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?

December 2014 Preview!

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

Wild (12/5/14)
"A chronicle of one woman's 1,100-mile solo hike undertaken as a way to recover from a recent catastrophe."x
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, written by Nick Hornby, starring Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, and Thomas Sadoski.

Exodus: Gods and Kings (12/12/14)
"The defiant leader Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues."x
Directed by Ridley Scott, written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, and Stephen Zaillian, starring Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, and Ben Kingsley.

Inherent Vice (12/12/14)
"In 1970, drug-fueled Los Angeles detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend."x
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, Owen Wilson, and Benicio del Toro.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (12/17/14)
"Bilbo and Company are forced to be embraced in a war against an armed flock of combatants and the terrifying Smaug from acquiring a kingdom of treasure and obliterating all of Middle-Earth."x
Directed by Peter Jackson, written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro, starring Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lilly, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Fry, Billy Connolly, and Christopher Lee.

Mr. Turner (12/19/14)
"An exploration of the last quarter century of the great, if eccentric, British painter J.M.W. Turner's life."x
Written and directed by Mike Leigh, starring Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson, and Richard Bremmer.

Two Days, One Night (12/24/14)
"Sandra, a young Belgian mother, discovers that her workmates have opted for a significant pay bonus, in exchange for her dismissal. She has only one weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses so that she can keep her job."x
Written and directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, starring Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, and Catherine Salée.

American Sniper (12/25/14)
"A Navy S.E.A.L. recounts his military career, which includes more than 150 confirmed kills."x
Directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Jason Hall, starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, and Luke Grimes.

Big Eyes (12/25/14)
"A drama centered on the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s."x
Directed by Tim Burton, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, starring Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, Danny Huston, and Terence Stamp.

Selma (12/25/14)
"Martin Luther King, Lyndon Baines Johnson and the civil rights marches that changed America."x
Directed by Ava DuVernay, written by Paul Webb, starring David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Dylan Baker, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Oprah Winfrey .

Unbroken (12/25/14)
"A chronicle of the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II."x
Directed by Angelina Jolie, written by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Jai Courtney, and Miyavi.

A Most Violent Year (12/31/14)
"In New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history."x
Written and directed by J.C. Chandor, starring Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, and Albert Brooks.

Leviathan (12/31/14)
"In a Russian coastal town, Dmitri is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man's arrival brings further misfortune for Dmitri and his family."x
Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, written by Oleg Negin and Andrey Zvyagintsev, starring Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Elena Lyadova, Aleksey Serebryakov, and Roman Madyanov.

Which December releases are you looking forward to the most?

November 2014 Preview!

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

Interstellar (11/5/14)
"A group of explorers make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage."x
Directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan, starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Ellen Burstyn, and John Lithgow.

Big Hero 6 (11/7/14)
"The special bond that develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax, and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes."x
Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, written by Don Hall, Jordan Roberts, Robert L. Baird, and Daniel Gerson, starring the voices of Ryan Potter, Maya Rudolph, Genesis Rodriguez, Jamie Chung, Daman Wayans Jr., Alan Tudyk, and James Cromwell.

The Theory of Everything (11/7/14)
"A look at the relationship between the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife."x
Directed by James Marsh, written by Anthony McCarten, starring Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Emily Watson, and David Thewlis.

Foxcatcher (11/14/14)
"Based on the true story of Mark Schultz, an Olympic wrestler whose relationship with sponsor John du Pont and brother Dave Schultz would lead to unlikely circumstances."x
Directed by Bennett Miller, written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, and Vanessa Redgrave.

The Homesman (11/14/14)
"A claim jumper and a pioneer woman team up to escort three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa."x
Directed by Tommy Lee Jones, written by Tommy Lee Jones, Kieran Fitzgerald, and Wesley A. Oliver, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank, John Lithgow, James Spader, William Fichtner, Hailee Steinfeld, and Meryl Streep.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (11/21/14)
"Katniss Everdeen is in District 13 after she shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage."x
Directed by Francis Lawrence, written by Danny Strong and Peter Craig, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanly Tucci, Toby Jones, Sam Claflin, and Donald Sutherland.

Horrible Bosses 2 (11/26/14)
"Dale, Kurt and Nick decide to start their own business but things don't go as planned because of a slick investor, prompting the trio to pull off a harebrained and misguided kidnapping scheme."x
Directed by Sean Anders, written by Sean Anders and John Morris, starring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz, and Kevin Spacey.

The Imitation Game (11/28/14)
"English mathematician and logician, Alan Turing, helps crack the Enigma code during World War II."x
Directed by Morten Tyldum, written by Graham Moore, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, Rory Kinnear, and Charles Dance.

Which films do you plan to see in November?

October 2014 Preview!

Here is a quick look at the films I want to see in October:

Gone Girl (10/3/14)
"With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent." x
Directed by David Fincher, written by Gillian Flynn, starring Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, and Neil Patrick Harris.

Dracula Untold (10/10/14)
"The origin story of the man who becomes Dracula." x
Directed by Gary Shore, written by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, starring Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, and Samantha Barks.

The Judge (10/10/14)
"Big city lawyer Hank Palmer returns to his childhood home where his father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth and, along the way, reconnects with his estranged family." x
Directed by David Dobkin, written by Nick Schenk and Bill Duguque, starring Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Sarah Lancaster.

Kill the Messenger (10/10/14)
"A reporter becomes the target of a vicious smear campaign that drives him to the point of suicide after he exposes the CIA's role in arming Contra rebels in Nicaragua and importing cocaine into California. Based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb." x
Directed by Michael Cuestra, written by Peter Landesman, starring Jeremy Renner, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Sheen, Ray Liotta, and Oliver Platt.

St. Vincent (10/10/14)
"A young boy whose parents just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic, war veteran who lives next door." x
Written and directed by Theodore Melfi, starring Jaeden Lieberher, Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd, and Terrence Howard.

Whiplash (10/10/14)
"A young musician struggles to make it as a top jazz drummer." x
Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons.

The Book of Life (10/17/14)
"Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart, embarks on an adventure that spans three fantastic worlds where he must face his greatest fears." x
Directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez, written by Jorge R. Gutierrez and Douglas Langdale, starring the voices of Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Ron Perlman, Christina Applegate, Danny Trejo, Ice Cube, Diego Luna, Cheech Marin, and Gabriel Iglesias.

Fury (10/17/14)
"April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Out-numbered, out-gunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany." x
Written and directed by David Ayer, starring Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Bernthal, Jason Isaacs, and Michael Peña.

Birdman (10/17/14)
"A washed-up actor who once played an iconic superhero must overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim his past glory." x
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, written by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo, starring Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, and Zach Galifianakis.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (10/17/14)
"An old man makes a living by selling bamboo. One day, he finds a princess in a bamboo. The princess is only the size of a finger. Her name is Kaguya." x
Directed by Isao Takahata, written by Isao Takahata and Riko Sakaguchi. English version written by Mike Jones, starring the voices of Chloë Grace Moretz, James Marsden, Lucy Liu, Beau Bridges, James Caan, Darren Criss, and Oliver Platt.

Nightcrawler (10/31/14)
"A young man stumbles upon the underground world of L.A. freelance crime journalism." x
Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, and Bill Paxton.

Horns (10/10/14)
"In the aftermath of his girlfriend's mysterious death, a young man awakens to strange horns sprouting from his temples." x
Directed by Alexandre Aja, written by Keith Bunin, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple, Heather Graham, James Remar, and David Morse.

Magic in the Moonlight

So I reviewed Woody Allen's most recent film after seeing it in August (that review can be found here), but recently I've had a few more thoughts about the film and what might have contributed to making it the utter disappointment that it was.

First I must admit that I believe Woody Allen to be great filmmaker. I can't say I've seen many of his films, probably not even his best ones, but the man does have a lot of talent in creating characters and working with actors to bring those characters to life. I loved Blue Jasmine and the absurd-yet-heartbreaking work that Allen and Cate Blanchett accomplished. Allen is also undoubtedly on of the most prolific directors of all time. He has directed forty-four feature length films, and hasn't gone a year without releasing a film since 1982. He has also won four Oscars out of a total of nineteen nominations. Oh, and he turns eighty next year. Regardless of whether or not his films are your cup of tea, you can't deny that Allen is a master storyteller.

However...

Perhaps the soon-to-be-octogenarian should reflect upon his last four films and consider a new strategy. In 2011 he gave us Midnight in Paris, which quickly became his highest grossing film and picked up four Oscar nominations including a win for Original Screenplay. His follow up to that was To Rome with Love, a critical and box office flop. But from those ashes rose Blue Jasmine, which received three Oscar nominations, including Cate Blanchett's win for Best Actress. And of course he follows it with this year's Magic in the Moonlight, which sparked no magic with critics or audiences.

I recognize that his long career has featured many duds, but this recent trend leads me to make the following suggestion:

Dear Mr. Allen,
Please stop making bad films every other year.
Why not, instead, take a vacation?
Spend some time at the beach. Join a bridge club.
Take cooking lessons at the local AARP.
And then, when you have a film worth making,
make it good and we will love it.
You're smothering us with your occasional mediocrity.
Maybe take a lesson from Terrence Malick?
Sincerely,
Someone who wants you to make good movies.

Kudos to you if you've stuck with me through the rambling, because now I'm going to share that thought about Magic in the Moonlight that recently occurred to me:

The text of the film is a meta analysis of the film itself.

What does that mean? In the film, Colin Firth plays an illusionist and debunker of fake spirit-mediums who is asked to prove that the charming and beautiful psychic played by Emma Stone is a fraud. Allured by her beauty and charm, Firth's character begins to fall in love with Stone's, and (with the help of his supposed friend) concludes that she can in fact commune with the deceased. He discovers the betrayal and realizes he was correct in assuming that she was a fraud, though he still loves her and is willing to leave his fiancee for her.

One could read the film as asking both critics and general audiences to undergo a journey similar to Firth's. The film is acknowledging that the audience is cautious, too often lured in by Allen just to be disappointed. But with beauty and charm, surely the viewer will be swept away (and maybe the deception will be aided by a few soft critics?). But even if you discover the truth - that the film is a shallow impression of what we expect from Allen - maybe, just maybe you'll still be enraptured by the film's beauty and charm.

Does that happen? Of course not. The film is all facade, even unapologetically so. Colin Firth's character is wooden and unlikeable, and not even the charming and beautiful Emma Stone is able to rescue this huge disappointment of a film.

But what are your thoughts about Allen's latest, or his career as a whole? Should he slow down, or is sitting through Allen's mediocre work the price we have to pay in order to see his great films?