ThatGirlOnTV

After apple picking and Halloween is over, the November movie line-up prepares us for what should be a kick-ass holiday season in film…

To start off the month, opening on November 6th we have festival winners hitting the big screen-Lee Daniels’ Precious, along with George Clooney and Ewan McGregor in The Men Who Stare At Goats. Joining them, just incase you miss Halloween, are James Marsden and Cameron Diaz in the dark thriller The Box,  and Mila Jovovitch in The Fourth Kind, a movie about paranormal activity this time from UFOs. Finally, November 6th gives us Jim Carrey’s rendition of the classic Christmas tale, from the people that brought us The Polar Express, we get to experience A Christmas Carol all over again. 

Then, November 13th brings the much anticipated end of the world, John Cusack in 2012. If you’re not writing a will after seeing that,  or if you’d rather enjoy your last three years in ignorance of the Mayan predictions, go see  the other Clooney movie, The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Also opening on the 12th is the comedic (but factual), rockin’ good time with Phillip Seymour Hoffman  in Pirate Radio. 

And after that… it’s the weekend for what we have ALL (don’t lie, you too) been waiting for. On November 20th, the wait is over. The Twilight Saga: New Moon will have to live up to all the hype it’s created. For that reason, and for the aftermath of the release, I sincerely hope it doesn’t suck. 

But for the 5 of you who don’t care about Team Jacob, also opening on the 20th is the kid friendly animated alien flick Planet 51, along with another Nicholas Cage movie- director Werner Hertzog pulls together a pretty good cast for Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Also opening this weekend is the Sandra Bullock movie, The Blind Side, which tells the triumphant story of rookie NFL player Michael Oher (Baltimore Ravens). 

And finally, Thanksgiving weekend we can look forward to turkey, stuffing, and Ninja Assassin (as a substitute to cranberry sauce). The fighter flick stars Korean singer/dancer Rain. Also opening on November 25th is the star studded film adaptation of the Tony Award winning musical NINE, starring Daniel Day Lewis and several leading ladies: Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson and Fergie . Also opening Thanksgiving weekend is John Travolta and Robin Williams’ family friendly comedy Old Dogs. 

With November choc-full of promising movie titles, we can only expect December not to disappoint. This time last year gave us a plethora of future Oscar nominees and winners, so this Holiday season start making your predictions.

You know I will.

C.A.M.

Amelia soars as high as the legendary woman it is about. As a biopic about the life and tragic disappearance of an American icon, the story of Amelia Earhart- the woman and the aviatrix, is told. 

Amelia Earhart was an adventurous and courageous pioneer of aviation, as she explored new ground with flight, and eventually became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean by herself. Her rise to fame in the late 1920s to 30s provided a platform for Earhart to advocate for women to be as outspoken and adventurous as their male counterparts. In the realm of aviation, Earhart aspired to break records previously held by  the world renown aviator Charles Lindbergh, but personally, she chased the freedom of mind and body that flying provided her with.

Director Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!, New York I Love You, Vanity Fair) paints the picture of Earhart’s life with sweeping images of beautiful skies to voice the long-gone pilot, among other vivid scenery. The structure of this movie allows audiences to see intimacy in the life of its beloved subject, though always returning to the sky- the true reason for its colorful execution. The movie includes a magical score, nodding to the 1920′s and 30′s romantic orchestral depth some remember.

Hilary Swank bears striking resemblance to Earhart in this film, and her deliverance of such a brave character only slightly  falls short of perfect. With or without Oscar nomination speculations, Swank has said herself that she jumps at every opportunity to play characters like this, and she has never failed to do well. Swank shows emotion appropriately, in resonance with the fact that Earhart was first determined to chase her dream, and second driven by her love life and marriage to George Putnam, as played by Richard Gere.

Gere also gives a stellar performance as the manager and husband, coming as no surprise to any who have seen Richard Gere’s previous attempts at supporting male roles. He accurately balances the depth and romantic undertone of his characters with the shallowness of their business driven demeanors. Supporting performances by Ewan McGregor and Christopher Eccleston, among others, also do well for this film. 

If anything, it would have been nice to see more of Amelia’s struggle with her marriage to Putnam and her affair with Gene Vidal (McGregor), grounding her character a little more, and providing conflict. A bit more writing and a lot more story would have been needed, though compromising the biopic classification. Perhaps basing loosely on the real story of Amelia Earhart would have allowed for more depth in every character (including Earhart- we see very little of her childhood). 

Nevertheless, Nair’s adaptation of the classic mystery proves effective. For aviation and Earhart enthusiasts, it delivers. For feminist thought, and tragedy mixed with triumph, this movie does wonders.

Amelia never strays from the message of the film, in Earhart’s words: Defying the impossible, living the dream. 

Rating: 4/5

Paranormal Activity is an unprecedented, confusing, and careful success. It’s precisely what happens when genius and marketing come together in a haunting and cautionary tale of things that go bump in the night…

Katie (Katie Featherston) lives with her boyfriend Micah (Micah Sloat) in their new suburban home, and after several disturbances of strange night behavior, they decide to videotape the house to see if any paranormal activity is causing the disturbances. A series of nights progress the movie, as audiences watch the couple sleep- trying to see if the ghostly figure will appear.

This movie holds impressive performances by the unknown actors, and the element of reality is definitely there. Though this might sound unusual, the best performance is given by the invisible entity in this no-nonsense horror. The entity (ghost, demon, whatever) plays it very smart as it watches, waits, and makes sure we remember that it truly is the main character. And it delivers. From burning Ouija boards to rustling bed sheets as it moves stealthily around the couple’s home, audiences learn very quickly that you don’t want to make the spirits mad. 

You come to expect things to happen each night, and you expect the couple to find an answer. But by the end (with the lack of credits) you sit thinking… wait… what just happened…?

With a great social networking idea of intense online promotion and having people demand the movie be opened nationwide, Paranormal Activity (and director Oren Peli) came, saw and conquered. A low budget thriller like this proves that the scariest thing in the world -from ghosts to government- is the evidence of things not seen. 

I guarantee that 70% of people who see this movie will leave saying “it wasn’t that scary…” 

 To those brave souls…don’t be surprised if you mysteriously hear footsteps at three in the morning. 

Rating: 3.1/5

Law Abiding Citizen challenges the traditional lawyer/criminal movie relationship in an edgy, smart, and untried fashion: leaving us wondering who the antagonist really is. 

Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) settles down to dinner one evening with his family, only to have their house broken into, and his wife and child killed by the robbers. A helpless and grieving Shelton seeks full punishment for his family’s murderers, but when that doesn’t happen he takes matters into his own hands with a plot of vengeance against the judicial system. An everyday guy turned brilliant psychopath, Shelton orchestrates a series of murders, targeting every person involved in the case.

Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), the assistant Defense Attorney that made a deal with one of the killers to testify against his partner for a light prison sentence, becomes the puppet that Shelton uses to carry out his murders, and eventually the final target.

Director F. Gary Gray presents the worst case scenario of what would happen when the laws fail to carry out their purposes of protection. Gray often dissects the motives behind criminal actions and the concept of vengeance in his films (e.g., Set It Off, The Italian Job), and fairs them just although the law most often prevails. 

Gerard Butler continues to exhibit immense understanding of the burdened patriarchal character. Though playing a similar family oriented character in Gamer, Butler differentiates in this role by enabling audiences to feel his pain with every scene. His delivery of conflict, of grief, and of responsibility as Shelton is as convincing, as it is deep. 

Jamie Foxx is about as versatile as an actor can get. With his abilities to jump back and forth from serious to lighthearted movies, from deep and troubled characters to shallow supporting roles, and from antagonist to protagonist (in the same movie, apparently), it comes as no surprise that his delivery of Nick Rice is well executed. Rice is supposed to remain guarded and confident, as a defense attorney should, but Foxx allows for a multi-dimensional deliverance.

Law Abiding Citizen engages and excites, providing laughable material and plenty of moments for gasping.  It’s a thriller, but determining the actual “bad guy” in this movie is subject to viewer discretion. With secondary performances by Bruce McGill, Regina Hall, Leslie Bibb and Viola Davis among others, the complexity of a criminal mastermind and the flaws of our judicial system are equally brought into question…

Justifying the adage that there’s a very thin line between right and wrong. 

Rating: 3. 6/5

Vince Vaughn and John Favreau tag team as writers for their interesting take on couples therapy, in Couples Retreat.

 In a wild attempt to save their marriage, Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristin Bell) ask some of their friends to join them in experiencing a couples resort called “Eden”. What they expect is a beautiful, relaxing resort complete with Island perks and water sports for bonding time. Instead, they get the Richard Simmons of marriage and his strict counseling program. 

Joining Jason and Cynthia are  Dave (Vaughn) and Ronnie (Malin Akerman), who have two adorable kids but Ronnie can’t seem to get her husband to pay attention, Joey (Favreau) and Lucy (Kristin Davis) whose love has dwindled over the years, and Shane (Faizon Love) and his 20 year old girlfriend Trudy (Kali Hawk) who are just looking for a good time. 

While discovering their individual marriages, the couples also discover the difference between “Eden-West” and “Eden-East”, the singles resort. The West side is home to characters like Marcel (Jean Reno)  the couples guru, and Salvadore (Carlos Ponce), a hyper-sexual yoga instructor.  The East is where all the fun stuff happens, and where these couples want to be. 

There are a few things to be said especially about the individual performances by this group of talented actors and actresses.

First, Vince Vaughn is certainly an underrated comedian. Some of his movies and comedic attempts get swept under the rug because his sense of humor is misunderstood, but in this movie he succeeds. His antics are comparable to his performance in Wedding Crashers. In fact, this one could be considered funnier.

Malin Akerman is slowly but surely becoming a comedic leading lady. Although she didn’t do anything exceptionally funny in this movie, the exposure will help with her future endeavors. Both Kristen Bell and Kristin Davis didn’t add to or take much of anything away from this movie in their minor roles, they both could have been played by anybody. Kali Hawk, who is actually a very talented and beautiful new actress, got the short end of the stick with that pointless Trudy character. Jason Bateman, Faison Love and Jon Favreau compliment the Vaughn humor quite nicely. 

With a star-studded cast, Couples Retreat couldn’t have done any more to incorporate the big names. Each couple gets a lot of screen time. There are several laughs to be had in seeing this movie, and if you are a fan of Vince Vaughn, then you’ll appreciate this one way more than The Break-Up. 

Rating: 3.3/5

Welcome to the United States of Zombieland…

Where the awkwardness of a college-aged boy, is just as good a match for the zombie ridden world as the brawns of a Tennessee gun-toting cowboy…

Together, no zombie can cross them.

Together, they also endure one of the best and funniest zombie adventures to come out in a very long time. 

Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a socially challenged student, who has no luck with girls, and a deep appreciation of Mountain Dew-Code Red. He singlehandedly comes up with a list of rules to survive the “mad human” (think Mad Cow) zombie epidemic, and these rules have kept him one of the few untouched people left on earth. Now, Columbus wants to go back home to see if his parents are still alive. On his way he catches a ride with Tennessee (Woody Harrelson), a man whose love of killing zombies, and Twinkies, has him traveling the country. 

Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) are two other surviving humans. They dub themselves the sisters who “trust no one”- especially not the likes of Tennessee or Columbus. After stealing Tennessee’s car several times, the ladies continue on to their quest for supposedly zombie-free amusement park Pacific Playland. These no-nonsense gals add their own flair to the mostly male story, simultaneously playing damsels-in-distress and somewhat villainous characters.

But when it comes to zombies… the four of them have to stick together. 

Although we expect a romping good time with Woody Harrelson, actor Jessie Eisenberg manages to keep up and hold his own. He lends most of the comedy to this movie with his awkward, boyish, and believable demeanor. Some argue that there’s no difference between Eisenberg and much more popular fellow actors Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and the like, but Eisenberg’s commitment to this movie suggests he can roll with the big boys. 

Feature film rookie director Ruben Fleisher presents his zombie clad comedy in quite an impressive way. From the opening slow motion zombie montage, to the fast paced killing sprees at Pacific Playland, and even with the unexpected cameo of a highly celebrated Ghostbuster (I won’t spoil the surprise, but it is epic), we never lose sight of the main point of the movie: quite frankly, don’t forget there are zombies around. The comedy is endless, the zombies are about as lively as they can be, and the love story is just as earnest as it is playful. 

 Zombieland is pure comedy, dead on. 

Rating: 4.3/5

The Invention of Lying delivers the age old message that the truth shall set you free. 

In a world that suggests telling a lie hasn’t been invented, people go about their lives volunteering honest observations in casual conversation about themselves, other people, and their surroundings. Everything is depressing, blunt, and most certainly boring. One day, Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) figures out that to avoid eviction he can tell a bank teller there’s $800 for withdrawal in his account instead of $300. 

But how could he say something that…wasn’t?

This becomes the question that Bellison, a screenwriter of 14th century lecture films (since there’s no lying, there can be no made up story lines in movies) attempting to save his job, uses to his advantage. He becomes the chosen one, sent from the “man in the sky” to deliver meaning and purpose to the world after he’s overheard in a hospital making up a story to comfort his dying mother about where she’s going after death. Everyone becomes obsessed with what truth Mark Bellison knows, and how he knows so much. 

Meanwhile, Bellison deals with the unrequited love he has for Anna (Jennifer Garner), a beautiful shallow woman who’s looking for the “genetic match” of a husband that naturally, Bellison isn’t. She learns that there’s plenty more to people than their “stubby noses” and chubbiness. 

The first half hour of the movie offers great fun and laughs as Gervais, comedian and creator of The Office, and Garner present their brutal honesty. Unfortunately, as the movie spirals into the invention of a lie tying into the invention of religion, the funny decreases and the story grows more outrageous.

Nonetheless, Gervais is charming and consistent in his jokes throughout the entire movie, even though his character lacks much depth (which might be on purpose). He ‘s next in line to become what Rowan Atkinson once was, and Russell Brand now is- a fresh breath of British comedic air. Garner’s role is her most shallow and boring character yet, but she does play it well. Other small roles given to Tina Fey and Jonah Hill don’t really add anything to the movie aside from the funny faces we know and love. 

This movie reminds us of Carrey’s Yes Man or Carrell’s Evan Almighty, as all of them show the comedic talent of their main actors, but don’t say much for storytelling being carried out effectively. However, it does deliver on the laughs, and that’s all that matters. Hearing out loud what people usually just think to themselves, and seeing other people completely unsurprised by the statements, makes this movie extremely funny.

The Invention of Lying is honestly… not terrible.  

Rating: 3.6/5

Simply put, in her directorial debut Drew Barrymore rips it…with Whip It. 

When a small town pageant girl steered left and right by her overbearing mother, tries her dainty feet at a big girl sport, she proves to herself and to her mother  that she is meant for more than being a pageant queen in Bodeen, Texas. Seventeen year old Bliss Cavender (Ellen Page) discovers the world of roller derby- a brutal, brawny, and bitchy sport that only a certain caliber of women succeed at.

Exactly the type of woman she resolves to be.

Bliss encounters the Hurl Scouts- a derby team led by Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) and including a rowdy bunch of women like Rosa Sparks (Eve) and the hot tempered Smashley Simpson (Barrymore). Bliss soon earns her skates, her place on the team, and her proud nickname (since everyone gets one) Babe Ruthless. The Hurl Scouts compete against several teams, but throughout the years haven’t been able to beat Iron Mavis (Juliette Lewis) and her pack of ferocious fighters. Babe Ruthless just might be the missing link the Scouts have been looking for. 

Through it all, Bliss’s mother Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden) is a former pageant participant whose overbearing beliefs about beauty, ladylikeness, and behavior clash loudly with the tattooed, skate clad, raucous women that her daughter becomes involved with. Bliss’s father Earl Cavender (Daniel Stern) is a lovable football fan who would rather not argue with his wife, and only wants to see his daughter happy…while he watches the game. Together, they allow us to understand and appreciate the family support system that, despite anything that happens, will still prevail.   

Drew Barrymore presents this coming-of-age story in exactly the right way. She manages to keep the story in constant motion alongside the skating, even when it diverts to the more personal side of Bliss and the introduction of her love story with Oliver (singer Landon Pigg). The screenplay was also well done, adapted by Shauna Cross- the original writer of the novel that became this movie. What Barrymore also manages to do, is present Dodgeball-like comedy, while still resonating with the young fans of movies like Juno, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Superbad. We know that Whip It will fit perfectly with this crowd. 

Needless to say, the real star of this movie is Ellen Page. She really commits to her role as Bliss. Although we want to look at her and think “Juno”, she presents a completely new, vulnerable, and confident young character in Bliss Cavender. 

 The illuminating thing about this movie is the incredible heart it has, generating true sports story emotions for an unusual sport. We truly felt that Bliss, a misfit in every aspect of her  life, found her calling in the group of mix-matched roller skating heroines. 

Whip It takes girl-power to another level…one that just might knock you out. 

Rating: 4.2/5

This October, we have so much more to look forward to than just the sweep of fright we expect from the end of the month. This October, there’s a nice balance of comedy and drama to compliment the Halloween horror antics. 

The month starts off strong, with the scariest of them all- Michael Moore. On October 2nd, Moore’s documentary Capitalism: A Love Story puts the global economic meltdown into perspective with the comical and controversial edge we’ve come to expect from him. However, if you’d rather not take the 90 minute economics course, you can also go see Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner be brutally honest in the comedy The Invention of Lying. 

 Fans of LeBron James can look for the true-life documentary about his high school basketball team and their journey to a national championship despite adversity, in More Than A Game. Rounding out the 2nd, Juno star Ellen Page rolls out in Whip It, a movie about roller-skating chicks (directed by Drew Barrymore), while Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson tackle flesh eating dead people in Zombieland. 

The weekend of October 9th only has one movie opening nationwide. With a cast of characters like Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell, we certainly hope Couples Retreat is as funny as the rising movie ticket prices we’re paying to see them.

October 16th is full of drama, with movies like Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler’s Law Abiding Citizens, and the romantic New York, I Love You. The latter is a film showcasing an extremely visible cast (including Bradley Cooper and Natalie Portman) and an impressive group of directors’ take on love in the Big Apple, opening in select theatres across the country.

For a weekend scare, fans of Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley can go see him take on Dylan Walsh in The Stepfather.  In case you’d prefer a family friendly movie, Spike Jonze’s adaptation of the celebrated children’s book Where The Wild Things Are is also opening that weekend.

On October 23rd, two-time Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank stars in Amelia, the biopic about aviatrix Amelia Earhart. Swank is joined by Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor in this epic attempt, sure to result in Oscar buzz.

Also opening on the 23rd are Astro Boy, the chilling Saw VI, and the Cirque du Freak book-turned-movie saga premiere The Vampire’s Assistant (don’t worry, it’s nothing like Twilight).  And finally, the much anticipated Good Hair documentary by Chris Rock opens nationally this weekend.

To close out the month, on October 28th fans of the late great Michael Jackson will be invited into the last rehearsal of Jackson’s ‘This Is It‘ concert tour in documentary fashion.

And finally, on October 30th Michael Cera and his silly antics manifest in Youth In Revolt. Hopefully the coming of age comedy won’t be overshadowed by Jackson’s concert film, or by the rapidly approaching first week of November movies. 

Those, we’ll get into another day.

Keep it classy,

C.A.M.