Mel Gibson Goes Crazy
...in a movie. Plus, Natalie Portman in Thor, and a romantic comedy starring Kate Hudson.
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Kat Dennings, Idris Elba
The summer of superheroes kicks off with this adaptation of the long-running Marvel comic about the god of thunder cast out of Asgard by his father Odin and forced to live as a human until he finds his mighty hammer again. Or something like that. Truth be told, Thor was always one of my least favorite superheroes, mainly because I couldn't relate to this big, blonde, funny-talking guy with the hammer on any level. I'm guessing director Kenneth Branagh does relate to him, however, and that he'll invest the legend of Thor with all the overblown pseudo-Shakespearian majesty he can muster. Exhibit A: Casting Anthony Hopkins and his mighty hamminess as Odin, the role he was born to play and, in fact, has played about a million times by now. The cast also includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and Natalie Portman as the overexposed actress who simply will not stop being in every single movie this year. I've learned to ration my intake of superhero movies carefully, so I'm striking this one from the menu.
Director: Luke Greenfield
Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, John Krasinski, Colin Egglesfield
The title Something Borrowed is a risky one for a romantic comedy seemingly assembled from the spare parts of rom-coms past, including My Best Friend's Wedding, Bride Wars, and, well, just about every Kate Hudson movie ever made. Ginnifer Goodwin stars as the mousy gal who lets her vivacious best friend (Hudson, natch) steal the guy of her dreams (Colin Egglesfield), only to regret it later. John Krasinski is on hand as the wisecracking pal offering a shoulder to cry on. After last week's wall-to-wall Royal Wedding coverage, you'd think the public appetite for all things matrimonial would be at low ebb. But that never seems to be the case, so I'm pretty sure this will find an audience. I'm also pretty sure I won't be in it.
Director: Jodie Foster
Cast: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Cherry Jones
After all the Mel Gibson madness of recent years, many of you will refuse to see The Beaver on general principle. I can't really argue with that, but I can tell you that I caught the world premiere of Jodie Foster's latest directorial effort at SXSW in March, and left the theater pleasantly surprised. Not only is it not the complete catastrophe I'd been expecting ever since I confused the first trailer for an SNL skit, but it's actually moving at times, in its own strange way. The story of a depressed man who reconnects with his estranged family by communicating only through a ragged hand puppet, The Beaver struggles to find a consistent tone. What holds it together is Gibson's performance, which is at times as dark and rage-filled as those infamous phone calls from last summer, but nevertheless manages to evoke sympathy for the character's plight (if not for the actor himself). It's not perfect, but if you're looking for something off the beaten path crowded with superheroes and rom-coms, The Beaver is worth a shot.
The one movie you should see this week: The Beaver
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Comments ( 5 )
Wouldn't it have been more appropriate to title the film, "The Sugar Tits"?
Sorry, but all this does is make me lose respect for Foster, Jones and Yelchin in particular, since his family was persecuted for being Jewish by the Soviet state. I wish someone would ask him how, as the son of Jews who escaped anti-Semitic persecution, he could appear in a film with a raging anti-Semite like Gibson.
Agreed. And the fact that FOster keeps using her friendship with GIbson as a buffer against critique just makes it worse--well then, why are you such close friends with a man that abuses his wife and is a huge anti-semite?
Also disappointing that Hooksexup gave this their vote. Better to see nothing, or a mediocre film, than see the self-justification of such a disgusting person.
Agree with both of you. After the first two reviews I was like "oh well, I guess they'll give their vote to no movie this week." But no, let's just fund the career of a bigot instead. So disappointing.
No one should see that movie, no matter how good. Gibson gave up the right to have us support what he loves doing the most when, well, he showed us that what he loves doing the most is not acting, but spreading hate.
If you don't want to support bigots with your purchases, then stop buying things. Koch Brothers, Walmart family, MidEast monarchs etc... don't kid yourself.
Gibson is a lot of messed up things, but he's a good actor/director, and he hate the Republican Party and Neoconservatives in particular so stop acting like he's the worst person in the world just because TMZ said so.
If only it wasn't so obvious that if you have a drinking problem the solution is Jesus. I heard a song by Prince on his Greatest Hits disk I think where he calls the Pope's experience blissful. Is he kidding? Bob Dylan born again, my my. Tell me that hasn't changed the world and not especially for the good either.
Every time there is a visit by the Pope to this country it is major news. Why is that? Now if a great Indian spiritual master dies "there was great controversy" over him/her. Yeah, I get it, liberal politicos don't want to hear about Indian spiritual masters but they are the ones for DIVERSITY.
Gibson's movie on the passion, a silly concept from the Indian point of view, the sacrifice of God's own son to appease God, was derided for Jewish stereotypes the learned liberal community perceived. Frankly, I knew nothing much about Judaism, I just don't believe in the atonement. I believe in the At-One-Ment as Paramahamsa Yogananda put it in his book, Autobiography of the Yogi. But, that was no issue to the politically liberal community. What a schism there is between them and the consciousness movement if they even recognize there is such a movement or such a name of a movement and on and on. More words, more words.
So let the liberal take it to the fundamentals, reincarnation. Quickly, right away. Back to the abc's, huh? No wonder so many people say there is no difference between the Left and the Right.
The press had multiple orgasms over Mel Gibson when he came on the scene, why? Because he looked good. Now they have fallen out of love the outside of Mel, appalled at what they see on the inside. But what do they know about the inside? Not much.
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