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

Director: Neil Jordan

Starring: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Nicky Katt, Naveen Andrews, Mary Steenburgen

Lets get ready to rummmmmble! Arriving in the ring, first and weighing a scant two stars was Death Sentence, starring Kevin Bacon. Stepping second into the ring, is The Brave One, starring Oscar regular, Jodie Foster. Ding, ding…let the fight begin! Bang! It’s over – a first round knockout by Foster and her crew. This is an entertaining film from the Bernhard Goetz school of movie-making. Move over, Mister Bronson, there is a new vigilante in town and she is a waif-like, 5.3 New York radio host who has never shot a gun before. This is a good film, but it has its shortcomings. The whole time we are being told how good of a cop Mercer is, he is still unable to spot the killer who is, literally, right in front of his face and the evidence does get pretty thick, so we aren’t talking Sherlock Holmes-like ability being needed here. The acting is good, with Howard giving his best performance since Crash and Foster being as good as, well… Jodie Foster. The story gets a little far-fetched, but the dialog and inner-conflict is well done. Neil Jordan creates a real New York state of mind and slips in subtle, but effective flair.

Jodie Foster is radio host, Erica Bain, who’s in love with a charming doctor played by Naveen Andrews. This intro section is appropriately and wretchingly overdone, in accordance with the emotionally-manipulative nature of the film. Plug your nose and get through it, because you know what’s coming. The two of them are attacked in the park and soon Erica’s life has been destroyed by violence. She struggles to come to grips with her grief, and her fear, and soon arrives at a 9mm solution, sparingly applied to the worms of the Big Apple. Along the way, she meets police officer, Detective Mercer, played by Howard, who is investigating a suspected vigilante under the media’s glare. The two start to form a friendship and, well, you can probably guess the rest. Its not really very original. I didn’t buy the ending, but there is no surprise there.

Not a bad end product here. This is a pretty good psychological action movie, that is a bit of a cross between Death Wish and Taxi Driver. Foster fans will enjoy seeing her with a leading role again and those who like to feel some righteous indignation while watching a movie will get a generous helping here.

Move Quotes – The Brave One

“I always believed that fear belonged to other people. Weaker people. It never touched me. And then it did. And when it touches you, you know… that it’s been there all along. Waiting beneath the surfaces of everything you loved.”

Director: Julian Jarrold

Starring: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith, Joe Anderson, Laurence Fox, Anna Maxwell Martin

This 1800s period piece started out with the light, subtly humorous tone of a Jane Austen novel, which I’m sure was director, Julian Jarrold’s intention. Unfortunately, Anne Hathaway’s Jane comes off as slightly arrogant and quite judgmental, while her love interest, Mr. Lefroy, is first introduced as a jackass, but seems to magically and suddenly transform (I know, I know…this is common in Movieland). The result is that neither character is all that likable. In a romantic drama, this is a problem. This is a disappointment both from Hathaway (I loved The Devil Wears Prada) and Jarrold, whose first feature, Kinky Boots, was surprisingly appealing to me.

The story here, which is supposed to be biographical, but doesn’t really fit the facts, is about Jane, a beautiful woman in stifling Victorian society, who fights against the idea of marrying without love and the assumption that women have to marry at all. She meets a man (Wow, there’s a twist) and they want to marry, but seem to be prevented by the external factors of society.

Admittedly, this chick flick is not in my favorite genre, but I am quite capable of appreciating various kinds of films, but this one offered up little of interest and suffers in comparison with the other 1800s authoress romance from this years releases, Mrs. Potter. While not a bad movie, I really can’t think of any reason to see it, so unless you and your gal pal are hard up for an estrogen-based experience, I would pass on this one.

Director: Alan Metter

Starring: Rodney Dangerfield, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, Keith Gordon, Robert Downey Jr., M. Emmet Walsh, Ned Beatty.

Rodney Dangerfield doesn’t do many movies. No respect, I tell ya. No respect. He showed up and said he wanted to do movies. They said start with the piano. Move that.
Ok, ok, Rodney I’m not, but I am a fan. A crew of seven worked on the story and screenplay! A couple more they could have worked on a World Series win instead of a script. The whole movie is really just a gun for the bug-eyed master of the one-liner to fire out jokes at machine gun speed. Look for strong, experienced character actor support and an impressive early performance by Robert Downey Jr.

Rodney Dangerfield plays Thornton Melon, a mega rich retail magnate who decides to drop everything and go to university to show support for his son, played by Keith Gordon. Along the way, he rubs a business professor the wrong way, tries to rub a sexy literature professor (Sally Kellerman) the right way and meets a post traumatically stressed history instructor played by the late and loud Sam Kinison. When he is not pursuing a higher education, he is encouraging his son to follow in his footsteps as a competitive diver and making a few changes to the party lifestyle at the college.

Back To School is a silly, formula film that plays like a weak version of animal house but Dangerfield is great. If you enjoy Dangerfield’s unique style of humor, then this one is worth checking out, but you don’t enjoy his stuff, then this one will not work for you.

Director: Terry Zwigoff

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Lauren Graham, Lauren Tom, Bernie Mac, John Ritter.

Bad Santa (actually I watched the extended “Badder Santa” version) is a mean-spirited, but occasionally funny dark comedy that features decent writing and a good performance by Billy Bob Thornton as one of the least likable main characters to ever star in a comedy.
Not your average ‘golly-gee’ Christmas formula film, to be sure, but it has some funny moments and entertainment value.

Really, you know nothing says Christmas to me more than an inside job department store heist by Santa and his little person elf (Tony Cox). Billy Bob Thornton is Willie, and, after a soggy getaway, Santa goes south instead of north and is soon drunker than a frat boy on a Fort Lauderdale weekend. His debauched life of crime continues. Eventually, he meets a strange boy (Brett Kelly) and a pretty girl (Lauren Graham); not that this changes his impossibly bad attitude. However, this is a Christmas movie and maybe even a lowlife like Willie can find a little humanity. maybe.

Don’t put this one on expecting a typical, syrupy-sweet, ‘God-bless-us-everyone’ kind of Christmas movie. Still, there are some guilty, groan-like giggles here and a redeeming ending. Well, sort of.

Director: Ben Garant

Starring: Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, George Lopez, Maggie Q, James Hong, Thomas Lennon

Ben Garant joined with fellow Reno 911!er, Thomas Lennon to write this comedy, before getting behind the lens for his first feature film, while Lennon took the supporting role of German champion Karl Wolfschtagg. However, the star here is Dan Fogler, in a Jack Black kind of role as a Ping Pong protégé turned has-been, Randy Daytona. The acting is fine, and it’s always great to see Christopher Walken back on screen. The story is pretty much a by-the-numbers spoof of Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon, with some James Bond, Scarface and every clichéd martial arts film ever made. The script, the bread and butter of every comedy, is only passable, with more smiles and chuckles than laughs.

Randy Daytona loses the 1988 Olympic Gold medal for ping-pong, and his father on the same day, and becomes a has-been haunted by his line, “I’m going to Disneyland”. Daytona gets another chance when he is approached by FBI agent, Ernie Rodriguez (played by George Lopez), to go undercover at an underground ping-pong tournament run by the evil criminal emperor, Feng (Walken). After a gruelling training regiment under Master Wong, played well by veteran actor, James Hong, and his daughter, Maggie (Maggie Q) who looks great and has some very cool moves.

This review has come out pretty positive, but, although there are some good characters and ideas here, there is a lack of really funny jokes and, really, in a martial arts spoof about ping-pong that is packed with more talent than Tiger Woods, it shouldn’t have been that hard to get a few really good laughs.

Director: Glenn Jordan

Starring: James Garner, Jonathan Pryce, Peter Riegert, Joanna Cassidy, Fred Dalton Thompson, Leilani Sarelle, Matt Clark

This Emmy-winning made-for-TV movie takes a humorous look at actual events in a big 1980s takeover war. It falls somewhere between a light drama and a comedy, but the seasoned professional acting (particularly lead James Garner) and experienced direction is far above usual TV standards. There is a pretty good story about excess and the battle for big bucks.

James Garner is F. Ross Johnson, who has gone from being a hardworking paperboy in Winnipeg, Canada to a jet setting, big spending CEO in NYC. When Johnson is faced with an expensive project that seems headed for failure, he chooses to deflect shareholder backlash by trying to raise the money to buy the company himself. It might have worked, but when a couple other green sharks get the whiff of possible profit, the bidding war is on. What follows is corporate juggling, scrambling, and general skulduggery in a world where all the numbers have nine zeroes.

Imagine a Wall Street where Gordon Gekko is a charming, nice guy (but greed is still good) and with a comedy slant, and you will have some idea of what to expect here. All in all, this is a pretty fun way to learn the difference between a corporate takeover and a hostile takeover. Admit it. You have always wanted to know.

Director: Michael Lehmann

Starring: Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Gabriel Macht, Tom Eveett Scott, Lauren Graham, Piper Perabo

This is a weak, romantic comedy that could only be more predictable if you had seen it before. For humour, they use a lot of clumsy spills and exaggerated overreactions that haven’t been funny for me since I stopped having recess. The male characters are giant neon signs announcing everything about them so that you could predict the film from across the street. There are a couple amusing scenes with Keaton’s character chatting candidly with her daughters about everything from lingerie, to female orgasms, to cut vs uncut (yes those), but its not amusing enough to make the rest of this film worth enduring.

Diane Keaton is Daphne, a single mother with three grown daughters who becomes concerned over her youngest, Milly (Mandy Moore). Milly seems unable to find a good man and Daphne’s implausible answer is to find a man for her and engineer their meeting. The plan seems foolproof (Yeah, right) until Milly meets another man on her own, who turns out to be one that mom has already rejected, while Mom has her own handsome successful choice for her duaghter. My Goodness! How zany! How will it all end?

Keaton, an experienced and talented actress, completely blows this role with an exaggerated over-the-top, slapstick performance, but Katherine Hepburn and Meryl Streep combined couldn’t save this lame-ass script. Hmmm, now whom should I recommend this one to? I think that jerk that cut me off in traffic would love it and its perfect for my neighbor who leaves his barking dog out all day. They should both rent it.

Starring: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightly, Johnathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher

Director: Gurinder Chadha

What if you were a teenage girl who is more interested in playing soccer than learning to cook and finding a husband, over the objections of your traditional Indian family? This gentle and heartwarming story asks just that.
The movie is set in multicultural London and is a wonderful example of how to smile at our cultural differences, without undermining others’ ideas. Bend It Like Beckham looks at the borderless story of a young person with a dream that conflicts with the expectations of her family and her community. Chadha manages to tell this warm story with a light touch that keeps the drama without losing the humour. This is managed by having a cast of uniformly superb actors with well-developed, natural characters to work with.
A surprise hit upon its release, this is sure to be a pleasant surprise for those that missed it. It will hold your attention and give you a laugh and a smile.

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley Maclaine, Michael Caine

Director: Nora Ephron

Generally speaking, I don’t like stealing ideas from TV to make movies. I didn’t see this movie until it had been out for two years and I really didn’t expect to like it much. I was wrong. This is a pretty decent comedy, mainly because it is a new story rather than a two-hour Bewitched episode.
Kidman is Isabel, a naïve witch who wants to search for happiness by giving up her abilities and living among mortals. Meanwhile, Ferrell is Jack Wyatt, an overblown falling star looking for a co-star in a TV series remake of Bewitched. He casts Isabel as Samantha. The rest of the movie centers around romantic possibilities, shooting the series and Jack’s humongous ego.
The performances are very good here and this is a clever script that finds a new way to pay homage to an old classic without trying to copy it. Not all the jokes work, but enough do to make this a good choice.

Director: Joel Coen
Writers: Joel & Ethan Coen

Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Phillip Seymor Hoffman

Joel and Ethan Coen are the team that brought us, Raising Arizona, Fargo, the wildly underrated Hudsucker Proxy, and most recently, No Country for Old Men. To call their style of film making unique and quirky would be accurate but completely understates what they offer. If you are familiar at all with the Coen Brothers films, you know what to expect when you watch one: a group of characters that would have no earthly reason for spending time on the same planet except in a Coen brothers film, a story that is strung together with outrageous events and unlikely coincidences, dialogue that is unconventional but subtly brilliant and screen writing that is so perfectly masterful and uncliched that you swallow all of it without a second thought. As a Coen brothers film, The Big Lebowski doesn’t disappoint.

Jeff Bridges is Jeff Lebowski, a perpetually unemployed, washed up hippy and lifelong loser, who has abandoned his own name and calls himself “The Dude”. He has no money, no prospects and due to his everpresent “hey man take it easy” attitude, not a care in the world. He spends most days bowling with his equally driven and successful friends; Walter (played by John Goodman) a Vietnam vet with post traumatic stress syndrome, delusions of grandeur and anger manangement issues and Donnie (played by the always entertaining Steve Buscemi) the pathetic but likeable third wheel who seems to have accepted his role as the brunt of most of Walter’s anger. One Day a couple of thugs mistake “The Dude” for another Jeff Lebowski, except that Jeff Lebowski happens to be a millionaire with an out of control young trophy wife, and a habit of running up debts to the wrong people. After they feel that The Dude has sufficiently learned his lesson for having the same name as the guy they are really looking for, the less well mannered of the two thugs relieves himself on The Dude’s area rug, on the way out the door (now, that is just mean!). After spending some time, with the boys in the bowling ally, which apparently doubles as a think tank, The Dude decides that the real Jeff Lebowski should buy him a new rug since it was his wife that ran up the debt which ultimately led to the soiled rug. This starts a chain of events that only the Coen Brothers could dream up…well others might dream it up, but only the Coen Brothers could write a movie about it, get the money to make it, direct it and make us believe it.

This movie combines the absurd and the authentic with such finesse, that you have difficulty telling which is which. The characters are both funny and loathsome at once and the performances are top shelf across the board. The Coens seem to have an uncanny ability to put actors in what seem like ill-suited roles and yet they appear to be born to play it, regardless of the absurdity (watch for Flea from the Chili Peppers and the guy from the VW in the HIZZY commercials) . If you are a fan of these films, you have already seen this so I am wasting my time selling you. Plus, you probably own it and a back up disc. If you are not a fan of the Coens, either because you are not familliar with them, or because you happened to only catch the Hudsucker Proxy and couldn’t quite get your head around it (Hudsucker is like good scotch, an aquired taste), this might be the one that hooks you. Although, it does have its classic acid flashback Coen moments, it is not as far out of the normal spectrum as some of their other efforts. Fair warning though, it is not an accident that every Coen movie has a ridiculous cult following, the first taste is free.