Movie Reviews and Ratings

Exclusive! Oliver Stone hints at a possible ‘Wall Street 3’

2010/09/21 at 12:00am

Exclusive! Oliver Stone hints at a possible ‘Wall Street 3’

09.21.2010 | By Jack Rico |

New York (USA), September 21 (ShowBizCafe.com) – Styling a Clark Gable like mustache on the red carpet of his new film ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps‘, director Oliver Stone, who has won three Oscar awards (Midnight Express, Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July), did not deny the possibilities of making a trilogy out of Wall Street.

Surrounded by a cornucopia of overzealous and zestful reporters, ShowBizCafe.com was on hand to ask the filmmaker, given the film’s final scenes, if it was possible to see the return of Gordon Gekko for a third time. “Well, let’s open it on Friday and hope so. I don’t know, we’ll see where we are with Michael and all that,” said Stone. He was referring to the health of actor Michael Douglas who is currently suffering from throat cancer and undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. According to the co-stars of the film, Douglas never showed signs of weakness during the filming of the sequel.

However, if Douglas recovers and the film does well at the box office, Stone would have no reason not to make a third chapter in the life of Gekko. We are living in an age where many Hollywood movie studios and directors like to squeeze the very last drop any franchise has to offer an Wall Street shouldn’t be any different. If the ideal scenarios go right the way, a Wall Street trilogy would be too appetizing to pass up, even for Stone.

In “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” Michael Douglas plays a reformed Gekko. The film takes place 23 years after the events of the original film. The award-winning performance from Douglas as Gordon Gekko in the original Wall Street won the actor an Oscar for Best Actor in 1988 and has eventually become a pop icon for uttering the famous line – “Greed is good”. ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ opens in theaters September 24.

By Jack Rico

2010/09/21 at 12:00am

DVD Reviews Reviews

El Secreto De Sus Ojos

09.21.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Rating: 4.5

Rated: R for a rape scene, violent images, some graphic nudity and language.
Release Date: 2010-04-16
Starring: Juan José Campanella
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:Argentina
Official Website: http://www.elsecretodesusojos.com/

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By Jack Rico

2010/09/21 at 12:00am

DVD Reviews Reviews

Robin Hood

09.21.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Rating: 3.0

Rated: PG-13 for violence including intense sequences of warfare, and some sexual content.
Release Date: 2010-05-14
Starring: Brian Helgeland
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.robinhoodthemovie.com/

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The new adaptation of Robin Hood, directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) and starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett hits the big screen after much anticipation and hype. Is this the definitive version to ever be done by Hollywood? Not by far, but it is a noble intent. This adaptation is a prequel, that is, an account of the origins of the green hero before he stole from the rich and helped the poor. The film has some fine moments but also lacks of a fresh new approach to an old story.

The plot begins with the death of King Richard of England (Danny Huston) and Robin Longstride (Crowe) traveling to Nottingham, a city that suffers from corruption and oppressive taxes from the sheriff, to start a new life. There, Robin falls in love with the widow Lady Marion (Blanchette), meets Friar Tuck (Mark Addy) and fights in the war against the French.

To be fair, I found the film to be entertaining and visually absorbing, but due to weak development of the story and shortcomings of some secondary characters, there were moments of confusion in several of its sequences. For example, for most of the film, I could not distinguish who were the British or the French, I couldnâ€™t understand the dialogue very well at first due to the rough and the villains motives werenâ€™t fleshed out properly.

However, if youâ€™re looking to entertain yourself, any imperfections the film might have are put aside for the high level entertainment value. I particularly left satisfied enough to recommend it for a few reasons: one because Crowe and Blanchette are tremendous actors, second because the director Ridley Scott captured beautiful scenes, and third, the locations and details of the movie transport you to back to that period. Robin Hood is worth the watch.

Ben Affleck’s ‘The Town’ is #1 at the box office!

By Mack Chico

2010/09/20 at 12:00am

Movies

Ben Affleck’s ‘The Town’ is #1 at the box office!

09.20.2010 | By Mack Chico |

The latest film directed and starring Ben Affleck, The Town, which takes place in his hometown of Boston, led the weekend box office in the U.S. and Canada, according preliminary figures Sunday’s tracker Exhibitor Relations.

The Town, the second film directed by Affleck, generated $23.8 million taking down the fourth installment of the Resident Evil series from the top of the box office.

In second place stood the smart teen flick, ‘Easy A’ in which a student lies about losing her virginity to increase her popularity. It made $18.2 million dollars.

Devil, a supernatural thriller in which Satan holds a group of people in the elevator of a building in Philadelphia did $12.6 million for third place, followed by Resident Evil: Afterlife, which passes the $ 26.7 million raised the last weekend (released), only 10.1 million this weekend.

Here are the top 10 for the weekend:

1. The Town, $23.8 million
2. Easy A, $18.2 million
3. Devil, $12.6 million
4. Resident Evil: Afterlife, $10.1 million; $44 million
5. Alpha and Omega, $9.2 million
6. Takers, $3 million; $52.3 million
7. The American, $2.8 million; $32.9 million
8. Inception, $2.015 million; $285.2 million
9. The Other Guys, $2 million; $115.4 million
10. Eat Pray Love, $1.7 million; $77.7 million – tied with Machete, $1.7 million; $24.3 million

By Jack Rico

2010/09/19 at 12:00am

Reviews

Catfish

09.19.2010 | By Jack Rico |

‘Devil’

By Jack Rico

2010/09/17 at 12:00am

Movies Reviews

Devil (Movie Review)

09.17.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Last night I had the chance to see the first screening of ‘Devil,’ written and conceptualized by M. Night Shyamalan, the same guy who everyone seems to be laughing at nowadays. The movie in my mind was entertaining, suspenseful, freaky at times, thrilling and what I think to be, a wonderful and captivating premise.

Five strangers (Logan Marshall-Green, Geoffrey Arend, Bojana Novakovic, Jenny O’Hara, Bokeem Woodbine) in Philadelphia begin their day with the most commonplace of routines. They walk into an office tower and enter an elevator. As they convene into this single place, they are forced to share a confined space with strangers. Nobody acknowl- edges anybody else. They’ll only be together for a few moments. But what appears to be a random occurrence is anything but coincidental when the car becomes stuck. Fate has come calling. Today these strangers will have their secrets revealed, and face a reckoning for their transgressions. Slowly, methodically, their situation turns from one of mere annoyance to sheer helplessness and abject terror. Terrible things begin to happen to each of them, one by one, and suspicion shifts as to who among the five is making it all happen…until they learn the unspeakable truth: one of them is the Devil himself. As those on the outside try in vain to free them, the remaining passengers realize that the only way to survive is to confront the very wickedness that has led them to today.

Devil is the first installment of The Night Chronicles, a series of terrifying stories conceived by Mr. Shyamalan that he now turns into movies with up-and- coming filmmakers. The man chosen for his fist foray into the series is John Erick Dowdle, who displayed a natural sensibility for camera placement and pacing.

Perhaps one of the most delightful experiences of the film was accomplished Spanish composer, Fernando Velázquez’ Hitchcockian score. It was an obvious throwback to the classic Hitchcock scores of Rope, The Man Who Knew Too Much, etc.

The movie is also sprinkled with a plethora of superstitious Latino legends and myths about the devil that I remember hearing ever since I was a kid. Shyamalan did great work in incorporating that Latino theme into the film via Ramirez the security guard (Jacob Vargas), a devout Catholic, recent immigrant who is superstitious and the first to realize the demonic aspects of what is happening in his building. He’s trying to convince the others that the events taking place are supernatural. Vargas played the part innocuously somber, but peppered with a touch of unintentional humor.

The acting by the cast was very solid and not at all deserving of criticism. There was really no blunders to speak of, which is why I can’t review this film as if it were bad. It’s actually good!

I’ve seen all of Shyamalan’s films and I have to say to those who think his films are deplorable, then you haven’t seen Vampires Suck or Miss March. Devil serves its purpose as entertaining escapism and it does it well. It will make you cringe and twinge all while still subtly humoring you. The quality to scare people is a difficult task for any director and Devil manages to do it without misstep. Devil serves up the scares, the screams and the creepiness. Is it the best horror film of the year? No, but you will get your money’s worth.

Movie Review: M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Devil’

By Jack Rico

2010/09/17 at 12:00am

Movies

Movie Review: M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Devil’

09.17.2010 | By Jack Rico |

The acting by the cast was very solid and not at all deserving of criticism. There was really no blunders to speak of, which is why I can’t write about a bad film.

I’ve seen all of Shyamalan’s films and I have to say to those who think his films are deplorable, then you haven’t seen ‘Vampires Suck’ or ‘Miss March’. Devil serves its purpose as entertaining escapism and it does it well. It will make you cringe and twinge all while still subtly humoring you. The quality to scare people is a difficult task for any director and Devil manages to do it without misstep. Devil serves up the scares, the screams and the creepiness. Is it the best horror film of the year? No, but you will get your money’s worth.

By Jack Rico

2010/09/16 at 12:00am

Reviews

The Town

09.16.2010 | By Jack Rico |

In his second effort as a director, actor Ben Affleck tackles another Boston theme film in ‘The Town,’ about a romance that stems from a bank heist. This sophomore project is not as enthralling as his first film ‘Gone Baby Gone,’ yet, it is perhaps one of the better films of the 2010. Come Oscar time, it wouldn’t surprise me if it is elected to the ten best films of the year. The acting is wonderful yet again, the story is as interesting as any other this year and its entertaining enough to keep you from ever thinking of ‘Gigli’.

On the surface, ‘The Town’ is a bank heist film and a darn good one too, but at its core, it is about a guy who’s trying to get out of the slum, and more importantly, the life of crime he’s inherited from his father. The premise follows Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck), a ‘good guy’ bank robber who is the leader of a crew of ruthless bank robbers, who pride themselves on taking what they want and getting out clean. However, everything changed on the gang’s last job when Jem (Jeremy Renner) briefly took a hostage: bank manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). Doug unfortunately crosses the line and becomes romantically involved with the hostage. Yes, he’s crazy, but it’s part of the thrill of the tension-filled film. Don Draper (cough), I mean Jon Hamm, decides he’s Melvin Purvis and Eliot Ness combined and is on a mission to get Doug and Jem. So what’s it going to be Doug? Betray your friends or lose the woman you love?

Compared to other recent crime dramas, like Brooklyn’s Finest or Pride and Glory, this one stands higher because the characters feel more real, like they could exist in real life, except of course, Don Draper who is a walking comic book.

Affleck co-wrote, directed and acted in this film, which is not an easy task for anyone, just ask Woody Allen and Quentin Tarantino. He is establishing he has a skilled and adroit hand at the camera, emotional depth as an actor with each passing film and a keen and intuitive sense for story selections.

The film has very good entertaining value. It has sequences full action and suspense worthy of knots in your stomach. If you like bank heist films this will definitely be on the top of your list along with ‘Inside Man,’ but without the rapid cutting, loud thumping explosions helicopter scenes. This is slower paced, the characters are more thoroughly developed, almost methodically. The Town is a fantastic selection for this weekend and any other time you want to see a film that is a bit better than the rest.

By Karen Posada

2010/09/15 at 12:00am

Movies

Karen Posada reviews ‘Never Let Me Go’

09.15.2010 | By Karen Posada |

‘Never Let Me Go‘ is based on a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, the drama is followed by a sci-fi twist that can be perceived as realistic. It is developed over three different chapters narrated by Kathy (Carey Mulligan), who tells the story retrospectively, which should give you a better sense of the story but still leaves some gaps in it. The film has a nostalgic feel all throughout, the characters are seen smiling on screen briefly; the pained feeling is always floating in the atmosphere. This thriller/drama is well done, but if it wasn’t for the ambiguity of key points to the movie it could have been better.You will be left with a hollow feeling after watching it and after being hit with a very strong closing line.

The story is set in England, it revolves around Kathy and her two childhood friends Ruth (Keira Knightley) and Tommy (Andrew Garfield), who grew up in a boarding school for special children called Hailsham. The school seems to be an orphanage as the only adults are the teachers better known as ‘guardians’, here the children are taught to take care of their bodies and obey all rules without questioning them. The children’s faith is revealed pretty early in the story and that is what sets the mood for the rest of the film. The love triangle that is formed and continues to follow the children into their adulthood is meant to be a strong aspect of the movie and although it is easy to sympathize with it, their naivety and innocence which brings them together takes away from the strength of this bond.

These three children are forced into companionship by their own loneliness and fear of a world that they don’t know. When at 18 they leave the premises of Hailsham knowing the purpose for their existence they try to explore the world around them and figure out where they came from. Kathy becomes isolated by the relationship between her friends and she suffers silently until she makes the decision to change her life, even if it is still within the realm of what she is allowed in the few opportunities they are given. When they reach adulthood they try to fix mistakes made in the past and try to change the path they were given.

Knightley’s casting as a secondary character was surprising, but by the nature of the character it is understood, she gives a good performance and even makes us pity her. Mulligan’s innocence is really convincing and her sweet and obedient attitude keep the mood of the movie steady and at some points you just want to shake her to give her some confidence. Garfield is just there, but he does play one of the strongest moments of the movie remarkably. For director Mark Romanek this is definitely a step up from One hour photo.

The movie questions ethics, humanity, relationships and how much we really understand about our own lives and our purpose on earth as well as our time in it. The story line is good but it is not strong enough to be convincing. It is worth a watch specially for the hopeless romantics, but it is also worth the wait on the DVD.