OPENING THIS WEEK: 7/17/2013 & 7/19/2013

Two new art house flicks that opened last week won't be sticking around to make room for some new digital files uploading (see we can't say unspooling anymore with the Market Arcade and Movieland 8 as our only 35MM houses in town)...including count em' four new flicks in the multiplex and two new ones (although one ought to cross over soon enough - - they've been screening it multiple times in town) art house flicks. The aforementioned Way Way Back we've seen and its delightful summer fun.

@ The Art House (Friday)

The Way Way Back - Nat Faxon and Jim Rash's delightful summer comedy/drama follows young Duncan (Liam Jones) through a memorable summer at a Massachusetts resort town as he fights for attention from his mom (Toni Collette) at her new boyfriend's (Steve Carell) beach house. The Sundance hit co-stars Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb, Maya Rudolph and Sam Rockwell as an operations manager at a local water park who shows Duncan the ropes.

Screening: Dipson Amherst, Dipson Eastern Hills

Girl Most Likely - From Shari Spriner Berman & Robert Pulcini, Kristin Wiig stars as a failed New York playwright who after a manic episode ends up in the care of her mom (Annette Bening) and some how at the Jersey Shore, the trailer made me laugh -

Screening: Regal Quaker Crossing, Dipson Amherst

@ The Multiplex (Wednesday)

Turbo - Looks like another recycled kids movie, Ryan Reynolds (big week for this guy) voices Turbo, a snail that, after a freak accident is now fast as lightening. I think we've seen this movie a few times (and will be seeing it again with Planes before the summer is over). 

Screening: Dipson Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit, Regal Walden, Regal Hollywood 12, Regal Quaker Crossing, Transit Drive In, Palace Hamburg

(Thursday night)

The Conjuring - from James Wan, this one chronicling the real life Paranormal investigators, The Warrens (played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) allegedly was so scary the MPAA wouldn't grant it a PG-13 rating... Wan has my interest for sure.

Screening: Dipson Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit, Regal Walden, Regal Hollywood 12, Regal Quaker Crossing, Transit Drive In, AMC Maple Ridge

R.I.P.D. - Oh it's a cheap shot to say R.I.P.D. looks D.O.A. - I'll give it the benefit of the doubt, it has Jeff Bridges....right...right... (also staring Ryan Reynolds, again in 3D)

Screening: Dipson Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit, Regal Walden, Regal Hollywood 12, Regal Quaker Crossing, Transit Drive In

R.E.D. 2 - Alright, another sequel no one asked for! Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren and Anthony Hopkins are back as Retired, Extremely Dangerous - - if Unfinished Song is too tame for you - here's your flick.

Screening: Dipson Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit, Regal Walden, Regal Hollywood 12, Regal Quaker Crossing, AMC Maple Ridge

Reparatory Programing

The Godfather - a newly restored digital print is being showcased at The Screening Room this weekend.

The Cheap Seats

The East (8/10) - MovieLand 8

Continuing (our reviews)

Monsters University (7/10)

White House Down (7/10)

The Heat (4/10)

Despicable Me 2 (7/10)

An Unfinished Song (7/10)

[In Theaters: REVIEW] THE HEAT (4/10)

Paul Feig, how the mighty have fallen. Bridesmaids was an excellent summer comedy that brought Melissa McCarthy to national attention: The Heat is exactly the kind of move Hollywood makes all the time; take what works and do more of it to excess. And speaking of excess – there’s a lot of excessive force: I don’t get why police brutality and excessive force is fodder for comedy – oh because it’s a fat chick doing it - instead of Woody Harrelson? That ain’t right!

Sandra Bullock plays her normal straight edge self, FBI Special Agent Ashburn whose excellent at her job – she’s kept down by the men of course, most of which are both clueless and have no balls. Paul Feig enjoys emasculation as comedy – it’s lazy but truth be told it lands a few laughs. McCarthy plays Shannon Mullins, an officer working the beat in a rough East Boston neighborhood who once arrested her own brother to try to get him help for a drug addiction. Her tactics are rough, including assaulting a family man (a sadly under-used Tony Hale) who was cruising for prostitutes in Mullins hood. She brings in a low-level dealer linked to Ashburn’s investigation and neither one cedes ground going to all sorts of lengths to bring in their perp. These include many ins and outs, through thick and thin the unlikely duo – dubbing themselves “the heat” bond and take on the system.

We’ve seen this before and while The Heat has a few laughs the rhythm and pace are truth be told a little off: its running time is a little too long and Feig is certainly not the action director that Michael Bay is. The screenplay by Katie Dippold hits all the beats you’d expect from this concept with a slight feminist twist. It’s too mainstream to go all the way and risk alienate part of its audience, so where’s the fun in that? The Heat is essentially an R-rated, test marketed to death sitcom by committee: Hollywood does need women in powerful roles, but it doesn't justify just how brainless this movie is.

So here’s the deal: The Heat is exactly the movie you think it will be. You might like it: good for you, here’s some venues that’ll gladly accept your $9-10.50:

Screening: Dipson Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Transit, Regal Hollywood 12, Transit Drive In

OPENING THIS WEEK - 7/2/2013 & 7/5/2013

Five new films grace the shores of Lake Erie (and Ontario - we don't discriminate for those in the extreme North Towns) this week, including two early Wednesday (well actually Tuesday night) openings just in time for America's birthday (we will not be upstaged by Canada Day! Said me as I wade through the friendly Canadians infiltrating the Walden Galleria today - leaving behind their boxes and receipts to cheat Boarder Services).

@ The Art House (opening FRIDAY)

Midnight's Children - Dipson Amherst Theatre

Speaking of Canadians - Deepa Mehta returns with Midnight's Children - it looks like a compelling narrative spanning a swath of history in a vastly changing India (following independence from Britain to modernization). Based on the novel by Salman Rushdie. (who despite Gene of Bob's Burgers, is not the author of The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe .... skip ahead to 1:23 here)

The Attack - Dipson Eastern Hills

While that title could describe virtually any big budget studio film - the Lebanese produced The Attack has been allegedly banned throughout the Arab world, the film looks like a powerful, complex study of the Israeli zeitgeist wrapped in a political thriller.

@ The Multiplex (opening TUESDAY NIGHT)

Despicable Me 2 - AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Market Arcade, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Elmwood, Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Hollywood 12, Dipson Flix, Transit Drive-In

Gru is back (but did he ever really leave) - I loved the first Despicable Me - especially its use of 3D (which, unlike many a film was a true upgrade), the trailers makes me laugh every time I see one....

The Lone Ranger -AMC Maple Ridge, Dipson Market Arcade, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Elmwood, Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Hollywood 12, Dipson Flix, Transit Drive-In

Because you didn't ask for it - another big budget bloated studio movie with Johnny Depp - with a 2 hour and 20 minute running time (see at at Regal and you'll be there for three hours - - seriously Regal, 25 minutes of previews the other day at White House Down!). I've enjoyed Gore Verbinski's earlier films but this looks like what happens when you have a director unchecked doing what he will...

Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain This - Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Elmwood, Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Hollywood 12

I enjoyed Hart's first theatrically released concert movie, 2011's Laugh at My Pain, so his new one should be fun to check out (and its only 75 minutes - half the length of The Lone Ranger)

In The Cheap Seats

The Bling Ring - Dipson McKinely Mall  (review)

Reparatory Screenings

Grease - The Screening Room Cafe

Continuing In Town... (our reviews)

Monsters University

Stories We Tell

White House Down

OPENING THIS WEEK - 7/28/2013

OPENING THIS WEEK in town.....

@ The Art House

Stories We Tell - Dipson Amherst Theatre

A documentary in which Sarah Polley uncovers her birth father: essentially she concludes there's three sides to every story - yours, mine and the truth. Her first documentary, following Polley's tender Away from Her and the complex yet flawed Take This Waltz which was best described as an interesting failure.  

Copperhead - Dipson Eastern Hills

Ron Maxwell's follow up to Gettsburg and God & Generals (this time thankfully without an intermission - it's 2 hours instead of 3 hours!) - evoking Lincoln the official plot description calls it "a parable of the Civil War and perhaps for our own time" - um kay.

@ The Multiplex

The Heat - Regal Walden Galleria, Dipson Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Regal Transit, Regal Niagara Falls

The buzz has been surprisingly strong for this comedy about police brutality directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) and staring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy - I'll reserve judgment until I see it.

White House Down -  Regal Walden Galleria, Dipson Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Regal Transit, Regal Niagara Falls

You rarely get to accuse Summer Movie Season of being original - hey, wasn't After Earth kind of a remake of Oblivion. Allegedly Olympus Has Fallen was rushed out into the theaters to beat White House Down - all be it this time we get the Roland Emmerich touch.

[In Theaters: REVIEW] Monsters University (7/10)

My anticipation grew for Monsters University as the trailers began: are computer generated family films devoid of new ideas. Sure “structure” must exist but after a certain point enough is enough. Turbo and Disney’s Planes look like the same damn movie – then there was the trailer for Lego: The Movie, followed by Smurfs II (Lego even copies the music in Smurfs II – who knew Pitbull, once known for his lyric “oh you the healthy type – well here come some egg whites” was suddenly family friendly! Then again he was in the boring ass family flick Epic).

So back to Monsters University: I was excited to see, of course the new Pixar flick and just as importantly the new short (which inevitably will be Oscar nominated). This one doesn’t disappoint – The Blue Umbrella is a beautiful 60’s style jazz piece making beauty out of what I assume is 70’s New York – these shorts are a former of R & D and this one uses photo realism, soft focus, and a hand-held look. It’s beautiful and elegant with a little grit: kind of a nod to The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Directed by photographer Saschka Unseld, I can’t wait to see what he does next.

But back to Monsters University: it’s as lovable of a Pixar flick as you might imagine – a departure of course from the heights of Up and Wall-E (two films I can’t believe resonated as deeply as they did), it’s furry, silly and only a little scary (not nearly as traumatizing as the end of Toy Story 3). In Dan Scanlon’s Monsters University we find ourselves meeting Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) during their formative years – originally rivals they evolve to become BFFs overcoming such buzz topics as “bullying” (I can believe how children are trained today – at our screening a few verbally called out instances of “bullying” - - if only the same parents would bring them to The Bling Ring).

Much of the action is good natured – but sadly formulaic. It’s as if every kids movie these days has to revolve around an epic battle for survival or a contest – thankfully the contest is enjoyable. After Mike and Sully are expelled from Monsters U’s Scaring Program by Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) they’re forced to prove themselves via the Greek Life’s Scare Games. Joining a frat of lovable losers (Ousman Kapa or “OK”) they take on the establishment and work their way up the chain via team work – Mike is the brains and Sully is the brawn.

Monsters University is light, not nearly as life threatening or as bland as The Croods or Epic – thankfully Pixar continues to evolve even if they’re not making earth shattering epics that hit every emotional cord – leave that to The Blue Umbrella which on its own is worth at least half the price of admission. Monsters University continues the departure for Pixar: it doesn’t achieve the great farce of Ratatouille but its heck of a lot of fun.

7 out of 10.

Screening: Regal Elmwood, Dipson Market Arcade, Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Quaker Crossing, Dipson Flix, AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Transit, Palace Hamburg, Regal Niagara Falls