New Releases

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

At this point, it seems almost silly to review Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. For one thing, the seventh entry in the Harry Potter series cannot be considered a stand-alone movie. If you haven't seen any of the other movies or read the books, this is a terrible place to start. And if you loved the previous movies, you'll probably love anything that doesn't seriously screw up the universe of the film series. A few moments in Deathly Harrows: Part 1 show how egregious the film could be if it were badly made, reminding us that this is, in fact, a very good adaptation of the first half (almost two-thirds, really) of the last book in J.K. Rowling's popular series.

In the interest of time economy, the story leaps into gear immediately, even faster than the novel does, with few explanations. In fact, the explanations of who some people are at the beginning of the film are a little amusing -- some of these people were cut out of the previous films to the extent that the characters are just meeting each other for the first time, unlike in the books. "Wotcha, Harry, I'm Mundungus Fletcher, who was left out of the other film adaptations but unfortunately was impossible to cut this time."

Review: Cool It

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Bjorn Lomborg of Cool It

As a ecology and conservation biology student at UT, I had a rather idealistic view of environmentalism -- until I took a course that focused on conservation, economics and technology. Between those teachings and 10 years at an environmental regulatory agency, I've become aware of the need for a more balanced and feasible approach. And yet it wasn't until seeing the documentary Cool It this week that I've admitted my skepticism about the doomsayer films that serve to alarm through extreme viewpoints rather than address the important global environmental issues.

The 2006 film An Inconvenient Truth has been credited with revitalizing the environmental movement and creating a better awareness for the general public about global warming. However, An Inconvenient Truth has been criticized of being both an exaggeration and alarming in context. Cool It centers around controversial author and Danish economist Bjorn Lomborg, who asserts that the attention global warming receives is unwarranted -- that the problem is not as bad as it's portrayed, nor are the solutions that have been proposed going to have very much impact.

Director Ondi Timoner (Dig, We Live in Public) presents a more pragmatic view of the issues at hand in Cool It, through a positive profile of Lomborg, who is often referred to as a enviro-contrarian. Much of the controversy surrounds this former Greenpeace supporter due to his most famous book, The Skeptical Environmentalist. However, Lomborg's advocacy of alternative energy and discussions on what impact various technologies can have on our environment seem quite reasonable as they are presented by various researchers and engineers. Only one dissenting voice is heard firsthand within the movie, and yet the professor's solutions to issues aren't that far off from Lomborg's so that his criticism carries less weight.

Review: Skyline

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Skyline

I fell asleep last night in front of the TV while it played Independence Day, The Matrix, Scanners, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Mist, and man I had the CRAZIEST dream. Oh wait, no I didn't. I just went to a midnight screening of Skyline. This is one strange, stupid, screwed-up mess of a movie. As much as I really want to hate this film, Skyline sets a new bar for shows-that-should-be-MST3K-fodder. Some movies are meant to be serious and some are meant to be comedies. Then there are the little nuggets that, while meant to be serious, are just more comical than they were ever supposed to be. Watching this at midnight with a bunch of friends will remain one of my more enjoyable memories.

Skyline isn't just bad. It tricks you into thinking it might actually be good. Opening credits, first shot, you have an eerie and unspeakably insidious alien attack. Reminiscent of Shyamalan's Signs, people are holed up at home and spooky lights appear through the windows. (Actually, everything in Skyline is unfortunately reminiscent of something else) Unlike Signs, though, these lights elicit some surprising physiological effects that culminate in making people disappear. This is one of the most attention-grabbing 3-minute openings to a sci-fi/horror film in recent memory.

Review: Welcome to the Rileys

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Welcome to the Rileys

I have some friendly career advice for Kristen Stewart: Kristen, it's time to invest the fortune you made from the Twilight movies (for investment advice, consult a financial advisor -- not a film critic) and refuse all future roles in Hollywood schlockbusters, especially those marketed to tweenage girls. You're rich. You're famous. So, now you can prove your acting bona fides in grown-up films like Welcome to the Rileys.

Seriously, Kristen. I know Twilight's Edward Cullen is all sensitive and romantic and whatnot. But when you can so convincingly inhabit the role of a bitter teenage runaway turning tricks in a dank New Orleans strip club, you really don't need ol' Eddie Wussyfangs anymore. You have the acting chops to do much more, and it's time to move on.

Welcome to the Rileys is the leisurely, low-key story of the titular and terribly sad Riley family. Doug Riley (James Gandolfini) is an Indianapolis plumbing supply business owner who, along with his wife, Lois (Melissa Leo), lives a half-empty life since the couple's daughter was killed eight years earlier. The only spark in Doug's life is his ongoing affair with a waitress. When the affair ends tragically, Doug is left with little more than his crumbling marriage and soulless job. Lois has her own set of seemingly intractable problems; withdrawn and fearful since her daughter's death, she rarely ventures beyond her front door. Even walking to the mailbox is more than she can bear.

Review: Morning Glory

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Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton & Harrison Ford

Morning Glory is refreshing; not only is it a witty workplace comedy (these seem pretty rare nowadays), but it scores laughs without dumbing anything down. I went to the screening after dealing with a lousy day, hoping that the movie would just be decent, and it surpassed my expectations. It made me laugh, often and sometimes quite loudly. What an excellent remedy to a cruddy day!

Becky (Rachel McAdams) loves working on morning shows, and her life goal is to produce The Today Show. Because of network cutbacks, she loses her producer position at a New Jersey TV station, but is eventually hired by network TV muckety muck Jerry Barnes (Jeff Goldblum). Becky becomes executive producer for Day Break, a struggling morning show (consistently fourth in the ratings) featuring Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton, marvelous as ever) and her skeazy co-anchor Paul McVee (Ty Burrell). Among the changes Becky puts into place, McVee is out and curmudgeonly newsman Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) is in.

Eenie Meenie Miney Movies: November 2010

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Labyrinth

Parenting and film nerdery can often be at odds. So many movies are inappropriate for kids and the cost of a babysitter can inflate the price of a movie ticket beyond what one might reasonably want to pay. One great allure of movies, after all, is that they are relatively cheap entertainment. It's not that there is any dearth of movies for kids -- quite the opposite, of course. The problem is that so few of the "kids movies" out there are suitable for parents. Children will watch damn near anything, but finding a film in theaters that will entertain me, my wife and my four-year-old daughter Elizabeth is like striking gold. The last movie that fit those criteria was Toy Story 3 -- and that was back in June.

A few days ago Elizabeth said to me that she wanted to see more movies in the theater (insert your own "chip off the old block" metaphor here). "Well, this is Austin," I thought. "It's a pretty good town for movies -- maybe I'm just not trying hard enough to find flicks in the theaters that we could go see together." I'll post the results of my research here along with upcoming and recent DVD releases for those weekends when you're feeling like a night in is more your speed.

Review: Fair Game

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Naomi Watts and Sean Penn in Fair Game

Opening this election week, Fair Game is chock full of drama. Based on the true story of how sources in the Bush administration outed Valerie Plame as a CIA operative, the movie is a mix of genres: spy movie, family drama and political intrigue. I'd say that the film ranks up with All the President's Men as far as political pictures go. It shares the same drive and energy, and it gives an informative look into part of the mess the administration got itself into. Not only that, but the movie shows the strain this action put on Plame's marriage. Fair Game strikes a good balance in its depiction of politics/CIA elements with more domestic elements.

Fair Game kicks off in late 2001, with Plame (Naomi Watts) in Kuala Lumpur posing as Canadian Jessica McDowell (one of her many aliases). Not ten minutes later, we see her at dinner with friends back in DC, refraining from comment on political discussion even as her husband (Sean Penn) can't help from participating. She tells any friends/acquaintances who ask that she is a venture capitalist, while in secret she serves as a spy for the CIA.

When the Bush administration asks for investigation into rumors of large amounts of yellowcake uranium from Niger being sold to Iraq, Plame's boss (Michael Kelly) asks if her husband can look into it. And thus the shenanigans begin!

Review: Megamind

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Megamind and Minion

DreamWorks Animations brings in their mastermind behind their successful Madagascar franchise, Tom McGrath, to deliver their latest animated 3D film, Megamind. This 3D movie is action-packed and visual eye candy, reminiscent of but not meeting the technological standards set by Wall-E and Despicable Me. The storyline and characters are engaging enough for Megamind to at least have temporary success, but will it have a lasting impact on audiences?

The world of Megamind revolves around two central characters, Megamind (Will Ferrell) and Metro Man (Brad Pitt), whose lives resemble that of Kal-el aka Clark Kent/Superman. Sent as babies from their home planets doomed for destruction, they land on Earth, where they are adopted by strangers. Metro Man lives a life of luxury, but Megamind is unfortunately diverted into Metro City prison where he's raised by inmates. He's sent to a school for gifted children where he is constantly upstaged by Metro Man. Megamind eventually accepts his fate of being bad is the one thing he is good at, and thus begins a never-ending battle waged between the two rivals.

Review: Four Lions

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Four Lions

With his Drafthouse Films' first release, Tim League is taking a sizable risk, one that will hopefully pay off. Exploding onto U.S. screens in several cities this weekend (including Austin, of course), Four Lions takes dark comedy to new levels as it tells the story of a ragtag group of Muslims who have self-organized into a jihadist cell. Written and directed by Chris Morris, the film opened to moderate success in the UK this summer.

While the movie has received critical acclaim (Four Lions was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and has just received five BIFA nominations), the real test for the film will be how it is received by American audiences. The arthouse crowd is well acclimated to British comedy, but with the exception of Monty Python, Britcom appeals to a soberingly small section of the U.S. public, so Four Lions will have to fight an uphill battle to fill the seats. A U.S. tour by Tim League, Bad Ass Digest chief editor Devin Faraci, and Chris Morris, as well as a "Twitter bomb" and great word-of-mouth publicity, should help.

Review: Paranormal Activity 2

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Paranormal Activity 2

Last year, the audience at Fantastic Fest was among many around the country to enjoy a midnight screening of one of the most deeply unsettling and truly frightening films since a man tore off his own face in 1982's Poltergeist. With a shoestring $10,000 budget, handheld cams, and unknown actors, Paranormal Activity rode a wave of good word-of-mouth to exceed a $100 million gross. Writer/director Oren Peli scripted believable, sympathetic characters and created unbelievable effects, weaving them masterfully into a terrifying experience. With a $2.5 million budget, Paranormal Activity 2 puts shiny bookends around the first story, but doesn't quite live up to the hype.

An audience shouldn't have to do homework to watch a movie, but I highly recommend you brush up on Paranormal Activity before hitting the theater for #2. Set two months before its predecessor, Paranormal Activity 2 retcons the story to include the family of Katie's sister, Kristi, including her newborn son Hunter, husband Dan, stepdaughter Ali and faithful German shepherd. Again presented as found footage, the film begins with some establishing scenes shot on a home camcorder as the family returns home with the new baby. These shots introduce the characters and provide a tour of the house ... then the film cuts to perhaps a year or two later, when the same tape is used to record the aftermath of what looks like a home invasion. Every room of the house is trashed, except the nursery. Nothing is missing, except a necklace that was originally a gift from Katie. After this, security cameras are installed in every corner of the house, allowing for a much improved picture quality and multi-angle scenes.

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