Archive for February, 2010
RICHLIER WIRE - 2/26/2010
Previews (Opening this Weekend):
Cop Out
Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan
Writer/director Kevin Smith’s CV has given moviegoers the good (Clerks, Chasing Amy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno), the not-so-bad (Dogma, Clerks II, Jersey Girl), and the just-plain-ugly (Mallrats, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) of independent moviemaking. He has also found the time to work in some acting gigs (Daredevil, Live Free or Die Hard) and produce an animated TV series (Clerks). Despite all of these notches in his H’Wood belt, however, he may have met his match with the Motion Picture Association of America in regards to the title of his latest flick, Cop Out. The organization turned down the movie’s original title: A Couple of Dicks. In Smith’s latest, this R-rated buddy-cop comedy, two NYPD partners (Willis, Morgan) find themselves on the trail of a merciless gangster (Juan Carlos Hernandez) obsessed with a stolen, rare, mint condition baseball card. The Plus: The players. Time (Die Hard) and time (Sin City) and time again (16 Blocks), H’Wood legend Willis has played a cop and played him to the hilt. Together with funnymen Morgan (NBC’s 30 Rock) and Seann William Scott (American Pie, The Rundown), he and Smith might laugh all the way to the bank. The Minus: The odds. Robb and Mark Cullen’s comic screenplay was reportedly one of the best unproduced scripts in the biz before Marc Platt Productions and Warner Brothers snatched up the rights. Smith, however, has only ever directed movies that he has written himself, which makes this go-round a bit of a gamble.
The Crazies
Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell
Long before the zeitgeist was populated with zombies, George A. Romero knew that the undead were big H’Wood business. Giving the living dead Night and Day as well as the lay of the Land, Romero has seen the Dawn of mainstream horror’s modern reinventions (28 Days Later, a remake of his own Dawn of the Dead) and hilarious comic send-ups (Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland). Now, he is producing a remake of his B-grade 1973 cult favorite The Crazies. In this R-rated thriller directed by Breck Eisner (Sahara), a picture postcard American small town becomes infected with a mysterious toxin that turns its residents into blood-thirsty killers, with only a sheriff and his wife (Olyphant, Mitchell) left to reign in control. The Plus: The genre. Remakes of horror classics Dawn of the Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, Halloween and Friday the 13th scared up box office gold. The Minus: The odds. Horror remakes Halloween II and The Wolfman have not. Even with Romero’s blessing, The Crazies may end up to be a shot in the head – not arm - for Overture Films.
Reviews (Now in Theaters):
Shutter Island
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo
Horror writer Stephen King reportedly hated Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of his 1977 novel The Shining, going so far as to take a heavy hand in producing a faithful 1997 TV mini-series. Some King readers have taken umbrage with the 2001 auteur stripping away much of the exposition and some plot details. For the pure filmgoing experience, however, Kubrick’s take – not the other leading brand - remains classic—one of cinema’s best thrillers ever, in fact. The horror comes not from cobwebs and fanged monsters, it comes from mind-screwing disorientation. Of course, in addition to a steady and stylish hand, it also takes a great lead actor to help to sell through the spooky goods. And this praise all doubles wonderfully as a review of Shutter Island.
In this R-rated ’50s-set thriller based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), two U.S. marshals (DiCaprio, Ruffalo) sent to capture a violent female escapee find themselves stranded on an isolated federal institution for the criminally insane once a hurricane hits. Trapped, they begin to realize that everything is not as it seems and only their escape will bring to light the truth.
Some readers might buck at this review’s positive assessment of Martin Scorsese’s latest as mere hero worship. While Scorsese truly remains a favorite of this reviewer, it’s only after he’s shown great diversity having masterfully proven himself in genre (crime-dramas: Goodfellas, The Departed) after genre (period literary adaptations: The Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York) after genre (bio-pics: Raging Bull, The Aviator). And oh, what technique and flourish! Now, he adds horror to that grand list…and masterfully so. Here, he deftly crafts an atmospheric spooker that leaves everyone, including the filmgoers, questioning what was real and what was Memorex. Twisty to the point of maddening (and this proves to be a high compliment indeed), Shutter Island defines the sub-genre known as ‘psychological thriller.’
Film historian Scorsese also calls on some high-fallutin’ influences in rendering the film’s claustrophobic rat-in-a-maze thrills. A protagonist who goes to an island to help solve the mystery of a mentally ill woman? Why, that echoes the plot of Jacques Torneur’s noirish classic I Walked with a Zombie from famed horror producer Val Lewton quite nicely. Scorsese, however, gives Shutter Island’s violence a starkly naked scare-making panache not unlike Taxi Driver or Cape Fear.
With The Aviator and The Departed as outstanding proof, no director brings Leonardo DiCaprio’s A-Game to the forefront quite like Scorsese. Shutter Island offers the actor his meatiest part yet and he gives filmgoers their every nickel’s worth, wringing out a tortured man fighting for his sanity against all odds—Boston accent and all. Untrusting eyes. Shaky hands. Broken spirit. Yes, it proves to be his best most Oscar worthy performance yet.
Moreso, Shutter Island is a damn good thriller, baiting discussion days after and inviting more viewings. If the film had been released in the fall of last year like it was originally scheduled, Academy voters would be considering this horror gem as opposed to unworthy Best Picture nominees like The Blind Side and District 9.
Down-to-the-Wire: Shudder to think—it’s THAT good.
Avatar
Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana
In this 3-D PG-13-rated actioner, revolutionary and rousing popcorn instant classic, a paraplegic ex-Marine (Worthington) who, through a scientific process funded by the U.S. government (Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, et al), appears as a blue-skinned indigenous being on an alien world housing an extremely rare and profitable element. Never forsaking the script, Avatar’s landmark 3-D IMAX-ready bells and whistles merely enhance the well-envisioned drama and action. Beyond all this, the movie manages to wear a social consciousness (go green, people) without sermonizing. Here, writer/director James Cameron also gives a lesson in filmmaking economy. Even with an epic-length story, the writer/director never wastes an inch of film or lick of time in the 2 hours and 40 minutes it takes to tell this story. Better effects will follow, but not a better mantle.
Down-to-the-Wire: Out of this virtual world.
Crazy Heart
Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal
In this R-rated drama, a broken-down hard-living country singer (Bridges) reaches for salvation through a journalist (Gyllenhaal), who is on a quest to find the real man behind the musician. Not unlike the classic songs that made Nashville famous, this amazing ballad is all about story and voice, wearing them on its sleeve like a whiskey-drenched showman staring down 60. The heart of Crazy Heart, Bridges, will rightly win for his performance, which is not a gold watch for a lifetime of H’Wood service. It helps that his heartfelt and gob-smackingly true turn keeps perfect cadence with the straightforward direction and warts-and-all script of Scott Cooper. Backed with excellent turns by Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, and Robert Duvall – as well as a killer soundtrack – this Heart sings a beautiful song.
Down-to-the-Wire: Crazy in love.
Dear John
Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried
In this PG-13-rated romantic-drama, time and distance take their toll on two young lovers—a soldier home on leave (Tatum) and the conservative college student that he’s fallen in love with (Seyfried). Dear John sweeps and swoons with an all-too-familiar rhythm but the ace cast really try ratcheting up the emotion. It not only includes a modern bent (he re-enlists in the Army after the events of 9/11), it also taps into a genre that rarely gets, ahem, tapped these days. With enough tear-soaked horrors in the world, audiences still love sad tales about star-crossed lovers…just not this tale. The third act puts out some dubiously dodgy plot points, but all involved (especially Richard Jenkins as Tatum’s father) nearly sell the wares to audiences wholesale…nearly.
Down-to-the-Wire: Dead letter.
Valentine’s Day
Julia Roberts, Jaime Foxx
In this PG-13-rated connect-the-dots rom-com, Ashton Kutcher plays a flower shop owner who just popped the question to a hesitant Jessica Alba but he’s also a friend of Jennifer Garner, who is dating Patrick Dempsey, who’s married but she doesn’t know…are you still there, readers? In Valentine’s Day, the audience somehow assumes a thankless role, getting fed multiple simplistic love stories so pre-packaged that they could have come from a motel vending machine that rents rooms by the hour. Truly aiming low, this star-studded patchwork rom-com blows kisses at the same moviegoers who made the standard-issue lovey-dovey mosaic She’s Just Not That Into You into a hit last year…only it’s much worse. The paycheck-cashing stars (probably guiltily) stumble through the Z-grade jokes like a young lover trying to say the L-word.
Down-to-the-Wire: Love on the rocks.
When in Rome
Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel
In this PG-13-rated romantic comedy that will actually make moviegoers want to drown the entire genre in Moon River, a disillusioned New Yorker (Bell) travels to Rome where she plucks coins from a magical fountain and attracts a host of odd-duck suitors (Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Dax Shepard, Danny DeVito). Even if the insipid dialogue clogs the flow for the audience, Bell and Duhamel’s Meet-Cute will lure them back in for the waterworks … and this is a bad thing. The couple has chemistry, but this rom-com’s traditional feel quickly takes on a magical bent that becomes more cartoony (think: The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze) than enchanting (think: Roman Holiday). Worse, the camera goes out of focus at least once and another scene doesn’t match its lead-in!
Down-to-the-Wire: Rome is crashing and burning.
The Wolfman
Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt
In this R-rated remake that smartly revels in its ‘30s studio horror roots, Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) is lured back to his family’s estate following his brother’s death only to find his father (Anthony Hopkins), brother’s fiancé (Blunt), and a feral destiny awaiting him. When it bears it teeth, The Wolfman proves to be quite the heart-stopping scare-maker. Here, Del Toro and all involved give winning nods to this past (the monster’s ‘look’ and some story elements) while ratcheting up the script a step further. Moving the action to London for the 2nd act builds great momentum, but sometimes director Joe Johnston fights too bloodily to earn the movie’s hard R. Still, if ‘30s Universal had this much leeway, they probably would have made the fur fly a lot like this.
Down-to-the-Wire: Howling good.
RICHLIER WIRE - 2/19/2010
Preview (Opening this Weekend):
Shutter Island
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo
Oscar-winning director and film scholar Martin Scorsese has brought filmgoers selections from a host of different genres, including bio-pics (Raging Bull, The Aviator), dark comedies (The King of Comedy, Bring Out the Dead), crime-dramas (Mean Streets, Goodfellas), literary adaptations (The Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York), and even musicals (New York, New York). With the exception of his 1991 Cape Fear remake, however, he has not dabbled much with horror…until now. In this R-rated thriller based on the ‘50s-based novel by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), two U.S. marshals (DiCaprio, Ruffalo) sent to capture a violent female escapee find themselves trapped in an isolated federal institution for the criminally insane. The Plus: The players. In addition to DiCaprio (The Departed, Blood Diamond) and Ruffalo (Zodiac, Blindness), this stellar cast also includes Ben Kingsley (Sexy Beast, House of Sand and Fog), Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain, Deception), Max von Sydow (Minority Report, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Emily Mortimer (Match Point, The Pink Panther), Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children, Watchmen), and Patricia Clarkson (Good Night, And Good Luck; Vicky Cristina Barcelona). Also, filmgoers will be stoked to see how Scorsese follows up his Oscar win for The Departed—the early buzz for which has been great. The Minus: The genre. Scorsese has wrapped production on HBO’s crime epic Boardwalk Empire and is reportedly in talks for another theatrical crime-drama, possibly even an adaptation of true crime bestseller I Heard You Paint Houses with Robert DeNiro. Whenever he strays from this genre (New York, New York, Bring Out the Dead), however, he gets mixed box office results from John Q. Filmgoer.
Reviews (Now in Theaters):
Valentine’s Day
Julia Roberts, Jaime Foxx
Every so often, actors get saddled with a role that reviewers call ‘thankless,’ a term which, in regards to film criticism at least, refers to lightweight material that is well beneath the talents of an otherwise gifted artist. In Valentine’s Day, the audience somehow assumes this thankless role, getting fed multiple simplistic love stories so pre-packaged that they could have come from a motel vending machine that rents rooms by the hour. Truly aiming low, this star-studded patchwork rom-com blows kisses at the same moviegoers who made the standard-issue lovey-dovey mosaic She’s Just Not That Into You into a hit last year. Somehow, this valentine actually manages to be worse.
In this PG-13-rated connect-the-dots rom-com, the lives of several Angelinos (Roberts, Foxx, Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Patrick Dempsey, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Shirley McClaine, Taylor Swift) intersect on the greeting card industry’s biggest day.
This is not to say that the actors listed above don’t assume a thankless role—just that they’re the only ones in this scenario who got paid for their pain and suffering. To be specific, Kutcher plays a flower shop owner who just popped the question to an uncertain Alba but he’s also a friend of Garner, who is dating Dempsey, who’s married but she doesn’t know…are you still there, readers? This reviewer would go on if this monumental effort amounted to something more than a molehill. The paycheck-cashing stars (probably guiltily) stumble through the Z-grade jokes like a young lover trying to say the L-word.
Down-to-the-Wire: Love on the rocks.
The Wolfman
Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt
Universal Studios certainly built their monsters to last. This reviewer defies any moviegoer to think of Dracula or Frankenstein and NOT think of these characters as iconically realized by Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Over the years, if a remake turned out to be worth a damn (1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula), it was only because the director worked overtime to distinguish their work from the classics. The Wolfman, on the other hand, smartly revels in its ‘30s studio horror roots. The often-thrilling result doesn’t generate the kind of intensity that would, say, rally a mob of villagers with pitchforks and torches to storm the theater in excitement, but its shear entertainment value packs a lot of bite.
In this R-rated remake, Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) is lured back to his family’s estate following his brother’s death only to find his father (Anthony Hopkins), brother’s fiancé (Blunt), and a feral destiny awaiting him.
When it bears it teeth, The Wolfman proves to be quite the heart-stopping scare-maker. What audiences remember most from the decent 1941 version starring Lon Chaney, Jr. is Jack Pierce’s legendary yak-faced make-up. Here, Del Toro and all involved give winning nods to this past (the monster’s ‘look’ and some story elements) while ratcheting up the script a step further. Moving the action to London for the 2nd act builds great momentum, but sometimes director Joe Johnston fights too bloodily to earn the movie’s hard R. Still, if ‘30s Universal had this much leeway, they probably would have made the fur fly a lot like this.
Bottom line: Howling good.
Avatar
Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana
In this 3-D PG-13-rated actioner, revolutionary and rousing popcorn instant classic, a paraplegic ex-Marine (Worthington) who, through a scientific process funded by the U.S. government (Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, et al), appears as a blue-skinned indigenous being on an alien world housing an extremely rare and profitable element. Never forsaking the script, Avatar’s landmark 3-D IMAX-ready bells and whistles merely enhance the well-envisioned drama and action. Beyond all this, the movie manages to wear a social consciousness (go green, people) without sermonizing. Here, writer/director James Cameron also gives a lesson in filmmaking economy. Even with an epic-length story, the writer/director never wastes an inch of film or lick of time in the 2 hours and 40 minutes it takes to tell this story. Better effects will follow, but not a better mantle.
Down-to-the-Wire: Out of this virtual world.
Crazy Heart
Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal
In this R-rated drama, a broken-down hard-living country singer (Bridges) reaches for salvation through a journalist (Gyllenhaal), who is on a quest to find the real man behind the musician. Not unlike the classic songs that made Nashville famous, this amazing ballad is all about story and voice, wearing them on its sleeve like a whiskey-drenched showman staring down 60. The heart of Crazy Heart, Bridges, will rightly win for his performance, which is not a gold watch for a lifetime of H’Wood service. It helps that his heartfelt and gob-smackingly true turn keeps perfect cadence with the straightforward direction and warts-and-all script of Scott Cooper. Backed with excellent turns by Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, and Robert Duvall – as well as a killer soundtrack – this Heart sings a beautiful song.
Down-to-the-Wire: Crazy in love.
Dear John
Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried
In this PG-13-rated romantic-drama, time and distance take their toll on two young lovers—a soldier home on leave (Tatum) and the conservative college student that he’s fallen in love with (Seyfried). Dear John sweeps and swoons with an all-too-familiar rhythm but the ace cast really try ratcheting up the emotion. It not only includes a modern bent (he re-enlists in the Army after the events of 9/11), it also taps into a genre that rarely gets, ahem, tapped these days. With enough tear-soaked horrors in the world, audiences still love sad tales about star-crossed lovers…just not this tale. The third act puts out some dubiously dodgy plot points, but all involved (especially Richard Jenkins as Tatum’s father) nearly sell the wares to audiences wholesale…nearly.
Down-to-the-Wire: Dead letter.
Edge of Darkness
Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone
In this R-rated thriller, a veteran Boston homicide detective and single father (Gibson) investigates the murder of his only daughter, uncovering a shadowy maze of corporate cover-ups and government collusion in the process. Finally, there is a BBC mini-series that adapts into a remarkably engrossing political thriller with a winning amount of social consciousness for the American screen! Moviegoers can find it in video stores under the name State of Play. Uneven export Edge of Darkness, however, is another matter. This Mel Gibson thriller starts off most resembling Ransom and ends up most resembling Conspiracy Theory…and this is certainly not a compliment. Padded with enough twisty hokum for, well, a mini-series, this flick’s action scenes prove a welcome respite from an overall muddled plot that simply thinks too much.
Down-to-the-Wire: This Playback’s a bitch.
From Paris With LoveJohn Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
In this poorly acted and executed R-rated actioner, Steven Segal – oops, sorry - Travolta stars as a wisecracking, sharp-shooting, high-ranking U.S. agent sent to France to stop a terrorist attack with a button down wet-behind-the-ears operative in tow (Rhys Meyers). This new release was slotted for a big review on the facing page, but it doesn’t even deserve the ink generated here. It’s as if someone went into a video store, gathered up all of the passed-over Direct-to-DVD action movies and culmed together a vehicle for Vinnie Barbarino and Henry VIII from the most clichéd parts. Even Pierre “Taken” Morel’s slick direction can’t make Travolta’s tubby bald creep a credible action star. And now, this reviewer just counts down the words he needs for this review to make it to print—3…2…1.
Down-to-the-Wire: Forget Paris.
When in Rome
Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel
In this PG-13-rated romantic comedy that will actually make moviegoers want to drown the entire genre in Moon River, a disillusioned New Yorker (Bell) travels to Rome where she plucks coins from a magical fountain and attracts a host of odd-duck suitors (Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Dax Shepard, Danny DeVito). Even if the insipid dialogue clogs the flow for the audience, Bell and Duhamel’s Meet-Cute will lure them back in for the waterworks … and this is a bad thing. The couple has chemistry, but this rom-com’s traditional feel quickly takes on a magical bent that becomes more cartoony (think: The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze) than enchanting (think: Roman Holiday). Worse, the camera goes out of focus at least once and another scene doesn’t match its lead-in!
Down-to-the-Wire: Rome is crashing and burning.
RICHLIER WIRE - 2/11/2010
Previews (Opening this Weekend):
Valentine’s Day
Julia Roberts, Jaime Foxx
Apparently, the title Groundhog Day was already taken. This year, Warner Brothers is taking aim at Valentine’s Day with, well, the aptly titled Valentine’s Day, a romantic comedy chocked full of more stars than a roofie-laced viewing of It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World! Everybody from Oscar winners (Roberts, Foxx) to Teen Beat cover stories (Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner) are starring in this love-in from Garry Marshall, the director of Pretty Woman. In this PG-13-rated rom-com, however, the lives of several Angelinos (Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley McClaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, Swift) intersect on the greeting card industry’s biggest day. The Plus: The players. Marshall not only helmed some of the industry’s hugest big-screen comedies (Runaway Bride, The Princess Diaries), he also masterminded the small screen classics The Odd Couple, Happy Days, and Laverne & Shirley. With the cast listed above, he should be able to give moviegoers flowers and chocolates a la He’s Just Not That Into You. The Minus: The competition. Last week, romantic drama Dear John surprised industry insiders when it beat Avatar to the number one position. Between this surprise hit and The Wolfman, Valentine’s Day has an uphill battle at the box office this weekend.
The Wolfman
Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt
Time and time and time again, Universal Studios’ stable of horror icons have been remade for the MTV Generation. 1931’s Dracula has gotten this treatment countless times, most notably with 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Likewise, retreads of 1931’s Frankenstein (1994’s Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein) and 1932’s The Mummy (1999’s The Mummy) have seen the light of night, er, day. Now, 1941’s The Wolf Man gets the remake treatment. In this as-yet-unrated remake of the Universal horror classic, Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) is lured back to his family’s estate following the death of his brother only to find a feral destiny awaiting him. Anthony Hopkins stars as Talbot’s father. The Plus: The players. Del Toro took home a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Traffic and Anthony Hopkins (who plays Talbot’s father) took home top honors for The Silence of the Lambs while Blunt was nominated for The Devil Wears Prada. Under the direction of Joe Johnston (Jumanji, The Rocketeer, Jurassic Park 3), these celebrated actors should help to give birth to a modern classic. The Minus: Bad buzz. First, after nearly a year in the director’s chair, Rick Romanek (One Hour Photo) leaves the project over creative differences in January, 2009. Then, under Johnston, the release date of April, 2009 was pushed back to November and finally to February, 2010. Perhaps, this could be a bad sign for moviegoers.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightening Thief
Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson
Talk about a God complex. Though director Chris Columbus actually sold his first script while still in college, he would eventually go on to pen some memorable films for almighty producer Steven Spielberg (Gremlins and Goonies among them). Scriptwriting for H’Wood deities, however, gave him his directing break with Adventures in Babysitting. Hit (Home Alone) after hit (Mrs. Doubtfire) would follow, but it was for helming the first two Harry Potter films (The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets) that Columbus saw some wrath-of-God box office triumphs. In his latest, this PG-rated family drama based Rick Riordan’s children’s books, Greek god Poseidon’s half-human son (Lerman) embarks on a quest to unravel a mystery reputed to be more powerful than the gods themselves. The Plus: The players. As the success of both Home Alone and Harry Potter demonstrated, Columbus has a knack for both comedy and effects-heavy material aimed at a demographic younger than 18-35. Even so, he has Uma Thurman (Kill Bill), Pierce Brosnan (Mamma Mia!), Rosario Dawson (Seven Pounds), Sean Bean (The Hitcher), Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder), and Catherine Keener (Where the Wild Things Are) joining unknowns Lerman, Jackson, and Alexandra Daddario. The Minus: The odds. Columbus has stumbled before (I Love You, Beth Cooper) and stumbled big (Rent). Also, if young couples are dividing their time between Dear John and Valentine’s Day, older couples are working their way through the Oscar nominees, and single guys are fawning for Avatar and The Wolfman, who’s left to show Percy Jackson any love at the box office?
Reviews (Now in Theaters):
Dear John
Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried
This reviewer had hoped to include a joke involving the blink-and-it-was-cancelled ‘90s Judd Hirsch sitcom Dear John entertaining audiences more than the just-released 3-hanky drama it shares a title with (and he actually just did, clever boy). But truth be told, the new Dear John deserves more credit than that…not MUCH more, mind. It sweeps and swoons with an all-too-familiar rhythm but the ace cast ratchets up the emotion. Stories like this are supposed to be somewhat standard (indeed, the script’s worst infraction occurs when it paints outside these lines), but all involved work overtime to keep tissue companies in lucre.
In this PG-13-rated romantic-drama, time and distance take their toll on two young lovers—a soldier home on leave (Tatum) and the conservative college student that he’s fallen in love with (Seyfried).
Okay, so it’s no Love Story. Considering that that dated ‘70s weeper aged poorly, however, Love Story was no Love Story either. Dear John not only includes a modern bent (he re-enlists in the Army after the events of 9/11), it also taps into a genre that rarely gets, ahem, tapped these days—romantic dramas. With The Hangover giving moviegoers a good laugh these days, this average pic merely gives them a good cry. Its B.O. success hammers home the fact that – even with enough tear-soaked horrors in the world – audiences still love sad tales about star-crossed lovers. The third act puts out some dubiously dodgy plot points, but Tatum, Seyfried, and especially Richard Jenkins (playing Tatum’s father) nearly sell the wares to audiences wholesale.
Down to the Wire: Dead letter.
Crazy Heart
Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Very recently, this reviewer and wannabe musicologist started researching and collecting the classic songs that made Nashville famous. Unlike modern Country’s synthesized rockabilly, the legendary hits of Country-Western music were never about studio magic—they were about storytelling and voice. Not unlike these lyrical masterpieces, the amazing ballad Crazy Heart is all about story and voice, wearing them on its sleeve as would a whiskey-drenched showman looking at 70. And like a Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, and/or George Jones tune, there is enough substance here for three characters. In the hands of a master actor, however, the heart of Crazy Heart comes out in spades and oh, how sweet the sound!
In the R-rated drama Crazy Heart, broken-down hard-living country singer Bad Blake (Bridges) reaches for salvation through a journalist (Gyllenhaal), who is on a quest to find the real man behind the musician.
Bridges has already been nominated for an Oscar 4 times (Best Actor: Starman; Best Supporting Actor: The Last Picture Show, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, The Contender), but will rightly win for his performance of Bad Blake. It is not a gold watch for a lifetime of H’Wood service. It proves to be as heartfelt and gob-smackingly true a performance as the real-life turns given by Haggard, Jennings, and Jones in their respective songbooks. It helps that Bridges keeps perfect cadence with the straightforward direction and warts-and-all script of Scott Cooper. Backed with excellent turns by Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, and Robert Duvall – as well as a killer soundtrack – this Heart sings a beautiful song.
Down to the Wire: Crazy in love.
From Paris With Love
John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
In this poorly acted and executed R-rated actioner, Steven Segal – oops, sorry - Travolta stars as a wisecracking, sharp-shooting, high-ranking U.S. agent sent to France to stop a terrorist attack with a button down wet-behind-the-ears operative in tow (Rhys Meyers). This new release was slotted for a big review on the facing page, but it doesn’t even deserve the ink generated here. It’s as if someone went into a video store, gathered up all of the passed-over Direct-to-DVD action movies and culmed together a vehicle for Vinnie Barbarino and Henry VIII from the most clichéd parts. Even Pierre “Taken” Morel’s slick direction can’t make Travolta’s tubby bald creep a credible action star. And now, this reviewer just counts down the words he needs for this review to make it to print—3…2…1.
Down to the Wire: Forget Paris.
Avatar
Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana
In this PG-13-rated 3-D, revolutionary and rousing popcorn instant classic, a paraplegic ex-Marine (Worthington) who, through a scientific process funded by the U.S. government (Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, et al), appears as a blue-skinned indigenous being on an alien world housing an extremely rare and profitable element. Never forsaking the script, Avatar’s landmark 3-D IMAX-ready bells and whistles merely enhance the well-envisioned drama and action. Beyond all this, the movie manages to wear a social consciousness (go green, people) without sermonizing. Here, writer/director James Cameron also gives a lesson in filmmaking economy. Even with an epic-length story, the writer/director never wastes an inch of film or lick of time in the 2 hours and 40 minutes it takes to tell this story. Better effects will follow, but not a better mantle.
Down to the Wire: Out of this virtual world.
Edge of Darkness
Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone
In this R-rated thriller, a veteran Boston homicide detective and single father (Gibson) investigates the murder of his only daughter, uncovering a shadowy maze of corporate cover-ups and government collusion in the process. Finally, there is a BBC mini-series that adapts into a remarkably engrossing political thriller with a winning amount of social consciousness for the American screen! Moviegoers can find it in video stores under the name State of Play. Uneven export Edge of Darkness, however, is another matter. This Mel Gibson thriller starts off most resembling Ransom and ends up most resembling Conspiracy Theory…and this is certainly not a compliment. Padded with enough twisty hokum for, well, a mini-series, this flick’s action scenes prove a welcome respite from an overall muddled plot that simply thinks too much.
Down to the Wire: This Playback’s a bitch.
Legion
Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid
In this R-rated thriller that takes itself WAY too seriously, Archangel Michael (Bettany) helps a group of strangers in a desert diner (Quaid, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson) shepherd in the birth of a waitress’s baby while a legion of angels sent by God try to bring about the Apocalypse. Zombie movies have become their own sub-genre and Legion closest resembles the worst of these (once inhabited by angels, humans become craven flesh-eating savages that can only be felled by damn-good marksmanship) complete with villains that look like video game holdovers. When a plot sounds worthy of USA’s “Up All Night” and has religious symbolism that whacks moviegoers over the head, thine tongue need be planted firmly in cheek. Sadly, wannabe B-movie Legion doesn’t have a sense of humor about itself or mankind’s last stand.
Down to the Wire: Hells-a-poopin’.
The Tooth Fairy
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Ashley Judd
In this PG-rated family flick, a hard-hitting pro hockey player (Johnson) is ordered to serve one week of hard labor as a Tooth Fairy for dashing a young boy’s hopes, complicating his relationship with his girlfriend (Judd) and her kids. Predictable, sappy, and cloying, this happy pill takes moviegoers on a familiar journey (hello, Santa Clause!). Thankfully, the Mouse House realizes this and puts some winning touches on the property (with one scene, Billy Crystal practically steals the whole movie with a one-liner-heavy routine). This seems like quite a feat considering that the dependable 20,000-watt smile of charisma-oozing-out-of-every-pore The Rock is carrying this color-by-numbers flick. His Tooth Fairy proves enjoyable at times…just don’t drink the Kool Aid too long or you’ll taste the poison.
Down to the Wire: You can handle the Tooth.
When in Rome
Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel
In this PG-13-rated romantic comedy that will actually make moviegoers want to drown the entire genre in Moon River, a disillusioned New Yorker (Bell) travels to Rome where she plucks coins from a magical fountain and attracts a host of odd-duck suitors (Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Dax Shepard, Danny DeVito). Even if the insipid dialogue clogs the flow for the audience, Bell and Duhamel’s Meet-Cute will lure them back in for the waterworks … and this is a bad thing. The couple has chemistry, but this rom-com’s traditional feel quickly takes on a magical bent that becomes more cartoony (think: The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze) than enchanting (think: Roman Holiday). Worse, the camera goes out of focus at least once and another scene doesn’t match its lead-in!
Down to the Wire: Rome is crashing and burning.