Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alice Braga, Max Martini, Tim Allen. Written & directed by David Mamet.
FILM SYNOPSIS: Set in the west-side of the Los Angeles fight world, a world inhabited by bouncers, cage-fighters, cops and special forces-types, Redbelt is the story of Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a Jiu-jitsu teacher who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing instead to pursue an honorable life by operating a self-defense studio with a samurai’s code.
Terry and his wife Sondra (Alice Braga), struggle to keep the business running to make ends meet. An accident on a dark, rainy night at the Academy, between an off duty officer (Max Martini) and a distraught lawyer (Emily Mortimer), puts in to motion a series of events that will change Terry’s life dramatically-introducing him to a world of promoters (Ricky Jay, Joe Mantegna) and movie star Chet Frank (Tim Allen). Faced with these challenges, and in order to pay off his debts and regain his honor, Terry must step into the ring for the first time of his life.
PREVIEW REVIEW: The substantial nature of this martial arts film, a true morality tale, one of the most absorbing I’ve seen in quite some time, is due both to the writing/direction of David Mamet and his formidable cast. Mamet doing a martial arts film? That’s right. He uses the genre to tell a tale of an honorable man surrounded by corrupted people who see little reason for life other than the accruing of money – no matter the destructive nature of their agendas. It may not be a masterpiece, but wisely and interestingly addresses principles that govern the human condition.
Of course, along with his well-structured dialogue, Mamet peppers his story with the f-word, a tradition of this filmmaker. But here, the writer seems to use objectionable language to relay the corruption of those whose pursuit of wealth has indeed become evil. Still, be warned, Mamet never met an obscenity he couldn’t use.
DVD alternative: The Winslow Boy. (1999) Nigel Hawthorne, Rebecca Pidgeon. Writer/director David Mamet (best known for his salty dialogue in most productions) has sensitively adapted Terence Rattigan's play about a barrister defending a youth accused of school theft. Genteel look at a father's determination to see justice done. A superb screenplay by Mr. Mamet, proving a story can be told without bombarding the viewer with profane and offensive material. G (I found nothing objectionable).
Or:
Requiem for a Heavyweight. A solid drama from Rod Serling about a fighter (Anthony Quinn) whose career in the ring is nearing its end as he faces corruption in the sport. Good performances from Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney and Julie Harris.
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Greg Kinnear, Dax Shepard, Romany Malco, Maura Tierney, Holland Taylor and Sigourney Weaver. Written and Directed by Michael McCullers.
FILM SYNOPSIS: Successful and single businesswoman Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) has long put her career ahead of a personal life. Now 37, she’s finally determined to have a kid on her own. But her plan is thrown a curve ball after she discovers she has only a million-to-one chance of getting pregnant. Undaunted, the driven Kate allows South Philly working girl Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler) to become her unlikely surrogate. Simple enough…
After learning from the steely head (Sigourney Weaver) of their surrogacy center that Angie is pregnant, Kate goes into precision nesting mode: reading childcare books, baby-proofing the apartment and researching top pre-schools. But the executive’s well-organized strategy is turned upside down when her Baby Mama shows up at her doorstep with no place to live.
An unstoppable force meets an immovable object as structured Kate tries to turn vibrant Angie into the perfect expectant mom. In a comic battle of wills, they will struggle their way through preparation for the baby’s arrival. And in the middle of this tug-of-war, they’ll discover two kinds of family: the one you’re born to and the one you make.
PREVIEW REVIEW: When attending a screening, the professional film reviewer must remain open, an exponent for the “promise of movies” theory. He must leave all prejudice at the boxoffice. The trailers for upcoming releases are a different matter. That’s when we can go all Addison DeWitt (the cynical critic in All About Eve). And that’s just what I and my colleagues in criticism did when we saw the commercial for Baby Mama. We could see every joke coming and cringed at the bevy of crude visuals, such as Amy Poehler crouched upon the bathroom sink, declaring that the toilet doesn’t work. But I couldn’t take my hastily formed opinion into the screening. Of course, by now, I’d have to be an idiot to think that former members of Saturday Night Live would do a movie comedy sans crude humor.
Tiny Fey is as sharp as a comic writer can come and Amy Poehler astounds with her sketch characterizations. These are two funny women (cynical, coarse and irreverent, but funny). The movie is not. Funny, that is. Cynical, coarse and irreverent, yes, but funny, no. Both Fey and Poehler are overworked, doing everything from credit card commercials to hit TV series to supporting cameos in all their buddies’ movies. They grab every project, knowing their days in the glow of Hollywood’s spotlight are limited. But their choices are not always wise.
Oh, sure, there are some laughs, but the humor never strays far from the bathroom. And when it does, it seems nearly as tired as the expressions on the leads’ faces. But worse yet, Tiny Fey is just not a very good actress. I understand that this time of the year is not yet reserved for Oscar attention. But this one couldn’t even get MTV’s attention.
DVD Alternatives: The Odd Couple. A very funny Neil Simon comedy about two very different men (Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau) sticking together out of necessity.
or
Enchanted April. A delightful fable about four women in 1920s London escaping inattentive husbands and repressed lifestyles by renting a castle in Portofino. They soon discover the estate has a magical effect on all those who stay there. Witty dialogue, dreamy cinematography, and savory performances from Joan Plowright, Polly Walker and the rest of the cast.
Distributor: Universal
Neil Dudgeon, Jessica Stevenson, Jules Sitruk. Comedy. Written & directed by Garth Jennings.
FILM SYNOPSIS: The story takes place in 1980s Britain, where young Will Proudfoot is raised in isolation among The Brethren, a puritanical religious sect in which music and TV are forbidden. Accidentally, he sees a bootlegged copy of Rambo: First Blood and it blows his imagination wide open. Now, Will sets out to join forces with the seemingly diabolical school bully, Lee Carter, to make their own action epic, devising wildly creative, on-the-fly stunts, all the while hiding out from The Brethren.
PREVIEW REVIEW: Both sensitive and amusing, the film is about friendship and the willingness to put others first. Though it takes a shot at the piousness of some religious folk who put the law before Christ’s love, the film is not antagonistic toward biblical matters. It just states that spiritual devotion is most effective when practiced by caring for others. At least that was my interpretation. I may be honoring the filmmaker more than he deserves.
Alas, the film is peppered with objectionable language, including a disrespectful use of Christ’s name, and mostly by a kid.
Though it is a tenderhearted movie, the misuse of our Savior’s name is just too abundant to be overlooked.
You may wish to try the following DVD alternatives to get the same message:
To Kill a Mockingbird. Horton Foote's winning screenplay of the Harper Lee novel about rural life, justice, honor and bigotry as seen through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl.
Or:
The Sandlot. The new boy in town struggles to become a member of the neighborhood baseball team. PG (a few mild expletives, one graphic scene where the kids get sick after chewing tobacco).
Or:
One Foot In Heaven. A devout minister (Fredric March) and family deal with the community and church life during changing early 1900s America. Fun scene has the good Reverend attending his first movie.
I would like to suggest Millions from 2005 since it is fairly new and that seems to be a prerequisite for some movie viewers. Alas, I can’t. Starting anew after the death of their mother, 9-year-old Anthony is ever practical, while his 7-year-old brother Damian uses imagination, fantasy, and faith to make sense of his confusing world. When a suitcase full of money falls out of the sky at Damian’s feet as he plays near the railroad tracks, it sets the boys on the adventure of a lifetime that leads them to realize that true wealth has nothing to do with money. The little boy believes so strongly in saints that he envisions them and has conversations concerning the directions he should take in life. I see this engaging PG film as morality play but for one scene. In it, Damian visualizes Saint Peter. During their discussion, the ever earthy Peter blasts out with an irreverent use of Christ’s name. So unexpected, it demanded a reaction from the startled audience, one that expressed itself through laughter. The actor portraying Peter continues by applying a humanistic explanation for the feeding of the 5,000. Turns out the miracle was not done by Jesus, but by the giving spirit of the people. It’s a subtle deflection from the godliness of Jesus. The filmmaker got his laugh, but he lost me.
Distributor: Paramount Vantage
Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub and Gwyneth Paltrow. Written by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway. Directed by Jon Favreau.
ILM SYNOPSIS: Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment's big screen adaptation of Marvel's legendary Super Hero Iron Man will launch into theaters on May 2, 2008. Oscar(R) nominee Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the story of a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.
PREVIEW REVIEW: Smart and witty writing (considering the genre), involving direction, perhaps the best special effects I’ve seen, and actors doing what good actors do best, make this one of the best of the Marvel comics screen adaptations. True, the last third becomes top heavy with the standard combativeness we’ve already seen with the Fantastic foursome, the mutating Transformers and the go-go Power Rangers, but by then Mr. Downey and his supporting players have cast their spell, drawing us into a mesmerizing action adventure that’s also a morality tale.
I do have a concern. While it has a comic book feel, the amount of visceral violence gained the film a PG-13 rating. Because of the amount of violent imagery already aimed at kids by the world’s entertainment community, I question this film’s suitability for younger moviegoers. Indeed, when our protagonist found himself in a bad way, a traumatized child (way too young for such a movie) started screaming.
I was also disappointed, but not surprised, by the inclusion of several obscenities and even a couple of profane uses of God’s name. Is that language now appearing in the action comic books?
Distributor: Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment
Richard Jenkins, Hiam Abbass, Haaz Sleiman , Danai Gurira. Comedy/drama. Written and Directed by Tom McCarthy.
FILM SYNOPSIS: A college professor becomes embroiled in the lives of a young immigrant couple living in New York City and stumbles into an unexpected romance as a result. As these strangers struggle to deal with their individual lives in a changed world, their shared humanity is revealed in awkward, humorous and dramatic ways.
PREVIEW REVIEW: Here’s what I loved about this film. It was a gentle character study about a man shut off from the world suddenly opening up to those around him. And the film points out that different nationalities can actually complement one another. That’s not a conservative or liberal consensus. Or shouldn’t be. We are like pieces of a puzzle designed to work together in order to make a living, breathing picture. I know, it sounds like I’m going to start handing out daises. But when we get past the barriers of politics we start coming together, appreciating the gifts God has given all of us.
The film is well cast down to the smallest roles, the direction seamless and though the pacing will be slow to those more accustomed to action thrillers than dramatic character studies, still there is a rhythm and a rhyme to the story that maintains an interest.
Alas, though I understand the filmmaker’s agenda – to tell a personal story that will aid in changing our immigration system - still it’s a pretty one-sided argument. We see a good man deported, separated from his family and his dreams of a better life here in the U.S. The filmmaker may be asking us to examine alternatives, or perhaps he’s just condemning us. But it must not be forgotten that while this is a good man, he is here illegally.
I’m always amazed at which laws people will uphold and which they will ignore. I don’t consider myself an authority on immigration, but shouldn’t laws be changed rather than just ignored. That said, at least this filmmaker is opening the question to debate. Debate is good. True art makes you think and feel. This film does both.
Distributor: Overture Films