The Scorecard Review

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Revolutionary Road

Directed by: Sam Mendes
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon
Running Time: 2 hrs
Rating: R

Plot: A married couple (DiCaprio and Winslet) with two children try to survive the banal suburban life of the 1950’s.

Who’s It For? We are all invited to experience the powerful story by Richard Yates, as envisioned by director Sam Mendes and presented by the incredible chemistry of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. But considering all of this, it’s obvious that Revolutionary Road has little shame in packaging itself specifically for one shiny man named Oscar.

Expectations: A boring, one line synopsis I had read for the film intrigued me to no end. How would the chemistry between DiCaprio and Winslet create an absorbing dramatic imbalance in a simple setting that has been predominantly presented by ... Continue Reading

The months of January and February are Notorious for offering crumbs of quality scraped from the dishes used at Oscar’s feast. However, some Fanboys might be Taken by surprise with reboots of their favorite horror classics, (My Bloody Valentine, now in 3-D or Friday the 13th).

As for PG-13 horror, that particular sub-genre hasn’t had a classic in a while. Maybe David S. Goyer’s The Unborn can change that. Regardless, there will be a fair share of Youth In Revolt if releases like Hotel for Dogs or even The Pink Panther 2 exist only to educate young viewers on the true horror of the post-Oscar movie calendar.

For the busy marquee topping months of January and February, here is a top 7 list of the most anticipated movies. Other films to ... Continue Reading

The Spirit

Directed by: Frank Miller

Cast: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson

Running Time: 1 hr 50 mins

Rating: PG-13

Plot: The Spirit (Macht) is a masked vigilante in Central City, U.S.A. He must stop his arch nemesis, The Octopus (Jackson), from drinking the blood of Hercules, which offers immortality.

Who’s It For? Though this is a character created by Will Eisner, this film will be enjoyed exclusively by Frank Miller, Frank Miller, Frank Miller, Frank Miller, and Frank Miller.

Expectations: An early fan review on AICN.com said this was worse than John Travolta’s suck-tacular scientology opus Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000. Then, a user review on IMDB.com said almost the exact opposite. Plus, distributor Lionsgate was rigorously advertising it with cheesy lines like “Catch the Christmas Spirit.” Was this ... Continue Reading

Frost/Nixon

Directed by: Ron Howard

Cast: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell

Running Time: 2 hrs

Rating: R

Plot: Because of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon (Langella) was the first American president to resign from office. David Frost, an Australian talk show host, was the unlikely interviewer who sought to uncover the truth about Nixon’s business with the event of Watergate.

Who’s It For? Film-buffs, history-buffs and even Nixon-buffs. Anyone intrigued will be reasonably satisfied with this engaging film.

Expectations: Frost/Nixon had an incredible trailer that ignited excitement way back in September. With writer Peter Morgan, director Ron Howard, and a great ensemble cast, this looked to be one of the year’s best.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:
Frank Langella as Richard Nixon: Langella won a Tony award for playing Nixon in this story’s original stage format. His remarkable embodiment ... Continue Reading

Gran Torino

Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Sue Lor, Bee Vang
Running Time: 2 hrs
Rating: R

Plot: A retired and newly widowed Korean war veteran becomes a grand father-figure to two neighboring Hmong teenagers trying to escape the violence of a local gang.

Who’s It For? Fans of Eastwood’s magnetism need to see this. The film’s genuine quality is open to anyone, particularly those who want to feel refreshed by an award worthy experience that isn’t adapted from some previous literary form.

Expectations: Less than a year ago, the title Gran Torino was rumored to be that of a new Dirty Harry sequel. But when a trailer for this film was finally released, it appeared this film would be something more important.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:
Clint Eastwood as Walt Kowalski: Is this character the penultimate of Eastwood? ... Continue Reading

Doubt

Directed by: John Patrick Shanley
Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
Running Time: 95 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Opens: Dec. 12th in Chicago at Landmark Century Cinema and AMC River East

Plot: Based on his own play, John Patrick Shanley writes and directs a film about a Bronx parish in the 1960’s that faces inner turmoil when a respected priest’s (Hoffman) good nature is questioned by two nuns (Streep and Adams).

Who’s It For? Those willing to experience a slowly paced, dramatic exploration into universal themes like leadership as told in a setting timely to the church’s own problems in recent years.

Expectations: Very curious was the mixed reaction Doubt received when it first screened in New York. Where could this Oscar-baiting film have gone wrong? ... Continue Reading

Nothing Like The Holidays

Directed by: Alfredo De Villa
Cast: Freddy Rodriguez, Elisabeth Pena, John Leguizamo, Luis Guzman, Debra Messing
Running Time: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: PG-13

Plot: An eccentric Latin-American family living in the Puerto Rican area of Chicago celebrates Christmas and various life lessons that enhance the holiday spirit.

Who’s It For?: Properly, this film isn’t limited to an audience of a particular background. However, if you’ve already got a favorite family Christmas movie, (mine’s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation) there are slim chances that this will be any type of a replacement.

Expectations: I always like to see how Chicago is captured in films. But would there be anything to truly Like about another holiday film that reminds me once again, in so many words, that “family is the best gift of all?”

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:

Freddy ... Continue Reading

Nothing adds to the holiday’s commercial cheer like a good Christmas movie. A story about a Puerto Rican family coming together for Christmas, Nothing Like The Holidays is a warm film full of, what Freddy Rodriguez has called himself, an “all-star” cast. From Alfredo Molina to John Leguizamo, or Elisabeth Pena to Debra Messing, the family’s all here in a film guaranteed to add a little spice to a holiday experience at the multiplex.

Three stars from the film, Freddy Rodriguez (who also serves as an executive producer), Elisabeth Pena, and Luis Guzman came to Chicago for a red-carpet premiere at the city’s treasured Music Box theatre. Joined by another reporter, I sat down at a conference table at Chicago’s Four Seasons Hotel to understand why there really is Nothing Like ... Continue Reading

Cadillac Records

Directed by: Darnell Martin
Cast: Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Columbus Short, Beyonce Knowles
Running Time: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: R

Plot: The story of record producer Leonard Chess (Brody) and the blues musicians he made famous with his Chicago based company Chess Records.

Who’s It For? Music fans, particularly those of Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Etta James etc., would be better off reading a book, or hell, even a Wikipedia page. Beyonce fans will get a kick out of seeing one of their Dreamgirls ham it up once again. But falling into a sad realm of forget-ability will be Wright’s noteworthy portrayal of Muddy Waters.

Expectations: Music movies tend to clone themselves as much as sports films. Considering this, would a music movie with more musicians than usual have even more cliches? And unlike ... Continue Reading

Transporter 3

Directed by: Olivier Megaton
Cast: Jason Statham, Natalya Rudakova, Robert Knepper
Running Time: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: PG-13

Plot: Personal driver Frank Martin (Statham) is hired to transport a Ukrainian minister’s daughter (Rudakova) who has been kidnapped by an evil American (Knepper) that is attempting to bribe the European country with toxic waste. However, an explosive device attached to Martin restricts him from being any more than 75 feet away from his car.

Who’s It For? People who don’t own DVD players and a type of membership to some form of movie rental business. Seriously, if you’re really revved up for Transporter action, just rent the previous two.

Expectations: I’m always down for some butt kicking, especially when Jason Statham’s involved. Fully aware of the reality-defying thrills in the trilogy’s previous two films, I ... Continue Reading

Slumdog Millionaire

Directed by: Danny Boyle
Cast: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal
Running Time: 1 hr, 50 mins
Rating: PG-13

Plot: The success story of a poor Indian boy (Patel) is coincidentally told through the questions he must answer while on India’s own “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”.

Who’s It For? This is for anyone who likes a little “twist” on their Dickensian rags to riches stories. Slumdog shares the same arc as many tales before it, but is unlike nearly every movie of its kind. It is worth the adventurous view.

Expectations: Other than Darren Aronofsky’s < ;b>The Wrester, Slumdog Millionaire was apparently the other critical winner at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:
Dev Patel as Jamal Malik: Patel is actually British, but plays the innocent Mumbai born and raised Jamal with great conviction ... Continue Reading

The mastermind behind films like Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, the underrated Sunshine, and the newest, Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle introduces himself with a big genuine smile and a firm handshake. When he starts talking, (immediately, about his take on British toilet humor), he has the intrigue and charm reminiscent of a nice chap at the pub who loves to tell stories. In a cozy room at Chicago’s wonderful Hotel Sax, Boyle discussed with great enthusiasm his latest and possibly best achievement, Slumdog Millionaire.

The film is a unique take on the concept of the underdog that, with amazing visuals and storytelling, catapults us headfirst into the life on the streets of Mumbai, India. Slumdog focuses on a young man named Jamal, whose life story is incidentally told through the questions he ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

World domination is a tough business. The hours are long, the sacrifices are heavy, and the workload is endless. Sometimes, your hard work doesn’t even pay off. Even worse than all of this is when some horn dog super agent is killing your henchmen (and most likely) bedding your girlfriend/wife/mistress behind your back.

Amped up for the release of new James Bond film Quantum of Solace, I’ve compiled a list of Top 7 Bond Villains.

Carly Simon said it best: “Nobody does it better.” But who does “it” worst?

7. Curd Jurgens as Karl Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me — Villainous Stromberg was a lover of the sea, with a scheme that would have forced us all to oblige: with captured submarines ... Continue Reading

The Haunting of Molly Hartley

Directed by: Mickey Liddell
Cast: Haley Bennett, Jake Weber, Chace Crawford
Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: PG-13

Plot: Seventeen-year old Molly (Bennett) slowly learns of the horrors that will happen to her on the day she turns eighteen.

Who’s It For?: In the world of Molly Hartley, parents are trying to kill their children, religion is a super-lame idea forced upon by pesky, ugly fanatics, and more importantly - no one understands you. This movie is basically gasoline to the fiery angst burning within WASP-y teenagers who just got their braces. And while Nick and Norah was their Say Anything, this is their Exorcist.

Expectations: When I heard someone talking about this movie, they said it was like 2006’s The Covenant. I became truly frightened - one time I had a ... Continue Reading

RocknRolla

Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven and Ludacris
Running Time: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: R

Plot: Sometimes it’s easier to actually do the things happening in Guy Ritchie plots than describe them. But here goes: members from the underground and the upper class become intertwined in an intricate scheme involving millions of dollars available from a real estate scam. Problems increase when “rocknrolla” Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell) obtains a painting that Johnny’s scam-involved father, Lenny Cole (Wilkinson), is also seeking.

Who’s It For? This one goes out to anyone who likes a little substance to their gritty rock ‘em sock ‘ems. This isn’t a Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or a Snatch., but it will pacify Guy Ritchie fans who share his enthusiasm for anti-gangsters that ... Continue Reading

Ballast

Directed by: Lance Hammer
Cast: Michael J. Smith Sr., JimMyron Ross, Tarra Riggs
Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: Not rated

Plot: A man’s sudden suicide affects the lives of the three people whom considered him a brother, husband, and an uncle. (For those who don’t know, “ballast” is defined as dead weight that provides a certain degree of steadiness).

Who’s It For? The dramatic film’s pacing, abrupt editing, lack of soundtrack and general emptiness cater to the art-house crowd. Like other independent films, Ballast demands its viewers’ patience and requires the watcher to voluntarily want to explore its subtexts.

Expectations: Ballast had a lot of buzz at the Chicago International Film Festival. On top of that, it has already won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival, and is up for four nominations at the Gotham Independent Film Awards … so yes, I was exicted. ... Continue Reading

Lance Hammer’s Ballast is a docile film that has made quite a name for itself in the festival circuit. His first film uses the Mississippi Delta to explore an “underlying sadness,” as he calls it, involving three human beings who are affected by a suicide.

The subtle and moving film won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival, and is currently nominated four times for the Gotham Independent Film Awards.

It was an honor to discuss the film and the general process of filmmaking with Hammer in a cozy conference room on Michigan Avenue.

Though he was not particularly enthusiastic about his days working on Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies, he had to discuss involving making films that are true to one’s vision. If you’re a fan of films that tell so ... Continue Reading

We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.

The fight for justice can sometimes be an internal struggle, thanks to the character of the dirty cop. They abuse their power while disregarding their duties to protect and serve; these crooks tend to be the worst of all criminals. In both comedic (the forgotten Blue Streak), and dramatic action forms (the totally wrong Righteous Kill), the story of the dirty cop has been told time and time again (Pride and Glory included). Films concerning such crooked bearers of the badge are scattered throughout cinema history, but the past twenty years have given us plenty to talk about.

Sometimes playing a cop, good or bad, can bring the best out of certain actors. This list is dedicated to those top (dirty) cop ... Continue Reading

Saw V

Directed by: David Hackl
Cast: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Meagan Good
Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: R

Plot: Characters and audiences alike are tortured in the fifth installment of the Saw franchise. Essentially, people die slowly. In the movie or, (for the audience), in their souls.

Who’s It For? 1. People who don’t realize that these films are essentially identical to each other. 2. Gullible teenagers.

Expectations: “I have to pay $8.50 to see this?!!!”

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:
Tobin Bell as Jigsaw: Jigsaw is a heroic villain for a dumb-blooded, naive generation who have no respect for their elders like Jason Voorhees or Mike Myers; (but fear not kiddies! Your Michael Bay-itized remake of the classic Friday the 13th is due out in February!) Jigsaw has this terrible habit of sounding like a

Changeling

Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan, Jason Butler Harner
Time: 2 hrs 20 mins
Rating: R

Plot: In the late 1920’s, a mother (Jolie) battles uphill against a manipulative Los Angeles police department when the missing son returned to her is not actually her child.

Who’s It For? Anyone familiar with recent Eastwood films like Mystic River or Letters From Iwo Jima should be aware of Changeling’s oncoming sentimentality and rewarding quality. But for some, the emotional intensity of Changeling might be similar to be whipped by a wet towel that has been soaked in tears.

Expectations: Clint Eastwood. The films he has directed in the past have been as powerful as the Smith & Wesson Model 29 that he used to fire off during his Dirty Harry days.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:
Angelina Jolie ... Continue Reading

The Express
Directed by: Gary Fleder
Cast: Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid, Omar Benson Miller
Time: 2 hrs 5 mins
Rating: PG

Plot: The story of Ernie Davis, (Brown), the first African-American football player to win the Heisman Trophy. A discriminated halfback at Syracuse University, Davis tackled racial differences on and off the field whether it was from prejudiced referees and teammates, segregated hotels and businesses, or the entire state of Texas.

Who’s It For? The obvious bid is for football fans, but the power of this true story widens its audience to anyone who is willing to listen.

Expectations: Sports films tend to be cinematic MVPs, making true stories seem like the most formulaic kind of thing. But once we disregard the Hollywood-injected factors like predictability, the stories they tell are usually able to stand on their own. ... Continue Reading

Narrative Review

Body of Lies
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong
Time: 2 hrs
Rating: R

Our business in Iraq has always been a tough sell, even before our vain attempts to make movies about it. Hollywood has interpreted our presence in the Middle East in many ways, but few films were able to put up “Mission Accomplished” banners. Audiences didn’t care for the wimpy meow of Lions For Lambs; the controversial soldier re-enlistment film Stop-Loss (released to an audience that was MIA); and gung-ho disasters like The Kingdom, which were too busy with glorified violence to treat its mature themes seriously.

An adaptation of the novel by the same name, Body of Lies explodes into multiplexes and speaks the truth about the volcanic potential within such hot-topic films. This political action-thriller confirms that it’s possible for a flick to pack a message as tough as its punch, all while offering a unanimous, nonpartisan source of intelligent, gripping entertainment.

The film’s political points are sharpest in the beginning. Russell Crowe, as big-boned CIA operative Ed Hoffman, delivers a monologue concerning our presence in the Middle East, debating whether a reason to defend our work over there is even necessary. Throughout his speech, (which doubles as a visual introduction of his intelligence partner in Iraq, Roger Ferris, played by Leonardo DiCaprio), Hoffman argues for the sake of surveillance to fight terrorism by saying: “we must keep our foot on the enemy’s foot, or the world will change completely.” Body of Lies is a story about the toes that are stepped on in the process to keep such an imperative balance. ... Continue Reading