Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Nurse Jackie

Nurse Jackie

Another incredibly entertaining show from Showtime about another horrible monster (drug addiction) keeps the voltage on for a whole new season bringing unforeseen developments and twists of fate at every turn.

Jackie starts out season 4 looking like she’s finally hit bottom.  Her marriage is in shambles, her older daughter doesn’t want to have anything to do with her anymore, and new management at the hospital has clamped down on security, which means that stealing drugs won’t be easy anymore.  Even her friendship with Dr. O’Hara seems to be on the rocks.  She goes to rehab, and cleans up nicely, but things won’t go smoothly from that point on.  Oh, and someone’s having a baby!!

Edie Falco is her usual riveting self, Eve Best and Anna Deavere Smith are a riot, and the addition of Bobby Cannavale creates an interesting new dynamic.  The rest of the cast is, as always, fantastic.

Grade – Season 4: 8

The Big C

The Big CThis Showtime show about cancer and its effects on one’s life is now in its third season and still going strong.

With her cancer in remission and her husband still with her, Cathy looks for escapism from reality and for ways to start over.  Her best solution would be having another baby, but because of their age and health issues, adoption won’t be easy.  Paul also gets a new lease on life, and seems to have finally found his calling.  Adam, Sean, and Andrea all keep rotating around Cathy and Paul to keep things interesting.

One of the best results of a show’s longevity is definitely the improvement in the actors’ familiarity with each other, which is clearly on display here.  Laura Linney is as good as ever, but the whole cast deserves credit for this entertaining show about a terrible disease.

Grade – Season 3: 8

Young Adult

Young AdultThe second collaboration between Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody, after the excellent Juno, is very good even though less flashy.

Synopsis: Mavis Gary is a recently divorced writer of young adult novels for a series that has reached the end of its life.  One day she receives a card about the birth of her former high school beau’s first child.  Still having feelings for him, and certain that he feels the same way and feels trapped into his marriage and now fatherhood, Mavis takes a trip back to her hometown to get back together.  Not everything will go as she expected it to.

Young Adult might be less sunny and cheerful than Juno, but Reitman and Cody created another great dark comedy.  The sheer determination of this woman to wreck a family and the fact that her view of reality is so completely warped are perfectly portrayed by a fantastic Charlize Theron.  I still haven’t seen her in Monster, for which she won the Oscar, but after seeing her in Young Adult, I already know she deserved it.

Theron is really the main attraction here, but both Patrick Wilson and Patton Oswalt give good performances.  Especially Oswalt.  The dark and cold cinematography helps with setting the tone, and the score and songs chosen perfectly accompany this little adventure.

The Bottom Line: Young Adult is a well crafted, well written, well acted film that will not disappoint the cinephile, even though the casual viewer might find it a bit slow at times.

Grade: 8

Monday, July 30, 2012

Underworld: Evolution

Underworld EvolutionThe follow up to Underworld doesn’t disappoint and instead expands on its mythology.

Synopsis: After killing Viktor, one of the elders, Selene is hunted by Marcus, Viktor’s maker, on his quest to find his brother William.  With Michael by her side, she will try to stop Marcus and William from joining forces to bring about mayhem all over the world.

Beckinsale reprises a role that seems written for her while Speedman continues to please the eyes more than the mind.  Sir Derek Jacobi (Alexander Corvinus) and a magnetic Tony Curran (Marcus) complete a good cast.  The story is once again written well enough and based on an interesting enough premise that the final result is quite successful.

The Bottom Line: With improved visual effects (likely due to a bigger budget) and a great villain, Underworld: Evolution doesn’t disappoint and delivers a couple hours of tension and fun.

Grade: 6

Underworld

underworldAfter the disappointment of watching 3 lousy chapters of the Twilight saga (here, here, and here), I was hoping for some vampire fare that wouldn’t disappoint.  Thankfully, Underworld doesn’t.

Synopsis: A centuries-old war between vampires and lycans rages on with Selene, a vampire death-dealer, on the hunt for whatever lycan is left out there.  One day, she meets Michael, a human who seems to have a special connection to Alexander Corvinus, the common ancestor to both immortal races and oldest of the immortals.  The unexpected encounter will change the course of her life in ways she would have never expected.

Kate Beckinsale is quite good in the part of a vampire and she’s flanked by an excellent Bill Nighy (as one of the elders) and Michael Sheen (as the top lycan), an actor very versatile and intelligent in his craft, which I’ve come to enjoy very much.  Scott Speedman’s acting abilities were quite disappointing, but the eye feast he brings about more than makes up for it.

The Bottom Line: While Underworld isn’t memorable it deserves an audience even just for the lone reason of being fun to watch.  The script is overall good and the acting carries it well.  The visual effects, art direction, and cinematography all add to the mystique and are quite good.  The score smartly underlines the whole movie.  And even the occasional reference to The Matrix (the long coats, the choreographed fights) isn’t bothersome in the least.

Grade: 6

Friday, July 27, 2012

Prometheus

PrometheusRidley Scott’s return to sci-fi after so many years and after having crafted some of the most memorable films of the genre (like Blade Runner and Alien), compelled me to check out his latest creation.  The movie was also described as a prequel of sort to his own Alien, so even more reasons not to miss it.

Synopsis: A team of scientists finds clues about the origins of the human race in ancient drawings all over the world.  The drawings also hint at the possibility that an alien race might have fathered us all.  An expedition is sent to the ends of the universe to figure out what truth there is to their discovery, who the aliens were, and why they created us.

Prometheus is a well made movie that unfortunately, at times, feels a little unclear.  It explores a lot of material, so perhaps a second viewing would be beneficial, but I did leave the theater puzzled by a couple things, which is always a little annoying.

This doesn’t detract from the final result though.  The screenplay is well written and very well acted by a really talented cast (Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and Charlize Theron above all).  The visual effects are glorious, the art direction mind blowing, and the cinematography wraps everything like a warm blanket.

The Bottom Line: Scott has done it again.  He has rekindled our interest in one of cinema’s most enduring villains (Alien), has created a new world and a new race, and he has set up a possible sequel without being too obvious or fastidious.  Prometheus is interesting, awesome to watch, and rich with action and story.  Watch it.

Grade: 8

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Mirror Mirror

Mirror MirrorOne of two movies this year dealing with a retelling or modernization of the Snow White fairytale (and the only one I’ve seen to date), Mirror Mirror doesn’t disappoint in spite of its lack of bite.

Synopsis: Snow White’s father dies shortly after remarrying and the new Queen takes over the rule of the land.  Soon, all cheerfulness dies out and is replaced by a perennial winter.  When Snow White turns 18, she’s cast aside by the Queen, fearful of what her coming of age might mean for her rule.  In the woods, Snow White meets a band of dwarves who also were cast out.  Together they set out to right some wrongs.

Julia Roberts was a big motivation to go see this movie, but I was still fearful that it might be horrible.  Thankfully, it isn’t.  The story is tweaked just enough to give it a fresh spin and some well known aspects are expanded upon (like the Queen’s interactions with the famous Mirror on the Wall).  Armie Hammer as the valiant Prince is a very welcome addition…

The Bottom Line: While quickly forgotten and worthy only of a casual viewing, Mirror Mirror isn’t disappointing and has some true moments of fun.  What I found garish, however, came at the end.  The director is of Indian origins and evidently felt the need to infuse the movie with a Bollywood feel to perhaps accustom American audiences to the typical sounds of an Indian movie.  To this end, the classic pop tune that often accompanies the end credits is the typical fare you’d expect in a Bollywood movie, which clashes gratuitously with the style of the movie up on the screen and what we’ve seen and heard up to that point.  Honestly, to see the characters, with their ball gowns and formal attire, swing around to sounds you probably hear all over Calcutta, wasn’t flattering to them or the production.

Grade: 6

Destroying one’s world

That’s what we’re doing to the Earth.  Here’s a side-by-side view of the Amazon rainforest, 20 years ago and today:

amazon

And some more alarming statistics (from Live from Hell’s Kitchen…):

1. In 20 years there are 1.5 billion more people - an increase of 27%!

2. The average person eats 26% more meat and 26% more fish since 1992!

3. There has been an astounding 36% increase of carbon dioxide emissions for a grand total of 30 billions tons into the air.

4. The ten hottest years on record all have taken place within the last twenty years!

5. In just 20 years we have lost 741,316,144 acres of forests! This is an area the size of Argentina which is the 8th largest country in the world!

6. Biodiversity in the tropics has dropped by 30% because of the lost of forests.

7. The production of plastics has increased by 130% in the two decades an increase of 149 million tons.

8. The number of reported natural disasters has doubled from about 200 a year to 400 a year. In 2010 over 300,000 people died in a natural disasters.

9. We are losing our sea life and fish. 13% of the fish have been fully exploited. 33% have been depleted with some recovery. Tuna catches have increased by 1,000 tons (35%) pushing some species to the brink of extinction.

10. We have seen a 110% increase in the number of 'megacities' (at least 10 million people per city). We have gone from 10 'megacities' to currently 21. The city of Tokyo, with 37 million people, has more people than Canada!

Shocking and scary.  More here.

Hugo

HugoMartin Scorsese’s first foray in a more family oriented market (something his youngest daughter could watch, in his own words) brought us Hugo, a smart and interesting film that is quite original.

Synopsis: Hugo is an orphan who lives inside the walls of a huge Paris train station.  He keeps the station’s clocks running in stead of his uncle, who has disappeared.  Fascinated by an automaton, the only thing he has left of his father’s, he’ll embark on a great adventure with one of the station’s shopkeepers and his niece.

Given Hugo’s status as a dark horse in this year’s Oscars race for Best Picture, and the number of nominations and positive reviews it garnered, I was eager to see it.  I liked it, but I didn’t really fall in love with it, even though it is a small cinematic wonder.

Asa Butterfield, who plays the young Hugo, is a brilliant young actor, flanked by a similarly good Chloë Grace Moretz.  Ben Kingsley and Sacha Baron Cohen, however, don’t particularly impress.

The visual effects are excellent and the cinematography, as we’ve come to expect from a Scorsese movie, is simply spectacular.  The editing, by Scorsese’s longtime collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker, is fantastic too.

The Bottom Line: While the movie might not endure in one’s consciousness, it is a very well crafted tale for the whole family and a great “stretch” for Scorsese’s artistic vein.

Grade: 8

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. TolkienJ.R.R. Tolkien is the author of my all-time favorite novel, The Lord of the Rings, and while I was under the impression that I had read his lesser known The Hobbit, I had probably given up after starting it, because after a short while I couldn’t remember what was happening anymore.

I am pleased that, given the upcoming release of the first chapter of its movie version (by the master who gave us three of the most exciting and well made movies of all time adapting Tolkien’s Rings trilogy), I decided to pick it up again.

The Hobbit is a very fun and hearty story that, while not as magnificent as The Lord of the Rings, holds its own in Tolkien’s oeuvre.

In short, the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins is half-willingly dragged by his old friend Gandalf into a mystical adventure that involves helping 13 dwarves to recapture a long lost treasure from the Dragon Smaug.  Countless adventures await the small company.

The Hobbit, narrated very well by Robert Inglis, is full of unexpected developments and twists of fate that so clearly presage what Tolkien created in the Rings books.  While some hallmarks of Tolkien’s style, like the occasional character singing rather than speaking, might turn some people off, this is definitely a good book and I, perhaps because I was prepared to be disappointed, enjoyed it very much.

Grade: 8

Lisey's Story, by Stephen King

Lisey's Story, by Stephen King

Lisey's Story is definitely not the kind of novel you think of when you think of Stephen King.  Sure, there is some supernatural stuff, but at the heart this is a love story, and a wonderful one at that.

Lisey recently lost her famous writer husband and is only now starting to feel ready to face what’s been left behind of his body of work.  The task will result in a lot of heartache for her, thanks to countless memories of their past together -- and a big unspoken secret.

I dove into this book expecting the usual supernatural/horror fare from King and found myself transported instead to a wonderful world where I got to know this character, Lisey, pretty well, and started to really care for her and about what was happening to her.

King is one of my favorite writers and this book, ready superbly well by Mare Winningham, simply reinforced that feeling.

Grade: 9

Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 2The sequel to the impressively good original doesn’t disappoint even though the story is pretty much a retelling of what happened the first time around.

Synopsis: A peacock is hell bent on conquering China by taking advantage of a deadly new weapon.  Po and his friends will do their best to stop him, but Po has some unresolved personal issues to deal with first.

Given the big success of the first movie and the likability of the characters, it was inevitable that we’d see more adventures of the kung fu clan.  Kung Fu Panda 2 is a good follow up though, which isn’t something easy to accomplish (see Shrek 2-3-4 or Cars 2).

The Bottom Line: While not as “wowing” as the original, Kung Fu Panda 2 is a good family movie with impressive animation and a script that’s both funny and touching.

Grade: 8

Game Change

Game ChangeThis HBO production of the political (and human) drama that recounts the ill conceived 2008 vice presidential pick is so good, it should have been released in theaters.

Synopsis: The story is well known to anyone who follows politics.  In 2008, when John McCain seemed to be losing ground to Barack Obama in the US Presidential contest, a game changer was needed.  McCain decided to pick the unknown, inexperienced and, it turned out, severely unprepared Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin as his running mate.  She ended up overshadowing his run, fighting for control of the whole campaign, repeatedly going off message, going rogue, and ultimately weighing him down further.

Julianne Moore as Palin is absolutely riveting.  She can start making room for the countless awards she’ll be racking up next awards’ season.  She’s joined by several other excellent actors, starting with Woody Harrelson, Ed Harris, Peter MacNicol, and Sarah Paulson.

The Bottom Line: Game Change is a must-see for anyone interested in historical events, political movies, or great acting, since it possesses all those elements and more.  It is at times disconcerting to witness what goes on behind the scenes of these huge operations, but it’s the reality too.

Grade: 8

In Memoriam

Sherman Hemsley (1938 – 2012)

sherman hemsley

The beloved George Jefferson of All in the Family and The Jeffersons passed away at age 74 of natural causes.  The Jeffersons was one of my favorite shows growing up.

R.I.P.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Rango

RangoGiven the good reviews Rango had gotten, I couldn’t wait to check it out, and I have to say that I liked it a lot.  The story is original more in the settings and look of the characters than in anything else, but it still feels quite fresh.

Synopsis: A pet chameleon with a lot of imagination ends up in the desert where he’s mistaken for a gunslinger and hired as the local sheriff to help the locals solve the mystery of the sudden drought that’s been plaguing the town.

The animation, created by ILM, is excellent and comparable to what we’ve grown accustomed to with Pixar.  The cast is very good, and Johnny Depp, as Rango, proves once again how good he can be at playing the underdog and the one who is different.

This might well be the first mainstream animated movie to take on the western genre and many of its scenes are homages and reenactments from famous westerns of Hollywood’s past.

The Bottom Line: A very enjoyable animated movie for the whole family, Rango has some very funny moments, is a pleasure for the eyes, and succeeds in creating a likable new character that might come back in the future.

Grade: 8