Review by Barbie Snitzer

LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED is the clichéd title of an adorable, light romantic comedy that’s perfect for summer and devoid of even a hint of smutty humor.

If you think you’re having a bad day, a bad month, or even a bad life, consider the circumstances in which we meet the main character in Love Is All You Need, Ida (excellent performance by Danish star Trine Dryholm).

Behind her forced smile, Ida is maltreated by her boss at the hair salon where she works; the place itself is a cruel constant taunt. That’s because Ida, while styling others’ hair, has none of her own. She wears a wig because she’s been undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Although her chemotherapy course is completed, her pain continues as she begins the waiting game to find out if the treatment has been successful. After making this transition at the hospital, she stops off for groceries and comes home to find her oaf of a husband Leif (Kim Bidnia) in flagrante delico with his bimbo employee, (Christiane Schaumburg-Müller).

While Ida is frozen with bewilderment, Leif strains casually to remind his wife that the two have met before. “You know Tilde from accounting.” If you don’t laugh at this astute variation of the clichéd movie line “Bob from accounting,” hopefully his reminding her as she scampers out the door naked, clutching her underwear and other clothes to “take a taxi, and be sure to get a receipt” will.

Ida is understandably devastated. Could her life fall any farther down the rabbit hole?

Of course it can.

She decides to travel alone without Leif to her daughter Astrid’s (Molly Blixt-Egelind, who has the bluest eyes you’ll ever see) wedding in Italy. In the airport garage, her anxiety at travelling alone, not to mention her aforementioned troubles, causes her to become the stupidest driver ever to take the wheel of a Smart car.

When she tries to correct her parking, she backs into a big luxury car (a BMW perhaps? -not a car geek), scraping the side of the bigger car to such a degree that it makes the Smart car actually look rather sturdy. The injured car belongs to a self important, pompous CEO who reflexively launches into a tirade at the stupid woman driver who would dare inflict such grievous damage to his far more important vehicle.

The CEO is Philip (Pierce Brosnan). He exits his car to continue his temper tantrum, screaming why and how anyone could be so stupid. I love that he thinks he’s going to get satisfactory answers to his interrogation.

Ida exits the car a mess, crying, profusely, assuring Philip she will pay for any damage, but she’s so rattled she can’t find her driver’s license (which oddly, doesn’t prevent her from boarding the plane, but this is Denmark where there’s no TSA). “Of course you don’t.” the arrogant, superior man replies, causing Ida to burst into tears.

Strike One.

Philip makes a comforting move towards her, intending to stop the waterworks he started, and winds up inadvertently dislodging her wig.

Strike Two.

Ida is clearly more damaged than Philip’s car, and he kindly reassures her that the formalities can wait. Clearly, it would take a most inconvenient investment of time to calm this neurotic woman down, time he doesn’t have because he has to catch a plane. Ida defiantly counters that she too has a plane to catch. Philip is so in his own world it doesn’t even occur to him that Ida would be in the airport garage for the same reason as he.

Ida apologetically admits she’s not used to traveling alone, that she’s on her way to Italy for her daughter’s wedding.

That’s odd.

Philip is also on his way to Italy, for his son’s wedding. They ask the names of their children, and thus the in-laws have been introduced.

Director Susanne Bier wisely leaves the awkwardness in the garage, and the next thing we see is the overwhelming beauty of the Amalfi coast. It may not take an expert cinematographer to make this part of Italy look so beautiful (my sincere apologies to cinematographer Morten Søborg), but you can ignore the story (not that I’m making that recommendation) and feel as if you’ve taken a vacation in paradise.

Philip is rich, and the wedding will be taking place at his magnificent villa. The young couple Astrid and Patrick (Sebastian Jessen) do their best work in the movie fixing up the disused villa.

Ida and Philip share a car to the villa. Ida asks where Philip’s wife is, maybe trying to be polite, maybe trying to recover some of her self-respect. The question makes Philip uncomfortable, and Ida already knows the answer: Philip’s wife tragically died early in their marriage. Philip asks where Ida’s husband is, and Ida cleverly deflects answering, as the truth will only add to her growing list of humiliations.

Despite that one merciful pause, the humiliations resume the next day when her estranged husband Leif shows up for the wedding, accompanied by Tilde from accounting.

Family and friends arrive at the villa, which while beautiful, feels like a set up for a Noises Off… style farce or a Hercule Poirot mystery. My worries were in vain.

Tak, Ms Bier.

Despite the full house, the only other characters of any interest are Philip’s delusional sister-in-law and employee Benedickte (Paprika Steen) and her pitiful daughter Alexandra (Frederikke Thomassen), an indentured servant to her mother’s ego.

Alexandra’s weight is the only characteristic that distinguishes her from her mother; understandably she has developed an eating disorder and must wear an ill-fitting dress for the wedding to justify her mother’s addiction to demeaning her.

I mention this sad auxiliary detail to draw attention to Benedickte. She is an enjoyable character to hate. I’m sure everyone at some point has encountered her type: narcissistic, entitled, competitive. Actress Paprika Steen skillfully stops short of making her a caricature, and her many scenes of bad behavior, enjoyable as they are, make her comeuppance quite cathartic.

On the first morning, Philip looks out to the sea from his OMG villa and sees Ida swimming naked. I don’t think he recognizes it’s her at first as she is without her wig, but then he rushes down to the water to shoo her out; there is a dangerous riptide in that area.

Bier lets this uncomfortable moment unfold in real time. Ida is cold, embarrassed and fumbling to get dressed. Philip looks away chivalrously, then helps her, lending her his jacket. Seeing her naked, without her wig, clearly causes a seismic shift within him. He is touched by Ida’s humanity; she is no longer the stupid, neurotic female danger behind the wheel he met at the airport.

There is much more to the story of the movie. While there are some predictable details, they don’t detract from the movie, not least because you’re in ITALY!

Unlike other critics, I didn’t think of Moonstruck or find it annoying to hear Dean Martin’s “Amore” several times throughout the movie- isn’t this the setting in which it belongs?

The final at bat is intentionally ambiguous. I have my own idea of what happens, but Bier lets you determine the final score, even though it’s clear who the winner is.

Love may be all you need, but it helps when that love looks like Pierce Brosnan, is rich, and owns a villa on the Italian Riviera.

It’s the most mythic of all American emporiums – and the scene of many an ultimate fashion fantasy. Now audiences get a rarified chance to peek behind the backroom doors and into the reality of the fascinating inner workings and fabulous untold stories from Bergdorf Goodman’s iconic history in Matthew Miele’s SCATTER MY ASHES AT BERGDORF’S.

The legend, the parties, the fashion idols, the windows, the women, the buyers and shoppers – and most of all, the quintessentially American dreams of New York’s high-fashion hot-spot – all come to life in an ode to a realm where creativity and commerce reign equally supreme. With a light touch, Miele explores not just the glamour but the passion behind the daily creation of this luxury mecca in a film as dynamic, lush and intimate as the store itself.

The documentary features Giorgio Armani, Candice Bergen, Manolo Blahnik, Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Naeem Khan, Michael Kors, Karl Lagerfeld, Lauren Bush Lauren, Susan Lucci, Christian Louboutin, Catherine Malandrino, Gilles Mendel, Isaac Mizrahi, Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen, Thakoon Panichgul, Joan Rivers, and Jason Wu.

SCATTER MY ASHES AT BERGDORF’S will open in St. Louis on May 31st.

WAMG invites you to enter to win a pass (good for 2) to the advance screening of SCATTER MY ASHES AT BERGDORF’S on May 28th at 7:00 PM in St. Louis.

Answer the following question:

Who is your favorite fashion designer?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWER TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com

3. YOU WILL BE EMAILED WITH INSTRUCTIONS.

4. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

The film is rated PG-13.

http://www.bergdorf-movie.com/

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Four talented magicians mesmerize an international audience with a series of bold and original heists, all the while pursuing a hidden agenda that has the FBI and Interpol scrambling to anticipate their next move in NOW YOU SEE ME, a visually spectacular blend of astonishing illusions and exhilarating action from director Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans).

The Four Horsemen, a magic super‐group led by the charismatic J.Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), perform a pair of hightech, high‐profile magic shows, first amazing audiences by remotely robbing a Paris bank while in Las Vegas, and then exposing a white‐collar criminal and funneling his millions into the audience members’ bank accounts, baffling the authorities with their intricately planned capers.

FBI Special Agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is determined to make the magicians pay for their crimes—and to stop them before they pull off what promises to be an even more audacious heist. But he’s forced to partner with Alma (Mélanie Laurent), an Interpol detective about whom he is instantly suspicious. Out of desperation, he turns to Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), a famed magic debunker, who claims the Paris bank trick was actually a meticulously planned illusion. Dylan and Alma begin to wonder if the Horsemen have an outside point person. If so, finding him (or her) would be the key to ending the magicians’ crime spree. But who could it be? Or could it really be… magic?

As pressure mounts and the world awaits the Horsemen’s spectacular final trick, Dylan and Alma race to stay one step ahead of the magicians.

But it soon becomes clear that outmaneuvering these masters of illusion is beyond the skills of any one man – or woman.

NOW YOU SEE ME will be in theaters on May 31st.

Watch the first four minutes of the film and answer the question below.

WAMG invites you to enter to win a pass (good for 2) to the advance screening of NOW YOU SEE ME on May 29th at 7:00 PM in St. Louis.

Answer the following question:

In the clip above, what name does Woody Harrelson guess?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWERS TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com

3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR TRIVIA QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN.

4. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Rated PG‐13 for language, some action and sexual content

NOW YOU SEE ME stars Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Zombieland), Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers, Shutter Island), Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games, 2012), Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds), Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Dave Franco (21 Jump Street, “Scrubs”), Common (Terminator Salvation, “Wanted”), José Garcia, with Michael Caine (Inception, The Dark Knight) and Morgan Freeman (Olympus Has Fallen, Million Dollar Baby).

The film is directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of The Titans, The Incredible Hulk) from story by Boaz Yakin (Safe, Hostel) & Edward Ricourt and a screenplay by Ed Solomon (Men in Black) and Boaz Yakin & Edward Ricourt. Producers are Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek, The Proposal), Roberto Orci (Star Trek, The Proposal) and Bobby Cohen (Cowboys & Aliens, Jarhead). Executive producers are Boaz Yakin, Michael Schaefer and Stan Wlodkowski (Monte Carlo, Eat, Pray, Love).

Directors of Photography are Larry Fong, ASC (300, Watchmen) and Mitchell Amundsen (Red Dawn, Odd Thomas). Production Designer is Peter Wenham (21 Jump Street, Fast Five). Editors are Robert Leighton (People Like Us, The Bucket List), and Vincent Tabaillon (Taken 2, Clash of the Titans). Costume Designer is Jenny Eagan (Contraband, Cowboys and Aliens). Original Music is by Brian Tyler (The Expendables, Law Abiding Citizen).

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Photos: Barry Wetcher, SMPSP © 2013 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved.

Review by Sam Moffitt
Men are very protective of their sex organs. From a young age men are all too aware of how vulnerable their junk is and how easily all or part of their manhood can be removed from the rest of our body. But it’s not something we talk about a lot.

Not Suitable for Children deals with a young Australian man, a party animal really, named Jonah (Ryan Kwanten “True blood”) who learns, almost by accident, that he has testicular cancer. The infected one has to be removed, which will not affect his sexual performance but will render him sterile. Then he also finds out that his sperm will not keep if cryogenically frozen.

I was circumcised as an adult, in 1983. I also had a vasectomy in 2001. I can assure you that any surgery to the male sex organs can be traumatic and I assumed that would be the focus of Not Suitable for Children. Nope, this movie has a lot more on it’s mind than male castration anxiety.
Jonah and his two roommates, Stevie (Sarah Snook) and Gus (Ryan Corr) seem to have a found a great way to delay adulthood, party all night and make money at it. Jonah has inherited his family home after the death of his mother. He and his roommates throw parties with light shows and live music and charge money for people to attend. They live the ultimate frat house life style and don’t even have to go to college to do it.

Jonah realizes how shallow his life style is and how much he would really like to be a Father when he finds out he will not be able to get any woman pregnant after his surgery. He starts noticing children and how much he’d like to have one, or two, sometimes to the discomfort of strangers who notice him watching children in a play ground or day care center.

I didn’t think I could find anything to identify with in Jonah’s character. I made the decision in 1968 not to have children. When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated in the same year I made the decision not to bring children into this world and I have never once regretted that decision. I also read science fiction voraciously back then and almost every novel of the future predicted what we have right now, massive over population, climate change, exhaustion of natural resources, all that and so much more. Did I want my children to have to deal with all that in the future? Nope!

But if I were faced with the same dilemma that Jonah faces, sterility and not by choice, with no options, might I feel differently? Maybe so, it’s to the movie’s credit that someone with my attitude about reproduction would find Jonah very sympathetic.

Basically the poor guy has three weeks to find a woman willing to bear his child, with or without marriage, or love or even friendship coming into play. This is where the movie has some fun, the different reactions of women from Jonah’s past are priceless when he tries to find a willing partner. This is not however a laugh out loud, gross out comedy, far from it. This is a movie, like many Australian films, that loves its characters, treats them, and the audience, with respect and asks us to think about what is being played out on screen.

Where it gets complicated and messy is in the character of Stevie, very, and I mean very well played by Sarah Snook (what a name!) Stevie and Jonah have been friends for years, never were involved with each other, and neither of them thinks of the other in “that way.” And Stevie has an attitude that seems odd for a woman, she doesn’t like kids and doesn’t want one, (she says.) All that starts to change when she, and we the audience, realize she has serious strong feelings about Jonah.

Stevie changes her mind and, I don’t want to give out any spoilers but as you can guess it does get complicated. Jonah and Stevie’s intimate scenes together are some of the most realistic I have ever witnessed in a movie. All the awkwardness and clumsy moves, on both their parts, are almost too real, too painful to watch. These are the kind of scenes that really make you feel you’re seeing something you shouldn’t. Yet there is a great depth of feeling here. Like I said, this movie loves and respects it’s characters, and wants us to do the same.

Their love making remains humorous in that they have to hide it from Gus the other roommate, who has his own ideas about how Jonah can get the child he wants before he goes under the knife.

I never expected to be so emotionally moved by a movie about a 20 something party animal who is losing a testicle. But Not Suitable for Children is a warm hearted and very intelligent look at an issue that has never been addressed in a movie,(to my knowledge) a man who feels his biological clock ticking and wants to be a Father before that clock’s time runs out.

Well Go USA’s Blu-Ray disc has excellent interviews with the director, writer and principal actors. Sarah Snook is even more delightful in person than when acting a part. Also a making of documentary which reveals that the intimate scenes were tough to do, and a preview trailer, are included.

A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.

After writing the story for AFTER EARTH, Will Smith – also a producer of the film – would turn over the writing reins to Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan would also direct the movie.  Smith called Shyamalan on his birthday, and Shyamalan told Smith how great Jaden Smith was in The Karate Kid.  Will Smith said, “Well, we do have a movie idea in the works…” and they took off from there.

“Night is a master of building suspense and fear,” he says, explaining why Shyamalan was the perfect choice for After Earth. “If there were a single thing that I would say is clearly Night’s genius, it’s how to take a single, still image and terrify you with it.  There can be no movement – nothing happening, really – and still, you’re riveted.  He is so good at setting the shot, setting the lighting, and setting the moment.”

“I’m fascinated by the question of why human beings fear the unknown,” says Shyamalan. “In our earliest days as cave-people, that was really important – fear could keep us safe.  Fear could keep you alive.  But now, we’ll fear a new job or a new relationship, because we don’t know what’s going to happen – and that’s not necessarily a good thing.  Playing with that in a movie is a fun thing, and in this movie, it’s about a father teaching a son how to overcome that.  It’s a wonderful lesson, because if you can learn how to control your fear of the unknown, you can do anything.”

Enter for your chance to receive a pair of passes to the advance screening of AFTER EARTH on May 29th at 7:00 PM in St. Louis.

Answer the following question:

AFTER EARTH is about the relationship between a father and his son. Tell us your favorite Parent & Child film.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWERS TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com

3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR TRIVIA QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN.

No purchase necessary. Void where restricted or prohibited by law. At the screening seating is not guaranteed and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Refer to screening pass for further restrictions. Screening pass winners will be drawn at random and notified via email. Limit two (admit-one) passes per person. Must be age 13 or over to enter.

This has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for SCI-FI ACTION VIOLENCE AND SOME DISTURBING IMAGES.

© 2013 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Columbia Pictures presents an Overbrook Entertainment / Blinding Edge Pictures production, a film by M. Night Shyamalan, After Earth.  Starring Jaden Smith and Will Smith. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Produced by Caleeb Pinkett, Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith, James Lassiter, and M. Night Shyamalan.  Story by Will Smith. Screenplay by Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan.  Executive Producer is E. Bennett Walsh. Director of Photography is Peter Suschitzky, ASC. Production Designer is Tom Sanders.  Editor is Steven Rosenblum, A. C. E.  Visual Effects Supervisor is Jonathan Rothbart.  Costume Designer is Amy Westcott. Music by James Newton Howard. Co-Producers are Ashwin Rajan and John Rusk.

AFTER EARTH
opens in theaters
May 31st!

http://www.afterearth.com/site/

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https://twitter.com/AfterEarth #AfterEarth

Set to hit theaters on May 31st, AFTER EARTH begins more than one thousand years in the future – in fact, one thousand years after humanity was forced to abandon the only home they had ever known.

Legendary General Cypher Raige (played by Will Smith) returns from an extended tour of duty to his estranged family, ready to be a father to his 13-year-old son, Kitai (played by Jaden Smith). When an asteroid storm damages their craft, they crash-land on a now unfamiliar and dangerous Earth. As his father lies dying in the cockpit, Kitai must trek across the hostile terrain to recover their rescue beacon. His whole life, Kitai has wanted nothing more than to be a soldier like his father. Today, he gets his chance.

To celebrate the theatrical release of AFTER EARTH, WAMG is doing a giveaway!

Two (2) winners will receive an AFTER EARTH Prize Pack, including:

• 1 T-shirt
• 1 Titanium bracelet

Answer the following:

AFTER EARTH’s screenplay is by Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan. 

Whitta is the former Editor-in-Chief of PC Gamer magazine and writer of what 2010 film?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES.

2. SEND YOUR FULL NAME and ANSWER TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com.

3. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

The giveaway ends 11:59 a.m. PT on May 28th, 2013.

A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.

Columbia Pictures presents an Overbrook Entertainment / Blinding Edge Pictures production, a film by M. Night Shyamalan, AFTER EARTH. Starring Jaden Smith and Will Smith. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Produced by Caleeb Pinkett, Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith, James Lassiter, and M. Night Shyamalan. Story by Will Smith. Screenplay by Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan.  Executive Producer is E. Bennett Walsh.  Director of Photography is Peter Suschitzky, ASC. Production Designer is Tom Sanders.  Editor is Steven Rosenblum, A. C. E.  Visual Effects Supervisor is Jonathan Rothbart.  Costume Designer is Amy Westcott.  Music by James Newton Howard.  Co-Producers are Ashwin Rajan and John Rusk.

AFTER EARTH has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for Sci-Fi Action Violence and Some Disturbing Images.

AFTER EARTH
opens in theaters
May 31st!

http://www.afterearth.com/site/

https://www.facebook.com/AfterEarth

https://twitter.com/AfterEarth #AfterEarth

This summer director J.J. Abrams takes STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS as the young officers of The U.S.S. Enterprise set course for their most epic journey yet.  Abrams reunites with the team that created the fun, the humor, and the spirit of 2009’s acclaimed hit reboot of the beloved franchise.

On this second voyage, they’ve amped the action, raised the emotional stakes and launched the Enterprise into a high-wire, life-or-death game of chess with an unstoppable force of destruction.

With everything the men and women of The Enterprise believe on the line, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn and sacrifices must be made for the only family Captain Kirk has left: the crew he commands.

It’s really exciting to be back on the Enterprise! Read our review HERE.

To celebrate the theatrical release of STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, WAMG is doing a giveaway!

Three (3) winners will receive a STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Prize Pack, including:

2 Exclusive Star Trek IMAX 3D Glasses
1 Star Trek Into Darkness – Enterprise Poster
1 Trek Knuckle Tattoos

Answer the following:

Gene Roddenberry once said of Star Trek: “Almost all of this comes out of my feeling that the human future is bright. We’re just beginning. We have wonders ahead of us. I don’t see how it can be any other way.”

What was Roddenberry’s nickname?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES.

2. SEND YOUR FULL NAME and ANSWER TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com.

3. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

The giveaway ends 11:59 a.m. PT on May 22nd, 2013.

Returning to The Enterprise is the crew that brought it so viscerally to life in Abrams’ “Star Trek”:  Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto as First Officer Spock, Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Simon Pegg as Chief Engineer “Scotty” Scott, Zoe Saldana as Communications Officer Uhura, John Cho as Helmsman Hikaru Sulu, Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov and Bruce Greenwood as Admiral Christopher Pike. Joining the cast is Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of the mysterious intergalactic terrorist John Harrison, Alice Eve as ship newcomer Carol Marcus and Peter Weller as the Star Fleet Admiral who comes into conflict with the Enterprise.

Paramount Pictures and Skydance present a Bad Robot production of a J.J. Abrams film, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS. The film is written by Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof based upon Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry. The producers are Abrams, Bryan Burk, Lindelof, Orci and Kurtzman and the executive producers are Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake.

The reuniting behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Dan Mindel, production designer Scott Chambliss, costume designer Michael Kaplan, editors Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey and composer Michael Giacchino – and the film’s interstellar visual effects and animations have once again been forged by the wizards at Industrial Light & Magic, under the aegis of Roger Guyett, who was Oscar®-nominated for his work on “Star Trek.”

WWW.STARTREKMOVIE.COM  

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Photos: (c) 2013 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Review by Barbara Snitzer

In the House (Dans La Maison) is a crafty, suspenseful yarn that successfully maintains the audience’s engagement throughout its entire 102 minute running time.

Ozon already has his next movie, Young And Beautiful, in the “Cannes”- it’s premiering during the festival.

5 of 5 Stars

IN THE HOUSE opens in St. Louis Friday, May 17th at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Theater

Review by Dana Jung

In 2009, producer/director J.J. Abrams took the nearly impossible task of relaunching a beloved and storied franchise.  That film of course was STAR TREK, and though Abrams created an “alternate history” version of that world that both reimagined and refreshed the series, he was wise enough to recognize that the character interplay of his three leads was the most important key to the original series’ charm.

As entertaining and action-packed as it was, that first film by Abrams now seems almost a complete setup for this sequel, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS.  Here Abrams and his writers,  Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof, continue deconstructing the TREK mythology, and again have succeeded in creating a vastly entertaining movie, one of the best in the entire series, and one of the best films of the year so far. As the title suggests, however, this TREK has a heavier tone than the funhouse ride of the first film.  With its themes of terrorism and self-sacrifice, Abrams and his crew have simultaneously ramped up the action quotient in DARKNESS, and taken the franchise to new levels of dramatic complexity.

The story begins with a spectacular and fast-paced prologue that playfully nudges that old Trek plot device, the Prime Directive.  However, the young Enterprise captain Kirk (Chris Pine) soon discovers that his brash decisions during this exploit have not only tested his growing friendship with Spock (Zachary Quinto), but jeopardized his Starfleet career as well.  The consequences of choice and responsibilities of command are elements woven throughout DARKNESS, as Kirk matures as a Starfleet officer, and as Spock, McCoy (Karl Urban), and even Scotty (the fabulous Simon Pegg) all have moments of crisis to deal with.

The introduction of the villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch (SHERLOCK on BBC TV) brings a new level of danger to the world of TREK, and his actions have resonance to the terrorism we live with in the current day. Cumberbatch is excellent in his role, striking sinister notes while also engendering a great deal of empathy, if not for his cause, then for the passion with which he clings to the things he holds dear.  With this performance, Cumberbatch finally creates an adversary to the Enterprise crew that is worthy of STAR TREK (but which has been sorely lacking in many films of the series).

Visually, Abrams delivers the stunning vistas of different planets, future cities on Earth, and several breathtaking action sequences, just as we expect of him.  Opening up the story to show not only Starfleet HQ in San Francisco, but also futuristic London, gives Abrams the opportunity to ground the story in a more believable world filled with people going about their daily business.  The action scenes include everything from footchases to epic space battles—there’s even a (STAR WARS-inspired?) dogfight.  The 3D effects and IMAX cinematography add tremendously to these sequences, resulting in a greater sense of depth and feeling of immediacy.  Abrams keeps his camera moving constantly and edits at near light speed to give the viewer the experience of being directly caught up in these events.  In many scenes, Abrams also takes the opportunity to illustrate the size and scope of this Enterprise starship we have almost taken for granted.  In one exciting scene after another, we are able to view the incredible open spaces and sheer immensity of the ship’s engines, including the mysterious (before now) nacelles.

The cast that enlivened the first film, really delivers the goods in DARKNESS with its more somber dramatics.  Pine is even better here playing a man who begins to question some of the decisions he makes, his self-doubt even evident on his face at times.  Quinto is again perfection as the Vulcan struggling (as we all do) with how much emotion to show.  Urban is wonderfully testy as the irascible Bones McCoy, and Pegg’s Scotty is principled but loyal to the end.  Zoe Saldana gets more involved in the action this time as Uhura, while John Cho’ Sulu and Anton Yelchin’s Chekov also have their moments.  More familiar names in the Trek icon pop up (Pike, Marcus, etc.) with Peter Weller, Bruce Greenwood, and Alice Eve fitting in nicely.

From start to finish, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS is full to the brim with danger, excitement, laughs, and that timeless camaraderie we as an audience have come to know and love.  The question is, can Abrams keep up this pace, and deliver yet again with what will surely be the third installment of this saga?  As fans of the original series know, this film leaves many plotlines yet to be developed and is perfectly set up for another sequel.  If Abrams can fill that film with as much sense of drama, as much sense of humor, and as much sense of wonder that he has with STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, we’ll all be a happy audience indeed.

This summer, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness. When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Composer Michael Giacchino – an Academy Award winner for his score for Up – reunites with director J.J. Abrams to steer the Enterprise through its darkest territory yet.

The soundtrack is available now on Varèse Sarabande featuring music by Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino.

Paramount will open STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS nationwide on May 16.

Varese Sarabande Catalog # 302 067 198 2

Track List:

1. Logos/Pranking The Natives (3:01)
2. Spock Drops, Kirk Jumps (1:43)
3. Sub Prime Directive* (2:23)
4. London Calling (2:09)
5. Meld-merized (2:40)
6. The Kronos Wartet (5:25)
7. Brigadoom (3:41)
8. Ship To Ship (2:50)
9. Earthbound And Down (2:37)
10. Warp Core Values (2:56)
11. Buying The Space Farm (3:17)
12. The San Fran Hustle (5:00)
13. Kirk Enterprises* (3:00)
14. Star Trek Main Theme* (3:25)

WAMG invites you to enter to win the STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Soundtrack From Varèse Sarabande.

Answer the following:

Who were the composers for the following STAR TREK films?

• STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE
• STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN
• STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES.

2. SEND YOUR FULL NAME and ANSWER TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com.

3. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

Paramount Pictures and Skydance present a Bad Robot production of a J.J. Abrams film, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS. The film is written by Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof based upon Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry. The producers are Abrams, Bryan Burk, Lindelof, Orci and Kurtzman and the executive producers are Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake.

The reuniting behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Dan Mindel, production designer Scott Chambliss, costume designer Michael Kaplan, editors Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey and composer Michael Giacchino – and the film’s interstellar visual effects and animations have once again been forged by the wizards at Industrial Light & Magic, under the aegis of Roger Guyett, who was Oscar®-nominated for his work on “Star Trek.”

WWW.STARTREKMOVIE.COM  

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Photos: (c) 2013 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Frances (Greta Gerwig) lives in New York, but she doesn’t really have an apartment. Frances is an apprentice for a dance company, but she¹s not really a dancer. Frances has a best friend named Sophie, but they aren’t really speaking anymore. Frances throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles. Frances wants so much more than she has but lives her life with unaccountable joy and lightness. FRANCES HA is a modern comic fable that explores New York, friendship, class, ambition, failure, and redemption.

From director Noah Baumbach (THE SQUID AND THE WHALE), FRANCES HA opens in NY and LA May 17th, in St. Louis May 24.

WAMG invites you to enter to win a pass (good for 2) to the advance screening of FRANCES HA on May 23rd at 7:00 PM in St. Louis.

Answer the following question:

Greta Gerwig starred in what 2010 film for director Noah Baumbach?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWERS TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com

3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR TRIVIA QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN.

4. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

The film is rated R for sexual references and language.

For more on this movie, please visit the website here: www.franceshamovie.com

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https://twitter.com/IFCFilms

In honor of the upcoming Entertainment One DVD release of the Lifetime TV Movie Liz & Dick on May 14, 2013, WAMG is giving away a True Love DVD Prize Pack worth $50. As seen on Lifetime, the most anticipated and highly publicized role of Lindsay Lohan’s career and one of the most-watched cable original movie premieres of 2012 – Based on the true love story of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

• Liz & Dick - Starring Lindsday Lohan, Grant Bowler (May 14, 2013)
• A Novel Romance – Starring Steve Guttenberg, Shannon Elizabeth (2011)
•  Reel Love - Starring LeAnn Rimes, Burt Reynolds, Shawn Roberts, et al. (2012)

Glamorous. Infamous. Scandalous… For nearly a quarter of a century, Elizabeth Taylor (Lindsay Lohan) and Richard Burton (Grant Bowler) were Hollywood royalty and their fiery romance – often called “the marriage of the century” – was the most notorious, publicized and celebrated love affair of its day.  Swarmed by paparazzi worldwide, their love affair was played out entirely in front of the media – from their meeting on the set of Cleopatra through their marriages and divorces.  Despite their roller coaster romance, Taylor and Burton shared an undeniable love greater than most people could ever dream of.

DVD SRP : $19.98

Type:     DVD
Catalog #:  EOE-DV-7470
Running Time: 90 minutes
Genre:  Drama
Rated:  Not Rated
Aspect Ratio: 16×9 (1.78:1)
Audio / Language : 5.1 Dolby Digital / English/English SDH Subtitles

Answer the following:

How many times were Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton married ?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES.

2. SEND YOUR FULL NAME and ANSWER TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com.

3. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

The Summer Movie season is officially here! With the release of IRON MAN 3 on May 3 and STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (May 17) and FAST & FURIOUS 6 (May 24) set to explode into theaters, audiences are ready for an action packed summer!

WAMG has an exciting giveaway just for you with

FANDANGO’S SUMMER OF ACTION GIVEAWAY!

Get your action movie fix this summer with Fandango!

Two (2) winners will receive a Summer of Action/Iron Man Prize Pack

$30 Fandango Bucks
Iron Man Blu-ray Double Pack

Prize pack value $80 each

Answer the following:

Think you know action movies? In the original IRON MAN, Tony Stark meets up with Agent Coulson from the counter-terrorism agency S.H.I.E.L.D. What do the letters stand for?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES.

2. SEND YOUR FULL NAME and ANSWER TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com.

3. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

Don’t miss any of the summer’s most explosive action movies. Start your movie mission now – find Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness plus more action movie trailers, showtimes, tickets and offers on Fandango!

Visit Fandango’s Summer of Action website

Like Fandango on Facebook

Follow @Fandango on Twitter #Fandango

It’s been two years. Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Doug (Justin Bartha) are happily living uneventful lives at home. Tattoos have been lasered off, files purged. The last they heard from disaster-magnet Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), he’d been tossed into a Thai prison and, with him out of the way, the guys have very nearly recovered from their nights prowling the seamy side of Las Vegas in a roofie’d haze, and being kidnapped, shot at, and chased by drug-dealing mobsters in Bangkok.

The only member of the Wolfpack who’s not content is Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Still lacking a sense of purpose, the group’s black sheep has ditched his meds and given in to his natural impulses in a big way—which, for Alan, means no boundaries, no filters and no judgment—until a personal crisis forces him to finally seek the help he needs.

And who better than his three best friends to make sure he takes the first step.

This time, there’s no bachelor party. No wedding. What could possibly go wrong? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.

THE HANGOVER PART III is the epic conclusion to an incomparable odyssey of mayhem and bad decisions, in which the guys must finish what they started by going back to where it all began: Las Vegas.

One way or another… it all ends here.

THE HANGOVER PART III will be in theaters May 23rd.

Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures and WAMG invite you to enter to win a pass (good for 2) to the advance screening of THE HANGOVER PART III on May 20th at 7:00 PM in St. Louis.

Answer the following question:

In the credits of every film Todd Phillips has directed, the picture is addressed as __________________.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWERS TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com

3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR TRIVIA QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN.

4. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

This film is rated R by the MPAA for pervasive language including sexual references, some violence and drug content, and brief graphic nudity.

From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes THE HANGOVER PART III, the third and final film in director Todd Phillips’ record-shattering comedy trilogy.

THE HANGOVER PART III reunites stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha as Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug. Also returning to the cast are Ken Jeong as Leslie Chow; Heather Graham as Stu’s first wife, Jade; and Jeffrey Tambor as Alan’s father, Sid. Joining the ensemble for the first time is John Goodman, starring as the guys’ new nightmare, Marshall. Todd Phillips directs from a screenplay he wrote with Craig Mazin, who previously collaborated with him on the screenplay for THE HANGOVER PART III. The film is produced by Phillips and Dan Goldberg, with Thomas Tull, Scott Budnick, Chris Bender and J.C. Spink serving as executive producers.

The film also reunited key members of Todd Phillips’ creative team from the first two films: director of photography Lawrence Sher, editor Debra Neil-Fisher and costume designer Louise Mingenbach. They are joined by production designer Maher Ahmad (“Gangster Squad”) and editor Jeff Groth (“Project X”). The music is composed by Christophe Beck, who created the scores for “The Hangover” and “The Hangover Part II.”

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Green Hat Films Production of a Todd Phillips Movie: THE HANGOVER PART III. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

hangoverpart3.com

https://www.facebook.com/thehangover

https://twitter.com/TheHangover

#TheHangover #H3

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast of all-stars as the global blockbuster franchise built on speed races to its next continent in FAST & FURIOUS 6.  Reuniting for their most high-stakes adventure yet, fan favorites Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Sung Kang, John Ortiz, Gal Gadot and Elsa Pataky are joined by badass series newcomers Luke Evans and Gina Carano.

Since Dom (Diesel) and Brian’s (Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin’s empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe.  But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete.

Meanwhile, Hobbs (Johnson) has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind (Evans) is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (Rodriguez). The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London.  Payment?  Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again.

Building on the worldwide blockbuster success of Fast Five and taking the action, stunts
and narrative to even greater heights, FAST & FURIOUS 6 sees director Justin Lin back behind the camera for the fourth time.  He is supported by longtime producers Neal H. Moritz and Vin Diesel, who welcome producer Clayton Townsend back to the series.

FAST & FURIOUS 6 opens Friday, May 24th!

Universal Pictures and WAMG invite you to enter to win a pass (good for 2) to the advance screening of FAST & FURIOUS 6 on May 21st at 7:00 PM in St. Louis.

Answer the following question:

Fast Five’s unexpected take on Dom, Brian and their extended family pulling off a daring multimillion dollar heist with a hardnosed federal agent hot on their trail, was the ultimate thrill ride for audiences in April 2011. The film debuted domestically to $86 million during its opening weekend and set a record best for Universal Pictures.

How much exactly did Dom, Brian and the crew heist?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWERS TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com

3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR TRIVIA QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN.

4. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

FAST & FURIOUS 6 has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and language.

Returning to this installment is a talented production crew of series’ architects led by director/executive producer JUSTIN LIN, who has directed the last three films in the Fast & Furious franchise that exploded in global popularity, and producers NEAL H. MORITZ (Fast & Furious series, I Am Legend, R.I.P.D.), Vin Diesel (Fast Five, Fast & Furious, Los Bandoleros) and CLAYTON TOWNSEND (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Bridesmaids, Any Given Sunday). CHRIS MORGAN (Fast Five, Fast & Furious, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Wanted, upcoming 47 Ronin) is an executive producer and writes the screenplay based on characters created by GARY SCOTT THOMPSON (The Fast and the Furious).

Also coming back to the franchise is an accomplished behind-the-scenes team, including cinematographer STEPHEN F. WINDON (Fast Five, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), editors CHRISTIAN WAGNER (Fast Five, Fast & Furious, Mission: Impossible II) and KELLY MATSUMOTO (Fast Five, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), costume designer SANJA MILKOVIC HAYS (Fast & Furious series, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) and executive producers AMANDA LEWIS (Fast Five, Fast & Furious) and SAMANTHA VINCENT (Fast Five, Fast & Furious). Production designer JAN ROELFS (47 Ronin, Get Him to the Greek) and composer LUCAS VIDAL (The Raven, The Cold Light of Day) join Lin’s crew for Fast & Furious 6.

www.thefastandthefurious.com 

https://www.facebook.com/FastandFurious

https://twitter.com/fastfurious  #fast6

Review by Barbara Snitzer

The most surprising detail I noticed while watching this movie is that Kate Hudson gets top billing. Fortunately, her locks and silliness are somehow tamed by her being brunette.

The more surprising detail I learned after having watched the movie is that The Reluctant Fundamentalist is fiction, based on the novel of the same name by Mohsin Hamid.

An even more surprising post-viewing detail I learned was that while the movie globe-trots, the book takes place in only one location, that of the café in Lahore, Pakistan where Changez (Riz Ahmed) meets with American journalist Bobby (Liev Schreiber). At the beginning of their meeting in the café, Changez insists that Bobby listen to Changez’ story in its entirety lest he fail to understand why Changez’ fundamentalist activities are indeed, reluctant.

This might be the first time a great movie made me not want to read the book. One critic even noted that this movie should be the textbook example of how to adapt an “unadaptable novel” for the screen.

While the question of whether the story was true or not didn’t preoccupy me while I was watching, I did believe it was a real story- this is intended as a compliment. The story is compelling, believable, and challenging.

A minor surprising detail I learned after seeing the movie is that the movie’s lead actor, Riz Ahmed, had also starred in 2010′s Four Lions, the funniest movie about religion since Monty Python’s Life of Brian.

Although born in England, Ahmed is of Pakistani origin and he should be proud that he capably carries the entire movie playing a sympathetic complex character; his performance should challenge Hollywood’s habit of casting Arab actors as only evil terrorists. It does help that he’s hot.

Changez is the namesake reluctant fundamentalist, and the movie portrays just how such an oxymoronic characterization can take place. Changez is a graduate of Princeton whose talents earn him a job at an elite Wall Street Firm and the special attention of his boss and mentor Jim Cross, (Kiefer Sutherland).

With Wall Street money, a hot faux-bohemian girlfriend,Erica (Kate Hudson), and acceptance into elite society, Changez is living the American dream. Changez lacks the cynicism to be cautious as his life keeps getting better and better.

This quality is part of Changez’ successful personality, and had be been less naïve, it wouldn’t have protected him against the actions of his fellow countrymen that ultimately robbed him of that perfect life.

9-11 occurs while Changez is on a business trip with his colleagues in the Philippines. His departure location and nationality cause him to separated from his peers upon their arrival at the airport in New York; this is the first crack in a separation that will become psychological and physical.

The movie shows Changez watching 9-11 unfold in horror. However, when he recounts this part of his story to Bobby he speaks of his “awe” of “arrogance brought low.” Perhaps Changez has chosen his words carefully, intending to offend Bobby who works to restrain his rage at hearing this.

From what I’ve read about the movie’s Indian director Mira Nair sharing a similar opinion, her strength as a storyteller is more dominant than her political views: Changez makes the offensive remarks in hindsight, the events taking on a different meaning in his current circumstances. There is no indication of this opinion as we see Changez watching the tragedy unfold on TV while in the Philippines. His reaction is simple horror, and interestingly, he doesn’t even anticipate the discrimination he incurs upon his return to the US.

I was surprised when his business group, led by Jim, treated Changez’ seizure by airport authorities so casually. Perhaps they were as naïve about the consequences of 9-11 as Changez or perhaps this was just the first example of Changez’ involuntary disposession of the privileged life he knew.

In the wake of 9-11, Changez has become a target for the fear and anxiety for those citizens who need a stand-in for the revenge they can’t take out on the dead terrorists. The movie smartly reflects a mirror on we Americans and forces us to examine our reaction to that event without promoting any specific agenda. This accomplishment is laudatory.

Just as Changez insists Bobby listen to the entire story, so must you watch the entire movie rather than read a summary.

The movie is excellent and I highly recommend it, but I am obligated to deduct from its rating for the very last moment of the movie- not the ending, just the last image of the movie. It feels very Hollywood and demeaning to the gravity of injustices endured by Changez.

4 1/2 of 5 Stars

Review by Dane Marti

At first, the idea of making a 3D film out of ‘The Great Gatsby’ seemed to border on the surreal. However, there have been stranger things in cinema, which have ended up working out, and I wisely withheld judgment.

As most of you are aware, ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a book written in the 1920’s by the author F. Scott Fitzgerald. Along with the work of Ernest Hemingway, it is a novel highly regarded by literature professors, scholars, authors and folks that just like to read a good book. In lists of great 20th Century literature, it normally is near the top of the heap, either number one or two, sometimes right behind another seminal novel by James Joyce.

For me, one of the strengths of the novel is that the prose is spectacular in a poetic way.

Narrated by Nick Carraway—a Midwesterner, WWI Veteran and New York Bond Salesman who looks on the events from the point of view that presumably Fitzgerald would have had. He lives in a small house on Long Island—an imaginary area called ‘West Egg’ in the book.

Next door to his cottage is an awesome, magnificent structure owned by a Jay Gatsby. Even when Nick finds himself as a guest at his neighbor’s party, he finds out that absolutely no one has seen or met the mysterious Gatsby.

However, Gatsby knows who Nick is: they’d served in the same division in the war. For this review, I don’t think I need to elaborate on too much more.

Basically, Gatsby has made money through illegal bootlegging, but he’s at heart a man with qualities that set him apart from the other wealthy riffraff– the novel’s other characters. As a young boy, he had struggled to make something of himself—to become wealthy. He is a person with a dream, a dream to survive, to achieve, to grasp a ‘jewel’ just out of reach. As Carraway observes, he is a man with a lot of ‘hope.’

The conflict of the novel centers on the love affair and obsession that Jay Gatsby has for the lovely young woman, Daisy. Once, Jay and Daisy had been romantically involved, but presently she is married to Tom Buchanan, her husband who attended Yale with Nick. He is ‘old money.’ He is also an unmitigated racist ass. He’s also having an affair….

Daisy and Jay meet once again at Nick’s cottage! Their ‘affair’ begins again, fresh and vibrant and sexy! How will her husband, Tom react? For all you non-lit majors out there reading this, I really don’t think it’s important to know anything else: It’s a love triangle’ set on Long Island and New York in 1922. The story isn’t very complex, but the thematic underpinnings have impressed people for decades. I don’t think a review of the film needs to analyze these elements, but the reader might have many interesting conversations with friends after viewing the movie!

Having seen previews for the film, I wrongly thought that he movie would be similar to ‘Moulin Rouge’, another film directed by Baz Luhrmann. ‘Rouge,’ which took place in Paris around 1900 was a fantastic explosion of fun, but as far as The Great Gatsby was concerned, I felt that the idea of utilizing new music for a film which takes place back in the 1920’s would damage the quality and story ‘ Gatsby.’ Basically, the original novel was powerful enough and a film treatment didn’t need pop-music icing on the cake. Besides, I love the old 1920’s jazz and show tunes.

However, it turns out that I was wrong! The film does use new music, but it is cleverly embedded within the scenes. Through the use of more modern instruments, the film takes on a slightly surreal tinge, with the music enhancing, and modernizing the storyline, but never twisting or mutating the story into something unpleasant.

One of the highlights of the first third of the movie is that Computer Generated imagery of the mansions and parties around long island. Some of the imagery in this section of the movie is stunning and groundbreaking. The compositions, framing jazz babies, trumpets, confetti, art deco architecture and design are really quite impressive and deserve being seen more than once. This is all enlivened by the 3D, as in Scorsese’s ‘Hugo,’ using 3D in an artistic manner.

When the main storyline (the obsession and love triangle) begins, I felt that the actors didn’t seem to inhabit their roles convincingly. It was as if they were superficial cartoon caricatures, and not flesh, bone and sinew.

By the last half of the film, the movie’s acting improves and, when it came to the climactic moments in the film, dynamic and impressive. I was impressed and locked into what was happening on the screen!

One of the wonderful aspects of the novel is its poetic and romantic prose, and at certain crucial moments in the film, moments in which we see author Nick Carraway typing the story that later become ‘The Great Gatsby, ‘ the evocative sentences are artistically superimposed on the screen.

As Jay Gatsby, Leonardo DiCaprio is superb. It’s probably his most impressive role since ‘The Aviator.’ Tobey Maguire is perfectly bland and pleasant as Nick Carraway. I’m not putting his performance down, but he is perfect for the role. Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan actually resembles a jazzy flapper from that era. It might help the viewer to imagine someone whom they have loved and lost. Carey is very cute, and her acting is excellent—especially during the climactic scenes in a New York Hotel Room. At that point, her performance is first-rate.

When it gets going, ‘Great Gatsby’ is a compelling film, a well-made version of the famous ‘ Great American Novel.’ It has flaws, but the overall theme of the film, like the green light over the Bay, is there for anyone who wants to try and grasp it. I won’t attempt to give a long dissertation about the novel/film’s meaning, but this film certainly makes it clear for anyone interested in the thematic meaning behind the tale. For everyone else, it is an entertaining and visually striking motion picture.

4 of 5 Stars

This summer director J.J. Abrams takes STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS as the young officers of The U.S.S. Enterprise set course for their most epic journey yet.  Abrams reunites with the team that created the fun, the humor, and the spirit of 2009’s acclaimed hit reboot of the beloved franchise.  On this second voyage, they’ve amped the action, raised the emotional stakes and launched the Enterprise into a high-wire, life-or-death game of chess with an unstoppable force of destruction.  With everything the men and women of The Enterprise believe on the line, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn and sacrifices must be made for the only family Captain Kirk has left: the crew he commands.

It begins with a homecoming, as The Enterprise returns to earth in the wake of a controversial galactic incident, its brash Captain still itching to head back into the stars on a longer mission of peace and exploration.  But all is not well on the Blue Planet.  A devastating act of terror has exposed an alarming reality:  Star Fleet is being attacked from within and the fall-out will leave the entire world in crisis. Captain Kirk leads the Enterprise on a mission like no other spanning from the Klingon homeworld to the San Francisco Bay.  Aboard The Enterprise the enemy among them has a shocking talent for destruction. Kirk will lead them into a shadowy mirror-realm of doubts where they’ve never gone before – navigating the razor-thin lines between friends and enemies, revenge and justice, all-out war and the infinite potential of a united future.

For those of you familiar with STAR TREK lore, meet Dr. Carol Marcus.

Returning to The Enterprise is the crew that brought it so viscerally to life in Abrams’ “Star Trek”:  Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto as First Officer Spock, Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, Simon Pegg as Chief Engineer “Scotty” Scott, Zoe Saldana as Communications Officer Uhura, John Cho as Helmsman Hikaru Sulu, Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov and Bruce Greenwood as Admiral Christopher Pike. Joining the cast is Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of the mysterious intergalactic terrorist John Harrison, Alice Eve as ship newcomer Carol Marcus and Peter Weller as the Star Fleet Admiral who comes into conflict with the Enterprise.

Shot with extremely high resolution IMAX® cameras and presented in an expansively detailed 3D conversion that pushes the technology, the film gives audiences a glimpse into the Star Trek universe as it hasn’t been seen before.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS opens in theaters everywhere May 16^th.

Enter for your chance to receive a pair of passes to a special 3D advance screening of STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS on May 15 at 9:00 PM in St. Louis.

Answer the following questions:

1. In STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, what’s the number on the hull of the U.S.S. Reliant?
2. Who is STAR TREK IV, THE VOYAGE HOME dedicated to?
3. In STAR TREK VI, THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY, name the Federation ship commanded by Captain Hikaru Sulu.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWERS TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com

3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWERS TO OUR TRIVIA QUESTIONS ABOVE TO WIN.

No purchase necessary. Void where restricted or prohibited by law. At the screening seating is not guaranteed and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Refer to screening pass for further restrictions. Screening pass winners will be drawn at random and notified via email. Limit two (admit-one) passes per person. Must be age 13 or over to enter.

The film is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence.

Paramount Pictures and Skydance present a Bad Robot production of a J.J. Abrams film, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS. The film is written by Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof based upon Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry. The producers are Abrams, Bryan Burk, Lindelof, Orci and Kurtzman and the executive producers are Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake.

The reuniting behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Dan Mindel, production designer Scott Chambliss, costume designer Michael Kaplan, editors Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey and composer Michael Giacchino – and the film’s interstellar visual effects and animations have once again been forged by the wizards at Industrial Light & Magic, under the aegis of Roger Guyett, who was Oscar®-nominated for his work on “Star Trek.”

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Photos: (c) 2013 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

EPIC is a 3D CG adventure comedy that reveals a fantastical world unlike any other. From the creators of ICE AGE and RIO, EPIC tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world…and ours.

Beyoncé voices the leader of this magical world – Queen Tara. Beautiful, agile and strong, Tara isn’t just the Leafmen’s Queen; she’s the life force of the forest, which she presides over with respect, compassion and humor.

Other members of voice cast are Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz, Aziz Ansari, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis and rock legend Steven Tyler.

EPIC charges into theaters nationwide on May 24, 2013.

Twentieth Century Fox Animation, Blue Sky Studios and WAMG invite you to bring the whole family to see EPIC. Enter to win a Pass (good for 4) to the advance screening on Saturday, May 18th at 10am in St. Louis.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: Beyoncé starred in what 2006 film?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWER TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com
3. WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

The film is rated PG for Mild Action, Some Scary Images and Brief Rude Language.

Get ready to experience EPIC in theaters May 24th.

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http://youtube.com/epicthemovie

Buffo (Pitbull) is a wheeler and dealer tough-guy toad who plays all the angles: he profits no matter which side wins or loses.

MK (Amanda Seyfried) encounters a slug named Mub (Aziz Ansari), a self-described “ladies´ man.”

Grub (Chris O´Dowd), Mub (Aziz Ansari), Ronin (Colin Farrell) and Nod (Josh Hutcherson) prepare to aid a fallen comrade.

M.K. (Amanda Seyfried) doesn´t understand the madcap antics of her father, Bomba (Jason Sudeikis), as he searches for a hidden world.

Photos: Blue Sky Studios – TM and © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Review by Sam Moffitt

After seeing the wonderful new movie Hitchcock in a theater and now seeing it again on Blu-Ray I thought it might be nice to revisit one of the Master of Suspense’s own films, preferably one I had not seen in some time.  Family Plot was Sir Alfred’s last film and a pretty good finale to an amazing career that started in the silent era, an apprentice ship at UFA Studio’s in Germany, watching no less a master film maker than Fritz Lang and ended in the 70’s when all the rules of film making were being broken by a bunch of young mavericks who changed the language of film altogether.

When I was a kid I loved everything about Hitchcock.  I read his mystery magazine avidly, often in high school study hall instead of reading from a text book.  My Mother would let me stay up late on school nights to watch reruns of his television show on Channel 11.  It was on Channel 11 that I first got to see Psycho.  After the networks chickened out of broadcasting Hitchcock’s game breaker channel 11 got the rights to broadcast Psycho, and they showed it five nights in a row, in, if I remember correctly 1969 or 70.  I got to see To Catch a Thief and Dial M for Murder at the Naro Theater in Norfolk, Virginia during my Navy days.  And I made certain to watch the five restorations (Rear Window, Vertigo, Rope, Trouble With Harry and Dial M for Murder in 3-D at the Hi-Pointe and the Tivoli in the 1980s.

The last time I had seen Family Plot was when I ran my tv station on board the USS AMERICA, around 1977.  I remember liking it and it having something to do with stolen jewels, kidnapping and  two very different couples.

Madame Blanche, a bogus medium, played wonderfully by Barbara Harris, is asked to locate the heir to an estate with the promise of $10,000.00 as a reward, serious money in the 1970s.  Blanche’s boyfriend, George, a cab driver no less, also played wonderfully by Bruce Dern , ends up acting as a private detective in order to locate the missing heir.  Meanwhile William Devane and Karen black are kidnapping high profile people and holding them for ransom, to be paid in jewels.  Both couples appear to have no relationship to each other but, in classic Hitchcock fashion all is revealed by the final curtain.

First,  all of the actors are terrific.  Family Plot features four very prominent actors who were busy during the 1970s. Bruce Dern is one of the more likeable actors to come to prominence in that decade. Likeable, but also, much like John Cassavettes, even when he plays a decent guy, as in Family Plot, he still looks like he’d rather punch your lights out as talk over the situation.  Dern was in everything from some of Roger Corman’s biker films and the Two Headed Transplant to high profile big budget projects like Silent Running and The Great Gatsby.  In the Cowboys he actually got to shoot and kill John Wayne!

Dern is excellent at playing a character who is too smart to be driving a cab, and he knows it, and shows how smart he is by doing a very thorough, and believable,  investigation into the missing heir’s whereabouts.  Who wouldn’t identify with such a character?  Don’t we all think we’re too smart for the jobs we are doing?

Barbara Harris, who plays Blanche the phony psychic (and turns out to have some real ability in that area), was also featured in one of Disney’s best films from the 70s, Freaky Friday.  Her ability to play a 13 year old tomboy in a grown woman’s body absolutely makes that film.  Here she is wonderful goading George into helping her find the missing heir so they can collect the reward money and pestering him for sex.  The double entendres between the two of them are priceless.  It’s interesting to see Hitchcock feature characters who are working class.  George has to keep reminding Blanch that he has to drive his cab or they won’t eat.  In one delightful scene George fixes hamburgers for the two of them in her modest apartment.   Blanche tears into her burger like she hasn’t eaten in days.

The opposite extreme to George and Blanche are played by William Devane as Arthur Adamson and Karen Black as Fran, who somehow manage to make a kidnapping for ransom scheme work, not once but apparently as a career.  There are at least a dozen reasons why their scam would not work out, watch the movie and you’ll see what I mean.

Hitchcock’s direction is the real scam, his shell game with the characters doesn’t really give you much time to think about the implausibility of it.

Blanche and George are the light to Arthur and Fran’s dark.  They work for a living while Arthur and Fran are living the good life with their  ill gotten gains.  They even have a hidden room in their luxury town house where they keep their kidnapped victims until it’s time to make the switch.  A hidden room that looms large in the finale.

Devane did some seriously great work in the 70s.  A strange actor whose voice sounds exactly like Jack Nicholson he looks way too much like John Kennedy.  He even played Kennedy in a television production called the Missiles of October.   He hit a high water mark in a seriously intense revenge action picture called Rolling Thunder.

But the top star in the cast of Family Plot has to be Karen Black.  Here was another actor closely associated with the “New Hollywood” of the 1970s, who appeared in break out parts in Five Easy Pieces, Drive, He Said and Portnoy’s Complaint.  She also appeared in high profile films like Day of the Locust and Airport 1975.  And she appeared in memorable horror films like Burnt Offerings and the legendary Trilogy of Terror, as well as low budget weirdness like Killer Fish.

Her first scene in Family Plot has her looking absolutely killer dressed in all black with a blonde wig and brandishing a pistol.  Throughout the film she looks terrific and is a great counterpoint to Devane’s toothy grin.

In true thriller fashion these two couples would seem to have no connection.  But Hitchcock’s mastery of storytelling never falters.  The final showdown is a text book example of the Hitchcock style of suspense.

Supporting characters include Ed Lauter as a flunky willing to do Devane’s dirty work and Katherine Helmond providing a valuable clue to the mystery.

Like all the Universal Hitchcock Masterpiece series there is a wonderful making of documentary where we get to hear from three out of the four major players.  Bruce Dern, Karen Black and William Devane all tell their recollections of working with a master film maker .

Devane  informs us that his part was originally played by Roy Thinnes, probably best known for the Quinn Martin television series The Invaders.  For reasons he never made clear to anybody Hitchcock fired Thinnes, scrapped most of his footage and started over with Devane.  Thinnes apparently never got over the firing and made a public scene with Hitchcock demanding an explanation, which he never received.

Hitchcock could be loyal to actors that he really liked.  In a recent interview in Shock Cinema, Ed Lauter reveals that Hitchcock apparently loved him and wanted to use him as often as possible.  Dern was also a favorite of Hitchcock’s, appearing several times on the television show and playing a small but key part in Marnie.  Dern is proud of this, and justifiably so, I’d brag about it too if I were a pro of his caliber.

The really interesting points are brought up by Karen Black, who still looks terrific by the way.  Having started her career in the Sixties and working in the “New Hollywood” of the Seventies she was used to improvisation, sloppy camera work,  group dynamics, what have you, in the film making process.  She soon realized working with the Master of Suspense was a whole new ball game.  She still expresses amazement that Hitchcock would shoot and edit the film in his head before the camera would roll.  He then would have his camera man shoot exactly the material he wanted, no more, no less.  And the whole thing would come together in the editing room perfectly,  shot after shot, sequence after sequence, picture after picture, for his entire career.  From her vantage as a seasoned Hollywood professional  Karen Black assures us that no other director she ever worked with or heard of worked that way.  Most directors shoot way more footage than will ever be used, coverage they call it, shoot from every angle imaginable and let the editor figure it out.  This is the kind of information  I love to get from a DVD extra, priceless!

We also learn that Hitchcock felt personally responsible for all the craft people it takes to make a motion picture.  He was independently wealthy from the box office receipts of Psycho alone and could have retired at any time.  No, he kept working to keep the makeup people, electricians, ward robe, studio drivers, craft services, everybody, receiving a weekly paycheck.

The DVD also features the original theatrical trailer and some photos and press material.

Not a masterpiece by any means, this is certainly no Vertigo or Psycho, but then even Sir Alfred could only produce so many masterpieces.  Family Plot is a solid work of craftsmanship from a director in the twilight of his career, ailing from numerous health problems, yet still at the top of his game, in full control of his craft, his art and most of all, his story telling ability and wit.

A fine valedictory and a fond farewell from one of the greatest directors of motion pictures in the history of the medium.