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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Jack Rico
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2009/07/13 at 12:00am

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

07.13.2009 | By |

Rated: PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality.
Release Date: 2009-07-15
Starring: Steve Kloves
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Country: USA
Official Website: http://harrypotter.warnerbros.es/

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ is the sixth film in the J.K Rowling literary series that refers to a ‘prince’ who is revealed in the movie’s final scenes. In a very beautifully shot film by cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel    and director David Yates, this sixth entry  is long and not very entertaining, rather dull and slow paced. Its duration of more than 2 hours and 30 minutes felt eternal, never ending. Once my body begins to fidget in my seat, its an evident sign I am not interested in the story.

Yes, about the story… Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is once again thrusted into the world of the dark lord Voldemort who has chosen Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) to be his killer on Earth. It’s up to Dumbledore to take Harry under his wing and prepare him for what will be his ultimate battle. Betrayal, death and romance is what is established in this film.

Let it be known that the story adapted to the screen is perhaps the movie’s only flaw. The acting is charming and the characters are likable, especially Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), who is at his best here. In what was once its best attribute, the special effects or CGI are beginning to wane. At times, Potter and his friends looked like cutouts from a cereal box. Let’s see what the 2 last installments will look like next year.

This sixth part is just a tease to the final chapter in what we all hope will be the best of the Harry Potter film series. I think it’s a bit too deep for kids, but adults still treat this series as family fare. Action is definitely anticipated in order to revive it from the blandness witnessed from this otherwise gratifying saga.

Bruno
Jack Rico
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2009/07/09 at 12:00am

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Bruno

07.9.2009 | By |

Rated: R for pervasive strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity and language.
Release Date: 2009-07-10
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Anthony Hines
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Country: USA
Official Website: No disponible.

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Bruno

‘Bruno’, starring comedian Sasha Baron Cohen, is a very funny film whose primary source of laughter is based on shock value. The more shocking it is the funnier it is… but is it? I’d like to think so, but many would disagree with me by arguing that it is insensitive, politically incorrect, tasteless and uncouth. I must admit though, because of its crass take on comedy, most of the scenes were cringingly and revoltingly funny.

Gay Austrian fashion reporter Brüno is fired from his show after disrupting a catwalk show during Milan Fashion week. Accompanied by his assistant Lutz, he travels to the United States to become a superstar.

At the premiere screening I attended in Los Angeles on the day Michael Jackson died, the mood was gray. Ten minutes into it, people were laughing, but 30 minutes later you could see people covering their mouths with their eyes wide open looking at the people next to them not believing what they just saw. “Was that just up on the screen?”, were just some of the comments made.

My advice to people who have a curiosity to see this film is if you have an aversion to sexual images, jokes or homosexuality, don’t go watch it. If you happen to be someone who is a religious fanatic and is easily offended by religious jokes, then stay away. For everyone else, go and enjoy what is easily one of the funniest and most offensive films in history! Oh and by the way, wear a condom before you see it. You’ll thank me after it.

I Love You, Beth Cooper
Mack Chico
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2009/07/08 at 12:00am

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I Love You, Beth Cooper

07.8.2009 | By |

Rated: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, some teen drinking and drug references, and brief violence.
Release Date: 2009-07-10
Starring: Larry Doyle
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Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.iloveyoubethcoopermovie.com/

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I Love You, Beth Cooper

I Love You, Beth Cooper is a film that blends the satirical and the serious, although the former lacks the edge to give it bite and the latter is only occasionally applied with conviction. The result feels at odds with itself and never fully satisfies. There’s a sense that a much better movie is trying to get out but it never attains escape velocity.

 

It’s graduation day for the seniors of Buffalo Grove High, and valedictorian Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) is about to deliver an unusual address. In it, he professes unrequited love for the school’s head cheerleader, Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere). This delights Denis’ best friend, Rich (Jack T. Carpenter), who is the instigator of Denis’ confession. Beth is conflicted – despite being embarrassed, she finds the whole thing “so sweet.” Her thuggish, drugged-out boyfriend, Kevin (Shawn Roberts), decides that ending Denis’ life might be the best way to resolve an unpleasant situation. Events conspire to group Denis, Beth, Rich, and Beth’s two best friends, Cammy (Lauren London) and Treece (Lauren Storm), together for the night. Their misadventures include avoiding Kevin when he launches an attack on Denis’ house, breaking into the school for some fun in the showers, turning up at the most popular party of the evening, and spending time in a cabin in the woods. Out for blood, Kevin is always in hot pursuit, and both Beth and Denis discover things about their feelings for one another they weren’t expecting.

 

The intended raunchy content has been watered down for PG-13 consumption. There is nudity, but it’s of the peek-a-boo variety. Director Chris Columbus, a graduate of the John Hughes school of filmmaking (perhaps best known for handling the first two Harry Potter movies), avoids anything deeply scathing or controversial. Although I Love You, Beth Cooper doesn’t quite fit neatly into the teenage romantic comedy mold, it comes close, with titles like Risky Business and The Girl Next Door being appropriate antecedents. (The Tom Cruise movie is even mentioned explicitly.) 

 

Hayden Panettiere is best-known for her role in the TV series Heroes, although her acting career stretches back much farther. She shows impressive range here, essentially having to play three versions of Beth Cooper: the image that attracts the eyes and stirs the hormones of all the boys in school (including Denis); the scary, reckless one who pushes boundaries and buttons; and the “real” girl behind all the curtains. Panettiere integrates the three into one, which is a more adept task than one might imagine. The performance is better than the movie deserves.

 

There’s a sense that I Love You, Beth Cooper has been smoothed out and dumbed down to reach the broadest audience. (Not having read the novel by Larry Doyle, who also penned the screenplay, I can’t say for sure.) As good as some of the bonding material is, that’s how unfortunate many of the so-called comedic and generic story elements are. I Love You, Beth Cooper is schizophrenic – two very different movies uneasily occupying the same space and time. One of them has promise; the other is annoying and off-putting. The filmmakers lacked the courage and conviction to tell an honest, character-based story and resorted to something that has been massaged into a more comfortable, easily consumable cinematic morsel. Too bad the inevitable result of ingesting this is heartburn.

The Unborn
Jack Rico
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2009/07/07 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

The Unborn

07.7.2009 | By |

Rating: 1.0

Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images, thematic material and language including some sexual references.
Release Date: 2009-01-09
Starring: David S. Goyer
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Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.theunbornmovie.net/

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Knowing
Jack Rico
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2009/07/07 at 12:00am

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Knowing

07.7.2009 | By |

Rating: 2.5

Rated: PG-13 for disaster sequences, disturbing images and brief strong language.
Release Date: 2009-03-20
Starring: Ryne Douglas Pearson, Juliet Snowden, Stiles White, Stuart Hazeldine
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Country:USA
Official Website: http://knowing-themovie.com/

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‘Knowing’, Nicolas Cage’s new apocalyptic action-thriller pic, is a mammoth and entertaining mega-production that possesses a captivating plot (rare in Hollywood these days), but due to its risible acting and incongruous occurrences, the enormity of the film becomes just a distraction to its script deficiencies. Is it entertaining? You betcha, but you’ll have to wait almost an hour to see the best scenes.

Nicolas Cage stars as a professor who stumbles upon terrifyingly tragic predictions about the future of the world – as he sets out to prevent them from coming true.

Blowing up Earth is where Hollywood has had some of its best box office successes and saving it is where Cage is king. His last two films, Bangkok Dangerous (2008) and National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007), were #1’s at the box office respectively, not to mention several others throughout his career. Regrettably, just because he topped the b.o doesn’t mean those movies are great. It means he works in films that the public likes. These type of movies that incorporate computer generated graphics are a huge attraction, but in the case of ‘Knowing’, the gaping holes are just too blatant to ignore. Worse is its denouement – its conclusion is the most random and absurd ending to any film I have ever seen!

If you’re in the mood to zone out and do not mind preposterous irrationalities, then you’ll enjoy this film. If you’re looking for a stimulating and thought provoking sci-fi flick, you’ll be very disappointed.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Mack Chico
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2009/07/04 at 12:00am

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Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

07.4.2009 | By |

Rated: PG for some mild rude humor and peril.
Release Date: 2009-07-01
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Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.laeradelhielo3.com/

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Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

With each release, Pixar explores new themes and ideas. Meanwhile, animation studios like Fox retread tired “franchises” like Ice Age. Never representative of more than mediocrity from a technical or story-based standpoint, the Ice Age series has reached a new nadir with its third entry. Rather than adding an extra dimension to the entertainment, the decision to release Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 3D merely gives the animators an opportunity to be more slipshod in their design and execution. For the most part, the movie plays out like a demo for the video game, careening from one improbable action sequence to the next. I can see how the challenge of mastering some of these puzzles might be fun in an interactive forum, but they’re deadly dull in a movie.

 

The story has Manny the Mammoth (voice of Ray Romano) and his mate, Ellie (Queen Latifa), about to embark upon parenthood. Diego the Sabertooth Tiger (Denis Leary), feeling he has lost “it,” elects to leave behind the herd and strike out on his own. And Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo) decides that, like Manny, he wants a family of his own. He achieves this goal not by finding a female and doing it the old fashioned way but by discovering three unhatched dinosaur eggs. Soon, he is being followed by three newly hatched T-Rexes, which is okay until a perturbed mother shows up wondering where her babies are. It turns out that there is a lost world of dinosaurs under the ice and, when Mama T-Rex kidnaps Sid and transports him down there, Manny, Ellie, and Diego follow. They are soon joined by a crazy weasel (Simon Pegg) denizen of the underworld who spends his days and nights hunting the biggest, baddest dinosaur of them all: a gargantuan carnivore called “Rudy.”

 

In the previous Ice Age movies, the best reasons to watch were related to the misadventures of Scrat the Sabertooth Squirrel, the prehistoric equivalent of Wiley Coyote. In Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Scrat is the only reason to watch. 

 

Very little happens over the course of the film. What passes for a “story” is nothing more than a thinly-veiled excuse to incorporate dinosaurs into the proceedings, presumably because they’re popular with little boys. 

 

The most disappointing thing about Dawn of the Dinosaurs is the movie’s look. Everything in this world is bland and generic. There’s no texture in the foreground and no detail in the background. It’s a small step up from Saturday morning cartoon quality. The excuse, I suppose, is that the “3D experience” compensates, but it also mutes the colors and dims the brightness. Dawn of the Dinosaurs looks awful. If I was one of the CGI animators, I’d be embarrassed to be associated with the film. I have seen amateur filmmakers do better work on their Macs.

 

Like Madagascar and Shrek (both Dreamworks properties), Ice Age is a brand-name and people will see it for that reason alone. Quality doesn’t come into it. It’s another example of something that offers a passable diversion for kids and a restless 90 minutes for the adults who accompany them. The 3D surcharge is a rip-off: the movie doesn’t do anything with the effect and there are even a few instances when it appears to be improperly applied. The best option is to ignore the existence of Dawn of the Dinosaurs altogether and see Up a second time. A repeat viewing of the Pixar film will be more rewarding than a first viewing of the latest Ice Age entry.

Public Enemies
Jack Rico
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2009/07/02 at 12:00am

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Public Enemies

07.2.2009 | By |

Rated: R for gangster violence and some language.
Release Date: 2009-07-01
Starring: Ronan Bennett, Ann Biderman
Director(s):
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Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.publicenemies.net/

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Public Enemies
12 Rounds
Jack Rico
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By

2009/06/30 at 12:00am

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12 Rounds

06.30.2009 | By |

Rating: 3.0

Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.
Release Date: 2009-03-27
Starring: Daniel Kunka
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Country:USA
Official Website: http://12rounds-movie.com/

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‘12 Rounds’ is a surprisingly fun movie. I would actually say it is a great ‘B’ movie that many will enjoy. It possesses action from beginning to end and an interesting and plausible plot line that will keep your ADD at bay.

 

The story centers on a New Orleans police detective (John Cena) whose girlfriend (Ashley Scott) is kidnapped. He must play a sinister game lasting 12 rounds with a vicious and heartless killer (Aidan Gillen) to save the love of his life.

The wrestling organization, WWE, has been in the movie making business for some time now creating film vehicles for its top stars such as Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Roddy Piper and Steve Austin, all with the intention of creating extra financial revenue and branching their brand to non-wrestling masses. Cena’s ‘12 Rounds’ is perhaps the best of their cinematic efforts. For years, these films featuring wrestling stars, have been mocked for their facially exaggerated acting and asinine dialogue. But things are changing for the better. ‘The Rock’ achieved #1 status with 2007’s The Game Plan and most recently again with Race to Witch Mountain. From the looks of it, people are warming up to them and ‘12 Rounds’ could very well be in the top 3 in this week’s box office. This film, unlike the previous WWE Studios projects, offers a legitimate movie that can crossover to mainstream audiences with Cena providing a toned down dramatic demeanor as opposed to his flamboyant and hip hop persona on Monday Night Raw.

I must admit though, it will be a tough sell for audiences that are not wrestling fans simply because of the unknown cast, but to its credit, the movie moves at a fast pace with many twists and turns accompanied by explosions, car chases and gun fights. Few action movies do that anymore. Alas, the acting is not up to par, but it is not by any means blinding. Cena is decent and not over the top and his co-star assassin is suave and dynamic. If you are looking to escape in a movie that offers plausible, non-stop action, this is definitely worth checking out.

Public Enemies
Ted Faraone
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2009/06/29 at 12:00am

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Public Enemies

06.29.2009 | By |

Rated: R for gangster violence and some language.
Release Date: 2009-07-01
Starring: Ronan Bennett, Ann Biderman
Director(s):
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Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.publicenemies.net/

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Public Enemies

“Public Enemies” is a romanticized account of the last 15 months of bank robber John Dillinger, America’s first “Public Enemy Number One”.  At 143 minutes, it feels as if one has seen it in real time.  Pic, which follows Dillinger from March 1933 to July 1934, when he was killed by G-Men in an ambush leaving Chicago’s Biograph Theater, depends largely on Johnny Depp’s star power as Dillinger.  Depp is compelling.  Also compelling are Christian Bale as G-Man Melvin Purvis who led the trackdown, and Marion Cotillard (“Piaf”) as Dillinger’s love interest, Billie Frechette.  Making FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover out to be a self-serving careerist is easy, but at least Billy Cudrup attacks the caricature with gusto.  His advice to Purvis to follow Italian Fascists and “take the white gloves off” is priceless.  Diana Krall does a superb but uncredited “Bye, Bye, Blackbird” in the scene where Dillinger and Frechette meet.
 
There is a problem in retelling history on screen.  Most already know the ending. Dillinger’s story has been retold in no fewer than five theatrical and TV movies since 1945.  In the interest of drama, helmer Michael Mann (who also gets screenwriting credit) and writers Ronan Bennett and Ann Bidermann take liberties with facts and timeline.  The doomed romance between Dillinger and Frechette gets as much screen time as the robberies and gunfights – which seem to use as much ammo as the Bosnian war.
 
Pic hinges on moments brought to life by key players – mostly Depp and Cotillard. Their scenes together fairly radiate love.  Depp delivers a finely nuanced Dillinger (full of loyalty, bravado, charm, even compassion) who is ultimately very sympathetic… for a killer.  This is in keeping with the era wherein Dillinger was revered as a sort of Robin Hood by many.  Cotillard’s Frechette takes a beating for him under interrogation, the halting of which is a redeeming moment for Purvis.  There is a suggestion that the G-Men had help in ambushing Dillinger from Frank Nitti’s (Bill Camp) gang.  John Ortiz as Phil D’Andrea, Nitti’s chief bookie provides a clue:  The gambling racket, he explains to Dillinger, rakes in more cash in one day than Dillinger stole in his most lucrative bank job.  Having Dillinger around can draw attention from the law.  Ultimately Dillinger, hiding in plain sight, is ratted out by madam Anna Patzky (Emilie de Ravin) in an effort to stave off deportation to her native Romania, an act which pic ties to Nitti’s gang.
 
Tech credits are excellent except for sound recording.  Several key lines of dialogue are inaudible.  The heavy Midwestern accents don’t help.  Period costumes, settings, and props do the trick but for the automobiles.  It is doubtful that G-Men drove Pierce Arrows.  The make was more likely to be found in the White House garage.
 
It would be nice to give filmmakers credit for making Dillinger’s final movie at the Biograph “Manhattan Melodrama,” a gangster flick in which Clark Gable bravely faces execution, but this is one instance where they stuck to facts.
 
“Public Enemies,” based on the book by Bryan Burrough (“Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34”) is rated “R” largely for violence.  There is some sexual content and a bit of innuendo.

My Sister’s Keeper
Mack Chico
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2009/06/26 at 12:00am

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My Sister’s Keeper

06.26.2009 | By |

Rated: PG-13 for mature thematic content, some disturbing images, sensuality, language and brief teen drinking.
Release Date: 2009-06-26
Starring: Jeremy Leven, Nick Cassavetes
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Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.mysisterskeepermovie.com/

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My Sister's Keeper

“My Sister’s Keeper” is two straight hours of emotional torture. Melodramatic in its essence and shamelessly exploitative in its purpose.

Based on the best-selling novel by Jodi Picoult, the film tells the story Sara (Cameron Diaz) and Brian (Jason Patric) who live an idyllic life with their young son and daughter. But their family is rocked by sudden, heartbreaking news that forces them to make a difficult and unorthodox choice in order to save their baby girl’s life. The parents’ desperate decision raises both ethical and moral questions and rips away at the foundation of their relationship.

There are so many holes with this movie and so many questions that arise from them, that the crying your eyes out is just one way of expressing your dissatisfaction with it.
There is also the greater question of the ethics of bringing one child into the world simply to help keep another one alive, even though you may be putting that child through enormous amounts of pain and stress as a result–what would happen if that child finally decided that enough was enough and that she wanted to have some say in the matter as well? These are all intriguing questions and a smart movie would have been willing to deal with them in a thoughtful manner.

On the acting front, Cameron Diaz’s acting was stretched beyond its dramatic ability, but Alec Baldwin’s presence, as the attorney engaged by Anna to pursue her case, no matter how brief, invigorated the screen with some life and needed dry humor. Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”) acts saintly and not at all real, while Joan Cusack, in an uncomfortably odd cameo, twitches and blinks as a judge with her own private tragedy.

All in all, this film will be appealing to those who have a flare for dramatic and love crying at a whim. Most will just be crying to get their money back.

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