I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS (2010)

Written & Directed by Glenn Ficarra & John Requa


Where & When: Mann's Chinese 6, Hollywood, CA. December 12, 2010 7:50PM


"I Love You, Phillip Morris" was actually completed in 2009 and the film had many problems with distribution which caused it's release date to be delayed multiple times. The film has just been finally released in the U.S., although it had screenings throughout most of the rest of the world but after seeing the film, I can see another reason why it might have had difficulty making it in to American theaters.

It's certainly not because it is a bad film, in fact it's energetic and very entertaining but the issue is that it is a same-sex comedic love story that doesn't hold back in regards to what gay men do in the bedroom. I'm sure the big concern was how would middle America respond to this movie and despite the presence of Hollywood comedian, Jim Carrey in the lead role, even he may not help make this material go down easier.

Mr. Carrey plays Steven Russell, who appears to be gravely ill, begins to narrate his life up to this point and how he ended up in this hospital bed. He started off as a happily married, church-going man who worked as a police officer in Virginia Beach. His life seemed idyllic until he finds his biological mother, who had given him up for adoption but to his dismay and disappointment, she acts like she doesn't know who he is and she has kept her other children.

After nearly being killed in a terrible car accident, Steven decides to stop living a lie; he comes out as a gay man, much to the surprise of his confused but understanding wife (Leslie Mann). Steven moves to Miami, gets himself a young, cute boyfriend (Rodrigo Santoro) and begins a new life of fantastic parties, high-end clothing and luxurious furnishings. However, Steven quickly discovers that it's expensive being a fabulous homosexual so he begins credit-card fraud and insurance scams to supplement his income.

It doesn't take long for Steven to get caught and ends up incarcerated but it's in prison that he finds his true love. He meets a genteel and sensitive young man named Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor) who is there for auto theft. Steven showers him with small gifts and romantic gestures like arranging to have a man beaten for making too much noise and keeping Phillip awake.

After Steven is released from prison, he poses as a lawyer and successfully manages to get Phillip out of jail. They begin a life together and Phillip believes that his lover has given up a life of crime. That was truly Steven's plan but after conning his way into a job as a financial officer, he can't help himself and starts to embezzle money from the company. Even after Phillip becomes suspicious, Steven swears he not doing anything illegal. The walls inevitably begin to close in on Steven and his schemes but he is willing to do anything to keep Phillip in his life, no matter how extreme, in order to prove his love for him.

Believe it or not, this is based on a true story, with the real Steven Russell currently serving, essentially, a life sentence in a Texas prison for his final crime which the writing partners of the raunchy comedy, "Bad Santa" (2003) have taken this crazy tale and have done a fine job in their directing debut. Although the events in the film are mostly accurate, "I Love You, Phillip Morris" plays much more like a zany farce than a plausible recreation of events but it seems like the best direction for this unbelievable story to go. Despite the subject matter, the film is sweet, charming and delightfully hilarious.

Mr. Carrey and Mr McGregor are very convincing as the convicts in love as you feel a true affection they have for each other. Mr Carrey's manic energy is on full display here but it is muted just enough to not be too distracting. We know he could easily handle the comedy but he is a much better dramatic actor than you would think he would be but I suppose it's because we don't see him do it too often and he should.

"I Love You, Phillip Morris" is a wild and wacky ride that easily breezes through from comedy to drama, sweet to bittersweet and is well worth going on.

LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS (2010)

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Written by Charles Randolph and Edward Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz


Directed by Edward Zwick


Where & When: Los Feliz 3, Los Angeles, CA. December 4, 2010  9:45PM


"Love & Other Drugs" is the latest entry of the romantic dramedy that attempts to alter the well-worn path that these films tend to go down. This time we have the unlikely romance of two young people who are both very messed-up  but their biggest problem is that both are either afraid (her) or incapable (him) of being able to say, "I love you".

The year is 1996 and Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jamie, a smooth-talking  player who makes a sport of bedding as many different women as possible and then discarding them like the used tissue that he used to clean himself afterwards. He just lost his job at an electronic store, after screwing his boss's girlfriend, so he decides to become a pharmaceutical sales rep.

Jamie goes to work for Pfizer and with his partner, Bruce (Oliver Platt) set about trying to get doctors to prescribe the drug, Zoloft to their patients instead of Prozac. They aren't having much luck but Jamie is determined so he decides to become creative. He knows that if he can get Dr. Knight (Hank Azaria) to make the switch, all of the other doctors will follow, so Jamie pays the doctor to allow him to shadow him so he can convince him to try his drug.

Jamie is in the room while Dr. Knight is seeing a patient and he meets Maggie (Anne Hathaway), an attractive young woman who is in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease. She is concerned about a mark on her breast and since she is told Jamie is an intern, she shows the doctor the lump. It turns out to be nothing more than a spider bite.

While Jamie is leaving the office, he is whacked on the head by a pissed-off Maggie who has just discovered that he nothing more than a sales representative. Jamie apologizes before having the nerve to ask her out. She declines his offer but Jamie is determined, so he manages to gets her phone number and talks her into meeting with him.

During their date, Jamie is trying his best to charm Maggie right out of her pants but despite knowing that's all he wants, she decides to forget about the small talk and just have sex with him, since that is all that they both want anyway.

Jamie now finds her even more appealing but Maggie will only continue to see him as long as it doesn't become serious which, for now, is perfectly fine with him. One evening, when Jamie is having some difficulty "rising to the occasion", Maggie tell him about this new drug that has just come out to help men with this problem called Viagra. Jamie realizes he knows exactly how to sell this drug. He goes to his partner to look in to selling it and after he does, Jamie becomes very rich and successful.

Soon, Jamie realizes that he wants more than just sex in a relationship and tells Maggie that he loves her, which is the first time he has ever done that in his life. Maggie is resistant to the idea but soon gives in because she also knows that she has feelings for him. Their relationship is put to a challenge when Maggie's disease starts to progress. Jamie begins working hard by researching Parkinson's and traveling across the country to talk with specialists to try and help Maggie. After they attend a conference on Parkinson's, Maggie and Jake both realize that their future together may be very difficult and are they really ready to handle what could lie ahead?

You see plenty of skin and actual sexuality in this film, which really shouldn't be so unusual for a romantic comedy but most tend to only just talk about sex and cut away before the clothing comes off. Mr. Zwick has used this approach before with his first feature film, "About Last Night. . ."  back in 1986 which is a much stronger film, in part because it's source material was based on a play by the accomplished David Mamet but also it featured characters who you clearly understood where they were coming from and you wanted them to work out the problems in their relationship. The two lovebirds in "Love" never come across like the perfect match and have so many obstacles working against them that it just seems that they never had plausible chance for any success. I just kept thinking that they probably would be better off just moving on and maybe try and be friends. While there are plenty of entertaining moments, the biggest problem is that the light comedy and the dark drama just are not successfully blending together well enough to make it feel like a cohesive film.

The film is helped by a strong supporting cast that include Josh Gad who plays Josh, Jamie's wealthier but just as messed-up younger brother, Judy Greer as a helpful receptionist and a way too brief appearance by George Segal and the late Jill Clayburgh as Jamie's parents.

Ms Hathaway slips easily into the type of role that Julia Roberts would be playing at the beginning of her career, in fact there are times in the film when she physically looks like Ms Roberts plus they both share the same engaging demeanor and sexy charm but she brings her own special appeal to the part. Mr. Gyllenhaal delivers another great performance and is perfect as character who starts off as nothing more than a womanizing jerk but he manages to discover, with the help of a woman who sees right through his nonsense, that he is capable of giving more of himself than he ever thought possible.

While "Love and Other Drugs" is far from a completely satisfying romantic comedy, it is still a nice diversion and much better than most of these comedies that have been dumped in theaters the past few years.

AFI 2010 FILMS OF THE YEAR

The American Film Institute has announced the ten best American movies of the past year. It is a great selection and many of these are my own personal favorites.

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR:

"BLACK SWAN"

"THE FIGHTER"

"INCEPTION"

"THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT"

"127 HOURS"

"THE SOCIAL NETWORK"

"THE TOWN"

"TOY STORY 3"

"TRUE GRIT"

"WINTER'S BONE"

For more information, please go to:

AFI.com

BURLESQUE (2010)

Written & Directed by Steven Antin

Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA.  November 29, 2010 1:45PM



The filmed musical has always been a beloved staple of Hollywood, reliably making a decent return on investment for the studios since the very beginning of the sound era. Yet over time, the popularity of the genre began to wane. By 1969, the film version of the musical, “Hello Dolly”, based on the very successful and popular Broadway show, was released. The movie turned out to be a very expensive flop and combined with another costly bust, "Dr. Doolittle" two years earlier, this pretty much made Hollywood extremely squeamish about producing big budget, filmed musical movies.

But Hollywood being Hollywood, there would be more attempts made to bring musicals to the screen over the years following this disastrous period. Only a handful would be considered modest successes ("Cabaret", "Tommy"). Most of the films made based on hit musical stage shows ("Annie", "The Wiz", "A Chorus Line", "Hair") ended up in the cinematic graveyard.

Yet following the unexpected success of "Chicago", the film of the Broadway show that grossed over three hundred million dollars worldwide and won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2002, the Hollywood musical was reborn.

Now comes "Burlesque", an original musical that is heavy on glitter and glamour yet lighter on coherence and substance. The film borrows from several screen musicals from the past but most obviously from "Chicago". From the slick choreography to the skimpy costumes but mainly by keeping all of musical numbers confined to being performed on a stage, the aim of “Burlesque” is to widely appeal to modern audiences that don't seem to be comfortable with people just breaking out in song and dancing in the middle of the street.

The story begins where we meet Ali (Christina Aguilera), a young girl from small town Iowa who decides in the middle of her shift of her waitress job to move to the land of dreams and opportunity: Los Angeles. After arriving in the big city and unsure of what she's going to do, Ali stumbles into a club, the Burlesque Lounge where she is mesmerized by scantily clad young women, not exactly strippers but certainly not much more than dancers, performing musical numbers on stage. Ali knows this is exactly what she was born to do, so she begs the owner of the club for a job. But Tess (Cher) is not at all impressed. Ali befriends Jack (Cam Gigandet), a handsome bartender at the lounge who decides to hire Ali as a waitress.

Tess has been having financial problems with the club which her ex-husband, Vince (Peter Gallagher) who is part owner, keeps reminding her. Luckily, she has Sean (Stanley Tucci), her gay stage manager and confidant, to reassure her that everything will work out. Vince's solution is to sell the club to Marcus Gerber (Eric Dane), a real estate investor but Tess refuses.

Ali is finally given an audition but after a rough start, she is able to convince Tess to hire her as a dancer. The star of the main show at the Burlesque Lounge is Nikki (Kristen Bell), an over confident diva with a drinking problem. After Nikki is late once again, Tess decides to make Ali the lead performer. However, Nikki does not take this decision well. Before Ali's debut show, Nikki sabotages the recording that the performers lip-synch to. Yet as Sean begins to lower the curtain on the ruined performance, Ali belts out a song live, saving the show.

Ali and Jack are attracted to each other but because of his girlfriend, he doesn't act on it. Ali begins seeing Marcus, who is also kind of seeing Nikki. Tess needs to come up a lot of money fast  or she's going to lose the club. Ali devises a plan for a show that could earn them some quick cash. Will it work and will Ali and Jack ever get together to dance the night fantastic?

Antin, an actor, writer and stuntman, has made his first feature film and while you shouldn't waste any time trying to search for any type of logic, "Burlesque" is a good looking and entertaining movie. The film successfully comes across as the perfect fantasy of what Los Angeles would be like if gay men ruled the world.

Cher has returned to the screen, after a long absence, in which the pop music star turned actor appears in, surprisingly, her first actual musical. The well-preserved, Oscar-winning actress performs two songs in a part that doesn't really require her to do much more than be CHER. However, that is perfectly fine with me. She does this very well and watching this legend on screen always brings me joy.

Ms Aguilera certainly doesn't embarrass herself in her acting debut and it was very wise to make it a musical. Obviously, her strength in the film is when she is singing and dancing but as far as her as an actress, I think I would need to see her performing in a non-musical to be able to form an accurate assessment. I would have completely dismissed Mariah Carey as an actor until she was put in the hands of a director who knew how to draw out a performance from her in her supporting role in "Precious".

Mr. Gigandet, wearing less clothing than all of the girls in the film, is the perfect eye candy, Alan Cumming is completely wasted as the doorman and Mr.Tucci, who I adore, is the saving grace of the movie who adds his charm and comic timing to help elevate "Burlesque" whenever he appears.

"Burlesque" is a fun, campy, musical romp that requires nothing more from a viewer than to put your brain on pause, sit back and soak up all of the colorfully, glitzy atmosphere.

RABBIT HOLE (2010)

Written by David Lindsay-Abaire


Directed by John Cameron Mitchell


Where & When: AFI Film Festival, Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood, CA. November 7, 2010  8:00PM



"Rabbit Hole", the latest from director John Cameron Mitchell, begins with a couple trying to cope a short time after the unimaginable tragic loss of their young son who is killed by a car.

Nicole Kidman plays Becca, the devastated mother of the child, Danny, struggling on how to handle his loss yet knows exactly what she doesn't want to do; She doesn't want to go to group therapy with her husband, Howie (Aaron Eckhart), listen to people sum up death as "God's plan" nor hear from her mother (Dianne Wiest) comparing her child's passing to her brother's death due to a drug overdose. Becca's way of coping and easing the pain is trying to erase any reminders of her son like getting rid of the dog he was chasing after before the accident, wanting to sell the house and taking down the cute pictures that Danny drew.

Howie is trying to cope with the loss in his own way but his wife's difficult behaviour and her desire to try and wipe the existence of their child's life has put more stress on their already strained marriage. Becca is upset to discover that her younger sister, Izzy (Tammy Blanchard) is pregnant with her musician boyfriend (Giancarlo Esposito) but is the last to know, although she understands the reason why. Becca feels that her wild child sister is reckless and irresponsible and finds it difficult to hold back her feelings on her becoming a mother.

Another unusual way Becca is trying to deal with her child's death is by befriending Jason (Miles Teller), the young man who accidentally killed Danny. They meet secretly to talk which, in a small way, helps them both heal from the tragedy until Howie discovers their communication and he is not at all happy.

Mr. Mitchell's previous films, the tranny-rock musical, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" (2001) and the hardcore sex dramedy, "Shortbus" (2006) wouldn't necessarily give any indication that he would be the right choice to direct this film based on the Pulitzer-Prize winning play but he more than does justice to this well-done and moving drama. He gets terrific and nuanced performances from all of his actors, most especially from Ms Kidman and Mr. Eckhart.

Ms Kidman, like fellow movie star, George Clooney, prefers to shake-up her film choices by alternating between making the big-budgeted Hollywood movie and then doing a smaller scale independent film and although her last few films may not been big box-office successes, that doesn't mean her work in them was not intriguing and fascinating. She has always given solid performances and "Rabbit Hole" is no exception, in fact I think it's one of her best ever. She digs deep as a woman who is blinded by only one emotion she is capable of feeling: anger as she struggles to find her way back to some sense of normalcy.

Mr. Eckhart, who I think is an underrated actor, delivers another fine performance and Ms Blanchard, an Emmy award winner for her brilliant portrayal of a teenage Judy Garland in the film, "Life With Judy Garland: Me And My Shadows",  is great in her supporting turn.

With sharp direction, a well crafted script and powerful performances, "Rabbit Hole" is a touching, personal drama about people trying to make sense of a very painful situation that can never truly make any sense but they find a way to come to terms with death so that they are able to continue living.

One final thought, I HATE the movie poster for this film. It just seems very lazy and unimaginative plus it certainly isn't going to lure anyone to see this nor give them any idea what the film is about.

FOR COLORED GIRLS (2010)

Written & Directed by Tyler Perry



Where & When: The Grove 14, Los Angeles, CA.  November 23, 2010  4:40PM



Tyler Perry's latest film is based on the acclaimed play, "For Colored Girls (Who Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Was Enuf ) by Ntozake Shange which focuses on the lives of seven African-American women and their struggles with love, sexual assault, abortion and abandonment. In the play, each character was only identified by a color which Perry has used in the film by having each of the women mostly wear their symbolizing color.

Kelly (Kerry Washington) is a social worker who desperately wants to start a family with her husband, Donald (Hill Harper), a police detective but has just discovered that she is unable to have children. Kelly is sent to investigate on a suspected child abuse case which is the home of Crystal (Kimberly Elise), a woman trying her best to cover up her own pain and bruises. Kelly is questioning the two children when Beau Willie (Michael Ealy), Crystal's unemployed, damaged war veteran boyfriend, enters and scares her out of the apartment. Beau Willie gets mean and abusive when he drinks but Crystal endures his behavior because she has loved him since they were kids.

Before Kelly leaves the apartment, she is stopped by Gilda (Phylicia Rashad), the landlord of the building. She actually called Social Services after overhearing the savage beatings through the thin walls, begging Kelly to do something before it's too late.

Crystal works as the personal assistant to Jo (Janet Jackson), a hard-boiled fashion magazine editor who can't be bothered with finding out why Crystal has been late for work these past few days because she has problems of her own. Her marriage to Carl (Omari Hardwick) is strained due to him coming home late after hanging out with his male friend all night.

Tangie (Thandie Newton), who also is a neighbor of Crystal's, is a bartender with a habit of bringing a different man home every night, offending the landlord. One morning, a woman dressed in white bangs on Tangie's door. It's her mother, Alice (Whoopi Goldberg), a member of a religious cult, that's asking for more money. Refusing to say what it's for, Tangie, who was left as the executor of her father's estate, turns down the request.

The money was for Tangie's younger sister, Nyla (Tessa Thompson). Alice is led to believe that it's needed to enroll for college but it's actually for an abortion. Tessa knows that her mother would never allow her to keep this child so, with directions given to her by her sister, Nyla heads to her local run-down, back alley, drug den where a crazy, drunken woman (Macy Gray) is the abortionist.

Yasmine (Anika Noni Rose) is Nyla's dance instructor who lives and breathes for dance but doesn't allow much time for romance. When Bill (Khalil Kain) keeps pressuring her to go out on a date with him, she finally gives in because he seems like a nice guy. After the date, Bill is a perfect gentleman, and Yasmine decides to invite him over for a home cooked meal. While Yasmine is preparing the dinner, Bill turns into a vicious animal and sexually assaults her.

Juanita (Loretta Devine) is a nurse and community activist who is turned away by Jo when she comes to her asking for money to start a local charity. Juanita spends a lot of time telling women how they should protect themselves from contacting diseases, but she is unable to protect herself from a charming, manipulative man who keeps breaking her heart by repeatedly. After another horrific tragedy, all of these women come together, trying to heal each other and themselves.

"For Colored Girls" seemed like it could have been a major departure for Perry. The writer/director was creating a film based on a respected, award-winning play yet besides a few curse words and brief nudity, we are still very much stuck in a standard Tyler Perry movie. The over-the-top plot feels trite and overreaching with almost all of the male characters are presented as one-dimensional, abusive monsters as their women, inexplicably, seem to love them unconditionally, no matter what they do to them. There is no sense of cinematic style or subtlety anywhere to be found in this film. To be fair, there are a few well written moments scattered throughout the film, but the problem is suffering through everything in between. I'm sure Perry is of the mindset that, "If it ain't broke. . ." but I think he would benefit greatly by working with another writer to help curb some of his worst instincts as a filmmaker.

It's very sad to say that many big-name African-American actresses have not been able to get a lot of screen time in feature films but fortunately Perry has given some of them many opportunities to display their talents in leading roles. Despite having these wonderful, respected actresses giving poetic monologues, (that I believe are probably from the play) that worked perfectly well on the stage, these speeches completely pull you out of the film. Perry manages to get many fine performances from his leading ladies, particularly from Elise, Rashad and a little unexpectedly, Jackson. Unfortunately, the weak script makes their significant efforts feel wasted.

"For Colored Girls" could have been a chance for Perry to grow as a filmmaker and to challenge himself as an artist. But ultimately, he chose to stick with the tried and true, doing what he thinks is his best and squandering a great opportunity in the process.

RED (2010)

Written by Jonah & Erich Hoeber



Directed by Robert Schwentke



Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. October 25, 2010  7:45PM



The "Red" in the title of this action-comedy film, that is based on a comic-book series, cleverly stands for "Retired, Extremely Dangerous".and this is referencing a group of retired, older CIA agents. This film is all about people in their golden years and there is not a young hipster in sight.

We meet Frank Moses (Bruce Willis), a retired, mild-mannered, middle-aged man living a quiet life, in a quiet suburban neighborhood. He doesn't have much going on in his personal life, so he begins a telephone relationship with Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), a sweet representative with his pension office in Kansas City.

One evening, a squad of armed gunmen surround Frank's home and litter it with hundreds of rounds of gunfire but Frank is able to escape and take them all down without a scratch. The reason is because Frank is a former Black-Op CIA agent.

Frank knows that his house has been tapped, so he rushes off to Missouri to rescue Sarah. When he arrives, she is not exactly welcoming, so Frank has to use a little force to get her to accompany him out of the city.

Frank drags Sarah along with him as they travel across the country rounding up other fellow, retired agents to help him figure out who is trying to kill him. First, he visits New Orleans to see his mentor, Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman), who is dying of cancer and living in a nursing home, which the highlight of his day is checking out the ass of a young nurse.

Next, he finds Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), who after a bad LSD trip is now paranoid and a conspiracy theorist but is still able to gather his thoughts together long enough when needed. Frank also gets help from Ivan (Brian Cox), a Cold War, Russian agent and Victoria (Helen Mirren), who appears to be a genteel, British lady but who is actually prepared for any trouble by having an assault weapon hidden in her flower arrangement. She also had an affair with Ivan years ago but that ended after she had to put a few bullets in him.

The retired agents all team up to try to unravel this elaborate plot involving a secret mission in Guatemala, a list of people involved in that mission who are now being killed, a wealthy man (Richard Dreyfuss, more hammy than usual) who was also on that mission but, for some mysterious reason, is not on the list, plus the U.S. Vice-President (Nip/Tuck's Julian McMahon) somehow mixed-up in all of this, in addition to a CIA Agent (Karl Urban) assigned to track down Frank and take him down.

It's all nonsense but it's entertaining nonsense, none the less. "Red" offers nothing necessarily fresh to the action genre beyond the heroes all being of the age to collect Social Security but that is enough to make it novel and invigorating because every move the agents make come from a well thought-out, seasoned perspective. What I find most interesting about "Red" is that it dares to celebrate maturity which is really unusual for today's Hollywood film since most seem to cater only to people who think the 1985 Sylvester Stallone action flick,"Rambo II" is a really old movie. Perhaps this may be a trend because Stallone rounded up fellow, aging action stars and risked breaking hips to make the summer hit, "The Expendables" and that worked out very well for him.

Audiences do like nostalgia so, with a classy cast of established actors involved, it does make "Red" hip and shakes up the routine of the typical action film, somewhat. Of course, most of these actors are slumming, but who doesn't want to see Oscar-winning, Dame Helen Mirren shooting a gun? The actors all help the film by adding their special brand of style and star quality to these proceedings plus they all seem to be genuinely having a good time, so what's the harm?

"Red" is your basic thrill ride that is spiced up just enough with good humor and top-notch actors to make this a satisfying and fun film for all ages.