2012 Coriolanus Blu-Ray Movie Review

Coriolanus is a Roman warrior who dedicates his life and career to defending Rome from foreign invaders. He has it all: a beautiful wife and son, mother who is patriotic, loyal to the family (and controlling to say the least). Marcus Coriolanus has potential to become a powerful politician. But his patriotism is matched by his sense of entitlement of his class status for greater things, which in turn creates resentment from his political enemies. His enemies turn ordinary people against Corealanus and before long, Marcus' career comes to a screeching holt and Marcus Coriolanus finds himself in exile. Nations and people who were his enemies yesterday become his allies tomorrow and Marcus sets on a mission to get his revenge.....

The film is a classic tale of honor and betrayal. Those who are familiar with Shakespeare's tale would know exactly what this film is all about since its core premise is intact. It is about a man of honor; a man whose integrity feels so out of place in this world. Torn between his own principles and pride, the man chooses to be who he is, and the traditions and responsibilities of the world fall down on him. Fiennes' version of Shakespeare's creation is shot more like a war film that comes complete with bloody, intense gun battles and knife to knife combat. Fiennes knew what he was in for and handles everything with careful accuracy and heed. For a man on his directorial debut, Fiennes wields the story with precision to make the Shakespearean story as timely to modern times while resonating the political strife as only Shakespeare ever could.....

Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort in Harry Potter) comes out with an outstanding performance. He is very believable in his role as someone so proud that he would deny himself being subjected to the `nays' of an ungrateful bellowing crowd. Fiennes exhibited that power and intensity that made him so convincing as both a savior and a destroyer of men and nations. Butler is just as capable in his role, but he was easily overshadowed by Fiennes.

Fiennes does so well in modernizing this classic story. He directed with care and uses his own love for the material that he was able to capitalize on the story's key moments to drive the film's momentum. He was able to cut off the excesses of the play and what becomes is a tightly wound drama-thriller. As a performer in his own film, Fiennes was scary and intimidating; if a little enigmatic. Supported by a strong cast in Butler, Redgrave, Cox and Chastain, "Coriolanus " is a powerful film that is worthy of a look.

This film is brilliant, and most watchers will be pleasantly surprised.

Highly recommend it.



Actors: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler
Directors: Ralph Fiennes
Studio: The Weinstein Company
Release Date: May 29, 2012

2012 Man on a Ledge Blu-Ray Movie Review

2012 Man on a Ledge Blu-Ray Movie Review: Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) is an escaped, convicted diamond thief with an elaborate plan to clear his name. After checking into an upper-floor room at Manhattan's Roosevelt Hotel, he orders a hefty meal, then exits the window and positions himself on a ledge. People below notice him and soon the police are called in. When a cop attempts to talk him in, Nick asks to speak with a different negotiator, Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks).

Mercer has been ostracized by her peers recently because she lost a previous jumper. Her self-assurance has been tarnished, and she is perplexed as to why this potential suicide has requested her. The cops dust for fingerprints to identify the would-be jumper, but the room is clean. So Nick's identity remains unknown to them for quite some time....

As a thriller, "Man on a Ledge " works reasonably well. A large part of the movie involves an intricate caper that occurs as Nick teeters 25 floors above the street. The mystery unfolds as the police, Nick's family, a wealthy businessman (Ed Harris), dirty cops, and Nick himself converge in the film's denouement.

Actors: Sam Worthington, Ed Harris, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Summit Entertainment
DVD Release Date: May 29, 2012

Lethal Weapon Collection 2012 Movie Review

Way, way back in the day, before a traffic pullover and then some breathlessly nflattering words, Mel Gibson was THE man. Mad Max, Braveheart, even Ranson, almost everything he touched was gold. But Lethal Weapon changed everything. The prototypical 1980s buddy flick, teams the unstable Mel Gibson with the stable family man, Roger Murtaugh, played by Danny Glover. Whatever it was, these two had an absolutely magical chemistry on film that defied insanity, death and even bad scripts as the movies went on. 

While the movies get progressively worse as they got bigger, with the exception of 2, Gibson and Glover propel this through sheer star power and will. If you want to see two masters at work, doing what they do almost effortlessly, resulting in pure eye candy, check these films out. They are a tad violent and a little sewer mouthed, hence the R ratings, but they are fantastic. Add Joe Pesci to the mix, right off his Goodfellas role, and you got a great movie on your hands.

If these are not the special editions, that would be too bad, because they are fun, but only the first one adds any real grabbers. The scene where Riggs walks into a sniper's line of fire who was shooting kids is chilling and establishes Riggs' death wish quickly and brutally. Modern post-Columbine sensibilities may find it hard to take, but it is an amazing scene. All the other scenes are filler, but really fun filler. 

If you can take a good hard R with lots of great comedy, this is a movie set for you. Just remember it is a product of its times, and people were not as politically correct then. These still stand out literally as some of my favorite films that I never get tired of watching.

Lethal Weapon Collection 2012 Movie Review

• Actors: Joe Pesci, Danny Glover, Mel Gibson
• Genre: Comedy, Action
• Release Date: May 22, 2012
• Number of discs: 5
• Run Time: 476 minutes
• Studio: Warner Home Video

The Secret World of Arrietty 2012 Movie Review

This film is a must see for anyone who loves hand drawn animation. The animation is gorgeous and possibly even more stimulating since we see virtually no hand drawn animation on the silver screen in North America (though so far this year I've been blessed with the Beauty and the Beast re-release and a Fullmetal Alchemist film at my small town theater). As far as Arrietty is concerned the background designers paid great attention to detail while the characters have that streamlined Miyazaki look but move with fluidity and such realism. It's very captivating to see the familiar concept of creatures living between floorboards in such a new inventive way. Seeing what they borrow from the humans and how they use it is part of the charm of the film. I also have to say that this film, like all Ghibli films, does such an excellent job of capturing the majesty of nature. The outdoor scenes here make one long to go for a hike in such an area.

Characterization is also well done. While the characters may not seem as standout or unique as previous Ghibli releases they are all distinct and have formed personalities that are revealed in such refreshingly subtle ways, you don't get a bunch of exposition explaining characters you just see who they are through how they move and act. In this light it was also nice to see traits from the original borrowers material carried over into this representation (the mother being very worrisome, etc.). Arrietty is rightfully the most compelling character, a girl venturing into the larger world for the first time with fear but also curiosity and courage. One note, I would have liked to see more of the other characters, especially Sho/Shawn, but I was very pleased with what I did get to see.

Voice acting is something I really have to give Disney credit for. Dubs are very hard to get right and I've found that they've put good effort into the casting and voice directing of their Ghibli dubs. The voices all sound like they are coming from the characters (with perhaps the debatable exception of David Henrie as Sho/Shawn, who does a great job but sounds a bit deep voiced for the young character), and 99% match the lip flaps. Bridgit Mendler as Arriety does a standout job, Amy Poehler and Will Arnett are charmingly cast as her parents and Carol Burnett is humorous as the house cleaner, Hara. The performances, like the film itself, are understated but very engrossing (for fans of this genre at least). I look forward to being able to listen to the original Japanese dialogue for comparison purposes but I think even those who don't enjoy dubs should give this one a try if it's the only option at your local theater.

Lastly there is the sound. A key component of establishing the reality in any animated film. In Arrietty the sound has been well selected to evoke the feeling of an idyllic summer, especially in outdoor scenes. Sound was also extremely well used to establish Arrietty's unique perspective of the human world. For example, in one scene where Arrietty enters a human kitchen for the first time, the familiar sounds of appliances humming and an empty room at night are used to create a sense of unfamiliarity and vastness. In addition to the excellent sound design I must compliment the score of the film, the music fits well and has a Celtic influence that captures Arrietty's lively spirit.

The Secret World of Arrietty 2012 Movie Review:

• Actors: Bridgit Mendler, David Henrie, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Moises Arias
• Directors: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
• Studio: Buena Vista
• DVD Release Date: May 22, 2012
• Run Time: 94 minutes