Jun 20, 2011
(Rated PG-13,105 mins)
No, it doesn’t mean you mistakenly hit the lotto or that your wife threw her birth control pills out the window. Instead, writer, director editor Bard Anderson’s follow-up to the smash hit “Next Stop Wonderland” takes a new spin on dating. Anderson’s seemed to find his niche in relationship movies that work simply because they’re real. It’s a combo of love story and sci-fi and that question “just how much will a woman tolerate of her lover?” The premise can not be revealed because it will ruin the surprises that should be discovered along with Marisa Tomei who stars as Ruby, a codependent phobic cutie who meets the man of her dreams (or so she thinks) in Sam (Vincent D’Onofrio) this story goes beyond losers, lovers, paranoia, kings on white horses, or anything you could discover about your man. If you think having issues with gambling, cheating, or drinking are problems, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Instead this guy has an original twist on why Ruby has to leave him. But, like Tomei’s character of Ruby, you will be determined to see it through to the end to see if what Sam claims is real or a case of needing a visit to the nearest psycho ward. One has to wonder where Anderson developed this clueless genius of a character in Sam.
Jun 20, 2011
(Rated R. 131 mins.)
Break the silence. Break out the Chianti and fava beans! Only this time it’s feeding human “sweetbreads to the Baltimore Symphony.” Hannibal (Anthony Hopkins) returns to America and attempts to make contact with disgraced Agent Starling (Julianne Moore replacing Jodie Foster and succeeding). Starling is a the same smart-mouth DEA specialist from “Silence Of The Lambs” only she’s lost good judgement in using negotiations vs. firepower that results in five deaths. When Hannibal decides “to come out of retirement and back into public life”, Starling returns to her most celebrated case in tracking one of the FBI’s most-wanted, but in trying to find a lead none lead to him. How does she locate Hannibal? The usual way — via the hand lotion scent left on his letter to her sniffed out by a team of perfume experts that trace him to Florence, Italy. Yeah, sure. Back in the states, only one man (Gary Oldman) – the fourth victim — the rich one — the only one who ever survived Hannibal’s attack lives in a mansion/castle and has more antiques that Sotheby’s but can’t seem to afford the plastic surgery to repair his disfigured face. Oldman by the way, is right at home in this “Brams Stoker’s Dracula” role revisited. Ray Liotta as a corrupt rival who in the end gives new meaning to “guess who’s coming to dinner” and memorable of that fried egg commercial “this is your brain on drugs”. Ridley (Gladiator) Scott steps into the shoes of director Jonathan Demme for this sequel yet despite some nifty camera shots doesn’t match the style/eloquence of the first. And the fact that’s it penned by superscribes David Mamet and Steve “Schindler’s List” Zaillian doesn’t supersede Ted Tally (the original “Silence
Jun 20, 2011
(Rated PG-13, 86 min.)
Released Feb. 18
Written by romantic-comedy sister duo Delia and Nora Ephron (“Sleepless In Seattle” “You’ve Got Mail”), this time in the story of three sisters and their aging father. Meg Ryan plays the diplomatic middle child (and love/hate favorite) to her father, the very comical and witty Walter Mathau, who in this story has a John Wayne fetish. Diane Keaton as the oldest and career-minded sister who even the audience can’t stand (she does a great job). For Keaton, life is just too busy — and about “me, me, me” — to bother with dying dad. Also, career minded, but spacey/ditzy “out there” is Lisa Kudrow as the baby sister portraying the “I want to be an actress” type.
The tagline is “every family has a few hang-ups” as the sisters deal with a lot of family phone banter, sibling rivalry and the reality of aging-parent issues. Meg Ryan is a joy to watch on screen with her ever-changing looks and hairdos that reflect the evolution of the sisters’ growth.
The story is quick moving with snappy dialog and minimum sappy moments. I loved it. And, I love the way they comically deal with the issue of “what do we do now that dad is old.” Directed by Diane Keaton.
Jun 20, 2011
After numerous summer blockbusters where nerds are transformed into superheroes, along comes “Hancock” (Will Smith) a drunken, street-bum by day, who has no desire to even be a superhero, by night. But when Hancock accidentally saves the life of Ray (Jason Bateman) – a PR executive trying to campaign to save the world – he takes Hancock under his wing, wanting to change Hancock’s image. And in order to do so, Hancock has to recognize that he has a ‘calling’as a superhero, whether he likes it or not. But don’t try putting him in a lycra costume, because it’s just not his thing. While Spiderman, Iron Man and Superman care about themselves and their purpose, this is where this movie falls short. How do we love a superhero who doesn’t love himself?
After the first half hour the movie struggles to keep up with its own story. This is not a movie for little boys. This is not a film with cartoon villains. This is a movie with criminals and violence. That’s the difference between Hancock and Batman or Spidey. And in the second half of the movie, the story derails significantly, when Ray’s wife, Mary (Charlize Theron) has her own secrets. Three tiaras for the first half with one tiara for the second half. Probably equals about less than two tiaras for the movie in its entirety. You do the math. One and a Half tiaras.
Jun 20, 2011
(rated R, 111 mins.)
“To be or not to be; that is the question…” and the answer can be found … in a nearby Blockbuster video store? It can be in this updated version of Shakespeare’s most tragic of stories set now in a world of laptops and limousines, circa 2000. That’s where Ethan Hawke roams the aisles in question of his fate, making for an almost haunting and strangely non-escape situation, stuck among the overbearing aisles of action rentals. In this story, the President of the Denmark Corporation was just found dead, and his wife remarried the man suspected of the murder. Nobody is suffering more than her son Hamlet-who is not only determined to avenge his father’s murder but who is also in love with the enchanting but forbidden Ophelia. Set in New York City, the film also stars Kyle MacLachlan as Claudius, Sam Shepard as the ghost of Hamlet’s father (who is fabulous by the way, reciting poetry), and Diane Venora as Gertrude. But the surprise of this stylish flick is Bill Murray as Ophelia’s father, Polonius. The only problem with the movie is Julia Stiles as Ophelia who recites her lines with either a muted voice or without realizing Shakespeare intended for them to have meaning. Dah.
