Contagion

“Contagion” (Drama/Thriller: 1 hour, 46 minutes)

Starring: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard and Jude Law   

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Rated: PG-13 (Gore, thematic elements and violence)

Movie Review: The deadly outbreak of an unknown disease spreads across the world near Thanksgiving. A group of world doctors and scientists, led by the CDC in Atlanta, must collaborate to defeat an aggressive disease before more people contract what is a sure death in days. This happens as several characters cope with everyday life, as tension about the spreading disease causes panic and riots.

A large cast of talented people, plus a good story make this photoplay very intriguing. It reels you in with drama and a global situation that feels real.

While a worthwhile cast excels at seeming to be everyday people, it is very difficult to care about their situation. Also, too many players make it difficult to care about any character in particular.

A mother and son die, but sympathy is little. The scenes involving their deaths are quick. More important, the screenplay is story-based entertainment.

“Contagion” concentrates on telling a story rather than the characters who make up that story. In a sense, it only uses characters as a means to facilitate a story. All films do this, but this one minimizes the impact any one character has on the overall plot. No character dominates. Instead, viewers are given one good, but giant story with multiple subplots within a greater picture.

The plot is nice, but it is difficult to feel for any of the characters. This is like watching a news program. You may be interested, but you do not feel involved in an emotionally attached manner. In many ways, this is a negative but conversely impressive in its intent to sway audiences with details while ostracizing any emotional attachment that may slow development of its narrative.

Still, “Contagion” works as solid piece of entertainment. It intrigues. It gives audiences a nice fictional view of what happens at the CDC and other world health organizations during a disease outbreak.

Steven Soderbergh (“Ocean’s Eleven,” 2001; “Traffic,” 2000; and “Erin Brockovich,” 2000) directs this very interesting production. He rarely lets down his audience.

Grade: B (It’s catchy.)

“Warrior” (Sports Drama: 2 hours, 20 minutes)

Starring: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte   

Director: Gavin O’Connor

Rated: PG-13 (Strong language, violence and thematic elements)

Movie Review: Tommy Conlon (Hardy), using the name Tommy Reardon, returns to fight in a mixed martial-arts tournament. To do so, he will need the help of his father, Paddy Conlon (Nolte), a former boxer and recovering alcoholic. Simultaneously, Tommy’s brother, Brendan Conlon (Edgerton), a high school physics teacher, is down on his luck and needs to support his wife and family. Brendan decides to go back to fighting as a means to support his family. Fate causes both men to enter the same fighting tournament. In addition, the men become victorious finalists and must face each other in the championship match.

Hardy, Edgerton and Nolte make this film special. Each delivers a good performance, looking their parts with ease.

Hardy has come a long way since playing a villain in movies like “Star Trek: Nemesis,” (2002). His swagger is like Sylvester Stallone in the “Rocky” films. Hardy says a good deal with little words. His performance works, with just the correct amount of cockiness.

Joel Edgerton plays the nicer of the two brothers, although there is a certain amount of compassion for both. He is the most decent of the three main characters, so his role is not as juicy. Still, he makes the best of the role and manages to hold his own.

The star that dazzles, however, is Nolte. His portrayal of a recovering alcoholic is remarkable. During the cinema-award season, he should get a few accolades. Nolte’s character has bouts of varying mood swings, from calm to aggressively inebriated. Nolte’s work is memorable.

A good story is always worth the time. A good story about two brothers having to beat the diddly-squat out of each other is very intriguing. The act is barbaric, but it provides plenty of entertainment that is enriching, riveting in a manner that inspires one to stay involved until this drama’s conclusion.

Grade: B+ (He who performs gloriously)

 

“The Debt” (Drama: 1 hour, 53 minutes)

Starring: Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington and Tom Wilkinson Director: John Madden

Rated: R (Violence, including torture, and profanity)

Movie Review: In 1997, three retired Mossad secret agents, Rachel Singer (Mirren), Stephan Gold (Tom Wilkinson) and David Peretz (Ciarán Hinds), must come to terms with what happened many years ago. In 1966, the trio, played respectively by younger actors Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington, were ordered to find and bring to justice Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel, a.k.a Doctor Bernhardt (Jesper Christensen). The young Mossad agents must capture the doctor who slaughtered many and get him to Israel to stand trial. They must first get him out of a guarded East Berlin.

A prime example of how the best plans go astray, “The Debt” provides a very intense tale about a plan that does not go as planned. The drama provided takes place in two decades. Each plays out like two very good movies.

The mixture of the two timelines appears overly complicated at first, but they quickly come to make sense as more of the story is revealed. By the end, the manner in which the two stories are put together is perfect, making for a great way to tell this story as a whole. A group of talented actors make this story work more.

The cast is superb, providing plenty. Both the seasoned and younger casts present a good drama. An exquisitely talented Mirren never lets down her audience, and a beautiful Chastain (currently in “The Help”) easily and perfectly plays the younger version their character. The incomparable Wilkinson is keen and Hinds, who has the smaller amount of time on screen, is effective. Csokas (“xXx,” 2002) steals scenes zealously, and a gifted Worthington (“Avatar,” 2009) is superb, proving dramas are his specialty.

Bad guys have the best parts sometimes. This is the case with Christensen as Doctor Bernhardt. Very much like Mirren in “Teaching Mrs. Tingle” (1999), Christensen is superb as a hostage. He is captive, easily making audiences hate his character.

Well-acted characters are in a good story. The plot leaves audiences guessing what is next. This combination of talented actors and a good narrative propels “The Debt,” increasing its appeal.

Movies are often predictable. “The Debt” thrives on providing unexpected twists and turns. This propels the plot and makes it riveting. The result is a good drama with plenty of thrills.   

Grade: B (Worth the ticket, a debt you will not regret.)

“Colombiana” (Action: 1 hour, 47 minutes)

Starring: Zoe Saldana, Michael Vartan and Callum Blue

Director: Olivier Megaton

Rated: PG-13 (Profanity, violence and sensuality)

Movie Review: Zoe Saldana is the newest action star. Significantly, she takes the reins as America’s newest femme fatale, a role rarely attributed to minority women. She deserves that credit after her performance in this action-oriented production. She is beautiful and cunning as an actress. More important, she works.

However, the sad part is that she is in a screenplay co-written by Luc Besson. His movies are typically over-the-top ventures with more holes in them than a cowboy who lost a duel at high noon. A list of recent notables is “Transporter 3” (2008), “From Paris with Love” (2010) and “Revolver” (2005).

This screenplay involves Saldana as Cataleya, a young girl who witnesses her parents’ execution. Years later, she has but one motivation for living, revenge. Cataleya works as a professional assassin, preparing for the day she can execute her main target, the men who killed her parents.

As noted earlier, Saldana is beautiful to see, especially in the large format that cinema screens offer. The problem is that once that visual disappears, the rest of the film is not as good to see. All is just typical.

The story seems all too familiar. A person seeks revenge and goes after the person or people who caused them harm. Many genres, Westerns in particular, have done this tirelessly over the years. “Colombiana” is yet another film making revenge its primary goal for a main character.

This is not a bad motive; it is just rarely executed with originality and keen intelligence. Therefore, the action and Saldana’s beauty are the main highlights.  

Grade: C+ (Sexy, sassy and so-so)

 

“Our Idiot Brother” (Comedy: 1 hour, 21 minutes)

Starring: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer and Zooey Deschanel

Director: Jesse Peretz

Rated: R (Sexuality, thematic elements, nudity, profanity and crude humor)

Movie Review: Ned (Rudd) is the dense brother of three sisters, Liz (Mortimer), Miranda (Banks) and Natalie (Deschanel). After being arrested for selling an illegal substance to a uniformed police officer, Ned leaves jail with no place to live. He has a short stay with mother Ilene (Shirley Knight), but Ned decides he needs to do something with his life. Jobless, Ned lives with each of his sisters doing small jobs for them. The problem is Ned creates problems with each sister, complicating the women’s lives.

“Our Idiot Brother” is defined by its title’s bold adjective; it is idiotic. Yet a very unique intelligent side exists to this comedy.

The humor is very elementary, similar to watching several episodes of a sitcom. You laugh not because the humor is smart but rather the unique situations in which characters place themselves. The material is stupid to the point that audiences are placed in Ned’s world. Ned’s view of the world is very innocent, naïve even. He means well although his intentions cause others trouble. This thought carries this lightweight comedy.

Grade: B- (Foolishly funny!)

 

“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” (Horror: 1 hour, 39 minutes)

Starring: Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes and Bailee Madison

Director: Troy Nixey

Rated: PG-13 (Violence, gore and thematic elements)

Movie Review: Sally (Madison) is sent to live with her father, Alex (Pearce), and his girlfriend, Kim (Holmes), in an old mansion under renovation. Sally quickly discovers small creatures hiding in the dark, living in the house. Even more, they want Sally.

Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth,” 2006) and Matthew Robbins penned the screenplay based on Nigel McKeand’s 1973 teleplay. Del Toro is known for his creative manner of bringing creatures to life with a fantastical brilliance.

This horror piece plays, with best of intentions, like a horror of yesteryear — different from modern-day slasher flicks that concentrate on violence as their major means of scare tactics. This is not the case here. Scary scenes are frightening because they are creepy. They scare via increasing anxiety, making one wonder what is in the dark.

While, it plays to all the horror stereotypes, “Dark” does not run away from these themes. It embraces them, yet this embrace also deteriorates the plot. Characters are barely fleshed out before the screenplay makes its focus the creepy voices observing the main characters.

The best scenes in horror flicks are those inspiring imaginative elements known but not seen. Once the creatures are seen, the horror ends, and the movie has to reside on the fear the creatures cause. As this movie concludes, that fear decreases.

Still, a good story remains intact with a solid performance from young star Bailey Madison.

Grade: B- (Adequate reason to fear the dark.)

 

“Shark Night 3D” (Thriller: 1 hour, 35 minutes)

Starring: Chris Carmack, Sara Paxton and Dustin Milligan

Director: David R. Ellis

Rated: PG-13 (Sexual innuendo, profanity, nudity, thematic elements and gore)

Movie Review: One can only guess as to why the title is “Shark Night.” This is especially interesting since the film also takes place equally during daylight hours as its does at night. In any respect, you know the movie is terrible when one ponders about the title rather than what the movie is about. This review digresses.

“Shark Night” digresses more. It stumbles around then provides an all too familiar plot. It follows the antics of seven college students who travel to a lake house in the Louisiana Gulf for a weekend of fun. All becomes terrible when they learn the lake is infested with sharks.

Moral relativism, the differences in moral judgments across different people and cultures, is discussed by one character. Ethics versus entertainment produces an intellectual query squandered by this film’s producers. This is a moment of apparent clarity and cinema thoughtfulness. The philosophical, brief moment passes before you can blink. “Shark Night” quickly becomes ignorant again.

Movies can add to stereotypes. In a very interesting yet outrageous scene, the film’s only African-American cast member decides to fight one of the sharks with ghetto-style machismo. Doubly trite, that character goes into the water with a spear! This is definitely typecasting a race. The moment is the apex of stupidity for this thriller.

Other such dim-witted moments exist. Other characters enter the lake onboard water vehicles, despite the knowledge of aggressive sharks in the lake. The players do not use their heads, but they are not the only ones.

The writers and director Ellis (“Snakes on a Plane,” 2006) are just as clueless. They are only using half their brains, and that is not the good half.       

This movie is terrible. Audiences should root for the sharks. The quicker they do their business, the sooner the film can end. If one stays through the end credits, you are treated to a rap video. That musical video is the cherry on top of the nuclear warhead.

Grade: F (Catch it on a dark night, and throw it back quicker than you caught it.)

 

“Apollo 18” (Horror/Science Fiction: 1 hour, 26 minutes)

Starring: Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen and Ryan Robbins

Director: Gonzalo López-Gallego

Rated: PG-13 (Profanity and some disturbing sequences)

Movie Review: December 1974, the United States sends three astronauts to the moon for the Apollo 18 mission, supposedly the last mission to the moon. This fictional movie details why this occurred. It reveals what is supposed to be never-before-seen NASA archival footage from almost four decades ago mixed with reenactment video.

That written, this sci-fi story is entertaining and provides an atmosphere of anxiety. It teases by not showing all its cards until necessary. Second, this film nicely uses first-person and third-person camera angles. The result is a movie that puts audiences on the moon nicely with the cast.

While providing a fake account, it nicely provides a set of events which could be considered authentic by anyone unaware. For the record, a NASA representative has officially confirmed this film is a work of fiction.

This is a setup very much like 1999’s “The Blair Witch Project,” which had convinced many people it was real. As a result, the effort here is nothing original, even if entertaining.

The biggest problem is the advertising. “Apollo 18” is a science-fiction conspiracy theory more than a horror. Still, it creates enough of a realistic element that it works as adequate entertainment.

This movie recommends viewers go to www.lunartruth.com for more details about details of why three astronauts never returned to Earth and how their deaths were covered up by NASA and the U.S. military. (The website only says see the movie.) This notation is just one more slight this film poses on movie goers. 

Grade: C+ (Houston: We have a go with some minor problems.)

 

“Seven Days in Utopia” (Sports Drama: 1 hour, 38 minutes)

Starring: Lucas Black, Robert Duvall and Melissa Leo          

Director: Matt Russell

Rated: G (Brief violence)

Movie Review: “Utopia” is a religious drama, but its sports component is its most rewarding as a film. That is when the movie makes you root for the main character Luke Chisholm, played earnestly by Black.

Chisholm is a golfer, but his latest outing has rendered him a bad blow. After playing a bad game at a pro tournament, Chisholm throws his clubs in his car and drives away hurriedly. He is angry. That anger leads him to a small town, Utopia, Texas. There, he meets Johnny Crawford (Duvall), an ex-pro golfer who mentors Chisholm. Crawford teaches Chisholm about being a better golfer and person.

Light drama is the appropriate manner to describe this sports film. It is moving and interesting, even if forced in nature. Its down-home feel will probably not win any Academy Awards, but that does not stop a very talented cast from reaching for the great sky. Black and Duvall are a dynamite pairing as mentor and apprentice.

This movie has an aggravating but a wonderful marketing strategy. During a very pivotal scene near the conclusion, the movie stops and directs audiences to a website that lets audiences know what happened next. Either this will pique the curiosity of those who want to know more, or audiences will be angered they must finish an incomplete movie outside the theater.

Grade: C+ (A minor course worth playing.)

 

“Creature” (Horror: 1 hour, 32 minutes)

Starring: Mehcad Brooks, Serinda Swan and Dillon Casey

Director: Fred Andrews

Rated: R (Violence, nudity, profanity, gore, thematic elements and sexuality)

Movie Review: Seven young, college-aged people travel to the backwoods to Louisiana where they discover the legend of a human-alligator hybrid called Grimley (Daniel Bernhardt). As it turns out, Grimley is still living, according to the locals of a small swampy town. As the seven visitors quickly find, some folklore tales are very true.

The SyFy channel has plenty of original productions — all ready-made for television. “Creature” belongs in that mix; its low-budget appearance makes it prime for straight to television or video. Believability is nil. The acting is sophomoric, and the screenplay is the work of people whose baseball players are not touching all the bases.

Grade: F- (Some bad creatures made this.)

 

“Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star” (Comedy:  1 hour, 36 minutes)

Starring: Nick Swardson, Don Johnson and Christina Ricci

Director: Tom Brady

Rated: R (Nudity, crude humor, sexual innuendo, sexuality, nude and profanity)

Movie Review: A young Midwestern male, Buck Larson (Swardson), heads to Hollywood to become a star. He wants to be a porn star, a profession his parents held numerous years ago. Larson has no idea what’s in store for him. He also does not realize his appearance is not attractive. He looks like a horse walking backwards.

Larson’s appearance is made to be as unattractive as possible. Of course, Swardson is no beauty already.

Movies about people entering the porn industry are a hit or miss. “Boogie Nights” (1997), starring Mark Wahlberg, was a superb movie. “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” (Director Kevin Smith, 2008) was unexpectedly funny. “Bucky Larson” is just plain stupid.

Grade: F (Bucky Larson: born to be a failure)