I haven't read Stieg Larsson's worldwide bestseller on which this film, and a 2009 Swedish version, were based. But I have seen the Swedish version, and given the mysterious nature of this film, already knowing the resolution (or at least part of it; I had forgotten one or two of the major reveals at the end) probably dampened my enjoyment of this film some. Also, I may have just set my expectations too high. But when David Fincher, director of "The Social Network"--a film I consider to be very close to a modern masterpiece--tackles a film of this nature, you can't help but have high expectations. The fact that Fincher has also done so well with similarly dark material in films like "Seven," "Fight Club," and "Zodiac" just raised my expectations more. But unfortunately, while this film is flawlessly executed from a technical standpoint, and contains a searingly brilliant lead performance from Rooney Mara, the story simply didn't grab me all that much.
For those unfamiliar with the source material, the film is a murder investigation set in Sweden. Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) has just been convicted of libel for trying to expose a crooked businessman and is out of a job and most of his life savings as a result. He agrees to journey to and island in northern Sweden, home of the wealthy and powerful Vanger family, at the bequest of patriarch Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer). Blomkvist's task is to investigate the disappearance of Henrik's niece Harriet, which occurred some forty years earlier. Intercut with the early stages of Blomkvist's investigation is the introduction of Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a 23-year-old antisocial computer hacker who has been investigating Blomkvist on behalf of the Vanger family. When Blomkvist decides that he needs a research assistant to help him in his investigation, Henrik's lawyer (Steven Berkoff) recommends Lisbeth.
As I said above, the story here didn't grab me all that much, probably because I already knew how it would play out. This is also a long film (for today's standards anyway) at nearly two hours and forty minutes, and while it never drags it never really flies by either; rather it simply moves along and by the time you reach the rather protracted ending, you definitely feel like you've watched a 158 minute film. I love long films when there's a lot of action or a great, compelling story (or both) to help move the plot along, and while those who don't know the resolution will likely be more taken in, it felt a tad long to me. That being said, I really don't know that there's much that could be cut; this is simply a long and complex story.
With those negatives out of the way, I do want to focus on the positives as the story of Lisbeth certainly is compelling and involving; it's just the mystery aspect that didn't grab me. But Lisbeth is a fascinating character, appearing as everything from a lost and lonely young woman to a veritable angel of death. Her backstory isn't fully revealed here (there are two more books in Larsson's Millenium Trilogy), but we do realize that she has has been treated horribly throughout her life, and has a deep-seeded distrust of absolutely everyone she meets, men in particular. But she's also clearly brilliantly intelligent and very confident in her abilities. She's really a fascinating character, and Rooney Mara transforms completely into her in an utterly captivating performance. Craig's Blomkvist is the calm and resolute center of the film, while Lisbeth is an absolute firecracker...or perhaps a bomb waiting to explode. You simply never take your eyes off of her when she's on screen; she's that compelling of a character and Mara is that good in the role. The film's best individual moments--and there are quite a few--all involve Lisbeth. For those who are familiar with the material, you know which moments those are, and rest assured, they are all here. All the acting is quite good actually, with Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, and Yorick van Wageningen standing out in particular.
The film is brilliantly executed from a technical standpoint as well. Fincher's direction is excellent, the wintry cinematography from Jeff Cronenweth is beautuful, and the editing from Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall (Oscar winners for "The Social Network") is crisp, particularly during the frequently intercut first hour. There is also some excellent sound design that makes great use of the various environments in the film, whether the snowy woodlands on the island or a vibrant, pulsating club in Stockholm. In fact, the club scene here is probably as well-executed as the one in "The Social Network," though not nearly as long. Finally, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (also Oscar winners for "The Social Network") once again contribute an edgy, electronic-infused score, though it does lack the more memorable musical themes that score had.
Overall, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" is a masterfully executed film with a rather pedestrian story. Lisbeth Salander is a fascinating character and Rooney Mara is utterly brilliant in the role, but the murder mystery simply wasn't all that compelling for me. It's definitely worth seeing, whether you know the story or not, but those who don't--and possibly those who are rabid fans--are the ones who will probably get the most out of this film.
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" is rated R for brutal violent content including rape and torture, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, and language.
Running time: 158 minutes.
Released domestically on December 21, 2011, by Columbia Pictures.
3 stars out of 4.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Film Review: "Young Adult"
"Young Adult" is the story of that girl we all knew in high school: the impossibly beautiful, utterly snobby, prom queen brat who thinks she is entitled to everything. At least that's how Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) is presented in this film from director Jason Reitman ("Thank You For Smoking," "Juno," "Up in the Air"), and screenwriter Diablo Cody ("Juno"). But the film takes that character and fast forwards her life twenty years as Mavis is now in her mid-thirties and is a moderately successful ghost writer of a young adult book series. Unfortunately for her...and everyone around her...Mavis has never really grown up, and with that high school mentality still intact she heads back to her hometown of Mercury, Minnesota, to try and win back her high school boyfriend Buddy (Patrick Wilson). The fact that Buddy is married and has a newborn doesn't matter one bit to her.
"Young Adult" is an absolutely biting black comedy. There is plenty of laugh-out-loud humor, but there are also plenty of scenes that are almost painful to watch (in the comedic sense) as Mavis has absolutely no regard to social norms, at least with respect to her pursuit of a married man. This is probably one of the year's best screenplays, and as far as I'm concerned, this is the film that announces Diablo Cody as a serious screenwriting talent in Hollywood, not the horribly overrated "Juno." Yes, Cody won an Oscar for her script for that film, but it was so filled with cheesy one-liners and pop culture references that it became nauseating. This is a completely mature script that is far more funny because it isn't trying too hard with endless dialogue that says "Hey, look at me!" "Juno" became a film that was more about the dialogue than the characters, but this film is absolutely about the characters, which is great, because Mavis Gary is an instantly memorable character and Theron absolutely hurls herself into the role. She is literally in every scene in the film, and while her wild abandon in her interactions with other people is fun to watch, the scenes where Mavis is alone are almost more impressive as these are the instances where we as the audience get to see a side of her that the people in her life never do. Mavis is clearly insecure, she clearly has emotional problems, and she is likely an alcoholic as she wakes up hung over every morning. Theron is brilliant in these scenes because she can say more with a simple facial expression than many actors can with a whole script. The juxtaposition of these two sides of Mavis is fascinating to watch, and Theron captures her flawlessly.
I should also mention Patton Oswalt, who has received some Oscar buzz for his role Matt, a high school acquaintance of Mavis's who at first serves as a sounding board for her, but their relationship becomes a bit deeper as the film progresses. Oswalt is quite good in the role, especially for a guy who's probably best known for his supporting role in "The King of Queens."
"Young Adult" is an absolutely excellent black comedy with one of the year's best characters and one of its best performances. One thing that drags it down a hair for me is the ending, as I wasn't really sure how much, if at all, Mavis has changed or learned from her experiences. But overall this is simply a great film that's definitely worth a look.
"Young Adult" is rated R for language and some sexual content.
Running time: 94 minutes.
Released domestically on December 9, 2011, by Paramount Pictures.
3.5 stars out of 4.
"Young Adult" is an absolutely biting black comedy. There is plenty of laugh-out-loud humor, but there are also plenty of scenes that are almost painful to watch (in the comedic sense) as Mavis has absolutely no regard to social norms, at least with respect to her pursuit of a married man. This is probably one of the year's best screenplays, and as far as I'm concerned, this is the film that announces Diablo Cody as a serious screenwriting talent in Hollywood, not the horribly overrated "Juno." Yes, Cody won an Oscar for her script for that film, but it was so filled with cheesy one-liners and pop culture references that it became nauseating. This is a completely mature script that is far more funny because it isn't trying too hard with endless dialogue that says "Hey, look at me!" "Juno" became a film that was more about the dialogue than the characters, but this film is absolutely about the characters, which is great, because Mavis Gary is an instantly memorable character and Theron absolutely hurls herself into the role. She is literally in every scene in the film, and while her wild abandon in her interactions with other people is fun to watch, the scenes where Mavis is alone are almost more impressive as these are the instances where we as the audience get to see a side of her that the people in her life never do. Mavis is clearly insecure, she clearly has emotional problems, and she is likely an alcoholic as she wakes up hung over every morning. Theron is brilliant in these scenes because she can say more with a simple facial expression than many actors can with a whole script. The juxtaposition of these two sides of Mavis is fascinating to watch, and Theron captures her flawlessly.
I should also mention Patton Oswalt, who has received some Oscar buzz for his role Matt, a high school acquaintance of Mavis's who at first serves as a sounding board for her, but their relationship becomes a bit deeper as the film progresses. Oswalt is quite good in the role, especially for a guy who's probably best known for his supporting role in "The King of Queens."
"Young Adult" is an absolutely excellent black comedy with one of the year's best characters and one of its best performances. One thing that drags it down a hair for me is the ending, as I wasn't really sure how much, if at all, Mavis has changed or learned from her experiences. But overall this is simply a great film that's definitely worth a look.
"Young Adult" is rated R for language and some sexual content.
Running time: 94 minutes.
Released domestically on December 9, 2011, by Paramount Pictures.
3.5 stars out of 4.
Film Review: "My Week With Marilyn"
"My Week With Marilyn" is based on two books written by Colin Clark, a young man who was able to spend time with Marilyn Monroe during the filming of Laurence Olivier's "The Prince and the Showgirl." The film attempts to present a side of Marilyn Monroe that the world never knew, showing her as a very insecure and lost woman desperately trying to find her way in the world of Hollywood, despite being much less talented of an actress than those around her. The problem, though, is that once the film establishes Monroe in this way, there really isn't much more to the story. It essentially becomes a young love romance as Colin (Eddie Redmayne) falls in love with Marilyn (Michelle Williams) during their brief time together, despite warnings from everyone involved on the production of "The Prince and the Showgirl" to stay away from the starlet.
While I didn't find the story particularly compelling, this film does contain some fantastic performances. Williams is absolutely brilliant as Marilyn, though as I said she isn't presented as a very compelling character. But Williams does an absolutely wonderful job with what she's given and captures the essence of the character perfectly. Kenneth Branagh is a scene-stealer as Olivier, a married man who all but openly states his intentions of romancing Monroe...only to become hopelessly frustrated with her when she can't deliver a competent performance in front of the camera. As in all movies about Hollywood, several well-known movie stars appear as characters in the film, which for me is always fun to see. Olivier's wife Vivien Leigh (played by Julia Ormond) makes an appearance, as does Dame Sybil Thorndike (Judi Dence in another scene-stealing role). Monroe's husband-at-the-time Arthur Miller also shows up, though I absolutely did not recognize Dougray Scott in the role.
While it doesn't present a particularly compelling story, "My Week With Marilyn" does have some great performances, and it's a fun enough look back at old Hollywood. It's an entertaining enough diversion, but it's not a film that's going to make any great waves over time.
"My Week With Marilyn" is rated R for some language.
Running time: 99 minutes.
Released domestically on November 23, 2011, by The Weinstein Company.
2.5 stars out of 4.
While I didn't find the story particularly compelling, this film does contain some fantastic performances. Williams is absolutely brilliant as Marilyn, though as I said she isn't presented as a very compelling character. But Williams does an absolutely wonderful job with what she's given and captures the essence of the character perfectly. Kenneth Branagh is a scene-stealer as Olivier, a married man who all but openly states his intentions of romancing Monroe...only to become hopelessly frustrated with her when she can't deliver a competent performance in front of the camera. As in all movies about Hollywood, several well-known movie stars appear as characters in the film, which for me is always fun to see. Olivier's wife Vivien Leigh (played by Julia Ormond) makes an appearance, as does Dame Sybil Thorndike (Judi Dence in another scene-stealing role). Monroe's husband-at-the-time Arthur Miller also shows up, though I absolutely did not recognize Dougray Scott in the role.
While it doesn't present a particularly compelling story, "My Week With Marilyn" does have some great performances, and it's a fun enough look back at old Hollywood. It's an entertaining enough diversion, but it's not a film that's going to make any great waves over time.
"My Week With Marilyn" is rated R for some language.
Running time: 99 minutes.
Released domestically on November 23, 2011, by The Weinstein Company.
2.5 stars out of 4.
Film Review: "Martha Marcy May Marlene"
"Martha Marcy May Marlene" is an excellent art house psychological thriller. From first-time writer / director Sean Durkin, the film is the story of Martha (Elizabeth Olsen), a young woman who, as the film opens, has just escaped from a cult in upstate New York. Martha gets in touch with her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson), who takes her in, but it quickly becomes apparent that Martha's mental state has been seriously damaged. The film alternates between Martha trying to adjust to life with Lucy and her husband Ted (Hugh Dancy) and flashbacks to Martha's time living with the cult led by the enigmatic but terrifying Patrick (John Hawkes). As the film progresses the line between what is real and what is imagined in Martha's mind is increasingly blurred.
"Martha Marcy May Marlene" is absolutely an actors' film. There is of course a message to be taken about the effects of brainwashing and what despicable people will do with power...in the case of Patrick, a power that he has given himself by starting this cult. Durkin paces the film well, which is essential in such a minimalist picture as this one...there is no action whatsoever, and there are plenty of moments of silence to go along with the dialogue. But the real showcase is the performances, lead by Elizabeth Olsen. This is Olsen's first major film role, and she is a revelation. Most of her scenes, whether spoken or silent, are quietly introspective as Martha is a woman who clearly has lost her way in life, and Olsen captures this essence of Martha's character perfectly. But Durkin's script also gives her a couple of showstoppingly dramatic scenes, and she never veers into overacting as much as these are just the times when Martha is completely broken down and can't handle her situation any longer. This is an absolute star-making performance, much like the one Jennifer Lawrence turned in in last year's similarly atmospheric art house drama "Winter's Bone." Hawkes is also utterly terrific as Patrick. Between this performance and his turn as the meth-addicted Teardrop in "Winter's Bone," Hawkes has brought to life two of the most terrifying screen characters of the last two years. What makes Patrick terrifying though isn't just the things that he does, which are horrible, but his demeanor throughout. Only once does he even raise his voice, but clearly this is an evil, despicable man who simply does what he wants because he enjoys it, and because he has all his young followers enslaved to his presence.
"Martha Marcy May Marlene" is a film that will almost assuredly benefit from repeat viewings, as the film takes a few twists and turns in what ultimately becomes an explosive third act. The lines between reality and fear-induced paranoia in Martha's mind are so blurred by the end that even I as an audience member wasn't entirely sure whether a few instances near the end were real or not. Perhaps there is no right answer and we're means to be as confused as Martha is. But I don't view this as a weakness as much as a thought-provoking climax to an excellent drama.
"Martha Marcy May Marlene" is rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content, nudity, and language.
Running time: 102 minutes.
Released domestically on October 21, 2011, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
3 stars out of 4.
"Martha Marcy May Marlene" is absolutely an actors' film. There is of course a message to be taken about the effects of brainwashing and what despicable people will do with power...in the case of Patrick, a power that he has given himself by starting this cult. Durkin paces the film well, which is essential in such a minimalist picture as this one...there is no action whatsoever, and there are plenty of moments of silence to go along with the dialogue. But the real showcase is the performances, lead by Elizabeth Olsen. This is Olsen's first major film role, and she is a revelation. Most of her scenes, whether spoken or silent, are quietly introspective as Martha is a woman who clearly has lost her way in life, and Olsen captures this essence of Martha's character perfectly. But Durkin's script also gives her a couple of showstoppingly dramatic scenes, and she never veers into overacting as much as these are just the times when Martha is completely broken down and can't handle her situation any longer. This is an absolute star-making performance, much like the one Jennifer Lawrence turned in in last year's similarly atmospheric art house drama "Winter's Bone." Hawkes is also utterly terrific as Patrick. Between this performance and his turn as the meth-addicted Teardrop in "Winter's Bone," Hawkes has brought to life two of the most terrifying screen characters of the last two years. What makes Patrick terrifying though isn't just the things that he does, which are horrible, but his demeanor throughout. Only once does he even raise his voice, but clearly this is an evil, despicable man who simply does what he wants because he enjoys it, and because he has all his young followers enslaved to his presence.
"Martha Marcy May Marlene" is a film that will almost assuredly benefit from repeat viewings, as the film takes a few twists and turns in what ultimately becomes an explosive third act. The lines between reality and fear-induced paranoia in Martha's mind are so blurred by the end that even I as an audience member wasn't entirely sure whether a few instances near the end were real or not. Perhaps there is no right answer and we're means to be as confused as Martha is. But I don't view this as a weakness as much as a thought-provoking climax to an excellent drama.
"Martha Marcy May Marlene" is rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content, nudity, and language.
Running time: 102 minutes.
Released domestically on October 21, 2011, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
3 stars out of 4.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Film Review: "Shame"
"Shame" is an absolutely devastating portrait of a man living with a sexual addiction. It's not a film for the faint of heart and it's not easy to stomach, but it's a very artistic piece of filmmaking that showcases a lead actor and director at their absolute best, and it's a film that has stuck with me more than most others released this year.
The film centers on Brandon (Michael Fassbender), a white-collar New Yorker with a very controlled outward lifestyle. However, as the opening moments of the film clearly reveal, Brandon uses this well-put-together facade to hide a massive addiction to sex in any form. When Brandon's younger sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) shows up unannounced at his apartment with the intention of staying there indefinitely, he is forced to curtail his behavior, which leads to an increasing buildup of frustration that ultimately leads to the film's devastating climax.
A brief word of caution: "Shame" is a very artistic film; in fact it's one of the most purely artistic films I've seen all year. But it is a film about sex, specifically sexual addiction. It's not pornographic by any means, nor is the sex titillating--or meant to be so--in any way. But director Steve McQueen does not shy away from anything in terms of his display of Brandon's addiction, and the film is absolutely deserving of the NC-17 rating it has received.
That being said, the filmmaking execution on all levels is brilliant, though certainly not flawless. The film's opening moments introduce us to Brandon and his compulsion, but as the film moves along more and more layers of this character are revealed. There is a clear juxtaposition between Brandon and his boss David (James Badge Dale), a man who also seems outwardly sex-obsessed. While David is constantly flirting with women during business outings, Brandon is always calm, cool, and collected. But there's no evidence to suggest that David has any type of serious compulsion, while Brandon, once he gets one of David's would-be conquests alone, is clearly revealed to be the man with the more serious problem. He is also incapable of carrying on any kind of normal romantic relationship, as we see during an awkward dinner date scene and his even more awkward handling of the aftermath. And it's not just that Brandon would rather have sex with high-priced prostitutes than with a woman who clearly has feelings for him, it's that he literally can't bring himself to have any kind of intimate relationship with her. The film's most complex relationship, though, is the one between Brandon and Sissy. These are two siblings who clearly share a very painful past, one which is never fully revealed. There's one particular interpretation which is easy to arrive at, and while it's a simple explanation I almost think it should be discounted just because this is not at all a simple film. The point between these two is that they have both experienced something very painful, and they are both clearly longing for reconciliation. Unfortunately for Brandon, his sexual behavior has become so compulsive that he has become unable to maintain normal human contact, and this clearly pains him all the more as the film progresses.
Clearly Brandon is a complex character, and Fassbender absolutely nails him. His is probably the most fearless performance I've ever seen on film, but there is so much more depth to Brandon than the depth of his depravity. Fassbender captures every nuance perfectly, from the calm, confident man out at a club looking for women to complete and utter anguish and everything in between. It's an absolutely brilliant and compelling performance. Mulligan is also very, very good, though she doesn't have nearly as much to work with as Fassbender does. I've seen Mulligan in a few films now I've always been impressed with her, but this is the first time I've really seen her cut loose emotionally, and she continues to show how incredibly talented she is.
Finally, director and co-writer Steve McQueen must be commended for the sheer audacity it must have taken to pull a film like this off...and also for refusing to cut a single frame of the finished product to make it more palatable to audiences. The film is quite intense, though it does lull for a bit in the middle as Brandon tries to cultivate a more normal life. But the length and awkwardness of some parts of the second act are really appropriate as they mimic the situation the characters are in as Brandon clearly does not know how to have a normal romantic life. But the intensity builds once again towards the film's end, ultimately leading to one of the more devastating climaxes I've seen in recent years.
"Shame" isn't really a film I can recommend, given its very serious subject matter. Film buffs will certainly appreciate the artistry on screen, but no matter how you view it, this is a difficult film to watch. Psychologists may have a whole different view as far as how the film portrays sexual addiction. I can't speak to that end of things, but I can say that "Shame" is an artistically brilliant film that deals with a very difficult subject that is probably far more present in our culture that we might think.
"Shame" is rated NC-17 for some explicit sexual content.
Running time: 101 minutes.
Released domestically on December 2, 2011, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
3 stars out of 4.
The film centers on Brandon (Michael Fassbender), a white-collar New Yorker with a very controlled outward lifestyle. However, as the opening moments of the film clearly reveal, Brandon uses this well-put-together facade to hide a massive addiction to sex in any form. When Brandon's younger sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) shows up unannounced at his apartment with the intention of staying there indefinitely, he is forced to curtail his behavior, which leads to an increasing buildup of frustration that ultimately leads to the film's devastating climax.
A brief word of caution: "Shame" is a very artistic film; in fact it's one of the most purely artistic films I've seen all year. But it is a film about sex, specifically sexual addiction. It's not pornographic by any means, nor is the sex titillating--or meant to be so--in any way. But director Steve McQueen does not shy away from anything in terms of his display of Brandon's addiction, and the film is absolutely deserving of the NC-17 rating it has received.
That being said, the filmmaking execution on all levels is brilliant, though certainly not flawless. The film's opening moments introduce us to Brandon and his compulsion, but as the film moves along more and more layers of this character are revealed. There is a clear juxtaposition between Brandon and his boss David (James Badge Dale), a man who also seems outwardly sex-obsessed. While David is constantly flirting with women during business outings, Brandon is always calm, cool, and collected. But there's no evidence to suggest that David has any type of serious compulsion, while Brandon, once he gets one of David's would-be conquests alone, is clearly revealed to be the man with the more serious problem. He is also incapable of carrying on any kind of normal romantic relationship, as we see during an awkward dinner date scene and his even more awkward handling of the aftermath. And it's not just that Brandon would rather have sex with high-priced prostitutes than with a woman who clearly has feelings for him, it's that he literally can't bring himself to have any kind of intimate relationship with her. The film's most complex relationship, though, is the one between Brandon and Sissy. These are two siblings who clearly share a very painful past, one which is never fully revealed. There's one particular interpretation which is easy to arrive at, and while it's a simple explanation I almost think it should be discounted just because this is not at all a simple film. The point between these two is that they have both experienced something very painful, and they are both clearly longing for reconciliation. Unfortunately for Brandon, his sexual behavior has become so compulsive that he has become unable to maintain normal human contact, and this clearly pains him all the more as the film progresses.
Clearly Brandon is a complex character, and Fassbender absolutely nails him. His is probably the most fearless performance I've ever seen on film, but there is so much more depth to Brandon than the depth of his depravity. Fassbender captures every nuance perfectly, from the calm, confident man out at a club looking for women to complete and utter anguish and everything in between. It's an absolutely brilliant and compelling performance. Mulligan is also very, very good, though she doesn't have nearly as much to work with as Fassbender does. I've seen Mulligan in a few films now I've always been impressed with her, but this is the first time I've really seen her cut loose emotionally, and she continues to show how incredibly talented she is.
Finally, director and co-writer Steve McQueen must be commended for the sheer audacity it must have taken to pull a film like this off...and also for refusing to cut a single frame of the finished product to make it more palatable to audiences. The film is quite intense, though it does lull for a bit in the middle as Brandon tries to cultivate a more normal life. But the length and awkwardness of some parts of the second act are really appropriate as they mimic the situation the characters are in as Brandon clearly does not know how to have a normal romantic life. But the intensity builds once again towards the film's end, ultimately leading to one of the more devastating climaxes I've seen in recent years.
"Shame" isn't really a film I can recommend, given its very serious subject matter. Film buffs will certainly appreciate the artistry on screen, but no matter how you view it, this is a difficult film to watch. Psychologists may have a whole different view as far as how the film portrays sexual addiction. I can't speak to that end of things, but I can say that "Shame" is an artistically brilliant film that deals with a very difficult subject that is probably far more present in our culture that we might think.
"Shame" is rated NC-17 for some explicit sexual content.
Running time: 101 minutes.
Released domestically on December 2, 2011, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
3 stars out of 4.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Film Review: "The Descendents"
"The Descendents" is the first film in seven years from writer / director Alexander Payne, best known for the excellent comedy / drama "Sideways." That's quite a gap between two films, but the two films together show that Payne is one of the best in the business at creating fleshed-out, well-developed characters that feel absolutely real. As far as "The Descendents" goes, it's one of the year's best films, and though it's far more drama than comedy it contains two of the year's most outstanding performances.
"The Descendents" revolves around the King family, specifically Matt King (George Clooney) and his two daughters, Alex (Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (Amara Miller). Matt is a Hawaiian real estate baron who has tried to instill a strict sense of work ethic in his kids, despite the fact that their family has an abundance of wealth and lives in paradise. But he's also never really connected with his daughters, and he's forced to come to grips with that when his wife is involved in a boating accident and falls into a coma. This event causes the Kings to have to deal with increasingly painful revelations, all while Matt is forced to decide whether to sell a large tract of unspoiled Hawaiian land that belongs to his extended family.
As I said in my opening, Payne is one of the absolute best filmmakers at creating realistic characters. The situations in this film are real situations that real people face every day...including people who live in the veritable paradise of Hawaii. As Matt says in an opening monologue, living in paradise doesn't make everyone's problems easier, and he quickly finds out that having a lot of money doesn't help much either...at least not with the painful situations that he and his daughters are forced to face. George Clooney perfectly captures every emotion that Matt goes through, from despair to anger to rage to frustration to hopelessness. This is absolutely his finest performance, one that is sure to garner him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and may well earn him his second Academy Award. As good as Clooney is, Shailene Woodley goes toe-to-toe with him every step of the way in one of the year's biggest breakout performances. Known mainly for her role on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," Woodley has just as much of a range of emotional moments as Clooney, and she captures them just as well. It's not a star-making performance necessarily, but it definitely makes her an actress to keep an eye on for the next few years.
Payne is excellent at moving seamlessly between comedy and drama, as he showed in "Sideways." While that film is more comedic, "The Descendents" is much more serious, though it certainly has its funny moments. The situations the characters are in generally aren't funny, but sometimes the only way to deal with something is in comedic fashion, or at least in a fashion that looks comedic to a casual observer. That's the way much of the comedy plays out here, and the tonal shifts are seamless.
Overall, "The Descendents" is simply an excellent film, with some of the year's best and most realistic characters. The Hawaiian setting provides a gorgeous backdrop for this story that provides a nice escape, even if the situations the characters face are faced by real people every day.
"The Descendents" is rated R for language including some sexual references.
Running time: 115 minutes.
Released domestically on November 16, 2011, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
3.5 stars out of 4.
"The Descendents" revolves around the King family, specifically Matt King (George Clooney) and his two daughters, Alex (Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (Amara Miller). Matt is a Hawaiian real estate baron who has tried to instill a strict sense of work ethic in his kids, despite the fact that their family has an abundance of wealth and lives in paradise. But he's also never really connected with his daughters, and he's forced to come to grips with that when his wife is involved in a boating accident and falls into a coma. This event causes the Kings to have to deal with increasingly painful revelations, all while Matt is forced to decide whether to sell a large tract of unspoiled Hawaiian land that belongs to his extended family.
As I said in my opening, Payne is one of the absolute best filmmakers at creating realistic characters. The situations in this film are real situations that real people face every day...including people who live in the veritable paradise of Hawaii. As Matt says in an opening monologue, living in paradise doesn't make everyone's problems easier, and he quickly finds out that having a lot of money doesn't help much either...at least not with the painful situations that he and his daughters are forced to face. George Clooney perfectly captures every emotion that Matt goes through, from despair to anger to rage to frustration to hopelessness. This is absolutely his finest performance, one that is sure to garner him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor and may well earn him his second Academy Award. As good as Clooney is, Shailene Woodley goes toe-to-toe with him every step of the way in one of the year's biggest breakout performances. Known mainly for her role on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," Woodley has just as much of a range of emotional moments as Clooney, and she captures them just as well. It's not a star-making performance necessarily, but it definitely makes her an actress to keep an eye on for the next few years.
Payne is excellent at moving seamlessly between comedy and drama, as he showed in "Sideways." While that film is more comedic, "The Descendents" is much more serious, though it certainly has its funny moments. The situations the characters are in generally aren't funny, but sometimes the only way to deal with something is in comedic fashion, or at least in a fashion that looks comedic to a casual observer. That's the way much of the comedy plays out here, and the tonal shifts are seamless.
Overall, "The Descendents" is simply an excellent film, with some of the year's best and most realistic characters. The Hawaiian setting provides a gorgeous backdrop for this story that provides a nice escape, even if the situations the characters face are faced by real people every day.
"The Descendents" is rated R for language including some sexual references.
Running time: 115 minutes.
Released domestically on November 16, 2011, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
3.5 stars out of 4.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Film Review: "Hugo"
Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" is a movie about movies. It's also about acceptance, perseverance, and finding your place in the world, but these larger universal themes are set against a backdrop of appreciation for the art of film, particularly the early silent era. Though this story-within-a-story approach causes the film to become a bit thematically conflicted, it's still a solid outing from one of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers.
Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, "Hugo" is the story of Hugo Cabret (relative newcomer Asa Butterfield), an orphaned boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station and keeps the clocks running on time. Hugo's most prized possession is an automaton, a mechanical man that his father (Jude Law) found in a museum and rebuilt, though he and Hugo were never able to get the robot to work. Hugo draws the ire of the station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) and a toyshop owner (Ben Kingsley), but finds friendship with the toy seller's daughter Isabelle (Chloe Moretz). The two of them embark on an adventure to activate the automaton, which leads to increasingly fascinating discoveries for them both.
Based on that plot description, you may wonder where this film becomes "a movie about movies," as I termed it in my opening. I don't want to give that aspect away as the manner in which it happens is a rather major spoiler. Suffice to say that it does, and it is very much the focus of the film's last half. Unfortunately this is when it comes off the rails a bit, as Scorsese's love of film comes through very obviously. I absolutely love the art of film; that's why I started this blog, to share my love of the art of film with anyone who wants to read my articles. And I admire directors like Scorsese who have such an appreciation of the history of this art form and all the filmmakers who have come before them and helped them to have the opportunities they have now. That being said, I think Scorsese's "love letter to the silent era" as some have put it, comes off as just a bit preachy. This second half of the film, when the story becomes more about movies and less about Hugo, isn't as strong simply because Hugo's story is so emotionally resonant. This is largely due to Asa Butterfield, who gives an absolutely outstanding performance. Hugo is an orphan who is lonely, hungry, and dirty and Butterfield absolutely captures the despair that this young boy is feeling. All the performances are quite good in fact as even Cohen gets an emotional moment near the film's end.
All flaws aside, this film is a technical wonder. I find it a bit ironic that Scorsese chose to make a film about the importance of early silent films...and shoot it in digital 3D. I refuse to see films in 3D, for reasons which I have discussed ad nauseum elsewhere, but which may deserve their own post here. So I saw this film in 2D and, as always, I don't think anything was lost in the experience. The production values are utterly immaculate, and though this is unlike any film Scorsese has ever made, both in terms of plot, audience appeal, and technology, his visual style is clearly present here. The cinematography is gorgeous, though a good bit of it is CGI. There are, however, at least two long tracking shots that were not CGI, and lead cameraman Robert Richardson absolutely deserves an Oscar nomination for his work. The sound design is immaculate as well, with ticking clocks and idling steam engines having a virtually constant presence; an Oscar nomination for sound editing is absolutely deserved.
"Hugo" is definitely a film I would recommend, but you should know the type of film you are in for. The main character is a child, but this is not a children's film at all...not because of dark themes, but because the themes are simply above the heads of children. Cinephiles may love the homages to the silent era, but they may also see a flawed film, as I did. But as a piece of experimentation by one of the greatest filmmakers working today, "Hugo" is certainly a success, though not an astounding one.
"Hugo" is rated PG for mild thematic material, some action / peril, and smoking.
Running time: 127 minutes.
Released domestically on November 23, 2011, by Paramount Pictures.
3 stars out of 4.
Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, "Hugo" is the story of Hugo Cabret (relative newcomer Asa Butterfield), an orphaned boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station and keeps the clocks running on time. Hugo's most prized possession is an automaton, a mechanical man that his father (Jude Law) found in a museum and rebuilt, though he and Hugo were never able to get the robot to work. Hugo draws the ire of the station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) and a toyshop owner (Ben Kingsley), but finds friendship with the toy seller's daughter Isabelle (Chloe Moretz). The two of them embark on an adventure to activate the automaton, which leads to increasingly fascinating discoveries for them both.
Based on that plot description, you may wonder where this film becomes "a movie about movies," as I termed it in my opening. I don't want to give that aspect away as the manner in which it happens is a rather major spoiler. Suffice to say that it does, and it is very much the focus of the film's last half. Unfortunately this is when it comes off the rails a bit, as Scorsese's love of film comes through very obviously. I absolutely love the art of film; that's why I started this blog, to share my love of the art of film with anyone who wants to read my articles. And I admire directors like Scorsese who have such an appreciation of the history of this art form and all the filmmakers who have come before them and helped them to have the opportunities they have now. That being said, I think Scorsese's "love letter to the silent era" as some have put it, comes off as just a bit preachy. This second half of the film, when the story becomes more about movies and less about Hugo, isn't as strong simply because Hugo's story is so emotionally resonant. This is largely due to Asa Butterfield, who gives an absolutely outstanding performance. Hugo is an orphan who is lonely, hungry, and dirty and Butterfield absolutely captures the despair that this young boy is feeling. All the performances are quite good in fact as even Cohen gets an emotional moment near the film's end.
All flaws aside, this film is a technical wonder. I find it a bit ironic that Scorsese chose to make a film about the importance of early silent films...and shoot it in digital 3D. I refuse to see films in 3D, for reasons which I have discussed ad nauseum elsewhere, but which may deserve their own post here. So I saw this film in 2D and, as always, I don't think anything was lost in the experience. The production values are utterly immaculate, and though this is unlike any film Scorsese has ever made, both in terms of plot, audience appeal, and technology, his visual style is clearly present here. The cinematography is gorgeous, though a good bit of it is CGI. There are, however, at least two long tracking shots that were not CGI, and lead cameraman Robert Richardson absolutely deserves an Oscar nomination for his work. The sound design is immaculate as well, with ticking clocks and idling steam engines having a virtually constant presence; an Oscar nomination for sound editing is absolutely deserved.
"Hugo" is definitely a film I would recommend, but you should know the type of film you are in for. The main character is a child, but this is not a children's film at all...not because of dark themes, but because the themes are simply above the heads of children. Cinephiles may love the homages to the silent era, but they may also see a flawed film, as I did. But as a piece of experimentation by one of the greatest filmmakers working today, "Hugo" is certainly a success, though not an astounding one.
"Hugo" is rated PG for mild thematic material, some action / peril, and smoking.
Running time: 127 minutes.
Released domestically on November 23, 2011, by Paramount Pictures.
3 stars out of 4.
Film Review: "The Muppets"
"The Muppets" is a very happy film. That's the way some of my friends described it, and I think that really puts it best. Disney's update / reboot of Jim Henson's Muppets franchise is not very complex, and it certainly contains no dark or somber themes that sometimes appear in films made for children. And while that may hold it back a bit, and keep it from being a truly great children's film, writers Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller (the duo behind the R-rated relationship comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall") have absolutely captured the tone, essence, and spirit of the Muppets.
At the center of this film is a character named Walter, a young man who has grown up among normal, flesh-and-blood humans despite being a fuzzy, felt creature who feels like he has a lot in common with all those loveable critters on "The Muppet Show." When Walter's brother Gary (Segel) invites him on a trip to Los Angeles to see the Muppet Studios and the famed Muppet Theatre, Walter can't contain his excitement. Gary is planning to use the trip to propose to his girlfriend of ten years, Mary (Amy Adams), but the three of them discover that the Muppet Studios are in disarray, the Muppets have all gone their separate ways, and an oil baron named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) plans to buy and raze the famed theatre to drill for oil underneath it. In order to save the theatre, the trio must unite the Muppets and put on a telethon to exercise a clause in the sale contract for the studios that will allow them to keep it.
From this point on, the film really is just a get-the-band-back-together exercise, but it works really because it plays into the reality of the Muppets lack of popularity over the last decade. The film fully embraces this fact, and the characters' trademark self-referential humor is very much present. Almost all the major characters are appear...Kermit the Frog is living in retired luxury in Beverly Hills, Fozzie Bear is playing in a Muppets tribute band in Reno called "The Moopets," Gonzo is a plumbing magnate, Animal is taking anger management classes, and Miss Piggy is a Vogue fashion editor in Paris. The only major absentee I noticed was Rizzo the Rat. Musical numbers abound, as do celebrity cameos. The film peaks its final act, as Walter tries to decide whether he truly belongs with the Muppets, and Gary has to decide what lengths he will go to in his devotion to Mary...all of this set against the telethon, which is what amounts to a new episode of "The Muppet Show."
All in all this film is simply a return to the characters that many of us remember from our childhood. It's really like getting a visit from an old friend and having a long, wonderful catch-up. It's nowhere near the best film of the year, but it's a very good one, especially for those of us who are fond of these characters.
"The Muppets" is rated PG for some mild rude humor.
Running time: 98 minutes.
Released domestically on November 23, 2011, by Walt Disney Pictures.
3 stars out of 4.
At the center of this film is a character named Walter, a young man who has grown up among normal, flesh-and-blood humans despite being a fuzzy, felt creature who feels like he has a lot in common with all those loveable critters on "The Muppet Show." When Walter's brother Gary (Segel) invites him on a trip to Los Angeles to see the Muppet Studios and the famed Muppet Theatre, Walter can't contain his excitement. Gary is planning to use the trip to propose to his girlfriend of ten years, Mary (Amy Adams), but the three of them discover that the Muppet Studios are in disarray, the Muppets have all gone their separate ways, and an oil baron named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) plans to buy and raze the famed theatre to drill for oil underneath it. In order to save the theatre, the trio must unite the Muppets and put on a telethon to exercise a clause in the sale contract for the studios that will allow them to keep it.
From this point on, the film really is just a get-the-band-back-together exercise, but it works really because it plays into the reality of the Muppets lack of popularity over the last decade. The film fully embraces this fact, and the characters' trademark self-referential humor is very much present. Almost all the major characters are appear...Kermit the Frog is living in retired luxury in Beverly Hills, Fozzie Bear is playing in a Muppets tribute band in Reno called "The Moopets," Gonzo is a plumbing magnate, Animal is taking anger management classes, and Miss Piggy is a Vogue fashion editor in Paris. The only major absentee I noticed was Rizzo the Rat. Musical numbers abound, as do celebrity cameos. The film peaks its final act, as Walter tries to decide whether he truly belongs with the Muppets, and Gary has to decide what lengths he will go to in his devotion to Mary...all of this set against the telethon, which is what amounts to a new episode of "The Muppet Show."
All in all this film is simply a return to the characters that many of us remember from our childhood. It's really like getting a visit from an old friend and having a long, wonderful catch-up. It's nowhere near the best film of the year, but it's a very good one, especially for those of us who are fond of these characters.
"The Muppets" is rated PG for some mild rude humor.
Running time: 98 minutes.
Released domestically on November 23, 2011, by Walt Disney Pictures.
3 stars out of 4.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Film Review: "Anonymous"
"Anonymous" is an interesting piece of historical fiction, and should be viewed as such. Most of the negative comments directed at this film attack it for daring to pose the theory that William Shakespeare was a fraud. And while director / producer Roland Emmerich and writer John Orloff are on the record as supporting the theory they present here, I chose to view the film simply as a "what if" scenario, a fictional story told against the backdrop of true events. And to that end, it is an immensely enjoyable film, though certainly not without flaws.
The film opens in the late sixteenth century, in the final years of Queen Elizabeth I's (Vanessa Redgrave) reign. The once powerful queen is becoming increasingly senile, and virtually all of the power in her court seems to be held by the Cecil family, William (David Thewlis) and his son, Robert (Edward Hogg). Elizabeth has no recognized heirs, and the Cecils and others have arranged that King James of Scotland (James Clyde) will be her successor. This does not sit will with many other members of the court (due to James being a Scotsman and a Catholic), particularly the Earls of Essex (Sam Reid) and of Southampton (Xavier Samuel), who begin to develop a plan to seize the throne. Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) sympathizes with their cause, but rather than hope for victory in a military struggle, he believes in the power of art and words to win the minds of the people, and of Elizabeth herself. De Vere has written numerous plays with deep political subtext, though he has refrained from having them published or performed, because a man in his position simply cannot indulge in something that Robert Cecil refers to as "a cesspool of plague and heresy." So, hoping to have his political message--hidden in the guise of his plays--presented, De Vere commissions playwright Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) to have the plays performed under his name. But when Jonson refuses under fear that his life will be threatened because of the plays' political subtext, an actor named William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) takes on the task himself.
As you can tell from that lengthy plot setup, "Anonymous" is not a simple film. It is not even a linear narrative film as the events surrounding the theatre and the Elizabethan Court are intercut with the story of the younger Edward De Vere (Jamie Campbell Bower) and his relationship with the Cecils and the younger Queen Elizabeth (Joely Richardson). There is no shortage of characters, each with his or her own political, personal, and financial motives, and there is certainly no shortage of political intrigue. Orloff manages to pack a very dense story into a film of a little over two hours, so much so that I almost found myself having to play catchup, particularly at the beginning of the film as all the characters and their motivations are introduced. The film's biggest flaw is something that essentially indicates that it is nothing more than a piece of fiction; that being the idea that De Vere has been penning all of these plays over the course of his life, most of which just happen to have political subtext that causes "the mob" to rise up in what ultimately becomes the Essex Rebellion...an actual, historical attempt by the Earl of Essex to seize the throne that occurred in 1601. I suppose it could all be happy coincidence, but I found it to be pretty far-fetched. The idea that De Vere could simply scribble out Richard III at the drop of a hat is also unlikely, though is makes for great drama as the film nears its climax.
But while the fundamental premise behind this film is flawed, the execution is top-notch. Emmerich is the disaster movie director behind such films as "Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow," and "2012," and while I will always have a soft spot for "ID4" as it was so cheesily labeled, this is easily Emmerich's best film. Regardless of the content of his previous efforts, he has always had a keen visual style, and this is no exception. The art direction, costumes, and cinematography are all simply gorgeous as the film captures both the highest glamour and the dirtiest grime of Elizabethan London. There are a couple of questionable uses of CGI, one of which stands out like a sore thumb, the other of which however, while perhaps looking slightly too stylized, is also one of the film's most spectacular shots. The script is rich as I mentioned, packing an astounding amount of drama and intrigue into 130 minutes. The acting is quite good, and Ifans as De Vere gives an absolutely titanic performance. He is known mostly as a character actor--generally in comedies in fact--but he is utterly scene-stealing here in an absolutely Oscar nomination-worthy performance. Redgrave is also Oscar-worthy as Elizabeth; Bower is quite good as the younger De Vere, as is Armesto as Jonson. Spall plays the unlettered Shakespeare as a bit of a clueless buffoon, but one who very quickly realizes how powerful he has become.
Overall, "Anonymous" is definitely a film worth seeing. English literature and Shakespeare enthusiasts will ridicule it most likely, but even though the theory presented here can easily be proven false, it's a fascinating piece of historical fiction. And for film lovers, it's a very well-made, sumptuous period drama filled with colorful characters and a dense and compelling story...not unlike one of the bard's plays in fact.
"Anonymous" is rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual content
Running time: 130 minutes
Released domestically on October 28, 2011, by Columbia Pictures
3 stars out of 4
The film opens in the late sixteenth century, in the final years of Queen Elizabeth I's (Vanessa Redgrave) reign. The once powerful queen is becoming increasingly senile, and virtually all of the power in her court seems to be held by the Cecil family, William (David Thewlis) and his son, Robert (Edward Hogg). Elizabeth has no recognized heirs, and the Cecils and others have arranged that King James of Scotland (James Clyde) will be her successor. This does not sit will with many other members of the court (due to James being a Scotsman and a Catholic), particularly the Earls of Essex (Sam Reid) and of Southampton (Xavier Samuel), who begin to develop a plan to seize the throne. Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) sympathizes with their cause, but rather than hope for victory in a military struggle, he believes in the power of art and words to win the minds of the people, and of Elizabeth herself. De Vere has written numerous plays with deep political subtext, though he has refrained from having them published or performed, because a man in his position simply cannot indulge in something that Robert Cecil refers to as "a cesspool of plague and heresy." So, hoping to have his political message--hidden in the guise of his plays--presented, De Vere commissions playwright Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) to have the plays performed under his name. But when Jonson refuses under fear that his life will be threatened because of the plays' political subtext, an actor named William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) takes on the task himself.
As you can tell from that lengthy plot setup, "Anonymous" is not a simple film. It is not even a linear narrative film as the events surrounding the theatre and the Elizabethan Court are intercut with the story of the younger Edward De Vere (Jamie Campbell Bower) and his relationship with the Cecils and the younger Queen Elizabeth (Joely Richardson). There is no shortage of characters, each with his or her own political, personal, and financial motives, and there is certainly no shortage of political intrigue. Orloff manages to pack a very dense story into a film of a little over two hours, so much so that I almost found myself having to play catchup, particularly at the beginning of the film as all the characters and their motivations are introduced. The film's biggest flaw is something that essentially indicates that it is nothing more than a piece of fiction; that being the idea that De Vere has been penning all of these plays over the course of his life, most of which just happen to have political subtext that causes "the mob" to rise up in what ultimately becomes the Essex Rebellion...an actual, historical attempt by the Earl of Essex to seize the throne that occurred in 1601. I suppose it could all be happy coincidence, but I found it to be pretty far-fetched. The idea that De Vere could simply scribble out Richard III at the drop of a hat is also unlikely, though is makes for great drama as the film nears its climax.
But while the fundamental premise behind this film is flawed, the execution is top-notch. Emmerich is the disaster movie director behind such films as "Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow," and "2012," and while I will always have a soft spot for "ID4" as it was so cheesily labeled, this is easily Emmerich's best film. Regardless of the content of his previous efforts, he has always had a keen visual style, and this is no exception. The art direction, costumes, and cinematography are all simply gorgeous as the film captures both the highest glamour and the dirtiest grime of Elizabethan London. There are a couple of questionable uses of CGI, one of which stands out like a sore thumb, the other of which however, while perhaps looking slightly too stylized, is also one of the film's most spectacular shots. The script is rich as I mentioned, packing an astounding amount of drama and intrigue into 130 minutes. The acting is quite good, and Ifans as De Vere gives an absolutely titanic performance. He is known mostly as a character actor--generally in comedies in fact--but he is utterly scene-stealing here in an absolutely Oscar nomination-worthy performance. Redgrave is also Oscar-worthy as Elizabeth; Bower is quite good as the younger De Vere, as is Armesto as Jonson. Spall plays the unlettered Shakespeare as a bit of a clueless buffoon, but one who very quickly realizes how powerful he has become.
Overall, "Anonymous" is definitely a film worth seeing. English literature and Shakespeare enthusiasts will ridicule it most likely, but even though the theory presented here can easily be proven false, it's a fascinating piece of historical fiction. And for film lovers, it's a very well-made, sumptuous period drama filled with colorful characters and a dense and compelling story...not unlike one of the bard's plays in fact.
"Anonymous" is rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual content
Running time: 130 minutes
Released domestically on October 28, 2011, by Columbia Pictures
3 stars out of 4
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
My Most Anticipated Films of the Holiday 2011 Movie Season
The Holiday 2011 Movie Season is upon us, and as the best time of the year for movie-going gets into high gear I thought I'd write up a list of my most anticipated films for the remainder of the year. There are a few big budget tentpoles mixed in, but this is largely a list of more art house-type films that are expected to be big awards contenders. I've gone ahead and thrown in a couple films that are already playing in limited release, but which I haven't been able to see yet. I haven't included any films from earlier in the year that are no longer in theatres that I still have to catch up on, though there are still quite a few of those. Right now my list of the top films of the year is pretty short, and hopefully lots of these films can change it up a bit.
So here we go with eighteen films in total, from the bottom up:
18. The Adventures of Tintin (December 21, wide)
Steven Spielberg's motion-capture adaptation of Herge's beloved boy reporter stories has already opened in Europe, where it's gotten decent reviews. I'm not a fan of motion capture and especially 3D, and the trailers don't make it look like this film has really captured the spirit of the stories that I loved growing up. But because I loved those stories so much, I'll be keeping an eye on this and will be seeing it unless the reviews take a turn for the worse.
17. Melancholia (November 11, limited)
Lars Von Trier's latest film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May to mixed reviews, though Kirsten Dunst was highly praised for her performance as a woman who gets married as a rogue planet called Melancholia threatens to collide with Earth, winning the festival's Best Actress award.
16. The Muppets (November 23, wide)
Disney is attempting to reinvigorate Jim Henson's beloved Muppets franchise after more than a decade of dormancy. The marketing has consisted mostly of "parody trailers" with the fuzzy critters aping everything from "Green Lantern" to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." The actual story revolves around the Muppets trying to save their old theatre from a greey Texas oil baron. Recent comments by some of the original Muppet performers haven't been too kind to the new film, but I loved this characters when I was younger and The Muppet Christmas Carol is still a holiday tradition for me most years, so I'll likely check this new film out.
15. Hugo (November 23, wide)
Director Martin Scorsese ventures into family territory with this story of an orphaned boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station. I wasn't enamored with the first trailer, which gave off too much of a generic kiddie adventure a la "Alice in Wonderland" in my opinion. The second trailer was much better I thought, and reviews out of a "working print" premiere at the New York Film Festival last month indicated that the Scorsese is very much in touch with the history of cinema with this film; one reviewer called it "a love letter to the silent film era."
14. Young Adult (December 9, limited, December 16, wide)
This film wasn't very high on my radar until today, when early reviews came out praising the performances of Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt, as well as the script from "Juno" scripe Diablo Cody. The film is the story of a woman (Theron) who goes back to her high school town with the hopes of winning back her high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson). Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Up in the Air") directs.
13. The Artist (November 23, limited)
This silent film from director Michel Hazanavicius premiered to solid reviews at Cannes, and has been the darling of the festival circuit ever since; I consider it to be the Oscar Best Picture frontrunner right now. It tells the story of a silent film actor who sees his career decline with the arrival of "talkies."
12. J. Edgar (November 9, limited, November 11, wide)
Clint Eastwood's biopic of controversial FBI directror J. Edgar Hoover has only had one screening and reviews were decidedly mixed. But the material and the talent involved (Leonardo DiCaprio as Hoover, along with Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, and Armie Hammer of "The Social Network") make this a film that's impossible to ignore.
11. War Horse (December 25, wide)
Steven Spielberg's second film of the holiday season is much higher than "Tintin" on most awards prognosticators' lists, though I'm not as high on it. Based on a Tony Award-winning play, it tells the story of a horse who is pressed into service in World War I, and how he affects the lives of the people who come into contact with him. The premise is still shaky to me, but the second trailer has won me over somewhat with some spectacular imagery and poignant music from the always reliable John Williams.
10. Carnage (December 16, limited)
Roman Polanski's latest film premiered at the Venice Film Festival to mixed reviews, but the talent involved and a solid trailer have me hooked. Based on the play "God of Carnage," the film tells the story of two sets of parents (Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz), who meet to discuss the aftermath of one of their children harming the other at a playground, with the meeting becoming increasingly less civil as time progresses. Waltz's performance has already been singled out as a bright spot, and I think Winslet looks great in it as well.
9. Shame (December 2, limited)
The second film from director Steve McQueen ("Hunger") has earned rave reviews for Michael Fassbender's performance as a man who struggles with sex addiction. Distributor Fox Searchlight is moving forward with the film even though it carries an NC-17 rating, so I'm unsure how many theatres will actually show it.
8. Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol (December 16, limited / IMAX only, December 21, wide)
The fourth cinematic outing of this franchise sees the entire IMF disavowed after the organization is framed for a terrorist attack, and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and company are forced to go rogue to clear their names. That doesn't sound particularly original to me, but two great trailers and a spectacular stunt set piece featuring the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, have me hooked. Acclaimed Pixar helmer Brad Bird ("The Incredibles," Ratatouille") directs in his first live-action effort; he shot several scenes with IMAX cameras.
7. Anonymous (currently in limited release, November 4, limited expansion)
This film from director Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day," "The Patriot," "The Day After Tomorrow," "2012") posits the theory that it was in fact Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare's plays; the film is set against the backdrop of the end of Queen Elizabeth I's reign. It has received mixed reviews, though most seem to attack the film for presenting itself as true history. However, some of the people whose film opinions I most trust have all loved it, saying that it should be viewed as historical fiction, not fact. British character actor Rhys Ifans has received near unanimous praise for his performance as de Vere.
6. My Week With Marilyn (November 23, limited)
This film tells the story of one week in the life of Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams), during her first visit to England. It has one of the year's best trailers and Williams and Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier are receiving high praise for their performances from early screenings.
5. A Dangerous Method (November 23, limited)
David Cronenberg's latest film tells of the relationship between Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) as they both treat a particularly difficult patient (Keira Knightley). The film has received mixed reviews out of the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals, though Knightley's performance has been highly praised.
4. The Descendents (November 18, limited)
The first film in seven years from writer / director Alexander Payne stars George Clooney as a man living in Hawaii who is forced to confront painful truths when his wife is injured in a boating accident and falls into a coma. Early reviews have been highly positive, with one critic calling Clooney's performance "the best dramatic performance of [his] career." Newcomer Shailene Woodley has also been praised as Clooney's character's daughter.
3. Martha Marcy May Marlene (currently in limited release)
This debut film from writer / director Sean Durkin stars Elizabeth Olsen as a damaged young woman who has just escaped from being a prisoner of a cult. The film is said to alternate between her experiences living under the terrifying cult leader (John Hawkes) and the effects this has had on her as she tries to readjust to a normal life living with her sister. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival to great reviews, and Olsen's performance has earned raves with many considering her a likely Oscar nominee.
2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (December 9, wide)
Another film that has already opened to great reviews in Europe, this adaptation of the John LeCarre novel stars Gary Oldman as George Smiley, a retired MI6 agent who is called back into the fold to expose a Soviet mole within the organization's ranks. The supporting cast is a veritable who's who of British talent (Colin Firth, John Hurt, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Mark Strong) and the trailer is one of the best I've ever seen.
1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (December 21, wide)
Director David Fincher offers up the second adaptation in as many years of the first novel in Steig Larsson's acclaimed trilogy. Rooney Mara stars as Lisbeth Salander, a genius computer hacker who is enlisted by disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) to help him solve the decades-old case of a disappearing young woman. The book is at the top of my reading list for the next couple months, though I've already seen the original Swedish film. I don't consider it to be a masterpiece by any means, though Noomi Rapace's performance as Lisbeth will be awfully hard for Mara to top. I think there's room for the original adaptation to be improved upon, and judging from two gorgeous-looking trailers--not to mention his other work on films from "Seven" to "Fight Club"--Fincher is the man for the job.
So here we go with eighteen films in total, from the bottom up:
18. The Adventures of Tintin (December 21, wide)
Steven Spielberg's motion-capture adaptation of Herge's beloved boy reporter stories has already opened in Europe, where it's gotten decent reviews. I'm not a fan of motion capture and especially 3D, and the trailers don't make it look like this film has really captured the spirit of the stories that I loved growing up. But because I loved those stories so much, I'll be keeping an eye on this and will be seeing it unless the reviews take a turn for the worse.
17. Melancholia (November 11, limited)
Lars Von Trier's latest film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May to mixed reviews, though Kirsten Dunst was highly praised for her performance as a woman who gets married as a rogue planet called Melancholia threatens to collide with Earth, winning the festival's Best Actress award.
16. The Muppets (November 23, wide)
Disney is attempting to reinvigorate Jim Henson's beloved Muppets franchise after more than a decade of dormancy. The marketing has consisted mostly of "parody trailers" with the fuzzy critters aping everything from "Green Lantern" to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." The actual story revolves around the Muppets trying to save their old theatre from a greey Texas oil baron. Recent comments by some of the original Muppet performers haven't been too kind to the new film, but I loved this characters when I was younger and The Muppet Christmas Carol is still a holiday tradition for me most years, so I'll likely check this new film out.
15. Hugo (November 23, wide)
Director Martin Scorsese ventures into family territory with this story of an orphaned boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station. I wasn't enamored with the first trailer, which gave off too much of a generic kiddie adventure a la "Alice in Wonderland" in my opinion. The second trailer was much better I thought, and reviews out of a "working print" premiere at the New York Film Festival last month indicated that the Scorsese is very much in touch with the history of cinema with this film; one reviewer called it "a love letter to the silent film era."
14. Young Adult (December 9, limited, December 16, wide)
This film wasn't very high on my radar until today, when early reviews came out praising the performances of Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt, as well as the script from "Juno" scripe Diablo Cody. The film is the story of a woman (Theron) who goes back to her high school town with the hopes of winning back her high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson). Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Up in the Air") directs.
13. The Artist (November 23, limited)
This silent film from director Michel Hazanavicius premiered to solid reviews at Cannes, and has been the darling of the festival circuit ever since; I consider it to be the Oscar Best Picture frontrunner right now. It tells the story of a silent film actor who sees his career decline with the arrival of "talkies."
12. J. Edgar (November 9, limited, November 11, wide)
Clint Eastwood's biopic of controversial FBI directror J. Edgar Hoover has only had one screening and reviews were decidedly mixed. But the material and the talent involved (Leonardo DiCaprio as Hoover, along with Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, and Armie Hammer of "The Social Network") make this a film that's impossible to ignore.
11. War Horse (December 25, wide)
Steven Spielberg's second film of the holiday season is much higher than "Tintin" on most awards prognosticators' lists, though I'm not as high on it. Based on a Tony Award-winning play, it tells the story of a horse who is pressed into service in World War I, and how he affects the lives of the people who come into contact with him. The premise is still shaky to me, but the second trailer has won me over somewhat with some spectacular imagery and poignant music from the always reliable John Williams.
10. Carnage (December 16, limited)
Roman Polanski's latest film premiered at the Venice Film Festival to mixed reviews, but the talent involved and a solid trailer have me hooked. Based on the play "God of Carnage," the film tells the story of two sets of parents (Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz), who meet to discuss the aftermath of one of their children harming the other at a playground, with the meeting becoming increasingly less civil as time progresses. Waltz's performance has already been singled out as a bright spot, and I think Winslet looks great in it as well.
9. Shame (December 2, limited)
The second film from director Steve McQueen ("Hunger") has earned rave reviews for Michael Fassbender's performance as a man who struggles with sex addiction. Distributor Fox Searchlight is moving forward with the film even though it carries an NC-17 rating, so I'm unsure how many theatres will actually show it.
8. Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol (December 16, limited / IMAX only, December 21, wide)
The fourth cinematic outing of this franchise sees the entire IMF disavowed after the organization is framed for a terrorist attack, and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and company are forced to go rogue to clear their names. That doesn't sound particularly original to me, but two great trailers and a spectacular stunt set piece featuring the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, have me hooked. Acclaimed Pixar helmer Brad Bird ("The Incredibles," Ratatouille") directs in his first live-action effort; he shot several scenes with IMAX cameras.
7. Anonymous (currently in limited release, November 4, limited expansion)
This film from director Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day," "The Patriot," "The Day After Tomorrow," "2012") posits the theory that it was in fact Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeare's plays; the film is set against the backdrop of the end of Queen Elizabeth I's reign. It has received mixed reviews, though most seem to attack the film for presenting itself as true history. However, some of the people whose film opinions I most trust have all loved it, saying that it should be viewed as historical fiction, not fact. British character actor Rhys Ifans has received near unanimous praise for his performance as de Vere.
6. My Week With Marilyn (November 23, limited)
This film tells the story of one week in the life of Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams), during her first visit to England. It has one of the year's best trailers and Williams and Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier are receiving high praise for their performances from early screenings.
5. A Dangerous Method (November 23, limited)
David Cronenberg's latest film tells of the relationship between Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) as they both treat a particularly difficult patient (Keira Knightley). The film has received mixed reviews out of the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals, though Knightley's performance has been highly praised.
4. The Descendents (November 18, limited)
The first film in seven years from writer / director Alexander Payne stars George Clooney as a man living in Hawaii who is forced to confront painful truths when his wife is injured in a boating accident and falls into a coma. Early reviews have been highly positive, with one critic calling Clooney's performance "the best dramatic performance of [his] career." Newcomer Shailene Woodley has also been praised as Clooney's character's daughter.
3. Martha Marcy May Marlene (currently in limited release)
This debut film from writer / director Sean Durkin stars Elizabeth Olsen as a damaged young woman who has just escaped from being a prisoner of a cult. The film is said to alternate between her experiences living under the terrifying cult leader (John Hawkes) and the effects this has had on her as she tries to readjust to a normal life living with her sister. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival to great reviews, and Olsen's performance has earned raves with many considering her a likely Oscar nominee.
2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (December 9, wide)
Another film that has already opened to great reviews in Europe, this adaptation of the John LeCarre novel stars Gary Oldman as George Smiley, a retired MI6 agent who is called back into the fold to expose a Soviet mole within the organization's ranks. The supporting cast is a veritable who's who of British talent (Colin Firth, John Hurt, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Mark Strong) and the trailer is one of the best I've ever seen.
1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (December 21, wide)
Director David Fincher offers up the second adaptation in as many years of the first novel in Steig Larsson's acclaimed trilogy. Rooney Mara stars as Lisbeth Salander, a genius computer hacker who is enlisted by disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) to help him solve the decades-old case of a disappearing young woman. The book is at the top of my reading list for the next couple months, though I've already seen the original Swedish film. I don't consider it to be a masterpiece by any means, though Noomi Rapace's performance as Lisbeth will be awfully hard for Mara to top. I think there's room for the original adaptation to be improved upon, and judging from two gorgeous-looking trailers--not to mention his other work on films from "Seven" to "Fight Club"--Fincher is the man for the job.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Film Review: "The Rum Diary"
"The Rum Diary" is the latest Hunter S. Thompson adaptation, with Johnny Depp once again playing an incarnation of the famous writer / journalist as he did in the excellent cult classic "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." It's just about impossible not to compare the two, and while "The Rum Diary" is fun enough, it ultimately fails to be much of a memorable picture.
Depp plays Paul Kemp, a New York Times journalist who has just taken a job for a small newspaper in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1960. The paper is clearly not well-run and the editor, Lotterman (Richard Jenkins), is more worried about doing as little as possible to keep it in circulation than printing any sort of real news. As a clear alcoholic, Kemp fits right into the rum culture in San Juan, particularly with two of his new co-workers, Sala (Michael Rispoli), and Moburg (Giovanni Ribisi), a drug-and-alcohol-addicted Hitler idolizer. While trying to find a real story to complement the horoscopes he's instructed to write, Kemp meets Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), a clearly crooked but wealthy businessman, and his beautiful girlfriend, Chenault (Amber Heard). As the rum-induced madness ensues, Kemp becomes by what he sees as completely unfettered exploitative capitalism at the expense of the people who live in this paradise.
As I said, it's impossible not to compare this film to "Fear and Loathing." But that's not just because both are Hunter S. Thompson adaptations starring Depp. Both films have a relatively simple story, though "The Rum Diary" lacks the cultural epiphany that Raul Duke finds at the end of "Fear and Loathing." This film also lacks the sheer extreme debauchery that made "Fear and Loathing" so memorable; in fact, compared to the former film, this one is positively tame. "Fear and Loathing" also carries the unmistakeable fingerprints of director Terry Gilliam, one of the most unique minds in filmmaking. There is truly no director working today, and probably ever, who is comparable to Gilliam, so it's totally unfair to accept the same of writer / director Bruce Robinson here. But aside from capturing the sweat and the grime of the setting, there's really nothing to set this film apart. Ultimately, when Kemp and Sala aren't on a booze-induced rampage, very little happens, and Kemp's realizations of how exploitative the economic situation in Puerto Rico is only come gradually. Maybe it's because the issues covered in this film (rampant, unfettered, exploitative capitalism and environmental destruction) are so endlessly debated in today's society that the film's message fails to pack much of a punch, especially when compared with the more abstract "search for the American Dream" in "Fear and Loathing." Conversely, the film's themes do show what a forward thinker Thompson was as the book on which it's based is now more than fifty years old.
The films certainly has its share of hilarious moments, and sometimes briefly reaches the level of sheer lunacy that "Fear and Loathing" maintained for two hours. Depp is absolutely perfect to play this alternate version of Thompson, and while it's no "Finding Neverland" or "Sweeney Todd," it is a reminder of what a talented actor Depp is when he's not playing Jack Sparrow for the fourth time or another bizarre Tim Burton character (the aforementioned Sweeney excepted). Rispoli and Ribisi are both great, but the two of them together don't add up to the manic lunacy that Benicio Del Toro brought to Dr. Gonzo in "Fear and Loathing." Heard is ravishing and can play the young, blonde bombshell about as well as anyone nowadays; unfortunately I've still never seen anything from her that shows any depth to her skills as an actress. Eckhart plays the smooth talker perfectly fine, but when emotion is called for he tends to seep into overacting, and he does that again here.
"The Rum Diary" isn't a bad film by any means, it's just a pretty ordinary film. I guess I expected more after really enjoying "Fear and Loathing" and seeing the trailer for this film; one of the funniest trailers of the year. It didn't quite live up to what I hoped it would, but it's still worth seeing.
"The Rum Diary" is rated R for language, some drug use, and sexuality.
Running time: 120 minutes.
Released domestically on October 28, 2011, by Film District.
2.5 stars out of 4.
Depp plays Paul Kemp, a New York Times journalist who has just taken a job for a small newspaper in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1960. The paper is clearly not well-run and the editor, Lotterman (Richard Jenkins), is more worried about doing as little as possible to keep it in circulation than printing any sort of real news. As a clear alcoholic, Kemp fits right into the rum culture in San Juan, particularly with two of his new co-workers, Sala (Michael Rispoli), and Moburg (Giovanni Ribisi), a drug-and-alcohol-addicted Hitler idolizer. While trying to find a real story to complement the horoscopes he's instructed to write, Kemp meets Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), a clearly crooked but wealthy businessman, and his beautiful girlfriend, Chenault (Amber Heard). As the rum-induced madness ensues, Kemp becomes by what he sees as completely unfettered exploitative capitalism at the expense of the people who live in this paradise.
As I said, it's impossible not to compare this film to "Fear and Loathing." But that's not just because both are Hunter S. Thompson adaptations starring Depp. Both films have a relatively simple story, though "The Rum Diary" lacks the cultural epiphany that Raul Duke finds at the end of "Fear and Loathing." This film also lacks the sheer extreme debauchery that made "Fear and Loathing" so memorable; in fact, compared to the former film, this one is positively tame. "Fear and Loathing" also carries the unmistakeable fingerprints of director Terry Gilliam, one of the most unique minds in filmmaking. There is truly no director working today, and probably ever, who is comparable to Gilliam, so it's totally unfair to accept the same of writer / director Bruce Robinson here. But aside from capturing the sweat and the grime of the setting, there's really nothing to set this film apart. Ultimately, when Kemp and Sala aren't on a booze-induced rampage, very little happens, and Kemp's realizations of how exploitative the economic situation in Puerto Rico is only come gradually. Maybe it's because the issues covered in this film (rampant, unfettered, exploitative capitalism and environmental destruction) are so endlessly debated in today's society that the film's message fails to pack much of a punch, especially when compared with the more abstract "search for the American Dream" in "Fear and Loathing." Conversely, the film's themes do show what a forward thinker Thompson was as the book on which it's based is now more than fifty years old.
The films certainly has its share of hilarious moments, and sometimes briefly reaches the level of sheer lunacy that "Fear and Loathing" maintained for two hours. Depp is absolutely perfect to play this alternate version of Thompson, and while it's no "Finding Neverland" or "Sweeney Todd," it is a reminder of what a talented actor Depp is when he's not playing Jack Sparrow for the fourth time or another bizarre Tim Burton character (the aforementioned Sweeney excepted). Rispoli and Ribisi are both great, but the two of them together don't add up to the manic lunacy that Benicio Del Toro brought to Dr. Gonzo in "Fear and Loathing." Heard is ravishing and can play the young, blonde bombshell about as well as anyone nowadays; unfortunately I've still never seen anything from her that shows any depth to her skills as an actress. Eckhart plays the smooth talker perfectly fine, but when emotion is called for he tends to seep into overacting, and he does that again here.
"The Rum Diary" isn't a bad film by any means, it's just a pretty ordinary film. I guess I expected more after really enjoying "Fear and Loathing" and seeing the trailer for this film; one of the funniest trailers of the year. It didn't quite live up to what I hoped it would, but it's still worth seeing.
"The Rum Diary" is rated R for language, some drug use, and sexuality.
Running time: 120 minutes.
Released domestically on October 28, 2011, by Film District.
2.5 stars out of 4.
Film Review: "In Time"
Writer / director Andrew Niccol's "In Time" had the potential to be something special as a small scale sci-fi thriller with clear parallels to the world we live in today. Unfortunately, the film is saddled with some truly horrendous dialogue and a plot with more holes than a rind of Swiss cheese...it's not a total loss, but overall it comes off as a decidedly B-level sci-fi film.
Through a brief opening narration, we learn that in the late twenty-first century, humans have been genetically engineered so that they no longer age past 25. Furthermore, time has replaced money as the currency of the realm; it's imprinted digitally on everyone's left forearm. The catch, though, is that whenever a person runs out of time, they die. The best sci-fi films establish a clear understanding of the rules of the world they inhabit...for example, Christopher Nolan spent roughly an hour setting up the rules of his world in "Inception." This film simply lays out the scenario without any explanation and then launches into the plot. Because of this, it took me a while to accept this alternate reality as something plausible; for a while it just comes off as too outlandish and goofy. But the film suffers from far bigger problems than a cheesy sci-fi setup.
As the film opens, we are introduced to Will Salas (Justin Timberlake), a twenty-seven-year-old (or "twenty-five-plus-two" as he puts it), guy living in the ghetto community of Dayton. Will is never able to earn more than a day's worth of time every day, meaning he wakes up every morning with just one day left to live until he collects his "wages" at the end of the day. He has hopes of moving his mother, Rachel (Olivia Wilde) to one of the better "time zones" (yes, there is forcible segregation between people in this world depending on how much time they have), but they seem to be hopelessly in debt. Through random happenstance, Will meets Henry Hamilton (Matt Bomer), a 105-year-old man who has a century worth of time on his clock. Henry has decided that he's had enough with the world and wants to die, and he leaves his time to Will (people can exchange time with one another by clasping each others' wrists). Henry then dies and Will is suspected of his murder, but with a veritable eternity of time on his hands he is able to make his way to New Greenwich, the "wealthiest" time zone, where he has grand plans of taking down those who are hoarding all the time while others suffer from day-to-day; the parallels to today's society are incredibly clear. Will ends up getting involved with Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried), the daughter of one of New Greenwich's wealthiest citizens (Vincent Kartheiser of "Mad Men"), and the two end up on the run from timekeepers (the police of this world), lead by Raymond Leon (Cillian Murphy), as they attempt to upend the system by robbing banks filled with time and distributing it to the poor in Dayton and elsewhere. Yes, the film basically becomes a sci-fi "Robin Hood" by its final act.
As I said in my opening, the setup here had potential. Unfortunately the rules of this world aren't explained well enough, aren't detailed enough, and ultimately result in numerous plot holes...and not the kind you can write off as "oh, it's just sci-fi, it doesn't have to make sense." These are the type of plot holes that would be plot holes no matter what movie they occurred in. Just one example: Will has never driven a car, and says so. But once he finds himself in New Greenwich with lots of time on his hands, he buys one and instantly becomes a driver with skills rivaling that of Ryan Gosling's character in "Drive." There are plenty of other nonsensical scenarios that after a while just pile up too much to be overlooked. There also, as I mentioned, a fair amount of simply dreadful dialogue. No character escapes it, but Timberlake and Murphy manage to make it sound less bad than everyone else, probably because they're simply the best actors in this film. Timberlake has proven his acting chops in "The Social Network" and "Alpha Dog," and he's adequate here. Murphy always has a huge amount of charisma, and as such he fares the best under the weight of the at times dreadful script. Seyfried has never really impressed me as much as she's really just always played a wide-eyed innocent of one type or another, and she's no different here. Kartheiser is appropriately smarmy as the villian, Philippe Weis, but Alex Pettyfer is truly horrid as the leader of a group of thugs called minutemen.
I did mention that the film isn't a total loss, and it's not. In spite of the cheesy setup, I did find myself rooting for the characters, and even caring what happens to them at the end. The action is well done, and there are some legitimately intense moments. Niccol clearly has a gifted eye as a director, and he's helped immensely by legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins; Craig Armstrong contributes a pulsating, lively score.
Overall, however, "In Time" is just saddled with too many problems to be enjoyable. Niccol's script should have been given a once-over by a more seasoned writer, someone who could iron out all the plot holes and dreadful dialogue. Had that been the case, this could have been a much more impressive film, as the parallels to modern society are clearly there. But ultimately, it's not worth your time.
"In Time" is rated PG-13 for violence, some sexuality and partial nudity, and strong language.
Running time: 109 minutes.
Released domestically on October 28, 2011, by Twentieth Century Fox.
2 stars out of 4.
Through a brief opening narration, we learn that in the late twenty-first century, humans have been genetically engineered so that they no longer age past 25. Furthermore, time has replaced money as the currency of the realm; it's imprinted digitally on everyone's left forearm. The catch, though, is that whenever a person runs out of time, they die. The best sci-fi films establish a clear understanding of the rules of the world they inhabit...for example, Christopher Nolan spent roughly an hour setting up the rules of his world in "Inception." This film simply lays out the scenario without any explanation and then launches into the plot. Because of this, it took me a while to accept this alternate reality as something plausible; for a while it just comes off as too outlandish and goofy. But the film suffers from far bigger problems than a cheesy sci-fi setup.
As the film opens, we are introduced to Will Salas (Justin Timberlake), a twenty-seven-year-old (or "twenty-five-plus-two" as he puts it), guy living in the ghetto community of Dayton. Will is never able to earn more than a day's worth of time every day, meaning he wakes up every morning with just one day left to live until he collects his "wages" at the end of the day. He has hopes of moving his mother, Rachel (Olivia Wilde) to one of the better "time zones" (yes, there is forcible segregation between people in this world depending on how much time they have), but they seem to be hopelessly in debt. Through random happenstance, Will meets Henry Hamilton (Matt Bomer), a 105-year-old man who has a century worth of time on his clock. Henry has decided that he's had enough with the world and wants to die, and he leaves his time to Will (people can exchange time with one another by clasping each others' wrists). Henry then dies and Will is suspected of his murder, but with a veritable eternity of time on his hands he is able to make his way to New Greenwich, the "wealthiest" time zone, where he has grand plans of taking down those who are hoarding all the time while others suffer from day-to-day; the parallels to today's society are incredibly clear. Will ends up getting involved with Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried), the daughter of one of New Greenwich's wealthiest citizens (Vincent Kartheiser of "Mad Men"), and the two end up on the run from timekeepers (the police of this world), lead by Raymond Leon (Cillian Murphy), as they attempt to upend the system by robbing banks filled with time and distributing it to the poor in Dayton and elsewhere. Yes, the film basically becomes a sci-fi "Robin Hood" by its final act.
As I said in my opening, the setup here had potential. Unfortunately the rules of this world aren't explained well enough, aren't detailed enough, and ultimately result in numerous plot holes...and not the kind you can write off as "oh, it's just sci-fi, it doesn't have to make sense." These are the type of plot holes that would be plot holes no matter what movie they occurred in. Just one example: Will has never driven a car, and says so. But once he finds himself in New Greenwich with lots of time on his hands, he buys one and instantly becomes a driver with skills rivaling that of Ryan Gosling's character in "Drive." There are plenty of other nonsensical scenarios that after a while just pile up too much to be overlooked. There also, as I mentioned, a fair amount of simply dreadful dialogue. No character escapes it, but Timberlake and Murphy manage to make it sound less bad than everyone else, probably because they're simply the best actors in this film. Timberlake has proven his acting chops in "The Social Network" and "Alpha Dog," and he's adequate here. Murphy always has a huge amount of charisma, and as such he fares the best under the weight of the at times dreadful script. Seyfried has never really impressed me as much as she's really just always played a wide-eyed innocent of one type or another, and she's no different here. Kartheiser is appropriately smarmy as the villian, Philippe Weis, but Alex Pettyfer is truly horrid as the leader of a group of thugs called minutemen.
I did mention that the film isn't a total loss, and it's not. In spite of the cheesy setup, I did find myself rooting for the characters, and even caring what happens to them at the end. The action is well done, and there are some legitimately intense moments. Niccol clearly has a gifted eye as a director, and he's helped immensely by legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins; Craig Armstrong contributes a pulsating, lively score.
Overall, however, "In Time" is just saddled with too many problems to be enjoyable. Niccol's script should have been given a once-over by a more seasoned writer, someone who could iron out all the plot holes and dreadful dialogue. Had that been the case, this could have been a much more impressive film, as the parallels to modern society are clearly there. But ultimately, it's not worth your time.
"In Time" is rated PG-13 for violence, some sexuality and partial nudity, and strong language.
Running time: 109 minutes.
Released domestically on October 28, 2011, by Twentieth Century Fox.
2 stars out of 4.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Film Review: "Super"
"Super" is the latest superhero deconstruction film, following in the footsteps of "Watchmen" and "Kick-Ass." But it brings nothing new to the table, other than perhaps to show how demented anyone would have to be to put on a costume and try to imitate comic book characters.
The film is the story of Frank D'Arbo (Rainn Wilson), a sad-sack loser whose wife, Sarah (Liv Tyler), has left him for a small-time drug dealer names Jacques (Kevin Bacon). This drives Frank into a deep depression, and we see very quickly that he is a man who has no self-confidence whatsoever, and may even hate himself. Frank eventually decides that in order to get Sarah back, he has to learn to stand up to evil, and he decides to become a superhero named the Crimson Bolt. He has no superpowers obviously, and the best way he can think of to fight crime is to dress up in a costume and beat criminals with a pipe wrench. Along the way he meets a young comic book aficionado named Libby (Ellen Page), who, when she finds out who he is, decides to become his sidekick.
For anyone who has seen "Kick-Ass," this story might sound very similar, and it is. But where that film was a quite clever satire of the superhero / comic book / fanboy obsession, this film is simply a story of two mentally unstable people beating up criminals and becoming increasingly obsessive about it. "Kick-Ass" is also very self-reverential, essentially turning into one of the same stories it's making fun of by the end, but doing it in a very tongue-in-cheek fashion. This film, one the other hand, is just another superhero revenge story, albeit one that's extremely violent.
The one thing this film does bring though is the idea of how crazy someone would have to be to dress up as a superhero and fight crime. It's obvious that Frank has some self-esteem issues, but Libby is absolutely psychotic. She is introduced as a relatively normal girl who just happens to know a lot about comic books, but as she gets deeper and deeper into her alter ego, Boltie, we begin to realize that she is simply a crazed fanatic. Page has a lot of fun with the character as she becomes more and more unhinged, and it's probably good for her that in a movie like this there's really nothing that's too over the top, because she certainly goes all out in terms of Libby's crazed obsession. You can tell that Bacon is also having a lot of fun with his character as well. Wilson is fine as well, though he's playing yet another oddball loser in the vein of Dwight Schrute.
"Super" isn't a bad film, it just brings nothing new to its genre. If you're a fan of superhero deconstruction stories it might be worth giving it a look, but I think ultimately you'll find, as I did, that it's essentially a lower-budget, less fun version of "Kick-Ass," and without the likeable characters, or legitimate dramatic moments, that made that film so great. In all honestly, "Super" really just makes me want to watch "Kick-Ass" again to see a film that covered similar ground, but did it so much better.
"Super" is rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, sexual content, and drug use.
Running time: 96 minutes.
Released domestically on April 1, 2011, by IFC Films.
2 stars out of 4.
The film is the story of Frank D'Arbo (Rainn Wilson), a sad-sack loser whose wife, Sarah (Liv Tyler), has left him for a small-time drug dealer names Jacques (Kevin Bacon). This drives Frank into a deep depression, and we see very quickly that he is a man who has no self-confidence whatsoever, and may even hate himself. Frank eventually decides that in order to get Sarah back, he has to learn to stand up to evil, and he decides to become a superhero named the Crimson Bolt. He has no superpowers obviously, and the best way he can think of to fight crime is to dress up in a costume and beat criminals with a pipe wrench. Along the way he meets a young comic book aficionado named Libby (Ellen Page), who, when she finds out who he is, decides to become his sidekick.
For anyone who has seen "Kick-Ass," this story might sound very similar, and it is. But where that film was a quite clever satire of the superhero / comic book / fanboy obsession, this film is simply a story of two mentally unstable people beating up criminals and becoming increasingly obsessive about it. "Kick-Ass" is also very self-reverential, essentially turning into one of the same stories it's making fun of by the end, but doing it in a very tongue-in-cheek fashion. This film, one the other hand, is just another superhero revenge story, albeit one that's extremely violent.
The one thing this film does bring though is the idea of how crazy someone would have to be to dress up as a superhero and fight crime. It's obvious that Frank has some self-esteem issues, but Libby is absolutely psychotic. She is introduced as a relatively normal girl who just happens to know a lot about comic books, but as she gets deeper and deeper into her alter ego, Boltie, we begin to realize that she is simply a crazed fanatic. Page has a lot of fun with the character as she becomes more and more unhinged, and it's probably good for her that in a movie like this there's really nothing that's too over the top, because she certainly goes all out in terms of Libby's crazed obsession. You can tell that Bacon is also having a lot of fun with his character as well. Wilson is fine as well, though he's playing yet another oddball loser in the vein of Dwight Schrute.
"Super" isn't a bad film, it just brings nothing new to its genre. If you're a fan of superhero deconstruction stories it might be worth giving it a look, but I think ultimately you'll find, as I did, that it's essentially a lower-budget, less fun version of "Kick-Ass," and without the likeable characters, or legitimate dramatic moments, that made that film so great. In all honestly, "Super" really just makes me want to watch "Kick-Ass" again to see a film that covered similar ground, but did it so much better.
"Super" is rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, sexual content, and drug use.
Running time: 96 minutes.
Released domestically on April 1, 2011, by IFC Films.
2 stars out of 4.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Film Review: "HappyThankYouMorePlease"
"HappyThankYouMorePlease" is a textbook example of an indie comedy. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, it took the film over a year to find a limited release in a few cities before being unceremoniously dumped out on home media. That's a shame, because it's a very well-done film headed up by writer-director-star Josh Radnor, star of the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother."
The film tells three stories of various interconnected twentysomethings living in New York City. Sam (Radnor) is a struggling author who sees a boy left on the subway and takes him in. Sam eventually finds out that the boy's name is Rasheen (he's played by Michael Algieri) and that he's been bouncing around foster homes for all of his life. Sam decides to take Rasheen in, ignoring the potentially serious legal complications. But he's not above using Rasheen to help him get the attention of a pretty waitress named Mississippi (Kate Mara). Another story follows Sam's friend Mary Catherine (Zoe Kazan), a young woman who works in a library and has to decide whether to follow her boyfriend Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) to Los Angeles. The third story follows another friend of Sam's, Annie (Malin Ackerman). Annie suffers from a neurological disorder that causes her to be bald, and as a result has serious commitment and self-image issues.
On the surface, "HappyThankYouMorePlease" doesn't seem to have any deep meanings or messages; it's simply a story about the lives and struggles of these six people. But as the film progresses and you get to know these characters better, you realize that Radnor really has an ultimately uplifting message about persevering through struggles, being willing to take risks, and really just being able to let yourself be happy. All the performances are fine, though with Sam at the center of the story, Radnor stands out the most. His script is great, with quite well-developed characters, and a few laugh-out-loud one-liners. This is a small comedy, so there's certainly nothing fancy in terms of filmmaking, but Radnor definitely has a cinematic eye, with a couple of very impressive shots. He's also great at creating chemistry between some of the characters; the scenes between Sam and Mississippi practically ooze with sexual tension. As with many indie comedies, there's a great, catchy soundtrack.
"HappyThankYouMorePlease" is a film that will probably appeal to a pretty specific audience. I think I'm squarely in that audience, as someone in my twenties who can identify with many of the struggles these characters face. But ultimately, for anyone who loves quality cinema, this is a film worth checking out.
"HappyThankYouMorePlease" is rated R for language.
Running time: 100 minutes.
Released domestically on March 4, 2011, by Anchor Bay Films.
3 stars out of 4.
The film tells three stories of various interconnected twentysomethings living in New York City. Sam (Radnor) is a struggling author who sees a boy left on the subway and takes him in. Sam eventually finds out that the boy's name is Rasheen (he's played by Michael Algieri) and that he's been bouncing around foster homes for all of his life. Sam decides to take Rasheen in, ignoring the potentially serious legal complications. But he's not above using Rasheen to help him get the attention of a pretty waitress named Mississippi (Kate Mara). Another story follows Sam's friend Mary Catherine (Zoe Kazan), a young woman who works in a library and has to decide whether to follow her boyfriend Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) to Los Angeles. The third story follows another friend of Sam's, Annie (Malin Ackerman). Annie suffers from a neurological disorder that causes her to be bald, and as a result has serious commitment and self-image issues.
On the surface, "HappyThankYouMorePlease" doesn't seem to have any deep meanings or messages; it's simply a story about the lives and struggles of these six people. But as the film progresses and you get to know these characters better, you realize that Radnor really has an ultimately uplifting message about persevering through struggles, being willing to take risks, and really just being able to let yourself be happy. All the performances are fine, though with Sam at the center of the story, Radnor stands out the most. His script is great, with quite well-developed characters, and a few laugh-out-loud one-liners. This is a small comedy, so there's certainly nothing fancy in terms of filmmaking, but Radnor definitely has a cinematic eye, with a couple of very impressive shots. He's also great at creating chemistry between some of the characters; the scenes between Sam and Mississippi practically ooze with sexual tension. As with many indie comedies, there's a great, catchy soundtrack.
"HappyThankYouMorePlease" is a film that will probably appeal to a pretty specific audience. I think I'm squarely in that audience, as someone in my twenties who can identify with many of the struggles these characters face. But ultimately, for anyone who loves quality cinema, this is a film worth checking out.
"HappyThankYouMorePlease" is rated R for language.
Running time: 100 minutes.
Released domestically on March 4, 2011, by Anchor Bay Films.
3 stars out of 4.
Film Review: "The Ides of March"
Based on the play "Farragut North" by Beau Willamon, "The Ides of March" is the story of the final days of a Democratic presidential primary. It's a film that is incredibly cynical regarding the political process in America, specifically the campaign process. The entire story is an exercise in dirty politics, without a single moral or upstanding character to be found. It's also an intense and expertly crafted film with a solid directorial outing by George Clooney (who also stars) and a slew of outstanding performances.
The film opens in the final days of the Ohio Democratic presidential primary. George Clooney stars as Governor Mike Morris, an idealistic candidate who has held a commanding lead in the race thus far, but now finds himself in a tight battle in Ohio, and the sense that "as Ohio goes, so goes the nation." Ryan Gosling is Stephen Myers, Morris's assistant campaign manager. He's a veteran of many campaigns, despite being only 30, and in Morris he has finally found a candidate he truly believes in. He and campaign manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are working hard at helping Morris seal the deal in Ohio when Stephen is contacted by Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), the campaign manager for Morris's opponent. Duffy just wants to meet with Stephen and talk, a seemingly innocent enough action that ends up having horrible repercussions for Stephen, Paul, Morris, and many others.
I said in my opening that there are a slew of outstanding performances in this film, and truth be told, there really isn't a bad performance to be found. It starts the top with Gosling. Despite having Clooney in the film, this is Gosling's show, and he owns it. Stephen in the one who is transformed the most by the fallout from his seemingly innocent meeting, and Gosling captures the entire range of his character perfectly. The role of an idealistic politician is one that Clooney was born to play, and he pulls it off smoothly. There's nothing especially standout about his performance, but that's probably because he's played so many smooth talking characters for so long that it just seems effortless. Hoffman and Giamatti are two of the best scenery-chewing actors working today, but they're both so good that they almost always manage to play very intense characters, yet never take them too over the top. That's the case again here, though neither of them has a whole lot of screen time. They only share one scene together, and never speak to each other, but it's obvious from that one scene alone how much Paul and Tom despise each other. The film's other noteworthy performance comes from Evan Rachel Wood as Molly, a teenage intern who has been working on the campaign for just a few months. I think that when she's at her best, Wood is one of the most talented actors of her generation. Her performances in "The Wrestler" and particularly "Thirteen" were revelatory, and while she's not as intense here, she perfectly captures the confident-but-naive girl who quickly gets way in over her head in the dirty political game that plays out over the course of the film.
Clooney's direction is solid; it's no surprise that he is able to bring out such great performances as he is an actor himself. He really knows how to showcase the performances here too, using lots of facial closeups which in a film with so many twists and turns really allows us to see each character's reaction as events play out and the stakes keep getting raised. Gosling and Wood are served particularly well by this, as they are both actors who can say so much with their eyes alone. The script by Clooney, Willamon, and Grant Heslov is great, never diving too deep into political, inside-the-Beltway dialogue. Alexandre Desplat contributes a pulsating, intense score that may well earn him another Oscar nomination (though I'd prefer to see him recognized for his work on "Harry Potter").
To sum up, "The Ides of March" is simply a great film. It's incredibly cynical, and for those already disturbed by the current political process in America, this definitely won't improve your opinions. Walking out of the film at first, I almost felt that it was just too depressing, but as I've been able to step back and think on it I now see what is simply an expertly crafted film that is well worth seeing.
"The Ides of March" is rated R for pervasive language.
Running time: 101 minutes.
Released domestically on October 7, 2011, by Columbia Pictures.
3.5 stars out of 4.
The film opens in the final days of the Ohio Democratic presidential primary. George Clooney stars as Governor Mike Morris, an idealistic candidate who has held a commanding lead in the race thus far, but now finds himself in a tight battle in Ohio, and the sense that "as Ohio goes, so goes the nation." Ryan Gosling is Stephen Myers, Morris's assistant campaign manager. He's a veteran of many campaigns, despite being only 30, and in Morris he has finally found a candidate he truly believes in. He and campaign manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are working hard at helping Morris seal the deal in Ohio when Stephen is contacted by Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), the campaign manager for Morris's opponent. Duffy just wants to meet with Stephen and talk, a seemingly innocent enough action that ends up having horrible repercussions for Stephen, Paul, Morris, and many others.
I said in my opening that there are a slew of outstanding performances in this film, and truth be told, there really isn't a bad performance to be found. It starts the top with Gosling. Despite having Clooney in the film, this is Gosling's show, and he owns it. Stephen in the one who is transformed the most by the fallout from his seemingly innocent meeting, and Gosling captures the entire range of his character perfectly. The role of an idealistic politician is one that Clooney was born to play, and he pulls it off smoothly. There's nothing especially standout about his performance, but that's probably because he's played so many smooth talking characters for so long that it just seems effortless. Hoffman and Giamatti are two of the best scenery-chewing actors working today, but they're both so good that they almost always manage to play very intense characters, yet never take them too over the top. That's the case again here, though neither of them has a whole lot of screen time. They only share one scene together, and never speak to each other, but it's obvious from that one scene alone how much Paul and Tom despise each other. The film's other noteworthy performance comes from Evan Rachel Wood as Molly, a teenage intern who has been working on the campaign for just a few months. I think that when she's at her best, Wood is one of the most talented actors of her generation. Her performances in "The Wrestler" and particularly "Thirteen" were revelatory, and while she's not as intense here, she perfectly captures the confident-but-naive girl who quickly gets way in over her head in the dirty political game that plays out over the course of the film.
Clooney's direction is solid; it's no surprise that he is able to bring out such great performances as he is an actor himself. He really knows how to showcase the performances here too, using lots of facial closeups which in a film with so many twists and turns really allows us to see each character's reaction as events play out and the stakes keep getting raised. Gosling and Wood are served particularly well by this, as they are both actors who can say so much with their eyes alone. The script by Clooney, Willamon, and Grant Heslov is great, never diving too deep into political, inside-the-Beltway dialogue. Alexandre Desplat contributes a pulsating, intense score that may well earn him another Oscar nomination (though I'd prefer to see him recognized for his work on "Harry Potter").
To sum up, "The Ides of March" is simply a great film. It's incredibly cynical, and for those already disturbed by the current political process in America, this definitely won't improve your opinions. Walking out of the film at first, I almost felt that it was just too depressing, but as I've been able to step back and think on it I now see what is simply an expertly crafted film that is well worth seeing.
"The Ides of March" is rated R for pervasive language.
Running time: 101 minutes.
Released domestically on October 7, 2011, by Columbia Pictures.
3.5 stars out of 4.
Film Review: "The Debt"
"The Debt" is a serviceable dramatic thriller, a film that doesn't break any new ground in the genre but is nonetheless an entertaining enough two-and-a-half hours. The film opens in 1997 as a book is being published that tells the story of a group of three Mossad agents who were tasked with capturing Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christiansen), better known as the "Surgeon of Birkenau," and bringing him to trial for the horrible atrocities he committed during the Holocaust. It's clear early on that the now retired agents, Rachel (Helen Mirren), Stephan (Tom Wilkinson), and David (Ciaran Hinds) know that the book doesn't tell the whole truth about their mission, and the film then jumps back in time, showing us what actually happened thirty years before.
Roughly the first half of the film deals with the 1967 mission to capture Vogel, while the latter half shows the protagonists trying to come to terms with the truths that they've been hiding all this time. For me, the first half was definitely the more compelling portion of the film. It's a pretty straightforward men on a mission story (or in this case one woman and two men), but director John Madden (best known for "Shakespeare in Love") does a great job of introducing us to the younger characters and building tension as the mission is carried out. The younger versions of the three agents are played by Jessica Chastain (as Rachel), Sam Worthington (as David), and Marton Csokas (as Stephan). All six of the lead performances are excellent, though Hinds doesn't get as much screen time as the others. Chastain stands out in particular though as the younger Rachel, a woman on her first field assignment who, for reasons I won't reveal so as to not spoil the story, ends up being the focus of the entire story. This year has proven to be a major coming out party for Chastain, as she's had roles in no less than four films. I've seen her in three of them, and have yet to see a performance from her that isn't great. The second half of the film is fine as well, but it becomes solely focused on Rachel, and lacks the interplay between the characters that allows the film to breathe more.
Overall I think my opening statement sums this film up pretty well. It's a standard dramatic thriller, one that's well acted and executed and also poses some interesting questions about truth versus cover-ups, and what lengths people will go to to keep their names clean. It's not groundbreaking, but it's a solid enough film.
"The Debt" is rated R for some violence and language.
Running time: 113 minutes.
Released domestically on August 31, 2011, by Focus Features.
2.5 stars out of 4.
Roughly the first half of the film deals with the 1967 mission to capture Vogel, while the latter half shows the protagonists trying to come to terms with the truths that they've been hiding all this time. For me, the first half was definitely the more compelling portion of the film. It's a pretty straightforward men on a mission story (or in this case one woman and two men), but director John Madden (best known for "Shakespeare in Love") does a great job of introducing us to the younger characters and building tension as the mission is carried out. The younger versions of the three agents are played by Jessica Chastain (as Rachel), Sam Worthington (as David), and Marton Csokas (as Stephan). All six of the lead performances are excellent, though Hinds doesn't get as much screen time as the others. Chastain stands out in particular though as the younger Rachel, a woman on her first field assignment who, for reasons I won't reveal so as to not spoil the story, ends up being the focus of the entire story. This year has proven to be a major coming out party for Chastain, as she's had roles in no less than four films. I've seen her in three of them, and have yet to see a performance from her that isn't great. The second half of the film is fine as well, but it becomes solely focused on Rachel, and lacks the interplay between the characters that allows the film to breathe more.
Overall I think my opening statement sums this film up pretty well. It's a standard dramatic thriller, one that's well acted and executed and also poses some interesting questions about truth versus cover-ups, and what lengths people will go to to keep their names clean. It's not groundbreaking, but it's a solid enough film.
"The Debt" is rated R for some violence and language.
Running time: 113 minutes.
Released domestically on August 31, 2011, by Focus Features.
2.5 stars out of 4.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Film Review: "The Help"
"The Help" is the best film I've seen so far this year. It's not a masterpiece by any means, but it succeeds so well by seamlessly mixing drama and comedy and by being a message movie that never feels preachy. In fact, it's a quite entertaining crowd-pleaser (as evidenced by its nearly $160 million in domestic box office dollars so far) that feels much shorter than its two-and-a-half hour running time. It also features no less than five outstanding performances, with a couple of other scene-stealers as well.
Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett, the film opens in 1963 with Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (Emma Stone) returning home to Jackson, Mississippi after graduating from the University of Mississippi. Rather than settling down and looking for a husband, as is generally expected of women in that time and place, Skeeter gets a job writing a household cleaning column for the local newspaper, which she hopes is a stepping stone to becoming a professional writer. As she reconnects with her friends and family in Jackson, her eyes begin to be opened to the deplorable way in which African-Americans--particularly women--are treated in the Jim Crow South. What catches her attention the most is the plan of Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) to get a law passed requiring black maids who work in the homes of white women to have separate bathrooms outside the houses. Skeeter begins talking with Aibileen (Viola Davis) a black maid who has suffered much under the harsh conditions for blacks in Jackson. As Aibileen opens Skeeter's eyes to the awful injustices black women in the town are faced with, she becomes interested in collecting the stories of various maids and compiling them into a book...an act which, under one of the Jim Crow Laws in Mississippi, could land her in prison.
"The Help" succeeds so well because of a great script and a host of wonderful performances. The screenplay from Tate Taylor (who also directed) manages to shed light on the awful situation faced by the maids without ever becoming overbearingly preachy or depressing. Horrible things certainly do happen, and more are discussed in Skeeter's conversations with Aibileen, but they never become the focus of the film. Taylor also mixes in plenty of lighter moments as well, which actually give the darker scenes more weight, as the film sometimes changes tone abruptly. The film is beautiful to look at as well, perfectly capturing the feel of the South. All the production work, from to the cinematography to the art direction to the costumes, is simply great. Thomas Newman also contributes a lively score.
The real showcase here though is the acting. This is a film in which all the major characters are women; in fact men barely figure in the story at all. And there are so many good performances that half of the ten female acting nominations at the Oscars could easily be filled from this film. Leading the way is Viola Davis as Aibileen with a perfectly balanced emotional performance. Aibileen has always chosen to just quietly perform her duties, no matter what terrible things happen around her, because she simply sees no other alternative. But as she begins to open up to Skeeter about her past and the things that she has seen, Davis truly shines. Stone is wonderful as well; I think she's one of the most likeable actresses out there, and while she has mainly done comedic roles before, she has some dramatic moments here that show evidence of a talent that could well make her a major, major star before too long.
The supporting performances are great as well. Octavia Spencer stands out the most as Minny, the fiery maid who works for Hilly and suffers abuse in her own home. Spencer shifts seamlessly between the funnier moments and the more heartbreaking ones, sometimes in a single scene. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Hilly as something close to incarnate evil in the form of a beautiful southern woman. She is an utterly despicable character, but Howard never takes her too over the top. Jessica Chastain is also terrific as Celia, a rich but ditzy outsider who doesn't share the same disdain for blacks that most everyone else in the town seems to. Sissy Spacek and Allison Janney are also great in smaller roles as Hilly's and Skeeter's mothers, respectively.
Overall, "The Help" is simply a wonderful film. It tells an uplifting, hopeful story about an utterly shameful period in American history. And while we are reminded at the end of the film that blacks in the South will continue to struggle for equality, we are also incredibly encouraged by what just a few people can do when they stand up to injustice.
"The Help" is rated PG-13 for thematic material.
Running time: 146 minutes.
Released domestically on August 10, 2011, by Touchstone Pictures.
3.5 stars out of 4
Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett, the film opens in 1963 with Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (Emma Stone) returning home to Jackson, Mississippi after graduating from the University of Mississippi. Rather than settling down and looking for a husband, as is generally expected of women in that time and place, Skeeter gets a job writing a household cleaning column for the local newspaper, which she hopes is a stepping stone to becoming a professional writer. As she reconnects with her friends and family in Jackson, her eyes begin to be opened to the deplorable way in which African-Americans--particularly women--are treated in the Jim Crow South. What catches her attention the most is the plan of Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) to get a law passed requiring black maids who work in the homes of white women to have separate bathrooms outside the houses. Skeeter begins talking with Aibileen (Viola Davis) a black maid who has suffered much under the harsh conditions for blacks in Jackson. As Aibileen opens Skeeter's eyes to the awful injustices black women in the town are faced with, she becomes interested in collecting the stories of various maids and compiling them into a book...an act which, under one of the Jim Crow Laws in Mississippi, could land her in prison.
"The Help" succeeds so well because of a great script and a host of wonderful performances. The screenplay from Tate Taylor (who also directed) manages to shed light on the awful situation faced by the maids without ever becoming overbearingly preachy or depressing. Horrible things certainly do happen, and more are discussed in Skeeter's conversations with Aibileen, but they never become the focus of the film. Taylor also mixes in plenty of lighter moments as well, which actually give the darker scenes more weight, as the film sometimes changes tone abruptly. The film is beautiful to look at as well, perfectly capturing the feel of the South. All the production work, from to the cinematography to the art direction to the costumes, is simply great. Thomas Newman also contributes a lively score.
The real showcase here though is the acting. This is a film in which all the major characters are women; in fact men barely figure in the story at all. And there are so many good performances that half of the ten female acting nominations at the Oscars could easily be filled from this film. Leading the way is Viola Davis as Aibileen with a perfectly balanced emotional performance. Aibileen has always chosen to just quietly perform her duties, no matter what terrible things happen around her, because she simply sees no other alternative. But as she begins to open up to Skeeter about her past and the things that she has seen, Davis truly shines. Stone is wonderful as well; I think she's one of the most likeable actresses out there, and while she has mainly done comedic roles before, she has some dramatic moments here that show evidence of a talent that could well make her a major, major star before too long.
The supporting performances are great as well. Octavia Spencer stands out the most as Minny, the fiery maid who works for Hilly and suffers abuse in her own home. Spencer shifts seamlessly between the funnier moments and the more heartbreaking ones, sometimes in a single scene. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Hilly as something close to incarnate evil in the form of a beautiful southern woman. She is an utterly despicable character, but Howard never takes her too over the top. Jessica Chastain is also terrific as Celia, a rich but ditzy outsider who doesn't share the same disdain for blacks that most everyone else in the town seems to. Sissy Spacek and Allison Janney are also great in smaller roles as Hilly's and Skeeter's mothers, respectively.
Overall, "The Help" is simply a wonderful film. It tells an uplifting, hopeful story about an utterly shameful period in American history. And while we are reminded at the end of the film that blacks in the South will continue to struggle for equality, we are also incredibly encouraged by what just a few people can do when they stand up to injustice.
"The Help" is rated PG-13 for thematic material.
Running time: 146 minutes.
Released domestically on August 10, 2011, by Touchstone Pictures.
3.5 stars out of 4
Friday, September 30, 2011
Film Review: "50 / 50"
"50 / 50" is being marketed as a comedy about a guy who has cancer. It's actually much more complex than that, and it's certainly not a straight comedy (more on that shortly). It's difficult for me to form an objective opinion on it right away because I've seen many people close to me battle cancer--some of them beat the disease; others didn't--but I'll do my best.
"50 / 50" is inspired by the true story of a friend of actor Seth Rogen's who battled cancer. Rogen has a chief supporting role in the film (more or less playing himself I guess). He's also one of the producers and was instrumental in getting the film made. The film is the story of Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a 27-year-old guy who lives in Seattle with his girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) and works for a public radio station. His life is turned upside down when he finds out he has spinal cancer. From this point on, we watch as he battles the disease and witness the affect it has on his life--most notably in his relationships with others, including Rachael, his best friend Kyle (Rogen), his mother Diane (Angelica Huston) and his 24-year-old therapist Katherine (Anna Kendrick).
While "50 / 50" is marketed as a straight comedy, that is most certainly not the case. It toes a fine line between comedy and drama for much of its length, but as the film progresses and Adam's situation becomes more dire, the comedic aspects are mostly left behind. Writer Will Reiser and director Jonathan Levine make sure that the film never makes fun of cancer or treats Adam's situation lightly, and I think the comedic aspects are actually fairly realistic, at least in terms of Adam's initial reaction and his ways of coping with the disease early on.
The driving factor to the whole film is Gordon-Levitt's performance, which is just about perfect. I can't imagine how hard it would be to tap in to the mindset of a person who believes they are dying and present every emotion in such an authentic way, but he absolutely nails it. We've all heard about the different phases that people go through when something cataclysmic happens in their life, and we see Adam go through this process. It's a role that requires an extraordinary range, much more so than many others, and Gordon-Levitt never misses a beat, whether it's the comedic aspects early on or the increasing despair as the film progresses.
The supporting performances are solid as well. Howard and Huston stand out in particular, especially Huston, who probably only has about ten minutes of screen time but probably gives the best and most heartbreaking performance after Gordon-Levitt. Rogen does his usual crude-but-likeable schtick, but as he's shown occasionally (particularly in "Knocked Up"), he has the ability to hit the right dramatic notes when the situation calls for it. Kendrick has just about nailed the perky, eager-but-naive young professional role down between this film and her Oscar-nominated turn in "Up in the Air." She's good here, but I'd like to see some more range from her. Philip Baker Hall and Matt Frewer both have scene-stealing performances as two older gentlemen who Adam goes through chemotherapy with.
"50 / 50" is a difficult film to recommend. If you've known someone (or many people) who've battled cancer, it may hit too close to home, as it did for a certain extent to me. But I can say that it's a very well executed comedy-drama. It has some very funny moments, some of which are quite crude, but it's certainly not the straight comedy that it's made out to be by the marketing. It also has one of the year's best performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. So take that information and do with it what you will.
"50 / 50" is rated R for language throughout, sexual content, and some drug use.
Running time: 99 minutes.
Released domestically on September 30, 2011, by Summit Entertainment.
3 stars out of 4.
"50 / 50" is inspired by the true story of a friend of actor Seth Rogen's who battled cancer. Rogen has a chief supporting role in the film (more or less playing himself I guess). He's also one of the producers and was instrumental in getting the film made. The film is the story of Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a 27-year-old guy who lives in Seattle with his girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard) and works for a public radio station. His life is turned upside down when he finds out he has spinal cancer. From this point on, we watch as he battles the disease and witness the affect it has on his life--most notably in his relationships with others, including Rachael, his best friend Kyle (Rogen), his mother Diane (Angelica Huston) and his 24-year-old therapist Katherine (Anna Kendrick).
While "50 / 50" is marketed as a straight comedy, that is most certainly not the case. It toes a fine line between comedy and drama for much of its length, but as the film progresses and Adam's situation becomes more dire, the comedic aspects are mostly left behind. Writer Will Reiser and director Jonathan Levine make sure that the film never makes fun of cancer or treats Adam's situation lightly, and I think the comedic aspects are actually fairly realistic, at least in terms of Adam's initial reaction and his ways of coping with the disease early on.
The driving factor to the whole film is Gordon-Levitt's performance, which is just about perfect. I can't imagine how hard it would be to tap in to the mindset of a person who believes they are dying and present every emotion in such an authentic way, but he absolutely nails it. We've all heard about the different phases that people go through when something cataclysmic happens in their life, and we see Adam go through this process. It's a role that requires an extraordinary range, much more so than many others, and Gordon-Levitt never misses a beat, whether it's the comedic aspects early on or the increasing despair as the film progresses.
The supporting performances are solid as well. Howard and Huston stand out in particular, especially Huston, who probably only has about ten minutes of screen time but probably gives the best and most heartbreaking performance after Gordon-Levitt. Rogen does his usual crude-but-likeable schtick, but as he's shown occasionally (particularly in "Knocked Up"), he has the ability to hit the right dramatic notes when the situation calls for it. Kendrick has just about nailed the perky, eager-but-naive young professional role down between this film and her Oscar-nominated turn in "Up in the Air." She's good here, but I'd like to see some more range from her. Philip Baker Hall and Matt Frewer both have scene-stealing performances as two older gentlemen who Adam goes through chemotherapy with.
"50 / 50" is a difficult film to recommend. If you've known someone (or many people) who've battled cancer, it may hit too close to home, as it did for a certain extent to me. But I can say that it's a very well executed comedy-drama. It has some very funny moments, some of which are quite crude, but it's certainly not the straight comedy that it's made out to be by the marketing. It also has one of the year's best performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. So take that information and do with it what you will.
"50 / 50" is rated R for language throughout, sexual content, and some drug use.
Running time: 99 minutes.
Released domestically on September 30, 2011, by Summit Entertainment.
3 stars out of 4.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Film Review: "Moneyball"
It's hard for me to get a feel for what non-baseball fans will think of "Moneyball." As an avid baseball fan myself, I'm not turned off by a film that deals with detailed baseball statistics and players that the average filmgoer may never have heard of...not least because the film takes place nine years ago, which is a very long time in the sports world. But the film doesn't deal with in depth statistics as much as I expected; rather it focuses on an idea that even the most casual baseball fan can understand: in order to win games, you need to score runs. In order to score runs, you need to get men on base. That's the crux of this story that's one of the year's most entertaining.
The film opens in October 2001 as the Oakland Athletics are eliminated from the American League playoffs by the New York Yankees, who have a payroll of about $70 million more than the As. During the following offseason, the As lose their three best players (Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, and Jason Isringhausen) to teams that can afford to pay them more. At this point, As general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) begins to realize that since he simply can't outbid the big market franchises like the Yankees and Red Sox, he has to find ways to beat them on the field. Enter Peter Brandt (Jonah Hill), a Yale economics graduate who has developed a statistical program called sabermetrics that evaluates what is ultimately the most crucial stat for a baseball player: the ability to get on base, by whatever means necessary. Together Beane and Brandt begin to implement this program with the As, which leads to them signing a large group of unknown and castoff players. The old school scouts think this will make the team a laughingstock, as does manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who also doesn't relish Beane interfering by suggesting which players he field on gameday.
"Moneyball" is directed by Bennett Miller, who was nominated for an Oscar for "Capote." He and cinematographer Wally Pfister ("Batman Begins," "The Dark Knight," and "Inception," for which he won an Oscar) have created a film that's gorgeous to look at, but this is very much an actors film. Brad Pitt turns in what may be the best performance of his career as Beane. He simply commands every scene, whether its a rare locker room outburst or a quiet, introspective moment where he wonders if this never-before-tried system can actually work, or if he's just as crazy as everyone in the media says he is. Pitt also has some great scenes with Jonah Hill, particularly one where he makes rapidfire player trades over the phone, and another where Beane educates Brandt in the art of cutting players. He also has a few scenes with his ex-wife (Robin Wright) and their daughter (Kerris Dorsey), which, while they do feel a little forced, do help build his character. The same goes for a series of flashbacks detailing Beane's baseball past. Perhaps the film could have done without them, but they do help us to understand the man and his drive a little more. All in all, Pitt is just absolutely captivating and gives an absolutely Oscar-worthy performance.
Hill is also great as Brandt, a fictional character who is a compilation of the various consultants Beane hired as he implemented the sabermetrics system. Hill is obviously known for his comedy, but he plays this role completely straight and gives one of the year's most surprising performances. Hoffman is reliably great as the grumpy Art Howe, though I am beginning to feel like all his performances are quite similar. I'd love to see him stretch himself a bit more, as he certainly did with "Capote," for which he won the Best Actor Oscar. The script from Steven Zaillian ("Schindler's List") and Aaron Sorkin ("The Social Network") sizzles, but in doesn't have as much of the signature Sorkin dialogue, which for a film of this nature is probably a good thing.
Overall "Moneyball" is just a great, entertaining film. Baseball fans will love it, film fans will love it for the acting, and while the sports movie story has been done to death and is somewhat predictable, even if you don't know how the As 2002 season played out, it's still a great, entertaining time at the movies.
"Moneyball" is rated PG-13 for some strong language.
Running time: 133 minutes.
Released domestically on September 23, 2011, by Columbia Pictures.
3.5 stars out of 4.
The film opens in October 2001 as the Oakland Athletics are eliminated from the American League playoffs by the New York Yankees, who have a payroll of about $70 million more than the As. During the following offseason, the As lose their three best players (Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, and Jason Isringhausen) to teams that can afford to pay them more. At this point, As general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) begins to realize that since he simply can't outbid the big market franchises like the Yankees and Red Sox, he has to find ways to beat them on the field. Enter Peter Brandt (Jonah Hill), a Yale economics graduate who has developed a statistical program called sabermetrics that evaluates what is ultimately the most crucial stat for a baseball player: the ability to get on base, by whatever means necessary. Together Beane and Brandt begin to implement this program with the As, which leads to them signing a large group of unknown and castoff players. The old school scouts think this will make the team a laughingstock, as does manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who also doesn't relish Beane interfering by suggesting which players he field on gameday.
"Moneyball" is directed by Bennett Miller, who was nominated for an Oscar for "Capote." He and cinematographer Wally Pfister ("Batman Begins," "The Dark Knight," and "Inception," for which he won an Oscar) have created a film that's gorgeous to look at, but this is very much an actors film. Brad Pitt turns in what may be the best performance of his career as Beane. He simply commands every scene, whether its a rare locker room outburst or a quiet, introspective moment where he wonders if this never-before-tried system can actually work, or if he's just as crazy as everyone in the media says he is. Pitt also has some great scenes with Jonah Hill, particularly one where he makes rapidfire player trades over the phone, and another where Beane educates Brandt in the art of cutting players. He also has a few scenes with his ex-wife (Robin Wright) and their daughter (Kerris Dorsey), which, while they do feel a little forced, do help build his character. The same goes for a series of flashbacks detailing Beane's baseball past. Perhaps the film could have done without them, but they do help us to understand the man and his drive a little more. All in all, Pitt is just absolutely captivating and gives an absolutely Oscar-worthy performance.
Hill is also great as Brandt, a fictional character who is a compilation of the various consultants Beane hired as he implemented the sabermetrics system. Hill is obviously known for his comedy, but he plays this role completely straight and gives one of the year's most surprising performances. Hoffman is reliably great as the grumpy Art Howe, though I am beginning to feel like all his performances are quite similar. I'd love to see him stretch himself a bit more, as he certainly did with "Capote," for which he won the Best Actor Oscar. The script from Steven Zaillian ("Schindler's List") and Aaron Sorkin ("The Social Network") sizzles, but in doesn't have as much of the signature Sorkin dialogue, which for a film of this nature is probably a good thing.
Overall "Moneyball" is just a great, entertaining film. Baseball fans will love it, film fans will love it for the acting, and while the sports movie story has been done to death and is somewhat predictable, even if you don't know how the As 2002 season played out, it's still a great, entertaining time at the movies.
"Moneyball" is rated PG-13 for some strong language.
Running time: 133 minutes.
Released domestically on September 23, 2011, by Columbia Pictures.
3.5 stars out of 4.
Film Review: "Drive"
The marketing for "Drive" would have you believe that it's an action film filled with car chases...maybe not on the order of "The Fast and the Furious" films, but still an action film. And while there are certainly car chases, and there is certainly action--much of it extremely bloody and brutal--"Drive" is most definitely not an action film. It's a artsy, stylized film noir, a sort of cross between the raw action of Steve McQueen's "Bullitt" and the quiet introspection of last year's George Clooney assassin film "The American." It's also one of the best films of the year.
"Drive" opens by introducing us to its nameless protagonist, a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals, as he evades police on the streets of Los Angeles with a brilliant efficiency behind the wheel. Ryan Gosling plays The Driver, as he is listed in the credits, as a man of few words but an extremely steely nerve. He's really more reminiscent of Clint Eastwood in "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" than anyone else. As the film progresses, The Driver meets and becomes attached to his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son, Benicio (Kaden Leos). Irene's husband is in prison, so The Driver helps her out with grocery shopping and fixing her car, all the while growing closer to her and Benicio. The Driver and his mechanic boss Shannon (Bryan Cranston) also become involved with a couple of shady business figures (Albert Brooks and Ron Perelman) who want to finance a stock car operation with The Driver behind the wheel. But when Irene's husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) gets out of prison and is quickly assaulted and threatened because of a debt he still owes, The Driver steps in to help him out, which sets off the explosive events of the film's last half.
I should say that I realize this film won't be everyone's cup of tea. I mentioned that it's a highly stylized film noir, and that is particularly evident in the way director Nicolas Winding Refn sets up almost every shot. He is far more concerned with expressions than words, which means dialogue is kept to a minimum. But at least in the scenes between The Driver, Irene, and Benicio, that really makes more sense, as this is a pair of people who clearly don't know each other very well and realize that they're treading in some potentially dangerous territory. Refn and cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel also hang onto almost every shot just a bit longer than you would expect, which while slowing the film down, contributes immensely to its stylish, art house feel. Refn is Danish and I don't know what connections he has with Los Angeles, but he uses the city and its environs to absolute pristine effect, whether its a shot of a car moving slowly through the lit up night streets, or a thrilling car chase along the Pacific Coast Highway. Michael Mann has perfected the use of Los Angeles as almost a supporting character in his crime films "Heat" and "Collateral," but Refn's use of the city to influence the tone and style of this film is almost as good.
The acting in the film is top notch as well. The sheer range of emotion we see from Gosling as The Driver is amazing. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that he goes through some pretty remarkable transformations. Mulligan really doesn't have a whole lot to do in terms of dialogue, but she handles the aforementioned awkward quietness quite well, even though her character doesn't have much to say. Cranston adds yet another great supporting performance as he continues to be one of the more entertaining character actors out there, and Perelman's penchant for over-the-top characters is served well here as a shady pizza parlor owner. But the film's biggest gem aside from Gosling is Albert Brooks. He plays shady business man Bernie Rose to such gleeful perfection that he's easily the most entertaining and watchable character in the film. He also brings a surprising complexity to a character that could easily have been interpreted as very one-note. In terms of supporting acting performances so far this year, he's at the top in my opinion.
Overall, "Drive" is just a brilliant film. It's not for everyone and it will probably play better to art house fans than action fans. But the execution here is at its absolute best on all levels and it is, as I said at the outset, one of the year's best films.
"Drive" is rated R for strong brutal bloody violence, language, and some nudity.
Running time: 100 minutes.
Released domestically on September 16, 2011, by Film District.
3.5 stars out of 4.
"Drive" opens by introducing us to its nameless protagonist, a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals, as he evades police on the streets of Los Angeles with a brilliant efficiency behind the wheel. Ryan Gosling plays The Driver, as he is listed in the credits, as a man of few words but an extremely steely nerve. He's really more reminiscent of Clint Eastwood in "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" than anyone else. As the film progresses, The Driver meets and becomes attached to his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son, Benicio (Kaden Leos). Irene's husband is in prison, so The Driver helps her out with grocery shopping and fixing her car, all the while growing closer to her and Benicio. The Driver and his mechanic boss Shannon (Bryan Cranston) also become involved with a couple of shady business figures (Albert Brooks and Ron Perelman) who want to finance a stock car operation with The Driver behind the wheel. But when Irene's husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) gets out of prison and is quickly assaulted and threatened because of a debt he still owes, The Driver steps in to help him out, which sets off the explosive events of the film's last half.
I should say that I realize this film won't be everyone's cup of tea. I mentioned that it's a highly stylized film noir, and that is particularly evident in the way director Nicolas Winding Refn sets up almost every shot. He is far more concerned with expressions than words, which means dialogue is kept to a minimum. But at least in the scenes between The Driver, Irene, and Benicio, that really makes more sense, as this is a pair of people who clearly don't know each other very well and realize that they're treading in some potentially dangerous territory. Refn and cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel also hang onto almost every shot just a bit longer than you would expect, which while slowing the film down, contributes immensely to its stylish, art house feel. Refn is Danish and I don't know what connections he has with Los Angeles, but he uses the city and its environs to absolute pristine effect, whether its a shot of a car moving slowly through the lit up night streets, or a thrilling car chase along the Pacific Coast Highway. Michael Mann has perfected the use of Los Angeles as almost a supporting character in his crime films "Heat" and "Collateral," but Refn's use of the city to influence the tone and style of this film is almost as good.
The acting in the film is top notch as well. The sheer range of emotion we see from Gosling as The Driver is amazing. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that he goes through some pretty remarkable transformations. Mulligan really doesn't have a whole lot to do in terms of dialogue, but she handles the aforementioned awkward quietness quite well, even though her character doesn't have much to say. Cranston adds yet another great supporting performance as he continues to be one of the more entertaining character actors out there, and Perelman's penchant for over-the-top characters is served well here as a shady pizza parlor owner. But the film's biggest gem aside from Gosling is Albert Brooks. He plays shady business man Bernie Rose to such gleeful perfection that he's easily the most entertaining and watchable character in the film. He also brings a surprising complexity to a character that could easily have been interpreted as very one-note. In terms of supporting acting performances so far this year, he's at the top in my opinion.
Overall, "Drive" is just a brilliant film. It's not for everyone and it will probably play better to art house fans than action fans. But the execution here is at its absolute best on all levels and it is, as I said at the outset, one of the year's best films.
"Drive" is rated R for strong brutal bloody violence, language, and some nudity.
Running time: 100 minutes.
Released domestically on September 16, 2011, by Film District.
3.5 stars out of 4.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Thoughts on Summer 2011
The summer movie season ended a few weeks ago, and it's been almost two months since the last major tentpole release. But as fall begins and Hollywood moves away from explosions and mayhem toward more serious fare, I thought I would take a look back at the last several months.
I should preface this by saying that I didn't get to see nearly as many movies this summer as I'd have liked. Some summer fare that's still on my to-see list includes Will Ferrell's dramatic turn in "Everything Must Go," the relationship dramas "Last Night" and "Beginners," British comedies "Submarine" and "Attack the Block," and studio comedies "Friends With Benefits" and "Crazy Stupid Love." I also haven't yet gotten to "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" or "The Help," though I'm hoping to make it to those two soon. So when I say that Summer 2011 was a very poor few months of moviegoing, that should probably be taken with a grain of salt. But despite all the big-name sequels and would-be franchise starters, I just didn't get a good vibe from the season overall.
The Bad
I actually don't have much to talk about in terms of bad films from this summer, since generally if a movie is supposed to be bad, I don't bother seeing it. The only genuinely bad movie I saw all summer was "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." Granted, it wasn't as miserably, horridly terrible as the last entry, "Revenge of the Fallen," but it was just another overlong explosion fest with no purpose other than to show emotionless CGI robots beating the pulp out of each other. Fortunately the film saw a $50 million dropoff in its domestic gross from the last entry, and when the 3D upcharges are factored in, roughly 25% less people saw "Dark of the Moon" than "Revenge of the Fallen." That's a victory for quality cinema over crap cinema, but the film's massive international numbers ensure that the franchise will continue. I'll talk more about the explosion of the international box office shortly.
The Mediocre
Another film that falls closer to bad than good for me was "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." I'm in the extreme minority in that I really enjoy the "Pirates" sequels in addition to the first film, "The Curse of the Black Pearl." But I never had high expectations for this unnecessary fourth entry, and I essentially got what I expected: not much. The same goes for "The Hangover Part II," which was practically a remake of the original...not to mention less funny.
The Good
And now for the high points. I'd say there were four very good films that I saw this summer, with a couple others that were enjoyable, but not necessarily great. I'll start at the top with "Midnight in Paris," which I consider to be the best film I've seen all year so far. Just a great, fun, lighthearted comedy with plenty of Woody Allen wit and some great performances, particularly from Marion Cotillard and Owen Wilson, as well as Rachel McAdams as a stereotypical culturally ignorant American. The more knowledge you have of early twentieth century literature, the more you'll get out of this film. It's an absolute must-see in my opinion and while it's not likely a contender for any major awards (save possible for its screenplay), it could manage quite a few nominations at the end of the year.
Keeping things on the independent circuit, another summer gem was Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life." This is a film that I think takes multiple viewings to fully appreciate it, and I definitely need to give it a second look to really think about everything that's going on, particularly in the film's last twenty minutes. But I definitely appreciated the sheer artistry on screen. Malick's films play almost more like visual poems than traditional narratives, but he's an absolute visual master; the twenty minute creation sequence that takes up the film's entire second reel is one of the most amazing visual sequences I've ever seen put on film. The film also has great performances from Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain as a couple living in small-town America in the 1950s.
Moving to the studio side of things, another film I really loved was J.J. Abrams's Steven Spielberg homage "Super 8." Sure it has some cheesy moments, but then again so did many of Spielberg's beloved '80s films. But the film had a heartwarming story with plenty of drama and suspense, and a host of great performances from mostly unknown child actors. Elle Fanning is Oscar-worthy in this film in my opinion.
And finally we come to the big kahuna of the summer, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2." Yes it's only half of a much larger epic (which I think will be truly amazing when seen in it's entirety once "Part 2" hits home media on November 11). But director David Yates, writer Steve Kloves, stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and the rest of that enormous cast and crew brought this saga to a truly impressive and satisfying conclusion. I had the chance to see the film at a midnight showing (the only such showing I've been to for a Potter film), and I can say that it was one of the most memorable moviegoing experiences I've ever had. I've seen the film an additional three times too, so I can say that it definitely holds up to repeat viewings without that electric midnight atmosphere.
A couple other entertaining high points for me this summer were "X-Men: First Class" and "Bridesmaids."
Comic Book Overload?
The summer of 2011 saw no less than FOUR comic book-inspired films hit theatres. The only one I saw was the aforementioned "X-Men," but I'm starting to wonder if studios are getting to the bottom of the barrel in terms of characters that are recognizable to the general public. None of the four managed to hit $200 million at the domestic box office, which has got to be disappointing to the studios after the huge successes of the Batman, Spider-Man, and Iron Man franchises. Comic book movies are probably here to stay, but I think there's a huge amount of pressure on next summer's "The Avengers" to perform, since only Iron Man has proven to be a popular character individually from that group. Of course "The Dark Knight Rises" will be a huge success, but with that franchise Warner Bros. has wisely let Christopher Nolan and his writing team do their own thing. Marvel has been much more hands on, and has spent a lot more money, in the development of their Avengers franchise, and now they'll be waiting to see if if all pays off.
Decline of 3D
I'll just say upfront that I absolutely loathe 3D. I think it is a money-making gimmick that adds absolutely nothing to the moviegoing experience; in fact I think that it makes it worse. And this summer, it seemed that the general moviegoing public (at least in the U.S.) is starting to feel the same way...or at the very least they're tired of paying anywhere from $5-15 extra for the experience (those higher numbers are if you include IMAX or some of the other large-format showings). Of all the 3D tentpoles this summer, only "Transformers" made a majority of its domestic cash from 3D showings. All the others did more business in 2D. Yes the format is still hugely popular overseas, which means it will likely continue for at least another few years, but at least it looks like U.S audiences are tiring of the format, which is a huge positive in my opinion.
Growth of the International Box Office
Finally, this summer saw huge gains in overseas box office totals. Many franchises saw their international numbers increase dramatically, including "Fast Five," "Thor," "The Hangover," "Cars," and "Transformers." Big epics like "Harry Potter" and "Pirates" were still overwhelmingly popular as well. This summer also had THREE $1 billion worldwide grossers in "Harry Potter" (now the third highest grossing movie of all-time with $1.325 billion), "Transformers ($1.118 billion, just below "The Return of the King" for fifth all-time), and "Pirates" ($1.039 billion, eighth all-time). Of course all of those were in 3D, which helps to explain the huge dollars, but I think the international markets are finally beginning to catch up with the U.S. in terms of theatres and amenities and just being able to offer a first-rate moviegoing experience. Many of these films were released internationally at the same time as they were in the U.S., or in some cases even earlier. That cuts down on potential piracy issues as well. I fully expect this trend to continue, with at least two candidates for $1 billion lined up for next year in "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."
Well, that's a wrap on my (very lengthy) thoughts on Summer Movie Season 2011. I've already seen a couple of the fall's highly acclaimed films, and I'll work on getting reviews of those ("Drive" and "Moneyball") posted over the next couple days.
I should preface this by saying that I didn't get to see nearly as many movies this summer as I'd have liked. Some summer fare that's still on my to-see list includes Will Ferrell's dramatic turn in "Everything Must Go," the relationship dramas "Last Night" and "Beginners," British comedies "Submarine" and "Attack the Block," and studio comedies "Friends With Benefits" and "Crazy Stupid Love." I also haven't yet gotten to "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" or "The Help," though I'm hoping to make it to those two soon. So when I say that Summer 2011 was a very poor few months of moviegoing, that should probably be taken with a grain of salt. But despite all the big-name sequels and would-be franchise starters, I just didn't get a good vibe from the season overall.
The Bad
I actually don't have much to talk about in terms of bad films from this summer, since generally if a movie is supposed to be bad, I don't bother seeing it. The only genuinely bad movie I saw all summer was "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." Granted, it wasn't as miserably, horridly terrible as the last entry, "Revenge of the Fallen," but it was just another overlong explosion fest with no purpose other than to show emotionless CGI robots beating the pulp out of each other. Fortunately the film saw a $50 million dropoff in its domestic gross from the last entry, and when the 3D upcharges are factored in, roughly 25% less people saw "Dark of the Moon" than "Revenge of the Fallen." That's a victory for quality cinema over crap cinema, but the film's massive international numbers ensure that the franchise will continue. I'll talk more about the explosion of the international box office shortly.
The Mediocre
Another film that falls closer to bad than good for me was "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." I'm in the extreme minority in that I really enjoy the "Pirates" sequels in addition to the first film, "The Curse of the Black Pearl." But I never had high expectations for this unnecessary fourth entry, and I essentially got what I expected: not much. The same goes for "The Hangover Part II," which was practically a remake of the original...not to mention less funny.
The Good
And now for the high points. I'd say there were four very good films that I saw this summer, with a couple others that were enjoyable, but not necessarily great. I'll start at the top with "Midnight in Paris," which I consider to be the best film I've seen all year so far. Just a great, fun, lighthearted comedy with plenty of Woody Allen wit and some great performances, particularly from Marion Cotillard and Owen Wilson, as well as Rachel McAdams as a stereotypical culturally ignorant American. The more knowledge you have of early twentieth century literature, the more you'll get out of this film. It's an absolute must-see in my opinion and while it's not likely a contender for any major awards (save possible for its screenplay), it could manage quite a few nominations at the end of the year.
Keeping things on the independent circuit, another summer gem was Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life." This is a film that I think takes multiple viewings to fully appreciate it, and I definitely need to give it a second look to really think about everything that's going on, particularly in the film's last twenty minutes. But I definitely appreciated the sheer artistry on screen. Malick's films play almost more like visual poems than traditional narratives, but he's an absolute visual master; the twenty minute creation sequence that takes up the film's entire second reel is one of the most amazing visual sequences I've ever seen put on film. The film also has great performances from Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain as a couple living in small-town America in the 1950s.
Moving to the studio side of things, another film I really loved was J.J. Abrams's Steven Spielberg homage "Super 8." Sure it has some cheesy moments, but then again so did many of Spielberg's beloved '80s films. But the film had a heartwarming story with plenty of drama and suspense, and a host of great performances from mostly unknown child actors. Elle Fanning is Oscar-worthy in this film in my opinion.
And finally we come to the big kahuna of the summer, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2." Yes it's only half of a much larger epic (which I think will be truly amazing when seen in it's entirety once "Part 2" hits home media on November 11). But director David Yates, writer Steve Kloves, stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and the rest of that enormous cast and crew brought this saga to a truly impressive and satisfying conclusion. I had the chance to see the film at a midnight showing (the only such showing I've been to for a Potter film), and I can say that it was one of the most memorable moviegoing experiences I've ever had. I've seen the film an additional three times too, so I can say that it definitely holds up to repeat viewings without that electric midnight atmosphere.
A couple other entertaining high points for me this summer were "X-Men: First Class" and "Bridesmaids."
Comic Book Overload?
The summer of 2011 saw no less than FOUR comic book-inspired films hit theatres. The only one I saw was the aforementioned "X-Men," but I'm starting to wonder if studios are getting to the bottom of the barrel in terms of characters that are recognizable to the general public. None of the four managed to hit $200 million at the domestic box office, which has got to be disappointing to the studios after the huge successes of the Batman, Spider-Man, and Iron Man franchises. Comic book movies are probably here to stay, but I think there's a huge amount of pressure on next summer's "The Avengers" to perform, since only Iron Man has proven to be a popular character individually from that group. Of course "The Dark Knight Rises" will be a huge success, but with that franchise Warner Bros. has wisely let Christopher Nolan and his writing team do their own thing. Marvel has been much more hands on, and has spent a lot more money, in the development of their Avengers franchise, and now they'll be waiting to see if if all pays off.
Decline of 3D
I'll just say upfront that I absolutely loathe 3D. I think it is a money-making gimmick that adds absolutely nothing to the moviegoing experience; in fact I think that it makes it worse. And this summer, it seemed that the general moviegoing public (at least in the U.S.) is starting to feel the same way...or at the very least they're tired of paying anywhere from $5-15 extra for the experience (those higher numbers are if you include IMAX or some of the other large-format showings). Of all the 3D tentpoles this summer, only "Transformers" made a majority of its domestic cash from 3D showings. All the others did more business in 2D. Yes the format is still hugely popular overseas, which means it will likely continue for at least another few years, but at least it looks like U.S audiences are tiring of the format, which is a huge positive in my opinion.
Growth of the International Box Office
Finally, this summer saw huge gains in overseas box office totals. Many franchises saw their international numbers increase dramatically, including "Fast Five," "Thor," "The Hangover," "Cars," and "Transformers." Big epics like "Harry Potter" and "Pirates" were still overwhelmingly popular as well. This summer also had THREE $1 billion worldwide grossers in "Harry Potter" (now the third highest grossing movie of all-time with $1.325 billion), "Transformers ($1.118 billion, just below "The Return of the King" for fifth all-time), and "Pirates" ($1.039 billion, eighth all-time). Of course all of those were in 3D, which helps to explain the huge dollars, but I think the international markets are finally beginning to catch up with the U.S. in terms of theatres and amenities and just being able to offer a first-rate moviegoing experience. Many of these films were released internationally at the same time as they were in the U.S., or in some cases even earlier. That cuts down on potential piracy issues as well. I fully expect this trend to continue, with at least two candidates for $1 billion lined up for next year in "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."
Well, that's a wrap on my (very lengthy) thoughts on Summer Movie Season 2011. I've already seen a couple of the fall's highly acclaimed films, and I'll work on getting reviews of those ("Drive" and "Moneyball") posted over the next couple days.
Welcome to The Film Source
This is the official launch of The Film Source, an independent movie news and reviews blog. This site will mainly focus on movie reviews; starting out I will probably just be reviewing new films, but I may begins to mix in reviews of older films as the site progresses. I will also be posting any news items out of Hollywood that I find to be particularly interesting, and I will likely include some editorials as well--ranging from my thoughts on, or interpretations of, individual films to major issues in Hollywood. I will also probably include box office news, and as awards season gets into high gear, my thoughts and predictions on the awards race.
So welcome everyone to The Film Source! I hope you enjoy the site.
So welcome everyone to The Film Source! I hope you enjoy the site.
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