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04 Jan

Fool’s Gold

Grade: C

Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson re-team (the last time was “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”) and have great chemistry in Fool’s Gold.  It looks like a great romantic adventure, but unfortunately it falls short.  It’s kind of “by the book” and predictable, even cartoonish at times.  All of the characters are big and outlandish, the situation they’re in is hard to believe, and even more hard to follow given a long discourse of historical explanation.  The bad guys are these rapper-gangsters, very stereo-typed.  And then there’s the rich yacht guy, Donald Sutherland, and his spoiled Paris Hilton-esque daughter.  Some of the treasure hunt is fun, and other parts are just too scary to fit in with the tone of the movie.

The setting is awesome.  It’s supposed to be the Caribbean but it’s actually Queensland, Australia.  It will make you want to take a vacation!  Absolutely beautiful water and beaches.
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04 Jan

Flight

Grade: B

In my book, Denzel Washington can do no wrong.  He is an amazing actor, who has carried many films that just wouldn’t have been the same with anyone else in the lead.  Flight is no exception. it’s likely that Denzel will be nominated in the Best Actor category come award time.

We first meet Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) the morning after a hard night of drugs and drinking.  Then he shows up to work… as an airline pilot!  Despite his condition, and his co-workers doubts about his condition, he handles the job with aplomb.  It’s clear he’s done this before.  But then, disaster strikes, and it’s up to Whip to save the day.  And he does.

The rest of the movie is the aftermath of such an unusual situation.  An investigation takes place, and Whip’s credibility is in question.  The big question is, after saving all these people, can Whip manage to save himself?

Compelling drama, and first-rate acting.
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04 Jan

Flash of Genius

Grade: B+

Greg Kinnear stars in “Flash of Genius” based on a true story.  An inventor in Detroit comes up with a way to make the intermittent windshield wiper work.  He takes out a patent, present his idea to the Ford Motor Company, and Ford goes ahead and basically steals it and puts it in cars without him.  So the guy spends most of the following years trying to sue Ford and get his rightful share of the proceeds.  It’s David versus Goliath to the nth degree.  In the process of this fight,  his family falls apart, he basically goes crazy, loses his job, and alienates most of the community.  But, in the end, the kids understand their dad and all that he’s been through, and they rally around to help him.  It’s a nice story, that like many true stories, you just couldn’t make up.  Lauren Graham plays the patient yet put-upon wife.
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04 Jan

Firewall

Grade: B-

Pretty standard dad-as-hero fare. Harrison Ford stars as the dad who runs security on a bank – the bad guys want to use him to rob the bank so they kidnap his family. Of course he won’t have that! Struggles, arguments, as they all try to outwit each other. Virginia Madsen is the savvy mom. Some great moments, but nothing surprising. Too violent, and emotionally scary for younger kids. A good thriller for families with teens.
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04 Jan

Finding Neverland

Grade: A+

Wow. There is just so much good about this movie. The acting is wonderful. Johnny Depp is going to be the Marlon Brando of our generation, he’s amazing. Depp plays playwright J.M. Barrie, and the movie is “inspired by true events” that led to the production of his play “Peter Pan.” Kate Winslet is the single mother of 4 boys who comes into Barrie’s life at a time when he needs to get back to the “play” and away from the serious. Julie Christie plays the overly critical grandmother to the hilt.

The set design is spectacular, such a fantasy. The music, everything, is just beautiful.

Although this film is rated PG, the ending might be hard for very young, or very sensitive, children to take. But I think this is a must-see for families with kids ages 10 and up. Or go without the kids and just enjoy it for yourself.
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04 Jan

Fever Pitch

Grade: B-

Fever Pitch stars Drew Barrymore as the driven career woman facing the big “20-10” without a boyfriend. She opens her horizons, and her heart, to Jimmy Fallon’s school teacher and they enjoy a delightful winter together. When spring arrives, with the Red Sox schedule, Drew discovers just how important the team is to this die-hard fan. Can they get over his obsession and her workaholism? Clever writing by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandell, and some outrageous physical comedy by the directing/producing team of the Farrelly brothers. Most of the “adult” jokes will go over the heads of the younger ones, but remember, this movie is rated PG-13. We had some younger kids sitting behind us at the theatre, and when Drew talked about “missing her period” they started asking “what does THAT mean?”! I heard they had to change the ending of the movie when the Red Sox actually won the world series last year!
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04 Jan

Fast Food Nation

Grade: B
The title Fast Food Nation sounds like a comedy to me, and that’s what I was expecting from othe previews.  But, be warned… it is NOT a comedy.  Far from it.  It’s a tragedy.  It is a shame what is going on in the meat industry and it is remarkable that a movie like this could open people’s eyes to how it operates.

The cast is amazing: Wilmer Valderamma is an undocumented worker from Mexico who takes a job cleaning at the meat packing plant.  Patricia Arquette is the single mom of a teen girl who works at a fast food  place.  Greg Kinnear is the whiz kid marketing exec who comes up with the ad campaign for the new “Big One” burger.  Bruce Willis comes in as the meat broker who turns a blind eye to the outrageous practices that the meat packers use to keep their prices down.  Ethan Hawke, Esai Morales, and others all contribute colorful characters.

This is a fictional piece, but it could be a documentary.  The scenes in the meat packing plant were difficult to watch.  Be prepared for lots of blood and guts, that’s just what goes on there, and the point of the movie is to show us the truth behind the sterile “happy” packaging that makes up our fast food meals.  It’s enough to turn you into a vegetarian.
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04 Jan

Fair Game

Grade: B

 Based on the true story of former CIA agent Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) and her husband Joe Wilson (Sean Penn). Very compelling script.  This was very much in the news at the time, and it’s interesting to get some perspective about what happened, and see the events from these characters’ points of view.  High stakes emotional drama.
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04 Jan

Failure to Launch

Grade: B

Failure to Launch is a pretty much predictible by-the-numbers romantic comedy… and we don’t get enough of those anymore! It was really charming, light and fun. Sarah Jessica Parker plays a woman who helps parents get their grown sons to move out of the house. Matthew McCoughnahey plays the grown son in question, 35 years old and still taking up space at the folk’s place. Kathy Bates is endearing as his mom. Terry Bradshaw is a hoot as his dad. Gotta give the guy credit for parading his bare behind around like it’s no big deal! That scene got the biggest laughs from the audience – and a few shrieks of “eeeeew!” Great supporting performance from Zoe Deschanel as the roommate who lands the guy’s best friend. They try to throw in a few life lessons, and there are a few requisite pratfalls that I would deem unnecessary, but all in all, a nice little date movie.
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04 Jan

Evening

Grade: B

What a cast – Vanessa Redgrave, Natasha Richardson (Vanessa’s daughter!), Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer (Meryl’s daughter!), Claire Danes, Toni Collette – this is a TOTAL chick flick! 🙂  Evening is one of those movies that goes back and forth between present day and the past.  Vanessa Redgrave’s character is on her death bed and she’s having memories of this time in her life when she was young.  It’s all about relationships and choices and friendships and family.  It’s a really “big” movie in that there’s a lot going on and you have to pay attention.  But it’s also a little slow.  I loved it, but my hubby and my step-daughter were shifting in their seats quite a bit. Great clothes, lots of emotions, go with your mom or your girlfriends.
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