Let the Holidays Begin! 
Fall Movie Roundup

We are approaching one of the busiest times of the year and there is no shortage of films releasing now through the holiday season.  As`you prepare for Thanksgiving among other traditional celebrations, contained within are several movies you may want to see, ranging from action adventure to family friendly fare --

THE IMMORTALS

Freida Pinto is “Phaedra” in IMMORTALS

The Immortals is the battle of a stalwart band of warriors hard pressed to prevent a dastardly king from taking the cherished emblem that will make him ruler of the world in this mythical adventure directed by Tarsem Singh.  Immortals stars Oscar winner Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) as the evil King Hyperion, Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) as the virgin oracle Phaedra and Henry Cavill as the brave warrior, Theseus.  King Hyperion murdered Theseus’ mother, slashing her throat right in front of him; he continued to ravage everything and everyone who stands to get in his way.

All the while, Phaedra, the all-seeing and all-knowing oracle is too searching for her life’s destiny.  The king has imprisoned Phaedra and Theseus.  They escape his grasp and are hunted down to be destroyed.  Along the way of escape, Phaedra and Theseus fall in love and consummate their passions.  Together, aided by a lean and determined assembly of fighters, they forge ahead into the unknown. 

Director Tarsem Singh had a tremendous vision for this film and went about accomplishing his goals in a steadfast manner.  Freida Pinto shared what it was like to work with him, stating, “Well, honestly, when I researched the character (Phaedra) even though there was a lot of material that I read, it was how Tarsem envisioned Phaedra for this film.  Yes, we kept true to certain aspects of what the Greek mythology is, but, ultimately what made me very comfortable doing this film was the director’s vision. He’s constantly thinking --and by doing that, the actors, at least I did, found myself emulating his energy if nothing else.

“I think it’s nice to have someone like that [as director]; what’s also great about him is many times, with big budget films, actors miss out on what is happening technically on the set. Tarsem has a habit, which I think is very good for actors, to say it aloud, what he’s doing with the camera, where he’s placing it. It automatically makes you understand what is expected of you. Even though he is going to help you, I think that extra information that he shares with the actors is very helpful.  It’s great to have someone like that who can kind of guide you through not just the acting but the technical bits as well.”

J. EDGAR

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in J. EDGAR

He was termed the most powerful man in America during his reign as head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (from 1935 until the time of his death in 1972), yet also known as a forceful individual with questionable motives, using his authority to wield major national decisions across every level of government.  Some regaled him, many feared him, and perhaps most misunderstood J. Edgar Hoover.  Now, J. EDGAR, the movie, directed by Academy Award winner Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby) starring 36-year-old, triple Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception, Blood Diamond), attempts to shed light on this iconic American political figure. Cast includes Oscar nominee Naomi Watts (21 Grams, Mother and Child), Armie Hammer (The Social Network) and Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love).

I came to this movie with great expectation wondering what would be the treatment of this iconic character who vilified many celebrated American citizens, particularly those who fought hard for Civil Rights in the United States.  Having seen J. EDGAR, I came away intrigued beyond what I thought I would be.  The script from Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black (Milk) contained perspectives that beckon further examination. 

DiCaprio transformed from a very young J. Edgar Hoover to his mature years during the film with long makeup sessions

DiCaprio spoke to my reflection of the character portrayal offering his own perspective, “I think the screen play that Clint and I initially responded to was a very fascinating portrait of this man.  I think all of us [the cast] as actors were very fascinated with these characters who had devoted their lives to government service and that meant not having any kind of personal life whatsoever. They were a representation of the FBI-- it was their church.  It’s a hard concept for me to wrap my head around-- to completely sacrifice any sort of love in your life and never experience that on a personal level-- all three of these characters (Hoover, his personal assistant Helen Gandy and close confidant Clyde Tolson) lived a life of service to their country.

“I was fascinated by his (screenwriter Black’s) take on entering J. Edgar Hoover’s career during a time of almost a terrorist invasion by communists, the Red scare.  The sort of paranoia that was infused in our country (during that era) and the degree of lawlessness of bank robbers and such, going from state to state and becoming free men when they crossed state lines.  The way J. Edgar Hoover transformed the police system in America and created this Federal Bureau, that to this day, is one of the most feared, respected and revered police forces in the entire world.

“Of course, this story goes on through his later years where he becomes, in essence, a political dinosaur who didn’t adapt to the changing of our country. It’s very much about the Kennedy years and the Civil Rights Movement, and Dr. Martin Luther King.  The one thing that was prevalent throughout his (Hoover’s) entire career was his staunch belief that Communism was an evil thing and he wanted to retain the fundamental principles of Democracy in our country.

“When the Civil Rights Movement came along he saw that as an uprising of the people-- he didn’t adapt or change with our country-- he stayed in power way too long.  He didn’t listen to this own critics. He was a staunch believer in his moral beliefs and his view on what he felt was right for our country.  Therefore, his career ended on a failed note, in my opinion.  His (Black’s) portrait of this man was a very complex one and a very interesting one.  I just loved the research that he did and the take that he had on J. Edgar. You can’t deny that he wasn’t a patriot but at the same time his tactics were pretty deplorable.”

Happy Feet 2,
amazing animation and superb 3D

Sandra Varner having fun with the Happy Feet 2 gang

Antarctica sets the stage for Happy Feet 2, the sequel to the blockbuster film directed by George Miller with voice talent Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Sofia Vergara, Elijah Wood, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Common (Lonnie Rashid Lynn).

Rapper, actor, and now, book author, Common (Just Wright, Date Night, Terminator Salvation, Wanted, American Gangster), continues with a steady stream of projects taking him from feature film, television and book signings to fulfilling a long held desire to be a multiplatform artist. 

The 39-year-old Chicago native keeps the projects coming and costars as Seymour in Happy Feet 2, an enjoyable family film in 3D with great music and amazing animation.

Common had plenty to say about his first animated film role --

“This is my first film where I got to do voice over work for an animated film so it was like an incredible experience.  I’ve been so looking forward to working with George Miller because I just love his creativity.  He allowed us to improvise and be original in that creative space.  This opportunity definitely provided me with one of the best creative experiences that I’ve ever been in and it was like a great start for me in this arena-- voice over, animated acting-- so I had a great time, also, to be able to bring the musical element to this role.  George (Miller) wanted my character, Seymour, to be soulful, to have a certain essence.  I realized that the role really had heart to it, has meaning to it, so it was really great for me to get into the character and use my imagination.  It was very new for me and refreshing.”

He went on to describe how he interpreted his character, Seymour, a concerned dad whose curious son was nearly separated from him, stating, “George indicated that he wanted the character to have compassion, be a leader in his own right, a fatherly example and cool all at the same time.  Seymour had something cool about him and it was the community; I felt to my core that I was that character within some of the elements of who I am, in many ways. I felt I could bring that essence to Seymour along with that hip-hop aspect. 

“So it was really cool for me because George allowed us to do different things that would come about from the other actors that I was working with; everybody was bringing something and it allowed us to go forward with it.  George would hear something that he liked and tell us to ‘stay right there.’  It was kind of like being in a freestyle session to a certain extent where you can improv and come up with great songs, riffs and different things like that.  Then, when I got a chance to know what a lot of the music was going to be I was overwhelmed in a way because I loved how the music had a universal tone to it.  No matter what walk of life you are from, you can appreciate the music even if you didn’t know a particular song, whether it was hip-hop or rock.  All of the songs resonated within me, in my soul, in my heart and really expressed the universal appeal of the film and what the story is about and the way it relates to humanity.  I loved being able to be a part of that type of music and as an artist, that’s the type of music I want to create, so it was great to be a part of it.”