Monday Morning Quarterback Part I
By BOP Staff
January 7, 2013
BoxOfficeProphets.com

Now is the time in Baltimore when we dance.

Kim Hollis: What movies have you seen lately and what are your thoughts on them?

Edwin Davies: I've been watching some of the heavy hitters that have just started appearing in theaters and catching up on ones that I missed earlier, including:

Arbitrage - Very solidly made thriller that I knew next to nothing about, and as such was pleasantly surprised by. Richard Gere is great as a hedge fund manager who spends the entire film desperately trying to keep his various misdeeds hidden, and the strength of the story lies in the way in which it slowly tightens the rope around Gere's neck whilst always giving him that brief glimpse of hope. By no means groundbreaking, but it's a good story told well.

The Sessions - Admirable for its frankness regarding sex and boasting two very engaging leads, but it's ultimately quite dull. It's pretty much formless from a narrative perspective, which means that it relies too heavily on its leads to make up what is lacking in the writing and directing. It also looks like a made-for-TV movie, which doesn't help. The adulation for it has me perplexed, to say the least.

Samsara - Non-narrative documentary by Ron Fricke, who was one of the key figures behind Koyaanisqatsi, which should tell you more or less everything you need to know. Constructed from footage shot over five years and in locations across the road, Fricke combines images of animals and humanity, life and death, technology and nature in ways which are surprising and often amazing. It's a 90 minute montage of sights and sounds that is hypnotic and engrossing, and like Koyaanisqatsi it manages to be both visually dazzling and meditative without being just eye candy or impenetrable. Really wonderful.

Flight - A very good drama elevated by a stunning opening sequence and a great performance by Denzel Washington that nicely plays on his natural charisma whilst pushing its limits. I think his performance will be remembered as one of the great depictions of alcoholism, even if the rest of the film isn't quite up to the quality of his central turn.

Lincoln - Admittedly I am very much a Spielberg devotee - heck, I loved War Horse - but I thought this was pretty wonderful. Funny, insightful, really well written and engaging without ever feeling self-important. I really admired its keen focus on just the last four months of Lincoln's life, using his greatest political triumph as a way to illuminate what he was like as a leader and as a person. Daniel Day-Lewis is the main talking point when it comes to the performances, but it's got such a deep bench of great, great actors that it doesn't fall into the trap of being a showcase. Even at two and a half hours, I wanted more. The only quibble I had with it was the slight treatment of the relationship between Lincoln and his son, Robert. It felt a little perfunctory, like it had been included less for historical or dramatic reasons than because Spielberg loves his father-son dynamics. Other than that, though, I thought it was great.

Bruce Hall: Thanks to our snakebit economy and some personal challenges, I haven't been able to see as many new releases in theater this year as I'd like. In fact, not many at all. The most recent films I've seen in the cineplex are Avengers, Dark Knight Rises and Skyfall.

I know, it's horrible; but it's been pretty jacked up around here lately. However, I do have input.

Avengers was wonderfully entertaining and fun, but holds up less well on repeat viewings, which is my primary complaint with the Marvel catalogue. I can't speak for everyone, but if I were going to invade the Earth and enslave humanity, I'd probably elect to use a strategy more effective than a couple hundred morons on rocket sleds dropped out of the sky over the Chrysler building in Manhattan.

But, I HAVE watched it several times, so obviously it accomplished what it set out to do.

Because of the events in Aurora, I don't think we ever discussed DKR as in depth as we might have, so I'll admit that I was a little off base about how good this film was going to be. It wasn't bad, but it did not quite live up to the hype, and while I think that Nolan's Batman series as a whole is incredibly strong, the final installment was perhaps the weakest.

Tom Hardy was good, but I'm ready to call out Bane's Mask as potential Worst Actor of 2012.

As far as Skyfall, I'll provide an excerpt from a recent conversation with a friend:

There was more character development in this film than in any Bond since OHMSS. The Bond/M relationship has been the driving force in the series since the Brosnan days; I am reminded of what M says to Bond in Goldeneye when they first met:

"I think you're a sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of the Cold War, whose boyish charms, though wasted on me, obviously appealed to that young woman I sent out to evaluate you...if you think for one moment I don't have the balls to send a man out to die, your instincts are dead wrong."

Despite the lapse in continuity between the two Bonds, M proves what she said then in every movie since, and never more so than in Skyfall. It all comes full circle, and it works fantastically well. There are a lot of holes in Skyfall but the central theme works, and works to perfection. The Mother/Son dynamic drives Bond to his Genesis, and now - they might as well remake Doctor No. We're back to Square One. I like it a lot.

I also watch a lot of films for Viking Night, and most of them I do not end up submitting. I'd like to call out Goon, the hockey comedy by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, starring Seann William Scott and Liev Schreiber. It's a small, but enjoyable gem. It's not deep, it's not transformative, but it's a fun, uplifting sports film with humor and heart.

No, it's not Slap Shot. It's just reminiscent of, and every bit as good as. If you are one of the diminishing number of people who still love hockey, check it out. And even if you're not, it's just a great time. Give it a chance. I highly recommend it.

Max Braden: Looking back, I've had a pretty good time in the theaters recently.

Pitch Perfect should have been a run of the mill Stomp the Yard/Glee knockoff, and it has its faults, but I liked it a lot. Anna Kendrick is at her best when she's more relaxed and not bound up in a business suit. But Rebel Wilson stole the show and I think this would be considered her breakthrough.

I'd known about the Argo story for a while so I was stoked to hear that it was being made, and with Affleck as director. It's hard to create a lot of tension with a bunch of people stuck in a house (I've never figured out the appeal of Big Brother). But even knowing the ending, there was a lot of anticipation in wondering if they'd pull it off or get caught. Affleck continues to demonstrate his skill in the role of director.

Man, after seeing Flight, all I want to do is fly an airplane upside down. And get a date with Trina. The story took a different tone than I expected, but it worked. I especially liked the pivotal moment just before the climactic scene. Denzel and the other actors were all good.

Skyfall was good, though I was a little annoyed I did all that recap catchup to make sure I knew everything about Quantum and then they don't even appear in the movie! I liked all the Bond lore and franchise touches, but wow, there were some terrible tactical decisions by both Bond and Bardem's villain. (Bardem had the best scene in the movie, when he had Bond tied up.) Dalton is still my favorite Bond, but I've come to like what Craig is doing with the role and I'd support him for a few more movies.

Recently seen on DVD:

Magic Mike - why do they keep bending over in front of the camera?? Do women find this sexy?

The Raven is something I'd be drawn to because of the time period. But it falls short of Sherlock Holmes and From Hell. It wasn't really dangerous enough. I did like seeing Alice Eve barely dressed up.

360 is a multi-storyline ensemble drama with Anthony Hopkins, Rachel Weisz, Jude Law, and Ben Foster, among others. It turned out the storyline I enjoyed the most was with a Russian actor, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, I hadn't heard of before.

I rented Arthur Christmas, maybe a little too early in the season, but I enjoyed it as straight up family-friendly entertainment. Bill Nighy's Grand-Santa and Ashley Jensen's elf were the highlights. Hugh Laurie's voice didn't quite match his character's physique.

Last Ride is an Australian movie starring Hugo Weaving as a dad on the run from the law with his son. Weaving is good, but the movie is kind of depressing. There's a neat visual of a large, very shallow "lake" that I'd like to identify.

The Courier is pretty much a slower-action remake of The Transporter, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a tired, grizzled, mercenary. I like JDM in roles like this and The Losers. He carries the age, world-weariness, and a touch of rebelliousness well.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was a little too much precious pandering for my taste, but I did like Wilkinson's storyline, and Ronald Pickup was fun.

That's My Boy - Did I laugh a couple times? I can't remember.

Madagascar 3 - I laughed a lot during this sequel, more than the previous two I think. I'm a big fan of the penguins, but the bear on the motorcycle killed me.

The Five-Year Engagement took a turn away from romantic comedy, but I thought that was a realistic depiction of the real reason most couples disintegrate these days. I thought Emily Blunt and Jason Segel had good chemistry.

Olivia Munn and Paul Schneider had great chemistry in The Babymakers, about a guy who robs a sperm bank to get his own deposit back so he and his wife can have a baby. It's from the Broken Lizard guys and is a lot of fun.

Felix Quinonez: I loved Wreck-It Ralph. Aside from great animation, the story is really great. I feel that the consistent success of Pixar has made other studios realize that there is a huge audience for smart and emotional animated movies. Wreck-It Ralph is hilarious but also very moving and smart. I can't say enough great things about it.

I thought Looper was great and inventive. I feel like Joseph Gordon-Levitt really brings his A-game. I don't want to give any spoilers but I was a bit let down by the last act but it is definitely still a great movie worth checking out.

Another one I saw was Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. I thought that it started great but in the end it falls apart a bit. I felt like they raised so many possible story plots but ultimately went to the least interesting and safe one.

I finally got to see Moonrise Kingdom. It was phenomenal, if you haven't seen it, well, you should.

Maybe it's because I had such high expectations, the trailers looked AWESOME, and the reviews were fantastic, but I felt more than a little bit letdown by Skyfall. I thought the first half was great and then almost as soon as we meet Bardem things deteriorate. I thought the villain's motive was tired and my biggest complaint was that I found it a bit boring.

Now with The Campaign, I had very low expectations and I wound up loving it. Will Ferrell is very hit or miss for me but I thought he was great. I also loved Zach Galifanakis in this movie. He's another one who doesn't always work for me but he was goodIt's not a classic but definitely entertaining.

Kim Hollis: I've mostly had pretty good luck with my choices over the last couple of months.

Skyfall was a pretty significant step up from Quantum of Solace. It looked fantastic (the cinematography is pretty spectacular) and I really enjoyed Judi Dench. Also, New Q is a nice addition. The climactic set piece is extremely well done. I'm still not quite sure if I like Daniel Craig as Bond but I found myself really enjoying the film nonetheless.

ParaNorman is good but not as good as I was maybe expecting. I think my expectations were probably too high after the greatness from Laika that was Coraline. Norman is a really good character, though, and the story is certainly inventive.

Taken 2 is more or less exactly what I expected it to be, and there is nothing wrong with that. Once I got past the fact that Maggie Grace is almost 29-years-old playing about 12 years younger than that, I just went with it. I can't say that there were any surprises, but the ride is a lot of fun.

Seven Psychopaths is a movie about writing, which means it's not for everyone. I was certainly the target audience. Some people have compared it to Adaptation and I think that's fair but I enjoyed Psychopaths a whole lot more.

Wreck-It Ralph was also not as great as I was hoping it would be, but I still think it's Pretty Damn Good. I wonder if I might not like it more upon some repeat viewings. I pretty much love Vanellope as a character, and there is no denying that the movie itself is a feast for the eyes. I was wishing for a bit more old-school stuff for long-time gamers, but the games created specifically for the film were nicely implemented.

Cloud Atlas is one of my favorite books and I was dubious about whether the film could be successful. I think it was and it wasn't. There were aspects I didn't like (it felt like they were forcing the notion of actors playing multiple characters across the stories a little too much) and there were plot elements that were changed that disappointed me (Zachry is a teenager in the book versus being Tom Hanks in the movie). I didn't feel like my favorite of the stories was conveyed the way I would have hoped. But overall I do think they did the best possible job they could have. I was particularly surprised by how much I enjoyed the Timothy Cavendish story. It really came to life onscreen. I completely admire the ambition of what the Wachowskis and Tykwer tried to do. It might not have been entirely successful, but at least they went for it.

Life of Pi is another book-based film that I was intrigued to see. I read the book many years ago and enjoyed it. Like Cloud Atlas, it didn't seem like something that would translate well to film. I believe Ang Lee did as well as could possibly be imagined. The movie looks absolutely amazing and makes the best use of 3D that I have seen in some time, maybe even since Avatar. It's probably going to be among my most admired films of the year.

Speaking of favorites, Silver Linings Playbook is right up there with Moonlight Kingdom as one of my favorites of 2012. Bradley Cooper has probably never been better and Jennifer Lawrence continues to wow me. Even Robert De Niro is more like himself as opposed to the caricature of himself that he has been over these past several years. I'll be really looking forward to watching it again once it reaches home video.

I also had the chance to watch Arthur Christmas with my family (including my seven-year-old niece) and it's a pretty terrific little family film with stellar voice work. It's a completely unique take on the Santa Claus story and I really loved watching my niece be completely absorbed through the entire film.

David Mumpower: I am one of those people who believes that Daniel Craig has been a disaster as James Bond in every way except financially. Keeping this in mind, I was quite impressed by Skyfall for the most part. The only aspect I didn't enjoy was the villain, who seemed like he was doing a lazy knockoff of Heath Ledger as The Joker. The end sequence at Skyfall may not have made a lot of sense, particularly with regards to the henchmen, but it provided several retrospective moments of the film industry's greatest franchise character.

A pleasant surprise I stumbled upon recently is Elvis and Anabelle, which stars Blake Lively. It is basically the same concept as Pushing Daisies, which I loved, and actually preceded the show by six months. I fully understand why it got buried but I found it delightful. Joe Mantegna aka Fat Tony plays the hunchback father of the lead character, whose kiss brings Blake Lively back to life. This is a formula film but there are a lot of positives to it.

I could not believe how much I found myself enjoying Premium Rush. Yes, there is one character that hearkens back to the heinous Hop Sing days of Asian representation in Hollywood and yes, the ending is insipid. Other than that, this is a lively action film with several good ideas. I particularly enjoy the cinematic technique of revealing the future dangers of a particular bike path trajectory. This is a great example of how something can be as silly in concept as a bike movie yet still an action-packed story.

I am one of the naysayers with regards to Life of Pi. It's not that I disliked the movie. I simply do not like the central tenet that is revealed at the end. I have thought about it a great deal and while I love religious interpretations more than just about anybody I know, I feel that this one is diminished by the fact that it doesn't hold up well to any implementation of logic. Acknowledging all of that, this is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever watched. If you have a shiny new HDTV you want to show off to your friends, especially a 3D one, Life of Pi has some scenes that will make them Ooh! and Ahh! with jealousy.

The regrettable part of the last month is the endless onslaught of bad horror movies I have seen. The list of failed attempts to scare includes Chernobyl Diaries, House at the End of the Street, The Possession, The Apparition and What to Expect When You're Expecting. Okay, that last one technically wasn't a horror film but it was plenty scary to know that somebody thought that was a good idea. Out of the four slasher flicks, the BEST one was a C+. That was The Possession. The rest of them were all varying degrees of F-. What the Hell, Hollywood? Try harder. I generally like horror films, for God's sake. Even Jennifer Lawrence couldn't make one of these monstrosities watchable. Do better!