New ‘24′ Season Exemplifies Show’s Strengths

The Fox Network’s venerable action-drama series 24, now in its eighth year, has always had to perform a very difficult balancing act: trying to surprise viewers who expect to be surprised, while somehow staying sufficiently connected with reality to sustain viewer interest. In addition, the showmakers have to try to remain somewhat near the extremely high standard established by seasons 2 and 3, in which they expertly blended political relevance, suspenseful drama, theater-quality action sequences, and vivid characters who continually surprise us with their choices without ever bogging down in unnecessary pretensions to psychological depth.

This latter characteristic is a key element of the show’s success. Like real human beings, the characters in 24 are motivated largely by present concerns while filtering them through their individual experiences and personalities. In conventional suspense literature and filmed dramas of our time, the central characters typically are given some traumatic events in the recent or distant past which they are trying to work through and over which they agonize as the present narrative events remind them of it.

Of course such things do happen in real life, and they are present in 24, but the use of it as a convention becomes more than a little ridiculous in today’s dramas as nearly all crime and suspense writers employ it, making it appear that no one but disturbed individuals gets involved in the good work of preventing violence toward innocents. That’s clearly not the message the creators of these narratives intend to send, and it conflicts with their desire to create plausible central characters. (more…)

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Tags: 24, Annie Wersching, Cherry Jones, Elisha Cuthbert, Jack Bauer
Posted Feb 6th 2010 at 10:58 am in Reviews, Television | 30558260 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2010/02/06/new-24-season-exemplifies-shows-strengths/New+%2724%27+Season+Exemplifies+Show%E2%80%99s+Strengths2010-02-06+18%3A58%3A18S.T.+Karnick

REVIEW: ‘From Paris with Love’ Delivers Humor, Action and…Muslim Bad Guys?

Sure, you’ve seen it all before: an inexperienced nebbish who’s never experienced a moment of real danger in his life suddenly finds himself thrust into one life-threatening situation after another after meeting a crazed, adrenaline-junkie cop or spy. The two proceed to bicker and banter across a city or around the planet for the next two hours, offering viewers laughs and thrills without reinventing the wheel. 

Bruce Willis has starred in a million of these. The “Lethal Weapon” series wasn’t too different from the concept. But no matter how many times you’ve seen this story done before, there’s hardly a genre more entertaining than an action-comedy taking place amid exotic locales – and the new film “From Paris with Love,” starring John Travolta as a bad-ass CIA assassin named Johnnie Wax who’s forced to team up with a mild-mannered embassy employee played by British actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, is one action extravaganza that definitely delivers. 

“Paris” kicks things off nicely by showing the dual life experienced by James Reese (Meyers), who spends his days as a personal aide to the U.S. Ambassador in France, an existence in which he’s mostly planning travel logistics and handling paperwork for his boss. By night, or whenever the CIA decides to call him secretly, he is a low-level operative for the spy agency – until he abruptly gets the call one day to team up with Wax to block an assassination attempt on an American official attending a Parisian conference.  (more…)

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Tags: From Paris with Love, john travolta
Posted Feb 4th 2010 at 7:06 am in Film, Reviews | 30409846 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ckozlowski/2010/02/04/review-from-paris-with-love-delivers-humor-action-and-muslim-bad-guys/REVIEW%3A+%27From+Paris+with+Love%27+Delivers+Humor%2C+Action+and...Muslim+Bad+Guys%3F2010-02-04+15%3A06%3A20Carl+Kozlowski

Review: Off ‘The Deep End’

You may not know who Matt Long is but you might have seen the young actor in recent advertisements for his new ABC television show “The Deep End.” Long has appeared in a couple of major motion pictures including “Ghost Rider” and “Sydney White” but he will likely gain more notice for his new role on a disappointing television show that Variety.com noted is little more than a sibling show to “Grey’s Anatomy,” about lawyers instead of doctors. It is disappointing to see the engaging Matt Long is on a show like this, especially considering that he did far superior work on television several years ago on the WB program “Jack and Bobby.”

On his new show, Long plays Dylan Hewitt, a new idealistic associate at a law firm. The show revolves around a group of young lawyers finding themselves in “the deep end” of their profession as they start working full time in “the real world.” The first episode of the series showed the young characters dealing with work dilemmas that law school did not prepare them for.  For instance, Hewitt had to fight for a mother to gain custody of her child against the wishes of his tough boss, played by Billy Zane. Hewitt is tempted to do the wrong thing in the case but inevitably he decides to do what is right for the child, a cliched plotline that falls flat. (more…)

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Tags: "Jack and Bobby", "The Deep End", Billy Zane, grey's anatomy, Lawyers
Posted Feb 2nd 2010 at 9:52 am in Reviews, Television | 30143830 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jhanlon/2010/02/02/review-off-the-deep-end/Review%3A+Off+%27The+Deep+End%272010-02-02+17%3A52%3A57John+P.+Hanlon

VIDEO REVIEW: ‘Avatar’ the Worst Blue Movie I’ve Ever Seen (NSFW)

That genius from Milwaukee with the creepy basement who put the final stake in the heart of “The Phantom Menace” now turns to “Avatar.”

—–

(more…)

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Tags: avatar, james cameron, Military, Milwaukee, review
Posted Feb 1st 2010 at 8:59 am in Political Humor, Reviews, Video | 30326676 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2010/02/01/video-review-avatar-the-worst-blue-movie-ive-ever-seen-nsfw/VIDEO+REVIEW%3A+%27Avatar%27+the+Worst+Blue+Movie+I%27ve+Ever+Seen+%28NSFW%292010-02-01+16%3A59%3A31Big+Hollywood

Reinvented Characters Give ‘24′ New Life

One would think that after seven years on the air, audiences would know who Jack Bauer is. Yet, as the new season of “24” began last week, we saw Bauer in a different light. He was not fighting terrorism; he was spending time with his granddaughter at the zoo. And Bauer was not the only character who has changed since last season. It turns out that one of the best things about the new season of “24” is how many of the characters on the show have been reinvented.

As with many seasons before, Bauer’s day began with him trying to stay as far away from anti-terrorism work as possible. This season, he started his television day (each season captures a different day in the life of Bauer) as a family man before inevitably being called back by an informer with inside information about a terrorist plot. It took a lot of convincing for Bauer to leave his family life. Both his daughter Kim and his former coworker Chloe had to convince him to return to the Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) to assist in taking on a terrorist plot. (more…)

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Tags: 24, Chloe O'Brian, CTU, fox, Jack Bauer
Posted Jan 30th 2010 at 2:41 pm in Reviews, Television | 30083864 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jhanlon/2010/01/30/reinvented-characters-give-24-new-life/Reinvented+Characters+Give+%2724%27+New+Life2010-01-30+22%3A41%3A09John+P.+Hanlon

REVIEW: ‘Edge of Darkness’ Takes You to the Edge of Boredom

It’s sure nice to have Mel Gibson back on the big screen carrying a gun, seeking revenge for the death of a loved one and quivering with righteous rage. But after seven years off-screen what a shame he couldn’t find a better script. “Edge of Darkness” is a mess. Convoluted, poorly structured and lacking in the important emotional turning points and character moments necessary to make this kind of thriller work.

Gibson plays Boston Police Detective Thomas Craven, an honest cop and inattentive but loving father whose 24-year old daughter Emma comes home for a visit. Things are warm, if a bit strained between them, but she’s ill — violently ill — and on their way out the front door to the hospital she’s shotgunned in a drive-by shooting that was meant to kill him. Or was it?

The plot’s entirely too ambitious, involving defense contractors, corrupt Senators, leftist activists and a gentle yet menacing wine-sipping government fixer named Jedburgh (The Mighty Ray Winstone) whose loyalties shift all-too obviously when the plot requires a nudge — when the screenwriters are stuck. In the “Austin Powers” trilogy he would’ve been called Agent Exposition.

Wintsone continues his perfect record of making everything he’s in better, and Jedburgh is a very interesting character. You do want to know more about him. The problem is that there’s no natural place for him in the film’s narrative. He reminds me of  Liev Schreiber’s mysterious John Clark in “The Sum of All Fears.” Another movie where a mysterious supporting player in a disappointing film comes off as though he’s visiting from a much better movie.  (more…)

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Tags: 'Edge of Darkness', Casino Royale, Martin Campbell, mel gibson, Ray Winstone
Posted Jan 29th 2010 at 6:15 pm in Featured Story, Film, Reviews | 30278273 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2010/01/29/review-edge-of-darkness-takes-you-to-the-edge-of-boredom/REVIEW%3A+%27Edge+of+Darkness%27+Takes+You+to+the+Edge+of+Boredom2010-01-30+02%3A15%3A22John+Nolte

Movies We Like: ‘Inside Moves’ (1980)

Friendship. Love. Dreams. All good stuff in life. 

“Inside Moves” is a little gem of a film, director Richard Donner knocked out back in 1980 between, among others, “Superman” and “Lethal Weapon.” Working from a solid script by Valerie Curtin and Barry Levinson, “Inside Moves” tells the story of a young man named, Roary, (beautifully portrayed by John Savage) who, after a failed suicide attempt, sets out to put the pieces of his life back together again. Along the way, he finds a motley group of friends, who accept him for the man he is, as he discovers just how sweet life can be, when you’re willing to risk, willing to go for your dreams. 

Shortly after being discharged from the local hospital, Roary, moving along like some sort of sand crab as a result of his injuries, finds himself among the slightly ‘crippled,’ yet not-so-broken souls of Max’s Bar (a wonderful ensemble of actors, including casting director turned actor, Bert Remsen, jazz great, Bill Henderson and Harold Russell, the Academy Award winner from “The Best Years of Our Lives,” add to the joy and spirit of the film.) 

Roary immediately strikes up a friendship with bartender, Jerry Maxwell, (the fine David Morse) who invites him to watch the San Francisco Warriors, play some round ball later that night. At the game, Jerry is all over hot shot rookie, Alvin Martin, (Harold Sylvester) who, while clearly a talented player, seems to lack the killer instinct to be a truly great player. After the Warriors lose the game, due to Alvin’s freezing under pressure, the mouthy Jerry confronts him, challenging him to a game of one-on-one. Alvin accepts. Put up. Shut up.  (more…)

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Tags: Barry Levinson, Bert Remsen, Bill Henderson, David Morse, Harold Russell
Posted Jan 29th 2010 at 5:18 pm in Classic Hollywood, Film, Reviews | 30117439 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jarone/2010/01/29/movies-we-like-inside-moves-1980/Movies+We+Like%3A+%E2%80%98Inside+Moves%E2%80%99+%281980%292010-01-30+01%3A18%3A04Jimmy+Arone

Why Are We Keeping Up With the Kardashians?

The first time I ever heard of the name Kardashian was in June of 1994 after the famous O.J. car chase. Robert Kardashian publicly read a letter written by O.J., which sparked off the beginning of one of the biggest media circus’ in American history. Kardashian became part of the “dream team” that allowed O.J. to walk free, although in Al Capone style, eventually end up in jail for a crime completely unrelated to the murders he committed. What I distinctly remember was that Kardashian was the man seen carrying Simpson’s garment bag the day Simpson flew back from Chicago. It was speculated that the bag may have contained Simpson’s bloody clothes and/or the murder weapon; however, by the time the bag was returned to the prosecutors, mysteriously, there was nothing incriminating.

A few years ago the Kardashian name cropped up again (Robert had passed in 2003). However, this time, the spotlight was on one of his four children, Kim, an attractive, petite, Armenian looking woman, who was part of the Hilton sisters’ crowd. The next thing I know there is a show on E! about the whole clan which includes Kim, her sisters Khloe and Kourtney, her brother Robert Jr. and her half-sisters who are in their early teens, Kylie and Kendall. The parents, and I use the term loosely, are Kris Jenner, who divorced Robert Sr. in 1989, and Bruce Jenner, a gold medal Olympic winner and an integral part of American sports history. Does this sound even remotely interesting? Well, if you said “no,” you are probably in the majority. However, if you said “yes,” you are in luck because they are on their fourth show in two years. (more…)

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Tags: Bruce Jenner', e!, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Khloe Kardashian, Kim Kardashian
Posted Jan 29th 2010 at 7:11 am in Culture, Entertainment, Reviews, Television | 30051075 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ekaris/2010/01/29/why-are-we-keeping-up-with-the-kardashians/Why+Are+We+Keeping+Up+With+the+Kardashians%3F2010-01-29+15%3A11%3A12Ellen+Karis

REVIEW: ‘Edge of Darkness’ Not Quite Edge of Your Seat

It’s been an interesting past decade for Mel Gibson. He starred in a blockbuster comedy (“What Women Want”) as well as a powerful smash thriller (“Signs”) before deciding to take a long break from in front of the camera. He then directed “The Passion of the Christ,” turning his self-financed, highly risky and hyper-violent portrayal of Jesus Christ’s torture and death by crucifixion into a smash hit that earned $600 million worldwide despite critics who claimed the film had anti-Semitic undertones that Gibson denied.

Then in the midst of a long break from all things creative, Gibson’s personal life fell apart with a drunk-driving arrest in which he blatantly unleashed an anti-Semitic verbal tirade and an affair which ruined his 29-year marriage and resulted in an out-of-wedlock child that largely shattered his image as one of Hollywood’s most devoutly religious members. After directing just one film since “Passion” (2006’s modest hit “Apocalypto”), Gibson decided he was finally ready to return to the big screen as a movie star again.

The question is: are audiences ready to embrace him in return? And does he still have the Midas touch for smash-hit action films? In the new film “Edge of Darkness,” Gibson returns to his benchmark persona – playing a by-the-book cop who suddenly opts to break all the rules while avenging the death of a loved one, this time his daughter. (more…)

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Tags: 'Edge of Darkness', action, mel gibson, The Passion of the Christ, thriller
Posted Jan 28th 2010 at 6:47 am in Featured Story, Film, Reviews | 30119868 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ckozlowski/2010/01/28/review-edge-of-darkness-not-quite-edge-of-your-seat/REVIEW%3A+%27Edge+of+Darkness%27+Not+Quite+Edge+of+Your+Seat2010-01-28+14%3A47%3A01Carl+Kozlowski

REVIEW: ‘Bump+’ Dares to Take on Abortion ‘Reality’

Abortion is a sensitive topic no matter which side of the argument you support. And when I was asked to review the first episode of a web show called “Bump+,” I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to do it.

When it comes to abortion, I am in the pro-life camp. I wasn’t always – but having two children of my own changed my mind. And I’m thankful I was never in a position to have to even think about it. For me, exceptions to this rule are cases like the one in Brazil last year, where a 9-year-old girl who was carrying twins because her stepfather raped her. At that age and that size (she was only 80 pounds), doctors said her life would be endangered.

My personal feelings aside, I realize that — at least for most people — abortion is a serious topic and if you are faced with that choice, it shouldn’t be made lightheartedly. I know several women who have had abortions, and I know that for two of them, the decisions were definitely not easy.

This is why I decided to check out “Bump+,” which is a faux “reality show” about three women out of about 300 who were chosen to participate in a show that will follow them for four weeks, chronicling their struggle to decide whether to have their unplanned babies or abort them. In addition to following their stories, viewers will “decide how our characters’ stories will end,” says executive producer Dominic Iocco. “We’ve opened the official website to comments and our team will craft the final episodes based on audience feedback. The choice is really up to you.” Viewers are encouraged to submit their own stories and comments. (more…)

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Tags: abortion, Bump, Christopher Riley, Dominic Iocco, Pro Choice
Posted Jan 26th 2010 at 9:39 am in Culture, Politics, Reviews, Television | 300310129 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/pmeister/2010/01/26/review-bump/REVIEW%3A+%27Bump%2B%27+Dares+to+Take+on+Abortion+%27Reality%272010-01-26+17%3A39%3A15Pam+Meister

REVIEW: ‘Extraordinary Measures’ Is TV-Movie Ordinary

Pairing Brendan Fraser of “Mummy” movie fame with Harrison Ford, the iconic actor behind Indiana Jones and Han Solo, might seem like a brilliant stroke of casting that would result in one of the greatest action movies ever. But in the new film “Extraordinary Measures,” they team up for a medical drama that is so lacking in excitement it would be generous to even describe it as ordinary. 

“Measures” follows the true story of John Crowley, a pharmaceuticals executive who has three children – one who is healthy but two suffering from the rare and fatal affliction called Pompe Disease, a very rare genetic disorder which causes a deficiency in the enzyme that breaks down glycogen, causing muscle weakness throughout the body while enlarging the heart and other vital organs. 

The average lifespan of a person with Pompe is just nine years, a fact that drives Crowley to an obsessive quest for the cure since his afflicted children are 6 and 8 years old. The best doctor in the country devoted to finding a cure is  Robert Stonehill (Ford), a research scientist at the University of Nebraska who’s constantly hampered by a severe lack of funding and a bad attitude.  (more…)

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Tags: brendan fraser, Harrison Ford, John Crowley, Robert Stonehill, “Extraordinary Measures”
Posted Jan 22nd 2010 at 8:56 am in Reviews | 29595020 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ckozlowski/2010/01/22/review-extraordinary-measures-is-tv-movie-ordinary/REVIEW%3A+%27Extraordinary+Measures%27+Is+TV-Movie+Ordinary2010-01-22+16%3A56%3A44Carl+Kozlowski

REVIEW: ‘To Save a Life’ — Authentic, Touching Look at Teen Life and Faith (And Steven Crowder’s In It!)

As anyone in the entertainment industry will tell you, it is a miracle that any film actually gets made.  From the moment a writer sits down with an idea to the first time the movie actually graces the screen, a film has passed through the care of so many people, so many unique personalities and competing visions and interests, that even the simplest film is a defiance of the odds.

To Save a Life is not a simple film.

From the moment we meet Jake Taylor, high school (and soon-to-be college) basketball star, it is clear we are meeting a young man in crisis.  Jake’s world has been upended by the recent and very public suicide of his childhood friend Roger – a relationship Jake had forsaken in recent years as his own star was on the rise.  For Jake, the burden of guilt for the choices he did and did not make along the way have become a crushing rebuke.  The young man is lost.

Unfortunately for Jake, introspection is not a welcome trait among his top-of-the-food chain peers. Instead, Jake finds common ground with Chris, a local Christian youth-pastor carrying his own guilt over Roger’s death. Chris, who struggles to navigate a true course through the often false world of Christian culture, detects an authenticity in Jake’s growing and self-imposed alienation from his equally false high school aristocracy.  Jake detects in Chris an authentic faith.  As the story unfolds, the two men help one another to stand against the tides of inconsistency in both worlds. (more…)

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Tags: Christian film, Deja Kreutzberg, faith, Film, Joshua Weigel
Posted Jan 22nd 2010 at 5:03 am in Featured Story, Film, Politics, Religion, Reviews | 29916616 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jdboreing/2010/01/22/to-save-a-life-an-authentic-look-at-teen-life-and-faith/REVIEW%3A+%27To+Save+a+Life%27+--+Authentic%2C+Touching+Look+at+Teen+Life+and+Faith+%28And+Steven+Crowder%27s+In+It%21%292010-01-22+13%3A03%3A11Jeremy+D.+Boreing

REVIEW: Mamet’s Compelling ‘Race’ Makes Explosive Case Against Political Correctness

The first thing you need to know about “Race,” the new play by David Mamet currently running at the Barrymore Theatre on Broadway, is that it isn’t really about race.  Well, not entirely about race.

The setting is a conference room of a law firm.  Henry Brown (David Alan Grier) and his white partner Jack Lawson (James Spader) are interviewing a prospective client (Richard Thomas).  The client, a wealthy white man, is standing trial for the rape of a black woman.

Two expert attorneys interviewing a prospective client is the perfect device for Mamet to not only inform the audience of the facts at hand and the idiosyncratic personalities of the characters we will spend the next hour and a half of our lives with, but it also serves as a perfect showcase for the playwright’s legendary use of dialogue, timing, over-lapping speech patterns and no-holds-barred language.  For a Mamet addict, this is heroin.

It is a chance to watch a conversation that anyone outside that room was never meant to hear.  And the language the characters use reflect the comfortable and brazen style reminiscent of Glengarry Glen Ross and Speed-the-Plow, the unique vernacular often referred to as “Mamet-Speak.” (more…)

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Tags: broadway, David Alan Grier, david mamet, James Spader, kerry washington
Posted Jan 21st 2010 at 2:15 pm in Featured Story, Reviews, Theatre | 29869060 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sright/2010/01/21/review-mamets-race-makes-compelling-dramatic-case-against-political-correctness/REVIEW%3A+Mamet%27s+Compelling+%27Race%27+Makes+Explosive+Case+Against+Political+Correctness2010-01-21+22%3A15%3A04Larry++O%26%2339%3BConnor

REVIEWS: ‘Blind Side’, ‘Nine’, ‘2012′ and More….

Here are capsule reviews of films that have already been covered pretty well here at BH or that just kind of faded away in theatres. That’s not a judgment of how good and bad they are, but all things considered, a full blown review seems unnecessary.

Nine:

Be Italian!

What say we don’t.

Set in go-go Rome circa 1965, director Rob Marshall (the wildly over-praised Oscar-winning “Chicago”) does a solid job of (intentionally) recreating a time and place straight out of Fellini’s “8 ½.”  And that’s about all he’s got going for him … other than the rare musical that would’ve benefited from the removal of the musical numbers. The songs are dreadful, and other than to prove Kate Hudson’s not her mother, serve no purpose above clunky, tuneless exposition.

Daniel Day-Lewis preserves his dignity as Guido the Film Director who’s without a script or even an idea for one as all the expensive people and pieces are put into place to start shooting in just a few days.  He’s conflicted, you see… Torn between his wife (Marion “The Truther” Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), and his muse (Nicole Kidman) … not to mention the advice he receives from his confidant (Judi Dench) and mother (a completely wasted Sophia Loren).  And in there somewhere is NFL-owner Fergie, typecast as – well, that’s mean – as the Ideal Woman who stirred Guido’s loins as a young man.   (more…)

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Tags: 2012, A Serious Man, An Education, nine, The Blind Side
Posted Jan 19th 2010 at 3:37 pm in Film, Reviews | 29707026 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2010/01/19/reviews-blind-side-nine-2012-and-more/REVIEWS%3A+%27Blind+Side%27%2C+%27Nine%27%2C+%272012%27+and+More....2010-01-19+23%3A37%3A32John+Nolte

REVIEW: It’s ‘24′ and Bauer’s Back

Some spoilers coming:

24 returned last night with the sound of snipers shooting at some former colleague of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland). Bauer is shown in good health after that risky experimental cure for deadly bio-toxin administered at the end of last season. Perhaps having a Muslim cleric issue the last rights is what saved him. Except Jack isn’t sporting a Shukr or a Kufi. That’s forgotten. He’s busy playing with his grand-daughter and planning to go with his daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert), back to L.A. in retirement. But the ghost of Godfather III enters the mix. Just when he thought he was out…

The story is set in New York, which is a nice change of scenery after 7 seasons in Los Angeles. His daughter and his son-in-law are in New York and left their kid with Jack while they go shopping. Suddenly, the grand-daughter whips out a blow gun and knocks out Jack with a dart. You see, she’s a double agent and…oops. I spoiled the season for you. Never mind. Forget I said anything. (more…)

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Tags: 24, Anil Kapoor, Cherry Jones, Elisha Cuthbert, Keifer Sutherlan
Posted Jan 18th 2010 at 3:33 pm in Reviews, Television | 29562681 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jhudnall/2010/01/18/24-bauers-back/REVIEW%3A+It%27s+%2724%27+and+Bauer%27s+Back2010-01-18+23%3A33%3A49James+Hudnall

REVIEW: ‘A Conversation About Race’ Offers Mature Look at Race

People around the world celebrate Martin Luther King Day in honor of a man who became a voice for persecuted African Americans. Less than 100 years after the Civil War, on August 28, 1963, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the Lincoln Memorial steps in Washington, D.C. and delivered one of the most stirring speeches of all time. We all recognize the words: 

“And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’ … I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” 

This dream was significantly realized two years later, with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but not fully, as King’s assassination in 1968 painfully emphasized. 

The debate continues over how fully Dr. King’s dream has been realized. This debate spurred first-time filmmaker Craig Bodeker to make “A Conversation About Race,” a documentary that strikes at the core of American racism. 

I highly recommend this film. It will open the eyes of anyone with questions. I say this because it opened mine.  (more…)

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Tags: 'A Conversation About Race', Martin Luther King
Posted Jan 18th 2010 at 5:03 am in Culture, Featured Story, Film, Reviews | 29347068 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dmiller/2010/01/18/review-a-conversation-about-race-offers-mature-look-at-race/REVIEW%3A+%27A+Conversation+About+Race%27+Offers+Mature+Look+at+Race2010-01-18+13%3A03%3A21Darin++Miller

REVIEW: ‘The Lovely Bones’ Just Kind of Lie There

“My name is Salmon, like the fish. First name, Susie. I was fourteen years old when I was murdered on December 6th, 1973.”

After a limited theatrical run for what is likely to be a fruitless search for year-end award affection, director/co-writer Peter Jackson’s “Lovely Bones” finally goes wide in a couple thousand movie palaces today to in order to prove to every American that winning an Academy Award can turn an otherwise talented director into the very definition of tone deaf and self-indulgent.

Jackson’s film is a serious one dealing with big themes involving child murder and grief and justice and the afterlife. But incredibly, dropped right in the middle of all this harrowing drama, is a flat-out comedy montage straight out of a Chris Columbus movie that has Susan Sarandon’s grandmother-character fumbling and stumbling about like Uncle Buck with the household chores, including — yes! — an out-of-control washing machine. Better yet, it’s all set to a pop song.

Maybe the projectionist was having a laugh with a deleted scene from “Mr. Woodcock.” Regardless, it was the equivalent of a cinematic silver bullet. The movie never recovered. (more…)

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Tags: Alice Sebold, Lovely Bones, Mark Wahlberg, Peter Jackson, susan sarandon
Posted Jan 15th 2010 at 4:02 pm in Film, Reviews | 29431065 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2010/01/15/review-lovely-bones-just-kind-of-lies-there/REVIEW%3A+%27The+Lovely+Bones%27+Just+Kind+of+Lie+There2010-01-16+00%3A02%3A30John+Nolte

REVIEW: ‘Book of Eli’ Delivers God, Guns, and Guts

“One day I heard this voice, like it was coming from inside me. It led me to a place… I found this book, buried deep in the rubble… And the voice told me to carry it west…”

Credit where credit is due… Hollywood is trying. Granted, six years have passed since “The Passion” proved we Christians can be convinced to return to a medium that has spent decades taking great pleasure in insulting who we are and what we believe; and with that clinical Christmas card of a follow up called “The Nativity” it seemed as though they would never figure it out. But between the unapologetic Christian “Blind Side” and now the down and dirty “Book of Eli,” there’s reason to hope the Pagans of the Pacific might have just moved a little closer to cracking our code.

“The Book of Eli” isn’t just Christian, it’s off-the-rails Christian … literally. Heathens might as well hit the lobby at the end of the second act because the final act is all about the faith. You’re more than welcome to stick around, but I have a feeling those of you with red strings tied ‘round your wrist will be checking your watch for the last twenty-minutes. Not we Bible-thumpers, though. That’s when it all comes together; and it’s moving and smart and best of all, not some hyper-reverent snoozer.

So, thanks Hollywood. Oh, I’ll be kicking your ass again in a sec, but for now… really, thanks. (more…)

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Tags: Bible, Book of Eli, christian, Denzel Washington, faith
Posted Jan 15th 2010 at 9:42 am in Film, Reviews | 293926255 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2010/01/15/review-book-of-eli-delivers-god-guns-and-guts/REVIEW%3A+%27Book+of+Eli%27+Delivers+God%2C+Guns%2C+and+Guts2010-01-15+17%3A42%3A27John+Nolte

REVIEW: Docudrama ‘Battle of Bunker Hill’ Defends Truth and America

In his farewell address, the late President Ronald Reagan reflected on the state of America as his country entered the 1990s: 

“Younger parents aren’t sure that an unambivalent appreciation of America is the right thing to teach modern children. And as for those who create the popular culture, well-grounded patriotism is no longer the style. Our spirit is back, but we haven’t reinstitutionalized it. We’ve got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom—freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It’s fragile; it needs protection.” 

His words ring as true today as they did then. Reagan understood that what we teach children about America’s past directly influences the country’s future course. “So, we’ve got to teach history based not on what’s in fashion but what’s important,” he said. Americans need to focus “more attention to American history and a greater emphasis on civic ritual.” 

Newcomer production company Light A Candle Films has made Reagan’s plea their creed. Combining documentary footage with a dramatic story in a docudrama format, Light A Candle hopes to portray American history in a dynamic and accurate way. Their first docudrama focuses on The Battle of Bunker Hill.  (more…)

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Tags: Battle of Bunker Hill, DVD, history, Light A Candle Films, Matthew Spalding
Posted Jan 14th 2010 at 11:38 am in Film, Military, Politics, Reviews | 29268646 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dmiller/2010/01/14/review-docudrama-battle-of-bunker-hill-defends-truth-and-america/REVIEW%3A+Docudrama+%27Battle+of+Bunker+Hill%27+Defends+Truth+and+America2010-01-14+19%3A38%3A44Darin++Miller

REVIEW: ‘Book of Eli’ Finds Perfect Mix of Action, Religion

Think of Christian films, and you might conjure up images of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” with Jesus being brutally pummeled and crucified until he dies. Or you might think of countless lesser-known movies filled with sappy storylines, bad acting and moral messages that are themselves pummeled into the audience. 

But the new movie “The Book of Eli” doesn’t fit either of those molds. In fact, this wildly entertaining, ultra-violent, post-Apocalyptic tale of a lone wanderer named Eli (Denzel Washington) who will defend the mysterious book in his possession at all costs is one of the oddest yet most forthright faith-based films to ever come out of a major studio. 

Eli is carrying a copy of the last Bible on the planet, since all other religious texts – including Torahs and Korans – were rounded up and destroyed 30 years before after religious strife was believed to have caused a devastating global nuclear war. Eli believes he’s heard the voice of God telling him to bring the Bible to an unspecified place in the West, but a ruthless despot named Carnegie (Gary Oldman) knows that if he gets his hands on the precious book, he can distort its teachings and have total control over the minds and spirits of the people who live in his empire of revived, Old West-style towns.  (more…)

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Tags: Bible, Denzel Washington, gary oldman, Mila Kunis, The Book of Eli
Posted Jan 13th 2010 at 3:14 pm in Featured Story, Film, Reviews | 292238134 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ckozlowski/2010/01/13/review-book-of-eli-finds-perfect-mix-of-action-religion/REVIEW%3A+%27Book+of+Eli%27+Finds+Perfect+Mix+of+Action%2C+Religion2010-01-13+23%3A14%3A47Carl+Kozlowski

REVIEW: Spirit of John Hughes Returns With ‘Youth In Revolt’

Some actors get famous for playing one unique type of character – Sylvester Stallone will always be   the monosyllabic tough guy, while Hugh Grant is the highly sensitive yet adorable British twit. And Michael Cera has made a name for himself as the ultimate high school nerd, awkwardly mumbling his way through one teen movie after another. 

If there was ever a need for a young actor to reinvent his image, it’s Cera – for the persona he’s been stuck in is so passive his characters barely seem to exist. He takes a big, bold and highly entertaining step in that direction with the new comedy “Youth in Revolt,” based on a novel by a writer named C.D. Payne that’s become a cult sensation since its publication in 1993 and has confounded filmmakers ever since.  

The reason why the novel has been so hard to adapt is two-fold: the book is a gigantic, 500-page tome written in the form of a journal composed by a fictional high-school student named Nick Twisp, and it’s packed with his randy sexual fantasies and frustrations. But screenwriter Gustin Nash and director Miguel Arteta (“The Good Girl”) have solved the problem in astute fashion: cutting down the frequency of the sexual material resulting in a 90-minute confection that’s still risque enough to be rated-R without being overly offensive. “Youth in Revolt” stands up well against the classic canon of the late great John Hughes’ ’80s teen films.  (more…)

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Tags: Gustin Nash, Hugh Grant, John Hughes, michael cera, Miguel Arteta
Posted Jan 12th 2010 at 7:07 am in Film, Reviews | 29095447 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ckozlowski/2010/01/12/review-ghost-of-john-hughes-returns-with-youth-in-revolt/REVIEW%3A+Spirit+of+John+Hughes+Returns+With+%27Youth+In+Revolt%272010-01-12+15%3A07%3A01Carl+Kozlowski

REVIEW: ‘Youth in Revolt’ Disappoints With Uneven Story and More Hollywood Christian Bashing

“Youth in Revolt” is a movie with a good premise but a lackluster plot that revolves around a witty, intellectual teenager experiencing the isolation of adolescence while living with his mother (played by Jean Smart) and her boyfriend.  Played by the likable Michael Cera, the lead character, Nick Twisp, spends a lot of the movie trying to attract the attention of a girl he desires. Unfortunately, the movie frequently becomes unnecessarily crass and stereotypical, detracting from an intriguing premise.

At the beginning, in order to protect his mother’s boyfriend from a fight with some sailors he sold a malfunctioning car to, the mother takes her son and boyfriend for a brief vacation. On that vacation, Nick meets a girl he’s immediately attracted to but she’s dating someone else. However, Nick still thinks he has a chance. In order to make himself more attractive to her he develops an alternate and “dangerous” personality named Francois, who has a mustache and enjoys causing trouble and destruction. (more…)

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Tags: christian, Jean Smart, justin long, michael cera, stereotype
Posted Jan 11th 2010 at 12:19 pm in Culture, Film, Reviews | 29141430 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jhanlon/2010/01/11/review-youth-in-revolt-disappoints/REVIEW%3A+%27Youth+in+Revolt%27+Disappoints+With+Uneven+Story+and+More+Hollywood+Christian+Bashing2010-01-11+20%3A19%3A21John+P.+Hanlon

REVIEW: ‘Brothers at War’ Deploys on DVD Tuesday

[Ed. Note: See below for a special DVD purchase promotion for Big Hollywood readers. Own a great film, save a little money, and best of all, support our troops and their families.]

The moment I saw that long line of soldiers making their way down the tarmac and watched as Joe waved goodbye from the steps of the plane, I knew that I had just witnessed something very important and very special.   I had just seen an early cut of Jake Rademacher’s amazing Brothers at War.

I knew Jake from seeing him around the William Morris Agency (they’ve since merged with Endeavor) where we are both represented as voiceover actors.  While sitting in the waiting room one day, preparing to read our copy, we got into a conversation about current events and the subject of Iraq came up.  It came out that I’m a former Marine and, although I served years ago, Jake was interested to hear my take on things.  Soon after, he invited me to watch his film and give him some feedback.  Of course, he prepared me by giving me a few disclaimers (it’s still a little long, there’s no music, yet, etc.) but otherwise just let me watch it uninterrupted in a tiny editing room in Burbank.

When it was over, I was blown away.

If you don’t already know, Brothers at War follows the Rademacher family as three of their sons deploy to and return from Iraq.  Two brothers, Isaac and Joe, are soldiers.  One, Jake, is an actor and filmmaker.  Jake wants to know what his two brothers are really doing in Iraq, so he takes a camera to go and find out.  The result is the best and most straightforward modern war documentary that I’ve ever seen.

Brothers at War doesn’t take a clinical outsider’s view of the war in Iraq and the men and women fighting it but, rather, feels as if it actually puts you in the boots on the ground among our soldiers and Marines.  It is an extremely personal experience filtered through a lens of simple curiosity and a thirst for understanding. (more…)

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Tags: "Brothers at War" Jake Rademacher, gary sinise, Iraq, Isaac Rademacher, Joe Rademacher
Posted Jan 10th 2010 at 6:18 am in Featured Story, Film, Military, Reviews | 29097027 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mbroderick/2010/01/10/review-brothers-at-war-deploys-on-dvd/REVIEW%3A+%27Brothers+at+War%27+Deploys+on+DVD+Tuesday2010-01-10+14%3A18%3A29Michael+Broderick

REVIEW: ‘Daybreakers’ Delivers the Vampire Goods

“Life’s a bitch, and then you don’t die.”

What’s frustrating about watching an extremely satisfying B-level horror film like “Daybreakers” is that you wonder why every movie can’t have as simple and effective a story. Here you have this little grinder dumped in theatres during the dog days of January starring a few respected names (Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill) but no big stars, and yet it manages to tell its story with more lean, mean and steam than monster hits like “Transformers 2” (which sucked) and “Sherlock Holmes” (which didn’t). When did watching a simple, easy to follow, well-paced story unfold on the big screen become the exception?

“Simple” doesn’t mean dumb, either — or clichéd. It means simple; it means you’re able to repeat the story to someone else in under a minute. Go ahead and try to tell someone the story of “Sherlock Holmes.”  You can’t. It’s too convoluted. The director couldn’t tell you the story. The best he could do is try and explain it. Anyone who’s done any serious amount of screenwriting will tell you that nothing’s harder than simplicity, and yet for all the many millions our top screenwriters make, somewhere along the line…  

What I meant say was, “Daybreakers” is my kind of movie, and not just because there’s all kinds of senseless violence and vampires — though one or the other is usually enough. (more…)

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Tags: "Daybreakers", avatar, Ethan Hawke, Spierig, Transformers 2
Posted Jan 8th 2010 at 5:19 pm in Featured Story, Film, Reviews | 29088295 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2010/01/08/review-daybreakers-delivers-the-vampire-good/REVIEW%3A+%27Daybreakers%27+Delivers+the+Vampire+Goods2010-01-09+01%3A19%3A44John+Nolte

REVIEW: Star Chemisty Lifts Familiar ‘Leap Year’

In the new romantic comedy “Leap Year,” an Irish rogue named Declan is hired by an uptight American woman named Anna to drive her from the Irish coast to Dublin, in the hopes she can meet her long-time boyfriend there on a business trip and propose to him. Her inspiration comes from an old Irish tradition that on each Leap Day, women are allowed to turn the tables on tradition and ask their men to marry them.

So much for the inspiration; their transportation comes in the form of a tiny, old and beaten Renault, a car that Anna scoffs at but Declan defends as reliable and guarantees her that it will get her where she needs to go. That same description can apply to the overall movie as well, as “Leap Year” appears to be an old, shopworn collection of parts from decades’ worth of other movies, and yet proves surprisingly sturdy, reliable and well worth taking for a ride. (more…)

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Tags: "Brothers", "Leap Year", Amy Adams, Ireland, Leap Day
Posted Jan 8th 2010 at 5:04 pm in Film, Reviews | 29065447 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ckozlowski/2010/01/08/review-star-chemisty-lifts-familiar-leap-year/REVIEW%3A+Star+Chemisty+Lifts+Familiar+%27Leap+Year%27+2010-01-09+01%3A04%3A05Carl+Kozlowski

‘Lie to Me’ Lies to Me

I’ve criticized the show House in this space before.  House is a main character who is beginning to cross the line from likable to crotchety, despite Hugh Laurie’s greatness.  His sidekick, Wilson, is far more interesting dramatically.  And the show itself is amazingly predictable: somebody has a seizure; opening credits; wrong diagnosis; commercial; wrong diagnosis; commercial; wrong diagnosis; commercial; correct diagnosis indicated by oblique reference in the B story; conclusion; end credits. 

But at least House is well-written. It’s also a relatively balanced show, even though House himself is an open atheist.  For example, Season Three of House featured two abortion episodes: “Fetal Position,” which was so pro-life that it included a mockup of the famous image of a baby’s hand holding an operating doctor’s; and “One Day, One Room,” an episode in which House convinces a raped patient to have an abortion.  Despite the show’s overall liberal tilt (see Wilde, Olivia), there is at least an attempt to be evenhanded. (more…)

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Tags: abortion, house, John Walker Lindh, Lie To Me, Terrorism
Posted Jan 8th 2010 at 7:19 am in Politics, Reviews, Television | 28938291 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bshapiro/2010/01/08/lie-to-me-lies-to-me/%27Lie+to+Me%27+Lies+to+Me2010-01-08+15%3A19%3A06Ben+Shapiro

Tonight: ‘The Goode Family’ Gets a New Life

“The Goode Family” didn’t stand a chance on ABC. The animated sitcom, that oh, so rare product that openly mocks liberals, got little promotional oomph from its own network and ended up with few viewers. That’s the same network that refused to re-broadcast a popular miniseries, “The Path to 9/11,” that cast the Clinton administration in an unflattering light and now won’t permit it to be released on DVD.

It‘s a bit of a miracle “The Goode Family“ made it on air in the first place. But the Goodes are back courtesy of Comedy Central.

The cable channel will start rebroadcasting the entire season of “The Goode Family,” co-created by Mike Judge, on Monday nights starting tonight at 10 p.m. EST. It’s a longshot the show will be reborn thanks to its new platform, but such a renewal isn’t without precedent.

“The Family Guy” roared back to life after the show did blockbuster business on both DVD and Cartoon Network reruns. And “Futurama” still cranks out new installments years after its cancellation. (more…)

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Tags: abc, Comedy Central, Goode Family, Mike Judge
Posted Jan 4th 2010 at 10:44 am in Culture, Reviews, Television | 28735878 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2010/01/04/tonight-the-goode-family-gets-a-new-life/Tonight%3A+%27The+Goode+Family%27+Gets+a+New+Life2010-01-04+18%3A44%3A16Christian+Toto

REVIEW: The Beautiful & Moronic ‘Avatar’

I think every guy has done it at least once. Sure it’s shallow and in retrospect, we’re probably quite embarrassed. I know that every single one of us has  dated a girl that is out of our intellectual depth; but we didn’t care, because she was so breathtakingly gorgeous. They say love is blind, but when it’s not, it can be incredibly stupid.

That’s what I thought of when I was sitting through Avatar. I don’t think there has ever been a dumber picture made. The plot is fairly easy to figure out, only slightly more complicated than a Scooby Doo episode. Once again American corporations are paving over paradise, all in the name of the bottom line. I’m sure that even children are going to know where it’s going within the first fifteen minutes.

Yet despite its overwhelming simplicity, it was hard not to be smitten, because it’s so aesthetically fantastic. The world of Pandora looks like a Rain Forest Café that was turned into a salt water aquarium. It is full of fiberglass animals, mossy trees, anemone and glowing jelly fish.

Everything on Pandora glows in the dark, even those ten-foot half naked blue people. I’m sure that no one will notice that the naked savages were played by African and Native Americans, since the film’s message is so politically correct. It has long been a tradition in Hollywood to let people of color appear naked in films, even after the Hayes code was passed. (more…)

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Tags: 3D, avatar, imax, IMAX 3D, james cameron
Posted Jan 2nd 2010 at 3:33 pm in Film, Reviews | 283594248 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/tslagle/2010/01/02/review-the-beautiful-moronic-avatar/REVIEW%3A+The+Beautiful+%26amp%3B+Moronic+%27Avatar%272010-01-02+23%3A33%3A27Tim+Slagle

REVIEW: Jeff Bridges Shines in Lovely, Lyrical ‘Crazy Heart’

“I apologize for being less than what you probably expected me to be.”

In director Scott Cooper’s “Crazy Heart,” Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake, a creatively-stifled, self-destructive former country music star drowning himself in whiskey and self-pity before finding a second chance in the love of a woman and her four year-old son. If the story sounds familiar, it should. In 1983, star Robert Duvall and screenwriter Horton Foote won well-deserved Oscars for their poetic, understated work telling almost the exact same story in “Tender Mercies.”  You won’t mind, though, because both “Crazy Heart” and Jeff Bridges are nearly as good. And if some kind of loyalty to The Mighty Duvall makes you resistant to checking out this near-retelling, fear not. He’s not only on board as a producer but brings great color and character to a supporting role, as well. He even sings a bit!

“Crazy Heart” defines the idea of a simple story well told. One glimpse at the trailer and we all know where the plot beats will lead, at least through the second act. We know that Bad Blake and small town reporter Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) will fall in love and that this is certain to bring about some kind of personal and professional reformation for the has-been booze hound. What we don’t know is “how” that story will be told or where it will end up, and it’s in the telling that “Crazy Heart” soars. (more…)

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Tags: "Crazy Heart", Jeff Bridges, maggie gyllenhaal, robert duvall, Tender Mercies
Posted Dec 30th 2009 at 6:05 pm in Featured Story, Film, Reviews | 28716231 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/12/30/review-jeff-bridges-shines-in-lovely-lyrical-crazy-heart/REVIEW%3A+Jeff+Bridges+Shines+in+Lovely%2C+Lyrical+%27Crazy+Heart%27+2009-12-31+02%3A05%3A26John+Nolte