Monthly Reel

Inspired by Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger, our Chip Kaufmann has written an epic article about The Lone Ranger at 80. So I’ll keep this month’s cinematic thoughts and ponderings short, sweet and to the point.

1. I want to be Helen Mirren when I grow up. The 60-something Brit actress gets seemingly sexier and more badass with every picture and every passing year. This summer she re-teams with co-stars, Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary Louise Parker and Brian Cox for the sequel to Red. It’s not particularly great, but it is great fun.

2. This is the year of the teenage boy – on the heels of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and MUD, Hollywood delivers another solid coming-of-age story in The Way Way Back.

3. There is absolutely no reason why The Lone Ranger isn’t a box office hit. See Chip’s review!

4. The documentaries 20 Feet from Stardom and The Summit are not to be missed. We didn’t review them but assure you that they are worth your time and money. See them while you can.

5. This soggy summer has been good for one thing – going to the movies.

6. RIP James Gandolfini and Dennis Farina.

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The Conjuring ****

Short Take: Low budget supernatural thriller has old school scares a –plenty but it just misses out on being an all time classic.

Reel Take: My feeling on overly explicit horror films and torture porn, in particular, is well documented. So when I found out that this latest “based on real life events” movie was directed by James Wan, the man who started the Saw franchise, you can just imagine my enthusiasm. Well everyone deserves a second chance and, in this instance, Mr Wan has crafted a quality old school horror film that only goes astray at the end. That still doesn’t keep it from being one of my more enjoyable horror movie experiences in recent memory.

Based on an account by real life paranormal investigators Ed & Lorraine Warren concerning a family in Rhode Island, The Conjuring is proof yet again that when properly crafted, what you don’t see can have a more unsettling effect on your movie psyche than what you do. My personal experience has been that when you hear guys turn to their dates afterwards and say that the movie wasn’t that scary, then you know it was. I can tell male nervous laughter from female nervous laughter and there was plenty of it at the showing I attended.

The story is basically a reworking of The Amityville Horror. When the Perrons, a working class couple with a family of young girls, moves into a 100+ year old house in Rhode Island, strange things began to happen. First an unseen presence pulls at the girls’ legs then a boarded up basement is discovered. Bruises began to appear on the mother and cold spots with the smell of decay are found all over the house. The Warrens are called into investigate and discover that not only has the house been cursed, but the evil force behind it is the most malevolent they have ever encountered.

To say any more would be to give away too much and I certainly don’t want to do that. When a film is as well crafted as this one is, the less you know the better although it is so well crafted that it can be enjoyed on subsequent viewings for that reason alone. Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga as the Warrens head up a cast of largely unknowns who are extremely effective in their performances. The 5 young girls of the family are especially noteworthy as each manages to convey a sense of their own character.

The film was shot for less than $20 million and most of it was filmed not in Rhode Island but in Wilmington NC with the local university, UNCW, providing the classrooms for the Warrens’ paranormal lectures. It exceeded its budget on the opening weekend and is poised to do very, very well. As the majority of this summer’s $100 million dollar plus blockbusters tank at the box office, maybe Hollywood will finally live with the fact that overall you can consistently make more money on a smaller budget movie that is smartly promoted.

The Conjuring, while a very good movie, is not without its flaws. At 2 hours it could use a little trimming especially in the climax which is overdrawn. After 90 minutes of subtlety, it’s a shame that the filmmakers focused so much on an Exorcist like ending. As this was based on a “real life” experience, most of the people involved would be dead if it happened the way it’s depicted here. Also the title makes no sense as no conjuring of any kind ever takes place. Still the movie is highly atmospheric and should please most fans unless you prefer Saw to Insidious.

Rated R for sequences of disturbing violence and terror.

Review by Chip Kaufmann

Girl Most Likely **1/2

Short Take: A once promising playwright finds herself ousted from her fashionable Manhattanite social circle and back in the arms of her estranged but Jersey Shore family.

Reel Take: I fully expected to really like Girl Most Likely. I was anticipating a small, quirky, sharp-witted comedy. Instead the filmmakers delivered a well intended but meandering comedy wannabe. It’s an incredible waste of a great cast. Even the most dedicated Kristen Wiig fans may be annoyed while they patiently wait for her character to get her head out of her [you know what].

Wiig plays Imogene, a once promising New York playwright who finds herself unceremoniously dumped by her high society boyfriend and their Manhattanite social circle. In complete denial and possessing a flair for the dramatic, Imogene stages a suicide attempt. But instead of returning her to the loving arms of her Dutch boyfriend, she’s turned over to the care of her estranged mother Zelda (Annette Benning), a tacky Jersey shore broad and casino junkie. Uncomfortably welcomed back at the childhood home she tried so hard for forget and leave behind, Imogene is reunited with her sweet (albeit slightly off), hermit crab loving brother (Christopher Fitzgerald), and meets her mother’s strangely suspicious new boyfriend (Matt Dillon) and a hunky young Backstreet Boy impersonator (Glee’s Darren Criss) who’s renting her old bedroom.

Oblivious to the fact her Dutch boyfriend (she refers to him as being Dutch all the time – it’s the reason he didn’t marry her, some kind of continental thing) has moved on and that none of their high society friends want anything to do with her, Imogene doggedly tries to get back to her New York life. Meanwhile, a subplot involving her allegedly dead father (used primarily as yet another tool to hammer it into to her head that high society doesn’t want you, the salt of the Earth, Jersey Shore people do) threatens to derail everything. It’s really hard to root for a somewhat unlikable character that is too old to be so truly stupid and unsympathetic.

The moral of the story is well worn territory; Never forget where you come from never forget what really matters and who really loves you. With better material and direction, the film could have been really good. They manage to pull off a few running jokes, and Imogene does eventually learn her lesson while still pursuing her dreams, but ultimately Girl Most Likely lacks the empathy and genuine laugh factor of truly good comedy.

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language.

Review by Michelle Keenan

The Lone Ranger ****1/2

Short Take: Gore Verbinski’s reboot of the venerable Western hero has been seriously misunderstood by most critics and undervalued as a result by audiences and that is unfortunate as it has so much to offer.

Reel Take: Anyone who has read more than a few of my reviews knows that I am often at odds with most critics over their view of certain films but never in my 35 years as a film reviewer have I come across as many wrongheaded reviews as I have concerning The Lone Ranger. A 27% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes is unbelievable. Reading some of the reviews left me wondering if they had seen the same movie I had. The Lone Ranger is not Gigli and doesn’t deserve this kind of critical mauling.

The Lone Ranger IS a remarkable movie on many different levels, and I say that as one of those critics who was prepared to hate it. From the trailers I was expecting a Western version of the Pirates movies. I had even derogatorily nicknamed it Pirates of the Purple Sage. What I got instead was a movie that was loaded with references to other movies while being true to itself. It does have some issues mainly with the length (149 minutes) but the sheer exuberance of the whole enterprise more than compensates.

The movie opens in the manner of Little Big Man (1970) where an aged Tonto (Johnny Depp) in the year 1933 (the year The Lone Ranger made its debut on radio) recalls his history to a young boy dressed as the Ranger. It then goes back half a century to the building of the transcontinental railroad and a direct reference to John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (1962) with Eastern lawyer John Reid (Armie Hammer) naively planning to bring justice to the Wild West.

Before long he meets a younger Tonto, survives a pre-planned massacre, and winds up seeking revenge not justice although he thinks otherwise. This is just the beginning of a series of adventures that culminate in him becoming the Lone Ranger. Our first few glimpses of Tonto make him seem like a Native American Jack Sparrow (our expectations) but Tonto’s back story adds a whole new dimension to the character and reveals the subtle shadings of Depp’s performance.

There are a number of fine character portrayals throughout the film from William Fichtner’s heart eating villain to Helena Bonham Carter’s bordello madam with a heart of gold and a leg of ivory. Special mention should go to the always excellent Tom Wilkinson doing his best Jason Robards impression (a reference to Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West – see this month’s DVD picks) as a visionary but ruthless railroad baron who will let nothing stand in his way.

While there are movie references galore throughout The Lone Ranger, there are two men who cast the longest shadows over the film. One is the aforementioned Sergio Leone whose flashback narrative style and black sense of humor can be seen throughout and the other is Buster Keaton. All the breathtaking locomotive action scenes in the last third of the film recall his silent classic The General and with Depp being such a big Keaton fan, this comes as no surprise.

There are even references to the ill-fated 1981 remake The Legend of the Lone Ranger but Verbinski, like Quentin Tarantino, uses the past to illuminate the present without sacrificing his own goals as a moviemaker. His combination of the grim (and some of it is very grim) and the humorous along with the truly epic nature of the film were not what the critics or Disney expected. They basically wanted a franchise starter and they didn’t get it. So forget the critics and go see The Lone Ranger and make up your own mind. This quirky film deserves to be a hit and it would serve Disney right if their tax write off strategy came back to bite them you know where.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence and some suggestive material.

Review by Chip Kaufmann

Pacific Rim ***1/2

Short Take: Guillermo del Toro’s blockbuster version of the old Japanese monster movies definitely has its moments but it could have been a lot shorter and would have benefitted from a much smaller budget.

Reel Take: For those of us who grew up in the 1950s and 60s, Japanese kairu films were a staple of Saturday matinees and later Saturday afternoon TV. Kairu is Japanese for large monster and Japan cranked out a slew of these movies after the unexpected success of the original Godzilla (1954). Godzilla is easily the most famous but there were others including Mothra and Rodan. Eventually the various monsters fought each other and later became good guys defending the Earth against aliens.

More than half the fun of seeing these films was watching guys in rubber suits wipe out obviously miniature buildings and toy cars. We knew they weren’t real but we were far more innocent and forgiving in those days. I actually had a friend who dreamed of being the guy in the rubber suit just so he could get paid to destroy things. Last but not least let’s not forget the dreadful English dubbing that was a mainstay of these movies. “Oh, rook! A mahn-stuh!!” became a favorite catchphrase.

Well it turns out that Guillermo del Toro was one of those kids and now that he’s rich and famous, he decided to recreate the Japanese monster movies of his youth. The monsters featured in Pacific Rim are even given the generic name of kairu. But with a budget of $180 million and a running time of 131 minutes, something vital has been lost in the upgrade. That something vital is the element of fun. The film features a decent storyline and some intentional humor but it’s also relentless with its never ending battle sequences and, as a result, I wound up not having much fun at all.

The story, for those of you who actually want one, concerns an attack from a race of giant monsters that emerge from under the Earth’s crust in the Pacific Ocean. When conventional weapons fail to stop them, we come up with a really giant version of the old Rock’em Sock’em robots and they do the trick. These giant machines, known as Jaegers, defeat the Kairu at first and when the threat is perceived to be over then they are decommissioned. When hordes of Kairu launch an all out assault, the Jaegers are brought back to make a last stand.

With the notable exception of Raymond Burr in the first Godzilla film, the Japanese monster movies featured no name casts. Del Toro keeps that tradition alive in this film as the two leads (Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi), the comic relief (Burn Gorman, Charlie Day), and the supporting cast are not exactly household names. The only well known actor is Ron Perlman who has been in most of Del Toro’s movies and here he has what is essentially a glorified cameo. However it is Idris Elba, as the leader of the robot squadron whose word is law, who makes the biggest impression.

Pacific Rim is a fun movie that is full of Guillermo del Toro’s signature black humor and an undeniable love of the material. It is well staged, well performed, and for the most part well paced. It deserves to do better at the box office than it will and it could have if the budget had been more in line with the subject matter. Unfortunately, from my perspective, I’m now too old for the overuse of CGI that is employed here. It’s a shame that we have to be so literal these days. I miss using my imagination. It was a lot of fun to make more out of something less.

Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi action, violence throughout, and brief language.

Review by Chip Kaufmann

Red 2 ***1/2

Short Take: Retried CIA operative Frank Moses and the gang come out of retirement again to fight bad guys and save the world.

Reel Take: Based on Warren Ellis’s acclaimed DC Comics graphic novels, Red was a sleeper hit in 2010 and has won legions of fans in television broadcasts since. Red 2 brings former CIA top secret assassin, Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) out of retirement once again and re-teams him with his band of aging government hired guns. Everyone from the original, with the exception of Morgan Freeman (for obvious reasons), reprises their roles. Most sequels fail to live up to their predecessors or to expectations and hype. In the case of Red 2, I thought we might just be pleasantly surprised. The good news is if you enjoyed Red, you’ll certainly enjoy Red2.

The bad news is the plotline that brings them back together to pit them against the bad guys and save the world, has too many twists for its own good and has a few too many bombastic action sequences in which scores of extras are carelessly killed off as collateral damage. The original film did not fall prey to these trappings; ergo keeping its tongue-in-cheek comic tone fully in tact. That said, Red 2 is a whole lot of fun and has enough going for it (the charisma of its actors) that it’s easy to overlook its flaws.

This go ‘round, Frank is easing into retired life with his girlfriend Sarah. While he marvels at the simple joys of shopping at Costco, Sarah longs for a life of adventure, now that she’s had a taste of danger and Frank’s previous life. Fortunately for Sarah, Marvin (John Malkovich) shows up and soon they’re on another wild ride and fighting for their lives. This of course brings the cool-as-a-cucumber MI 6 agent, Victoria (Helen Mirren), on the scene as well as her Russian lover Ivan (Brian Cox). Red2 also welcomes Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta Jones, David Thewlis, Byun-hun Lee and Neil McDonough to the action. Hopkins looks like he hasn’t had this much fun in years and David Thewlis deliciously proves there’s no such thing as small part.

Director Robert Schwentke, who directed Red, was unable to due the honors this time. Apparently he was already booked for RIPD; from the sounds of which, may his career RIP. In his place is Dean Parisot, director of such pictures as Galaxy Quest and Fun with Dick and Jane. Parisot gets comedy, as do the film’s writers, Jon and Erich Hoeber (can you say, “You sank my Battleship!”), but while many of the film’s comedic moments roll naturally, some seem like they were trying just a little too hard. Fear not though, the combined talent and built in camaraderie of Willis, Malkovich, Mirren, Parker, Cox and Hopkins transcends mediocrity.

For me the Red movies are pure entertainment and a delightful distraction from the real world. This sequel is worth watching, and I have a feeling they may try to squeeze another one out before their asskicking days are truly behind them. But let’s hope Bruce “how many times have I died hard” Willis will be able to say goodbye to Frank Moses more readily than he’s been able to with John McClane.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence and brief strong language.

Review by Michelle Keenan

The Way Way Back ****

Short Take: A familiar but warmly satisfying coming of age story of a lonely, awkward teenage boy on a summer vacation with his mother and mother’s less than likeable boyfriend.

Reel Take: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, the creative team that brought us The Descendants, make their directorial debut with one of this summer’s most unexpected and understated treats, The Way Way Back. It’s not what I would deem a great film, or an important one, but it is a tenderhearted delight.

The opening sets the tone for the movie. Duncan, a quiet and awkward 14 year old, is sitting the back, the way back, of one of those big old wood paneled station wagons (the kind with last seat facing the back window). This in and of itself creates nostalgic feel even though the film takes place in present day.

Duncan and his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), are traveling with her boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and his teenage daughter to Trent’s beach house on the Massachusetts coast for the summer. During the drive (while the ladies are dozing), Trent asks Duncan on a scale of 1 to 10, what he consider himself. Baffled by the question, but in attempt to answer, he says, “I don’t know – I guess a 6.” Trent tells him he thinks he’s a 3. Who does that?!

After reaching “Riptide” (the name of Trent’s beach house), Duncan is introduced to an array of characters. The pretty teenage daughter of a hilariously obnoxious and ever-soused, recently divorced neighbor, tells Duncan, “This place is like spring break for grown ups.” Eager to escape the overbearing eye of Trent and the juvenile antics of the adults, Duncan takes off on a girl’s bicycle and eventually finds himself at a water park managed by a kooky character named Owen (Sam Rockwell). Laid back, likeable and in near-constant comic monologue, Owen takes Duncan under his wing and gives him a job. At Water Wizz, Duncan finds a place among the assorted oddballs that work there (including Faxon and Rash in very fun bit parts). This is where the film really takes off.

Knowing straight away that Trent is a grade A Jerk obviously doesn’t bode well for his and Pam’s relationship. The film in fact holds little mystery. It is familiar coming of age, teen angst territory and it is quite predictable, but none of that detracts from the story or our enjoyment of it. Instead, Faxon and Rash delve into the humanity of their characters in a way that evokes empathy and reminds us we’re all a work in progress.

Sam Rockwell, who consistently delivers top grade work in small but consistently top grade films, soars in this role. Faxon and Rash’s witty dialogue couldn’t have been delivered with more impeccable timing and less pretense. He brings good natured affability, compassion and a magnetic charisma to the film. Liam James plays Duncan with an unapologetic vulnerability and awkwardness. Cast against type, Carell delivers a subtle but effective performance. Likewise, Toni Collette’s character could have just been the generic mom, but instead you get the real sense that she’s struggling between protecting her son from certain painful facts and finding her own path. Allison Janney as the boozy neighbor and the rest of the supporting cast turn in fine performances.

Part of what really sets this film apart is the nostalgic feel of summers past. This will resonate particularly with anyone who grew up in the 70s ma 80s. The Way Way Back may be the sleeper hit of the summer and a very enjoyable respite from some of summer’s bigger, louder offerings.

Rated: PG-13 for some thematic elements, language, some sexual content and brief drug material.

Review by Michelle Keenan