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Friday, February 18, 2011
Film / Film Reviews / News Unknown: Neeson Maxima
Rating: ***
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 2:56 PM
UNKNOWN
***
DIRECTED BY Jaume Collet-Serra
STARS Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger
I don't mind that Unknown, which builds on Liam Neeson's newly minted status as a tortured action hero, is utterly ridiculous. Why? Because within the constraints of its absurdity, it always manages to play fair with the audience.
This is a radical departure from many contemporary thrillers in which the filmmakers are so focused on the twist ending that they barrel toward that destination with little rhyme or reason. The result is invariably a storyline riddled with plotholes and saddled with, let's face it, a twist that was pretty easy to spot in the first place. But Unknown isn't like that.
It starts with Dr. Martin Harris (Neeson) and his wife (January Jones) arriving in Berlin to attend a conference. A subsequent accident while riding in a taxi cab leaves him with a moderate case of amnesia, able to recall his identity but not the details surrounding the accident — and utterly unable to explain why his wife insists that another man (Aidan Quinn) is the real Martin Harris. Alone in a foreign land, Martin tries to piece the mystery together with the help of the cab driver (Diane Kruger), whose illegal-immigrant status makes her reluctant to get involved, and an elderly private detective (cinema treasure Bruno Ganz), who's hoping to recapture a smidgen of the excitement he enjoyed during his time as a member of the Stasi.
Neeson is as compelling here as he was in his previous Euro-action yarn Taken, and the picture even makes some modest political jabs by presenting Kruger's illegal immigrant as a heroine who's smart, resourceful and tough, an asset to the population of any country. Mostly, though, the film keeps its focus on its central mystery, and when everything is finally explained, we can quietly smile at its outlandishness while simultaneously applauding it for not insulting our intelligence.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Film / Film News / Film Reviews / News Poitier film series heats up
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 3:51 PM
By Matt Brunson
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)
***1/2
DIRECTED BY Norman Jewison
STARS Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger
That 1967 marked a turning point in motion picture history can be evidenced by merely glancing at the five films nominated that year for the Best Picture Oscar. On one hand, there was The Graduate and Bonnie and Clyde, two electrifying motion pictures that signaled a bold new direction in American cinema; on the other, there was Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and Doctor Dolittle, two badly dated embarrassments that tried (and failed) to retain Old Hollywood charm in a changing world. In hindsight, it's not surprising that the winner turned out to be In the Heat of the Night, which expertly straddled the line by relating an old-fashioned murder-mystery in a jazzy new style.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Film / Film Reviews / News Just Go With It: Better yet, don't
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 2:03 PM
By Matt Brunson
JUST GO WITH IT
*1/2
DIRECTED BY Dennis Dugan
STARS Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston
Film / Film Reviews / News The Eagle rarely soars
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 2:03 PM
By Matt Brunson
THE EAGLE
DIRECTED BY Kevin Macdonald
STARS Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell
Film / Film Reviews / News The Illusionist slight but charming
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 2:02 PM
By Matt Brunson
THE ILLUSIONIST
DIRECTED BY Sylvain Chomet
STARS Jean-Claude Donda, Eilidh Rankin
Film / Film Reviews / News The Company Men deserves a pink slip
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 2:02 PM
By Matt Brunson
THE COMPANY MEN
DIRECTED BY John Wells
STARS Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Film / Film News / Film Reviews / News Welcome to the Jungle
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 12:35 PM
The Harvey B. Gantt Center will present one of Sidney Poitier’s most popular pictures, 1955’s Blackboard Jungle, on Feb. 13 as part of its Classic International Black Cinema Series.
Film / Film Reviews / News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 10:00 AM
The Company Men - Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones
The Eagle - Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell
Gnomeo & Juliet - Animated; voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt
The Illusionist - Animated; voices of Jean-Claude Donda, Eilidh Rankin
Just Go With It - Adam Sandler, Brooklyn Decker
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never - Justin Bieber, Usher
Friday, February 4, 2011
Film / Film Reviews / News Another Year: As time goes by
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Feb 4, 2011 at 4:19 PM
ANOTHER YEAR
***1/2
DIRECTED BY Mike Leigh
STARS Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen
A character in a 70s movie — Gene Hackman's private eye in Night Moves, if we're pointing fingers — opined that watching an Eric Rohmer film is like watching paint dry. I imagine similar charges have been lobbed against the oeuvre of British writer-director Mike Leigh, whose idea of an action sequence is generally having his characters sit down on the couch or pour themselves a cuppa.
Film / Film Reviews / News The Mechanic doesn't deserve your business
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Feb 4, 2011 at 4:18 PM
By Matt Brunson
THE MECHANIC
*1/2
DIRECTED BY Simon West
STARS Jason Statham, Ben Foster
In the annals of "tough guy" cinema, there's not much to say about the 1972 Charles Bronson vehicle The Mechanic except that its leading character displays a refreshing lack of sentimentality (not unusual in the days of vintage squinters like Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan and Bronson) and its script manages to end on a neat little "gotcha." This sleek new model, also called The Mechanic, retains that twist ending but jettisons the steely sensibilities, resulting in yet one more formula flick about a taciturn killer who, despite his penchant for slaying and maiming, actually turns out to be the kind of nice guy you might consider Friending on Facebook.
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One-night-only art show at Hart Witzen
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Question the Queen City: What lurks in the woods of Camp Greene? 1
The World War 1 training facility's tragic past lingers even today
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Live review: Moogfest, Asheville 1
Five memorable performances from the weekend.
