Showing posts with label Anthony Hopkins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anthony Hopkins. Show all posts
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| Hitchcock (Hopkins) and Leigh (Johansson) share a ride and a laugh |
HITCHCOCK (2012). Director: Sacha Gervasi.
"I was filming all day with John Gavin. Plywood is more expressive!" -- Hitchcock supposedly talking about actor John Gavin
If you take it with a grain of salt, this is an interesting and entertaining look at Alfred Hitchcock during the days when he was making Psycho, detailing the skepticism with which the project was greeted by the studio and others, showing how he cast the film and got along with the people he made it with. Did Hitch really peep at Vera Miles (Jessica Biel) while she was undressing? Probably not, but Hitchcock takes certain, shall we say, dramatic liberties. Anthony Hopkins is really nothing like Hitch, but his performance is still good, and Helen Mirren is excellent as his wife and collaborator, Alma, who seems very drawn to a novelist (Danny Huston) who is working on a screenplay with her. The best scene has Alma telling off Hitchcock in blunt if loving fashion late in the movie. Scarlet Johansson makes an effective and personable Janet Leigh. James D'Arcy gets little to do as Anthony Perkins, but the private lives of the actors in Psycho generally go unexplored and some -- such as Martin Balsam and John Gavin -- barely appear at all. The relationship between Alfred and Alma is depicted primarily as a loving and professional friendship. Hitchcock barely touches on the outrage and disgust that the film engendered in many quarters when it was released. The film is good-looking and well-paced.
Verdict: If you don't take it seriously as biography, this is a nice picture all told. ***.
Thor Hammers His Way
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has always been a bit aggressive. He acts first and then worries about the consequences of his actions. As he is about ready to assume the throne from his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) he does something so rash that Odin has no choice but to cast him down to Earth to teach him a lesson.
On Earth Thor meets Jane Foster (Natalie Porman). Jane is a scientist that has been study anomalies in the atmosphere and is sure something is about to happen right before her eyes. Just then, out of nowhere, Thor arrives and an instant connection is born.
But while Thor is on Earth trying to find his way home, trouble is brewing. His brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is making his own attempts to take over the kingdom. As father lays clinging to life it is Loki making plans to ensure that he, and not Thor, will be the next King.
With the US Government hot on the heels of Jane’s research and Thor struggling to realize his purpose, devastation is sweeping his home and everything is crumbling. Who will survive? And what relationships will be forged?
Now this, is the type of summer kick off films that works for me. Usually when it comes to summer selections we get great action but nothing else. Thor combines great action sequences with a plot and lots of fun. It’s the story that drives the film
When you combine a good story with the action you’ve got something good going, add to the fact you have solid acting talent in each of the smaller roles and you get something special in the summer movie realm. From Portman as Jane to Hiddleston as Loki and Hopkins as Odin to Skarsgard as Erik, Thor is loaded with talent.
Nothing about this film disappointed me, at least in a large way. It’s the perfect way to start the summer and will be a hit with young and old alike. Thor’s Hammer smashes open the box office and the hope for good things to come.
PS – don’t run out on this one…we have at least one extra scene as we get closer to The Avengers in theaters in 2012
B+
Thor
Paramount Pictures
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Rene Russo
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence
Runtime: 1 hour 54 minutes
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Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has always been a bit aggressive. He acts first and then worries about the consequences of his actions. As he is about ready to assume the throne from his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) he does something so rash that Odin has no choice but to cast him down to Earth to teach him a lesson.
On Earth Thor meets Jane Foster (Natalie Porman). Jane is a scientist that has been study anomalies in the atmosphere and is sure something is about to happen right before her eyes. Just then, out of nowhere, Thor arrives and an instant connection is born.
But while Thor is on Earth trying to find his way home, trouble is brewing. His brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is making his own attempts to take over the kingdom. As father lays clinging to life it is Loki making plans to ensure that he, and not Thor, will be the next King.
With the US Government hot on the heels of Jane’s research and Thor struggling to realize his purpose, devastation is sweeping his home and everything is crumbling. Who will survive? And what relationships will be forged?
Now this, is the type of summer kick off films that works for me. Usually when it comes to summer selections we get great action but nothing else. Thor combines great action sequences with a plot and lots of fun. It’s the story that drives the film
When you combine a good story with the action you’ve got something good going, add to the fact you have solid acting talent in each of the smaller roles and you get something special in the summer movie realm. From Portman as Jane to Hiddleston as Loki and Hopkins as Odin to Skarsgard as Erik, Thor is loaded with talent.
Nothing about this film disappointed me, at least in a large way. It’s the perfect way to start the summer and will be a hit with young and old alike. Thor’s Hammer smashes open the box office and the hope for good things to come.
PS – don’t run out on this one…we have at least one extra scene as we get closer to The Avengers in theaters in 2012
B+
Thor
Paramount Pictures
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Rene Russo
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence
Runtime: 1 hour 54 minutes
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| Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) join forces |
"She no more belongs in Asgard than a goat does at a table" -- Odin, referring to Jane Foster
In this sequel to Thor, a malcontent named Malekith and his friends return to life and want to take over the universe -- or something like that. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) again disobeys his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), and temporarily joins forces with his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to take on the bad guys, but Loki always has a trick up his sleeve. There's little point in discussing the [lack of] plot as the film boasts some impressive scenic design and special effects and little else. As with the first film, Hiddleston and Hopkins offer the best performances -- Hemsworth has his moments as well -- and some of the comparatively minor characters from Thor are also back. It's one thing to have girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman of Black Swan) on board, but why do we need Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard, who doesn't even seem to be acting) and especially the annoying, collagen-lipped Darcy (Kat Dennings) -- they add absolutely nothing to the movie except pad the running time. With all of the fascinating villains that have appeared in Thor comic books for the past several decades, Malekith -- who comes off like nothing so much as a Star Trek reject -- is the least interesting they could have come up with. Rene Russo makes a good impression as Thor's mother, Frigga, and again Hiddleston almost walks off with the movie as Loki. There are only a couple of effective action scenes, most of which are not handled with any real panache, and the photography is often cluttered and unattractive.
Verdict: Read a stack of old Thor comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby instead. **.
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| Conference: Billy Burke and Ryan Gosling |
At the opening of Fracture Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins of Thor) fires a bullet into the brain of his philandering wife. As she lies in the hospital in a coma, prosecutor Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) is perhaps more preoccupied with leaving the D.A's office for his cushy new job than he is with his last assignment. Crawford decides to represent himself, and things get especially complicated when it is revealed in the courtroom that the arresting officer, Lt. Nunally (Billy Burke), was the man having an affair with Crawford's wife [the audience also knows this from the first]. Beachum realizes that he has to up his game and pay more attention if he's going to put Crawford away for attempted murder. Fracture is one of those tricky suspense films that has some vaguely clever things going on but doesn't really add much to the genre. Hopkins is excellent, but the odd Gosling is exactly the same in the second half as he is in the first, and seems like an actor who should stick to after-school specials. Burke is okay, and Rosamund Pike [Jack Reacher] makes a good impression as Nikki, a pretty lady who works for the firm that Willy hopes to work for. The characters in this are all one-dimensional.
Verdict: Minor-league "thriller" with few thrills. **.