Articles by Diana Beechener

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

Paranormal Activity 4

The scariest part of this movie is its lack of creativity

Five years ago, Katie Featherston killed her boyfriend, sister and sister’s family, sparing only her infant nephew Hunter. Katie and Hunter’s whereabouts are still unknown. Since the murders were all caught on tape, you’d think there would be an active investigation, at least a manhunt and a lot of news coverage aimed at finding the woman who brutally murdered three people and absconded with an innocent child. But when a woman and her...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 10/25/12

Argo

A story so crazy it has to be true

A mob is terrifying: throngs of people massing together to chant, brandish firearms and burn effigies, promising violence at every turn. In 1979 Iran, these mobs are becoming a daily occurrence outside the U.S. embassy. Though the danger is palpable, the workers have their orders and try to ignore the daily threats. One day the threats turn to action. A wave of furious Iranians storms the embassy, taking 52 people hostage. Six workers in the only building that has direct...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 10/18/12

Frankenweenie

Not even death can stand up to the power of love and a few thousand volts

Young science prodigy Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan: Blue Bloods) has one friend in the world: his faithful pup Sparky. They spend their days together making movies, hanging out in Victor’s attic workshop and playing ball in the yard. Victor is content, but his parents worry that he doesn’t have any human friends. They want Victor to befriend bipedal creatures, maybe even take up a sport. Their worst fears come true when Sparky is run down by a car and...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 10/11/12

Looper

If you could do it all over again ... would you still try to shoot yourself?

In the year 2072, it’s almost impossible to get rid of a body. Fortunately, time travel has been invented. It’s outlawed, but that doesn’t stop the mob from using it to clean up their kills. Instead of outfitting a victim in cement shoes, they chuck the poor mook into a time machine. Thirty years in the past, a Looper waits in a Kansas field with a blunderbuss and a tarp, ready to shoot, wrap and incinerate whoever shows up. Being a...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 10/4/12

For a Good Time, Call …

Don’t pick up the line unless you’re ready for a raunchy ear-full

Lauren Powell (Lauren Miller, who also co-wrote the screenplay) is living her New York dream: A perfect apartment, a closet full of cute yet conservative clothes, a career in publishing and a dreamy boyfriend. As usually happens in movies like this, Lauren loses it all inside of a week. Except she gets to keep the clothes. Lonely, jobless and in need of a place to stay, Lauren turns to her best friend Jesse (Justin Long: New Girl). Jesse hooks prim Lauren up with her nemesis...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 9/20/12

Robot & Frank

Better living through science

Frank (Frank Langella: Unknown) has lost a few steps over the years. His body aches, his kids never visit and his memory is failing. He occupies himself by walking to the library to hit on the sexy librarian (Susan Sarandon: That’s My Boy) and wandering into a soap store that used to be his favorite diner. His son Hunter (James Marsden: Straw Dogs) is tired of dealing with his cantankerous old man. So he buys dad a healthcare robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard: Green...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener; 9/13/12