VDT View — “Crazy Heart” (Drama: 1 hour, 52 minutes); Starring: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal James Keane, Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall; Director: Scott Cooper; Rated: R (Profanity, sexuality and alcohol usage)

Movie Review: Actor-writer Scott Cooper is unfamiliar to many moviegoers because this is his directorial debut, helming a screenplay adaptation of Thomas Cobb’s novel. The name will be golden after the skills he presents here, a story about a washed-up country singer, Bad Blake (Bridges), who does sideshows at bowling alleys to make a living. Blake is an alcoholic, which is beginning to affect Blake’s livelihood as a talented singer and song scripter. He informs a younger singer, “I've played sick, drunk, divorced and on the run.”

As a singer, Blake, a four-time divorcee, has done it all, and his fame is in its twilight. While singing in a small town at the urging of his eager manager (Keane), Blake meets Jean Craddock (Gyllenhaal), a mother of one and a fledging journalist. The two become a romantic item and their relationship becomes the catalyst for Blake’s renewal.

This is subtle drama, and it is a dramatic piece more than a musical piece which many have tagged it to be. This aspect is true because the film resides on the charm of its cast rather than the music presented. Much of this success is due to the great performance of Bridges, showing he can more than earn a paycheck.

Roles involving drunkard, cowboy singers is not an everyday occurrence, yet Bridges more than ably demands one’s attention for nearly two hours in every scene. Bridges is a very versatile actor, easily slipping in and out of his character’s drunkenness where needed. Also of keen interest here is Gyllenhaal. She scores as a single mother just trying to do the best for her son. Her relationship with Bridges seems out of place for both characters, but you root for their success because both are likable despite what appears as tragic life faults.

Again, Cooper, who also penned this screenplay, directs this small independent drama with flair. The characters are a nice slice of realism displayed in a pertinent straightforward story. Hats off to the director, Bridges, Gyllenhaal, and the cast and crew of this memorable drama.

Grade: A- (Heartfelt)



“An Education” (Period Drama: 1 hour, 40 minutes); Starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, and Alfred Molina; Director: Lone Scherfig; Rated: PG-13 (Strong language, sensuality, sexual innuendo and thematic elements)

Movie Review: Jenny (Mulligan) is a suburban 16-year-old, a Londoner who meets David (Sarsgaard), an older, sophisticated playboy. Jenny becomes friends with David Goldman and his friends, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Helen (Rosamund Pike), a married couple seemingly all too comfortable with Jenny from the start. While studying at an elite prep school, Jenny has plans of attending Oxford, but David is a major distraction. Jenny feels she is living life to its fullest, traveling and experiencing the best society money can buy. Her parents (Molina) and Marjorie (Cara Seymour) seem OK with a 30ish David seeing their daughter because they appreciate David’s socio-economical status.

Despite the advice of her teacher, Miss Stubbs (Olivia Williams), and her prep school’s headmistress (Emma Thompson), Jenny decides David provides her life with all the education she needs, experiencing the arts, events and travel. However, David’s advanced age may trump Jenny’s youth and inexperience, providing a truly educational moment.

One of the best cast ensembles shine in this drama set in the 1960s. Mulligan deserves her Academy Award nomination, and Sarsgaard is superb as often. Cooper and Pike are cunning. Williams is perfect. And Seymour is beautifully endearing. Thompson provides an edge to this film, playing an edgy headmistress with a strong demeanor. Last, but not the least, Molina is a method actor. He becomes his characters, going far beyond talents of most actors by immersing himself in his roles. He gives this film the lift it needs to make this drama more agreeable.

Based on the memoirs of Lynn Barber, a British journalist, currently writing for The Sunday Times, “An Education” is a teachable moment. The main lesson is the human need for self-importance through experience of the perceived eudaimonia, the search for the good life for happiness, making access to culture a trivialized fad. Like Jenny’s parents, some people are willing to sell their children and their own values for happiness. In Jenny’s case, happiness can be a mirage, a temporary delusion causing more harm than contentment. This is the lesson of “An Education,” a brilliant piece ably directed by Lone Scherfig.

In this aspect, one line sums up the lesson learn by Jenny. Williams’ Miss Stibbs tells Mulligan’s Jenny, “You seem to be old and wise.” Jenny responds, “I feel old. But not very wise.” Audiences watching this nice piece should feel wiser.

Hats off to Scherfig, the cast and crew of this nice deliverance of a worthy study of life and traditional academic education clashing in a coming-of-age story.

Grade: A- (A laudable lesson)



“The Young Victoria” (Period Drama: 1 hour, 44 minutes); Starring: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, and Jim Broadbent; Director: Jean-Marc Vallée; Rated: PG (Mild sensuality, brief language, and a scene of violence.)

Movie Review: In 1837, Crown Princess Victoria (Blunt) becomes Queen Regnant of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Before her coronation in June 1838, she must contend with the multiple people who would love to see her dethroned or relinquish her powers. Meanwhile, Queen Victoria finds comfort with her love from Prince Albert (Friend). The couple are the direct descendants of several European royal families.

This photoplay, directed by French director Vallée, plays like a historical piece — with great acting talents — jumping around from one royal to the next documenting their troubles. If you do not know the history of European royals, keeping up with the numerous amount of characters is tedious at the beginning. These screenplays of British royalty are far too common. Apparently, commoners love following the soap-operatic lifestyles of the royals.

Instead, the film’s prize is its talented cast lead by Academy Award nominee Blunt and Friend. They form a romantic tryst, but the romance, while a nice story, is nothing that sweeps viewers into memorable dreamscape. The highlight of the blueblood saga is Jim Broadbent as King William IV as the star of this drama. Broadbent’s antics as King William add energy to this otherwise well acted, yet lukewarm romance with no strong focus

Grade: B- (Youthful royals are good gossip.)



“A Single Man” (Drama: 1 hour, 41 minutes); Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode and Jon Kortajarena; Director: Tom Ford; Rated: R (Sexuality, nudity, gore and strong language)

Movie Review: George Falconer (Firth), an English professor of literature, copes with the loss of his longtime lover of 16 years, Jim (Goode), a former member of the Navy. One day in 1962 Los Angeles, Falconer tries to live a perfectly normal day, just eight months after Jim’s death. While the day may seem perfect, Falconer has realized he cannot continue life anymore. As he contemplates ending it all, the day becomes an expressive, surreal vision of awareness for Falconer, who as a single man, becomes an enticing interest for Charley (a sensational Moore), a past female lover, Carlos (Kortajarena), a Spanish immigrant, aspiring actor and gigolo, and an adoring student Kenny Potter (charismatic Hoult, who handsomely holds his own with Firth).

Tom Ford directs, produces and writes this screenplay, a riveting piece. The story is unique and has some cinematic visual treats. Scenes use colors to match the mood shift of its main character, Falconer, nicely acted by Firth, who makes it as authentic as possible with superb acting. Firth’s performance is moving, keen and charmingly sophisticated. His relationship with a charming Goode is an amicable one, not getting into useless details of their relationship. Instead, the story sticks with the manner in which one copes with losing his significant other. Firth excels at making it all believable.

Christopher Isherwood wrote the novel from which this film is adapted. Tom Ford, in his directorial debut, also scripted the screenplay and produced this fine drama. While this film is high quality, some of the images presented are baffling. Ford tries too hard to make this film an artistic feat, allowing some artistic measures, which are overly done portions, to become too prominent. The drama presented is more than enough to carry this film and works well to keep audience’s attention long after the end credits cease.

Ford allows a smart drama to come alive. He uses his characters to engage viewers, making you think about the relationships displayed. Ford does not allow this screenplay to become an ultra-homosexual film. As an alternative, he allows his main character, Falconer, and his struggles to become the focus. Ford displays this focus with delicate, precise skills. He excels at creating something unique and worthy of praise. Hats off to Ford, Firth, Moore, Hoult, and this film’s production team for a thought-provoking drama that is tragically complex yet moving.

Grade: A- (An eligible bachelor)



“The Last Station” (Drama/Semi-Biography: 1 hour, 52 minutes); Starring: James McAvoy, Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren, and Paul Giamatti; Director: Michael Hoffman; Rated: R (Sexual innuendo, some strong language, sexuality, thematic elements and nudity)

Movie Review: As the life of famed Russian author Leo Tolstoy (Plummer) nears the remaining days of his golden years, he wants nothing more than to complete his works. Tolstoyans, his intellectual groupies led by Vladimir Chertkov (Giamatti), believe Tolstoy’s words are genius comments on the world with respect to social justice and a life devoid of material objects. Tolstoy’s wife, Sofya (Mirren), thinks differently. She wants to secure her husband’s words as property of the Tolstoy estate, a measure that does not sit well with others. Even more, Valentin Bulgakov (McAvoy), a young, idealistic writer and admirer of Leo Tolstoy, arrives to help with Tolstoy’s literature. Bulgakov finds Tolstoy’s life is nothing like the philosophy of his books.

“Station” is an adaptation based on some historical facts as written in the book by Jay Parini, making it more interesting. Hoffman, who wrote this photoplay, has a knack for selecting large casts of well-known actors, such as in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1999) and “Soapdish” (1991). The problem is Hoffman does not control these multitudes of well-known actors well enough to prevent their fine acting from overpowering his film’s plots.

This is a major problem with “Station.” Their director does not control too many well-known actors tightly enough. Their performances become the superior elements of the film, overshadowing the plot to a point one forgets what this film is about and focuses on Plummer and Mirren’s superb performances; they and other cast members make this film watchable and enjoyable. Plummer and Mirren are nominees for Academy Awards for their work. They offer more than admirable performances, worthy of plenty of awards. Plummer is especially keen as Tolstoy, and Mirren is excellent as always. An always-entertaining Giamatti joins them with an angelic McAvoy, whose seeming innocence works on screen for many of his roles.

While the actors’ performances overshadow other aspects of this film, Hoffman regains momentum near the film’s end. The movie becomes a poignant tribute to Tolstoy and the love he shared with his wife, showing actual archival clips of the couple during the end credits.

Grade: B+ (A commendable endpoint)



“The Crazies” (Horror: 1 hour, 40 minutes); Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell and Joe Anderson; Director: Breck Eisner; Rated: R (Violence, gore and profanity)

Movie Review: “The Crazies” is a remake of the 1973 film directed by George A. Romero, who produces this current version, which improves on the original. Like its predecessor, “The Crazies” follows a group of people, Sheriff David Dutten (Olyphant), his wife, Dr. Judy Dutten (Mitchell), Deputy Russell Clank (Anderson) and Becca Darling (Georgia native Danielle Panabaker), trying to survive after a horrible event occurs. Residents of the small town of Ogden Marsh begin observing atrocious acts of violent behavior. Soon, the town becomes a hellish mess, and Sheriff Dutten and his group must escape the nightmarish events threatening their survival.

Edgy and intensity-laden, this horror, unlike other, more recent films of this genre, concentrates more on the act of characters’ survival rather than the gore effects. Usually zombie flicks concentrate on blood and guts flying across the screen. “Crazies” makes this a plot about survival, and the psychological pressures associated with this survival become an interesting study among the characters. “The Crazies” is agreeable and refreshing entertainment that keeps audiences on edge.

Grade: B (Interesting insanity)



“Cop Out” (Comedy: 1 hour, 47 minutes); Starring: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, and Seann Scott William; Director: Kevin Smith; Rated: R (Profanity, violence, sexual innuendo and crude humor)

Movie Review: Kevin Smith has directed some great films. “Clerks.” (1994), “Dogma” (1999), “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” (2008) are the notables. He fails with “Cop Out,” a formulaic law-enforcement comedy.

Veteran NYPD detectives Jimmy Monroe (Willis) and Paul Hodges (Morgan) are on suspension for a case gone badly. While on suspension, they find themselves tracking a major crime lord to recover Monroe’s missing baseball card worth nearly a hundred-thousand dollars.

Again, this feature is formulaic. A wise, white, male, law-enforcement officer is paired with younger comical black male officer. This pairing is noticeable far too often in films. The characters’ personalities are different, and it seems unlikely they could work together for years without shooting each other. Also, Willis channels his character from “Die Hard,” and Morgan is goofily annoying. They should arrest each other.

Grade: C- (Walk out!)