MOVIE REVIEW: HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET

A teenager (Jennifer Lawrence) and her mother (Elisabeth Shue) move to a new town and make a gruesome discovery about the house next door in this tale of terror from Hush director Mark Tonderai. Shortly after learning that the neighboring house was recently the scene of a horrific double homicide, the curious teen forges a tender friendship with the boy who cheated death (Max Thieriot) on that fateful night. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Mark Tonderai

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Elisabeth Shue, Max Thieriot, Gil Bellows, Nolan Funk.

Release Date: Sep 21, 2012

Rated PG-13 for Intense sequences of violence and terror, thematic elements, language, some teen partying and brief drug material

Runtime: 1 hr. 41 min.

Genres: Suspense/Thriller

Review:

It helps to know that Jennifer Lawrence filmed House at the End of the Street before Winter’s Bone was released and her star began it’s impressive rise. Knowing that explains why she’d be involved in such a terrible production. House at the End of the Street misfires on pretty much every level, it’s terribly scripted, flatly acted and clumsily directed. Director Mark Tonderai is more concerned with unnecessary camera movement such as using shaky cam during standard conversations and capturing Lawrence’s assets via a series of borderline gratuitous shots throughout. Worse of all he moves the story along at a terribly awkward pace, never building any suspense and forgetting to deliver any actual scares. This is all topped of with a liberal dose of clichéd horror movie logic along with a nonsensical plot and motivations. It leaves you disinterested and waiting the ending which doesn’t come quick enough.

F

MOVIE REVIEW: SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK



David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook stars Bradley Cooper as Pat, a bipolar man from Philadelphia who has spent the last eight months in a mental hospital. He was ordered there after a violent incident involving his wife and another man. Pat moves in with his father (Robert De Niro), a lifelong Eagles fans who has low-level OCD issues. Pat wants to get back together with his wife, even though there is a restraining order keeping him from contacting her. He soon befriends a depressed young woman who's mourning the death of her husband by engaging in compulsive sex with almost everyone she meets; she also knows his wife and offers to deliver a letter of his to her if he acts as her partner in a local dance competition. Silver Linings Playbook screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Director: David O. Russell

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker

Release Date: Nov 16, 2012

Rated R for some Sexual Content/Nudity and Language

Runtime: 2 hr. 2 min.

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Review:

Silver Linings Playbook is an interesting film that’s probably better than it should be because of a pair of outstanding performances from its leads. David O. Russell directs this film with a steady hand giving it a frantic energy during some of the more intense scenes. What’s impressive about his direction is that at its base the story and film as a whole is a romantic dramedy. Bradley Cooper really impresses as the male lead showing a level talent we hadn’t seen before. Cooper expresses so much on his face, you can see so much about what’s going on in his mind without saying a word. Jennifer Lawrence matches him step for step with an equally impressive and occasionally ferocious performance. Lawrence gives the character strength mixed with a pervading sadness throughout. The pair share a manic yet believable chemistry onscreen with both giving us plenty of insight into these broken people who are still trying to run away from traumatic event in their lives. The supporting cast is filled with an impressive list of actors and actresses giving the film a lot of credibility. If there’s a fault it’s that the film does start down a familiar path especially in the last act. It’s not terrible but noticeable, not enough to detract from the strong work put in by Cooper and Lawrence.

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: X-MEN FIRST CLASS

IN THEATERS

X-MEN FIRST CLASS



Set in the era before Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr became mortal enemies as Professor X and Magneto, respectively, director Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class follows the two former allies as they lead a powerful team of mutants on a mission to save the planet from nuclear annihilation. Charles (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) were just young men when it began to appear as if the world was careening toward destruction. And as the Doomsday Clock ticks faster toward midnight, the time comes to take action. In the process of saving humanity, however, Charles and Erik clash. In the years that followed, Professor X would lead the X-Men in the fight for good, as Magneto and the Brotherhood spread chaos and destruction throughout the land. Kevin Bacon, Caleb Landry Jones, Nicholas Hoult, January Jones, and Lucas Till star in a film directed by Matthew Vaughn and adapted from a story by Bryan Singer. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence

Release Date: Jun 03, 2011

Rated PG-13 for Intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity and language

Runtime: 2 hr. 20 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

X-Men First Class is a movie that I had serious skepticism about from inception. Matthew Vaughn being given the directing reigns quelled some of those fears but not all. Any fan of the franchise would be hard pressed to have any sort of hope after X-Men The Last Stand and the criminally atrocious Wolverine X-men Origins film. This prequel faced plenty of challenges and somehow someway it overcame them all. Vaughn delivered one of the best superhero movies ever, just shy of The Dark Knight. A stellar cast working from a strong script brings a thoroughly engaging experience that rarely drags. Michael Fassbender leads the cast with a performance that brings all the rare and pain that his character suffers. Fassbender’s matched by a spot of James McAvoy who’s performance as Charles Xavier is respectful of Patrick Stewart’s original run yet singular in of itself. Jennifer Lawrence taking up the reigns as Mystique is a more than capable and its always good to see certain characters get fleshed out a bit more, ditto for Beast. Kevin Bacon is appropriately sinister and nefarious as the villain. January Jones, who can’t seem to stretch beyond the stepford wife persona, has perfected the art of acting via blinking and cleavage. Vaughn stages the action in epic fashion and even with a few questionable musical choices they never cease to impress. The scale and scope of the story are huge and impressive, A perfect way to restart the series.

A

PostScript

How I paid 90 dollars to see X-men First Class

In case if wasn’t terribly obvious I’m a bit of a nerd. So in perfect nerdish fashion I looked for the first showing of First Class in Las Vegas where I’d be for the week. Nothing says Vegas more than checking out the latest superhero movie afterall. Through a series of missteps and google confusion thing became terribly confused and expensive. I boarded a taxi and handed the cabby the directions. I should have been worried that he wasn’t familiar with the address but not enough to do anything about it. The cabby punched the address into his phone and headed off, still unsure of where he was taking me. Down the strip and on to the freeway, he rushed to try and make my 10am deadline. The more he drove the more I became worried there might have been a slight mistake. 20 minutes later and 40 bucks later he dropped me off at the theater quite literally in the middle of nowhere, later in the weekend I would walk by about 4 theaters that were pretty close to Caesars which we were staying at. Watched the movie which was a first showing so that saved a little cash because I like being thrifty when possible. Once the film ended, I had to ask the manager for a taxi cab number which he happily gave and waited a good 20 minutes for and then paid another 40 dollars to get back to The Strip. One the bright side I did get to see a lot of the Rocky Mountains in my extended trip around the outer reaches of Vegas…..