“New In Town” – 3 out 5 stars
Ty Hampton
Critic’s Corner
City girl Renee Zellweger and her supporting cast of merry Minnesotans make this fish-out-of-water romantic comedy a keeper, you betcha!
With Zellweger’s quirky natured humor, Harry Connick Jr.’s charm, and J.K. Simmons’ classic one-liners like “Shut up you crazy old Hoot Owl!,” and,“Holy beer and cheese soup!” – this flick truly has a little bit of something for everybody.
Lucy Hill (Zellweger) is a cutthroat, corporate woman from sunny Miami who gets a sudden – and unwanted – change of scenery when the company bigwigs send her up north to play the grim-reaper and layoff half the staff at a factory in rural Minnesota. What seems like an easy task for this career-driven modern woman turns out to be a lot more than she bargained for as this tough little town plays hardball – the Minnesota way.
Zellweger may not have been quite as funny as her Bridget Jones romantic comedy character in those films, but I felt the supporting cast made up for that and then some. Simmons (“Spider Man I-III”, “Juno”, “Burn After Reading”) plays the long-time factory foreman who isn’t about to nudge for some out-of-towner. His down-home demeanor and comments add a wealth of color to the film.
On top of that Siobhan Fallon (“Baby Mamma” and “Men In Black”) and acclaimed actress France Conroy (“Six Feet Under”) are a supporting knock out punch as two riffing Minnesota wives who befriend Lucy and teach her everything they know – except for their top-secret, beloved tapioca pudding recipe of course.
This was also Danish filmmaker Jonas Elmer’s mainstream big screen debut and I think he did exceptionally well showing the bitter cold of the great north and the tough grit of the blue-collared people that inhabit this country.
This movie is still far from perfect though. One drawback for me was that there are some cheesy, predictable cookie-cutter romantic moments in this film as opposed to something -- I don’t know – real. But it’s a common of the rom-com genre.
Then there is the fact that the folksy Minnesota jokes about their goofy accents, overly friendly nature, etc., was already done in film – and done much better – in a Cohen Brothers movie called “Fargo.” This movie feels like Zellweger’s “Bridget Jones” series but Americanized in “Sweet Home Alabama” fashion combined with new versions of old Fargo jokes.
I’m not saying the humor isn’t still funny, because it definitely is and it doesn’t get old – it’s just been done before.
And don’t just take my word for it, I saw this quasi chick-flick with two girls, one of which gave it 4 stars and the other gave it 2.5. I give this movie somewhere in the middle for the romantic comedy genre with a 3 star rating out of five stars.
It’s rated (PG) for language and some suggestive material. “New In Town” is now showing at the Showboat 2 in Polson at 4, 7, and 9 p.m. nightly.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Clint shines in gritty ‘Gran Torino’
“Gran Torino” – 4.5 out of 5 stars
Ty Hampton
Critic’s Corner
Legendary actor, director, producer Clint Eastwood proves without a doubt that he is still the hardest working man in Hollywood with this epic tale of love, hate, and redemption.
If you haven’t yet seen this film in theaters and you’ve been looking for that great movie, look no further and check this one out now because it’s worth your $7.75 and then some.
Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) is an aging Korean War veteran existing in a hollow, anti-social shell as he has struggled to move on and live life after experiencing wartime brutality first hand and suffering the recent tragic loss of his wife. The times they are a changing as everything in the world passes by Walt as he is at a standstill, spending his days shining his beloved hotrod and subsiding off of Marlboros, 12 packs of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and beef jerky.
In his suburban Detroit neighborhood a Hmong family living next door becomes the focus of intimidation and attack from a local gang, forcing Walt awake to do the right thing in sticking up for the immigrant family. To do this he must slowly shed layers of deeply rooted anger, racism and prejudice.
Aside from genius performances, aside from the amazing story, aside from the seamless cinematography – what I found most powerful about this film was its range. The film transitions genuinely from intense drama to quite hilarious moments of dry “Clint” humor. Some moments make you forget you’re watching a sincere drama instead of “Grumpy Old Men.”
Over the past five years Eastwood has brought us acclaimed piece after acclaimed piece, providing unarguably some of the best film of the new millennium. From 2003’s “Mystic River” to the following year’s “Million Dollar Baby” to 2008 projects Torino and “The Changeling” – everything this man touches seems to turn to gold.
But that’s no accident. Clint Eastwood is one of the greatest story tellers of our time, and he accomplishes that feat from in front of and behind the lens. Most importantly is Clint’s critical ability to get down to the heart of the real, authentic human drama that surrounds us everyday.
Frankly, (and I haven’t seen all the other nominated films yet) it’s a travesty that this film did not receive any nods for best picture, best actor, or best original screenplay from the Academy. Adding even more insult to injury is the fact that although Clint has four Oscars sitting at home for his directing, the man never won the big one for best actor.
From “Dirty Harry” to “Escape From Alcatraz” to Torino he never brought home the hardware and now we’re being told this will be his last on screen role. Regardless, I felt the man should have been considered for this beautiful piece of film.
I give Gran Torino 4.5 out of 5 stars for the drama genre. I highly, highly recommend this movie to any fan of film with one reservation – the language in Torino is fairly severe, including repeated use of ethnic slurs.
Gran Torino is rated “R” for harsh language throughout and violence. It’s showing nightly at the Showboat 2 Cinemas in Polson at 4:15, 6:50 and 9:10 nightly through Feb. 26
Ty Hampton
Critic’s Corner
Legendary actor, director, producer Clint Eastwood proves without a doubt that he is still the hardest working man in Hollywood with this epic tale of love, hate, and redemption.
If you haven’t yet seen this film in theaters and you’ve been looking for that great movie, look no further and check this one out now because it’s worth your $7.75 and then some.
Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) is an aging Korean War veteran existing in a hollow, anti-social shell as he has struggled to move on and live life after experiencing wartime brutality first hand and suffering the recent tragic loss of his wife. The times they are a changing as everything in the world passes by Walt as he is at a standstill, spending his days shining his beloved hotrod and subsiding off of Marlboros, 12 packs of Pabst Blue Ribbon, and beef jerky.
In his suburban Detroit neighborhood a Hmong family living next door becomes the focus of intimidation and attack from a local gang, forcing Walt awake to do the right thing in sticking up for the immigrant family. To do this he must slowly shed layers of deeply rooted anger, racism and prejudice.
Aside from genius performances, aside from the amazing story, aside from the seamless cinematography – what I found most powerful about this film was its range. The film transitions genuinely from intense drama to quite hilarious moments of dry “Clint” humor. Some moments make you forget you’re watching a sincere drama instead of “Grumpy Old Men.”
Over the past five years Eastwood has brought us acclaimed piece after acclaimed piece, providing unarguably some of the best film of the new millennium. From 2003’s “Mystic River” to the following year’s “Million Dollar Baby” to 2008 projects Torino and “The Changeling” – everything this man touches seems to turn to gold.
But that’s no accident. Clint Eastwood is one of the greatest story tellers of our time, and he accomplishes that feat from in front of and behind the lens. Most importantly is Clint’s critical ability to get down to the heart of the real, authentic human drama that surrounds us everyday.
Frankly, (and I haven’t seen all the other nominated films yet) it’s a travesty that this film did not receive any nods for best picture, best actor, or best original screenplay from the Academy. Adding even more insult to injury is the fact that although Clint has four Oscars sitting at home for his directing, the man never won the big one for best actor.
From “Dirty Harry” to “Escape From Alcatraz” to Torino he never brought home the hardware and now we’re being told this will be his last on screen role. Regardless, I felt the man should have been considered for this beautiful piece of film.
I give Gran Torino 4.5 out of 5 stars for the drama genre. I highly, highly recommend this movie to any fan of film with one reservation – the language in Torino is fairly severe, including repeated use of ethnic slurs.
Gran Torino is rated “R” for harsh language throughout and violence. It’s showing nightly at the Showboat 2 Cinemas in Polson at 4:15, 6:50 and 9:10 nightly through Feb. 26
Friday, February 13, 2009
‘Friday the 13th’ remake slashes way onto screen
"Friday the 13th" -- 2 out of 5 stars
Ty Hampton
Critic’s Corner
The classic 24-hour nightmare of terror hits the big screen again in Producer Michael Bay’s newest rendition of the famed 1980 slasher film “Friday the 13th”.
The blood is redder, the teen victims are dumber, and the villain Jason seems to event newer ways of killing people all in a film that seems to offer nothing new – a common shortfall of remakes. Some accomplish a new modern day adaptation with added stylish flare and others just stick to the same old tricks that made the initial film a hit.
The original Friday the 13th hangs up there in an elite 70s and 80s horror class with the likes of films “Halloween”, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, and “Nightmare on Elm Street” – so there’s a reason this was destined to be a remake as the ladder have already received the same treatment or are in the works now.
This adaptation starts with a group of teenagers embarking on a camping trip in the woods where a psychopath and her deformed son, Jason, were said to have slain the staff of entire summer camp at Camp Crystal Lake. Thing is, the son who was thought to be dead is back and on a rampage with out-of-town campers turning up missing left and right.
Jason mows through the first bunch of campers in record time and fashion, making up about a 20-minute introduction to the film before the title shot is shown. Then the primary group of frat boys and ditsy girls show up to stay at their parents cabin on the lake and they one by one befall Jason’s new campaign of terror.
Downgrades: Typical of slasher flicks, the actors in this movie are complete unknowns but they seem increasingly more ridiculous and unlikable than in the past as I found myself (on more than one occasion) rooting for Jason more than the victim in peril. To make it worse they through in a stoner twist to this version.
Plus, a number of moments in the film are beyond poor acting and just ridiculously cheesy – which would be a common complaint of mine for the entire slasher/horror genre. It’s the opposite of engaging and likewise invokes little empathy from the audience to care about the film’s subjects.
Improvements: Jason is not a walking vegetable and can actually run and pursue fleeing victims like the vicious killer he is. If you remember the classic Jason of old just slowly walked basically wherever he went – ala Michael Myers in “Halloween.”
Additionally, although the film lost its classic film imagery it did gain some clean, glossy modern veneer that Michael Bay seems to put on all his films these days and it seemed to only bring out the effectiveness of the gore and sound effects even more. After all, that’s partly why people come to see these movies.
Producer Michael Bay is known for as many colossal hits (”Transformers”, “The Rock” and “Armageddon”) as he is for sub-par misses (”The Island”, “Pearl Harbor”, and “The Hitcher”), and this latest effort leans toward the miss category in my book.
In 2003 Bay teamed up with German director Marcus Nispel -- who also made this film -- for his first classic horror remake “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. That is a creepy tale that Nispel and Bay brought an extra angle to by making the villain as evil as it gets and the entire town is out to help him – very well done I thought.
It appears the duo tried to accomplish the same thing in this attempt by using the same old playbook and following the original too much. Although I am happy that this film turned out to be a lot more like the chainsaw thriller than the 2003 blaspheme bomb “Freddy vs. Jason”.
Regardless of what you think of Bay’s films, the man certainly is busy, as the Bay produced “The Unborn” is in theaters now with “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” due this summer, and his adaptation of “Nightmare on Elm Street” slated for 2010.
Overall I found this film to be a lowbrow, but entertaining bloodbath but I wouldn’t give it much more credit for anything than that. Horror movies can be made with suspense, intelligence, and stylistic skill and this really lacked any of the fore mentioned attributes.
I give it 2 out of 5 stars for the horror genre and add a parental disclaimer that there is a good deal of nudity and sexual content in this version.
The film is rated “R” for strong bloody violence, some graphic sexual content, language and drug material. It is showing at 4, 7, and 9 p.m. nightly through Feb. 26 at the Entertainer Cinema in Ronan.
Ty Hampton
Critic’s Corner
The classic 24-hour nightmare of terror hits the big screen again in Producer Michael Bay’s newest rendition of the famed 1980 slasher film “Friday the 13th”.
The blood is redder, the teen victims are dumber, and the villain Jason seems to event newer ways of killing people all in a film that seems to offer nothing new – a common shortfall of remakes. Some accomplish a new modern day adaptation with added stylish flare and others just stick to the same old tricks that made the initial film a hit.
The original Friday the 13th hangs up there in an elite 70s and 80s horror class with the likes of films “Halloween”, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, and “Nightmare on Elm Street” – so there’s a reason this was destined to be a remake as the ladder have already received the same treatment or are in the works now.
This adaptation starts with a group of teenagers embarking on a camping trip in the woods where a psychopath and her deformed son, Jason, were said to have slain the staff of entire summer camp at Camp Crystal Lake. Thing is, the son who was thought to be dead is back and on a rampage with out-of-town campers turning up missing left and right.
Jason mows through the first bunch of campers in record time and fashion, making up about a 20-minute introduction to the film before the title shot is shown. Then the primary group of frat boys and ditsy girls show up to stay at their parents cabin on the lake and they one by one befall Jason’s new campaign of terror.
Downgrades: Typical of slasher flicks, the actors in this movie are complete unknowns but they seem increasingly more ridiculous and unlikable than in the past as I found myself (on more than one occasion) rooting for Jason more than the victim in peril. To make it worse they through in a stoner twist to this version.
Plus, a number of moments in the film are beyond poor acting and just ridiculously cheesy – which would be a common complaint of mine for the entire slasher/horror genre. It’s the opposite of engaging and likewise invokes little empathy from the audience to care about the film’s subjects.
Improvements: Jason is not a walking vegetable and can actually run and pursue fleeing victims like the vicious killer he is. If you remember the classic Jason of old just slowly walked basically wherever he went – ala Michael Myers in “Halloween.”
Additionally, although the film lost its classic film imagery it did gain some clean, glossy modern veneer that Michael Bay seems to put on all his films these days and it seemed to only bring out the effectiveness of the gore and sound effects even more. After all, that’s partly why people come to see these movies.
Producer Michael Bay is known for as many colossal hits (”Transformers”, “The Rock” and “Armageddon”) as he is for sub-par misses (”The Island”, “Pearl Harbor”, and “The Hitcher”), and this latest effort leans toward the miss category in my book.
In 2003 Bay teamed up with German director Marcus Nispel -- who also made this film -- for his first classic horror remake “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. That is a creepy tale that Nispel and Bay brought an extra angle to by making the villain as evil as it gets and the entire town is out to help him – very well done I thought.
It appears the duo tried to accomplish the same thing in this attempt by using the same old playbook and following the original too much. Although I am happy that this film turned out to be a lot more like the chainsaw thriller than the 2003 blaspheme bomb “Freddy vs. Jason”.
Regardless of what you think of Bay’s films, the man certainly is busy, as the Bay produced “The Unborn” is in theaters now with “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” due this summer, and his adaptation of “Nightmare on Elm Street” slated for 2010.
Overall I found this film to be a lowbrow, but entertaining bloodbath but I wouldn’t give it much more credit for anything than that. Horror movies can be made with suspense, intelligence, and stylistic skill and this really lacked any of the fore mentioned attributes.
I give it 2 out of 5 stars for the horror genre and add a parental disclaimer that there is a good deal of nudity and sexual content in this version.
The film is rated “R” for strong bloody violence, some graphic sexual content, language and drug material. It is showing at 4, 7, and 9 p.m. nightly through Feb. 26 at the Entertainer Cinema in Ronan.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
'Marley' a dog lover's delight
Ty Hampton
Critic’s Corner
"Marley and Me" — 3.5 out of 5 stars
The novel-based “Marley and Me” had every tail in the theater wagging as a true blue dog lover’s tribute to man’s best friend.
Although Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston worked well in the leading roles, both took a backseat to our furry protagonist Marley.
The story picks up with John and Jennifer Grogan’s (Wilson and Aniston) lives after the the newly-wed journalist couple moves to Florida and John surprises his wife with a new puppy. We follow the Grogan’s through their ups and downs, trials and triumphs in life — all with Marley by their side providing a wealth of four-legged mischief and comfort in the tough times.
Big name players Wilson and Aniston aren’t going to receive any acclaim for their performances, but they played the roles true to the real people in the non-fiction book “Marley and Me.” Supporting performances from Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner, and the always hilarious Alan Arkin, provided addtional streaks of color to the story that remained tightly focused on the family for a bulk of the film.
Director David Frankel did a fine job on his second major release bigscreen movie, using some fast action editing to further the visual appeal of the film in areas where this could have easily been your typical cookie cutter film. Of course Frankel is no rookie behind the camera with accolades such as being the original director of the hit HBO show “Entourage”, and time directing episodes of “Sex and the City”, “Rome”, and “Band of Brothers.”
The plot follows the Grogan’s as Marley ages from a spry pup to an older lab with white hairs around the eyes. My biggest beef with the film was that it seemed to come to a crawling finish, focusing on the sad ladder end of the dog’s life too much.
I also have to give the filmmakers credit though, because the film’s climax and finale is about as real as it gets. At the screening I went to there was not a dry eye in the room — and it felt like a real human experience with a beloved friend.
I personally was touched by this film as a huge dog person. I laughed, I cried, and it made me appreciate my own four-legged friend all the more.. It's a feel good flick and I recommend it if that's what you're looking for.
Overall it was not the biggest or best film, but it made for a great family comedy and I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars for that genre.
The film is rated (PG) for thematic material, and some suggestive content and language. “Marley and Me” will be playing at Ronan’s Entertainer Cinema at 4, 6:50, and 9 p.m. daily through Thursday, Feb. 12.
Critic’s Corner
"Marley and Me" — 3.5 out of 5 stars
The novel-based “Marley and Me” had every tail in the theater wagging as a true blue dog lover’s tribute to man’s best friend.
Although Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston worked well in the leading roles, both took a backseat to our furry protagonist Marley.
The story picks up with John and Jennifer Grogan’s (Wilson and Aniston) lives after the the newly-wed journalist couple moves to Florida and John surprises his wife with a new puppy. We follow the Grogan’s through their ups and downs, trials and triumphs in life — all with Marley by their side providing a wealth of four-legged mischief and comfort in the tough times.
Big name players Wilson and Aniston aren’t going to receive any acclaim for their performances, but they played the roles true to the real people in the non-fiction book “Marley and Me.” Supporting performances from Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner, and the always hilarious Alan Arkin, provided addtional streaks of color to the story that remained tightly focused on the family for a bulk of the film.
Director David Frankel did a fine job on his second major release bigscreen movie, using some fast action editing to further the visual appeal of the film in areas where this could have easily been your typical cookie cutter film. Of course Frankel is no rookie behind the camera with accolades such as being the original director of the hit HBO show “Entourage”, and time directing episodes of “Sex and the City”, “Rome”, and “Band of Brothers.”
The plot follows the Grogan’s as Marley ages from a spry pup to an older lab with white hairs around the eyes. My biggest beef with the film was that it seemed to come to a crawling finish, focusing on the sad ladder end of the dog’s life too much.
I also have to give the filmmakers credit though, because the film’s climax and finale is about as real as it gets. At the screening I went to there was not a dry eye in the room — and it felt like a real human experience with a beloved friend.
I personally was touched by this film as a huge dog person. I laughed, I cried, and it made me appreciate my own four-legged friend all the more.. It's a feel good flick and I recommend it if that's what you're looking for.
Overall it was not the biggest or best film, but it made for a great family comedy and I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars for that genre.
The film is rated (PG) for thematic material, and some suggestive content and language. “Marley and Me” will be playing at Ronan’s Entertainer Cinema at 4, 6:50, and 9 p.m. daily through Thursday, Feb. 12.
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