Jun 20, 2011
(rated PG-13)
Do you hate spiders? Do you really hate spiders? Well they hate you too. Producer Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Godzilla) is at it again. When toxic waste ends up in a pond, some southwest creatures become big. Real big. Too big. Before you know it we have “Tremors” Spider style and that’s pretty much the plot in its entirety. What do you get when you cross toxic waste with a bunch of spiders? Eaten! David Arquette stars as mining engineer Chris McCormick who battles the blood-thirsty beasts with the Sheriff (Kari Wuhrer) and a bunch of locals. The special effects are nifty and old movie quality but it’s the laughable, campy script that makes this Arquette driven sci-fi thriller work and puts him back on the map as a good actor. If that’s even possible.
Jun 20, 2011
rated PG – Not since “Congo” has producer Frank Marshall tried his hand at directing, this time in a warm puppy tale – like ‘March of the Penguins’ for kids. Teen heartthrob Paul Waker stars as a guide who works at the U S National Science Research base (his just-for-comic-element sidekick, is Jason Biggs. When Walker leads two men on an expedition and an ice accident ensues, the two are forced to leave the dogs in sub-zero conditions in Antartica, to return to the hospital. Based on a true story of the early 1990s, the movie covers both the majestic and the fear of mother nature as the huskies are left to the wilderness for survival. Some scenes will be traumatic for small children. Three tiaras
Jun 20, 2011
The last time Mel Gibson graced the big screen it was in the movie”Signs” chasing aliens on the farm. The last time we saw him publicly he was being chased for drunk driving and screaming anti-Semitic insanities. But when it comes to America’s collection of once-a-sex-symbol men like Harrison Ford and Al Pacino, is Gibson yet another has-been who screams his lines to get his point across. The answer is no. In this, which feels a lot like the plot of last year’s “Taken” starring Liam Neeson, Gibson is trying to track the killers to protect his daughter (except his child is already dead.) Gibson possesses a sort of boyish cocky assurance (no matter what his age) and that sexiness is tightly coupled with a vulnerability found in those weary and haunted, blue eyes. The softness factor (when needed) doesn’t hurt either. Gibson is still a guy’s guy, and a girl’s guy and at the same time, he could be anybody’s dad. Northmoor is the place where Gibson’s daughter (Bojana Novakovic) worked before the murder that Gibson, a police man, thought was intended for him. Northmoor is a sort of nuclear facility run by Danny (we love this guy) Huston with his grey/white widow’s peak of hair and his bad attitude. He should have been a much bigger movie star then he is. The problem is when you add up the plot, unlike, say “Lethal Weapon” there isn’t anything they’re fighting for of interest to us (well, except for Gibson and his dead daughter.) “Edge of Darkness” takes place in Boston and was written by the guy who brought us “The Departed” – William Monahan – so you know it’s a solid script, but unless you’re Marky Mark from “Southie,” please give up attempting to “Pahk your cahr in the Harvahd yahd.” Bad Boston accents make any real Bostonian cringe. Directed by Martin Campbell – who apparently directed the British miniseries of the same name – it’s a fine film but not a great one. It just feels very been-there-done-that plot. Angry Mel with a gun avenging his child’s death (remember he starred in “The Patriot” and “Ransom” both with same child/justice scenarios.) Two and a half Tiaras
Jun 20, 2011
In a tidy summary….eat, pray, love and make sure you bring along a ribbon to tie it up into one big carbohydrate bow (she eats a lot of pasta in Italy.) Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) is a journalist who is bored with her pastry-chef husband, Stephen (Billy Crudup) and decides to just up and leave the life she’s responsible for creating…. in order to create a new one, of course. But before she drops everything – this is easy to do as she’s a freelance writer sans kids, cat or dog – she will have a fling with a yogi from Yonkers named David (James Franco.) Okay, now we hate her! Actually… we love her. The Julia Roberts we used to know and love is back – older and wiser. Think of this as her Diane-Lane-Under-the-Tuscan-Sun-woman-on-a-mission-to-find-herself. But Roberts sleeps with James Franco. I said that already. On her mission, Roberts takes off and first ends up in Italy (where she eats carbs instead of salad) and then to India (where she attends the arranged marriage of a seventeen year old girl who feels her life is really over), and finally to Bali where she sleeps with Felipe (Javier Bardem). Okay, now we really hate her. The international best selling book of which this film was based took a lot of backlash from women complaining that the real life Elizabeth Gilbert didn’t know real problems: Cancer, death, tragedy, being poor, struggling, etc. And yes, while that may be true, the bigger problem is that as American women we tend to be judgmental, incapable of enjoying the moment, in denial that life could be something other than what we’re raised to believe it is. And we don’t need Biblical tragedies to take some time out for us. We’re always worried about everyone else and moving onto the next thing. And that’s what this movie wants to teach us. To stay in the moment. The power of now. Like that book. In the end, the film’s real fault is that the main character doesn’t come with any real challenges, few obstacles, and no need to call home and check on the kids. We should all be so lucky. The stories backdrop is rich with visual landscape – Italy – how perfect, and not enough of the rich insides that make Robert’s character Liz internally tick. Two tiaras
Jun 20, 2011
I saw this one in London a couple of months ago and the idea of a film with Colin Firth and Jessica Biel together initially thrilled me. When Ben Barnes marries a wild race car driver (Biels) and brings her home to his Aristocratic parents (Colin Firth and Kristen Scott Thomas) the battle of their masquerading values ensue. It’s an old Noel Coward play that has been refurbished to add a twist of a man broke from war and suddenly seeing the difference in himself and his Victorian family’s ridiculous demands and lifestyles. Biel is adorable and wacky in this production, Firth is as good as Firth always is, and Scott Thomas is the best bitch on wheels whenever she’s in these movies. Biel is the only one who understands why Firth who led a troop into the village during the War and never came back. It was his wicked wife who came to get him. Only these two characters Biel and Firth understand each other, yet the dialog throughout most of the movie is not only annoying but strangely strained. Although there is one scene where the family discovers Biel’s scandalous past involving a previous husband. She handles the challenge with cool class and she won’t let the evil mother-in-law make a false move. Not great, not bad, but more mechanic and unnecessary. And the ending is rather predictable. If you like period pieces, you’d be best to rent “Emma” instead. Two Tiaras
