Wreck-it Ralph Movie Review

Wreck-It Ralph 

Starring: (voices of) John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Jack McBrayer, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Ed O'Neill

Directed By: Rich Moore

Rated: PG

Run time: 108 mins

Genre: Comedy/Animation/3D/Family

Opens November 2nd

By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com

If you always wondered as a kid what video game characters did in the arcade after hours, Disney's new animated film Wreck It Ralph answers those burning questions.

Thirty years ago, before home gaming consoles were in every home, children and teens would spend a vast majority of their paring playing video games in the arcade.  Back in the day, Fix-it Felix was THE game to play. Styled in the same look as Donkey Kong or early SuperMario Bros, the "villan" of the game was Wreck -It Ralph (John C. Reilly -voice), a freakishly tall, big handed man, weigh in over 600lbs.  He lives in the trash dump next to a high rise condominium that he climbs to wreck.  The people that live in the high rise call out to Fix-it Felix, Jr. (Jack Mc Brayer- voice) to fix the damage that Ralph incurs to their home. Once Felix fixes the building everyone is happy, and he wins a medal and Ralph gets tossed off the building into a puddle of mud. Believe it or not, this would have been a fun game to play back in the 1980's before other games consuls came out like Sega, the various Nintendo systems or XBox.

Fast-forward 30 years, and the characters of the game and arcade are celebrating their anniversary, but no one invited Ralph.  Feeling singled out for being his villainous self, he crashes the party (literally) and makes a scene, claiming he can get a medal and be a good guy for once.  No one believes him, to even his support group for villan characters.  Ralph is determined to prove them all wrong, and when an opportunity to win a medal in another game presents itself, he takes it.  Unfortunately, it's in a game that is way out of his league, Hero's Duty. His team leader Calhoun (Jane Lynch - voice) reprimands & belittles him, so Ralph decides to go his separate way to get that medal. Meanwhile, back at the Fix It Felix game, when Ralph doesn't show up as the arcade opens, an out of order sign is placed on the game. In the game world, this is a kiss of death.  If Ralph doesn't come back to the game, the whole game will be out of commission, leaving all the characters homeless.

Back in Hero's Duty, Ralph gets his medal, but ends up causing a bigger mess, launching himself and a cybug in a tiny spaceship into another arcade game, Sugar Rush. This game is a total 180 from the previous game, more of a Candy Land meets Mario Cart racing game.  Ralph ends up losing his medal to a little girl,  Vanellope Von Schweetz (Sarah Siverman - voice).  She is the outcast of her game because she has a glitch in her programming, causing her to have spaz fits, making her unfit for racing.  She takes Ralph's medal as an entry for the race and will give it back only if he helps her get the perfect race car to race with. Can these two misfits work together to get what they want or will time run out on Ralph for good? Will Felix be able to find Ralph and bring him back before arcade opens the next day? Can Calhoun get the cybug back to her game before it spreads like a virus, putting all the games out of commission permanently?

If you grew up in the arcades, playing the early video games or are a gamer fan in general, this is film a delightful  walk down memory lane. Children of all ages will revel in the story, graphics and enjoy how the characters from games old and new are incorporated through out the movie.  This is a brilliant concept that was fun to watch.  Be sure to catch this in theaters when it opens Friday November 2, 2012.

Denzel Washington and Robert Zemeckis talk about Flight

"Flight" opens Friday, November 2nd Courtesy of Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — You might think that Robert Zemeckis, having devoted himself to motion-capture animation for the last 12 years, would be thrilled to return to the unpredictability of live-action filmmaking — those moments of serendipity when the elements align for something surprising.

You would be wrong.

"In my whole career I can count it on one hand," says the director, recalling headaches like having to cart in snow while shooting in Moscow and painting fall foliage in October Vermont. "Every time I've ever been in a situation where, for example, it's 'Oh my God, look at this sky! Look at this sunset!' — it's never there in time. We always missed it. It's just heartbreaking."

"Flight" is Zemeckis' first live-action film since "Cast Away," after which he, more than any other filmmaker, advanced the technology of performance capture with movies like "The Polar Express," ''Beowulf," and "A Christmas Carol."

Instead, "Flight" gets its movie magic principally through its performances, especially that of Denzel Washington, who stars as perhaps the most functional alcoholic in movie history. As Captain Whip Whitaker, Washington plays an airline pilot who, despite being hung-over, drunk and coked-up, manages to bring down a rapidly deteriorating plane in a daring emergency landing on what should have been a routine hop between Orlando, Fla., and Atlanta.

The crash sequence, a virtuoso set piece made with the digital artists from Zemeckis' animated films, features the unusual but effective maneuver of briefly flying the plane upside down. The thrilling crash, which essentially opens the film, is a kind of carrot for moviegoers who are then lured into a powerful character study of Whitaker as he wrestles with his drinking problem while his heroics are called into question. He's a Captain Sully with demons.

"Can anything follow this plane crash?" asks Zemeckis. "But the real spectacle, of course, is Denzel's performance."

It's one that many expect will land Washington his sixth Oscar nomination. (He's won for "Glory" and "Training Day.") His performance is a full portrait of a man who believes he's in control when he isn't, whose alcoholism is propelled by an inability to be honest with himself and others.

"A liar's a liar, however you choose to lie or however you want to numb the pain," says Washington, describing Whitaker. "He made a particular choice to numb the pain."

Washington was drawn to the project by John Gatins' ("Real Steel") script, which Gatins had been working on since 1999. The screenplay surrounds Whitaker with an ensemble of characters who are either challenging him (Kelly Reilly as a recovering heroin addict, Melissa Leo as the crash investigator) or enabling him (Don Cheadle as a cocksure defense attorney, Bruce Greenwood as an old friend and fellow pilot, John Goodman as a drug dealer).

More than most protagonists, Whitaker often verges on unlikable.

"I've heard that from people, but that's what's good about a part in a movie," says Washington. "People say, 'What do you want me to get from it?' I'm like: It depends what you bring to it. So some may not like him."

It was that moral ambiguity that attracted Zemeckis, who constructs a story that poses questions for the audience about sympathy and acknowledging one's own failings.

There have been many films over the years about memorable alcoholics — Ray Milland in "The Lost Weekend," Jack Lemmonin "Days of Wine and Roses" and Nicolas Cage in "Leaving Las Vegas." Asked if he consulted such films in making "Flight," Zemeckis replies, "Only in what not to do."

"If it's just about somebody with chemical dependency, it lets everybody off the hook," says Zemeckis. "It's not relatable. But the fact that everybody — if you really have the courage to be honest with yourself — is flawed, that's a universal theme. That's what I was going for."

That "Flight" soars rather than drowning in the heavy weight of alcoholism is a testament to Zemeckis' sure-handedness in rendering personal stories on a big canvas. (His earlier movies include the "Back to the Future" trilogy, the Oscar-winning "Forrest Gump" and "Contact.") It's an increasingly rare skillfulness, partly because R-rated adult dramas like "Flight" are rarely made in modern Hollywood.

"Flight," which Paramount Pictures will release Nov. 2 with hopes for both solid box office and Academy Awards attention, was made with a production budget of $31 million. That's a relatively small amount for such a film, something that was made possible partially by Zemeckis' digital know-how.

"The only movies worth doing are the ones that are risky," says Zemeckis. "This isn't risky in the budgetary sense, it's risky in whether the audience appreciate the roughness of it."

That "Flight" stars one of the few truly bankable, bona fide movie stars in Washington helps. The movie's poster boasts the handsome visage of the actor in a pilot uniform, surely an attractive fit for a star who has already known the distinctive look of a submarine commander, a train engineer and a Union soldier.

Simply the experience of being in a flight simulator aided Washington in finding his way into Whitaker.

"Just getting into the cockpit, it was like, 'Wow. I'm not going to fly, but I feel like a pilot,'" says Washington.

The actor has little interest in detailing his process, which he self-deprecatingly says "is just acting. Really, it's not that hard." But Washington, a renowned hard worker, concedes: "You do the homework. ... We should all be that way."

Zemeckis calls Washington's performance "breathtaking" and "up there with the greats."

"There's no fooling around," the director says of Washington. "He is very serious and he does massive amounts of work, and I don't quite know the process because it's none of my business. He writes in rehearsal. I'll be saying something, he'll be writing. Another actor will be saying something, he'll be writing."

Zemeckis still believes in motion-capture filmmaking, though the last attempt was a historic flop, Disney's "Mars Needs Moms." Zemeckis produced that film, after which his planned motion-capture remake of the Beatles' "The Yellow Submarine" was canceled. The future of moviemaking, he says, will be a "digital stew" of "moving digital images."

He'll sometimes catch his older films on cable TV and think: "Eh, it's pretty good stuff." Zemeckis would like to see "Flight" with such distance, but, even now, he feels satisfied.

"I like it now," he says with the kind of contentment of one who seldom allows it for himself. "I see the flaws, naturally, but I like it now."

Movie Review of Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas    

Starring: Tom Hanks,HalleBerry, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving, Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, Keith David, James D’Arcy

Directed by Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski

Rated: R

Run Time: 172 mins

Genre: Drama/ Fantasty/ Mystery/ Sci-Fi

Opens October 26^th

By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com

Every once in awhile, a film will come along and change the way storytelling is done. The Wachowski brothers became game changers with the film Matrix, blowing away audiences with their extraordinary talent and vision. If there was ever a way to come back on the scene, Andy and Lana Wachowski picked the perfect, ambitious project to do so with Cloud Atlas.

Cloud Atlas is an accumulation of 6 storylines ranging from past, present and future over a span of about 600 years.  Each story is observed by the main character featured in the next story, except for the last chapter, which ends in the middle of the film and works back to the beginning to wrap up each storyline. Sounds a little confusing, but it all makes sense in the context of the film  Starting 1849, in the Pacific Islands the story skips to Cambridge, 1936, then to San Francisco, 1973; London 2012; Neo Seoul 2144 and somewhere call the Big Isle, 106 after “The Fall”. Each actor plays a different character in the given time frame, connecting in a new and unique way.

Cloud Atlas is a complex story that has many layers and depth that viewers will either love or hate. Upon reflecting on how to explain this to someone who hasn't yet seen the film, this is a film so unique that is has to be seen and experience to understand what it is about. This film has comedy, drama, sci-fi, thriller, mystery and romance so to try and peg it into one category is impossible. The performances from each actor, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent and Doona Bae are fantastic in each character they play. Visually, the film is beautiful; everything from the sets, costumes and make-up, each department did an outstanding job of bringing the story of Cloud Atlas to life. The interwoven messages and lessons conveyed on screen are communicated beautifully; evoking deep emotional depths and insightful questions. Viewers will have to pay attention to each story, as the details presented in one vignette will play a pivotal role in another story and may become confusing if not paying attention. This film is philosophical, almost cerebral in nature, thus overall an excellent conversation piece to discuss with others after the film ends. Be sure to check out the film when it opens Friday October 26, 2012.

Chasing Mavericks Movie Review

Chasing Mavericks 

Starring: Gerard Butler, Jonny Weston, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail Spencer, Leven Rambin

Directed by Michael Apted & Curtis Hanson

Rated: PG

Run Time:  mins

Genre: Drama/Sport/ Based on a True Story

Opens October 26^th

By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com

For this week’s screening we checked out the film based on the true story of surfer Jay Moriarty, one of the youngest surfers to ever take on a Maverick, one of the biggest waves on Earth. During the filming, Gerard Butler was hospitalized after being injured while filming one of the surf scenes. He was pulled and held underwater by a strong set of waves.

The year was 1987 when a 7 year-old boy, Jay Moriarty caught the surfing bug. His neighbor Frosty Hesson (Gerard Butler) saved his life when he slipped off some rocks and was pulled under the current. Frosty had been surfing nearby when he caught sight of Jay and pulled him to safety. Ever since that fateful day, Jay looked up to Frosty and wanted to be a surfer just like him. Jay’s father walked out on him, and his mother, Kristy (Elisabeth Shue) right around the same time, leaving nothing but a letter to explain his actions. Jay, unable to face the truth, locked the letter away to read at a later time.

Seven years go by and Jay (Jonny Weston) has become a pretty decent surfer, even racking up a few trophies. He dreams of one day surfing and conquering a Maverick (a wave that is roughly 25 ft. or higher wave). One early morning, Jay sees Frosty pull out his gunner board, one that is designed to take on major waves, like a maverick. He scrambles out of bed and hitches a ride on the roof of Frosty’s van to see the mythical surf.  Sometime later up north on thePacific Coast Highway, Frosty pulls off and joins 3 friends, climbing down the cliff and towards the massive waves rolling in towards the shore.  Up on the ridge, Jay watches with amazement and is busted by Frosty when he returns from his surf adventure.  He begs Frosty to train him to surf he mavericks, is turned down harshly, but is determined to change his mind.

Frosty eventually comes around thanks to some cajoling from his wife Brenda (Abigail Spencer) and agrees to train Jay under strict conditions. If he breaks one rule, the training is over. Jay is overjoyed and has now less than 12 weeks to prepare to take on a maverick before the weather pattern changes.  Frosty knows, that for Jay to take on this wave, he needs to make sure all 4 pillars are strong enough (Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual) to withstand the massive aquatic beast. The next 12 weeks will be the most challenging of Jay and Frosty’s lives and the choices they make will affect them and their loved ones for years to come.

If there was ever a movie to see on the big screen, I would say this would be a terrific choice. The cinematography was excellent, capturing the essence of the sport with grace and thrilling anticipation. The story was good (as much that can be expected from a PG rating) as it kept it more about the relationships between the characters, the physical and emotional barriers that kept them from finding the joy and peace they desire. Be sure to check it out when it opens in theaters starting Friday October 26, 2012.

Guest review of Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas

Starring:  Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D'Arcy, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant

Directors: Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski

Rated: R

Run Time: 172 min

Genre: Drama, SciFi/Fantasy

Opens October 26th

Reviewed by Eric Forthunn  from Cinematic Shadows

Cloud Atlas is one of those definitive masterpieces that so rarely come along in cinema. It's a movie of visual grandeur, deeply felt emotional resonance, intensely detailed characterizations, and a sense of wonderment that we often take for granted. Movies don't sweep us up quite like this anymore, and with good reason: the movie's daringly ambitious, sometimes impenetrably so, but that makes it an invigorating watch. The themes that are drawn between these interwoven stories, all taking place over the span of 600 years (and six different times), work rather perfectly once the movie closes on a borderline exhausting 165-minute running time. Yet if there's any film that warrants such a laborious screen presence, it's one that identifies themes of love, connection, self-identification, and more all through different characters sometimes represented by the same actor. It's an odd strategy, but it grounds the movie massively in a world that should defy understanding; the links formed by these actors, though, and their different time frames and personas, are all embodied by the idea that they arguably love the same people through these times. They're accepting of death, of what it may entail, if only because they have come to terms with what life embodies: the persistence of love, sometimes frustratingly so, is the driving force of the film. The Wachowskis and Tykwer have made one of the most memorable films in years, and its ambition is something even naysayers can't deny.

The movie's plot is indistinguishable in terms of a single linear narrative, and attempting to explain it will only confuse the reader/viewer further, so I won't bother going into specifics. A link is crafted between these characters and the various worlds they all inhabit; they all exist in the same timeline, of course, but they act as rebirths of themselves as time goes along. Characters cross race and gender borders that are truly unprecedented in terms of where modern film is. Jim Sturgess predominantly plays an 1800s sick seaman, yet also has an equal amount of screen time as an Asian man in 2144 New Seoul, trying to save a young woman who has been genetically modified to work a life of painful repetition. Said girl, played by Donna Bae, also plays a white woman in the 1800s under a white family, headed by Hugo Weaving, who plays an Asian man in 2144 and a woman in 2012. Halle Berry plays primarily in 1972 an investigative journalist looking into the possible corruption of a nuclear reactor plant, and she also plays a white woman in the 1930s, and a brief moment as a man at a point I won't specify. Jim Broadbent is mainly seen as a 1930s arrogant composer, and a 2012 struggling publisher, yet he also plays a Korean musician for a brief moment. The point is, all of these characters and actors are crossing paths that they never would've dreamed of in other films.

The movie's daringly ambitious, and that will certainly be off-putting and inaccessible for some. The build of the film requires absolute attention for its running time, for the explorations of themes occasionally happen briefly and are touched upon later in the film rather subtly. For instance, characters deliver voiceovers that often give us insight into the world and its themes: the connection of our lives, the intersection of each other in current times and previous/future ones, the dominance of love in all of these worlds and the odd way it links souls after they are reborn; all of these are brought up at various points as if they are all of equal importance. Those themes are so thoroughly examined through these characters' actions, though, and so masterfully portrayed by these actors that we buy into every bit of the movie's dominating presence. Pretension is out of the question when it comes to films that want to connect this deeply to human emotion, rooting it in tales that are interwoven by all themes and all times. I often hate it when filmmakers find their films exceedingly more important than they are, making trivial films and trying to bog them down with weighty messages. Yet Cloud Atlas is fundamentally different from those films because it's understanding of the universality of its themes and characters; relating to the film is beyond possible, it's unavoidable.

The movie's emphasis on genre filmmaking is also remarkable because the Wachowskis and Tykwer understand the roots of these filmmaking styles. Within the futuristic worlds, of course there are heavily focused features of science fiction, yet at the same time there are prevalent romances in the 2144 and 2400 tales; there's also a fantastical element in 2400 involving Hugo Weaving's character that belittles Tom Hanks'. The 2012 storyline following Jim Broadbent's character being put away in an old folks' home has plenty of slapstick, but later on the elements of a heist film and buddy comedy come into the picture. The 1800s tale on the ship emphasizes the character drama and human emotion coming from these two characters of different races working together, but at the same time there's a tale of corruption and betrayal with Hanks and Broadbent. In 1972, it's clearly mirroring a police procedural, often addressing the clichés of the genre head on through dialogue (including a, "This is where the character typically says that and then dies"), but it ultimately becomes a tale of lost love and finding one's integrity in a sea of corruption. The themes of the film, or the ultimate one of love, are emphasized pervasively through these different worlds, yet that doesn't make it overdone or out-of-control; the more nuanced attempts make for some of the finest scenes of the year, particularly between Hanks and Berry late in the film.

The technical components of the film are near flawless, whether that be the film's editing, visual effects, sound effects, make-up, costume design, production design, art direction, you name it. The editing is the most masterful in my opinion, capturing so much of the film's momentum and moving along at a brisk, effortless pace that makes the entire film feel hurried without necessarily being rushed. Scenes don't last too long, but more importantly, the shorter scenes are put together in a way that brings forth their importance: a scene where Ben Winshaw and James D'Arcy are throwing around plates and bowls, talking about the limitless elements of time and space, is one of the most beautifully mesmerizing scenes I've ever seen, yet it's only a thirty-second glimpse into a theme that is often addressed indirectly for most of the movie's running time. The editing makes that scene come at a time when it could've drawn on for four or five minutes, and I wouldn't have necessarily complained, because it's a gorgeous scene. Yet Berner might have done the best editing job of the year, putting together an insurmountable amount of material into something ultimately coherent. Go figure. The make-up jobs, and costume design, not only provide context for these characters and what time they exist in, but also work in ways that make us not question the races they are bending. I didn't mind that Berry and Bae played white characters, because it adds to the themes of the film; nor did I care that Weaving and Sturgess play Asian characters, because it simply works.

Everything is connected, the movie often claims. Individually, I don't believe the stories are astounding, or anything revelatory necessarily, but that's not the point of vignette films like this. Cloud Atlas explores these characters through their time periods and directly relates them back to older/newer stories, bringing the story together without there being that big, definitive moment that defines the film. Every instance in the movie is important, as the tagline infers, because these are all moments that connect to one another. Helping a lost soul at one point in time reflects upon what you have done, what you will do, and what you could have done. Hanks has a brilliant moment where he doesn't go out to save his friend, instead hiding behind a rock, seeing himself as a coward. Later in the film, in a role reversal, he's about to be killed, and he's looking for someone to save him just like his friend was. What happens after that defines so much about these characters and the movie's intentions, and even if those themes are remarkably subtle, there are more obvious odes to love and connection. I don't mean that as a bad thing, not in the slightest, just a simple observation about an endlessly complex film.

Some might dismiss Cloud Atlas as messy, and while I understand the claim, they might not be looking into it enough to see the bigger picture. It's arguably "messy" for a reason, balancing genres, characters, even worlds that defy easy interpretation. The movie demands analysis, asking the audience to engage with this material in all of its glory. "I know art when I see it" is one of the most defining quotes to grace critics and their judgment of an art form; I certainly know when I've seen a work of art, and directly after viewing I knew what I had just seen would last in my mind. It's a brilliant, bold piece of filmmaking, an attempt at encapsulating human emotion in varying stories that no modern filmmaker has conceived in who knows how long. The closest example is Paul Thomas Anderson's magnificent Magnolia, if only because that's a vignette that focuses on the connectivity of us all. Yet this one brings forth its more fantastical elements, the dystopias that some of these worlds are, and makes them into a commentary on society and our connections. We're all connected in one way or another to a single other person: by love, and if you believe in reincarnation as the movie insists, then you will find that same love at another point in time. I don't remember the last time I saw a film that struck me as much as Cloud Atlas, but I know this: you need to see this film, because if you don't, well, you might be missing out on the best film of the year.

Interview with Tom Hanks about Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas opens Friday, October 26th

This interview comes to us from Julie Hinds via the Detroit Free Press and Gannett.

Two-time Oscar winner and all-around nice guy Tom Hanks is the big-screen everyman of our generation. That's why it's so unexpected to find him starring in what could be the most divisive film of the year.

"Cloud Atlas," which opens Friday, has already provoked a love-it-or-hate-it reaction among cinema lovers. It earned a lengthy and enthusiastic standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival. But the early critical buzz has been all over the map. It's either a masterpiece or a mess, depending on who's buzzing.

One thing is clear. The nearly three-hour "Cloud Atlas" seems destined to be one of the most-talked-about films of a particularly strong holiday season, no small feat considering that Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," Ang Lee's "Life of Pi," Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit," and Tom Hooper's "Les Miserables" are also on the schedule.

Hanks is the perfect ambassador for such a movie, however, because he understands perfectly that it defies capsule descriptions. "Everybody will be like, 'So what's it about?' Ah geez, sit down. Lemme get some coffee and we'll talk for a couple of hours. I'll tell you what the movie's about," he says genially by phone.

Adapted from the novel by David Mitchell, "Cloud Atlas" tells six separate stories that range from the mid-19th-Century South Pacific to a dystopian future where a version of English is spoken that's as different from today's as Shakespeare's is from the modern tongue.

Instead of being told one after the other, these stories are sliced and diced as if a Veg-O-Matic did the film editing and then pieced back together in seemingly random order -- but only seemingly, because there is a cosmic logic and karmic meaning underlying the entire structure.

And did we mention that Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving and the other actors play multiple roles, sometimes assuming different races, nationalities and genders as necessary?

Not since 1968's "2001: A Space Odyssey" has a film played as fast and loose with traditional narrative forms. It was this epic challenge that made "Cloud Atlas" attractive to Hanks, who keeps a poster of Stanley Kubrick's trippy sci-fi classic in his office.

The 56-year-old actor says his initial encounter with the project was a phone meeting with siblings Lana and Andy Wachowski of the "Matrix" film series and Tom Tykwer of "Run, Lola, Run," who teamed up as co-directors.

Hanks agreed to read a script that, they warned, was a little hard to decipher. "Much like the audiences that I've seen it with, there is a moment of 'Huh? What's happening here?' And then eventually lights start going off in everybody's mind. It certainly did in mine. About 30 pages into it, I understood what the connections were and the remaining 100 or so pages went by like wildfire," he recalls.

Hanks met with the directors at his office in Los Angeles. The conversation drifted to "Moby Dick," which he was just finishing for the first time and which he jokingly refers to as his summer reading assignment.

As they discussed how controversial Herman Melville's classic novel was to 1850s readers, Lana Wachowski said that their ambition was to take the audacity of "Moby Dick" and marry it with "2001: A Space Odyssey," the movie from the poster on the office wall.

"Well, I'll just hear that and I say, 'I'm in,' " says Hanks. "I didn't understand '2001: A Space Odyssey' when I (first) saw it."

At this, Hanks pauses to talk to his staff. "Hey, somebody, go on the Internet and find out what won best picture the year of '2001: A Space Odyssey.' I think it was 'Oliver!' " A few minutes later, his memory is proved right. "Hold on, we have an answer. It was 'Oliver!' Not bad!"

The old-fashioned musical's 1Oscar win in 1969 drives the point home. "There's a huge difference between those two films," he continues. "There's also a huge difference between the lasting legacy of those two films."

Hanks says he relished the challenge of playing multiple characters in the movie, which uses the device to essentially convey the karmic evolution of mankind and how the choices that people make can help move the human condition forward or backward.

The task was liberating because it defied the usual rule that you get to play one character in a movie, or, in most Hanks films, one decent, determined character. Here, he's a devious 19th-Century doctor, a self-loathing futuristic goat-herder named Zachry and a brutal modern-day British author named Dermot Hoggins, among others.

"They're all like courses of the same meal and you like some more than others. Certainly Dermot Hoggins was magnificent. How often do you get to be filled with that much violence and anger?" he notes, referring to the character he was impersonating Friday on "Good Morning America" when he accidentally dropped an F-bomb.

"Cloud Atlas" seems in tune with Web patterns of information consumption, which encourage skipping back and forth between screens instead of deep dives into one text. But the message holds old-school truths, according to Hanks, including this one: Works of art and creativity can alter the lives of people now and in the future.

"Come on now, that's pretty great stuff," he says.

He also thinks the six stories in the film represent lively genres like drama, comedy, action and historical epic. "We're all essentially remaking some version of 'Medea' by way of 'Richard III' by way of 'The Great Train Robbery' by way of 'Casablanca' by way of 'I Love Lucy.' We're all taking a version of that and turning them into new stories."

Hanks (a baseball fan who was rooting for the Detroit Tigers during the Tigers-Yankees pennant race) has the future on his mind. Besides "Cloud Atlas," he recently debuted "Electric City," a futuristic sci-fi Web series for Yahoo he started writing in 2003 on a portable mechanical typewriter. And he's hip to the world of social media, having accumulated more than 5 million Twitter followers.

His vision of the future is that technology and Web connectedness will increasingly allow artists and great thinkers to produce their own works without waiting for support from studios or media gatekeepers. Interestingly, "Cloud Atlas" represents a wave of that future. It's being called the most expensive indie film ever because most of its $100 million-plus budget was raised independently, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

"You no longer have the luxury of saying, 'I got this great idea, if only I could get permission to do it.' You're just going to have to go ahead and do it."

Hanks views the coming glut of creativity as "both fantastic and an absolute mess." But he's not afraid of a crowded consciousness or jammed fiber optic lines, just as he wasn't fearful of tackling "Cloud Atlas."

"It's another version of how great and horrible the future always seems to be," he says. "The future is always one damn thing after another."

Contact Julie Hinds: 313-222-6427 or jhinds@freepress.com

See what the director has to say about his film Smashed

 

Smashed opens October 26th exclusively at Harkins Camelview.  The film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, and Nick Offerman premiered at Sundance in January and is making it's way to theatres. Prior to the film's release, director James Ponsoldt put together his thoughts on the film and here they are....

"Smashed" Director's Statement from James Ponsoldt 

SMASHED began as a conversation between my co-writer, Susan Burke, and me. In addition to being a very funny person and talented  writer, Susan is the owner of some of the most simultaneously upsetting and hilarious stories I've ever heard about dumb things she did while she was drunk.

It’s no coincidence that Susan is now sober. Like a lot of the people closest to me who've had issues with substance abuse, Susan also knows a secret: Being drunk can be really fun. It’s just all the other things that come with being drunk that can be a downer (wrecking cars, lives, etc.).

But SMASHED isn’t primarily about alcohol or alcoholics. SMASHED is a film about fidelity – and what it means to be committed to someone, to love someone, and to need to change your life…when your partner isn’t capable of change.

So many films that deal with substance abuse follow a familiar “scared straight” path, depicting characters so damaged that they’re not relatable, leaving the audience with nothing to do but gawk at their otherness.

SMASHED is a love story – between the main characters, Kate and Charlie, but also hopefully between the audience and the characters. I certainly adore Kate and Charlie. They’re flawed and misguided, and maybe they only work as a couple when they’re falling-down drunk, but I was committed to making a film in which the alcoholics appear light-hearted and are fun to hang out 4 with (perhaps your personal perspective on whether they make a good couple will depend upon your own history of relationships with addicts).

SMASHED also is a coming of age story for Kate – except she’s closer to 30 than 20, so I suppose it’s an adult coming of age story. But for a lot of my friends, adulthood seems to be more and more distant (Have kids? Eh…maybe at 40. Regular job? Eh…maybe after I have kids.).

I’m not sure if people can really, fundamentally change (and I guess that’s more a conversation for stoned college students), but I do know that films about people with problems attempting to change their lives – even if they’re unsuccessful or perhaps delusional – are some of my favorite  stories. I love watching people try and fail. And try again. And fail worse. There’s something special and heroic and so, so human about seeing someone attempt to conquer her demons and fix her life (even if she isn't necessarily imbued with the wisdom or common sense to have any clue how her life should be fixed).

In SMASHED, the demons happen to be alcohol, but really that’s just part of the characters’ circumstance, like their age or where they live (late-20’s and Highland Park, in northeast Los Angeles). Part of becoming an adult means learning to stop blaming your personal history, or genetic make-up, or your partner for your problems. To be able to look at yourself in the mirror and – without a single pill or drop of alcohol – be able to say: “I love myself,” or “I like myself,” or at least, “I don’t want to kill myself,” seems like a pretty decent first step before entering an adult relationship.

SMASHED is a story about a young woman taking that first step, stumbling a bit – and seeing if her husband can join her on the journey.

The stars of Fun Size hit Mall of America with Carly Rae Jepsen

Fun Size opens this Friday

On Saturday morning, FUN SIZE stars Victoria Justice and Thomas Mann joined special guest Carly Rae Jepsen at the Mall of America for a surprise appearance at the Nickelodeon Universe in celebration of the opening of FUN SIZE this Friday, October 26.

Excited fans camped outside beginning the night before and thousands of fans attended the event!

The three stars signed autographs, met with their fans and also exclusively debuted Carly Rae Jepsen's new video THIS KISS, which will also be seen by audiences in theaters this weekend ahead of the debut of FUN SIZE

Movie Review for Alex Cross

Alex Cross   

Starring: Tyler Perry, Edward Burns, Matthew Fox, Rachel Nichols, John C. McGinley, Jean Reno, Carmen Ejogo

Directed by Rob Cohen

Rated:  PG-13

Run Time: 101 mins

Genre: Action/ Crime/ Mystery

Opens October 19^th

By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com

Next up on deck for this week screenings, is Alex Cross. In a rare treat, Tyler Perry does not direct himself in the film adaptation of the novel by James Patterson, “Cross”.  This film is loosely based on the book, so for the uber fans, the similarities from page to screen are very few.

Detective Dr. Alex Cross (Tyler Perry) has on his hands a particularly unusual case. When he and his team, Det. Tommy Kane (Edward Burns) and Monica Ashe (Rachel Nichols) investigate the murder of a young woman who had been tortured, security team executives, Cross knows that they have a mercenary to search for. The only clue they have is a chalk drawing that was left behind, nicknaming the killer Picasso (Matthew Fox).

Cross quickly figures out a profile and the target of Picasso's next hit: Erich Nunemacher (Werner Daehn), the chief financial officer of Mercier Industries, owned by Billionaire businessman Leon Mercier (Jean Reno). When the attempted hit goes awry, and the team gets a close look at Picasso, Monica is concerned that they may be targets on the mad men's hit list.

Cross, Det. Kane and Chief of Police Richard Brookwell (John C. McGinley) all agreed that due to the nature of the killer's profile, he would be too focused on his next victim. Men should learn to trust a woman's intuition because Monica was correct. She, along with Cross's pregnant wife, Maria (Carmen Ejogo) is Picasso's next victims, sending a message to Cross and Det. Kane. Do not insult Picasso's intelligence nor challenge him because he means business.

As a result of Monica's death, Cross is lured into dangerous territory, committing questionable acts that can jeopardize his future career in the FBI and the lives of his remaining loved ones. Will Cross be able to stop Picasso before it is too late or will his vengeance towards the madman destroy all he has left?

After discovering that Idris Elba was originally considered for the role of Cross, then had been replaced with Perry, I think the previous casting would have made this a better film. Not to say that Perry was not good, it is difficult to picture him as an action hero. He does bring a certain amount of emotional depth to Cross for the shrink aspect of the character, but this movie lacked a certain edge that the book delivers on. Matthew Fox was an intriguing choice for this role as his physical transformation into Picasso was remarkable, but his facial expressions when trying to communicate mania, came off as comical. For the movie goer that is not too picky on details and just wants to sit back and be entertained for 90 plus minutes, the film delivers on that, but if you are a fan of the book series it may not live up to expectations. You be the judge when "Alex Cross" opens in theaters starting October 19, 2012.

Movie Review for The Paperboy

The Paperboy   

Starring: Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, David Oyelowo, John Cusack, Macy Gray, Scott Glenn

Directed by Lee Daniels

Rated: R

Run Time: 107 mins

Genre: Drama/ Thriller

Opens October 19^th

By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com

Hey Phoenix Film Fans! This week we checked out the film “The Paperboy” from “Precious” Director Lee Daniels, who was nominated for the Palme d’Or Award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Daniels has a strong track record on bringing trouble characters with intense stories to the silver screen, as in his past works such as “The Woodsman”, “Monster’s Ball” and “Shadowboxer”.

Told through the narration of former housekeeper Anita Chester (Macy Gray), recounts the events of how brothers  Wade (Matthew McConaughey) and Jack Jansen (Zac Efron) met Ms. Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman) and her involvement with Death Row inmate Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack). Charlotte had been corresponding with Hillary for several months and was engaged to married. She wrote to Wade and his writing partner, Yardley Acheman (David Oyelowo) claiming that Hillary is innocent and that he did not receive a fair trial. Wade checks into the query and discovers that there is more to Hillary’s story than originally presented. Can Wade prove Hillary’s innocence before it is too late? Will Jack be able to share his feelings with Charlotte or just live with the unrequited love? Will Wade be able to share his secret with Jack and still maintain a friendly relationship with his brother?

For those who saw the movie Precious, this film is more physically disturbing than its predecessor. This film is gritty, raw, and sadistic, making no apologies for the intensity of the sex, violence and racial division. This is nothing like the crime thrillers set in the south that McConaughey and Cusack have done, where they played the clean cut, likable lawyers or reporters trying to prove a man’s innocence (A Time to Kill, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Runaway Jury). John Cusack is known for his good guy rom-com roles and even in his darker roles,  he is still  likable enough to pull for his character. In this role, Cusack is extremely disturbing, causing him to be seen in a entirely different light. From an acting standpoint, kudos to him for such a strong performance. McConaughy as of late has been showing a darker side to his acting career in the past year (Killer Joe, Magic Mike, Bernie), but this one stands out as the physical and psychological transformation of Ward is astounding. Kidman delivers an equally memorable performance, her most sexually revealing role since Cold Mountain. Efron delivers a strong performance as the sexually frustrated, lovesick Oedipus–esq young man. The make up department deserves a well-deserved mention, as the job performed on Matthew McConaughey after a particularly brutal scene, was impressive, and even held up under water. Overall, it is a decent film, just one that is made for a certain niche type audience. If you enjoy films like Lon Von Trier’s films, or gritty films like Monster’s Ball you will want to check this out when it opens in Phoenix on October 19, 2012.

Argo Review from Colin Boyd

Argo  Reviewed by guest critic, Colin Boyd

Opens: October 12th, 2012

When spies are involved, the truth is very often stranger than fiction. Long before he created the world's best-known secret agent, 007 author Ian Fleming was a real one, and his idea to drop a corpse carrying phony war plans off the Spanish coast deceived the Nazis and helped the Allies turn the tide against Hitler. That slice of history became the film The Man Who Never Was in the mid-1950s, but when all the files were declassified, the British author Ben Macintyre put all the pieces together in his exceptional (and thoroughly detailed) 2010 book, Operation Mincemeat. The full story is richer, more complex, and harder to believe, and we're better for knowing it.

It's much the same with Argo. For decades, very few people knew the real story, but then information related to the events of 1979 was declassified. Writer Joshuah Bearman picked up the scent and his feature, pulling back the curtain on a remarkable covert operation, was published in Wired in 2007.

Here's the lowdown: On the day more than 50 Americans were taken hostage inside our embassy in Iran, six others escaped and found refuge in the house of the Canadian ambassador. Since the Iranians would figure out sooner or later that some Americans were missing from the embassy staff, the State Department had to think and work fast. How would the U.S. government get them out without Khomeini noticing?

Bikes were suggested, without thinking of how bad an idea it would be to ask six foreigners to ride 300 miles toward the Turkish border in an incredibly hostile nation. Someone offered making fake credentials for the stowaway six, recasting them as Canadian agriculture officers surveying crops. However, November is not exactly the ideal time to go crop hunting in Iran.

CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) had another idea. Thinking that the motion picture studios regularly set up shop in the Middle East to find suitable locations for science fiction epics, he sold the intelligence community on propping up a phony movie and masquerading the refugees as a film production crew.

To make it more legitimate, Mendez reaches out to CIA contractor John Chambers (John Goodman), a Hollywood makeup artist who won an Oscar for Planet of the Apes. He hires a producer (Alan Arkin) to get some press for the new movie nobody ever intends to make, just to add to the illusion. Then, Mendez goes through Instanbul to Tehran posing as a film producer, planning to walk the six Americans around town for a couple days as his production crew before attempting an escape.

The fake film was called Argo, hence the name of the real film, which Affleck directs. And now there's no question that Ben Affleck is a full-fledged filmmaker. Yes, Gone Baby Gone and The Town are both good pictures, but they could have been farmed out to a number of directors capable of producing similar results. Argo, on the other hand, has a genuine vision, and it's got to be Affleck's. The craftsmanship, too -- which is impossible to ignore -- is also his.

Subtly, the tone of this film changes as it bounces around three parallel absurdities -- the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the intelligence community in Washington, and the unreality that permeates Tinsletown. They're all essential notes, each complementing the others, because Argo is as much about the means as it is the ends. Affleck moves things effortlessly from intensity to humor, leaning on Goodman, Arkin, and Bryan Cranston to provide some levity in a film that has to have it. Conversely, he turns to largely unheralded actors as the six refugees, and that helps sell their plight even more.

The three pillars of the story all have their strengths, but Argo is at its best with the sextet of Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, and Kerry Bishé on screen. They are not big stars, although Donovan and DuVall have some name recognition, but their contribution as a group can't be overlooked. Logically, these actors are the emotional center of the film, and because they're hardly unified when it comes to handle their predicament, it makes them more than just token helpless victims waiting for a shining hero.

And Argo does not only capture the intensity of the situation: the sights and sounds of 1979 have all come out to play, as well -- cigarettes in the office and on planes, Rolling Stones album cuts, and oh, that hair. At first, it generates some slightly embarrassed smiles from anyone old enough to remember the era but the overall effect is just another grounding influence on Argo.

This is a great film, Gigli fans. We don't have Ben Affleck to kick around anymore.

Argo Movie Review

Argo   

Starring:  Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall

Directed by Ben Affleck

Rated: R

Run Time: 120 mins

Genre: Drama/ Thriller

Opens October 12^th

By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com

One of the new releases this week is the thriller “Argo”. Based on a true, declassified story, Director Ben Affleck was nominated and placed 2^nd at the Toronto International Film Festival for the People’s Choice Award.

In November 4, 1979, as part of an Anti-American street demonstration, radical students overtook the United States Embassy in Tehran,Iran; scaling the wall and holding hostage more than 50 Americans. This was in response to the United Stated allowing the former dictator ruler of Iran, Shah Reza Pahlavi, to enter the states to obtain medical treatment for cancer. Ayatollah Ruholla Khomenini took over power in Iran when the Shah fled the country and called for Anti-American street demonstrations after the Shah entered the  U.S.

Fortunately, amidst the chaos, 6 Americans were able to escape before capture and eventually found refuge at the home of the Canadian Ambassador, Ken Taylor (Victor Garber). The Americans that were able to make it out were Consular Officer Bob Anders (Tate Donovan), Mark Lijek (Christopher Denham) and Joe Stafford(Scoot McNairy); Consular Assistants Cora Lijek (Clea DuVall), Kathy Stafford (Kerry Bishe) and Agriculture Attache Lee Schatz (Rory Cochrane).

When news of the 6 Americans reached the State Department, it was then handed over to the C.I.A to figure out an extradition plan. C.I.A. Agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), expert in exfiltration and disguise, was brought in to figure out a plan to bring the 6 home. Ideas tossed around ranged from giving them bicycles to ride to the border of Iran; posing as teachers even though the school shut down almost a year before, or posing as a group to feed the hungry. The “best bad idea” that ended up sticking was proposed by Mendez, as posing as a Canadian film crew on a location scout for a Sci-Fi B-Movie, “Argo”; then fly them out of Iran under their “Hollywood  identities”.   Mendez, given the “greenlight”, flew to Los Angeles and enlisted the help of veteran make-up artist John Chambers (John Goodman) to create a fake production company and movie to present to the public, trades and international press as cover to extradite the six Americans.

As the plan was in the process of execution overseas, Mendez found himself facing many obstacles;  not only with the Americans he was trying to extradite, but also with the Iranian Military and his own superiors. Will Mendez succeed in his mission or risk becoming a hostage himself?

For someone who wasn't alive when this happened or is not familiar with the events of  the Iran Hostage Crisis, this film was presented almost like a history lesson and very eerily similar to today’s headlines. What this film does exceptionally well is tell a true story that stays as non political as possible. To date, this is Ben Affleck's best film as a director and actor. The amount of attention to detail was meticulous; from the research, the costumes, sets, locations and technology, everything appears spot on. The way that the actual footage and newsreels from the era flow with the fictional storyline is like a seamless symphony of cinematic excellence. This is a must see film as it is gripping  engrossing, taking the viewer on a high stakes race that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat right up until the very end. The best part is that it is a true story. I can easily see this nominated for several awards, including Best Picture. Check out Argo when it opens in theaters nationwide starting Friday October 21, 2012.

Movie Review for Seven Psychopaths

Seven Psychopaths  

Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish

Directed By Martin McDonagh

Rated: R

Run Time: 109 mins

Genre: Comedy/ Crime

Opens October 12^th

By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com

Hey Phoenix Film Fans, this week we screened the dark comedy Seven Psychopaths, starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken and Woody Harrelson. Fun fact about the film, Mickey Rourke was originally cast as Charlie and later replaced by Woody Harrelson after reported conflict with one of the producers. Keep an eye out for Rourke though as the name pops up later in the graveyard scene.

Screenwriter Marty Faranan (Colin Ferrell) have been working on a new script, but all he has been able to come up with is the title – Seven Psychopaths. He wants to write a piece that is a crime thriller but has elements of peace and love. Marty’s best friend, Actor Billy Bickle (Sam Rockwell), has been begging Marty to work with him on the script.  He even gives him the inspiration for the first psychopath, a serial killer who kills high ranking mafia members, leaving a calling card of the Jack of Diamonds. Billy does not have much going on, as he is out of work and is a cohort of a local dog kidnapping scheme with Hans (Christopher Walken). Billy and Hans go around kidnapping dogs, keep them for a few days and then return the dogs when their owners offer up a reward.  When Billy nabs local gangster Charlie Costello’s beloved Shih Tzu Bonnie, all bets are off.  Charlie will not rest until his dog is found, killing anyone that gets on his way.

When Marty is kicked out of his home he shares with girlfriend Kaya (Abbie Cornish) Billy knows that all Marty needs is some inspiration and to quit drinking if he is ever to finish his script. Only acting out of friendly concern and guidance to help Marty focus, Billy places an ad in the local paper looking for Psychopaths. This way Marty can probe these unusual characters for insight and material.

While Marty is interviewing a possible psychopath, Billy is running around with Charlie’s girlfriend. Charlie gets a lead on where Bonnie may be which leads him to Hans’s sick wife,Myra (Linda Bright Clay). Showing that he is deadly serious about getting his dog back, Myra is executed at the hand of Charlie, leaving Hans in a strangely calm state.

Knowing that they would be next, Billy, Marty and Hans take off to the desert to figure out their next move and work on the script. Will Charlie find the 3 men and be reunited with his beloved Bonnie? Will Marty ever finish his script or will Charlie kill them all? Who are Psychopath #1 and #7 real identities?

Seven Psychopaths is a wickedly smart, brutally violent, dark comedy. What is so refreshing about this film that it is brutally honest in its message; its unapologetic in the choice of words used; politically incorrect way that women are portrayed; the amount of gratuitous violence and totally transparent on the direction of the story. It is like an indirect insight of a psychopath’s mind (or a real bad screenplay) in the way the story flows, the way violence is justified, glorified and executed. The castings of the 4 lead male roles were perfect in their respective roles, with stand out performances by Walking and Rockwell.  Check out Seven Psychopaths when it opens in theaters starting Friday October 12, 2012.

Diana Vreeland opens October 12 at Harkins Camelview

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel is opening exclusively on October 12th at Harkins Camelview Theatre. The film is an intimate portrait and a vibrant celebration of one of the most influential women of the 20th century, an enduring icon whose influence changed the face of fashion, beauty, art, publishing and culture itself forever.Along the way, the story of Vreeland illustrates the evolution of women into roles of power and prominence throughout the 20th century, and travels through some of the century's greatest historical and cultural eras, including Paris' Belle Epoque, New York in the roaring twenties, and London in the swinging sixties. It also spans such historical events as the great wars, the flights of Lindbergh, the romance of Wallis and Windsor, the Kennedy inauguration, and the freewheeling spirit of the 1960's youthquake, and the advent of countless fashion revolutions from the bikini to the blue jean.

Diana Vreeland (1903-1989) was the 20th Century’s greatest arbiter of style, an exotic and vibrant character who, during her fifty-year reign as the “Empress of Fashion,” dazzled the world with her unique vision of style high and low. She launched Twiggy, advised Jackie O, and coined some of fashion’s most eloquent proverbs such as “the bikini is the biggest thing since the atom bomb.” She lived a vibrant and remarkable life, and as the star performer in her own drama, Diana began writing the script for it at an early age. It all started during the Belle Époque: modernism, Art Nouveau, the Ballets Russes, and haute couture. Diana was fascinated with the glamorous and eccentric characters of this era who paraded through her parents’ living room in Paris. But her childhood was also marked by the loveless relationship she had with her mother, an American beauty. “I was always her ugly little monster,” Diana recalled. As World War I started, the family moved back to America. Diana, forced to speak English, developed a stutter and failed in school. Eventually she dropped out and found refuge in dance, a true passion.

If Diana felt insecure about her looks, she never wallowed in it. Instead, she created her own world in which style, originality, and allure were supreme. She invented a dazzling persona that embraced every moment of life as an adventure, whether she was witnessing the coronation of George V or riding horses with Buffalo Bill in Wyoming. At 19, she captured the heart of one of the most handsome and eligible bachelors, Reed Vreeland - “the most ravishing, devastating killer-diller,” as she put it later. Together they settled in London and started a life full of romantic trips around Europe in their Bugatti coupé: Paris, Budapest, Vienna, Rome. During these years, she cultivated her love of couture and became friends with all the couturiers in Paris. Diana’s unexpected career in fashion began upon her return to New York in 1936 when Carmel Snow, the editor of Harper’s Bazaar, noticed her unique style and look at a party. Diana was hired as Bazaar’s fashion editor, and she immediately became renowned for her provocative “Why don’t you?” column that dared readers to open their imagination and live their dreams. She would write homilies such as, “Why don’t you rinse your blond child’s hair in dead Champagne to keep its gold,” or “have a white monkey-fur bedcover mounted on yellow velvet?” Through her column and photography spreads, Diana lent the magazine pages of her amazing flair for beauty, high and low. Photographer Richard Avedon, who affectionately called her his “crazy aunt,” exclaimed, “she was and remains the only genius fashion editor.”

After twenty-five years at Harper’s Bazaar, Diana resigned and took over as Vogue editor-in-chief. It was the swinging sixties, where – as Diana would say – “you could have a bump on your nose, it made no difference so long as you had a marvelous body and carriage.” Uniqueness was being celebrated and Vreeland’s transformation of Vogue was at the vanguard of this cultural revolution. The pages of Vogue exploded with fashion, art, music, film; this became its “golden years.” It was suddenly a young, new and exciting magazine, where models had personalities and fashion spoke to all women. Diana became a living legend, with her striking silhouette, her jet-black hair, and her peculiar voice, somewhere between high society and street slang. Her famous red living room, “a garden in hell,” became the headquarters for New York arts and society. Diana would look upon these years as her most glorious ones; she had finally found an era fit for her vivid and wild imagination.

Shortly after the death of her husband, Diana was abruptly fired from Vogue in 1971, turning the fashion world upside down. Rumors had it that she was so distraught that she took to bed for a year, but Diana was far from having her last dance. In 1972, at age seventy, she started working at the Met’s Costume Institute where she set new standards for exhibiting fashion worldwide, awakening an institution that had been forever sleepy. Like a film director, she created sets in which elaborate fantasies came to life. Her controversial approach – based on drama and theatre sometimes more than historical fact - was criticized by some historians, but they were silenced when her shows brought in huge crowds and put the Costume Institute on the map. Diana blended fact with fantasy throughout her career, even once exclaiming that Charles Lindberg had flown over her lawn in Brewster on his way to Paris. Upon being asked if her story was fact or fiction, she responded, “Faction!”

Diana Vreeland was the oracle of fashion for much of the 20th century, inviting us to join her on a voyage of perpetual reinvention and take part in the adventure of life. Through her trained and diligent eye, she opened the door of our minds and gave us the freedom to imagine. Her images and accomplishments are as fresh and relevant now as they were then, and her spirit is just a vibrant and relevant today. As Jackie Onassis once put it: "To say Diana Vreeland has dealt only with fashion trivializes what she has done. She has commented on the times in a wise and witty manner. She has lived a life.”

Frankenweenie Movie Review

Frankenweenie   

Starring: (Voices of) Charlie Tahan, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Christopher Lee

Directed by Tim Burton

Rated: PG

Run Time: 87 mins

Genre: Comedy/ Horror/Animation/ 3D Film

Opens October 5^th

By Lisa Minzey

Hey Phoenix Film Fans, this week brings a real animated treat from Tim Burton, the 3D film, Frankenweenie. This is a feature film remake of Tim Burton’s original shot film of the same name, 28 years after its original release.

Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan – voice) is an unusual child. A budding creative mind and innovative filmmaker, Victor spends much of his free time alone making movies. His parents Mr. Frankenstein (Martin Short – voice) and Mrs. Frankenstein (Catherine O’Hara – voice) worry for their son as his only friend seems to be the family dog, Sparky.

When new Science teacher, Mr. Rzykruski (Martin Landau – voice) challenges his students to create unique projects for the upcoming Science Fair, Victor has to beg his father to let him participate. Mr. Frankenstein will only allow Victor to partake in the Science Fair, if he joins a team sport and makes some human friends.

All of the students are in a fierce competition to win, paring up with each other based on that has the best chance of winning. Edgar ‘E’ Gore (Atticus Shaffer – voice) is the other loner in class and is desperate to pair up with Victor, not only to have a partner but because Victor is one of the smartest kids in the class.  Victor declines because he likes working alone. When Victor’s beloved pet Sparky is hit by a car and dies, he does not feel like participating much, so when he is shown a reanimation technique by Mr. Rzykruski, he is inspired to try and bring back Sparky.

Every night, there is a lightening storm in town. By Victor’s calculations, this should provide the right amount of voltage for his reanimation experiment. Fortunately for Victor, he is correct and Sparky is alive! The consequences of his actions were not taken into consideration, and when Sparky gets out of his hiding spot and is seen by Edgar, Victor is now being blackmailed in to a partnership and demonstration of the reanimation process.

Soon, the secret gets out on Victor’s success with bringing the dead back to life, setting the rest of the class into a frenzy for the Science Fair. When several other students dabble with the process, chaos ensues and threatens the town and the kids’ lives. Will order be restored or will playing God come back to haunt them all?

What Frankenweenie does well is combining several classic monster film elements with the creepy essence of Tim Burton’s early films. At times, the look and demeanor of the characters and the set designs resemble Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice. This film is definitely more for adults for the classic references and innuendos. The 3D animation is exceptionally well done for being a black & white film. Check it out when it opens in theaters starting Friday October 5, 2012.

Movie Review for Taken 2

Taken 2   

Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen

Directed by Olivier Megaton

Rated: PG-13

Run Time: 91 mins

Genre: Action/ Crime/ Thriller

Opens October 5^th

By Lisa Minzey

Hey Phoenix Film Fans, this week we screened the sequel to the 2008 thriller Taken.  Taken 2 stars Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen, directed by Oliver Megaton.

Retired C.I.S. operative Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is a man of many layers. He is an overprotective father to college bound daughter Kim (Maggie Grace); a caring “friend” to ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and golf/ drinking buddy to his ex-CIA buddies. Life in Los Angeles is changing for the Mills clan; Kim is working towards getting her drivers license and has a new boyfriend, Jamie  (Luke Grimes); Lenore is going through a separation with her current husband and it is turning into a nasty battle. The trip that Lenore had planned for Kim’s Spring Break, the soon-to-be ex husband cancelled at the last moment. Bryan offers to have her and Kim join him in Istanbul after he has finished his freelancing security detail, and they can take in the sights.

Meanwhile in Albania, crime lord Murad Krasniqi (Rade Serbedzija) is mourning the loss of his son and other men from their village. Krasniqi vows revenge upon the man who killed his son; serendipitously, that man is Bryan and his son was the sex trafficking criminal from Paris  who kidnapped Kim.

On the third day, when Brian has finished the job in Istanbul, he is surprised by Kim and Lenore who have taken him up on his offer to join him overseas. The first night, he and Kim had a father/daughter date, where Kim hinted around for details on how her parents met. Her ulterior motives are subtlety hinted at when she turns down lunch at the Bazaar with her parents. Fortunately for Kim, she stayed behind, as in route to the Bazaar, Lenore and Bryan are pursued and kidnapped by Krasniqi’s thugs.

Being the cracker-jack op, Bryan was able to make contact with and warn Kim before Krasniqi’s men could find her.  He instructs Kim to go to the embassy, but she argues against it and to go find her parents. Will Kim be able to find her parents before something drastic happens? Will Krasniqi succeed in eliminating Mills and his family or will Bryan craft an escape plan to save him and his family?

When Taken was released in 2008, it was spellbinding, enthralling and thrilling. Taken 2 is less thrilling but nonetheless entertaining through its dialogue, endless chase scenes and powerful screen presence of Liam Neeson. Check out Taken 2 out when it opens in theaters Friday October, 5, 2012.

Interview with Stephen Chbosky, Writer/Director of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

Interview with Stephen Chbosky, Writer/Director of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"  

By Lisa Minzey

Phoenix-  A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of sitting down for a conversation with author, writer and director of the critically-acclaimed novel and film “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, Stephen Chbosky. Some of Chbosky’s earlier works  include the independent film, “The Four Corners of Nowhere”,  the TV show “Jericho” and screenwriter of the film adaptation of the musical “Rent”.

When this book was released in 1999, it became an overnight success with the young adult crowd. As popular of a book it is was with the readers, it is also a source of controversy. “Wallflower” continues to be banned from several schools, landing in the #15 spot of the top 100 banned books of the 21^st Century and making the American Library Association’s Most Frequently Challenged Books list 5 times over the past 10 years. Despite all the controversy, the book strikes a chord with those who read it

PFF: I finished reading "Wallflower" right after the screening and, wow, it packs an emotional punch. How was the process of writing “Wallflower” for you and the responses you get from readers?

SC: I wrote the book for personal reasons, and it is a privilege to have this experience. You have this thing, it gets published and you hope that people read it, so that they don't feel so alone. The most beautiful surprise is that you have these moments where you connect with people on a deep level without saying a word. It’s one of those wonderful things that you get what you give, and I'm grateful for it. The response I've got from this movie so far is, wow. It’s the dream come true.

PFF: After reading the book and seeing the film, the two beautifully complement each other. How hard was it to take some of the heavier material that was in the book and translate that to screen without compromising the integrity of the story for the rating?

SC: It was a very, very difficult tone to master and it took a lot of basic, hard work. It was almost like being blue collar about it.  [Producer] Lianne Halfon, who has done so many wonderful other films such as Juno, Ghost World and other films, had said that never in her career, she’s never seen a movie that if you change 3 lines, it’s a different movie; and she was right. So what I had to do was instinctively go in over and over again as a result and say is this true, is this authentic, is this right or not? If it’s not, I had to go back and try something else and move it down, inch by inch, until it was the movie that you see in theaters.

PFF: It seems like, from a reader’s/ viewer’s standpoint that the whole process was a magical experience the way the process flowed together for music selections. With the mixed tape being a huge part of the film, how difficult was it in getting some of the rights to so many great pieces of music?

SC: Music was so important to me growing up and my music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas, we wanted to share our favorite songs from that era with a new audience and maybe give some of our older viewers a trip down memory lane. But we had a rule: When we were in post that we would play songs for our young post p.a.s and would play them the songs that we loved. There were a few time we were like, “What about this one?” and there would be crickets; they could care less. Then there would be moments where would share XTC’s “Dear God”, something that they were unfamiliar with, and they loved it.  I always wanted the audience to know that they have much more in common then they already have. It’s so rare that this happens. The response to this movie so overwhelming, that they gave us whatever songs we wanted. There will be a soundtrack, CD, and vinyl release and the score will also be released! Michael Brooks did an amazing job; he was able to fuse all the songs together.

PFF: Do you still have a lot of mix tapes?

SC: I do. I don't throw anything away. I have all the mix tape, including the one where I got the song “Asleep”.

PFF: What brings you more joy – writing or directing?

SC: Writing novels and directing. Writing screenplays is incredibly hard. I can’t call it joy. Writing Novels? Joy. Directing? Joy. Writing Screenplays? That’s where you pay all your dues.

PFF: Is it because of the after process or the technicality of screenwriting that is difficult?

SC: The technicality. Ted Tally  who wrote the brilliant screenplay for Silence of the Lambs, he called adaptation “it’s like turning soup back into bullion” and it is so hard to do. The people like him [Ted] that can do it with such ease and such grace, my hat goes off to them; I don’t know how they do it.

PFF: After reading about the background on "Wallflower", "Jericho"and "Rent", the fans respond with such passion for these projects. What do you think or feel that can help filmmakers and/ or writers capture that same passion or essence to translate on screen?

SC: That is an interesting question. The old cliché that teachers say to their writing students is “Write what you know.” Maybe it’s about going one step further and write what you love? Write with your honest emotion…"Jericho" and "Perks", I can't describe it. Maybe it’s because that shows like "Jericho" and musicals like "Rent" are not made very often, and there is this hunger for these types of projects. I almost feel like if more of these types of projects were made, that perhaps Hollywood would understand that this fan base does exist and would get bigger.

PFF: Since this is such a life affirming type of film for many people, what is the best piece of advice that someone has given to you about life?

SC: I want to say [my mentor] Stuart Stern (Screenwriter of Rebel without a Cause) It wasn't so much about advice but about encouragement. People, all people, and we can all relate to this; have these things whether its career, art, a person, a friendship, or activity that you want to pursue. So many of us, for whatever reason, believe that we can't do it, believe can't achieve it or even worse, believe that we don't deserve it, even if we work really hard for it. The best encouragement I ever received was from Stuart Stern, in the sense of he was the first teacher I ever met that I felt fundamentally understood, what I wanted to do, accepted me for that, and encouraged me to be just that. The best teachers will always do that. If the advice is simply to respect yourself and follow the path that you want to follow, that would be the best advice I could ever pass on. I don’t know if he ever gave it, but he lived it. I model him, so I owe him a great deal.

PFF: I read somewhere that you were working on a project called “The Night Before”. Is that still a work in progress?

SC: No, it’s not a work in progress but a very necessary step in making this movie. I don’t think I’ll ever make it. My next book that I’m writing, that I will be making into a movie, will be far better than The Night Before. It’s my very loving tribute to Steven King, who’s my favorite author and I’m incredibly excited to see this side of my work.

Be sure to check out The Perks of Being A Wallflower when it opens in theaters starting September 28, 2012.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Movie Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower         

Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Nina Dobrev, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermot, Paul Rudd

Directed by Stephen Chbosky

Rated: PG-13

Run Time: 103 mins

Genre: Drama/ Romance

Opens Spetember 28^th

By Lisa Minzey

Phoenix Film fans… do we have a treat for you! This week we checked out the film adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Writer/Director Stephen Chbosky also penned the novel, deemed “too controversial” by some educational institutions.  Actress Emma Watson stars in her first role since the Harry Potter series and was paramount in bringing “Perks” to the silver screen. Check out the interview with Director Stephen Chbosky here.

There are certain times that people remember in their lives, their first loves, first dates, first day at school. Set in the early 1990’s inPittsburgh, shy boy Charlie (Logan Lerman), sees life in a different capacity. The past year has been a difficult transition period for him; as his best friend committed suicide, his brother has left for college, and he is entering into his freshman year of high school at a disadvantage. His older siblings have carved their legacy into the school’s memory and social hierarchy. His sister Candace (Nina Dobrev) is a senior whose life currently revolves around her boyfriend Ponytail Derek (Nicholas Braun). Charlie is on his own for most of the school day and the only “friend” he makes is his English teacher, Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd). Charlie and Mr. Anderson have an intellectual appreciation for exceptional literature, so to expand his horizons; Mr. Anderson introduces him to different authors and material outside of the class curriculum.

Charlie, wanting to branch out and experience high school life, attends a Friday night football game where he ends up hanging out with a classmate from his shop class, Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his stepsister Sam (Emma Watson). The three become fast friends and introduce Charlie to the larger group of friends whom Sam and Patrick associate with outside of the educational facility’s cement walls. Patrick and Sam take Charlie under their wing and expose him to a whole new world, filled with deep life probing discussions, the joys of the live theater (a.k.a. The Rocky Horror Picture Show), upper classmen parties and being free to be his true self.

Dubbed as a “wallflower” Charlie’s naïve approach to life is a refreshing social bonus for Sam and Patrick as they trust Charlie enough to open up with their secrets that they bear. The closer that Charlie and Sam get, the stronger the feelings he develops for her. Charlie knows that she only sees him as a friend but secretly wishes that one day it could be more. The relationships, heartache, laughter and tears, somehow seem amplified as a teenager as it is a transitional time from childhood to adulthood. The crosses that Charlie bears are quite heavy, but he finds out that he is in good company as the tribulations that the people around him are just as intense. Will Sam ever fall for Charlie and see herself the same way he sees her? Will Patrick find the happiness, love and acceptance from the object of his affection? Will Charlie continue to bloom once his first year is over and his friends more on to the next phase of their lives?

For the die hard fans of “Wallflower”, the film version beautifully complements the book as some parts were intentionally updated for the film. For those that have not read the book, it does have some heavy emotional material which Chbosky intentionally left out.

What is so impressive about this film is that it spans a multitude of personalities and helps shorten the gap between generations. It helps reconnect to a sense of self that either gets lost along the way in life or help break through blocks that may hold people back. The material covered in the book and the film has been happening for generations. The difference is that nowadays this generation publishes their business, thoughts and emotions, everywhere. The older generations may find this a commication tool to bridge the gap or start a conversation with the younger crowd. What hits home is that no one is truly alone; there are people out there that understand and can help. Check out “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” when it opens in Phoenix Friday, September 28, 2012.

Looper Movie Review

Looper   

Starring: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Piper Perabo, Paul Dano

Directed by Rian Johnson

Rated: R

Run Time: 118 mins

Genre: Action/ Sci-Fi/ Thriller

4.5 frames out of 5

Opens September 28^th

By Lisa Minzey

The final film we checked out this week was the Sci-Fi Thriller that was featured at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival.  “Looper” stars Joseph Gordon Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt, Writer/Director Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brother Bloom, Breaking Bad) takes the viewer on a mind bending journey that leaves you guessing until the very end.

If you think that crime is bad now, just wait until 2072. Good news is that time travel has been invented; bad news is that it is illegal and run by the mob. When they want to “whack” someone off in the future, they send the victim back in time 30 years to be disposed of by a “Looper”, a.k.a assassin. A “Looper” then kills the victim upon arrival, disposes of the body, and it is a clean transaction. Tracking systems in 2072 are so advanced; it makes it difficult to get rid of bodies unnoticed.

Joe (Joseph Gordon Levitt), one of the younger loopers, is very proficient at his job. He has been saving half of the silver bars he finds on his target’s body, to save for the day when his loop is closed. When a loop is closed, that means that your future self is sent back and disposed. The former Looper can go on in the present and live out the rest of their days. When Joe’s best friend Seth's (Paul Dano) loop is about to be closed, he can’t kill his future self and lets him run away. Seth then seeks out Joe for help as this is an extreme risk for his present self. The Future Seth informed him of why so many of the loops are being closed as of late; a new, extremely dangerous crime boss has taken over, called “The Rainmaker”. Before Seth can tell Joe the rest of the information, some of the other loopers show up and take Joe away for questioning.

Things do not end well for Seth, and this haunts Joe. Shortly after the Seth incident Joe’s future self is the next target for present Joe to dispose. Old Joe (Bruce Willis) has a great life in 2072 and wants to protect what he has built for himself, so he decides to change the future. Old Joe has found 3 possible children that could be the Rainmaker in the future. His plan is he will erase each one from the present time, 2044; changing the future and returning him to 2072.

Old Joe takes off after two of the suspects, and Joe runs off to find the last target. The scrap of paper that Joe has leads him to a farmhouse ran by single a mother Sara (Emily Blunt). It takes some convincing, but Joe convinces Sarah that he is there to protect her and her son from Old Joe.

The more time that Joe spends with Sarah and Cid, the closer he gets, clouding Old Joe’s memories and possible future. Will Old Joe find the correct Rainmaker before the Loopers catch up to him? Will Joe end up falling for Sarah, thus changing his future? Or will the Loopers take out both Joes, leaving the Rainmaker to rein terror in the future?

In this mind bending, futuristic thriller, writer/director Rian Johnson blends the futuristic post apocalyptic/ crime-ridden world with the material items associated with current times. For instance, the vehicles, clothing or some of the weapons look like anything you could find today.  The pacing of the story was spot on, and the storyline not too complicated that it would be too confusing to follow. The makeup artist did a phenomenal job of making Joseph Gordon Levitt look like a young Bruce Willis; the resemblance was uncanny. Make sure to check this film out when it opens in theaters starting Friday, September 28, 2012.

Movie Review for Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect   

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin

Directed by Jason Moore

Rated: PG-13

Run Time: 112 mins

Genre: Comedy/ Musical

Opens in select theaters September 28th

By Lisa Minzey

Hey Phoenix Film fans! This week one of the movies we checked out was Pitch Perfect directed by Jason Moore (avenue Q) and features an all-star cast of Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Banks, Skylar Astin and Ben Platt.

College freshman Beca (Anna Kendrick) knows what she wants out of life; go to Los Angeles and work in the music industry. Unfortunately, her father insists she goes to college first. Her father, Dr. Mitchell (John Benjamin Hickey) is a professor at BardenUniversity, enabling Beca to attend for free. He bribes Beca into staying for at least her freshman year, if she doesn’t like it at the end of the first year he will help and pay for her to move west.  The catch is that Beca must get involved with some activity other than listening and mixing music tracks.

Barden University, known for their musical groups, particularly for two rival accapella choir groups: The Bellas and The Treblemakers.  The Bellas were disqualified from a national competition when one of their members had an unfortunate, yet disgusting accident during their performance.  Looking to redeem the legacy of the Bellas, Aubrey (Anna Camp) and Chloe (Brittany Snow) are desperately trying to find the perfect fit to the group. When the girls try to recruit Beca, they are blown off. Chloe knows that Beca is a perfect choice for the group, so she wheedles her into joining The Bellas.

The rest of the ragtag, all-girls singing group, is made of Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) the big girl with the even bigger personality, Stacie (Alexis Knapp) who is very in touch with her sensual side and Cynthia Rose (Ester Dean) who sexuality is in question. There is also Lilly (Hana Mae Lee) who is a life sized version of the Muppet Beeker, Denise (Wanetah Walmsley) and Ashley (Shelley Regner). The new inductees have been banned from dating their rivals, the all-male singing group, The Treblemakers. The leader of the guys group Bumper (Adam DeVine) is a bit of an egomaniac and loves to irritate Aubrey.

New Treblemaker Jesse has a major crush on Beca and is not shy about showing his feelings. Jesse works with Beca at the campus radio station as a fellow intern, so their friendship grows into a mutual attraction. Beca keeps herself guarded towards Jesse as it could jeopardize her spot in The Bellas. Aubrey doesn’t care much for Beca as it is, so being around Jesse keeps her on Aubrey’s bad side.

As Regionals approaches, the tension in the group heightens. Beca points out the material they have is stale, and that they should liven their performance up. Aubrey vehemently refuses and overrules the group. Will they be able to redeem The Bellas reputation or will the tensions in the group be their undoing? Will Beca be able to overcome her emotional defenses to be able to let in Jesse? Will Beca make it another year or will take her father’s offer and move toLos Angeleswhen the school year is finished?

What could be considered “Glee”: The College Years”, turned out to be a delightful surprise. This film is uplifting, light-hearted and such a guilty pleasure. The musical arrangements, vocal performances and acting performances were top notch. If you like shows like Glee or movies like Mean Girls, Superbad or Bring It On check this film out when it opens in select cities September 28 or nationwide October 5^th.