Movie Reviews

The Green Hornet for Dummies

  • Title: The Green Hornet
  • IMDB: link

Director Michel Gondry and star/co-writer Seth Rogen set out to do their version of the Green Hornet. They’ve succeeded. This is unlike any Green Hornet I’ve seen, and probably as far removed from my idea of who these characters are as could be done and still title the film The Green Hornet. In fact, the main character is so unrecognizable you have to wonder why even use the Green Hornet characters instead of simply making an original film.

The Green Hornet debuted on radio in the 1930’s alongside other popular programs such as The Lone Ranger and The Shadow. Since then the character has bounced around comics, low budget movie serials, and, most notably, the 60’s television show starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee.

The Green Hornet for Dummies Read More »

Casino Jack

  • Title: Casino Jack
  • IMDB: link

Jack Abramoff was a greedy prick. That’s really the only message Casino Jack has. If you were expecting anything more from this political biopic by director George Hickenlooper and screenwriter Norman Snider you’re bound to leave disappointed.

Kevin Spacey stars as the Washington D.C. super-lobbyist who became a household name working for Preston Gates & Ellis and Greenberg Traurig and a director of the National Center for Public Policy Research. The film gives us a look into Abramoff’s rise to prominence and the personal flaws and series of events which led to his conviction on charges of embezzlement, fraud, and corruption.

The script is never quite sure what to do with this charismatic character who has dreams of helping the world while robbing his defrauding of Native American tribes and lining his own pockets with gold. It’s certainly a meaty role for Spacey, but the film gives us no reason to root either for or against this deeply flawed individual addicted to both money and power.

Casino Jack Read More »

Rabbit Hole

  • Title: Rabbit Hole
  • IMDB: link

Is there anything worse than the loss of a child? Adapted from his play, writer David Lindsay-Abaire gives us the tale of a couple struggling with the death of their young son Danny (Phoenix List) eight months after his death.

On the outside the lives of Howie (Aaron Eckhart) and Becca (Nicole Kidman) seem normal enough. But we can tell something is wrong. We slowly realize there is a missing member of this family whose absence is not only felt in every frame but is slowly destroying the couple from within.

For 90 minutes we follow Howie and Becca through their pain, various coping techniques, and watch each of them struggle with their inability to move beyond such a devastating loss. Director John Cameron Mitchell‘s film is not a fun hour-and-a-half by any means. This version of Lindsay-Abaire’s play is full of raw emotion just under (and often boiling over) the surface.

Rabbit Hole Read More »

All Good Things

  • Title: All Good Things
  • IMDB: link

Although the film is based on the real events surrounding the life of Robert Durst, the main problem with the screenplay by Marcus Hinchey and Marc Smerling is how ridiculous the events appear when recreated on film.

What starts as a love story and tense drama about a troubled son of a real estate broker devolves into a thriller. Then the thriller turns into the kind of cinematic disaster nobody wants on their resume. All Good Things may be based on a real story but it plays like bad fiction.

There’s something off about David Marks (Ryan Gosling) the first time we meet him, but that’s not enough to stop the charming Katie (Kirsten Dunst) from falling for him. Needled by his father’s (Frank Langella) disapproval David and Katie leave the tranquil health food store in Vermont so David can act as the bagman for the family business collecting cash from various seedy Times Square enterprises which the Marks famly owns.

All Good Things Read More »

The King’s Speech

  • Title: The King’s Speech
  • IMDB: link

In the age of the Internet and high speed wireless devices comes a tale about radio. When you’ve got you’re entire music library on a MP3 player, and can get your news from any number of 24-hour cable news channels, it’s easy to forget how vital a communication device radio was, and how a single speech could change the tide of history.

The King’s Speech begins and ends with speeches by Prince Albert, Duke of York (Colin Firth) who would go on to rule the British Empire as King George VI. The differences between the speech he gives at at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley as the King’s son and the famous speech he gave as King to the British people, uniting them as they marched to war, is what the film is all about.

Written by David Seidler and directed by Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech gives us a rousing performance by an actor at the height of his game, and a traditional story masterfully retold.

The King’s Speech Read More »