Category: Reviews
“John Carter” is old-school adventure

Bohannon

Bounding into theaters on a wave of hype, Andrew Stanton’s “John Carter” is a rousing adventure tale the likes of which can only come from old-school, sci-fi pulps.

John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is a post-Civil War era confederate cavalryman from Virginia who’s grown tired of war. But when he manages to accidentally transport to Mars – or “barsoom,” as the natives call it – he becomes caught up in an entirely new war.

Almost immediately after arriving on Mars, Carter is taken in by the nomadic green aliens known as the Tharks, led by Tars Tarkus (Willem Dafoe). While hiding out with the Tharks, he finds out about the two warring human cities on Mars, Helium and Zodanga.

He becomes caught up in their war after he saves princess Dejah Thoris of Helium (Lynn Collins). The war weary soldier must face down Tharks, Zodangan warriors, giant white apes and ancient aliens known as the Thern in order to save Mars and return home.

For anyone who thinks that this sounds eerily similar to “Avatar” or other such movies, there’s a reason for that. The original stories that “John Carter” is based on were written almost 100 years ago by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and they’ve helped inspire science fiction ever since.

In true blockbuster fashion, “John Carter” doesn’t offer up a great deal when it comes to truly good dramatic acting, but with all the explosions and fights and special effects, do you really need Oscar-winning performances? That’s not to say that none of the actors do a good job, in fact, most of them do quite well.

Kitsch plays the hero role well, managing to bring some depth to Carter. Mark Strong is perfect as the villainous shape-shifting Thern Matai Shang. Collins brings the fiery princess to life in every scene, whether she’s fighting alongside Carter or getting excited about ancient technology.

The special effects also deserve a little attention. This isn’t the Mars we know it to be – it’s Barsoom, a living planet with vibrant scenery and very real inhabitants. Most of the inhabitants of Barsoom look human enough, but the Tharks help remind us that we aren’t on Earth anymore. Standing 10 feet tall with four arms, green skin and tusks, the Tharks are an imposing presence on the screen. The combat scenes are thrilling and brutal, especially in scenes where Carter gets to show off the extreme strength and jumping ability that Barsoom’s low gravity grants him.

Despite its poor box office showing, “John Carter” is worth a view. If you’re looking for a great adventure flick to watch over spring break, look no further.

 

4 out of 5

Luke Bohannon

 
“The Lorax” is entertaining, enlightening

Bohannon

With an all-star cast of voices, brilliant visuals and a great message, “The Lorax” is an entertaining return to a classic Dr. Seuss tale.

Ted (Zac Efron) is a young boy who’s searching for the one thing – a tree – that will help him win the affections of Audrey (Taylor Swift). But in the town of Thneed-ville, everything is artificial, and all the trees are long gone, or so it seems.

Ted travels outside of the walled city at the suggestion of his Grammy Norma (Betty White) to find the Once-ler (Ed Helms), an old hermit. The Once-ler agrees to tell Ted the story of what happened to the trees if he continues to visit him, which Ted agrees to even after he is confronted by the mayor of Thneed-ville, Mr. O’ Hare (Rob Riggle), who tells him he can’t go outside the city.

Over the course of the visits, Ted learns the story of the Lorax (Danny Devito), a small orange creature who fights to protect the environment. The Once-ler eventually gives Ted the last Truffula tree seed and Ted becomes determined to plant the seed in the middle of town to help remind the people of Thneed-ville about the importance of the environment.

The voice casting for “The Lorax” is perfect, with Devito probably being the most entertaining choice. He provides the voice for the titular Lorax and helps imbue the character with loads of energy and comedy. Riggle does a great job as the antagonistic mayor. But with such a huge cast of big names from the entertainment industry, the movie didn’t really impress me as much as I’d hoped it would’ve.

The musical numbers, while slightly catchy, are mostly forgettable. Perhaps the most disappointing part of the film was the almost total absence of the original lilting rhymes from the book. While it would be difficult and probably weird to have the same style from the original story in a full length movie, I still would’ve appreciated a little bit more of it in the script.

The visuals weren’t exactly stunning, but they did manage to pop off the screen with some vibrancy and quite a bit of color. The stark contrast between the painfully artificial Thneed-ville and the barren wasteland that lay beyond its borders helped to reinforce the underlying message of environmental conservation. This apocalyptic wasteland and the journeys that Ted has in it help to show the strengths of the 3D animation.

When it comes to films about the environment, it’s very easy to start preaching at the audience through the script, but “The Lorax” manages to avoid this pitfall. While the underlying message of Nature v. Business is loud and clear, it’s not presented in an annoying way.

With a worthwhile story, decent humor and vibrant visuals, “The Lorax” is an entertaining family film that won’t disappoint audiences of any age.

 

4 out of 5 reels

Luke Bohannon

 
“Act of Valor” is ultra-realistic thriller

What originally began as a recruitment film has evolved into something more, although, not much more, mind you. Wrapped in patriotism and clichés, “Act of Valor” doesn’t do much to disguise its origins, but the action is good enough that it more than makes up for that.

“Act of Valor” tells the story of a team of Navy Seals – played by actual active duty Navy Seals – who start the movie off by tracking down and rescuing a CIA operative who’s been kidnapped by a shady group of terrorists. A phone found during the rescue leads the group to a terrorist plot to use a new type of undetectable exploding vest to attack America. From there it’s a race against time to find the men in charge of the operation and stop the vests and those determined to use them from reaching the United States.

The main message of this movie seems to be that Seals are awesome. One of the coolest moments of the movie is one that has made its way into most of the trailers as well. One of the Seals snipes a man standing on a dock who then falls onto a pair of hands waiting to draw him underwater in silence. This movie is filled with moments like that, but never do you get the feeling that anything is being exaggerated when it comes to tactics. Aside from a couple of “lucky” moments, including a dud rocket, the whole movie is incredibly realistic in terms of the combat presented and the tactics being used by the soldiers.

But where the Seals bring believable action to the screen, their awkward line readings and stilted dialogue leave a great deal to be desired. That being said, I have to say that I really wasn’t expecting Oscar worthy dialogue for this film. If the filmmakers wanted the dialogue to be perfect, they would have used actors. So while it’s painfully obvious that these Seals haven’t received extensive acting lessons, it can be forgiven, considering that instead of said acting lessons, they were learning the actual combat tactics we see used in the film.

“Act of Valor” is also swimming in clichés. We start off learning that one of the two main characters is a soon-to-be a dad, and, of course, his buddy has to constantly give him crap and tell everyone about it.

Although it started off as an ambitious project, “Act of Valor” comes out as a pretty average action movie with a few interesting aspects. The use of actual Seals adds a little something else to the film, but not enough to boost it beyond the realm of your run of the mill action flick. Military buffs and action fans will love this film, so if you happen to be one of those, check it out.

 

3 of 5 reels

Luke Bohannon

 
“Safe House” is forgettable spy flick

new luke mug RGB“Safe House” is one of those movies that you’ll find in 10 years and think, “Oh hey, I didn’t know those two did a movie together, I should check it out.” Then after watching it, you’ll realize why you’d never heard of it before.

Denzel Washington plays the shadowy and epically named Tobin Frost, a former CIA agent who goes rogue and starts selling secrets. When Frost walks into an American consulate in South Africa, he’s taken to a nearby safe house, which is overseen by Mathew Weston (Ryan Reynolds).

A group of mercenaries attack the safe house, forcing Weston to escape with Frost. What follows is a choppy and predictable romp through South Africa as Weston tries to keep Frost from escaping while also trying to stay alive and prove himself to his superiors.

Like any espionage thriller, “Safe House” has a few twists, but they’re all so very predictable that it takes all the fun out of it. If you’ve seen any spy movie before, you’ve seen “Safe House.” Even Denzel seems to get bored as the movie goes on. When we first meet Frost, he has a mischievous gleam in his eye, but by the end, he just seems bored and tired of the events unfolding.

Frost is one of the more poorly used characters that I’ve seen in a while. When I first saw a preview that showed Denzel playing a rogue CIA agent with a knack for mental manipulation, I immediately started looking forward to it, but by the end of the film, I realized that Frost barely did anything to make us believe that he was as much of a threat as he was supposed to be. Provided, Denzel does a great job with the moments he’s given and gives the character at least a little depth, although we never get the full picture of Tobin Frost.

Reynolds plays the naïve Weston perfectly. All too often we get the character who’s been overlooked by their superiors, and they either end up being hopelessly incompetent or a closet badass. Weston is neither, and it works very well.

While his lack of field experience is obvious, we can also see him prove that he is, in fact, a trained agent with the skills to prove it.

One thing that director Daniel Espinosa does well in this movie is to continually remind the viewer that nobody can be trusted and nobody is safe. From the opening scene where Frost meets with a contact from MI6 who initially sells him the much sought after file which drives the film, each scene is laced with tension as it’s never made perfectly clear who can be trusted.

“Safe House” is nothing all that special, and doesn’t live up to its hype, but it’s worth a  see for fans of the actors.

2 stars

Luke Bohannon

 
“The Woman in Black” is chilling tale of horror

new luke mug RGBTerror and chills abound in James Watkins’ new film, “The Woman in Black.” Classic techniques of horror are used to terrifying effect as we see Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) menaced by the eponymous woman in black.

Stealthy noises in the night, a glimpse of a shadow out of the corner of your eye, toys and rocking chairs that move on their own and flashes of images right in front of your face that will cause you to jump in your seat.

Kipps is a young lawyer who is sent to find documents left behind by the late occupant of Eel Marsh, a decrepit mansion located on a spit of land only reachable by a thin winding road that is so low that it disappears when the tide comes in.

The locals are unwilling to help him in this endeavor and try to force him to leave. However, Kipps cannot fail this job because it is his last chance at the firm by which he is employed, and he has a young son, Joseph (Misha Handley), to support.

But he finds that the house comes with more than just a mountain of old papers. The grounds are haunted by the spirits of a woman shrouded in black and several young children, all of whom do their best to threaten Kipps. He soon discovers the legend of the woman and that she is, in fact, responsible for the deaths of the children in the village, a form of revenge for the loss of her son.

The mansion itself is a triumph of supernatural proportions with its crumbling façade and shadowy corridors. Watkins has helped create a masterful atmosphere for this style of ghost story. The hallways in the mansion are long and end in shadows. The rooms provide countless hiding places for shadowy specters, and each window becomes a portal into horror.

This film’s greatest strength lies in the brilliant sound work. The visuals on their own aren’t all that scary, but the atmosphere generated by the sound of a children’s toy turning on by itself echoing through a huge mansion is palpable. Screams and bangs are used expertly to create tons of “jump” moments throughout the film. Everything from a malfunctioning faucet to a ghostly shriek is used to keep the audience on their toes.

The one issue I had with this movie was Daniel Radcliffe. It’s not that he’s a bad actor, and it’s not even that I can only think of him as being Harry Potter. It’s because he looks and sounds entirely too young to be the father of a four-year-old.

Definitely check out “The Woman in Black” in theaters, where you can get the full experience of the eerie visuals, the horrifying sounds and the supernatural mastery that is Eel Marsh Manor.

4 out of 5 stars

Luke Bohannon

 
“The Grey” is harrowing tale of survival
Bohannon

Bohannon

While we might have some unseasonable warmth around here, “The Grey” brings unrelenting cold to the bigscreen, and I don’t just mean the temperatures.

A group of workers, including Ottoway (Liam Neeson), from a hellish oil pumping station are flying out for leave when their plans are derailed by the untimely and brutal crashing of their plane in the middle of the frozen wastelands of the far north. The survivors of the crash band together, with Ottoway taking charge early due to his experience as a wolf sniper, and try to get back to civilization, only to face cunningly ferocious wolves, harsh temperatures and unforgiving terrain.

Ottoway describes the men who occupy the station as being “unfit for mankind.” But even though these men are apparently the scum of the earth, the ones who manage to survive the horrific crash become likeable characters, if only because we want them to survive against the insurmountable odds they’re facing.

Against the survivors are all the forces of nature, chief among them, the wolves. Whereas Ottoway and his weary band struggle to survive in the frozen no man’s land, the wolves that follow them do just fine. No matter where the group goes, the wolves always seem to be there, howling and snarling from the darkness.

A particularly haunting scene comes during the first night when the wolves appear at the plane’s crash site, their eyes reflecting back the fires of the group’s torches in the night.

Joe Carnahan, director of “A-Team” and “Smokin’ Aces,” manages to give each of these characters their due time and personality in the film. So often in films like this we see a group of victims, names to be scratched off a list with some new grisly death scene dreamt up solely for the shock value. “The Grey” does an excellent job of making us care for each of these men.

While each of the characters does get a measure of depth, Ottoway gets the lion’s share of the attention. Throughout the film we are shown flashes of him and his wife, who he apparently sees every time he goes to sleep. On the brink of suicide before deciding to leave the station for civilization, he realizes he wants to live and see his wife again. We even get a glimpse into his childhood during a poignant campfire scene in which he tells the men about his father who, despite having a rough streak, wrote poetry.

“The Grey” is a cold film, never showing any real mercy to the characters and not cheapening itself with a storybook ending.

4 out of 5

Luke Bohannon

 
“Red Tails” packed with action

George Lucas returns to the big screen with the retelling of the tale of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American pilots during WWII who, despite the heavy racism present in the armed forces at the time, gained fame and glory through their exceptional flying abilities against German pilots.

The film “Red Tails” focuses on four pilots in particular – Marty “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker), Joe “Lightning” Little (David Oyelowo), Samuel “Joker” George (Elijah Kelly) and Ray “Junior” Gannon (Tristan Wilds). Aside from Easy and Lightning, just about every other character in the movie is completely one-dimensional. Most of the dialogue between characters is in quick one-liners spoken into flight masks or incredibly clichéd conversations on the ground.

Where “Red Tails” fails with dialogue, it makes up for with action. Every plane is rendered beautifully on the screen and every dogfight puts you on the edge of your seat. These aren’t clean or simple dogfights either. Each time the pilots hit the skies it’s a fast and dirty fight for survival against the enemy pilots, and we see time and time again how brave and skilled they are.

One thing that detracts from the film is the lack of impact. Major events in the story seem to hold little to no impact for the characters dealing with them. When Junior is forced to bail behind enemy lines and is captured, nobody seems to care. There’s a moment of grief from Easy, but after that it’s as if nothing had happened at all. We see the other pilots walking around in high spirits as though their comrade wasn’t being held captive by the enemy.

Despite a brief conversation with a new pilot about the idea of death, there’s very little in this movie that suggests that these pilots are actually in a war.

One of the more difficult to believe characters was Major Emanuel Stance, played by Cuba Gooding Jr. It’s not to say that he doesn’t do a good job, but he oversells the part like crazy. Rather than placing his ever-present pipe in his mouth, he seems to chomp down on it like he’s taking a big bite out of an apple. He also does this in nearly every single scene that he’s present in. We seem to constantly be catching the Major at the start or at the end of a good smoke.

“Red Tails” is Anthony Hemingway’s first big screen directing credit. For his first time out, Hemingway has done a decent job creating an entertaining, if rather shallow, action flick.

This is a movie definitely worth seeing in theaters, if only to appreciate the stunning visuals and the action-packed story while they’re still larger than life.

Luke Bohannon

San Antonio Spurs v Denver Nuggets

Getty Images March 22, 2006 | Brian Bahr denvernuggetsschedule.org denver nuggets schedule

Getty Images 03-22-2006

DENVER – MARCH 22: Tim Duncan #21 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts after losing the ball to the Denver Nuggets in the second quarter on March 22, 2006 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: USER expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tim Duncan web site denver nuggets schedule

Dateline: Denver, CO, United States

NBA,Denver Nuggets,San Antonio Spurs,National Basketball Association,55994226

?? 2006 Getty Images, Inc.

Brian Bahr

 
‘Contraband’ smuggles in same old merchandise

Stranded in the movie wasteland that is January, ‘Contraband’ manages to be at least slightly entertaining and engaging, if not exactly groundbreaking. Directed by Baltasar Kormakur, star of the Icelandic thriller which ‘Contraband’ is based on, this movie is a relatively thrill-free thriller.

Mark Wahlberg plays Chris Farraday, a former big time smuggler who’s left the lifestyle and settled down with a wife and kids. But when his brother-in-law Andy botches a cocaine delivery, Chris is forced to step back into the game to settle things with Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), Andy’s greasy boss. Farraday sets up a smuggling run to bring back a massive shipment of counterfeit bills from Panama while his friend Sebastian (Ben Foster) protects his family from Briggs.

Farraday and a group of other smugglers sign on to a cargo ship making runs between New Orleans and Panama. The captain of this ship is none other than J.K. Simmons, the dad from ‘Juno’ and J. Jonah Jameson from the ‘Spiderman’ films. He’s possibly the most entertaining performance of the movie, causing trouble for Farraday by trying to catch him in the act. Even though the captain makes a lot of trouble for Farraday and his group, one can’t help but like him.

It’s somewhat difficult to take Briggs seriously as a villain considering that the voice he uses for the role is laughable at best. Luckily, David O’Hara (‘Wanted’) provides at least some menace as a shadowy crime boss. His role in the story isn’t all that well established, but he occasionally shows up, makes threats or offers, and then disappears, taking, at times, an overly thick Scottish accent with him.

Overall the entire movie is slightly ridiculous, stretching the bounds of believability and even its own timetable. Upon arriving in Panama, Wahlberg and his merry band of smugglers only have a short time to get the counterfeit bills and return to the ship before it leaves.

In this “short time” they find the bills, realize they aren’t good, manage to find another supplier – even though nobody knows how to get to his warehouse – and get mixed up in an armored car robbery. Where did they find all the time for this? Probably the same place Briggs found his ridiculous accent.

While there are a number of light-hearted scenes in ‘Contraband,’ it doesn’t hesitate to travel into dark areas as well. Briggs’ attacks Farraday’s wife played by Kate Beckinsale who takes her fair share of physical brutality over the course of the movie.

In the end, the film does the best it can with the tired heist storyline, but it’s nothing all that special.

 
Off the Reel: The Muppets are back and better than ever!
Luke Bohannon

Luke Bohannon

The last few years have seen so many different revival projects for old franchises that it gets easy to just brush them aside and ignore them, but that would be a mistake when it comes to “The Muppets.” Proving that the old crew can be fresh and entertaining even today, the film manages to bring in a healthy dose of nostalgia for older fans and an even bigger dose of comedy for everyone.

The Muppets have been forgotten, and it seems the only people who miss them are Gary (Jason Segel) and his brother Walter (A Muppet). When Gary takes his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) to Los Angeles for their anniversary, he brings Walter along to see the Muppet Studios.

During the tour, Walter manages to overhear a dastardly plot by Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to bulldoze the studio to drill for oil unless the Muppets can raise $10 million to buy it back. Walter and Gary set out to reunite the scattered Muppets to put on one last show to save the studio.

One of the great things about the Muppets formula is that while it may not be the most original, it’s still entertaining. Really, saving the old theater by raising money with a last minute show? It’s been done to death, but with the classic Muppets formula incorporating huge numbers of guest stars, witty laughs and heart-warming moments, it’s easy to forget the unoriginality. Plus it certainly doesn’t hurt that the Muppets themselves are remarkably self-aware and poke fun at their own slightly tired storyline.

While there are plenty of jabs at old school humor, “The Muppets” takes aim at modern entertainment too. The number one show in the universe is called “Punch Teacher” and is hosted by Ken Jeong (The Hangover). The show consists of, well, punching teachers. Even Tex Richman provides a tongue in cheek joke when he brings in his own team of Muppets called the Moopets, who he calls a “hard cynical act for a hard cynical world.”

The film is also chock-full of cameos. From old timers like Mickey Rooney to newer stars like Selena Gomez, “The Muppets” brings in more celebrities than you can shake a stick at. My personal favorite cameo was from Jim Parsons.

All in all, “The Muppets” is a heart-warming movie that’s great for viewers of all ages and perfect for the holiday season, even if it’s not a Christmas movie.

Luke Bohannon

LAKERS’ ROAD TO PLAYOFFS IS PUT OT THE TEST GAME AGAINST NUGGETS IS THE KIND THEY NEED TO WIN TO BECOME READY.(Sports)

Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) April 7, 2006 Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer DENVER – The streak is not just that Phil Jackson’s teams are a perfect 14-for-14 in reaching the playoffs during all his years as an NBA coach. More than that, Jackson never has had a team fail to reach the second round as well.

If these Lakers are to join all the previous Jackson teams, they will have to find a way to win on the road in the first round as one of the Western Conference’s bottom seeds.

With two weeks left in the regular season, the Lakers got their first chance to win the kind of road game they will have to Thursday night against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center.

The Lakers went into the fourth quarter trailing 85-77 as Bryant hit a tough shot in the lane. Bryant scored 15 of his 30 points in the third quarter but the Lakers barely dented the Nuggets’ halftime lead.

Bryant was bidding Thursday to break Elgin Baylor’s franchise record of 40-point games in a season. Baylor had 23 40-point games in the 1962-63 season, a mark Bryant equaled with 43 points Sunday against Houston. site driving test game

The Lakers came into Thursday capable of heading either direction in the standings. A victory would solidify their hold on seventh and give them the chance to entertain thoughts of possibly moving up to sixth and a first-round date against Denver.

Or the Lakers could have slid closer to Sacramento and the eighth spot, likely bringing a first-round series with the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.

The Nuggets lead the NBA in fast-break points and showed the Lakers why in the first quarter. Lamar Odom and Smush Parker each went to the bench with their second fouls and every miss by the Lakers seemingly turned into a dunk or layup atthe other end.

The signature play of the quarter came as Bryant missed a tough jumper over Ruben Patterson only to have Patterson shovel the long rebound over his head with both hands to Carmelo Anthony for a fast-break dunk.

By the time Jackson called timeout with 3:18 left, the Nuggets had a 31-13 lead. The only question was whether Denver would give it all back the same way they did Tuesday in losing a game to the Clippers they led 77-57 at halftime. go to site driving test game

Sure enough, Denver let the Lakers back in the game. The Lakers got as close as 49-47 with two minutes left in the second quarter but went into halftime trailing 58-49.

The final play of the half could not have gone worse as Sasha Vujacic had Kwame Brown open underneath for a pass. The lane also was also open for Vujacic to drive, the option the second-year guard decided to take.

But Vujacic failed to get off a shot before the 24-second clock ran out with 1.4 seconds left in the half. He was steps away from the basket as the horn sounded.

Vujacic and Luke Walton also were part of an ugly turnover late in the third quarter. Jackson yelled for Walton to give the ball to Vuajcic to bring up. Walton did so a step after he crossed midcourt, with Vujacic still standing in the backcourt.

It also was Bryant’s first game against the Nuggets since they acquired Patterson from Portland at the February trade deadline. Bryant had a good line at the morning shootaround about Patterson, the self-proclaimed “Kobe stopper.” “He keeps throwing that bait out there,” Bryant told reporters, “and you guys keep taking it.” ross.siler(at)dailynews.com Ross Siler, (818) 713-3610 CAPTION(S):

photo, box Photo:

Denver’s Greg Buckner, left, Kobe Bryant in the fist quarter.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press Box:

LAKERS at PHOENIX – Ross Siler

 
Off the Reel: “J. Edgar” shines as unrelenting masterpiece
Luke Bohannon

Luke Bohannon

“J. Edgar,” much like the man it’s based upon, is shadowy, enigmatic and infinitely fascinating. The collaboration of Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio led to the creation of a film that is truly a masterpiece in almost every way. Shifting between the personal and public lives of J. Edgar Hoover, Eastwood has created a unique portrait of an individual who was once regarded as one of the most powerful men in America.

Hoover was the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for nearly 50 years, during which he transformed the woefully underpowered agency into an efficient crime-fighting organization.

But the film shows us much more than just Hoover’s public life and career. We are given a view into a fairly sensationalized version of Hoover’s personal life, focusing primarily on his relationships with his long-time secretary and confidant Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) and his closest companion Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). One other relationship highlighted in the film is that between Hoover and his domineering mother, Annie Hoover (Judi Dench).

Hoover’s relationship with each of these people is defined very quickly through subtle cues, brilliant acting and perfect direction. Eastwood must be applauded for balancing Hoover’s very well documented public life and his somewhat murky private life, including the prevalent rumors of Hoover’s homosexuality. All of these aspects are explored through incredibly powerful scenes that showcase the true acting abilities of the cast.

While DiCaprio is the main character and does a truly masterful job, Armie Hammer’s portrayal of Tolson is a somewhat downplayed but undeniably powerful one.

Hammer is possibly best remembered for his dual role of the Vinkelvoss twins in “The Social Network,” and he surpassed himself in every way in this film.

From a young agent in the FBI to an old man suffering from the aftereffects of a stroke, Tolson’s character presents a plethora of challenges for an actor, and Hammer not only overcomes these challenges, but thrives, out-shining DiCaprio in many scenes.

Any great film needs an outstanding cast, a visionary director and an inspired writer. “J. Edgar” definitely has all three, with Dustin Lance Black as the author behind the script. Black’s most prevalent work before this was “Milk” in 2008.

Black, rather than trying to guess at what these people may have been like, has presented the film in a manner which allows for the accepted public image of these individuals to be presented. The majority of the film is told through the ingenious device of Hoover dictating his memoir to several young agents as they write it over the course of several years. While this does lead to a somewhat distorted timeline, jumping between past and present, it never becomes tedious and actually allows for added drama.

There’s a lot that can be said about this film. “J. Edgar” is one of the best, if not the best film of 2011.

Luke Bohannon