2012

Disaster epic

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jimi Mistry: Indian geophysicist Dr. Satnam Tsurutani
Chiwetel Ejiofor: Dr. Adrian Helmsley, U.S. Chief Science Advisor
Oliver Platt: his boss Chief of Staff Carl Anheuser
Thandie Newton: Laura Wilson
John Cusack: Jackson Curtis, limo driver and published author of Farewell Atlantis
Amanda Peet: his ex-wife Kate
Liam James: their 13-year-old son Noah
Morgan Lily: their 8-year-old daughter Lilly
Tom McCarthy: Kate's plastic surgeon boyfriend Gordon
Woody Harrelson: doomsday radio host Charlie Frost
Danny Glover: Thomas Wilson, President of the United States of America
Zlatko Buric: Jackson's boss, Russian billionaire Yuri Karpov
Beatrice Rosen: Yuri’s girlfriend Tamara

REVIEW
This is one big-budget no-holds-barred disaster movie. In keeping with this genre of movie many of the world’s best known icons get destroyed and people come perilously close to dying. It’s all good fun: I quite enjoyed it secure in the comfy chair of the movie theatre.

The CGI special effects are nothing short of amazing although they do run on a bit too long. At 2 hours and 20 minutes it needs some editing: hardly anyone has that much free time to spend watching anything, even such an important event at the end of the world as we know it.

CLASSIFICATION
for intense disaster sequences, some strong language and apocalyptic violence.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• Charlie has a beer in his hand: it rotates showing different parts of the label from one shot to the next.
• After a lengthy speech the time remaining on the count down clock is shown as 3:15. Several minutes later one of the crew says something to the effect “there is not much time left, we must hurry” and behind him the clock has rewound itself to 3:58.
• The aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) is seen being tossed in a tidal wave. After nearly 40 years of service in the United States Navy, Kennedy was officially decommissioned on 1 August 2007 and is no longer seaworthy.

COCO BEFORE CHANEL

Biography
Original title: Coco Avant Chanel
In French with English subtitles

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Audrey Tautou: Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel
Marie Gillain: her younger sister Adrienne
Benoît Poelvoorde: rich playboy Étienne Balsan
and others no doubt

REVIEW
To sum up in one word or less it is one boring film. This dragged out biography of the woman who changed the world of fashion will test your patience since things evolve at a snail’s pace. There are too many words and not enough action.

Although it looks good with lovely costumes and grand sweeping exterior shots that is not enough to hold your interest for very long. I left after 45 minutes.

CLASSIFICATION
for sexual content and images of smoking.

AMREEKA

Drama
Sometimes in Arabic with English subtitles

F.Y.I.
The Diversity Immigrant Visa program is a United States congressionally-mandated lottery for obtaining a United States Permanent Resident Card. It is also known as the Green Card Lottery. The lottery is administered on an annual basis by the Department of State to provide for a new class of immigrants known as "diversity immigrants". The Act makes available 50,000 permanent resident visas annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Nisreen Faour: Muna, a single mother
Melkar Muallem: her 16-year-old son Fadi
Hiam Abbass: Muna’s older sister Raghda
Yussef Abu-Warda: her physician husband
Joseph Ziegler: Mr. Novatski, School Principal
Alia Shawkat: Fadi’s cousin Salma
Selena Haddad: Fadi’s younger cousin Lamis
Jenna Kawar: her older sister Rana

REVIEW
Life for Palestinians living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is difficult so given the opportunity to improve their lot, relocating to America seems like a good option. However there are problems of a different sort for any new immigrant as this small-budget film brings to mind. Some of which are humorous, but others much more serious.

With some fine acting and crisp editing this is an enjoyable outing.

CLASSIFICATION
for brief drug use and some language.

P.S.
Amreeka is the Arabic word for America.

MICHAEL JACKSON: THIS IS IT

Musical performance

F.Y.I.
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009), known as the “King of Pop”, was an American musician and one of the most commercially successful and influential entertainers of all time. His unique contributions to music and dance, along with a highly publicized personal life, made him a prominent figure in popular culture for over four decades.
Alongside his brothers, he made his debut in 1964 as lead singer and youngest member of The Jackson 5 and began a successful solo career in 1971. His 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time. He is widely credited with having transformed the music video from a promotional tool into an art form with his songs such as “Billie Jean” and “Beat It”.
In his stage performances and music videos Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk.

REVIEW
Accused of child molestation, rumoured to have paid $20 million to the family of a 13-year-old boy, his career was in ruins. Michael Jackson stopped performing, made no more albums, was no longer a part of the contemporary music scene.

Following a sensational trail that acquitted him of all charges, he decided on making a come back and told the world about his forthcoming concert tour. “This Is it”, he said, “This is the final curtain call." How prophetic.

The show’s producers had in mind to release a DVD of the actual concert along with behind-the-scenes footage of backstage planning sessions and some rehearsals. Unfortunately for the massive following of his loyal fans that is all there is.

Although not intended to be, the film is a wonderful tribute to a man who changed the popular music scene as we know it today, who inspired numerous other artists while also breaking down cultural, racial and generational barriers, who astounded everyone with his innovative choreography and dancing ability even more so than his singing. Is there anyone who has not tried to moon-walk at least once?

The seamless mixing of different rehearsals of the same song is nothing short of amazing. At times dressed in casual street clothes, sometimes in full dress rehearsal these shots are melded together as one continuous performance without missing a beat. Someone spent a lot of time making this happen.

CLASSIFICATION
for some suggestive choreography and scary horror film images.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Amimated story

PRINCIPAL VOICES
Jim Carrey: Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts
Gary Oldman: Bob Cratchit, Jacob Marley and Tiny Tim
Colin Firth: Scrooge’s nephew Fred

REVIEW
Sometimes they should leave well enough alone. Anyone who has read the book or seen the 1951 movie Scrooge played by Alastair Sim will probably be disappointed with the latest incarnation of this classic tale by Charles Dickens.

Not because Disney strays from the basic premise of the story (which they don’t) but because it is difficult to relate to animated characters that for the most part look as though they are made of plastic. Although Ebenezer Scrooge shows a range of emotions and comes close to the real thing, the others do not.

The use of the latest computer generated animation (including 3D in some theatres) has resulted in some really amazing scenes and Carrey’s versatility is nothing short of amazing. But that is not enough to evoke any real emotional involvement which is the whole point of the exercise. And the transformation Scrooge goes through lacks that eureka moment, overshadowed by all the whiz-bang technology.

CLASSIFICATION
for scary sequences and images.

P.S.
I was concerned that the little ones might be frightened by some of the scenes (particularly the ghost of Christmas Past) but as we exited the theatre I overheard one 4-year-old say “it wasn’t real scary…I didn’t even close my eyes once”.

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN

Crime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Gerard Butler: Inventor Clyde Shelton
Bruce McGill: Philadelphia District Attorney Jonas Cantrell
Jamie Foxx: Assistant D.A. Nick Rice
Leslie Bibb: Nick's prosecutorial partner Sarah Lowell
Colm Meaney: Police Detective Dunnigan
Annie Corley: Judge Laura Burch
Viola Davis: City of Philidelphia Mayor

REVIEW
A crime thriller that does not “telegraph” what is coming next makes for riveting viewing. Not that one needs to watch everything: the squeamish like me will have to avert their eyes part way through for one fairly brief scene (an essential part of the story but that doesn’t mean I have to watch it).

The acting is fine, the technical aspects of the first order although the CGI needs a little work. Crisp editing keeps things moving to its ultimate grand finale.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence and torture.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• Although Judge Burch keeps her hands below the dais and does not touch them her eyeglasses change position from one shot to another.
• Clyde has some difficulty getting past the table to lie down on the bed but when he gets there the table has conveniently moved to the other side of the room.
• Clyde gets punched and blood oozes from his mouth. When he looks up, the blood has pretty much disappeared.

AMELIA

Biography

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Hilary Swank: aviatrix Amelia Earhart
Richard Gere: promoter and publishing magnate George Putnam
Ewan McGregor: the founder of TWA Gene Vidal
Cherry Jones: First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
Christopher Eccleston: Amelia’s navigator Fred Noonan

REVIEW
This is the true story of one of the most incredible people of the 20th century, a woman holding title to many “firsts” not just in aviation but with product endorsements as well. And Hilary Swank nails it: not only does she look and act the part of Amelia she ably handles a full range of emotion. I think this is her best performance ever. The rest of the cast give very credible performances, but none match hers.

The production values are top notch with great attention to detail (apart from two minor points as outlined below) creating the look and feel of the period. And it all rings true since the producers have resisted the temptation to exaggerate a little (or a lot as sometimes happens in Hollywood) especially about the uncertainty of some events.

CLASSIFICATION
for some sensuality, language, thematic elements and smoking.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• A Petty Officer Second Class enters the radio room aboard the Coast Guard cutter Itasca. Immediately one of the enlisted men stands up and salutes. A salute is not required when indoors unless reporting to an officer and never extended to a N.C.O. Only Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers are entitled to a salute.
• Fred used a fishing rod to pass messages to Amelia rather than by way of a clothesline shown in the movie.

P.S.
Gene Vidal’s son Gore went on to become a famous author.

P.S.S.
One minor quibble: I don’t see the reason for using the flashback technique since the story begins at a point when we do not know the outcome. I would have taken the straightforward chronological approach.