BURLESQUE MOVIE REVIEW

Still from  Burlesque

It certainly had the recipe for greatness, but these Cookies were packaged half-baked. How is it possible to put together a Cast with so much presence as the likes of Cher, Eric Dane, Alan Cumming, Stanley Tucci, Kristen Bell and megastar Christina Aguilera, yet still come up with a final product as unremarkable and forgettable as Burlesque? First-time Director/Screenwriter Steve Antin appears to have to pulled off the unfathomable.

Ali (Aguilera) is a Waitress, fed-up with her dead-end Waitressing job at a Diner where her Boss is behind in payments to her. She quits, leaves town (and that Iowa accent!) and finds herself on the Sunset Strip, wandering into a Burlesque Club, where she is seduced by the glamour of the Girls on stage. So enamoured, she finds herself pleading to Club Owner Tess (Cher) for a job, settling even as a Waitress. Before we know it, magically she knows the Choreography for all the numbers in the Girls' repertoire, forcing her way into an Audition and wowing both a skeptical Tess and Gay confidante/Costume Maker Sean (Tucci) who "couldn't keep his eyes off her."

All is not well in the world of Showgirls Burlesque, as jealous rival Nikki (Bell) doesn't take kindly to the Troupe's newest member with all the attention she receives. Wealthy Businessman Marcus (Dane) is taken aback by Ali's talent and beauty, while at the same time wanting to buy out Tess' Club, using the land for Condominiums as he is fully aware that her Club has seen more successful days, nearing Foreclosure. Ali finds herself caught also in a bit of a love triangle between herself, wealthy suitor Marcus and also temporary roommate Jack (Cam Gigandet) who also happens to be an aspiring Songwriter and a Bartender at the Club. Although Ali brings the Club some much needed success through Song and Dance, is this turn of fortune coming too late? And who will Ali choose as her Lover: Marcus with his suspicious motives or Jack, who can't seem to decide what he wants in life?

Let's be honest about it - Burlesque really upset me. Although many will be quick to point the finger at her, the Film's shortcomings aren't entirely the fault of first-time Actress Aguilera; in fact, she does a v. credible job here actually.  Her weakness only shows in quieter moments, struggling to evoke pain and disappointment.  But even her most committed performance isn't enough when the material she is working with isn't fully fleshed-out. It is particularly baffling that even by the end of the Musical, we don't find that we know anything about Ali other than that out of nowhere, she possesses remarkably refined talents. She becomes the Star of the Club, but then what? We witness no challenge or vulnerability in her rise to success other than a couple cruel jabs from Nikki, who conveniently keeps popping-up despite being told she is no longer welcome at the Club. The romantic story lines between Ali and her two suitors lack any trace of passion. She seems about as enthused about these two devastatingly handsome hunks as a raging Lesbian in a Men's Locker Room.

EASY A REVIEW

Easy A

Young girls definitely need more role models like Emma Stone. Will Gluck's Easy A tells the story of Olive (Stone), a bright high school student who one day decides to tell a little white lie to her BFF Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka) that she lost her virginity. The rumours then spread like wildfire and before she knows it, she's finds herself deeply immersed in the game, yet reaping the benefits in popularity by capitalizing off it however she can. Buzz for the film has been positive after receiving a premiere at TIFF 2010.

Before long, the rumours then spiral out of control as she is forced to embrace her parallels proudly to that of Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter, as the "School Slut". Olive faces the wrath of negative publicity and finds that she is losing her friends and the respect of her peers. Never though does she lose her own self-respect - she is grounded. We are left to wonder whether or not Olivia will be able to overcome this and redeem her name?

Bert V. Royal does a fantastic job with this film's John Hughes-inspired screenplay, giving Stone lots of meaty material to work with and absolutely does she rise to the challenge. This performance places her front and center where she belongs as one of her generation's best actresses. Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson are delightfully funny as Dill and Rosemary, Olive's parents who never lose sight of their trust in her. Gossip Girl's Penn Badgely is nothing short of adorable as a boy of interest only late in the story. And it doesn't hurt that the music is lots of fun here too, with us getting the treat of seeing Stone perform Knock on Wood by Amii Stewart later on.

REVIEW: THE LOVELY BONES

I've never read Alice Sebold's best-selling novel The Lovely Bones, but I'm pretty certain that she can't be overly pleased with how Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson adapted it.  And believe me, it had all the makings of an Oscar winner with a cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci and the film's young star, Saoirse Ronan. We might remember from her brilliant performance in Atonement in 2007.

The Lovely Bones takes places in the '70s and centers around 14 year-old Susie Salmon (Ronan) who is murdered by neighbourhood predator George Harvey (Tucci).  She tells the tragic story of her death from the afterlife, where she can still see her family torn apart by their grief and her father Jack's (Wahlberg) determination to solve the mystery of her murder.  Susie has a difficult time coming to terms with her own death and she is unable to fully enter heaven because of this.  Meanwhile, liberal Grandma Lynn (Sarandon) steps in the picture helping restore some order in the grief-stricken Salmon household, adding some oddly-placed moments of comic relief.  With the passing of time and a lack of additional evidence, the police department allocates fewer resources in finding Susie's murderer.  Both Jack and sister Clarissa (Amanda Michalka) are certain however, that the murderer is in fact Harvey but it all means little.

This is a very beautiful film to watch with some very cutting edge CGI animation, but admittedly, it takes away from what should overall be a dark, heavy mood.  My biggest problem with this story however, is that there seems to be a great amount of attention placed on building suspense and tension when in the end, a resolution is met by karma, not true justice; this is a big let-down.  Also, some overly-romanticized dialogue in Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Jackson's screenplay make for some awkward moments, as we are forced to believe that this 14 year-old girl had experienced the makings of unequivocal love with her senior crush Ray Singh (Reece Ritchie).  And despite some Oscar buzz for Tucci's haunting performance here, I've seen him do much better work in films like Julie & Julia and The Devil Wears Prada.  The same can be said about Ronan, one of the leading actresses of her generation, but simply this won't be remembered as her best work.  Or at least I hope not anyway.

Paramount Pictures' The Lovely Bones is in theatres January 15, 2010 and perhaps is better watched without expectations.  Grade: C

REVIEW: JULIE & JULIA DVD

This is the movie which inspired me to blog and although I don't intend to review many DVDs here, I will make an exception for this one. Julie & Julia, directed by Nora Ephron, is something special. Based on the novel Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, this film intertwines the real life stories of celebrity chef Julia Child and blogger-turned-author Julie Powell.

We are introduced to Child (Meryl Streep) who relocates to Paris with her husband Paul Child (Stanley Tucci). Having worked a government job in America previously, Child has no other real passion in life other than eating. She decides to take cooking lessons at one of the finest culinary institutes in Paris, starting off on shaky ground. Determined not to be a "frivolous housewife looking to kill time", Child soon proves that with determination and some elbow grease, she too can chop an onion and debone a duck with the best of them. One thing leads to another and she finds herself developing the first ever English language French cookbook. But of course, Child is not met with her share of rejection and opposition along the way.

Simultaneously, we learn the story of Powell (Amy Adams) who worked at a crisis-counselling Call Centre after 9/11. Miserable and uninspired, she finds passion and inspiration in Child's famed The Art of French Cooking. Hungry for a challenge, she makes it her goal to prepare each and every one of the 524 recipes from that cookbook within one year. To document the journey, she launches a blog where her readers lend their encouragement as she sets out to reach her ultimate goal, successfully deboning a duck. In the process of emulating her idol, Powell encounters some roadblocks in mastering Child's recipes. The unwavering dedication she places on her culinary craft leads to mounting tension between her and amazingly supportive husband Eric (Chris Messina). Powell's blog becomes wildly successful, generating much media interest. We learn that even she manages to the catch the attention of her beloved idol in the process of becoming a successful author.