National Treasure: Book of Secrets

*** (3 stars)

National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
Genre: Adventure/Mystery
124 minutes - PG rating
Director: John Turteltaub
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren, Ed Harris, and Harvey Keitel

Brief Plot: A missing page from the diary of John Wilkes Booth reveals that the great grandfather of Ben Gates (Cage) could have been a conspirator in the murder of Abraham Lincoln. Ben attempts to prove the innocence of his family's name by finding the truth in the presidential Book of Secrets and discovering a priceless treasure?

Best Audience: Anyone who enjoyed the first National Treasure movie should like Book of Secrets and be entertained by it. The movie could still be entertaining if you haven't watched the first film, but I wouldn't recommend it. The movie is suitable for many younger audiences as well. It's a fairly light movie that isn't as complicated as the original movie, so I think this movie could be a good choice for a fairly wide demographic.

My Review: I generally enjoyed the first National Treasure movie. The second installment was somewhat weaker in my opinion. Nicolas Cage is inconsistent in his acting and I only like him in a handful of movies. His performance was worse in this film than the previous. Also Jon Voight just seemed a little stretched and out of character. The plot isn't quite as clever as the first film, and there were a few things about the movie that I disliked. First, there was a clear absense of law enforcement thoughout the movie. The protagonists are able to get through a gunfight and some car-chasing mayhem in Europe without anyone being arrested, they can prance and climb around near Mt. Rushmore without any problems. Second, Gates is able to 'kidnap' the president without any difficulty or being caught. He is able to escape the library of congress without being captured, get into the oval office, etc. It's just all too easy and it doesn't look difficult enough. I really was sadly unimpressed with Ed Harris in this movie too. The movie had pretty good entertainment value and I still had fun watching it, but it just came up a little short for me. It's a good rent, but not a movie I'll be interested in purchasing. The good thing is that it's probably a movie that most of the family can enjoy.

Atonement

**** (4 stars)

Atonement (2007)
Genre: Drama
130 minutes - R rating
Director: Joe Wright
Starring: Kiera Knightly, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan

Brief Plot: "A British romance that spans several decades. Fledgling writer Briony Tallis (Ronan), as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit." - Focus Features

Best Audience: Atonement is rated R but isn't as objectionable as it could be. A fairly restrained sex scene and the inference of a rape, along with a few instances of profanity and crude language and some scenes with war carnage give it the R rating. It is a film that draws from its sentimentality and at the core it is a love story. Even so, I think that most people can appreciate and enjoy the film because it is such a good period piece. It is a great choice for a date movie.

My Review: I had really high hopes for Atonement and the combination of director Joe Wright with Kiera Knightly starring (they also teamed up in Pride and Prejudice) turned out to work again. Additionally, Wright brought back Italian composer Dario Marianelli for Atonement and the result shows - the beautiful and pertinent score is one of the strongest points of the film. Atonement was based on Ian McEwan novel of the same name. The movie begins in pre-WWII Europe and spans into the middle of the war. The acting was sound and the best performances were by Knightly, McAvoy, and young Saoirse Ronan. Ronan was the only one of the three to receive an oscar nomination, but I think the best performance was by McAvoy, who is really a name to watch for in the future. I have to admit I was slightly let down by the story, I don't know why, but there is enough in this movie that still made me enjoy it quite a lot. Wright employed a few cinematography styles that were very interesting: in one long panning shot he followed McAvoy's character through the entire beach scene at Dunkirk England after the famous Dunkirk retreat of WWII. The shot had to last at least two minutes but it was really quite captivating. As I previously mentioned the score was also very powerful and really helped the movie. All in all, Atonement is a well-made movie that should provide an enjoyable viewing.

Eastern Promises

**** (4 stars)

Eastern Promises (2007)
Genre: Crime/Drama
100 minutes - R rating
Director: David Cronenberg
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl

Brief Plot: Anna (Watts) is a midwife in a London hospital when a young woman arrives in labor one day then dies after the childbirth. The woman leaves only a baby and a diary written in Russian behind. Anna takes the diary hoping to find answers. When Semyon (Mueller-Stahl), owner of a local Trans-Siberian resteraunt agrees to help her translate the diary, Anna has no idea that she is crossing ground with one of the Vory V Zakone's Russian crime families. The diary contains evidence incriminating Semyon's son Kirill (Cassel) of crimes. Viggo Mortensen is Nikolai, who is "just the driver" for the crime family and holds many dark secrets. What will happen as more of the diary and the characters is brought into the light?

Best Audience: Eastern Promises is directed by David Cronenberg who has a very unique style. Cronenberg is known for his extremely graphic violence, and Eastern Promises is no exception. In addition the film contains a fairly graphic sexual scene with upper female nudity. Also the most famous scene in the movie involves a very violent fight in a bathhouse in which Mortensen is completely nude which is noticeable in a few fleeting shots. There is also a regular amount of profanity. If none of these things turn you away and you enjoy good storytelling, great acting, and gangster movies, you should fit right in.

My Review: Eastern Promises is another triumph for David Cronenberg. Teaming up again with his A History of Violence lead man Viggo Mortensen Cronenberg delivers a dark and thrilling piece of work. Mortensen (who fully deserves the Oscar nomination he received for his role) is the best part of the movie and both his believable Russian accent and his brilliant portayal of Nikolai are the highlight of the film. Watts, Cassel and Meuller-Stahl all hand in good performances and Howard Shore's score is excellent. I personally find Cronenberg's action and style very thrilling and artful but others may be turned away by the vivid and detailed violence. He really pushes the limit. As far as the bathhouse fight, I guarantee it will leave you speechless. Eastern Promises is well made and well-performed, so I believe it deserves four stars. It is certainly not a movie that appeals to a wide demographic, but Cronenberg will continue to stick to his style, whether you love or hate it.

New Stuff

Hey, I added a poll to the site (Please Vote!) and also a links list, so check that out. I'll continue later this week with a review of Oscar-nominated film "Eastern Promises" and maybe "Atonement" or "Sweeney Todd". Stay Posted!

Juno

**** (Four stars)

Juno (2007)
Genre: Comedy/Drama
96 minutes - PG13 rating
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Olivia Thirlby, and Rainn Wilson

Brief Plot: Juno MacGuff (Page) is pregnant! Only 16, Juno struggles with her dilemnna and ultimately makes decisions, grows up, and matures. Garner and Bateman star as a couple wishing to adopt who have struggles of their own.

Best Audience: This comedy deals with more serious content so I wouldn't recommend it as a comedy for your tween daughter's sleepover, but many high-school aged kids can relate to the struggles of being a kid in an adult world and the movie is mostly clear of objectionable content. A good date movie, but not a movie just for couples, most anyone should be able to enjoy this movie.

My Review: Juno was recently treated well at the Academy Award nominations including a chance at Best Picture and Best Lead Actress (Ellen Page). When I viewed it at the theater I was expecting a good movie because I had heard very positive reviews. The movie was surprisingly good but I wouldn't expect it to win the big one. Page makes the movie and Michael Cera (Superbad) is the perfect love interest/geeky teen. I loved J.K. Simmons as Mr. MacGuff as he provided some different humor elements that the quick-tongued Juno (Page) did not provide. A great performance from Jennifer Garner too, who makes me relate about as much as I can to an infertile mother-wannabe. In all seriousness, however, she was moving. The movie has a soundtrack that some will love and others will not care for. I wasn't overly impressed but the screenplay for the movie was very solid. The humor is quick and witty, though the quick dialog is maybe a little forced at times, kind of like watching an episode of Gilmore Girls. Even so the movie doesn't get old and Page is just surprisingly good - enough so to keep us entertained for 96 minutes. As my friend remarked, however, I hope they don't make a sequel.

Little Miss Sunshine

**** 1/2 (4 1/2 stars)

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Genre: Comedy/Drama
101 minutes - R rating
Director: Jonathon Dayton and Valerie Farris
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, and Abigail Breslin

Brief Plot: A dysfunctional family from Albuquerque embarks on a road trip to allow the youngest daughter to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant for 7 and 8 year olds. Among the family is Sheryl, the mother who is attempting to quit smoking; Richard, the dad whose motivational success program is a flop; Frank, Sheryl's gay brother who recently attempted suicide and has moved in so that he can be monitored; Dwayne, the sulky teenage son who has taken a vow of silence and is a follower of Nietzsche; the foul-mouthed Grandpa, who was kicked out of his retirement home and is addicted to heroin; and finally little Olive, a slightly plump glasses-wearing 7 year old full of endless optimism who wants to compete in the beauty contest. With all the problems this family faces, could a road trip to California just be another?

Best Audience: Little Miss Sunshine isn't just for comedy-lovers because it is a deep story that isn't just a film for laughs. The movie does, however, have more mature elements including drug abuse, homosexuality (not very developed), and the mention of a suicide attempt. In addition the movie has probably a dozen or so uses of the f-word. Most mature audience members should enjoy this film.

My Review: Little Miss Sunshine, written by Michael Arndt and winner of the Oscar for best original screenplay) is a smart film that hits it right on multiple cylinders. The acting performances are none short of excellent and the story is smart, funny, and original. Despite the fact that it is a 'road' picture, it doesn't fall into looking like something you have seen before. Released by Big Beach Films, Little Miss Sunshine reminds us of the value that can come from smaller more independent minds. The film has superb cinematography and an incredible score. The character development is rich and endearing. Little Miss Sunshine is like a lesson in good filmmaking and does so many things right. It is that, more than mass popularity, that give me reason to rate it so highly.

The Island

**** (4 stars)

The Island (2005)
Genre: Action/Sci-fi
136 minutes - PG13 rating
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Sean Bean, Djimon Hounsou, Steve Buscemi

Brief Plot: In the year 2019 after the contamination of most of the earth, Lincoln Six Echo (McGregor) lives in a utopian-style world in which everything he needs is provided for him, and the sole future of his life will begin when he is picked from among his peers to travel to "The Island". When he finds a deadly secret about the society, he and Jordan Two Delta must run... or die.

Best Audience: The Island is classic Michael Bay (explosions-a-plenty, lots of special effects, and that Michael Bay humor). That said, you won't like it if you hate sci-fi movies or plots that have meat to them. However, the Island has a lot of interesting elements to it that makes it more than lasers and futuristic machinery, and it also has Scarlett Johansson, so men you can't really go wrong here.

My Review: The Island is probably the best action movie I've watched in a very long time. As stated previously, The Island is very typical material from Bay whose resume also boasts movies like Armageddon and Transformers. But The Island is a lot more complex and deep than just a series of chases and explosions. There are very though-provoking themes that are played out in the movie and the characters (namely McGregor and Johansson) have good on-screen chemistry. Sean Bean provides a solid villain as usual and the special effects are breathtaking. The Island is very good at portraying futuristic technology. It often reminds me of Minority Report in that regard. The surprising thing is that that this film flopped at the box office when Bay's later film Transformers was a smash-hit. While Transformers was enjoyable, I feel The Island is a better film in almost every way. The Island is good entertainment with little to be disappointed with. I gave it 4 stars because it is just too good to give 3 1/2.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End

*** (3 Stars)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (2007)
Genre: Action Adventure/Fantasy
168 minutes - PG13 rating
Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Kiera Knightly, Geoffry Rush, Bill Nighy, Chow Yun-Fat, and more.


Brief Plot: Will (Bloom), Elizabeth (Knightly), and the rest seek the charts to travel to Davvy Jones' Locker in order to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) and his ship the Black Pearl. Meanwhile, the East India Trading company terrorizes the sea while Lord Cutler Becket enjoys the use of Davvy Jones and the Flying Dutchmen. The Pirates face extinction and must make a final stand.

Best Audience: Basically if you've seen the first two you have to see this one. It really isn't a movie you want to see unless you have seen the other and enjoyed at least the first one. As an action-adventure and fantasy type movie it is fun.

My Review: It's really hard to find good things to say about this movie in all honesty. Parts of the movie are downright painful and the humor that was easy and steady in the first movie is strained and trying too hard in At Worlds End. Some of the characters (namely Norrington and Tia Dalma) are inconsistent throughout the movies and the plot is a twisted mess with more plot lines than the Kraken has tentacles. Too many things are built up in the second movie (Dead Man's Chest) that either are not explained or resolved, or else amount to almost nothing in At Worlds End. The acting is mediocre (Depp's performance is way below what he did in Curse of the Black Pearl) and it's just a movie with a very slapped-together feel. I did enjoy a twist near the end and the resolution of the movie with the ships battling in a giant maelstrom makes the movie worth sitting through. Overall, I still have fun watching the film and it has good special effects, but it isn't something that I would rave about. The really sad thing is that At Worlds End had the potential to be an amazing movie, especially with how much the second film built up for it, but it simply fell short. It deserves a 3 only barely since the end of the movie is so exciting and the special effects are terrific.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

**** (4 Stars)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
104 minutes - R rating
Director: Michael Gondry
Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson

Brief Plot: Joel (Carrey) undergoes a procedure by an obscure company named Lacuna which will erase from his memory everything about his former love interest Clementine (Winslet). As he relives the memories, however, he realizes why he loved her in the first place.

Best Audience: The movies is Rated R mainly for fairly liberal use of the f-word and for some sexual content (non-graphic). However most mature audience members will enjoy this film if they are looking for something original and witty. Fans of Tim Burton will also likely enjoy the fascinating and bizarre style that Gondry employs.

My Review: I gave Eternal Sunshine a strong 4 stars because not only was it well acted (notably a fantastic performance by Jim Carrey) but because Gondry uses artful and clever styles to tell his story in a way that you won't have seen before. The story and script are good, and the supporting cast is extremely competent. If you don't like the weird, though, this is not the movie for you. The pace of the movie is not too dry and the way that we learn more about the characters as the movie progresses, keeps you riveted. I am looking forward to seeing Gondry's next comedy with Jack Black and Mos Def called "Be Kind Rewind" which is coming out in theaters later this month.