MOVIE REVIEW: THE GREY

ON DVD

THE GREY



Liam Neeson stars in producer/director Joe Carnahan's tense adventure thriller about a group of tough-as-nails oil rig workers who must fight for their lives in the Alaskan wilderness after their airplane crashes miles from civilization. With supplies running short and hungry wolves closing in, the shaken survivors face a fate worse than death if they don't act fast. Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts, and Frank Grillo co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Director: Joe Carnahan

Cast: Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts, Joe Anderson

Release Date: Jan 27, 2012

Rated R for bloody images, violence/disturbing content including bloody images and for pervasive language

Runtime: 1 hr. 57 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

The Grey is and isn’t a complicated film. On its surfaces it’s a stripped down survival story. Looking a little deep you’ll find that Joe Carnahan is working with some Hemmingway-lite themes and subject. The allegory is symbolism is fairly obvious but never overbearing. It’s got an almost metaphysical feel to it while its plot plays out like a nature version of The Warriors or Neil Marshall’s recent Centurion. Carnahan delivers a piece of filmmaking that’s brutal and pensive at the same time. At its center is Liam Neeson at his weatherworn gravelly best. Making the character Irish lets the Neeson focus on his character which is the most realized of the group of survivors. The supporting cast, including a nearly unrecognizable Dermot Mulroney in a quiet yet effective role, does the best they can with limited characterization. It’s one of the film’s most obvious failing, if they’d given the supporting players more life the life and death situations would have achieved a far more potent effect. Carnahan shoots a lovely film, using the winter landscapes to establish a strong sense of isolation, matched with some incredibly effective creature effects for the wolves who feel truly menacing throughout. The Grey is the kind of film that feels like could be easily forgettable after you’ve finished watching it but after it settles it does leave an impression.

B-

MOVIE REVIEWS: THE CRAZIES

Sunday, February 28, 2010
MOVIE REVIEWS: THE CRAZIES

IN THEATERS

THE CRAZIES




Sahara director Breck Eisner teams with screenwriters Ray Wright (Pulse) and Scott Kosar (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) to give George A. Romero's underrated 1973 shocker a shiny new makeover in this update starring Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell. Perform a Google search on "small-town America," and eventually you'll stumble across Ogden Marsh, a picturesque hamlet situated a safe distance from the nearest big city, and full of friendly faces. The citizens of Ogden Marsh are happy, albeit unremarkable people, but they're about to discover just how fragile their warm slice of the American Dream really is. When a mysterious toxin transforms the locals into murderous maniacs, it's up to Sheriff David Dutton (Olyphant) to find out why a man who was once an upstanding citizen would attempt to massacre the local youth baseball team, and a caring father would burn his beloved family alive. Within hours the town has descended into total chaos, and the government has ordered it quarantined. Anyone who attempts to escape will be shot on sight, whether they're infected or not. Realizing that their only hope for survival is to fight through the madness that has consumed their once-quiet town, Sheriff Dutton, his pregnant wife, Judy (Mitchell), his deputy Russell (Joe Anderson), and frightened medical center assistant Becca (Danielle Panabaker) wage an epic struggle to discover the source of this malevolent scourge while fending off their infected friends and neighbors. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Director: Breck Eisner

Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker, Joe Anderson, Christie Lynn Smith.

Release Date: February 26, 2010..

Rated R for disturbing violent content, violence and gore

Runtime: 1 hr. 41 min.

Genres: Horror, Thriller

Review:

The Crazies is a surprisingly effective, if predictably derivative, remake of George A Romero’s 1973 original. Breck Eisner creates an effective atmosphere and delivers a visually engaging picture. After a shaky start that feels closer to Resident Evil and The Happening, Eisner finds his footing putting any concerns at ease. Eisner keeps the film moving at a quick pace and doesn’t linger on much peripheral information creating an experience that’s never boring and only occasionally borders on tedium. He has a nice knack for creating set pieces that are interesting and innovative, a scene at a car wash and one at the high school make the biggest impact. The cast is effective but they suffer from weak script. Timothy Olyphant is strong as the lead, even if he’s a bit young for the role and being stuck in the tightest sheriff uniform in history, and plays against the type well. Radha Mitchell works well with Olyphant even if the pair seems a bit mismatched but you can’t help but feel she could have done so much more if the character were defined. Joe Anderson and Danielle Panabaker are even more one note but they aren’t asked to do much aside from look act increasingly unstable and the latter acting terrified. Scott Kosar & Ray Wright penned the script, Kosar having scripted various other remakes, and they keep it simple which has its positive and negatives. The characters aren’t terribly defined and logic takes various sabbaticals during the film’s run time mixed with an over reliance on gotcha scares probably keep this from something special. Also, I’m uncertain about the effectiveness of making “the crazies” zombie like in appearance when they aren’t zombie in the standard sense. These deficiencies aren’t fatal mainly because Eisner keeps the film running at a steady pace and making it less of a problem. Genre fans, me included, will find plenty to enjoy here and The Crazies is much better than the bevy of remakes currently being churned out.




C+

Movie Reviews: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

Saturday, February 09, 2008
Movie Reviews: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
ON DVD



ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

This musical, based on the songs of the Beatles, finds a young woman named Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) falling for a young British radical named Jude (Jim Sturgess). The young lovers get caught up in the '60s counterculture and have their relationship tested to the limits while struggling to hold on to their ideals. Directed by Julie Taymor (Frida and the Broadway version of The Lion King).

Cast Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther McCoy, Bono (more)

Director(s) Julie Taymor

Writer(s) Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais

Status On DVD

Genre(s) Musical

Release Date Sept. 14, 2007

DVD Release Date Feb. 5, 2008

Running Time 131 minutes

MPAA Rating PG-13 - some drug content, nudity, sexuality, violence, and language

Review:

Across the Universe is the kind of movie that seemed tailor made for me to like. Great music paired with wonderfully staged dance numbers, vibrant and imaginative imagery throughout. The fact that the Beatles are providing the aforementioned music should have made this a homer run. Should have being the main point, sadly Across the Universe Julie Taymor's ambitious but severely flawed musical fails to deliver on its promise, only occasionally hitting the right note. First off the story and acting are all nearly a non factor as there isn't much time given to them. Throughout the characters and story feel like nothing more than devices. I personally can forgive both after all Baz Lurman's Moulin Rouge did a wonderful job with a similar set up as long as it works. Here its more misses than not. Across the Universe feels so force and un-organic mainly because Taymor is far more interested in getting into the musical numbers than giving the audience the slightest bit of reason to be invested in the characters or the story. It makes for a taxing movie watching experience as your just waiting for the next number to start. The musical numbers are all wonderfully staged and the movie is beautifully shot so its fun to watch. The numbers which do hit the mark really nail it. Come Together as sung by Joe Crocker is just perfect. Bono's take on I am the Walrus is another well done musical number even if its accompanied by a visual hodgepodge of psychedelic overkill. Strawberry Fields Forever sung by Jim Sturgess is probably one of the high points of the film as it's matched with wonderful imagery. Sadly, Taymor's follow up to Frida is wildly ambitious but fails to reach any sort of resonance especially considering the timeless Beatles soundtrack.

C+