In my review of The Conspirator, I talked about highlighting hidden gems in theaters that get lost amongst the noise of the big tentpole pictures.  This is the second movie I referred to in that review.

Woody Allen has been making movies for as long as I can remember.  Sadly, though what sticks out in my mind is his personal life.  While I have seen clips and sections of some of his work, I have never sat through an entire movie of his.

Until now…

Midnight in Paris is a simple film that follows a Hollywood writer on vacation in Paris.  He falls in love with the city as he imagines what it was like in the roaring 20s, with Picasso and Hemingway.  His fiancé is not as enamored with Paris as he is and that provides our tension for the story.  As our protagonist explores Paris at night, we follow him as he seemingly steps into the 20s and interacts with those of that time.  Woody Allen does a great job of keeping things very simple, allowing the audience to accept what is shown without challenging the willing suspension of disbelief in each person.  Much like reading a book, we accept the idea of time-travel because it is kept in terms we understand.  After all, it does not matter how we go to the 20s, just that we are simply there.

What helps this movie shine is Allen’s ability to let the images of Paris speak for itself in such a way that it becomes as vital a character to the story as any human cast member.  Speaking of cast, there are some really good performances to be seen.  Owen Wilson, playing down the idiot/buffoon and playing up the pure innocence, turns in one of his best performances.  Rachel McAdams seems to channel part of her Mean Girls character as the fiancé who just doesn’t understand.  Supporting turns by Kathy Bates and Adrien Brody help flesh out a relaxing 90-minute story.

My advice: Pay full price if it is still playing in your area; it is a great date movie, and I think Spaldy would agree with me that this is more of a film than a movie…

One of the joys I have in going to the movies is uncovering those hidden treasures that get obliterated by the major studios’ latest “tentpole” picture.  The Conspirator is one of two such movies I will be highlighting today.

So, one night I was watching Piers Morgan Tonight and he had Robert Redford on to discuss his latest directorial effort, The Conspirator.  The movie is about the trial of Mary Surat for her role in the Lincoln assassination.  Now, I have always had an interest in this subject, so I continued to watch.  As the interview went on, Redford discussed the cast, which included Tom Wilkinson and Kevin Kline.  Now I knew I had to go check this one out.

On Easter Sunday, I found myself driving home from a friend’s family afternoon and decided to see what was playing.  When I saw The Conspirator had snuck in to theaters that weekend, my choice was obvious.  I was not disappointed.

The movie never tries to convince you of Mary Surat’s innocence or guilt – rather it focuses on whether due process can be ignored in times of war.  Now, most people think this is one of Redford’s ways of sticking it to Republicans over Iraq and Afghanistan, but in reality, we, as a nation, faced these same dilemmas during the Civil War.  The main difference is that we did not have 24/7 news channels focused on them.

James McAvoy turns in a solid performance as the war-hero-turned-lawyer who is forced to defend Ms. Surat, despite his belief that she should hang from the nearest tree.  Kevin Kline does a masterful job of showing the conflicting emotions of a man trying to hold a country together as the War Secretary.  Almost unrecognizable, Robin Wright (The Princess Bride) plays the defendant, at times sympathetic and at other times, cold and calculating.

My advice: check it out on-demand or when it hits Blu-ray; sadly, it did not last long in theaters with the onslaught of summer tentpoles…

This has to be one of the toughest reviews I have written in a long time.  I have conflicting emotions about the movie and I was unsure the tone I wanted to take with this review.

All of that said, I have found the Will to battle my Fear and give you the review you are looking for.

To say that I have been looking forward to this movie for a long time is an understatement.  As I mentioned in my Spiderman 3 review, “my three favorite heroes growing up were Batman, Spiderman, and Green Lantern.”  I loved the idea that GL could make anything that he imagined and that everything happened because he simply had enough strength of Will.

I made plans with Ken and Amy to check it out on opening night at the AMC Downtown Disney, utilizing the new Fork and Screen option.  After buying the tickets, I noticed the early reviews pouring in, and they were quite simply, brutal.  The way reviewers were talking, this movie was the bastard child of Elektra and Batman & Robin, with Jonah Hex, Ghost Rider, and the never-released 1994 Fantastic 4 as close relatives.  I spent the rest of the week scouring the web for reviews that had anything positive to say.  Even the ones that were positive were really lukewarm.

I met Ken and Amy at the AMC and we headed in.  The service was not as good as when I had gone on Preview night, but the coupons were good, so it wasn’t all bad.  The trailers were the typical summer releases – no real surprises or treasures to be found.

Green Lantern is a true origin story.  We start with a scene on a distant planet where some unnamed scientists encounter what ends up being the Big Bad of the story – they might as well have been wearing red shirts given the little amount of time it took them to get killed.  We then see some unknown hero attempting to stop the villain and getting mortally wounded.  Meanwhile, we are also introduced to Hal Jordan, cocky flying ace and ladies man.  Ryan Reynolds is decently cast in this role, but is not given enough room to really play up certain traits.

What follows is the tapping of Hal to be the next big hero.  During his “training” (or lack thereof), he experiences alien life and learns how the Green Lantern Corps use the power of Will to overcome the power of Fear.  There are some interesting effects sequences that show you the power of a tiny, green ring.  Then you have Hal’s return to Earth and his eventual public appearance.

The story is a straight-forward one, with no twists to speak of.  It is a shame that Warner Brothers allowed so much to be shown in the trailers – there were no “cool” surprises.  The casting, for the most part was decent.  I liked the choice of Angela Bassett for Amanda Waller – she has the toughness to pull that role off for many movies.  My only real complaint is the use of Blake Lively.  Much like Katie Holmes in Batman Begins, Lively is not a horrible choice, but you are left wishing for so much more.  In talking about this earlier with Spaldy, I realized that someone like Jessica Biehl would have been a better choice.  The role of Carol Ferris must be played by someone that you can believe is a tough pilot, tough business woman, and the object of every man’s dreams.  Lively just does not exude toughness; instead, her toughness comes across as that of a petulant child.

While I can certainly see why this one received negative reviews, I am left with a reminder of the scene in the movie where the GL Corps thinks very little of humans and Hal pleads to show why there is potential.  While most look at this movie and speak of wasted moments, I look at what was accomplished and what could be in future installments.  For those that are complaining, think about this –- we did not have the technology to even attempt this live-action movie 5-10 years ago.  Try not to act like the spoiled children that Blake Lively resembles when she is pouting.

My advice:  Worth matinee/afternoon pricing – see on a big screen and skip the 3D – not worth the extra money and may actually make some of the sequences visually worse.  I was glad to have seen it in 2D.  Make sure to watch the credits…