50 Most Anticipated Films of 2010 Part IV

20. Greenberg
Directed By: Noah Baumbach.
Starring: Ben Stiller, Rhys Ifans, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Greta Gerwig.
Why? When writer/director Noah Baumbach is not helping Wes Anderson with his screenplays, he makes remarkably funny, insightful movies in his own right. His The Squid and the Whale is one of the best movies ever about divorce, and his Margot at the Wedding is very much underrated. His latest, with Ben Stiller as a middle aged slacker, may be a little too hipster to me, but I have to admit the preview makes me laugh every single time – and I have faith that Baumbach will make something truly intelligent.

19. Biutiful
Directed By: Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu.
Starring: Javier Bardem, Bianca Portillo, Martina Garcia, Ruben Ochandiano
Why? Director Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu has three solid films behind him – Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel, the first two I think are genuinely great. Here, he returns to his original language – Spanish – and casts one of the best actors in the world in Javier Bardem. The story is being kept under wraps, but with these two, it has to rank high on my list.

18. Never Let Me Go
Directed By: Mark Romanek.
Starring: Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Charlotte Rampling, Sally Hawkins.
Why? I have heard about Kazuo Ishigiro’s novel for years (and it is next on my list of books to read), so I am looking forward to what sounds like an interesting mixture of English boarding school drama, and sci-fi dystopia. With Knightley and Mulligan heading the cast (and a great supporting cast to boot) and Romanek (One Hour Photo) at the helm, this looks like it could fill the void of intelligent sci-fi.

17. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo/The Girl Who Played With Fire
Directed By: Niels Arden Oplev & Daniel Aflredson.
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Peter Haber
Why? The first movie, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, already has a release date scheduled, and if it’s successful, I expect the second film (and perhaps even the third) to hit theaters this year as well. Based on Stieg Larsen’s excellent Millennium books (the third of which will be published in North America in May), these dark novels were amazing, and the reviews for the films in its native Sweden have been as well. Certainly two of the literary adaptations I am looking forward to most this year.

16. London Boulevard
Directed By: William Mongahan.
Starring: Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, Ray Winstone, David Thewlis, Anna Friel, Stephen Graham.
Why? The screenwriter of The Departed, William Mongahan, makes his feature directing debut with this adaptation of the Ken Bruen novel, which appears to be a British spin on Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd, with Farrell as an ex-con hiding out in the home of a fading movie star. But it is really the cast – Farrell who is underrated, Knightley who is radiant, Winstone who is merciless, Thewlis who can be great, and Friel who is adorable and Stephen Graham that makes me anxiously await this thriller.

15. The Ghost Writer
Directed By: Roman Polanski.
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson.
Why? Roman Polanski may be a creepy pervert and rapist, but the man is still a genius at directing. This movie is based on a fine thriller by Robert Harris in which a ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) is hired to help an ex British PM (Pierce Brosnan), obviously based on Tony Blair, write his memoirs – particularly on the subject of the Iraq war. But things get more and more complicated as they move along. The movie is apparently already ready, so I guess Polanski’s incarceration didn’t slow him down.

14. The Tempest
Directed By: Julie Taymor.
Starring: Helen Mirren, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand, Alfred Molia, Chris Cooper.
Why? Director Taymor has only made three films before – but all three of those films were visual stunners (Titus, Frieda and Across the Universe). Here she returns to Shakespeare, and has assembled a marvelous cast. Like with Titus, don’t expect a classical adaptation here – hell she switched the gender of the main character already! This is one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, yet few have ever tried to turn it into a movie. If anyone can do, Taymor can.

13. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
Directed By: Woody Allen.
Starring: Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Antonio Banderas, Frieda Pinto.
Why? Every year Woody Allen makes a movie, and every year I put it on this list, even though his output has been erratic in recent years. However, with the exception of the horrid Scoop (perhaps the worst film of Allen’s career), I have quite enjoyed all of his recent films – Match Point, Cassandra’s Dream, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Whatever Works. This one is set in London again, and features one hell of a cast. Comedy? Drama? Thriller? Science Fiction epic? I have no idea (okay, that last one seems unlikely) as per usual, Allen isn’t telling. And as per usual, I will be there opening weekend.

12. Alice in Wonderland
Directed By: Tim Burton.
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter.
Why? Tim Burton can always be counted on to deliver something different, and visually interesting, and I love with when Johnny Depp goes off the deep end. The previews look great, and the rest of the cast, especially Helena Bonham Carter who looks by a riot as the evil queen is solid. I can’t wait to see what Burton does with this kids movie.

11. Somewhere
Directed By: Sofia Coppola.
Starring: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Benicio Del Toro.
Why? Sofia Coppola’s first two films – The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation – were great. Her third film, Marie Antoinette was not great, but was very much underrated. I am interested in seeing what she does this time out – casting Stephen Dorff (a good actor specializing in making terrible movies), as a bad boy actor who confronts his demons when his daughter (Fanning) shows up. I hope this film gets Coppola back on track.

Reactions to the Canada's First Hockey Game

RECAP

After a shaky first period, Canada's Men's Hockey team turned up the heat and ended delivering a great performance in their opening game. You expect that a team like Canada should be able to beat a team like Norway quite handlely in this tournment, and although the score ended up 8-0 for Canada, we did have a rocky first period.

In the first, Canada was trying to be too pretty. They tried to make too many passes in the zone to set up perfect scoring chances, and the Norwegians did a good job of getting into the passing lanes, and taking these chances away. When Canada did get a shot on goal, there was hardly any traffic in front of the net, and so the Norwegian goalie was able to make the saves. To make matters worse, Canada's defence tried to make too many long passes up the ice - hardly any of which connected, and we ended up being called for icing countless times. The Norwegians are a hard working team, so although Canada outshot them 14-4 in the first, the game was much closer than was expected.

But in the second, Canada settled down. Coach Mike Babcock took my advice and put together Crosby, Nash and Iginla, and the result was a great line - Iginla ended up getting a hat trick, the best goal of which was the first on the power play, where he got himself open and hammered it home. This seemed to open the floodgates, as Heatley scored a few minutes later (although almost all the credit for that goal has to go to Chris Pronger), and then when Mike Richards grinded out a goal a few minutes later, Canada had it in the bag. Heatley added another goal, Ignila another two, with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry rounding out the goal scorers.

Sidney Crosby (3), Drew Doughty, Chris Pronger, Joe Thornton, Patrice Bergeron, Shea Weber, Scott Niedermayer, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Marleau, Dan Boyle (2), Rick Nash (2) and Eric Staal all added assists. In fact the only players on the ice yesterday who DIDN'T get at one point were Roberto Lunogo, Brendan Morrow, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.

This has got to be seen as a great start for Canada. In Torino, the team struggled on the power play, and struggled even more to score goals - only getting a total of 15 in the entire tournament. They have reached more than half that mark at the end of the first game.

THINGS TO WATCH FOR

The only thing you can really say bad about Canada's performance in the last two periods is that they took two stupid penalities. Dany Heatley's penalty for slashing was pure laziness, and Sidney Crosby's retatilation penalty was silly. You cannot do that against the more elite teams in the tournament and get away with it. Getting Canada to shoot as much as they did in the last two periods, and not concentrating on the pretty plays that don't work as they did in the first, and getting them to not take stupid penalaties will be what the coaches want to concentrate on before the game Thursday.

Except on the penalty kill, we didn't see much of forward Morrow on the ice, and we saw even less of defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook (which explains why these were the three who didn't register a point last night). I expect this to change as the tournament wears on. Morrow was brought in to kill penalaties, and because his good defensive play as a forward will come in handy against the more elite teams in the tournament. Keith and Seabrook are seen as Canada's shutdown team on defense, and against Norway, you don't really need them. When they face Russia or Sweden, or even the USA later in the round robin, they will be relied upon more heavily. By not playing these three, it allowed coach Mike Babcock to play youngsters Drew Doughty and Jonathan Toews more. Doughty was put out in all situations - even the penalty kill - and Toews was the lone forward out there to start the long 5-3 penalty kill the Canadians had in the second period. By playing the two youngest players (Doughty is 20, Toews 21), you give them confidence that they really do belong there, so even if in future games they are not used as much, you know when they are used, that they'll be fine.

Roberto Luongo was perfect in net last night - but then again facing Norway, and not many shots, he should have been. I expect to see the same type of performance by Martin Brodeur in net against Switzerland on Thursday. These games will not really effect who Canada chooses to be the starting goalie in the more important games. Those decisions have either already been made, or will be based on much more than what we see in the first two games - unless Marty stinks it up on Thursday.

All in all, it was a good first game for Canada. Bring on the Swiss!

Movie Review: The Red Riding Trilogy

The Red Riding Trilogy ****
Directed By: Julian Jarrod (1974), James Marsh (1980) & Anaud Tucker (1983)
Written by: Tony Grioni based on the novels by David Peace.
Starring: Andrew Garfield (Eddie Dunford), David Morrissey (Maurice Jobson), Mark Addy (John Piggott), Paddy Considine (Peter Hunter), Peter Mullan (Martin Laws), Robert Sheehan (BJ), Eddie Marsan (Jack Whitehead), Warren Clarke (Bill Molloy), Sean Bean (John Dawson), Sean Harris (Bob Craven), Maxine Peake (Helen Marshall), Rebecca Hall (Paula Garland), Anthony Flanagan (Barry Gannon), Berwick Kaler (George Greaves), Chris Walker (Jim Prentice), Daniel Mays (Michael Myshkin), Gary Whitaker (Jim Kelly), John Henshaw (Bill Hadley), Ron Cook (Clement Smith), Saskia Reeves (Mandy Wymer), Shaun Dooley (Dick Alderman), Steven Robertson (Bob Fraser), Joseph Mawle (The Ripper), Tony Mooney (Tommy Douglas), Michelle Dockery (Kathryn Tyler), Gerard Kearns (Leonard Cole), Hilton McRae (Clive McGuiness), Catherine Tyldesley (Tessa), Cathryn Bradshaw (Marjorie Dawson), Beatrice Kelley (Mrs Myshkin).

David Peace’s masterful four part literary series about corruption and violence in Yorkshire region in Northern England over the course of a decade has made its way to the screen in this trilogy. The movies cut out one of Peace’s books (1977), and has shortened down the other three, yet have perfectly captured the spirit of the novels. The Yorkshire region was crawling with corruption between 1974 and 1983. It didn’t matter if it was the Yorkshire ripper killing women, or an unknown murderer of little girls, the police and the media used these to mask their own corruption that is rotting them for the inside out. Every time someone tried to step in and expose the truth, they were treated to a series of escalating events that ultimately led to their lives and families in ruins, before climaxing in their own deaths. And perhaps they were corrupted along the way themselves. The movies, which make up about 5 hours of running time, have a huge, epic scope, dozens of speaking roles, and paints a picture of massive corruption. The Yorkshire Ripper acts as a good study of the area at the time – he may be murdering women he considered to be “unclean” (ie prostitutes), but all the men in these movies are essentially do the same thing to the women in their lives, but not in such a direct way.

The first part of the trilogy, 1974, centers of Eddie Dunford (Andrew Garfield), a young reporter from the Yorkshire post who has moved to the area from down South, where things are done differently, When a little girl goes missing, he sees similarities to two previous cases – one in 1969 and the other 1972 – about two young girls who disappeared in a similar manner, but were never found. He probes deeper and deeper into the investigation, especially when the latest girl is found is a drainage ditch with swan wings stitched to her back. His investigation brings him into contact with the police, and a real estate mogul, John Dawson (Sean Bean), who seems to be protected from on high. His life slowly starts to unravel when he gets involved with Paula Garland (Rebecca Hall), who has ties to Dawson, and is also the mother of one of the missing girls. Someone, perhaps a lot of someone’s, do not want him to find out what happened, and the movie ends in a blood drenched shootout.

The second part, 1980, centers on Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine), a police officer, also from the South like Eddie was. He was brought in 1974 to investigate the shootout that ended that movie, but never got to finish his investigation. Now he is brought in to oversee the Ripper case, which by then has stretched on for more than five years, and now has more than a dozen murders to investigate. He is not only tasked with finding the Ripper himself, but also to look into the investigation itself, and see if the police had screwed up anywhere. Like Eddie, the more he uncovers, the more complicated his life gets, as his relationship with his wife is threatened, and his affair with an fellow officier (Maxine Peak) becomes public knowledge. Like Eddie, there seems to be no way out for Peter.

The final part, 1983, focuses on three different protagonists. One is John Piggot (Mark Addy), an overweight, disgraced attorney, with a dead cop for a father, who is asked by the mother of the mentally challenged man convicted of the child murders that took place in 1974, to appeal the decision, which draws even more attention when another little girl goes missing. As he digs deeper, like Eddie and Peter before him, he doesn’t like what he finds. Another character is BJ (Robert Sheenan), who we met in both previous chapters. He is a young male prostitute who seems to access to all sorts of information involving the child murders, the Ripper and the shootout at the end of 1974, but he has become increasingly paranoid about his own safety (with good reason), and has mentally snapped. But the movie mainly focuses on Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey), a senior police officier we also met in the previous installments, but always hung in the background, his huge glasses not giving anything away. Unlike the other characters in the movie, he knows firsthand about the corruption that has gone on – he has been involved with it since the beginning – but his conscience is finally catching up with him.

These characters are just the tip of the iceberg of the people that cycle through these three movies. There are many others – most memorably Martin Laws (Peter Mullen), a Reverend who always seems to be around, offering comfort and guidance to the victims of the crimes right before either the police of the newspapers appear on their doorstep.

The three movies are definitely part of a whole – and the cumulative impact of the three are much greater than anyone would have been – but they have been directed by three different men, who bring distinct visual styles to the films. In 1974, director Julian Jarrod seems to be heavily influenced by Martin Scorsese (there are direct visual references to both Taxi Driver and New York, New York), and creates a Yorkshire where it is always raining, unless its overcast and about to start. James Marsh, who directed the second installment, prefers bright, white lighting for the scenes indoors – the institutional setting of much of the movie is blinding, and inky, murky darkness for the scenes that happen at night, which is many of them. Finally, Anaud Tucker, who directed the third film 1983, is the only one who gives us any glimpse of sunshine – it’s always coming through windows in blinding streaks, appropriate, because in this installment, the corruption of the previous decade is finally seeing the light of day. The three films definitely do feel like a part of one series, but the directors make them distinctive from each other.

I think what the series essentially boils down to is the racist, and particularly the sexist attitudes of the men in the movie. Only one character has the guts to spell it all out, but Sean Bean’s John Dawson does in 1974, because he knows he is untouchable. When he says “Your Paddies, your wogs, your niggers, your fucking gyppos, the poofs, the perverts, even the bloody women. They’re all out to get what they can get. I tell you, soon there’ll be nowt left for us lot”, he isn’t just speaking for himself, but for pretty much all the male characters in the movie. For the two characters from the South, the challenge is to remain distant from this attitude, but we see signs of both Eddie and Peter falling victim to this feelings as their respective movies progress, which maybe why they almost seem to welcome their fate. They know where they are heading, and don’t like it at all.

All the women in the movie are chewed up and spat out in one way or another. If you’re lucky enough to not be killed, you end up either slowly going insane, or just raped and forgotten. There are many mothers without children, crying, trying to get someone, anyone, to listen to them but they are pretty much ignored. The men in this movie have no time for women, unless they are using them for their own personal goals.

The Red Riding Trilogy is epic in its scope, and yet minute in its details. Through the course of the movie, we get the entire picture of Yorkshire over the course of this decade, where few survived unscathed. Red Riding is the movie event of 2010 so far.

Movie Review: 44 Inch Chest

44 Inch Chest ** ½
Directed by: Malcolm Venville.
Written By: Louis Mellis & David Scinto.
Starring: Ray Winstone (Colin Diamond), John Hurt (Old Man Peanut), Ian McShane (Meredith), Tom Wilkinson (Archie), Stephen Dillane (Mal), Joanne Whalley (Liz), Melvil Poupaud (Loverboy).

There are not many movies that are better acted than 44 Inch Chest. This is a movie that has only seven real roles, but each one is played to perfection. The writing reminded me of a David Mamet play, where a group of people are stuck in one spot, and talk constantly – peppering their dialogue with liberal uses of the word fuck. (According to the IMDB, the word is used 162 in a 90 minute movie, and although I didn’t count, I think the word cunt is used just about as often). The actors are obviously enjoying themselves, delivering these lines. And yet, 44 Inch Chest never really goes anywhere. There is a lot of talk, and a lot of it is enjoyable to listen to, but the movie never actually does anything. It’s all talk, without a real point.

The movie centers of Colin Diamond (Ray Winstone), who is distraught and depressed because his wife Liz (Joanne Whalley) has informed him she is living him for another man. His four friends get an idea – they will kidnap the other guy, and hold him at one of those abandoned warehouses that are always so handy for characters in the movie, while Colin decides what he wants to do with him. They never mention what exactly it is they do for a living, but you assume they are some sort of criminals. Who else has time to hold up in a warehouse for two days, or even comes up with the idea of kidnapping and perhaps murdering your wife’s new lover?

Joining Colin at the warehouse are his four friends. Archie (Tom Wilkinson) still lives at home with his mother, but seems more calmly rational than the others. Meredith (Ian McShane), is the refined gay man in their midst, but is also most likely a psychopath. Old Man Peanut (John Hurt) is a racist, sexist, homophobic old man, constantly spouting off about being a man. And Mal (Stephen Dillane) is slightly more refined, but also doesn’t quite seem part of the group. At first they talk amongst themselves, then they move into the other room and talk to “Loverboy” (Melvil Poupaud), who sits there looking scared, and not uttering a word. When Liz shows up, they talk changes a little.

It is clear from the start that only some of what we are seeing is actually happening – other things are all in Colin’s mind. How much is fact and how much is fantasy is debatable, although the movie does make it clear that somethings are most definitely fantasy. It has been suggested by others that none of the other four male characters actually exist – that they are all apart of Colin’s mind, representing different parts of his personality. I am not convinced of that however, as they do seem to have lives outside of what they are doing there. I think it is more likely that these characters really do exist, whether or not they, or Loverboy for that matter, are actually at that warehouse with Colin.

All of the performances are wonderful. I have always like Winstone as an actor, and here he does a great job with the depressed Colin, particularly as the movie goes along, and he goes on his many monologues. I also enjoyed McShane going against type as Meredith. I feel safe in saying that after his stint on Deadwood, McShane has said the word cunt more times than any actor in history, but he is the one guy here who isn’t constantly swearing. He is comfortable being gay, and having everyone know it, and never lets himself get worked up. He is supremely calm throughout. John Hurt is a riot as Old Man Peanut, and the rest of the cast fills in nicely behind them.

At the end of the movie however, I was left with somewhat of a hollow feeling. I had spent the last 90 minutes watching actors at the top of their game, but felt the whole effort was wasted, because the filmmakers never really decide what it is that they are actually saying in the movie, or giving us a real reason to watch it. So yes, the film is well acted. And the dialogue is terrific. And the direction is quite good. But 44 Inch Chest never really adds up to anything.

50 Most Anticipated Films of 2010: Part III

30. Cemetery Junction
Directed By: Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant.
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Hughes, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson.
Why? I am a huge fan of Ricky Gervais, and the fact that he has teamed up to directed this film with his co-creator of The Office and Extras, has me giddy. His first film behind the camera, The Invention of Lying, was quite an underrated little comic gem last year. Gervais will have a supporting role, giving the leads to some unknown youngsters. I’m sure it will still be hilarious.

29. Fair Game
Directed By: Doug Liman.
Starring: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Noah Emmerich, David Andrews.
Why? Based on the Valerie Plame scandal, where a CIA agent’s covert status was compromised after her husband wrote several op-ed pieces criticizing the Bush administration and the issue of Weapons of Mass Destruction. This may feel like yesterday’s news by the time it hits theaters, and director Doug Liman is hit or miss – but with Watts and Penn in the lead roles, it is a must see.

28. The Runaways
Directed By: Floria Sigismondi.
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon, Scout Taylor Compton.
Why? Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett? Dakota Fanning and Halloween’s Scout Taylor Compton as her band mates? Michael Shannon as their producer? Full on 1970s punk rock outfits from everyone. Damn right, I’m looking forward to this one.

27. The Expendables
Directed By: Sylvester Stallone.
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, Eric Roberts.
Why? No, I don’t really expect the new film by Sylvester Stallone to be an Oscar worthy film or anything like that. But his last film behind the camera, Rambo, was a surprisingly good film and the bloody, strong violence was more than I had anticipated, and made the film a little more serious than any of the previous Rambo films. And, how can you not want to see this one with Stallone, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham and Eric Roberts? Not to mention Dolph Lundgren, and cameos by Bruce Willis and the Governor of California?

26. The Fighter
Directed By: David O. Russell.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams.
Why? David O. Russell has hit some hard times – what with his temper tantrum on the set of I Heart Huckabees hitting the internet and become a sensation, and the fact that his film Nailed may never see the light of day due to funding difficulties. But no matter how big of an ass Russell is, he is also talented filmmakers – as the aforementioned Huckabees and Three Kings proves. So this boxing movie, with a solid cast (how can you not like Wahlberg, Bale and Adams), should hopefully get him back on track.

25. Splice
Directed By: Vincenzo Natali.
Starring: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley.
Why? Director Natali is still probably best known for his low budget, sci-fi wonder Cube from years ago. This time, he has Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley in an incredibly strange looking film about a couple who try and splice together some human DNA with animal DNA for medical benefits, and the result is the very strange, and terrifying little creature, you see in the picture. Natali is usually more for intelligent sci-fi, then big budget special effects, so I hope the same is true for this one.

24. Kick Ass
Directed By: Matthew Vaughn.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, Aaron Johnson, Chloe Mortez, Christopher Minz Plasse.
Why? The trailer for this comedy about teenagers with no powers who decide to become superheros is hilarious. The cast is quite good, and Matthew Vaughn is a fine director – just go back and watch Layer Cake where, Vaughn, who was Guy Ritchie’s producer, made a British crime film better than anything Ritchie ever made. There have been a lot of superhero movies in the past few years, so an intelligent comedy about them is overdue.

23. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Directed By: Edgar Wright.
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman.
Why? Admittedly, Michael Cera has not had a role as great as the two in his breakout year – Superbad and Juno. But the man still makes me laugh. Add in the gorgeous Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who has talent to match her looks), and Jason Schwartzman and I’m laughing already. Directed by Edgar Wright, of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fame, and produced by Jason Reitman and based on the brilliant, hilarious graphic novel series, this is one comedy I cannot wait to see.

22. The American
Directed By: Anton Corbijn.
Starring: George Clooney, Violante Placido, Thekla Reuten, Paolo Bonacelli.
Why? George Clooney has become one of, if not the most, consistent actor in American movies – delivering intelligent performances that are at the heart of intelligent movies. Based on the acclaimed novel A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth, this is a major step up for director Corbijn, whose previous film Control was a wonderful black and white study of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis. We are in short supply of genuinely good adult thrillers, so I hope this one delivers.

21. Toy Story 3
Directed By: Lee Unkrich.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen.
Why? Considering Pixar’s last three films have all made my top ten list at year end, and I do think that Pixar has been the most consistent creative force in American movies for the last 15 years, I have to put this film high on the list. However, I am slightly disappointed that Pixar, who only makes one film a year, is returning to this story rather than something new and different – which has been their forte for years now. Nevertheless, both previous Toy Story’s were brilliant, so I have faith this one will be as well. (in case you're wondering why I choose this post, Hammy has always been my favorite).

Movie Review: Frozen

Frozen ***
Directed By: Adam Green.
Written By: Adam Green.
Starring: Emma Bell (Parker O'Neil), Shawn Ashmore (Joe Lynch), Kevin Zegers (Dan Walker).

Frozen is proof that sometimes low budget horror movies can be much more terrifying than their big budget counterparts. When you have no money, you have to be original in how you make your movie. Frozen is a movie that takes a real life situation and makes it terrifying - not because of any monsters, ghosts or murderers, but because of the weather conditions they face. This is an intense movie almost from beginning to end.

The movie is about a ski weekend for three friends. Lynch (Shawn Ashmore) and Dan (Kevin Zegers) have been friends since the first grade. Now in college they are still best friends, but there is some tension between them because Dan is spending more and more time with his girlfriend Parker (Emma Bell). She has even horned in on this ski weekend, which is a tradition shared normally just between the two best friends. But they are having fun anyway, but when the ski hill has to close a little early, they are disappointed. They talk the chair lift operator into letting them go up one last time, even though he is supposed to be closed. Then he gets called away, and because of miscommunication, they guy who comes in thinks the lift is deserted, and shuts it down. The three friends at first think its just a mistake, or a power outage, because as the minutes turn into an hour, an hour into two and they see no one, they know they are stuck high above the ground, with no hope of getting down. If it was just a case of waiting until morning, they may have been okay. But it is Sunday night, and the hill isn’t open again until the following Friday. If they have to survive a week up there, they are not going to make it.

We know what is going to happen. Sooner or later, one of the three of them are going to jump. It is a long way down and the ground is hard. We know the drop is going to come though, and we know when it does it will up the ante a little bit more. It really is at the moment when one of the characters decides to jump – and I will not reveal which one it is – that the movie really takes off into high gear. The characters, and us in the audience, can no longer pretend that this is just a silly mistake that will corrected, but really a matter of life and death.

Written and directed by Adam Green, Frozen is a wonderfully intense horror movie because it is something we can relate to. I have never been downhill skiing – and after watching this movie, I doubt I ever will – but taking the chair lift is such a mundane experience, and one we all assume is fail safe. That is precisely what makes the movie work as well as it does.

Green does an excellent job establishing the three characters and their relationship to each other in the early stages of the film, so when they get stranded up there, we truly do care what happens to them. This is a movie without any special effects, but is has its share of gross out moments – mostly accomplished using make-up, and creative shot selections, so we think we see more than we actually do. Frozen is a perfect example of how to make a movie for almost no money, and still make it scary. It reminded me of the underrated hit, Open Water, a few years back where a couple was left in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by sharks. That was another movie where no special effects were used, and yet it was terrifying, as the mounting doom just grew. Watching the movie the same weekend as the recent The Wolf Man, which had a huge budget, and showed us everything, Frozen is a study in contrasts. In this case, the low budget movie wins by a mile.

Movie Review: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief ***
Directed By: Chris Columbus.
Written By: Craig Titley based on the novel by Rick Riordan.
Starring: Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Brandon T. Jackson (Grover), Alexandra Daddario (Annabeth), Jake Abel (Luke), Sean Bean (Zeus), Pierce Brosnan (Mr. Brunner / Chiron), Steve Coogan (Hades), Rosario Dawson (Persephone), Melina Kanakaredes (Athena), Catherine Keener (Sally Jackson), Kevin McKidd (Poseidon), Joe Pantoliano (Gabe Ugliano), Uma Thurman (Medusa), Julian Richings (Ferryman).

Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) thinks that he is just a regular kid. He struggles in school because of his dyslexia, and his home life isn’t great because although he loves his mother Sally (Catherine Keener), he despises his stepfather Gabe (Joe Pantoliano), who is mean to both him and his mother. But then something strange happens on a fieldtrip - his substitute teacher turns into some sort of demon and attacks him. He is rescued by his best friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) and his principal Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan), both of whom are handicapped. It is only after this encounter that they decide to let Percy in on a secret - he is really the son of Poseidon, God the Sea, and the entire community of gods believes that Percy has stolen Zeus’ thunderbolt, which could cause a war the likes of which they have not seen in generations.

Percy is taken to Camp Half Blood for his own protection. Everyone wants to get their hands on him because of the lightning bolt they think he has. He is the most powerful kid at the camp, even though he has never gone through any training, because he is the son of one the “Big Three” - Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, which is exceedingly rare. He is told to stay in the camp where he can be protected, while everyone else works out the conflict. But when Percy finds out that his mother has been kidnapped by Hades, he goes on a journey to try and get her back. Joining him are Grover, who is really his half man half goat protector, and Annabeth (Alexandra Daddarrio), the daughter of Athena, who is sick of practicing, and also may have her eyes on Poseidon. First, they have to find three blue pearls which will allow them to leave Hades once they get in, and then find the entrance to Hades itself. They are aided by a magical map.

Percy Jackson is directed by Chris Columbus, who also directed the first two Harry Potter movies, and is hoping to start another franchise based on Rick Riordan’s best selling kid’s book series. He just may have something here. No, the movie doesn’t have the magic of the Harry Potter movies, and I assume the books (which I have not read), do not have the magic of JK Rowling’s books (few do). But, this opening chapter is fun and exciting. The special effects are good, and the origin story of the Greek Gods is handled with intelligence and respect for the original legends. Percy is a lovable lead character, and Lerman is fine in the role - playing a character it is easy to relate to. I also loved Daddarrio as Annabeth, who has gorgeous blue eyes, and real screen presence in the film. Jackson makes an amusing sidekick as well. Although the film is full of movie stars playing the Gods, it is these three kids who really carry the movie on their shoulder, and they do a great job.

That’s not to say the adult actors are bad. I loved Uma Thurman’s brief, but memorable, turn as Medusa. Rosario Dawson makes a sexy, alluring Persephone, and Steve Coogan is hilarious as Hades. The rest are not quite as good - Sean Bean has to be a little too serious as Zeus, and Kevin McKidd never really sold me on the fact that he was Poseidon. We think that Pierce Brosnan is going to have a bigger role, but after some important scenes early, he fades from view, but he’s fine when he’s there.

Columbus is not the most imaginative director in the world. The best movies of the Harry Potter series have all been after he gave up the reins after the first two films. Like those movies, Columbus is better at storytelling than he is at the visuals. That’s not to the say that the movie is not well made, just that it isn’t quite as original in how it presents its story. He gets the movie from one scene to the next quickly, but if this series is going to continue, it should think of getting a director who is a little more cinematic.

Series like this often die after their first movie, because the origin story, which is usually the least interesting, gets in the way of everything else. Percy Jackson dodged that bullet, because this time the origin story is quite enjoyable. I hope they get to make a sequel to this movie - I have the feeling it could be something truly special.