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Archive for the ‘Drama’ Category

Orphan

August 1st, 2009
Year One - Jack Black

Orphan - Jaume Collet-Serra

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Movie: Orphan (2009)

Studio : Warner Bros.

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 123min

Website : orphan-movie.warnerbros.com

Trailer : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8qjbh

 

Review:

Movies about creepy kids have long been a reliable box office draw. Usually consisting of some seemingly angelic little boy or girl who starts out all wide-eyed and innocent but in the end is revealed to be a granny-mangling demon from the bowels of pre-pubescent hell, this sub-genre has given us such nightmarish cinematic icons as Regan from The Exorcist and Damian from The Omen.

The Orphan probably sits somewhere between the above classic examples of how to do creepy kid movies and Children of the Corn (as an example of how not to). Essentially it’s a domestic horror tale centering on the troubled Coleman clan and the swirling black-hole of loss and guilt that resides at the core of the family. We soon come to learn that the black-hole is the result of the tragic loss of Kate and John’s unborn baby. Kate is in therapy for her drinking problem while John deals with things by wandering around the house in a near perfect state of semi-consciousness. And so, to fill in the hole they decide to adopt another (older) child. Enter Esther.

Believed to be born in Russia and possessing prodigious musical and artistic abilities, the delightfully polite Esther immediately impresses Kate and John with her quiet and sad demeanor and they quickly decide to take her home from the orphanage. What was interesting at this point was that Esther was not simply being depicted as a one-dimensional mini -monolith of evil, but rather seemed genuinely vulnerable and moved by her introduction to the Colemans’ (relatively) stable family life.

It wasn’t long however before the creepy kid clichés began to pile up. But still, I reassured myself, that’s okay – heck, you could argue that all genre movies are just a series of orchestrated clichés! It was in the final act though that I finally gave up on The Orphan. Back-pedaling furiously from the complex position of having created an almost sympathetic killer kid, the film-maker instead took the easy way out by inserting one of the most ridiculous “twists” to come down the pipeline since Bobby Ewing came back from the dead in Dallas. Yes, the “twist” did answer a few (unimportant) questions – but it also provoked a new one: why did I spend $10 dollars on this crap?

In the end, despite the strong first half, the only person I would recommend this orphan to is Madonna.

-Paul Meade

Drama, Horror, In Theaters, Mystery, Thriller , , , ,

The Hurt Locker

August 1st, 2009
Year One - Jack Black

The Hurt Locker- Kathryn Bigelow

Rating: ★★★★☆

Movie: The Hurt Locker (2009)

Studio : Kingsgate Films

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 130min

Website : thehurtlocker-movie.com

Trailer : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x91vpy

 

Review:

The Hurt Locker is the story the Army’s elite Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) squad and their call to missions in modern-day Iraq. The story focuses on the Bravo Company, specifically commissioned to handle IEDs or Improvised Explosive Devices. We follow this company—which comprises Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner), Sergeant J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty)—on their 39-day tour of Iraq. We watch as they weave through each mission with their lives on the line, and as they consistently escape death, the layers of their complicated emotions and intentions unfold right before us.

It doesn’t take very long to realize that the real star of this film is director Kathryn Bigelow. Although her claim to fame up to this point might be Point Break and being the mega-director James Cameron’s former better half, this movie should cement her as a serious and formidable new voice.

The amazingly authentic script by Mark Boal aids her vision. Much like In the Valley of Elah, Boal has researched a real story in order to create a compelling fictitious one. Here, Boal imbedded himself with an actual EOD squad and fashioned himself part-journalist, part-screenwriter. And upon the viewing of this film, it will be hard to deny that he has succeeded exceptionally as both.

Jeremy Renner as Sergeant James does a commendable job of turning his performance into a bona-fide character study. As the most complex character, he gives an appropriately understated performance while maintaining a certain amount of bravura, making him fascinating to watch.

There’s a noticeable dip in the quality of the action at the end of the second act where a particular soldier goes AWOL. It’s the only part of the movie that feels a little “Hollywood.” Nevertheless, it doesn’t take away from the overall excellence of the film, and fortunately, it gets back on track shortly thereafter.

However, there is a major oversight that does affect the overall impression of this film: Although directed by a female, it is mysteriously devoid of female soldiers. For a film that’s committed to being so real and so true, it’s an unfortunate critique for a film that is otherwise virtually flawless.
 
The crux of this film lies within its final 5-10 minutes. And it’s these minutes that catapult it from being a run-of-the-mill war story to modern parable.

-Sam Henderson

Action, Drama, In Theaters, Thriller, War , , , ,

Angels & Demons – Drama Thriller

May 24th, 2009
Angels & Demons - Tom Hanks

Angels & Demons - Tom Hanks

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Movie: Angels & Demons (2009)

Studio : Imagine Entertainment; Columbia Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 138min

Website : angelsanddemons.com

Trailer :
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x799zs

Review:

The action starts in the Vatican after the sudden death of the Pope; simultaneously, the Hadron Collider in Switzerland successfully generates anti-matter. Shortly after this remarkable scientific achievement, one of the vials of antimatter is stolen by a mysterious stranger. After four Cardinals are kidnapped, a mysterious ransom video and note show up brandishing the word Illuminati, an ancient group infamous for opposing the Catholic Church in the 1600’s. Harvard symbologist professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) and his team of investigators urgently seek meaning behind the Illuminati’s cryptic clues, in order to save not only the lives of the kidnapped Cardinals, but everybody in Rome as well.

Bits of history are sporadically spoon-fed to the audience about the Church/Illuminati strife, as well as each party involved; this method allows for viewers who have not read the Dan Brown novels to closely follow along. The movie is quite suspenseful, as each discovery the team makes only leads to yet another shrouded clue in the web of Illuminati references. This, however, gets a bit tiresome as it serves for the basic architecture for the entire two hours: the result being a lot of talk and sparse action.

The recurring theme acts as a metaphor for hot-button topics of today, issues that mostly boil down to religious vs. scientific beliefs. Within the movie are characters of vacillating mentalities, such as staunch Catholic priests in addition to more progressive-minded ministers. These sorts of characters essentially bridge the gap between religion and science, in an attempt to prove how each side has its utility.

Even if you do not follow the series of novels religiously (pun intended), Angels & Demons is guaranteed to deliver as thorough entertainment with remarkable suspense. It opened worldwide on May 15 with $152 million in earnings, and is now playing in theaters.

-Daniel S.

Drama, In Theaters, Thriller , , , ,

Star Trek – Action Adventure Drama Sci-fi

May 17th, 2009
Star Trek - Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto

Star Trek - Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto

Rating: ★★★★★

Movie: Star Trek (2009)

Studio : Paramount Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 127min

Website : startrek.com

Trailer :
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7grwn

Review:

There is little to say about Star Trek. The movie in two words: Absolutely Amazing. The new Star Trek not only brings in great actors who played the parts perfectly but it was by far one of the best sequels of the film world to date. I personally have not seen any Star Trek movies or episodes in the past by any means. With that in mind; this movie really shocked me!

I cannot believe how intense a situation can get onboard a starship! Is captain Kirk really that much of a controlling character in the original series? Aside from that fact, I really liked the creative scenes that were put together involving both Kirk(Chris Spine) and Spock(Zachary Quinto)!

Throughout the beginning of the film they were fighting to be the man in control but they both accepted each other through their own way and are working together as possibly the best duo tandem this film industry has ever seen.

The new Star Trek promises glorious action, exacerbate drama, enormous laughter, and diabolical intelligence all wrapped into a two hour film. Star Trek is one of the best movies on the market right now so don’t miss your chance to see it!
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-Trent M.

Action, Adventure, Drama, In Theaters, Sci-Fi , , , , , , , ,