s320/Picture+1.png" width="243" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poster Artwork</td></tr> </tbody></table> <i></i>In a politically-correct world of the bland yet pioneering Phil Donahue and his more successful upstart, Oprah Winfrey, Downey’s persona was a breath of fresh-hot air. Much like conservative screamer Wally George, Morton would have guests, from lawyers to feminists, that were set up to be thrown off in a vicious manner – the unpredictable element of just when each victim would fall through the floorboards was part of the show’s perpetual anti-charm.<br /> <br /> Sporadic cartoons of Downey, usually shown as a hotheaded dragon with glimpses of a disapproving father’s ghost, are scattered throughout the interviews, mostly taken from ex producers and writers of his show, adding to the anti-Downey slant, although these subliminal attacks are sporadically countered by his musician best friend and daughter.<br /> <br /> Downey wound up losing ratings, and his show, eventually faking a skinhead attack in a public restroom, something so desperate and pathetic it's the perfect conclusion to a somewhat loaded documentary that, despite the built-in gripe against conservative media... a noisy alternative to a much larger yet more subtle platform... even the stuff that makes Junior look awful is, at times, equally sympathetic. Perhaps the filmmakers are torn like Rodney Dangerfield’s character in BACK TO SCHOOL, confoundedly describing Sam Kinison’s neurotic, screaming history teacher in two sentences: <i>“He really seems to care… About what I have no idea.”</i><br /> <i> </i>

2012, documentary, morton downey jr

ÉVOCATEUR: THE MORTON DOWNEY JR

2012 rating: **1/2 In the late 1980’s, Morton Downey Jr. entered the daytime talk show circuit as a chain-smoking firebrand screaming at...

RIDLEY SCOTT DIRECTS THE ALIEN-LINKED 'PROMETHEUS'

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98hyphenhyphen9o78NxPB41TYsis7qCBMKw80n_0p9nHeJLyx8t7dzW58JeCUMh5Ym8odXoKIAQG8dqBM1HPLE37hkk4jfsMjnEz_wzWjQyfpk2piRVHRFXQUjnHic3kBzoNnhVlDVTax94h0A6KA/s1600/prometheus_810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98hyphenhyphen9o78NxPB41TYsis7qCBMKw80n_0p9nHeJLyx8t7dzW58JeCUMh5Ym8odXoKIAQG8dqBM1HPLE37hkk4jfsMjnEz_wzWjQyfpk2piRVHRFXQUjnHic3kBzoNnhVlDVTax94h0A6KA/s400/prometheus_810.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 rating: ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> For several years it was rumored Ridley Scott was directing a prequel to ALIEN... Turned out to be a remake: A bulky spaceship full of scientists mixed with a working class crew; a crafty humanoid robot with a trick up his sleeve; a manly heroine – ring a bell?<br /> <br /> Actually the story’s set in the ALIEN universe and the spaceship, rather than heading home, is destined for a planet with possible lifeforms.Two research scientists, including Dr. Shaw played by Noomi Repace, have discovered cave paintings with a similar theme – and a dying millionaire has backed their mission.<br /> <br /> The ship's called PROMETHEUS and the important crew members include Michael Fassbender as David, the robot who models himself after Peter O'Toole's splendid take as Lawrence of Arabia, and Charlize Theron is the tough corporate head; you can say she's almost the captain...<br /> <br /> Although Repace’s Shaw fills the Sigourney Weaver role, in one scene, Theron's character refuses a contaminated crewman back aboard the ship. The planet consists of a… or what seems like a… "giant cave" wherein illuminated wraiths roam while hidden slimy creatures provide the necessary body count...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPjLl0hCd-YLb8M4Fw0VvEnJwxHo7-d7Z5TH0vlhq3l2WAwVzWe-4ezPW1t5omgFi9_McQezFoWXBILyos1eGQ7LZnxr3EAp2vidDTjrEAy_9SKOdnrN48985haoOM7wPkszsZeyHJNk/s1600/promie.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPjLl0hCd-YLb8M4Fw0VvEnJwxHo7-d7Z5TH0vlhq3l2WAwVzWe-4ezPW1t5omgFi9_McQezFoWXBILyos1eGQ7LZnxr3EAp2vidDTjrEAy_9SKOdnrN48985haoOM7wPkszsZeyHJNk/s200/promie.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alien life?</td></tr> </tbody></table> </div> So there are a few action scenes and the special effects, particularly in 3D, look fantastic. But the problem are the characters, none standing out or likable enough for the audience to really care about their frantic survival which, after the searching has run its course, PROMETHEUS is all about.<br /> <br /> In the acting department, Fassbender has a nifty look but lacks the sinister charm (or importance to move the plot) of Ian Holm, Repace only shines when she’s fighting to live, Theron is more robotic than Fassbender and the scruffy crew provide filler roles. Still though, somehow, the picture works but as a b-movie rather than the sort of epic blockbuster that was probably intended: Then again, sci-fi leaning writer/director's did grow up on pulp the likes of Weird Tales, etc., and perhaps subconsciously drive their multi-million dollar vessel in a more breezy direction, and, as most already figured by cult nerds going in: since Damon Lindelhof co-wrote the script, ultimately there are fewer answers than questions in a canvas stretched beyond its paint.. And though it would be a sin to give anything really important away, the big finale twist isn’t so much connected to the story itself, but the film’s... promotion. We’ll stop there.<br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div>

2012, blockbuster, charlize theron, horror, michael fassbender, noomi repace, ridley scott, science-fiction, suspense, walter hill

RIDLEY SCOTT DIRECTS THE ALIEN-LINKED 'PROMETHEUS'

year: 2012 rating: ***1/2 For several years it was rumored Ridley Scott was directing a prequel to ALIEN... Turned out to be a remake: A...

JOAQUIN PHOENIX & PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN IN THE MASTER

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnskGfz0aoQ7oM5h50HgIij7MuCdYoJPcw26PGzb2hyphenhyphen-t7U6s265Pgf3MjDvHZrRAis1GOcZSotomGLHUYXkqBjUkHUOqbfdDhJcO_degRqhj2ylaAg8Ar0tH5iDhlt4g7Suh_7ylNK5S/s1600/37188921_520218058407375_901784278499590144_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="874" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnskGfz0aoQ7oM5h50HgIij7MuCdYoJPcw26PGzb2hyphenhyphen-t7U6s265Pgf3MjDvHZrRAis1GOcZSotomGLHUYXkqBjUkHUOqbfdDhJcO_degRqhj2ylaAg8Ar0tH5iDhlt4g7Suh_7ylNK5S/s320/37188921_520218058407375_901784278499590144_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>An unseen Master and Joaquin Phoenix YEAR: 2010</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> By the time Joaquin Phoenix’s Freddie Quell, a troubled, boisterous, alcoholic Second World War veteran, discovers that “He’s making it up as he goes” about The Master, a writer/guru named Lancaster Dodd played wonderfully by Philip Seymour Hoffman, you’ll wish he didn't realize it so soon – because Dodd can be hypnotizing and his cure seems legit...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_pKLReOkRPrAySWjtBc2zld5mSyMCCUqDS8rX8owlJRr374m0Op-U7RJG_lRIt4HLXKkKvRz3bcWlKCBo9iDgE_49J0Tv-bfWr6TVqUk44WBF0JVztkD8NHiOq_n_4hh_hdTwLcT-gg9/s1600/1796578_10203162700170776_174374727_n.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_pKLReOkRPrAySWjtBc2zld5mSyMCCUqDS8rX8owlJRr374m0Op-U7RJG_lRIt4HLXKkKvRz3bcWlKCBo9iDgE_49J0Tv-bfWr6TVqUk44WBF0JVztkD8NHiOq_n_4hh_hdTwLcT-gg9/s200/1796578_10203162700170776_174374727_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Philip Seymour Hoffman died 2014</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> But that’s only because Quill is so screwed up to begin with, so as we spend the first quarter struggling through his violently meandering post-war life, when Freddie begins to come around we finally get to know the character we’ve been burdened with thus far...<br /> <br /> Gaining flashbacks of a young small town girl Freddie loves, Dodd asks him pointed questions – which need to be answered without hesitation or the blink of an eye (very much like what goes on within an actor's workshop)... This is a pivotal, moving scene bringing two polar opposites together. So what if Dodd’s practice, loosely (or not so loosely) based on Scientology, is really an empty road…<br /> <br /> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwzB6psMyAsvQvKQL20oBhNzfBbbVAW13QYF9YuwPWJVcYzVAQph539F1bNlClPzlOIwx9F3y10AgUIJy7ahodfPZaWKZDpVlHAhkfAknTqYCW5mgQ1rf-dZjdgYd8MTk6H9aaH910Jgc/s1600/Picture%252B1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwzB6psMyAsvQvKQL20oBhNzfBbbVAW13QYF9YuwPWJVcYzVAQph539F1bNlClPzlOIwx9F3y10AgUIJy7ahodfPZaWKZDpVlHAhkfAknTqYCW5mgQ1rf-dZjdgYd8MTk6H9aaH910Jgc/s320/Picture%252B1.png" width="211" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The Master Score: ****1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> If it can turn a human mess like Quell into more than a mysterious stranger, so be it. He still holds onto his independent strength, only now he has something, or rather someone, to fight for, and it's true that writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson, no stranger to big dynamic and overlong productions, takes advantage of the fact he’s created a cult leader who speaks more than he means and doesn't always make sense, giving the script free reign to meander without a structured plot or purpose. <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> Even though Hoffman's mesmerizing, mysterious, and earthy turn as the title-bearing focal point, never showing any obvious signs of being a con artist or an enlightened leader, is what the picture's named after, THE MASTER is really about The Follower...<br /> <br /> And as the audience witnesses the turnaround of a truly lost soul, they’ll either follow or lose faith. But there’s no denying the dynamic performances of the two lead actors. If anything else, it’s one helluva bizarre, and truly unique and original, buddy bromance.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div>

2012, drama, joaquin phoenix, paul thomas anderson, philip seymour hoffman

JOAQUIN PHOENIX & PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN IN THE MASTER

An unseen Master and Joaquin Phoenix YEAR: 2010 By the time Joaquin Phoenix’s Freddie Quell, a troubled, boisterous, alcoholic Second Wo...

THE MOTION PICTURE OF JACK KEROUAC'S ON THE ROAD

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBO-4mRqMo_JbVxaoyfW_8Oh1ZSJc4MgQuPYQ2nSPiD1b1PXuAPzxCIt4TsvqRDWI5B8zW_SJNmXM0fxyZLeIj7OrPm3siSyMdXovZXjFzZ_Hfhm6FpohdDtvGSmC3VIpL4nA0sLKg2Sg/s1600/on_the_road_ver11_xlg.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBO-4mRqMo_JbVxaoyfW_8Oh1ZSJc4MgQuPYQ2nSPiD1b1PXuAPzxCIt4TsvqRDWI5B8zW_SJNmXM0fxyZLeIj7OrPm3siSyMdXovZXjFzZ_Hfhm6FpohdDtvGSmC3VIpL4nA0sLKg2Sg/s320/on_the_road_ver11_xlg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2013 rating: **</td></tr> </tbody></table> To all newcomers of Beat Literature, beware when reading Jack Kerouac’s groundbreaking 1957 novel ON THE ROAD...<br /> <br /> You won’t find any actual plot and the only purpose is a chaotically wonderful cross-country adventure had by Jack Kerouac aka Sal Paradise and his instigating, womanizing muse Neal Cassady aka Dean Moriarty…<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Jack (most likely) wrote the book to not only glorify his best friend but to also describe the landscape of America. Much of the literary content are cerebral observations, not an easy transformation onto the big screen. <br /> <br /> And so, when watching this much-anticipated film, don’t except two otherwise capable actors… Sam Riley as Paradise and Garrett Hedlund as Moriarty… to stretch beyond an edgy countenance and do anything but talk, drive and, with a little help from their friends, take part in random sexcapades. <br /> <br /> These freespirited fellas, along with Kristen Stewart’s highway moll, Marylou, one of Dean’s two disenchanted love interests, wield a desperate edge that should be followed by bank robberies… That is, if ON THE ROAD were a pulpy thriller, this rowdy trio would work just fine… But they, along with several miscast beatniks –  who seem more 1990’s than 1940’s –  are part of another journey altogether, having little to do with the "generation defining" source material.   <br /> <br /> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85JpNuXW1NyiViQyUXD_jSnYSdqYH7KgaL44zki1qXB2Uz-XWXI5CTHeBx-8Ugklu01Sb-q8HviVqyBWVW7FtmlqAgV1hgseaOVD1SD0AW_T2PCrJFi7VdxF29hjCh2f9NbGT8SqddKs/s1600/on-road-jack-kerouac-paperback-cover-art-1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85JpNuXW1NyiViQyUXD_jSnYSdqYH7KgaL44zki1qXB2Uz-XWXI5CTHeBx-8Ugklu01Sb-q8HviVqyBWVW7FtmlqAgV1hgseaOVD1SD0AW_T2PCrJFi7VdxF29hjCh2f9NbGT8SqddKs/s320/on-road-jack-kerouac-paperback-cover-art-1.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Real Neal & Jack</td></tr> </tbody></table> However, the film does follow the book in a skeletal frame, including stopovers in New York, New Jersey and Denver; Sal’s brief romance with a working girl; a visit at Old Bull Lee aka William Burrough's New Orleans pad; and a climactic illness in Mexico. What’s left out could have made the author more optimistic, like Kerouac himself, who, despite being a pivotal founder of the Beat movement, didn’t write dreary, somber prose to be whined about in darkened, bongo-thumping coffeehouses: But it's obvious director Walter Salles wanted to turn an upper pill into a downer. <br /> <br /> A personal favorite novel selection has Sal and his fair-weather friend, Remi, working as night watchmen for a merchant sailor boarding camp, and then stealing a boat for kicks… The chapter is offbeat and humorous, setting our grungy heroes apart from the status quo during that "uptight" post-war era, something the cinematic ON THE ROAD fails to do since <i>just about everyone </i>acts as proudly progressed, wildly perverted, wickedly pontificating and downright smug as these central characters...<br /> <br /> Begging the questions: If everybody's crazy, why bother centering on these particular "mad ones" – and what makes them so special, anyhow? 

2012, amy adams, based on literature, francis ford coppola, garrett hedlund, jack kerouac, kristen stewart, road movie, sam riley, viggo mortensen

THE MOTION PICTURE OF JACK KEROUAC'S ON THE ROAD

year: 2013 rating: ** To all newcomers of Beat Literature, beware when reading Jack Kerouac’s groundbreaking 1957 novel ON THE ROAD... ...

JACK BLACK DELIVERS AS BERNIE

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPshrl4cGADGI_Egb1zCTiKOmf9v56uGRV4a1GtZRVbflVi-NvQ2jGFfQcDhePawBM7xPeqmOThVlIZW8UNYIOKr3ed0iNC8u3JnBCVQ5pFKFrL6Eq2ktz8qKknpEIczfHnBcCY2IJHsk/s1600/jack+black+bernie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPshrl4cGADGI_Egb1zCTiKOmf9v56uGRV4a1GtZRVbflVi-NvQ2jGFfQcDhePawBM7xPeqmOThVlIZW8UNYIOKr3ed0iNC8u3JnBCVQ5pFKFrL6Eq2ktz8qKknpEIczfHnBcCY2IJHsk/s640/jack+black+bernie.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 cast: Jack Black, Shirley MacClaine, Matthew McConaughey, Sonny Davis rating: ****</td></tr> </tbody></table> BERNIE is a very pleasant surprise, and a nice way for Jack Black to show anyone not familiar with his music career he has a really soulful voice, and, as a usually comedic actor, that he can do more than goof off.<br /> <br /> Black plays a real life small town Texas mortician Bernie Tiede, thoroughly beloved by all the residents, especially old ladies/widows grieving their late husbands, who Bernie not only prepares for burial but gives each ceremony the sort of personal touch, including hymns and doves, that you won’t find anywhere else.<br /> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63lGHE5ljDNIN078-14mPiZ4CYM0hxheGUjLblJ_lpJBD5odrnPl9MuOnqp-hRZiR03g6TU1d1kjgxZVJPgaIB3MFhxKddRJvUVoGsYj3dpIGlH3oSFRZJw4zYlOXUlhtTGLmhbnFPZqP/s1600/bernie3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63lGHE5ljDNIN078-14mPiZ4CYM0hxheGUjLblJ_lpJBD5odrnPl9MuOnqp-hRZiR03g6TU1d1kjgxZVJPgaIB3MFhxKddRJvUVoGsYj3dpIGlH3oSFRZJw4zYlOXUlhtTGLmhbnFPZqP/s640/bernie3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine in BERNIE</td></tr> </tbody></table> Of all the widows, one is worth the most money... she’s also the meanest. Shirley MacClaine plays curmudgeon Marjorie Nugget, heir to big oil money Bernie spends like it’s going out of style but not on selfish things: The town receives gifts ranging from new cars to church buildings to children’s swing sets.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> The best scenes occur during the buildup, introducing Bernie and the small town, and then as he puts up with the bullying Marjorie as she annoyingly chews food and orders menial tasks – all the while they vacation in New York City and Europe. And he’s able to spend even more after her death, which isn’t such a natural cause.<br /> <br /> After Bernie gets caught, this pseudo documentary/dark comedy… with townspeople providing insight in almost every other scene (Sonny Davis' summary of Texas is a hoot)... enters the courtroom where Matthew McConaughey, playing it up as the local D.A., does his best to put poor Bernie behind bars.<br /> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4jS51rJz2ak3RAnqG2OAodwRz7-Caf8pQu7ap80aAdYNAops06XiPeCh3_D-Aw9Mwze-dNujb1Rm42svXy1rxTB9xnUZU8pcbR16fQL6NFC_hOHTQgx7uMTEqNEonDL940eU2WpZq5gL/s1600/bernie1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4jS51rJz2ak3RAnqG2OAodwRz7-Caf8pQu7ap80aAdYNAops06XiPeCh3_D-Aw9Mwze-dNujb1Rm42svXy1rxTB9xnUZU8pcbR16fQL6NFC_hOHTQgx7uMTEqNEonDL940eU2WpZq5gL/s640/bernie1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew McConaughey promises to uphold justice in BERNIE</td></tr> </tbody></table> McConaughey, while a talented actor, takes a little getting used to during interview sequences... When he's first introduced with forced "homophobic" rants and macho bias, he deviates from the documentary style and seems like he's doing his best to parody small town mentality. But as the trial begins he gets more realistic and intense, and as a District Attorney heading an open/shut case, extremely logical.<br /> <br /> It's never quite clear whether this quirky biopic sides with Bernie Tiede or not... On the one hand his victim is shown as an annoying witch the entire town wants dead, yet Bernie often comes off as a cartoonish Christian dolt oblivious to reality.<br /> <br /> Either way you'll enjoy Jack Black’s performance, showing more range than ever as a character that, although right up front and open as a book, is still quite mysterious. <br /> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkvzaIEwZr_fzxuHYaltId02MZyB_21Cr366xiSw9eBMgSUSAVw2bVzoIxQIfsZJT-bY1AYjfYMiNqtHQgyUgpDyhSg401vHZxpsyvVUkixzT8LhnW2dRc_M_5hA5Hjn1Q0ot7uYXqoaY/s1600/bernie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkvzaIEwZr_fzxuHYaltId02MZyB_21Cr366xiSw9eBMgSUSAVw2bVzoIxQIfsZJT-bY1AYjfYMiNqtHQgyUgpDyhSg401vHZxpsyvVUkixzT8LhnW2dRc_M_5hA5Hjn1Q0ot7uYXqoaY/s640/bernie.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonny Davis steals the interview sequences scenes in BERNIE</td></tr> </tbody></table> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=jamtaci-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00007AJFB&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=jamtaci-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000I9X6HC&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=jamtaci-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B008PF8Q8U&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>

2012, biopic, carl davis, dark comedy, jack black, matthew mcconaughey, pseudo documentary, shirley maclaine

JACK BLACK DELIVERS AS BERNIE

year: 2012 cast: Jack Black, Shirley MacClaine, Matthew McConaughey, Sonny Davis rating: **** BERNIE is a very pleasant surprise, and a ...

HIT & RUN

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qcQ1PRIdeSZ4Ce95B2v5LeS5hPPpTBBhhiBey43A5oHbE_DLO9uDIW3fmIo0WA4heYTCkr47m3EoJXQMmswHIVlecgE9q6IJH_vE6v0b8irBN6aHP_zQ4vSKcovJl-FiVik5KyoOne4/s1600/hit-and-run.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qcQ1PRIdeSZ4Ce95B2v5LeS5hPPpTBBhhiBey43A5oHbE_DLO9uDIW3fmIo0WA4heYTCkr47m3EoJXQMmswHIVlecgE9q6IJH_vE6v0b8irBN6aHP_zQ4vSKcovJl-FiVik5KyoOne4/s640/hit-and-run.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 cast: Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell, Bradley Cooper, Beau Bridges rating: **1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> The more we learn about Yul Perrkins a.k.a. “Charles Bronson,” a kindhearted small town suburban guy with beautiful blond girlfriend Annie Bean, played by writer/director/star Dax Shepard's real life flame Kristen Bell, the more there is to like about him. But that’s not how Annie sees it. How can an intelligent progressive girl – driven to L.A. where a lucrative administration job awaits – deal with a former getaway driver who isn’t the sensitive dream man she thought she knew so well? <br /> <br /> There are a few terrific hot rod sequences: our wolf-in-sheep’s-garb hero owns a slick black Lincoln Continental that he wasn’t supposed to keep after being put in the Witness Protection Program three years earlier. And that’s the main thing Annie learns about this road savvy fella, who eventually has an eclectic assortment of oddballs on his tail including Annie’s passive/aggressive ex boyfriend; the boyfriend’s gay cop brother; Tom Arnold as a clingy U.S. Marshall determined to "protect" Yul at all costs; and a trio of vengeful bank robbers led by dread-haired Bradley Cooper as Dmitri, straight out of the Tarantino book of pontificating thugs. When too many characters dog-pile on during the second act, you’ll wish for those initial car chases that, with old school tunes soulfully counter-balancing the road-shredding testosterone, bring us back to films like THE GETAWAY, VANISHING POINT and SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT. But even these scenes are interrupted by conversations and/or arguments between any set of couples that, while sometimes humorous and clever, grow annoying and tiresome after a while.<br /> <br /> The main problem with HIT & RUN is Annie’s tyrannical determination to turn her wolf back into a sheep, continuously hounding him with guilt-ridden lectures about what to say and how to say what he <i>should</i> be saying, even if he’s thinking something else i.e. continual lessons on political correctness. You’ll wonder how such a cool footloose guy, who once helped rob thirteen banks and renamed himself after a bad ass actor, could put up with this kind of ultra-evaluating albatross... Then again, she <i>is</i> extremely hot. Sorry Annie, if that came out sexist… But a guy speaks his mind sometimes – get used to it!!!

2012, action, beau bridges, bradley cooper, dax shepard, kristen bell, road movie

HIT & RUN

year: 2012 cast: Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell, Bradley Cooper, Beau Bridges rating: **1/2 The more we learn about Yul Perrkins a.k.a. “Char...

DREDD

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOX3N4Z0R_WQrEe40RE6N0xowi-8_y_OeCa5WYsxXIVCf4hqmf63A02RqPBQ0M0QYGHC6_D2SlTAVgIyhMnY0h4aGg5_HzSErrtZHC11JBGr3YH-VpVtxobIG96Sxf-kwlXht1m9Ggmw/s1600/dredd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOX3N4Z0R_WQrEe40RE6N0xowi-8_y_OeCa5WYsxXIVCf4hqmf63A02RqPBQ0M0QYGHC6_D2SlTAVgIyhMnY0h4aGg5_HzSErrtZHC11JBGr3YH-VpVtxobIG96Sxf-kwlXht1m9Ggmw/s16000/dredd.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year: </b>2012 <b>cast:</b> Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Heady <b>rating:</b> ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> An ultra-violent take on the Judge Dredd comic books, set in a futuristic world where criminals have turned American cities into demilitarized zones, probably wanted to separate itself from the maligned 1990’s Sylvester Stallone flick. Although Karl Urban, in Dredd’s metallic uniform, does somewhat resemble – at least from the nose down – the action icon as he speaks with a similar guttural growl, leaving most of the dialog to his sidekick, who thankfully isn’t Rob Schneider: Enter Olivia Thirlby’s Cassandra Anderson, brand new to the force of elite judges who don’t sit behind a desk with a gavel, passively passing judgment after the cops have done their work. These roving crime-fighters are the police, the jury and more often than not, the executioner while Cassandra, a doe-eyed rookie partnered with Dredd to investigate a triple homicide within an ominous high rise, has more than one Ace: she’s also a “mutant” psychic able to find truth with a touch of the hand.<br /> <br /> While THE AVENGERS successfully garnered a contained “We got a problem” storyline, the DREDD protagonists are caught knee-deep<i> inside</i> the problem: Once both judges arrest a drug dealer whose testimony could bust the sinister gang leader Ma-Ma (Lena Headey)… a cold, calculating vixen pushing a drug called “Slow Mo”… giant doors lock everyone within the mazy building interior. Thus 95% of the film has our heroes trying to get out with the perpetrator and more importantly, their lives.<br /> <br /> The soundtrack, reminiscent of John Carpenter’s early compositions, is a dark metronomic heartbeat keeping the action flowing from one shootout to the next. Unfortunately Dredd, although one tough cookie and a fun guy to root for, isn’t that much different from his aggressive gun-wielding adversaries, especially when a group of bad judges arrive during the 11th hour. Perhaps his sidekick, who eventually realizes her heart might not be in this brutal occupation, has something to do with his ability to remain alive – since we only get one introductory scene without her assistance, Dredd's a difficult title character to entirely distinguish on his own merit. And while Cassandra’s visible flashes into other people’s thoughts often distract from the steely mainline, she’s an effective co-lead who’s much more than eye candy, helping the somewhat basic story, feeling like a singular episode of a JUDGE DREDD cable series, be the high-octane motion picture it vehemently strives for.

2012, action, comic book, karl urban, lena heady, olivia thirlby, science-fiction

DREDD

year: 2012 cast: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Heady rating: *** An ultra-violent take on the Judge Dredd comic books, set in a fut...

ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HcoLcncWkqnXNTnRWLS6WcLCQ9iSUCEYJXZc02wiLD0V5_oEYmPRR6gm6KhIKaiWBgHCznd6O3UaWVqq4WUkPZugAx28AGC9M9D4e5MacuVO3oXV0w2ZtQcoZ6xLzJD8z2n0NhFda6g/s1600/escape-from-planet-earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HcoLcncWkqnXNTnRWLS6WcLCQ9iSUCEYJXZc02wiLD0V5_oEYmPRR6gm6KhIKaiWBgHCznd6O3UaWVqq4WUkPZugAx28AGC9M9D4e5MacuVO3oXV0w2ZtQcoZ6xLzJD8z2n0NhFda6g/s640/escape-from-planet-earth.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year: </b>2013 <b>voices:</b> Rob Corrdry, William Shatner, Brendan Fraser <b>rating:</b> ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> As the people of planet Earth, we see ourselves as being either too polluting and therefore doomed, or else Fallen and thus, damned. So if <i>we</i> don't have that bright an outlook, it’s no surprise other solar systems view us as the most backward/de-evolved globe in the cosmos, or as one alien calls it, The Dark Planet. (Or maybe Hollywood's doing their usual self effacing thing but in a much wider scope.)<br /> <br /> Why one particular alien/astronaut named Scorch Supernova, the big brave Buzz Lightyear of a techie planet known as Baab, whose brother, Gary, is a passive yet brilliant mission control leader, decides to visit the infamous Earth is never quite clear. But he does, immediately crash landing in Roswell, New Mexico, and quickly taken captive by evil General Shanker, who has collected – inside his Area 51 containment center – an assortment of alien prisoners while planning to build something stronger than an Atomic bomb. <br /> <br /> Shanker's world domination plot aside, for a kids movie it’s never too intense, and there are enough action sequences for adults to keep interest. The characters are likable and the settings minimal: Once our blue alien heroes leave their own planet, we have only the prison to escape from, a few white trash trailers outside and one 7/11. <br /> <br /> Despite the overall simplicity, ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH never drags and doesn’t try to be more than a basic escape flick and best yet, actors Brendan Frasier (Scorch), Rob Corddry (Gary) and General Shanker (William Shatner) don’t sound like lazy celebrities providing their own recognizable voices while letting the animators do all the work. Now that's something to admire.

2012, action, animated, brendan fraser, rob corrdry, william shatner

ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH

year: 2013 voices: Rob Corrdry, William Shatner, Brendan Fraser rating: *** As the people of planet Earth, we see ourselves as being e...

DANIEL DAY LEWIS IS LINCOLN

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvoYviLB4lNlYV557YwAkaEX38BBovUnY4rDLIoRCrrg9C4qmw_dpmSN7ZKEZfwOwGqt8Erzpzedl4Vr_XU9242XTfqSaZPaLwe-QandN7H-HtZgf7sXbFQf35OMaUs43TmM2fYGOBzJVQ/s1600/09lincoln-span-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvoYviLB4lNlYV557YwAkaEX38BBovUnY4rDLIoRCrrg9C4qmw_dpmSN7ZKEZfwOwGqt8Erzpzedl4Vr_XU9242XTfqSaZPaLwe-QandN7H-HtZgf7sXbFQf35OMaUs43TmM2fYGOBzJVQ/s640/09lincoln-span-articleLarge.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 cast: Daniel Day Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, James Spader rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> While a more fitting title would be THE 13TH AMENDMENT, as the film primarily deals with the passing of the law to free the slaves, LINCOLN focuses on a President who had the determination to see something through – all the way through till the end: It just may take a few minutes to adhere to the voice and stature Daniel Day Lewis provides our 16th President. Sounding like a decrepit small town barber suffering a cold, Lincoln walks with a jangly gait – at times seeming too frail to hold himself uptight – and that stove top hat looks about to envelop his wiry frame. But DDL's Lincoln tells wonderful parable/stories that serve to convince friends and opponents alike… While his feeble manner is explained aptly by one character, noting how the Civil War, and being responsible for the deaths therein, can age a man considerably. It’s how the (perhaps two-time) Oscar winning actor combines the lethargic physicality to the freshly heartfelt monologues that makes the story work... So while Lincoln fares so capably on his own, his family serves as a distraction. Enter wife Mary Todd and their two sons: the youngest, Tad, stares wide-eyed at slaves in photographs like a modern kid leafs through baseball cards; while guilt-ridden law student Todd (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), witnessing the tragedy of war, yearns to join the military.<br /> <br /> Sally Field’s moody Mary Todd Lincoln is a woman torn between mental instability and blunt honesty... she’s Abe's personal cross to bear yet he wears it with pride. During certain arguments you’d expect him to shout, “To the moon, Mary,” before giving her a forgiving peck on the cheek. Thus each family member lends menial significance – but in a story based on “The Political Genius” of Lincoln as opposed to his personal life, perhaps this was intentional. And on that political side, standing out past the others (even David Strathairn’s patient sidekick William Seward), Tommy Lee Jones plays up the scruffy hero in Thaddeus Stevens. The veteran actor knows how to successfully turn a craggy grouch into an endearing angel. His scenes often feel like an introduction to his own spinoff sequel... through his timeworn eyes the dream of freedom seems the most important. Although director Steven Spielberg does a fine job moving along a film set within conference rooms and that big important Courthouse, he’s a bit too manipulative in the process: you’ll know exactly who to root for, who to throw tomatoes at, and who to cheer with once the historic outcome is revealed. Meanwhile, the liberal filmmaker, in lionizing a famous Republican, plays a delicate balancing act: the stuffy conservatives are as much a bulwark/hindrance as the stubborn democrats (while a barrage of “g-damns” flow like pellets at a shooting gallery). All in all, Lincoln himself seems more an Independent, painfully triangulating through an uphill climb: How he and his colleagues sway votes by creative manipulation is entertainingly fun.<br /> <br /> So with all the elaborate sets, beautiful costumes, rich cinematography, and talented character actors (including Hal Holbrook, James Spader, and Bruce McGill, who hilariously complains how Lincoln wins every argument), Daniel Day Lewis triumphs with his stories alone. For a colorful performer who can be too stagey in other projects, he portrays Lincoln so genuinely subtle and meaningfully soft-spoken, the audience has no choice but to hang onto every... single... word.

2012, daniel day lewis, steven spielberg, tommy lee jones

DANIEL DAY LEWIS IS LINCOLN

year: 2012 cast: Daniel Day Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, James Spader rating: *** While a more fitting title would be THE 13TH A...

QUENTIN TARANTINO DIRECTS DJANGO UNCHAINED

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEgp2cmIxG9cm5-haft342r_goJRfTanDpxsO8wrZO313lpMauAcwCsG-eqrKjyukUGM5gex0Azu6k5EtPDPuHRaLuTT2RWKJWKMpWEulkgfYh-fw8nwypRCATZr96SGJsbuJUjvn3to/s1600/unchained+django.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCEgp2cmIxG9cm5-haft342r_goJRfTanDpxsO8wrZO313lpMauAcwCsG-eqrKjyukUGM5gex0Azu6k5EtPDPuHRaLuTT2RWKJWKMpWEulkgfYh-fw8nwypRCATZr96SGJsbuJUjvn3to/s16000/unchained+django.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 2012 cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Johnson rating: **1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Modern exploitation guru Quentin Tarantino serves up historical revenge once again. His last film, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, had the German Nazis getting theirs, and now, with a good German on board (the villain from the last film) we’re out to set things right in the American Deep South, two years shy of the Civil War…<br /> <br /> Although the first half takes place on the road from Texas to Mississippi as bounty hunting dentist Dr. King Schultz recruits a slave named Django to help him find three outlaw brothers (Django alone knows their appearance)... These are the more spirited and deliciously cutthroat segments as our heroes partner up and, as Django puts it, “Kill white people for money.” <br /> <br /> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTft1Tx88yDRp_OK2C14q2oev5_kPgxZFJAUvBhPiyi1t7FsE4vqo181grrNiuAiCXKREUfazlxzYr8uqwkR__tfHJ5JAhkWoTcNMi2J2ltUU1YhfmXkmjSHNWbhXzdIv18fayVPOOmE/s1600/ddd1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTft1Tx88yDRp_OK2C14q2oev5_kPgxZFJAUvBhPiyi1t7FsE4vqo181grrNiuAiCXKREUfazlxzYr8uqwkR__tfHJ5JAhkWoTcNMi2J2ltUU1YhfmXkmjSHNWbhXzdIv18fayVPOOmE/s320/ddd1.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christoph Waltz</td></tr> </tbody></table> Christoph Waltz (Schultz) and Jamie Foxx (Django) are a good team, and while making mince meat out of their targets, the bloodshed is something to marvel. But Tarantino throws in awkward bouts of humor, derailing the intensity of the moment. One particular scene where a group of rednecks complain about not seeing through masked eyeholes (including a very distracting cameo by Jonah Hill) feels like Mel Brooks clumsily intruding Sergio Leone. <br /> <br /> After Django helps Schultz with his job, it’s time for the doctor to aid his more-than-capable partner rescue Django's wife Broomhilda, who resides at “Candyland,” an infamous Antebellum plantation run by the sinister though much too youthful Calvin Candie. <br /> <br /> While Leonardo DiCaprio has more than capable acting skills, and savors the gloriously tyrannical racist dialog, there could have/should have been a backstory on why the owner of a plantation looks fresh out of finishing school. For a man who’s supposed to have a lifetime of seething venom oozing from his veins, those desperately piercing blue eyes seem more confused and frustrated than cold and calculating, making Tarantino’s purposely overboard racism more of a crutch than weapon for the DiCaprio character (perhaps Don Johnson, who played a wily brothel owner in a previous scene, could have taken this role… he had the age going for him and with that, soulless eyes that look like he’s seen – and been through – pretty much everything).<br /> <br /> But Leo’s not alone. He’s helped along by the most wicked of Uncle Tom’s played by Samuel Jackson, whose spitefully cantankerous Stephen figures things out before his boss. This is a nice role for the QT stock actor, who has sleepwalked through many roles post PULP FICTION and JACKIE BROWN. Although his feeble mannerisms often slow down the performance, and at times he seems to be performing. <br /> <br /> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJekmyVBtl3Hf5LV5-j2toEneWVeMxGfOV2Jgmj4B14pZ982j0jwDfq1iNfe4-ev78F3dSrJdwGi-yTvMaZsL1LArGHNCMomVcPnR9F1d3HTTtPeJRmldB-Ni9YziCpvqbgg_On65B6E/s1600/1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJekmyVBtl3Hf5LV5-j2toEneWVeMxGfOV2Jgmj4B14pZ982j0jwDfq1iNfe4-ev78F3dSrJdwGi-yTvMaZsL1LArGHNCMomVcPnR9F1d3HTTtPeJRmldB-Ni9YziCpvqbgg_On65B6E/s320/1.jpg" width="174" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jamie Foxx</td></tr> </tbody></table> The main problem with UNCHAINED is how long Tarantino stretches scenes with dialog. While the actors, especially Waltz and DiCaprio, have a blast with colorful monologues, you’ll often forget there are other characters on board – and most of the speeches fail to serve the plot: the duo pretending to buy Mandingo slave fighters when they really want to free Django's girl, a slave. And unlike the movies QT grew up on, especially the Leone Westerns, there's never a genuine feeling of being outdoors. Even the exterior shots, especially the opening chain gang sequence, feels contrived and constrained.<br /> <br /> With all the deals and discussions going on, the much-anticipated reunion of Django and Broomhilda is lost in the mix. Not even Django’s surreptitious trigger finger (whenever she's treated badly) adds worthy suspense, which, during this overlong stint at Candyland, is very much needed. But there’s not all downtime at the mansion: a particular Candie lecture involving a slave’s skull does successfully perk things up, providing DiCaprio a good five minutes of sheer unapologetic villainy. Then, after a shocking twist, it’s Django alone who must save his girl.<br /> <br /> Jamie Foxx, having played a quietly brooding second fiddle to Waltz so far, makes up for lost time with heated gusto. This third and final act involving a group of Australians being duped by Django, who’s learned the art of waxing poetic, is replete with the bare-knuckle action we’ve anticipated (although large chunks of bloody guts flying off each gunshot victim seems like Tarantino doing an overboard imitation of himself). There are some decent montage sequences, but some of the music, especially that of the rap nature, seems too modern for the time portrayed. And the editing feels somewhat limp without QT’s longtime collaborator Sally Menke, who died a few years back: Particular flashbacks and hallucinations are often confusing and awkward.  <br /> <br />An okay ride, much better than Quentin’s last two films (BASTERDS and DEATH PROOF), yet there needed a much tighter/sharper vehicle for our hero to truly deserve the fanfare of the literally explosive finale. Instead of being the title character he mostly seems a sidekick. <br />

2012, blaxploitation, christoph waltz, dennis christopher, exploitation, james remar, jamie foxx, leonardo dicaprio, quentin tarantino, samuel l. jackson

QUENTIN TARANTINO DIRECTS DJANGO UNCHAINED

year: 2012 cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Johnson rating: **1/2 Modern exploitation guru Quentin Tarantino se...

ARGO

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ymcl2VtfpQMUk8HSoBXCXCTYmf6NnJBWeOZT9spZA51t1Jm8amImwSS9Mwbsy-ytMpZwXjzgzTzaeplFW5dIBPsMvhWn6zJk4MDBed1RebwhZoMs4jRv-NzIDO5NnTPsxHQVc-E1WRku/s1600/d05cd8f0a5ef8e835cbc657591f87c7f-sc.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ymcl2VtfpQMUk8HSoBXCXCTYmf6NnJBWeOZT9spZA51t1Jm8amImwSS9Mwbsy-ytMpZwXjzgzTzaeplFW5dIBPsMvhWn6zJk4MDBed1RebwhZoMs4jRv-NzIDO5NnTPsxHQVc-E1WRku/w640-h399/d05cd8f0a5ef8e835cbc657591f87c7f-sc.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 cast: Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston rating: **</td></tr> </tbody></table> ARGO, directed by and starring Ben Affleck, receiving rave reviews all across the board, has the makings of a great story – not only because it’s a true one: Declassified by the CIA since the nineties, dealing with the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis, it's not the Embassy hostages we’re centering on. There were six people who stealthily escaped the takeover, hiding in the Canadian ambassador's house. The CIA is at a loss – they have only one idea concerning bicycles and it’s not very bright.<br /> <br /> Enter Affleck’s Tony Mendez: we first see him waking up with an empty beer can on his dresser, so he’s got the makings of the typical maverick hero. While watching BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES on TV, Tony has an idea – become a producer of a bogus science fiction movie and, scouting a location in Iran, get the Americans out.<br /> <br /> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCWLOBEO5thyoEC6i0uz8OSFCtjhos3w1IZwJSG96ut1Qpf7JGrBgVe2CAtxSM9ZbWMy_yNhJZVYSKg_Ca73pWsvCR5nlsueCMHvb4qXQPoDIiQkn7x-nOg4Gu0gugIOHptJnjUOHjEBA/s1600/battleplanetapeslc.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCWLOBEO5thyoEC6i0uz8OSFCtjhos3w1IZwJSG96ut1Qpf7JGrBgVe2CAtxSM9ZbWMy_yNhJZVYSKg_Ca73pWsvCR5nlsueCMHvb4qXQPoDIiQkn7x-nOg4Gu0gugIOHptJnjUOHjEBA/s320/battleplanetapeslc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Last Apes film sparked the fake movie idea</td></tr> </tbody></table> A fantastic premise and an opportunity to blend classic cult films with a modern thriller… And with John Goodman (as a makeup artist) and Alan Arkin (as a wry producer) on board the Hollywood end, ARGO just can’t miss… but it does. The six people that need saving have zero personality, making it hard to feel for their plight.<br /> <br /> Although we see clips of hangings and executions in Iran, there's hardly a vibe of impending danger or threat. While the clever aspects, mixing a fake press conference for the sci-fi flick with Iranians making real demands, are edited nicely, the movie-making scheme, which had so much potential, feels rushed. And Affleck himself lacks the edge of a central character, much less a heroic one.<br /> <br /> The best part is the last half hour as the seven (including Mendez), using fake passports as a Canadian production crew, move through an Iranian airport for the departing plane. Despite every “last minute” cliché thrown in the pot, as least there's SOME urgency. But with a lack of interesting or involving characters leading to the escape, ARGO falls short of the immense hype.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>

2012, alan arkin, ben affleck, biopic, john goodman, tate donovan, thriller

ARGO

year: 2012 cast: Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston rating: ** ARGO, directed by and starring Ben Affleck, receiving ...

QUARTET

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLoWhSrbbH1teIURYLA3kukIduhuBy81MveAamCvRzcPwfHGogfTe7SDb43RlRJMg2oFU455QQB1TYrrDxMQLFEpwDYC2gDMgndQeZxLgFt6cE0dHd5J8ZLyZNVgQ1qIS6LLTbOQ-Dhc/s1600/QUARTET-MAGGIE-SMITH_zpsf3dbe756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLoWhSrbbH1teIURYLA3kukIduhuBy81MveAamCvRzcPwfHGogfTe7SDb43RlRJMg2oFU455QQB1TYrrDxMQLFEpwDYC2gDMgndQeZxLgFt6cE0dHd5J8ZLyZNVgQ1qIS6LLTbOQ-Dhc/s640/QUARTET-MAGGIE-SMITH_zpsf3dbe756.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2013 cast: Maggie Smith, Billy Connelly, Tom Courtenay rating: *1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> This is a very polarizing film. Not altogether in a negative sense but if you’re not heavily into classical music or opera it might be hard to relate to these characters, a group of elderly people in a retirement home for retired musicians.<br /> <br /> Throughout a very crowded house of crooning and/or instrument playing old timers, the first fifteen minutes consists of Billy Connelly’s sexually motivated character, Wilf Bond, flirting with every female, spouting the best dialog because everyone else has little to nothing to say. That includes Tom Courtenay's Reginald Paget, who only really comes to life after his ex wife Jean Horton, a former opera star played by Maggie Smith, becomes a resident. <br /> <br /> Part of the film's description is very misleading: “...The annual concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday is disrupted by the arrival of Jean, an eternal diva.” For one thing, Jean is hardly a diva. That would have been humorously edgy and interesting. She’s actually quite mellow and introverted. Her only fault is stalking Paget on the grounds, but only because he wants nothing to do with her, yet they eventually connect and talk about the past.<br /> <br /> It’s difficult to relate to who they were since we never get to know them in the present. And eventually the plot’s underway: one of the residents wants the quartet, including the three characters mentioned and Pauline Collins as the ever-optimistic Cissy, to reunite. Horton (Smith) angrily balks until it’s decided to proceed, after which the show goes on with somewhat predictable results. <br /> <br /> First time director Dustin Hoffman does effectively wield creative shots in the gorgeous English exterior, but on the inside there’s little story to make the characters as worthwhile as they music they dedicated their lives to.

2012, billy connelly, drama, dustin hoffman, maggie smith, music, tom courtenay

QUARTET

year: 2013 cast: Maggie Smith, Billy Connelly, Tom Courtenay rating: *1/2 This is a very polarizing film. Not altogether in a negative s...

MEL GIBSON IN GET THE GRINGO

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5po3SuTHtwgcKiBPq9koPxgNDAwU9Eo6SX0a-OAtT876Tz8meeIVCGI_ZOz-KWX79RrDP06-5_vyuM3f3rXJyFoNIvz-6r4inxjY4YhzaLUbtzq7St8y-tH26GN5SnaIMzXeCL-O-mk/s1600/get+the+gringo+mel+gibson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5po3SuTHtwgcKiBPq9koPxgNDAwU9Eo6SX0a-OAtT876Tz8meeIVCGI_ZOz-KWX79RrDP06-5_vyuM3f3rXJyFoNIvz-6r4inxjY4YhzaLUbtzq7St8y-tH26GN5SnaIMzXeCL-O-mk/s640/get+the+gringo+mel+gibson.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 cast: Mel Gibson, Kevin Hernandez, Bob Gunton rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> Mel Gibson, remember him? That really good actor most of Hollywood despises... So without using the corny adage “He’s back!” let’s just say there’s half a great ride here for the man to shine once again. <br /> <br /> The famous line from STAR WARS describing that seedy port harboring “scum and villainy" has got nothing on a unique Mexican prison Mel’s character, named Driver, is sent after robbing two million bucks and getting caught (after an introductory car chase) across the border: twenty some odd yards on the Mexican side.  <br /> <br /> At first he's sent to the type of sardine can jail with men all cramped together. With an abundance of intentionally nerve wracking mariachi music, and Driver’s glib narration, there lacks any real suspense or impending threat behind those dilapidated walls. And yet this ten minute “bridge” also lets the audience know that Driver’s gonna do alright no matter what hell he’s sent to.  <br /> <br /> From this typical jail the cons are dispersed into a prison that’s like nothing you’ve ever seen on film. More of a grungy/seedy outdoor mall, the place has just about everything: ranging from ratty taco stands to tattoo parlors to men (and women) shooting heroin in the street. Driver takes to this purgatory with several tricks up his sleeve: the best moments involve him stealing money to pay for cigarettes by any means possible.   <br /> <br /> Then he meets a ten-year-old kid named Kid, whose mother and father were sent to the prison years before. Through this character we learn a lot of exposition that carries through the rest of the movie. Without giving too much away, Kid has a blood type and liver that fits the prison's head honcho (also an inmate), living the good life in his own plush quarters – added to that, the cash Driver stole (that he was initially arrested for) is being sought after by a bevy of mobsters on the outside. Sound confusing? <br /> <br /> After the prison story runs out of steam, the movie gets too complicated for its own good. Especially when Driver is given limited freedom to kill a crooked mobster...<br /> <br /> There are so many powerful people mentioned we hardly even see, the third act of the film (while providing explosive gun fights and Peckinpah inspired slow mo) lacks the claustrophobic, cunning edge of that original prison movie, exceeding the far fetched action film it unfortunately morphs into. <br /> <br /> Yet, despite the flaws, Driver is a worthy character that could probably work again – if not on film then a graphic novel or even an R-rated video game. Just make sure it's Mel Gibson's image: Even though he’s noticeably aged and gained a few pounds, there remains a world-weary expression like he’s seen just about everything.

2012, action, mel gibson, prison

MEL GIBSON IN GET THE GRINGO

year: 2012 cast: Mel Gibson, Kevin Hernandez, Bob Gunton rating: *** Mel Gibson, remember him? That really good actor most of Hollywood ...

THE IMPOSSIBLE

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5O2Gm2FSBr-31jl5z9EpHd3QG1eklP5ozgfX3fjD2deA8IjIhTTTgG9vHyB9hg4QOrUZLcSv0hxINfxzHhavaBa6z0H6lOCRP0Itm6qpC3XFTR8dzeIXbCpEWy6QtIxi7_kNUEDVuSY/s1600/the+impossible+james+m.+tate+reviews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5O2Gm2FSBr-31jl5z9EpHd3QG1eklP5ozgfX3fjD2deA8IjIhTTTgG9vHyB9hg4QOrUZLcSv0hxINfxzHhavaBa6z0H6lOCRP0Itm6qpC3XFTR8dzeIXbCpEWy6QtIxi7_kNUEDVuSY/s640/the+impossible+james+m.+tate+reviews.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year:</b> 2012<b> cast: </b>Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Tom Holland<b> rating: </b>***</td></tr> </tbody></table> THE IMPOSSIBLE is not entirely a disaster film but one more centered on persistence and courage during the aftermath of a horrible real life tragedy. <br /> <br /> We begin with an American family on an airplane during a sort of <i>busman’s holiday</i> to Thailand. The patriarch, Ewan McGregor’s Henry, has business pending in Japan and is allowed this break along with his wife and three kids, your typical family not without problems. <br /> <br /> The oldest son Lucas, played by the talented newcomer Tom Holland, isn’t very sympathetic of his little brothers, who aren’t entirely comfortable flying. Some subtly tense moments have the plane undergoing turbulence as Director Juan Antonio Bayona plays with the character’s built-up stress and fear for the unknown. That is, we know what's coming but they don't.   <br /> <br /> When the family checks into a fancy hotel and settles poolside, the nature surrounding the hotel is poised and just too quiet, eerie. Cut to the chase: when the Tsunami arrives, thundering from the ocean like a roaring beast, the special effects are pretty amazing but the characters don't get lost in the mix.  <br /> <br /> Naomi Watt’s Maria and Lucas are swept up and taken for a very jolting ride throughout the ravaged, water-filled countryside. The first act deals with surviving the thrust of the water and most important, remaining together throughout the harrowing, bone-crushing journey. <br /> <br /> When both mother and son wind up at a makeshift emergency hospital, and Maria is severely injured and must be operated on, the action centers entirely on Lucas frantically roaming the grounds, passing messages back and forth to other families. This becomes his story – kind of an EMPIRE OF THE SUN about a young man forced to think on his feet and grow up quickly.<br /> <br /> When we cut to Henry (McGregor), waking up within the ruins of the hotel and reunited with the two youngest sons, the movie becomes more of a searing art film than a struggle for survival. Not only is this segment not as interesting, it lacks the desperation of Lucas’s plight, which is returned to sporadically.<br /> <br /> Although Ewan McGregor’s intensity to rediscover his loved ones, and Naomi Watt’s fight to survive her very severe injuries, are impressively acted and important to the overall story of a family reuniting, this is really the story of a young man caught in-between a tragic catastrophe and the determination to beat the <i>impossible</i> odds.

2012, disaster, ewan mcgregor, naomi watts, tom holland

THE IMPOSSIBLE

year: 2012 cast: Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Tom Holland rating: *** THE IMPOSSIBLE is not entirely a disaster film but one more cent...

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1tt8TY7WxH7BK2-P63Q8tWuBUQk5wIy6ccvOoLkh-U4gkruHGB_EO8Mbg5ANBwi-uTNQzKb4vTuKjsvZxzM9k3XE00bYHGqNdqNN0YJVQotBDsGm_SYGewSlvaoB1EkiHThubwUx4u3d/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1tt8TY7WxH7BK2-P63Q8tWuBUQk5wIy6ccvOoLkh-U4gkruHGB_EO8Mbg5ANBwi-uTNQzKb4vTuKjsvZxzM9k3XE00bYHGqNdqNN0YJVQotBDsGm_SYGewSlvaoB1EkiHThubwUx4u3d/s640/Picture+1.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, Chris Tucker rating: ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> When it comes to relationships, there’s a lid for every pot, so they say. Even if you’ve flipped your lid… And it’s not like Bradley Cooper’s bi-polar Pat didn’t have reason. He caught his wife cheating in the shower, got kinda violent, and winded up at a mental hospital... Which is where our story begins… right as he’s checking out…<br /> <br /> And it’s any wonder they let Pat go free at all – a particular song makes him bonkers while a classic novel's unhappy ending sends him on a frantic tizzy. But his parents have taken him back into their home, and not without hesitation. <br /> <br /> Yet Pat’s father, played by veteran icon Robert De Niro, isn’t exactly normal. With a hardwired penchant for Eagles football, a manner of keeping everything in place around him, and a bias for his "normal" oldest son, he’s anything but a cure for Pat, whose only solace is his mundane best buddy, married to an uptight yuppie with a cute little sister... And that’s where the real story begins…<br /> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjep5ev6nVxVAOKYrQrhHxz525zH_vkEO2TIU1yV3SMnypXmoo_I90xPjwTGZPQilNO_-zhNg-Jxc4ncMStjnT-6XH494GPo35f9f660RTvRQAbqYiOBjdYfU0ozjOAosZT1uTMNqW3uo1e/s1600/s2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjep5ev6nVxVAOKYrQrhHxz525zH_vkEO2TIU1yV3SMnypXmoo_I90xPjwTGZPQilNO_-zhNg-Jxc4ncMStjnT-6XH494GPo35f9f660RTvRQAbqYiOBjdYfU0ozjOAosZT1uTMNqW3uo1e/s640/s2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer Lawrence facing Bradley Cooper</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> Jennifer Lawrence’s Tiffany might be crazier… or rather… more blunt than anyone else on board. With a sordid past – having slept with a laundry list of people – there’s no subject she won’t shed light on. And her pet project becomes Pat, who still thinks he has a chance reconciling with his wife despite a serious restraining order. <br /> <br /> The best scenes have Pat and Tiffany hanging out, jogging around or wandering the suburbs, outdoing each other with combative honesty and getting closer and closer despite their neurosis, providing Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence worthy performances: each seeming too real for the world and each other. Meanwhile, sporadic handheld camera provides an edgy documentary vibe, and more stagnant scenes remind us of the romantic comedy baseline. <br /> <br /> But the real catch, and what drives the character-driven story, is Veronica’s promise to bring Pat and his wife (friends with her sister) back together – the stakes are raised as that silver lining now has a price. He has to learn to dance for a big competition that, occurring on the same night of an important football game, gives this unique tale a worthy climax for conventional audiences.<br /> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8SVFKTLSsZ_ncTAgjJTx9K3HHRgO84QclRSr2FkeVc5TUbIEo17GIXQuy3FuVTQkrKfx8H0ZtwAlwmBSgteWTBh-2a968_Ky9zLhOSNZKSyOXCg6kj5vpTynsY9OKmRDADomeKBzP1-HT/s1600/title03_013021331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8SVFKTLSsZ_ncTAgjJTx9K3HHRgO84QclRSr2FkeVc5TUbIEo17GIXQuy3FuVTQkrKfx8H0ZtwAlwmBSgteWTBh-2a968_Ky9zLhOSNZKSyOXCg6kj5vpTynsY9OKmRDADomeKBzP1-HT/s640/title03_013021331.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer Lawrence in an Oscar winning role</td></tr> </tbody></table> Sure it can be simplistic at times. The two leads find solutions much too easily... specially since Pat has a beautiful young dream-girl/life coach that any guy would die for, making him difficult "underdog" to relate with. While some of the characters, like Pat’s brother and his outpatient friend, aren’t entirely fleshed out and border on cliché...<br /> <br /> But with an ultimately heartfelt performance by De Niro, and a platform for Cooper and Lawrence to shine without limits, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is a dose of effective medicine. <br /> <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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31Wjvs1i0RlwXqeU679pewdjmTgTfIQbGezUd07I2xua-VfkjR4H9_1bSXqtNGiwi_LPK4v08HT0s70ZsbxBqX-olk1iN7GDNBanw3FnsWRa5r-hdGZoxN1MaDMJI2j919AFHyk8IfXzo/s1600/s3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31Wjvs1i0RlwXqeU679pewdjmTgTfIQbGezUd07I2xua-VfkjR4H9_1bSXqtNGiwi_LPK4v08HT0s70ZsbxBqX-olk1iN7GDNBanw3FnsWRa5r-hdGZoxN1MaDMJI2j919AFHyk8IfXzo/s640/s3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Yes, I am talkin' to you."</td></tr> </tbody></table> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=jamtaci-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B005DD7H50&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=jamtaci-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002RVCCUQ&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=jamtaci-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00A81MV3U&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>

2012, bradley cooper, jennifer lawrence, robert deniro

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

year: 2012 cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, Chris Tucker rating: ***1/2 When it comes to relationships, there’s a...

BILL MURRAY IN HYDE PARK ON HUDSON

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4hJKCn6v-unH9aaiMa5vtm6hSRXNjyPvxS6nvDbedy9haKj_kP1lR7uxg73JwssSilxVUvvFiwsETMPJd4Px3tkubupZIrW2ZgcksEKgakp-yRcxzAHOJFqtQZ708DTQ3BnlAqRo-as/s1600/Hyde-Park-on-Hudson-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4hJKCn6v-unH9aaiMa5vtm6hSRXNjyPvxS6nvDbedy9haKj_kP1lR7uxg73JwssSilxVUvvFiwsETMPJd4Px3tkubupZIrW2ZgcksEKgakp-yRcxzAHOJFqtQZ708DTQ3BnlAqRo-as/s640/Hyde-Park-on-Hudson-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 cast: Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Samuel Wes, Elizabeth Marvel rating: *</td></tr> </tbody></table> In this so-called “biopic” about one of America's most important Presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and his affair with his cousin Daisy, Bill Murray does a nice job as the down to earth FDR, a man who, despite a suffering country looking to him for answers during the Depression, enjoys collecting stamps and… women. <br /> <br /> There’s one worthy scene as FDR meets the stuttering King of England. Although Roosevelt can’t use his legs he moves across the room, table to table, with use of his arms to prove a point: the people you lead aren’t hindered by your shortcomings. Other than that, the visit of the King and Queen centers on the couple holed up in their room, stressing out that FDR plans on serving hotdogs during an upcoming picnic. The romance between FDR and Daisy, which is how the film is promoted and described, is but a periphrial distraction. Their relationship during the first fifteen minutes consists of driving down flowery roads in the location of Hyde Park, New York.<br /> <br /> Laura Linney is an otherwise good actress but her doe-eyed performance lacks compassion and overall purpose. Her fascination with the President is never quite clear. Meanwhile, the director seems more interested in fancy shots and lovely location than telling a coherent story, historical or otherwise... The characters all seem part of a bland stage play – and there isn't a plot in sight for miles, in any direction. Bill Murray, on the other hand, does accomplish the feat of vanishing into the role. Too bad there’s nothing backing him up along the way.

2012, bill murray, biopic, laura linney

BILL MURRAY IN HYDE PARK ON HUDSON

year: 2012 cast: Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Samuel Wes, Elizabeth Marvel rating: * In this so-called “biopic” about one of America's...

HITCHCOCK

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0pVB4UHm9cLaNyKr0hRfuwv2OdrZcFzZDp4VSR-S3AHNomNwMfycN7D6VYBZw6QgZaGESaBuHSm_29Eog50nRL7Q9kC_1E7oGphL0HW8Hup0oyEny5aLUXIUWcAZwrfygJPIBTTC0_8/s1600/hitchcock+movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0pVB4UHm9cLaNyKr0hRfuwv2OdrZcFzZDp4VSR-S3AHNomNwMfycN7D6VYBZw6QgZaGESaBuHSm_29Eog50nRL7Q9kC_1E7oGphL0HW8Hup0oyEny5aLUXIUWcAZwrfygJPIBTTC0_8/s640/hitchcock+movie.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year:</b> 2012 <b>cast:</b> Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren <b>rating:</b> ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> Although it's about a sixty year old Alfred Hitchcock who, after the release of NORTH BY NORTHWEST, was an established, revered veteran film director, this is really a story of humble beginnings... Having done everything of the suspense genre, he decides to take on something entirely new: a project that could have been a schlocky b-picture with a less capable auteur. <br /> <br /> The best aspects have Hitchcock fighting to get PSYCHO made – and then fighting to make it good. Problems arise sporadically but are handled quickly: the opening love scene between leading lady Janet Leigh and "wooden" John Gavin didn’t have the essential sparks, and a risque shower sequence might not pass rating board muster. <br /> <br /> While we learn about the making of the classic film, most of the time is spent on Hitchcock pining away for his wife Alma, played with assertive confidence by Helen Mirren. Possibly having an affair with a mediocre screenwriter, her daily absence drives Alfred to put more darkness into the risky venture he financed himself. One scene where he takes over for Anthony Perkins's stunt double during the knife-slashing shower scene – to get a better performance from Leigh – is intense yet borders on ridiculous. <br /> <br /> Certain aspects of this "biopic" seem bent on stretching or playing with the truth, especially scenes with Hitchcock all alone. And then there are dreamlike sequences where he converses with serial killer/mama’s boy Ed Gein, the inspiration of Norman Bates. These teach us little about Hitchcock’s fascination with the serial killer but attempt to delve into his own psychosis: hinted at without being fully materialized. <br /> <br /> Bordering on a <i>behind the scenes biopic</i> and stylistic soap opera, Anthony Hopkins makes everything work ala subtle prosthetic makeup and a down-to-earth charm, giving the familiar icon his own person... without seeming like an imitation. 

2012, alfred hitchcock, anthony hopkins, biopic, helen mirren, scarlett johansson

HITCHCOCK

year: 2012 cast: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren rating: *** Although it's about a sixty year old Alfred Hitchcock who, after the r...

TOM CRUISE AS JACK REACHER

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngojoMbP3RwRHMWTkFd90XpH-J6kRM6DVexumIVX29N6qxzrivcbvGzT5x08m4nrSB8m-F5RshYifs585tDCda4GSym9xb18zwgM-QTUDzPg-cZNE_jV_7k3EF3bo_fqC0tudsVz3Gv8/s1600/Jack_reacher20-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngojoMbP3RwRHMWTkFd90XpH-J6kRM6DVexumIVX29N6qxzrivcbvGzT5x08m4nrSB8m-F5RshYifs585tDCda4GSym9xb18zwgM-QTUDzPg-cZNE_jV_7k3EF3bo_fqC0tudsVz3Gv8/s640/Jack_reacher20-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 cast: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall rating: ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> There were (and still are) a lot of people against the casting of Tom Cruise as the title character, JACK REACHER, a former Army MP who fought in Iraq and keeps busy remaining mysterious in the USA... Mostly fans of the Lee Child novel ONE SHOT, and there’s a logical reason: the literary character stands six feet five and weights around 250 pounds. For the famously short movie star, this is quite a <i>reach</i>. But Tom does a good job and occasionally stretches beyond his own signature style: We begin with a cold-blooded sniper taking out five random people. One troubled young man is the obvious culprit, so guilty there’s no reason to investigate any further. Turns out to be a trained Army sniper/war vet, guilty of murders shoved under the carpet, unknown to almost everyone… Enter Jack Reacher, the one person the culprit had requested. He emerges from the shadows into the bright daylight offices of Helen, played by Rosamund Pike, a sexy, assertive defense lawyer – daughter of the District Attorney – whose only job is to keep the shooter from being sentenced to death. She hires a reluctant Jack to investigate and the real story begins.  <br /> <br /> As things are figured out in a page-turning fashion, the action scenes keep the film’s steady pace. From Jack fighting a group of hopped-up roughnecks outside a bar to several high-octane car chases, there’s enough here to keep even the most impatient action fan’s interest. You won’t have guess much since Jack’s constantly sharing his theories with Helen. Their chemistry is fitfully heated, and despite the fact both are too attractive for their occupations, they make a worthy team-up: an obvious attraction kept in check from the ominous situation at hand. So not to spoil the constantly evolving plotline, not much else should be mentioned except that the initial sniper attack becomes more and more clear. Other antagonists include a one-eyed Russian ex-Siberian prisoner who’s mere presence brings the movie to a corny level.<br /> <br /> Despite some of the more outlandish elements, it's the combination of gathering clues and escaping death that keeps Reacher busy, providing Cruise the kind of physically challenging role he’s relished for thirty years. And on the peripheral, the mystery of identifying a possible double-agent makes up for the pulpy stuff: which is still, thanks to Tom Cruise and his penchant for human superhero types, very entertaining. While the climax shootout/showdown is filmed with the same meticulous precision that remains constant throughout this cerebral thriller with a character worth rooting for: trained to take on problems as they’re thrown at him. And other cast members include veteran icon Robert Duvall as a gun store owner helping Jack in the 11th hour; David Oyelowo as a shadowy cop; Richard Jenkins as Helen's D.A. father; Jai Courtney as an icy assassin; and Alexia Fast (pictured above) as Sandy, a gorgeous young pawn caught in-between.

2012, action, alexia fast, richard jenkins, robert duvall, rosamund pike, thriller, tom cruise

TOM CRUISE AS JACK REACHER

year: 2012 cast: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall rating: ***1/2 There were (and still are) a lot of people against the casting ...

THE GUILT TRIP

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9ROFowRwTswlLtgnVU2fKYD2va6tBd-rQvjnhBbnFyz1kN3iDpZ0ndw4U02xb0smS_fZEAJn1atsl6S59d6eqGg6vM9g-jpEMpUuzTeiQb7OrlSos_m6bZHmG-9gp6b1TRx5kg_zpZE/s1600/movie-43-liev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9ROFowRwTswlLtgnVU2fKYD2va6tBd-rQvjnhBbnFyz1kN3iDpZ0ndw4U02xb0smS_fZEAJn1atsl6S59d6eqGg6vM9g-jpEMpUuzTeiQb7OrlSos_m6bZHmG-9gp6b1TRx5kg_zpZE/s640/movie-43-liev.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 cast: Barbra Streisand, Seth Rogen rating: ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> Following the path of TRAINS, PLANES, AND AUTOMOBILES and its recent imitation DUE DATE, one would expect, with the pairing of a put-upon son and his dotting mother, that THE GUILT TRIP would attempt a joke-a-minute style adventure with tons of arguing, misunderstandings, and highway hijinx (i.e. what the trailers implied). Surprisingly enough, this is a very laidback road movie about a wannabe inventor named Andy Brewster embarking on a cross-country trip with his semi neurotic mom, Joyce – Barbra Streisand’s return to the silver screen <i>in a starring role</i> after many years: It takes a good twenty minutes before hitting the road, learning about our mother/son duo, both idly hanging around mom's East Coast house. Single guy Andy is trying to sell his environmentally safe cleaning fluid, while Joyce only wants him to find true love. After she shares about the original love of <i>her</i> life – a guy she’d met before his father (who died when he was eight), Andy surreptitiously locates the man’s location in San Francisco and plans the trip so mom can reconnect with her former flame (something she’s unaware of).<br /> <br /> This alone keeps the viewer intrigued through a string of off-road situations: the car breaking down outside a strip bar and a Las Vegas visit sound more promising than they turn out to be. One scene in Texas has Joyce eating a four-pound steak for a prize, and there's an assortment of eclectic characters along the way. Yet the most entertaining scenes involve Andy’s failed attempts to sell his product to perplexed businessmen in various stuffy stopovers.    <br /> <br /> Both Rogen and Streisand have a breezy chemistry and really seem to know each other – maybe too well. The moments where both are stuck in the very small car, headed across America, whiz along in montage sequences, never allowing the audience to feel as claustrophobic and/or frustrated as Rogen, who’s a bit too whiny and negative while Babs isn’t annoying enough to cause any real sparks (or anti-magnetism) between them. And yet, by the end of this mellow trip you’ll feel that at least the characters benefited from the journey: they’re both genuinely likable for that alone to count for something.

2012, barbra streisand, road movie, seth rogen

THE GUILT TRIP

year: 2012 cast: Barbra Streisand, Seth Rogen rating: ***1/2 Following the path of TRAINS, PLANES, AND AUTOMOBILES and its recent imitat...

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdtL4ovGEsgnOVRFCSE6cb66vTkISvMNDdQhi2cZsAAGIys33OURx4Etuej1MIFSPGSQ7cp9J3sW9dHWhXgP8Y_AP78mW1bsq946YEeqRnPeltWNmIot5bPoGvKNym9V99LmHNDqyAOY/s1600/Parental-Guidance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdtL4ovGEsgnOVRFCSE6cb66vTkISvMNDdQhi2cZsAAGIys33OURx4Etuej1MIFSPGSQ7cp9J3sW9dHWhXgP8Y_AP78mW1bsq946YEeqRnPeltWNmIot5bPoGvKNym9V99LmHNDqyAOY/s640/Parental-Guidance.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year:</b> 2012 <b>cast:</b> Billy Crystal, Bette Midler <b>rating:</b> ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> Remember in CITY SLICKERS when Billy Crystal's character turned 39 and his parents call to leave an early morning birthday greeting… and they couldn’t be more out of touch? <br /> <br /> Well the tables have turned, and how those tables have changed… <br /> <br /> Billy Crystal is now a grandpa. He and wife Bette Midler have three grandkids from daughter Marisa Tomei, who raises her brood in an extra cautious, politically correct environment, revved up a few notches since her husband has designed a<i> state of the art</i> house protected by a virtual nanny, something straight out of THE JETSONS. Yet all this “high falutin” stuff serves only one purpose: to show how a sixty-something like Crystal, as Artie Decker, and Midler, as Diane, are completely lost in the new age. <br /> <br /> Some examples are: the oldest son plays on a baseball team where there are no outs and no winners. For Artie, a baseball sportscaster that just lost his job, this makes no sense. Other situations include the twelve-year-old daughter being forced to play violin without having a social life… But the biggest obstacle is the youngest son, who makes that china shop bull seem like a graceful swan.      <br /> <br /> The best scenes have Artie and Diane, finally free of being scrutinized by daughter Alice, taking on this new generation with old school practicality and bluntness. A surprisingly subdued Midler is more of a sidekick here, taking backseat to Crystal – this is really his vehicle. <br /> <br /> With a good heart, Artie does all the wrong things: from providing his grandkids a birthday cake (they’re progressive health nuts); taking the youngest to a skateboard park; and a crazy night at a classical music concert. With something disastrous around every corner, Crystal successfully wields his signature put-upon countenance on a noticeably aged face. <br /> <br /> Despite too much talky downtime towards the conclusion – each character discussing their lessons learned as if the audience wasn’t aware – this is a lightweight comedy that really hits the spot. <br /> <br /> Oh and there’s a pretty blatant message intact: the older it is, the better!

2012, bette midler, billy crystal, marisa tomei

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

year: 2012 cast: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler rating: ***1/2 Remember in CITY SLICKERS when Billy Crystal's character turned 39 an...