happy spring

ironman

directed by: jon favreau
characters created by: stan lee, don heck, larry lieber, and jack kirby
screenplay by: mark fergus, hawk osbey, art marcum, matt holloway
starring: robert downey jr., terence howard, jeff bridges, gwyneth paltrow, leslie bibb, rahan tahir, jon favreau

i have to say i was skeptical at first, but everyone said that ironman was good. i was pleasantly surprised several times and i agree with the masses. it's a great action flick folks. ironman is well filmed and gives a political message without overpoliticizing (is that a word?) and without being too serious. robert downey jr. is tony stark, womanizing billionaire and industrial boy genius who escapes his injury and capture in afghanistan by building an iron suit of armor and artillery... i did not see robert downey jr. as a superhero, but i am converted. he buffed up (nice arms!), his timing and humor were great and art imitating life probably didn't hurt - an excessive lifestyle catching up with oneself. i really liked jeff bridges (obadiah stane) in this too. i am not a huge gwyneth fan but she was endearing and sweet as tony stark's assistant, pepper potts. she looked surprisingly good as a red head. lastly, jon favreau (swingers), someone who i find a little annoying, did a nice job directing 'ironman'. i am not talking about the plot too much because i don't want to be a spoiler. go see it! 'ironman' is a great start to the action movie season.

i cannot wait for the dark knight (july 18)! i heart christian bale (empire of the sun, swing kids, newsies, little women, the machinist, american psycho, laurel canyon, batman begins, the prestige). i didn't have the guts to talk to him when i saw him and his family at o'hare last summer, but he seems every bit as amazing and intense as you would think. here is the kicker folks: although i knew that johnny depp is in 'public enemies' (and they filmed in my apartment building and on my street!!!), i did not know that christian bale is also in 'public enemies' and cb was spotted in chicago. i guess i am not destined to meet mr. bale in person...

it's going to be really sad to see heath ledger in his last act, but from the trailers he really seems to bring a darkness and insanity to the joker that is required. i'm sure that his last act will be a legacy that we will remember.

now on dvd/on demand/downloadable:

p.s. i love you

directed by: richard lagravenese
novel by cecilia ahern; screenplay by richard lagravenese and steven rogers
starring: hilary swank (million dollar baby), gerard butler (300), lisa kudrow (friends), gina gershon (mostly small roles), kathy bates (fried green tomatoes & dolores claiborne), james marsters (buffy & smallville), harry connick, jr. (well you know), jeffrey dean morgan (lots on the small screen)

the movie opens with holly (hilary) and her husband gerry (gerard) arguing and then making up and then next thing you know, he's dead. i guess they want you to feel the suddenness of loss. i'm not ruining anything. the trailers tell you he's gone and he leaves her letters to help her cope. it's a beautiful story about mourning and the pursuit of love. i cried almost the whole film. however, it is really interesting that gerard and hilary don't have strong chemistry. hilary has more chemistry with harry connick jr. and jeffrey dean morgan (hot!!!!) in this one. it's definitely worth watching, but have a box of kleenex ready.

until next time, happy spring!

playing catch up

wristcutters - a love story
directed by goran dukic
screenplay written by goran dukic
inspired by "kneller's happy campers," short story written by etgar keret
starring shannyn sossamon, patrick fugit, shea wigam, leslee bibb, tom waits

don't be put off by the title... there's this place where people go when they "off themselves", but have a second life in an altered state. this movie is quirky, but unbelievably sweet. its pace is a little slow, yet so worth the funny (subtle, not necessarily laugh out loud) and endearing moments. patrick fugit (zia) and shannyn sossamon (mikal) show real chemistry in an understated way. i highly recommend this indie flick. a story about friendship, love (not the heavy handed kind) and how the people in charge run things when they forgive. the music is cool too (original music by bobby johnston, joy division, gogol bordello, del shannon). one of the songs is going to stick with me for a few days. if you see said flick, you'll see why. "when there is trap set up for you in every corner of this town... the only way to go, is underground..."

deception
directed by marcel langenegger
written by mark bomback
starring hugh jackman, ewan mcgregor, and michelle williams

the premise is pretty clever, but the execution fell a little short. ewan mcgregor plays an auditor, johnathan mcquarry, who inadvertantly lands himself in a dangerous place. because i'm a c.p.a., i could not help but know the holes in the story where it concerned an auditor. the set up could have been stronger because there were places where the hints were too obvious. i don't like to figure out a movie too quickly. you're supposed to be on the edge of your seat in a thriller. the tension did not maintain itself and the ending was too hollywood. i try not to give too much away in case you still wanted to see deception. i would recommend to wait for it on dvd.

hitman
directed by xavier gens
written by skip woods
actors: timothy olyphant (catch & release), dougray scott, olga kurylenko
action flick based on the video game. pretty good as action films go, the action sequences are well done. there is a great fight scene in a train depot and some good ol' shoot 'em up scenes. timothy as agent 47 is cute, but not quite bad ass enough to pull it off completely. dougray scott is the best actor in this movie, as the interpol agent, hot on the trail of agent 47. olga (nika) is eye candy for straight boys to be sure. final analysis: good rainy day action dvd or on demand.

shoot 'em up
directed by michael davis
written by michael davis
actors: clive owen, paul giamatti, monica belucci

this is quite possibly the worst action film i have ever seen. and that says it all. remember, chloe is an action junky. even 'transporter' (jason statham) was better than this. how did it go so wrong? it had the hot guy: clive owen, hot girl: monica belucci and nefarious bad guy: paul giamatti. formula action film inserting actors does not work. the plot has to be strong enough to stand up to the action and has to be original if its going to work. the writer/director tried too hard to emulate others (quentin tarantino, robert rodriguez, ian fleming) and failed miserably. the gore tried to be shocking and campy and was neither. the dialogue was so strained and awful. the neurotic bad guy was not believable in the least. i can quite firmly say that this was a thorough waste of my time. i shouldn't keep railing on. i just can't believe how terrible this flick was. trust me, skip it.

enchanted
directed by kevin lima
written by bill kelly
starring: amy adams, james marsden, mcdreamy a.k.a. patrick dempsey, and susan sarandon

i couldn't help myself. earlier this week, i was having a bum day and needed something light. evil stepmother (sarandon) exiles princess (adams) to the real world and prince (marsden) tries to save the day and princess is confused by handsome attorney (dempsey). it is what a fairy tale should be silly, romantic and fun. disney actually poked fun at the quintessential fairy tale while still having all of the elements. refreshingly, the princess actually finds some independence. i know, shocking! this was sweet and cute - definitely chick flick and/or children's movie. there is after all, a happily ever after and magic.

ok. insomnia is now cured. that's a wrap kids. see you next edition.

ciao,
chloe

i heart james mcavoy

i've been on a james mcavoy and jane austen binge. my sister started my stint with jane austen with showing me 'persuasion' (2007 TV) (novel by jane austen screenplay written by simon burke). it was good, but not as good as the other movies adapted by ms. austen's novels. the best part of the movie was the hottie lead, rupert penry-jones. now i've somewhat accidentally saught out jane austen related flicks that i have not seen. i stumbled upon 'pride & prejudice' on comcast on demand, then 'becoming jane'. however, after having seen 'atonement' and 'penelope', i am crushing on james mcavoy something fierce (as christian, winner of project runway, might say). so mcavoy is the real reason i paid $4.99 for 'becoming jane'. stop reading if you have no interest in either james or jane. read on if you appreciate either or both. cheers, y'all :0p

atonement
starring james mcavoy, kiera knightley, saoirse ronan (briony tallis age 13), romola garai (briony age 18), vanessa redgrave (briony older)
novel by ian mcewan
screenplay by christopher hampton
directed by joe wright

atonement started out so intensely it had me on edge. saoirse played briony to the letter. i was terrified of the little girl. the older briony was sooooo weak in comparison. the love story between robbie turner (james (hmmm audible sigh - looks good in a tank top or a tux)) and cecelia tallis (kiera) was tense and raw and so new (library scene) before it was ripped apart by briony. after the start, the middle to end was good, but the intensity level dropped remarkably. in some ways it had to because of the story line, but i think the disparity of the performances changed it too. i have to mention that the cinematography is simply stunning with colors, angles and clarity to really pull you in. the ending was interesting and very well cast with vanessa redgrave. perhaps i am being a bit vague and jumbly with my thoughts, but i can't give away too much if you have not read the book or seen the movie. i am going to read the book now and see how it compares. i do recommend atonement even though i am criticizing the inconsistency of the performances and intensity levels.

pride and prejudice (2005)
starring kiera knightley (miss elizabeth bennett), matthew mcfayden (mr. darcy), donald sutherland (mr. bennett), brenda blethyn (mrs. bennett)
novel by jane austen
screenplay by deborah moggach

good performances turned in by kiera, matthew, donald and brenda. this film had all of the pieces of austen's writing: romance, troubles, miscommunication, pomp and circumstance, and finally resolution. however, the ending was a little too mushy, even for me. sense and sensibility is still my favorite so far of the jane austen flicks i've seen.

becoming jane (2007)
starring james mcavoy (tom lefroy), anne hathaway (jane austen), maggie smith (lady gresham), julie walters (mrs. austen), james cromwell (reverend austen)
directed by julian jarrold
written by kevin hood and the letters of jane austen

"A woman especially if she has the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can." -Jane Austen

this biopic (with artistic license) was wonderful - full of romance, comedy, irony, tragedy. of course i cried. and of course i fell in love with james mcavoy all over again. he has beauty, a softness and vulnerability of the eyes. he was perfectly cast as the irishman with a reputation to steal jane austen's heart. ok, i'll stop gushing about james now. anne hathaway was fantastic as jane austen. anne had showed the smarts and independence required of the role. of course, i'll never know for sure what the real ms. austen was like. if this depiction was anything close to how ms. austen really lived, you could see how she was inspired to write with tidbits of her own life thrown into her stories. i think i would have been miserable if i lived in the same era as ms. austen. a woman could not speak her mind nor make her own way. in some ways that has not changed too much, but in others, we have come a long way, baby. i highly recommend 'becoming jane' (0r 'sense & sensibility') when you need a good cry and a dose of romance that tugs at the heart strings.

yours truly,
chloe

p.s. i prefer all lower case, so i do not apologize for my choice of style. however, i do apologize for my blatant disregard for proper grammar sometimes (shout out to k.a.l.)

creative liberties

the other boleyn girl - eric bana, scarlett johansson, natalie portman, kristin scott thomas
"the only thing that could come between these sisters... is a kingdom." wow, very dramatic. i hadn't read the book so i had no idea what to expect. also i am completely ignorant of history. my sister informed me of some creative liberties taken with the historical content. it is historical fiction after all. all that aside, this is an incredibly impactful film. i am so glad to be living in this day and age and not have to witness the cut-throat, ruthless attempts to further one's station, at any cost. wait, that still happens today... scarlett and natalie, as mary and anne boleyn respectively, put out some powerful performances, enough to make me squirm. eric did his dastardly best as well. ms. scott thomas was also convincing as the mother and the voice of good. my only quip was that there is some forgiveness that i had a tough time believing. i won't ruin it for you, but there is one part that is believable and another not so believable. i tend to tangle with the art of suspending belief and the degree of it when it comes to movies. anyway, this is an intense flick, not a happy one either. go if you want to see some gut-renching drama and pick up some historical tidbits, some true and some not so true.

for more info:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467200/

archive: domino

hey fellow cinephiles,

it's been a while. what can i say? i haven't stopped
watching movies. i just took a hiatus from writing.
if you're still interested, please let me know if you
want to stay on the distribution list. i can't
promise any regularity. all i can promise is that
i'll share my opinion when i'm in a writing mood.

***

domino - directed by tony scott, starring keira
knightley, mickey rourke, et al... "my name is domino
harvey. i am a bounty hunter."

great action drama. go see it. violent, edgy, funny
at the right moments and even touching without being
too cheesy. keira kicked ass and the story line was
cool, even though exaggerated. i feel motivated to
build my workout room and buy that boxing bag i've
been talking about. and the coolest actors' credits i
think i've seen.

***

history of violence - starring vigo mortensen and
maria bello. i don't remember who directed the film.
this film had so much potential and fell flat. the
good: vigo & maria are great. and i know this sounds
weird, and although the sex scenes were graphic, i
felt that there was honesty in them. what went wrong:
the film was too slow. i had expected a speed and
intensity like the movie "payback". no go. the worst
error was the ending. it fell so flat. my impulse is
to tell you to skip it. however, you decide if your
curiosity is peeked.

***

upside of anger - starring joan allen and kevin
costner. it's not the easiest film to watch. a
friend peeked my interest when she said that she had
watched it and that the ending redeems the difficulty
she had watching the movie. i think she meant
witnessing all the anger and bitterness. although the
ending is redeeming, i don't know if it was quite
worth the time i devoted to watching the movie.

***

the corpse bride - tim burton's film i don't know if
you call it claymation like "wallace & grommit". so
animated is the description i'm choosing. i don't
know if it was any shorter than "a nightmare before
christas". the film just seemed really short. it is
an interesting and dark film - big surprise, huh?
anyway, you could wait 'til the dvd. it's cute, but
not as good as "edward scissorhands" nor "a nightmare
before christmas".

***
that's it for this edition.

archive: weatherman

weatherman - nicholas cage and michael caine (and
guest appearance by chuck stubbings). too neurotic
for my taste and lots of strange interjections of
vulgarity. i am still scarred by it. i do not care
what people say, there were no oscar-worthy
performances in this flick. the upside - some
beautiful cinematography and shots of chicago (and
apparently, the cold). also, cheers to chuck for
surviving the cutting room.

jarhead - jake gyllenhal, jamie foxx and peter
scarsgard. it started out strong with humor and
poignant moments. there is a particular sniper scene
with jake & peter that was great. however, the pace
of the movie slowed to a snail's pace and lacked the
intensity of a movie like 'blackhawk down'. ladies
and boyz, there are some great gratuitous body shots
of jake that are pleasing to the eye. you can wait
until the dvd to view these and freeze frame. save
your $10 for harry potter.

archive: harry potter & the goblet of fire

i've come in from twenty degree (yes, that's
fahrenheit) chilly winds and peeled off the layers of
gloves, scarves and turtleneck and i'm curled up under
a fluffy blanket on my couch. i am still feeling the
magic of 'harry potter the goblet of fire'. sure it's
not oscar buzz, but it's fun and wonderful. the cgi
and special effects create beautiful and magical
scenes. i even teared up when... i don't want to
spoil it if you haven't read the books or seen the
movie. it's a good movie to go to to escape chicago's
cold. even if it isn't cold where you are, harry
potter is worth going inside to see if you enjoy the
series. i don't know if they're going to make any
more harry potter movies, the actors have grown so
much. the actors are teenagers playing pre-teens. it
adds to the humor and diversity of the characters.
the weasley brothers are spot on, and harry, hermione
and ron deal with the awkward growing pains of
actually liking the opposite sex. anyway, go see it
for smiles.

***

now on dvd

me and you and everyone we know (written by miranda
july? sorry i am so bad with names.)

if you like indie movies, this is definitely an indie.
it got several nods from the independent film
festivals. i liked the sweet and bittersweet romance
story and the some of the funny and awkward moments.
however, there are some strange plot lines. but i
guess that's the appeal of indie films - creative
license. these days i've been very on the fence on
whether to recommend certain movies or not. in this
case, if you are an avid indie watcher, this would be
a good study for you. if you prefer a little more
traditional, you can pass on this one. how about that
for non-commital?

***

i'm looking forward to 'memoirs of a geisha'. tune in
next time :0)

if i don't see you or write to you beforehand, have a
warm and fantastic holiday season!