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Reviews and Editing by R. Allen Leider
with CJ Henderson, Andrew Johnson and Monis Rose
August 13th, 2010 |
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 "Eat, Pray, Love "
A woman who
once made it her goal in life to marry and rear a family finds her priorities
suddenly shifting in director Ryan Murphy's . In the eyes of many, Gilbert
was a woman who had it all -- a loving husband, a great apartment, and
a weekend home -- but sometimes one realizes too little too late that
they haven't gotten what they truly wanted from life. On the heels of
a painful divorce, the woman who had previously looked forward to a
contented life of domesticated bliss sets out to explore the world and
seek out her true destiny. Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner produce a film
starring Julia Roberts.
Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) had everything a modern
woman is supposed to dream of having - a husband, a house, a successful
career and yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused,
and searching for what she really wanted in life. Newly divorced and
at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything
to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes
a quest for self-discovery.
In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure
of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India, and,
finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in
Bali. This is strictly a chick flick and not the fastest moving film
you'll ever see.
The Players: Julia Roberts, James Franco, Javier Bardem,
Richard Jenkins, Billy Crudup
The Filmmakers:
Directed by Ryan Murphy
Screenplay by Ryan Murphy and Jennifer Salt
Based onauthor Elizabeth Gilbert's
best-selling memoir
Released by Columbia Pictures
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 ''The Expendables "
There are two ways to create art in this world. One way is to do it like DaVinci. Hundreds of years ago, this guy sits down and paints the Mona Lisa. The subtlety of this work has spoken to literally billions. The mastery of the brush strokes. The perfection of the lighting. And more, there is the mystery of this piece. The look in Mona’s eyes. That knowing intelligence. Was it really there, was Leonardo simply the xerox-painting machine of his day, or did he infuse his subject with qualities she never possessed, but which have made her immortal? That’s one way to create art. The other is to go to the kiddie korner of your local Wal-Mart and buy the Mona Lisa Paint By The Numbers Kit. Spend the $5.99 and sit down and create yourself a 'masterpiece'.
Now, what does this have to do with this week’s movie? I’ll tell you. Like any other action junkie, you’d better believe I’ve been looking forward to "The Expendables." Sure, I knew the scene with Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t going to be anything much more than a way for Stallone to get his two pals into the film, and a few million more tickets sold, but still ... so many cool people in one film ... how could anybody not want to go? The second thing that had me hopeful was the fact that Stallone did not need to do another picture that hurt him. His career is at a point where a box office turkey could absolutely kill him. At this point, he can’t be making movies for the money. It has to be an attempt to end his days on the screen with a bit of class and dignity. Sadly, this movie is no way to accomplish such a goal.
The Story: This tale opens aboard a ship. It’s a big ship. And it seems Somali pirates have captured it, and been holding it for weeks, demanding a ransom for ... it’s crew? Some kind of executives? Who knows? Anyway, the pirates have tired of waiting for their money, so they have decided to murder all their hostages on camera. Since the big ship is anchored in sight of shore, this means its owners (whoever they are) have it under surveillance. Logic dictates that killing these hostages automatically ensures the death of the pirates. Okay, maybe they’re just stupid pirates. Doesn’t matter, though, because mercenary Barney Ross ( Sylvester Stallone) and his ersatz A-Team boys show up at the last second and save the hostages. One of his men, Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), wants to hang one of the pirates, but Ross’ moral code, or something, causes him to declare that such is not their way. And so, two of the team then have to fight Lundgren to a standstill, risking their lives to save the life of one of the guys they just killed.
There’s more, but it’s just not worth talking about. There are good bits and pieces in this movie, but they are overwhelmed by the story-telling-by-the-numbers plot which never once rises above the level of your average episode of "Hercules" or "Xena." No reasons are ever really given for anything that happens. None of the characters have any real back story. You have no reason to care if anyone lives or dies outside of whatever love you may have for characters the actors have played in the past that you might transfer to whomever they’re playing here. At least that way you don’t feel so completely cheated. The soundtrack is trite and obvious. Oh, we’re in a bar in a Latino setting--play Latino music. Oh, a beautiful girl just walked in the door--play sexy girl music, and do it without the slightest bit of transition. The fight scenes, on the other hand, are absolutely brilliant. The hand-to-hand combat sequences contain the most ruthlessly brilliant choreography in ages. The armed combat violence is wickedly in-you-face, bloody carnage that manages to remain cool and not descend into gore. If good fights are all you care about, then this one is for you. But, if you want anything beyond that whatsoever ... stay home. There is no story worth seeing. Nothing adds up. Nothing makes sense. Not the villains or the heroes. There is no real world logic at work, and barely any comic book logic, either.
Sadly, in the worse, most negative, derogatory sense of the description, that’s what this movie is--a comic book movie. No cursing, no kissing, no common sense. Just a lot of mindless action. I beg of you, go see "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World." It might not have any famous mega-faces, but it tries really hard, and it succeeds. Maybe that’s the problem with getting this many famous guys together. Maybe they’re just all too rich to give a damn anymore
.Our final word: 2 stars out of 5.
The Players: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture and Eric Roberts
The Filmmakers:
Directed by Sylvester Stallone
Screenplay by David Callaham and Sylvester Stallone
Released by Lionsgate |
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 ''Scott Pilgrim VS The World"
Reviewed by CJ Henderson
As the opening titles unfold, the Universal logo and theme done as a 1980's videogame...you know this is something special.
There are, ladies and gentlemen, all sorts of comic book movies in this world. There are the obvious ones, such as "The Dark Knight," "Ironman," et cetera. Then there are the less obvious ones, such as "Men In Black" or "The Losers," which while being comic-book-like in nature, are known as comic book properties to many. Then come the films like "Ghost World" and "American Splendor," which many folks don’t know how to categorize at all. And then, then there are movies like "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World."
This in, beyond a shadow of a doubt, one of the absolute strangest, wackiest, most wonderful comic book adaptations of all time. It is marvelously referential toward both comic book design, and video games. It is laugh-out-loud funny, fast-paced, slavishly devoted in its respect to its source material, and one of the best films of the summer. No, it’s not high art. But it is art. And absolutely in a class of its own.
The Story: Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is the bass guitarist for Sex Bob-Omb, a Toronto garage band ( Alison Pil, Mark Webber and Johnny Simmons ) which isn’t all that good--and knows it. Twenty-two year old Scott lives across the street from the home in which he grew up, in what appears to be almost an underground bunker. He shares a mattress on the floor with his gay roommate Wallace ( Kieran Culkin ), dates a seventeen year old Asian Catholic school girl Knives Chau ( Ellen Wong) , and never really stops thinking about the woman who broke his heart. His sister Stacey ( Anna Kendrick ) tries to talk sense to him, but....
Then a revelation. Scott dreams about a beautiful mystery punky-woman with raspberry hair named Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and then meets her in the waking world a few minutes later. Having literally met the "girl of his dreams," he’s pretty certain his world is suddenly perfect. Of course, he still has no job, is in a band that sucks whose drummer is his high school ex, has a teenage girl friend who is slavishly in love with him, oh ... and then there’s the League of Evil Exes--Ramona’s seven deadly ex-suitors who are out to murder Scott before they’ll allow anyone else to date Ramona.
Oh, when did life get so complicated?
Obviously no one is meant to take the storyline all that seriously. Which is actually a good thing because there is far too much going on in this film visually for anyone to get too caught up in the plot. For one thing, no one is going to get all the jokes and gags hidden in this one first time around. Mainly because it’s impossible to catch everything that’s happening over the laughter of the audience. And, let’s remember, I saw this with a theater full of New York City critics. Once it’s on the streets and the theaters are filled with a younger, sharper crowd, I expect the laughter will be overwhelming.
As well it should be. Director Edgar Wright has created something of a minor masterpiece here. Yes, of course, credit also has to be given to director of photography Bill Pope, and editors Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss, as well as screenwriter Michael Bacall. Together they have fashioned a totally unique film, one that not only manages to remain far more faithful to the original comics upon which it is based than travesties such as the Spider-Man series, but also does something no other film has been able to do.
Many times before, from the "POW" and "BAM" of the old "Batman" television series, on up through the ages, filmmakers have tried to make their movies look like comics. All manner of tricks have been used, and most have failed miserable. The best of them have merely managed to not be overly annoying. Wright and associates have cobbled together so many clever tricks for this movie it would be impossible to catalogue them in the space we have, as well as a disservice to you, our readers.
There is plenty more that could be discussed, but as in the paragraph above, to do so would be to ruin the enjoyment of a totally unique viewing experience. Let’s face it, you’ve gone on line and seen the previews. If this is one you think you might like, most likely you will. And, if you’re a parent wondering if you should let your children see this one--let them. Take them. No one smokes, does drugs, curses or actually has sex, although there are references. There are gay characters, and two men kiss, and if the thought of that makes you swoon, okay, stay home and crochet another inspirational wall hanging. But, if you’ve been wondering how you could explain to your kids that it isn’t the end of the world when they break up with someone and that people don’t have to hate each other when things don’t work out, give this one a try. Between that, and the totally bodacious fight scenes, this one really is fun.
Our final word: 5 stars out of 5.
The Players: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Brie Larson
The Filmmakers
Directed by Edgar Wright
Screenplay by Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright
Released by Universal Pictures
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 ''Animal Kingdom "
Following the death of his mother, seventeen year old Joshua 'J' Cody ( James Frecheville ) finds himself living with his estranged criminal family, under the watchful eye of his doting grandmother, Smurf (Jacki Weaver), mother to the Cody boys. J quickly comes to believe that he is a player in this world. But , as he soon discovers, this world is far larger and more menacing than he could ever imagine. J finds himself at the center of a cold-blooded revenge plot that turns the family upside down. Fortunately, there is one police detective who thinks he can save J, but is it too late?
The Players: Guy Pearce, Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Luke Ford, and Jacki Weaver
The Filmmakers
Directed by David Michod
Screenplay by David Michod
Released by Sony Pictures Classics
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