Movie Reviews By Movie Reviews Pro

Taking Woodstock

Rating:

Movie: Taking Woodstock (2009)

Studio : Film in Focus

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 110 min

Website : Taking Woodstock

Trailer :http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa3i5g

Review:

As a lifelong fan of Woodstock-era artists like The Who and Jimi Hendrix, I looked forward to this movie, an uncharacteristically lighthearted affair from director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain). It’s inspired by the true story of Elliot Tiber (renamed Jake Teichberg in the film), a New York City interior designer who organized the iconic festival in order to save his parents’ failing motel.

One of the things I enjoyed about this movie was its focus on the work that went into putting on the festival. Amazingly, we don’t see any concert footage or meet any actors called on to play Hendrix or Joplin. It has a documentary-like feel in such scenes as when we see Teichberg (played by Demetri Martin) riding on the back of a cop’s motorcycle in order to get into the actual concert or when we see Max Yasgur (well-played by Eugene Levy) agreeing to let the promoters hold the concert on his land while offering them some of his farm-made chocolate milk. The film is at its best when we’re among the fans and we’re seeing the show put together. We meet some colorful characters during the journey, including Liev Schreiber as a transvestite security guard and Dan Fogler as the leader of a postmodern thespian troupe that lives in Teichberg’s parents’ barn and manages to cause a ruckus among Bethel’s more conservative types, who feared the hippies would destroy the town.

The film also includes some interludes involving Teichberg’s tumultuous relationship with his mother (Imelda Staunton), who kavetches throughout the film, while his father is more accepting and drinks beer with the hippies. While Staunton has some good one-liners, this part of the story feels underdeveloped, and the final scene doesn’t have the emotional impact for which it seems to be reaching. It feels secondary to the festival. Still, I enjoyed the film on the basis of the realistic crowd shots, the likable Teichberg, the vibrant supporting cast, and that groovy soundtrack.

-Craig Wynne

Comedy, In Theaters, Music Comedy, Music, Taking Woodstock

Inglourious Basterds

Rating:

Movie: Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Studio : Universal

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 153 min

Website : inglouriousbasterds-movie.com

Trailer :http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9zcxu

Review:

While it will certainly not win any Oscars, Quentin Tarantino’s, Inglorious Bastards, entertains for the full 2 hours and 33 minutes. The film is divided into five chapters, which at first seem mutually exclusive, but begin to tie together towards the middle of the movie.

Though it is a war movie, there are very little gunfights. The classic “Tarantino violence,” mostly comes from the scalpings of dead Germans, body mutilations, and one overly gruesome execution by baseball bat, though none of it is comedic as usual. Tarantino also uses a series of flashbacks in order to fill the audience in on plot holes, which works very effectively and is also very entertaining. Seeing as how the rest of the movie is filled in by scheming, plotting, and a pestering German war hero, it is difficult to understand how the movie went by as quickly as it did.

The reason for this however, is that Tarantino was able to create an intricate plot with many captivating characters. The story is an alternate history of World War II, beginning with a young girl named Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent), who witnesses the murder of her family, but narrowly escapes. She flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as French theatre owner. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Bradd Pitt), creates a group of Jewish American soldiers, known by the enemy as “the Basterds,” who are trained to commit quick and shocking attacks on German soldiers.

When a young German war hero, Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Bruhl)—who has had a film made about him, starring him—falls in love with Shosanna, he moves to have the highly anticipated premier of his film at her theatre. With Hitler and the entire high command set to attend, both Shosanna and Aldo create separate plots for their assassinations.

This film is unlike any World War II movie ever made, however, it does have many flaws. While Bruhl’s character, Zoller, is supposed to be annoying to Shosanna, he did a better job of annoying me. Additionally, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger), an actress/double agent, who is supposed to help Raines carry out his mission—but ends up hindering it instead—seems almost completely unnecessary. “Basterds,” is not to be a Tarantino classic, but it is certainly worth seeing, even if it is just to see Pitt speak Italian in a Southern accent.

-Stephen Fox

Action, Drama, In Theaters, War Action, Drama, Quentin Tarantino, War

Bruno Rating: 3.5 stars

Rating:

Movie: Brüno (2009)

Studio : Everyman Pictures

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 81min

Website : thebrunomovie.com

Trailer :

Review:

Camper than Liberace in hot-pants, Brüno is Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest “undercover” comic creation and controversy = cash generator. The movie focuses on the crass antics of Brüno Gehard, a fictional Austrian fashionista with a penchant for both Adolf Hitler and evermore extreme forms of anal intrusion. Fired from his job as host of Funkyzeit, Brüno sets his sights on conquering the dizzy heights of American celebrity culture.

Once this obviously frivolous story has been set up and the action moves to America – via a brief trip to the Middle East to meet some alleged terrorists – the fun really begins. There are many hilarious set-piece scenes throughout Brüno, including the breathtaking cage-fight finale, but the standout scene for me has to be Brüno’s parading of his adopted African baby on some sub-Jerry Springer talk-show. As we are in on the joke, our immediate temptation is to howl with laughter as Bruno shockingly informs the predominantly African American audience that he gave the baby a “traditional African name – OJ”. In fairness to the audience though, their outrage was actually proportionate (given that they thought they were witnessing someone who genuinely treated his baby as a fashion accessory). This audience, however, were never the true intended targets of Cohen’s satire, rather, it was the celebrity adoptions of Madonna and Angelina Jolie – and the ensuing media mayhem – that he was gunning for.

That is a trend that exists through all of Cohen’s work: he delivers the maximum amount of outrage per a square satirical inch both in the foreground of the action and also in the background, where the bigger picture lurks. He gives the bigots what they want on camera (which is to re-affirm their petrified world view), and in doing so he reveals their absurd and isolated thinking. Yet lest you imagine this is a movie with a cause in mind, you better think again. Cohen does not deliver the certainties that causes require, instead choosing to walk along a cinematic tightrope of chaotic comedy on one hand and stage-managed cynicism on the other. Sometimes he does stumble and leave you yearning for the sight of Borat in his slick green Speedos. Such feelings quickly pass however, as the prospect of Brüno spreading more of his hot comedy seed across your face keeps you glued to your seat throughout.

-Paul Meade

Comedy, In Theaters, Reviews by Genre borat, bruno, Comedy, sacha cohen

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceRating: Four stars

Rating:

Movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Studio : Warner Brothers Pictures

 Info : Click Here

Runtime : 153min

Website : harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthehalf-bloodprince

Trailer :http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x99zz1

Review:

There’s a scene at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where Professor McGonagall (always wonderfully played by Maggie Smith) says to Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, “Why is it whenever something happens, you three always seem to be in the center of it?”  Ron replies, “I’ve been wondering that myself.”  That’s basically the essence of the entire series, but these three kids (now teenagers) are so charismatic and likable that we accept everything and take the ride with them.
 
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth installment in this huge franchise, and for those who haven’t read the books, I’ll give a brief plot summary: there’s strong sentiment going around the wizard world as to whether Harry Potter is the “Chosen One,” that is, the person who has been chosen to fight Lord Voldemort and save all of humanity.  Harry’s also found a book in his Potions class that belonged to the Half-Blood Prince, and this book is able to help him create potions.  Meanwhile, more ominous things are happening at Hogwarts, and Lord Voldemort may be working through Harry’s archenemy, Draco Malfoy, in order to wreak havoc.  We also learn more about the Dark Lord’s past, and see how Dumbledore inadvertently groomed him in order to become the force of mass destruction he is today. 
 
All of this stuff is fun and exciting, and we’re seeing a less whimsical and much darker Hogwarts than we have in the previous films.  The film seems to be mostly shot in neutral tones, which works very well given the secrets and histories we’re exposed to in this installment.  It does lag somewhat as we move towards the final sequence, but that’s only for about 15 minutes in a two-and-a-half hour film, and the conclusion left me stunned (even after I knew what was coming from having read the books).
 
Still, my favorite parts of the film had nothing to do with the suspense portion.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione have blossomed into teenagers, and they’re all experiencing true romance for the first time.  There are some well-observed moments here, as Hermione scowls while Ron becomes involved with another girl, and Ron’s sister Ginny grows increasingly infatuated with Harry.  I, along with several others, laughed out loud at some of their behavior, because watching it indeed reminded me of what it was like for me to be in love as a teenager. 

This is a good film.  It’s not my favorite of the series, but the action in this movie is as exciting as it was in the previous entries, and thus far, it’s the most human. 
 

-Craig Wynne

Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, In Theaters, Mystery, Reviews by Genre, Reviews by Status, Romance Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, harry potter, Romance