Movie Review: Arthur

Russell Brand plays an eccentric billionaire in "Arthur" photo from collider.com

“Arthur” is the story of a rich playboy whose hard partying lifestyle is funded by his parent’s enormous fortune. However his sex and alcohol fueled life style is being forced to a close when his mother makes him choose between giving up the family fortune or entering into an arranged marriage with a woman who wants his name to gain access to the elite upper crust of society. Adding to his list of sudden life complications Arthur may have also found the love of his life.

Russell Brand plays the title character of “Arthur,” and we get to see some new sides of the rising star. Since his scene stealing role in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, Brand has become known for overcoming his addictions and a style of humor unafraid of pushing buttons, to see him in the role of hard partying playboy is certainly not stretching the imagination. What’s great is seeing Brand show he’s much more than a simple stand-up comic, Brand shows a subtlety in his performance that is fun to catch, even his body language becomes a vehicle for humor.

Brand’s isn’t the only performance that makes the movie great, the actors around him in “Arthur” were all well-chosen. Luis Guzman is a proven comedic talent and as the simplistic Bitterman, Arthur’s driver, he continues to deliver laughs, not even a small role stops him. However Helen Mirren, as Arthur’s Nanny, Hobson, that helps create some of the films warmth. Mirren’s character has taken care of Arthur his entire life and as the movie develops that we see beneath or cold English exterior lies a warm heart that cares deeply for the man she’s cared for his whole life.

The women of “Arthur” are all talented; Mirren is joined by Jennifer Garner the woman Arthur is supposed to marry and Greta Gerwig, the woman he falls for. Garner plays a business woman making calculated moves to advance herself to elite status through a marriage that benefits herself and gives Arthur’s family an heir capable of running their business, not much of the sweet Jennifer Garner we’re used to seeing here. Gerwig on the other hand is incredibly likeable, something about her is warm and familiar and she proves a great balance to the crazed life of Arthur.

All these performances started as the text by Peter Baynham. His script is well written, it’s not a riotous comedy, no one will be rolling in the aisles with laughter, but that doesn’t mean it’s not clever. The script also does a fine job of giving us some character development, too many comedies now-a-days have characters created as a simple vehicle to deliver a joke, fortunately “Arthur” actually provides some fleshed out characters.

This is director Jason Winer’s first non-television project, and he’s proven he’s ready to stick to the big screen. “Arthur” is a well-executed movie. He’s crafted a film that looks good and gotten a lot out of his performers, he’s made a film that’s tough not to like.

Looking at the cast and crew, as well as the film’s ad campaign, I did not expect “Arthur” to find its way almost into the vein of romantic comedy. I know that will turn some people away, but personally I enjoyed how much heart the movie proved to have. I can’t give you too many reasons not to see “Arthur” and I must say, I don’t mind remakes when Hollywood makes them this good.

Russell Brand and Helen Mirren in "Arthur" photo from collider.com

Movie Review: Your Highness

“Your Highness” is a different take on the fantasy genre from Danny McBride, photo from collider.com

“Your Highness” is a movie that teeters on the brink of the ridiculous, you’re either going to look at this movie as immature, with its crude/drug humor, and be disgusted by it, or you’ll sit there and laugh, because you know no one else took it seriously and neither should you. The movie stars Danny McBride and James Franco, and surrounds them with some talented actors like recent Oscar winner Natalie Portman, but just because there’s an Oscar winner and an Oscar nominee, don’t expect much to be award worthy in this film.

McBride stars as Thadeous, the lazy, vulgar, womanizing, “wizard’s weed” enjoying younger brother to Fabious, the classic hero prince played by James Franco. When the bride of Fabious is kidnapped by the evil wizard he must go to rescue her and, against his will, Thadeous must go as well. Following advice from the “Great Wize Wizard” the venture off to find a sword made from the horn of unicorns, kill the evil wizard, prevent an evil prophecy from being fulfilled, and save Fabious’s beloved.

“Your Highness” was co-written by McBride (he collaborated with Ben Best who’s worked with him before) and as Thadeous we see him play… well basically the roles we’ve seen him get famous playing. Not particularly smart, not particularly useful, but vulgar and opinionated regardless of what he actually knows. It’s basically the character he created in HBO’s “Eastbound and Down” but rather than a fallen baseball star, he’s the borderline pathetic second in line to the throne. If you’ve enjoyed the character before you’ll enjoy it again, but don’t expect much else out of McBride.

We also see the perplexing casting of Franco and Portman. Franco’s not as surprising; after all, he clearly enjoyed “Pineapple Express” as much as critics did, and here gets to work with the same director, David Gordon Green, and make another comedy. Portman on the other hand is a surprise, she’s risen to critical success in dramas, but maybe the chance to do comedy and action in this movie and the Xena-esque role she’s been cast in are what drew her to the project. It’s just too bad neither actor was fully utilized; neither of them really got a chance to shine in their role. Neither actor got the opportunity to shine in this new light like Franco had in “Pineapple Express,” and I think the movie is worse off for it.

Still from “Your Highness”

Franco and Portman aren’t the only talents whose abilities are not taken advantage of in the film. Toby Jones and Damian Lewis are names you may not know, but they are faces you should recognize. Both actors are given bit parts with little to do but be weird (Jones) or mean (Lewis). And Zooey Deschanel? As the film’s damsel in distress she’s there to be pretty, get kidnapped, and then be rescued with only a small bit of screen time and few lines to make use of her considerable abilities. Why bother casting real actors if you don’t use them?

There are areas where “Your Highness” perfectly hits the nail on the head. The film’s costumes, sets, and effects are all near perfect. The movie makers put lots of effort into making sure the film looked right as a sword and sorcery film, it looks as good as you would expect any fantasy film to look, and that’s part of what makes it fun. The best spoof movies put just as much effort into their look as the movies they make fun of, and “Your Highness” at the very least got that right.

Now I realize I just spent three paragraphs bashing this movie, but I did enjoy it. I sat back and laughed where I was supposed to and got a kick out of the action sequences. Could this movie have been better? Sure, Mel Brooks has proven that there is an art to making a good spoof, and although this film is no “Spaceballs” that doesn’t mean it should be dismissed. If you like Danny McBride and his style of humor, then “Your Highness” is a good film for you, if not, you can skip it.

Trailer: Melancholia (Video)

Do you know what to make of Melancholia? photo from melancholiathemovie.com

Lars von Trier is a writer/director that has generated some buzz for himself after making films like 2009’s “Antichrist” and his newest movie has the potential to be another buzz-worthy film. “Melancholia” has enough actors in it to get noticed on star power alone, Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, John Hurt, and the list goes on.

Now I’ve watched this trailer more than once and I’m not sure how I feel about it. It opens like a typical indie family drama film, then spirals into something… strange.

The film’s official press release describes its plot:

Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) are celebrating their marriage at a sumptuous party in the home of her sister (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and brother-in-law (Kiefer Sutherland). Meanwhile, the planet, Melancholia, is heading towards Earth… MELANCHOLIA is a psychological disaster movie from director Lars von Trier.

Here’s the trailer…

Now is it just me or does this whole “one planet hurtling towards earth on a path of destruction” plot line seem really out of the blue? And what on earth is going on with Dunst’s hands? Is she electric? Does she have super powers? Is this karma getting her back for “Spider-Man 3“?

Now I’m all for movies whose trailer don’t explain much, J.J. Abrams is proving adept at that, but aren’t they also supposed to suck us into the mystery? But nothing in this trailer actually grabs my attention and stokes my curiosity. If anything it just makes me wonder what von Trier and company want me to think this movie is about. Is it a thriller? a drama? Sci-fi film? or just some weirdness that I won’t be able to figure out.

I’m sure this movie will come out and there will be critics who will adore it, hell it could be a fantastic movie, but this trailer doesn’t pique my interest… and isn’t that what trailers are supposed to do?

Movie Review: Hanna

Hanna is an near perfect thriller from director Joe Wright, photo from collider.com

 

“Hanna” is a prime example of what action movies should strive to be. It is not about fire-fights and explosions, it’s not about choreography, director Joe Wright understands all those are just tools to be used, not depended on. With help of his actors, Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, and Cate Blanchett to name a few, Wright has created a fantastic thriller that unfolds brilliantly before our eyes.

What we learn from the film’s opening is that Hanna has been trained for a purpose by her father, she’s become an expert of hand to hand combat, fire-arms, languages, all the tools of a master spy, we know she’s been trained with the mantra of “adapt of die.” She’s being trained for not only her own protection but to take down those people who want her and her father. The two reveal their position to their hunters, and Hanna allows herself to be captured, this is how she’ll get close enough to kill Marissa, the CIA agent who desperately wants to bring Hanna and her father in.

It’s from this point that “Hanna” starts to take leaps and bounds, Hanna’s holding cell looks extraordinary and her escape from the place she’s being held is incredible. She must carry out the plan her father’s laid out, kill Marissa and find her way to Berlin to reunite with her father. After her escape we start to see the strangeness of Hanna’s life, she meets a girl her own age, and it’s clear she hasn’t had the socialization we take for granted, and as much as she knows, Hanna doesn’t know the secrets about her own past and we learn them as she does.

As the title character of “Hanna,” Ronan is brilliant. If Jason Bourne was a 16-year-old girl he’d be Hanna, she has all his fighting abilities while her origins remain a mystery to not only the audience but herself. Ronan plays her brilliantly, the range she shows in the role is incredible, Hanna is not only capable of being a ruthless killing machine, seemingly unstoppable in pursuit of her goal, but she is also the teenage girl that makes her first friend, gets her first kiss and is decidedly human. There’s a brilliant subtlety to Ronan’s performance.

As the villain in “Hanna” Blanchett gives an eerie performance, as the film develops we see Hanna’s humanity and Marissa’s lack of it. Everything from her cold ruthlessness to her creepy teeth cleaning makes it feel like there is something of a monster in Marissa. Her opposite, Hanna’s father Erik, proves a deadly opponent to Marissa and her operatives in his quest to protect his daughter. The relationship between these two characters is just one more interesting layer in the movie’s story.

“Hanna” is an expertly made film, Wright has become known for turning literature into film, including directing Keira Knightley in an Oscar nominated performance in “Pride & Prejudice,” but he proves equally skilled at the helm of an action film. Wright does a great job of having action for a reason, not just for the sake of action, there’s not fight that doesn’t make sense, no chase without purpose, no frame in this film is wasted. That can’t often be said for today’s action films.

This is a fantastic film. Wright’s resume may still be short but he’s proving adept at both picking projects and turning them into great movies. The actor’s give performances that fuel the film and Wright frames it just the right way to make it easy to get sucked into the story. All in all, “Hanna” gets the Kenneth J. Sheehan seal of approval, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Movie Review: Sucker Punch

Zack Snyder's new film Sucker Punch features great visuals and action, photo from flicksandbits.com

It’s interesting to see the differing opinions on Zack Snyder’s newest film Sucker Punch, it seems critics are either buying in its over-the-topness or, and this is apparently where a good many of them stand, think it’s a waste of a film. I think they’re looking at it through the wrong lens. What Sucker Punch gives us is exactly what it promises, amazing visuals, very fun action, and a story that can carry everything we see, much of which is carried out through heavy use of CGI and five attractive young women.

The story is this, after a young girl’s mother dies, leaving her with the families fortune, her abusive step-father kills her sister and has her institutionalized to bring the money his way. The creepy and greedy stepfather pays one of the facilities attendants to keep her quiet, meaning a lobotomy. There she escapes to a fantasy world and must hatch a plan to escape or meet her fate in just five days.

The plot is basic, simplistic even, but how it is carried out is what makes this a fun film to watch. The girl, must collect five things in order to escape, and rather than watch her and her companions run around a mental hospital trying to collect the simple items, we seem them do it on a battlefield of fantasy, against undead steam powered Germans, a dragon, and some slick looking robots. It’s not a thinking movie, it sits in the same vein as many action movies, it is all about the ride.

Emily Browning plays the films lead, Babydoll, and has the interesting task of setting up the film without a line in the first 20 minutes of the films, and she does it well. She gets some nice moments in the film, but no real chance to shine, acting wise anyways, she does show how well she can carry her own in action sequences. Although she should be considered the film’s lead, she is the lynchpin the story turns on after all, the movie goes for a more ensemble route, all five girls get their turn in front of the camera. However not all the girls are equally impressive (looking at you Vanessa Hudgens…).

Abbie Cornish stuck out among the other girls if only because she seemed the most believable executing the action role. As Sweet Pea, Cornish may not have had the best fight scenes, those go to Browning who certainly holds her own, but she is the only one to come off like Xena Warrior Princess… with guns. Cornish also has the advantage of having one of the more developed characters, Sweet Pea followed her sister Rocket to the institution, and has spent their time there protecting her sister. Cornish has the right air to be a female action star, I wouldn’t mind seeing her get another chance.

As much as Cornish stuck out among the girls, the films best actors were in its smaller roles. Scott Glenn has the apt title of “Wise Man” in the film, with his gravitas he plays it well. Glenn proves to be more, carrying off a performance that includes both pearls of wisdom and a nice comedic touch. As much as I liked Scott Glenn I was disappointed in the films use of Carla Gugino, she’s a more talented actress then the role she was given, and giving her a musical number during the credits (that’s right, a musical number) doesn’t make up for it

That being said, Zack Snyder set out to give us a visual feast, that should be obvious if only from the films five main girls, and he did it well. He has a great touch for creating images and his ability to show us action is incredible, something he’s been proving since he made 300 in 2006. It’s too bad his script doesn’t match his skills, critics will harp on the films lack of character building and Snyder doesn’t suck his audience in, but I have to disagree with them. This movie’s not going for Oscars people, it’s going for entertainment, and as far as this critic is concerned, it hit its mark beautifully.

Poster for Sucker Punch, from impawards.com

April Fools: Hollywood Enjoys Pranks Of It’s Own

Clooney is one of Hollywoods favorite pranksters, photo from chartmovieinfo.com

I just read “Has Social Media Ruined April Fools Day” and it reminded me of some of my favorite celebrity pranks. We hear about actors who appreciate playing a good trick on their friends and coworkers, George Clooney is a notorious prankster, and Christopher Walken may have one of the best tricks up his sleeve. Another of my favorites actually came off the set of Superbad.

Jonah Hill and Michael Cera owned up to their trick on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It involved an 80’s classic about the little robot that becomes lovable and intelligent, and their fellow cast mate, Christopher Mitz-Plasse, also known as McLovin. One day Mitz-Plasse walked up to Cera and Hill as they were discussing something, he asked what they were talking about, and as a joke, they told him about this documentary they had just seen. It was about “the year Steve Guttenberg took off from acting to build robots” and it was called Short Circuit.

Mitz-Plasse bought it, never even questioned it, and the other actors decided to see how long it would Mitz-Plasse to figure it out. He didn’t for almost a year, from the time they told him during filming to their appearance together on the tonight show, Mitz-Plasse never figured out the joke, then it was explained on air, good laughs for all. If nothing less I like this one because it gave me the idea to refer to movies as if they were documentaries about… say…. the year Christian Bale took off from acting to take up a life of fighting crime.

The Chrisopher Walken trick is one he breaks out on the set of most of his films. I first heard the story from Sean William Scott when he was on Late Night with Conan O’Brien doing press for The Rundown, he walked into Walken’s trailer one day and Walken was looking a little depressed, Scott asked what was wrong and Walken told him, “Well, today’s my birthday, and I’m alone and no one’s even said anything.” In disbelief the only response Scott had was, “Really?” And that’s when Walken revealed his trick, “No,” Walken explained, “but you watch, I’ll get a cake out of this.”

Sure enough, Walken kept up his act and at lunch time they had a birthday party for Walken. The acting vet apparently not only has done this often, but enjoys it, and who could blame him? The guy gets himself a party on the set of all his movies, it’s a brilliant ploy, and really everyone wins from this simple trick. Sure, for a while there’s some stress scrambling to get the sreen legend some cake and champagne, but then everyone can enjoy the party.

The last actor’s prank is another favorite, it involves George Clooney, a cat, and a worried roommate. But this time, I’ll let the man himself tell it – WARNING – There is some “offensive language” in this video

What are your favorite pranks? Either from the stars we all know or the stars in your own life, we’d love to hear them!