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COMING ATTRACTIONS
Watch The Academy Awards, aka The Oscars, here on March 7th!
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The Opera "Carmen" is coming on March 28th!
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| Feature Films Coming to The Beach Theatre (list is subject to change) |
| CRAZY HEART (2009) (Rated R) | |
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STORY: "Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who's had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician" - Written by Fox Searclight Pictures on IMDB.com
STARRING: Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Keane, Anna Felix, Paul Herman,and others. REVIEW: Title: "Stumbling toward salvation, one day at a time" [9/10 stars] "'Crazy Heart' is a simple but emotionally resonant movie about a 57-year-old alcoholic country singer whose career is on the skids. Bridges, Gyllenhaal and Farrell have never been better, and Duvall is always pure gold. This movie is Bridges' chance to give a master class in acting, and he does not disappoint for a minute, but he's not alone in the spotlight, and the depth of support he gets is what makes Crazy Heart worth watching." "A lifelong musician and many-talented artist (painting, photography, ceramics) whose thespian preeminence in Hollywood has yet to win him an Oscar, Jeff Bridges inhabits the songs he sings on screen as convincingly and seamlessly as he fits into the shambles of a life and mess of a body that is the film's protagonist. This musical integrity is important because Bad Blake is one of those disintegrating performers whose art has not faltered, though his life has. The songs he sings are his own, and when he's on stage, he's alive. The rest of the time he's lying, deceiving, or numbing out. A great line is when he's asked by Jean where his songs come from and he replies simply, 'Life, unfortunately...'" "Bridges' Bad Blake is so authentically blousy and pathetic he's hard to look at sometimes. He's always drunk and at an opening gig at a Pueblo, Coloradi[sic] bowling rink, throws up in a back alley between songs, while the young pickup band he's saddled with has to fill in. In Santa Fe, Jean shows up to do an interview, and a May-December romance develops as Bad woos Jean against her better judgment and plies her little boy with homemade pancakes (the boy is hungry for a man in his life and Bad oozes charm, when he's conscious). Gyllenhaal... gives a performance as a women warring inside with loneliness and need. Her scenes with Bridges are central to the movie, and the chemistry is strong between them." "'Crazy Heart...' manages to be pretty realistic about the degeneration that is terminal alcoholism. Here, however, it's not a slide into hell like Mike Figgis' 'Leaving Las Vegas.' Though only by the skin of his teeth, and with multiple ailments a car crash reveals, Bad is surviving... Maybe the fast-forward finale is a bit too upbeat, but the memory the movie leaves is, of course, of Bridges with a bottle, a guitar, and a sad sweet song, and of some of the year's best movie acting." - Written by Chris Knipp, 6 January 2010, on IMDB.com MORE INFORMATION: IMDB Listing | RUNTIME: 112 mins. | LANGUAGE: English | COLOR: Color | MOVIE WEBSITE: CrazyHeartMovie.com |
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| SHUTTER ISLAND (2010) (Rated R) | |
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STORY: "It's 1954, and up-and-coming U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels [Leonardo DiCaprio] is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. He's been pushing for an assignment on the island for personal reasons, but before long he wonders whether he hasn't been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Teddy's shrewd investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would break the case wide open. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals 'escape' in the confusion, and the puzzling, improbable clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything - his memory, his partner , even his own sanity." - Written by alfiehitchie on IMDB.com
STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, and others. REVIEW: Title: "Don't miss this one - review from a skeptic." [10/10 stars] "From the look of the trailer, Martin Scorsese's 'Shutter Island' looks more like a horror film… This is a dangerous place where isolation rules under fascist control. A U.S Marshall is sent to investigate a missing patient but discovers so much more. A demon? A ghost? Something more? Is this going to be as disappointing as I think it is?" "I was skeptical walking into the theater, wondering if this twist could hold water. The film starts with Teddy Daniels and his new partner, Chuck, standing on a ferry. They talk about their assignment. What's suspect here is that there is no additional development. We are bam, smack right into the story without so much as an opening montage. All that we see is the men smoking a couple cigarettes. Though this is what begins as momentous development. As our hero smokes we that this isn't the glorified top lit smoking of a beauty or that of a sophisticated and confident gangster. This we see is a harsher character with poor posture, someone who doesn't sleep well, someone with a deep past…" "They are greeted at the gate by guards whose attitudes' seem immediately suspect. Soon we meet Dr Crawley, a seemingly complex and modern man who runs the asylum. However, he soon turns uncooperative with the investigation. Inmates and staff are hiding something but what? Everyone here seems off. Evidence and clues begin to appear but not before our hero seems riddled by psychosis himself. "You act like all this madness is contagious." Daniels says to the guard. Is it? Soon we begin to wonder, too, but not before he uncovers the tip of the iceberg and it's not only painfully intimate with his own past but also a mass conspiracy. The Nazis had concentration camps and the Americans have Shutter Island." "Though, it doesn't stop here, but to say anything else would do the story injustice… Kingsley is in his finest role in years. Similarly, DiCaprio reaches new levels. Amongst others Elias Koteas, Ted Levine, Michelle Williams, all play small but wonderful roles. Robert Richardson captures a world all of its own." "While Scorsese is a master of film I'd say that his specialty has been more character than story. This is a fresh balance of both. It's a mix of noir and thriller. It's only sort of a horror movie and could be compared to "The Shining" but it makes it look like it's a one trick pony." "All this praise being said, it's not for everyone. The story is complex. It takes some attention. At times it's a bit bleak and dire. Of course, it all makes a little less sense when you actually think about it, but then again that's film. There are a couple of moments where the story gets lost within itself. Things become a bit too complicated. At this point you might begin to lose faith in its viscosity, but don't worry because the story has you right where its put you." - Written by bain0038, on IMDB.com MORE INFORMATION: IMDB Listing | RUNTIME: 138 mins. | LANGUAGE: English | COLOR: Color | MOVIE WEBSITE: ShutterIsland.com |
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| THE WHITE RIBBON (2009) (Rated R)
(a.k.a. "Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte") |
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STORY: "Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years just before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. The abused and suppressed children of the villagers seem to be at the heart of this mystery." - Written on IMDB.com
STARRING: Christian Friedel, Ernst Jacobi (voice), Leonie Benesch, Ulrich Tukur, and others. REVIEW: Title: "Extremely Memorable" [10/10 stars] "Is this 2009 Palme d'Or winner worthy of the honor? What made it something uncommonly out of the loop in lieu of what has come before consists of Haneke's adept hand in capturing a period in time with detailed precision, the wonderful performances of the cast and an extremely memorable story. Every single consideration made in the direction of this unhurried thriller assured it will attain classic status, made to withstand the ages of film-making. Its script centers on a series of malicious, spiteful occurrences perpetuated by culprit(s) who hide in plain sight amongst a settlement of church-fearing Germans. Still waters don't necessarily mean that there are no gators though and the deceptively polite characters in the film hold some dark secrets of their own. We were doubtful whether it deserved its prize when we arrived at the end, but when our minds refused to be rid of Haneke's carefully realized images as if we suddenly had an epiphany, we accept the jury's choice. Humbly and sincerely." - Written by 1minutefilmreview, on IMDB.com MORE INFORMATION: IMDB Listing | RUNTIME: 144 mins. | LANGUAGE: German, Italian, Polish, Latin (subtitled in English) | COLOR: Black and White | MOVIE WEBSITE: TheWhiteRibbon.ca |
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| THE LOVELY BONES (2009) (Rated PG-13) | |
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STORY: "Based on the best selling book by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones is the story of a 14-year-old girl from suburban Pennsylvania who is murdered by her neighbor. She tells the story from Heaven, showing the lives of the people around her and how they have changed all while attempting to get someone to find her lost body." - Written by Anonymous on IMDB.com
STARRING: Mark Wahlberg, Saoirse Ronan, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, and others. REVIEW: Title: "A review from a reviewer who loved it." [10/10 stars] "First review i've ever done because this needs to be said. SO, heres a review of someone who thought it was one of the best movies he's ever seen. "People have a thing against the CGI in almost-heaven (in between place whatever). WELL in the book it changes according to her imagination and peoples imaginations are a crazy intense place, so obviously CGI is needed when it comes to putting most peoples craziest worlds inside their head to life." "Story was was perfectly dark but with heart to it. I guess all the fans of the book weren't pleased with the movie because it takes way to much out of the book. WELL it went on for 2 hours and like 20 min. Peter Jackson obviously wanted to get as much in as he could from the book. Plus, that's his style." "The acting was perfect, especially the very emotional scene of the parents trying to comfort each other in bed, like they were in so much pain they had no control over it. It just felt real." "The music was also Perfect and I'm the kind of person who cares a lot about the music use in movies. Notably, the song that starts up right as she finishes her narration at the end and the credits role..." - Written by "jcjcjcjcjc," on IMDB.com MORE INFORMATION: IMDB Listing | RUNTIME: 135 mins. | LANGUAGE: English | COLOR: Color | MOVIE WEBSITE: LovelyBones.com/ |
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