Monthly Archives: September 2012
Flash Movie Review: The Words
After the layers are peeled away, the one thing that we have left is our word. I place a high value on a person’s word. One of my biggest pet peeves has been someone telling me they will do something, then not following through with it. When a person does not place importance on their word, it bruises my trust in them. There are always consequences to such actions and writer Rory Jansen, played by Bradley Cooper (Limitless, Hit and Run), would eventually find this out. Discovering an unnamed manuscript inside an old briefcase his wife Dora, played by Zoe Saldana (Star Trek, Columbiana), bought him; Rory chose to take the story and copy it word for word. When Dora found and read the magnificent story she thought her husband had written, that was the little push Rory needed to move forward and see if he could get “his” book published. Not only was the book published, but it became a huge bestseller; with its touching story about a young couple falling in love. This dramatic film almost had all the pieces to be an outstanding movie, but sadly did not achieve it. The issue I had with the movie was the running of 3 story lines simultaneously. If the focus was narrowed to Rory’s story line and the book’s tale, that would have been more than enough. The cast’s acting was good, with Jeremy Irons (Dead Ringers, Margin Call) doing a wonderful bit of acting as the Old Man. It really was a shame more time wasn’t spent on editing the story and allowing the characters more depth and back story. I am not sure why, but the movie attracted an elderly crowd; who came prepared with their own bags of candy. At the end of the film I felt let down. Words are what make us human; actions are what defines us.
2 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Fitzcarraldo
Look at the thousands of objects around us that sprung out of someone’s imaginative dream. I have been accused of being a big dreamer, except my dreams do not always have a basis in reality. Like that time I walked up into my attic and discovered a raccoon had eaten a large hole through the roof of my house. I stood staring at it and began imagining I could put glass blocks in the hole to create a skylight. Or a spiral staircase that would lead to a roof top deck. My daydreaming prevented me from seeing the raindrops that started to come through the opening. In this movie Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald aka Fitzcarraldo, played by Klaus Kinski (Nosferatu the Vampyre, The Little Drummer Girl), had a big dream. He wanted to build an opera house in the middle of the Amazon jungle. To do that, he had to amass a fortune and move a river boat over a small mountain. Fitzcarraldo was a bigger than life character, with an oversized determination. To start making his dream a reality; his girlfriend Molly, played by Claudia Cardinale (8 1/2, The Leopard), provided the funds to move Fitzcarraldo’s vision towards the real world. Besides the strange story, the other reason I wanted to see this movie was to see the great work of famed director Werner Herzog (Into the Abyss, Rescue Dawn), who was also the writer. His directing was fascinating to watch, from the over the top performance by Klaus Kinski to the way the scenes were set up and filmed; I found the movie captivating. The pacing was drawn out which at first bothered me; but as the story moved into the jungle, I found it brought an extra heaviness to the monumental tasks that laid before the crew and ship. If for nothing else, I appreciated the message that one should never give up on their dreams. For Fitzcarraldo, he wanted to bring Caruso to the jungle; for me, I wanted to have a skylight. German and Spanish with English subtitles.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Compliance
A movie has to stir something in me, take me into its story. That does not mean I am only expecting happy, pleasant feelings. I have friends who only go to movies that make them happy; and if there is singing and dancing, all the better. There are very few limitations on what I am willing to watch on the big screen. When I went to see this unusual movie I did not know it was inspired by true events. It was quite uncomfortable for me to sit and watch what was taking place on the screen. Now before you decide that is all you have to hear and move on to a different review, let me explain. This movie did what it was supposed to do–it moved me. Knowing the story was based on a kernel or maybe a bushel of truth only creeped me out more. Fast food restaurant manager Sandra, played by Ann Dowd (Garden State, Marley & Me), took a phone call at work from a man who identified himself as a police officer. She was told her employee Becky, played by Dreama Walker (Gran Torino, The Invention of Lying), had stolen money out of a customer’s purse and the victim was at the police station to file a complaint. A woman who did things by the book, Sandra was instructed to secure her employee until the police could arrive at the restaurant. However, until the officer was able to get there, he wanted her to do more than just secure Becky. I just have to tell you I was dumbfounded by the unfolding scenes. But I want to point out that I was okay; the movie was doing what I wanted it to do, stir something inside of me. The story negotiated a fine line between reality and absurdness. How could anyone think what they were doing was okay? Since the movie was based on documented occurrences, I guess there are people out there who believe anything they are told. Ann Dowd’s acting was outstanding. One could see by her expressions how her mind was trying to comprehend the variety of requests. What a movie experience; you will either walk out in the middle of it or stay and be mesmerized by the incredible things taking place.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Blue Valentine
Is there such a thing as love at first sight or is it something else? Though I have never experienced it; I have come close, referring to it as love at first infatuation. That time where you see a person and immediately feel comfortable around them, quickly finding a common rhythm. When the two of you start a relationship, the key in maintaining it is communication. I would also add the ability not to let expectations trip you up, while continuing to learn and grow with your partner. This is why I found this dramatic movie to be the real deal when it came to charting the course of a couple’s relationship through the years. Dean and Cindy, played by Ryan Gosling (Drive, Half Nelson) and Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn, Take This Waltz) met and fell in love. The story was told with the assistance of flashbacks, going between the current state of their relationship to the start of their courtship. As we watched scenes from different parts of their lives, we became privy to their expectations and emotional baggage. Ryan, who I find to be a gifted actor, gave another fine performance as the emotionally damaged Dean. Pairing him with Michelle was a brilliant move, for she handled her role with a rich texturing as we witnessed the bloom of their love wilting. I am not sure I would have given the movie the NC-17 rating it received; because to me, the director only captured the real rawness of a couple’s lovemaking while being out of synch. This well done film showed how easy it was to fall in love. The challenge came in how well that love could be maintained.
3 1/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Lawless
With a smoldering Brando vibe and a piercing, steely stare; make no mistake about it, this was Tom Hardy’s (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) picture. If he and his management team continue to make the right career choices like Warrior and avoid the wrong ones such as This Means War; Tom will be one of our top rated actors. He portrayed Forrest Bondurant, who with his brothers Howard, played by Jason Clarke (Death Race, Public Enemies) and Jack, played by Shia LaBeouf (Transformers franchise, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), ran a successful bootlegged liquor operation in Franklin County, Virginia during the depression. When corrupt special agent Charlie Rakes, played by Guy Pierce (The King’s Speech, Factory Girl), came into town; he rounded up the authorities to aid him in getting a cut of the brothers’ growing earnings. Where Tom played his character as a dark, simmering man with a deadly reputation; Guy’s character was an arrogant, mean, sadistic man who was fussy about keeping a pristine appearance. Both actors were amazing. Based on a true story, this was a graphic violent, bloody film; as we saw the brothers fight to maintain a hold on their operations. I, along with everyone else in the theater, sat absolutely still through the entire movie; the story never lagged. Both Tom and Guy were the major players on the screen. The issue I had with this otherwise great film was Shia LaBeouf. This boy could not handle the role given to him. It was so apparent when any of the other cast was in his scenes; he could not elevate himself to their level of acting. Despite Shia, this was one heck of an intense movie to view and I was serious when I said the entire audience sat still in their seats. None of us wanted to miss a single thing.
3 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Blood Diamond
The higher the value placed on objects, the more greed comes out in mankind, it seems to me. And the ones that suffer the most are the poor workers. At a time of escalating unstableness in Sierra Leone, conflict diamonds were being used to fund rebel forces. This startling film depicted the horrors people faced when forced to work in the diamond mines, as the wealthy power brokers sought out ways to gain even more strength for themselves. The story centered on a rare, raw diamond that could change the fortune of whoever had possession of it. Forcibly separated from his family; Solomon Vandy, played by Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, The Island), was the discoverer of this unusual diamond. Danny Archer, played by Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception, J. Edgar) was the smuggler who saw an opportunity that could alter his life greatly, if he could only gain access to the incredible gem. With a shaky government, bloody warlords and conniving opportunistic businessmen, the level of greed was astounding to me. Leonardo was absolutely amazing in this role, even if I found the accent a bit odd. Matching in intensity, Djimon was such a strong presence, he filled out every scene he was in; it was a breathtaking performance. In a lessor role, I felt Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind, Hulk) as Maddy Bowen did an excellent job with the dialog she was given. This was not an easy movie to watch with scenes of bloody violence. However, with an incredulous story, along with the brilliant acting, there was no way I could look away. I was amazed how things of such beauty could elicit such ugliness in man.
3 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Possession
In a new marketing twist, Hollywood is going from remaking previous movies to converting their religion now. In this suspenseful thriller, the movie studio took the story from the film The Exorcist and changed the religion to the Jewish faith. They could easily have called this movie The Yiddish Exorcist. I do not know if it has to do with society’s short attention span or whether we have become desensitized to violence in general; but, I did not find this movie that suspenseful. It needed a longer build up of tension to achieve true apprehension. With the coming attractions being shown, I was already prepared for some of the scenes, which took away the excitement for me. There were a few scenes that worked well, but I felt it was due to the well honed actors. Divorced parents Clyde and Stephanie, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Losers, Watchmen) and Kyra Sedgwick (Gamer, The Closer-TV) work together to save their youngest daughter Em, played by Natasha Calis (Donovan’s Echo, Sharp as Marbles) from an ancient evil spirit. This was not an original idea, but I really liked the matching up of Jeffrey and Kyra; they added emotional heft to the film’s story. Another plus to the movie was the avoidance of a cliched soundtrack, letting the scenes handle the build up of an impending terror. I gave this scary film a passing grade; however, I hope this is not an example of what we can expect a suspenseful film to be in the future. Personally, it does not matter to me what religion is used; I just hope the movie studios work on what is needed to build up the tension, in what is supposed to be a scary movie. Scenes with blood.
2 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Another Year
Happiness can be such an elusive feeling for some people. It took me a long time to realize that no one else could make me happy; only I am responsible for my own happiness. Granted the people in our lives heighten the feeling, but it ultimately has to come from within. When two people commit to a loving relationship, as the years pass, their levels of happiness can rise and fall. I found this charming film had the perfect example of a happy couple, Tom and Gerri. The irony was not lost on me regarding their names being the same as the cat and mouse cartoon characters. The movie traversed four seasons in the lives of joyfully married Gerri and Tom, played by Ruth Sheen (Vanity Fair, High Hopes) and Jim Broadbent (The Iron Lady, Gangs of New York). For the many years they had been married, the couple had maintained a blissful easiness with each other; while everyone around them seemed to be suffering various stages of unhappiness. Jim and Ruth were outstanding in their roles, bringing a tender believability to the characters. I loved watching their relaxed, supportiveness for each other. Where they were drama free, Geri’s colleague was nothing of the sort. Mary, played by Lesley Manville (Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake), was a single woman desperate to be in a relationship. You see, Mary thought being in a relationship would make her happy. With each season we watch what life would offer to each of these different people, in the life of Tom and Gerri. This movie may not appeal to younger people. The sensibilities and emotions portrayed were more seasoned. For me, I felt I was watching a slice of real life; filled with everyday issues that we all have encountered at one time or another.
3 1/3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Premium Rush
There is nothing like riding a bicycle with the wind slipping across your skin, a waterfall spreading itself out on your left, with granite obelisks standing at attention as you pass them; all while traveling up a lush winding path. Well, at least that is one of the places I periodically describe to the members in my cycling class, as we are doing a standing climb on our bikes. Seeing this adrenalin pumped movie, I now have another scenario I can bring into the classroom. Bicycle messenger Wilee, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) was one of the riders who used a bike with no brakes. He could be found weaving and darting through cars and pedestrians in New York City at top speed. Detective Bobby Monday, played by Michael Shannon (Take Shelter, Revolutionary Road), caught wind of a package in Wilee’s possession, that could make a difference in his dire financial predicament. The story, parts told in flashback, was not complicated; it drove the high octane action scenes. Having always enjoyed Joseph’s past characters; this was another good performance by him; as the honest, affable bike messenger Wilee. But the true star of this film was Michael Shannon. He had the look, the mannerisms and the intensity for his imposing role as the desperate detective. My one complaint about the movie was the multitude of chase scenes; they started to become routine for me. Despite that gripe, at the end of the movie I still felt I got a good workout. Stay for the beginning of the credits to see the actual injury Joseph Gordon-Levitt occurred while filming a scene.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Gaslight
Back in college, one of my sociology professors had a variety of colorful terms in describing people’s marriages. One of his favorite terms was “holy deadlock,” which described a married couple who should not be married to each other; but stay together for reasons that have nothing to do with love. This teacher was an expert in the field, at least that is what he would tell us. I wonder what he would have to say about the couple in this movie. Ten years after her aunt’s murder; newlywed Paula Alquist, played by Ingrid Bergman (Anastasia, Notorious), returned to her aunt’s house with her new husband Gregory Anton, played by Charles Boyer (Barefoot in the Park, Tales of Manhattan). Returning to the house where her aunt’s body was found, Paula soon started to experience strange oddities; each one driving a wedge between the couple. Ingrid won her 1st Oscar with the wonderful performance she did in this psychological thriller. Charles brought a sophisticated darkness to the role that was creepy to me. The supporting cast filled out the spaces around the leads, giving each scene an added rich texturing to the story. It was something to see the film debut of a young Angela Lansbury (Bedknobs and Broomsticks; Murder, She Wrote-TV) as Nancy, earning her an Oscar nomination for her incredible acting. The Oscar winning art direction made this beautiful black and white movie a visual treasure. This was a breathtaking masterpiece on all levels, proving that some movies are simply ageless.
4 stars — DVD
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