Rise of the Planet of the Apes
12.13.2011 | By Jack Rico |
12.13.2011 | By Alex Florez |
With a stunning backdrop of the Manhattan Skyline, 67 year old pianist Monty Alexander took center stage Saturday night hoping to wind back the clock and turn Jazz at Lincoln Center into Jilly’s Saloon, a famed Rat Pack hangout of the 1960s.
Accompanied by a group of masterful musicians and vocalists, Alexander paid tribute to his heroes Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole in a cabaret-like show with American standards such as “Come Fly With Me”, “My Kind of Town” and “L-O-V-E.”
For the role of Old Blue Eyes, Alexander enlisted 22 year-old baritone James DeFrances while tapping charismatic jazz artist Allan Harris to play the “King.” Both traded classics and made for a “swinging session,” but the real delight here was the show’s supporting cast.
Blues guitarist Russell Malone’s haunting solo rendition of “Where or When” might have easily stolen the show. It was the one interpretation of the night that seemed entirely heartfelt and evocative of the nostalgia Alexander was looking to capture with this concert series. Also impressive was percussionist Bobby Thomas Jr., who seemed to hypnotize the audience every time he was given the spotlight.
Alexander’s appreciation for the music of Sinatra and Cole is sincere, and for jazz lovers the tunes are timeless and a joy to experience live – especially by such a talented bunch. But somewhere a note is missed when trying to strike the right tone.
While DeFrances holds his own as a singer, he underwhelms as a performer – never quite looking comfortable with the rest of the group. That, is not how we all remember the Chairman of the Board. Thankfully, Harris picks up the slack with his exuberance and Alexander’s anecdotes serve as a reminder that he himself is a direct link to the Rat Pack era.
12.12.2011 | By Karen Posada |
The romantic comedy ‘New Year’s Eve’ took the first place in the box office this weekend, with a high sum in the United States of $13.7mil and $26.6 mil world-wide, although the number of movie goers in the United States is at its lowest in three years.
Jonah Hill’s comedy where he plays the role of a babysitter, ‘The Sitter’ followed with $10millions.
Lastly, ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part I’ went to the third spot after it was in first place for the last three weekends, it accumulated $7.9 million dollars in dim ticket sales.
The top 10 movies in the box office are:
1. ‘New Year’s Eve’ -$13.7millon
2. ‘The Sitter’- $10mil
3. ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’- $7.9 mil
4. ‘The Muppets’ – $7.1mil
5. ‘Arthur Christmas’ $6.6mil
6.’Hugo’-$6.1mil
7. ‘The Descendants’ -$4.8mil
8. ‘Happy Feet Two’ -$ 3.7mil
9.’Jack and Jill’ -$3.2mil
10. ‘Immortals’ – $2.4mil
12.11.2011 | By Jack Rico |
The digital film organization that I am a member of, the NYFCO (New York Film Critics Online), voted today for the best of the best in film for 2011.
There were some surprises for me, in particular, the animated category. I voted for Rango as the best, but the rest of my collegues felt strongly for Spielberg’s Tintin. I agree that on a visual, Tintin is extraordinary, but as a whole movie, the film dragged to point of boredom. Rango was intellectual, funny, unique, and had very adult themes.
Also interesting was Michael Shannon for ‘Take Shelter’ in the Best Actor category. He wasn’t a favorite, but nevertheless, I’m happy he took the award as opposed to undeserved Clooney. Shannon is one hell of an actor. He was excellent in Revolutionary Road and was the best part of The Runaways. He should’ve been nominated for Best Supporting actor at the Oscars in 2010.
So many more deserved and surprising moments such as Melissa McCarthy for ‘Bridesmaids’ over Octavia Spencer from ‘The Help’ in the Supporting Actress category. Read on and enjoy the beauty that is film criticism during award season.
BEST FILM
“The Artist”
TOP PICTURES OF 2011 (alphabetical)
“The Artist” (The Weinstein Company)
“The Descendants” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
“Drive” (Film District)
“The Help” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Hugo” (Paramount Pictures)
“Melancholia” (Magnolia Pictures)
“Midnight in Paris” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Take Shelter” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“The Tree of Life” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
“War Horse” (Dreamworks Pictures)
DIRECTOR
Michael Hazanavicius for “The Artist”
ACTOR
Michael Shannon for “Take Shelter”
ACTRESS
Meryl Streep for “The Iron Lady”
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Albert Brooks for “Drive”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Melissa McCarthy for “Bridesmaids”
CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Tree of Life” – Emmanuel Lubezki
SCREENPLAY
“The Descendants” – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
“A Separation”
DOCUMENTARY
“Cave of Forgotten Dreams”
ANIMATED FEATURE
“The Adventures of Tin Tin”
USE OF MUSIC
“The Artist” – Ludovic Bource
BREAKOUT PERFORMER
Jessica Chastain for “The Tree of Life, “The Help,”The Debt,” “Take Shelter”
DEBUT AS DIRECTOR
Joe Cornish for “Attack the Block”
ENSEMBLE CAST
“Bridesmaids”
12.7.2011 | By Karen Posada |
There’s not much to expect from ‘New Year’s Eve’, unfortunately this movie with so many well known actors doesn’t have much to give; not even entertainment value. I can’t help but compare it with Garry Marshall’s ‘Valentine’s Day’, the director used the exact same recipe here: tie in about 7 stories and try to use some humor along with drama on the biggest holiday of the year. It’s tough to get the audience to care about a character with so many things going on and so many stories to follow, you don’t get much of a background on the characters and just when you are starting to get into one of the stories it changes to the next one. The biggest star in the movie is of course New York City, a place where the holidays; New Year’s Eve in particular is like no other.
The film is an analogy to new beginnings, looking back in the past and pushing the rewind button to not make the same mistakes and to accomplish the resolutions we procrastinated on. The only story that has a little substance is that of Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) a woman who has followed the same routine for years and worked endlessly without being appreciated until one day she decides to change it all and we have a little fun with her exploring NYC. We basically follow around the whole cast as they prepare for midnight, some are anxious about their midnight kiss, others are anti-holiday, others are nostalgic about the year that has passed and others are too busy working to care about the holiday. The love stories are predictable and boring, there are some minor twists but not exiting enough to improve the movie.
The audience was surprised with some guest appearances, but we already had enough of a cast for me to find it necessary. The Hispanics in the movie Ava (Sofia Vergara) and Kominsky (Hector Elizondo) have small supporting roles, Vergara plays the exact same character she does in her hit show ‘Modern Family’ with awkward anecdotes and childish behavior, who knows if they’ll ever cast her as something besides a stereotype. Elizondo is always a Marshall aka the help, so no surprise there.
A 2 hour-long movie of running around is exhaustingly boring, the movie has a nice (not original) concept but it’s not enough. I’m not sure how I feel seeing Academy Award winners such as Halle Berry and Hilary Swank in such petty roles that seem to be for amateurs. The only thing this movie inspired in me is a curiosity to actually be crazy enough to see the ball drop live in Times Square and I enjoyed recognizing the different sights in NYC, such as Smith Street in Brooklyn towards the end of the film.
12.6.2011 | By Ted Faraone |
Helmer Jon Favreau seems to have found his métier as a director of sci-fi flicks. That may be good for his bank account, but not so good for auds. Favreau is a very talented guy who has done just about everything that one can do in film and largely done it well. A few box office hits in the sci-fi genre with bankable stars in the cast (Iron Man and Iron Man 2) have shown him the light. It’s not exactly the headlight of an oncoming train at the end of the tunnel, but he could do better.
Cowboys & Aliens, which opens Friday, July 29, is a silly movie. That is not to say that it isn’t fun to watch. Even the 1936 propaganda film, “Reefer Madness” (a.k.a. Tell Your Children) offers a degree of amusement. But watching “Cowboys & Aliens” is akin to ordering from a Chinese buffet menu — One from column A, two from column B. Pic is a blend of clichés from high-tech sci-fi pix (think “Aliens,” “Priest,” and “Super 8”), a morality tale, and a western, topped off by a sucker-punch to auds delivered by a hummingbird.
It also stars Daniel Craig as bandito Jake Lonnergan who has a bad case of amnesia and Harrison Ford as former Union Army Civil War Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde and current local cattleman and padrone of a one-horse town in the wild American West of 1873. In other words, it was bankable. Dolarhyde is a greedy bastard who has trouble showing emotion. He also has a son, Percy (Paul Dano) who is the local bully. Keith Carradine is perhaps one of pic’s two or three most convincing thesps as the local sheriff. And Olivia Wilde graces the screen as a good space alien — which explains why her eye makeup withstands explosions, physical attack by bad space aliens, and plunges into deep water. Max Factor, eat your heart out! At least she gets a better part than she had in “Priest.”
Throw in a cast of thousands including a plucky kid (Noah Ringer), a loyal dog, a tough-talking minister (Clancy Brown), and an Indian chief (Raoul Trujillo), and a bunch of bad space aliens who look like a cross between the thing from “Super 8” and the acid-blooded creatures from “Aliens,” and shake until the mixing glass is frosty. You get a movie of sorts.
What little humor “Cowboys & Aliens” offers comes from some deadpanned punchlines uttered by Craig, Carradine, and Brown. Dialogue is not pic’s strong suit. Best lines seem to go to Trujillo who allegedly speaks only in the Apache language.
There is a moment in an adventure or crime movie when an experienced filmgoer will say to himself — or to the very attractive and incisive amateur critic seated to his left), “I knew that was going to happen.”
“Cowboys & Aliens” has more than a few.
Pic opens with a wounded Craig waking up in a desolate landscape wearing an odd metal bracelet and being set upon by a trio of bad guys. He dispatches them with super-human dispatch, a gift which serves him well throughout pic’s 118 minutes.
Arriving in the one-horse town, he dispatches the local bully and gets the attention of gun toting Ella (Wilde) and the sheriff, who recognizes him from a “Wanted” poster. What Craig doesn’t remember is that he has stolen gold from Ford and that he was abducted and escaped from the bad space aliens. Evidently amnesia is one of the after-effects of alien abduction.
Just as Craig and Percy the bully (who accidentally shoots a deputy) are about to be handed over to U.S. Marshalls, Ford arrives to spring his kid. At the same time, the bad aliens attack the town with what appear to be jet fighter-bombers. In the process they kidnap about half the inhabitants.
The rest of pic centers on a few revelations (Craig’s memory slowly returns thanks to Ella and some Indian mysticism) and the need for banditi, greedy guys, a good space alien, and the Apache to join forces to defeat the aliens before the planet is taken over for its gold deposits. The bad space aliens arrived on a rocket-powered space ship which contains both gold mining and refining equipment. Like Nazis, they even pull the gold teeth from their captives.
Ending is totally predictable. Harrison Ford’s shell cracks. The “Wanted” poster is forgotten. The bad aliens appear to be dispatched, some good guys die heroic deaths, and the plucky kid comes of age early.
Pic’s sucker punch comes in the form of a hummingbird, a special-effects hummingbird, no less, connected to Ella, which appears to Craig first as he regains his memory and again in the final reel only to scream a figurative “sequel!”
“Cowboys & Aliens” offers more than a few good action scenes. Special effects, save the bad aliens, are not bad. Best effect is Wilde emerging buck naked from a funeral pyre set for her by the Apache. In order to keep pic’s PG-13 rating Craig covers her with an Indian blanket before any more than her fine backside appears on screen. Have no fear in taking the kids.
The morality tale, utterly politically correct in today’s climate, is that greedy people have to set aside their greed and unite with their erstwhile enemies for the common good.
A final note: “Cowboys & Aliens” boasts a list of writers, producers, executive producers, and production companies almost as long as its cast of thousands. With that many cooks, it is no wonder that the stew verges on mish-mash.
12.2.2011 | By Jack Rico |
In what can be considered one of the most intense films of the year till now, ‘Shame’ from Afro-American director Steve McQueen, will make you reanalyze you opinion about sexual addiction disease. Michael Fassbender’s (X-Men: First Class) acting can only be considered brilliant and his chance of being nominated for an Oscar is almost guaranteed. The film pushes the boundaries of nudity to levels of high discomfort for the usual movie goer, and because of this, for those that go to see it I suggest you to keep and open mind free of judgments. Â
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The plot develops around Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender), a man of thirty something living in a comfortable apartment in New York. To avoid his work routine he seduces women, in a series of stories without a future and one night stands. His methodical and organized life style is altered with a surprise visit from his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan), a rebellious and problematic girl. Her high strong presence will make Brandon loose control over his own world.
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Because of this visceral premise, the MPPA, the organization in charged of classifying films in the USA, has decided to label it NC-17. This means that people younger than 17 years old will not be able pay to see it. This is the first movie in 2011 to get this rating due to the sexually explicit scenes and situations that McQueen presents, in particular, the three shots of the main actor’s genitals at the beginning of the film.Â
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Besides the intriguing story, we have to talk about the Michael Fassbender’s unforgettable performance, not only does it give the movie wings in this award season, but he clearly represents the suffering of a sickness that undergoes a lot of skepticism in society. Is sexual addition really a legitimate sickness or just a simple excuse that men use to apologize for their promiscuity? Fassbender’s character is humanly damaged and he can’t seem to find a solution. That frustration becomes bitterness, which we can see on his face and his eyes in almost every scene. It’s an amazing representation worth of applause.
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The director Steve McQueen uses the protagonist as his personal relief to show with all of his artistic capability the embarrassment and shame of this addiction. There’s no eroticism here, only physical, emotional and psychological filth that has no redemption. The film takes place in New York and you can see the influence it has had from directors such as Abel Ferrara, Martin Scorsese and Sidney Lumet. Â
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‘Shame’ is one of the best movies of the year, but it’s not easy to watch. The plot will disturb many, but that same reaction will have you glued to the screen from beginning to end.
11.29.2011 | By Ted Faraone |
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It is sometimes amazing to see a well-worn Hollywood formula repackaged for the umpteenth time and still work. Such is the case of “Friends with Benefits,†a star vehicle for Justin Timberlake (art director Dylan) and Mila Kunis (headhunter Jamie). Before the opening titles there are two breakups: Dylan’s girl in LA dumps him and Jamie’s boyfriend in New York dumps her — just as both are dragging their tardy guys to their favorite chick flicks. Via a cute bit of editing (kudos to Tia Nolan) auds are led to believe briefly that it is one breakup — Dylan and Jamie — until the bi-coastal synchronicity sets in. Both battle scarred veterans retire from the field. No more romance for them.
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Jamie lures Dylan to New York for a job interview to be the new art director of GQ Magazine. He aces the interview. The pair become fast friends — as in we like each other but there’s no sex. That changes when Jamie utters, “God! I want sex.â€Â Can two great friends have a sexual relationship that is “no relationship, no emotions, just sex, whatever happens?â€Â Auds will quickly figure out the answer. As Stephen Sondheim wrote in one of the lyrics to A Little Night Music, eventually the nets descend. The questions for “Friends with Benefits†are “How long will the arrangement last?â€, “When will the nets descend?â€, and “What happens after the inevitable breakup?â€
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While skein is busy answering said questions, pic reveals itself as a valentine to New York City, which is as much a character as any of the cast. In the opening reel Jamie takes Dylan on a tour of New York to sell him on leaving LA. It’s full “fish out of water†Angelino in Gotham jokes, but it works — both cinematically and as a plot device. Dylan is sold. Good thing, too, because by the time they get to the “just sex†part, pic is on to its second reel.
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It’s nice to see Timberlake in a non-smarmy role, which he handles convincingly, but it is Kunis who steals her scenes as the tough, fast-talking, wisecracker. Supporting roles are notable. Patricia Clarkson does a star-turn as Jamie’s goofy, ex-hippie mom wherein there is a running gag about the nationality of Jamie’s dad. Woody Harrelson has the unenviable task of being comic relief in a comedy. His over-the-top gay sports editor sports more cliché gay jock jokes than your critic imagined exist. To his credit, he plays the role big, bold, and farcical — think of Zach Galifianakis minus the annoying aspects. Richard Jenkins as Dylan’s dad suffering the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease and Jenna Elfman as sister Annie anchor pic’s serious scenes. Jenkins comes across as sympathetic rather than pathetic. Elfman has the least to work with but does well with what scribes Harley Peyton, David A. Newman, Keith Merryman and Will Gluck (who also directed) give her as the primary caregiver for dad and her son, a ten-year-old tuxedoed magician (Nolan Gould) whose trick failures are another one of pic’s myriad running gags. In this regard “Friends with Benefits†bares careful scrutiny. There are no loose ends. Everything that happens in the picture happens for a reason and will probably happen again to move the plot along — or at least leave auds saying, “I knew that was coming.â€Â Sharp-eyed viewers will notice Paul Mazursky’s 1969 sexual revolution comedy, “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,†unspooling on a TV in the background of one scene. It is one of pic’s many inside-film references.
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Plot hinges on the overheard conversation, a truly shopworn device, but it gets the point across. Jamie, unseen by Annie and Dylan, listens to Dylan argue with his sister that there is no relationship between Jamie and him; that the girl is damaged goods. This leads to the inevitable breakup which takes place on Independence Day weekend at Dylan’s oceanfront boyhood home in what appears to be Santa Barbara.
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Rest of pic’s 109 minutes are spent keeping auds guessing whether it will end as a romantic comedy (“Before Sunsetâ€) or a weeper (“The Break-Upâ€). Dénouement’s impetus comes from two characters both unlikely given their backgrounds and at the same time very likely given Hollywood tradition: The parents. Jenkins’ Mr. Harper in a lucid moment, punctuated by a perfectly timed gag, clarifies Dylan’s thinking. Goofy, unreliable Lorna (Clarkson) does likewise for Jamie. This plot trick has been done to death, but here it enjoys a resurrection.
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“Friends with Benefits†is rated R. For once the R rating is right. There’s plenty of language and some pretty hot sex. Children won’t understand it. However, for adults it offers good lensing, adequate sound, and about a laugh a minute — even in the serious scenes.
11.29.2011 | By Karen Posada |
There are so many spy films out there that in order to appreciate a new one it has to have an element very few offer, ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ has it but not enough to entertain for more than an hour. The movie does well in drawing in the audience with its retro look and mysterious scenes but its game of cat and mouse starts getting boring. The fine acting in it gives it appeal as well as the fact that it’s based on a continuous successful story: John Le Carré’s book and TV miniseries from the 70’s.
Le Carré gave director Thomas Alfredson his blessing to create his own version of this well-known story, he told him “Please don’t shoot the book or remake the TV miniseries. They already exist.” The story is about discovering a mole that has infiltrated the English Secret Intelligence Services’ most secure circle referred to as “the circus”; it is set in 1973 during the Cold War. This was a period where the whole world was shaking with uncertainty and none trusted their own shadow. The director did an excellent job setting the piece in the 70’s it could be easily mistaken for something done in the era with the sepia colors, fashion and environment.
The story begins with a secret job done by Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) gone wrong and it opens up a whole can of worms. This incident puts George Smiley (Gary Oldman) into forced retirement, which he then is pulled out of in order to find the double agent inside the agency working for the soviets. Smiley works off the list of 5 men the head of the Circus “Control” had pinned down when he still worked for the service. These are all men Smiley has known most of his career: Percy Alleline (Toby Jones) code named Tinker, Bill Haydon (Colin Firth) known as Tailor, Roy Bland (Ciarán Hinds) nicknamed Soldier, Toby Esterhase (David Denick) and the last man on Control’s list is Smiley himself. Smiley is the perfect spy he blends in and is hard to notice at the beginning of the film where he barely utters a word, but as the film develops we see the beauty of Oldman’s acting while he gets help from the only two men he can trust Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy) who shows up unexpectedly asking for help in exchange of information and Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) an agent eager to learn.
It is said Le Carré’s story was so successful back in the 70’s because the Cold War and espionage was something many people could relate to at the time, so hearing a real spy tell his stories was worth seeing. The same can be said of this film because Oldman does an excellent job to try to involve us in the story but there are elements in the movie that confuse and bore us. The technique of flashbacks is used a lot throughout the narration, which works, but when we have continuous flashbacks and back and forth opinions on who might be the mole it just starts getting unappealing. There is more than one interesting story tying the movie together but by the time we finally find out who the mole is we no longer care and we forgot what information was even given to the other side to feel relieved.
It is refreshing to see a movie involving spies that doesn’t have much action or gore, with a few scenes in exception. Unfortunately though I think we have become accustomed to a small dosage of either or both in order to enjoy a good story. I see this more as a movie to pop in on a lazy Sunday as long as you are feeling awake enough to try to follow all the twists and chatter to figure out who the mole is. PS. Look out for Oldman’s favorite scene that he told us about in our interview, where he does a long monologue without the help of flashbacks a fine piece of acting!
