Movie/TV Reviews

Susan Granger’s review of “The Heat” (20^th Century-Fox)

 

From the creator of “Bridesmaids,” this new R-rated cop comedy tackles the macho buddy-action
genre that goes back to “Lethal Weapon,” “48 Hours” and “Bad Boys.”

Arrogant, ambitious Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is a hard-driving, by-the-books New York City-based FBI agent whose investigation of a murder takes her to Boston, where she butts heads with boisterous, brusque, Beantown detective Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), who’s also working the case.  Neither has ever had a partner before and they repeatedly misunderstand one another. Yet they bond as they relentlessly pursue the dastardly drug kingpin. Despite their abrasively combative personalities, they complement each other and – what’s more important – as they kick ass, they become friends.

Screenwriter Katie Dippold (NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”) supplies plenty of sneering, cringe-worthy sexist comments and raunchy, profane dialogue, destined to provoke raucous laughter within this definitively female-centric environment. Crowd-pleasing director Paul Feig (“Bridesmaids”) plays with the simplistic, stereotypical, supportive camaraderie, buoyed by the obvious chemistry between these two gutsy professionals who have chosen career over family and kids.

While the clichéd, odd-couple bantering is good, the pacing at times is ‘way off, particularly
during the drunken bar scene and the graphic emergency tracheotomy.  And there are far too many Albino gags. Marlon Wayans adds surprising depth in a non-comedic role; Tom Wilson, Demian Bichir, Jane Curtin, Michael Rapaport and Tony Hale lend support; while Jamie Denbo and
Jessica Chaffin (members of the L.A.-based troupe Uptight Citizens Brigade) drive home some of the sight gags.

It’s significant that both Sandra Bullock (“Miss Congeniality”) and Melissa McCarthy (“The Identity Thief”) are over 40 – a demographic often ignored by filmmakers. Riffing off the Spanx scene, they openly rebel against the Hollywood’s poised perfection standard. And both are obviously talented comediennes, balancing outrageous improv with tender, serious moments.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Heat” generates a scruffy, snarky, slapstick 6. A sequel is already in the works and, hopefully, it won’t be so formulaic.

Susan Granger’s review of “Hey Bartender” (4^th Row Films)

 

From “A Drinking Life: A Memoir,” Pete Hamill’s famous quote – “The culture of drink endures
because it offers so many rewards…above all, the elusive promise of friendship and love” – introduces Doug Tirola’s easygoing documentary about the new 21^st century breed of bartenders who consider themselves skilled mixologists, carefully concocting just the right combination of spirits to create their high-end, signature cocktails.

Beginning at Dunville’s in Westport, Connecticut, writer/director Tirola (“Making the Boys in the Band,” All In: The Poker Movie”) weaves together the hometown backstory of how Steve Carpentieri went from Citigroup VP to weary, struggling, neighborhood tavern proprietor, along with injured, ex-Marine Steve Schneider’s dogged rise from stocker/apprentice to principal bartender at trendy Employees Only in Manhattan’s West Village, diligently working under the demanding tutelage of Serbian civil war refugee, Dushan Zaric.

Interspersed are perceptive commentaries from the former Rainbow Room “King Cocktail” impresario Dale Degroff and Michael Lerner, who wrote “Dry Manhattan,” about the history of cocktails in America, highlighting the Roaring Twenties and how Prohibition shut down not only the creativity but almost irreparably damaged the reputations of bartenders. But the hospitality industry has changed once again, as showmanship and the cult of the craft cocktail has emerged, along with the availability of fresh ingredients and top-shelf liquors.

Other interviews include Flatiron Lounge/Clover Club’s Julie Reiner, Milk & Honey’s Sasha Petraske, Jim Meehan of PDT in the East Village, Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club in SoHo, playwright A.R. Gurney, “Vanity Fair’s” editor/restaurateur Graydon Carter and screenwriter Heywood Gould – with a quick glimpse of Tom Cruise in his “Cocktail.”

While they run a bit too long, these rambling, episodic fragments are satisfactorily knit together when both Steve Carpentieri and Steve Schneider wind up at amid the conviviality of the 2011 Tales of the Cocktail culinary celebration and Spirited Awards in New Orleans.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Hey Bartender” is a stirring, sophisticated 7, filled with insightful, engaging observations, like “The shot is the bartender’s handshake.”

Susan Granger’s review of “20 Feet from Stardom” (Radius/TWC)

 

As Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side” plays, the song introduces this poignant documentary
about pop music’s backup singers, most of them African-American women, who could be described as perennial underdogs.

With the exception of Darlene Love, who under Phil Spector’s sponsorship crossed over into the
spotlight after backing Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Frank Sinatra and Sam Cooke, among others, most of the vocalists featured are not well known, even though they can be heard backing famous bands and solo legendary singers on many of the most popular recordings of the past half-century. Like Judith Hill, who was Michael Jackson’s last backup singer and recently competed,
unsuccessfully, on NBC-TV’s “The Voice,” and Merry Clayton, a preacher’s daughter who got her musical training in gospel choirs and went on to record with Carole King, Mick Jagger and Lynyrd Skynyrd.  Lisa Fischer, who started out as part of Luther Vandross’ group, won a Grammy in 1992 for her first single, “How Can I Ease the Pain,” but the demands of stardom didn’t sit well with her, even
though she still tours with the Rolling Stones. Claudia Lennear was an Ikette with Ike and Tina Turner and a Stones regular in the early ‘70s, and Tata Vega descended from being a promising Motown star into psychological uncertainty.

Filming was almost completed when Bruce Springsteen agreed to appear.  Noting that not everyone is cut out for stardom, the rocker described a bus trip he took to Philadelphia for a 1973
David Bowie recording session, featuring the song “The Young Americans” with young Luther Vandross among the backup singers.

Directed by Morgan Neville and produced by A&M Records exec Gil Friesen, the narrative mixes
interviews with archival footage, including comments from Mick Jagger, Bette Midler, Sting and Stevie Wonder. Among those who didn’t make the final cut were Cissy Houston and Emmylou Harris.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “20 Feet from Stardom” is an uplifting, intriguing 8,
appealing to fans of R & B and classic rock ‘n’ roll.

Susan Granger’s DVD Update for week of Fri., June 28:

 

This week’s cinematic curiosity is “Saving Lincoln,” introducing CineCollage, utilizing actual Civil War photos from the Library of Congress for the green-screen backdrops in every scene. The historical piece profiles U.S. Marshal Ward Hill Lamon (Lea Coco), an Illinois lawyer who became the self-appointed bodyguard of Abraham Lincoln (Tom Amandes).

On the lighter side, “Divorce Invitation” is a frothy romantic comedy with Elliott Gould, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Lainie Kazan and Paul Sorvino.

What’s most incredible about “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” is how shallow and inept it is, given the talent of Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi, who play superstar Las Vegas illusionists taunted by Jim Carrey, as a cable TV entertainer who specializes in gruesome, dangerous, endurance stunts.

It’s not easy to cinematically torpedo a submarine thriller starring Ed Harris and David Duchovny, but Todd Robinson manages to sabotage all diabolical intent in “Phantom,” inspired by true events, concerning a Russian sub that mysteriously sank and was discovered, years later, on the ocean floor.

Set in Martin, Tennessee, Patrick Wang’s “In the Family” revolves around Chip, a precocious six year-old who’s been raised by two dads, Cody and Joey. When Cody’s killed in a car accident, his sister is named as Chip’s guardian, leaving Joey to search for a solution to regain custody of his son.

Luis Prieto’s “Pusher” is a British remake of Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s edgy exploits of a low-life London drug-pusher (Richard Coyle) who’s at the mercy of his ruthless supplier (Zlatko Buric).

In Danish with English subtitles, the second season of Denmark’s blockbuster political drama “Borgen” follows the country’s first female Prime Minister, her cynical spin doctor, an ambitious journalist and her more seasoned colleague.

For kids, “Babar’s Adventure Pack” offers more adventures with the Elephant King and his jungle
pals.

PICK OF THE WEEK: In “The Call,” an intense psychological thriller, Halle Berry plays a veteran Los Angeles 911 dispatcher dealing with a panicked teenager (Abigail Breslin) who has been
abducted from the parking garage of a shopping mall by a stranger and is trapped in the trunk of a moving car.

Susan Granger’s review of “Byzantium” (IFC Films)

 

Am I the only one who is vampire’d out? With Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” film franchise spawning a next generation and Charlaine Harris’s gore-laden fantasy “True Blood” continuing on television, enough is enough…or not.

Now, 17 years after adapting Anne Rice’s “Interview With the Vampire,” Irish-born filmmaker Neil Jordan once again ventures into the gothic melodrama genre, traveling back and forth between past and present-day vampirism.

Two mysterious women, Cockney Clara Webb (Gemma Arterton) and her demure daughter Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan), seek sanctuary in a run-down British seaside resort, where morose Noel (Daniel Mays) allows them to stay in his dilapidated, deserted Byzantium Hotel, which brassy Clara quickly transforms into a make-shift brothel.  When quiet, introspective Eleanor befriends Frank (Caleb Landry Jones), who is pale and terminally ill with leukemia, she confides the haunting secret of their eternal affliction: they were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. Using her retractable, pointed thumbnail, as opposed to fangs, Eleanor actually prefers the blood of the elderly, who welcome her with relief and gratitude. But brusque, uneducated Clara is determined to maintain a familial bond of silence, since mysterious pursuers (Sam Riley, Uri Gavriel) from a male brotherhood of vampires is after them.  Not surprisingly, when townspeople start to die, the immortal past that they have been running from for so long, finally catches up with them.

Based on Moira Buffini’s 2008 play, “A Vampire’s Story,” and scripted by Buffini (“Tamara Drewe,” “Jane Eyre”) with director Neil Jordan, it’s lushly photographed by cinematographer Sean Bobbitt, stressing moody, romantic imagery over stark horror in this convoluted story-within-a story, dating back to the Napoleonic Wars, when Clara was forced into prostitution by a sinister Navy captain (Jonny Lee Miller) and Eleanor was placed in an orphanage. Of course, since Neil Jordan is
involved, you know that Buffini’s evocative plot will take an unexpected, astonishing twist.

Shown in theaters and on-demand, nationwide, on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Byzantium” is a bloodsucking 6, a curiously revisionist addition to the cult of the undead category.

 

 

Susan Granger’s review of “Monsters University” (Disney/Pixar)

 

When “Monsters Inc.” (2001) teamed Billy Crystal with John Goodman, Disney/Pixar knew they had a winner. Now they’re together again in this generic prequel, showing the early days when Mike (Crystal) and Sully (Goodman) met at college. While “Monster’s Inc.” was Sully’s story, this is more about Mike.
When Mike Wazowski was very young, he encountered his first Scarer on a school field trip to the Monsters Inc. factory and vowed to be one of the world’s greatest Scarers when he grew up. But when Mike enters Monsters University, he comes up against mighty James “Sully” Sullivan, the cocky, slacker scion of a legendary line of Scarers. When their competitive antics get out of control, they’re both expelled from the Scaring program by Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren). To redeem themselves, they overcome their self- destructive rivalry and assemble a ragtag band of other outcasts from the Oozma Kappa fraternity to work together and gain acceptance at the annual “Scare Games,” in which sororities and fraternities compete to see who is best at frightening children.
While their cinematic chemistry still works, it’s a formulaic, completely predictable, slobs vs. snobs buddy film. Written by Robert L. Baird, Daniel Gerson and director Dan Scanlon, it doesn’t come anywhere near scaling the bold, imaginative narrative and visual heights of Pixar Animation’s “Toy Story,” “Wall-E” or “Ratatouille.” Nevertheless, it’s an entertaining summer diversion, introducing crazy Art (Charlie Day) two-headed Terri (Sean Hayes)/Terry (Dave Foley), cute Squishy Squibbles (Peter Sohn) and his ever-present frathouse mother (Julia Sweeney). Plus there’s young, nerdy Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi) and Don Carlton (Joel Murray), a middle-aged salesman who evokes memories of Chris Farley’s “Saturday Night Live” motivational speaker.
As always, Randy Newman’s musical score is filled with memorable tunes. And attached to the feature is Saschka Unseld’s exquisite, engaging short, “The Blue Umbrella,” about a blue male bumbershoot enamored with a red female one.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Monsters University” is a stunning, if simplistic 7, an amusing comedy that emphasizes teamwork and the value of friendship.

Susan Granger’s review of “World War Z” (Paramount Pictures)

 

If it weren’t propelled by Brad Pitt’s star power, this would be just another apocalyptic, sci-fi zombie thriller with some massive, starkly memorable special effects.

Pitt plays Gerry Lane, a heroic UN troubleshooter who saves the planet from a global zombie pandemic. Not that he really wants to. He’d rather stay home with his wife (Mireille Enos) and daughters (Sterling Jerins, Abigail Hargrove).  But when ravenous zombies attack, turning
Philadelphia and other cities into urban disasters and collapsing our entire social structure, the only way the US military will shelter his family on an aircraft carrier 200 miles off the East Coast is for Gerry to accompany a Harvard epidemiologist (Elyes Gabel) to South Korea, where the virus may have originated.  When that mission fails, Gerry teams up with an Israeli soldier (Daniella Kertesz) as his quest for the cure takes him to the spectacular siege of walled-in Jerusalem, then to a World Health Organization lab in Cardiff, Wales.

Loosely based on a 2006 novel by Max Brooks (son of Mel and Anne Bancroft), scripted by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard, J. Michael Straczynski and Damon Lindelof,
sequentially, it’s directed by Marc Foster (“Monster’s Ball,” “Quantum of Solace,” “Finding Neverland”).  Reportedly costing $250 million, it’s driven by an aura of dread and urgency and distinguished by its effective chase sequences and CGI zombification of the world.  These undead run, jump, leap, snarl and gnash their teeth – but they don’t really devour anything.

FYI: in movies, zombies metaphorically embodying cultural unease dates back to Bela Lugosi’s “White Zombie” (1932) and was popularized as a genre by George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” (1968).

Dismissing character development, Brad Pitt does the generic “noble white man saves the world” bit, even with a two-foot metal prong bisecting his torso, while MireilleEnos nervously clutches a cellphone and hugs the children, including a youngster (Fabrizio Zacharee Guido) they rescued.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “World War Z” is a choppy, stilted, somewhat scary,
survivalist 6. As for 3D, don’t bother.

Susan Granger’s DVD Update for week of June 21:

 

“Jack the Giant Slayer” is a family-friendly reworking of the familiar fairy tale, set in the medieval kingdom of Cloister, where earnest Jack (Nicholas Hoult) befriends an adventurous princess (Eleanor Tomlinson) whom he rescues from Giants in therealm of Gantua floating high above the clouds.

Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode star in Korean director Park Chan-Wook’s “Stoker,” a sinister black comedy about a mournful teen who becomes infatuated with her uncle.

Reflecting our materialistic culture’s worst instincts, “The Brass Teapot” is a modestly amusing fable about a young suburban couple who buy a mysterious antique that could relieve all their financial angst.

“The Last Exorcism, Part II” is another tale of demonic possession, bringing back Ashley Bell as a
deeply religious Bayou farm girl who tries to put the pieces of her life back together in New Orleans, while “American Mary” is a feminist-themed horror/medical thriller about a demented medical student (Katharine Isabelle) who takes bizarre revenge on the doctor who drugged and raped her.

“21 and Over” is a crude, misogynistic comedy bacchanal by writers/directors Jon Lucas and Scott
Moore, who collaborated on “The Hangover.” It’s only slightly better than the dismal, witless “Movie 43,” the worst picture I’ve seen in many years, despite its star-studded cast of Halle Berry, Richard Gere, Hugh Jackman, Dennis Quaid, Uma Thurman, Naomi Watts and Kate Winslet, among others, who are probably embarrassed.

New documentaries include “Save the Farm” about the need to protect urban green spaces and “The First 70: California’s State Parks Under Threat,” exploring the closing of historic and natural treasures.

Film buffs: TCM’s Greatest Classic Films Legends series now includes Gene Kelly, John Wayne and
Paul Newman, along with Romantic Affairs, featuring Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn.

Kids may enjoy Season 2, Part 2 of “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated,” the final 13 episodes
of the hit Cartoon Network series.

PICK OF THE WEEK: Astutely directed by Dustin Hoffman, “Quartet” is an endearing, deliciously tart comedy, set in an elegant retirement home for musicians, starring Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon and Pauline Collins. It’s a classy, uplifting crowd-pleaser.

Susan Granger’s review of “Before Midnight” (Sony Pictures Classics)

 

This third chapter in Richard Linklater’s emotionally vibrant examination of a constantly evolving
romantic relationship follows “Before Sunrise” (1995), in which an American novelist, Jesse (Ethan Hawke), met a spunky Frenchwoman, Celine (Julie Delpy), on a train, and “Before Sunset” (2004), in which the star-crossed lovers reunited a decade later.

Nine years later, Jesse and Celine are now in their 40s, living together in Paris. Jesse is seeing his adolescent son Hank (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick) off at Kalamata Airport in Greece, returning him to his hostile ex-wife in Chicago after summer vacation with Jesse, Celine and their twin daughters. Then – after dropping the girls off with friends – Jesse and Celine spend what’s supposed to be an idyllic, festive night at a picturesque seaside hotel in Messinia. But a marital crisis erupts.  Jesse feels guilty that he can’t spend more time with Hank – but that would involve moving back to the United States – and Celine, an environmental activist, has been offered an exciting, career-changing
opportunity. They’re both feeling the pressures not only of family but also of work. Add to that, the inevitable challenges, resentments and disappointments of raising children and facing middle age.

As with the first two installments, this is about two fully-developed characters talking with one
another, communicating their deepest feelings and frustrations. Written by director Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, it rings painfully true, particularly since Jesse and Celine, while not making a commitment to marriage, have, nevertheless, taken on added responsibilities which curtail their creativity and their freedom. And make no mistake – the teasing, taunting dialogue is carefully scripted, not improvised, and delivered with impeccably naturalistic timing in long, uncut takes.

FYI: while they’re good friends/collaborating partners, Delpy has been in a relationship with
composer Marc Streitenfeld since 2007 and they have a son, while Hawke has two young children with his second wife, Ryan, and two from his first marriage to Uma Thurman.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Before Midnight” is an awesome, authentic 10 – a
definite “must see.”

Susan Granger’s review of “Man of Steel” (Warner Bros.)

 

The challenge for director Zack Snyder (“300,” “Watchmen”) was to re-envision the classic
Superman legend and make it relevant in the contemporary light of the 21^st century: combining fantasy with reality, making familiar things new and new things familiar.

The origin story begins on Krypton, a disintegrating planet.  In hopes of saving his species, renegade scientist Jor-El  (Russell Crowe) places his newborn son Kal-El in a space capsule and launches him towards Earth, infuriating General Zod (Michael Shannon) who has staged a military coup. Kal-El is adopted and given the name Clark by Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane) Kent, who insist that he control his incredible powers, knowing that chaos would erupt if people realized that an alien was living on a farm in Smallville, Iowa.  As he grows up, Clark’s (Henry Cavill) subterfuge isolates him from his peers, turning him into a drifter, hiding from the world. Eventually, an intrepid, yet often imperiled, newspaper reporter, Lois Lane (Amy Adams) learns the truth. When she tries to ‘scoop’ the story, her editor (Laurence Fishburne) refuses to publish it. So she leaks it on the Internet before realizing the consequences. Just then, megalomaniacal General
Zod, who’s been searching for Kal-El, and his troops launch an invasion of Earth. So Kal-El/Clark Kent must make some fundamental choices.

Flashbacks punctuate the tightly focused, adroitly written screenplay by David S. Goyer from a story by Goyer and producer Christopher Nolan (“Dark Knight” trilogy), and it’s stylishly directed by by Zack Snyder. Casting is perfection, particularly Cavill (TV’s “The Tudors”).  My only
quibbles are with the overly frenetic pace, sudden jump cuts and shaky camerawork.

Redefining the essential mythology and filled with awesome, eye-popping action, this is an innovative, amazing incarnation, worthy of the world’s most iconic superhero, whose “S” is a symbol of hope. And seeds are discreetly planted for future Justice League/DC Universe pictures.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Man of Steel” soars with a fun-filled 9 – the most exhilarating comic book movie of the summer.