Scan and Pan
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
United 93
The film recounts the events leading up to the hijacking of United 93 on 9/11 to the moment when the jet crashes into the ground as a result of the actions of its passengers, who are determined to prevent the jet from being used as a weapon.
There are many ways to tell a story like this, but writer/director Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday, The Bourne Supremacy) approaches it as if he is a documentary filmmaker recording each second of history as it unfolds before his eyes. Some creative license has to be taken to fill in the gaps about what happened on board the jet, but it doesn't employ a traditional Hollywood narrative where one to a few characters are brought into sharp focus for the audience to identify with. In fact, there aren't characters as much as people you're observing in a moment of crisis.
As he did so brilliantly in Bloody Sunday, Greengrass injects his audience directly into the chaos. Using handheld cameras and a high degree of improvisation by the actors, the effect on the viewer is one of being a participant rather than a mere witness. It takes awhile to come down from the feeling of trauma you're left with when the end credits roll. Contributing to that is the prescience that pervades every second, every frame, as the events inexorably unfold virtually in real time. You know what's going to happen, but you can't look away no matter how much you want to.
Bloody Sunday had a raw, nearly monochromatic look, but here cinematographer Barry Ackroyd (The Wind That Shakes the Barley) employs brighter colors and polished lighting without sacrificing the documentary feel. The subtle score by John Powell (The Bourne Supremacy, X-Men: The Last Stand) is organically bonded to the action in such a way that you probably won't notice it because you'll be caught up in the story, but it's still an essential part of the film.
The cast is a mixture of professional actors and non-actors. The non-actors are especially used for the flight crew, air traffic controllers, and military personnel to lend an authenticity to their actions that professional actors could never duplicate. Some participants in the real-life events play themselves. I can't single out any performers because they're uniformly excellent. If I could only choose one thing to praise director Greengrass for, it would be his ability to get strong performances from his entire cast, professionals and non-actors alike.
United 93 is one of the best films of 2006 and highly recommended. Despite the controversy over whether it was made too soon after the events, it's essential viewing and a moving memorial to the men and women who died on the flight.
This 2006 docudrama remarkably captures the chaos and horror of 9/11 without resorting to sensationalism or a conventional narrative.
The film recounts the events leading up to the hijacking of United 93 on 9/11 to the moment when the jet crashes into the ground as a result of the actions of its passengers, who are determined to prevent the jet from being used as a weapon.
There are many ways to tell a story like this, but writer/director Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday, The Bourne Supremacy) approaches it as if he is a documentary filmmaker recording each second of history as it unfolds before his eyes. Some creative license has to be taken to fill in the gaps about what happened on board the jet, but it doesn't employ a traditional Hollywood narrative where one to a few characters are brought into sharp focus for the audience to identify with. In fact, there aren't characters as much as people you're observing in a moment of crisis.
As he did so brilliantly in Bloody Sunday, Greengrass injects his audience directly into the chaos. Using handheld cameras and a high degree of improvisation by the actors, the effect on the viewer is one of being a participant rather than a mere witness. It takes awhile to come down from the feeling of trauma you're left with when the end credits roll. Contributing to that is the prescience that pervades every second, every frame, as the events inexorably unfold virtually in real time. You know what's going to happen, but you can't look away no matter how much you want to.
Bloody Sunday had a raw, nearly monochromatic look, but here cinematographer Barry Ackroyd (The Wind That Shakes the Barley) employs brighter colors and polished lighting without sacrificing the documentary feel. The subtle score by John Powell (The Bourne Supremacy, X-Men: The Last Stand) is organically bonded to the action in such a way that you probably won't notice it because you'll be caught up in the story, but it's still an essential part of the film.
The cast is a mixture of professional actors and non-actors. The non-actors are especially used for the flight crew, air traffic controllers, and military personnel to lend an authenticity to their actions that professional actors could never duplicate. Some participants in the real-life events play themselves. I can't single out any performers because they're uniformly excellent. If I could only choose one thing to praise director Greengrass for, it would be his ability to get strong performances from his entire cast, professionals and non-actors alike.
United 93 is one of the best films of 2006 and highly recommended. Despite the controversy over whether it was made too soon after the events, it's essential viewing and a moving memorial to the men and women who died on the flight.
The Number 23
On his birthday, dogcatcher Walter Sparrows is given a book by his wife titled "The Number 23". It's a pulp story about a detective named Fingerling who's obsessed by the number 23 and bears an uncanny resemblance to Walter. Soon, Walter is obsessed with both the book and the number 23, and is determined to track down the book's mysterious author for answers.
There's a potentially good concept here, but Fernley Phillips' screenplay is an incoherent mess, not to mention silly and contrived. Director Schumacher (Batman & Robin, The Phantom of the Opera) tries to cover up the script's deficiencies with flashy lighting and overwrought direction, but that just makes the flaws all the more apparent to anyone with an IQ higher than, well, 23. The noir-inspired story within the story plays like a tawdry parody of the real thing. Nothing in the film works well enough to convince the audience to buy into it for even a second. The lighting of cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) is excellent, albeit wasted on this hackwork film.
Carrey looks uncomfortable as both Sparrows and Fingerling, and is unconvincing when he tries to be sinister. He may have some cool tattoos as Fingerling, but that's not enough to make Carrey believable as a tough detective. When he's worked with good directors of actors, Carrey has proven himself capable of good performances before, but under the direction of a visual stylist like Schumacher he's like a drowning man trying to find something to grasp onto. Virginia Madsen fares better with solid performances as Sparrows' wife and Fingerling's lover, but it's Logan Lerman as the Sparrows' son who gives the best performance. Poor Danny Huston has a "close my eyes and think of the money" look on his face as a friend of Sparrows' wife.
Was there ever a point when Schumacher or Carrey wondered what they'd gotten themselves into? For the audience, that point comes very early in the film. Unless your hobbies include doing MST3K-style rips on bad films, stay far away from The Number 23.
Joel Schumacher + Jim Carrey + bad script = the worst film of 2007 so far.
On his birthday, dogcatcher Walter Sparrows is given a book by his wife titled "The Number 23". It's a pulp story about a detective named Fingerling who's obsessed by the number 23 and bears an uncanny resemblance to Walter. Soon, Walter is obsessed with both the book and the number 23, and is determined to track down the book's mysterious author for answers.
There's a potentially good concept here, but Fernley Phillips' screenplay is an incoherent mess, not to mention silly and contrived. Director Schumacher (Batman & Robin, The Phantom of the Opera) tries to cover up the script's deficiencies with flashy lighting and overwrought direction, but that just makes the flaws all the more apparent to anyone with an IQ higher than, well, 23. The noir-inspired story within the story plays like a tawdry parody of the real thing. Nothing in the film works well enough to convince the audience to buy into it for even a second. The lighting of cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) is excellent, albeit wasted on this hackwork film.
Carrey looks uncomfortable as both Sparrows and Fingerling, and is unconvincing when he tries to be sinister. He may have some cool tattoos as Fingerling, but that's not enough to make Carrey believable as a tough detective. When he's worked with good directors of actors, Carrey has proven himself capable of good performances before, but under the direction of a visual stylist like Schumacher he's like a drowning man trying to find something to grasp onto. Virginia Madsen fares better with solid performances as Sparrows' wife and Fingerling's lover, but it's Logan Lerman as the Sparrows' son who gives the best performance. Poor Danny Huston has a "close my eyes and think of the money" look on his face as a friend of Sparrows' wife.
Was there ever a point when Schumacher or Carrey wondered what they'd gotten themselves into? For the audience, that point comes very early in the film. Unless your hobbies include doing MST3K-style rips on bad films, stay far away from The Number 23.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Los Abandonados (The Abandoned)
Marie is a Russian-born American film producer who returns to the motherland to seek out her past, knowing only that something happened to her birth parents before she was adopted by an American family. An attorney contacts her with information about her family and their remote farmhouse, compelling her to visit it. After she meets her long lost brother Nicolai, the puzzles of their past begin to be unlocked in the house.
A good horror film doesn't require a large cast, a big budget, or fancy visual effects. Noted director of short films Nacho Cerdá makes his successful feature film debut by employing a small cast, a small budget, and a genuinely creepy atmosphere to slowly build the chills to a crescendo by the end. Cerdá and his co-writers, Karim Hussain (Ascension) and Richard Stanley (Hardware, The Island of Dr. Moreau), create believable characters and a compelling puzzle for them to solve, with an emotionally satisfying epilogue that ties the film's themes together.
Cinematographer Xavi Giménez (Darkness, The Machinist) uses bright light with the highlights burned out in the early part of the film, but once the action shifts to the house, it invokes a mood where you don't want to see what's lurking in the shadows but yet your eyes are forced to look in precisely those places. Filmed in Bulgaria, the sets by production designer Balter Gallart (Rottweiler) make the house a vividly realized character in its own right. Alfons Conde (La Hora fría) conjures up a score to complement the general mood of the film.
The cast is limited in number but not in quality. Anastasia Hille as Marie and Karel Roden as Nicolai both deliver restrained performances that help to sell the audience on the reality of what they're experiencing. Valentin Ganev is effective as the attorney, while Paraskeva Djukelova is good in limited screen time as Marie and Nicolai's mother.
The Abandoned is a creative effort that horror fans should find rewarding. Nacho Cerdá is a filmmaker worth keeping your eye on in the future. Recommended.
This Spanish production (filmed in English) is quite an effective piece of horror.
Marie is a Russian-born American film producer who returns to the motherland to seek out her past, knowing only that something happened to her birth parents before she was adopted by an American family. An attorney contacts her with information about her family and their remote farmhouse, compelling her to visit it. After she meets her long lost brother Nicolai, the puzzles of their past begin to be unlocked in the house.
A good horror film doesn't require a large cast, a big budget, or fancy visual effects. Noted director of short films Nacho Cerdá makes his successful feature film debut by employing a small cast, a small budget, and a genuinely creepy atmosphere to slowly build the chills to a crescendo by the end. Cerdá and his co-writers, Karim Hussain (Ascension) and Richard Stanley (Hardware, The Island of Dr. Moreau), create believable characters and a compelling puzzle for them to solve, with an emotionally satisfying epilogue that ties the film's themes together.
Cinematographer Xavi Giménez (Darkness, The Machinist) uses bright light with the highlights burned out in the early part of the film, but once the action shifts to the house, it invokes a mood where you don't want to see what's lurking in the shadows but yet your eyes are forced to look in precisely those places. Filmed in Bulgaria, the sets by production designer Balter Gallart (Rottweiler) make the house a vividly realized character in its own right. Alfons Conde (La Hora fría) conjures up a score to complement the general mood of the film.
The cast is limited in number but not in quality. Anastasia Hille as Marie and Karel Roden as Nicolai both deliver restrained performances that help to sell the audience on the reality of what they're experiencing. Valentin Ganev is effective as the attorney, while Paraskeva Djukelova is good in limited screen time as Marie and Nicolai's mother.
The Abandoned is a creative effort that horror fans should find rewarding. Nacho Cerdá is a filmmaker worth keeping your eye on in the future. Recommended.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Ghost Rider
Motorcycle stunt rider Johnny Blaze sells his soul to Mephistopheles in exchange for his father being cured of cancer. True to the deal, Mephistopheles cures Johnny's father, but allows him to die during a stunt. A distraught Johnny leaves the carnival and his girlfriend, Roxanne, behind. Many years later, Blaze is now a superstar stunt rider and finds himself reunited with Roxanne, only to have Mephistopheles return to hold him to his side of the deal...to become the Devil's bounty hunter.
Writer/director Mark Steven Johnson has a good understanding of the character's history and various incarnations, and pays homage to all of them, but as was true of his earlier comic book adaptation, Daredevil, the film's weaknesses are a formulaic plot and a directorial style that makes it seem like a television movie no matter how big the action and effects scenes are. However, unlike Daredevil, this film doesn't take itself too seriously, and as a result it has some good entertainment value as a supernatural action film. There are visual gags galore, but the film never falls into being deliberately campy.
The visual effects are excellent, and the first transformation of Blaze into Ghost Rider is simply awesome. Colorful cinematography by Russell Boyd (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) and John Wheeler (The Craic) brings the comic book world to vivid life. Production designer Kirk M. Petruccelli (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) recreates Texas in Australia, and at times there's a classic western feel to the film, especially toward the end. The score by Christopher Young (Hellraiser, The Grudge) is solid enough, but the best music in the film is the cover of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" by Australian band Spiderbait that plays over the end titles.
Nicolas Cage is always entertaining when he plays a laconic rebel, and that holds true here. His Elvis by way of Evel Knievel performance is fun to watch, and his lines are delivered deadpan with perfect timing. Sam Elliott is excellent as a mysterious cemetery caretaker who may know more about the Ghost Rider than he lets on, and turns his minor character into the most interesting one in the film. In an inspired bit of casting, Peter Fonda is appropriately creepy as Mephistopheles. Eva Mendes is easy on the eyes as Roxanne and does her best with the stock girlfriend in danger character. Donal Logue has some amusing scenes as Blaze's crew chief, Mack. Wes Bentley, however, delivers a weak performance as Blackheart, Mephistopheles' son and Ghost Rider's opponent, that's straight out of Stock Villain 101 (note to actors: tilting your head down and to the side to look menacing really just looks silly). In a very small role, Rebel Wilson is hilariously perfect as a gothy young woman who tries to explain what Ghost Rider looks like to Roxanne, who's now a news reporter.
If you're looking for an eye candy supernatural action film, Ghost Rider certainly succeeds on that level. It's not one of the great comic book adaptations, but it's not one of the truly bad ones, either. I enjoyed it on the level that it was intended and left the cinema with a smile on my face.
The Marvel Comics supernatural character arrives on the cinema screen with decidedly mixed results, but the film's shortcomings don't keep it from being a reasonably entertaining ride.
Motorcycle stunt rider Johnny Blaze sells his soul to Mephistopheles in exchange for his father being cured of cancer. True to the deal, Mephistopheles cures Johnny's father, but allows him to die during a stunt. A distraught Johnny leaves the carnival and his girlfriend, Roxanne, behind. Many years later, Blaze is now a superstar stunt rider and finds himself reunited with Roxanne, only to have Mephistopheles return to hold him to his side of the deal...to become the Devil's bounty hunter.
Writer/director Mark Steven Johnson has a good understanding of the character's history and various incarnations, and pays homage to all of them, but as was true of his earlier comic book adaptation, Daredevil, the film's weaknesses are a formulaic plot and a directorial style that makes it seem like a television movie no matter how big the action and effects scenes are. However, unlike Daredevil, this film doesn't take itself too seriously, and as a result it has some good entertainment value as a supernatural action film. There are visual gags galore, but the film never falls into being deliberately campy.
The visual effects are excellent, and the first transformation of Blaze into Ghost Rider is simply awesome. Colorful cinematography by Russell Boyd (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World) and John Wheeler (The Craic) brings the comic book world to vivid life. Production designer Kirk M. Petruccelli (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) recreates Texas in Australia, and at times there's a classic western feel to the film, especially toward the end. The score by Christopher Young (Hellraiser, The Grudge) is solid enough, but the best music in the film is the cover of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" by Australian band Spiderbait that plays over the end titles.
Nicolas Cage is always entertaining when he plays a laconic rebel, and that holds true here. His Elvis by way of Evel Knievel performance is fun to watch, and his lines are delivered deadpan with perfect timing. Sam Elliott is excellent as a mysterious cemetery caretaker who may know more about the Ghost Rider than he lets on, and turns his minor character into the most interesting one in the film. In an inspired bit of casting, Peter Fonda is appropriately creepy as Mephistopheles. Eva Mendes is easy on the eyes as Roxanne and does her best with the stock girlfriend in danger character. Donal Logue has some amusing scenes as Blaze's crew chief, Mack. Wes Bentley, however, delivers a weak performance as Blackheart, Mephistopheles' son and Ghost Rider's opponent, that's straight out of Stock Villain 101 (note to actors: tilting your head down and to the side to look menacing really just looks silly). In a very small role, Rebel Wilson is hilariously perfect as a gothy young woman who tries to explain what Ghost Rider looks like to Roxanne, who's now a news reporter.
If you're looking for an eye candy supernatural action film, Ghost Rider certainly succeeds on that level. It's not one of the great comic book adaptations, but it's not one of the truly bad ones, either. I enjoyed it on the level that it was intended and left the cinema with a smile on my face.
Factory Girl
Socialite Edie Sedgwick drops out of art school in Cambridge in 1965 and, inspired by Holly Golightly, moves to New York City, where she meets artist Andy Warhol. Under Warhol's tutelage in his studio known as The Factory, she becomes famous for being famous, and gets caught up in the drugs and sex prevalent in the scene.
George Hickenlooper (The Killing Box, The Big Brass Ring) tries to be self-consciously arty in his direction of the film, and the end result is incoherent and pretentious. This approach simply doesn't allow the viewer to become engaged by the story or the characters. The screenplay by Josh Klausner (using the pseudonym Captain Mauzner) is the largest part of the problem, because it doesn't dig deep into the psyches of the characters. It's all very shallow, more travelog than revealing biography. Edie went there, said that, or did that, etc. When the film ends, we know little more about her than we did when it began.
Cinematographer Michael Grady (Wonderland), production designer Jeremy Reed (Hard Candy), and costume designer John A. Dunn (The Notorious Bettie Page) do an excellent job of bringing the world of The Factory back to life and applying the visual style of Warhol's own films.
Although the film is about Edie, it's Guy Pearce as Warhol who steals the film. He's so perfect that it's like he's channeling the spirit of Warhol, right down to every icily pretentious twitch of the face, and suggests more depth than the role as written. Sienna Miller offers a good imitation of Edie, but the combination of weak characterization and her inability to go beyond the surface in her performance dooms the central role to one of pouting, moping, and occasional bouts of unconvincing histrionics. Mena Suvari is a little more interesting as fellow Factory girl Richie Berlin. Hayden Christensen is miscast and wooden as singer Billy Quinn (a thinly veiled Bob Dylan).
Factory Girl is a pretentious indie film with delusions of making an artistic statement. While I can't think of a better summation for Warhol's career, it simply doesn't work for a film that wants to explain who Edie Sedgwick was and why she was the way she was. Not recommended.
By all accounts Edie Sedgwick lived an interesting life, but if you want to know what made her tick, don't expect to discover that in this film.
Socialite Edie Sedgwick drops out of art school in Cambridge in 1965 and, inspired by Holly Golightly, moves to New York City, where she meets artist Andy Warhol. Under Warhol's tutelage in his studio known as The Factory, she becomes famous for being famous, and gets caught up in the drugs and sex prevalent in the scene.
George Hickenlooper (The Killing Box, The Big Brass Ring) tries to be self-consciously arty in his direction of the film, and the end result is incoherent and pretentious. This approach simply doesn't allow the viewer to become engaged by the story or the characters. The screenplay by Josh Klausner (using the pseudonym Captain Mauzner) is the largest part of the problem, because it doesn't dig deep into the psyches of the characters. It's all very shallow, more travelog than revealing biography. Edie went there, said that, or did that, etc. When the film ends, we know little more about her than we did when it began.
Cinematographer Michael Grady (Wonderland), production designer Jeremy Reed (Hard Candy), and costume designer John A. Dunn (The Notorious Bettie Page) do an excellent job of bringing the world of The Factory back to life and applying the visual style of Warhol's own films.
Although the film is about Edie, it's Guy Pearce as Warhol who steals the film. He's so perfect that it's like he's channeling the spirit of Warhol, right down to every icily pretentious twitch of the face, and suggests more depth than the role as written. Sienna Miller offers a good imitation of Edie, but the combination of weak characterization and her inability to go beyond the surface in her performance dooms the central role to one of pouting, moping, and occasional bouts of unconvincing histrionics. Mena Suvari is a little more interesting as fellow Factory girl Richie Berlin. Hayden Christensen is miscast and wooden as singer Billy Quinn (a thinly veiled Bob Dylan).
Factory Girl is a pretentious indie film with delusions of making an artistic statement. While I can't think of a better summation for Warhol's career, it simply doesn't work for a film that wants to explain who Edie Sedgwick was and why she was the way she was. Not recommended.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others)
East Berlin, 1984. Gerd Wiesler is a loyal agent of the Ministry for State Security (aka the Stasi), assigned to monitor the activities of playwright Georg Dreymann and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria. As Wiesler becomes immersed in the daily lives of Dreymann and Christa-Maria through monitoring their bugged apartment, he begins to question what he's doing and even lies in his reports to protect them. After a dissident stage director commits suicide, Dreymann writes an article that is smuggled out and published in a West German newspaper. Now that Dreymann has committed an actual political crime, what will Wiesler do?
This is an impressive feature film debut for writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who went into a six week seclusion in a monastery to write the script. He has a keen understanding of his characters and their motivations, and never falls into the trap of placing them into simple categories of good or bad -- they're all presented as flawed human beings. He crafts the film with great care and subtlety, revealing to the audience great compassion for the characters and an intelligent examination of how the state uses fear to control people (despite being set in East Germany, the film is relevant to state control in general rather than one particular state). It's equal parts social commentary, psychological drama, and political thriller, and it leaves the audience feeling more than satisfied in all three areas. There's also a good sense of dark humor that keeps it from getting too grim.
Cinematographer Hagen Bogdanski relies on practical light sources to capture a heightened sense of reality and a deliberate drabness that brilliantly conveys the grey world the characters inhabit. Production designer Silke Buhr and costume designer Gabriele Binder bring the recent past back to life in a fashion that's rich on period atmosphere. The excellent score by Gabriel Yared (Breaking and Entering, The English Patient) and Stéphane Moucha adds to the dramatic tension without distracting from the story or the performances.
Ulrich Mühe is simply perfect as Wiesler, whose surveillance begins to shed light on the limitations of his own life. A Stasi agent isn't a sympathetic character, but Mühe ever so subtly reveals Wiesler's humanity and growing conscience, making him a sympathetic protagonist in the end. Sebastian Koch delivers a strong performance as Dreymann, and Martina Gedeck's portrayal of Christa-Maria as a creative woman whose spirit is broken by her circumstances is also outstanding. Noteworthy performances are also put forward by Ulrich Tukur as Wiesler's friend and commanding officer, Charly Hübner (think of a German Jack Black) in a surprisingly funny turn as a Stasi agent who particularly enjoys spying on artists because of all the sex he thinks they have, Volkmar Kleinert as the dissident director who commits suicide, Hans-Uwe Bauer as a dissident journalist, and Thomas Thieme as a corrupt minister using the Stasi to further his personal agenda.
It's not often that a director's feature film debut is one of the best films of a given year, but this is one of those rare occasions. Like all great dramas, it's a keen examination of the human condition told with great understanding by a skilled director and an outstanding cast. Highly recommended.
This 2006 German drama was nominated for a record eleven German Film Awards, winning seven, and is also an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Picture.
East Berlin, 1984. Gerd Wiesler is a loyal agent of the Ministry for State Security (aka the Stasi), assigned to monitor the activities of playwright Georg Dreymann and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria. As Wiesler becomes immersed in the daily lives of Dreymann and Christa-Maria through monitoring their bugged apartment, he begins to question what he's doing and even lies in his reports to protect them. After a dissident stage director commits suicide, Dreymann writes an article that is smuggled out and published in a West German newspaper. Now that Dreymann has committed an actual political crime, what will Wiesler do?
This is an impressive feature film debut for writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who went into a six week seclusion in a monastery to write the script. He has a keen understanding of his characters and their motivations, and never falls into the trap of placing them into simple categories of good or bad -- they're all presented as flawed human beings. He crafts the film with great care and subtlety, revealing to the audience great compassion for the characters and an intelligent examination of how the state uses fear to control people (despite being set in East Germany, the film is relevant to state control in general rather than one particular state). It's equal parts social commentary, psychological drama, and political thriller, and it leaves the audience feeling more than satisfied in all three areas. There's also a good sense of dark humor that keeps it from getting too grim.
Cinematographer Hagen Bogdanski relies on practical light sources to capture a heightened sense of reality and a deliberate drabness that brilliantly conveys the grey world the characters inhabit. Production designer Silke Buhr and costume designer Gabriele Binder bring the recent past back to life in a fashion that's rich on period atmosphere. The excellent score by Gabriel Yared (Breaking and Entering, The English Patient) and Stéphane Moucha adds to the dramatic tension without distracting from the story or the performances.
Ulrich Mühe is simply perfect as Wiesler, whose surveillance begins to shed light on the limitations of his own life. A Stasi agent isn't a sympathetic character, but Mühe ever so subtly reveals Wiesler's humanity and growing conscience, making him a sympathetic protagonist in the end. Sebastian Koch delivers a strong performance as Dreymann, and Martina Gedeck's portrayal of Christa-Maria as a creative woman whose spirit is broken by her circumstances is also outstanding. Noteworthy performances are also put forward by Ulrich Tukur as Wiesler's friend and commanding officer, Charly Hübner (think of a German Jack Black) in a surprisingly funny turn as a Stasi agent who particularly enjoys spying on artists because of all the sex he thinks they have, Volkmar Kleinert as the dissident director who commits suicide, Hans-Uwe Bauer as a dissident journalist, and Thomas Thieme as a corrupt minister using the Stasi to further his personal agenda.
It's not often that a director's feature film debut is one of the best films of a given year, but this is one of those rare occasions. Like all great dramas, it's a keen examination of the human condition told with great understanding by a skilled director and an outstanding cast. Highly recommended.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Music and Lyrics
Alex Fletcher is a former member of the '80s band Pop! who now makes a living playing at state fairs, amusement parks, and high school reunions. When given the opportunity to write a song for teenage pop diva Cora and perform it with her, he jumps at another chance for fame and fortune. The first lyricist he collaborates with doesn't work out and he only has days left to complete the song when he discovers that Sophie, the woman who takes care of his house plants, has a knack for writing lyrics. A partnership is born and romantic sparks fly as well.
Writer/director Marc Lawrence (Two Weeks Notice, Miss Congeniality) serves up a sweet confection of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. It may hit all the expected story beats exactly on cue, but its engaging characters and clever dialogue shamelessly pull you into its embrace. It's refreshing to see a film that knows it's light and doesn't pretend to be something more. It's also an affectionate homage to the music of the 1980s. Lawrence opens with a Pop! music video and perfectly spoofs the actual music videos of that period. Cinematographer Xavier Perez Grobet (Monster House, Nacho Libre) gives the film the bright look of a classic romantic comedy. And just try to get the catchy pop songs written by Adam Schlesinger (bass player for the band Fountains Of Wayne) out of your head!
Hugh Grant is effortlessly funny and ingratiating as Alex, the kind of leading man role he does so well, and he's convincing as an ex-pop star performing on the nostalgia circuit. Drew Barrymore is absolutely charming as the ditzy Sophie. The two romantic comedy veterans make a good and believable on-screen couple. They also do all of their own singing (Grant was coached by ABC singer Martin Fry) and come off quite well in that department. The cast in general shines, with Haley Bennett as the vapid pop princess Cora, Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond) as Alex's manager, Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun) as Sophie's Pop! fan older sister, Campbell Scott as Sophie's ex, and Jason Antoon as Alex's initial lyricist. Scott Porter only appears in the music video segment as the other half of Pop! but he's spot on.
If you're looking for a pleasant piece of Valentine's Day schmaltz with catchy songs, look no further than Music and Lyrics. It may not be the fancy champagne of the romantic comedy world, but there's enough sparkle in it for an enjoyable hour and a half.
A lightweight but enjoyable romantic comedy just in time for Valentine's Day.
Alex Fletcher is a former member of the '80s band Pop! who now makes a living playing at state fairs, amusement parks, and high school reunions. When given the opportunity to write a song for teenage pop diva Cora and perform it with her, he jumps at another chance for fame and fortune. The first lyricist he collaborates with doesn't work out and he only has days left to complete the song when he discovers that Sophie, the woman who takes care of his house plants, has a knack for writing lyrics. A partnership is born and romantic sparks fly as well.
Writer/director Marc Lawrence (Two Weeks Notice, Miss Congeniality) serves up a sweet confection of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. It may hit all the expected story beats exactly on cue, but its engaging characters and clever dialogue shamelessly pull you into its embrace. It's refreshing to see a film that knows it's light and doesn't pretend to be something more. It's also an affectionate homage to the music of the 1980s. Lawrence opens with a Pop! music video and perfectly spoofs the actual music videos of that period. Cinematographer Xavier Perez Grobet (Monster House, Nacho Libre) gives the film the bright look of a classic romantic comedy. And just try to get the catchy pop songs written by Adam Schlesinger (bass player for the band Fountains Of Wayne) out of your head!
Hugh Grant is effortlessly funny and ingratiating as Alex, the kind of leading man role he does so well, and he's convincing as an ex-pop star performing on the nostalgia circuit. Drew Barrymore is absolutely charming as the ditzy Sophie. The two romantic comedy veterans make a good and believable on-screen couple. They also do all of their own singing (Grant was coached by ABC singer Martin Fry) and come off quite well in that department. The cast in general shines, with Haley Bennett as the vapid pop princess Cora, Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond) as Alex's manager, Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun) as Sophie's Pop! fan older sister, Campbell Scott as Sophie's ex, and Jason Antoon as Alex's initial lyricist. Scott Porter only appears in the music video segment as the other half of Pop! but he's spot on.
If you're looking for a pleasant piece of Valentine's Day schmaltz with catchy songs, look no further than Music and Lyrics. It may not be the fancy champagne of the romantic comedy world, but there's enough sparkle in it for an enjoyable hour and a half.
Hannibal Rising
The film opens in 1944, as a young Hannibal and his wealthy family flee their castle in war-torn Lithuania for the safety of a remote lodge. After his entire family, except for his sister Mischa, is killed in the crossfire of a battle between a Soviet tank and a German plane, several militiamen led by a Nazi collaborator find the lodge and hold the children captive. Eight years later, a teenaged Lecter, haunted by his memories, runs away from an orphanage to find his uncle in France. His uncle is dead, but his aunt, a beautiful Japanese woman, takes him in. Lecter becomes a promising medical student, but when he discovers the whereabouts of his former captors he vows to take revenge on them.
Peter Webber (Girl with a Pearl Earring) directs a plodding affair that doesn't know if it's a period drama, a revenge thriller, or a police procedural. It tries to be too many things, and consequently fails at all of them, although there are a few scenes that work reasonably well, but they're too few in number. Thomas Harris wrote the screenplay based on his own novel, but it's rather lifeless and lacks depth of characterization, not to mention being packed with cliches. The nuances of Silence of the Lambs are wholly missing, and one gets the sense that Harris is simply trying to wring every last dollar out of the character. And in a post-Saw, post-Hostel era, the supposedly imaginative ways Lecter kills his victims really aren't so imaginative.
For a film that wants to explain what transformed a young Hannibal Lecter into the charismatic monster that audiences love, its portrayal of the title character is surprisingly one dimensional. Worse, his victims are cardboard cutout villains who deserve their fates. Lecter is strongest as a character when he's the scary man in a cage and we know he must be kept in that cage because he delights in killing the guilty and innocent alike. A righteous avenger, he's not. We should feel attracted by his charisma but never feel sympathy for him. More to the point, the mystery of Lecter has been taken away. Some things are just more frightening when you don't know what they are or how they came to be. In Silence of the Lambs, Lecter diagnosed himself as "evil". We simply don't need a better explanation.
The film does have excellent production values. Cinematographer Ben Davis (Layer Cake) uses soft, moody lighting that's beautiful in a painterly way, but it's also too pretty for the story at times. Production designer Allan Starski (The Pianist, Oliver Twist) recreates war-torn Lithuania and early 1950s France in the Czech Republic, and his interior sets capture the personalities of their inhabitants. The score by Ilan Eshkeri (Layer Cake) and Shigeru Umebayashi (Curse of the Golden Flower) is sweeping and dramatic, but it's a wasted effort here.
Anthony Hopkins set the bar high for actors portraying Hannibal Lecter. Gaspard Ulliel, however, is absolutely wooden in the role. The film's other flaws could have possibly been overcome by a strong performance, but Ulliel is just another heavy stone around its neck. He's sullen rather than scary, and sneers rather than intimidates. It would have been difficult to find a young actor who could compare to Hopkins in his prime, but that's not an excuse for finding a charmless mannequin to play the young Lecter. Aaron Thomas fares much better as the eight-year-old Lecter in the opening scenes. Gong Li is solid as Lecter's Japanese aunt, but her character as written by Harris is very unbelievable. Rhys Ifans as the Nazi collaborator Grutas just needs a mustache to twirl to make him the complete embodiment of a stock villain. Dominic West (The Wire) is the only actor who stands out, as a French police inspector who suspects that Lecter is a murderer.
The people who thought this film was a good idea deserve to have their livers eaten with fava beans and a nice Chianti. Not recommended.
Can a good Hannibal Lecter film be made without Anthony Hopkins (or even Brian Cox)? On the evidence of this film, the answer is a resounding no.
The film opens in 1944, as a young Hannibal and his wealthy family flee their castle in war-torn Lithuania for the safety of a remote lodge. After his entire family, except for his sister Mischa, is killed in the crossfire of a battle between a Soviet tank and a German plane, several militiamen led by a Nazi collaborator find the lodge and hold the children captive. Eight years later, a teenaged Lecter, haunted by his memories, runs away from an orphanage to find his uncle in France. His uncle is dead, but his aunt, a beautiful Japanese woman, takes him in. Lecter becomes a promising medical student, but when he discovers the whereabouts of his former captors he vows to take revenge on them.
Peter Webber (Girl with a Pearl Earring) directs a plodding affair that doesn't know if it's a period drama, a revenge thriller, or a police procedural. It tries to be too many things, and consequently fails at all of them, although there are a few scenes that work reasonably well, but they're too few in number. Thomas Harris wrote the screenplay based on his own novel, but it's rather lifeless and lacks depth of characterization, not to mention being packed with cliches. The nuances of Silence of the Lambs are wholly missing, and one gets the sense that Harris is simply trying to wring every last dollar out of the character. And in a post-Saw, post-Hostel era, the supposedly imaginative ways Lecter kills his victims really aren't so imaginative.
For a film that wants to explain what transformed a young Hannibal Lecter into the charismatic monster that audiences love, its portrayal of the title character is surprisingly one dimensional. Worse, his victims are cardboard cutout villains who deserve their fates. Lecter is strongest as a character when he's the scary man in a cage and we know he must be kept in that cage because he delights in killing the guilty and innocent alike. A righteous avenger, he's not. We should feel attracted by his charisma but never feel sympathy for him. More to the point, the mystery of Lecter has been taken away. Some things are just more frightening when you don't know what they are or how they came to be. In Silence of the Lambs, Lecter diagnosed himself as "evil". We simply don't need a better explanation.
The film does have excellent production values. Cinematographer Ben Davis (Layer Cake) uses soft, moody lighting that's beautiful in a painterly way, but it's also too pretty for the story at times. Production designer Allan Starski (The Pianist, Oliver Twist) recreates war-torn Lithuania and early 1950s France in the Czech Republic, and his interior sets capture the personalities of their inhabitants. The score by Ilan Eshkeri (Layer Cake) and Shigeru Umebayashi (Curse of the Golden Flower) is sweeping and dramatic, but it's a wasted effort here.
Anthony Hopkins set the bar high for actors portraying Hannibal Lecter. Gaspard Ulliel, however, is absolutely wooden in the role. The film's other flaws could have possibly been overcome by a strong performance, but Ulliel is just another heavy stone around its neck. He's sullen rather than scary, and sneers rather than intimidates. It would have been difficult to find a young actor who could compare to Hopkins in his prime, but that's not an excuse for finding a charmless mannequin to play the young Lecter. Aaron Thomas fares much better as the eight-year-old Lecter in the opening scenes. Gong Li is solid as Lecter's Japanese aunt, but her character as written by Harris is very unbelievable. Rhys Ifans as the Nazi collaborator Grutas just needs a mustache to twirl to make him the complete embodiment of a stock villain. Dominic West (The Wire) is the only actor who stands out, as a French police inspector who suspects that Lecter is a murderer.
The people who thought this film was a good idea deserve to have their livers eaten with fava beans and a nice Chianti. Not recommended.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Breaking and Entering
Will is a London architect who lives with his girlfriend, Liv, and her autistic daughter, Bea. When his new office in Kings Cross is repeatedly burglarized, he stakes it out and follows the thief. The thief turns out to be Miro, a teenaged boy from Serbia who uses his free running skills to commit crimes. Under false pretenses, Will befriends Miro's widowed mother, Amira, and begins to fall in love with her.
Writer/director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, Cold Mountain) crafts his story into a solid drama with good performances, but there's also a sense of it being contrived and superficial, which prevents it from being a better film. It feels like the resolutions of story lines are predetermined and the characters are simply chess pieces being maneuvered into place, with little sense of what motivates them to reach those particular ends. It's not a fatal flaw because of Minghella's assured direction of his cast. Cinematographer Benoit Delhomme (Sade) uses naturalistic lighting to capture the mood of a film largely set in a depressed urban area. The score by Gabriel Yared (The English Patient, Cold Mountain) and British electronic music duo Underworld is good, and a moody Sigur Ros song plays over the end credits.
The cast is the strength of the film. Jude Law as Will paints a believable picture of a man who seemingly has everything he wants but still feels empty. Juliette Binoche plays Amira as a mother who is willing to do anything to protect her son, including denying her own happiness. Rafi Gavron is convincing as a smart young man who lacks direction and gets into trouble because of it. He also has good rapport with Binoche and exhibits athletic talent in the free running scenes. Vera Farmiga has a funny turn as a hooker who has philosophical discussions with Law's character as he stakes out his office. Other good performances come from Robin Wright Penn as Liv, Poppy Rogers as Bea, Martin Freeman as Will's business partner, Ray Winstone as the detective investigating the burglaries, and Caroline Chikezie as a cleaning woman who likes Kafka.
Overall, a solid and respectable film, but not good enough to demand a viewing at your local cinema. Wait for the video release instead.
This is a solid but unspectacular drama with good performances.
Will is a London architect who lives with his girlfriend, Liv, and her autistic daughter, Bea. When his new office in Kings Cross is repeatedly burglarized, he stakes it out and follows the thief. The thief turns out to be Miro, a teenaged boy from Serbia who uses his free running skills to commit crimes. Under false pretenses, Will befriends Miro's widowed mother, Amira, and begins to fall in love with her.
Writer/director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, Cold Mountain) crafts his story into a solid drama with good performances, but there's also a sense of it being contrived and superficial, which prevents it from being a better film. It feels like the resolutions of story lines are predetermined and the characters are simply chess pieces being maneuvered into place, with little sense of what motivates them to reach those particular ends. It's not a fatal flaw because of Minghella's assured direction of his cast. Cinematographer Benoit Delhomme (Sade) uses naturalistic lighting to capture the mood of a film largely set in a depressed urban area. The score by Gabriel Yared (The English Patient, Cold Mountain) and British electronic music duo Underworld is good, and a moody Sigur Ros song plays over the end credits.
The cast is the strength of the film. Jude Law as Will paints a believable picture of a man who seemingly has everything he wants but still feels empty. Juliette Binoche plays Amira as a mother who is willing to do anything to protect her son, including denying her own happiness. Rafi Gavron is convincing as a smart young man who lacks direction and gets into trouble because of it. He also has good rapport with Binoche and exhibits athletic talent in the free running scenes. Vera Farmiga has a funny turn as a hooker who has philosophical discussions with Law's character as he stakes out his office. Other good performances come from Robin Wright Penn as Liv, Poppy Rogers as Bea, Martin Freeman as Will's business partner, Ray Winstone as the detective investigating the burglaries, and Caroline Chikezie as a cleaning woman who likes Kafka.
Overall, a solid and respectable film, but not good enough to demand a viewing at your local cinema. Wait for the video release instead.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Letters from Iwo Jima
Flags of Our Fathers told the story behind the famous photograph of American soldiers raising the US flag on top of Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi, but Letters from Iwo Jima focuses on the daily lives of Japanese officers and enlisted men stationed on the island from June 1944 through the Battle of Iwo Jima in February-March 1945. The main characters are Lieutenant General Kuribayashi, assigned by Prime Minister Tojo to lead the all-important defense of Iwo Jima; Saigo, a reluctant young enlisted man who was a baker before being drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army, and whose wife and baby are never far from his thoughts; Baron Nishi, a nobleman, equestrian, and Olympic gold medalist turned tank commander; Shimizu, a soldier thought to be a member of the secret police sent to spy on soldiers suspected of being unpatriotic; Kashiwara, Saigo's closest friend; and Lieutenant Ito, a fanatical and brutal officer.
Eastwood's direction of Flags of Our Fathers was more emotional and epic, while his direction here is more formal and intimate. His filmmaking style could almost be described as Japanese here. Flags of Our Fathers ended with a shot of a memorial to fallen American soldiers on present day Iwo Jima, mirrored by the opening shot here of a shot of a memorial to fallen Japanese soldiers. The story was conceived by Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis (Crash, Flags of Our Fathers) with the screenplay being written by Yamashita. It's a finely detailed examination of the character of soldiers faced with an unwinnable battle, albeit a somewhat fictionalized account inspired by actual letters sent from soldiers stationed on the island.
One of the most moving moments comes when Nishi reads a letter to his soldiers that was found on a dead American soldier. The letter is from the soldier's mother, and the Japanese soldiers slowly realize that their enemy is just like them, young men sent to a remote island to kill or be killed.
As he did so well in Flags of Our Fathers, cinematographer Tom Stern uses harsh lighting and desaturated colors almost to the point of being monochromatic, finely illuminating the realities of war. Production designers Henry Bumstead and James J. Murakami do excellent work in recreating the island of Iwo Jima as it was before, during, and after the battle. Clint Eastwood doesn't repeat his role as composer this time, leaving that to his son Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens, who contribute a moving and evocative score.
Ken Watanabe is outstanding in his portrayal of Kuribayashi as a dignified officer who knows that his command is doomed but is determined to carry it through with honor, and Kazunari Ninomiya, best known as a member of the Japanese boy band Arashi, is equally good as Saigo, the emotional heart of the film. The characters are from opposite ends of the military structure, but the two men are more alike than not. Tsuyoshi Ihara as Nishi, Ryo Kase as Shimizu, Takashi Yamaguchi as Kashiwara, Shido Nakamura as Ito, Hiroshi Watanabe as Kuribayashi's aide, Ken Kensei as a senior officer who disobeys Kuribayashi's orders and commands his soldiers to commit suicide, and Nae Yuuki as Saigo's wife also deliver strong performances.
Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima work as two parts of a whole, showing the common humanity of the men on both sides of the conflict, although Letters from Iwo Jima is the one nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. They're both brilliant in different but complementary ways and should be considered equals. Highly recommended.
With this Japanese language companion piece to Flags of Our Fathers, director Clint Eastwood has accomplished the unusual feat of making two great war films about the same battle from opposite sides.
Flags of Our Fathers told the story behind the famous photograph of American soldiers raising the US flag on top of Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi, but Letters from Iwo Jima focuses on the daily lives of Japanese officers and enlisted men stationed on the island from June 1944 through the Battle of Iwo Jima in February-March 1945. The main characters are Lieutenant General Kuribayashi, assigned by Prime Minister Tojo to lead the all-important defense of Iwo Jima; Saigo, a reluctant young enlisted man who was a baker before being drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army, and whose wife and baby are never far from his thoughts; Baron Nishi, a nobleman, equestrian, and Olympic gold medalist turned tank commander; Shimizu, a soldier thought to be a member of the secret police sent to spy on soldiers suspected of being unpatriotic; Kashiwara, Saigo's closest friend; and Lieutenant Ito, a fanatical and brutal officer.
Eastwood's direction of Flags of Our Fathers was more emotional and epic, while his direction here is more formal and intimate. His filmmaking style could almost be described as Japanese here. Flags of Our Fathers ended with a shot of a memorial to fallen American soldiers on present day Iwo Jima, mirrored by the opening shot here of a shot of a memorial to fallen Japanese soldiers. The story was conceived by Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis (Crash, Flags of Our Fathers) with the screenplay being written by Yamashita. It's a finely detailed examination of the character of soldiers faced with an unwinnable battle, albeit a somewhat fictionalized account inspired by actual letters sent from soldiers stationed on the island.
One of the most moving moments comes when Nishi reads a letter to his soldiers that was found on a dead American soldier. The letter is from the soldier's mother, and the Japanese soldiers slowly realize that their enemy is just like them, young men sent to a remote island to kill or be killed.
As he did so well in Flags of Our Fathers, cinematographer Tom Stern uses harsh lighting and desaturated colors almost to the point of being monochromatic, finely illuminating the realities of war. Production designers Henry Bumstead and James J. Murakami do excellent work in recreating the island of Iwo Jima as it was before, during, and after the battle. Clint Eastwood doesn't repeat his role as composer this time, leaving that to his son Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens, who contribute a moving and evocative score.
Ken Watanabe is outstanding in his portrayal of Kuribayashi as a dignified officer who knows that his command is doomed but is determined to carry it through with honor, and Kazunari Ninomiya, best known as a member of the Japanese boy band Arashi, is equally good as Saigo, the emotional heart of the film. The characters are from opposite ends of the military structure, but the two men are more alike than not. Tsuyoshi Ihara as Nishi, Ryo Kase as Shimizu, Takashi Yamaguchi as Kashiwara, Shido Nakamura as Ito, Hiroshi Watanabe as Kuribayashi's aide, Ken Kensei as a senior officer who disobeys Kuribayashi's orders and commands his soldiers to commit suicide, and Nae Yuuki as Saigo's wife also deliver strong performances.
Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima work as two parts of a whole, showing the common humanity of the men on both sides of the conflict, although Letters from Iwo Jima is the one nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. They're both brilliant in different but complementary ways and should be considered equals. Highly recommended.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Smokin' Aces
Buddy "Aces" Israel, a Las Vegas stage magician turned mobster, makes a mistake and his only way out is to turn FBI informer against Mafia boss Primo Sparazza. Sparazza responds by placing a one million dollar hit on Israel with the stipulation that Israel's heart be cut out and delivered to him. Israel is holed up in a Lake Tahoe hotel penthouse, but soon finds himself the target of FBI agents trying to bring him in, bounty hunters working for an attorney, and a motley crew of assassins who want to kill him and claim the million dollar prize.
Writer/director Joe Carnahan (Narc) serves up a stylish crime thriller stew of violence, dark humor, and eccentric characters. It doesn't play out at quite the high level of a Quentin Tarantino film or last year's similar in style Lucky Number Slevin, but that doesn't stop it from providing nearly two hours worth of satisfying mayhem. The script has twists and turns enough to keep you watching to see who lives and who dies, although one major revelation at the end is telegraphed fairly early on. The plot holes are mostly obscured by the frenetic pace set by Carnahan and editor Robert Frazen (The Great New Wonderful). Cinematographer Mauro Fiore (Get Carter, Training Day) is aware of the conventions of this cinematic sub-genre and puts them across with flair. Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) contributes a hip score that's just what's needed.
What really sells the film is the cast. Everyone is perfectly in character and they're plainly having fun with their roles, including Jeremy Piven as Israel, Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta as the FBI agents, Andy Garcia as the FBI's deputy director who knows a secret about Sparazza, Alicia Keys and Taraji P. Henson as a duo of female assassins, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, and Martin Henderson as the bounty hunters, Curtis Armstrong as Israel's manager, Joel Edgerton as Israel's Eastern European bodyguard, rapper Common as Israel's right hand man, Jason Bateman as the neurotic attorney who hires the bounty hunters, Matthew Fox as the hotel's security chief, Chris Pine, Kevin Durand, and Maury Sterling as three psychotic redneck punk brothers who kill for fun, Nestor Carbonell as an infamous Central American assassin impersonating an FBI agent, and Tommy Flanagan as a hitman with a penchant for disguises.
There really isn't a point to it beyond the body count, but it's two hours of entertaining mayhem with a good cast and a nice dose of dark humor. I liked it.
What it lacks in redeeming social value, it makes up for in entertainment value.
Buddy "Aces" Israel, a Las Vegas stage magician turned mobster, makes a mistake and his only way out is to turn FBI informer against Mafia boss Primo Sparazza. Sparazza responds by placing a one million dollar hit on Israel with the stipulation that Israel's heart be cut out and delivered to him. Israel is holed up in a Lake Tahoe hotel penthouse, but soon finds himself the target of FBI agents trying to bring him in, bounty hunters working for an attorney, and a motley crew of assassins who want to kill him and claim the million dollar prize.
Writer/director Joe Carnahan (Narc) serves up a stylish crime thriller stew of violence, dark humor, and eccentric characters. It doesn't play out at quite the high level of a Quentin Tarantino film or last year's similar in style Lucky Number Slevin, but that doesn't stop it from providing nearly two hours worth of satisfying mayhem. The script has twists and turns enough to keep you watching to see who lives and who dies, although one major revelation at the end is telegraphed fairly early on. The plot holes are mostly obscured by the frenetic pace set by Carnahan and editor Robert Frazen (The Great New Wonderful). Cinematographer Mauro Fiore (Get Carter, Training Day) is aware of the conventions of this cinematic sub-genre and puts them across with flair. Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) contributes a hip score that's just what's needed.
What really sells the film is the cast. Everyone is perfectly in character and they're plainly having fun with their roles, including Jeremy Piven as Israel, Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta as the FBI agents, Andy Garcia as the FBI's deputy director who knows a secret about Sparazza, Alicia Keys and Taraji P. Henson as a duo of female assassins, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, and Martin Henderson as the bounty hunters, Curtis Armstrong as Israel's manager, Joel Edgerton as Israel's Eastern European bodyguard, rapper Common as Israel's right hand man, Jason Bateman as the neurotic attorney who hires the bounty hunters, Matthew Fox as the hotel's security chief, Chris Pine, Kevin Durand, and Maury Sterling as three psychotic redneck punk brothers who kill for fun, Nestor Carbonell as an infamous Central American assassin impersonating an FBI agent, and Tommy Flanagan as a hitman with a penchant for disguises.
There really isn't a point to it beyond the body count, but it's two hours of entertaining mayhem with a good cast and a nice dose of dark humor. I liked it.
Monday, February 05, 2007
The Messengers
A troubled family moves from Chicago to a sunflower farm in rural North Dakota. The house has a history of people disappearing while living in it, and soon the teenage daughter and toddler son begin to see and experience things that no one else does.
Directors Oxide and Danny Pang at their best know how to terrify an audience with creepy images and sounds. Unfortunately, this film doesn't represent them at their best. For their first US film, they play it far too safe and the pacing is too slow to sustain any tension. Except for their names in the credits, there's nothing that would indicate it's one of their films. The unimaginative script by Mark Wheaton (Firestorm: Last Stand at Yellowstone) and Todd Farmer (Jason X) certainly doesn't help. There's nothing here that we haven't seen too many times before. Like the Pangs' earlier The Eye 2, a weak script leads to weak execution. Enough so, that the Pangs weren't involved when re-shoots were required. Cinematographer David Geddes (Halloween: Resurrection) creates a nice American Gothic vibe, with Saskatchewan standing in for North Dakota.
The cast is solid for a genre film, with Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller as the parents, Kristen Stewart as the teenage daughter, Dustin Milligan as the daughter's friend, and John Corbett as a mysterious farmhand (at least until the final act, where Corbett's acting goes over the top). Evan and Theodore Turner as the toddler aren't cutesy and really seem to be responding to something that only they can see.
Unless by the numbers horror films are your thing, my suggestion is to avoid it. If you're a Pang Brothers completist, wait for the video release.
The Pang Brothers (Bangkok Dangerous, The Eye, Ab-normal Beauty) make their first American film, but it's entirely by the numbers and does no credit to the Pangs or producer Sam Raimi (director of the Evil Dead and Spider-Man films).
A troubled family moves from Chicago to a sunflower farm in rural North Dakota. The house has a history of people disappearing while living in it, and soon the teenage daughter and toddler son begin to see and experience things that no one else does.
Directors Oxide and Danny Pang at their best know how to terrify an audience with creepy images and sounds. Unfortunately, this film doesn't represent them at their best. For their first US film, they play it far too safe and the pacing is too slow to sustain any tension. Except for their names in the credits, there's nothing that would indicate it's one of their films. The unimaginative script by Mark Wheaton (Firestorm: Last Stand at Yellowstone) and Todd Farmer (Jason X) certainly doesn't help. There's nothing here that we haven't seen too many times before. Like the Pangs' earlier The Eye 2, a weak script leads to weak execution. Enough so, that the Pangs weren't involved when re-shoots were required. Cinematographer David Geddes (Halloween: Resurrection) creates a nice American Gothic vibe, with Saskatchewan standing in for North Dakota.
The cast is solid for a genre film, with Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller as the parents, Kristen Stewart as the teenage daughter, Dustin Milligan as the daughter's friend, and John Corbett as a mysterious farmhand (at least until the final act, where Corbett's acting goes over the top). Evan and Theodore Turner as the toddler aren't cutesy and really seem to be responding to something that only they can see.
Unless by the numbers horror films are your thing, my suggestion is to avoid it. If you're a Pang Brothers completist, wait for the video release.
