January 2015 Preview!

Here is a quick look at the films I plan to see in January:

Blackhat (1/16/15)
"A man is released from prison to help American and Chinese authorities pursue a mysterious cyber criminal. The dangerous search leads them from Chicago to Hong Kong." x
Directed by Michael Mann, written by Morgan Davis Foehl and Michael Mann, starring Chris Hemsworth and Viola Davis.

Still Alice (1/16/15)
"Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a devastating diagnosis, Alice and her family find their bonds tested." x
Written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, starring Julianne Moore, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish, Kristen Stewart, and Alec Baldwin.

Black Sea (1/23/15)
"In order to make good with his former employers, a submarine captain takes a job with a shadowy backer to search the depths of the Black Sea for a submarine rumored to be loaded with gold." x
Directed by Kevin Macdonald, written by Dennis Kelly, starring Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn, Jodie Whittaker, Scoot McNairy, and Michael Smiley.

Mommy (1/23/15)
"A widowed single mother, raising her violent son alone, finds new hope when a mysterious neighbor inserts herself into their household." x
Written and directed by Xavier Dolan, starring Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Anne Dorval, and Suzanne Clément.

Mortdecai (1/23/15)
"Art dealer Charles Mortdecai searches for a stolen painting that's reportedly linked to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold." x
Directed by David Koepp, written by Eric Aronson, starring Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Paul Bettany, and Jeff Goldblum.

Strange Magic (1/23/15)
"A fairy tale of goblins, fairies and imps meeting for the first time and the consequent confusions and conflicts the culture clash causes." x
Directed by Gary Rydstrom, written by David Berenbaum, Irene Mecchi, Gary Rydstrom, and George Lucas, starring the voices of Kristin Chenoweth, Evan Rachel Wood, Peter Stormare, Alan Cumming, Maya Rudolph, and Alfred Molina.

Which new releases do you plan to see this month?

Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows (2012)
Directed by Tim Burton

In its opening weekend, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's eighth collaboration made only $29 million, which makes it the eleventh biggest opening weekend of 2012.  In its defense, not even a Norse god can stand up to the Avengers.  Any chance of Shadows making a profit on its $150 million budget was swallowed up by Disney's fifth billion dollar film.

I haven't seen its source material, but Burton's film, especially the performances in it, does a good job of evoking the style of a 70's cult classic.  The film is cheesy, over the top, and funny.  Depp expertly channels the essence of the vampire-out-of-water, yet is able to maintain his humanity through his onscreen chemistry with all of the adult female characters.  That man is a ladykiller, even after being dead for 196 years.  How does he do it?

However, I found part of the performances to be quite distracting.  I will preface this by saying that I adore Helena and Eva, but their American accents left much to be desired.  Beyond this fact, the performances were spot on, even though the camp was so thick you could smell it.

The final word: If you're a big fan of Tim Burton you've probably already seen it.  If you aren't you should be, so catch a matinee showing for a fun time and some good laughs.

3 out of 5 stars.
Viewed May 15, 2012 at Mt. Pleasant Cinema 6.