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Lone Star Press Tour

Gary Murray
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Lone Star Press Tour

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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MACHETE – A Review by Gary Murray
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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GOING THE DISTANCE – A Review by Gary Murray
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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The American – A Review by Gary Murray
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!

John Strange
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HISTORIC TEXAS THEATRE GOES HIGH TECH!
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

 

TAKERS – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray
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TAKERS – A Review by Gary Murray

TAKERS By Gary Murray Starring Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen and Matt Dillon Directed by John Luessenhop Written by Peter Allen & Avery Duff and Gabriel Cassues & John Luessenhop Running time 107 min MPAA Rating PG-13 Selig Film Rating Matinee

The heist film has been a part of the American cinema landscape from the beginning. The first real film, The Great Train Robbery, was essentially a heist flick. While the genre has twisted and turned in a thousand different directions over the years, the basic plot remains the same, A bunch of people decide to break the law and do that one big score. The latest flick to attempt this is Takers. The story of Takers concerns a group of bank robbers who are perfect in their execution. After a number of jobs over a number of years, the police are no closer to finding out who is behind the crimes. The police are represented by Jack Welles (Matt Dillon) a hard nose who has no problems with roughing up a few suspects to get his information. He wants these guys and he wants them served on a silver platter. Into the mix comes Ghost (Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris) a con from a botched job in 2004. On his release from the joint, he contacts his old gang. It seems that while he was inside, Ghost made contacts with the Russian Mafia and have secured their services in pulling of a major armored car heist. There in only one problem, the event has to take place in five days, barely enough time to make plans much less execute them. The guys are tempted by the payout, over 25 million dollars. As the men begin to plan out the heist, we start to learn about each individual member. The leader Gordon (Idris Elba) has a sister Naomi ( Marianne Jean-Baptiste) just out of rehab. Jake (Michael Ealy) has something special going on with Rachel (Zoe Saldana) who had something going on with Ghost. Jesse (Chris Brown) is the bragger all full of swagger and A.J. (Hayden Christensen) just wants to have fun. It is how all these elements tie together with the heist is what drives the action in Takers. Director John Luessenhop steals from everybody in making Takers. There are the slow-motion gun battles straight out of The Magnificent Seven. He uses Godfather style music and some Green Zone camera techniques to tell his tale. There is more flash than substance with the finished product, but as an entertainment it stays on a laser focus.. The film is more of a showcase for Chris Brown than any other actor of the piece. He has the giant chase scene in the middle of the flick, the big action set piece. The running and jumping goes on and on but never loses the intensity. This flick may help some to forget the negative press that Mr. Brown has generated over the last two years. The rest of the robbers never give us a solid reason to root for them, no feeling of revenging justice. They are all just hoods trying to beat the system. As much as I like Zoe Saldana, her performance here in badly written and phoned in. Matt Dillon is such a great actor that he can make the phone book sound interesting. His cop character has been used time and time again but he does seem to put some fresh spin on a stock role. The biggest find of Takers is Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris as Ghost. I don’t remember ever seeing him before this film, but he just stands out as the guy up the river who keeps all the wheels in motion. His big reveal in Takers is never telegraphed throughout the flick. He just keeps his cards too close to the vest. The entire exercise of Takers is a low rent cross between The Godfather and Butch and Sundance, all male bonding with guns and cash. While not the best flick of the summer, it is better than most and a nice little bit of action to end out the season.

THE LAST EXORCISM – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray
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THE LAST EXORCISM – A Review by Gary Murray

THE LAST EXORCISM By Gary Murray Starring Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Louis Herthum and Iris Bahr Directed by Daniel Stamm Written by Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland Running time 87 min MPAA Rating PG-13 Selig Film Rating Cable

There is this new style of film making that was made popular by The Blair Witch Project. The style consists of making a film feel like a documentary, with bouncing camera work and no tripod to keep the acting fixed. It has been used in Clover field, Paranormal Activity and to a lesser degree The Green Zone. I guess that the moving camera is to give the film an ‘in the moment’ beat. The latest to use the technique is the horror flick The Last Exorcism. The film is of the Reverend Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian). He is a former kid preacher from Southern Louisiana who has been passing down the world of God to congregations for a number of years. As he explains what he does, one gets the feeling that he is a man who has lost the faith, spewing words that he himself does not believe, more an entertainer than a man of God. His father is also a pastor and the elder man has focused his work with exorcism, removing demons from the bodies of victims. Dad has a very old tome that tells the identity all the cast out demons and how to defeat them. Cotton believes that there are no demons and that the entire exercise known as the rite of exorcism is much more curing a mental disorder than casting out demons from the unwilling. Cotton has decided to hang up the racket of exorcism but wants the film crew to document the last one, just to show how it is done. Cotton decides to answer the letter of Lewis Sweetzer (Louis Herthum) a widowed father who suspects his youngest child Nell (Ashley Bell) has been taken over by an evil spirit. As Cotton and the crew make their way to the farm, they come across Caleb (Caleb Landry Jones) a kid with a chip on his shoulder who warns the Reverend to stay away. We soon discover that Caleb is Nell’s brother. Cotton meets with the family and senses that something is amiss with the young girl. He performs the exorcism, using a prop cross and various little stage tricks. Caleb, in an aside, busts Cotton letting the Reverend know what a fraud the man is. That night, Nell shows up at Cotton’s hotel room, wild and screaming. Cotton has no idea how she knew where he was staying. This little discrepancy leads Cotton and the crew back to the Sweetzer farm and to a conclusion that Cotton doesn’t expect. I hate this style of film-making because it makes me nauseous. I’ve watched documentaries for years and they never have this style of amateurism. The bouncing camera doesn’t make the film feel frightening, just irritating. Maybe I’m getting to old to enjoy this style but all I get is motion sickness from a film like The Last Exorcism never actual frights. Director Daniel Stamm would have made a more effective film if he just would have let the camera sit still on a solid surface. As much as I hated the production of the film, I loved some of the performances. Ashley Bell as Nell Sweetzer is a perfect mix of innocence and ostracism needed for the role. She changes every aspect of her physicality on a dime, giving a performance that is both chilling and honest. Patrick Fabian does a fine job as Cotton Marcus, the lost soul who never realizes that he is lost until it is too late. He gives a realistic reading to his minister, a logical person thrown into an illogical situation. The rest of the Sweetzer clan comes from central casting Hell. We’ve seen these characters in about a billion movies. They bring nothing new to the show, no break-through characterization. Iris Reisen has a very underwritten role as our film-maker. She just reacts to each scene, never giving a solid acting job with the material. If you have seen Rosemary’s Baby, you’ve seen The Last Exorcism, following the latter almost beat for beat. Blend that little 1970’s gem with the other 1970’s scare fest The Exorcist and you have this film. I would say to wait and see the film on television rather than at a theater, the smaller screen and the ability to pause can save more than a few lunches that The Last Exorcism will bring-up. If you go to the theater to see this just don’t forget the Dramamine.

LOTTERY TICKET – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray
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LOTTERY TICKET – A Review by Gary Murray

LOTTERY TICKET by Gary Murray Starring Bow Wow, Ice Cube, Brandon T. Jackson, Loretta Devine and Naturi Naughton Written by Abdul Williams and Erik White Directed by Erik White MPAA Rating PG-13 Running time 105 Selig Film Rating Cable

Ethnic films have a definite built-in audience. Ever since the explosion of Black-exploitation films of a few decades ago, independent film-makers knew that with a black cast they could be assured a solid box office in certain geographic areas. But as these film professionals began to gain more clout, the films began to get better. The Friday series and all the Tyler Perry films have generated a huge following with all audiences. Trying to build on those gains is the newest urban comedy, Lottery Ticket. The film is of Kevin Carson (Bow Wow) a good kid in the projects. His entire existence is centered around shoes, both in the wearing and the design. He works at the local Foot Locker and dreams of going to design school. His still has his two best buddies Benny (Brandon T. Jackson) and Stacie (Naturi Naughton). Both are loyal to a fault and wanting to build a life away from their existence. Everybody in the projects is abuzz with lottery fever, a jackpot of 370 million. All the talk is what one would do with all that money and all the stuff that they would buy. Kevin wants no part of the discussion and feels that the lottery is just a tax on poor people. But as Kevin buys a ticket for his grandmother (Loretta Devine), he buys a ticket for himself using the number from Stacie’s fortune cookie. The next morning the projects are going crazy. It seems that the local convenience store has sold the single ticket, the big winner. Checking his ticket, Kevin finds that he has those winning numbers. He and Benny go down to the lottery office to claim the prize only to find out that the office is closed for the Fourth of July holiday. So, Kevin must keep the secret of winning the ticket until he can claim his prize in a few days. The little secret gets out very quickly and everyone in the area wants a piece of Kevin. The local hottie wants to date him, the local godfather Sweet Tee (Keith David) want to be connected with him and the local out of jail thug just wants the winnings. Everybody in the hood wants a piece of him, all the way down to the local minister. All of these elements build to a confrontation and the realization that Kevin can change the circumstances of everyone by not being selfish. Mike Epps as Reverend Taylor just steals his scene, giving a sermon of what God wants him to have, a giant church, a big house and a sexy young wife. Ice Cube plays Mr. Washington the local hermit who hasn’t been out of his apartment in years. He is almost the father figure for Kevin, showing him what a true man is. Ice Cube is becoming a fine character actor, stepping up the effort. Bow Wow is showing some promise as a young actor. He delivers his lines with a ‘gee whiz’ quality that is both effective and charming. He’s this pure of heart kid, not some ghetto thug rolling with his homebodies. There is just this sincerity in the performance that rings true. Both Brandon T. Jackson and Naturi Naughton show commitment in underwritten roles, making the most of weak material. Loretta Devine is just charming as Grandma, giving a solid punch to her comedy lines. Charlie Murphy as Semaj comes across very weak, the comic showing a lack of giving a funny performance. A film like Lottery Ticket is made just for the audience intended, not the critics or the Academy. It is an entertainment and it succeeds on that level. . Director Erik White mixes humor and the more serious elements in a patchwork that works more often than not. While not a great movie, it is an interesting diversion.

THE SWITCH – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray
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THE SWITCH – A Review by Gary Murray

THE SWITCH

By Gary Murray

Starring Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Wilson and Juliette Lewis

Written by Allen Loeb

Directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck

Running time 104 min

MPAA Rating PG-13

Selig Film Rating Cable

I am starting to think that the romantic comedy has run its genre course. It has had a decades long traverse, but all good things must come to an eventual end. In the last few years, the idea just seems old and tired. Films like Leap Year and Letters to Juliet have won over few new fans and done just fairly at the box office. The latest film to try and rescue the genre is The Switch..

The Switch starts out seven years ago in NYC with two mismatched friends, Kassie Larson (Jennifer Aniston) and Wally Mars (Jason Bateman). Both had put the other in the friends zone, but Wally still pans for Kassie. He a doom-and-gloom, ‘bleary-eyed little man-boy’ kind of guy with a good heart and she’s more of an opposite.

Since Kassie is getting ready to turn the big 4-0, she decides that with Mister Right not coming and her biological clock clanging, she must take matters into her own hands. Kassie decides to use artificial insemination to give her a child. Wally offers her his sperm, an offer she instantly refuses. She wants her baby batter to be from someone who is better looking, smarter and with a more positive view of life. The guy she chooses is a married Woman’s Studies professor Roland (Patrick Wilson). He’s doing it for the money.

The night of the insemination party, Wally gets really drunk. Half out of his mind, he goes to the bathroom and sees the Roland semen. While messing with the fluid, he spills it down the drain. In a panic, Wally substitutes his seed for the Roland variety. Soon after Kassie gets pregnant, she moves away. Wally has no memory of what he has done.

We now go to today and Kassie is moving back to NYC with her son Sebastian (Thomas Robinson). Wally has never been around the boy and on their first meeting he is struck by how much the two have in common. Kassie has also changes, seeing Wally more as a man than a friend. Sebastian has all the necrosis that Wally shows and even more quirks. It seems that Sebastian likes to collect picture frames but leaves all the original display photos inside. He lives on Web MD, thinking he has every disease listed.

Kassie contacts Roland and finds that he is very recently divorced. It becomes obvious that he’s looking for a new family and begins to pursue Kassie. At the same time Wally begins to piece together that night from seven years ago and comes to the realization of what he’s done. He also recognizes that he needs both Sebastian and Kassie in his life. The wanting and the eventual dissemination of information to interested parties drives The Switch to its inevitable conclusion

The kid Thomas Robinson just steals your heart in every bit of film he’s in. With his wide eyes and shy smile, he’s a heart-breaker in the making. He delivers his lines with such puppy dog sadness one just wants to take him in your arms and hug away all the hurt.

The most solid performance comes from Jeff Goldblum as Leonard. This former leading man has taken on the best friend role but steals just about every scene he’s in with Jason Bateman. He delivers comic blow after comic blow with subtle grace that one never notices how deft his placement of lines is in the piece.

It is in the leads were one has the most problems. Jennifer Aniston is a former TV star who just cannot find the right vehicle to put her on the A list of acting. Her performance is more of the same, much more like her Rachel from Friends. She has done some solid work but there is no challenge in this role. The same can be said for Jason Bateman. This is his Extract character with a dash of quirks. Finally, Juliette Lewis brings nothing to The Switch.

The entire exercise of The Switch feels more like a Lifetime movie or an overblown episode of a TV show. Directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck never build on their comic foundation delivering a product that is much more charming than out-and-out funny. Without Goldblum there would have been a dearth of laughs. The film starts well, means well but never conveys on the promise set forth at the premise.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD – A Review by Gary Murray

Gary Murray
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SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD – A Review by Gary Murray

SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD By Gary Murray Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Alison Pill, Anna Kendrick and Ellen Wong Written by Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright Directed by Edgar Wright MPAA Rating PG-13 Running time approx. 2 hrs Selig Film Rating FULL PRICE

To be perfectly frank, watching hundreds of films over a number of years, one gets jaded to the entire process. With sequel after sequel and genre upon genre of sameness, one starts to crave anything just a little bit different, challenging and out of the box. Critics eventually go either for the foreign route or the obtuse route, looking for something that just feels fresh. The latest contender is a wonderful little quirky gem called Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. Based on a graphic novel, the story of Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) a Toronto bassist with a broken heart and a new high school girlfriend Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). It is an almost platonic relationship where they haven’t even kissed yet, just play an interactive kung-fu fighting game like those arcade dance games. He’s trying to integrate her both into his life and the band dynamic. The band mates are Kim Pine (Allison Pill), Stephen Stills (Mark Webber) and Young Neil (Johnny Simmons). Everyone knows that Knives is the rebound relationship and that he still is not over his former girlfriend, who has moved on to Montreal and a greater degree of fame. One night in his dream, he sees a rollerblading girl, the perfect woman. At a party he sees Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), his dream vision of dyed hair and attitude. Everyone tells him that she is too cool for him but he pursues her. The next day he gets an e-mail that says he must fight for Ramona. We soon find out that Ramona has seven evil exes and that in order to win the love of Ramona, Scott must take on and defeat each one of them. The film is of the great lengths one has to go through to find true love. Even though Scott more of a victim, the play unfurls a darker side to him making him much more of a player than love-sick puppy. Though it may seem that Ramona has a deep-dark past; some of the relationships are little more than long ago flirtations. The film is built along the lines of a video game where Scott earns bonus points and different skills as he travels up the ladder of battling until he gets to the Number One Ex. Scott Pilgrim is stylized beyond belief, yet there is this certain naive charm. It is also rife with quotable lines that one will be hearing from the kids for years to come. It just jumps across the screen in a blend of 500 Days of Summer and Moulin Rouge. The film blends techniques and images more in the style of Quentin Tarantino, with cartoons and asides being used to tell a tale. Director Edgar Wright has created a work that will be watched over and over again by the youth, finding deeper meaning in each viewing. Even though Michael Cera has been playing this same character for years, it does work in the right circumstances. Though he brings nothing new to the role, he does have a certain appeal. Anna Kendrick does a slight variation of her Rocket Science character. Mary Elizabeth Winstead comes across with a sad charm, the victim in breaking hearts, not wanting to hurt anybody but causing destruction in her path. The biggest find is Ellen Wong as the love sick girl in a world of young adults. She pulls laughs and sympathies in the same scenes, putting a true face on heartbreak. It is rare to see a film that will instantly be a cult classic, the type of flick that the kids will be watching twenty years from now. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is that film, going into that same niche as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Eraser-head and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. This is one of those ‘cool kids make a movie’ kind of movies, something that will be fondly remembered by a generation.

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