The Lovely Bones (Movie Review)
12.9.2009 | By Jack Rico |
12.6.2009 | By Jack Rico |
Hollywood.com picked up this revealing story about John Travolta’s TV habits. I don’t know if it is true, but if it is, I bet you a plethora of anglo actors do the same. Actually come to think of it, I interviewed Woody Allen years ago for ‘Deconstructing Harry’ and he unapolegetically said he watched Univision. Anderson Cooper told me one New Year’s day that he loved Primer Impacto (Univision)!?
Nevertheless, I’m gonna start getting to the bottom of all these in the closet habits by our stars. Travolta’s confession is below!
John Travolta (Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Old Dogs) admits he regularly switches onto network Telemundo to unwind, because he finds the Spanish language relaxing.
Travolta admits, “I watch Spanish television and listen to Spanish radio stations. The people are very beautiful. Latinos are very sexy. And there’s something soothing about it. But I don’t understand any of it.”
12.1.2009 | By SBC Staff |
Terminator: Salvation does not seem like a Terminator movie, at least when compared to what we have experienced from filmmakers James Cameron (The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) and Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines). This fourth Terminator is a different breed with a divergent feel, almost as if director McG (née Joseph McGinty Nichol) had decided to fuse Cormac McCarthy’s The Road with Transformers. Gone (at least mostly) are the time travel paradoxes and the concept of a single, indestructible villain. In their place is a futuristic war movie. With its idea of an insurgency striking against an implacable evil empire, there’s more than a little Star Wars in Terminator: Savlation, although not even at its Empire Strikes Back bleakest was Lucas’ series this dark.
For the first occasion in four movies, Terminator: Salvation does not move back and forth in time. Excepting a prologue in 2003, it stays rooted in 2018. This is a period not explored in previous installments of the cinematic series. Of course, after all of the muddying of the past that transpired in the second and third Terminator films, it’s no longer clear how much of the “established” future remains valid. As in Star Trek, we’re dealing with an alternate universe, so all bets are off. Will John Connor really become the legendary leader of a human resistance that overcomes the machines (as indicated in The Terminator)? Will he be killed by a T-800 that is subsequently re-programmed by his wife (as established in T3)? One of the problems with introducing time travel is that standard rules no longer apply. Filmmakers can do anything they want.
The screenplay for Terminator: Salvation went through a significant number of re-writes. It is credited to John Brancato & Michael Ferris, but was polished by the likes of Jonathan Nolan (who buffed it after Christian Bale came on board) and Paul Haggis. The result shows the effects of many fingerprints (too many subplots with too few payoffs), but it is more ambitious than the storyline for T3, which followed the basic “Cameron formula” established in the first two entries. Unfortunately, despite several rousing action sequences (involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, giant Transformers-like robots, and flying hunter-killers), the first two-thirds of Terminator: Salvation are rambling and disjointed. The final 30 minutes (or so) compensate for the deficiencies of what comes before. The climax is great – non-stop, kick-ass action and a surprise or two.
In 2018, John Connor (Christian Bale) is not yet the worldwide head of the human resistance. He is, however, one of many local leaders and the voice of the resistance on the radio. His superiors, led by the uncompromising General Ashdown (Michael Ironside), believe they have created a weapon that can shut down the machines if it’s brought to bear at a close enough range. Connor volunteers to test it. While doing this, he has a secondary objective: locate a younger version of his father, Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), who has been targeted by the machines for termination. Reese is skulking around the ruins of Los Angeles when he joins forces with a mysterious stranger named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), who is headed for San Francisco, the heart of the machine empire. Reese’s partnership with Marcus doesn’t last long – the machines capture the teenager, leaving Marcus with the job of finding John Connor to mount a rescue operation.
The weakness of the film results from the lack of a central villain. Random T-600 Terminators pop up from time-to-time, only to be dispatched rather quickly (although not necessarily easily – they are tough to destroy). There is conflict between Connor and Marcus, but neither is a bad guy; in fact, their goals align. Action movies need strong antagonists. The engine that drove the three previous Terminator movies was the threat represented by the time-traveling killers. With that missing, Terminator: Salvation has trouble locking onto a target. When does it snap into focus? When the T-800 makes its first, dramatic appearance. Suddenly, there’s a recognizable villain and a clear goal. All is right with the world.
McG, knowing his audience and being a fan, tosses out Easter Eggs. Composer Danny Elfman employs Brad Fiedel’s signature score at several key points. The first words uttered by Kyle Reese are: “Come with me if you want to live.” Later, Connor deadpans, “I’ll be back.” Linda Hamilton provides vocal work for when her son listens to the taped journals she recorded for him back in the 1980s. And Arnold Schwarzenegger is back, after a fashion, in the role that catapulted him to the action megastar stratosphere. When his character, who exists here as the result of digital mapping and effective editing, stepped onto the screen, the audience erupted. There’s no doubt this is the high point of Terminator: Salvation. It argues that if Schwarzenegger wants to return to the franchise after he leaves political office, the fans will welcome him back. In fact, one could argue that the actor’s absence is a hole McG can’t plug. The action sequences are pulse-pounding, the special effects are top-notch, and the post-apocalyptic atmosphere is palpable, but we’re kept waiting until the end for the real Terminator to show up.
Bale is suitably intense as Connor. This is a solid portrait of obsession and Bale dominates the screen. He’s more of a force here than in his Batman movies, but that’s to be expected since there’s no cowl and cape involved. Sam Worthington, a relatively new face to North American audiences, is an effective foil for Bale, although his American accent could use a little work. Perhaps the biggest surprise is Anton Yelchin. Although I wasn’t impressed by Yelchin’s version of Chekov in Star Trek, he nails Kyle Reese. It’s as if someone de-aged Michael Biehn 35 years and put him to work. Bryce Dallas Howard takes over for Claire Danes as Connor’s love interest, although she has little more to do than stand in the background holding her pregnant belly. Moon Bloodgood, as one of Connor’s underlings, has the “action female” role, although she’s no Linda Hamilton when it comes to physicality.
By radically destaturating color, sometimes to the point where scenes are almost black-and-white, McG develops a strong post-apocalyptic aesthetic. It’s a lot like the (recent) TV series Battlestar Galactica, where everything was dark and grimy, and bright colors rarely made appearances. One could argue that McG overdoes it a little, but he’s clearly not averse to traveling down potentially unappealing roads. The faux note of hope injected at the film’s end does little to dispel the fact that, if the humans win the war, the price is going to be astronomical.
Perhaps the ultimate problem with making more Terminator movies is that the entire story was told by Cameron in the first two movies and the subsequent sequels, including this one, have been struggling to explore corners where the time travel contrivance allows for flexibility and interpretation. Terminator: Salvation, like its immediate predecessor, is enjoyable and contains some top-notch action sequences, but it seems extraneous. This is everything a good summer movie should be and, while it does not dishonor the Cameron chapters of the saga, neither does it prove to be an indispensable adjunct to them.
12.1.2009 | By Mack Chico |
“The Last Station,” a drama about the last year in the life of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, and “Precious,” a harrowing tale about a pregnant African American teenager with an abusive mother, dominated Tuesday’s nominations for the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards, with both films earning five nominations each.
“The Last Station,” which opens in theaters Friday, was nominated for best film, best director and screenplay for Michael Hoffman, best female lead for Helen Mirren and supporting actor for Christopher Plummer. “Precious” was also nominated for best film, best director for Lee Daniels, best first screenplay for Gregory Fletcher, best female lead for Gabourey Sidibe and supporting actress for Mo’Nique.
Notably missing for the list of nominees was the acclaimed Iraq war drama, “The Hurt Locker,” which won the Gotham Independent Film award for best picture and ensemble Monday night, because it was nominated by the Spirits last year after it played at several film festivals in 2008. The film was released in theaters in 2009.
Rounding out the best picture nominees are the romantic comedy “(500) Days of Summer,” “Amreeka,” a drama about a single immigrant mother and son living in a small Illinois town, and the Spanish-language thriller “Sin Nombre.”
Joining Hoffman and Daniels in the best director category are Ethan and Joel Coen for “A Serious Man,” Cary Joji Fukunaga for “Sin Nombre” and James Gray for “Two Lovers.”
“A Single Man,” “Crazy Heart,” “Easier With Practice,” Paranormal Activity” and “The Messenger” earned nominations for best first feature. Joining Fletcher in the best first screenplay category are Sophie Barthes for “Cold Souls,” Scott Cooper for “Crazy Heart,” Cherien Dabis for “Amreeka” and Tom Ford and David Scearce for “A Single Man.”
Rounding out the best female lead nominees are Mario Bello for “Downloading Nancy,” Nisreen Faour for “Amreeka” and Gwyneth Paltrow for “Two Lovers.”
Vying for best male lead are Jeff Bridges for “Crazy Heart,” Colin Firth for “A Single Man,” Joseph Gordon-Levitt for “(500) Days of Summer,” Souleymane Sy Savane for “Goodbye Solo” and Adam Scott for “The Vicious Kind.”
Joining Mo’Nique in the best supporting actress category are Dina Korzun for “Cold Souls,” Samantha Morton for “The Messenger,” Natalie Press for “Fifty Dead Men Walking” and Mia Wasikowska for “That Evening Sun.”
In addition to Plummer, supporting actor nominations went to Jemaine Clement for “Gentlemen Broncos,” Woody Harrelson for “The Messenger,” Christan McKay for “Me and Orson Welles” and Raymond McKinnon for “That Evening Sun.”
Competing with Hoffman in the best screenplay category are Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman for “The Messenger,” Lee Toland Krieger for “The Vicious Kind,” Greg Mottola for “Adventureland” and Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber for “(500) Days of Summer.”
“A Serious Man” is this year’s recipient of the Robert Altman Award, which is given to the film’s director(s), casting director and ensemble cast.
To be eligible for a Sprits consideration, a feature films must be 70 minutes in length and the cost of a completed project must be under $20 million. A film also must have either screened at a major film festival including Sundance, Toronto or Film Independent’s own Los Angeles Film Festival or had a one-week engagement at a commercial theater.
Over the past quarter-century, several winners of the Spirit Award have gone on to earn an Academy Award including Penelope Cruz for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Juno” screenwriter Diablo Cody last year.
The laid-back awards’ ceremony traditionally takes place the Saturday afternoon before the Academy Awards in a massive tent on the beach in Santa Monica. But this year, the ceremony is moving to Friday evening March 5 in a tent on the event deck at L.A. Live downtown. The awards will air live and uncut on cable’s IFC.
Complete list of nominees for the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards, from Film Independent:
Best feature: “(500) Days of Summer,” “Amreeka,” “Precious,” “Sin Nombre,” “The Last Station”
Best director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, “A Serious Man”; Lee Daniels, “Precious”; Cary Joji Fukunaga, “Sin Nombre”; James Gray, “Two Lovers;” Michael Hoffman, “The Last Station”
Best screenplay: Alessandro Camon, Oren Moverman, “The Messenger”; Michael Hoffman, “The Last Station”; Lee Toland Krieger, “The Vicious Kind”; Greg Mottola, “Adventureland”; Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, “(500) Days of Summer”
Best first feature: “A Single Man,” “Crazy Heart,” “Easier With Practice,” “Paranormal Activity,” “The Messenger”
Best first screenplay: Sophie Barthes, “Cold Souls”; Scott Cooper, “Crazy Heart”; Cherien Dabis, “Amreeka”; Geoffrey Fletcher, “Precious”; Tom Ford, David Scearce, “A Single Man”
John Cassavetes Award: “Big Fan,” “Humpday,” “The New Year Parade,” “Treeless Mountain,” “Zero Bridge”
Best female lead: Maria Bello, “Downloading Nancy”; Nisreen Faour, “Amreeka”; Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”; Gwyneth Paltrow, “Two Lovers”‘ Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious”
Best male lead: Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”; Colin Firth, “A Single Man”; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “(500) Days of Summer”; Souleymane Sy Savane, “Goodbye Solo”; Adam Scott, “The Vicious Kind”
Best supporting female: Dina Korzun, “Cold Souls”; Mo’Nique, “Precious”; Samantha Morton, “The Messenger”; Natalie Press, “Fifty Dead Men Walking”; Mia Wasikowska, “That Evening Sun”
Best supporting male: Jemaine Clement, “Gentlemen Broncos”; Woody Harrelson, “The Messenger”; Christian McKay, “Me and Orson Welles”; Raymond McKinnon, “That Evening Sun”; Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”
Best cinematography: Roger Deakins, “A Serious Man”; Adriano Goldman, “Sin Nombre”; Anne Misawa, “Treeless Mountain”; Andrij Parekh, “Cold Souls”; Peter Zeitlinger, “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans”
Best documentary: “Anvil! The Story of Anvil,” “Food, Inc.,” “More Than a Game,” “October Country,” “Which Way Home”
Best foreign film: “A Prophet,” “An Education,” “Everlasting Moments,” “Mother,” “The Maid”
Acura Someone to Watch Award: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, “Easier With Practice”; Asiel Norton, “Redland”; Tariq Tapa, “Zero Bridge”
Truer Than Fiction Award: Natalia Almada, “El General”; Jessica Oreck, “Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo”; Bill Ross, Turner Ross, “45365”
Piaget Producers Award: Karin Chien, (“The Exploding Girl,” “Santa Mesa”); Larry Fessenden, (“I Sell the Dead,” “The House of the Devil”); Dia Sokol, (“Beeswax,” “Nights & Weekends”)
11.30.2009 | By Pau Brunet |
Studio execs should give plenty of thanks to female moviegoers: The Twilight Saga: New Moon and The Blind Side led the best-ever Thanksgiving weekend at the box office by drawing women and families into theaters, while male-centric newcomers Old Dogs and Ninja Assassin only earned so-so numbers.
Following its record-breaking first weekend, first-place finisher New Moon brought in $66 million over the three-day (Friday through Sunday) weekend, driving its cume to a fantastic $230.7 million — the sixth highest of the year, just below Star Trek ($257.7 million). Not far behind, The Blind Side came in at No. 2 with $40.1 million by appealing to audiences who would rather watch a movie about football than stay home for a game on TV. With a $100.3 million total so far, the pigskin pic is Sandra Bullock’s second $100 million hit of the year after this summer’s The Proposal ($164 million).
Disaster pic 2012 ($18 million) continued to perform well, beating a duo of new releases: the Robin Williams-John Travolta buddy pic Old Dogs (fourth place, $16.8 million) and the actioner Ninja Assassin (sixth place, $13.1 million). With a $24.1 million total so far, Old Dogs hasn’t captured the same men-of-a-certain-age crowds that drove Travolta’s Wild Hogs to a $39.7 million debut back in 2007. Meanwhile, Disney’s A Christmas Carol (fifth place, $16 million) got a holiday bump, jumping 30 percent over last weekend to a total of $105.3 million.
Specialty pics found modest success, with the animated Fantastic Mr. Fox earning $7 million Fri.-Sun. in its first wide-release weekend, and The Road grossing $1.5 million at 111 theaters.
Overall, the box office raked in an all-time high of $278 million over the five-day weekend.
11.24.2009 | By SBC Staff |
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and our editor-in-chief Jack Rico went to NBC‘s 30 Rockefeller Center in the heart of New York City, to chat with host David Ushery from The Debrief with David Ushery, about what family films to watch over the long awaited holiday weekend.
Among the films Jack suggested were:
On DVD
The Debrief with David Ushery can be seen on Non Stop New York, NBC’s new digital channel.
11.24.2009 | By Karen Posada |
This is definitely a chick flick for smart viewers; the drama which drags most chick flicks is taken lightly and sprinkled with unsuspected moments of hilarity. I didn’t know exactly what to expect of it but I came out glad to have gone through Pippa’s journeys along with her.
The film by director Rebecca Miller explores the life of Pippa Lee (Robin Wright Penn) a suburban housewife who seems to have it all together and be leading the perfect life. Her husband (Alan Arkin) an accomplished publisher who is 30 years older than her decides to move them out of NYC to a retirement community in Connecticut. Pippa as the perfect wife follows willingly, although we get a sense there’s something stirring within her that’s about to explode. She begins the narration of the life she has led up to the point where she met her current husband. We start seeing Pippa’s troubled past and wonder how she is so together in her present, but a series of weird occurrences take place which make everything fall in place. As her retired husband decides he can’t live in complete retirement she fills her time with activities and meets a younger man (Keanu Reeves), they begin to help each other through their paths of self-discovery.
Blake Lively from ‘Gossip Girl’ plays the younger version of Pippa Lee, her character’s fun, sensual personality combined with her innocence makes us want to help her out of the hole she digs herself into. Younger Pippa loves her mother (Maria Bello) but as she grows up she realizes her household is not what she thought it was, her mother’s addiction to drugs and her father’s (a priest) indifference takes her life for a spin.
These great actors are part of a puzzle that forms a beautifully imperfect picture. All the funny moments make the dramatic plot easy to watch without feeling overwhelmed or sad. Seeing how Pippa’s life turns out despite the complicated “lives” she’s led is delightful, seeing her come in to her own and finally realizing that there was no need to make a perfect persona but that accepting herself and the fact that life is full of surprises was the answer, gives us an uplifting conclusion.
