Category: Movie Reviews

The Rite

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue and Alice Braga
Directed by Mikael Hafstrom (1408)
Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material, violence, frightening images, and language including sexual references
Appropriate for ages 15+

    When a young priest (O’Donoghue) considers dropping from the priesthood, he is sent first to Rome to study exorcism in the hope of strengthening his belief.  When the professor senses his reluctance to believe in God or the devil, he sends him to work with an old priest and exorcism specialist (Hopkins).

    I’m not sure why exorcism films are still being green-lit, because after all, there have been a slew of them in the last couple of years and they’ve all bombed.  This film attempts to get more to the heart of The Exorcist, which is convincing a young priest that while he may not believe in the devil, the devil sure believes in him, but due to many misturns, fails to ever scare or deliver the goods.

    This film has a lot of potential.  After all, it’s hard to find a better thespian than Hopkins and the rest of the cast isn’t bad either.  Also, placing the film in Rome gives it some street cred.  There are even some nice creepy moments placed here and there.  But then the movie attempts to fool the viewer into thinking like the young priest and the confusion doesn’t help the movie in the least.  Also, the addition of the female journalist, played by Alice Braga, not only interferes with the plot, but distracts what could have been a very frightening moment.

    I think that in their goal of getting a PG-13 and hopefully widening their audience, they forgot that this genre has to be rated R to be truly effective.  The devil is not PG-13.  In fact, he would push the limits on an R rating.  This toning down of the violence, language, and scares only waters down the film to the point where it is just merely interesting and not goose pimple-inducing. 

The Company Men

Starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper and Kevin Costner
Directed by John Wells
Rated R for language and brief nudity
Appropriate for ages 17+

    On the surface, The Company Men revolves around the lives of three men (Affleck, Jones and Cooper) that are part of a corporate downsizing and the effect it has on their lives, their families and their communities.  On a deeper level, the film focuses on the death of the American Dream and the impact it has on Americans.

    George Clooney’s film Up in the Air touched on these issues, but followed the folks doing the layoffs rather than the people whose lives were so deeply affected.  Just like the climate in today’s job market, the film is pretty devastating.  It’s a reality check that will crush many of its viewers.  After all, the film leaves three options for those who lose their cushy corporate jobs: retire, take a lower-paying job, or commit suicide.  Is this overly dramatic?  Sure.  But it’s not off base completely.  With the middle class growing weaker and the upper class growing stronger, the discrepancy of incomes is liable to cause our economic strains to become more pronounced rather than diminished.  The thought of spending less and saving more is just that – a thought.  That might work if incomes were increasing with inflation, but as health care premiums climb through the roof and the price of goods and services grow to simply put more money in the pockets of the wealthy, we are likely to see these scenarios played out again and again, and even worsen in the near future.  So as far as story goes, it’s not a fun one to watch, but it is a reality that we all wish wasn’t real. 

The Dilemma

Starring Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, and Winona Ryder
Directed by Ron Howard
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving sexual content
Appropriate for ages 15+

    Ronny and Nick (Vaughn and James) have been best friends since college and business partners after that.  But just days before the biggest presentation of their lives, Ronny discovers that Nick’s wife (Ryder) is cheating on him, giving him the dilemma of telling Nick and ruining any chance of going into the presentation prepared or waiting until afterward knowing that his best friend might hate him for it.

    I had very preconceived notions going into this film.  After watching the trailer, this appeared to be nothing more than Vaughn doing his fast-talking obnoxious persona with James’s cartoon like physical antics.  And to be honest, the film starts out like that.  But then the script by Allan Loeb and the directing by Ron Howard kick in, taking the movie away from Vaughn and James and giving something more respectable back to the audience.  This very well could have been a stupid broad comedy, but the laughs end fairly early, making the picture more of a thought-provoking experience. 

    After all, cheating is not really funny.  Especially when the elements of cheating dealt with are deceit and hurt.  Don’t misunderstand me, there is an underlying comedy here, but it serves more as a form of tension relief than the purpose of the film.  That being said, Vaughn was very well cast here and James gives the best performance of his career and proves that he can take on the drama.  In fact, he’s better at drama than comedy, but with his looks and physicality, comedy will most like remain his bread and butter, no matter how irritating he is with it (okay – I get it – he likes to goofy dance).  Ryder, who is seeing quite a resurgence thanks to this and Black Swan, plays the dishonest but victimized wife well.  Perhaps the scene stealer is Channing Tatum whose other guy role is quite the despicable character.  I was a bit turned off by Queen Latifah’s character due to its lack of believability and her choice to take it over the top when it just wasn’t necessary.

Season of the Witch

Starring Nicholas Cage, Ron Perlman and Claire Foy
Directed by Dominic Sena (Whiteout)
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence and disturbing content
Appropriate for ages 15+

    When two 14th-century knights (Cage and Perlman) find themselves in a town hit by a horrible plague, they are charged with transporting a supposed witch (Foy) to stand trial at a nearby monastery in the hopes that the plague will end with her death sentence.

    If you follow Hollywood news at all, you are probably well aware that Nicolas Cage is in extreme dire straights with his finances.  And thus he picks up as many films as he can in order to meet his obligations.  Every once in a while we end up with a jackpot like Kick-Ass, but most of the time the films find themselves in Witch territory.  This is the kind of movie that realistically has zero chance of either succeeding or entertaining. 

    I would guess that this was supposed to be a horror film.  I’m not really sure since it is not in the least bit scary or suspenseful.  It tries to be tongue-in-cheek funny at times, but only achieves mild humor.  It might also be considered fantasy, but it lacks the imagination needed for that genre. 

    So what went wrong here?  I’m not sure if anything ever went right.  The script is lame at best and atrocious at worst.  There is not enough violence or danger to bring the chills and thrills which is why it doesn’t work in the whichever genre it is aiming for.  As for the utilization of an Oscar-winning actor, what you get here is a phoned-in role for Cage and the rest of the cast looks equally apathetic. 

    Slightly interesting is the special effects show at the end of the film, but they merely serve as an example of too little, too late. 

Starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins and Miranda Richardson
Directed by Nigel Cole (Calendar Girls)
Rated R for language and brief sexuality
Appropriate for ages 17+

    Based on a true story, Made in Dagenham follows a group of women led by a spirited worker (Hawkins) that fight for equal pay during the 1968 strike at the Ford car plant in Dagenham, Egland.  When the top brass at Ford claim that equal pay would sink the corporation, the infamous Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity Barbary Castle (Richardson) steps in to assist.

    While this is not at all a bad film, it doesn’t exactly stand as a strong example of entertainment.  The acting is good, as you would expect from a cast that includes Hawkins, Hoskins, Richardson and a host of other talented players.  The pacing is a little slow, but that doesn’t work against the film.  Even the production values for the period piece are well put together.  I’ll admit that the men in the film are largely treated like dolts, but I don’t doubt that many of them were at that time. 

    Perhaps it’s the fact that the equality for women film has been done before, and much better than this.  Perhaps it’s because the film doesn’t seem relevant.  Whatever the case might be, it’s not the kind of feel-good movie that makes you want to run out and see it on opening day. 

True Grit

Starring Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country For Old Men)
Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of western violence including disturbing images
Appropriate for ages 13+

    For many Americans, the original True Grit stands out as one of the great western classics and perhaps John Wayne’s best film.  After Wayne won his first and only Oscar for his turn as Rooster Cogburn, the rough, tough and drunk U.S. Marshall that helps a young girl seek revenge against the man who killed her pa, it became hard to imagine the heroic cowboy without his infamous eye patch. 

    For those that wonder why they would possibly remake such a treasured film – its simple – they didn’t.  The Coen Brothers, who have created some of the most visionary work in the last twenty years, wanted to tell their version of the story as laid out in the novel by Charles Portis.  The elements are largely the same, but the movies are very different. 

    Donning the eyepatch now is Coen Brothers alum Jeff Bridges, fresh off of his Oscar win for Crazy Heart.  His larger than life presence, dangerous confidence and heartless exterior make him an excellent Rooster Cogburn.  It would not surprise me at all if he were up for another Oscar this year, although I doubt he’ll win due to the amazingly tough competition and the fact that he received a trophy in 2009.  Matt Damon is also wickedly good as Cogburn’s sidekick Texas Ranger LaBoeuf.  But stealing the show is newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as the tough as nails fourteen-year-old who wants to see her father’s killer hanged.  The studio is pushing Hailee for Best Supporting Actress during awards season, but I feel that this is a mistake as True Grit is her movie and she gives one of the greatest performances of the year in it. 

    While the acting is truly great – it’s not the only thing that makes the film special.  First off, the script provides a fantastic journey, filled with unusual and imaginative color that only the Coen’s could concoct.  And for those fans of great cinematography, Roger Deacons re-teams with the Coens here for a breathtaking look at the old west, proving once again that he is the finest cinematographer of our time. 

The Fighter

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo
Directed by David O. Russell (Three Kings)
Rated R for language throughout, drug content, some violence and sexuality
Appropriate for ages 17+

    On the outside, The Fighter looks like your typical boxing film.  It tells the true story of “Irish” Micky Ward (Wahlberg) sand his against-the-odds journey to winning the light welterweight title in the mid-80s.  But on the inside it is a drama based more on struggle and life in the streets as his once-famous boxing brother (Bale) trains him while his own life is spiraling away due to crack addiction and taking his whole family down with him.

    It is very easy to see a trailer for a film like this and think to yourself that you’ve seen it all before.  While the boxing parts of the film might prove you right, the story most definitely offers something new.  Part of the reason this film succeeds is due to some of the absolute best performances of the year.  Watching Wahlberg’s subdued but talented hero not achieving the greatness he is capable of because of his poisonous family environment, forces the audiences’ empathy to be thrust upon him.  But then watching the family that truly loves him being left out his career for reasons they can’t help but take personally creates a tremendous feeling of heartache.  Ward’s mother (Leo) is superb as the mother/former agent that must give up leading his career even though she desperately wants to be included in her son’s success.  And Bale as the crack-addicted brother/trainer turns in perhaps his best performance yet that could very likely win him the Oscar.  Amy Adams is also wonderful as the girlfriend that convinces him that the only thing getting in the way of winning the belt is the people working with him.  Then there are the seven inseparable sisters that steal the show and round out what is easily the best acting ensemble of the year. 

    Nina (Portman) is a ballerina for the New York City ballet company who is given the opportunity to replace their prima ballerina for their season opener – Swan Lake.  While Nina is perfect for the White Swan due to her innocence and grace, she struggles to become the much darker Black Swan.  When she befriends a new dancer (Kunis), she gets in touch with her darker side, allowing her to perform at a higher level that sends her down a sinister path as well.

Love and Other Drugs

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Oliver Platt
Directed by Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond)
Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, pervasive language, and some drug material
Appropriate for ages 18+

    Based on a true story, Love and Other Drugs tells the tale of a Pfizer Pharmaceutical Representative (Gyllenhaal) that falls in love with a young woman he meets in a doctor’s office (Hathaway).  Only after falling for her does he realize that the relationship will be challenging due to her having Parkinson’s Disease and that neither one of them are ready for the road ahead. 

    This movie takes on two completely different personas.  First there is the story of a drug rep.  Having worked as a Pfizer rep for the exact same period that our hero did, I can tell you that they got almost everything wrong.  The training was way different, as was the day-to-day.  The basic theme of the pharmaceutical rep adversely effecting the physician and their prescribing is somewhat true for that time, but taken way over the top.  I realize that there are some artistic choices that needed to take place in order to make a political point, but it felt like there wasn’t an advisor present helping them figure out how to get the details even remotely close. 

    Some of the problem with this lies in the lousy job the props team did.  Jake starts out working in a cheap electronics store in 1996 where they are selling flat screen televisions that didn’t exist for years.  This is just the start to errors that made the entire production look incredibly sloppy.

    But then there comes the second persona – that of the love story.  Here they got it right.  Jake and Anne worked together as husband and wife in Brokeback Mountain and it is more than apparent that they still have the chemistry.  The amount of nudity and sex is a bit alarming, as well as excessive, but overall helps to act as a device to bring the audience in as voyeurs looking deep into the couple’s lives.  You feel their love, their pain, their happiness, as well as their sadness.

Tangled

Starring the voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and Donna Murphy
Directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard
Rated PG for brief mild violence
Appropriate for all ages

    Based on the story of Rapunzel, a princess is kidnapped by an evil old woman when she discovers that her hair has the power to keep one young forever.  Locking Rapunzel up in a tower and forbidding her to ever cut her hair, she raises Rapunzel as her own, not allowing any contact from the outside world.  But when a dashing young bandit decides to hide in the tower after stealing the crown jewels, she gets her first taste of what really lies beyond and escapes her prison cell to go on a grand adventure. 

    I know we haven’t had many great live-action films this year, but 2010 has been a terrific year for animation.  What was looking like a two dog race for the Animation Oscar between Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon now has a new competitor in Tangled.  And I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if all three were nominated for Best Picture as well. 

    While Tangled possesses the old-fashioned Disney princess tale in good form, it does so in a contemporary feel that makes the film endearing.  Just like the other princess tales in the Disney library, this heroine is far from helpless as the beautiful but tough young woman.  And just like last year’s The Princess and the Frog, the male lead is a Han Solo-like scoundrel that must overcome his selfish tendencies in order to earn the love of the fair maiden.  The difference this time is that the gorgeous computer animation enhances the look to provide a more modern story-telling device.  And while I usually am not a fan of 3D in animated films, this particular film really flies off of the screen in grand fashion due to its gorgeous effects.

    Just like any great princess piece, there is a need for great music and for that they turned to eight-time Oscar winning composer Alan Menkin who will most likely be adding more trophies to his collection this year.  The music sounds straight off of a Broadway stage and are some of the best tunes he has ever composed.