2 Guns ***1/2
Short Take: Old school buddy movie benefits from above average plotting, crisp action scenes, and winning performances from Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg.
Reel Take: August seems to be the month of retreads as opposed to remakes as far as my movie going is concerned. All three of the films I review in this month’s issue are reworkings of basic ideas and/or movies that have been made before. Of course “borrowing” ideas has been a staple of filmmaking since the earliest days of movies. How creative the borrowing is determines how good or bad the movie turns out to be.
Case in point…the new Denzel Washington-Mark Wahlberg opus 2 Guns. There’s nothing in this movie that hasn’t been done before especially in Walter Hill’s Beverly Hills Cop movies with Eddie Murphy. However the complex plot full of double & triple crosses along with ingratiating performances from Mark & Denzel (they have great chemistry together) help to raise 2 Guns to the level of a little something extra. Even if it doesn’t stick with you once the movie is over, you won’t feel cheated by it.
Icelandic director Baltasar Komakur, who had previously collaborated with Mark Wahlberg on last year’s Contraband, once again weaves a complicated story of a heist that goes wrong with serious consequences. This time he borrows a critical plot detail from Don Siegel’s Charley Varrick (1973) in which undercover agents Wahlberg & Washington rob a bank which has far more cash in it then it’s supposed to have. Turns out that the money is a slush fund for the CIA and a ruthless agent (Bill Paxton) will break every law to get it back.
Then there’s drug lord Papi (Edward James Olmos) who also wants a piece of the action since there’s a huge payoff involved. Throw in Washington’s girlfriend (Paula Patton) whose drug enforcement boss may be on the take and things start to get real complicated, real fast. There’s a brutal death on the horns of a bull awaiting our heroes if they don’t return the money and that’s just what the drug lord has in mind.
Unlike Contraband which was done with a completely straight face, there’s a lot of humor here thanks to the two leads’ playing off each other. There is also some serious violence when things go awry that comes as something of a shock after the amusing opening set in a diner which is known for its killer doughnuts. Bill Paxton’s CIA agent Earl is a thoroughly nasty piece of work although you know he’s going to get it in the end. Edward James Olmos’s Mexican drug lord seems like a character out of a Robert Rodriguez movie and he plays it accordingly.
While 2 Guns offers nothing new, it does offer a pretty good time at the local cinema. Simple, well crafted movies which have nothing more on their mind than entertaining an audience for a couple of hours deserve their place in the movie pantheon alongside the big budget extravaganzas and the art house/indie flicks. In fact the older I get, the better these movies look.
Rated R for violence throughout, language, and brief nudity.
Review by Chip Kaufmann
Blue Jasmine ****1/2
Short Take: A former socialite teeters on the brink of insanity in the wake of her husband’s Bernie Madoff-like fall from grace.
REEL TAKE: Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine gives off the distinct odor of Oscar bait. While it doesn’t have the warmth and general appeal of Midnight in Paris, Allen scores big in this story of former socialite on the brink of insanity. Based ever so abstractly on Tennessee Williams’ Streetcar Named Desire, Woody Allen breaks new ground even for him [with a track record of 40 some-odd films to his credit].
Jasmine, played by Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, is our Blanche Dubois. Ginger (Sally Hawkins), Jasmine’s sister, serves as the Stella character and her blue collar boyfriend Chili (James Carnavalle) is a Stanley of sorts.
As the film opens Jasmine is flying to San Francisco to stay with her estranged sister Ginger. Jasmine is a [now] former socialite fleeing NYC in the wake of a Bernie-Madoff-like scandal that brought down her fabulously wealthy financier husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) and the posh life she knew. As she balances ever so precariously on the edge of reason, often sticking more than just her right foot on the bus to crazy town, she reveals the gradual undoing of her previous life. Allen brilliantly choreographs the scenes, masterfully dancing back and forth between the past and present.
In the past Hal swindled the lottery winnings belonging to Ginger and her then husband, Augie (Andrew Dice Clay). It crushed their hopes and dreams and eventually ruined their marriage, while Jasmine and Hal moved on like a hit and run; hence the estrangement between the two sisters. In the present, Ginger, a wonderfully good-hearted gal, takes pity on her sister and offers to put her up until she can get back on her feet. Jasmine is contemptuous of Ginger’s low brow digs and aspirations and even more so of her boyfriend, Chili, an apparent clone of Augie.
Possessing no skill set for the 21st century job market, she draws from what little skills her former lifestyle afforded her and decides to become an interior designer. She wants to go to school for it online, after she learns how to use a computer. Yep – she’s in denial, she’s stalling and she’s pickled in vodka and psychotropic pharmaceuticals most of the time. Jasmine is incredibly self absorbed, arrogant and unlikable. Yet Blanchett pulls off the amazing feat of making us care, actually making us empathize with this God awful woman.
The picture belongs entirely to Blanchett, but that’s not to say she’s in shabby company, everyone in the ensemble turns out terrific performances. Sally Hawkins is marvelous, Baldwin is a smooth and smarmy, and Carnavalle is big old lug with a heart of gold. But perhaps the biggest revelation in the cast is Andrew Dice Clay. It’s not a large part, but his performance as Augie is pitch perfect and is a far cry from The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.
From behind the camera Allen delivers a five star performance too. His talent for dialogue and jazzy soundtracks are a given. But what he achieves here is something on a whole new level. Blue Jasmine is not a comedy or even a dramedy, but only Allen could infuse such a story with marvelous comedic moments and deliver the punch. Allen’s touch and Blanchett’s performance turn an otherwise unpalatable story into a strangely compelling, gem of a film.
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, language and sexual content.
Review by Michelle Keenan
Elysium ***1/2
Short Take: With Earth an over-crowded wasteland and Elysium a sparkling space station in the sky that knows no sickness, a man suffering from radiation poisoning endeavours to get to Elysium to cure himself and maybe save the planet.
REEL TAKE: Neil Blomkamp’s Elysium is good film that could have been – and should have been a great film. In the time that has passed since seeing the film, the detracting elements that kept it from greatness annoy me even more. That said, it is good and the concept is fairly fascinating.
Like great science fiction books, it makes a statement on the issue facing the world, but speculating on what the world may be like in the future because of its current actions. In this case, suffering from pollution and pillaging, Earth is a shadow of its former self.
The haves [versus the have nots] have built Elysium, a space station of sorts where everything is perfect, the manicured people, manicured lawns and opulent homes. Best of all, there is no illness; disease, wounds and any health issues can be fixed in these special beds.
However, rather than share this technology with the rest of Earth’s citizens it is saved only for the 1%, er, I mean the citizen’s of Elysium. Blomkamp claims the film is not an allegory for the issues of today, but there’s no denying he’s certainly touching upon some hot buttons – immigration, economy, depletion of Earth’s resources, and so on. However, much is subject of interpretation as he offers no back story, no explanation of what exactly happened. We also only see the decimated and over-crowded L.A. of 2154 and Elysium.
The only back story we are given is a brief glimpse to into our hero’s past. Max is an orphan who dreams of doing something important some day and of going to Elysium. His best friend is a little girl named Frey; Max loves Frey. Fast forward thirty-some years – Max is a factory worker and Frey is a doctor and single mother of a dying child.
When Max receives a fatal dose radiation at work (Earth apparently provides the labor force for Elysium’s economy), his only chance of survival is to get to Elysium, which of course will be easier said than done. With nothing left to lose, a band of revolutionaries, upfit Damon with an exoskeleton of a droid and an implanted data chip that allows him to find out what’s happening on Elysium. Their hope is that not only will he be cured, he will be able to secure the benefits of Elysium (i.e. healthcare) for the 2nd class citizens of Earth.
What’s happening on Elysium is an intended coup by Elysium’s head of security (Jodie Foster). She enlists the service of a unscrupulous agent/mercenary (Sharlto Copley) and eventually both storylines collide. Ridiculously long fight sequences ensue and at three quarters of the way through the film, Copley’s character becomes the main villain, not Foster’s. It’s not that this plot shift can’t work, it’s just that its implementation seems slightly awry.
Damon delivers spot on as usual. Copley delivers a despicably good performance. Foster’s performance seem to drown in her Praetorian-esque accent. Blomkamp’s District 9 was a tremendous movie. Like Distrct 9, Elysium is smart and brutal, but compassionate. Unlike District 9, Elysium gets caught between Blomkamp’s style and Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster.
Rated R for strong, bloody violence and language throughout.
Review by Michelle Keenan
Paranoia ***1/2
Short Take: A paint-by-numbers urban thriller about financial chicanery and corporate espionage that manages to be very entertaining thanks a top flight cast and solid no-nonsense direction.
Reel Take: I have had it up to here (place either hand as far above your head as you can) with important critics who trip over themselves to come up with snarky phrases for telling us what’s wrong with a movie without bothering to tell us what might be right with it. Paranoia is a case in point. The day after it opened it received a 2% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 2%!?! Even the biggest box office disaster of all time, last year’s The Oogieloves rates better than that. At last check it was up to 5%.
Yes, Paranoia offers nothing new and yes, it’s predictable and disposable entertainment but, like The Tourist, there’s nothing wrong with that when it’s well done. While watching this I was reminded of the efficiency of Don Siegel (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dirty Harry), one of my favorite second tier directors whose nuts and bolts approach came as a relief from the excesses of 1970s filmmaking. No doubt it’s my age showing but that approach would be a welcome sight today in mainstream filmmaking not just in art house or indie movies.
The story is basic. Young hotshot computer whiz (Liam Hemsworth) goes to work for software magnate (Gary Oldman) who enlists him to steal company secrets from his rival and one time mentor (Harrison Ford). Naturally more is involved than first meets the eye. Complicating matters are a young Oldman employee (Amber Heard) that Hemsworth must use without her knowledge to get at Ford.
Australian Robert Luketic directs the film with a stylish flair more reminiscent of 21(2008) than his breakout hit Legally Blonde (2001). In addition to captivating but not overly confusing visuals, Luketic edits the film in a manner that exhilarates rather than exhausts. The screenplay by Jason Dean Hall and Barry Levy is Espionage Thriller 101 but it moves the story along and keeps us engaged. The contemporary music score by Junkie XL uses a number of recent hits to engage a younger audience.
The performances were the most enjoyable part of Paranoia for me. Hemsworth is a likeable and engaging protagonist while Amber Heard manages to register as the co-worker and later love interest despite her limited screen time. However the film belongs to Gary Oldman (in a role intended for Kevin Spacey) and especially Harrison Ford who, at 70, shows that he still has a magnetic screen presence. He has also become an actor of stature in his later years. Check out his final screen appearance here and you’ll see what I mean.
So don’t let an online review decide whether or not you see a movie. The best gauge still remains word of mouth from people you know whose judgment you trust. I went to see Paranoia because of the corporate espionage theme and to see the performers. I was very pleased with the results and so was the audience with me. Unfortunately it opened poorly and may not be around for long.
Rated PG-13 for some sexuality, violence, and language.
Review by Chip Kaufmann
Lee Daniels’ The Butler ****
Short Take: A compelling and emotionally rewarding story of hate and humanity and the Civil Rights movement as told through the eyes of the black butler who served eight U.S. Presidents.
REEL TAKE: In 2008, The Washington Post ran an article, “A Butler Well Served by This Election.” The feature told the story of Eugene Allen, a butler who served eight presidents at the white house. Danny Strong (who received accolades earlier this year for writing and producing Game Change, the HBO movie about Sarah Palin and the 2008 election) adapted the story for big screen, fictionalizing the name of the main character and playing loosely with Allen’s personal story for cinematic and emotional impact. Directing the emotionally manipulative but effective proceedings is Lee Daniels.
Before we go any further I should clarify that the film is titled Lee Daniels’ The Butler for legal reasons, not egocentric gratification. Daniels takes us on a Forest Gump-like, encyclopedic look at the civil rights movement through the journey of one man. For creative license, Allen has been re-dubbed Cecil Gaines, and the film recounts his story from pivotal moment in his childhood in 1926 through the election of President Obama. The narrative voice is Cecil (Forest Whitaker), now an elderly man looking back on his life.
To the filmmaker’s credit, there’s a lot of ground to cover, but the story never feels hurried or ill-paced. The film unfolds like chapters in a good book without ever seeming episodic.
Cecil is the son of a share cropper. Though it’s technically 1926, one would think Lincoln never issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Trained as a house servant after the death of his father, Cecil learns to anticipate the white man’s every need, but to act like he doesn’t exist. This training serves him well. As a young man he comes up through the ranks in fine hotels until he is ‘discovered’ at The Excelsior Hotel in Washington D.C. and recruited as a White House Butler. It’s 1957. Eisenhower is President. (The real life butler, Mr. Allen, started under Truman, but the movie doesn’t suffer for the liberty.)
Cecil’s job at the White House serves as the framework for the movie and it is interesting, but it’s not where the film’s strength lies. Strong and Daniels raise the bar, making an otherwise straightforward narrative truly dynamic by interweaving Cecil’s experience throughout the Civil Rights movement and that of his son Louis (David Oyelowo). When Louis goes off to college, he becomes deeply immersed in the movement, becoming a Freedom Rider and activist. The deeper his involvement, the more fractious the relationship becomes between father and son. The arc of this plotline plays out brilliantly.
What doesn’t play out quite so well is the all-star and somewhat bizarre casting of the occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, in particular Robin Williams as Dwight D. Eisenhower and John Cusack as Tricky Dick. However, Whitaker’s graceful and utterly believable performance pretty much trumps any missteps.
Oprah Winfrey is slightly distracting at first, only because she’s ‘Oprah,’ but as she settles into the role, she shines. Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Lenny Kravitz as fellow butlers and witnesses to history are both excellent. British born David Oyelowo turns in a very strong performance as Cecil’s son, and I fully expect that both he and Whitaker will be nominated come award season.
Lee Daniels’ The Butler succeeds on many levels. It’s far more mainstream and approachable than Daniels’ Oscar-nominated Precious and, in this case, I think its universal appeal makes it the more powerful film. Daniels is unsparing in his depiction of the inequality for African Americans in the 20th century. To balance atrocities born of hate with grace and the unifying bonds of humanity (and to make it entertaining to boot), is quite an accomplishment.
At a time when we’ve made great strides but have such a long way to go in the fight for equality, Lee Daniels’ The Butler is a must for everyone.
Rated PG-13 for some violence and disturbing images, language, sexual material, thematic elements and smoking.
Review by Michelle Keenan
Unfinished Song ****1/2
Short Take: This story of a misanthropic elderly man dealing with the death of his wife by joining her unorthodox choir is elevated by the remarkable performances of Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave.
Reel Take: Unfinished Song (Song for Marion in the U.K. and Europe) is another example of a film that covers no new ground but is taken to a higher level thanks to a number of fine performances spearheaded by Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave. Writer-Director Paul Andrew Williams, whose previous efforts include two shorts, some TV shows, and a couple of horror films, is aiming for a wider audience with this film and he has succeeded. The subject material is tailor made for the over 40 set who, until recently, have generally been ignored by mainstream moviemakers.
Arthur Harris (Terence Stamp) is a grumpy retiree with a critically ill but upbeat wife (Vanessa Redgrave) who sings with a local elderly choir. This choir is led by a much younger teacher (Gemma Arterton) whose personal life is a shambles. Her choice of material for the choir is decidedly unorthodox as she has them singing pop standards with a little rap music thrown in for good measure. Arthur wants nothing to do with them or anyone else for that matter including his hardworking son (Christopher Eccleston).
We know from the very beginning that Marion is not long for this world but the 76 year old Vanessa Redgrave makes her tried & true (some critics have suggested “trite & true”) material seem fresh and powerful thanks to her dynamic presence. The movie, however, belongs to Terence Stamp who at 75 has been transformed from a beautiful young man into a beautiful old man. He takes his standard material and infuses it with a depth and believability that makes the actor disappear and the character come alive.
Youngsters Gemma Arterton and Christopher Eccleston hold their own with the old pros which gives this movie an appeal to those under 40 as well. Arterton’s choir director remains relentlessly upbeat in spite of her personal problems and is the key to getting the oldsters to try new things and to believe in themselves. Her scene of self revelation with Stamp is one of many emotional highlights that give the film a lasting resonance. Christopher Eccleston as the neglected and rejected son also gets the chance to shine in two key scenes leading up to the heartwarming and uplifting finale.
While all of this is familiar territory and shamelessly manipulative, director Williams takes a simple, straight forward approach that draws us in and allows writer Williams’ material to seem better than it is. The movie builds to a predictable push button emotional finale but thanks to Stamp it transcends its limitations and becomes something truly special. His rendition of Billy Joel’s “Goodbye My Angel” will stay with you always.
If you enjoyed Quartet or Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, then you’ll love Unfinished Song. Don’t be ashamed if you have a strong emotional response during this movie. That, after all, is what Unfinished Song is all about.
Rated PG-13 for some sexual references and rude gestures.
Review by Chip Kaufmann
