Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom stars Idris Alba who for most of his twenty some odd year acting career has played supporting roles. No pressure then portraying Nelson Mandela, the worshipped South African hero who went from mud hut to nation builder with a slight detour of 27 harsh years in between as a political prisoner of the Apartheid system. By the way Alba does a stellar job! Maybe not so much by appearance but the voice is eerily spot on. Although Mandela is renowned worldwide as a pragmatic diplomat this film refuses to gloss over the actions of the once dashing young lawyer attracted to the African National Congress and its peaceful protesting against legalized white supremacy by the Afrikaner minority and how that was radicalized to more militant action. That almost cost him a death sentence but ultimately he was condemned to life at the brutal Robben Island prison. Also chronicled is the transformation of his shy bride Winnie (Naomi Harris) to a steely, ruthless, unstoppable voice for change. Most revealing is how this power couple so united in separation could separate when finally united. Only hinted at however is the crushing international financial pressure placed on South Africa which probably had just as much to do with Mandela’s release as his hardball negotiations with the ruling parties of Presidents P.W. Botha and F.W. De Klerk. Mandela himself gets writing credits as his autobiography is the basis for the screenplay and writer William Nicholson and director Justin Chadwick, faced with the task of covering this remarkable epic life did justice to recreating its highlights. This docudrama of one of the world’s most beloved icons could have its producers accused of being cynical what with their scheduled release date unimaginably coinciding with the sad passing of Madiba and may seem gauche and opportunistic by opening this film as planned rather than respectfully delaying its release. But being neither overly critical nor particularly fawning, the timing feels pretty right.
American Hustle feels like a mash up of the casts of Boardwalk Empire and Silver Lining Playbook plopped into the gaudy dying days of The Hustle and everything else disco. This is a fictionalization of the Abscam operation that was set up by the FBI in the late 70’s and early 80’s when unlike today telephones weren’t so portable and had enough heft to act as a pretty good weapon. At that time the feds hired a convicted con artist to mastermind a sting operation hoping to film prominent politicians accepting bribes from a fake Arabian Sheikh. Here the con man is called Irving Rosenfeld played by Christian Bale who must have endured the opposite diet to the one that emaciated him for The Machinist. Here he plays to perfection a bloated scammer with the world’s most hideous comb over. Still with all that it’s a testament to Irving’s persuasive talent that he is simultaneously bedding his beautiful but edgy wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Laurence) and his gorgeous larceny equal, mistress/business partner Sydney (Amy Adams). Irving and Sydney get busted by Ritchie Dimaso (Bradley Cooper) an ambitious Federal Agent with a Tony home permanent whose promise of leniency presses them into government service. Dimaso’s original plan to entrap small potatoes mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner also sporting a hideous hairpiece) gets more and more grandiose in scope to not only snare Washington politicians but also Mafia kingpin Victor Tellegio (Robert DeNiro sporting even more bad hair). The contrapuntal intrigue starts getting pretty incestuous what with Bureau bean counting boss Stoddard Thorsen (Louis C.K.) constantly throws up financial roadblocks to all of Dimaso’s big plans and the unbalanced blabbermouth Rosalyn taking up with Pete Musane (Jack Huston) one of Tellegio’s henchmen. Then there’s Sidney amping Richie's Libido in order to gain her own leverage that also ignites a Rosenfeld slow burn of jealousy. Sure some of the stuff in this picture actually happened but a biopic this is not. But hey could the truth ever be this entertaining?
Escape Plan stars Sylvester Stallone as Ray Breslin, a technical author who along with his business partner Lester Clark (Vincent D'Onofrio) pursues a unique vocation. Abigail (Amy Ryan) shares Ray’s work space (with a hint of sleeping quarters) and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Hush rounds out the office staff. Their business is jail security and to test the soundness of each employer’s facility Ray has to spend much quality time in stir trying to break out. One day the CIA comes calling anxious to know how solid their newest Gitmo installation is and faster than you can pluck a tracking device from just below skin level (FYI them spooks can do it really fast) Ray is off the grid. His new digs are in a maximum security prison where Dr. Kyrie (Sam Neill) is the only source of compassion and very much in control is Warden Hobbs (Jim Caviezel, ironically star of TV’s 2009 reboot of The Prisoner). While plotting his escape Breslin develops a symbiotic relationship with fellow prisoner Emil Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Yeah Sly and Arnold, so you know what to expect – droll one liners in the face of brutality and torture climaxing in heavy ordinance with action being the only thing not under arrest. Congrats to the two aging actors who manage to hold in their stomachs for pretty much the entire 116 minutes. Fans of their past work will definitely not be disappointed. We even get the Governator doing an extended soliloquy in his native German giving him the unique distinction of finding acting a challenge in multiple languages. So does Ray break out? You betcha. And then he has to turn right around and break back in! Can’t tell you why, it’s complicated. As a matter of fact things really get convoluted which makes one wonder how two monosyllabic actors pull off such a poly-faceted plot.
Captain Phillips (first name Richard) in 2009 had just taken over the helm of US container ship MV Maersk Alabama. As a seaman, leaving his Virginia home to navigate the globe put some definite strain on his home life with wife Andrea (Catherine Keener). He gets to see her almost as much as we do. Anyway that strain paled by comparison to the events he endured in April of that year when his ship was hijacked off the Horn of Africa by Somali pirates. At the time millions were being extorted from many nations by these desperate brigands and the Alabama was just their latest target. However Phillips’ (Tom Hanks) cool head under pressure mitigated the ransom substantially. Unfortunately it also resulted in him being the sole hostage taken aboard the lifeboat in which the pirates escaped. We expect Tom Hanks to deliver a believable performance when portraying historical heroes and here there is no let down especially his climactic total meltdown from shock. But the real acting kudos must go to the four non actors who played the believably menacing pirates. What might not be believable if it were not true is that the incident resulted in an extended standoff with Seal Team 6, a US aircraft carrier and a US frigate versus four malnourished Somalis in a dingy - all under the watchful eye of the President of the United States. The back story of this total incongruity not to mention the mystery of how ill equipped illiterates could perpetrate such a bold act in the first place is what makes this biopic fascinating. However its attention to detail is also its downfall, making the films fairly normal length of 134 minutes seem substantially longer.
Oblivion is the Tron follow up for neophyte director Joseph Kosinski who also co wrote and produced this latest Tom Cruise vehicle. It’s 2077 and Cruise is Jack, a memoryless, well armed Techie on an almost abandoned Earth. It’s been 60 years since aliens called Scavs blew up the moon causing worldwide chaos and calamity. The Scavs came to pillage our world of its resources but got a nuclear comeuppance. However with earth laid in radioactive ruin, humankind has set its sites on relocating to Saturn's moon Titan and those not already there await transport in a giant craft orbiting overhead called Tet. To survive, earth’s riches must be stored for the journey and during the time of gathering Jack and Vicki (Andre Roseborough) his assigned hot and accommodating assistant oversee security via orders from Sally (Melissa Leo) aboard Tet. This usually involves Jack riding sorties from their love shack in the clouds aboard his cool futuristic Harrier jet to maintain the drones patrolling for marauding pods of left over Scavs. However when a rogue spacecraft plummets through the atmosphere carrying passengers in suspended animation Jack not only come face to face with Julia (Olga Kurylenko) the woman who haunts his memory flashes but also Beech (Morgan Freeman) a Scav who probably possesses the worlds last remaining Churchill cigar and who is also anything but alien. Jacks efforts to uncover the truth about his mission become increasingly hampered by Vickie’s loyalty to Sally and her festering jealousy of Julia. This movie has plenty of heart pumping action and it looks fantastic. Come to think of it Cruise looks fantastic and Kurylenko has undoubtedly never lived a day without looking fantastic but the film gets bogged down with a confusing cloning element. Still, expect 1) big box office returns and 2) oblivion to remain a state that the career of Tom Cruise continues to escape despite his best efforts.
42 is the only number retired by every major league team in baseball - except during spring training when everyone wears that number. That’s a lot of reverence for a sport that’s had close to an aeon to revere its talent. Those in the know will tell you the reason for so much deference is that the guy wearing that number just after World War 2 was Jackie Robinson, the man who broke the colour barrier in pro baseball. With a story so well know you might wonder what could remain fascinating about a legend whose victories went way beyond the game he played. Well for starters perhaps on occasion we’ve felt a little smug that Robinson began playing in Canada for the Montreal Royals (ironically that name is more offensive to many Quebecoise today than the colour of any player then). However that had less to do with tolerance here than the Royals being a New York teams farm club. And maybe you perceived that Robinson was hands down so talented that the Majors just couldn’t ignore him. Well this film says that despite his copious abilities that really was not the case. In this story Robinson was a test case to open the flood gates on the untapped talent languishing in the Negro Leagues and the man pushing the envelope was Brooklyn Dodgers’ President and General Manager Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford). Soap star Chadwick Boseman (who spent a short time in Vancouver working on the Fringe series) is a riveting presence on screen partly due to his physical appearance which is so like that of the young Jackie Robinson. But the real standout in the cast (which includes Nicole Beharie as an endearing Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s rock solid wife) is Ford, who adopts a cigar induced gravely voice to play his crusty bible quoting character. Surprisingly a Jackie Robinson biopic has only been filmed once before and that was way back in 1950 when he was portrayed by Robinson himself. Yet with such an historical legacy to work with this picture focuses only on those critical first two seasons with the Dodgers. Don’t worry, that provides plenty of drama to hit a visual and emotional home run.
Admission gets us into the life of Portia Nathan (Tina Fey), a workaholic admissions officer at prestigious Princeton University which like all Ivy League schools has a plethora of applicants of which only a few are granted access. She’s delusional about being happy with Mark (Michael Sheen) her rumpled, scholarly, patronizing and distant significant other but the only believable relationships she has are with her bonsai tree and backstabbing office rival Corrine (Gloria Reuben). Wouldn’t you know Portia and Corrine are both up for the job held by Clarence (Wallace Shaw) their retiring boss. Portia’s job includes a yearly road trip to feeder schools which takes her to a rural, off beat, eco friendly institution coincidentally run by John Pressman (Paul Rudd) one of Portia’s college classmates. While perusing Portia romantically (with little discernable passion) he also trumpets his pet charge Jeremiah (Nat Wolff) as a must have student at Princeton. Although swayed, Portia can not rectify Jeremiah’s grades and extra curriculars both of which are epic fails. She becomes a convert however when John proves there is a long ago link between Portia and Jeremiah. Oh yeah and wouldn’t you know Johns quirky school is just down the road from the equally quirky Susannah (Lily Tomlin) Portia’s academic but distant and critical mother. Tina Fey and Paul Rudd are two of today’s most adored actors and you expect to enjoy their on screen work but charisma only goes so far when delivering light weight material. Too bad because the 2009 Jean Hanff Kprelitz novel that this picture is based on has been very well receive. Maybe that’s because the book wasn’t written for laughs but for this screenplay it has been twisted into a romantic comedy – yet still without a lot of laugh.
The title Stoker might suggest a connection to Dracula creator Bram Stoker which would be wrong but that doesn’t mean there are no monsters afoot. India Stoker is eerily played by Mia Wasikowska who won the coveted lead in 2010’s Alice in Wonderland and coincidentally very often seems to have slipped through a terrifying looking glass in this subliminally creepy film. Although living a privileged life she’s a bright loner whose world comes apart with the sudden death of her father Richard (Dermot Mulroney) whose insightful parenting was a little like that of the paternal figure to TV’s favourite serial killer Dexter Morgan. India is clearly a teen with deep issues and dad’s passing leaves a real void that seems impossible to fill by her slightly unbalanced mother Evelyn (Nicole Kidman). That changes with the immediate arrival of her heretofore unknown uncle, the dashing (literally) Charles (Matthew Goode). Despite him constantly reaching out, India stays at arms length from Charles who quickly seems to be putting the moves on her fragile mother. But as well meaning family (Jackie Weaver) and staff (Phyllis Somerville) not to mention a not so well meaning school mate (Alden Ehrenreich) disappear India becomes increasingly more infatuated with her charming uncle. Stoker is stylishly directed by Chan-wook Park who not only directed but also contributed to the screenplay of such outstanding Korean graphic films as Oldboy and Thirst. His stamp on this North American picture is more low key but every bit as macabre.
The Call picks up in the LAPD 911 emergency response centre. This static location affords a voluminous amount of close up and personal face time with Halle Berry and the camera can do nothing but adore her despite the worlds most unflattering ‘fro. She’s Jordan Turner, a calm and collected 911 operator until six months ago when a panic stricken teen (Evie Thompson) begged for help while home alone with an intruder gaining access to her house. Jordan’s trauma following her inability to successfully handle the situation lands her on indefinite light duty. However when a neophyte operator gets in over her head Jordan has to jump into an identical abduction situation. Now she’s dealing with a mobile and hysterical sixteen year old Casey Welson (Abigail Breslin) trapped in the trunk of a mid sized Toyota driven by her merciless captor (Saskatoon’s Michael Eklund). It doesn’t take long for Jordan to get her head levelled but as the abduction trail fluctuates from hot to cold the haunting outcome of the previous incident takes Jordan back and forth to the brink of losing it. For the most part the film is set in a high tech, high tension phone bank – a mostly untapped fountainhead of inspiration for a non stop thriller like this one. Why didn’t anyone think of this before? With only a modicum of disbelief suspended you’ll get significant seat edge hang time on this un-joy ride.
Hit 'n Strum features Vancouver as its most recognizable star and in this picture she looks absolutely stunning. The focus is on two diametrically opposed citizens and their interaction after literally bumping into on another. Mike (Vancouver native Kirk Caouette) is a homeless street busker and binner and Stephanie (Michelle Hamilton) a concrete tower high finance lawyer. As is often the case in a metropolis they work almost next door to one another. After a distracted Stephanie hits Mike with her car and then takes off her conscience (and probably legal intuition) get the better of her. She tracks Mike down and continually reaches out to him but he steadfastly rebuffs her material offerings of contrition. Eventually she wears him down somewhat with attempts to get him off the street and into social housing but her efforts put in peril the relationship she has with her unlikeable fiancé Christopher (Paul McGillion). In a very comfortable way the Mike/ Stephanie bonding proves satisfying yet unpredictable but with no drug or mental health issues Mike’s total lack of ambition, although hinted at, is not fully explained. Other than that Hit 'n Strum is a tour de force for Caouette - and talk about ambitious first time ventures! Here he not only stars in his own production which he wrote and directed, but he also composed a litany of very potable music to go along with the film. Or maybe it’s the other way around - the film is a vehicle to showcase some tasty songs. At any rate Caouette although a neophyte beneath all of these hats is no stranger to working on screen, not that you’d notice. He’s worked for decades doing movie stunt work. After that, probably none of this seems all that risky.
Oz the Great and Powerful embellishes the beloved 1939 classic Wizard of Oz by giving the back story of that wish granter whom Dorothy followed the harrowing yellow brick road to find. Oscar Diggs (James Franco) gets his nickname Oz from the first letters of the first two of his nine given names. He’s an ethically challenged circus magician whose philandering makes escape from retribution necessary via his hot air balloon. However a clean getaway is sabotaged by one of those famous Kansas tornadoes that take one to an alternate universe while reversing optics from black and white to Technicolor. His dime store magic has locals in this new land believing that he is the long ago foretold Wizard saviour -especially Theodora (Mila Kunis) a fetching but naive witch in a sweeping, colour coordinated hat who is easily seduced by his smooth charm. Her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) shows a reluctant Oz all of the treasures that will be his as Wizard and suddenly he’s keen to take the job. His zeal is tempered however at the news that the evil witch Glinda (Michelle Williams) must be dispatched first. Turns out Glinda is a dead ringer for Annie, the only woman back home who ever had any hope of reining in Oz and that influences him greatly into believing her story that Evenaora is really the nasty one. Theodora’s jealousy over Oz and Glinda getting close brings out her true nature that transforms her into the wicked witch of the west. This all leads to a spectacular clash that seems totally one sided as it pits the Emerald City’s vicious flying baboons and militaristic winkies against Glinda’s band of tinkers and munchkins, all of whom are sworn to do no harm. There’s no Tin Man here or any memorable songs but there is the hint of a scarecrow and we meet a new character, China Girl (Joey King). And there is definitely a lion which is our introduction to Finley (Zack Braff) the constant travelling companion for Oz. He’s a flying monkey but you can tell from his bell hop outfit he couldn’t be one of the lethal kind. Making a prequel to a movie still iconic seventy years later is a gamble and Oz the Great and Powerful turns out to be slightly less than powerful and just shy of great. So should you gamble on going to see it? Yes, be off to see this wizard because, because, becaaaause, it’s still wonderful.
Dead Man Down is written by J.H. Wyman one of the writers for the filmed in Vancouver Fringe series and stars Colin Farrell who brings his A game and lost bad boy face to the character of Victor. He has a budding voyeuristic relationship with Beatrice (Noomi Rapace) the shy but receptive girl seemingly sequestered with her mother in the opposite tower to his New York apartment. He’s a man with baggage plus an agenda and thus is reluctant to get involved. He succumbs to her come on only to find that her intentions are to blackmail him into doing some lethal retribution. Turns out she has evidence of his criminal activity while in the employ of the ruthless gangster Alphonse (Terrence Howard). Victor has no choice but to comply with Beatrice even though it is a distraction from his own revenge agenda not to mention his job with Alphonse who is trying to contend with a serious threat on his life. Although Victor and Beatrice start out as antagonists they gravitate towards a mutual guardianship which ironically puts each in peril. Rapace we remember as the original Girls with the Dragon Tattoo and is clearly remembered by Niels Arden Oplev who directed that film and this one which unites three divergent European accents under one neutral North American patois – Farrell from Ireland, Sweden’s Rapace and England’s Dominic Cooper who plays Victors criminal soul mate Darcy. They all do a great job of keeping it real and unlike this gritty double dose of vengeance, they never fizzle.
Jack the Giant Slayer features rising star Nicholas Hault (Warm Bodies) as Jack, a somewhat distracted subject of King Brahmwell (Ian McShane) who never the less champions the honour of the King’s daughter Princess Isabelle (Elenor Tomlinson) while at the castle. He’s there to sell the family horse and wagon in order to buy thatch for his uncle’s farmhouse roof. He makes a poor deal with a light fingered Friar who needs to make a quick getaway and buys Jack’s horse using “magic” beans for collateral. Turns out the beans are so potent that for security they were buried with the legendary King Eric along with his charmed crown which he’d used at one time to eradicate marauding giants from this human kingdom. The beans by the way exhibit explosive growth when wet – and wouldn’t you know Jack, Isabelle and the beans would end up in his leaky farmhouse in the middle of a deluge. The upshot is quite a shoot up indeed as before you can say Rumplestiltskin they’re stuck up in the clouds. To the rescue is the brave and loyal soldier Elmont (Ewan McGregor) and the King’s right hand man Roderick (Stanley Tucci). Too bad it was Roderick who exhumed the beans and crown in the first place for a coup d’etat. He plans to use the crown to enslave the hulking and merciless fanciers-of-Englishmen-as-a-delicacy and get them to do his bidding. In the land at the top of the beanstalk Jack et al have a prolonged and harrowing meeting with these giants, now lead by the two headed General Fallon (Bill Nighy). Jack the Giant Slayer shouldn’t be confused with Jack and the Beanstalk – even though that’s exactly what happened with the screenwriters of this eye popping CGI romp. The legend of Jack dispatching a legion of gargantuans is almost as old as the story of King Arthur but it wasn’t until about 300 years ago that genetically enhanced legumes were literally tossed into the mix and by then it was down to just one giant. In this mash-up we have just barely one golden harp, no goose that lays golden eggs and – oh fiddlesticks, who wants to split peas when the outcome is as fun and as spellbinding as this family pleasing adventure.
21 and Over is what happens when The Hangover meets Animal House. Perhaps an honest progression since writers Jon Lucas and Scott More did the same jobs for both Hangover films. Since the Hangover 2 didn’t have nearly the gusto of the original their perspective might have been that this is a good idea since rabid Hangover fans may not have even heard of, much less seen Animal House. Maybe they anticipated that this ersatz hybrid would bring the spirit of that granddaddy of frat boy debauchery to a whole new audience. Anyway whatever the delusion, Jeff Chang (Justin Chan) is celebrating his 21st birthday on the eve of his interview to get into Medical School. He’ll tell everyone it’s the most important day of his life but really it’s more important to his strict traditional father Dr. Chang (François Chau). He should be keeping a clear head and going to bed early but who should hit town to party and won’t take Med School for an answer but his best high school buds (who use his full name as a nickname) Casey (Skylar Astin) and Miller (Miles Teller, who has fewer creds than most of his cast mates but with his fast and easy delivery does a pretty good job of carrying the film). While still relatively sober Jeff introduces Casey to Nicole (Sarah Wright) and sparks fly between them whenever she fades into the picture - which coincidentally is often throughout their long night. After Jeff’s surprisingly picturesque slo-mo projectile vomiting, Miller and Casey decide to do the right thing and get the now comatose pre-med home at a decent hour. The only problem is they forget where home is and spend the night looking for clues. This leaves them facing the dawn branded and naked after running afoul of a tough Latino sorority, an ornery buffalo, an even more ornery Dr. Chang and Nicole’s macho cheerleader boyfriend Randy (Jonathan Keltz). Looks like 21 and Over is missing only two things: the words “The Top” to round out its title.
Dark Skies is based on a mid nineties television series originally designed to go head to head with the then monstrously popular X Files. That mission was not quite accomplished as NBC barely let it survive two seasons. Here Lacy and Daniel Barrett (Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton) are having a tough time making ends meet for their suburban family - that includes two sons Jesse (Toronto’s Dakota Goyo) and Sam (Kadan Rockett) – on the one income from Lacy who as a Realtor is mediocre at best. All of a sudden money problems pale in comparison to the sudden onslaught of paranormal activity that climaxes with Lacy flashing on a grey gangly interloper in Sam’s bedroom. Reluctantly putting their scepticism aside Lacy and Daniel seek council from Edwin Pollard (J. K. Simmons) who allegedly is an expert on what they are going through. Unfortunately his explanation for their plight is terrifying and he offers them little hope for salvation. Sure Charlie’s Angels was successful in the ongoing regurgitation of the small screen on the big screen, but Dukes of Hazard and Starsky and Hutch prove that reincarnating old TV shows is no guaranteed formula for success. And these were popular programs! Who thought resurrecting disappointments would be a good idea? Especially when the pretty cool elements of sixties nostalgia and aliens vs. aliens from the original are brushed aside. Maybe these will surface next time as clearly the brain trust responsible here has left the back door of this film wide open for re-entry.
Snitch is inspired by a TV documentary on Frontline about how changes to the US Federal Drug policy encouraged the incarcerated to inform on their accomplices in exchange for a lighter sentence. The film stars Dwayne Johnson but if you are looking for some holdover pro wrestling machismo you are going to have to do like “The Rock” does here and keep your shirt on. Sure you can tell Johnson’s character John Matthews is ripped under his tasteful working mans cotton twill but this guy is no pugilist. He’s an average guy trying to make a go of his trucking business as well as his second marriage to Analisa (Nadine Velazquez who sadly, unlike in Flight, keeps her shirt on too). That’s shattered when John’s son Jason (Rafi Gavron) from his first marriage gets lured into helping his best friend smuggle drugs into their Missouri home town. Because this so called best friend snitches on him to save his own skin, Jason gets busted by FBI agent Cooper (BC’s Barry Pepper rocking a goatee that’s gone completely off the rails). When Jason refuses to also turn informant the State’s Attorney Joanne Keeghan (Susan Sarandon) is prepared to throw the 10 year mandatory minimum book at him until John convinces her to let him take Jason’s place in setting up a bust. John’s original target is a local small time supplier named Malek (Michael Kenneth Williams) but it become apparent that by giving him a pass they have a shot at busting the king pin, El Topo (Benjamin Bratt). The problem with that is that although it bolsters Keeghan’s political ambitions it also puts both Mathews clans in peril not to mention Jon Bernthal (Daniel James) John’s loyal employee trying to go straight with two strikes against him. Kudos to Writer/Director Ric Roman Waugh who keeps gunplay to a minimum even though he capitulates on his even script with an obligatory car chase. That may have been unnecessary as Johnson is getting pretty good at carrying a movie solely on his strength as an actor.
Safe Haven is well defined by its bucolic (and paradoxically named) Southport North Carolina location where you’re hit with the double whammy of small town hospitality and Southern hospitality all at once - although ironically neither is dished up with a southern accent. This coastal town is home to Alex Wheatley (Josh Duhamel) a hunky but awkward widower who runs the local general store with the help of adorably precious daughter Kristen (Mimi Kirkland). Son Josh (Noah Lomax) isn’t as much help as he can still remember his mother which leaves him somewhat broody. Their hometown gets a lot more interesting when a pretty blonde named Katie (Juliana Hough) never gets back on the Greyhound making a pit stop there on its way to Atlanta. At first Katie is standoffish – so much so she takes up residence in a cabin way out in the bush where she strikes up a friendship with Jo (Vancouver’s Cobie Smudler). Upon her urging Katie lets down her guard since when it comes to Alex, Jo seems to have a real sixth sense (you’ll get that later). As the family of three is morphing into a contented foursome however Detective Tierney (David Lyons) of the Boston PD is honing in on this refuge, chasing down Katie for the accused crime that landed her on that bus in the first place. Sure it’s a romantic drama conveniently released on Valentines Day, but to write Safe Haven off as a chick flick would be a little unjust. It’s a fluid film with charming characters that shifts gears into a stalker flick twisting to a delightful supernatural finish.
Side Effects provides good news for those jonseing for another peek at Romy Mara, that mesmerizing star of the anglicized Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She’s back and with a character immersed in a plot almost as twisted as Stieg Larsson’s original inspiration thanks to director Steven Soderberg, here reunited with screenwriter of The Bourne Ultimatum and The Informant, Scott Z. Burns. Emily Taylor (Mara) is a dutiful wife with fragile mental health who stands by her man Martin (Channing Tatum) while he serves four years for insider trading. When the Taylors were living high on the larceny hog Emily’s previous shrink Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta Jones) had her on conventional antidepressants. However a psychotic incident just after Martin's release puts Emily in the care of Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) who starts her on a regimen of more effective if somewhat unproven mind altering medicine. Emily’s mood swings positive for an extended time but then her behaviour becomes progressively erratic and leads to amnesiatic murder. The plot seems destined for some kind of predictable landmark lawsuit and a diatribe against mercenary drug companies – that is until it takes a hook swing into dramatic left field leaving Dr Banks on the precipice of a career meltdown. Side Effects is a tense drama that will probably get you listening way more carefully to the disclaimers in those “ask your doctor…” drug commercials for every symptom from xenophobia to anal leakage.
Beautiful Creatures is sort of a Twilight “light” production that never the less has attracted the highly skilled talent of Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson. They take great delight in steeping themselves in evil while masking their natural aristocratic British accents with a genteel southern drawl. They’re also working with some impressive newcomers including Alden Ehrenreich as Ethan Waite who can not wait to get out of the stifling back water town of Gatlin South Carolina, especially now that he’s free from his smothering senior class girlfriend Emily (Zoey Deutch). However his plans for a speedy exodus are waylaid at the beginning of the school term with his attraction to Lena (Alice Englert) the new arrival and literally the girl of his dreams. She may be new to class but her class is not new Gatlin. She’s the niece of Macon Ravenwood (Irons) the towns reclusive old money who is viewed with contempt by this sanctimonious community, especially Mrs Lincoln (Thompson) who petitions to have Lena expelled for witchcraft. Turns out she has a point although Lena prefers the more euphemistic label “Caster” to Witch. Either way she comes by the craft honestly as her immediate family turns out to be a boiling cauldron of necromancers. Ethan and Lena seem to get by all this negativity especially when they discover a mutual bond through an heirloom locket from the civil war. But Lena’s sixteenth birthday could crush their romance because on that day, although she will hopefully be taken by the “Light” odds are more likely that she’ll be lost to the “Dark”. Beautiful Creatures is based on the first novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. We can expect four more but first they have to write them. Although pandering to the coursing pubescent hormones of teenaged girls the first book has been well received. Not only that but the hunky teen protagonist dumps his hot girlfriend for a plainer but infinitely more interesting female. That’s gotta count for something!
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters takes us a decade and a half past when these famously abandoned waifs made a fiery exit from a dinner engagement at that gingerbread house where their spell binding host planned the menu with these two as the main course. Something like that could significantly jaundice you opinion of Wicca and in their case indeed it has. No longer children, Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) have made a nice living in the interim dispatching with splattering abandon, wicked witches who mean harm to the innocent. Looks like the Brothers Grimm had it all wrong by the way. As children they were not forsaken by their impoverished wood cutter father at the behest of their cruel stepmother after all. In fact dad only had the one wife who turned out to be quite saintly. Sure, long after her death she has something to do with the current multitude of child kidnappings that bring Hansel and Gretel back to Augsburg, but not in a bad way. Kids are being snatched up by a far reaching witch coven fronted by the shape shifting Muriel (Famke Janssen) who wants them as party favours for the upcoming blood moon. Brother and sister show up in this troubled town just in time to save Mina (Phila Viitala) from being barbecued as a complicit witch by the town’s overzealous sheriff Berringer (Peter Starmore). Turns out Mina has a lot in common with H & G’s dearly departed mother but she’s not why they came. Save for Hansel’s type 1 diabetes from consuming so much gingerbread all those years ago, Hansel and Gretel seem immune to witch magic thus surprisingly have stayed alive to fulfill their vocation for the past 15 years and the siblings waste no time staging copious showdowns with various broom jockeys using their arsenal of oddly sophisticated munitions. Not that, try as they might, their armaments make much of an impact. Don’t expect anything unpredictable with this film but in the absence of a challenge it might let your mind wander. For instance isn’t it an interesting coincidence that the original story was written about the same time as the second amendment was adopted into the US constitution. Too bad the Grimms didn’t originally pencil in some of the lethal fire power from this fable. Those lawmakers might then have had second thoughts about adopting the now sacred right to bear arms.
Warm Bodies takes us into the near future when some kind of zombie virus has infected the major populace of probably the world, but certainly one unnamed Superdome city underneath at least one flight path. Here military rule under general Grigio (John Malkovich) keeps the untainted behind a walled barricade but necessity often forces foraging parties to venture past the fortifications for needed supplies. These platoons run the risk of ending up as dinner out there for the voracious brain eaters or the even more vicious long time undead known as “boneys”. One such mission is headed by the General’s daughter Julie (Teresa Palmer) and her long time boyfriend Perry (Dave Franco) and don’t you know their party is attacked and nearly wiped out by a pack of these ravenous zombies. Yikes! All this sounds pretty dark and terrifying! So why is this film so much fun? Mostly because we experience it from the point of view of one of the afflicted (Nicholas Hoult) who makes his home in an abandoned 747 where he spends his waking hours (which is all of them) appreciating the audio warmth of vinyl recordings. Memories are dim but he does recall once having a name starting with “R” and like so many of his ilk he too wanders around the adjacent airport where he occasionally grunts out something akin to a conversation with “M” (Rob Cordday). It’s M and R along with some other plodding marauders who nosh on Julie and Perry’s recon group. While devouring his grey matter R also receives Perry’s memories which prompt R to rescue Julie and take her back to his fuselage lair for protection. As the two become close R starts to feel a positive change coming on and Julie becomes a hesitant sympathizer. But with her father initiating a war path of annihilation, getting the General on side could be a challenge. Seattle author Isaac Marian gave us the titular novel in 2010 which was generally well received. This movie should be too.Stand Up Guys are usually underworld criminals who take the fall for a crime and keep their mouths shut so no one else involved ends up in jail. Here however you might be forgiven for thinking that Al Pacino and Christopher Walken are stand up guys doing comedy and not illegal activities especially since they appear to be doing spot on impressions of Al Pacino and Christopher Walken respectively. This is no complaint as it is such a joy to see these icons doing so well what they do best (which has not always been the case lately for Pacino). You’d think after 28 years up the river without ratting anyone out that Valentino a.k.a Val (Pacino) would return to the mean streets a hero. However it turns out crime boss “Claphands” (Mark Margolis) has an open contract on him for the day he’s sprung and has given it to Doc (Walken) who just happens to be Val's only friend in the world. Val’s street smarts tell him the score but he doesn’t count on Docs total reluctance to doing the job. Val actually ends up holding Doc hand about doing the hit during one last night of geriatric hijinks that include robbing a drugstore for diabetes meds, blood pressure meds.. oh yeah and Viagra. This facilitates a trip to a long standing (so to speak) brothel now managed by Wendy (Lucy Punch) the daughter of their favourite madam in another lifetime. They also boost a muscle car and spring their former wheel man Hirsch (Alan Arkin) from his extended care home. After outrunning a multi vehicle police chase this geriatric trio not only save a damsel in distress (Vanessa Ferlito) but then proceeds to restore her honour. Oh yeah, Julianna Margulies also gets top billing in this film but it’s almost like she squeezes her role as Hirsch’s daughter Nina between takes of The Good Wife. Then again what actor wouldn’t just to share the screen with these legends?
Promised Land has multi-national Global Corps crack salesman Steve Butler (Matt Daman) - along with trusty side kick Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand) - making quite a name for himself while climbing the corporate ladder. Steve is a master at duping rural residents sitting on shale deposits rich with natural gas into selling their properties mineral rights for rock bottom (so to speak) prices. And yes there will be fracking. Butler’s not totally mercenary as he comes from a one industry town that lost its meal ticket and thus he can not fathom why anyone would not jump at the chance to easily cash in on a financially secure life. For the most part people do. However in one hamlet the dissenting voice of Frank Yates (Hal Holbrook) gets traction with the locals. That only steam rolls when the ironically named militant environmentalist Dustin Noble (John Krasinski) rolls into town with personal horror stories of fracking catastrophes that poison and kill. Noble frustrates Butler even more when he starts dating Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt) a teacher in town that Butler has taken a shine to. Promised Land is a fairly well crafted make work project for Matt Damon and John Krasinski while at the same time touching on a subject close to Damans activist heart. Under direction of Gus Van Sant, kudos to the stars/screenwriters for even handed sensitivity in bringing attention to such a polarizing issue.
Not Fade Away is a story from writer Director David Chase nestled within those halcyon days of Rock and Roll from just before the Beatles to just after the Summer of Love. From the clipped editing clearly he had a lot to say about that era and not nearly enough time to say it all. Anyway, before the British Invasion Douglas (John Magaro) had a good relationship with his working class parents Pat (James Gandolfini) and Antoinette (Molly Price). By the way they’re also mom and dad to his sister Evelyn (Meg Guzulescu who quietly plays a surprisingly critical role). The generation gap begins to crater after high school senior Douglas start playing drums in a rock band with Eugene (Jack Houston) and Wells (Will Brill). This is a dream come true for Douglas because of his love of the blues, not to mention his crush on Eugene’s upper middle class girl Grace (Bella Heathcote). After graduation college is short lived. While Eugene gets ditched by the band AND Grace, Douglas takes over both those gigs and ditches school to pursue a music career. Suddenly the Cold War takes on new meaning within his father / son relationship. For those not there, unlike today parents of the 1960’s seldom felt compelled to “bond” with their children. At the same time a ground swell of music inspiration was literally and figuratively setting the world on its ear. There were many greats who emerged from that magical time although as evidenced from the excellent soundtrack lovingly selected by executive producer Little Steve Van Zandt, many of those did fade away somewhat. But at least they beat the odds - which is something that not everyone who tried actually did.
Jamie Foxx is Django the luckiest pre-civil war slave ever after he’s introduced to Dr. King Schultz (a mesmerizing Christoph Waltz). He’s a German Dentist/Bounty Hunter with a dramatically better grasp of English than most of his American hosts despite it being his second language. Schultz is on the hunt for three fraternal marauders with prices on their heads but no identifiable characteristics. However at one time they were cruel overseers at Django’s last plantation so in fine Tarantino bullet spitting style the mercenary doctor acquires Django’s freedom, thus allowing him to provide the visuals on that next meal ticket. Now not surprisingly a slave might show a certain flair in despatching sadistic white men. But after the fact while eluding Big Daddy (Don Johnson), the employer of the the three now dead men, Dr. Schultz sees real talent in Django. He proposes a partnership over the winter to which Django agrees but only when the rescue of his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) at the end of the contract is put on the table. When that crunch time comes however, since Broomhilda is at the plantation ironically known as Candieland and is the property of the brutal Calvin Candie (Leonardo Di Caprio), the two have to venture deep into hostile Mississippi. Free man or not, Django need to keep his wits about him to pull off the extraction scam he a Schultz dream up. It seems like no one in Hollywood wants to be left out of the fun of a Quentin Tarantino adventure so look for cameos by Jonas Hill, Bruce Dern, Robert Carradine, Michael Parks and Tom Wopat to name a few as well as a big stretch role for Samuel L Jackson. Speaking of a stretch, at 165 minutes why do you feel like you still want more? Django Unchained is QT at his Tarentino-y-est!
Les Miserable is based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel on the theme of oppressive social injustice that pervaded early 19th century France during one of that country’s turbulent post revolutionary returns to the monarchy. In a fairly literal presentation of the original story ex convict Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) has his heart, hardened by a travesty of justice, softened by a kindly priest. He then finds purpose in life with a forlorn waif named Cosette (Isabelle Allen / Amanda Seyfried) thanks to a deathbed promise he makes to her wretched mother Fontaine (Anne Hathaway). The story unfolds over two decades in which despite his altruism Valjean is relentlessly pursued by Javert (Russell Crowe) an officious policeman trying to send Jean back to prison for parole violation. And just when Javert poses his greatest threat Cosette falls for Marius (Eddie Redmayne) a student radical involved in a serious revolutionary plot. At almost three hours with no dialogue the vocal talent needs to be absolutely captivating so casting star power with sometimes limited singing ability just to ensure big box office seems here like a misstep -especially considering the bold gamble of recording performances live with no overdubs. Hugh Jackman has substantial musical theatre creds to fall back on but Russell Crowe, who sounds fine rocking in front of his band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, doesn’t bring enough to this very important role. Same with Amanda Seyfried who trills out a vibrato that is more suited to a Disney cartoon. Anne Hathaway on the other hand leaves it all on the screen with an awesome show stopper and ingénue Samantha Barks as Eponine is another stand out. Not making musical history but none the less providing brilliant comic relief just when it’s needed most (not to mention getting to belt out the productions most memorable reprise) are Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as M. and Mme. Thenardier. The story has vanquished the test of time but can this film adaptation stand the transition from wildly popular operatic stage musical? Well uh, sort of.