Theater

October 28, 2010: Film Review: Red

Bruce Willis is Frank Moses, a retired CIA op, who winds up back in business due to some old mess that has resurfaced.  Moses may be retired, but he isn’t rusty.  You would think the CIA would know that he is the wrong guy to mess with.   I guess they had some idea when they sent a dozen guys to try and take him out.

Red is a high action film mixed with light comedy.  It’s a fun two hours and the director does a good job of not letting the movie get too cheesy as this type of film is in danger of.   The dialogue could have been better and the one-liners are in need of work, but it hangs in for the most part and the plot stays together.

Surrounding Willis with such a strong cast upped the ante a bit.  Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich are some of the heavy hitters rounding out the action powerhouse.  Together they blow up bad guys in slick professional fashion.

It is cooler than most blockbuster action flicks, and one does not feel the stupid meter go off.  At the same time there is nothing great about this film.  It would be a much more enjoyable on a weekend night with nothing to do and you just realized Red is waiting in your unopened Netflix envelope.

September 22, 2010: Film Review:Heartbreaker (L’arnacoeur)

Heartbreaker is a French comedy that will be opening in a select few art house theaters around the country.  That will make it easier for you to miss this trite piece of work from director Pascal Chaumeil.

Alex Lippi (Romain Duris) is a professional couple breaker-upper.  Family members pay him to woo their daughter or sister away from some jerk she is wasting her life on.  He helps them realize they are better than the louse they are with and it gives them strength to move on.

The plot is thin, but could have been manageable if the movie was funny.  It does have its moments, but this script was picked up out of a Hollywood trashcan. w As in any pre-fab script, the hero falls in love with his new project, the young heiress Juliette Van Der Becq, (Vanessa Paradis). Even though he has lied to her from the second they met, she of course falls in love with him.  What a surprise!  It is also unclear why she would leave her rich, intelligent, generous, handsome, and even brilliant fiancé.  Who wants a perfect spouse anyway?

The movie does do a nice takeoff on Dirty Dancing, but you could have caught that on Saturday Night Live twenty years ago.  This little skit seems to be the only connection the would-be lovers have in common, otherwise it makes no sense and with the joke ratio so small, this romantic comedy is best-left unseen.

September 8, 2010: Film Review: The American

I am sorry to say that The American, staring George Clooney, is a real yawn fest.  This 105-minute feature dragged on and on, a character study of an assassin, who in his later years is suffering from guilt after killing a friend, perhaps needlessly.  We have a cold heartless killer who has gone too far, and now wants something different, though he doesn’t know it or thinks it is possible.

Jack (Clooney) kills an intimate friend either out of panic or necessity.  It doesn’t make sense, but it is the foundation for the film and you just have to run with that.  Nothing happens as we watch Jack live with his guilt amid gorgeous scenery, clearly the best part of the movie.  The Italian Tourism Commission might have backed this film, as we get to watch grand landscapes and beautiful establishing shots.

Finally something does happen and Jack utters the clichéd phrase, “I’ll make the drop, but then I’m out.”  He’s out!  This is classic early textbook, under grad filmmaking.  “I got an idea, lets use the one last job bit, it has only been done to death, so one more time won’t matter.”  I’m sure that was the rough talk over at Focus Features, the creators of this slow paced postcard from Italy.

There was some action thrown into this so-called thriller, but it wasn’t done well and it wasn’t exciting.  Almost everything is wrong about this movie, the plot, the pacing, the direction, etc.  The acting was fine and it looked pretty, but other than that there is nothing redeeming about this assassin seeking redemption.

August 4, 2010: Film Review: The Kids Are All Right

Julianne Moore and Annette Bening star in this comedy about a lesbian couple and their offspring.  Like any family they have their ups and downs, but seem to be content in their semi-dysfunctional bubble.  Enters Paul played by Mark Ruffalo, the children’s biological father via his kind donation 19 years previous.

Paul upsets the applecart big time, which forces all of them to deal with the repercussions.   Bening and Moore both give stunning performances.  Ruffalo also does a good job, who seems to be popping up in everything these days.   The acting is what holds this one together.  The script is ok, but the acting is what makes this film shine.

The Kids Are All Right is labeled a comedy and has plenty of good jokes to back it up.  Director Lisa Cholodenko also does a good job blending the challenges of life and family, but holds the film back from becoming a full-blown comedy.  It makes for a nice slice of life movie.

Family movies are not usually my cup of tea, but the subject matter is handled well and gives us a real look at a lifestyle rarely depicted in the cinema.  It is a unique film that will pave the way for others like it.

July 21, 2010: Film Review: Inception

Christopher Nolan has fast become one of my favorite filmmakers in the modern era.  His new sci-fi action thriller Inception, has certainly sealed that deal.  Much like Memento and The Prestige,Inception is highly layered as the film takes us through dreams within dreams.

Leonard DiCaprio stars as Cobb, who has the futuristic talent of being able to extract information out of the subconscious mind during a dream state.  That is a highly coveted technique by powerful corporations that use Cobb for competitive gain.   The plot thickens when Cobb is asked to place something inside someone’s subconscious rather than extracting it.

The script holds together all the way through its climactic ending.  Great special effects and CGI contribute to the story immensely, but do not steal the show.  Nolan is a great writer with great vision and puts a very powerful film together.  It is easily in my top films of the year.  Go out and see this film in the theater, a rare mixture of action and intelligent filmmaking.

July 9, 2010: Film Review: I Am Love

Director Luca Guadagnino gives us a beautiful painting with some very stunning cinematography.  The opening sequence of Milan in the winter is brilliant.  This is a story of family, life and love.  This family happens to be a rich Italian family living in Milan, in the midst of many changes.  It takes some time to find out whose story this actually is, especially with the other under developed story lines, which makes these other characters window dressing.

Soon we realize that Emma (Tilda Swinton) is at the center of this tale.  Passion is stirred as she has an affair with her son’s friend Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini) the chef.  This action brings on huge consequences, but this is where I feel Mr. Guadagnino falls short.  The result of Emma’s improprieties becomes known and as a direct result a fatal accident ensues, which then brings everything to the surface quick.  Maybe its just me, but the accidental death that sets things in motion is too easy.   I would have rather seen the movie played out with a little more thought.

I Am Love is technically brilliant, there is great use of the camera, the shots are at times breath taking and the acting is at a high level.  However, the film takes a long time to develop and when it finally does, it’s over.  I know there is a big commotion about this film, but either I’m not getting it or the masses are wrong.  Usually the masses are wrong, so I feel good about my decision.

June 24, 2010: Film Review: Knight and Day

I got on board the Knight and Day carnival ride today.  I actually meant that semi-complimentary.  The big extravaganza faired well with the action scenes and gave us a lovely tour of the world.  It starred Mr. and Mrs. Box Office, Tom Cruise as the falsely accused super-hero spy and Cameron Diaz, the beautiful Midwestern damsel in distress.

I put this movie in the ok category because it works to a certain extent.  It does take a nosedive toward the end.  This has always been the trouble with the modern day comedies from the studios, more times than not they don’t know how to end their movies.  They opted for something cutsie and dull.

Now you are starting to wonder if I’m recommending this movie or not.  I’m wondering myself, but if you want an action movie with a few jokes that won’t make you look at your watch too much, then go see it.  There’s nothing ground breaking or much you can take with you, but it doesn’t hurt either.  I hope I made myself clearer.

June 11, 2010: Film Review: Cyrus

Cyrus is the family version of Fatal Attraction to a lesser degree and in a comedic fashion.  The film has some funny moments and the cast led by John C. Reilly is more than solid, but the movie falls short in several places.

Riley’s character John, is at the ultimate point of Loserville, he finds himself at a party striking out with every woman there and making a fool out of himself and at the height of his obnoxiousness, Molly (Marisa Tomei) some how finds this attractive. They meet and fall in love.

Enters Cyrus the psycho son / mama’s boy, played by Jonah Hill, who is out of his mind.  The new relationship with his mother and her new beau sets off the kooky Oedipus complex.  Cyrus makes it his mission to destroy the relationship and keep his mother to himself.

The movie is not completely sure of the direction it wants to go.  Instead of going with the full-blown over the top crazed jealous son, it crashes into a pathetic dysfunctional family in a dumb romantic comedy.  The movie is also technically flawed.  Indie directors Mark and Jay Duplass have not learned anything about how a good movie should look.  The camera moves are awkward and obvious, the lighting is terrible, and the make-up on Catherine Keener is horrendous.

If you are bored and have some time to kill or it is the only movie on the plane or you are on deserted Island and this it is the only DVD you have, then give it a shot.  Otherwise let this one pass into mediocre oblivion.  I wouldn’t worry about the future of the Duplass brothers.  These guys are on their way, Hollywood rewards mediocrity.

May 27, 2010: Film Review: OSS 117: Lost in Rio

Special Agent OSS 117 is France’s combined answer to James Bond and Maxwell Smart rolled into one.  Lost in Rio, is the sequel to the remake parody (OSS 117: Nest of Spies) of the 1956 original version (OSS 117: Is Not Dead), which is a more serious approach to spying.  Nest of Spies is quite funny, but unfortunately OSS 117 has lost something on its second pass.  The current version is set ten years later in the sixties, with a hippie backdrop and stylized to match the kooky comedies of that era.   That part was well done, but we lost some of the laughs along the way.

Jean Dujardin is Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath / OSS 117.  He plays the brave, macho, dumb guy well.  He is ignorant and insensitive and has no clue of the world around him, much like a debonair Inspector Clouseau, and like Clouseau, he embraces danger, adventure and comes through in the end, all for the love of France.   I enjoyed the 2006 version and still like the character in its most current incarnation, but the movie itself falls short.  It is a little sillier and the gags aren’t as good.  It is heavy handed and they missed the magic in a bottle they caught last time.

I would let the sequel pass unless you’re a really big fan of its predecessor.  The script was a let down and it just wasn’t as funny.  If you haven’t seen either I would recommend OSS 117: Nest of Spies.  Dujardin is naturally funny to look at and he gives the goofball spy a new twist.  His narcissism is matched only by the snoz he purports.  He actually resembles an assistant director I once worked with; alas Monsieur de la Bath is much smarter.

May 21, 2010: Film Review: Robin Hood

If you have enjoyed the classic tale before, you will certainly enjoy Ridley Scott’s version of the medieval hero Robin Hood.  Russell Crowe, today’s modern swashbuckler and Ridley Scott’s go to guy, handles the part well.  Crowe is complemented by Cate Blanchett, who is the usual suspect for any English period piece.

Naturally, Scott’s version has some new twists to the old story.  It could actually be titled Robin Hood the Early Years, as we get the back-story that leads Robin Hood to his celebrated outlaw status.  Could Mr. Scott actually be setting us up for a sequel?

Mark Strong was more than solid playing the bad guy and plotting against his native country.  He might be finding his modern niche.  He plays Sherlock Holmes’ nemesis in that yarn’s  recent incarnation.  Strong is also set to play Sinestro, the Green Lantern’s enemy.  A pattern seems to be developing.

I have enjoyed Ridley Scott over the years; he knows how to create a grand spectacle and does a nice job with the time-honored legend.  The use of computer graphic images enhances the epic immensely.  It was beautifully shot, but I expect no less at this level.  If you want to delight in a classic adventure, go see Robin Hood.

May 14, 2010: Film Review: Iron Man 2

I want you to know that I pick and choose my blockbusters carefully.  I rarely go in for the big extravaganza, but I feel it’s necessary to keep my finger on the pulse of pop culture.  America seems to be enjoying Iron Man thus far, a movie that has grossed 128 mil out of the gate.

Of course Robert Downey Jr. is his usual charismatic self and Mickey Rourke has been reborn since The Wrestler, who did a good job as the Russian villain.  The star count rose with other additions like Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson, who donned her Emma Peel Avengers suit.   It worked for Diana Rigg, it certainly works for Ms. Johansson.  Sam Rockwell rounded out the mega cast, who was a bit over the top, but didn’t really hurt the movie.  The special effects are good and the glitz barometer peaks out big time with a ton of fanfare.

Iron Man 2 can only be judged in comparison to the other movies of the same comic book genre.  On that platform it is head and shoulders above the rest.  I would say the first one was better and I believe the impending sequels will also go down in quality, but all in all it is just a fun movie with the traditional good VS evil, I won’t tell you who wins.  As for the question of recommending Iron Man 2, that is something you will have to ask yourself.  I think only you will know if you want to see Iron Man or not.

May 8, 2010: Film Review: The Square

The Square: Great movie bad title.  But if you can get past the title you are in for a commanding piece of cinema.  The noir film by director Nash Edgerton, was released down under in 2008.  The Australian import starts out shady enough as the wife finds some stolen spoils stashed in the attic.  Big piles of untraceable cash usually inspire plotting.   Plotting quickly turns into planning, which leads us to action.  Even the best-laid plans can fail and consequences must be dealt with.  Here you have a simple cause and effect movie.

Actually the film goes a lot deeper than that.  It all starts with a good script and a well-told story.  Some surprises and a few twists in this suspenseful mystery keep you left hanging to the final moments.  The pieces are there to assemble for some of you better film detectives.  I was kept on the hook until the end.

The craftsmanship in this film was excellent and I enjoyed the performances by the Aussie cast.  The camera work was first-rate; I love it when a movie uses the camera to convey information.  The use of the rain was artful; it had a great impact in the scene and was used well to push the story along.  The Square is now at just a few select theaters around the country.  See this one pronto before it goes away, cheers mate.

May 1, 2010: Film Review: The Lightkeepers

The Lightkeepers is a romantic comedy set in 1912 about two self professed woman haters who man a lighthouse on Cape Cod, where it was shot.  This woman hating is often a double edge sword as the story moves on when two lovely women roll in for the summer.  The men’s world is shaken up as we watch the natural ebb and flow on the seashore and interaction between man and woman.

This film is a throw back to old style movie making, a nice story and good acting.  It is done simply with four main characters and could easily have been a play.  It is a pleasant movie with a strong cast that includes Richard Dreyfuss and Blythe Danner.  It is nice to watch the veterans rekindle the lost relationship.

The film sometimes is slow with endearing moments.  I praise the director Daniel Adams for making a movie that is character driven, but in the end it falls a tad short.  It is just a plain old movie and seems like it was made years ago rather than telling a story of years ago.  It is always nice to see people fall in love at any age, but you may want to wait for this one to come around to DVD.  This one stands firmly in the middle of the road.

April 23, 2010: Film Review: The Extra Man

Last night the Boston Independent Film Festival opened with the The Extra Man.  A very funny movie based on the book of the same name.  Lewis (Paul Dano) who loses his teaching position due to, shall we say an indiscretion, which prompts him to follow his dream as a writer, a dream that leads him to Manhattan.  Lewis spots an ad in the Village Voice, “gentleman seeks gentleman to share room” he meets the overly eccentric Henry, (Kevin Kline) who is poor but well bred.  Lewis waffles but the clever Henry Harrison, who can spot a responsible tenant, makes it happen.

The two quirky men share tight quarters and form an odd friendship. Harrison who does not consciously take Lewis under his aristocratic wing, but is a natural mentor to Lewis who is trying to find out about the gentleman inside himself among other things.  Klein plays the brazen, confident Harrison to perfection, as he teaches the art of being an “extra man” the entertaining of upper class widows in their bourgeois social world.

This is an unusual comedy in today’s modern era.  It starts with a very smart script and uses intelligence to convey humor.  I find it very refreshing in a time where bathroom humor rules the screen and we continuously forced to watch so-called funny people slip on the same banana peel over and over again.  The Extra Man is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in years, it is charming, eloquent, unique and it conveys humor through the eccentric but believable characters created by the filmmakers.

There Boston Independent Film Festival is one of the best film festivals in New England.  There are many other great films on the docket in the next several days.  I would encourage anyone who is living in the area to check out the schedule and see some new movies before they hit the streets.  www.iffboston.org

April 17, 2010: Film Review: The Joneses

Keeping up with The Joneses is just what this movie is all about.  A bunch of marketing moles are embedded in a gated community to influence the neighbors to buy certain merchandise.  The family shills pose as successful suburbanites to create an image in order to entice the locals to buy the product of the day.

Demi Moore and David Duchovny star and pose as the husband and wife with their two high school kids.  We learn quite fast that the family frauds have just rolled into town to make a quick buck.  The problem with this film is that it never is really sure what kind of movie it wants to be.  At first glance it seems like a satirical look at superficial life in America and its debt ridden population.  As the film progresses it changes into a melodrama.

It’s hard to warm up to our characters, as they seem to be cold, heartless salespeople.  Eventually the characters do show signs of humanity, and we find out they do have feelings, and even a love story blossoms.  Unfortunately, it all falls pretty flat.  It is a good concept, but the film lacks depth, which is not unlike its characters.  We never find out who these people are, except for Duchovny’s character, who seems to be having the toughest time living a lie.

One questions if the product placement was put into the movie or was the movie made around the product placement.  This film serves more as an infomercial than a movie.  Even if this movie remotely intrigues you, wait for it to come to DVD or cable, it is certainly not worth a trip to the theater.

April 10, 2010: Film Review: Date Night

At first glance I thought that Date Night might have had a chance.  Normal boring suburban couple (Steve Carell & Tina Fey) from New Jersey try to live it up and break out of their humdrum life by heading into Manhattan for a night on the town.  Mistaken Identity and before you know it they are mixed up in a blackmail scheme and find themselves on the run from the mob and the cops.

Before we get to the high jinx we have to live out their dull Jersey existence for 20% of the movie.  Things do kick into gear with gun play and car chase scenes pulled out of a 20th Century Fox file cabinet.  Do all comedies have to have a stupid plot?  Can’t they put some of the funny gags into a story that has some intelligence?  The answer here is no.  Two big stars, some action sequences, a little cheesecake and even a genuinely funny joke or two, are contrived to reach the I-just-want-to-pass-the-time-and-not-think-about-anything demographic.

Maybe if there were some more jokes I would have been laughing more.  In between jokes they reverted back to their vapidness.  I liked the premise of our average citizens being inadvertently caught in the seedy underground and struggling for survival, I just wished they could have made it funny.

April 3, 2010: Film Review: Don McKay

Don McKay is an independent movie that was shot locally here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  It is an excellent film by first time director Jake Goldberger.  Somehow on this low budget movie he was able to assemble a great cast that included Thomas Haden Church and Elizabeth Shue.

Don Mckay played by Church gets a letter after 25 years from his high school sweetheart Sonny, played by Shue.  Something is wrong from the outset, as he arrives to find out she is dying.  Everything is not what it seems and slowly things unfold.  The bizarre overtones are very reminiscent of the early Cohen Brothers’ movies.  Perhaps a slight nod to them as M. Emmet Walsh who has a minor role was also in the Cohen Brothers’ Blood Simple.

The film was done for about a million dollars, but you wouldn’t know it to look at it.  This film looks good, the acting is solid and it has a cool story line with fun plot twists.  I enjoyed the quirkiness in all the characters and as the film unfolds these quirks make more sense.

It’s not easy making a good movie on such a low budget, but Don Mckay comes through with flying colors.   It is quite a thing in today’s world of cinema when a movie relies solely on the story without any extra unnecessary frills. It’s a great debut for the rookie filmmaker.  I definitely recommend Don Mckay.

March 27, 2010: Film Review: Greenberg

Greenberg is Ben Stiller’s attempt at drama.  Take away the laughs and we are left with one annoying character.   Ben can’t take the fall completely; he had help with a bad script.  Ben Stiller is Greenberg, as it says on the poster, he arrives in L.A. after his recent release from a mental institution, and is still having his share of issues coping with life.  The trouble is he is so unlikable that we never really care about him as he alienates the people around him and his audience.

He is house sitting for his brother and winds up spending time with the brother’s personal assistant (Greta Gewig), who he repetitively hurts and abuses through out the movie.  Some may call this a character study while others would just call it a boring movie.  The character does not show growth and we leave him as neurotic and lost as when the movie starts out.

Director Noah Baumbach, has us look into a world of some troubled characters.  He does paint a clear picture of a few dysfunctional people, outside of that there is nothing compelling about the film and we are forced to deal with all of Roger Greenberg’s mental ailments and his in your face OCD.  I have enjoyed Mr. Stiller in many of his box office hits and I’d still give him another chance if he feels the need to explore the dramatic side of himself.  He is welcome to redefine himself; he just needs to do a better job.

March 20, 2010: Film Review: Repo Men

I love science fiction movies and sometimes I let down my guard and check one out that I should have no business checking out.  Repo Men was the disappointment of which I speak.  In this futuristic world our Repo Men are hunting down the poor suckers who can’t pay the 19 and a half percent vig on their new liver.  At some point the hunter (Jude Law) becomes the hunted as he himself has recently gotten a new heart.  Forest Witaker is the second half of this dynamic duo as they go about the country reclaiming hearts and liver and limbs, oh my.

The director Miguel Saposhnik substituted graphic surgical operations and violence for story and plot.  With all the action wailing and blood spilling it is more like a low end gore film.  This alone is not enough to keep my interest, it is a wonder I could stay awake.  This movie almost made Oscar night seem exciting.  Yes folks, I was bored to tears in what would be at best a mediocre TV movie of the week.  I would stay far away from this movie that breaks all cinematic law.  What is cinematic law you ask?  Cinematic law states in section 31, paragraph 14, subheading 6, line 12: The filmmaker must attempt to make a good movie in the name of art or even money.

I could spend more time talking about Forest Witaker’s dumb character, he’s not bad just written that way, or I could go on about the stupid reveal at the end of this movie that is suppose to make you think, about what I’m not sure.  The actors do their best to hold this poor excuse for a script together, but to no avail.  I see this one tanking hard and being whisked to Netflix “play instantly”, the purgatory for bad movies.

March 13, 2010: Film Review: Ghost Writer

This would be a really good movie on a plane.  There it would serve a purpose.  You would say, “That wasn’t bad, we’re almost there now.”  You could watch nice actors along with a beautifully shot film and pass the time.

The Ghost, played by Ewan McGregor is hired to write the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister.  He must also replace his irreplaceable predecessor who died mysteriously and found washed up on the shore.  The mood is set for up for intrigue and espionage.  The plot moves along but things never really get tense or mysterious.  There is minimal suspense and no thrill.

I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Polanski’s body of work, but his latest film The Ghost Writer, didn’t do it for me.  The movie was technically proficient but lacked depth.  The climax of the film was a bit anti-climactic and the ending feels like it comes to a screeching halt as it checks off all the things that need to be tied up.  It takes a radical shift, which doesn’t seem necessary or appropriate.

I did enjoy seeing Eli Wallach for a short scene, one of my all time favorites.  The actors were not the problem for me.  Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor and the supporting cast were good, but the atmosphere and story were both stale.  I don’t like to say bad things about a talent as Roman Polanski; I just don’t like his latest movie.

March 6, 2010: Film Review: Terribly Happy

I caught a great screening last night put on by the Boston Independent Film Festival, a fantastic Danish film called Terribly Happy.  There’s a new marshall in town.  He’s not there to clean it up, just maintain the seemingly nothing that goes on in this semi ghost town in Podonk Denmark.  The film has some old west metaphor as the our villain is running around in cowboy garb and as the towns people say “we have our own way of dealing with things.”

The marshall gets settled in and the oddities begin to surface as we watch him try to make sense of his new world.  The set up is captivating and soon enters the woman, who along with her huband are at the center of the the town soap opera.  She has an immediated attraction to our hero, the plot moves from there taking an interesting twist, more like a hard right as we are caught off guard by the direction of the movie.

Besides a good story director Henrik Genz does a great job using the wide shot.  It is almost like still photography, which offers us a considerable amount of information while moving the story along.  The acting is good all around and I especially liked the supporting cast that portrayed the town locals.  All the charcters were gruff and worn out by life which added to the eccentric atmoshphere of the village not to mention the great barfly scenes.

The only thing that made me my scratch my head was the amount of traffic that flowed through the one horse town, which was a bit of the director’s sense of humor poking through the bleak landscape.  There are very few forgien films that manage get theatrical distribution in this country.  This is an opportunity to see a great film and one I recommend for the big screen.

February 27, 2010: Film Review: It’s Complicated

It’s Complicated, but what relationship isn’t?  Jane (Meryl Streep) and Jake (Alec Baldwin) are reconnecting after being divorced for ten years.  The kids are grown up and Jake is remarried to a woman who could be his daughter.   They are both so far removed from their divorce that the bad times have been washed away, which gives them an opportunity to reexamine their love.

I must consider anything Meryl Streep is in due to the high caliber actress she is.  Streep and Baldwin play very nicely off each other and Steve Martin rounds off the A-list cast.  They all are very good at raising the level of an ok script.  The movie starts off fairly slow as we get to know the players, after 20 minutes our leads finally wind up in the sack and the high jinx ensue.  The movie has a lot of funny moments mixed in with some slow spots.

The actors make the film come alive, the nuance of performance by our leads is what holds the movie together and they are a pleasure to watch.   I was entertained and if you’re in the mood for some light fare it will be a pleasant experience.  There’s nothing ground breaking here but nothing terrible.  Sorry for being on the fence but that’s where I stand.  I give two and a half cups of espresso out of four.

February 19, 2010: Film Review: Shutter Island

I was partially induced to see Shutter Island since it was filmed locally in Massachusetts and many of my colleagues worked on it.  I have for the most part enjoyed the tremendous body of work amassed by Martin Scorsese over the years.  In Shutter Island Scorsese tries his hand at a mystery suspense thriller, taken from the best selling novel by Dennis Lehane, not his usual genre but one in which he delivers on.

A sense of foreboding looms immediately as we approach the island by ferry, the only way on or off.  Of course we know something is up forthwith, and thus the movie plays out as Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) plans to find out.  Clues turn up and the pieces seemingly come together.  Scorsese has you second-guessing your own ideas of what is going on to the very end.

The film is beautiful to look at, and cinematographer Bob Richardson does a great job evoking 1955.  The performances were strong and Ben Kingsley in particular stands out.  I am use to seeing Kingsley in very powerful roles, but the subtlety in handling the persona of Dr. Cawley was elegant to say the least.  He never pushed the envelope further than needed, which allowed DiCaprio to run the gambit of emotions.  And adding Max von Sydow to any film always raises the stakes.

This is a solid movie on all levels and the story holds up to the end.  My only complaint would be that I didn’t like the font in the credits, but if that is all I have on the negative side I would suggest you go and see it.

February 12, 2010: Film Review: Crazy Heart

I was inspired to see Crazy Heart after hearing some of the original music on the radio.  I was surprised to hear that Jeff Bridges was the lead vocal.  He sounded great on the blues/country number written by T. Bone Burnett.  When the DJ disseminated the information I took it as a sign to see the film.  I was not disappointed.

Jeff Bridges plays Bad Blake who has seen the better part of his Country music career.  The road has worn him out a bit and the bourbon hasn’t helped.   He is still a pro so when the lights go on he rises to the occasion.   Enters Jane played by one of my new favorites Maggie Gyllenhaal, who brings some joy to the musician’s life.  As we all know love changes a person and makes them do things they forgot they could.  In this case Bad Blake finds the creativity inside to write songs again.

As we all know love and alcohol don’t mix, it gets in the way and our hero finally bottoms out after a long life of straight whiskey.   Bridges does some fine work and to quote from the movie, “still has some gas left in the tank.”  I have found Jeff Bridges is an actor who keeps getting better over time and I enjoy him more and more.

Love comes at the craziest times and usually when you least expect it.  Bad Blake is still not too old or jaded to feel the power of love.   Crazy Heart is a good story that touches the heart.  First time director Scott Cooper does a solid job and gives us a couple of twists that steer us away from a typical Hollywood finish in his well-crafted look at life, love, the choices people make and how they move on with their lives.

January 30, 2010: Film Review: Edge of Darkness

I was compelled to see Edge of Darkness because I worked on it.  I only worked on it part time, but the sentiment on set was that the film wasn’t bad and I have to agree, not bad.  Not bad does not necessarily mean good, this movie falls into the ok category.   You’ll sit in the theater, pass the time, be pulled into the story and it will begin to leave you as soon as you hit the parking lot.

It had good technique but offered us nothing new.  You may be better served to let this one pass or see it on DVD.  Mel Gibson was in top form as always, though I did not like the supporting cast except for Ray Winstone, who was the only other person in the movie besides Mel with any kind of screen presence.

This movie is based on the TV show of the same name.  As a TV show I would give it a thumb’s up or two but, I have much lower expectations from television.  I see no reason to bring it to the big screen.  Unless you are a rabid Mel fan and must consume his full body of work, then go, it will be painless.

January 22, 2010: Film Review: Nine

A Bit Disappointing…

I had the pleasure of working with Daniel Day-Lewis on The Crucible.  He was a great actor then, he’s a better actor now.  There are few people on the planet at his level.  He’s in the top five and I don’t say that lightly.  His performance in Gangs of New York and There Will Be Blood were off the charts amazing.  In Rob Marshall’s film Nine he nails the Fellini-like character down.

That is where the movie ends for me.  All the performances were great and everyone did their job.  I just don’t like modern day Broadway spectacles on the screen, probably because I don’t like Broadway spectacles.  The musical numbers were boring and I tired of the gratuitous cheesecake.  This was just a very beautiful looking burlesque show.

In between the songs Mr. Marshall managed to capture a bit of the Fellini mood with all the chaos and hyperactivity that revolves around the lost director as he tries to figure out how to make his movie.  I think there is a good movie in there somewhere and it does pop out at times, but it is a long drawn out affair.  I say stay at home and rent La Strada and have a more authentic Fellini experience.
January 16, 2010: Film Review: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

When your lead actor dies in the middle of shooting it is the biggest hurdle any filmmaker has to jump.  Terry Gilliam resurrects his film from the ash and presents a stunning fantasy film that dazzles, and amazes, another solid piece by the man who brought us Twelve Monkeys, The Fisher King and Brazil.  Replacing Mr. Ledger even part time is no easy task and the idea of breaking up the role with three other great actors was the way to go.  This was not the first time this has happened in the cinema, the acclaimed Spanish director Luis Bunuel was forced to do the same for That Obscure Object of Desire.

My favorite performance in the piece was Tom Waits’ portrayal of the Devil.  I don’t know if this is a complement or an insult but he was perfect for the part, he was dashing, elegant, sly, clever and of course evil.  All the qualities we expect of the archetype character.  My hat also goes off to Christopher Plummer who was also excellent and still doing great work at the age 80.  The special fx also play a major role as it enhances the story and creates the fantasy world in the Doctor’s magical mirror.

Fantasy, myth and spirit are at the top of my genre list however, it must be handled delicately otherwise one could miss the mark.  Not the case with The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.  We travel back a thousand years and are transported to many other mythical places in the good doctor’s head.  Gilliam gives a new look at the Faustian tale and writes a good script that weaves through modern day London, some far corner in Asia and a host of new places we have never seen.  The climax of the film is not the way I thought it should go but, it still worked.  You’ll have to decide that one for yourself because this is a film that is absolutely worth seeing.
January 2, 2010: Film Review: Avatar

What do you look for in your movie experience?  That is the question you must ask yourself before seeing a film like Avatar. Some people only like the frosting on the cake; they don’t care for the whole piece as long as it is covered with sprinkles.

Sprinkles are what Avatar has and plenty of it.  It is a masterpiece of special fx and cinematography.  The movie is at the forefront of technology.  And if things keep going in this direction I may eventually start to care about 3D in another 20 years. This little gimmick changes the event from a movie to a mediocre carnival ride.

If you want a 3D experience why not try something called life.  You could walk and talk and do it all in real time.  The sights and smells are there everyday for your enjoyment, everything is interactive and it doesn’t cost an extra 3 bucks a ticket.

Outside of the bell and whistle fest the plot is thin.  It’s Dances with Wolves in outer space.  Outsider falls for the locals, leads revolution against the oil company, which is actually a mineral company, with the mother load on the sacred indigenous ground.  I have no problem with the classic tale of good versus evil.  It just needs to be told better.

I saw this film because of the ground breaking technology and the attraction it is to pop culture.  It is rare to find an epic film that can do action and weave a dramatic story line well.  Avatar is not one of them.  So, go if you must, wear the rose colored glasses, enjoy the make-up, the hot alien chick, and the bombs bursting in air, but if the word plot means anything to you at all, you may want to reconsider.