The Ides of March

Movie Name: The Ides of March

Year of Release: 2011

Director: George Clooney

Stars: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, Max Minghella, Jennifer Ehle, Gregory Itzin, Michael Mantell

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

After "Leatherheads", George Clooney's previous directorial effort, "The Ides of March" is a good return to form, in a film very much similar in tone to Tony Gilroy's "Michael Clayton", that Clooney starred.
"The Ides of March" follows the story of Stephen Myers, a young idealistic staffer who works for a governor currently trying to get the democratic vote to embark in the presidential race. Stephen works hard and is highly regarded. He gets lured into a situation by a rival campaign organizer which leaves him exposed and vulnerable to be laid off, however Stephen knows of a situation that topples all the scenarios that have unfolded.
George Clooney has had an interesting career as a director, starting with "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind", though his best film thus far has been "Good Night and Good Luck". With "The Ides of March", Clooney tries to show the corruption of values that touches everyone that gets involved in politics, even the most idealistic person. Stephen tries desperately to stay in his course, but rapidly realizes that in the game of politics, everyone is a pawn and all ideals and morals are easily brushed aside for more money or more power. The film tries to be very much in the vein of the political thrillers of the 70s, but the message becomes apparent all too quickly. The cast is uniformly great, with Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Evan Rachel Wood all having good performances. A film worth checking out.

What's your Number?

Movie Name: What's your Number?

Year of Release: 2011

Director: Mark Mylod

Stars: Anna Faris, Chris Evans, Blythe Danner, Ari Graynor, Ed Begley Jr., Chris Pratt, Joel McHale, Heather Burns, Martin Freeman, Anthony Mackie, Zachary Quinto, Thomas Lennon, Dave Annable

Genre: Comedy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4

Synopsis:

Director Mike Mylod has made a name for himself directing shows as "The Fast Show", "Ali G Indahouse" and "Entourage" to name but a few. His new film"What's your Number?" follows the story of Ally, a young woman who suddenly realizes she has had a considerable number of romantic partners and never found the right one. Her fear is that she reached a number that is a limit, after which no one will want her. In order to overcome this problem, she enlists the help of her attractive neighbor, Colin, and they track her previous dates and figure out if one of them can actually be the right man!
Anna Faris is a great comedienne, always managing to make the best of whatever role she has. That can easily be seen in Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation", Greg Araki's "Smiley Face" and the "Scary Movie" franchise. In "What's your Number?" she ends up being the best thing about a film that is very formulaic and filled with cliches, but that thanks to her perfect comic timing it does end up having some humorous moments. Aside from her performance, the film has few highlights, since it is indeed a romantic comedy very much like plenty of others - P.J. Hogan's "My Best Friend Wedding's" for instance.

50/50

Movie Name: 50/50

Year of Release: 2011

Director: Jonathan Levine

Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Houston, Serge Houde, Matt Frewer, Philip Baker Hall, Seth Rogen

Genre: Drama, Comedy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

Adam is in his late 20s, has a live-in girlfriend and workouts regularly. Much to his surprise he's diagnosed with cervical cancer. What follows is a grueling set of treatments that progressively make him weaker, while his sentimental life also experiences new lows and also new beginnings.
Director Jonathan Levine follows his feature "The Wackness" with "50/50", based on the life of screenwriter Will Reiser. The film tries to maintain a balance between the dramatic core that generates the entire story, namely the illness of Adam and the humor that is brought by Adam's friend, Kyle, who tries to take some advantage of the situation on the dating field. While the film works dramatically thanks to the interaction between the gifted actors that are Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Kendrick and Anjelica Houston, the more humorous scenes with Seth Rogen feel like material that he has already done in his previous films, that add absolutely nothing to this film in particular. The director tries to maintain a certain detachment from the characters, never going down the melodrama path, which also makes it feel a bit distant to the viewer/audience, but when the final realization comes painfully evident to Adam, we can see the true core of the film. Adam is just a young man trying to live. This is a small film that could have worked far better without the skewed comedic angle, or with a far better actor than Seth Rogen. His eternal frat-boy trying to get dates and being selfish is long overused by now. A film worth watching nonetheless.

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Drive

Movie Name: Drive

Year of Release: 2011

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Stars: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks, Kaden Leos

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn is back on the screens, following his previous effort "Valhalla Rising", with "Drive" a film that premiered this year at the Cannes film festival and won the award for best director. The film follows the story of a stunt-car driver (whose name we never know), who also moonlights as a driver for escapes of crime related situations. The Driver is laconic and short on words, his tone never going beyond a whisper. On a chance encounter he meets Irene, a young waitress and her son Benicio. He gets tangled in the problems of her ex-husband and a spiral of violence emerges around them.
Nicolas Winding Refn takes his time to develop the story and showcase the characters. The Driver, as created by Ryan Gosling, is a man with focus, who knows each situation he's getting into and for whom a menace is not taken lightly. The film has a fluidity that allows for the viewer to understand the life of this character, his loneliness, but also the menace behind those calm eyes. When the violence does erupt, it's almost earth-shattering, but again it feels like an extension of the Driver himself. The film is beautifully shot, each frame beautifully lit by Newton Thomas Sigel and the music of Cliff Martinez (who is a frequent collaborator of Steven Soderbergh) helps define the mood without over-doing it. Ryan Gosling creates an interesting character, but Albert Brooks exudes a confidence and a menace that stays with you long after the film has ended. A great film worth watching!

Contagion

Movie Name: Contagion

Year of Release: 2011

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Stars: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Jennifer Ehle, Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hawkes, Demetri Martin, Bryan Cranston, Elliot Gould, Enrico Colantoni, Sanaa Lathan, Larry Clarke

Genre: Thriller, Drama, Sci-Fi

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

The fantastically talented and prolific Steven Soderbergh is back, following the great "The Informant" with Matt Damon and the experimental "The Girlfriend Experience". Soderbergh already has shot and has ready to be released "Haywire" with another great cast and is already shooting another film, named "Magic Mike" to be released next year. "Contagion" is very much a mosaic film, following a series of characters, as a dangerous and lethal virus starts spreading around the globe, killing millions of people. We follow the lives of Mitch Emhoff, whose wife arrives from Hong Kong and suddenly dies, the lives of Dr. Ellis Cheever and Dr. Erin Mears, both from the CDC, Alan Krumwiede a well known blogger, Dr. Leonora Arantes from the World Health Organization, as they all come in contact with the virus and play different parts in trying to find a solution for this catastrophe.
Steven Soderbergh, again working as cinematographer, builds a film that progressively escalates in suspense, as the virus progressively spreads the tentacles of destruction. The director is more interested in showing how people react to an overwhelming menace, with the different players and different contexts showing how an epidemic can destroy governments, cities and families. The cast is uniformly good, with Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle doing small but impactful parts. The mosaic of actors, of the production design and the documentary-style cinematography make the film engaging and pertinent. A good film worth watching!

The Debt

Movie Name: The Debt

Year of Release: 2010

Director: John Madden

Stars: Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, Martin Csokas, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Wilkinson, Jesper Christensen, Romi Aboulafia

Genre: Thriller, Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:

John Madden is back, following the discrete reception of his previous two films, "Proof" and "Killshot". "The Debt" is a remake of an Israeli film and follows the story of three Mossad agents who are assigned the mission of finding the whereabouts of a dangerous Nazi criminal. The year is 1966 and the two men and one woman, capture their prey, however the results are not what they expect. The three of them agree to maintain the same story and for years their mission is praised and discussed, until 30 years later news come up that threaten all that these agents have built.
"The Debt" is a thriller that walks a familiar path - a truth that was never revealed, but that after years of being buried, threatens to destroy the lives of multiple people. The context of this film relates to a Nazi war criminal, hidden in East Berlin in 1966, which adds substantially to the danger quotient, yet somehow as the film progresses, the sense of danger or impending threat is never really felt. There are moral dilemmas that the characters possess, but it's easy to see where all of the characters lie as soon as the film introduces them (the ambitious driven one, the one with the ideology, and so forth). The best thing about the film ends up being the actors, particularly Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain and Jesper Christensen. Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain bring a depth and gravitas to their part, both playing the same character and both like a coherent extension of one another (though in terms of casting, the actors could not be more different between their younger and older counterparts, particularly Ciaran Hinds and Sam Worthington). A medium effort from an irregular director.

Colombiana

Movie Name: Colombiana

Year of Release: 2011

Director: Olivier Megaton

Stars: Zoe Saldana, Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis, Jordi Molla, Callum Blue, Lennie James, Max Martini, Amandla Stenberg, Monica Acosta, Graham McTavish, Jesse Borrego

Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller, Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4

Synopsis:

Luc Besson has steadily become one of the busiest producers working in film. The films with his imprint no longer are limited to his directorial efforts, who are now far and between, but his writing and producing skills have been used in a stream of films, from the "Transporter" series to others such as "Taken" and even "I Love You Philip Morris". Olivier Megaton, director of "Colombiana" has collaborated with Luc Besson on "Transporter 3" - the style is very similar. The quick pacing of the narrative, dynamic editing, all coming from the style of Tony Scott.
The film follows the story of Cataleya and her family. Cataleya lives in Colombia and witnesses her parents being shot as a little girl and promises revenge. Growing up in the US, Cataleya becomes a lethal assassin, discrete and able to be almost invisible. She has almost no ties of any kind, save for a man she starts having a relationship with and her remaining family, who also gets shot by the same people who destroyed her life in Colombia. Cataleya decides to revenge her loved ones and stops at nothing to do so.
"Colombiana" has a mix of different films and different styles. It's equal parts "Nikita", "The Bourne Identity" and "The Professional". Olivier Megaton doesn't care much about character development or getting to explore the dynamics of the characters - most of the characters are thin as paper, and obviously cliches, save for Cataleya who we are given a brief glimpse of where she's coming and why she's so focused on her targets. But even her story is a backdrop for action scenes that showcase her lethal and precise capabilities as a killer. It's a film that has a B-style to it, and that manages to achieve some of it's goals as an entertaining one, but it's not enough to create a good and memorable experience.

The Help

Movie Name: The Help

Year of Release: 2011

Director: Tate Taylor

Stars: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain, Ahna O'Reilly, Cicely Tyson, Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek, Anna Camp, Mike Vogel, Brian Kerwin, Leslie Jordan, Aunjanue Ellis, Chris Lowell, Mary Steenburgen

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

"The Help" adapts the best seller of the same name by Kathryn Stockett. The film follows the story of Skeeter, a young woman from Jackson, Mississippi, who comes back to her hometown after being in college, during the 1960s. Skeeter longs to be a serious writer and starts writing advice columns for the local newspaper. She realizes that Jackson, Mississippi is ruled by old conventions and that the inequalities that always existed between the two main racial groups are still rampant. She decides to write a book from the perspective of the help, a group of African-American women who always cared for the houses and children of the white privileged society of that area. She enlists the help of two women, the strong but silent Aibileen and the sparky and spunky Minny, both of whom work for women who Skeeter knows, in particular the stone cold Hilly. Their book, changes the lives of everyone in that small community.
Tate Taylor has a career built mostly as a character actor, having only two other directing efforts to his name. With "The Help" he has decided to touch sensitive issues in the history of civil rights movement, of how life used to be for African Americans in the south of the country. The film captures a time and the changes that were coming, with President JFK and Martin Luther King. "The Help" is mostly a female perspective of very agitated times, and wisely focuses it's attention on the three main lead characters: Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. Around them a plethora of women try to adjust to these changing times, some resisting the change and being hypocritical, which is the case of the cold Hilly, some being genuine and embracing people for who they are, like Celia. The film though limited in some of the cliches that displays, it allows for great work from some great actresses, namely Viola Davis as Aibileen, Bryce Dallas Howard as Hilly and Jessica Chastain as Celia. An interesting film that showcases a slice of history, from a different perspective.

Fright Night

Movie Name: Fright Night

Year of Release: 2011

Director: Craig Gillespie

Stars: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, David Tennant, Toni Collette, Imogen Poots, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Dave Franco, Will Denton, Sandra Vergara, Chris Sarandon, Lisa Loeb, Brian Huskey

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:

"Fright Night" was originally directed by Tom Holland and released in 1985 - this remake directed by Craig Gillespie updates the original concept and adds more thrills, more fun and great actors. The film follows the story of Charley and his mom Jane, both of whom live in Las Vegas. Their new neighbor is a handsome and attractive man named Jerry, whom Charley realizes is a vampire. Jerry is building a nest of vampires, and comes after Charley, his mom and his girlfriend Amy. It's up to Charley to defend himself and the ones he loves, all with the help of entertainer/occult savant Peter Vincent.
Craig Gillespie directed previously the quirky and enjoyable "Lars and The Real Girl" and also a few episodes of "The United States of Tara". He infuses the screenplay of "Fright Night" with a lightness and simultaneously a swift pace that is engrossing and also menacing. "Fright Night" knows how not to take itself seriously, poking fun at the whole "Twilight" generation, but also has enough thrills to truly engage the audience. It's an intelligent thriller, with a humorous side! The actors are all great, from the young Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots, to the charismatic Colin Farrell and the always great Toni Collete.  A very entertaining film!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Movie Name: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Year of Release: 2011

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Stars: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Andy Serkis, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, Tyler Labine, David Hewlett, Jamie Harris

Genre: Action, Thriller, Drama, Sci-Fi

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:

The franchise "Planet of the Apes" is back, after the series of films that started being produced in 1968 with Franklin J. Schaffner at the helm and Charlton Heston as the leading actor. The latest attempt at reviving this series was directed by Tim Burton in 2001 with disappointing results, so this relaunch goes back further in the series, a prequel of sorts.
The film follows the story of Will a young scientist trying to discover a cure for Alzheimer's, since his father is suffering from that ailment and is getting progressively worse. Will has been trying the experimental drug on chimps and is successful in making a baby chimp develop extreme cognitive response. The chimp grows up (in stature and intelligence) in Will's house and due to a series of misunderstandings, finds himself in a county animal shelter where due to abuse and mistreatment, grows a progressive sense of liberation. Caeser, ends up leading a rebellion of apes yearning for freedom, charging against everyone who dares to oppose his force.
The film has an interesting premise, one where humans tampering with technology alter the course of nature. It's a recursive theme for many science-fiction films, but this film stops short of what could have been a very interesting insight into what the dynamics of society would change with such a revolutionary concept. The screenplay and the director opt to for the uprising of the apes and how the action set pieces function. The special effects are indeed fantastic and extremely realistic, and that ends up being the best thing of the film. Andy Serkis playing Caesar is the highlight amongst the actors, though John Lithgow is reliable as always. A conventional film worth investigating.

Cowboys and Aliens

Movie Name: Cowboys and Aliens

Year of Release: 2011

Director: Jon Favreau

Stars: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Clancy Brown, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Chris Browning, Keith Carradine, Noah Ringer, Walton Goggins, Ana de la Reguera, Abigail Spencer, Brian Duffy

Genre: Action, Adventure, Western, Sci-Fi

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4

Synopsis:

Director Jon Favreau follows the disappointing "Iron Man 2" with another big blockbuster, filled with special effects and big stars, this time Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. The film follows the story of Jake Lonergan, who wakes up in the middle of the desert, without any memory and with a strange device on his wrist. Jake tries to remember who he is, but gets chased by everyone due to a past he doesn't recollect. When he's about to be taken to respond for his past crimes, extra-terrestrial forces attack, destroying the small town and kidnapping people. Jake and his odd wrist-based device, manage to battle those creatures. In the end, it's up to Jake and the rest of the people in the town to go after the aliens and salvage the kidnapped people and save the world itself.
"Cowboys and Aliens" is based on a comic book by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and the screenplay has been written by a huge team comprised of writers of big blockbusters as "Transformers" and "Star Trek", to name but a few. Oddly enough, with this pedigree, the screenplay for "Cowboys and Aliens" touches all the cliches there are for a film that could have been quite surprising and different. Sadly as the film progresses, no sense of novelty is to be found - the film feels tired and unimaginative. The actors try their best to infuse some life to their characters, but there isn't much depth in any of these cardboard characters. Harrison Ford in particular deserved a better film where to shine his talent. A wasted opportunity for everyone involved.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Movie Name: Captain America: The First Avenger

Year of Release: 2011

Director: Joe Johnston

Stars: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Haley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, Michael Brandon, Natalie Dormer, William Hope, Samuel L. Jackson

Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:

After the failure of "The Wolfman", director Joe Johnston is back with the adaptation of another Marvel comics character, this time the iconic "Captain America", created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon in 1941. The character is intricately associated with the war effort of the Second World War, but the character managed to surpass the test of time and was later on added to the super group "The Avengers". This film follows the same concept, it introduces the character and establishes the context for the upcoming "Avengers" film, currently being shot.
The film follows the story of Steve Rogers, a young man desperately trying to join the Army in order to fight with his friend Bucky against the Nazi forces in Europe. Steve is however physically inept, dues to his multiple ailments and height, which always prevents him from joining. With the help of a scientist, Steve is the subject of an experiment that turns him into a super soldier. It's up to Steve and his friends to stop Hydra and it's main leader, Red Skull from destroying the world.
Joe Johnston has tried with this film to build an old style adventure, filled with over the top action sequences, but also filled with a sense of nostalgia for a time that has gone by. As usual in his films, the results feel under-developed and underwhelming. Though Chris Evans tries his best to play Steve Rogers as the iconic and simultaneously tender hearted Captain America, most of the remaining cast is just on auto-pilot, mostly due to a screenplay that hits all the cliches and has not a single spark of irreverence. The film lacks a true sense of adventure and discovery, and all the action scenes end up being used as filler, ultimately adding nothing to the film itself. Joe Johnston has never been a particularly gifted director, but this film needed a bit more of the charm he brought to one of his first efforts, "The Rocketeer". As is, the film is just an average action film with a convincing lead.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Movie Name: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Year of Release: 2011

Director: David Yates

Stars:Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Ruper Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, David Thewlis, John Hurt, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Felton, Helen McCrory, Jason Isaacs, Bonnie Wright, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Emma Thompson, Mark Williams, Miriam Margoyles, Gemma Jones, Gary Oldman, Robbie Coltrane, Geraldine Somerville, Adrian Rawlins, Clemence Poesy, Katie Leung, Kelly MacDonald, Matthew Lewis

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:

The final installment in the Harry Potter series comes to an end, with the final confrontation of Harry Potter and his nemesis, Voldemort. Following the events from the previous film, Harry, Hermione and Ron, desperately try to find the objects that can kill their opponent, who amassed a formidable force, in the hopes of destroying Harry and all his allies. Harry and his friends, find themselves at the school where all began, Hogwarts, and there the final battle takes place, with Harry having to find within himself the strength to overcome his obstacles and protect those he loves the most.
David Yates continues with this film what he started in the previous one - there is a sense of impending doom and closure as the story comes to an end. The action and special effects dazzle, as does the beautiful cinematography from Eduardo Serra, but the film again lacks that sense of bewilderment and true magic, that was never truly captured (look at "The Wizard of Oz" and how with so little was conveyed so much). Ralph Fiennes creates a truly menacing character, but most of the actors are also fantastic, namely Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon and Maggie Smith. This is a film that thankfully ends a saga that would otherwise become tiresome and fatiguing. A film worth checking out.

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