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Thursday, June 18, 2015
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Jun 18, 2015 at 6:26 PM
- Open Road Films
- Dope
Dope - Shameik Moore, Zoe Kravitz
Inside Out - Animated; voices of Amy Poehler, Bill Hader
Saint Laurent - Gaspard Ulliel, Léa Seydoux
Friday, June 12, 2015
Film / Film Reviews The Jurassic Park Pack
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Jun 12, 2015 at 10:51 AM
(Ratings are on a four-star scale.)
- (Photos: Universal)
Jurassic Park - 1993 was an exceptional year for Steven Spielberg, scoring critical and commercial kudos with both his summer blockbuster Jurassic Park and his year-end awards contender Schindler's List. The hype surrounding the dinosaur film was deafening, and yet the movie largely managed to meet expectations. Based on Michael Crichton's bestseller, it centers on the efforts of various characters — including scientists charismatically played by Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum — to escape from a theme-park island that's crawling with genetically recreated dinosaurs. Spielberg treats us much as he does his characters, leading us into a strange land and then expecting us to make it out with all our faculties intact; it's a tall order, given the heart-stopping, blood-curdling, limbs-numbing excitement packed into the second hour. The effects work is astonishing — then again, when the team members' past credits had included the likes of Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and the original Star Wars trilogy, that was to be expected. While Schindler's List was sweeping most of the major Oscars, Jurassic Park went 3-for-3 in its technical bids, winning for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing. Even more impressive was its phenomenal box office: At close to a billion dollars internationally, it still ranks among the all-time Top 20 grossers. ***1/2
The Lost World: Jurassic Park - You didn't have to be a rocket scientist — or even a paleontologist — to know that Jurassic Park's 1997 sequel would similarly rake in tons of dough, regardless of the quality of the picture. That was doubtless a relief to studio suits, considering that this is arguably Spielberg's most impersonal movie to date, failing to retain its predecessor's sense of mystery and majesty. It's entertainment on autopilot, with the dinosaur basically reinvented as a slasher-flick stalker. Goldblum returns from the first film, but his character has been transformed from an eccentric sidekick into a listless action hero; new co-stars Julianne Moore and Vince Vaughn fare even worse. The effects are about as impressive as those in the original Jurassic Park; unfortunately, it's the movie surrounding them that remains hopelessly mechanical. **
Jurassic Park III - Spielberg served only as executive producer on this 2001 effort, handing directing duties over to Joe Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger). Screenplay duties were assigned to Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, the team that would later win Oscars for penning Sideways, and William H. Macy joined a cast that included Neill and Dern, both returning from the first picture. Yet despite all this talent to burn, JPIII still turned out to be even worse than the second installment. There's one exciting sequence involving Pteranodons, but the rest is clumsy, uninvolving and often laughable — the scene in which Neill's character learns to speak "Velociraptor" and orders these vicious creatures to go away is particularly risible. In short, this is Hollywood's version of a red-light district, with lots of talented people selling themselves for quick cash. *1/2
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Jun 11, 2015 at 4:47 PM
- Universal
- Jurassic World
The Connection - Jean Dujardin, Gilles Lellouche
I'll See You in My Dreams - Blythe Danner, Sam Elliott
Jurassic World - Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard
Film / Film News Charlotte Talks about summer flicks
Posted By Web Editor on Thu, Jun 11, 2015 at 3:43 PM
Local film critics Matt Brunson of Creative Loafing and Sean O'Connell of CinemaBlend.com will join host Mike Collins for a discussion of summer movies on Charlotte Talks at 9 a.m. Friday, June 12, on WFAE 90.7 FM.
The group will discuss major movies that are currently playing in theaters, such as The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Mad Max: Fury Road and Spy, as well as films opening between now and Labor Day, including Jurassic World, Fantastic Four and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 3:16 PM
- Roadside Attractions
- Love & Mercy
Entourage - Jeremy Piven, Adrian Grenier
Insidious: Chapter 3 - Dermot Mulroney, Lin Shaye
Love & Mercy - John Cusack, Paul Dano
Spy - Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, May 28, 2015 at 6:51 PM
- Warner Bros.
- San Andreas
Aloha - Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone
San Andreas - Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Film / Film Reviews Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, May 21, 2015 at 9:16 PM
- Fox & MGM
- Poltergeist
Good Kill - Ethan Hawke, Bruce Greenwood
In the Name of My Daughter - Catherine Deneuve, Guillaume Canet
Poltergeist - Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt
Tomorrowland - George Clooney, Britt Robertson
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Film / Film Reviews Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, May 14, 2015 at 8:55 PM
- Fox Searchlight
- Far from the Madding Crowd
Far from the Madding Crowd - Carey Mulligan, Michael Sheen
Mad Max: Fury Road - Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron
Pitch Perfect 2 - Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, May 7, 2015 at 2:56 PM
- The Orchard
- Dior and I
Dior and I - Documentary; Raf Simons, Marion Cotillard
The D Train - Jack Black, James Marsden
Hot Pursuit - Reese Witherspoon, Sofia Vergara
- Sony Pictures Classics
- Lambert and Stamp
Lambert & Stamp - Documentary; Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Film / Opinion VisArt is looking to say 'Peace out!' to Elizabeth later this year
Posted By Kimberly Lawson on Tue, May 5, 2015 at 6:29 PM
One of the coolest things about the Elizabeth neighborhood is that it is so welcoming to geeks, nerds and culture buffs, despite being a stone's throw away from banker busybody Uptown. The area is home to locally owned businesses like Heroes Aren't Hard to Find, The Violin Shoppe, VisArt, Visulite Theatre and Crown Station, among others. And it's places like these that help foster creativity and innovation — the kind of stuff that helps shape a city's identity and give it a little color, if you will.
The million dollar question in Charlotte nowadays: As apartment development comes a-creeping in, will that change the vibe of the area? Of course it will. I mean, when's the last time you heard someone say, "Man, that shiny new apartment building with its valet trash, ugly parking garage and saltwater pool really gives this area character."
But change is in the air, and it looks like Elizabeth might be losing one of its coolest tenants. Earlier today, Twiggy Cerniglia, owner of VisArt, addressed on Facebook the For Rent sign that is now taped on the video rental store's front window. In a message, she told me that their lease is up in August. Considering the high price of rent and the battle for parking in that area, she says it is "VERY likely that we will be moving."
Cerniglia, who's eyeing a space in east Charlotte, admits she hasn't signed a new lease yet, but wanted to reassure her customers that VisArt is definitely not closing.
That's a relief. Remember when it almost did in 2010?
We already know that Jackalope Jack's and Rusty Rabbit next door aren't planning to stay on that corner across the street from VisArt for much longer. In a few years, that whole area of 7th and Caswell could look different. Then where will the geeks, nerds and culture buffs go?
