Ah, yes, I think I've seen this before. News about a comic book movie breaks out and fanboys/fangirls go nuts. It's as though the fate of the free world rests in the hands of the actors who play your favorite superhero as well as the people in charge of casting. I don't think Ben Affleck and Zach Snyder signed up for a task like that, but it's the one we've tasked them with, nonetheless.
By now you know the news. Ben Affleck is putting the superhero tights back on for the first time in more than a decade to take over one of the most legendary of all superheroes. The movie hasn't begun filming and the story has yet to be hashed out, but that won't stop us from taking to twitter, facebook, and message boards the world over and gab away. It reminds me of those who get excited for NFL preseason games. So, since we care so much more about superheroes than ANTYHING else in the movies nowadays, here I am, taking a timeout from reviews and dedicating a blog entry about them. I'll address three aspects of this particular phenomenon: the choice of Affleck to take over for Christian Bale, the ridiculously high bar, and why the outrage is so misplaced.
First of all, we remember what happened the last time Affleck played a superhero. Daredevil was one of the earlier attempts to flesh out Marvel's library of characters into cinema, and it shows. It's not a bad movie as much as it is a so-so one, and compared to the vision shown by directors like Joss Whedon, Christopher Nolan, and Zach Snyder, Mark Steven Johnson's film doesn't hold up well. But that was in 2002. Since then, Affleck has left his "pretty boy days (as well as the "Jen & Ben" phase, remember Gigli, as much as it hurts to do so?) far behind him. He's directed three outstanding films, including a Best Picture winner, and his acting is leaps and bounds better. Bottom line: let's remember that we're dealing with a man who has a solid feel for what constitutes quality in the movies. He's made some stinkers over the years, but hasn't everyone?
One cannot underestimate the impact of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy on any piece of news related to the Caped Crusader. Those movies, in particular the masterful second chapter, represent a transcendent experience when it comes to comic book-based films. They're full of social commentary and they march unflinchingly into dark corners of the human psyche. They took some liberties with the source material, but you know what they say about never letting the facts get in the way of a good story. Not only that, but Christian Bale was note-perfect in every scene of all three films, defying the common conception that an actor cannot possibly avoid being upstaged by the costume. While Nolan left The Dark Knight Rises somewhat open-ended to potentially allow someone else to continue in the universe he established, Warner Bros is saying "thanks, but no thanks." All signs point to the studio, as well as Man of Steel director Zach Snyder, going back to a more "traditional" hero. For many who helped make the Dark Knight movies into box office behemoths, that aftertaste won't sit well.
Finally, I have to wonder whether the outrageous reactions to the Affleck casting is even directed at the right person. Affleck doesn't have artistic control here; all he can do is play Bruce Wayne/Batman and hopefully sell the character. That's only one piece of an overall puzzle. What about those little insignificant details like script, direction, and tone? And what about the fact that this isn't actually a Batman movie. It's a direct sequel to Man of Steel that features Superman taking on Batman. For the first time in a major motion picture, the Caped Crusader will play more of a supporting role (although one can argue that Joel Schumaker's Batman films focused so much on the villains that Batman came across as second-fiddle, anyway). Actors may be what audiences remember the most, but unless Affleck is on screen for every scene throughout the running time, he's far from the most important element of making this epic project successful. Snyder still carries the heaviest burden.
Didn't fans in 1988 react with disbelief to the casting of Michael Keaton? Weren't many of us confused as to how the hell Heath "Brokeback Mountain" Ledger could possibly do The Joker justice? The former came back for a second go-around and the latter won a posthumous Oscar (and for what it's worth, delivered what I consider the best performance of any movie of the 2000s). Yeah, I'd say this is a case of predicting doom-and-gloom based on the preseason.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Review of The Butler
The first scene in the film approaches the bleakness of Daniels' 2009 movie Precious in its hard-hitting nature. Cecil Gaines (later played as an adult by Forrest Whitaker) is shown working with his father as a cotton picker in 1920s Georgia , where the bitterness post-slavery hangs in the air. He watches helplessly as his father is gunned down for confronting one of the owners of the plantation. Shortly thereafter, he becomes a "House Negro" and learns the techniques of serving from the house's matriarch, Annabeth Westfall (Vanessa Redgrave). After eventually leaving and acquiring a job at a hotel, he learns the fundamentals of silence and anticipating the customer's needs. He's so successful that he eventually lands a job as a butler at the White House, where he serves under Presidents ranging from Dwight Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan.
While Cecil's career is blossoming, his home life crackles with tension. His wife, Gloria (Opera Winfrey), resents her husband's long working hours and drinks heavily to cope with stress. And his oldest son, Louis (David Oyelowo), uses college as a channel for civil rights activism, a starkly different approach from his father's non-confrontational way of life. His non-violent protests, including sitting in the "white" section of a diner and riding the Freedom Bus, result in him being constantly threatened, beat up, and arrested. But after Martin Luther King's assassination, Louis concludes that more drastic measures are necessary and joins the Black Panther movement.
In devoting the lion's share of screen time to the rift between Cecil and Lewis, The Butler represents a conflict that movies rarely give us (mostly due to the bullshit that executives spew about such material "not selling" with audiences), and I couldn't be more grateful that it does. For Cecil, the ideal role for the Black man in America is to work hard and don't rock the boat, and as tempting as making a bold statement can be, his career and family life are better served if he stays silent. For Louis, it means taking a stand against laws that are morally wrong, even if it means earning a bad reputation from his family for getting arrested so many times (even his brother, who is about to serve in Vietnam, makes the pointed comment that "You fight your country, I fight for it."). Both approaches have their merits and drawbacks, but eventually, each man must meet the other half-way. Cecil breaks through by lobbying the colored staff to earn pay equal to whites, and Louis learns that there's a limit to how much rebellion is just too much.
Forrest Whitaker's performance elevates an already strong, thoughtful story. His presence is so forceful that all signs of the well-known actor are lost in this character. When various political figures confide in him during times of crisis (such as Nixon during Watergate or Jackie Kennedy after her husband's assassination), we see the pain evident in the character's face as he fights against engaging them and instead offering the familiar refrain, "Is there anything else I can help you with?" Likewise, we can sense Cecil's awkwardness when he and his wife visit a White House dinner late in the film as guests (invited by Nancy Reagan, played by Jane Fonda. Yes, Jane Fonda.) and are served by his co-workers. David Oyelowo is also superb. Many viewers will feel Louis' frustration with the world and his father's seemingly subservient mentality. And Opera Winfrey disappears into her character; the popular talk-show host is very choosy with movie roles, but when she takes one, she pours her heart and soul into it. Whitaker will score an acting nomination for sure, but Oyelowo and Winfrey at least deserve consideration in the supporting categories.
If there's an obvious weakness in The Butler, its that the "big name" casting of some of the Presidents are jarring and out-of-place. While James Marsden and Liev Schrieber hold their own as JFK and LBJ, respectively, Robin Williams (playing Dwight Eisenhower) sticks out like a sore thumb. John Cusack's Richard Nixon impersonation is laughable, to say the least. And whose bright idea was it to cast a Brit (namely the otherwise superb Alan Rickman) as Reagan? Fortunately, the Presidents aren't around for many scenes because the movie is only tangentially about them and their policies. The White House scenes are dominated largely by Whitaker as well as Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lenny Kravitz, who offer much-needed comic relief as two senior butlers.
With films like 42, Fruitvale Station and The Butler (not to mention the upcoming 12 Years a Slave and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, whose trailers precede this movie), race relations has proven to be just as ubiquitous a movie topic in 2013 as superheroes. I imagine The Butler will strike a few blows during Oscar season; it has the intelligence and emotion one expects from a film of its type. It doesn't "whitewash" any of its content; Daniels presents the turbulence during the Civil Rights movement as starkly as a PG-13 film will allow. It occasionally seems like The Butler is rushing through history (not to mention offering a partisan ending), but that's okay because every event in the film carries a powerful link to the main characters' mindsets. In short, The Butler is a winner, the kind of film that enriches and entertains in two emotionally rewarding hours.
Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Review of Kick-Ass 2
Kick-Ass 2 picks up about three years after the events of the first movie, where Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has hung up his Kick-Ass costume and returned to his normal high school life. Mindy Macready (Chloe Grace Moretz), on the other hand, skips school constantly to continue fighting crime as Hit Girl, a situation which irritates her legal guardian, Detective Marcus Williams (Morris Chestnut). When Dave decides to resurrect his alter-ego, he joins forces with Mindy, but the two don't make it very far before Marcus puts his foot down and forbids Mindy from continuing her superhero act. Dave then joins up with a ragtag Avengers-esque group of heroes featuring such notables as Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey) and Night Bitch (Lindy Booth). Meanwhile, Chris D'Amico, enraged by Kick-Ass' murder of his father at the end of the first film, invests millions of his inheritance money in hiring henchmen and becoming the world's first "real" supervillain. When he learns of Kick-Ass' whereabouts, Chris, now known as "The Motherfucker," targets them for assassination.
Kick-Ass 2 contains the same tongue-in-cheek style as its predecessor, simultaneously lampooning the superhero genre while also being a card-carrying member of it. The R rating once again allows the film to bask in glorious, deliciously depraved acts of violence, but it's all over-the-top and not meant to be taken seriously (with one exception that I'll dive into later). Also, in a scene that will offend many, an attempted (although not executed) rape is used for laughs. I laughed primarily because the reactions of the actors involved were priceless, but most might not feel that way. Still, there's something refreshing about a movie that un-apologetically, unpretentiously gives us a ridiculous storyline with a plethora of fight scenes without hedging its bets to draw in more teenagers.
With Kick-Ass' (played solidly but not particularly memorably by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) origin story out of the way, the filmmakers wisely devote more screen time to Hit Girl, once again played to perfection by Chloe Grace Moretz. She's more interesting than the title character and her struggle with high school social life (complete with typical "mean girls") is surprisingly affecting. Yes, this subplot ends with a graphic, disgusting scene, but it made me laugh, and there's no doubt the principals involved deserved it. Of the newcomers, Jim Carrey stands out; he's a blast to watch as the maniacal Colonel Stars & Stripes, but his screen time is limited. If there's an obvious weakness in Kick-Ass 2, it's the main villain. Christopher Mintz-Plasse scores some laughs, but the filmmakers can't seem to decide whether they want this character to be a buffoon or a true menace. The campy manner in which the actor plays the role clashes with of the character's acts of brutality. Also puzzling is how quickly and hastily Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca), who was delightful in the first film as Dave's girlfriend, is quickly and hastily written out this time around.
Kick-Ass 2 avoids the "more of the same" trap of sequels by briefly taking its story into very grim, quasi- Dark Knight territory. Without spoiling anything, I can say that an action taken by The Motherfucker's henchmen late in the film is something The Joker would bow down in approval of. It's grim even for an action-comedy, but since we've grown to care about the characters, it works. And the film also contains a memorable act of carnage where The Motherfucker's right-hand-woman, the hulking bodybuilder Mother Russia (Olga Kurkulina) destroys several police cars set to a beefed-up version of the "Tetris" theme. Yes, you read that sentence right. The final, all-out battle, set in a warehouse, is notable primarily for the viscerally satisfying confrontation between this character and Hit Girl.
Depending on box office success, we might see a Kick-Ass 3, but really, is there any way another entry into this series that won't feel as stale as month-old bread? Kick-Ass 2 delivers whats expected of it; it has its grip on the pulse of the YouTube world when it comes to superhero antics and it isn't afraid to venture into some outlandish territory. This isn't the unqualified, must-see that its predecessor represents; it needs a tighter focus and a better main villain, but it boasts laughs, solid action, and heart. Those are three aspects I'll happily accept.
Rating: *** (out of ****)
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Review of Blue Jasmine
When Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) arrives in San Francisco to move in with her sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins) the film wastes no time letting us in on this unhinged woman's state of mind. Once the pampered trophy wife of Wall Street wizard Hal (Alec Baldwin), Jasmine has become broke after the FBI arrested Hal for illegal activities and repossessed her home and assets. Hal committed suicide in prison, leaving Jasmine no choice but to move and start a new life. But she has incredible difficulties coping with a "normal" life. She's snobbish toward people she believes to be "beneath" her and criticizes her sister's taste in seemingly boorish men, which include her ex-husband Augie (Andrew Dice Clay) and current boyfriend Chilli (Bobby Cannavale). Her attempts to finish college, keep a steady job, and find a new man in her life do not go as planned.
It's tough to overstate how impacting Cate Blanchett's performance is. She's a one-time Oscar winner, but her work here is so forceful that it eclipses every role she's ever played. Jasmine's drug/alcohol addiction and tendency to talk to herself out loud in public allows Blanchett to display a lot of high-strung tantrums, but the actress is equally as expressive with her face as she is with her multitude of dialogue. For every instance when Jasmine appears to be doing the right thing (she quits a job when her boss sexually harasses her and has a solid point or two about her sister's taste in men), there are many more when she's clearly wrecking her comeback attempt. While Allen's multi-layered script is noteworthy, Blanchett sells this character from the very first shot, and she's the main reason we stick with this narcissistic woman rather than fight the urge to get up and walk out.
Blue Jasmine is a character study, and as such, it contains very little in terms of plot or narrative thrust. The constant cutting back-and-forth between current day San Francisco and her privileged live in New York occasionally feel disconcerting, but a key scene late in the film reveals Allen's reasoning for structuring it this way. Every character retains three-dimensionality; Ginger and Chilli's relationship is well-developed, and the introduction of a potential suitor for Jasmine in the person of politician Dwight (Peter Sarsgard) is superb in how it causes Jasmine's desire for a luxurious lifestyle to come rushing back. One plot development involving Ginger's love-life isn't surprising, but a later one regarding Hal's arrest is. It's a powerful twist, and it succeeds in placing everything we know so far about Jasmine in a slightly different context. That's a key strength of Blue Jasmine; just when we think we know exactly how a character is and how his/her situation will play out, Allen adds a new layer.
Blanchett is the undisputed star, but every supporting player shines brightly at every opportunity. Hawkins (donning a flawless American accent) and Cannavale are memorable, and Alec Baldwin once again oozes charm as the hotshot whose philandering and hubris lead to his downfall. But most impressive of all is the work that Allen culls from two comedians, one current and one former. Louis C.K. is effectively low-key and unrecognizable in a small but interesting role, and Andrew Dice Clay displays great presence and ability as Ginger's ex-husband Augie. Clay is so impressive here that a second act as a character actor could be in his future.
Watching Blue Jasmine, I felt like I was experiencing a real film rather than a product. Sure, it has Oscars in mind, especially for its lead, but it's the kind of movie that will impress just about anyone with its keen observations on elitism, mental illness, and relationships. On the surface, Jasmine's immediate problem appears to be her addictions and superficiality, but as the movie progresses, we understand that her most powerful addiction is to an unhealthy, unsustainable lifestyle that she'll never get back. In that sense, perhaps living it in the first place was her greatest mistake. Woody Allen has been known to rarely travel west of New York for any movie he makes in the United States, but if filming in the West Coast produces a film this strong, perhaps he should do it more often.
Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Review of Elysium
Given my love for science fiction, I was looking forward to Neil Blomkamp's Elysium more than most movies in 2013. The South African filmmaker, who burst onto the scene with his thoughtful, allegorical, and enormously entertaining District 9 in 2009, has shown once again with his sophomore feature that he knows how to deliver an action-adventure story with a little more meaning and subtext than most. But expectations can be a bitch. Don't get me wrong, Elysium is a perfectly entertaining blockbuster and asks some fascinating questions, but it's not as full a meal as District 9. The greatest reason for this is the length. In an era where many movies run far too long, Elysium is actually too short. Its unique world deserves a 2.5-hour running length or perhaps even a HBO series treatment for it to fully sate us.
Elysium starts off spectacularly, introducing us to life in the mid-22nd Century where Earth is overpopulated and drastically polluted. The wealthiest citizens have fled the planet and made their way to Elysium, a massive space station "world" where settings are pristine, crime is absent, and any injury or illness can be healed instantly. Most of Earth's citizens are struggling to make a living, and that includes Max DeCosta (Matt Damon), a former car thief who has gone straight and taken a job at an assembly line. His friend, Julio (Diego Luna) is always hanging around looking for Max to get back into the game, and he runs into a childhood friend named Frey (Alice Braga), who is now a nurse and struggling to find treatment for her sick daughter. When a work accident exposes Max to massive levels of radiation, his only hope is to find a way to Elysium for treatment. He takes on a dangerous mission: kidnap his company's CEO, John Carlyle (William Fichtner) and download valuable information from his brain. But this mission becomes complicated when Carlyle and Elysium's Secretary of Defense, Delacourt (Jodie Foster) attempt to organize a coup of the station's government. And things grow even more dire when Delacourt calls in help from a deranged, psychotic "sleeper agent" named Kruger (Sharlto Copley).
The film's commentary on border patrol and health care are front and center for every viewer to note, but most of this happens during the setup. The way droid-based police and parole officers interact with Max and others as they mercilessly profile anyone deemed "suspicious" is not only allegorical but effectively gets us in the main character's corner. Delacourt and the Elysium council have an interesting back-and-forth that feels all-too-much (and appropriately) like real-world politics. And the state of both worlds sends a singular message loud and clear: in this film's world, there is literally no middle class. Everyone is either struggling or luxuriating. Unfortunately, the film drops most of these points when the action-adventure elements take over.
While Elysium is only sporadically successful as social commentary (imagine what Christopher Nolan, who is obsessed with such things, would've done with this budget and a 2.5 hour running time instead of the 1:49 we get here), it's consistently involving as an action-adventure. The protagonists are easy to relate to, the villains, especially Sharlto Copley's Kruger, are suitably nasty, and there's a healthy dose of suspense. Parts of the movie admittedly feel like a superhero tale, but since this is an original story, there's no guarantee whether Max will be alive before the end credits roll. He's enhanced by an exoskeleton, but he's not a Superman. The film's two extended action sequences, one on Earth and one on Elysium, are well-shot and pulse-pounding, whether they involve gun-play or hand-to-hand combat. Plus, with this being an R-rated movie (thank God), expect blood to flow and bodies to explode in Mortal Kombat fashion.
It should come as no surprise that Elysium looks fantastic. Blomkamp was once attached to direct an adaptation of the video game series Halo, and visual influences are everywhere here, from the ring-like space station to the suits, droids, and weaponry. But Elysium never feels like watching someone else play a video game. The movie has a story worth telling and ultimately sends a positive message, although it does run into a few narrative holes along the way. For example, without spoiling anything, the movie's ultimate "solution" for the Earth/Elysium dynamic is far too simplistic and appears too easy for just anyone to implement.. This is a forgivable flaw, however, as Elysium is a consistently involving film. It doesn't rise to the must-see level of District 9, but it displays an interesting vision and represents a respectable way to close out the summer blockbuster season of 2013.
Rating: *** (out of ****)
Review of The Spectacular Now
Unlike one of Crowe's movies, this one doesn't contain a particularly memorable soundtrack, but that's okay, since that isn't what the appeal of The Spectacular Now is all about. This is a character and emotion-driven movie through and through. The first two thirds of this movie are light-hearted and follow a familiar rhythm (hard-partying boy meets nice girl, thinks of her as just another fling, then a real attraction develops), but the final 30 minutes will form most viewers' lasting memories. The territory that director James Ponsoldt's film dives into is bleak, unpredictable, and riveting. The effect is similar to that of Robert Zemeckis' Cast Away, where the final, post-island segment forms a complete drama. That's equally the case here.
Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) is a popular 18-year-old senior student, but graduating into the next phase of life means little to him. He's the kind of guy who wishes he could be 18 forever and consistently finds ways to get around answering tough questions about his future. His reluctance to do so causes his girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie Larson), to dump him for the class President. But with or without a girlfriend, Sutter still has his way with the ladies, and one day, after waking up from passing out drunk on a stranger's lawn, he meets the shy Aimee Finicky (Shailene Woodley) and offers to help her on her paper route in exchange for helping him find his car. Sutter insists to his friends that his and Aimee's friendship is just platonic, but as the two spend more time together, attraction and respect inevitably grows. They learn from one another, and once Sutter discovers his absentee father's whereabouts, he asks Aimee to accompany him on a road trip.
Until the events of that road trip transpire, The Spectacular Now gets an impressive amount of the details right when it comes to teenage relationships. The filmmakers understand Sutter's mindset, how he can be smart and verbose in social situations yet lost at sea in the classroom, and how he goes from bragging about a potential conquest in Aimee to developing a more respectful attitude. And although the movie is presented from his perspective, Aimee undergoes noticeable growth as well. She comes out of her wallflower shell, learns to speak up a little more, and becomes more outgoing. The sex scene between the two, while not graphic, is presented with the proper tone and feel. And while Sutter's ex-girlfriend looms just outside the frame of his current relationship, the character of Cassidy is not treated as a villain to generate unnecessary conflict.
The Spectacular Now becomes a significantly different movie during its final third. We learn facts about Sutter's background and family that not only give us a better understanding of who he is, but hit home with certain viewers who have experienced similar family drama. The filmmakers wisely don't reveal everything as to why a certain character made the choice he did, but enough so that we can fill in the blanks. During this period, The Spectacular Now's trajectory and ending point become uncertain; a welcome sign for any movie. It ups the ante and turns a relatively standard (albeit a very smart) teenage romance story into something deeper and more resonant.
Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley are so natural in their roles that, upon leaving the screening, I only remembered them as Sutter and Aimee. That's a point that can't be understated; how often do we find ourselves describing a movie and referring to a character by the actor's name? That won't happen here. Woodley in particular could be on the verge of a breakout; she got her start on the series Secret Life of the American Teenager, delivered an extraordinary supporting turn in The Descendants, and could be playing key roles in two franchises (Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spiderman series and the lead in the adaptation of the young-adult novel Divergent). Jennifer Jason Leigh delivers excellent supporting work as Sutter's mother, who has a strained relationship with her son and refuses to let him know the whereabouts of his father. And Kyle Chandler, appropriately unkempt-looking, has a small but crucial role.
A clever motif in the film, that of Sutter choosing how to answer a question on a college admissions letter, eventually results in him directly relating to the audience what he has learned about how dangerous "living in the now" can be. To most adults, that may seem like a trite life-lesson, but it's a breakthrough to a teenager, and the film gets the point across without seeming preachy. The Spectacular Now is yet another 2013 entry that proves once again that you don't need astronomical budgets or megawatt stars to entertain audiences. Deliver a finely-tuned, well-written story and push all the right emotional buttons, and you can't go wrong.
Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)