The Awakening (2011) - 8 stars out of 10

The Awakening (2011) - 8 stars out of 10

“The Awakening” is psychological horror at its finest.  All of the acting is beyond the expectation of a scary movie.  The film is terrifying but the quality of the acting and completeness of the story make it feel more like a drama with supernatural content a la "Signs" and "Let Me In."  You don't walk away from the film having nightmares because there is so much more to the story than ghosts.  The Post-WWI setting is unique for a horror film and the camera filter makes the entire film feel like you are watching an old, sepia photograph.  Its atmospheric cinematography elevates it into a horror film for a more sophisticated movie audience.  If I had to compare it to other films, I would say that it is like “The Sixth Sense” with more jump scares and an overall scarier tone.  These help to blur the line between horror and drama as it incorporates the best elements from both.  I wouldn’t put its quality on the same level as “The Sixth Sense,” which managed six Oscar nominations and changed the horror film industry forever with its mind-bending conclusion, but that is mainly because it will be a long time until any horror film reaches that level again.  The movie continually toys with you, building suspenseful music and following it by silence, but deciding at random whether there will be a jump scare or nothing at all.  And then amidst quiet, innocent music, a face bursts through a pillow and scares the crap out of you.  The film uses suspense so well that you spend the majority of the film filled with dread and a pounding heart as the next scare lies around the corner.  And that dollhouse scene!!!  The dramatic musical score enhances every moment.  A lot of the scares come from what our imagination.  The less that we see, the scarier the moment.  And it keeps you on edge the entire time because you start seeing images out of the corner of your eye every time that you gaze away from the screen.  Aside from a few moments of brief sexual content, the film is very clean and something that parents can feel comfortable watching with their teenagers to make sure that they don't get too scared.  The acting is great with Rebecca Hall in the lead role and Harry Potter fans will love seeing Dolores Umbridge in a less pink role.  Imelda Staunton puts on a great performance, particularly towards the end.  I love the utilization of the terrifying technique of unexplained people appearing in the background of photographs.  The story is amazing and this imagery sticks with you the entire film.  Just when you think that the twist is good, it becomes great, and then incredible.  And then the ending makes the film magnificent.  All of the clues are there but the pieces don't fall into place until the very end.  “The Awakening” is a very underrated film whose story will keep you guessing until the very end (…which then forces you to continue guessing).

[Pictured: I will never look into a dollhouse again]

Swordfish - 3 stars out of 10

Swordfish - 3 stars out of 10

“Swordfish” is a very average heist film.  I am hyper-critical of this genre because it is my favorite, and this film made the mistake of being released in the same era as the superior “Ocean’s Eleven” and “The Italian Job.”  Unlike these mindbenders, “Swordfish” is unoriginal and its shock-value sexual content and profanity fails to mask the stereotypical plot and characters.  The highlight of the film is John Travolta’s opening monologue.  It gives us some perspective into the peculiar brain of his character while providing a glimpse of the bank robbery, only to halt the story’s climax with a flashback.  If you watched the first ten minutes of the film then shut it off, you would assume that it is a classic.  You would also be very lucky.  Unfortunately, the other ninety minutes of the film (and more of Halle Berry than we need to see) undo the magnificent setup.  The discussion of “Dog Day Afternoon” is great for film fans and prepares us for the theme of misdirection, but the execution of this theme is farfetched and unimpressive.  Most of the issues with this film come from the script.  The story lends itself to a PG-13 rating but they tried to make it edgy with excessive f-words, Berry deciding that she wanted to use this role to feel comfortable being topless onscreen (and it awkwardly doesn’t fit into the story at all), and throwing in other unnecessary moments just to make sure that it felt like a “real” R-rated movie.  Don Cheadle and Hugh Jackman are always entertaining and this is one of Travolta’s best performances in years, but giving great actors a smutty script will only result in a smutty movie.  “Swordfish” is an interesting throwback to the dawn of the internet age and an idealized view of computers, but as far as heist films are concerned, you can do better than this.

[Pictured: With this cast, "Swordfish" should have been amazing]

Amistad - 5 stars out of 10

Amistad - 5 stars out of 10

“Amistad” is the American slavery story that made its way to the Supreme Court and yet, you have probably never heard about it.  Steven Spielberg brings this story to life in a slow-moving but compelling courtroom setting.  I expected much more from this film but that’s probably why it is relatively unknown.  It competed for four Oscars in the year that “Titanic” swept the event but I don’t find any of the noteworthy pieces of this puzzle to be that impressive.  The obvious one is Sir Anthony Hopkins and his nomination for Best Supporting Actor as John Quincy Adams.  It is very apparent that the nomination is based solely on his impressive patriotic court monologue because the remainder of his role in the film is just average.  I also found the performances by big names like Matthew McConahy, Morgan Freeman, and one of my favorite character actors (Pete Postlethwaite) to be underwhelming.  The saving grace for the overall acting of this film comes from a young Chiwetel Ejiofor and the non-English-speaking role by Dijmon Hounsou.  These two actors draw attention from the rest in every scene.  It may be worth watching this one just for those two.  The greatest fault of this film is its long-windedness.  I understand that this is mainly the story of a court case but the court case relies on our compassion for the slaves.  The strong imagery drives the story, rendering the 2 1/2-hour runtime unnecessary.  Each excess minute in the courtroom takes away from the poignancy established through the film's introduction and the graphic, heartbreaking flashback.  I credit the screenwriters for humanizing the slaves instead of making them into faceless victims; still, the language barrier and extensive dialogue causes the story to plod along until you stop caring about the slaves.  Another Oscar nomination was earned by John Williams for his scoring of the film but I find it to be average in comparison with many of his other film scores.  It never reaches the heartbreak of “Schindler’s List,” the driving suspense of “Jurassic Park,” or the period-enhancement of “The Patriot.”  There are a few moments but not enough to make this a masterpiece like many of his other films.  Even in a year that was not swept by “Titanic,” I can’t see this film winning any of its Oscar nominations.  “Amistad” is worth seeing for a few memorable performances and the story that it tells, but it is offensive to see Morgan Freeman underused.  Not to mention that in the world of courtroom dramas, you are better off spending your time with a second viewing of “A Few Good Men” or “Runaway Jury.”

[Pictured: This screenshot makes it appear that the courtroom scenes are much more compelling than they actually are.]

Pride & Prejudice (2005) - 7 stars out of 10

Pride & Prejudice (2005) - 7 stars out of 10

“Pride & Prejudice” is a visually stunning period piece that captures the essence of Jane Austen’s writing.  Unfortunately, if you find Austen’s writing to be dry, you will also find it difficult to devote two hours of attention to this dialogue-driven story.  Still, there is so much Oscar-nominated visual beauty in this film’s production design that everybody will walk away with a positive impression.  I was particularly taken with the scene where Elizabeth and standing on the edge of the cliff and during the sunset kiss.  The film has a very talented and deep cast with brings a lot of detail to major and minor characters alike.  Judi Dench was destined to play the role of Lady Catherine, Brenda Blethyn and Donald Sutherland are a great match as the elder Bennets, Rosamund Pike captures the complexity of Jane, and there is even a young Carey Mulligan as one of the sisters.  I’ve never heard of Tamzin Merchant before (she plays Georgiana Darcy) but she needs to be in more films - her acting was enchanting.  Add in actors like Rupert Friend, Kelly Reilly, and Tom Hollander in minor roles and you can see the depth of this cast.  Keira Knightley’s acting has never been my favorite but it works well for this character.  Her very visible emotions provide a good contrast with the purposely emotionless acting of Matthew MacFadyen.  My biggest complaint about the film is that I wanted so much more from Mr. Darcy’s “affections and wishes” speech.  I find this to be one of the most powerfully written moments in literary history but MacFadyen‘s delivery feels rushed and unemotional.  I understand that he is portraying the essence of Darcy’s character, even in that heartfelt moment, but this moment should have had me in tears and it totally missed the mark.  One thing that absolutely did not miss the mark is the incredible theme developed by Dario Marianelli.  He perfectly captures the classical style and incorporates the theme into every important moment of the film.  It was certainly more Oscar-worthy than the score to “Brokeback Mountain.”  Joe Wright seemed like the least likely director to be handed this project but this final outcome is worthy of Austen’s acclaimed novel.  You can also see the influence of this film’s time period and content on his later film, “Atonement.”  “Pride & Prejudice” is a realistic slice of life from the Classical period and should be viewed for both its interesting visual style and beautiful love story.

[Pictured: One of the most breathtaking shots in all of cinema]

Hannah Montana: The Movie - 3 stars out of 10

Hannah Montana: The Movie - 3 stars out of 10
10-year anniversary

In honor of the 10th anniversary of Disney’s Hannah Montana, I unwillingly bring a review of “Hannah Montana: The Movie” and a remembrance of the preteen pop culture phenomenon.  I use the term “unwillingly” because that is how I was subjected to the film but it honestly was not as bad as I expected.  It has everything that you would expect from a Disney follow-up to one of its original tv series’.  There are cheesy family moments, original songs by the cast members, cameos (Rascall Flatts, Tyra Banks, and an almost-famous-but-not-yet-mega-star Taylor Swift), a predictable love story, painfully convenient coincidences to further the plot, rodents down pants, a quirky villain who gets beat up in slapstick ways, and a cheesy ending that can only be acceptable in a Disney film.  I’ve never seen an episode of the show but the film works as a stand-alone story, as long as you understand the basic premise of the series.  The writing and acting is more on par with a tv-movie than with a theatrical feature.  The highlight of the film is Margo Martindale as Miley’s grandmother.  She makes the most out of this average script and it’s easy to see that her acting ability is beyond her costars.  One of the things that really struck me while watching this film in a modern context is how far Miley Cyrus has fallen.  It is truly sad.  She used to be a positive role model for young girls but the only example that she is setting these days is to honor the show’s anniversary by watching the series and playing a drinking game in which you take a shot every time that someone says her name.  She also commented that Hannah Montana is chopped up in little pieces and buried in her backyard.  I pray that the generation that grew up with this show will leave it in the past.  Their children do not need to watch reruns and look up to Miley, only to later discover her repulsive transformation into the anti-moral example that is the opposite of what we should teach our children and teenagers.  “Hannah Montana: The Movie” isn’t the worst movie I’ve seen but it falls short of other Disney theatrical releases like “High School Musical 3” and “The Lizzie McGuire Movie.”  There was a time for this show and feature film, but it has all been spoiled by the negative transformation of Miley Cyrus.  As she said, Hannah was chopped up into little pieces and buried.  For the sake of future generations, that’s where she should remain.

[Pictured: The film would be much better if we didn't have to know what Miley later became.  And if it had a different script and featured Margo Martindale the entire time.]

Linsanity - 7 stars out of 10

Linsanity - 7 stars out of 10

“Linsanity” chronicles the unlikely rise of Asian-American basketball star Jeremy Lin.  In addition to tracing his love of basketball, the documentary examines the inspiration that Lin finds through his Christian faith.  The film begins with a few moments from the Knicks vs. Nets game that determined whether Jeremy would make it in the NBA.  This game is later highlighted in its entirety and becomes the climax of the film once we understand how he got to that point.  Lin’s story begins with his immigrant parents who raised him with the priorities of God, then academics, then sports.  He was obviously an intellectual teenager because he was recruited by (and survived) Harvard University.  This documentary also touches on possible racism in basketball with an argument that Lin would have been picked up by an elite college basketball program and drafted into the NBA if he was not Asian.  Even after earning a spot on the Houston Rockets’ practice squad and being signed by the Golden State Warriors, his path to basketball fame was a rough one full of ups and downs.  And a pretty awesome indirect exchange with Kobe Bryant.  “Linsanity” will inevitably make you into a fan of Jeremy Lin.  He has lost some of his popularity since this documentary was made but his strong morals and impressive basketball skills make him a great role model.

[Pictured: It's awesome to see a person's dreams come true]

Must Love Dogs - 6 stars out of 10

Must Love Dogs - 6 stars out of 10

"Must Love Dogs" is a romantic comedy whose target audience is clearly older adults.  I enjoyed this film much more in my 30's than I did in my 20's.  The comedy is a little racey in its content though it executes its jokes with very little profanity.  The movie makes a good date movie because its situational comedy is relatable to most married couples.  A lot of the characters are stereotypes that we have all encountered and the film is a pretty accurate reflection of the dating world.  I particularly enjoyed the "chase scene" as they raced to various stores for an important purchase, but it isn't the sort of scene that parents should be watching with their teenage children.  The story is predictable (to the point that my wife questioned why the one male character was even in the story because it was so obvious that he wouldn't be “the one”) and the predictability is why most of the critics hated it.  At least John Cusack's character is totally unique, spontaneous, and unlike stereotypical romantic leads.  I found one of the most disappointing things to be the lack of dogs in the story.  I was ready for a classic “101 Dalmatians” guy-meets-girl-and-their-dogs-fall-in-love story but they dogs were only relevant in one scene.  Even “You’ve Got Mail” (which clearly does not have the word “dog” in its title) better utilizes a canine in its climactic scene.  The story could've been deeper but I think that predictability in chick flicks helps to create anticipation for the romantic ending that we crave.  Despite the faults in the story, this film has a great cast of characters that includes Christopher Plummer, Stockard Channing, and wonderful chemistry between Cusack and Diane Lane.  Cusack has long been a favorite of mine but Lane finally found her way into my heart with her high-impact emotional breakdown and the constant likability that she exudes.  "Must Love Dogs" is an entertaining date night comedy that won’t make your list of favorite chick flicks but will deliver a few laughs and a few tears.

[Pictured: This film has little to do with dogs and everything to do with great chemistry]