Kim Gentes

Funny, Heartwarming and slightly absurd.

Juno is the story of a teenage pregnancy, where Ellen Page and Michael Cera play the 16-ish unconventional highschool sweethearts who become pregnant.  Page plays the unbelieveably witty Juno, who is way too smart.  But her lines are so funny and so deftly acted, you buy everything and roll on laughing. Cera plays Bleeker, an emotionally in-touch version of Napolean Dynomite, complete with that same nerdish sex-appeal but lacking the absurd SNL-skit oddball family life. JK Simmons, most famous for his roles on prime time dramas like Law & Order, plays the wise and also perfectly cast father.

I admit, I was dragged to this movie, but I ended up laughing my head off. It was probably too funny, actually, especially for people who might have to deal seriously with this topic.  But the movie doesn't take itself too seriously, and the director here is smart enough to stay away from getting preachy about the issues.  This will be a perennial standout movie on the rental market, and it has already raked in $100million in the US theatres.  It has all quirkiness that links a film to our real world, oddball lives, while maintaining enough Hollywood to make it coexist in a realm of ideology that informs us of "how things ought to be".  I know its considered trite to speak of morality and conscience these days, but this is a refreshing, if slightly unrealistic, story that helps us remember what our best intentions should be.  And there is just enough "Cinderella" mixed in that you get that warm fuzzy feeling without having to throw up at the end.

Juno is a perfect "date" movie for any couple, with a likely cautionary repreave to any children under 13 due to language and sexual themes.  It's PG-13 rating is well-placed, in my opinion.

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/RZfiSH

Review by Kim Gentes

Good concept, good suspense, good action. Not a perfect mix.

Tired of the same old daily life you've been living in suburban, middle-class America? Maybe you should be happy with what you have. This is the warning detailed in graphic violence of the action/thriller/gangster adapation called Death Sentence. Nick Hume (played by Kevin Bacon) is an upper level manager with a relatively boring career. He has a great family and a fine life. Into this world of safety bursts gang violence that abruptly ends the life of Hume's teenage son. Watching his dieing son, Hume's grief and anger become overwhelming to the point of retribution. In this state, he begins to wage a war on the gang that caused the death of his son.

The story is intriuging enough with the setup, but the action begins to take over the film. Soon the notions of a plot and plausability are left with a spiraling ascension into bullet ridden violence. There are some very good moments here by Kevin Bacon, and his co-star Kelly Preston, who plays his wife. But the escapes and heroics that take over the film become more like James Bond and Jason Stratham, than the "everyman" that Bacon is supposed to be. After the initial setup of about 30 minutes, the film retreats for about an hour into complete violence and action, only returning to a morality lesson for the ending sequence.

The film is definitely worthwhile seeing, and it has good components of human drama, action and suspense. But one is left feeling like these good components just weren't mixed that well. After seeing unbelievable gunfight scenes, and having almost everyone die, it seemed a little trite to conclude with trying to teach us all a good lesson. There are some strong performances by Bacon, Preston and John Goodman (who plays the most sickly vision of a criminal father you can imagine) and these bouy the story and keep you concerned for the characters.

As for the MPAA rating of R, I would say it is too low. The violence and graphic nature of the film is horrific for any child and is likely too much for many adults. The language is pervasive and affronting. I would have set this film at NC-17. Too much for most adults, let alone kids under 17.

Amazon Link: http://amzn.to/RHOrc9

Review by Kim Gentes

Bourne Again!!

Sometimes movies should stop at one sequel. They have a surprising debut with a relatively modest first episode. It grows a nice following in the rental market. Then usually episode 2 of a series is the normal payoff. Steam has built and you have a big box office run for the second installment. By the third revision, the series loses interest and people aren't willing to dump more cash into a one-trick pony (for the third time). As proof of this model, look at Matrix, Shrek (albeit a strong 3rd showing), X-men, etc etc.

Then along came Jason Bourne, Matt Damon's super-ops spy character that gets more and more believably unbelievable with each sequence. Damon is the most convincing actor to do his own stunts in the last 20 years. His choreographed fight sequences are the most interesting and surprising of all the modern age action heroes. He and Damon Caro (Fight Choreographer) have a master synthesis that makes what could be a normal fistfight become a jaw dropping, no-popcorn-eating event for all movie watchers. Taking out an assassin with a regular hard back book doesn't sound too interesting, unless you see it done by Jason Bourne! That scene alone was 100% better than every other action movie I have seen this year, except for maybe 300 (the movie), which was an amazing action feast for a whole other reason.

Anyways, Bourne Ultimatum is all about answers. You find out who Jason Bourne really is, why he was a part of all this stuff, why they are trying to kill, all the secret stuff. And, actually, it all makes sense. I mean none of it is really all that believable, but come on, this is a super spy movie-- 5% believability is all that is needed!

The movie pays off for action freaks and is engaging for people who just like a bit of a tale to unfold. There is a hint of relational drama with the beautiful Julia Styles playing a helpful agent in Morocco, but thankfully the movies stays the course and Bourne has learned that everyone he gets close to gets killed. So he stays clear.

If you can, rent the first two movies (even if you have seen them) to prime you up before going to Ultimatum on the big screen. Then the storyline will fit and you feel like you got a bit more from the movie. Without it, the action moves along so fast, you may not care that the storyline is also advancing.

For those considering ages and appropriateness, I would not recommend this to anyone under 15 years old, but the film is fairly focused just on action, so some might think I am being prudish with that. It has no sexuality and limited language offenses, so its a cleaner film than most of this intensity of violence.

Simply put- go see this film while it is still on the big screen. It isn't the most amazing thing ever, but it is easily the top 2 or 3 action films this year. Well worth the fare for entry, in my opinion.

Possibly the Best Film Ever Made.

Remembering back to when I first saw this film, my wife and I ventured into the theatre and sat down to a little movie in English subtitles, with a very small crowd in the theatre. We didn't actually know it wasn't in english. I can truly say, that didn't matter at all. In about 10 minutes you are completely used to the subtitles, but I found I rarely needed to watch the text. Why? Because the acting in this movie says more with motion and nuance than you need to know for the scene. Roberto Benigni is absolutely perfect in this movie. And as far as the language barrier, you will be much happier to watch this with English subtitles than a translated overdubbed version. The fluidity of the language and warmth of the words in the native tongue give the film amazing authenticity and genuine character. In what will likely become his ultimate life's work, Benigni owns this film on the screen not only as the lead actor, but the director and writer as well.

The setting is holocost-stricken Europe. It follows the rise of Facism in a local community, and you see how it slowly rises to infect and destroy the real people, including Benigni's character (Guido) and his humble family. But the story of Life is Beautiful is anything but a simple trajedy. In fact, what I loved about this movie is that it injects you into somewhat of a comedic fairytale life, in which the clownish character of Guido laughs and gestures his way into the heart of a young girl, Dora (Benigni's real life wife, Nicoletta Braschi). The movie is Chaplin-esque in so many ways, which is why watching it subtitled is a true joy, because you can enjoy the movie from the pure movement and motion of this great actor, all on its own. But the story, like the lives of people in Germany's WWII Europe, takes a stark and horrible turn into the evils of Hitler's holocaust.

And while the film turns notably dark at that point, the compelling character of Guido takes an amazing turn into protection-mode for his small son, trying to shield him from the horrors of the prison camp they are sent to by using humor to keep his son floating in the joyful world of a child. It might seem disfunctional, or even offensive to think of applying humor to such a sobering subject as the Holocaust, but this movie does and amazing job of using humor as a component of hope, instead of a crass jesture to get you to chuckle. It's hard to convey the complexity and simplicity of this marvelous plot without giving it alway to you right here. Simply take my advice and watch this film. You will not be disappointed.

A few years after seeing the film, I threw a party for my wife's 40th birthday, and we rented a local theatre in the local Harkins multiplex, where her friends and family came from around the country to surprise her in the theatre (my wife thought we were going to a regular movie for her birthday, and ended up sitting with 85 people she knew, it was great!). The film I chose for the night- Life Is Beautiful. When the movie started, a number of relatives and friends groaned, as if to say "oh no, we are watching a foriegn subtitled film". They all stayed and where applauding in the conclusion. By the end of the film, most of the crowd was in shuddering amazement, some in tears. It was quite moving.

This is one film that has significant content and that you, your spouse and kids can all see, and all really learn from. Possibly the best movie ever made.

Robbins & Freeman are spectacular; writing perfect.

If you are seeing this review and have never seen this movie, it is likely you have missed one of the top movies in the last 20 years. Directed by Frank Darabont, The Shawshank Redemption is near perfect in its story telling, with a clear plot told in digestable portions. You never feel like the story loses pace or that the screenwriters are hurrying up in the end to fix something they have to resolve in the plot.

Robbins plays Andy Dufresne (a banker wrongly convicted of slaying his wife and her lover) with such perfection, you become convinced of not only the role of this protagonist, but the nature of his character. It is his unquestionable performance that ultimately leads us to be surprised by the changes in the character in the last third of the film. The changes are smart, clear and reasonable, but like real life, they are surprising. This is Robbin's best acting ever.

Morgan Freeman plays an inmate in the Shawshank prison that eventually befriends Andy and is the only one to gain insight into the real motivations of his friend.

Everything about this movie has a crisp and heartfelt message, but none of it is trite or condescending. Also welcoming about this film is the ability it has to convey subplots. Even the story of a released inmate and his struggles and trials to make it on the outside is an piercing potrayal of this world of incarceration and its members.

For those who want a plot to dizzy and spin them, they may find Shawshank Redemption is slow moving, but anyone with patience enough to enjoy this movie brew will be rewarded with perfect acting, screenwriting and directing.

This movie would not be suitable for small children, due to some abuse and violence in the prison setting that would be too harsh to have to explain to small children. But children old enough to watch it will gain great lessons from this cast on themes of honesty, friendship and perserverance. In my mind it is suitable for young people ages 11 and over to watch with the supervision of their parents. It will be a very good film to watch as a family, if you have children this age or above. A great discussion starting point about many important issues.
One of the all-time best films ever.