Category: Thriller

ARBITRAGE – The Review

The shelf life of a Hollywood leading men can sometimes be quite short. When the A-list scripts or name directors cease to call ( or return calls ) many leading men have turned to television (especially now with the quirky shows on basic cable and premium channels ). Some actors will turn to smaller supporting or character roles: the gruff father or grumpy grandpa’ parts. And then there’s Richard Gere. He emerged as a major heart-throb in the late 70’s with splashy performances in BLOOD BROTHERS and LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR. Of course, posters of him in AMERICAN GIGOLO adorned many a bedroom wall in the early 80’s. Even then he balanced these main stream flicks with quirkier fare like DAYS OF HEAVEN. Through the next decades he cemented his box office status with romantic roles in box office smashes such as AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN and PRETTY WOMAN. But Gere seems more eager now than ever to take a chance, whether learning tap for CHICAGO or playing a real life fraud, Clifford Irving, in HOAX. Now he’s parlaying his still considerable charms ( making that silver mane look good! ) as a character loosely based on recent, shady Wall Street-types in the dramatic thriller ARBITRAGE. And this time out, Gere just may finally take that gold statuette home.

In ARBITRAGE Gere plays Robert Miller, one of the so-called ” masters of the universe “. You can imagine him downing a scotch with Gordon Gekko at a swank private club. But, not as the film opens. Miller’s private jet touches down after a fruitless business meeting. He’s immediately transported via limo to the plush NYC digs he shares with his gorgeous socialite wife of many years, Ellen ( Susan Sarandon ). Ellen’s put together a birthday party for him with his son ( and wife, and grandkids ) and business partner daughter Brooke ( Brit Marling ) in attendance. Rushing out early ( ” Gotta’ stop by the office” ), Robert dashes to meet his mistress, up-and-coming artist Julie ( Laetita Casta ). She’s frustrated that he spends so little time with her, while he insists he’ll be at her big gallery opening tomorrow night. When he really goes into the office the next morning, things are not as rosy as the media believes. Miller has borrowed millions from a colleague so that his hedge fund company will look more attractive for a potential buyer. Robert’s itching to cash in and retire, while Brooke knows nothing of the loan. That night, after the gallery reception, Robert whisks Julie away for a relaxing country weekend upstate. Tragedy strikes. Robert calls on Jimmy Grant ( Nate Parker ), the son of his deceased driver, to help him out. Police detective Michael Bryer ( Tim Roth ) investigates the incident and becomes aware of Grant’s involvement. Will Grant expose Robert before he can sell his firm and hide his secrets from his family?

ARBITRAGE is almost two films. One is the police investigation led by Roth’s character. His dogged detective is almost the Columbo of the occupy movement. He wants  Robert Miller, that slick one-percenter,  in the slammer, pronto. Parker brings a lot of intensity to this young man caught between two worlds. Will he crack? Roth does a serviceable street accent, but this plot seems too similar to stories on any of the ” Law and Order ” TV spin-offs. What’s really interesting is the story of financial deception. It’s a bit flashier here than in last year’s MARGIN CALL and the WALL STREET flicks. The Millers must constantly put on a show for the public, so that no one will know that he and his company are barely treading water. The macho posturing of buyer and selling is on full display along with veiled threats and passive/aggressive behaviors. Every phone call or text may be a another deadly attack. Can the accountants keep quiet will the feds are sniffing about?  These fellas may look civilized, but they’re really sharks, waiting for that first hint of blood.

And Gere’s Robert Miller is the smoothest, deadliest shark of the bunch. This guy’s done a lot of rotten things, but somewhat Gere has us rooting for him. He lets us see the confusion on his face as Robert struggles to keep all the lies from strangling his brain. This is stand-out work from an actor who keeps surprising us. But he also helps his co-stars shine. Marling was quite an indie smash in last year’s ANOTHER EARTH, and here she jumps into the big leagues with a terrific duet with Gere in a powerful father and daughter confrontation on a bench in Central Park. She’s very strong in this role as is Sarandon as her, apparently clueless,  mother. This woman who runs the house staff and arranges charity events proves her own strength as she also confronts Robert late in the film. Being a big fan of TV’s ” The Rockford Files “, I was so pleased to see Stuart Margolin in a quietly scene stealing role as Robert’s long time attorney ( ” I can’t hear this.”, as he exits the limo ). Way to go ” Angel”! ARBITAGE is an involving look at the lies and secrets that are part of the business scandals that make up so many news headlines. And it’s a showcase for Gere. In his fifth decade as a film star, he’s doing some of his best work ever. Turns out that dreamboat poster guy is still quite an actor.

4 Out of 5 Stars

 

EASY MONEY (2010) – The Review

Ah yes, the allure of film noir is so very addictive. Set-up saps, dangerous dames, crime bosses, goons with gats, they’ve been a part of American cinema since the 1940’s. One of the genre’s biggest fans is Martin Scorsese ( you could say he put his own spin on them starting with MEAN STREETS and TAXI DRIVER ). Well, Mr. S knows when it’s done well, that why he’s put his name ( as in “Martin Scorsese presents” ) on this Swedish import. Sweden? The land of dour relationship dramas? Well, it turns out that they can make a very engaging crime thriller. Particularly director Daniel Espinosa ( he’s already jumped across the pond to make the recent Denzel Washington spy caper SAFE HOUSE ), who gives us the taut nail-biter EASY MONEY. And if you know your noir, you know there’s nothing easy about going after those elusive big bucks.

The flick open with the daring daylight prison escape of Jorge ( Matias Varela ). Seeking shelter, he’s turned away by his sister’s family. We then meet Mrado ( Dragomir Mrsic ), brutal enforcer for a Serbian drug-running gang led by Radovan ( Dejan Cukic ). Mrado’s life takes a turn when he’s awarded full custody of his sweet 7 year-old daughter from his drug-addicted ex-wife. The film’s main focus, JW ( Joel Kinnaman ) , enters the story. We first meet him as he hits the ” gentlemen’s clubs ” with his wealthy school mates. But they don’t know the truth about JW. He returns late that night to the cramped, run-down apartment he shares with his parents. He divides the next day between college economics classes and driving a taxi ( he’s careful to avoid his rich buddies ). JW is invited by a pal to join him for a weekend party at the country estate of the beautiful Sophie ( Lisa Henni ). JW connects immediately with her, but he can’t keep up the charade for long. The social-climber needs lots of money-fast! It turns out that his taxi dispatcher/ boss is part of a Spanish/ Arabic drug-running gang ( Jorge’s old crew ). Soon JW takes in Jorge and uses his economic skills to help the gang launder their drug money. This puts both men on a collision course with Mrado and the Serbian gang and entangles them in a web of lies and deception.

Espinosa knows that a great crime thriller should have plenty of twists and turns, so I’ll do my best not to spoil the many surprises. What really holds this all together are the excellent performances. Fans of AMC-TV’s ” The Killing ” are familiar with Kinnaman ( earlier this Summer he co-starred in the indie rom-com LOLA VERSUS ) who carries much of the story as the in way over his head JW. He aches to be part of the upper crust, to the point of replacing the buttons on his shirt with a more expensive name brand. He believes he can dip his toes in muddy waters of crime and not be dirty. In that way he reminded me of Montgomery Clift in the George Stevens classic A PLACE IN THE SUN. He wanted to be in the big leagues and one look at debutante Elizabeth Taylor made that his obsession. In EASY MONEY, it’s Henni as the luminous Sophie. When they first meet she’s the flirty, ditzy rich brat, but she’s touched by JW. He’s not like the boys she’s been dating. Sophies’s truly hurt by JW’s secrets. Varela’s Jorge has a more modest desire than JW : he wants to be a part of his family once again. His ties to crime have closed that door. The most intriguing character may be Mrsic’s Mrado. In his opening scenes he’s a seething bruiser, but being with his precious daughter brings out a tender side. He doesn’t want to be like his abusive father, so he must get out of the life. This leads to that ” one last job “, that , once completed , will allow them a new life. And as with most noirs, ” last jobs ” rarely play out without a  hitch . Espinosa shoots the action with vitality and clarity, and stills allows us to get inside the characters’ heads. He’ll often use flashes from the previous scenes that intercut a new establishing shot. Like the very best crime thrillers we find ourselves rooting for these thugs and double-crossers as they react to unforeseen circumstances, especially as JW drowns in deceptions as thick as quicksand. EASY MONEY is brutal and heart breaking, so well done that a sequel has been made in Sweden. Let’s hope Mr. Scorsese will presenting that film in US theatres very soon.

Overall rating : 4 Out of 5 Stars

EASY MONEY screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli theatre

TOTAL RECALL ( 2012 ) – The Review

Well Mr. Farrell, is this going to be an annual Summertime event ? I’m talking about his starring in big budget remakes. And not of films from Hollywood’s Golden Age. These are from the last 30 years or so ( I saw them in theatres in the original release, so thanks for making me feel even older Mr. F! ). Last year he was in the remake of 1985’s FRIGHT NIGHT taking on Chris Sarandon’s suburban vamp Jerry Brewster ( I prefer the original for Roddy McDowell and the lack of murky, dim 3D ). This time he’s got much bigger shoes to fill. Farrell’s got the Arnold Schwarzenegger role in the remake of TOTAL RECALL. The first version came out in 1990 inbetween the Austrian Oak’s comedies KINDERGARTEN COP and TWINS, well before he returned as our favorite cinema cyborg. This was also director Paul Verhoeven’s follow-up to ROBOCOP ( which is about to be rebooted soon ). Now Len Wiseman ( perhaps best known for starting the UNDERWORLD series ) is behind the reins. Can he replace our memories of a butt-kickin’ Sharon Stone and those misshapen Mars mutants with this new SF head trip?

It’s pretty much the same set-up as before. Doug Quaid ( Farrell ) is a working drone living in the “Colony”. Seems that in the far off future the only parts of Earth that are still inhabitable are England ( now the United Federation of Britain where all the swells reside in luxury ) and an island across the globe ( probably Australia ) called ” The Colony”. It’s not so nice. You could say that it’s Gotham City to UFB’s Metropolis ( for you comics fans ). Every morning Doug leaves his gorgeous wife Lori ( Kate Beckinsale ) and joins pal Harry ( Bookem Woodbine ) in a massive commuter tube ( called ” the Drop”, or ” the Fall”, or something ominous like that ) that shoots them through the Earth’s core to UFB where they work at a factory producing robots ( or “Synthoids ” ) used as military back-up. Seems a revolutionary group lead by Matthias ( Bill Nighy ), which is trying to liberate the colonists, is causing UFB leader Cohaagen ( Bryan Cranston ) no end of headaches. Speaking of the old noggin, Doug’s not been sleeping well because of some dreams where he’s fighting UFB forces alongside gorgeous warrior Melina ( Jessica Biel ). These visions along with some job fatigue inspire Doug to walk into the local “Rekall” shop ( despite Harry’s warnings ). ” Rekall ” plants new memories into your brain via a high-tech brain-chair. But something goes haywire and a switch is tripped inside Doug. Seems that everything he knows is a lie! ( Cue David Byrne, ” This is not my beautiful wife..” ). Can he get to the bottom of things and learn the truth about his past? And how does he fit into the big global battles? Just who is he and what side is he on?

So does this version work better in the era of CGI effects? Well, Farrell is more believable as a working stiff than Ah-nold. And Mr. F handles the action stuff very well. But, for wont of a better word, the 1990 model is a whole lot more fun. I mean gooey-cheesy fun! There are a few nods to the original, but I miss those over-the-top make-up effects from Rob Bottin and company. And the new version is repetitious almost to the point of boredom. It’s chase, leap, shoot, chase, exposition…., shoot, chase, explosion, leap, plot…., chase, etc. The film plays out more like a video game with dull dialogue between levels. And all the running and chasing. Makes you realize why Chuck Jones’s Road Runner cartoons are so great! They’re only seven minutes, not stretched-out over two hours! I wish I could at least praise the art direction, but the ” Colony ” is pure BLADE RUNNER meets Venice ( with the crowded neon-lit streets and constant rain ) and AFB is THE FIFTH ELEMENT with the massive, stacked skyscrapers and magnetic hover-cars ( a nod to STAR WARS EP. II there ). As for the actors, Beckinsale looks to be relishing a rare bad-girl role ( greatly expanded from Stone’s role in 1990 ). She’s a sexy future version of the unstoppable Bond hench…er…person. At least she’s having some fun!  Biel and Nighy are woefully underused as the rebels while Cranston is playing a more vicious balck-hatted villain version of the oily politico we saw a few weeks ago in ROCK OF AGES. The whole flick is exhausting and overdone. Not that the original is full of subtlety. After viewing this you may wish that you got your ” a** to Mars”, or to your local video store to see the original. I bet that talking chest-head thingy looks mighty fine on Blu!

Overall Rating: 2 Out of 5 Stars

ABRAHAM LINCOLN : VAMPIRE HUNTER – The Review

In 2009 Seth Grahame-Smith had an idea for a literary and pop culture mash-up. Kind of like a prose version of the classic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercials ( ” You got chocolate in my peanut butter! ” You got peanut butter in my chocolate!” ). The result was the best seller ” Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” ( ” You got flesh-eaters in my Jane Austen!” ). Soon other authors followed with ” Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters “. But Grahame-Smith, for his next novel,  embarked on another concoction: horror icons and historical figures. It would be revealed that a beloved former president shared more than a first name with Dr.Van Helsing, the nemesis of Count Dracula. Like the good doctor ( and cheerleader Buffy Summers ), honest Abe Lincoln was a vampire hunter. Soon fantasy film maven Tim Burton’s production company snapped up the movie rights and now ABRAHAM LINCOLN : VAMPIRE HUNTER has arrived in theatres everywhere. Will movie audiences embrace this genre mash-up as much as bibliophiles have?

In the film’s opening moments, we see President Lincoln  putting pen to paper in his secret journal. He recounts his days as a poor son of a farmer who witnesses his mother’s demise at the hands of vampire Jack Barts ( Marton Csokas ). Many years later teenage Abe ( Benjamin Walker )  is nearly killed tracking down Barts. Luckily the lad is rescued by Henry Sturgess ( Dominic Cooper ), who tells of a vast vampire network headed by the mysterious Adam ( Rufus Sewell ) . The two strike a deal. Henry will train Abe to destroy vamps, if Abe only eliminates the monsters that Henry singles out via letters to Abe once he re-locates in that hub of the evil  undead, Springfield, Illinois. Arriving there, Abe gets a job at the general store of Joshua Speed ( Jimmi Simpson ), re-unites with a childhood friend the free-born son of slaves Will Johnson ( Anthony Mackie ), and meets future wife Mary Todd ( Mary Elizabeth Winstead ). Soon the missives from Henry are delivered and Abe must tear himself away from the law books and shopkeeping to rid the town of the vampire scourge. Word reaches Adam who must stop the rail-splitter from not only destroying his undead brethren, but from achieving political office and ending slavery ( seems they’re a steady source of blood ). As the country heads into the Civil War, Abe must take up his old skills in order to prevent Adam and his vampire forces from make the Confederacy victorious.

Sounds a bit silly? Well a lot of it does play like a stretched-out late night comedy skit minus much of the humor. No winking at the camera here, which helps the shock aspect of the first few vamp attacks. The bloodsuckers are all teeth when in feeding mode and adhere to several of the classical rules. Sunshine is not too much of a problem ( none of them pretty sparkly vamps, though ), thanks to special sunglasses and heavy-duty sunblock salve. They’re fast, strong, and can become invisible ( no evidence of animal transformation ). Director Timur Bekmambetov, in his first big English feature since 2008’s WANTED, tries to inject some energy into the quiet conversations and true incidents, but really seems to be chomping at the bit to tear into the big action set pieces. Abe and the baddies leap, spin, and kick ala’ the Matrix  and other ‘ wire-fu’ flicks. A battle during a horse stampede quickly becomes a CGI cartoon, as does a gravity defying ( or ignoring ) fight atop a crashing locomotive. The main characters are mere bouncing video game stars by the film’s long-in-coming finale. Walker, looking like a baby-faced Liam Neeson, never is allowed past history icon status. He’s just a fellow who wears tall hats and uses his axe very well ( the film skirts into ‘ steam punk’ territory with some of the weaponry and gadgets ). Cooper is merely the tough mentor ( think a playboy Ben Kenobi ), who’s hiding a big secret. Sewel is good as a dead-eyed, snarling mastermind with his emotions always in check. Mackie’s mostly Watson to Walker’s Holmes and never really gets a chance to shine. And there’s little passion between Walker and Winstead during the courtship of Abe and Mary. She’s regulated to the background until an embarrassing scene where she pounds on Abe’s chest after a tragedy occurs. Historical figures are name checked ( ” I’m Stephen Douglas! ” Thank you. Miss Tubman” ) as are Civil War battles and events ( Fort Sumter! Gettysburg! ), but the scenes seem to be pulled out of a middle school social studies book. What could have been a funny, spooky romp of a popcorn fantasy flick is instead an overwrought, clunky, noisy endurance test for the audience.

Overall Rating: 2.5 Out of 5 Stars

 

 

Tribeca 2012 Review: JACKPOT

Oscar Svendsen (Kyrre Hellum) wakes up in a seedy strip club, underneath the body of a dead oversized stripper, and surrounded by cops. What follows is the story of how he got there told mostly through flashbacks while being investigated by a very thorough and incredibly compelling detective (Henrik Mestad). This is a tale of lottery, greed, corruption and fake recycled Christmas trees.

JACKPOT is bloody good fun, pure and simple. It is a pitch black Norwegian comedy that tosses around clever dialogue and dead bodies with glee. The structure is similar to films like THE USUAL SUSPECTS and there are familiar elements throughout, although it all still feels fresh and fun. Jo Nesbo’s writing is sharp and each character is a good mix of quirky and dangerous. Director Magnus Martens handles the material quite well and strikes a good balance of comedy, blood splatter and intrigue. There are some really great visual gags including some set up early that lead to fine payoffs later on. I’d rather not spoil any of them but my favorite is on display at the very end of the trailer below if you are curious. Personally, I suggest only watching the trailer up to the title card if even that far.

If this sounds at all like a film you want to see, I highly recommend seeking it out rather than wait for the (most likely) inferior American remake, which is always a strong possibility with films like this.

Jerry Cavallaro – @GetStuck – JerryCavallaro.com

Tribeca 2012 Review: RESOLUTION

Whichever distributor picks this film up is going to have a hell of a time figuring out the proper way to market this beast. RESOLUTION tells the story of Michael (Peter Cilella) who attempts to get his former best friend Chris (Vinny Curran) to leave the burnt out shell of a house he is living in and go to rehab. When Chris refuses, Michael handcuffs him to the wall and plans to wait the seven days it will take for the drugs to clear out of his system. During the course of the week, some strange characters show up including drug dealers, Indian reservation security, and members of a local cult. With Chris suffering from extreme withdrawal, Michael cares for him while piecing together various forms of media he finds scattered throughout the surrounding woods that seem to be hinting at a much bigger story. Oh, and it’s a comedy, albeit a fairly dark one. As I said, not an easy sell but I truly hope someone rises to the challenge because this film deserves to be seen.

Similar to THE CABIN IN THE WOODS in that it is a film that works best with the audience knowing as little as possible going in, I will not reveal anything else about the plot. If you are at least intrigued by the film, I suggest you don’t even watch whatever trailers they eventually release for fear of spoilers. I genuinely had no idea where the film was headed next and that is a rare feat nowadays. Full of clever twists and witty dialogue, the film culminates in what may be the most spectacularly meta ending in cinema history. I know the meta term scares some people but it really works in this film.

The script is sharply written by Justin Benson, who also did an equally fantastic job co-directing with Aaron Moorhead. Visually intriguing, utilizing interesting camera and editing techniques, the film has a great look and feel that really enhances the story it is trying to tell. Peter Cilella and Vinny Curran get the bulk of the screen time, which is great since they have excellent chemistry and are totally engaging to watch. These are really breakout performances for each of them and I look forward to seeing more of them in the future. I am also looking forward to future collaborations between Moorhead and Benson because these guys seriously know what they are doing.

Not that this means anything but of the 18 features I saw, RESOLUTION is my favorite film of the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.

http://vimeo.com/28909207

Jerry Cavallaro – @GetStuck – JerryCavallaro.com

THE CORRIDOR – The Review

Review originally published on September 27th, 2011 as part of our Fantastic Fest coverage.

My favorite science-fiction stories are often the subtle ones, films and literature that delve deeper into the philosophical of the genre pool, more than simply wading in the shallow end with fantastic technology and the sensationalism of aliens. THE CORRIDOR, written by Josh MacDonald and directed by Evan Kelly, does this well, while also mingling nicely with the psychological thriller genre.

THE CORRIDOR begins with a jolt to the viewer’s attention, firing a bullet of essential back story at point blank range, leaving a residue of smoldering mystery to ignite the slowly burning story that follows. Stephen Chambers stars as Tyler, returning from a stint of recovery after having a breakdown triggered by his mother’s death. In a show of support and to celebrate Tyler’s return, his four best friends decide to reunite with him for a weekend at his mother’s small house out in the Canadian wilderness.

David Fleming plays Chris, Tyler’s closest friend and probably the most level-headed of the five. James Gilbert plays Everett, the wilder of the friends and a musician with a borderline drinking problem. Matthew Amyotte plays “Bobcat,” the big, burly ex-football star turned family man. Finally, Glen Matthews plays Jim, or “Huggs” as he’s called by the rest of the crew, the smart and somewhat nerdy friend. Together, they’re an unlikely group of characters with a natural chemistry.

In the beginning, the friendly get together seems harmless enough, despite an underlying thread of mutual reluctance and trepidation amongst the friends. It’s difficult for them to feel at ease around Tyler, and the opening scene of THE CORRIDOR offers a more than reasonable explanation for this uneasiness. Over the course of their time together, Tyler’s four friends become more relaxed, but after Tyler takes a late night walk on his own into the woods, he begins to fear the worst about his condition.

Tyler’s mother Pauline (Mary-Colin Chisholm) has a very small role on screen, but the character has a much more significant role in the story as her and her son Tyler share a unique connection, but may not be what it appears on the surface. THE CORRIDOR refers to something Tyler’s discovers on his solitary walk into the woods, leading him to gather his friends to witness for themselves, but Tyler’s actions will ultimately lead to events that change their lives forever.

THE CORRIDOR showcases a cast of relative unknowns, young talent that collectively delivers a high caliber performance. This plays directly into the success of the director’s vision, as this is a dialogue driven story with strong, well developed characters. The viewer is given ample time to empathize with each of the characters and their motives, but the pacing of the film is also crucial, maintaining a comfortably controlled release of clues enhanced with properly placed brow-raising twists.

As THE CORRIDOR rises to a boiling point it morphs gently into a horror story wrapped around a science-fiction puzzle. What exactly is the Corridor? What does it mean? Where does it lead? These are the questions the filmmaker sews within our minds and leaves to germinate and take root. Evan Kelly tells a strong, engaging story that raises curious ideas, but he stands back and allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions about the Corridor.

Evan Kelly makes some bold but effective choices in his use of CGI. The special effects are minimal and simple, but not cheesy or distracting. THE CORRIDOR is a precise description of the anomaly presented in the film, while maintaining an nearly indescribable nature. The makeup effects are brutal and graphic, but do not exceed necessity. THE CORRIDOR seamlessly blends human drama with science fiction, psychological and visceral horror, and even a touch of metaphysical philosophy for one of the more mesmerizing but accessibly cerebral films I’ve seen in years. Enter THE CORRIDOR with your thinking cap on, but there’s no need to turn it up to eleven on the dial.

THE CORRIDOR opens theatrically in the United States and Canada on March 30th, 2012.

“Like” THE CORRIDOR on Facebook, or check out TheCorridorMovie.com for more information.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK ( 2012 ) – The Review

Although we’re still in the middle of Winter, let’s take in an old-fashioned bone-chiller, one that may have your teeth chattering before exiting into those gusts of frigid air. This is what the new spook-show THE WOMAN IN BLACK promises to deliver. Appropriately enough, this gothic creeper is the second theatrical feature to be released here in the states from the revived British fright film factory Hammer. Now while the studio might be best remembered in their late fifties to mid seventies heyday for full-blooded monsters ( vampires, zombies, and even a gorgon among many others ) this tale of ghosts seeking revenge on the living  would’ve fit the bill ( perhaps as part of one of their many double bills! ) But will today’s cinema audiences be able to immerse themselves in a haunted, desolate estate full of creaking floors, quickly melting candles, and sinister secrets after a steady diet of graphic,bloody torture and shaky, found video, inspired by ” true events “scares?

After an opening sequence of a horrific multiple-victim demise ( in broad daylight! ) we meet young barrister Arthur Kipps ( Daniel Radcliffe ) in the early years of the twentieth century. Even before he encounters the title character Arthur is haunted-by the memories of his late wife. Left with a young son, he’s floundering at a London law firm. His supervisor will give him one last chance. Travel to a remote country village and organize the papers and estate of a wealthy, recently deceased matron or be sacked. After leaving his boy with his nursemaid ( they’ll journey to the village in a few days ), Arthur boards the train and meets fellow passenger, and village elder, Sam Daily ( Ciaran Hinds ). Noticing Arthur’s newspaper turned to a notice about a spiritualist endorsed by Arthur Conan Doyle ( nice historical touch! ) Sam voices his disgust over ” superstitious nonsense “. At the village train station Sam gives Arthur a lift in his fancy new motor car ( only one in town ) and invites him to dinner on another night. This is the only friendly gesture from any of the townspeople. Arthur’s arrival at the hotel pub is reminiscent of the chilly reception Peter Cushing’s Dr.Van Helsing recieved from the locals in THE HORROR OF DRACULA ( you almost expect to see the welcome mat roll itself up ). Arthur is told that no room has been booked, but luckily the hotelier’s wife steps in to find him a spot. The next day the local barrister who had been working with the estate (  he had not impressed the home office ) tells him that all is fine and puts him a coach returning to the train station. But Arthur is not so easily brushed off, and after a bribe, the coachman takes him to the desolate estate perched on a small island in the middle of a treacherous marsh. There the determined young man unearths the tragic secrets of the house and town, and later finds himself in the path of the ebony-attired spectre of vengeance.

Like those old creep-fests on the TV late shows ( more often seen on TCM nowadays ), THE WOMAN IN BLACK oozes gothic horror atmosphere. Several scenes outside the estate engulf our hero in a pea-soup fog. Things aren’t much more pleasant inside as he must make his way through a maze of creaking corridors, endless hallways, and rooms filled with all many of odd toys and nicknacs ( lots of stuffed monkeys! ). The dark costumes help enhance the black mood of the village and its residents. It’s no wonder the shiny, new automobile is looked down upon by the locals ( an intruding reminder of the new century perhaps? ).

The film boasts a better than average cast for a ” things that go bump in the night ” film outing. Hinds ( THE DEBT ) makes for a fine, resourceful helpmate as Arthur’s only local pal, but his friendly demeanor attempts to mask his sadness. Part of that comes from the tragic past he shares with his wife played by recent Oscar nominee for ALBERT NOBBS Janet McTeer. It’s a fairly small role, but she makes quite an impact with sparse screen time. The main draw for the film ( at least according to the posters ) is the former boy wizard himself in his premiere post-Potter feature film. This may be heralded as his first real ” adult” role, but Radcliffe, even with a constant five-o’clock-shadow ( like Indiana Jones, did he forget to pack his razor? ) and guzzling cordials, has a tough time making his single, widowed father of a five year old believable. The heroic qualities he honed in his former film series do serve him well, though, in his exploration of the musty home turned crypt. Kudos to him for enduring the film’s grossest moments as he explores the tar-like depths of the marsh. Eyew!

As I stated earlier this is an old-fashioned shiver-show. The film makers aren’t re-inventing the wheel ( or the spook-fest ) here. Besides those old British shock film chestnuts, it harkens back to classics like THE UNINVITED, THE INNOCENTS, and THE HAUNTING. When Arthur spends his first night alone in the gloomy estate, I actually thought back to the Don Knotts sleepover in THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN ( Attaboy, Luthor! Sorry, couldn’t resist ). The effects here are mostly old-school, no bouncy CGI banshees roaming the halls. Some of it may be a bit a bit trite or telegraphed ( pesky animals popping out of the shadows ) or just too familiar, but it’s kind of nice to experience a couple of goosebumps instead of the exhaustion caused by the barrages of gore and cruelty in many current ” screamers “.  I hope the Hammer team drags us back into the fog very soon.

Overall Rating : Three and a Half Out of Five Stars

CONTRABAND (2012) – The Review

It’s been over twenty years since Al Pacino as Michael Corleone uttered, “Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in! “in THE GODFATHER PART III, but this bit of plot motivation is still a major device in most action/crime thrillers for the lead character. In the new film CONTRABAND, the guy who thinks he’s out of the life is Chris Faraday played by an actor who had a few run-ins with the law during his teen years, Mark Wahlberg. Chris had a reputation as an expert smuggler many years ago (he brags about being able to bring in a pricey sports car), but now he’s legit with a home security business, a beautiful wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale) and two adorable young sons down in New Orleans. Uh-oh, it seems that Kate’s nere’do well kid brother Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) has decided to enter the smuggling game.

Unfortunately, he’s not as good as his brother-in-law. He’s part of the crew on a ship that’s boarded by custom authorities (they even lower down drug-sniffing dogs from a helicopter) and Andy tosses his backpack filled with cocaine over the railing into the sea. The violent, lowlife drug dealer Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi) who hired him is not so understanding once Andy and his partner are on dry land. He rams their car with his truck. Andy survives the attack and tells Chris what happened. Chris tries to cut a deal with Briggs, who insists that he be reimbursed for his lost revenue (700 grand!) otherwise the debt falls to Chris and his family.

Chris has no choice, but to go for one last big score. He contacts another runner who’s gone legit, his old pal Sebastian (Ben Foster) who suggests making a drug run to Panama. But like the Corleones, Chris wants nothing to do with that “dirty business” and hatches a plan to bring in several loads of counterfeit cash. Thanks to Sebastian’s connections Chris becomes a crew member on a cargo ship headed south (several pals are already planted on board to help along with Andy). Once they reach Panama, Andy and a couple of guys will dash over in a van, collect the funny money, and be back in an hour when the ship’s ready to leave the dock. In and out! No problems, right?! If you think that’s the case then you don’t know your movie crime capers! And of course, that mad dog Briggs and his thugs are bearing down on Sebastian and the Faraday family back in the states. Talk about getting pulled back in (and pulled in several directions)!

The world of smuggling makes an interesting new venue for the crime thriller. It’s a nice change from the bank vault or museum break-in. Unfortunately the film makes too many side trips and cuts back and forth from the Big Easy to the big ship, so the forward momentum can’t gain any speed. It’s fun to see Chris stay one step ahead of the ship’s captain (JK Simmons in full surly, grumpy J. Jonah Jamieson-mode), but quickly we’re back watching Briggs hovering near a kids soccer game. In Panama Chris and his pal are recruited by a wild-eyed crime kingpin (an under-used Diego Luna) in an armored car hit (how long before the ship leaves?). The actors do their best with this disjointed thriller.

Wahlberg commands the screen as a good man forced to do bad things (but no drug running!) who tries to survive using his skills and street smarts. You can almost hear the gears in his head grinding as he has to come up with a new escape idea. Beckinsale’s always a lovely screen presence, but she spends way too much time here being bounced around like a rag doll by the different lowlifes. Speaking of lowlifes,  Ribisi seems to be doing a riff on the growly, grizzled  creep he just played in RUM DIARY. I hope in his next role he gets to clear his throat and clean up a bit. Foster’s Sebastian may be the most complex of the bunch. He’s given up booze and crime, but seems to miss the old thrills. Ben Foster really show us this guy’s inner conflict. It’s another interesting performance by an actor who’s compiling an impressive resume. It’s just a shame they aren’t all involving ain a better thought thriller. The film’s final action climax (there’s at least two or three) is right from THE PERILS OF PAULINE. As a cinema crime caper CONTRABAND doesn’t quite deliver (or smuggle) all the goods

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

THE DARKEST HOUR – The Review

Studying and researching movies over the years I’ve come across an expression, ” A monster movie is only as good as its monster”. Well, I’d add that the fear level you have while watching said flick really depends on how fearsome the monster is. Well the beasties in THE DARKEST HOUR rank right up there with the walking carpet of the Grade- Z classic THE CREEPING TERROR. And I do mean rank. They’re floating balls of yellow light. Yup. Hence the darkness in the title ( they’re easier to see at night ). These energy balls may be pretty, but they’re deadly. Get too close and they’ll shoot out a neon-like lasso, pull you close, and smash your atoms ( disintegrate you into a clod of powder ). They’re relentless all right, just not that visually interesting ( they’re certainly no competition for the Predator, and H.R. Gieger’s Alien ). And 3D doesn’t make them any more frightening than a really aggressive swarm of lightning bugs.

The film at least has an interesting background for all the mayhem : Moscow. Things start out with two hotshot internet dudes ( Emile Hirsch and Max Minghella ) flying in to meet the investors in their great ” social network/hook-up while globetrotting ” website. But, man, their Russian connection dude has totally ripped them off. At least they meet up with two vacationing babes ( American Olivia Thirlby and Brit Rachael Taylor ) at a swinging nite spot. Then the power shuts down and the sky lights up in waves of yellow and orange. Then the yellow glowing orbs ( thousands of them! ) float to the ground and turn everybody to chalky dust. Except our heroes and their new gal pals. Oh, and that dude that stole the website!. After leaving the safety of the bar’s storage room ( ran out of food ) they try to hide during the day and scurry around the deserted streets at night in search of supplies, other survivors, and information.

And that pretty much sums it up. Lots of hiding, arguing, and running about. Very much like SKYLINE and CLOVERFIELD. It’s attractive young actors scurrying about ( and having to wear lightbulbs as necklaces to warn them of the aliens ). I’ve enjoyed the work of Hirsch, Minghella, and Thirlby, but here they’re fighting a script that renders the male characters mostly obnoxious and the women shrill. The Moscow settings are interesting as are the local actors ( could’ve used the subtitles for some of their lines in English ) and at least it was shot in 3D. The main problem ( besides the space glow balls ) is that we’ve seen so much of it done better ( the deserted city in I AM LEGEND for example ). Perhaps this is why it was released on Christmas Day ( it’s not Oscar-bait like the other flicks opening that day ). If you’re looking for a good Russian travelogue the opening scenes of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE : GHOST PROTOCOL are a much better time at the cinema. Okay you three stars, hope you movie on from this tiresome, uninspired effort and treat us to much better works.

Overall Rating : One Out of Five Stars