cquinn-1 Reviews

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

Coming Home

[10/10 · 21 December 2015]

Rey, a scavenger barely eking out a living, needs to go home. She will do what she can to support the resistance, but she needs to come back to her planet. Nothing remains there for her but a hope that something or someone will find her.

Fate decides otherwise. A force, maybe even "the force," compels her otherwise to abandon home. Her awakening, though not completed by film's end, is what makes this film a triumph. And the cliff-hanger ending leaves you puzzled, yet satisfied that there are more revelations ahead. While you might think you have the answers, do not be surprised if you're surprised by next installment.

Some have said that this episode is a reboot of "A New Hope." On the surface that might be a fair comment, but it seems to miss the point.

Rey wanted to stay home-bound, hoping "something" or "someone" would find her. Away from home, she is now in a galaxy so very far, far away . . . .

Now, so far away, has she found what she lost so long ago?

Cue John Williams, buy your ticket and wait in your seats for Episode VIII.

Cinderella Man (2005)

Old story well told!

[10/10 · 25 May 2005]

Geez, another boxing movie! Yeah, Yeah, I know the story. Down and out guy gets a break and makes the most of it. He's fighting for his family, he's fighting for all those other hopeless people. Been there, done that.

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing. This movie is about the best 140 minute I've spent in a movie theater since . . . . since . . . ., Oh, well, you get the picture. Better yet, instead of getting the picture, go see it.

Russell Crowe owns the character of James Braddock, the unlikely hero who makes the most of his second chance. He's a good fighter turned hack. Injury, bad luck and this thing called the Depression sends him down the drain.

His wife, Mae, played by Renee Zelleweger, wants to be his biggest fan, but the kids need a dad, the rent has to get paid and the money from boxing dried up along time ago. Her husband's courage is undoubted, but his nerve is killing her.

And then there's Joe Gould, played by Paul Giamatti.

A boxer by the name of George Cochan once told me his manager was the bravest man he ever knew, he was willing to pit his man (Cochan) against anyone. As a result, Cochan had his head handed to him multiple times by the likes of Jake LaMotta and other class middle weights of the Forties and Fifties. Gould, is that brave manager, if not literally, in spirit. He pits Braddock, out of shape and with one day notice, against the number two heavy weight contender. Regardless of the risk, it's a pay day needed by both Gould and Braddock.

The story, while familiar, is executed brilliantly. The camera work is both subtle and, in turn, spectacular. Craig Bierko, Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill and the rest of the cast give flawless performances.

Yes, been there, done that! And I'm ready to do it again for anyone who wants to go with me.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Off the Wall

[8/10 · 20 December 2003]

I just came back from seeing Mike Myers in Cat in the Hat. Terrible piece of work, no further comment is necessary. But our local newspaper's film critic seemed to like it and compared it favorably to Jim Carrey's Grinch, more or less saying that Grinch was a terrible adaption of Seuss.

Well, I remembered Grinch a little more positively, perhaps because I found Carrey's performance particularly outstanding. By and large, you have to pay me to watch Carrey, he's just not my cup of tea. But in Grinch he was perfectly cast to be the stinky old curmudgeon Seuss intended.

I dug out of the closet my kids' copy of the movie, watched it again, watched my kids' faces while they watched along and came to this conclusion: The movie captures the spirit and texture of the good Doctor. Carrey and the cast of Whoville take the audience on a fantastic journey through the Christmas experience and succeed in delivering Seuss's message, God bless us, everyone. Merry Christmas!!

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Defies Gravity

[10/10 · 18 December 2003]

Three hours of lifting and holding an audience off its seat. Twenty minutes to set them back down on a gentle landing that is unlikely to be forgotten. Return of the King takes off from the point of its prequels' promises, covers the bet and then goes on to payoff far in excess of expectation.

I entered the theater waiting to be disappointed. The Fellowship, in its original theatrical cut, seemed to glance off of Tolkein's material. Loved it thoroughly, but thought the characters to be thinly drawn. Frankly, I'm not sure that I felt deep concern for the hobbits' plight at prequel's end. The Two Towers did a better job of taking the audience into the persons of Aragon, Frodo and Gandalf. But still, I did not think it was enough.

Director Peter Jackson played me. He knew he had his audience hooked. But he also knew that he would have a tough time of building to a crescendo with seemingly ultimate battle after ultimate battle. In Return of the King, he takes off from the first moment to tell us about the reality of Smeagol. The nuances of this computer-generated creature are unnerving to say the least. Elrond makes his case with his daughter the best he can and relents. Aragon faces his future with palpable angst. Eowyn, Gandalf, Theoden, Merry, Pippin, Legolas, and, yes, even Gimli have risen above the halftones of character originally portrayed in the earlier releases. And by movie's end, we deeply cared about the fate of Frodo and Sam.

RotK was worth the three year and longer wait. Now, how about the Hobbit?