If you're old enough to remember 1982's Tron then you probably were scratching your head trying to figure out why anybody would dredge up such culty, time of the moment flick like it. If you aren't old enough then you're probably just into it for all the pretty, glowy pictures and the sight of a skintight Olivia Wilde kicking butt. Jeff Bridges returns, looking much older and even more like The Dude than ever, but this isn't really his show. Tron Legacy belongs to the brash, eager Garrett Hedlund. You might remember him from the movie Four Brothers as the brother nobody recognized. He and first time director Joseph Kosinski stand poised to bring the digital world of Tron to a whole new audience. My review of Tron Legacy can be found by clicking right
here.
Mark Wahlberg and David O. Russell must be getting along like gangbusters. It's not hard to see why. O. Russell has been behind the camera for two of Wahlberg's finest performances(Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees), and will be there for what could be the actor's highest grosser ever(Uncharted: Drake's Fortune). But before they break the bank, The Fighter is going to earn them both a ton of accolades. Not only does Wahlberg shine as tough as nails welterweight fighter Micky Ward, but O. Russell manages a big cast and some tough subject matter with ease. Look for Christian Bale to bring home a Best Supporting Actor nom for his scene stealing turn as Micky's troubled brother, Dicky. Check
here for my review of The Fighter.
Admittedly, I thought Tom Hooper's period drama would turn out like so many other stuffy British dramas: plenty of buttoned up, understated performances but no sizzle. I couldn't have been more wrong. Colin Firth gives a masterful, Oscar worthy performance as Prince Albert, the Duke of York. Afflicted with a terrible speech impediment that may cost him his chance at the throne, he turns to an offbeat therapist(Geoffrey Rush) for help. To say he gets a lot more than he bargained for is an understatement. No review written up for this one, but you can hear us chat about it on this Sunday's edition of
Punch Drunk Critics Live!
James L. Brooks spent a lot of years crafting together this story of an ex-softball pro(Reese Witherspoon) who finds herself torn between two very different men: one of them a neurotic corporate exec(Paul Rudd); the other a self absorbed pitcher for the Washington Nationals(Owen Wilson). After having a chance to see it, my only question left was "We waited all those years for this"? It's not bad, but the most interesting thing about it to me was that the budget was a bloated $120M, thanks to an absurd $40M given to the four leads. That's crazy talk. My review of How Do You Know can be found
here.
It had to happen. Live-action/CGI flicks like this are going to become the new norm thanks to the unnatural success of Alvin and the Chipmunks. I expected those movies to make my heart hurt, but did they have to bring my childhood fave Yogi Bear in to twist the knife? You expect Justin Timberlake to make everything he touches turn to gold, but do you expect anybody else involved to elevate this thing to comedic heights? Even a little? That gut reaction I know you had when you first saw the Yogi Bear trailer? Go with it. My review of Yogi Bear can be found
here.
I want to love Julie Taymor. I really do. I love that she brings her theatrical background to everything she does, instilling a flair that few directors can match. Yet I almost always feel like her reach far exceeds her grasp. Maybe her genre twisting take on Shakespeare's classic about a power struggle between rival forces is just the right avenue. Adding a fun cast that includes Dame Helen Mirren, Djimon Hounsou, and Russell Brand can only help.
Tanya Hamilton's directorial debut turned a lot of heads at Sundance last year, and has already gained a ton of attention on the awards circuit. The film takes place in 1976 just as Black Panther movement was startin to wind down. Anthony Mackie(still surging after last year's The Hurt Locker) stars as an ex-member who returns home to settle old debts after serving a prison term. Kerry Washington is a former lover with whom he hopes to rekindle old flames. I'll just say that I loved both Mackie and Washington. Hell, the entire cast is superb. My beef comes with Hamilton's script, which is momentum free and flat out boring.
A penetrating documentary focused on former Pakistani Prime Minister and political leader, Benazir Bhutto. Directed by Duane Baughman, the film follws her life from her schooling at both Oxford and Harvard, to her assassination at the hands of political rivals.
