DECEMBER, 29


THE BEATLES

Biography / Musical
Cast: Jaime Bell, Daniel Radcliff, Jim Sturgess, Emile Hirsh, Liam Neeson, Colin Hanks, Yoon-Jin Kim, Rachel McAdams, Shawn Ashmore, Diane Kruger.
Director: Sam Mendes
Screenwriter: Chad Taylor

Box Office: 38 mill.
Net Gains: 9 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: I don’t care what the rest of the world may think about this movie. The DVD will take a honor place in my favorite shelve together with my complete collection of The Beatles’ CD’s, the book ‘Anthology’ and the documentary ‘Imagine’.

RUNNING ON EMPTY

Romantic Comedy
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, Isla Fisher, Jason Biggs, Patrick Fugit
Director: Anne Fletcher
Screenwriter: Trent Nielsen


Box Office: 53 mill.
Net Gains: 21 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Considering how this Season is going on, this is a more than nice box office’s turnout. More or less, it is what I expected for this nice and well done movie.

STORM AT HOME

Drama
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Derek Luke, Jeffrey Wright, Rosario Dawson, Idris Elba, Cicely Tyson, Ashanti, Seth Green, Rick Gonzalez.
Director: Michael Mann
Screenwriter: Dawson Edwards

Box Office: 36 mill.
Net Gains: 9 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: This was a pretty expensive production for a drama. After all, we needed to recreate the devastation of New Orleans under the attack of the Katrina hurricane. And that meant a top budget in special and digital effects. So, all in all, I feel disappointed for the unfairly low box office but relief cause we had slight net gains. As it happened past week, the Studio has survived again to a complex trio of releases, making profits with productions not oriented to wide audiences.


THE BEATLES

‘There are two obvious reasons why this movie has not worked in box office as expected. First, the story of The Beatles is pretty well known for anyone interested after so many documentaries, tv programmes and books telling it. It is true that Taylor and Mendes have made a nice effort looking for an artsy way of telling it, building up an interesting and complex narrative structure. But, after all, the facts are the facts and even the fans of The Beatles will have it hard to discover new facts in this biography. Second, our days any movie needs to attract teen audiences to work nicely in box office. And, sadly, if you ask this teen generation which is the best pop band in history, The Beatles or the Jonas Brothers, you’ll probably get a depressing answer… Once said so, ‘The Beatles’ is a brilliant and very well made biopic, leaning on an intelligent screenplay and a strained acting work by its whole cast, that can be put ahead on top of the long list of rock stars’ biopics Hollywood has already produced.’
-Charlie Kiggs

‘Casting the talents to play The Beatles looks as a mission impossible. Make a worldwide poll about it and probably each voter would make a different choice. Considering that, Taylor’s choice can be considered a hit. Jim Sturgess and Jamie Bell have done splendid jobs and both make believable that they are McArtney and Harrison. Radcliff has also made a solid acting work, but it is a bit shocking to see Harry Potter turned into John Lennon. And it is maybe Emile Hirsh the most difficult one to believe as Ringo. But, all in all, Taylor has put up a nice band together. And it would be unfair to forget mentioning Shawn Ashmore and Liam Neeson’s works, both injecting the needed melancholy and fatality to two very different characters both facing with their very different circumstances the inevitable proximity of death’.
-Chris Burgess

‘Chad Taylor has taken another step up in his rising career as screenwriter. Fighting against any cliché, Taylor has been around for three CMP’s Seasons so far offering us a different kind of movie any time he shows up. Right after the very interesting and sadly undervalued ‘Riders On The Storm’, he has made this brave move of writing a biopic of the famous boys from Liverpool. Taylor perfectly adapts his writing style to the genre he is working on. We get to see a very different kind of writer when working on animation (‘Yogi Bear’), epic (‘Stanley & Livingstone’) or comedy (‘Crime Stoppers’). After this new evidence of his talented versatility, I can’t wait to watch his upcoming and also very different works, the appealing ‘John and Tommie’ and the hyped ‘Justice League’.’
-Amy Ratched

RUNNING ON EMPTY

‘Somebody has written somewhere that this ‘romantic comedy’ wasn’t much of a ‘comedy’. And I have to disagree. A ‘comedy’ is not only a story meant to make us burst out laughing. A comedy, since the times of Shakespeare, is also a dramatic story told in a soft way, touching serious issues but not putting the accent too much on the intensity of the emotions. In that sense, ‘Running On Empty’ is build up upon an intelligent option. It talks about a highly dramatic issue (drugs addiction), but it chooses a soft and not excessively dramatic tone. That way, this movie is comfortable to watch although it tells a hard story. And that’s probably what Nielsen and Fletcher were looking for: telling us the story of the rise and fall and rise again of a young man not looking for big drama but for an intimate narration tone to make us feel both interested and comfortable watching this story about redemption and growing up. A correct choice that works this time’.
-Anne Roman

‘At some point of their career, some actors and actresses love to play a drug addict. It always looks as the perfect chance to show the world their most intense acting skills. There is a neverending list of talents that have played a drug addict or an alcoholic. Joseph Gordon-Levitt joins the list now without adding anything new to it. He stays on an efficient but safe territory solid enough to make his character believable and interesting. ‘Running On Empty’ is an entertaining and correct dramedy enriched by the always appreciated presence of the sweet and talented Natalie Portman and the good work of Isla Fisher and the supporting talents (for once, a good work by Jason Biggs).’
-Tim Reeve

‘I like Trent Nielsen. He never looks to make the-movie-that-will-change-history. Nielsen prefers to write solid stories without big pretentions. And the result is always interesting. His movies do not look to shock you or to wake up your wildest enthusiasm. They just look for your complicity. After watching ‘The Blacksmith’s Sword’, ‘The Princess and The Captain’ and this one, I declare myself an official fan of Nielsen and I predict a shining future for him in CMP’s world. ‘Running On Empty’ touched me and moved me and interested me in a very simple but direct way. I liked the cast, the pace, the directional job, the story, the music… I can’t ask for more from a movie.’
-Jackie O’Callaghan

STORM AT HOME

‘As it has happened before with other Edwards’ stories (remember the recent and unfairly mistreated ’24 Hours To Live’), this new drama from Dawson Edwards seems condemned to become a hidden gem only suitable for refined palates. It is a shame that audiences don’t appreciate such brilliant movies as this one. Edwards has taken a recent event – the Katrina hurricane – as the perfect scenario to build up an epic story where the best and the worst of human nature are showed up. Heroism, solidarity, egoism… the most basic human feelings are pictured in this intense story perfectly outlined that takes you to wonder an extremely difficult question: how would I behave myself in such situation?’
-Roy Winslow

‘I have been gladly impressed by this movie. ‘Storm At Home’ is based on the parameters of an ordinary disaster movie: an ensemble cast, the background of a major disaster, the intrigue about who will survive or die, crossed stories with good and bad hearted characters… But it is not the easy epic show of the genre ala ‘2010’ or ‘Volcano’ or anything. Beneath that spectacular package, ‘Storm At Home’ talks about the most intimate feelings: family, friendship, solidarity... Edwards has written what, without doubt, is his better screenplay so far (with the permission of ‘Fallen Kings’) and Michael Mann has proved that he can do much more than just good action stories also directing his best movie so far for CMP (with the permission of ‘The Funeral Drum’).’
-Jake Cobb

‘’Storm At Home’ is one of the most engrossing movies I’ve watched for a long time. Without the need of abusing of digital effects (although the recreation of a New Orleans being devastated by the hurricane is visually outstanding) and ignoring the usual and cheap storylines about indestructible heroic characters fighting against disaster, ‘Storm At Home’ keeps your attention from first minute to last, making you feel personally involved in the human drama of all its main characters. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Derek Luke and Rosario Dawson specially shine in this exceptional movie that mixes a survival adventure with social denounce and moving sequences. Something is wrong in movie audiences when this wonderful and excellent production has been pretty much ignored by moviegoers.’
-Andrew Stampton


First I wanna say that I hope you all had a great Christmas and CMP critics are taking a week off for New Years, so happy New Year and I'm looking forward to posting my reviews in 2010!

THE BEATLES

CRITIQUE: Chad Taylor has continued to impress me this season with two great films. 'The Beatles' only seals the belief that he has mad skills for writing screenplays. A lot of the criticism toward this film was it was tough to follow between time switches, but I followed along just fine. It was a film just waiting to be shown on the big screen, but Hollywood just doesn't know how to cast the right people. It's a challenge yes, but it's not impossible. Thank goodness CMP writers got to it first.
ACTING/CAST: A It's what makes this kind of movie. Nobody is going to buy anyone who doesn't look like the Fab Four. Fortunately the casting was fine and there were no weaknesses in the cast.
DIRECTION: A Sam Mendes has become a high profile director in CMP. I wouldn't be surprised to see him book another GMA nomination for direction.
WRITING: A
PLOT/CONCEPT: A
PRODUCTION VALUES: A
MUSIC: A
ENTERTAINMENT: The fact that it's a movie about the Beatles will draw the largest crowd. Even to this day, new generations listen to them.
REWATCH VALUE: A
OVERALL: A

RUNNING ON EMPTY

CRITIQUE: I knew we haven't seen the last of Trent Nielsen. His latest film is a point in the direction of the artsy-important films that Season 12 is full of. I think this was a great film and I am glad Joseph was in the film. The addition of his presence makes any movie better...well except G.I. Joe! Running On Empty is Trent's most well written project thus far and I'll be looking forward to his future films.
ACTING/CAST: A
DIRECTION: B
WRITING: A
PLOT/CONCEPT: B
PRODUCTION VALUES: B
MUSIC: B
ENTERTAINMENT: Fans of the cast might be loyal enough to see their favorite actor or actress in the theater. The storyline is good enough to sit through. But it's no action flick so the money might be a little more challenging to gain.
REWATCH VALUE: B
OVERALL: B+

STORM AT HOME

CRITIQUE: What I enjoyed about this film is it avoided being another disaster film. It was more about these characters and the famous hurricane hits toward the end. Chiwetel has been slowly increasing his staying power in CMP returning with another performance that shows he has great acting chops. I think it's Dawson's best film this season. Very well done!
ACTING/CAST: B has a mix of good actors and actors I would never want to see again
DIRECTION: B
WRITING: A-
PLOT/CONCEPT: B+
PRODUCTION VALUES: A
MUSIC: B+
ENTERTAINMENT: It's not disaster movie and it wasn't advertised as such. I think the film has loyal fans of the cast, writer and director to make them want to check it out, and like I said the cast is mixed with good and bad work.
REWATCH VALUE: B+
OVERALL: B+

MR. THUMBS' CERTIFIED MUST SEE OF THE WEEK:

THE BEATLES