Rebooting 1987’s RoboCop seems like such an obvious idea, you may wonder why it took this long. No matter, the new RoboCop is here now, ready to clean up the streets and pump some fun (along with a decent amount of lead) into your Valentine’s date plans.
We’re back in crime-ridden Detroit with honest cop Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnamen) but beyond that, the backstory is rightly, and effectively, re-imagined for a new audience.
Robot drones built by global conglomerate OmniCorp have become commonplace in American military action overseas. OmniCorp would like to expand but Congress, bowing to public sentiment against these “soulless” enforcers in our own backyards, has blocked any attempt to put the same robots to work in law enforcement here at home.
That’s a problem for OmniCorp honcho Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton), and for uber-outraged TV host Pat Novak (Samuel L. Jackson, just as hilariously over-the-top in his Bill O’Reilly sendup as you would expect).
The chance to turn the public tide their way comes when Murphy is blown nearly to bits by the local crime lord. OmniCorp scientist Dr. Dennet Norton (Gary Oldman) and his team spring into action, meticulously bringing Murphy back to ass-kicking life via the super suit!
Director Jose Padiha (a Brazilian film veteran making his English language debut) has no trouble delivering the frenetic action and impressive visuals, so much so that any motion- sensitive viewers might want to skip the IMAX print. Otherwise, strap in and enjoy the ride! It’s one that Padiha paces well, hitting the gas just when events start to bog down in melodrama.
Screenwriter Joshua Zetumer dials back the misanthropy of the original to provide more thoughtful inner conflict, as Murphy/RoboCop fights to overcome the engineering which allows him only the “illusion of free will.” Less subtle, but still worthwhile, are the nods to the ongoing debate about liberty versus security.
What’s missed in this new version is the knowing approach the original brought to the entire cop genre. Murphy’s fight to bring down the crime boss and his cronies is stitched together with nothing but well-worn cliche, and just doesn’t mesh next to the satirical layers that bubble up elsewhere.
No, RoboCop 2014 ain’t perfect, but it’s sleek and exciting enough to make the inevitable sequels feel much more promising.
The controversial love story Blue is the Warmest Color releases to DVD today. Whatever your reservations or curiosity, the film is worth the attention it’s received by virtue of Adele Exarchopoulos’s powerhouse performance, as well as the expertly crafted, gorgeously filmed tale of the lilting heartache of first love.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4bLY6PqW6A
Pair this with the underseen indie from 2011, Like Crazy. With another exceptional central performance from a new leading lady (Felicity Jones), the film swoons through the dizzying story of young and impetuous, not to mention impatient, love. It’s also worth noting an early and different role for Jennifer Lawrence as the fall-back girlfriend, the easy Plan B. How’s that for playing against type?
Sure, you can cozy up to The Princess Bride or Love, Actually this Valentine’s Day – nothing wrong with that. But if you’re looking for something a little less run-of-the-mill, maybe even something everyone in the room can enjoy, try one of our five favorite love stories.
5. Wall-E (2008)
Pixar’s Oscar winning interstellar adventure offers an underdog journey with the fate of mankind in the balance, but at its heart is the story of one little trash collector’s love for a girl who’s out of his league. The animation is astonishing, and the voice work stellar, but it’s the long, sweet-hearted scenes without a word that communicate so much.
4. Say Anything
Who doesn’t love Lloyd Dobbler? Is anyone immune? No, and that’s why Say Anything is the perfect Valentines’s Day date movie. Funny, clever, endlessly quotable and unabashedly romantic – not to mention being oh-so-1989 (nice boombox, Lloyd!) – it’s a romantic comedy to please every lover in the crowd.
Quote: I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen.
3. Harold and Maude (1971)
If you’re looking for something a bit more uncomfortable, how about the sexy exploits of a septuagenerian and her morbidly obsessed young beau? One of director Hal Ashby’s best efforts, this provocative dark comedy challenges expectations and breaks hearts.
Quote: It’s best not to be too moral. You cheat yourself out of too much life. Aim above morality.
2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Writer/director Edgar Wright teams with writer/star Simon Pegg to lovingly mock the slacker generation, 80s pop, and George Romero with this riotous flesh eating romance. But what is easy to overlook is the genuine craftsmanship that went into making this zom-rom-com. It’s a fresh, vivid explosion of entertainment.
Quote: How’s that for a slice of fried gold?
1. Bull Durham (1988)
When the very best romantic comedy also happens to be one of the very best sports movies ever filmed, well, you’ve got yourself a Valentine date to please everyone in the audience. Susan Sarandon and Kevin Costner at the apex of their sexiness banter back and forth about baseball and metaphysics while we learn what minor league ball is really about. It’s brilliantly written, hilarious and perfectly performed. It’s the world’s most perfect date movie.
Quote: Despite my rejection of most Judeo-Christian ethics, I am, within the framework of the baseball season, monogamous.
Ambitious in scope and bursting with visual wonder in nearly every frame, the Oscar-nominated The Great Beauty (La grande bellezza) is an Italian film that not only embraces Fellini comparisons, but revels in updating the “Fellini-esque” moniker with thoroughly modern sentiments.
Director/co-writer Paolo Sorrentino takes us into the upper crust of Rome society through the eyes of Jep Gambardella (the marvelous Toni Servillo), a writer, playboy and all-around rascal who for years has enjoyed living his longtime dream of being the one guest with enough social clout “to make the party a failure.”
Shortly after his 65th birthday bash, though, Jep is shaken by news regarding a friend from his past, and he begins to look beyond the superficial pleasures, searching for the simple, exquisite beauty he never stopped to appreciate.
Sorrentino displays a masterful ability to combine wry satire, silly comedy, and keen social commentary. Working with a loose, often surrealistic narrative and an unhurried pace, Sorrentino employs veteran cinematographer Luca Bigazzi to unveil countless scenes of beauty, brilliantly driving home the point that Jep merely has to open his eyes to find what he is seeking.
Awash in wealth and decadence but grounded in the simple joys of life, The Great Beauty is an endlessly fascinating ride that never fails to live up to the grandness of its title.
Legos! Has there ever been a cooler toy? It’s ideal for unbridled creativity as well as meticulous attention to directions and every tendency in between, so basically, it’s perfect. And it’s a weirdly apt building block for a movie.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller – writers and directors behind the surprise hit Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs as well as the even more surprising 21 Jump Street – return to animation with this artistic gem that pleases on all fronts.
Regular guy Emmett, construction worker and follow-the-directions type, falls into an adventure with wild idea creatives who are fighting to keep evil Lord Business from ending the Lego world as they know it.
It’s a solid, even familiar premise, and it offers these talented filmmakers a lot of opportunities. The tone is fresh and irreverent, the direction endlessly clever, and the voice talent spot-on.
Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell and Morgan Freeman anchor the tale, with great cameos (Jonah Hill and Billy Dee Williams are the biggest hoot) and talented supporting turns helping to keep every scene interesting.
A clear love of Legos infects the entire proceedings, with hilarious Lego pieces and familiar characters and creations popping up everywhere. But the core ideas are even stronger and more thoughtful, the satire bright and evident, and the final themes appropriate for the kids you took with you as your excuse to see this movie.
Lord and Miller manage to entertain every possible audience here, poking fun at modern blockbusters and reveling in youthful creativity. They are aided immeasurably by animators who offer vivid, imaginative action sequences that embrace the themes of the film and mirror the energetic fantasy world of childhood.
The result is a joyous voyage, a perfect match between content and presentation, and a super cool movie.
There are many stories in war, some better known than others. With The Monuments Men, George Clooney shines a bright Hollywood spotlight on one of the lesser known aspects of World War II, and manages to make it an informative and entertaining affair.
True, the story of how the Nazis stole countless art treasures in Europe was outlined by the excellent 2006 documentary The Rape of Europa, and 42 years before that, Burt Lancaster tried to keep precious artifacts from reaching Germany in The Train. But the tale of this heroic group is fresh territory, and in adapting the source book, director Clooney and his usual co-writer Grant Heslov again show fine instincts for making a historical drama resonate.
Clooney also stars as the leader of the titular platoon, an older group of art experts called into military service and tasked with rescuing the stolen works and when possible, returning them to the rightful owners. He’s surrounded by a winning cast with plenty of star power, including Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, and Cate Blanchett as a suspicious Frenchwoman who becomes very helpful to the cause.
Factual liberties are taken, of course, but give Clooney and Heslov credit for keeping a good heart beating beneath the big-scale production. The heavy toll of war, the enduring power of art, and the souls at the center of each are given due respect, even as the film becomes a nail-biting chase to rescue a priceless Michelangelo before it falls into wrong hands.
As a director, Clooney is a bit more obvious this time out, and there are segments when things becomes a tad too lighthearted, such as reminders of some of the cast’s previous films which may or may not have been intentional. In fact, the struggle to find a suitable tone is the film’s main weakness, as the cinematic heights Clooney reached in Good Night and Good Luck or The Ides of March are sacrificed to give the film more mass appeal.
But ultimately, The Monuments Men is a tale that deserves a wide audience, and Clooney may prove just the right artist to get that job done.
The film that may finally win Matthew McConaughey an Oscar is released to DVD today. Dallas Buyers Club is more than a socially relevant biopic. It’s more than a character-driven glimpse at the grinding reality of the dawning AIDS crisis, even. Between McConaughey’s multidimensional performance as AIDS victim and unabashed Texan Ron Woodruff and Jared Leto’s brilliant, Oscar-frontrunning work as Woodruff’s partner in crime, literally and figuratively, the film offers the defining moments in two careers that are just hitting their strides.
For another of McConaughey’s more recent, brilliant but serious performances (as opposed to his recent, brilliant but insane performances), check out Mud. This Huck Finn style adventure is the follow up to the bewilderingly wonderful Take Shelter, both written and directed by the underseen filmmaker of extraordinary talent Jeff Nichols. McConaughey plays the titular Mud, a man-child fugitive who befriends a couple young river rats in search of adventure. The result is a lovely journey of lost innocence and a vanishing American lifestyle.
The world of acting felt a profound loss this weekend with the passing of Philip Seymour Hoffman, among the most versatile and gifted actors of this or any generation.
He began his career playing variations on the theme of whining rich boy, but an artistic partnership with the brilliant filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson highlights Hoffman’s magnificent range. From lonely and misguided Scotty in Boogie Nights, to Punch Drunk Love’s volatile Alpha dog Dean, to the deeply decent and compassionate nurse Phil in Magnolia, Hoffman’s ability to bring a character’s humanity to the surface is evident.
He had a particular gift for supporting roles. Ensemble work seemed a joy to him, and his small roles in The Big Lebowski, Along Came Polly, Hard Eight, Moneyball, Strangers with Candy, Cold Mountain, Almost Famous, and The Ides of March contributed immeasurably to the artistic success of the films. In fact, he’s the only thing about Polly worth remembering, and he is hilarious. There is truly not a single film or performance that doesn’t deserve a mention. His few onscreen minutes in Catching Fire elevated the entire Hunger Games series, giving its underlying conspiracies and machination a chess match brilliance. He was even great in the teen zombie comedy My Boyfriend’s Back. The guy was a genius.
Hoffman was the definition of an actor. His talent was breathtaking. He breathed the rarified air shared only with Daniel Day-Lewis and Meryl Streep, and his skill and presence will be deeply, sorely missed.
Here, in chronological order, is our list of essential Philip Seymour Hoffman viewing.
Boogie Nights (1997)
Here’s where we fell in love with Philip Seymour Hoffman. He plays Scotty, the overweight and underappreciated camera grip in Paul Thomas Anderson’s porn–industry-as-dysfunctional-family-comedy-drama. A heartbreakingly awkward punching bag for the good looking talent, Scotty’s limited screen time is acting perfection.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-vf8-1FE4Q
Happiness (1998)
Todd Solondz’s unforgettable black comedy benefits from a subversively brilliant screenplay and an ensemble who relished the outrageous opportunities that piece of writing held. Every performance in the film is a thing of beauty, including Hoffman’s creepy obscene phone caller Allen. The climactic scene with the object of his twisted adoration, played by Lara Flynn Boyle, is a work of dark comic genius.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-3oeveop4o
Magnolia (1999)
Another true ensemble piece, the film’s steadiest heartbeat is the down-to-earth home health care nurse played by Hoffman. He approached the role with understatement and unveiled a level of compassion that not only characterized this man’s calling, but allowed the audience to find a way to empathize with the rest of the less likeable characters. It’s a beautifully nuanced and deeply authentic performance.
Almost Famous (2000)
As legendary rock critic Lester Bangs, Hoffman gives Almost Famous its critical reference point, as the middle ground between the two worlds the young William (Patrick Fugit) is juggling. Even with limited screen time, Hoffman conveys a funny, heartfelt, and deceptively sad persona that is essential to the film’s success.
Capote (2005)
Hoffman received his first Oscar nomination for the 2005 biopic, which makes you wonder where the Academy’s heads had been the previous ten years. He won for his unerring turn in this beautifully observed film about the writing of Capote’s masterpiece In Cold Blood. Never one to shy away from a character’s faults, Hoffman unveiled an equally sympathetic and mercenary soul as the writer befriends inmate Perry Smith.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwpVqRLsVSI
Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
The year 2007 was a big one for Hoffman. He garnered an Oscar nomination for his supporting turn as Gus Avrakotos, government agent working with senator and playboy Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) to assist Afghanistan rebels in their war with Russia. It was one of three performances that year that could easily have earned Hoffman his second Oscar, each as different from the other as performances could be. He gives needed edge and weight, as well as biting humor, to a film that could have been too sentimental otherwise.
The Savages (2007)
Also that year, dream team Hoffman and Laura Linney play a brother and sister faced with caring for their aged, abusive father. Full of brilliant, darkly funny insights on correcting old wounds, responsibility versus irresponsibility, inevitability and family, the film is queasyingly realistic and relevant but the performances are a laugh riot, uncomfortable as they are.
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)
In his third award-worthy turn in 2007 Hoffman finds himself with a character that a great actor would dream of and the lesser of the world could only screw up. An older brother (Hoffman) hiding dark, addictive behavior, talks his sad-sack younger brother (Ethan Hawke) into something unthinkable. Desperate for approval, sensitive in the weirdest moments, black hearted the next, Andy is a fascinating character thanks to Hoffman’s effortless genius.
Doubt (2008)
Hoffman and Meryl Streep – one of his only true peers – face off as a priest who may have molested a student and the nun who will doggedly pursue the case. Hoffman never judges his character, bringing a self righteousness and grace to the part that allows the audience to doubt his guilt. Without that, the film bottoms out into just another finger pointing diatribe on the Catholic Church. But because Hoffman could walk the line perfectly – and because Streep and co-stars Viola Davis and Amy Adams are so goddamn talented – the film is a brilliantly ambiguous conundrum.
The Master (2012)
Hoffman is a gravitational force as Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a Scientology-esque group. Pairing Hoffman with Joaquin Phoenix may have been director Paul Thomas Anderson’s greatest moment of casting genius. Phoenix’s disheveled, unhinged veteran vagabond balances Hoffman’s egomaniacal Master so perfectly that every moment the pair shares onscreen is theatrical magic. It’s a flawless film boasting two epic performances.
The Academy Award nominations can drive you crazy between the snubs and the needless accolades. Some years are so bad, you may think you’ll never forgive them. But every year, however misguided their big ticket nominations, the academy does at least one wonderful thing. They draw attention to short films that would otherwise go unnoticed. Do yourself a favor and head to the Gateway Film Center to catch all fifteen of these magnificent short subject works of art, including these 5 fascinating documentaries.
Facing Fear
A reformed skinhead who spent years addicted to violence, and the gay man he beat nearly to death, form an unlikely bond in an ironic setting.
Cave Digger
The title sells short the elaborate caves excavated by sculptor Ra Paulette. He’s driven to the point of defying his own patrons, and you simply won’t believe the structures that come from this one man’s obsession.
Karama Has No Walls
A tragic day of protest in Yemen is chronicled through heart-wrenching interviews and breathtaking first-hand video. Simply stunning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgC6pr6nREk
The Lady in Number 6
You will never forget 109-year-old Alice Sommer, the world’s oldest Holocaust survivor who continues to entertain on the piano. Her relentless optimism, even in the face of the most tragic consequences, will reduce you to mush. If this film tied for the Oscar with Karama Has No Walls, we’d be happy.
Prison Terminal: the Last Days of Private Jack Hall
Debuting March 31st on HBO, this is an intimate look inside a prison hospice system, and the final days of a convicted murderer. Director Edgar Barens succeeds in finding both hope and humanity within a stark, unforgiving subject.
The Academy Award nominations can drive you crazy between the snubs and the needless accolades. Some years are so bad, you may think you’ll never forgive them. But every year, however misguided their big ticket nominations, the academy does at least one wonderful thing. They draw attention to short films that would otherwise go unnoticed. Do yourself a favor and head to the Gateway Film Center to catch all fifteen of these magnificent short subject works of art, starting with five brilliant and varied animated features.
The nominations this year net a variety of styles and tones. The clear frontrunner for the Oscar is Disney’s Get a Horse, the 3-D short that accompanied their popular (and prescient!) Frozen. Director Lauren MacMullen’s six minute ‘toon is a joyous ode to animation history, bridging Disney’s past with its future by mixing archival Mickey Mouse animation with modern cinematic storytelling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiTwhXfgHPc
At the other end of the spectrum is Ferel, a shadowy, impressionistic tale of a wild boy found by a hunter and introduced to society. Smokey images in shades of grey underscore the story’s haunting nature.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2vywZvg9uA
Equally haunted, though in a more literal and offbeat manner, is Shuhei Morita’s Possessions. A fix-it man travels, wares on his back, through a terrible storm. He takes shelter in an abandoned shack to witness the discarded items there come to life. It’s a lively, entertaining piece on a consume-and-discard culture.
Room on the Broom is a longer, stop-action style film aimed at a younger crowd. Simon Pegg voices the narration for the tale of a good hearted witch who never met a new friend she didn’t want to make, regardless of her cat’s preferences. It’s a sweet image of acceptance and family.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjhF37MpUYs
The best of the bunch, though likely not to be the winner, is the appealing Mr. Hublot. In a clattery, mechanical future world, idiosyncratic Mr. Hublot lives alone with his OCD. His days are full – straightening picture frames, turning the lights on and off, on and off, on and off. Back to straightening frames – though he can’t help but hear that abandoned, barking puppy out there in the weather. Writer Laurent Witz, along with his co-director Alexandre Espigares, creates an endearing image of familial love and acceptance with this charmer.
Every one’s a winner regardless of the final vote. Catch them while you can.
