Release Date: Sunday December 25, 2011
Genre: Drama, War
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cinematographer: Janusz Kaminski
Screenplay: Lee Hall, Richard Curtis, Michael Morpurgo (novel)
Cast: Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup,
Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Kebbell

by Peter Frieday    January 24, 2012

War Horse (2011) is Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 children’s book of the same name. The book has also been adapted into a live stage production and has had successful runs in England and Broadway. Although it is based on a children’s book, this film is not for kids under thirteen. There are scenes of soldiers being killed and an execution. That’s disappointing because War Horse should not be limited to an older audience. Everyone including younger kids should be reminded of the sacrifices made for our freedom and democracy.

Albert Narracott ( Jeremy Irvine) the son of an English farmer Ted Narracott ( Peter Mullan) trains and develops a friendship with a beautiful thoroughbred horse whom he names Joey. Albert’s mother is Rose Narracot ( Emily Watson ) who spends her days toiling away on the farm but did not approve of spending all of their money on buying Joey at a horse auction. Albert promises to train and care for the horse and does just that. Things change when in 1914 WWI starts and horses are in huge demand. Ted decides to sell Joey to the British army because he needs the money to pay his landlord Lyons (David Thewlis). Time goes by and eventually Albert enlists in the war himself in search of his beloved horse.

The British army was sent to France and the Western Front during WWI (1914 – 1918). The Western Front was the name the German army gave to a series of trenches that ran over 400 miles from the Belgian coast to the Swiss border. The German objective was to advance and capture Paris. Fierce trench warfare took place during the war and thousands of lives were lost. War Horse depicts trench conditions and trench fighting. The film shows us how important horses were in the fighting despite the fact that the Germans fought back with machine gun fire and artillery that killed many defenseless horses. The horses allowed allied soldiers to maneuver around and create surprise attacks against the German army. There is an especially poignant and impressive scene in War Horse where the British army is lined up on their horses with swords drawn. They then ambush a German base camp. That intense battle scene demonstrated the sacrifices made by military horses. Working in terrible conditions, many of these horses also supplied troops with food, water and transported ammunition. Not only did thousands of horses die from enemy fire but many more died from starvation, injury or exhaustion. The war was cruel to these majestic animals. Thousands and thousands of horses suffered and died during WWI. Many a soldier survived in the war zone with the help of their horse. In the trivia department, it was interesting to learn that all the horses had been trained for several weeks prior to filming so that they could perform the various action scenes. If you are an animal lover such as myself, then you will be happy to know that many of the horses seen killed in battle were actually fake prop horses and the heavy artillery the horses were seen pulling were also light imitation props according to the American Humane Society.

I appreciated and enjoyed the cinematography in this film. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski did great work with his photography of Joey galloping outside in the fields and the close up shots of our protagonist horse’s head. I love horses so this was an easy movie for me to watch but the few but important imperfections in the film tainted the experience for me. Firstly, there is a scene in the movie that will require a suspension of disbelief. That is when Joey is caught in barbed wire and both a British and German soldier meet inside No Mans Land at the trenches to try to save Joey. That scene doesn’t work and lasted too long. Would that happen in a real war ? It’s hard to fathom the idea. The silence and cooperation between the two opposing soldiers over a horse seemed surreal. Secondly, Spielberg needed to make better cautionary choices with this production. Why wasn’t it made to be compatible with younger kids ? Some politeness mixed in with the emotion of war is possible. Was it really necessary for Spielberg to have that scene showing the firing squad execution of the two young brothers ? I don’t believe so. That is the moment I lost my respect. I wanted to and was hoping to like War Horse but I feel dispassionate about it.

Release Date: Friday December 23, 2011
Genre: Drama
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Cameron Crowe
Screenplay: Aline Brosh McKenna, Cameron Crowe
Cast: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church
Patrick Fugit, Elle Fanning, John Michael Higgins, Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth Jones

by Peter Frieday    January 15, 2012

The subject of dealing with personal loss and re-connecting as a family are central themes in a screenplay by writer and director Cameron Crowe. We Bought a Zoo (2011) is a tale of finding new meaning and finding hope. It is an examination of cherishing lost love while learning to find the courage to discover understanding and new hope. It is a drama about a dedicated father who cares deeply about finding his way and helping his two children rediscover happiness after losing their mother.

The story is a reflection of the real life experience of writer Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon). Mee works as a newspaper columnist and is faced with the daunting challenge of handling both career and parental responsibilities after his wife dies. Mee and his kids; 7 year old daughter Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones) and 14 year old son Dylan (Colin Ford ) struggle with a constant sorrow. Benjamin’s brother Duncan (Thomas Haden Church) is there for brotherly support and advice however Benjamin decides that a complete change is necessary. Mee quits his job and he purchases a rural property that contains a zoo – Rosemoor Animal Park – which desperately needs a new caring owner. The story then plunges into the obstacles they face as they try to adapt to their new lifestyle while trying to fix and upgrade the zoo so that it can pass inspection for the upcoming zoo season.

The performance of Matt Damon is his best emotional dramatic offering since his terrific performance in Good Will Hunting. There is a scene of emotional conflict in the movie between Matt Damon and young Colin Ford that speaks for the truth of their reality. That scene is an acting achievement by both actors and that particular scene made me appreciate the film’s direction. The slow moving and but eventual romance that develops between Matt Damon and the beautiful and talented Scarlett Johansson was believable and demonstrated the power and necessity of having the courage to love again to help repair a broken spirit and heart. The film does raise a question about society and our beliefs and values: Does society unfairly pressure people to quickly overcome their sorrow rather than giving people more time to emotionally heal ? The movie is also an excellent demonstration of the necessity of spending time with your children and trying to understand how they feel during difficult circumstances. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend this movie for younger children because they will not understand the serious dramatic scenes. That is disappointing considering that there are some nice scenes with zoo animals that most children would love to see. We Bought a Zoo is more appropriate for more mature children, teens and adult audiences. You should also know that if you are looking for a pure comedy film then you won’t find it here but you will find a positive drama that demonstrates healing, family loyalty, taking risks and the ability to find love again.

Release Date: Wednesday November 23, 2011
Genre: Drama, Family, Fantasy
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Martin Scorsese
Screenplay: John Logan
Cast: Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield,
Chloë Grace Moretz, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee
Helen McCrory, Michael Stuhlbarg, Frances de la Tour, Jude Law

by Peter Frieday    January 15, 2012

Hugo (2011) is not just another movie. More accurately,it should be regarded as a highly passionate display of film making crafted by the distinguished film director Martin Scorsese. It is more than just a story. Hugo is a complete package because it has all the qualities of excellence that we see in rare and finer films. It is also a director showing us his personal inspiration from the early cinema pioneers. In my estimation; Hugo is one of Martin Scorsese’s foremost films.

Hugo is a visually stunning adaptation of Brian Selznick’s illustrated book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”. In early 1930’s Paris, Hugo Cabret ( Asa Butterfield ) lives and survives as a parent-less young boy. He must disguise the fact that he is an orphan in order to evade capture by a mean spirited train station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) by living inside and fixing the train station clock where his now deceased father worked as the master clock worker. Hugo steals food to survive and spends his time admiring and dreaming about repairing a broken automaton — a mechanical robot – which his father was working on prior to his death. The automaton is missing a special heart shaped key to make it work. Hugo believes that the automaton contains a message from his father and he becomes obsessed with fixing the machine. Eventually Hugo becomes friends with a young girl named Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz) the goddaughter of the train station toy shop owner Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley) who is harboring a fascinating secret that ties in with the mystery behind the automaton.

Outside of an interesting and entertaining story, one of the best features of Hugo is the exceptional cinematography and direction. The opening sequence of the camera panning towards and inside the interior of the train station was spectacular. The colors and imagery in Hugo had my eyes fixated on the screen throughout the duration of the movie. It will be an indulgence to see this movie once again on BluRay. The entire cast of actors were wonderful but the highlight for me was actor Asa Butterfield who performed his role as Hugo with a real genuineness that is noteworthy considering his young age. There is an important lesson for all of us in Hugo. We should all try to appreciate and cherish previous life passions and people that were central in our lives instead of living with unhappiness or remaining disappointed because we have become disenfranchised, suffered a loss or because times have changed. We can all live in the moment with an eagerness for living as we reach for new goals in our lives.

Release Date: Wednesday November 23, 2011
Runtime: 1hr 40 min
Genre: Animation, Family
Studio: Aardman Animations , Sony Pictures Animation
Director: Sarah Smith
Screenplay: Sarah Smith, Peter Baynham
Cast: Hugh Laurie, James McAvoy, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Ashley Jensen

by Peter Frieday   December 2, 2011

The problem with Arthur Christmas is that it is way too disingenuous to be considered a good Christmas movie because it falsifies the traditional Santa Clause personality and story in favor of high tech protocol and gadgetry without considering that little kids going to see this movie will get confused. In this movie the Santa story deviates from tradition and Santa is made to look like a jerk. The second problem with Arthur Christmas, is that it’s another in a long list of Christmas movies that fails to show the nativity aspect of Christmas. Welcome back to the secular world of Christmas filmmaking. Having said this, the animation is very good, the characters in the film are funny looking and there are some fun scenes but at the end of the day – you need a good story to make a good movie.

In this modern version of the Santa Claus story , we have Santa ( Jim Broadbent ) with a battalion of elves and his oldest son Steve (Hugh Laurie ) flying around the world in a high tech spaceship to deliver gifts to all of world’s children on Christmas Eve. When they return from their mission they soon discover that they forgot to deliver one present to a little girl in England. Santa Claus and Steve dismiss it as being unimportant but Santa’s youngest son Arthur ( James McAvoy ) insists that they must go back out to get the present to the little girl. Arthur ends up heading out with his granddad Grandsanta (Bill Nighy ) who had a traditional sleigh with reindeer in hiding which they use to try to accomplish the impossible before the little girl wakes up on Christmas morning.

Any parent that has a child that already understands the traditional Santa story may want to pass on this movie as you could feel uncomfortable trying to explain why Santa is being bad and why the spaceship story has never been explained – that Santa Claus is like a huge military operation with hundreds of tiny elves acting like James Bond. Is it really that cool to change tradition just to satisfy computer generated urges and an affinity towards thinking – all things modern ? So what do you want Sarah Smith ? You want to convert us all to your convenient story of how Santa gets his work done in one night. I know what you may be thinking. Come on Peter – it’s only a cartoon. It’s only all in good fun you may say. I say this. There are some stories you shouldn’t mess around with at all. Santa Claus is a childhood icon and hero. You never make a hero like Santa Claus look bad and you never mess with a long time traditional story. Big mistake. Perhaps first time feature length director and screenwriter Sarah Smith is attracted to oddity but it’s not cool when you deliberately make Santa Claus look bad and you mess around with children’s minds. The majority of kids have been raised to believe that Santa is wonderful and that he would never let any child down. With Arthur Christmas we have Arthur as the hero but this movie is no champion of Christmas.

Release Date: Wednesday November 23, 2011
Runtime: 1hr 38min
Genre: Family, Musical
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: James Bobin
Original Music Composer: Christophe Beck
Screenplay: Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller, Jim Henson (Characters)
Cast: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones

by Peter Frieday       November 28, 2011

The Muppets has received nothing but positive reviews and I understand why. It is a happy musical comedy that could cheer up even the grumpiest and crustiest filmgoer because with The Muppets you can never really go wrong with it’s joyful and fun disposition. It will bring a big smile to your face. If it doesn’t; well then perhaps you have lost the little kid inside yourself. The Muppets is a movie that audiences of all ages can appreciate especially if you like musical comedy and can allow yourself to enjoy these comical puppets that were first originally created by legendary puppeteer Jim Henson.

Walter,the world’s biggest Muppet fan; travels to Hollywood with his brother Gary (Jason Segal) along with his brother’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) to visit the original Muppet Theater which is located in an old building. They soon discover that an underhanded and greedy businessman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) plans to profit by getting rid of the famous building. Walter and Gary come up with a plan to get all the Muppets back together – with the help of Kermit the Frog – to stage a huge fund-raising telethon. They need to raise $10 million dollars to save the theater. Along the way we are treated to several musical dance scenes and there is enough humor added to make us all laugh.

I was especially impressed with Amy Adams. She had a refreshing presence on the screen and her musical number in the restaurant was my favorite musical scene. Chris Cooper also had me surprised with his funny rap number. It was fun to see all the old characters – Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Kermit the Frog. Watching The Muppets reminded me of being in my daughter’s bedroom when we have fun playing together with all her stuffed animals. When we just allow our imaginations to run loose and to be kids again it is amazing how much fun we can have.

Release Date: November 4, 2011
Runtime: 1hr45min
Genre: Comedy, Action
Director: Brett Ratner
Cast: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Téa Leoni, Michael Peña, Gabourey Sidibe, Judd Hirsch

by Peter Frieday     November 23, 2011

If you want to have a few laughs and if you are a fan of the original and trademark comedy talent that Eddie Murphy is originally known for, then you will enjoy seeing Tower Heist despite the fact that the movie seems to only be funny when it’s Murphy on screen shouting his humorous street thug exchanges. The remainder of the movie just seems to barely get by with its ridiculously implausible plot.

Directed by Brett Ratner, Tower Heist is a comedy caper heist movie that is timely – Does the name Bernie Madoff come to mind ? – because the film is about a wealthy fraudster named Alan Shaw (Alan Alda ) who steals all the pension money from the employees of an exclusive high rise building which he loses in a massive Ponzi fraud scheme. Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) is the building manager and gets fired after he confronts Shaw about losing the life savings of worker Lester ( Stephen Henderson). Kovacs then teams up with a local street criminal named Slide ( Eddie Murphy ) and some other criminally incompetent work colleagues to seek revenge and steal $20 million dollars from Shaw’s penthouse apartment.

This movie would have been superior if the filmmakers decided to give “I will blow your face clean off your face” Eddie Murphy more screen time, if they made the actual robbery more convincing and if they wrote a funnier role for Ben Stiller. Stiller as the serious hero leader of the pack of bungling thieves just didn’t cut it for me. I think they messed up in casting Stiller for this role or perhaps it was just a poorly written role. And those scenes with the dangling red car were enough to lose my interest. And how about that scene where they trap Mr. Simon (Judd Hirsch) in a closet using a small chair to hold back the door ? Come on folks. Now is it just me, but isn’t there just something not right about Tea Leoni’s getting boozed up scene ? Overall, Tower Heist is good enough for some movie escapism but there isn’t anything special about it. The best part about viewing Tower Heist for me was being able to watch the acting talents of Eddie Murphy and Alan Alda. Alda was very impressive as the crooked swindler and was perhaps the most interesting character in the movie.

Peter’s Note: This movie does contains some profanity, some sexual insinuation, a scene glamorizing shoplifting and a scene that tolerates alcohol abuse. This movie is not for young children under 13.

by Peter Frieday    November 15, 2011

Release Date: October 28, 2011 120m
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Director: Bruce Robinson
Writer: Bruce Robinson  ( based on the novel The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson)
Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski
Cast: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Rispoli, Giovanni Ribisi

It is inevitable that that this movie could be compared to 1998’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas since Johnny Depp is featured in both movies and they are each film adaptations from books authored by Hunter S. Thompson. Both movies are similar in that a writer is having excessive drug and alcohol experiences. The Rum Diary novel was actually written in the early 1960′s but wasn’t published until 1998. It was Thompson’s second novel which he wrote when he was only 22 years old and was inspired by Thompson’s own adventures in Puerto Rico

The movie is about Hunter S. Thompson’s alter ego Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) who travels to Puerto Rico to get a job writing for the The San Juan Star. Kemp along with some like-minded boozehounds Bob Sala (Michael Rispoli ) and Moberg (Giovanni Ribisi) get plastered on a daily basis with rum and beer. Kemp and Sala also are seen experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs. Meanwhile, Kemp is offered a writing assignment for a shady businessman named Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart) but Kemp is more interested in Sanderson’s hottie girlfriend Chenault (Amber Heard)

It is easy to conclude that The Rum Diary romanticizes and condones binge drinking and experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs however – according to everything that I’ve read about this movie and writer Hunter S. Thompson’s earlier life – this was a normal part of the journalistic lifestyle in Puerto Rico back in the early 1960’s. A culture of heavy boozing was just part of the game back then.

The film version of The  Rum Diary is more of a series of situations and events rather than a complete story and you may or may not react positively to the movie in its totality but for me this movie was an enjoyable two hour escapist getaway.

Peter’s Note: The Rum Diary is suitable for mature minded older teens and adults. It does contain some profanity, a sexual scene with partial nudity, scenes of tobacco smoking, scenes of excessive alcohol consumption and drug use implementing a psychedelic drug.

by Peter Frieday    October 31,2011

Release Date: October 28, 2011   90 minutes
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Director: Chris Miller
Voice Cast: Amy Sedaris, Antonio Banderas, Billy Bob Thornton,
Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Constance Marie

DreamWorks Animation and director Chris Miller – director of Shrek the Third (2007) – have created a good animated movie which is a prequel story to Shrek 2 (2004) which was the first movie in which audiences were first introduced to the Puss character. Puss in Boots is a 4G movie – good screenplay, good entertainment, good animation and good 3D.

Puss in Boots tells the original background history of Puss (Antonio Banderas) before he sets off on an adventure with his old friend Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) and his new friend Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek). They all decide to chase after the two comical but unsightly characters named Jack (Billy Bob Thornton)and Jill (Amy Sedaris) who are harboring three special green beans that contain magical powers.

Puss in Boots has some important lessons for the little ones. The story shows the negative consequences of stealing and why we shouldn’t take things that don’t belong to us; we learn that a close friend is capable of betraying us but at the same time we are also shown that it is sometimes necessary to forgive a friend to save the friendship. Puss also demonstrates how to stand up to the class bully when he helps out Humpty after he is being pushed around in the classroom. The movie teaches all of us about the challenges of friendship and that friends will sometimes let us down. What did I think of the 3D ? I was impressed. It is one of the best 3D presentations to hit the cinema in 2011.

Peter’s Note: Puss in Boots is recommended for all ages but be advised that there are a few frightening animated characters; a limited romance between two animated characters and some intense animated action scenes. Parents should also be forewarned that one of the main characters is shown to die during the movie.

by Peter Frieday   October 23,2011

First time feature film director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. has directed a horror movie that has the blood; has the gore; has the creepy alien creature but it’s missing that all important ingredient for this genre – tension and anxiety. The Thing is just gory creatures without the fright.

In 1982, paleontologist Kate Lloyd; performed well by actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead; is asked by a Norwegian scientist to join a research team in the Antarctica because they have discovered the frozen body of a strange alien creature. The scientists believe that the creature is thousands of years old. The creature eventually escapes from its block of ice to begin a mission of replicating itself inside the bodies of the humans it attacks. The surviving scientists must battle for their lives as the alien creature consumes them one by one.

Rather than scaring us; The Thing which is the prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter film of the same name; will have you thinking “dude, is that ever gross looking” instead of having you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Why ? We just know what is going to happen. The Thing just fails to rattle or unnerve despite the impressive special effects. As the movie unfolds it is too easy to predict what the eventual outcome will be. This is even more true if you’ve seen the superior Carpenter version of The Thing because this new film is basically echoing Carpenter’s film – humans being infected, devoured and replicated by a hideous looking alien. The only new thing about The Thing is the extraterrestrial spacecraft buried beneath the ice and a group of different actors. This film had the potential to be a much better movie if they just used a different enactment of events that leads to the eventual story of the Carpenter film. Carpenter’s film had me more entertained with interest and excitement whereas this film just tries to impress with its facsimile nastiness – well it doesn’t. I’m just hoping that we can see more of actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead in some better quality films as her performance had substance notwithstanding the downside of this movie.

Peter’s Note: The Thing consists of gory creature scenes and some profanity and is not recommended for younger children under the age of 13. There is no nudity or sexual content but lots of bloody violence between the humans and the alien creature.

by Peter Frieday   October 19, 2011

Courageous is a protestant Christian film that is directed by Alex Kendrick. It is a fictional story about four law enforcement officers who face challenges as they fight crime in their community while attempting to become more virtuous father’s. The movie’s objective is to deliver an important message about the value of fatherhood with a reminder to all fathers about the importance of loving your kids, being committed to spending time with them and the importance of being a positive role model.

The screenplay was written by both Alex and Stephen Kendrick who are the founders of Sherwood Pictures which is the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, USA. Their previous film credits include Flywheel (2003) Facing the Giants (2006) and Fireproof (2008). Courageous is the first film made by Sherwood Pictures to be rated PG -13 by MPAA.

Alex Kendrick uses a direct, right in your face approach to deliver his message and non-Christian viewers could find the movie to be overly sermonizing at times but the filmmakers offer no apologies for its hard-as-nails storyline that ironically uses hardcore crime action sequences along with a heartwrenching and depressing plot to deliver its message. Fortunately, Kendrick was wise enough to write a few humorous scenes into the screenplay especially the interchange between the deputy and the mistaken identity of the Hispanic construction worker Javier and the somewhat amusing “I love you” phone interchange. I think the acting performances by the cast in this film were not bad. I especially admired Ken Bevel’s performance in his scenes with his daughter and Alex Kendrick deserves praise for his emotionally touching scenes after suffering a terrible personal tragedy. Courageous can be described as being lecturelike but Kendrick does manage to mix it up and entertain us with some well executed action scenes along with an interesting and surprising twist added to the plot that involves a dishonest police officer.

Peter’s Note: Courageous is acceptable for adult viewers but is unsuitable for children under the age of 13 due to scenes of gun violence and drug trafficking.It includes lessons about having faith, the importance of family and the negative consequences of being dishonest and living a criminal lifestyle. 

by Peter Frieday   October 3,2011

This is a rare, feel good, family oriented movie that tugs at our heartstrings while also reminding us about the importance of having compassion towards animals, never ever giving up on ourselves or others, remaining loyal to your family and respecting those who live with physical challenges. If you are feeling down and think that you have it bad – then you should see this movie. Dolphin Tale isn’t just a movie about a dolphin – it’s a movie about courage. It’s impossible not to be emotionally touched by this movie.

Based on a true story that takes place in Clearwater, Florida; Dolphin Tale is about a quiet young boy who saves a dying dolphin found stranded on the beach. The boy immediately has a close connection and bond with the dolphin who is saved by a local marine animal rescue unit. The dolphin who is named “Winter” ( the real Winter performs in the movie herself ) is nursed back to health but suffers a complication and her tail has to be amputated. Eventually a prosthetics specialist helps to make an artificial tail for the dolphin. The movie contains another subplot about the young boys cousin who was a champion swimmer. The cousin is seriously injured while serving in the Army and returns with a disabling injury but is then inspired by the physically challenged dolphin and his loyal, persistent and determined animal caregivers.

This movie is beautifully directed by Charles Martin Smith who manages to direct a cast of actors who all give above average performances; especially young teen actor Nathan Gamble who gives a charming and authentic performance as the young boy “Sawyer”. There are a few scenes that require a suspension of disbelief but on the whole Dolphin Tale deserves a huge round of applause as it is a high quality family entertainment production that rejects the all too common formula of excessive everything being displayed in far too many children movies these days. Dolphin Tale is like a classic Disney movie. Children will love this movie and so will adults that appreciate films made with clean manners and a story that teaches and inspires.

                                    
Peter’s Note:  Dolphin Tale is a family oriented film that is suitable for all ages and is a movie without violence, profanity or sexual content. Includes lessons about faith,never giving up,ethical treatment of animals and respecting people with physical challenges.

by Peter Frieday   September 18,2011

Warrior is an overdone drama with some average mixed martial arts fight scenes that uses an annoying shaky camera style during fight sequences as it spends too much time on alcoholism, financial hardship and family conflict. Nick Nolte delivers a powerful acting performance but it isn’t enough to save Warrior from low grade. When you call your movie Warrior then we are expecting a movie where the action, training and the fighting dominates. Instead, we have overly emotional scenes that drag on far too long and are incongruent with its target audience tastes. I wanted to be inspired and I wanted to like the two brothers/ fighters in the film and cheer them on but it just wasn’t possible for me. Perhaps it was because I was so turned off by their attitude.

Warrior is about a former Marine ( Tom Hardy ) who is harboring a secret  from a military mission in Iraq and returns to his hometown to ask his father to train him for a mixed martial arts tournament . The father ( Nick Nolte ) has recently achieved 1000 days of sobriety and carries the burden of his alcoholic history with him as both sons still resent him for his past drunken ways.  The other brother who is a physics teacher by day ( Joel Edgerton ) also moonlights as a MMA fighter by night to earn extra cash so he doesn’t lose his house to the bank. Both brothers succeed in winning their initial fights and eventually end up in the ring against one another.

What did I think of when I saw those oversized white letters of  the movie name ‘Warrior’ blazing across the screen at the start of the movie ? I had a déjà vu moment. That wonderful movie called Rocky. Is the director ( Gavin O’Connor) such a big fan of that Balboa movie that he just couldn’t resist ? I suppose it could be called a tribute of sorts but I’m not so sure. And how about those familiar camera shots of continuous “show the wife” cheering her man on in the ring stuff. Also known as Adrian cheering Rocky on. What we have is an obvious rubber stamp martial arts film that doesn’t do the sport of MMA justice as it fails to demonstrate mixed martial arts to the uninitiated and tries too hard to succeed with serious drama alone.  

by Peter Frieday   August 22,2011

In ‘Spy Kids 4D’ we are treated again to fancy spy gadgets, immature comical gags that kids like to pull off and the typical ‘Spy Kids’ action pursuits between children spies and evil bad guys. Once again, ‘Spy Kids 4D’ is about two young siblings named ‘Rebecca’ (Rowan Blanchard) and ‘Cecil’ ( Mason Cook) who are transformed into hero spies. They team up with their secret spy step – mom ‘Marissa’ (Jessica Alba) and spy hunter father ‘Wilbur’ (Joel McHale) to battle a villain known as ‘The Timekeeper’. The original  and now grown -up ‘Spy Kids’ ‘Carmen’ ( Alexa Vega) and  ‘Juni’ (Daryl Sabara) eventually reappear to assist with the young heroes on their crime fighting mission.

‘Spy Kids 4D’ with all its clever and creative visual effects is a moderately fun film but director/producer/screenwriter Robert Rodriguez’s first ‘Spy Kids’ movie which was released in 2001 is still considered by yours truly as the ‘best’ film in the series. ‘Spy Kids 4’ was heavily advertised as a 4D film experience with the use of  ‘Aroma – Scope’ cards. These postcard size cards have numbers on them that you rub and smell ( the scent it gives off matches the scene you are watching ) when the corresponding number appears on the theater screen. The ‘Aroma-Scope’ cards that I and my daughter were given failed to work. Many other patrons in the theater also had defective cards. So we ended up watching ‘Spy Kids 4D’ in 3D. Disappointing considering that I paid the premium pricing for the 4D presentation and try explaining to your kid while you’re trying to concentrate on the film; why their card doesn’t work. Not fun. Subsequently, I did some research online and discovered that some other people had the same negative experience with their  ‘Aroma-Scope’ cards including film reviewer Roger Moore from The Orlando Sentinal. He states in his review and I quote “The scratch-and-sniff Aroma-Scope gimmick of Spy Kids: All the Time in the World don’t work. Maybe I just got a defective card, but the scents you’re supposed to smell when the number flashes on the screen and you scratch the corresponding number on your card all smell like burnt artificial blueberry syrup”. And then there is Willa Paskin from New York Magazine who stated  today in an article about ‘Aroma-Scope’ and I quote “we headed over to a movie theater in Times Square to put 4-D to the test. The bad news up front: It barely worked”. So the evidence is in – it appears that this promotional tactic using ‘Aroma-Scope’ cards with ‘Spy Kids 4D’ is one big marketing blunder.  The issue raises a question – Did they or did they not do a test run on the cards before the release date ? When you are asking film fans to pay a premium price and making a big hyped ballyhoo of your 4D film then you better damn well make sure you are doing it right – if not – then save us all from  frustration and disappointment and avoid this film presentation gimmick altogether.

by Peter Frieday   August 14, 2011

Anyone that is familiar with the original series of  films will understand that ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ (2011) is a sci-fi action film that is basically a prequel to the 1968 first film that starred Charlton Heston. This is not a continuation of the original  films but rather it is a new story that explains the beginnings of the conflict between the apes and humans. ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ is directed by Rupert Wyatt and stars  James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow and includes a wonderful physical acting performance by Andy Serkis who played the role of hero ape Caesar.

‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ is about a research scientist named Will Rodman who is hoping to discover a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and is performing experiments on chimpanzees using a special chemical formula. Will discovers that his formula gives the apes a level of intelligence that is comparable to humans. A mother ape is killed inside the testing lab and Will adopts her baby ape. He names him Caesar. Will learns that Caesar has inherited his mother’s high intelligence. Eventually Will develops a stronger formula that makes the apes even more intelligent but it contains a deadly virus that kills humans. As Caesar matures he becomes the leader of a group of angry but intelligent apes who now possess the ability to fight back against the humans.

The first five Planet of the Apes films made between 1968 – 1973 are quintessential classic films. Those original movies hold a sentimental value with me because I grew up watching those films at the drive-in theater as a kid. The original films were fun to watch because they were unique, well made and they still maintain high entertainment value after all these years. I think what made the originals so good was because they weren’t too visually slick ( only using actors with special effects make-up ) and the apes had a somewhat corny but natural appearance that gave them a special essence. ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ is a film that provides two hours of fun entertainment but it simply lacks the heart and soul of the original series of films. Even though this film is a wonderful demonstration of modern digital visual effects film making, I felt that Caesar appeared too contrived. As good as the visual effects are – the apes lack an indigenous appearance. ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ is obviously the first in a possible series of continuation films. The next Planet of the Apes film will likely tell the story of how the apes continue the rebellion and conquer the human race. Despite my feelings, the new film is definitely worth seeing even though we have to wait awhile for the real conflict and action to get going.

by Peter Frieday   August 6, 2011

Cowboys & Aliens ( 2011 ) is an action, sci-fi, western film starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde. The film is directed by Jon Favreau and is based on the graphic novel of the same name. The original graphic novel was created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg of Platinum Studios and the original novel was written by Andrew Foley and Fred Van Lente. The film opened nationwide in North America on July 29, 2011. Two very distinguished and accomplished filmmakers are listed as producers for this film – Ron Howard ( Producer) and Steven Spielberg  ( Executive Producer) – so yours truly was very curious to see if this film lived up to my high expectations. I’m happy to write that I’m totally impressed with this film and it is one of the top action movies of 2011.

A cowboy named Jake Lonergan ( Daniel Craig ) wakes up in the middle of the desert with no memory of his past and discovers that he has this strange metal shackle around his wrist. He travels into a strange desert town and is arrested because the townsfolk believe he is a wanted man. One thing leads to another and eventually he teams up with Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford ) and a beautiful and mysterious woman named Ella Swenson ( Olivia Wilde). Together they fight for their survival against a bunch of bad ass aliens.

The concept of cowboys versus aliens is an fascinating idea. Men who ride horses versus ugly alien creatures that fly advanced spacecraft. An interesting and preposterous idea that actually works in this film. I really liked the way the movie was filmed. As I was watching the film, I was concentrating on how the scenes were filmed and director Jon Favreau has created an admirable film. The cinematography is first-rate and all the action fight scenes were well choreographed. In addition to the excellent photography and directing, this film contains some bang-up acting performances. Harrison Ford was very good as the angry but brave Colonel and Daniel Craig gave a great performance as the quiet but tough cowboy. Another trait that I loved about this film was the visual special effects. The VFX were superb in this film. They did a wonderful job filming those scenes that involved the alien spacecraft engaged in battle against the cowboys. Interestingly, and unlike most western films, the cowboys and Indians actually become friends and team up together to battle the nasty alien forces. Overall, Cowboys & Aliens is a well made and entertaining film that is guaranteed to delight the majority of action fans.

by Peter Frieday   August 5, 2011

The Smurfs ( 2011 ) is an animated comedy film based on The Smurfs comic book series which was created by the late Belgian cartoonist known as ‘Peyo’ which inspired the animated TV series that was produced by Hanna-Barbera. The TV series was a successful part of NBC’s Saturday morning schedule from 1981 to 1990. The new film is directed by Raja Gosnell and stars Neil Patrick Harris, Hank Azaria, Jayma Mays and Sofía Vergara. The film opened nationwide on July 29, 2011.

The Smurfs are being tracked down and hunted by the evil wizard Gargamel. During a chase The Smurfs and Gargamel both end up being sucked through a special portal that sends them into New York City. With Gargamel in pursuit, the Smurfs must try to find their way back home before they are captured by Gargamel.                                                                                                                  

I personally found The Smurfs movie to be a lot of fun and very entertaining. This is a film for little kids, older kids, teenagers and adults alike – what I’m saying is that this is a film for everyone. If you just allow yourself to appreciate the wonderful animation and the funny and charismatic Smurf characters then you will discover that this film is a Smurfilicious good time. It is better than 2011′s Gnomeo & Juliet and is superior to the recent animated Rio and Mr. Poppers Penguins. It may not be as good as 2011′s Rango or Hop but it is very close to being on par.  As I was driving home from the movie and discussing the film with a friend, I came to the conclusion that there just wasn’t a flaw in this movie that was serious enough to make it necessary to be mentioned. The overall film experience was above average. Raja Gosnell did a great job in his direction and the voice over actors did a splendid job with the characters. I especially enjoyed the performance of Hank Azaria as Gargamel and this movie made me realize what a fine actor Neil Patrick Harris is. Is there a message or lesson coming from this film ? Absolutely. The film teaches us – with The Smurfs setting the example – that families must stick together and that problems can be surmounted with teamwork. Bye the way – I saw this film in regular 2D and enjoyed every minute of it. If you want the 3D presentation then go for it – but you don’t need it. 

by Peter Frieday   July 24, 2011

Captain America : The First Avenger is a super hero action adventure film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name which first appeared in comic books back in 1941. The film opened nationwide on July 22, 2011. It is directed by Joe Johnston and the screenplay was written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The cast includes the following group of actors :  Chris Evans as Captain America , Tommy Lee Jones as Col. Chester Phillips, Hugo Weaving as Red Skull , Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark , Toby Jones as Arnim Zola, Neal McDonough as Dum Dum Dugan and Stanley Tucci as Dr. Abraham Erskine

Steve Rogers is a physically inferior young man who tries unsuccessfully to enlist into the military during World War II. His wishes come true when he is eventually offered the chance to volunteer in a scientific experiment that remarkably turns him into the muscle bound, super crime fighting soldier known as Captain America after he is given the Super Soldier Serum. The super hero dresses up in a red, white and blue costume and he uses a specially designed shield to fight his enemies. In the film, Captain America battles against the villain Red Skull and his evil HYDRA criminal organization that is threatening to take over the world.

Captain America is not a bad movie and it is not a great movie. So what is Captain America ? It is a film without any special qualities. It is just a mildly enjoyable super hero action movie that falters with too many drag along scenes that tinkers on boredom territory. It is a film that has the required acting performances but it suffers from a super hero who is uninteresting; a flimsy love story; a pretty lame ending; poor special effects and a super hero that lacks humor and that required ingredient of popular super heroes – charisma. ( humor and charisma is why Iron Man (2008) was so good). It was the charm of  Robert Downey Jr. that made the Iron Man films so good. Charisma is just as important as muscles. Captain America as portrayed in this film is pretty boring. Perhaps young people under the age of 12 years old will find Captain America intriguing but I struggled to be engaged. What did I think of the 3D ? The 3D conversion was disappointing and added nothing to the final presentation of the film. Why couldn’t the Captain America filmmakers with their enormous production budget give us a half decent 3D joyride that justifies their 3D marketing and premium ticket price ? There was nothing in the 3D that got me excited. Overall, Captain America is just a stale and mediocre action adventure story that is nothing more than one big marketing set-up for the 2012 release of The Avengers .

by Peter Frieday   July 13, 2011

Zookeeper is a comedy film directed by Frank Coraci and features an ensemble cast of talented actors including Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Ken Jeong, Donnie Wahlberg along with the voices of  Adam Sandler, Sylvestor Stallone, Nick Nolte and Cher. The movie was filmed at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, Massachusetts and is about a zookeeper named Griffin Keyes. He wants to marry the girl of his dreams but is rejected because marrying a zookeeper is beneath the standards of his girlfriend Stephanie. Griffin sees his ex- girlfriend Stephanie five years later and still loves her. He decides that he is going to quit his zookeeper’s job to impress her and win her back. But there is an obstacle to Griffin  quitting – the zoo animals all love Griffin and don’t want him to leave and they let him in on a big secret – they have human like intelligence and they can talk. The animals start to coach Griffin on how to win the girl back and with the help of his talking and loyal zoo animals, Griffin begins a journey of self discovery and regains his confidence which results in a discovery of the truth of who and what he really wants in his life.

This is a family friendly film that can be enjoyed by both children and adults. The scenes with the talking animals will make any child smile with delight. What makes Zookeeper so much fun to watch is that there are several scenes that will make you laugh and Kevin James provides us with a likeable, funny and charismatic character that charms audiences.

It was interesting to see two famous martial arts personalities cast in this film. Joe Rogan who is a commentator for the UFC and Bas Rutten who is a former MMA champion both have key parts in Zookeeper. Joe Rogan effectively plays the role of Stephanie’s new boyfriend Gale and Bas does a solid job as the voice of Sebastian the Wolf.

There are a few important lessons for everyone in this movie beginning with the idea that you should never be ashamed of what you do for a living regardless of what you do and it’s more important in life to be yourself rather than try to be something you’re not just to please others. Zookeeper is a rewatchable film that I really enjoyed and it comes highly recommended to people looking for some good clean summer laughs.

by Peter Frieday   July 11, 2011

Horrible Bosses, which is directed by Seth Gordon, centers around three best friends who all hate their bosses and decide one day that they would be much better off if their bosses were dead. They then conspire together to kill their abusive and harassing bosses as they believe that’s the only way they can ever regain their happiness. It includes an all star cast of actors which includes: Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farell, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, Donald Sutherland, Bob Newhart, Ioan Gruffard and P.J. Byrne.

Based on an original story from writer Michael Markowitz, the final screenplay was written with the help of screenwriters John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Except for only a few scenes where the jokes didn’t work they wrote a successful screenplay. The dialogue is solid, the characters are funny, the story is comically absurd and the result is a funny entertainment achievement.

Every single cast member in Horrible Bosses delivered a top notch performance. I was especially impressed with Kevin Spacey, Charlie Day, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston. It is a beautiful thing to watch Kevin Spacey act. His portrayal of Dave Harkin, the psychotic boss, is an acting clinic for any aspiring actor. Imagine him as a real boss who gets right in your face and makes you cringe as he says “I own you” or ridicules you in the office “I’m sorry I didn’t know you called your grandmother gam gam”. His scenes were gems and Spacey was perfect for the role. His character and performance is the headline act in Horrible Bosses. Coming in a very close second next to Spacey is Charlie Day who created a character that had me laughing. His improvisational acting abilities and his naturalness with the comedic dialogue was excellent. Colin Farrell took on his part with a zest for bizarreness and the result is a comedy delight with his ludicrous portrayal of the boss’s son “I want you to fire the fat people” Bobby Pellitt.  Pellitt’s cocaine addicted eccentric personality all added to make his character a ridiculously funny one. The downside – his Pellitt character didn’t see quite enough screen time. Jennifer Aniston as the sexy maneater dentist Dr. Julie Harris even got my heart pounding faster as she gave a great performance and was quite convincing as the sex crazed and tormenting dentist.

There are many funny scenes in this film – the hilarious Wet work incident in the motel room, the peanut allergy attack and first aid moment, the interrogation scene at the police station, the Spacey / Bateman standoff scene in the office, the unexpected shooting scene and the moments with Dean “MF” Jones amusingly played by Jamie Foxx. One of the things that I liked was that the filmmakers didn’t add any seriousness into this film as a way to make up for the film’s raunchiness. You can tell when you watch Horrible Bosses that the cast had a good time when they were making this film. Stick around during the closing credits and watch some blooper scenes from the filming. How could you not have fun as an actor working on a comedy like this ? Horrible Bosses is a comedy film with several exaggerated comedy scenes but the film is a juicy piece of comedy that succeeds from a combination of great writing and splendid acting performances. The filmmakers were able to take the ridiculous, the rude and the silly and turn it into a valid comedy experience that many comedy fans can enjoy.

by Peter Frieday   July 4, 2011

Larry Crowne is a film that once again illustrates that popular movie stars can’t turn an  unexciting and uninteresting film into a good one on the sheer strength of their immense star power. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts have both starred in several impressive films over the years and based on their successful careers, I was confident and hoping that I was going to see an entertaining and high quality film. What a disappointment – all I got from watching Larry Crowne was a case of boredom. I had more fun eating my buttered popcorn.

Directed by Tom Hanks and co-written by Nia Vardalos, Larry Crowne ( Tom Hanks ) is about a middle aged retail employee who is working at a major retailer called ‘Umart’. One day he is called to a meeting and is fired from his job simply because he has little formal education and the retail company considers him unpromotable ( contrary to the film – the truth is – the majority of major retailers are known for promoting from within regardless of education ). After being fired, Larry needs to bolster his self confidence and wants to increase his educational credentials so he enrolls in a local community college. Before long, Larry ends up joining a student motor scooter group (another mundane part of the film ), starts working in a diner as a short order cook, his bank forecloses on his house and eventually the romance angle evolves with Larry attracting the attention of the beautiful and jaded professor Mercedes Tainot ( Julia Roberts ) who is disenfranchised from her husband.

Specifically, the problem with this film; other than the fact that the story was a heap of rubbish that wasn’t funny; is that there were just too many secondary characters that added nothing meaningful to the overall story. More time should have been spent on the emerging romance between Larry and the college professor intertwined with the friction encompassing her failing marriage. The film may have had a chance if they had created a story line revolving around professor Tainot; her online porn addicted husband Dean Tainot ( Bryan Cranston ) and the ensuing romance with Larry. This would have created some interesting conflict worth watching. That was the problem with this film. There was no conflict and there was nobody to cheer for. They really wanted us to cheer for Larry and Mercedes but it just wasn’t possible because the story and the romance failed to emotionally connect with its audience.

by Peter Frieday   June 28, 2011

Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011) is an adaptation of the original children’s novel of the same name which was penned by authors Richard and Florence Atwater back in 1938. The film which is directed by Mark Waters is about a business executive named Mr. Tom Popper  Jim Carrey who receives six penguins as part of his father’s inheritance and ends up hiding them from everyone inside his Manhattan apartment. The penguins immediately take over his entire life and turn his apartment  into a chaotic penguin winter playground. Eventually, everything starts to go downhill for Mr. Popper and he gets fired from his job. However, these loyal penguins rejuvenate Mr. Popper’s spirit and help him to discover the truth about what’s really important in his life – to reconnect with his kids and separated wife Carla Gugino

The film is categorized as a family comedy but I found it to be more like a family drama with limited and sporadic moments of comedy. With the assistance of actual and CGI created penguins there are a few scenes with the penguins that are amusing. Unfortunately, there are too many scenes in the film where they are trying to make us laugh but the humor just fizzles.   We are expected to laugh at a constipated penguin scene, a scared babysitter running from some angry penguins and chaos created by the penguins at a classy NYC social event however most of these situations fall short in the comedy department. On the other side of the coin, there are some interesting characters in the film including a nosy and obnoxious neighbor, a persistent and irritating zookeeper and a security guard who has incriminating video on Popper who is humorous as he continues to extort money from him. I would also like to mention that I  was disappointed with a few shots in the film when it appeared that they were using fake snow especially in the apartment shots. I’m confident  that in this day and age of filmmaking that the filmmakers had the resources to acquire real snow which would have improved the reality of those scenes.

How could they have made this film better ? I am familiar with the original novel and perhaps  the writers should have constructed the screenplay using the original book story about the poor house painter who raises a penguin family and struggles to make a living with the penguins by training them to perform in live theater shows. Maybe the filmmakers thought audiences would be more attracted to an upper class penguin story with real estate developers and scenes filmed in ritzy New York City establishments. I think if the screenwriters treated the material with more loyalty to the original novel then we would have had a more genuine and interesting film that could have positively captivated the majority of film pundits.

by Peter Frieday   June 20, 2011

The first thought that I had as the Green Lantern film ended was “I have to see this movie again”. This was one of the most fun times I’ve had at the theater in 2011. The Green Lantern is definitely the best action superhero film made since Iron Man. “The ring never makes a mistake” we are told in the film and director Martin Campbell has something in common with that ring. He didn’t make any mistakes in directing this excellent summer action movie. If Warner Bros. decides to make a sequel then they would be wise to re-sign Campbell back on for the second film.

The film is based on the Green Lantern DC Comics superhero who first appeared in comics  way back in 1940. In the movie, the Green Lantern Corps are an intergalactic police force who have existed for centuries. The universe is split into hundreds of sectors with each Green Lantern protecting one sector. Their mission is to protect their specific sector from evil enemies. To become a Green Lantern you must be chosen. You are then required to wear a ring that provides superpowers. A new enemy called Parallax is threatening destruction across the universe and the first human Green Lantern has been chosen. His name is Hal Jordan. He is given the Green Lantern ring and must try to stop Parallax from destroying Planet Earth.

There isn’t anything negative that I can say about this film. The movie was totally entertaining and the 3D when combined with the first rate visual effects resulted in a finished production that is in a league of its own. The story, the direction, the cast of characters, the animation, the action, the romance, the costumes, the soundtrack, the acting – everything works in this film. In the acting department; Ryan Reynolds was terrific as Hal Jordan; Blake Lively was perfect as Carol Ferris; Michael Clarke Duncan as the voice of Kilowog was a great casting choice and Peter Sarsgaard’s creepy depiction of Dr. Hector Hammond was fascinating and fun to watch. The Green Lantern is a beautifully made action superhero movie that should be seen on the big screen. Whatever you do – don’t wait for the DVD to come out. Head on down to your local theater and see this film. It is just one of those rare films. Lastly – make sure you wait until after the closing credits; there is something else to see.

by Peter Frieday   June 17, 2011

A group of young friends filming their own zombie movie; a terrible train wreck that releases a strange presence into the community; people that are suddenly disappearing; dogs that are going crazy and little white cubes that have a strange life of their own. These events will leave you wondering “What is happening here ?” You will have no choice but to want to know. You will want answers. Why ? Because in the first half of the film Director  J.J. Abrams cleverly leaves the audience hanging. What the heck was inside that train ? Why has the military taken over the town ? Was anything bizarre filmed on that 8mm tape during the train crash ? Where are the people that disappeared ? Who is that mysterious man that survived the train crash?

The story takes place in fictional Lillian, Ohio back in 1979 and the film was fun to watch because it included lots of cool 70’s nostalgia with the cars, music and fashion of that era. Unlike other sci- fi films – Super 8 isn’t just about eye popping special effects. Director J.J. Abrams has created an entertaining dramatic story about a group of young teens who we really start to cheer for and care about as the story unfolds. The acting performances by the young cast were very impressive especially 13 yr old actress Elle Fanning who showed off her immense acting talents as Alice Dainard. The most impressive actor was 15 yr old actor Joel Courtney (an unknown prior to Super 8 ) who exhibited a natural and charismatic presentation as hero Joe Lamb. Joel Courtney’s performance is remarkable considering he never acted in a film before.

You don’t just watch Super 8 – you will get absorbed into it. If you sit down to watch Super 8 then you are treating yourself to 112 minutes of solid entertainment. Director J.J. Abrams has created a powerful cinematic experience for all movie fans. Will I buy the DVD/BluRay when available in stores ? I will be first in line.

by Peter Frieday   June 15, 2011

‘Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer’ movie is a mildly enjoyable “kids” movie that could have offered more but provides enough to entertain most children. The film provides  some goofy silliness, slapstick situations and jokes that will provide humor for most children. If you are a parent that is taking your kid to see this movie then just remember that this film is based on material from a children’s book – don’t expect adult humor.

The film is about little Judy Moody who wants to have the most exciting summer vacation with the help of her little brother Stink and her playful Aunt Opal. This family comedy is based on Megan McDonald’s ‘Judy Moody’ book series which have sold more than 14 million copies and have been translated into over 20 languages since first appearing in 2000. The screenplay is not an adaptation but rather is an original script made directly for the screen.

What you have here is a very colorful film that moves along at a fast pace and features a group of young actors that displayed surprising acting maturity as children. Actress Heather Graham, as the fun like Aunt; provided some adult relief but I thought that the parents of Judy were a casting blunder. The parent characters could have been much more comical and interesting – they were boring characters. I kept thinking that the mother reminded me of the mother in Diary of A Wimpy Kid with the trademark glasses however the parents in that film were the complete opposite – interesting and funny. A large part of the story revolves around the fascination with the legendary Bigfoot phenomenon and we have a  young guy obsessed with Bigfoot, an older couple running around also obsessed with Bigfoot and eventually the entire Bigfoot story line begins to get tiresome. Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer movie is not a bad film but is definitely nothing above average. It is not nearly as funny or as well made as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies. In retrospect, maybe the title of the movie should have been Judy Moody and the Bigfoot Gang.

by Peter Frieday   May 31, 2011

Several film critics have commented that the Hangover Part II is just the 2009 film all over again. For example, Richard Roeper stated in his review “We’re watching the same movie in a different locale. Seen it all before”. He praises the first film but then goes on to give the new film a negative review. I don’t get it. This sequel is just as entertaining as the first film and perhaps even funnier. I will agree that the plot is a duplicate but that doesn’t matter. This follow-up which was directed again by Todd Phillips works and I had a fun time watching this film. It remains a mystery to me that so many are hung up with the “it’s such a flat out copy of the first film”. Let me describe it this way. Hangover Part II is no different than that same restaurant you like to visit all the time because you love the food. The restaurant owner doesn’t change his menu each time you return. It is the same food on the menu each time. Nothing original and you are still a happy customer. The Hangover Part II has the same funny characters that make us laugh and similar predicaments and just like your favorite restaurant you should return again for another visit.

This time around Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. Everything is going smooth until the boys decide to have a few beers down at the beach. The bleep hits the fan when Phil, Stu and Alan wake up the next morning in a run-down Bangkok hotel room and they don’t remember a thing about what happened the night before. Stu wakes up with a new tattoo on his face; Alan wakes up to find his head has been shaved and a chain smoking, drug dealing little monkey becomes their new companion.

Hangover Part II starts off a little slow but then quickly accelerates into a fun comedy ride. Like the first film – this is an impolite and mucky comedy but the laughs in this film are created not so much because of the outrageous scenes but rather it has more to do with the marvelous comedic acting talents of the entire cast. Comedies that are truly funny have one thing in common. Great comedic actors that are able to make the crude and weird stuff funny. For instance, the Austin Powers films were ridiculous but it was the talent of Mike Myers that made it all work. In the Hangover films, actors Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis once again succeed in turning the ridiculous into a valid comedy accomplishment. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope that  Warner Bros. and Todd Phillips are hard at work planning a third installment.

by Peter Frieday   May 15, 2011

Thor is a mildly enjoyable film that will entertain those who like superhero action films but it is basically a poorly directed film that is excessively saturated with head throbbing visual effects and is inferior to previous Marvel projects.

In the film, Odin who is the king of a place called Asgard gets ticked off when his son Thor goes on a power trip against some Frost Giants who hail from a place called Jotunheim. When Odin discovers this he gets so enraged that he takes away Thor’s powers and banishes him to Earth. Thor lands in the middle of New Mexico and befriends a scientist and her assistants. Unfortunately, Thor also loses his powerful hammer and has to adjust to being on planet Earth. Thor eventually has to battle the big monster machine known as the Destroyer to save the world and deal with a jealous stepbrother who is out to destroy him.

In my opinion, it was a mistake to take on Kenneth Branagh as the director. His resume reveals that he isn’t an established action director and our comic book icon Thor deserved better. As an example, there is a scene ( which is also in the trailer for the film ) when the Destoyer has arrived in the town and is hovering above everyone. Why the heck is everyone just calmly standing around watching this ? Shouldn’t they be running and screaming in fear ? I know this is the fault of the writers but didn’t Branagh realize that the fast food drive thru romance added to the script would be a disappointing time waster unless it was thoroughly and realistically developed ? There are other examples but I’m not going to elaborate any further . This was a film that had a budget that exceeded $100 million and they couldn’t attract a more established action director.

As is the case in most of his films, Anthony Hopkins was very good and newcomer Chris Hemsworth was decent as Thor however all he had to do was behave like a professional wrestler in most scenes. The remainder of the cast did a nice job with the exception of Natalie Portman who appeared passionless in many scenes. Again – it gets back to the directing. Where was Branagh with the actors ? Couldn’t he have gotten more out of her ? Perhaps the blame should solely rest on the actor but the director is ultimately responsible for getting the scene right and that includes the performances.

Thor had a very strong opening box office weekend and is a reflection of the power of film marketing rather than the substance of this film. It is a not a bad film but definitely isn’t a great film as some other film critics have suggested. If you think it is as good as Iron Man then think again. I paid the extra premium to see it in 3D and it just gave me a headache. The action sequences  appear too discombobulated. If you choose to see it at the theatre then just see it in regular 2D. If you choose to wait for the DVD to arrive – that is not such a bad decision.

Release Date: World Premiere, Sony Centre in Toronto, February 25 2011
Genre: Documentary   80 minutes
Director: Steven J. Wong
Executive Producer: James Hergott
Production: Bobby Razak Films,Owned Entertainment, Qi Productions,Tapout Films
Cast: Georges St. Pierre, David Loiseau, Jonathan Chaimberg
Joe Ferraro, Mauro Ranallo, Rich Franklin,’Big’ John McCarthy, Matt Serra

Official Website: http://strikingtruth.com/ 

by Peter Frieday     May 9, 2011

“The Striking Truth” is a meritorious documentary film that takes us behind the scenes of the intriguing world of two mixed martial arts fighters. It follows UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and former contender for the UFC Middleweight Championship David Loiseau as they both experience victory and disappointment during their fighting careers.

This is a film that effectively captures the essence of the professional fighting lifestyle. It is a presentation of the heart and soul of two talented and dedicated martial artists. GSP and Loiseau are close friends who originally met each other in 2001 and have both trained together at the Tristar Gym in Montreal, Canada. The camera shadows the two fighters and we learn who they really are and how they think. We are pulled inside their world and are taught a special lesson about mixed martial arts fighters. The real fight is not during the actual fight. The real fight is between the fighter and himself. If he can win the mental game with himself then he has a chance at winning. The film is a sports psychology treasure chest showing us how these remarkable athletes succeed and fail at managing their personal  performances from both a psychological and physical standpoint. It is stated in the film that “some days you win, some days you lose” and the filmmakers did an exceptional job at filming scenes showing how GSP and Loiseau handled winning and losing over a period of four years of competitive fighting. As ‘Big’ John McCarthy who is the most famous UFC referee of all time states in the film ”the only person that could beat Georges is Georges”. Winning the mental game is the key to becoming a champion fighter. As a trained actor I understand how essential it is to “be in the moment “ when performing in a stage play. Competitive fighting is no different from acting and all the successful fighters have the ability to “be in the moment” in every second of every round because like all great actors they come prepared to perform at their best. However, if the mind is not clear and you are thinking of other things because of lack of focus or anxiety then you will not ‘be in the moment” and your performance will suffer for it. In one scene of the film, Loiseau loses an important fight and tells us that he felt like he couldn’t breathe in the octagon. His mental game was off the mark and he lost the fight. In another scene GSP describes how he uses visualization to prepare for his fights and how he even changed his circle of friends after he lost the championship to fighter Matt Serra. GSP is too intelligent not to see his mistakes and learns to understand and believes in the expression “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. GSP realizes in the film that his loss to Matt Serra was the best thing that ever happened to him. It made him a better fighter.

The other important message from this film is that we are shown that great fighters are not solely egocentric beings that only want to kick heads and choke out their opponents. GSP shows us that he is very passionate about helping others and that he understands that true happiness is not attainable from just winning fights and being a champion fighter. He has established the GSP Foundation to help underprivileged children. Loiseau has a very special and touching moment in the film. It is the scene of him getting emotional as he is reminiscing about a video clip of a young child who survived the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The video puts everything into proper perspective for Loiseau as he states that the only things that are really important in life are god, love and family. GSP and Loiseau both realize that fighting and championship glory are great but not the be-all and end-all of life. In another surprising revelation we learn that GSP would rather keep a precious gift from his godmother rather than keep all the money and fame he has acquired. The film establishes that these men are not just fighters. They are men who want to make a difference inside and outside the octagon.

Any serious competitive amateur or professional athlete, entrepreneur or anyone trying to achieve success should have a copy of this film as it demonstrates specific keys to success. It will remind you that some days you will win and some days you will lose; treat your career like a marathon and not a race; losing can make you work even harder and make you better; there is no gain without pain; focus on what’s not working and then make changes to improve; surround yourself with the right people and avoid negative distractions.

The events filmed in this documentary exhibit how fragile a career in mixed martial arts can be. All it takes is one or two big losses and you may never again headline a pay-per-view event. GSP says in the film that anyone can be a mixed martial artist with training but not everyone can make a living at it. The only way you can possibly make a living at it is to be a contender. You have to aim to be the best otherwise you won’t survive. This film does for mixed martial arts exactly what the film “Pumping Iron” did for bodybuilding. We really get to see the inside. We get to see The Striking Truth.

by Peter Frieday   April 29, 2011

Rio is a 20th Century Fox animated film that is directed by Carlos Saldanha and features voice acting by Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez and Jake T. Austin. Released in North America on April 15, 2011 the story centers around a colorful blue Macaw parrot who can’t fly and is captured by bird smugglers in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

The story has a serious side to it as it does provide awareness to the problem of illegal bird smuggling and raises a few questions. If exotic bird smuggling is a problem in South America then what measures are being implemented to combat the problem ? What is being done to prevent the smuggling of exotic birds into the United States and Canada ? According to the World Parrot Trust almost one third of all parrot species are threatened in the wild by the illegal parrot trade.

The animation was very well done but not superior to other well known comparable films previously released in the animated genre. The multiple colors used in Rio are vivid, bright and looked fantastic on the big screen. The soundtrack and voice acting is very satisfying particularly the music and dancing in the Rio carnival scene which was one of the most delightful parts of the film.

One negative aspect in this film was the irresponsibility of the director to allow a scene that shows riding on a motorcycle without wearing helmets for protection. To condone improper motorcycle safety in an animated film that could be seen by millions of children was a wasted chance to promote helmet safety. Perhaps they do ride around in Rio de Janeiro without helmets but the majority if not all North American cities have laws in place requiring riders to wear helmets. Films are a very powerful communication tool to make a positive difference and it was very disappointing and surprising to see this in the movie.

Overall, Rio is a fun and entertaining family film about passionate loyalty to those we care about and how the power of devotion can be the catalyst to help us overcome a personal limiting handicap specifically when we are forced to step outside our comfort zone because of our love for another.

by Peter Frieday   April 16, 2011

Hanna is a remarkable action thriller film that raises your entertainment pulse and welcomes you through the gates of the treasured imagination of an inventive director who succeeds in transfixing our minds within a perpetual energy ride that consumes us with captivating diversion from start to finish.

Hanna (played by Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan of Atonement ) is about a 16 year old girl who is being trained to become an assassin by her father Erik (Eric Bana). They both live in an isolated cabin located in a remote forest in North Finland. Erik has home schooled his daughter and has put her through intensive self defense lessons. Hanna as part of her training to become an assassin has memorized a series of phony background stories in the event that she is captured and has learned to speak several languages. Eventually Hanna and Erik leave the forest as Hanna begins a mission of retribution that she was always trained for. Hanna and Erik agree to meet later in Berlin after Hanna completes her mission. Hanna is captured by agents sent by the corrupt CIA agent Marissa Wiegler (Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett) who has a secret past connecting herself to Hanna and Erik. Hanna is detained by Marissa in an underground facility in the Moroccan desert but Hanna is a trained fighter and has a surprise for her captors. Hanna has to fight for her life and begins a journey where she eventually discovers the truth about her past and humanity.

This film has a phenomenal soundtrack with British electronica duo ‘The Chemical Brothers’ being commissioned to create the funky electronic score which definitely contributed to Hanna’s winning formula. The directing in this film by Joe Wright is truly outstanding and should inspire any ambitious filmmaker as it is a lofty display of aesthetic filmmaking. Joe Wright succeeds in keeping us uncertain as to the outcome of Hanna’s mission as he skillfully conducted the chase formula with a zestful tenseness along with perfectly coordinated scenes where we had no choice but to continue yearning for Hanna to prevail. The acting performances were very solid especially Saoirse Ronan who was sensational as Hanna and Cate Blanchett who gave a splendid performance as the main evil adversary. Hanna is a great example of how a dramatic action thriller should be created. It has everything – an intriguing and likable story, stunning action sequences, commendable drama and an exciting soundtrack that elevates this film to above average feature film distinctiveness because of its brilliant filmmaking recipe.

by Peter Frieday   April 10, 2011

Source Code is a science fiction thriller based on an original screenplay about an intriguing and interesting time travel concept. The story is about the ability of a human being to be reborn and go back in time inside another person’s body utilizing both science and computer technology. The film gives rise to circumspect questions about the code of right and wrong with the military’s involuntary use of humans in experiments designed to combat terrorism and criminal activity. Is it morally wrong for the military to engage in scientific experiments that ignore the human dignity of the participants? Should a military experiment with the objective of saving many lives override the ethical treatment of a few? If time travel was actually possible and we could inhabit and take over another person’s body then what happens to the original person’s mind and consciousness ?

This is only the second feature film directed by Duncan Jones and is about a military pilot named Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal ) who is involved in a military time travel experiment. He awakens on a Chicago bound commuter train only to discover that he has taken over the body and mind of another passenger named Sean Fentress. Sitting across from him is a young woman named Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan) who is talking to him and seems to know him. Stevens doesn’t know it yet but in exactly eight minutes an unknown terrorist will blow up the train. Stevens learns immediately after the train explodes that he isn’t dead. He wakes up inside an isolated military pod and is talking to a video monitor. He is receiving instructions from an Air Force Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga). Stevens will be sent back again to relive the last eight minutes on the train before the bomb explodes. His mission is to discover the identity of the bomber to help prevent another pending attack. Stevens is sent back again and again until he starts to piece together the truth about who the bomber is and discovers the truth about himself.

There were a few things likeable about Source Code including the acting performances of Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Jeffrey Wright although the standout performance was by actress Vera Farmiga. She was very good in this movie. With respect to the technical aspects; the cinematography, editing, sound and visual effects were satisfactory. The problem with this film is that it has too many blemishes that disenfranchises it from an appraisal of goodness. The suspense in this film was only average and whatever suspense that transpired didn’t last long enough. It was all centered around the search for the bomber and the foreseen events made it too easy to just sit back and relax and wait for the inevitable. The story’s focus on Captain Stevens self-indulgent motives at the bottom half of the movie harmed the entertainment value as it went from sci-fi thriller at the beginning and turned into a somewhat dull drama towards the ending. With all do respect to the actor playing the part of the terrorist, he was not appropriately cast as he just didn’t physically look or fit the part of a terrorist and consequently was not believable as a terrorist. This could be interpreted as a minor point but it is important nonetheless – Why the heck was Russell Peters cast in this film ? His role of sitting on the train as himself was silly and made no sense especially when his dialogue didn’t even add any comic relief. One of my biggest beefs with this film is that the action scenes were very disappointing. There was not even one good hand to hand fight scene in this movie and the film was devoid of a decent and entertaining pursuit between our hero and the bad guy. A well orchestrated fight and/or chase scene is a key component of the better action thriller movies. The physical confrontations that Captain Stevens does have are dull, unexciting and badly choreographed. There are a few punches thrown on the train, a schoolyard level tussle on the outdoor train platform and we see the train being blown up several times. All in all, the action and suspense displayed in Source Code is just plain shabby.

The strong acting performances of the main cast could not save this film which started off strong with a mission for the welfare of others but tanked out when the plot changed and we had to painfully observe a protagonist trying to appease his personal objectives. And last but not least, the ending is asking us to obey the impossible which is a disappointment to many of us who have the ability to suspend disbelief along with a respect for realistic feasibility. The filmmakers probably assumed that we would all just go along for the ride and be happy little non-thinking cinema lovers and just believe in the impossible ending.

by Peter Frieday   April 4, 2011

Occasionally you quickly learn in a movie theater that the film that you’re starting to view will succeed in living up to your expectations. Such is the case with the new Universal Pictures film ‘Hop’. I’m glad that I decided to park my derriere in the theater chair to see this film with my daughter because ‘Hop’ is ninety minutes of animated delight and amusement. Two things happened at the very beginning of the movie that immediately made me believe that this story about talking rabbits would not fail in making a positive impression on yours truly. Firstly, when the film started, Planet Earth was not round but rather was shaped like an egg inside the Universal Pictures name and logo. Secondly, the opening scene included engaging aerial footage with the camera moving towards Easter Island where we are initially introduced to the magical world of the Easter bunny. These opening moments of creativity and stimulating cinematography foreshadowed the winning characteristics of the remainder of the film.

This is the story of a rabbit named E.B. who is the son of the Easter Bunny. E.B. is in a position to inherit the Easter Bunny role from his father but E.B. doesn’t want the job and would rather be a rock star. E.B. decides to escape to Hollywood to pursue his dream of becoming a famous musician. In Hollywood, E.B. meets a young twenty something underachiever named Fred O’Hare. Meanwhile, the Easter Bunny sends his trio of Pink Beret rabbits out to find and capture E.B. and return him to Easter Island. As E.B. tries to evade capture he and Fred learn to inspire each other and eventually they work together to discover their true destinies.

‘Hop’ is not a “laugh your head off” comedy but I can vouch for the fact that it does have some good laughs. Interestingly, there are a couple of humorous scenes that kids will not comprehend including the scene where Hugh Hefner is visited at his Playboy mansion by some real bunnies. The film is directed by Tim Hill who does a fine job of blending the animated with live action and once again displays his admirable filmmaking talents in the animated genre. If you saw and liked Tim Hill’s work on ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ (2007) then you will probably love ‘Hop” as both films have similar comedic animation personalities. In my estimation, actor James Marsden portrayal of Fred was the dominant highlight out of all the performances in this film and I really liked his acting in this film. It is hard for an actor to play opposite to an animated character and to pull off this type of comedy with the genuineness that he displayed is commendable. Overall, ‘Hop” is a visually colorful animated movie that provides good fantasy entertainment that is guaranteed to make any child smile with delight. FYI – stay until the closing credits are completed as there is a final short clip at the very end that is worth watching.

by Peter Frieday   March 29, 2011

It is probably true that many people can relate to “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” the sequel to the 2010 film that was just called “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”. Rivalry and fighting between siblings is a common occurrence in many families that cause problems but in the end normally lead to some important lessons being learned. This is the case in this new family oriented comedy film directed by David Bowers (Astro Boy 2009) which was filmed during summer 2010 in British Columbia, Canada. This second film version – based again on best selling Jeff Kinney’s young reader book series “Diary of A Wimpy Kid”- surpasses the first film in the comedy department. I had a good time watching this film and found myself laughing several times. The reason for this is a great cast of young talented actors and a well written screenplay. The script had humorous and realistic dialogue ; scenes that grooved together with just enough emphasis on our kid protagonist and had enough attention allocated to the secondary players to make it a well balanced story about a bunch of comical, interesting, irresponsibly playful young people trying to have fun whenever they aren’t sitting in the classroom.

This time around the story begins in grade seven. Greg (Zachary Gordon ) and his best friend, Rowley Jefferson (Robert Capron) return to school with Greg discovering he has a crush on his new classmate Holly Hills (Peyton List). On the home front Greg’s domineering older brother Rodrick (Devon Bostick) continues to tease and disrespect Greg with immature little pranks. As the story unfolds, we have situations that deliver some laughs. There is some harmless scatological humor at a church, a funny situation takes place with Greg stuck in a ladies washroom and then there is the wild party that Rodrick secretly has at the parents house.

In Rodrick Rules the film’s theme is about discovering the value of honesty, learning why and how to respect others and discovering that you should try to get along with others despite the competitive nature of your relationships. The filmmakers did a nice job with the editing and implementation of the animated sequences at the beginning of the movie which were made with the actual cartoon characters from the actual book. Not surprising – the talented director David Bowers has worked as an animation artist on several other films. He also obviously has a successful directing style with kids and teenagers because the performances of the young actors were very impressive. In the acting department, Greg (Zachary Gordon ) and Rodrick (Devon Bostick) both deliver applaudable and entertaining performances. It is impressive and exciting to see such high quality acting talent at such a young age. If you were to ask me what I thought of this movie in one sentence I’d say – “The Diary of a WimpyKid: Rodrick Rules made me wish I was 12 years old all over again”. Let’s hope that film number three is a done deal but in the meantime take your kids out to see number two especially if you want a good and funny family oriented movie. Oh – and as far as Rodrick’s life lessons – Rule Number 1 “Don’t be good at something that you don’t want to do” – there is some wisdom within those words.

by Peter Frieday   March 16, 2011

What is really interesting about Battle: Los Angeles is that this movie was inspired by a real incident called The Great Los Angeles Air Raid. On the night of February 24, 1942 , three months into WWII, air raid sirens were sounded across Los Angeles. Unidentified flying objects were detected in the air near Los Angeles. American military artillery personnel began firing hundreds of shells at what they assumed was an attacking force from Japan but that eventually proved to be false. The UFO’s then disappeared. From that date forward many people believed that those unknown targets were extraterrestrial spacecraft that were on a reconnaissance mission along the coast of California.

In the film, the battle commences on August 12, 2011 when strange objects suspected to be meteorites crash into the ocean. It turns out that these objects are actually spacecraft containing warlike alien forces. Los Angeles is one of the first cities to be targeted by the aliens. The heavily armed aliens begin to attack the city. The Marines are then mobilized in Los Angeles to fight off the alien combatants and to help in the evacuation of innocent civilians. The Marines only have three hours to get the job done and get out before a massive bombing operation over Los Angeles is initiated by the U.S. military. What is the motive behind the aliens attacking Earth ? They are trying to take over our planet for our water resources.

One of the pleasures in watching Battle: Los Angeles is seeing all the great work that was done in creating the alien ground forces and the massive alien control center. The team behind the CGI special effects should be nominated for an award because the visual effects were outstanding. One thing that I liked was how the aliens didn’t become apparent until the ground battles actually began. I was anticipating what they looked like but I had to wait. That was a smart move by the director because when they finally did appear it was well worth the wait because they were so incredibly well done. Another positive aspect is that the filmmakers accomplished building and maintaining the suspense right up until the end of the movie. In addition to good suspense we had a cast that deserves praise as they all gave believable performances as Marines. I was especially impressed with actor Aaron Eckhart who made a significant contribution as SSgt. Michael Nantz. I read that he spent several weeks working alongside actual Marines in preparation for his role in the movie and that is evident in watching the film.

Is it possible to overemphasize the action in a movie about Marines battling aliens on earth? I don’t think so. Extraordinary action is required in a humans versus aliens war movie and in Battle: Los Angeles this is what is needed and that is what we get. However, on the downside, many of the battle action sequences are filmed in a documentary style with a shaky camera. This style of filming results in a reality look and feel but it is tiresome and gets irritating to watch. I’m sure the director deliberately used this technique to imitate authentic military fighting but I’m just not a big fan of it compared to the more stationary camera approach to filming scenes.

This was one of those movies that got me thinking – What if Earth was actually attacked by hostile aliens ? What would happen ? Would we be able to fight them off ? This is a frightening thought but with all the UFO sightings over the years this movie did make me contemplate about such questions. This is why this movie is so interesting to watch because not only is it entertaining but it clearly displays what a war against hostile aliens could be like and it gets you thinking about those “what if” questions.

by Peter Frieday   March 15, 2011

No man can walk out on his own story”. Those were the words spoken by the mysterious cowboy, Spirit of the West as he motivates our main protagonist Rango to not give up on himself and think of the other desert creatures that need his help. That ‘no man’ line is my favorite in this excellent animated western movie which stars Johnny Depp and a collection of other fine actors who lend their own distinctive voices in a film that will entertain both children and adults alike.

Rango is directed by Gore Verbinski ( Pirates of the Caribbean franchise ) and skillfully written by talented screenwriter John Logan ( Gladiator, The Last Samurai ). The story revolves around a perplexing but intriguing unnamed chameleon who is suffering from an identity crisis . When he is alone he likes to pretend he is an actor to entertain and amuse himself. His adventure begins when he ends up in a desert western town called the ‘Town of Dirt’ which is occupied with many wild but enchanting creatures from the desert. He names himself Rango and tricks the inhabitants of the town into believing he is a tough drifter. Consequently, he is offered the job as the Sheriff to help protect the town from outlaw intruders but shortly thereafter faces some challenging foes and obstacles.

The animation in the movie is inventive, precise, colorful and realistic looking. Fans of animated films will not be disappointed with the wonderful cast of reptile and desert critters designed for this movie. Each character in the film is appealing and enjoyable to watch. Johnny Depp is terrific as the voice of Rango and he was able to capture the correct exhibited sentiment of Rango during the lizard’s emotional highs and lows.

The theme of this movie is about hope. During one scene in the movie Rango points at the hanging “Sheriff” sign  and says to all the creatures of the town , “So you want something to believe in? Believe in that there sign. For as long as it hangs there we’ve got hope”. An important message comparable to our own lives where we all need to stick together as a society and hope that everything will turn out for the best.

Interestingly, during the production of Rango all the actors recorded their voices on a stage together and not in the traditional sound booth. This approach reveals itself as the finished product displays a natural and convincing chemistry between the actors voices and the animated characters. Rango has comedy, plenty of fun action scenes and a script written that allows us to actually care about a comical and eccentric green little lizard who – not unlike many of us in the real world – finally discovers that he is important and can benefit his community regardless of any limiting personal insecurities.

by Peter Frieday   March 11, 2011

The Adjustment Bureau is an adaptation of a short story by deceased science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. The film is a production of Universal Pictures and is spearheaded by first time director George Nofli who is best known for his previous screenwriting credits which include The Bourne Ultimatum and Ocean’s Twelve.

The Adjustment Bureau is a special group of men that are completely responsible for controlling the destiny and fate of your life. If you do something that infringes upon the blueprint they have for your life then they will make an adjustment to ensure that you stay on your predetermined path. In the film, a politician ( Matt Damon ) and a ballerina  ( Emily Blunt ) have a chance encounter in a hotel bathroom and immediately have an instant attraction for each other. They start a passionate romantic affair but The Adjustment Bureau will do everything in their power to keep the two lovers apart because their relationship is breaking the master plan.

The Adjustment Bureau is one of those movies where my expectations were dashed and filtered with disappointment because the trailer for this movie cleverly had me believing that this was a sitting on the edge of your seats thriller. In reality, the movie completely contradicts the trailer. What we actually have here is a sub par suspense movie which is in fact a lovey-dovey romance story. Unless you are the sort that finds flat as a pancake foot chases along the streets of New York a hair-raising and suspenseful experience then there really is nothing else within the film that creates effective anticipation to categorize this movie as being a thriller. I also found it odd that there was a complete lack of compelling and interesting action sequences that would have otherwise made this a more entertaining film. They had a great opportunity to increase the tension in this movie but it just wasn’t there. As a result of failing to create any real suspense we just have a dull romantic film without the thrill ride. This is a romantic movie that could be appealing to some women and but will definitely put to sleep the majority of moviegoers. As far as the acting department is concerned, the performances by the cast were unquestionably genuine and convincing but the film is just one big tiresome experience that falls short of a film that postulates itself as something it isn’t.

by Peter Frieday   March 3, 2011

Hall Pass doesn’t distinguish itself from many other substandard comedies that we’ve seen before except that they got the name wrong. They should have called the movie “Down And Out With The Farrellys”. If the Farrelly brothers keep making movies like this we are going to have to petition the movie theatre chains to stop showing their movies to save us from being exposed to any further pain and suffering. The trailer for the movie shows you everything you need to know about this movie. I thought I was just watching an extended version of the trailer as I sat in the theatre watching it. Hall Pass isn’t a comedy but rather a series of manipulating sexual jokes and pranks meant to disguise a conventional and very dumb story.

The movie is poking fun at married life and the perception that many married men are leading unhappy and sexually frustrated lives. Married men become “gawkers”.  They stare at and crave other beautiful women. Hall Pass is about two guys named Rick and Fred who get  permission from their wives  to be ‘single” for seven days. It’s called a Hall Pass. The boys are allowed to go out and pick up younger women and screw around for the week. The assumption is that by giving them their freedom for a week that they will eradicate all of their self – indulgent sexual desires and be newly reborn and loyal husbands. Now I ask you – What woman in her right mind would ever believe something like that ? Then we are expected to be good little students and learn a lesson later on in the movie. The filmmakers tried to get serious on us and teach us something about marriage. They go from one extreme of gross humor to suddenly expecting us to feel something for these dysfunctional people. The only thing that I felt was a need to leave the theatre.

If you drink six to ten beers and you like dumb and crude humor about public defecation , a scene of a man in his car playing with his genitals, a lingering moment comparing penis size with a racial stereotype involved, a disgusting scene of an exploding bowel movement and a shooting rampage by a psychotic coffee shop employee then it is possible that you just might like this movie.

by Peter Frieday   February 28, 2011

Some substandard action movies share common traits. They have a characteristic that I like to call “excessiveness for impressiveness”. Drive Angry is an example of this approach to making action movies. With Drive Angry, it’s almost as if the filmmakers were attempting to amuse themselves to see how far they could stretch the limits of the acceptable. Everything about this movie has been stretched and not just for the better.

Drive Angry is about a guy named John Milton (Nicolas Cage) who is hunting down and seeking revenge against the evil cult leader Jonah King (Billy Burke) that killed his daughter and kidnapped his baby granddaughter. John Milton has actually come back to earth from hell and is being followed along his journey by a dude in a suit who calls himself The Accountant ( William Fichtner) . Milton’s pursuit for retaliation is helped along by some very cool and powerful muscle cars – a 1964 Buick Riviera, a 1969 Dodge Charger and a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle. Milton is also assisted along the way by a beautiful and sassy waitress named Piper (Amber Heard) that he meets at a roadside diner.

Drive Angry was filmed in 3D and contains excessive and overblown scenes of bloody gunfights, fistfights, a wild sex scene inside a gunfight and fast car chases. It is an extremely exaggerated action film that will delight supporters of this brand of filmmaking. In comparison, action fans that demand an intelligent story with justified scenes of violence that are sensibly added to support a well written script will dislike this movie. This movie is like watching a mixed martial arts fight where the losing fighter is down on the canvass and he keeps getting kicked again and again in the head. Unnecessary roughness diminishes and cheapens a fight. Drive Angry displays its own version of unnecessary roughness and thus the finished product on screen suffers. This film is too much of too much within a contemptible story. The only reason I didn’t give this movie a one star rating was because of Nicolas Cage and William Fichtner. Without their fine performances this movie could have been a big stinker.

by Peter Frieday   February 21, 2011

‘I Am Number Four’ is based on the best selling book of the same name which was written by Pittacus Lore, the pen name of authors James Frey and Jobie Hughes. The film was directed by D. J. Caruso and was produced by Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg.

John Smith ( played by Alex Pettyfer ) is an alien from planet Lorien. He is one of nine children sent to Earth to escape the evil Mogadorians who destroyed Lorien. The Loriens and Mogadorians look like humans except that the Mogadorians are huge, have saw -toothed teeth, tattooed heads and fish like gills in their cheeks. John is protected on Earth by a guardian named Henri ( Timothy Olyphant). John develops super human strength and can create a powerful force field with his hands to protect himself. The Commander of the Mogadorians ( Kevin Durand ) comes to Earth with his cronies to find and kill the nine surviving teenagers. They can only be killed in sequence and the first three have already been killed. John is Number Four. John and Henri relocate from Florida to a small town in Ohio to escape and hide from the Mogadorians. John enrolls in a local high school. At the school he befriends a science nerd named Sam Goode ( Callan McAuliffe ) and then falls for a pretty student named Sarah Hart( Dianna Agron ). John Smith eventually meets Number Six ( Teresa Palmer ) who also has super powers. John and Number Six join forces for the impending battle against the Mogadorians.

There are two things that I’d like to convey about this movie. The first thing is the resemblance factor. I will concede that there is perhaps a resemblance in plot to a well known vampire movie but there is no need to get into the comparison game. I Am Number Four is by itself distinctive and has its own independent merits. The second thing – that this movie is for teenagers only – is easy to believe just because the original novel is considered teen fiction. However, after seeing the film I can establish that this film has a little bit of everything that can satisfy both teenagers and adults alike. I can assure you that I’m many years past high school age and I really enjoyed this movie. It contains an intriguing story, an intimidating cast of alien characters, impressive action sequences, first-rate visual effects, a pleasing soundtrack, a minimized but necessary romance,decent acting, humor and suspense.

In my estimation, Director D.J. Caruso did a great job at blending the interesting scenes together and keeping the movie moving along at just the right pace. There was always something happening and I personally found myself anticipating ( I didn’t read the book ) what was going to happen next. One aspect of the movie that I found pleasing was the soundtrack. It enhanced the overall experience. The acting in the movie was decent. I especially enjoyed the performance of Canadian actor Kevin Durand because he was so convincing as the sinister and malicious leader of the Mogadorians. The developing romance between John and Sarah was a necessary part of the film because this allowed us to learn more about John and it displayed John’s humanlike qualities. This gave John more leverage as a likeable alien and made us cheer even more for a possible chance for his survival. It was also wise that the screenwriters didn’t stretch the romance further and instead remained focused on the main story and the approaching battle with the Mogadorians. The visual effects in this film are excellent. There is the scene where John’s dog is sitting in a car with nerdy Sam and the dog decides to transform itself and we are treated to a phenomenal special effects display that had an unusual mix of humor and hair-raising fright. Then we had the exciting visuals of Number Four and Number Six battling the Mogadorians which were entertaining to watch. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is a humorous one where the menacing Commander of the Mogadorians goes into a grocery store and buys a shopping cart full of turkeys so he can feed his alien friends who are in hiding. Now, if you’re not a fan of science fiction and monster alien creatures then this movie may not be for you but if you want great action, suspense and 110 minutes of entertainment then you won’t be disappointed

by Peter Frieday   February 15, 2011

Gnomeo & Juliet is a new Touchstone Pictures animated film that was produced by musician Elton John and his partner David Furnish. I went to see this movie because my daughter wanted to see it with me and I was curious because the animation was created by Toronto’s digital animation studio Starz Animation who are known for the animation work on Tim Burton’s ‘9’ and Universal Pictures ‘The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything’.

Gnomeo & Juliet is a modern day version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and takes place in the backyards of two neighbors that hate each other. While the two feuding neighbors are away at work or sleeping, the backyard garden gnomes come to life. We have the red gnomes in one backyard and the blue gnomes in the other. When the red and blue gnomes are not fighting with each other, they play games and compete against each other in lawnmower races. One night Gnomeo has a chance encounter with Juliet and they fall in love and have to deal with the conflict of being in love inside two feuding families.

The animation in this movie is good. You can even see the paint chips on the ceramic heads of the gnomes. Many of the animated characters were interesting and entertaining to watch especially Nanette the garden frog who is Juliet’s best friend and Benny who was comical as Gnomeo’s loyal and best friend. The movie has a strong voice cast. Jason Statham was very effective as Tybalt who was the main antagonist of the film; James McAvoy was good as Gnomeo and Emily Blunt was very good as Juliet. There were many enjoyable scenes in this movie especially the scenes where all the gnomes freeze and don’t move when humans suddenly appear. Overall, Gnomeo & Juliet is a fun filled animated movie with a good soundtrack and I’m certain most kids can enjoy this picture but there is a strangeness about this movie with the scene that takes from “American Beauty” or the gnome dressed in a thong or the two male gnomes attached together. The message being delivered with these scenes is transparent to most adults but isn’t this supposed to be an animated film for kids regardless if the message is cloudy to the young ones.

There is a fact about this movie that interested me. Gnomeo & Juliet is a Touchstone Pictures film which is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Doesn’t Disney usually attach its name to its animated feature films ? Then why was Touchstone the label for this movie ? I did a search on Touchstone on Wikipedia.Com and the following words appear on their profile page which I found rather interesting especially after seeing this movie – It states – “Its releases typically feature more mature themes & darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner”. Very interesting considering Gnomeo & Juliet is rated a family film suitable for young children. In viewing this film, I discovered that we have a beautifully animated film that has comedy, action and loads of fun scenes but they blew it by making the mistake of adding eccentric scenes into the film that are incompatible with family oriented animated movies. I mean – It is definitely weird and odd to have a male gnome running around in a tight thong showing off his naked behind as if that’s supposed to be ordinary in a kids movie. That is too bad because the animation was terrific and flaws like this hurt the movie. Also on the downside was the 3D technology. As far as the 3D experience is concerned, it was not worth the extra money and was just humdrum in this movie. If they are going to charge the consumer the extra dough to get in then they should not settle for 3D mediocrity. It has to impress or forget about it.

by Peter Frieday   February 10, 2011

Here is the story of The Roommate. Girl number one meets girl number two . Girl number one gets obsessed and over protective of Girl number two . Girl number two takes forever to finally figure out that Girl number one is nuts. Girl number one shows us she is nuts by doing things like ripping a bellybutton ring off another girls stomach; killing a small cute kitten by throwing it in a dryer and finally she cuts herself deliberately with box cutters. These stupid events and actions were just easy and cheap actions added by non creative filmmakers who failed miserably at trying to make an effective and entertaining thriller. As the movie moves along – with yours truly suffering the whole time – we are shown scenes of an excursion to an art gallery, a visit to a library and a trip to the crazy girl’s parents house. It doesn’t take long before we can easily predict the eventual outcome of this movie.

The filmmakers failed to provide enough background details about our main crazy girl villain. Why is this crazy girl off her medication ? If she is from a wealthy Beverly Hills family then why is she living in a room on campus ? What happened to make her despise her parents so much ? We needed to know more about this crazy girl. Just learning that she is off her meds was not enough.

You would think that with a movie so inferior that the acting would be bad but the overall acting was surprisingly satisfactory and I thought that the cast did a pretty good job. The problem with this movie is that the story failed to deliver. This is just a movie about pretty young girls on screen. If you want an edge of your seat thriller then you should pass on this one otherwise you will just be watching ninety minutes of disappointment.

by Peter Frieday   February 2, 2011

If you have been suffering from action withdrawal symptoms and need a fix then you need ninety minutes in the theatre with The Mechanic. This is an action movie for those with action hunger.This new action film was skillfully directed by Simon West and is a remake of the 1972 movie of the same name which starred Charles Bronson. The word “mechanic” is a slang word for hit man. At the beginning of the movie we are told by the main character of the film that “what I do requires a certain mindset”. Well, the mindset that you need when going to view this film is that you will be seeing a film without any politeness.This is a get down and get dirty action film.This is a movie about bad guys and more bad guys with no nice guys. There is realistic violence in this movie and lots of it. We get served an action film made with a recipe of gunfire, scenes of people getting permanently destroyed ,explosions, car pursuits and a few fast sex scenes are added to the menu. An old-fashioned audience could be offended by all of this excessiveness but at the end of the day this is an action movie folks.

Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham ) works as a ‘mechanic’ for a sinister corporation. He is a hired hit man with his own serious protocol about how things must be done. He is a loner and a highly skilled, methodical, cold blooded assassin who feels nothing before and after terminating his targets. Arthur’s boss and mentor Harry (Donald Sutherland ) ends up being murdered. Harry’s son Steve (Ben Foster) appears on the scene and asks Arthur to teach him his trade and be his mentor. Arthur agrees and Steve becomes his protégé because Arthur believes that Harry would have wanted this. Arthur teaches Steve to be a killer by showing rather than telling. All along Steve reveals his goal of vengeance for his father’s murder and we quickly learn that Arthur may have to personally deal with Steve’s desire for revenge.

The directing in this film by Simon West is admirable because the camera shots and angles used were creative and interesting. The fast frame editing sequences added to the attractiveness of the finished product. Overall the film was a display of a director showing off his ability to set the mood and create visually stimulating camera shots of the actors and action. The soundtrack was also a pleasant surprise and I found myself enjoying the music as I watched this movie.

The acting in this film was good and perhaps better than good. Everyone gave solid performances. Donald Sutherland was on the mark in his role. The inventive performance of Ben Foster was a pleasure to see because he had the chance to let loose in this picture and let us experience the talent of his acting world. Ben Foster has a strong future for himself in Hollywood. Is Jason Statham a good actor ? Without a doubt – yes. Some actors are suited for comedy and others are more suited for serious dramatic roles. Then you have an actor like Jason who is at his best being an action star. It should be noted that to be a competent actor in these action films, actors require a high degree of fitness and physical ability. I have read that Jason does most of his own stunts. Some actors could not do what Jason is capable of doing but this guy takes his action star status seriously. It has been documented that he prepares for his roles doing a tremendous amount of physical training to stay in top shape for these demanding roles. He deserves more credit for his acting and all the hard work he puts in to deliver such entertaining performances in the action movie genre. He does a terrific job in The Mechanic. It is a good movie and worth seeing if you want some cool action fun.

by Peter Frieday   January 29, 2011

If you are hoping for an original and fresh romance-comedy film then you will have to wait because No Strings Attached is a predictable film that follows the traditional romcom formula except that the roles are reversed in this one: the girl wants sex with no commitment and the boy wants sex with the relationship attached. The film was directed by Ivan Reitman who is known for directing such films as Meatballs, Stripes and Ghostbusters. In one scene of this film we can actually see a framed picture of the Meatballs movie poster hanging on the wall in Adam’s house.

Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher) are childhood friends who meet each other many years later and decide to indulge themselves with casual sex. They make an agreement to have no strings attached to their sexual adventures because Emma wants sex and nothing more.Along their unrestrained and self indulgent journey we get to meet many of their funny friends including Adam’s humorous, self-centered, pot smoking father Alvin ( Kevin Kline )

Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher are not the stars of this movie. It was the supporting cast that were the stars of this film especially actors Kevin Kline and the talented Lake Bell. Kline was comical as the off the wall father and Bell had me laughing as the bundle of nerves television producer who acts like a bumbling idiot in one scene as she attempts to go all the way with Adam.

Unfortunately, this is a movie that just teeters over boredom with sporadic episodes of comedy. If you want to see a demo of phone text messaging you will find it here as the filmmakers over do it and we start to feel like we are in one long cell phone commercial. If you want to see Ashton Kutcher reach for a box of condoms and be forced to view a close up shot of his hindquarters then please head to the theatre. Sorry men – There is absolutely nothing in this movie for the male species. All we get is a half naked Kutcherama film with Natalie Portman hopping out of bed in her underwear. If you are a guy taking your girlfriend or wife to see this movie it could be a nice opportunity to have a nap. If you are the girlfriend or wife that is going with that guy it is possible that you will be satisfied but you have now been warned.

by Peter Frieday   January 24, 2011

I had fun watching this movie and it was not so much because of the comic book legend of The Green Hornet , the cool gadgets, the 3D or all the action but more so because of the creative filmmaking of director Michel Gondry. The film is presented in a cool visual style. Many critics are slapping this movie. Perhaps some critics believe that this movie was supposed to be written and filmed as a more sober experience but it is more comedy with added action sequences because that is what it should be. This is why Seth Rogan is right for the part as The Green Hornet. His portrayal worked even though it was outside the box of traditional superhero movies. Rogan’s Green Hornet is imperfect and amusing but it works for this film. A humorless tough guy portrayal of The Green Hornet would have delivered an unfitting result.

The Green Hornet is a legend in comics, old time radio and was a popular 60’s TV show starring martial arts icon Bruce Lee. Seth Rogan ( who also co-wrote the screenplay ) plays Britt Reid the son of James Reid ( Tom Wilkinson ) publisher of the Los Angeles newspaper The Daily Sentinel. His father dies in a suspicious death and Britt inherits the business. He befriends his father’s car mechanic and coffee master Kato ( Jay Chou ) and both of them decide to become crime-fighters disguised as criminals themselves. Britt and Kato agree they will protect the law by breaking it.

The Green Hornet’s car -The Black Beauty – was designed by Kato and features many gadgets and devices that would captivate any James Bond fan. They did an outstanding job with the car and it was a treat to watch the Black Beauty being used in the many action sequences. With the fight scenes, Michel Gondry used slow motion and he took the audience inside Kato’s eyes as he fights the bad guys. That was creative film-making and was a pleasure to watch.

On the downside, even though I enjoyed Jay Chou as Kato I had trouble understanding him at times.The performance of Christoph Waltz as Chudnofsky was disappointing. I believe that we were to find humor at his insecurities about being taken seriously as a tough guy but it just wasn’t there and when he needed to be the mean villain it just wasn’t mean. Britt’s father James Reid appears 20 years later in one scene of the movie and it appeared like he hadn’t aged at all. Cameron Diaz as Lenore Case didn’t see enough screen time and the film would have been enhanced if her role had been expanded. If you haven’t already seen this movie then please make sure you stick around for the closing credits which are nicely created in 3D. The Green Hornet has some weak points but we visit a movie theatre because we want to be entertained for a few hours. The Green Hornet succeeds in doing just that.