Movie Review: Seeker: The Dark is Rising by ME

Title: Seeker: The Dark is Rising
Starring: Alexander Ludwig, Ian McShane, Gregory Smith, Austin Vaccaro, Frances Conroy
Directed By: David L. Cunningham
Produced By: Marc Platt
Genre: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
Release Date: October 5th, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG for fantasy action and some scary images.
Distributors: Unnamed Fox-Walden Joint Venture

A young man, Will Stanton, discovers he is the last of a group of immortals dedicated to fighting dark forces of evil. Traveling back and forth through time, Will uncovers a series of clues, some dating back to biblical times, that lead him to a showdown with forces of unimaginable power. -Yahoo! Movies

Seeker: The Dark is Rising tries to grab onto Harry Potters fanbase and fails miserably. Adapted without consultation from Susan Cooper, Seeker has way too much crammed into it and at the same time explains the bare minimum to keep the story moving. One example – Will is tasked to collect six signs in order to stop the Dark. Now unless I dozed off, it was never explained what these signs were or what they were to be used for. He just runs around looking for this swirly design and lo and behold, there is the sign. There are many other faults, too many to list here.

An ensemble cast ranging from nobodies to “haven't we seen that guy in something?” do what they can with the material, but aren't quite up to the task of carrying a film like this. Alexander Ludwig, as Will Stanton, carries most of the weight here and holds up well, reminding me a bit of Zachary Ty Bryan from Home Improvement. Heroes fans may recognize Christopher Eccleston, who played Claude, the recluse, who taught Peter Petrelli how to become invisible. He plays The Rider, the main villain in the story and if you ask me, he was scarier as Claude, a good guy, than as The Rider in Seeker. There is even a Professor McGonagall clone in Frances Conroy's Miss Greythorne. Sad to say most of the other cast members blandly blend into the background.

There seems to be a rush of fantasy movies this fall and Seeker: The Dark is Rising will just fall into the cracks as another mediocre attempt at adapting a large epic-type novel into an hour and a half movie. My advice, stay home and watch Harry Potter again.

For more info visit the site at http://www.seekthesigns.com/

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Mitch Emerson
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: Lust, Caution by JR

Lust, Caution (2007)
Starring: Tony Leung, Wei Tang, Joan Chen
Directed by: Ang Lee
Written by: Eileen Chang (story), James Schamus (screenplay)

Distributed by: Focus Features

MPAA Rating: NC-17 for explicit sexuality

In Japanese occupied China during the 1940’s, a resistance to the Chinese oppression is thriving. A group of school friends, upon hearing about the resistance, band together to make a change in the current state of their nation. They decide they will form a plan to assassinate Mr. Yee (Tony Leung), a Chinese born man who has joined the side of the Japanese. Because of her accomplishments in acting at their school, Wang Jiazhi (Wei Tang) is chosen to be the undercover spy, to befriend Mr. Yee, in order for her friends to murder him.

Tony Leung (“Infernal Affairs”, “2046”) is becoming one of my favorite actors. He’s got such a weathered but strong handsomeness about him. The emotion in his eyes and the delivery of his lines remind me of, dare I say it, Bogart himself. The slower pace of this film works in his favor, for he savors every moment that he is onscreen. Even when off-screen, his presence is still there. His character, Mr. Yee, is strong, weathered, and handsome, yes; but Mr. Yee is also tyrannous and unmerciful, having murdered many Chinese on behalf of the Japanese. Only Tony Leung could pull off as complex and as deeply scrutinized a character as Mr. Yee.

This is Wei Tang’s first movie and you’d never know it. She acts with such poise and grace and still is unfaltering in her friends’ mission to murder Mr. Yee, the man that she appears to be falling in love with. It seemed to me many times that she would blow her cover to be with Mr. Yee, I was literally on the edge of my seat. Wei Tang as Mak Tai Tai, the undercover name for Wang Jiazhi, is relentless and unmerciful. The perfect companion for Mr. Yee. The two of them have chemistry to spare.

Speaking of the chemistry between Mr. Yee and Mak Tai Tai, “Lust, Caution” is quickly gaining the reputation for being this obscene and almost soft-core porn. Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you: It is not. Out of the 157 minute run time, the sex scenes couldn’t possibly take more than 10 minutes. This is merely the doing of the MPAA, whom apparently say that it’s OK to make movies like “Saw” rated R, but movies that actually show a normal human activity are to be forbidden. For those of you who must know more about these sex scenes, here you go. For those of you who don’t, skip to the paragraph after.

**Spoilers**

The first sex scene in the movie is very surprising. By this time, we have only seen Mr. Yee and Mak Tai Tai in a very formal setting. Mr. Yee has invited her to a hotel room and she goes, hoping to become his mistress and therefore allow her friends to get closer to him. She begins the foreplay by straddling him, taking the cigarette from his lips. You think that this is how it will be: lustful, teasing, but no. Mr. Yee rips her dress from her body and throws her on the bed on her stomach. He then pulls off his belt and ties her hands together behind her. It’s a very intense scene, but not worth an NC-17 rating.
The sex scenes that follow are less intense, and by “less intense” I mean like less of a rape scene, and are very heavy and intimate, but still not worthy of an NC-17 rating. The two actors are obviously nude, and could very well be actually having sex, but they are not. We see breasts, female genitalia and partial male genitalia.

**End Spoilers**

There are several movies that I can think of offhand that are sexually worse than this film and received R ratings. I’m sure there are several that you can think of as well. I thought that “Brokeback Mountain”, Ang Lee’s last film, was very similar in this aspect. Personally, I didn’t think that “Lust, Caution” was worthy of an NC-17 rating, but that’s my opinion.

“Lust, Caution” is a beautiful movie; Ang Lee has delivered once again. Despite the long run-time, and the slow pace, this film kept me completely engaged. This will definitely be one to watch come Oscar time.

4 out of 5 stars

Jenny Rushing

beccajane67@yahoo.com

Movie Review Link: The Evading by ME

I have recently been accepted as a reviewer for our very own Fatally Yours! Since she was kind enough to send me a screener, I figured I would let this one be an exclusive to Fatally Yours Horror Reviews.

After his wife dies, Josh Carter (Eric Stevens) suffers from depression. The condition gets so bad he begins having visions of a figure in a black cape. The figure pulls Josh into a secret society, and soon Josh recalls the accident that killed his wife in a completely new and disturbing way.

Combining visual elements from films like The Ring and The Grudge, Rick L. Winters has written, produced and directed a film that has outstanding effects, somewhat decent acting and a twist that actually changed my opinion of the film.

For the rest, click here.

Mitch E
mitcheemerson@hotmail.com

DVD Review: The Cooler (2003) by JR

The Cooler (2003)

Starring: William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin, Maria Bello, Paul Sorvino, Ron Livingston, Joey Fatone

Directed by: Wayne Kramer

Written by: Frank Hannah, Wayne Kramer

Release date: January 17, 2003

MPAA rating: R for strong sexuality, violence, language, and some drug use.

Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy) is the unluckiest guy in the world. He’s so unlucky that he’s made being unlucky his job. He works as a cooler for the Golden Shangri-La casino, owned by his old friend Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin). What is a cooler, you may ask? A cooler is someone whom the casino hires to “cool down” a table when a player is winning too often. The casino has to make money, right? Since Bernie is so unlucky, all he has to do is walk over to the winner at a table, sit down next to him, and the winner automatically stops winning. However, once Bernie meets Natalie (Maria Bello), all bets are off.

If you haven’t seen “The Cooler” yet, you may know it from all of the praise that Alec Baldwin garnered for his role as the casino owner. This praise is well-deserved. Alec Baldwin is known for playing a good bad guy. He even played the bad guy in “Spongebob Squarepants: the Movie”. His bad guy in “The Cooler” is one of the best. He’s swaggering, self-obsessed, Scrooge-like, sallow-hearted and so deeply seedy, there’s just nothing redeeming about him. Billed as a minor character, Baldwin leads the already incredible cast. Every performance in this movie is top notch.

Which leads me to William H. Macy and Maria Bello. Bernie and Natalie. This is truly the odd couple. Bernie is a middle aged, not very attractive, definitely not the most positive of thinkers, really doesn’t have much going for him, guy. It’s hard to believe that any woman would fall for him (other than the fact that it’s William H. Macy and “Road Hogs” aside, he’s just a badass). Maria Bello is a beautiful cocktail waitress. You can see some depth to her eyes that suggests a painful past, but this only adds to her beauty. Despite their differences in the looks department, the two of them develop such a deep and caring relationship. One of the sweetest in recent film memory.

As a warning for film audiences, if you’re put off by nudity and violence, you may want to skip this one. I was surprised at the amount of nudity in this film. Not necessarily that it’s a bad thing, I just wasn’t expecting to see this much of William H. Macy. It was a shock at first, but then it became just really cool. Cool that he’s so comfortable in his own skin. It was very refreshing to see someone who doesn’t look like a model get naked. Especially a man.

The story line in the movie got lost for me. When the credits began to roll, I was more concerned about the characters than what the plot of the story was. I wanted to know more about them. I wanted to see where they would end up, what would happen to them. Now that’s the mark of a really good movie. You want more.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Jenny Rushing

beccajane67@yahoo.com

Movie Review: Feast Of Love by ME

Title: Feast of Love
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, Radha Mitchell, Jane Alexander, Alexa Davalos
Directed By: Robert Benton
Produced By: Lori McCreary, Eric Reid (II), Fisher Stevens
Genre: Drama, Romance and Adaptation
Release Date: September 28th, 2007
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content, nudity and language.
Distributors: MGM Distribution Company

Feast of Love is one of those movies that is almost great. It just needed a little something extra to push it over that line. Don't ask what it is, because I don't know. I left the theater with that satisfaction you get from Chinese food, you are full for the moment but you know you are going to want more in an hour. Phenomenal acting and a good story keep Feast Of Love on track. Interweaving through different couples and their situations and how they interconnect is explored fairly well here, one thing that would have made it better is a time line. You know the film takes place over an eighteen month period, but otherwise you are in the dark as to how much time was spent in exploring each relationship.

Morgan Freeman has got to be the King of the Narrative as well as the perfect grandfather/confidant figure. He is the only man that can play God (Bruce Almighty) in my book and make me believe it. No offense to George Burns of course. Freeman does a wonderful job of being the self appointed caretaker of all of our main characters. Greg Kinnear, at the beginning, comes off as a guy who doesn't really notice the things going on around him. I'm not saying that he is callous or that he is an airhead, he is actually a really nice guy that doesn't know much about how relationships work and has to learn the hard way. If Freeman is the best actor here, then Selma Blair must be in second place. Especially when she is only in the film for about ten minutes. There is one scene where she falls in love and you literally watch it happen, you can see it in her eyes. Alexa Develos and Toby Hemingway are believable in an almost fairy tale like whirlwind romance, great performances there.

Final thought – A good movie that doesn't disappoint and will make a good evening at home type of movie. The one thing that may bother some audiences is there is a little more sex and full frontal nudity in this than what is usually in this type of film. Just a small warning.

Keep reading,

Mitch Emerson
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: The Darjeeling Limited by ME

Title: The Darjeeling Limited
Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Camilla Rutherford, Amara Karan
Directed By: Wes Anderson
Produced By: Steven M. Rales, Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy and Drama
Release Date: September 29th, 2007
MPAA Rating: R for language
Distributors: Fox Searchlight Pictures

A slightly surrealistic look at three brothers taking a spiritual journey to bring them closer together gets derailed in this supposedly funny comedy/drama from director Wes Anderson.

There was a short film screened before this called The Hotel Chevalier that will prove to be more liked than the film itself. It is a prequel of sorts that is supposed to tie in loosely with the movie but in actuality is pretty pointless, but I was more interested in it than in the film. See, Natalie Portman has an almost nude scene in it. Unfortunately, she is barely in the movie itself. The short will not be screened with the film but is available for free at iTunes (I got mine already!), and will be available on the DVD. So if you see the short first, don't get your hopes up.

As far as the film itself, it falls a little short. Anderson really should have made this more comedic. With names like Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman, you expect comedy. Anderson has made a exploration of self picture that just moseys along, stopping here, pausing there, not really leading up to any big ending or anything. Trying to perk your interest, there are some cameos by Bill Murray and Anjelica Huston, who by the way, was the most likeable character in the film. She seemed to be the only one outside of the main cast that knew what the tone of the film was supposed to be. Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody could make for an interesting family dynamic, but unfortunately, their personalities seem a little watered down.

The visuals are beautiful, from the countryside to the train itself. The Darjeeling Limited would make a great painting, but as far as motion pictures go, it moves about as fast as the first steam powered train.

Until The Earl Grey Limited,
keep reading

Mitch Emerson
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: Resident Evil: Extinction by ME

Title: Resident Evil: Extinction
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, Mike Epps, Iain Glen, Ali Larter
Directed By: Russell Mulcahy
Produced By: Martin Moszkowicz, Victor Hadida, Kelly Van Horn
Genre: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Horror, Adaptation and Sequel
Release Date: September 21st, 2007
MPAA Rating: R for non-stop violence, language and some nudity.
Distributors: Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Releasing

Resident Evil: Extinction is based on the wildly popular video game series and picks up where the last film left off. Alice (Milla Jovovich), now in hiding in the Nevada desert, once again joins forces with Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr) and L.J. (Mike Epps), along with new survivors Claire Redfield (Ali Larter), K-Mart (Spencer Locke) and Nurse Betty (Ashanti) to try to eliminate the deadly virus that threatens to make every human being undead...and to seek justice. -Official Site

Resident Evil: Extinction is an apt title. With this installment, the entertainment value of the Resident Evil franchise is almost extinct. Veering even farther from the games on which it is based, as well as changing the nature of characters that have been established in previous films, not to mention the ridiculousness of the setup, all lead Resident Evil: Extinction on an unbelievable ride that hopes to squeeze by you with it's failings unnoticed. Example: The world has dried up, literally. No oceans, lakes or rain. Why? Because most of the population is dead. You buy it? If so, I have a bridge or some property on the moon for sale.

Where does it go right? Effects, makeup and some of the fight choreography and the actual acting. Milla Jovovich still kicks ass with much grace and beauty. I must mention the fact that her face looks completely airbrushed on though. Kind of like what they do to every single Playboy model ever. Ali Larter channels Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 almost perfectly, all the way down to the costume. Baseball cap, sunglasses, etc. I am really disappointed in Mike Epps in this final chapter. His jokes and wisecracks were some of the best things in RE2, but he has been relegated to almost a background character here. Same goes for Oded Fehr, the commanding soldier from RE2 has been reduced to a shock trooper. The biggest problem is that there really isn't anything distinguishably different between any of the characters. They all seem to have the same attitude. Not through the actors fault though, I lay blame on the director. And yes, if you read the synopsis, there really is a character named K-Mart. Just another ridiculous nail in the coffin of the Resident Evil franchise. Even though they left it wide open for a sequel, almost demanding one, I hope they let this dead dog lie in pieces.

I have said enough about this one. I have seen worse, but I have seen much better.

Keep reading,

Mitch Emerson
mitchemerson@hotmail.com