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Flash Movie Review: Bernie
After his movies Year One and Gulliver’s Travels, I went to see this Jack Black (Be Kind Rewind, Tropic Thunder) comedy with some trepidation. I cannot tell you how shocked I was at his performance in this movie; it was one of his best. Portraying Bermie Tiede, a mortician; Jack had the perfect blend of comedic timing and fastidious attitude in this mockumentary based on a true story. Living in a small Texas town Bernie stood out from the other residents. It did not matter since he was loved for all the good work he did around the community. Even when he struck up a relationship with the town’s bitterest, wealthiest, elderly Marjorie Nugent played by Shirley MacLaine (Valentine’s Day, In Her Shoes); the town folk thought Bernie was a saint. It was a real stitch watching this humorous film. I especially enjoyed how scenes were spaced apart by various resident interviews, commenting on their thoughts about Bernie and Marjorie. The acting was excellent from everyone, including Matthew McConaughey (The Lincoln Lawyer, Two For the Money) in his role as Danny Buck. Since I did not know anything about the story, I was completely surprised to discover this wild story was really true. As the credits began, we saw pictures of the real characters. Jack Black certainly redeemed himself in this funny film.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Priceless
A funny movie that captured the screwball comedy genre of the 1930’s and 40’s, I got a big kick from watching this DVD. The setting was the French Riviera where seated at the hotel bar was Irene, played by Audrey Tautou (The Da Vinci Code, Coco Before Chanel), celebrating her birthday. Her companion, a much older wealthy gentleman, had fallen asleep in their hotel room. You see, beautiful Irene was a gold digger. Spotting the well groomed Jean, played by Gad Elmaleh (Midnight in Paris, The Round Up), she believed she found a younger replacement for her aging boyfriend. Plus it did not hurt that Jean, a bartender at the hotel, brought her up to one of the swanky suites, pretending it was his place. From this point on, the movie took off on a madcap game with Irene and Jean as the contestants. I thought the chemistry between the two stars was flawless, along with Gad’s impressive comedic timing. There was something about his demeanor and facial expressions that reminded me of Buster Keaton. The film kept a steady level of zaniness and the reading of the subtitles was not an issue for me. It was a wonderful surprise to experience that old time Hollywood fun via France. French with English subtitles.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Long, Long Trailer
No matter what you call the two stars of this comedy, they will always be Lucy and Desi aka Ricky. At the height of their careers with the “I Love Lucy” television series, director Vincente Minnelli (Meet Me in St. Louis, An American in Paris) directed them and let these two stars do the thing they do best–physical comedy, in this classic movie. Lucille Ball (Yours, Mine and Ours; I Love Lucy-TV) as Tacy Bolton-Collini and Desi Arnaz (Holiday in Havana, I Love Lucy-TV) as her newlywed husband Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Collini go on their honeymoon via a road trip, towing their recently bought mobile home trailer. With Lucy and Desi, one should not expect intense drama. This film was full of wonderful comedic scenes; it could easily be mistaken for a longer “I Love Lucy” episode. And frankly that was perfectly okay. Remember this film was done in the 1950’s before our lives were overtaken with electronic gadgets; where seeing the country by car was exciting and in my opinion, people were more innocent. I remember watching this fun film some years ago and I still laughed when I watched it now on DVD. Part of Lucy’s greatness was her precise comedic timing. Also, her willingness to fully throw herself into each comedic scene was nothing short of brilliant. For me, there are certain movies that remain timeless; this would be one of those films.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods
For those of you who have known me for some time, you must be shocked to see me review this horror film. I am not a fan of the slasher horror movie genre. The only tip off I had regarding this movie was Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly) was the producer and one of the writers. With trepidation, I found an empty seat in the theater and prepared myself to be visually assaulted with blood and guts. The story started with five friends (comprised of your stereotypical jock, stoner dude, intellectual guy, grounded female and the party girl) who take a road trip to a remote cabin, for a mini vacation. At first I thought what an unoriginal premise; this was going to be one of those typical horror story setups. Not to give anything away, but I was so wrong about this movie. The script was smart, humorous with a splash of satire. I would not label this as strictly a horror film; instead, I would call it a hybrid of a science fiction horror movie. The story was wildly original and was finely executed (pun intended). Besides having Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Star Trek) in the cast, I felt Richard Jenkins (The Visitor, Let Me In) as Sitterson and Bradley Whitford (Kate & Leopold, The West Wing-TV) were perfect together. The best way to view this film would be to go in with as little information about it. I would even recommend you bypass the trailer below. Just remember its roots were in the horror genre, so there were gory bloody scenes.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Hunger Games
I may not understand all the functions of being a tribute, since I did not read the book; but, I could not imagine anyone better suited then Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone, Like Crazy). In fact, this review will be more of a tribute to Jennifer’s acting skill as Katniss Everdeen, her district’s representative to the Hunger Games; a televised, fight to the death competition. As I mentioned, I did not read the book and felt some of the scenes were rushed and uneven, though the film was 2 hours and 22 minutes long. I am sure the book is better. The relationship between Katniss and her male counterpart, Peeta Mellark played by Josh Hutcherson (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Fragments) was not easily believable at first. It could have been the difference in the acting skills of the two characters; Jennifer had such screen presence, every time she was in a scene, I could only watch her. The action scenes were well done and a couple of times, I was taken surprise by the level of violence. So the good news is Jennifer Lawrence was outstanding; the bad news is reality television still exists in the future.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Brick Lane
If there are no accidents and there is a reason for everything, do you then accept what fate has doled out? Or do you set your mind to have some control over your destiny? Having controlling tendencies, this movie came across to me in a powerful way. Sixteen year old Nazneem, played by Tannishetha Chatterjee (Shadows of Time, Watch Indian Circus) was sent to London for an arranged marriage. Leaving behind her family in Bangladesh with its beautiful surroundings; her new life was confined to a small, concrete London flat with this older gentleman, husband to be Chanu Ahmed, played by Satish Kaushik (Rascals, Double Dhamaal). I readily admit the idea of an arranged marriage is a foreign concept to me. To see Nazneem’s spirit literally being crushed by her portly husband, with her only lifeline being the letters she would receive from her sister back home, was heartbreaking to watch. With a wonderful script and tender, heartfelt acting; this film blossomed with such emotion, I felt a visceral reaction deep inside of me. As the movie came to an end, I quietly stayed seated and thought about how much influence did one really have over their fate. Bengali and English language.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Bank Job
What a surprise; this unordinary heist movie took away my notion that Jason Statham (Transporter, Crank) cannot act. Playing shady, London car dealer Terry Leather, he was excellent in this role. Based on true events, Terry was brought into a scheme by Martine Love, played by Saffron Burrows (Troy, Reign Over Me), to break into a bank when its alarm system was going to be down for a time. Pretty much a foolproof plan; however, Terry and his assembled team got more than money and jewels when they opened a particular safety deposit box. This film started out a little slow, but do not worry. The story builds on itself with surprise twists and revealing turns. I really got wrapped up into this thrilling crime drama. As I mentioned earlier, do not let the slow start stop you from missing out on this astonishing story of a real crime event and its aftermath. There are some scenes of violence.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Mrs. Henderson Presents
Talk about your impulse buying; Mrs. Laura Henderson bought herself a theater. Inspired by true events, I felt Judi Dench (Casino Royale, Jane Eyre) was perfect to portray Mrs. Henderson, the woman who opened the famous Windmill Theater in London, England during the 1930’s. With flair, humor and impeccable diction, Mrs. Henderson had the drive and determination to hire theater Impresario Vivian Van Damm, played by Bob Hoskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Vanity Fair). The combination of these two dominant characters created its own theatrical show, as they argued and threatened each other to try and get their own way. Pay attention to their dialog, for it was crisp and loaded with some fun, sly remarks. With the success of the theater, soon other places started copying the windmill’s revues. Being an independent, free thinking woman for the times, Mrs. Henderson came up with a brillant idea–incorporate naked women into the shows. Mr. Van Damm insisted it would never be allowed, but that would not stop Laura Henderson. Not even World War II would stop her as the theater’s famous motto, “We Never Closed” would humorously be altered to “We Never Clothed.”
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax
As soon as this movie was over, I had to come straight home and give my plants an extra dose of plant food and water. Not only was this movie fun, but it conveyed a message to all of us about conservation. There were two parallel stories for this movie. One was about twelve year old Ted in search of something he never knew existed–a land filled with real live trees. His motivation in the beginning was to impress the girl who told him of these fabled plants. The other story was about the Lorax, a creature who fights to protect his world, a land filled with real trees. It was a little confusing for me as they jumped from one story to the other. I was more interested in the Lorax story and felt Danny DeVito’s (Batman Returns, Solitary Man) voice was perfect for the sweet, grumpy creature. Overall, I really enjoyed watching this film, being transported to the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss. Also, a couple of the songs could be next year’s Oscar nominees. It was a treat to see the characters, I used to read about, come to life on the big screen in a palette of candy colors.
3 stars
Oscar Telecast
As I was scrapping the last spoonful of ice cream out of my 2nd container, the Oscar telecast came to a close. Another season of movies fighting their way to the ultimate prize in Hollywood–the Oscar statuette. Overall, I enjoyed the telecast, with its even pacing and shorter than usual acceptance speeches. I am not sure if it was the length of the telecast or the amount of caffeine I consumed from the lovely chocolate creations, donated by my local bakery; but, it seemed as if I needed more bathroom breaks. It was good to see Billy Crystal again. Having him host was like finding a comfortable sweater that was out of fashion, so you would only wear it to the grocery store. Some of his jokes were funny or at least amusing, though the focus group clip did nothing for me. As for the movie stars in attendance, I felt their attire was elegant in a muted way. Though what was up with Angelina’s leg? Did she think her dress was not beautiful enough without thrusting her leg out? Cirque du Soleil did a wonderful piece, though the space of the stage made it look too busy for me. I did not know what to look at first. And so what if their act had nothing to do with the movies, maybe they were there for the cool factor, albeit fifteen years ago. Though I wish the results would have been different, I will continue to seek out those elusive 4 star movies…right after I fill out my application to be a seat filler for next year’s show.
3 stars
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