Brief encounters with the movies

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Gran Torino


2008
USA

Written by Nick Schenk and Dave Johannson
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, John Carroll Lynch
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout, and some violence

Synopsis (from RottenTomatoes.com):

"[T]he story of a grizzled Korean War vet's reluctant friendship with a Hmong teenage boy and his immigrant family. . . . Eastwood stars as Walt Kowalski, an unabashed bigot who never heard a racial insult he didn't love. Bitter, haunted, and full of pride, Walt refuses to abandon the neighborhood he's lived in for decades despite its changing demographics as he clings desperately to a mindset long since out of step with the times. When his Hmong neighbor Thao tries to steal his prized muscle car as part of a gang initiation, Walt is forced to grapple with the world around him. . . . More than simply a racial morality tale, however, GRAN TORINO is about the unlikely bonds that people form to navigate the subtle complexities [of] every day life. . . . GRAN TORINO explores the challenging yet rich new world that can open up when individuals let down their guard, even if for just a moment. Estranged from his family and his church, and without any sense of personal peace, Walt offers all that he has to Thao and his family, namely wisdom and protection. When tragedy strikes the family, Eastwood allows a little classic Harry Callahan to poke through, but the surprising finale posits a hero that Dirty Harry would never have the guts to be. It's a potent symbolic gesture to Eastwood's own growth as a storyteller."

My Thoughts:

I've liked Clint Eastwood ever since I first saw him as Rowdy Yates in the old Rawhide TV show when I was a tot. A lot of his movies are a little more violent and raw than I really like, but I usually enjoy them just because of Eastwood's presence. Even so, I was a little dubious about Gran Torino because of the racial conflict aspect – and these days I tend to shy away from any film or book described as "gritty," "symbolic," or a "morality tale." At my age, I've had just about all the grit, symbols and moralistic preaching I can stand. So I wasn't certain about the movie, but I figured – hey, it's Clint Eastwood after all.

And I wasn't disappointed. Eastwood manages to find an enormous amount of humor and pathos in Walt's bigotry and insularity, without pulling any punches about its crudeness or offensiveness. And the developing relationship between Walt and his new neighbors is very appealing and fascinating to watch. The supporting cast is terrific, and includes quite a few new faces (well, new to me anyway). Both Bee Vang and Ahney Her as the young brother and sister deliver wonderful performances; and I especially loved John Carroll Lynch as Martin, Walt's barber and sparring partner in racial slurs.

I know I'm probably one of the last people on the planet to see this one, but it's definitely got my recommendation.

My IMDb Rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Take Shelter

2011
USA

Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols
Cinematography by Adam Stone (director of photography)
Cast: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Kathy Baker, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham
MPAA Rating: R for some language

Story:
When solid family man Curtis is plagued by a series of hallucinations, delusions and nightmares, all centered around a coming apocalyptic storm, he fears he might be heading down the path to schizophrenia, like his mother before him.  He also becomes obsessed with the idea of restoring an abandoned storm shelter on his property -- an obsession that eventually causes him to lose his job just as his young daughter Hannah (who is deaf) is scheduled for surgery that might allow her to hear normally.  As his strange behavior intensifies, he loses his standing in the community and frightens his wife and daughter.  But still he persists.  Will his determination to finish the shelter save his family or tear it apart?

My Thoughts:
This film has won or been nominated for a LOT of awards (see the list HERE), but I don't believe I'd ever heard of it until I saw it on Encore/Drama last night.   And while I'm not sure I'd agree with the "new American masterpiece" designation, I thought it was a very interesting and well-made little film.  The acting is restrained, the characters seem very real, the dialogue completely natural; the story kept me guessing about Curtis' sanity right up to the end.  And that ending is deliciously ambiguous, open to several different interpretations (won't say more -- see it for yourself).  Generally, that sort of ambiguity would annoy me, but here it works perfectly.  This is one I wouldn't mind seeing again.

My IMDb Rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10

Sunday, March 24, 2013

To Rome with Love

2012
USA
(Watched the DVD from Netflix)

Written and Directed by Woody Allen
Cinematography by Darius Khondji
Cast: Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Judy Davis, Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Ornella Muti
MPAA Rating: R for some sexual references

Story (from Sony Classics):
To Rome with Love is a kaleidoscopic comedy movie set in one of the world's most enchanting cities. The film brings us into contact with a well-known American architect reliving his youth; an average middle-class Roman who suddenly finds himself Rome's biggest celebrity; a young provincial couple drawn into separate romantic encounters; and an American opera director endeavoring to put a singing mortician on stage.

My Thoughts:
For me, To Rome with Love had a couple of strikes against it right from the start.  First, even though I do love foreign films, I have to be really interested in a film if I'm going to spend more than a few minutes reading subtitles. I used to have more patience for that sort of thing, but the older I get, the more irritating I find them.  And since I lost interest in this movie after about the first ten minutes, the subtitles made it even less likely I'd enjoy it.  Also, I'm not a Fellini fan, and this is something of an homage to the Italian director.  I have to admit, Allen does a fantastic Fellini imitation here -- right down to the annoying Nino Rota-style background music permeating almost every scene.  But if I'm going to have to watch Fellini, I'd rather just see the real thing.

But the city was certainly beautiful, and there were one or two rewarding moments -- several bits of slapstick were very funny.  And Alec Baldwin and Penelope Cruz were very watchable, as always.  But in the end, the characters and stories were uninteresting and forgettable.  Not one of Woody's better efforts.

My IMDb rating: Two stars out of a possible Ten.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The Dark

2005
Directed by: John Fawcett
Written by: Simon Maginn (novel), Stephen Massicotte (screenplay)
Cinematography by: Christian Sebaldt
Cast: Sean Bean, Maria Bello, Sophie Stuckey, Abigail Stone
Rating: R for some violent/disturbing images and language

The Story:
In mourning over the tragic drowning of their daughter Sarah, James and Adèle are visited by Ebrill, a young girl who claims she died 60 years ago ... and bares a startling resemblance to Sarah. (-- IMDb website)
My Thoughts:
Watchable for the most part.  Several very disturbing images -- not for the squeamish.  And some of the plot could have used a bit more development.  Generally well-acted and definitely creepy, but the end disappoints. 

My IMDb rating: Four stars out of a possible Ten

Monday, March 11, 2013

Looking for Richard

1996
(Watched DVD from Netflix)

Directed by: Al Pacino
Written by: William Shakespeare (play), Al Pacino & Frederic Kimball (narration)
Cinematography: Robert Leacock
Cast: Al Pacino, Penelope Allen, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Winona Ryder, Estelle Parsons, Paul Guilfoyle, Aidan Quinn, F. Murray Abraham, Harris Yulin
Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language and some scenes of violence

The Story: 
Looking for Richard is a 1996 documentary film and the first film directed by Al Pacino. It is both a performance of selected scenes of William Shakespeare's Richard III and a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture. Pacino plays both himself and the title character. The movie guides the audience through the play's plot and historical background. Pacino and several fellow actors...act out scenes from the play. In addition, the actors comment on their roles. Pacino also features other actors famous for performing Shakespeare...[and] interviews with Shakespeare scholars and ordinary people on the street. [--Wikipedia]
My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this, but it's not for everyone. Anything with Al Pacino is worth watching.  And all the acting in this film is top-notch and fascinating (especially Penelope Allen -- a real revelation).  But in the end, Looking for Richard is basically an extended rumination on the problems and pros/cons of filming a production of Richard III.  If you're a Pacino fan or a theater arts major, this is probably right down your street. Other, more normal, folk would be better served just seeing the play itself -- try Olivier's 1955 version first.

My IMDb Rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10

Knowing



2009
USA

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for disaster sequences, disturbing images and brief strong language.
Written by Ryne Douglas Pearson, Juliet Snowden, and Stiles White
Directed by Alex Proyas
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Chandler Canterbury, Rose Byrne, Lara Robinson

Synopsis (from About.com):
In 1958 [actually, I think it was 1959], as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one of the students, a mysterious girl who seems to hear whispered voices, fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead. Fast forward 50 years to the present: A new generation of students examines the contents of the time capsule and the girl's cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb [played by Chandler Canterbury]. But it is Caleb's father, professor Ted Myles [played by Nicolas Cage], who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As Ted further unravels the document's secrets, he realizes it foretells three additional events – the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve Ted and his son.
My Thoughts:

(I saw this for the first time a year or so after it first came out, but it was on TV the other night and I watched it again.  This review was written after my first viewing, but my thoughts really haven't changed much.)

Very confused and confusing film. I thought the first half or so was excellent – nice texture, interesting story line, well-built suspense with a slightly creepy feel. Reminded me a little (the general feel – not the plot) of The Mothman Prophecies (a much better movie). However, the second half of the show deteriorated into pretty standard apocalyptic sci-fi – not one of my favorite genres. It relied much too heavily on special effects, enigmatic "presences," and unexplained goings-on (I'm still not sure what was up with all those smooth black rocks that kept showing up everywhere). Another one of those movies where you end up hoping Fox Mulder will finally show up out of the shadows and explain everything for you ("Yes, Scully – I've seen this before. It's probably just a manifestation of yada yada yada.")

I think I'd only recommend this one to other Nicolas Cage fans. Probably not for everyone. The movie is rated PG-13, but I have to say if I were the parent of a very young child, I'd be wary of letting them see this one. A lot of the special effects are disturbingly realistic. And the whole end of the world scenario is scary and depressing, and might very easily inspire nightmares for some more sensitive youngsters – not to mention some more sensitive oldsters such as moi.

My IMDb Rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10 (mainly because I'm a huge Nicolas Cage fan)

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Triangle

2009
UK/Australia

Written and Directed by: Christopher Smith
Cinematography: Robert Humphreys
Cast: Melissa George, Joshua McIvor, Jack Taylor, Michael Dorman, Henry Nixon, Rachael Carpani,  Emma Lung, Liam Hemsworth, Bryan Probets
MPAA Rating: R for violence and language

Story:
During a weekend sailing trip, a freak wave capsizes Greg’s yacht, forcing him, single mother Jess (Melissa George) and a group of his friends to board a passing ocean liner. Onboard the mysteriously empty ship, all the clocks have stopped, the ‘Shining’-like corridors are spookily silent, and Jess has an uncanny feeling that she’s been here before. Then a hooded figure starts hunting them down and killing them one by one. Shotguns are fired, fire axes are wielded and bodies pile up on the decks. Fiendishly constructed, this plays like a dark, disturbing ‘Twilight Zone’ episode. Events repeat themselves but are subtly different each time, so we share, as well as observe, Jess’s spiralling sense of dislocation. [--Nigel Floyd, Timeout.com]

My Thoughts:
This was actually not the waste of time I thought it would be.  There's something oddly karmic in the continual replay of events, with each iteration showing us the story from a just slightly different angle.  I generally don't like movies that repeat the same action over and over (with the glorious exception of Groundhog Day) -- but in this one it works. 

My IMDb Rating: 5 stars out of a possible 10