Tron Legacy - Movie Review

lll in IMAX/3D

ll1/2 otherwise

Starring Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, Michael Sheen, James Frain, Beau Garrett and Cillian Murphy.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski.

Overall I liked my experience. I've seen IMAX movies before and 3D movies before, but I've never seen an IMAX 3D movie before, and visually this was a pretty decent movie to see in such a format. We had our previews (yes, if money wasn't an issue, I'd be curious to see Born to Be Wild in IMAX/3D) and finally settled in for the movie.

Kevin Flynn, hero of the 1982 Tron, has disappeared in 1989, leaving behind a young son Sam. Sam Flynn is now 27, primary shareholder in his father's company Encom, but he's too busy riding fast motorcycles and stealing his own company's software to make much of a difference. Suffice to say, the plot mechanics fall into place to get Sam into the Grid, the digital world where programs are forced to fight to the death, just like his dad did all those years ago.

Sam eventually finds Kevin, and that's when we learn that the tyrant here is Clu, a program Kevin Flynn wrote himself. Since programs look like the users who write them, Clu looks like a young Jeff Bridges. Sad to say the digital recreation here isn't as effective as say, the youthfied Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button. Clu looked no more real than any character Jim Carrey ran into in Christmas Carol 3D.

There are two highlights to the film. The visuals are impressive. The action sequences are thrilling. The other highlight is Michael Sheen as David Bowie in A Clockwork Orange, a huckster program named Castor who can get anyone anything they need. I did also like Olivia Wilde as Quorra, an apprentice program of Kevin's.

There are several plot holes and logic jumps the movie makes, particularly toward the end. It's as though one screenwriter had it in his head what the answers are, but then the script got handed off to someone else who had no idea what the answers were and figured someone else might explain it later.

2010 SAG Award Nominations

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
The Social Network

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Robert Duvall, Get Low
Jesse Eisenberg, Social Network
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Annette Bening, Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Hilary Swank, Conviction

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, THe King’s Speech
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, Black Swan
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire
The Closer
Dexter
The Good Wife
Mad Men

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 Rock
Glee
Hot in Cleveland
Modern Family
The Office

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
John Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Glenn Close, Damages
Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
Julianna Margulies, the Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Steve Carrel, The Office
Chris Colfer, Glee
Ed O’Neill, Modern Family

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Jane Lynch, Glee
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
John Goodman, You Don’t Know Jack
Al Pacino, You Don’t Know Jack
Dennis Quaid, The Special Relationship
Edgar Ramirez, Carlos
Patrick Stewart, Macbeth

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Claire Danes, Temple Grandin
Catherine O’Hara, Temple Grandin
Julia Ormond, Temple Grandin
Winona Ryder, When Love Is Not Enough
Susan Sarandon, You Don’t Know Jack

Eat Pray Love - DVD Review

ll

Starring Julia Roberts, James Franco, Richard Jenkins, Javier Bardem, Viola Davis and Billy Crudup.
Directed by Ryan Murphy.

In the first scene, Julia Roberts is getting her palm read by a guru in Bali. He lets her know she will have two marriages, one long and one short. She asks which one her current marriage is. If the question must be asked, then the answer is already known.

On one hand, it's nice to watch a movie with exotic locations and a solid supporting cast. On the other hand, must the trek be so sententious, with a lead so unrelatable? It's a self-discovery travelogue for millionaires who can't be troubled with depressing things like "families." I can't imagine the best-selling book on which this was based was so chokingly smug.

Yes, if I was a millionaire with no wife and kids, taking some sort of journey like this might be appealing. Would I feel differently if this was centered on a guy, say Leonardo DiCaprio dumping perfectly fine wife Ginnifer Goodwin and then sleeping with struggling actress Rosemary DeWitt, eating a lot in Italy, gaining wisdom from prayer-circle attendee Melissa Leo, then finding what might be real love with Paz Vega?

Um, no, I don't think so. May they never adapt The Secret for the big-screen.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - DVD Review

lll 1/2

Starring Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Sven-Bertil Taube and Peter Haber.
Directed by Niels Adren Oplev.

I read the book, then saw the movie. Since the book was so fresh on my mind, I can say it's a pretty fatihful adaptation, skimming on some details to tighten up the story to stay under two and a half hours.

It's the adventures of Blomkvist and Salander, the best Swedish detective duo of the decade. Take out the word "Swedish" and that sentence is still true.

Mikael Blomkvist is a recently disgraced journalist, convicted of libel, who now has some time on his hands. He is summoned by Henrik Vanger, who happens to be the aging CEO of one of the country's largest companies. His niece disappeared 40 years ago, and he'd like a fresh set of eyes to see if he can't solve the mystery once and for all. His niece also happens to be Blomkvist's former babysitter.

Lisbeth Salander is a hacker, hired to do a background check on Blomkvist for the job. After she clears him, their stories run separately for a while, but she's mirrored Blomkvist's computer and gets intrigued by the mystery as well. Eventually they join forces.

Noomi Rapace is a revelation as Salander. She has a quiet ferociousness about her. She's moody, intelligent, quiet, angry, curious, the most complex female protagonist to come along in a while. She's that way in the book, and Rapace does her more than justice.

The US remake's coming with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, but don't let that dissuade you from seeing this version.

Centurion- DVD Review

ll

Starring Matthew Fassbender, Dominic West, Olga Kurylenko and Ulrich Thomsen.
Directed by Neil Marshall.

A sword-and-sandals adventure that doesn't add up to much, but it easily could have been worse.

Matthew Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) is our hero here, a Roman soldier, member of the Ninth column that famously disappeared in 140 AD. (Another movie is coming out next year tackling the same subject). When the majority of them are slaughtered from a sneak attack, it focusses on the few who survive, and when they learn their general is still alive and captured, they must sneak into enemy ranks to set him free.

It has decent action here and there. A good section of this movie is a chase, and I kept thinking how much better Apocalypto did it. It wasn't bad for a time-killer but I wouldn't recommend anyone go out of their way to see it.

Restrepo - DVD Review

lll 1/2

Directed by Tom Hetherington & Sebastian Junger.

Very solid documentary that just sits us in the middle of the action of what it's like for US troops out in Afghanistan. It's inspiring, frustrating, genuine.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed - DVD Review

lll

Starring Gemma Arterton, Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan.
Directed by J Blakeson.

This movie starts on the right foot. We watch two men go to hardware stores, review blueprints, hammer, drill, assemble, drive from here to there. They install locks on two doors, set up a bed, nod to each other that they're ready.

Next, they're wearing ski masks and gloved. They're throwing a struggling body into a van, a woman, writhing and squealing. They haul her into the apartment where they've been working. They handcuff her to the bed. Professional, efficient, silent while she squirms.

Alice Creed is the kidnap victim, and the two men have a job to do. What we have now is a three-person play, a bare-bones build-up of suspense for a ransom drop we just know isn't going to go smoothly. Eventually we get to know Vic (Eddie Marsan), the older more dangerous one, and Danny (Martin Compston), the younger more sensitive one.

There are a couple good twists in here, and the director has a good eye for pacing. Nice to see a movie that really could go any direction, down to the final few minutes.

My thoughts on Globes

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Black Swan (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
The Fighter (Paramount Pictures)
Inception (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The King’s Speech (The Weinstein Company)
The Social Network (Sony Pictures)

I've only seen Inception and Social Network, and I'm great with both of those. If Black Swan, The Fighter and The King's Speech are all better than 127 Hours, then great! I thought True Grit might be able to sneak in. So far so good.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Halle Berry - Frankie & Alice
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

No glaring omissions here, looks good...

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Colin Firth - The King’s Speech
James Franco - 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg - The Fighter

As expected...

BEST MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney Pictures)
Burlesque (Screen Gems)
The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features)
Red (Summit Entertainment)
The Tourist (Sony Pictures)

And here's where the Globes are a complete joke. I haven't seen Burlesque or The Tourist, but I've read the reviews. Why nominate those when they could've nominated Scott Pilgrim vs. the World or even Date Night? Heck, any comedy that remotely got a handful of laughs would've been better. This is where it's clear the HFCA just wanted to make sure Cher and Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie all knew they were invited to the party.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Anne Hathaway - Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie - The Tourist
Julianne Moore - The Kids Are All Right
Emma Stone - Easy A

Not a bad list, considering. Ignoring Jolie, since every review I've read says she has zero chemistry with Depp.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Johnny Depp - Alice in Wonderland
Johnny Depp - The Tourist
Paul Giamatti - Barney’s Version
Jake Gyllenhaal - Love and Other Drugs
Kevin Spacey - Casino Jack

Depp twice? They didn't want to nominate Robert Downey Jr. for Due Date? Not saying he deserves it for Due Date, just that HFCA likes to nominate people they want to hang out with.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Despicable Me (Universal Pictures)
How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks Animation)
The Illusionist (Sony Pictures Classics)
Tangled (Walt Disney Pictures)
Toy Story 3 (Disney•Pixar)

Fine and good. Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon might both make my top ten list.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful (Mexico /Spain)
The Concert (France)
The Edge (Russia)
I Am Love (Italy)
In a Better World (Denmark)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King’s Speech
Mila Kunis - Black Swan
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Christian Bale - The Fighter
Michael Douglas - Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Andrew Garfield - The Social Network
Jeremy Renner - The Town
Geoffrey Rush - The King’s Speech

Loving that Bale finally found a role to get him award recogntion, his work in The Machinist and Rescue Dawn notwithstanding. Also glad that Renner's work in The Town is not being forgotten.

BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
David Fincher - The Social Network
Tom Hooper - The King’s Speech
Christopher Nolan - Inception
David O. Russell - The Fighter

BEST SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy - 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg - The Kids Are All Right
Christopher Nolan - Inception
David Seidler - The King’s Speech
Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE
Alexander Desplat - The King’s Speech
Danny Elfman - Alice in Wonderland
A.R. Rahman - 127 Hours
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Social Network
Hans Zimmer - Inception

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE
"Bound to You"; Music by Samuel Dixon, Lyrics by Christina Aguilera, Sia Furler - Burlesque
"Coming Home"; Music & Lyrics by Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges - Country Strong
"I See the Light"; Music by Alan Menkin, Lyrics by Glenn Slater - Tangled
"There's a Place for Us"; Music & Lyrics by Carrie Underwood, David Hodges, Hillary Lindsey - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me"; Music & Lyrics by Dianne Warren - Burlesque

No real thoughts on any of these. They're either expected or unsurprising.

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
"Boardwalk Empire" (HBO)
"Dexter" (Showtime)
"The Good Wife" (CBS)
"Mad Men" (AMC)
"The Walking Dead" (AMC)

Haven't seen Boardwalk Empire but the other four are good shows.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Juliana Margulies - "The Good Wife"
Elizabeth Moss - "Mad Men"
Piper Perabo - "Covert Affairs"
Katie Segal - "Sons of Anarchy"
Kyra Sedgwick - "The Closer"

Piper Perabo? Really?

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Steve Buscemi - "Boardwalk Empire"
Bryan Cranston - "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall - "Dexter"
Jon Hamm - "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie - "House"

Hard to argue with any of these.

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
"30 Rock" (NBC)
"The Big Bang Theory" (CBS)
"The Big C" (Showtime)
"Glee" (FOX)
"Modern Family" (ABC)
"Nurse Jackie" (Showtime)

Okay, I've seen one episode each of The Big C and Nurse Jackie and was not impressed. And NBC has three other shows on Thursday (Community, Parks & Recreation, The Office) that are funnier than 30 Rock. Happy for Big Bang Theory, Modern Family and Glee, though I don't watch Glee anymore.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Toni Collette - "United States of Tara"
Edie Falco - "Nurse Jackie"
Tina Fey - "30 Rock"
Laura Linney - "The Big C"
Lea Michele - "Glee"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin - "30 Rock"
Steve Carell - "The Office"
Thomas Jane - "Hung"
Matthew Morrison - "Glee"
Jim Parsons - "The Big Bang Theory"

No Ed O'Neill?

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
"Carlos" (The Sundance Channel)
"The Pacific" (HBO)
"Pillars of the Earth" (Starz)
"Temple Grandin" (HBO)
"You Don't Know Jack" (HBO)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Hayley Atwell - "Pillars of the Earth"
Claire Danes - "Temple Grandin"
Judi Dench - "Return to Cranford"
Romola Garai - "Emma"
Jennifer Love Hewitt - "The Client List"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Idris Elba - "Luther"
Ian McShane - "Pillars of the Earth"
Al Pacino - "You Don't Know Jack"
Dennis Quaid - "The Special Relationship"
Edgar Ramirez - "Carlos"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Hope Davis - "The Special Relationship"
Jane Lynch - "Glee"
Kelly MacDonald - "Boardwalk Empire"
Julia Styles - "Dexter"
Sofia Vergara - "Modern Family"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Scott Caan - "Hawaii 5-0"
Chris Colfer - "Glee"
Chris Noth - "The Good Wife"
Eric Stonestreet - "Modern Family"
David Strathairn - "Temple Grandin"

I like the Scott Caan nom.




Read more: Nominations for the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards - ComingSoon.net http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=72368#ixzz186DraVFo

2010 Golden Globe Nominations

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Black Swan (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
The Fighter (Paramount Pictures)
Inception (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The King’s Speech (The Weinstein Company)
The Social Network (Sony Pictures)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Halle Berry - Frankie & Alice
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Colin Firth - The King’s Speech
James Franco - 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg - The Fighter

BEST MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney Pictures)
Burlesque (Screen Gems)
The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features)
Red (Summit Entertainment)
The Tourist (Sony Pictures)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Anne Hathaway - Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie - The Tourist
Julianne Moore - The Kids Are All Right
Emma Stone - Easy A

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Johnny Depp - Alice in Wonderland
Johnny Depp - The Tourist
Paul Giamatti - Barney’s Version
Jake Gyllenhaal - Love and Other Drugs
Kevin Spacey - Casino Jack

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Despicable Me (Universal Pictures)
How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks Animation)
The Illusionist (Sony Pictures Classics)
Tangled (Walt Disney Pictures)
Toy Story 3 (Disney•Pixar)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Biutiful (Mexico /Spain)
The Concert (France)
The Edge (Russia)
I Am Love (Italy)
In a Better World (Denmark)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King’s Speech
Mila Kunis - Black Swan
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Christian Bale - The Fighter
Michael Douglas - Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Andrew Garfield - The Social Network
Jeremy Renner - The Town
Geoffrey Rush - The King’s Speech

BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
David Fincher - The Social Network
Tom Hooper - The King’s Speech
Christopher Nolan - Inception
David O. Russell - The Fighter

BEST SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy - 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg - The Kids Are All Right
Christopher Nolan - Inception
David Seidler - The King’s Speech
Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE
Alexander Desplat - The King’s Speech
Danny Elfman - Alice in Wonderland
A.R. Rahman - 127 Hours
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Social Network
Hans Zimmer - Inception

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE
"Bound to You"; Music by Samuel Dixon, Lyrics by Christina Aguilera, Sia Furler - Burlesque
"Coming Home"; Music & Lyrics by Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges - Country Strong
"I See the Light"; Music by Alan Menkin, Lyrics by Glenn Slater - Tangled
"There's a Place for Us"; Music & Lyrics by Carrie Underwood, David Hodges, Hillary Lindsey - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me"; Music & Lyrics by Dianne Warren - Burlesque

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
"Boardwalk Empire" (HBO)
"Dexter" (Showtime)
"The Good Wife" (CBS)
"Mad Men" (AMC)
"The Walking Dead" (AMC)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Juliana Margulies - "The Good Wife"
Elizabeth Moss - "Mad Men"
Piper Perabo - "Covert Affairs"
Katie Segal - "Sons of Anarchy"
Kyra Sedgwick - "The Closer"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Steve Buscemi - "Boardwalk Empire"
Bryan Cranston - "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall - "Dexter"
Jon Hamm - "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie - "House"

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
"30 Rock" (NBC)
"The Big Bang Theory" (CBS)
"The Big C" (Showtime)
"Glee" (FOX)
"Modern Family" (ABC)
"Nurse Jackie" (Showtime)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Toni Collette - "United States of Tara"
Edie Falco - "Nurse Jackie"
Tina Fey - "30 Rock"
Laura Linney - "The Big C"
Lea Michele - "Glee"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin - "30 Rock"
Steve Carell - "The Office"
Thomas Jane - "Hung"
Matthew Morrison - "Glee"
Jim Parsons - "The Big Bang Theory"

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
"Carlos" (The Sundance Channel)
"The Pacific" (HBO)
"Pillars of the Earth" (Starz)
"Temple Grandin" (HBO)
"You Don't Know Jack" (HBO)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Hayley Atwell - "Pillars of the Earth"
Claire Danes - "Temple Grandin"
Judi Dench - "Return to Cranford"
Romola Garai - "Emma"
Jennifer Love Hewitt - "The Client List"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Idris Elba - "Luther"
Ian McShane - "Pillars of the Earth"
Al Pacino - "You Don't Know Jack"
Dennis Quaid - "The Special Relationship"
Edgar Ramirez - "Carlos"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Hope Davis - "The Special Relationship"
Jane Lynch - "Glee"
Kelly MacDonald - "Boardwalk Empire"
Julia Styles - "Dexter"
Sofia Vergara - "Modern Family"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Scott Caan - "Hawaii 5-0"
Chris Colfer - "Glee"
Chris Noth - "The Good Wife"
Eric Stonestreet - "Modern Family"
David Strathairn - "Temple Grandin"

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Movie Review

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Starring Georgie Hendley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes and Will Poulter.
Directed by Michael Apted.

When I came out of it, I had it in my mind about on par with Prince Caspian, but as the days pass, it's receded on me. The Narnia film series isn't up to LOTR or Harry Potter standards, much as it may like to be, and this film is the weakest in the Narnia series to date, even though in my opinion it's one of the better books in the series.

Part of the problem is source material. CS Lewis was writing fiction for kids with strong Christian overtones, and his "for kids" style doesn't carry over as easily as Tolkein or Rowling. Dawn Treader on the big screen is rather episodic. There's also no clear villain. The antagonist is this green mist of evil. Not exactly as powerful as the White Witch. Tilda Swinton, who's always been by far the best actor in the series, comes back again for a cameo. The filmmakers also find a way to bring back Peter and Susan, even though they're not supposed to be here.

The acting is a problem. Georgie Hendley had a lot of charm as Lucy in the first movie, but her wide-eyed grinning at whatever magical incident is happening hasn't really progressed. For instance, I've always felt like in the Potter flicks, the acting of the kids has improved a little with each movie. Here, not really.

This movie's best quality is from casting Will Poulter as Eustace Scrubb, the spoiled cousin that joins Edmund and Lucy on this trip. At least when he's around, we have the promise that something lively may happen.

So if Narnia 4 gets greenlit - The Silver Chair - it only brings back Eustace, and that film should be in good hands, though I can't for the lfie of me remember anything about The Silver Chair and I read the whole series about five years ago. Maybe Walden Media can get Alfonso Cuaron or Mike Newell or David Yates to give a crack at directing it and see if they can't stop the slide of this series. I'd enjoy it if all seven could be made.

P.S. I was distracted the whole movie that Reepicheep was back, but not as voiced by Eddie Izzard. I could not figure it out until the closing credits. Well, it was Simon Pegg. Liam Neeson does return to voice Aslan, and if you haven't guessed that Aslan is Jesus, he lays a biiig hint at the end.

Thor Movie Poster

From Yahoo Movies

Domestic Box-Office of 2010

Top domestic box-office performaers of 2010 so far.

1. Toy Story 3 - $415 million
2. Alice in Wonderland - $334.19 million
3. Iron Man 2 - $312.13 million
4. Twilight Saga: Eclipse - $300.53 million
5. Inception - $292.38 million
6. Despicable Me - $250 million
7. Harry Potter 7 Part 1 - $244.52 million
8. Shrek Forever After - $238.39 million
9. How to Train Your Dragon - $217.58 million
10. The Karate Kid - $176.59 million
11. Clash of the Titans - $163.21 million
12. Grown Ups - $162 million
13. Megamind - $136.61 million
14. The Last Airbender - $131.6 million
15. Shutter Island - $128.01 million

Five of the top fifteen are animated (and Tangled is on pace to catch Megamind).

Faster - Movie Review

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Starring Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Carla Gugino, Maggie Grace, Moon Goodblood, Tom Berenger, Mike Epps, Jennifer Carpenter, Xander Berkeley and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.
Directed by George Tillman Jr.

This is a straightforward revenge flick which felt closer to the 1970's style than recent Robert Rodrgiuez efforts. Dwayne Johnson is "Driver," a bulked-up tattooed man who's just finished serving ten years in prison. He is a man on a mission. He marches to his old car, which inexplicably starts on the first try. (I guess someone's been taking care of it.) He drives to a location. He marches into the building. He looks around the cubicle farm. He sees the guy he wants. He shoots him in the head.

This movie isn't kidding around. Soon after we meet Billy Bob Thornton as "Cop," investigating the case. Then for fun, a British Jake Gyllenhaal-type Oliver Jackson-Cohen shows up as "Killer." He's a hitman hired to kill Driver before he eliminates everyone on his revenge list.

Johnson, more bulked up than he's been in in years, is an unstoppable force here, and director Tillman (Notorious) gives the whole thing a gritty feel. The twist ending gives itself away halfway through the movie, and of the three main characters I never really cared for Killer, and yet I still enjoyed the journey, hoping somehow the Driver find redemption before the runaway train hits the end of the road.

The Expendables - DVD Review

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Starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, David Zayas, Charisma Carpenter, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Directed by Sylvester Stallone.

Is it cool seeing all these guys in the same movie? Sure! Then what?

It really is a great reminder just how shallow many of those old 1980's action movies are. What cliches can we wheel out? Cue the corporate mustache-twirler behind the South American military dictator. Does it matter though? Not really. Still fun.

I got a kick out of seeing Dolph Lundgren again. Not that I'm nostalgic for old Dolph. I saw Masters of the Universe recently and his acting was terrible. But I liked him here, liked watching him and little Jet Li fight. I liked watching Sly Stallone and Jason Statham hang out. I liked seeing Sly, Arnie and Bruce Willis in the same room, even if the scene was just one giant in-joke. I liked watching Mickey Rourke have fun talking smack to the group.

That's really what this movie's about and what it boils down to. Is it any better than a documentary would be about these guys hanging out for the day? Yeah. I'd like to see that doc too, but this had some decent action toward the end, amusing camraderie, and a thumping soundtrack. It's probably better than two-thirds of the movies these guys put out on their own.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice - DVD Review

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Starring Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Toby Kebbell, Monica Bellucci, Omar Benson Miller and Alice Krige.
Directed by Jon Turteltaub.

My first criticism is with the marketing. Why did no commercial or no preview show the scene where the sorcerer's apprentice, Dave, makes the brooms and mops come to life? Even if that sequence is only five minutes of this 110-minute movie, that's your money shot! This movie would've opened a good 20% better if it had had that.

My second criticism has to go with the lazy formula being applied by the National Treasure team of actor Nicolas Cage, director Jon Turteltaub, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. It's not enough to have $150 million and some decent special-effects sequences. There needs to be more to the story. There needs to be a story worth the time of your audience.

Dave is played by Jay Barcuhel, he of comic-awkwardness fame from Tropic Thunder, She's Out of Your League, and How to Train Your Dragon. He applies those same gawky talents to this movie, a nerd who's suddenly given a magic ring by a 1000-year-old sorcerer named Balthazar (Nicolas Cage in paycheck mode). Turns out Dave is a descendant of Merlin, and the only one who can stop a 1000-year-old sorceress from escaping and destroying the world. Naturally.

Alfred Molina, Doc Ock himself, shows up as the evil sorcerer trying to free the sorceress, and plenty of CG-heavy magic battles ensue. It's one of those rare times a live dragon is boring.

National Board of Review awards

Best Film: The Social Network
Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Best Actress: Lesley Manville, Another Year
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Best Foreign Language Film: Of Gods and Men
Best Documentary: Waiting for “Superman”
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Ensemble Cast: The Town
Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Debut Directors: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, Restrepo
Spotlight Award: Sylvain Chomet and Jacques Tati, The Illusionist
Best Original Screenplay: Chris Sparling, Buried
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: Sofia Coppola for writing, directing, and producing Somewhere
William K. Everson Film History Award: Leonard Maltin
NBR Freedom of Expression: Fair Game, Conviction, Howl
Production Design Award: Dante Ferretti, Shutter Island

Ten Best Films (in alphabetical order)
Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King’s Speech
Shutter Island
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Five Best Foreign-Language Films (in alphabetical order)
I Am Love
Incendies
Life Above All
Soul Kitchen
White Material

Five Best Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
A Film Unfinished
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
The Tillman Story

Top Ten Independent Films: (in alphabetical order)
Animal Kingdom
Buried
Fish Tank
The Ghost Writer
Greenberg
Let Me In
Monsters
Please Give
Somewhere
Youth in Revolt

127 Hours - Movie Review

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Starring James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Clemence Poesy, Treat Williams, Kate Burton and Lizzy Caplan.
Directed by Danny Boyle.

If you have a one-setting plot, then dang, it had better be good. Fortunately this story is in the hands of Academy-Award-winning director Danny Boyle.

This is the true story of Aron Rolston, the hiker who cut off his own arm after being trapped for five days in the canyons of southern Utah. James Franco is perfectly cast as the breezy risk-taker, a man with joie de vivre but little regard for consequences.

I really liked that it didn't rely on flashbacks to break up the monotony of being stuck in one place. It followed more of a stream of consciousness, of memories that brought him to his current state.

The arm-cutting scene is about three minutes, and yeah it's graphic, but ultimately it's a movie about overcoming adversity, and I like it more now that I'm a few days away from it.

Vampires Suck - DVD Review

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Starring Jenn Proske, Matt Lanter, Chris Riggi, Ken Jeong and Diedrich Bader.
Directed by Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer.

While I do rank Seltzer/Friedberg as being behind some of the decade's worst movies and killing the parody genre that Leslie Nielsen & David Zucker had mastered, allow me to damn them with faint praise in saying that this is probably their best movie to date.

I credit ripe source material - three Twilight movies - and the central performance of Jenn Proske, who nails all the twitchy, pensive notes of Kristen Stewart in Bella Swan mode.

Here Proske plays Becca Crane (get it?) in the town of Sporks (get it?) who instantly falls for the mysterious Edward Sullen (nudge nudge) while also not catching on to the crush held by Jacob White (poke poke, see what they did there?). The filmmakers get in references to True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, Paranormal Activity, Gossip Girl, etc., etc. Not spot-on jokes about them; just references. Friedberg/Seltzer still suffer from what made their other movies suck. Re-enacting or referencing something in recent pop-culture should be the end goal in a spoof. There needs to be attitude with it, a twist, a Reason for a Joke to Be. It should twist a cliche in a way that we didn't realize it was a cliche until they punched through it.

I feel like every time I see one of these, I need to teach them about humor. There are signs here and there that they get it. There were more than a few jokes I predicted right before they happened (I bet Edward's going to ride a segueway... and there it is.) Some of the gags work, or more appropriately, more gags work here than they did in any of their previous efforts. Someday they might be worthy of Scary Movie 5.

But can we please have a moratorium of using the song "It's Raining Men" as a punchline?