Tag: Romance

EXTRATERRESTRIAL – Fantastic Fest Review

True science-fiction involves real science, either existing or theoretical, used to tell a fictional story, preferably with an underlying message or philosophical point-of-view. Now, clearly, this is not always the case, but simply sticking a massive, mostly static flying saucer into the skyline like an animated matte painting (as can be seen in the promotional stills and trailer) does not make a film science-fiction. You may have already guessed it, but I am talking about EXTRATERRESTRIAL.

If this isn’t a science-fiction film, what is writer/director Nacho Vigalondo’s film all about? The back story of EXTRATERRESTRIAL implies, briefly, that an alien invasion has occurred. Julio (Julian Villagran) awakes in a flat not his own after a long night of hard partying. He realizes this is the home of the attractive Julia (Michelle Jenner) with whom he spent the night, although they both have difficulty recalling all the details. Immediately, Julia seems uneasy about something and we would assume she has no interest in a continuation of whatever occurred the night before… until she and Julio spot the massive 4-mile wide spaceship hovering over their city.

Some time is spent on Julia and Julio trying to piece together what happened, and where the inhabitants of a now nearly abandoned city have gone, but this conversation quickly dissolves into a character study revolving around an unclear night shared by the two main characters. One way to describe EXTRATERRESTRIAL would be to call it a darkly comic romance, without much of the romance and all of the dysfunctional relationship checkpoints. The somewhat soap operatic drama of this intensifies and becomes even more bizarre once Julia’s stalker neighbor Angel (Carlos Areces) enters the story, as well as Julia’s previously unmentioned boyfriend Carlos (Raul Cimas) with whom she also has a less than perfect relationship.

At this point, EXTRATERRESTRIAL begins to get silly, even absurdly nonsensical. At times playing out like a farce of later Hitchcock films such as A FAMILY PLOT, the mystery is overshadowed by the lack of clarity in what kind of story is being told. Carlos proceeds to apparently lose his mind, while no explanations are ever presented as to why the characters are having difficulty remembering details of what they’ve said and done. Likewise, the lingering questions about the aliens are screaming in the backs of our heads, clawing at our skulls to be heard, and more importantly, to be answered.

EXTRATERRESTRIAL is shot almost entirely in a single location, in and around Julia’s apartment building. The intimacy of the setting could have played gloriously for such a tightly confined science-fiction concept, if only that had been the movie made. Instead, the lack of varied scenery and thematic intrigue leaves the film dull and monotonous for most of the running time, despite some moments of humor snuck into the four-way interpersonal paranoia.

BODY TEMPERATURE – Fantastic Fest Review

When it comes the romantic comedies, the standard plan of action seems to be a formulaic approach, but it doesn’t need to be that way. BODY TEMPERATURE is really more of a dramedy, but the connection is close enough to be filed under the same category. I mention this because the better romantic comedies are usually the ones not trying so hard to make us laugh, but are more interested in telling a story with some underlying message or greater purpose.

Takaomi Ogata presents BODY TEMPERATURE as a character study, focused almost entirely on Rintaro (Chavetaro Ishizaki), a loner who works from home and lives with Ibuki, his girlfriend of six years… who just happens to be a very life-like sex doll. Rintaro has conversations with her, dresses her, buys her things, even goes on walks with her, but it’s only when he meets Rinko (Rin Sakuragi) that his fantasy begins to fall apart.

In a twist of fate, Rintaro notices an attractive woman entering the subway who eerily resembles Ibuki. Instantly, Rintaro’s focus on Ibuki succumbs to a minor, yet undeniably present fracture. This is the moment that his world begin to dissolve back into the real world. Rintaro, despite his social awkwardness, makes contact with Rinko and slowly builds a strong friendship. One thing leads to another, as they often do, and the truth of the situation begins to reveal itself regarding Rinko’s intentions as well as Rintaro’s little secret.

At only 72-minutes in length, BODY TEMPERATURE is a short, but slowly developing story. Ogata takes his time revealing Rintaro to the audience, detailing his eccentricities. Ogata chooses to dwell on moments, often with long steady shots. This strengthens our understanding of Rintaro’s world. There are no moments of outside criticism, no moments of being bullied or being ostracized as a social outcast. Rintaro exists fully in his world, oblivious to whatever may be occurring in the real world.

Ishizaki reminds me of a Michael Cera character, but far less obnoxious, but looks vaguely like a Japanese Justin Long. In a film that features a cast of only two actors, performance is key. Surprisingly, the strongest performance comes from Sakuragi, who happens to be a Japanese porn star in real life. Who says porn stars can’t act? For the majority of BODY TEMPERATURE, Sakuragi portrays the sex doll herself, seriously… and does so marvelously. This sounds on as it rolls off my own tongue, but the truth is, she was convincing as a lifeless facsimile of a real human being. Yes, that is a compliment!

There are several moments of touching, slightly awkward humor as we watch Rintaro with his Ibuki, like voyeurs in a PG-13 level peep show. The story, however, as well as the “intimacy” of Rintaro with Ibuki get a bit more intense near the end of the film. Without revealing an key plot points, there really is only one genuinely uncomfortable moment in BODY TEMPERATURE. Rintaro does hook up once with Rinko, and it goes surprisingly well, but a visually jarring close-up that occurs at the “climax” of this scene will likely cause audiences to double-take, wince or even vocalize their disbelief.

While the film lingers slowly, at times even too slowly, it’s the lingering that makes it unique. Already compared heavily to LARS AND THE REAL GIRL — I too am guilty of this — BODY TEMPERATURE still strays from the general concept and tells its own story. Ogata focuses on the intimacy angle as its key driving factor, whereas LARS AND THE REAL GIRL focused far more on the social angle. In either case, both films are worth seeing.

Review: ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’

timetravelerswifemovie

I want to begin by telling you up front that what I am about to say may shock some of you. In fact, some of you may choose never to read my reviews again. Prepare yourselves, because I am about to make one bold statement… THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is one of the best love stories EVER told. There. Now, that wasn’t that bad, was it? With that said, I would liked to have seen a few better casting choices.

The film was based on Audrey Niffenegger’s novel of the same name, adapted for the screen by Bruce Joel Rubin (GHOST, JACOB’S LADDER) and directed by Robert Schwentke (TATTOO, FLIGHT PLAN). At one hour and 47 minutes in length, the film can feel a bit slow at times in the first two acts, but the pace of the third act certainly makes up for having patience. The film is not perfect and it has it’s flaws, albeit few, but the story is simply marvelous and brilliantly combines the romance and science-fiction genres in a way that respects both, but is not easily restricted to either camp.

The movie follows research librarian Henry De Tamble, a man with a unique condition that proves to be both a curse and a blessing. Henry has a (fictional) genetic anomaly called chrono-impairment, which causes him to spontaneously travel through time, leaping from one significant moment in his and his families lives to another. Henry wields extremely limited control over his condition, which seems to be triggered by various sources of stress. Despite the inconvenience and occasional danger that his condition burdens him with, Henry manages to develop a meaningful and honest relationship with an artist named Clare Abshire. Clare is merely a child when she first meets a forty-something version of Henry in a meadow near her wealthy family’s home. From that moment, the two are seemingly destined to be together. They develop their relationship from friendship into lovers as Henry repeatedly visits Clare at different stages of her life, allowing him a very personal and coincidentally wise insight into her heart.

THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE can be split into three distinctly separate areas of focus. Two of these areas excel at accomplishing what they set out for while the other falls a bit short. The acting in this film was not bad. I particularly felt Arliss Howard (FULL METAL JACKET, AMISTAD) gave a wonderful performance as Henry’s father Richard, despite his minimal screen time. The character really came to life for me and I personally would have loved to see his character influence the story on an even deeper level. Ron Livingston (THE COOLER, LITTLE BLACK BOOK) was both funny and talented in the often awkward role of Gomez and managed to successfully bring the comic relief into the story at a tone and tempo that made me laugh but not too much. This is not a romantic comedy by any means, but the story has a few rough emotional moments and Livingston’s touch adds to the overall texture of this tapestry.

As for the stars of the film, Rachel McAdams (RED EYE, STATE OF PLAY) was perfectly fine. She doesn’t give a stellar performance, but it does hold up for the role’s requirements and she is definitely easy on the eyes and ears. I’ll give Rachel a solid “B” for her efforts and ability to maintain the flow of the film. Eric Bana. (sigh) What can I say about Eric? What I am not going to do is call him a talentless hack, because he is not and others say this far too often in my honest opinion. However, the problem with Eric Bana (HULK, MUNICH) seems to be a lack of self-acknowledgement regarding his own range and ability to properly emote. He tries very hard, I truly believe that with every fabric of my being, but sometimes trying isn’t enough. Frankly, I haven’t fully accepted him in a role since CHOPPER (2000). Too many of his scenes in THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE fall just short of convincing, but they’re close enough for me to have let them slide past my radar and enjoy the film.

Now for the good parts! I found myself pleasantly surprised by the overall performance given by the child actors in this movie. Alex Ferris plays Henry at the age of six and does a commendable job, even with his limited role. By far, the players who astonished me the most were the three young actresses who portrayed Clare and her daughter Alba, all of whom had to play their characters at two different ages. Brooklynn Proulx plays Clare at the ages of six and eight. Not only does she fit the image of a young Clare Abshire, she also succeeds at showing up her adult counter-part with a magical charm and radiance. Tatum McCann plays Alba at the ages of four and five while her real-life sister Hailey McCann plays Alba at the ages of nine and ten. Together, they sell young Alba as a smart and fascinating girl with a special inheritance.

I’ve already spoken of my feelings towards the story, which paints a wonderfully rich and believable romance that occurs despite the oddest of circumstances. The realism of their relationship holds up because it isn’t a storybook romance. Henry and Clare have their share of problems, from arguments to tragedy, including Henry’s genetic disorder that fuels both the good and bad sides of the characters’ personalities. Simply stated, THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is a superbly crafted screenplay.

The third and perhaps most under-appreciated element of success in this film comes from behind the camera. Schwentke does a fine job directing the film, especially considering the level of performances he nurtured from the child actors. More than this however, I have to give credit to Florian Ballhaus (FLIGHTPLAN, MARLEY & ME) for her sumptuously vivid cinematography. THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is warm and inviting at times, but also cold and painful when it needs to be. The colors are rich, the depth of field she uses throughout the film is awe-inspiring and she has a keen eye for how to frame a shot. While I’d love to see her get recognition for her work come Oscar time, I realize it’s probably a long shot.

For all intensive purposes, THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE utilizes just the right amount of subtle special effects as not to get in the way, or pull the audience out of this story. The non-linear relationship of Henry of Clare is fully engrossing, even if the acting leaves us wanting at times. While not extraordinarily impressive in their technical prowess, the special effects do what they’re intended to do in this movie and nothing more… they do their job. They help to convey the idea of a man who has a genetic predisposition to spontaneous time travel rather than showing up to show off. I applaud this approach with absolute appreciation.

Overall, THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is an excellent film, not perfect, but absolutely worth paying to see in the theatre. Clearly, the film will appeal more to the average female cinematic tastes, but I beg and plead to the guys out there that this is NOT your average chick flick. Do not allow others who may want to lump THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE into a throw away category of sappy romantic melodramas to dissuade your interest. Doing so would be an unfortunate miscalculation of the film’s intention.

Review: ‘(500) Days of Summer’

500daysofsummermovie

I went into this film knowing essentially two things:

1) It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, and
2) It’s not a love story but rather a story about love

In my opinion, that’s the best way to see this (or any) film, so if you’re a fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt or Zooey Deschanel, or if you’re intrigued by the idea of a romantic comedy that, against all odds, isn’t a generic, boring, waste of time, then by all means, go and see this film as soon as it opens tomorrow (7/24). However, if you’re still on the fence about it, here’s my take on the film.

Since Scott and Jeremy reviewed (500) Days of Summer when it was screened at Sundance and Cinevegas, HERE and HERE, and I completely agree with both of their takes on it, I’ll try to take a different approach. About a third into the movie, during a particularly ingenious musical number, the thought hit me, “this feels like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off!” Not because it was ripping off Ferris Bueller, in fact the two stories couldn’t be more different, but because of the strong emphasis on characters over story and the general likability of the entire cast.

The film takes place through the eyes of Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). He’s universally loved by his coworkers, he’s fun to hang out with, and he’s an all around great guy. (Sound familiar?) But that’s only on his good days. Throughout the film, we get to see glimpses into the 500 days that Tom spends with his love at first sight (Zooey Deschanel) and when he’s on a good day everything is pretty great. On the bad days? Not so much.

Through the film, we are greeted by title cards which let us know what the current day of summer is, and we also get a preview of how the day will turn out. (I could explain more, but it’s kind of cool to just see and experience for yourself. One of the many little touches that make this film great.) On the bad days Tom is more of a Cameron: whiny, moping, and full of hate. This contrast lets us know, right from the start, that all bets are off as to where this relationship will end up.

Like Ferris Bueller, this film is genuinely fun, funny, and manages to bring the dramatic bits without spoiling the humor in the end. If there’s one thing I hate about comedies, it’s when the first two acts are full of laughs and then as soon as the inevitable dramatic moment hits in the third act, everyone goes silent (basically every terrible romantic comedy out there). Partly because of the non-linear nature of the story, and partly because of the very tight editing (no fat here) the film never drags, and it never loses its momentum as a comedy. One of my favorite bits came totally unexpected, so I won’t spoil it here, but I’ll just say it was a brief cameo from a 1977 movie character…

While the Ferris Bueller character similarities pretty much end with Tom, this is really his story, so it’s a good fit. Go into the film with “Ferris Bueller’s (500) Days” in your mind, and I think you’ll see what I mean.

All in all, with (500) Days of Summer, you can expect a tightly woven, well-crafted, technically brilliant film that will leave you smiling (and possibly wishing that your girlfriend looked like Zooey Deschanel).

Chick Flick from the Past: ‘Brief Encounter’ (1945)

Brief Encounter

Director: David Lean

Writer: Based on the play “Still Life† by Noel Coward

Cast: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, and Joyce Carey.

Run time: 86 minutes (black and white)

Rating: None

Awards: Nominated for 3 Oscars, won Grand Prize at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival

DVD features: Audio commentary from film historian Bruce Eder, original trailer (which I found quite amusing).

Plot: Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson) is a lonely housewife who makes weekly trips to town every Thursday. During these trips Laura shops and usually catches a matinee at the local theater before taking the train home. One particular Thursday, Laura is standing by the train tracks and an express train speeds by causing dirt to fly into her eye. Laura walks into the train station’s cafà © to ask for some water to help clean her eye. Dr. Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard) hears of Laura’s distress and offers to help thus marks the beginning of an ill-fated love affair. Continue reading Chick Flick from the Past: ‘Brief Encounter’ (1945)

Review: ‘Broken English’ on DVD

Broken Englishwould be a waste of time if it was not for the ideal casting of Parker Posey as Nora Wilder. The film is a New York based romantic dramedy written and directed by Zoà « Cassavetes the daughter of actress Gena Rowlands.

Nora Wider (Posey) is a thirty something lonely woman who smokes and drinks excessively. She works at an upscale New York hotel. Nora specializes in babying celebrity clients. One of these clients is Nick Gable (Justin Theroux) who takes an immediate liking to Nora. Against her better judgment Nora agrees to go out with Nick and ends up in his bed. Several weeks later while watching an entertainment news story Nora finds out that Nick has a girlfriend. Nora is crushed.

Nora’s best friend Audrey (Drea de Matteo) has been happily married for five years to Mark (Tim Guinee). Nora attends their anniversary party where she is bombarded with questions about her miserable personal life from her mother Vivien (Rowlands). Vivien takes it upon herself to set Nora up on a date with the son of one of her friends. Of course, the man has issues and ends up leaving Nora half way through their first date.

Nora, depressed and alone again, runs into Julien (Melvil Poupaud) a visiting Frenchmen. Julien intensely pursues Nora even though she tells him several times to get lost. Eventually, Nora caves in and the couple spends the weekend together.

When things are finally going her way, Julien drops a bomb saying he must go back to France. Julien invites Nora to come along with him, but she is fearful of leaving her unhappy life. Time goes by and Nora realizes that Julien is the only one who can make her happy so she jumps on an airplane with her best friend, but will she be able to find him in such a large city as Paris?

As Nora, Parker Posey reminds me of a cheerleader for a lack luster team. She shined above everyone so much that the remainder of the cast seemed dull. Melvil Poupaud’s strong, silent, intense type works well as a stand alone character, but it was difficult to accept him falling head over heels in love with Nora at first sight. He is too perfect for the imperfect Nora.

Zoà « Cassavetes’s screenplay is full of clichà ©s. There is nothing different or special. The film has the essence of The Virgin Suicides,directed by Sofia Coppola who happens to be one of Cassavetes close friends, but it’s lacking the magic and feeling that Coppola brings to filmmaking.

If you love Parker Posey, like I do, then defiantly see this film. If you want to see a good entertaining romantic comedy with a neurotic leading lady I would suggest sticking with Bridget Jones’s Diary.

Rated PG-13

No DVD special features.

[rating:2.5/5]

Review: ‘Fool’s Gold’ on DVD

Fools Gold is a romantic comedy with breathtaking tropical scenery, but with little else to offer. Matthew McConaughey reunites with his How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days costar Kate Hudson as a soon to be divorced couple at each other’s throats. Benjamin Finnegan (McConaughey) is an immature treasure hunter looking for the lost dowry of the Queen of Spain, which supposedly sunk off of Key West during a hurricane. When Ben finds his first clue, he accidentally sinks his boat, which he co-owns with his wife Tess (Hudson). Tess was going to sell the boat and use the money to attend graduate school. Using Tess’s connections with a local millionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Southerland), the couple set out on their treacherous hunt for the Queen’s dowry. Added to the mayhem, Ben is being pursued by the local gangster for unpaid debts.

It was remarkable how Kate Hudson channeled her mother’s persona (Goldie Hawn) in this film, but Kate’s comedic abilities could not save this movie. The storyline was an unstructured mess. McConaughey’s acting was mediocre, he had lackluster chemistry with Hudson, and the only thing he had to offer was a hot body. Fools Gold is a poorly acted and written version of Romancing the Stone.

The DVD includes a behind-the-scenes featurette and a gag reel.

Rated PG-13 for action violence, some sexual material, and language.

[rating: 2/5]

Review: ‘Over Her Dead Body’ on DVD

When I rented Over Her Dead Body I was reluctant to watch it. I let it sit by my DVD player until I finally gave in on this boring Sunday afternoon. The film is a typical Romantic Comedy with a few high points.

Kate (Eva Longoria Parker) is a high-strung bride who meets her early demise via an ice sculpture on her wedding day. Henry (Paul Rudd) depressed over his fiancà ©s death is taken by his sister Chloe (Lindsay Sloane) to see Ashley (Lake Bell) a local psychic. Henry is a Veterinarian and “a man of science,† skeptical of Ashley’s abilities until she reveals personal details of Henry’s relationship with Kate. As Ashley and Henry become close, out of the blue the jealous ghost of Kate starts to haunt Ashley. What ensues is a supernatural cat-fight. Dan (Jason Biggs) tags along as Ashley’s gay best friend for added comic relief.

One of the few high points in this film is Paul Rudd. He is funny even when he is trying not to be. His sarcastic deadpan humor is spot on. Another is a scene in which two veterinarian technicians are trying to lift an overweight dog onto the examining table. They drop the dog several times and even end up on the ground themselves.

Throughout the whole film I was thinking why would a local laid back Veterinarian be engaged to a neurotic prissy woman like Kate. Their relationship was not believable. This is the first time I’ve seen Lake Bell. She is beautiful and sweet, but forgettable just like this film.

This DVD does not include anything special. The only special feature is a few trailers.
Director/Writer: Jeff Lowell
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language.
Box Office Gross: $7.6 Million (USA)

Review: ‘Then She Found Me’

I was pleasantly surprised by this little Independent film. It was an impressive vehicle for Helen Hunt to make her directorial debut. Hunt spent 10 years bringing this loosely based adaptation of Elinor Lipman’s novel to the big screen and it was worth the time and effort.

Then She Found Me opens with April Epner’s (Helen Hunt) wedding to the immature child-like Ben (Matthew Broderick). Several months go by without April becoming pregnant. Being adopted, April’s one wish is to experience the biological bond between mother and child, but at 39 years old she feels time is slipping away. Ben, not able to cope with any adult issues, leaves April to move back in with his mother. From this point on, April’s life falls apart. After her husband leaves, April’s beloved adopted mother dies, her biological mother, played by the fantastic Bette Miller, appears out of thin air, April meets the possible love of her life, played by the dashing Colin Firth, and then she finds out she is pregnant with Ben’s child. April’s mid-life crisis is a fantastic heart-felt journey to experience.

I cannot recommend this film more. There is perfect acting all around. Bette Miller stands out by pulling back her bigger then life personality into a caring mother trying to connect with  her  lost daughter. Colin Firth proves again how perfect he is as a leading-man. Helen Hunt makes you feel her pain and longing for a child of her own.

With this wonderful directorial debut, Hunt has solidified her future as a top notch director. Make sure to catch this intelligent romantic comedy before it leaves theaters.

Winner of the Palm Springs 2008 International Film Festival Audience Award

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

[rating:4.5/5]

Review: ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ On DVD

Shanna:

The Other Boleyn Girl is the long awaited adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s beloved historical novel by the same name. There is always a risk to bringing a well-known novel to the big screen. Will the film connect with the audience like the novel? Yes and no.

The film beautifully creates a romantic English countryside of Henry the VIII’s (Eric Bana) early reign. King Henry is unhappily married to his first wife Queen Katherine of Aragon (Ana Torrent) who has not been able to provide him with a male heir. Aspiring aristocrat Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance) invites the King to his rustic home to hunt and more importantly to meet his single daughter Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman). To everyone’s surprise, King Henry falls for Anne’s sister Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson) who was recently married. Throwing all decorum out the window, the Boleyn family sends Mary to London to become the King’s mistress with a jealous Anne following behind. Mary quickly becomes pregnant with the King’s bastard child. As Mary is bedridden with child, Anne is sent by her power hungry uncle Thomas Howard (David Morrissey) to keep the Kings favor. Anne quickly seduces the King, sends Mary away to the country, and convinces the King to divorce his wife, causing England to break ties with the powerful Catholic Church. Anne’s vindictive and selfish actions come back to haunt her when she is unable to provide the King with a male child. In the end, Anne loses everything including her head.

Justin Chadwick beautifully directs this film, transporting you to the scenic English countryside with breathtaking manors and lush rolling fields, then to the dark and gloomy castle of the King.

The casting was well done except for Eric Bana as King Henry. Henry VIII is an infamous character that is larger then life; his essence should dominate every scene. Eric Bana comes across as too soft even when he is supposed to be psychotically angry. On the other hand, Natalie Portman is extremely aggressive and domineering, verging on an overly melodramatic performance. Scarlett Johansson was sweet and angelic, but also boring as usual. David Morrissey stole the show with his power hungry Thomas Howard.

I recommend watching the film before reading the book. The film leaves some key plots out such as what happens to Anne when she is sent away to the French Court. She is shipped off one minute and back the next. I was left with a feeling of wanting more from the film as a whole.

Zac:

This adaptation of the hit novel fails to create any real emotion nor evokes us to really care about our leads or anyone involved in this historical period piece.
Scarlet Johansen and Natalie Portman star as Mary and Anne Boleyn, respectively, starting off as pawns in their families bid to gain favor and power with King Henry the VIII (Eric Bana), with the lies, deceit, and intrigue leading to a struggle for power and love from the King.
The plot and script as a whole comes across as the lite version of the proceedings, with the story skimming over small details with little to no motivation for what is going on, leaving us wondering why we should care so much about the proceedings in the first place.
Anne was originally elected by her family to steal the king’s favor and serve as his potential mistress but it is Mary who steals his affection as she tends to him after injuring himself on a hunt while staying at the Boleyn manor. Anne, Mary, and family are all whisked off to court and slowly become more and more favored by the king especially after the pregnancy of Anne become known. Henry’s need for a male aire drives the proceedings of the film forward and is the focal point in which the plot revolves from here on out. I will not divulge more into story other then to say that it really fails to pack any sort of punch throughout the course of pretty much the entire film.
The acting in the film is just blah from everyone as well and these are some fine actors working here as well. Though, I will say that the weak script and dialogue definitely probably had something to do with this and the actors seem to have their hands tied with anything to really work with. Jim Sturgess actually probably does the best work out of the cast playing the brother George Boleyn who also ends up forced into situations he can’t handle by the conniving elders of the Boleyn family. The uncle of the Boleyn’s, and the Duke of Norfolk, is also played to great effect by David Morrissey as we love to hate him as he manipulates the family to his bidding. Outside these characters though, there isn’t anything to really write home about and that’s saying something when Eric Bana is in the cast, who I regard as one of the best actors around.
When it’s all said and done, this movie isn’t nearly as effective as it thinks it is, and even comes off as a bit pretentious. The script cripples almost everything in this film and the direction leaves a lot to be desired. The acting is nobodies best and the film as a whole is pretty much forgettable. The movie is at best a historical soap opera that doesn’t even really succeed at that very well. I can’t really recommend this unless you really wanted to see it, in which you should seek it out and judge for yourself because you might find something you like, even though all I found was a whole lot of blah.

(2.5 out of 5)

PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content and some violent images

World Wide Box Office Gross: $64.8 Million

[rating: 3/5]