by Cory Woodroof | Oct 5, 2012 | Opinion
I haven’t exactly had the best 2012 at the cinema. Sure, I’ve seen my share of great films, but the overall landscape just seems more vacant than in years past. Maybe there’s something in the water, but 2012’s film slate just can’t call itself very memorable. But, on occasion, a light in a dark, dark tunnel will give you hope that the year might just be salvageable. Who knew 2012’s saving grace would be a black-and-white stop-motion animated film about a Frankenstien-ified dog? Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie,” to me, is one of the year’s best films. I know what you’re thinking – that movie? The creepy-looking one with those weird cartoon-toy things that looks like that Halloween/Christmas movie that scared me as a kid? Yes, this is Burton returning to the world of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (a film he produced, not directed) and “The Corpse Bride” – a world many find strange and unsettling. I’m a pretty big fan of “Nightmare,” but “Corpse Bride” escapes my memory. Stop-motion Burton style is an acquired taste – one that I just so happen to be pretty big on. So, when Burton announced that he was adapting one of his earlier short films into a feature-length stop-motion animated project, I was jumping for joy. Thankfully, Burton pulled through. “Frankenweenie” captured me in a way I never honestly thought it could – in the same way that most “boy-and-his-dog” narratives usually do. I should have seen it coming, but Burton knew how to get to me. The film is a personal look into Burton as an artist (something that’s been said by almost...
by Cory Woodroof | Sep 24, 2012 | Opinion
While Clint Eastwood has recently been grabbing headlines with his RNC “empty chair” speech, let’s try to remember that this guy is one of the greats. Many believed Eastwood, a master-class actor and director, had made his grand exit from acting with 2008’s deeply affecting “Gran Torino.” But roughly four years later, Eastwood is back in his longtime collaborator’s (Robert Lorenz) first directorial effort. “Trouble with the Curve” suffers from its silly desire to be too much at once. First-time director Lorenz wanted this movie to be a moving sports drama, an affecting story about family and a 90s-era Disney comedy with bite. The film takes an almost Hallmark-ian approach to its material, giving its characters forced relationships, contrived dialogue and eye-rolling sentimentality. It’s a hammy affair, for sure – one anchored in a sea of sap. Eastwood stars as Gus Lobel, a veteran talent scout for the Atlanta Braves who is on the other end of his career. After realizing that his eyesight might be not up to par with that of a younger individual, he decides to make one last trip to North Carolina to see if a highly regarded high school player is worth a top draft pick. Eastwood’s busybody lawyer daughter Mickey (Amy Adams), who doesn’t exactly have a close relationship with her grumbly pop, reluctantly joins her father on the trip to help him with the scouting process (at the behest of John Goodman’s concerned head of scouting, Pete). While there, the duo runs into Justin Timberlake’s affable Johnny Flannigan (a fellow scout and former player), who, naturally, takes a liking to Mickey. Performance...
by Cory Woodroof | Sep 7, 2012 | Opinion
Bradley Cooper has really got to stop doing bad things for the sake of writing. Just last year, the exuberantly likable actor journeyed into the world of Limitless – a film about an author who, in the name of writer’s block, takes a magical medicine that gives him superhuman mental abilities. Naturally, the stuff was off-the-market illegal, and he got into a heap of trouble. But that’s okay because the main character always makes it no matter how awful they are (sorry, I didn’t like Limitless very much). In The Words, Cooper plays another troubled writer given another unique-yet-unethical opportunity on which to form his career. Cooper’s Rory Jansen has no trouble with getting the words on paper. It’s the publishing part that’s giving him grief. There’s no market for his writing, which leads to, well, no cash flow (a visit to dad’s office ending with a signed check isn’t out of the ordinary). After he shotgun weds “the love of his life” (Zoe Saldana), a honeymoon trip to Paris leads to the discovery of a manuscript tucked away in a well-worn briefcase. The manuscript, of course, is an impeccably worded masterpiece that, if published, would lead to instant success. Jansen needs success. Steal the words of a nameless author without any known consequences to receive the dream career of a lifetime? Why not? As the story goes, Jeremy Irons’ “The Old Man” (no name, I believe) – the writer of the book that led to Jansen’s insta-fame – comes to New York with a poignant story to tell the thieving wordsmith (told in flashbacks starring Ben Barnes as...
by Cory Woodroof | Aug 24, 2012 | Opinion
As we enter Premium Rush, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s bike messenger Wilee (known as the Coyote among the peddling community) hurls through the air in the most cinematic fashion after being full on hit by a taxi cab. The Who echoes in the distance. As worried onlookers rush to the scene of Wilee’s motionless body, we get sent back to the beginning of his afternoon – the reason our fearless hero ended up with his back flat on the busy streets of New York City. As a security-delivery bike messenger, Wilee faces the mean streets of the Big Apple with gusto. Choosing a life of thrill over the bar exam and, as he believes, a boring desk job, Wilee races through the city transporting important items to random people, receiving bruises, bandages and a minimal paycheck along the way. For him, the scrapes beat the suit. One fateful afternoon, a simple errand turns into a madcap chase across town when Wilee intercepts a mysterious envelope from a college worker (Jamie Chung). When the crooked cop from every movie ever (Michael Shannon) comes along to stir trouble and gain some needed leverage against some very bad people, Wilee must figure out why he’s being chased by a looney-eyed maniac through the busy streets of Manhattan – as well as discover the importance of the item that he carries. Aided by his on-and-off love interest and fellow biker (Dania Ramirez), Wilee fights to find out the truth through stellar bike tricks and a wee bit of luck. So I don’t forget to tell you: Wilee’s exploits are combined with stylish flashbacks, filling in...
by Cory Woodroof | Aug 14, 2012 | Opinion
Shameless cash grab just seems too harsh – even if there is truth in the statement. Those were the words that ran across my mind as I exited the theater of The Bourne Legacy. As a new fan of the original trilogy, I’m quite honestly disappointed by the newest Bourne outing. Sure, there’s nothing too new about the approach – we follow a rouge agent on the run with a girl while government officials use their powers to try and stay one step behind. While the first three films in the Bourne series were engaging, The Bourne Legacy just feels exhausted. Tony Gilroy’s (a writer on the first three Bourne films) first directorial try at the franchise ends up being a muddled piece of seldom entertainment – coasting off the likability of its cast and a few paperback-worthy developments. The story takes in the ripple effects of Jason Bourne’s actions in the third film. As the CIA begins to get rid of their other secret programs, one in particular called Outcome becomes the center of attention. Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), the new Bourne, so to speak, is an outcome agent who managed to evade the group’s mandatory terminations (all who were involved got the cut). As Cross begins to wonder why he is being targeted, he comes across a doctor from his past (Rachel Weisz) who helps him on his quest for answers. This time around, Edward Norton’s Eric Byer and Stacy Keach’s Mark Turso are the ones in the control room barking orders – hoping to eliminate Cross to cover their tracks. Franchise players David Strathairn (the villainous Noah...
