Maleficent: Twisted and Dark -- But All In Good Humor

Every so often, a scriptwriter, or producer or a director feels the need to remake and rewrite a story that has already embedded itself in pop-culture, and that is the case of "Sleeping Beauty.”  Executive Producer Angelina Jolie ("Salt," "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" "Beowulf") stars in this gorgeous rendering of the Giambattista Basile of a girl who is cursed with the magical variety of trypanosomiasis.  Teaming up with veteran Disney Producer Don Hahn ("The Lion King" (1994), "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993)) to retell and reimagine the classic tale of "Sleeping Beauty."  The classic stories that we learned and loved as children, and especially via Uncle Walt's Disney's studios, we can be sure we are getting the "family" version of these European folktales.  Keeping with the trend of giving our childhood monsters and villain’s motivation for their evilness, the filmmaker’s goal is to show us the other side of the story.  Angelina Jolie plays the Fairy Queen Maleficent, while Sharlto Copley ("District 9," "Elysium," "Europa Report") stars as King Stefan, and Elle Fanning ("Babel," "Super 8") is the beautiful “La Belle au bois dormant."  Being that "Maleficent" is a Walt Disney Studios distribution, the MPAA gave it a PG rating, and it runs just over an hour and a half.


The story of "Sleeping Beauty" is not quite the true story we heard as children.  That is what the narrator is tells us at the beginning of the film.  The voice speaks of the divide between two kingdoms.  The first is the kingdom of man, with its greed and lust, and the kingdom of the fairies in the moors...  I am always wary of films that start with long expositions.  "Maleficent" does exactly that and my first reaction was to sigh.  I then looked to my left at the kid in the seat next to me, and realized that this story telling method is for the children, not so much for the adults.  I am sure even the young kids who have come to see film with their parents have already seen the Disney's 1959 animated take on the Charles Perrault story from a collection of compiled folktales.  Thus, I think the story-telling motif at the beginning serves the purpose for the children to re-align their concept of the story.  

First time director Robert Stromberg ("Pan's Labyrinth," "The Chronicles of Riddick," "2012," "Life of Pi") drops us into the fairy world which is full of beautiful colors, grand landscapes, and the intriguing Isobelle Molloy as the young fairy Maleficent.  The first twenty minutes or so focus on setting up who the character of Maleficent was "before the fall."  Sweet and free-spirited she flies through the moors with her beautiful set of brown horned wings and introduces the audience to the various gnomes, talking frogs, sprites and the talking and walking trees.  Molloy's portrayal as the young naive and innocent fairy queen is in sharp contrast to the beautiful and malevolent adult fairy that she will become.  Similar in fashion to "Oz the Great and Powerful," we see our main character as she was before a man hurt her and woe to those who forget the axiom, "Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn."  The creatures of the moors do not allow men to enter their land; however, they make one exception.  The trees catch a young Stephan (Michael Higgins) stealing from their land.  Maleficent forgives the boy and allows the boy to go on his way.  We see the two become friends and then more.  When Maleficent turns 16, Stefan gives her what he called "true loves kiss."  We all know from "The Princess Bride," there is nothing more potent than true love.  


As the years go by, Stephan returns to the lands of man and pursues his goal of sitting on the throne of the kingdom of men.  The ways of men are greed and desire.  King Henry (Kenneth Cranham) and his horsemen and infantry, lay siege to the moors and now an adult Maleficent comes to defend the creatures of fairyland.  In a short battle scene, reminiscent of "The Lord of the Rings," the tree giants and Maleficent take on the army and mortally wound the king.  In an earlier scene with young Stefan, we find that Maleficent's weakness is iron as it burns her.  She too is wounded when she touches the king's amour.  Jolie's introduction at the beginning of this scene is regal and visually stunning.  Stromberg's strength is his visual style, as he was a visual artist in many fantasy films in the last two decades.  Although there is plenty of action in "Maleficent," there are parts where the pacing is uneven and even slow.  

The story follows as the dying king promises the kingdom to whomever vanquishes Maleficent and avenges his death. Stefan (Copley) enters the moors to warn Maleficent about the king and his bounty, and the two renew their friendship.  In this film, we see Copley's range of characters throughout this film, from a seemingly innocent individual as in "Distrct Nine," to the crazed, paranoid, fighter from "Elysium."  After drugging his friend, Stefan cannot bring himself to kill her, but instead does something worse; he takes her wings.  By leaving her alive but taking her wings, Stefan commits a very personal crime against Maleficent, so much so, that her grief and agony is just as great.  So far the themes presented have to do with man verses nature, or symbolically the iron swords and the ways of men represent industrialism and a sort of sexism, while the fairy folk are the ancient innocent pagan tradition.  Stefan becomes king and Maleficent turns her hurt, her anger, and her pain into a force for vengeance.  Without wings she must walk.  She saves a raven that she turns into a human.  The raven name is Diaval (diablo?) played by Sam Riley.  Now with the prerequisite faithful animal servant (or familiar) the villain can go on her way and do her wicked deeds.  



Diaval is Maleficent's eyes and ears, and one day he reports that the king and queen have a new child, a girl.  As in the 1959, Disney animated version, three fairies show up to give the child some fairy gifts.  Introduced earlier in the film, the three fairies, Knotgrass (Imelda Staunton) , Flittle (Lesley Manville), and Thistletwit (Juno Temple) each give the child a gift, the uninvited Maleficent shows up in all her dark regal glory.  It is hard to present the character of Maleficent as evil when Jolie is so beautiful, but somehow it works.  The film keeps the essential storyline of the spinning wheel and the needle.  However, instead of cursing the child to die on her 16th birthday, it is Maleficent's curse that will cause her to sleep.  A warning about curses; be careful what you wish for.  The Fairy Queen adds "...and nothing can reverse this curse."  

The three fairies trying to take care of a child is adorable, the way Maleficent and Diaval watch over the baby is cute, and the emergence of Aurora as a delicate and graceful young woman is enchanting.  Elle Fanning is everything that Charles Perrault's fairies endowed his storybook princess with.  She is beautiful, angelic, and graceful, and she displays these qualities to the audience and to Maleficent, whom she thinks is her fairy godmother.  Played with a fresh and happy naiveté, Fanning’s portrayal brings new life to a character that has always been a bit too syrupy, but without the toothache.  When Elle and Angelina are on screen, their performances together are at times sentimental and moving  This adaptation of "Sleeping Beauty" greatly reduces the role of Prince Phillip (Brenton Thwaites) to the point of three or short scenes and in two of them, he is asleep. 

As Angelina Jolie plays her character with a dark, twisted villainy, Sharlto Copely plays his even darker and more twisted as he descends into torment because of what he did to his childhood friend, and the ruin he brought to the women in his life.  He still loves Maleficent, and hates himself.  He shuts himself in a room rambling to himself as he "talks" to Maleficent's wings, in the meantime his wife dies, his child has fallen to the curse of sleep, and the now he wants is revenge.  Jolie's character is different; her evilness is tempered with a bit of humor, and is much more sentimental than her character's predecessors.  The ending is different than what we remember, and thus the exposition at the beginning.

The cinematography is splendid, and the visual effects (CGI) are good through most of the film, but sometimes, draw away from the story.  James Newton Howard's score is elegant and majestic.  Nobody breaks into song, however, Lana Del Rey's rendition of Sammy Fain and Jack Lawrence's "Once Upon A Dream" is hauntingly gorgeous.  Linda Woolverton's story has its own twists and turns, as did the stories of "Briar Rose" and "Sleeping Beauty" of the Brothers Grimm who rewrote many Charles Perrault's folktales who in turn took from 16th century poet Giambattista Basile.  Woolverton's changes to the storyline bring it out of the dark and into a new light.  As we all know, Disney stories usually have a dark background.  Uncle Walt sanitized the stories and brought them into line with socio-economic and cultural norms of the times.  Woolverton takes the focus from "the heroes" of the story and in a feminist sort of way puts it directly on the tough as nails, gorgeous badass that is Jolie.  Best of all, Woolverton does away with the absurd romantic notion of love at first sight, and shows the truth; that love develops over time and is cemented by shared interests and respect.


I am not usually fond of Origin-Stories, or Dark Reboots, however; at times, I have been pleasantly surprised.  Calling this story a deviation from the now nostalgic stories we grew up is ridiculous.  Steven Ford of the Orlando Sentinel explains very well the metamorphosis of this story. The story is fine and will entertain children for many years to come.  If anything, deviations in classic stories will open up people’s minds and give new perspectives to how we look at the world.  Either on the big screen or on DVD or Blu-ray, "Maleficent" is a fun entertaining film that will not replace the Disney classics, but will still keep families happy and entertained.

Movie Data

Genre: Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Romance

Year:  2014

Staring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Isobelle Molloy

Director: Robert Stromberg

Producer(s): Joe Roth

Writer: Linda Woolverton, Charles Perrault, Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, (Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright, Milt Banta)

Rating: PG

Running Time: 97 minutes

Release Date:  5/30/2014

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Did you hear about the Morgans?

Did you hear about the Morgans? Did you hear about For Richer or Poorer?



If you have seen For Richer or Poorer, from 1997 with Tim Allen and Kirsty Alley, you can skip this one. If do decide to what this updated version, let me set your expectations so that you will not be disappointing  A couple, Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant, on the verge of divorce, witness a murder thus forcing them to go into the witness protection program. In the Tim Allen Kirsty Alley version they are running from the IRS. Tim and Kirsty hide in Amish country; Hugh and Jessica flee to Wyoming instead. In Ray Wyoming, the pair meet Sam Elliot, a Marshal and Mary Steenburgen, his wife; as the two Marshals who will watch over the fighting couple. Parker plays the role rather blandly. As the movie slowly progresses, my wife and I wished for the original version. Hugh Grant, on the other hand, playing the penitent husband, a man who cheated on his wife; plays the part with some conviction. I believe Hugh is sincere in this part, probably due to the real-life experience that he brought to the each scene.

I don't have any issues with remakes or even re-imaginings of a movie. However, if the remake does not build on the characters or the plot of the original, giving the audience more the second time around, I see this remake as a waste of time. I watched this movie with my teen-aged kids, and they laughed at all the correct places. Why not, this story line has worked before. The laughed when Hugh Grant deals with a large brown bear. The laughed during the horse riding sequence when Sara is chasing her horse - cute. My wife and I felt strongly that the after a decade later, Hollywood's remaking this romantic comedy for a newer generation, could have been better spent re-releasing the original, dated as it is.Rated PG-13 for some sexual references and momentary violence.

Movie Data

Genre:  Comedy, Romance

Year: 2009

Starring: Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalia Klimas, Elisabeth Moss, Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen

Director:  Marc Lawrence

Producers: Liz Glotzer, Martin Shafer, Melissa Wells

Writers:Marc Lawrence

Rating:  PG-1

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Extract

There is a story here somewhere.

I had no expectations what so ever when I saw this film, going quickly to DVD I don't even remember seeing a trailer for "Extract." From Mike Judge the director of "Office Space," one would be expecting something funny right off the start. What "Extract" delivers is a look into the lives of the all too real characters that he has dreamed up and offered to us. This "tear in your beer" comedy starts appropriately with old time country singer Johnny Paycheck (Take this job and shove it) singing "She's All I Got." The song sets the tone for the rest of the film as it meanders in and out of Joel Reynolds (Jason Bateman) dull and impotent life.

Joel Reynolds, owner of Reynolds "Extract," the company he started from the ground up by taking his grandmothers vanilla recipe and updating it a bit. Married to Suzie (Kristen Wiig), Joel spends his time away from work, drinking beer, and wasting time with his best friend and bartender Dean (Ben Affleck in a wig). Joel's life is as vanilla as the extract that he makes, and apparently, he makes a lot, so much that General Mills is knocking on his door, thinking to buy him out. Joel and junior partner Brian (J.K. Simmons) are seriously considering the notion of having a giant corporation buying them out and escaping the mundane life of a factory. If you have ever worked in a factory, (I have) then you will recognize each one of the stereotypical characters that Mike Judge has hired to run the factory. You have the two old cackling women who have been there forever, the Goth rocker always promoting his band, the redneck floor manager wannabe, and of course the migrant Hispanic worker. To round off the cast of dysfunctional characters (aren't we all a bit dysfunctional are Cindy (Mila Kunis), a lying kleptomaniac, and Nathan (David Koechner), Joel's slow talking, talkative, pushy neighbor. During the usual bickering of his factory workers, an unfortunate accident occurs emasculating Step the redneck floor manager wannabe. Actually, the accident leaves Step (Clifton Collins Jr.) with only one ball hanging by a thread. Cindy the gorgeous criminal drifter seizes on an opportunity into manipulating Step into suing Joel and his company for negligence, placing the sale of the company to General Mills in jeopardy. Cindy takes a job as a temp at the factory and starts a petty crime spree; and of course in stereotypical fashion, every one blames Hector the English impaired Hispanic worker. Of course, the sexually frustrated Joel falls for Cindy and wants to cheat on her, but of course he is a loyal husband and can't bring himself to do it. Complaining daily to his buddy Dean, Joel can't get any satisfaction from his wife Suzie, if he makes it home later than 8pm. Dean, an easy going-devil-may-care, irresponsible, drug pushing, juvenile friend, talks Joel into taking an anti-depressant. Unfortunately, Dean gives Joel a horse pill and enters la la land. Dean talks Joel into hiring a gigolo to seduce his wife, have sex with her, leaving Joel guilt free to consummate an affair with Cindy. Stupid huh? Enter Brad the gigolo, played by Dustin Milligan ("90201"), good looks and puppy-dog eyes are no match for the bored and desperate housewife, Suzie. The movie devolves into a series of uneven scenes, unrealistic plot twists and a cameo appearance from Kiss's Gene Simmons as the ambulance-chasing, testicle slamming shyster attorney.

Filmed in a working water filling factory, in Los Angeles, Mike Judge focuses on creating a real world for his characters. Realism isn't a problem with this film' the characters are too real for me; I know them; and I try to escape from them by going to the movies. The film drags in spots, especially when Joel and Dean are high on pot. I know time slows down when you are high, but the scenes left me looking at my watch and hoping for high to end. The music for "Extract" is good if you enjoy ZZ Top, John Lee Hooker, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the aforementioned Johnny Paycheck. The film has no real (noticeable effects) at least visual effects to speak of, and the photography is adequate for the task of telling the story.

For some people this is a tough movie to watch. You truly have to be in the mood for quiet comedies to sit through this film. I would say it’s a cute film but hardly worth spending an hour and a half getting to know the characters and riding out the story. There are a few laughs but not enough to justify the time. Now if you are a Ben Affleck or a Jason Bateman fan, or a masochist, go right a head and rent the DVD, or better yet, check it out from your neighborhood library.

Movie Data

Genre:   Comedy, Romance

Year:   2009

Staring: Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Clifton Collins Jr., David Koechner, Dustin Milligan

Director: Mike Judge

Producer(s)  John Altschuler, Michael Rotenberg

Writer: Mike Judge

Rating:  R

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Up in the Air

Being fired over the Internet, is like being dumped by your fiancee by text.

Have you ever traveled with a well-seasoned traveler? He knows his way around every major airline hub in the United States and abroad. He knows how to rent a car and even knows his way around the airport's parking lots. He can make his way through security like a bird during a mating ritual. I have been with one, and it is a truly remarkable experience to behold. When watching George Clooney ("The Men Who Stare at Goats") in "Up in the Air," I immediately thought about the man I once knew, and my fun travelling with him. George Clooney is the well-seasoned traveler in "Up in the Air," a very dialog centric thinking person's movie about a man who makes his living firing people. Jason Bateman ("Couples Retreat") stars as his boss, Craig, his boss at CTS a company that helps them move out of their current positions and out the door. Anna Kendrick ("The Twilight Saga: Eclipse") is the university know-it-all graduate who has a better plan for Clooney's future, but who has a lot to learn about life. In addition, Vera Farmiga ("Orphan") is another well-seasoned traveler who spices up Clooney's character's life in some interesting ways. Over all, director Jason Reitman ("Juno"), who in the past, has taken the subject of teen pregnancy deals with the subject of unemployment and treats it with respect adding tasteful humor to cheer up the subject and his movie.

Living in his cocoon of isolation, Ryan Bingham (Clooney) is a man who carries very little with him in his suitcase, with neither physical nor emotional attachments to weigh him down. Living his life 325 days a year in some of the nicest hotels across the United Sates and hanging out in the airline VIP clubs, most viewers would find Bingham's life sad and empty. The first quarter of the film establishes the character Ryan Bingham, not as a cold, heartless bastard who enjoys telling the person across the table that his purpose in life is over, and he must leave. Even, with rehearsed lines, (c'mon we all have them for times like these), when encountering an employee who is being difficult, Bingham relies on clichés like, “Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it's because they sat there that they were able to do it., and to get through difficult cases,” knowing the gravity of the subject matter, Jason Reitman sets the audience up subtly with short one-liners like when the flight attendant asks Bingham, who is daydreaming at the time, if he wants his "cancer.” Looking up George replies emptily with a "huh.” Repeating, "Would you like your can, sir?" At one of his layovers at the airport's bar, he meets Alex Goran (Farmiga), and we find that she too is an expert traveler. However, throughout the movie, we find out nothing more about Alex, but we get to like her. I guess it is not important. What is important; however, are the important items she fails to mention as she as she and Bingham draw closer, in spite of the verbal contract of just travelers with benefits. With no connections, the two are free to hook up with no strings attached. Introducing the problem in to the story is Keener (Anna Kendrick), wanting to utilize modern technology, video chat and a scripting out the firing process so that anybody could do it, she believes that the art of firing people is now a process. "Up in the Air" is about the lessons Keener learns about people, the lessons Bingham learns about himself, and Alex reveals about her life. In attending his sisters wedding, Bingham finds out about that the people; he calls family, is, and what they think of him. In addition, with some thought what Bingham believes about himself.

If you have lost your job recently, you may not want to watch this movie as reliving the pain of being let go may be too hard to bear. However, for those that do, you will find the cast and crew treat the subject with respect and humanity. Anna Kendrick's character shows the most growth of them all, as she realizes that being fired is like being dumped by your fiancée, by text. Up in the Air is film about people, situations, conflict and resolution, not about special effects, nor is there a lot of action. That being said, Reitman's direction and pacing is well timed leaving little time for the mind to wander. Each shot is well composed, clear and bright. The dialog is even, well written, and not too wordy. By the end of the film, Clooney's character is stronger in his resolve in maintaining his lifestyle than he was before. Is the film "Up in the Air" an adult romantic comedy, maybe? An introspective look at how we live ours lives knowing that ultimately we are expendable to our employers, it certainly is. Learning to cope with change and the ability to pick oneself up after a fall is what "Up in the Air" is all about.

Movie Data

Genre:  Drama, Romance
Year:  2009
Staring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman
Director: Jason Reitman
Producer(s) Jason Reitman, Ivan Reitman, Daniel Dubiecki, Jeffrey Clifford
Writer: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
Rating: R

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Cold Heart and 'Warm Bodies'

 Sometimes a classic story takes on a different form.  In the case of 'Warm Bodies' that story may be familiar, however, in the case of life in a post-apocalyptic nightmare of zombie hoards, which form comes in the form of a wishful dream.  A fun, shambling foray into the romantic comedy genre with a side of horror, 'Warm Bodies' stars Nicholas Hoult ("X-Men: First Class,’" "Clash of the Titans,’" "A Single Man’") and Teresa Palmer ("I Am Number Four," "The Sorcerer's Apprentice") as a cute mismatched couple on a journey of discovery.  "Warm Bodies" is rated PG-13 for some of the violence. 

It doesn't take long to realize that you are watching the most recent adaptation of Shakespeare's adaptation of the 1562 Arthur Brooke's Italian tragedy "The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet."  Our story's protagonist, is named 'R' because he can't remember his real name, other than it may have started with an 'R.' He spends his days shuffling around an airport terminal.  R, unlike other zombies tends to be introspective wonders why he doesn't seem to be like any 'normal' zombies.  Why he has flashes of thoughts, almost memories, while he ponders the mysteries of life, somewhat odd for a zombie, don't you think?  R is a hoarder, a collector, and he appreciates music.  'Warm Bodies' is based on Isaac Marion's book of the same name and explores the world of zombies as more of a metaphor of the dull grind of everyday life that we find ourselves trapped in.  A world where we, as humans, live day to day without any real friends, any real thought of what is happening around us.  However, occasionally that one special person appears in our lives and things change. 

Enter Julie (Teresa Palmer).  Julie lives with her father, Grigio, played by John Malkovich.  Grigio is the leader of a walled fortress near the center of town.  Malkovich plays the father and leader as sort of a gray character, not sure, where he stands in this film other than a minor antagonist.  Julie and her boyfriend, Perry (Dave Franco - James’s younger brother), along with a small group of armed scavengers are raiding a pharmacy for medical supplies when R and his group of shamblers smell human flesh and attack the pharmacy.  During the melee of humans against the shambling corpses most of the group is killed except for Julie, her friend, Nora (Analeigh Tipton), and of course Perry.  At this point, I have to mention that "Warm Bodies" main flaw is a lot of exposition, rather than action.  For the first 20 minutes of the film is almost total voice over by R.  I guess, that can't be helped, because eh, R is dead.  Throughout the film, R interjects humor as we hear his thoughts like when he is munching on Perry's corpse he takes a moment to think about how nice Perry's gold watch is.  Or when R and his zombie 'friend,' M (Rob Corddry - 'Hot Tub Time Machine,' 'What Happens in Vegas')  try to have a conversation that consists mostly of grunts and groans while the two try to express their feelings for each other.  Another road bump that 'Warm Bodies' runs into is that in some cases the pacing is a bit slow.  Either because director/screenplay writer, Jonathan Levine (50/50), and editor Nancy Richardson ("Twilight," "The Vow," "Red Riding Hood") were trying to take their time to develop the character of R and Julie, as people (zombie) meant to be together, or perhaps, zombies just don't move that fast. 

Like the Shakespearian story, R and Julie come to terms with their differences and although he is dead, R does his best to come off slick in front of Julie despite his handicap.  The audience witnesses what we as young adults in love go through.  It is about half way through the second act that the pacing picks up.  What I liked about this film is the sense of hope that the film gives the audience in its schmaltzy kind of way.  'Warm Bodies' also brings to mind another concept that I like is that in the acceptance of diverse states of being or just differences in people.  What I didn't care too much for was the amount of exposition along with the concepts that by eating someone’s brains you get their memories.  I thought that this one concept I thought was just too farfetched.  In this case, R's feelings for Julie are not only due to a physical attraction for her, but mostly by the fact that he ate her boyfriend's brains.  In spite of my minor objections, 'Warm Bodies' is just a fun film to take your older kids to, or a great date movie. 

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The Adjustment Bureau

I had the opportunity this weekend to sit with my kids and watch the "Adjustment Bureau."  When the Hollywood Science Fiction idea well runs dry, they have a tendency to fall back on a story by Phillip K. Dick.  You know, "Minority Report," "Paycheck," "Total Recall," "Impostor," and the daddy of them all, "Blade Runner." This year "King of Elves" was supposed to come out but that was pushed back, perhaps forever.  

When "The Adjustment Bureau" came out last year on March 4th, 2011, I was excited, not that it was a Phillip K. Dick story, but because I was hoping to see Matt Damon doing something other than Jason Bourne.  The film's opening weekend only saw $21,157,730 in domestic ticket sales, and only went on to make $62,495,645 in domestic sales in 12 weeks.  Foreign audiences, however gave "The Adjustment Bureau" another $65,373,734 in sales bring the grand total up to $127,869,379.  With a production budget of $50.2 million, the film made some money, however it wasn't a blockbuster. I liked that the film's attempted to tackle the concept of free will, or at least the appearance of free will.  The film also has a tendency to make one wonder "what if?."  

Make no mistake, The Adjustment Bureau, starring Matt Damon, and Emily Blunt, is a love story. That being said, the Science Fiction element adds an interesting layer of fantasy to this tragic romance between two lovers, who, while fated to be together, destiny interferes to keep them apart. "Mad Men's" John Slattery and Terrence Stamp also star in this twisted tale of love, humor, fate, destiny, and freewill. A pleasant surprise is the portrayal of Adjustment Bureau Team member 'Harry' as portrayed by Anthony Mackie ("Notorious"). Mackie gives a human feeling to the film and acts not only as a guide for David Norris in navigating this world, but also acts as a conscience for this familiar but altered world. "The Adjustment Bureau" is a fast paced, but thoughtful film, and full of plot holes if you think about them too hard, so don't. Read more of the Adjustment Bureau review...

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