3:10 TO YUMA

Western

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Christian Bale: rancher Dan Evans
Russell Crowe: outlaw gang leader Ben Wade
Ben Foster: his right-hand man Charlie Prince
Peter Fonda: bounty hunter Byron McElroy
Logan Lerman: Evans's 14-year-old son William
Dallas Roberts: Pinkerton man Grayson Butterfield

REVIEW
It certainly meets all the criteria of the classic Western-type movie: lots of gunfights, quick paced action, spectacular western landscapes, good guys and bad guys.

But beyond that the movie brings into play issues of morality and honesty and character. Food for thought.

The acting is first rate and the casting just perfect. Everybody looks the way they should. Production values are uniformly high. Although it’s nearly 2 hours long, the editing is crisp and there is not a lot that could (or should) be cut out.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence and some language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
The doctor removes the bullet from McElroy’s stomach but does not touch it with anything other than the forceps yet it comes out all nice and clean, in pristine condition, without any sign of blood.

When he drops it into a round metal bowl the sound of the bullet hitting the bowl is too late by at least a half a second.

It passes by so quickly so I’m not 100% sure but I think the sign above the entrance reads Besser's Parlour. The correct spelling in the United States is parlor (ie: without the u).

There is no spout protruding from the round wooden water tower used to replenish the steam engines.

P.S.
In the mid-1800’s the U.S. Federal Government posted a $200 reward for the capture of anyone accused of robbing the U.S. Mail. For a cowboy who earned $40 a month this was a huge amount. In terms of today’s currency, the reward would be about $2,400.

The end credits for some strange reason use Russell Crowe's character’s name rather than his own when crediting his makeup artist, his hairstylist, etc

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

Musical

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jim Sturgess: Jude, a Liverpool ship welder
Joe Anderson: Princeton college student Maxwell aka Max
Evan Rachel Wood: his sister Lucy
Dana Fuchs: up-and-coming singer Sadie
Martin Luther McCoy: Jo-Jo, a guitarist and singer
Bono: Doctor Robert

REVIEW
Few will have the patience to sit through the 2 hours and 15 minutes of this movie unless you are a big fan (I mean really big fan) of the Beatles music. The simplistic plot serves only to provide an opportunity to fit in another song, even if it is out of place and/or inappropriate to the situation. Consequently every 10 minutes or so the story is put on hold while another song is sung and frequently the lip-synching is poorly done.

The acting is only so-so: Jude in particular seems to have been selected more for his singing ability than his other thespian talents. And Maxwell’s father is almost ludicrous.

There are several rather innovative visual elements and some of the dance numbers are well done. It is also a bit of a historical overview of the Vietnam era but there are far better sources of history than this somewhat distorted view.

CLASSIFICATION
for some drug content, nudity, sexuality, violence and language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
With the introduction of Tide detergent in 1949 sales of Rinso brand soap-powder plummeted so it was revamped and reintroduced as Sunshine Rinso. Consequently when Jude and Lucy are in a laudromat, the shelves would not be stocked with boxes of Rinso since the product had been off the market for years.

While Jude is walking in the Stanley Docks area of Liverpool, a yellow and white commuter train can be seen passing by on the other side of the canal. These British Rail Class 507 trains were not put into service until 1978, some 12 years after his walkabout.

A shot of a newspaper dated April 28, 1968 shows it to be a Friday. In fact that was a Sunday.

The first outdoor CCTV surveillance camera was not installed in the United Kingdom until 1985 but we can see an orange one above the door when Jude leaves the Shipper’s bar, some 20 years before its time.

As Jude stands on the rooftop contemplating the situation the long shadows would be consistent with late afternoon, early evening. He then approaches the microphone and begins singing but now the shadows are those seen at noon with the sun almost directly overhead.

P.S.
The principal cast members are named after some Beatles songs which is most appropriate. But what’s with this Jo-Jo when Mr. Mustard or even better, Rocky Racoon could be used instead?

THE BRAVE ONE

Drama\thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jodie Foster: Erica Bain, a 40-something NYC radio talk show personality
Naveen Andrews: her fiancé David
Terrence Howard: NYC Police Detective Sean Mercer
Nicky Katt: his partner Detective Vitale
Mary Steenburgen: Erica’s boss Carol

REVIEW
The trouble with any review of a thriller is not to give away too much. With that in mind several things need be said:
 this is Jodie Foster’s best performance in quite some while. The role calls for a wide range of human emotion and she pulls it off big time.
 the supporting cast is first rate
 the production values are top notch (cinematography, costume design etc)

Despite the fact it runs almost two hours, there’s not a lot that could be edited out. In fact time goes by quickly enough since there is a certain element of uncertainity that keeps you attentive.

One cautionary note: there are some scenes of violence but it’s not something most people can’t handle.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence, profanity, sexual situations, brief nudity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
When Detective Mercer is shot he shouts into his walkie-talkie “10-13, 10-13”. This is the police 10-code requesting weather and road conditions. It seems entirely out of place. A 10-43 (call a doctor) would have been more appropriate given his circumstances.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON

Documentary

FEATURING
Astronauts Jim Lovell, Dave Scott, Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean and others.

REVIEW
Although the American space program has been thoroughly covered before, somehow this movie puts a new slant on things. In part because it is the retelling from the point of view of the astronauts themselves and also because new footage from NASA files is being shown for the first time. It's riveting stuff.

CLASSIFICATION
for mild language, brief violent images and incidental smoking.

MR. BEAN’S HOLIDAY

Comedy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Rowan Atkinson: Mr. Bean
Karel Roden: Emil Duchevsky,famous Russian film director
Max Baldry: his 13-year old son Stepan
Willem Dafoe: American film director

REVIEW
The trademark comical facial expressions and the harmless slapstick can be too much sometimes. But more often than not these provoke a chuckle if not outright laughter. The sight gags for the most part are predictable and can be seen coming a mile off. Maybe that’s the fascination with Atkinson?

Often compared to Charlie Chaplin for his frantic style of humour, you either love him or hate him. There seems to be no middle ground when it comes to how you perceive Rowan Atkinson.

CLASSIFICATION

THE 11TH HOUR

Documentary

REVIEW
The title pretty well says it all: we are running out of time to effectively deal with global warming. Not subtle, but neither are the poignant comments from some 40 or 50 experts who offer their collective opinion that something needs to be done. The trouble is there is far too much information. The film is very much like a university-level lecture with only brief interludes to give the brain a rest before the next onslaught of facts and figures. It is sometimes simply overwhelming.

Narrated and co-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, the movie does offer some new theories for thoughtful consideration but for the most part it’s a regurgitation of material found elsewhere. There is an interesting attempt to balance the ugly images of pollution by some of the most stunning shots of nature I’ve seen in quite some while.

CLASSIFICATION
for some disturbing violent imagery, which I presume, is the 3-second clip showing the clubbing of a baby seal since nothing else would warrant the classification.

RESURRECTING THE CHAMP

Sports drama
Based on a true story

BACKGROUND
Bob Satterfield was born November 1923 in St. Louis and was a heavyweight boxer who fought from 1945 – 1957. He retired with a record of 50 wins, 25 losses and 4 draws. Ring Magazine places him at number 58 in their list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Josh Hartnett: Erik Kernan, sportswriter for the Denver Times newspaper
Alan Alda: his boss Sports Editor Ralph Metz
Kathryn Morris: Erik’s wife and fellow journalist Joyce
Dakota Goyo: their 6-year-old son Teddy
Samuel L. Jackson: Battlin’ Bob Satterfield aka Champ
David Paymer: Whitley, Editor of the glossy Sunday supplement
Teri Hatcher: Andrea Flak, executive for the Showtime cable tv network

REVIEW
Although it’s almost two hours long, the crisp editing and intriguing story make the time fly by. As a sports drama there is some footage of boxing matches but without all the gore often seen in these types of movies.

The acting is all over the place. Samuel Jackson nails his role and his performance is worth the price of admission alone. The other guys (Hartnett, Alda and the little kid) do quite a good job. But the women do not come off as well: it’s hard to imagine anybody dressing to go to the office like Morris does and her hard edge makes her less likeable. Hatcher hardly makes an effort to do more than look pretty.

CLASSIFICATION
for some violence and brief language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
He was known professionally as Bob Bombardier not Battlin’ Bob.

Joyce is wearing a white sweater while talking with Erik outside. From one shot to the next the sleeve on her right arm is either on her shoulder or part way down her arm.