Let's Talk About Movies

Category: The Twenty-First Century

  • Beirut Hotel [2011]

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    This ain’t the old days anymore when Lebanese films used to be sex free. This is a Lebanese movie for the 21st Century that sadly emerges as a dull piece of cheese.  If one were scoring good intentions, “Beirut Hotel” would get an A for effort, simply for trying  to be different. But the screenplay resembles…

  • The Big Year [2011] ★★½

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    “The Big Year” is an enjoyable comedy with an unusual premise about three dedicated “birders” (that’s bird watching) and their attempt to track as many species as possible during a whole year. Stu Preissler (Steve Martin) is a successful businessman ready to retire and spend 12 months travelling around the country in search of birds.  Brad…

  • Seeking Justice [2011]

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    Nicolas Cage must be of the busiest actors in Hollywood these days, having four films released in 2011 alone. But if you’ve seen most of these movies, we can surely agree that quantity does not equal quality. “Season Of The Witch”, “Drive Angry” and “Trespass” can all be described as misfires. “Seeking Justice” is not…

  • The Double [2011]

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    If there ever were a predictable thriller, “The Double” would be it, a film so dreary and downright silly that no studio would think of releasing it if weren’t for Richard Gere in the lead. He plays a retired CIA agent named Paul Shepherdson who is called back in action to track down a Soviet assassin suspected…

  • Restless [2011]

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    “Indie” mode is on again for Gus Van Sant, the director of “Elephant”, “Paranoid Park” and 2008’s Oscar Nominated “Milk”. I don’t know what Van Sant’s purist will make of “Restless”, but as far as I’m concerned, I thought it was really impressive. The movie takes place in Portland, over three months as Enoch (Henry Hopper,…

  • My Week With Marilyn [2011]

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    Imagine spending a week with Marilyn Monroe in London during the 50’s. That’s precisely what we do in this delicious film, based  on the published diary of Colin Clark. Clark, played with just the right touch  by Eddie Redmayne, had the chance to work with Sir Laurence Olivier as a third assistant director on his film “The…

  • The Skin I Live In [2011] ★★★½

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    Pedro Almodovar’s “The Skin I Live In”  is a twisted take on “Frankenstein” with a sexual angle. There’s the mad doctor, played by Antonio Banderas in one of his most chilling roles. Then there’s the victim, a suicidal patient whom we only see at first in a head bandage and a body stocking. Banderas is…

  • Carnage [2011]

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    I’ve never seen the play on which “Carnage” was based, so I came in with a clean slate, with no expectations. I admire Roman Polanski and I’m a huge fan of his movies, but I’m sorry to say that I couldn’t stand “Carnage”. For 80 minutes of running time, we watch two “civilized” New York…

  • Moneyball [2011]

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    Acting doesn’t get much better than the subtly brilliant display put on by Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”. On the surface, the film is a baseball story just like last year’s “The Social Network” was a film about Facebook. Meaning it’s not. I don’t usually care much about sports movies. We all know that these films…

  • A Dangerous Method [2011]

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    “A Dangerous Method” managed to keep me entertained for 90 minutes- but I wish it was as good as its trailer, which is forceful, well-edited, and dramatically scored. The film itself has many good qualities, and an exceedingly strong cast, but it’s a bit dry. At least I can begin on a positive note; Keira Knightley delivers…

  • The Descendants [2011]

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    Does George Clooney ever sleep? On top of “Ides Of March”, here’s one of the most captivating movies of 2011. Director Alexander Payne (“Election”, “About Schmidt”, “Sideways”) is a master storyteller, and “The Descendants” reaffirms his status as one of Hollywood’s best. In adapting  the 2009 novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, Payne has given Clooney the…

  • Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy [2011]

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    Sorry haters. I don’t care how much you think director Tomas Alfredson (“Let The Right One In”) is working you over with this Cold War tale about a double agent inside MI6 selling out to the Russians. In adapting John Le Carré spy novel, Alfredson stays respectful but not beholden to the source. This should definitely…

  • War Horse [2011]

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    Something’s missing. I felt it the first time during the movie, and when it ended, I still felt a letdown. How could I not? Steven Spielberg,  the director of a handful of films I revere, from “Close Encounters”, “Indiana Jones”, “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan” to last year’s masterful “The Adventures Of Tintin”, is…

  • Intouchables [2011] ★★★½

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    How often does a seemingly simple film capture the imagination of the world? “Intouchables” does, with originality and charm. It’s so vividly real and touching, that it holds you spellbound for two hours, with no letup. The movie was a smash hit in France,  with a staggering 5 million cinema-goers flocking to catch the film in…

  • Real Steel [2011]

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    The way the folks at Dreamworks are treating this film you’d think it was a turkey; it’s anything but. It may not be great, but it’s still science-fiction with some real thought behind it. The setting is the near future (so I guess we survived the apocalypse); Hugh Jackman plays a washed up prizefighter who makes a…

  • Dream House [2011]

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    There’s nothing terribly wrong with “Dream House”, the latest horror film (or is it one?) from director Jim Sheridan (“The Boxer”, “My Left Foot”), but there’s nothing right about it either. It goes without saying that Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig are always worth watching; in the case of “Dream House”, their presence is the…

  • The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo [2011] ★★★½

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    The american version of “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” is gripping and unusual, even if you’ve seen the Swedish film that inspired it, which in turn was based on a novel by Stieg Larson. If you did catch that striking Swedish import two years ago, you should be familiar with the story by now.…

  • Jack And Jill [2011]

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    Adam Sandler gets a double Razzie award from me. 1- For playing his stupid self. 2- For playing his annoying twin sister Jill, who comes to her brother’s house for Thanksgiving. Jill is ugly too. I mean as a man, Sandler is Ok. But as a woman? I can’t even find the right words to…

  • Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows [2011]

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    Unless moviegoers themselves are willing to shoulder some of the blame, it’s useless to try and figure out why “Sherlock Holmes 2” is so disappointing. The film only exists because, after the surprisingly good 2009 movie, its studio demanded a sequel. And if their instincts were correct, people will run to see it this weekend.…

  • Hugo [2011] ★★★½

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    “Hugo” is a brilliant movie to begin with, but not without its two stars, 14 year old Asa Butterfield (“The Boy With The Striped Pajamas”) and Chloe Moretz (“Let Me In”). At first glance, the man who directed such masterpieces as “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas” might seem like an unlikely candidate to direct a family…