REVIEW: Lincoln

MOVIE
Lincoln

CAST
Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
November 16, 2012

DIRECTOR
Steven Spielberg

STUDIO(S)
DreamWorks Pictures,
Touchstone Pictures,
20th Century Fox

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 26 minutes







STARS
****









REVIEW:

Something that some people might not know about Steven Spielberg's latest film 'Lincoln' is that this film has been in the works for over a decade. Different studios have been involved, different actors were up for the role of the 16th president, and other problems caused this film to be in the mere development stages for a while. Now the film is here, however, and I must say it was well worth the wait. I did an experiment on this film where I avoided all bits of footage from the film, including trailers and commercials, in order to go into the movie with a blank slate. Having seen the film itself, I am happy to report that my neglect of footage from the movie was worth doing, because what 'Lincoln' delivers is a powerful, compelling, and often funny look into the story of a man who happened to have been the 16th President of the United States.

It is January in 1865, and the Civil War is still going on, with blood and carnage spilled every day. President Abraham Lincoln wants to end this war, and he feels that the only way to succeed at doing that is to get Congress to pass the 13th amendment, which would abolish slavery and treat African Americans as equal individuals rather than pieces of trash. The thing about that is that many Americans are still prejudice and racist towards black people, and they care about that more than ending a war that's killing the fathers and brothers of families. Struggling with family problems of his own, President Lincoln must try to restore balance in the people, end the war that's tearing a nation, and find a way to keep his son from going off to war.

If there's a reason to praise the acting in this movie, it's for the performances from Daniel Day-Lewis and Tommy Lee Jones. It has been said that Abraham Lincoln did in fact have a high voice similar to what Day-Lewis brings to his performance as the 16th president. Personally I didn't have a problem with his voice at all, and even if I did that wouldn't have changed my feelings on his award worthy performance. Lewis brings a human side to President Lincoln, making him funny when necessary, charming throughout, and a man with a desire to make his vision become a reality. Of all the performances I've seen this year, this is the one performance where the actor took full control and made me believe that he was who he was portraying rather than me thinking "this is Daniel Day-Lewis playing Abraham Lincoln." It would be shocking if Lewis wasn't nominated for Best Actor at least. I can't say whether or not he deserves to win since I haven't seen all of the other Best Actor candidates, but what he brings to this role shows what real actors can pull off if they try hard. Equally as great in the film is Tommy Lee Jones' performance as Thaddeus Stevens.

The character of Stevens is shown to be a supporter of the 13th amendment because he believes in equal rights for African-Americans. Normally this would just be a performance with no conflict or emotion, Jones brings a lot of charisma and wit to his character. Not only is he hilarious in the film, but Stevens also owns in the courts and actually puts up a good fight for what he believes in. Again, I haven't seen all of the Supporting Actor performances this year yet, but if Disney can make a strong enough campaign, I think Jones can take it all this awards season. While the rest of the cast, including Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and James Spader, are all great in the film, the real reason to talk about the performances in 'Lincoln' is because of Daniel Day-Lewis and Tommy Lee Jones.

Screenwriter Tony Kushner has done one other screenplay, and that was the 2005 Spielberg historical drama 'Munich,' which he co-wrote with famed screenwriter Eric Roth. Not only does this film accurately portray what struggles Abraham Lincoln went through in order to get the 13th amendment signed, but it also shows the president as a genuine human. There are some hilarious moments in the movie, as well as some brilliant stories told by our late president, in which all of them are rather entertaining to listen to. Even when some parts are slower than other moments in the movie, the superb acting and the great script help keep the audience entertained and paying attention. Kushner has written a movie that can be more entertaining and enjoyable for people of all ages rather than a boring old history lesson where we, the students, have tow jot down notes from Power Point presentations.

The greatest thing to say about 'Lincoln' is that this like other Spielberg movies, yet it feels right at home in there. The direction by the famed director is superb, and the cinematography by longtime partner Janzuez Kaminski, while mostly unnoticable, is stunning to look at. Even the score by John Williams, as subtle as it is, is fantastic. This is a movie that has everything someone could ask for in a historical movie: superb acting from all, a great script from a talented screenwriter, and the ability to keep one's attention even when it's slow. Having spoken to people my own age who have seen this movie, I can tell that this is a movie that will be shown in history classes for the rest of time. 'Lincoln' is a great film overall, which is the simplest thing to say about it. It is entertaining throughout, plus gives a great history lesson for all ages. This is, without a doubt, one of the year's best movies, and will go down as one of the highlights of Steven Spielberg's career.



PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Stand Up Guys

Hyde Park On Hudson

Gangster Squad

Zero Dark Thirty

Oz: The Great and the Powerful

Parental Guidance

The Lone Ranger

REVIEW: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2

MOVIE
The Twilight Saga:
Breaking Dawn Part 2

CAST
Kristen Stewart,
Robert Pattinson

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
November 16, 2012

DIRECTOR
Bill Condon

STUDIO
Summit Entertainment (Lionsgate)

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 55 minutes






STARS
***1/4









REVIEW:

Well, this is the moment that guys of all ages have been waiting for years: this marks the end of the worldwide phenomenon known as 'The Twilight Saga.' This series has been one of the more controversial ones ever since the first film came to the big screen all the way back in 2008. Four years have passed, and now this is the time where the male testosterone can rise up against the females and take the title of "fanboy" back to their homeland. Personally, the 'Twilight' films are a guilty pleasure of mine. Not because I actually consider them legitimately good films, but because they are fun to watch sometimes, especially with a screaming audience filled with girls. The thing that's surprising about 'Breaking Dawn Part 2,' however, is that it can be considered a legitimately good film once it gets past the 10 minute mark. Yes, there are extremely cheesy moments placed throughout the film, but this final installment plays around it's really stupid elements, can be pretty funny at times, and has a climatic battle sequence that will both shock and entertain those who are watching it. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2' is, without a doubt, the best film in this four year long series.

Picking up immediately after 'Part 1' ended, it is shown that the emotionless Bella Swan has now become a vampire. She also has a half-human, half-vampire daughter named Renesmee, who can show people her memories. Life seems to finally be getting into place, with even Jacob creepily becoming Renesmee's watchful protector after he "imprints" on her as a baby. However The Volturi, the "leaders" of vampires, believe that Renesmee was bitten as a baby rather than being born as a half human, half baby breed. The Cullens need to come up with a plan, so they get vampires from all parts of the world to come and try to help persuade the Volturi into actually believing the truth about Renesmee, before they're all beheaded.

If people keep complaining about the acting in these films, then they don't understand that the performances in these movies aren't supposed to be great. Kristen Stewart, for the first time in the series, actually shows some convincing emotional moments in this movie. For example, the audience gets to see Bella get angry with a certain someone because of a certain something. The moment is funny, and luckily it was supposed to be funny. Robert Pattinson has a couple of humorous moments in here as well, but he does overall give a good performance as well. Taylor Lautner even knew how to point out the flaws and stupidity of his character Jacob, which included a scene of him taking his shirt off that might be the funniest moment in the series. The rest of the cast, including Michael Sheen and Billy Burke, all has their weird and funny moments in the movie, just like the three leads. That's really all that can be said about that.

Melissa Rosenberg has written every single script in the 'Twilight' series thus far. This is the first time where the script actually isn't all about the "I love you" and "you are my forever" lines that had to be spewed by the actors. Instead, the script addresses how stupid a lot of the elements of the movie, like how Jacob "imprinted" on Renesmee at the end of 'Breaking Dawn Part 1,' really are, and actually makes fun of certain situations going on in the movie. Having not read the book, the twist at the end of the movie actually came as a complete surprise to me. It's one of those twists where you'll either love it or you'll hate it. I am in the group of people that actually liked the twist a lot. Without giving it away, it basically says to the audience "be careful with what choices you make in certain situations," which I admired. While it's not the most well written script out there, it certainly is a great script in 'Twilight' standards, and is a lot funnier than one would expect. ]

Aside from pretty poor scripts, the visuals in the 'Twilight' films were never great. While the werewolves look considerably better than they ever have, a lot of the other CGI effects look awful. When the audience sees baby Renesmee for the very first time in the movie, I swear the CGI creation looks so fake that it makes the E-Trade baby look like a work of art. Even when the vampires get beheaded, while cool, it looked pretty laughable. Speaking of beheading, the filmmakers actually got something right and made the big climatic showdown between the Volturi and the Cullen's team was actually really fun to watch. Main characters surprisingly get killed, and some of the beheadings were actually pretty badass. Despite the visuals being as mediocre as they've always been, the final battle is actually really cool to watch.

The 'Twilight' movies have never been great ones, but they always have been enjoyable to me. 'Breaking Dawn Part 2' isn't a great movie by any means, but I'm not going to lie and say that I didn't enjoy myself while watching it. The script plays with the ridiculous ideas that have been carried throughout the series. The actors in the film were clearly having a fun time making the movie, and it shows in their performances, which are considerably better than their performances in the other movies. Director Bill Condon shows here that he wanted to give Twi-Hard's the ultimate 'Twilight' finale, and that's what is indeed given. If you're not a 'Twilight' fan and are dragged into seeing it by someone, just go into it not expecting something great and chances are you'll have a fun time. This is a great example of what a cheesy modern B movie should be like: a film that doesn't take itself seriously but delivers on some cool action. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2' is the best film of the series, plus ends it in a way where I respected the series a little more than I have before. As long as we all know that sparkling vampires and shirtless werewolves with six-packs should never be taken seriously, you should have a fun time watching the movie.




PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Playing For Keeps

World War Z

Beautiful Creatures

Oz: The Great and the Powerful

Les Misérables


The Mortal Instruments: 
City of Bones


Warm Bodies


The Heat


The Host


Now You See Me

REVIEW: Rise of the Guardians 3D

MOVIE
Rise of the Guardians

CAST
Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin

RATING
PG

RELEASE
November 21, 2012

DIRECTOR
Peter Ramsey

STUDIO(S)
DreamWorks Animation,
Paramount Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 37 minutes







STARS
***1/4








REVIEW:

Despite featuring Santa Claus as one of the prominent characters in the film, 'Rise of the Guardians' isn't one's typical holiday movie. Based on William Joyce's 'The Guardians of Childhood' book series, this film tells about how four of the mythical creatures of our dreams, including the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, were chosen by a "man in the moon" to be the protectors over all of the children in the world. When the Boogeyman comes to destroy all children's beliefs in mythical beings, The Guardians recruit the reckless Jack Frost to help restore order and make kids believe in them. As a fan of DreamWorks' movies, this film was a bit of a letdown. However thanks to a surprisingly dark tone, a well-conceived storyline, and the best looking animation of the year, 'Rise of the Guardians' is a fun and sweet animated movie that kids will enjoy more than adults, but adults will still get a kick out of it.

All animated movies have a great voice cast, and 'Guardians' is no exception. Chris Pine is a very likable actor, but his voice just didn't fit the character of Jack Frost very well. It seemed like it would have been better if they had gotten a teenager to play Frost rather than Pine, who has a pretty deep voice. I liked him in the film, but his voice just didn't feel right. Alec Baldwin dons a fantastic Russian accent as the beefy Santa Claus. This is a more badass Santa than one would remember, and I liked how he wasn't just a jolly old fat man.

Hugh Jackman's Easter Bunny has some humorous lines in the film, as does Isla Fisher's Tooth Fairy. Both are equally good in the film. Jude Law I thought had the best vocal performance in the film as Pitch, the Boogeyman. Even when you're able to sympathize with the character, Law is able to still make him a creepy and sinister villain, and I liked that a lot. The best character in the movie though is the silent but awesome Sandman. He is given some great comedic timing, plus is a really cool character in general that's a part of a cool twist in the film. The voice cast overall was very good, but not quite up to the standards of other animated voice casts.

Animation wise, this is the best looking animated film of the year, hands down. Every shot in the film not only looked unique and superb, but the 3D has great depth of field and makes the audience feel like they've been immersed into this gorgeous world. There are a fair share of pop-out 3D moments that will have little kids saying "wow" out loud like how all little kids do, but they are just as fun to watch as a teen and an adult. Even if one doesn't care for the movie that much, it's hard to deny how stunning the visuals look throughout the movie, especially when the characters travel to the other mythical spots where other characters live. See the film in 3D if you can, because this is one of the few times where a good movie also has stellar 3D to go with it.

My main problems with the film were in the film's script. David Lindsay-Abaire, who is best known for the 2005 animated flick 'Robots' and the 2010 drama 'Rabbit Hole,' is the one who adapted the 'Guardians' book series to the big screen. While the ideas he brought to the screen were really fascinating and cool, and the dark undertone he brought to the film is something to be admired for, the actual lines of words that he wrote for the characters needed a bit of work. While the film is darker than many of DreamWorks' other animated romps, this movie featured really kiddy and childish lines that had to be read by the talented voice actors. Most of the film's jokes weren't that funny, but the little kids in my screening ate them all up. There were some jokes that made me laugh, but overall most of them just felt bland. Plus the film falls into the "animated-drama" cliché that's been done too much ever since animated movies were created, as well as having some pretty predictable parts squeezed in there. It is a decent script, but if the lines of dialogue had been better and cleverer, then the film might have a higher rating for me.

'Rise of the Guardians' is a fun and enjoyable movie overall. The voice cast is good, the story and its ideas were great, and the animation from DreamWorks looks spectacular. What's so brilliant about the film is that it's a movie that could be watched for any holiday and it would still have the same impact on you every time. Despite Santa being in the film, this isn't a straight-forward Christmas movie, rather it's a movie about the mythical heroes of our dreams protecting the children of the world. That alone should be celebrated since there are too many Christmas movies out there, and there should be more movies like this, where the holidays are mixed together. Since your kid's will probably force you to take them to see this, don't hesitate. It's not as great as 'Wreck-It Ralph,' but it's not as horrible as 'Ice Age: Continental Drift.'  Despite some of its flaws, 'Rise of the Guardians' is fun, deep, and sweet family film that's worth the 3D surcharge if you have the money.  It was a good run for Paramount and DreamWorks, but I wish they could have ended off their deal with something better.

REVIEW: Red Dawn

MOVIE
Red Dawn

CAST
Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
November 21, 2012

DIRECTOR
Dan Bradley

STUDIO
FilmDistrict

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 33 minutes






STARS
**









REVIEW:

There are action movies like 'Skyfall,' for example, that succeed at being smart, fresh, and entertaining all at the same time. There are also movies like 'Red Dawn' that try to copy cat many other generic action movies and make it feel like it's 2 hours rather than 90 minutes. This film was supposed to have been released back in 2010, but the bankruptcy of MGM studios caused this film, along with many others, to be pushed back from both release and even being made. Now that it's here, it's sad to say that this film was a letdown. Sure it's a fun movie to watch, but there are more flaws than good things presented here. 'Red Dawn' started off fun, but ended with leaving the viewer wishing for something more.

Life is good for many in a small town in Washington. Jed and Matt Eckert are estranged brothers with a dark and traumatic past. Jed is on vacation from the Marines while Matt is the hotshot quarterback of his high school football team with a cute girlfriend by his side. On a morning of quiet and peace, the North Koreans, out of nowhere, decide to invade America and take the country hostage. Using his army skills, Jed helps Matt and several others who were able to escape the Koreans to fight to take back their home. Under the name "The Wolverines," Jed and Matt start up a rebellion that soon breaks word across the country, making them the most dangerous heroes in the country.

Since many of the cast members in this film have done many other roles after this film, one could expect that their acting wouldn't be as good as it is at this moment in time. Luckily, the acting is better than one would expect. Chris Hemsworth, who is best known for playing the superhero god 'Thor,' pulls off a great American accent and does a fine job in the movie overall. Josh Peck, best known for the hit Nickelodeon show 'Drake and Josh,' also gives a decent performance in the movie. He isn't the greatest actor on the face of the earth, but I would be lying if I said I thought he was horrendous in the film. 'The Hunger Games' star Josh Hutcherson, along with the rest of the cast, were highly underused and almost served no purpose to the film whatsoever, except to be the bait of the Koreans. Jeffery Dean Morgan is the best of the supporting cast, but he's only given about 10 minutes of screen time which is upsetting since he does have talent in there. The cast is fine in the film, but if you're going to see someone other than Hemsworth and Peck, you're bound to be disappointed.

The worst thing about this film by far was the script. While newer action movies tend to be smart and have interesting plots going on, 'Red Dawn' suffers from not only having poor dialogue throughout, but also is a very generic movie. There's a reason why this was supposed to come out in 2010, and the feeling of this film being dated is most certainly there. Had this come out in 2010 when this was supposed to, maybe I would have enjoyed the film more because it's just a stupid but fun action movie. But other than one scene towards the end that came completely out of left field and was really cool, the script is just as generic as any sci-fi, action, or thriller from the 2000's decade can be. There's too much talking in the woods and not enough cool action sequences. Plus, way to go for whoever thought of the product placement idea in the film, because it had to be the single worst use of product placement I've seen all year, which is saying something. Overall, if you're going into this movie looking for a smart action film, go see 'Skyfall' instead.

This is a film that could have been so much more than what it overall was: a generic, stupid, forgettable, but sometimes fun action movie. Sure the cast was fine for what their roles gave them to do, and the action sequences were really cool to watch on a big screen, but this film brings nothing new to the table, along with having a very unsatisfying ending that left me wanting a lot more. I guess the filmmakers were trying to set up for a sequel, but honestly what's the point? This is the type of movie that someone would find late at night on SyFy or some channel like that, and watch it with a bunch of friends for the heck of it.

The movie feels a half longer than its 93 minute run time, which is never a good thing. 'Red Dawn' could have been so much better than what was delivered. Re-shoots are supposed to help a movie, not make it worse. It's even easy to tell what scenes were re-shot or not, since Hemsworth wasn't involved with the reshoots. Despite a decent cast, some fun action sequences, and a surprising twist that made me appreciate the film more until it ended abruptly, 'Red Dawn' is just another remake blowing in the wind that doesn't have any impact on anything whatsoever.  It's probably good that this movie is a forgettable one, because that means it won't hurt the careers of the talented actors present in here much.

REVIEW: Skyfall

MOVIE
Skyfall

CAST
Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
November 9, 2012

DIRECTOR

Sam Mendes

STUDIO(S)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures,

Columbia Pictures

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 23 minutes








STARS
***3/4











REVIEW:

How appropriate it is that a new entry into the hit 'James Bond' series comes out on the 50th anniversary of the start of the series that made this suave, undercover British spy one of the go-to's for high entertainment at the movies. The latest 'Bond' film is entitled 'Skyfall,' and it stars Daniel Craig, who's playing the iconic spy for his third time, under the direction of 'American Beauty' director Sam Mendes. People love the first Daniel Craig entry into the series, 'Casino Royale,' but despise the direct sequel (a first for the Bond series) 'Quantum of Solace.' This film has also been in the works for years, but couldn't be made for financial reasons. Now that it's here, I'm happy to report that, while not as great as 'Casino Royale,' 'Skyfall' is action-packed, intelligent as hell, well-acted, and quite simply the smartest and best action movie of the year.

After a big mission goes terribly wrong, James Bond is presumably dead, which leads to a whole series of catastrophic events. M is being forced into retirement as things at MI6 are getting worse by the day. When a mysterious man hacks into MI6, blows up the MI6 headquarters, and starts revealing the identities of all active agents in the field, Bond must come back from his paradise to help settle things right. It doesn't help that he is in his worst shape possible, and that he's barely qualified for field work anymore. M has faith in him though, which leads Bond to encountering Silva, a man from M's past who wants to settle the score.

Daniel Craig gives it all he's got in 'Skyfall,' and overall he's fantastic in the movie. In 'Casino Royale,' Bond was portrayed as a rookie of sorts just trying to fit his way into MI6. It's clearly shown in this film that, as Danny Glover said in 'Lethal Weapon,' is getting too old for this spy stuff. I've never seen Daniel Craig in a bad role before, and this film continues that streak. Not only does he pull off Bond once again, but Craig brings a new layer to the character, in which we go back to his childhood in a way. I cannot wait to see Craig in this role for many more years to come. As great as Craig was, the true standout of the film was Javier Bardem.

Let's just get this out there right now: Javier Bardem's portrayal of Silva is magnificent. Silva is the main antagonist of the film, and boy does he play one hell of a bad guy. From the first scene you see with him where he's walking towards Bond talking about two rats, it's clear that this character is crazy. In fact, his character had a lot more depth than one would expect in a Bond movie. I wish he was being considered for a Supporting Actor nomination this year because he really was THAT good. In fact, Silva might be my favorite villain of 2012. The rest of the supporting cast, ranging from Dame Judi Dench to Ralph Fiennes to up and comer Ben Wishaw, are all great in the movie. Each actor in the film is both great and is able to have their own standout moment in the movie. However they aren't as engaging as Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem are in here.

The script for 'Skyfall' was written by three men: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan. Purvis and Wade have written many of the past few Bond movies, but Logan is new to the game after his brilliant work on 'Rango,' 'Hugo,' and other films. Of all of the movie screenplay's to come onto the scene, the script for 'Skyfall' is one of the most intelligent and well-crafted scripts of the year. Not only is there witty and smart dialogue in the style of Tarantino, but there are also scenarios that are really well-crafted and played out. There are even some great homages to the classic Sean Connery Bond movies, including a certain car that makes an appearance. This script definitely has something in there that everyone can find entertaining.

'Skyfall' delivers on what a spy film should be, an action movie should be, and even what an entertaining movie should be. There's great acting present here, especially from Craig and Bardem. The script is so intelligent and clever that anyone who sees the film can find something in there to enjoy. Sure the film is nearly 2 and a half hours and you start feeling the length half way into it, but the time mostly flies by, and it is a fun movie to watch. The best thing about the 'Bond' films is that someone can walk into something like 'Skyfall' and enjoy it as much as any die-hard fan of the series, thanks to the fact that none of the films (except for 'Quantum of Solace') are direct sequels to one another. So if someone who's a big 'Bond' fan drags you to see this film, chances are you will enjoy the hell out of it. 'Skyfall' is definitely a fall movie that deserves to be seen on the big screen.



PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

The Last Stand

Jack Reacher

Iron Man 3

This Is 40

Zero Dark Thirty

A Good Day To Die Hard

Django Unchained