Posts filed under 'New movies'
March 19th, 2008
… but HBO’s JOHN ADAMS miniseries is an excellent bit of programming. If you’re paying for the premium channel and bemoaning the absence of THE SOPRANOS, THE WIRE, BIG LOVE, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM and other shows, be sure to check out this fascinating look back at the birth of a nation.
Paul Giamatti, best known as the star of SIDEWAYS, does a sterling job bringing Adams to vivid life as a cranky, grumbling cuss who manages to give America the kick start it needs. He gets strong support from Laura Linney (as his wife, Abigail), Tom Wilkinson (as Ben Franklin), David Morse (as George Washington) and Danny Huston (as Sam Adams — brewer, patriot).
So far, two parts have aired, and they’re available on HBO On Demand. The next episode, “Don’t Tread on Me,” airs Sunday, with new episodes following each week. There are seven parts total, and if they’re all as interesting (and entertaining) as the first two, this’ll be quite a feather in HBO’s (tri-cornered) cap.
One quibble: Despite all the historical authenticity (and there’s plenty — just wait ’till you see how they prevent smallpox), the founding fathers lack one thing: authentic Colonial-era teeth.
February 14th, 2008
Of course you do! So just click here, then come back and tell me what you think.
Here are a few observations after an initial viewing:
1. At first, I was worried they were focusing too much on Indy as an icon, getting overly serious in recapping the previous three films. Then the footage from the new one started and the fun kicked in almost immediately. Nice to see Indy’s seat-of-the-pants style and deadpan sense of humor remains intact.
2. I don’t know if the stuntwork got a CGI boost, but it looks real, and that’s what counts. And that looks like Harrison Ford swinging from the whip, which counts even more.
3. I like how Shia LaBeouf is amazed Indy is, in fact, a teacher. Those scenes of him actually in front of a classroom at the beginning of RAIDERS are a great counterpoint to the craziness that follows.
4. No signs of Karen Allen (playing Marion) that I could see, but plenty of Cate Blanchett as the villain.
5. Did I see the words “Roswell, New Mexico”? – guess we know what that means.
6. I can’t imagine any film fan watching this trailer and not having a smile on his face when it’s over. This sort of thing is the reason I love movies.
January 31st, 2008
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I caught a showing of “There Will Be Blood” last night, and though I don’t have time to post much at the moment, I do want to say this: If Daniel Day-Lewis doesn’t win the Best Actor Oscar this year, he should stomp up onto the stage and take it by force.
That’s what his character, Daniel Plainview, would do.
January 28th, 2008
I’m not a big fan of musicals, and I’ve never seen the stage version of “Sweeney Todd.” But I liked the movie. I liked it a lot, in fact.
But I want to warn potential viewers of two things:
1. It definitely is a musical. This might sound obvious, but most of the commercials I’ve seen emphasize Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton, but don’t dwell on the fact that this is the same “Sweeney Todd” who carved a bloody path through Broadway years ago, and most — if not all — of the Stephen Sondheim songs remain intact. Don’t be surprised when people start singing right off the bat.
2. It’s bloody. Really, really bloody. Again, this might seem obvious given the R rating and constant prescence of straight razors, but “Sweeney Todd” is a gory little movie. Plenty of throats get slit, and Burton doesn’t skimp on the stage blood. If you’re think it’s going to be “Chicago” or “Dreamgirls,” think again.
That being said, ”Todd” entertained me from beginning to end. The story is simple: A London barber wants revenge against a corrupt judge and, eventually, he gets it. With its smog-shrouded London location and darker-than-dark humor, Burton was the perfect director for the movie. He’s had his good days (”Ed Wood,” “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure,” “Edward Scissorhands”) and his bad (um, “Planet of the Apes”), but this is Burton at his best, bringing a surreal intensity to a story that truly deserves it.
Depp is perfect for the title role, and even if he doesn’t have the strongest singing voice in the world, he makes it work wonders here. When downshifts those vocals into a growl, it’s a chilling, thrilling moment. Helena Bonham Carter, looking more ”Fight Club” than ”Howard’s End,” is both creepy and kindly as meat-pie maker Mrs. Lovett. And the rest of the cast — Alan Rickman as the judge, Sacha Baron Cohen (yes, Borat) as a rival barber and Ed Sanders as a weird little kid with a taste for gin — are all fine, too. But the real star here is the grimy, ghastly city of London that Burton and Co. create. It’s a setting that makes you wonder why everyone doesn’t go mad and reach for the nearest straight razor.
“Sweeny Todd” really packs a wallop in the last act, when Todd’s plans finally come to fruition — and horribly, horribly backfire. What I thought was going to be a pleasant little black comedy turns into a wonderfully over the top slice of grand guignol, with Todd dropping his sad, mopey facade and becoming the monster he was always meant to be, bless his dark little heart.
 Anyone else see it? What did you think?
January 25th, 2008
Sylvester Stallone’s new Rambo movie (called, imaginatively enough, “Rambo”) has been getting slaughtered by the critics, but that’s no surprise. What’s surprising is just how much slaughtering the movie itself is doing. According to a professor at Ohio State who saw an advance copy, the fourth movie in the “Rambo” series contains a whopping 236 onscreen killings. Given that the movie has a (mercifully) short running time of 93 minutes, that averages out to more than 2.5 deaths per minute, or one death every 24 seconds.
Depending on your reading speed, a couple of “Rambo” badguys bit the bullet (possibly quite literally) while you read that last paragraph. In other words, “Rambo” sounds like perfect family viewing — take the kids and let them count along. It might even sharpen their math skills.
It’s hard to believe that in the first “Rambo” movie, 1982’s remarkably restrained “First Blood,” a mere four characters met their maker, and most of them did so accidentally. It’s even harder to believe that originally, the script had John Rambo die at the end.
Sure, it would’ve been a downer, but just think how many fictional lives would’ve been saved.
January 23rd, 2008
Here’s a bit of good news for local movie fans. “There Will Be Blood,” the new movie from director Paul Thomas Anderson that nabbed eight Oscar nominations yesterday, will final be shown on Rockford screens. The acclaimed drama (a Best Picture contender) is slated to arrive at ShowPlace 16 starting Friday. Critics can’t say enough good things about this movie (and about Daniel Day Lewis’ central performance), so I’m going to make sure to catch it on the big screen before it gets replaced by “Good Luck Chuck II: Better Luck Next Time, Chuck.”
Other new arrivals in local theaters this week include the step-dancing drama “How She Move,” the movie spoof “Meet the Spartans,” the wasn’t-this-movie-already-released-under-the-title-”The Net” Untraceable” and the long-awaited (long-dreaded?) sequel to “Rambo: Part III,” the simply titled “Rambo.” If it’s half as violent as the trailer suggests, it’ll be the funniest movie of the year.Â
But please, if you want to see what is, by all accounts, a truly memorable movie, check out “There Will Be Blood.” I’ll report back here as soon as I’ve seen it to let you know how it is.
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