http://betterangelsnow.com Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:59:26 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/234/8/funny-people.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/234/8/funny-people.html The Return of Adam Sandler

If you like really good, side splitting comedies, and you have considered that Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen were dependable comedy staples, you’ve been sadly disappointed of late. However, you may believe that formula comedies, safe but vulgar, are great and funny art. If you have followed any of my previous recent reviews of these two actors, you would know, I don’t.

Funny People is a return of sorts to a better written, better conceived comedy that, ... Read More]]> Mon, 8 Feb 2010 20:10:08 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/233/8/julie-julia.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/233/8/julie-julia.html This Dude Really Enjoyed the Ladies

"Julie & Julia" takes two outstanding actresses, who are entirely comfortable within their own skin and with each other (having worked very well together in the very fine film, "Doubt"), and makes a female buddy picture. The oddity here is that these two women: Julie Powell, portrayed by Amy Adams and Julia Child, played by the magnificently talented Meryl Streep, actually live in different time periods and are very different people, and yet one is drawn... Read More]]> Sun, 7 Feb 2010 11:24:25 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/232/7/red-cliff.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/232/7/red-cliff.html Drama Played Out in the Reality of War

The film, “Red Cliff,” “Chi Bi” is the Chinese derivative, from Director John Woo showcased the brutality of war, while emphasizing the subtleties of diplomacy as coalitions of need are built and the subterfuge of diplomacy is explored. In other words: “Red Cliff” is a fine film that not only mixes the authenticity made possible by the excellent computer graphics in staging the mega battle of Red Cliff, but the tactfu... Read More]]> Sat, 6 Feb 2010 20:51:21 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/231/13/the-ugly-truth.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/231/13/the-ugly-truth.html I Really Wanted to Like this Movie, But ...

Get ready for the ugly truth. "The Ugly Truth" is just not that good of a movie. It's not an awful comedy. There were some laughs along the way, however, they just were not the belly laughs the that a good comedy bring, and the story was pure formula. And that is sad, because there were many good actors wasted, and that is a terrible thing to waste.

Katherine Heigl plays Abby Richter, a young career driven TV news producer, whose talents are l... Read More]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:46:25 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/230/8/extract.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/230/8/extract.html Mike Judge ... He's an Acquired Taste

At least that has been my history with this creative genius that when he hits, he knocks it out of the park, and when fails - it's a veritable a belly-flop. "Extract," a short 92 minute community inspired morality play, is no dinger. It is full frontal assault upon one's funny bone that just doesn't let up. But then that's just my subjective opinion.

My ongoing Mike Judge opinion: "Beavis and Butthead" - makes fun of heavy metal fanatics / idiots - di... Read More]]> Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:36:41 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/229/8/inglourious-basterds.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/229/8/inglourious-basterds.html Outrageous Jewish Fantasy Film Reveals the Nexus of Nazi Horror
(And Consequently, Serves Up Ample Portions from the Sumptuous Buffet of Revenge)

Only Soviet Russia suffered an equal measure of destruction and the loss human potential, as did Nazi Germany in the world’s most horrific war. Nazi Germany suffered the loss over 5.5 million soldiers, millions of civilians, their industrial infrastructure and cities laid to ruin by over 1.44 million bomber sorties (combined United St... Read More]]> Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:01:43 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/228/8/the-hangover.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/228/8/the-hangover.html Comedy That Works ... But Send the Chirldren to Bed

Who would have thought that in the highly evolved, intellectually advanced world of 2009, a sophomoric film called The Hangover would bring in $700 million (and counting) to become the highest grossing R-rated comedy of all time?

Definitely not Warner Bros., who welcomed the film's better-than-expected earnings as a 'hangover cure' for a less-than-stellar year. The surprise earnings from The Hangover easily helped Warner Bros.' parent compa... Read More]]> Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:46:02 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/226/8/angels-and-demons.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/226/8/angels-and-demons.html Suspense and Intrigue to the Embattled End, "Angels and Demons" Kept on the Edge of my Seat

Tom Hanks returns as Harvard professor Robert Langdon in Ron Howard’s cinematic rendition of Dan Brown’s best selling novel Angels and Demons. The result is a suspenseful, fast paced thriller that will keep viewers with a steady pulse on the edge of their seats for the duration of this worthy follow-up to the international blockbuster The Da Vinci Code.

Set in Vatican City (Rome, Italy),... Read More]]> Tue, 5 Jan 2010 14:04:17 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/225/8/public-enemies.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/225/8/public-enemies.html Compelling Theme and Great Actors Cannot Save this Muddled Movie

An enemy of my enemy is my friend. Perhaps that was the logic behind the American people’s support of the killers, bank robbers and selfish philanderers who won hero status during the first years of the Great Depression. Public Enemies, a fictional movie based on fact, set infamous bank robbers such as John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson against a backdrop of public distrust of the government and banks.

The government nam... Read More]]> Fri, 1 Jan 2010 14:18:44 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/224/9/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/224/9/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial.html Steven Spielberg's Second Alien Film Gave the Children's Perspective

"E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial," was made back in 1982, when science fiction films were more grounded in reality than in special effects. The movie's subject may have been out of this world, but the main human characters were so familiar, it might as well have been you and your family living out the adventure. This "children's film" gives uptight parents a reality check, in that the children in the film sometimes curse, exper... Read More]]> Fri, 1 Jan 2010 14:17:21 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/223/9/taxi-driver.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/223/9/taxi-driver.html "You Talkin'; to Me? Well I'm the Only One Here."

The taxi cab as the metaphor for loneliness...

Travis Bickle is "God's lonely man," peering at New York through the rear-view mirror of his taxi cab. Though he tries to make sincere human connections, Bickle finds himself lonelier with each awkward conversation, each rejection.

Director Martin Scorsese saw himself in Bickle, and felt Taxi Driver was a film he had to make, even if it might not be a commercial or critical success. He and wr... Read More]]> Fri, 1 Jan 2010 14:16:05 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/222/10/in-concert-riders-in-the-sky.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/222/10/in-concert-riders-in-the-sky.html In the Holiday Spirit the Cowboy Way ...

The worn wooden stage at the head of the Turnage Theater was aglitter and aglow with the bright, but tacky Christmas lights adorning some of the many stage props of the night’s entertainment, Riders in the Sky. The fabricated cactus that stood behind Joey the Cowpolka King and Too Slim was strung with the glittering lights, the synthesized campfire glow had its place in front of the singing foursome, with a large Woody action figure (from the Dis... Read More]]> Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:47:20 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/221/8/a-christmas-story.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/221/8/a-christmas-story.html Year after Year "A Christmas Story" Continues Like the Energizer Bunny ...

The major difference: it is nowhere near as annoying and actually it is reasonably entertaining as it drones on and on from Christmas Eve through most of Christmas Day on TBS. "A Christmas Story" is lifted from the satirical novel, "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" written by humorist Jean Shepherd. Shepherd also shared in the credit on the screenplay with Director Bob Clark, and Leigh Brown. He also narrated t... Read More]]> Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:11:20 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/220/9/it-s-a-wonderful-life.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/220/9/it-s-a-wonderful-life.html A Story Told and Many Lessons Learned ... Merry Christmas and Thank-you Frank Capra

The word classic gets thrown around too often when describing art of some measure of quality and it cheapens its credible effect. Without falling prey to the misdeeds of others, the great film of our childhood and children’s childhood and I dare say our children’s children’s childhood is the classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Its is considered a Christmas season film, ... Read More]]> Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:40:38 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/219/8/inkheart.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/219/8/inkheart.html A Fairy Tale about Fairy Tales is a Pleasant Surprise

I wasn't especially titillated by the thought of watching this film. The thought of Brendan Frasier's last film, "Journey to the Center of the Earth," was still so very fresh in my past, and as many of you know, I do not suffer the wasting of my time gladly. "Inkheart," surprisingly, is a good little film that has the good right to take itself seriously, and entertain its audience.

I was entertained by a story that was unique in its c... Read More]]> Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:24:49 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/218/8/in-the-loop.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/218/8/in-the-loop.html I Got It, I Got It … I Don’t Got It

Director Armando Iannucci helped Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche write the story and subsequent screenplay of the “British Comedy,” “In the Loop” that takes a farcical look at both the British and United States governments as they lead up to going to war against some nondescript country. Ian Martin supplied additional dialogue, but I do believe they used him to write all the lines where the Scottish born Brit... Read More]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:28:29 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/216/8/the-taking-of-pelham-123.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/216/8/the-taking-of-pelham-123.html Remake is a Harrowing Descent into the Depths of one Man's Psychosis

Perpetual sensitive guy John Travolta has proved, once again, he can play one bad Dude. As he proved most recently in the Punisher, in 2004, John Travolta is quite adept at slipping into the skin of a psychotic, and then oozing the terrible stench of a truly bad man. In "Taking of Pelham 123," Actor Travolta plays the role of a former Wall Street hedge fund manager, named Ryder, turned psychopath, who wants vengeance on ... Read More]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:01:59 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/215/12/museums-in-review-part-iii.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/215/12/museums-in-review-part-iii.html The Franklin G. Burroughs and Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum Features an Assemblage of Work: Soul's Journey: The Creative Process

On this occasion when I visited my good friend and publisher at his condo in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I took the opportunity to visit the Burroughs and Chapin Art Museum on Ocean Boulevard. Once again this little museum, on the northern edge of the old Springmaid Hotel property, with its back facing the blue of the Atlantic Ocean, exhibited another notable show ... Read More]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:17:17 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/214/8/the-maiden-heist.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/214/8/the-maiden-heist.html Easy Comedy from Outstanding Actors

The picture, "The Maiden Heist," is an easy comedy; a throwback to the old days when the situation dictated the comedy, and the more unique the situation; the broader the comedy. What makes this comedy so unique is the premise that lower middleclass security guards at a museum can understand and appreciate art.

These three security guards: Christopher Walken, Roger Barlow, William H. Macy, George McLendon and Morgan Freeman as Charles, are connected by no... Read More]]> Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:16:43 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/213/13/personal-effects.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/213/13/personal-effects.html The unplanned separation from a loved one is probably the most profound pain one can experience, without losing a limb or possibly being disemboweled. Integrate within this tragedy that the loved one was murdered by another human being, and the pain from that loss is incalculable in exponential terms.

"Personal Effects" deals with these human induced tragedies, and how those effected can restore the better human emotions of compassion for one another. Michelle Pfeiffer, as Linda, plays on... Read More]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:25:10 EST http://betterangelsnow.com/post/208/7/ong-bak-2.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/208/7/ong-bak-2.html
Ong Bak 2 is a Beautiful Oriental Melodrama

Tony Jaa co-directed this melodramatic martial arts film, and then served as its driving force as its star actor. The consequence is a stirring rendition, in the marshal arts genre so popular in the orient, which blend narrative and action to effect an excellent film. These martial arts films have come a long way since the break through martial arts film, "Enter the Dragon," starring the legendary Bruce Lee.

Story has now become an integral compone... Read More]]> Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:47:31 EDT http://betterangelsnow.com/post/207/13/year-one.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/207/13/year-one.html Basically it is the tale of two movies.

The first film is the dealing of a modern Jack Black perception of dealing with Cave Man issues, but with the limited intellect that straddles those limits of a Cave Man and a Jack Black character. In this instance, the character's name is Zed, and Jack, presents that character in a manner that, oddly enough, reminds me of Bob Hope in his "on the road" buddy films playing opposite Bing Crosby. Michael Cera plays Oh; he would be the Bing character, and ... Read More]]> Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:29:12 EDT http://betterangelsnow.com/post/206/10/in-concert-missy-raines-and-the-new-hip.html http://betterangelsnow.com/post/206/10/in-concert-missy-raines-and-the-new-hip.html Rhythmic Rhapsody: Missy Raines and the Boys Get the House Rock'n

Missy Raines brought her new band, Missy Raines and the New Hip, to Washington, North Carolina on October 23, 2009, to play the Turnage Theater, and they really just blew me and the sparse crowd frequenting the Turnage Theater, into the stratosphere of rhythmic satisfaction. Some of you may query: Who is Missy Raines and the New Hip?

Missy and the boys take stage.

Understandably, I did not know of their existence before that... Read More]]> Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:45:58 EDT