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Movie Reviews

Jack Rico

By

2010/06/01 at 12:00am

Alice in Wonderland

06.1.2010 | By |

Rating: 2.5

Rated: Not available.
Release Date: 2010-03-05
Starring: Linda Woolverton
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: www.disney.com/wonderland

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Tim Burton’s new phantasmagorical Real-3D remake of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is shockingly a bore, especially now that it’s in DVD. You really won’t get any 3D value whatsoever. All that eye-popping colorful imagery was just eye candy to sidetrack us from focusing on the anemic script adaptation. Even though it is one of Burton’s most beautiful films, it is not his best. This goes to show you that story is everything. The acting performances were vacuous and the entertainment value was surprisingly subpar. Will kids like it? Yeah sure, kids like almost anything that looks like a video game.

Burton’s adaptation centers around Alice (Mia Wasikowska), a young british teenager who falls down a tree hole and rediscovers all the marvels of a surreal place called Wonderland.

There is something to be said about the director’s need to create a movie that has been filmed so many times by so many people in so many countries. Does he think his version will be the definitive one? Disney might argue that. Burton is a remake master and there is a major flaw with that method of filmmaking – you are always going against the original, therefore your version will most likely always be weaker.

Alice in Wonderland is not funny or charming but a bit fatuous and insipid. It drags in various places especially in the beginning. Much of this tediousness is due to the bad acting of the female protagonist Mia Wasikowska. Talk about needing some acting classes. She was neither convincing nor surprised at anything, but rather seemed arrogant and spoiled. Mr. Eccentric himself, Johnny Depp, couldn’t hit the magical and funny strides of his predecessor Captain Jack Sparrow from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ The rest of the cast was mediocre at best, so was the whole movie.

On some high notes, the cinematography is outstanding, kudos to Dariusz Wolski for hitting a home run. The 3D experience was very fun, but any 3D film that comes out after Avatar is going to pale in comparison. Nevertheless, for those of you that rarely see three dimensional movies, it’s a trip and a half. The great moments are few and the yawning moments are plenty. If you think that the 3D scenes and the colorful visuals will be enough to amuse you, think again. The special glasses will start to weigh on you and the english accent will begin to annoy you. That’s what happens when a movie you think is going to be great turns out be a dud!

Karen Posada

By

2010/05/27 at 12:00am

Sex and the City 2

05.27.2010 | By |

Sex and the City 2

They weren’t kidding when they said SPARKLE. Sex and the City 2 was completely extravagant and exaggerated, which is what in a way made it fun. This movie does more justice to the series than the original movie did. It is not full of ‘Carrie’ drama, like the last one. Instead we get to go away on a fabulous trip with the girls. It is a Cinderella story, they have to live and enjoy their time quickly before the clock strikes midnight. We travel to a world of fantasy, it is predominantly what we go to the movies for anyway, to dream and live vicariously through others.

It all starts with Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) taking us back in time to when she met each one of her girlfriends; Charlotte York-Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall). The first main scene reunites them at a fabulous gay wedding. To describe it as a sparkly dream wedding is an understatement. We see how the girls lives have changed, Carrie living the Mr. & Mrs. Married life, which to her is getting boring and she wants to bring the sparkle back in the relationship. Charlotte has 2 little girls, that are driving her crazy and has a super hot nanny that makes her worry her husband might stray. Miranda is still the same workaholic she’s always been, but soon realizes what she’s missing out on. Samantha is fighting off menopause by taking 1.000 natural pills and keeping up with her sexcapades. The only man in the movie that doesn’t have a short appearance is Mr. Big (John James Preston) (Chris Noth); we see how he’s still trying to please Carrie even after they are married. The other men are barely showed in the film at all, it is after all about the girls. The best guest appearance was the one of Liza Minnelli; it was perfect; she does a fun dance performance. Penélope Cruz also does a cameo, she looks gorgeous and sexy more so than in her own movies. 

I think what this movie gives the true fans of the show is a chance to spend more time with the girls, get away with them without all the drama. They go on a trip to a foreign land – Abu Dhabi, where Carrie bumps into her old flame Aidan (John Corbett), Samantha has a new set of hot boys to go crazy after, Charlotte gets a chance to rest from stressful motherhood and Miranda finds her fun self again. This trip brings them closer together and strengthens not only their relationship but the ones with their loved ones as well.  One of the most interesting scenes of the film is when the girls are discussing how they perceive Muslim women as well as themselves. There’s a hint of feminism with a sprinkle of humor, which makes the subject light hearted.

There are several aspects that take away from the movie, there are a lot of ridiculous scenes, which might be meant as just fun, but it makes one laugh out loud sarcastically. The characters have become pretty predictable, which is the reason why there should have been no movies after the show ended; it takes away from the element of surprise. The women have become a parody of themselves, which takes any essence of reality left away from them. Lastly, although there is character growth the sole purpose of this movie is to make money; there was no need for a sequel, there’s nothing new that we learn from the characters.

If you were a fan of the show I recommend you watch it but you can certainly wait for it to come out on DVD, unless you have the time and the money to kill at a movie theater (it is pretty lengthy, maybe a little too lengthy). Samantha is definitely what makes this movie fun; if it wasn’t for her friends restraining her, the movie would be hilarious! Truth is that we all have girlfriends that are like any one of these women, which is what made the show so successful and it is what makes it so fun to watch. Just take the movie for what it is, a world similar to ours except that it is nearly perfect and beautiful but it was created for the sole purpose of entertaining. Ladies my only advice is not to torture your boyfriend with this film, go watch it with your girls.

Jack Rico

By

2010/05/25 at 12:00am

Agora

05.25.2010 | By |

Agora
Jack Rico

By

2010/05/25 at 12:00am

Jack Rico

By

2010/05/25 at 12:00am

Micmacs

05.25.2010 | By |

Micmacs
Jack Rico

By

2010/05/25 at 12:00am

The Road

05.25.2010 | By |

Rating: 3.5

Rated: R for some violence, disturbing images and language.
Release Date: 2009-11-25
Starring: Joe Penhall
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.theroad-movie.com/

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Jack Rico

By

2010/05/25 at 12:00am

Dear John

05.25.2010 | By |

Rating: 3.0

Rated: Not available
Release Date: 2010-02-05
Starring: Jamie Linden
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: Not available

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The great classic romance movies of history such as Casablanca, An Affair to Remember, even Titanic, have served as a measuring bar for today’s love stories. Lasse Hallstrom’s ‘Dear John’, based on Nicholas Sparks book, should not by any means be compared to the aforementioned, but it also shouldn’t be discarded as syrupy blather. Rather, it is a likable, warm story that manages to rouse a tear and perhaps incite a small swelling in the throat. I would not label it a typical run of the mill ‘tearjerker’, but it has a few moments that garners your emotional attention.

The film revolves around the love letters a soldier (Channing Tatum) and a young woman (Amanda Seyfried) share for a few years. John meets Savannah at the beach near his home and they eventually begin dating, but as soon as 9/11 happens he has to pick between her and the duties of war. How it turns out is for you to see.

‘Dear John’ isn’t going to devastate you or scar you emotionally. It is not Nicholas Sparks best, but it manages to awaken some sentiments of sadness, anger and loss that can be attributed to some descent acting and empathic screenwriting. The best part of the movie is Richard Jenkin’s performance as John’s father. His scene near the end provides perhaps the most compelling and dramatic scene of the movie. If you haven’t seen the wonderful, but small film The Visitor, try and squeeze it into you Netflix queue to see and appreciate Jenkin’s Oscar nominated performance. Just marvelous.

This valentines week’s film options should be an easy romantic choosing – Dear John over Valentine’s Day. The former is a failure in so many levels. Whether it is your other half or just a friend, Dear John is your best watch for eliciting some of those valentines sentiments your looking to draw out.

Jack Rico

By

2010/05/25 at 12:00am

Jack Rico

By

2010/05/19 at 12:00am

Solitary Man

05.19.2010 | By |

Solitary Man

The veteran actor Michael Douglas takes heads the indie route to star in one of my favorite films of 2010 – Solitary Man. The film reminds me of Ben Stiller’s ‘Greenberg‘, about a man who is trying to find meaning in life, except that Douglas is far better and much more appealing.

The plot, infused with comic moments tells the story of Ben Kalman (Douglas), a renown businessman who owns a chain of car dealerships, whose career and marriage are being ruined by his constant indiscretions both professionally and personally. Will he be able to rescue himself from the abyss into which it is located? The story also weaves questions about death and the fragility of the human psyche in a very entertaining way.

How many times have you heard of people being in situations where they have lost everything or about to lose everything, but refuse to see the gravity of the situation; a person who never learns from his mistakes, who prefers to apologize before asking permission first. This is one of Douglas’ best performances in years. It’s full of a rogue charisma that he has perfected throughout his career. One of the salient features of Douglas is his charm and outside of Gekko, he’s never played a role like this one.

Michael is accompanied by a cast of heavyweights such as Susan Sarandon, Mary Louise Parker, Danny Devito and Jesse Eisenberg. It is a pleasure to see this cast work together in this genuine, witty and heartfelt film about the ups and downs of a man. I think we all know people like Kalman – or maybe one might look in the mirror and see none other than… Ben Kalman himself.

Jack Rico

By

2010/05/19 at 12:00am

Shrek Forever After

05.19.2010 | By |

Shrek Forever After

The fourth and final installment of the Shrek series titled ‘Shrek Forever After,’ is in my opinion, one of the funniest movies of the year and draws a tie with How To Train Your Dragon as the best family film of 2010. This Shrek movie felt more real and less fictionalized due to the family arc. There was a human connection I had with this one that for some reason or other I couldn’t find in its predecessors.

This time around Shrek, voice by Mike Myers, has to face his toughest challenge – that of being a father and a husband. Surprisingly, our green giant is not used to being the head of a household and longs for the days when he can once again become a fearsome monster. But when an evil dwarf magician makes his dream come true, our hero does everything he can to return to the times when he had the unconditional love of his family and friends.

The original voice cast of the film return, but the talk now is that Antonio Banderas will spin-off his own movie Puss in Boots. This had to happen. The lovable cat is the best of all the characters and its too bad we had to wait this long to know he’s going solo.

Shrek Forever After
is the best of the series. The film is excellent; it combines a clever comedy with drama, action and poignant moments. The three-dimensional images appear so real that you forget it’s a fictional world. Adults are probably going to enjoy this more than the kids. Thank you Shrek for the memories.

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