HER CRY - Rough Cut

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a private preview screening of a hot new Director from Central Europe.  I was able to see the final rough cut version of his March 2013 release. 
The movie is  titled HER CRY and it is from DARK LIGHTNING FILMS.
The movie is about found video from a defunct television show called Paranormal Legends.  The videos show the actions of three paranormal investigators while checking out a lead on the Spanish legend of LA LLORONA.
The movie has a couple of slow spots but the version I saw was 1 hour and 50 minutes long.  It passed quickly, always a good sign.  The producers of Cloud Atlas could learn from this guy.
I will not say much more because there are more scenes to work on.  I will tell you this the ending was good and there are a couple of extra scenes after credits that fill in some blanks and leave open sequel possibilities.

Trailer is here..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q0vjNjZ-O8&feature=plcp

CLOUD ATLAS

Leaving the theater scratching my head I was told this movie reminded one of the story of a man showing a card trick to a chicken.  The chicken knows that it has seen a card trick but it can not explain any of it.  David Mitchell's novel of the same name, Cloud Atlas refers to a "sextet with overlapping soloists," a musical composition of fetching beauty whose sheet music contains notes that convey the movement of clouds soaring, gliding, tumbling across skies. Now an epic film,(by time length standards) by Tom Tykwer and Andy and Lana Wachowski, Cloud Atlas is embraced from a series of plot strands: Its ideas are paralleled, its themes twinned, into what may be described as 164-minutes of visually stunningnesseeminglyness.  Yes that is word I came up with, and as I expected, it soared as often as it thuded.

The film is opened by an old tribesman, Zachry (Tom Hanks), who sits by a fire and speaks of "all the voices tied up into one," turning his face to reveal a scar whose origins we'll understand, like the birthmarks and familiar traumas that unite characters across each of the film's six stories, as an inheritance. Each story engages with unique social conditions from our human history and foreseeable future, though all are connected by the idea that the lives of its characters, citizens of places as far-flung as late-19th-century San Francisco and a primitive, post-apocalyptic Hawaii, aren't their own.
 Cloud Atlas is a series of six stories intertwinned to tell one story.  The major actors have roles in all six stories Hanks does a marvellous job as expected as does Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw, James D'Arcy, Jim Broadbent, Susan Sarandon and Hugo Weaving fill out their duplicate roles well.
I found an overstated theme of THE STRONG EAT,THE WEAK MEAT a bit too much as the film addresses its obsession with humanity's struggle to suppress the cannibal within.
Throughout Cloud Atlas, a star here becomes a supporting player there, a means of superficially drawing links between the film's six stories.  But sometimes the faces and voices that carry between the film's intertwined stories are haunting, as when Doona Bae, playing a clone hungry for self-actualization in the Wachowskis' perfectly chilly, often dazzling "An Orison of Sonmi~451," meets her doom and crops up, in "The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing," as the notary's wife, looking toward enlightenment with eyes that have literally seen the future.

Cloud Atlas is a film that could of been shorter and that might have helped.   I feel like a chicken.

ARGO

I have the reputation of not liking a lot of movies.   I quite disagree with this or I would not do what I do.  I love movies and what they can represent of our culture.  Maybe that is what terrifies me the most.
ARGO is a great movie.  It will not be a classic in the sense of GONE WITH THE WIND or LAWRENCE OF ARABIA.  It is well crafted and well acted and that makes it good.
The story is well know for anyone over 40 years old and those under if they stayed awake in history class know of the Iranian hostage crisis.  This is a mostly true story of the escape of 6 United States embassy workers from Iran.

The movie opens giving details of the 1979 Iranian Revolution for the uninitiated, where Tehran’s U.S. embassy is besieged in retaliation for the country’s support of a deposed Shah. Six employees evading capture and holing up at a Canadian ambassador’s residence, American intelligence in Washington, DC enlist CIA exfiltration expert Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) to help plot a cover that would explain their presence in Tehran.
Mendez eventually devises the ingeniously demented deception; to have the six pose as members of a film crew, with Mendez purporting to fly out there to scout a location, and return with them in tow. Aiding him in his prep are Academy Award-winning make-up artist John Chambers (John Goodman), and film producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), who will help establish the apparent legitimacy of their production – an epic Star Wars knock-off called Argo – with the Iranian government.

The movie passes the history as I remember it test.  The Hollywood parts would seem to have no part of a drama happening on the other side of the planet, but it does.  Arkin plays himself well as he plays his character.  I say this as one who has met the man and know what a pompous actor he can be.  Bryan Cranston plays Mendezs' boss in Washington, DC and is marvelous.
Two things I know about this movie that is not seen is that while they all escape safely, it was not like on the big screen.  The plane they were leaving in had electrical problems and sat on the tarmac for 2 hours while it was investigated and repaired.  I can imagine the thoughts going through their heads during that time.  The other is that this movie ARGO was actually taken form a script called SCIENCE FICTION LAND.
Tony Mendez presented the government of Iran with a science fiction film called Argo, the materials he was presenting them with started out as a very real adaptation of a Roger Zelazny novel called “Lord of Light.” Adapted for the screen by Barry Ira Gellar, Lord of Light boasted names like Buckminster Fuller and Ray Bradbury on its staff as consultants, it was going to use design work by comic book legend Jack Kirby, it had an unheard-of-at-the-time budget of $50 million, and it was planned to eventually spawn a huge theme park complete with jet packed security guards and a holographic zoo.  It either died from fraud or government conspiracy, you research it and decide.  I just added it to fill out the history of the movie.
Rated R for profanity, violence, adult themes.

Hotel Transylvania

Where do monsters go to get away from the horrors of modern life — humans?
That’s the lighthearted premise behind Hotel Transylvania, a fast, funny and wildly inventive animated tale with enough laughs and heart to appeal to audiences of all ages.
Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) is major-domo of the hotel, a secluded and welcome getaway for his menagerie of unloved fellow freaks, dead and undead.
He’s also a doting dad to Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez), who as the grand celebration of her 118th birthday approaches, longs to get out into the real world.
From the outset, we are reassured that Dracula and his ilk are far more afraid than the reverse of humankind, who long ago took the life of his dear wife, Martha. In fact, his diet consists solely of “blood substitute” rather than the real thing, which is “so fatty and you never know where it’s been.”
The rest of the monster mash-up are wittily drawn and rendered, among them slow-witted (“Fire . . . BAD”) Frankenstein (voiced by Kevin James), a much-wearied Wolfman (voiced by Steve Buscemi), who must contend with a litter of furry terrors with more in the oven, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Blob and a rogue’s ghoulery of others.
The jokes, along with the animated action, come fast and furious. One particularly piquant detail: the hotel staff consists of shambling, groaning zombie bellhops, witches (with broomsticks, of course) as chambermaids and a series of shrunken-head door-hanger signs that drop amusing bon mots at every opportunity.
The festive mood is shattered for Daddy Drac when hiker/slacker-dude Jonathan (voiced by Andy Samberg) stumbles upon the hotel by accident, sparking a furious effort by the host to keep him away from the other guests, who would be horrified to find a mortal in their midst, and the wanderlust-struck Mavis.
The humour is largely of the slapstick variety and likely to appeal both to youngsters and to adults, for whom the vast array of movie monsters is sure to evoke a sense of nostalgia for B-grade horror films of yesteryear. There may even be a little lesson in there for the grown-ups about the perils of being overly protective parents.
Hotel Transylvania is a good-natured view for the whole family.

Frankenweenie

Director Tim Burton has worked with Mary Shelly's Frankenstein story three times now, most notably with his “Edward Scissorhands” (1990). His latest film, “Frankenweenie” is a long form of his short film of the same name released in 1984. His new film is a stop-motion animation effort which looks similar to his well-known animated tale “A Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993). This one should win an Academy Award next year.

Frankenweenie is based on Frankenstein, but is not tragic and is far less threatening in tone than the original. A young boy, Victor Frankenstein, lives with his parents and beloved dog, Sparky. Victor is an outsider, shunned at school by most. When Sparky is killed by a speeding car, Victor feels he has lost his best friend. Then he gets the idea of bringing Sparky back to life.

Victor succeeds in bringing his pet back to life, but the secret gets out and other children in the neighborhood duplicate Victor's experiment with scary results. A giant turtle that looks like it came from an old Japanese horror film causes a lot of damage, and a large, menacing combination of bat and cat chases the kids around as well. It is up to Victor and his friends to try to stop these monsters from destroying his town.

There are many references to the old Frankenstein films and other old horror and science fiction films in this movie, including “Bride of Frankenstein,” “Dracula,” “Gamera” and others. In one funny scene, the neighbor's dog gets a shock and gets the distinctive Bride of Frankenstein streaks in her hair. The burning windmill scene, of course, is straight out of “Frankenstein.” Another scene is reminiscent of the cartoon classic “Bambi Meets Godzilla.”

While the film may be a bit too intense for young children, it will certainly be enjoyed by older kids, teens and adults.  It is funny, a bit creepy and it has some heart, too.

Paranormal Activity 4

Did you watch the first one and not feel totally ripped off?

Did you go see 2 and 3 and loved them and wanted more?

Then you will want to see PA4.  I hated this.  Movies like this are the main reason I am glad I do not pay to see these things.
If kids in Africa were starving fro entertainment they would all die after this one served to them.

Alex Cross

I have usually liked Tyler Perry but view his work with a grain of salt.  A little is ok but too much ruins anything. and not having any expectations at all that made "Alex Cross" more entertaining than it had any right to be.
Tyler Perry is going to surprise you.  Expecially if you love him in a dress and wig. in the movie ALEX CROSS he plas Dr. Detective Cross who is an incredibly intelligent homicide detective; his skills are nearly unprecedented. But he's also a family man with two kids, a wife, and another kid on the way. Along with his childhood best friend and partner Tommy Kane (Edeard Burns), Cross can handle pretty much anything that is thrown at him. This is his breaking point though. This is the case that pushes him over the edge. A tragic, life-changing event occurs that sends Cross into an emotional downward spiral that leads him down the path of vengeance and away from the rules of the law. Perry deserves at least some credit for portraying as much emotion as he does and is stronger during the sadder moments of the film.
Now I have not read the Alex Cross series of books but I love a mystery expecially one with good twists and turns.  This one did twist and curved a little but sadly I picked the correct bad guy as soon as he appeared and the only minor surprise I had was how Cross captured him.
The main reason you should see this movie is for Matthew Fox.  He is a highly skilled assassin with no name, but is known as "Picasso" for the art he leaves at the scene of his work. He has an infatuation for using a drug called TTX, which leaves his victim's completely helpless but aware of the torture he puts them through. He is one crazy killing machine who can almost out think Alex Cross, almost.  Fox will always be best known for "LOST," but he role is certainly a game changer for him as one of the most memorable and chilling villains of 2012.
Perry reveals that he can portray drama well enough.  and Fox is sick, deranged, and absolutely outstanding. Not one for kids with violence and torture and maybe not a date flick even.  But worth seeing once.

DREDD by Andrew Simpson

I really enjoyed this review of the movie DREDD and wanted to share with you.  It is from Andrerw Simpson from his blog  FAN THE FIRE.

The unpromising combination of shallowness and style make for compelling viewing in Dredd, Peter Travis’ hardnosed adaptation of the long running comic book series portraying a hard-line future lawman. Previously better known for a failed 1995 Sly Stallone vehicle, this new version is scripted by author Alex Garland (rumoured to have taken over the film in is final stages), and suffers none of the earlier Dredd’s stodgy impotence. A blend of bloody action, vengeful certainty and trippy visuals that lies much closer to its source material, it is in many ways the opposite of the moral knottiness of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films. Yet through a kind of streamlined tautness, as well as a charismatic lead performance from Karl Urban, it stacks up well against recent, more self-important blockbusters.
After a perfunctory voiceover detailing a ‘cursed earth’ America created by an unnamed (presumably nuclear) catastrophe, Judge Dredd is introduced via the hulking, monolithic Hall of Justice, an organisation ‘fighting for order in the chaos’. Mercilessly hunting down a pack of drug-addled criminals in early scenes, Dredd’s beat is the moody, minimally realised and believable metropolis Mega-City One, a city that supposedly links what used to be Washington DC and Boston, but is actually closer to LA or Chicago in its network of grimy underpasses and hulking tower blocks.
The plot, such as it is, sees Dredd forced to babysit failing rookie Anderson (Olivia Thirlby). Considered a ‘mutant’ due to her psychic powers, her idealism is the antithesis of Urban’s Dirty Harry-esque approach to justice, a balance that predictably becomes beneficial when they are thrust into the den of the city’s major drug ring. Housed within a tower block ironically going by the name of Peach Trees, its villain is the sadistically violent Ma-Ma (Game of Throne’s icy Lena Headey, clearly having a whale of a time), and the resulting action is never less than an entertaining, unapologetically adult vision of future law enforcement.
Travis’ real coup proves to be the presence of the time-altering narcotic Slo-Mo. Dragging time to a virtual standstill, it allows for some striking and often hallucinatory sequences, brilliantly bookending Ma Ma’s involvement and otherwise offering an outlet for the inventive visual style Travis first displayed in the underrated Vantage Point. Urban, meanwhile, is clearly channelling Clint Eastwood, and makes for a charismatic and rootable hero despite never removing his helmet. It’s all good, grisly fun, and as Dredd draws to a close with an inevitable setup for a second instalment, what emerges is a stylish film that celebrates and occasionally transcends its B-Movie origins.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Graham Young

I missed this screening so I am reposting the review by Graham Young, Birmingham Mail

THE notoriously-perilous journey through late adolescence is at the heart of this ambitious child-to-adult drama.
Adapted from his own novel by writer-director Stephen Chbosky, the central character is a youngster who is like so many of us.
Sensitive. Apprehensive. All the more so considering a friend’s suicide.
As a new term beckons, Charlie will need all of his hidden personality, and more, to come out from the shadowlands if he is to not only survive, but thrive.

Logan Lerman plays Charlie to perfection, wondering why anybody would be interested in him.
Luckily, English teacher Mr Anderson (Paul Rudd) is understanding and gives him some extra reading.
Before long, Charlie is talking to an openly-gay classmate (Ezra Miller) whose step-sister is the fun Sam (Harry Potter’s Emma Watson).
Long before the end, he’ll be a role model for the many who think that way while letting those around them make the most of every opportunity.
I wanted to love Wallflower and left feeling underwhelmed by my own high sense of anticipation. The film’s distributors had insisted I watch it with an evening preview audience at the Odeon New Street. Unfortunately, the screening felt as if either the print was dodgy or it had not been ingested properly.
The pictures were often dark, the sound too muted. It did not come to life on the silver screen like the trailer I saw an hour later at Cineworld.
Although a universal story, the use of music in Wallflower is so specific and intrusive at times it will make it harder for older viewers to see it’s supposed to be set in early 1990s Pittsburgh.
Emma Watson, for example, doesn’t make the transatlantic journey quite as well as Dakota Fanning coming this way for Now Is Good and I nearly threw up after her ‘I love bulimia’ line.
But if Perks helps teenagers to come to terms with who they are and who they might become if only they are brave enough to raise their hand, then the film could become a classic of its kind


Read More http://www.birminghammail.net/what-is-on-in-birmingham/film-reviews/2012/10/05/film-review-the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower-97319-31969061/#ixzz2AAvwoV9T

Resident Evil; Retribution

Milla Jovovich is back as Alice in “Resident Evil: Retribution” wasting the undead zombies created by the Umbrella Coprporation by the thousands and thousands.
This is the fifth film in the sci-fi franchise has we get a better look at the workings of the Umbrella Corporation.  The movie picks up right at the end of the fourth movie where Alice and her friends are on the aircraft carrier looking for saftey with the entire Umbrella army racing towards them.  Alice is captured and awakens in a corporate headquarters where the strains of the T virus were tested to see what results could be expected.  We soon learn that some people in the Umbrella Corporation have realized that maybe the zombie virus accidentally released on the world is not such a good thing. They now help Alice in her fight against the corporate baddies.
I found the 3-D effects decent but not enough.  There is a nice turn of events that made me ready for the next sequel, the presumed finale.
Many of the past characters return thanks to cloning and even Alice gets some mother-daughter vibes when she befriends a deaf child named Becky.
I liked the action in the movie but the story I found weak.  Couple of holes but it is fantasy.  If you liked the other movies you should like this one also.

Battleship Winners

Battleship Winners

1. Kacie Sharader
2. Raphael Ramierez
3. Miquel Martinez
4. Lauren Lewes
5. T.C. Yaters

A couple of you have not responded to me still so please do so.