All 4 titles are available now on DVD and Blu Ray -
"Before Midnight" (2013) - This third volume in Director Richard Linklater's "Before..." films (following 1995's Before Sunrise and 2004's Before Sunset) is the best of the trilogy. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy return as the central characters, "Jesse" and "Celine", now married and on vacation in Greece with their two young, twin daughters. Much like its franchise predecessors, the film consists of a series of engaging discussions between the duo and with friends.
Potential audiences can expect intelligent, worthwhile conversations concerning life, love, relationships, careers and the pursuit of happiness throughout- only a moron would miss the point or refer to it as boring.
I suppose I appreciated this particular film in the franchise most because I found the material more mature and finely tuned than in the previous two films. It's an extremely well-written and impeccably acted affair that's a treat for those who enjoy great dialogue and natural performances. This is an acting clinic that also works as a nice little travelogue, with a wealth of beautiful shots of the Grecian countryside.
Highly Recommended
8.5 out of 10
Director: Richard Linklater
Cast: Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy
Run-Time: 109 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for sexual content/nudity and language
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The Book Thief" (2013) - Based on the bestselling novel (of the same title) by Markus Zusack, this Drama concerning a young girl (Sophie Nelisse) living with her adoptive parents (Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson) in WWII era Germany is well-made and aesthetically pleasing enough, though perhaps a bit too sanitized for its own good.
Events are seen from the kind-hearted bookworm's perspective as she copes with the strife around her by reading every piece of literature she can get her hands on. Conflict arises as her parents decide to hide a Jewish refugee (Ben Schnetzer) in the basement of their home and the young girl bonds with the charismatic newcomer.
The entire cast puts in solid work, while I'm pretty sure that Nelisse will have quite a career ahead of her.
I suspected going in that I would have a problem with a PG-13 rated film concerning the horrors of war, yet I find myself short on things to pick at other than it does indeed handle the material with kid gloves and an intermittent narration from actor Roger Allam (portraying Death) seems out of place. The Book Thief would make a nice little companion piece to Hallmark Channel-esque war films like Spielberg's War Horse or Benigni's Life Is Beautiful.
7.5
Director: Brian Percival
Cast: Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, Barbara Auer, Levin Liam, Kristen Block, and Roger Allam
Run-Time: 131 minutes
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violence and intense depiction of thematic material
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Fruitvale Station" (2013) - This based on a true story account of the final tragic day of San Francisco Bay area resident Oscar Grant III features an outstanding lead performance from Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle). It is an interesting and involving character study that is refreshingly void of overtly manipulative fingerprints (given the subject matter) and is an uncommonly sure-handed feature length film debut from Director Ryan Coogler.
The buzz on Jordan is warranted, with his honest, natural portrayal of the flawed, 22-year-old father and ex-convict comfortably amongst 2013's best performances. Octavia Spencer (The Help) and Melonie Diaz (Be Kind Rewind) also put in fine work as Grant's mother and girlfriend, respectively.
The vast majority of this film has a rare authentic feel to it, a testament to Coogler's passionate script/direction and to the film's game cast, that is sure to reel in seasoned film lovers. My only real complaint against the film comes in the form of a late event which thrusts one too many characters from the narrative in one place at the same time- it is a slight infraction of obvious creative license and convenience that I would call the film's sole melodramatic moment. That misstep aside, Fruitvale Station is compelling and powerful stuff for all the right reasons.
Highly Recommended
8.5
Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray, Ahna O'Reilly and Ariana Neal
Run-Time: 85 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for some violence, language throughout and some drug use
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Philomena" (2013) - An apathetic British journalist (Steve Coogan) reluctantly takes on the story of an Irish woman's (Judi Dench) 50-year search for her forcibly adopted son only to find a much more complex account than he bargained for.
Coogan and Dench are fine enough throughout, with the best aspects of the film being the conversations and contrasting natures between them- too bad the film never fully realizes this. An interesting turn of events takes place in this based on a true story tale's third act, yet Director Stephen Frears mishandles the material with generic melodrama.
Perhaps what I found most interesting about the film is how something this undercooked, safe and forgettable could come from the Director of such films as The Grifters, Dangerous Liaisons, High Fidelity, Dirty Pretty Things, The Queen and Tamara Drewe... it's a Lifetime Channel Original in disguise that's nowhere near as moving as it believes it is.
6.5
Director: Stephen Frears
Cast: Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Mare Winningham, Barbara Jefford, Ruth McCabe, Peter Hermann, Anna Maxwell Martin, Michelle Fairley and Sean Mahon
Run-Time: 98 minutes
MPAA: Rated PG-13 on appeal for some strong language, thematic elements and sexual references
No comments:
Post a Comment