Movies

Leonardo DiCaprio takes on yet another larger-than-life historical figure in Clint Eastwood’s new biopic, “J. Edgar.” The film follows the career of the FBI’s first and most infamous director, J. Edgar Hoover, who held his position and influence through several presidents, from 1935 through his death in 1972. He built the agency into an investigative powerhouse, but burned many bridges along the way, surviving largely through the shrewd collection and use of secret files he kept on every powerful person in the country.

In addition to DiCaprio, “J. Edgar” stars Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, and Judi Dench. The film is also full of cameos portraying famous figures from history, including Jeffrey Donovan as Bobby Kennedy, Josh Lucas as Charles Lindbergh, Christopher Shyer as Richard Nixon, and Emily Alyn Lind as Shirley Temple.

Ambitious in scope, with clear Oscar intentions, does “J. Edgar” bring history alive? Is the combination of political intrigue with a forbidden love story a compelling one? Or is the film brought down by its a winding narrative, drab settings, and distracting old-age makeup?

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In the not-too-distant future, the sport of boxing swaps robots in for humans. And a young boy’s junkyard find sees an unlikely rise to stardom, as he reconnects with the father he never had. طريقه لعب الطاوله We admit, the setup for “Real Steel” seemed cliche, and the trailers suggested a potential bomb. لعبة مولي But while our expectations were low, this family-friendly movie easily exceeded them, and gave us something we might even watch again.

“Real Steel” stars Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, and “LOST” alums Evangeline Lilly and Kevin Durand. It also stars a dazzling array of animatronic and computer-generated robots. We didn’t even get to talk about the score by Danny Elfman, which seemed to draw from a million other “sport champ” themes but still do something interesting.

Did you see “Real Steel”? Did we capture why the flick is so charming? Or have our tastes been corrupted by the unavoidable chemical changes that come with parenthood?

This “Movie Monday” brings another double feature, this week highlighting two of Jen’s favorite John Cusack films. Although he’s plays a teenager in one and a directionless twenty-something in the other, Cusack delivers memorable performances in both as men dealing with love and heartbreak.

“Say Anything” was released in 1989, and was written and directed by Cameron Crowe. We meet aspiring kickboxer Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack), who romances valedictorian Diane Court (Ione Skye). This is Jen’s all-time favorite movie (although she’ll tell you it’s “The Godfather Part II” to save face), and one that we both have seen over a hundred times.

Released in 2000, “High Fidelity” is based on the Nick Hornby novel of the same name (published in 1995). Directed by Stephen Frears, who’s only other notable credit is probably “Dangerous Liaisons” two years earlier), the film is a snapshot of a generation… or at least a generation of men. Cusack plays Rob, who gets dumped by yet another girlfriend, and decides to take a trip down memory lane to figure out what’s wrong with him.

The possibilities are endless for John Cusack features, and John Hughes films for that matter. Got a suggestion for a future film pairing? Speak up!

For Movie Monday, we take in an unusual, unforgettable, riveting and sometimes shocking new film from director Nicolas Winding Refn. An unabashed throwback to an earlier time, “Drive” takes you on a one-of-a-kind ride through the darker streets of Los Angeles.

It’s not so much an action film, nor a psychological thriller, nor a heist film nor a western, but a mix of all those things. “Drive” stars Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Albert Brooks, Christina Hendricks, and Oscar Isaac. Gosling carries the film, but Mulligan makes it shine.

Next week, “Moneyball”! If you’ve seen either of these films, we’d love to hear your review.