- Movie Reviews - fresnobee.com

Director and Denzel elevate danger in 'Safe House'

February 09

Generally, action movies are either lightweight, puffed-up macho-man vehicles or so cerebrally deep that it's almost impossible to follow the action. Despite having only a few directing jobs to his credit, Daniel Espinosa found a nice blend of chest-pounding bravado and smart storytelling to make "Safe House" entertaining on multiple levels.

"Safe House" could have been just another spy drama. The elements are all there: Ryan Reynolds plays Matt Weston, a novice CIA agent who's job is to run a CIA safe house -- a secret sanctuary for spies -- in South Africa. He's led a boring life during his 12-month stint, but that changes when rogue agent Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) is brought to the facility. Read more →

Don't get stranded on 'Journey 2' island

February 09

Do whatever necessary to avoid "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," a quasi-sequel to the 2008 release "Journey to the Center of the Earth." It's a monumental failure because of clunky acting, an uninspired story, not-so-special effects and flat 3-D.

Despite borrowing from multiple Jules Verne novels -- and even a few other classic adventure books -- "Journey 2" has less plot than a Super Bowl commercial. Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson), who went on a quest with his uncle to find his dad in the first "Journey," teams with his stepfather (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) to search for his missing grandfather (Michael Caine). They're joined by a quirky helicopter pilot (Luis Guzmán), who has some real sexual issues, and his spunky daughter (Vanessa Hudgens). Read more →

Oscar-worthy short films make a big splash at Tower Theatre

February 09

Gone are the days when the categories of short animated, live-action and documentary films were little more than wild cards in your annual Oscar party contest.

Until recently, it was pretty much impossible to see the nominees unless you were an Academy member living in Los Angeles or New York. Thanks to such initiatives as the national release of "The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2012," however, you can compare and contrast the nominees -- and make your own educated guesses in that Oscar party pool. Read more →

'The Vow' is perfect for Valentine's Day

February 09

The new romance film "The Vow" suggests love means never having to say you can't remember your spouse's name. The film, loosely based on a true story, follows the life of a woman who comes out of a coma with no recollection of her married life.

"The Vow" has three things going for it: likable starring actors, a director who knows how to stay away from saccharine-sweet sentimentality and a compelling story. Read more →

'Big Miracle' a whale of a real-life tale

February 02

"Big Miracle" is a whale of a tale that rings of sentimental nostalgia and is schmaltzy enough to bring a tear to anyone who's ever owned a pet.

This family friendly film is based on the true story that unfolded on national television in 1988. Three whales -- dubbed Fred, Wilma and Bamm-Bamm -- get trapped five miles from the ocean as ice in northern Alaska freezes faster than usual. Without assistance, the three whales will die when the last hole in the ice closes. Read more →

On DVD Feb. 7: 'Sunset,' ' Kumar,' 'Love Story'

February 02

A mind-twisting cable film and a mind-blowing movie top this week's new DVD releases.

"The Sunset Limited," Grade B+: The film, which originally aired on HBO, is based on the play by Cormac McCarthy. It's an example of how a production can be sparse in setting and action and still be powerful and moving. Read more →

Glenn Close brilliant in the powerful 'Albert Nobbs'

January 26

Some of the most powerful moments in films are those with no dialogue and little action. It's in these moments that you can tell the difference between those hired to act in movies and those who really act.

Six-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close shows in "Albert Nobbs" her superlative acting skills by turning scenes -- where the camera just lingers on her face -- into emotionally explosive moments. In her eyes you see the pain, frustration, fear and hope that her character faces as she lives her life as a lie. Read more →

New on DVD Jan. 31: 'Mockingbird'

January 26

This week's new DVD releases include the Blu-ray releases of a film classic and sci-fi TV series, and a dark tale starring Ryan Gosling.

"To Kill a Mockingbird," Grade A: To mark the 50th anniversary of this amazing movie, a commemorative limited edition collector's series Blu-ray combo pack is being released. Read more →

'Man on a Ledge' delivers despite teetering script

January 26

"Man on a Ledge" is like a hot dog. As long as you don't look too closely at what it's made of, it's reasonably enjoyable.

The purely escapist filmmaking from novice director Asger Leth looks at the efforts of former New York detective Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) to prove he's been falsely charged with the theft of a $40 million diamond. The falsely accused cop gambit has played plenty of times before, but it gets a fresh twist from its towering setting. Read more →

Man vs. beast movie 'Grey' brings the chills

January 26

Director Joe Carnahan took the standard horror film format -- a group of strangers being systematically killed in the woods -- and gave it a National Geographic spin to create "The Grey."

This tale of wolves attacking plane crash survivors in the frozen wasteland of Alaska is both chilling and chilly. Read more →

Stilted dialogue grounds WWII story 'Red Tails'

January 20

"Red Tails" is about 60 years too late. Had this tale of the historic Tuskegee Airmen been made in the '50s, audiences would have accepted the stereotype characters, passive approach to racism and hackneyed dialogue. By today's standards, the movie never gets off the ground.

In 1944, black pilots in the Tuskegee training program have been segregated away from any real war action. They finally get their chance to show their flying skills as they escort bombers. How well they do on these missions will either ground the program for good or prove that in the sky, the only colors that matter are the flashes of your guns. Read more →

Silence proves to be golden in 'The Artist'

January 19

In this era of cookie-cutter moviemaking that generally depends on high-tech explosions or low-brow humor, a film like "The Artist" is like a creative breath of fresh air blowing away the fog of floundering filmmaking. It's ironic that a movie that goes back to the basics of Hollywood's silent era would seem so new and fresh.

The nearly silent film from writer/director Michel Hazanavicius has been the darling of major film festivals since its debut at Cannes last spring. Through stunning black-and-white imagery and a beautiful soundtrack, "The Artist" pulls the audience into a simple story of fame, pride and redemption. Read more →

New on DVD Jan. 24: 'Wings,' '50/50'

January 19

The Jan. 24 DVD releases include a high-flying film classic and a powerful tale about a man fighting cancer.

"Wings," Grade A: The wait is finally over: The film that won the first Best Picture Academy Award is available for the first time on Blu-ray and DVD. Read more →

'Shame' a staggeringly human film about sex addiction

January 19

"Shame" is an exercise in sadness so deep and aching that it's like plunging ever downward into a midnight-black lake and never touching the bottom. This explicit account of a handsome Manhattan sex addict -- played with a hollow, numbing ferocity by Michael Fassbender -- features graphic nudity and a flurry of sexual images, but don't go expecting a prurient experience. Its eroticism is stark and clinical.

Yet despite the wrenching world created on screen, Steve McQueen's unapologetic foray into the dark crevasses of human nature is a terrific movie. By that term I don't mean to suggest that it is uplifting, enjoyable or redemptive, all conditions that many people would expect from a superlative cinematic experience. What it manages to be, however, is almost staggeringly human, and unapologetically so. Read more →

'Joyful Noise' is bad enough to be campy

January 12

When does a film cross the line from bad to campy bad? Perhaps it helps if Todd Graff, who directed 2003's silly and perceptive "Camp," is at the helm. Long before "Glee" conscripted the masses into semi-willing foot soldiers for acting out life and love through song and dance, Graff was entertaining musical theater's true believers, an admittedly small but stalwart band.

"Camp" was a thoroughly silly and perceptive little film whose success had as much to do with its smallness (it was probably made for less than the cost of building Dolly Parton's big-screen hair) and dishy subject matter (Broadway-hopeful kids scheme away at musical-theater summer camp). It's a blast. Read more →

New on DVD Jan. 17: 'Ides of March'

January 12

The DVD pickings are rather slim this week -- but there a few good new releases.

"The Ides of March," Grade B: An idealistic staffer for a presidential candidate learns about dirty politics. George Clooney and Ryan Gosling star. Read more →

City film 'Urbanized' hits home in Fresno

January 12

If you live in the Fresno area, it's hard not to watch "Urbanized," Gary Hustwit's interesting documentary about urban planning, without thinking about the largest city in the Valley. (The Fresno Filmworks presentation plays tonight only at the Tower Theatre.)

Many of the relevant moments are obvious: Here's where you get to wince, almost on cue, when a smug apologist for Phoenix's unrelenting sprawl fesses up to just how much he loves his swimming pool and three-quarter-acre lot. Oh, look, here's where your eyes might sting in sympathy when viewing the soup-thick smog of Beijing. Read more →

New on DVD Jan. 10: 'Boardwalk Empire'

January 05

New DVD releases on Tuesday cover everything from booze to baseball.

"Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season," Grade A-: The series has the same kind of complicated and damaged characters as "The Sopranos," but this time they're presented against a masterfully detailed background of one of the most volatile times in American history. Read more →

'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' conveys greatness of the novel

January 05

In the blow-things-up-big world of movies, it's refreshing to see a film like "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy."

Director Tomas Alfredson's bold choice to make a production that gets its power from quiet moments delivers a film with as much force and power as any big explosion. Read more →

Catch a whiff of Le Pew on DVD

December 24

The pickings are a little slim among DVD releases this week.

"Looney Tunes Super Stars: Pepe Le Pew," Grade A-: This collection of 17 shorts is for those who love first-rate animation. The suave, smooth-talking French skunk's powerful scent and penchant for romance puts him in very funny situations. Read more →

Two Sandler films lead the year's list of stinkers

December 24

So many bad movies, so little space. This year's collection of stinkers proves that Adam Sandler can be counted on to make at least one monumentally bad film, not all comic book movies are good and there are times when there's nothing funny about a comedy.

Here's the worst of the worst of 2011. Read more →

Stellar dramas lead movies' top 10 of 2011

December 24

Human dramas dominated this year's movie releases, ranging from a husband struggling with his dying wife to a woman who disguises herself so she can work in a man's world. It was also a year of amazing animation, first-rate finales and soaring sci-fi.

Here are the best of what 2011 had to offer at the movies. Read more →

'War Horse' an intimate story told with epic grandeur

December 22

Director Steven Spielberg has taken the stage production "War Horse," based on the children's novel by Michael Morpurgo, and transformed it into a sweeping story of love, loss, devotion and determination set against the brutal battlefields of World War I. As is the trademark of the much touted director, he tells this story against a backdrop that at times is breathtaking.

But this is a case where Spielberg's grand vision worked against him. Read more →

Visually, 'Tintin' is great. Story? Not so much

December 21

Not since "1941" -- the movie, not the year -- has Steven Spielberg created a movie that's so visually impressive but a disappointment in terms of story and performance as "The Adventures of Tintin." While there are times when the movie rivals his adventurous efforts in "Indiana Jones," the production keeps getting knocked off its feet by a story that is overly complex and the slight creepiness of the motion-capture animation process used to film the actors.

For those of you not familiar with the works of Hergé, Tintin (Jamie Bell) is a spunky Belgian reporter who not only gets his story but often solves the crimes. He's Jimmy Olsen without Superman. Read more →

'Dragon Tattoo' more than justifies U.S. remake

December 20

Niels Arden Oplev's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," based on Stieg Larsson's book, blended a nail-biting mystery with brutal sexuality and unforgettable characters to make the Swedish film one of the best releases of 2009.

So why was it necessary to make a new version? Read more →

Tom Cruise returns with best 'Mission Impossible' movie

December 15

If the goal of "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" was to make the latest big screen version of the television series the most eye-popping, bone-shaking, heart-pounding yet, then there's only one thing that can be said: Mission accomplished.

It's been five years since Tom Cruise played Ethan Hunt, the super spy who's never seen a mission he wouldn't accept. Cruise has not lost a step as he again plays Hunt as the closest thing American cinema has to a James Bond figure. He can go from heart breaker to head breaker as fast as the super cars he gets to drive. Read more →

Better foe means a slight 'Sherlock Holmes' upgrade

December 15

It doesn't take a master detective to spot problems in the new "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" -- they mirror the issues that turned the 2009 "Sherlock Holmes" into a muddled mess.

Robert Downey Jr. returns to the title role of Holmes, playing the character as part deranged, part methodical and part heroic. These pieces fit so poorly together that Downey still doesn't come across as the right man to play the most famous detective in murder mystery history. Read more →

Strong acting, sense of doom fuel 'Take Shelter'

December 08

"Are you out of your mind?" the wife asks the husband.

A throwaway line in an average conversation, perhaps, but in the context of Jeff Nichols' melancholy and deeply affecting "Take Shelter," the question takes on a much more ominous meaning. The dread in this slow simmer of a film comes not from a clearly definable sense of danger, but more from a sense of simply not knowing. Read more →

Young love rings true in 'Like Crazy'

December 08

The movie version of falling in love generally takes a very linear emotional path. Boy meets girl, they face some contrived conflict and then they live happily ever after.

Anyone who's been in love can tell you that the path is rarely that simple. The new film from director Drake Doremus, "Like Crazy," shows the complications, questions and hurdles that often accompany affairs of the heart. Read more →

'New Year's Eve' film has quantity but no quality

December 08

Veteran director Garry Marshall has dusted off the bland formula he used in "Valentine's Day" – multiple storylines played out by a gaggle of big stars – to make "New Year's Eve." It's a different day but Marshall makes the same mistakes.

It starts with the cast that includes Hilary Swank, Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, (pause; take a breath) Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger and Sofia Vergara. That's more big names than a year's enrollment at a celebrity rehab. Read more →

Latest 'Muppets' movie as funny and fun as ever

November 22

If you're looking for something for the whole family to do this holiday season, "The Muppets" is a marvelous choice. The return of Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang to the big screen means nostalgic comfort for adults and a rowdy fun time for kids.

It's wocka, wocka wonderful. Read more →

Scorsese's bewitching 'Hugo' casts cinematic spell

November 22

When Georges Méliès was making movies at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, many thought his work was some form of wizardry. In the age of cinema infancy, only a magician could create the strange and exotic worlds like those that filled his movies.

Moviegoers have become more sophisticated and it now takes a movie as wondrous and bewitching as Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" to make them believe that magic still does exist in films. From its spectacular look to unforgettable performances, "Hugo" is spellbinding. Read more →

'Arthur Christmas' a well-intentioned gift

November 22

"Arthur Christmas" is not a perfect gift, but it does feature enough holiday cheer and silly fun to make it more entertaining than 10 lords a-leaping. It helps that the film also has a warm message about how tradition should never be sacrificed for efficiency's sake.

Arthur (voiced by James McAvoy) and Steve (Hugh Laurie) are Santa's sons. The bungling but good-hearted Arthur embraces holiday traditions while the ambitious Steve has turned the annual toy delivery into a military operation. Read more →

Clooney is Oscar-worthy in 'Descendants'

November 22

"The Descendants," simply put, is a great movie.

George Clooney turns in an Oscar-worthy performance as Matt King, a man who too often has put work ahead of family. All his plans to make up for lost time run out when his wife is left in a coma after a speedboat accident. King must deal with her impending death, try to reconnect with his distant daughters, face some ugly realities about his marriage and take a serious look at how much family values are really worth. Read more →

'Happy Feet Two' is missing the fun and the beat

November 17

"Happy Feet" wasn't a great movie, but it was tolerable because the 2006 release had strong musical performances and a sweet story about being an individual.

The sequel, "Happy Feet Two," doesn't measure up. It's a jumble of unrelated characters, a forgettable soundtrack and a story that will leave you as cold as a penguin's bottom. The only thing it has going for it is spectacular animation that makes the creatures look lifelike. Read more →

'Breaking Dawn' loses momentum of 'Twilight'

November 17

The decision to turn "Breaking Dawn," Stephenie Meyer's last book in the "Twilight" series, into two movies has created a division as different as Edward and Jacob.

The first half, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1" is packed with as many emotional and contemplative moments as the brooding vampire, while the second half will have the kind of action that makes a werewolf howl. It's a similar structure to the two halves of the final "Harry Potter" adaptation. Read more →

Spark fizzles in remake of 'Brighton Rock'

November 10

As first kisses go, it's a cinematic doozy: Brusque young thug drags his meek new wallflower girlfriend to a towering seaside cliff, positions her just inches from the edge and locks lips. Will he push her off or call for a second date?

For all its attempts at noirish grit and exposing the dark underbelly of the human psyche, however, Rowan Joffe's "Brighton Rock" never achieves the full-blown combustibility it wants. Nor when it shifts into tentative caper mode does it deliver its few stabs at black-comic tartness. Gorgeously shot, the film nevertheless remains bleak and overwrought – an oddly updated and stilted interpretation of a classic British writer's work. (The Fresno Filmworks presentation plays today only at the Tower Theatre.) Read more →

Sandler, Pacino bad as 'Jack and Jill' tumbles hard

November 10

Mark this day on your calendar. It will long be remembered as the day Al Pacino's career died a miserable death. All the good work the Oscar-winner has done will be forgotten because of the stench created by his participation in this oozing sore of a movie, "Jack and Jill."

There hasn't been a casting decision this bad since Robert De Niro played Fearless Leader in "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle." Read more →

Bloated 'Immortals' seems to last an eternity

November 10

We will never know what it's like to live forever, but we can at least get a taste of what eternity feels like with "Immortals." The last time something this big and bloated moved this slowly there was an Ice Age going on.

It's surprising the movie is so bad. It comes from Mark Canton and Gianni Nunnari, producers of the spirited "300," and was directed by the visionary Tarsem Singh. The difference is that both "300," based on the work of Frank Miller, and Singh's past movies, such as the magnificent "The Fall," had such strong stories. This script has all the depth of a manhole cover. Read more →

'J. Edgar' script tiptoes around the real Hoover

November 10

It takes three elements, working in perfect harmony, to make a great motion picture: strong acting, first-rate direction and a compelling script.

"J. Edgar," the biopic directed by Clint Eastwood that looks at the labyrinthine life of J. Edgar Hoover, has only two out of the three. Read more →

'Anonymous' captures literary debate of Shakespeare

November 03

Director Roland Emmerich takes a page from Oliver Stone's conspiracy playbook to dig into one of the biggest literary debates of all time. Emmerich's new film, "Anonymous," suggests that William Shakespeare was little more than an opportunistic actor who jumped at the chance to take credit for the works of Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford.

The question is whether this is the truth or much ado about nothing. Read more →

'Tower Heist' movie can't even steal a laugh

November 03

The biggest crime in the new Ben Stiller/Eddie Murphy film "Tower Heist" is the lack of comedy.

This tale of amateur crooks trying to recoup money they have swindled isn't suave enough to feel like a variation on the "Ocean's Eleven" theme or over-the-top enough to provide the kind of laughs generated in a movie like "A Fish Called Wanda." Read more →

Latest 'Harold & Kumar' movie fun – and familiar

November 03

"A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" is the film version of regifting. No matter how good the product, there's no big reason to get excited because you've seen it before.

First-time director Todd Strauss-Schulson wanted to pay tribute to directors from Busby Berkeley to Guy Ritchie in this send-up of holiday movies. But his nods are so on target that there's no original moments. Many of his spoofs have been done better by others, such as the claymation segment that was nailed last year by "Community." Read more →

'Puss in Boots' movie is the cat's meow

October 27

It was obvious from the first moment Puss in Boots (voiced with great bravado by Antonio Banderas) showed up in "Shrek 2" that the feline was a breakout character. The fashionably dressed cat brought great energy as a fighter – and a lover – plus provided some of the best comic moments.

Because of the popularity of the character, it was inevitable that Puss would get his own film. The only worry: Would a whole movie about Puss feel like too much? Read more →

No dancing around it: New 'Footloose' is fun

October 13

Hollywood's trend of cannibalizing itself continues with an updated version of the 1984 Kevin Bacon-Lori Singer dance bonanza "Footloose." This time it's former "Dancing With the Stars" beauty Julianne Hough and newcomer Kenny Wormald who want to make a small Texas town footloose and fancy free.

In case you missed the original, "Footloose" looks at what happens to a small town when five high school students are killed in a traffic accident after a dance. City fathers ban drinking, loud music and dancing. Read more →

Realistic 'Ides of March' is a political thriller

October 06

When it comes to making a political thriller, there are generally two directions to take.

If the lure is political purists, the film can dissect the basic elements of government. Few have done this better than "All the President's Men." Read more →

'50/50' has right balance of honesty and humor

September 29

On the list of possible topics for a comedy movie, cancer falls somewhere near the bottom between starving orphans and abused puppies.

But in the new film "50/50," the topic works because the filmmakers realize that while there's absolutely nothing funny about cancer, it can be faced with humor. Director Jonathan Levine and writer Will Reiser, who based the script on his own experience with a tumor on his spine, show that even in the face of a horrible illness it's OK to laugh. Read more →

Inspirational 'Dolphin Tale' a must-see family film

September 22

One would think a movie that features a dolphin that's lost its tail, a wounded war hero, a young boy growing up without a father, loads of children missing arms or legs, a dead mom, a crusading doctor and an animal hospital on the brink of closing would collapse under the weight of all the sentimentality.

In a move that's as remarkable as fitting a dolphin with a prosthetic tail, director Charles Martin Smith blends all of these elements to make "Dolphin Tale" the king of must-see movies. Just be sure to bring extra tissues. Read more →

'Moneyball' is not your typical baseball movie

September 22

Can statistics beat human intuition? That's essentially the awkward thrust of Bennett Miller's "Moneyball," a sometimes-engaging and sometimes-laborious contribution to the hallowed hall of baseball movies. You can wrap up the themes in as many layers of movie magic as you want – Brad Pitt in a "serious" and award-worthy role, an underdog team outspent by the big bad Yankees, a phenomenal come-from-behind winning streak, the tech geeks beating out the establishment, lots of slow-mo shots of balls soaring heavenward – but in the end, we're asked in "Moneyball" to root for the number-crunchers.

It's a testament to Miller that the concept works as well as it does. Read more →

'Gun Hill Road' shines with optimism and grit

September 15

A full lineup including feature and short films continues this weekend as part of the 22nd annual Fresno Reel Pride gay and lesbian film festival in the Tower District.

One worthwhile offering is Rashaad Ernesto Green's "Gun Hill Road," a tender drama about a transgender teen in the Bronx whose life is upended when his convict father returns from prison. (It screens 8 p.m. Sunday at the Tower Theatre. The selection is the festival's closing-night film and will be followed by an awards party.) Read more →

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