ROBOCOP  2.8***

 

I went to Robocop (mainly because it was at the Raleigh I-Max) expecting disappointment, but in spite of being at odds with it at the start I found myself caught up in what turned out to be an engaging story.  I liked this film almost as much as the original (1987 with sequels). From the director on down to the actors you can tell they cared about this movie and gave their best. The film aims pretty high and for the most part succeeds.

 

 

Alex Murphy, damaged in an explosion to the point of death, is the ideal candidate for a new initiative to join human sensibilities to computerized and robotic law enforcement hardware. In other words, Murphy still has his mind and emotions to guide his actions. Thus the movie is more of a re-imagining of the original story, rather than a simple remake of basically the same script. Here the focus is on the emotional and psychological stakes as much as on the physical stakes for our lead character. There is more time taken to build a  character that still lives and breathes, which in turn makes for a better-rounded film. The effects of Murphy's transformation on both himself and his wife and son  make for an interesting and less straight forward action flick.

The actors do well their  in their respective rolls.. I liked Joel Kinnaman (who I have only seen in a TV cop show)) as Alex Murphy. He brought a human gravity to the character that works.. Gary Oldman is my personal favorite as a conflicted Dr. Frankenstein type who turns out to be the  heart of the movie.
 Michael Keeton plays with relish  the slimy CEO of Omnicorp Raymond Sellars who will do anything to succeed with his robot worldwide business. Lastly, Samuel Jackson as the Bill-O'Reilly-type far right conservative TV host, Pat Novak, is an ultra-hawkish saber rattler, so much so that you can’t help but chuckle.

This is an honest and loyal remake that will appeal to most action movie fans including the loyal fans of the 1987 Robocop who fell in love with the story precisely for the moralistic themes the remake explores.

The rating is PG-13. . there is plenty of action but the violence is not  sadistic or gory and there is no profanity (imagine that!).

Clark

 

NEBRASKA   3.5***

         Nebraska, is a heartfelt, humorous, offbeat story about family as revealed in a road- movie setting. It's a wonderful little movie about dreams and regrets. It's beautifully shot in black and white. And it's also downright charming. The movie doles out the “feel-good” in small doses but by the end of the film it turns out to be just right. It has been nominated for Oscar’s Best Picture.

As the film begins, retired alcoholic auto mechanic Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) keeps wandering away from his home in Billings, Montana. It seems he's determined to walk to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim a million dollar sweepstakes prize he believes he's won. His family knows better, but Woody is steadfast. Finally, his youngest son, David (SNL-vet Will Forte), agrees to simply drive him there in order to settle the matter once and for all. But Woody is injured shortly after the start of the journey and David decides they should take a detour to Woody's hometown of Hawthorne, Nebraska to allow him to recuperate for a couple of days. Once there, Woody visits his brothers and their families (these scenes are achingly realistic), retraces his past and encounters some old faces; David, meanwhile, gets to know his father in a way he never has before.

Dern gives a brilliantly restrained performance, proving that less-is-more.(He’s been nominated for Oscar’s Best Actor) Forte is perfectly deadpan as the patient, accommodating son, David, who is experiencing a role reversal now that he's the one who must care for his aging parent. And June Squibb is brilliantly funny  and steals every scene she's in as Woody's self-centered, brutally frank wife.(She’s been nominated for Oscar’s Best Supporting Actress) . The all-around marvelous performances from the cast  including several local non-professional actors add an unmistakable authenticity to this slice of Americana

Whether or not Woody is really a prizewinner is a mystery that's not solved until the end. But moviegoers are all surely winners for having made  the trip.

It’s rated “R” for some language but it is a “soft” R … more like PG-13.

Clark