At the Cinema - August 2012

The Dark Knight Rises – 10
You’ll like this movie if you like

1. A Movie Series that saves the best for last
2. Special special effects
3. Amazing storytelling

Unfortunately this movie will be remembered for the horrible events in Colorado the night it opened.  From an artistic standpoint, that’s a shame, because this is a masterpiece.

Director Christopher Nolan’s best move was to take 7 years to tell this story.  He didn't just churn these puppies out.  His 2005 Batman Begins was an excellent movie.  Despite the rabid cult following his 2008 The Dark Knight was indeed a dark and endless movie which was carried by the bravura performance of Heath Ledger.  Then Christopher tackled “Inception,” an incredible complex and brilliant story.  His evolution as a filmmaker took a major step forward with Inception, and he brings new tools to this movie.

In The Dark Knight Rises, he brilliantly ties the story lines of his previous Batman efforts into one of the greatest 3^rd movies you’ll ever see.   He even gives his audience credit for knowing it’s another in a series.  He didn’t even have to use roman numerals.  Think Godfather III among many “thirds” that fell flat.

After the Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne/Batman has been in exile for 10 years.  Only when super villain Bain, oops Bane, emerges and begins to wreak havoc in Gotham City does Bruce begin to rehabilitate his body and his reputation.  Wayne Enterprises has something nuclear that Bane (Tom Hardy) and his cohorts want to dominate and destroy Gotham.  The fun begins and while there are many twists and turns, fights and battles, this doesn’t come off as a ridiculous digital special effects extravaganza.  Batman’s toys are believable (which has not always been the case) and that elevates the fun. 

Two great actresses, Marion Cotillard and Anne Hathaway bring feminine guile and great life to the proceedings.  I’m a big Hathaway fan and feel she’s often underutilized.  Not here.  She’s vibrant as a conflicted Selina Kyle/Catwoman.  The way Nolan has re-imagined Catwoman is just one of his many brilliant moves.  The introduction of emerging star Joseph Gordon-Levitt into the story sets up a 4^th movie, if Nolan wants to go there.  Much has been written about the ending.  It’s as good as they say it is.

Two tips if you’re going to this movie.  See the first 2 movies first.  Despite judicious use of flashbacks, they’re essential for the depth of the story.  Secondly, go to the bathroom.  At a bladder-busting blockbuster-required 2 hours and 45 minutes, it’s a huge investment of your time and you won’t want to miss a minute, particularly the 2^nd half which is as good as movie-making gets.  A last minute bathroom visit will allow you to give this movie the attention it deserves.

The Bourne Legacy – 8 
You’ll like this movie if you

1. liked the first 3
2. like Jeremy Renner
3. like long chases

This movie culminates in one of the longest and best chase scenes in movie history.  That doesn’t mean it’s believable, but then believability has never been the strong suit of the Bourne movies. 

These movies have always been my prime examples of what I call “blurry action” where there’s a fight going on, and you can’t really see what happens, but there’s a lot of sound and fury, so you’re thinking it must be good.  The action in this movie is a little better than that. 

Jeremy Renner plays another high performing US secret agent who has had his abilities enhanced with a drug program.  When they decide to terminate the program (sound familiar?) and withhold his drugs and knock him off, he springs into action with the help of the program scientist played by Rachel Weisz.  Weisz has a lot of screen time and her presence definitely elevates the movie.  Her plan for helping Renner with his meds is the majority of the plot, and let’s just say the movie benefits greatly from the female touch she brings. 

Other than that, you pretty much know what you’re getting with the Bourne series.  Renner is intense and believable and will undoubtedly continue the Legacy as soon as they can come up with a plot excuse for the sequel.  Enjoyable if you don’t take it too seriously.

Total Recall – 8 
You’ll like this movie if you like

1. The Arnold version
2. Kate Beckinsale (and who doesn’t)
3. Revolutions (you say you want one)

Colin Farrell takes the Arnold Schwarzenegger role in the too soon remake of Total Recall.  I’m convinced Hollywood will eventually remake every modestly successful movie and CGI it up.  I guess the only way to re-tell the basic plot of “Boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl,” is to just keep adding new effects. 

Still, this movie is pretty good, and it stands on it's own.  After a major chemical war has left only England and Australia inhabitable, and you can tunnel between them, bad guys of course want to rule both.  It’s a bad move when don’t just kill off the top resistance fighter, and just reprogram his mind for later use, but the bad guys here never go to the movies, so they wouldn’t know that, and Colin Farrell and a surprisingly good Jessica Biel (surprising because I can’t think of anything good she’s done before except look beautiful) must save what’s left of the world. 
The future world the director Len Wiseman creates here, much like his Underworld movies, is the best part of this.  It’s all pretty cool and the action is just as unbelievable as most action movies these days.  There's a great flying car chase scene that I can't wait to see again.  Len is married to Kate Beckinsale, and apparently living with her keeps his imagination active.  She plays the bad girl/Sharon Stone role here and I usually make it a point to go to movies starring Kate, and it’s usually a good decision.


Hope Springs – 8 
You’ll like this movie if you

1. like adult comedies
2. like great acting
3. like character driven plots

Now by adult comedy, I don’t mean racy, although there’s a level of sexual frankness here you won’t see in many movies starring anyone over 30.  By adult, I mean played by adults, for adults, and about adults. 

I always look around to see the average age of the audience, and this was the oldest I think I’ve ever seen in a movie.  We all napped together.  A lot of dozing going on, and it was a function of age, not boredom.

Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones play a married couple who have lost the “spark” if you know what I mean and I think you do.  They sleep in separate bedrooms and Meryl’s had enough of the fading magic, so she books them with a therapist in Maine, played by Steve Carell in a straight but pivotal role.  Their therapy sessions are wonderfully written and hysterical.  What?  A mature comedy.  Yes they pulled it off. 
Both Meryl and Tommy Lee are pitch perfect in their portrayals.  That’s what you would expect.  There are  masters at work here, and award mentions will undoubtedly follow, although comedy is rarely recongized with statues. 

There was only one problem for me.  I never for one minute believed I was watching a worn out married couple.  You can’t forget that you’re watching two great actors deliver some great lines.  Not for one second did I believe I was watching a real married couple.  When they remake this (in 3 years, with CGI) I hope they give us a real married couple, unknowns.  It would be fun to watch a couple that’s really at this point in their lives, not just pretending.  You’ll enjoy this movie.  You just won’t believe it.  Some things just can’t be rehearsed. 

Scanning the Satelitte

I've just got to mention The Newsroom again on HBO as it is a dominant topic of convesation among those sharing the ride. This Aaron Sorkin series just concluded its 10 episode season, and with it’s jaw-dropping quality and amazing writing and acting, it’s easily the best thing I’ve seen on TV in years.  A little too much personal drama, and one over-the-top character did not diminish this amazing accomplishment.  Sorkin benefit’s greatly from the looser standards of cable to bring us amazing viewpoints on past news events. If you liked A Few Good Men, The American President, or The West Wing, then this is must-see TV.
Like Homeland on Showtime, this show is expanding the complexity of television.  You are challenged to pay full attention, keep an open mind, and marvel at the casting and the ever-evolving characters. 

Here’s a great article my son told me about:
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/05/aaron-sorkin-newsroom-sneak-peek

At the Cinema - July 2012

Prometheous – 7
You’ll like this movie if you like

1. dazzling special effects
2. Ridley Scott
3. The origins of Alien

As for me, I’m a little tired of being dazzled by special effects.  I’d like to be dazzled by story every now and then.  L.A. Confidential, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Star Trek come to my mind just in that 30 seconds. 

Yes, Prometheous is dazzling if not engaging.  A space mission late in this century, presumably after space exploration has been privatized because the US government went broke, is headed to a distant planet to talk to God, or the Gods.   Turns out, and this will surprise you, things don’t go as planned.

There are a couple of really good scenes, and a lot of average ones, but as with most hi-tech movies, the digital effects are pretty cool.  Once again, if you like video games, you’ll like this movie.

Savages – 8

You’ll like this movie if you like

1. Oliver Stone
2. Blake Lively
3. Blood and Drugs

At least this movie has a story, albeit farfetched.  Two male drug dealer partners in California share an incredible business.  One is the brainy botanist, and one is the enforcer.  Incredibly they also share a girlfriend.  If you believe that can work, then you’ll probably believe the rest of the story, and it’s pretty far out there.

Selma Hayak plays the ruthless Mexican drug lord who doesn’t care for the guys turning down her partnership proposal.  She kidnaps the girl and they have to use both their brains and brawn to recover her. 

The movie is fairly interesting, although it certainly is graphic and distasteful in many parts.  It’s well scripted and well acted, until the last five minutes which I couldn’t have hated more.  To tell you any more would be more of a spoiler than Oliver Stone himself provides.

The Amazing Spiderman – 4

You’ll like this movie if you like

1. Repetitive action
2. Long movies
3. Emma Stone

This movie was horribly misnamed.  It should have been The Endless Spiderman.  After 3 decent movies, and this totally unnecessary reboot (the Hollywood word meaning “we are totally out of original ideas and are just going to keep shooting the same story over and over again as long as you schmucks will buy tickets.”) I can officially make the following declaration:  I have spent enough of my life watching Spiderman swing like Tarzan through the streets of New York.  He’s got some kind of endless vine web he shoots out of his wrist, and these scenes are packed into this movie over and over and over until the official blockbuster time of 2 and a half hours has been reached.  Crabcakes don’t have this much filler. 

Andrew Garfield is properly anguished but not terribly interesting in the title role and even the infinite charisma of Emma Stone and a few impressive 3D scenes can’t save this lumbering exercise in repetition.  3D seems to have been made for the kind of person who wears sunglasses indoors.  Most of the scenes are just too dark.  In summary, I have no idea why this movie was made, but I’m sure sequels are coming and I will be swinging in the other direction.

Now for something that really ticked me off.  Every 10 years Sight and Sound magazine polls critics from around the world to name the greatest movie ever made, and they’re making a big deal out of Alfred Hitchock’s Vertigo dethroning Citizen Kane at the top in the 2012 poll.

You can read the list of their top 50 here:  http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time

I was never that enamored of Citizen Kane, but as a huge Hitchcock fan, I’m appalled at their choice of Vertigo.  It’s not even his best movie.  I always found the movie boring, and I didn’t feel it held up particularly well.  I never bought the love story aspect of the movie, although I certainly sympathized with Scottie’s fear of heights.  It was widely panned when it was released, but for some reason has grown in stature over the years.  I don’t get it, and I don’t think Hitch would either.

So, just to clear things up, here’s my ranking of my favorite Hitchcock movies.  Get your Netflix ready:

1. Psycho
2. Rear Window
3. Rebecca
4. Notorious
5. North by Northwest
6. The 39 Steps
7. The Lady Vanishes
8. Strangers on a Train
9. The Birds
10. Suspicion
11. Shadow of a Doubt
12. The Man Who Knew too Much

There you have it – my dozen best Hitchcocks and now you know why I wasn’t a film critic.  I don’t even consider Vertigo one of his 12 best.  Let me know what you think.

Meanwhile - in the HBO does it again category - Are you watching The Newsroom?  Aaron Sorkin gets to write in a little (just a little) profanity into his latest wonderful story.  A little too much interpersonal drama, but incredible contemporary commentary.  Check it out.