Spy movie fans will have something to look forward to this weekend, though horror movie fans are in for a disappointment.
Even though it has a more limited wide release than the other bigger movie this weekend, I wanted to first focus on "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," mainly because I've been waiting for this movie for what seems like forever considering it already had a long theatrical run in British theaters.
The movie is based on the book of the same name (so you can't blame the movie too much for the odd title) and has already been adapted once into a 1979 British miniseries with Alec Guiness. The movie doesn't have seven hours to work with, but critics agreed that it still did as well with the book, and maybe even better, than the miniseries.
The movie is an international thriller set during the Cold War years and features George Smiley, a disgraced spy, who is tasked with finding a double agent in the midst of MI-6 (the British Secret Intelligence Service).
The ensemble for this movie is probably the best I've seen in recent years, featuring some of the great British actors we're familiar with - Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, John Hurt and Ciaran Hinds - and introducing some new faces that we've gotten to know recently - Mark Strong, Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch.
At 84 percent, critics say this is one of the best spy thrillers ever and uses word games to create suspense instead of just action. In other words, this isn't a James Bond type of fare, even if both feature MI-6 agents. You'll have to think a little while you watch the movie, but it'll be worth it in the end. I'm hoping my marathon watching of the British series MI-5 will adequately prepare me for the movie.
While the spy movie is sure to impress audiences in a limited number of theaters (Cinema Center, Regal Harrisburg and Midtown Cinema are the only theaters playing it around here), the newest horror movie is getting some pretty terrible reviews.
"The Devil Inside" has only 9 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and looking at some of the reviews, it's not a surprise why. The movie focuses on a daughter looking for answers about why her mother confessed to a triple murder. She hires two young exorcists to cure her mother, and that's when things get a little supernatural.
According to critics, the movie is too cheap, too familiar, way too uninspired and has an ending that apparently no one enjoyed. In other words, this probably won't even be worth a video rental price much less the $9 it will take to see it in theaters.
Do you plan on seeing any movies this weekend? Leave your review in the comment section or email me at ncreason@cumberlink.com.
Since I spent the New Year's holiday on a bit of a movie binge, I thought I'd write some quick reviews for the movies I saw in theaters.
"War Horse" - I thought the movie was beautifully shot, and even though there are a lot of cliches in the storyline, it actually works for the film. I would've liked a little more time with some of the characters that pop up in the horse's life - mainly Capt. Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) and Emilie (Celine Buckens) - but you do get really attached to Joey the horse and his horse companion Topthorn. The only thing I'd argue is the PG rating. Many of the scenes make it a family film, but the war scenes are a little rougher than I was expecting for the target audience. Trench fighting, riding or running straight into machine and gatling guns and deserters being killed are common in war movies but didn't quite fit a movie aimed at children.
"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" - The franchise hasn't had a good track record for me - I liked the first one, hated the second one and pretty much ignored the third one - but "MI4" ended up being a pretty good action flick. It probably would have worked out better if I hadn't watched the trailer since the movie creates some mystery around Jeremy Renner's character, but it made for a pretty action-packed thrill ride. Not really a thinking movie, but the action is good and the stunts even better. The climb up (and the effort to get down) Dubai's tallest building as well as a car/on-foot chase through a sandstorm were highlights of the movie.
"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" - The sequel is rather ho-hum, mostly because it's almost a little too similar to Guy Ritchie's first film. I did like the first movie, and high hopes for this one considering Professor Moriarty gets the headline villain role and we also get co-stars in the form of Noomi Rapace and Stephen Fry. While Fry is delightful and Jared Harris was believable as the intellectual killer, I don't think they used Rapace enough as the gypsy, or gave her much of a role other than being on a search for her brother. The chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, however, is as good as ever, and I do like the verbal sparring. Worth the rent, though not even the action makes it worth the theatrical ticket price.
