Category Archives: Movies

Movie Review: Flight

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

As I watched veteran pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) consume large quantities of alcohol and cocaine just before takeoff, I expected the worst. Surprisingly enough, Whitaker takes charge during a mechanical failure and executes a daring manoeuvre to slow down the plane’s descent and regain stability.

Afterward, Whitaker is proclaimed a hero until a post-crash blood test reveals a blood alcohol count of 0.24, well above the legal limit.  As he fights to defend his actions and avoid a jail sentence, he must  come to terms with a lifestyle of excess and denial.

Along the way, Whitaker connects with a romantic fellow addict (Kelly Reilly) and comic enabler (John Goodman) whenever he needs a quick fix.  Union rep (Bruce Greenwood) and lawyer (Don Cheadle) round out the list of supporting actors who don’t get too much screen time in this intense character drama.

Denzel Washington’s portrayal of a deeply flawed character who flew too close to the sun (both literally and figuratively) is definitely worthy of an Oscar nomination.

A must-see movie…Just don’t watch it before boarding a plane.


Movie Review: Bernie

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

A crime treat.

I love oxymorons and this one aptly describes the film based on the story of convicted murderer Bernhardt “Bernie” Tiede.  In 1996,  38-year-old Tiede shot 81-year-old Marge Nugent in the back three times as they were preparing to go out for lunch in Carthage, Texas.

Director and screenwriter Richard Linklater effortlessly spins this tale with an A-list cast of actors: Jack Black (Bernie), Shirley MacLaine (Marge Nugent), and Matthew McConaughey (District Attorney).

To add to the authenticity, actual townies speak up at regular intervals, giving us insight into a beloved assistant funeral director who befriended everyone, even the meanest and richest widow in town. Bernie  could do no wrong and the townspeople turned a blind eye to his homosexuality, comparing him to Jesus and the twelve apostles. Didn’t those bachelors spend all their time together?

I was impressed by McConaughey’s performance as the relentless district attorney who ignored public sentiment and prosecuted Bernie.

I agree with one critic—“A pleasant little movie about a pleasant little murderer.”


Movie Review: The Vow

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Inspired by a true story, The Vow deals with an unusual life challenge.

Soul mates Paige (Rachel McAdams) and Leo (Channing Tatum) meet and fall in love in Chicago. After a short time together, they are involved in a near-fatal car accident. Leo recovers, but Paige remains in a coma. When she wakes up, she doesn’t remember anything about the accident or Leo.

Recalling only her parents and the life she led in their home, Paige gravitates toward those comfortable memories. Anxious to repair the rifts in their relationship (unknown to Paige), her parents (Sam Neill and Jessica Lange) encourage her to leave Leo.

Leo tries to make Paige fall in love with him again, but experiences increasing frustration with the situation. Paige is more comfortable with her old friends, past interests and ex-fiancé.

While at times predictable, the movie still held my interest as Leo doggedly searched for the key that would unlock Paige’s memory.

Light and entertaining!


Movie Review: Argo

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

For the first time in decades, many of us are learning what really happened during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979. While the six Americans did find asylum in the residence of the Canadian ambassador, Ken Taylor (Victor Garber) did not act alone. C.I.A. staffer Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) stepped in to implement a risky, out-of-the-box plan to spirit the hostages out of Iran.

Mendez went to Hollywood to ask prosthetics guru John Chambers (John Goodman) to create a fake film using a script that required a Middle Eastern setting. With the help of producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), they produce a script, posters, storyboards and enough buzz to generate international attention for Argo. Posing as an associate producer, Mendez flies to Iran and provides the hostages with fake Canadian identities. He sneaks out the six in plain sight and provides many nail-biting scenes as they scout locations for the fake film.

Affleck delivers Oscar-worthy performances as actor and director in what is probably one of the best movies of 2012.

A must-see movie…you will sit at the edge of your seat throughout the entire movie.

Movie Review: Trouble with the Curve

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I was motivated primarily by curiosity.

A long-time fan of Clint Eastwood, I looked forward to seeing the octogenarian perform in a film he had not directed. And after his antics at the Republican convention, I also wanted to restore my faith in his acting abilities.

While I was not enthralled with Eastwood’s portrayal of Gus Lobel, an aging baseball scout who is losing his sight, I did enjoy this plodding but pleasant film. Justin Timberlake lit up the screen with his good looks and charm as he played the part of Johnny, a former pitcher who now scouts for the Boston Red Sox. But the real star of the film is Amy Adams, who plays Mickey, Lobel’s workaholic daughter.

After Lobel’s boss (John Goodman) learns that the Atlanta Braves want to get rid of the cantankerous old man, he calls Mickey and asks her to spend a few days helping Gus out in North Carolina. Father and daughter have their issues: Gus refuses to talk about the past while Mickey still resents him for leaving her with relatives after her mother’s death. In the romantic subplot, Johnny and Mickey spar with each other.

Safe…easy-going…predictable….I agree with the critics.

Oprah and Beasts of the Southern Wild

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

During a recent interview, President Obama asked Oprah if she had seen the movie, Beasts of the Southern Wild. Intrigued, Oprah decided to watch this fantasy drama and then added to the buzz surrounding this magical tale of hope and redemption.

On yesterday’s Super Soul Sunday, Oprah interviewed co-writer/director Benh Zeitlin and actors Dwight Henry and Quvenzhané Wallis.

Benh Zeitlin

This is the first feature film for the 29-year-old visionary who wanted to fill his life with wild, brave and good-hearted people. Struck by Hurricane Katrina and how people responded to it, Zeitlin decided to create an anthem to those courageous survivors who had held out for their homes and culture.

Dwight Henry

He was not looking for an acting job. Content with his bakery—later called Buttermilk Drop Bakery and Café—Henry served his delicious donuts to Zeitlin and the rest of the crew at the casting agency across the street. During a slow hour, he read for the part and was asked to return. Flattered, he refused the part because he had no intention of sacrificing his business for a possible acting career. But Zeitlin persisted, strongly believing that if Henry could start a bakery, he could be a lead actor in the film. Also, Henry had lived through Hurricane Katrina and would bring a passion to the part that no experienced actor could match.

Quvenzhané Wallis

Chosen over 4000 other possibilities, this miniature force of nature was only five years old when she auditioned for the role. While her reading abilities were limited, she impressed the film-makers with her improvisational talents. She also had a tremendous scream and the ability to burp on command.

Quotable Quotes…

Stand in the face of things that people say you can’t stand.

When you find someone who believes in you, take heed and respect it.

Everything in life has its own heartbeat.

Everybody loses the thing that made them. The brave men stay and watch it happen. They don’t run. (Hush Puppy)

Movie Review: To Rome With Love

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

With the eternal city as backdrop and a cast of A-list actors, Woody Allen succeeds in creating a magical kingdom where anything is possible.

Using both languages, we follow two relationships involving Italians and two relationships with Americans in Rome.

When a newlywed couple is separated, the man becomes involved with a call girl (Penelope Cruz) while the woman pursues her own romantic fantasy. Roberto Begnini stars as a clerk who wakes up one day and discovers he is the most famous man in Rome.

A famous architect (Alec Baldwin) drops in on a young student (Jesse Eisenberg) and his ménage a trois with a girlfriend and a femme fatale (Ellen Page). After a young New Yorker falls in love with a successful Roman layer, her parents (Woody Allen and Judy Davis) cross the ocean to meet the in-laws. Obsessed with retirement and death, the Woody Allen character orchestrates a bizarre production.

Woody Allen has proven again that he can write, direct and act in a film that appeals to a wide audience.

Simply delightful from start to finish.

Movie Review: Hope Springs

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

After watching the trailer, I assumed there would be many humorous moments as heavyweights Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones paired up in Hope Springs.

I was disappointed.

While there were lighter moments, for the most part, the movie is a serious drama about marital conflict.

Kay (Streep) and Arnold (Jones) have just celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary with a new cable TV subscription. Their lives in Omaha have settled into a dull routine, where they co-exist in separate bedrooms. Desperate to recapture the passion in the marriage, Kay signs the couple up for an intensive week-long marriage therapy course in Maine.

In Maine, the couple meets with Dr. Feld (Steve Carrell) who serves as a sounding board for the couple. He guides them through a serious of exercises and asks pointed questions that lead to a breakthrough. This breakthrough, however, is only the beginning of the long road back to intimacy for Kay and Arnold.

Hope Springs has been described as the perfect date movie—if you’ve been married for a while.

Hmm

Movie Review: We Have a Pope

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

What happens when a new pope doesn’t feel up to the job?

Unlike executives, actors and even kings, a pope cannot abdicate his position. He has been chosen by God via the College of Cardinals to assume this auspicious role.

In We Have a Pope, atheist director Nanni Moretti, addresses this question and presents us with a gripping character study of a man struggling with a profound sense of inadequacy.

Michel Piccoli plays the part of Cardinal Melville, an unassuming cleric who was not considered one of the frontrunners for the papacy. He accepts the post but is overwhelmed by stage fright and refuses to give the traditional message from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. The cardinals and a Vatican bureaucrat (Jerzy Stuhr) stall for time, hoping that Melville will rise to the occasion. They invite a local psychiatrist (Moretti)to counsel the pope.

Melville manages to slip away and heads into the streets of Rome. Meanwhile the psychiatrist, who cannot leave the Vatican because of security reasons, entertains the other cardinals with his dry wit and a volleyball tournament.

Moretti enjoys poking fun at the Catholic Church, mocking the antics, insecurities and drug dependencies of the cardinals.

While I enjoyed this dramedy, I was disappointed by the ending.


Movie Review: One for the Money

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

It has been a while since I read Janet Evanovich’s  One for the Money,  but the storyline came back to me as I watched the film.  Katherine Heigl delivered an excellent performance as Stephanie Plum. I disagree with many of the critics who felt that Heigl was miscast in the role.  In a recent interview, Evanovich admitted that she would be thinking of Heigl when she writes her next novel in the series. And I am hoping that all her readers will have that same vision.

Debbie Reynolds and Sherri Shepherd were well cast as Grandma Mazur and Lula. Jason O’Mara played the part of sexy Joey Morelli who seduced and dumped Stephanie while in high school.

A quick summary of the storyline…

Desperate for cash, Stephanie Plum convinces Vinnie, her sleazy cousin, to give her a job as a recovery agent for his bail bonding company. Stephanie decides to take on Joey Morelli, his biggest bail-jumper.

Lots of action and humorous moments at family dinners.