Review: Gone Baby Gone (Grade: A+)

At first glance, a movie about child abduction might conjure up an image of a cheesy made for TV movie, but look closer and you will discover a film so surprisingly smart and well made you'll be talking about it long afterwards.

"Gone Baby Gone" is definitely a film that will keep you not only riveted to your seat but will shock and move you. Marking the directorial debut of Ben Affleck and starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris, this film puts to rest any doubts on whether or not Ben has talent. What it abundantly proves is that he has found his niche in life. Hell, he even co-wrote the screenplay!

Better known for his "Bennifer" period and tabloid headlines than his acting skills, Ben has exploded into the directors chair in such a confident way that other directors need to take some cues from him. I mean who would have thought the guy had it in him? Believe me when I say that if he only directs movies from this point on and NEVER acted again I would be a happy man.

The film is based on Dennis Lehane's (Mystic River) child-abduction novel. Just like "Mystic River," "Gone Baby Gone" is set in the old neighborhoods of Boston. The film centers around newbie private investigators Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck, Ben's younger brother, in his best performance to date) and Angie Genarro (Monaghan, showing that she is more than a pretty face), who not only work together but also live together. They are hired by the family of an abducted 4-year-old girl. The relatives reason that no one in the neighborhood wants to talk to the police if they know something, but they'll talk to a "neighborhood" guy they know and trust.

Working for the family, Patrick and Angie convince the chief of the Crimes Against Children department (Freeman, deliciously playing against type) to let them get some info from the detectives assigned to the case. Remy Bressant (Harris, an intense force of nature) and his partner, Nick Poole (John Ashton), reluctantly agree to meet and talk with them and they quickly find out that Patrick's street smarts could actually be an asset. This starts a chain reaction of events that eventually leads them back to the girls home. Nothing or nobody is what they seem and this makes for compelling drama.

Turns out the little girls mother played very convincingly by Amy Ryan, might have something to do with her own daughters abduction but not in the way you think. Ryan's performance is mesmerizing as she ferociously tears through her scenes with not only intensity but with realism. Her multi-layered performance is so strong that even that you know she will never win "Mother of the Year" honors you still feel sympathy for her. Her scenes with Oscar winners Harris and Freeman are flat out amazing and she proves that she can not only hold her own against such powerhouses but overshadow them as well.

Casey Affleck, who I've never been a fan of, proves that with the right direction, he can flat out act. He takes what could have been a one-dimensional character and turns it into multi-layered everyman with a conscience. Gone is the nasally voice and the whining man-child that he usually plays and in it's place comes a flawed yet real human character. He is that good. What a surprise! Ed Harris turns in another brilliant performance as a dedicated cop with underlining motives. He's always been a favorite with women but he gives a speech in this film that will win him female fans for life. All I can say is that after he delivered it, women in the theater actually cheered. Wow!

It is said that if you have great acting and a decent story then you can make an entertaining film. Given that logic, what if you have great acting, a great story AND great directing? Well, do the math. The acting in this film was spectacular in every way shape and form, the story was incredible and the directing was near perfect. I think I've made my point. Even the extras, who were real people in many instances, added much to the film by infusing it with a gritty realism that payed off huge. Much was made of Ben using the local people in the many bar and neighborhood scenes, but it worked and it gave a strong sense that you were actually part of this neighborhood.

Technically this movie couldn't have been made any better. Affleck who is no dummy in real life, wisely surrounded himself with established (and Oscar winning) people like cinematographer John Toll, and composer Harry Gregson-Williams who deftly bring this story to life. The trick to great camerawork and music is to move the story along and not get in the way and with these two consummate professionals at the top of their games this is exactly what happens.

I'm going to say it right here and now that come Oscar season this film will be nominated in a big way. My prediction is that this film will earn a best picture nom and Ben will get a nom for both directing and best screenplay as well as acting noms for Casey, Ed Harris and Amy Ryan. And if there is any justice it should also get best original score and cinematography.

Simply put, this stunning film is a shining example of brilliant filmmaking. It's an extremely well told story that deserves all the accolades it will get but it ultimately shows what people are really capable of, not only in the way the film unfolds onscreen but also behind the scenes.

Isn't it also about time that a film comes along that you actually want to talk about long after you see it? I urge everyone (especially mothers) to see this masterful film, you won't be disappointed, I promise.

Musings Grade: A+

-- Janaki Cedanna

Review: Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Grade: A)

Rarely do I see a film that stuns me as much as this one did. My thoughts were racing all over the place as I left the theater. Amazing, gorgeous, extraordinary, breathtaking. This is a landmark achievement of cinema, I thought.

'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' starring Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen and Geoffrey Rush is a film of stunning greatness. But I haven't been hearing great things. The film has been called "campy" and "melodramatic" among other cynical remarks. But I don't care, I really like this two hour epic and continuing saga of the original Queen Elizabeth.

Cate Blanchett reprises her role nearly ten years after her star making turn in 'Elizabeth'. In that film she plays the young girl who becomes one of the greatest Queens of all time while remaining a virgin. Here years later, she tries to protect her Christian country against the rampaging Spanish Armada and it's Catholic King Philip, played wonderfully and with charisma by, Jordi Molla. Still a virgin, old Queenie starts courting various European royalty at the behest of her advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham played terrifically understated (and underused) by Geoffrey Rush when Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) catches her eye. But alas, it wasn't meant to be as the roguish Raleigh woos the Queens maidservant. All this is going on while the tides of war are about to strike. Good thing she was a virgin, she can't be thinking of love when she's got to go to war!

Blanchett owns this role. She was so superb that an Oscar nom is most definitely in the bag. She is the centerpiece and she doesn't disappoint. Director Shekhar Kapur full realizes this as the camera lingers on Cate's beautifully flawless translucent skin and her mesmerizing and expressive eyes. Good thinking Shekhar. Not only does Cate look amazing but she infuses the Queen with real human frailties. It's great to see that the Queen is human after all. Clive Owen doesn't do much besides stand around looking doe-eyed for all the ladies of the court but no matter as when it's time for war he puts on his serious Clive face and kicks some Spanish ass. Samantha Morton plays the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots and even though her on-screen time is brief she delivers a memorable and powerful performance. Doesn't she always?

Now the other eye candy. The sets and costumes were down right phenomenal as every detail was perfect. Candy is the operative word here as I felt it was a feast for my eyes. Everything from the smooth and lengthy shots, to the editing was flawless. This is a film that PROVES that you don't have to have a quick cut every two seconds or have shaky camera moves in order to tell a story. Leave that to Michael Bay. Even the climatic battle against the Spanish Armada was flawlessly done (albeit short.) The CGI in the battle sequence was so real that I felt cold when the wind blew. It was done in a very balletic and non-intrusive way as to make you feel as if were actually there. Very impressive. My Oscar predictions are noms for Cate, cinematography, art direction, costumes, and possibly best picture.

Simply put, this film was amazing. Sure the story might not have been as strong as the first one and the music could have been softer at times but what makes this film rise above the rest of the dreck playing at a theater near you is that filmmaking is an art form and this film IS art.

Throw out your misconceptions about "period" films as this one has humor, action, drama and love all intertwined in a harmonious way. So sit back and watch this film with it's sheer power and magnitude and I promise you will feel uplifted when it's over. Is it campy and melodramatic? Maybe. Or maybe peoples cynicism don't allow them to enjoy a well made piece of cinema anymore. Maybe I just enjoy the art of great filmmaking. You decide and let me know what you think.

Musings Grade: A

-- Janaki Cedanna

Review: Michael Clayton (Grade: B+)

Every now and then a really smart movie makes it to the multiplexes. 'Michael Clayton', starring George Clooney, is such a film. Problem is, sometimes it's just too smart for it's own good.

To me the film is an homage to the 70's political thrillers (the well made ones) in as much as it takes it's time spinning a tale that ultimately leads to a satisfying climax.

The film centers on legal "fixer" Michael Clayton, played by good ole George to weary perfection. I don't think I've ever seen him look so tired and worn out with big bags under his eyes. But I digress. Whenever the huge legal firm he works for needs to solve problems they call in Michael to do the dirty work all the while keeping him on the books as a trial attorney. Growing weary of doing "janitorial" work Michael takes a case to get his old friend and mentor Arthur back on his meds. Arthur played to great passive aggressiveness by the always luminous Tom Wilkinson, has just freaked out during a deposition by babbling seemingly incoherently and by ripping his clothes off. Michael immediately flies out to take care of the situation but along the way he finds out that maybe Arthur is telling the truth and isn't as crazy as he seems. Thus begins the road to redemption that leads Michael to uncovering an awful truth.

Famed director Sydney Pollack just acts in this one as the firms senior partner and is magnificent as a steely eyed attorney who doesn't as much care for the truth as he does about the bottom line. Tilda Swinton is excellent as the attorney on the other side who only cares about looking good for the senior partners.

The pacing of this pretty long film is very quick which surprised me because of the subject matter. I mean, how many times have we seen lawyers standing around talking about lawyerly things?? How boring is that?? Not this time as Clooney's performance is the glue that holds all of this together. Now I have to say that I don't usually like old Georgie boy with his smarmy grin. But I was surprised by the stripped down performance that he gives here. Gone were the grins and Clooney facial tics that I have come to hate, replaced with a road weariness that frankly I didn't expect. It was refreshing just to see him act.

On the technical side, the film looked great. Not only did the characters seem worn out but so did New York itself. Again another thing that reminded me of those grungy looking 70's films like "Taxi Driver" or the "French Connection."

Directed by first-timer Tony Gilroy (he wrote the Bourne films) with beautiful long shots, he should have sat back, patted himself on the back and said, "Well done!" for making such engaging film that builds up steadily with a great payoff. But instead he curiously decided to start the movie in flashback mode and basically showed the end of the film first, so when the ending arrived it was a letdown. He (and the studio) thought they had to give into the modern aesthetic of having something blow up at the beginning to keep the interest of those with five second attention spans. Very sad. He also overdid a trite technique of having a main character do a voiceover at the beginning of the film, except this time it went on for several minutes with the Wilkinson character rambling incoherently about nothing. Not only did it not make sense but it was very hard to follow with the swelling of the music.

So, in my mind those two things nearly ruined a perfectly smart film. But I could be nitpicking, decide for yourself and remember to leave your short attention spans at the door.

Musings Grade: B+

-- Janaki Cedanna

Charlize Theron Voted Sexiest Woman Alive!

I heard the news today about one of my favorite "hottie" actresses taking the top spot in Esquires Sexiest Woman in the World. Gotta love those lists!

All I can say is that she was overdue for this designation and also that apparently enough time had passed since she uglied down for the film 'Monster'.

I actually had a chance to meet the luscious Charlize in person earlier this year at the ASC Awards in L.A. She looked very cute in person and she smelled soooo good. She was also a very shy and sweet girl especially when she complimented me on my tux. Check out the pic I took of her!

Who knew she had a tattoo on the top of her foot?

-- Janaki Cedanna

Entourage Cast Hiatus News - Part 1

All you ever wanted know (but were afraid to ask) about the hiatus happenings of the Entourage cast.

read more | digg story

Review: Dedication (Grade: C)

"Dedication" starring Billy Crudup, Mandy Moore and Tom Wilkinson is a film that at first seems to be compelling but ultimately is filled with genre cliches, banal and lazy storytelling and simplistic plot devices. The acting is what saves this kind of film from itself and even though this film delivers strong performances it's missing something.

Unfortunately, this is a story that reminds us of an unfunny "As Good As It Gets" where Billy Crudup plays a less charismatic and unlikeable Jack Nicholson (if that's even possible.) The story is frighteningly similar as our hero Henry Roth (Crudup) is a children's book writer that just wants to be left alone and when his illustrator (Wilkinson) dies he is saddled with a new one in the form of Lucy (Moore) who teaches him valuable lessons of love. Along the way, Henry decides to become a better person for her and after pushing her away he attempts to change and she mysteriously goes along with it.

The main problem here is while Nicholson showed the more human side of severe neurosis comedically, Crudup goes for the dramatic. He is mean to people for no apparent reason, incredibly misanthropic for the sake of pushing people away and is generally scared of everything and everyone around him. Crudup plays this role not as a person with hidden feelings but as a irreparably damaged person that just doesn't care. So when he suddenly does care and develop feelings about Lucy it's all the more unbelievable. The great lengths he goes to win back her misplaced affection are as absurd as the fact that this guy could even begin to be a children's writer, let alone a successful one. His performance is the centerpiece of this story but his nonchalantness gets old very quickly. Characters such as his are supposed to change or evolve during the course of the film in order for the viewer to like them and be on their side. Crudup doesn't do this, instead he relies on trite facial tics to show he has any semblance of feelings.

Tom Wilkinson's performance is infused with an over-the-top irony as he acts as Henry's conscience in the later half of the film. Wilkinson chews up every scene he's in and you can tell that he's the only one enjoying himself. Mandy Moore's performance was not only a departure from her normal roles but it was chance to show a subtlety and depth with her acting. She delivers a moving and sweet performance of a damaged person that hasn't quite sunk to the depths of despair that Henry has. I have to say that when I first saw her in the film I like many others thought, Mandy Moore? But she quickly dispelled any doubts I had and disappeared into what I believe is a star turning role. She was so good that I was actually rooting for her character to get away from Henry as quickly as possible without turning back. If she had then that would have been a much different film. Bob Balaban and Dianne Weist play roles we've seen them in before, but much more outlandish. They are actually playing caricatures of the types they've become famous for and it seems they were only there to provide some much needed comic relief.

Ultimately, this film is missing "heart" and in the end I felt depressed and slightly dirty. It's as if the ugliness of Henry has somehow leapt of the screen and infected me with moroseness and self-loathing. I felt my first order of business was to take a long hot shower. I also felt that interacting with people (and having fun) will somehow make me forget the character of Henry.

The trailer leads you to believe this is a love story, and it is, just not in the way you think. The film succeeds in convincing you that love IS blind and inexplicable. If that's the strongest message one can get out of this mess then it has done it's job. If not? Then it's just a mess.

Musings Grade: C

-- Janaki Cedanna

Review: The Seeker (Grade: C)

"The Seeker: The Dark is Rising" is exactly what you've come to expect from a post-Harry Potter world in that there's nothing new here and it seems like we've seen it all before.

Based on another set of popular children's fantasy books this film might have worked if it had come out 10 years ago. But the problem is Harry Potter came out first and decided to tell it's epic story over seven films. Fantasy films that attempt to tell a new story need a sweeping canvas to do them any kind of justice, so by cramming a "new" story in an hour an a half makes for a shoddy film.

At different times throughout the film I felt like it had lifted various elements from nearly every other fantasy or Sci-Fi film in the genre. But I'll get into more of that later. This film is clearly aimed at pre-teens boys and girls and I immediately thought of it as "Harry Potter for Dummies." You know, like those fancy names usually given to people, things and places like in the Potter series or the Tolkien books were just too hard. It's almost as if the writer thought, "let me come up with the most generic names imaginable as to not confuse anybody." Good and evil will be the "Light" and the "Dark," the bad guy who rides a horse will be the "Rider" and the good people who have fought the bad ones for centuries will be "The Old Ones." Wow, and I thought my scripts were unimaginative.

The story is a simple one we've all seen a million times before, and much better I might add. In this one a a young boy (Alexander Ludwig) discovers that he is the last of a group of immortals dedicated to fighting evil. Traveling back and forth through time, he has to retrieve a series of clues before the sinister forces of evil get their mangy paws on them and bring about the end of the world. Umm, okay. Oh, and there's a also totally laughable twist about a long lost sibling.

Ludwig plays Will Stanton like he's trying out for a new version N'Sync with a stylish little gel flip in his hair and he clearly doesn't have the charisma required to play this role. Ian McShane plays one of the old ones and his only job is to stand around looking serious and explaining the entire backstory to not only young Will but to us. Funny how I understood it immediately while it took Will much longer for it to finally sink in. It made me question his intelligence, let me tell you. Perhaps the juiciest and most fleshed out role came from Christopher Eccleston who plays the Rider with such glee that he could make a living for the rest of his life in playing the baddie. But I've known that since his star making turn years ago in "Shallow Grave."

The unoriginality of this film was the most irritating part of it as it reminded me of Star Wars and revelations from the Bible all rolled into one, only much more bland and generic.

The film did get a few things right as it looked very beautiful and surreal and the special effects were top notch. I also thought that the fact that the Rider controlled animals to do his nasty work was a slightly different twist as well as a chance to show off some of the better CGI sequences I've seen in awhile. But it was a case of not enough and way too late.

Overall, these few things things are what elevated this film from a B-level film straight to DVD release, to a theatrical film that has a slight chance to make a profit. Now if only they had strung out this film to a series instead of cramming all of this into one film then this might have not have felt as rushed and simplistic.

Musings Grade: C

-- Janaki Cedanna

Review: Across The Universe (Grade: B)

Visually stunning, gorgeous imagery, brilliant reimagining of classic Beatles songs but ultimately a huge mess. These were just some of the thoughts that came to my mind as I was exiting the theater after watching the brilliantly shot film "Across the Universe."

This is definitely a film that needs to be seen in the theater or at least on a 60" HD television. The problem is that when the music stops and the actors speak the film falls apart. I can only imagine what the film looked like before all the drama that unfolded after the shooting was completed. This film has been plagued by more drama than "Entourage."

Let me give you the short version. Principal photography wrapped in early 2005 and when director Julie Taymor handed it in to the studio they hated it. Joe Roth, studio head of Revolution Studios tried to convince her that it needed to be recut after a few disastrous screenings but Taymor refused and all hell broke loose. She then launched a campaign to have her name removed from the film and threatened to sue. Roth went ahead and recut the film anyway and after some negotiations Taymor caved. So what's been released is the studio cut of the film and I can't wait to see Taymor's version as it couldn't be a bigger mess than it already is, or could it?

The film itself is just a series of music videos strung together with some of the weakest acting and incoherent storylines I've seen in a long time. But let's focus on the positive, shall we? As a life long Beatles fan, I like most cringed when I saw the trailer for the film because I thought they would absolutely butcher the Fab Four's classic songs. But let me tell you they did a magnificent job not only in the new arrangements but in bringing the lyrics to life (even some of the wildest tunes like "I am the Walrus" or "Come Together.")

The story is set around a young college boy from Liverpool named Jude (get it) as he comes to America to find his real father. Along the way he meets a privileged frat boy and his beautiful younger sister named Lucy (are you getting it yet?) played by Evan Rachel Wood. All set against the turbulent late 60's. Wood is the only one that actually acts decently in the film but I was struck by how young she looked. Remembering that the film wrapped in 2005 I realized she was still a young girl then, right on the cusp of womanhood. In only short two years since then she has matured into a very sexy young woman. One of the problems is Jim Sturgess who played Jude has absolutely zero charisma. He looked too much like that guy from the band Oasis and it was distracting.

One of the most imaginative and gorgeous sequences is the underwater singing when Lucy and Jude are falling in love set to the haunting "Because." That sequence is perhaps one of the most incredibly beautiful things I have ever seen on film. This film is so perfectly shot look for the Cinematographer, Bruno Delbonnel to get an Oscar nom. Another great sequence was when the frat boy got drafted to the song "She's So Heavy" and later reprised with him in the hospital being cared for by a sexy Salma Hayek in a nurse's outfit. Talk about a fantasy come true!

The cameos sung by Bono (I Am The Walrus), Eddie Izzard (Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite) and Joe Cocker (Come Together) are all noteworthy because of the high production value and by how much fun they all were seem to be having. In fact, after stunning numbers throughout the film the ending was a let down when they had Sturgess sing "Hey Jude" on a rooftop that was supposed to emulate the famous Beatles concert. In what was supposed to be the climactic moment of the film instead turned into a ho hum moment that had me longing for that long chorus at the end of the actual song.

But not all of the sequences worked. They actually had the audacity to compare Jude and Lucy's love affair to the superimposed images of actual footage of the Vietnam war. Wow, that was pretentious and extremely offensive. Nothing like showing them arguing with images of horrific war footage playing in the background.

I would enjoy seeing the musical numbers released on their own without the mundane and trite so-called love story. Now that would be cool.

In spite of all the failings of this film, this is a must see in the theaters. So get out and see it while you still can!

Musings Grade: B

-- Janaki Cedanna

Review: The Kingdom (Grade: D-)

Say what you want, but Arizona DOES NOT look like Saudia Arabia. Okay, now that I have that out of the way let me talk about Peter Berg's new film, "The Kingdom."

First off, Peter Berg was the wrong guy to direct this film. Why? Berg directed the critical and commercial successful film "Friday Night Lights", which even spawned a TV show, but the visual style that worked for that film does not work here. I'm not a big fan of Cinema Verite, you know, the extremely shaky handheld style that's all the rage now. It works in a football movie. It doesn't work here. There is only one filmmaker working today that uses that severe "The Shield" type of camerawork to great effect and that's Paul Greengrass (United 93 & The Borne Ultimatum) sadly, Berg went more for the Michael Bay school of directing (movement over plot.) Who needs to see every single scene with that much movement?

But wait, there are more problems with film.

Second, we have the story itself. Screenwriter, Matthew Michael Carnahan (brother of Joe Carnahan) seemed to think that we needed the cliff notes version of the history of Saudia Arabia during the opening credits and then to proceed to ignore much of it during the story itself. Carnahan gives us way to much backstory that is unnecessary and pointless. He also gives us cardboard cutout cliches for characters, but more on that in a moment. The heart of the story is as unbelievable as it is simplistic as it ultimately boils down to two distinctive and trite conclusions: Americans are spoiled, brilliant rebels with a sense of entitlement and everyone else is stupid, inept terrorists. I know that movies are supposed to be escapist and all that but c'mon this was just plain ridiculous. We all know that in real life that our government can't solve crimes in two days just by looking at the scene. This film played like an hour and a half episode of "CSI", but without the charisma.

Next, we have the characters. The four so-called "elite" FBI team that goes in to solve a terrorist bombing are the epitome of one-dimensional characters. Jamie Foxx plays the group leader with that super cool, mumbling way of his. Jennifer Garner plays a forensic expert who wears super tight tank tops in a Muslim country and doesn't realize that there's anything wrong with that. Did I mention that she is always sucking on a lollipop? I can almost hear the screenwriter now, "Let's give her an edge!" Then we have the always reliable Chris Cooper who is always relied on to play the redneck CIA, FBI, DEA or NSA operative, only this time he REALLY plays up the good ole boy thing to great irritation. Finally, we have Jason Bateman playing his usual smartass role. Hey, it (sorta) worked for "Arrested Development!" These guys are supposed to be the elite? If by "elite" they mean that they can all handle AK-47's by going all "Rambo" in a foreign country then I guess it works. I guess my definition of elite means something else entirely.

But what really bugged me was that this so-called elite experts on the Middle East were just so ignorant of the culture itself. They actually thought it was okay to bring along someone on their team that was Jewish and had Israeli stamps in his passport and a woman that is so clueless about the Muslim world that she didn't think twice about sucking on those lollipops in her tight tank tops in front of everyone and that she was actually surprised when the Arabs told her that she couldn't even touch the dead Muslim men as it was offensive. What, they didn't get the memo? Maybe they should have watched the opening credits!

Finally, the look of the film had major issues. Someone thought that in order to portray a desert properly they needed to have the entire film look sepia toned. What they got was a weird look somewhere in between "The Matrix" and "Soylent Green." And oh yeah, Arizona DOES NOT look like the Middle East!

But in all this doom and gloom, there were some positive things like the explosions, the car chase scene and the gun battle at the end. Those were all done real well. But alas, a few good gun fights and explosions does not a movie make, or something like that.

I think the message the filmmakers were trying to convey is that terrorism is bad but instead they just made a bad film.

Do your self a favor and skip this one entirely, not even on DVD.

Musings Grade: D-

-- Janaki Cedanna

Sexiest Bartender in America!

I want send out a huge congrats to Phoenix's very own Rene Who captured Spike TV's nationwide search for the Sexiest Bartender in America!

Rene starred in ASU's first commercial for the film concentration earlier this year. Believe me, she is as talented as she is beautiful. Best wishes from all of us at ASU!!!!

I guess I won't be able to cast her for free in our projects anymore . . .

Click on the link above to see more pics of Rene!

-- Janaki Cedanna