'Limitless' reviewed

Bradley Cooper in Limitless. Watch the preview: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/limitless/1394087/main?icid=mfm_poster

Seeing the preview in the theater attracted us to Limitless. I enjoyed this fast paced thriller. The story is certainly farfetched but it moves so quickly leaving you no time to ponder over its logic and message.

Bradley Cooper who's becoming a major leading man since the unexpected runaway success of The Hangover stars as a would be writer suffering from writer's bloc. The bill collectors are one step away and nothing he does gets him ahead. One day he meets his ex brother-in-law who offers him a pill that will change his life. His mental ability increases at a staggering rate with each dose, demonstrated by neat visual effects. He speedily finishes his novel in four days and develops other abilities like learning languages, playing music, and making financial killings that attract the attention of an arrogant Wall St. mogul played by Robert De Niro who brings him onto his team. His girlfriend who dumped him takes him back and now he's got the whole world waiting for his taking.

Cooper needs more pills not only to expand his mental powers but also to keep them, and there's the danger. Meanwhile he's pursued by a mysterious stranger and a brutal European loan shark who wants his pills, both men creating problems on his way to the top. Toss in an accusation of murder and the complications keep piling up as fast as the plot races.

Cooper's performance and narration hold the fantastic plot together. De Niro gives his usual good performance that steals almost every one of his scenes and has the best lines in the film spouting seasoned advice to his young novice.

This thriller also presents a halfhearted warning about the dangers of addiction as we learn the fate of others who depended on the drug. Will Cooper succumb to its lethal attraction or can he control it? Only the ending lets us know and what an ending! See if you think it's believable.... but remember, it's only a movie and good escapism fueled by wish fulfullment. Ah but if only there was such a drug......

'Unknown' reviewed

From left, January Jones, Aidan Quinn, Rainer Bock and Liam Neeson in Unknown. Watch the preview: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/unknown/10018662/main

We enjoyed this action thriller loaded with plenty of twists & turns to keep you guessing until the end. Liam Neeson plays a scientist traveling with his wife (January Jones) to a seminar in Berlin. He loses his briefcase at the airport and before checking into their hotel, he hops in a cab to retrieve it. An accident leaves him comatose for four days and his doctor warns him of possible memory loss. When he returns to the hotel, his wife says she doesn't know him and he has no papers on him to prove his identity. She introduces him to a man (Aidan Quinn) who claims to be her husband and has Neeson removed.
>>Nobody believes him as even his photo is changed to Quinn's on his internet biography so he begins to seek anyone who can verify his identity, starting with the cabbie (Diane Kruger) who abandoned him when they crashed into a river. Eventually he convinces her he's telling the truth and she decides to help him. A sympathetic nurse leads him to a former Stasi agent (the always wonderful Bruno Ganz) who is hired to investigate and gets in too deep in solving the mystery. Meanwhile he's constantly followed by killers who want him permanently silenced.
>>You have to pay attention to the plot as it moves fast while you learn the truth about Neeson's identity. I liked the way the story ends and I will admit it fooled me as well as the audience. There's plenty of well spaced car chases & accidents and one-on-one fights that propel the plot along. It takes a while for Neeson to realize who is telling the truth and that's what keeps us on our toes. If you like these kind of puzzle mysteries, this one's for you. Keep in mind that everyone here is not who they seem to be...

Colin Firth & Helena Bonham Carter as the real royal couple (shown here) in the acclaimed The King's Speech

It's been a while since I wrote an entry. I finally recovered from a lingering sinus infection that's left me tired and still playing hell with my allergy and asthma. At night I'm usually watching DVDs and reading about films, and I haven't had the creative spark to write about films. I have seen several Oscar contenders and will offer my thoughts about the winners & losers after the ceremony. I never miss the broadcast which is tomorrow night.

Here's a few quickies about what I've seen in theaters. Watch the previews.

True Grit.
http://www.moviefone.com/movie/true-grit/1430122/main

Very good period piece with marvelous performances. It will make you forget the John Wayne version as the new one is closer to the novel as I've been told. Jeff Bridges tosses off those humorous one liners better than anyone else. Matt Damon holds his own with retorts against Bridges in their friendly rivalry in tracking the villain. Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as the cool & confident young girl who joins them in her quest to find her father's killer might earn a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Black Swan

http://www.moviefone.com/movie/black-swan/1441150/main

A disturbing picture not for the squeamish. It's about ballet but don't expect The Red Shoes or The Turning Point except for a superficial comparison. Young ballerina goes bonkers in her quest for perfection. You 'ld go nuts too if you had her possessive mother, a manipulative instructor, and jealous rivals, real or imaginary besides being under the pressure of rehearsing and performing the lead role in probably the world's most famous ballet. Natalie Portman might earn the Best Actress Oscar and deservedly so for her preparation for the role and she's onscreen for almost the entire film. The rest of the cast deserves praise. Here's a good article about Portman's role:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/movies/awardsseason/02scot.html?scp=45&sq=black+swan&st=nyt

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-voyage-of/30385/main

More of the same in the series but this time in 3-D which was minimal/hardly noticeable. I'm guessing the film was later converted to 3-D for extra box office appeal. One good plot element: A bratty cousin learns compassion & humility the hard way.


The Tourist

http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-tourist/30768/main

An expensive-looking but limp thriller with Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, and other good actors. The plot is incredulous and at one point I yelled out: "Aww come on!" at Depp's unbelievable escape from inside a van. The film has nice European scenery and Jolie looking her classy best in gowns & jewels. Depp looks like he's sleepwalking through his role. A big disappointment that got bad reviews and small box office returns, considering the huge salaries for the two leads and the cheaper but first rate cast including Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Rufus Sewell, and Steven Berkoff as the nasty villain. The Mrs liked it more than me.

The King's Speech http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-kings-speech/10034251/main


The best film of the bunch and should earn Oscars in several categories. There's been articles about the film being not entirely historically accurate in favor of dramatic license but it doesn't matter. You will enjoy every minute of this inspirational story about overcoming adversity. Colin Firth should win the Best Actor Oscar as the stuttering king and Geoffrey Rush deserves the Best Supporting one as his irreverent teacher but Christian Bale is predicted as the winner for The Fighter. Helena Bonham Carter, who gets better with every role, should not be underestimated as Firth's understanding royal wife. She's nominated for a Supporting award. Every performance is a winner.

'Vision' reviewed

Barbara Sukowa as Hildegard von Bingen, with Heino Ferch, in the historical film Vision.

>>>>>It's been a while since I felt up to writing. I've been suffering with a sinus infection for seven weeks. Besides having a runny nose, it's played hell with my seasonal allergy, which should have been over by now, and it also triggered my dormant asthma. The first two meds didn't work so this week I'm on three meds that are kicking ass. I'm seeing an improvement every day so wish me luck. I want to enjoy the holidays while I'm off from work.
>>As far as the arts, I've seen two movies in the theater. Meanwhile I keep buying DVDs faster than I can watch them. I only get them if there's a good sale. I do trade in most of them when we go to Portsmouth. My rule is: It doesn't matter if the movie was good or bad, it's will I watch it again? If the answer is no, then it's adios. I've already started a bag for our next trip which will probably be in the spring since our winter weather is unpredictable.
>>If you go to Barnes & Noble, check out their Criterion section. These editions of classic and foreign films ( and recent films too) are for serious film buffs who want the 'scholarly' commentaries and supplements. B&N finished their half priced Criterion sale and I bought a lot of them since their regular prices are $30 - 80. To me they are worth every penny. I have a few still coming in the mail. Check out Criterion's website. I've made some comments there under John C.
http://www.criterion.com/

>>I saw the new Harry Potter which was good but more of the same and bigger in scope. The second half will be released in the spring. All these Potter movies blur together in my mind as I can't tell you which one was which.
>> An outstanding film was Vision, a German film about Hildegard Von Bingen, a twelve century German nun who was a mystic, a composer, an author, and an amazing person in general. Read about her life and watch the trailer here: http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/vision/
>>This is another of those historical films that make you feel you're living alongside the characters. They lived in harsh times governed by their religious leaders as well as their secular ones. Headstrong and determined to follow her divine path, Hildegard learned to play by society's rules and bend a few in getting her way. My wife has read some of her works

including those on medicine and science, and we have CDs of her music.

>>Again don't be scared off by reading subtitles. We're waiting for the DVD as this film is worth revisiting. This is an important work about the struggles of following your faith and placing your fate in the hands of God. Barbara Sukowa, who's not well known in this country but has done memorable work in Europe, delivers an austere but powerful performance. Although the film may seem slow moving, this pacing is needed to savor every bit of decor, costumes, music, and debates among Hildegard's allies and opponents.

'The Concert' Reviewed

Alexei Guskov and Mélanie Laurent in The Concert, a comedy about an orchestra that reassembles for a performance. Watch the preview: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-concert/51102/main

Last Sunday (11/14) we drove up to Portsmouth NH for our last trip of the year. I've been suffering for almost a month with what I thought was a lingering head cold. My wife wasn't sure if I was fit for the trip but as she said, I would go to Portsmouth if I was on my deathbed. I'm on my second medication (the first antibiotic did nothing) for what appears to be a stubborn sinus infection. My nose kept running and I wasn't sure if I had the flu or a bad reaction from the recent flu shot. Since my wife & son didn't catch my malady, that ruled out having a cold or a contagious condition. So far the new medication seems to being working to dry me up. It's been a slowwww process but I'm improving.....
>>We did our usuals in Portsmouth and stayed downtown at our favorite inn. The off season greatly reduced rates is a plus. At my favorite store Bull Moose Music, I traded in three bags of CDs & DVDs to get $155 in store credit. I used most of it on new purchases and still have some left for the next trip which will probably be in April. It's hard to plan winter trips because of the weather.
>>Seeing a foreign film was the excuse for our trip.... as if we needed one. The Concert is about a Russian orchestra conductor who was banned from his job during the Brezhnev years for defending Jewish musicians and now works as a janitor in the same place, the Bolshoi Orchestra. When he intercepts a fax requesting.... damn I'm too tired and congested to write a plot summary so here's the one from Wikipedia: "A former world-famous conductor of the Bolshoï orchestra, known as "The Maëstro", Andreï Filipov had seen his career publicly broken by Brezhnev and now works cleaning the concert hall where he once directed. One day, he intercepts an official invitation from the prestigious Théâtre du Châtelet. Through a series of mad antics, he reunites his old orchestra, and flies to perform in Paris and complete the Tchaikovsky concerto interrupted 30 years earlier. For the concerto, he engages a young violin soloist with whom he has an unexpected connection."
>>Much of the humor evolves from the Russians speaking fractured French and enjoying themselves in Paris, perhaps too much as you would expect after living in their drab homeland and now tasting freedom. There's topical issues about the changing political scene and the new Russian millionaires who can buy everything, including one who thinks he's a good musician and buys a seat in the orchestra by financing their trip. The 'connection' between Andrei and the young violinist is revealed through his voiceover and flashbacks during their performance and it's not what you first think it is.
>>Besides you getting to hear the entire concerto played, the films ends on a happy note as it deserves. Even the Russian who banished Andrei has a change of heart and comes to everyone's aid to prevent a fiasco onstage. Besides the good performances from everyone who seem right due to proper casting, Melanie Laurent is appealing as the young violinist and I forgot she played the theater owner in Inglorious Basterds. Like that film, The Concert demonstrates the director's clever touch in mingling comedy, satire, and seriousness to the film's advantage and the audience's pleasure as everyone around us laughed in the right places and applauded at the end.

'RED' reviewed

From left, Bruce Willis, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren in RED. Watch the preview: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/red/10020540/main

It's been a while since I posted a new entry because I haven't seen any films in the theater since the previous posting. I've been watching a lot of DVDs that keep piling up due to good sales. I found a website that offers mostly old foreign films with low prices: http://germanwarfilms.com/index.htm The video & audio quality varies but at least I get to see classics and rare films that are sometimes not available anywhere. Like a 1935 German production of Joan of Arc. Check out my review, the second one, of Das Madchen Johanna on IMBd: http://www.imdb.com/
>>Also Barnes & Noble is currently having a half price Criterion sale so I've been stocking up on them. Maybe some day I'll post some reviews of worthwhile films.Next week we're off to Portsmouth NH for our last trip of the year and we'll see a French film which will be posted later.
>>I've been fighting a head cold for almost two weeks but I was well enough to catch last Sunday's matinee of RED. The previews promised an action comedy with good actors. Bruce Willis has grown in ability over the years. Although he made it big with the Die Hard franchise and other action films, he's not afraid to take small parts in small films that stretch his acting ability. I always knew he was going places since coming to attention in the TV series Moonlighting way back when and I plan to get the DVDs. He's a shrewd judge of picking parts in small films that get financed due to his box office clout.
>>RED is an acronym for 'Retired Extremely Dangerous.' Willis plays a retired CIA agent who becomes the target of a hit squad as well as others who were connected to a past event in South America discovered by an investigative reporter who was killed for her snooping. He enlists some former agents who help him crack the mystery.
>>And what a team of helpers. John Malkovich as a gun happy wacko.. a terminally ill Morgan Freeman who wants to go out in a blaze of glory... and the ladylike Helen Mirren who is another expert with weapons. Just watching her tote a gun is worth the price of admission. Their camaraderie after years of separation is one of the best parts of this film. Add scene stealer Brian Cox as a Russian agent who comes to their aid and you have quite a team of actors who never upstage each other. Everyone seems to understand the intent of the film as a nice combo of action and verbal & visual jokes.
>>Yeah Willis gets the crap kicked out of him in a fight with Karl Urban who played Dr. Spock in the recent Star Trek film. Damn I forgot that was him and he's good here too as their nemesis. Anyhow you know Willis always comes out the winner but this doesn't spoil your enjoyment. Throughout the story Willis uses persuasion as well as his deadly skills in assisting his friends and dispatching his enemies. He knows how to use one line zingers with good deadpan delivery.
>>If you enjoy Willis films and want to see him hold his own against some heavy hitters including Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine who's 93 (!!), this one's for you. This sly comedy interrupted by plenty of gunfire & explosions is droll enough to keep the story moving along at a nice pace and the audience laughed in the right places. There's a few surprises and plot twists that add to the fun and I should mention two romances, one old & one new, but I'll let you find out who they are. If anything you learn from this film is, retirement isn't what you think. There's still a lot of life left in these 'old' folks.

'Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky' reviewed

Mads Mikkelsen and Anna Mouglalis play the lead characters in Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky directed by Jan Kounen. Watch the preview: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/coco-chanel-and-igor-stravinsky/1435845/main

A few weeks ago we enjoyed another overnighter in Portsmouth NH. Our excuse for the getaway was to see this French film. We wanted to stay again at The Hampton Inn but the extra discount we used in July was not available. My wife mentioned we should inquire about the Comfort Inn where we stayed years ago and is located near downtown. This hotel had a much cheaper rate and we were not disappointed in the accommodations that included a free breakfast buffet. I enjoyed using the heated pool and Jacuzzi before we retired for the evening. When we checked out, we were given a 20% discount coupon with no expiration date for our next stay.
>>>We shopped before the seeing the Sunday 4:00PM matinee. I traded in two bags of CDs & DVDs at my favorite downtown store for $95 which was quickly used on items from my wish list. Bull Moose Music offers the best bargains on new & used merchandise. Their prices for Criterion DVDs are unbeatable and I found two I wanted and I had a tough time not buying more. The rest of the trip followed the routine mentioned in other blog entries.
>>>As for the French film, we were not disappointed too. Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky is a good companion piece or more like a sequel to Coco Before Chanel, an earlier blog entry, but made with different actors who are just as good as those in the first film. Even the previous film's handsome production is matched or surpassed here. It's too bad Audrey Tatou didn't reprise her role but Anna Mouglalis, an actress/model, is very good playing a not too much older Coco here who is more self-confident with her growing success.
>>>The story begins with the recreation (as we would imagine) of the disastrous 1913 premiere of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. The composer is ably played by Mads Mikkelsen who most people know as the villain in Casino Royale and a soldier (unrecognizable) in Clash Of The Titans. Mikkelsen is another actor who seems to melt into his roles. Coco, still mourning the loss of her tycoon lover, is in the audience observing the rioting ticket holders clashing with the ballet's defenders. A few years later she meets Igor who is down on his luck. She is attracted to his genius and offers to be his patron by letting him with his family live on her estate. Before you know it (as if their constant eyeballing wasn't a giveaway), the romantic sparks fly....
>>>The details of their portrayed affair is speculation so some artistic license is permitted. Their love scenes are displayed on the graphic, artsy side with various camera angles & movements. Mrs. Stravinsky is aware of their coupling that her husband won't confirm or deny and wants him and their children to leave Coco's generosity or captivity, depending on how you look at it. Their affair ends when Igor makes a callous remark comparing their talents, too good to be repeated here and spoil it for you. The rest of the story shows their slow departing and later life. Some reviewers thought the film lost steam here but we disagree. There's always interesting visuals to keep you from being bored.
>>>During the story we see enough depiction of their creative processes. Showing a composer at work is usually lackluster but Igor dabbling at the piano searching for the correct notes surrounded by luxury is contrasted with Coco's pragmatic working methods. She's always in control and her body language speaks volumes. I said it before and I'll say it again: The French know how to make the best costume/period films so rich with details where you believe history is living & breathing before your eyes and never dull. And all the performances here are convincing and rewarding.

>>>The preview here shows what to expect in the story's lavish recreation of a bygone era and seeing the film on the big screen was worth a trip up north. Call this one Clash Of The Titans 2 starring two giants with egos & temperments to match, one from the world of fashion and the other of music.