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Lew's Movie Reviews
IN THEATERS
Amelia
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***
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The critics panned this movie mercilessly, but it really
wasn't that bad. Hillary Swank gives another memorable performance
as Amelia Earhart, the pioneering aviatrix. Richard Gere as her
overly tolerant husband is uninspired, but the history is good and the
story moves along nicely, told by flashbacks her final around-the-world
(almost) final voyage. Maybe I liked it because it exceeded my low
expectations. (2009)
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Invictus
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****½
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When Nelson Mandela was elected president of South
Africa he knew that the Springboks, the national rugby squad, a symbol of
the hated Apartheid regime, could be a key to unifying the country. This
was not a popular concept to either the white or black community, but
Mandela plowed ahead with the help of the team captain, a white Afrikaner
named Francois Peinaar. This
is the story of the team's build-up to a World cup challenge. Morgan
Freeman was born to play Mandela at this stage of his life.
He looks and sounds like Mandela, and manages to portray the
president's charisma and leadership.
A beefed-up Matt Damon also does very well as a rugby player caught
between the personal pleadings of the president and the resistance of his
white teammates. Clint
Eastwood's direction is as always unobtrusive. Some
may criticize this as too Hollywood-y, but all the key facts appear to be
accurate. Americans will be
mystified by the Rugby scenes, but that will not be a major problem as the
gist is not too hard to follow. An
instant classic. (2009)
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Harmony and Me
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****
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Harmony (Justin Rice) is a young man in a serious
funk. He just lost his girlfriend, has a dead end job, and he
doesn't get along with his brothers. Filmed in Austin, this
indie comedy delivers plenty of laughs as we meet the characters in
Harmony's life. His mom (Margie Beegle) dead-pans her lines perfectly
as she tries to patch things together for her three sons. His
neighbor Natasha (Alison Latta), a woman in need of a
breast reduction, seduces Harmony, but even that fails to alter his mood. The director Bob Byington, who also plays
Harmony's older brother, saves the funniest sequence for last.
Harmony signs on as a meter maid man, and his interactions with his new
boss and a co-worker are hysterical.
Click Here for an extended review
(2009)
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Public Enemies
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***
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This is a good but not great biopic of America's
Top Gangsters in the late 1930's. The title would indicate plural
but in fact this is a one man show - Johnny Depp as John Dillinger.
None of the other bad guys was on screen long enough to merit a
mention. Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) who tracks Dillinger is a
serious lawman, but all his associates are either incompetent or just
evil. The most evil is Purvis' boss J. Edgar Hoover who sees the
Chicago crime wave as a stepping stone to power and glory. Billy
Crudup seems to be a little young to be playing Hoover. (2009)
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Up in the Air
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****
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Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a modern day road
warrior. He is a corporate hatchet main with priveleged status on
all the airlines, car rental agencies and hotels in every major city in
the U.S. Last year he apent 43 days at home in Omaha and his
objective is to reduce that number this year. He is charming but
aloof and likes the life that engenders. Everything goes along
smoothly until two women enter his life. One is Alex, a fellow road
warrior who is Ryan's mirror image, and Natalie, a young Recent MBA who
wants to ground Ryan to save the company travel expenses. Halfway
through the movie the stage was set for a typical Hollywood ending, but to
the filmmakers' credit it doesn't happen. Vera Farmiga who plays
Alex will be heard from again. (2009)
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 - chick flick
alert
DVD/HBO
Every Little Step
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***½
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Fans of A Chorus Line will enjoy this.
Documentaries are all about the editing and this one was well done.
A group of the original insiders from the 1972 Broadway production get
together to launch a revival. The central theme is in the winnowing down
the 3,000 applicants to fit the 17 roles. Dancers must be able to
handle disappointment because the ods are bad and the talent level is very
high. This is American Idol with a much higher talent base. (2008)
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The Ladykillers
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***
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Alec Guiness stars as the mastermind of a great
train robbery. He is fitted with the worst set of teeth imaginable
which I found very distracting. None-the-less this movie is well
worth watching, if for no other reason than to see Peter Sellers in his
late twenties. Lots of quality actors here, but little old lady
Katie Johnson steals the showSHe lives right above the railroad tracks,
and takes in Guiness as a renter of her upstairs apartment. All of
the mobsters are somewhat charmed by the LOL, and that proves to be their
undoing. (1955)
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Lawrence of Arabia
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****½
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David Lean's desert classic has held up well.
An all-star cast is in top form as the story of T. E. Lawrence is
told. Lawrence organized warring Arabian tribes to unite and throw
out their Turkish oppressors. His original commanding officer gave
him lukewarm support, but eventually he came under the command of Gen.
Edmund Allenby, an enthusiastic believer in Lawrence's mission..
Lawrence loved the Arabs and their desert, and
the feeling was mutual. Peter O'Toole portrays Lawrence as a very
strange man an apparently he was. His sexual orientation was unknown
and probably unknowable. He claimed to be asexual and that seems
highly likely. This film definitely needs to be seen on a wide
screen. This movie should get five stars but the decision to have Alec Guinness
play Prince Faisel was semi-moronic. (1962)
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The Third Man
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****
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A classic black and white (mostly black) film set
in post-war Vienna. Joseph Cotton, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard
star in this dark mystery. The climax is set in the sewer system
which is even darker than the rest of the picture. The screenplay
was adapted by Graham Greene from one of his stories. (1949)
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Waltz with Bashir
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***½
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An Israeli veteran of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon
can't remember the details of his involvement so he seeks out former colleagues
to help him find the details. Limited action animation technique is
very effective in portraying what took place. This is an artistic
and technical triumph but frankly is one of the most depressing movies
ever made. (2008)
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- chick flick
alert
* waste of time
and money
** coming soon to HBO
*** worth a trip to the neighborhood
cinema
**** worth a trip across town
***** don't miss |