TWIN CITIES LIVE- September 12, 2014

TWIN CITIES LIVE
September 12, 2014

I have three new reviews for Twin Cities Live this week. Even though the summer blockbuster season is over and the fall movies haven't started ramping up yet, there a couple of movies in theaters worth checking out. Plus, I've got a home release that is guaranteed to make you laugh.

1. THE DROP, Starring: Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini, Noomi Rapace
2. THE TRIP TO ITALY, Starring: Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon
3. JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, Starring: Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers, Kathy Griffin


Here's the video:



Video courtesy of Twin Cities Live/KSTP



You can find all of my past segments HERE.

As always, thank you so much for watching and your continual support. I truly appreciate it!

Movie Review: THE TRIP TO ITALY

THE TRIP TO ITALY
Writer/Director: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Rosie Fellner, Claire Keelan, Timothy Leach

If someone asked me to drop everything and take a free trip to Italy for a week, I would definitely take them up on that offer. I had an unforgettable trip to this exquisite country back in 2004 and am dying to go back someday. I suppose movies like last year’s The Great Beauty and this one will have to suffice. The Trip to Italy is a sequel to the 2010 indie hit The Trip and is also based on segments from season two of the BBC show of the same name. Steve Coogan (Philomena) and Rob Brydon (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels) are back for another road trip, but this time they are touring Italy as Rob has been asked to do some restaurant reviews for his paper. There is not much in terms of a heavy plot, but don’t let that deter you. The audience is treated like we are the third passenger on this trip with two dear friends. The focus of their trip is spent on the culinary world of Italy and their love of Romantic poets Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. Coogan and Brydon play semi-fictionalized versions of themselves. The conversation is silly at first as they reconnect. They pop in some Alanis Morissette for nostalgic purposes, and it’s not long before they dive into their numerous celebrity impersonations including Michael Caine, Al Pacino, and Tom Hardy, just to name a few.

The first film is one of those sleeper hits that not many people have seen, but if you mention it, someone may perk up and get excited to hear you’ve seen it as well. This has happened to me a couple of times when I’ve mentioned this movie. This one will have the same affect. I think anyone that saw the first one will no doubt love the follow-up. I must confess that I have not seen the first one yet, even though it has been on my “to-see” list. It’s available through Netflix streaming so I really have no excuse not to watch it now that I’ve seen this one. So was I completely lost? Not really. It will help if you have some general familiarity with either of the two actors. I have never seen Brydon in anything before, which helps play off the fact that there is an underlying theme in the movie that American audiences have no idea who he is. While on the trip, he decides to audition for a Michael Mann film for a role that is completely outside his typical playing field. I am familiar with Coogan enough where I understood the references to his filmography.

Writer and director Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People) is back for this trip as well. He keeps a light and jovial mood throughout the movie as these two old friends reconnect and catch up. If you have ever taken a road trip with friends, you will definitely relate to their back and forth banter. Brydon is that friend of yours that will continue to talk the whole time fearing any moment of silence may dull the trip. He is constantly doing voices and silly impersonations to the point where you wonder why he can’t drop the idea of being “on”. Is he covering up some insecurities or is he just simply excited to be on this little getaway. At one points Coogan states, “You have a moral compass. You just don’t know where it is.” He seems a bit more level headed knowing when and where to join in on Brydon’s silliness. There is an absolutely hysterical scene where they delve into their impersonations and re-create a scene from The Dark Knight Rises.

The cinematography is so rich in the Italian landscape, you can’t help but feel the vibrancy and culture. Even though this movie isn’t really about food, foodies will devour the shots involving food preparation and presentation when Brydon and Coogan visit each of the various restaurants throughout the movie. The road trip provides time for both men to have some self reflection on the meaning of life, their careers, and their family. When you are surrounded by the beautiful nature Italy provides, how do you not start contemplating what your life has to offer? The Trip to Italy is currently playing in various art house theaters, but you can also catch it On Demand if one isn’t in your area.

Is It Worth Your Trip to the Movies? If you take this trip to Italy, you will have a jolly good time.

RATING: 4 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

TWIN CITIES LIVE

TWIN CITIES LIVE
April 16, 2014

As I mentioned in last week's Dear Readers column, I am the new movie critic on "Twin Cities Live". Today marked my fourth appearance and it has been a complete joy. Today's movies include:

- Draft Day starring Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Denis Leary
- Philomena starring Judi Dench, Steve Coogan
- The Sixth Annual Minneapolis Hitchcock Festival presented by Take-Up Productions

Here's the video for my appearance this week:

ENJOY!




video courtesy of "Twin Cities Live"/ABC

THE ANNUAL BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM AND TELEVISION ARTS AWARDS WINNERS

THE ANNUAL BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM AND TELEVISION ARTS AWARDS WINNERS

The countdown to the Oscars continue as the winners of The BAFTAs were announced Sunday night. There were not too many surprises here, but the equal love for 12 Years a Slave and Gravity still makes your Oscar ballot a bit tricky to fill out.  Despite the win for Jennifer Lawrence, I still think Lupita Nyong'o will take home the Oscar.

 Let's take a take at the BAFTA winners...

BEST FILM
12 Years a Slave

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
Gravity

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
Kieran Evans (Director/Writer) Kelly + Victor

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
The Great Beauty

DOCUMENTARY
The Act of Killing

ANIMATED FILM
Frozen

DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, American Hustle

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, Philomena

LEADING ACTOR
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

LEADING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

ORIGINAL MUSIC
Steven Price, Gravity

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Emmanuel Lubezki, Gravity

EDITING
Dan Hanley and Mike Hill, Rush

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Catherine Martin and Beverley Dunn, The Great Gatsby

COSTUME DESIGN
Catherine Martin, The Great Gatsby

MAKE UP AND HAIR
Evelyne Noraz and Lori McCoy-Bell, American Hustle

SOUND
Glenn Freemantle, Skip Lievsay, Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri, and Chris Munro, Gravity

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould, and Nikki Penny, Gravity

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
Sleeping with the Fishes

BRITISH SHORT FILM
Room 8

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
Will Poulter

Movie Review: PHILOMENA

PHILOMENA
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Anna Maxwell Martin, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Mare Winningham, Peter Hermann, Sean Mahon

It was this same time last year that I was enamored with Judi Dench in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Skyfall. The grand dame is at it again with another exceptional performance to add to her long resume. I am hoping her role as Philomena Lee nabs her another Oscar nomination. Philomena (Clark) gets pregnant at a young age and is forced to deliver the baby at a Catholic abbey in Roscrea, Ireland. She is forced to live and work at the abbey with limited contact with her son, Anthony. When Anthony is three years old, he is sold with another girl to a young couple in the United States. Philomena is heartbroken at the loss of her child not knowing if she will ever see him again.

For the past fifty years, Philomena (Dench) has not stopped looking for her son. She opens up to her daughter Jane (Martin) about the son she was forced to give up as a young girl which she has kept a secret all these years. At a party Jane meets Martin Sixsmith (Coogan), a former BBC correspondent who was recently fired from his position in the Civil Service under Tony Blair. Martin is now a freelance writer who cannot seem to decide on his next project. Jane tells Martin about Philomena's story and the never-ending search for her son. Feeling pressured for work from his editor, he decides to take on this "human interest" story. Martin's interest in her story grows as their journey for her son continues and takes them from the Roscrea to Washington, DC.

When you have a movie like this that is based on a true story, the tone of the film is vital. Stephen Frears' (The Queen, Dangerous Liasons) sharp direction knows how to keep this story on point without ever reaching a sappy Lifetime "Made for TV Movie of the Week" feel to it. Coogan penned the screenplay which is adapted from Sixsmith's novel "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee". The script is poignant, heartfelt, and funny as it explores not only Philomena's search for her son, but the relationship between her and Martin. They are both two very different people with very different outlooks on life. He is an atheist who has become a tad bitter and pessimistic about life. Despite her hardships, she has a slightly naive, positive, cheery outlook on life. You can tell her past has made her a stronger person who still has faith in God and the church, which is hard for Martin to understand. There is a patience that Martin has to have with her when their journey first begins but they both have so much to learn from each other.

The words "Inspired by a true story" are mentioned at the beginning of the movie which usually means it is loosely taken from true events but the majority of the movie is made up for dramatic purposes. From what I have read and heard about this story, the film stays very close to what actually happened. Both Dench and Coogan were able to meet the real Philomena Lee and Martin Sixsmith so there is a care and truthfulness that is told to the story. Rumors of Dame Judi Dench retiring from acting made headlines last year when she announced she had macular degeneration. She has noted that she is no longer able to read scripts but balks at the idea of her retirement. Thank God! From what she has stated in interviews, Coogan read his entire script to her, and she accepted the part right after he was done reading it. There is a sweeter, more innocent side to Dench that comes across here. Since she is the master that she is, she makes it all look so effortless. Doing an Irish accent is not easy, and it flows beautifully from her. This is a departure for Coogan as he is known more for his comedy, yet he seems quite comfortable taking on a dramatic role especially opposite Dench.

I knew after I first saw the trailer that I was going to love this movie. I know I should not go into a movie with such grand expectations, but this is Judi Dench we are talking about. She is one of my acting goddesses. Throw in some Catholic nuns and Ireland and it felt like I was thrown right back into my childhood at a Catholic school. The nuns at my school did not seem nearly as harsh as these nuns as the era of cruel nun abuse at schools was over by the time I entered grade school. Philomena's story is fascinating and heartbreaking at times. It is hard not to get frustrated at the Catholic Church for their continual lies and deception. You hope that other families and mothers are able to find their children who were forced from them at an early age. Philomena Lee, who despite all of that, is able to show forgiveness and hold onto her faith. She is one hell of an inspiration.

RATING: **** 1/2 (4.5 out of 5 stars)