Aylmer to Zazzoo and Beyond: Kelly Reilly

Showing posts with label Kelly Reilly. Show all posts

Friday, April 18, 2014

Heaven Is For Real - Review

Heaven Is For Real
(2014 - April 16)
Drama
1 hr. 40 min.
Rated: PG | Thematic material including some medical situations and brief mild language

Grade: B

Director: Randall Wallace
Writers: Todd Burpo (book), Chris Parker (screenplay), 2 more credits
Stars: Greg Kinnear, Connor Corum, Kelly Reilly, Thomas Haden Church | See full cast and crew

Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book of the same name, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL brings to the screen the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son's extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world. The film stars Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® award winning actor Greg Kinnear as Todd Burpo and co-stars Kelly Reilly as Sonja Burpo, the real-life couple whose son Colton (newcomer Connor Corum) claims to have visited Heaven during a near death experience. Colton recounts the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth ... things he couldn't possibly know. Todd and his family are then challenged to examine the meaning from this remarkable event. Written by Sony Pictures Publicity

Heaven Is For Real, is it a movie just for devout Christians? No, I don't think so. It should have appeal to a wider audience. It's a folksy tale of Midwestern Americana values, set in rustic Nebraska.

The cinematography by Dean Semler (Dances with Wolves (1990), Apocalypto (2006) and Bruce Almighty (2003)) is up to his usual standards, it could make one homesick for those peaceful prairies even if you never lived there (and despite the fact that it was filmed in the Canadian prairies of Alberta).

This is a good family friendly film, not a classic but quite serviceable. The casting choice of Greg Kinnear as Todd Burpo was pivotal to the success of this film. Kinnear has an uncanny talent for portraying a likeable everyman and does so in spite of a fairly pedestrian screenplay based on a phenomenally successful #1 best seller, "Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back".

Kinnear has great support from an able and veteran cast including Margo Martindale, Thomas Haden Church, Kelly Reilly and six year old newcomer Connor Corum, who in his first screen role, is credible and adorable as the four year old preacher's son Colton Burpo. This little boy is quite remarkable.

Kelly Reilly is adequate as Sonja Burpo, so is Thomas Haden Church as Jay Wilkins, but I would have liked to see more depth in the character development, all of the characters, especially young Colton.

One example of the shallow script is when Reverend Burpo, 'Call me Todd', reveals his son's trip to heaven to his congregation, many are skeptical and uncomfortable with the revelations. This even results in some of them questioning their faith and/or calling for the firing of the reverend. This subject is glossed over and resolved so quickly, it would have made for a more intriguing story had it been delved into a little deeper.

Heaven Is For Real does not employ heavy handed preaching but more of a matter of fact delivery which, of course, non-believers will still probably find unscientific...dumb...simplistic...unconvincing, but it will touch home with those who believe.

Are there moments of corniness, yes, sure but you can find those in the best of films, in fact, sometimes that's part of their charm. In Heaven Is For Real humor helps with the film's pacing and to move the story along. I am not among the 10 million plus who have read the book but now that I have seen the film I wouldn't mind reading it now. It would be interesting to dig a little deeper into this story. In the end, however, I was a little underwhelmed. I wanted a little more out of this film but it does deliver a good message and it provides an enjoyable visit to your local cinema whether you go alone or with the whole family. So go ahead, take the kids if you got 'em.

Watch at least the first six minuets of this interview with Colton, Todd and Sonja Burpo. It is from a '700 Club' broadcast. I think you will enjoy the movie a little more having seen the real people telling their own story in their own words.

The film includes a reference of 8 year old Akiane who had a vision of Jesus at the age of 4 and began to paint portraits of Him. She has never had any art lessons she says God was her teacher. She speaks four languages and writes poetry.Below is some of her work. When show her painting 'Prince of Peace', Colton Burpo said, 'That's Him, that's the Jesus I saw.

On the set behind the scenes

Pictured above, L to R: Todd Burpo (Writer), Colton Burpo, Randall Wallace (Director), Sonja Burpo, Joel Kneedler, Lynn Vincent (Writer).

Cast

Greg Kinnear Connor Corum

Todd Burpo Colton Burpo

Kelly Reilly Lane Styles

Sonja Burpo Cassie Burpo

Margo Martindale Thomas Haden Church

Nancy Rawlings Jay Wilkins

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Flight - Review

FLIGHT
(2012 - November 2)
Drama
2 hr. 18 min.

Rated: R Intense action sequence, drug and alcohol abuse, vulgar language, sexuality and full frontal nudity. Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+. Read More
Grade: C
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writer: John Gatins
Stars: Nadine Velazquez, Denzel Washington and Carter Cabassa | See full cast and crew

A commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he's managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disastrous mechanical malfunction sends his plane hurtling toward the ground. Whip pulls off a miraculous crash-landing that results in only six lives lost. Shaken to the core, Whip vows to get sober -- but when the crash investigation exposes his addiction, he finds himself in an even worse situation.

Like Rise of the Guardians, I had avoided seeing this film. Against my better judgement I decided I give it a chance after all I was pleasantly surprised by Rise of the Guardians. BIG mistake. The promos for this film basically consist of a 'bait and switch' scam. The trailers suggest a film about the heroics of a pilot who's plane crashes and the consequential investigation into the cause of the disaster that results in the death of both passengers and crew members. Yes, in fact, it is about that but the primary story is about drug and alcohol abuse, deceit, dysfunctional people and the scum that shield these jerks from culpability and personal responsibility. Granted he was not the cause of the accident, the accident did however bring to light his despicable selfishness and violation of the public trust that his job demands. His contempt for the passengers who pay his generous salary and put their lives in his drunken hands is appalling, yet director Robert Zemeckis wants us to feel badly for him.

Watching Flight was as torturous as sitting through Leaving Las Vegas, more or less like watching the same film except set in the airline industry. If I'd wanted to see a film about immoral, vile, worthless, scumbags liars and their decisions of whether to go to AA or not, or blame others for their problems and the other scumbags that run interference for them (John Goodman follows up a particularly sleazy foul mouthed performance in Argo by going a step or two further in Flight) etc. etc. etc. I'd have sought out such a film. If I had wanted to see tasteless full frontal nudity (is it really necessary to hear the sounds of a woman on the toilet) I could have sought that out too. There is one particularly annoying and pointless monologue by a cigarette craving cancer patient (James Badge Dale), truly groan worhty.

The characters in this film are almost all unsympathetic, immoral or amoral, enabling, foul mouthed skanks. Why would I want to pay money to drag myself through the mud of their self-indulgent, egocentric, meaningless lives. The way the story plays out it's as if the plight of the poor, hapless, divorced, boozer, coke-head pilot is more important than the crash victims and their families who must deal with the lost lives of their loved ones...but noooo, poor Denzel, he has a DISEASE, he can't help himself, it's not his fault. Poor, poor Denzel. But wait, since he ultimately steps up to the plate at the last minute and does the right thing (much to the disdain of his friends and lawyer) all of his previous deceptions and efforts to avoid culpability is now to be forgiven and he can assume his role of the hero again.

Balderdash! Please spare me the P.C. sentimentality. Even if we consider the film for what it is. If we do want to see a film about the perils of substance abuse (Lecturing from Hollywood--now that's rich!). If we do think it can have a positive message and be a learning experience, a morality tale so to speak...why not make it so it can reach a younger audience where it would do the most good. That would merely require toning down the language and eliminating the absolutely gratuitous and pointless nudity and sordid sexuality. The film could then be given a PG-13 rating opening it up to a much broader audience, an audience that could learn something from the film's message before it is too late. My grade of a 'C' is probably generous but the acting is good and the air crash scene is quite compelling.

Plot

"Flight" tells the redemption story of "Whip" (Washington), a commercial airline pilot who pulls off a heroic feat of flying in a damaged plane, saving 98 lives on a flight carrying 106 people. While the world begs to embrace him as a true American Hero, the everyman struggles with this label as he is forced to hold up to the scrutiny of an investigation that brings into question his behavior the night before the doomed flight.