To Rome with Love - Movie Review

Written and Directed by Woody Allen
Running Time: 112 minutes (1h, 52 mins.)
Rated R (for some sexual references).
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics

The Woodman takes Rome! That should give you a clear idea of what European city he takes on next, after visiting London four times for Match Point, Scoop, Cassandra's Dream and You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, Spain for Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Paris for, of course, Midnight in Paris.

Originally titled Nero Fiddled, To Rome with Love chronicles four separate stories set in the enchanting Italian city. One deals with a clerk (Roberto Benigni) whose life changes when he becomes a celebrity for no apparent reason. Another deals with a retired opera director (Woody Allen) who finds a way to come out of his retirement when he discovers a great voice in his future son-in-law's father. Only thing is he can only do it without fear in the shower.

The third follows a newlywed couple (Alessandro Tiberi and Alessandra Mastronardi) on their honeymoon. Well, it's more or less for the husband to get a prestigious job from his relatives. However once the wife gets lost, things get out of proportion when a prostitute (Penelope Cruz) goes to their hotel room. Suddenly, she acts as the husband's wife when the relatives come along. The fourth is a little hard to explain. Let's just say it's about a architect (Alec Baldwin) who revisits where he lived a year ago. He's introduced to a young couple (Jesse Eisenberg and Greta Gerwig) whose relationship comes to a crack when the girlfriend's best friend (Ellen Page) arrives.

As I mentioned before, none of the stories really have any connection and this was intentional. Aside from the generic title (even Allen himself says he hates it, but ultimately had to settle on it because Nero Fiddled would have been confusing), To Rome with Love almost succeeds. Sure, comparisons to Midnight to Paris are inevitable and while it does lack the certain flow that Paris and previous films of his had, Rome manages to work well all on its own.

I enjoyed three of the stories in the film, my favourite going to Baldwin, Eisenberg, Gerwig and Page. While it can be confusing at times (mostly with Baldwin's character), it's still an interesting setup of a piece that impressed me. The third one involving the couple starts off fine, but then grows dull. Ultimately, it picks back up again. Either way, it's great to these actors do what they do best, especially Woody Allen. Putting himself in his first starring role since Scoop 6 years ago, he proves that even as old as he is, he's still funny, along with Judy Davis, Fabio Armillato, Flavio Parento and Alison Pill, who despite being her second film with Allen, is sadly underused. Roberto Benigni (known best to North American audiences for Life is Beautiful) also hasn't really lost his touch as a comedic actor.

Bottom line: To Rome with Love, as I mentioned before, does lacks the certain flow most of his previous films (yes, including Midnight in Paris). However, I still found it to be an enjoyable comedy. It's not one of Allen's best, and of course he's done better, but I can still recommend it.

Rating: 7/10

Lineup for the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival

The lineup for the 2012 (technically 37th) Toronto International Film Festival was announced an hour earlier and let me just say, it looks to be even better than last year. We have another non-Canadian film kicking off the festival, however this one has been on my must-see list for a while now: Rian Johnson's Looper. It's being listed as a world premiere, among many others that include The Wachowski and Tom Tykwer's Cloud Atlas (which we have yet to see a trailer for even though Warner Bros. slated it for an October 26th release), David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook, Stuart Blumberg's Thanks for Sharing, Ben Affleck's Argo, Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha, David Ayer's found-footage like cop thriller End of Watch, Deepa Mehta's Midnight's Children, Sally Potter's Ginger and Rosa, Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond The Pines (speaking of that, I should really watch Blue Valentine) and Joss Whedon's adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Other films making their International/North American premieres (which means they'll probably be at Venice first) include Joe Wright's Anna Karenina, Robert Redford`s The Company You Keep and one that was surprising to me, Terrence Malick`s To The Wonder. Films that came from Cannes include Rust and Bone, The Sapphires, Reality and The Hunt, films I`ve heard good things about.

You can see the full list of films below. The 37th annual Toronto Internation Film Festival runs from September 6th to the 16th.

(via Rope of Silicon, Collider and for info of the films, go to Deadline)

World Premieres
“Looper” (Rian Johnson) (Opening Film)
“Cloud Atlas” (The Wachowskis & Tom Tykwer)
“Argo” (Ben Affleck)
“The Silver Linings Playbook” (David O Russell)
“Love, Marilyn” (Liz Garbus)
“Free Angela And All Political Prisoners” (Shola Lynch)
“The Place Beyond The Pines” (Derek Cianfrance)
“Midnight’s Children” (Deepa Mehta)
“Hyde Park On Hudson” (Roger Michell)
“Great Expectations” (Mike Newell)
“Inescapable” (Rubba Nadda)
“Twice Born” (Sergio Castellitto)
“English Vinglish” (Gauri Shinde)
“The Perks Of Being A Wallflower” (Stephen Chbosky)
“Thanks For Sharing” (Stuart Blumberg)
“End Of Watch” (David Ayer)
“Imogene” (Robert Puccini and Shari Springer Berman)
“A Late Quartet” (Yaron Zilberman)
“Much Ado About Nothing” (Joss Whedon)
“Frances Ha” (Noah Baumbach)
“The Time Being” (Nenad Cicin-Sain)
“Writers” (Josh Boone)
“At Any Price” (Ramin Bahrani)
“Venus And Serena” (Maiken Baird)
“Byzantium” (Neil Jordan)
“Quartet” (Dustin Hoffman)
“Ginger And Rosa” (Sally Potter)
“A Liar’s Autobiography” (Ben Timlett, Bill Jones, Jeff Simpson)
“Foxfire” (Laurnet Cantet)
“In The House” (Francois Ozon)
“The Impossible” (JA Bayona)
“Hannah Arendt” (Margarethe Von Trotta)
“Mr. Pip” (Andrew Adamson)
“Capital” (Costa-Gavras”
“The Attack” (Ziad Doueriri)
“Zaytoun” (Eran Riklis)
“The Deep” (Baltasar Kormakur)
“Dreams For Sale” (Nishikawa Miwa)
“The Last Supper” (Lu Chuan)

International/North American Premieres
“To The Wonder” (Terrence Malick)
“Anna Karenina” (Joe Wright)
“The Reluctant Fundamentalist” (Mira Nair)
“The Company You Keep” (Robert Redford)
“Jayne Mansfield’s Car” (Billy Bob Thornton)
“A Royal Affair” (Nikolai Arcel)
“Dangerous Liasons” (Hur Ji-Ho)
“Thermae Romae” (Hideki Takeuchi)
“Caught in the Web” (Chen Kaige)
“Dormant Beauty” (Marco Belloccchio)
“Everybody Has A Plan” (Ana Piterbarg) w/Viggo Mortensen
“Kon-Tiki” (Espen Sandberg)
“Reality” (Matteo Garrone)
“A Few Hours Of Spring” (Stephan Brize)
“The Hunt” (Thomas Vintenberg)
“The Iceman” (Ariel Vromen)
“Lore” (Cate Shortland)
“No” (Pablo Larrain)
“Outrage Beyond” (Takeshi Kitano)
“Rust And Bone” (Jacques Audiard)
“The Sapphires” (Wayne Blair)
“Tai Chi O” (Stephen Fung)

Canadian Premiere
“The Sessions” (Ben Lewis)

The Dark Knight Rises - Movie Review

Directed by Christopher Nolan
Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, based on Batman created by Bob Kane and published by DC Comics.
Running Time: 165 minutes (2h, 45 mins.)
Rated PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language).
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures

To begin this review, I just want to acknowledge those who were in the theatre shooting just on Friday: those who lived to see another day and those who sadly lost their lives. Even when that happened though, it still didn't stop me from seeing that movie on opening day. Besides, I bought tickets early anyway. I probably shouldn't even be writing a review for this film now in order to respect the victims, but a freelance amateur critic's gotta do what a freelance amateur critic's gotta do. By the way, if you're reading this and you haven't seen the film yet (maybe due to reasons mentioned above), don't worry: this review is as spoiler-free as I possibly can make it.

Taking place eight years after its incredible predecessor, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises shows Gotham City in peace, branding the late Harvey Dent a hero and Batman a villian, even though it was the opposite, a secret kept by Batman and Commisioner Gordon. Of course, Bruce Wayne is the Caped Crusader and since that day, he's hung up his cape and locked himself up inside Wayne Manor, not really wanting to come out. But then comes a mysterious cat burgler, however she is the least of the city's concern when a far more dangerous adversary in the form of Bane. And then of course, Bruce must put back on the cape.

Sometimes, I hate writing the synopsis for these reviews because I just make myself sound like some other reviewer, but you know how it is. Anyway, I'll just cut to the chase and keep it short (due to spoilers): this film isn't good. It's great. Yeah, sure, a few things could have been done a little better (I won't say what, again due to potential spoilers), but director Christopher Nolan still makes this an impressive conclusion in many ways, first and foremost the performances.

Christian Bale returns and is better than ever as the Caped Crusader. He brings more intensity and gets a little more darker with the role. Bane, the villian who looks like he took a (bleep)load of steroids, is played to menacing, somewhat muffled-voice like perfection by Tom Hardy (reuniting with Nolan after 2010's Inception). Yeah, Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is still at the top, but Hardy comes pretty close. I was generally surprised with Anne Hathaway and her interpretation of Selina Kyle, who we obviously know as Catwoman.

True to the comics, she's slick and sexy and provides some of the film's comic relief. Marion Cotillard starts off in the film like one of those love interests that's just put in there, but as it progresses, she does truly hold her own. Like Hardy, this is her second film with Nolan after Inception. Same with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who also holds his own. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman return and both are great. It's also worth noting someone decided to bring Matthew Modine's career back from being stalled.

As crafted as it is character-driven wise (especially with its nearly three-hour running time), it's also, like the first two films, visually stunning. Nolan, co-writer/brother Jonathan Nolan and story writer David S. Goyer still keep the darkness that made the first two films memorable, but make it a little more ambitious with the action scenes. Character wise however, they stick true to the pain Bruce feels inside and out and make the audience invested in him more than ever.

Of course, they do the same with the other characters as well. Hans Zimmer gives us another memorable score, though not as memorable as its predecessor. Wally Pfister's cinematography is near perfection, especially on a IMAX screen (which showcases an hour and 12 minutes of footage shot with the IMAX cameras, presented in a 1:44:1 aspect ratio as opposed to the 2:40 aspect ratio that most of the film is shot in). You seriously owe it to yourself to see this in IMAX. It's the best way to see the film.

The Dark Knight Rises is a worthy conclusion to what is already a classic superhero trilogy that's more deeper than any other. Christopher Nolan, Wally Pfister, Hans Zimmer and the rest of the team deliver a finale that's dark, grand, emotionally resonant and cuts skin deep. Most importantly, it's one of the best films this year so far.

Rating: 9/10

Piranha 3DD - Movie Review

Directed by John Gulager
Written by Partick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and Joel Soisson, based on characters created by Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg.
Running Time: 82 minutes (1h, 22 mins.)
Rated R (for sequences of strong bloody horror violence and gore, graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use).
Distributor: The Weinstein Company (Dimension Films/Radius-TWC)

This is a little too late to review this film now, but since I couldn't keep myself from doing so, let me keep this review short and sweet: Piranha 3DD does not live up to its 2010 original (which in turn was based on the 1978 original). Now I know, this is supposed to be fun and granted I had plenty of fun with the first, but this sequel just comes off like an dull parody of the first. Honestly this time around, I just found myself bored.

I don't need to tell the story for this, because there is no story to this. It's the same as the first: hungry piranhas go terrorize a new town. There are some inventive kills, but not the kind that made me giggle, even one with a piranha chewing on some guy's penis. Of course as promised by the tagline, you get more naked women, enough to make college frat boys or even a 13-year-old boy drool (and granted, that may probably be the only reason they enjoy this film). Bad dialogue plagues this film and I'm talking Asylum-like bad dialogue (for anyone who's seen Asylum films like Death Racers or their most recent Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies) and the actors (including one saving grace in David Koechner) do what they can with the underwritten roles they have.

I'll wrap this up by saying that Piranha 3DD is a boring, dull and derivative sequel that, despite some of the inventive new kills, ridiculous cameos (two big ones being Gary Busey and David Hasselhoff) and yes, double D's, offers nothing that I didn't see before. A sequel that was so promising is in the end, totally disappointing.

Rating: 2/10

New Release Day: The Amazing Spider-Man, Katy Perry: Part of Me, Savages, To Rome with Love and The Do-Deca Pentathlon

It's been long since I've done one of these. But summer is here and everything is red hot, especially the new releases at the box office: obviously the Spider-Man reboot, another concert doc, this time following Katy Perry, in 3D nonetheless and Oliver Stone back to making movies dealing with drugs. Woody Allen's latest goes nationwide and the new film from the Duplass brothers is one major limited release.

First off, The Amazing Spider-Man. The film already came out on Tuesday and has made so far made $71 million, but I had the great opportunity to check out the early advanced screenings a day before. I already reviewed the film calling it entertaining with nice action sequences, cool special effects and good acting, but did mention that there are a few plotholes and the romance between Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) could have been worked on. Those reasons end up making the film less than amazing. You can read the whole review here. The film has 73% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 66 on Metacritic.

After the commercial success of Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Paramount delves into the 3D concert documentary genre again this time with Katy Perry: Part of Me. The film follows a year in the life of the pop star as she goes on tours and deals with the divorce between her and Russell Brand. Oh, how I couldn't care less. Like Bieber, I find her music absolutely annoying and the film just looks like another stupid cashgrab. Surprisingly, most critics say it's more than that (notably A.O. Scott of the New York Times, saying it's more interesting and her negotiation of stardom and marriage is poignant). Still not convinced. I don't think I'll ever be convinced. RT: 78% (?!), Metacritic: 57

Savages marks Oliver Stone's return to gritty and violent filmmaking after giving us the Wall Street sequel and an interesting biopic of George W. Bush. Based off Don Winslow's book of the same name, the film tells the story of two pot dealers (Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson) getting revenge on a Mexican drug cartel led by Salma Hayek after kidnapping their shared girlfriend (Blake Lively). From the looks of it, this is an action thriller on steroids. Or Ritalin. Whatever fits best. It'll be interesting to know what audiences think. While many critics agree it's a return to form for Stone, it's garnered mixed reviews so far, which worries me, especially two different ones coming from two of my favourite film critics: Roger Ebert says it generates ruthless energy and some humor while Peter Howell of the Toronto Star says the film is too dumb to know when to "sheath the blade". Again, let's see what audiences think. RT: 52%, MC: 62

His last stop was Paris, now Rome. Woody Allen head to the beautiful Italian city for To Rome with Love, which follow four separate stories with vistors and residents of Rome and the wacky misadventures they get into. Like many of Allen's films, this packs an all-star cast which includes Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Penelope Cruz, Roberto Benigni, Ellen Page, Alison Pill, Judy Davis and Allen himself, his first acting role in 2006's Scoop. The film has mixed reviews, which doesn't necessarily bother me since I'm a fan of the Woodman. RT: 45%, MC: 55

And finally, The Do-Deca Pentathlon, the latest film from Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass. The comedy follows two grown brothers who secretly compete in an homemade Olympic-like competiton during a family reunion. This came out a few weeks before on demand, but I haven't gotten the time to watch it yet. It is pretty cool that it came out a few months after Jeff, Who Lives at Home, which unlike this film is star-studded. Nevertheless, good hopes for this one. RT: 67%, MC: 60

The Amazing Spider-Man - Movie Review

Directed by Marc Webb
Screenplay by James Vanderbilt and Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves, story by Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel comic by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Running Time: 137 minutes (2h, 17 mins.)
Rated PG-13 (for sequences of action and violence).
Distributor: Sony (Columbia Pictures)

So here we are again. 10 years after Sam Raimi put one of the most beloved Marvel superheroes to great effect and 5 years after his third installment proved to be less than impressive (but it was still a fine film), Sony has rebooted the franchise to its beginning, a story we all know too well. Being one who reads the comics and has seen all the movies (yes, even the third one) more than once, I was worried. Very worried.

Like anyone, I felt it was too soon to restart and tell the story the first film did a great job of doing. Even the stills (some of which I posted up a year ago) weren't that convincing. The first trailer sort of brought my hopes up, then the second one brought it down, then the third brought it up again and then that 4 minute trailer had me a little more convinced. Even with all that, I promised to keep my expectations low and I did.

With that, I probably don't need to write exactly what it's about. I haven't been doing that a lot lately in my reviews because let's face it, the people who read this are smart enough to know what it's about anyway. If you watched the first film (let's face it, who hasn't?), then let me tell you that this "re-imagining" isn't all that new in the storyline. However, it does manage to play it differently. Such as where 10 years ago, Peter Parker used his newfound skills to enter a wrestling competition for cash, here he uses his powers to test his skateboard skills.

It also brings a bit more realism (in terms of movies today that don't) as this film uses the version of Spidey that shoots artificial webs from wrist-mounted weapons that he built himself as opposed to the naturally shot webs in the previous films. I can name the number of similarities this has to the first film (one of them being the main antagonist is green, in this film being Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard), but there's probably no need since I have a limit to the reviews I write.

Let me get to the performances: Andrew Garfield adds more energy to his portrayal of Peter, acting more like an arrogant, sarcastic individual before he becomes the web-swinger. Sure, Tobey Maguire's version still stays fresh in my mind, but Garfield's is something. Emma Stone plays Gwen Stacy, Peter's first love, to good effect. Separately, they're both good. However their romantic scenes together are very mixed for me. At times it was cute and awkward, at other times I felt they (well, mostly Garfield) were just showing off. Hey, I kinda felt the same way when he was with Mary Jane, at least more in the third film. Rhys Ifans is pretty cool as Dr. Connors (who appeared in the second and third films, but didn't turn into the Lizard in that franchise as he was more of a secondary character). Denis Leary is well-cast as Captain George Stacy, as is Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Uncle Ben and Aunt May.

This is Marc Webb's second directorial effort, three years after the remarkable (500) Days of Summer.  Now here I go making comparisons again: unlike the romance in the former, this film needed work on the romance between Peter & Gwen, especially since Gwen was his first love interest before Mary Jane came in the picture. I will also mention there are a few plotholes which I can't mention due to spoilers. The visuals (provided like always by Sony Pictures Imageworks) are impressive and the 3D isn't bad, coming into full effect during the battle between Spidey and Lizard.

The bottom line: The Amazing Spider-Man doesn't fully live up to its title, although there are some who think it really has (here's looking at you, Scott Mantz), and the romance could have been worked on more. Despite that however, it still is an entertaining film in its own right with a nicely chosen cast giving nice performances at that, impressive visuals effects and, although this wasn't written in, a script that makes old seems kinda fresh.

Rating: 7.5/10