To save humanity from an epidemic, an elite fighting unit must battle to find a cure in a post-apocalyptic zone controlled by a society of murderous renegades. That pretty much sums it up.

Rhona Mitra does her best Kate Beckinsale impression as Major Eden Sinclair, the leader of a special operations unit tasked to find a cure among the quarantined survivors of a lethal virus contained on the British Isles. Unfortunately, that’s where the interesting part ends. This movie had a hard time deciding what it wanted to be, and ended up being a hodgepodge of ideas loosely thrown together to fit into a surprisingly coherent story. It viewed almost as bad as an Uwe Boll video game theatrical masterpiece.

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“En-Ra-Ha!”

Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is a primary school teacher that seems to have all the answers to happiness.  Her whole life seems to be devoted to turning tough times into flashes of pleasure. When her bike gets stolen, the only thing she can think to say is, “I didn’t even get to say goodbye.” Rolling with the punches is an understatement…Poppy can take it from the best of them. Scott (Eddie Marsen) is a cynical driving instructor who plays the yin to her yang. Polar opposites, each driving lesson is a painful one. Well, for Scott. 

While I was prepared to find this film dreadfully boring, it wasn’t. Not completely. It was difficult to remain detached as Sally kept reeling me in with Poppy’s infectious personality – the kind miserable cynics like me want to punch in their grinning faces. No matter what malignant turn life threw at her, she remained steadfastly happy. Eddie Marsen was terrific. Short and unintimidating as he is, the venom he spewed actually made me afraid of Scott the driving instructor, who’s constant mantra of “En-Ra-Ha” was comedy in and of itself.

Happy-Go-Lucky is not mainstream enough for the popcorn flick fanatics, but it’s found a comfortable niche in the independent markets. Happy-Go-Lucky is a meandering movie that just opens a brief, semi-inspiring, window into Poppy’s life. If there’s a lesson to be had, it suggests for you to find happiness within yourself, and that’s the secret not many are privy to. I enjoyed it, less for the story (which was hardly there), and more for the characters.

Opening Date: October 10, 2008
Director: Mike Leigh
Run Time:  118 min
Rating: R

http://www.happygoluckythemovie.com/

“Tell No One” is a good idea.

I am envious of Dustin Hoffman. I think he’s figured out the secrets of reincarnation – without dying! First, he makes me think he’s a fake tanned, rough riding, Pistolero from Hell Ride, and now he’s convinced me that he speaks French. If only I had that ability.

Tell No One is about Doctor Alexandre Beck (François Cluzet) losing the love of his life, Helene (Kristin Scott-Thomas) , 8 years ago, only to get an anonymous email showing him a recent video clip of what can only be his not-so-dead wife. The questions that come up from that alone make the premise interesting.

Billed by many as an intense thriller, I found the film sorely lacking. The flashbacks were well handled, and in truth, that’s where most of the thrill lay…in small spurts. The present day story leaves a lot to be desired as it does nothing for the film except make Alex wander around aimlessly throughout hoping to find leads on his wife, only to run into dead ends and cops out for his hide.

The pace was beyond slow. Running time for the film is listed at 125 mins. It felt like 300. The story, when finally revealed, was good enough, if only Director Guillaume Canet would have weaved it into the plot a little more coherently. As it is, the movie is aptly named – Tell No One. I plan to.

Hilariously serious!

Seeing ghosts is always a fun theme for a movie. In most you have either children (The Sixth Sense) or psychics (Ghost) having the curse – or gift – of seeing ghosts…the rest are just trying to kill the living. The other, less explored avenue is when the main character has a near death experience that allows them to get the sight. The only one I remember is The Frighteners, with Michael J. Fox – a highly recommended DVD, if you haven’t seen it yet.

Ghost Town centers on a very selfish, isolated dentist, Dr. Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) , who doesn’t hate crowds, only the people in them.  This, amongst other little quirks, leaves him with severely hampered people skills. After a routine operation kills him for seven minutes, Dr. Pincus quickly discovers that he now has the ability to see ghosts. All of whom want something from him, especially Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) , who wants him to break up the impending marriage of his widow, Gwen (Téa Leoni) , in exchange for ridding him of the pushy spectres.

The comedy in this flick is sparse, but it makes up for it by making those moments exceedingly funny. Both Gervais and Leoni were fantastic. I’ve never seen Leoni laugh like that in any film, which leads me to believe some of those moments were purely real. Kinnear, who has thrived on supporting roles, shows why he likes living there. It’s a definite comfort zone for him and he plays the part effortlessly.

The plot wasn’t surprising, and there wasn’t some magical twist at the end, but the story is engaging enough and very entertaining. Ghost Town should be on your must see list for the fall.

 

Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes place within the three year gap between Episode II and Episode III, and gives us another look at Jabba the Hutt, albeit in animated form, as well as some of his family. Anakin (Matt Lanter) and Obi Wan (James Arnold Taylor) finish a battle on a distant planet when Anakin receives a mission by way of Padawan Ahsoko Tano (Ashley Eckstein) to investigate the disappearance of Jabba’s (Kevin Michael Richardson) son. In order to complete it, Anakin and his newly appointed apprentice must match wits and sabers with Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and his pupil, Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman).

The animation was great, even though some may dislike how stylized the characters look. The mouth movements didn’t always follow the words being spoken, but it isn’t that noticeable unless you listen with your eyes. The action was actually a bit boring, though plentiful. I never got the feeling anyone was in real danger besides the clones and the droids. It was almost like watching an episode of G.I. Joe in the eighties, where gunfire is everywhere but no one important is getting hit. The voice acting was subpar. There was a consistent lack of emotion on all the characters parts that, in conjunction with the action sequences, had me trying to remember how long the running time was to gauge how much more I had to endure. I couldn’t shake the feeling that if this were a Pixar or Disney venture, I would have enjoyed the film more due to the quality of the voice work they employ. The plot was pretty standard fare - it was very cohesive with a very small ripple, lacking any surprising twists or two. Maybe my expectations were too high as a casual Star Wars fan, I don’t know, but I came away feeling the movie’s potential wasn’t harnessed correctly. Maybe it is true – Lucas could crap in a cup, label it Star Wars, and still make a mint in profits.

As a stand-alone movie, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone other than hearty Star Wars fans who need their next fix. As a pilot to a new series (which it is), it serves it’s purpose to get the ball rolling…but that’s all. I just hope the voice actors take a few more lessons before the series really gets going, not that they’d need to. It’s branded with the Star Wars name, after all.

 

Tug Speedman (Ben Stiller), Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) and Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) are a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make an epic war film. Their lack of on screen chemistry and ballooning costs force the studio to contemplate cancelling the movie. However, Director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) refuses to give in to looming defeat and is convinced that sending the boys out into the jungles of Southeast Asia will be the only way to salvage the film and harness some quality acting.

Tropic Thunder opens with hilarious movie trailers respective to each actor, magnifying the sometimes ridiculous aspects of the film industry. I found Robert Downey’s character to be the most interesting. Lazarus is a method actor from Australia who gets his skin surgically altered in order for him to play the part of a black soldier. Lazarus adopts any and all perceived affectations and speech patterns based on his own obvious prejudices. The comedic value of this character alone made this movie worth seeing, but if that’s not your thing, there’s plenty of other ways this film will make you laugh. The writing was top notch, the only lull being in the rescue scene, where we have to endure a longer than comfortable journey into self discovery. I was slightly disappointed that Jack Black, and by extension Jeff Portnoy, was completely overshadowed throughout the movie. Portnoy didn’t mesh very well with the rest of the ensemble and stuck out like a sore thumb, much like his real life counterpart. He would have had a better impact if he had died early in the film. This is definitely a fun romp at the movie theatre, second only to Pineapple Express in this year’s comedic offerings.

 

Executive producer Quentin Tarantino sends another appreciative nod to a classic movie genre through the eyes of triple threat Larry Bishop, who writes, directs and stars in Hell Ride as ”Pistolero,” the leader of the biker gang known as the Victors. Along with his right and left hand men – the quiet but deadly Gent (Michael Madsen) and the esoteric Comanche (Eric Balfour) – Pistolero is gunning for Deuce (David Carradine) and Billy Wings (Vinnie Jones), who lead a rival crew called the 666ers, to avenge the murder of one of their own. With Comanche’s mysterious past and a growing mutiny within the Victors, Pistolero has to sort friend from foe if he plans on surviving.

Pistolero was a hard character for me to get used to. Larry Bishop looked like Dustin Hoffman with a pornstache to me, and I have a hard time believing Dustin Hoffman would ever be credible on a steel horse, let alone able to muster up enough machismo to fill Pistolero’s shoes. Hell Ride had the testosterone cranked all the way up, from the in-fighting to the callous womanizing, including a boatload of female nudity which not only fits the genre, but has been agonizingly lacking in today’s films. While it was a fun ride to watch, the amount of nonchalance prevalent in all the characters was eventually what did the movie in for me. The climax was so anticlimactic because of it. For a movie like this, I expected a big shoot out, maybe even a high adrenaline motorcycle chase ending in a grand explosion; I don’t know, something…exciting! Instead, you could fall asleep when the rivals collide, gunshots aside. Hell Ride could have done better than settle for such a lackadaisical ending.

Bernie Rubens (Gregg Sulkin) is a bookish 12 year old Jewish boy studying for his bar mitzvah. After having experienced his obnoxious brother Alvie’s (Ben Newton) more opulent one, Bernie anticipates no less extravagance for his. Bernie’s grandiose expectations are tempered however, when he discovers the 1966 World Cup Final coincides with his big day and takes great pains to try and stop his native England from making it all the way in ways only a 12 year old can…by fervently wishing. Bernie’s neurotic father, Manny (Eddie Marsan), wants the best for his son, but his attentions lie in saving his grocery store from certain bankruptcy. Bernie’s mother, Esther (Helena Bonham Carter), is the only level one of the group who tries to reassure Bernie that people would attend his coming of age regardless of England’s successes in the World Cup. Unfortunately, with every goal and every win, the rsvp list gets shorter and shorter and Bernie can’t help but brood about the inevitable.

Sixty Six suffers a bit from what I call “Indie-itis” – a common affliction that affects quite a few independent films, which makes them plod along at a snail’s pace in places. This could have benefited from a few more passes in the edit room. Still, Sixty Six is a warm, quirky tale which reminds us that the family bond can be much more rewarding than a room full of gift bearing guests. Enjoy this one at your leisure.

Sixty Six opens in select theaters on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008.

A fun ride best viewed from the couch.

John Hancock (Will Smith) is a hero without peer in the midst of an identity crisis, searching for himself and his past in the bottom of every bottle. With every heroic act, he leaves destruction in its wake, shielding himself from public scorn with drunken apathy. This continues until Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), a struggling PR rep who tries to push his altruistic agenda on clients without success, decides to mindlessly stop his car on the train tracks, facing impending doom. After having his life saved in Hancock’s usual chaotic fashion, Ray makes it his mission to force the public to recognize Hancock’s virtues despite his previously disastrous heroics. Hancock eventually begins to discover his potential with the help of Ray and his skeptical wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), as well as learn some uncomfortable truths from his past.

The major flaws in this movie were the miniscule plot and lack of a good antagonist, or I should say a poorly developed antagonist. It was as if Peter Berg realized that this movie needed to be more than just a character study of a superhero and at the last minute, sloppily threw in the first guy he could to inject some drama into an otherwise nominal film. With that said, I have to admit I enjoyed it, despite my critique, but I cannot in good conscience rate Hancock higher than I did. Hancock is a solid underachiever, and while I can appreciate a decent mindless action movie, it still lacked that spark that would have propelled it as good, or even great. Rent it with low expectations, and you’ll like it too.