Film Gate Reviews: March 2012

Saturday, March 31, 2012

A subtle father-daughter story told with quiet undertones.

Janie Jones (Abigail Breslin), a 13 year-old girl is with her mother and they are off to meet her father. Except her mother (Elisabeth Shue) is a whore-like drug- addicted loser who’s abandoning her daughter. And her father (Alessandro Nivola) is a fading rock-and-roll star who has no idea he has a daughter, let alone any intention of being a father to one. “Janie Jones” the film and each of the characters pick all the right notes.		2010 (with 2012 DVD release) Directed by: David M. Rosenthal Screenplay by: David M. Rosenthal Starring: Abigail Breslin and Alessandro Nivola

A tight, gripping indie thriller devolving into blood-soaked conspiracies.

Retreat started out as a tight, minimalistic indie thriller, maintained the well written characters, and then added in some intriguing mind games played out beneath the surface. And then it devolved into a blood-fest of science fiction diseases and government conspiracies. I was riveted for the first hour and twenty minutes and then sat agape in frustration for the last ten minutes.		2011 Directed by: Carl Tibbetts Screenplay by: Janice Hallett and Carl Tibbetts Starring: Cillian Murphy, Thandie Newton and Jamie Bell

Lacking in originality and meaning; swarming with characters.

Conception starts in the classroom with the best part. One little boy raises his hand and asks where babies come from. Our young teacher squirms and then tells him to ask his parents. Instantly a second little boy has his hand so far in the air, he can’t sit down. So teacher calls on him, and he informs first little boy that he knows where babies come from, so he will tell him. Our young hero goes from fear to defeat and then proceeds into the explanation.		2011 Directed by: Josh Stolberg Screenplay by: Josh Stolberg Starring: Connie Britton, Alan Tudyk and Julie Bowen

We could talk about Kevin but nobody knows what to say.

“We Need to Talk About Kevin” is about a young boy who is exhibiting serious behavioral problems and then as a teenager is most likely responsible for some pretty heinous actions. It’s also about his mother. The recent excellent film “Beautiful Boy” follows similar relationships but takes the stance that it isn’t always the fault of the parents. This film seems to say to forget about that morality tale, it is the mother’s fault.		2011 Directed by: Lynne Ramsay Screenplay by: Lynne Ramsay and Rory Kinnear Starring: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly and Ezra Miller

Brings humour and faith to science, politics and romantic comedies.

A rich sheik has decided that he would like to bring the faith and sport of fly-fishing to Yemen. British fisheries expert, Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor), thinks it’s a joke. But the PM likes the idea of positive Anglo-Yemeni cooperation and the 2 million potential voters who fish. Dr. Jones still thinks it’s a joke. The sheik transfers $50 Million over to his consultant’s firm, and thus the project begins.		2011 Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom Screenplay by: Simon Beaufoy Based on the novel by Paul Torday Starring: Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt

Authenticity and maturity to a dramatic romantic comedy.

“Friends with Kids” is the long-awaited third feature written by, directed by, produced by and starring Jennifer Westfeldt. 10 years ago she came out with the charming, witty and somewhat original romantic comedy “Kissing Jessica Stein” and then 5 years later followed that up with the charming, witty and somewhat original romantic comedy “Ira & Abby”. I loved all three.		2011 Directed by: Jennifer Westfeldt Screenplay by: Jennifer Westfeldt Starring: Adam Scott, Jennifer Westfeldt and Maya Rudolph

Straw characters living in a dull world which then turns violent.

“Straw Dogs” is a faithful adaptation of the original 1971 version. But only if your definition of “faithful” means scene-by-scene, word-for-word duplication, not if your definition means including the same thoughtful ideas that can stay with you after the movie ends. It’s also a thriller. But, again, only if “thriller” means nothing happens until we get a lot of gruesome violence at the end. Which apparently it does for most people.		2011 Directed by: Rod Lurie Screenplay by: Rod Lurie Starring: James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgård

The very picture of an irreversibly dysfunctional family.

“Fireflies in the Garden” is one of those rare movies where a stellar cast and script based on a Robert Frost poem (!) could not get itself a release. Four years later, it got a straight-to-DVD release. And for good reason, it’s really bad. It’s a dysfunctional family drama where the characters are messed up from beginning to middle to end. There is no relief, comedy or otherwise, from the dysfunction.		2008 (2012 DVD Release) Directed by: Dennis Lee Screenplay by: Dennis Lee Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Julia Roberts