Movie: Hanna (2011)

Rating: B-

2011 has been rather slow. I've had to wait until NOW (April 16th) to finally find a movie that's really intrigued me enough to want to watch it. I never thought however, that a young actress that I never heard of...scratch that...a young actress whose name I can't even pronounce....scratch that... well, BOTH statements are correct...I never thought of a young actress whose name I can't pronounce and that I've never heard of would be so charismatic and captivating.



Saorise Ronan, whom apparently was in was in Atonement with Kiera Knightley (among other films), stars in this coming-of-age thriller. An fairly interesting concept that dances around a Grimm theme, the movie moves along at a fairly good clip, but I really wish that they would have found more depth in the characters and the stories. Hanna only grazes the surface of a story that could be so much more, but instead leaves too many loose ends and unanswered questions.

While the performances of Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett give gleaming performances, there's just simply not enough depth in the characters for us to care about either of them. I really think that if Joe Wright would have less attention to spinning cameras and more attention to scratching more than just the surface, this would have been a MUCH better movie.

Despite fight scenes that were too slow for the post-Jason Bourne era; Hanna is fairly delicious from start to finish, but leaves you hungry for more substance.

~Cheers.

Movie: The Tourist

Rating: D

A movie about intrigue, mystery, and romance without being intriguing, mysterious, nor romantic.



I have a new rule. I will not watch any movie with Timothy Dalton cast in a human role. We`re talking about an actor whose last major North American feature film was The Beautician and the Beast, with....commence shuddering now.....Fran Drescher. Yes, he had a voice over role in Toy Story 3, but in a human role...New Rule.

Although, to be fair, it`s not really HIS fault the movie sludged around in mediocrity; you`d think that a movie with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp would be more engaging with more drama, passion, and anything else that makes an actor good. Instead, the two powerhouse actors seemed disinterested and unengaged. Even the generally entertaining Paul Bettany seemed like a total miscast in this 104 minute unthrilling thriller.

Beautifully shot in Venice... Sorry, that`s about the only GOOD thing I have to say about the movie. A suspense film that is unsuspenseful. A weak attempt at comedy that falls flat. Add in some totally misplaced romance, and you get a film that just leaves you with very little to care about. Quite honestly, The Tourist makes The Beautician and The Beast seem worth watching. Ok. Maybe not.

~Cheers.