 Rating: 2 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Romance
Opens locally Friday, April 29th, 2011 Run Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes, Not Rated Starring: Xavier Dolan, Monia Chokri, Niels Schneider Written & Directed by Xavier Dolan "Heartbeats" definitely marches to the beat of it's own drum. It's basically a modern love triangle that ends up being a bit more square than star, writer and director Xavier Dolan probably intended. It's the kind of film that fancies itself as a hip and trendy indy but it's not nearly as cool as it thinks it is.
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 Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Romance, Epic/Historical
Opens locally Friday, April 22nd, 2011 Run Time: 2 hours, 19 minutes Starring: Melanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Gaspard Ulliel, Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet Directed by Bertrand Tavernier (Life and Nothing But, A Sunday in the Country) “The Princess of Montpensier” is a film set in 16th century France, an epic battle between Catholic and Protestants as the backdrop. War in this film only works to bring various men into the plot and/or send them away for a bit, as by all means we are watching a romance. That romance is complicated but very intriguing in a film definitely worth finding.  Rating: 2 out of 5 starsGenre: Romance, Drama
Opens locally Friday, April 22nd, 2011 Run Time: 2 hours, 1 minutes Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz, Paul Schneider Directed by Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, Constantine) “Water for Elephants” the movie, is based on the popular novel of the same name by author Sara Gruen. She has been said to have modeled the tale after the story of Jacob in the Book of Genesis, thus our main character’s name, Jacob Jankowski. Told in a flashback, it is a love story set in the 1930s as part of a traveling circus. Unfortunately, never having read the book, I’m not sure I’d be compelled to after seeing the film…while despite some worthy acting efforts, “Water for Elephants” moves at an elephant’s pace.  Rating: 2 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Historical
Opens locally Friday, April 15th, 2011 Run Time: 2 hours, 1 minute, Rated PG-13 Starring: James McAvoy, Robin Wright Penn, Justin Long, Tom Wilkinson Directed by Robert Redford (Lions for Lambs, The Horse Whisperer, Quiz Show, Ordinary People) "The Conspirator" could have been called "The Lincoln Lawyer" had that name not already been taken. It is a historical by-the-book courtroom drama that tells the tale leading up to and following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln back in April of 1865. We all know that John Wilkes Booth shot the president from behind as he watched a play from the balcony of a theatre show. What I never knew, until this movie, was the massive conspiracy and the pre-meditation surrounding the assassination. It was much more than a "lone gunman" bursting into a theatre.  Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Horror
Opens locally Friday, April 15th, 2011 Run Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes, Rated R Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Hayden Panettiere, Emma Roberts Written by Kevin Williamson (Scream) Directed by Wes Craven (Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, The Last House on the Left, Nightmare on Elm Street) NO MAJOR SPOILERS to follow... The fun of the Scream franchise is the self-awareness. It winks at the audience and pokes fun at the cliches of the horror genre while simultaneously staying true to them. The latest Scream (the 4th installment, shot entirely in Michigan) stays true to the franchise, updating the Scream world to modern times and re-establishing itself as a viable franchise.  Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama
Opens locally Friday, April 15th, 2011 Run Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes, Rated PG Starring: J K Simmons, Lou Taylor Pucci, Julia Ormond, Mia Maestro Directed by Jim Kohlberg (directorial debut) It would be easy to dismiss "The Music Never Stopped" as a melo-dramatic after-school special, a by-the-book tear-jerk story about a father and son. We all have songs that when we hear them, we are transported back to a specific time and place. But like the best of songs, there is an intangible spirit behind the words, infusing the rhythm and melody with your very soul. "The Music Never Stopped" is predictable, simple, and nothing too special, yet like a catchy little diddy, I couldn't quite get it out of my mind well after taking it in.  Rating: 2 out of 5 starsGenre: Dark Comedy, Action/Adventure
Opens locally Friday, April 15th, 2011 Run Time: 1 hour, 36 minutes, Not Rated (but definitely for mature audiences) Starring: Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon Written & Directed by James Gunn (Slither) Did you ever wonder why their aren't real super-heroes? Well first, we're all only human with the inability to fly or possess other-worldly strength, and only airport security has X-ray vision these days. Examining "real" super-heroes has been done countless times in movies, as recently as last year in the film "Kick-Ass." That film made being a super-hero look, well, kick-ass. "Super" though, is a violent and torturous version of this previous film, and is not for everybody. Don't be fooled thinking it's a "comedy" just because it stars Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page: "Super" borders on torture porn, glamorizing violence with a smirk on it's face...much like comic books that glamorize the same sort of destruction and mayhem, but somehow are dismissed as "fantasy."  Rating: 2 out of 5 starsGenre: Comedy, Action/Adventure
Opens locally Friday, April 8th, 2011 Run Time: 1 hour 42 minutes, Rated R Starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel Directed by David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) Did you ever wonder what it would sound like if medieval warriors and wizards used crass, adult modern language? Well look no further, “Your Highness” has arrived, and is nothing more than an immature stoner comedy set in a Lord of the Rings-like fantasy land. Nothing against stoner comedies, I’m a fan of many of them and also a big fan of Danny McBride. But “Your Highness” is a throw-away.  Rating: 3 out of 5 starsGenre: Comedy, Romance
Opens locally Friday, April 8th, 2011 Run Time: 1 hour 50 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig, Luis Guzman Directed by Jason Winer (feature film debut) "Arthur" is a re-make of the 1981 film of the same name starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. I won't get into my tantrum about why Hollywood wants to re-make every single classic film, but apparently Arthur was ready for a reboot...most younger people I spoke with didn't realize that the old "Arthur" even existed. But I remember as a kid watching Dudley Moore make alcoholism look cool, and was awaiting this new version with a bit of hesitation. The world has changed a lot since 1981, and in 2011, are we really meant to sympathize with a bajillionaire playboy who loses everything?  Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Sci-Fi, Action/Adventure
Opens Friday, April 1st, 2011 Run Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright Directed by Duncan Jones (Moon) “Source Code” is the smart, focused, and thoroughly entertaining new movie from Duncan Jones, who in his 2nd feature film, shows a real talent for timing, pacing, and characterization. It’s a good time out at the movies, although for those who struggle with science fiction plot-lines even as basic as “Back To the Future” (you know who you are…), it may be a bit too smart for it’s own good. |
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tom santilli movie reviews
Tom Santilli is a professional film critic, TV personality, host and
the Executive Producer of Movie Show Plus.
He also is the featured film critic appearing on WXYZ Channel 7 Action News in Detroit,
and appeared weekly on FOX-2 in Detroit from 2016-2020.
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