"Robin Hood"
Richard's Review: 4 stars
In a twelfth century twist on a modern saying, the only two things you can count on in "Robin Hood," the handsome new retelling of the age old tale from director Ridley Scott, are taxes and treachery.
Set in the waning days of Richard the Lion Heart's (Danny Huston) ten year long Crusade, the origin story of how Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) became Robin Hood, really picks up when Robin promises one of the king's knights, Sir Robert Loxley (Douglas Hodge), that he will deliver a sword to Robert's father, Sir Walter Loxley (Max Von Sydow), in Nottingham.
Meanwhile, Richard's ridiculous brother Prince John (Oscar Isaac) ignores his trusted advisors, his chancellor William Marshall (William Hurt) and his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine (Eileen Atkins) and imposes crippling taxes on his subjects. Egging him on is the duplicitous Godfrey (Mark Strong), a traitor who is secretly trying to start a civil war and help France invade the country.
Back in Nottingham, Robin delivers the sword, meets Lady Marion (Cate Blanchett), helps save England from the French and for his trouble is declared an outlaw by King John.
The new "Robin Hood" isn't the bright Technicolor tale of the famous Errol Flynn version. Scott's vision of the story is dark, both thematically and visually. It's a raw boned and bloody story of greed, unfettered ambition and treachery with a complex plot that touches on some very modern issues like taxes, too much government and one that might make the people of Arizona happy -- unwanted immigration.
It's a mostly historically correct representation of the time and the Robin Hood legend, but Scott has added in an unbelievable plot twist involving Robin's father and a coincidence that stretches credulity to the breaking point. It seems so out-of-place and glaringly silly I'm sure the writers of the campy cartoon series "Rocket Robin Hood" would have rejected the idea as being too outlandish.
Despite that lapse in judgment, the movie works. Fans of "Gladiator" will feel a sense of déjà vu -- the only thing separating the two movies is the time period and Richard Harris and Oliver Reed, and they're both dead. Scott and Crowe have returned to the winning formula of historical drama mixed with strong characters and lots of crazy action.
At the center of it all is Crowe, possibly the only Hollywood a-lister he-man enough to pull off "Robin Hood's" combo of raging machismo, honor and emotional intensity. Physically he doesn't look like he spends much time at the gym, instead it seems like he earned those muscles the old fashioned way -- by swinging a sword.
Equally strong is Blanchett in a role that could be redubbed, Maid Marion, Warrior Princess. She defines 12th century girl power and, as one of only three female characters, cuts through the thick cloud of testosterone that hangs over the movie like a cloud. The supporting cast, including Mark Strong -- in what is now becoming his trademark bad guy routine -- Max Von Sydow, William Hurt, Danny Huston and Canadian Kevin Durand as the ironically named Little John, add much to the overall effect.
"Robin Hood" is a new take on an old story; it's entertaining, occasionally funny and as epic a film as we're likely to see this summer.
"The Trotsky"
Richard's Review: 3 1/2 stars
Most seventeen year olds are concerned with school, sports and finding a date for the prom. Not Leon Bronstein (Jay Baruchel). In "The Trotsky," a new comedy starring "How to Train Your Dragon's" lead voice, he is convinced he's the reincarnation of revolutionary Leon Trotsky and tries to unionize the students of Montreal West High School. "The teachers have a union," he says. "I think we deserve the same."
Leon Bronstein's (which was Trotsky's given name) journey from privileged rich kid to budding Bolshevik begins when he organizes a hunger strike at his father's (Saul Rubinek) clothing factory. In retaliation Dad pulls Leon out of boarding school, slashes his allowance and exiles him to a public school. There he finds his calling (and falls for an older woman played by Emily Hampshire). Taking the term "student union" a bit too seriously Leon rails against his new school's tyrannical hierarchy—notably Principal Berkhoff (an ominous Colm Feore) -- and goes to absurd lengths to fulfill his pre-ordained destiny by changing the world or at least his small corner of it.
This Canadian commie comedy is chock full of funny lines, nice performances and echoes of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (with a hint of Warren Beatty's "Reds"). Actor turned director-and-writer Jacob Tierney shows a firm hand behind the camera and has crafted a movie that is a cut above the standard teen caper. It's more inventive, funnier, grittier (the movie's best line, spoken by Jessica Paré can't be reprinted here) than most teen fare, and while Tierney can take credit for much of the film's success it is Baruchel who really impresses as the burgeoning revolutionary.
In what looks to be Baruchel's breakout year -- he has four films on the slate for 2010 including "How to Train Your Dragon" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" opposite Nic Cage -- The Trotsky is a delightfully idiosyncratic performance.
Leon may be a little left of center, both personally and politically, but Baruchel humanizes him. It's a riff on the gawky geek role he patented in "Tropic Thunder" and "Knocked Up," but this time he adds so much charm (and a good dollop of slapstick) to the performance it's hard not to root for his and Leon's mad mission.
"The Trotsky" works because of its clever script and optimistic outlook, but it sparkles because of Baruchel's performance.
Letters to Juliet
Richard's Review: 3 stars
If Nicholas Sparks ever wrote a romantic comedy it might be something like "Letters to Juliet." Mixing an "it's never too late to find true love" motif and other Spark's standards like unopened letters and long lost love with some light comedy combines the best of what passes for romance on screen these days. Don't get me wrong, it's not exactly "Doctor Zhivago," or even "When Harry Met Sally," but it ain't "Leap Year" either, and that's a good thing.
"Mama Mia's" Amanda Seyfried is Sophie, a pretty young fact checker at The New Yorker with secret ambitions to become a writer. She's engaged to a workaholic chef (Gael García Bernal) who says he wants to "reinvent the noodle." Taking a pre-honeymoon in Verona, Italy -- he'll be too busy to go after they tie the knot -- they drift apart. He becomes engrossed in the food culture of Italy, she with The Secretaries of Juliet, a group of women who answer letters from the lovelorn left at the Juliet Balcony. When Sophie discovers a letter from 1957 her reply to Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) prompts the now grandmother to return to Italy after fifty years to search for her long lost love Lorenzo. Sensing a story Sophie tags along with Claire and her obnoxious grandson (Christopher Egan) as they search for Claire's soul mate in the Tuscan countryside.
"Letters to Juliet" is essentially a romantic road trip through Tuscany which is lovely and takes your mind off the predictable story that is playing out in front of the luscious scenery. The love stories, (That's right! SPOILER! There's two of them!), move along pretty much as you expect they are going to, but while the progression of the narrative may be a tad stale the movie has more to offer than, to paraphrase Paul McCartney, silly love stories.
Beautiful scenery aside the movie is anchored by two very different performances. As Claire -- described by her cheeky grandson as "Churchill in a dress" -- Vanessa Redgrave does a nice job at showing steely determination, vulnerability and a lovely frailness. She is playing someone with a lifetime of experience and isn't afraid to allow disappointment and sorrow as well as wisdom and joy shine through in her luminous performance.
On the other end of the scale is Amanda Seyfried, as the fresh-faced Sophie, a young person with hardly any experience. Seyfried is refreshingly natural and believable as a person experiencing their first life altering event.
As for the supporting cast, Egan doesn't add much more than an iffy English accent and a strong jawline, Bernal is a caricature and Nero isn't on screen long enough to make that much of an impression, but no matter, the movie works best when Seyfried and Redgrave are on screen together.
You'll know how "Letters to Juliet" is going to end before the opening credits have rolled but in its quiet moments -- as in a scene where Claire brushes Sophie's hair -- it transcend the clichés of the script and unearths some genuine heart.
