Drama

God That’s Good!

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
  • IMDb: link

“There’s a whole in the world like a great black pit, and the vermin of the world inhabit it, and its morals aren’t worth what a pin can spit, and it goes by the name of London.”

sweeney-todd-poster

When I heard Tim Burton was set to direct Sweeney Todd my initial response was to expect a great looking but overproduced and underwhelming film (like say Sleepy Hollow).  I was dead wrong.  In another director’s hands the bloody tale would have been cut, trimmed, and made to look nice enough to earn a PG-13 rating.  Burton however embraced the story of vengeance and loss and gives us a Sweeney Todd worthy of the name.  How good is Sweeney Todd? It’s arguably Tim Burton’s best film.

For those unfamiliar with the original story and the Broadway musical, the plot involves a young barber named Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) whose wife Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly) and infant daughter Johanna are taken from him by Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman).  Turpin steals the women for himself and sentences Barker and banishes him from London forever.  The film opens with the return of Barker years later under the new name of Sweeney Todd

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Charlie Wilson’s War

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Charlie Wilson’s War
  • IMDb: link

“You can teach them to type, but you can’t teach them to grow tits.”

Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), a junior Congressman from a small district in Texas, did the impossible.  Not only did he spearhead the largest covert war in United States history, but he kept it a secret for years.

Wilson, a member of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee and the only Congressman from a district “who doesn’t want anything,” was in an unique position to change the world while nobody was looking.

After learning about the Afghan resistance against the Soviets, and being cajoled into providing more assistance by a powerful political contributor (Julia Roberts), Wilson with the help of his friends and CIA operative Gust Avrakotots (Philip Seymour Hoffman), over the course of the decade began increasing the money, weapons, and training being put into Afghanistan and began fighting a covert war which only a scant few even knew was taking place.  And we aren’t talking a small increase here; we’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars.

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Atonement

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Atonement
  • IMDb: link

atonement-poster

Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) is the kitchen helps son and in love with Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) the head of household’s daughter. Cecilia is a stuck up rich brat who plays hard to get, but conforms to her one true love in the end, Robbie. Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan), the youngest daughter has a huge crush on Robbie and finds herself in a very jealous predicament, in return she lashes out and lies about whom she caught accosting her cousin in the woods.

Briony’s lie sends Robbie away to war and trashes his name forever making it impossible for Robbie and Cecilia to be together. Cecilia leaves the family estate and makes a go of it on her own as a nurse for the effort, running into Robbie one last time before he is sent off to the front, they agree to find one another after and marry.

Briony (Romola Garai) grew out of her impish childhood and into guilt and a need to correct all that she had wrong. Believing she was paying for her lies, she signed up as a nurse to help the wounded in an effort to ease her mind. She hunted down her sister, Ceclilia, but was never forgiven.

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Dueling Reviews – Margot at the Wedding

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Margot at the Wedding
  • IMDB: link

There’s always a little disagreement over films among critics, but every once in awhile there’s a big one.  Margot at the Wedding aggressively divided us.  Both December and I were amazed the film even got made, let alone released, but Ian, and our pal Eric from Scene Stealers both really enjoyed the film.  Who’s right?  Who’s wrong?  We’ll obviously Eric and Ian are in need of some serious mental help, but don’t just take my word for it.  Inside you’ll find excerpts and links to all four reviews, allowing you to decide.

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Man in the Chair

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Man in the Chair
  • IMDb: link

Man in the Chair

Cameron Kincaid (Michael Angarano) is a troubled kid, in trouble at school, with the law, and at odds with his overbearing step-father (Mitch Pileggi); his only escape is through film.

One day after school he meets Flash Madden (Christopher Plummer), a drunken loudmouth who seems to know more about films than anyone Cameron has met.  Flash worked for years as a gaffer in the movie biz and was given his nickname from Orson Wells (Jodi Ashworth) on the set of Citizen Kane.  Cameron strikes up an uneasy friendship with Flash and convinces him to help make a student film.  Flash persuades his friends at the nursing home, all of whom worked in the movie business, to help and Cameron finds himself with the most experienced crew any student has used to shoot his first film.

There are many things which work in the film.  First off the performances are good across the board especially those of the leads, Plummer and Angarano.  Although Plummer’s performance smells a little of Oscar Bait there’s enough to enjoy.

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