Ed's Review Dot Com

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Cold Spring Pictures, The Montecito Picture Company,

Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston, Toni Collette, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Wincott, Jessica Biel, James D’Arcy, Ralph Macchio, Kurtwood Smith, Richard Portnow

This biopic is about Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife Alma (Helen Mirren) and is set in 1959. Alfred has run low on ideas, and the studios are trying to force him into directing pictures that are really way too mainstream for Hitch. Meantime, he hears about a new book, a work of fiction based upon the life of serial killer Ed Gein and decides this novel has to be his next picture. The studio disagrees, so Hitch sets out to do the picture on his own, waiving his director’s fee, and paying the entire $800,000 budget on his own.

Anthony Hopkins does a great job portraying Alfred Hitchcock, one of my favorite directors of all time. This is just a small slice of the life of Hitch, and hardly mentions all the stuff that happened before this, with his British career, which was awesome, and by the time period of this film, Hitch is old. Most people think he ought to just retire, but he’s having none of that. It also was a time when his wife and partner got really tired of his stubbornness and failure to listen to her, so it is also a bad time for their marriage. Psycho is arguably Hitch’s best film, and it is a very interesting time when he redefined himself and horror cinema at the same time. Since Paramount had no plans to promote this debacle, Hitch did the promotion himself and developed some interesting methods of setting the buzz for this film in motion. As such, lines were huge, and the film earned over 33 million despite it’s $800,000 budget and no studio help promoting this film.

Warning! If you haven’t seen Psycho, the DON’T watch this film until you’ve seen it. Psycho is a very unique film and definitely one not to miss, but watching Hitchcock first will completely spoil the film as it gives away huge spoilers in the plot. This film also debunks several of the myths that surrounded the making of the film. Helen Mirren’s role as Alma, Hitch’s wife, is very well done too. This woman was his muse and he could never have done what he did without her, but she must have had to endure a lot keeping him happy. We’re watching the making of Psycho, so several other key characters have a lot to do in this film. Janet Leigh is played by Scarlett Johansson, one of the weak point of the film. Hopkins is much more Hitchcock than Scarlett is Janet Leigh, but she does at least look a bit like her. Jessica Biel is here too, as actress Vera Miles who played Janet’s sister in Psycho.

All in all, this film shows us a lot of the genius that was Hitchcock, and it is very entertaining. I’ve always been a fan of his work, but now I feel like I know the man a lot better. He was a complex man who has many facets, and this helps us get to know a lot more about him. The scene of Hitchcock watching Psycho in a theater with a packed audience is very touching and one of my favorite moments of the film. Though he was a genius, like all of us, he was very insecure and just couldn’t risk joining the audience, though their reaction meant the world to him.

This is a beautiful movie, and captures Hollywood of 1959-60 perfectly. I really enjoyed this film, and recommend it for anyone who is at all interested in either Psycho or Alfred Hitchcock. It’s a wonderful movie.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Cott Productions,

Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Édgar Ramírez , Toby Kebbell, Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Danny Huston, John Bell

It’s been ten years since Perseus (Sam Worthington) fought and defeated Kraken, horrible monsters. Perseus-who is half human, half god and son of Zeus tries to live a quiet life as a fisherman and as a father to his young son, Helius. But the war for supremacy goes on between the gods and the Titans. Zeus himself, and the other gods, are very weak due to the disbelief and lack of devotion of the humans. The gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and the gods are in serious trouble. Perseus finds he has to take up his calling and march into hell itself when Hades, along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus.

This is the sequel to 2010’s “Clash of the Titans” [Click here for Eds Review of that film]. This is a fine continuation of the story, and a great adventure and action film. The special effects are awesome, and the battle scenes and the monstrous creatures are eye-popping. The action is fierce and doesn’t let you go for a minute. The acting, especially Sam Worthington as Perseus, and Liam Neeson as Zeus is superb. This is a great cast. All in all, it a very well developed film that follows, and tell the story very directly. It’s interesting through out, and a very well done film. Of the two, I’d probably have to give the edge to the first one, but this one is no weak sequel. Wall to Wall action from start to finish, if you’re a fan of stories of the gods and these ancient legends, then you have to see this film. It’s very, very well done!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

American Film Company, The, Wildwood Enterprises

James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Alexis Bledel, Justin Long, Danny Huston, Norman Reedus, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson

Abraham Lincoln was shot, attempts were made on the Vice President and the Secretary of State. John Wilkes Booth was identified as the shooter, and he was captured and killed, but the public knew there was more than one person involved and wanted a trial. Booth and a number of other conspirators met at the boarding house of Mary Surratt (Robin Wright Penn) and her son in Washington. Mary’s son was nowhere to be found, but Mary was arrested under the suspicion that she was a participant in the plan. It was a military trial with no jury and the accused was not allowed to speak on her own behalf. The story is of young lawyer Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy) as he defends Mary Surratt.

Directed by Robert Redford, the American Film Company is bringing this, as the first, in a series of factual movies based on America History. This story is one that will haunt you. The story is told in unflinching truth, and from what I can tell is pretty historically accurate. It is a 2 hour labor of love to tell the story of this interesting gentleman and what happens to him when he is called upon to represent a damn rebel murderer. He comes to think that maybe she is innocent, but recognizes that she is not able to get a fair trial and he goes to elaborate lengths to try to convince the military tribunal that what they are doing is wrong. Through his efforts it was decided by the supreme court that american civilians must be tried in a public court and not in military tribunals.

Excellent cinematography and beautiful period Washington D.C. in the 1860’s. The film is rich and vibrant, but also very touching and very, very interesting from start to end. I am really glad I got to see this film, and we all enjoyed watching it very much. I highly recommend this film for all ages, except maybe very small children.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Fuse Media, Sad Flutes

Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush, Danny Huston, Tony Cox, Lung Ti, Analin Rudd, Markus Hamilton, Rod Lousich, Matt Gillanders

Yang (Dong-gun Jang) has been trained from childhood as a samurai warrior. He’s the best. His clan was at war with another clan, and the other’s were defeated. The last remaining member of the other clan is a baby girl. Refusing to kill the child, Yang becomes the number one target of his clan, requiring the shedding of his blood to make up for disobeying the order. Yang takes the baby in tow, and heads to the old west to visit a friend who settled there long ago. Alas his friend has passed on, but Yang meets a young woman, Lynne (Kate Bosworth) who is a knife throwing circus performer, and the town drunk, former gunslinger Ronald (Geoffrey Rush). It seems everyone is after Lynne for a terrible secret she is hiding, and Yang’s clan is not willing to forget what he failed to do as well. All this leads to an unbelievable showdown in the street.

This is a Samurai Western, much like the original Kung Fu with David Carradine. But this is a very beautiful film. A lot of it is dream-like and very artistic. It is a grand battle that we get to witness, but by the same token, it has the magical, mystical feel of many of the great Chinese Kung-fu films. I was very impressed with the drama and the beauty of this film. It is not really literal, but very visual treat that is hard to forget. It’s funny and suspenseful, but above all, poetic in the telling of the story. This is a very, very good film, and I really enjoyed it very much. Don’t expect a pure kung-fu film, nor a western. It’s a blend of the two done with a lot of artistic license, but if you stick with the film, it is very, very beautifully done. Very worth watching!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Relativity Media

Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Danny Huston, Eileen Atkins, Mark Addy

Robin Hood is a story that is one of the most well known in history.  It’s been made into movies dozens of times.  This is a movie that didn’t need to be remade, but it was.  And boy did they give it their best shot.

Russell Crowe does a pretty good Robin Hood.  But this version is probably closer to the legend than many of the others.  Crowe’s Robin of Loxley is not a cheeky smart aleck that jokes and puns his way through his whimsical adventures.  He means business, and of course,  the battles are a huge part of this story, and they are graphically and realistically portrayed.   That’s probably the least favorite of my parts of the movie, but I have to give them credit for the way they are filmed.  

This is the story of those who fought for freedom and liberty from greedy pseudo King John who assumed the throne while his brother Richard was off fighting in the crusades.  In the beginning they tried to work with John and try to deal with him, but when it became clear that it was impossible, the decision to turn outlaw and steal back the taxes taken unfairly and give them back to the people.  It’s a long movie, but I rate it highly if you’re into this type of story.  Though there have been many previous versions that were very good, this one probably gets to the heart of the story really well. 

I didn’t buy Cate Blanchett as Maid Marion, but by the same token, she probably really nailed the part.  It’s just that she wasn’t the way I wanted her to be.  But what do I know.

I didn’t love the film, but I liked it, and I respect the job they did and the technical beauty of the movie, so I rate it pretty high.  It’s one of those that you probably want to see.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog