Fall Movie Preview

Breakaway – Machine Gun Preacher and More

Plenty of movies to keep you busy in theatres this weekend so let’s get right to it.

Machine Gun Preacher (Toronto Only, Wide Next Week)

Story – The story of Sam Childers (played by Gerard Butler), a former drug-dealing biker tough guy who found God and became a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children who’ve been forced to become soldiers.

The Mo (Basic Story)

The Hit (What Worked) – A steady group of positives make this other wise dark film watchable. Gerard Butler in his best performance of his life does a few things very well with this character including finding the delicate balance between ‘Nobel Prize Worthy’, selfless preacher and a man who is willing to sacrifice his own life to the point of a strong downward spiral. THe supporting cast is not as supporting as I’d like to have seen but hey they movie is about the preacher. The Sudanese back drop is captured with a wonderful amount of sensitivity and I enjoyed the fact that the film gave us context through many scenes where we were simply observers.

The Miss (What did NOT work) –

The Verdict – Machine Gun Preacher is the type of film I would only watch once, not because it was not a good a film but because it stayed with me for so long after I screened it. It’s a deliacate portrait of the what drives us to make the decisions we make and the lengths some people are willing to go to insure we are leaving a mark on society. At a glance I think we can count on Gerard Butler receiving a Golden Globe Nomination for this role and the film to build an audience based on word of mouth. I caution you that there a lot of scenes will cause you to want to shut your eyes, however based on the injustice that the film is describing I think the movie has done a good job of opening our eyes to a much bigger issue.

Breakaway (AKA Speedy Singhs)

The Mo (the story) Set in suburban Toronto, the film tracks a young man struggling between traditional Indo-Canadian family expectations and his dreams of hockey stardom.

The Hit – Breakaway is a refreshing Canadian film that seems like the result of many years of struggle and adversity. It’s tough enough to get a film made in Canada, so to get one with a great cast and based on what some people call a ‘cross cultural’ theme well that’s a big deal. I like a lot about the film. I like the fact the comedy within the hockey team was cleaver and familiar. I enjoyed the chemistry between the leads in the movie and the progressive use of racism, stereotypes and cultural issues that are a little more refective of today’s common problems in various communities. My 2 faves of the films were Anupum Kher, who is a legend in Bollywood and plays the father to Raj Singh *the lead and Rob Lowe, who gives the movie strong potential outside of the intended market.
Finally I also loved the sound track, so download it on itunes.

The Miss – The film is extremely predicatable and perhaps it was meant to be that way. THere was no real time during the screening the film where I felt like I may not know where something was headed. I almost felt I could have recited some of the dialouges before they were even said on screen. There is also a useless attempt at incorporating the Bollywood Ice Dance and it killed me. It was one of those ‘please do it’ moments that I felt uncomfortable watching. I also think there might be a sequel in the works which I don’t think I would recommend doing.

The Verdict – Whether you see it as Speedy Singhs or Breakaway I say take a chance on it. I think you will find enough to keep you entertained and happy all at the same time. It’s not a movie that will change your life, it’s a movie designed to show you how some other people live their own and sometimes that’s enough.

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK
Star Wars (Blu Ray) - Yah I said it. I don’t care about the haters. Any upgrade to the original VHS copies that I have in my collection helps me re-introduce this franchise to a generation that needs to appreciate it. It is a must have for anyone who calls themselves a Jedi Fan.

ANd finally – I was inspired by a meeting with Sir Tim Rice this week to think about the musicals that I loved the most. One of them is playing on the big screen this weekend – Phantom of the Opera at Cineplex Theatres, Oct 3rd. More info here http://www.cineplex.com/Movies/MovieDetails/Phantom-of-the-Opera-at-the-Albert-Hall.aspx?date=2011-10-03 Hopefully I’ll have passes to give away for the next screening on Oct 23

TIFF 2011 – Are you ready – Wrap and Roll

Follow my exploits at http://blog.greygoose.com/entry.aspx on twitter @thegooseinsider

Happy Festival(ing) Friends.

Conan Can’t Be Stopped – Horrible Bosses – Company Men

Conan O’Brien Can’t Be Stopped

The doc is really picks up the days after he settled with NBC and was deciding what he wanted to do next. After a quick recap about how the whole tonight show squabble came about (Leno came back to the Tonight Show leaving Conan with out a job) Conan decided to go on a variety show tour to 40 some odd cities with a musical comedy act that would help him tell his story. You see, part of the deal for Conan settling with NBC was that he could not appear on TV for 6 months and so this tour takes place during those 6 months across North America.

The doc does 3 things really well. 1) the fly on the wall format really helps the viewer understand what Conan was struggling with and how the tour was a form of therapy. 2) The movie shows how difficult it was to stay motivated and creative at what seemed to be the lowest point in his career and 3) which was the most surprising is it shows a side of Conan that is can be short, rude and a tad bit abusive. Important to point out that the film is made by his manager, and you can;t really tell that by the way he comes across in some parts of the film.

There were times when I felt the darker stuff was Conan playing to the camera which takes away from the film. I remember a well known actor telling me in an interview once that ‘a good actor always knows when a camera is on’ describing that idea that its almost second nature to play to any camera regardless of the context.
But for the most part I stayed very interested to see how he continued to develop his show and try to balance his emotions. I think the doc has a lot of great moments that people will enjoy, just be careful not to get too sucked in as I think Conan and his manager/producer of this film created this project as a calculated and entertaining documentary.

Horrible Bosses
Premise is simple enough, bunch of dudes who think they will be better off if they can kill their bosses. The movie stars Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Seth Gordon, Charlie Day and a few other surprises.

I think the director played it safe with Jason and Charlie as they play the same type of characters they always play
He takes some risks with both Jenn Aniston and Colin Ferrell who are both excellent in the film with many of the most memorable lines and a cameo by Jamie Fox is memorable as well.
You can see that he capatalizes on the enigma that is Kevin Spacey (the prick) and the comedy it boy who is Jason Sedikus.
The cast carries this film and creates a charm amidst a crime caper that has a lot of laughs packed into it.

Is there a growing trend in these comedies now to take an absurd thought and making a movie out of it?
I think what we are seeing with movies like Hall Pass and Horrible bosses and even The Dilemma is that if you can take a nugget of an idea that people can relate to you’ve got them hooked and the idea from there is attempt to take the film into a direction that is familiar, funny and shocking all at the same time. It’s not an easy formula but eventually stories will have to beyond the struggles of Bridesmaids and the No Strings Attached scenerio’s to once again re-jig the comedy genre.

DVD Pick of the Week
The Company Men – With an all star cast that includes Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Affleck and Kevin Costner its the type of film that exemplifies the struggles many people are facing in these economic times. The movie is an easy watch and is a great popcorn flick.

Summer Movie Preview