MOVIE REVIEW: HITCHCOCK

HITCHCOCK



Director Sacha Gervasi adapts Stephen Rebello's book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho to explore the relationship between the legendary British director (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren), who played a crucial behind-the-scenes role in the making of her husband's terrifying 1960 classic Psycho. Scarlett Johansson co-stars as Janet Leigh and James D'Arcy portrays Anthony Perkins in a film also featuring Jessica Biel, Danny Huston, Toni Collette, and Ralph Macchio. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Sacha Gervasi

Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, James D'Arcy

Release Date: Nov 23, 2012

Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content and thematic material

Runtime: 1 hr. 38 min.

Genres: Drama

Review:

Hitchcock takes a fun and lighthearted look into the trials, tribulation and machinations of the making of one his seminal films. Sasha Gervasi, helming his first non documentary film, makes it feel like we are watching a sort of accurate cliff notes version of what actually happened. As such he keeps it from being overly dry, allowing his cast to relish in their roles. Anthony Hopkins, under heavy prosthetics which work with varying degrees of effectiveness, delivers one of his better performances in a good while. He can’t hide his singular voice but occasionally he does get the tenor of Hitch down perfectly. Hopkins allows us to see various sides of Hitch, his obsessive controlling nature along with his voyeuristic tendencies. Helen Mirren makes a good match for Hopkins as Alma, Hitchcock’s long suffering wife/collaborator. Mirren takes on the meaty role and she shares a steady effective chemistry with Hopkins and they play out the collaborative but dysfunctional relationship the couple shared. Both can carry a scene easily and are given plenty of chances to shine. Supporting players like Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Toni Collette, Danny Huston and James D’Arcy, doing an impressive turn as Anthony Perkins, all do solid work filling out the film. The film ends on a tad bit too much of a happy note for my taste. A good companion piece to follow up with is the recent HBO film The Girl, which covered the making of The Birds, with a very effective Toby Jones playing a creepier Hitch as he tormented Tippi Hedren played by Sienna Miller.

B+

[Trailer] Hitchcock

The first trailer of Sacha Gervasi's "Hitchcock" has gone online and it looks like it’ll be a fun film for fans of Hitchcock and film in general. The tone of the film looks much lighter than HBO’s upcoming Hitchcock based film The Girl.

Anthony Hopkins appears to be incredibly focused even if the make up might be a bit jarring. His onscreen pairing with Helen Mirren looks to be the highlight of the film rounded out with a strong supporting cast.

Personally, I can’t wait to see this….

MOVIE REVIEW: TOTAL RECALL

IN THEATERS

TOTAL RECALL



Originally adapted by director Paul Verhoeven in 1990, author Philip K. Dick's classic sci-fi short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale returns to the big screen in this remake starring Colin Farrell, Bryan Cranston, and Kate Beckinsale, and directed by Underworld's Len Wiseman. The planet has been decimated by nuclear war in the late 21st century, leaving only two nations -- the United Federation of Britain and the Colony. Douglas Quaid (Farrell) is a factory worker with a stable job and a loving wife (Beckinsale), but upon learning that a company named Rekall could grant him the memory of the ultimate espionage adventure, he decides that a virtual vacation is better than no vacation at all. But in the midst of having the new memories implanted, something goes haywire. Still strapped to the chair as the system breaks down, he's branded a spy as the authorities close in, and quickly flees for his life. Later, Quaid discovers that he has a secret identity, and he joins forces with rebel soldier Melina (Jessica Biel) on a mission to track down Matthias (Bill Nighy), the head of a fierce resistance movement that's been labeled a terrorist organization by the tyrannical Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston). Cohaagen seeks to control the entire free world, and now the harder Quaid fights to defeat him, the clearer it becomes that his memory had been altered long before he walked into Rekall. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Len Wiseman

Cast: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Bokeem Woodbine

Release Date: Aug 03, 2012

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, some sexual content, brief nudity and language

Runtime: 1 hr. 49 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

The 1990 Total Recall was one of the few Arnold Schwarzenegger films I’ve always had a real affection for, the other being Predator. With Paul Verhoeven inspired direction it was on of those classic 90’s sci-fi films that just worked on so many levels. To say that this remake is pointless and ultimately soulless kind undersells the point. Les Wiseman has made a career of “borrowing” styles from other better films and for this he seems to have just lifted entire visual styles from other directors and films (Minority Report, Blade Runner & J.J. Abrams wonderful lens flare amongst the most obvious). His film has a polish but it’s about as hacky as it gets. The plot is roughly the same from the 1990 film except Mars and air have been replaced with Blade Runner-esque Australia and invasion. Outside of that the plot hits the basic bullet points and even replicates some of the scenes with the shiny new veneer except everything feels rushed, lacking any depth. Colin Farrell is in cruise control for the better part of the film and honestly he isn’t asked to do much, ditto for Jessica Biel whose character is about as one dimensional as they come. Kate Bekinsale works her badass chick routine while looking steely the entire time. Considering her character was the combination of 2 characters from the 1990 film, you’d think there’d be more depth to her but like everybody else in the move she’s just asked to follow the threadbare script and look good posing for the camera. On the bright side, you can make a great drinking game out of the number of time she’s got her mouth slightly open while eye banging the camera. Bryan Cranston’s Cohaagen barely registers, wasting the wonderful talents of a fine actor. Bill Nighy appears and disappears from the screen so quickly you’d barely notice him. There are some visually fun action sequences here but nothing close enough to justify the remake. Occasionally remakes surprise you, other times they remind you that just because it’s new doesn’t mean its better.

D+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE A-TEAM

IN THEATERS

THE A-TEAM

1980s TV action gets a reboot with this new version of The A-Team, which shifts the Vietnam vet backstory to a group of Iraq War vets who become mercenaries for hire. Joe Carnahan (Smokin' Aces) directs from a script by G.I. Joe's Skip Woods. Liam Neeson heads up the crew as Hannibal, the brains of the operation, with Bradley Cooper as Face, UFC star Quinton "Rampage" Jackson filling in for Mr. T as B.A. Baracus, and District 9's breakout star, Sharlto Copley, inheriting the unhinged role of "Howling Mad" Murdock. Jessica Biel also co-stars. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Director: Joe Carnahan

Cast: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Sharlto Copley.

Release Date: Jun 11, 2010

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, smoking, language and intense sequences of violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 57 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

A guy movie through and through Joe “Carnage” Carnahan delivers lots of fun testosterone fuel action in his sharply directed reboot of the 80’s series. Carnahan gleefully sets up scenarios and action pieces like a child playing with action figures, the proceeds to make it all explosively real on the screen. The amount of collateral damage done throughout this film run time is probably close to Ronald Emmerich disaster film but so much more fun. The cast has as much fun as the director and never take anything overly serious. Liam Neeson leads the way as Hannibal and he clearly has a ball playing the team’s leader and master planner. Bradley Cooper comes off as a bit smug from time to time but he’s charismatic enough to make it work for the character without going overboard. Sharlto Copley was my biggest question mark coming in but he was one of the strongest performers throughout providing a seemingly endless amount of energy and nuttiness. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is adequate if a bit neutered, due to a silly subplot, as B.A. Baracus, he looks the part but doesn’t have much conviction in delivering lines. Jessica Biel and Patrick Wilson both offer serviceable performances in fairly clichéd roles. The plot is overly complicated to hide the fact that it’s terribly silly and mostly unbelievable. This film doesn’t require much from the upper brain functions and that’s fine because Carnahan delivers enough entertaining insanity to keep you interested as the online liners are fired out as quickly as the bullets.

B+

Movie Reviews: LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, THE ILLUSIONIST & FRIENDS WITH MONEY

Sunday, January 28, 2007
Movie Reviews: LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, THE ILLUSIONIST & FRIENDS WITH MONEY

In theaters

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

Clint Eastwood's follow-up to Flags of Our Fathers details another story from Iwo Jima, but this time, the tale is told from the Japanese side of the battle. The film follows real-life Japanese General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) who battled American troops for 40 days on the island of Iwo Jima.

Cast Ken Watanabe, Shido Nakamura, Tsuyosi Ihara, Hiroshi Watanabe, Takeshi Yamaguchi, Tim Moore (more)

Director(s) Clint Eastwood

Status In theaters (wide)

Genre(s) Drama

Release Date Dec. 20, 2006 — limited; Jan. 12, 2007 — wide

MPAA Rating R - Rated R for graphic war violence.

Review:

Clint Eastwood's companion piece to Flag of our Fathers, Letter from Iwo Jima proves to be the more accomplished film of the two. Eastwood gives us and unsentimental view of war and it's affect on it participants. This film does a masterful job of showing these combatants as real people whose motivation are really very similar to their counterparts. This is a methodical, thoughtful exploration of heady themes like patriotism, courage and the futility of war. Ken Watanabe brings an excellent sense of gravitas to his role and gives an excellent portrait of a man doing his duty in the face of an impossible task. Kazunari Ninomiya delivers an excellent performance as Saigo, the unwilling soldier who was dragged into his country's war. Overall, this an excellent film and probably one of the best war films of all time.

A

On DVD

THE ILLUSIONIST

When word of the famed Eisenheim's (Ed Norton) illusions reaches Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), the ruler attends one of the magician's shows in order to debunk the performance. But when the prince's intended, Sophie von Teschen (Jessica Biel), assists the magician onstage, Eisenheim and Sophie recognize each other from their childhoods, and pretty soon they're totally hot for each other. As the clandestine romance continues, the prince's best cop (Paul Giamatti) is charged with exposing Eisenheim, even while the magician gains a devoted and vocal public following. Before long, Sophie turns up dead, and the logical suspect is Eisenheim himself.

Cast Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell, Eddie Marsan, Jake Wood (more)

Director(s) Neil Burger, Bob Yari

Writer(s) Brian Koppelman, David Levien

Status On DVD

Genre(s) Drama

Release Date Aug. 18, 2006 — limited; Sept. 1, 2006 — wide

DVD Release Date Jan. 9, 2007

Running Time 110 minutes

MPAA Rating PG-13 - for some sexuality and violence.

Review:

The Illusionist will be compared to the other similarly themed Christopher Nolan film, The Prestige. The Nolan film is a better overall film but The Illusionist does deliver an excellent, if more fanciful endeavor, experience. Watching Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti through this great cat and mouse game is a true joy to watch as both are in top form. The film's beautiful stylized sepia toned looked is wonderful to watch and makes the film more of a pleasurable experience. The Illusionist's ability to engage the audience is due in large part mostly to the aforementioned excellent performances from the stellar cast. Rufus Sewell seems to have cornered the market on villainous period monarchs and does well here, even if his character is a bit one note. Jessica Biel does fairly well in what amounts to a cameo. Where the film falters is in its plot and resolution. The ending comes off as a bit of a cheat and quiet a few questions are left unanswered. Regardless, this is a still a very good film with excellent performances.

B-

FRIENDS WITH MONEY

Olivia (Aniston) quit her teaching job and now cleans houses for a living while continuing her seemingly endless quest to find a decent guy. Her three friends are more fortunate, at least on the surface. Jane (McDormand) is a successful designer, but she's growing apart from her husband, Aaron (McBurney). Christine (Keener) is a screenwriter, but her spouse, Patrick (Isaacs), is getting grouchier by the day. Franny (Cusack) and Matt (Stephenson) are independently wealthy, but all the extra money has left them bored and alienated.

Cast Jennifer Aniston, Frances McDormand, Joan Cusack, Catherine Keener, Simon McBurney, Jason Isaacs (more)

Director(s) Nicole Holofcener

Writer(s) Nicole Holofcener

Status On DVD

Genre(s) Comedy

Release Date April 7, 2006; April 21, 2006

DVD Release Date Aug. 29, 2006

Running Time 88 minutes

MPAA Rating R - language, some sexual content and brief drug use

Review:

Friends with Money is a smart well written film. This is the kind of movie that is all about dialogue. The characters in this film really have some great interactions. Jennifer Aniston plays way against character as a depressed pot smoking misfit. She does fairly well and does an adequate job of displaying the characters despair, though at times her performance lacks some depth. The rest of the cast is made up of some of the best female performers in film today with Frances McDormand being the real stand out. This film's general sense of melancholy kind of has the rug pulled out from under it with an ending that seems to a little too manufactured. However, the movie as a whole is an enjoyable study of happiness of lack there of.

B