Jun 17, 2011
(rated PG-13, 111 mins.) Teaming Anthony Hopkins with Chris Rock is about as bizarre an image as imaging the words “Mr. Jim Carrey. Mr. Merchant and Mr. Ivory would like you back on set.” Unbelievable but true, comes the story of Gaylord Oakes (Hopkins) a veteran CIA agent who must transform sarcastic, street-wise punk Jake Hayes (Rock) into a James Bond-ish spy to replace his identical twin brother recently murdered in a botched scandal. This is almost impossible given Oakes has only eight days to whip Hayes into shape as the dead CIA Hayes. Similar in flavor to Nolte and Murphy in “48 Hours” the movie’s chemistry works namely because Hopkins displays his usual echelon of sophistication in dramatic skills while Rock is simply all over the place funny. It’s well written, well delivered and the surprise comes from the fact that Rock actually steals the entire film away from Hopkins who almost seems fine with letting him bounce off his superb acting. The problem comes from only the ending being a little too over the top but certainly entertaining. The other problem is an emotional one, the premise. While hard to understand – there are Russian Mafia, Afghani guys and Yugoslavian terrorists, it is quite clear what their mission is: Blow up all of Manhattan by planting a suitcase with a nuclear bomb inside Grand Central Station. One can only hope it won’t give any real life terrorists food for thought. Overall an unusual though recognizable Jerry Bruckheimer produced summer big-blow-em-up and it works.
Jun 17, 2011
If you’re planning on having open-heart surgery anytime soon, this movie is strongly NOT recommended. Clay Beresford (Hayden Christensen) is a mini-mogul Donald Trump who has inherited his deceased father’s business. His mother (Lena Olin) doesn’t trust anyone who gets in his path. Enter Sam (Jessica Alba) his girlfriend that he marries on the very night he discovers he needs a heart transplant (insert eye brow raise). Now that she’s Mrs. Trump, should Beresford die, everything would go to her. But thanks to Doctor Jack Harper (Terrence Howard) he doesn’t plan to have this surgery to go wrong, despite the facts he’s had a few malpractice suits against him. He explains that malpractice is just a way for the families to deal with grief so they have someone to blame. But what Doctor Jack didn’t anticipate was that Beresford would be one of the 700 people a year who suffer from “Anesthesia Awareness.” A smart little movie with a twisted plot and unexpected ending. Unfortunately this film will need a defibrillator not to get lost in the Oscar holiday crunch of brilliant films. Two and a half tiaras
Jun 17, 2011
This is Hollywood 1927 and the young Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio) is directing his film “Hells Angels”. Three years and multi-million dollars later, the first (albeit ridiculous) ‘sound film’ is released, along with exposing this aviation visionary’s obsessive-compulsive behavior and his inability to take no for an answer from his right hand man and confident Noah (John C. Reilly). Around this time we also meet Errol Flynn (Jude Law) and learn of Hughes’s long time playboy behavior including two special lovers, Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale). DiCaprio, re-teaming with “Gangs Of New York” director Martin Scorsese, yet DiCaprio’s performance feels like a seventeen year old boy trying to play a grownup, but manages to age just enough three quarters through the film, when his paranoia/seclusion kicks in. Blanchett is amusing as Hepburn but comes across feeling more like she’s impersonating the star rather then acting her. Beckinsale may be lovely to look at as Garner, but her acting is so paper thin, we fear if the wind blows, it may knock her over. Alec Baldwin does a fine job portraying a competitive TWA mogul monopolizing the airlines, that Hughes would eventually change with a little company called Pan Am, and Alan Alda is well cast as a government agent investigating Hughes’s spending and possible tax fraud. Unlike most Scorsese movies, this one has zero violence yet will probably be the one to earn him the long-overdue Oscar for best director.
Jun 17, 2011
Moving on: The problem with this film is that despite all the “wow” effects, the dialog is really bad and the acting is worse. The two love bird’s “You Had Me At Hello” line is “I see you.” Okay, sure, whatever. Eye roll.
Weaver looks fabulous at sixty-something, and it’s great to see her back in her “Alien” – ish skin but she cant act either. That said, you gotta love Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) this Angelina Jolie/blue cat woman with hour glass torso who hisses at her love interest and eventual soulmate, Sam Worthington.
Cameron has a theme in all his movies….women who are always smarter, cooler or upper class, unlike their men who follow them around like drooling fools at their ankles…until a power shift occurs, the women cry and get all frightened, and the (beneath her) man has to step up to the plate. They all have men with one syllable names like Come back! “Jack” or Come back! “Jake.” And all Cameron’s movies are human vs. machine in some way, even if the machine is a cruise-line ship. This is no “Titanic” destiny/damsel flick. This is a man’s movie. So girlfriends, be prepared to watch-glance at about the forty-five minute mark of “Avatar” after the 3D butterflies have worn off. It’s two hours forty minutes running time. And there comes a point in the movie where you question: Well, if these DNA human/blue people aren’t real anyway, then what are we rooting for and why do we even care? Two tiaras
Jun 17, 2011
From cinematic icon, James “Alien” and “The Terminator” Cameron, comes his first gigantic film since “Titanic” when all those Oscar-wins made him “King of the World.” Well, apparently he’s “King of yetanother world” in a place called Pandora. In this biggest, most expensive film to Hollywood date, it better be good because there’s no excuse for failure at this price tag. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a paraplegic at a Veteran’s hospital sent on what seems to be a very confusing sci-fi mission led by Dr. Grace (Sigourney Weaver) to learn the ways of these blue people in a world called Pandora. Okay, sure, whatever…
Jake, Dr. Grace and Norm (Joel Moore) are the ‘Avatars’ who utilize their own human nervous systems and D.N.A. to learn about these Pandorian/blue cat people with flat faces and long tails. Okay, sure, whatever…
Maybe think of them as “Last on the Mohicans” Indians with different um, teams in the woods. Got that? Doesn’t matter. And neither will the military mission – not to be confused with the secondary plot science mission – run by Colonel Miles (Stephen Lang.) The 3D film will transport you and your senses to a cinematic world unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. They say this will change the way movies are made, but one can’t imagine that every movie will be filmed this way unless Hollywood is planning to shell out three-hundred million for every “Juno” goes 3D. And then there’s the one-hundred and fifty to marketthe movie. Funny…I bet they didn’t even have a marketing budget for last year’s King of the World “Slumdog Millionaire.” (see Homepage “Avatar Contiinued” for second half of review…)
