Pacino’s Charm, Veteran Cast Elevate “Danny Collins”

By their very nature, movies are a manipulative art form and when we buy a ticket to see any film, to a certain extent we put ourselves in the filmmakers’ hands, allowing them to twist, turn and adjust our emotions at their will. Our suspension of disbelief is required and as with anything, each individual has his or her own limits as to just how far this goes. (I’m reminded of a gentleman I once knew who walked out Raiders of the Lost Ark after 30 minutes, because the Nazis had, not in fact, been in Africa during the time the film took place. His loss…) Personally, I have no problem with films featuring superheroes flying through the air, adventures taking place in a galaxy far, far away or a small unit of soldiers sent out to bring back one lone comrade during the worst fighting of WW II. You may find exception to all of these things and, as a result, are able to save much more money than I do.

I also don’t have a problem with a story about an aging rock and roll star who sets out to right some egregious wrongs before his life comes to an end, at least as it’s rendered in Dan Fogelman’s Danny Collins. There are those that will scoff at its sentimentality, roll their eyes at the hokey nature of its plot and there might be a few humbugs who will reach their limit when a precocious, impossibly cute little girl pops up and plays a key role. Any objections they may raise concerning these issues, I couldn’t argue against. Yep, the movie is a bit too cute, it’s not even subtle in the way it pulls at our heartstrings and the girl is a bit too much. And yet…

For a full review, go to: http://www.news-gazette.com/arts-entertainment/local/2015-04-09/chuck-koplinski-suspend-disbelief-collins-makes-it-easy.html

“Alexander” an Effective Reminder of Our Blessings

One of the things that makes Miguel Arteta’s adaptation of Judith Viorst’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day so enjoyable is that it wastes little time obsessing on the unfortunate events that befall its title character, concentrating instead on all of the positives in his life.  This seems like a simple approach, and one that’s certainly borrowed from the book, yet it’s done in such a way that it never comes off as cloying or overstated.  Of course, Alexander doesn’t see it that way. He feels as though his unemployed dad Ben (Steve Carell) and breadwinner mom Kelly (Jennifer Garner) are overly positive, seeing nothing but sunshine and opportunity whenever misfortune occurs whereas he sees doom and despair.

A child’s perspective is one of extremes – their lives are either great or awful, with little variation in between, often vacillating back and forth between these two classifications every ten minutes.  Alexander gently reminds us of this as the title character, never overplayed by Oxenbould, suffers with dignity, which makes the good times he’s blessed with all the more rewarding as we feel he’s earned them. At its core, the film reminds us that ultimately, a loving family is our foundation as they are there to catch us when we fall, always there to provide us something good and safe when everything else goes so horrible wrong. Yeah, it’s a simple message but one worth repeating, reminding us to appreciate that which we so often take for granted.

For a full review, go to: http://illinoistimes.com/blog-14601-%25E2%2580%259Calexander%25E2%2580%259D-an-effective-reminder-of-our-blessings.html