Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012

Recliner Reviews for January 26, 2012

Sometimes it’s a dilemma: what DVD should you rent or what movie should you stream or order-on-demand? Do you want a date flick, an action caper, or a goofy comedy? Weekly Surge is here to help with our reviews of recent at-home movie releases, which we’ve watched from the comfort of that favorite recliner.

“Warrior”

I know I’m alienating some readers when I say this, but I’ve never been a fan of professional Mixed Martial Arts. But if you add enough drama, an inspirational score, a drunk Nick Nolte and wham…you got me. Having Tom Hardy in the cast doesn’t hurt either. Hardy is a force of nature lately, stealing scenes in “Inception” and beating up Batman as Bane in the “Dark Knight Rises” coming this summer. Australian Joel Edgerton plays Hardy’s brother as both of them are trying to win an MMA competition to use the winnings for different, but equally valiant, reasons. The performances are all spot-on. Director Gavin O’Conner knows how to do a rousing sports movie – he also did “Miracle,” which made hockey look compelling, too. The characters are flawed but the story is not. It’s “Rocky” for the new millennium – gritty, moving and action-packed. This is a dude movie that everyone will love – definitely worth a watch.

“Margin Call”

Here is the concept behind this film – let’s get as many creditable, big-name actors as we can jam in a room and see if they can make an interesting movie about some morally corrupt investment traders. Starring Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore and Stanley Tucci – just to name a few. The aim is a “Glengarry Glen Ross” approach at the world of finance – talk fast and deliberate and devil be damned. It almost works. The cast pushes and it’s fun to watch but it almost feels like everyone is over confident. As if it will be special just because these actors are reading the lines. But it does do a nice job of tackling important themes – downsizing, corporate corruption and Moore being a bitch. This is writer/director J.C. Chandor’s first full-length feature film and he didn’t screw it up. There’s enough good here to think Chandor is capable of doing something great. Worth a watch.

“Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Story Ever Sold”

Everything about this movie sells out – that’s the point. Right down to the soundtrack, that features the ultimate sell-out rockers, OK Go and Moby, who’ve had successful runs with songs on commercials. The movie is brought to you by Morgan Spurlock. Spurlock has made it his mission as a documentarian to expose the abuses of everyday society that go unnoticed or not noticed enough. In “Super-Size Me,” he took on nutrition less fast food. In “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?” he battled the threat of terrorism and the perspective of Middle Easterners’ view of America. In “Freakonomics” he dealt with a new way to handle sociological problems. Now, corporate advertisers are in his crosshairs. Not that advertising is an evil…everybody’s got something to sell. No, it’s how and what’s being advertised that gets examined here. As always, Spurlock is thorough, balanced and entertaining – worth a watch.