Reel reviews for real people

Plot: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, is the final adventure in the Harry Potter film series. The much-anticipated motion picture event is the second of two full-length parts. In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here. — (C) Warner Bros

Rating: PG 13 (some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images)

Genre: Family/Action Adventure

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon

Director: David Yates

Running time: 2:10

Kate says – 4 stars “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ is the grand finale we’ve all been waiting for with both a sense of anticipation and of dread. Anticipation, because we finally get to see the big conclusion and get closure on characters that we’ve come to love (or hate, depending on the character) over the last ten years. Dread, because with each scene we watch, we know that we are nearing the end of our time in the Potter world. We know these characters and we have a whole cache of remembered stories that factor in to how we feel when we watch this movie.  Visually, the film is gorgeous with each scene framed as if it were a photograph, with painstaking attention paid to every element and detail. What a perfect combination of  cinematography,  lighting, set design, sound (there’s a surprising amount of silence), and nuances in the expressions of the characters. The film takes its time and never rushes towards the finish, but with each scene we feel the urgency that the end is near. By the conclusion of the two hour movie, all questions are answered, and loose ends are tied up with a pretty maroon and gold striped bow. My favorite line (other than when Bellatrix Lestrange gets called the ‘B’ word) is spoken by Dumbledore from beyond the grave, “Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic.” Indeed they are J.K. Rowling, indeed they are.”

Ebert says – 3 1/2 stars “After seven earlier films reaching back a decade, the Harry Potter saga comes to a solid and satisfying conclusion in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” The finale conjures up enough awe and solemnity to serve as an appropriate finale and a dramatic contrast to the lighthearted (relative) innocence of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” all those magical years ago.” (read full review)

USA Today (Claudia Puig) says – 3 1/2 stars “As masterfully directed by David Yates and superbly written by Steve Kloves, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, the final adaptation of J.K. Rowling‘s incandescent, absorbing novels, is the ideal culmination of a fantasy series that has artfully blended excitement, adventure and terror with humor, kinship and love.” (read full review)

Rolling Stone (Peter Travers) says – 3 1/2 stars “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 puts a triumphant capper on a decade of Pottermania…I dare you not to choke up, especially at the epilogue that takes us 19 years into Harry’s future. That’s the true power of the finale. These characters are ours now. What an exhilarating gift to watch Harry and Company go out in a blaze of glory and amazing grace. Note to Academy muggles: Get busy coming up with that Best Picture nomination you’ve denied all the other Potter films. Oscar attention must be paid.” (read full review)

Box Office Magazine (Pete Hammond) says – 5 (of 5) stars “After the underwhelming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, a penultimate segment too dark and convoluted to entertain, Part II gets everything right to send off Harry on a cinematic high…Already a must-see for fans (after seven films, why stop now?), the film’s real feat is that it manages to stand on its own against the sky-high expectations of its base. With director David Yates’ eye-popping visual effects launching one brilliant set piece after another, this thrilling finale should add, oh say, another billion to the most successful franchise in movie history, one already worth more than $6 billion. But who’s counting?” (read full review)

Associated Press (Christy Lemire) says 3 1/2 stars “Oh, it’s dramatic, to be sure: gorgeous, somber and startling as the young wizard faces his destiny and fights the evil Lord Voldemort. But the end of this staggeringly successful movie franchise, an epic fantasy saga spanning eight films over the past decade, provides a necessary emotional catharsis for Harry and for us. Even those who aren’t ardent Potterphiles — who aren’t waiting in a line around the theater with their homemade wands and hand-drawn lightning scars — might find themselves getting unexpectedly choked up a couple of times.” (read full review)

Richard Roeper says – ‘A+’ ‘This is a masterful and worthy final chapter in one of the best franchises ever put to film.” (watch full review)

Other movie reviews by Kate

Related articles

• Emma Watson Shops SoHo While Harry Potter Already Breaks Records! (popsugar.com)
• Rupert Grint Exclusive Video Interview HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 (collider.com)
• Harry Potter in Pop Culture: 10 Memorable Mentions (popsugar.com)

Reel reviews for real people

Plot: In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined. ~Paramount

Rating: PG 13 for intense scenes of sci-fi action and violence, language and some drug use

Starring: Joel Courtney,Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, Zach Mills, Gabriel Basson, Ryan Lee, and Amanda Michalka

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Director: J.J. Abrams

Producer: Steven Spielberg

Running time: 1:51

Kate says – 3 1/2 stars ” Super 8 is a good old fashioned sci-fi suspense thriller that’s a pays homage to an earlier, more simple time in American cinema (think E.T., Close Encounters, Stand By Me, Goonies).  This movie has a great story packed full of innocence, adventure, humor, suspense, young love, a scary monster, government secrecy and the plain and simple love of movie-making. Super 8 is written and directed by J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Mission Impossible 3, Lost) and produced by none other than Mr. Movie, Steven Spielberg. While watching Super 8, I felt something that seems to be missing in most movies these days, a sense of joy wonder at the whole movie going experience.  Even though Super 8 has it’s fair share of action and special effects, Abrams somehow doesn’t let that over shadow the characters and their relationships.  The young cast of actors is refreshing and surprisingly good. And to top it all off, it’s NOT in 3-D!”

Ebert says – 3 1/2 stars “Super 8″ is a wonderful film, nostalgia not for a time but for a style of filmmaking, when shell-shocked young audiences were told a story and not pounded over the head with aggressive action. Abrams treats early adolescence with tenderness and affection.” (read full review)

USA Today (Claudia Puig) says - “Super 8 packs the emotional punch of vintage Steven Spielberg with the spectacular effects and sense of mystery at which writer/director J.J. Abrams excels…The young cast — particularly newcomer Courtney and the impressive Fanning — is mesmerizing.” (read full review)

EW (Lisa Schwarzbaum) says – ‘A’ “Loving, playful, and spectacularly well made, Super 8 is easily the best summer movie of the year — of many years. And I make that declaration with full knowledge that the season has just begun. It’s been eons since a movie has conjured up such intense, specific feelings, images, memories, and nostalgic fantasies about American summertime youth — everyone’s American summertime youth, regardless of current age, nationality, sex, or climate.” – (read full review)

Rolling Stone (Peter Travers) says – 3 stars “What happens when a kid with a camera finds reality rocketing beyond his eeriest alien fantasies? For answers, catch Super 8, a retro monster mash with a child’s heart, a prodigy’s unstoppable imagination and FX dazzle to spare. Writer-director J.J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg have tapped their youthful cellu­loid dreams to craft the ultimate home movie, a creature feature built to scare you silly and maybe save the world.” (read full review)

Snide Remarks (Eric Snider)  says - ‘B+’ “Abrams is remarkably adept at the art of good old-fashioned storytelling — in addition to being a whiz at the technical side of moviemaking — and “Super 8″ is a reminder of how often those crucial elements are missing from big studio productions. You draw the audience in with a story that has a hint of mystery to it, you give them characters to root for and situations they can relate to, and you take them on a ride. It’s simple to explain, hard to execute. Abrams gets it.” (read full review)

~Kate

Related articles

• No Secret: J.J. Abrams’ ‘Super 8′ Is Thrilling and Great (time.com)
• Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams discuss how they met and reveal the true origins of ‘Super 8′ (insidemovies.ew.com)

Thor (2011) – movie review by Kate

Reel Reviews for Real People

Plot: The epic adventure THOR spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the mystical realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. As a result, Thor is banished to Earth where he is forced to live among humans. When the most dangerous villain of his world sends its darkest forces to invade Earth, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero.– (C) Paramount Pictures

Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence)

Genre: Action/Adventure

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Stellan Scarsgard, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Kat Dennings

Running time: 1:55

Kate says – 3 1/2 stars (3 stars for the actual movie and the extra 1/2 star because I may have a teeny weeny little crush on the not so teeny weeny Thor star, Chris Hemsworth) So allow me to be totally unprofessional here for just a bit. I should just get this out of the way right here at the beginning of this review…

Holy cow this guy is gorgeous!

No joke, during this scene towards the beginning of the movie when Thor is cast down to Earth to live as a mortal, I could hear a collective female/male/gay/straight/young/old gasp reverberate throughout the theater. I think it would be safe to say that Thor, God of Thunder, left us all thunderstruck.

And those eyes…

hmmmm…uh, where was I? Oh right, a review.

It was actually really good. I did not have high hopes or expectations for this comic book-superhero adaptation, the first in a seemingly endless string of movies of this genre set to explode onto the screens this summer. I’m not really a big fan, in general. Thor, however, was fun, entertaining, lighthearted, fast-paced, funny, and visually impressive. The director, Kenneth Branagh, is more used to adapting the works of Shakespeare (Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, Love’s Labour’s Lost, As You Like It) than the works of Marvel comics. This experience works to his advantage , giving Thor a kind of Shakespearean intelligence and feel. Don’t let that mislead you, though.  Branagh balances the mix of action movie-love story-comic book superhero flick-smart drama with ease. It’s just as interesting for a 10 year old boy as it is for a 30 year old man or 40 year old woman. And this Chris Hemsworth guy, he’s not just delicious to look at,  he’s actually really quite impressive playing the part of Thor. The ‘real’ critics seem to agree with me on this one. They like him, too. Go see this movie!  I think you’re gonna like it!

And some ‘real’ reviews…

Peter Travers (Rolling Stone) says – 3 stars “Hemsworth, an Aussie actor with a vocal command to match his heaving brawn, doesn’t just play the role, he owns it. I’m expecting both sexes will feel his impact.” (read full review)

Richard Roeper says – “A“ “Thor” is the most entertaining superhero debut since the original Spiderman.” (watch full review)

Roger Moore (Orlando Sentinel) says – 3 stars “Thor,” the first summer comic book blockbuster out of the gate, has a lot of that winking wit we’ve come to expect from our post-’Spider  Man” Marvel movies. It has a hunky, self-mocking young star, solid support from a couple of Oscar winners and the slick sheen that state-of-the-art effects can give you.” (read full review)

More movie reviews by Kate

~Kate

Reel reviews for real people

Plot: Driven by the murder of a close friend and the realization that his media empire is infested with ruthless heroin smugglers, Britt Reid, aka the Green Hornet and his human weapon Kato jump into action on a heart-pounding quest to rid the city of this mob once and for all.

Rating: PG-13  for sequences of violent action, language, sensuality and drug content

Genre: Action/Adventure

Starring: Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz

Director: Michel Gondry

Running time: 1:48

Kate says – Well, folks, I’m on vacation at Disneyland at the moment so I haven’t screened The Green Hornet yet. I’ve collected a variety of reviews to help you decide whether this one is worth your while.

Ebert says – 1 star “The Green Hornet” is an almost unendurable demonstration of a movie with nothing to be about. Although it follows the rough storyline of previous versions of the title, it neglects the construction of a plot engine to pull us through. There are pointless dialogue scenes going nowhere much too slowly, and then pointless action scenes going everywhere much too quickly.” (read full review)

Pete Hammond (Box Office Magazine) says – 3 of 5 stars ” (The Green Hornet) is bright and loaded with pop culture references and moments to showcase Rogen as superhero-as-buffoon. Surprisingly it often works, and we can credit the irreverent tone set right in the opening sequence…Rogen isn’t the obvious choice for a comic book icon but he forces his personality onto this material with an ingratiating ease.” (read full review)

Michael Phillips (Chicago Tribune) says – 2 stars “In the wake of last weekend’s massacre in Tucson it’s suddenly, temporarily a little harder to laugh off scene after scene of obsessive gun fetishization and mass slaughter in a superhero vigilante lark…The script by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, tailored for Rogen in the title role, rides a streak of blase raunch and overscaled action smack into a series of walls, each spray-painted with phrases beginning with “Too.” Too much. Too numbing. Too coy. And ultimately too violent. This is a PG-13 picture very close to R territory.” (read full review)

Rene Rodriguez  (Miami Herald) says – 3 stars “This Hornet is a big, boisterous action-comedy — a funny, exciting and intentionally goofy summer movie that just happens to arrive in the middle of January. (Rogen) is perfect as the unlikely, mostly hapless hero — and Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind), an equally unexpected choice to direct such pulpy material, latches onto Rogen’s sense of humor. The Green Hornet strikes a deft balance of comedy and comic-book shenanigans that never wavers. The characters take what is happening seriously, but the movie doesn’t.” (read full review)

The King’s Speech

Reel reviews for real people

Plot: After the death of his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall), the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle. Based on the true story of King George VI, THE KING’S SPEECH follows the Royal Monarch’s quest to find his voice. ~The Weinstein Company

Rating: R for some language (There is one scene of over the top, ridiculously funny swearing which is part of Bertie’s speech therapy. Without this scene, I think it would have gotten a PG rating.)

Genre: Drama

Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi

Director: Tom Hooper

Running Time: 1:58

Kate says – 4 stars I’ll just start off by telling you that The King’s Speech is hands down the best movie I’ve seen in a very, very long time. I’ll also tell you that if you have to go out of your way to get to this movie if it is not playing anywhere near you, do it. It will be well worth your effort. This film is witty, charming, elegant, inspirational, intelligent, subtle, and above all poignant. In fact, I could use all of the flowery adjectives at my disposal in the online thesaurus, and I still wouldn’t be able to adequately describe the wonderfulness of  this movie. The King’s Speech will certainly garner a whole gaggle of Oscar nominations, and I predict Firth will finally get his long deserved best actor win this year.

I think Marshall Fine’(of Hollywood and Fine) best sums up the acting of Firth, Rush and Bonham Carter.

Firth is perfect here, his eyes almost bleeding with the terror he feels at any moment of potential embarrassment. As he waits to speak to a crowd, Firth perfectly captures the look of a man facing the gallows or otherwise feeling doomed. Yet he also finds Bertie’s temper and his spine, his compassion and his seriousness. And he has the stammer down expertly so that it feels like an organic and unwanted intrusion every time he speaks.

Yet Rush has the more difficult role and handles it expertly. He delivers Logue’s sly one-liners with expert timing and just the right bite. But Logue must spend more of the film simply reacting and thinking, calculating and calibrating. It’s a study in the ability to listen and be interesting at the same time.

Bonham Carter makes this a triangle – a sounding board and support for her husband, a brake on Logue’s excesses, always without raising her voice or anything more than an eyebrow, really. It is a controlled and effective performance, creating a character who both lives within and feels constricted by the demands of having married into royalty.

Restraint, in fact, is what makes “The King’s Speech” so moving. Here is a film about people who rarely get to express their feelings (not that they get to have emotional outbursts here). Yet they convey both the sense of repressed feeling and, ultimately, the sense of freedom and release portrayed by the relationships in this film.

Which means that “The King’s Speech” will make you laugh more than you imagine – and touch you more deeply than you expect.

Ebert says -4 stars “If the British monarchy is good for nothing else, it’s superb at producing the subjects of films. Director Tom Hooper makes an interesting decision with his sets and visuals. The movie is largely shot in interiors, and most of those spaces are long and narrow. That’s unusual in historical dramas, which emphasize sweep and majesty and so on. Here we have long corridors, a deep and narrow master control room for the BBC, rooms that seem peculiarly oblong. I suspect he may be evoking the narrow, constricting walls of Albert’s throat as he struggles to get words out.” (read full review)

Peter Travers (Rolling Stone) says 3 1/2 stars “It could have been a bunch of pip-pip, stiff-upper-lip Brit blather about a stuttering king who learns to stop worrying and love the microphone. Instead, The King’s Speech — a crowning achievement powered by a dream cast — digs vibrant human drama out of the dry dust of history.” (read full review)

Roger Moore (Orlando Sentinel) says – 4 stars “One of the best films of 2010 captures the funny, touching and inspiring relationship between the man who will become King George VI (Colin Firth) and the brash Aussie (Geoffrey Rush) who tries to figure out why he stutters, and to help him over it so that the free world won’t despair every time the stammering, stuttering George opens his mouth.” (read full review)

Claudia Puig (USA Today) says – 4 stars “Let’s say it without equivocation: Colin Firth deserves an Oscar for his lead role in The King’s Speech as the stammering King George VI. Even though we know how the movie will conclude, it’s the getting there that counts. It’s rare to feel sympathy for someone so privileged. Bertie comes off strikingly human, as close to an Everyman as someone of his status can be. There’s nothing particularly regal or admirable in his frustration and despairing tendency to want to quit.” (read full review)

Eric Snider (Snide Remarks) says – “A-” “The King’s Speech” is an enormously entertaining picture that proves you can make an enormously entertaining picture out of familiar elements. It’s the very definition of a movie with widespread grown-up appeal, perfect for snotty movie critics and regular people alike. The scenes between Firth and Rush — which I’m happy to say occupy most of the film — are nuggets of delight.” (read full review)

(Images from The Weinstein Company)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 – (2010)

Reel reviews for real people

Plot: In this seventh and final installment of the beloved Harry Potter series, Harry faces new troubles; he must collect all of the Horcruxes that the evil Lord Voldemort has left behind. He has no idea where these are and he has to destroy them all, even without the faintest idea how to do so. (Rotten Tomatoes)

Rating: PG-13  for some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images

Genre: Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Starring: Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane

Director: David Yates

Running Time: 2:30

Kate says -3 stars “Here’s the thing about trying to review a movie so anticipated/monumental/beloved/era-defining as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, it doesn’t matter one tiny bit what any reviewer/neighbor/friend/co-worker has to say about it. If you’re someone who has spent the past 13 years immersed in the world of Harry Potter, measuring time by when the next book or movie comes out, then you are going to see this movie, even if it means walking barefoot through the snow, uphill both ways, to get to the theater. (Haha mom, are you laughing about that reference right about now?) If you’ve never read the 7 book series, and you’re perfectly content with catching the flicks years later if they happen to be playing on some movie channel on tv, then you’re probably not going to rush right out and fight the crowds to be one of the first 25 million to see it, even if reviewers give it 7 out of 4 stars.

That being said, here’s my somewhat irrelevant review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. This first of the two-part grand finale of the Harry Potter series is suspenseful and thrilling, and much darker and full of a pervading sense of gloom and doom than your typical kids movie. The special effects are so amazing that you often don’t even realize you are watching special effects, they’re that good. I don’t think it’s even possible to make a “bad” Harry Potter movie because of the attention paid to such detail and quality. This time the action leaves the walls of Hogwarts, and it’s enjoyable to see the kids out in the “real” world for a change, even though I missed the whimsical feeling of the magical Great Hall.

The movie drags a bit in the middle section where Harry and Hermione spend a lot of time doing not much of anything, waiting around for something to happen. It is important, however,  to note the “Part 1″ in the title. This movie serves as mostly as exposition and set-up for “Part 2″coming out next July. There is an incomplete, and somewhat unsatisfying feel to the film, and there’s no logical way of getting around that fact. The plus side, though, is that the audience is left anticipating the action and climax of the final film, which will surely complete the circle of Harry Potter life.Let the countdown to Part 2 begin.

*And as a final note, I must address the controversy of “the NUDE scene”, which seems to be causing quite a stir in my neck of the woods. (Several people have already gone to the local theater to get refunds for their tickets because they’ve heard there is a nude scene. I kid you not.) It’s true, there is a nude make-out scene, BUT it’s a nude scene where you don’t actually see any nudity and not much making-out happens. I’ve seen more nudity in body wash commercials on tv, and way, way, waaaaaaaaaaay more making out on this season of Glee. It’s part of a hallucination/dream sequence between Harry and Hermione, and all is covered in smoke and fog, and the characters have a somewhat ethereal CGI feel. It’s implied nudity, folks. Much ado about nothing

Ebert says – 3 stars “David Yates’ “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is a handsome and sometimes harrowing film, and will be completely unintelligible for anyone coming to the series for the first time. My cluelessness didn’t bother me, because the film depends more on mood and character than many of the others…As we approach the end of a decade of Harry Potter, it’s clear how wisely (and luckily) the studio cast the series. Radcliffe, Grint and Watson have grown from children to young adults, still retain the qualities they had when younger, are practiced professionals and carry the series.” (read full review)

Michael Phillips (Chicsgo Tribune) says – 3 stars We have reached the semi-finals. Staffed with half the best character actors in Great Britain, ” Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1″ brings the seventh J.K. Rowling tale to market, reminding both fervent Hogwarts maniacs and the Potter-ambivalent of this series’ priorities, its increasingly somber tone, as well as its dedication to one of the rarest of all franchise qualities: actual quality.” (read full review)

Roger Moore (Orlando Sentinel) says – 3 stars “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” is a brisk, bracing film of actors in close-up. The lead players have grown into the roles and of the Who’s Who of British character actors in supporting parts shine like never before, placed, as they are,  in both real-world London and a selection of desolate landscapes that match the gloom of this apocalyptic tale. Alternately funny and touching, it’s the best film in the series, an “Empire Strikes Back” for these wizards and their wizarding world.  And those effects? They’re so special you don’t notice them. The digital elves are the most lifelike the movies have ever seen.” (read full review)

Kenneth Turan (Los Angeles Times) says – 3 stars of 5 “Much of the plot of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” involves the attempt to find and destroy a series of Horcruxes, and if you haven’t a clue about what they are or why they’re important, you might as well stay home. There is something different, however, about this Potter movie, and that is the words “Part 1″ that end the title. Understandably distraught about “Hallows” being the last of the phenomenally popular J.K. Rowling novels, Warner Bros. has split the final effort into two films and is likely kicking itself for not having thought of that with the earlier books.” (read full review)

Eric Snider (Snide Reviews) says - “Was ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ split into two movies so that the franchise could make more money? Well, yes. But maybe not just for that reason. As it turns out, ‘Deathly Hallows: Part 1‘ is a quietly thrilling and artful chapter in the eight-part series. It doesn’t stand on its own, exactly, any more than the first half of a TV two-parter would, but it isn’t merely set-up, either. If you think of ‘Half-Blood Prince’ and the two ‘Deathly Hallows’ entries as a trilogy that concludes the Potter saga, ‘Part 1′ is a terrific middle.” (read full review)

Reel reviews for real people

Plot: As the global economy teeters on the brink of disaster, a young Wall Street trader partners with disgraced former Wall Street corporate raider Gordon Gekko on a two-tiered mission: To alert the financial community to the coming doom, and to find out who was responsible for the death of the young trader’s mentor. (Rotten Tomatoes)

Rating: PG-13for brief strong language and thematic elements

Genre: Drama

Starring: Michael Douglas, Frank Langella, Josh Brolin, Shia La Beouf, Carey Mulligan, Susan Sarandon

Director: Oliver Stone

Running Time: 2:07

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Ebert says – 3 stars “Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a smart, glossy, beautifully photographed film that knows its way around the Street (Stone’s father was a stockbroker)… I wish it had been angrier. I wish it had been outraged. Maybe Stone’s instincts are correct, and American audiences aren’t ready for that. They haven’t had enough of Greed.” (read full review)

Christy Lemire (Associated Press) says – 3 stars “Oliver Stone was making a statement on the glibly money-hungry times when his “Wall Street” came out in 1987 and, with it, the iconic figure of Gordon Gekko declaring that greed, for lack of a better word, was good. Twenty-three years later, greed is still getting a lot of people into a lot of trouble. The entire country, in fact. And so Stone’s latest, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” is the rare sequel that feels not only relevant but necessary.” (read full review)

Michael Phillips (Chicago Tribune) says – 2 1/2 stars “The movie itself, just OK. But “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” director Oliver Stone’s sequel to his 1987 melodrama, has its satisfactions, thanks mainly to a cast skillful enough to finesse what is effectively two films sharing the same screen. One concerns Gekko’s comeback, after doing time for securities fraud and related crimes. The other is a romance involving a hotshot Wall Street trader played by Shia LaBeouf and his “lefty Web site” lover and fiancee, Gekko’s estranged daughter, played by the formidable British actress Carey Mulligan.” (read full review)

Rex Reed says – 2 stars “Slick” is one word that describes Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Oliver Stone’s sequel to his 1987 morality tale about greed and self-destruction among stock market wheelers and dealers. Another word is “unnecessary.” Michael Douglas weaves in and out of the action to deliver a few bitchy lines, but the movie shreds what’s left of his character in time for an illogical family-reunion finale I found both embarrassing and overwhelmingly unconvincing. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a movie only a hedge fund manager could love.” (read full review)

Reel reviews for real people.

Plot: Academy Award winner George Clooney stars in the title role of this suspense thriller. As an assassin, Jack (played by Mr. Clooney) is constantly on the move and always alone. After a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, Jack retreats to the Italian countryside. He relishes being away from death for a spell as he holes up in a small medieval town. While there, Jack takes an assignment to construct a weapon for a mysterious contact, Mathilde (Thekla Reuten). Savoring the peaceful quietude he finds in the mountains of Abruzzo, Jack accepts the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli) and pursues a torrid liaison with a beautiful woman, Clara (Violante Placido). Jack and Clara’s time together evolves into a romance, one seemingly free of danger. But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.–© Focus

Rating: R for violence, sexual content and nudity

Genre: Action/Adventure, drama

Starring: George Clooney, Paolo Bonacelli, Thekla Reuten, Violante Placido

Director: Anton Corbijn

Runing time: 1:45

Kate says – 3 1/2 stars “This is definitely one of those times where it’s good for the average movie-goer to know a little bit about what to expect from a film BEFORE heading into the theater. The previews would have you believe The American is an action/suspense/thriller. I’ll just tell you right now that there is very little action in this movie…plenty of suspense, plenty of thrill, just no action. The story line is as simple as it can get. Clooney plays a bad guy who is tired of being a bad guy so he wants to get out of the bad guy business, but other bad guys keep trying to kill him so he goes away and hides out. But then he falls for a beautiful prostitute with a heart of gold, and well I won’t tell you the ending, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out well before the credits roll. This is one time the story is actually not the highlight of the movie. The film’s strength lies in it’s unbelievably beautiful cinematography. Every shot looks like a beautifully lit and framed photograph.  It’s not only the breathtaking shots of Sweden and Italy, but also the more mundane business of Clooney assembling a made to order gun, that are equally stunning to the eye.  I see the film as more of a character study than an action flick. Clooney gives a subdued and captivating performance as Jack, with a subtle flicker of a facial expression, or the set of his shoulders, often being the only clue to the inner workings of his character. Perhaps, the most noticeable departure from the typical suspense film formula, is the quietness and stillness of the movie. A good portion of the 1:45 running time is spent in complete silence, without even a note of a background score. It’s so quiet you’ll feel conspicuous even chewing your popcorn. It’s unnerving and uncomfortable, but only serves to add to the slow sustained tension that builds throughout the film. The American is about the least American feeling movie I’ve seen in quite some time. This is European filmmaking all the way. You will either love this one, or think it’s an utter waste of your money and time, but at least you can now make an educated guess as to which side of the border you’ll be sitting on.”

Ebert says – 4 stars - “The director is a Dutchman named Anton Corbijn… Here he paints an idyllic Italian countryside as lyrical as his dialogue is taciturn. There is not a wrong shot. Every performance is tightly controlled. Clooney is in complete command of his effect The entire drama of this film rests on two words, “Mr. Butterfly.” We must be vigilant to realize that once, and only once, they are spoken by the wrong person. They cause the entire film and all of its relationships to rotate. I felt exaltation at this detail. It is so rare to see a film this carefully crafted, this patiently assembled like a weapon, that when the word comes it strikes like a clap of thunder. A lesser film would have underscored it with a shock chord, punctuated it with a sudden zoom, or cut to a shocked close up. “The American” is too cool to do that. Too Zen, if you will.” (read full review)

Claudia Puig (USA Today) says – 3 stars “The film has a contemplative allure, unfolding at a deliberate pace. There is no pressure to inject the requisite jolts and chases of American thrillers. There is only one chase scene, no explosions and a limited exchange of gunfire, considering that Jack is a weapons expert. Clooney plays the enigmatic title character with mature confidence. In a climactic scene, he communicates volumes with his eyes and tense facial expression. The film, with its vague, rambling plot, works best as a study of a loner seeking to escape his past. Despite its rugged individualism, The American feels distinctly and lyrically European.” (read full review)

Michael Phillips (Chicago Tribune) says – 2 1/2 stars “The new George Clooney film “The American” is pretty. It’s also pretty dour, even with all the luscious Italian Abruzzo mountain scenery, used here as a backdrop to the tale of an old school, one-at-a-time weapons manufacturer trying to get out of the business he’s in, by way of One Last Score…Audiences who have been heavily Bourned and Salted by their thrillers lately might find “The American” a mite … ruminative for their tastes. The movie is a paradox. It’s ostentatiously restrained.” (read full review)

Owen Gleiberman (Entertainment Weekly) says – “C” “In the opening sequence of The American, George Clooney is in the middle of a hookup in snowy Sweden when he bumps off the two men who’ve been hired to kill him and shoots the woman he was sleeping with in the back. (She’s innocent, but he can leave no witnesses.) That’s a promising moment… But The American, directed by Anton Corbijn (Control), turns out to be a draggy, rather morose art thriller. The American ends the summer not with a bang but an existential whimper.” (read full review)

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Plot: Everything is totally sweet. Scott Pilgrim’s life is so awesome. He’s 23 years old, in a rock band, “between jobs,” and dating a cute high school girl. Everything’s fantastic until a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, roller blading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties. But the path to Ms. Flowers isn’t covered in rose petals. Ramona’s seven evil exes stand between Scott and true happiness. Can Scott defeat all seven of the bad guys and get the girl without turning his precious little life upside-down, before the game is over? (IMDb)

Rating: PG-13 for stylized violence, sexual content, language and drug references

Genre: Action & Adventure, Romance, Comedy

Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans

Director: Edgar Wright

Running time: 1:53

Kate says – 3 1/2 stars ” Does my rating shock you as much as it does me?  By all rights, I should not be a fan of this movie…I’m too old, I’m female, I don’t love video games, last time I checked I don’t have ADD, I’m not a computer geek, and I’m not a fan of the graphic novel genre.  And yet I have to say this is one of the most enjoyable and entertaining movie experiences I’ve had in a long time. It’s wild, fast-paced, in your face, bright,  fresh, funny, creative and ridiculous! It’s full of comic-book style word bubbles and video game logic (which is to say there is no logic).  Either you’ll “get it” and love this movie, or you’ll think this it’s one of the worst movies of the year. The sheer cleverness and inventiveness of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World served as a nice, albeit surprising reminder of why I love movies.”

Roger Moore (Orlando Sentinel) says – 3 1/2 stars ” Of all the sweet-wimpy-guy-chases-the-hot-girl  Michael Cera movies, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the Michael Cera-iest. Of all the gonzo-goofy comic book adaptations that embrace video gaming  sensibilities, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the gonzo-goofiest…Scott Pilgrim is so much fun, so dazzling in its style and manic energy, that it amounts to a definitive statement.” (read full review)

Peter Travers (Rolling Stone) says – 3 1/2 stars “Scott Pilgrim is a breathless rush of a movie that jumps off the screen, spins your head around and then stealthily works its way into your heart. Don’t worry too much about hugging and learning and stuff. Just revel in those clutter-free last moments when two people finally get enough of a grip on who they are to make an honest, human connection. It’s a game-changer.” (read full review)

Owen Gleiberman (Entertainment Weekly) says – “B+” “The movie, with its charming visual tropes (phones that literally go ”Ring,” a wheel of fortune that offers Scott two possible responses, one of which he takes), is a romantic comedy that moves at the speed of texting…I dug the freshness of Scott Pilgrim, but I wish that it had a little less kick-a**. Still, it’s a true original.” (read full review)

Claudia Puig (USA Today) says – 3 stars “Scott Pilgrim, a lovelorn musician, is an appealing fusion of nerdy, cheeky and vulnerable. So, who better to play him than Michael Cera? Cera has made a career playing doe-eyed, high-voiced, wisecracking characters. He seems to be dodging the inevitability of age and maturation. Cera’s unwavering youth works well for the title character in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, an inventive and whimsical action-comedy/love story. The film fuses an indie/punk rock sensibility with comic-book violence and video game energy, mixed with quirky humor and sassy pop culture references.” (read full review)

Eric Snider (Film.com) says – “B+” “If a movie that looked and sounded like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World had come out 40 years ago, people would have burned the director at the stake for witchcraft. Even by 2010 standards, the way it’s written, performed, shot, and edited is supremely unusual, an exuberant mixture of comic books, video games, and hipster romance by way of John Hughes. It uses an impressive number of unconventional filmmaking devices, most of which have been done before, but probably not all in the same movie. I bet 10 years from now this will be the norm. For now, it’s almost revolutionary.” (read full review)

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Plot: While trying to get pregnant, a happily married woman realizes her life needs to go in a different direction, and after a painful divorce, she takes off on a round-the-world journey. Based on the memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Rating: PG-13  for brief strong language, some sexual references and rear nudity (male)

Genre: Drama

Starring: Julia Roberts, James Franco, Javier Bardem, Richard Jenkins

Director: Ryan Murphy

Running time: 2:13

Kate says – 2 1/2 stars  – “I am about to begin reading Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Giltbert’s Oprah endorsed bestseller, for my neighborhood book club. Unfortunately, I saw the movie  first. I hear the book version is so much better, at least that’s what I am hoping. The movie isn’t horrible, it’s just not as deep or meaningful as I wanted it to be, kind of glossed over and superficial, never daring to delve into a real search for inner peace. It seems more like an overly self absorbed journey of  indulgence, where Gilbert learns that way to self discovery is to become even more self indulgent. Eat Pray Love is a visually beautiful movie though, full of lavish, lush and exotic locales. Roberts is gorgeous and glowing and is a pleasure to watch. The movie does offer two plus hours of escapism fantasy for women who may have briefly imagined ditching it all for such a journey, but in the light of day would never truthfully give such a notion a second thought. I think it’s pretty safe to say that this is not one that men will be clamoring to see as it’s about as chic-flicky as a chick flick can be.”

Ebert says – 2 stars “You can see how it would be fun to spend a year traveling with Gilbert. A lot more fun than spending nearly two hours watching a movie about it. I guess you have to belong to the narcissistic subculture of Woo-Woo…The audience I joined was perhaps 80 percent female. I heard some sniffles and glimpsed some tears, and no wonder. “Eat Pray Love” is shameless wish-fulfillment, a Harlequin novel crossed with a mystic travelogue…” (read full review)

Steve Persall (St. Petersburg TImes) says – “B” Italians have a phrase — Che posso fare? — meaning “What can I do?” It’s sometimes used when the answer is: “Nothing, just go with it.”…Lots of things happen in Eat Pray Love that only the lonely and book club members will understand. You just go with it. Roberts makes it easy, summoning every ounce of acting talent sidelined for years by motherhood and projects beneath her. This isn’t a showy performance, but one that involves subtle reactions to dramatic twists and genuine wonder at what her character discovers. Roberts still flashes that dazzling smile at precisely the right moments to endear, but those moments are effectively chosen. No doubt it will be remembered in awards season.…Eat Pray Love is femme filmmaking at its femmiest, yet fits nicely alongside other movies men don’t usually confess to liking and women love. Sometimes “the sweetness of doing nothing” except traveling the world, finding yourself and pigging out is a seductive idea. Che posso fare?” (read full review)

Roger Moore (Orlando Sentinel) says 2 1/2 stars - “The generations of American women who have grown up with, identified with and love Julia Roberts may relish her star turn in Eat Pray Love, one woman’s journey in search of herself and other things…But Glee writer Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir isn’t anything as remotely deep as that. It’s a travelogue about an impulsive, self-absorbed travel writer who ditches her admittedly flighty husband (Billy Crudup) with a single line…This is Sex and the City with Carrie shopping for spirituality. And it’s damn near as insufferable as Gilbert’s very popular book…For a film about a woman whose motto is “I’m through with the guilt,” Roberts and Murphy & Co. have delivered a guilty pleasure. It’s great to see her in something this light again, looking much as she did ten years ago. Eat Pray Love allows Roberts’ longtime fans to travel the world, and back in time with her. If only we all could eat until we pop and age in reverse and still have the glow of amber backlighting.” (read full review)

Christy Lemire (AP Movie Critic) says 3 stars – “Eat Pray Love” does exactly what it should to satisfy its core audience: It provides a gorgeous escape, exquisitely photographed and full of female wish fulfillment. Yet it also offers sufficient emotional heft and self-discovery to make you feel as if you’ve actually learned something and, perhaps, emerged a better person solely through osmosis… Having Julia Roberts star as Liz Gilbert in the film version of the best-seller, in theory, only makes it more appealing to an even wider audience. Roberts is radiant as ever, and director and co-writer Ryan Murphy’s adaptation allows her to show off her full range with plenty of hardcore hanky moments…Regardless of how you feel about the movie, though, “Eat Pray Love” will make you want to head out for wine and pasta with your girlfriends afterward. Any excuse will do, and this is a good one.” (read full review)

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