MOVIE REVIEWS: NO STRINGS ATTACHED

IN THEATERS

NO STRINGS ATTACHED



Lifelong friends Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman) attempt to avoid falling in love after falling into each other's beds in this comedy exploring the complexities and quirks of having friends with benefits. Adam was a typical, hormonal 14 year old when he first came on to Emma at summer camp -- and got shot down in flames. In the years that followed, however, Adam and Emma continued to cross paths until eventually, they both caved to their animal instincts. Despite an intense session of earth-shaking sex, however, Emma makes it clear to Adam that the last thing she wants is a committed relationship. And thanks to the fact that Adam's father (Kevin Kline), a fallen television star, has just begun dating his son's ex-girlfriend, the horrified bachelor has developed an aversion to monogamy as well. At first their casual stance on sex worked great for both; Emma could focus on her career instead of allowing her emotions to dictate her decisions, and Adam could play the field without fear of hurting her feelings. Over, time, however, a funny thing happened -- Adam began to develop feelings for Emma that he never had for any of his countless conquests. Before they both know it, love has reared its ugly head and they've gotten too emotionally involved to cut the relationship off cold. But is commitment in the cards for the couple that always swore it would never get serious, or has the time come for them to finally part ways once and for all? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Ivan Reitman

Cast: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Greta Gerwig, Cary Elwes.

Release Date: Jan 21, 2011

Rated R for Sexual content, language and some drug content

Runtime: 1 hr. 50 min.

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Review:

Rom-com movies can be good when you have a smart script and a cast that focused. No String Attached is not one of those films. The worst part of it is that at its base it’s got an interesting conceit that could be something interesting fresh. Instead it’s the recycled beaten to death cliché you expect from the worst offenders in the genre. The script attempts to be edgy by being raunchy but it can’t mask what is just horrible comedy writing. Jokes fall flat throughout delivering only the slightest chuckle occasionally which is mostly due to the supporting cast. Natalie Portman seems to be having a good time, slumming it in a genre dominated by Katherine Heigl and Jennifer Anniston. She does a passable job but it seems more like she just needed her palette cleaned after The Black Swan. Ashton Kutcher curious ability to continue to find work as a leading man especially with this performance as he sleep walks through his scenes. It’s so bad that when he delivers the “big” line at the end of the film it carries all the weight of a feather. Making matters worse is that Portman and Kutcher share zero chemistry on screen and their characters are unbelievably matched. The supporting cast fare slightly better and make the more painful portions of this dreadful film slightly watchable. Even with that it’s hard to keep from wanting to douse your face in acid once this overlong film comes to an end.

D-

"Dark Knight Rises" Villains Revealed

A press release from Warner Bros. Pictures has confirmed the two key members of Batman's Rogues Gallery that will appear in the much-anticipated upcoming "The Dark Knight Rises" - Catwoman and Bane. Check it out below:

"Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises.” She will be starring alongside Christian Bale, who returns in the title role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Christopher Nolan stated, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story.”

In addition, Tom Hardy has been set to play Bane. Nolan said, “I am delighted to be working with Tom again and excited to watch him bring to life our new interpretation of one of Batman’s most formidable enemies.”

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/19122/-dark-knight-rises-villains-revealed

First Look At "X-Men: First Class" Cast

After sitting through the eye gouging bad X-men Origin Wolverine, I don’t know if I have any sort of hope for any future outings, even though Darren Aronofsky’s The Wolverine is intriguing, but this cast shot looks kind of fun….

Courtesy of DarkHorizons.com



The first photo from "X-Men: First Class", the 60's set prequel to the franchise, appeared on MSN today and has been confirmed. MSN later took it down at 20th Century Fox's request that the photo is unauthorized which suggests it's not a final version.

In the photo from L TO R: Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert, January Jones as Emma Frost (aka the White Queen), Jason Flemyng as Azazel (aka Nightcrawler's father), Nicholas Hoult as the Beast, Lucas Till as Havoc, Zoe Kravitz as Angel Salvadore, Jennifer Lawrence as Raven Darkholme (aka Mystique), and James McAvoy as Charles Xavier.Courtesy of DarkHorizons.com

[Trailer 3] Battle: Los Angeles

What originally looked like another Skyline mess is looking more and more impressive, hopefully it can back up the promise shown in the trailers, Jonathan Liebesman whose directing is hardly got an impressive resume, this one in particular looks very impressive....

MOVIE REVIEWS: THE KING’S SPEECH

IN THEATERS

THE KING’S SPEECH



Emmy Award-winning director Tom Hooper (John Adams) teams with screenwriter David Seidler (Tucker: A Man and His Dreams) to tell the story of King George VI. When his older brother abdicates the throne, nervous-mannered successor George "Bertie" VI (Colin Firth) reluctantly dons the crown. Though his stutter soon raises concerns about his leadership skills, King George VI eventually comes into his own with the help of unconventional speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Before long the king and Lionel have forged an unlikely bond, a bond that proves to have real strength when the United Kingdom is forced to flex its international might. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Tom Hooper

Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall.

Release Date: Nov 26, 2010

Rated R for Language

Runtime: 1 hr. 51 min

Genres: Drama

Review:

The King’s Speech is the definition of an award’s/actor’s movie. It’s the type of film that allows actors to flex their considerable muscle. Colin Firth is front and center with a character that’s complex, distant and thoroughly conflicted. Firth is only half of what makes this film work. The always impressive Geoffrey Rush is stellar working with Firth. Their chemistry is what drives the film and while there are larger historical event that are addressed this friendship is central to the story. It’s wonderful relationship to watch and especially once Rush’s character starts to break down “Bertie’s” walls. Firth is most impressive during a one on one exchange with Rush after the death of King. Helena Bonham Carter is impressive in limited screen time as the supporting and loving queen. Director Tom Hooper doesn’t have much work to do but he still crafts an elegant film that lovely to watch and rarely drags. Hooper most impressive work is at the beginning and end of the film by making thing like a microphone and typed words seem incredibly terrifying. He allows the audience to feel every bit of trepidation and fear that the character feels as he struggles through each work. The finale is like watching a maestro direct an orchestra that has you hanging on each and every word.

A

MOVIE REVIEWS: CATFISH

ON DVD

CATFISH



Love and identity become twisted across the lines of the Internet in this documentary from filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Nev Schulman is a photographer who one day received a surprising e-mail message -- Abby, an eight-year-old girl in Michigan, had seen his picture in a newspaper and wanted permission to paint a portrait from it. Nev gave his OK, and when he was given a copy of the painting, he was struck by how good it was, assuming that the girl was either a genius or a fraud. Nev tried to contact Abby's family, and somehow ended up in contact with Megan, Abby's sexy 19-year-old sister. As Nev fell into an increasingly complicated on-line relationship with Megan, he decided it was time to meet her in person, but when he traveled to Michigan and tracked her down, Nev learned that Abby and Megan's family were not at all what he expected them to be. Ariel Schulman, Nev's brother, began filming his brother's adventures from his first contact with Abby, and in Catfish he and Henry Joost tell this strange story from beginning to end. Catfish received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director: Ariel Schulman , Henry Joost

Cast: Nev Schulman, Angela Wesselman-Pierce, Ariel Schulman

Release Date: Sep 17, 2010

Rated PG-13 for some sexual references

Runtime: 1 hr. 34 min.

Genres: Documentary

Review:

Anyone whose spent any amount of time on the internet knows were Catfish is going within 15 minutes of the film’s runtime. The marketing campaign try to sell it as a thriller with a massive “shocking” reveal but the truth is far more mundane yet true to life. The authenticity of this documentary is an interesting topic because there are plenty points were you can feel the filmmakers are pushing towards a resolution they already knows exist. So is it a documentary if its creator’s force or encourage the situation at hand? That is up to each viewer to decide for themselves, along with whether this is a mean spirited ruse to capture something real via artificial means. What Catfish (the other Facebook movie as it’s been commonly called) is, is an on the ground sample of the times we live in, the networks we use that try to make our world so much smaller but also includes a vast chasm of unknown which can’t be breached without person to person contact. Once breached, our artificial avatar based lives tend to vary greatly in the light of actual sunlight. Catfish is fascinating in concept and intriguing throughout but there does seem to be a bit of an exploitative undertone, especially in the last act, where our main character appears to lack any empathy for what’s he’s discovered. Perhaps that in of itself is another, if unintended, statement about the times this film encapsulates.

B-