Here’s my latest round of quick take reviews for movies currently in theatres and coming out in the next few weeks…
Movie Review Quick Takes:
Black Swan: This psychological thriller from arty auteur Darren Aronofsky features a brilliant performance from Natalie Portman as a ballerina descending into madness. Unfortunately, it’s also a bit of a mess that has all the subtlety of a Saturday Night Live sketch. The metaphors and imagery are pounded into your head and it’s a bleak incredibly weird film. Despite some strong technical aspects (sound, cinematography, editing) and the strength of Portman, not to mention a surprisingly strong turn by Mila Kunis (as a rival ballerina), the film left me cold and wondering “so what.” Add to that a weak performance from Barbara Hershey and a dreadful turn by Winona Ryder and you get an ambitious and interesting film that is also a big disappointment. Grade: B-
Burlesque: Christina Aguilera is a small town girl with big dreams of stardom who lands in Cher’s Burlesque show singing and dancing up a storm. This film, written and directed by Steve Antin, is a big fun entertaining musical that will keep you smiling for days. Sure, the script is weak and Christina is certainly a better singer than actor, but the film owns its cheesiness and never attempts to be anything more than a great time at the theatre. And yes, it owes a lot to Chicago, Cabaret and Coyote Ugly, but the music is great and Cher and Stanley Tucci are wonderful. You also have a very charismatic turn by Cam Gigandet and some bitchtastic fun from Kristen Bell. Grade: B/B+
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1: In the penultimate film of the wonderful wizard series, Harry and his friends must find the horcruxes to stop Voldermort from thrusting the world into impending doom. With such high stakes, this film is the most dramatic and emotional of the franchise. It’s also incredibly beautiful, heartbreaking, and resonant. The visual effects are fantastic, the performances are top-notch, and it leaves you wanting more… literally. We have to wait til July for Part II. Nonetheless, it’s a great film. Grade: A
The King’s Speech: Fighting with The Social Network for the title of the BEST film of the year, Speech is simply astonishingly good. Colin Firth is a shoo-in to win best actor for his amazing performance as King George of England who fights a speech impediment and leads his country as it enters World War II. Firth’s performance is one for the ages and he’s nearly matched by the hilarious, moving and wonderful work of Geoffrey Rush (as his speech therapist) and Helena Bonham Carter (as his wife). The film is inspiring, beautiful, important, intelligent and beautifully done on every level. Look for it to grab Oscar nods for Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Score, Art Direction, Cinematography and Costume Design to say the least. Grade: A+
Unstoppable: in this fast past efficiently made thriller Denzel Washington (as ahem, Denzel Washington, master train operator) and Chris Pine (as his conductor with family problems) race to stop an unmanned train carrying deadly hazardous materials as it charges towards a Pennsylvania town. The film is simple but very well done and surprisingly suspenseful and entertaining. Credit the great crisp direction from frequent Washington collaborator Tony Scott for turning what could’ve been a route action thriller into a strong film that far surpasses the audiences expectations. Grade: B+
Tangled: the latest magical Disney princess to get the cartoon musical treatment is Rapunzel who sings her heart out as she goes on her first adventure out of her tower. With great voice leads by Mandy Moore (as Rapunzel) and Chuck’s Zachary Levi (as the thief who goes from her antagonist to her leading man), the film harkens back to the classic and wonderful late 80’s/early 90’s toons like The Little Mermaid that are so missed today. It has a great score, comedy and action and a wonderful devious turn by Tony winner Donna Murphy as the villain. The only downside is that there’s no need to see it in 3D. Floating butterflies and candles don’t quite cut it. But for fun family entertainment, lovely songs and a good time, see it. Grade: A-
Two upcoming films~
Frankie & Alice: Poor Halle Berry. She gives her all to no avail in this trumped-up Lifetime TV movie masquerading as a wannabe Oscar contender. As a woman dealing with a curious case of multiple personality disorder in the 70’s, Berry gives an admirable performance at times, but is let down by atrociously bad direction and a very weak script. The editing is so off and slow, and the shots are such copied clichés of every film you’ve ever seen that you wish you could have cut it yourself. Stellan Saarsgard is also sorely miscast as her psychiatrist. At least there’s some nice supporting work from Phylicia Rashad as Berry’s mother. Grade: C-
Blue Valentine: in this searing drama, Oscar nominees Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling portray a couple going through the dissolution of their marriage. It’s an amazingly well performed piece that is so real, it’s hard to watch at times. Both Williams and Gosling should certainly be in the running for the Oscars again this year. Williams is especially heartbreaking while Gosling oozes pain and frustration in later parts of the marriage and exudes charm to no end in the scenes of the beginning of their relationship. It’s a film that grew on me the more I thought about it. I just wish it had been edited a little better and slightly higher production values~ we get the point pretty quick. Regardless, if you want to see virtuoso acting, this is your film. Grade: B+
The most talented actress of our time, Meryl Streep hasn’t won an Oscar since Sophie’s Choice in 1982. Sure she’s got two of them and a record-breaking 16 nominations. However, it’s been almost thirty years since she grabbed a Golden boy, and for my money, she should’ve won a few other times~ most recently for Julie & Julia. But I digress… Meryl looks to be the front-runner this year for her upcoming performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. That said, she has some strong competition from Glenn Close as a woman masquerading as a man in Albert Knobbs, Elizabeth Olsen as a cult survivor in Martha Marcy May Marlene, Rooney Mara in the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Tilda Swinton as the mother of a mass murderer in We Need to Talk about Kevin and the other front-runner Viola Davis in The Help. And now, we can add one more big obstacle to Meryl’s victory: Michelle Williams.
