Recent theatrical viewings

[rebel_1812]

ZERO DARK THIRTY (2012): The true story of how a CIA intelligence analyst tracks down Osama Bin Laden. Leave your politics at the door; this is real life spy stuff, where James Bond is a girl desk jockey, people get hurt, and children get orphaned. My #4 movie of 2012. 4.5/5.

True story?  Did they give Osama cement shoes before they threw him in the ocean?

[pizdatrica]

Jack the Giant Slayer- I don't know, it was nothing special. The story is weak, and childish. The design of the giants is kind of unrealistic, and childish. The rhyming went on my nerves, and the 3D effects aren't noticeable except for a few scenes.

[Rev. Powell]

SPRING BREAKERS: Four college girls head to Fort Lauderdale for a week of drinking, drugs and sex and end up teaming up with a local gangster for a crime spree. It's a crazy movie, a cross between "Girls Gone Wild" and LA DOLCE VITA for the ecstasy age; it works because writer/director Harmony Korine has finally accepted that he's an exploitation movie director working with an arthouse movie toolkit, not the other way around. Some people will hate the arty shots and nonlinear narrative moments, but its got boobs, shock scenes and a gonzo performance by an unrecognizable James Franco as a rapper/gangsta who plays Brittney Spears songs on the piano. 4/5.

[dean]

Oblivion:

Visually speaking, Kosinki nails it and takes a slight step forward on plot and characters compared to his last picture Tron: Legacy.  This film is one of two things: either a rip off of a few sci-fi tropes and recent films, or loving homage to sci-fi films by copying and pasting a few ideas from other films.  It really can go either way. 

In any case it was a rather enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes, though I couldn't help but feel like there was plenty missing, with too much of a reliance on set pieces rather than character development and the last few minutes goes past in a by-the-numbers ending that wasn't particularly engaging.

Still, like Tron: Legacy, Kosinki has an incredible visual style which is a lot of fun, and he knows how to pick people for soundtracks [first Daft Punk in Tron, and now M83 who do a pretty great job in this film]

I certainly rate this higher than films like John Carter, but it will be telling to see how Blomkamp may blow it out of the water with Elysium later in the year [if District 9 is anything to go by]

It's also still better in many ways than other films like Prometheus by pure virtue of having a less complicated, more by-the-numbers plot line.  It's funny, that's both a positive and a negative at the same time...

A solid 3.5/5 for me: enjoyable, visually striking and has the occasional awesome moment whilst could have been better and a bit more 'solid.'


**spoilers/comments on a few plot points**

Two elements I would have loved to see expanded on is his relationship with Victoria which seemed severely underplayed.  They could have had a very interesting plot point by bringing her 'back to the fold' after dying earlier for being an ineffective team.  The chance was there to change the group dynamic, but he just walks away/abandons her, which I think was disappointing [yes I'm being slightly vague but oh well]

I also would have liked to see more of Tech 52 which would have given the ending a bit more punch rather than the typical 'sappy' ending he played a part in right at the end.  It would have been much more interesting seeing his story unfold a bit further rather than disappearing part way through and simply reappearing at the end... [It seems like the writers conveniently forgot that there were at least 50 other techs out there who no doubt would have been affected by the fall of the Tet]

Speaking of which, I was a little disappointed when we see the inside of the Tet.  The computer/super being running things is an interesting choice, but doesn't really explain why it needs to mine the Earth for resources.  That and the exchange 'she' has with Tom Cruise is a little silly...

[Rev. Powell]

TRANCE: After torture fails, gangsters hire a hypnotherapist to help their amnesiac comrade remember where he hid a stolen painting, but can they trust her not to play with the subject's mind? It's a good, if implausible, starting point for a psychological thriller, but the audience has no rooting interest among the major characters and although the plot twists a lot, after we find the painting we're left with an empty feeling. 2.5/5

[fulci420]

Saw two movies in the past week.

Spring Breakers-Rev already described the plot so I'll just say what I thought about the movie. What stuck out to me immediately is how great this film looks, managing to look consistently beautiful throughout while not shying away from showing some grimy scenes. Adding to this is a fantastic score from the always great Cliff Martinez and Skrillex of all people. Now I am no fan of dubstep, but I have been listening to the Skrillex songs of this album on my ipod all week and actually think they are superior to Martinez's. I had heard praise of the Britney Spears scene beforehand and it is truly incredible, highly doubt any single scene from a movie in 2013 will top that one.

Now although I mostly loved this movie I thought there was an overuse of montage. In fact large parts of the film are narrations over said montages which wouldn't be a problem is the script was a bit better. This caused my attention to wain at a couple points during this film which is a problem considering its short length and undeniably entertaining subject matter. Still I mostly really enjoyed this, a vast improvement over Korine's last film Mr Lonely which had one amazing scene and not much else going for it. This one has two amazing scenes, incredible visuals and music and some really interesting performances so overall I would say check this out.

The Place Beyond the Pines-Ryan Gosling plays a stunt driver who drifts from town to town, his romantic interest has a man in her life. He turns to crime in order to make a better life for himself, her and her small child. Hey wait isn't that the plot synopsis for Drive? Yep all that happens again only this time with a motorcycle and this time it's his kid from a one night fling. Despite these obvious similarities this is stylistically quite different and as the movie goes on we realize that this is a much more epic kind of story.

Instead of singularly focusing on Gosling like Drive did we are opened up to a range of characters with Bradley Cooper getting a large chunk of running time as a cop trying to do right against the face of corruption. Later on we are introduced to two young actors who are very much intertwined in this saga. This is a really interesting movie structured like a three act anthology film. Gosling steals the show with his incredible first act in which yes he acts quite a bit like his character in Drive, but you know what I loved Drive and if it's not broke don't fix it. There is some truly incredible motorcycle work in this section among the most dangerous looking I have seen on screen. Although the latter 2 thirds are far less action oriented I feel they hold their own in terms of filling up the gaps of this time spanning story. Bradley Cooper puts in an excellent preformance, this and Silver Lining's prove that he has more range than just playing that douche in the hangover films.

I was surprised to see Mike Patton (singer of the legendary Faith No More) listed as composer here. Considering his extensive avant garde experience I expected something a bit crazier but he puts in a restrained tasteful score here. A common criticism I see about this film is that the acts become increasingly less engaging and I would have to agree with this assertion. However although it does lose the momentum and humor that make the first act so amazing, it still has much to offer in the three different but related stories it tells. An excellent movie that edges out "Side Effects" as my favorite film of the year so far.

[Rev. Powell]

THE LORDS OF SALEM: An overnight DJ is drawn into a web of witchcraft when she plays a mysterious record. It wants to be a rock and roll ROSEMARY'S BABY, but most of the time it's just a bunch of dream sequences floating around in space, looking for a movie they can attach themselves to. 2.5/5.

[fulci420]

Pain and Gain-Outrageous comedy from Michael Bay based on a true stories of some bodybuilders who turn to a life of crime in order to pursue their vision of the American dream. I thought this was absolutely hilarious throughout, fantastic performances, awesome directing, and one hell of a script. I like that so many critics are trying to find ways to dismiss this based on Bay's previous work. That IMO is not film criticism, that is following the herd and it is one of the reasons the internet has become such a cesspool for meaningful discussion. This movie aims to be a big stupid funny movie and succeeds 100% too judge it on different criteria is missing the point.

[Rev. Powell]

UPSTREAM COLOR: A woman is fed a hallucinogenic worm, then gives away all her possessions in a hypnotic trance; after being operated on by a pig farmer she begins a romance with a young businessman. "Baffling" is probably the best descriptor for this dreamlike riddle without a solution. Most will hate it (a guy who walked out of my screening actually said "this is killing me"). A select few will be fascinated. 3.5/5.

[Rev. Powell]

MUD: A 14-year old boy, the son of a commercial fisherman working the Mississippi River, helps a fugitive he finds hiding out on a remote island. Accomplished storytelling that weaves in multiple subplots and minor characters, blending drama, romance and adventure, with a coming-of-age message that's neither too bitter nor too sweet. Easy to recommend. 4.5/5.

[Rev. Powell]

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES: A trick motorcycle rider's decision to rob a bank to try to support his illegitimate child leads to consequences that echo through generations. It's the story of three different men; each tale is well-acted and dramatic, but after a while you might start to wonder why this is one movie rather than three. 3.5/5.

[Bushma]

Yesterday I took the kids to our local second run theather to watch Jack the Giant Slayer in 3D.  Five dollars a piece was a great price, and I figured they'd like the movie.  I was right, we all enjoyed the movie actually.  It was much better than I thought it would be! The romance wasn't pushed too far, the villan was a nice canned cheese which fit the role (he even came with his own lacky), and the brave knight and some good lines which made me laugh.  CGI wasn't the best, but it had a nice cartoon feel to it which really helped to add to the story feel to the movie rather than it feeling real.  4/5

[Rev. Powell]

THE ANGEL'S SHARE (2012): When he becomes a father, Robbie tries to put his violent life as a street thug behind him; his unexpectedly refined palette for malt whiskey may provide him a key to escape poverty. Powerful drama assaults you up front, offset by working class comedy that lingers throughout. Finishes with a wisp of heist movie for a finely balanced mix sure to lift your spirits. 3.5/5

[BoyScoutKevin]

More to see something/anything on Memorial Day, but it did seem to be the best film, I had not seen, playing on that day.

"Epic"

A beautiful looking film, that was only let down by its . . .

Cinematography
You need something/someone special to shoot a great action scene. That was lacking.

Writing
The characters veered toward stereotypes.
There was no sense that anyone knew how to write great comedy.
And none of the scenes had the emotional impact that they should have had.

It was only towards the end, did the film seem to have come alive, but . . . Sometimes you need to see something mediocre to appreciate that which is good. Which means . . .

Before the film, I saw the latest trailer for Pixar's "Monster U." Pixar is so far ahead of everyone in animation, cinematography, and storytelling, it is not longer funny. Looking forward to this one, which should be the next film I see. With a report after I see it.

[Rev. Powell]

RENOIR (2012): Portrait of the final days of impressionist painter Pierre-August Renoir, and of the growing affair between his son (future film director Jean) and a headstrong model. Beautiful looking, as befits the subject---with her glowing copper hair, Christa Theret looks like a painter's vision that's stepped off a canvas---but too often watching this slow-paced, reverent movie is like watching paint dry. 2.5/5.