Movie Review - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (2011) *

     I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this movie. I was bored of out my mind watching it and don't want to fall asleep again while typing about it. It's the story of Caesar, a chimpanzee who is raised as basically a son by a scientist (James Franco). After being given an experimental drug, Caesar's intelligence increases rapidly to human-like proportions. After an incident, Caesar is taken from the man and placed in a sanctuary with other apes. We learn that captivity is wrong and Caesar convinces the other primates to rise up against their captors which ultimately could change the world forever. Or something like that. I don't know.

    Yes, I'm being very sarcastic talking about this. I'm sorry, I just got nothing out of this movie and it's two hours of my life that I can't get back. Some of the special effects are nice so that gives it one star. But nothing about the story or acting appealed to me at all. If you have seen other films in this series which span back many years, give it a shot I guess. It wasn't for me.

    Also, for those who thought Andy Serkis should have received an Oscar nod as Casesar...really? I believe there is obviously a place in cinema for the motion capture work he performs and he is one of the best at what he does, but that alone is not worthy of Oscar. Just my opinion.

Movie Review - "Margin Call" (2011) *1/2

     This was a difficult movie for me to rate and I'm going to preface this review by saying that even though I have given this movie a very low rating, I think it will definitely work for some people. This movie has one major flaw that led to the rating...I simply didn't understand about 75% of it. I consider myself a somewhat intelligent person, but I have my weak topics that I'm clueless on. One of those is the topic of Wall Street and investments and the politics of it. All that jazz. I should understand stuff like this as it is important, but I simply don't. For that reason, I had a lot of trouble following the lingo of this movie which is not on a beginner's level. Therefore, if stuff like that interests you and you understand it, you may get more out of this than I did.

     Margin Call is a fictionalized interpretation of the 2008 financial crisis. As the film opens, a large group of layoffs are taking place at a financial firm that bears more than a passing resemblance to Lehman Bros., even though the firm is never given a formal name. One of the employees being laid off is Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci), who is working on a potential trouble spot for the firm but he is having difficulty putting all of the pieces together. On his way out of the building, he passes off the project to a young intern named Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto) with two words of advice, "Be careful." Sullivan stays overnight to work on the file that Eric gives him and what he finds sets off a chain of events that will have financial implications across the globe. Over the next 24 hours, the hierarchy of the firm are bought in to make decisions on what the company should do. It becomes apparent that disaster is imminent and it's during this time when decisions on ethical issues will effect the lives of millions of people.

     There's a good movie here, I can feel it under the surface. The film is written and directed by newcomer J.C. Chandor and features an A-level class of thespians such as Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Paul Bettany and Simon Baker. I was never turned off by the acting and Spacey is solid as always. There were no problems there for me. The screenplay just simply didn't work for me and as I said earlier, that's my fault more than anything. But I have to be honest when doing a review and because I didn't understand a lot of what was a going on, I found myself bored a lot and watching the clock. For those reasons, I have to take away from the film. That being said, if you feel like it's something that would interest you, by all means give it a shot. I hope you find a hidden gem here. I did not.

Movie Review - "Take Shelter" (2011) ****1/2

    Wow. Oscar you really dropped the ball on this one. How did this movie go unnoticed by the Academy?? If not for Best Picture, definitely for Best Actor. Oh well, I guess it's not the first time and won't be the last time that happens. Regardless, this was a movie that I had heard some buzz about late in the year but for various reasons didn't get around to watching until after the Oscars broadcast. I'm delighted that I did because this is a stunning film that had me mesmerized from the start and for a good portion of the movie I was feeling a potential five-star movie here. I settled for a half star deduction for some very minor reasons, namely the ending which I won't go into details about. I wasn't disappointed with it...I just don't know that it was necessary. I'll leave it at that.

     I don't want to go into the plot too much because this is one of those films that I think is more enjoyable if you just jump in and go with it. The less you know the better off you will be, that's just my opinion. Michael Shannon stars as Curtis LaForche as a construction worker in rural Ohio who lives on a farm with his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and their deaf 6-year old daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart). The special needs required by Hannah has put a lot of strain on the family but they are very loving and supportive of each other and do their best to make day-to-day life work. Curtis's side of the family has a history of mental illness and we see that his mother (Kathy Baker) is actually living in an institution suffering from schizophrenia. Curtis begins to have bad dreams about an approaching, apocalyptic storm and the dreams seem to materialize in reality in the form of clouds appearing on the distant horizon. Curtis becomes convinced that a storm is imminent and begins constructing a large add-on to the storm shelter in his back yard. Despite criticism from his wife, best friend, and community members, Curtis proceeds with his plan unfazed in a move that will test the bond between Curtis and his wife.

     There is much more to the story than this, but like I said, this movie is best experienced with minimal knowledge beforehand. The film was written and directed by Jeff Nichols and Jessica Chastain has proven to be a talented actress, but this is a Michael Shannon showcase. He gives a powerful performance that should have earned him a Best Actor nomination. There is a scene where he has an outburst at a community function that is terrifying in its realism. It truly is one of the best performances not only of this year, but in several years. The tenstion in this movie builds slowly, yet methodically. If you are patient with it, I fell you will be rewarded. If you are looking for something to put in your Netflix queue or grab out of a local Redbox, if Take Shelter is available I highly suggest you give it consideration.

Movie Review - "The Artist" (2011) ***1/2

     I'm not going to lie, I went into this film VERY apprehensive. I love movies, but I'm being completely honest when I say my love of movies is very modern. I'm still a newbie to classic cinema. I've gotten to where I can handle black and white films for the most part without any trouble and films like Psycho, 12 Angry Men, Casablanca, It's A Wonderful Life, and To Kill A Mockingbird are all personal favorites. I've never really dived into silent cinema and I can't even remember watching a full silent film all the way through. I know I need to at some point as I have heard wonderful things about actors like Chaplin and Keaton, but it's just never made it to my radar at this point. Maybe one day. But that brings us to The Artist, this years winner of the Best Picture award as well as Best Director and Best Actor. Out of all 9 films that I saw during the Best Picture Showcase, it's the one that I was most nervous about...yet was highly anticipated. It turns out that I was pleasantly surprised. I don't think it was close to the best picture of the year, but I enjoyed myself.

     The movie stars Jean Dujardin as silent movie star George Valentin. Valentin is THE man in 1927 Hollywood. Super popular and charming. The toast of the town. Think George Clooney magnified tenfold. He spins out blockbuster after blockbuster and takes in the accolades with the most charming grin you can imagine. Outside the theater during one of his premieres, he has a chance encounter with a young lady fan named Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo). Peppy ends up planting a kiss on the cheek of Valentin in front of a group of photographers, leading to headlines in the paper the next day stating "Who's That Girl?". Peppy draws the attention of prodcuers and when she shows up to audition for a part in Valentin's next film, she stands out in the crowd and claims the role. Immediately, Valentin and Miller now share the spotlight and she rises to fame. However, there is a change coming in Hollywood as sound has been added to movies, sparking the onset of "talkies". Peppy is open to the changes and because of that, her career continues to soar to new levels. George is skeptical though and refuses to enter the new frontier of film-making, leading to his ultimate demise. When two of their movies premiere opposite of each other, Peppy's brings in huge crowds while George's is a flop. George's world is turned upside-down and he struggles to face new realities as he watches his world crumble around him.

     For the first 20 minutes or so of The Artist I thought it was going to be a big mistake. I was not buying into the silent film aspect and I settled in for a long, boring film. I'm not sure exactly when it was, but somewhere during the mid-point of the film though I became aware that I was becoming more and more interested in the storyline. From that point on, my anticipation kept building and by the end of the movie, I was invested in these characters and surprised by how much I was enjoying myself. This was a movie that went from one star to nearly four stars in the span of about an hour. Afterwards, I asked myself if I would want to see something similar more often. The answer is Yes. I don't think I'll be rushing out to watch a bunch of silent films, but I'm more curious now than I have been in the past. And for that alone, The Artist receives a recommendation from me.  If you are like me and have been skeptical of films like this in the past, I encourage you to take a chance. I think you may find yourself as surprised as I was.

Movie Review - "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" (2011) ****

     Sometimes a movie is just that, a movie. Too often I think people try to find a deeper meaning or context that just isn't there. There are films out there where the primary purpose is to make a case regarding a subject, or have an opinion on a certain issue, and there is definitely a place for films like that. Other times, a storyteller will use an event as the backdrop of smaller story that they are trying to tell. That bring us to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the Best Picture nominee directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Eric Roth based on a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. The reviews from critics and fans alike have been interesting to watch, as there seems to be a group of people who loves this movie, and a group which seems to hate it....with not much room in between. My problem is, I'm not sure where the hate is coming from. I completely understand if someone doesn't like a movie, that's understandable, but there is a contingent out there just seems taken aback and even offended by this film, which uses the events of September 11 as the backdrop of the story. After seeing the movie, I'm not sure where that is coming from. Yes, 9/11 will always be a hard subject to deal with, but I don't feel this movie was trying to make any "stand" on 9/11. It's simply a movie showing how that day has affected one family, especially young Oskar Schell, who sees the world through a different set of eyes.

     Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) is a 9-year old boy who adores his father Thomas (Tom Hanks) so much and loves the games of adventure that his father creates for him. Oskar's mother, Linda (Sandra Bullock), is also very loving but it's obvious from the start that Oskar is much closer to his father. One of the reasons for this is that Oskar likely has Aspberger's, a form of autism, even though it is stated that tests were inconclusive. Oskar is very smart, but is challenged in social situations, so the diagnosis seems likely. Things are going good for Oskar until September 11, 2001, when his father is caught in one of the Twin Towers and dies as a result of the terrorist attack. Oskar arrives home from school early that day and hears his fathers last words on the answering machine. "The Worst Day", as Oskar refers to it from then on, crumbles his world as he struggles to communicate with his mother.

     A year later, Oskar is snooping in his fathers closet and shatters a vase by accident. Inside was a small envelope with a key in it and the word Black written on the outside of the envelope. Oskar feels that this key is a sign from his father and he was meant to find it. Because it is capitalized, he determines Black is a persons name and sets out on a journey through New York City trying to find the lock that this key will open. Oskar is sure that whatever he finds will answer a lot of questions about his father. He is joined on his quest at times by a mute tenant of his grandmother's, known simply as "The Renter" (Max Von Sydow). Together, the two try to find the right lock and along the way Oskar receives some life lessons that will be with him forever.

     I guess your enjoyment of this film will depend a lot on one thing; whether or not you buy into first-time actor Thomas Horn, who plays Oskar. Horn was a winner of the Jeopardy Kids Week Tournament one year and received the role based on that. Personally, I thought he was great and I sympathized with his character a lot. I've heard a lot of negative reaction based on how he is a difficult kid to listen to or comes across as rude. We have to keep in mind that he is playing a socially challenged youth with autism in this movie. We can't forget that and I feel he pulls off the performance in an amazing way for a first time actor. Hanks and Bullock, while two of the most well-known actors today, are relegated to the sideline for most of this film and their perfomances, while good, are supporting roles. Von Sydow was a sentimental nominee for Best Supporting Actor and while I thought he was fine here, I think this is the one instance where the love may have actually gone a bit too far. It's not THAT great a performance, but fine indeed. I am a fan of Stephen Daldry's, I enjoyed this movie along with a few other smaller films that have earned Oscar nominations for him; The Reader,  Billy Elliot, and The Hours, all movies that don't appeal to the mainstream audience, but should.

     I said at the start that I didn't understand why there is so much hate for this film. The movie is not about 9/11. It's about a young boys journey to discover a supposed last truth about his father that he loved dearly. I was moved to tears a couple of times during this movie. I'm admittedly susceptible to father/son stories but I thought it was very genuine. Maybe this movie is trying to make a bigger statement, and if it is it went completely over my head. That's possible. But sometimes a movie is just a movie, and we need to keep that in perspective. This is just a simple story. One I happened to enjoy very much.