Marina Antunes - Row Three

13 Feb

Category

DVD Review: The Accidental Husband

1

Director: Griffin Dunne (Fierce People, Famous)
Screenplay: Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor, Bonnie Sikowitz
Producers: Jason Blum, Uma Thurman, Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd, Bob Yari
Starring: Uma Thurman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Colin Firth, Sam Shepard, Ajay Naidu
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running time: 90 min.

(1.5/5)

With Valentine’s day a sleep away, it’s no surprise tomorrow’s release slate is loaded with romantic titles some new (Breaking Dawn: Part 1 opted for a Saturday release) some old and at least one that has been floating about for quite some time.

The Accidental Husband doesn’t appear to have seen the light of day theatrically in North America and it’s not hard to see why. The story follows the trappings of a conventional romantic triangle with two very handsome and very different men, fiancé Richard (Colin Firth) and Patrick (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and the woman, Emma (Uma Thurman), caught between the two. She’s the relationship “expert,” a radio doctor and newly minted author who shells out relationship advice to people she doesn’t know.

On one such call, Emma doles out some advice to a bride-to-be that leads her to cancel her wedding. Patrick, the groom-to-be, decides to exact his revenge on the woman that ended his happy relationship and employs his best friend to alter City records to show that Emma is already married. To him. You can see where this is going from the moment you meet the two men. They’re night and day and while Emma goes around trying to get Patrick to sign the appropriate paperwork to end their “marriage” so that she can marry the successful publisher Richard, she falls for him and he for her and the next thing you know the two are married and expecting.

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01 Feb

Posted by
Marina Antunes

Category

Review: Pink Ribbons, Inc.

10

Director: Léa Pool
Screenplay: Léa Pool, Patricia Kearns, Nancy Guerin
Producer: Ravida Din
MPAA Rating: G
Running time: 97 min.

(4.5/5)

As the closing credits rolled on Léa Pool’s excellent documentary Pink Ribbons, Inc., I was boiling with anger. I wasn’t angry with the corporations which use an ugly, deadly illness to grow their bottom line. I wasn’t even angry at the organizations that make it their directive to dispense millions of dollars for cancer research that has yet to yield any major breakthroughs. I was angry at myself that this “pinkwashing” (using cancer to sell goods and services) has been happening right in front of me, that I’ve seen it and even contributed to it and never considered the bigger questions. I blindly bought into the capitalist marketing machine that stands behind cancer research and never thought to make a stink about it because I, in some capacity, thought it great that companies were stepping up to the plate and helping the community at large by investing money and effort to try and save lives.

Pink Ribbons, Inc. Still What a joke.

Based on Samantha King’s book which various sources note as being very academic in its approach to breast cancer philanthropy, Pool’s film takes a much more human and easily accessible approach to the subject. Questions on everything from where the money comes from to where it goes are addressed and Pool doesn’t shy away from the difficult questions. In some cases, we just don’t know the answers and it’s infuriating. How a disease that has been in the public eye since the 1940s with the Women’s Field Army for Cancer Control and for which various organizations have raised billions of dollars, still doesn’t have a cure… it’s staggering. There’s a good reason for this of course: money. It all comes down to money.

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30 Jan

Posted by
Marina Antunes

Category

DVD Review: Love Hate & Propaganda: The Cold War

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A few years ago the CBC aired a documentary titled Love Hate & Propaganda which looked at the role that propaganda played in winning WWII. Picking up where that first left off, a new four part documentary titled Love Hate & Propaganda: The Cold War picks up at the end of WWII and the beginning of the Cold War and tracks the war right through to 1991 when President George W. Bush delivered a Christmas day speech acknowledging the end of the Cold War.

Tracking everything from the CIA’s involvement with the Italian elections to the slow fall of Communism power, Cold War provides insights into some of the most memorable moments of the cold war and the wins and losses on both sides. Everything from Russia’s lead in the space race to Nixon’s visit to Russia and the two leader’s fight over washing machines, these are the bits of history that we can now look upon with amused smirks but which marked some of the largest wins and losses of a war of ideologies fought with words and pictures.

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30 Jan

Posted by
Marina Antunes

Category

DVD Review: The Double

2

Director: Michael Brandt
Screenplay: Michael Brandt & Derek Haas
Producers: Patrick Aiello, Ashok Amritraj, Andrew Deane, Derek Haas
Starring: Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Stephen Moyer, Martin Sheen
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running time: 92 min.

(2/5)

It doesn’t happen often but sometimes you can just tell that something’s been in the works for a while. That’s the case with The Double. The directorial debut of writer Michael Brandt who often works with Derek Haas, the film is based on a script that the duo had originally sold to MGM and which they re-acquired when the studio went under. The script had sat on some MGM shelf for 10 years before the duo rescued the rights and set off to make their film.

The Double Still Set in the world of espionage and double agents, Richard Gere stars as Paul Shepherdson, a retired CIA operative brought back into the fold when Cassius, a Soviet assassin he chased around the world, re-appears after years of being inactive. As per usual with this sort of fare, Gere is partnered up with a book smart FBI agent who literally wrote the book on Cassius. Ben Geary (Topher Grace) is smart and determined and when he gets a little too close to revealing the truth, that Shepherdson is actually Cassius, he’s pushed off course and even threatened.

“OMG! You just revealed a key plot point!” It may look like this is the key element to the story but it’s revealed early on in the film not to mention the little fact that it’s in the trailer. This leads to The Double’s major problem. Once they give you that tidbit of information, what’s left to reveal? The information comes so early that it’s obvious that there is some other key point that they’re holding back and when it too is revealed, too late in the story to be of any importance, it’s dropped as passing nugget that doesn’t play into anything that’s come before; it’s a failed “Gotcha!” moment and a missed opportunity because the implications of what’s revealed would have made a much better premise for a movie.

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26 Jan

Posted by
Marina Antunes

Category

Review: Man on a Ledge

5

Director: Asger Leth (Ghosts of Cité Soleil)
Screenplay: Pablo F. Fenjves
Starring: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Edward Burns, Ed Harris, Genesis Rodriguez, Anthony Mackie, Kyra Sedgwick, William Sadler
Producers: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian
Running Time: 102 min
MPAA Rating: PG-13

(3.5/5)

It’s amazing what you miss even when you don’t realize you’re missing it.

It’s been a number of years since the release of Spike Lee’s Inside Man and since then, there have been few notable entries into the heist drama. Enter Pablo F. Fenjves, a TV writer with a story pitch that pits a desperate man, an escaped convict no less, on the ledge of a Manhattan building. The unfortunately titled Man on a Ledge stars Sam Worthington as Nick Cassidy, a man desperate for attention but more than that, he’s desperate for someone to believe in him. As his suicide note explains “I will go out of this world as I entered it. Innocent.” He requests Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) as his negotiator, an ostracized cop who seems a strange choice for the job but Nick has a plan and he hopes Lydia will help him unearth the truth behind the crime that led to his incarceration.

Man on a Ledge Movie Still There’s more to this tale than a wrongly convicted man clearing his name; it’s also the story of sweet revenge. While Nick talks circles around Lydia, slowly revealing his identity and the history that has led to his perilous situation, he’s also buying time for his brother to break into a safe in a nearby building. The grand plan is simple: prove Nick’s innocence and steal a huge diamond but getting there is a little more complicated than either of them bargained for especially when you’re dealing with dirty cops, David Englander – a ruthless real estate mogul (Ed Harris) who is willing to kill to get his way and a vault room directly lifted from either James Bond or Mission Impossible.

There are problems with Man on a Ledge’s script, especially when one considers the story with any degree of scrutiny, but that’s only an afterthought because somewhere between the time Nick climbs out on the ledge and the moment he jumps off the roof to tackle Englander on the street corner, I was so wrapped up in the unfolding events, as unlikely as they might be, that I never considered how the final thirty minutes would fall apart if the diamond had been in the vault.
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25 Jan

Posted by
Marina Antunes

Category

DVD Review: King Arthur and Medieval Britain

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King Arthur and Medieval Britain DVD Cover

Running Time: 300 min
MPAA Rating: NR

(3.5/5)

I’m a romantic at heart, obvious by my passion for happy endings where the girl and the boy of her dreams end up together, and I’m certain it all started with an early introduction to King Arthur and his queen Lady Guinevere. Over the years I’ve come to realise that my idea of Arthur, Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table are more myth than reality, stories and ideals popularized by early writers which then permeated through society and helped shape ideas of chivalry and courtly romance, but it’s a myth that still fascinates me and thousands of others who spend their time uncovering the history behind the myth.

For decades historians have been studying Arthur, looking for clues of the myth in our history and the results have yielded some fascinating bits of information. When it was announced that the History Channel would be releasing King Arthur and Medieval Britain, I knew I had to see what they had to offer and it’s a mixed bag.

Rather than a five part miniseries exploring Arthur, the set is a collection of five episodes, ranging from sixty to ninety minutes, taken from History Channel archives. There is no new material here but rather a collection of episodes on a similar subject packaged together and the result, though somewhat disappointing at first, does eventually surface as an interesting collection of historical material. The first three episodes “Quest for King Arthur,” “King Arthur: His Life and Legends” and “Ancient Mysteries: Camelot” are all excellent on their own but seen back to back, it’s clear that they all cover very similar material and in some instances, even using the same sources and though the episodes have aired years apart, together they seems a bit redundant.
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10 Jan

Posted by
Marina Antunes

Category

Bill Nighy rips it up

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I’ve never been adverse to a little fluff and after a night with The Tempest, I felt the need for something fun and light hearted. Enter the romantic comedy Chalet Girl starring “Gossip Girl” star Ed Westwick and Felicity Jones (who also happens to appear in the aforementioned The Tempest) about a ex-pro skateboarder who two years after leaving the sport, ends up in Switzerland as a chalet girl who gets involved with said chalet owner’s son, falls in love and wins a major snowboarding competition; your typical winter in Switzerland deal.

The movie is fun and upbeat but most notably, it plays this video alongside the closing credits which features Bill Nighy, a great actor who isn’t afraid of the fluff either, dancing it up complete with baby blue sun glasses. If that’s not enough, You Tube also offered up a little promo video with Nighy “shredding it up” which had me in stitches. It’s fun stuff.

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09 Jan

Posted by
Marina Antunes

Category

The business of cancer: Pink Ribbons, Inc. trailer

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Though the trailer for Lea Pool’s Pink Ribbons, Inc. has been kicking around for a while, as has the documentary which has screened at a number of festivals, it’s a rather important message that really needs to get out. Much like The Business of Being Born (review), it sheds light on a topic which we’re all familiar with but have rarely questioned: fundraising.

When, a few years ago, companies started selling “limited edition” products in bright pink as a way to raise money for cancer research, I couldn’t help but wonder how much of the money from each of those products actually went to research. It was a fleeting thought but it was the first that came into my mind when I read the synopsis for Pool’s documentary which looks at corporate fundraising and what it means for cancer research.

I’m curious to see how far Pool explores the subject and whether this is a hard hitting documentary or one that only goes halfway, leaving the big questions unanswered.

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09 Jan

Posted by
Marina Antunes

Category

Video clips

Opening credits: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

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David Fincher’s take on Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo didn’t exactly impress Kurt or, for that matter, very many people but regardless of what anyone thought of Fincher’s take on the material everyone agrees that the film did have one superb thing going for it: its opening title sequence.

Much has been said about it but for those of us who have yet to see the film, we now have a chance to take in the awesomeness and it is fantastic indeed. Set to a new take of “Immigrant Song,” this sequence is stellar stuff. Too bad that the movie doesn’t live up to the expectation put forth by its opening.

09 Jan

Posted by
Marina Antunes

Category

Canada’s Top 10: Starbuck Review

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[With Canada's Top 10 screening in a few major cities in Canada in the coming weeks, the time is ripe to re-visit some of the titles we've seen throughout the last year. Though Starbuck plays exceptionally well on DVD, it's most certainly worth a viewing with a crowd. The group laughs are much more satisfying.]

It’s always a welcome surprise when a movie you’ve never heard of impresses. That was the case when I saw Ken Scott’s Starbuck at VIFF.

Co-written by Scott and Martin Petit, this plot is one that will have you shaking your head. Bon Cop, Bad Cop’s Patrick Huard stars as David Wozniak, a 42 year old man who still lives like an irresponsible teen: he’s seriously in debt, has a grow-op in his living room to help pay the bills and works at the family butcher shop delivering meat. He’s well loved by everyone but he’s also not trusted with anything of importance because he tends to muck things up. But he has a good heart and when it comes right down to it, he’ll do what he can to help those he loves.

One such instance of caring in the late 80s led to a spree of sperm donations when he was in his 20s. Using the alias of Starbuck, David spent numerous hours in a little room doing his business into a little cup. Yes, it’s a bit strange but it got the job done and after collecting the funds he needed David went on with his carefree life until 20 years later, he gets a visit from a lawyer. The doctor who led the clinic David had frequented made the mistake of giving his sperm to all of the couples that came in for the period of one year and as a result, David is the father of 533 children, 142 of whom have filed a class action suit to open the record books and make public the name of the man who is a “father” to them all.
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07 Jan

Posted by
Marina Antunes

Category

Canada’s Top 10: Edwin Boyd Review

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[With Canada's Top 10 screening in a few major cities in Canada in the coming weeks, the time is ripe to re-visit some of the titles we've seen throughout the last year. This review originally appeared at Quiet Earth.]

I‘m a total sucker for historical tales of real people I’m not familiar with so the appeal of Edwin Boyd, a WWII veteran and family man (and Canadian no less!) who is so disillusioned with his life that he turns to bank robbery, was immediate.

Scott Speedman stars as Boyd, a WWII veteran who has returned from the war and is eking out a living for his young family. Times are tough, money’s tight and Boyd is at the end of his rope. On a particularly bad day he walks off his bus driver job and tries to crack the entertainment industry. That doesn’t work out as expected and when his father steps in to help out the family, something in Boyd breaks and he takes matters into his own hands. The solution: bank robbery.

Things go well for Boyd whose good humour and showmanship come through in his robberies and when he gets caught, it’s almost disappointing. While in jail, he meets up with another bank robber, the one footed Lenny Jackson (played by the severely underrated Kevin Durand) and along with Jackson’s cronies, the group sets up another gang, this one hitting up bigger banks with bigger paydays. As Boyd’s irregular day job brings in higher payouts and larger headlines, his relationship with his wife disintegrates and when Boyd is finally caught, after yet another escape, it’s clear that his relationship with his family, the reason for the robberies to begin with, is finished.
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07 Jan

Posted by
Marina Antunes

Category

After the Credits Episode 108: Mandatory Top 5

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It’s not really mandatory but it doesn’t feel quite right to start the year until you’ve done a top something list. Mine, along with the rest of the Row Three crew’s lists are already floating around but here we get to hear what Dale (Digital Doodles) and Colleen (Mary Ostler Wood Butchery & Other Stuff) loved in 2011.