CINEFILMS

DARLING COMPANION

2012-03-14T23:30:00.005-04:00

By D.E.Levine

This is Lawrence Kasdan's first feature film in nine years. Co-written with his wife Meg, the story is about a family that has grown apart and the dog that alters their life in unforeseen ways.

Facing empty nest syndrome, Beth Winter (Diane Keaton), a Denver lady married to a self absorbed surgeon (Kevin Kline) who is increasingly distant, finds an injured dog with her daughter Grace (Elizabeth Moss) and adopts it, names it Freeway and nurses it back to health.

Following Grace's wedding at their vacation home, Freeway goes missing and during the ensuing search, the excellent ensemble cast consisting of Joseph's sister (Dianne Wiest), her boyfriend (Richard Jenkins) and Joseph's nephew (Mark Duplass) are paired up into couples who wind up airing their long-held resentments with each other and publicly.

Although their housekeeper/caretaker Carmen (Ayelet Zurer) of gypsy stock offers numerous psychic leads, none pan out.

The scenery is breathtaking and the cinematography wonderful. While the cast is outstanding the story has been told many times before.

There are some arguments and incidents, some twists and turns and delays that the audience can relate to and some even bring them to laughter, but the pace is slow and sometimes tedious.

The film is enjoyable, if not great, and will probably appeal to an older group of viewers.

4:44 LAST DAY ON EARTH

2012-03-12T23:25:00.007-04:00

A NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION

By D.E.Levine

This film is creepy and strange, handling the annihilation of the world in a totally different manner than most end-of-the-world films. There are definitely mixed feelings on the part of the viewer as the film progresses and draws to its inevitable conclusion.

Set on the lower east side, Cisco (Willem Dafoe) and Skye (Shanyn Leigh) prepare for their last day on earth, their last moments alive, together.

Initially, in their very techie lower east-side loft, they Skype friends and family, even allowing the Asian delivery boy to speak with his family overseas.

Throughout, there seems to be a disbelief among characters that the end of the world is really coming - perhaps because mankind has been talking about it for so long.

Shown at the 2011 New York Film Festival, director Abie Ferrara did a lot with a low budget, but in interviews said he shot for realism, not to save money.

While shooting on the lower East Side is probably less expensive, the gentrification of the Bowery and its absorption into a variety of universities, created a multitude of problems.

The NYFF had several end-of-the-world films but this one is definitely more low-key and less hysterical than the others.

Every viewer from the audience walks out having to assess a multitude of feelings. In other words, this isn't pure entertainment. It causes the viewer to think.

HEADHUNTERS

2012-03-08T23:24:00.012-05:00

By D.E.Levine

It's the adaption of a Norwegian thriller, but it's filled with humor due to some unexpected and somewhat ridiculous twists.

Roger (Aksel Hennie) is a good-looking but totally obnoxious middle executive headhunter. He buys his wife expensive and continuous gifts because he fears losing her. While he loves her, Roger betrays his wife by cheating on her. It's also very costly to keep buying her expensive gifts so he also betrays his employer by using his job to find out information about wealthy executive applicant.

His wife runs an art gallery where Roger meets Clas and learns about a rare Reubens painting that Clas has just inherited. Setting Clas up with an interview, Roger calls his wife in the middle of stealing the Reubens and it's then that he learns his wife is cheating on him with Clas.

When Clas decides to eliminate Roger bu killing him, the plot thickens and the twists begin. Civilian Roger is up against the military expert Clas and if he wants to stay alive he has to outmaneuver him. It's especially difficult, when Clas brings in his tracking dog and even more difficult when Roger discovers tracking devices were physically planted on him.

He may not be military but he's clever and devious, and because of that Roger manages to elude Clas and lead him on a long and tortuous chase. But Roger suffers some terrible perils while leading the chase and Clas is always close behind.

As the action grows more gruesome, the comedy grows more absurd As much as the audience dislikes Roger, they are rooting for his survival because of Clas' malevolence. Roger may be arrogant and self-centered, but Clas is pure evil.

As the story plays out there are unexpected twists and turns and the comedy grows in proportion to the violence.

All in all this is a truly enjoyable film. Fortunately, the subtitles are done well so that the proper emotion and action are conveyed in each scene.

JOHN CARTER

2012-03-07T23:32:00.011-05:00

By D.E.Levine
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This Walt Disney film is based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel "A Princess of Mars" and supposedly cost $250 million. I had no idea what to expect since the story deals with a young Civil War veteran who winds up on Mars. It's obvious that Burroughs, in the tradition of Jules Verne, was well ahead of the rest of society with his imagination when he penned the story over 100 years ago..

As the film begins, a young Burroughs (Daryl Sabara) is summoned to the home of his uncle, John Carter (Taylor Kitsch). Unfortunately, Burroughs arrives after his uncle has died and been entombed on his property in a tomb that only opens from the inside.

A journal left behind for young Edgar explains why John Carter spent most of his brief years between the Civil War and his death exploring all over the world. In the journal, Carter explains what he was searching for, how he became fabulously wealthy and eccentric, and why the fabulous and outrageous stories he told his nephew when he was younger, were actually true.

This is an unusual film in that it begins as a 19th century period piece with an eerie, mysterious feel and many unanswered questions surrounding John Carter's death. It moves on to become a Western and then morphs into a science fiction film set in a Western Dune-like environment.

After entering a cave on earth and encountering a strange creature, Carter wakes up on a totally different planet. He was transported by some unexplained means that is vaguely reminiscent of the transporter in Star Trek, but is tied to an amulet rather than a transporter station.

Of course, the environment is the exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars) where despite his reluctance, Carter becomes embroiled in the conflict raging on the planet which threatens the very existence of the planet and all its peoples.

Due to some strange bone density anomaly, Carter can defy gravity and jump great distances and hit hard, two attributes that attract the Tharks, 8-foot-tall, green, four-armed tribesmen. They capture Carter, take him back to their village tied up, and from them he learns about the warring factions on the planet.

Directed by Andrew Stanton, of Pixar and Finding Nemo fame, who was also a writer on the screenplay, the movie's special effects are breathtaking, especially in 3D, and obviously used a large part of the budget. The warriors are all dressed in armor that strangely resembles that of the ancient Romans.

While this is a movie of epic proportions, it is also 2 1/2 hours long and not all of the characters are well defined. In fact, visually, many of them resemble each other so closely that it's hard to differentiate the characters. There is of course, also, the obligatory romance between Carter and a Martian princess played by Lynn Collins.

Overall, John Carter is pure entertainment, thrilling to watch, with an impressive musical score. Whether or not it will be the blockbuster that Disney is hoping for remains to be seen.

SOUND OF NOISE

2012-02-29T23:54:00.007-05:00

By D.E.Levine

A film from Sweden that is delightfully funny as well as beautifully done. Lately we've been innundated with murder/mysterys/dramas from Sweden so this story about six anarchist percussionists who decide to use their original piece of "Music for One City and Six Drummers" to thwart the establishment is a definite change of pace.

The skullduggery takes place in four movements and includes invading a hospital and playing on a patient's resonant belly, playing on money shredders at a bank, using forklifts at a concert hall and playing on live wires of the city's electrical system.

All the movements are creative and original, at least I've never seen them in a film before.

Adding to the humor is Amadeus Warnebring (Bengt Nilsson), a senior detective assigned to track the anarchist/percussionists down.

Born into a prominent family of musicians and named for that other Amadeus (Mozart), Warenbring is tone deaf. Besides the continuing angst of his name, there's the added angst of his talented, famous, arrogant conductor brother, Oscar (Sven Ahlstrom).

With the discovery of a metronome at one scene, Warnebring knows the case is destined for him.

We tend to think of Swedes as being serious. They certainly take a serious approach in the film to investigating and apprehending the culprits, and the result is hilarious.

Since this did come direct from Sweden viewers have to read English subtitles but it's well worth the effort.

SEEKING JUSTICE

2012-02-10T23:34:00.007-05:00

By D.E.Levine

Nicholas Cage stars in this revenge-based thriller which turns out to be quite good. Cage has made a lot of bad choices in film roles, but this time he's chosen well.

Will Gerard (Cage) is a low-key high school teacher whose cellist wife Laura (January Jones) is assaulted on the way home from rehearsal.

Seething with anger and concern, Gerard is ripe for the plucking when a stranger (Guy Pearce) approaches him and asks whether, in exchange for a future favor, he wants the protagonist dead. Shades of Faust indeed. This age old theme has a new twist.

The rapist is indeed killed by the New Orleans vigilante organization that has approached Gerard. And, in return the favor he's asked for is to kill a total stranger who is labeled an unpunished criminal.

Mild-mannered Gerard doesn't like the idea of killing anyone, much less a stranger, but he's forced by the vigilantes into taking action.

Directed by Roger Donaldson, this thriller is well-paced and believable, even if the theme is a bit old. This is a film that's pure escapism and entertainment with some unexpected twists that heighten the tension.

THE LADY

2012-01-15T23:26:00.022-05:00

By D.E.Levine

This is a beautifully shot film directed by Luc Besson, chronicling the life of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Prize winning Burmese activist who for years has challenged the military regime that holds Burma in a dictatorship.

Having been to Burma, now known as Myramar, and found that people would not openly discuss Suu Kyi, I found the film fascinating in describing her childhood, family heritage of public and military service, and the many hardships and sacrifices she and her family made in publicly standing against the military dictatorship that now rules the country.

As interesting as it is, at 2 1/2 hours the film is too long. The prologue is interesting, explaining how Suu Kyi's father, General Aung San was instrumental in liberating Burma from British rule and became a hero to the Burmese people.

When he was assassinated in 1947, along with the rest of the government, the country was taken over by a military junta.

The film leaps to 1968 where Suu Kyi is living in the United Kingdom with her husband Michael Aris (David Thewles) and their two sons Kim (Jonathan Raggett) and Alex (Jonathan Woodhouse).

Called home to care for her mother who becomes ill, Suu Kyi is shocked at the violence and civil unrest she finds in Rangoon.

When asked to remain in Burma and head the National League for Democracy, because her friends and associates realize what a powerful presence the daughter of General Suu Kyi will make, she decides to remain.

However, to keep her from assuming her role the military government places Suu Kyi under house arrest for 15 years, with no access to newspapers, telephones, television and very infrequent approved visits from family members.

Unfortunately, as fascinating as the film is the characters are never fully developed and the intensity of the political upheaval never comes across.

Yeoh looks beautiful, but her role is placid and full of platitudes. Thewlis, Raggett and Woodhouse shine in their roles but because Suu Kyi and her family were basically separated for 10 years, their roles are small, although the loss, in real life, is great.

Filmed primarily in Thailand, the scenery is beautiful but most scenes center either around the supposed Aung San estate in Burma or the Aris residence in Oxford, England.

The reality is that although long, the film barely skims the surface of the ordeal, suffering and sacrifices that Aung San and her family made and are still making.

DRIVE

2012-01-15T23:20:00.008-05:00

By D.E.Levine

Be prepared for plenty of violence in this beautifully directed film by Nicolas Winding Refn.

Ryan Gosling stars as a movie stunt driver by day and a getaway driver for criminals at night. Throughout the film he remains unnamed, known only as The Driver.

The Driver becomes close to his apartment house neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan). When her husband Standard (Oscar Issac) is released from prison he becomes enough of a friend to agree to help him satisfy a debt to gangsters.

Things go wrong and we see a different side of the calm, mild-mannered Driver. As the violence grows the audience sees surprising and previously unrevealed relationships.

Brooks, long known for both his stand-up comedy and comedic acting roles, steps out of character to become a commanding presence as money-lender Bernie. Bryan Cranston is good and unrecognizable as mechanic Shannon.

The film is intriguing with low lighting, a 1980s sound track, exciting car chases and lots of gore.

I didn't think I'd enjoy this film but I really did, and audience reaction proved I wasn't alone.

BEGINNERS

2012-01-10T23:15:00.024-05:00

By D.E.Levine

The cast of this small movie shines and the movie grows bigger because of their acting.

Writer/director Mike Mills based this story about different types of love and the people seeking and finding it on his own life experience as a straight son watching the dying process of a beloved gay father.

At the start of the film we meet Oliver (Ewan McGregor) who is mourning the passing of his adored father Hal (Christopher Plummer).

Hal, though departed, is very much alive in his son's thoughts, often pushing his thoughts aside as Oliver remembers his father.

Although set mainly in 2003, in a voiceover Oliver speaks about the 1955 marriage of his parents and the decades that they were together, remembered as a series of kisses and a marriage without depth.

Six months after his mother Georgia (Mary Kay Page) dies, the 75-year-old Hal announces he's gay, amasses a new group of friends and takes a much younger lover (Goran Visnjic).

All of this is witnessed by Oliver, adoring but somewhat confused at his father's new lifestyle.

A second love story has Oliver in the lead when, at a costume party, he meets French actress Anna (Melanie Laurent). Anna has problems and issues of her own. She is a wounded individual.

But, as their relationship progresses through handholding, roller skating, walking Cosmo (Hal's dog) kisses, tears and all that love entails, Mills skillfully intertwines the Oliver's memories of Hal's cancer and last days with the new love relationship beginning.

The stories lag in places and are sometimes less believable than Mills aimed for, but the cast gives stellar performances making the characters charming, if not totally believable.

At 83, Plummer still has phenomenal screen presence and gives an outstanding performance that makes up for any existing weaknesses in the script of other performances.

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

2011-12-22T09:56:00.014-05:00

A NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION

By D.E.Levine

My Week With Marilyn is a charming film that covers the period when Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) was in the United Kingdom filming The Prince and the Showgirl with Sir. Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh).

Written by Adrian Hodges and adapted from the memoir by Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), a 23-year old aristocrat just graduated from Oxford and determined to get into the film business in the summer of 1956, Colin describes how he worked as a lowly go-fer assistant to Olivier on the film and got to personally know Marilyn during one week.

When the film opens during a re-enactment of one of Marilyn's famous musical numbers you can see that padding was necessary to give Michelle's slight figure the voluptuous Monroe curves. The makeup isn't convincing either, but that's just at the beginning of the film.

As it progresses, we see that the aging Olivier is hoping that producing and starring in the film with a hot actress like Marilyn will re-vitalize his career. Marilyn has her own goals since she's recently married to famed playwright Arthur Miller and desperately wants to be accepted as an artistic actress, not just a movie star. By producing and starring in the film, Marilyn hopes that her association with the British theater elite will elevate her status.

The story reveals Marilyn as nervous and unsure, bonded at the hip to acting coach Paula Strasberg, and genuinely surprised when Dame Sybil Thorndike (Judi Dench) tells her "None of the rest of us know how to act for the camera - but, you do."

Marilyn is depressed, drugged, tardy and sometimes inconsolable. However, she shows brilliance when filming and her transgressions are forgiven. Having taken a shine to you Colin, she goes sightseeing and skinny dipping with him, share confidences with him at her rented home, and invites him to cuddle in her bed.

What we see is that the real Marilyn played the part of the public, movie star Marilyn. In the film at least, we see that Private Marilyn turned public Marilyn on and off at will.

In the end, Marilyn goes home to America and Colin Clark has a long, distinguished career.

WAR HORSE

2011-12-20T05:13:00.008-05:00

By D.E.Levine

Steven Spielberg has done it again. Lately Spielberg has primarily been an Executive Producer on his films. But War Horse shows he hasn't lost his touch as a director.

The movie is an epic tale set against the background of rural England (starting in Devon)and Europe during the First World War.

In the beginning, a rural farm boy named Albert (Jeremy Irvine) tames and trains Joey, a horse bought by his father. Despite the fact that the horse is not a plow or farm horse, Albert gets Joey to wear a harness and clear and plow a large field.
When rains destroy the flourishing crops planted on that field, Albert's father cannot pay his debts and is forced to sell Joey to the British army.

Amid devastating war scenes, the film follows Joey as he meets and influences the lives of British cavalry, German soldiers and a French farmer and his granddaughter.

A heart wrenching emotional climax is reached during the war in No Man's Land and viewers are on the edge of their seats as Joey is headed to be put down due to injuries and starvation.

In a story book ending fate intervenes and Joey meets a different end. The emotional feelings are palpable.

While Spielberg yet again shows us the tragedy and waste of war, the photography is startling, as is his ability to direct scenes of huge numbers of actors and animals in battle.

Above all, the film emphasizes the human spirit and the devotion between an human and an animal. There is some dichotomy in the continual survival, against all odds, of Joey, when tens of thousands of men died in battle.

However, the warmth of the relationships both in family and military, as well as the overwhelming "feel good" emotion over the love of an animal, surfaces as the driving force.

RA-ONE

2011-12-15T15:04:00.018-05:00

By D.E.Levine

Out of Bollywood comes a clever and thoroughly enjoyable science fiction/thriller/comedy. In India they've been talking about this film for a long time, since it besides being an extravagant film it also has India's biggest film star.

The story centers on Shekhar Subramanium, a video game designer who lives in London and who is thought by his son, Pratik, to be very "uncool."

Shekjhar designs a game, Ra-One with a villain of the same name, who is almost invincible. Pratik, who plays video games under the name "Lucifer" actually defeats Ra-One on a certain level, causing Ra-One to become so angry that he escapes from the machine and goes in search of Lucifer.

When Shekhar claims that he is Lucifer, in an attempt to save his son's life, Ra-One kills him. Ra-One doesn't stop there. Learning that he didn't kill Lucifer, he assumes the identity of Shekhar's colleague, Akashi (Tom Wu) and goes in search of Paitak.

Pratik goes to his father's office where he and Jenny (Shashana Goswami) decide that the G-One (Good-One) has to be released from the game to bsttle Ra-One.
leave London chased by Ra-One to go to India. They are followed and attacked by Ra-One. After many near misses, the Good-One assumes the identity of Shekhar and battles Ra-One.

The trio, thinking Ra-One defeated, go to India, but the resurrected Ra-One follows them in order to kill both Pratik and the Good-One.

There's lots of action as well as some really great Bollywood musical song and dance numbers.

We know happens but we won't spoil your fun by telling you. Buy s ticket and enjoy an exciting, fun-filled movie

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY

2011-12-12T09:43:00.017-05:00

By D.E.Levine

As a great fan of John Le Carre's novel, this film is a reiteration of a story already told successfully in a successful TV mini series, starring Alec Guiness, back in the 20th century.

Based at the height of the Cold War in the mid-20th century, MI6 secretly brings back George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a discredited and disgraced British spy.

Convinced that there's a mole inside, the British Secret Intelligence (known as "The Circus") thinks they've been compromised by a double agent working for the Soviet Union.

Despite a stellar cast of British actors, including Colin Firth, John Hurt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Simon McBurney and Mark Strong, Oldman, with his poker-faced portrayal of Smiley, dominates the film.
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In his quiet, precise manner, Smiley must determine which of his former colleagues has been working for the Soviets against them as MI6 tries to win the Cold War. But, Smiley cannot tell anyone except one or two chaps that he trusts to work with him, what he's doing.

Forced out with his boss "Control" (John Hurt) when an unauthorized sting goes bad, Smiley is brought in on the QT because of lingering suspicions of a double agent which originated with Control.

This is a thriller of a different nature. It's very quiet, very controlled, very British.

The outcome is a surprise in several ways. It's true to the book and even if you know the story you'll enjoy the way it plays out.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATOO (COLUMBIA PICTURES VERSION)

2011-12-06T05:39:00.018-05:00

By D.E.Levine

I liked the original Swedish version of this film and couldn't understand why a remake was in the works so soon after the Swedish release.

The story in this Columbia Pictures version is fairly true to Stieg Larson's blockbuster but subtitles have been eliminated since Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara speak English instead of Swedish.

Even if you know the story, there is tension and suspense throughout the film, so the viewer's attention is held and there are still some surprises. David Fincher has produced a film that will appeal to the public because it has a stellar and recognizable Hollywood cast including Christopher Plummer, Robin Wright, Stelan Skarsgard and Joely Richardson.

The film has more Hollywood dazzle than the Swedish version. Craig is Mikael Bloomqvist, a journalist ruined by the expose of a corrupt industrialist. But unlike the original where he faced jail, there's no urgency here.

Hired by Henrik Vanger the patriarch of a wealthy Swedish family where everyone is at the other's throat, and the head of a rapidly shrinking industrial empire. To the family Bloomqvist is working on a family history. But the actual reason is Henrik wants to know which one of his family members killed a favorite granddaughter in the 1960s and he wants Bloomqvist to re-open the case and investigate.

In need of expert assistance, Bloomqvist hires a punk researcher/hacker, a very disturbed young woman who lives outside the law, is covered with tattoos and body piercings and steals data by whatever electronic means necessary. A ward of the state, she has to contend with a creepy, blackmailing probation officer and knows Bloomqvist's most hidden secrets since she investigated him prior to his hiring.

It's a good thriller and very entertaining. People who missed the Swedish version when it was in theaters will definitely enjoy this and probably won't know the difference as the changes made in the film will obviously be incorporated into the next two films of the trilogy.

THE IRON LADY

2011-11-23T23:56:00.013-05:00

By D.E.Levine

Meryl Streep does an amazing job of turning herself into Margaret Thatcher, the first and only female prime minister of The United Kingdom, earned herself the name of "The Iron Lady."

With strong convictions regarding balancing the budget, international relations and a variety of other areas, Thatcher took her country from a depressed economy to a flourishing one, survived IRA terrorist bombings and successfully fought to retain control of the Falkland Islands, but not without controversy and dissension.

This film presents an intimate portrait of Thatcher, showing how despite a loving, patient and supportive husband Denis Thatcher (Jim Broadbent) her marriage suffered because of her dedication to her political career.

For those who are old enough to remember Mrs. Thatcher or who watch the numerous news clips available, it is uncanny at how Streep has managed to transform herself into the character. It's more than the excellent makeup provided. Streep has captured the walk, the nuances of Thatcher's voice, the tilt of her head and all the small familiar actions that made her distinctive.

The Iron Lady seems almost like a documentary at times as it shows very clearly the making of a "winner". Her political advisers taught Thatcher how to dress, how to color and cut her hair, how to modulate and use her shrill voice - in short, they taught her how to present herself. Remember, some of the most successful leaders like Presidents Reagan and Kennedy had acting experience and/or lessons. Even Hitler studied with an acting teacher before he turned his unacceptable speeches into mesmerizing oration.

Thatcher had the brains and the gumption to lead the country. Her advisers and counselors groomed Margaret Thatcher to be a presentable candidate and in doing so they created her image. But, she created her leadership style, which was strong and stubborn and would eventually lead to her resignation. However, she served for 12 years before being forced out.

The sad part is that we're shown her decline in later years when her husband dies and she continues to converse with him, and when Alzheimer sets in robbing her of her memory and her freedom.

Streep's portrayal can only be classified as amazing and may cause various organizations to take notice of this role as one more exceptional than those in her past and deserving of awards.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL

2011-11-20T21:07:00.014-05:00

By D.E.Levine

This is a film that doesn't disappoint. Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is back and he's looking better than ever.

When you see this, definitely see it in Imax, because even though this is the best Mission Impossible film since the first, Imax makes it even better.

This time, the Impossible Mission Force is implicated in a global terrorist bombing and is literally shut down. Of course, the audience knows that IMF has been framed, but how will they prove it?

With Ghost Protocol initiated, Hunt and his new rogue team must work off the grid to clear the IMF name.

Ghost Protocol is definitely the most action-packed of the MI films. With Tom Cruise willing to hang off the sides of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, (he's still doing his own stunts at age 50), there are unbelievable stunts and action.

While Simon Pegg, as the computer expert, adds to the film, Jeremy Renner is the inquisitive member, questioning Hunt about the outcome of their exploits. One has to wonder whether, with the IMF franchise being so lucrative, and with Cruise already entering his 50s, could Renner be on the verge of being groomed for an ongoing and larger role?

Of course, in the opening scenes, Ethan is in a Russian prison and another IMF agent, working with a technical expert has to break him out. Teaming up with Hunt and his own team, the composite group travel where needed to follow leads and set the record straight.

While they may be on their own, the IMF team has lots of trendy gadgets with which to work.

In short, this is a film for pure entertainment. You don't have to think deep thoughts or figure out anything complex. Just enjoy it and have fun.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

2011-11-08T19:49:00.014-05:00

By D.E.Levine

For a man who dedicated most of his career to New York films, Woody Allen has been doing a lot of traveling lately.

Over the past few years he's set his films in London, Spain and now Paris. This film, his 41st, is really a love story to Paris, starting with a travelogue of all the major sights.

Gil (Owen Wilson), a screenwriter from Hollywood, goes on a holiday to Paris with his fiance Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents

Frankly, this is a couple who doesn't have very much in common. He harbors the desire to write a great novel and live in Paris. She wants to live in an upper class suburb in the USA.

While Gil, awe-struck, follows Hemingway's trail of pubs and bistros, Inez goes shopping. At night Gil goes out by himself, gets lost and sits down on some church steps and as the bell rings midnight a Peugeot filled with revelers pulls up.

The revelers include Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and by sticking with them Gil is plunged into the Jazz Age and meets a great many of the famous artists of the time like Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, Picasso, Dali and Brunel for example.

Gil is so intrigued with the artists and entranced by the Jazz Age that he keeps going back. Is it all in his imagination or has he really time traveled?

Gil is appealing and sincere, and his relationships with the artists cause him to change the course of his life in and unexpected manner.

Overall, this is just a wonderful, entertaining, feel good film with magnificent cinematography.

THE DESCENDANTS

2011-11-07T23:27:00.013-05:00

A NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION

By D.E.Levine

Director Alexander Payne brings us a drama/comedy that centers on Matt King (George Clooney) a lawyer, descendant of Hawaiian royalty and an indifferent father of two daughters.

When his wife Elizabeth is injured in a boating accident off Waikiki and lays comatose and dying in the hospital, Matt is forced to re-examine his life.

As he struggles to re-connect with his 10 and 17-year old daughters and assume the active role of father, Matt has to face the reality of his wife's infidelity and also decide whether to sell the land given to his family by Hawaiian royalty and missionaries. His relatives have given him the responsibility, even as different cousins politic for their favorite buyer and deal.

While they say actors should never act with pets or children, Clooney, who is single and has no children, has stepped outside his comfort zone and is totally believable in the role of father and deceived husband.

His co-stars are Shailene Woodle (playing a rebellious 17-year old Alexandra), Amara Miller (playing 10-year old Scottie) and Nick Krause as Alexandra's teenage family friend, with Beau Bridges as Matt's cousin and Judy Greer as the wife of his wife's lover.

It's angry and surly Alexandra who drops the bombshell that her mother was cheating on Matt. Her anger over the affair and the fact that her father is completely unaware explains much of her behavior. Much of the movie is devoted to Matt, an inept stalker if ever there was one, trying to locate the "other man."

There are several plots, and Payne, who also contributed to writing the script, lets things unwind in a leisurely fashion instead of rushing from one plot to the next. The grief and anger on the part of the main characters, and the emotional reactions are complex but completely believable in this outstanding ensemble film.

THE ARTIST

2011-11-02T15:39:00.012-04:00

A NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION

By D.E.Levine

Before they had movies with sound or talkies, they had silent movies, and that's exactly what director Michel Hazanavicious has produced in his superb film, The Artist.

Centering on a silent screen star, George Valentine (Jean Dujardin), in 1926, the actor doesn't speak at all. We see him in out takes from his silent films, dancing and singing in personal appearances and rehearsals, but we never hear him or any of the actors, relying on intertitles to let us know what's going on.

Unfortunately, George doesn't transition to talkies. As others rise in the public's popularity, George is reduced to ruin, since he can't adapt. As a result he loses everything.

But this is a Hollywood movie and there has to be a happy ending. Earlier in the film Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), a starlet wannabe accidentally bumps into George in a fateful collision of the up-and-coming future colliding with the popular present and soon to be past. George is kind to Peppy and helps her initially getting her work as an extra and then boosting her career. As a result, she has an unflagging interest in him and winds up coming to the rescue.

The film is a loving tribute to many of the existing film classics, and writer/director Hazanavicious borrows from some well known scenes.

The costumes are exquisite and although the film was initially shot by cinematographer Guillame Schiffman in color, it was converted to black and white monochrome in the
laboratory. Without spoken words, the emphasis is on the acting and the continuous score by Ludovic Bourse.

The intertitles are in English and although the stars are French, there are a number of well-known American actors in key roles.

Perhaps because it's such a loving tribute to silent films, The Artist has been on a continual swell of popularity. However, it's doubtful this means silent films are making a comeback.

CARNAGE

2011-10-22T22:49:00.012-04:00

A NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION

By D.E.Levine

Roman Polanski directed and co-wrote with playwright Yasmina Reza, this film about two couples who meet to discuss a "civilized" resolution to a fight between their two sons on a New York City playground.

Two couples, the Cowans and the Longstreets, meet at the Longstreets apartment to discuss resolution after a fight between their two sons where Cowans son broke one of the Longstreet boy's teeth.

Although the meeting starts off as civilized, it quickly disintegrates. The protagonist's father Alan Cowan (Chrisoph Waltz) is a lawyer for a pharmaceutical company who is always on his cell phone. He's actually the only character who realizes how senseless the meeting is while the other three individuals spend an enormous amount of time and energy senselessly trying to place blame.

While Penelope Longstreet(Jodie Foster) demands an apology on Longstreet turf, Nancy Cowan (Kate Winslet)starts stress-related vomiting, Michael Longstreet (John C. Reilly) tries to wash and dry Penelope's art books and catalogues with a hair dryer, and the situation rapidly disintegrates.

While the dispute may have been different, didn't Edward Albee do this years ago in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?"

In the end, the couples get on each others' nerves and also on the nerves of the audience. I was interested in what Roman Polanski did with the play, but it's not a great, or even an interesting film.

PUSS IN BOOTS

2011-10-19T21:24:00.014-04:00

By D.E.Levine

Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas), that endearing Spanish feline with the killer Spanish accent, who we know from his relationship with Shrek,became a hero when he teamed up with Kitty Southpaws (Selma Hayek) and Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianikis) and set off with them to save their town.

In his high-heeled Musketeer boots, prancing along with absolutely no modesty as to his superior traits and talents, Puss is flat out hilarious.

We already know and love Puss from the Shrek franchise so this 3D prequel just endears him to us further.

When Puss learns that Jack (Billy Bob Thorton) and Jill (Amy Sederis) have magic beans in their possession and that the beans will lead to a castle and a goose that lays the golden eggs, Puss develops a craving for the eggs.

It's when he decides to steal the beans that Puss meet the street smart cat burglar, Kitty Southpaws and Humpty Alexander Dumpty.

All in all this is a happy film with Puss purring seductively, dancing a flamboyant flamingo and courting Kitty.

RIO

2011-10-16T08:38:00.010-04:00

By D.E.

This is definitely a fun animated film. Living a reclusive life in Moose Lake, Minnesota, a McCaw named Blu lives with his human friend Linda. Blu doesn't know how to fly and since living with Linda doesn't necessitate flying, he doesn't learn.

Blu and Linda think he's the last of his kind until they hear about another McCaw, Jewel, who lives in Rio De Janeiro. So Blu and Linda set out to visit Rio and contact Jewel.

The film is filled with vibrant color and music, just like Rio itself.

When Blu and Jewel are kidnapped by some less than expert animal smugglers, they must work together, with the help of some street smart city birds, to escape their kidnappers. Once free, the birds must thwart the kidnappers and Blu must find the courage to learn to fly.

In the end Blu must reunite with Linda, his best friend.

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

2011-10-05T09:20:00.011-04:00

A NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION

By D.E.Levine

Starring Elisabeth Olsen, the younger sister of the famous Olsen sisters, this is a chilling pyschological thriller about a young woman who joins and then escapes from a cult.

Through flashbacks we see how Martha became involved with the cult, what took place on their rural farm, sexual interactions and criminal activities that took place and how she finally left and contacted her married sister (Sarah Paulson) and her brother-in-law (Hugh Dancy).

Unfortunately, re-assimilating into a "normal" life isn't as simple as one would think and Martha becomes more and more obsessed with the thought that the cult is coming after her to wreak vengeance and make certain she doesn't discuss what she's seen or taken part in while with the cult.

Having fallen under the "spell" of a charismatic cult leader, fallen prey to being drugged and undergoing various forms of deprivation.

Writer-director Sean Durkin builds the suspense, moving back and forth between the awkward and increasingly uncomfortable stay of Martha with her sister and the earlier initiation into the cult.

Unable to tell the truth about her absence, Martha becomes increasingly paranoid, and with Durkin's script and direction terror mounts. Is it real or is it imagined?

A SEPARATION

2011-09-17T22:56:00.009-04:00

NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION

By D.E.Levine

Asghar Fahardi, the Iranian writer and director of this film, has accomplished a somewhat amazing feat just by getting this film made.

Iran is not known for leniency and this film is a pretty astute and realistic examination of things which one might think the government would frown upon discussing.

The protagonist is Nader (Payman Maodi), whose father suffers from Alzheimers. His marriage of many years is strained and his wife wants to leave him. When he hires a woman to care for his father, she accuses him of things that he never did or meant to imply.

Basically, Nader's life as he knows it, and his family, are coming apart. Around every corner is more bad news. Nader appears stoic but he's deeply troubled by the way his life is falling apart.

What Fahardi is most successful at showing is the small ordinary things in Iranian life - in other words Iranians are not so different from the rest of the world. That sameness that the actors demonstrate may well account for the film's popularity.

ANONYMOUS

2011-06-07T20:26:00.011-04:00

By D.E.Levine

Since Shakespeare's work first appeared people have been trying to prove or disprove whether William Shakespeare actually wrote the plays,poems and sonnets.

Anonymous puts for the idea the Edware de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, was the actual author.

The idea is that disgrace to the royal line would happen if de Vere (Rhys Ifans) put his own name on the work. To avoid this he makes a deal with Ben Johnson (Sebastian Armesto), an established but struggling playwright. However, as things turn out, Will Shakespeare winds up getting an Ed accepting the credit and de Vere allows himself to be blackmailed into continuing the arrangement.

Queen Elizabeth I (Joely Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave as the younger and older versions) gets involved because she loves plays and admires Shakespeare's. She also has a rather flamboyant sex life and has, throughout her life, relationships with various men who impregnate her. According to the film, the virgin queen had several illegitimate children, including one with de Vere. But according to the film, she also had a relationship with de Vere's biological father that resulted in Edward de Vere being born (which would make Elizabeth his mother as well as his lover).

Roland Emmerich directs this film which has more twists, turns and scheming than a modern thriller. The Queen's Puritan adviser William Cecil (David Twelis), who is also de Vere's foster father and father-in-law, plans a takeover with his hunchback son Robert (Robert Hogg). They are brilliantly perverse, devious and wicked.

Emmerich piles conspiracy theory on conspiracy theory, all taken from actual historical theory and speculation.

The theory and film are interesting, with beautiful costumes, scenery and acting. Whether or not society will accept any of the speculation remains to be seen. After all, Emmerich didn't create these theories. He's just reporting what existed and exists, in an interesting fashion.