THE ULTIMATE WAVE TAHITI

Documentary

PRINCIPAL PARTICIPANTS
Nine-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater
Tahitian surfer Raimana Van Bastolaer

REVIEW
While waiting for the ultimate wave to arrive off Tahiti's famed Teahupo'o beach there is a brief history of this Polynesian island and some of the local customs. Making good use of CGI we get an insight into the science of wave mechanics and the formation of volcanic islands.

But the best part are the sequences of actually surfing these monstrous waves. That makes for some spectacular images.

CLASSIFICATION

SOLITARY MAN

Drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Michael Douglas: former car salesman 60-year-old “Honest Ben Kalman”
Susan Sarandon: Ben’s ex-wife Nancy, a real estate agent
Mary Louise Parker: Ben’s current girlfriend rich socialite Jordan Karsch
Imogen Poots: Jordan’s 18-year-old daughter Allyson
Jenna Fischer: Ben’s married daughter Susan Porter
David Costabile: Susan’s husband Gary
Danny DeVito: Ben’s long time friend and restaurant owner Jimmy Marino
Jesse Eisenberg: college student Daniel Cheston

REVIEW
Perfectly typecast, this is one of Douglas’ finest performances (not that he has not had others) and one of the best by DeVito. These two polished professionals on their own make it worthwhile viewing. Although they have minor roles, the excellent acting by Sarandon and Eisenberg is a real bonus.

As a character study of Ben you don’t have to love him or what he stands for but you do begin to understand why he’s a solitary man.

Unusual for most movies is the soundtrack, or absence of one: apart from the title song during the opening credits there is not a lot of music. Instead we hear ambient sounds and often just silence.

Another aspect of filmmaking that does not follow the norm are the many long takes rather than the short snippets and quick scene changes so often employed. How refreshing to see and hear something different for a change.

CLASSIFICATION
for language and some sexual content.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
Ben tosses a table napkin casually over his shoulder while talking outside the restaurant. From one scene to the next it changes from neatly folded to more spread out.

GET LOW

Drama, mystery

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Robert Duvall: Felix Bush, a reclusive carpenter
Lucas Black: Buddy Robinson, Quinn’s only employee
Gerald McRaney: Reverend Gus Horton, Felix’s long time friend
Bill Murray: Frank Quinn, proprietor of Quinn Funeral Home
Sissy Spacek: the widow Mattie Darrow

REVIEW
Right from the get-go it is apparent that Felix harbours a secret. And he hangs on to it until almost the very end.

Along the way there are more than a few humorous moments with excellent acting by both Duvall and Murray. With great attention to detail (except for a few things noted below) it looks good. A most enjoyable film.

CLASSIFICATION
for mature thematic material and brief violent content.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• While driving to Felix’s house the car windows are closed but when Buddy steps out he puts his left hand around the window frame that is now conveniently open.
• Felix gives Frank a sheet of paper with the top right hand corner folded over but when viewed from Frank’s point of view it is perfectly flat.

P.S.
In the parlance of the backwoods “to get low” means to get down to business.

THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE

Fansty, adventure

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jake Cherry: 10-year-old David "Dave" Stutler
Nicolas Cage: Balthazar Blake, a thousand year old sorcerer
Jay Baruchel: 20-year-old Dave Stutler, a physics student at New York University
Alfred Molina: Maxim Horvath, an evil sorcerer and Blakes’ arch-nemesis
Teresa Palmer: college student Rebecca “Becky” Barnes
Nicole Ehinger: Abigail Williams, a witch “in the last layer around the Grimhold”
Toby Kebbell: Drake Stone, a celebrated illusionist
and others no doubt

REVIEW
The target audience (children and young teenagers) seemed to enjoy it but I did not. Chances are they never saw the original Walt Disney version of Fantasia with Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice which is too bad because that was delightful whereas this modern day version is anything but.

To start with it is far too complicated to be taken seriously: just keeping track of the characters takes more effort than it is worth. Also it is too loud with lots of banging and crashing and general mayhem. In fact it is nothing but a series of computer generated effects popping up constantly. Hey too much is too much!

I left before losing all my hearing unable to take any more of it.

CLASSIFICATION
for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• A title screen at the beginning of the movie says the year is 2000 but when the camera zooms in on the New York skyline the World Trade Center twin towers are not there.
• When Balthazar comes out of the urn he is not wearing a hat but in the very next scene one has magically appeared.

SALT

Action, thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Angelina Jolie: C.I.A. officer Evelyn Salt
Liev Schreiber: Salt’s colleague and friend Ted Winter
August Diehl: Salt's husband Michael "Mike" Krause, a German arachnologist
Daniel Olbrychski: Orlov, a Russian defector
Chiwetel Ejiofor: C.I.A. Internal Affairs operative, Agent Peabody
Hunt Block: United States President Lewis

REVIEW
Once it gets going, the action never lets up with more chase scenes than any other movie currently in release. Salt proves she is a “one-woman” saviour to the world and capable of almost anything. And she pulls it off without too much assistance from the CGI wizards. How refreshing.

As with most films of this sort the plot is purposely convoluted and full of surprises. If nothing else, this labyrinthine spy thriller keeps you guessing.

CLASSIFICATION
for intense sequences of violence and action.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• Following a flashback a title screen indicates we are back to present day. Some time later we see the tombstone of the U.S. Vice President with the year of his death shown incorrectly as 2011.
• Salt gets a scratch on her cheek, just below her left ear. It changes position from one scene to the next.

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Annette Bening: Nic, a physician
Julianne Moore: Jules, a fledgling landscape gardener
Mark Ruffalo: restaurant owner Paul
Yaya DaCosta: the restaurant’s hostess Tanya
Mia Wasikowska: 18-year-old Joni
Josh Hutcherson: her 15-year-old brother Laser

REVIEW
Modern day families have their own set of problems and serious issues to deal with. The intelligent, realistic dialogue provides a great deal of insight to relationships forged over the years.

The believable characters and fine performances all around make this an entertaining film for the mature viewer.

CLASSIFICATION
for strong sexual content, nudity, language, some teen drug and alcohol use.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• Tanya’s glass seen from over her shoulder is almost full to the top but when viewed straight on it’s only half full despite the fact she never takes a drink from it.
• When his caller hangs up Paul hears “beep-beep”. In fact there is no sound once the phone call is terminated.

INCEPTION

Science fiction

F.Y.I.
An extractor: someone who can enter into other people’s dreams
An inception: the implantation of an idea deep in someone’s subconscious
Two-dream layers: people dream that they’re dreaming
Three-dream layers: a dream-within-a-dream-within-a-dream

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Leonardo DiCaprio: Dominic "Dom" Cobb, an extractor
Ken Watanabe: Saito, CEO of a Japanese energy company
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Dom’s longtime associate Arthur
Marion Cotillard: Dom’s wife Mallorie "Mal" Cobb
Michael Caine: Miles, college professor and Dom’s father-in-law
Ellen Page: Ariadne, a brilliant young architect
Tom Hardy: Eames, a forger
Dileep Rao: Yusuf, a chemical genius
Cillian Murphy: Robert Fischer, Jr., heir to a business empire
Pete Postlethwaite: Robert’s ailing father Maurice
Tom Berenger: Maurice’s right hand man Browning

REVIEW
Too long (2½ hours), too confusing (at least for me) and too repetitive (car chases and gun battles go on forever).

Blurring the lines between reality and fantasy is a mainstay of science-fiction movies but sometimes they can go too far with it. Such is the case with this one: after a while it all becomes too much to keep track of what we are seeing.

Consequently about the midpoint I’d given up any hope of ever figuring it out so I occupied myself watching the movie's astonishing special effects and looking for Nitpicks, of which there are quite a few.

CLASSIFICATION
for sequences of violence and action throughout.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• Cobb’s gun is slid across the conference table with the handle away from him but when he later grabs it he is able to shoot the gun without first having to twist it around.
• In the first car chase the grill of the yellow cab gets smashed in pretty badly. But in the next scene the grill is mostly intact and stays that way until the cab drives into the warehouse once more with a badly damaged grill.
• Like the other passengers Arthur puts on headphones when he enters the white van. During its fall from the bridge he no longer has them on until it enters the water and they reappear.
• A car explodes in a big fireball outside the Paris café followed by a lot of debris then another big explosion, this time with the same car that has already been blown to bits as well as others.
• While lying down after being shot Saito’s shirt is unbuttoned at the top and you can see the white sticky tape and part of his blood pack on his chest to create the illusion of being wounded.
• As Arthur helps the team members to the elevator the green EXIT sign is backwards.
• Arthur enters hotel room 491 and says it is directly below room 528. No where have I ever seen room numbers assigned in that manner.
• Arthur and Cobb leave their Tokyo hotel room and go up the stairs to the roof. It is clearly night-time as they get in the helicopter but in the next scene when it flies off it is mid-day.
• While Saito and Cobb are in another helicopter it is raining against the window behind them but seconds later when they are about to take off there is no rain to be seen anywhere.
• The Immigration Officer stamps Cobb’s passport after examining it. Passports of US Citizens returning from abroad are not stamped by US Immigration.