Paul's Picks: The Ten Best Films of 2013

Incredibly, for once my years really wasn't focused primarily on film. I was married on June 26, 2013, and that took my focus away both from making and seeing films. As such, there are a lot more films I didn't see this year than most. Also, a few big awards contenders (such as Spike Jonze's Her ) still haven't screened for press here in Utah, so I haven't seen them.  But here are my persoal. highly subjective (i.e. I don't to hear your crap) picks for the 10 films that had the most impact on me in one way or another in 2013 (the list of runners up came quite close and it was tough to make cuts in some cases, although for picking number 1 couldn't have been easier.



1. 12 Years A Slave
I can't remember a time since the release of Schindler's List 20 years ago that it was so easy to pick my number 1 film for the year. Steve McQueen's masterpiece is heartbreaking, devestating, and at times inspiring, finally giving us as close as we can get to a definitive film about slavery. Lead actor Chiwetel Ejiofor and the entire supporting cast are superb, and McQueen's direction is utterly flawless. One of the best films I have ever seen.








2. Gravity
Director Alfonso Cuaron uses 3D IMAX to create a completely immersive, visually innovative and dazzling experience that actually feels like it takes the medium to new places instead of merely being a gimmick to jack up the price.














3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
It plays fast and loose with the midsection of Tolkien's classic, but Peter Jackson's fantasy extravanganza is one of the most thrilling blockbusters to come along in quite a while. The barrel riding sequence alone is worth multiple trips to the theater.









4. Captain Phillips
Director Paul Greengrass creates palpable tension in this utterly absorbing recount of Richard Phillips' capture by Somali pirates, aided immeasurably by Tom Hanks in peak form, giving a performance that ranks with his best.













5. Saving Mr. Banks
Tom Hanks again, utterly delightful as Walt Disney himself during the making of the classic Mary Poppins, opposite ad Oscar-worth Emma Thompson as author P.L. Travers. John Lee Hancock's film is funny, touching, and enchanting.











6. Frozen
At one invoking and breaking the mold of classic Disney fairytales, Frozen continues the string of surprising triumphs for non-Pixar Disney animation.














7. Rush
Director Ron Howard gives up one of his best films, taking a story (a rivalry between two Forumla 1 racing drivers) that held no interests for me and making it engrossing from start to finish with dazzling visuals (helped immensely by Howard's long-time editors Mike Hill and Dan Hanley) and top notch performances from Chris Hemsworth and especially Daniel Bruhl.










8. Star Trek Into Darkness
It may not be Trek at its deepest or most original, but J.J. Abram's sequel was by far the most satisfying of the summer blockbusters, the dynamic between Kirk and Spock is even stronger than last time, Benedict Cumberbatch is an exceptional villain, and the "War on Terror" subtext recalls the socio-political commentaries of some of the best episodes of the various series. A winner even if it is highly divisive among Trekkies.

9. Inside Llewyn Davis
Hilarious, melancholy and atmospheric, this is pure Coen brothers, and not likely to appeal much to those who aren't fans. But even if it leaves you feeling a little depressed, there is much to savor for those of us who love their work, and few American films are ever quite this intospective.










10. Mud
Jeff Nichols' indie drama features an extremely engaging story, great performances from Tye Sheridan, Matthew McConughey and Sam Shepard, and a surprisingly brisk pace. A real treaure.









Runners-Up: Monster University,
American Hustle, 42, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Ender's Game

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A+
Ben Stiller, Kristin Wiig, Shirley McLaine, Kathryn Hahn and Sean Penn
Based on the short story by James Thurber
Screenplay by Steve Conrad
Directed by Ben Stiller

James Thurber's classic story of a man who wants to be everything but himself is a great piece of whimsical humor, and it's most widely remembered as the inspiration for the 1947 Danny Kaye film of the same title. That is leading to the unfortunate characterization of Ben Stiller's new film  as another Hollywood remake. It's not a remake: it has nothing to do with the Danny Kaye film, which in turn had very little to do with Thurber's story. This version strays even further from the original story (no tapockata-tapocka-tapocka, but in truth both movies merely use the original source material as a jumping off point. There is not a lot of basis for comparison:  the beloved Danny Kaye version was cute, clever and diverting, but this take on the story is thoughtful, elegant and inspiring.

In this version, Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) is a negative assets manager for photographs at Life Magazine who frequently daydreams of fantastic adventures, and has a crush on his coworker Cheryl (Kristen Wiig). Photojournalist Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn), who works closely with Mitty concerning his submissions, has sent him a package containing his latest negatives and a wallet as a gift in appreciation of Walter's excellent work. Furthermore, that package contains a special photograph, negative 25, that he says in writing captures the "Quintessence of Life and that it should be used for the cover of the magazine's final issue as it converts to online status. Unfortunately, that specific negative is missing from the package and Mitty is forced to stall Ted (Adam Scott), the obnoxious corporate transition manager handling the downsizing. Using the other negatives as clues, Mitty figures out that O'Connell is in Greenland and flies there to try and find him.

Especially during the first 45 minutes of the film we are treated to the obligatory series of daydreams, most of which can be seen in the trailer, and they are memorable. In particular, a fight scene between Walter and Ted is a riot. But the daydreams are pushed more and more into the background as Walter is forced out of his comfort zone and begins to experience the wonders of real life. At the same time, the film never makes the mistake of try to villainize the power of imagination, and Walter's fantasies  are a source of strength for him. This is most memorably portrayed in a beautiful sequence where Walter draws courage to get on a helicopter by imagining Cheryl cheering him on by performing a karaoke rendition of David Bowie's  "Space Oddity," taking a cruel dig made by Ted and turning into a battle cry.

The power of imagination, of courage, and ultimately of self respect, are at the heart of this tale. Stiller the director has never shined brighter, ranging from dazzling action to moments of quiet emotion, and he gets a career best performance from Stiller the actor. The breathtaking cinematography by Stuart Dryburgh and the musical score by Theodore Shapiro combine to create a perfect picture: the "Quintessence of Walter," if you will. From the trailers, the movie was being compared to Forrest Gump or Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, but in the end, it's an experience entirely it's own. This is a modern classic, and a the crowning achievement of Stiller's career. It's also a movie that makes you happy to be alive.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is rated PG for some crude comments, mild profanity and action violence.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: B -

Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaghey, Kyle Chandler

Screenplay by Terence Winter

Directed by Martin Scorsese

In 1987, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes a stockbroker job at an established Wall street firm.. His boss, played by Matthew McConaghey (still so skinny from Dallas Buyer's Club that he can barely fill out his expensive suit)  advises him to adopt a lifestyle of casual sex and cocaine to succeed. But disaster strikes: when Jordan is barely beginning the job, Black Monday hits Wall Street, and the firm is figuratively crushed under the weight of the crash.

With Jordan unemployed in a poor job market for stockbrokers, his wife Teresa encourages him to take a job with a Long Island penny stock outfit. . His aggressive pitching style, combined with the higher commission rate of penny stocks, soon earns him a small fortune. And when a salesman named Donnie (Jonah Hill)  living in the same apartment complex sees Jordan's success, he is desperate to hitch himself to this fellow's wagon, and they decide to go into business together. To facilitate this, his accountant parents are recruited as well as several of Jordan's friends, some of them experienced marijuana dealers. Stratton Oakmont Inc. is created.  An article in Forbes dubs Jordan the "Wolf of Wall Street", and soon hundreds of ambitious young financiers flock to his company.

A decadent lifestyle of lavish parties, sex and drugs follows. By the 12th orgy scene even the more liberal members of the audience are likely to be feeling a little squeamish, and the film still has two full hours to go. Too much is never enough for Jordan, and he rides the tidal wave of success and debauchery like a man possessed, or at any rate really intent on winning an Oscar. Eventually his many indiscretions begin to catch up with him as an F.B.I. agent (Kyle Chandler) starts investigating the firm, and it's not long before things have spiraled so far out of control that it's likely that our hero couldn't figure a way out even if he was sober for a full half a day.

Director Martin Scorsese can always be counted on to deliver great performances from his actors, and this is no exception. DiCaprio gives a tour de force performance that is as exhilarating as it is painful, and much of the supporting cast does a fine job (McConaghey makes a big impression in his one scene.). Scorsese can also be counted on not to pull any punches, and here he is so determined not to sugar coat or downplay a single moment of decadence that he often looses the story in the midst of all the excess: it's almost as if he becomes so punchy over the fact that the story does not lend itself to graphic violence that he just starts screaming for more drugs and hookers, in much the same way his protagonist does. The brilliant director, whose most recent effort prior to this was the charming classic Hugo, is in over his head almost as far as Jordan Belfort, and he simply can't control this shrill, in your face mess. By the end of the movie I felt like I needed both a shower and a blood transfusion. Which is not to say that there isn't much to admire here: technical skill and clever staging abound, and some of the dialogue is genuinely hilarious. But the most memorable sequence is based largely around physical comedy, as Jordan is caught in a sticky situation as an overdose of Quaaludes leaves him literally unable to stand under his own power just as he learns that he must race home to stop Donnie from making incriminating calls on a phone that has been tapped by the F.B.I. Somehow he manages to crawl to his car, and the ensuing scene, and DiCaprio's incredible performance, mesmerizes you with a combination of horror and hilarity. If the film was able to sustain this level of brilliance throughout, I would have to say that the excessive content is off putting but justified, but in the end, they could have cut an entire hour from this movie and lost literally nothing of importance to the story.

This is easily Scorsese's most disjointed film since Gangs of New York, and while at it's best it soars higher than that tepid, violent melodrama, it is even more difficult to sit through, and unfortunately, just as with that film, you walk out unsure if the film had any particular point to make.

The Wolf of Wall Street is rated R for profanity, nudity, graphic sex, drug use, and violence. Merry Christmas.

SAVING MR. BANKS

reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A +
Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, B.J. Novak 
Written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith
Directed by John Lee Hancock

In London, 1961, Pamela "PL" Travers (Emma Thompson), struggling financially, has reluctantly agreed to travel to Los Angeles, to meet and negotiate with with a  movie mogul who has been pursuing the rights to her books for some time.  But this isn't just any movie mogul, and these aren't just any books: the man Pamela is so loathe to meet with  is Walt Disney (Tom Hanks), and the main character of her writing is an English nanny named Mary Poppins.

Disney has been courting Travers for twenty years, after his daughters fell in love with her books, and made him promise to make a film based on them. Travers, however, has been extremely cool toward letting Disney bring her creation to the screen, mainly because he is primarily known as a producer of animated films.

Through flashbacks, Travers’ youth in Australiain 1906 is depicted, and shown to be the inspiration for much of Mary Poppins. Travers’ handsome and charismatic father, fighting a losing battle against alcoholism, was very close to Travers, whom he nicknamed Ginty.

Upon her arrival in Los Angeles, Travers is disgusted by what she feels is the city’s unreality, as well as by the naïve optimism and intrusive friendliness of its inhabitants. At the studio, things get worse when she begins collaborating with the creative team assigned to develop Mary Poppins for the screen.  she clashes with the creative team from the outset, and her meetings with Walt himself are about as smooth as a gravel road. Determined to make this film, Disney engages in and endless debate of give and take with Travers, with Walt doing most of the giving (ostensibly, at least) and Pamela doing most of the taking. In time, her relationship with the creative team improves, and progress seems to be being made. Will this movie get made after all?

Obviosuly, we know the answer to that question, but that's not the point. In fact, it's not even about the entertainment value in getting there. In the end, Saving Mr. Banks is about life, creative inspiration, family relationships, and reconciling our most cherished and most painful memories. It's about fixing things through fiction. it's about saving someone who doesn't even know he needs to be saved.

Emma Thompson is luminous as Travers, somehow making every tantrum and moment up impious stubbornness as endearing as it is irritating, because she makes us feel her love for and dependence on Mary Poppins. Tom Hanks shines as the man behind the mouse, giving a wonderfully understated performance that relies less on impersonation than it does on sincerity. B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman make a great pair as the Sherman Brothers, who wrote the beloved music and lyrics for Mary Poppins and many other Disney classics,  and Paul Giamatti nearly steals the whole thing as Travers' irrepressible limo driver. But perhaps the heart and soul of the film is Collin Farrell as Travers Goff,  Pamela's thoroughly lovable and maddeningly irresponsible father. The tragedy of his story is made all the more poignant by the realization that he is his own worst enemy, and his undying love for his daughter and zest for life make him a glorious father, but his refusal to face any sense of reality and to leave the burden of holding the family together entirely upon his wife Margaret (Ruth Wilson) while he drinks and dreams makes him also a terrible father and even worse husband.

50 years later, Mary Poppins remains a masterpiece of fun and whimsy, but also of sadness, of loss, love, and ultimately of joy. Saving Mr. Banks is the perfect companion piece, and it is an instant classic that moved me beyond words.

Saving Mr. Banks is rated PG-13 for adult themes, smoking and some mild profanity.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A
Ian McKellan, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lily, Orlando Bloom 
Screenplay by Peter Jackson & Fran Walsh & Phillipa Boyens & Guillermo Del Toro
Directed by Peter Jackson

Previously on The Hobbit: Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) a charming, if soft spoken, resident of the shire found a wizard named Gandalf the Gray (Ian McKellan) at his door, only to have a troupe of dwarves invade his house later that day and whisk him away on An Unexpected Journey to regain the gold stolen from them by the terrible Smaug the dragon. Along the way, they met trolls, elves, and goblins, not to mention a hobo wizard and mysterious white orc named Azog who shared the dual purpose of trying the stretch the film out to nearly three hours in length despite it covering slightly less than a third of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy adventure novel. The film was a mixed bag, with a lot of fun effects and likable performances, but a slow and plodding pace that did not quite befit a great adventure, and a mixture of cheese and C.G.I. that recalled Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace. And the less said about the High Frame Rate presentation, the better. To be clear, I liked The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It was a fun movie that brought a lot of my visions of Tolkien's novel to life. It was not, however, in the same league as Peter Jackson's previous foray into Middle Earth in The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, and it didn't make my ten best of the year list. It was good, but it was far from great.

Now, in part two, The Hobbit: The Desloation of Smaug, our story begins with Bilbo, Thorin and company on the way to Erebor, running away from the white orc, when they learn that they are being tracked by a giant bear. They take refuge in the home of an acquaintance of Gandalf's, and only then does the venerable old wizard drop the bombshell that his old friend who's place they are crashing is in fact the giant bear. Specifically, he is a "skin changer" named Beorn, who is sometimes a man, and sometimes a bear, but almost always surly. Still, Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt) agrees to help them because he hates orcs even more than he hates dwarves (Beorn could run for President of The United States with that strong sense of judgement.). No sooner do they leave Beorn's company then they are set upon by giant spiders. Bilbo manages to fight off many of them with his elvish blade, which he names Sting, after his favorite rock star, and the company is rescued by wood elves, led by Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangaline Lily.). They are then taken prisoner in the forest of Mirkwood, while Bilbo slips away thanks to his "precious" discovery in part one, a ring that turns him invisible.

From here, it's up to Bilbo to get the dwarves out of Mirkwood and on their way to Lake Town, which he does in a wildly entertaining (and surprisingly violent) extended sequence involving floating through rapid in beer barrels and a seemingly endless number of marauding orcs being skewered, beheaded, and otherwise eviscerated. Soon after they meet up with a bargeman named Bard (Luke Evans), whom they bribe to get them into Lake Town, which lies at the foot of the Lonely Mountain, where they must face the dragon if they want to reclaim their gold.

Truth be told, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is actually filled with a great deal more gratuitous padding than it's predecessor, and the movie is really more Jackson than Tolkien in terms of story content. Added subplots abound, including the addition of Legolas and Tauriel and the subsequent romantic triangle between the two of them and Killi (Aidan Turner), the youngest of the dwarves, who stood out like a sore thumb in the first film for being a lot less bulbous in the face and ears than his companions and sporting Bradley Cooper brand designer stubble instead of an actual beard. Now we see why that choice was made, and though it's undeniably silly, it plays, in no small part because of the chemistry between Lilly and Turner. There is also plenty of additional material with Gandalf and Radagast (Sylvestor McCoy) investigating the mysterious Necromancer, and Stephen Fry appears as the Master of Lake Town, a corrupt government official who is desperate to hold on to power and distrusts the bargeman, Bard. All of this really just there to kill time until we get to the mountain and the dragon, but it is surprisingly well paced, and packed with so much action it feels like far less time is being taken up than is actually the case. And when we finally get to the dragon (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness and so memorably portrays Sherlock on the BBC), it is not only well worth the wait, it's probably the coolest thing we've seen on the big screen since Sam Neil spoke those immortals words "it's a dinosaur."

This is a movie that would be easy to pick apart for straying so far from the classic source material and taking up so much time, except for the inescapable fact that it's an absolute blast. Freeman commands the screen with comic charm and a sense of quiet dignity, and by the end of the movie every man woman and child in the audience just wants to take him home and snuggle him. Armitage and Ken Stott, who plays Balin, the dwarf whom Thorin trusts most, have some gear dramatic moments as the older dwarf begins the fear that the obsession with this quest is destroying Thorin, and Ian McKellan's Gandalf would frankly be entertaining reading out of the phone book.  

In the end, there is so much excitement and fun to be had that The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug more than makes up for it's overlong run time and superfluous subplots, and turns out to be a grand epic adventure that can be thoroughly enjoyed on multiple viewings. The biggest complaint coming from most audience members will be the abruptness of the ending, as they walk out of the theater salivating for part three.

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug is rated PG-13 for a great deal of fantasy violence, and some mild vulgarity.

AMERICAN HUSTLE

reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A
Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence
Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
Directed by David O. Russell

Director David O. Russell reached a personal best with Silver Linings Playbook, a joyous, mesmerizing film that was my pick for the best film of 2012, and won its leading lady, Jennifer Lawrence, an Oscar for Best Actress. Even with his impressive track record dating all the way back to the underrated Three Kings, following up such a success is quite a task. American Hustle does not quite live up to it's predecessor, but it's a terrific film in its own right.

The movie begins with the caption "some of this actually happened," which sets the tone nicely for this farcical telling of the real life story of the ABSCAM case of the late '70's. In 1978,  Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) are a couple of con artists in love. Sydney has improved Rosenfeld's scams, posing as English aristocrat "Lady Edith Greensley". They are a well-matched couple, but Irving is hesitant to leave his stepson Danny with his wife Rosalyn (Academy Award Winner Jennifer Lawrence), who will not divorce him.

FBI agent Richard "Richie" DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) catches Irving and Sydney in a loan scam but offers to release them if Irving can line up four additional arrests. Sydney opposes the agreement. Richie believes Sydney is English but has proof that her claim of aristocracy is fraudulent. Sydney tells Irving she will manipulate Richie, distancing herself from Irving.

Irving has a friend pretend to be a wealthy Arab Sheik looking for potential investments in America. An associate of Irving's suggests that the Sheikh do business with Mayor Carmine Polito of Camden, New Jersey. The popular mayor (played by two time Oscar Nominee Jeremy Renner) is campaigning to revitalize gambling in Atlantic City but has struggled to raise the necessary funds. Richie devises a plan to entrap Carmine despite the objections of his boss, and of Irving. Sydney helps Richie manipulate an FBI secretary into making an unauthorized wire transfer of $2,000,000. When Stoddard's boss, Anthony Amado, hears of the operation, he praises Richie's initiative, pressuring Stoddard to continue the operation.


Richie's over-eagerness to catch Carmine causes the mayor to leave their meeting. Irving convinces Carmine that the Sheikh is legitimate, expressing his dislike toward Richie, and the two become friends. Meanwhile, the meddlesome Rosalyn gets involved, and accompanies Richie to a party where she meets a mobster and begins an affair.

The story is a bit convoluted and even the characters have trouble keeping up with everything that is going on, but that's really the point. There are so many people working so many angles that eventually everything is destined to come crashing down, and all anyone can do is enjoy the ride.

The script by Russell and Eric Warren Singer is wickedly clever, full of sensational dialogue that recalls the Coens at their best, and the style of the film is vintage Scorsese. Russell juggles multiple characters without every letting of them feel short changed, and whatever his reputation for getting along with people may be, his ability to get unforgettable performances is second to none. Christian Bale is clearly having a lot of fun shedding his Batman image (and his hair), and shows that his intensity can serve comedy as well as it does drama. Amy Adams is sexy, strong, and sad as the girl who reluctantly accepts being used and does it right back. There is is an understated sense of despair to her performance that is heartbreaking. Bradley Cooper gets some of the films biggest laughs as the conniving poser, Richie, and Jennifer Lawrence is laugh out loud hysterical as the shrill New York housewife blessed with an abundance of personality that almost makes up for her absence of brains. It was partially due to scheduling conflicts but is also a credit to Russell's unconventional vision that he casts 40 year old Adams as the sultry siren and 23 year old it girl Lawrence as the overlooked housewife, and both execute their roles with such grace that you wouldn't have it any other way. If there is a major hurdle the movie faces it is the fact that there is no one in this story to root for: they are all awful people. And yet somehow, you can't help but care about them on some level. And that is the genius of David O. Russell.

American Hustle is rated R for profanity, sex, violence, drugs, drinking and smoking.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A -
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Jena Malone, Sam Claflin, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland and Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins
Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy and Michael DeBruyn
Directed by Francis Lawrence

Picking up where The Hunger Games left off,  Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark return home to District 12 to as victors, hoping to try to resume their lives. But of course their lives will never be the same: they have fast death, and they have killed. They have also become the hottest celebrity couple since "J-ffleck" or "Brangelina"  (Peeniss?)

President Snow (Donald Sutherland) visits Katniss and explains that her actions in the Games have inspired rebellions across the districts. He orders her to use the upcoming victory tour to convince everyone her actions were out of genuine love for Peeta, not defiance against the Capitol.

As the tour begins, Haymtich (Woody Harrelson), mentor to Katniss and Peeta, warns them that the "show" of their relationship must continue for the rest of their lives. Katniss suggests a public engagement between herself and Peeta, which is carried out and congratulated by Snow at his mansion in the Capitol.
Returning home, Katniss warns her friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth) of Snow's threat to kill both their families. Peacekeepers crack down on District 12 and Gale is publicly whipped after attacking new Head Peacekeeper. Snow announces a special Hunger Games, the Third Quarter Quell, where all tributes will be selected from previous victors. Katniss immediately devotes herself to ensuring Peeta survives, recruiting Haymitch's help to do so. At the reaping, the names drawn for District 12 are Katniss and Haymitch,  but Peeta immediately volunteers to take Haymitch's place.

At this point in the book I felt that Collins fell back too much into familiar territory and it just became Die Hard 2, but somehow director Frances Lawrence (I Am Legend, Water for Elephants) manages to make it feel fresh. While it is the political jockeying and the growing threat of the increasingly frightening Capitol in the first half that really grabbed me, the Quarter Quell is a thrilling and spectacular non stop action ride. It certainly helps that the visual effects budget has gone up considerably since the last movie (the "Girl on Fire" actually looks like she is on fire this time), but Lawrence seems more at home helming an action blockbuster than Gary Ross, who directed the first film, and this film is allowed to take it's time to further develop the the characters.

Lawrence is terrific as usual, letting her new found superstar status coming off her Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook work in her favor as Katniss becomes a larger than life figure; she is part pop idol and part political great white hope, and the stress of this position weighs on her heavily. Josh Hutcherson continues to bring a subtle sincerity mixed with stage smart charm to Peeta, who is living his dream  but knows it isn't real, and is both elated and dying inside. Hutcherson is not given the credit he deserves as an actor, partially because he is surrounded by such a stellar cast in these films, but if you look at his ability to carry big movies from a young age (opposite far less talented co-stars such as Kristin Stewart and Dwayne Johnson) not the mention actually making Red Dawn watchable, it's really time to give this kid some credit. But the real standouts are, once again, Harrelson, who never ceases to amaze, and Jena Malone as rival tribute Johanna Mason. Phillip Seymour Hoffman seems a bit underused as the gamemaker, Plutarch, but his role will only increase in the next two films, and he adds a lot in what little we do see. In truth, the only drawback to such an impressible ensemble of actors is that this time around it is even more apparent that Lenny Kravitz just doesn't belong among them, and while he's not terrible by any means, he seems more than a bit self conscious this time around to be surrounded by such polished thespians.

The Hunger Games series is really coming into it's own as a blockbuster franchise, and while it may not be Lord of the Rings or even Harry Potter, it certainly succeeds at knocking Twilight on it's sparkling white butt.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is rated PG-13 for violence, profanity and  sensuality.

FROZEN

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A +

Kristen Bell, Idinia Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana
Based on The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson 
Story by Jennifer Lee and Shane Morris
Screenplay by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck
Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
The era of the Disney Princess is back with a vengeance. My feelings about this are decidedly mixed: while I am a lifelong Disney fan and grew up on Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, I'm also an ardent feminist who believes that the role model of the demure young Princess waiting for true love's kiss to define her life and make her everything she can be is more than a bit archaic. In addition, it is my hard held belief that the Prince Charming archetype has caused as much damage in creating an unrealistic ideal of manhood as the Barbie Doll has done for women. So it was a mixture of anticipation and dread that I went into this latest entry in the genre, which, like Tangeled before it, combines the old fashioned fairy tale with modern computer animation.

Elsa, princess of Arendelle, possesses the ability to create ice and snow. One night while playing, she accidentally injures her younger sister Anna. The king and queen seek help from trolls, who heal Anna and remove her memories of her sister's magic. The royal couple decides to lock the family away in their castle until Elsa learns to control her powers. Afraid of hurting her sister again, Elsa spends most of her time alone in her room, causing a rift between the sisters as they grow up. When the girls are teenagers, their parents are lost at sea during a storm.

When Elsa comes of age, the kingdom prepares for her coronation. Among the guests is the Duke of Weselton, a tradesman seeking to exploit Arendelle for profit. Excited to be allowed out of the castle again, Anna explores the town and meets Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, and the two immediately develop a mutual attraction. Despite Elsa's fear, her coronation goes off without incident. During the reception, Hans proposes and Anna hastily accepts. However, Elsa refuses to grant her blessing and forbids their sudden marriage. The two sisters argue, culminating in Elsa's abilities being exposed to everyone as she is unable to control her emotions. Panicking, Elsa flees the palace, inadvertently unleashing eternal winter on the kingdom in the process.

High in the mountains far from Arendelle, she builds herself a solitary ice palace, and unknowingly brings to life her and Anna's childhood snowman, Olaf. Meanwhile, Anna sets out in search of her sister, determined to return her to Arendelle, end the winter, and mend their relationship. While getting supplies, she meets mountain man Kristoff and his reindeer Sven. She convinces him to guide her up the North Mountain.

Frozen strays so far from Hans Christian Anderson's story The Snow Queen that it makes The Little Mermaid look like a reverential adaptation. But Disney animation has never been about telling the most faithful story: it's been about telling the best one. And Frozen is up there with Disney at it's very best.
From the first song, "Do You Want To Build A Snowman?" the audience is hooked. The relationship between the two sisters is both beautiful and tragic, and Anna's resentment and hurt grows at the apartment shunning of an older sister who only wants to protect her. Many of the films most touching moments plays out in song, as this is more of a full fledged musical than Disney has done in years. The songs, by husband and wife team Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, are glorious, right up there with the very best of Alan Mencken, and the voice cast, lead by Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, shines brightly in every single moment.

Yes, there are the requisite goofy, Happy Meal character sidekicks and conventions of the tried and true Disney formula, and they are all realized perfectly.  The snowman Olaf, who I feared may be a bit too annoying, is so kind hearted and lovable  impossible that it's impossible not to become a fan. and the action sequences are thrilling and visually stunning.

Frozen is a love story, without question, but it's a more complex love than the Disney films of old, and even pokes some good-natured fun at the old cliches of love at first sight. In the end, the best thing about the film is it's broad definition of love and the many forms it takes, and for that reason above all others (and there are many) Frozen ranks among my very favorite Disney fairy tales.

Frozen is rated PG for some action and mild rude humor.

12 YEARS A SLAVE

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A+

Chiwetel Eijifor, Micheal Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson and Brad Pitt
Screenplay by John Ridley, based on the book by Solomon Northup
Directed by Steve McQueen

20 years ago, Steven Spielberg's masterpiece Schindler's List was released.  It was a groundbreaking, brilliant film that transcended the boundaries of mere art to stand as a document to history, and more importantly, to the truth. In the two decades since then, we've seen some classic films, but nothing that can truly be compared with this genuinely life changing work.

Until now.

In 1841, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a free black man living with his wife and two children in Saratoga Springs, New York.  He makes his living playing the violin. One day he is lured into a lucrative touring gig by a pair of men . After a night out in Washington, D.C. with the two men, Northup awakens to find himself chained to the floor. In shock at what has happened, Northup realizes he has been drugged and sold into slavery.

Now under the name of Platt, Northup is transported by ferry to New Orleans, where he is purchased as a slave by plantation owner William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch of Star Trek Into Darkness and the BBC's Sherlock). Enduring his new life, Northup stays on good terms with Ford as he assists him by engineering a waterway for transporting materials more swiftly. Northup's musical ability is also discovered, with Ford providing him with a violin. Because of his success on the plantation, overseer John Tibeats (Paul Dano) becomes jealous of Northup, leading to many quarrels between the two, and eventually, violence.

Northup is handed over to another plantation run by abusive slave driver Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), a cruel and vicious man who takes a genuine religious pride in his abuse of his slaves, but harbors a fondness for Patsey (Lupita Nyong'o), a young woman who consistently out picks every other slave in the cotton fields. Epps' creepy sexual fixation on Patsy is obvious to all, especially his wife (Sarah Paulson), and she is a constant pawn in a war between the couple. Throughout all of this, Solomon both suffers and witnesses countless unspeakable acts, and must do his best to follow his conscience while at the same time keeping one simple and singular goal in mind: survival.

Eijiofor, a British actor who is perhaps best known to American audiences for his villainous role in Joss Whedon's cult classic Serenity (and also played a supporting role in Spielberg's underrated slavery epic Amistad), gives a subtle yet utterly mesmerizing performance as Solomon. One of the many brilliant choices made by director Steve McQueen (not to be confused with the star of The Great Escape and Bullit) is letting us get to know Solomon and his family as people,  leading ordinary, comfortable lives. Despite the time period, as a viewer you find yourself not defining The Northup's by the as black people: they are the same as anyone else for the most part, though subtle moments involving the glances from passersby or a sequence where the family encounters a slave who wanders into a shop, betray the attitude of racism that still exists toward them.

But being a free man, Solomon chooses to live as such and not dwell on such things. This makes the harsh awakening to his new reality all the more brutal and unthinkable both to Solomon and the viewer. How can this be happening to this man? And yet . . . what exactly is the difference between Solomon and the other slaves? Does he deserve this life any less than they do? What is the difference between the black slaves and the paid white workers? And ultimately, of course, what is the difference between the dominant white race and the subjugated Africans.

Director McQueen tells his story with an unflinching hand, but never with a heavy hand. While I vehemently disagree with Spike Lee and others who insist that such stories should only be told by black directors, it is undeniably interesting to think that the white actors playing the vicious slave owners are in fact working for an artist who is himself black. Both McQueen's closeness to the subject matter and his distance from it (McQueen comes from West London and his history as artist has never been defined by making angry, racially charged films) make him the perfect choice to tell Northup's story. His deft and expert hand reveals a master filmmaker at work, and he gives us the full impact of the violent brutality and hatred these characters endure without wallowing in blood, showing a surprising amount of restraint without ever compromising the impact of the harsh truth that must be understood. It's impossible not the contrast McQueen's brilliant work with last year's best picture nominee Django Unchained, wherein director Quentin Tarantino not only spared no violent image, but reveled in it to the point where whether it was the black protagonist getting his vengeance or the cruel slave owners committing atrocities, even at it's harshest, it was ultimately meant to be a work of entertainment , and if that didn't bother before now, it might after seeing 12 Years A Slave. And the answer to the question Tarantino will inevitably be asking at some point, "why is no one upset that this film uses the N word so many times but it's not getting the negative reaction that it did with Django is ridiculously simple: McQueen uses it to tell the truth, and never uses it as a punchline.

The cast is nothing short of amazing all around, and Eijiofor should be considered a major contender for Best Actor, but the really serious talk is surrounding Fassbender and Nyong'o, who are truly unforgettable. It's impossible not to see strong similarities between Fassbender's Epp's and Ralph Fiennes famous portrayal of Nazi Commandant Amon Goeth, or Nyong'o's Patsy  and Embeth Davidtz'  Helen Hirsch, but it's merely in the real life similarities between the devilish yet pathetic men and the victimized but strong women the actors portray, and while the quality of the performances is comparable the details are not. much of the supporting cast is made up of recognizable, even iconic, names and faces, and in the hands of a lesser director this might take away from the sense of reality. But McQueen uses it to the film's advantage; each one of these stars, from Paul Giamatti to Brad Pitt, are cast as characters that plays such a pivotal role in the expereince that is being burnt into Northup's mind, as well as the audience's, that there is every reason why they not only should but need to stand out as larger than life.

As if all of this wasn't enough reason to single out 12 Years A Slave as something truly special, there's the added factor of Hans Zimmer's inspired score. While I've long been a fan of Zimmer's work, ranging all the way back to Driving Miss Daisy, he's become the McDonalds of film music, churning out forgettable, made to order scores by the dozens over the past 8 years or more, with only a few memorable ones standing out, and certainly nothing that could be called inspired. In my opinion her reached a personal all time low with his lazy, cookie cutter score for Man of Steel only a few months ago. He redeemed himself more than a bit with his gorgeous work on Ron Howard's Rush, but it was still unmistakably a Zimmer score from the first few chords. This is not inherently a bad thing: style is welcome as long as it remains sincere.  But I sat through this film without a clue as to what great composer was responsible for this beautiful, haunting and subtle score than always supported the film but never overpowered it, suspecting that it might be Alexandre Desplat, but never once suspecting it might be Zimmer. Reading his name on the ending credits I beamed with delight at the reminder of why I ever counted him among my favorites, and hope he is given a chance to stretch his wings like this again soon.

In the end, this is a movie that needs to be seen, and that I would recommend to anyone, even those who do see R-Rated films. It stands as a powerful reminder that racism is not only a shameful part of American history, but still flourishes today in this country, it' modern form less obvious but perhaps for that very reason alarming and worthy of our attention. 

Simply put, 12 Years A Slave is the best and most important film since Schindler's List. If that doesn't make you want to see it, I hope it makes you feel like you have to.

12 Years A Slave is Rated R for brutal violence, racial slurs and some profanity (though interestingly, I don't recall a single F-word being spoken in the movie), nudity, and sex.

ESCAPE PLAN

by Paul Gibbs 
 
ESCAPE PLAN
Grade: C+
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Shwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, Sam Neill, Amy Ryan
Directed by Mikael Hafstrom
There's a very fine line between good B-movie schlock and "so bad it's good" cinema. Escape Plan, the new geriaction thriller starring 1980's action superstars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, toes that line constantly, easily ranking as one of the silliest, most nonsensical movies of 2013. But in its own gonzo way, it's actually kind of entertaining.

Stallone stars as Ray Breslin, a security expert who has made a career out of being imprisoned then busting out to find the weaknesses in prison systems. Breslin and his partners are approached with a proverbial offer they can't refuse: $5 million for Breslin to attempt an escape from "The Tomb", a top secret cross between Gitmo, Shawshank and Rura Penthe. Of course things don't go as planned and Breslin quickly becomes a genuine prisoner of this hellhole, teaming with a mysterious prisoner (Shwarzenegger) to escape from the evil, sadistic warden (Jim Caviezel).

A lot of the fun in an escape movie comes from the ingenious plan hatched by the prisoners for their escape. But, while Stallone is capable of being a better actor than he is often credited with being, he's always at his most effective playing simple but sincere characters, not the sort of tactical genius he plays here. Of course, the script gives him convoluted, nonsensical escape plans that don't exactly help create the impression of Breslin being a genius. Still, Stallone's tough guy persona continues to work surprisingly well, and he manages to have his usual star preseence here. But the real fun comes from Shwarzenegger, who is clearly having a blast getting the chance to steal the film in a scenery chewing supporting role, including a lengthy, oddly hilarious sequence where he speaks German and emotes like Al Pacino (Arnold is credited with a drama coach, probably for this scene). It's both a welcome return to form and a refreshing change of pace for the aging ex-governor. It's not great acting per se, but it's a delightful movie star turn that will likely entertain anyone who has fond memories of The Terminator, True Lies or other Shwarzenegger vehicles. The least successful piece of casting is Caviezel. He doesn't have the presence the role requires, and while I hate to promote type casting, there's something that's just wrong about watching Jesus torture Stallone (perhaps being tortured by Mel Gibson gave him a deep-seaded resentment of action stars).

In the end, the fun of seeing Stallone and Schwarzenegger teamed up, along with a certain charm to the goofiness of the film, and thankfully brisk pacing, makes Escape Plan a guilty pleasure, and a fun movie to riff on. While I have never been an ardent fan of Stallone or Schwarzenegger, I do have a fondness for them in some of their films, and that's almost certainly necessary to enjoy Escape Plan. My critical/analytical side is adamant that the movie isn't good, and that it has a positively absurd number of plotholes The part of me that has a fondness for silly, schlocky B-movies thinks it's weirdly fun.

Escape Plan is rated R for profanity, violence, and couple of painful sequences of Stallone trying to be funny.

RUSH

RUSH
GRADE: A
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde
Written by Peter Morgan
Directed by Ron Howard
Rated R
Reviewed by Paul Gibbs

I have never been a car enthusiast. Not that I have anything against cars, I've just never been one of those guys who is in love with anything on wheels. And I'm not a huge fan of competition, which I believe is always more likely to bring out the worst in people than the best. So a movie about the intense rivalry between two 1970s Formula 1 auto racers holds about as little inherent appeal to me as I can imagine any movie could. However, when he's really on, director Ron Howard has a gift for immersing his audience in a particular world or subculture, and for shooting and staging it in ways that thrill us and engage our senses. Howard may not be one of cinema's most revered visionary autuers, and he has definitely given us some unfortunate misfires (The Davinci Code, How The Grinch Stole Christmas). But he is on  he 's really on, and his visual and technical skills, as well as the fluidity of his storytelling prowess, can be dazzling. Happily, Rush is one of the times Howard is really on, and he makes a very strong case for a third Best Director nomination (technically he only has two, but I refuse to accept his snub for Apollo 13).  As he did with his two best film, Apollo 13 and Frost/Nixon, he puts on the edge of our seats for a story where we know what is going to happen. And he pulls us inside an auto race here the way he pulled us inside a fire in Backdraft.

         Howard is also helped tremendously here by the return of Frost/Nixon screenwriter Peter Morgan, whose clever dialogue, brisk pacing and vivid characters is a huge asset in telling the story of James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl), whose rivalry largely defined both of their racing careers. Another help is that Hemsworth and Bruhl are outstanding here.  Hemsworth's Hunt is the fun guy everybody wants to hang out with. He may be arrogant and reckless, but people like him. Bruhl's Lauda is the cold as ice outsider.  Just as arrogant as Hunt, he has boiled the thrill of racing into a sterile mathematic equation: Every time he races, there's a 20% chance he could die. If it goes to 21% percent, the risk is too much. Lauda is brilliant and talented, but nobody likes him. Hemsworth breaks out of his Thor persona a bit and really shows us why Hollywood seems to want to cast him in everything these days, giving an extremely engaging star turn that pulls us into caring about and even sometimes rooting for an often unsympathetic character who seems to care little about anything other than his own fun and glory. And Bruhl (best known to U.S. audiences for Inglorious Basterds) shines in the more complex role. Lauda is as abrasive as Hunt is charismatic, and just as prone unsympathetic behavior in his own way, and adding a great deal of nuance to the biggest dramatic developement of the film. It's a testament to the tremendous skill of everyone involved that, when the third act climax rolled around, I found myself so pulled into both characters that I was genuinely torn on which one I wanted to see emerge victorious, while at the same time feeling that I probably should dislike both of them. By the end of the film, I had found relatable qualities to both characters, and actually found merit in both of their philiosphies (while definitely not sharing either of them).

         But maybe the best work comes from Howard's longtime editors Mike Hill and Dan Hanley, who for me rank right behind living legends Michael Kahn and Thelma Schoonmaker as possibly the best in the business today. Here they do their most impressive work since their Oscar-winning effort on Apollo 13, creating an exhilirating, kinetic pace from them crazy ammount of gorgeous coverage Howard and cinematographer Anthony Dodd Mantle have given them, and yet somehow still eschewing MTV style hyperactivity.  The racing scenes are a masterful achievement from director, cinematographer and editors.

                Rush  will likely not turn out to be the most meaningful or important film of the year, but it is one of the most compelling, and unquestionably one of the most skillfund its visual excellence is complimented by terrific writing and acting. After a summer wherein so many movies didn't really live up to what I wanted them to be, Howard earns top marks for making a film that far surpassed my expectations. The veteran director has given us one of his best films, and reminded us just how good he can be.

THE GREAT GATSBY

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A+

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher

Screenplay by Baz Luhrman and Craig Pearce

Directed by Baz Luhrman 

The works of F. Scott Fitzgerald hardly seem like prime fare for 3D summer blockbusters - it almost seems like something you'd see on The Simpsons.  It is, to say the least, unusual. But so is Baz Luhrman.

The man responsible for a hyper active Romeo+Juliet set in "Verona Beach" and dancing waiters singing "Like A Virgin" in Moulin Rouge! may not be everyone's cup of tea, but love him or hate him, you have to acknowledge his  unique vision. When the song "My Way" was written, it might as well have been dedicated to Baz.

Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), a Yale graduate and WW I  veteran, is a depressed and disillusioned alcoholic staying in a sanatorium for treatment. When he struggles to articulate his thoughts, his doctor suggests writing it down, since writing is what brings him solace.

We flashback to the summer of 1922, where Nick moves to New York, where he takes a job as a bond salesman. He rents a small house on Long Island in the (fictional) village of West Egg, next door to the lavish mansion of Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), a mysterious business magnate who holds extravagant parties. Nick drives across the bay to East Egg for dinner at the home of his cousin, Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan), and her husband, Tom (Joel Edgerton), a college acquaintance of Nick's, who is more than a bit of a cad and makes no secret to Nick that he has a mistress (played wonderfully by Isla Fisher.).. 

As the summer progresses, Nick receives an invitation to one of Gatsby’s parties. Upon arriving, he learns that none of the guests at the party, though there are hundreds, have ever met Gatsby himself, and they have developed multiple theories as to who he is. Nick meets Gatsby, who is surprisingly young and rather aloof, in person. Gatsby seems to take a liking to Nick and the two become mutual friends.  Nick later learns that Gatsby knew Daisy from a romantic encounter in 1917, and is still madly in love with her. He spends many nights staring at the green light at the end of her dock, across the bay from his mansion, hoping to one day rekindle their lost romance. Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle and wild parties are an attempt to impress Daisy in the hopes that she will one day appear at Gatsby's doorstep. Gatsby now wants Nick to arrange a reunion between himself and Daisy. Nick invites Daisy to have tea at his house, without telling her that Gatsby will be there also.

If you've read the book, you know where things fo from here, and if you haven't, I'm not going to spoil anything.  Suffice it to say, with both Fitzgerald and Luhrman, it's at least a much about the lourney as the destination. Luhrman's sumptuous visual style mixes perfectly with Fitzgerald's lyrical writing style, and it's a match made in heaven. The use of modern music, ranging from hip hop to a remix of U2's "Love Is Blindness" is used to great effect; Luhrman wishes to capture the decadence of the Jazz age and by mixing modern elements makes it feel edgy and exciting in the way it was then, rather than the cleaned up, seemingly stodgy portrayal that comes in most modern portrayals. This also applies to the 3D, which is used to great and often genuinely beautiful effect, and we experience the excitement of the era in a way that I would argue captures the feeling much better than a more literalist take ever could hope to portray.

The performances are strong all around, with Mulligan shining brightly as Daisy and making it easy to see what it is that captivates Gatsby. But the triumph here is DiCaprio, and his portrayal of the classic character is nothing short of definitive, and should be remebered at Oscar time (a much better use of the great young actor than we've seen in recent years.).

The other advantage of the 3D is that it forces Luhrman to hold back just a little on the more frenetic elements of his visual style, and this may be his most successful over all film. This is not a movie for everyone, but I found it to be genuine work of art and believe it will stand as one of the summer's very best.

The Great Gatsby is Rated PG-13 for violence, language, and sensuality.

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Bendict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldanna, Karl, Urban, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller and Alice Eve
Screenplay by Roberto Orci & alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof
Directed by J.J. Abrams

For once, the geek out movie of the summer is is not about a superhero.

 As many of us saw in the ten minute teaser before The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the latest chapter of the quintessential science fiction franchise begins as t he USS Enterprise has been sent to a planet in the Nibiru system to observe a primitive civilization, and Spock in trapped inside a volcano which is about to erupt. Captain Kirk violates the Prime directive in order to rescue Spock, and is therefore demoted and ordered back to the academy. However, Admiral Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), reinstated as commander of Enterprise in Kirk's place, talks his superiors into offering Kirk the position of first officer of the Enterprise.

The two attend an emergency meeting at Starfleet Command to discuss the bombing of a secret installation in London, part the top covert agency  Section 31 (familiar to fans of Deep Space Nine.). The bombing appears to have been perpetrated by former a Starfleet agent named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch, the star of the BBC's Sherlock.). After a second attack, the crew of the Enterprise are sent to hunt down Harrison, who is hiding on the Klingon homeworld of Kronos.

Star Trek Into Darkness moves at a break neck pace while managing to preserve not only character and story, but more than a little bit of political subtext. The Federation in the years following the destruction of the planet Vulcan is clearly post 9/11 America, and this film could have been called Star Trek Into Zero Dark Thirty, the parallels are so clear. Fortunately they are also motivated, insightful and poignant; this isn't a cheap, lazy trick like the WMD's in Prince of Persia. In fact, truth be told, in many ways this movie goes more in depth into serious and thoughful questions about right and wrong in dealing with the unthinkable than Kathryn Bigelow's Academy Award nominee, though in fairness, being not only fiction, but science fiction, it has a lot more leeway to do so.

Once again, director J.J. Abrams and his writing team have made a blockbuster action film that will please non fans of the iconic series while throwing several huge bones to die hard Trekkers. References to past films and TV episodes abound, and while the film is still pretty  fun if you don't know Star Trek, it's an absolute blast if you do. And other science fiction references can be spotted, in particular a blatant but respectful homage to Ridley Scott's classic, Blade Runner.  The cast members seem to have settled into their roles, and the interplay between Chris Pine's Kirk and Zachary Quinto's Spock is superb. Cumberbatch proves to be an extremely powerful presence, even if his ethnicity and physical build don't fit the role he's playing, and at times he really owns the film. There's no doubt he's going to get a career boost from this one. Alice Eve is charming as a character that will be familiar to fans, and Peter Weller, the original Robocop, makes a great Dick Cheney.

Star Trek Into Darkness will easily compete for the title of most entertaining film of the summer, and it's hard not to walk out of it giggling at the prospect of Abrams next directing gig helming Star Wars: Episode VII.

The film is rated PG-13 for violence, profanity and some sexuality.

IRON MAN 3

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: B +
Robert Downey, Jr., Gwynneth Paltrow. Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall and Ben Kingsley 
Screenplay by Drew pearce & Shane Black 
Directed by Shane Black

Let's be honest: at this point, MARVEL STUDIOS doesn't make movies. They make the most expensive, spectacular TV series of all time, and they release a new episode on the big screen every six to twelve months. They are in serious danger of over saturating  the market in much the same way that the Star Trek franchise did toward the end of the 90's, when it was impossible to look forward to more Star Trek because there was always a version around in one form or another.

As such, I wasn't hugely excited about Iron Man 3.  As great as Robert Downey, Jr. is in the role of Tony Stark, the character wasn't particularly engaging in Iron Man 2, which was really just a two set/commercial for The Avengers, which came just last summer. There simply hasn't been any time to miss him. And with a sequel to the megafranchise of all time coming in the near future, there's the inescapable feeling that nothing too major can happen in any of the individual Avenger character films, because they are saving the big stuff for when they get together.

However, whether it's MARVEL, or merely writer/director Shane Black (the man who created the Lethal Weapon franchise), someone hit upon the idea that if this is going to be a glorified, big screen TV series, let's have some fun with that. In the same way that individual episodes of The X Files or Doctor Who can vary wildly in tone - one week you have horror and the next you have light comedy - Black has created a departure from the norm while still maintaining largely true to the material, and the result is a wild, if frenetic, ride.

As the film opens, Tony  recalls a New Years Eve party in 1999, which plays like a Thanksgiving episode of Friends.  Tony is busy flirting with scientist Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), inventor of Extremis—an experimental regenerative treatment intended to allow recovery from crippling injuries - and as such has little time for fellow scientist Aldrich Killian, who offers them a place in his company Advanced Idea Mechanics. When Stark promises Killian that he will meet him on the rooftop, Killian waits on the roof but, alas, his hero never shows up, and he is faced with the sad fact that he is essentially the same character Jim Carrey played as Edward Nigma in Batman Forever, right down to the glasses and bad wig.

Years later, Stark's experiences during the alien invasion of New York are giving him panic attacks. Restless, he has built several dozen Iron Man suits, creating friction with his girlfriend Pepper (Gwynneth Paltrow.). Meanwhile, a string of bombings by terrorist The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley)  has left intelligence agencies bewildered by lack of forensic evidence. When Stark Industries security chief Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau, who directed the first two Iron Man films and shows tremendous class by showing up to play a supporting role here) is badly injured in one such attack, Stark overcomes his stupor and issues a televised threat to the Mandarin, who responds by destroying Stark's home with helicopter gunships, and as far as anyone knows, Tony Stark is killed.

It's here that the film really takes off and becomes something utterly unique, as Tony's suit is severely damaged and he is forced to rely on his own ingenuity, and the help of a young boy (Ty Simpkins). The interplay between Downey and Simpkins is hilarious and is worth the price of admission alone. From here, the movie is equal parts science fiction and zany comedy, going so much wilder and sillier than the previous film that I found myself thinking of Gremlins 2 at more than one point.  There are also heavy doses of the 80's buddy cop style action formula to remind us that this is, after all, Shane Black. With this much fun going on, the movie can be afford to be a bit short on coherent plotting. If Samuel Goldwyn were alive today, he's say this film had a lousy plot but a great story, and he'd be right. The story of Tony Stark and his efforts to focus his world and face his demons, and to figure out where to go next, is truly terrific, and makes up for the rather sloppy plot of Aldrich Killian's revenge scheme.

In the end, Iron Man 3 is just another super hero movie, albeit with some delightful twists on the genre. But much like Tony Stark, the film, and perhaps the entire Marvel superstructure, finds a way to make that more than enough, and frankly, more power to them. Well, not really. They don't need any more power. Please don't give them any more power.

Iron Man 3 is rated PG-13 for a surprising amount of violence, mild profanity and sensuality.

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.