Christine Evangelista

Bleed For This Review

Good

This is such a ripping true story that it can't help but grab hold of the audience, even if the film never quite breaks through the surface. A story of tenacious triumph in the face of seemingly impossible odds, it also offers Miles Teller a terrific against-type role as a beefy young boxer who simply won't take no for an answer. And the entire cast is just as surprising, adding textures to a movie that's a bit too straightforward for its own good.

This is the story of Vinny Pazienza (Teller), a young boxer who wins two world championships in two weight classes with the help of his father Angelo (Ciaran Hinds) and his trainer Kevin (Aaron Eckhart). Then at the top of his game, he breaks his neck in a car crash and is told he may never walk again, let alone fight. But Vinny is determined to remain the champ, so he returns to training, even though an injury could leave him permanently disabled. Kevin reluctantly agrees to train him, pushing him up into yet another weight class. And seeing the publicity possibilities, father-and-son promoters (Ted Levine and Jordan Gelber) set up a massive Vegas comeback match.

Writer-director Ben Younger shoots this with a steady authenticity, charging inexorably through the story in a way that echoes Vinny's singleminded determination. Along the way, there are strained relationships, a variety of physical and emotional obstacles, intense boxing matches and, of course, a few emotive training montage sequences. The story is so strong that the film can't help but be engaging and even rousing, even if there are very few shadings along the way. Vinny never seems to doubt himself at all, his family only barely objects to his potentially life-threatening decisions, and his opponents are clearly going down for the count.

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The Intern Review

Good

This is one of those warm, unchallenging comedies that's entertaining to watch even though something about it feels vaguely inane. Basically, nothing about it is even remotely realistic; people never actually do or say these kinds of things. But we kind of wish they did. And as writer-director Nancy Meyers makes a series of pointed observations about the value of age and experience, we can't help but wistfully smile and nod along.

It's set in a picturesque mix of old and new Brooklyn, where pensioner Ben (Robert De Niro) has run out of ways to make his life interesting after his wife of more than 40 years died. He's done the travelling, spent time with his grandson on the opposite side of the country, and now he's applying to be a senior intern at a wildly successful fashion website. He's assigned to work with founder and CEO Jules (Anne Hathaway), an overachiever who prefers to do everything herself while her equally astute husband (Anders Holm) stays home with their adorable daughter (JoJo Kushner). Jules is so busy that she barely notices that both her company and her marriage are slipping out of her grasp, but Ben is sharp as a tack, and gently helps her reset her priorities. Meanwhile, he also finds romance himself with the company's hot masseuse (Rene Russo).

Virtually everything in this movie feels comfortable and easy, with conflicts that aren't actually that difficult to manage and side characters who never steal the spotlight from the stars. The only dark shadow in the film appears when Ben discovers that Jules' husband is having an affair, and her reaction nicely sidesteps the usual way movies approach the issue. Otherwise, the film plays along nicely, never ruffling feathers while constantly pointing out how wise old people are, really. Thankfully, De Niro is so relaxed in the role that he avoids sentimentality, effortlessly mixing the comedy and drama. He sparks some engaging father-daughter-style chemistry with Hathaway, who nicely mixes Jules' tough drive with an underlying yearning to get her life back in balance.

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The Intern - Extended Trailer

Retired and, frankly, bored, 70-year-old Ben Whittaker decides the quiet life is not one he needs right now and instead opts for a career move. He applies as a senior intern for a fashion website following the death of his wife, and despite his age he is taken on by the young company CEO Jules Ostin. It isn't long before Ostin beccomes increasingly reliant on Whittaker as he becomes something of a grandfather figure to her; his old-fashioned charm, positive energy and kind wisdown beguiling her as she struggles under the pressure of managing an ever-growing business. Even the board are suggesting she take on a new manager to take off some of the pressure, so Whittaker is exactly what she needs to boost her self esteem and help her stay on track. She's not the only one with a soft spot for Whittaker; the youth of the rest of the office are being taught a thing or two about relationships of all kinds, as he himself learns about the beauty of the modern world.

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The Intern Trailer

Ben Whittaker is a 70-year-old retiree who has little left in his life to keep him occupied, now that his wife has passed away. He's keen to re-start and take on new job and discovers a vacant position for a senior intern at a fashion website. He gets the job to much surprise from the rest of the company. The site is run by Jules Ostin; a young entrepreneur who's visibly struggling in her role as CEO and feels like she's on the verge of a crisis. Ben becomes an unlikely confidante, boosting her self-esteem with words of wisdom and worldly advice, as she in turn shows him the wonders of modern life and technology. The other young employees are starting to feel that they could take a leaf out of his book too, as the smart and sophisticated Ben proves firmly that there's life in the old dog yet.

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Alter Egos - Trailer Trailer

Fridge is a superhero with powers that are pretty self-explanatory, but he's not the only one. The country is pretty much overrun with crime-fighting caped crusaders; so much so that their government funding has been cut and people are less in support of them - the police even less so. With this huge problem hanging over the heads of Fridge and his best friend C-Thru, they are presented with the mission to earn superheroes respect once again. However, things take a difficult turn in Fridge's life when he discovers that his girlfriend seems to prefer his super alter ego over Brendan, his everyday geeky self, and he decides to break up with her via email. Things get even more complicated when he comes face to face with his arch enemy, Shrink, who killed his parents many years ago.

This hilarious flick gives a new meaning to 'comic' superheroes. It's a wonderful comedy take on the world of heroes and villains that has for so long grasped cinematic and comic book audiences internationally. With deliberately terribly named characters, 'Alter Egos' has been directed and written by the genius that is comic book fan Jordan Galland ('Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead'). It first opened at the Fantasia Film Festival in July and is set for release nationwide on November 20th 2012.

Starring: Kris Lemche, Joey Kern, Brooke Nevin, Danny Masterson, Christine Evangelista, John Ventimiglia, Sean Lennon, Marina Squerciati & Geneva Carr

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The Joneses Trailer

Kate, Steve, Jenn and Mick are The Jones family, they are picture perfect, as is their house and everything else in their lives. Beautiful people living beautiful lives that everyone from neighbours to school friends envy.

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