ENEMY (2014) review
written by: Javier Gullón
produced by: M. A. Faura and Niv Fichman
directed by: Denis Villeneuve
rating: R (for some strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language)
runtime: 90 min.
U.S. release date: March 14, 2014 (limited)
DVD/Blu-ray release date: June 24, 2014
When I saw the 2013 child abduction thriller “Prisoners”, it was out of desperation. It was September, and, at that point, 2013 had tanked. Hard. I missed going to the movies and looked for what’s new. I found “Prisoners”. It had good notices, and the consensus calling it a gripping hybrid of “Zodiac” and “Se7en”, so, why not? Thanks in large part to Roger Deakins’ amazing cinematography, the film wastes no time asserting its artistic ambitions. In the opening shots, we see the organic naturalism of a forest ambushed by chilliness, as though the world was so overcome with macabre atmospherics that we could see it exhale. It was clear that the (admittedly) generic plot was only a vessel and a disturbing look at the human soul was the cargo.
MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (2014) review
written by: Craig Wright
produced by: Alex Schwartz and Denise Nolan Cascino
directed by: Rob Minkoff
rating: PG (some mild action and brief rude humor)
runtime: 95 min.
U.S. release date: March 7, 2014
Talking dogs have been around for decades in animated movies and television shows, especially the anthropomorphized kind. From the superhero antics of Underdog to the biting sarcasm from the likes of Brian from “Family Guy” – take your pick and you can find a dog to your liking. I always took a shine to Mr. Peabody, the intelligent and resourceful beagle with a penchant for puns, who had appeared in misadventurous time-traveling shorts on “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show” with his pal Sherman. But that doesn’t mean I was looking forward to DreamWorks Animation’s updated take on these characters for a new computer-animated feature-length film.
The 86th Academy Award Oscar Winners….
The 86th Academy Awards telecast is over and I’m glad. Although the program hosted by Ellen DeGeneres was one of the more entertaining in recent years, I’ve grown tired of all the predictions, pools and debates. Due to all the talk and prognosticating, there were hardly any surprises, in fact, I can’t think of a one. All the winners just kind of fell into place, most of them deservedly so. And for the first time in a long time, the film that won Best Picture is one that won’t receive backlash in years to come and will certainly hold the test of time as a film that undeniably deserved its award.
SON OF GOD (2014) review
written by: Richard Bedser, Christopher Spencer, Colin Swash & Nic Young
produced by: Roma Downey and Mark Burnett
directed by: Christopher Spencer
rating: PG-13 (for intense and bloody depiction of The Crucifixion, and for some sequences of violence)
runtime: 138 min.
U. S. release date: February 28, 2014
Last March, The History Channel ran a ten-hour mini-series called “The Bible”, which was viewed by millions of viewers making it a record-breaking hit for cable television. This year, Lightworkers Media, the Christian production company responsible for that epic series, has teamed with 20th Century Fox to deliver “Son of God” to those viewers, with the goal of recapturing those numbers theatrically.
3 DAYS TO KILL (2014) review
written by: Adi Hasak and Luc Besson
produced by: Adi Hasak, Luc Besson, Ryan Kavanaugh, Mark Libert & Virginie Silla
directed by: McG
rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language)
runtime: 118 min.
U.S. release date: February 21, 2014
As a director, Kevin Costner comes across as a patient guy who waits for the right material to come along. Considering the last movie he helmed is a little over ten years old (“Open Range”), one might also consider him picky too. As an actor, it feels like Costner woke up one recent morning and thought, “Hey, I should do a handful of movies in a row. I’m not getting any younger!”, which is why we had that “Jack Ryan” movie last month, “3 Days to Kill” this month and next month’s “Draft Day”, with two more movies still on their way this year. Hopefully he’s planning on taking 2015 off entirely.
WINTER’S TALE (2014) review
written by: Akiva Goldsman
produced by: Akiva Goldsman, Marc E. Platt, Michael Tadross & Tony Allard
directed by: Akiva Goldsman
rating: PG-13 (for violence and some sensuality)
runtime: 118 min.
U.S. release date: February 14, 2014
If there’s ever a weekend meant for sappy, sugary sweet, lovey-dovey movies, it has to be Valentine Day weekend. Audiences had two options this past weekend when it comes to the romantically pleasant love story, “Endless Love” and “Winter’s Tale”. Reviews were almost uniformly negative – some scathingly so – but, I thought there was too much positive going on to make it that bad. Was I correct? Well, there are positives, but when it’s bad…..it’s bad.
THE ROCKET (2013) review
written by: Kim Mordaunt
produced by: Sylvia Wilczynski
directed by: Kim Mordaunt
rating: unrated
runtime: 96 min.
U.S. release date: April 19, 2013 (Tribeca Film Festival), January 10, 2014 (New York) and February 14, 2014 (Chicago)
Filmed entirely in Laos, “The Rocket” seemed like an interesting choice for Australia’s recent Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film. It wasn’t selected, but it nevertheless earned some positive reviews and notoriety in various festivals since last spring and proves that not every country will produce a film that takes place on their own turf. I knew nothing of that last aspect before viewing “The Rocket” (although it is quite interesting), only that it was about a boy in a far off land, might involve a rocket and is currently playing at the Music Box Theatre here in Chicago.
ROBOCOP (2014) review
written by: Joshua Zetumer
produced by: Marc Abraham and Eric Newman
directed by: José Padilha
rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of action frenetic gun violence throughout, brief strong language, sensuality and some drug material
runtime: 118 min.
U.S. release date: February 12, 2014
For his first english-language film, Brazilian director José Padilha has made a bold move in remaking Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 cult classic “Robocop”. This has fans of the original rolling their eyes and confirms to moviegoers that tirelessly complaint that the Hollywood thinktank is barren. Remakes have been commonplace in cinema for decades and even though some movies are considered just fine on their own, I would still prefer lousy or mediocre movies remade. But I was willing to give Padilha the benefit of the doubt due to his excellent crime films, “Elite Squad” and “Elite Squad: Enemy Within”. If you haven’t seen those, check them out and you’ll see why he could be a good choice to offer a fresh look at a cyborg police officer in a dystopian future Detroit.
THE MONUMENTS MEN (2014) review
written by: George Clooney and Grant Heslov
produced by: George Clooney and Grant Heslov
directed by: George Clooney
rating: PG-13 (for some war violence and historical smoking)
runtime: 118 min.
U.S. release date: February 7, 2014
I’m weird when it comes to movies. When I catch wind of a film in production, of an actor being attached to a project, stumbling across a trailer, I look forward to said movie like a crazy person. We’re talking kid on Christmas Eve excited. Over the years, I’ve looked forwarded to “The Alamo”, “Skyfall”, “Casino Royale”, the “Dark Knight” series, the “Fast and Furious” movies, and now “The Monuments Men”, recently released in theaters. Where does it fall among that list? Read on.
AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS (2013) review
written by: David Lowery
produced by: Cassian Lewes, Toby Halbrook, James M. Johnston, Amy Kaufman, Lars Knudsen & Jay Van Hoy
directed by: David Lowery
rating: R (for some violence)
runtime: 96 min.
U.S. release date: January 19, 2013 (Sundance) and August 16, 2013 (limited)
DVD/Blu-ray release date: December 17, 2013
I’ll make a bet with you. I swear I’ll pay up too if I lose. I would wager that David Lowery is a fan of two things. One, he’s a fan of the films of Terrence Malick, few though they are. Two, he grew up watching 1970s crime thrillers set in the South, including Texas. How do I know this you ask? I watched Lowery’s film “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”, which he wrote and directed, a film with obvious influences from both of the above.
