• BROKEN EMBRACES
• THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
• DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS?
• THE FOURTH KIND
• ARMORED
• and many more…

And we have one film releasing March 20th, 2010 that we can’t leave off the list:

• THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON

The results are in! It’s time to announce the prizewinners in our Oscar contest, who were either really lucky or really well-informed. Maybe even a little of both. Click here to find out who the lucky winners are…

We have quite a few new films to tell you about this week: Pedro Almodóvar’s Broken Embraces, Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, the romantic comedy Did You Hear About the Morgans?, the alien abduction thriller The Fourth Kind, and the heist flick Armored. Find out which you should take home tonight in our staff reviews.

Also, the second film in the Twilight franchise, New Moon, won’t officially be released until tomorrow, March 20th, but we’ve got an early review for you right here.

BONUS READING MATERIAL:
GreenCine.com on the recent release of Hunger

It’s amazing to me how such an accomplished visual storyteller can also create such intricate, precise scripts, packed with verbal exposition, yet matched by visual expression. Perhaps only Orson Welles had the same sort of ability, although he wasn’t as rigorously creating his own scripts, then directing them, like Almodóvar does.

Broken Embraces is the story of Mateo Blanco, who, circa 2008, wishes to be known as Harry Caine (there’s an iconic mash-up of movie names – Hitchcock, Welles, and James M. Cain all come to mind), since he believes his original self died along with several other important features of his life, including his eyesight, in 1994. Even so, he survives day-to-day with a modicum of happiness, due to his work (as a screenwriter), his assistant, her son, and his own still very active libido. Mateo/Harry (Lluís Homar) has a past which is slowly revealed to us by Almodóvar, alternating flashbacks with current memories, and by the irritating (to Harry) presence of a stranger who has a hidden link with the past. That past centers around Mateo’s involvement with and desperate love for a rich man’s mistress (and aspiring actress), Lena (Penélope Cruz), and their subsequent attempts to break free from her kept world.

Much has been made of Almodóvar’s productive relationship with Penélope Cruz (if you have the time, watch the eye-opening bonus feature that shows a split-screen of Almodóvar directing Cruz), but we should also recognize another burgeoning relationship he has formed with the actress Blanca Portillo (Judit), who here plays Harry Caine’s amanuensis (and more). Ms. Portillo was so memorable as Agustina in Volver, and here she is an equally mesmerizing presence, deserving of more recognition than she has received. I’m looking forward to watching her work for Inarritu in Biutiful, later in 2010.

The greatest films can affect us in different ways. One may be transfixed by a powerful story told with a timeless touch by a masterful director, like Chinatown, as written by Robert Towne and directed by Roman Polanski. Or the visual spectacle may leave us agog, like Days of Heaven as directed by Terrence Malick. Or perhaps the sheer audacious technique of Orson Welles directing Citizen Kane. Pedro Almodóvar has studied and synthesized the great directors of Hollywood past into a truly Protean directing technique, that leaves me more and more in awe with each succeeding effort of the last 10 years. Talk to Her was groundbreaking in its use of sly and playful technical filmmaking. Bad Education was worthy of the old master Luis Buñuel in its calling out of the sanctimonious. Volver was a gorgeous combination of Douglas Sirk and Vincente Minnelli – enthralling and visually sumptuous from beginning to end. Broken Embraces is yet another impossible step forward for Almodóvar: he has succeeded in making a film whose impact is so incremental that the devastation I felt by the end at first seemed like it had come out of the blue, until I realized it was actually the result of the director’s masterful precision in building the effect over the course of the film. That feeling is one I live for as a filmgoer, and it happens none too often.

When we talk about film as lasting art, Inglourious Basterds is the one that will be discussed 30 years from now; Volver is the one that will be remembered as the lasting work of a great director; L’Enfant will be considered the most rigorous film of 2005. So, take the Academy Awards with a grain of salt – in many ways, it is simply a superficial popularity contest, fun though it may be. (The only moment where I caught my breath during this year’s show was Quentin Tarentino and Almodóvar together, presenting the nominees for Best Foreign Film). I think it is necessary to attempt to recognize great films (the ones that will truly last) when we see them. After all, film is the great art form of our time. Is great art being created in the other art forms? Literature – perhaps. Painting and sculpture – I would argue not. Music – pop culture is fun, but classical music has been encased in a state of almost complete obscurity and dessication for some 50 or 60 years.

In our world of artifice, superficiality, and cold, cold technology, make room for an artist for the ages, Pedro Almodóvar. – [DVD]

Drama/Romance/Thriller

Rated R

DVD Release Date: 3/16/10

1st Place: We had a two-way tie for 1st place - the lucky winners who get to split the top prize and will be receiving 25 free movie rentals each (including new releases) are:

2nd Place: We had a four-way tie for 2nd place, so the following members will each receive 7 free movie rentals (including new releases).

Bill D., Kelly F., Judith T. and Chris F.

3rd Place: We had quite a tie for third place – looks like great minds think alike! The following 15 members will each receive one free movie rental (including new releases):

Lowell D., Patricia M., Lisa P., Thomas C., Corey D.,
Deb B., Rachel H., Eileen F., Rita R., Robert F.,

George E., Xavi M., Andy W., Ramona B., Sylvia C.

If you’re a prizewinner, you should have already received a separate email with details about claiming your prize. And thanks to everyone who entered the Annual Oscar Contest! If you did enter, you know that you agreed to receive our weekly newsletter. If, for any reason at any time, you want to unsubscribe, feel free to do so by clicking on the Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ link at the bottom of any newsletter.

Disney once again turns to a classic fairy tale, The Frog Prince, as the foundation upon which to build their story. The familiar scene of the beautiful princess kissing a frog comes fairly early on, followed by a high-concept twist that’s already been trumpeted by the film’s trailer. When Tiana kisses the debonair talking frog, she doesn’t restore Prince Naveen to his charming human form, but rather transforms into an amphibian herself. If it hadn’t already been done in Shrek, this might have seemed almost clever. But, as in Shrek, it actually serves to subvert the original story’s valuable lessons. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, except that the greatest Disney animated classics usually hold true to the timeless message that gave their earlier incarnations so much staying power. The morals imparted by The Princess and the Frog are good ones, sure–the value of working hard to pursue your dreams while keeping a sense of humor, being willing to try new things, and so forth. Hard to get strong tea from those leaves anymore, though.

But these criticisms are silly and probably too harsh. This is an engaging film, particularly for kids but also for adults. It may not have the lasting appeal of Sleeping Beauty or Toy Story, but it marks a rebirth of a cherished and often undervalued American art form. The film deserved its place amongst this year’s Animated Feature Oscar nominees. That category was stronger and more varied this year than it has ever been. Instead of the usual pattern of three nominees (one Pixar shoo-in and two mediocre CG also-rans), we got only one CG flick, with two gorgeous hand-drawn pieces and two quirky stop-motion films. I think we’re witnessing a new golden age for animation. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Animation/Family/Fantasy/Musical/Romance

Rated G

DVD Release Date: 3/16/10

Armored (2009) – [imdb]
Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) – [imdb]
Fallen Angels (Duo luo tian shi) (1995) – [imdb]
Ninja Assassin (2009) – [imdb]
The Princess and the Frog (2009) – [imdb]
Spongebob Squarepants: Squarepants’ Last Stand – [imdb]
Wonderful World (2009) – Drama/Romance – [imdb]

Your basic fish-out-of-water set-up, it sees the two stars playing an estranged New York couple who witness a murder and get shipped off to Wyoming by the Feds for protection where they encounter a bear, learn how to fire rifles and ride horses and, of course, resolve their differences.

Grant, with his patented stammering, and Parker, with her increasingly annoying “I’m a New Yorker” attitude, are on cruise control here, though Grant manages to bring a few lines to life. Like how he describes an ugly purple welt on his shoulder as looking like “a little map of Ireland.”

The writing and direction by Marc Lawrence (Music & Lyrics, Two Weeks Notice) is equally halfhearted, and so many of the situations that seemed funny on paper–including said encounter with a bear–merely make you chuckle instead of laugh out loud. He also fails to make much out of the minor subplot involving Grant’s and Parker’s assistants (Elisabeth Moss and Jesse Liebman).

Lawrence is a little more successful with the Red State/Blue State humor, like how the small town has only 14 Democrats and, emphasizes a teen girl in a cowboy hat, “we know who they are.” And Mary Steenburgen and Sam Elliott are perfectly cast as the meat-eating, gun-loving (cue the Sarah Palin jokes) Wyoming couple who house, and tolerate, the bickering East Coast witnesses.

As a whole the film, though more tolerable than most rom-coms, is the cinematic equivalent of a great big sigh, something I imagine Grant and Parker both did when they agreed to appear in it for a paycheck. Oh, well, at least we now know that 75-year-old Wilford Brimley is still alive and kicking and able to play cranky old curmudgeons. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Comedy/Drama/Romance

Rated PG-13

DVD Release Date: 3/16/10

Set in 2000, it starts out with Jovovich as herself explaining to us how an unusually large number of people just vanished from Nome, Alaska over a 40-year period, and how the psychiatrist she portrays concluded that not only were they snatched up by extraterrestrials, but that it’s still going on.

In selling his hoax, writer-director Olatunde Osunsanmi shows both so-called “raw” footage and the dramatization of it. At times he even employs 24-style split screens so we can watch both at the same time, a hi-tech trick I thought heightened the film’s tension but indeed may distract others. He also makes sure the footage goes all wonky whenever something otherworldly occurs.

Not to shortchange Jovovich or her co-stars, but the movie succeeds or fails on how believable Osunsanmi makes the video footage, most of which shows allegedly real people experiencing terror while under hypnosis. I believed it. We see one guy flail about and smash a lamp, while another starts to gurgle and then, later, suddenly sits up in bed and screams before starting to levitate.

I also very nearly bought into the infomercial-like interview of the “real” psychiatrist by a “real” Chapman University doctor (played by Osunsanmi himself). The woman playing the psychiatrist in these scenes does probably the best acting job in the movie. As well the audio recording of something terrorizing Jovovich in the middle of the night made my skin crawl a little.

The dramatization stuff isn’t quite as scary, but it is stylishly shot, well-edited and features solid work by a soft-spoken Jovovich (who gets to cry a lot), the always-welcome Will Patton as the frustrated sheriff and Elias Koteas as Jovovich’s friend and fellow psychiatrist. As the “film” version of said “doctor” and ancient languages expert, Hakeem Kae-Kazim also makes a decent impression.

All in all, I think, Osunsanmi proves himself a masterful salesman. Even the what’s-happened-since-these-events updates at the end the film seem authentic. And yet, he never convinced me to move to Alaska, despite all the breathtaking shots of snow-covered mountains. I mean, c’mon, telling me the place is a veritable haven for Martians that kidnap humans makes for a lousy sales pitch. – [DVD]

Mystery/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Rated PG-13

DVD Release Date: 3/16/10

Armored is a heist movie about a group of armored car guards who decide to steal the money they’re supposed to be protecting. Columbus Short plays Ty, the member of the group who balks when people get shot, and decides to foil the whole shebang. I don’t know what else to tell you–there are some good actors: Matt Dillon, Laurence Fishburne, Fred Ward. Also, it’s an action movie, so the plot is a little secondary. There is a demolition derby-style car chase between two armored cars, several explosions, gunplay and Matt Dillon’s intense stare. I liked it. I would only recommend it for people who like fun movies, as it is not a “think piece.” – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Action/Drama/Thriller

Rated PG-13

DVD/Blu-Ray Release Date: 3/16/10

Robert Pattinson

Based on the second book of the bestselling series by Stephenie Meyer, it sees Stewart being deserted by benign bloodsucker boyfriend Pattinson and falling for Lautner the werewolf before rushing off to Italy to stop Pattinson from sacrificing himself at the hands of a powerful vampire family.

As with the first flick, there’s too much tortured-teen melodrama and too little actual bloodsucking. That is, unless you’re a teenage girl or a fan of the books. In which case you probably won’t mind the scene of Stewart lying in her bed, clutching her stomach and screaming out her I-miss-him-so-much pain to the point where her dad wants to kick her out of the house. Permanently.

It would all actually be somewhat tolerable if Chris Weitz’s competent direction contained even an ounce of the offbeat energy that Catherine Hardwicke lent the first flick, or if the stars delivered their dialogue in something besides a monotone. Granted, they can’t really help it if the screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg is chock full of cheesy lines.

Pattinson, the odd man out this time around, basically stands around saying swoon-worthy things, while Stewart broods so much you want Cher to slap her and tell her to snap out of it. As for Lautner, while he certainly looks physically imposing, strutting around shirtless for most of the movie, he utterly lacks as an actual actor, coming off as petulant when he should sound enraged.

For me, the best parts of both films are when real physical action occurs. In this case, that would be whenever Lautner or any of his clan transform into huge, impressively-rendered werewolves and attack people. There’s also the confrontation with said vampire family in Italy–some of whom sport freaky red contacts–where Pattinson valiantly battles one of its members to protect Stewart.

Which brings me to British actor Michael Sheen, who played a werewolf in the Underworld films (which this franchise is starting to resemble) but here steals the sullen show as the head of the vampire family. He makes his undead character elegant but menacing, and in doing so gives the movie a faint, but brief, pulse. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Release Date: Saturday March 20th

Drama/Fantasy/Romance

Rated PG-13

Brief Encounter (England/1945)

Before David Lean started making “David Lean” movies (i.e. Lawrence of Arabia & Dr. Zhivago) he made lovely, intimate dramas like this one. A bittersweet, troubled love story set in postwar London. It has influenced great directors for decades and it deserves a look from you today. – [imdb]