Originally Reviewed – 9/3/2010

Saying Robert Duvall has made himself one heck of a film career could be the understatement of the year. Despite being one of the most celebrated American actors working today, Duvall hasn’t really had many starring roles as of late. With a cameo in Crazy Heart here and few lines in The Road there, Duvall has become one of those actors that you see in a film and say while smiling, “Ahhh…that’s Robert Duvall”. However, not since his Academy Award nominated performance in 1997’s The Apostle has Duvall really showed his stuff as a leading actor and no, Gods and Generals doesn’t count because that film stunk. So, to see Duvall take a stab at an intensely emotional starring role really made me stand up and take notice. Luckily for me, Duvall does not disappoint in Get Low as he puts forth another classic performance, one that should get him a look or two for a Best Actor nomination.

In the film, Duvall plays Felix Bush, a curmudgeonly old hermit who has sequestered himself in his densely wooded farmhouse for over forty years. The year is 1930 and Bush has become quite the folk story for the citizens of the lonely Tennessee town that borders his land. Because of these wild stories, Bush decides to come out of seclusion and with the help of a local funeral director, played by Bill Murray, starts to plan his own funeral. Naturally, there’s a catch: Bush not only wants to attend his own funeral while he’s still alive, he wants to invite everybody in the county that has a story about him and have them tell those tales. What happens next is a touching tale of owning up to the past and confronting ones mortality that cements both Robert Duvall and Bill Murray as acting greats.

Much has been written about Duvall’s performance and all I can say is that the accolades are well deserved. Duvall gives the character of Felix Bush a number of different textures; initially Bush looks to be a miserly old hermit but as the film goes on, you see shades of who he was before the incident that caused him to shy away from the world, especially when he interacts with his old flame, played wonderfully by Sissy Spacek. With Spacek, Bush warms up and projects the charm of an old world gentleman while still maintaining the veneer of grittiness that is the core of the character. While Duvall does err on the side of overacting on occasion, the real triumph of his performance is how connected he is with the events of the film. The story is really about confronting mistakes from the past and Duvall, at the age of 79, brings a sense of personal world weariness to the role that is quite profound. Watching Duvall dig deep into his own fears of mortality and project them on screen is quite moving and makes up for any lapses in his performance.

The rest of the cast is equally superb. Bill Murray, who should also get a look for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, is brilliant as the town funeral director. Murray has perfected the art or wry comedy and gives the film some humorous flavor while still maintaining a sharp acting performance. Top marks also have to be given to Spacek and Lucas Black as Murray’s protégé in the funeral business. First time director, Aaron Schneider, also deserves credit for maintaining an even tone throughout the film, even though it does play a bit slow in some of the middle sections. Make no mistake, this is a patient movie that plays out almost like a theater production and as a result, has the same magnetic ability to drawn the audience in.

Filled with outstanding performances, solid directing and a final reveal that ties the whole experience together, Get Low is one of the better movies to come out this summer. While the movie does seem to take a while to reach a somewhat predictable conclusion, the quality of acting on display overshadows any missteps in the filmmaking or lapses in the storytelling. A homespun yarn of revelation, self-forgiveness and facing one’s imminent demise, Get Low is a rough jewel in an otherwise bland summer season. There may be more exciting pictures in the cinemas right now, but there are few that features two American icons at the top of their game telling a story that nobody wants to see yet everybody ought to.

Score – 80%

Originally Reviewed – 6/29/2010

The moral conundrum of life, the source of it and who holds sway over the very fabric of our existence is a long running and controversial discussion. Do human beings have the authority to manipulate DNA or is that a task better left to a higher power and what are the consequences to that meddling? These high minded questions, among a host of others, are examined in grisly detail in Vincenzo Natali’s latest film, Splice, a movie that’s one part horror, part mediation on modern relationships and still another part cautionary tale. There’s a ton going on in this film, way more than a simple trailer can convey and that saves the film from getting too wrapped up in its desire to be three different films at once.

The main story centers on two genetic engineers, played by Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, who after creating a successful pair genetic hybrid animals, decide to try to add human DNA to the creation. Most likely, you’ve already seen the end result of their efforts in the various trailers that have been circulating online and on TV, but do not let that stop you from seeing this movie. The film tracks the entire lifecycle of this creation and each iteration is visually interesting enough to where the trailer spoiler isn’t really spoiling anything at all. As a matter of fact, the trailer does the film a bit a disservice in painting the movie as a standard creature feature, when it fact, it’s much more complex and original than the advertisements make it out to be.

While the central narrative centers on the growth of the human / animal hybrid, there are a number of sub plots that elevate the movie beyond a standard “spook you out of your seats” summer flick. The struggles of modern relationships, the influence of corporate America on scientific advancements and the morality behind genetic manipulation all help move an excellently written screenplay along without the jumble and mess a story like this could bring to a film. Although the film starts to loose its way in the third act, the story as whole is about as well written as one would expect from a thus far bland summer season.

The film also works thanks to some terrific acting by both Brody and Polley, who perfectly play the conflicted scientist couple. The two have an endearing on screen chemistry that works both in intimate situations and when things get a touch grittier. Natal also does a nice job in direction, allowing for some truly shocking moments as well as quieter moments within this creepshow of a film. Although the final third of the film takes some pretty daring twists and turns, Natali keep the film focused enough to bring the whole affair to a satisfying conclusion.

Splice is one of those films that attempts to be everything all once and for the most part pulls it off. Even though the final half hour may leave some viewers bewildered, unsettled and a little grossed out, there is an intriguing web of subtext in this film that can be overlooked by the unobservant and enriches the movie for those who catch it. Featuring excellent performances, an intriguing storyline and an ending twist that, while telegraphed an hour beforehand, still gets one’s heart racing, Splice is a bright spot on this so far dull summer season. Films like this do not get released wide very often and even though it has some bumps and bruises, Splice is an excellent film for those who need more than Adam Sandler or action rom coms from their summer movie-going experiences.

Score – 80%

Originally Reviewed – 6/23/2010

Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet is one of those filmmakers that everybody knows yet nobody’s heard about. With a career that started with the critically acclaimed black comedy Delicatessen and peaked with the fan favorite Amelie, Jenunet is known for mixing striking visuals and dark comedy with a deeply human element. While his latest feature, Micmacs, doesn’t have the texture of Amelie or the morbidity of Delicatessen, the film re-stamps Jeunet as a virtuoso behind the camera. Packed with imagination, beauty and a frantic, infectious energy that I haven’t seen since the aforementioned Amelie, Micmacs marks a return to form, especially for fans who fell in love with 2001’s quirky French brunette.

The main arc of Micmacs is a fairly straightforward story of salt of the earth pranksters instigating a war between two competing weapons manufacturers. The main character, played by Dany Boon, catches a stray bullet right to the cranium that, now lodged deep in his skull, can kill him at any moment. But rather than go through life cautiously avoiding head trauma, he enlists a team of scrap scavengers to help him bring down the corporations that made his imminent demise possible. What follows next is a series of ingeniously inventive traps, schemes and ploys that feed the fires between the two rivals, with often explosive results.

As you can tell from the synopsis, the screenplay is fairly by the numbers, as is the character development. With the exception of Boon and his contortionist love interest, the rest of the team suffers from lack of screen time and proper development. The same could be said for the war mongering antagonists as they play the standard bad guy archetype you’ve seen a hundred times. To be honest, I barely remembered the lead characters name, never mind the names of his cohorts. Also, the ending (not the surprise at the end, but the eventual result) was crystal clear a half hour in. While this may seem a recipe for failure, Micmacs only benefits from these omissions; anything more detailed, more complex or more cerebral and the spirit of the film would have been totally lost.

This is not a complex film by any stretch of the imagination, but the simplicity in character development and storyline gives way to a visual treat that more than makes up for the threadbare plot. Jeunet re-establishes himself as a wizard behind the camera with a depth of imagination that is almost breathtaking. Billed as a satirical tale about the dangers of the weapons industry, Micmacs eschews subtlety for explosions, trickery and a grand final set-piece that even had me fooled for a bit. From the contortionist flexing her way out of trouble to the charming creations of the elderly inventor to the harebrained schemes these crusaders concoct, it all has a wild joy about it that shrouds any flaws in the narrative

Micmacs knows what it is from the first frame and never pretends to be anything more than a stunning visual guilty pleasure, with a deeper meaning you can either absorb or leave at the door. The film has a whimsical, fairy tale quality to it that is joyful and infectious. Like anything overly saccharine, you may or may not have the taste for it, but like a five year old on a candy binge, I nearly went into diabetic shock during this film while loving every minute of it. Micmacs plays like a wild Saturday morning cartoon with a visionary director pulling the strings and the result is memorable. It’s not the deepest of film going experiences, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a more enjoyable lighthearted farce in the cinemas this summer.

Score – 85%

Originally Reviewed – 6/22/2010

Whenever Oscar nominations are announced in mid January, the one category I tend to skim over is Best Foreign Language Film. Usually, the nominees haven’t seen a stateside release and if they have, they simply don’t show up on my radar. So, when making my Oscar picks for any given year, I generally go on buzz and critical response alone. While it may be a touch disingenuous when making those recommendations, usually twenty raving critics can’t be wrong. So, when this year’s frontrunners included A Prophet, White Ribbon and The Secret In Their Eyes, I went with the crowd and picked A Prophet. When A Prophet lost to Secret and I actually saw the film, I was shocked; not only was A Prophet one of the best foreign language films I had ever seen, it was the best film of year for me thus far, period. Yet again, I hadn’t seen the eventual winner and now that I have, I need to abashedly retract my annoyance from my review of A Prophet: the Secret In Their Eyes most certainly deserved its 2010 Oscar and is a wonderful piece of filmmaking that should be sought out as soon as possible.

The storyline juggles two timelines centered around Benjamin (Ricardo Darín); one where he’s a 40 something prosecutor working on an Argentinean murder case and the other 25 years later, newly retired and still mulling over the killer that “got away”. In addition to this, you also get a truly touching story of unrequited love between Benjamin and his boss, Irene (Soledad Villamil) and the main story of Benjamin and this partner Pablo (Guillermo Francella) sleuthing for the killer. The film does a wonderful job of balancing each of these deceptively complex storylines, with no arc overtaking the other. It’s this careful balancing act that, in my mind, elevated this film over A Prophet for the Oscar, as it really does have a little of everything.

While the story and direction are incredible in their own right, the film is one of the finest acted stories I’ve seen this year. Each cast member digs deep to create interesting, complex and very human characters. The fine acting enhances the great screenplay even further creating a truly breathtaking experience. While some moments border on melodrama, by the time those instances crop up, you are too invested to really care, making this is a an easy movie to get caught up in. Also, it’s worthy to note that the cinematography is absolutely stunning, especially in the famed “soccer stadium” scene. Not to give anything away, but not since Children of Men have I seen such an inventive use of the “one take scene” and it comes at a point in the film where things are just starting to drag, revitalizing the movie all the way to its somewhat predictable but still astonishing end.

Widely praised and lauded during its theatrical release overseas, The Secret In Their Eyes lives up to the hype and trophies. With a central whodunit much like this years Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Secret up the ante and provides a dark story laced with wit, humor and suggested romance in a way that startles, thrills and mesmerizes. Yes, I know I am at the point of gushing over this movie, but it’s destined to be in my top 5 of the year and is worth a viewing at your first opportunity.

Score – 90%

Originally Reviewed – 6/17/2010

Most viewers and critics agree that Judd Apatow knows how to write and produce a movie. So, on paper, taking the most entertaining character from the very funny Forgetting Sarah Marshall and giving him his own 109 minutes makes a whole lot of sense. Even if the film’s a stinker, one could make some serious coin from a sentimental sequel to a great movie. For me, the question was does the hard living, hard rocking and hard…well…you know character of Alda Snow have enough in the tank to warrant his own film. The answer is an emphatically enthusiastic, “Yeeaaah, why not”.

The story is as bare bones as it gets. All around nice guy Aaron Green, played by one of my least favorite people in Hollywood, Jonah Hill, is tasked by his record exec boss (Sean “Puffy” Combs) to escort his musical idol Alda Snow to his 10th anniversary concert at the legendary Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Along the way, Alda gets Aaron in all sorts of trouble involving hookers, booze and something called a “Jeffery”. The result is a madcap, drug induced, trans-continental romp that leaves the audience almost as exhausted as young Aaron is at the film’s conclusion. And you know what? It’s all pretty damn funny.

The star of the show is Russell Brand, who does his British rock star shtick for the whole film and rarely disappoints. My biggest concern going into the film was how Brand was going to handle the eventual “quiet, introspective” moments, but Brand does a fine job in showing the character’s other side. While these scenes are mostly disposable, it does give the film a bit of an arc and a depth, which was appreciated. The other side of the coin is Jonah Hill and Brand’s straight man and while I’m not the biggest Hill fan (fine, I can’t stand him), he plays the best part in his career as the nice guy caught up in the Alda Snow tornado. For the first time, Hill actually relaxes the brash, foul mouthed persona he’s known for and the result is his best performance yet. Rose Byrne and the surprisingly funny Sean Combs round out a well utilized supporting cast.

Kudos also has to be given to writer / director Nicholas Stoller for crafting a very funny yet accessible comedy that satisfies on a number of levels. Unlike this year’s Hot Tub Time Machine, which stuck in the gross out jokes out of necessity, Greek has it’s moments of cringe but they all work within the context of the story, much like they did in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Fans of the aforementioned flick will also get some of the inside jokes that are peppered throughout the movie.

All in all, Get Him To Greek is a wild ride through the dark side of celebrity and the coldness of the modern day music industry while remaining a fun comedy for everybody else. While it’s not quite a comedy with a heart, it does provide enough back story and substance to both Brand and Hill’s characters, giving the film a small emotional backing to go with all the debauchery. Although it doesn’t quite reach my standard for modern day comedy, The Hangover, it’s certainly one of the funniest films of the year and is worth seeing.

Score – 70%

Originally Reviewed – 6/14/2010

Let’s do a little guided meditation before the next review, shall we? That’s right…close your eyes, focus your mind’s gaze to a fixed point on the horizon and relax. Now, imagine yourself in the office of a film executive delivering the following movie pitch:

Producer : So, what’s this movie all about.

You: Well…it’s about street art.

Producer : Street art? That’s it?? Well, what happens?

You : :::big breath of air::: Well, it’s the story of a obsessive filmmaker, who’s really just a crazy person with a camera, who becomes obsessed with street art so much so that he spends years filming the artists tagging up Los Angeles with no intention of doing anything with it but when pressured, he comes up with something that’s total crap so the head street artist named Banksy, whose face you never see and has his voiceovers modulated, take his documentary and makes a documentary about the documentarian. Oh yeah, this all may or may not have really happened…we’re not too sure.

Confused? Interested? Excited? Maybe a little of all three? Fantastic. Welcome to the best documentary of the year so far, Exit Through the Gift Shop.

Strange synopsis aside, Exit is truly one of the oddest yet well composed films you’ll see this year. One moment, it’s a showcase of some truly fantastic street art, the next it’s a documentary about street art culture and towards the end becomes a mediation on how hype plays a crucial part in the validity of modern art. Filmed like a documentary and framed like a creative narrative, Exit blends styles, genres, and expectations in a way that mirrors the way street artists blend graffiti with their environment, creating their unique artistic style. In a way, Exit could be seen as a filmed form of street art, just by the way it’s presented to the audience. No matter how you view it, Exit is a startlingly well crafted film that does all the little and big things right.

Aside from shots of some of the most interesting street art you’ll ever see, Exit also features interesting, vibrant characters. From the thrift store owner turned obsessive film maker to the reclusive Banksy to the art snobs who inhabit a good part of the third act, Exit allows everybody to tell their side of the story in an interesting and unobtrusive way. The depth of the characters is what elevates the movie from standard documentary fare to a real cohesive story. First time director Bansky also does a remarkable balancing act in the creation of this film, leveraging real time footage and personal interviews that never lags the storytelling. Very remarkable for someone who’s known for creating murals on public buildings, not making movies.

Despite the circular and deceptively complex narrative, the film is a coherent, dizzying and breathtaking 87 minutes that leaves you panting for more at its conclusion. Exit Through the Gift Shop is easily one of the best films I’ve seen so far this year, and should definitely get some looks come this Oscar season for Best Documentary. Whether or not it’s an actual documentary has been debated among film critics, but for me, who really cares when you have a picture of this depth and quality. Highly recommended!

Score – 90%

Originally Reviewed – 6/8/2010

Ah, Sir Robin of Loxley. Most of us remember the legendary character as a swashbuckling adventurer, shooting arrows, rescuing damsels in distress and outwitting the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. Even though the character was written as a criminal of sorts, his mantra of robbing from the rich and giving to the poor had a sense of chivalry and charity about it that was uncommon in literary / film heroes. This combination of wit, charm and a gentleman’s grace has been the hallmark of the character since the 15th century. So, what should we expect from a 21st century interpretation at the hands of Ridley Scott?

Mud and boredom.

Robin Hood “2010” is the modern re-imagination, or in this case regurgitation, of the classic film franchise that does nothing but make you pine for Kevin Costner in tights again. While one would think the directing / acting team of Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe would provide a more modern, visceral take on the classic character, all you get is Gladiator Lite or, more appropriately, Gladiator Dull. Everything in this film fails in almost epic proportions. The writing is uninspired, the action is predictably stale and any ounce of life or intrigue the character inherently possesses is siphoned out by the shoddy direction. In a word, this film is a lifeless bore and everybody involved needs to take a piece of the blame.

Surprisingly, the cast holds the least amount of responsibility for the debacle. Russell Crowe, as Sir Robin, plays the part with the same kind of earnest growl that was seen in Gladiator, only this time he’s engaging in PG-13 play fighting, not severing heads in Rome. Crowe plays the part as well as can be expected and while he doesn’t have the natural charisma required to play the part, still could have done a decent job given better material. Cate Blanchett is also fine as the girl power version of Maid Marion, but falls into the same pitfalls as Crowe does. It also doesn’t help that Blanchett and Crowe have almost no on screen chemistry, leading to long drawn out scenes of banter than have no spark. The main bright spot in the cast is Kevin Durand, who plays the part of Little John. Durand is the only cast member who looks as though he’s actually seen Robin Hood and plays the part with the kind of enthusiasm one would expect of the entire cast.

Notice one recurring theme in the above paragraph: story, story, story. The main nail in this film’s coffin is a plodding, meandering borefest of a story that takes two and a half hours to go nowhere. While I understand the point of setting up the “new Robin Hood”, you need to entertain the masses a bit while getting there. Rather than some swordplay and robbing from the rich, you pay $12 to see Robin Hood banter with some dead guys dad, watch Blanchett till fields and see about 5 seconds of the Sheriff of Nottingham. By the time you get to the epic final battle, you’re so busy flaking sleep crust from your eyes, you really could care less who wins or loses.

The rest of the film simply floats along this script of fail with not a life raft in sight. The direction is uninspired, the score is standard adventurer fare and the cinematography captures the gritty, muddy landscapes adequately, yet never beautifully. The cinematography was particularly puzzling as everything was cast in an ugly grayish green hue that made me, in the words of Louis Black, almost slit my wrists, just so I could see color. Gone are the green trees and lush foliage of Sherwood Forrest, only to be replaced with muck, soot and grime. This, mixed with the shoddy story and bland direction, gives the movie an overly serious and brooding tone that sucks any semblance of life from the feature, and in turn, bores the audience to tears. Maybe the eventual sequel will actually have a point or a conclusion we care about, but until then, give this film a miss. After all, it’s Robin Hood; we really didn’t need the setup in the first place.

Score – 40%