Frozen - 4 smiles

“Frozen,” Disney’s latest animated movie offers interesting mythology, rich, vivid animation and songs that are both memorable and charming. A re-imagining of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, ‘The Snow Queen,’ the film starts off with two young princesses. The older girl, Elsa (Indina Menzel when she grows up) has the magical ability to freeze things and produce ice and snow. Unfortunately, this leads to an accident in which her sister Anna (Kristen Bell) is injured. Her parents are afraid of what people will do when they know, so Elsa is isolated and the sisters are kept apart. But when a grown Elsa loses control of her power at her coronation and freezes the kingdom, she fears she’s become a monster and flees into the mountains, where she builds herself an opulent castle of ice. Anna sets of to rescue her sister. Along the way she teams up with a rude mountain man, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and he reindeer pal, Sven. And then they also enlist a come-to-life absurdly optimistic snowman named Olaf (voiced by scene-stealer Josh Gad).

Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, the film’s crisp look comes as no surprise. It’s a Disney film, but it’s produced by Pixar’s John Lasseter and the visuals are superb throughout. It also helps that the underlying themes – isolation, fear of one’s abilities, devotion, freedom and sacrifice – are reflected so beautifully in the songs. Menzel and Bell duet about their sense of release in ‘For the First Time in Forever,’ and then Menzel displays her magnificent voice and range with ‘Let It Go,’ my favorite song in the movie. “Frozen” is a warm-hearted movie that both adults and children will enjoy. Be sure to see it. 11/29/13

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom - 2 smiles

“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” like many biographical films, would have made a better mini-series. There’s so much crammed into this 139-minute movie that it often leaps from one event to the next too swiftly to make much of an emotional impact. Touching only briefly on Mandela’s childhood in a tiny village, it races quickly to his time in the early 40s as an attorney in Johannesburg and moves swiftly to the moment he becomes disillusioned with the effectiveness of peaceful protests against the increasingly repressive white government. In response he and his colleagues in the African National Congress, a liberation movement demanding equal rights for blacks, grow more militant and are forced into hiding. Ultimately, Mandela is caught and sentenced to life in imprison.

Idris Elba is a good choice to play Mandela: He is both physical and thoughtful, a man of passion who comes to understand the need for practicality. As his fiery second wife Winnie, a revolutionary in her own right, Naomie Harris comes close to stealing the movie. Oppressed, imprisoned, humiliated, she only grows angrier and more militant as the years pass. Upon his release after 27 years in prison, Mandela espouses a more peaceful solution, while Winnie continues to support violence in the name of change. That their complicated relationship is only touched upon is one of the many problems with the movie. Superior acting aside, “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” does not have the emotional impact that it should. 12/20/13

Her - 2 smiles

Essentially, “Her” is formulaic: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy loses girl. The quirk is that the girl is an operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. The story is too thin for its two-hour running time and the pace is leisurely. But the biggest obstacle is the protagonist (Joaquin Phoenix), a man we know almost nothing about. He’s just some average guy in the near future, totally bland, someone with no obstacle to overcome and no goal to achieve. Phoenix mumbles too much and seems so wrapped up in his role that he fails to connect with the audience. (What makes him even harder for me to like is the fact that he is one of my least favorite actors.) Johansson’s voice is the movie’s saving grace; Samantha is the one character who seems to be having any fun.

Writer/director Spike Jonze is tackling a growing problem: we can’t go anywhere or do anything without checking our phones. Theodore (Phoenix) is using technology to avoid the pain of real human connection. And that’s the problem with the movie, too. Jonze is so entranced with his central conceit that he can barely move beyond it. Theodore knows, just as we do, that real-life relationships are messy. It’s much easier to embark on a relationship with Samantha (Johansson) where he can put his hand-held device in his pocket and have her with him at all times. Unfortunately for Theodore, he’s in love with an illusion. “Her” is a lot more interesting to think about than watch.  12/26/13

Wolf of Wall Street - 1 frown

“Wolf of Wall Street,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is meant to be an entertaining, even meaningful representation of the life of Jordon Belfort, the penny-stock maestro. But, at three hours, it’s overly long, excessive and I couldn’t wait until it was over. While I will admit, DiCaprio throws himself into a character with deep ethical deficits with skill and verve, he’s not a likable enough protagonist to care about what happens to him.  Jonah Hill, with phosphorescent teeth and manic behavior, is more irritating than funny as Jordan’s partner in the sleazy firm of Stratton Oakmont. Director Martin Scorsese does justice to all of the characters’ devotion to cocaine, Quaaludes and heroin. But, eventually, the pandemonium wears thin and there’s still two hours to go. Any meaningful perspective on the greedfest of the period is lost in the gleefulness of the depiction. “Wolf of Wall Street” is relentless, aggressive and, ultimately, not worth the investment of time. 12/29/13

47 Ronin - 1 smile

“47 Ronin” is a dull epic from Universal that attempts to fuse Japanese historical legend with generic CGI-heavy action fantasy and the result is far from satisfactory. While the reported $175 million budget is evident in the handsome production values, it falls short on character development, emotional involvement and narrative drive. And although the preview clips focus on Keanu Reeves, he is not the central character. The opening voiceover explains that the 47 Ronin saga dates back to early 18^th century feudal Japan. The disenfranchised samurai avenged the disgrace and death of their master, Lord Asano, by killing Kira, the villain responsible for his dishonor, in direct defiance of the ruling Shogun’s orders to refrain from retaliation. Their quest of loyalty and sacrifice would cost them their lives, either in the battle or in enforced ritual suicide as punishment for their transgression. Arguably the biggest problem with this retelling is the screenplay, which strives to be respectful to its source material while at the same time, juicing up the story for Western audiences raised on action, video games and melodrama. And, of course, providing something for Reeves to do.

Reeves plays Kai, a slave with a mysterious past who lives in a shack behind the lord’s castle. Tormented by the 46 prejudiced samurai who will reluctantly fight beside him and loved by the lord’s colorblind daughter, Kai is eventually revealed to be the only one capable of defeating the villain’s sorceress (Rinko Kikuchi), who slithers across the screen like she’s the only one having any fun. Perhaps aware of how troublesome it is to suggest that a foreigner played the hero’s role in ‘a story of Japan,’ the film tries to have it both ways, clearly identifying Kai as the protagonist while also isolating him from the central plot. Hiroyuki Sanada plays the ronin leader, Oichi, and he dominates the first third of the movie. The fights are often hard to follow and the fantasy element of colossal beasts and dragons seem more at home in a video game. “47 Ronin” is overly long and disappointing, certainly not worth the extra price to see it in 3D. 12/25/13

Saving Mr. Banks - 3 1/2 smiles

As an exploration of the ‘making of’ process associated with Mary Poppins, “Saving Mr. Banks” offers engaging material, but the film gains emotional heft through a series of (sometimes too many) flashbacks that unveil why the characters in Mary Poppins possessed great meaning for its author, P. L. Travers. Moving back and forth between 1906 Australia and 1961 Los Angeles, the film provides a full portrait of the author, who is played as a child by Annie Rose Buckley and as a 60-something woman by Emma Thompson. The movie’s other standout performance is Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. Just a warning: it’s almost impossible to watch this movie and not feel the urge to seek out a copy of the Julie Andrews/Dick Van Dyke musical. And coincidence of coincidences, Mary Poppins is being released in a restored Blu-ray version with a number of special features to commemorate Mary Poppins’ 50^th anniversary. Remarkable marketing, that.

The bulk of the movie transpires in the early 1960s. Disney has flown Travers to Los Angeles in a last-ditch attempt to convince her to sell him the rights. He allows her to meet the would-be screenwriter, Don DaGradi (Bradley Whitford), and the Brothers Sherman, Robert (B. J. Novak) and Richard (Jason Schwartzman), who have been hired to write the songs. He gives her a chatty driver (Paul Giamatti), allows her to critique the script and expresses to her what Mary Poppins means to him. History tells us that Travers relented but “Saving Mr. Banks” shows how difficult a process it was. Flashbacks to Travers’ early life in Australia are interwoven and they tell of eight-year-old Ginty as she and her family settles in an isolated ramshackle home. Her father, Travers Goff (Colin Farrell), views this as a great adventure and you can see how his daughter adores him. Unfortunately, he is an alcoholic and this proves to be his downfall. No fewer than ten of the Sherman Brothers’ songs are used in one form or another and a highlight occurs when Travers hears ‘Let’s go Fly a Kite’ for the first time, the song that ‘saves’ Mr. Banks. Coupled with the nostalgia of Mary Poppins, “Saving Mr. Banks” proves to be more than a ‘based on a true story’ tale. 12/16/13

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - 2 1/2 smiles

It seems logical to make three movies out of the three books that comprise the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien’s masterful story of Middle Earth, but to make three movies out of one story, The Hobbit, seems like pure avarice. That being said, I liked “The Desolation of Smaug” more than I liked the first, An Unexpected Journey, because so much of that movie was filler. Martin Freeman’s Bilbo Baggins and Ian McKellen’s Gandalf the Grey are back along with the 13 dwarves led by Richard Armitage’s Thorin Oakenshield, who are all on a quest to help the dwarves reclaim their kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug. The dwarves are being chased by evil Orcs and they must pass through the enchanted forest of Mirkwood, where they tussle with giant CGI spiders. Then they’re imprisoned in the stronghold of the woodland elves. Their escape, in barrels carried by churning river rapids, is one of the movie’s great action sequences. Finally, they get to the village of Laketown, where they prepare for their confrontation with Smaug. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time getting here.

Much of this movie has the intensity of a good video game, but there’s also a thematic subtext here, of good vs. evil and honor vs. treachery. And Bilbo spends much of this movie trying to resist the temptation of the ring he found in An Unexpected Journey, which holds both power and corruption. Jackson has also added Legolas (Orlando Bloom’s character from LOTR) and added a female elf named Tauriel, played by Evangeline Lily. These two add a lot to the action sequences. The film’s greatest strength is its lavish visuals, from the richly realized architecture of elves and dwarves to the vast treasure hoard of gold that Smaug so carefully guards. Unfortunately, like “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “The Desolation of Smaug” ends with a cliffhanger. 12/13/13

American Hustle - 4 smiles

When a movie is as entertaining as “American Hustle,” you have to give a lot of the credit to the director, David O. Russell, who has always shown a fondness for characters that are on the brink of imploding. And here, he’s assembled a cadre of stars from his last two films: Christian Bale and Amy Adams from 2011’s The Fighter and Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence from Silver Linings Playbook. He also manages to find a side to them that we haven’t seen before. Co-written with Eric Singer, Russell’s latest is based on the Abscam sting operation of the late 70s and early 80s, in which a con artist helped the FBI catch members of Congress taking bribes. ‘Some of this actually happened,’ an opening card playfully informs us at the film’s start, just before Russell introduces us to Bale’s paunchy Irving Rosenfeld plastering a horrendous hairpiece onto his shiny dome. To play the swaggering Rosenfeld, the owner of a small chain of Long Island dry cleaners who makes his real money through fake art and fraudulent personal loans, Bale packed on some 40 pounds. At a pool party, he meets Adams’ Sydney Prosser, a scrappy young woman from Albuquerque with dreams of reinventing herself in high style. It’s Sydney’s idea to don a fake accent and take on the alter ego of the posh Lady Edith, a Londoner with elite banking connections. With her help, Irving’s cons swing into high gear.

They become partners in crime and love, but, Irving also has a young son and a wife: Lawrence’s needy, vulnerable and spectacularly passive-aggressive Rosalyn. With her big hair and blood-red nails, Rosalyn is a force of nature. She knows just enough to be dangerous, which may make her an even bigger threat to Irving and Sydney than the federal authorities who are closing in on their operation. She’s fascinating to watch – she’s just unhinged enough to think she’s the voice of reason – and Lawrence is an absolute scene-stealer. Cooper’s Richie DiMaso is a hotheaded FBI agent who’s eager to make a name for himself with a big bust. Richie moves in on the conning lovers and forces them to help him net even bigger fish to get themselves out of trouble. But he also finds himself falling for the sexy Sydney, er, Lady Edith, and she may feel the same way. Or does she? Part of the fun of “American Hustle” is that it keeps us constantly guessing who’s scamming whom. It’s really enjoyable to spend time with these characters, and Russell creates such an infectiously zany vibe around them that even if you notice the running time (129 minutes), you probably won’t mind. For all of its brash personalities, this movie is an exploration of dissatisfaction and drive and the lengths we are willing to go to pursue it….and the illusions we often mistake for reality.  12/13/13

Out of the Furnace - 1 1/2 smiles

“Out of the Furnace” is a slow-moving movie with a central character that’s hard to care about. Part of the problem is the script, which is confusing in many places; however, the main problem is the underdeveloped Russell Base, played by a somnambulant Christian Bale. Russell is a tragic figure in the classical sense. His life, at least what we see of it, is full of pain, disappointment and sadness. Nonetheless, he is a hard-working man who puts in his daily shift at the steel mill in order to make ends meet. His brother, Rodney (Casey Affleck), has endured several tours of duty in Iraq and is having trouble adjusting to life away from the army. He’s deep in debt to a local bookie and loan shark (Willem Dafoe) and becomes involved in back-alley bare-knuckle boxing matches to make a little cash, which he then gambles away. Desperate to make a big score, Rodney accompanies Petty to New Jersey, where he’s introduced to Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson), a sociopath with a short fuse and a love of violence.

The one reason to see this movie is Harrelson’s DeGroat. He is so good at being evil that it’s difficult to remember that his career began with him playing the good-hearted, naïve bartender in Cheers. One the other hand, Bale’s portrayal is so low key that it’s almost nonexistent. And hard to believe that, physically, Casey Affleck is capable of winning bare-knuckle boxing matches. There’s a scene where Russell and his uncle (Sam Shepard) go deer hunting where director Scott Cooper is trying to show how literate he is by using this scene as a metaphor for what is to come. It doesn’t work. “Out of the Furnace” has a lot of atmosphere, but it never achieves its goal of being a compelling drama. 12/11/13

Homefront - 2 smiles

“Homefront” is a movie for Jason Statham fans. It does nothing surprising or remarkable, moves briskly and generates a moderate level of suspense. It includes the requisite number of fights and shootouts and finds time for a car chase. The child in danger aspect of the story is a bit manipulative, but you know she isn’t going to get hurt, just as her cat survives its ordeal. And Statham is suitably heroic, for all his steely eyes and ability to shake off pain and James Franco as the bad guy is appropriately menacing. The most appealing performance, however, comes from young Izabela Vidovic, who plays Statham’s character’s daughter. Although she isn’t given much opportunity to develop her character, she is likeable.

The movie opens with a stock situation: an ex-military/ex-cop, Phil Broker (Statham), recently widowed and with a 10-year-old daughter, Maddy (Vidovic), relocates to rural Louisiana to start anew. He immediately runs into trouble with some aggressive locals, including the bitchy mother (Kate Bosworth) of a local bully. She asks her brother, Gator (Franco), a meth cooker, to ‘scare’ Phil, which sets off an unfortunate chain of events. Gater’s sleazy biker girlfriend, Sheryl (Winona Ryder), makes contact with a drug kingpin Phil put behind bars and he orders a hit. All hell breaks loose when the goons come for Phil and his daughter. If you’re an action movie junkie, if you’re a Jason Statham fan, you’ll enjoy this paint-by-numbers screenplay and directing by Gary Fleder. Nov. 27, 2013

Nebraska - 4 smiles

Most of the Oscar buzz related to “Nebraska” is about Bruce Dern, who plays Woody Grant, an octogenarian who is short-tempered, stubborn, and mostly unpleasant. Dern presents Woody as someone who captures our sympathy but we don’t necessarily like him. As impressive as Dern is, however, equal praise goes to Will Forte, a Saturday Night Live veteran who plays a straight role and shows himself to be an excellent dramatic actor As Woody’s long-suffering son, David, Forte exhibits the complex feelings of an adult child whose father’s mental capacity is deteriorating. By its nature, Forte’s role is less showy than Dern’s but the performance is no less adept. Finally, there’s June Squibb, who, as Woody’s wife Kate, steals every scene she’s in. Brass, foul-mouthed and not afraid to speak her mind, Kate fuels a good deal of the film’s comedy. “Nebraska” is essentially a road movie, but the characters don’t bond the way Hollywood has taught us to expect. There is some coming together, but it’s mostly one sided because Woody has reached a point in life where he simply can’t change. Dementia or Alzheimer’s is eating away at him and, although he is mostly lucid, it’s clear he’s slipping away.

The plot is set into motion when Woody received a sweepstakes notice in the mail. It’s one of those magazine subscription things, where you ‘may’ have won $1 million if your unique number has been selected. Wood interprets the ‘may’ as ‘have’ and decides he must travel from his home in Billings, Montana to the office in Lincoln, Nebraska to pick up his prize. David knows his dad hasn’t won anything but agrees to drive him there anyway. Along the way, they stop off for a family visit with Woody’s brothers and their families and he tells anyone who will listen that he’s about to become a millionaire. When David tries to contradict him no one listens. And the vultures start to circle. Directed by Alexander Payne, who won an Oscar for Descendants, “Nebraska” is a moving story with just enough comedy to keep it from being depressing.  11/17/13

Philomena - 3 smiles

“Philomena,” starring Judi Dench, is based on the true story told in Martin Sixsmith’s 2009 book, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee. The movie recounts the journey taken by Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) from Ireland to Washington in the company of 60-something Philomena Lee (Dench) to search for the son who was stolen from her nearly five decades earlier. The film, directed with a minimum of emotional manipulation by Stephen Frears, is at times funny and uplifting, but the lighter elements don’t conceal the deep underlying tragedy of a mother and son desperately trying to find each other, stymied by people desperate to protect their secrets.

Although the screenplay contains samples of Coogan’s trademark dry (and often sarcastic) humor, it’s mostly a serious effort. “Philomena” is as much a detective story as a character-based narrative. The film also contains elements of the ‘mismatched buddy’ story, with Philomena and Sixsmith starting out as reluctant allies with very different views on religion before developing a strong friendship. Frears and Dench, exhibiting her range in a performance that will probably end up with her name on the Best Actress Oscar list, manage the difficult task of causing the audience to care about Philomena’s exhumation of the past and its occasionally surprising revelations. Frears isn’t subtle in the way he condemns the actions of the Irish Catholic Church during the 1950s and he is equally critical of the homophobia of the 1980s United States, especially for those with allegiance to the Republican Party. “Philomena” is a simple, well-told story and certainly worth seeing. 11/24/13

Best Man Holiday - 3 smiles

“Best Man Holiday” has a breezy charm that helps you overlook some of director Malcolm D. Lee’s manipulation with script and our emotions. The first half is an appealing mix of mostly understated humor and light drama, but in the second half, Lee tries to hit as many familiar themes as possible while striving to wring tears and cheers in equal quantities from the audience. This movie catches up with most of the characters from The Best Man about 15 years after the earlier film. Harper (Taye Diggs), the author whose book caused unpleasantness in the first movie, has fallen on hard times. He and his wife Robyn (Sanaa Lanthan), are expecting their first child, but he’s out of work, blocked as a writer and drowning in debt. He accepts a Christmas party invitation from his estranged best friend, Lance  (Morris Chestnut) and Lance’s wife, Mia (Monica Calhoun) in the hope that he might be able to nab the rights to pen Lance’s biography. An NFL star, Lance is approaching retirement with a change at breaking the all-time rushing record. Also spending the weekend with everyone are Harper’s ex-flame, Jordan (Nia Long) and her new boyfriend, Brian (Eddie Cibrian); couple Julian (Harold Perrineau) and ex-stripper Candace (Regina Hall); brassy and bitchy Shelby (Melissa De Sousa); and flamboyant, uncensored Quentin (Terrance Howard). Over the course of the few days spent under one roof, old wounds are re-opened, new injuries are created and a tragedy brings everyone together.

Although this is an ensemble piece, some actors have more screen time than others. Taye Diggs, Morris chestnut, Sanaa Lanthan, Monica Calhoun and Nia Long would be considered the leads, with the story being told from Harper’s point-of-view. Diggs plays him with warmth and respect; he’s a flawed man desperately trying to reclaim a past success while struggling to come to terms with impending fatherhood and unemployment. Likewise, Morris Chestnut’s Lance offers an atypical portrait of a football player: intelligent and compassionate. His portrayal is credible. Monica Calhoun gets all the best scenes and plays them with tear-inducing capability. Stealing scenes is Terrence Howard, who gets all of the best lines. However, Lee’s orchestration of Lance’s final game and the events surrounding it are designed to generate maximum impact even though they’re too obvious and melodramatic. Everything comes down to a 4^th-and-goal play in a close game with only a few seconds remaining on the clock. And by the end credits, we understand that family and friends are important. Nonetheless, “Best Man Holiday” is an enjoyable movie-going experience. 11/15/13

The Delivery Man - 1 smile

“The Delivery Man,” starring Vince Vaughn, is virtually a scene-by-scene, shot-for-shot clone of director Ken Scott’s 2011 French-Canadian comedy Starbuck, with only the language (English rather than French) and location (Brooklyn rather than Montreal) changed. Now you might wonder why Scott, who directs this remake, would not want to revise all of the plot problems with the original script. Unfortunately, he doesn’t and the movie suffers. David Wozniak is a congenial screw-up, going nowhere in his life. He learns that as a young man, his rampant sperm donations (all for a noble cause, revealed late in the picture) let to 533 women being impregnated. What’s more, over a 142 of David’s offspring are suing the errant sperm bank to learn David’s identity. The rest of the movie follows David as he anonymously gets to know some of his adult children. Each sketchy episode is designed to make us care for the man-child slacker. He saves one daughter from drug addiction. He helps a son realize his dream of an acting career.

David has no defining traits other than a loving heart and Vaughn plays him with a surprising lack of energy. Chris Pratt as David’s lawyer friend and Cobie Smulders as David’s put-upon girlfriend do their best to finesse the material. But a lot of the supposed humor just isn’t there. And a subplot involving David’s debt to mob thugs is dropped in, seemingly at random, and then easily dispatched. And, like the original, you never hear anything about the mothers who gave birth to these hundreds of kids nor their fathers. Scott is doing everything he can to wring an emotional response from the audience; he even resorts to a group hug at the end. Since I saw Starbuck,  “The Delivery Man” was too much been there, seen that. 11/22/13

Thor: The Dark World - 1 1/2 smiles

“Thor: The Dark World” delivers in a generic superhero fashion by offering a couple hours of diversion, but the overall experience is a little stale. The movie is pretty to look at (that includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor and all of the CGI) and it moves briskly along although the narrative suffers. And since this is the sequel to Thor, director Alan Taylor must have decided that characters were developed then and didn’t need further development here. The enemy this time around is Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), the King of the Dark Elves, who maybe the worst developed villain in any Marvel movie. His goal is to use the power of the indestructible Aether (pronounced ‘ether’) to blast the nine realms back into primordial darkness. Having failed once in the time of Thor’s grandfather, he’s back to try again. He has a henchman or two and drives around in a really big ship.

As a character Malekith is as one-dimensional as a villain can be. He’s not given much of a back story and he’s not given enough screen time to be more than passably menacing. He does, however, get to go one-on-one with Thor in a battle that has them popping through space from planet to planet. While Hemsworth’s performance is solid and likable, the two characters that standout are Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, who steals every scene he’s in as does Kat Dennings’ sharp-tongued Darcy. The energy on-screen drops noticeably when Hiddleston or Dennings are not the focus of the story. Natalie Portman, who plays Thor’s love interest, Dr. Jane Foster, is disappointingly bland. Although Portman is capable of delivering strong performances, this screenplay obviously isn’t the right material and the chemistry between Thor and Jane is tepid at best. Anthony Hopkins as Odin chews up the scenes he’s in, but he’s underused. “Thor: The Dark World” has a story that’s overly complicated and not that interesting, but the special effects are good. (Hmmmm. Faint praise?) 11/8/13

Last Vegas - 3 smiles

“Last Vegas” is a surprisingly crowd-pleasing movie with a focus on the value of friendship and the love and loyalty that accompany it. From the previews, this movie looks like Hangover for the geriatric set, but, thankfully, it’s not. It is entertaining with a script that gives its actors, all heavyweights and Oscar winners, meaningful moments and funny lines. It’s the story of four childhood friends who have moved to different parts of the country, but remain in touch. All are facing 70 and are reacting in different ways. Billy (Michael Douglas), who is a wealthy businessman, is about to end his long bachelorhood by marring a woman a third of his age. Paddy (Robert De Niro) is recovering from the death of his wife and can barely get out of his bathrobe. Archie (Morgan Freeman), having had a mild stroke, has to overcome his fear and resume life. And Sam (Kevin Kline) has lost his zest and can’t shake a mild depression. The friends reunite in Vegas for Billy’s bachelor party and the story takes place over the next couple of days. Mary Steenburgen plays a former lawyer pursuing her dream as a singer and she becomes the romantic interest of two of the men.

That a 60-year-old actress can be cast in a romantic role is welcome. Usually Hollywood will cast a 45-year-old, taking for granted that the audience will believe she would be interested in men old enough to be her father. And it’s even better that Steenburgen is so convincing in the role. Kline, Freeman, De Niro and Douglas demonstrate both the easy chemistry and excitable energy of old friends reconnecting after years apart and they all seem to be having fun. They are all great to watch, but Freeman’s work stands out. He is most often cast in such serious roles that it’s a pleasure to watch him cut loose. With “Last Vegas,” director Jon Turteltaub has created a congenial environment for his cast and a pleasurable move-going experience for the audience. 11/10/13

All is Lost - 2 smiles

There’s a brief voiceover in the opening of “All is Lost,” where Robert Redford’s character declares, ‘All is lost.’ Knowing that every effort will ultimately fail, the minutia of these efforts, the nuts and bolts of tasks the man undertakes, become tedious to watch rather than fascinating (as, I’m sure, the writer-director J.C. Chandor had hoped). The storyline is simple: a man discovers his sailboat has collided with a shipping container left floating on the high seas and he has a large gash in the side of his boat. Then it becomes a tale of man vs. nature.

The film contains almost no dialogue so you can only guess what Redford’s character (who has no name) is going to do. Redford gives a Herculean performance, but you wonder why his character isn’t better prepared. He has to read a manual on how to use a sextant. Wouldn’t you expect a man sailing by himself in the middle of the Indian Ocean would know how to use one? Or how to navigate using the stars? And you’d really like to know what he thinks he’s doing. Who is this guy? Why is he sailing by himself? You empathize with any human being staring at his own mortality. But Chandor has given us no background and we rarely know what Redford’s character is thinking. For a character to have complexity, he must resolve inner conflicts as well as outer and we have no insight into any of this. It’s just a man losing his battle with the sea. (And didn’t Hemingway do it better with Old Man and the Sea?) Although Redford is good (he’ll probably get an Oscar nomination), “All is Lost” is a gimmick with no dialogue.  11/7/13

Dallas Buyers Club - 3 1/2 smiles

Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto are the shining stars of “Dallas Buyers Club;” so much so that come Oscar nomination time, you’ll find their names on the list for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Sympathy for McConaughey’s real-life character, Texas cowboy Ron Woodroof, is not immediate. He’s a good ol’ boy, full of profane language, racist and homophobic feelings and habits that promise an early grave. When he contracts HIV, he starts importing unapproved drugs, vitamins and proteins to illicitly treat himself and other AIDS sufferers. Eventually he becomes a hero to the afflicted and villain to outraged authorities and McConaughey, who lost some 40 pounds for the role, plays him with a perfect blend of sass and charm. The other hero in this tale is Woodroof’s transgender sidekick Rayon, played by Jared Leto. Rayon is a one-man Pride parade in his gaudy attire and by his sheer force of will and irresistible charm, he moves Woodroof (and all of us) to embrace love and tolerance. Leto never overdoes the campier elements of his character. Jennifer Garner is also good as a doctor who risks her career to help Woodroof’s wildly unorthodox crusade. The movie spans a lot of years, which French-Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée  handles well, but I still found it a bit too long.

Given 30 days to live by the doctor (Denis O’Hare) who delivers the diagnosis, the emaciated Woodroof becomes a self-taught expert who obtains drugs on the black market. He travels to Mexico another countries for treatments not then available in the United States. For the next seven years of his life, Woodroof tirelessly battles with the US medical establishment, which at the time had approved a single drug, the very expensive and highly toxic AZT, for AIDS. Woodroof also fights off efforts by the FDA and various other federal agencies to shut down his illegal, for-profit ‘club’ that provides unauthorized drugs for free to AIDS-stricken members to pay monthly ‘dues.’ “Dallas Buyers Club is a remarkable story, vividly and urgently told by Vallée from a script by Craig Borten and Melissa Wallack. 11/3/13

Ender's Game - 3 smiles

“Ender’s Game” is that rare movie that develops character and story rather than focus on just action. Some 50 years before the movie’s first present-day scene, we learn that Earth became the object of attack from giant ant-like creatures called ‘Formics.’ They would have conquered if not for a daring move by war hero Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley). The Formics were beaten but not destroyed and the population of Earth lives in fear of their return. So, over the past five decades, the military has developed a training program whereby the best and brightest children are put through rigorous training. Super weapons were developed and leaders honed in the hope that when it comes time for the final battle with the Formic, Earth will be ready. Into that situation comes Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), the third child of a family in a society that limits most families to two offspring. Military leaders see much potential in Ender to be the next great battle commander. But Ender must successfully pass through the various stages of training first.

Young star Asa Butterfield as Ender capably holds his own against veterans Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley and gives a solidly believable performance. The themes include the importance in a battle situation of thinking outside the box, the ethics of genocide and whether a commander will act the same way in a simulation versus real life-and-death war. If there’s a criticism, it’s that the first half of the movie is more enjoyable than the second. For most of the first half, director Gavin Hood does a good job of developing the main character and illustrating the sharpness and creativity that makes him a prized pupil of Colonel Graff (Ford). Ender doesn’t win; he dominates. During the second half, character development takes a back seat to the progression of story and while the big battle surprise works, there’s an element of anticlimax. “Ender’s Game” is a visual delight and certainly worth seeing. 11/1/13

Escape Plan - 3 smiles

“Escape Plan,” with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in roles they could have easily done 20 years ago, is a solid B action movie meant to be taken on its own terms. There are no wink-wink situations about two old guys making a come back. And it succeeds in doing something difficult: it provides a creative script that allows each to play to his strengths. That is, Schwarznegger gets to play the comedian (overacting and all) and Stallone focuses on drama. Stallone plays Ray, a security expert whose job is to figure out the weaknesses of maximum-security prisons from the inside. He goes in, undercover, and then breaks out. Simple enough, but things get complicated when he takes a job testing a CIA prison, from which, he realizes, there’s no escape. It takes about a half an hour before Schwarznegger shows up, playing a German anarchist stuck in the CIA prison. He’s Stallone’s comic relief. Soon the two are studying prison patterns and plotting their escape. Our heroes are pitted against a coldly effective Jim Caviezel as the sadistic warden.

The cast is first rate down the line, with Vincent D’Onofrio as Ray’s germ-a-phobic business partner, Amy Ryan as Ray’s friend on the outside and Sam Neill lending the weight of his presence to a small role as the prison doctor. Director Mikael Hafstrom strikes a good tonal balance that allows him to take advantage of lighter moments without losing anything in dramatic intensity. “Escape Plan” is pure escapist fare, a fun way to spend an afternoon with some ‘old’ friends. 10/30/13

Spinning Plates - 3 smiles

“Spinning Plates,” a portrait of three American restaurants, is an engrossing documentary about artistic innovation, cultural legacy, community pride and beautiful food ably assisted by Erin Harvey’s cinematography. The undisputed star is renowned chef Grant Achatz, owner of Chicago’s Alinea. The wispy-goateed wunderkind describes his ongoing efforts to make his molecular gastropub the ‘best restaurant in the country’ and he envisions food as art. Alinea has already received numerous honors, including being named the best eatery in America by Restaurant magazine. And staffers are seen anxiously waiting to hear if they’ve been awarded the coveted Michelin three-star rating. Achatz’s aspirations are grounded by the story of his diagnosis of stage-four tongue cancer at the peak of his career.  By contrast, Breitbach’s Country Dining in tiny Balltown, Iowa, a town that rose up around the restaurant rather than vice versa, is a community center as well as a tourist destination. (Balltown’s population is about 70, but the business can serve up to 2,000 on a busy weekend.) All-American comfort food (fried chicken, mashed potatoes, homemade pie) is the name of the game and the Breitbach family is as involved in daily operations as it was when the restaurant opened 161 years ago. La Cocina de Gabby, a Mexican restaurant in Tucson, Arizona, opened by émigré Francisco Martinez, is a smaller venture, one that showcases Martinez’s wife Gabby’s cooking. But the establishment struggles and the couple’s heavily mortgaged home hangs in the balance.

While the different types of fame Alinea and Breitbach’s enjoy provide a certain insurance, the Martinez venture illustrates just how difficult it is to launch and sustain a restaurant in today’s tough economy. Director Joseph Levy tries to draw parallels in the subjects’ extreme dedication, exhausting long hours and trouble fitting in normal family time, which sometimes works. There are vague correlations drawn between food and community, although that means something very different at an event destination like Alinea (where dinner for two might cost $800) than it does at a neighborly mega-diner like Breitbach’s. Also, we seldom hear from customers so there’s a curious blank spot in the narrative as if the quality of food really isn’t important. What really works are the personal dramas that arise. The Martinez family’s precarious financial situation is one source of suspense as is Achatz’s health and the two serious fires that hit Breitbach’s. Ultimately, “Spinning Plates” is an enjoyable experience that will have you seeking food when you leave the theater. 10/26/13

Fifth Estate - 2 smiles

“The Fifth Estate” takes on the important 21^st century question of information flow vs. privacy rights and turns it into a confusing mix of techno thriller and future-of-journalism lecture. Directed by Bill Condon, the movie is about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the polarizing figure who became famous by posting secret documents from whistleblowers on his website. The script is based on books written by a former Assange collaborator, Daniel Domscheit-Berg (played by Daniel Bruhl) so Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) comes off as less than heroic. Assange is a devoted champion of the underdog whose halo swiftly tarnishes once his gargantuan ego is challenged. The film focuses on the relationship between the two men, with the mysterious Assange as sort of Svengali who seduces Daniel with promises that they can change the world. The movie hints that Assange may suffer from some form of schizophrenia. Their partnership is threatened when they clash over a leak of classified documents on the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Assange is not interested in redacting names of government sources; Daniel and The Guardian editor who wants to co-publish the story say publishing the names will get people killed all over the world. Assange won’t budge; to him, editing equals bias.

The movie provides a showcase for British star Cumberbatch, whose Assange is mad prophet, sincere visionary, egomaniac, narcissist. On the other hand, Daniel Bruhl (recently in Ron Howard’s Rush) isn’t as dynamic an actor and his Berg often fades into the background. Overall the movie turns out to be more of an elementary primer on WikiLeaks than anything else. And computer code, IMs, emails and people banging away on keyboards does not translate well to film, no matter how many bells and whistles you add. And Condon slaps on quite a few. Bottom line, the film lacks focus with too many subplots: Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci and Anthony Mackie as U.S. government employees trying to deal with the WikiLeaks fallout. Another focuses on Alexander Siddig as a source in Lebanon whose life is in danger by Assange’s refusal to redact names. A third takes a look behind-the-scenes at The Guardian, whose top editors (David Thewlis and Peter Capaldi) figure out how to disseminate information being fed to them by Assange. By movie’s end, you know a lot about WikiLeaks, but not much about Assange. Condon doesn’t explore the sexual assault allegations against him or the fact that he’s now living at the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Although “The Fifth Estate” is a skillful assemblage of bits and pieces, it tells its story haphazardly and doesn’t have an ending. 10/24/13

Runner Runner - 1 1/2 smiles

Three things are true about “Runner Runner,” starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Afflick. One, director Brad Furman likes to use the shaky cam way too much, two, Ben Afflick makes a good villain and three, this should have been a better movie. The story is essentially one you know: a young hotshot gets in over his head while being tutored by a mentor who ultimately betrays him. There’s also a half-attempt at romance (but there’s absolutely no chemistry) and some law enforcement interference.  Co-stars Gemma Arterton and Anthony Mackie are underused. And I’m not sure whether to blame the lack of tension on the director or Brian Koppelman & David Levien’s script. Plus the whole movie seems rushed, nothing is developed, not the story, not the characters, not the action.

The movie starts out strongly enough, with Richie Furst (Timberlake) trying to earn a Master’s degree at Princeton. To pay for his tuition, he has become affiliated with a few online casino sites where he gets commissions for every player he signs up. When the dean shuts him down, he desperately risks his entire savings in poker and loses. When he realizes he was cheated, he travels to Costa Rica to meet with online gambling mogul Ivan Block (Afflick), who takes an interest in this brash kid from New Jersey. Despite providing a few glimpses behind the curtain of online gambling, “Runner Runner” never fleshes out this setting. Another failing. 10/21/13

Gravity - 4 smiles

“Gravity,” starring Sandra Bullock in an Oscar-winning performance, is spectacular. I saw it in 2D and it was amazing. I’m going to see it again in 3D, which, I understand, is another movie, like Avatar, that deserves to be seen in the 3D medium. Director Alfonso Cuarón has stated that his goal is to put the viewer in space with the characters and he certainly accomplishes this. He opens “Gravity” with a 20-minute unbroken shot that follows two characters, astronauts Ryan Stone (Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) on a spacewalk as they complete improvements to the Hubble Telescope. The camera dips and dives and moves to give us a sense of what it’s like to be in orbit. Earth is a big, beautiful globe in the background. The accident, when it occurs, is shocking and brutal. As an untethered Ryan somersaults through space, the camera moves into her helmet and provides a first person point-of-view of her panic and confusion. The story is a straightforward exploration of the difficulties faced by a woman alone fighting for survival. Stranded in space with her only obvious means of escape smashed, she must confront new challenges and dangers – fire, oxygen depletion, lack of fuel, a storm of satellite debris – to get home.

The level of tension is high and the conclusion is not certain. Bullock’s performance is top notch, outstripping her Oscar-winning role in The Blind Side. She runs the gamut of emotions from relief to despair and in many scenes must convey her emotional state without dialogue and with the camera close on her face. Physically, the role is demanding. And like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, she has no one to play off for a majority of the film. George Clooney is given co-billing with Bullock (probably because of his box office draw), but “Gravity” is Bullock’s movie all the way. And the setting, created entirely on computers, is a wondrous thing to behold. It gives is an idea of what it must be like to be in space, surrounded by silence, floating in a near vacuum. “Gravity” is state-of-the-art special effects and superior acting and must be seen on the big screen. 10/23/13

Captain Phillips - 3 1/2 smiles

“Captain Phillips,” starring Tom Hanks, is a taut, white-knuckle thriller that features an ordinary guy placed in an extraordinary situation. And since this is based on a true story, it’s not your typical action hero flick. If there’s a complaint against director Paul Greengrass, it’s that he’s overly fond of shaky handheld shots, which he does too much in the first half. Billy Ray’s screenplay is based on a book written by Captain Richard Phillips (co-authored by Stephan Talty) called A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea. It tells of events in April 2009 when Phillips (Tom Hanks), commanding the merchant vessel Maersk Alabama, helped defend his ship against Somali Pirates. Eventually, four armed men boarded the ship and Phillips was able to keep them off guard. He was taken prisoner aboard a life raft and became a pawn in a game of brinksmanship between the pirates and the US Navy.

Tom Hanks has proved that he can be trusted to star in a film (Cast Away) where his character is placed in constant, evolving jeopardy. In “Captain Phillips,” Hanks is an everyman. He’s great at representing how a normal person might react in this situation: by seeking to avoid a confrontation and, when that proves impossible, to achieve victory by outthinking his opponents rather than blowing them up. Hanks does some powerful acting and it makes the film unforgettable. The rest of the cast consists of unknown actors. The four men playing the pirates, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahat M. Ali, are making their feature debuts, but you wouldn’t know that they had no acting experience. “Captain Phillips” is impressively directed with an Oscar-worthy performance from Tom Hanks. 9/17/13

Machete Kills - 1 frown

“Machete Kills,” a sequel for Machete, is another lampoon of bad genre movies from the 60s and 70s, but it’s a joke that’s getting old really fast. Machete was originally a fake trailer for Grindhouse, a Robert Rodriguez movie. The character generated so much buzz for Rodriguez that he eventually expanded it into a whole film that he released in 2010. This is a bad movie by design, but that doesn’t make it enjoyable unless you’re a Rodriguez fan. A bad movie by design is still a bad movie. I shared the theater with one other audience member. There’s lots of blood and violence, campy performances (Demian Birchir, Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderas, Lady Gaga, Cuba Gooding Jr.) and a meandering script. There will probably be a third movie because this one ends with a cliffhanger. And Rodriguez has already indicated that it’s going to be called “Machete Kills Again … in Space!” Count me out. I’m sorry I went to see this one. 10/16/13