Olivia Wilde in Tron: Legacy
Tron: Legacy, Casino Jack and another one of those damn Fockers movies out today
- by Catherine Farrell
Casino Jack (dir – George Hickenlooper; starring Kevin Spacey, Barry Pepper, Kelly Preston, Jon Lovitz, Christian Campbell) – Two-time Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey stars in this biographical account of the life and scandal of Jack Abramoff. Spacey excels as the fascinating American lobbyist and business man as Jack embarks on a series of wildly extreme schemes and escapades, exploiting his political influence whilst deceiving some of the world’s most powerful men in order to attain personal wealth. In its depiction of a disgraced Washington lobbyist, Casino Jack is highly relevant in today’s political climate and pinpoints the dishonesty and immoral behaviour found within the US government. Perhaps most importantly this film highlights how easily power can breed corruption.
Little Fockers (dir – Paul Weitz; starring Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman) With two children and ten years of marriage under his belt, Greg Focker has finally begun to be accepted by his neurotic father-in-law, Jack. But as Jack gets older and begins to consider his own mortality, can Greg truly prove he is worthy of becoming the next head of the family? With the same charm and cringe-worthy humour of the previous films, De Niro and Stiller’s clichéd relationship does reach some new hilarious heights, yet at the same time some might say the film lacks the status and aptitude that its all-star cast may indicate.
I Love You Phillip Morris (dir – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa; starring Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro) Jim Carrey delivers a spirited performance as Russell, who after a near death experience decides to leave his small town life as a police officer and married man to embrace his homosexuality and live luxuriously with his new boyfriend in Miami. In order to fuel his new expensive and exuberant lifestyle, Russell turns to a career as a conman, but his crimes soon land him in state prison. It is here where this tongue-and-cheek story really takes off as Russell falls for Phillip Morris, a soft-spoken, innocent fellow inmate, played by a surprisingly convincing Ewan McGregor. Russell’s life as a con artist immediately intensifies, as he now will stop at nothing to free his soul mate from prison, and subsequently embarks on a series of outrageously deceptive and risky schemes, all in the name of love.
Tron: Legacy (director – Joseph Kosinski; starring Garrett Hedlund, Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, Olivia Wilde, Beau Garrett) In Tron:Legacy, Disney’s sequel to the 1982 film Tron, we find Sam, the son of the not-very-good original’s Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) thrust into the digital world that his father created 20 years prior. Finding himself in a CGI-enhanced universe, Sam battles ferocious programs and warrior games. With stunning visual effects and impressive production design, together with a striking soundtrack composed by Daft Punk, Tron: Legacy is one of the most notable high-tech SF films to be released this year.
