I’m not quite ready to call this a new classic, but Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” in 3D is magical and spooky, a faithful re-telling of the classic Dickens’ tale… with a few flaws.

This movie is rated PG and may be scary for younger kids… with the ghosts and spooky images.

(My review is of the 3D version, it contains very minor spoilers – unless you don’t know the basic storyline !!)

Jim Carrey is perfect as Ebenezer Scrooge… grumpy, grouchy, and cheap… a man so offensive, he’s even feared by the dog on the street.   Since the movie is animated that is a credit to both the animators and what Carrey can convey just through his voice.

With great looking animation that is closer to looking real, the story is more convincing, and the characters actually look a little like the actors voicing them.

The biggest challenge after the animation is to tell this story we’ve seen before and make it fresh… and Director/Writer Robert Zemeckis achieves just that, adding in tweaks and leaving the main pillars of the story alone.  Zemeckis tells the story of Scrooge in a slightly different way going back in time when his partner Jacob Marley passes away… the movie also lets a lot of the scenes breathe instead of moving on to the next scene… it allows the moment to be fully conveyed: from Scrooge’s disdain for charity to his terror of seeing his old partner as a ghost.

The movie also succeeds by spending plenty of time (but not too much) showing the audience how much of a grinch Scrooge is before his Christmas eve hauntings… as the story clearly shows his changing outlook during visit from 2nd spirit… and how he is convinced to seek redemption after the visit from the 3rd spirit.

So what was wrong?

I’m a Carrey fan, but his versatility (4 roles) is a little distracting… he nails them, but since he’s essentially talking to himself… it detracts from the experience.

Also, some of the dialogue is unintelligible – I couldn’t make out what the characters said a few times – between the heavy accents and the way they spoke… and the other noise in the scene… also distracting.

The movie balances between being a movie just being 3D for the sake of it (with things coming at you plus flying the camera around and through objects)… and using the 3D effects to tell the story, giving the audience a unique perspective.

THE BOTTOM LINE: (more…)

“State of Play” is a great twisting thriller that will keep you guessing ’till the end.

This is a movie that worked on soo many levels.  On the surface: good drama, good acting, good twists and surprises make up a great story.  But underneath this story takes the basic perception of modern politics: twists and spins of the truth combined with the basic idea of journalism: the search for the truth and mixes them together in a great work of cinema. 

Russell Crowe shines as the journalist (his last performance in “Body of Lies” was not as strong) searching for the truth and Ben Affleck holds his own as the other main character – the politician at the center of a high profile Washington, D.C. scandal.

The supporting cast is very strong from newspaper editor Helen Mirren, to cub reporter Rachael McAdams, Michigan’s own Jeff Daniels as a senior senator, Harry Lennix as the Detective, and Jason Bateman as… well, I don’t want to ruin it for you.

The acting is top notch, the suspense and tension are very palpable, and just when you think you have it all figured out… keep watching.

Its nice to see a movie with a slightly more realistic view of journalism as it takes more than one scene, phonecall, or interview to track down the story.

My only real criticism is the heavy-handed “conspiracy theory” theme running through the movie.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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What Just Happened is an awkward look at making movies through the life of a producer losing his foothold in the industry.

This was a different way to tell to tell a story… as a credit to the moviemakers, it felt more like a reality show or documentary than a movie… but I’m still not sure whether I like it or not.

 “What Just Happened”

(2008) (rated: R for language, some violent images, sexual content and some drug material) (1 hr, 44 min)

Starring: Robert De Niro, Bruce Willis, Stanley Tucci, John Turturro, Kristen Stewart, Catherine Keener, Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, Michael Wincott, Moon Bloodgood

Director: Barry Levinson – “Man of the Year” (2006), “Sphere” (1998), “Wag the Dog” (1997), “Rain Man” (1988), “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987), “The Natural” (1984)

Genre: Comedy/Drama

The Plot: Two weeks in the life of a fading Hollywood producer who’s having a rough time trying to get his new picture made.

MY TAKE:

Robert DeNiro’s character has serious problems.  So does this movie.

In some ways, the movie was very good… the pacing, the acting, the awkward tension and living the life of a man who’s career is spiraling out of control.

But the movie focuses so much on the inner workings of Hollywood, that it doesn’t have mainstream appeal… there are a lot of inside references as the movie pokes fun at Hollywood that is lost on wider audiences.

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