Thursday, July 5, 2012

At The Cinema - June 2012


Seeking a Friend for the End of the World – 8

You’ll like this movie if you like
  1. End of the world stories
  2. Steve Carell
  3. Gentle comedy
I believe Steve Carell is this generation’s Steve Martin.  When it’s all said and done he’s going to have a nice body of work that made us laugh.  That will be a nice legacy.

In this movie an asteroid is hurtling toward earth and there’s no way to stop it.  The world will end in 2 weeks, no doubt about it.  What would you do? 

Steve’s character is an earnest, simple guy whose wife looks at him upon hearing the news, and jumps out of the car, never to be seen again.  He keeps going to work as a lot of crazy things happen around him, none of which is terribly surprising.  He meets his lovelorn neighbor, played by Keira Knightley.  They appear to have little chemistry as they embark on their end-of-the-world quests, but with a few days left, who’s going to quibble?  You know what’s going to happen, but the ride is enjoyable.


Rock of Ages – 8

You’ll like this movie if you like
  1. 80’s rock
  2. Tom Cruise
  3. Julianne Hough
Now I’m not that big a fan of 80’s music and that limited my involvement here.  There aren’t enough musicals made, and this is why.  They are hard to do.  If you’ve seen the movie Burlesque, you’ll know this plot.  Small town girl who can sing and dance goes to Los Angeles to become a star, and ends up working as a waitress at a cocktail bar.  With music.  If you’ve seen Glee you know what happens, right down to the finale.

Nevertheless the earnestness of the whole effort kind of wins you over.  Julianne Hough continues to show that she’s got the screen presence to be a star.  Singing – good, dancing – great, except she doesn’t get to get footloose nearly enough.  Please Hollywood, find musicals for this girl.  Oh, Emmy Rossum and Anne Hathaway too while you’re at it.  (Have I mentioned that Anne Hathaway was born to play Judy Garland and will win an Oscar for it, if it ever gets filmed?)

But – the reason to see this movie is to see Tom Cruise as over the top rock star Stacie Jaxx.  Who knew he could sing?  I kind of snickered when I heard he would play a rock star.  I should have to eat a Snickers.  He’s amazing in the role. 

It’s going to be a rough upcoming year for Cruise.  His third divorce (of a 33 year old woman – isn’t that bizarre?) is going to be very public and probably reveal a lot of creepiness about scientology.  While he struggles through his private life, his devotion to the craft of movie making is undeniable.  I submit the following:

He’s the greatest movie star of all time.

You may not like his beliefs.  You may not like him as an actor.  But he has put together a string of iconic roles in classic movies that he has carried with his intensity, attention to detail, and yes his desire to be a star.  He’s played by the rules and has never once just gone through the motions.  He’s advanced the art, and we’ve come to expect more from movies because of a handful of people.  Speilberg.  Lucas.  Scorsece.  DeNiro.  Cruise.  It’s Cruise that puts himself out there, on screen, in larger than life roles that he has to make you believe.  You usually do, and you're not the only one.  His box office numbers are staggering.

Look at his filmography:

Taps – first signs of his intensity on display

The Outsiders – what a cast!

Risky Business – He slides across the floor and forever injects himself into every movie montage that will ever be made.

All the Right Moves – you believe him as a football player, and his athleticism will become a hallmark.

Top Gun – how many people do you know that can recite every word of this movie?

The Color of Money – he helps Paul Newman win his only Oscar. 

Cocktail – charisma if not much else

Rain Man – he helps Dustin Hoffman win an Oscar.  His great performance may be overshadowed by Hoffman, but without Cruise this movie wouldn’t have been what it was.

Born on the Fourth of July – an amazing transformation nets him an Oscar nomination

Far and Away – Great with Nicole Kidman

Days of Thunder – Terrible with Nicole Kidman

A Few Good Men – admit it, you know every word to this movie too.  His tangle with Jack Nicholson is legendary.  We got the truth.

The Firm – He lands the lead and then nails it in the most highly anticipated movie of that year.

Interview with the Vampire – Nobody thought he could do it, but he did.

Magnolia – some say his best role ever

Mission Impossible – He launches an empire

Jerry Maguire – another iconic role in a legendary movie which I admit I don’t care for that much.

Eyes Wide Shut – Divorces Nicole after a movie I can’t stand but many think is a classic.

MI2 – more box office

Vanilla Sky – highly regarded and a stretch.

Minority Report – Begins teaming with Speilberg.  This movie is incredible science fiction and is both of them at their best.

The Last Samurai – I’ve never seen this one, but I have a friend who claims this is his best movie.

Collateral – I just bought this one on Blu-ray.  Some truly amazing work.  His dedication to preparation is evident as he totally embodies a hit man.

War of the Worlds – The second teaming with Speilberg doesn’t go as well, but still an entertaining movie.

MI3 – more money.  By the way he cements himself as the best movie runner of all time, even if nobody can actually sprint 2 miles like he seems to do in this movie.

Lions for Lambs – fares pretty well with Redford and Streep, but the movie falls flat

Tropic Thunder – you have to see it to believe it.  Unrecognizable at first, but the talent is on display.

Valkyrie – Nice try, but doesn’t work

Knight and Day – Great chemistry with Cameron Diaz, but absolutely ridiculous movie

MI4 – Ghost Protocol – amazing stunt work highlights this huge comeback hit after two misfires.

Rock of Ages – Who’d a thunk it?  Another role you’d never think he could play.

Folks – Now that’s a resume and there’s more to come.  Appreciate his movie making.  He’s advanced the art and movies are held to a higher standard because of what he’s done.  By the time he’s finished there won’t be any doubt.  Spencer Tracy once said the key to acting was “just say the lines and don’t run into the furniture.”  Tom Cruise has done so much more than that.  Don’t misunderstand.  He isn’t the greatest actor of all time, but he’s the greatest movie star.  Grab some popcorn and enjoy.

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