Doubt

Doubt is set in a Catholic elementary school where a Sister begins to have doubts about one of the priests. What kind of doubt you ask?






This movie is summed up by its title, and by my first sentence. Delving into it further would spoil this for everyone out there.

What I can tell you is that this is a Master Class in acting. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis are kind enough to teach everyone how this is supposed to be done. I doubt that you will be able to find four superior performances in one movie. Apparently somebody agrees with me as they were each nominated for an Academy Award. Hoffman and Streep for Best Actor and Actress, and Adams and Davis for Best Supporting Actress.

I really can't say enough about this movie so I won't. I was absolutely enthralled from the minute it started. It is subject matter that we have become all too familiar with and the performances make it real. Amazingly real.

5 stars, and I don't give them out often. Pick up a copy, and I would love to hear what you think.

The Express

The Express, aka The Elmira Express, is a movie based on the life of Ernie Davis. For those of you who don't know, Ernie Davis had the distinct pleasure of following in Jim Brown's footsteps at Syracuse University. And being a black football player in the late 50's and early 60's was no easy task.

I am not usually a fan of "based on real events" sports movies. I know that sounds weird coming from a sports nut, but I usually find them too cheesy, too contrived, or very often too "feel good" to consider a fun watch. I would much prefer watching movies like Bull Durham or The Replacements, or the original version of The Longest Yard. They pretend to be nothing but entertainment, and to me that is a good thing.

True to life movies need to be very powerful, or deal with very poignant topics for me to stay interested. Brian's Song comes to mind as a real winner. On with it...

The Express does a really fine job of conveying a story that too few people remember. It's an easy one to know, and it's certainly predictable, but the story is worth telling and worth listening to. I enjoy stories about really good guys. Ernie Davis was a really good guy. It's easy to be a good guy when times are easy, but to endure the racism and struggles that he endured and still remain a good man, well that is saying a lot. I am continually embarrassed by our countries history with racism. I really hope that we continue to grow.

You aren't going to be surprised by much, and I don't think that you will be truly wowed, but this is a 4 star story that is worth 120 minutes of your time.

Rob Brown did a very good job portraying Davis however Dennis Quaid was as good as I have seen him in a long time. He pulled off Head Coach Ben Schwartzwalder flawlessly. He really had the old school hard ass coach down pat. Nice work.

Pineapple Express

Seth Rogan plays a good guy stoner, Dale Denton, who witnesses a murder by a drug kingpin and a corrupt cop. His one of a kind weed, Pineapple Express, links him as a witness and thus he must go on the run with his dealer.





I am going to keep this brief since none of us have tons of time to waste. I take that back, apparently we do if we are going to watch crap like this. That was kind, this is more than crap. It's borderline disaster.

I am a big Seth Rogan fan, and I also enjoy a good stoner movie, but this one just didn't cut it for me. I didn't find it funny at all.

It was a huge waste of time for me. 2 stars, and that is being kind.

Slumdog Millionaire

I wasn't going to review Slumdog Millionaire, some movies are just so highly publicized that it's a waste of time. But keeping quiet has never been my style.

The Oscar winner for Best Picture, I can't imagine that there is a soul on the planet who hasn't heard of this movie. But for those of you soulless creatures, take a gander...




In a nutshell, the movie follows Jamal and Salim Malik, two brothers that grew up in the slums of Bombay/Mumbai. Jamal is a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" and while breezing through the show he is accused of cheating. It's a concoction of fabulous story telling, gritty slum life, violence, and love. Director Danny Boyle knocked it out of the park with this one.

As I eluded to previously, the Oscar win for Best Picture, combined with 7 other Academy Awards tells the story of the success. And a success it was, however I found it to be a bit overrated. It is a really good film, but I didn't find it to be a GREAT film.

It hit all of the emotional elements, but it just didn't wow me with any particular one of them. I haven't seen a few of the other Best Picture nominees yet, but I can only assume that either none of them were great, or this one just tugged at the right heart strings of the committee members.

The blu-ray transfer is actually quite good. There were a few moments of significant grain, however most of the 1080p was impressive. The blu-ray really stood out with the DTS-HD Master Audio mix. A good soundtrack and more sound effects than I anticipated made it a really nice listen, much more so than I expected from this type of movie.

Oh, and Freida Pinto is a rising star. Incredibly attractive with "the look" that will take her a long way. I expect to see a lot more of her, and I expect her skills to keep increasing.















This is a very good film that is well worth the watch. 4 stars, but I don't think it's a repeater.

Elegy

Elegy is a perfect example of the acting excellence that Sir Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz exude time and again. I am more and more impressed each time I see them. Take a look...





An adaptation of the novel The Dying Animal by Philip Roth, it does not stay particularly true to form but that is not a bad thing here. Essentially, this movie is about an aging college professor with a fear of commitment, and basically a fear of getting old. Sir Ben was perfect for the part. There are but a few "older" actors that could pull off the womanizer successfully and he is one of them.

His life is turned upside down when he falls for one of his students, the always stunning Ms. Cruz. I have gushed time and again about her, and I won't be shy to do it again. She is an absolute gem of a talent. Amazing skills and simply beautiful to look at. She is fresh off a win for Best Supporting Actress in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, but I strongly believe that this was a stronger performance. Perhaps this release was delayed as to not interfere with her run?

Dennis Hopper also makes an appearance as Kingsley's best friend and fellow womanizer. I've always liked Hopper, and he does do a pretty good job with this but I just don't see him in that role. No matter, as this was all about Kingsley and Cruz.

The movie can be summed up in a number of ways, and I would imagine that a woman's point of view will be much different than the man's here. Big surprise, right? It's ironic, perhaps sleazy, sometimes sentimental, but always poignant. It's a good look into the mind of an aging man. I recommend giving this one a watch. It's a pace that is slow at times, but it's one of those rewarding journeys that should be savored. 4 stars.

A quick shout out to the Class of '89 from MHS. It was really good seeing everyone. And to Petros, TJ, Louise, and anyone else out there reading me from time to time, a big THANKS! Hit that little comment button below and leave me a note about what you think.

Happy-Go-Lucky

Nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay by The Academy, Happy-Go-Lucky follows the life of Poppy played by Sally Hawkins. Poppy is one of those eternal optimists, always cheery, always looking on the bright side of life. She is so cheery that it is beyond nauseating. Take a look...




She's a 30 year old school teacher from London that lives with her best friend in a London flat. She also has no drivers license and rides her bike wherever she goes. One day, her beloved bike gets stolen and she decides to grow up, just a tad, and get a drivers license! Awesome stuff right?

The movie basically meanders through a few days in her life. Taking driving lessons, teaching school, partying with her friends, hurting her back, and even taking flamenco lessons.

It basically reminded me of the Seinfeld episodes when George and Jerry were writing their pilot for NBC. It's a show about nothing!

Good enough if you are into that kind of thing. Or if you are trying to fill 30 minutes with a sitcom. For me it just didn't work. Sure, there were a few good laughs and Sally Hawkins was quite good. But for nearly two hours of movie it nearly put me to sleep. You may get a few interesting moments, but not nearly enough.

You can skip this one. 2 stars and a ho-hum.

Cadillac Records

Cadillac Records brings the music of the 1950's right into your living room. Sometimes gritty, never truly suspenseful, but mostly entertaining and fun to watch.






This is certainly one of Adrien Brody's best performances of recent memory. Playing club owner turned record exec, Leonard Chess, Brody has that certain savoir faire to pull this off without being too sleazy. Come to think of it, there is an endless array of strong performances. Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, Columbus Short as Little Walter, and Mos Def as Chuck Berry each performed admirably and shove believability down your throat.

This soundtrack is top notch ass kickin music. That alone makes this worth the watch.

The problem here is the writing just wasn't strong enough. It was a little gritty in parts, but a movie such as this needs to be really gritty. It needs to make you feel the music, feel the pain behind it, and the joy involved when it hits the air waves. You need to feel the poverty, the successes, and the failures. For the most part, it failed in fully delivering.

Beyonce makes an appearance in the second half as Etta James. So much could have been done with her character. For the most part, she was wasted.

It's a good movie, just not a REALLY good movie. As I said, the music alone is worth the watch.

3 stars.