What Movie Should I See? An Ebbtide guide to what you should be watching. Today. That means you.
Danielle Koagal
A&E Editor
Miko Calivo
Staff Writer
This engaging film from actor/director George Clooney (who also plays Fred Friendly) chronicles the story of Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) and his team at CBS News as they go after Senator John McCarthy (portrayed on screen by himself through archived footage.) It’s a provocative look at a frightening time in history where people lived in fear of being accused (wrongfully or not) being a communist. Clooney and Strathairn are joined on screen by the always charming Patricia Clarkson and charismatic Robert Downey, Jr. portraying a married couple, something that was forbidden at the time, on the CBS News team. Clooney directed the film in black and white, a bold choice to cover an issue that is anything but black and white. This film is a powerful statement and relevant more now than ever. - MC
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang may be an a bit repetitive in title, but this smart quirky comedy hit the spot for audience’s who have been deprived of a witty dark comedy for too long. The movie, based on a novel by Brett Halliday, follows a small time crook, Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.), as he masquerades as an actor in the plastic reality of Hollywood. It is here that he encounters the typical jerk of Hollywood Gay Perry (Val Kilmer), a private investigator who leads Harry into the secrets and seductions tinsel-town has to offer. It is here that Harry is reacquianted with his high school crush, Harmony Faith Lane (played by Michelle Monaghan), a struggling actress. The threesome find themselves in serious danger after witnessing a murder and the movie follows them through their investigation of a mysterious Hollywood producer whose connections to the murder seem a bit too convenient to be coincidence.
The story itself is hilariously narrated by Harry himself, who proves to be less than competent at the role and therefore leads the audience through the plot with a charm all his own. Harry, Harmony, and Gay Perry all drive this off-the-wall comedy with witty one-liners and booming personalities that guarantee to capture your attention.
With characters that truly come alive, and a smart script this movie is definitely a good investment of $15. - DK
What would you do if someone told you they were going to kill themselves in 3 days? This question haunts the plot of Stay, a movie revolving around the desperate attempts of a psychiatrist, Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor), to stop his newly acquired patient from committing such an act.
Although the movie begins with a intriguing premise, it all goes downhill from there. We are led through Foster’s journey from his perspective and observe his dysfunctional relationship with his girlfriend and his strange relationship with his suicidal patient, Henry Lethen (Ryan Gosling.)
Perhaps one of the movies only saving graces, these actors deliver stellar artistic performances and add a bearable element to the movie. Even with tremendous acting, the characters themselves lack depth and fail to relate to audience members. The characters are constantly being viewed from a distance and disappoint the audience with their inability to show any depth of emotion, creating truly static characters.
The movie is a jumble of “look-mom-I’m artistic” camera shots and a plot that leaves you wondering what the heck this movie was about. The plot leaves audience members waiting for a surprise “now-it-all-makes-sense” ending, which it does not deliver. - DK
The Rock leads a group of soldiers to investigate a threat at the U.A.C. base on Mars. If you’re wondering what U.A.C. stands for, it’s not really relevant. The plot is stable enough but the action takes no strides in exciting the pulse of the film. John Grimm comes straight from the video game and is successfully portrayed by Karl Urban. To use the word ‘successfully’ may seem odd for a film with very few high points but Urban’s ability to provide a strong performance with the provided script is something worthy of the word ‘successfully.’ His chemistry with on-screen sister Samantha Grimm (portrayed by Rosamund Pike) is also worth noting because it is reminiscent of many brother-sister relationships and adds some depth to the film. –MC
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