Kim’s Movie Picks

Sorry all, for such a long lag between movie reviews.  It isn’t that I stopped viewing films (heaven forbid!), but rather that my communications consulting business has been keeping me busy.  So, apologies all around, but here are some quick hits on movies that are playing now or will shortly go to DVD rental.  Be sure to scroll to the end and read about the two magician movies.

Babel:   Big name stars - Pitt and Blanchett - find themselves in the middle of nowhere attempting to ‘find themselves.’  Instead they become the linchpins in three intertwined stories of other lost people, all from different cultures.  Interesting plot, but the performances to me, were not Oscar caliber.  Still worth the trip, however.  Three stars.  Some violence, but nothing excessive.  Nudity.  Not for pre-teens.

The Departed: Okay, I will say it:  If Marty (that’s Mr. Scorsese to the rest of us) doesn’t get the Oscar for directing this movie, he will truly be p**sed; and so will the rest of us.  This film is brilliant, the acting is outstanding and the directing, well, it doesn’t get much better than this.  Even though this movie is violent (along the lines of History of Violence), it is not gory.  Think Godfather and GoodFellas.  Great story telling, good, twisty, plot.  Great ensemble cast.  And yes, Jack was robbed of a nomination for a great role.  It was not over the top (not for Jack), and could easily have been.  See this film.  Four stars.

Children of Men: Three reasons to see this film: Clive Owen, Michael Caine and Julianna Moore.  All three give solid performances in one of the most fast-moving sci-fi/fantasy films ever.  It’s 20 years or so into the future, women have stopped giving birth and the planet is on the edge of chaos.  Everyone is shooting at everyone else, and London is in ruins deeper than after the Blitz.  Edge of your seat drama.  Caine delightful as always.  Good for everyone, except young children who won’t understand the plot.  Three and a half stars.

Dreamgirls: Again, solid ensemble cast, with Murphy, Beyonce and Hudson as stand outs.  Everyone was good in this.  I plan to buy the sound track.  I am one of the few people on the East Coast who didn’t see this on B’way, so it was new to me.  Good performances, great singing.  Go and lift your spirits.  No nudity, a bit of reference to drug usage, but nothing on screen.  Three and a half stars.

Happy Feet:  I don’t have young kids, so this movie bored me.  However I understand that the under 11 set adores this movie.  I was bored after 20 minutes.  The plot moved slowly.  That being said, the musical numbers (and there were dozens of them) are all uplifting.  Buy the DVD and play a scene or two when you need a lift.  Otherwise, unless you need to entertain a young child for an hour and a half, save yourself the screen time.  Two and a half stars.

Night at the Museum: Good for all family members.  Enjoyable entertainment, pure movie fun.  Yes, the critics didn’t like it, but you know, sometimes you just want to see a fun movie, that doesn’t insult your intelligence, or set people on fire.  This is that film.  Robin Williams was subdued and delightful, Stiller was his characteristically goofy self, and Dick Van Dyke and cronies (including Mickey Rooney ) were the villians.  And the big action takes place in Central Park.  What else do you need.  See or rent this one.  Three stars.

The Pursuit of Happyness. Good directing effort by Will Smith.  A big leap for him to direct and star in a movie - and I thought he did an admirable job.  The film drags in a few spots, but overall, it was well done.  The young boy who plays Will’s son in the movie, is his real-life son, and you can see the love and trust these two have, right there up on the screen.  I highly recommend this movie for pre-teens and teenagers.  Okay, no action and no car chases, but a real-life story of survival and hard work triumphing over poverty and despair.  Three stars.

Water: This film has been nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign Film.  It may not be playing in your area; I rented it from Netflix.  Well worth the time, it tells the story of an 8 year old Hindu girl in India who becomes a widow. The year is 1938, but the footnote at the end of the film tells us that conditions for most widows in India has not improved greatly since that time.  In the film, you learn first hand the fate of widows, how the Hindu customs (not necessarily the religion itself) leads them to live apart, and in poverty, despite their age, their caste or their family circumstances.  It is a romance story (yes hard to believe, but it is), as well as a feminist tale of suffering, bonding, personal triumph and redemption.  Four stars.

And now the magicians:

As you may recall, in the last year, two films were released, almost at the same time, both about magicians.  They seemed similar, and often friends attended one, thinking they were seeing the other.  Which do I recommend?  I recommend them both, for different reasons.  Here is how they break down:

The Illusionist:  stars Edward Norton and Jennifer Beal.  It is actually a love story, or a love triangle, depending on how you look at it.  This film is more about the romance than the magic, but it has twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.  Don’t miss the last ten minutes.  It will have you thinking about this film for days.  Three and a half stars.

The Prestige:  stars Christian Bale, Hugh Jackson and the incomparable Michael Caine.  It is all about the magic - and you see some incredible tricks -and learn how hard it is to make them ‘work.’  This movie is also about love, and a love triangle, but above all, it is about an intense rivalry, so intense that you will be breathless when you realize the sacrifices each man made for his own ‘art.’ Three and a half stars.

Use the navigational links on the right hand side to view other movies reviewed this year, and also nominated for Oscars, such as The Devil Wears Prada…

Lady in the Water is a fairy tale for grownups, set in an apartment complex somewhere near
Philadelphia.  Starring the talented Paul Giamatti (Sideways, Cinderella Man) and Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of director, Ron Howard), the story asks us – and its main characters – to suspend disbelief and believe that magical things are anchored in, and will improve, our every day life.

I found the film had an interesting plot with somewhat uneven performances, though Howard’s naïf (that’s a water nymph to you and I) is mesmerizing, as well as prophetic, channeling both a calm and yet vulnerable demeanor. You want to believe in her, and you root for her to succeed in her strange, and yet uplifting quest.

Giamatti is well cast as the bumbling, stuttering building manager of this apartment complex, peopled with the unusual eclectic mix of tenants, who all, eventually, reveal striking talents that will come together to solve the puzzle this movie presents.  Giamatti’s character will transform and step forward – as will other characters in the movie – to take on roles that, at first, seem outside of themselves.

An interesting aspect of this film is that its director – M. Night Shyamalan, who has often been compared to Alfred Hitchcock – is in the film.  And not as a cameo or bit player, which Hitchcock often did, showing up slyly here and there. In Lady, Shyamalan plays a small, but very pivotal, role.  And so I must admit that I found that a bit distracting, and hope he doesn’t continue down this Woody Allenesque path.  Not that he wasn’t convincing in the role of Vick, the blocked writer.  His performance was, in fact, very good.  I just worry because most directors cannot do both things well in the same movie, and Shyamalan is a talented director and risks getting distracted (as well as becoming partial to his own performances!)

Overall, I give this movie three out of four stars. Rated PG-13 for some frightening sequences. There was some plot and performance unevenness, but overall I was captivated by Shyamalan’s story telling and directorial style, as well as Giamatti’s and Howard’s performances.  This movie is a thriller of sorts – there are some special effect villains on hand to give it that spooky edge – but I think it is safe viewing for anyone over 11. If grandma is adventurous and likes fairy tales, take her.  This one is creative and fun.

The Matador – Two out of four stars.  This strange, twisted story of an aging hit man — played by Pierce Brosnan – and a desperate salesman – played by Greg Kinnear – who meet unexpectedly at a bar in
Mexico, is uneven and a bit slow in places.  While I enjoyed the plot twists, the performances seemed forced and overplayed.

Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang – Three out of four stars.  This quirky and entertaining mystery movie stars Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, who become unlikely partners in solving a murder.  Downey’s character, who until most recently was a petty thief, thinks he is in Hollywood to be considered for a movie role; Kilmer knows why he is really there…as well as other hidden elements of this novel movie.  Catch this film; it’s clever and fun.

Aquamarine – No stars!   Horrible, shrieking teen movie with no originality and no real plot.  I usually adore any movie with mermaids in it; in this case I made an extreme exception. No more column inches wasted on this film; if you see it in your DVD player, run away!

Okay, we need to remember it’s summer, and sometimes it is better to be in an air-conditioned theatre than sweltering on the beach or in the office.  When it’s that kind of a day, this kind of movie – in the heat of a humid, overcast day — sits okay.

If you have paid full price and are expecting Shakespeare, or a movie that makes you think, this ain’t it.

You, Me and Dupree has its moments – most of them inhabited by the childlike, dippy, carefree character, Dupree, played by Owen Wilson – and when you are in them, they are cute and often funny.  But afterwards you don’t really remember them.

The multi-talented Kate Hudson is wasted in this film, playing the newly-wed wife of Matt Dillon, and over-indulged daughter of Michael Douglas (finally playing an age-appropriate role as not only the father-in-law but the evil employer of the husband).  Hudson has little to do other than cringe, whine and ultimately, succumb to the gentle and dopey ways of their unwelcome house guest, Dupree, her husband’s former best man, now a homeless adolescent trapped in man’s clothing and inhabiting (temporarily) his best friend’s house.

Typical shenanigans ensue with Dupree interrupting the newlyweds during intimate moments, providing the expected bathroom jokes and finding a slightly more creative way to almost wreck the house than most teenagers.  This is a buddy movie, of sorts, with a kind of workaholic/daddy’s girl moral thrown in for good measure.

If you’re trapped in the heat, by all means cool off with this farcical romance.  Two out of four stars. Rated PG-13 for sexual content, brief nudity, crude humor, language and a drug reference. (Yes, we have everything, including the kitchen sink, in this one!)  Don’t take grandma, or anyone under 15. 

Meryl Streep doesn’t just make being devilish look good, she makes being diabolical look like the straight road to success.  In the Devil Wears Prada, she takes totally ‘unsuitable’ assistant material in the persona of Andy Sachs, played by Anne Hathaway – and turns her into a fashion derring-do in less than a year. 

This comedic drama, directed by Dave Frankel, with a screenplay adapted from the wildly successful novel, gives as many mixed messages as it does fashion pointers.  For those of us who have worked in
Manhattan, not even necessarily in the fashion industry, but any industry, the shoe changing rituals of the working women in the film, as well as the designer bag envy will ring achingly familiar.  To those of you who haven’t worked in the City, trust me, a good percentage of what you see on the screen screeches achingly close to the truth.

There were homages (or copies of thematic elements, take your pick) in this script to so many movies, I gave up trying to ID them – but suffice it to say that you will recognize themes and whole scenes from Pretty Woman straight on thru to the language cadences from the Godfather.  Meryl Streep is delicious, delightful and yes, even a bit human, in the role of Miranda – the Czarina of the fashion magazine world.  Streep manages to keep her character just on the edge of being a caricature, and once again, manages to transform herself into something unbelievably believable.

The movie shows how easy it is to get caught up in a job – and an industry – that chews thru people like a tax accountant thru Maalox.  Andy thinks she has no choices, and realizes in the end, that we all have choices; it’s just that some are much harder than others. And sometimes the hardest ones are simpler than you think.

The day I saw this movie the house was packed with women – of all ages – and they loved this film.  They oohed and ahhed not only over the plot but also the clothes and yes, the shoes and the bags.  I do wonder if designer bags and their knockoffs will see an up tick in sales this summer. They certainly all got quite a bit of screen time, if you knew what to look for.

Overall, this movie was tre entertaining, sporting solid performances by Streep and Hathaway, along with a zesty supporting role by Stanley Tucci, who plays one of the major art directors on the mag, who ends up mentoring Andy thru her metamorphis and survival as Miranda’s assistant – only to find himself struggling to survive through a major career disappointment of his own.

A fun, summer flick, good for anyone, but most especially new grads looking to swim the shoals of entry level jobs this Fall. Rated PG-13 for some sensuality (a few shots of scantily clad models).  Safe for anyone over 11 years of age.  Probably not a good pick for very young boys, who will be bored.  A good date movie.  Three stars.

Yes, friends, in my never-ending quest for truth, justice and full disclosure, I must confess that I have been a sucker for Superman since the first time a comic book starring the Man of Steel fell into my hands – at age six.   I read it cover to cover and would continue the love fest for many, many years.  My adoration for Superman is a simple, straightforward and (somewhat) pure emotion, much like the character itself.  Very unlike my dark and twisted relationship with Batman, but that’s fodder for another post….

So, let’s face it. I love any attempts to put the Man of Steel on film. There have been aspects of all Superman films (and yes, even the television series) that I have loved. Very little that I have hated.

I hated Margot Kidder as
Lois Lane. Of course, she was slightly better, and certainly ditzier, than the Lois Lane from the 60s TV show, who was stiffer than a board. Speaking of the TV show, I was not impressed by George Reeves as Superman. Even at the tender age of 7, I found him (gasp) fat!  However, I adored Christopher Reeve and absorbed the Superman films in which he starred like a sponge.  Lois & Clark was also fun, if somewhat predictable. I liked Terry Hatcher as Lois. She had just the right amount of spunk.

And as to Smallville – I don’t see it as much as I would like, but I am very impressed with the writing and acting. Just when you thought there was nothing new in the Superman franchise, they create a believable and credible prequel.  Gives you faith in creativity all over again.

So it was with some trepidation, but with much joy, that I sat down to watch the newest rendition of the life of the Man of Steel – Superman Returns.  And what can I say – big surprise – I liked it.  Here’s why:

This film has good bones: solid direction by Bryan Singer, with much (justified) homage to director Richard Donner and the Christopher Reeve-generation of Superman films; the film included lots of the ‘original’ musical score remixed by the master, John Williams; and an old villain made new: Lex Luthor, played with joy and glee and eternal malice, by Kevin Spacey.

Brandon Routh takes on the tights with determination and gives an admirable performance, just shy of icon status. His Clark Kent (thank goodness) is less nerdish and befuddled, but more confused and in the background than Reeves’.  Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane adds the right amount of woman scorned/woman tormented by emotion - and so for once we have hero and heroine both equally conflicted on the relationship front.  It made for a good plot device.

Self-sacrifice and other New Testament philosophical elements abounded in this film, with Lois voicing right out loud to the Man that the ‘world doesn’t need a savior.’  (Wonder what evangelical Christians will think of that line - as well as the numerous times Superman floats back towards the earth with both arms outstretched, as if on a cross….coincidence?  I don’t think so. Calling Mel Gibson….)

Overall, there are few surprises in the plot. Lex Luthor again quests for the ultimate land grab. Superman is again laid low by kryptonite. Lois insists she doesn’t love Superman, but we all know she does. I won’t add any major plot spoilers here, but suffice it to say the ‘big’ surprise of the film should be no surprise to anyone with eyes. Overall, a very satisfying, entertaining film that is safe for all ages. Rated PG-13 for some intense action violence.  Go see it. Four stars.

DVD high season is upon us, as Hollywood rushes to get Oscar nominated and Oscar winning films out in the mainstream so we can rent, buy and swap titles.

Here are some titles I have seen lately:

Rent: Unusual musical about a group of artists in New York that turned out to be flat for me. I usually like musicals, but I think this one was a bit too contemporary. The songs just did not resonate. This film seems to be best for fans of the original Broadway play — and Jesse Martin (Law and Order) fans as well. If you didn’t know it (and I didn’t) he has a powerful and pleasant singing voice.   One and a half stars.

Crash: Overall: amazing. I had purposely avoided this movie on the big screen as the trailers really turned me off. Not certain why. Encouragement from friends — and yes, the Men’s Group at St. Paul’s —  made me seek it out on NetFlix.  This is an awesome film, proving once again that you can’t always tell anything from a movie trailer. Great performances from an eclectic cast (from Terence Howard to Tony Danza?!) who star in a series of vignettes that take a look at preconceived notions and ingrained prejudices — with all the characters and situations tying together at the end of the film. Well worth your time. Not as violent as it may seem. Good for older teens (15+) Four stars.

A History of Violence: This was one of my favorite movies from last year. Please seek out the full film review on this blog (use nav bar on the right, choose October 2005). This movie is a keeper. Unusual plot about an unlikely hero who may have a hidden past keeps you guessing on a number of levels. Outstanding performances. I don’t usually purchase DVDs of movies with violence, but in this case the violence wasn’t gory, and it was central to the plot. This film is at the top of my DVD purchase list. Three and a half stars. 

Prime: Stars Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep - therapist finds out patient she is counseling to move on with her life, romantically, is now seeing her son — who is a good decade younger than she is.  Meryl Streep is good at many things, comedy doesn’t seem to be one of them. This is an okay movie - good for one of those afternoons when you don’t need to think much. Two stars. Okay for teens. Some sex, and sex talk, no real nudity.

King Kong: Peter Jackson’s special effects run amok in this overly long interpretation of a movie classic about a giant ape on a secret island and the actress who tames him. The best parts: the interaction between Kong (brought to us by the stellar acting of Andy Serkis through the magic of CGI) and Naomi Watts, who plays the actress. The worse: giant bugs and more giant bugs. This movie cried out for better editing as the story line was good and the performances not hard to watch (except for Jack Black who looked way too caffeinated.) Two stars. (Rent it and use the remote ruthlessly.)

Good Night and Good Luck:  George Clooney was robbed! This is the movie he should have won the Oscar for — not only for the writing, but for his touching and understated performance as Fred Friendly, the legendary CBS news executive. This movie is a must for anyone who has ever been, or wanted to be, a journalist. This period film allows us to peek into TV’s infancy, when one of the greatest radio and TV journalists of all time, Edward R. Murrow, took on one of Washington’s then most powerful senators, Joe McCarthy, fighting ignorance with intellegence and courage.  It is a short (90 minutes), but highly effective film. Four stars.

Walk the Line: Solid Johnny Cash biopic made stellar by Reese Witherspoon’s luminious performance as June Carter (Cash). Songs not as good, or as stirring, as those in Ray. I didn’t completely buy Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Cash, but overall this is a good movie. Three stars.

Inside Man is the least Spike Lee-ish of this director’s movies – or is it?  In between the slick action, the fast-paced plot and the entertaining performances by three A list actors, there exists the sly dialogue, the subtle racist notations, the hit-em-quick-and-move-on morality lessons. It’s just all wrapped in a more commercial package this time. And you wonder if this is evolution or survival for one of Hollywood’s more creative directors?

Either way the movie entertains. Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Clive Owens all give as good as they get. 
 

The plot takes us a through what seems to be a very well planned, well thought out, bank heist, complete with hostages, masks, and accomplices all named the same…Clive Owen is the heist mastermind, Denzel Washington is the police officer calling the shots and Jodie Foster is a public relations mastermind representing the bank owner, who wishes the whole matter to end quickly and quietly (as this branch contains some of his own personal effects).  Christopher Plummer plays the big-cheese bank owner, but frankly I felt his character needed more bite than regret. He seems little more than an attractive placeholder here.

Foster gives an outstanding, pitch-perfect performance as the high maintenance PR operative to the wealthy and powerful. Her interactions with actor Peter Kybart who plays the NY city mayor (and has an unfortunate physical resemblance to Ed Koch) are delightful to behold, as these two allies/enemies spar and poke at each other, to get what they both desperately need.   

Foster is a child of Hollywood and has, I am sure, seen both the best and worst of what the PR and publicity field has to offer: she channels both sides of the coin here with wicked results. For me it was the best part of this movie.

Three out of four stars. Good story; solid execution. Not much violence. Some rough language (watch for the biting verbal interchange between Foster and Kybart and how Foster turns the ultimate of insults into an accepted compliment.) Rated R for language and some violent images. Okay for most teenagers (13 and up) and even grandma if she likes a good mystery.  Solid date movie.

V for Vendetta, the new film written by the Wachowski brothers and directed by James McTiegue (Matrix Revolutions, Matrix Reloaded, Star Wars: Episode II)  allows us to live vicariously in a world where the extreme right has done the unthinkable — taking over the government, all the media outlets, banning almost all art and literature and driving anyone deemed ‘different’ underground —  and then, the nation, goaded by a bold revolutionary, comes to its senses and takes action.  (Imagine that!)

This movie pulls no punches as it weaves conspiracy after conspiracy in a Britain gone ultra-conservative after a virus attack leaves the nation vulnerable to an extreme political upheaval.

Spun from a little-known DC comic book, this story’s themes and philosophies resonate again and again, even if you don’t agree with the violence enacted in the name of democracy (which I don’t).

This film presents Natalie Portman in yet another dramatic role worthy of her talents (see Garden State for another).  Portman plays Evey, an everywoman who seems randomly pulled into the actions of a masked avenger named V after he saves her from gang rape at the hands of the government’s new police.  At least we think it is random.  Again and again, throughout this movie, the title character, V, declares ‘there are no coincidences.’ And this plot makes you believe it, even if you cannot continue to believe that Evey started out as a completely innocent bystander.

Hugo Weaving plays the title character, V, with more than a bit of Phantom of the Opera-ness – though it’s not just the mask, it’s also his love of music, and yes, probably the cape as well.Frankly, how much emoting can you do without facial expressions?  For that reason, his utterances, even when not literally Shakespeare (which they often are) often sound like they should be.

Stephen Rea gives a marvelous performance as Finch, the detective who doggedly works to undercover what is really going on, not just with V, but with the country’s leaders. And Stephen Fry gives a too-short performance as Deitrich, Evey’s sentimental, closeted homosexual colleague, who shelters her for awhile and then takes the ‘I’m mad as hell and I won’t take it anymore’ philosophy just a tad too far for the police state they live in.

This plot sucked me in quickly and kept me interested, at least until the last 15 minutes, when the conclusion becomes evident – but I hung in there anyway. There were so many goose-bump raising moments that I cannot name them all, certainly without revealing plot spoilers – and I won’t do that here.

It is enough to say: go see it for yourself. You will either love it or hate it. There is little here in the middle. Rated R for strong violence and some language, though it could have easily been rated PG-13 as well. There is much violence, but none of it is excessive or gory, especially by today’s standards; lots of things blowing up. Okay for all teens and even grandma as long as she doesn’t mind a few dead bodies. Three out of four stars. This one is a keeper.

Failure to Launch, a new romantic comedy starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey, is a light, cotton-candy romantic comedy with little to no caloric intake. In other words, go to be entertained, but don’t expect the plot to make a lot of sense.

This is one of those movies where half way through you begin to rewrite the script in your head, attempting to help the movie along. “If only the plot didn’t take that predictable turn, if only the friend who was a computer programmer wasn’t a geek, if only….,” you get the picture. If only the director, Tom Dey, did!

The two main stars are their usual adorable selves – Sarah is her usual perky and yet street-wise, hair-tossing self; Matthew is all teeth, tan and southern hospitality. Their chemistry together is lukewarm, but it’s the one thing that fits this plot, since both characters have commitment issues and major emotional baggage.

Supporting actors Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw play his parents, so desperate to have their son move on with the next phase of his life (he’s 35 and still living upstairs in his childhood bedroom) that they hire Parker as a ‘transitional’ therapist recommended by friends who just successfully ousted their reluctant son.

Some saving grace is provided by the respective friend characters – the eccentric room mate played by Zooey Deschanel and the two Peter Pan boy friends, one of whom, Justin Bartha gives some needed warmth and humanism to the plot. But otherwise we know the main tenants by rote and I was particularly annoyed by a strange subplot about attacking land and sea animals that must have Flipper rolling in his grave.

One and a half out of four stars.  If you need a quick romantic comedy fix or a safe movie for the girlfriends (or tween set), go see it. Otherwise wait for the NetFlix rental queue. Rated PG-13 for sexual content, partial nudity and language. There is lots of tangling in sheets and glimpses of parts of naked bodies, but only one bare backside gets a lot of film exposure  – and it belongs to Terry Bradshaw (will any of us look at NFL Today the same again?!!)