GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - The holiday's have brought a bounty of movie offerings, but are there a gift of gold or a bag of coal.
Actor and reviewer Tim Russell offered up his opinion on KARE News at 4pm.
Here's a sample.
"Promised Land"
Matt Damon scores again as Steve Butler, an energy company salesperson assigned to acquire drilling rights in a small Pennsylvania farming community for the energy extraction process called hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as "Fracking".
"Les Miserables"
The insanely popular musical "Les Miserables" finally hits the screen, after decades of false starts, and fans of the musical will not be disappointed. Director Tom Hooper has a terrific cast of actors/singers who handle the sing- through screenplay with maximum dramatic skill. If you are not a fan of musicals, 2 hours 38 minutes will seem like an eternity, but I was impressed with the way the film keeps our focus as the story of Jean Valjean ( a brilliant future Oscar nominee, Hugh Jackman), a former prisoner who breaks his parole and is then relentlessly pursued by his tormentor Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe, who's singing voice is perhaps better suited for Rock).
This is 40?: This is Funny...and Raunchy!
Judd Apatow has marshaled the family again in "This is 40?, which brings us up to date on the lives of two of the characters from his earlier film, "Knocked Up", Pete and Debbie, played by frequent collaborator Paul Rudd and Apatow's wife, the amazing Leslie Mann, in addition to his daughters Iris and Maud as Charlotte and Sadie. This is a mid-life crisis comedy that holds no bar in it's frank usage of potty, bodily function, sexual situations, over the top, humor.