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Movie Reviews and Ratings

Mickey Rourke says yes to ‘Broken Horses’
Mack Chico
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2009/01/30 at 12:00am

Movies

Mickey Rourke says yes to ‘Broken Horses’

01.30.2009 | By |

Mickey Rourke says yes to 'Broken Horses'

Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke will star in Indian writer-director Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Hollywood debut, the gangster caper “Broken Horses,” the director said Friday.

Co-produced by Mumbai-based Reliance Big Pictures, “Horses,” which will shoot in New Mexico and New York, is part of a multipicture deal between Chopra and the Indian studio.

It also marks RBG’s first Hollywood effort since its parent company, Reliance Entertainment, funded DreamWorks’ exit from Paramount for $550 million.

Mark Johnson (“Chronicles of Narnia”) will executive produce the film, which is based on an original story by Chopra. It’s being turned into a screenplay by Indian writer Abhijat Joshi and script consultant Jason Richman (“Bangkok Dangerous”).

In a statement Friday, Chopra said that he met Rourke in Los Angeles after a special screening of “The Wrestler,” the film that earned him an Oscar nomination as well as the best actor prize at last month’s Golden Globes.

“I was bowled over by his performance,” Chopra said. “Both of us had an instant connect when we met in Los Angeles. He was my first choice and was finalized even before he won the Golden Globe. It’s great to have him on board for one of the key roles in the film. Mickey deserves all the acclaim he is getting, and I hope he wins the Oscar as well.”

Chopra is one of India’s best-known filmmakers, from his breakthrough feature as a director, 1989’s “Parinda” (Bird), to such recent producing successes as the comedy caper “Lage Raho Munnabhai” (Keep Going Munnabhai).

Chopra’s 1979 film “An Encounter With Faces” was nominated for an Oscar in the nonfiction short category.

Taken
Alex Florez
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2009/01/29 at 12:00am

Reviews

Taken

01.29.2009 | By |

Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language.
Release Date: 2009-01-30
Starring: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: France
Official Website: http://www.takenmovie.com/

Go to our film page

Taken

For years now, french filmmaker Luc Besson (The Transporter) has been hemorrhaging preposterous action films that are wildly unsophisticated in their storytelling but that are also inexplicably entertaining.  Taken is no exception. 

Yet the Besson-written screenplay is directed by another frenchmen, Pierre Morel, who at least for this film, happens to share his exact same sensibility:  A reckless disregard for character development because the order of the day is a ‘shoot-em up thriller’.

Unsurprisingly then, the film’s premise is pretty straightforward. It centers on a former government operative named Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) who is on the hunt for a fearsome organization that has taken his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), with whom he has just started to rekindle a relationship with.  After being absent for most of her life, Mills will terrorize all of Paris hunting down the band of kidnappers to prove his fatherhood.

Despite its slow beginning, hokey dialogue, and poor acting on everyone’s account (Maggie Grace being especially unbearable), the film doesn’t ever pretend to be more than it really is. It’s just strange to see Neeson, such an accomplished actor, playing the type of role usually reserved for people like Jason Statham. 

I know what I’m getting into when when I watch these films and so I’m rarely disappointed.  And If you have the slightest appetite for the genre, then it should be an easy 90 minutes of film to watch.

Taken is the type of film that easily gets filed under the ‘really bad films I’d watch category’.

The Uninvited
Jack Rico
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2009/01/28 at 12:00am

Reviews

The Uninvited

01.28.2009 | By |

Rated: PG-13 for violent and disturbing images, thematic material, sexual content, language and teen drinking.
Release Date: 2009-01-30
Starring: Craig Rosenberg, Doug Miro
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.uninvitedmovie.com/

Go to our film page

The Uninvited

‘The Uninvited’ is not your prototypical horror, suspense film. It actually makes an attempt at telling a good dramatic murder story, unfortunately it falls short due to its dreadful dialogue and laughable climactic scenes… until the very end when the twist hits you like a ton of bricks. You never see it coming.

To be brief, the story, based on the 2003 Korean motion picture called “Janghwa, Hongryeon “, is about a family who lost their matriarch in an action-movie-like explosion only to have their youngest daughter (Emily Browning) be committed to an asylum due to the mental and emotional scars of the occurrence. After a period of time, our young protagonist returns home to learn that her father (David Strathairn) has moved on with his life and intends to marry his dead wife’s nurse (Elizabeth Banks). Bad blood brews between the two females and the journey to unmask the true objective of the nurse begins.

The pacing of this film is rather slow, mixed in with average acting and a banal dialogue that only exists to move the story along. The films true virtue lies in its ending and it really is the only worthy element of ‘The Uninvited’. Question is can you wait until the very end?

Jennifer Lopez to star in ‘In the Heights’?
Jack Rico
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2009/01/27 at 12:00am

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Jennifer Lopez to star in ‘In the Heights’?

01.27.2009 | By |

Jennifer Lopez to star in 'In the Heights'?

According to Page Six today, Lopez met with producer Meryl Poster, who as we understand, will be producing the film version of ‘In the Heights’, a Latino musical about the joys, heartbreaks and bonds of a Latino community struggling to redefine home.

The question is can her ‘talents’ handle Broadway? The truth is her singing voice is frail, her speaking voice is soft and she’s a mediocre actress at best, so how do you explain her success? Jennifer Lopez is an extremely charming woman on camera, with reporters and fans alike. The phenomenon is called compensation. People who are average at a specific task have to work harder at achieving their dreams and goals through other means. She does this amazingly well!

An artist in order to be successful needs to understand and be aware of their strengths and limitations. Lopez, who has made great decisions throughout her career, has to recognize her shortcomings, and I’m assuming she realizes that the demands of being on Broadway is too much for her voice day in and day out. A limited run on 2008’s Best Musical ‘In the Heights’ wouldn’t be appalling, but she’ll fully expose her artistic weaknesses if she does any time longer than a month.

Here’s the Page Six article:

“COULD Jennifer Lopez be trying to restart her acting career by hitting Broadway? Insiders say Lopez is interested in starring in “In the Heights,” the musical about Washington Heights. She went to the show twice last week and accompanied the producer, Meryl Poster, to dinner Friday evening at Nobu 57, where they discussed roles. Another insider said Lopez might be more interested in a movie version, as Broadway shows are exhausting and time consuming, and Poster also produced the screen version of “Chicago.” A rep for Lopez said, “She loves the play but is not Broadway bound.”

A cinematic hip-hop Latino musical for Lopez would be a sage choice, but I’m not sure at her age (39 at the time of this article), she can play any of the young leads.

We’ll have to see what exchange of ideas were discussed at this dinner meeting. Nevertheless, this charming woman still has a lot to offer the entertainment world and all will patiently await her next move.

‘Watchmen’ Spanish posters released!
Jack Rico
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2009/01/27 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Watchmen’ Spanish posters released!

01.27.2009 | By |

'Watchmen' Spanish posters released!

After going one on one with 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. is going out to conquer the Hispanic market with its legally owned and distributed film ‘Watchmen’!

We just received these 6 Spanish posters that are sure to be reaching Spain, Mexico and Argentina.

It only makes sense for them to go after an international community since they see this movie crossing over into all languages and cultures.

Check them out and leave us some comments of what you think of the posters.

If you read Spanish, take a look at our exclusive review of the film. Beware of the spoilers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lucky Ones
Jack Rico
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2009/01/27 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

The Lucky Ones

01.27.2009 | By |

Rating: 3.5

Rated: R for language and some sexual content.
Release Date: 2008-09-26
Starring: Neil Burger, Dirk Wittenborn
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.theluckyonesmovie.com/

 Go to our film page

I can’t believe I’m going to say this, and probably never will again, but this is one of those rare times that I found a soldier film to be ‘delightfully lovable’. Yes, I said it. It is due in part to an endearing story concocted by director/writer Neil Burger and a great group of actors who turned on the charm.

In ‘The Lucky Ones’, three wounded soldiers come back from the war cherishing to return to a life of normalcy, or at least what is left of it. With flight delays threatening to hinder their plans, they rent a car to St. Louis where they hope the city’s airport will have a batch of planes ready to depart to Las Vegas. The road trip back home is where the true journey begins for these three servicemen.

Tim Robbins is a wonderful every-man’s actor. He manages to capture the reality of daily living in all his characters. Michael Peña continues to deliver solid performances demonstrating a range of emotion in his roles, even if they are confined in lawmen and soldier characters. I mustn’t dismiss though, the unexpectedly comical, yet solemn performance of Rachel McAdams, who in my mind, was the star of the film. I would dare say, this is an Oscar nominated performance. She is not known for her comic timing, nor delivering amusing lines with deadpan expressions, but McAdams not only proved she is actually funny, she showed she can carry and steal a movie from under the nose of a proven veteran actor such as Robbins.

If you are feeling lucky and in the mood for a small, independent, but very good film in the tradition of Little Miss Sunshine, do yourself a favor and see ‘The Lucky Ones’.

RocknRolla
Jack Rico
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2009/01/27 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

RocknRolla

01.27.2009 | By |

Rating: 3.0

Rated: R for pervasive language, violence, drug use and brief sexuality.
Release Date: 2008-10-31
Starring: Guy Ritchie
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:England
Official Website:

 Go to our film page

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Alex Florez
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2009/01/27 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

01.27.2009 | By |

Rating: 3.5

Rated: PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexuality, and smoking.
Release Date: 2008-08-15
Starring: Woody Allen
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA, Spain
Official Website: http://vickycristina-movie.com/

 Go to our film page

Not so long ago, New York based director (at that time, anyway) Woody Allen once confessed to us that the reason there are never any prominent hispanic characters in any of his films is because he sticks to what he knows.  Meaning of course, old Jewish families, upper class Manhattanites and chaotic love affairs that usually flirt with death.  So what does Allen now know about Catalonia and Spanish culture in general that prompts him to set his latest film on the mediterranean coast? Other than that they will finance his films?

To answer my own question, I think the appeal for Allen has been the idea that such sexual promiscuity and emotional confusion also exists outside the realm of New York and in practically every single corner of the globe.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona, his first and most likely last film to be set in Spain, pits Scarlett Johansson (Cristina) and Rebecca Hall (Vicky) as two American friends who decide to spend their summer in Barcelona.  Cristina, more of a wandering spirit, is always on the lookout for adventure, while Vicky on the other hand, is much more sensible and committed to her fiance back home.

But their radically different attitudes towards love are tested when they meet Spanish painter Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) and his volatile ex-wife Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz).

A case can be made that Allen has made this same film 35 times over (excluding the ‘early funny ones’). As usual, you’ll find plenty of sarcasm, infidelity and yes, a few rounds fired from a gun.  But the plot only sizzles when Penelope Cruz joins the cast.  Her turbulent behavior is wildly reminiscent of Judy Davis’ brilliant performance in Allen’s Deconstructing Harry (1997). 

Unfortunately, in this film, Cruz is the catalyst for an event that never arrives. The sense that something absurd, tragic and utterly hilarious would take place in the end, the way it did in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) for instance, kept building throughout the film. Instead, it moves right along, one lustful scene after another, wondering what sort of statement it wants to make about ‘love’ that it hasn’t already.

 Then there’s the mysterious voice over which threads the film together. Totally unnecessary given that it doesn’t really explain anything nor does it provide any insight from an omniscient point of view.

The movie’s funniest moments, without question, rely on the chemistry between Bardem and Cruz, giving way to the little momentum the film manages at times – making Johansson and Hall seem out of touch with the whole ‘Woody Allen genre’.

Hispanics however, will marvel at how well Allen’s neurotic language translates in Spanish. While most of the film is spoken in English, the few scenes where Bardem and Cruz exchange a few words in, are hysterical.  More evidence that these days, the international community seems to get Woody more than we do.

Complete list of winners of the 15th annual SAG Awards
Mack Chico
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2009/01/26 at 12:00am

Movies

Complete list of winners of the 15th annual SAG Awards

01.26.2009 | By |

Complete list of winners of the 15th annual SAG Awards

“Slumdog Millionaire” won best ensemble cast at the 15th Screen Actors’ Guild Awards Sunday in Los Angeles, while lead roles went to Sean Penn in “Milk” and Meryl Steep in “Doubt.” “I didn’t even buy a dress,” a surprised Streep said upon winning.

Penn who portrayed slain gay politican Harvey Milk said “as actors we don’t play gay/straight, we play human beings.”

He said it was a myth that actors are pitted against one another. “We’re all so proud and challenged by eachother.”

Heath Ledger won posthumously for his final role as the Joker in “The Dark Knight” while Kate Winslet won for best supporting actor in “The Reader” — a role which was nominated this week for best actress in the Academy Awards, for which she had previously won a Golden Globe for the supporting role.

 

Here’s the complete list of winners of the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards:

Movies:

_Cast: “Slumdog Millionaire.”

_Actor in a leading role: Sean Penn, “Milk.”

_Actress in a leading role: Meryl Streep, “Doubt.”

_Supporting actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight.”

_Supporting actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader.”

_Stunt ensemble: “The Dark Knight.”

Television:

_Drama series cast: “Mad Men.”

_Actor in a drama series: Hugh Laurie, “House.”

_Actress in a drama series: Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters.”

_Comedy series cast: “30 Rock.”

_Actor in a comedy series: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock.”

_Actress in a comedy series: Tina Fey, “30 Rock.”

_Actor in a movie or miniseries: Paul Giamatti, “John Adams.”

_Actress in a movie or miniseries: Laura Linney, “John Adams.”

_Stunt ensemble: “Heroes.”

 

Life Achievement: James Earl Jones.

‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’ is #1 at the box office, again?
Pau Brunet
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2009/01/26 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’ is #1 at the box office, again?

01.26.2009 | By |

'Paul Blart: Mall Cop' is #1 at the box office, again?

What is this world coming to?

Is Kevin James the new Will Smith? He has just proved he has some cred. In its second frame, Paul Blart: Mall Cop was able to take down the favorite to win, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and hold onto the number one spot.

Mall Cop continues to beat out expectations in its second frame by declining a miniscule 32% to earn another $21.5 million over the weekend. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans followed at number two with $20.7 million.

While the number is still strong, Lycans is the worst opening we’ve seen from the franchise. The first Underworld bowed to $21.8 million and the sequel, Underworld: Evolution, saw a boost with $26.9 million. While I’m sure Sony will find a way to spin a reason for the drop in ticket sales, we can all assume that an Underworld installment lacking in Kate Beckinsale just didn’t feel right. Lycans cost $35 million to produce, so Sony should have no problem earning some positive cash flows with what should be the franchise’s final installment.

Probably the biggest disappointment was Inkheart. New Line’s latest attempt at fantasy, the family adventure was only able to gross $7.7 million in its opening bow. With a strong cast and a family audience, this film should have done much, much better.

“We’re disappointed. We wish the opening would have been bigger, but I think it was always going to be this type of result. Unfortunately, the audience wasn’t excited to see it,” said Warner exec VP of domestic distribution Jeff Goldstein.

The final film worth a mention is Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino. Though the film didn’t get the love that many hoped from the Oscar nominations, Gran Torino was still able to hold onto the number three spot over the weekend after declining only 27% from the last frame. Tack on the latest earnings of $16 million and the film is close to jumping the $100 million mark. By next weekend it looks like Gran Torino will quickly become Clint Eastwood’s highest grossing film for both directing and acting.

Here’s the estimated ticket sales for Friday through yesterda.

1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop, $21.5 million

2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, $20.7 million

3. Gran Torino, $16 million

4. Hotel for Dogs, $12.4 million

5. Slumdog Millionaire, $10.6 million

6. My Bloody Valentine 3D, $10.1 million

7. Inkheart, $7.7 million

8. Bride Wars, $7 million

9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, $6 million

10. Notorious, $5.7 million

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