Film Review -- Tower Heist

Directed by Brett Ratner, this 2011 comedy stars Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick, and Tea Leoni. Josh Kovacs (Stiller) is the manager of a swanky Manhattan residence building, where wealthy businessman Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), who invests some of the building employees's money on their behalf, resides. When Shaw's corruption is uncovered and the employees lose all of their savings, Kovacs teams up with a group of misplaced but disgruntled would-be thieves (including concierge Charlie (Affleck), bankrupt resident Mr. Fitzhugh (Broderick), and spunky maid Odessa (Gabourey Sidibe)), and a not-so-sly criminal (Murphy), to rob millions of dollars from Shaw. The film is laugh-out-loud funny at parts, and very entertaining throughout. However, it is full of cliches and the ending is predictably predictable. Even though it manages to be funnier than many comedies I've seen recently, the film can't fully stand out from the pack and distignuish itself as an exceptional comedy. The tired formula makes it hard to sympathize with this film.


Should you see it: Sure, if you're looking for a mildly funny way to pass time.
Grade: C+

Film Review -- Cassandra's Dream

Written and directed by Woody Allen, this 2007 film stars Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell, and Tom Wilkinson. Brothers Terry (Farrell) and Ian (McGregor) Blaine are down-on-their-luck Londoners who see a chance to turn their lives around in a preposterous offer from their wealthy Uncle Howard (WIlkinson). Terry, a heavy drinker and gambler who finds himself strapped for cash when he ends up owing huge sums to dangerous loan sharks, and Ian, reluctantly running the failing family restaurant while harboring dreams of investing in California hotels, decide to take up Uncle Howard's offer, hoping to secure all of their futures. But a task with such critical circumstances may prove to be too much for the brothers to handle. This film is very different from the Woody Allen films I've seen; some of Allen's  quirkiness is lost in the film's attempt to be an effective thriller. It in fact is suspenseful at times, and the acting and script are spot-on as always, but it lacks any memorable quality, and to me it wasn't a very "satisfying" film (I wasn't particularly intrigued with the story and I didn't care for any of the characters). I enjoyed it when I watched it, but it didn't amaze me or strike me like I hoped it would, since most Woody Allen films have. Still, even Allen's worst films are above average.


Should you see it: Sure -- Allen and art house film fans will enjoy it most.
Grade: B

Film Review -- Anonymous

This 2011 Roland Emmerich film stars Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, and Joely Richardson. Set in the tumultuous end of Queen Elizabeth I's reign in the late 16th -- early 17th century, it presents the conspiracy theory that William Shakespeare did not write the plays, poems, and sonnets attributed to him. Instead, screenwriter John Orloff suggests that it was Edward de Vere (Ifans), 17th Earl of Oxford, that penned the most famous works of literature of all time, but could not reveal himself as such because of the undesirable stigma attached to members of the nobility creating art. De Vere asks struggling playwright Benjamin Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) to publish and stage his plays under Jonson's name, but the latter's reluctance leads to drunkard actor William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) claiming the credit. The film also explores Elizabethan politics, including the relationship between the queen and the Cecil family, her numerous affairs (one involving De Vere), and the Essex rebellion against her. What I like about the film is that it isn't just about Shakespeare -- factual historical events are depicted as well.  But the conspiracy theory itself is fascinating, and very plausible. But the time-shifting of the film makes it a bit incoherent at times. Nevertheless, it is a very entertaining and enjoyable film overall.


Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B+

Film Review -- X-Men: First Class

This 2011 sci-fi prequel stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, and January Jones. In the 1960s, a group of genetically-advanced mutants is recruited by the CIA to stop Sebastian Shaw (Bacon), a former Nazi bent on starting World War III. Charles Xavier (McAvoy) -- the future Professor X -- and his friend Raven (Lawrence) -- the future Mystique -- are among those working with agent MacTaggert (Byrne) of the CIA, as well as Erik Lehnsherr (Fassbender) -- the future Magneto -- who also has deeply personal reasons for wanting Shaw dead. The fate of each of the mutants (leading the way to the next chapters) reaches its climax in the height of the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. I found the story very interesting; the characters were sufficiently dynamic and the plot was very well-paced. I also enjoyed the incorporation of real historical events (and images/videos from them) in the story. It isn't a memorable piece of cinema, but First Class is a thoroughly enjoyable, better-than-most sci-fi/superhero film.


Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B+

Film Review -- Titanic

This 1997 James Cameron classic stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Because I had, shamefully, never seen this film, I decided to catch the 3D re-release in theaters. Alternating between the present and 1912, the film tells the story of a young, poor wanderer, Jack Dawson (DiCaprio), who gambles his way aboard the Titanic, and the rich but troubled Rose DeWitt (Winslet), whom he meets aboard the ship. They fall in love on the ill-fated vessel, and face the possibility of losing each other as quickly as they found each other. Eighty-four years later, a group of explorers in search of a priceless necklace that reportedly went down with Titanic pull from the wreck a drawing of a young woman. 102-year-old Rose comes forward as the woman in the picture, and tells her story to the explorers and to her granddaughter.
 I will admit, I was a bit skeptical about the film at first. I thought it would be a sappy romance that would long overstay its due (all 3 hours and 15 minutes of it). But it was so much more than a love story. Cameron did an excellent job of recreating the scenes of the ship hitting the iceberg, its sinking, and everything in between (the visual effects are incredible). It also heavily emphasizes how the disaster was very much avoidable, and makes a terrific commentary on the nature of humanity in the face of fear (if you were on a lifeboat with your children, and there are thousands of souls crying for help in the freezing ocean, do you go back and risk your life, like (childless) Molly Brown did, or do you protect your children from the risk of desperate people possibly toppling over your boat?). I was very wrong about the film's length -- I was in such awe of the grandness of it all, I hardly saw the time pass. This event has always mystified and interested me, and seeing its story being played out in such an epic way captivated me from the start. When I left the theatre, I wasn't particularly impressed; I thought it was just a decent film. But I began to realize that it had a very provoking effect on me. I spent a good part of the next week thinking about it, and I became more and more impressed the more I did. It is a love story, an action film, a social commentary all at once. Of course, it is not without its flaws, but I was able to overlook them because I was so impressed with these other things. I was very happily proven wrong. 


Should you see it: Yes
Grade: A

Film Review -- Carnage

This 2011 Roman Polanski film stars Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Cristoph Waltz, and John C. Reilly. Based on the French play Le Dieu du Carnage (The God of Carnage), it tells the story of two couples, Penelope and Michael Longstreet (Foster and Reilly) and Nancy and Alan Cowan (Winslet and Waltz). They set up a meeting to discuss an incident involving their sons, and the afternoon quickly and unexpectedly unravels. The entire film takes place in a single environment -- the Longstreets' small Brooklyn apartment -- and the four are the only characters. With amazing performances from every single one, they are able to carry the entire movie effortlessly, despite the unusual premise. I could not single out any one performance, because they were all so terrific. Overall it is an extremely well-done, mildly funny, and highly enjoyable film.


Should you see it: Yes
Grade: A-

Film Review -- Scoop

This 2006 Woody Allen comedy stars Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, and Allen himself. While in London visiting a friend, journalism student Sondra Pransky (Johansson) stumbles upon the ghost of the late, great investigative reporter Joe Strombel (Ian McShane) while participating in the magic show of Sid Waterman (Allen), also known as "Splendini." Strombel tells Sondra that the British aristocrat Peter Lyman is the serial killer known as the "Tarot Card Killer." Thus, Sondra takes Sid on a whirldwind adventure to uncover the truth about Lyman and solve the mystery. What she doesn't expect, however, is to fall for the subject of her investigation in the process. What makes this film an above-average comedy is Allen's splendid script. In the hands of just an average filmmaker, it could've easily become another sappy, implausible rom-com. Allen, however, makes it pleasantly quirky.


Should You See It: Yes
Grade: B