Articles by Diana Beechener

Les Miserables

An epic musical with a few sour notes

Life hasn’t turned out well for Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman: Rise of the Guardians). After stealing bread to feed his nephew and sister, he’s arrested and given 20 years hard labor. Branded a dangerous man, Valjean must wander the countryside looking for work and finding nothing but cruelty. Hardened by the injustices of his life, Valjean is about to give up hope when a kindly priest offers him a second chance. Now a fugitive with a new identity, Valjean has...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 12/27/12

Hyde Park on Hudson

A fantastic concept gone horribly awry, Hyde Park on Hudson tells the story of the first time an English king visited America. It wasn’t a social call. In 1939, England was in grave danger from Nazi Germany and needed help. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Bill Murray: Moonrise Kingdom) invited the king and queen to his New York estate, Hyde Park. This tale of political turmoil and cultural understanding is only the B-plot of Hyde Park on Hudson...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 12/20/12

This Is 40

Getting old isn’t for sissies.

From the outside, Debbie (Leslie Mann: ParaNorman) and Pete (Paul Rudd: The Perks of Being a Wallflower) have it made. A big house, two adorable kids and lots of luxury playthings. But look a little closer and you see the cracks. Debbie is having trouble dealing with her fading youth. Turning 40 years old has made her a neurotic mess. She fights with Pete, worries about their daughters and constantly seeks validation. Pete is head of a record label that...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 12/20/12

Hitchcock

The Master of Suspense would have made a better movie …

Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins: 360) was a great filmmaker with a lot of issues. He ate too much. He was pathetically dependent on his wife, Alma (Helen Mirren: The Door). Though their marriage was devoid of passion, he obsessed over the nubile blondes he directed. And, if Hitchcock is to be believed, he identified fully and had imaginary conversations with serial killer Ed Gein (Michael Wincott: A Lonely Place for Dying). So Norman Bates has company. ...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 12/13/12

Silver Linings Playbook

Thank your lucky stars that your friends and family don’t resemble the people in

Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper: Hit and Run) is going through a rough patch. An undiagnosed manic-depressive most of his life, Pat got his diagnosis when he nearly beat the life out of his cheating wife’s lover. To get beyond this violent outburst, he is remanded to a mental institution. Pat is more interested in getting his wife back — and getting her to lift her restraining order — than getting better. Instead of pills and therapy, Pat decides he needs to...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 12/6/12

The Life of Pi

Like the story of Pi, this movie isn’t about lines of dialog. It’s about the journey.

Do you have faith? For some the question is easy; for others, an epic journey. One writer (Rafe Spall: Prometheus) is in search of true faith and a story to make him believe in God. His search leads him to Pi (Irrfan Khan: The Amazing Spiderman), a middle-aged man who shares a tale of survival and faith that rivals Job. Pi (in flashback Suraj Sharma) grew up at his parents’ zoo in India. He follows religions like other little boys collect Hot Wheels, simultaneously...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 11/29/12

Lincoln

A saintly man makes an uninteresting subject

In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis: Nine) had just been elected to his second term. He enjoyed a wide popularity in spite of the Civil War, which slaughtered American citizens and deeply divided the country. As Lincoln begins, it’s clear the Union will eventually win the war. But there is another problem on the horizon. As states are welcomed back to the fold, lawyers will challenge the legality of the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln knows the...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 11/22/12

Skyfall

Nobody does it betterSkyfall

Fifty years after James Bond ordered his first vodka martini — shaken not stirred — he has become a cultural icon and a bit of a Cold War relic. Donning an impeccable tux, swilling a few drinks, driving too fast in an Aston Martin and having casual sex with every scantily clad woman who catches his eye makes Bond a bit of a dinosaur. The actors may have changed, but the smarmy swinging-sixties vibe has remained. In Skyfall, director Sam Mendes (Away We Go) pays...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 11/15/12

Flight

You’ll need an airsick baggie for this one

When SouthJet Airlines flight 227 falls from the sky, some miraculous maneuvers from the captain save most of the passengers from death. Captain Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington: Safe House) is thrust into the spotlight as the media clamors to learn more about the hero. The National Transportation Safety Board is more interested in finding out what caused the plane to take a nosedive in the middle of a seemingly routine trip. Especially of interest are toxicology reports...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 11/8/12

Cloud Atlas

You can make Hugh Grant old, but you can’t make him Asian

A butterfly flaps its wings in 1849 and starts a revolution in a futuristic Korea. Seven stories traverse time and space, interweaving in an overly simplified metaphor for reincarnation. Such is Cloud Atlas, a bloated, visually stunning, poorly acted and frustrating exercise in filmmaking. The film follows a core group of characters through several lives. The choices they make in each current life affect their next life. They are also bound to meet certain individuals over...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 11/1/12