Recent theatrical viewings

[jimpickens]

300 Rise Of An Empire.

[fulci420]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson's latest shows that he has perfected his craft, and that craft is making meticulous Wes Anderson movies. You may not resonate with his sensibilities but at this point he is accomplishing his goals to perfection. Every frame is wonderfully designed feeling at times to be as much a cartoon as his earlier "Mr Fox" despite being filled with a bevy of familiar Anderson folks and some new ones. Ralph Fiennes is the perfect leading man for this picture perfectly balancing a character that is at times sleazy, others lovable and always hilarious.

An interesting addition is a sense of darkness that begins to infiltrate Anderson's world. War is looming and a few times we see violence erupt on the screen unlike anything seen before in his past films. This adds an additional layer to the proceedings that is nicely balanced with the whimsical adventure that serves as the films driving force. With the hilarious trailer (which does give away a bit too many of the films funny lines IMO) and knowledge of his past work I think this is a sure thing for fans of his aesthetic but its so entrenched in said aesthetic that I cant see it converting any of the unconvinced.

[Rev. Powell]

Finally got to see THE WOLF OF WALL STREET. A stock broker bends ethical rules to build a fortune while feeding his obscene appetite for hookers and Quaaludes. Although the target of the satire is easy, this mixture of GOODFELLAS and WALL STREET is Martin Scorsese's best, and funniest, movie in quite some time. A minor quibble is that the movie's middle section spends about an hour longer than needed in convincing us that Jordan Belfort and his cronies are a bunch of narcissistic douchebags. 4.5/5

[dean]

Monuments Men:

For what should have been an interesting story, I was kind of, well, bored.  Probably could have done more with the superb cast, in particular building up their relationships with each other but everything just felt really 'as it should' which means you just spend the whole movie waiting for them to get to the point.

[Archivist]

Monuments Men:

For what should have been an interesting story, I was kind of, well, bored.  Probably could have done more with the superb cast, in particular building up their relationships with each other but everything just felt really 'as it should' which means you just spend the whole movie waiting for them to get to the point.

I saw Monuments Men last week, too.  Not bad, and a very solid film, but not a 'oh my gosh, how amazing' film.  They did have a great cast and an excellent premise, but even the attempts at emotional moments didn't quite work for me.

What surprised me was the female majority of the audience.  I saw it in an evening slot in the City during the week, and the audience was mostly women.  They piled into the theatre in packs and talked loudly through the first ads, and then applauded at the end of the film.  It was like a meeting of the local George Clooney fan club.

[BoyScoutKevin]

"Muppets: Most Wanted" w/ Ricky Gervaise, Ty Burrell, and Tina Fey.

I liked it, so the surprise was not that I'd like it, but how much I liked it.

The best part, for me, was all the self-referential in-jokes.

The 2nd best part was the music. "The Macarena" never sounded as good.

The 3rd best part was all the guest stars in it. Did I mention the self-referential in jokes?

The 4th best part was the forgotten history lesson. I had forgotten there was a Colonel Blood who did try to steal the British Crown Jewels from the Tower of London, and while he was unsuccessful, he came closer to stealing them than anyone before or since.

A couple of final thoughts.

Obviously from the story and who was in it, the filmmakers were going for something that might have an international appeal. Which you'll probably see more and more in American films, as foreign box office becomes more important than American box office.

And I hope it is successful enough that there will be an 8th sequel, as this is the 7th sequel, to the original Muppets movie. For all the people who liked the original film, it is my least favorite of all the Muppet films, and probably the only I really did not enjoy.

[Rev. Powell]

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (2014): A former concierge tells the story of how he came to own the once-elegant titular hotel, a story involving a murdered widow, a stolen painting, and a jailbreak. Wes Anderson's detached, artificial style, which can be alienating in a modern setting, is perfectly suited to this period screwball comedy with a literary plot. 4.5/5.

[Muscle Hedonist]

The Hobbit 2. Don't think I have to say much about the movie itself, but that cinema visit was the first time I saw the teaser for the new Godzilla movie - boy, that sure was something.

[Rev. Powell]

ENEMY: A history professor becomes obsessed with finding a man who appears to be his exact double. Jake Gyllenhall is excellent in both roles, and director Denis Villeneuve creates a sense of existential dread that rivals David Lynch (or fellow Canadian David Cronenberg); the mysterious ending will fuel a minor interpretation industry. 4.5/5.

[Rev. Powell]

THE UNKNOWN KNOWN (2013): A feature length interview with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield that (perhaps unfairly, perhaps understandably) turns into a referendum on the Iraqi invasion and the War on Terror. There are no bombshells---Rumsfield is far too savvy to sabotage himself---so this effort only adds a little context for political junkies, while being unlikely to sway anyone's opinion of this enigmatic and powerful man in one direction or another. 3/5

[dean]

Grand Budapest Hotel:

Great film from Wes Anderson with some standout performances from Ralph Fiennes and co.  The deapan and odd humour may not appeal to some, but I think it was a well crafted, funny and generally endearing caper, though I have a problem with how some of it wound up by the end.  I wouldn't be surprised if Fiennes gets some award season nods for this [he was wonderful].  One of my favourites of the year so far!

[Rev. Powell]

UNDER THE SKIN: Disguised as a human female, an alien seduces (and "collects") lonely males in Scotland. The story drags at times, especially in the final act, but the hallucinatory scenes are elegantly trippy and well worth the price of admission. Scarlett Johansson's nude scenes don't hurt. Reminded me of THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, only sexier. 4/5.

[Rev. Powell]

BEARS: Disney's latest nature doc follows two bear cubs through their first year of life. Great footage of these magnificent beasts prowling the Alaska wilderness, but the anthropomorphic commentary gets so cutesy you wish sometimes mama bear would go GRIZZLY MAN on narrator John D. Reilly. 3/5.

[BoyScoutKevin]

BEARS: Disney's latest nature doc follows two bear cubs through their first year of life. Great footage of these magnificent beasts prowling the Alaska wilderness, but the anthropomorphic commentary gets so cutesy you wish sometimes mama bear would go GRIZZLY MAN on narrator John D. Reilly. 3/5.

Seen it, too. And a great documentary from the same people who next year are bringing you "Monkey Kingdom."

In Southeast Asia there is a jungle.
And in this jungle there is an abandoned temple.
And in this abandoned temple there is a troop of monkeys.
And in this troop of monkeys there is this mother monkey and her baby monkey.
"Monkey Kingdom!"

[Rev. Powell]

LOCKE: A construction foreman is called away on personal business on the eve of a huge building project; we watch in real time as he drives to London juggling phone calls from work, home, and his destination. Tom Hardy will be rightfully praised for what's almost a one-man show as a profoundly decent working man facing the devastating consequences of a single bad decision. But, the real, unacknowledged star is Steven Tyler's minimalist script, which manages to wring a hell of a lot of tension out of a "you have a call waiting" notification. 4.5/5.