Archive for the 'Recent DVDs' Category
They Like Each Other, They Like Each Other Not
This is 40 is being advertised as the “sort-of sequel to Knocked Up.” That Judd Apatow-directed movie told the story of an unexpected pair of parents-to-be as they faced the consequences of their one night stand. Pete and Debbie were two of the supporting characters in that movie and now Apatow has decided to give them their own movie that focuses on the relationship between these two people who both turn forty in the same week. If nothing else, This is 40 works as a solid showcase for the acting talents of Apatow’s wife, Leslie Mann.
It’s Going to Be a Long One
It has been nine years since director Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings trilogy concluded, an accomplishment that stands as one of the greatest achievements in the history of cinema. Given the trilogy’s success, it was only a matter of time before that trilogy’s literature prequel, the much beloved The Hobbit, arrived in theaters. Delayed by, among other things, legal trouble, the tale of Bilbo Baggins has finally arrived in theaters; at least, part of it has. In a curious decision, Jackson has decided to tell the three hundred page story in three parts, each part epic in its own right. The first film in the new trilogy has been titled The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and it comes in at just under three hours.
There Will Be Hot Dogs
Following Lincoln, Hyde Park on Hudson is the second movie of the holiday season about a former president of the United States. Like the previous film, Hyde Park focuses only on a brief period of time in the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s, rather than trying to tell his entire biography. It’s an interesting story about an event that few modern Americans will know took place and although he may not disappear into his character as much as Daniel Day-Lewis, Bill Murray makes a good 32nd President of the United States.
Can’t Quite Keep the Nose Up
It is hard to believe that it has been twelve years since Robert Zemeckis has directed a live-action movie. The director of such hits as Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Forrest Gump has been at the forefront of the motion capture animation movement over the past decade, but now returns to live-action with Flight, a drama that opens with a spectacular plane crash… a sequence worth the price of admission alone. Too bad that the rest of the movie couldn’t keep up the momentum.
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Reboot Fail
Tyler Perry has gotten pretty well known as a director, but outside of his role as Madea in his own films, he is not really known as an actor. Alex Cross signifies a blind leap into the deep end for the actor, taking over a popular literary character; a character that was previously played in movies by Morgan Freeman, no less. You have to admit, the casting choice is intriguing. Sadly, the dive into the deep end is more belly flop than swan dive.
Declassified Real-Life Suspense
As a director, it is safe to say that Ben Affleck’s career is currently skyrocketing. Following the critically successful, Boston-set Gone Baby Gone and The Town, the director now heads to the middle-east for an Iranian-set drama that just screams Oscar bait. Based on a formerly classified true story, Argo not only tackles an incredible event in the history of America’s relationship with the Middle East, but does so with a Hollywood twist. How will Academy voters be able to resist?
Not Psycho Enough
It all sounded so brilliant. Director Martin McDonagh reunites with his In Bruges star Colin Farrell for a comedy called Seven Psychopaths. As if that weren’t enough, the cast of the psychopaths was filled out by the likes of Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits, and Christopher Walken! How could it be anything but great? Unfortunately, the movie turns out to be just a mildly amusing mess.
The Man with Skills is Back
Released on January 30, 2009, the original Taken was a blockbuster at the time of the year when there aren’t supposed to be blockbusters. Historically, January and February are the least successful months at the box office, but for some reason the revenge thriller transcended that. It’s not that the plot was that original, but there was something about Liam Neeson as a vengeful father that just clicked with audiences. It was probably inevitable, then, that a sequel would not be far behind. But while Taken 2 does succeed as a moderately entertaining thriller, it lacks the punch of the original.
The Movie Itself is a Perk
Those who aren’t familiar with Stephen Chbosky’s novel may walk into The Perks of Being a Wallflower knowing simply that it is the movie with “that girl from Harry Potter.” Walking out of it, however, they will likely be praising it as a funny and charming, yet powerful teen drama. They’ll probably also be talking non-stop about that talented actress, Emma Watson. Amazingly, Watson is able to make the audience forget she ever played Hermione Granger in an instant.
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Back from the Future
Writer/director Rian Johnson burst onto the independent film scene in 2005 with Brick, a spin on the classic film noir genre set in a modern day high school. That movie starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt and helped the actor get out of the shadow of his 3rd Rock from the Sun persona. Gordon-Levitt also had a brief cameo in Johnson’s follow-up to Brick, 2008’s The Brothers Bloom. That movie was not quite as innovative as its predecessor, but was entertaining nonetheless. Having tackled the noir and con artist genres, the actor and director now re-team for the sci-fi thriller Looper, a movie that starts with a bang… literally.
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