Real Movie Review-Movie Reviews, Movie Quotes, Movie Trivia

Director: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner,

Long time TV commercial director, Craig Gillespie (Mr. Woodcock) took his first stab at directing a big screen feature with this small budget, Oscar-nominated screenplay by Nancy Oliver. The story is quirky, amusing and touching and a standout performance by Ryan Gosling really helped it to work. The movie progresses slowly and carefully, and is just a little bit dark, but never oppressing.

Ryan Gosling is Lars Lindstrom, a socially hopeless and emotionally-challenged small town man, who lives a quiet life that mostly consists of avoiding contact with other people, until he meets someone. I know what you’re thinking. That sounds like pretty standard movie stuff, so far and it would be if his new girlfriend didn’t arrive carefully packaged in a box. You see Lars new dream girl is actually a highly sophisticated doll – the kind with three life-like openings. Yup, Lars has fallen in love with a sex doll. When a doctor tells his brother and sister-in-law that the best way to handle this is to go along with it, the whole town pitches in and does the same. This may sound like a romantic version of Weekend at Bernie’s, but its not. The story is really about the way family and community combine to take care of their own.

Lars and The Real Girl is one of those off-beat, head-scratching movies that some will love, some will hate and no one will completely understand. Ok, ok, some will understand, but it is a strange one that will appeal to those who like to step off the Hollywood highway to mainstream success. This one is different. There is humor, but its not a comedy. It’s disturbing at times, but not repulsive or frightening, and there is no denying that it is interesting.

Director: Richard Kelly

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy Moore, Justin Timberlake, Nora Dunn, John Larroquette

Donnie Darko fans rejoice! For the master has returned with another strange (but not as strange), surreal feature that is as sure to collect cult fans as my copy of Donnie Darko is to collect dust. Just kidding. I don’t own a copy. Whatever, your opinion is of writer/director Richard Kelly, you have to agree that he has two things: his own sense of style, and legions of ready-to kill-for-him fans. This film is light-handed, but very surreal and packs a pretty obvious political message that guarantees you won’t find a copy at George Bush’s White House. There are more familiar faces here than at a high school reunion, so the acting is outstanding. There is so much going on in Southland Tales that maybe one viewing isn’t a fair evaluation of its quality. I’m going to evaluate it, anyway, as a waste of time for non-Darko fans. Darko fans, enjoy and feel free to dismiss the rest of us as unimaginative dullards who “just don’t get it”.

Southland tales starts out with a description of a very different America, locked up with rapidly deteriorating freedom by an overzealous, terrorism-fueled right, where the left is turning militant in its opposition. When action star, and right supporter, Boxer Santaros (The Rock, who continues to improve) goes mysteriously missing, it serves as a trigger for all kinds of action. He’s not missing for us though. We know he has partial amnesia and is living with a porn star named Krista Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) while he plans a new movie, but his new friends have some plans of their own.

Southland Tales is a highly political satire about the dangers of letting fear stop us from defending our precious freedoms. I like the message, but the film is not my cup of cappuccino. I found it overly complicated and the metaphors make me tired.

Director: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, Vincent Pastore, Andre Benjamin, Terence Maynard, Mark Strong

I was pleasantly surprised when I found this little known Guy Ritchie (Snatch) crime feature. It sounded great and Ritchie’s cool and stylish hand was immediately evident in the lightning editing and unusual use of color. The slow story, however, couldn’t keep up with the pace that Ritchie sets, and eventually becomes a little hard to follow, very hard to buy and, by the end, it has become strange, surreal and too clever for its own good. For some reason, Ritchie inserts short comic book clips of the action, as well. These were different, but seemed out of place. The characters are adequate, but nowhere near Snatch standards, as is the dialog.

Jason Statham is Jake, a tough, smart hood, who has just been released after seven years in jail at the hand of local mobster, Macha, delivered by Ray Liotta, in a great performance. Jake feels he is owed something for the time he served and goes to tell Macha this, which, predictably results in a bunch of thugs making a determined effort to kill him. So far, so good. In an early twist, however, it seems that poor Jake has only three days to live due to a rare blood disease. Because of these two situations, he agrees, for some unfathomable reason, to turn over all his cash to a couple of loan sharks to protect him. Huh? I thought Jake was a tough guy? Anyway, suddenly Jake has become a lap dog for Avi and Zach (Andre Benjamin and Vincent Pastore). Don’t worry though, there are plenty of action scenes and plot twists to watch before all is revealed in a longwinded, and awkward ending, that I think I only understood part of.

Fast paced direction with a lumbering story isn’t a strong combination and, in this case, the result is a disheartening blow to Guy Ritchie’s reputation as the premiere maker of stylish crime films. Revolver is as over done as hockey puck burger, and there are better choices out there, but I know that Guy Ritchie fans (like me) will have to see this one for themselves. Maybe you’ll enjoy it more than I did.

Director: Terry George

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly, Mira Sorvino, Elle Fanning, Eddie Alderson

Writer/director Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) takes a stab at a smaller scale drama this time out. The acting is fine here, as would be expected from such a stellar cast. The story, based on John Burnham Schwartz novel, is heavy on melodrama and the story has too many coincidences to be ignored. The story and the character’s actions become more far-fetched and unconvincing as the motion picture draws toward an unimaginative Hollywood ending.

Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix) is driving home with his family when a gas station stop leads to tragedy. Learner’s 10 year old son is killed by attorney, Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo), who is driving home with his son (Eddie Alderson). Frightened at the thought of involvement in the ensuing legal mess because of an uncertain situation concerning his son, Arno flees the scene. This leaves Learner obsessed with seeing his son’s killer brought to justice and the story skips between him and Arno, who is terrified about being discovered and wracked with guilt. The two men bump into each other everywhere except the living room and the whole thing gets a little tedious.

For all its attempts at pounding home the pain of losing a child, I found Reservation Road is be lacking in impact and the writing seems lazy when it falls back on coincidence after coincidence. The Life Of David Gale was another issue-oriented drama where the unlikely story and obvious attempts at emotional manipulation hurt the overall product. if you ejoyed that feature then this one may be for you.

Reservation Road – movie quotes:

“Can you hear music if you’re in Heaven?”

Movie lines from Reservation Road

Director: Rob Stewart

Starring: Rob Stewart, Paul Watson, Patrick Moore, Erich Ritter

First time filmmaker Rob Stewart, has made a breathtaking, unforgettable and important documentary. Not bad for his first feature. Take marvelous underwater photography, amazing passion and a thrilling story and you have a can’t miss feature that was a darling of the film festival circuit. It won’t be what you expect.

Rob Stewart is a shark-loving biologist and underwater photographer who starts out discussing sharks’ importance to the planet, our misconceptions about them and their history which pre-dates dinosaurs. Stewart’s passion for sharks, and their protection, brings him to join with Paul Watson (www.seashepherd.org) on an expedition to battle illegal shark fishing off the coast of Guatemala. What results is conflicts with poachers and organized crime on top of government corruption and double cross. This is one of the most amazing stories that a documentary has ever told and yet it is still intertwined with beauty and horror.

Rob Stewart and Paul Watson are my newest heroes. Their courage and commitment alone, makes Sharkwater worth viewing. Viewers with a social conscience and ecological concerns shouldn’t miss this one and viewers who enjoy tense real life adventures won’t want to miss it. Like the trailer says, “It’s part Jacques Cousteau and part Michael Moore”.

Director: Doug Liman

Starring: Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Michael Rooker,

Bourne Identity director, Doug Liman has not lost his touch for fast-paced, cool, action film-making and the proof is in this exciting adaptation of Steven Gould’s novel. Hayden Christensen has finally got a hit that doesn‘t involve slipping over to the dark side. The imaginative story is far-fetched, but as far as the action genre goes, its not too ridiculous, though the characters could have had more personality and development. My main issue with this film, however, is that we are being dragged, with a ring clamped on our noses, through a disturbing, commercially-driven sequel set-up. This, of course, leads to an ending that resolves nothing and left me feeling a little ripped off.

Hayden Christensen plays David Rice, who, as a teenager, finds himself able to teleport. Soon, he is using this somewhat unusual skill to live a luxurious, jet-set lifestyle (without the jet), that gives us some nice world tour shots, but into his sparkling lagoon of decadent tranquility, ripples soon appear in the guise of a stern, white-haired authority figure, Roland (Samuel L. Jackson). David’s worriless consequence-free existence is shattered, since, as Roland says, “There are always consequences”.

Jumpers is an entertaining action effort that will please the adrenaline junkies, and shouldn’t put off discerning fans more than one would expect from a movie based on teleportation. The whole thing reminded me of a lighter version of Interview With A Vampire, with its secret world of those with special powers and their enemies. Just be ready for its ending that sounds like a cash register that hasn’t yet finished ringing, and probably won’t until the cash from another two movies is in the bank.

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Starring: Michael Caine, Jude Law,

Director Kenneth Branagh, best known for his Shakespearean projects, adapts another stage play to the screen, with this remake of a 1972 mystery feature. Branagh makes effective use of unusual camera angles, moody lighting, and colors while the top-notch performers masterfully deliver their dialog that is as clever as one would expect from a theatrical conversion. The Harold Pinter, classic-style mystery keeps the viewer wondering right to the end. The first twist comes before the film even begins, with the casting of Michael Caine, who played the younger man in the original 1972 motion picture, and accepted the role of the mature man in this 21st century edition, while Jude Law steps into Caine’s previous role.

Jude Law is Milo Tindle, who is visiting the wealthy husband of his lover, to ask him to grant her a divorce. Instead of a quick agreement, the two men verbally spar, until Wyke (Michael Caine) offers Milo a chance to make some money that will allow him to support his new, money-draining woman. A deal is struck, but that is just the beginning. The twists soon begin and just don’t stop, though they are overdone and will put off some viewers.

Fine acting aficionados, and fans of old-fashioned, not-over-until-its-over, mysteries, will appreciate this visually stylish and twist-filled actor’s workshop. It starts out stronger than it finishes, but is still enjoyable. I have never seen the original film, though I’m told that it compares poorly (when isn’t the original better?). I can’t make comparisons, myself, but I did find this rendition to be entertaining, though the first half is noticeably stronger than the second.

Director: Xavier Gens

Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Olga Kurylenko, Robert Knepper, Ulrich Thomsen, Michael Offei

Little known director Xavier Gens joins the auspicious club of directors whose career has been reduced to movies based on video games. As far as that sorry film genre goes, this effort is not bad. It offers plenty of imaginative slo-mo action and is thankfully sparing with the handheld scenes. The graphic violence is framed by a minimal story that is a blatant Bourne rip-off, that runs out of steam before they fun out of film. The dialog and characters are standard fare for the genre and the overall result may please action fans and few others.

Timothy Olyphant plays a cranium-tattooed man of few words who has been raised with a number (47) instead of a name to become part of a lethal Hair Club For Men, each of whom is yet another perfectly trained killer, blah, blah, blah. You know the story. It’s nothing new or innovative. However, this time out, something goes wrong, when the man whose brains he has blown out, turns out to still be alive. This somehow leads to a bunch of people trying to kill poor number 47, while he tries to figure out why the man he killed isn’t dead. He meets a girl (they always meet a girl), who helps him figure things out, and find a little humanity, while he’s leaving dead bodies all over the place.

Hitman is a run of the mill action film, that is long on body count and short on substance. If you like these high-energy shoot-em ups, then you will still find this to be a pleasant, but unmemorable motion picture, but if you have seen all the Bournes and the latest Jason Statham release, then i guess you have to watch something.

Director: Andy Tennant

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Alexis Dziena, Ray Winstone, Ewen Bremner, Kevin Hart, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Brian Hooks

Co-writer/director, Andy Tennant (Sweet Home Alabama, Hitch), is back in the rom-com business again with this romantic/comedy adventure film that is blessed with some beautiful, Caribbean scenery, and saddled with a variable speed formula story that roars forward with exhilaration at times, and falls back into a putt-putt, check-your-watch, pace at others. Matthew McConaughey is at home as a charming underachiever, but Kate Hudson doesn’t always seem to know how to play his frustrated soon-to-be ex-wife. The direction is similarly erratic with some nice shots while others seem rushed, and the action often falls flat.

Matthew McConaughey is an irresponsible, but charming, treasure hunter, named Finn, who starts out pretty down on his luck when he accidentally sinks his own boat. This puts him in deadly debt to a silly gangsta rap crew lead by Bigg Bunny (Kevin Hart). As if this isn’t enough, his estranged wife, and former treasure hunting companion, Tess (Kate Hudson), is divorcing him. Fate (and coincidental cinema at its best) intervenes, however, to land Finn on Tess’ employer’s boat, and soon his passion and charm has won over her bored billionaire boss, Nigel (Donald Sutherland) and his dippy, socialite daughter, Gemma, and the well-appointed yacht is turned around to go on a treasure hunt. There are, of course, others after the treasure as well, including partner-turned rival, Moe (the voice of Beowulf).

I rather enjoyed Fool’s Gold, probably for the same reasons that I like Overboard (coincidentally starring Kate’s Mom, Goldie Hawn) and, to a lesser extent, Cocktail. There are obscenely expensive boats and a lavish lifestyle that I can’t even afford to buy a magazine about, beautiful paradise settings and attractive women in bathing suits. If the preview leads you to believe that you won’t like it, then you won’t. It is exactly what it appears to be. If, however, you just want some light, fluffy fare that will make you wish for a hot holiday in some island country with steel drums, overpriced girly drinks and under priced beer, then you can probably look past the flaws here, (and there are many), enough to enjoy a two hour Caribbean getaway.

Director: Robin Swicord

Starring: Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace, Jimmy Smits, Kevin Zegers, Marc Blucas

As both writer and director, Robin Swicord took Karen Joy Fowler’s novel and turned it first into a very clever screenplay and then, with the help of some very talented performers, made an entertaining movie. Watching it along with me, was an almost all female audience, most of whom looked old enough to remember when Jane Austen was on the best seller list. The dialog was strong and the characters were interesting and the film had a high energy level for a romantic drama, though the whole thing does play a little like a Penguin ad for the Jane Austen Classics Collection.

This story revolves around five women and one man who get together once a month to discuss one of Jane Austen’s books. Kathy Baker is Bernadette, a strong older woman living life by her own rules, who organizes the club to help her friend, Sylvia (Brennemen) get over a heartbreak. Sylvia’s lesbian daughter, Allegra (Maggie Grace) joins to support her mom, as does Sylvia’s friend, Jocelyn (Maria Bello), who brings along a young man she just met (Hugh Dancy), in hopes of playing matchmaker. A fragile, and strange, young married teacher played by Emily Blunt in a performance that still stands out in this very well-acted film, rounds out the group. As the group works its way through the Austen library, their own love lives parallel the classic writer’s storylines. I have only read one Austen book, but even for a literary neophyte like me, this plot device is apparent and entertaining.

No doubt about it, stamp Chick Flick on the box an send it off to off to Oxygen: The Women’s Cable Station for a bi-monthly airing. This is a chick flick, but it is also an impressive piece of light-hearted dramatic screenwriting and a forum for talented actresses (thosewhose last names begin with the letter ‘B’, it seems). Austen lovers, as well as fans of romantic drama will find this film well worth their hard earned pesos, and significantly better than this years’ earlier Austen effort, “Becoming Jane”.