'Hamlet 2' Review

Steve Coogan plays a failed actor turned high school drama teacher in Hamlet 2. Watch the trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/hamlet-2/32650/main

    Here's another example of a movie that isn't as good as the previews or as some of the rapturous reviews lead you to believe.  The plot is simple enough: A hapless actor teaches drama to uninterested high school students in Arizona. The local scenery is as bleak as his life. His lovelife is a shambles, his students belittle him at every opportunity, and his job is being phased out as well as his drama class due to budget cutbacks. He needs to win over his class to put on a play that will convince the school board to save their program. Accused of doing nothing original, he writes a musical call 'Hamlet 2'.  That's an interesting premise  except, as he is reminded, didn't everyone die in the first one so how can there be a sequel?

    He solves that problem and what a show it is!  Imagine Grease but with a number called 'Rock Me Sexy Jesus' which triggers the consternation of the authorities who want to close down the production. The actual show is the best part of the movie but it's a long wait to get there. Most of the jokes seemed forced as Steve Coogan tries hard to be sympathetic but comes across over the top. I thought he was one of the best things in  Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette where he gave a restrained dramatic performance.  He tried too hard in Hamlet 2's comic and serious scenes. You find it difficult to feel for him but he eventually wins you over by the end.  But again it's a long journey.....

    My wife & me were the only ones at Labor Day's 5:30 showing so that tells you how well this movie is doing at the box office. I think it would work better on the small screen so wait until it comes out on DVD or on cable.

'Traitor' Review

Don Cheadle’s character, the son of a Sudanese father and an American mother, is a trained warrior with an ambiguous edge.  Watch thr trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/traitor/33014/main

 Traitor is a good spy thriller about a devout Muslim, well acted by Don Cheadle,  who plays a double agent hired by our government to infiltrate a terrorist organization. These religious fanatics think he's one of them as he makes bombs to destroy their enemies. What they don't know is that he is opposed to killing and cleverly circumvents their goals while pursued by other government agents who don't know his real purpose.  How long can he fool everyone is what drives the plot.  

     I work with Muslims from Sudan and have learned much about their religion and culture, including acquiring an appetite for Middle Eastern cuisine supplied by their wives.  I soon learned that debating the Israel/Palestine standoff is a forbidden subject since they are set in their beliefs that Israel wants to conquer the world although my argument that Israel is a tiny country surrounded by their enemies and wants only to live in peace falls on deaf ears.

    How Muslims will react to this movie will be interesting. Adam Sandler's Zohan movie tried to debate both sides with humor and ended with a peaceful if fanciful  resolution. Quite the opposite here as Traitor explores some of these issues but never gets too windy as the plot develops. If anything Traitor is sympathetic to the majority of peace-loving Muslims but you can understand why the others are committed to their beliefs.

'Bottle Shock' Review

Alan Rickman portrays Steven Spurrier, the British wine dealer who organized a famous blind wine tasting near Paris in 1976, in Randall Miller’s Bottle Shock. Watch the trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/bottle-shock/32518/main

Here's another small movie that's been compared to Sideways and almost as good. Both feature wine and likable losers & dreamers who finally succeed, but that's where the comparisons end.  Based on a true story from 1976 about how California wines competed with French wines in a show, Bottle Shock, is an easygoing time not just for wine lovers but for those who want to learn something about how wine is made.

   The small cast is filled with many faces from TV as well as film. Alan Rickman is marvelous as the snooty wine expert who comes to California to select wines to bring to France for his contest. He's usually good in these type of roles and who can forget him in Kevin Costner's Robin Hood where his performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham almost steals the film.  There's Bill Pullman &  Chris Pine, as a father & son owners of a winery on the brink of bankruptcy.  They clash heads as well as fists in a boxing ring to settle their differences.

   The humor here is as leisurely as sipping a good glass of wine. Savor the film's official sight: http://www.bottleshockthemovie.com/

 

'Vicky Christina Barcelona' Review

Javier Bardem and Scarlett Johansson in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona.  Watch the trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/vicky-cristina-barcelona/32858/main

I haven't seen a Woody Allen film in years.  The reviews for his new one lead me to believe it's his best one in a long time. We took Mom to see it because she & Dad went to Barcelona when I was in college and she remembered some on the sites in the movie.  Other than that, the movie seems overrated to me. It's a pleasant painless comedy about two gals vacationing in Spain and meet an artist who wants to bed both of them. His unstable ex-wife keeps popping in on them and one two-way leads to a threesome done in a chaste manner since there's a PG-13 rating, Everyone here has doubts about what they want in a relationship and in themselves.

   OK there's some good one liners typical of Allen, plenty of sunny Spanish scenery, and lots of wine drinking on display. It's a pleasant comedy but not a laughfest.  Allen wrote & directed but we miss his onscreen presence although the uptight, neurotic Vicky character will remind you of his past roles. Allen should have done the narration and added more humorous insightful comments as in other movies.

   One reviewer touted Penelope Cruz's performance as worthy of a movie by itself and how she has a flair for comedy. I thought she was somewhat amusing...  when you could understand her garbled English. She speaks like she does in her Clairol TV commercials if that's an indication.

  Too bad this movie wasn't as funny as Allen's mock diary of its filming: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/movies/24alle.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=barcelona%20diary&st=cse&oref=slogin

 

'Henry Poole Is Here' Review

Watch the trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/henry-poole-is-here/30120/main

Henry Poole, a dying man, buys a home where he can spend his last days alone. A nosy but well-meaning neighbor sees a spot on his outside that she and others think resembles the face of Christ.  When another neighbor, a child who stopped talking after her parents split up, and a store clerk with poor vision are mysteriously cured after touching the wall, his house soon becomes a shrine with visitors much to Henry's annoyance. Is the red liquid oozing out of the wall holy blood with healing powers? The local priest is cautious in declaring his judgement on the events. Since Henry has a chance of finding love with the child's mother, will his cynicism yield to the spot's supposed powers and cure himself?

    This is a sweet, touching small film about the question of faith. Do miracles happen because we want to believe in them or do things just happen without explanations?  There's no easy answers here and the filmmakers leave it open.  The movie is not overly preachy and slyly creeps up on you. Performances are very good in an understated way. Luke Wilson's sheepdog persona suits him well as he withdraws into his memories of when his life was better. It's his neighbors who slowly bring him out of his funk with their problems and pain.

     Spoiler Alert: My wife says the movie's theme is about, sometimes you need a good hit on the head to see the light but that's getting ahead of the story...   A wonderful film for our times when faith and hope is needed. 

'Brideshead Revisited' Review

Hayley Atwell as Julia Flyte and Matthew Goode as Charles Ryder with Ben Whishaw as Sebastian Flyte in the new Brideshead Revisited.  Watch the trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie-trailer-hub?movieId=29872&movieTitle=brideshead-revisited    The official site: http://www.bridesheadrevisited-themovie.com/

     It's been many years since I read Waugh's novel or seen the acclaimed miniseries that came out in 1981 so my memory is fuzzy about details.  This new version is being trashed for not be faithful to the novel (changes & elimination of characters) but it has its admirers for its acting and scenery.  There's always dangers in adapting a novel or play and it's unfair to compare a two hour +  movie to a twelve hour minseries that can include every detail. Eliminating characters and subplots can be forgiven but when the theme or message is changed, that comes close to heresy.

    What has angered readers and reviewers is that of the protagonist, Charles Ryder, as one reviewer states: "The screenwriters, Andrew Davies and Jeremy Brock, took many liberties with the book, altering not only plot points but also the main thrust of Charles’s spiritual journey: instead of turning from an agnostic into a Catholic, he starts out an atheist and, seemingly, remains one. This change lends nothing to the film, a torpid version of a classic that is ultimately and unjustly devoid of passion." 

    OK it's safe to say if you haven't read the book or seen the minseries, you might enjoy this movie as an ornate episode of PBS's Masterpiece Theater or a darker version of Atonement. Performances are very good and the music and photography cast a mesmerizing languid spell.  Emma Thompson and Michael Gambon are superb as the estranged parents of Sebastian and Julia Flyte (Ben Wishaw and Hayley Atwell also very good).  As for our hero played by Matthew Goode, another critic lamented: "The role calls for a mix of diffidence and magnetism — Charles is a shy, stoical seducer — but Mr. Goode shows all the charisma of a stalk of boiled asparagus molded into the likeness of Jeremy Irons (TV's Ryder). The film can’t explain why Julia or Sebastian would conceive a risky, tempestuous passion for Charles other than that Waugh seemed to think they might." I wouldn't go that far but I see the reviewer's point...

     For those who are fond of the miniseries, here's an article about it: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/arts/television/24brid.html?_r=1&ref=movies&oref=slogin

 

 

Emma Thompson as Lady Marchmain

'Swing Vote' Review

Kevin Costner and Madeline Carroll play working-class father and daughter in Joshua Michael Stern’s film.  Watch the trailer: http://swingvote.movies.go.com/?CMP=KNC-svgtitle&HBX_PK=swing%20vote%20movie&HBX_OU=50

    I was a bit disappointed in this movie but maybe it's because I was expecting something different.  The previews led me to believe it was more of a comedy. Swing Vote proved to be more serious than funny although it could have used more laughs. The pacing could have been tightened as the political scenes seem to go on too long or repetitious .  I'm not saying I didn't like it or not recommend it. The father-daughter scenes are the best part, including a heart-breaking one where daughter and mother meet after many years, each expecting more than what they want. 

      Kevin Costner plays a ne'er-do-well but likable single father of an adolescent daughter wiser beyond her age. He slides easily into his role but it's newcomer Madeline Carroll who almost steals the movie from the seasoned cast.  When it's learned that he must cast the deciding vote in the Presidential  election, their lives become a media circus and pawns for the press and politicians. Kelsey Grammar makes a good incumbent President but Dennis Hoppers lacks bite as his opponent and is better off playing villains.  When his wife slaps him for lowering his standards, you almost think it's for being in a role unsuited for him. I kept waiting for Nathan Lane to be funny but that's due to my expectation.  The political trickery should be dirtier in this movie and provide more laughs. More satire is called for but perhaps the filmmakers wanted to avoid it and concentrate on the plight of the working class and those without jobs.

   Swing Vote ends on an uplifting note as Coster redeems himself and makes a moving speech how he squandered his life and should be thinking of others who are worse off than him. This movie is not doing well at the box office but it's a pleasant two hours.