Ed's Review Dot Com

GNK Productions, Gotham Group, Rough House Pictures,

Kristen Stewart, Peyman Moaadi, John Carroll Lynch, Lane Garrison, Joseph Julian Soria,

Amy Cole (Kristen Stewart) is a soldier stationed in Guantanamo Bay where the worst guys from the Muslim extremists who carried out the attacks on 9/11 are held. She has the job to guard these guys and it’s a difficult job due to the fact that she’s the only female in her group. She is instructed to keep her distance from the detainees and never to give out her name or any personal information that they could use against her or her family. She tries her best to be a good soldier, but she’s drawn to Ali (Peyman Moaadi), one of the detainees who wants to talk with her. As she learns more about this man, she begins to wonder what is really true and who is a good guy and who is a bad guy. It’s not all that simple sometimes.

This is a rather good film that gives you a lot to think about. These are touchy subjects. Right off the bat, I am in no way a Kristen Stewart fan. In her typical role she is much like a cardboard cutout. But there is something about this part that really resonated off of her, and she did a splendid job. This was a great role for her and she did a really good job and I must say I was impressed. But the star of the film is Peman Moaadi who plays the detainee who wants the final Harry Potter book so bad. I guess the Harry Potter series was very popular in the camp. Peman brings a humanity to his role that is excellent. He brings humor to a humorless place, and yet has some deep soul searching moments, and some tragic moments that really impress. Basically the majority of the film is the discussion between the two through a little hole in the door. Of course getting close to a political detainee is forbidden and she’s taking a great risk and gathering some unpleasant attention by spending so much time with one prisoner. But the story is so well done, that when it’s over you’ll be sorry that it’s ending. I think the writer did an excellent job with this screenplay and with the help and inspiration of his actors they brought us a piece of thought provoking cinema that is really enjoyable to watch. It is rated R, and some bad things happen which certainly wouldn’t be appropriate for younger kids, but for those able to comprehend the ugliness of war, it’s a well done film. For Kristen Stewart haters who dismissed this film because she is the star, take a second look at it and give this a chance. This is certainly her best performance to date and it is a very thoughtfully done bit of film making. Recommended for mature audiences.

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BlackWhite, Sunlight Productions, Treehouse Films (II),

Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Jillian Estell, Bill Burr, Jennifer Ehle, Andre Holland, Gillian Jacobs, Anthony Mackie

Elliot Anderson (Kevin Costner) is grieving. His daughter ran off when she was 17 with an older African-American guy who was a criminal, a crack user, and she died giving birth to her daughter. After she died, Elliot and his wife raised the little girl, Eloise (Jillian Estell) until a tragedy took her Grandmother Anderson away. When this happens, her paternal Grandmother, Rowena (Octavia Spencer) determines to challenge Elliot’s custody. Elliot wants the best for his granddaughter and does not want her exposed to her father’s life style, but his life is in turmoil and Rowena is determined to let Eloise experience the other half of her family.

This is a touching drama. It’s slightly about racism, how could it not be with the elephant in the room. But it’s more about pain and sorrow, with a strong dose of love mixed in. Never really heavy handed, the cast is really good. Kevin and Octavia are both outstanding actors who play their parts very well. Jillian is also perfect as the little girl. There are several other characters that add a great deal to the enjoyment of the movie. The struggles are played out very smartly, and the pain is really obvious. No one here is a bad guy and they all want the best despite their own limitations. This was a film that I found riveting, and I was deeply moved by it as I watched. I expected this to be pretty good, but it has far more to offer than I expected. This films shows both sides of Los Angeles and the good and bad in each. I really loved the way the story was unfolded and I was very impressed with the cast, the script, the location, and the story. This is one I highly recommend. If you have teens, watch it with them and talk about what you see. It is a very good film and I highly recommend it.

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Walt Disney Pictures, A113, Babieka,

George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key

Casey Newton (Britt Robertson) is a dreamer, an optimist. Frank Walker (George Clooney), on the other hand, is a pessimist. He once was a dreamer, but lost his way. The story of Tomorrowland, a Utopian city which may be the last best hope for Earth in the future, begins when Frank was a little boy. He was a child inventor, though not too successful, but he made his way to the New York Worlds Fair in 1964 to try to win. He was given a special pin that allowed him to go to Tomorrowland having been recruited by a little girl, Athena (Raffey Cassidy). Jump to today, and Casey, who’s father Eddie (Tim McGraw) worked for NASA, and she has not given up hope. She keeps reaching for the stars and surprisingly finds one of these little pins too. Together Casey, Frank, and Athena are going to try to go back to Tomorrowland and meet with Nix (Hugh Laurie) to try to repair the damage that has been done.

This was a hell of a little Science Fiction thriller from the folks at Disney with the help of Lucasfilm special effects. It’s stunning in beauty, and very, very fresh in presentation. I saw it in Imax and was blown away by the effects, and simply the beauty of the whole thing. There are many ties back to Disneyland/Walt Disney World and the New York Worlds Fair which provided Walt with some of the most beloved attractions of the parks. From the music to the scenery, even to Athena’s look and dress (She’s Wendy from Peter Pan, I swear), it’s like a trip down memory lane with a stopover in the future we all dreamed about back in the 50’s and 60’s. The story is exciting, and thrilling, and very suspenseful, and they don’t give too much away, so you get to figure it out step by step. Yes, there’s some similarities to other future world movies, but those are mostly homage rather than copying, and truthfully this is certainly one of those films that you never want to end, and you’re sad when the trailers come up. The only thing that would stop this movie from being perfect is, like Wall-E, about an hour and half or so into it they have to go off on their anti-human, anti-American global warming crap and get all preachy and stuff, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the story. It doesn’t last long, and the preachy guy gets shut-up pretty fast, to the delight of most of the audience. I’m not sure why Disney has to get all Nazi environmentalist on us. Walt used to love and present nature in an educational way teaching us to appreciate the world without getting all “the world is going to end in 10 years if we don’t stop driving cars and producing goods” on us. I don’t want to dwell on that as I’ve gotten up on my soapbox many times about my feelings on Global Warming, so I’m not going to do it again. But that truly is the only negative I could give this film. Even George Clooney does a really decent job as the grown up Frank, which impressed me. He’s carried some heavy duty roles, but this was a stretch for him, and he did it well. Britt Robertson was really good as the dreamer who would never give up, and she was an excellent casting choice, but the absolute star of this film by far is Raffey Cassidy. She absolutely NAILED this role, and was practically perfect in every way! She did such a good job, I have to give her tons of credit. This film is not one to miss, and I must say it was one of the most enjoyable afternoons I’ve spent in a long, long time. Disney did this one really well, and I have to give them the credit for producing a wonderful film. Make sure you see this on the BIG SCREEN while you can. I highly recommend plopping down the money to see this one in the theater.

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Cinelou Films, Echo Films, We’re Not Brothers Productions,

Daniel Barnz, Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza, Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Anna Kendrick, Sam Worthington, Chris Messina, Mamie Gummer, Lucy Punch, Britt Robertson, Paula Cale, Ashley Crow, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Camille Guaty, Allen Maldonado, Camille Mana, Julio Oscar Mechoso

Claire Bennett(Jennifer Anniston) is in major chronic pain. She still manages to keep her sarcastic sense of humor, but her life is very lonely filled with narcotics and vodka. She belongs to a support group with others who are experiencing pain, but when one of the members commits suicide, Nina (Anna Kendrick), Claire sets out to investigate everything she can find about this girl.

You won’t know what happened to Claire, and try not to find out before you watch this movie. This is a dark tale of a great deal of pain and suffering, but there are many bright points. One is Silvana (Adriana Barraza) Claire’s housekeeper who is the one who cares for Claire the most. It’s hard to find out the cause of Claire’s situation, especially because she is always in a haze from the booze and drugs, but piece by piece we get clues of what happened. The very last second of the film is very poignant. Why is it called cake? Well, you’ll have to wait 1 hour and 15 minutes into the film to learn that piece of information. This is definitely the best performance I have ever seen from Jennifer Aniston. This is definitely a dramatic role, there is very little fun in it at all, but but she carries the story like a champ. There are also some other very good performances. There is a great deal to think about, and this is a very thought provoking character study. There is a very small but poignant scene with William H Macy as well that is very, very touching. Sam Worthington as Roy, Nena’s husband is also very well done. Jennifer’s character is so very lonely, but it’s discouraging how she chases everyone away that even tries to show her some compassion. This is an excellent film, and one that is very worthwhile. I highly recommend it as one of the best dramas I have seen in a long, long time. There is a lot of criticism of the movie, mostly from folks like don’t like the non-resolution of all the problems and issues. Some things that could take much more development in a mini-series are left out. But to me, I think that shows the brilliance of the writer and director. These kinds of problems don’t come to a conclusion in 90 minutes. These kinds of problems take decades to work through. But I think we are told plenty to give us lots to think about, and to decide where we think Claire is headed. I think it’s about right, the way it’s handled. And if you figure out the reason why every A in the titles is laying down sideways, feel free to let me know. I have an idea, but I’m not sure if I’m right.

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Brownstone Productions, Gold Circle Films, Universal Pictures,

Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Alexis Knapp, Hana Mae Lee, Hailee Steinfeld, Elizabeth Banks, Katey Sagal, Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine

The US Champion A Capella group the Barden Bella’s are back from their championship win in the original in this song filled comedy sequel. Excited to perform in Washington D.C. for the President, an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction happens that cause the Bella’s to be stripped of their title and disbanded. But they make a deal that they are still allowed to attend the world championship contest in Copenhagen, and if they win, they will be reinstated. Despite all the challenges that face them, they set out to beat the German team and bring home the victory.

This is a worthy follow-up to the original movie. The humor is spot on and the music is really good. These girls can harmonize. There are a lot of cameos in this movie that will be surprising and unexpected. The script is predictable, and the plot is just like the first one. But there are so many good performances, and the humor comes out of nowhere. Many of jokes I wasn’t able to hear because the audience was laughing so hard from the previous joke. Granted this is a serious girl power movie, but that’s ok. There is plenty of fun moments for everyone. I was really surprised. I waited a long time to see the original film because I expected it to be just awful, but when I saw it I was surprised. This one is certainly just as good, just as funny, and equal or better than the first one. Elizabeth Banks had a part in this film that was really funny, but she also directed it. Like the hecklers from The Muppet Show or the announcers from many great comedy sports films, these two are hysterical, basically due to the lack of any sort of filter on this pair. They say what they are thinking no matter how wrong! There is another subplot in this film about an artist and a music producer that is absolutely hysterical. I was surprised when I got to theater on a Tuesday evening and found nearly every seat filled. The crowd was tremendous and it looks like a lot of folks are going to agree with me that the humor was spot on. Not extremely vulgar, it keeps the PG-13 rating, but the jokes are to the point and pretty raunchy from time to time. This was a good sequel and if you’re a comedy fan, this is one you don’t want to miss.

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