The Reel World

“When creating art, there’s a fine line between greatness and nonsense.” You know who said that?  I did as soon as the end credits for Cloud Atlas started rolling. The sci-fi adventure/historical drama/mega-budget drag show has modest aspirations: all it’s trying to do is tell an epic, centuries-spanning story about the human condition. Needless to say, Cloud Atlas is easily one of the most ambitious and audacious films released in the last few years. No wonder it took three directors to wrestle this thing into theaters.

Here's the thing. Fans of the franchise should be pleased with the latest entry. The series has been a solid October tradition for some time now. When you consider the low cost of creating one of these films with the proven box office numbers, this was all really a no-brainer, to say the least. You're going to get more of what you are expecting, and the film throws in enough new angles and tricks to keep the idea as fresh as possible. However, there is a flip-side to all of this. I don't think it's very likely that you can enjoy this film quite so fully if you have not seen any of the previous films.

Whenever the TV spots for Alex Cross promise that the movie features “Tyler Perry as you’ve never seen him before,” I can’t help but snarkily add “…in men’s clothing!” To put it lightly, I had my doubts when I heard the wildly successful actor/producer/director/playwright/crossdresser would be stepping into the title role, previously played on screen by Oscar winner Morgan Freeman. (Especially when Perry replaced the great Idris Elba on this project, though my giant man-crush on Elba possibly clouded my judgment.)

"Bad things happen to good people, and they deserve to have their stories told."

I have to say that the horror film market has disappointed me of late. With October in full swing, I expect to be exposed to all kinds of horror films, from unknown independent projects to the standard franchise entries that pop up every year around this time. The trouble is that the films I've seen at the theaters so far have either been very disappointing or not really horror films at all. Thankfully, Sinister is not disappointing,

Ever since Ben Affleck stepped behind the camera and took on the role of director, I’ve found myself not only becoming a fan of his work but believing the man has greatness ahead of him.  When I first watched Gone Baby Gone, I was more than a little impressed; after all, it was his first time at the helm.  But then Affleck released his follow-up film, The Town, and it blew me away.  Sure, there were some great movies that came out that year, but the fact that it didn’t make the list of best picture nominees I just can’t understand.  But with the release of Argo it would seem the Academy will have a chance to right that wrong and shower this film with plenty of adoration.  Sure, this is pretty much a shoe-in for the best picture nomination, but not just because it’s great, but really, what is the competition?

To his credit, Tim Burton has managed to keep the art of stop motion alive and well in Hollywood. He's also proven that it can still be quite effective and just as commercial with such classics as A Nightmare Before Christmas. Since that time he's had a modest number of hits and misses but nothing that has come close to the holiday staple...until now. Frankenweenie is destined to become a Halloween tradition at our house, and I suspect I'm not alone.

"Ever since you were born I wanted to protect my little ghoul. So I created a place where all monsters could be safe from them."

I love monsters. Both old and new, I've been in love with monsters for as long as I can remember. There were the Friday night Creature Features with Dr. Shock. My Dad and I would watch the old Universal classics, and while I didn't know it then, I was getting my first lessons in cinema. I was being groomed to become the film lover I am today. I still love monsters even when they're making us laugh (preferably on purpose).

Pitch Perfect is the best big-screen a cappella comedy I’ve ever seen. Of course, the new film pretty much wins that title by default because the hyper-competitive world of collegiate a cappella has been largely ignored by the movies. To make up for that oversight, Pitch Perfect tries to cram all aca-related matters into one movie. The result is a slightly flabby 112-minute running time. Fortunately(?), I’ve been to enough a cappella competitions to appreciate the fact that the movie gets a lot of things right. (Including the annoying habit aca-people have of sticking “aca” in front of everything.)

"Time travel has not been invented.  But thirty years from now, it will have been."

What I like most about writer and director Rian Johnson is his ability to tackle a genre that has been recycled and done to death and deliver a film that is fresh and unique.  His first film Brick reimagined film noir and his second feature outing The Brothers Bloom gave us a heist film that was smart, sweet and classy.  In his third feature outing he is setting out to deliver his most ambitious film but also his most accessible film.

"You've broken the law and I am here to arrest you. I am fate with a badge and a gun protecting the prey from the predators, the good from the bad. We are the police."

David Ayer is no stranger to police dramas. You might say it's his favorite cinematic subject. Just look at his list of screenplays which include the likes of S.W.A.T. and Training Day and a director resume that includes Harsh Times. He's not afraid to delve into the darker nature of the police. He's at it again with End Of Watch which he both wrote and directed.