MOVIE REVIEW: WRECK-IT RALPH

WRECK-IT RALPH




An 8-bit video-game character attempts to shed his bad-guy image by escaping into a popular first-person shooter, but inadvertently wreaks havoc in the video-game universe by freeing a digital villain who can only be contained with the help of a most unlikely ally in this colorful animated adventure. Wreck-It Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) is the arch nemesis of Fix-It Felix (voice of Jack McBrayer), one of the most beloved video-game icons of all time. In a noble bid to prove he is more than the sum of his programming, Ralph sneaks from his cozy retro home into a highly advanced combat game featuring battle-hardened soldier Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Jane Lynch), and strives to prove his bravery by winning a medal. In the process, however, Ralph accidentally frees the greatest threat the video-game world has ever seen. But all hope is not lost, because if Ralph can just convince unpredictable cart racer Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) to help set things right, perhaps he can finally unleash his inner hero and save the arcade from certain destruction. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Rich Moore

Cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk

Release Date: Nov 02, 2012

Rated PG for some rude humor and mild action/violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 41 min.

Genres: Animated, Comedy, Family

Review:

Wreck-it Ralph is a surprise on many levels. A smart script with a strong emotional center works on various levels and for various age groups. Thrity-somethings will find enough 8 bit nostalgia to keep them grinning throughout with each tasty Easter egg they run into. Children will find a candy coated story with a good story and message for them to chew on. Rich Moore does what few outside of Pixar have been able to do, deliver an emotional bond with these computer creations. He handles his 2 leads characters with a tenderness which comes through especially with some impressive voice work. John C. Reilly as the lumbering Ralph is just perfect throughout, his voice works so well for the character reminding me of his work in Chicago singing Mr. Cellophane in particular. Sarah Silverman’s precocious misfit character fits her voice like a glove. Both establish a strong chemistry with each other, so much so that it’s hard not to get caught up in their story. Supporting characters are all just as strong. Jane Lynch delivers excellent work as the tough as nails FPS character who spends most of the movie with Fix-it Felix. Jack McBrayer’s southern prep fits the character to a T. Alan Tudyk, drawing inspiration from Ed Wynn, just loses himself in his work here as a fitting villain for the story. If there are a few small drawback in the film is its length and its need to keep us in the Sugar Rush world for nearly the entire film. The latter is understandable considering the plot. Still it’s hard to feel that there’s a wealth of story that could have been told in all the video game worlds hinted at but never explored. It would have been a lot of fun had they not gone with a Wizard of Oz inspired plot line. A few cuts or trims could have streamlined the film by a good ten minutes to deliver a sleeker product. Still it’s a very impressive family film.

B+

[Trailer] Star Trek Into Darkness

We get our first glimpse of the upcoming reboot sequel via this "announcement" trailer, as a life long Trek fan I’m still not sure what to make of it. I enjoyed the reboot but it lacked a true Trek feel, we’ll see if this one can capture that as of right now it looks like a big action tent pole film….

The Star Trek franchise continues with this follow-up to 2009's J.J. Abrams-directed reboot. Abrams returns to direct from a script by Damon Lindelof and the writing team of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. The crew of the Enterprise engages in an epic battle of good versus evil after being summoned home to discover Starfleet in ruins, and venturing into a war zone to find the powerful villain (Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch) responsible for the devastation. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi





Japanese trailer below has a bit of extra footage which hints that they might be doing a version of a classic Trek film…



Full new trailer

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+

MOVIE REVIEW: LIFE OF PI 3D

Yann Martel's ponderous adventure novel gets the big-screen treatment with this Fox 2000 adaptation helmed by director Ang Lee. The coming-of-age story surrounds the son of a zookeeper who survives a shipwreck by stowing away on a lifeboat with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena, and a Bengal tiger by the name of Richard Parker. Suraj Sharma heads up the cast as the young boy, with Gérard Depardieu, Adil Hussain, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, and Bollywood actress Tabu also starring. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Ang Lee

Cast: Suraj Sharma, Irfan Khan, Tabu, Rafe Spall, Gérard Depardieu

Release Date: Nov 21, 2012

Rated PG for peril emotional Thematic Content and Some Scary Action

Runtime: 2 hr. 5 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

Ang Lee’s wonderfully epic and visually stunning parable on life religion and survival is dense but still fairly accessible. The film’s plots starts grounded but gets more mystical existential as we move along. Along the way we are treating to a visually stunning and utterly engrossing parable that borrows from many a religious source. There are big topics at play here but it’s done, with the help of some truly stunning 3D, in an intimate and personal way which makes the entire easier to digest without losing much of the sentiment. At its center is Hollywood newcomer Suraj Sharma who performance impresses throughout. He’s given the Herculean task of carrying the film while working on a green screen mostly by himself. Sharma conveys a bevy of emotions throughout the span of the film, his face and eyes expressing heartbreak and hope while he traverses a Job like set of trials. His shipmate, a meticulously created CGI tiger is a marvel of technological achievement. If there is a fault to be found here it’s the film’s insistence on making sure we don’t miss the point by restating it various points throughout especially near its finale.

B+

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: LINCOLN

LINCOLN



Steven Spielberg helms his long-in-the-making biopic of Abraham Lincoln for DreamWorks and Touchstone Pictures. Daniel Day-Lewis portrays the former head of state in the Tony Kushner-penned adaptation of Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals, which chronicles the President's time in office between 1861 and 1865 as he dealt with personal demons and politics during the Civil War. Sally Field leads a co-starring cast that includes Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Academy Award nominee John Hawkes. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook

Release Date: Nov 09, 2012

Rated PG-13 for intense Scene of War Violence, Brief Strong Language and Some Images of Carnage

Runtime: 2 hr. 29 min.

Genres: Drama

Review:

Steven Spielberg’s Oscar bait biopic of Lincoln is that rare features that portrays history honestly with as little sentimentally, for a Spielberg film at least, as possible. At its center it’s a cornucopia of wonderful dialogue performed by some of the finest actors work in the business. In the title role, Daniel Day Lewis once again loses himself utterly and totally into Honest Abe’s skin. It’s not as showy a role as you think; instead it’s a testament to nuance and restraint. Lewis displays his talent to emote a range of emotions through his face and eyes, giving us a look into the man’s heart and soul with only a few rare “splash” scenes. Sally Field surprises with her turn as Mary Todd Lincoln. She gives her an emotionally broken depth that’s palpable, building to a masterful climatic scene with Lewis that gives us a glimpse into the relationship and dynamic. Tommy Lee Jones, even more bulldogged faced than usual, is appropriately sarcastic and single minded in his pursuit of true equality. James Spader and John Hawkes supply some needed levity as a pair of fixers working to “convince” opposition party members to change their mind on the vote. Spielberg keeps to the entire thing together working with restraint and tact throughout. Certain scenes feel like moments from stage plays as watch characters give speeches and pontificate about large issues. Spielberg is able to make it engrossing and engaging, an appropriate tribute to a great leader.

A-