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04 Jan

Duplicity

Grade: B+

Duplicity is a strong and smart romantic drama set in the world of corporate espionage.  Julia Roberts and Clive Owen star as former agents out for the big buck in the corporate world.  They meet cute, then team up with a plan.  All the while not quite trusting each other, or anyone around them.  Occupational hazard, or personality quirk?    These two have chemistry, and great dialogue.  The movie keeps us guessing, and shows us some intriguing international sites.  Nice date night flick.
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04 Jan

Dream Girls

Grade: A

What a nice Christmas present!  We went to see Dream Girls on Christmas Day, opening day for the movie. and I’m so glad we did.  I absolutely loved it.  The movie Dream Girls is based on t he Broadway show, which is loosely based on the story of The Supremes.  Beyonce Knowles is Deena, the Diana Ross part.  She just nails it – the voice, the moves, the look – she goes from mousy wanna-be to diva and the transformation is seamless.

Eddie Murphy is James Thunder Early.  My friend Kevin-Anthony played this role on Broadway.  I got a kick out of watching Eddie in the role and picturing Kevin up there.  Flamboyant, eccentric – he was amazing – a great character, and so fun to watch.  Oscar winner Jamie Foxx is Curtis Taylor, the manager who takes the Dreams to the top of the charts.  Great choice, he’s got the voice, the presence, the charm… and just the right amount of slick.  The real revelation in the film is Jennifer Hudson, former American Idol contestant, making her movie debut as Effie.  I have never seen a movie where the audience breaks out into applause in the middle of the film – but that’s exactly what happened when Jennifer Hudson sings her show-stopping solo.  She literally steals the show.  She is a wonderful actress, and I expect her to get a nomination for Best Supporting Actress come Oscar time.

There are some great laughs in the movie – and some genuine tears.  The music is fantastic – you’ll want to get the soundtrack.  Costumes, sets, all first rate.  This is one of my favorite movies of the year – a must-see!
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04 Jan

Doubt

Grade: B

Doubt was first a play and is very dialogue heavy.  It is set in a Catholic school, and the topic is quite heavy, too.  A nun, the principal of the school, suspects a priest of inappropriate conduct with one of the male students.  Meryl Streep is remarkable in this role – she’s unflinching, and cold, filled with suspicion and contempt for this man.  Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays the priest, who is in the awkward position of being cast in suspicion.  We don’t know whether he did this or not, hence, the name “Doubt.”  Amy Adams is the novice nun caught in the middle.  And Viola Davis is the young boy’s mother.  Dramatic, tense scenes – a game of control, of cat and mouse.  Well written, beautifully acted.
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04 Jan

Despicable Me

Grade: B+

Despicable Me has to be the happy surprise of the summer.  Animated feature has Steve Carrell as the voice of the villain, who ends up being not so villainous after all.  And now we finally see what a “minion” is!  This is definitely a family movie, kids will love the fun, and adults will appreciate the humor.  Three little girls are delightful characters.  See it in 3D if you can, and stay for the credits.
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04 Jan

Deja Vu

Grade: B

Deja Vu is a thriller with a little sci-fi element to it.  Denzel Washington is our hero, handsome and gutsy as ever in this role.  He’s trying to solve a case in typical detective fashion, and he finds out about some very cool time-warping device the government is working on.  Val Kilmer is in charge of it, and Adam Goldberg is the brains behind the operation.  Cool premise, and Denzel is drawn in even though he doesn’t understand it.  We’re right there with him, and soon we’re rooting for him to save the day.  Jim Caviezel is the bad guy – and he’s pretty creepy.  I wasn’t expecting much from this movie, but I liked it.  It’s fast-paced, action, guessing game, date night fare.
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04 Jan

Defiance

Grade: B

Defiance is based on the true story about three Jewish brothers in Poland who managed to help hundreds of Jews hide from the Nazis during the time of the Holocaust.  Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber play the two older brothers.  Their father is killed and they are forced to flee into the forest.  Over time, more and more people join them, and they end up forming a community working to keep each other alive.  The two brothers collide, and one goes off to serve in the Russian army while the other maintains the community.  The group ends up facing many obstacles, including hunger, animals, freezing cold, and even divisiveness.  How they come together during these crises is remarkable, and inspirational.

There is a lot of violence in the movie, and it is difficult to watch people suffer.  Well written and strong performances.
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04 Jan

Date Night

Grade: B+

Finally a comedy for adults, starring adults, written by adults!  Can we have more of these, please?  My husband and I went to see Date Night on our own date night and we laughed out loud!  Tina Fey and Steve Carrell play a “boring married couple from Jersey” who venture out to Manhattan for a rare evening in the city.  This is supposed to be their “date night,” a time to re-connect and cut loose from the daily routine of life in suburbia.  In a case of mistaken identity, they end up flung into high crime, being pursued by both the bad guys and the police.  One of the funniest car chases I’ve seen is involved.  Of course, this is a comedy, so all’s well that end’s well – but in this case, the journey is much more fun than the destination.  I hope to see more from these two!
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04 Jan

Dark Shadows

Grade: B

Dark Shadows was on my “must see” list because I love the whole Tim Burton/Johnny Depp combo.  Dark Shadows is based on the TV series from the 1960’s – and the movie version is full of camp and humor and nods to the past.  Johnny Depp is one of the best character actors of our generation, and he doesn’t disappoint as the lead character, Barnabas Collins.  Barnabas may be a vampire, but he’s endearing.  Eva Greene is the witch who still pines away for Barnabas throughout the centuries, and reigns havoc over his home and family.  Helena Bonham Carter is the psychiatrist who has become a permanent resident at the Collins mansion.  And Michelle Pfeiffer is the lady of the house, elegant and mysterious.  The series continued, and it’s clear the movie intends to become a franchise, we are left open-ended for a sequel… or two!
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04 Jan

Dan in Real Life

Grade: A-

Steve Carell stars in the title role in “Dan in Real Life,” an adult romantic comedy, emphasis on the comedy.  This is not a teen comedy, with bathroom jokes and lowball humor.  This one is smart, and witty and sweet and off-beat all at the same time.  Dan is a widower, on a weekend visit to the parents lake home with his whole family – brothers, sisters, assorted nieces and nephews and his 3 daughters.  Many of the laughs come from daughter number 2, a typical drama queen teen in love.  Juliette Binoche plays Marie, Dan’s love interest, who also happens to be his brother’s girlfriend.  A nice little conflict that plays on different levels.

The audience was a mix of date night couples and older teens who are Steve Carell fans.  The movie actually got applause at the end.  I loved it!  No sex scenes, no violence, no swearing, just lots of good writing and acting – quite refreshing!
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04 Jan

Dallas Buyers Club

Grade: B

Dallas Buyers Club is based on the true story of Ron Woodroof, a small time rodeo rider.  It’s 1985 and Ron is a hard partying red-neck.  When he winds up in the hospital he gets diagnosed as HIV positive and is given 60 days to live.  At first  he goes about living those last days partying harder, but on the 59th day he finds a desire to live, and goes on a mission to recover.  He winds up in Mexico, on a regime of vitamins and drugs that are unapproved in the US.

When he starts improving, he comes up with the idea of selling these drugs back in the US by setting up a “club.”  Since he’s selling memberships rather than drugs he’s found a loophole.

Ron starts living the high life with all this new money.  He takes on a partner, a transsexual named Rayon played by Jared Leto.

At some point Ron is more about the cause than the money.  His life changes, and he changes.

Matthew McConaughey plays Woodroof, and there’s talk of an Oscar nomination for him. He lost a lot of weight for this role, he looks the part physically and it’s kind of creepy to see such a fit, healthy actor look so strung out and sick.

Good movie.  Worth seeing.  Some drug and sex scenes, not for the faint of heart.

 
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