Miss Pettigrew Will Leave You Smiling By Patrick Hickey Jr.

It is a rarity nowadays for a film to leave you smiling throughout. A forgotten gem it seems is the act of “classy� comedy, something actors such as Dean...
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Miss Pettigrew Will Leave You Smiling By Patrick Hickey Jr.

It is a rarity nowadays for a film to leave you smiling throughout. A forgotten gem it seems is the act of “classy� comedy, something actors such as Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra made a career out of in what seems like hundreds of years ago. However, “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day,� directed by Bharat Nalluri [“The Crow: Salvation,� “Downtime�] is a film that would have fit in easily amongst the classic romance comedies of yesterday and is an equally as charming and fun endeavor today. However, it is on the weight of great performances by Frances McDormand and Amy Adams, that this film is a truly enjoyable one that will make you chuckle as much is it will pull at your heartstrings.

Playing the part of an out of work London governess before World War II, McDormand [“Almost Famous,� “Fargo�] takes her life, which has been quite conventional and boring to this point, into her own hands, eventually crossing paths with the charismatic, yet air-headed Adams [“Enchanted,� “Sunshine Cleaning�], who together make their dreams come true in one remarkable day.

It’s hard to imagine McDormand and Adams having such poignant on-screen chemistry, but after a few minutes of them interacting with one another on screen, it’s obvious. McDormand’s experience, well-roundedness and wit, combined with Adams’ charisma and good looks and you have a combination that is seemingly meant to be on screen together. Add in more than solid supporting roles by Ciaran Hands, Lee Pace, Tom Payne and Shirley Henderson and you have a deep cast of characters telling a great story.

Of all the characters though, it is Adams that truly steals the show. Much like her role in “Enchanted,� Adams plays an air-headed, idealistic beauty that is focused on making her dreams come true, her way. After this film, it’s obvious that Adams has this type of role nailed and is capable of playing much bigger roles. The question remains however if that will be the case. Nonetheless, simply having that question proposed shows just how solid she was in this feature.

Adding to list of things making this film a memorable one is the cinematography. Never for a second do you think that you are anywhere but 1940s London. As a matter of fact, after the film is over, you may have to take a few seconds to realize where you are. Every scene seems to be bursting with color that brings the best out of all the characters and places they go. Everywhere from the train station and the soup kitchen to the beautiful London flat where a majority of the film takes place is drenched in class, style and charm. Like a cherry on top of a fudge sundae, the look and feel of “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day� makes it that more fun to watch.

When it’s all said and done, this film is a sleeper hit that will remind older movie-goers of better days. Times when beautiful actresses didn’t have to shed their clothes to be popular and when it was natural for a star of a film to sing a little bit. Despite that, many real movie buffs will love the interaction between the characters and a endearing story that will leave a smile on their face for the rest of the day.

Spiderwick Chronicles Offers a Mixed Bag of Family Fun

By Patrick Hickey Jr.

Over the past decade, the big wigs in Hollywood have decided to make a multifarious amount of family-oriented fantasy films. However, despite...
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Spiderwick Chronicles Offers a Mixed Bag of Family Fun

By Patrick Hickey Jr.

Over the past decade, the big wigs in Hollywood have decided to make a multifarious amount of family-oriented fantasy films. However, despite the legion of films released within this new genre, most of them revel in mediocrity. For every “Chronicles of Narnia,� and “ Lemony Snicket� out there, there are dozens more that can’t cut the cinematic mustard.

Let’s just say that “The Spiderwick Chronicles,� directed by Mark Waters [“Mean Girls,� “Freaky Friday�] isn’t the type of film that is comparable to the upper-echelon films of the genre, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t an enjoyable 97-minute experience for some people.

Starring Freddie Highmore [“Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, “The Golden Compass] in a double-role as twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, “The Spiderwick Chronicles,� has plenty of things going for it, like a colorful cast of characters and solid special effects, they just aren’t in a large enough quantity to make you want to jump for joy.

For instance, the magical land the no one else can see in the film is an extremely colorful one. The whole idea [which is based on the book written by Holly Black] is an excellent one as well, but it’s not developed as much as a great film should be. There simply isn’t enough interaction between the rest of the world and the evil forces to make the movie-goer think that the threat being fought against is a serious one. You never get the feeling that the world really depends on the actions of Jared, Simon and their older sister, Mallory, played by Sarah Bolger [“Premonition,� “Tara Road�]. Instead, you can’t fight the feeling that everything is going to end up okay. Not exactly the right frame of mind to be in when watching a fantasy film.

The performance of Nick Nolte [“Hulk,� “Hotel Rwanda�] as the voice of the main baddy, Mulgarath, doesn’t do much to amplify the strong points of the film either. For a mystical being that is supposed to be leading a global coupe-de-tat, Mulgarath isn’t too intimidating. While his role in the film isn’t as important as Highmore’s or Bolger’s, having an impressive villain could have been the thing that got this film over the proverbial two-star hump it got itself in.

Unfortunately, the entire plot and story arc have similar problems as well. The film concludes with all the ends being tied up in a pretty little bow and doesn’t really leave anything for the imagination. Considering the fact that the whole object of a film such as this is to extend disbelief, always knowing that everything is going to be all right isn’t a good one. However, despite its lack of depth and story polish, “The Spiderwick Chronicles� has enough charming, witty and endearing parts in it that young children will beg to see it again and again. Adults however, will be satisfied with one viewing and will be left pondering what could have been, rather than accepting the film for what it really is: average, with promise.

Spiderwick Chronicles Offers a Mixed Bag of Family Fun

By Patrick Hickey Jr.

Over the past decade, the big wigs in Hollywood have decided to make a multifarious amount of family-oriented fantasy films. However, despite...
[+] Read Full Review

Spiderwick Chronicles Offers a Mixed Bag of Family Fun

By Patrick Hickey Jr.

Over the past decade, the big wigs in Hollywood have decided to make a multifarious amount of family-oriented fantasy films. However, despite the legion of films released within this new genre, most of them revel in mediocrity. For every “Chronicles of Narnia,� and “ Lemony Snicket� out there, there are dozens more that can’t cut the cinematic mustard.

Let’s just say that “The Spiderwick Chronicles,� directed by Mark Waters [“Mean Girls,� “Freaky Friday�] isn’t the type of film that is comparable to the upper-echelon films of the genre, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t an enjoyable 97-minute experience for some people.

Starring Freddie Highmore [“Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, “The Golden Compass] in a double-role as twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, “The Spiderwick Chronicles,� has plenty of things going for it, like a colorful cast of characters and solid special effects, they just aren’t in a large enough quantity to make you want to jump for joy.

For instance, the magical land the no one else can see in the film is an extremely colorful one. The whole idea [which is based on the book written by Holly Black] is an excellent one as well, but it’s not developed as much as a great film should be. There simply isn’t enough interaction between the rest of the world and the evil forces to make the movie-goer think that the threat being fought against is a serious one. You never get the feeling that the world really depends on the actions of Jared, Simon and their older sister, Mallory, played by Sarah Bolger [“Premonition,� “Tara Road�]. Instead, you can’t fight the feeling that everything is going to end up okay. Not exactly the right frame of mind to be in when watching a fantasy film.

The performance of Nick Nolte [“Hulk,� “Hotel Rwanda�] as the voice of the main baddy, Mulgarath, doesn’t do much to amplify the strong points of the film either. For a mystical being that is supposed to be leading a global coupe-de-tat, Mulgarath isn’t too intimidating. While his role in the film isn’t as important as Highmore’s or Bolger’s, having an impressive villain could have been the thing that got this film over the proverbial two-star hump it got itself in.

Unfortunately, the entire plot and story arc have similar problems as well. The film concludes with all the ends being tied up in a pretty little bow and doesn’t really leave anything for the imagination. Considering the fact that the whole object of a film such as this is to extend disbelief, always knowing that everything is going to be all right isn’t a good one. However, despite its lack of depth and story polish, “The Spiderwick Chronicles� has enough charming, witty and endearing parts in it that young children will beg to see it again and again. Adults however, will be satisfied with one viewing and will be left pondering what could have been, rather than accepting the film for what it really is: average, with promise.

Blurry Lines of Sight Tarnish a Solid ‘Vantage Point’

By Patrick Hickey Jr.

When the same story is told eight different times through the eyes of eight different people, one expects the story being told to...
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Blurry Lines of Sight Tarnish a Solid ‘Vantage Point’

By Patrick Hickey Jr.

When the same story is told eight different times through the eyes of eight different people, one expects the story being told to be filled with plenty of opinion, back story and detail. “Vantage Point,� however, directed by Pete Travis, who makes his big-screen directorial debut, lacks the feel of a film that attempts to pull off such a daunting task. Nonetheless, the film is still an entertaining watch and proves to be the movie that relights the star-power fire of Dennis Quaid, while giving Matthew Fox the versatility to be taken seriously in different types of roles.

In 2006, “Babel,� a film starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, was released and took a similar path as this picture. However, director Alejandro González Iñárritu was able to make each segment and narrative of the film feel different enough to captivate the audience and fill in the gaps of the story. What “Vantage Point� does is simply rehash the same story and provide a few more details than the last person was able to reveal. This slow-moving plot that ends with a happily-ever-after ending isn’t exactly going to win Travis any awards this year. Regardless of that, however, there are a few ingredients in the film’s clam chowder to make you reach for your spoon.

Quaid (“Flight of the Phoenix,� “Enemy Mine�) does a great job as Thomas Barnes, the jittery Secret Service agent with something to prove. If his subtle demeanor wasn’t enough to capture his cool, laid-back type of bravado, his wit and ability to clothesline people and Al Unser-like driving skills will. Simply put, this role is something new for Quaid, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing for him. He pulls off the never-say-die action hero better than actors half his age in this film and is one of the best reasons to see the feature.

The same can be said for heartthrob Mathew Fox, who’s known for his role on the TV mega-hit, “Lost.� Already armed with killer-good looks and a charisma that was probably responsible for landing him the role, Fox does a more than solid job as agent Kent Taylor. Rather than spoil the plot, let’s just say that Fox’s role definitely will shock fans of his work on “Lost� and will cast him in a different light in the future.

Add in solid supporting roles by Forrest Whitaker (“Ghost Dog,� “The Last King of Scotland�) and Sigourney Weaver (“Ghostbusters,� “Aliens�), and you have a cast that is capable of delivering a quality film. However, the talent in the film far outweighs the sum of the films parts, as the story isn’t nearly as deep and multilayered as you’d expect it to be, making it an adequate 90-minute experience, rather than a breathtaking one.