Poll Results - Favorite Julia Roberts film

Which is your favorite Julia Roberts film?

Pretty Woman 45%
Erin Brockovich 35%
The Mexican 10%
Charlie Wilson's War 5%
Other 5%

Thanks for voting!

Review - I am Legend

I am Legend is a paint by numbers summer blockbuster wannabe.
Will Smith phones in a terrible performance as the last man in a Manhattan decimated by a virus that turns men into raging beasts that fortunately can only come out at night. Not nearly as inventive or frightening as Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, Legend tries to channel the same vibe but ultimately fails.
The beginning of the movie seem promising as Smith and his dog wander the streets of the abandoned city searching for survivors, haunted by memories of his family's death when the virus first broke out. However, as soon as "the infected" finally appear the movie devolves into your typical horrible monster movie. Not only are they horribly rendered, CGI creations but they completely fail to be scary. They rob the story of any Castaway-like potential it may have had and force Smith to try to fold himself into the role of action hero and dedicated scientist. Almost as terrible as another Will Smith vehicle I, Robot, I am Legend is more heartbreaking because it wastes so much potential.
There is far too much left unexplained for the story to even believable. For example, where does the prowling lioness come from? I haven't seen any lions in New York City recently. Better question: why haven't any of the animals been turned besides the dogs and rats? It seems like all of the different species should be equally infected. If Smith believes himself to be the last person on the planet, then why is he trying to develop a vaccine? These logical leaps make it nearly impossible to be invested in the story because it is simply so implausible. Worse yet, the characters are even more of a hindrance to an engagement with the audience because they are annoyingly one-note. There is nothing even remotely unique about Smith's character and when Anna and Ethan show up, they are even less engrossing. Fortunately, Sam, Smith's trusty dog, is cute and loyal and attract audiences. Unfortunately, he is killed off midway through the movie in a truly heartbreaking scene.
I am Legend plays like one of those movies that was probably amazing before they brought in some hack director to do rewrites and reshoots. Unfortunately, that is not the case with this movie. The blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Director Francis Lawrence who should go back to film school and learn that the story carries the movie not squawking quasi-zombies.

Screenshot - - - The Wizard of Oz

Because sometimes a picture can say it all...

Review - The Mist

Stephen King movies are kind of hit or miss. For every Shawshank Redemption there is a 1408 a Langoliers. However, his collaborations with Frank Darabont (Shawshank, Green Mile) have been spot-on. The Mist is no exception.
Without a doubt one of my favorite horror movies of the past few years, The Mist pretends to be a horror movie but it turns out that the true terror is inside the hearts of the monster victims. The story premise is simple. A mist settles down over a small town after a terrible storm. There is something in the mist with large tentacles that likes to rip people in half and send stylized showers of blood raining down on the plate glass walls of the supermarket which houses a small group of survivors.
The monsters are cool and often genuinely scary but the true power of the film to frighten comes from the interactions between the group. The survivors, initially bound together by a sort of generalized fear soon turn on one another thanks in large part to Marcia Gay Harden's Mrs. Carmody, a would be prophet of God who convinces them that the mist and the monsters are payback for their intrusion into the business of God. Her portrayal is chillingly subtle at first but then explodes into full-fledged religious zeal that whips the crowd into a frenzied mob. The best scenes of the film are her long-winded speeches and accusations against mankind as she advocates for expiation. When she finally turns on one of the children, demanding a sacrifice, the movie takes on a tone that is much darker than any inspired by B-monsters.
The most refreshing thing about the film is that the actions of the characters actually made sense for the most part. Some suspension of disbelief is required to believe that they are so unwilling to accept the truth but for the most part the characters act logically. The ones that don't die--that's how life should be. The main protagonist, David, played by Thomas Jane, especially acts logically. There was only one moment in which his actions seemed a bit unbelievable--the moment he decided to try to leave the store because he is worried about Carmody and her "congregation." However, the next few scenes in which we finally see the extent of their zeal leave no doubt that one has a better chance with the monsters.
What's interesting about the screenplay is that it doesn't really matter what the monsters are or where they came from. They are really just a backdrop for some fascinating character studies. A lot of the film--the best parts-- have the same tension between characters as movies like 12 Angry Men and allow the character actors to really shine.
The film is also commendable for its controversial ending, one of my favorite in movie history. Although it split audiences, I found it to be one of the most poignant powerful moments in a horror movie that I have ever seen. After running out of gas while trying to escape the mist, and with giant monsters descending on the car. David uses the four remaining bullets in the gun to mercy-kill his son and the three people that escaped with him. Stricken with grief and pain, he stumbles out of the car into the mist screaming for the monsters to take him, begging for absolution and death. He hears a noise and turns to see a tank rolling through the mist with armed forces and flamethrowers and the answer to all of their problems....the look on his face when he realizes he has sacrificed his son unnecessarily is shocking and heartbreaking. It's a ballsy ending, as far as you can get from Hollywood's typical happy endings, but it works. In my opinion, it elevates the movie from good to excellent and proves that there are still some surprises coming out of Hollywood and from writers that some consider old news.
There are some missteps unfortunately. One scene which briefly introduces a romance between two unimportant characters could easily have been cut and feels haltingly out of place. However, you can't not forgive Darabont when he delivers scenes like the one in which a man ties a rope to his waist and heads into the mist trying to find a weapon. The camera hovers in the store watching the rope as it slowly unwinds, then is violently pulled taut and lifted into the sky. As the people pull it back in they find only the lower half of the body attached. The scene is so simply shot and yet so frightening and suspenseful that it makes one wish that three-time Oscar nominees like Darabont delivered less serious fare more often.
Additionally, the explanation provided for the monsters was overwhelmingly disappointing. Military experiments into other dimensions. An explanation wasn't necessary to the story but this one was terrible and just a little too science-fiction for my tastes. Although, the science fiction bound up in the giant, tentacled, acid spewing monsters didn't seem to bother me. Perhaps, because the CGI work was so well-done and the monsters so interesting to look at after they were finally revealed. The military experiment angle just seems tacked on with no real explanation and either needed to be fleshed out or removed completely. Although without it, we wouldn't have been given the terrifying scene where the mob turns on the final military member in the store as their first sacrifice.
Small problems like this are to be expected in movies that take as many risks as this film does and none are large enough to even threaten to derail the movie. I much prefer a horror film that takes risks, does something new and shocks me to the contrived remakes that Hollywood usually proffers.

Review - The Other Boleyn Girl

Rarely does a movie feature two leading ladies who are both devastatingly gorgeous and yet also incredibly talented. Even rarer is a screenplay based on historical events both entertaining and thought-provoking. The Other Boleyn Girl has it all. Two leading ladies in the form of Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johannson who deliver nuanced, powerful performances and a screenplay which is so full of tension and underlying hostilities that it can't help but be engrossing, combine to make this movie one of the best of the year. (So far!)
The story is the oft-told tale of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII and their love...which split an entire nation and ended with Boleyn's head rolling into the crowd. The film really couldn't go wrong with screenwriter Peter Morgan who also penned last year's fantastic Last King of Scotland and The Queen, both also based on historical facts. His screenplay is loaded with conflicting tensions and excellent asides. He manages to capture the pomp of the court while also showing the seedy, manipulative, blatantly corrupt aspects of the monarchy. This is one of few films which actually manages to be somewhat realistic about the scheming that goes on in court. A large part of the is due to the phenomenal screenplay.
Of course a great screenplay can be crippled by actors and actresses who don't understand the broad range of emotions that liven up the character but aren't actually written on the page. Luckily, Portman, Johannson and the supporting cast don't fall into that trap. Johannson and Portman should thank Morgan for writing a screenplay that gives them the chance to show off their acting chops. If his previous forays into fictionalized history are any indication, this film could see them both nominated for some awards. Both Forest Whittaker and Helen Mirren won Best Actor/Actress for their roles in his previous films. Both of these women have more than earned some recognition for their work in this film.
Johannson is perfect as the submissive and overshadowed Mary. She is so kind and unassuming that the audience can't help but love her and empathize with her when Anne betrays her. Yet, she has enough tenacity to pull of the sibling rivalry in her scenes with Anne. One can't help but feel for her as she kneels before the king begging for her sister's life even after he abandoned her with his child or as she marches defiantly through the court after seeing her sister beheaded in order to retrieve Anne's child. Johannson plays her perfectly as the wounded simple girl who just wants to live in the country and be happy. She is the exact antithesis to Portman's Anne and definitely the more sympathetic of the two. However, Portman makes the hard sell and makes Anne relatable even as she schemes and betrays and divides England.
Portman is a strong enough actress that she is completely believable as the coquettish young girl who defied a king and country. She is equally believable as the victim at the end of the film, beheaded for failing to produce a male heir and betraying the king. She is defiant and sassy and completely enthralling as she maneuvers her way through court to become one of the most fascinating characters in history.
Ironically enough, the one weakness of the film is that nobody seems to be able to decide whether Anne is the villain or the hero of this particular take on her tale. While historically accurate, this dichotomy disconnects the viewer. At times you can't help but root for her as she blasts the king with comments like "[I'll stay on my horse]...the same way you do, my lord. With my thighs." But you also can't help but hate her as she gloats at Mary, holding her bastard child, after convincing the king to dismiss her from court and as she slowly drives Henry (Eric Bana) into desperation by never quite delivering on the promises she makes to him.
Bana himself is also worthy of some recognition as the tortured King. Though his screentime is small, he makes the most of it--the pain of making such monumental decisions clearly etched onto his face. He is best in the scene where he finally forces Anne to sleep with him, finally revealing the terrible temper he is known for.
Director Justin Chadwick, though relatively new to the feature film game, is a competent and confident filmmaker. His camera is relatively static through much of the film, not relying on any camera tricks or special effects to help portray the simmering tension between the characters. Rather, he lets the actors and the intricate mise-en-scene to do the work for him. With that said, the film itself is beautiful. With a period piece like this the set design and costumes are always magnificent but they are especially so in this film, each costume and set being more than just (what I'm assuming is) historically accurate but also being rather telling of the type of scene or character you are watching. Just by looking at the costume designs of Anne and Mary, you can tell exactly what kind of personality they have. The Other Boleyn Girl is an excellent example of how every aspect of the actual construction of the film can add something to the story.
It's inevitable that people will call this film the Desperate Housewives of Tudor England. In a lot of way this is true--bed hopping, seduction, and potential catfights abound--however, the talented team of people behind this movie have made it less about the soap opera and more about the political strife and plotting than anything else. Unfortunately, it seems that some people just can't get past the eye candy and give credit where credit is due when a great film finally comes along...

Review - Love in the Time of Cholera

Love in the Time of Cholera, starring Javier Bardem is a terrible adaptation of the fantastic novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. While the novel deals with heavy themes like love and death set against social change in South America, the movie has forsaken these themes and instead chosen to focus on awkward interactions between its characters. The story follows Florentino (Bardem), who is in love with the fair Fermina. Essentially, because he can't be with her, he beds anyone he can. The message of the movie (I think) is that despite his carnal satisfaction he never gives his heart to anyone but Fermina.
The camerawork in the movie is sloppy in spite of the beautiful and lavish backdrops, which really do manage to capture the unique flavor of South America. However, the design of the film fails in almost every other department, especially the absolutely terrible character make-up. Bardem is laughable as the aged Florentino and most of the supporting characters are wheedling, sleep-inducing parodies of characters seen in a thousand other movies.
Even the script falters, not really allowing any of the characters to develop naturally and putting forth so many lines of stiff, poorly placed dialogue that it feels like the film has been badly dubbed. I suppose that some of the credit must go to Bardem and the other actors who all deliver overwrought, overacted, unappealing performances. Bardem especially, is so annoyingly trite in this film that it is nearly impossible to root for him.
Finally, the film completely misread the themes of the novel and seems to be proposing excessive fornication as the way to deal with rejected and unrequited love. Half of the movie consists of some of the most awkward sex scenes ever put to film. In one Benjamin Bratt's character tries to "teach" his new wife about her wifely duties and just when you think it cant get any worse we get another scene in which Bardem beds while a cat watches angrily. While they are in the throes of passion the cat leaps onto him, digging its claws into his back. the camera cuts to what is obviously a few minutes later and now his back is covered in little bits of toilet paper which has been stuck to the dozen or so sets of claw prints on his back.
Director Mike Newell seems to have forgotten his audience with this movie. His last, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was for children. This one was not. Cholera should have been a thoughtful examination of the undying power of love, not an excuse to foist gratuitous, graceless sex scenes on his audience. Cholera is a failure at every level-- from the screenplay to the direction and even to the packaging of the DVD which is covered in gaudy, discolored flowers. Javier Bardem is lucky he had No Country for Old Men this year because this film would have secured his spot as 'unnamed man with Penelope Cruz" in all of the tabloids.

Feature - Top 10 Cranky Old Lady movies

Every town has that one old woman that everyone thinks is a witch...these women didn't take it that far but they sure put cranky old women on the map. Here they are the 10 Best Cranky Old Ladies.

1.) Mrs. Connelly in Duplex, played by Eileen Essell.
She has a parrot and a harpoon gun. Need I say more?
2.) Miranda Priestly in Devil Wears Prada, played by Meryl Streep
She is the quintessential cranky old lady and Streep plays her to perfection. Never before have steely glares been so damning...or so stylish.
3.) Viola Fields in Monster in Law, played by Jane Fonda
Definitely the most slap-sticky of the group, Viola lands on the list because her crankiness comes from a real place. And because she manages to not laugh throughout the film despite playing against J.Lo.
4.) Vivi Joan Abbott Walker in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, played by Ellen Burstyn
Could this woman be any more messed up? She earns a spot on the list for being such a colossal screw-up in such a feel good movie.
5.)Georgia in Georgia Rule, played by Jane Fonda
In this criminally under-appreciated movie Fonda plays the tough, no-nonsense, obscenity slinging matriarch of a pretty messed up family, whom she rules by a complete set of "Georgia Rules." But she also infuses the character with love and relateability, certainly worth some recognition.
6.) Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca, played by Judith Anderson
Definitely one of the most cold-hearted on this list. Mrs. Danvers hatred for the new Mrs. DeWinter knows no bounds...neither does her crankiness.
7.) Mother Superior in Sister Act, played by Maggie Smith
The nuns did it first--they still do it best and Maggie Smith proves it with her performance as Mother Superior. Still, you can't help but love her!
8.) Ruth Dewitt Bukater in Titanic, played by Frances Fisher
Doesn't her entire performance just make you want to scream "lighten up lady! you'll be dead at the end of the 194 minutes anyway!!"
9.) Barbara Covett in Notes on a Scandal, played by Judi Dench
She almost didn't make the list because she is far more than simply cranky but I just couldn't leave her off.
10.) Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmations, played by Glenn Close
She wants to kill puppies, which is generally not a good thing but there is nothing bad about Glenn Close.