Brilliantly acted "The Help" could position a number of actresses into the Oscar race…
Passed around in book club circles in virtually every community North, South, East, and West, Kathryn Stockett’s debut novel, “The Help”, reached the zeitgeist and spent more than 103 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers List. “The Help” became the go-get book for the summer of 2009, and massive praise was heaped on the tale of three women, one white and two black, dealing with the unfathomable difficulties of segregation and race relations in early 1960′s Jackson, Mississippi. Stockett drew on her own life experiences to write the novel and while a massive success when it finally saw its release, more than 60 literary agents rejected Stockett’s work prior to its getting published.
Shortly after the book saw its breakout success, Hollywood came calling and the rights to “The Help” were purchased in December 2009. Lots were interested in taking a crack at the adaptation but Stockett had one unbreakable provision – her friend, an actor and fledgling filmmaker, Tate Taylor, had to have approval to write and direct the feature. DreamWorks and Disney acquiesced to the demand and devoted fans of the book should be quite pleased overall with the final product. “The Help” is extremely well-acted and in all the right moments, the film is quite moving and affecting. Read more on The Help (***½)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: 2011 releases, Alison Janney, Bryce Dallas Howard, Drama, emma stone, Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer, Sissy Spacek, Tate Taylor, The Help, Viola Davis
The Belgian entry for the 2010 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar simply fails to find its potential…
Often, on our shores, the topic of illegal immigration is isolated to the United States/Mexico border debate, but a growing number of films from overseas are landing here in the U.S. wrestling with the topic in unique and distinctive ways. The Belgian-made film, “Illégal”, focuses on two Belarusians, a single mother and her 13-year old son, who are illegally living in Belgium to escape conditions apparently so bad that the mother utters in a moment of despair, “…we can never go back to that place.”
Read more on Illégal (**)…
This "Rise" has plenty of flaws, but Andy Serkis and WETA Digital deliver extraordinary movie magic once again…
While many people will want to debate the merits of whether the “Planet of the Apes” franchise needs to be relaunched, rebooted, or re-envisioned, the fact of the matter is that, for better or worse, the series is back. With its origins dating back to 1963 and Pierre Boulle’s novel, the “Planet Of The Apes” franchise has a dedicated and loyal following nearly 50 years after the novel’s first publication. The classic and iconic first “Planet Of The Apes” film from 1968 starred Charlton Heston and became such a cultural phenomenon that four sequels followed in a 5-year span.
In 1974, the franchise had an ill-fated run as an episodic television show and in 1975, “Planet Of The Apes” became a briefly aired Saturday-morning cartoon. By that time, the Apes had simply run their course. Then, with the advent of home video and cable movie channels, the franchise found new life and has remained embedded in pop culture ever since. While a widely panned 2001 reboot from director Tim Burton missed its intended target, in a cinematic landscape populated by relaunches, reboots, and reinventions, it was simply a matter of time before 20th Century Fox took another run at introducing the “Apes” franchise in a new and exciting way.
And so here we are. Possessing the latest in cutting edge visual effects, all new characters, and a familiar but refreshed mythology, this “Planet of the Apes” is a flawed, but nonetheless thoroughly entertaining movie experience. Read more on Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (**½)…
An unbelievable story is told in a most disingenuous way…
Bethany Hamilton is an extraordinary and inspirational figure in not only the world of sports and surfing, but in human nature at large. She endured an unspeakable and horrific assault in 2003 when, while lazily laying on a surfboard in Hawaii, a shark took a massive bite out of Hamilton’s surfboard and tragically took her left arm with it. At the time, Hamilton was one of the finest amateur surfers in the world and was well on her way to becoming one of the top professional surfers in a few year’s time. Her tragedy left all of those goals in doubt.
To Hamilton’s credit, she inexplicably survived, despite losing more than 60% of her blood. After a month of intensive treatment, she was back in the water teaching herself how to surf all over again. She received an ESPY Award, a Teen Choice Award, and at the age of 18, realized her dream in becoming one of the top professional surfers in the entire world. Read more on Film Review: Soul Surfer (**)…
Amusing at best, "30 Minutes Or Less" is not nearly as clever as it seems to think it is…
Fresh off his Oscar-nominated turn as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2010′s “The Social Network”, Jesse Eisenberg shifts gears by starring in the wildly uneven action comedy, “30 Minutes Or Less”. A heist film, a queasy crime caper, a vulgar R-rated sex comedy, and a hyperkinetic cousin to the action movie buddy film genre, all in all, “30 Minutes Or Less” cannot stay focused long enough to succeed at any of the things it tries to be.
Nick (Eisenberg) is a carefree and rather careless pizza delivery guy for Vito’s, one of the last “30-minute-delivery-or-your-pizza-is-free” pizza places left on the planet. Able to maneuver his old exhausted blue Mustang in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan, with the skill of a Formula 1 race car driver, Nick is routinely late and tries to cut deals with his customers to avoid having to take the hit out of his paycheck for all of the free pizzas he ends up giving away. Read more on 30 Minutes Or Less (**)…
The Academy missed the mark by failing to nominate this extraordinarily moving and affecting French drama…
There was a large outcry when France’s “Of Gods And Men” failed to make the shortlist for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for 2010. Not having seen it at the time, I figured the film was just another victim of process, wherein each year some widely acclaimed international film(s) is pegged by experts for a nomination and never gets out of the opening round. After finally seeing “Of Gods And Men”, and acknowledging that I still need to see many of the other nominated films, including the Oscar-winning, “In A Better World”, I have to disclose that I have no idea how “Of Gods And Men” did not earn the right to compete for that Oscar.
Directed by Xavier Beauvois, “Of Gods And Men” documents the true story of nine French Cistercian monks who lived in the Tibrihine Monastery in Algeria, until seven of them were kidnapped, abducted, and murdered during escalating conflicts in the 1996 Algerian Civil War. Controversy exists to this very day over who was actually responsible for the abduction and eventual murder of the monks, but Beauvois and his co-screenwriter Etienne Comar opt for the long perceived belief that Algerian terrorists were responsible. And despite the umbrella of sadness and tragedy which hangs over the story, Beauvois’ film is so beautifully rendered and meticulously detailed, that it is simply a marvel to watch. Read more on Of Gods And Men (****)…
Fantastic and visually accomplished, "Captain America" concludes the prelude to 2012's "The Avengers" in terrific fashion…
Delivering the final cinematic chapter before the upcoming “Avengers” blockbuster in 2012, “Captain America: The First Avenger” is an entertaining and visual marvel, aiming for a story more straightforward and classic in tone than its predecessors “The Hulk”, “Thor”, or “Iron Man”. Featuring a solid performance by Chris Evans in the title role, “Captain America: The First Avenger” may lose its focus at times, but is a well made and entertaining ride from start to finish.
I acknowledge that going into “Captain America: The First Avenger”, I knew very little about the story, while a number of my friends were kind enough to fill me in with their knowledge and memories from the comic books of their younger days. For me, the story felt fresh and fairly original and I came in with some anticipation in learning how Steve Rogers not only fit into the “Avengers” storyline, but also how he transformed into the superhero who sets out to save the world during the heyday of World War II and Nazi supremacy.
Told almost entirely in flashback to the early-to-mid 1940s, we are first introduced to Adolf Hitler’s head of weaponry, Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), who has long been seeking the Tesseract, an energy source that will enable Schmidt to design and develop weapons that will virtually guarantee the Nazis the winning of the War. The discovery also gives Schmidt designs on what may ultimately lead to his own opportunity to takeover the world. Read more on Captain America – The First Avenger (***)…
“…nothing more than a lemon, sitting amongst a fleet of luxury vehicles, hoping someone will take it home.”
In the can’t miss history of Pixar Animation, one film has never quite resonated with me like its counterparts. That film, 2006′s “Cars”, was entertaining and enjoyable and skillfully rendered on screen, and although I liked it and would give it a recommendation of a rating, in full disclosure it is the Pixar film I have watched the least. Now, five years have gone by and as I settled in to see this long-awaited sequel, I pondered why “Cars” is always overlooked by my kids when they pick a DVD to watch at home. In comparison to other Pixar films on heavy rotation at our house, the “Toy Story” trilogy has earned repeated spins, as have “Wall-E”, “Up”, “Monsters, Inc.”, “Finding Nemo”, and “The Incredibles” amongst others; but seldom, if ever, “Cars”.
Perhaps, I need not worry about whether the “Cars” franchise will click in my household anymore with the arrival of this sequel. “Cars 2″ is Pixar’s first misfire, an entertaining and majestically imaged animated film, but a misfire nonetheless. Anchored down heavily by a convoluted screenplay, “Cars 2″ accelerates towards cliche and away from originality. Sadly, much of the film’s humor, action, and attempts at sincerity fall flat when compared to other Pixar features, including this film’s 2006 predecessor.
Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) has become the preeminent racecar in the world after winning multiple championships, including the coveted Piston Cup, and he is headed back to Radiator Springs for a homecoming of sorts. He is anticipating seeing all of his old friends, but really looking to reconnect and spend some down time with the love of his life, Sally Carrera (B0nnie Hunt). McQueen’s return has made no one more happy though than good ol’ Mater (Larry The Cable Guy), the loyal and trustworthy 1950′s-style tow truck who considers McQueen his best friend. Mater helps everyone in Radiator Springs, running a towing company and offering assistance wherever he can. With McQueen back, Mater envisions the two spending all their time together and cannot fathom a situation where McQueen may not want the same.
Read more on Cars 2 (**)…
These "X-Men" are first class all the way…
Earlier this year, a film series I had no true interest in, “The Fast and The Furious”, dropped the fifth film of its canon into theaters and thankfully, director Justin Lin, his writers, and the cast finally figured it out. That I liked the film was as equally a surprise for me as the realization that a “Fast and Furious”-themed film could actually, you know, be good. A couple of months have gone by since then and we now have another fifth film in a franchise that has, in my estimation, delivered one terrific film (“X2″), two passable films (“X-Men” and “X-Men: Last Stand”) , and one uninteresting bore (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”). After the diminishing returns of the last two entries in the “X-Men” series, we are now recipients of a relaunch of the franchise in the form of a prequel, primed to save a film series in need of major defibrillation. With the steady and confident hand of director Matthew Vaughn, the “X-Men” series is not just alive again, but it has a swagger and a freshness reminiscent of J.J. Abrams’ outstanding 2009 relaunch of “Star Trek.” I am not a comic book fan and my exposure to this world of “X-Men” emanates almost entirely from the films. So, I am not able to pick the film apart to the nth degree and explain what the filmmakers got right, got wrong, changed, or modified. And I honestly don’t want to. I can only speak about what is presented before me and “X-Men: First Class” is at times, one impressive movie. Read more on X-Men – First Class (***½)…
The "Transformers" franchise continues its slow decline into bad movie-ville…
When a director admits that a film he made was “crap” or that the process in completing the film was “a BS way to make a movie…”, you kind of have to take notice. These words come from director Michael Bay and he was referring to 2009′s “Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen”, one of the biggest grossing films and sequels ever made ($402.1 million grossed domestically and $836 million taken in worldwide), and one of the most panned and belittled films of recent memory. For awhile, Bay heralded the film but along the way his tone shifted to one of apologetic, second chance-speak and “I’ll do better” mantras to the press. For a man branded as one of the most egotistical filmmakers around, his reflections on the second “Transformers” was rather unique, for lack of a better term.
So, two years removed from that massive success, Bay and lead actor Shia LaBeouf have publicly proclaimed a leaner, better, and more impressive “Transformers” this time around. LaBeouf has admitted that Bay’s second “Transformers” film was something he found to be “utter chaos” to work on and “completely indecipherable” to watch.” Hmmm. And so…believing that Bay and his team and LaBeouf and writer Ehren Kruger have clicked and are all on the same page, we have the third (and final?) “Transformers” epic – “Transformers: Dark Of The Moon”.
And yes, this film is better…and still not any good at all.
Read more on Transformers – Dark Of The Moon (*½)…
Jim Carrey brings another dud with "Mr. Popper's Penguins"….
Jim Carrey’s return to lighter comedic fare comes in the form of the family film, “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”, a mediocre film that often plays to the lowest common denominator when it comes to humor and laughs. Carrey’s inspired performance makes this watchable but the questionable undercurrents of the plot are troubling, even if they will sail over the heads of the littlest of viewers.
Loosely adapted from the 1938 Newberry Award winning children’s novel of the same name (as in the title is the same and both feature penguins), “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” introduces us to Tom Popper (Carrey), a beyond wealthy real estate professional living in the upper reaches of a New York City co-op. He is a divorced father of two and is largely a self-absorbed man, who has frequently erred on the side of his own interests than those of others around him.
Perpetually presided over by his punctual and persistent patron, Pippi (Opehlia Lovibond), Mr. Popper has long chased away issues from childhood which saw his father traveling the world and only communicating with him via radio signals from remote and distant lands. His past issues and his present day life cross paths when he learns of his father’s passing and coincidentally receives an odd delivery to his doorstep.
Read more on Mr. Popper’s Penguins (**)…
There is no light to be found in this lantern…
Almost one year to the day when Warner Bros. and DC Comics released the awful and embarrassing “Jonah Hex” to more than 3,000 large and mostly empty theaters, the partnership between the two entities is banking a lot, literally and figuratively, on “Green Lantern”. A long simmering project, which underwent a well-storied rewrite and return to post-production after initial trailers and testing with audiences warranted dismal returns, “Green Lantern” has finally arrived, in 3-D, for our mass consumption.
And oh how I wish it was better. Honestly I do. Watching “Green Lantern” you can see so much hard work being put into the landscape this movie exists within that you almost feel bad tearing it down. That is until you see the story unfold and then just stare at the screen in befuddled confusion about what the purpose of all of this is.
Muddled narration informs us that in centuries past, the Guardians of the Universe were formed as a pseudo-police force traversing across the galaxy. Dividing the universe into 3,600 sectors, one officer – a Green Lantern, occupies and oversees each sector. One such officer, Abin Sur (Temeura Morrison), defeated the vile and evil Parallax (voice of Clancy Brown) and imprisoned him, vaulting Sur to a status as the most revered and respected Green Lantern of them all. Trouble arrives when Parallax escapes from prison and sets his sights on retribution against Abin Sur and any and all Green Lanterns who get in his way.
Read more on Green Lantern (*½)…
"Bad Teacher" has two main problems – Cameron Diaz and the screenplay…
How she ever got to be a teacher in the first place is irrelevant when it comes to John Adams Middle School English teacher, Elizabeth Hulsey. For whatever may have compelled her to get her degree in education, she put in her year and now wants to retire and get married to her fiance, Mark. Problem is her fiance, via incessant prodding from his mother, confronts Elizabeth and proclaims that the only reason she is with him is because he has millions of dollars in the bank. He’s not wrong. Now dumped, single, with no money available to speak of, Elizabeth needs to set new plans. And she does. When the school year comes back around, Elizabeth is back teaching and not happy at all about being there.
So Elizabeth drinks early, during, and after school. School-based film offerings such as “Stand And Deliver”, “Dangerous Minds”, and “Lean On Me” are the only curriculum she offers her English class. She is not above sneaking a bong hit or two in her car in the school parking lot and chastises a student for catching her. And newly single, she is on the hunt for a new man and finds a potential paramour in rich, preppy, and mild-mannered new teacher, Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake). Problem is, Elizabeth isn’t striking his fancy and worse yet, a new rivalry has formed with the exceptionally strange but apparently also very successful Amy Squirrell (Lucy Punch). Amy is now teaching on the opposite side of the hall from Hulsey and takes great exceptions to Hulsey’s methods, if you will.
Read more on Bad Teacher (**)…
 An enjoyable remake that manages to stand on its own from the original, ‘Fright Night’ is an action/horror/comedy hybrid that entertains on all fronts. It’s got plenty to remind you of the 1985 cult classic, but if you’ve never seen the flick, it won’t impede your enjoyment of this movie one bit. I might even argue that you’d like it more, but that’s neither here nor there. This film keeps its tongue planted firmly in cheek and never takes itself too seriously, but it doesn’t skimp on the tension or gore either. It’s most effective as a vampire horror movie, but the comedy isn’t bad either (though occasionally out of place). Anton Yelchin makes a surprisingly effective action hero of sorts, and Colin Farrell chews the scenery (sometimes literally) in a way that you can’t help but enjoy. This is a better film than the release in the month of August would suggest.
Read more on Fright Night (***)…
 A late night film festival favorite over the past year or so, ‘Attack the Block’ is an interesting little sci-fi film, but one I found somewhat unworthy of its high praise to date. There’s the setup for a great flick, but the one we get plays it surprisingly safe. Writer/director Joe Cornish has the premise of “inner city vs. outer space”, but the potential for a rollicking good time is sullied by a strange desire to not expand on things at all. There’s a tonal issue and poor pacing, but it would have been forgivable if the movie was just more fun. Sadly, it’s not. Keep in mind, it’s not a bad film, but I really don’t see the praise for the work as being apt at all.
Read more on Attack the Block (**½)…
 A small comedy with small ambitions, ‘Peep World’ manages to be an amusing, if less than original, look at a dysfunctional family. It’s also very short, so you don’t have a chance to get bored with the story, and that helps thingsa lot. There are occasions when a film is helped out by its running length, and this is one of those times. It’s the first script from Peter Himmelstein, and it feels like a first script. What saves it is the solid direction of Barry Blaustein (previously known to me as the helmer of the excellent wrestling documentary ‘Beyond the Mat’), who gives it a feel of familiarity without suggesting repetition. There’s also a very strong cast that’s all having a good time with the material. You can’t expect too much from this little flick, but it’s better than the other reviews give it credit for being.
Read more on Peep World (***)…
 Whenever a comedy forgets to be funny, the results can be cringe inducing. While ‘The Change-Up’ doesn’t completely forget the laughs, the jokes are of the laziest nature and the whole enterprise lacks any sort of reason for existing. Director David Dobkin has never impressed me, and this might be his least impressive product yet. The script is juvenile in the worst ways, and it wastes the better than the film deserves performances by Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds. They manage to play off each other well and when the inevitable body swap occurs, they switch personalities with aplomb. It’s just a shame that this is the worst body switching comedy in a while, which doesn’t do them any favors. It’s just a chore to sit through.
Read more on The Change-Up (**)…
 An ambitious indie flick with lots of potential, ‘Another Earth’ is only partially able to capitalize on that potential, making for a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s got a great jumping off point for a really interesting film, but on the other hand it makes that secondary to a romance story that you’ve seen before, and done better as well. You do see a wonderful performance by star and co-writer Brit Marling (who’s going to be big very soon) to go along with typically solid work by William Mapother, but it’s in support of a movie that should be better than it is. Co writer/director Mike Cahill has talent, but he just hasn’t completely harnessed it yet.
Read more on Another Earth (**½)…
 While it’s not quite as hilarious as ‘Bridesmaids’ was (I doubt many things this year will be though), ‘Horrible Bosses’ is still one of the funnier films of 2011 to date. It manages to take a pretty light (and I’ll go so far as to say mildly crappy) plot and spin it into something incredibly entertaining. A large portion of the credit goes to the ensemble cast, who all knock this one out of the comedic part. Everyone pulls their weight, and the enjoyment they had while making this really shows. Director Seth Gordon has improved dramatically since his first foray into comedy filmmaking (the dreadful ‘Four Christmases’), and this feels closer to his winning documentary ‘The King of Kong’ in terms of directorial confidence. The script has enough jokes to make things move, and the actors do the rest.
Read more on Horrible Bosses (***)…
 A quirky British coming of age tale that manages to take some of the idiosyncrasies of the oeuvre of Wes Anderson without becoming annoying like some of his films do, ‘Submarine‘ is a small success that is more entertaining than the simple premise would suggest. Ostensibly a flick about a teenager trying to lose his virginity in Wales while also keeping his parents from separating, the movie has a unique voice and manages to never feel derivative. Much of that success is due to a witty screenplay that approaches the concept in a new way. Praise also has to go to the young leads Craig Roberts and Yasmin Paige. Without their contributions, this could have been a tough watch.
Read more on Submarine (***)…
 A grimy yet fun bit of exploitation, ‘Hobo with a Shotgun’ will only work for a select audience, but for those who embrace it, few movies will be a bigger valentine to their grindhouse sensibilities than this one. The film is literally a product of the movie ‘Grindhouse’, and evolved due to a contest. Co-writer/director Jason Eisner took the ball and ran with it, turning out what literally looks like a fake trailer made full length into a real movie. Surprisingly, it doesn’t wear thin and manages to keep its tongue planted firmly in cheek the whole time, allowing the flick to be effective. Rutger Hauer is having the time of his life in the title role, and Eisner goes all out. This is about as out there as a film with this concept could get, but somehow it works.
Read more on Hobo With a Shotgun (***)…
 ‘Ceremony’ is a modest little film that takes a decent premise and manages to make a successful piece of cinema out of it due to the hard work of filmmaker Max Winkler and the charming performances of Michael Angarano and Uma Thurman. Throw in a scene stealing supporting performance by Lee Pace and overall strong acting, and Winkler was given plenty to work with. Now, he’s not perfect, and both his writing and directing still need a little work (he’s pretty much working with a premise that’s been done many times before, and better on a few occasions), but it’s clear that he’s got talent and the flaws in this flick are easier to overlook than normal. I wouldn’t call this a great movie, but it’s avery solid indie that has more to like than dislike.
Read more on Ceremony (***)…
"Hop" fails on the animated level…
Following their breakthrough and debut success with 2010′s “Despicable Me”, Illumination Entertainment and their upstart animation division have tried to recreate the fun and unexpected joy that their first film captured with the Easter- themed “Hop”. Mixing live action with animation, “Hop” tries really, really hard to make you like it. The odds are that if you are old enough to read this review, you likely won’t all that much.
As a young boy, or I suppose that would be…hare, E.B. (voice of Russell Brand) has been born into a lineage of Easter Bunnies. His father (voice of Hugh Laurie) is close to retiring and is ready to groom his son for his destined path in life. Unfortunately for Dad, E.B. is deeply embedded in a late-teenage/young-adult malaise of wondering about self and where he wants to go with his life. His passion is playing the drums and he is exceptionally good at it – a fact that makes his father upset and disappointed.
Of course, if I went through life named after the thing I was destined to become, I might be a bit resentful also, but we move on…
Read more on Hop (*½)…
 An indie dramedy with a real identity crisis, ‘Terri’ wastes its strong acting on a script that goes absolutely nowhere. Almost every single subplot and flight of fancy amounts to nothing and leaves the audience hanging. It’s a shame because Jacob Wysocki gives a really good lead performance and John C. Reilly is as dependable as ever, but director/co-writer Azazel Jacobs has no handle on the material. This was one of more disappointing and frustrating theatrical experiences of 2011 for me, as I don’t know of anyone who dislikes this film as much as I do. To be fair, it’s not a bad flick, but it’s significantly flawed and can try your patience on more than one occasion. The movie has its moments, but they’re sadly few and far between. This is the type of indie that you dread having to sit through. This is the character study genre at its most trying.
Read more on Terri (**)…
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