Selig Film News

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS – A Review by Gary Murray

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September 23, 2010

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WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS

By Gary Murray

Starring Michael Douglas, Shia LeBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan. Eli Walsh, Susan Sarandon and Frank Langella

Written by Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff, Bryan Burrough

Directed by Oliver Stone

Running time 133 min

MPAA Rating PG-13

Selig Film Rating Cable

Oliver Stone is a maverick director, taking on subjects with little fear of the public or the critics. Some of his earlier films have been brilliant but in the last few years he seems to have lost his edge. Lately he’s been more know for the communist company he keeps than for the actions behind the camera. So when things are not working with the new path, the basic idea is to go back and dance with the one that brought you. So we get the sequel to the 1987 film Wall Street with Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

The film starts 23 years after the last episode, on the cusp of the 2008 financial crisis. Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) is recently out of prison and pushing his new financial book predicting that bad things are just around the corner. He preaches that the mother of all evils is speculation. Seeing Gekko on CNBC is Jake Moore (Shia LeBeouf) and his live-in girlfriend Winnie Gekko (Carey Mulligan). She is an activist who wants nothing more to do with her father and he is a stock market player with a dream to harness power from sea water. The scientist in charge of his pet project needs another 100 million to make it happen.

Jake works at KZI Investments for Louis Zabel (Frank Langella), an old war horse still plugging away at making money. Louis is much more like a father than a boss to Jake and the two share many strong emotional bonds. When the street gets a whiff of problems with the company, it triggers a sell-off which wrecks the reputation of Zabel’s firm. We learn that Wall Street runs on rumor and innuendo and that getting old is for sissies. Young maverick Bretton James (Josh Brolin) offers to take over KZI investment company at a huge loss. This drives Louis to take his own life by jumping in front of a subway train.

Jake believes that he knows who is responsible and decides to take a tact of deceit just to get even. The scheme causes Bretton to lose millions but it also gets his attention. Impressed, Bretton offers Jake a job. While this is going on, Jake decides to contact Gordon to ask him for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Gordon wants to see his daughter again and they work out a plan to mend fences. It all backfires but Jake and Gordon do bond. Soon Jake want Gordon to help him take down the people behind the all the Zabel rumors. The problem is that being indebted to Gordon Gekko may be the downfall of Jake Moore. How each side plays against the other to gain leverage is the basic premise behind Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

The film just twists and turns, trying to be complicated and comes out more confusing. The plethora of writers weave a tale of greed and money where the acquisition of cash is a numbers came, a way to keep score and not a means to satisfaction. It isn’t if one has enough, it is if one has more money that the other players. These are people who make money off other others, not making a better product. In the hands of Oliver Stone, it becomes more of an enlighten to what is more important.

Stone knows how to craft sequences to a dramatic whole, but like he did in JKF he just throws everything toward the screen, trying to make connections between the paint splatters. At times he makes some compelling film images and other times he is lost in his own excess. The grand plot points are not enough to save all the maestro touches. He has one of the best casts in years and makes the exercise dull

Shia LeBeouf is showing signs of becoming a character actor in the Brad or Leo vein. He gives a solid reading with some truth pathos, something seldom seen in his other roles. He is no movie star playing at acting, but a dramatic actors serving up his craft with subtle aplomb.

Of the entire cast, Carey Mulligan gives the freshest performance. She channels the spirit of a young Shirley MacLaine, with her sly smile and wicked pixie flair. She gives heart to a small role, giving a strong reading with a solid emotional focus. Her will makes this the kind of role that makes people sit up and notice.

Both Eli Wallace and Susan Sarandon have blink and you miss it roles, parts that do no justice to the actors who have taken them. They could have been played by bit actors and not seasoned thespians. Sarandon is especially wasted as Jake’s mom, a woman lost in the idea of making money over doing something meaningful with her life.

With everything that has happened in his personal life, this should be another Oscar nomination for Michael Douglas. His two roles this year showed both depth and range, giving basically unsympathetic characters with anti-hero tendencies a heart and soul. He knows how to give life to vain characters, putting flesh and bone on stock characters. This is a performance that just draws one in.

I’m not going to be surprised if one sees Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps on some best of the year lists. I don’t see this film on the level of some of Stone’s earlier works but it does hold together due to the Oscar winning acting bullets in his six-shooter of a cast. The sum of the parts doesn’t equal a whole cinema experience but it is better than most everything shown in 2010.

The Town – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray

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September 16, 2010

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THE TOWN

By Gary Murray

Starring Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, John Hamm and Rebecca Hall

Written by Peter Craig, Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard

Directed by Ben Affleck

Running time 2 hrs 5 min

MPAA Rating R

Selig Film Rating FULL PRICE

Over the last few years Ben Affleck has become a bit of a punch line in Hollywood. After he and Matt Damon won the Oscar for Best Screenplay in Good Will Hunting, it seemed that Ben’s career was in a bit of a tailspin. He was known more for the women he dated than his acting prow ness. All one has to do is look back at Gigli to see how much of a laughingstock he became. Slowly, his star began to get a little bit of shine. His turn as Christopher Reeves in Hollywoodland was lauded by the critics and his directing took notice in Gone Baby Gone. The latest film that puts his persona on the respect track is the new gritty crime drama The Town.

Set in Charlestown, just across the river from Boston, we are instantly told that the area is the bank robbing capital. The seedy locals are just as suspicious of the cops as they are of outsiders. The guys of the neighborhood are all tight with each other and tight lipped. Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) is a member of the crew, holding up a bank. The robbers have a tight operation, using split second second timing and leave little evidence. They don’t want to hurt anybody, they just want the money.

During their latest robbery, Jem (Jeremy Renner) takes a hostage Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall) the bank manager. After the robbery, they let her go with a threat. She does get a look at Jem’s neck tattoo of the Fighting Irish.

Jem wants Doug to check on Claire, just to make sure she’s not going to be a witness. Doug follows her and makes contact, asking her out. The two start up a relationship. Jem want Doug to do another robbery, something that Doug thinks is too much, too soon. The FBI (John Hamm as the lead agent) are hot on their trail, taking pictures and trying to intimidate different individuals. As Doug falls more for Claire, the more he is pulled into things that he does not think are of the best interest of the gang. Jem, who is like a brother to Doug, senses that thinks are falling apart and he must do something to keep everything together. The good guys and the bad guys are on a convergence that will take place in a very high profile robbery target.

Ben Affleck is perfect as Doug. He shows signs of vulnerability while still keeping his macho exterior. As he reveals his life to Claire, he aches with childhood heartbreak. In moment after moment, he finds the acting details that bring a solid third dimension to the character. This is the strongest performance of his career, something to be remembered at the end of the year.

Jeremy Renner walks a tightrope with Jem. He is the firecracker with the one-second fuse, the slightest spark will set off an explosion. There is this loyalty between him and Doug that is both deep and strong. Jeremy is the kind of an actor who can do a role like this in his sleep, but he makes it all seem new and fresh. He shows that all the praise he generated from The Hurt Locker is deserved.

Rebecca Hall just draws the audience in. She is the outsider who longs for something to fill an unspoken void in her life. With every glance, she seems to signal that the pains in her life are real and unknown to the outside world. She used this same kind of sadness in her turn in The Prestige, a great little film of obsession and magic from a few seasons back.

As a director, Ben Affleck has matured. He handles multiple plot lines and difficult emotions with ease and grace. He goes from action packed chase scenes to little moments of tenderness without losing his pace. With a good deal of time and luck, he could become an actor/director of the Clint Eastwood mode. Only time will tell.

The Town is a rarity, a strong action film with interesting, thought-out characters. The film is much more of a crime drama than a shoot’em up flick, more a modern day Butch and Sundance than Bonnie and Clyde. It delivers for both the thrill seekers and those who look for something with a little emotional bite. The Town is the first film to seek out and garner critical praise. It has a very good chance to be remembered come Oscar time.

The Virginity Hit – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray

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September 16, 2010

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THE VIRGINITY HIT By Gary Murray Starring Matt Bennett and Zack Pearlman Written and directed by Andrew Gurland & Huck Botko MPAA Rating R Running time 105 min Selig Film Rating Forget it!

Even though drama gets all the respect, most people know that it is much harder to make a comedy. While there are easy ways to draw out the emotions of moroseness, it is more difficult to get a solid laugh. Humor is subjective and what makes someone laugh makes others wince. Such is the case with The Virginity Hit. The story is shot with that bouncing camera, faux documentary feel. Four high school buddies in The Big Easy buy a very special bong. They instantly decide that they will only toke on it when each loses their virginity. Three of them pass the test to manhood with ease, hitting on the sacred pipe within a few months of each other. The final guy is Matt (Matt Bennett) a nebbish guy with a ‘too hot for him’ girlfriend. The two are very much in love and have finally decided to give their virginity to each other. Matt makes all these plans and his best buddy Zack (Zack Pearlman) decides to film the entire proceedings. Zack dreams of becoming a film-maker, posting all of his life on U-Tube. As the big day approaches, Matt finds out that his beloved is not as pure as once thought. He is crushed but is talked into going through the proceedings by Zack. The plan is to film everything with all their buddies and cameras in very close proximity. The only person who doesn’t know the actual deed it to be filmed is the gal pal. The falling out of everything that happens to Matt gets on the Internet, which depresses him even more. People from around the world comment on his failure. But an older woman contacts him and says that she will relieve him of the scarlet V. He just has to jump through a bunch of hoops before he gets to jump in the sack. The film follows Matt as he goes deeper and deeper down the path of desperation just to get his groove on. This involves humilitation, porn stars and bowel movements. The more the comedy unfurls, the more one realizes that Matt has a horrible life, never good for a comedy. As his back story is revealed, we find that Matt is orphaned. His mother died of cancer and his father is a drug addict who abandoned him. He lives at Zack’s house but never really feels a part of the family. His nest egg of college savings becomes another downtrodden plot point. This is a sad existence where pain and tragedy do not build a solid foundation for a rachous comedy Zack Pearlman seems to be channelling Jonah Hill, giving a reading that is more of a copycat than a different character. He’s such a blowhard, an unsympathic person, one has to wonder why anyone would be his friend. He has no humanity, callow to a degree one only sees in villians. Instead of helping Matt who is almost like a brother, he basically destroys the young man, just for internet fame. Zack is the worst kind of friend one could ever have. The depiction of women in the film is appalling. They are all whores or on the road to becoming one. None of them have any personalities, just fun meat for the boys to gnaw on. Women are degraded, shown more as recepticals than people. Since most of the kids in the film are supposed to be kids, the entire exercise dances around the precepts of child pornography and pedophilia. There is not a redeaming feature in any of the male characters. All they do is get drunk and get high, oblivious to the consequences of their actions. Even in the films they are trying to hark back to, the B-grade raunch fest comedies from the 1980’s (Screwballs, Porky’s, The Last American Virgin and Joy Stick), there were elements of humanity in those scripts. The world of The Virginity Hit has no morals much less a moral compass. The college kids will find this hilarious, but it is a weak entree in the new birth of the raunchy teen sex comedy that filled the drive-in decades ago. The film is produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, two guys who are very successful and who should know better about the products they attach themselves to. If one wants to see this kind of flick, there are much better films than The Virginity Hit.

Easy A – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray

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September 16, 2010

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EASY A

Starring Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Hayden Church, Stanley Tucci, Malcolm McDowell, and Lisa Kudrow

Written by Bert V. Royal

Directed by Will Glick

MPAA Rating PG-13

Running time 93 min

Selig Film Rating: FULL PRICE

One of the things I loved the best from Zombieland was Emma Stone. Her hard kicking character just ruled every moment of the film and made it a joy to watch. She’s been in a number of films in the past few years and finally gets a strong starring turn with Easy A, one of the most delightful Fall flicks about lying you will see.

The film starts in medius rea in the little town of Ojai CA, with Olive (Emma Stone) telling her tale of woe on the Internet. She is one of the regular kids going to high school, just another student. Like all chicks, she has a best buddy Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka) and a crush Todd (Penn Badgley). She also has a tormentor, religious zealot Marianne (Amanda Bynes) Even though they have been going to the same schools for years. Marinanne really doesn’t know Olive.

In school Olive is studying The Scarlet Letter, the foreshadowing event. One of her gay friends is tired of getting beat-up by the jocks so he hatches a plan. He asks Olive to act like they are having sex at a party, just to give him some macho cred. She very reluctantly goes along with it, yet changes her life.

The phony tryst gets all around school via social networking that Olive is a wild woman. Thus, starts her downfall. Other geeky guys decide to take advantage of Olive’s rumor mill and soon she is a marked woman. Now that Olive has the interest of the entire school, she revels in gleaning bad behavior to the point of wearing a scarlet A on her breast. The rest of the film is how one little lie combined with a media obsessed culture can generate a mountain slide of deceit.

Olive’s parents are played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson. They are both the grown-up California hippies, just grooving along with few cares in this world. Each gets a few moments here and there to nail some seriously comic lines. Patricia Clarkson does such a strong job as Mom, dispensing advice while still being the cool chick, oozing charm with every beat.

Amanda Bynes has stated that she is retiring from acting. That would be a shame. She has such great comic timing and has proven it in film after film. There is this sunny disposition she brings to any character she plays. While this is one her smaller roles, it is a more thought out character and gives her a chance to be something more than the wacky girl next door.

There are two big wastes in the cast–Malcolm McDowell as the principal and Fred Armisen as the pastor. Neither is given much to do other than have patrons go “look who that is” moments. Both deserved better and larger parts. Penn Badgley plays the paramour but is given little to do other than be eye candy for Olive.

This film would never have worked without Emma Stone. As Olive, she is the unknown cool chick, the girl everyone wants to be around. She has a razor wit and a tommy gun mouth, shooting off killer one liners with the rhythm of a stand-up comic. As she spins her web of deceit on the World Wide Web, she never seems to grasp how detrimental this incident is going to be until it is too late to stop it. Finding out that lies thrive fast in the ether is a bitter lesson to learn.

There are so many references to classic 1980’s films like The Breakfast Club, Say Anything and Can’t Buy Me Love. Some of the references are overt and some subtle. It all adds up to a little game of ‘Who Can Catch the Reference?’ It is both cleaver and charming without being overstated. Writer Bert V. Royal knows his genre and does it justice, giving the kids something new while giving their parents a trip down nostalgia lane.

Since they are both coming out at the same time, there will be many cinematic compare and contrast debates between Easy A and The Virginity Hit. The debate is going to be a bit one sided. Where The Virginity Hit goes for the Id, Easy A goes toward the Super Ego. The Virginity Hit is crude, Easy A is cleaver. Smart and snappy comedies that pay homage to their past are few and far between, another reason to rush out and catch Easy A.

Flipped – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray

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September 13, 2010

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FLIPPED

By Gary Murray

Starring Madeline Carroll, Rebecca De Mornay, Anthony Edwards and John Mahoney

Written by Rob Reiner

Directed by Rob Reiner

Running time 90 min

MPAA Rating PG-13

Rob Reiner has made some of my favorite movies. This is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally and The Bucket List are just a few of his accomplishments as a director. He has captured the imagination with strong storytelling and technical expertise. His latest is Flipped.

The story of Flipped takes place within six years during the 1950’s. Bryce (Callan McAuliffe) is kid recently moved into the suburban neighborhood. Bryce soon meets the girl next door Juli (Madeline Carroll) who instantly falls for madly for him. He tries in vain to avoid her, but her young girl crush just takes a toll on him, embarrassing him with his new friends. Then the film turns to Juli and her explanations of the events. Yes, Juli does fall for our young Bryce, but things are not that cut and clear. We also meet the parents and the siblings of both sides of the street.

The film goes into junior high and Juli still feels for Bryce and Bryce still thinks that Juli is another girl. Slowly things begin to happen internally and Bryce begins to see Juli as something special. Juli, in the turning into a young woman, begins to see a bigger picture than what can be seen on the upper branches of her favorite tree. As she begins to understand the wider aspects of life around her, her attitude toward Bryce changes. So in lies the Flipped aspect of the movie. Along the way, we also find out why the adult characters are the way they are, full of shattered dreams and promises fulfilled. Nothing is as it seems on the surface and the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Except for a few details, the production nails every part of the 1950’s The sets, costumes and cars are all perfect. There is a solid feeling of place and time in Flipped, giving the right vibe for the actors to perform.

Young Madeline Carroll is note perfect as Juli, the young girl next door who begins to see life beyond her little neck of the woods. She has the soul of a artist and the heart of an activist, all just waiting to prove her worth to the world. She is the kind of character that becomes an element of change in the 1960’s. Her caring for a tree, a plot point, just tugs at the heart.

John Mahoney plays Bryce’s grandfather and delivers a strong sense of melancholy to the role. He sees all the potential in Juli and tries to open Bryce’s eyes to the jewel that waits just across the street. There is such a warmth to the reading, something that Mahoney has been giving his characters for years.

There are some weak performances in Flipped starting with Anthony Edwards. His portrayal of the dad just comes across as one dimensional. He has just a single beat of being the realist, the man who sees everything in static black and white. As he shapes Bryce in his own image, it becomes a waste of hope. Callan McAuliffe just gives a weak reading, never capturing the subtle aspects of the character

Once again Rob Reiner captures perfect elements in Flipped making the production as warm as grandma’s blanket on a winter’s night. He delivers such a loving touch to the pace of the movie, finding the soft moments and milking them for all they are worth. The film follows a pattern used in the film He Said, She Said but it does it in a much more effective manner.

Flipped is a fine little picture, full of heart and grace. It tells a universal tale but still keeps it fresh. While not legendary filmmaking, it is a nice comfortable diversion.

Lone Star Press Tour

Gary Murray

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September 13, 2010

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LONE STAR PRESS TOUR

By Gary Murray

The Studios in Las Colinas have been the home of many different movies, televisions shows and commercials. In the last few years, it has become the go-to place outside the Hollywood system. Both Prison Break and The Good Guys have been produced within the walls of the sound stages

Recently there was a introduction party for Lone Star one of Fox TV’s most talked about dramas which is currently being staged at Las Colinas The story is of a con-man who is finishing up a gas futures scam in Midland while starting an energy scam in Houston. He has taken on two different names, Bob and Robert. He has a girlfriend in Midland and a wife in Houston. There are problems with the deceptions because he doesn’t want to be a con-man but yearns for a normal life. His father (David Keith) keeps pushing him to keep going and make the big score. His other problem is that he is in love with both women who are marks of the con.

The pilot sets up the two worlds– the booming metropolis of Houston and the simple home town of Midland. He is a part of of both lives but there are mysterious clues that the entire con is much bigger than imagined. The family in Houston is lead by Oscar winner John Voight.

Eloise Mumford plays Lindsay, the Midland girlfriend and Mark Delkin plays Trammell, the Houston brother who suspects that something isn’t right with his new brother-in-law. Shooting Lone Star is the first time either has worked in Dallas. Eloise said that the hardest thing about getting used to Dallas is dealing with the traffic.

Mark noted that the pilot, shot here in March, had every weather imaginable with one scene taking place in the snow. The network gave the production the go-ahead and filming started shooting July 22nd.

Even though the leads are all from the coasts, local actors have been used in small parts. Both Eloise and Mark have been impressed by the talent of the actors and the talent of the production facilities offered in Dallas. Mark said of working in Texas, “I think that this is the place to be.”

Eloise said that she felt lucky to be around such Hollywood royalty as Jon Voight. “I can not say enough wonderful things about Jon, he’s one of the most humble men I have ever met in my life. We are all like one big family.” She said of Voight that he was incredibly generous and down to earth.

To get to the Studios, Eloise drove to through Texas. Stopping in Midland where her character is based she was in shock, calling Midland “an island in the middle of nowhere.”

Mark’s character has a sixteen year old son who is has put all his hopes and dreams on him “My ambitions for him are going to drive me to some bad and possibly tragic decisions about him,” he said. They were a bit mum about all the details of Lone Star not wanting to spoil any of the dramatic secrets. They get the scripts three days before shooting. Both admit that the series will have some major twists and turns.

Eloise is a recent Drama graduate of NYU and was another actress hitting the boards during pilot season in LA. She got the basic audition and worked up for the bottom. She said, “Lone Star was the first time I tested for a pilot.” She had done Broadway and theater, which included television guest spots “But,” she said, “it was my first big thing.”

“The hardest part (of doing Lone Star) is knowing how much everyone is counting on me. There are moments when you have to cry, actually cry, and there are thousands of dollars banking on the fact that you can act that moment. It is thrilling and exhilarating and really fun to get to but is nerve-racking,” she said.

Mark auditioned at the last minute and did the approach with a different tact, not making his character evil. Then he was testing in front of all the Fox Network brass–a series of hoops as he called it. “I got the thumbs up and was on a plane on the next day to Dallas.” Mark has also been seen on Justice and The X List and played in The Lion King on Broadway

Both are in love with the writing of Lone Star. Said Eloise, “There are details in the story of Lone Star that make it come alive. Little moments that get lost in television. The writers are trying to create something that is realistic and honest.”

Mark seemed amazed by Dallas. “It has all the amenities and all the diversity of a major city but with the Texas flavor.” The show is committed through December, thirteen episodes. “I’m an employed actor until Christmas,” said Mark with a laugh.

Lone Stars premieres on Fox TV Monday September 20th.

MACHETE – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray

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September 6, 2010

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MACHETE

By Gary Murray

I, along with a scad of other critics, loved the Grindhouse double feature of a few years ago. For those who didn’t catch it, these two films were presented as if they were some kind 1970s double bill with all the worn out mechanisms of breaks and tears that old flicks have by running through projectors time and time again. It was a loving homage to those little known but much beloved drive-in style films. In the presentation of Grindhouse, there were trailers for other films, more an an ‘in-joke’ for all the geeks. One of them has now been made into a feature length feature, Machete.

The story starts out a few years ago with Machete (Danny Trejo) a Mexican Federal agent who is going in to save a damsel in distress from a drug lord Torrez (Steven Seagal). A load of dead bodies and a few betrayals later, the king pin gets the upper hand and destroys Machete’s life.

With a flash forward of a few years, we are now in Austin and the world has changed. Machete is an undocumented day laborer who still packs a solid punch. The local owner of a taco stand Luz (Michelle Rodriguez) befriends Machete while a ICE agent Sartana (Jessica Alba) watches the illegals. Machete thinks that Luz also She, a famed activist for the illegals.

Machete is approached by nefarious individual to take part in an assassination. When Machete shows up for the gig, he finds out that Senator McLaughlin (Robert De Niro) is the target. McLaughlin has made a name for himself with the grandstanding statements of running all the illegals out of Texas. Soon all the tables are turned and Machete is blamed for the attempted assassination, something he decided not to do.

Machete must call in for help from a Padre (Cheech Marin), Sartana and Luz. Thrown into the mix is April (Lindsay Lohan) a debutante with an eye for being in-front of video cameras. Don Johnson plays a boarder agent who just enjoys killing illegals. The great Tom Savini is charged with the role of hit man who must take down Machete before he can foil all the plans made by all the bad guys.

The film has so many different threads that it almost loses its way as it un-spools across the silver screen. There are so many rotten apples with so many different agendas that it is almost too complicated for its own good. Robert Rodriguez and Alvaro Rodriguez have crafted so many crazed moments and crazy characters that any sense of logic is out the window. Many of the characters are playing caricatures, chewing scene after scene. Both De Niro and Don Johnson seem to be having a blast doing such broadly drawn individuals.

The biggest complaint of Machete is with the politics that drive the feature. It makes all of those who cross the border as noble beings just striving for a better life. The truth about illegal immigration isn’t as black and white as Robert Rodriguez and Alvaro Rodriguez make it in their screenplay. It has a very simplistic world view on an issue with many different aspects, none of them easily solved.

The other problem is with the violence. It is played in such graphic novel tones that death and dismemberment are punch lines. While the intended audience will eat these antics with a golden spoon, it may be just a bit too much for the average movie fan.

Danny Trejo just owns the role of Machete. He is super cool and totally butt-kicking. Though not a traditional action hero, he comes across as the peoples champion. He is all snarl and menace, dropping punch after punch with a deadpan glee.

Both Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba have been playing similar characters for a number of years. They have mastered all the nuances of the role but neither takes a chance here. This is a mans world and they are more there for showing flesh. Lindsay Lohan is more naked window dressing in the smallest of parts.

Directors Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis keep the action flying and the stunts rolling, much to the chagrin of their plot. In one scene, Machete uses intestines to escape from capture, all played for laughs. This is such a stylized exercise of mayhem that does appeal to the more basic instincts, checking one’s head at the door and wallowing in the destruction of flesh.

The Grindhouse audience will sop this one up, being repeat viewers. It may be a bit too much for those not familiar with this violent genre. Machete delivers just exactly the audience wants, gallons upon gallon of blood.

GOING THE DISTANCE – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray

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September 6, 2010

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GOING THE DISTANCE

By Gary Murray

Drew Barrymore has been on the big screen for almost her entire life. She’s gone from child star, to drug addicted teen to adult actress/director. In many ways, she is America’s Sweetheart, giving audiences winning and heartfelt performances. Her latest, Going the Distance, will charm some and irritate others.

The tale of Going the Distance is of Erin (Drew Barrymore) and Garrett (Justin Long). She is a grad student reporter working as an intern for a New York newspaper. Even though it is a dying industry, she believes in what she is doing. Garrett is a record label worker for a New York label. Even though it is a dying industry, he believes in what he is doing. As the story unfolds, Erin is trying to get a full time job at the paper and Garrett is trying to get over his last break-up. They both meet in a bar and have casual sex. Neither wants it to be just a one night stand so they spend the rest of the summer stuck at the hips, giving each other every moment.

At the airport where she is departing back to the West Coast, neither wants to give up on the other, so they start the dreaded ‘long distance relationship’. It is the bane of others in both of their circles. The rest of Going the Distance is of all the trips from coast to coast, with all of the complications. On the West coast is the struggle of Erin find a job in a bad job market. We also get to meet Erin’s sister Corinne (Christina Applegate), her husband and the tyke. On the East Coast are Garrett’s two buddies Dan (Charlie Day) and Box (Jason Sudeikis), two wild and crazy guys just looking to score with anything in a skirt. Of course, there are the local temptations that tug at the two leads. We get both ‘sexting’ and phone sex. The entire exercise goes to the basic romantic comedy conclusion.

The Hollywood rumor mill is saying that Drew Barrymore and Justin Long are a real life couple. No one really knows if that is true but here they are a perfect on-screen couple, playing off each other and giving each a wide berth to deliver the one-liners. Justin Long, with his hangdog, devil-may-care attitude is the poster boy for the post-college slacker, not wanting to turn the chapter on life. Drew has a character with a untold wounded side. She gives her Erin a bit of sadness that gives her a solid basis for her life choices.

Usually the secondary character of a romantic comedy are there for filler, little bits of beats just to give the two leads something to work off. Christina Applegate really finds something to work with in her character of the sister. She delivers comic reactions with such grace that she generates her fair share of laughter. Jason Suderkis from SNL fame also finds a moment here and there to steal a little bit of spotlight. There are other solid moments here and there with the other smaller characters. It was smart of writer Geoff LaTulippe to fill out these roles with solid supporting work.

The story of Going the Distance is a chick flick romantic comedy with harsh frat boy overtones. For every sweet and kind moment, there is a rough-house one. There are a flurry of F-bombs throughout the script, loads of potty humor and bits of male nudity. At times it wants to be When Harry Met Sally and at other times it wants to be Animal House. Some moments, it works as a sweet comedy, but other scenes feel just forced and too past the edge of tastefulness.

Going the Distance is very much a mixed bag of a film. I don’t think the true romantic comedy fans will be able to get past the language but the guys will probably enjoy the adult hi-jinks that pepper the scenes.

The American – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray

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September 6, 2010

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THE AMERICAN

By Gary Murray

George Clooney is one of the true movie stars left in Hollywood. He has the name recognition to open a film strong, no matter what the subject. In a world where special effects and planned tie-in are all a part of the matrix of moving making, he is one of the few standouts, somehow above all the fray of Tinsel Town. His latest is another push for Oscar gold and is entitled The American.

The film starts in Sweden with our American Jack (George Clooney) in a woodland cabin with a woman just after a tryst. Moments later as they make their way to town, the woman notices a single set of tracks, assuming it is a lone hunter. Jack hits the rocks as bullets begin to fly. He shoots the assassin and tells the woman to go and get the police. As she turns, Jack puts a bullet in her head. Then he takes out the driver in another barrage of lead.

The story turns to Italy as Jack tries to lay low, posing as a photographer. His contact sends him to the mountains of Abruzzo but our anti-hero throws out the cell phone and goes to a different town than planned. Almost instantly he befriends Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli) who seems to have some secrets in his past. As the men bond, Jack is contracted to building a weapon from a mystery woman Mathilde (Thekla Reuten) She wants a weapon that fires like a machine gun with the power of a rifle. In his down time, Jack visits a brothel and befriends a stunning prostitute Clara (Violante Placido). As he becomes closer to this woman, he begins to question every aspect of his life. How all these elements pull together to an inevitable conclusion drives The American.

This is another strong performance by George Clooney. He is best at playing conflicted men, people who are at a crossroads. Here we get a load of the same mannerisms but they still convey the right emotions. The American doesn’t break any new ground for George but it does solidify his leading man credentials.

Violante Placido gives a great reading as the hooker with a heart of gold. In what has become a cliche, she shows some real acting prowess. The audience believes that she is the one who can save his soul, something that he can not do himself. This simple role should put the woman on agents radar.

The production values of The American are solid through and through. We are treated to the backdrop of rural Italy in a way seldom seen on the Silver Screen. The winding streets, with cobble stones and close white walls, give a strong sense of place to the actions. It almost becomes a travelogue for visiting the country.

There are some major problems with The American, all falling on director Anton Corbijn. He never finds a true pace with the production. It goes from meticulous to boring, never filling the screen with any sense of urgency. The action sequences are not delivered with any action. Between the beginning and the ending, very little happens and Anton Corbijn doesn’t give us enough inner workings of Clooney to give the audience any reason to truly care for him.

The American is one of those early Oscar buzz flicks, the kind that are always put out early in the fall to generate buzz for the long shots. This is a long shot for Oscar glory, a little film with a great cast and not much more.

HISTORIC TEXAS THEATRE GOES HIGH TECH!

Film News

John Strange

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September 1, 2010

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NEWS RELEASE

HISTORIC TEXAS THEATRE GOES HIGH TECH!

DALLAS, TX (August 31, 2010)—The Oak Cliff Foundation has officially handed the keys to the historic Texas Theatre over to Aviation Cinemas, Inc., a newly formed movie theatre company with the expressed goal of renovating the theatre by installing a 35mm changeover system, tweaking the existing digital projection system to meet I-Cinema compliance, and installing a new adjustable 40 foot screen. This will allow the theatre to screen movies of various exhibition formats, utilizing state of the art equipment. The large screen will be moveable to allow for other kinds of entertainment including plays and concerts. The old school style film changeover system will allow the Texas to screen repertory film prints that would not normally be allowed to be spliced together on a platter. Additional exhibition for small format films and filmmaking will be supported by the addition of 16mm and Super 8mm projection. Plans also include constructing a concession stand and a separate full-service bar in the main lobby and soundproofing the area between the theatre and the bar.

“Phase one is to get the theatre in good working condition in order to exhibit films in traditional and digital formats,” said Barak Epstein, President and CEO of Aviation Cinemas. “Long term goals to restore the theatre to its original condition still exist; but in order to realize those goals we’ve got to be on par with competing theaters. Attracting audiences is the only way this theatre will survive.”

Aviation Cinemas, named in honor of billionaire Howard Hughes, who financed The Texas Theatre in 1931, is the brainchild of award-winning independent filmmaker, Barak Epstein. Epstein has been scouting potential spaces in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for several years. Following the Oak Cliff Foundation’s involvement with the Texas Theatre led him to his first opportunity.

Award-winning Independent film producer, Adam Donaghey, is Vice-President and CMO. “Barak and I have been looking for the next project to team up on,” said Donaghey, who’s produced several films alongside Epstein, “and when the opportunity to be a part of a movie theatre with the kind of history the Texas has, I jumped all over it.”

Creative Director for The Oak Cliff Foundation, Jason Reimer, will stay on as a part of Aviation Cinemas, continuing to head up programming and book shows. “When Barak came to us with his ideas for the Texas Theatre, “ says Reimer, “I knew instantly he was the right fit. Coupled with Adam’s ability to scout the latest and greatest on the indie film market, will make for some quality programming.”

While the theatre has content booked through the rest of the year, beginning in October, including the Texas Blood Bath Film Festival in November, the grand opening of the new Texas Theatre is scheduled in January 2011. Following the grand opening, phase two will consist of remodeling the balcony by possibly turning it into two additional screens (ala the Inwood Theater in Dallas), remodeling additional areas for lounge space and installing a digital cinema 2K and 3D projector.

The Texas Theatre is currently booking independent films, concerts, theater programs, parties and events. Book your event by calling: 940-391-5899

Upcoming Shows

Following are a selection of confirmed shows

all dates subject to change

Thurs. Sept. 30 – encore showing of Return to Giant (w/ dir. Kirby Warnock)
Tues. Oct. 5 – Touch of Evil (dir. Orson Welles)
Tues. Oct. 12 – Harold and Maude (dir. Hal Ashby)
Tues. Oct. 19 – After Hours (dir. Martin Scorsese)
Tues. Oct. 26 – Bonnie and Clyde (dir. Arthur Penn)
Tues. Nov. 2 – Last Days of Disco (dir. Whit Stillman)
Tues. Nov. 9 – Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (dir. Sam Peckinpah)
Tues. Nov. 16 – Jesus’ Son (dir. Alison Maclean)

Nov. 13/14 – Blood Bath Horror Film Festival

Coming Soon:

Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields
Adventures of Power
Until the Light Takes Us
Life During Wartime

Featured Directors of the Month Series:

Akira Kurosawa
Jacques Tati
Alfred Hitchcock

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