2010 Honorable Mentions (continued)

THE TOWN THE TOWN sounds a lot like an old-western and this modern day thriller feels just like one. Ben Affleck, just like Clint Eastwood, may find his best cinematic years behind, not in front of, the camera. Just like his directorial debut, GONE BABY GONE, Affleck captures the essence of his Beantown roots, creating authentic characters and intense confrontations from a plot that could have gone in the wrong direction. THE TOWN isn’t your average action film, one with brains and heart.

SHUTTER ISLAND Although SHUTTER ISLAND doesn’t break any new ground, it does feel frighteningly authentic thanks to director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio. This psychological horror film centers around a police investigation at a remote insane asylum and is terrifically creepy thanks to the aura Scorsese creates and the determined character that Dicaprio encompasses.　

FROZEN FROZEN is a well-orchestrated thriller that shrewdly adapts its surroundings into its participants perils. Three friends are marooned at the top of a ski-lift during sub-freezing temperatures for the weekend, and writer-director Adam Green finds plenty of obstacles outside of the weather to give FROZEN all of the chills it needs.

EDGE OF DARKNESS EDGE OF DARKNESS is another thriller that benefits from the forceful presence of Mel Gibson as a father seeking revenge for his daughter’s death, and a screenplay that doesn’t let anyone off-the-hook. This personal and political pot-boiler has more brawn than brains, but there’s enough intellect in the subtext to keep it from masquerading as standard action fare.

SALT
SALT, on the other hand, is extremely well orchestrated standard action fare. Angelina Jolie is a spy, or an agent, or a double-agent in this crazy, exhilarating and utterly entertaining romp from director Phillip Noyce. Noyce, who’s most recent works have been more serious, cuts loose with this fun and completely ridiculous mystery.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Anchor Bay Films and Warner Bros. Pictures

2010 Honorable Mentions

THE FIGHTER

Director David O’ Russell crafts the real-life tale of an underdog boxer into a best picture nominee with THE FIGHTER. Mark Wahlberg boxes his way towards a championship as prize fighter Micky Ward. Although his route to the title is tough, Micky’s bigger bout is with his antagonistic, but well-meaning family. O’Russell’s dissected family dynamics before, but not nearly as well in this realistic and emotional family drama. Melissa Leo and Christian Bale lose themselves in self-destructive, but hopeful characters.

TOY STORY 3, TANGLED and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

Although no animated features cracks my top ten in 2010, it was still a fine year for the genre. TOY STORY 3, TANGLED and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON each brings something unique for kids and their parents.

TOY STORY III picks up where one and two left off, dazzling us with thrilling action sequences, laugh-out loud jokes and heartfelt moments between Woody, Buzz and the rest of Andy’s favorite toys.

TANGLED is a throwback princess movie in the standard Disney mold. Although the lead characters are rather bland, the humor stemming from the film’s sidekicks was on-the-mark, and the magical moments are highlighted with a romantic scene on the sea and a terrific twirling montage with Rapunzel’s golden locks.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is Dreamworks finest from 2010. A friendship between former foes in a Viking and a dragon is reminiscent of another foreign friendship between an extraterrestrial and a boy named Elliott. Although not as exquisite as E.T., DRAGON still soars with terrific aerial shots and coliseum encounters, and even benefits from the 3D technology that many pictures still struggle to get right.

WINTER'S BONE

It’s not often that films cut to the core of basic human necessities, but WINTER’S BONE serves up a drama that is equally thrilling and moving. Jennifer Lawrence, at only 19, conveys a deep determination, tough attitude and wisdom beyond her years as the heroine of this gutsy tale of a teenager who must find her estranged dad to save her family and home. WINTER’S BONE is a riveting look into a slice of life that screenwriters typically avoid.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Dreamworks Pictures and Roadside Attractions

The Worst Ten Films of 2010 (#6 - #10)

Thanks to the birth of my second daughter Claire, and a reduced production schedule, I avoided a lot of bad films in 2010, so much so, that I won’t call my list the worst films of 2010, but rather the worst films I saw in 2010. With that said, these ten should still be avoided.

10) MONSTERS
MONSTERS is an awkward love story with a monster movie as its backdrop, failing to ignite much passion or sparks between its leads. The impromptu screenplay hangs the romantic leads out to dry, while the monster moments are effective, but cut short by writer-director Gareth Edwards. The monsters are frightening, but they had nothing on the interaction between Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy.

9) THE RUNAWAYS

THE RUNAWAYS is a bio-picture about controversial girl rockers, featuring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. The film may have seemed edgier, had it not been so boring. The on-stage performances by these young stars are convincing, but the backstage theatrics and melodrama make this Joan Jett coming-of-age production a real yawner.

8) LITTLE FOCKERS

Robert Deniro and Ben Stiller reunite for more odd encounters in LITTLE FOCKERS. Although Deniro and Stiller walk away unscathed, Jack and Greg did not, with a collection of screenwriters and director Paul Weitz forcing the characters into ludicrous and humorless situations. LITTLE FOCKERS plot involving Greg’s kids is just another excuse to drag out another series through Hollywood’s comedy remanufacturing plant.

7) COUNTRY STRONG

COUNTRY STRONG is neither strong, or very country. A weak narrative scattered amongst three country pop stars and their manager is completely hollow. The performances deliver second-rate tunes well enough, but it’s the other moments when their mouths are open that make this made-for-TV melodrama grating. Gwyneth Paltrow’s diva Kelly Canter is a new low for the actress. Despite the less than stellar screenplay, Paltrow draws no empathy for this miserable alcoholic.

6) WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS
Gordon Gecko returned from the dead, or at least from behind bars in the not-so-thrilling sequel, WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS. Michael Douglas reprises his role as Gecko, and Oliver Stone returns, but the controversial and talented director leaves his significant scripting and directing skills in the 80’s. Although money never sleeps, I nearly did gazing at the dollar signs wasted on this tedious retread.

Photos courtesy of Vertigo Films, River Road and Linson Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox

The Worst Ten Films of 2010 (#1 - #5)

5) LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

Tragedy and comedy collide in the romantic comedy mess LIFE AS WE KNOW IT. Katherine Heigel and Josh Duhamel are de facto surrogate parents after mutual friends die in an auto accident, leaving their young son in the hands of these singles. Even if you buy into the far-fetched set-up, there’s little to accept from these sometimes selfish and often foolish characters.

4) VALENTINE'S DAYThere’s nothing sweet that comes from VALENTINE’S DAY. This bloated, syrupy and ridiculous romantic comedy, mixes several story line and stars, each of which is less compelling then the next. Some things could only happen in the movies, and others could only happen in a Garry Marshall movie. This one is the latter.

3) COP OUT

COP OUT busts in minus any thrills or laughs. Writer-director Kevin Smith hits rock bottom with this so-called, buddy-cop comedy starring Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan and Sean William Scott. Each star is type cast in a role that is equally unfunny and annoying. The only thing less effective than Smith’s by-the-book script, is the half-hearted action sequences pasted in between the ineffective humor. COP OUT lives up to its title.

2) THE WOLFMAN

An Oscar pedigree encompasses the at-times, laugh-out loud, bad thriller and horror film THE WOLFMAN. Past Oscar nominees Anthony Hopkins and Benico Del Toro should have foreseen the unintended laughs in the film’s mono-y-mono finale as fighting wolves. What isn’t unintentionally funny, is extremely crude, following the standard werewolf set-up and payoff. Emily Blunt attempts to bring some levity to this nonsense, but is trumped by horrific and grotesque killings. Seriously, beware of THE WOLFMAN.

1) THE LAST AIRBENDER

The worst film I witnessed in 2010 was the nearly incomprehensible fantasy adventure, THE LAST AIRBENDER. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for writer-director M. NIGHT SHYMALAN, it does, with this tame, lifeless and illogical tale of a magical child with unearthly powers. The Nickelodeon based film offers nothing for adults, and little for anyone else familiar with the animated series. Half-baked special effects, porous 3-D and some of the worst child performances of the year encompass this grand waste of imagination and dollars. Please, bend over backwards to avoid Shylaman’s last gasp of air.

Photos courtesy of Warner Brothers, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures

RABBIT HOLE

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate Films
Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart grieve over the loss of their four-year old son in the drama RABBIT HOLE.

Eight months have passed since Becca (Kidman) and Howie’s (Eckhart) son Danny died, and the grieving process continues. They enroll in a support group for parents who have lost a child, but the group provides little support for what ails them. Making matters more difficult is the fact that Becca’s single sister, Izzy has recently become pregnant.

Becca and Howie work through mourning in different ways. Becca wants to put the memory of Danny behind her, while Howie finds comfort in watching old videos of his son.

Tackling the subject of grief, particularly the loss of a child, is a daunting task. RABBIT HOLE takes a mannered approach to the subject, and in spite of its best intentions, feels contrived and shallow.

Just like many other dramas, when the going gets tough for middle to upper class suburbanites, the middle to upper class suburbanites turn to pot smoking and possibly adultery.

In addition to these clichéd actions, the film at times feels stagy. The film is based on a stage play by David Lindsay-Abaire and some of the more dramatic moments play as such.

This is no fault of Kidman and Eckhart. Both actors convey genuine emotions in their portrayals, with Eckhart the more sympathetic of the two. Eckhart’s Howie wears his love for his son on his sleeve, remembering the fondest of times with his boy. Kidman’s Becca finds no solace in the memories, and seems to resent the fact that life goes on as usual around her. It’s through their performances that RABBIT HOLE does illicit signs of humanity.

RABBIT HOLE doesn’t wallow in shame, but the examination of grief, particularly that of losing a child, deserves better.

Grade: C

THE MECHANIC

Photos courtesy of CBS Films
An assassin trains his mentor’s son at his own sadistic trade in the action remake THE MECHANIC.

Jason Statham is Arthur Bishop, an assassin who’s mentor Harry, played by Donald Sutherland, is double-crossed and murdered. Following his death, Harry’s son Steve, played by Ben Foster, wants revenge and wants Arthur to teach him the tricks of the trade. Arthur reluctantly agrees, and eventually learns that Steve will be a difficult pupil.

In standard action movies, there are good guys and bad guys. In THE MECHANIC, there are bad guys and worse ones. This proves to be the Achilles Heel of the film, a film which demands a rooting interest.

The setup is simple enough to establish a hero and a villain, but this remake, based on the 1972 Charles Bronson revenge flick, seems to relish the fact that all of its participants have an evil streak.

THE MECHANIC may have been able to get away with nary a hero had the action delivered the goods. The early scenes are the most interesting, with Arthur relying on his cunning skills to escape would be assailants. Steve isn’t the sly type though, so the latter scenes are less reliant on execution, and more on brute force. These scenes do not play as well, sacrificing suspense for shock value.

The performances are decent, yet unimpressive. Foster is solid, delivering a quirky and weird sense to Steve, while Statham is workmanlike, continuing to be Hollywood’s deadpan Bruce Willis.

The film concludes with a bit of a twist, but I was hoping for some form of personal redemption. THE MECHANIC could have used a bit of a tune-up.

Grade: C

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS

Photos courtesy of Europa Corp.

Jim Carrey falls for a fellow inmate in the romantic comedy I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS.

Carrey is former police officer, now inmate, Steven Russell. After a near-death experience in an automobile accident, Steven decides to come out of the proverbial closet. After divorcing his wife, played by Leslie Mann, and being booted from the police force, Steven desperately needs an income. Unable or unwilling to find employment, Steven generates money through faulty lawsuits involving injuries.

Eventually his life of fraud lands him in prison where he meets his soul mate in Phillip Morris, played by Ewan McGregor.

Romantic comedies typically don’t lend themselves to twists and turns, but thanks to Carrey and a script that wouldn’t seem plausible if it weren’t actually true, I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS delivers a refreshing blend of surprises, humor and romance.

Carrey, channeling his inner Ace Ventura, delivers a truly unique character, one which would typically be classified as a crook, but through his performance earns several big laughs. Steven’s fraudulent escapades seem more ornery than mean-spirited, and thanks to Carrey’s wild, funny and heartfelt antics we root for Steven to find his path in life.

Carrey’s counterpart McGregor doesn’t fare quite as well. McGregor’s Phillip is supposed to be as naïve and innocent as Steven is eccentric and outlandish, but the talented Brit has a hard time pulling it off. McGregor, just months shy of his 40th birthday, has been cast in a role that seems appropriate for someone half his age.

Nevertheless, screenwriters and directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa structure the screenplay to make the romance between Steven and Phillip not only plausible, but sincere.

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS isn’t a romantic comedy for everyone, but for those a bit more adventurous, this gay prison laugher is no fraud.

Grade: B

THE GREEN HORNET

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures
A medial mogul’s son takes over the family business and also becomes a crime fighter in the latest superhero film, THE GREEN HORNET.

Seth Rogan is Britt Reid, a reckless twenty-something thrust into the role of newspaper owner after the untimely death of his father. Although Britt takes over a powerful role in the media world, he becomes more fascinated with his father’s cars and Kato, the mechanic behind the machines.

Britt decides with Kato’s souped-up rides and fighting skills, the two should masquerade as superheroes during the night, beating up bad guys and more or less having fun.

Just as Britt and Kato are thinly disguised as superheroes, so THE GREEN HORNET is thinly disguiseed as a superhero movie.

THE GREEN HORNET is first and foremost a buddy comedy, attempting to capitalize on Rogan’s recent popularity and boyish charm. This works in flashes, but the film begs for something more.

A flimsy script is held together by adequate action sequences that fail to ignite, and performances that deserve to be in a better film. Rogan and Jay Chou, as Kato, make for an unlikely, but effective duo, with Chou’s pitch-perfect deadpan reactions to Rogan’s wisecracking and childish tricks. Adding some extra fun to the mix is Christoph Walz as the Green Hornet’s nemesis Chudnofsky, the crime kingpin of LA. As he did in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, Walz chews up every scene he’s in. Chudnofsky is as over-the-top as one should and could expect.

In spite of the right performers in the right roles, THE GREEN HORNET’s screenplay seems to be on auto-pilot, and the direction by the talented Michel Gondry is lackluster.

THE GREEN HORNET may be a buddy comedy, but it’s one that could have used a little more sting.

Grade: C

HOW DO YOU KNOW

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures
A former team USA softball star finds herself in limbo in love and softball in the latest James Brooks romantic comedy, HOW DO YOU KNOW.

Resse Witherspoon is Lisa, a softball veteran recently cut by team USA, who isn’t sure what to do now that she isn’t playing the game. Lisa is dating Matty, a womanizing, but likable Washington Nationals relief pitcher played by Owen Wilson. She’s also been set up by one of her friends on a blind date with George, a businessman who is about to be indicted by the feds.

George, played by Paul Rudd, is in legal hot water, and is left to sink or swim by the company’s CEO and owner, Charles, his father, played by Jack Nicholson.

HOW DO YOU KNOW would be an interesting companion piece to Ricky Gervais’s THE INVENTION OF LYING. Gervais’s comedy was a somewhat scathing look at what life would be like if everyone told the truth. THE INVENTION OF LYING was occasionally funny, but drenched in cynicism.

HOW DO YOU KNOW features four characters who also always tell the truth, ones which wear their emotions on their sleeves, and a script that is hopeful about human nature. Although the dialogue in HOW DO YOU KNOW doesn’t always sound realistic, it does evoke emotions from the characters that are honest and revealing.

By allowing his characters to speak their minds and their hearts, director James Brooks has concocted a messy, but thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy, one which adeptly balances both humor and heart.

A film like this wouldn’t work without strong and likable leads. Witherspoon and Rudd are naturally charming, but do not have an instant spark. This actually plays to the strength of HOW DO YOU KNOW by allowing both Lisa and George time to learn about one another and fall in love.

Owen Wilson also creates a winner in Matty, a confused womanizer who believes he’s finally met the woman for him. By creating such a strong supporting character, Matty creates suspense for Lisa’s romantic decision.

The only disappointment is Nicholson, who is saddled as the controlling father figure, and is alloted only a last minute moment of redemption.

HOW DO YOU KNOW is not a conventional romantic comedy, allowing the viewer to not only see within the characters, but also hear it.

Grade: B-

LITTLE FOCKERS

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures
Ben Stiller is still vying for Robert Deniro’s approval after all these years in the comedy LITTLE FOCKERS.

Stiller again reprises his role as Greg Focker, the lovable, but flawed son-in-law of Jack Byrnes, played by Deniro. While reviewing the Byrnes family tree, Jack has a mild heart attack and begins to assess his family’s structure. As the family patriarch, Jack believes Greg is the man to take over that role once he has moved on. Greg still has a few things to prove though.

The title LITTLE FOCKERS would lead you to believe that this third installment of the MEET THE PARENTS series would focus on Greg’s kids and his life as a father. Wrong, this is more of a side note, and an excuse to drag out another series through Hollywood’s comedy remanufacturing plant.

The jokes are as flat as this three-film drawn-out plot of Greg trying to win over Jack’s approval. For every minor joke that hits, there are several wrong-headed jokes and scenes that don’t. Whether it’s Jessica Alba assisting Greg with inserting a tube up a man’s rectum, Greg providing Jack a shot after taking a pill for erectile dysfunction or Greg and Jack engaged in a slugfest at Greg’s son and daughter’s fifth birthday party, there’s little that director Paul Weitz and a collection of screen writers get right.

A proverbial who’s who of actors encompass the cast including Dustin Hoffmann, Barbara Streisand, Harvey Keitel, Laura Dern, Blythe Danner, Owen Wilson and the aforementioned Alba, but their appearances serve more as cameos than characters. Although Stiller and Deniro go unscathed with their performances, the scenarios they find their characters involved in are either ludicrous or tired.

Here’s to LITTLE FOCKERS being the last Greg and Jack reunion, for their sake and ours.

Grade: D+

THE TOURIST

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Angelina Jolie seduces Johnny Depp aboard a European locomotive in the thriller THE TOURIST.

Depp is Frank, an American tourist headed towards Venice in hopes of soaking up the sights and forgetting his ex. Jolie is Elise, a woman caught up in her husband’s escapades and also in harm’s way. In order to throw off her pursuers, Elise chooses Frank, an apparently innocent, but willing participant in her twisted game.

THE TOURIST feels like a softened and less thought out version of the unheralded, but clever little thriller A PERFECT GETAWAY.

Both films are thrillers set across exotic landscapes, with attractive leads and a mystery biting at its core. Not only does THE TOURIST not thrill like A PERFECT GETAWAY, but the revelation in this romantic thriller feels false and forced.

All may have been forgiven had Depp and Jolie been able to create any sparks in the chemistry department. Both former Sexiest People of the Year, the steam between the two is surprisingly absent, and the rest of the screenplay, penned by four writers, including director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck doesn’t provide any assistance.

Henckel von Donnersmarck, who directed the brilliant thriller THE LIVES OF OTHERS, fails to find the right tone for THE TOURIST. The proceedings are too laid back, capturing the beauty of the European countryside and Venice canals, but failing to nail down any intensity in the mystery, the love affair or the police investigation. Depp, Jolie and Henckel von Donnersmarck are wasted, as are a name supporting cast consisting of Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton and Rufus Sewell.

THE TOURIST is nothing more than pretty faces and landscapes.

Grade: C-

TRON

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

The creator of video games and a major corporation finds himself trapped in one of his own creations in the science fiction adventure TRON: LEGACY.

Jeff Daniels is Kevin Flynn, the owner of a successful technology company who still enjoys working on the ground level of the industry, continuing to experiment with the possibility of virtual explorations for mankind. Kevin is a father to his 12-year old son Sam, and a widower. One night after putting his son to bed, Kevin heads to his arcade for more research and experimentation. He never returns.

Twenty-years later Sam is now the majority owner of his father’s corporation, when his surrogate father and a board member of the corporation receives a page from the arcade that Sam’s father once owned. Sam travels to the arcade, and discovers the porthole to the virtual reality his father created.

TRON: LEGACY is a visual and auditory feast, the quintessential moving picture of 2010. TRON: LEGACY is such an entertaining film in those regards that you almost forget that it doesn’t amount to much.

This science-fiction flick is much more fiction than science, leaping into a virtual world and never looking back. Where a more cerebral film would have explored technology’s impact on society, or at the very least explored something more than surface material, TRON: LEGACY is what it is, a video and audio celebration of technology.

The world of Tron is a unique experience, creating a land that is imaginative and futuristic, but also simplistic enough to follow its concepts and limitations. Means of transportation appear from thin air, the characters often move in sync to the film’s soundtrack and the palette of colors is limited, but effective.

First-time film director Joseph Kosinski’s experience with art direction in video games and commercials pays off in TRON: LEGACY, even if a collection of screenwriters don’t provide much assistance in regards to plot or characterization.

Letting the soundtrack play and the images unwind, TRON: LEGACY is easily enjoyed as a mind-numbing, but sensory-invigorating trip inside a video game.

Grade: B-

MONSTERS

Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures


Another alien invasion wreaks havoc on planet earth, this time south of the United States border in the horror film MONSTERS.

The aliens have infected a large portion of Mexico, after a NASA probe collecting alien samples crashed in Central America. Many US residents are fleeing the area, including Samantha, the daughter of a wealthy United States media mogul. She’s escorted home by Andrew, a freelance photographer who is currently working for her father’s business. Andrew isn’t pleased that he’s been awarded the assignment.

Our third love story on this edition of “Now Playing” (in addition to TANGLED and LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS), doesn’t play as well as the first two.

Surprised? Yes, MONSTERS is more or less a generic love story played against the backdrop of a monster movie. When I say backdrop, I mean backdrop, as the monsters are more or less an afterthought. It’s really a shame, because writer-director Gareth Edwards understands how real horror works, establishing an atmosphere of terror, and allowing it’s menace to lurk slowly around the trees, in the seas or up in the clouds.

Unfortunately MONSTERS isn’t much of a monster mash as it is an awkward love story, and this is where Edwards seems out of his element. The interaction between the two leads, Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy, is at its best acceptable, and at its worst, grating. There’s little chemistry between the two. This isn’t as much a fault of the two actors, but rather the impromptu screenplay that left much of the interaction in the hands of Able and McNairy’s improvisational skills.

MONSTERS moments of horror are actually fairly well done, building suspense through exotic locales and glimpses of the creature, rather than going full bore with outlandish special effects and gore.

I only wish the film was as frightening as the romance.

Grade: C-

TANGLED

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

A very hairy situation traps a beautiful princess in Disney’s latest animated feature, TANGLED.

TANGLED is Disney’s version of the classic tale of Rapunzel, the long-haired princess who was kidnapped and left marooned in a tower. In Disney’s adaptation, Rapunzel, voiced by Mandy Moore, is captured by a gypsy after the gypsy discovers that Rapunzel’s hair possesses great powers. Rapunzel is forbidden to leave the tower, allowing the gypsy to hoard Rapunzel’s powers.

Flynt Rider, a thief and rebel, stumbles upon the tower. Flynt, as you may have guessed, is Rapunzel’s ticket to freedom. In exchange for her freedom, Rapunzel will return something to Flynt that he seized from the king and queen.

Mixing an old-fashioned fairy tale with modern-day technology and sharp wordplay, TANGLED is an entertaining princess flick worthy of both girls and boys attention.

This Grimm fairy tale seems aimed at young girls, with a princess heroine as the protagonist, and two cutesy sidekicks. Although the film works as standard princess fare, it also offers a few hair-raising action sequences, and some occasionally effective 3D work, that plays well to anyone, but even more so to boys.

TANGLED’s sense of humor and romanticism overshadow the bland nature of Rapunzel and Flynt, enough that the storybook fable works. The humor, built into Flynt’s dialogue and the animal sidekicks, a non-speaking horse and chameleon, are abundant, but subtle in comparison to today’s standards.

There’s even a touch of the old Disney magic. The opening sequence where Rapunzel’s birth parents send out a distress signal for their daughter, and later when both Rapunzel and Flynt view the signal while at sea is not only an affecting emotional moment, but also an aesthetically pleasing one.

Much like last year’s THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, Disney appears to be back on their game in the animated genre.

Grade: B

MORNING GLORY

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Rachael McAdams tries to turn a major network’s cellar-dwelling television program into a success in the comedy MORNING GLORY.

McAdams is Becky Fuller, a twenty-eight year old jobless Californian who’s seeking employment after falling victim to budget cuts at a local television station. She sends her resume all over the country, and finally lands a call from a network station based in New York. She lands the job of executive producer of the station’s morning show, Daybreak, and hopes to bring the show’s ratings up from the basement to the top.

She succeeds in coercing former nighttime anchor Mike Pomeroy, played by Harrison Ford, to host the show alongside mainstay Colleen Peck. Despite the all-star team, Mike and Colleen don’t exactly see high to eye.

Becky Fuller is the kind of executive producer anyone would like to have working for them, both in and out of the television industry. She’s devoted to her craft, her crew and she’s so naïve and optimistic that pie-in-the-sky dreams don’t seem like pie-in-the-sky dreams.

She’s also a character who deserves a more honed screenplay. MORNING GLORY is as pleasant as pleasant can be, creating a realistic, yet engaging atmosphere for Becky to navigate. It features a uniformly good cast, with Ford as the old curmudgeon anchor, Keaton the bright-eyed, but jaded co-host and Patrick Wilson as Becky’s charming love interest Adam.

All of the pieces are in place for a top-notch comedy, and there are some wonderful moments laced into MORNING GLORY, but writer Aline Brosh McKenna, and director Roger Michell, aren’t confident enough in the characters they’ve developed. MORNING GLORY goes to great ends to establish who Becky and Mike are, that the film’s glossed-over ending feels false and unsatisfying. Not only does Becky deserve a better outcome, but so does McAdams, who carries the film with a light, but big-hearted performance that is truly memorable.

MORNING GLORY has crafted all the right characters, but doesn't have the confidence to have them stay true to their nature.

Grade: C+

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Harry and his friends find life outside of Hogwart’s a lot more difficult in the seventh and final chapter of the Harry Potter series, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART ONE.

Harry, Ron and Hermione are no longer attending Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and now will be forced to put their schooling into practice. Lord Voldemort, the murderer of Harry’s parents, is dead set on sending Harry and his two friends to the grave, and has assembled the Ministry of Magic to plot the threes doom. Harry, Ron and Hermoine catch wind of the plan and flee to the outskirts where they can hide in isolationism and plot their next move.
Harry, Hermione and Ron have grown up right in front of our own eyes, and so has the HARRY POTTER series. What started as a children’s adventure has turned into a survival test, and the subject matter isn’t for the faint of heart.

In many ways, I’ve come to enjoy the series more as it’s progressed. As a non-Potter reader, I’ve felt out of the loop, and haven’t felt that the series as a whole has filled in the necessary gaps. Yet as the HARRY POTTER series has evolved, the themes and story have grown broader and seemingly more important.

I’ve also become more fond of the characters, of which I’ve spent roughly 15 hours of my life with. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 is by far the darkest and most adult film of the series, and it benefits from both aspects. Life, death, love and honor are all at stake for our three favorite Hogwart graduates, and you can sense this in nearly every scene. There are times in DEATHLY HALLOWS where I still feel like an outsider looking in, but these are now the exception rather than the rule. Knowing that Harry, Ron and Hermione’s lives weigh in the balance, as does their friendship, and maybe more, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 has culminated the Potter series into a film with real human emotion and pathos.

This film, along with THE GOBLET OF FIRE, are the best of the Potter lot.

Grade: B

HEREAFTER

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Director Clint Eastwood delves into the afterlife with his latest drama, HEREAFTER. HEREAFTER features three separate storylines, each focused on the effects of death and what lies ahead.

Marie LeLay is the host of a hot-button French television show, who while on assignment, experiences a traumatic, near-death experience in the midst of a typhoon. Marcus and Jason are adolescent British twins, attempting to keep their family together in spite of their drug-addicted mother, each struck by a sudden tragedy. And lastly, there’s George, played by Matt Damon, an American psychic who’s left the profession for a blue collar job, with the hopes of obtaining a normal life.

Each of these characters grapples with their fate and the great beyond.

Always prevalent, but never expressly so, nearly all Clint Eastwood directed films have a certain synchronicity to them. Never so much so than HEREAFTER. Although Marie, Jason and George each share a commonality, we sense that there are greater forces at work.

The events that unfold in writer Peter Morgan’s script could have played out as melodrama or schmaltz, but under Eastwood’s careful touch, HEREAFTER serves as a thoughtful meditation on three lost souls. Marie, Jason and George all experience the pain and hardship of loss, be it through death, personal relationships or their profession, but underneath their anguish lies a sense that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Morgan’s screenplay is well-orchestrated, Eastwood’s touch on-the-mark, and the performances by the three leads are convincing and emotionally rewarding. Cecile de France as Marie, Frankie and George McLaren as Marcus and Jason and Damon as the aforementioned George, all convey their levels of despair appropriately, and each in different ways. Through their performances we explore grief and redemption in humanistic and reflective ways.

Eastwood again serves as his own composer, adding a layer of soulfulness with his simplistic, yet haunting score.

HEREAFTER is a moving and contemplative exploration of what lies ahead when our souls move on.

Grade: B+

DUE DATE

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis find themselves headed to Los Angeles via the roadway, instead of the airway in the buddy comedy, DUE DATE.

Downey’s Peter is scheduled to fly to LA, returning home to his pregnant wife Sarah, who’s scheduled for a C-section in a matter of days. Galifianakis’s Ethan is headed to Hollywood, in hopes of becoming an actor. Ethan’s father has recently passed away, and Ethan is now inspired to live out his dream.

After Peter and Ethan accidentally switch bags, and Ethan spiritedly uses the words terrorist and bomb aboard their flight, Peter and Ethan find themselves on the no-fly list. Ethan rents a car and plans on driving to Hollywood, but Peter, minus his seized wallet, license and credit cards, has no way to get there, until Ethan offers him a ride.

DUE DATE, as most critics have aptly dubbed it, is a modern day version of PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES. The set-up, mismatched pair and even events along the road, make DUE DATE an unmistakable homage to the Martin-Candy holiday classic.

Where DUE DATE errs, and PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES succeeded was in its humanity, or in DUE DATE’S case, lack thereof. Both Downey and Galifianakis are playing magnified extensions of their typical on-screen personas, with Peter as the extremely arrogant, self-absorbed elitist, and Galifianakis as the clueless, obnoxious fool. There are a substantial amount of laughs, due in large part to the tandem’s talents, but many laughs are lost due to the unlikable nature of Peter and Ethan.

Writer-director Todd Phillips, of OLD SCHOOL and THE HANGOVER fame, knows comedy and many of the film’s memorable moments capitalize on the absurdity of the situation and the two men involved. When the outlandish moments stop, we’re left with a snob and an idiot, and Phillips and a collection of co-writers create half-hearted back-stories in an effort to drum up empathy for our leads. It doesn’t work.

DUE DATE had all the makings of a laugh-out-loud romp, but it’s often hard to laugh at two men you’d leave stranded on the side of the highway.

Grade: C

LET ME IN

Photos courtesy of Hammer Film Productions

A dangerous young girl befriends her neighbor, an outcast boy in the horror film LET ME IN.

The film is the American remake of the well-received Swedish horror film LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. Oskar and Eli are now Owen and Abbey, two kids who meet on the playground outside their apartment complex. Abbey warns Owen that they shouldn’t become friends, but the two’s exclusion from other children leads to a bond and friendship between the two.

Owen is bullied at school by his classmates which leads to his torment, but Abbey has a unique problem, she’s a vampire. Abbey’s father does her dirty work for her, sneaking out at night to provide Abbey with the necessary life blood.
This vampire remake retains many of the chills as the original, but instead of an overtly cautionary tale about teen angst, anger and cruelty, it is more of a straightforward thriller with a rich subtext.

The revamped script, written by Mark Reeves, who also directs, stays true to the Swedish film, with very few differences. The one change, and a welcomed one, is the torment felt by Abbey’s father played by character actor Richard Jenkins.

Jenkins has made a name for himself playing honorable dads, and in LET ME IN, this portrayal is even more challenging. In spite of Abbey’s father’s actions, there’s a certain nobility, and dare I say obligation, in dad’s gruesome work. It’s a credit to Jenkins that we emphasize with him.

Like the original, LET ME IN benefits from two terrific child performances. Chloe Moretz, of KICK ASS fame, plays Abbey straight, as a repressed, but loving girl. The fact that Abbey is a vampire burdens her, but Moretz doesn’t play it to superficial effect, treating it more like a form of supernatural abuse that plagues her.

Equally impressive is Kodi Smit-McPhee as Owen. Smit-McPhee follows up his performance in THE ROAD with another angst-ridden role. Smit-McPhee physically embodies the schoolyard victim, but also conveys his outward trepidation and inward anger terrifically.

As mentioned before LET ME IN is more of a horror-thriller than the original, and although there are some frightening moments, the horror is also where the film’s biggest misstep occurs. An over reliance by Reeves utilizing CGI drains some of the drama out of this fearful tale.

Although not quite up to the standards of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, LET ME IN is still a cut above films in its genre.

Grade: B-

BURIED

Photos courtesy of Antena 3 Films

Ryan Reynolds finds himself six feet under in the Middle East in the claustrophobic thriller BURIED.

As the title eludes Reynolds’ Paul, a contractor working in Iraq, is trapped under ground in a casket after being ambushed by a group of Iraqis. Paul is left with a lighter, a cell phone and a couple of glow sticks, but little hope of returning above ground.

BURIED takes experimental cinema to the next level. Several films have taken enclosed or secluded confines to dramatic effect from 12 ANGRY MEN to PHONE BOOTH to OPEN WATER, but none more challenging than turning a roughly eight by four by two foot box into the entire setting for a suspense thriller.

Amazingly enough BURIED works, even if there are a few liberties taken to pull off the proceedings. Reynolds is the lone actor in the film, with voice talent provided by a handful of actors, and he delivers a genuine performance full of frustration, despair and anger. Reynolds typically plays confident, often cocky, individuals. As Paul it was refreshing to see the young actor have everything stripped from him, and essentially work from scratch. Without the benefit of acting off another, Reynolds is forced to react to a dire situation, possible outcomes, government bureaucracy and a few voices.

BURIED director Rodrigo Cortes takes advantage of Chris Sparling’s script that provides a generous number of situations despite the confined setting. These situations, at times contrived, but often necessary, give BURIED enough substance to substantiate a full-length runtime.

BURIED digs deep enough into Paul’s predicament thanks to a creative script, skillful direction and a solid lead performance.

Grade: B-