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“Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol” (Non-Stop Action!)

Tom Cruise and his MI team are on a mission to save the earth from nuclear annihilation. Sounds like a modest proposal, right? But it turns out to be rather complicated.

The team busts Tom (as Ethan Hunt) out of a Russian prison to the accompaniment of Dean Martin’s “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head.” They survive an assassination attempt in Moscow, then head off to Dubai to execute a scheme at the tallest hotel in the world.

You just know that some kind of stunt will involve the risk of falling a hundred stories or more and the filmmaker does not disappoint. This is one of the more exciting sections of the movie. After the scam occurs with partial success, it’s time for the team to go to Mumbai to scuttle the launch of a nuke targeted for San Francisco.

Throughout the movie, you will enjoy chase scenes (by car and foot), gunplay, hand-to-hand combat, a really big sand storm and some cool electronic surveillance. Should you notice any holes in the plot, or occurrences that defy all belief, don’t worry. Just enjoy.

In a genius casting move, Simon Pegg on “Shaun of the Dead” fame, appears as the team’s timid electronics guy. Pegg provides geeky comic relief. Jeremy Renner plays an agent turned “analyst,” whose cover is quickly deduced by Ethan. Paula Patton is the team’s designated babe. She’s gorgeous and feisty, too.

If you can, see this in the IMAX or large screen formats. It’s a big movie and it looks better on the bigger screen. The film is directed by Brad Bird, best known for directing Pixar hits “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.” As he did with “The Incredibles,” he has delivered more fast-paced action/adventure fun.

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St. Louis Film Critics Finalists for 2011 Awards

Each year the St. Louis Film Critics group (which includes newspaper reviewers, broadcast reviewers and online reviewers) picks its awards for the best film work during that particular year. I am a proud member of the group.

Here are this year’s finalists in the major categories. Our winners will be announced next week.

Best Film

The Artist

The Descendants

Drive

My Week With Marilyn

Tree of Life

Best Director

Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist

Terrence Malick for Tree of Life

Alexander Payne for The Descendants

David Fincher for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive

Best Actor

Ryan Gosling for Drive

George Clooney for The Descendants

Jean Dujardin for The Artist

Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soildier Spy

Michael Fassbender for Shame

Brad Pitt for Moneyball

Best Actress

Saoirse Ronan for Hanna

Elizabeth Olsen for Martha Marcy May Marlene

Michelle Williams for My Week With Marilyn

Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady

Rooney Mara for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Viola Davis for The Help

Best Supporting Actor

John Hawkes for Martha Marcy May Marlene

Albert Brooks for Drive

John Goodman for The Artist

Alan Rickman for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Jonah Hill for Moneyball

Best Supporting Actress

Cate Blanchett for Hanna

Octavia Spencer for The Help

Shailene Woodley for The Descendants

Bérénice Bejo for The Artist

Jessica Chastain for Tree Of Life

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My Week With Marilyn—(Blonde on Blonde)

This story is supposedly true. Doesn’t matter. True or not, it’s a good story.

How big a star was Marilyn Monroe in the 1950’s? Ask your grandfather. He’ll tell you. Mainstream movies did not have nude scenes in the 50’s. But they did have Marilyn. With her blonde hair, big lips and voluptuous body, she exuded sex. She was a megastar.

Michelle Williams is not a dead ringer for Marilyn, but the hair and makeup people and the costumers give her the Marilyn look. What she does with that look is amazing. She brings the Marilyn persona to life, complete with her insecurities and fragile ego. This is an impressive performance. Award-worthy? Yes.

British actor Eddie Redmayne stars as Colin, a recent college grad who nabs a gig as third assistant director on the movie “The Prince and the Showgirl.” His duties as a “go-fer” eventually include tending to many of Marilyn’s needs, much to the dismay of her longtime support team. He provides companionship and emotional support during an uncomfortable episode in her life and career. Quite a heady experience for a 23-year-old in 1956!

“The Prince and the Showgirl” matched Marilyn with Laurence Olivier, who starred and directed. He needed her for her beauty and sex appeal; she needed him to certify her talent as an actress. Their relationship was stormy due to his being upset with her tardiness and failure to remember lines. She, meanwhile, was intimidated by his legend and strict demands. Kenneth Branagh does an excellent job portraying Olivier.

In “My Week with Marilyn,” however, as in “The Prince and the Showgirl,” the blonde bombshell upstages the British acting legend. These movies belong to Michelle/Marilyn.

Of special note in “My Week with Marilyn” is Emma Watson’s debut in a non-Hermione Granger role. She has a minor part as a costumer who competes with Marilyn for Colin’s time and attention. She picked a good movie to begin her transition.

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“The Muppets”—(TFGMOTY!)

This is the perfect fun movie for families. Gen-Xers who were kids when the Muppets weekly TV show was huge will love this movie. Boomers will dig it as well.

“The Muppets” has an old-timey feel. It is shot on back lots like you’ve seen in movies for decades. Some of the costuming looks like it came from a cartoon. The musical numbers are cleverly staged and are presented with lots of pizzazz. The music is a big part of “The Muppets” but does not dominate the film.

“The Muppets” tells the story of Gary and Mary (played by Jason Segel and Amy Adams) who live in Small Town, USA. Gary has a brother named Walter who looks very much like a Muppet. When Gary and Mary head to L.A. to visit the Muppet Studios, Walter is invited to tag along.

When they visit the rundown studios, they learn that an evil man named Tex Richman (played with panache by Chris Cooper) plans to destroy the Muppet Studios to get to the oil that lies below it. The only way they can save it is to reunite the Muppets and put on a telethon to raise $10 million.

Gary, Mary and Walter head first to Bel Air and the mansion of Kermit the Frog. They track down the rest of the Muppets who are all happy to join in the mission.  Except Miss Piggy, who is a holdout. No…wait…now she is going to join in the telethon!

You might guess the outcome of this crisis. You might be surprised at some of the cameo appearances. You might be amazed how much fun you will have at this movie.

A friend whose only child is now 21 bemoaned on Facebook the fact that she has no young kids to take to see “The Muppets.” No problem; go with another adult!

If you have been waiting for “the feel-good movie of the year,” look no further. This is it.

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“The Descendants”=This Year’s Best Movie (So Far)

The storytelling and the acting make “The Descendants” a title you may hear mentioned many times on February 26 (Oscar night).

“The Descendants” has it all.  Good characters.  Good story.  Most important: the story is told in an entertaining way.

The acting is superb.  George Clooney is at this best.  Lesser-known Shailene Woodley brings a performance that will lead to bigger roles.

“The Descendants” has parallel story lines which, ungeometrically, do intersect. The plotlines could occur anywhere in the US, but the story is set in Hawaii. (The screenplay is adapted from a novel by Hawaii native Kaui Hart Hemmings, who has a small role in the film.) The beauty of the islands and the attitudes of its residents give the movie a different flavor than it would have were it set in one of the states on the continent.

The main story focuses on Clooney as a workaholic lawyer whose wife has a boating accident. Doctors prepare to disconnect her from life support. Clooney has to inform his family, including two daughters, and friends about her fate. He learns from his older daughter, played by Woodley, that his wife had been cheating on him. His actions and reactions are the core of the movie.

The other plotline involves Clooney’s character’s extended family of cousins, all of whom are direct descendants of King Kamehameha. They are prepared to cash in on the sale of a huge tract of land on one of the islands. Among the cousins is Beau Bridges as an aging hippie bar owner. The collision of the two plotlines results in the some of the movie’s best scenes.

Alexander Payne is the director and co-writer of “The Descendants.” His storytelling skills have been shown in “Sideways,” “About Schmidt” and “Election.” He has, again, delivered a good story and has obtained excellent work from his actors. (In “The Descendants,” which is rated R, Payne has dialed back the raunch a bit from his previous films.)

Will “The Descendants” bring Clooney a nomination for best actor?  Book it.  Might Woodley win an award nomination?  Wouldn’t be surprised. Should you go see this movie now? Yes, definitely!

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“Melancholia”—–/Tedious, Weird, Pointless/

“Melancholia” is a movie that I strongly dislike. Some people may tell you that it is a brilliant work of art representing the great themes of life. I would agree that it does demonstrate “man’s inhumanity to man,” specifically the filmmaker’s inhumanity to moviegoers.

Lars von Trier, a Dane, is the guy who wrote and directed the movie. Blame him for this mess.

The title has two meanings. It is the name of a form of clinical depression, which Kirsten’s Dunst’s character suffers from. It is also the name of a planet in the movie, which is on a collision course with earth. The collision results in the end of the world. It takes so long to get to that conclusion that I found myself thinking of the old Meatloaf lyric “now I’m praying for the end of time.”

“Melancholia” will gain notoriety for its shots of a nude Kirsten Dunst. Her gratuitous nudity, like the entire movie, is tedious, weird and pointless.

In its favor, the movie has a nice opening montage, some beautiful images and an interesting assortment of characters. Sadly, what happens to these characters is not interesting.

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Breaking Dawn, Part 1—(The Newlyweds Get Busy!)

In the Twilight books and movies, the Cullens are “good” vampires. They dress nice, have a great house and respect humans. Edward Cullen nobly chooses to refrain from sexual activity with Bella until they get married.

In “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1,” they get married. (Beautiful wedding, by the way.) So now here comes the skinny dipping and the rough sex. Nothing too graphic is shown, but there may be enough to cause concern among moms of young girls.

Up to now, their romance has been relatively chaste. In “TTSBDP1,” Bella wakes up on the morning after with bruises. You’ve allowed your 12 or 13-year-old daughter to see what came before. Will you allow her to see this? Or will you take her with you? Women of all ages are among those who love this whole saga.

Apparently Edward’s family never taught him about contraception. Which is actually a good thing. Had he used a condom, we wouldn’t have the main part of this story, which is Bella’s pregnancy.

Without spoiling too much, let’s just say that the birth of this child is not a neat and easy delivery. No, it’s bloody, messy and violent. After they clean her up, she’s a good-looking baby. Sadly, she is saddled with the horrible first name Renesmee. (Good luck surviving grade school with that name, kid!)

If you are deeply involved in the books and movies, you will appreciate the film depiction of Jacob’s “imprinting” on Renesmee. You will also appreciate the final shot before the credits roll.

If you’ve seen the other three Twilight movies, you are pretty much obliged to see this one, right? Should you go on opening weekend, be aware that many showings are already sold out.

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“Like Crazy”—(Like, Not Love)

A giant poster in the theater lobby has raves galore for “Like Crazy.”  The poster has a list of film festivals that have given the movie gobs of awards.  The poster’s message is clear:  If you don’t love this movie, there’s something wrong with you.

Sorry, I did not love “Like Crazy.”  I liked it.

“Like Crazy” captures the magic of falling in love. Those first days, weeks and months when you are head over heels are special. In “Like Crazy,” we meet two attractive young people, Anna and Jacob, and watch them enjoy the start of their romance. If you have ever fallen in love, you will relate.

After the first act though, the movie loses its mojo.  A visa problem provides a major plot point.  Anna, from England, is not allowed back into the US to be with Jacob. What follows is time spent apart, new love interests for each, a visit by Jacob to Anna in England and the eventual resolution of the story.

For a movie with lots of talk and little action, the two stars bring their best to these roles. Felicity Jones is Anna and Anton Yelchin is Jacob. Good to see former TV hospital staffers Alex (“E.R.”) Kingston and Finola (“General Hospital”) Hughes in supporting roles as Anna’s mom and boss, respectively.

If you are in the mood for a romantic movie that may take you back to the first time (or first few times) you fell in love, try “Like Crazy.” Or if you are still waiting to fall madly in love, you may want to check it out.  Just be sure to walk quickly past that giant poster in the lobby.

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J. Edgar (G-man is a ZZZZZ-man.)

If you have a wristwatch, wear it to this movie.  You’ll want to check it several times.

I am sorry to report that “J. Edgar” is slow and boring.  Leonardo DiCaprio brought so much energy to “The Aviator,” but he can’t keep this one from taking a nosedive.

Former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover is a compelling character, but the fascination is probably greater for folks of director Clint Eastwood’s generation than to baby boomers and Gen-Xers.  Much of his life and legend are already known.  The film focuses on Hoover’s effort to control what the FBI does and to control public perception of himself and the agency.

One problem with “J. Edgar” is the almost monochromatic art direction, which Eastwood has used successfully in other movies.  Here it just makes the film seem drab.

Telling the story in flashbacks (as an aging Hoover dictates his memoir) is okay, but a chronological buildup to our seeing Leo in elderly person makeup might’ve worked better.

The question of Hoover’s homosexuality is addressed.  He is depicted as a reluctant gay, ever aware of his status with FBI.  Much of that part of his life must, of necessity, be based on speculation since people like him did not come “out” in those days.

The acting is generally good.  Armie Hammer plays Hoover’s FBI assistant and companion Clyde Tolson.  Judi Dench plays Hoover’s mother.  Naomi Watts plays his secretary.

DiCaprio is guilty of occasional overacting.  Maybe he felt a lot of responsibility was riding on his shoulders and that he should, therefore, overcompensate.

I hope Leo DiCaprio has a happy 37th birthday on November 11.  I suggest you celebrate it by seeing something other than “J. Edgar.”

 

 

 

 

 

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“Martha Marcy May Marlene”—(Family Matters.)

(Another challenge for theater owners:  try to cram this title on your marquee.)

“MMMM” is a good independent film about a young woman who leaves her dysfunctional natural family to live with a “family” led by a Manson type.

Martha etc. is played by Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister of Mary Kate and Ashley.  She has emotional problems, but keeps the audience guessing as to how damaged she really is.  We cannot always determine which parts of her psyche come from her real family or the “family” family.

John Hawkes, who got an Oscar nomination for last year’s “Winter Bone,” should be in the running to get one for his work in “MMMM.”  He is the slick-talking charmer who makes Olsen feel appreciated.  He gives her emotional support, tells her she is “a teacher and a leader” and even sings a special song for her.

The movie begins with her leaving the “family” to stay with her estranged sister and the sister’s new husband.  Sister is Sarah Paulson.  Brother-in-law is Hugh Dancy.  (Martha’s mother is dead and her father is absent.)

During her visit with her sister and brother-in-law, she and the movie keep flashing back to her time with the “family.”  She reverts to certain odd behaviors, like walking in and lying down on her sister’s bed while the sis and brother-in-law are making love.

Some of the flashbacks display a brutal, violent existence.  Other parts of her “family” life show emotional needs being met—needs that were not satisfied by her “real” family.

You may see parts of someone you know (or have known) in Martha.  The empty hole in her soul that was filled by the “family” is one that her sister and brother-in-law cannot fill.  Seeing the character’s vulnerability, you may be able to understand how a person could be lured into this “family.”

Will she go back to the “family?”  Will she accept her sister’s offer to seek professional help?  I’ll never tell.  Go see “MMMM” and appreciate these two solid performances by Olsen and Hawkes.

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