Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, Danny DeVito, Edie Falco, Charles Grodin, Cloris Leachman, Patti LuPone, Harvey Keitel, Veronica Ferres, Lois Smith
Jackie Burke (Robert De Niro) is a well known comedian. Unfortunately he’s only known for a silly sitcom he did decades ago. But everywhere he goes, all he runs into is people asking for catchphrases from his long cancelled show. Jackie wants to get his act back on track, but mostly he’s just angry. When a heckler makes him snap, he goes after him and ends up in court where he’s thrown in jail and has to do community service.
This movie is a bit schizophrenic. On one hand, there are some really funny situations, and some pretty good jokes. De Niro plays the insult comic pretty good. But at the same time, it’s a really good little drama as well. De Niro does a fine job of making Jackie (who most actors would probably treat as a cartoon character) a real person. The more we get to know him, the more we get to like him a little, but understand him even more. Perhaps the credit should go to the writers, but De Niro does a good job with it. Some folks found this film to be a little too slow, and some people were looking for a lot more comedy. But truthfully, this was a well done little film with an interesting story. There are many cameos from other actors that bring a bit of comedy to the movie. I enjoyed this movie, and I do recommend it.
Emma Roberts, John Cusack, Evan Peters, Armando Riesco, Cloris Leachman, John Cullum, Catherine Lloyd Burns, Shannon Woodward, Reed Birney
Amy (Emma Roberts) is a college graduate with a dream to be an honored poet. She submits poems constantly trying to win a prize and become published, but it costs a lot. She’s been spending Dad’s money, and he’s turning off the tap cause it’s just not working out. Amy sets out to find a job on her own, but jobs were hard to come by. She finally settles on a job at Adult World, and adult bookstore and forces a meeting with her hero, Rat Billings, and starts out by stalking him as she tries to figure out if she has what it takes or not.
This is a cute little independent film that was a bit of a surprise. Emma Roberts has really grown as a star and is very good in this role of a lost college grad who is mostly a dreamer. John Cusack plays a real dick, who has long passed his prime and wants to be left alone, but had this bright eyed kid chasing him down, much to his dismay. There are some other minor characters in the story as well that are very well played. This is not a perfect film by any means, but it was fresh and new, and as I started by saying, one that really caught me by surprise. I didn’t expect much from this, but was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the story. It was an interesting story, and there were a number of interesting sub plots going on that helped keep the story flowing. The interactions and character development were very well done also, making the movie a pleasure to watch. Not much action, not much excitement, this is a slow paced character study with a lot of dialog, and thoughts and feelings. But it’s an interesting story and I’d recommend it as something out of the ordinary.
Crime Scene Pictures, ArtPhyl, FilmNation Entertainment,
Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci, Cloris Leachman, Tom Courtenay, Anna Skellern, Senem Temiz, Togo Igawa, Sarah Goldberg
Harry Deane (Colin Firth) is the underappreciated, overworked, and mistreated art curator in London who would love to get back at his boss. He is an expert in art, and knows the best forger in the business. He sets out on a plan to sell a fake Monet to a rich businessman, and hires an assistant, sassy and sexy rodeo queen PJ Puznowski (Cameron Diaz) to help him pull off the perfect crime. But she is not turning out to be very trustworthy and step by step Harry’s plan goes further and further off the rails in this funny crime drama remake of the 1966 film with Michael Caine and Shirley Maclain.
This is a very “Sting” like film with double cross after triple cross after quadruple cross. The art aspect of the story reminds me a lot of the latest Mr. Bean comedies but Harry as not nearly an inept as Mr. Bean. In fact, Harry’s pretty clever, but the people he chooses to trust seem to let him down time after time. This film is pretty clever, and has a number of twists to keep you guessing how it’s going to end up. It’s clever and witty, and the mix of cultured Brit Harry matching wits with crass Texan PJ is really funny. There are a few other smaller characters in the film too that add a lot to it. It’s fast paced, and has a lot going for it. It’s not boring. However, this movie doesn’t have what it takes to make it big in the mainstream. Perhaps it’s a little too uppity for everyman, or it’s not got tons of exciting and suspenseful chases. It’s much more cerebral. But it’s a good story, and it’s been so long since the original that it’s hard to compare the two. This will not be a must see, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with killing a little time with this film. I did enjoy the pace of the story and the clever script, and I think both Colin and Cameron brought a lot to their parts and played well together. I really did enjoy this movie.
Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Clark Duke
The Croods is a stone-age family in a time that’s tough on stone-age people. One by one their friends and neighbors have come to a tragic end, but The Croods are still around due to the diligence of Grug (Nicholas Cage) who teaches his family to “never not be afraid”. The family is not allowed to go outside the cave except in broad daylight and as a group, but never at night. But daughter Eep (Emma Stone) is a free spirit and is really tired of being in the cave all the time. But the world is changing as the continents are dividing and when their cave is destroyed, the family has no choice but to leave their home and head off to safer places. It’s a long journey, but one filled with adventure, new friends, and exciting discoveries.
This is the latest film from the Dreamworks folks who brought us Shrek and the Ice Age series and many other films. This one is a really funny family comedy adventure, and is extremely well done. The humor is really good. There are so many really good gags here, that I found myself laughing out loud numerous times along with the audience. I was interested in the story and the fascinating characters. The little kids loved this movie, and my grandson watched it twice already. But the older folks enjoyed it just as much as it was really a crack up. I didn’t expect a lot from this film based on the previews, and I was prepared to be disappointed, but on the contrary I was very pleasantly surprised. It was an excellent animated film.
Cineplex-Odeon Films, Nelson Entertainment, Raffaella Productions
Sam Elliott, Cloris Leachman, Rutanya Alda, Abe Vigoda, Michael Constantine, Rebecca harrell, John Duda, Ariana Richards, Mark Ralston
Jessica (Rebecca Harrell) is the daughter of a poor hardworking farmer (Sam Elliott). She witnesses Prancer fall from the Christmas display in town, and then later discovers a real reindeer with a hurt leg. She naturally assumes this is Prancer, and hides him in the barn so he can recover. She cons the local vet (Abe Vigoda) to patch Prancer, and then Jessica sets out to keep him hidden from her father. But the secret is not going to be kept forever, and when her father finds out, he wants to sell Prancer and Jessica isn’t happy with that plan.
This was a very popular film when it came out in the late 80’s, but it seems to have disappeared. I was glad to see it come back on TV this year, as it’s a charming story. The movie doesn’t depend on special effects or grand lavish sets, but rather on the characters themselves. Jessica is fabulous as the little girl who still believes in magic, and Sam Elliott as John Riggs is a great tough but caring Dad. He’s really harsh to Jessica at times, and seems really mean, but he’s not really. He wants only the best for her. In the end, both father and daughter learn that they only have each other and they have to make it work somehow. Only then can they get it together.
A very strong story and one that is especially nice to watch just before Christmas. Very well done, and a strong cast makes it really work.
