Movies

Dan in Real Life

If you choose "Bonus Features" from the main menu and have "Outtakes" underlined when move the cursor down you will see a new option appear that reads "One More?" The hidden feature is a brief montage of Steve Carrell asking for additional takes from a few scenes. It is certainly not the most exciting hidden feature, but it was interesting to see how they let him improvise some of his non-speaking scenes.

And even though you didn't ask, there is a great featurette on making the music with Sondre Lerche.

Ed Miller: I was with a girl once. Wasn't a squaw, but she was purty. She had yellow hair, like uh... oh, like something. Dick Liddil: Like hair bobbed from a ray of sunlight? Ed Miller: Yeah, yeah. Like that. Boy, you talk good. Dick Liddil: You can hide things in vocabulary.

A love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s amid the turbulent years of anti-war protest, mind exploration and rock 'n roll, the film moves from the dockyards of Liverpool to the creative psychedelia of Greenwich Village, from the riot-torn streets of Detroit to the killing fields of Vietnam. The star-crossed lovers, Jude (Jim Sturgess) and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), along with a small group of friends and musicians are swept up into the emerging anti-war and counterculture movements with "Dr. Robert" (Bono) and "Mr. Kite" (Eddie Izzard) as their guides. Tumultuous forces outside their control ultimately tear the young lovers apart, forcing Jude and Lucy -- against all odds -- to find their own way back to each other.

The movie was very much like Billy Joel's Movin Out in how it set characters in the appropriate time period and made them face situations represented in the music, but instead of Billy Joel, Across the Universe uses songs only by The Beatles. And I was amazed to find out how many of the songs I would have sworn were not by The Beatles.

In Across the Universe we see much of the 1960s American culture through the lives of a few young adults. When Jude comes to the US from England (Liverpool!) he makes some friends who will challenge the way he sees the world - as the world changes around him.

All of the songs were sung by the cast, whether it was Jim Sturgess (Jude), Evan Rachel Wood (Lucy), or anyone else. The singing was great, the song choices were great, and the scenes into which they were incorporated were great. I'm not sure if I should praise the writers or the director or both for the scenes picked and the cast member(s) chosen to sing. There was at least one time when the singing was done by someone who was seemingly just an extra in the film and it was very powerful for me.

I've not been able to understand the storm by which Evan Rachel Wood has taken the film industry. But she was good in this role, but more in her non-talking scenes. Her emotions are great, but I find that most of the time she comes off as too young. Separately, I thought she did a great job singing.

The movie starts well and ends well after a short break in the middle. I thought the story took a dump for a while when working in the psychodelic 60s, but that part did feature a brilliant cameo by Bono. The story was VERY artsy. Sometimes it was a little over-the-top, others it was beautifully artistic. I really enjoyed Across the Universe and the more I think about it, the more I realized how much I liked it.

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Joe Oramas: Hey listen, if you guys do something later, can I join you? Finbar McBride: We're not gonna do something. Joe Oramas: No, I know, but if you do, can I join you? Finbar McBride: We're not gonna do something later. Joe Oramas: Okay, but, if you do? Finbar McBride: Okay. Joe Oramas: Cool.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

In this hilarious, critically-acclaimed arcade showdown, an unprecedented rivarly rocks the electronic world to its core! Join novice gamer Steve Wiebe on his quest to destroy the top score of gaming legend Billy Mitchell, the uncontested champion of the Donkey Kong world for over 20 years -- and find out which of them can truly claim the title King of Kong!

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Paul Edgecomb: They usually call death row the Last Mile, but we called ours the Green Mile, because the floor was the color of faded limes. We had the electric chair then. Old Sparky, we called it. I've lived a lot of years, Ellie, but 1935 takes the prize. That was the year I had the worst urinary infection of my life. That was also the year of John Coffey and the two dead girls.

Critics are calling Ben Affleck's directorial debut "mesmerizing." (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) When two young private detectives (Casey Affleck, Good Will Hunting, and Michelle Monaghan, Mission: Impossible III) are hired to take a closer look into the mysterious disappearance of a little girl, they soon unravel a multitude of twists and turns where nothing is what it seems. Ultimately they must risk everything -- their relationship, their sanity, and even their lives -- in the search to find her. Casey Affleck and Morgan Freeman are electrifying, and Amy Ryan (Capote) delivers "a vibrant, knockout performance" (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) in this edge-of-your-seat crime drama. Gone Baby Gone "will have you talking long after it's over." (Christy Lemire, The Associated Press)

When a young girl is taken from her home in broad daylight, a young private detective is her only defense against the child-kidnapping statistics. To get her alive, she must be found almost immediately and the clock has already been ticking. The detective, an unlikely toughguy, is getting little help from the police and no help at all from the girl's mother. He will have to face many physical and moral conflicts if he hopes to find her.

This movie was very good, but I liked it for the story and not the acting. Casey Affleck was very unbelievable as the hard-nosed private detective who pushed the limits to get the answers he wanted. Michelle Monaghan was in the movie just so there was a pretty girl on screen occasionally. The back of the DVD acclaims Morgan Freeman's performance, but it only does so to mention he's in the movie so you'll have another reason to want to see it. His part is minor and he is good as always, but it is too small of a part to base your decision on. But there was some good acting among all this.

Amy Ryan was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role as the missing child's uncooperative mother. She was great, and her performance is worth seeing if you like to catch up on the Oscar nods.

Maybe my fanboy bias will come through a little here, but I can't help it; I am a big Ed Harris fan. He shares a lot of scenes with Casey, which helped neutralize how ridiculous the young Affleck was at times. He does good work, but Amy Ryan is still your star.

The story is almost classic pulp in the way it had some over-the-top dialogue and a quickened pace. It moves along very fluidly and I never had that "check my watch and see how much is left" itch.

Another thing I should mention - and I wish I had links to support this - is Ben Affleck's directorial debut. I have heard/read many reviews of this movie that say that Ben has shown on which side of the camera he belongs (my apologies for not being able to give credit to the originator of that comment). I'm afraid that is more of a jab at his much maligned career on-screen rather than praise for his successful first-attempt at directing, however. But for whatever little it's worth, I thought he added to the feel of the movie, especially with the shots of the Boston neighborhoods that reminded me of what Spike Lee did for New York in Clockers (and pretty much every other movie he's made).

Gone Baby Gone was a great story and one that leaves watchers tangled up in the same moral dilemmas the characters faced. I enjoyed the puzzles the plot created and how they were put together. Some performances weren't the best, but Amy Ryan was very deserving of the Oscar nomination she received for this part and maybe you should see it just to judge for yourself if she should have won, if nothing else.

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Emma Russell: Who are you? Simon: Nobody has a clue. Least of all me.

You've never seen anything like Sunshine, the stunningly original sci-fi action-adventure from groundbreaking director Danny Boyle (28 Days Later).

It is the year 2057, the sun is dying and mankind faces extinction. Earth's last hope rests with a courageous crew of eight men and women on a mission to ignite the fading star with a massive nuclear weapon. Deep into their voyage, out of radio contact with Earth, their mission begins to unravel and they find themselves fighting not only for their lives, but for the future of us all. With twists and turns you won' see coming, this pulse-pounding journey to the sun is a nonstop thrill ride.

The fate of the universe rests on the shoulders of a small crew of surprisingly young and good looking scientists. They must deliver their payload - a giant nuclear weapon - directly to the center of the sun. Theirs is the second such mission and there is neither time nor resources available to send a third; without the success of their mission, the fading sun will die. They try to make their way to the sun without burning up to drop off the bomb, but things start to go wrong.

This story was pretty creative. I liked it from the major premise down to the details of the ship that was taking them to the sun. It had been a long time since I had seen a sci-fi thriller like this, and I think it is safe to admit that it is a genre of film I enjoy. The only concern I would have is originality.

While I feel there was a lot of originality in Sunshine, this movie was eerily similar to Event Horizon. I think they are different enough to enjoy separately, but alike enough that you won't be able to watch them back-to-back.

I thought the makers did a great job casting this film. They took some names and faces which are just beyond the reach of mainstream. Desipite any possible similarities to other sci-fi movies that take place in a futuristic outer space, I liked Sunshine.

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