'Hunger Games' is blockbuster entertainment with substance

In the months leading up to the release of "The Hunger Games," it was positioned as the next huge book to movie sensation in the tradition of "Harry Potter" and "Twilight." A record number of advance tickets were sold and the movie had a massive opening weekend of $153 million. Is it worth all the hoopla?

I can say, with a sigh of relief, that, while the film is drawing the kind of numbers that the "Twilight" series has, this is not another "Twilight." Nor is it another "Harry Potter," at least not the early installments of that series. While "The Hunger Games" is based on the first of a three-part young adult series by Suzanne Collins, this is not a childish story.

"The Hunger Games" is set in a dystopian society in which the affluent and powerful live in the Capitol. Surrounding the Capitol are 12 districts that every year must offer up one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 to 18 to fight in a televised battle to the death. The survivor will be heralded and their district rewarded. This sacrifice is in penance for a years-earlier rebellion. The tradition is supposed to represent the government's mercy and the districts' respect.

The protagonist of the film is Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who volunteers herself as a combatant, or tribute, for the Hunger Games in place of her little sister (Willow Shields), who she was chosen for the competition. Katniss is joined from her district by Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), who proclaims a secret love for her.

As is true with much science fiction, particularly those set in bleak futures, "The Hunger Games" is meant to reflect the issues that plague our society. It is a cautionary parable that may seem extreme, but gives pause as some things ring a bit too true.

We are a culture that has become obsessed with "reality" based TV shows that often take the form of brutal competition. "The Hunger Games" merely takes that obsession to its most logical and deplorable conclusion.

The film has an impeccable creative team behind it. Director and co-writer Gary Ross also wrote and directed "Pleasantville," a very shrewd social satire, and he brings that same eye for critique to the scenes in the Capitol whose inhabitants dress decadently and act haughty.

Co-screenwriter Billy Ray wrote and directed "Breach" and "Shattered Glass" and co-wrote "State of Play." Those were all films with tightly told, detail oriented stories juggling many characters. The same holds true of "The Hunger Games," which tells its story cleanly even when presenting a barrage of characters and ideas. Collins also receives a screenwriting credit, which should be a relief to fans of the book.

The violence in the film falls squarely under the PG-13 rating. There are a few hard visuals — a brick to a head being the worst — but the film doesn't linger on the violence. This is a premise that could've been exploitive, but Ross shows restraint. The film doesn't glamorize or glorify the killings. The characters that are shown as taking sadistic pleasure in killing are portrayed as villains.

Lawrence as Katniss gives an entirely convincing performance that has quiet grace, strength and intensity. She also shows sweetness, compassion and vulnerability in the scenes she shares with a young tribute (Amandla Stenberg) she teams up with.

The book was told through Katniss' first-person narration. The film, wisely, doesn't rely on the crutch of voice-over narration. It is a testament to the power of Lawrence's performance that she doesn't need to say what she's thinking. Her expressive face says everything and we perfectly understand the emotions she is grappling with from scene to scene.

Hutcherson, recently seen in "Journey 2" and more or less giving the same performance, is merely adequate and struggles to hold his own with Lawrence. He is likeable enough, but there just isn't much there with him.

Lawrence and Hutcherson are surrounded by a top-notch supporting cast including Donald Sutherland as the president, Wes Bentley as the game's producer, and Elizabeth Banks as the woman that selects and manages Katniss and Peeta.

Everyone is on top of their game, but the standouts are Stanley Tucci as a flamboyant talk show host, Woody Harrelson as Katniss and Peeta's alcoholic mentor and, most surprising of all, singer Lenny Kravitz as the stylist that helps Katniss and Peeta make an impression before heading into battle.

Outside of Katniss and Peeta, the other tributes are not given much screen time before being killed off. A lack of character development for these other characters is probably the film's only major weakness.

I haven't read the book, but I am sure the other tributes were more fleshed out. It points to the strength of the film that I want to read the book to discover more about these characters and this world.

Comedy spin on '21 Jump Street' surprises

The world wasn't clamouring for a comedy version of "21 Jump Street," the late 1980s drama about cops undercover in high school, but now that it exists, it's a pleasant surprise.

A slimmed down, but not exactly toned Jonah Hill, is teamed up with the muscular Channing Tatum. It is a match up that works unexpectedly well as Tatum reveals comedic abilities that had, until now, not been utilized. In previous films, Tatum has often come across as stiff and dull, so here he is a bit of a revelation. He is funny, charming and has genuine chemistry with Hill.

The film starts with a brief prologue in which we get to see Hill and Tatum in high school. Hill is the teased geek and Tatum the bullying jock. Fast forward several years and the two have become friends at police academy with Tatum helping Hill with the physical stuff and Hill helping Tatum with the mental stuff.

After botching their first arrest by failing to read the Miranda rights, the duo are transferred to 21 Jump Street and sent back to high school to find the source of a new potentially deadly drug. The duo accidentally swap their undercover identities, so the shy Hill is now in drama and on the track team and the dim Tatum is in AP chemistry.

The screenplay by Hill and Michael Bacall is shrewd in its observations of how high school has changed in just a few years. The popular kids are now ecologically and socially aware and a jock like Tatum doesn't automatically float to the top of high school hierarchy. Instead the more geeky Hill becomes top dog.

While the film certainly isn't a realistic reflection of modern high school — jocks are always likely to have a place in the upper crust of the high school social spheres — there seems to be a kernel of truth in the shift of what is seen as cool. Things like comic books, video games and, thanks to "Glee," even chorus have become acceptable in the mainstream. Showing that shift instead of just perpetuating the usual teen movie cliques was a smart move.

The script also has a lot of fun playing around with the conventions of action movies. There are some very big laughs involving audience expectations not being met. Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller spoof over-stylized action films by showing a bicycle chase in action-movie mode juxtaposed to what is really happening.

Lord and Miller, whose previous film was the animated feature "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," have a lively, but not pushy style, particularly when showing the different "stages" the drug takes its users to.

The directors keep things moving at a brisk pace, but also allow for the characters to breathe. The film takes its time to develop a sweet dynamic between Hill and Brie Larson as the head drug dealer's semi-girlfriend. Similarly, the script also allows Tatum to bond with the nerdy outcasts in chemistry.

Hill and Tatum are surrounded by solid supporting players including Rob Riggle, Chris Parnell and, best of all, Ice Cube, as the foul-mouthed captain. Former rapper Ice Cube, who has been doing a lot of kids movies of late, reminds us that he has a very funny way with profane language.

Co-screenwriter Bacall also co-wrote "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World" with Edgar Wright, who co-wrote and directed the cop comedy "Hot Fuzz." "21 Jump Street" is a cruder and more tightly-paced film, but in terms of overall tone and story arc the film is close to "Hot Fuzz."

Both films are not jam packed with action and take the time to develop their characters before exploding into humorously over-the-top action endings. Hill and Tatum's character get to grow. This isn't exactly deep or even subtle stuff, but it is nice to see an attention to characters alongside the crass, goofball humor.

Disney's bloated 'John Carter' doesn't deliver

Disney's latest attempt at kicking off a live-action adventure series that could be its new "Pirates of the Caribbean" is "John Carter," a film following the exploits of a Civil War veteran magically transported to a very different Civil War on Mars.

"John Carter" is a flashy $250 million adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "A Princess of Mars," the first in a series of Mars adventures. Written in the early years of the 20th century, this series was one of the inspirations of "Star Wars" and was hugely influential on the sci-fi genre.

Much like Tarzan, Burroughs' other iconic character, John Carter spends most of the film showing off his rippling muscles. Taylor Kitsch, who plays Carter, has the well toned body, but perhaps should've spent a bit more time work on his acting chops. He is more than able in the action scene, but lacks charisma, depth or chemistry with his love interest, Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins).

For the most part, the film seems faithful to the source material with the introductions of the multiple armed green martians named Tharks and the feuding humanoid martians from the rival cities of Helium and Zodanga. To end the feud, Helium princess Dejah Thoris must marry Sab Than (Dominic West).

This adaptation by director Andrew Stanton and co-writers Mark Andrews and Michael Chabon also adds the Therns, which appeared in the later novels "Warlords of Mars" and "Gods of Mars." Therns present themselves as Gods and hold sway over the races of Mars. Mark Strong, seemingly forever typecast as a villain, is seen throughout the film manipulating the sides supposedly to keep balance.

On the level of story, this is all fine and well, but the execution is clunky and riddled with cliches. The most painful of which is the use of the monologuing villain, in which the bad guy, instead of simply killing the hero when he has the chance, explains his plans in very specific detail. It is a groan-inducing device that makes the scenes following it predictable and dull.

In movies like this we clearly know the final outcome: The hero will save the day and get the girl, so it is how you get there that counts. In "John Carter" that journey is rather pedestrian although there are a few saving graces.

There are some decent action scenes, but there's nothing that really lingers in the mind. John Carter, because of the differences in gravity between Earth and Mars, has super-human strength and the ability to leap really, really far. The scene in which he first discovers this is funny and entertaining. After that though his ability to leap becomes ho-hum.

The acting is also rather bland. Not bad per se, just, again, nothing that sticks in the memory. Collins is the exception. She takes the largely thankless role of a princess and adds at least some flashes of humanity to an underwritten character.

The best character in "John Carter" is Woola, a martian dog who becomes the title character's loyal companion. He is a fantastically rendered computer-generated creature (for that matter all the CG characters are first rate). Woola provides comic relief and is a genuinely fun character in a movie that otherwise takes itself too seriously. It also says something that a computer-generated martian dog with no dialogue has more personality than any other character.

Outside of Woola, the best thing about "John Carter" is a story frame in which the seemingly dead Carter wills his nephew, Edgar Rice Burroughs (Daryl Sabara), his journal chronicling his adventures. These scenes are better handled than anything on Mars and feature a genuinely clever twist.

The problem with the film is that in the century since the John Carter character was created we've had "Star Wars," "Star Trek" and other space adventures that had more style, wit and substance than this adaptation of Burroughs' character has to offer.

Had "John Carter" tightened the slack pacing and added some sharper writing, the film would've been greatly improved. As is, it is an instantly forgettable two-hour distraction.

What makes a movie a favorite?

This week marked the one-year anniversary of “Lost in Movies,” my show on Valley Vision Channel 3 in the Mount Washington Valley of New Hampshire. In honor of the occasion, I led a discussion about favorite movies. This begs the question: What makes a film a favorite rather than just a film that one really likes?

For a film to reach the stature of being a favorite it must speak to the viewer in a way that feels personal. Perhaps the movie states your world view better than you ever could, or maybe a film simply reminds you of what it is like to hang with your friends.

A favorite film doesn’t need to be a good or even a great film. It can just be a movie that when you first saw it made you laugh so hard that now, whenever you feel down, it is the film you watch to lift your spirits. Then there’s always the nostalgia factor associated with films. The films we watched over and over again in our youth tend to stay with us forever.

Often films, like any art, help us figure out who we are. Those films that make that kind of impact become signifiers of a time and place. This is part of the reason we become offended when someone dismisses a film we adore. The film in question is more than just another movie — it is a part of you, so in a way it feels like you are also being dismissed.

As a kid, I primarily watched sci-fi, fantasy and adventure films. The films I watched on loop were “Back to the Future,” “Ghostbusters,” “Indiana Jones,” “The Neverending Story,” Labyrinth,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Star Wars.” These films stirred my imagination.

I used to run around my yard pretending I was in a Delorean traveling through time. My first day of kindergarten was made less scary when I found two kids playing “Ghostbusters” and they let me join them. Sure, they made me be the geeky Egon, but at least I had been accepted. It is these sorts of memories that make a film a lifelong favorite.

In my teen years, I entered my Mel Brooks phase. Things started off with more recent films like “Spaceballs” and “Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” but then that led to exploration of his earlier work. It was also around this time that my love of films started to become more substantial and I started making deeper connections and observations.

As I watched more Brooks films, I noticed a drop off in quality. I’ll always cherish “Men in Tights” and “Spaceballs,” but they pale in comparison to “Young Frankenstein” and “Blazing Saddles.” Brooks stumbled upon a film parody formula that worked for him and he continued to repeat it, but with less originality each time. This became my first assessment of a director's body of work and every time I watch Brooks it is a reminder of why I love to analyze film.

In college, my love of Brooks led me to harder stuff: Woody Allen. Allen’s earlier films such as “Take the Money and Run,” “Bananas” and “Sleeper” were in the broader tone of Brooks’ films, so it was a natural transition from one filmmaker to another. The difference is that Allen grew out of his slapstick era and I was able to grow with him.

Allen’s more mature comedies such as “Annie Hall,” “Manhattan” and “Hannah and Her Sisters” explored relationships, faith and art in ways that were smart, funny and sophisticated. These films made me laugh, think and feel. While I’m certainly not a neurotic Jew from New York, I could relate to many of the plights of Allen’s characters.

With films like “Annie Hall,” Allen basically created the modern romantic comedy. Without Allen, we wouldn’t have films like “When Harry Met Sally,” basically any Hugh Grant movie, or TV shows like “Friends” or “Seinfeld.” I’ve always had a love for romantic comedies, so much so that I was branded by a family friend as only liking “light and fluffy” films. In a way, that all ties back to Allen.

As I look back on my favorite films, it is clear how they each helped shape who I am today. I highly doubt I’d have become the quirky, goofy, analytical guy I am today if it wasn’t for the likes of people like Brooks and Allen, Cameron Crowe, John Hughes, Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith. So, thanks guys. We should hang out soon.

A goofy 'journey' worth taking

The weekend of the Academy Awards ceremony honoring the best of 2011, I saw “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.” This time next year, “Journey 2” will not be winning any awards nor will it be appearing on any best of 2012 lists, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a fun time at the movies.

“Journey 2” is a loose sequel to 2008’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” The only returning character is Josh Hutcherson, who played Brendan Fraser’s nephew in the first film. Fraser is now out and Dwayne Johnson and Michael Caine are now in as Hutcherson’s stepdad and grandfather, respectively. That’s a pretty substantial upgrade.

Hutherson’s Sean gets a coded message from his grandfather that includes the coordinates for Jules Verne’s “Mysterious Island.” Johnson’s Hank, wanting to bond with the sullen Sean, agrees to take him to the coordinates.

To get there they get a helicopter ride from a bumbling pilot (Luis Guzman) and his gorgeous daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), who is, conveniently enough, age appropriate for Sean. They crash on the island, find grandpa and then search for a way off the island as it begins sinking.

The film goes on the premise that everything Verne wrote is true, so therefore the obvious way off the island is Captain Nemo’s Nautilus. Part of the film’s charm is how gleefully preposterous it is. This means when the Nautilus' battery is dead the natural answer is a jump start from an electric eel.

In keeping with that fanciful tone, it turns out the island also was the basis for “Treasure Island” and “Gulliver’s Travels.” This is an interesting idea that doesn’t get explored enough, but we do get Lilliputian elephants, which could replace ponies as what all little girls want.

In addition to tiny elephants, there are giant bees, which our heroes ride while being chased by giant birds. This includes a game of chicken that concludes in an absurd laugh-out-loud moment.

Logically, if there are giant bees, there are also giant lizards. This leads to the line: “Lizards, why did it have it be lizards,” a nod to “Indiana Jones,” the zenith of adventure films. “Journey 2,” while it pays homage to that series, doesn’t attempt to match it. It is content being bright, silly and teaching a lesson or two.

Johnson and Caine are immensely likable actors and their charms make the sometimes clunky, barbed banter actually work. Hutcherson and Hudgens are just fine, but aren’t required to do much more than inevitably fall in love. Guzman is funny, but is a bit too cartoonishly hammy and a few times comes across as trying too hard.

There are two reasons to see this film though: Johnson’s pec pop of love and Johnson playing ukulele and singing “It’s a Wonderful World,” which is honestly quite good. Seriously.

'The Artist' is a charming tribute to the silent era

“The Artist,” the odds on favorite to win best picture at this year’s Academy Awards, is a tough sell to mainstream audiences. Not only is it black and white, but it is also a largely silent film and many modern moviegoers assume that such a film would be boring. Those who are hesitant, though, should take the leap because “The Artist” is an engaging, accessible and charming film.


Set during the late 1920s into the early 1930s, “The Artist” marks the transition from silent film to talkies. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), like many silent actors of the time, goes from being a huge star to unemployed once talkies gain popularity. In his place, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), an actress he helped get her first job, rises to fame. George struggles with his pride as Peppy offers to help him.

Of course, silent films aren’t truly silent as they have music. What they lack is spoken dialogue and realistic sound effects. This means that silent actors had to be very expressive and that the film score was even more important in getting across a sense of tone and mood. “The Artist” has an excellent score by Ludovic Bource that alternates from light-hearted whimsy to wistful melancholy. The score even quotes Bernard Hermann’s score for “Vertigo” to interesting effect.


Dujardin is an actor who seems like he was born in the wrong era. He seamlessly fits into the silent film format. He makes George part Charlie Chaplin, part Douglas Fairbanks and part Gene Kelly. With a broad smile and expressive face, he is effortlessly charismatic. He is paired with an adorable dog named Uggie who, excuse the cliche, will melt hearts.


Dujardin is an actor who seems like he was born in the wrong era. He seamlessly fits into the silent film format. He makes George part Charlie Chaplin, part Douglas Fairbanks and part Gene Kelly. With a broad smile and expressive face, he is effortlessly charismatic. He is paired with an adorable dog named Uggie who, excuse the cliche, will melt hearts.

Bejo, who like Dujardin has a bright smile and the ability to say everything with just a look, also seems made for silent film. John Goodman, who plays a movie studio head, is clearly relishing the opportunity to be broadly expressive. He has a great moment when he begrudgingly concedes to one of Peppy’s wishes.


“The Artist” does an excellent job of emulating the style of the silent film era, but some critics of the film have claimed that you’d be better off watching the classic work of Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and others.


It is true that “The Artist” doesn’t best classic silent film, but it is a good entry point. Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius is also using the silent film format to comment on silent film in a way that the originals could not.


There is a dream sequence in which Dujardin’s George can’t speak, but suddenly the world around him does have sound. It is brilliant allegory for the transition from silent to sound movies. Many actors could no longer work because they had terrible speaking voices. Ironically talkies silenced them.


“The Artist” also gets to add more modern acting techniques to the silent format. While the actors do perform broadly in many cases, there also moments of quiet introspection that seem to be more a reflection of today’s acting styles. It is fascinating to see the two acting styles working so well next to each other.


One of the other joys of “The Artist” is a dance sequence that recalls the work of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Modern dance scenes are highly edited, but Hazanavicius shoots his dance number like they used to: one long take with the actors in full frame so you can see their every move uninterpreted. Dujardin and Bejo aren’t flawless dancers, but it is a wonderful sequence because, like the rest of the film, it is a reminder of a time not quite forgotten.

Taking a look at this year's Best Picture nominees

The 84th annual Academy Awards, air next Sunday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. on ABC, so let’s take a rundown of the nominees.

Two years ago the Academy upped the limit of films nominated in the best picture category from five to 10 to allow for a better mix of art films with more popular films. This year they changed the rule so that the final list can be between five to 10. The Academy made this change to assure that the final list didn’t have unworthy films padding out the list to 10. This year the complicated process in which votes are counted only deemed nine films worthy.

The new process seems strange because surely in any given year there are at least 10 great films. Film critics across the nation come up with such lists every year and none of which have needless space fillers.

Surely, there was a 10th film that could’ve filled out the list. At the very least the final “Harry Potter” film should have been there if only as the culmination of one of the most consistently solid film series in film history.

Of the films there were nominated, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” is definitely the odd duck. The film is neither particularly popular with audiences or critics. On the review-gathering website Rotten Tomatoes, only 45 percent of critics gave it a positive review. So, how did it make the cut?

Studios save the films they feel can get Oscar nominations until the end of the year. Academy voters are notorious for having short memories. This is why most of the films nominated are from the last few months of the year.

“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” is a patented Oscar bait movie. It has big stars and even bigger emotions. The Academy loves a good, or even a bad, weepie. The film is about a child dealing with the death of his father in the 9/11 attacks and an adventure centered around what is perceived as a final clue from the father.

This is essentially the same plot as Martin Scorese’s “Hugo” albeit that film is set in France in the 1930s. Both films are nominated for best picture, but Scorese’s film, which is full of wonder, magic, humor and heart, only points out of the deficits of “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.”

Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life” is the sort of dense drama that the Academy is known for honoring, but, it is also the weirdest film on the list. It is a film made as art rather than entertainment and it is beautiful to behold, often moving and thought provoking, and one of the more impenetrable films in recent years.

Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse” is the kind of melodramatic epic that the Academy loves. The film follows a horse as it trades hands and sides during World War I. It is a well crafted anti-war film that is very good at hitting emotional buttons.

Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” is a whimsical, intelligent fantasy about a writer (Owen Wilson) who magically gets transported to Paris in the 1920s every midnight. The film becomes an exploration of how nostalgia has a way of blinding us to the good things right in front of us. It is not only of Allen’s best and funniest films in recent years, but of his whole career.

“The Artist,” the odds on favorite to win best picture, is a black and white (largely) silent film set during the 1920s and 1930s. A silent film made today is a tough sell and some have complained that it is a good emulation of the silent film era, but that you’re better off just watching classic silent films. Even so it is charming and sweet film powered by the immensely likable Jean Dujardin.

“The Help” is a crowd favorite exploring the civil artist movement through the maids that worked in Southern homes. It is an imperfect film, but it hits all its emotional bases with big laughs and big tears. It is an excellent showcase for some great actresses and it is likely to pick up some acting awards.

“Moneyball” stars Brad Pitt as the general manager of the Oakland A’s who, with the guidance of a young economist (Jonah Hill), buys a team based on statistics rather than traditional scouting techniques. On the surface, it is a movie about baseball, but, even if you know little about the game, it is still an engrossing, well acted drama with elements of light comedy.

“The Descendants” stars George Clooney as a father of two daughters simultaneously dealing with the imminent death of his wife and the knowledge that she was cheating on him. Co-writer/director Alexander Payne finds surprising moments of humor and emotional truth and in a film that feels honest and genuine.

M&D wins big at N.H. Theatre Awards

It was a good night for M&D Productions last Saturday at the 10th annual N.H. Theatre Awards at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, N.H. The company took home three awards and placed in the top three in four other categories.

For community theater, M&D’s “Talley’s Folly” won best set designer (Deborah Jasien), best director (Richard Russo) and best actor (Ken Martin as Matt Friedman).

When reading the finalist for best actor, the presenter joked, “Wow, that’s a lot of lines Ken, good for you.” Indeed it was a lot of lines. “Talley’s Folly” is a two-person romantic comedy/drama, in which Martin had the lion’s share of the dialogue. The show opens with Martin delivering a lengthy monologue directly to the audience.

Back in June I wrote this of Martin’s performance: “Challenged with an accent that could potentially sink his whole performance, Martin overcomes this would-be shortcoming and gives a solid performance. He makes Matt awkward, a bit goofy, but completely sincere and lovable.”

Jasien, who consistently does extraordinary work with the limited space at Your Theatre, really outdid herself for “Talley’s Folly.” In my review of the show I wrote: “The boathouse is yet another astounding bit of set design by Deborah Jasien.

The stage is entirely transformed complete with vegetation and flora. The authenticity of the set makes it easy to disappear into this story for 90 minutes.”

The N.H. Theatre Awards aren’t decided by votes, but rather an adjudication process with representatives for each company scoring the other companies. Each show will be scored in various categories by numerous adjudicators. The highest average score is the show that wins the award.

Through this process making it top three is also an honor. “Talley’s Folly” was top three for best actress (Heather Hamilton as Sally Talley), best production, best lighting designer (Mark DeLancey) and best sound designer (Ken Martin).

On the professional side of things, the Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company didn’t take any awards away, but left a mark on the ceremony. The company placed in the top three with “Hairspray” in the categories of best choreographer (Nataniel Shaw), best actress (Amber Coartney as Tracy) and best actor (Richard Sabellico as Edna).

As for the ceremony itself, it was a bloated affair clocking in at four hours. Most of that run time was padded with scenes from some of the shows up for awards. The quality of scenes ranged for shrill so-called comedy with M&M Productions’ “The Good Doctor” to a well performed bad idea with the Majestic Theatre’s “Frankenstein: A New Musical” to joyful, buoyant entertainment with the Peacock Players’ “Dinosaurs: The Musical” and the Community Players of Concord’s “The Drowsy Chaperon.”

Even with the over length of the evening, it is a worthy night that showcases how much amazing theater talent New Hampshire has to offer.

'Descendants' rings true

“The Descendants” is up for five Academy Awards this year including best picture and best actor for George Clooney. Is it really that good? I’d say yes, but this is a film that is dividing audiences.

I’ve heard several anecdotes of people coming out of this movie underwhelmed or even saying it was awful. Not everyone needs to love a certain film. There is no right answer in what makes a film, or any piece of art, good or bad, but, I can’t help but wonder what it was that turned people off from a film that I found to be so funny, honest, moving and genuine.

The answer could lie in what a person’s expectations are when they go to see a film. For some, watching a film is meant to be pure escapism and they don’t want reality reflected back at them.

“The Descendants” is a film that feels real from the way characters interact to their emotions. It is an entertaining film that includes moments with the power to move as well as some big laughs. This is a film that may hit too close too home for some viewers and this may be what causes a disconnect from the picture.

Set in Hawaii, the film centers on Clooney’s Matt King, a distant, but loving husband and father of two daughters, dealing with a wife in a coma who will die if taken off life support. He now must inform friends and family about his wife’s inevitable death, but that’s not all that is on his plate.

Matt’s eldest daughter Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) informs him that his wife was cheating on him. This creates deeply mixed emotions in both father and daughter. They are both grieving the loss, but at the same time are full of anger toward her.

Father and daughter set out to find the man (Matthew Lillard) that was seeing their wife/mother. Along for the ride is Sid (Nick Krause), Alexandra’s boyfriend. She wants him there for moral support. At first he seems like nothing more than a dimwitted punk, but as the film progresses it becomes clear why Alexandra wants him there.

Oh, but there’s more. The title refers to Matt and his many cousins being the descendants of former Hawaiian kings. It is up to Matt to decide what to do with the last bit of land still entrusted to them.

This may seem like an overly busy plot or fodder for a harried screwball comedy, but director and co-writer Alexander Payne finds a delicate balance. Life can be like this. Tragedy can strike at the most inconvenient times and you must deal with it all.

As was true with his other films “Election,” “Sideways” and “About Schmidt,” Payne has a way of writing dialogue that feels authentic. His characters are intelligent and well spoken, but don’t speak in forced movie dialogue. The story never becomes schmaltzy, trite or overly manipulative.

As a director he gets performances that are grounded in real emotion. With material like this it could be easy to have big, over-the-top performance. That isn’t the case here. The performances are balanced, controlled and well measured.

Clooney gives a quiet, subtle performance. Some may unjustly hold Clooney’s looks against him as if a man in Matt’s position couldn’t look like Clooney. The performance speaks for itself, though. There are several moments in the film that simply focus on Clooney's face and he says more in silence than he could with a whole monologue. He captures Matt’s emotional turmoil and struggle to connect with his daughters

Woodley, who stars in the TV show “The Secret Life of the American Teen,” brings depth that her TV work never even hinted at. Like Clooney she must juggle complex shifting emotions of hurt and anger and she handles it gracefully.

The rest of the cast is also superb. Amara Miller, in her first acting job, as the youngest daughter holds her own with Clooney and Woodley and gives a believable and complete performance. Lillard, who is known for goofy comic performances, gives a surprisingly effective dramatic turn. Judy Greer, Robert Forrester and Beau Bridges do solid work as Lillard's wife, a grandfather and cousin respectively.

This may seem like a downer of a movie, but it isn’t. There is sadness in this story to be true, but it also finds laughs that are never exploitative. It may not be for everyone, but for those who get on its wavelength, it is a film that is warm, tender, funny and thoughtful.

Great acting brings Mamet's words to life in 'Glengarry'

Following an award-winning 2007 production of “Glengarry Glen Ross,” M&D Productions is taking another crack at David Mamet’s play with the same director, Dennis O’Neil, and largely the same cast.

“The reason we want to do it again is because we want to do it at our [Your Theatre] space,” Mark DeLancey, the executive director of M&D, said. Their 2007 production was done at the less intimate stage at the Eastern Slope Inn Playhouse.

This new production, which opens Feb. 9 and is running Thursday through Saturday for the next three weeks, takes advantage of the intimacy of the theater to help create the claustrophobic atmosphere of Mamet’s look at the dark side of real estate salesmen.

The new production also adds the opening scene that Mamet wrote for the 1992 film that wasn’t in the original play. This scene, the film’s most famous and oft-referenced, featured Alec Baldwin as a big shot brought in by the unseen owners of the shady real estate office to motivate the salesmen. He presents them with a cruel sales contest, the losers of which are rewarded with a pink slip.

In writing the screen version of the play it was as if Mamet saw a way to improve his own show. It is a heck of an opening scene that helps clarify everything that follows. It ups the stakes for the characters and gives the reason for their desperation. Director O’Neil takes on the Baldwin role himself and delivers the iconic monologue with vigor.

Mamet’s dialogue is laden with profanity, but it is also very sharp and observant of human nature, particularly the way men interact. He writes the way everyone wishes they could speak. Those clever things you think of saying hours after a conversation, Mamet has his characters think of in the moment.

The characters of “Glengarry Glen Ross” are more akin to con artists than real estate agents. They present the land they sell as the American dream, but the land is rotten and so is the dream. The way Ricky Roma (Kevin O’Neil) manipulates a possible client (Dan Phelps) is slimy and deplorable and yet, at the same time, you see the tremendous pressure put on these men as personified by the character Shelly Levene (Ken Martin).

Levene, a former hot-shot salesman, hasn’t had a sale in months and holds onto past glories to justify his existence. In the first scene following the prologue he desperately begs office manager John Williamson (Tom O’Reilly) for some good leads. Martin does fine work portraying a man who is barely holding onto his dignity.

The structure of the show is interesting, too. The first act is broken up into three separate scenes each with two men interacting. Each scene is forcefully driven by one of the actors, with the other taking a reactive role.

This give-and-take dynamic is most amusing in the scene between Scott Katrycz as the loud- mouth schemer Dave Moss and Andrew Brosnan as the mousy George Aaronow. Aaronow can barely get a word in, but Moss keeps saying “You’re right!” more or less to his own statements. The scene takes an unexpected dark turn that Katrycz and Brosnan play nicely.

The second act of the show shifts to an office setting and becomes an ensemble piece that pays off on everything set up in the previous one-on-one scenes. There’s very often two or three conversations going on at once and the dense overlapping dialogue is performed with precision by the entire cast.

Set designer Deborah Jasien, once again, creates not one, but two, impressive sets. Act one has a rotating Chinese restaurant set that spins around between scenes to reveal the next pair of actors. When the curtain comes up for act two, the restaurant is gone and an entirely believable office set is in its place.

Since director O’Neil and his cast are returning to this material, it is clear they’re very comfortable with it. There are complex shifts in tones going on here, but the show always feels focused and well paced. It is testament to the caliber of Mamet’s writing that suspense is created through dialogue alone. These actors match that writing and create characters that we both detest and empathize with at the same time.

For more information or tickets call the box office at 662-7591.

'The Grey' is more than Liam Neeson vs. wolves

“The Grey” is being advertised as Liam Neeson versus killer wolves, which does a disservice to the film. This is a intense, emotional journey of a group of men trying to survive in the harsh Alaskan wilderness.

The film opens with Neeson’s Ottway writing a letter to his wife who for reasons unknown has left him. Knowing anything about Neeson’s personal life adds extra weight to this scene. Neeson’s wife Natasha Richardson died in 2009.

You can hear the genuine pain in Neeson’s voice discussing his fictional wife. Images of the character’s wife haunt him throughout the movie building to a heartbreaking revelation that makes you wonder if the wife aspect of the script was the reason Neeson took the role in the first place.

The film centers on a group of seven roughneck oil-rig workers who survive a horrific plane crash, but are left in dire weather conditions and with ticked off wolves after them.

This premise of wolves actively hunting humans stretches credibility, but if you are able to look past that, the film is handled in a way that is thoughtful and, within the context of the film, believable.

Co-written and directed by Joe Carnahan, who made the bombastic “Smoking Aces” and “A Team,” “The Grey” has a measured pace that allows for character development. The film isn’t essentially character study of men and what it truly means to be a man.

The film was shot in British Columbia and the actors very often seem to battling against real snow storms. The authenticity of these scenes in the wilderness helps create tension. There are tautly suspenseful scenes, particularly one involving how the men will cross a ravine.

Those expecting a lot of action are going to be disappointed. The film is more interested in quiet moments rather than big action scenes. There are surprisingly philosophical conversations on faith and fear.

We don’t learn much about these characters' back stories. “The Grey” is in a long-standing tradition of movies about men. Much like a lot of war movies, the characters each represent an archetype: There’s the family man (Dermot Mulroney), the obnoxious loud mouth (Joe Anderson), the tough guy who is more bark than bite (Frank Grillo), the smart, rational guy (Dallas Roberts) and, of course, the reluctant leader (Neeson).

In “The Grey,” the group dynamic is also meant to run parallel with the wolf pack that is tracking and killing them for intruding on their territory. Neeson’s character is the alpha of the group. His authority is challenged by Grillo, who is very easily put in his place.

Each actor gets a moment or two to stand out. Mulroney has a touching monologue about his daughter. Outside of Neeson, Grillo has the most interesting character. For the most of the movie he a detestable jerk, but he slowly begins to redeem himself until finally you find yourself surprised by how much you actually care about him.

Then there is Neeson, who as he approaches his 60th birthday, has reinvented himself as the thinking man’s action star. Neeson does tortured hero better than just about anyone. His low, soothing voice can easily burst in a booming snarl that would make even the most vicious wolf cower.

Don’t be fooled by the trailers. “The Grey” is a well crafted, intelligent piece of filmmaking. Those anticipating brutal man on wolf battles will be greatly letdown. This is an emotionally draining film, but one worth watching.

Student artist profile: Erinn Reville finds her voice

Erinn Reville, a senior at Kennett High School, is the daughter of singer Holly Reville and sister of theater regular Shannon Reville. She has appeared in Arts in Motion’s “Disco Inferno” and “Guys and Dolls.” She will be joining Rafe Matregrano as the opening act for The Mild Revolution at The Starving Artist in Keene March 2. For more information visit thestarvingartistcollective.com and themildrevolution.tumblr.com.

You grew up in a musical household, what was that like?

Well, as a child, I’ve always liked to sleep a lot and my mother would always wake me up in the morning with music and so I sort of grew accustomed to that at a young age of always being around music. She was in a band, so I was around that a lot as well and that kind of formed how I am today with how I perform I think.

When did you first start singing?

I sang ever since I was a baby actually. I used to go in the shower with my mom and just sing notes. I was kind of shy with it when I was younger. Then I just blossomed and didn’t mind other people listening to me.

What was your first public performance?

Well, I guess in a play, “Guys and Dolls” and I was in “Disco Inferno.” In those I just sang along with others who had done plays a lot more and that opened me up a little more. My first time just singing alone was in “Guys and Dolls.” I had a solo part, which was interesting to sing.

Having an older sister that also performs, did you feel any pressure following in her footsteps?

Sometimes it was like that because everyone was like “Oh, Shannon is such a great singer. Shannon performers and she does so well.” I wanted to be like her, but then I realized that we are two different people. We both flourish in what we do and like to do what we do in different categories, so I think I came to terms with the fact that we are different in the things that we do. We just complement each other for what we do.

How long have you been performing with Rafe?

I’ve known Rafe since I was in seventh grade. I always looked up to him. He always brought around a guitar. We were friends, but we really didn’t sing together. Over the past probably year or two we’ve been getting together to sing a little bit, but it has been a lot more just this year getting together and performing. We write our songs together, too. That’s nice. Stay up all night.

How did this performance at Keene come about?

Over the summer I started working at Pac Sun and I met a friend of mine, John Remmetter, and he went to Kingswood. He introduced me to this band that he knows personally, which is The Mild Revolution. I did a cover of one of their songs with Rafe not knowing if they'd see it or not. The lead singer, Morgan Little, contacted me and we’ve been in contact now for a few months and he was like “Hey, I want you guys to come open for us. Just come down and we’ll make sure you get a 45 minute set.” So, Rafe and I are just pumping songs out just making sure we have enough to perform with.

Would that be a mix of originals and covers or is it all originals?

We are trying to hope for more originals than covers. We don’t want to just be that band that shows up and just plays other people’s songs. We will play one or two covers, ones that we like to make our own, like really unique, nothing that just sounds the same because we want everything to sound like us.

What would you say your influences are in terms of music and songwriting styles?

We really like The Civil Wars. They have that sound that we are going for of more like folky, airy, but at the same time dramatic, so I’d say that one is a pretty big influence. The Deer Hunter, we have been doing a lot of covers of those lately, which has really helped as a lot with our song writing at least because we have this little image going on.

What are your plans after high school?

I still want to perform, but I want to be a surgeon some day, so keeping everything that is performance-wise on the side, but keeping the dream in mind as well. That’s my goal in the end, but I am always going to have time to sing and if something comes up that way, matters well go for that, too.

Do you have any final thoughts of why you perform and what it brings to you and your life?

Performing for me is something that is almost indescribable in the fact that I just get to let out so much and express myself in a way that could be interpreted differently from other people like some people might take a lyric that I sing as something that is sad, while another person will be like “Wow, that is really inspirational.” That’s kind of what I go for. I don’t want just one meaning to a song or I don’t want just one meaning to what I say on the stage. It is how I feel and it doesn’t really matter who is watching either because I know that in the end I am making myself happy by doing it.

'Haywire' is slick, sophisticated low-budget action film

“Haywire,” director Steve Soderbergh’s low-budget answer to the “Mission: Impossible” and “Bourne” movies is more visceral and at the same time more methodical and deliberately paced than any other recent action movie.

Soderbergh is a chameleon-like filmmaker who seems like he wants to try everything at least once. This is his crack at a fight film, but he brings a certain degree of sophistication, intelligence and even grace to the proceedings.

The film starts in the middle and rewinds via flashback until it catches up with itself. As the movie opens a woman named Mallory (Gina Carano) is meeting a man (Channing Tatum) in a diner. As they start talking the audience is a bit lost, and just as we start to get the picture a fight breaks out.

This is not your ordinary movie fight. The punches are hard and brutal. Soderbergh doesn’t have the cool jazzy score by David Holmes that appears elsewhere in the movie on this or any of the other film’s numerous fight scenes. He wants you to hear every punch and kick.

Unlike other recent action movies, the fight isn’t shot in close up and full of quick edits. The compositions of the shots allow you to clearly see what happens and to realize that the fight appears to be the real deal.

The authenticity of the fighting can be partially credited to the film’s lead, Carano, a former mixed martial artist, in her first starring role. Soderbergh wanted the fights to be as real as possible. Casting an actual fighter was clearly the way to achieve that.

Accuracy is important to Soderbergh. This is the same filmmaker who when he made “The Good German,” a tribute to a 1940s film noir, he used only equipment available in the 1940s. When he directed “The Girlfriend Experience,” a movie about a high-end call girl, he cast a real porn star. These sort of gimmicks don’t always pay off in great cinema, but he’s an assured-enough filmmaker that the final products are at the very least interesting.

The casting of Carano paid off. She is a strong, beautiful woman who has a commanding screen presence. Her acting abilities are still up to debate. She isn’t bad by any means, but her emotional range is limited. She has a directness that is effective, though. Occasionally her reading of dialogue is flat, but she has an expressive face that is well utilized in quiet moments.

As the film progresses, it is revealed that Mallory is a former black-ops soldier who works for a company on various contracts from rescue missions to hits. She is very good at her job, but for convoluted reasons her boss and former lover (a slimy Ewan McGregor) decides to have her killed. This doesn’t go as planned and Mallory seeks revenge on all those involved.

That’s it in terms of plot, but that’s OK as the plot is just an excuse to have Carano go up against various male combatants including rising star Michael Fassbender.

Soderbergh, who has directed everything from the “Ocean’s” movies to “Traffic” to “Erin Brockovich” to last year’s “Contagion,” is a director who actors want to work with so this means even small roles are filled by the likes of Bill Paxton, Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas. There’s a reason actors want to work with him: He gets quality work out of them and makes them look good.

The film is about 90 minutes, but takes it time. It allows for leisurely paced interactions between characters that are punctuated by bursts of unexpected violence. There’s also a sly sense of humor to the film, especially during a car chase in the woods, the final confrontation with McGregor and in the concluding moment of the movie with Banderas.

“Haywire” isn’t going to please action fans who have grown accustomed to the frantic editing of recent action films, but is a slick well-acted piece of entertainment.

What's so dangerous about SOPA?

Wednesday saw websites like Wikipedia doing black outs in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA). Petitions have been circulating for months. It would seem the negative of backlash may have made an impact.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who co-sponsored PIPA, was the first to officially withdraw his support of the act calling for more discussion before new copyright legislation is introduced. Others followed suit including Senators Orrin Hatch, of Utah, Kelly Ayotte, of New Hampshire, Roy Blunt, of Missouri, John Boozman, of Arkansas, and Mark Kirk, of Illinois.

Lamar Smith, the Texas representative who first introduced SOPA, isn’t budging though. According to a forbes.com article, he promises to reintroduce the bill to the House for discussion in February, so at the very least SOPA isn’t going anywhere.

While discussion of both these acts, which many fear could ruin the Internet as we know it, have been going on for months, for some this may have been the first they’ve heard of them. So. what’s so bad about them? Certainly stopping online piracy isn’t a bad thing, right? In theory it isn’t a bad idea, but how do you even define what qualifies as piracy? The legislation, in its original form, was written in a vague enough way that it could potentially be used to put a muzzle on many websites.

SOPA’s main targets are overseas sites like The Pirate Bay, which is a treasure chest of illegal downloads of movies and TV shows. U.S. copyright laws holds no jurisdiction internationally. SOPA would blacklist pirate sites by requiring U.S. search engines, advertising networks and other providers to withhold their services.

According to a CNN Money article, sites like YouTube are worried that they would be forced to more closely police their content to avoid running afoul of the new rules.

An article on CNET.com features the Recording Industry Association of America explaining that SOPA could be used to deny “access to only the illegal part of the site” that is found to be questionable. Many fear this could lead to sites like YouTube being targeted.

The same CNET.com article quotes Laurence Tribe, a high-profile Harvard law professor, as saying SOPA is unconstitutional because, if enacted, “an entire Web site containing tens of thousands of pages could be targeted if only a single page were accused of infringement.”

The implications of both acts stretch further than YouTube, but let’s continue to use that site as our example. It is true, a lot of videos on YouTube are blatant re-postings of copyrighted material and it is understandable why the copyright holders would want to stop this, but there are concerns that SOPA would be throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

There’s a good deal of content on YouTube that uses copyrighted material in interesting and creative ways. A popular trend for the last few years has been movie trailer mash up, which will take the audio from one film and match it with another. The better ones are done with a real sense of wit and skill. A recent example of this combines the new “Dark Knight Rises” trailer with “The Lion King” with striking results. If the fears about SOPA are true, the act could potentially put an end to content like this.

Use of copyrighted material in this way falls under fair use which allows for some of the content of a work to be used in a parody. Copyrighted material also falls under fair use in criticism and scholarly work. Using part of a song or video is comparable to quoting a literary work.

I personally encounter fair use issues on YouTube often when posting videos that feature clips of movies I am reviewing. Even though the video falls under fair use, it is flagged. Nothing usually happens and the video still stays up, but with SOPA it could be potentially taken down. Supporters of SOPA say that this is too extreme a reading of the law, but those against it don’t want to even head down a path that could lead to censorship.

The loss or crippling of a site like YouTube would be huge. While for many YouTube is just a 24/7 version of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” it is also a valuable platform for aspiring filmmakers, animators, actors, musicians and other artists to share their work and opinions. Silencing any part of it would be a tremendous loss.

Fourth 'mission' is great fun

Four movies into a franchise fatigue tends to set in along with diminishing returns financially. With “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol,” producer and star Tom Cruise truly has done the impossible: He has made a film that may just be the best in the series and that in four weeks has already made nearly $470 million worldwide.

Based on the popular TV series from the 1960s and 1970s, the “Mission: Impossible” films are episodic in nature and that may be the key in helping keeping the series strong 15 years in. Similar to the James Bond movies, each new film is another installment in a series that follows a formula.

The first film, directed by Brian DePalma, captured the dynamic of the show with a focus on a team working together to complete a mission. The second film, directed by John Woo, lost the team dynamic with the film becoming about Cruise single-handedly saving the world. With the third film things got a bit more on track with the teamwork aspect working its way back in, and now with “Ghost Protocol” it is once again front and center.

The new film has Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and his team, including Simon Pegg’s Benji, returning from the third film, Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt and Paula Patton’s Jane Carter, being framed for an attack on the Kremlin. This attack is a cover up to stealing a nuclear device and it is up to this now disavowed team to stop the weapon from being used.

In the past audiences and critics have complained that the plots for the “Mission: Impossible” films, particularly the first one, were needlessly over complicated. Things are straightforward here: Stop nuclear war.

As has been true of all these films, there’s at least one mind-boggling sequence — and “Ghost Protocol” has one heck of a set piece. To complete a key part of the mission, Ethan must scale part of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. Cruise really is out there climbing up, running along and swinging from the building. It is a masterful bit of suspense. It may be a cliche to say this, but in this case it is a 100 percent true, the scene truly has you squirming on the edge of your seat.

The success of this sequence and the film on the whole goes to director Brad Bird, making his live action directing debut after having previously directed the animated features “Iron Giant,” The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.”

“Iron Giant” and “The Incredibles” both had a retro feel to them with robotics, rockets and heroics that emulated the future as people imagined it in the 1950s and 1960s. There’s some of that in “Ghost Protocol.” Knowing Bird’s work, when a rocket is launched it is hard not to think of “The Incredibles.”

The action sequences aren’t cartoony, but there’s a whimsical logic to them that is similar to the sort you see in animated features. Everything that occurs seems plausible, but there’s a certain elegance to the design of action scenes that seems to point to Bird’s time in animation.

Cruise, who in recent years has had his star power questioned following his antics in the public, still makes a viable hero and, in a way, being a bit older enhances the role. In the first film he was brash and cocky, now he’s the veteran of the team with some deep emotional scars. The performance works.

Pegg, the reliable British star of such films as “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz,” provides the film with some levity. Typically a comic relief role can feel gimmicky and forced, but Pegg’s light, dry touch works well here. Pegg’s Benji is new to being a field agent after being an office worker and his excitement is charming and funny.

Renner, the Oscar nominated actor from “The Hurt Locker” and “The Town,” brings some acting heft to the film. The role isn’t completely fleshed out, but Renner is required to play both dramatic and comic moments and does them well. There’s a secret about Brandt’s past that connects to Ethan, and this is the emotional crux of the film.

Patton is the least familiar face in the film, but she is solid as the obligatory female member of the team. As is so often the case with female members of spy teams, she is required to seduce a man (Indian star Anil Kapoor in a very funny cameo). It isn’t much of a role, but it is a relief that she isn’t required to merely fall in love with Cruise.

“Ghost Protocol” is an excellent example of well-crafted, intelligent, popcorn entertainment and, against the odds, is well worth checking out.

Spielberg goes old school with 'War Horse'

In “War Horse,” director Steven Spielberg takes a relatively short children’s book by Michael Morpurgo and expands it into a rousing epic two-and-a-half-hour-long movie. It is an example of majestic film making as only few living filmmakers can do.

Set during World War I, “War Horse,” which was already turned into a successful play in London, is about a boy and his horse and the war that separated them.

The boy is Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine) and the the horse is the spirited Joey, who was bought by Albert’s father (Peter Mullan) as a work horse. The film spends a good amount of time in the Narracott farmstead. This is a film that takes its time.

Spielberg is making an old-fashioned film in the style of someone like John Ford. The English countryside of the early scenes bring to mind Ford’s “The Quiet Man.”

Large portions of the film almost play like a silent film only relying on visuals and the music to get across the emotions.The score is sweeping and huge. The visuals have an equally large scope with the camera slowly moving along the beautiful landscapes.

A standout sequence in this early part of the film is Albert and Joey's triumphant plowing of a rocky field during a rain storm.

Albert is the lead human character of the story, but Joey the horse is really the star. Irvine, in his first film, as Albert is solid enough. He’s earnest and sincere and not much more, but that is all the role calls of him. It is Joey’s journey that is the compelling one and it is an extraordinary one.

After Joey is sold into the cavalry he goes for the hands of British captain (Tom Hiddleston), pulling a German ambulance, the adopted hands of a French grandfather and granddaughter (Niels Arestrup and Celine Buckens), back to German hands to pull artillery and eventually back to the British army.

Even though there are war sequences, this is not a film that chooses sides. If there is a villain it is war in general, not the specific combatants. There are no good guys or bad guys. This is best shown in a scene in which a British soldier and German solider work to save Joey from being entangled in barbed wire.

Like Much of Spielberg’s work, “War Horse” plays on a big emotional scale. This isn’t a subtle movie. There aren’t so much characters as types. In lesser hands this would be an issue, but not with Spielberg.

The script by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis is at times hokey or too sincere, but Spielberg is such a strong filmmaker that even in the moments in which you know you’re being manipulated it is hard to not succumb to the emotions at hand. This is a weepy, for sure, with both tears of sadness and joy.

The caliber of the performance also helps sell the more forced moments. Emily Watson as Albert’s mother gives a performance of quiet grace. It is the familiar stubborn, sassy, but loving mother archetype, but she instills the character with real warmth.

Hiddleston, who was so good as Loki in last summer’s “Thor,” also makes a lasting impression as the British captain who promises to take care of Joey. It is small role, but Hiddleston is an actor with tremendous screen presence and likability.

Arestrup is wonderful as the French grandfather. It is a performance full of tenderness and humor.

The film plays almost exclusively on an emotional level rather than intellectual one and is effective in how direct and open it is. The movie is made in a way that is easily accessible and digestible. This is mainstream film making of the highest order.

Paul Allen is hooked on 'Peter Pan'

For Paul Allen, getting to play the role of Captain Hook is a dream that, thanks to Arts in Motion Theater Company, has come true.

“I've loved the mythos of Peter Pan from a young age,” Allen said “My favorite movie of all time is ‘Hook’ and, as a kid, I watched it so much that I wore out my VHS copy.”

Arts in Motion’s production of “Peter Pan: The Musical” opens Friday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center at Fryeburg Academy in Fryeburg, Maine and is playing again at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Jan. 7 and at 7 p.m. Jan. 13, 20 and 21.

The production, which was originally scheduled to be put on in November, has been a long gestating labor of love.

“The rehearsal process has been crazy,” Allen said. “We have a humongous cast, which is something I have never experienced before. ‘Peter Pan’ is a monumental show, and it has been kind of daunting at times. That being said, [director] Glenn [Noble] is so sure of his vision, and believes in us and this material so much that it's hard not to believe in it as well.”

Musical director Mary Bastoni-Rebmann also notes that the production, despite some hardships, has been a positive experience.

“Despite some setbacks, the cast has been dedicated and a joy to watch,” Bastoni-Rebmann said. “The cast is made up of 65 community children and adults and they seem to have thoroughly enjoyed being lost boys, Indians and pirates. It is great to see the local children become so involved in this process and project.”

The lead roles are played by adults with Allen playing across from two different Peters, Natasha Repass and Taylor Hill, who trade off playing the role between performances.

“The adult leads have done a great job embracing their characters,” Bastoni-Rebmann.

Allen has enjoyed playing against Hill for the second time, having previously worked with her on Arts in Motion’s production of “Rent.”

“Taylor and I have great stage chemistry,” Allen said. “We found that out when playing opposite of each other in ‘Rent.’ It has been weird going from lovers to sworn enemies, but it's a fun change of pace.”

But Allen has been equally pleased working with Repass as well.

“Natasha is great,” Allen said. “She's so passionate about the role of Peter, and you can definitely see that in her performance.”

Of his own performance, Allen is harder on himself because he wants to live up to the expectations of a character he loves so much.

“It's so iconic that I'm rough on myself at times,” Allen said. “I'm trying to live up to all the actors who have played him before and live up to the signature Captain Hook that is in everyone's mind. It's a real balancing act between disgustingly evil and effeminately funny.”

Tickets are $12 or $40 for a family four pack and may be purchased online at www.fryeburgacademy.org, at the door or reserved by calling the box office at (207) 935-9232. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Looking back at film trends in 2011

In the past I’ve compiled lists of my favorite movies of a given year. This year I’ve decided to document certain positive film trends in 2011.

The thinking man’s sci-fi film
When most people hear science fiction they probably think of space battles, post-apocalyptic worlds or, perhaps, giant robots beating the crap out of each other, but good science fiction can be used to explore big ideas.

“Source Code” starred Jake Gyllenhaal as a military man who, through the marvels of modern technology, is sent into the last eight minutes of another man's life. This other man is on a train that is bombed, and it is up to Gyllenhaal to find the bomber in hopes of preventing a larger scale attack. “Source Code” plays like a condensed version of “Groundhog Day” with a mad bomber. The focus isn’t the bomber though, but Gyllenhaal’s conversations with Michelle Monaghan as a fellow passenger on the train.

“The Adjustment Bureau” was a high-concept romantic thriller about a politician (Matt Damon), who meets a dancer (Emily Blunt) and has an instant connection. The problem is the men of the titular bureau serve a higher power and Damon and Blunt being together is not part of the plan. Based on a story by Philip K. Dick, whose work has been the basis for such films as “Blade Runner” and “Minority Report,” the film explores fate versus free will in a way that is accessible. It also helps that Damon and Blunt have palpable screen chemistry.

“In Time” uses its sci-fi premise, a future in which time literally is money, as an allegory for current economic woes. In writer/director Andrew Niccol’s world all people have been genetically altered to not age past 25. The catch is you are given only one more year to live beyond 25. The rich can live forever. The poor die young. “In Time,” like “Source Code” and “Adjustment Bureau” has a romantic element to it with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried teaming up for some “Bonnie and Clyde” meets Robin Hood adventures. It is handled in a way that is clever and thought provoking.

The return of the romantic comedy
In recent years the romantic comedy has been a dire wasteland with films like “The Ugly Truth” requiring their female leads to be shrill, uptight control freaks. All romantic comedies have the same ending. It is how you get there that counts and that journey, of late, had been painful. It was a relief that 2011 marked a return of romantic comedies with intelligence and wit.

Much was written about “No Strings Attached” and “Friends with Benefits” being the same movie — friends who decide to have sex — but both films were well made and funny. “No Strings Attached” featured solid performance from Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher and a fine supporting performance by Kevin Kline as Kutcher’s father. “Friends with Benefits” was the better of the two, though, with the cute couple of Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis surrounded by an excellent supporting cast including Patricia Clarkson, Woody Harrelson, Jenny Elfman and Richard Jenkins. The writing was a bit sharper and the characters felt more like real people with real problems.

“Crazy Stupid Love” was an ensemble film with humor and heart. Steve Carell is dumped by his wife Julianne Moore and gets a makeover by a womanizing playboy (Ryan Gosling) who takes pity on him. Gosling then meets Emma Stone and realizes he wants more than just flings. Carell and Gosling’s dynamic is the best thing about this film. Stone continues to reveal herself to be a shrewd comic actor able to also handle dramatic scenes.

Even Woody Allen returned to the romantic comedy genre with the wonderfully fanciful “Midnight in Paris.” Owen Wilson stars as a writer who idealizes Paris in the 1920s and magically gets whisked back there every midnight to hobnob with the likes of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Somehow the signature Allen dialogue coming from Wilson's typically laid back performance makes both familiar personas feel fresh.

Sequels and remakes that surprise
Every year we are bombarded with a seemingly endless parade of sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes. This year had its fair share of rubbish ones, but there was also a high quota of such films that were actually rather good.

“Rise of the Planet of Apes,” a prequel that showed how the intelligent apes that Charlton Heston first encountered back in 1968 came to be, proved to be surprisingly engaging. Andy Serkis, the man behind Gollum in “Lord of the Rings,” gives another superb motion-capture performance as Caesar, the ape that will lead the revolution. The heart of the film is the relationship between Caesar and his surrogate father played by James Franco. It is a long time before ape revolt breaks loose and the film earns that final action sequence.

Horror remakes are often particularly barren land, but “Fright Night” and “The Thing,” which was half prequel/half remake, were made with clear affection for their originals. “Fright Night” in fact may actually be an improvement over the charming but cheesy 1980s original. Colin Farrell gives a truly menacing performance as the vampire next door and there’s a nice tongue-in-cheek tone. “The Thing” doesn’t surpass the 1982 version, but it does honor it. The film is aided by a strong performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

“The Muppets” proved to be the triumphant return of everyone's favorite felt friends. Co-written by human star Jason Segel and featuring fantastic songs by Flight of the Conchord's Bret McKenzie, the film captured the essence and magic of Jim Henson's creations.

“Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol,” the fourth in a franchise many counted as down and out, may well be the best of the series, or at the very least matches the first. The masterful set piece of the film features Tom Cruise climbing Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

“X-Men: First Class” took the flat-lining “X-Men” franchise and brought it back to life by going back to the beginning. The strong cast led by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as the future Professor X and Magneto, a smart script and assured direction by Michael Vaughn made this high energy fun. If only all sequels, remakes and reboots could be made with this level of care.

Summer of the superhero
The superhero movie has become a mainstay of the summer movie season and this held true for 2011. In addition to “X-Men,” “Thor,” “Captain America” and “The Green Lantern” all graced the silver screen. With the exception of “Green Lantern,” which was still watchable, these were all examples of high quality big-budget entertainment. These movies had style, atmosphere and substance. Looking ahead to 2012, the summer of superheroes will continue with “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “The Avengers” which unites Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor and Captain America.

Laughs, tears and song: A look back at 2011's theater scene

As 2011 comes to close it is clear that a vibrant theater scene continues to thrive in North Conway, N.H. North Conway’s two community theater companies, Arts in Motions and M&D Productions, and one professional company, Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company, put on a wide range of comedies, dramas and musicals over the course of the last 12 months. Here are highlights for each of the companies’ seasons.

Arts in Motion
Arts in Motion started the year off with “The Fantasticks,” a light, frothy entertainment that was a showcase for its, mostly, young cast including Matt Stoker, Rafe Matregrano and Emilie Jensen. Jensen in particularly left a lasting impression thanks to assured comic timing and powerhouse vocals. In the show's best number “Round and Round,” through clever choreography that was performed with precision, it appeared as if Matregrano was controlling Jensen's movements like a puppeteer.

Matregrano later appeared in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” reprising the role of Jesus Christ, which he previously played in M&D’s “Godspell.” The role allowed Matregrano to show off his impressive vocal range, but he wasn’t the only one in the cast that made an impact. Paul Allen in the relatively small but crucial role of Pontius Pilate had a powerful voice matched by commanding stage presence. Holly Reville brought warmth and compassion to Mary Magdalene. She had a pure, clear and beautiful voice. Matregrano, Allen and Reville didn’t merely sing the songs, but put genuine conviction, passion and turmoil into them.

Kennett High School teamed with Arts in Motion for “Guys and Dolls,” a production whose rehearsal schedule didn’t mesh with Mother Nature’s schedule. Canceled rehearsals led to a stressful but rewarding run up to opening night. The principal leads of the show, Taylor Hill, Hannah Paven, Philip Mathieu and Kevin Ahearn, had roles that allowed them to stretch and play against their usual types. “It was a completely different role from things I've done in the past,” Hill said. “Sarah is really conservative. I'm not really used to playing a conservative role, so I guess that was challenge in itself.”

Arts in Motions’ best show of the year was “The Miracle Worker,” the moving and inspiring story of Helen Keller, a deaf and blind girl, who, thanks to the love, support and perseverance of her live-in tutor, Anne Sullivan, overcomes her handicap in a time when no one thought it was possible. Limited by a clunky first act that is a flaw of the show rather than the production, director Barbara Spoffard and the actors found the heart and soul of this true story. Julie Lanoie was a solid Sullivan and found the delicate balance between self-assuredness and a fear of failure. The power of the scenes in the second act in which Lanoie worked one on one with Megan Perrin as Helen was undeniable.

M&D Productions
M&D Productions had a busy year with nine productions. The year’s strongest for M&D was “The Diary of Anne Frank,” an emotionally draining production that was a moving tribute to all those who died during the Holocaust. Under the direction of Dennis O'Neil, all the actors gave performances that nearly a year later still linger. Jessica Biggio was quite the revelation as Anne Frank. At 14, she showed skills well beyond her years and handled the role with grace and poise. Richard Russo as the patriarch of the family had a final monologue that was profoundly moving.

A close second for raw power was “Misery’s Child,” an adaptation of Stephen King’s “Misery,” the story of an author held captive by his self-proclaimed number one fan after a nearly fatal car accident. This is just a two-person cast, but the caliber of the performances and direction by Ken Martin made the production an engrossing and unrelentingly tense experience. Once again Russo, this time as author Paul Sheldon, gave a subtle, quiet, restrained and precisely timed performance. Janette Kondrat as his nurse/captor Annie Wilkes gave a surprising performance unlike anything she had done previously. The way she turned in a moment from sunny and nearly childlike to angry, spiteful and violent was deeply disturbing.

The provocative musical “Spring Awakening” was another high point of the year that had the company bringing in a few professional actors. It is a testament to the level of talent of our local “amateurs” that the cast blended together seamlessly. The pros didn’t come down to a lesser level, everyone comes up to their level ability. Of those locals, the best of the cast was Molly Paven, who had strong vocal and acting range.

A reliable talent throughout the season was Eric Jordan, a consummate scene stealer of the highest order. His work as the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” was a highlight of that production. It was a wonderful physical performance that took its toll on the actor, but that was worth it. In “The Odd Couple: The Female Version” Jordan along with Doug Collomy, completely re-energize the second act as the hilarious Costazuela brothers. Jordan even showed off low-key romantic charm as the only male cast member of “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress.”

Another constant throughout the year was set designer Deborah Jasien who consistently created astounding sets in the limited space at Your Theatre. In addition to her work for M&D, she did set designing for Arts in Motions’ “The Miracle Worker.”

Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company
The Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company returned for its 41st season of professional summer musical theater and put on five shows and added a sixth show, “Barefoot in the Park,” in the fall. “Barefoot in the Park,” a Neil Simon play, marked a departure for the company which has traditionally stuck with musical theater. Real-life couple Grant and Liz Golson, regulars with the Mount Washington Valley Theatre Company, returned for this special fall production to play newlyweds who have their love put to the test when moving into a small New York apartment. Grant Golson proved himself to be an excellent physical comedian and Liz brought a bright smile and bubbly and likable personality.

The Golsons had already proven their worth earlier in the season. Grant Golson had the title role in “Sweeney Todd,” the season’s best production. It is a darkly satiric, musically complex tragedy of revenge that isn’t easy to perform, but the ensemble pulls it off. Director Andrew Glant-Linden and set designer Daniel Thobias developed their own unique staging of the production. The show opens at an insane asylum with the inmates forming a chorus that sets up the show. As the show begins proper, the padded cell walls of the set are pushed and pulled to transform into 19th-century London and the inmates become the characters of the play. It was a fascinating choice that added a subtext that all of London was mad. At the center of the show was Grant Golson, who was in fine form vocally.

Liz Golson had a memorable performance in “A Chorus Line,” a show with the simple plot of potential dancers auditioning for a director (the mostly disembodied voice of Grant Golson). She gets the show’s biggest laughs as Val, who on the bawdy “Dance Ten; Looks Three” explains how she got plastic surgery to make her body match her dance abilities. It is a hilarious number and Liz Golson brings it across exceptionally well. “A Chorus Line” is an ensemble show, though, and as such there were other highlights in the cast including Jack Haynie, who gave an exposed, vulnerable and moving monologue about his character growing up and struggling with his homosexuality and finding himself as a dancer in a drag show.

The season also featured old favorites “Annie” and “Damn Yankees” that were well mounted and remained fun, but overly familiar. The bright and buoyant energy of the youthful “Hairspray” was a welcomed variation that provided breezy fun.