http://www.sdentertainer.com/arts/movie-highlights-2014-awards-season/
***
Lost in space. Never before has it felt terrifyingly realistic. Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock, "The Lake House"), a medical engineer on her first mission, is in the process of installing a scanning device. There's news that clouds of debris are brewing and heading at breakneck speed. Alone and adrift, she's low on oxygen and fuel, nauseous and dizzy, desperate and scared to death. She must let go of the past, find the will to survive, make the right trajectory to the space station and find a way back home. The destruction of the space station in the vast vacuum of space is eye-popping. The countdown toward earth in the end is one of the most distressing scenes. A visual masterpiece, there's a claustrophobic feel and realism to the scenes. When every second counts, every gasp and grasp, every jerk and hit could mean a chance for life or death. The 3-D is fully utilized, from sprays of flying debris to specks of floating tears or fires. The sound design goes for maximum impact, alternating between piercingly earthshaking and eerily quiet. A singular survival tale in space, “Gravity” is an experience that marvels and mesmerizes. It's probably the closest you'll ever be to being in space in this lifetime. Check out the full review and trailer here.
***
A day that starts like any other...
ends with a story of a lifetime. “Captain Phillips” is a
ripped-from-the headlines story of a U.S. cargo ship getting hijacked
by Somali pirates in 2009, the first in 200 years. The opening scenes
offer a glimpse of the harsh life on the shores of impoverished
Somalia and a normal American life. Tom Hanks (“Cloud
Atlas”) is Richard Phillips, a family man from Vermont and
commanding officer of Maerks Alabama. Soon he and his officers find
themselves surrounded by four armed Somali pirates. Hanks shows one
of the most outstanding acting during what could be the last stretch
of Phillips' life. Your stomach will be tied in knots and you'll
eventually exhale along with him. Abdi, an amateur actor, holds his
own. His Muse's nickname may be “Skinny,” but he doesn't skimp on
threats, even when he realizes he's running out of time and options.
The nighttime standoff and sea rescue mission are grippingly
well-orchestrated, a testament to one of the finest filmmaking. The
cool coordination, negotiation and precise execution conducted by the
rescuers contrast with the chaos and confusion inside the compact
confinement of the lifeboat with Phillips and the pirates. The
tension, underscored by a pulse-pounding soundtrack, skyrockets to an
unbelievable level in the last third of the film. A riveting,
real-life thriller. Check out the full review and trailer here.
***
There's a story behind every film.
Who knew the makings of “Mary Poppins” was such a long
rollercoaster ride? For 20 years, author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson)
has rebuffed Walt Disney's (Tom Hanks, “Captain
Phillips”) efforts to make her beloved novel into a movie.
Travers has a certain level of disdain for all-things Disney, which
she views solely as a moneymaking empire. She insists on recording
every session and proceeds to nitpick every single detail of the way
the characters are portrayed, lyrics of music, colors of the set
designs or costumes. As the present story unfolds, the film flashes
back into Travers' tragic childhood in the Australian outback. There
are heart-wrenching events that no child should experience.
Eventually Disney realizes that even all the courting yield no
result. The characters in “Mary Poppins” are dear and personal to
Travers; they're like a family. During a heartfelt conversation,
Disney shares a a childhood story. He relates to and sees where
Travers is coming from. The moment that he 'gets it' and his
unwavering commitment that finally compels her to willingly hand over
the rights. The moral of the story rings true. Don't let the past
dictate the present. If life disappoints, move forward. Life is meant
to be lived, with new memories. Absorbing and affecting, “Saving
Mr. Banks” is a wonderful film for the ages. Check out the full review and trailer here.
***
Christian Bale (“The
Dark Knight Rises”) and Amy Adams (“Man
of Steel”), Bradley Cooper (“Limitless”)
and Jennifer Lawrence (“The
Hunger Games: Catching Fire”) reunite in “American Hustle,”
a screwball 70s crime caper dramedy. Bale is Irving Rosenfeld, a con
man, hitting off at first sight with a seductive grifter, Sydney
Prosser (Adams). Irving is married to loose-lips and wildly
opinionated Rosalyn (Lawrence). Irving and Sydney get caught by an
unruly FBI agent, Richie DiMaso (Cooper). Richie plans to lure
politicians to accept bribes and catch them in the act. The trap is
set, which includes another FBI agent posing as an Arab Sheik looking
to make an investment (inspired by the real Abscam sting in 1978).
Entrapped is Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner “The
Bourne Legacy”), Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey. The stake is
raised to a dicey level when Jersey's powerbrokers and mafia get
involved. Carmine turns out to be pure in his intention to create new
jobs for his people. He even considers Irving a friend. Irving
develops a conscience, at the same time, he and Sydney must hold up
the end of their bargain with the FBI. The plot starts off as simple,
but alliance shifts and double-cross occurs. You think you know how
it ends, yet it manages to churn out a twist. It's a treat to be in
the flimflam or figure out what the swindle is or how the main
characters would pull off the scheme. The con is on. Enjoy the game!
Check out the full review and trailer here.
***
A fifth collaboration between director Martin Scorsese (“The Departed,” “Shutter Island,” “Hugo”) and Leonardo DiCaprio (“Catch Me If You Can,” “Inception,” “J. Edgar"), “The Wolf of Wall Street” is based on a true story of the rise and fall of a hedonistic stockbroker in 1980s and 1990s, Jordan Belfort. Belfort pulls together a bunch of hometown boys and operates his own company out of a garage. The misfits can sell. As the company expands exponentially, Belfort and team are living high, large and loose, even as the SEC and FBI come sniffing. Life is a never-ending party and debauchery. Drunken with greed, swimming with cash, drowning in drugs and addicted to prostitutes. Eventually, sordid deeds are catching up with Belfort. None of the characters are likeable. Their actions are beyond reckless and abhorrent. Their language is profanity-laced at every turn. But execution, script, acting are sensationally top-shelf. Scorsese directs it with revelry. Terence Winter (screenwriter) writes it unbridledly. DiCaprio lives it up like the king of the world and swaggers into a staggering performance. Deplorable, hysterical, phenomenal. The abyss of excess takes entertaining to the extreme. “The Wolf of Wall Street” spirals with sins and sizzles with exuberance. Check out the full review and trailer here.
***
A
man falling in love and having a relationship with his operating
system. Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is a letter-writer for hire. He
writes letters for a living, for those who aren't capable or willing
to write them to their loved ones. A lonely soul, he pours his heart
into and loves vicariously through these letters. One day he sees a
commercial for an artificial intelligence, an operating system (OS)
with “consciousness,” and he decides to get one. Meet Samantha
(voiceover by Scarlett Johansson, "The
Avengers," “Iron
Man 2”). A machine with a hyper-level of awareness, Samantha is
intuitive and perceptive. She grows and matures, and continues to
adapt based on what she experiences with Theodore. Theodore
and Samantha talk about anything and everything. And share intimacy,
just like a real couple does, with the obvious limitation of Samantha
having no physical body. The relationship, as weird as it sounds, is
surprisingly organic. But a relationship with an OS is not without
challenges either, especially when the OS starts taking human
characteristics, yet its non-human capability continues to evolve
rapidly. Conceptually unusual with the sci-fi element, “Her” is a
story about humans' fundamental need to connect and love. Bizarre and
the beautiful, it works. Check out the full review and trailer here.