Ballantyne Scoop » Movie Review

Weekend Movie Reviews by Bruce Kantor

Caroline Adams — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 08:36:20 +0000

Crazy Stupid Love

Cal (Steve Carrell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) are an old married couple who got married right out of high school. Now in their mid 40’s Emily tells Cal over dinner that she wants a divorce. She admits to having slept with a co worker David Lindhagen, (Kevin Bacon) Cal is devastated and moves out of the family home the next day. He goes to a singles bar to discover the singles scene although he is still in love with Emily. He meets Jacob (Ryan Gosling) who is an artist at making small talk and picking up girls. He takes Cal under his wing to coach him on the single ways. They go to a clothing store for a new wardrobe. Cal gets a new haircut and Jacob teaches Cal a number of pick up lines. After many efforts at picking up women, he finally scores with a pretty school teacher, Kate (Marisa Tomei). They spend a hot night together.

A number of other things are happening. Cal’s thirteen year old son, Robbie (Jacob Bobo) is in love with his seventeen year old babysitter Jessica (Analeigh Tipton) while Jessica has a crush on Cal. Problems ensue when this infatuation is discovered by Jessica’s parents. At back to school night, Cal discovers that his one night stand is his son’s English teacher. Jacob picks up a girl at the bar, Hannah (Emma Stone) and falls in love with her. Hanna turns out to be Cal and Emily’s eldest daughter who is a young attorney.

This screwball comedy is a lot of fun and well done. Steve Carrell reminds most
people of someone they know. He does not look like a movie star but someone who
might do your taxes. This film is worth seeing. Rated 4 of 5 for a romantic comedy. 7/31/2011

Cowboys and Aliens

Well known names appear in the credits that almost guarantee a treat for the viewers. Steven Speilberg, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are some of the producers and Ron Favreau is director. Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) looking like a western version of James Bond wakes up with amnesia and wearing a large mysterious bracelet on his right arm. When accosted by three dirty bandits, he subdues them, takes their clothes, money and gun and wanders into a small town. The town is in the middle of nowhere and consists of a block of wooden buildings. The town is controlled by Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) a local cattle baron. Jake does not endear himself to Dolarhyde when he subdues young Percy Dolarhyde (Paul Dano) a delinquent son of Woodrow. Jake and Percy are arrested by the local sheriff and are placed in a paddy wagon to be shipped to the county seat for trial. Jake appears on a wanted poster as an outlaw.

Before the paddy wagon can leave, the town is accosted by mysterious flying objects looking like large metal dragon flies. The craft grabs a number of the locals to take to an undisclosed location. Jake’s bracelet opens up and becomes somewhat of a taser shooting down the craft. As this is the 1880’s no one has seen an object fly. The craft is manned or should it be “Aliened” by a large bug like creature.

The next morning an ad hoc posse made up of Jake and Woodrow with a number of the locals seek out the source of the aliens. They team up with Jake’s old gang as well as a band of Indians to solve the mystery and to recover their folk. They discover a mysterious structure in the foot hills which the find out is an alien craft seeking gold. A fight ensues with the alien craft and the bug like aliens. It is loads of fun. Harrison is a good curmudgeon bad guy who comes around. Unsmiling Daniel Craig in his James Bond character is always good. Daniel Craig looks like Vladimir Putin to me but I try to put it aside.

Pyrotechnic special effects abound. Who will win this all out battle? Leave your logic and finding of inconsistencys at the door and enjoy this fun film. Rated 4 of 5 for sci fi western. 8/2/2011

bruce@kantorandassociates.com

2011 Ballantyne, NC

Scoop Movie Reviews By Bruce Kantor

ssherron — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:40:53 +0000

Movie Review Win Win:

Paul Giammati is one of the finest character actors in films today. He always looks like someone you know. In Win Win he stars as a middle aged attorney in a small town in New Jersey. He has troubles making ends meet as an attorney and works as a part time wrestling coach at the high school. He acquires a new client who is an aging man with the beginnings of dementia. He places the man in a nursing home and is making money on managing his affairs. He runs into the man’s grandson played by Alex Shaffer. He takes the boy into his home for the time being and enrolls him in the school. He discovers the boy is a skilled wrestler and that he has a mother who is in a drug and alcohol rehab.

The boy prospers and talks about his pained relationship with his mother when she shows up unexpectedly. The mother wants to move her father to Columbus Ohio where she can make money on his care. The story gets sticky when the mother and son discover the attorney has been taking advantage of the grandfather.

This film is billed as a comedy and likely because there are a few funny lines. As a comedy, it would be a disappointment. As a light drama it is a hit. Enjoyed it and so will you. Not for children.

Rated 4 of 5 for a drama or rated 2 1/2 for a comedy.

Movie Review Paul:

A couple of British comic book nerds, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost encounter an alien, Paul whose voice is Seth Rogan, who crashed on earth in 1946. He was held by the government as they debriefed him. He final escaped and is pursued by men in black.
It is a light hearted mostly tongue in cheek production. Although a low cost production, it should return a great deal for its backers.

If the language were not liberally peppered with four letter words, it would be ideal for children too. As it is, it is not. I found it funny and creative. It is largely a spoof which lovers of the films, ET, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Men in Black will appreciate. There are several cameos by well know individuals including Stephen Spielberg.

Rated 3 out of 5 for a comedy

Rango Movie Review

Rango starring the voice of Johnny Depp: Animated films are getting so good that the characters look real. It is a long way from Snow White and Lady and the Tramp. Close up pictures look like they are real. This was an expensive film to make and it was money well spent.

Rango is a lizard who through dumb luck kills a hawk which has been menacing the town. He becomes the hero of Dirt a town in the Arizona desert. The story is a spoof of every western you have ever seen. One minute Rango is acting like Gary Cooper in High Noon. Another character acts like Clint Eastwood.

The film is pure fun and enjoyable for adults as well as children. Little guys may be scared by the bad guys. We enjoyed it immensely

Rated 4 of 5 for an animated film.

bruce@kantorandassociates.com

2011 Ballantyne, NC

Bruce Kantor’s Movie Reviews

ssherron — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:49:33 +0000

The Rite Movie Review

Anthony Hopkins and Colin O’Donoghue. This is The Exorcist revisited. Colin O’Donoghue is a young man who enters the priesthood. Prior to taking his final vows he has a crisis of belief wondering if he really is seriously committed to the calling as a priest. He is offered a training assignment in Rome to learn how to exorcise demons from possessed people. He meets an older priest played by Anthony Hopkins who shows him the ropes exorcising a young pregnant woman. This film is slow and has non of the scary moments of the 1973 movie.

The trailers are scarier than the film. This was based upon a true story however the question we had was whether non Catholic people become possessed. Wait until this comes out on Red Box.

Rated 3 of 5 for a thriller drama.

Hall Pass Movie Review

Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) are two married men who enjoy checking out pretty girls much to the annoyance of their wives, Jenna Fisher and Christina Applegate. Their wives out of frustration give their husband a hall pass to be unmarried for a week and to get the ogling and voyeurism out of their system. While their wives go out of town, the two guys along with three buddies wanting to observe go out to pick up girls. They are totally inept and unsuccessful.

The guys find that their hearts are really not into this. When they at last get the opportunity to score, they realize they really love their wives and cannot go through with this.The wives find that being single momentarily attracts men to them and they have an opportunity to score on their own with interesting consequences. This film was produced by the Farrelly Brothers who did Stuck on You, There’s Something About Mary and Shallow Hal to name a few. This film is a little crude in parts but is really funny. Their films have a common theme about the goodness in people. If you do not mind a little sophomoric and off color humor, you will enjoy this film. We did.

Rated 4 of 5 for a comedy

bruce@kantorandassociates.com

2011 Ballantyne, NC

Bruce Kantor’s Scoop Movie Reviews

ssherron — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:58:38 +0000

The Roommate Movie Review

Starring Minja Kelly and Leighton Meester. Whenever Hollywood runs low on movie plots, they go into the archives of old movies and redo it. Such is the case here. Single White Female was a film in 1992 about a psychotic roommate. In the new version, Sarah-Leighton Meester is a pretty freshman from Iowa coming to school in Los Angeles to study fashion design. Her roommate Rebecca-Minka Kelly is the daughter of a wealthy family in Beverly Hills. She appears to be introverted as well as overly protective and possessive. Sarah quickly discovers that Rebecca is a psychotic girl who does not take her medication. Their relationship starts to fall apart with Sarah finding a boy friend.

The film is suspenseful and fun. In an earlier time in film history it would be called a B movie. We enjoyed it. See it now or wait for Red Box to probably have it in a couple of weeks. If you enjoy it, be sure to rent Single White Female.

I rated The Roomate at 3 3/4 of 5 for a thriller.

The Mechanic Movie Review

If you are looking for a movie with great acting, well thought out and profound story and a good moral, this is not your film. Arthur Bishop-Jason Statham is a hit man working for a company that enjoys rubbing out people. After he is given a contract to rub out a friend who did the company wrong, he takes on the dead man’s son as a protege’ -(Ben Foster) assassin. Things get dicey when the protege’ discovers that Arthur killed his dad. Wonderful action and pyrotechnics. The movie is good escapist entertainment.

I rate it 4 of 5 for an action film.

No Strings Attached Movie Review

Ashton Kutcher, Natalie Portman, Kevin Kline. Natalie Portman is on a high coming off her Oscar nomination for Black Swan. She is a young medical resident doctor who is having a sex only relationship with a man whose life she has come into contact with since they were teens. She wants the physicality but not the emotional rewards of their relationship. It would appear this is a tawdry premise for a film but it is done tastefully. Over time he falls in love with her and she is not in love with him or anyone else. There is real chemistry between Natalie and Ashton. The film is an enjoyable way to share a box of popcorn.

I rated it 4 of 5 for a chick film.

bruce@kantorandassociates.com

2011 Ballantyne Scoop

Bruce Kantor’s Movie Reviews

ssherron — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:48:39 +0000

True Grit Movie Review

A young woman (Hailey Steinfeld) seeks out a dirty US Marshall (Jeff Bridges) to find and bring to trial her father’s killer (Josh Brolin). This film is a real winner. Hailey Steinfeld steals the film and I would predict she has a big career ahead of her. Jeff Bridges plays Rooster Cogburn a role which gave John Wayne his only Academy Award. Matt Damon plays a Texas Ranger also looking for the bad guy. The film is very well done and I would expect to see a couple of award nominations. The cinematography is wonderful. This shares little with the original True Grit film of 1969. I saw this film twice and enjoyed both times.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 for a western drama.

Yogi Bear Movie Review

This is a modern adaptation of the old Hanna and Barbera cartoon of two bears living in Jellystone Park. Dan Ackroyd does the voice of Yogi-”Smarter than the average bear”. and Justin Timberlake does BooBoo. The film is done with live actors and computer generated imaging. It is cute and your kids will enjoy it. Nothing special but a nice way to spend an hour or so eating popcorn.

3.75 out of 5 for a kid’s film

Gulliver’s Travels Movie Review

A man working in the mail department of a magazine (Jack Black) convinces travel editor (Amanda Peet) that he can be a good writer. She sends him off to do an article on the Bermuda Triangle and he ends up in Lilliput where he is a giant. The country has a beautiful princess (Emily Blunt). If you read the book, you will be disappointed. If you did not read the book, you will be disappointed in the writing and acting. Perfectly mediocre. Wait until it comes out on Red Box in a couple of weeks.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 for a kid’s film

bruce@kantorandassociates.com

2011 Ballantyne Scoop

Movie Reviews By Bruce Kantor | Little Fockers | How Do you Know

ssherron — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:56:34 +0000

Little Fockers Movie Review

Usually a sequel becomes rather long in the tooth the third time around however the Little Fockers still has the zing that makes this franchise so popular. You do not have to have seen the first two, Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers to appreciate this newest one. Ben Stiller as Greg, a registered nurse is now head of a big nursing department in a Chicago hospital. He and his wife Pam played by Teri Polo have five year old twins. Pam’s parents Jack and Deena played by Robert DiNiro and Blythe Danner come to visit for Christmas. Jack a former CIA operative is paranoid and is concerned that Greg may be fooling around.

Greg is contacted by Jeri Garcia, Jessica Alba, a drug rep for an ED drug for men with heart issues. She wants him to represent the drug and he is reluctant to do so. Greg gives a speech to a group of doctors but does not tell his family about it. He comes home with a box of samples not telling the family. Jack takes a dose with hysterical results.

Pam’s former fiance Kevin, played by Owen Wilson, is a wealthy kook having made his money in the stock market. It is apparent he still likes Pam and that is okay with Jack.

Greg’s parents Roz Focker played by Barbra Streisand and Bernie played by Dustin Hoffman play minor parts but are funny. Roz is a sex therapist and has a TV program ala Dr. Ruth. Bernie, a former attorney has been a house husband for the past twenty five years. In the words of Roz, he is going through Manopause.

All in all, the film is very funny and the humor may not be suitable to the little ones. There is chemistry among the members and it is obvious they enjoyed making this film. I may see it a second time.

Rated 4 out of 5 for a comedy.

How Do You Know Movie Review

Lisa, played by Reese Witherspoon is an Olympic softball player. She just discovered she was cut from the team due to her age. She is dating Matty, Owen Wilson, who is a star pitcher for the Washington DC baseball team. He is totally insincere in his feeling for Lisa and for women in general. He keeps a stock of new sweat suits for his conquests to wear home. He can throw a 95 MPH fast ball and makes $19 million a year. Lisa knows she can do better but for some unexplained reason doesn’t try to hard to do so.

George played by Paul Rudd is head of a successful business created by his now retired father played by Jack Nicholson. He discovers that he is the subject of a federal investigation and does not know why. Lisa and George meet and it is apparent that there is no chemistry between the two. George was dating a physics professor who promptly dumped him when she realized he may be in trouble.

As with any romantic comedy, boy meets girl, falls in love and they live happily ever after. Reese Witherspoon was very good in this role as she is in every role. Owen Wilson plays Owen Wilson and that gets a little old. Paul Rudd is convincing as the innocent who is in trouble and Jack Nicholson plays an irascible and arrogant no so loving father. We enjoyed the film and although it does not have some of the punch of some other chick flix I enjoy, this film was worth the $7 price of the popcorn. Reese Witherspoon is one of my favorites and she saves this film.

Rated 3.75 out of 5 for a romantic comedy, Chick Flick

bruce@kantorandassociates.com

2010 Ballantyne Scoop

Movie Reviews By Bruce Kantor | Love And Other Drugs | The Next 3 Days

ssherron — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 16:42:17 +0000

Love And Other Drugs Movie Review

Jamie, Jake Gyllenhall, becomes a pharmaceutical salesman calling on doctors. He represents Zoloft an anti depressive medication in tight competition with Prozac and is having a good time going out with free loving women. He meets Maggie, Anne Hathaway, a young woman suffering from early onset Parkinson’s disease. Maggie is a free spirit who enjoys making love but is not interested in a serious relationship. The plot is predictable with the two falling in love with problems along the way.

The film was enjoyable and interesting to watch with two beautiful people playing opposite one another. There are no surprises in the story however the audience enjoyed what they saw. The film has a lot of nudity and is rated R. Definitely not for the little ones.

Rated 4 of 5 for a romantic comedy.

The Next Three Days Movie Review

John and Laura Brennen, Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks are a happily married couple with a little son. He is an English teacher in a local college and she is a business executive. The day after they enjoyed a dinner date at a nice restaurant, their home is invaded by police with a search and arrest warrant for Laura on charges of murdering her boss. Laura is convicted and sent to jail.

John is obsessed in getting her out. He researches jail breaks and devises complex plans. He encounters a number of unsavory people trying to buy counterfeit passports and identification. He is totally focused while Laura becomes complacent with her lot.

This film is action packed, well written, well directed and riveting. We enjoyed it emensely and were worn out by the end. There is a fair amount of violence and not a film for the kids. Most adults will really enjoy this. It is similar in concept to Conviction which came out a couple of weeks ago. Russell Crowe plays John with the total focus of the character. It is two hours well spent.

We rated it 4 1/2 of 5 for an action film.

bruce@kantorandassociates.com

2010 Ballantyne Scoop

Movie Reviews By Bruce Kantor | You Again | Conviction

ssherron — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 11:04:53 +0000

You Again Movie Review

Kristen Bell stars as a young woman tormented in high school by one girl in particular. She graduates from college and becomes a successful public relations person. She is working in Los Angeles and goes to her home in a small California to meet her brother’s fiance who is the nemesis. Their behavior becomes a little like it was in high school.

The girls aunt played by Sigorney Weaver arrives and to no surprise is a former rival of Kristen’s mother played by Jamie Lee Curtis. The film is cute, enjoyable and predictable non the less worth seeing. Betty White plays the grandmother and in the end of the film meets her nemesis from a former life.

Rated 3 1/2 of 5 for a comedy.

Conviction Movie Review

It seems to me that every Hillary Swank does one movie which is destined to bring her an Academy Award and this year is no exception. She plays the sister of a man (Sam Rockwell) who is convicted of a murder which he did not do. The sister, a high school dropout and a waitress, gets a GED, goes to college then law school to defend her brother and ultimately gets him released from prison.

This is very Hollywood however in this case it is a true story. Hillary Swank does her usual excellent job as does Sam Rockwell. Both could receive Oscar nominations.

Rated 4 of 5 for drama

- Bruce Kantor
bruce@kantorandassociates.com

2010 Ballanyne, NC

Ballantyne Scoop Movie Reviews | Red | Secretariat

ssherron — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 18:17:41 +0000

Red Movie Review

RED in CIA terms means Retired and Extremely Dangerous. Bruce Willis is a retired CIA agent living in Cleveland who discovered that there are people out to kill him. Scene one: In the middle of the night he goes down stairs and finds four people dressed in black and armed to the teeth. He subdues them, puts a metal plate on his stove with bullets in it and heads to the basement where he take a stash of high tech guns, passports and cash and heads out of the house to escape. When the bullets start to fire, the house is assailed by a dozen or more agents with machine guns.

He links up with a couple of others played by John Malkovich, Helen Miran and Morgan Freeman also on the hit list. With his girlfriend played by Mary Louise Parker they go around the country and engage in many unbelievable actions. The film is a lot of fun and should be enjoyed with tongue in cheek. Bruce Willis plays the typical he man super stud and does it well. Helen Miran is a delight as a toughie. When asked by Mary Louise what she did with the CIA, Miran answers in her wonderful British accent, “I killed people, dear”.

We truly enjoyed the film and look forward to seeing it again. It is candy for the mind and don’t try to take it seriously.

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The actors certainly did not. I rated it 4 of 5 for an action film. You should not be disappointed..

Secretariat Movie Review

Diane Lane plays Penny Tweedy, a strong woman in the late 1960′s who is an educated housewife in Denver. She oversees her family consisting of a successful attorney and four children. Her mother dies in Virginia and Penny goes back to the funeral. Her father is suffering from dementia but was running a farm raising race horses. One of their mares is expecting a foal whose sire is a champion. The new born horse is eventually named Secretariat.

Penny is a housewife and is not taken seriously. Her strong character wins everyone. She feels that this horse can be a champion his self and she contacts Lucian Lauren played by John Malkovich. He is a semi retired eccentric trainer. He turns the horse into the biggest superstar in horse racing.

Not a horse racing fan, I found this movie to be wonderful. The photography is breathtaking and the music track expands the experience. We knew how the movie ends but never the less it holds one’s interest to the last frame. Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973. The last race was won by a margin not passed to this date. This film should be an Academy Award nomination for Diane Lane and perhaps a best supporting for Malkovich.

This film is a treat for adults but is a good choice for children. Although it is a Walt Disney film, it is not saccharin sweet.

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I rated this 4 3/4 of 5. Don’t miss it. It is better on the big screen than it will be on the small one at home.

- Bruce Kantor
bruce@kantorandassociates.com

2010 Ballantyne, NC

Ballantyne Scoop Movie Reviews By Bruce Kantor

ssherron — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:54:06 +0000

Get Low Movie Review

Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Bill Murray, Lucas Black and Gerald McRamey. This film is based upon a true life experience.

Robert Duvall plays Felix Bush a man who forty years earlier became a reclusive hermit. He is the butt of speculation and rumor. Getting on in age, he decides to see the local undertaker played by Bill Murray to have a funeral while he is still alive. At the funeral he spills a secret which explains his prior forty years.

Robert Duvall deserves an Academy Award nomination for this performance. He becomes Felix Bush. Bill Murray was not his usual annoying self and turns out a good performance. I highly recommend the film. It is a shame that it is playing on so few screens. You will not be disappointed.

I rated this a 4 1/2 out of 5 for a drama.

The American Movie Review

George Clooney plays Jack (with no last name) who is likely an assassin. I say likely because we never find out. The film starts in a cabin in Sweden where Jack is talking with a beautiful girl. They decide to go for a walk and Jack realizes that he is being pursued by a killer. He kills him and the girl who is a witness. He calls his boss (we assume this but never know for sure) who tells him to go to a small town in Italy and stay low and speak to no one. He makes friends with one beautiful woman and arranges to make a custom made sniper rifle for another who we think is a professional hit women.

Jack realizes that the Swedish killers have located him. Why are they after him? We never find out. His ‘boss’ is upset with Jack and perhaps ratted him out although we only infer this. I found the film had a lot of gaps and unanswered questions allowing us the job of figuring it out. The film is beautifully filmed. The women are beautiful. George Clooney does a nude scene which will please women viewers. There is a lot of feminine nudity which will please the male viewers. The cast are mostly Italian and not known to American movie goers. All around this is a mediocre film. It will make money due to George Clooney’s star attraction.

I rated it 2 of 5 for a thriller.

Takers Movie Review

Idris Elba stars as a well dressed successful head of a bank robbery gang. He is pursued by a cop Matt Dillon who is coping with a troubled partner. All goes well until a former friend is asked into the group upon his release from prison. They team with a group from the Russian Mafia with disastrous results. The highlight of the film is a shoot em out at a hotel. I felt the film was crudely done with bad editing. At a few spots it did not make a lot of sense. Action Packed but I would wait until it comes out in video likely in a couple of weeks.

Rated 2 1/2 of 5 action film

bruce@kantorandassociates.com