The Iceman - DVD Review

Starring Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta, Chris Evans, David Schwimmer, James Franco, Robert Davi, John Ventimiglia and Stephen Dorff. Directed by Ariel Vroman.

★★½

Michael Shannon is a terrific presence, and he needs it here in this undercooked biopic about one of America's most notorious killers - Richard "The Iceman" Kuklinski.  It starts out interesting enough, almost a Donnie Brasco vibe to the proceedings, as low-man on the totem pole works his way up because he's so good at killing.  Ray Liotta plays Ray DeMeo, the boss that gave him a chance for higher profile hits for the Gambino family.

As the story goes, it gets repetitive after a while. We see Kuklinski kill someone, and then we see him kill someone, and then we see him kill someone, and then we see him kill someone, and then we get a scene where he enjoys his wife and two daughters, oblivious to how he really earns his money, and then we see him kill someone...

I liked Winona Ryder and Chris Evans in their roles. No complaints as far as acting goes; I just wish the film had more purpose behind what story it's trying to tell.

Frankenweenie - Movie Review

Starring the voices of Charlie Tahan, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau and Winona Ryder.  
Directed by Tim Burton.

★★★

Saw this at the $2 theater with the family.  Burton has taken his short from 1984 and expanded it to feature length.  It's about a boy whose dog Sparky gets killed.  Rather than accept this, he conducts a Frankenstein experiment on him and brings the dog back to life.  But this re-animation power has unforeseen consequences, especially when other kids want to know how to do it.

It's all very Burton-esque, and in animation, that's still a good thing.  It has that Nightmare Before Christmas / Corpse Bride vibe, with the neighborhood feel of Edward Scissorhands.  It's all in black and white, and it makes good use of the suspenseful setting.  There was one sequence in the night at school where all the kids held their breath, just knowing something was coming.