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jdangela-1
Reviews
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
A Little Disappointing.
I am a huge fan of Christopher Nolan and must say he hasn't made a weak movie. While the first two episodes of the Batman trilogy were exceptional, this final instalment was, for me, the weakest ... though still good. The standouts in the cast were Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Tom Hardy's a wonderful actor but his garbled and muffled dialogue was at times quite unintelligible - almost making Batman's low drone more tolerable. Nolan and his brother are brilliant screenwriters but I found this storyline full of plot holes and generally obvious in development(certainly expected in fantastical super-hero films). My favourites among Nolan's many excellent films remain Following and Memento, proof that he doesn't need to only make 9 digit budget films from here on in. The story is most important and a great one doesn't always require an expensive wealth of action, CGI and special effects.
The Newsroom: Amen (2012)
Trust Sorkin to bring it all together by the end.
Yes, The Newsroom has some soap operaish elements and some seemingly silly scenes but Sorkin's brilliance always carefully ties them together by the end. The number of important, intelligent and thought-provoking heavily dialogue-laden scenes provide much opportunity for learning and discussion. The tie-in with real events remind us of the importance of knowing what is happening in the world (Mubarak, Wisconsin union breaking, Glass-Steagal). The discussion of what makes true journalism and what makes a real journalist is so important in light of the dumbing down of tabloid, celebrity and reality laden media. The importance of truth in broadcasting is so vital to today's immediacy of sound bite and internet broadcasting.
Chicago (2002)
Loved It.
Be the first on your block to catch Chicago at the only theatre in town that it's probably playing at (It opened in only one theatre in our city - although it's probably now playing at more theatres).
It's based on the play "Chicago" which has been playing somewhere since 1975. However the play was based on the 1942 movie "Roxie Hart" starring Ginger Rodgers which in turn was based on a true life case in the 1920's (which also spawned a play in the 20's).
MiraMax distributes it and as usual, MiraMax decides how to release and how to promote. In this case they did not pushing Chicago in its initial release perhaps thinking musicals still aren't appreciated by the American public at large. To understate the point ("Gangs of New York" opened on December 22 on 1700 screens whereas "Chicago" opened on 77 screens. Both are being distributed by Miramax. Gangs pulled in $9 million the first weekend, Chicago $2 million). The Weinsteins at MiraMax are aware that Moulin Rouge made more than twice as much abroad and on DVD release and may have originally thought that would be how they get their investment back. They must be pleased with the overwhelming reaction. Kudos to the director Bob Marshall for sticking to his guns and deciding to create a superb production by signing the cast he wanted.
Renee Zelwegger is phenomenal doing her own singing and dancing(she had no major training in that area but it fit her character development perfectly). Catherine Zeta-Jones is vampishly wonderful. I even like Richard Gere in his role. There are some equally wonderful supporting roles especially Queen Lathifa and John C. Reilly.
The movie is fantastic. I think it's better than Moulin Rouge and should be up for oscars in many categories. It has picked up eight Golden Globes nominations and won three (Best Comedy/Musical, Renee and Richard). The direction is top notch (Rob Marshall fairly new to movie direction makes it work in a very unique and novel way-the way he weaves the songs with the storyline is captivating), the casting is exceptional, the choreography/singing is phenomenal, the editing is amazing, the screenplay is delightful in a satirical kind of way. I see it as having some excellent political/social commentary on America which was probably true in the 20's and is still true today.
The film was shot in a warehouse in Toronto over a three month period. It was released in the States on December 29th, just making the cutoff for Oscar qualification by 2 days.
I love good musicals, but this one, like Moulin Rouge breaks new ground and deserves to be seen. People will pay $100 to catch a musical like Mamma Mia. For the cost of a movie ticket prepare to be equally entertained. You'll be toe tapping in your seats.