'Robin Hood' Review

Russell Crowe and Kevin Durand in Robin Hood, directed by Ridley Scott. Watch the preview: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/robin-hood/33539/main

I doubt there is anyone who doesn't like the 1938 version of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland looking their best filmed in glorious Technicolor. How could you not enjoy hissing at the nasty villains Basil Rathbone & Claude Rains? And lets not forget those spectacular fights and acrobatics aided by a stirring music score. All other versions of the Robin Hood myth pale in comparison. So now we have director Ridley Scott's big blockbuster and it doesn't disappoint.
>>Scott is known for his visual strength with classics like the first Alien and look how Blade Runner has influenced the production design of many futuristic sci-fi films. Scott's Kingdom of Heaven about the Crusades was good but not a big hit but making it gave him the experience for directing another medieval story that involves the same time period.
>>So how does his Robin Hood differ from the rest? Actually it's more a prequel to the familiar myth we know by heart. Here a band of Crusaders lead by an archer named Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) pose as messengers returning to England with the crown of the dead King Richard the Lionhearted. Robin steals the sword of the dead Sir Robert of Loxley and passes himself off as the late knight. Loxley's widow Marion played by a feisty Cate Blanchette allows him and his friends to keep up the pretense since there never was any real love between her and her husband and she needs their help running the estate. She's good in these strong lonely women roles; catch her in a similar role in the underrated western The Missing with Tommy Jones. Watch for the wonderful Eileen Atkins as the crafty Eleanor of Aquitaine, the mother of both kings and a real scene stealer without chewing up the scenery and her fellow actors. Kevin Durand as Little John and Scott Grimes of TV's ER as Will Scarlet offer comic relief as some of the later named Merry Men.
>>Meanwhile the new vain King John (Oscar Isaac) raise taxes and squeezes his subjects since the Crusades have bankrupted the country. There's also treachery as the heavy Sir Godfrey sides with the King of France to invade the weakened country. Godfrey is played with high caliber scowling evil by Mark Strong who easily filled these roles in Sherlock Holmes, Stardust, and to a lesser degree in Young Victoria. It's up to Robin to save to the country and Cate's estate from the tax collectors. Crowe's performance never overshadows the scope of the film or his fellow actors in a scene. Obvious comparisons will be made to Gladiator but that's not a bad thing...
>>There's plenty of action and big battle scenes that need to be seen on the big screen as well as the period sets and costumes. The story unfolds slowly over two hours as takes its time for us to savor the visual details. We weren't bored and don't let some negative reviews hamper your enjoyment. This film is really about how Robin Hood became the legend and cries out for a sequel. Because of the under whelming box office return for a picture that cost almost $200 million to make (and yes the money is up there on the screen), it will probably break even due to worldwide sales. I don't expect to see a sequel soon..... if ever.

'Clash of The Titans' Review

Sam Worthington as Perseus. Watch the preview: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/clash-of-the-titans/36930/main

I have fond memories of the '81 version. Although the special effects might look dated by today's standards, to me the best part of the movie was the fun watching Sir Lawrence Olivier as a crafty Zeus toying with the lives of mortals while protecting his half-human son Perseus played by Harry Hamlin (who went on to star in TV's LA Law) and outwitting his fellow and notable Olympians including Claire Bloom as Hera, Maggie Smith as Thetis, and Ursula Andress as Aphrodite. And who could forget Ray Harryhausen's wonderful stop-motion animated creatures. This was his final film and his Medusa was the crowning achievement in a long career including The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and Jason & The Argonauts. Watch the preview: http://www.videodetective.com/movie_trailer/CLASH_OF_THE_TITANS/movie_clip/P00183052.htm
>>The previews for this new version prepared us for a high tech extravaganza filmed in 3-D. There were a few story changes. I guess Anthony Hopkins or Ian McKellen were busy so Liam Neeson was hired to play a dour Zeus who's upset because the mortals below don't respect the gods and need to be taught a lesson. He does well enough but he doesn't have the charm or humor of Olivier's old rascal. Instead of plotting against his goddesses, this Zeus is pitted again his brother Hades played by a mannered Ralph Fiennes who seeks revenge for being banished to the Underworld. The rest of the gods seem to be window dressing as they take a back seat to the feuding brothers. Avatar's Sam Worthington replaces Hamlin minus his flowing locks. In a interview Worthington said the filmmakers deliberately avoided the earlier hairy look. This Perseus is rather sullen and hates the gods who killed his adopted family. He refuses his father's help and offer to become a god in Olympus. He has no time for a story book romance with the Princess of Argos whose peril forces him to save her and her city from Hades's wrath.
>>The same creatures (and some new ones) from the first film are here but are computer generated to have more movement and the film's bigger budget allows for more spectacle. The film was converted into 3-D and really doesn't add a lot to the visuals. It's like watching through a Viewmaster but with movement. A throbbing music score accompanies the action. If you like these sword & sandal fantasies, you should enjoy this one. The reviews have been mostly negative but this Clash is a big hit. It's nowhere as bad as they said.

'The White Ribbon' Review & Portsmouth NH

Watch the preview: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-white-ribbon/38469/main?icid=movsmartsearch

It's been almost six months from our last trip to Portsmouth NH. We needed a good reason for another jaunt so we checked the schedule at The Music Hall for April. Michael Haneke's acclaimed German film The White Ribbon was playing the Sunday after Easter Sunday. An added reason was that our favorite inn downtown, which is a quick walk to the theater and our frequented stores, had an off-season rate that was almost half of the highest/summer price. So we made reservations and departed at 7:00AM. Before we left town, we stopped to get the newspapers to read in the room (Sunday is not Sunday without my NY Times), and coffee for the ride.
>>The drive was uneventful and relaxing. Instead of going directly into Portsmouth, we took the route through Seabrook and the Hamptons so we could eat at our favorite Breakfast place in Hampton and hit certain stores. At a small book store I traded in a bag of audio books on CD for a book about the rock group Cream and Martha got the Shutter Island paperback since we saw the movie. We stopped at Dress Barn to get Mom a belated 92nd birthday gift (the store has a large selection of petite sizes for Mom & Martha; I sat in the car reading the papers). The weather was sunny and at 70 degrees.
>>We got to the Sise Inn http://www.siseinn.com/index.html about 12:15PM but it was too early to check in. So we parked there and walked downtown for some serious shopping. I carried two bags of DVDs & CDs to trade in at my favorite shop, Bull Moose Music. I got $95 of store credit and browsed for two hours. I found almost everything on my short wish list and a few surprises: 1. A Criterion edition of A Christmas Tale, an acclaimed recent French film about a dysfunctional family's reunion: this film was on the top of my list. 2, A double CD of Joan Armatrading's hits (She's playing in Portsmouth in July so there's another trip planned.) 3. A DVD Armatrading concert 4. The Essential Philip Glass CD -used. 5. a Robyn Hitchcock CD/DVD concert. 6. A used DVD documentary about Roman Polanski. 7. A used DVD documentary about Robert Evans, a film producer. 8. A DVD called Gods & Monsters with Ian McKellen playing James Whale who directed the first two Frankenstein movies. All good prices and I still have $7 of credit left for another visit.
>>Martha met me at 2:15 after her shopping and we checked in at the Inn. We unpacked and rested until it was time to go to the theater to catch the movie's 3:30 showing instead of going to the 7:00 one. There's a nearby cafe/bakery that has a special offer: two movie tickets & $29 worth of food for $40. http://www.popoversonthesquare.com/menu/bakery.html
>>The White Ribbon was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar and rightly so. The story takes place in a German village before the outbreak of WWI. This seemingly peaceful town becomes riddled with strange occurrences. A doctor is injured when his horse is tripped by a hidden wire. The Baron's son is kidnapped and beaten. The doctor's son who's mentally challenged is almost blinded. Other acts of cruelty involve animals but in both cases, we only see the aftermath of the violence. It's enough to keep you thinking about the reasons for them. Why are certain people chosen?
>>On the surface the adults and children seem respectable but the young school teacher has his suspicions as to who is causing the incidents and confronts the pastor (who doesn't practice what he preaches) for answers. The movie slowly unwinds for almost two & a half hours as incidents keep you offguard. It was filmed in color that was desaturated to achieve an eerie effect like looking at old photographs or a silent movie with sound. There's no movie score except for people singing and playing instruments. All this created an unsettling effect as you begin to question each character. A remarkable film worth seeing again. Imagine Village of the Damned without the sci-fi but that's not really accurate. It's creepy in a different way that sneaks up on you. Some reviewers have noted that the film shows how these people could later evolve into Nazis and I can see that here.... Here's a good article about the director and his film:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/movies/01klaw.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=the%20white%20ribbon&st=cse

>>When Martha first heard about this film, she didn't want to see it because she read about violence done to children & animals. The violence is not explicit except in a few brief scenes and she couldn't stop talking about the movie for days. One of the ushers talked to us about it giving her own theory about the plot. We went to the cafe for a light dinner capped off with Indian Pudding with a dollop of vanilla ice cream (a New England treat) and returned to our comfy room to later watch Celebrity Apprentice.
>>After a deluxe continental breakfast buffet (included) downstairs in the Inn, we checked out and drove to the nearby mall to the big Barnes & Noble. I'm happy I bought my items downtown because the French film DVD and the Armatrading CD were $10 more at B & N. I bought an audio book and Martha bought two books. We browsed in a few other stores and at Ocean State Job Lot I found the DVD for Starting Out In The Evening for $2! I reviewed the movie in an earlier entry. We headed to Al's Seafood in NorthHampton for twin lobster dinners (two one-pounders, great fries, and coleslaw for $19.95 - a real deal.)
>>A few months ago we heard about a fire on the boardwalk at nearby Hampton Beach http://www.hamptonbeach.com/ so we wanted to see the damage. The sunny, breezy beach had a few kite flyers and the waves were pounding the sand. We walked to where there was a block containing a favorite gift shop but all that was destroyed and in the process of being knocked down behind a fence. We headed for home after spending two relaxing days and less money than usual.

'A Prophet' Review

Tahar Rahim and Niels Arestrup in A Prophet. Watch the preview: http://www.sonyclassics.com/aprophet/

OK OK I saw another foreign film. I love foreign films and it's my blog sooooo..... No this one isn't a religious film; the title is explained during it. A Prophet has won many awards and rave reviews, and you should not miss it. This acclaimed French prison saga is gritty, brutal, and will keep you glued to your seat: The Mrs. was reluctant to see it but later admitted it was very good. Besides that she speaks French fluently and appreciated it more than me.

>>Malik (Tahar Rahim), a young man of Arab descent, is sentenced to six years in prison. He wants to survive by following the rules but he soon quickly learns that's not the case when Cesar Luciani, the Corsican crime boss, takes an interest in him. The 'godfather' makes him an offer he can't refuse: It's 'kill or be killed.' If Malik doesn't kill an sequestered informer about to testify in a trial, Malik will be disposed of by Cesar's henchmen who protect their boss. Although Cesar is a fellow prisoner, he also controls guards and lawyers outside of prison who fear his all reaching power. Niels Arestrup gives a frightening performance as Cesar who takes a 'fatherly' interest in Malik by fostering his criminal education but he can change instantly into a vicious monster when he feels disobeyed or threatened.

>>Malik is a quick learner who caters to Cesar's whims but has an agenda of his own. He wants to be his own boss and make the evil system work for himself. When Cesar arranges for Malik to run errands when he's allowed one day a week out of prison to work, Malik uses the time to run his own drug deals. He's playing a dangerous game by pretending to show his jailers he's obeying their rules and to make Cesar think he's working exclusively for him. Can he ever break free of Cesar's stranglehold? How long can he keep up this deadly game is what propels the story.

>>Fans of the Corleones, Scarface, and other gangsters will be won over by this powerful film if they get over reading subtitles.There's lots of violence and murders but the camera never dwells on it, only enough to get its point and jolt you. Actually the story has a happy ending. A Prophet is about two & a half hours and you won't want to miss a minute of it. See for yourself...

'Alice In Wonderland' Review

Johnny Depp, Mia Kasikowska, and Anne Hathaway in Tim Burton's Alice. Watch the preview:
http://www.moviefone.com/movie/alice-in-wonderland/33073/main

There's been several film & TV versions of the Lewis Carroll classic. I don't have a favorite one and I doubt this version will be it. This is not to say Tim Burton's adaptation is bad. Actually it's pretty good if you're not expecting it to be faithful to the book. It's also pretty good as a movie on its own and a treat for the eyes. Alice was originally shot in 2-D and converted to 3-D. Not filming it in 3-D like Avatar was probably a good idea because the special effects here are minimal and don't distract from the glorious costumes and sets. There's enough depth of vision in most scenes to satisfy anyone's craving for 3-D. If you remember owning a Viewmaster as a kid and were amazed by its optical effect, the visuals here will bring back pleasant memories.

>>Since Johnny Depp is the star with above the title billing, his character is built up to give equal time to Alice played by Mia Wasikowska who reminds me of a younger Uma Thurman. In this version she's older but that's explained later and the plot also works in the Jabberwocky from another Carroll work. As one reviewer explained, if children are going to use the movie as the basis for a book report instead of reading it, they should expect a failing grade. The story has a feminist slant but that shouldn't bother the guys.
>>Depp is as good as usual and the rest of the actors follow his lead in keeping with the story book/fairy tale quality of the film. Helena Bonham Carter as the evil Red Queen is marvelous too. Her every explosive gesture and expression is just right as the counterpoint to Anne Hathaway's cool White Queen. Danny Elfman, Burton's usual composer, offers the proper music for this kind of movie. You'll marvel at the floating antics of the Cheshire Cat voiced by Stephen Fry and you'll easily recognize Alan Rickman from the Harry Potter films as the Caterpillar.

>>This delightful movie is a monster hit that exceeded the filmmakers' expectations. No matter your age and even if you don't care for this kind of movie, you will be soon won over by its charm, sense of wonder, and humor.

'The Ghost Writer' Review

Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer, directed by Roman Polanski. Watch the preview: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-ghost-writer/32030/main

Roman Polanski is still in the news with his ongoing legal troubles. We forget that he is a gifted film-maker. Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby are classics of their genre and still worth repeated viewings. Since his flight to Europe in 1977 to escape sentencing from morals charges, his output has been erratic. Without the American studio system that fostered these two films, he's been forced to work with lesser support although actors like Harrison Ford and Johnny Depp crossed the Atlantic to work with him with mixed results in Frantic (Ford) and The Ninth Gate (Depp). His version of Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles (shortened to Tess since most people have trouble pronouncing or spelling the novel's title), which I haven't seen since its release in 1979, is a good costume pic filmed in France substituting for England. Memories from his childhood escape from the Nazis helped with directing 2002's Holocaust drama, The Pianist, and earned him a Best Director Oscar. Like Woody Allen whose questionable morals made him scorned by many for falling in love with Mia Farrow's (his live-in lover) adopted daughter, Hollywood does forgive or ignore biography and recognizes talent with awards.

>>Polanski's new film is a political thriller that's been getting good reviews. Ewan MacGregor plays a writer coerced into helping a former prime minister (Pierce Brosnan) finish writing his memoirs after his ghost writer's body is found washed up on a beach. When certain facts about his subject's college days contradict those in a secret file hidden by his predecessor are found in his room sparks his curiosity, he begins to question the circumstances of his predeceasor's death. Besides dealing with his arrogant subject who's also facing war crimes charges and his shrewish, controlling wife (Olivia Williams), our writer begins on a dangerous path to seek the truth which might be hidden in the uncompleted manuscript. He's also not discreet as he blabs too much to Brosnan's enemies who feed his hunger for more evidence. He's way in over his head but too naive to know it.

>>This film is slow moving as builds up in suspense. You need to pay attention to the details that finally make sense at the conclusion. Good performances by all.

'Shutter Island' Review

Mark Ruffalo and Leonardo DiCaprio in Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese. Watch the preview: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/shutter-island/31787/main

This is the fourth collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio. The preview says it all and to say more about the plot will be a spoiler. All I'll say is that I preferred a different ending but this one was dictated by the logic of the story. The movie is well done but was a downer for me. See for yourself.
>>DiCaprio is becoming a fine actor who chooses his projects well and works with good directors and never draws attention to himself by overshadowing his fellow actors. He's very good here stretching himself in this difficult role. Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow add the right sense of menace to the eerie doings while the other actors are more than capable rounding out the story.
>>Scorsese again proves why he's one of our best directors although here he's a bit hampered by the plot but compensates by using every possible trick to round out this intricate detective thriller. Good music and sound effects heighten the suspense and atmosphere. Pay close attention to the last fifteen minutes where everything is explained and if the conclusion satisfies you.