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Reviews
The Brave One (2007)
Great chemistry between Terrance Howard and Jodie Foster
Neil Jordon and Roderick Taylor sure know how to weave a story. Even the German Shepard brings heart and closure to this fine film. The converging lives of Jodie Foster's and Terrance Howard's characters surely pull you in so you are anticipating what they are thinking. That's great film making. It's good to see Terrance Howard teamed with such a fine cast. Jody Foster is still the strongest woman in the business. She gets you into her story and into her feelings better than anyone. Not that there aren't other great and up an coming actresses. So when the script asks for an ass kicker, Jodie kicks ass. Whether it is good or bad for society, the post 9/11 audience that we are loves getting even. Like Denzel, every one of her films is an acting lesson for aspiring actors. By the end of the film the chemistry between Terrance and Jody is perfect, even teasing you with the idea that they may get it on. So where's the film for Terrance Howard that can give him the hero status that he deserves. Hustle and Flow and Crash were great, but clearly he is ready to go to the next level. Although at this level he's as good as it gets.
Hairspray (2007)
The most fun this year
I've seen the original and the play. This stands up on its own. You're captured by Nikki Blonsky right from the beginning, and all the actors you know and love do their thing as you're drawn into them one at a time. Although I've read mixed reviews on Travolta, the audience loved him. I guess some Travolta haters just can't get over it.
The movie was so well crafted that the emergence of characters like Amanda Bynes' and Queen Latifa's make you love them. I could go on one at a time, but the evolution of Amada Bynes particularly struck me. She knew how to let Nikki have the limelight, but when the spotlight was on her, she shined...what screen presence and talent. The film stands on its own on all levels, but if you like any of the stars like Michelle Pfiefer, Christopher Walken, John Travolta, Queen Latifa, Amanda Bynes, etc., you'll love this film. However, Nikki Blonsky, the unknown, owns the film. She starts you smiling and keeps you that way throughout. Thank god there are producers and directors that know how to make musicals...a great chance to open the eyes of the younger moviegoer. The young followers of Amanda Bynes will be proud that such great young talent continues to emerge. And I'm 63 years old, male, and yes love good musicals. This one is better than Dreamgirls and Chicago, which were great, because it doesn't take itself seriously, yet makes its historical and serious points quite effectively. The audience laughs throughout and applauds at the end.
To the John Waters fans of which I include myself, don't compare the original's out of the box greatness to this adaptation. This is a celebration of his legacy...and so much more fun then the special effects summer gadgets we're swamped with every year. A breath of fresh air.
World Trade Center (2006)
If this doesn't get nominated, nothing should
After my second viewing, my emotions were stirred as strongly as the first. This clearly shows Oliver Stone at his best. Although Oliver Stone isn't typically aligned with the right, he is certainly aligned with the righteous. If this isn't a recruitment film for the Marines, I don't know what is. And I mean that in a good way. The fact that the individual who came from up state to save the two Port Authority policemen is a true story is both incredible and a rifle shot point made by Stone that a few good men can make a difference. In fact, if it wasn't for this staff Sargent, there probably wouldn't have been a story. Stone's use of the camera and closeups of the characters and the scenes put you inside the film. And when they cried, you cried. I'll bet the box office is just o.k. because the subject is so disturbing. Every American should see this movie.and it should be regular fare on DVD in every high school in America. Bravo to all involved...too many greats to list.
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006)
Every American should see this documentary
Every American should see this documentary. Spike Lee has done an award winning film on the Katrina disaster. When America realizes that:the disaster was caused by the admitted poor construction of the Levees by the Army Corps of Engineers and the impact on the wetlands caused by the dredging of the outlet of the Mississippi river; and that 30 % of Americas oil and gas production comes off the Lousinana coastline, even though it is technically too far from the coast to generate direct revenue to the state of Louisiana; this disaster has Federal accountability. Whether or not the insurance companies have blame for calling the damage a result of flood, instead of the flood caused by the Hurricane (duh!), whatever is the cost of rebuilding the city should be born by the American taxpayer, or the appropriate budget reallocation. Spike Lee's documentary shows that both in human and logical terms, it's time for the American public to insist that our sister states that were damaged by Katrina be restored ASAP and both the levees and the oil/gas production be secured to a level appropriate with the risk. Thank god for the free press of our great nation.