Independent Publishing - MAY MOVIE SPOTLIGHT

EARTH (G)
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In honor of Earth Day, Disney Nature Films proudly presents the appropriately titled Earth, a breathtaking observational film that harkens back to the days of those amazing nature flicks the studio made back in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Earth captures the circle of life in all its spectacle by means of awe-inspiring master shots, effective slow motion techniques, and amazing time-lapse photography. Through brilliant cinematography, a stirring score by George Fenton, and soulful narration by James Earl Jones, you, the viewer, will be magically transported to other-worldly landscapes that happen to reside right here on this very planet.

As Earth examines the survival traits of elephants, polar bears, whales, birds, and other species that live among us, you will quickly discover that perhaps your own life isn’t nearly as tough as you once thought it was.

True, this is essentially a highlight version of the BBC mini-series Planet Earth, but nothing beats seeing this gorgeous imagery on the big screen. As I marveled at the visual splendor that is Earth, I kept asking myself, “How did they get this amazing stuff on camera?” Thankfully, during the end credits, I got my answer as this glorious film gives a glimpse into behind-the-scenes footage. A great way to end this magical film experience. If I have any gripe at all, it’s that Disney didn’t release this breathtaking movie in Imax. I’d pay top dollar to see that.

CURRENT RELEASES

WOLVERINE (PG-13)
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There’s been a lot made of Wolverine in the press as of late. This X-Men origin story made major headlines after the film was leaked online in its entirety a couple months back. Since its auspicious and unexpected internet debut, reviews have been popping up online, and the reaction has been mixed at best. According to 20th Century Fox, though, folks shouldn’t be so quick to judge the film. The studio claims there have been re-shoots (which, generally speaking, isn’t necessarily a good thing), and that the effects work has been cleaned up. Having seen the final version, I can honestly say I don’t think Wolverine is bad or good. It’s somewhere in between. In fact, I’d probably rank it alongside the third X-Men film.

As previously stated, Wolverine is an origin story. A tale of how Hugh Jackman’s James Logan would become the fierce warrior we’ve all come to know and love. As the film opens, we’re introduced to young James Logan. Life is a struggle for the pre-teen as he possesses powers he doesn’t quite understand. After an unfortunate mishap, Logan flees his home with brother Victor Creed, and together they eventually join an elite covert squad comprised of mutants. This squad is the brainchild of military man William Stryker. Stryker promises the best for Logan and the other men, but before long, it appears that he might just have a hidden agenda.

Wolverine was directed by the gifted Gavin Hood who, just four years ago, made the brilliant Johannesburg crime thriller Tsotsi. Here, Hood ditches gritty drama and character-driven moral dilemmas and trades them in for things that go boom, along with over-bloated super hero antics. The end result is a film that moves at a quick clip, but is ultimately too stuffed for its own good.

As was the case with X-Men 3, the inclusion of numerous iconic characters isn’t always a good thing. Just because they’re there doesn’t make them worth watching. In Wolverine, we get fan favorites like Gambit (played by the charismatic Kitsch) and Wade Wilson (played by a likable Ryan Reynolds), but these famed comic book figures aren’t really developed enough to be characters worth caring about. Hugh Jackman brings a familiar and much welcome swagger to Wolverine, while Liev Schreiber lends a bit of snarly attitude to Creed (a character who would go on to become Sabertooth). Beyond that, though, various characters and the actors who play them just sort of float in and out of this chaotic mess like afterthoughts. This includes Lord of the Rings’ Dominic Monaghan, who shows up for all but five minutes as Bolt. Even the amazing Danny Huston is shortchanged as Stryker, a role that Brian Cox was much more effective in when Bryan Singer was at the helm.

Having said that, Wolverine does have a zippy rhythm. I wouldn’t say I was ever bored by it. Hood keeps things moving at a relatively brisk pace, and he even has the good sense to throw in a couple of guest appearances that I’m not about to give away in this review. In the end, though, with comic book properties inspiring unforgettable adaptations like The Dark Knight and Iron Man, filmmakers really have to bring their A-game when it comes to super hero movies. Wolverine is more of a C+ game.

THE SOLOIST (PG-13)
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The Soloist is the true story of Steve Lopez, a self-centered journalist whose world would open up after befriending Nathaniel Ayers, a schizophrenic street musician with unbelievable talent.

The Soloist is an odd little film. The trailer suggests that this picture might be in the same vein as Mr. Holland’s Opus with its inspirational tale of a man rising up against all odds through the power of music. Actually, The Soloist is more bittersweet than sweet – which would be fine if the film weren’t so darned meandering. When the movie was over, I found myself strangely unaffected by it. This, despite Robert Downey Jr.’s strongest effort at trying to convince me I was watching something important. To Downey Jr.’s great credit, he tries awfully hard here, and quite often he is able to elevate the material. Jamie Foxx, by contrast, didn’t quite get there for me, which is strange given he had the showier role. I applaud Foxx for taking a low-key approach, but the fact remains, I never really bought into him as this character.

Director Joe Wright (Atonement) does some interesting things with the camera here. His theatrical nature serves him well. There are cool birds-eye aerial view shots that perfectly capture the sights and sounds of Los Angeles, and I loved a scene in which Wright literally puts you inside Nathaniel’s head so we the audience can see and feel firsthand what music means to this man.

Unfortunately though, The Soloist suffers from not knowing what it really wants to be. Is it a story about friendship? Is it as tale of compassion? Is it a social commentary piece on the homeless issue here in the states? Is it about the importance and power of music? Some would argue that The Soloist is about all of the above, but from my standpoint, the film’s lack of focus hinders its overall effectiveness.

IS ANYBODY THERE? (PG-13)
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Is Anybody There? is an intimate little character study about a young boy (played by Bill Milner of Son of Rambow fame) growing up in an old-folks home during the mid ‘80s. He strikes up a most unusual friendship with a crotchety old codger (played by the truly gifted Michael Caine) who’s starting to show signs of dementia. Together, this seemingly odd pair becomes the best of friends.

The primary reason I wanted to see this film, aside from the fact that it has Michael Caine in it, is that it was directed by the underappreciated John Crowley. Crowley made the little-seen Intermission back in 2003. If you haven’t seen that picture, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Is Anybody There? has a lot going for it. It has a distinct British charm, and the performances by Milner, Rosemary Harris, David Morrissey, Anne Marie-Duff, and, most notably, Michael Caine (who reportedly based his character off a friend who died of Alzheimer’s), are all solid. I think where Is Anybody There? really suffers is in the pacing. There’s just something a bit off in terms of the rhythm here. Furthermore, the film comes in at a brief ninety-five minutes. The bond that develops between Caine and Milner feels a tad slight, and because of this, the ending of the movie doesn’t quite resonate the way it should.

There are certainly moments to be found in this tender, feel-good movie. In particular, I love Crowley’s little homage to Back to the Future. Is Anybody There? also has an interesting view of life and death from decidedly different vantage points. In the end however, I expected a bit more from this film. Caine is sensational, as is the rest of the cast, but as a whole, Is Anybody There? comes up a little bit short.

OBSERVE AND REPORT (R)
HH ½

Observe and Report is one of the most polarizing films of the year. But then, comedy has always been one of the most polarizing of genres. Part of the problem with this latest effort from Foot Fist Way director Jody Hill, is that too much of the time, it isn’t particularly funny.

In Observe and Report, the portly Seth Rogen plays Ronnie Barnhardt, a bi-polar mall cop who can’t handle not being the center of attention. When a mysterious flasher starts wreaking havoc amongst the mall’s patrons, Barnhardt springs into action. In the process, he tries to win the affection of a snobby department store employee (played by Anna Faris) who hardly even knows he exists. Complications arise when the head of the mall calls in the city police department. Naturally, Barnhardt doesn’t take kindly to this news. The mall is his domain and when he’s forced to share the limelight with an actual police officer (played by Ray Liotta), it isn’t long before contention sets in.

Observe and Report has some seriously funny moments, but quite often, the film is more interested in shocking us than making us laugh. Tonally, the movie is all over the map, and at times, this flick felt every bit as bi-polar as its lead character.

Hill is obviously going for a different kind of humor here. This is essentially a black comedy, but Observe and Report never quite finds the right balance of big time laughs and sheer mean-spiritedness. This movie clearly offers up more of the latter. Furthermore, aside from a cute food court employee (played by the adorable Collette Wolfe), there really isn’t a character worth giving a damn about. Barnhardt is a complete and utter a-hole, but you’ll probably find yourself rooting for him because everyone else in the picture appears to be a bigger a-hole than he is.

Some have been quick to suggest that Rogen is just repeating the lovable loser schtick we’ve already seen him do, while others are simply writing this turn off as completely forgettable. I actually quite liked Rogen here, and while the early portions of the film show him in a familiar light, he ultimately takes the clueless Barnhardt into some interesting directions. At the very least, there’s a sense of potential here that I also felt when I saw Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love. The strongest performance in Observe and Report comes courtesy of Celia Weston who hits all the right notes as Barnhardt’s alcoholic mother. Weston’s deadpan delivery and spaced-out expressions bring a lot of life to the picture.

Jody Hill’s direction is spotty at best. The majority of the film feels surprisingly amateurish in terms of execution, but every so often, the film bursts with a CREATIVE flourish (watch for an insane sequence in which a lead character drives a vehicle straight through a massive mall window).

Black comedies can be effective. War of the Roses is a perfect example of this. The mean-spirited nature of that film works because the situations as presented in War of the Roses are completely relatable. It’s basically Die Hard meets Divorce Court. Observe and Report doesn’t fare as well. In its eager attempt to unnerve the audience, it often forgets that its main agenda is simply to make us laugh. And while there are certainly moments that had me keeling over in hysterics – the climactic flasher sequence gives the nude wrestling bit in the superior Borat a run for its money – Observe and Report lacks consistency.

FANBOYS (PG-13)
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It seems like I first heard about this love letter to the Star Wars saga years ago. Perhaps that’s because it was years ago. Fanboys has been sitting on a shelf for I don’t know how long, but now, it’s finally seeing the light of day.

In Fanboys, a pack of rabid Star Wars fans (and childhood friends) take a road trip to the Skywalker Ranch when they learn that one of their own is dying of cancer. Their mission? To steal a copy of Phantom Menace before its scheduled release date.

The title Fanboys couldn’t be any more prophetic. This is a film for Star Wars fans made by Star Wars fans, and while the movie is incredibly earnest in its approach, it could have been so much more.

The cast is likable enough, most notably with up-and-coming funny man Dan Fogler who provides the film with some of its biggest laughs. Kristen Bell is charming as every geek’s biggest fantasy, and when she’s given the opportunity to don Princess Leia’s famed Return of the Jedi garb, she makes the most of it.

To be honest, I thought Fanboys would be sharper. The Star Wars mythology has been played with numerous times to stronger effect by the likes of Seth MacFarlane and Kevin Smith. Hell, even Lost took some clever potshots at George Lucas’s iconic universe this season. Here, most of the jokes are fairly obvious. There are a couple of wonderful bits including a battle between Star Wars fans and Trekkies, and a hilarious sequence in which our fearless heroes hallucinate while by a campfire. The plot structure is fairly dull though. It almost plays like a tame version of that Tenacious D movie from a few years back. In the end, the so-called plot is a simplistic device created to let the lead characters talk about Star Wars for ninety minutes. Don’t get me wrong, I love Star Wars, but I was hoping for a little more ingenuity here.

Strangely, Fanboys finds its main characters at a curious crossroad at the end of their journey, and at one point towards the end of the film, one character asks another what they’ll do if the Phantom Menace doesn’t meet their hefty expectations. As a huge fan of Star Wars and as someone who knows all too well the dangers of hefty expectations, I found myself smiling at this familiar scenario. I wish there were more honest moments like that throughout the film. In the end, my hefty expectations got the best of me where Fanboys was concerned. No, I wasn’t as disappointed by this as I was by Phantom Menace, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect a little bit more.

THE INFORMERS (R)
H ½

Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho), The Informers takes place in 1980s Los Angeles and intertwines the lives of several individuals whose only common thread appears to be excess and self-destruction.

Dysfunction is a favorite theme in the movies, and when this particular theme is explored in the right way, it can be effective. Novelist Bret Easton Ellis has tackled similar subject matter to stronger effect in stories like Less Than Zero.

The first act of The Informers is completely overplayed, and the entire movie has a labored feel to it. In fact, much of the film comes across as funny when it’s trying to be dead serious. The real problem with this story, though, is that I simply didn’t care about these people or their problems. There’s no one here really worth rooting for. While I suppose that’s part of the point of Gregor Jordan’s film, I wanted more of an emotional connection. There is one moment of moral redemption in the picture, but even it feels stilted and forced.

The Informers certainly has some things going for it. Mickey Rourke is creepy-cool as an ex-con, and I dug the ‘80s chic soundtrack, but overall this movie is a meandering mess. On a side-note, this was Brad Renfro’s final performance. He died shortly after the project was completed.

OTHER MOVIES

STATE OF PLAY (PG-13)-HHHH
BATTLE FOR TERRA (PG)-HHH
ADVENTURELAND (R)–HHHH
MONSTERS VS. ALIENS (IMAX 3-D)(PG)–HHH
CROSSING OVER (R)-HHH 1/2
TWO LOVERS (R)-HHH 1/2
SUNSHINE CLEANING (R)-HHH 1/2
KNOWING (PG-13)-HHH
MISS MARCH (R)-H
THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (R)-HH
THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT (PG-13)–HH 1/2
I LOVE YOU, MAN (R)-HHHH
DUPLICITY (PG-13)-HHHH
TAKEN (PG-13)-HHH
12 ROUNDS (PG-13)-H 1/2
WATCHMEN (R)-HHH 1/2
CORALINE (PG)-HHHH

NEXT MONTH

THE PROPOSAL
STAR TREK DRAG ME TO HELL
UP
THE HURT LOCKER
ANGELS AND DEMONS
TERMINATOR: SALVATION
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF SMITHSONIAN
THE BROTHERS BLOOM

A MESSAGE FROM THE ST. GEORGE FILM SOCIETY

A REMINDER ABOUT THE 2009 SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW BASH!
With the summer movie season upon us, we thought we’d compliment the latest Guerilla Film Competition by throwing a 2009 Summer Movie Preview Bash. The festivities will take place at The Electric Theater starting at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 2nd. It’ll kick off with a screening of a ‘90s blockbuster that we hope will tide you over until the May release of one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer. At 2:00 p.m., we’ll keep the buzz machine going with a special screening of what is arguably one of the greatest sequels of all time. It is our hope that this particular film will get you primed for yet another highly anticipated summertime release. At 4:00 p.m., join us in celebrating the best in local film as we present the eighth Guerilla Film Competition. Get in on the action and vote for your favorite short. At 6:00 p.m., we close out our 2009 Summer Movie Preview Bash with a blast from the past: an old-school nostalgic rush that also happens to be a big time inspiration for yet another buzzed-about summer time film. It should be noted that while The Guerilla Film Competition is $2 per person, the 2009 Summer Movie Preview Bash screenings are free.

WESTATES JOINS THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION
Hallelujah! Westates is one step away from joining the digital revolution. The Stadium 8 and the Pineview Stadium 10 will be equipped with one digital screen each. Hopefully, the upgrade will be completed by June. For the casual moviegoer, this might not mean much, but for the crazed, rabid, film fanatic, it means the world. It means no more scratchy prints, and it also means 3-D movies in St. George!!!! Yay!!!! I, for one, have no interest in seeing James Cameron’s Avatar in 2-D when it opens this Christmas. Now I won’t have to. Thank you, Westates, for making the seemingly impossible, possible.

GOODBYE TO TOM BEREZOWSKI
Westates lost an amazing individual in Tom Berezowski. In less than six months, the long-time movie theater veteran turned Red Cliff Cinemas into something truly special. He managed to do what recent staples like The Salt Lake Film Society were unable to do. He made going to the movies an event, and it went far beyond the discounted pricing, the player piano in the lobby, the refurbished interior, and the wonderful film selections. Tom was actually a fun guy to talk to. In fact, he was such an engaging individual that many folks who frequented the establishment simply went because they liked the way they were treated when they were there. No telling what will happen at Red Cliff Cinemas now. Thankfully, the rest of the supporting players are still in place, and hopefully, they’ll be able to build on what Tom so eloquently brought to the table. For the casual filmgoer, this tribute piece might not mean much, but for the rest of us, we can’t help but feel a little bit sad. Even in a mere six months, Tom made an impact, particularly for big-time movie buffs in the area. Tom, you will be missed. We want to wish you the best of luck in future endeavors.

THEATERS IN THE NEARBY AREA
We just wanted to take this opportunity to say that if you live in Springdale, Hurricane, or Mesquite, you don’t necessarily have to come into St. George to catch a movie. While Westates is certainly the longest standing theater chain in the area, there are other theaters worth checking out, as well. Springdale has the luxurious Zion Canyon Giant Screen Theater. Comparable to Imax, this massive screening facility has hosted Horror-Fest and The Red Rock Film Festival in years past. This breathtaking theater has the ability to show 70 mm Imax-sized productions, but they also have the ability to show 35mm prints. The Zion Canyon Giant Screen Theater rotates first run movies and super-screen shorts daily. Currently, The Zion Giant Screen Theater is showing Zion Canyon Treasure of the Gods, Dinosaurs Alive! (in 3-D), and Monsters vs. Aliens (in 3-D). Hurricane has the Coral Cliffs Cinema 8. This beautiful eight-plex has the latest and greatest in motion picture entertainment. If you’re in the Mesquite area, Westates is well represented, but there’s also a nice alternative in the form of The Red Hills Cinema 8. Red Hills is known for their sly counter-programming. If a film doesn’t open locally, there’s a good chance they’ll have it playing there. For information on Westates, call (435) 673-1994 or log onto movieswest.com. For information on The Zion Canyon Giant Screen Theater, call (435)772-2400 or log onto zioncanyontheatre.com. For information on The Coral Cliffs Cinema 8 call (435) 635-1484 or log onto coralcliffscinema8.com. For information on Red Hills Cinema 8 in Mesquite, call (702) 346-6100.