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

Director: Ron Howard

Starring: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan

Films don’t get much better than this edge-of-your-seat Ron Howard classic. It features outstanding understated performances by all of the principals, all of whom play characters accustomed to holding their emotions in check. This means that virtually all of the performers have to show their character’s reactions subtly. That is no easy feat. Add this to an excellent screenplay that uses less dialogue than most and moves slowly and steadily through a gripping true story that does not have an overabundance of action to work with. This tricky project requires director Ron Howard (one of my favorites, for sure) to tell the story with lingering shots and hold our attention with relentless tension that is laced with sudden bursts of energy.

Apollo 13 was a 1970 NASA launch that was intended to be the second mission to land on the moon. That is until mission commander, Jim Lovell, upon whose book the movie is based, utters the famous line “Houston, we have a problem”. Tom Hanks is fantastic (when isn’t he?) in the lead role and has great support from Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon as fellow astronauts-in-peril, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert. Gary Sinise is equally impressive as Ken Mattingly, a team member who is left behind and asked to take a key role in figuring out how to get them home. Ed Harris gives a solid performance as the leader of ground control and Kathleen Quinlan does well, as the stolid, but cracking wife of Lovell. Do they make it home? Well, if you haven’t seen the movie, you will have to rent it to see. Or I guess you could quickly find out online, but that won’t be as much fun.

Have I not made myself clear enough up to this point? This is an amazing movie that should have had LAPD detectives investigating why it didn’t win Best Picture. Ok, ok, so Braveheart won. It was just a slightly better film with more action and funnier lines. Call off the investigation. This is still a great movie. If you have missed it, somehow, you should correct that oversight by Monday.

Director: Andrew Dominik,

Starring: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeremy Renner, Sam Shepard, Garret Dillahunt, Paul Schnieder

This artistic western recieved only lukewarm studio support and had limited theatrical release and the reason for this became clear when I viewed the end result. This is not a mainstream movie. The film’s screenwriter and director, Andrew Dominik, has created a beautiful and unusual movie with many characters, most of whom receive almost novel-like development (as much as is possible in a film, anyway). The acting is uniformly impressive, but not spectacular, though the story did not provide the kind of characters that allow their performers to really stand out. The story is long and is laced with narration of, what seems to be, excerpts from Ron Hansen’s novel. The story builds slowly and gently, like a climbing a wide hill as opposed to scaling a mountain. This is very unusual in this fast-paced blockbuster world and will make some viewers bored and uncomfortable. I liked the movie, though not as much as I expected to, nor as much as many others. The first half of the movie, though original and visually splendid, is too self indulgent. The second half, though less visual and still slow-paced, is more focused and pulled me into the story. The climax is subdued and unlike any other film that I can recall and is followed by a kind of extended epilogue that I quite enjoyed.

It’s safe to say that 2007 will be a year that Casey Affleck will always remember. After more than a decade of supporting roles, this is the year that he got his chance to star. Both in Gone Baby Gone and as title character, Robert Ford, here. Ford has a creepy infatuation with his cousin, the famous bandit, Jesse James, played (as the whole world knows) by Brad Pitt. For most of the movie we watch Jesse deal with the requisite distrust of being a wanted outlaw and watch Robert, a tragic awkward, unpopular youth try to come to grips with a hero who is not what he wanted him to be, and with his own fears, insecurities and desires.

Because this film was so strangely delayed in availability for me, I have noticed the wide ranging opinions being offered on it. Most seem to regard it as a masterpiece and deride those who dismiss it as slow, boring crap. Does anyone else remember Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula? That film (winner of three academy awards for various visual accomplishments) was likewise lauded and trashed. Time seems to have judged it as closer to the latter, as it has been largely forgotten. The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, is noteworthy for having the longest film title in recent memory, but I believe that it, too, will lose some of its appeal over time. It is a wonderfully shot film and an innovative movie in many ways, but it is too slow and flat for it’s story to endure. Duster fans, beware, it will not be what you expect. Art house connoisseurs, it is finally time for you to see a western. Okay, okay, I know you saw The Missouri Breaks. It’s time for you to see another western, then.

Director: Michael Polish

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen, Max Thieriot, Jasper Polish, Logan Polish, Bruce Dern, J.K. Simmons, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce Willis.

Everyone needs a hobby. Mine is watching every crazy movie that gets released and telling all of you about each and every one of them. That is an unusual hobby, but not quite as unusual as a rancher who decided to build a rocket in his barn and launch himself into space. I guess that’s why that hobby is featured in a movie while mine is not. The result is an interesting and moving drama about pursuing your dreams and never giving up.

Charles Farmer, played by Billy Bob Thornton, is a soft-spoken, well–liked, small town family man who has spent years building a rocket ship in his barn. As he nears completion of his project, however, several complications appear in his trajectory in the form of government interference and economic problems. Once the media got a hold of the story, the money woes seemed to make less sense to me. Look for Bruce Willis as a former astronaut, who visits Farmer. We spend the film watching and wondering whether these issues can be overcome and allow him to launch, and whether or not he should even try. Virginia Madsen stars as his supportive wife and Max Thieriot is his fifteen-year old son and assistant.

This is a well-made small-scale drama that is somewhat reminiscent of Field of Dreams in that it fills the viewer with a sense of wonder about what is really possible from those who believe and never quit. The cast was good and the story was engaging, if somewhat far-fetched. But then again, I have never tried to build a rocket ship in a barn, so how do I know how difficult it is. I spend all my time writing these damn reviews.

Director: Joe Wright

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, James McAvoy, Keira Knightley,

Reviewing movies like these is my greatest challenge as a critic. This is a quality product with a good story, good, but overrated acting, and some solid direction, but I still did not like it all that much. So, how do I rate it? As an excellent quality motion picture that will win more awards than Albert Einstein at a Jr. High science fair? Or shall I rate it, according to the entertainment value that it held for me? Being a simple, semi-educated selfless man, I think I will go with the latter; risking the respect of some to save the time, and money, of others. Hence, it gets three stars from me and will probably win best picture. Atonement is exasperatingly slow in several spots as director Joe Wright lingers over scenes, capturing great detail. This is nice, but can we get on with the story? The acting is good, but I disagree with some of the generous praise it has received. It will win plenty of awards since it is a British period piece and has many scenes at a country manor. These three conditions make it an automatic choice for critical acclaim and it will probably win one award for every ten people who see it. I liked Atonement, at times, wished it would end, already, at other times, and I am unlikely to ever watch it again, unless forced to do so, as part of some interrogation ritual.

About half of the film is set in an English country manor in 1935. The story centers around Briony and Cecilia Tallis (Saoirse Ronan and Keira Knightley), the 13 and 18 year old daughters of the house, and on the son of one of the housekeepers, Robert (James McAvoy), an aspiring doctor, for whom the family has taken the responsibility for educating. Briony is an aspiring writer, who has a crush on the older Robert, who is in turn interested in the older sister, Cecilia. Briony, misunderstanding circumstances, does something horrible, but I don’t want to say more than that, in case you manage to get to the theatre without seeing some overly informative review, or trailer, that blows the path of the story for you. I did like the endng.

Those of you who loved the Oscar sweeping English period pieces of the past, will probably find this one to be right up your alley. Those of you who thought that Fargo should have beat out The English Patient in 1997, and that Gosford Park should have gone straight to the bargain rental shelf in 2001 instead of being nominated for seven Oscars, this one is not for you. I found it overly self-indulgent and too slow moving through it’s beaufully shot scenes.

Director: Kirsten Sheridan

Starring: Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Robin Williams, Terence Howard, William Sadler

This film, which tries to be a kind of live action fairy tale about the magic of music never really finds the right pitch for me. The acting is pretty good and the characters are interesting, but the story is way too dependant on incredible coincidences and musical montages, while its pace varies too widely and but is generally too dark. The charismatic performers give it their best shot, didn’t win me over.

Keri Russell (from this year’s sleeper hit, Waitress) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (from Bend It Like Beckham and the Henry VIII TV series) are talented musicians, Lyla and Louis who meet and enjoy one night of passion. Badly contrived circumstances (mainly in the form of Lyla’s father, played by William Sadler) prevent them from seeing one another again. On top of this, some really goofy events lead to Lyla having baby from their one night of love (that part’s not goofy. I know how that works) and having this lovechild being put up for adoption by his not-so-adoring grandfather (that part was goofy). Their offspring, Evan, grows up as a neglected, musical prodigy in a cold orphanage. He sees music as being some kind of mystical connection to his parents, and runs away, planning to get enough people to hear his music that his parents will hear it and somehow know its him. Well, I guess it is a plan of some kind. Soon he meets a mysterious musical pied piper named Wizard (Robin Williams), who becomes something of a mentor and more.

This music fable will appeal to some people, who may like it a great deal, but it did little for me. I think it would have worked better as a lighter mood comedy/drama. That would have made the ridiculous coincidences easier to take and would have been a better fit with the overblown musical theme. As it is, August Rush is too far-fetched and the rest of the movie isn’t strong enough to make up for its meandering, silly plotline.

Director: Joby Harold

Starring: Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Terrence Howard, Lena Olin, Christopher MacDonald, Arliss Howard.

Okay, so approximately .15% of people wake up during their surgery and this is known as anesthetic awareness. That is disturbing, but a little interesting. I wonder how many of these people also gain the ability to leave their body and wander about the hospital with a physical form. Hmmm, good question. I’m going to guess that the number is none, unless they also claim to have been abducted by aliens or to be descended from that missing Russian princess, What’s-Her-Name. I guess I’m tryin to say that the story is just a little far-fetched. You are going to need full engagement of that suspension of disbelief thing. However, the story here does pack some surprises that help to offset the film’s weaknesses. These include acting that is a little suspect, but not brutal, flat direction, and of course, a story that strains credibility to the breaking point.

The story here starts out as a boring third rate drama, but climbs up from its slow opening to become a second rate mystery. Hayden Christensen is in the lead, as Clay Beresford, a rich heir who, with the help of a controlling mother (Lena Olin), has become a strong businessman and philanthropist. Clay has a secret love, however, played by Jessica Alba, and a bad heart awaiting a transplant, so all is not rosy for our rich-boy hero. Luckily, his friend, and doctor, Jack (played by the busiest man in Hollywood, this year, Terrence Howard), is ready to go when a donor heart arrives, despite having a last minute anesthesiologist replacement on his surgical team. Soon, Clay is put under to await installation of his new heart, but wait! He appears to be asleep and can’t move, but his mind is awake and feeling everything they do! Now that would seriously suck! This is just one of a few twists that the story has for us, here (though this one is no real surprise, since its all over the previews and such). There is a little more to it though, and it gets pretty hard-to-believe in several ways, but there are surprises.

This one starts out as a painfully clichéd love affair, and keeps us in that uncomortable zone for too long, before the real story gets going. Once it turns into a mystery, it becomes far more enjoyable and turns into something similar to The Invisible, or even a tiny bit like Ghost. The end result is very mediocre and only recommendable to mystery addicts or as a TV choice for hopeless insomniacs who are not awaiting any kind of surgery.

Director: Sarah Polley

Starring: Gordon Pinsent, Julie Andrews, Olympia Dukakis, Deanna Dezmari, Michael Murphy,

Man, getting old sucks. That much is clear after watching Away From Her, which, ironically, was directed by Sarah Polley, who was all of twenty-six at the time. She shows a real touch for this genre, despite her youth, however. I am going to predict a large number of Oscar nominations for this poignant character drama, but I am less convinced that it will snag any wins. This is the kind of film that Hollywood likes to nominate before handing out most of the hardware to bigger budget releases. The acting is great, as you would expect from the group of seasoned pros at work, here. The direction is good and though it flirts with becoming too artsy at times, it never steps over the line. The choice was made to tell the story in a non-linear fashion, which I didn’t feel was needed, but is undeniably powerful nonetheless. I was unconvinced by the main character, however, and the film is both oppressive and compelling, but filled with such heavy, grinding sadness that I am unsure whether or not it was worth it.

Gordon Pinsent is Grant, a retired professor who must watch his beautiful wife, Fiona (Julie Andrews) of forty-four years deteriorate in the clutches of Alzheimers, before finally agreeing to put her into a care home. His pain is just beginning, however, as once there, she rarely remembers him and he must watch as she forms a relationship with another man, whom she meets there. Grant continues to visit her steadily despite finding her less responsive to him. Still, his unselfish love for her seems to know no bounds and this limiless selflessness is where the story loses some credibility. Is this character a man or an saint? I really found his actions difficult to reconcile.

This is a quality drama that will be lauded by drama fans as they dab their eyes and i am unsure whether many will share my view of the over-the-top character. This is not my usual taste, and despite its shortcoming, I can’t deny its obvious quality and expect that many will give it a place in the pantheon of fine cinematic art pieces.