Breakfast Club Movie Maven Kate Black from Classic Video with her take on this week’s new movies:
Tower Heist is the latest comedy from Rush Hour director Brett Ratner. In this crime caper, Ratner leaves action behind and instead crafts the story of about a group of underdog misfits overcoming odds to seek some personal justice. Ben Stiller plays high end apartment manager, Josh Kovacs who takes care of his staff and the wealthy tenants of this New York City high rise. All is well until the most powerful tenant, a wealthy business investor Arthur Shaw, played by Alan Alda, is convicted of fraud in a Ponzi scheme involving the pensions of Kovacs and his staff. After this betrayal, Kovacs conspires with his staff, a disgruntled tenant, and a fast talking thief, played by Murphy, to rob Shaw’s high rise apartment where they believe millions to be hidden.
Rating: This comedy starts off well but looses momentum once the con begins. Just when the pacing and energy of the film should be picking up, it slows and becomes predictable. It may not be the best comedy this year, but it is passable as a mindless Friday night popcorn flick.
J. Edgar is the dramatic bio-pic starring featuring Leonardo DiCaprio as one of the most feared and celebrated lawmen in modern US history. Directed and scored by Clint Eastwood, J. Edgar re-creates the secrecy, mystery, and speculation surrounding his personal and professional life by using Hoover’s own words as narrative voiceover. The story begins by exploring his early career at the US Department of Justice and then follows bits of his career through almost fifty years as head of the FBI. The film includes characters of the few people who Hoover trusted and were close to him, including Judi Dench as his mother, Naomi Watts as his personal secretary and Armie Hammer as his aide and confidante. While the story explores many of the controversies and speculation about J.Edgar’s personal life and the secret files he kept on Americans during his time at the FBI, the film lacks cohesion and unfortunately DiCaprio is unbelievable as J. Edgar Hoover.
Rating: The acting is exceptional as is the directing, however, the film lacks the spark and depth that usually make bio-pics memorable.
Coming on Friday February 24th:
Puss in Boots is one of this year’s Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature and follows in the footsteps of the magical fairy tale/nursery rhythm themed movies that made its predecessor Shrek so successful. In this fun family feature we discover Puss before he meets Shrek and friends. Puss the fugitive, gathers his friends in order to prove his innocence and clear his name. Featuring the voice talents of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Sedaris and Billy Bob Thornton, this animated feature is entertaining for both kids and adults as the legend of Puss in Boots is revealed.
Rating: While not as polished as the Shrek franchise, it’s full of all the clever cliché’s and timeless characters that made the others so popular.
