Arthur

You're going to be disappointed if you expect new movie release "Arthur"to be as good as the 1981 original which grossed $100 mil in America alone, won best song and supporting actor Oscars for John Gielgud, and Oscar nominations for original screenplay and best actor for Dudley Moore. The butler in the upcoming movie, Hobson, is played by Helen Mirren, rather than John Gielgud, and Russell Brand plays Arthur. The story is the same: a well-heeled alcoholic without a care in the world discovers that, if he doesn't get married, he'll lose his fortune. Somehow, it's just not as good. The excellent cast of this new movie will bring in some viewers but, according to movie forums, it's not going to have staying power. It's not going to do awfully well as a DVD/Blu-ray, either.

Russell Brand was born to play Arthur and he has a producing credit as well. He does quite well, although it's hard to be in Dudley Moore's shadow. Brand did a better job of "playing Arthur" in his recent movie "Get Him to the Greek." It was a better showcase for his considerable talent. It was a great idea to make his butler a woman, but it doesn't quite work. The script by Steve Gordon has been updated in this movie picture but it's still mostly unchanged in the adaptation by Peter Baynham and under Jason Winer's direction. Geraldine James, who plays Arthur's mother, threatens to revoke his $900 million inheritance unless he marries a girl named Susan, played by Jennifer Garner. She's a social climber who only wants his name. Instead Arthur falls in love with an ordinary but sweet girl played by Greta Gerwig and his family does not give their approval. Mirren spends her time trying to keep him out of trouble and offering him good advice as to how to clean up his act.

This version is more PC than the original and the drunken silliness has been toned down some. Unfortunately, this incarnation of "Arthur" is without life and falls flat next to the earlier version. Director Winer can be held partly to blame as his direction is, itself, rather lifeless. He goes in for senseless setups and dark cinematrography by Uta Briesewitz. Both Winer and Briesewitz are known for their small screen work and they have trouble here working on the big screen.

Brand and Mirren really try hard but there isn't much chemistry between them. The supporting cast is somewhat blah. Gerwig, in Liza Minnelli's old role, is innocent and likeable but she and Brand don't exhibit much chemistry. Garner is over the top in her role as villain. Nick Nolte's talented is wasted in the role of Greta's father. Luis Guzman, who plays Arthur's driver, has a few good moments.

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I Saw the Devil

In a movie clip from "I Saw the Devil" a young woman calls her fiancé to tell him that she's stranded in her car and that it's romantic to be talking to him while it's snowing. What the fiancé then hears is blood curdling. The guy who pulled over to "help" her is a serial killer. Director Kim Jee-woon tells a terrible tale of murder and the revenge that follows. Only those who enjoy horror to the extreme are going to be able to stomach this South Korean new movie release that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It's too bad because, besides the gore, there is a lot good about this upcoming movie. If "I Saw the Devil" could pull in a slightly larger audience, the box office would really do well.
The fiancé is Soo-hyun, played by Lee Byung-hyun, a South Korean special agent. When he decides to revenge Ju-yeon's death, (Ju-yeon is played by Oh San-ha), he's better able than the average Joe to do so. He quickly finds a suspect, Kyung-chul, played by Choi Min-silk, who was recently seen in
"Old Boy."  And Soo-hyun doesn't just want revenge, he wants his victim to suffer as much as the killer's victims have suffered. Soo-hyun decides to do it at his own pace, even though it's possible that the killer may get a few more victims in the meantime.
It seems, in the new movie, "I Saw the Devil," that Korea must be just overflowing with serial killers. But Kyung-chul is different. He uses lots of different ways to kill off his victims. And he has an odd personality for a serial killer – he's cranky and is easily offended. His nasty temper probably is as much of a cause of his crimes as his psychiatric disorder. Soo-hyun is his opposite. He's quiet and does not grieve openly. Soo-hyum doesn't realize that in his cold-blooded hunt for the devil, that he is becoming more like the devil himself.
Lee Mogae, cinematographer, makes the country of South Korea look gorgeous in this movie picture and in sharp contrast to the horror of the murders. If not for the grieving of those who are left, the horror and violence of this film might make it just that – nothing but a violent horror film. Soo-hyun suffers in silence. But Ju-yeon also left a sister named Se-yeon, who's played by Kim Yoon-seo, and her father, Jang, played by Chun Kook-haun. He's retired from the police force. There are lots of deaths in this movie but it's the first one that the viewer feels throughout the entire movie. Soo-hyun's plan makes the nightmare even worse, but in his world, where the devil stalks innocent people, it seems understandable.

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Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

Upcoming movie "Hoodwinked! Hood vs. Evil" is at sequel to the 2005 movie, "Hoodwinked." It's a slight movie and seems to want to do one better than fairy tales and contains lots of references to "Shrek." The Red Riding Hood clone is voiced by Hayden Panettiere. She's a much feistier version than Amanda Seyfried in Catherine Hardwicke's recent go at the fairy tale. And this Red Riding Hood is a whole lot better at martial arts than Seyfried's version. The animation is a lot like a big crayon and Panettiere's performance is about as deep. Patrick Warburton plays the Wolf and David Ogden Stiers is the frog who's the boss of the organization called Happily Ever After, or HEA. Box office for new movie "Hoodwinked, Too!" is actually expected to be poor and it will go quickly to DVD.
The new movie release explains the story of the first movie in a quick intro. It tells how Red, voiced by Panettiere, saved Granny, played by Glenn Close, from the clutches of Boingo the Bunny, played by Andy Dick. He is now in an institution. Wolf is working for HEA, an FBI like organization, and Red is in training in a monastery. Her education seems to combine baking cookies and Kung-fu. Granny is busy, in "Hoodwinked Too!," stopping Joan Cusack, who voices an evil witch, from baking Hansel and Gretel (played by Bill Hader and Amy Poehler, respectively) into a pie. Granny then gets herself kidnapped. Red leaves the monastery, teams up with Wolf, earns her black belt and stops the witch from ruling the world.
This movie picture also spews a lot of sitcom like jokes in order to get adults to buy the kids the tickets to see it. This is going to be a hard movie to market. There are lots of good scenes and it's well directed by Mike Disa, but it's not quite all there.

The new movie release explains the story of the first movie in a quick intro. It tells how Red, voiced by Panettiere, saved Granny, played by Glenn Close, from the clutches of Boingo the Bunny, played by Andy Dick. He is now in an institution. Wolf is working for HEA, an FBI like organization, and Red is in training in a monastery. Her education seems to combine baking cookies and Kung-fu. Granny is busy, in "Hoodwinked Too!," stopping Joan Cusack, who voices an evil witch, from baking Hansel and Gretel (played by Bill Hader and Amy Poehler, respectively) into a pie. Granny then gets herself kidnapped. Red leaves the monastery, teams up with Wolf, earns her black belt and stops the witch from ruling the world.
This movie picture also spews a lot of sitcom like jokes in order to get adults to buy the kids the tickets to see it. This is going to be a hard movie to market. There are lots of good scenes and it's well directed by Mike Disa, but it's not quite all there.

 

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The Conspirator

Robert Redford's upcoming movie, "The Conspirator," is about the people who were tried for the murder of Abraham Lincoln, including one woman and seven men. This thriller will keep viewers on the edges of their seats from the beginning to the end. This new movie release reveals things that have been lost in history. New movie "The Conspirator" is the first release of the American Film Company, a new company that will specialize in movies about the history of America. According to movie forums "The Conspirator" may garner some interest from older groups because they're familiar with Redford but some younger people will stay away. This movie picture may do very well with schools and on DVD later on.
Redford knows that it's hard to sell a historical drama so he deserves a pat on the back for telling this story, set in Washington after the Civil War. The story is about the trial of eight people: Mary Suratt, played by Robin Wright, and seven men, who were charged with a conspiracy to kill Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, the Vice President, and Edwin M. Stanton, the Secretary of State, played by Kevin Kline. The meatiest part of the story is about Mary Suratt's relationship with the lawyer and Union war hero, Frederick Aiken, played by James McAvoy, who must defend her against a military tribunal with a strong Union bias. Suratt was the owner of the boarding house where the plot was reputedly hatched. It involved John Wilkes Booth and Suratt's son John, played by Johnny Simmons. Aiken comes to believe that Suratt has been set up as her son is the only man missing from the group and he takes strong measures to save her life. The most effecting part of the film is the mother - son relationship that grows between them. There is some criticism depicted about the politics of the time and the very touchy peace between the North and the South.
Redford has done movies before with an historical bent including "Quiz Show" and "All the President's Men" and "The Conspirator" is not like something you'd be able to watch on the History Channel. The story feels fresh because it's not in our history books, even though it was big news at the time. The cast is excellent, especially McAvoy as the reluctant lawyer. Wright does a beautiful job in the role of Suratt, displaying not only strength, but dignity as well. Kline is an wonderful Stanton and Tom Wilkinson and Evan Rachel Wood are also standouts.

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