The Grey - 2 1/2 smiles

“The Grey” is an interesting blend of metaphysical conversations about life, death and God and your standard survival thriller. Does it work? Not really and the ending stinks. As soon as the oil company plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, you can bet that most of the survivors will meet untimely ends. And with wolves nearby, you know that their deaths won’t be easy or pretty. You see, the wolves resent intrusion into their area so they’re not really interested in eating the survivors, only killing them. In between trying to get away from the wolves, the men talk about faith, the meaning of life or not. Liam Neeson plays the movie’s chief atheist, a skilled sniper who keeps flashing back to his final misty moments with an absent wife. Meanwhile you know where the story is headed and each death is telegraphed way before it happens. The only suspense is which interchangeable survivor dies next.

Director Joe Carnahan seems concerned with three things: the pervading cold, the masculine conversations and the acting, some of which is pretty good. Besides Neeson, who’s always effective, the standouts are Frank Grillo as a hard-bitten ex-con and Dallas Roberts as a genial religious type. Otherwise, the characters are far from memorable. Their main purpose is to trudge through the cold or wait for the wolves to reappear, which goes on until the end. By the way, did I say the ending stinks? The cinematography is beautiful, providing artistic beauty throughout and Carnahan’s ‘thoughtful’ style of man vs. the elements is definitely unique. “The Grey” appears to be another successful January movie for Liam Neeson, after Taken and Unknown. 1/29/12

Man on a Ledge - 2 1/2 smiles

Although audience expectations for “Man on a Ledge” are probably pretty low, it’s a surprisingly engaging thriller. It grabs your attention from the start and when it’s over, you’ll say, ‘That was good.’ A falsely accused man, Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), released from prison on a one-day pass, escapes, takes a room in a high-end New York hotel and steps out onto the ledge, threatening to kill himself. As Nick tells his story to hostage negotiator Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks), we discover that a corrupt millionaire businessman, David Englander (Ed Harris), framed Nick for the theft of a 40 carat diamond. And while Nick draws attention to himself, Nick’s brother, Joey (Jamie Bell) and Joey’s girlfriend, Angie (Genesis Rodriguez) are busy breaking into Englander’s building across the street. Along the way we also learn that corrupt cops are on Englander’s payroll.

Director Asger Leth emphasizes the media-circus that ensues with Kyra Sedgwick’s obvious ratings-minded, Anglo television reporter named Suzie Morales and the callous mob mentality that prompts many to yell, ‘Jump!’ while others snap pictures on their cell phones and wait for the macabre to happen. Especially effective are Elizabeth Banks and Genesis Rodriguez, which is interesting considering this is a macho-type movie. Of course, there are a lot of coincidences and cops shooting in public places, but if you suspend enough disbelief, you won’t be bothered while you’re watching. 1/28/12

One for the Money - 1 1/2 smiles

Given that I’m not a fan of Katherine Heigl’s movies, I liked her better in her latest outing, “One for the Money.” However, that may not be saying much. Director Julie Anne Robinson doesn’t seem to know what kind of movie she wanted to make as she veers between silly attempts at humor and a serious detective story. Based on Janet Evanovich’s popular series about Trenton bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, “One for the Money” appears to be the start of a movie franchise, assuming, of course, that this one has a successful box office run. On paper, Stephanie is an appealing character. Divorced, recently unemployed (from a job selling lingerie at Macy’s) and generally down on her luck, she is plucky and resilient, qualities that Heigl does best. However, sometimes her spirited feistiness is irritating, especially when her ineptitude as a bounty hunter causes several innocent people to be killed and a friendly prostitute (Sherri Shepherd) to be beaten. Nonetheless, Stephanie’s unsuitability for her job is essentially the basis for the entire film, yet within minutes of being offered the job, she’s tailing perps and breaking into vacant buildings like a pro.

As the film opens, Stephanie has been unemployed for several months after losing her job at Macy’s and her bank account is down to zero. She convinces her bail bondsman cousin to let her take a temporary position and a fellow bounty hunter (Daniel Sunjata) teaches her some of the ropes. She uses some of her new skills to track her ex, Joe Morelli (Jason O’Mara), whose capture will net her $50,000. Along the way, Stephanie becomes embroiled in solving a murder case. As Stephanie continually charges headlong into dangerous situations with unsavory men without a thought for her personal safety, she’s inevitably bailed out by a passing male savior when she should be bailing herself out of her predicaments. “One for the Money” seems more like a made-for-TV movie and the first week’s box office seems to agree. 1/27/12

Haywire - 3 smiles

If you’re a fan of action movies (like me), you’re going to enjoy “Haywire,” directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring mixed martial arts star Gina Carano.” And what a pleasure seeing a woman in a role that Jason Statham usually plays, watching her kick lots of butt. Carano plays Mallory Kane, a freelance contractor trained by the CIA, who takes a job to extract a Chinese dissident being held hostage in Spain. Soderbegh surrounds Carano with an amazing cast of supporting actors. There’s Ewan McGregor, her shifty boss; Michael Fassbender, the British operative she teams with in Barcelona; Michael Douglas, a shadowy bigwig, Antonio Banderas, a jet-setting badie. Bill Paxton plays Mallory’s Marine Corps veteran dad.

The movie opens in snowy New England with Mallory Kane (Carano) on the run. She stops at a roadside diner to catch her breath when someone she knows walks in (Channing Tatum). Although he seems like a friend, they’re soon fighting and Mallory is on the run again with bystander Scott (Michael Angarano) and using his car in the getaway. He wants to know what’s happening so in flashback narrative, Mallory tells her tale. To be sure, there’s a lot of double and triple crosses and close-quarters combat before her story is finished. “Haywire” isn’t deep and Carano’s line recitation could use a bit more energy, but she has presence and grace under fire, making for a memorable action heroine. And Soderbergh delivers some highly entertaining, well-choreographed fight scenes. If studios must make sequels, they should consider “Haywire.” 1/21/12

Red Tails - 2 1/2 smiles

“Red Tails,” the World War II action-adventure tale about the Tuskegee Airmen, is exciting when the story takes to the air, but when the pilots are on the ground, the narrative gets stuck in superficial characterizations and stereotypical behavior. The members of first African-American squadron are true heroes, shooting down more than 100 German aircraft between 1943 and 1945 and “Red Tails” intends to honor them. There are four primary characters: squadron leader Marty ‘Easy Julian (Nate Parker), his best friend, Joe ‘Lightning’ Little (David Oyelowo), the wisecracking Samuel ‘Joker’ George (Elijah Kelley), and the youngest member of the group Ray ‘Junior’ Gannon (Tristan Wilds). They are defined by stereotypical behavior. Easy is a drunk with a domineering father and a tendency toward self-pity. Lightning is a hotshot and a lothario. Joker doesn’t know how to be serious and Junior wants to earn a more mature nickname. The 332^nd is stationed in Italy, running mainly surveillance and mop-up missions while under constant threat of being shut down. When Col. A.J. Bullard (Terrence Howard) manages to get the bigoted generals in Washington to allow them to provide air cover during an amphibious landing and they prove their worth, they’re given more important missions, including escorting the first bomber squadron to strike Berlin.

The story would have been better if the script had delved deeper into what these men faced from the military’s entrenched racism. You get a brief glimpse of the bigotry with a scene in an officer’s club and a few clashes with officers higher in the chain of command. And there’s nothing about the Tuskegee, Alabama institute that trained the fliers nor is there much explanation about the pre-war lives of the individual pilots. There are, however, some annoying subplots – the grossly underdeveloped story of Junior’s time in a German prison camp, Lightning’s romance with an Italian woman and Easy’s guilt after one of his men is badly injured. David Oyelowo stands out as Lightening, the unit’s best flier, who, with a mixture of recklessness and skill, is the film’s most complex character. Terrence Howard is also effective as the low-key but defiant colonel who faces off against top military brass and fights for his squadron to be allowed to fly real missions. Nonetheless, it’s too bad that the meticulous attention to detail committed to the aerial dogfights isn’t evident in other areas of the movie. Produced by George Lucas, who also used his own money to finance the film, and directed by Anthony Hemingway, “Red Tails” is enjoyable if you don’t expect too much. 1/20/12

Joyful Noise - 2 1/2 smiles

Go to “Joyful Noise” for the musical numbers by Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton and young Keke Palmer and Jeremy Jordan, not for the mediocre script. Set in Pacashau, Georgia, where the only store left on Main Street is a struggling family-run hardware store, Latifah plays Vi Rose, a choir member with a firm belief that parishioners don’t want to her your voice, they want to hear God through you. In this, Vi Rose is seriously mistaken, something that GG Sparrow (Parton), Vi’s competitor for the newly vacated job of chorus director, does not fail to remind her. Vi Rose is a true believer in Gospel music and tough-love mothering, much to the annoyance of her teenage daughter, Olivia (Palmer). GG’s taste for a mixture of pop and country with her hymns, not to mention her easy-going style of gandmothering Randy (Jordan), doubly offends Vi Rose. The film’s plot hinges on whether Vi Rose’s Gospel songs or Randy’s pop/Gospel combinations will be sung at the church choir competition.

Todd Graff, who wrote and directed the movie, includes some pretty good one-liners that Vi Rose and GG fling at each other, but the high points of the movie are the musical numbers, which shine. The very obvious theme revolves around keeping the faith through obstacle after obstacle, but the film’s ultimate feel-good nature proves infectious. Despite some overly sentimental dialogue, there’s something to be said about leaving the theater with a smile. 1/15/12

Contraband - 3 smiles

Given it’s an adrenalin-fueled actioner released in January, “Contraband” is a solid genre picture that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout even if the plot has holes big enough to drive a truck through. Based on the 2008 Icelandic film, “Reykjavik-Rotterdam” and directed by that film’s star, Baltasar Kormakur, “Contraband,” features Mark Wahlberg as Chris Farraday, a former smuggler who’s now living a quiet life as a security consultant in a New Orleans suburbs with his hairstylist wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale) and their two young sons. When Kate’s younger brother, Andy (Caleb Jones), botches a job for a violent local drug dealer (Giovanni Ribisi), Chris must come out of retirement to make up the loss to this madman. His plan involves shipping down to Panama City to bring back millions in counterfeit bills. Not only does this not go according to plan, but it also spins wildly out of control. In addition, there’s an amusing subplot involving a stolen Jackson Pollock painting that’s played for some subtle laughs.

Wahlberg is a capable enough actor that you believe his predicament – he’s a principled man who’s forced to do things he swore he would not. And he carries the picture with ease and a low-key charm. The strong supporting cast includes J. K. Simmons as the ship’s uptight captain and Ben Foster as Chris’s best friend. Beckinsale is stuck in a thankless role as the victimized wife. I would have preferred her character to have a little more feistiness. On the other hand, Rabisi overdoes crazy to the point of being cartoonish. “Contraband” is fun to watch, especially when every piece of the puzzle falls into place. It’s January. What more can you ask for? 1/13/12

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - 2 1/2 smiles

“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” starring Gary Oldman, needs to be seen at least twice, especially if you’re not familiar with John le Carré’s spy novel. And even then you might not know what’s happening in director Tomas Alfredson’s densely plotted adaptation, which tends to be so hard to follow the first time around that you feel lucky that you can identify the characters. Nonetheless, Alfredson creates an atmospheric world full of effective locations filled with paranoid people who smoke a lot. In the early 1970s, Control (John Hurt), the head of ‘the Circus,’ le Carré’s nickname for the MI6 headquarters, calls agent Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) to his home to tell him that there’s a KGB mole in their ranks. After Prideaux’s fact-finding mission to Budapest backfires, Control is ousted in disgrace. Months later, intending to investigate new reports that there’s a double agent in their midst, a civil service officer responsible for the Intelligence Services, enlists George Smiley (Gary Oldman) to investigate the organization from the outside. That’s essentially the plot except there’s Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy), the rogue spy who has an affair with the wife of a Russian operative and gains important information. And Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch), the junior agent whom Smiley enlists to smuggle key documents out of MI6 locked files. And then there’s the line up of potential moles that includes characters played by Colin Firth, Ciarán Hinds and Toby Jones.

These secondary characters are sketched far too quickly with their back-stories summed up in a line or two of dialogue. To their credit, though, these exceptional actors make their time onscreen effective, especially Cumberbatch. Gary Oldman, perhaps better known for his on-going role as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series, delivers a stellar performance as Smiley, a bookish, remote man who has spent a lifetime of seeing things no one should ever see. However, there are some things that that Alfredson throws in that make little sense. A prime example is a MI6 Christmas party with a Santa in a Lenin mask and the group singing, what sounds like, the Russian national anthem… in Russian, no less. Kinda makes you wonder why this was included when so much of the original narrative was excised. “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” certainly demands that you pay attention. It may even require you to see it again. 12/29/11, 1/8/12

The Iron Lady - 2 smiles

Meryl Streep always gives an extraordinary performance, whether it’s her Julia in Julie and Julia or singing and dancing in Mama Mia. But even she can’t single-handedly give depth to a movie that’s content to skim the surface of Margaret Thatcher’s life in “The Iron Lady.” Director Phyllida Lloyd, using a script written by Abi Morgan (who also penned Shame) doesn’t focus on a specific time period in Thatcher’s life, which would have allowed her to focus the narrative and give us a clearer picture of someone most American’s know of, but don’t know much about. Lloyd guides us briefly through Thatcher’s life, from her early years as a grocer’s daughter (played by Alexandra Roach) to her tenure as Britain’s first female prime minister (Streep). England in the 80s would have made for a rich setting, especially as seen through the eyes of a woman who helped shape it. But Lloyd and Morgan don’t seem to care much about economics, social unrest or Thatcher’s relationships with other world leaders. Instead, they waste time chronicling her late-life dementia, recreating countless conversations with her children and the ghost of her late husband, Denis (Jim Broadbent). Major events flash by in archival footage, with the Falklands taking, maybe 30 seconds. Although the filmmakers refuse to judge Thatcher’s conservative politics, they also seem unable to give any meaning to them or put even them in a context with what’s happening in the world today.

While “The Iron Lady” fails as a biography, it succeeds as a showcase for Streep’s talents. She captures Thatcher’s voice and mannerisms and then pushes further, creating a three-dimensional character rather than simply offering an impression. She provides new shadings with each era, adding depth to Lloyd’s shallow tour through Thatcher’s life. So, if you’re hoping to gain a greater understanding about what made this woman tick, you’re going to be disappointed. If you’re looking for a bravura performance from Meryl Streep, you’ll enjoy “The Iron Lady.” 1/5/12

War Horse - 3 smiles

The heart wants to proclaim“ War Horse,” directed by Steven Spielberg, a superior movie and as far as the horse Joey is concerned, the movie is effective. However, when taken as a whole, “War Horse” falls short of great. What Spielberg does well is capture the horrors of World War I and the waste of fighting a (then) modern war using antiquated methods. The principle difficulty is following the story from Joey’s perspective, which the novel by Michael Morpurgo does. Instead, the script by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis focuses on the human characters during scenes in which the horse is present. This results in a loosely episodic narrative, preventing us from developing any emotional attachment to the people Joey encounters. Compounding the problem is the performance of Jeremy Irvine, the young actor who plays Albert, Joey’s original owner. His performance is flat and underplayed, making it difficult to sympathize with him. The rest of the cast, however, including Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, Niels Arestrup and David Thewlis, is solid.

“War Horse” follows the adventures of Joey, a horse born and bred in Devon, who is owned by Albert (Irvine) and his father Ted (Peter Mullan) and his mother Rose (Emily Watson). When their landlord (David Thewlis) threatens to foreclose on the farm unless the rent is paid, Ted sells Joey to Major Stewart (Benedict Cumberbatch), who rides the horse into the early battles of World War I. After Stewart is killed in action, Joey is taken by the Germans. Over the next few years, he ends up pulling ambulances and gun wagons and being the pet of a lonely French girl (Celine Buckens) and her grandfather (Niels Arestrup). Once Albert becomes old enough to join the British army, he searches the front lines for Joey, even though the odds of him finding his beloved horse are insurmountable. The final scene with Joey in the foreground and the sky flashing shades of orange, red, and yellow, is too emotionally manipulative, but nonetheless, a prime example of the stunning camera work of cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. “War Horse” is an enjoyable crowd-pleaser. Too bad it’s not Spielberg at his best. 12/25/11

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - 4 smiles

I really liked the original Swedish version of Stieg Larsson’s best selling novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, starring Michael Nyqvist (the villain in Tom Cruise’s latest Mission Impossible movie) and Noomi Rapace. And, being a fan of the novels, I thought director Niels Arden Oplev did an effective job of bringing that story to the screen. So I was skeptical when I heard that there was going to be an English version. But I have to admit that director David Fincher, working with a well-written screenplay by Steven Zaillian, has created a superior movie. And, best of all, Fincher takes a narrative that has roots in the source material and makes it his own. One of the most noticeable differences between the two movie versions is that Fincher takes more time to develop his two characters as individuals before bringing them together. And Fincher uses his movie to illustrate that society breeds hidden rot and corruption. While Daniel Craig is good as the protagonist, Rooney Mara’s Lisbeth is something to behold. She’s a girl-child tapped in a woman’s body whose moments of uncontrollable rage hint at unspeakable tragedies in her childhood. Lisbeth is both unfeeling and fragile and totally a mesmerizing and sympathetic character.

Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist (Craig) is brought to an island community in the north of Sweden to meet with a retired millionaire Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer). Henrik would like Mikael to look into a 40-year old murder, a case that has haunted him for half of his life. In 1966, Henrik’s 16-year old grand-niece, Harriet, disappeared and was assumed murdered. Her body was never found but there was no evidence to indicate that she left the island. Her killer has gone unsdiscovered and unpunished, but Henrik believes the circle of suspects to be small: his family (an assorted bunch of oddballs, malcontents, and Nazis). After taking the job, Mikael recruits the asocial computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Mara) to be his assistant. Lisbeth, a whiz with gadgets and research, proves invaluable as Mikael’s investigation leads him deeper into the web of a dangerous serial killer. It’s surprising that Fincher managed to secure an R-rating for a movie whose depictions of sexual sadism and consensual intercourse are so graphic. And although this might not be the happiest theater-going experience you have this holiday season, it’s one that will have you saying, ‘Wow!’ as you leave the theater. 12/30/11