Roundup Review Vol. 3

Critic's Corner Roundup Review-Vol. 3:

Don't Miss:
- "Clash of the Titans in 3D", PG-13 (3 out of 5 stars)
This movie is a blend of predictable, brainless, filled with reliance on CGI and Real D 3D technology but man, was it ever an entertaining spectacle to take in for a guy like me. And don't jump to conclusions, I'm not an action movie guy. I don't like most war movies, adventure films and I thought "300" was an overrated lump of crap for the most part.
However this movie was done well with worthy actors in epic role, quality CGI graphics, and a storyline that moved towards its final, bloody destination at a hell bent pace from the opening credits to its satisfying end.
Sam Worthington ("Avatar" and "Terminator Salvation"), Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes lead the way all bringing respect to some roles that the writing probably wasn't too high-brow.
Was the 3D as good as Avatar? No, but it was still very good and added to the entertainment. As for this new wave of 3D technology being integrated into practically every blockbuster, my take is it has its place in some movies and not others. This is the perfect movie however for the technology to be put to good use and only heighten the quality of entertainment.
So I definitely recommend seeing this one in theatres with 3D rather than on DVD if you get the chance.

- "The Box", R (4 of 5 stars)
This suspenseful thriller has that severe eerie feeling to it that few movies accomplish and carry throughout from start to finish. Directed by Richard Kelly, the creator of cult-classic "Donnie Darko", really knows how to weird the audience out and keep you on edge when he's on top of his game.
Better yet, this is a film adaptation of literary auteur Richard Matheson, whose short stories have been adapted into such films as this and the apocalyptic thriller "I Am Legend."
The plot is simple it seems at first. A couple is presented with a mysterious box at their door step one day and told by a man with a horrific scar on his face named Mr. Steward that if they choose to push the button on the box two things will happen: 1.) They will receive $1 million and 2.) someone in the world, whom they don't know, will die.
The couple of course pushes the button. The twist begins to unravel however when Mr. Steward picks up the box and tells them it will now be re-programmed and given to another couple somewhere, assuring them only that they will surely be someone that THEY DO NOT KNOW.
What I just told you would regularly be a spoiler, but believe me this one takes such a wild ride of twists and turns that there is no way anyone could devise its final destination. James Marsden and Cameron Diaz give surprisingly good performances in a couple roles foreign to their usual regime, but the show is stolen by 2009 Oscar best actor nominee Frank Langella who plays Mr. Steward. It will leave you dazed, confused, and little bit creeped out – but hey, that's the key to a great suspense flick.

- "A Serious Man", R (3.5 of 5 stars)
The Cohen Brothers are the most original, interesting and genius filmmakers around today – period! Someone make me an argument for anybody else and I will find a way to prove you wrong. They're that good.

Serious Man is even a bit of a foreign tale to most viewers, following a college professor in the Midwest and his orthodox Jewish family, but still prevails as a strong, strange triumph. There is nothing else like it, and that can be said of any of this duo's films.

We follow Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) through this tale as his life, family and job seem to be collapsing in all around him as he searches for the answers to the ultimate questions in life: why do bad things happen to good people and what does it all mean? Some have called the Cohen's dark-comedy screenplay a loose, modern day adaptation of the story of Job from the Old Testament.

Another triumph for many Cohen films, this one included, is that they often use many unknown or unrecognizable actors and get great performances out of them. I had never, ever seen Stuhlbarg in any film before in my life and he was fantastic. Also his nemesis Sy Abelman, was played perfectly by another unknown – Fred Melamed. Basically the only recognizable actor in the whole film is Richard Kind, known from his appearances on popular TV shows such as "Frasier", "Seinfeld", and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

See It:
- "Date Night", PG-13 (3 out of 5 stars)
I love Steve Carell and Tina Fey and they are about as excellent a male-female 1-2-punch in the comedy field these days as any. This may not be a classic comedy when the day is done, but it packs enough quirky laughs and heart to entertain the heck out of most audiences looking for a hilarious, yet still appropriate, romantic comedy (believe me, there are fewer and fewer these days).
A couple gets out of the house and goes to the city for an intimate evening at a high-scale exclusive restaurant, and when they can't get in they choose to steal another couple's reservation. The only problem is the people whose table they took have stolen from the mob and some hitmen are searching for them as they sit and enjoy their $40 salmon and bottle of wine.
James Franco, Mila Kunis, Mark Wahlberg and Ray Liotta co-star.

- "Alice in Wonderland in 3D", PG (2.5 out of 5 stars)
Johnny Depp was great, Helena Bonham Carter was absolutely terrific and virtual unknown Mia Wasikowska was a refreshing Alice. The only things that didn't seem to work was the 3D and choice of Tim Burton's to direct and overhaul the original's style with his doom-and-gloom, just didn't work for me.
Don't get me wrong, I love Tim Burton. "Edward Scissorhands" is one of my all-time favorites, but Burton has his limits as a filmmaker who makes films that all have a general tone and style to them. This one didn't work out that way, and neither did his adaptation of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" for that matter.
Plus I saw it in 3D and this was one of the films that appeared the 3D was just thrown in after the film had already been made as a marketing tool instead of engineered into the film like that of "Avatar." The 3D was supbar and sometimes a bit out of place. The only exceptions were for the Chessire Cat – that was kind of cool.

- "Whip It", PG-13 (3 of 5 stars)
Ellen Page is great in almost everything she touches these days and that can be said for her lead role in "Whip It" as well. I don't know what to classify this film as. It's kind of a dark comedy, but it's got a lot of soul and heart to it and appears to be shooting for something other than a laugh most of the time.
Page plays a teenage hippie child in Texas whose mother has always enlisted in beauty pageants but is growing to an age where she is looking for something else, something alternative to bide her time with other than school, living her mom's dreams and working at the diner.
She finds an underground all-woman roller derby league in the adjacent town that is drafting new players and takes to her new hobby, getting wrapped up in it. Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis and Jimmy Fallon co-star in this movie about finding your passion and fight in life. Barrymore also directed and produced this film as well as taking on a supporting actress role – a first for her.

- "Big Fan", (2.5 of 5 stars)
Dark? Yes. Self-deprecating? Certainly. An honest work of indie film genius? Almost. Patton Oswalt like you've never seen the pudgy little comedian before playing a sheltered 40-something "loser" who works in a parking authority booth and is an active listener/contributor to NY City sports talk radio stations n vigilant defense of his NY Giants.
This one is dark, smart, a little sad, but really takes you for a ride more than one would expect. An interesting character study for sure, but I just ended up feeling really bad for the guy.
I'll tell you this, if you're gonna start it make sure to finish it because it gets better as it goes and has an excellent conclusion.

- "The Wolfman", (2.5 of 5 stars)
Benicio del Toro can play a lot of roles with a degree of dramatic mastery but can he play a werewolf? The answer is yes, but it's far from his finest performance. For far better del Toro films see "21 Grams", "Traffic", "The Usual Suspects" and "Snatch."
Benicio has some help though with great supporting performances from Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving (of the Matrix and Lord of the Rings trilogies).
On top of having a more than decent all-around cast, the special effects improvements to this remake take it to the next level and fortunately do not appear cheesy or cheap. They fit and only enhance the horror and action of the film which is a bit slow in parts.

- "Capitalism: A Love Story", (2.5 of 5 stars)
This Michael Moore film is more akin to his previous film "Sicko", this is one is also far less polarizing than earlier hits "Bowling for Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9-11." It's focus is on the banks, the mortgage crisis and foreclosures, and the fact that our system of capitalism has so many loopholes in it to keep the rich rich and the poor poor that it is setup to fail the middle class. He makes a compelling argument that you can call socialist or whatever you want, but that doesn't change the fact that he is presenting an argument based off of "some" of the facts.
Obviously if you disagree with the leftish slant Michael Moore puts on his films, commonly neglecting to objectively cover both sides of an issue, then you wouldn't like this one either. But I have to say that Moore is a filmmaker and a talented one at that. He is neither a journalist nor a documenter and shouldn't be treated as one. He makes movies, and so what if they don't balance the issues to make everybody happy.
In most cases that would be like having a "straight pride parade" on the same day as gay pride parade – pointless. He sticks up for the minority and those who are having their backs stomped on in this country – the middle class. So who cares if Moore doesn't make a fair argument for all the fatcats out there? I'm still pretty sure they're doing fine.

Skip It:
- "The Lovely Bones", (1.5 of 5 stars)
Peter Jackson's (yes, that Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings) adaptation of the heralded novel about the loss of innocence when a young life is taken in a neighborhood park and the fallout in the lives around her is a watered down, butchered film version that should've never been made.
The novel is emotionally taxing, beautifully written and moving – the film has little if any of that and is cut and diced into pieces that cheapen the entire story. Not a good adaptation, at all.
The cast was all great, but it's like they were dealing with material that was the equivalent of having the rug pulled out from under them. Jackson took a risk and failed. Too bad, but true in this instance.

- "Where the Wild Things Are", (2 of 5 stars)
I loved the classic children's book as a kid, and still do, but man this adaptation is full of winy "emo" characters that are more of an annoyance than a joy to watch. Irritating and disappointing are two words I would choose to describe this film.
That aside, Spike Jonze is an amazing director and did some interesting things here with the camera and his style of special effects, sound-editing, etc.
The movie has heart, that's for sure. But maybe too much, because the characters are certainly much more dark and complex than I would've ever expected. It's like the writers decided to have each "wild thing" imply a different emotion that the emotionally unstable child lead character Max has inside him. As genius as that is, it's like finger nails on a chalk board to watch.

- "Law Abiding Citizen", (2 of 5 stars)
Gerard Butler and Jamie Fox have begun to sellout, and this is them joining forces to do it together. It has a couple of interesting twists, and is better than the average action/drama flick that rolls out, but with this type of talent this movie was a disappointment for me.
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