Thursday, April 25, 2013
Not even Ryan Gosling's charm and good looks can save this film.
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Thursday, April 25
This column was written by Lori Wieczorek, editor-in-chief of Montclair State University's newspaper The Montclarion. "The Place Beyond the Pines" is now playing at the Clairidge Cinema, at 486 Bloomfield Ave. "The Place Beyond the Pines" markets itself as a Ryan Gosling flick — which comes with the obvious expectations — but not even his good looks can save this movie from losing focus. The film opens with Gosling playing the role of Luke and a glimpse into his life as a motorcycle stunt driver. His rough, tattooed appearance is curbed by his boyish good looks and affability. Within minutes, the viewer finds out that Luke has a past with Romina (played by Eva Mendes). The interaction is charged with sexual attraction but we have yet to …
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The flick-o-meter gives Jack the Giant Slayer a 3 out of 5.
The video review can also be seen on Youtube. A new Jack and the Beanstalk remix serves up the fee fey foe fum to whole new audience. The CGI wizards in Hollywood have taken an old fairy tale and made it into kind of a big video game. This time Jack climbs the beanstalk to encounter not just one giant, but a whole villa ge of them in "Jack the Giant Slayer." Shot in 3D and packed with CGI , director Bryan Singer uses his skills to create a whole new story that kids may love. Sure there is a little romance and some gross out vulgar humor but, hey, they are giants after all. The CGI was a bit over the top but that is the way these fantasy movies are made these days. That along with a great acting cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Stanley …
Saturday, September 29, 2012
A new animation about vampires is a twisted version of Twilight with a whole bunch of fart jokes. The good news is, it doesn't stink.
Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy...they all come out in this 3D animation where monsters who have to get away from humans and the horrors of modern life head to Hotel Transylvania. Dracula (voiced by Adam Sandler) is the head of the house, and when his daughter Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez) longs for the human world, problems arise…causing quite a scare for the hotel guests. There are more than a dozen celebrity voiceover characters here, which does add to the mainly slapstick animation consisting of supernatural chase scenes and jokes involving excrement, ectoplasmic goo, rear ends and breaking wind. The film is a perfectly Halloween-themed movie for kids, but leaves very little for the adults. Its a fun film but the 3D really isn't …
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Clint Eastwood takes a break from his one-man act with an empty chair to play a grouchy old man. Now that's a stretch!
Clint Eastwood plays an aging baseball scout who has a troubling relationship with his daughter, Amy Adams, in "Trouble with the Curve." Eastwood's eyesight is failing, so Adams decides to tag along on what could be his last scouting trip. The conflicts in the movie are many: father vs. daughter, daughter vs. her new boyfriend (played by Justin Timberlake), and a big baseball conflict pitting younger, tech-savvy scouts against old-school, seasoned scouts. We've seen this movie before; it was called "Moneyball." There are some dark moments, some sappy moments, and you are never quite sure if you are supposed to laugh or not when Eastwood goes on one of his grouchy old man rants. The last time he was in a movie was Grand Torino, back in …
Saturday, September 15, 2012
'Finding Nemo 3D' makes a classic new again and Pixar's short 'Partysaurus Rex' brings on the party.
If Cinema Siren had a dime for every time a perfectly down-to-earth average adult said Finding Nemo is one of their favorite movies, I might have a yacht as big as Steven Spielberg's. The Siren knows animation. Alter ego Leslie Combemale owns a gallery that has specialized in animation and film art for 19 years. When I say "I know Nemo," I mean I've seen it at least 20 times, and have met and spoken to Pixar animators and directors many times. I remember the way they spoke of Finding Nemo in hushed tones in 2003, just before it was released. The artists knew they had something spectacular. It is one of the only times I can ever remember when positive expectation and pride was universal. Many fans and critics believe this wonderful film …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Bradley Cooper plays a writer who rips off another writer who just happened to be Jeremy Irons. Bad idea? Oh, I think so...
Bradley Cooper wants to be a professional writer but he can't because, well, he's not good enough. He comes across a transcript form shelved for years, publishes it, and tells the world it's his work when we ALL know it's not "The Words." Jeremy Irons plays the writer who actually wrote the book. He confronts Cooper's character, accusing him of plagiarism, and then proceeds to tell him his back-story, thus slowing down the film to a turtle's pace. Other actors in the film include small roles from Zoe Saldana, Dennis Quaid and Olivia Wilde. Despite a talented cast, the film seemed a bit jumbled toward the middle. You see, there are actually three different stories going on, making it difficult to follow because they are not chronological…
Saturday, September 8, 2012
This often hilarious comedy takes a tough look at relationships and the fear of commitment.
The late, great Norah Ephron's 'Julie & Julia' was flawed entertainment with a refreshing point-of-view: What if characters in a Hollywood movie were allowed to focus on their careers rather than just their romantic relationships? Co-Writer/Director/Actor Mike Birbiglia's 'Sleepwalk with Me' is not a Hollywood production by any stretch, but it asks a similar question: Can you be happy if your only great success is a relationship? Birbiglia plays Matt Pandamiglio, a moniker that feels designed by a team of lawyers. The name alternation was probably a smart move as nearly all of 'Sleepwalk' is based on events from Birbiglia's life. 'Sleepwalk' has had three previous iterations: as an audio segment on NPR's 'This American Life', a one-man …
Friday, August 31, 2012
Film has its roots in Virginia.
Coming to the big screen this week is the story of three brothers who made and ran moonshine in Franklin County, VA, based on a book by local novelist Matt Bondurant with a screenplay written by Nick Cave. This indie release, directed by Aussie John Hillcoat, brings together a stellar cast in what ultimately is a beautifully filmed ultra-violent action drama but a missed opportunity to go deeper. What we get is a temporarily diverting two hours, but a film that doesn't really stay with you or scream "classic'" after the credits roll. One thing does stay with you long after the twitch-inducing violence recedes from your memory: the acting. Tom Hardy as the laconic and mythically indestructible head of the family is compulsively magnetic …
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Bad acting, clunky car chase scenes, saucy language and perverted violence are all ways to describe this week's movie.
Dax Shepard plays a reformed bank robber living with his girlfriend and real-life fiance Kristen Bell. When they go on a trip to Los Angeles for a job interview, the fun begins in "Hit and Run." The two are being followed by Tom Arnold, an official overseeing Shepard's Witness Protection Progam, and they are also being stalked by Bradley Cooper, who plays a lowlife in desperate need of some confiscated property. This car chase movie is not for the easily offended. In fact, just about everyone, on some level, should be offended. This brand of comedy is not even slapstick; it's just vicious in nature. If you are a huge fan of muscle cars, you may find this film amusing. But it is still questionable to me that it's worth the price of …
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Having trouble rekindling the sparks of your marriage? Come see ‘Hope Springs’ this weekend with your significant other and enjoy the laughs.
Marriage is the longest contract a man will have to sign in his entire life. And at times, he can mistake a happy married life for a long term commitment with no infractions. At least, that’s the problem Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) has in Hope Springs. Arnold has been off the market for more than 30 years, living with Kay (Meryl Streep) in their average middle-class home in Omaha. He claims to have never cheated or be selfish about marital matters – as evidenced by his “mutually considerate” anniversary present to his wife: cable subscription. He feels that as long as the two are living together, the two are married together, and their fallout as of late is simply a decline of romance in old age. What the audience actually sees is quite …
supermom
10:02 am on Saturday, September 29, 2012
^ what the reviewer ment was: it is a fabulous movie for kids! Your kids will love it! You will leave the theatre with a smile because it's silly and a little heart warming! Great way to introduce "monsters" to little ones. This movie made them not so scary. I repeat. Great for kids! Onehappymom more ›