Recent movie releases
by RICK MAUCH
(Posted Today 11:05 am)
Precious (A) -- This could be the best movie of 2009. It's emotionally riveting and challenges it's horrific core with humor and hope (albeit not always where we would like to see it). Director Lee Daniels keeps the movie stirring when it could have slipped into something found on the Lifetime Network. A litany of powerful acting performances is led by newcomer Gabourey Sidibe as the title character, an obese inner-city 16-year-old who lives with her abusive mother (comedian Mo'Nique) and has not one--but two children by her own father. Both are worthy of an Oscar nomination, as is Mariah Carey (yes, she of Glitter fame) who dispenses with every shred of diva-ness to play the social worker who befriends Precious.
Paranormal Activity (A) -- Shot on a shoestring budget, this movie is anything but short when it comes to fright. This is perhaps the scariest movie I have ever seen. As the viewer watches through a single video camera what happens to a young couple when a demonic force invades their lives, it's a real challenge not to look around you in the theater, thinking something creepy just caught the corner of your eye. The angle of the camera, the placement of the bedroom door, the noises with no visual confirmation, the low barely audible grunts, I'm getting chills just righting about it. I saw it during the daylight and I still looked around in caution as I was walking out of the theater.
Zombieland (A) -- Who would have thought that a little movie about people throughout America turning into zombies after someone ate an infected hamburger would be one of the most enjoyable movies of the year. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are the perfect combination as four of the few remaining survivors trying to outrun the zombies on their way to a California amusement park. The script is sharp, the jokes are funny, and the stars are clearly having fun, but the movie also has a serious undertone, especially the message about how people in Hollywood often become nothing more than zombies themselves. A special cameo appearance by one of Hollywood's greatest provides some of the movie's funniest moments.
The Invention of Lying (A-) -- Ricky Gervais displays his genius once again with a movie that stars him as the only man in the world who has figured out how to benefit from not always telling the truth. Gervais and the always steady Jennifer Garner display a pleasant chemistry, while Rob Lowe gives a comically nasty turn as the nemesis. While it makes us laugh consistently, the movie also challenges blind acceptance without question, daring us to consider options other than those we have always been taught to be right or wrong.
Michael Jackson's This Is It (A-) -- I admit pleasant surprise at the quality of this documentary--and I'm not only talking about the music, which I knew would be good. I was subsequently entertained and informed by the smoothness of director Kenny Ortega's presentation, which clearly tops his previous efforts such as High School Musical 2 and 3. The movie resonates joy in watching one of the greatest at his craft prepare for 50 concerts in London, surrounded by the sadness that the world wuld never see those shows. There's also a haunting feeling that persists knowing that nowhere else except the stage would Jackson ever be so comfortable.
Disney's A Christmas Carol (A-) -- While it was released a little too early before the holiday season for my taste, I have to applaud the folks at Disney for taking a tried and true story and giving it a little pizzazz. The movie features a variety of stars voicing several characters, most notably Jim Carrey, who voices Scrooge and the ghosts of all three Christmas (past, present, future) and Gary Oldman as Bob Cratchet, Marley and Tiny Tim. Several have tried to improve the legendary story, but Disney simply made the movie a visual spectacle. It does get a little strange in a spot or two, but all in all, it's a holiday treat even though it wasn't officially the holidays when it opened.
Where the Wild Things Are (B+) -- Director/writer Spike Jonze's screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic (very) short children's story does a wonderful job of challenging the imagination of both youngsters and adults. The movie, about a misunderstand young boy named Max (played by Max Records) who escapes to an island inhabited by strange creatures, does tend to linger a bit on the depressing side, however.
Amelia (B) -- Hillary Swank's performance keeps this movie from being the flop it could have been. Still, director Mira Nair and writers Ron Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan miss the opportunity to properly tell one of the most powerful stories of all time about legendary female pilot Amelia Earhart. Time and again when I wanted the movie to delve deeper, it pulled up like a plane with a pilot afraid to venture into certain territory,
The Vampire's Assistant (B) -- Before you call this a Twilight wannabe, understand that it is much better than the fluff of a movie that one was. John C. Reilly is hilarious as a vampish vampire, and Michael Cerveris is a worthwhile villain. Unlike Twilight, it's okay to laugh at this vampire movie.
2012 (C+) -- As visually stunning as it sometimes is, this movie about the Mayan civilization's prediction of the end of the world in a few years is undone by easily recognized and sometimes ridiculous plot contrivances. As disaster movies go, its highlights are certainly respectable, but just when you think it could leave us with something to ponder, it crosses over into the realm of silliness--evan laughable at times.
The Men Who Stare at Goats (C) -- The movie has a wonderful premise, but too often it tries too hard to be funny when it should just relax and let the humor do its job. George Clooney is suitable as a man who is part of a secret group of soliders with psychic powers that include reading minds, walking through walls and killing goats with a single stare. Ewan McGregor plays a newspaper reporter looking for that special story who can't decide if what he is seeing is really a more peaceful approach to war or one of the most outlandish larks ever.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (C-) -- While it is an improvement over the first Twilight movie (which was No. 2 on my worst-of list for 2008), there's still not a lot of substance to the second in the teen romance series featuring human Bella Swann (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Perhaps I should read the books, because I keep hearing how great and emotionally inspiring they are, but that has not translated to the big screen in either movie. A big reason is the movie's lead actors. When the talented Dakota Fanning makes a late-movie appearance in a bit part, it completely overshadows Stewart, Pattinson and Taylor Lautner (a werewolf who falls in love with Bella--surely there are some cool normal boys in Forks). What should be scary simply isn't. What should be romantic is stilted. Fans of the book will love the movie and it will make more money than a couple of New York Yankees payrolls. But for those who want a human-vampire tale with substance created by folks who know more about what they're doing, check out the far superior True Blood series on HBO.
The Box (D) -- Why was this movie made? They took my favorite Twilight Zone episode and gave it ridiculous additions. A mysterious box arrives at the home of an unhappily married couple. Press the button and they get a million dollars, but someone they don't know in the world will die. The ultimate twist of the Twilight Zone episode was the ending, when the box is retrieved and the couple is told it will go to someone else, someone they don't know. Once that statement is issued in the movie, things start to get really silly trying to explain something that worked best when it was left a mystery.
by RICK MAUCH
(Posted Today 11:05 am)
Precious (A) -- This could be the best movie of 2009. It's emotionally riveting and challenges it's horrific core with humor and hope (albeit not always where we would like to see it). Director Lee Daniels keeps the movie stirring when it could have slipped into something found on the Lifetime Network. A litany of powerful acting performances is led by newcomer Gabourey Sidibe as the title character, an obese inner-city 16-year-old who lives with her abusive mother (comedian Mo'Nique) and has not one--but two children by her own father. Both are worthy of an Oscar nomination, as is Mariah Carey (yes, she of Glitter fame) who dispenses with every shred of diva-ness to play the social worker who befriends Precious.
Paranormal Activity (A) -- Shot on a shoestring budget, this movie is anything but short when it comes to fright. This is perhaps the scariest movie I have ever seen. As the viewer watches through a single video camera what happens to a young couple when a demonic force invades their lives, it's a real challenge not to look around you in the theater, thinking something creepy just caught the corner of your eye. The angle of the camera, the placement of the bedroom door, the noises with no visual confirmation, the low barely audible grunts, I'm getting chills just righting about it. I saw it during the daylight and I still looked around in caution as I was walking out of the theater.
Zombieland (A) -- Who would have thought that a little movie about people throughout America turning into zombies after someone ate an infected hamburger would be one of the most enjoyable movies of the year. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are the perfect combination as four of the few remaining survivors trying to outrun the zombies on their way to a California amusement park. The script is sharp, the jokes are funny, and the stars are clearly having fun, but the movie also has a serious undertone, especially the message about how people in Hollywood often become nothing more than zombies themselves. A special cameo appearance by one of Hollywood's greatest provides some of the movie's funniest moments.
The Invention of Lying (A-) -- Ricky Gervais displays his genius once again with a movie that stars him as the only man in the world who has figured out how to benefit from not always telling the truth. Gervais and the always steady Jennifer Garner display a pleasant chemistry, while Rob Lowe gives a comically nasty turn as the nemesis. While it makes us laugh consistently, the movie also challenges blind acceptance without question, daring us to consider options other than those we have always been taught to be right or wrong.
Michael Jackson's This Is It (A-) -- I admit pleasant surprise at the quality of this documentary--and I'm not only talking about the music, which I knew would be good. I was subsequently entertained and informed by the smoothness of director Kenny Ortega's presentation, which clearly tops his previous efforts such as High School Musical 2 and 3. The movie resonates joy in watching one of the greatest at his craft prepare for 50 concerts in London, surrounded by the sadness that the world wuld never see those shows. There's also a haunting feeling that persists knowing that nowhere else except the stage would Jackson ever be so comfortable.
Disney's A Christmas Carol (A-) -- While it was released a little too early before the holiday season for my taste, I have to applaud the folks at Disney for taking a tried and true story and giving it a little pizzazz. The movie features a variety of stars voicing several characters, most notably Jim Carrey, who voices Scrooge and the ghosts of all three Christmas (past, present, future) and Gary Oldman as Bob Cratchet, Marley and Tiny Tim. Several have tried to improve the legendary story, but Disney simply made the movie a visual spectacle. It does get a little strange in a spot or two, but all in all, it's a holiday treat even though it wasn't officially the holidays when it opened.
Where the Wild Things Are (B+) -- Director/writer Spike Jonze's screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic (very) short children's story does a wonderful job of challenging the imagination of both youngsters and adults. The movie, about a misunderstand young boy named Max (played by Max Records) who escapes to an island inhabited by strange creatures, does tend to linger a bit on the depressing side, however.
Amelia (B) -- Hillary Swank's performance keeps this movie from being the flop it could have been. Still, director Mira Nair and writers Ron Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan miss the opportunity to properly tell one of the most powerful stories of all time about legendary female pilot Amelia Earhart. Time and again when I wanted the movie to delve deeper, it pulled up like a plane with a pilot afraid to venture into certain territory,
The Vampire's Assistant (B) -- Before you call this a Twilight wannabe, understand that it is much better than the fluff of a movie that one was. John C. Reilly is hilarious as a vampish vampire, and Michael Cerveris is a worthwhile villain. Unlike Twilight, it's okay to laugh at this vampire movie.
2012 (C+) -- As visually stunning as it sometimes is, this movie about the Mayan civilization's prediction of the end of the world in a few years is undone by easily recognized and sometimes ridiculous plot contrivances. As disaster movies go, its highlights are certainly respectable, but just when you think it could leave us with something to ponder, it crosses over into the realm of silliness--evan laughable at times.
The Men Who Stare at Goats (C) -- The movie has a wonderful premise, but too often it tries too hard to be funny when it should just relax and let the humor do its job. George Clooney is suitable as a man who is part of a secret group of soliders with psychic powers that include reading minds, walking through walls and killing goats with a single stare. Ewan McGregor plays a newspaper reporter looking for that special story who can't decide if what he is seeing is really a more peaceful approach to war or one of the most outlandish larks ever.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (C-) -- While it is an improvement over the first Twilight movie (which was No. 2 on my worst-of list for 2008), there's still not a lot of substance to the second in the teen romance series featuring human Bella Swann (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Perhaps I should read the books, because I keep hearing how great and emotionally inspiring they are, but that has not translated to the big screen in either movie. A big reason is the movie's lead actors. When the talented Dakota Fanning makes a late-movie appearance in a bit part, it completely overshadows Stewart, Pattinson and Taylor Lautner (a werewolf who falls in love with Bella--surely there are some cool normal boys in Forks). What should be scary simply isn't. What should be romantic is stilted. Fans of the book will love the movie and it will make more money than a couple of New York Yankees payrolls. But for those who want a human-vampire tale with substance created by folks who know more about what they're doing, check out the far superior True Blood series on HBO.
The Box (D) -- Why was this movie made? They took my favorite Twilight Zone episode and gave it ridiculous additions. A mysterious box arrives at the home of an unhappily married couple. Press the button and they get a million dollars, but someone they don't know in the world will die. The ultimate twist of the Twilight Zone episode was the ending, when the box is retrieved and the couple is told it will go to someone else, someone they don't know. Once that statement is issued in the movie, things start to get really silly trying to explain something that worked best when it was left a mystery.
