EASTER AT THE MOVIES

By Patrick Gibbs

Generally, Easter is not as movie heavy a Holiday as, say, Christmas, or even the 4^th of July. We have some great holiday specials, like It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown and Tale of The Bunny Picnic, but in terms of theatrical classics, we come up a little lean. There's the traditional broadcast of The Ten Commandments, which makes slightly more sense than watching Schindler's List,but still, it's not quite a perfect fit.

Here are a few suggestions for movies to get you in the spirit of the day.

1. BEN HUR

If you are intent on watching Charlton Heston on Easter Sunday, might I suggest this as a more appropriate choice. I'm not a huge Heston fan, but he gives an uncharacteristically low key performance here in a genuinely great film, easily one of his best (up there with Touch of Evil, Planet of the Apes and Bowling For Columbine.). Heston play the role of Judah Ben-Hur, a slave humble slave who meets the Son of God, and along the way inspires not only large sections of GLADIATOR, but also the Pod Race in STAR WARS: EPISODE I- THE PHANTOM MENACE.

 2.RISE OF THE GUARDIANS.

Released only last year, this was an underrated animated gem that was aimed targeted for a Christmas release but actually takes place at Easter, and features Hugh Jackman as the voice of t he Easter Bunny, who is for some reason a butt kicking Aussie who throws boomerangs when he is not coloring eggs. Featuring a stellar voice cast, a triumphant score from composer Alexandre Desplat, dazzling visuals and a hefty dose of Guillermo Del Toro, this is a gem that should join THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS as a yearly, multi-holiday tradition.

 3. THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST

To say that there is a lot of baggage attached to this movie who be a gigantic understatement. I truly do not think the films portrays any Anti-Semitic themes and have been a staunch defender of the idea of this point, though every time Mel Gibson is arrested and goes on a rant about the Jews taking over the world it does kind of undercut my argument. But that doesn't change the fact that this is a great film.  It's also a brutal, unflinching look at the suffering that Christ endured, and people have argued in circles over the value of seeing that portrayed so vividly. Personally, while it's for everyone, I believe that if you are a believer it's a powerful reminder, and an unforgettable experience.

5. RUNAWAY JURY

John Cusack stars as Nicholas Easter, a man who deliberately gets himself assigned to a juror in a high profile class action lawsuit against gun companies, in this adaptation of the John Grisham best seller which was originally about Tobacco companies. (Ok, fine . . . MAYBE this one is a bit of a stretch, but I liked it.).

 

6. EASTER PARADE

Judy Garland and Fred Astaire join together to celebrate one of Irving Berlin's most utterly forgettable songs. Warning: Do Not Watch This Movie While Operating Heavy Machinery.

 

7. NIGHT OF THE LEPUS

Giant mutant rabbits terrorize the southwest. Seriously.

 

8. STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK

Leaonard Nimoy stepped in the captain's/director's chair for this exciting, in convoluted, space adventure.  

The crew of U.S.S. Enterprise illegally travels to the GENESIS system, where "life comes from lifelessness," and after much battling with Klingon bastards and trying to figure out why Saavik doesn't look like Kirstie Alley, Spock is finally resurrected.

 

9. RABBITS

David Lynch directs this story of a group of humanoid rabbits and their depressive, daily life. The plot includes Jane ironing, Suzie sitting on a couch, Jack walking in and out of the apartment, and the occasional solo singing number by Suzie or Jane. At one point the rabbits also make contact with their "leader." One of the rabbits is played by Naomi Watts. I DID NOT MAKE UP THIS MOVIE.

10. (tie) HARVEY and DONNIE DARKO

James Stewart and Jake Gyllenhall pal around with giant rabbits only they can see.

THE CROODS

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A -  
Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Cloris Leachman, Catherine Keener and Clark Duke
Story by John Cleese, Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders
Screenplay by Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders
Directed by  Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders

Eep (voice by Emma Stone) is a girl in a family of cavemen living in pre-historic times. Eep's father, Grug (Nicolas Cage) is a devoted, well meaning family man who keeps his his Crood brood alive by shutting them away in a cave and living in fear.  When in their cave home, Grug tells a story to the rest of the family, which includes his wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), daughter Sandy, son Thunk , and his mother-in-law (Cloris Leachman), with a character that mirrors Eep's curious nature. He uses this story to warn the family that exploration and 'new things' pose a threat to their survival. This irritates the bored and adventurous Eep, and when the family falls asleep after dark, she ignores her father's advice, and leaves the cave.

While venturing off, she meets Guy (Ryan Reynolds, minus the annoying smirk), an intelligent caveboy. She becomes fascinated with the fire he manages to create, and is eager to learn more. He tells her about his theory that the world is reaching its 'end', before giving her a noise-making horn to call him if she feels the need for help. He then abandons Eep, who is then caught by Grug, who had been frantically searching for her. Much later, he brings her back home, only to find that their cave home has collapsed from an earthquake. All the family then climb over the wreckage to discover an other-worldly land, much different from their usual surroundings of rocky terrain.Together they must set out to find a new home.

To say my expectations for this one were low is an understatement: while I tend to go pretty easy on animated films, the "modern stone age family" concept here hardly seemed like a new one, and the pairing of Cage and Reynolds, two actors who have an uncanny knack for signing on to terrible films, was foreboding.). But movie surprised me with action packed adventure scenes, eye popping visuals, genuine laughs, strong voice performances, a glorious score by Aalan Silvestri, and a lot of heart.

Cage, once one of Hollywood's finest, is in top form here, and thanks to his animated facade he looks more human than he has in years. He gives an energetic yet nuanced performance that would be hard for many actors to match. But Emma Stone, who just keeps getting more delightful with each film (the total waste of Gangster Squad notwithstanding) is pitch perfect in the role of Eep. In fact, i had no idea it was her until the film was over. She and Cage have so much chemistry is hard for me to believe they weren't in the studio recording their voices together. The whole cast fares well, and as a committed Ryan Reynolds detractor I have to admit that when I was just listening to strong comic delivery and didn't have to look at his face, I actually enjoyed his performance.

The Croods may not be up there with PIXAR's very best, but frankly it stands up well to their recent fare, and it's a further sign that DreamWorks Animation is on a roll.

I'm going to admit that my view of this movie may be influenced by watching it with my own little six year old  Eep, who howled with laughter, clutched her seat in suspense, and was moved by the emotion, but at the same time, I make no excuses or apologies; this is flat out a good film and I can't wait to see it again.

The Croods is rated PG for violence and peril, but is thankfully fairly low on the kind of humor one might fear from the title.

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN

Reviewed by Paul Gibbs
GRADE: D

Starring Gerard Butler, Arron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Basset, Dylan McDermott. Melissa Leo, Rick Yune 
Directed by Antwone Fuqua

Do you miss that period during the 90's when there was always a thinly disguised Die Hard rip-off in theaters? Neither do I. But for some reason, Hollywood has decided to make two Die Hard In The White House movies for release in 2013. We can only hope that the better of the two is the one directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Channing Tatum. Because yes, the one directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Gerard Butler really is that bad. In fact, it's enough to make the disappointing A Good Day To Die Hard look like an action movie classic by comparison.

       Butler stars as Mike Banning, a crack Secret Service Agent/Former Special Forces soldier who has a special bond with the first family, from the President (Aaron Eckhart) to his young son Connor. But when an accident which takes place on his watch results in a tragic death, Banning blames himself (because he's seen In The Line of Fire and Cliffhanger and knows that's what you do in an action film), and goes into a deep depression, leaving the Secret Service. But Banning still happens to be near the White House when North Koreans attack and take over in one of the most wildly improbable scenes in recent cinematic memory (a scene which veers from simply ludicrous to shockingly tasteless with its pseudo-9/11 imagery), and manages to fight his way in to go John McClane on the bad guys who have taken the President hostage. Meanwhile, Morgan Freeman, playing the role of Glenn Close in Air Force One (this time Speaker of the House rather than Vice President), must assume temporary leadership of the nation and semi-negotiate with the North Korean terrorists.

      There's not a single moment in Olympus Has Fallen  which isn't directly stolen from either Die Hard, Ai Force One or In The Line of Fire. And while of course AirForce One was also a Die Hard rip-off, it managed to work on its silly level because it starred Harrison Ford at a time when he could carry a movie better than anyone. But Gerard Butler is no Harrison Ford. In this movie, he's not even Steven Segal. Butler snarls and smirks his way through a truly dreadful performance, spitting out an atrocious American accent as he makes it hard to remember how charming he was in films like the indie drama Dear Frankie, and how his expressiveness behind the mask made some of us forgive the failure of  his singing in The Phantom of the Opera. Here he's so unexpressive that he is unable to earn even a twinge of sympathy for the guilt he's feeling. In fact, I couldn't stop thinking about how much more emotion Sylvester Stallone drew out of the same situation in Cliffhanger. And Butler gets no help from his supporting cast, which also seems to be trying to make us forget how good they've been in other films. Eckhart is decidedly bland, and Morgan Freeman sleepwalks through a performance that would embarrass Al Pacino at his laziest.

        All of this might be mildly forgivable if director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) were able to stage the action in a way that provided any thrills. But his shrill emulation of Michael Bay is just irritating, and the violence in the film is so needlessly brutal that it had me feeling repulsed within its first 30 minutes (and I recently sat through and enjoyed an all-day marathon of all 5 Die Hard movies).  I found no enjoyment to be had in this creatively bankrupt retread, and found its attempt at the end to stir the audience with patriotic emotion to be downright offensive considering the pointless bloodbath we'd just witnessed.

       Gerard Butler has shown genuine talent and charisma in his earlier career, but after a string of critical and commercial flops he needed a comeback, and I can't imagine this movie will be it. Instead, it puts him in desperate need of making a better film to have any chance of avoiding a slip to television or straight to DVD fare.

     Olympus Has Fallen is rated R for wall-to-wall profanity and brutal violence. If you feel like seeing a violent action movie, pop in any one of the Die Hard or Lethal Weapon films instead of this. Even the worst of those series, bad as they are, are better than this waste of time.