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05 Jan

The Illusionist

Grade: A

What a nice surprise! I didn’t expect to like this movie. From the previews, I really couldn’t tell what it was about. But let me tell you… it’s a love story! It’s marvelous! And it’s a mystery and a thriller and even a little bit of a soap opera. The effects are amazing. Edward Norton has the title role. He’s a kind of Harry Houdini with a mystical side. He comes from “common” stock and falls in love with an upper crust girl, played as a young lady by Jessica Biel. The two are separated, and then reunited as adults during one of his magic shows. But, alas, she is promised to a prince, and complications ensue. Paul Giamatti is the police investigator on the prince’s payroll. The story plays out nicely, with lots of twists and turns. And then when the pieces fall in place it’s fabulous – a great pay-off. I loved “The Illusionist!”
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05 Jan

The Hurt Locker

Grade: A

After I saw The Hurt Locker I knew it would win the Academy Award for Best Picture this year.  It has everything on the check list – great acting, an interesting premise, a tight script, and that extra something raw and real that pulls you in and makes you forget that this is a movie.  Kathryn Bigelow deservedly won the directing award for her work.  She was able to really bring out the emotion in this movie – which I think can be a challenge when you’re dealing with soldiers in uniform and all the posturing that goes on with the job they have to do.  Jeremy Renner plays the bomb specialist, a little cocky, but for good reason – he’s good at what he does and he knows it.  The relationships between the men make sense.  The big scene that really brought it all to light is when one of the men is sent home, and he feels the environment is more surreal and foreign to him than the war.  It’s a movie to talk about, and think about, long after it’s over.
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05 Jan

The House of Flying Daggers

Grade: B+

Subtitled. Beautiful Chinese movie about a Robin-Hood type of group of criminals who fight against the military. Mei is the gorgeous young martial artist who gets in the middle of it all. The cinematography is breath-taking – the martial arts moves some of the best I’ve seen for this genre. And there’s a love story! Great for a date-night. Good characters, strong story. Some cool girl power, too!
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05 Jan

The Holiday

Grade: B+

Ah, the romantic comedy!  We see too few of these.  “The Holiday” is a delightful date night movie – some might call it a “chick flick” but both my husband and my 17 year old son enjoyed it and they usually cringe at chick flicks.

Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, whose characters are both suffering from recent break-ups, decide to switch houses for two weeks over the Christmas holiday. At first there’s a little bit of culture shock, but they each settle in nicely.  They each meet men, complications ensue, they learn just how great they are as women, and there’s a happy ending.  What more could you want?  I loved it!

Cameron Diaz is darling.  She overacts a little, she’s got that goofy thing going on, but somehow it works for her.  It’s so nice to see Kate Winslet in something light.  She’s a wonderful actress, and very good at comedy.  Jude Law is Cameron’s love interest, and he’s predictably charming.  We expect him to be the cad but he ends up being a really good guy.  Jack Black is sweet and sensitive as a composer who makes friends with Kate.  He’s very attractive in this role!

The girls both do a lot of drinking in this movie – but other than that, there’s nothing objectionable for young teens.
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05 Jan

The Hoax

Grade: B

Based on true events, probably exaggerated for dramatic effect, The Hoax tells the story of how small-time author Clifford Irving created a big-time stir when he got a publishing deal for the “biography” he said he was co-authoring with Howard Hughes.  Richard Gere plays the ballsy writer with just enough arrogance to think he’s going to get away with it.  This is a complex character, and to make him more believably sleazy, Gere dyed his silver locks a mousy brown and put in a bad perm.  Marcia Gay Harden plays his put-upon wife.  Love her!  Great cast, interesting story, more so because it’s something that actually happened.
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05 Jan

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Grade: D

I didn’t read the book. I think there’s a small group of fans who read the book and were really looking forward to the movie. Interesting premise: the world ends, and a man is rescued just in time by his friend who happens to be an alien. They tour the galaxy and get in the middle of some kind of alien conflict. There’s a love interest, and a nice little message about being adventurous in life. Other than that, it was all a little too silly for me. Probably best enjoyed by the young teenage male audience.
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05 Jan

The Green Zone

Grade: B-

The Green Zone is set in present day Iraq, in the middle of the war.  Matt Damon is the soldier who is in it for all the right reasons, and figures out that some of the people running the war are presenting a different picture than what is actually happening on the field.  There are a lot of politics involved, naturally, and the media is eager for any story, even when it might not necessarily be the truth.  Greg Kinnear also stars.  Some war scenes, violence, gun fights, bombs – that’s what you get in a war movie.  Also some political intrigue.
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05 Jan

The Greatest Game Ever Played

Grade: A

Finally, a movie I really love! The Greatest Game Ever Played is a true story, and one that had the audience applauding over the credits. No big names, just a great story – well acted, well told. This is the kind of movie the whole family can enjoy – but don’t think you have to bring the kids! Greg and I went on our own and came home to tell Brian that it is a “must see.” Shia LaBeouf plays Francis Ouimet, a downtown kid aspiring to play an uptown game called golf. He’s a caddy with a real talent for the game, but because of he’s not a “gentleman” he is discouraged at every turn. He is inspired by golfer Harry Vardon, whose background is similar to his own. This is one of those stand up and cheer scenarios, where you’re rooting for the kid with the big dreams. Go see it!
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05 Jan

The Great Gatsby

Grade: B

A great movie requires a great story – and it doesn’t get much better than F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.  How that story is translated to the big screen is another story.

I thought this new version of The Great Gatsby was wonderful – I loved the costumes, the cinematography, the jewelry, the sets, even the melodrama of it all.  But there seemed to be something lacking… and I think that was mainly the chemistry between Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).  Both were fantastic separately – but together they kind of lacked that heat to make the whole premise 100% believable.  We’re left with kind of that empty, shallowness that Daisy embodied.  More style than substance.

Maybe it was having Leo in the lead, he seemed a little more crazy than just crazy in love.  We’ve seen Leo in these crazy guy parts before, like Howard Hughes, so it’s easy for him to fall into that mold.  I remember Robert Redford in the same part as more grounded, less desperate.

I saw the Robert Redford/Mia Farrow version of The Great Gatsby way back when, and I’d like to revisit that one now to compare the two.

 

Worth seeing.  I think it will get nominations in hair, make-up, costumes, art direction and the like.
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05 Jan

The Great Debaters

Grade: A

Based on a true story, set in 1935 Marshall, Texas, “The Great Debaters” stars Denzel Washington as the debate coach at an all Black college.  Three amazingly talented newcomers play his team.  Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions produced.  This is one of those movies that has you really caring about all of the characters, and rooting for them the whole way.  1935 was a volatile time in our history.  Racism was rampant, especially in the south.  The debate team had a lot to overcome, and did so with strength and dignity.  This is a wonderful movie, rich with history and positive messages.  A must-see, especially for teens.
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