Animal Farm (1999) - 3 stars out of 10

Animal Farm (1999) - 3 stars out of 10

This film gets by because of George Orwell's incredible allegorical telling of the Russian Revolution and beyond through a group of animals that take over their farm.  Unfortunately, I don't think that Orwell ever intended for this to become a live-action motion picture.  Parts of the film work and parts of the film don't.
Things that work: All of the voice actors, computer animation of Jessie's mouth, the nationalistic anthems (with their symbolic Russian feel), Jim Henson's creatures.
Things that do not work: Pig puppets drinking whiskey, pig puppets wearing clothes, pig puppets conversing with humans, pig puppets symbolically representing Stalin, Lenin, Marx, and Trotsky.

Much of this movie just can't be taken seriously.  In a book or animated film, it is easy to place yourself into the "fantasy realm" and accept the events of the story.  This allows you to look beyond the farm animals and see the allegory.  But when converted to live-action, the ridiculousness of some of these scenes makes it difficult to see past the monocle-wearing puppets in order to absorb the entire point of the story.  Don't get me wrong - the Henson Creature Shop's wet-nosed porkers are incredibly realistic when they are pigs.  The problems occur when they start acting like humans since pigs generally don't act like humans.  It's a shame because so many big names signed up for this, including Pete Postlethwaite, Julia Ormond, Patrick Stewart, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Peter Ustinov, and Kelsey Grammer.  It was a nice attempt but even this all-star cast can't make a conceptual doomsday device work.  Live-action "Charlotte's Web" is one thing... live-action "Animal Farm" is another.

Jack Reacher - 7 stars out of 10

Jack Reacher - 7 stars out of 10

From the previews to the movie poster, "Jack Reacher" is everything that it appears to be.  Tom Cruise kicks butt in a film that is a little less clever than "Mission: Impossible" but just as thrilling.  This story is really interesting because, unlike typical mystery films, we know what actually happened from the start and watch the characters onscreen try to piece it together.  Outside of a few graphically disturbing moments (the fingers in particular), the film shows a lot of restraint by cutting away before showing what could have easily led to an R-rating.  The film has particular appeal to Pittsburgh natives, showcasing notable areas of the city including the North Shore Riverwalk, DeLuca's, and the Fort Duquesne Bridge.  Tom Cruise is awesome as usual in this action role, especially in the bar fight (although he does occasionally take himself too seriously).  Richard Jenkins is great, Rosamund Pike is looking as fine as ever, and Robert Duvall was great in his secondary role.  Overall, the acting is above average for an action film and the characters create realism in a story that could easily become farfetched.  "Jack Reacher" is not an innovative film, but it is a great watch because of its kick-butt main character in an interesting story that has heart-pounding action from start to finish.

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle - 3 stars out of 10

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle - 3 stars out of 10

"The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle" is essentially exactly what you expect.  The dialogue is intentionally cheesy (in the style of the original tv show), the gags are slapstick, and the moose is not the brightest bulb in the box.  While the computer-generated characters are far from realistic, it is intentional to emphasize that they are cartoons in a real-world setting (a la "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," to which there is a hilarious reference in this film).  While most of the jokes are eye-rollers, the overall humor of the film is well done.  While the film is obviously geared toward families, It is a shame that they had to throw a few swear words in there to guarantee a PG-rating.  Most adults who are going to see this film by themselves [cough, me] won't be deterred by a G-rating - we know exactly what we're getting ourselves into.  That being said, for a family-focused film, the mere recreation of the classic cartoon is enough to keep the adults happy.  There are several big names in this film, such as Jason Alexander as Boris (not his finest performance), Robert DeNiro as Fearless Leader (getting warmer), Piper Perabo (before her "Coyote Ugly" fame), and of course the cameo by Nickelodeon's Kenan and Kel (which would have been cool at the time but now would cause kids to say "Who?").  But without question, the highlight of this film is Rene Russo whose Natasha voice is spot on.  She truly is the personification of the 60's cartoon character.  The other standout performance comes from June Foray, reprising her voice acting of Rocky and animated Natasha from the original Rocky and Bullwinkle show.  The best line of the film comes from John Goodman in his cameo as an Oklahoma cop: After Rocky and Bullwinkle argue that FBI agent Karen Sympathy really is with the FBI, he turns to the camera and responds "Yeah, and I'm really John Goodman."  The movie is worth watching for moments like that... and Whoopi Goldberg as the judge (who else!?!?)  And for the playful film score by Mark Mothersbaugh, perfectly in the same vein as the original cartoon.  The story line is pretty weak and it's really cheesy, but this film is all about the moose and that's what makes it a success.

Robot & Frank - 8 stars out of 10

Robot & Frank - 8 stars out of 10

"Robot & Frank" is a cool, straightforward Indie film that is exactly what you expect.  The concept is interesting enough that the writers did not need to throw in jaw-dropping surprises that completely alter the audience perspective; instead, the heartwarming friendship between a lonely old man and his unlikely companion drives the film from start to finish.  Even though the cast includes big names like Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, and Liv Tyler, none of them really stand out.  They all act at the highest level and give the film a heightened sense of "great acting," but the only actor that gives what I would consider an Oscar-worthy performance is Frank Langella.  His portrayal of dementia is so subtle that you will believe that he is actually experiencing it on the set.  The most stunning fact about this film is that it was shot in 20 days on a budget of $2.5 million.  I could watch this simple film over and over again, simply for the comical chemistry between Langella and Robot, and to relive that slightly expected but oh-so-perfect discovery at the end.

A Late Quartet - 10 stars out of 10

A Late Quartet - 10 stars out of 10

"A Late Quartet" is a fabulous drama that is likely more appreciated by classical musicians but can be enjoyed by all.  The story centers around Beethoven's Opus 131 String Quartet, famous for its emotional grit and demanding technical challenges as the 7-movements of the 40-minute piece are meant to be played attacca (without pause between the movements).  The excruciating demands of the piece are manifested through the frustrations of the quartet as they each navigate a soap opera-esque storyline.  The acting in this film is top notch.  Imogen Poots delivers one of the most impassioned speeches that I’ve heard in a long time.  The dialogue is perfectly written but it is the devastation in her voice and in her eyes that makes her monologue one of the most chilling moments in any movie.  She is definitely on a path to win an Oscar or two.  Additionally, this may be Christopher Walken’s greatest performance (but hopefully not his swan song).  The goofball persona that we see on Saturday Night Live pales in comparison to the sophisticated acting capability that Walken taps into through this role.  Philip Seymour Hoffman is wonderful as always while Catherine Keener provides the driving intensity that transfers the character emotions through the screen and into the audience members.  From start to finish, "A Late Quartet" is filled with empathetic conflict, emotion, and drama - it is simply a great movie to which we can all relate in some way.

Little Miss Sunshine - 9 stars out of 10

Little Miss Sunshine - 9 stars out of 10

"Little Miss Sunshine" is a fun and funny portrayal of the stereotypical dysfunctional family.  Its ensemble cast perfectly exaggerates the dynamically different personalities of their characters into organized chaos.  Its Oscar for Best Original Screenplay is well deserved as it pits the quirks of each character against the others.  The ludicrous plot helps as well.  It is so over-the-top and yet, entirely believable with this crew.  The highlights for me include Abigail Breslin, netting a very young Oscar nomination for her refined portrayal of the main character, Steve Carell for bringing so much dark humor to his suicide-watch depressed character, and Paul Dano for the contrast between his stoic vow of silence until his profanity-laden freak-out toward the end.  Alan Arkin is also impressive in this Oscar-winner performance, but actually gets overshadowed by other performances that are more over-the-top.  Anything is possible and nothing can be anticipated from the minute that the Volkswagen bus gets started (with lots of manpower) to Breslin's beauty pageant performance; however, you can certainly expect to be entertained, (mildly) offended, and impressed by this ensemble cast until the credits roll.