REVIEW: Unbroken

21 12 2014

In terms of below-the-line talent on “Unbroken,” director Angelina Jolie assumes the role of Nick Fury by essentially assembling The Avengers of the cinema.  Every writer credited on “Unbroken” has penned an Oscar-nominated script.  Behind the camera as director of photography is Roger Deakins, cinematographer to great directors like the Coen Brothers as well as franchises like James Bond.

Those images are then spliced and joined together in the editing room by William Goldenberg (Oscar winner for “Argo“) and Tim Squyres (a consistent collaborator of Ang Lee who was Oscar nominated for “Life of Pi“).  And underscoring it all is Alexandre Desplat, the absurdly prolific composer for everything from “Philomena” to the “Harry Potter” series.  Essentially, “Unbroken” boasts what would be the ultimate fantasy squad if such a concept existed in Hollywood.

Rather than exuding passion for the craft, though, everyone phones it in. This dream team works in service of a rather bland and familiar inspirational story, and their respective skills do little to change that.  Instead of elevating the material, they are complicit with Jolie in playing it safe to ensure “Unbroken” plays to the least common denominator of audiences. They color by numbers when they could have been painting something truly inspiring and extraordinary.

The incredible true-life heroism and survival of Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) has all the makings of a truly rousing film.  He had to triumph in the face adversity and anti-immigrant taunts as a child.  He funneled all that into the sport of track, which eventually took him to the Berlin Olympics in 1936.  Then, he survived for months at sea in WWII before getting captured as a POW by the Japanese.  These events give “Unbroken” quite a story to work with, yet the extraordinary feels rather ordinary.

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REVIEW: Exodus: Gods and Kings

20 12 2014

Usually, when writers proclaim a story has biblical connotations, implications, or overtones, they suggest a certain primordial grandiosity of themes and conflicts.  Ridley Scott’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings” is quite literally biblical, however, and does not even come close to achieving that standard.  It takes far more cues from an interminable “Hobbit” film than it does from its source material that inspires billions.

The action on screen plays out like a final walk-through for a real movie.  The blocking of actors looks clumsy and without purpose.  Lines come across as recited rather than deeply felt.  And when the whole film plays out against a CGI-heavy background that can never overcome an overwhelming sensation of artificiality, “Exodus” feels like it could be capable of inspiring its own exodus of audiences fleeing the film itself.

The job of writing a compelling movie about the conflict between Moses (Christian Bale) and Ramses (Joel Edgerton) seems simple enough.  The clash of a pharaoh with a legitimate threat to his empire from a powerful deity is gripping in concept alone.  Then add in that the revolution is being spearheaded by his estranged stepbrother, and it becomes the kind of drama that ought to have writers drooling over their keyboards.

Yet most of the film’s problems seem to originate at the level of the script, which likely underwent quite a few drafts given that four writers are given credit.  The film certainly does not deserve to bear the name of great scripter Steven Zaillian (screenwriter of stellar work from “Schindler’s List” to “Moneyball“).  “Exodus” feels skeletal, the sketch of what a true screenplay should resemble.  The general progression of events is in place, but no one has affixed any supplemental scenes to give it depth of character or emotion.

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F.I.L.M. of the Week (December 19, 2014)

19 12 2014

ElenaI have no idea how he does it, but Russian writer/director Andrey Zvyagintsev has a remarkable talent for making his films feel like modern-day parables.  His work on “Elena,” my pick for the “F.I.L.M. of the Week,” achieves this tenor of storytelling through one heck of a balancing act.

The film is pared down to an almost elemental struggle without ever being dumbed down.  His visual style takes a heavy cue from naturalism, portraying much of the dreary minutiae that occupies most of our lives, yet “Elena” still feels compelling nonetheless.  Zvyagintsev provides satisfying drama that never dips into the realm of sensationalism.

“Elena” chronicles a brief period in the life of its titular character, a former nurse who has married up to wealthy Moscow businessman Vladimir.  If Russia has something equivalent to Social Security, they are at about that age.  So, naturally, the subject of settling his estate is a rather pressing concern.

Elena is hardly a gold digger, although she does have an interest in ensuring a significant stake.  Her grown son cannot provide for his own family, so he constantly leans on his mother for financial support.  Vladimir has grown tired of their inability to become self-sufficient, and he firmly withholds tuition funds for Elena’s grandson that would keep him out of the military.  To counter, Elena is also quick to remind him that she is a better investment than his thankless, prodigal daughter Katerina.

What ensues in “Elena” is a fascinating look at the lengths to which people will go in order to secure their future.  Every choice and each word are up for debate as to their correctness.  Zvyagintsev also astutely builds in the confounding factor of class relations to the film, adding an extra layer of complexity into a film that already boasts an intricate simplicity.  While very little may happen in regards to events, “Elena” feels like a more full viewing experience than most films these days.


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REVIEW: The Babadook

18 12 2014

The Babadook

I generally tend to stay away from horror movies since most are hopelessly derivative and overly dependent on a trademark “jump-out” technique.  (It could be argued, however, that this is true for just about any genre these days.)  Thankfully, I am still in a position where I can just see the horror flicks that have received a decent amount of acclaim and avoid the latest uninspired “Paranormal Activity” installment.

Thus, I heard the buzz surrounding Jennifer Kent’s “The Babadook” and came running.  This indie gem is a seriously impressive first feature as well as an accomplished entry in the horror genre.  It does not rewrite the rulebook or open doors into a brave new world, but it does provide some truly chilling moments.  With a sizable enough cult following, which could easily be built through a Netflix release, this is a film that could conceivably be mentioned in the same breath as “The Ring.”

This psychologically haunting film follows the tormenting of widowed mother Amelia (Essie Davis) and her young son Sam, who displays some behavioral affectations that raise alarm with school administrators.  Their life seems tough enough without the looming presence of a monster.  Amelia reads the tale of The Babadook, a creature from a pop-up book found at their house, and it suddenly assumes a very real form.  It seeps into their consciousness and begins to drive their behavior.

Be sure to amplify the terror by choosing a fitting viewing environment.  Try to watch in a dark room with as many people as possible.  “The Babadook” is definitely very scary, a purposeful product of Kent’s filmmaking and not an unintended externality, but it does need a little artificial stimulation to achieve its aims.  B / 2halfstars


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REVIEW: Into the Woods

17 12 2014

The last time a Stephen Sondheim musical received a screen adaptation, Tim Burton and company decided to completely obliterate what made the stage show of “Sweeney Todd” special in order to make the story cinematic.  So when Disney announced they would be making a filmic version of Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” all signs pointed to them turning the revisionist fairy-tale musical into something akin to their hit TV show “Once Upon a Time.”  In other words, it could be a Marvel-style converging universe for Grimm’s Brothers tales.

Somehow, against the odds, “Into the Woods” maintains its integrity.  Disney does not force a pop-friendly ditty into the fabric of Sondheim’s notoriously tricky melodies and tough rhythms.  The soundtrack, likely to the pleasure of parents everywhere, boasts no “Frozen“-style tunes that demand playing on repeat.  These songs are better, or at least more purposeful – they tell a powerful story.

Sondheim’s music explores not just the wishes, dreams, and desires that come with the fairy tales.  The lyrics also deliberate the often neglected flip side of these: decisions, responsibility, and consequences.  “Into the Woods” head-fakes its first happily ever after in order deliver an extended post-script, daring to ask whether characters like Cinderella actually made the best decision for themselves.

Rob Marshall, thankfully channeling more of his masterful work on “Chicago” than his dreadful job on “Nine,” orchestrates this massive ensemble reevaluating their respective outcomes with a remarkable economy.  Everyone gets their moment, both in song and dialogue, to express their introspection.  Even with a few numbers truncated or cut altogether, “Into the Woods” still gets its message across with a great balance of obvious telling for the children and subtle hinting for the adults.

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REVIEW: Men, Women & Children

16 12 2014

In 2009, Jason Reitman added a potent subplot to his film “Up in the Air” that dealt with some of the alienation people feel in a depersonalized, technology-laden society.  Five years later, he arrives with “Men, Women & Children,” a dark and moody spiritual cousin to his masterpiece.  It goes beyond the obvious stating that people live text message to text message or email to email.  Underneath it all, they are clearly living orgasm to orgasm.

Reitman finds a new writing partner, Erin Cressida Wilson, to adapt Chad Kultgen’s novel, which is perhaps the only truly honest novel about the realities of living in a digitally mediated society.  The story follows a group of teenagers and their parents, each age group struggling with the temptations of carnality made available at their fingertips.  They all seek intimacy, a rarity in a sea of screen addicts, yet cannot seems to escape their enmeshed existence in the World Wide Web.

It seems as if Reitman, likely by commercial imperatives, had to pull some punches and soften the impact of his film.  How blistering can an excoriation of an Internet pornography obsessed society be if those toxic images are never shown?  How shameful can sexual deviance feel if the acts themselves are artfully avoided?  Reitman did not have to go full NC-17 to make an effective film on this topic, and “Men, Women & Children” suffers from his cautious moves.

Still, the message gets across pretty clearly, provided the audience can put down their iPhones for two hours to listen to it. For once, the youth are neither a fountain of hope nor a convenient object for blame; they are just exploring normal curiosities in the same way that their chief role models did.  In fact, the adults of “Men, Women & Children” are every bit as clueless and juvenile in cyberspace as their kids.  Society is all in this battle together, and no one is above it because it brings out the worst in everyone.

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REVIEW: The Way He Looks

15 12 2014

The Way He LooksUntil the very end of Daniel Ribeiro’s “The Way He Looks,” when all the flirtatious words and actions are consummated, I found myself wondering if it could really even be called an LGBT film.  The attraction between the two leads just feels like a beautiful friendship, one sorely needed for bullied blind student Leonardo.

Any romantic angle in Leonardo’s relationship with the newest addition to his class, Gabriel, seems attached by his homophobic schoolmates.  Ribeiro captures the instinctual, learned bigotry of teenage boys with a stunning accuracy that rings as true in the United States as it presumptively does in the film’s setting of Brazil.  Yet in spite of taunts and hateful slurs thrown his way, Gabriel refuses to cave and abandon Leonardo.

For most of “The Way He Looks,” it seems like Leonardo and Gabriel simply share a gentle connection with some vague undertones of attraction.  For Leonardo especially, who has never really had a companion of the same gender, it feels like he might just be adding a sexual component to their friendship due to the lack of both in his life thus far.

A part of me almost wished it had remained up in the air whether or not the relationship between Leonardo and Gabriel actually had a sensual dynamic to it at all, or whether it would eventually blossom into something of that kind.  The third act of “The Way He Looks” pretty much settles the debate  – I don’t think this really counts as a spoiler, since advertisers have labeled the film gay – by providing a pretty conventional romance genre ending to the proceedings.  I would probably be more upset or disappointed, except it was just so charming and sweet.  B- / 2stars


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REVIEW: Lilting

14 12 2014

LiltingWriter/director Hong Khaou’s “Lilting” deals with two stories.  The first involves Ben Whishaw’s Richard as he and his lover Kai (Andrew Leung) prepare to reveal their relationship to Kai’s extremely conservative unadjusted immigrant mother Junn (Chang Pei-Pei).  The second follows Ben as he attempts to care for Junn in spite of her objections.

The missing link between these two threads is Kai’s unfortunate death in a traffic accident.  It takes a while to discern a gap in time between them, and even when it does become clear, Khaou does not delineate particularly well between past and present.  “Lilting” jerks around without direction, simply portraying events without ever really making them add up to anything substantial.

The film aims for tenderness in its portrayal of love and affection, but it winds up treading too lightly to have any impact.   With its static characters and lifeless plot, the 91 minutes of “Lilting” are a depressing chore with no payoff for the pain.

At least “Blue Valentine” and “Revolutionary Road” had a grand statement to make about relationships to justify their bleakness.   “Lilting” just has banalities and boredom to offer.  The only audience for this movie is (hopefully) Ben Whishaw fans who feel the need to see his entire filmography – for better or for worse – when he gets the roles, and thus the stardom, he deserves.  C / 1halfstars


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REVIEW: Life After Beth

13 12 2014

Life After BethAs the executives at Lifetime have now discovered with their ingenious “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever,” Aubrey Plaza is today’s most lovable curmudgeon.  Her dourly misanthropic attitude paradoxically lights up any scene in which she appears.  “Life After Beth” is to Plaza what “Maleficent” was to Angelina Jolie – an ode to a certain defining essence.

Plaza’s Beth starts off the film dead, then all of a sudden is inexplicably walking around among the living.  This comes much to the confused delight of her devastated former boyfriend Zach, played by Dane DeHaan.  Tasked with playing the straight man in a “Ruby Sparks” style romance, where the girl is undead instead of imaginary, DeHaan opts for strung-out angst to contrast Plaza’s snarky charm.

Their strange reunion starts off under the guise of a comedy, which makes a great deal of sense given that Plaza’s pop cultural presence has been mostly relegated to “Parks and Recreation.” (That’s mainly because no one saw the undeservedly underseen “Safety Not Guaranteed” and no one knew who she was when she appeared in 2009’s “Funny People.”)  But all of a sudden, and without any real reason, “Life After Beth” shifts gears to become an action film.  Nothing ever hints at the fact that it will eventually morph into “World War Z.”

DeHaan, in an interview with Seth Meyers, referred to the film as a “zom-com-rom-dram.”  Kudos to writer/director Jeff Baena for attempting so much, but this novel mixture proves far too many genres than “Life After Beth” can handle in its slim 90-minute runtime.  Plaza definitely does a better impersonation of the possessed demon child from “The Exorcist” than Jonah Hill in “This is The End,” which is about the extent of the compliments that can be paid to the film’s bizarre back half.

Perhaps its action-packed conclusion would feel more earned if Beth had more time to develop as a character.  But it looks like “Life After Beth” is really just going to be good for a few entertaining GIFs on a BuzzFeed list about grouchy people.  C / 2stars


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F.I.L.M. of the Week (December 12, 2014)

12 12 2014

WalkerThe end of the year is drawing near, which means plenty of “great man” biopics that paint flattering portraits of “important” men in history.  (Rarely are these ever about women, I feel.)  2014 brings with it “The Imitation Game” and “The Theory of Everything,” just to name two, that fit this description.  To the surprise of very few, both those movies are predictably pretty good.

But it is time for someone to take a radical approach to the biopic once again.  These formulaic, color-by-numbers films are getting too safe for their own good.  So, in order to revitalize the sagging genre, I would highly recommend that all daring filmmakers brush up on Alex Cox’s “Walker.”

This is tied for the oldest movie I have featured in my “F.I.L.M. of the Week” column, but this 1987 release feels completely fresh.  Cox does Tarantino’s style before Tarantino made it famous, and he even has the guts to apply his eclectic, anachronistic, and oftentimes outright bizarre technique to real people and events.  Can’t imagine the family of Cornelius Vanderbilt was too thrilled about a cinematic portrayal of the business magnate where his most prominent feature is his flatulence…

Cox, working from a script by Rudy Wurlitzer, can certainly have more liberty with his subject given his relative obscurity.  “Walker” follows Ed Harris’ William Walker, a soldier of fortune who somehow ends up in Nicaragua doing the bidding of businessman in overthrowing their government.  Eventually, in a turn that no one who understands the effects of power will find surprising, Walker seizes what is essentially dictatorial control of the country.  And yes, this is a true story.

There is no inside baseball, political calculation, or dreary historical tedium to be found in “Walker” – only awesomeness.  Every turn of the film brings a new and unexpected joy in the form of a bold risk taken by Cox.  Whether it is in the characterization of Walker himself or in the gratuitous flow of blood in a battle, “Walker” constantly elicits the response, “I can’t believe he just did that.”  And it works practically every time, too!

Furthermore, “Walker” is not just style for style’s sake, a trap into which Tarantino far too often seems to fall.  What better way to show the connection between the factual past and controversial present of the film’s release, the Iran-Contra scandal, than to literally merge them within the movie itself?!  This is a work of pure, mad genius.


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REVIEW: Ivory Tower

11 12 2014

Ivory TowerFull disclosure: I watched “Ivory Tower” fully hoping its thesis was wrong, for my and my parents’ sanity.  I have one semester left in college, and had Andrew Rossi’s documentary proven that it was not worth the price tag … well, finish that sentence as you will.  (And I attend a private university, so the cost is considerably steeper.)

Still, it is nonetheless a topic that needs debate and discussion.  Costs have really spiraled out of control, and the college education that serves as the cornerstone of the American dream of self-advancement may eventually grow out of reach for many families.  Frighteningly, the price of college tuition has increased more than any other service in the United States.

There are plenty of threads a documentary on the contemporary university could follow, and Rossi really makes an attempt to follow just about all of them.  This proves somewhat detrimental to “Ivory Tower” in the long run as it provides a broad overview of the problems at the expense of a pointed conclusion.  Such an approach increases knowledge but discourages action.

Some topics, like the newly imposed tuition at the previously free university Cooper Union, receive an unduly amount of attention.  Since this is such an isolated case, too, it seems like an ill-advised use of precious time.  Issues like the impending student debt bubble collapse, or the false promise of supplemental online education, or even the rise of successful entrepreneurs without a college diploma feel like far more pressing concerns.

Still, this documentary packs enough punches to prompt some decent thought afterwards.  While “Ivory Tower” may lack the streamlined clarity of Rossi’s last non-fiction film, New York Times inside-look “Page One,” it raises many valid concerns that are likely to resonate with a much larger group of stakeholders.  B / 2halfstars


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REVIEW: Camp X-Ray

10 12 2014

Camp X-RayWriter/director Peter Sattler tackles some big topics in “Camp X-Ray,” and I certainly admire his streak of ambition.  A drama set at the high-stakes location of Guantanamo Bay certainly should not settle for anything ordinary, after all.

He explores the effects of callings inmates “detainees” rather than “prisoners,” a system that seems designed to entrench hostilities between captors and captives.  The film also looks at the other major force at the prison, the guards who oversee it, through the eyes of Kristen Stewart’s Cole.  “Camp X-Ray” shows the distinction between being a “soldier” and being a “female soldier,” an unduly additional burden that Cole must shoulder.

Yet Sattler never really puts these issues in service of the plot, which hardly feels strong enough to sustain a two-hour feature.  “Camp X-Ray” feels neither expressly political nor earnestly personal; as a result, it just comes off as rather nondescript.

Sattler does a commendable thing in defining Cole away from her job, where she must check her emotions at the door.  What exactly she is doing in Guantanamo provides an interesting existential dilemma for Stewart to play.  Thankfully, it cannot all boil down to something hopelessly anti-feminist as she expressly states that she is not in the military to hunt down a husband.

For all the scenes of Cole outside the barbed wire, though, “Camp X-Ray” explores her character the most when she converses with a particularly intelligent and loquacious detainee, Ali, played by Payman Maadi (the superb leading man from “A Separation“).  These exchanges are the center of the film, and while they may not significantly advance events or provide dramatic escalation, the cross-cultural chats feel worthwhile just … because.  C+ / 2stars


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REVIEW: Low Down

9 12 2014

Low DownAs a general rule of thumb, I do not walk out of movies – or even turn them off when watching at home.  It’s a general sign of respect as well as perhaps a misplaced optimism.  You just never know when a movie might show the tiniest sign of redemption.

I was recently fortunate enough to receive an electronic screener link to view “Low Down,” which is now among the rare class of movies that I could not bring myself to finish.  The film is not actively, egregiously bad.  It is just never good, save a mildly impressive control of period atmosphere by first-time director Jeff Preiss.

I must have forgotten to hit the pause button when I left to get lunch or something because when I came back, I could not remember where I had stopped the screener.  As I was scrolling through different scenes, I honestly could not recall whether or not I had watched them.  “Low Down” left that soft of an impact on me.

I saw the writing on the wall when a character misquotes a line from Shakespeare (it’s “if music be the food of love,” not “fruit”) and no one, in front of or behind the camera, seems to bat an eyelid.  “Low Down” is a considerable squandering of talent, as it deploys the virtuosic John Hawkes as Joe Albany, a gifted jazz pianist struggling to kick a drug addiction.  Never seen that one before…

There are plenty of talented actors playing characters in his orbit, including Glenn Close as his mother.  But none is more disappointing to see go to waste than Elle Fanning, the talented young actress from “Somewhere” and “Super 8” who is well on her way to eclipsing her older sister.  She plays Joe’s daughter in what could arguably be considered a co-lead performance, yet she has little personality and might as well just be an accessory to her father.

I did, out of the mildest of curiosities, skip to the final scene of the film just to see the ultimate fates of the characters.  Spoiler alert: there’s nothing to spoil.  You know what’s coming, but I dare you to outlast the tedium of “Low Down” to make it there.  C- / 1halfstars


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REVIEW: Breathe In

8 12 2014

Breathe InWriter/director Drake Doremus’ “Breathe In” begins with obvious symbols abounding: a carefully curated family photoshoot, a tower of Jenga blocks, the copy of Jane Eyre lying about.  If you cannot predict what will happen the Reynolds’ take in an English exchange student, Felicity Jones’ inquisitive but indeterminate Sophie, then your high school english teacher owes you an apology.

Doremus, thankfully, does not just lay all the sexual tension out on the table from the outset.  Instead, there is a gradual, more lifelike build in Sophie’s burgeoning attraction to her host father, Guy Pearce’s Keith.  This restraint provides some reason to stay attuned to the story, which is otherwise too clichéd to draw us into Sophie’s psychology.  (And thankfully, Jones looks quite a bit older than high school age, thus eliminating any vibes of their relationship resembling something dangerously close to statutory rape.)

Sophie’s tale, that of a British girl who comes to live with a family in New York for a semester only to find her peers superficial and self-involved, just never feels particularly compelling.  All these scenes really seem to highlight is that Sophie possesses a wisdom beyond her years, an attribute highly accentuated by another highly perspicacious performance from Felicity Jones.

Pearce gets a somewhat more interesting story to work with.  His Keith is a frustratedly immobile cellist who has never been able to achieve the recognition for which he yearns.  Instead of playing in a symphony, he is relegated to teaching at a high school in order to support his family.  Sophie offers him the opportunity to fulfill his desires, not his responsibilities, and his internal vacillation is much more fascinating because it carries those high stakes.  Unlike the rest of “Breathe In,” Pearce’s performance proves quite subtly effective.  C+ / 2stars


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REVIEW: In the Land of Blood and Honey

7 12 2014

Blood HONEYWhen it comes to civically-minded celebrities these days, Angelina Jolie is probably one of the first people that comes to mind.  She’s well-known as a Goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, and her recent efforts to combat sexual violence in wartime earned her an honorary title of Dame from Queen Elizabeth II.

It follows that her debut behind the camera as a director, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” would be closely intertwined with her humanitarian efforts.  But while locked in the grips of the seemingly interminable picture, I couldn’t help but feel like her time and my time would be better spent elsewhere.  Jolie’s time would go, of course, to saving the world (while mine would most likely be put towards shrinking the size of my Netflix queue).

Jolie makes a rather color-by-numbers war film, one that never manages to excite or enrage.  Though it’s clear that she’s stridently railing against the use of war to justify sexual assault against women, “In the Land of Blood and Honey” lacks a call to action into which all that anger can be channeled.

The film drags along for over two hours, giving us little history or commentary on the Bosnian War of the 1990s.  All we’re really told is that there was peace, then – BANG! – it’s gone.  The one element that should have been able to gin up some intensity, a forbidden romance between the opposing sides, is never as frightening or dangerous as it should be.

The $13 million it cost to make “In the Land of Blood and Honey” could, quite frankly, have been put to better use.  The film has noble intentions, but Jolie’s failure to capitalize on any of them makes the enterprise a colossal waste.  C / 2stars


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