The Call

A 911 operator, Jordan (Halle Berry) is traumatized after her mistake causes a caller to become a murder victim.  When she is on the line a year later with a kidnap victim, Casey (Abigail Breslin) she has a chance to redeem herself.  The kidnapper is crafty, desperate and on the move, so the hunt is more difficult than most calls.  Will Jordon be able to save Casey, or will she become the next victim of a psychotic criminal?

                This movie is non-stop suspense!  It really never gives you a break from the moment Casey dials 911.  Well written and well executed, this is a good way to spend a couple hours.  This film is directed by Brad Anderson and he knows how to make a dark movie.  He piloted the cult classic The Machinist and lots of dark TV shows including  Fringe, Boardwalk Empire, The Wire, The Shield and The Killing.   This movie is quite disturbing and sort of makes the viewer’s skin crawl.  No punches are pulled and it makes for a very intense experience. 

                Fair warning, I found the ending a bit of a disappointment since the rest of the movie was so enjoyable, but it is still well worth the price of admission.  Leave the kids at home, though.  This has some pretty graphic violence and a bit of language. 

New movies in the Theatre for this week:

The Host: When a symbiotic alien race takes over the Earth and inhabits human bodies a small resistance is the only thing standing in the way of the fall of the human race.  A teenage girl from the resistance can make the difference when she is inhabited.  Stars Saoirse(pronounced Ser-sha) Ronan, Max Irons and Diane Kruger.  Rated PG-13

GI Joe: Retaliation:  The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.  Stars Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum.  Rated PG-13

Oz: The Great and Powerful

In this prequel to the Wizard of Oz we see how the wizard (James Franco) gets to Oz and establishes himself there.   We also see how the wicked witch gets so wicked.  The basic formula is followed as we go from black-and-white to vibrant color, also from 2D to 3D.  We have a protagonist who travels from Kansas to Oz and with the help of some local companions, achieves his goal.

This movie is exactly what I was expecting from a Disney film.  Lots of color, a sappy message shoved in your face but with a less ideal message underneath, and a predictably happy ending where the characters learn nothing and face no real consequences for their actions.  This movie is very well made and is breathtaking to watch, but I was less impressed with the performances from some otherwise fantastic actors.  There are a few laughs and some exciting scenes, but overall I was disappointed with this one.  I thought it was a little too sappy for adults, but perhaps too intense for small children. 

If this is one you are really excited about, I would encourage you to go while it is still in the theater since it is a stunning film visually, but if you are on the fence I would suggest skipping this one. 

New movies in the theater this weekend:

The Call:  A 911 operator recognizes a murderer’s pattern and tries to save the latest victim when she calls 911 during her abduction.  Stars Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin.  Rated R

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone: A famous magician must reinvent his act when he is threatened by a new street magician’s stunt that impresses everyone. Stars Steve Carell, Jim Carrey, and Olivia Wilde.  Rated PG-13

Dead Man Down

Victor (Colin Farrell) is a henchman in the organized crime world of New York City.  His boss Alphonse (Terrance Howard) is getting ominous letters and when people who work for Alphonse start dying, he begins to search for the culprit.  Other than the occasional shoot-out at work, Victor lives a quiet and empty life.  Beatrice (Noomi Repace) lives in the same building with a balcony facing Victor’s.  When she witnesses him murder a man in his apartment, Beatrice decides it is time to meet Victor with a proposition.  Even before they meet, the two have a strong connection and that connection creates problems for them both as each moves closer to their personal goals. 

This movie was marketed as a shoot-em-up film, but turned out to be something very different.  If you are looking for a non-stop action flick, this is not the movie for you.  But if you are looking for a dramatic thriller with strong characters and good performances, then this is the film for you!  The mood of this film is very dark and quiet.  Long periods of time will go by with little or no talking, but there is never a moment where something is not being said.  Even when there is no dialog, the actor’s performance or the director’s choice of shot is telling you something about the characters or their story.  This movie is directed by Niels Arden Oplev.  This is his first big American film, but he directed the original Scandinavian version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo which also starred Noomi Repace.  I am definitely looking forward to his next project.

Personally, I can’t find anything to criticize this film for.   I thought everything was very well done.   A good script is complimented by a worthy cast and a thoughtfully artistic director.  I was pleasantly surprised when I entered the theater thinking I was going to see an adrenaline-filled two hours and got a character-heavy story with some bullets thrown in for flavor.  The villain is appropriately menacing and the protagonists are flawed without being off-putting.  I would say this one is worth seeing in the theater, but isn’t necessary.  If you are just kind of interested the red box can save you six bucks. 

The Last Exorcism Part II

This sequel takes place directly after the first movie ended.  After the epically failed exorcism at the end of the last film, Nell, the innocent victim of Abalam the demon, is found alone and nearly feral.  She is sent to a house for young women who need to restart their lives.  For the first time in her life, Nell begins to feel normal, but then strange things begin happening again.  Can the innocent Nell rid herself of Abalam for good?

The first movie was filmed in a documentary style while this one is more of a traditional film style.  I like the idea of following a character after one of the stereotypically ambiguous horror movie endings.  I always wonder, “How does this all this get explained?” and, “What happens now?”   I also thought it was nice that they didn’t use any big name actors.  I prefer it when I don’t really know the actors in a horror movie.  You can kind of forget that they are actors and get more caught up in the suspense, whereas if it’s Angelina Jolie, or something, I am always thinking of this or that other movie she was in. 

I didn’t find the ending to this film particularly innovative or original, but the meat of the film was suspenseful and fun.  There is definitely some good imagery in this one.  Overall I wouldn’t say it stands out as being particularly good or bad.  If you like horror movies, it is definitely worth the watch, but I wouldn’t clear your schedule to make sure you see it or anything.

P.S.  The new movies in the theatre for this week are:

OZ the Great and Powerful  - A sort of prequel to The Wizard of OZ where the Wizard himself is the main character and we see how he comes to OZ and establishes himself there.   Stars James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weiz and Mila Kunis.   Rated PG

Dead Man Down  -  A woman with prominent facial scars witnesses a murder and decided to hire the murderer to kill the man who maimed her.  Stars Colin Farrel, Noomi Repace, and Terrance Howard.  It is Rated R

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Beautiful Creatures

Ethan(Alden Ehrenreich) is a sixteen-year-old boy living in the tiny town of Gatlin, SC.  He dreams of leaving and experiencing the great world outside.  He also dreams of a mysterious girl every night.  When that girl, Lena, arrives in Gatlin on the first day of his Junior year, his life takes a dramatic turn.  When she shares her closely-guarded secret and the dangers that come with it, he commits himself to her and her world.  But is the danger too great?  Will they be torn apart by forces beyond their control?

This movie is based on the book of the same name by Kami Garcia.  There is a whole series and the studio is hoping this will catch on and make the rest of the films.  I hope they do.  This was a surprise for me.  I had really no expectations going into this movie.  I was expecting Twilight, and in essence that’s what this is.  If Twilight had a plot where things actually happened, characters that were like able and compelling, and a love story that actually makes sense.

This movie was a lot of fun.  It has a lot of humor, but it is also just really well-made.  The music is very good and well-suited to the film.  The setting and costumes are beautiful and the cinematography is interesting enough without being distracting.  There is also a fantastic adult cast, boasting 3 Oscar nominees in Jeremy Irons( won an Oscar), Emma Thompson(won 2 Oscars), and Viola Davis(nominated twice). 

I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes Twilight or any other story of supernatural elements in our own world.  I also would recommend it for anyone who just like a light movie that’s well-made.  The entertainment value is high and so is the quality, which seems to a rare combination these days.  I would also urge anyone interested to see it while it’s still in the theater since it is a beautiful movie to watch. 

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A Good Day to Die Hard

                This fifth installment of the Die Hard series takes place in Russia.  Our hero John McClane (Bruce Willis) is trying to find his estranged son Jack (Jai Courtney).  When he locates him in Moscow facing murder charges, McClane gets on a plane and goes to rescue his son.  When he arrives, however he finds that things are not quite what they seem and saving the day might not be so simple this time.

I am a huge Die Hard fan and was really looking forward to this one.  I have to say I was pretty disappointed.  The story is poorly written and the characters are not compelling, even our favorite cowboy, John McClane, was not himself and lacked the snarky punch-lines and sarcastic come-backs.  The character of his son is a throwaway and the villain is not the adversary that we have come to expect from a Die Hard movie.  The action scenes are absurd rather than exciting and so badly edited that it is difficult to tell what’s going on, especially in the chase scene.  The only saving grace is that it is only an hour and a half out of your life.  It pains me greatly to say this, but skip the new Die Hard movie. 

Side Effects

Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) is a normal woman trying to get by in New York City.  She has a job and an apartment and a car.  What sets her apart is that her husband Martin (Channing Tatum) is about to get out of prison for insider trading.  When he returns home, life is not the bliss she expected it to be.   After a failed suicide attempt she is visited by a psychiatrist named Dr. Banks (Jude Law).  She begins seeing him for treatment of her depression and he prescribes her a new medication called Ablixa.  For a while things are looking up until, unexpectedly, a terrible tragedy occurs.  The lives of all involved are turned upside-down and as events take a particular downward turn for Dr. Banks, he begins to suspect that things might not be what they seem. 

This is an extremely well-written psychological thriller/mystery.  All the characters are complex and provide surprises throughout the film.  With four Oscar nominations and a win in this cast’s back pocket, there is no surprise in how well performed this film is.  There is a general understated tone that makes the characters more believable and draws the viewer in rather than making them sit back and enjoy the show from the outside.  The film is brilliantly directed by Steven Soderbergh who you might recognize as the director of Ocean’s Eleven, Traffic, Erin Brockovich, and Contagion among many others. 

I would recommend this movie to nearly everyone.  There is a good mix of quality and entertainment that I have come to appreciate from Soderbergh.  Although there are no explosions, car chases or special effects in this film please give it a try, there’s a good chance you’ll like it anyway.  It is rated R for some nudity and language, but I would suggest leaving the kids at home anyway, they would probably get bored.  If you want to wait for the Red Box, that wouldn’t hurt you since the visuals aren’t the focus of this film, but I think you would find the price of admission well worth it if you wanted to see it this weekend.

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Warm Bodies

Traditionally, in a zombie movie, the zombies are the villains providing a fate unquestionable worse than death.  In this interesting take on the traditional zombie film, the main character is a zombie (Nicholas Hoult).  He can’t remember how he died or what his life was like when he was alive.  He can’t even remember his own name.  One day on a routine quest for food (i.e. brains) he sees a girl named Julia (Teresa Palmer).  From that point on his fate, and the fate of all zombie kind is forever changed.  Julia’s father (John Malkovich) is the militaristic leader of a community comprised of still-living people.  Can our unlikely duo convince him of the zombies’ changing ways in time to save both from a still-greater danger?

This movie is a lot of fun.  It’s like a romantic comedy with zombies!  The characters are likeable and for and believable.  The Zombie action is fun and funny, and the plot moves along well enough so the movie never drags.  It is fun to see the zombie genre from a different angle.  If you don’t like zombie movies, the romance will save it for you.  If, one the other hand, you don’t like romantic comedies, the zombies will save it for you.  And of course John Malkovich just makes everything better! 

Don’t go in with huge expectations though, and you won’t be disappointed.  It is not exactly Oscar material, but that’s ok, not every movie has to be.  This movie doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not.  Unless you are a die-hard zombiephile, I would suggest waiting for the red box on this one.  If you are more of a literary type, it is based on a book of the same title by Isaac Marion.

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Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty

An indefatigable CIA agent, Maya (Jessica Chastain), hunts for Osama Bin Laden after the September 11 attacks.  This film focuses on her relentless search which resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden at the hand of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May 2011.  This is director Kathryn Bigelow’s First Project since her film The Hurt Locker won best picture in 2008.   There has been a lot of anticipation for this film.  It has already been nominated for 5 academy awards.  Jessica Chastain is nominated for the Best Actress category and has already won a Golden Globe for this role.  

A mistake could easily be made in expecting this to be an action or thriller movie because of the military aspect.  This is not an action movie, this is a heavy drama punctuated with moments of excitement.  Even the raid scene itself is presented without musical score and is brutally honest rather than being flashy or showy.  This movie is about Maya and her journey that climaxes with the death of Osama Bin Laden. 

I was extremely excited to see this movie because I enjoyed The Hurt Locker so much.  The way that movie was filmed truly was a work of art.  This film is much less poetic and far more honest than Bigelow’s last work.  The pacing of this movie is painfully slow, the purpose being to put the viewer in Maya’s place.  The events of this movie span ten years and the mild frustration I feel as a viewer must be magnified a thousand times over for this woman who works for months without discovering a single useful piece of information.  Although effective in making me respect and admire the character, the tactic does not make me want to see the film again anytime soon.  The viewer feels every second of the 157 minutes of this film.

Jessica Chastain is amazing in this role and I fully expect her to win Best Actress for it.  The film itself, however, is well-made but forgettable.  I am glad it has been recognized with nominations, but I do not see it as a real contender for Best Picture.  I would not even recommend it for most people.  If you are planning to be watching the Oscars, you must see it soon before it leaves the theaters.  If you are a fan of political or espionage drama or character-driven drama then the red box will be waiting in a few months.  Otherwise I have to recommend skipping this one unfortunately. 

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