movies_08_01

MOVIES

The Dark Knight Rises
By Adam Shaw
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) — Paradoxically, sometimes success at the box office can turn out to be a burden for a movie director. Having created one popular picture, Hollywood helmers can find themselves faced with impossible expectations for the sequel.

That problem is especially acute in the case of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, of which The Dark Knight Rises (Warner Bros.) is the final instalment. Given that the feature stands in the shadow of 2005’s successful reboot of the franchise, Batman Begins, as well as 2008’s The Dark Knight” — a film described by some critics as one of the greatest movies of all time — the question arises: Can the director and co-writer (with his brother, Jonathan Nolan) make lightning strike thrice?

The answer is neither a conclusive yea nor a definitive nay. While this lavish closing chapter will certainly delight the Caped Crusader’s dedicated fans, more casual viewers may find its 164-minute running time bloated and unwieldy.

Set eight years after “The Dark Knight,” the latest adventure finds Batman’s alter ego — billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) — injured, exiled and grief-stricken. The events of the previous film have not only deprived him of the company of his childhood friend and love interest, Rachel Dawes, they’ve also made him an enemy in the eyes of the police and the public at large.

Yet, inevitably, Wayne and his chiropteran persona find themselves pulled out of retirement. Initially, that’s due to the arrival on the scene of slippery cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) — a morally ambiguous character out to pilfer Wayne’s jewels and flirt with him at the same time.

But it’s the aptly named terrorist mastermind Bane (Tom Hardy) who really forces Batman to don the cowl once more. In the face of his criminal onslaught, the cops — led by jaded commissioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman) — fall to pieces, despite the dedicated efforts of idealistic officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).

Hardy’s Bane, a worthy successor to Heath Ledger’s show-stealing Joker in the previous movie, seeks to claim the city of Gotham on behalf of “the people,” thus providing a violent fictional twist on the real-life Occupy Wall Street movement.

Although Nolan’s visual style favours the bombastic set piece, his screenplay evinces a surprising amount of humanity and emotion. Especially so as it shows us the protagonist’s touching relationship with long-serving butler Alfred (Michael Caine) who acted as a father figure to the young lad after Wayne’s parents were murdered.

These personal touches accompany a message about self-sacrifice that makes more explicit than ever the altruism that has always characterized Bob Kane and Bill Finger’s comic-book creation — who made his debut on the printed page in 1939. Batman’s rejection of anger and revenge — as well as his refusal to employ unnecessary violence in fighting crime — are also emphasized. So too, of course, is his desire to do good.

Nonetheless, the bone-breaking nature of the mayhem on display excludes the youngest batfans, who would also likely find their attention spans taxed by the lengthy proceedings. Some parents may, however, deem “The Dark Knight Rises” acceptable fare for older adolescents.

The film contains frequent and intense action violence, including gunplay, an implied nonmarital encounter, a few uses of profanity and some crass terms. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Shaw is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service.

To Rome With Love
By Joseph McAleer
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) — With films set in London, Barcelona and Paris under his belt, quintessential New Yorker Woody Allen extends his European tour in To Rome With Love (Sony Classics). His farce follows various couples around the Eternal City as they search for romance, happiness, and — all too frequently — sin.

Writing, directing and acting, Allen spreads himself a bit thin; his 43rd picture feels jumbled and rushed. However, there are flashes of his vintage wit, and Rome, the real star of the movie, has never looked better. Unfortunately, the central theme — guilt-free adultery — taints the proceedings and bars full enjoyment.

To Rome With Love features a quartet of stories. The first centres on Hayley (Alison Pill), an American student who, during a summer abroad, falls for handsome lawyer Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti). Their engagement brings Hayley’s parents, Phyllis (Judy Davis) and Jerry (Allen), across the Atlantic for a sit-down with the future in-laws.

Encountering turbulence during the flight over, Jerry is terrified. “I can’t unclench my fists when there’s turbulence,” he tells Phyllis. “You know I’m an atheist.”

Michelangelo’s father, Giancarlo (Fabio Armiliato), is an undertaker with a special talent: While in the shower, he sings like an opera star. (Armiliato is a famous tenor in real life, and so fits the role perfectly.) Jerry, a retired opera director, sees stars amid the soap bubbles, and schemes to have Giancarlo hit the big time — even if it means carting along a portable shower stall.

The second narrative features a honeymoon couple from the provinces, Milly (Alessandra Mastronardi) and Antonio (Alessandro Tiberi), who decide to relocate to the capital for a fresh start. But circumstances separate them just as they are due to meet Antonio’s relatives and his future employer.

Antonio finds himself with sexy prostitute Anna (Penelope Cruz), and must pass her off as his sweet, innocent wife to save face. Milly, on the other hand, stumbles upon a film set and meets her movie-star idol, Luca Salta (Antonio Albanese). The sleazy leading man seduces her, but not before Anna has her way with Antonio.

In the film’s ever-so-brief flirtation with morality, the saintly Milly admits it’s wrong to break her marriage vows, even with her dream man. She wavers a moment, but quickly decides: What a great story to tell her grandchildren one day!

Really, Grandma?

Then there’s famous American architect John (Alec Baldwin) who returns to Rome 30 years after a youthful sojourn there. He meets an early version of himself in Jack (Jesse Eisenberg), and soon starts coaching the lad in the art of seduction.

Though happy with his girlfriend Sally (Greta Gerwig), Jack is tempted when Sally’s actress friend Monica (Ellen Page) arrives from Hollywood. Sparks fly, and hearts are set to be broken.

The last — and best — of the plotlines concerns Leopoldo (Roberto Benigni), a perfectly ordinary Roman with a run-of-the-mill family and a humdrum job.

Leopoldo is content with his mundane life — until one day, out of the blue, he’s swarmed by the paparazzi and turned into a media sensation for no apparent reason. Initially bewildered, Leopoldo is seduced by the spotlight and all the temptations that go along with being a “celebrity.”
If this all seems confusing, it is; To Rome With Love is as tangled as the noodles in a bowl of spaghetti. Some mature viewers may find it a tasty cinematic dish.

The film contains a benign view of adultery and non-marital sex, much sexual innuendo, as well as some uses of profanity and of rough language. The Catholic News Service classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
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McAleer is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service.

The Watch .
By John Mulderig
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) — Director Akiva Schaffer’s comedy and science fiction mix The Watch (Fox) was originally titled Neighborhood Watch. But then real-life events intervened and gave us all the Trayvon Martin case to ponder.

Whatever else one makes of that incident, legally, politically or culturally, its status as a tragedy is undeniable. Thus the abbreviated title of the film is obviously both a necessary marketing stratagem and a gesture in the direction of good taste.

That’s about as close, however, as any element in this project ever gets to being tasteful, sensitive or restrained. For the rest, adolescent wish-fulfilment runs amok as the main characters form a four-way bromance, shoot up the bad guys and even get to glimpse an orgy.

The genre-blending premise that’s squandered is a potentially interesting one: After the night watchman at the Costco store he manages is mysteriously murdered, earnest suburbanite Evan (Ben Stiller) forms a ragtag team of neighbourhood guardians to investigate.

Joining Evan on his crime-stopping crusade are happy-go-lucky family man Bob (Vince Vaughn), police department reject Franklin (Jonah Hill) and British-born square peg Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade). But this quartet of bumbling sleuths, and newfound friends, gets more than they bargained for when clues begin to suggest that the culprits behind the killing were other than human.

With that as their starting point, screenwriters Jared Stern, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg could have put the same kind of comic twist on extraterrestrials that 1984’s Ghostbusters gave to things that go bump in the night. Instead they deliver an endless stream of juvenile sex jokes and moments of brief but gruesome violence.

The foundering proceedings head to Marianas Trench-depth as scenes of group sex and other perverse activities are played for laughs.

The film contains a demeaning view of human sexuality, with gratuitous nudity, fleeting but horrific gore, about a dozen uses of profanity and pervasive rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
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Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service.

Step Up Revolution
By Adam Shaw
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) — One adage holds that it’s best to stick to what you’re good at. It’s too bad screenwriter Amanda Brody didn’t take that advice on board when writing Step Up Revolution (Summit).

This fourth instalment of the steamy dance and romance franchise — which began with 2006’s Step Up — continues to showcase the kind of top-notch choreography to which fans who dig fine shindigging have become accustomed.

Instead of providing a light plot to match the lively steps of the dance numbers, though, Revolution wanders off into risible pretentiousness. Stony-faced exchanges about protesting this and that and “breaking the rules” are more likely to make audiences cringe than reflect.

Throw in some risque routines — as well as a few turns of phrase too salty for the youngsters who would otherwise probably enjoy this outing the most — and the fun is dampened still further.

The hackneyed plot focuses on Miami urbanite Sean (Ryan Guzman). Along with his best friend since childhood, Eddy (Misha Gabriel), Sean runs a flash-mob group known — imaginatively — as “The Mob.”

Their version of the fad sees this ensemble of highly skilled dancers, musicians and artists suddenly appearing out of nowhere, providing their chosen audience with a jaw-dropping performance to be recorded on cell phones and immortalized on YouTube, and then vanishing.

With fame and possible fortune looming, Sean encounters the equally fleet of foot Emily (Kathryn McCormick), who’s out to audition her way into the prestigious Wynwood Dance Company. Needless to say, when hoofer meets hoofer, it’s kismet.

Pouty Em is busy rebelling against her millionaire father, Bill (Peter Gallagher), who, sensibly enough, wants her to abandon her long-shot dreams of becoming a professional dancer and go back to college.
Geez, Dad, what are you thinking?

When they discover that Bill — heartless capitalist that he is — plans to redevelop local land and raze their downscale neighbourhood in the process, the truculent troupe, Emily included, go into Occupy mode.

They plan a campaign of “protest art” to fight against the forces of conformity. Ostensibly of-the-moment references to social media and online hits, alas, fail to make this story any less stale than it sounds.

So in lieu of a fun-filled whirl across the dance floor, Brody and first-time director Scott Speer give us a surfeit of half-baked political posturing and self-indulgent sentimentality.

While the relationship between the two leads remains wholesome, that’s not an adjective that could be used to describe the pseudo-sexual style of public grinding they favour.

The film contains much highly suggestive dancing, a single censored rough term and occasional crude and crass utterances. The Catholic News Service classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Shaw is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
By Adam Shaw
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) — School’s out, and the local country club is the focus of fun in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (Fox 2000). This second sequel in the comedy franchise that started with 2010’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid is based, like its predecessors, on the “novels in cartoons” of Jeff Kinney.

Sourced from the third and fourth books in Kinney’s series, Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky’s screenplay provides a warm, kid-friendly outing that emphasizes the virtue of honesty and the importance of familial ties.

Zachary Gordon once again plays awkward preteen protagonist Greg Heffley. With summer just starting, Greg plans a housebound season of soda and video games. His dad, Frank (Steve Zahn), has different ideas, seeing the break from school as an opportunity for the two of them to bond through a long sequence of outdoor activities.

Greg initially evades this dread prospect by getting his loyal sidekick, Rowley (Robert Capron), to invite him to spend his days hanging out at the aforementioned club, where Rowley’s parents are members. This ritzy destination is made doubly desirable by the fact that Greg’s school crush, Holly (Peyton List), teaches tennis there.
When he and Rowley have a falling-out, however, Greg is left to rely on subterfuge to smuggle himself into the precincts of the one-per centres each day.

His deceitful scheme, needless to say, soon goes awry, thanks in part to his knuckleheaded older brother — and frequent nemesis — Rodrick (Devon Bostick). Rodrick exploits Greg’s fibbing to worm his own way into the luxurious facility, with a gluttonous eye on smoothies and anything that involves bacon.

Increasingly ensnared by his own falsehoods, Greg scrambles to regain the affection of his true love and to rescue his friendship with Rowley as well as his relationship with his parents.

Greg’s predicament allows director David Bowers to deliver a moving message amid the laughs, especially as father and son eventually reconcile to battle a common enemy — the outdoors.

Though it follows a predictable arc — and features such done-to-death gags as the diver who surfaces minus his swimsuit — “Dog Days” still makes for an enjoyable ride.

A touch of vaguely crass humour, such as the name of Rodrick’s band, Loded Diper, is also easily overlooked in favour of the generally amiable proceedings. So too is a locker-room scene in which a couple of portly men’s towels ride down in the off-putting manner of the proverbial plumber.

Those in search of a screen adaptation that doesn’t involve courtly vampires, Latin spells or children forced to fight to the death need look no further.

The film contains some mild scatological humor. The Catholic News Service classification is A-I — general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Shaw is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service