The Artist

If you went to your favorite cinema today, you might have trouble finding a movie that wasn't playing in 3-D. Most days, you'd never even dream of finding a black and white silent movie. Before it even came out, The Artist was getting attention for being different. I wanted to find out if it was more than just a gimmick.

"Silent movie" doesn't just describe the way this film was made. It also describes the content. The movie focuses on a silent movie star living in Hollywood during the late-twenties and early-thirties, played by Jean Dujardin. His entire career changes when he's introduced to the concept of "talkies." Interestingly enough, Dujardin didn't have much fame as an actor until he starred in a silent movie.

Dujardin's acting is perfect and very expressive. If I were giving out awards, he would definitely be nominated for best mustache and best smile. Seriously, that's the sharpest pencil-stache I've ever seen. It's incredible. And his smile just lights up the entire screen. His co-star, Berenice Bejo, looks like she's walked right out of the twenties just to star in this film. She's a very classic beauty. Uggie the dog also provides a great performance.

Director Michel Hazanavicius provides excellent cinematography, emphasizing on mirrors, shadow, and smoke. All of these things work even better because of the lack of color. The soundtrack is phenomenal. Despite the silence from the actors, the orchestra is not playing the entire film. There are pauses in certain places to help accentuate the seriousness of the scene.

The Artist is a unique film that celebrates the glorious style of the twenties and thirties while examining the pride and struggle of one man. I really hope that this sparks a silent movie revival similar to vinyl in the music industry.

Red Tails

"This is the closest you're ever going to get to Episode Seven." George Lucas said that on the Daily Show a few weeks ago. Obviously, I was very excited to see Red Tails in theaters the weekend it was released.

This movie tells of the Tuskegee airmen in World War II. Considered incompetent because of their race, they had to fight just for opportunities to fight. They were hated by some pilots and generals in the same way that the Nazis were hating the Jews, a terribly ironic parallel. However, this is not necessarily the entire focus of the film. All of the characters battle with other personal problems that are incredibly relatable for today's audience such as alcoholism and language barriers just to name a few. These characters are so real that I found myself actually fearing for their lives during the combat scenes. I swear, my heart was racing at some points.

The cast is perfect, each one completely owning their character. It should be noted that Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. both have great performances (I didn't even think of Radio ONCE through the whole thing.) I expect some great things from all of these actors in the future. It should also be noted that this is one of the first blockbuster action movies to feature an all-black cast.

Special effects? What special effects? As far as I'm concerned, everything in that movie actually happened. It is a George Lucas movie, after all. Industrial Light and Magic does it again. The cinematography, as well, was spot on. The aerial battles were filmed in a way that completely made sense. I always seemed to know where everyone was and who was on what side; not an easy thing to do with plane fights.

If you like action movies at all, go see Red Tails. If you like Star Wars, definitely go see it.

Contraband

Contraband, starring Mark Wahlberg, somehow manages to mess up one of the most basic movie genres: action. It seems to lack all story and interest. Let's start by examining the hero.

Chris Farraday, played by Wahlberg, used to be a great smuggler until he quit the business. Now he installs security systems and has a family. His stupid brother-in-law is still a smuggler and people want to kill him. That's about all we know about him. There's nothing about how he got into the business in the first place, met his wife, or when he decided to stop smuggling. Basically, he's really good at hide-and-seek and he's boring.

For an action movie, there isn't really a lot of action. There was one car crash that was pretty good and Kate Beckinsale got her ass kicked for about three scenes. Pee-wee's Big Adventure had more action sequences than this poor excuse for an adrenaline rush.

The dialogue in this movie was hardly believable. The characters don't explain how the operation normally works. The hero is never faced with any tough decisions except "get back into smuggling or we'll kill your family" which isn't really a decision at all. In a good heist movie, I like to know a little bit about everyone on "the team." I had no idea who these people were.

The movie poster for Contraband asks the question "What would you hide to protect your family?" I would hide the fact that I starred in Contraband, Wahlberg. This is the kind of thing that people will bring up at celebrity roasts, high school reunions, etc. for the rest of your life.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows

With the popularity of detective shows such as CSI and Law & Order, it's not surprising that there would be movies based on the most legendary mystery series ever. His name is literally synonymous with 'detective.' But the timelessness of the books does not necessarily insure the success of the films.

Do you remember that boxing scene in the first Sherlock Holmes movie? Where he plans out his moves in his head and the camera speed goes from really fast to really slow a couple times? If you're familiar with that clip, you've already seen half of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The repeated use of this effect becomes a gimmick within the first thirty minutes of the movie. Every other scene is filled with dark, fast, and confusing clips.  I have to admit, the boxing scene in the first movie was pretty cool. I hadn't really seen anything like it before. But now it seems like they're only using it as an excuse to show every fight scene twice.

Trailers are very important and I'm not talking about those motor homes. A movie trailer has to make someone want to pay to see it without giving away all of the exciting parts. It's a very delicate thing that can make or break a movie. With this one, I felt like I already knew the secrets about every situation they were in. 'There's a guy in the rafters. It's Sherlock cross-dressing. Watson has to make the shot count. They're going to run through the woods.' The trailer gave away all of the little mysteries in a mystery movie.

Being based on a book series, the story was well-done. I must admit that I have not read all of the Sherlock stories by Arthur Conan Doyle so I cannot attest to the movie's faithfulness. But if the story was modified (which I'm sure it was) they did a fairly good job of making it compelling and interesting to the audience.

This storyline takes place in 1891. Why do they all have perfect teeth? White as a pearl and straight as a ruler. They're English for godsakes! He's not supposed to have Robert Downey Jr.'s celebrity teeth! It was very distracting.

In some cases, people say 'read the book before you see the movie.' In this situation, just read the book. Don't bother with the movie.

The Black Keys - El Camino

Before I talk about the new Black Keys album, El Camino, I need to talk about The Ramones. When The Ramones were around, the music world was filled with disco. There was a lot of popular electronic music. The world needed something that was catchy but also raw and powerful. The Ramones fit the bill. They only knew how to play one kind of song. Listen to their greatest hits and you'll see what I mean. In retrospect, they weren't great songwriters at all but they were able to provide human, catchy rock that saved the world from disco.

Fast-forward to today. Eight of the top-ten songs on iTunes are based on synthesizers and computers. Kids are listening to dubstep. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great things in music that can be done with computers and electronics. But nothing can replace the humanity and roughness of rock. The Black Keys are what we need. They are The Ramones of today, saving us from the endless drone of robotic-tronica.

The comparison does not stop there. The Black Keys do sound a little repetitive at times. Blues-rock can only take you so far before you need to make some serious innovations and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that many of their songs sound the same. But that doesn't stop them from writing some seriously fantastic songs like "Little Black Submarines" which transitions from a slow acoustic ballad to a rolling jam. Definitely my favorite song from this album. The lead single, "Lonely Boy," is a fun pop song with an excellent guitar riff towards the end. It also has one of my favorite music videos of the year.

Producer Danger Mouse has done a great job once again. He also produced The Black Keys' last album, the very successful Brothers. The sound is tight, smooth and it plays great loud. This is the kind of album that you just leave in your car's stereo for two weeks because it makes you feel like a total badass when you listen to it while driving. It's a versatile kind of music that can fit any mood you're in. It matches your sorrow when you're upset and it makes you dance when you're happy. It can be a soundtrack to your rage and it can also improve your general level of cool when you're trying to impress someone. It's like a thermos. Hot stays hot, cool stays cool.

If you've been listening to them for years, it might be a just a tad boring. But if you're a new fan, this is the album to get. That and Rubber Factory.

The Ladykillers

 Recently I've been trying to watch all of the Joel & Ethan Coen movies. I find them to be extremely creative and excellently directed. I'm also a big fan of dark comedies and the Coen's are pretty much the definition of dark comedy.

The Ladykillers is a 2004 remake of a 1955 british comedy. It's about a very smart professor (played by the legendary Tom Hanks) who has come up with a perfect crime in a small southern town. With his team of relative strangers, he intends to dig a tunnel through a basement to get to a casino vault. It's a flawless plan except for the fact that the owner is a church-going southern manners kind of woman who doesn't allow cursing or smoking in her house let alone felonies.

The cinematography is beautiful and uses many creative and innovative shots my favorite of which is a first-person view of a football player. Just like their 2000 hit O, Brother Where Art Thou?, the Coen's provide a very fitting soundtrack. This one combines gospel and a little hip-hop in a way that always makes sense with the events on screen.

The acting is very believable. The main character is played by Tom Hanks so there's obviously no problem there. Surprisingly, Marlon Wayans (Don't Be A Menace) is very tolerable in this film. I like to think that Hanks was giving him a few pointers on the set. His character is pretty classic Wayans but toned down to fit a darker film.

If you're in the mood for a dark comedy or a heist, I recommend this film. It made me laugh but also made me question whether or not a professor can outsmart a senior woman who follows God.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

I didn't have very high expectations when I walked into the theatre to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. It's been a while since I've seen a good blockbuster spy movie and this one seemed pretty blockbuster. I also wasn't sure that Tom Cruise still had it in him. I was delightfully surprised to find that I was wrong.

Starting with the opening titles, it was apparent that this Mission Impossible movie was not aiming to be incredibly modern but nostalgic. "Light the fuse," says  Cruise. The opening titles follow a lit fuse and play the classic theme song, just like the TV show. While there are quite a lot of computers in this movie, it's not all about hacking like other newer action films such as Live Free or Die Hard. It still had the elements of a classic spy movie. Letter drops, disguises, gadgets, and Russians. Speaking of gadgets, did you know you can make a hologram wall using an iPad? It's amazing what you can do with product placements these days.

The plot revolves around the Russian nuclear launch codes being stolen by a crazed man who believes that the world will be stronger after a nuclear war (similar to Ozymandias in Watchmen.) There are several great action scenes including a car chase, the world's tallest building, and a parking garage with an automatic valet system. There were at least two gasp-worthy "oh shit" moments and countless instances of bone cracking.

Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) plays the humorous geek character very well. I hope that we get to see that Brit make more appearances in the next few years. I can't help but attribute this movie's awesomeness to director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) and producer J.J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek.) There was also a subtle reference to Lost with the line "whatever happened, happened." Abrams doesn't appear to forget about his fans.

Cruise has still got it, Abrams has still got it, Pegg has definitely still got it and I'd say the franchise has at least one more strong film in store for the future.