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Hugo: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:00:34 +0000

One of the side effects of Martin Scorsese being one of America’s greatest living directors is that every new picture is viewed under the magnifying glass of greatness. Is Hugo another in a line of great movies, or is it a muddled attempt at trying to do something out of his reach? Is it an old man picture, with modest pleasures but a looser grasp? Those seem to be the categories the film’s critics slotted the film into, with many adults deciding that Scorsese failed at directing a film for children, to which the only evidence is anecdotal. But the film is good, possibly great (time will tell), and the most engaging and engaged picture Scorsese has made in a while.

The Players:

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: John Logan
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz , Jude Law, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer
Original Music by: Howard Shore
Cinematography by: Robert Richardson

The Plot:

Hugo Cabret (Butterfield) is an orphan who lives in a Paris train station where he gets his independence by making sure all the clocks are still working. He meets George (Kingsley) – a toymaker – when he’s caught stealing parts. Hugo has entered into thievery mostly to stay alive, but also to repair the automaton that his late father (Law) rescued, which he thinks holds a secret his father wants him to have. It will only work with a key, one he finds around the neck of fast friend Isabelle (Moretz), and the ward of George. George and Hugo bond over Hugo’s gift for repair, but George holds many secrets that he and Isabelle help to unravel.

The Good:

Martin Scorsese: Being known as a master director helps attune one’s awareness. Which begs the rose question about any other name. This doesn’t feel as distinctly “Marty” as Casino, but he’s also played with a certain austerity before in pictures like Age of Innocence, so this isn’t such a stretch. But from the opening tracking shot (with digital assist) to the wooshing camera around Hugo’s workplace, Scorsese cues the viewer to pay attention early on, and shows that he’s in complete control. And there’s something to be said for a director with vision, in an era where many filmmakers fall back on masters and TV framing. But with Scorsese, you expect nothing less.
For the Love of Cinema: Though the IMDb ruins it, there is a reveal later in the picture about one of the characters who was involved in silent cinema. The film then turns into a story about the origins of film, and the role this character played in shaping cinematic fantasies. And though Hugo is much more grounded than that work, it communicates the joy of that cinema just the same, and how movies can be escapist in the best possible sense. In that way Hugo is a better appreciation of the silent era (and loves it more) than The Artist.
Gentle Journey: The story of an orphan who seeks to get closer to lost parents is familiar terrain of young adult literature, and of animated cinema (how many Disney films feature dead parents?) And though that is the starting point, the film creates a microcosm world in the train station. There’s the nasty-seeming cop (Cohen), who is ashamed of his wounded leg, but wants to romance a flower seller (Mortimer). There’s an older couple who fancy each other, but her dog keeps biting him. And then there’s the old book seller (Christopher Lee), whose frightening exterior reveals a much warmer heart. In that way Hugo is about the harmony that comes from a happy community, and this may be Scorsese’s warmest film. And though some of his attempts at a period or genre mimicry don’t work perfectly (New York, New York and Cape Fear come to mind), Scorsese nails this one.

The Bad:

Indifference: The worst thing about this film is that it’s not going very wide this weekend, and it doesn’t appear to have been marketed that strongly. It’s a weird film in that it takes its time (kids films that aren’t Potter-ish run around 100 minutes, this is over two hours), but it’s also a very interesting film that can’t be pigeon-holed readily. It is an orphan’s adventure, but then it becomes something more. If Martin Scorsese had directed a gangster picture, it would open big and people would be raring to watch, but because he’s directing a kids film, it’s possible this could get lost in the Holiday shuffle.

Overall:

Scorsese’s love of cinema glows bright throughout Hugo, but that’s not the only reason why it charms. There’s heart and characters, comedy and adventure, all of which work well. Hugo is an ode to both assembled families and silent films, Hugo is a heartfelt love letter.

Rating: 9/10

Hugo opens November 23.

Trailer:

Cars 2: Movie Review

Brendan Walsh — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:26:45 +0000

I’m often inclined to give family movies a pass (as evidenced by my favorable review of Mr. Popper’s Penguins), if only because sometimes you’ve got to drag the family to a movie theater just to get them all to shut up for 2 hours. Don’t worry, I sympathize here for you. If you needed this critic’s permission to pack up the family and go to the multiplex, here it is: Cars 2 is the ticket to buy this weekend. It’s a big, colorful, noisy spectacle that will please broad audiences looking for a good time, especially small children.

But this is a Pixar film! They’ve made some of the most emotionally resonant films of the last decade! It’s impossible not to compare Cars 2 to the rest of their catalogue, and as soon as you begin to, it breaks down. Read the rest of the review (and more car puns!), after the jump…

The Players

Directors- John Lasseter, Brad Lewis
Writers- Ben Queen, Dan Fogleman, John Lasseter, Brad Lewis
Stars- Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, John Turturro
Original Music by- Michael Giacchino

Review Prequel:

Now before I even get into the sequel, let’s discuss for a moment why the first Cars movie is generally the most reviled of the Pixar works. Its story is derivative and unimaginative (who here remembers Doc Hollywood?), its characters are cliché and stereotypical (and racist! don’t forget, they’re kinda racist!), and its emotional substance is almost completely unmemorable. Cars is Pixar pandering to audiences who would rather have something familiar and easy, rather than living up to the potential they’ve proven to have film after film.

But it worked! Cars remains Disney and Pixar’s most profitable property, beating out Toy Story with over $2 Billion in merchandise and licensing sales per year. Every little boy in the world goes through a car phase, so all you have to do is slap a pair of googley eyes on the windshield, and a price tag on the box, and you’re good to start raking it in. Better Pixar than anyone else, I suppose. And a few critics’ whiney reviews about how “disappointed” they are couldn’t possibly stop them from taking this rainmaker out for another spin. Which brings me to…

The Plot:

When a loud mouthed Formula One race car (Turturro) goads Lightning McQueen (Wilson) into joining a worldwide racing tournament sponsored by an alternative energy impresario (Izzard), the gang hits the road! Along the way, McQueen’s best friend ‘Mater (the Cable Guy) accidentally joins a pair of English special agents (Caine & Mortimer) in an international spy plot, a la James Bond.

That’s right, a spy plot…a la James Bond. There’s gadgets, and chases, and explosions, and fighting (Like, kung-fu? How is this even possible?). In fact, we practically see more of these spy cars than we do of the characters from the first film! The ones who, according to revenue reports, adored and beloved by all! They’re barely in the movie! Except for ‘Mater, the lovable, idiot redneck. He’s all over this movie.

The plot moves at breakneck speed from the very beginning, and is full of more convoluted and contrived twists than I could count (which is to say, higher than 4). They’re the kind of plot elements that feel like they would only confuse a child. But I guess the little kids aren’t in it for the plot…they just wanna see the cars go vroom.

The story behind Cars 2 bears almost no resemblance to the first film, and just leaves you wondering why they even bothered putting these characters in it. You know what, I’m getting ahead of myself here. After all, there are a few nice things to be said about this movie. I’m not a complete monster.

The Good:

The World- True to the spy movie genre, there’s a whole lot of globetrotting in this film. We visit Japan, Italy, France, and England. Each new place is fully realized, bright, vivid, and overflowing with things to look at. The racetracks are much more interesting, now that they’re not circular Nascar tracks. They’re through cities, and towns, and mountains, letting the animators and designers really show their craft. Moreover, the 3-D adds wonderful depth and texture to the settings. Pixar really understand that 3-D is most effectively used when it creates an immersive world for the audience to feel like they’re entering this other world, rather than having it invade theirs.
Broader is Better?- To say that the first Cars spoke to a broader audience is actually a misstatement, I think. It’s actually speaking to a very specific audience: Nascar fans. Maybe their sensibilities are broader, but the fact is that film turns me off because it focuses on a sport which I couldn’t care less about. But you know what I love? Action movies. Who doesn’t love action movies?! And I don’t know how many Bond movies you’ve watched recently, but most of them are pretty dumb. But it doesn’t matter, because they’re lots of fun! That’s how it feels watching Cars 2; it’s fun in the moment, as long as you try not to think too hard during that moment.
John Turturro- Is always great. He puts on a funny Italian accent, and really seems to have the most appropriate amount of character and energy for his role. Now that the comic relief (‘Mater) is the star of the film, they needed a new character to fill that void, and they nailed it with John Turturro’s Francesco Bernoulli.

The Bad:

Mater – The breakout star of the first Cars was its comic relief, Tow ‘Mater, voiced by Larry T. Cableguy. But some one along the way must have misunderstood the function of a comic relief character when they insisted that he be the main character in this film. That never works, and is exactly why spin-off films for auxiliary characters in kid movies usually end up going straight to video. I can just hear the pitch meeting now: ”Reports indicate that kids love him the most, and I quote, ‘because he farts.’ So he’s got to be at the center of this flick. He should also fall in love with a pink car, so we can get the girls to buy some crap too.”
Toys - That’s all I see when I look at this movie. It’s just a vehicle (get it?!?) for introducing a whole new bunch of plastic junk for your kids to buy. The F-1 car, the rally car, the flying car, etc. When I look at Marlin, from Finding Nemo, I see a concerned father. Or when I look at Remy from Ratatouille, I see an artist struggling to gain recognition for his talents. Or when I look at Woody from Toy Story, I see…well, I see a toy. But he’s a toy with purpose, and friends, and feelings! There is not one reason to like or care about any of the characters in this movie, because there’s almost no opportunities for them to display any admirable qualities. The film is too caught up in its plot’s breakneck pace, so we’re just going to have to take them at their word when they tell us that Lightning and Mater are the best of friends. And that’s why you need to buy both action figures.
WHERE ARE ALL THE PEOPLE?! - This is something I’ve never been able to get past. Something about this universe has fried my suspension of disbelief circuits. I just don’t understand why everyone is car, and more importantly, what happened to all the humans? This is a world in which there are buildings, oil refineries, airports (the cars travel around in LIVING airplanes and boats, by the way), and stairs. Why are there stairs anywhere on this planet?!
Pope Problem: There’s one particularly brain melting shot during the race in Italy, where they show that the Pope-mobile is in attendance…and he’s riding in an identical, larger, sentient, Pope-mobile-mobile. This raises even more ridiculous questions: First of all, WHY DO CARS NEED A POPE?!? And if the Pope-Mobile-Mobile is secure, and identical to the Pope-mobile inside, why isn’t that just secure enough? It’s still bullet proof, right?! And why doesn’t the Car-God just prevent anything bad from ever happening to the Pope-Mobile?! By the way, I often have that last thought about the regular Pope.
World: As far as I’m concerned, this world is just some kind of weird parallel dimension in which the Terminator actually came back and killed Sarah Connor while she was pregnant. The machines took over the planet, killed all the humans, and then decided to build themselves as happy, adorable cars. Then they found religion, apparently.

Overall:

Though they’ve managed to broaden the appeal beyond Nascar audiences, and create a more viscerally enjoyable film than the first one, Cars 2 remains Pixar’s weakest film. But it doesn’t matter, because they’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.

Rating: 5/10

Cars 2 is in theaters June 24th!

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Interview: Cars 2 – John Lasseter, Michael Caine, Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard

Brendan Walsh — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:25:20 +0000

Disney and Pixar have really revved up the publicity for this week’s release of Cars 2! Did you see what I did back there, by the way? That was a hilarious car pun. Listen, I’m just trying to appeal to the Cars crowd here. It seemed to work for those studios, at least. Do you have any idea how popular this franchise is?! $2 Billion dollars a year in merchandise and licensing! I’m just trying to follow the formula here. Anyway, director John Lasseter (pictured above) gathered with the film’s stars, Michael Caine, Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Emily Mortimer, and Eddie Izzard, to discuss the new film with members of the press. Check out some highlights of what was said, after the jump…

As we’ve learned from the Toy Story 2 and especially in Toy Story 3, Pixar is extremely ambitious with their sequels. For Cars 2, Lasseter decided to take the cast of characters from the first film out of the sleepy town of Radiator Springs, and introduce them to the rest of the world. As if that weren’t enough, the gang also gets caught up in a case of international espionage. So it seems that this isn’t going to be a homespun yarn about enjoying a peaceful, quiet life, but will be an all out action/spy flick.

John Lasseter on the spy genre of Cars 2:

Lasseter: The spy movie came from Cars, [we had] a scene where Lightning and Sally were having a first date and it was set in a drive in movie theater, and we had a movie playing on the screen. And I love spy movies, my favorite TV show growing up was The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and my sons and I all love the Bourne movies…So we came up with this movie within a movie, and we had this character named Finn McMissile. That scene got cut, but I never forgot about it…Because in our world the spy and the cool spy car could be one and the same, and how cool would that be?

Lasseter on taking these characters around the world:

Lasseter: As I was traveling around the world after Cars doing publicity for it, I had cars characters on the brain, and as I went to places like Tokyo, London, Germany, Paris, Italy, I kept looking out the window and thinking how fun it would be to take our characters to these places. Because each of these places has their own automotive heritage and highways and types of driving…I also got turned on to the different types of racing, and [after] my first formula 1 race, I thought ‘Wow, this is cool.’ I just felt like a little kid, and I always trust that little boy in me for the stuff I find really fun.

These new story elements added a unique challenge of making everything in this newly expanded world more exciting and exotic. Lasseter went on to explain where they drew inspiration for some of the chase sequences:

Lasseter: The film’s pace has to do with the genre of the film, because I love spy movies and I think the Bourne movies upped the ante on how fast paced they can be. We set out not to make a parody of a spy movie, we set out to make a spy movie that just has cars as characters. So we studied the history of car chases, and really studied how they shoot them and cut them, and the energy. And you don’t get anything for free in animation, you really have to craft that.

Lasseter: We studied Ronin, the Robert DeNiro movie, we watched the Bourne Identity where he’s got the mini in Paris. We did an interesting study of the Ronin chases, because most of those chases cut in on the driver, but we don’t have that opportunity in a movie where the cars are the characters. So we did an experiment where we took those chases and we cut out all the shots of the drivers, and kept only the cars, and we learned a lot from that.

This film marks Lasseter’s return to directing (on top of his duties as chief creative officer of both Pixar and Disney Animation Studios). This was exciting news to the film’s star, Owen Wilson, who had this to say:

Wilson: The first voice session I went into a couple years back, all of a sudden he was there. I think he sort of decided at the last minute that he was going to be able, with his new duties at Disney, to direct this. So I was excited to work with him… [Working with John] It struck me how democratic it felt there…He’s not the big boss. It felt very collaborative, and he’s always excited like this is first movie.

Wilson on the differences between the two films:

Wilson: I thought it sounded like a completely new movie, and that it was now going to be this international racing, and I was excited to see how Pixar would show these cities, and this world, and it just seemed like a bigger canvas that the animators were going to get to paint on. The other one felt more heartfelt, and this felt more like a funny, bigger story.

Another stark difference between the two Cars films seems to be the significance of Larry the Cable Guy’s character, Tow Mater. Here, Larry discusses his realization that his character was much more central to the film’s plot:

Larry the Cable Guy: I’ve been involved with cars now since 2003…and I don’t use a sound alike, because I’m really proud of Mater, and when my kids hear mater, I want them to know that’s me I want. So every month, I do toys, games, video games– I’ve never really left the character. So when I heard we were gonna do Cars 2, I said, ‘oh, okay, that’s cool, awesome.” And I met with John [Lasseter], and he storyboarded it for me, and I was noticing there were a lot of scenes with mater, but it still had McQueen all through it. So I didn’t really think too much about it, ‘til when we started filming it [sic], almost every line I thought was really funny, and I’d say, ‘that’s a great line.’ But I just started noticing more…and I told john, and he said ‘Oh, well this is almost like Mater’s movie!’“

Larry the Cable Guy: Only then did I realize that Mater was really taking over that movie. But I’m glad I didn’t [‘til then]. I didn’t want to think about it. I just wanted to show up and do my job right, because if I knew I was gonna be the main guy I might do something different.

Mr. The Cable Guy went on to explain his acting method:

Larry the Cable Guy: I don’t get real technical with these things. I’m Mater, Mater is me…How would I say this line? That’s how I’ll say this line. The hardest part for me with this movie was showing the different emotional ranges because Mater’s never done that. He’s always just the guy that did the funny little quip, and everyone laughs and moves on. This is a whole different range, especially towards the end, and I just put myself in those situations, and I think it turned out pretty good.

Veteran star Michael Caine joins the cast of vehicles as Finn McMissile, super spy extraordinaire. Caine talked a bit about exactly why he was drawn to this film:

Michael Caine: I’ve got three grandchildren, and of course the reason I really wanted to do it was because I wanted them to see me. They gave me a car with my voice, a little model car, and I brought a model car back to them, and they played with it, and they know it’s me. So I’ve got this tremendous bond with my grandchildren because of this film. If you think about it, the films that I make, little children can’t go and see them. So it was a wonderful opportunity for me.”

The film also co-stars Emily Mortimer, who you likely remember as the Jack Donneghy’s hollow boned fiance from 30 Rock‘s second season. Her character, a rookie spy, was originally a peripheral character, but Lasseter loved her performance so much that they continued to expand her role.

Here, Miss Mortimer discusses the growth of her character:

Emily Mortimer: I thought it was just going to be like a day long gig, at first, and they kept bringing me back for more and more. It’s a really interesting way of working, because it’s so organic. You’re collaborating from the very beginning on development on your character, and it changed a lot. The first few sessions are where you put down the main body of the part, then you keep coming back and finessing it, and by the very end, I’d gone quite far away from how I’d started off.”

Emily Mortimer: I think John just likes hanging out, though…It was so easy being there with him, it was one of the most enjoyable jobs I’ve ever done. My husband thinks I’ve got a crush on him, and he’s probably right. It’s what filmmaking should be…so conscientious, so infectiously enthusiastic about what they’re doing. They’re passionate in a way that isn’t pretentious and annoying. They love what they do, and they’re incredibly rigorous and collaborative.

Rounding out the cast is the ever charming Eddie Izzard. Izzard seemed thrilled to have been included, and in his characteristic stammering stream of consciousness, seemed to sum up exactly why this film is going to be a success:

Eddie Izzard It’s a fun big romp, and they’re all cars as well…It’s quite weird that they’re all cars. I had toy trains when I was a kid, and toy story– well, they’re not really humans– but the fact that they’re cars [in this film] keeps throwing me…The second one is more about friendship, adventure, and cars that can shoot things into walls, and then fly…which is something I think we all want to be able to do.

So there you have it. Thoughts on the film from the folks who made it. Check back later in the week for ScreenCrave’s review of Pixar’s Cars 2!

Sundance 2011: My Idiot Brother – Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:05:00 +0000

There’s not other way of saying it, with My Idiot Brother mainstream Hollywood has officially hit the streets of Sundance. Despite the fact that I will see Paul Rudd (even when I’m supposed to be looking for the best unknown ____ who is soon to be amazing) in anything and enjoy the entire supporting cast, one can’t help but wonder what this film is doing at an Independent film festival — everything about it seems as mainstream as possible…

The Players:

Director: Jesse Peretz
Writers: Evgenia Peretz, David Schisgall
Cast: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Steve Coogan, Hugh Dancy, Kathryn Hahn, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott
Cinematography By: Yaron Orbach
Original Music By: Eric D. Johnson, Nathan Larson

Sundance Synopsis:

Despite looking for the good in every situation and the best in every person, Ned always seems to find himself holding the short end of the stick—being conned into selling pot to a uniformed cop, being dumped by his girlfriend, and worse yet, losing custody of his beloved dog, Willie Nelson. When he turns to family, he is passed from sister to sister while he gets back on his feet. Ned’s best intentions produce hilariously disastrous results, bringing the family to the cusp of chaos and ultimately the brink of clarity.

Review:

Well, it’s fun! I think my biggest problem with this film is that it was in no way a Sundance film…

Did it have new faces? Nope, it only had recognizable faces — even the extras were A-listers (really! Just look… reallllly hard.)
Did it push any boundaries? Do Steve Coogan’s cock and balls constitute as a boundary? We’ve seen Jason Segel’s, Ken Jeoung’s, Ashton Kutcher’s were referred to a lot by Natalie Portman in No Strings Attached and Ewan McGregor’s has made appearances loads of times in comedies and the like — I think we need more than just apenis, or some incredible penis feat to really get a laugh and/pr push any boundaries.
Did it have a small budget? For a mainstream film maybe, but not in the “I sold my last shoe to buy the tape to get the final shot” — not so much (hough I don’t know if that’s a realistic Sundance category anymore). Once a studio buys it (which was already done by the Weinsteins before any of us had time to form an opinion) so much money will be pushed into it, it won’t matter if they made the whole thing for a tissue, it will still be a multi-million dollar film.
Did it have a new director? Nope! But not a well-established one, one that is definitely trying to make his mark — that’s something.
The Shots/Camera Work: We’ve got no interesting colors, odd angles, wide ranges, extreme close-ups or anything to really differentiate this film from any other pretty and cleanly shot rom-com in theaters.
Did it embody the spirit of Independent film (whatever that means)? It’s as mainstream as all the other comedies in theaters, it was just took the Sundance route to get some buzz and possibly because John Cooper wanted Paul Rudd there (I have no idea if that’s true, but it might be!)

That all being said. It’s funny for a mainstream comedy, has a few very clever moments, is predictable but a fun ride none-the-less. Plus, check out how hairless Coogan is! Did he just get everything he could waxed before the shoot?

Rating: 5.5/10

Cars 2 Cast Confirmed: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Jason Isaacs

Krystal Clark — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:49:33 +0000

Earlier this week we saw the first teaser trailer for Disney-Pixar’s upcoming sequel, Cars 2. The film featured the usual suspects, Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy. But there was one new voice that stuck out in particular and it was none other than Michael Caine. And according to a report from Empire, he’s not the only U.K. actor involved with the film.

The website confirmed that that was Caine’s voice we heard in the trailer, and he’ll be playing a character named Finn McMissile. There will also be Jason Isaacs, who’ll voice a spy jet named Siddeley, Emily Mortimer will play a spy in training named Holley Shiftwell, Joe Mantegna as Grem, Peter Jacobson as Acer, and Thomas Kretschmann as Professor. Holley Shiftwell? Isn’t this a kid’s movie. You’ve gotta love the double entendres.

Star race car Lightning McQueen (voice of Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2” when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Adding to the fast-paced fun is a colorful new all-car cast that includes secret agents, menacing villains and international racing competitors.

Cars 2 will hit theaters on June 24, 2011 and it will be available in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D.

What do you think of the newest castmembers for Cars 2?

Emily Mortimer, Michael Stuhlbarg Join Scorsese’s Hugo Cabret

Krystal Clark — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:42:12 +0000

How many talented actors do you need in one film? Perhaps we’ll find the answer to that question when Martin Scorsese wraps production on his upcoming feature, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The movie already includes an acclaimed and award winning cast and now two more actors have joined the party. According to THR, Emily Mortimer and Michael Stulhbarg are the latest additions.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a highly praised novel written by Brian Selznick that centers on a 12 year old orphan boy (Asa Butterfield) who lives within the walls of a train station. It follows his daily journeys as he interacts with several suspicious characters including a bitter old man (Ben Kingsley), a bookish girl (Chloe Moretz), and a local station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen). Jude Law is also in the film and stars as Cabret’s father.

Mortimer will play the station’s flower shop girl, Lisette, and Stuhlbarg plays Rene Tabard, a film restorer. Mortimer previously worked with the Scorsese in Shutter Island, so this will be a reunion for the duo. But that’s not the only past connection, Cabret’s screenplay was adapted by John Logan who previously worked with the director on the script for The Aviator.

What do you think of the ever-expanding cast of The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

Harry Brown: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:00:06 +0000

Just try to walk out of this film without feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders! As always, Michael Caine gives a stunning, tear-jerking performance, this time as a sweet old man who loses everything due to some messed up bullies. From the moment this film hits the big screen you know you’re in for something out of the ordinary. This is probably one of the darkest movie’s that I’ve seen in a long time because the violence is set it a real life setting and unlike many action/thriller movies these days, the deaths are heavy and have a huge impact on the characters and therefore the audience…

The Players:

Director: Daniel Barber
Writer: Gary Young
Actors: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Jack O’Connell and Liam Cunningham
Music by: Ruth Barrett and Martin Phipps
Cinematographer: Martin Ruhe

The Good:

Michael Caine: Come on! He’s Michael Caine! At this point in his career you know that if he shows up to do a dramatic performance he’s going to have an effect on you, one you can’t easily shake off. My god he had me in a puddle of my own tears cheering him on as he tore a group of hooligans to shreds. The pain he felt was palpable and it’s impossible not to feel for his character, which was dire for this story to work.
Siding with the Violence: As much as I don’t condone violence, it’s nice to see the little cunts get their ass beat by an old man who they’ve traumatized for years. It’s hard not to have some kind of cathartic experience after watching an old man who has lost everything and be beat down finally get some form of redemption and start kicking some ass. It’s a bit of a dangerous response for an audience to have though and one that walks a fine line.
Surprise Actor: Sean Harris, killer bad guy! I had no idea who he was but I immediately went home and googled him. Can’t wait to see him creep out more people!

The Hard Part:

The Pain: Watching Michael Caine cry and have his life torn apart for about an hour straight before he reaches a breaking point is not easy. They certainly justified his actions, but it’s not a fun ride by any means. After about 20 minutes of pain I realized it wasn’t over, we were going to have to hit absolute bottom before coming up for air. I will say the contrast is quite interesting.

Overall:

I’m not sure if walking out of a movie feeling both violent and scared is a good thing, but I do love a good movie that leaves you with so many complex thoughts. One thing is for sure… This is not a ride that you can just sit back and watch, it’s an experience.

Rating: 7/10

Harry Brown will be select theaters starting April 30th.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Clips from Samuel Goldwyn’s Harry Brown

Anet Hovhanesian — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:30:22 +0000

Samuel Goldwyn has a new thriller coming out, Harry Brown, starring Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Jack O’Connell and Liam Cunningham, and it is going to be intense. It centers around a character named Harry Brown, who is played by Caine. Brown is a law-abiding citizen who lives alone. His only companion is his best friend Leonard who is killed by some pain in the ass kids. Brown reaches his breaking point and decides that he’s going to take matters into his own hands… after all, what damage can he possibly do?

The film which will hit theaters on April 30th is set in modern day Britain. It features a powerful performance from Caine, he Academy Award winning actor but that’s hardly a surprise. He has been in the game long enough to know when a good film comes his way.

We have four different clips just for our ScreenCrave readers to enjoy:

Clip #1 – Military Bayonet

Detective Frampton (Mortimer) confronts a heated Harry Brown (Caine) regarding the murder details of his best friend.

Clip #2 – You Failed to Maintain Your Weapon Son

Harry Brown exchanges last words with a drug and gun dealer after a violent shootout in a marijuana den.

Clip #3 – Torture

Fueled by vengeance, Harry tortuously pries answers about his friend’s death from one of the suspected teenage gangsters.

Clip #4 – Frampton Explains

Detective Frampton expresses her idea to the chief of police that Harry Brown may very well be the perpetrator, not the witness, to the erupting violence against the wrongdoing local teenage gangsters.

What do you think of the clips, do they make you want to go see the movie when it comes out?

City Island Theatrical Trailer

Krystal Clark — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:53:01 +0000

The first theatrical trailer has been released for the upcoming comedy, City Island. The film is written and directed by Raymond De Felitta, and features an all star cast including star and producer Andy Garcia. It’s already earned some well deserved attention on the festival circuit, by winning the Audience Award at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. And with the release of the trailer the general public finally gets to see what all the hype is about…

City Island centers on a family man from the Bronx named Vince Rizzo. He’s a corrections officer by trade, but longs to be a professional actor. He secretly takes acting classes every week amidst his wife’s speculation that he’s having an affair. One day his teacher asks him to reveal his biggest secret in front of the class, which unleashes a chain of events that sends him and his family’s life into a tale-spin.

His fiery wife is played by Golden Globe winner Julianna Margulies (“The Good Wife“), while his children are portrayed by Steven Strait, his real life daughter Dominik García-Lorido, and Ezra Miller. Strait is the long lost son who happens to be an ex-con, who Vince decides to introduce to the rest of the family without telling them his true identity.

Here’s the trailer…

What do you think of City Island? Are you interested in seeing the film?

Harry Brown: Movie Review

Ben McCarthy — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:20:55 +0000

Michael Caine took a moment to step out of his butler uniform to star in the indie crime thriller, Harry Brown. The film was released in the U.K. on November 11th, and is in limited markets in the US. After recently viewing Brown, it seems like a throwback to the old school Death Wish movies, which centered on an angry man who packed a lot of heat. In this case, it’s Caine and he proves to be one old, dirty, bastard.

Check out our review below…

The Players:

Director: Daniel Barber
Writer: Greg Young
Actors: Sir Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Ben Drew, Charlie Creed Miles, Liam Cunningham, Sean Harris, David Bradley

The Plot:

With his wife having recently passed away and his best friend bullied daily by the drug-peddling gangs on his estate, aged ex-Royal Marine Harry Brown (Caine) decides to come out of retirement to clean up the neighborhood. The geriatric vigilante goes out of his way to bring down the bad guys who are harassing the innocent, but encounters a few unexpected obstacles along the way.

The Good:

Michael Caine: His performance in the film was excellent and is the main reason you should see the movie. Because of him, we believe that he’s a broken down man, who’s is forced to act out in such a drastic way. Caine brings his usual charm and swagger to the role, but it’s the film’s tender scenes that allow you to see the vulnerable side of his character.
The Message: The film treats the audience as adults and dishes out a message regarding English society and gun based crime. It makes the you decide whether Harry’s actions are good or bad.
The Cinematography: Despite a very low budget, this is a gorgeous looking film. The cinematography was similar to David Fincher‘s Seven, with its stark and somewhat dirty tone.

The Bad:

Violence: This is a very violent film, but there are some scenes that are simply grotesque. Some have no relevance to the story and are just there to get a reaction out of the audience.
Last 20 minutes: Without giving too much away, the film becomes over the top, overblown and contrived, which slightly ruins the overall impact of the story.
Moral Implications: This film seems to encourage gun violence and openly says that it’s the answer to everything. Even though this is a film clearly aimed at adults, it’s still heavy handed with the subject matter.
Emily Mortimer: Her performance isn’t very convincing as Officer Frampton, you don’t believe her in the role for one second. She was poorly underwritten, but did her best, which still wasn’t good enough.
The Police: This seems to happen in every revenge thriller, the police do nothing. It’s the oldest cliché in the book, and it would have been nice if they had changed it a little bit.

Overall:

When coming out of the screening, a person said “I want to buy a gun now”, which sums up the moral message of the entire film. You’re better off watching Gran Torino or Dead Man’s Shoes. But even so, this is still a well-crafted, gritty and brave British film that takes no prisoners.

Rating: 6/10

Trailer:

Street Fighter Producers Talk Dead of Night and Lioni

Mali Elfman — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:55:23 +0000

So, we’ve got a little bit of news to break for you guys. Yesterday we talked to Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li producers Ashok Amritraj and Patrick Aiello and tried to avoid talking about their current release because… well it’s really bad. BUT! They may be able to redeem themselves in some upcoming projects. One of which is Dead of Night, which they gave us a bit of insight to in terms of the overall story, look, shooting dates and attire. It appears that the famous suit and car will both be featured in the film.

Then they also mentioned another film which I don’t think anyone has heard of yet. The film will be called Lioni and is set to star the lovely and talented Emily Mortimer.

Check out what they have to say about the film below…

What other projects do you have going on?

Ashok Amritraj: We have a movie called Dead of Night, which starts shooting in April. Brandon Routh [will be starring and] Kevin Munroe, the Director of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is directing it and that shoots in New Orleans. And then we have a festival movie called Lioni which Emily Mortimer is doing for us. (Patrick whispers something to him) Okay. We haven’t announced it yet.

Could you tell us more about Dead of Night?

Patrick Aiello: Dead of Night it about Brandon’s character Jack Guinness from Chinatown who is a detective or private investigator for the underworld, in the sense that he is investigating werewolves

AA: Zombies…

PA: …and vampires. In the spirit of Lost Boys.

AA: It’s a best selling comic book fro Italy called “Dylan Dog.” It’s very popular. And Platinum Comics are our partners on it.

And other news on casting news?

AA: Not yet. We’re just casting.

Will the look be in line with the comic books?

AA: We’re going to be pretty close. It’s going to have that look to it.

The famous outfit?

AA: Yes. The outfit.

PA: And car.

So, that’s all I know for now. What do you think? Are you excited to see Emily Mortimer teaming up with the Producers of Street Fighter? Do those two things go together? And what do you think about Dead of Night? Are you excited? Or would you rather just keep your attention on Watchmen for now?

ScreenCrave.com » Emily Mortimer

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