Movies
Most Recently Answered Questions
Questions 1 - 15 of 52 (Page 1 of 3)Submitted by Elizabeth from Charlotte
Q:Do you know when and where "Milk" will be showing in Charlotte?
A: "Where," no. I hear the Manor is angling for an exclusive run, but that may not happen. "When" looks like Dec. 12, according to my Focus Features rep.
Submitted by Scott from Indian Train, NC
Q:Lawrence, Was Quarantine not screened for critics?
A: Not here in Charlotte, that's for sure. And not screened for critics anywhere in America, as far as I know.
Submitted by Brandon from Charlotte, NC
Q:What is your honest opinion of Michael Gambon's portrayal of Professor Dumbledore? Personally, I do not like him at all. His Dumbledore compared to Richard Harris' portrayal in the first two movies are polar opposites, and Harris hit it perfectly. I read an interview not too long ago where he admitted that he hadn't read the books, and he uses his own acting style instead of adapting to a character's portrayal.
A: To me, Gambon's Dumbledore seems too detached and unconcerned about the possibility that Voldermort will triumph. I suspect his matter-of-factness is a conscious effort to be different from Harris, to re-do the character so he doesn't seem to be copying a dead actor. The problem is, Harris was so right-on in the part that this kind of intentional swerve away from his style doesn't work.
Submitted by Nicki Taylor from Matthews, NC
Q:What is your honest opinion about the movies 'Swing Vote' and 'Mamma Mia'?
A: Either you're not reading my reviews, or you ARE reading my reviews and think I'm not giving my honest opinions in them. Trust me, I'm far too unimportant a critic for anyone to buy off!
Submitted by Sandi from Charlotte, NC
Q:I was unaware of the $5 movie ticket price until last night, when I went to a movie at Concord Mills with some friends who live in that area - what a pleasant surprise! I wish more theaters in Charlotte would do that as Concord Mills is a little far for me. Any suggestions on how to encourage this practice with more Charlotte movie chains? Thanks!
A: Afraid not. I ran a column last month telling readers about the AMC deal, and Regal (which owns the bulk of the theaters in this area) subsequently informed me it has no plans to follow suit.
Submitted by steve lehmann from charlotte
Q:I remember reading recently in The Observer about some movie chain offering $5 movies during the week in Charlotte. I've checked the movie ads and don't see it mentioned. I don't remember if you wrote this but do you know which theater is doing this? i'd definitely go see a movie during the week at this price! thanks.
A: The AMC chain -- Carolina Pavilion, Northlake and Concord Mills, in the Charlotte area -- was still doing this Mondays through Thursdays for all shows, as far as I know.
Submitted by Jimmy Dean from Rock Hill, SC
Q:Lawrence: I wholeheartedly agree with your opening statement in "The Dark Knight"s review. Any word on upcoming projects from either Pixar or Christopher Nolan? Thanks.
A: See the answer to the question right after yours....
Submitted by Christopher from Fayetteville, NC
Q:What's the next project due from Disney/Pixar Studios? I can't get over how much I've liked every film they have released. I agree with the first sentence of your 'Dark Knight' review (as well as the rest of it), and Pixar and Nolan HAVE really been the only two filmmakers consistently putting out stellar films. What's Nolan's next film, too, by the way?
A: Unknown for Nolan. He has said at different times that he doesn't want to do a third Batman movie and that he'd hate to see someone else in the director's chair, so who can say? He usually takes a couple of years to finish a project -- "The Prestige" came out right after "Batman Begins," but he'd gotten the idea before "Batman" -- so he's in limbo. John Lasseter has his imprint on two movies, Pixar's long-gestating "Toy Story 3" (with voice crew intact) and "The Princess and the Frog," Disney's first movie aimed at young audiences with a black heroine.
Submitted by Eric from Conover, NC
Q:Don't get me wrong- I am a superhero movie fanatic, who counts "Superman" and "Batman Begins" among his 10 favorites. But even I suffered a bit of comic book fatigue this summer what with "Superhero Movie", "Iron Man", "Incredible Hulk", "Hellboy 2", "Hancock", and "The Dark Knight" all hitting within weeks of each other. Do you think this rapid fire release schedule will create an American audience that just wants to see more and more of these, or is there a saturation point where the general audience says "Not again" to even worthwhile comic book films. And fess up: did YOU get tired of the genre this summer, if not the films themselves?
A: I got tired of the genre years ago, though I'm always pleased when someone like Christopher Nolan breaks the conventions. Much of the American public has ALREADY said "not again" to comic book movies -- people over 45 have almost no interest in them -- but enough moviegoers have an insatiable appetite for mindless sensation, so that genre hasn't suffered. I don't see a peak to this trend for at least another four years, when the current crop of hits have been sequelized twice more. It's always easier in Hollywood to remake an idea than come up with a fresh one.
Submitted by Mike Robinson from Charlotte, NC
Q:Saw Batman at IMAX Charlotte last night. Have seen other movies at other IMAX theatres ( Charleston- ) with a more flat screen. Have you ever addressed the fact that movies just don't work on the round screen at Charlotte? I have seen reg IMAX movies at Charlotte and they looked great, however both Night at the Museum and Batman was frequently difficult to discern. I sat in the high middle for batman and it did not make much of a difference....
A: You're right: Only movies shot in Imax look good on the Omnimax dome. (I heard some of "Dark Knight was shot that way -- maybe five sequences? -- and those parts allegedly DID look good.) I wrote about the problem of images bleeding off to the top and sides when "Batman Bagins" came out, but I haven't checked since then; I guess I'd go back if I heard the problem had been fixed, but The Observer doesn't want to pay me double to give Discovery Place a reality check.
Submitted by Benny from Charlotte, NC
Q:Does "The Dark Knight"s (early) success on a broad scale create any more of an oppurtunity for summer action flicks to be a bit more substantial in their themes and/or plots, and do you know of any in the works that show promise? I would love to see a couple of more great action films with some interesting underlying material to chew on.
A: The two big upcoming action flicks in August, "Death Race" and "The Mummy," look especially brain-dead but full of mayhem. Any effect "Dark Knight" might have won't be felt for a while, because summer blockbusters for 2009 are already being worked on and are probably close to being done. It's possible we'll see positive fallout in 2010, but will filmmakers realize "Dark Knight" is popular because it's smart, or will they just think it had the biggest toys? I think "Wanted" may be the template for the near future, rather than "Dark Knight." Alas!
Submitted by Jon from Fort Mill, SC
Q:Even though big summer blockbusters make hundreds of millions these days, do you feel at all as though a good deal of creativity and artistry is being compromised in most major studio films as a result of money? Even when a good big-hit film is made, money demands sequel after sequel that frequently leave an overall disappointment over the entire franchise. I loved both of the Nolan-directed 'Batman' installments, but I'm afraid a third will subtract from the value of what is, right now, a good series. What are your thoughts on this?
A: I don't think people making big-budget blockbusters WANT creativity and artistry. They'll get it if a Christopher Nolan is at the helm of a "Dark Knight," and they're probably happy enough to have it. But they don't seek it. So when a perfectly competent but not especially imaginative director is in charge (such as Jon Favreau with "Iron Man"), producers and financiers are perfectly satisfied. And yes, they're happy to milk franchises (such as "Spider-Man") past the point where there's any need for more films, simply so they can make a profit from the gullible public. But I can't blame them for that: As long as the majority of moviegoers are undemanding, it's easier to make ever-paler copies of an interesting original than to come up with another original -- or to take a series (as Nolan has done) in a different direction.
Submitted by Don Ferriss from Charlotte, NC
Q:Did anybody else feel like the Pixar "I" after seeing WALL-E? It was so heavy handed with its political message, it made me want to buy a Rush Limbaugh T-shirt! Some times less is more and about 25% of the trash etc, would have been about right to make people think...Did they just get lazy and put the same scenes in over and over as a filler? Thanks
A: Maybe the company felt that the message had to be laid on heavily for the target audience, which is 12 and under. They've had lots of success speaking to young kids, and perhaps they wanted this film to be blunt.
Submitted by A. Roberts from Charlotte, NC
Q:Doesn't "Mamma Mia!" remind you of "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell", starring Gina Lollobridgida, Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford, and Telly Savalas - a 1968 Melvin Frank farce?
A: It did initially, though in that one the plot is different: Mom has been getting three U.S. servicemen who slept with her to pay child support for the daughter they think is theirs. And, frankly, I can accept the reality of people on a Greek island bursting into song far easier than I can envision Gina Lollobrigida sleeping with Phil Silvers.
Submitted by Jesse from Charlotte, NC
Q:I am greatly looking forword to "The Dark Knight," and was wondering if you think it will live up to the first one. "Batman Begins" is my favorite comic book movie and I do not think that Christopher Nolan has made a bad movie yet. He is an excellent filmaker. So I think that it will live up to its hype and that Leadger is going to dominate the screen. I am just wondering what your thoughts about the most anticipated movie of the summer are. Thanks.
A: I've just seen it. The review will be online tomorrow (Thursday), because I haven't written it yet. But it's actually slightly better than "Batman Begins" -- which until this week was the best superhero movie of the decade.
