little miss critical

Review: Chernobyl Diaries

pln217 — Fri, 25 May 2012 23:47:27 +0000

Thanks to the Paranormal Activity franchise and Insidious, with Oren Peli’s name, comes high expectations. Bumps in the night, innovative concepts, fun scares and perhaps more importantly than anything, situations that feel real are all elements that are now expected from a Peli film and while each and every one is present and accounted for in Chernobyl Diaries, they’re all achieved on a subpar level.

While on an overseas trip, Chris (Jesse McCartney), his girlfriend Natalie (Olivia Dudley) and their friend Amanda (Devin Kelley) make a pit stop in Russia to visit Chris’ brother, Paul (Jonathan Sadowski). They enjoy a night out on the town and the next day, their itinerary has them hitting Moscow. However, Paul makes a new friend, Uri (Dimitri Diatchenko), and convinces the group to take Uri’s extreme tourism trip to Pripyat, the city which once housed the Chernobyl nuclear reactor employees and their families. At first they’re all thrilled, as the abandoned city is certainly a site to behold, but when they’re ready to leave and their van won’t start, they come to realize they’re not alone.

Inklings of Chernobyl Diaries‘ simple and clever premise are present throughout the film, but are rarely expanded upon. Rather than have each scene lead to a new discovery or propel the narrative forward, the characters merely run in circles. We get a lot of dog chase sequences and quite a few instances where they wrestle with whether or not to go back for a missing group member, and all the while you never get the sense that the group is making any progress. They may get a gun and find a friend, but ultimately, that trapped and helpless sensation never dissipates in the least, bathing the feature in too much dread.

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Review: Moonrise Kingdom

pln217 — Thu, 24 May 2012 02:10:38 +0000

It’s one thing to make a movie feel unique, but Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom is almost otherworldly. While the film’s centerpiece pre-teen romance packs the power to earn a place in anyone’s heart, some readjusting is required to appreciate the film as a whole. But, if you’re willing to let loose and fall in line with Anderson’s techniques, Moonrise Kingdom proves to be an absolutely unforgettable pleasure.

The film takes place on a small island in the summer of 1965. Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward) is home with family, spending her time longingly looking out the window with her binoculars while Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) is out camping with his Khaki Scout troop – or so their guardians think. One morning Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton) and the boys of Troop 55 wake up to find that Sam has run away while Mr. and Mrs. Bishop (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) discover that Suzy has packed her things and left.

With a threatening storm on the horizon, Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis) desperately tries to track down the missing 12-year-olds with the help of Scout Master Ward and his wilderness survival savvy troops. Meanwhile Suzy and Sam enjoy some alone time out in the woods, testing the romantic waters.

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Review: Battleship

pln217 — Sat, 19 May 2012 17:49:21 +0000

Riggins and Landry in the Navy, Peter Berg Does Michael Bay, Transformers-esque, Not Really Battleship; any of those titles are just as fitting if not more so than Battleship.

Back in 2005, after finding a planet similar to Earth, NASA opts to beam a signal to what they dub “Planet G” in an effort to communicate. Also in 2005, Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) is jobless, has to live with his brother, Stone (Alexander Skarsgård), and gets busted for stealing a burrito. On the bright side, he snags a model of a girlfriend, Sam (Brooklyn Decker).

One unconvincing time jump later, Alex is a lieutenant in the Navy alongside his big bro and under the command of Sam’s father, Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson). Alex may have developed into a smart and talented solider, but he’s still got a knack for screwing things up, so after the RIMPAC naval exercises wrap, Alex will likely get the boot. However, before Alex can even get back to shore, something unprecedented happens, aliens attack.

Sure, you’ve got to suspend some disbelief when watching any alien invasion movie, but it’s tough to tell whether or not Battleship even takes itself seriously. The opening sequence detailing this whole Planet G effort is a little on the ridiculous side, but digestible enough to get you on board. Then, the attention switches to Alex who’s drowning his sorrows in booze on his birthday. Things get amusing when Alex meets Sam and his desperation to win her over via a chicken burrito results in a rather comical failed robbery.

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Review: Dark Shadows

pln217 — Sat, 12 May 2012 12:42:12 +0000

Dark Shadows has had its ups and downs since day one. As someone who never watched the original show, it was tough to care when word got out that a feature film was in the works, even with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s involvement. Even as the cast was packed with famous faces and stills hit the web featuring Burton’s signature highly unique visuals, there was still no need to care with no connection to the material. However, when the film’s first trailer arrived, it finally gave us Dark Shadows newcomers a taste of the world and the way Burton presented it, it seemed like a lot of fun. But sadly, the film version does the TV series a major injustice, leaving this newcomer with absolutely no desire to stick with the concept and check out the source material.

Back in the 1700s, a young Barnabas Collins and his parents arrive in America. When their fishing business flourishes, the Collins are as wealthy as ever and dub the town Collinsport. However, when Barnabas (Depp) falls for Josette DuPres (Bella Heathcote), turning down the affection of Angelique (Eva Green), Angelique doesn’t just go off to find another man; she uses her bewitching abilities to send Josette to her death and turn Barnabas into a vampire. To top it all off, she sentences Barnabas to live out his never-ending life, locked in a coffin, buried underground.

Two centuries later, Barnabas is freed by an unsuspecting construction crew. While his immediate family and friends are long gone, the Collins family lives on, so Barnabas makes it his mission to restore the Collins fishing empire and to support the new generation. Trouble is, Angelique is still a Collinsport resident herself and is still desperate to earn Barnasbas’ love, or else.

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Review: God Bless America

pln217 — Sun, 06 May 2012 21:49:04 +0000

Extremely violent comedy is tough to pull off. Let’s say you’ve got a main character on a killing spree; how’s an audience supposed to sympathize with that? A good reason to kill couldn’t hurt, but generally there’s always a rift between that character’s thought process and an audience’s moral and God Bless America is no different. However, where writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait succeeds is where films like Super and Hobo with a Shotgun did not, in making the leads highly likable.

Frank’s (Joel Murray) got it rough. Not only does he have an obnoxious family with a constantly crying baby living next door, but friendly flirting with the office secretary gets him fired and he’s diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor. Rather than wallow in self-pity, Frank opts to make a difference with his remaining days; Frank decides he’s going to eradicate everything that rubs him the wrong way, starting with Chloe (Melinda Page Hamilton), an over privileged teenager who throws a tantrum when her parents give her the wrong car for her birthday on a reality show.

After Frank blows Chloe away, her parents and friends are upset, but someone out there understands and appreciates what Frank did, one of Chloe’s classmates, Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr). Roxy doesn’t just give him the thumbs up or, god forbid, offer him a high-five, rather she pleads to join him on his killing spree. Initially, Frank’s reluctant to take on a partner, but Roxy proves to not only share similar ideals, but is very willing to act on them.

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Review: The Avengers

pln217 — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:39:00 +0000

When we’re getting superhero movie after superhero movie, it’s understandable to have that, “Oh, another one?,” reaction. However, in the case of The Avengers, it was unprecedented right from the start. Yes, it’s more superhero material, but this isn’t just a film that features the biggest team of super-powered crime fighters yet; it’s one that links together a number of other features and franchises and, in turn, really creates a living, breathing Marvel universe.

The Avengers kicks off at S.H.I.E.L.D. where Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) is hard at work at the tesseract, an energy source with the power to wipe out the planet. In addition, the tesseract can act as a door to the other end of space, and that’s where Loki (Tom Hiddleston) comes in. Loki uses the device to transport himself from the other side of the universe to right there in the middle of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters where he devastates the compound and steals the tesseract.

Having witnessed the threat firsthand, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is compelled to activate the Avengers Initiative. Fury sends Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johannson) to recruit Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), not for his alter ego, but to use his knowledge of gamma radiation, something that could help S.H.I.E.L.D. track the tesseract. Meanwhile, Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) is bringing Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) into the mix and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is suiting up again as Captain America. Together, they’re assigned to locate and take back the tesseract.

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Tribeca Review: Caroline and Jackie, Death of a Superhero and Struck By Lightning

pln217 — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:20:41 +0000

No, you don’t want to stuff a movie in a genre box, but, admittedly, that’s how I arranged my schedule for this year’s festival. I isolated the types of movies I planned to see based on the most rudimentary synopsis and just rolled with it from there. Sure, that process very likely eliminates films I would have loved that might not necessarily fit my must-see requirements, but I’ll get around to those eventually. For now it’s time to celebrate a trio of films that not only made due on my expectations, but exceeded them, offering up experiences I never could have anticipated.

What were my parameters for choosing Caroline and Jackie? Recently I’ve become an avid Grimm fan, I grew up loving The Mighty Ducks and I’ve got a sister of my own. I knew the film starred Bitsie Tulloch and Marguerite Moreau as sisters, but beyond that I had absolutely no clue what I was getting myself into and I think that made the experience all the more powerful.

Tulloch is Jackie. She’s organized, takes pride in keeping up her beautiful home, is a loving girlfriend and would do anything for her sister, Caroline (Moreau). While the latter may be true for Caroline as well, she’s the more free-spirited of the two. When she comes to visit Jackie for the weekend, her insistence on changing the plans Jackie made doesn’t only ruffle Jackie, it ultimately manifests into a nightmare. Caroline uses the evening to reveal Jackie’s skeletons amongst a group of friends. While Caroline makes a compelling case, pleading for her sister’s life, you can’t help but wonder if Jackie really is sick or, as Jackie suggests, Caroline is just desperate for attention.

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Tribeca Interview: Knife Fight’s Bill Guttentag, Chris Lehane and Rob Lowe

pln217 — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:39:37 +0000

What are you going to get if you opt to catch Bill Guttentag’s Tribeca Film Festival entry Knife Fight? Guttentag’s co-writer, Chris Lehane, says it best. “Sometimes it takes the lowest blows to achieve the noblest ends.” Lehane works as a political consultant and, more bluntly, a crisis averter. When a contender’s campaign turns south via scandal, Lehane steps in to spin the situation in his or her favor.

And so is true of the star of Knife Fight, Paul Turner, played by Rob Lowe. In Paul’s case, he’s got a Kentucky governor (Eric McCormack) with a thing for young office employees and a California senator who can’t help but to take a massage a little too far. With the next election on the horizon, their only hope at holding onto their positions is if Paul, with the help of his trusty assistant, Kerstin (Jamie Chung), can work some magic.

Guttentag, Lehane and Lowe not only hit New York City to celebrate the film’s big premiere at Tribeca, but the trio also sat down to talk about the truth behind this project, the challenges of working on such a small budget with so little time, how they hope audiences will respond and more. Read all about it in the interview below.

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Tribeca Interview: Teacher Of The Year’s Rachel Dratch

pln217 — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:35:13 +0000

As someone who’s working on some short films of her own, I know that there’s nothing more helpful that attaching a “name” to your project, and for Rachel Dratch, all she really wanted was to be part of a film playing in a festival, so she and Teacher of the Year turned out to be the perfect match.

The film focuses on a teacher named Ethan Collins who’s devastated by his wife’s recent infidelity. Rather than sulk on his own or even give his wife a piece of his mind, Ethan uses the predicament to impart his wisdom on his class of elementary school students. Dratch steps in as the school’s vice principal, someone who doesn’t appreciate Ethan’s lecture on the connection between marriage and settling.

Living right around the corner from the Tribeca Film Festival venues, Teacher of the Year’s big debut was mere blocks away for Dratch. Just after watching the film for the first time on the big screen, Dratch hit the Teacher of the Year after party and took some time to sit down and tell us about her experience working on the project, what’s she’s got coming up and more. Check it out in the video interview below.

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Tribeca Interview: Jackpot Writer-Director Magnus Martens

pln217 — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 02:50:38 +0000

Magnus Martens’ producer may not have like his crime comedy very much, but he did like something Jo Nesbø wrote and so the core concept for Jackpot landed in Martens’ hands.

The action comedy focuses on an innocent factory owner named Oscar (Kyrre Hellum). When Oscar’s employees, all ex-cons, aren’t churning out little fake Christmas trees, they’re up to no good. Well, at least Thor, Dan and Billy (Mads Ousdal, Andreas Cappelen and Arthur Berning) are. The trio convinces Oscar to join in on their can’t-lose soccer bet, but when guys actually win, rather than split the cash and enjoy their riches, people start dying.

In honor of Jackpot’s international debut at the Tribeca Film Festival, Martens was in town and took the time to talk about bringing Nesbø’s story to life his way, his choice to cast while writing the script, balancing the bloodshed and humor and more. Hear it all straight from Martens himself in the video interview below.

Click here to watch the interview.