The Jordan Movie Blog

Reviews: The Place Beyond the Pines + 2 Bonus Reviews

2013-04-16T18:36:00.003-04:00

Derek Cianfrance, director of Blue Valentine once again teams up with Ryan Gosling for a three-act snapshot of small town crime and corrupt police in Schenectady, NY entitled The Place Beyond the Pines. Gosling plays Luke, a loner motorcycle stunt rider who decides to stay in town and quit his job to be with his lover (Eva Mendez) and a son he didn't know he had. Mendez's character (Romina) has moved on in her life and is ready to marry another man. Luke tries to win Romina back by doing a series of dangerous bank robberies, using his skills on a motorcycle to help escape the police. When a final robbery goes terribly wrong, Luke encounters an eager rookie cop named Avery (played by the ever-more-dramatic Bradley Cooper).

Avery and Luke cross paths and throw the plot into a series of follow-up events that expose the corruption of the Schenectady police force (which includes a wonderful cameo performance by Ray Liotta). Events that unfold in the first act of the film are given dire repercussions throughout the second and third act. Cooper and Gosling are excellent at portraying troubled characters who are faced with tough decisions. Mendez is good but not great as a single mom who must weigh her own needs with those of her son. The chase scenes are spectacularly shot in real-time using POV cameras that put you right in the action. The drama, sound and speed of these sequences are extremely authentic and help build tension.

This movie is well-acted and superbly shot by Cianfrance. Throw in some excellent mood music from a satisfying original soundtrack by Mike Patton and all the ingredients are in place for an awesome gripping film. While the tension did grip me at times, I found myself wishing the movie ended before the third act. The depiction of teenage life in a small town is spot-on but it seemed a bit forced and there were far too many coincidences throughout to make any of it seem believable. I also feel that Gosling's portrayal of Luke is too closely mimicked with his work in Drive. I'd like to see him take a break from playing the loner outlaw type in an upcoming film. I would recommend renting this movie on Bluray but skipping full price in the theater. 3.5 out of 5 JRs for The Place Beyond the Pines, a far-too-long raw and tension-filled police drama.

I saw two other movies over the past month and have a brief review for both of them. Oz The Great And Powerful is a worthwhile prequel to the classic Wizard of Oz. Milas Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams all give good performances as the trio of witches and James Franco is OK in his portrayal of Oz. Bonus points for some pretty solid special effects all around and minus points for Zach Braff's creepy voice-over work for the talking monkey. My kids enjoyed it but I can't really give it more than 3 JRs.

Last week, I managed to make it to the theater to see the 3D conversion of Jurassic Park. J Park is one of my all-time favorite films and I had the pleasure of seeing it with my friend Omar who watched it with me on opening night in 1993. It was great to see it on the big screen again and the 3D conversion was well done, making the dinosaurs seem even more realistic than before. I would only recommend that the most die-hard J Park fans spend the $16 to go see this. It was worthwhile but I can only give this 4 JRs since I've seen this film so many times.

Roger Ebert: 1942-2013

2013-04-04T16:08:00.000-04:00

Roger Ebert passed away earlier today at the age of 70.

Ebert has always been one of my favorite movie critics and in a way is partially responsible for me writing my movie blog. I fondly remember watching Ebert and the late Gene Siskel do their movie reviews every weekend growing up. Their passion for dissecting film combined with my father's love for the medium helped shape me into the full-fledged movie buff that I am today. It's truly a sad day for all the critics large and small out there. Ebert kept on writing his reviews despite his battle with cancer, recently putting out a review for The Host earlier last week. He will be missed and the industry has lost a legend and an ambassador for film.

If I Picked the 2013 Oscars

2013-02-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately I am once again not an eligible voting member of the Academy in 2013. That won't stop me from posting my personal picks to win this year's awards when they're announced this Sunday evening. Despite my disdain for host Seth Macfarlane, I am excited about this year's ceremony. I have seen 8 of the 9 Best Picture nominees (still need to watch Amour) and have witnessed most of the acclaimed acting performances. While my two favorite films of the year failed to garner a single nomination, I am mostly pleased with the Academy's selections.

What follows are the nominations for the 6 big categories (plus Visual Effects because I have a strong opinion about CGI). An X next to the nominee means I think that entry will end up taking home the Oscar on Sunday night. A Y next to a nominee means that I would choose that nominee to win if I actually had a vote.

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln XY Hugh Jackman – Les Misérables Joaquin Phoenix – The Master Denzel Washington – Flight

This is one of the biggest no-brainers of the evening. Once again, Day-Lewis has delivered a virtuoso performance as he is far and away the best thing about Speilberg's Lincoln. Cooper and Washington are excellent as well but they just picked the wrong year to be nominated.

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook XY Emmanuelle Riva – Amour Quvenzhané Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild Naomi Watts – The Impossible

This race is between Chastain and Lawrence. While I think Chastain had an edge early on in the Awards season, I'm pretty sure Jen Lawrence is going to win out here after grabbing some late momentum at the Golden Globes. Lawrence's performance is amazing and far superior to Chastain in my opinion. I would probably pick Wallis' breakthrough performance over Jessica's actually.

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin – Argo Robert De Niro – Silver Linings Playbook Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln X Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained Y

Arkin has no business being nominated for Argo, taking a spot away from either DiCaprio or Sam Jackson from Django Unchained. I would vote for the always interesting Christoph Waltz who lit up every scene he was in throughout Tarantino's western, but I'm thinking the Academy will reward Jones with his first Oscar since The Fugitive.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams – The Master Sally Field – Lincoln Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables XY Helen Hunt – The Sessions Jacki Weaver – Silver Linings Playbook

Another mortal lock here. Hathaway's incredible single-take performance of I Dreamed a Dream in Les Mis absolutely assured her of winning her first Oscar. Sally Field may have an outside shot, but Anne will get the recognition she deserves for a brief but amazing embodiment of Fantine.

Best Director
Michael Haneke – Amour Ang Lee – Life of Pi David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook Y Steven Spielberg – Lincoln X Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild

The real crime of this category is that Ben Affleck is not one of the five nominees. While Beasts was a pretty good film, Zeitlin should not have been nominated for his first directorial effort. I would love to see Russell win for his excellent depiction of suburban family life and football fandom, but in the end I'm betting the Academy gives the award to the greatest director of all-time.

Best Picture
Amour Argo X Beasts of the Southern Wild Django Unchained Les Misérables Life of Pi Lincoln Silver Linings Playbook Y Zero Dark Thirty

In an attempt to right the wrong of the Affleck directorial snub, the voters will bestow the night's biggest prize to Ben, George Clooney and company for a well-crafted true story of an American intelligence operation. I would rather see Django or Life of Pi win, but if I had a vote, the splendidly acted and often hilarious Silver Linings Playbook would be the best of this bunch.

Best Visual Effects
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Life of Pi XY Marvel's The Avengers Prometheus Snow White and the Huntsman

For this final bonus category, I saw four of the five films listed (sorry Snow White). I think the Avengers is the weakest of the four and while I love seeing a nomination for my second favorite film of 2012 (Prometheus), the shear CGI animal wizardry of Life of Pi is something to behold and I have a feeling it will win this category.

There you have it. Please feel free to dispute my selections in the comments (both here and on Facebook). Enjoy the show!

Review: A Good Day to Die Hard

2013-02-18T16:06:00.000-05:00

John McClane has been one of my favorite cinematic characters over the years. The star of the Die Hard franchise, played by the aging Bruce Willis returns to headline the 5th movie of the series in A Good Day to Die Hard.

In the follow-up to the mildly disappointing and extremely unrealistic (standing on the wing of a jet anyone?) Life Free or Die Hard, the setting of the film has shifted overseas to Russia as McClane flies over to try to help out his son Jack (played by Jai Courtney) who is in a bit of political and legal trouble. Jack is a CIA agent who is trying to infiltrate a Russian crime ring and early on you can tell he wants no help from his father (whom he calls John instead of Dad). Jack and John eventually work things out and team up together, battling with a rather forgettable group of villains.

This movie is a mixed bag. There are some amazing action sequences (including some excellently choreographed car chases) and enough familiar Die Hard moments to keep this movie in line with its predecessors However, the plot is not that remarkable and there are some cringe-worthy moments that don't fit in, especially a scene in which Willis inexplicably decides to talk on the phone to his daughter during an intense car chase. The ringer on his cell phone plays the Beethoven's Fifth notes from the original Die Hard's theme. Super cheesy.

Willis easily slides right into his comfortable role as McClane. There are times when it seems as if he'd grown tired of the franchise and there are a few one liners that seem a bit forced. Courtney really saves the movie though as his brash portrayal of the younger McClane is spot-on and becomes the perfect compliment to the gusto of Willis' performance. Courtney (an Australian actor) is a relative newcomer to big budget films but I can see a little Tom Hardy in his toughness.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of the Die Hard franchise. This film earns 3 JRs for a mildly entertaining extension of the McClane legacy. I've heard that apparently this film is not the end of the road for the McClane character. I would welcome another FINAL chapter involving John and Jack. To end the series, it might be a good idea to set it another skyscraper as a parallel to the first movie.

The Ten Best Films of 2012

2013-01-21T22:01:00.001-05:00

2012 has been an excellent year in film. Out of the 31 movies I have seen in the theater over the past 12 months, a whopping 12 of them scored a 4.5 rating or better. The Academy has deemed that 9 movies are worthy of a Best Picture nomination. I agree with a few of their picks but there are quite a few that they omitted from their list. I plan on posting an Oscar preview post in a couple of weeks with my own take on the major award categories. What follows is my personal list in reverse order of my favorite 10 films that were released in 2012. The final four films on this list were the only movies of the year to achieve a perfect 5 JR rating.

#10 - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Peter Jackson's triumphant return to Middle Earth was a personal joy for me to watch. Contrary to other critical reviews of this film, I thought the movie went by quickly for a three-hour film. Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen and the rest of the familiar cast of characters brought life once again to J.R.R. Tolkien's prose. The delightful cave riddle sequence between Bilbo and Gollum was the highlight of an exciting intro to the Hobbit movies series. I just wish I didn't see it in 48 FPS.

#9 - Flight

A realistic and revealing look at an airline pilot's struggle with alcoholism, made by an underrated director returning to his live-action roots. Robert Zemeckis allows Denzel Washington to shine in the lead role as Whip Whittaker, a maligned hero who can't shake his addiction to the bottle despite a horrific plane crash. This is easily Zemeckis' (Roger Rabbit, Back to the Future, Contact, Cast Away, etc..) most adult movie to-date and he and Denzel knock it out of the park with a raw depiction of the troubles that addiction can bring.

#8 - Argo

The fact that Ben Affleck was snubbed in the Best Director category by the Oscars for this film is ridiculous. In a growing trend of directing quality films, Affleck has finally found his niche in Hollywood and comes up big in both directing and starring in this true story of a hostage extraction in Iran. Under the cover of a science fiction film, a group of CIA operatives help lead several US hostages out of a hostile environment. A great ensemble cast and tight pacing by Affleck combine to make this movie a must-see and just might lead it to Oscar gold for Best Picture.

#7 - The Amazing Spider-Man

This movie was the biggest surprise of the year for me. I went into it wondering why a Spider-Man reboot was being made at all in Hollywood. I left the theater absolutely blown away by just how entertaining this version of Spider-Man was. Thanks to human and engaging performances by Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone and excellent oversight from director Mark Webb, Amazing Spider-Man manages to bring the fun back to the web-slinging franchise. This was sheer popcorn entertainment in fine form.

#6 - Life of Pi

Ang Lee managed to take a novel that was called "un-filmable" by some Hollywood experts and turn it into a visual feast. The story of a young indian boy and his struggle to survive a shipwreck aboard a lifeboat with a tiger is an enjoyable epic tale of resolve. Filmed in 3D that helps tell the story rather than detract from it, Life of Pi is a true big-screen theater film. I found myself amazed at the visual effects used to animate a multitude of wild animals and at the sheer vast land-and-sea scapes used by Lee to tell this amazing story.

#5 - Django Unchained

Tarantino in his element once again in a strong follow-up to Inglorious Basterds. Django is an epic western set in the south during the height of slavery in America. With over 100 occurrences of the N-word and a penultimate sequence that features pint after pint of blood, Tarantino pulls no punches in letting Jamie Foxx and the rest of the cast trade lines of bravado through beautifully shot sequences. The acting in this movie (especially the performances from Christoph Waltz, Leo DiCaprio and Sam Jackson) is amazing and the typically awesome Tarantino movie score does a good job of tying it all together in a very satisfying package.

#4 - The Dark Knight Rises

My favorite director working today is Christopher Nolan and he didn't let me down at all with his epic final chapter of the Batman trilogy. Not quite as amazing as The Dark Knight but pretty damn close, this movie showcases Bruce Wayne's demise and rebirth as he fights to save the citizens he has always longed to protect. Anne Hathaway gives a good turn as Catwoman and Bale is solid as usual, but the star of this film is Tom Hardy who gives a steely and intimidating presence to Bane. Complete with a weird-cool voice over and creepy mask, Hardy dominates every scene he's in. Nolan demonstrates his command of the pace and scale of this film and gives us a fitting end to one of the best franchises in movie history.

#3 - Silver Linings Playbook

I think it's impossible to see this movie and not feel really good afterwards. David O. Russell proves he's a master of down-to-earth dialogue in his follow up to The Fighter. SLP is a very realistic look at how family and friends get together to watch sports. With an engaging relationship between the two main characters (Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence - both of who deserve serious consideration for winning the top acting awards at the Oscars) as the backbone of the film, the rest of the strong supporting cast (including Robert De Niro, Chris Tucker and Jackie Weaver) is given plenty of good material to work with. Russell mixes serious themes about mental illness with important family dynamics and throws in a bunch of good laughs to boot. Overall, this is probably the best-acted movie of the year.

#2 - Prometheus

Ridley Scott returns to his science fiction roots with a quasi-prequel to the Alien film franchise. While I wasn't quite as satisfied with the connection of this film to Alien/Aliens, I was pleasantly surprised by the direction that Scott took in creating a new world of mythology with Prometheus. Noomi Rapace and an extra creepy / cool Michael Fassbender lead a group of excellent actors in showcasing the strange unknowns of outer space. Our creationist roots are questioned by the key characters throuhgout the film but in the end it's the tense action combined with the awesome score from Marc Streitenfeld that make this movie truly engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed taking another sci-fi ride with Ridley and I hope he's got another Alien-esque film or two left in him before he decides to retire.

#1 - Looper

Joe.... Meet Joe.

Not many people went out to see this one but what they missed was truly a gem of 2012. Rian Johnson's sci-fi time-bending tale is a totally unique spin on the genre as Joe (a hired assassin) finds himself face-to-face in a battle against his older self. With amazing performances by Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (the MVP of 2012 in my book), Looper manages to blend plot twists with well crafted characters that are worth rooting for. Johnson weaves in a multitude of clever moments that make you think about the present and future at the same time to fully understand the ramifications. The tense climactic ending is perfect in its finality and genius. If you missed this one, please go rent Looper on DVD.

There you have it. Notice that Lincoln just missed the list and I'd like to give honorable mention kudos to The Avengers, Les Miserables (ESPECIALLY the amazing Anne Hathaway) and The Raid: Redemption. Agree? Disagree? Let me know via Facebook or in the comments section below.

Review: Zero Dark Thirty

2013-01-21T20:49:00.002-05:00

Kathryn Bigelow's follow-up to her 2008 Best Picture winning film The Hurt Locker is a snapshot of the US war on terrorism which features a blow-by-blow reenactment of the raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound and the years of CIA research that led to the mission. Zero Dark Thirty is a well crafted look at the inner workings of the intelligence agency that blends some genuine authentic excitement and intrigue with some slow and tedious bureaucratic scenes. You can clearly see that Bigelow feels at home in documenting American wartime conflict.

As with The Hurt Locker, the bulk of the action in this film is set in the Middle East. The film opens with a black screen while we hear about a minute of various voicemail recordings from 9/11. This serves as an appropriate catalyst for making sure we understand the drive to catch and serve justice against the most notorious terrorist in US history. Throughout the first two-thirds of the movie, we are bombarded with a slew of Arab names who are all part of a giant interconnected web of terror that eventually lead the CIA to Bin Laden's courier in Pakistan. Some of the plot gets confusing but in the end, none of the findings and leads uncovered are all that interesting considering we know that Bin Laden will be found and killed in the end. The bulk of this movie is tailor-made for CIA/terrorism junkies and I'm just not that type of person.

Jessica Chastain is excellent as Maya, the lead analyst in the film. She gives a very confident performance with some mixed in vulnerability when she encounters some unexpected bumps and roadblocks in her plight to catch Bin Laden. She is without a doubt one of the best up and coming young actresses in Hollywood, but I just don't think she was nearly as strong as Jennifer Lawrence was in Silver Linings Playbook. Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke and Jennifer Ehle round out a strong supporting cast. (Bonus kudos to Chandler who managed to star in two of the most critically praised films of the year - Argo being the other)

I wasn't blown away by this film. Bigelow does a great job of putting the audience directly in the squad during the raid on the compound. The final third of this movie is extremely intense and engaging. The realism of the squad chatter and the pop-ping-cracks of gunfire mixed with spent shell casings are some of the best I've ever seen on film. It's clear that Bigelow knows how to stage and shoot extremely realistic combat scenes. The problem I have with the movie is that everything leading up to the raid is plodding and frankly boring at times. I believe this movie could have been cut down to two hours with a little better overall pacing. I find myself feeling nearly exactly the same way about this movie as I felt about The Hurt Locker when I saw it. Both movies are authentic snapshots of war but both films just didn't engross me that much from start to finish. I know others (especially publications like Entertainment Weekly) believe this is the best film of 2012. I can't say the same as I felt disappointed in the full body of work that Bigelow delivers. I can't give Zero Dark Thirty any more than 3.5 out of 5 JRs. This is definitely worth seeing, but mostly for the last 40 minutes of the movie.

Review: Django Unchained

2013-01-07T17:30:00.003-05:00

Say what you will about Quentin Tarantino, you either usually love or hate his films but even his detractors can't say his movie aren't unique and interesting. I am a Tarantino fan (Pulp Fiction being my favorite of his films) but even his movies that I wasn't so crazy about (Jackie Brown for example) were still "different" and always succeeded to break the cinematic mold. With his 8th and latest film just released in time for Christmas, Tarantino gives us his spin on the Western genre with Django Unchained, an epic sweeping spaghetti western blended with a frank depiction of slavery in the 1800's.

Jaime Foxx stars in the titular role of Django who is a slave in the deep south that gets purchased by Dr. King Schultz (played wonderfully by the always-on Christoph Waltz). The former dentist and the former slave join forces on a sweeping bounty-hunting mission across the south that takes them to a plantation in Mississippi where they attempt to re-unite Django with his slave wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington in a role that mostly asks her to look pretty). The plantation is owned by a wealthy slaver named Calvin Candie (Leo DiCaprio in a rare turn as a villain). Tarantino regular Samuel L. Jackson shows up in the second half of the film as a stubborn old house slave at Candie's plantation. Throughout the film (which seems a tad bit long at over 2 hours and 40 minutes of run-time) we see Foxx's Django go through the process of embracing his freedom and mastering the art of gun-slinging. With over a 100 uses of the word "nigger" throughout, the brutality and hardship of slavery comes across loud and clear. In the end, we witness Django as he rises above all of the evils around him in an attempt to rescue his true love. The arc of Django becomes the pulse of the entire film and Jaime Foxx gives his best performance since Ray in completely embodying the legend of his character.

Tarantino is in top form with this picture. From his whip-smart dialogue to his clever use of over-the-top blood and quick-zoom camera work, he has his fingerprints all over this production. You can tell that he is very comfortable with Waltz who owns the first half of the film. The Oscar-winning actor has mastered the art of delivering Tarantino's sharp dialogue with a hint of glee and panache. DiCaprio gives yet another reliably excellent performance as Candie, spouting lines of bravado while maintaining a sense of southern cool only to lose his temper towards the end of the film in an effective fit of rage. Tarantino wraps all of the action up in an authentic southern setting that includes vast open landscapes, genuine plantation houses and rustic old-time western towns.

The big surprise for me in this film was the performance of Jackson who has a history of mailing in some over-the-top bombastic efforts over the years. Here he is right at home with his frequent collaborator in Tarantino and you can tell he is putting his heart and soul into his portrayal of Stephen (the right-hand 'bad guy' to DiCaprio's Candie). I hadn't seen Sam Jackson give such a quality performance since probably Pulp Fiction. Jackson's final-act showdown with Foxx contains by-far the best line in the film. I hope the Academy will recognize him but I'm betting that the trio of Waltz/DiCaprio/Fox will overshadow him.

This was one of the better films I've seen from 2012. I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as Inglorious Basterds (my #2 overall movie of 2009), but it definitely ranks up there in Tarantino's top 5. I recommend seeing it on the big screen to take in the wonderful wide-angle cinematography and excellent soundtrack. If the Academy can get past all the language and violence, I hope they decide to give this film a Best Picture nod. 4.5 out of 5 JRs for Django Unchained which leaves Zero Dark Thirty as the last movie I NEED to see from 2012 (until Oscar nominations come out later this week).

Review: Les Misérables

2012-12-31T14:59:00.000-05:00

I've been looking forward to the big-screen adaptation of my favorite musical of all-time since the announcement was made that Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) would be directing. One-by-one, the casting announcements for Les Miserables only peaked my interest. I finally got to see the movie over the weekend and I must say that I was a bit disappointed While most of the movie was excellent and true to the play, I felt that a few added scenes and songs were unnecessary and helped bloat the movie to it's 2.5-hour runtime. Most of the cast sings their hearts out and Hooper's unique directorial choices help make this film a must-see holiday movie.

For those (few) of you who haven't seen the award-winning Broadway musical, the story of Les Mis takes place during the French Revolution and chronicles former prisoner Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) as he redeems himself from past crimes and tries to avoid the clutches of his arch nemesis Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe). Several side-stories are intertwined featuring a love triangle between Valjean's adopted daughter Cossette (Amanda Seyfried), a revolutionist named Marius (Eddie Redmayne) and his friend Eponine (the powerful Samantha Banks in her first ever movie role). Cossette's mother Fantine, featured earlier in the story, is played by the movie's brightest star, Anne Hathaway.

Throughout the musical/film, a variety of amazing sweeping songs are performed. I believe that the music of Les Mis is by-far the best collection of songs featured in a single musical. Hooper made the decision to film his actors with live music playing in an earpiece so they could sing their lines live on film to the music. In the past, musicals were shot with vocals recorded on separate tracks and synched to the actors mouths during the filmed scenes. Hooper's method results in a truly unique and powerful performance that allows Jackman, Hathaway and company to deliver raw emotion during the songs. Two numbers in particular stand out. Valjean's opening song in the church is totally raw and amazingly performed by Jackman. His face convey's the mental dilemma that his character is facing and it's hard to believe that most of the song occurs in one single take. Hathaway's "I Dreamed a Dream" is even BETTER as you get a totally uninterrupted single shot that zooms in on her face during one of the low points of Fantine's story. The pain and suffering she emits in 4 minutes of film are enough to make her a virtual shoe-in for Best Supporting Actress. I was blown away at how effective the close-up singing was at immersing the audience in the story and songs.

Mixed in with the amazing performances of Hathaway, Jackman, Redmayne and others are a few songs that miss the mark. Crowe is just simply outclassed in this film. He may be a good lead singer of his side-gig band but here his voice is not powerful enough to carry some of the epic songs that Javert needs to sing. "Stars" in particular (one of my favorite songs) becomes a meek and unimpressive number when in the care of Crowe's voice. Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen play the mischevious Thenardier couple as if they are fresh out of Sweeney Todd and the rest of the supporting cast is adequate enough. Visually, Hooper's team does a great job with set design and cinemtography as well in painting a vivid picture of revolutionary France.

I saw this movie with my lovely girlfriend who hadn't been exposed to the play before. She absolutely loved the movie and I think the primary reason was that she had no prior play experience to compare it to. Since I was comparing every song to the original London cast version on stage, some of the songs were underwhelming to me. I also noticed that extra lines of dialogue were added to add context to the story. These extra verses were sung throughout to the tune of songs that had been performed already. I think the movie would have felt tighter and better paced if some of the added content was removed. I also would have liked to see another actor in the role of Javert. Crowe is still a quality actor but this just isn't the role for him in my opinion.

All this being said, Les Mis on the big screen is worth the price of admission and it really is a unique and rewarding experience to be able to see the actors deliver intense performances by singing live to the camera. This movie will deservedly win a few Oscars in 2013 and I think Tom Hooper definitely did the musical justice, but I can only give this movie 4 JRs out of 5.

NOTE: I will not be able to give my annual year-end top 10 movie list until AFTER I have had a chance to see Zero Dark Thirty. Katherine Bigelow's film opens nationwide on January 11th and I will see it shortly thereafter.

Review: This is 40

2012-12-31T13:41:00.003-05:00

In a somewhat-sequel to Judd Apatow's Knocked Up, This is 40 gives us a realistic (and sometimes hilarious) look at what it's like to reach mid-life. The movie is a bit too long and has a few jokes that fall flat, but contains enough signature Apatow moments and some solid performances from an excellent ensemble cast to make it slightly worth seeing. However, Paul Rudd delivers yet another solid comedic effort and that-alone makes it worthwhile for me (slightly upping my JR rating).

Rudd and Leslie Mann play Pete and Debbie, the troubled couple from Knocked Up (Debbie is Katherine Heigl's sister in that film) that both find themselves approaching the big 4-0. Finances, careers and kids all combine to through extra pressure on their marriage. Through a sea of curse words and some solid adult humor, we get to see Rudd and Mann play off each other and embody what it's like to go through mid-life problems. As a late thirty-something myself with kids, I can relate to a lot of the situations that they go through. The problem with the movie is that the rest of what made Knocked Up such a good movie is completely removed. Seth Rogan and company made that movie so funny and there just isn't enough LOL moments in this film to raise the comedic bar. Rudd and Mann do what they can though and really do have some chemistry together.

John Lithgow shows up mid-way through the film as Mann's father. I haven't seen him in a film in a long time and is a welcome addition to this cast. He gives a muted and genuine performance as a reclusive parent who isn't really sure how to connect with his daughter or grandkids. After Rudd, Lithgow is the highlight of this movie for me. Albert Brooks and Jason Seigel chip in as well to bolster a talented cast. Apatow and Mann use their own kids in the movie once again and it really adds to the authenticity of watching Debbie interact with her actual children.

Surprisingly this is only the third major film that Judd Apatow has directed (After Knocked Up and 40 Year Old Virgin). It is definitely the weakest of the three and makes me start to consider the revelation that Apatow is a better producer/writer than he is a director. Despite some slow parts, This is 40 is still a relevant movie for someone my age and is quite enjoyable at times. A lukewarm 3 out of 5 JRs for this movie. I would recommend waiting for DVD on this one.

Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2012-12-17T21:57:00.000-05:00

"What's Hobbitses... Precious?!?"

As the loyal readers of The Jordan Movie Blog will certainly know, Peter Jackson's Return of the King is my favorite movie of all-time (narrowly edging out Aliens). When I heard that Jackson was once again returning to Middle Earth (New Zealand) to film The Hobbit, the prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was giddy with anticipation. Despite Jackson and company's decision to take the book and adapt it into a three-movie arc, I was confident in Jackson's vision and track record. Having seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on opening day in the groundbreaking 48 frame-per-second format that Jackson intended it to be seen in, I have to say I was happy with my return trip to the Shire.

The Hobbit focuses on Bilbo Baggins (uncle to Frodo, the hero of the LOTR trilogy) and his reluctant quest to join a band of dwarves in an attempt to reclaim a lost fortune from a ferocious dragon. We see see a glimpse of the dragon towards the end of the movie but all of the dragon CGI goodness seems to be destined for the next film in this series. The bulk of An Unexpected Journey centers on the dwarf posse as they move from the Shire on their trek to The Lonely Mountain. Along the way we get several epic battle sequences and a few choice genuinely funny moments including an excellent scene where the group gets captured briefly by a trio of hungry and clueless trolls.

The dwarves are led by Thorin Oakenshield (newcomer Richard Armitage in a commanding performance) and feature a hodge-podge of members that vary in shape, size and facial hair. British actor Martin Freeman fills the shoes of Ian Holm as Bilbo. His character is a bit wishy-washy throughout but Freeman does a great job of playing a character who is a bit out of his element throughout. Returning from LOTR are the welcome faces of Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Elijah Wood (Frodo), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) and Hugo Weaving (Elrond). But once again, the acting star of the entire movie is Mr. Andy Serkis who puts his heart and soul into Gollum and gives possibly an even better performance during the amazing 10-minute riddle scene with Bilbo. The CGI nerds at Weta Digital work so brilliantly with Serkis' motion and voice performance that Gollum commands your attention every instant he's on the screen. I feel like I could watch Gollum for an hour straight and never get bored. Unfortunately I don't think we'll see much more of him in the next two films.

What I loved most about this film is how from the opening sequence I felt totally comfortable that Peter Jackson was in charge. 9 years since the last Tolkien adaptation hit theaters, I viewed this first installment of The Hobbit as a homecoming of sorts. It actually brought me personal joy to see all the returning actors and familiar settings. Rivendell, The Shire and other locales were painstakingly re-created to look exactly like they did in the previous trilogy. Add in the fantastic musical scoring of Howard Shore and it really did feel like I was back at home in Middle Earth. Shore used all the right cues from his LOTR soundtrack to accompany his new composition. When the company visits the elven town of Rivendell, the ethereal elf theme plays. When we see the One Ring for the first time, the ring theme plays. And of course we get the fantastic Concerning Hobbits theme during the outdoor scenes in the Shire. I think the familiarity of the cast, locations and music all helped make the nearly three-hour run time go by much faster than I thought it would.

Now this is not a perfect movie by any means. Some of the story is slow at times and there really is a lot going on to keep up with everything, but I really enjoyed this experience more than I thought I would based on other critic's reviews. This was simply a welcome return to the world of Tolkien with expert visuals and CGI by the best production team in Hollywood. I may be a bit bias but I have to give An Unexpected Journey 4.5 out of 5 JRs. I'm actually glad that there will be two more Christmas presents from Peter Jackson in the years to come.

NOTE: I did see this movie in IMAX 3D with a 48 FPS projection. This is a new technology that Jackson is trying to bring to the big screen. At double the frames-per-second of the regular 24 FPS projection standard, the movie looked very clear but felt a bit off at times. At the very beginning it seemed that everything was sped up a bit and some of the clearer scenes look like they belonged in a soap opera. I don't think 48 FPS is the proper technology for motion pictures. I feel that the film lost its cinematic edge and the movie didn't really "feel" like a movie. I think this technology is perfect for documentaries shown in true IMAX theaters. I know Jackson will try to push 48 FPS with the next two movies, but I think I'll stick with 24 from here on out.

Review: Silver Linings Playbook

2012-11-30T16:10:00.001-05:00

David O. Russell is turning into one of the best dialogue directors in Hollywood. What I mean by this is that he seems to have a knack for both writing and shooting realistic and fresh verbal interactions amongst his characters in his films. Going to a screening of an Russell film you know you're going to get straight grounded dialogue that draws you into the movie. Russell's last effort was The Fighter in 2010 which ended up being my second favorite film of that year. Silver Linings Playbook picks up right where The Fighter left off by showing us another slice of tough suburban family life featuring a totally committed and talented cast. As a bonus, Russell adds in one of the best depictions on screen of what it's like to be a rabid American sports fan.

Bradley Cooper stars as Pat Solitano, a bi-polar son of an Eagles-loving family in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Pat has just been released from a mental institution after having witnessed a shocking episode with his adulterous wife. As he tries to re-acclimate into society and win back the love of his estranged wife, he meets a beautiful young widow named Tiffany played by the uber-talented Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss from The Hunger Games). A solid supporting cast featuring Robert De Niro (in one of his more realistic roles in recent memory as Pat's football-and-gambling-loving father) helps round out the acting acumen and allows Russell to do his thing.

As Pat tries to win back his ex he ends up becoming involved with Tiffany (who has a similar type of social disorder as Pat does). The drama of Pat trying to beat his illness and help Tiffany get over the death of her former husband is brilliantly set against the real-life sports scene of 2008 in Philadelphia. We get to witness a whole town get behind the Eagles playoff run (as well as a Phillies World Series appearance). The fandom is shown in full force within the Solitano household as hopes and dreams live and die with each Eagles game. Pat's dad continues to encourage him to watch games together but a fateful trip to an accurately-depicted Eagles tailgating becomes one of the major catalysts of the fim. Russell is able to weave a multitude of comical moments through genuine scenes of drama and true-to-life scenes of what it actually feels like to whole-heartedly follow your local sports team.

Cooper gives his best performance as an actor to-date by a long shot. He comes across as likable, human and genuine as we see his flaws play out time and time again. Thankfully we get all of the comic timing he brings to his roles in Wedding Crashers and The Hangover mixed in with some major dramatic acting chops. His chemistry with Lawrence is spot-on and Jennifer once again gives a performance that is years beyond her young age of 22. I can see both of these actors getting Oscar nods next year and Lawrence really has all of Hollywood ahead of her. She has the most potential of any actress working today.

What Russell, Cooper and Lawrence have created with Silver Linings Playbook is one of the funnier movies of 2012 and one of the best "rom-coms" I've ever seen. Simply put this is acting, directing and writing at an extremely high level and Playbook earns my fourth 5 out of 5 JR rating for this year. While you can probably wait for video on this (this movie does NOT NEED to be seen on the big screen) I would still recommend going to see it before awards season comes around. Especially if you are even a casual sports fan.

Review: Life of Pi

2012-11-25T21:15:00.002-05:00

Ang Lee, the acclaimed director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain has managed to adapt Yann Martel's best-selling novel Life of Pi, about a young Indian boy trapped at sea, into one of the most visually stunning motion pictures ever made. Working with of a cast of no-names (excluding the where-is-he-now Gerard Depardieu in a weird and worthless role), Lee manages to tell an epic talk of struggle, spiritual awakening and perseverance that is highly enhanced by the effective use of 3D technology.

The movie begins with an older Indian man named Pi (Piscine is his given name of French origin but we see early-on why he decided to shorten it) telling the remarkable story of his life to a journalist. The bulk of the film is a flashback on the significant event in Pi's life, a shipwreck that takes the lives of his brother, Mother and Father and disperses a ship full of zoo animals in the process. Pi (played with remarkable conviction by Suraj Sharma) manages to survive the sinking freighter only to find himself stranded on a lifeboat with a hungry Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker (the origin of this name is rather humorous). We witness the struggle of Pi as he fights off hunger and Richard Parker himself during months of isolation at sea. The middle part of this movie reminded me of Cast Away on steroids.

Outside of the surprisingly strong acting performance put forth by Sharma, the real stars of this movie are the visual effects geniuses at Rhythm and Hues who manage to create "this-can't-be-CGI" representations of a wide range of animals, from Meerkats to Zebras to Sharks and Orangutans. Having won an Oscar for 2008's The Golden Compass, R&H manages to out-do themselves with the quality of the computer effects used in this film. The animation of Richard Parker alone should seal an Academy Award nomination for this movie. As the second main character of the film, the CGI Tiger is a living breathing co-star to Pi and conveys a wide range of emotion that harkens back to the wizardry done by Weta Digital in animating Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. The key to the believability in the animation is all of the natural movements the animators give to Zebras, Hyenas and other animals that are in immediate peril as a result of the disaster at sea.

Lee seems to be at home weilding the latest in 3D technology. He uses the depth of field effortlessly in depicting the isolation of the open water as well as the beauty of nature as a whole. I can see this film eventually being showcased on the Discovery Channel as a vivid showcase of both the visual splendor and dangerous aspects of the natural world. As an audience, we get to experience all of these amazing landscape visuals alongside of Pi through the total 3D immersion. It's hard to imagine a similar experience if this movie were to be viewed on Bluray outside of the theater.

Life of Pi is a remarkable technical achievement that matches Avatar as the best use of 3D storytelling to-date. The immersive way that Lee places the audience directly in the scenery is extremely effective. I was not expecting this movie to be this good and I encourage everyone to see this in 3D in the theater (even Doe B. Kim). This is soooo close to a 5 out of 5 for me but due to some slowness early-on and a rather lackluster final few scenes, I have to give this a very strong 4.5 out 5 JRs. This is one of the best movies of the year without a doubt and probably Ang Lee's best directorial effort of his filmmaking career.

Review: Lincoln

2012-11-25T20:24:00.001-05:00

There's no doubt in my mind that the best actor of this generation (and quite possibly the greatest actor EVER) is Mr. Daniel Day-Lewis, a consumate professional who puts his heart and soul into every single performance he gives. In his long awaited follow-up to There Will Be Blood, Day-Lewis shines yet again in an amazing portrayal of one of the most loved presidents in American history. In a first-time dream collaboration of Day-Lewis and Steven Spielberg, Lincoln tells the detailed story of Abraham Lincoln's political struggle to pass the 13th Amendment through the House of Representatives, effectively ending slavery and sparking an end to the Civil War.

Instead of focusing on the entire life span of the 16th president, Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner cover a few months of Lincoln's presidency which highlights the lobbying of wavering Democrats in an attempt to secure the two-thirds majority needed to pass the Amendment. Spielberg and producer Kathleen Kennedy have put together an amazing supporting cast that compliments Day-Lewis. Tommy Lee Jones (in one of his best performances in years as Thaddeus Stevens), Sally Field, David Straitharn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (the hardest working man in showbiz this year), John Hawkes, James Spader and Hal Holbrook all add to the believability of the drama set in 1865. Spielberg does a fantastic job making every detail seem authentic to the era depicted.

The obvious star of this movie is Day-Lewis. He completely embodies Lincoln from his folksy and spirited voice to the tall brooding way in which he carries himself beneath his trademark top hat. Thanks to an amazing job by the film's makeup artists, it only take a few scenes to forget that Day-Lewis is playing a character. He is simply unbelievably believable as Abraham Lincoln.

This film has without a doubt the smallest amount of visual effects for a Spielberg-helmed movie. Spielberg instead uses a lot of long takes to showcase the amazing acting talent that has been assembled. The visual effects in this film are the actors themselves who deliver sharp lines of dialogue in a meaningful and precise manner. Spielberg is able to make politics seem actually exciting at times.

Lincoln is an important film that should be seen by everybody especially on the heels of the spirited political election this country has just been through. I can't rate this movie higher than 4 out of 5 JRs however due to the extreme amount of political content that's served up here. Someone who can't get enough of the political world (*cough* Burt Hall *cough*) will be in heaven sitting through this film. Personally I found all the vote-lobbying rather overwhelming after a while. All of the insight into 19th century politics could not overshadow Day-Lewis, who dominates the screen every time he's featured and should be a shoe-in for yet another Best Acting Oscar award. His Lincoln comes across as a very likable president who helped the Republican party get off to a monumental beginning.

Review: Skyfall

2012-11-13T18:24:00.001-05:00

After some budgetary issues at MGM Studios and a few scheduling snafus, we finally have another horse in the James Bond stable with Skyfall. Daniel Craig returns as Agent 007 in his third film, teamed with acclaimed British director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead) and a variety of supporting characters including Javier Bardem and Brits Judy Dench (M) and Ralph Fiennes (finally joining the franchise he should have been a part of a long time ago). The synergy of the cast and crew helps make this 25th Bond offering a very entertaining film.

The plot of the movie is centered around MI6 and a security breach by Raoul Silva (Bardem as an extremely creepy and disgruntled ex-MI6 operative) that puts the entire roster of special agents in danger. Bond must recover from an early near-death experience to track down Silva and avoid losing M in the process. There are references throughout the film to the history of Bond including classic cars, failed gadget ideas and even the age and relevance of 007 himself. A new batch of MI6 personnel (including a younger tech-savvy Q) help usher the franchise into a new era. There is definitely a sense of Bond: Reloaded in this movie.

Overall Craig does another bang-up job as Bond and Bardem builds on his quirky bad-guy resume (No Country For Old Men). Mendes is in total control of the pacing and scenery and his cinematographer-collaborator Roger Deakins shoots some very beautiful scenes across the globe. Dench is amazing in this movie and gives a performance that one could argue deserves Oscar consideration. Unfortunately, this movie seems to be a little tame in scope and we just don't have the memorable scenes and raw gritty Bond moments that were littered throughout Casino Royale (by-far Craig's best Bond movie to-date).

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Skyfall. I really did. It was far better than Quantam of Solace. I just think it's a little overrated right now. Craig and Mendes are a great pair and Bardem is game as a memorable villain As far as Bond movies go this is a pretty standard effort. We get a sprinkling of Bond Girls, neither of them very memorable. There are little to no new gadgets or technology to add to the overall story. The action is great though and Craig is right below Connery as one of the better Bonds to take on the role. I'm looking forward to the next Bond offering and hopefully Mendes is back to direct it. I just wanted a little more with this effort. Casino Royale remains as the best Bond film in my mind (mostly because of the spectacular and tense poker sequence) and I can only give 3.5 out of 5 JRs for Skyfall, a showcase for Dame Judy Dench and a solid reboot that sets up a slew of potential follow-on films. It's still worth seeing in theaters for sure but just don't expect the end-all be-all of James Bond movies.

Review: Flight

2012-11-13T17:56:00.001-05:00

Man that Denzel Washington sure knows how to act. He's probably going to go places in this industry. There are only a few actors working today that will give you a solid performance every time they take on a role. I think these four D's are probably at the top of the list: DiCaprio. Day-Lewis. Damon. and Denzel. In Flight, Robert Zemeckis' return to live-action directing, Washington gets the Tom-Hanks-Cast-Away treatment in a story that revolves around a pilot's struggle to battle alcoholism.

When Zemeckis commits to a character as he's done with Hanks (Cast Away and Forrest Gump), Jodie Foster (Contact) and Michael J. Fox (Back to the Future) it's usually done with a lot of thought and depth. Throughout the duration of Flight we are treated to a case study on personal battles, happenstance-heroics and the struggle to admit a problem. Washington is thrust into the limelight (where he is so very comfortable) as Whip Whitaker, a pilot for a fictional airline that uses heavy binge-drinking as a crutch to forget about a failed marriage and a failed fatherhood. Whitaker is totally hammered the night before he takes the fatal flight we've all seen in the excellent preview for this film.

While the plane crash itself is amazing to watch and brilliantly filmed by Zemeckis and crew, the real meat of this movie is watching Washington cope with the repercussions of realizing he's turned into a hopeless drunk. John Goodman (as a Lebowski-esque stoner friend), Don Cheadle (as a calculating lawyer) and Kelly Reilly (as a fellow drug addict and love interest for Washington) all help lift up Washington's performance by making it more realistic. This is without a doubt the Denzel Show though and Washington is amazing once again in conveying addiction and delusional behavior. By the end of the movie we all feel the weight of the lies he has spun through the entire film and the realistic ending helps ground the characters in an inevitable reality.

Zemeckis has delivered one of the best gritty looks into the world of addiction and it's great to see him back behind the camera and away from the computer (Polar Express). Washington will be up for Oscar once again and just may take home his third career award for this performance. Flight is one of the best movies of the year and marks Robert Zemeckis' most gritty and edgy movie to-date. A pleasant 4.5 out of 5 JRs for this one. Go out and see Flight right away.

Review: Wreck It Ralph

2012-11-10T11:45:00.000-05:00

Rick Moore and Disney Animation (not Pixar) have whipped up an interesting concept with Wreck-It Ralph, a computer generated world of video game nostalgia that focus on the under-appreciated villains of the arcade scene. This film follows in the footsteps of the Pixar concept of making a movie that appeals to both kids and adults. I went to see this with two kids who are children of the PS3/Wii generation and were glued to their seats throughout, totally enjoying a video game world come to life. I found myself appreciating the movie for a different reason; fond memories of my own childhood, growing up with Nintendo and Atari.

John C. Reilly lends his everyman voice to Wreck-It Ralph, a Donkey Kong style arch enemy of Fix-It Felix, the hero of his own game who ends up fixing all the damage that Ralph causes to an apartment building every time a kid puts the quarter into an arcade machine. We see Ralph's issues with being the bad guy and never getting any awards or acclaim. The movie opens with Ralph in a support group for villains including Bowser from Mario Bros., Zangief from Street Fighter and a ghost from Pac Man. Ralph ends up leaving the confines of the Fix-It Felix world, traveling from game to game in search of a medal that will validate his existence. In his journey he comes across a gung-ho military leader from a first-person shooter voiced by Jane Lynch, a misfit girl in a candy-themed racing game (Sarah Silverman) and Felix himself, voiced entertainingly by Jack McBrayer (30 Rock).

The animators do a great job of building a believable and immersive video game world complete with 8-bit graphics and numerous nods to the genesis of computer gaming. Q-Bert himself appears as a lost character in a maze of games that have evolved and left him behind. I found myself extremely entertained by all the inside references to gaming. It's clear that the talented computer developers that worked on this film are gamers at heart and bring out their passion in their work.

The only real issue I had with this movie is that it was slow at times in the middle and spent entirely too much attention on the candy-racing world of Sugar Rush. I would have liked to see other types of games parodied and explored. Fortunately, Reilly and company have fun with their roles and make the ride worthwhile nevertheless. With so much to explore in the history of video gaming, it only seems natural that we'll be seeing Wreck-It Ralph 2 sometime in the years to come. This movie is a visual feast and a must-see for us thirty-somethings that grew up playing Nintendo and Sega. A solid 4 out of 5 JRs for one of the best animated movies of the year.

Reviews: Looper / Sinister

2012-10-31T14:53:00.004-04:00

In this current cinematic age of reboots, remakes and general rehashing of story ideas, coming up with an original concept for a movie is a rare achievement. A truly unique and unconventional concept comes around every once in a while. We last saw it with Christopher Nolan in 2010 when Inception was released and thankfully we get to experience it again in 2012 thanks to Rian Johnson. Looper is a sci-fi time travelling masterpiece that takes elements from previous works and molds them into a truly original film-going experience for the audience.

Johnson's Looper introduces us to a group of criminals who use time travel (which is outlawed in the future) to send certain individuals back in time to be murdered by "Loopers". The Loopers are responsible for shooting the individuals upon arrival and getting rid of their bodies. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, a Looper who ends up face to face with his future self, played by Bruce Willis. Joe is supposed to kill himself to "close his loop" but Willis' Joe ends up escaping and the rest of the film focuses on the dynamic between the two versions of Joe and a sinister threat from the future. Johnson uses elements of time travel to show cause and effect between the two versions of Joe. Whatever happens to Joe in the present instantly affects the older future-version of Joe. The clever time-travel dynamics make this film so interesting to watch. The plot makes you think but is never over your head.

What makes this movie work so well is the dynamic performances from Willis and Gordon-Levitt that make you really believe that they are the same person, just in different times in their lives. Kudos to the makeup and prosthetics team as well for making Gordon-Levitt's face into a believable younger version of Willis' mug. Emily Blunt chips in with a believable turn as Joe's love interest. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but there is a kid in this film that is a key character, played by Pierce Gagnon. Gagnon's performance as a child actor is essential to the success of the overall movie. He does not come across as whiny or annoying at all and gives his character the proper level of authenticity. I feel if another child was cast in this role, the movie would have derailed towards the final third of the story. The ending of the film makes you think about the choices that Joe has to make in his life. I thought it was the perfect capper on a cerebral and inventive action film.

Looper is an extremely well-paced and engaging movie that pushes the envelope in time-travel creativity. I cannot recommend this movie enough and I have to give it my third 5 out of 5 rating for 2012, putting it right up there with Dark Knight Rises and Prometheus as one of the best films of the year. Go see it right now!

Another movie I saw this week was Sinister, a middling horror movie directed by Scott Derrickson using a mix of live-action scares combined with found-footage. Ethan Hawke plays the lead role as Ellison Oswalt, a struggling novelist who is looking to write his next horror-story masterpiece. Unfortunately, the paranormal events he is writing about are also terrorizing him and his family.

This film had some good buzz so I was excited to see it first-hand, however there isn't really anything memorable about the film. There are some disturbing scenes throughout (including some seriously creepy scenes with kids in harms-way), but I just didn't find myself engrossed in the story to care that much.

The effects are so-so and the use of found footage is well integrated into the story but it's something we've seen time and time again. Hawke is solid as usual but the supporting cast is below average, especially the annoying and forgettable performance by the unknown (and rightfully so) Juliet Rylance as Hawke's wife. I was disappointed by Sinister and can only give it 2.5 out of 5 JRs. Wait for the rental on this one.

Lots of good movies coming out soon including Skyfall and Lincoln. I also might take the kids to see Wreck-It Ralph (Disney's latest digital animation creation about video games).

Kids Vs. Zombies

2012-10-30T17:04:00.001-04:00

In a break from reviewing, I can now officially share my ten-minute short film I made with my kids and my girlfriend's son.

PS: Two new movies reviews coming tomorrow most likely (it's been a busy few weeks at the cinema for me)

Review: Seven Psychopaths

2012-10-22T09:24:00.003-04:00

Christopher Walken is one of the living legends of Hollywood at this point. He continues to play the quirky eccentric hit man role perfectly as he rides off into the twilight of his career. His latest strong and humorous performance helps power the delightfully witty and violent Seven Psychopaths, directed by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges). Chock-full of A-List talent with strong performances by Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Colin Farrell and Tom Waits, this film chugs along with over-the-top bravado and Pulp Fiction style dialogue.

The movie chronicles the plight of struggling screenwriter Marty (Farrell) who is penning an original screenplay (also titled Seven Psychopaths). He is looking for some real-life inspiration for the psychopaths and finds it primarily in his friend Billy (Rockwell) who is absolutely bat-shit crazy. Billy has teamed up with his associate Hans (Walken) in a dog-napping small-time crime ring. Unfortunately for the two con-men and Marty, they cross paths with a big-time hit man Charlie (Harrelson). The three leads spend the rest of the film in a cat and mouse game of deception and violence with Charlie that sprawls beautifully across the wide open desert plains of California.

McDonagh once again brings an overall touch of wit and humor to blend with some sadistic violence as we get a chance to see all angles of each of these interesting characters. Farrell, whom I normally dismiss as a quality actor, is actually really likeable and engaging here. He delivers a far stronger performance than his bore-fest in Total Recall earlier this year. Harrelson is hilarious as the outlandish and determined hit man. His final scene with Rockwell's character is incredible. Walken is Walken and we get about a good dozen instant-classic Walken lines in this film. He could read the phonebook and make it sound unique and interesting. The real star of this movie, however, is the vastly underrated Sam Rockwell. His portrayal of Billy is a joy to watch as he goes from a weird/annoying friend of Marty's to a raving lunatic psychopath by movie's end. All-along he delivers his own brand of crazy-bordering-on-genius sense of humor. Rockwell is shot out of a cannon in this film and makes you wonder how this guy hasn't won an Oscar. His time will come, I'm sure of it.

Some of the "psychopaths" in the film including the lovely Abbie Cornish and Olga Kurylenko seem to be a little forced and don't quite fit in with the overall film. Tom Waits' bunny-stroking maniac is strong but also a bit out of place. If the movie focused more on the key foursome of Harrelson, Farrell, Rockwell and Walken it would have been a little stronger. Overall this is a vastly entertaining movie and if you are at all a fan of In Bruges or Tarantino-style filmmaking then you will thoroughly enjoy Seven Psychopaths. McDonagh used violence and the open spaces of the American West to paint a very satisfying picture. A strong 4 out of 5 JRs for this film.

NOTE: I saw this film at the new Angelika Film Center Mosaic Cinemas which just opened a mile from my office. This is a brand-new upscale theater near Dunn Loring Metro that has a full high-end cafe and bar. I enjoyed a beer in my seat while watching the movie. I highly recommend checking this new cinema out if you live in the area.

Review: Argo

2012-10-16T09:15:00.001-04:00

Way back in the days of Gigli, Daredevil and Jersey Girl there was a struggling young actor named Ben Affleck. He had his taste of stardom in Armageddon and Good Will Hunting but seemed to have peaked as an actor early in his career. He had become the laughing stock of Hollywood and nearly everyone was dumping on his performances. In 2007, something strange and promising happened to Affleck. He decided to get behind the camera (Gone Baby Gone) and try his hand at directing. With a strong follow-up in 2010's The Town, Affleck had slowly turned around a spiraling career and now sits on the precipice of Oscar glory with his latest effort, Argo.

Argo is a drama based on a true story of a US/Canadian special operation designed to extract 6 American hostages from the Canadian Embassy in Iran during the height of the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979/80. Affleck directs himself in the lead role of Tony Mendez, a CIA technical operations officer who comes up with a grand scheme of using the backdrop of a fake Hollywood movie to serve as a cover story for the extraction process. He meets with experts in the industry (played by the always welcome John Goodman and a sharp-tongued Alan Arkin) and plans out a screenplay, storyboards and fake production team credentials to help sell the story. Supporting the extraction effort are a group of CIA operatives featuring strong performances by Bryan Cranston and Kyle Chandler (who continues to try to escape the typecast of Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights).

Affleck once again is a hit as a director in Argo, using tight emotional shots to convey the several gripping and tense scenes that play out during the complex extraction process. The production value of setting the 70's tone with costume and set design is incredible. We get to see some excellent fake hairstyles and moustaches and some authentic 70's/80's television broadcasts. The movie really does feel like it was shot decades ago and kept on a shelf before it's release this year. You can really tell the quality of the production design when a side-by-side reveal of the real individuals in the film are shown next to their portraying actors in the end-credits sequence. As an actor, Affleck is serviceable playing Mendez' character as a sympathetic calculated individual who doubts whether his plan will succeed at time but always believes in it. His supporting cast is tremendous and we really do see the brilliance of Cranston in some very tense scenes. It seems that he has a fine movie career ahead of him after his days of playing Breaking Bad's Walter White are over.

Argo will most likely be nominated for several Oscars as this seems to be the type of movie that the Academy will embrace wholeheartedly. My main concern with the film is that it seems as if a little too much Hollywood gloss was added to the true story of the extraction. There are moments during the final sequence at the Iranian airport when event occur so close to one another that it seems way too conveniently placed to add drama to the story. This is more of a nitpick if anything as the timeline of the movie works effectively well in bringing a large dose of tension to the big screen. Go see Argo in theaters and prepare for a tense and wonderfully acted and directed slice of historical cinema. A very solid 4.5 out of 5 JRs for one of the best movies of the year.

Review: The Master

2012-10-01T14:51:00.001-04:00

The Master is one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen, all-be-it crafted masterfully by one of the weirdest directors in Hollywood. I'd have to say that Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson and Darren Aronofsky are currently the three strangest directors working in film today. While Wes usually makes meticulous quirky films and Aronofsky is involved in ambitious rambling movies, I always found myself enjoying PT Anderson's work the most. I loved Anderson's last effort There Will Be Blood and hoped for more brilliance in this highly anticipated offering. Unfortunately after a 160 minute runtime that flies by, I was underwhelmed by what I view as Anderson's worst movie to-date.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays Lancaster Dodd, a religious zealot in the 1950's known simply as "The Master." He gains followers of his belief known as The Cause (which bears a close resemblance to Scientology) and ends up recruiting a socially outcast ex-Naval drunk named Freddie, played brilliantly by Joaquin Phoenix in his return to the big screen. The plot (if you can actually call it that) of this mess of a film centers on Freedie's infiltration of The Master's inner circle and his relationship with its members including Dodd's wife Peggy played by Amy Adams.

The biggest problem with The Master is the story. The plot never seems to really go anywhere and despite the violence throughout there's never the payoff at the end that we got in There Will Be Blood ("I drink your milkshake!"). We get several shocking vulgar scenes where it seems that Anderson's main goal is to throw us off-guard. I was actually interested through the whole film and never felt like zoning out or falling asleep. This is mostly due to the great musical score by frequent Anderson collaborator Jonny Greenwood coupled with some truly amazing cinematography. Anderson is turning into an expert at holding long takes within a scene. His use of camera focus is extremely effective as well and helps aid in telling the overall story.

What really shines in this film is the acting performances by most everyone involved. Phoenix is incredible as a neurotic perverted psychopath and gives so much energy into each and every scene he is in. You almost feel that his multi-year break from acting he saved up all this acting brilliance to pour into this role. He is easily the front-runner for Best Actor despite having a strange and nearly pointless story to work with. Hoffman is outstanding in his reserved and preachy turn as a cult leader. Adams gives yet another solid supporting performance as the faithful wife of a crazy man. I'd really like to see her give a commanding lead performance in her career but for now she is solidly proficient at working well with her co-stars.

Overall I can only give this 3 out of 5 JRs. I was disappointed primarily in the story that Anderson tells in this movie. While it's interesting to see the genesis of a kooky cult religion, I feel that the film needed more of a character arc that advanced the story more. I would wait for video on this one and prepare yourself for a long weird viewing session. I hope PT Anderson hasn't totally lost his mind and that he can deliver a more polished total experience with his next film.

Review: The Expendables 2

2012-09-03T21:24:00.001-04:00

A few months ago I finally go around to seeing The Expendables, the old-school-action-star-smorgasbord from the mind of Sylvester Stalone. While it was somewhat amusing to see these old fossils dug up and playing over-the-top macho mercenaries, the movie just didn't work for me. The story was kinda boring and it didn't seem that the actors were really into it at all. With the exception of a few scenes that worked and Terry Crews' mega shoot-em-up at the end of the film, The Expendables was an overall disappointment. I decide to give the concept one more try and thankfully The Expendables 2 improves on the original in every way and makes for a very entertaining trip to the theater.

Along with Stalone (who wisely chose to not direct this follow-up, turning the reigns over to veteran action filmmaker Simon West), we once again get to see Crews, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lungren, Jason Statham, Randy Couture, Jet Li and the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger band together to fight the ruthless plutonium seeking organization known as The Sangs. The leader of The Sangs is the still very much in-shape Jean Claude Van Damme who manages to dominate the screen in all of his scenes. The plot itself is not that important as the story ends up with a monumental clash between evil and not-so-evil at an all-out bullet fest at an airport. Two other new additions to this Expendable ensemble are the legendary Chuck Norris (who appears in only a few scenes) and Liam Hemsworth (brother of Thor and beau of Miley Cyrus). Hemsworth and his brother Chris represent the next generation of action star and it must have been a thrill for him to be on set with all of these action legends.

West excells at filming big-budget action sequences and allows some of the less physical members of this group of mercineries to intimidate with their guns rather than their muscles. You can totally tell that Arnold is waaaay past his prime as an action star. He can no longer do the physical stunts that made him the blockbuster action star of the '80s and '90s. Thankfully he still has that classic Arnold delivery in his lines and spouts off a few one liners that the American movie-going audience has missed over all the years he spent in office. Couture seems a little over-matched throughout and I'm not really sure why he qualifies to be in this film. Crews himself does not have a really great action resume, but he's hilarious and adds to the overall comic value that actually makes this movie far better than it has any right to be. You can tell that all of these older actors have a sense of camaraderie on and off camera. Lundgren plays the role of an airhead muscle man so well that you gotta wonder if there's anything really going on upstairs in real life for him. There are several scenes of shit-talking between the group that really breaks up the action well.

Stalone and his band of brothers have created a far superior version of the first film. With all of the 60's and 70's rock tunes blaring throughout, this is really a movie made for guys who long for the era of Stalone/Schwarzenegger big-budget cinema. I never thought this group would make a second film but now it seems that a third movie might be inevitable. I'm all for it as I personally want to get as much out of Arnold as possible while he can still walk around and wield a shotgun with a cigar in his mouth. 3.5 JR's out of 5 for the nostalgically good The Expendables 2.

Review: Total Recall

2012-08-14T09:19:00.001-04:00

NOTE: Sorry for the delay on this post. I need to be more proactive in posting my reviews right after I see the movie. I am doing a disservice to my loyal followers.

It's no secret that I am a huge Arnold Schwarzenegger fan. I grew up on his movies and can quote line after line from some of his best. One of his very best for me has always been Total Recall. The original 1990 Paul Verhoeven version was a perfect mix of action, comedy and science fiction. Little did I know when I was sitting in the theater (still not sure how I got into a rated R movie without my parents) that only 22 years later I'd be once again watching a remake of Total Recall.

In this 2012 reboot from Len Wiseman (director of some of the Underworld films and Live Free or Die Hard) Colin Farrell takes over the Schwarzenegger role of Douglas Quaid who ends up triggering a buried memory that sets of a sequence of events involving. Instead of the Mars-themed locale of the original, this version focuses on a rift between the United Federation of England and a remote colony on Australia. The rest of the world has been destroyed through nuclear holocaust. Quaid ends up fighting with the resistance who are trying to overthrow the corrupt government in England. Travel between the two areas of the world is made possible via a giant tunnel/elevator called The Fall that travels past the Earth's core.

Wiseman is a so-so director and brings us a lot of action and little heart with this film. It seems all along that he and his cast are going through the motions of remaking what Arnold and company did in the original. Wiseman just seems to be a by-the-book director who really hasn't accomplished much in his career, with the exception of somehow duping the lovely Kate Beckinsale into marrying him. Beckinsale is probably the most redeming aspect of this film. She takes over the Sharon Stone role of playing Farrell's wife Lori who eventually double crosses her husband and spends most of the film spitting venom and fighting with Jessica Biel (Farrell's love interest). You can see in the direction of this movie that Wiseman loves his wife and likes the idea of her getting it on physically with Biel. Some of the best scenes in the movie are when Beckinsale goes ballistic on her adversaries.

Bryan Cranston (who is currently in his acting prime as Walter White on Breaking Bad) chimes in with a good supporting performance as the evil head villain Cohaagen. Farrell himself is extremely boring in this movie. He gives us none of the over-the-top bravado that Schwarzenegger brought to the role. I am starting to think that Colin Farrell is one of the more overrated actors in Hollywood. His best movie to-date by far has been In Bruges.

I left the theater asking one question, "why was this movie made?" Wiseman and his production crew didn't make a terrible movie but there was nothing overly new or interesting about this Total Recall that made it better than the original in any way. Sure, there are a few cool new features like The Fall, the overall visual effects and the welcome addition of Beckinsale, but all in all this is a disappointing film that made me long for a re-watch of the original. Thankfully, the producers managed to put in a few nods to the Verhoeven version by adding in the three-breasted girl and a brief glimpse at a woman at the security center who looks like Arnold in disguise from the first film complete with the "Two Weeks" line. For those who don't follow, click here. Hopefully this reboot doesn't present a new trend of remaking all of Arnold's old films (imagine a Kindergarten Cop remake). A lukewarm 2 out of 5 JR's for the new Total Recall which should be seen only as a rental or on cable.

Review: Brave

2012-08-03T08:27:00.000-04:00

Pixar has had a stellar track record in producing some of the best animated movies in cinematic history over the past few decades. Some believe that their run of hits ended last year with Cars 2. I enjoyed Cars 2 (I have a soft spot for the original) and still think their record is basically unblemished (well I didn't really like Up). The 13th effort from the studio that Jobs built is Brave, a story of a Scottish kingdom ruled by a giant boisterous King Fergus, his wife Elinor and their ambitious young daughter Princess Merida. The movie chronicles Merida's reluctance to go through the traditional betrothal process and her struggles with coming of age and keeping a strong relationship with her mother.

Kelly Macdonald (the Scottish actress from Trainspotting and Boardwalk Empire) plays the lead role of Merida and does an excellent job of letting loose with her thick and authentic accent. She plays well against her parents in the film (portrayed by Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson). Late night talk show host Craig Ferguson answers the Scottish casting call by lending his voice to one of the three lords who try to have their sons win the hand of the princess. The excellent casting is paired by an equally strong soundtrack that features several Scottish musicians including Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis.

The actual star of this film is not Merida herself, but her vibrant intricate head of orange curly hair. The nerds at Pixar have outdone themselves in creating amazingly realistic flowing hair that seems more reactive and authentic than ACTUAL hair. It's hard to explain but when you see Merida bouncing all over the kingdom, her hair just stands out and seems to react perfectly with the surrounding environment. The animators seem to be showing off their hair-rendering skills by building several scenes that let the hair interact organically with wind, rain, water and other natural elements. It may sound strange but Merida's hair may be one of Pixar's best technical milestones.

The real problem with Brave, however, is the plot twist that happens about 30 minutes into the movie. I won't give it away but it really does change the dynamics of the story and makes it seem a little cheesy and far fetched. I just couldn't relate to the characters as well as I do in a traditional Pixar film. With movies like Wall-E and Toy Story, the audience is given a chance to become fully invested in the key characters on the screen. I felt like the plot twist in Brave became overwhelming and bizarre and took the focus away from the characters.

Overall, Brave manages to amaze visually but disappoint from a story perspective. This is on the low end of the Pixar spectrum but is definitely worth a rental, especially if you have kids (and ESPECIALLY if you are a Mother and have a Daughter). 3 out of 5 JRs for Brave which brings me to my rapid-fire quick list of my personal top 5 Pixar films in order:

1. Wall-E
2. Cars (most people hate this one, but as a NASCAR fan I loved it)
3. The Incredibles
4. Finding Nemo
5. Toy Story 1/2/3

Get ready for a promising Pixar sequel next summer with Monsters University.

Review: The Dark Knight Rises

2012-07-30T19:56:00.000-04:00

As I've written many times, the best filmmaker working today is Christopher Nolan. With such amazing films in his repertoire as Memento, Insomnia, Inception, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, he has cemented himself as an expert in creating the thinking man's action movie. Both TDK and Inception are probably two of my favorite 50 movies of ALL TIME. Therefore, you can imagine how high my expectations were going into this final film of the Nolan Batman trilogy (even after the terrible event in Colorado). I ended up seeing the movie in a packed afternoon show with several co-workers on opening day.

The Dark Knight Rises picks up eight years after the events of The Dark Knight. Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale once again in the role he will most be remembered for when his acting career ends) is in recluse and Gotham finds itself under a new reign of terror as the menacing Bane (Tom Hardy taking over for Heath Ledger's Joker without hardly skipping a beat) imposes his will on the city. Back to assist Wayne/Batman once again are police commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), Michael Caine's Alfred and Morgan Freeman's version of Agent Q, Lucious Fox. Nolan manages to weave in his Inception veterans Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Detective John Blake) and Marion Cotillard (Wayne's love interest Miranda) into the all-star cast which includes Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (she's actually never referred to as Cat Woman in the movie).

The 2:45 run-time of this movie combined with the mega-budget effects (with hardly any CGI effects - a Nolan staple) and the high quality of acting all add up to a very epic feel throughout. There are several fight scenes that are just incredibly intense and the overall character arc of Wayne (especially a mid-film trip to a remote prison) is fascinating to watch play out. Not once did I think of looking at my watch nor find myself bored at any time during the movie. Nolan is able to build up the tension throughout and pair it beautifully with a methodically thrilling musical score from frequent collaborator Hans Zimmer.

Bale is solid as usual in both portraying brash confidence as Wayne, and in exuding bravado and heroism as Batman. This trilogy just wouldn't quite be the same without him. Hardy steps up to the plate and hits it out of the park as Bane. The goofy Bane from Batman and Robin is a distant afterthought after witnessing this masked menacing performance. The opening scene alone (which depicts a fantastic mid-air heist) both introduces the audience to Bane and instantly makes us feel fearful of his large than life intensity. The strange sing-songy gruff tone of Hardy's muffled voice adds to his sinister presence. Mark my words, Tom Hardy is about to blow up in Hollywood and will hopefully use the boost this role gives him that Heath Ledger missed out on with his untimely death. Hathaway manages to fill the boots of "Cat Woman" without going too much over the top with the cheesy-ness factor. I'm not sure if I totally bought the love-connection between her and Bale, but she definitely added to the story and did not distract from it (with the exception of some distracting skin-tight outfits).

The ending of TDKR is slightly open-ended but reveals several possible outcomes that could either extend the series (with a new director - Nolan has repeatedly said that he's done with the Bat) or close the book on this version of the caped crusader. Although the actual outcome is not clearly spelled out, but we do get a good sense of closure and this trilogy wraps up very well while featuring several effective plot points that tie back to Batman Begins. In looking back on the three films, TDKR falls JUST short of TDK in overall quality. Ledger is just a tad bit more memorable as a villain than Hardy's Bane (although Hardy totally owns this movie). I liked TDKR better than Batman Begins though and the trilogy as a whole is actually right up there with the original Star Wars trilogy. (Sorry but nothing comes close to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings masterpiece) This is without a doubt one of the best movie experiences of the year and I hope this gets recognized come Oscar time as a Best Picture candidate. Totally gripping from start to finish with a great supporting score from Zimmer, The Dark Knight Rises brings out the quality craftsmanship of a master (Nolan) at the top of his game. 5 out of 5 JR's for a worthy successor to The Dark Knight.