Eames: The Architect & the Painter 2011

     America’s most influential industrial designers were Charles and Ray Eames.  This film uses a large amount of archival material and interviews.  Friends, colleagues and experts tell the business and personal story of the couple.  They made plywood and fiberglass furniture, splints for wounded military personnel in WWII, interior designs, multi-media exhibits, graphics, photography, games, films and toys.  The Eames were very creative and willing to take risks.  They were also passionate about the tasks at hand using hard work and focus to get the job done.  They understood the needs of the users and those viewing their efforts.  Function and form made the Eames chair very popular.  Charles was the craftsman and Ray was artistically gifted.

     Everyone took a back seat to Charles and they were not credited for their work on projects.  Even Ray was never listed for her contributions.  Charles could not vision designs in color and Ray took over in that area.  Her perfectionist tendencies and her copious note writing sometimes held Ray back.  There is a lot of information in this film and I found it better to take a break during viewing and come back later to finish.  3* (This movie is OK)

85 min, Doc directed by Jason Cohn, Bill Jersey with Charles and Ray Eames, James Franco, Jeannine Oppewal, Paul Schrader, Kevin Roche.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, 88% critic 83% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Bling Ring 2013

     This film is based on a true story.  A group of L.A. teens fixated on celebrities burglarize their homes.  The group selects a person to rob, they find out where they live and when they will be away.  They sort through their property for the latest luxury brands.  They begin to take more and more risks to feed their appetite for trends.

      There is one robbery, shopping trip, and nightclub party after another.  They all begin to blend together after a short time.  Don’t they think about posting pictures of their loot on Facebook pages, fingerprints in the homes and cars?  Of course, they are sorry after they are caught!!  2 1/2* (This movie is so-so)    

90 min, Bio directed by Sofia Coppola with Emma Watson, Taissa Farmiga, Leslie Mann, Israel Broussard, Katie Chang, Claire Julien, Georgia Rock, Carlos Miranda, Gavin Rossdale.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 5.7 out of 10, 60% critic 35% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

The East 2012

     Former FBI agent Jane works for Hiller Brood, an elite private intelligence firm doing work for A-list corporate clientele.  Highly trained operative infiltrators are sent into anarchist faction groups. The groups are staging clandestine attacks on major corporations.  Usually the attacks are for environmental pollution or against the manufacturers of drugs with questionable benefits verses extreme health risks.  The group called The East turns drugs with harmful side effects against the CEO’s of the manufacturing company.  Jane, posing as Sarah Moss, is able to establish herself with the group but over time she finds herself siding with the beliefs of the group.  She continues to work quietly and protects her cover but she has an intense crisis of conscience.  She also begins to have feelings for the charismatic leader of the group.

     I found this film enjoyable and entertaining plus suspenseful.  When Sarah cuts her arm in order to get further into the group, I wanted to SCREAM!!  OK, I'm not cutting my arm like that to advance my objective!!  There are many times you wonder if she will be outed.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

116 min, Mys/Sus directed by Zal Batmanglij with Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgard, Ellen Page, Toby Kebbell, Patricia Clarkson, Shiloh Fernandez, Aldis Hodge, Danielle Macdonald. Hilary Baack, Jason Ritter.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 6.9 out of 10, 74% critic 67% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Attack 2012

     Dr. Amin Jaafari is a Palestinian surgeon living with his wife in Tel Aviv.  A terrorist bombing takes place in a café.  Dr. Jaafari races to help those brought to the hospital and injured in the blast.  Later that night, police summon him to identify the body of the bomber.  He is shocked to discover it is his wife Sihem.  He had no idea she was involved with any terrorist groups and was planning to initiate an attack.  He’s questioned and held for more questioning but it becomes evident he doesn’t know anything.

     A very slow moving film with a lot of scenes riding in cars and I didn’t know if I would be able to continue watching.   The doctor is going through the stages of grief but also wondering how much he knew about his wife.  Many questions and not very many answers.  3* (This movie is OK)  

95 min, Drama directed by Ziad Doueiri with Ali Suliman, Reymond Amsellem, Uri Gavriel, Yevgenya Dodina, Karim Saleh, Dvir Benedek.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 7.0 out of 10, 90% critic 78% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Abel's Field 2012

     Seth is trying to hold his family together and keep them in their house.  His mother died and his father has abandoned the family.  He’s working two jobs, going to high school and trying to take care of his seven-year-old twin sisters.  Seth gets into a fight at school and his punishment is to work with the groundskeeper until a job with the grass on the football field is finished.  Abel and Seth initially hate each other but over time they become friends. 

     A good story, Seth is really trying but he seems to keep having more and more hard luck.  He wants to ask for help but he just can’t bring himself to say the words.  3* (This movie is OK)

104 min, Drama directed by Gordie Haakstad with Samuel Davis, Kevin Sorbo, Richard Dillard, Nicole Elliott, Elizabeth and Catie Duff, Devon Bonnee, Joe Ward, Trent Moore, William Buchanan, Susan Mansur.

Note:  Blockbuster 3 ½*, imdb 6.2 out of 10, 96% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Elysium 2013

     The year is 2154, the privileged live on Elysium, an Earth-orbiting space station paradise.  Everyone else lives on Earth and it is mess.  It’s very dusty and the buildings are torn up.  The elite have cutting-edge medical technology and the others contend with overpopulation, poverty, crime and disease.  Only those with explicit approval can immigrate to Elysium.  The black-market sells tickets but it is not unusual for the spacecraft to be destroyed and if the people make it to the space station, all aliens are deported back to Earth.  Max lives in an LA shantytown and he’s always wanted to go to Elysium but has lived on Earth.  He’s 36 years old and works on a robot assembly line.  He’s exposed to deadly radiation and his only hope is to get to Elysium within five days or he will die.

     There are so many ways this movie is ridiculous and a lot of scenes don’t stand up to logical scrutiny.  There are many instances of both intense violence and stupidity.  Max has an apparatus attached and embedded in his body during a brutal installation process.  This unit is to enable the transfer of a memory from another man and enhance his physical powers.  There are several villains out for only their own purposes.  2 ½* (This movie is so-so)

109 min, Action directed by Neill Blomkamp with Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharito Copley, Diego Luna, Alice Braga, Wagner Moura, William Fichtner, Brandon Auret, Josh Blacker.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 6.7 out of 10, 68% critic 61% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Monsters University 2013

     Before they became employees of Monsters, Inc, Mike Wazowski and James P. “Sulley” Sullivan were two promising young students at Monsters University.  Both are majoring in scaring and the competition is fierce for who can be the scariest.  They get out of hand and find themselves booted from the program.  Their only chance is to make a team of their oddball friends to get back on track.

      I think the first Monsters was slightly better than this one.  It’s seems to be too narrowly focused and needs to stretch the same note to fill time.  There are the Scare Games, Hunger Games without weapons but they head into bland territory.  3* (This movie is OK)

104 min, Animated directed by Dan Scanlon with the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, Peter Sohn, Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, Charlie Day, Alfred Molina.

Note:  Blockbuster 4*, imdb 7.5 out of 10, 78% critic 83% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.