Today, we're celebrating the 37th birthday of actress Angelina Jolie. The daughter of Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight, Angelina was raised around the motion picture industry, so it came as no surprise that she made her way into the business. When she first hit it big, she garnered a lot of publicity for her sex appeal as well as her acting credentials. Married twice before to actors Billy Bob Thornton and Jonny Lee Miller, it has only been recently that she has become the fodder of many a paparazzo after starting a relationship with actor Brad Pitt. The highly-publicized couple - nicknamed "Brangelina" - has been the centerpiece of many a news story, and the family the two have created together has kept Angie in the spotlight even as takes the occasional break from the acting scene. Her consistent humanitarian efforts have also been a cause of good-natured publicity. A few years ago, the actress started to delve into the directing field, and her work has been generally well-received thus far. Here's a look at some fun facts and accolades that Miss Jolie has earned throughout her career:
Won: Best Supporting Actress: Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Nominated: Best Actress: Changeling (2008)
Over the years, I've managed to see fifteen of Jolie's films, and on average, her films have received a 'C+' grade. From these fifteen, I have created the following list of my five favorite of her performances:
5. Fox
Wanted (2008)
*****
4. Jane Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
*****
3. Lara Croft
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
*****
2. Christine Collins
Changeling (2008)
*****
1. Lisa Rowe
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Once again, I would like to wish Angelina Jolie a happy 37th birthday!
Kung Fu Panda 2 is a 2011 animated film directed by Jennifer Yuh that serves as a direct sequel to the 2008 film, Kung Fu Panda. Now that Po (voiced by Jack Black) has been named the Dragon Warrior and knows the ways of kung fu, he has teamed up with the Furious Five to keep the people of China safe. When Master Shifu (voiced by Dustin Hoffman) learns that the evil Lord Shen (voiced by Gary Oldman) is slowly and methodically destroying the kung fu masters, he sends Po and the Five to stop him and save kung fu. Along the way, Po starts to learn about his mysterious past, ultimately discovering that it is strangely intertwined with Shen's own past. Despite being sent to dispatch of Shen's evil plot, Po finds himself desperately seeking the answers of his own life, putting the lives of the Five - as well as the rest of China - in jeopardy.
As far as sequels go, I'd have to say that Kung Fu Panda 2 is definitely a legitimate addition to the story we received three years ago. It's not easy to make a sequel that lives up to an original film as good as that 2008 venture, and although I don't think this film quite reaches those heights, it's definitely worth giving a gander if you enjoyed Po's first go-around. At its core, we're getting a two-component screenplay. On the one side, we have the linear storyline of Po and the Five doing their best to combat Shen's path of destruction. However, the intertwining story of Po's early days is cleverly inserted bit by bit as he slowly accesses the full memory of his past. I did have a couple of issues with the screenplay, however. At times, it seemed like it was making some pretty drastic jumps in time and logic. There was many a moment that I thought some crucial scene of explanation had been missed. As the film continued along its path, most if not all of my questions were answered, but I personally thought that this was one story that didn't benefit from jumping straight into the action. We got all of the answers, but there was a good chunk in the beginning where I personally felt confused.
Like the first film, the caliber of voice acting is very good this time around. Jack Black does well with our titular character, but the vocal performance doesn't seem as novel as it did three years ago. I thought that Shifu, one of my favorite characters from the first film, was a tad bit under-utilized. In fact, I think that most of the Furious Five (voiced by Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan and David Cross) was a little less present than in the first film. Tigress (Jolie's character) gets a little bit more of a story, but that's about it from our other kung fu heroes. If there's anyone who's fantastic, it's the addition of Lord Shen, a peacock hellbent on taking rule of China. With a dash of superb animation - especially with his eyes - and the voice of an always-creepy Gary Oldman, Shen makes a rather menacing villain for this particular film. I applaud the creation.
Speaking of the animation, I'd have to say that Dreamworks has once again outdone themselves. It's top-notch, really, although it doesn't quite reach the visual brilliance offered by Rango, but it's definitely a beautiful sight to behold. Again, major kudos to Dreamworks for their effort here.
Overall, I'd have to say that Kung Fu Panda 2 is a fun continuation of a story that I have loved since it first hit theaters in 2008. Although this film doesn't quite reach the heights of its predecessor, it serves as a great successor in almost every regard. Would I say you have to see it in theaters? Maybe, if only for the visual aspect. Take that away, and it's definitely a for-sure rental in the future, but the beauty of the visuals should be enough to draw you to the theaters. It's a fun ride regardless, so enjoy it while it lasts.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a stylized sci-fi action film directed by Kerry Conran. The film takes place in an alternate reality in 1939, which in true history would have placed the setting just before the onset of the second World War. When an army of metallic machines invades and attacks a section of downtown New York, a mysterious man referred to as "Sky Captain" (Jude Law) is summoned to protect the masses. He manages to scare the machines away but takes on another nuisance in their stead: plucky newspaper reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow), a former lover who knows Sky Captain's true identity (his name's Joe, for those wondering). After Joe explains that he and his army-for-hire had encountered such menaces before, his secret base is attacked and his friend and resident weapons expert Dex (Giovanni Ribisi) is kidnapped. In an attempt to save his friend - as well as save the rest of the world - Joe takes Polly on a worldwide quest to find Dex and the source of these mysterious machines.
I guess I had some expectations going into this film - it currently holds a 72% approval rating on the online review aggregate ar.com - but maybe I should've read the fine print a little bit. Let's start with screenplay. There's really not much in terms of a great plot here, but I suppose it does enough to be serviceable. It should be noted that it's very easy to follow, but for this particular film, that facet works against it. This is the epitome of a "multitasking" movie, in that you can be working on any number of other things while you watch it, not giving it your full attention, and you'll still know exactly what's going on. Some people would find that rather appealing, but I personally don't like it when a movie can't hook me. In fact, that plays into my grading process, and I can tell you now that Sky Captain did not fare well in that particular regard.
The acting is also serviceable, but there's really nothing to stand and applaud. Law and Paltrow are good as our leads, and they play off each other well, but they're definitely not reaching either of their respective potential. Ribisi is good for a laugh here and there, but he's given much too little screen-time - I wanted more of his character, but I never got it. We do have some small appearances that should be worth mentioning: AngelinaJolie comes into to play Franky, another of Sky Captain's former flings; Michael Gambon appears as Polly's editor-in-chief; and the great Sir Laurence Olivier was resurrected through computer-generation and archive audio to create the film's central villain.
A tip of the hat should go to Edward Shearmur, who provided a rousing orchestral score for the film. Although it feels a little bloated at times, it works well for this film's particular purposes.
Overall, Sky Captain is all about style while lacking any real substance. A lot of money was thrown into the visual portion of the film, and I just wish they would've put a little more thought into the storyline and the characters. There's no real character arc for anyone in the film - okay, maybe a tiny bit for Sky Captain and Polly - and the story just wasn't compelling enough to capture my interest. A film without a decent hook is not going to fare well.
The Tourist is a 2010 action thriller directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck that follows Elise Clifton-Ward (Angelina Jolie), the lover of an internationally-wanted criminal. When her lover, Alexander Pearce, tells her to find a man who could pose as him, Elise chooses Frank (Johnny Depp), a widower on vacation in Venice, Italy. She panders to him, making it seem as though she is interested in him, but the audience knows that it is just a guise to throw off the people following her in the hopes of catching Pearce. Honestly, I'd go into more detail, but all the twists and turns essentially prevent me from doing so if I want to go through with this review without giving away too much of the storyline.
The screenplay is good enough to keep you captivated with the film, but for me, it became very predictable very quickly. I figured out the film's final twist about halfway through the film, and the moment I learned I was correct, I lost all faith and interest in the movie. This does not mean that it's not a good twist; instead, it means that the screenplay was not crafted well enough so as to keep it hidden from me, at least. There were a couple people applauding at the end of the movie, so maybe I was just a little more perceptive? I'm really not sure...
The acting is good, but it's definitely not up to snuff with what Jolie and Depp have proven they're capable of doing. Even Paul Bettany, whom I usually love and adore, was average at best with his role. It's not that they're terrible, but when you look at these two leads, you just expect so much more out of them. Granted, it could be how the parts were written, but I feel like Jolie, and especially Depp, are very good at making the most out of very little. I was just a little disappointed with the both of them.
I know this review is very short, but there really isn't all that much to say. I found The Tourist to be rather dull and entirely predictable. I'm not saying you won't enjoy - it seemed like others in the theater really liked it - but for me, it was just another run-of-the-mill, entirely forgettable film.
Movie Review Summary: Grade: C Thumb... Slightly Down
Analysis: When Salt first got the go-ahead, Tom Cruise was supposed to hold the lead; after dropping out of the production, Jolie was contacted, and the screenplay was altered slightly to make the storyline work for a female lead. The final result: a legitimately entertaining movie that completely succeeded my expectations.
To be fair, I went into this one with pretty low expectations. The trailer made it look like a run-of-the-mill political thriller with a good chunk of action, and honestly, that's about all it offers. However, Noyce does a great job with the pacing, keeping the excitement going. In addition, the screenplay is pretty strong, and it kept me guessing (is she a good guy or a bad guy?) for most of the movie. In addition, I was slightly blindsided by a late twist, and it added that little bit of icing to this cake.
The acting is about on par with a film of this genre, but it's always good to see Liev Schreiber in a decently-written film. Too often has he been held back by a bad script. Aside from his scenes, there's nothing amazing about the acting, but it's solid, and it keeps the characters believable enough considering the circumstances.
All in all, Salt works well as a popc0rn-crunching summer movie, filled with good action sequences and enough mystery to keep you engaged until the final scene.
