Category: Review

Reviews from all of the movies we have seen lately, including everything in theaters and on DVD.

CHURCHILL – Review

Brian Cox as “Winston Churchill” in CHURCHILL, directed by Jonathan Teplitzky. Photo courtesy of Cohen Media Group (c)

Brian Cox portrays Winston Churchill in a dramatization of the events just prior to the D-Day invasion of France by Allied forces during World War II in CHURCHILL. Directed Jonathan Teplitzky (THE RAILWAY MAN, BBC’s INDIAN SUMMERS television series) from a script by historian Alex Von Tunzelmann, CHURCHILL aims to get beneath the usual familiar image of Churchill as a gruff, cigar-chewing British bulldog to create a fuller human portrait of the man who grappled with deep depression and fears of failure while leading his country through its darkest hours.

It is an admirable aim but unfortunately the film falls far short of its goal. Led by an overheated performance by Cox, Churchill stages a last-minute attempt to stop the 1944 Normandy Invasion, gripped with fear that it would fail. Less than a week before D-Day, Britain’s prime minister confronts and tries to wrest control of Operation Overlord, as the invasion was code-named, from the leader of the Allied forces General Dwight Eisenhower (John Slattery), British General Montgomery (Julian Wadham), British Field Marshall Alan Brooke, known as Brookie (Danny Webb), and other military leaders. Meanwhile, his aide Jan Smuts (Richard Durden) tries to rein in his boss, while his smart, steady wife Clementine, called Clemmie (Miranda Richardson), attempts to calm a Churchill in crisis.

Drinking heavily, the prime minister becomes increasingly impulsive and explosive. The military leaders react with polite disbelief, and disregard his barked orders. At one point Eisenhower tells Churchill that he doesn’t have time for his “theatrics” and “there’s a war on.” Churchill is treated dismissively, like an elder statesman out of power rather than the current prime minister. It is an unsettling thing to watch.

This startling, seemingly far-fetched plot has some basis in fact but the history has been manipulated for dramatic effect. Churchill did have serious doubts about the invasion’s success some weeks before its launch but he was reconciled to the operation by the time it took place. By compressing time and moving it closer to the invasion’s date, the filmmakers hoped to add heightened drama while focusing on Churchill’s bouts with depression and highlighting his relationship with his remarkable wife. Instead, the departure from fact undermines the believability of the script and makes Churchill seem more unbalanced than credible, creating a distinctly unflattering portrait of the man the film itself calls “the greatest Briton.” Ironically, Von Tunzelmann writes a column critiquing historical movies for the Guardian newspaper, so one would expect she would know the pitfalls.

In this film, Churchill is less British bulldog, and more bulldog in a china shop. Rather than creating insight into the human flaws of a great man, the film offers an embarrassing view of him. This Churchill seems like an inconsequential madman, racing around barking orders no one follows, barging in on the generals, and bullying his young secretary (Ella Purnell). Drinking heavily and in physical decline, he re-lives his experiences as a military leader and is haunted by the bloody, disastrous Gallipoli landing, which he associates with the upcoming Normandy landing. Meanwhile, those around him whisper behind his back about how he used to be a great man. One would never know this was the person who continued to lead his country through the war and his party afterwards from this film.

The film also explores difficulties in the Churchills’ marriage, although again that crisis took place at another time. The filmmakers just seem so intent on cramming into this one week every aspect of Churchill’s life, that it simply becomes a confusing jumble.

Neither Cox nor the rest of the cast are able to overcome the shortcomings of this script. Miranda Richardson gives a valiant try in the thankless role as Churchill’s wife Clemmie, who was a stabilizing force and someone who willing to speak bluntly and truthfully to her blustering husband. Richard Durden as aide Jan Smuts, a veteran of the Boer War, and Julian Wadham as flinty Gen. Montgomery do well in their roles but John Slattery seems miscast as Eisenhower. James Purefoy plays King George VI well in a pivotal late scene, based on a letter the king actually wrote to his prime minister.

The film, shot in Scotland, looks nice, with careful period detail attention to costumes and sets. Scenes of a solitary Churchill on the beach frame the film’s story, providing moments of contemplation in an appealing natural setting. At the beginning of the film, the shoreline and lapping water provoke memories of the loss of life at Gallipoli but at the film’s end, it suggests only an escape to nature’s quiet. Ironically, these are among the more successful moments in the film.

The film finally returns to believability, and Cox’s Churchill seems to return to a rational state, by the time of the invasion takes place, but the bad taste of what went before lingers.

This is the first of two films about Winston Churchill due out this year. Let’s hope the next one is better than this well-meaning misfire.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

 

WONDER WOMAN – Review

GAL GADOT as Diana in the action adventure “WONDER WOMAN,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo: Clay Enos © DC Comics

WONDER WOMAN is here to straighten things out, and put all those squabbling men in their place. A woman superhero movie was long overdue, and Wonder Woman is a terrific character. Many agree that Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was the highlight of the ponderous BATMAN VS SUPERMAN. Having a woman director, Patty Jenkins, at the helm is just that much sweeter.

The good news is that WONDER WOMAN is a much better movie than BATMAN VS SUPERMAN and Gal Gadot is terrific in the role, particularly wonderful in the action sequences. While Gadot is perfect as Wonder Woman and the action sequences are spectacular, the bad news is that the film takes awhile to get rolling after a good start on the island of the Amazons, gets dull in the middle, and is overlong at 2 1/2 hours.

The two best things about WONDER WOMAN are Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Patty Jenkins as director, although the visual effects are a close third. As the director behind MONSTER, Jenkins certainly knows what she is doing it and it was past time that a superhero movie had a woman director as well as a woman superhero. That said, I wanted to love this movie but WONDER WOMAN is a good rather than great film. Still, it is certainly one of the best of the summer blockbuster season so far, coming in right behind GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2.

WONDER WOMAN is an origin story, told in flashback as a modern Diana Prince, Wonder Woman’s alter ego, remembers her beginnings as an Amazon princess while looking at a World War I era photo, the one audiences saw in BATMAN VS SUPERMAN. It takes us back to the island of the Amazons, Themyscira, where Diana (Lilly Aspell at age 8, Emily Carey at 12) grew up as daughter of Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen). Diana is not only princess of the Amazons but is the only child on this island inhabited only by women.

Themyscira is hidden from view by a ring of mist created by the Amazon’s protector Zeus. The Greek god created this haven for the Amazons as a reward for their help defeating a rebellion led by the god of war, Ares. The Amazon’s mission is to defeat Ares, the god who causes men to fight wars, and put an end to war. The women warriors train for battle constantly in preparation to fight him. Diana’s mother Queen Hippolyta is extremely protective and forbids her daughter to train as a warrior. But her daughter is strong-willed and secretly trains with her aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright), who knows her niece has hidden special powers.

When a World War I pilot in a damaged plane comes crashing through the barrier that keeps the island hidden, young Diana saves him. Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), an American working with British intelligence, tells her about World War I, the Great War, which he describes as “the war to end all wars,” and Diana becomes convinced that Ares is behind it. She must go to defeat Ares, despite her mother’s objections.

It sounds like a crazy plan to Steve Trevor but he goes along to get off the island, Diana’s focus falls on brutal German general Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and his facially-scarred chemical weapons genius, known as Dr. Poison (Elena Anaya).

Among the film’s strong points are the premise itself. Rather than being motivated by revenge or taking one country’s side, Wonder Woman is there to put an end to the fighting. She goes with the resourceful, war-weary spy Steve Trevor because he can lead her to the battlefield, where she expects to find Ares in the middle of it all. She is a peacemaker as well as a fierce warrior. War is the evil she is aiming to defeat. It is a refreshing return to a more old-fashioned superhero, more in the mold of the original Superman. Wonder Woman’s mission could be a re-written version of Superman’s, “truth, justice, – and an end to war.” There is also something particularly woman-centric in that.

Setting the story in 1918 and WWI rather than more usual WWII is also a refreshing change. It is particularly apt if you know something about that war, which was started for no real reason, and was a devastating conflict that quickly bogged down into the bloody stalemate of trench warfare. It is also the time of the suffragettes, fighting to get women the vote, so it adds a layer of the era’s gender role expectations, which is great fun to see Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman steamroll over.

Going into the battlefield of one of the most horrific wars, Diana maintains “the courage of her convictions.” Diana struggles to understand this war’s mechanical mass killing, so different from the hand-to-hand combat she knows. Steve Trevor sees the choices in war as morally gray but Diana only wants to see it in black and white – not one side over another but just stopping the killing. Her idealism is something that sets her apart from other movie superheroes, particularly in light of the previous Warner DC superhero movies, where morally gray is as light as the tone gets.

However, this is not a flawless film. After a nice start, the story bogs down after leaving the island, seeming to drag before finally gaining momentum in the final third. The script, and dialog in particular, has a certain heaviness and humorlessness. Three misfit sidekicks, played by Said Taghmaoui, Ewen Bremner, and Eugene Brave Rock, seems to be there for comic relief but really add little of that. Another sidekick, Trevor’s British secretary Etta Candy, played with a bit of punch by Lucy Davis, does a bit better in that respect.

But once they track down the villainous German general and Dr. Poison, things really kick into high gear. Gal Gadot is excellent in the lead role, and her action sequences are top-notch and electrifying. The pivotal battle scene near the film’s end is spectacular, taking the story to a new level as Diana discovers her true powers and destiny.

Chris Pine does a nice job as Steve Trevor, dismissing Diana as an innocent he will have to protect before gaining respect and affection for the amazing young woman. Although she was raised apart from the world, intelligent Diana had impressive education and intelligence, knowing more of that world than he expects and speaking not just English but ancient Sumerian. She is dismissive of him at first too, which slightly appalls tough guy Trevor, adding a nice edge to their interactions. Pine plays Trevor more as a practical type, the calm voice of reason speaking to Diana’s unthinking, even innocent idealism. Pine’s Trevor is one who tells Diane “you can’t do that” and then helps her do what he told her was impossible. They make a great team as much as anything, breaking the usual mold for romantic pairs.

Among the supporting cast, David Thewlis is a standout, in a head-twisting part as Lord and Robin Wright is excellent as the fierce warrior Antiope. Connie Nielsen is appropriately real as Hippolyta

Whatever its flaws, still it is wonderful to at last have a female superhero, and the film take on the character is true to what Wonder Woman represents in the best sense. Wonder Woman is a powerful character, a strong woman out to kick some butt and make those silly men behave. Wonder Woman is the one who rescues, not the one to be rescued but equality is the stronger theme than reversing the gender roles, She is independent, intelligent, strong-willed and brave – not afraid to be strong but also not afraid to show her feelings – or to stand up for what she knows is right. She advocates the triumph of love over war, and could there be a better message than that. That alone makes the film worth seeing, but Gal Gadot makes it great fun as well.

Hopefully this WONDER WOMAN blockbuster will be followed by sequels although there is no teaser at the end of the credits. And after that, now that we have a Wonder Woman movie, could we have a Black Widow superhero movie next?

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

PARIS CAN WAIT – Review

 

Can’t afford to pack your bags and embark on a vacation adventure in an exotic foreign land? No problem, just travel vicariously at the multiplex. Many different genre films have more than a bit of “travelogue” in them (one of the staples of “golden age” moviegoing was the double feature with several short subjects: cartoons, newsreels, comedy “two-reelers”, and the travelogue, sandwiched between the main films). One type of story often set in “faraway places’ is the “rom-com”. Oh, and a frequent star of such flicks is this film’s leading lady, Diane Lane (UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, NIGHTS IN RODANTHE). Yes, we’re talking about Superman’s Earth mum (we’ll see her again in the role soon in JUSTICE LEAGUE). These stories and many other recent Lane films concern her character re-discovering love and desire, usually after a long-standing relationship has gone “phhfft”. Now she’s on the road to romance once more, this time directed by a member of a lauded cinema dynasty in her narrative film debut. Here, the “city of lights” is the final destination, but we must take our time, since PARIS CAN WAIT.

 

The story begins in another French destination, Cannes, at the height of the famed annual film festival. High profile American movie producer Michael Lockwood (Alec Baldwin) frantically tries to pack for a quick business flight to Budapest. Since he’s constantly barking into his cell phone, most of the work is done by his faithful wife Anne (Lane), despite a painful ear infection. Outside the hotel, past the buxom starlets, is Michael’s producing partner, native son Jacques Clement (Arnaud Viard). Jumping into his driver’s vehicle, the group heads to the airport, but not without some detours for ear medicine (for Anne), along with fresh fruits and cheeses. When they reach the private jet hangar, the pilot advises Anne that the pressure could be quite painful for her condition. Anne says that she’ll beg off the work flight to Budapest and take the train to Paris, where Michael will join her in a couple of days. Nonsense, Jacques interjects. He has business in Paris, so she can join him as he motors there in his vintage (barely functioning) Peugeot. She hesitantly agrees as Michael flies away. But this “free spirit” is in no hurry as the usual seven hour ride turns into a multi-day adventure/ tour of the French countryside, complete with gourmet meals and expensive local wines. As they drive, eat, drink, and chat the two very different personalities (she’s pragmatic, he’s impulsive) begin to form a bond. Is it friendship or something deeper?

 

 

So who wouldn’t want to take a leisurely drive with the radiant Ms. Lane? Now in her fifth (!) decade as a film actress, she exudes a relaxed charm with a “down to Earth” attitude. There’s no movie star gloss about her. When the camera goes in tight for a reaction shot, there’s no fuzzy distortion or hazing. She’s comfortable with her maturity, flashing a smile that seems “earned’ by time. She shows us that Anne doesn’t quite know what to think of her “travel buddy”, but we see her slowly warm to him. Anne may be at a crossroads, but Lane’s confident performance is the film’s greatest strength. But talk about charm, Viard has tons (or barrels like wine) to spare. This Gaillec”smoothie” has an infectious appreciation of everything. Jacques denies himself no pleasure, even munching on plants pulled right from the forest (“A little salt, pepper, and a dash of oil…”). Though he frustrates Anne with his delays (“Ah, but it is truffle season!”), he really listens to her, and by the last miles (thanks to her detour) they form an emotional connection. It’s no wonder Michael is a touch worried (he’s only half-joking). Baldwin’s quite believable as the driven movie “big wig”, still smitten with Anne, but more than a bit distracted (almost neglectful). While Jacques is his “work partner”, she’s his “home partner”, their ardor now a tad cooled. It’s hoped he slows down and takes a lesson or two from Jacques.

 
Oh, that cinema dynasty I referred to? This is written and directed by Eleanor Coppola (wife of Francis Ford), making her narrative debut at age 80 (guess it’s never too late to try something new, another one of the story’s themes). Like her male lead, Coppola lets the film glide along with an unhurried pace. She allows us to drink in the gorgeous setting (expertly shot by cinematographer Crystel Fournier) from ancient architecture to opulent museums, the green flowing hills to the swankiest hotel rooms and restaurants. The meals are presented so lushly we almost expect the camera to pan over to another table occupied by Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, the stars of the cinematic cuisine “crawls”, THE TRIP, THE TRIP TO ITALY, and the upcoming (hooray!) THE TRIP TO SPAIN. This breezy flick takes a turn into some dark dramatic territory in its final act, but its last moments are full of whimsy (the “fourth wall” is chipped, but not really broken). Everything’s not quite wrapped up with a dainty bow which may frustrate some, while giving some hope for a follow-up (where could they go next?). Sure it’s somewhat slight, but for those wanting a charming road trip without hitting the highway (or dealing with the airport), relax for a neat 90 minutes because PARIS CAN WAIT.

3 Out of 5

 

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE – Review

How hysterical do you find the name Professor Poopypants? Not very? Then you are likely a grown adult (and probably female). If you don’t find gags about farts, poop, tinkle, wedgies, and giant toilets endlessly hilarious – if you are not, in body or spirit, a 9-year-old boy, then Dreamworks new animated film CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS  – THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE is not for you. And that is precisely the point.

Few things command disrespect like the sight of a grown man wearing his tighty-whities, however the bald and barefoot Captain Underpants happens to be a superhero. As one character in CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE notes: “Most superheroes look like they’re flying around in their underwear…. Well, this guy actually is flying around in his underwear!” The Captain is the comic-book invention of a pair of 9-year old troublemakers, George and Harold (voiced by Thomas Middleditch and Kevin Hart). When they’re not staging elaborate pranks at Jerome Horwitz Elementary, they’re drawing comics.  The boys use a ring from a cereal box to hypnotize their nemesis – the vengeful and humorless school principal Mr. Krupp (Ed Helms), who’s threatened to separate them into different classes. Krupp then sheds his outergarments, cries out “Tra-La-Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” and enthusiastically battles crime clad in only a red cape and Y-fronts. While his creators occasionally try to snap him out of the trance, Captain Underpants battles the villainous Professor Poopypants by slingshotting underwear at him. Poopypants (voiced by Nick Kroll) wants to rid the world of laughter because the chip on his shoulder from his foul surname got heavier when it’s discovered his middle name is Diarrhea!

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE is fast-paced, subversive fun. I like that it doesn’t pander to the adults in the audience, or really anyone else besides its 9-year old boy target audience. It’s they who will find kindred spirits in George and Harold. The animation style here is simple, much like The Simpsons with more depth and shading, and it works. George even has a flat top like Bart. In one scene, the boys look into a future where they are no longer friends.  This scene is actually performed using sock puppets and it works nicely. CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE may not raise the bar for kids movies, but it manages to pack a lot of anarchic fun and spectacle into its 85-minute running time and is recommended.

4 of 5 Stars

 

THE PICKLE RECIPE – St. Louis Jewish Film Festival Review

Review by Mark Longden

THE PICKLE RECIPE Screens Wednesday, June 7, at 1 PM, Plaza Frontenac Cinema

The St Louis Jewish Film Festival is now in its 22nd year, and it’s to be commended for bringing so many interesting and stimulating movies to us here in the Midwest. This year has documentaries, dramas, and plenty of comedy too, of which THE PICKLE RECIPE is perhaps the standout.

First up, in case you’re wondering about bias, I love Jon Dore. His Canadian show, a forerunner to “Inside Amy Schumer” (which he guested on), a mix of sketches, standup and interviews with interesting people, was brilliant, and since then he’s appeared in lots of movies and shows and is always hilarious. Here, he’s Joey, a musician / party organiser, who specialises in mitzvahs (both bar and bat), who seems to genuinely love his work.

But, a happy chap doing his job competently makes for a dull comedy, so a wrench is thrown into the works in the shape of a chain of disasters that burns down the hall and destroys all his equipment. He doesn’t have any insurance! And neither does the venue, apparently! With his ex-wife now married to a rich man who wants to buy their daughter’s love, no money and no prospects, things aren’t looking good for Joey, until his shady sad-sack of an Uncle, Morty (David Paymer) suggests a money-making scheme. Joey’s grandmother Rose (St Louis native Lynn Cohen) has a famous recipe for kosher dill pickle which has kept Irv’s Deli in Detroit in business for decades. Morty and Rose don’t get along, so if Joey can steal it, Morty can sell it and both their financial troubles will be over.

It’s the gentlest heist movie of all time. Joey gets a job at the deli, and is slowly accepted as one of the gang by the other staff, learns about his grandmother, her life and (eventually) her recipe. He gets his friend Ted (standup Eric Edelstein) to pretend to be a Rabbi – he isn’t even Jewish – so Rose will trust him enough to give him the recipe. And so on, as he realises his initial plan was perhaps not the best thing. There’s a wonderfully obvious love interest.

There aren’t going to be too many surprises while watching this movie. And that’s part of its charm – much like the pickles at the centre of things, it’s comfort food. Dore makes a fine everyman, and even though he’s doing a bad thing you’re on his side throughout. Edelstein’s performance is absolutely wonderful, completely stealing every scene he’s in, and everyone else does a fine job with what they have too. Although your reviewer is not Jewish, he has the great fortune to be married to one, and there were plenty of nods of recognition throughout. There’s a real warmth to the movie, to the friendships.

Kudos to director Michael Manasseri (who also, trivia fans, acted in 80s classic “Licence To Drive”) and writers Sheldon Cohn and Gary Wolfson, both of whom getting their first writing credit. One assumes it’s a labour of love for everyone involved. It even manages to make Detroit look something other than miserable, so even more kudos.

If you’re going to the St Louis Jewish Film Festival, which I highly recommend, then this one ought to be on your viewing list. Take your family, maybe get any squeamish people to turn away during the scene which is just a close-up of a mouth eating dozens of pickles (it’s really quite gross), and have a splendid evening.

PAST LIFE – St. Louis Jewish Film Festival Review

Tuesday, June 6, at 1 PM, Plaza Frontenac Cinema

Israel; in Hebrew, English, German, and Polish with English subtitles; 110 minutes

Two sisters uncover their father’s secret past in the true story-based Israeli mystery PAST LIFE, one of the films playing as part of the annual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival. The film is also set to return to the Plaza Frontenac Cinema on June 9 for a longer theatrical run.

The film is an intriguing look into Israel in the late 1970s, before the fall of the Berlin Wall and crumbling of European communism, when many survivors of the Holocaust did not speak about their wartime experiences as they focused on building their young nation.

In 1977, young Sephi Milch (Joy Rieger), an Israeli music student with a lovely soprano voice but ambitions to be a composer, travels to West Berlin for a concert with her school choir. After the concert, an elderly woman (Katarzyna Gniewkowska) runs up to her and, speaking in Polish, loudly accuses Sephi’s father of murder. Sephi is both rattled and mystified by the incident, despite an apology from the woman’s son, a renowned German composer (Rafael Stachowiak) who had attended the concert.

Back in Israel, Sephi wants to put the unsettling event behind her but her older sister Nana (Nelly Tagar) senses something is wrong. Shy Sephi reluctantly tells her about the incident but makes her bolder, older sister promise to say nothing to their stern, demanding father or emotional, sensitive mother (Evgenia Dodina). Dr. Baruch Milch (Doron Tavory) is a successful gynecologist but, like many Holocaust survivors in Israel, he had never talked to his daughters about his past. Nana is a rebellious young woman, a budding journalist who resents her father for his harsh treatment of her as a child. She tackles the mystery, bent on uncovering the truth about their father’s wartime experiences. But what the sisters uncover is a mystery that just keeps getting deeper and more complex the further they dig.

Atmospheric, tense and moving, PAST LIFE is directed by award-winning Israeli writer/director Avi Nesher, who has indicated that the film is the first of three films in a series. The son of Holocaust survivors himself, Nesher based his script on the wartime diaries of Dr. Baruch Milch, “Can Heaven Be Void?”

The twisty mystery is indeed intriguing, taking the sisters and the audience down a rabbit hole of secrets. The younger sister wants to dismiss what was said to her but the older sister embraces the idea of their father’s violent past. What they uncover if far different from what either expect.

In the film, the sisters could not be more different. Quiet, shy, obedient Sephi focuses her entire life on her music, struggling with her dreams to be a composer while her teachers dismiss that idea and tell her to focus on singing. Nana is loud, defiant, at times outrageous, and frustrated in her ambition to do real journalism, while stuck in a job at a tawdry, low-rent newspaper. Sephi still lives at home with her parents but Nana is married, although she does not always get along with her less-ambitious husband. Yet the sister grow  closer as the mystery unfolds. Family dynamics are part of this story, as well as women’s career ambitions, and the lingering post-war human trauma, in this historic tale.

Nesher brilliantly builds suspense, and the fine cast bring out layers of character, that deepening the moving story. That cast also includes Evgenia Dodina, a well-known Israeli star, as the sisters’ nervous mother, but the strong performances by Rieger and Tagar as the two sisters are the center around which this winding-path story is wrapped.

The film is shot in a visually rich style, that adds to the dramatic effect. Music plays a central role in this film, and the moving music choices, a mix of classical and pop, frame the edge-of-your-seat story brilliantly. The soundtrack features original music by classical composer Ella Milch-Sheriff, the real daughter of Dr. Milch on whom the Sephi character is based. Films described as “based on true events” can diverge widely from facts but Nesher makes an effort to stick closely to the real events.

PAST LIFE is a polished and haunting drama that keeps the audience hooked with its suspenseful plot, affecting performances led by two strong female leads, and a heart-wrenching true story.

BE AFRAID – Review

Review by Stephen Tronicek

BE AFRAID seems the type of film that would grace the grindhouse theaters back in the day when those existed. It’s a film akin to unambitious but well-made grindhouse movies that seem to have made up the slate of films at a local multiplex. Those solid well told stories, that seemed familiar and unimpressive, yet infectiously watchable. Those films that didn’t seem like high art because they didn’t need to be. They just needed to be entertaining.

BE AFRAID follows a Dr. John Chambers, as he and his family start to discover a dark force occupying the town that they have just moved into. The familiar is combed over: a concerned wife, a snarky teenage son, a moppet, and an ending that is not guaranteed to be happy.

It’s the textbook 80’s horror movie, but it’s not a bad textbook 80’s horror movie. You had to try to actually make one of these that was bad and BE AFRAID never feels bad. It feels perfectly compelling if a bit compromised by the reality that it was conceived as just another simple horror movie. If anything, the most compelling part seems to be the fact that the film comes off so solid. The direction, acting, and editing at play seem so fit for a low budget horror film that the film easily accomplishes the task of being a good low budget horror film. Nothing more, nothing less.

BE AFRAID is the type of film that it is the hardest to write about in that there’s not much to the film other than the overall quality of the work. Be Afraid is a good horror movie, that would be a better one if it just was. There’s not much more to it than that.

3.5 of 5 Stars
 BE AFRAID will be available on Video-On-Demand June 1st

DRONE – Review

A few weeks before movie goers are immersed in Christopher Nolan’s recreation of one of the greatest World War II battles with DUNKIRK, and a few days before a certain Amazonian princess and her sisters join the fight in the previous world war, this new film takes a look at modern warfare. Much as with the recent films like 2014’s GOOD KILL and last year’s critically lauded EYE IN THE SKY, this new work focuses on a way of combat that’s, for want of a better word, impersonal. You don’t have to breathe in the same air as your enemy, you don’t ever have to set foot on the battlefield. You can sit in an air-conditioned office or cubicle, sip a cool drink while watching a near silent video transmission on your monitor. Killing is much more civilized (?), when you’re pushing a few buttons and command a DRONE. There’s no blood literally on your hands, just a risk of carpel tunnel.

 

This story starts a year ago in a bustling crowded city in Pakistan. A man enjoys a modest meal with his mother, wife and teenage son before heading away to work. He bids them good day and walks outside to his motorcycle (more of a scooter). As he sits, two women stroll pass, and before he starts the motor, death rains from the sky. The flames shoot through the kitchen window, searing the wife as she waves to him. Cut to today, suburban Washington state, USA. Neil Wistin (Sean Bean) has a lot on his mind as he readies himself for work. He’s tasked with writing a eulogy for his recently departed father. His sixteen year-old son Shane (Maxwell Haynes) is distant. Wife Ellen (Mary McCormack) is of little help. Plus Neil has to sell pop’s old sailboat, which is taking up most of his driveway. As Ellen leaves for her college teaching job in her own vehicle, a car follows her. After dropping off Shane at the high school, Neil heads to his “I.T.” job. But Ellen has a detour to work. She has a brief romantic tryst with another faculty member. As they exchange goodbye kisses in the parking garage, that car is lurking nearby. We then find out the nature of Neil’s real job. He’s part of a company hired by the CIA to man drone planes. We see him and his co-worker Gary (Joel David Moore) track and fire on a “hostile target” (Pakistan again). Cut to soft-spoken Imir Shaw (Patrick Sabongui) reading at a picnic table as children play in the park. An irate father tells him to vacate just as Imir notices two men in a car watching him. After work Neil meets his estranged brother at their father’s old nursing home. While packing his things, Neil notices a newsletter with a photo of his dad and son on the cover (Shane had visited ‘Gramps’ a lot). Driving home, Neil hears of an NSA security breach on the radio. Upon arrival, he’s back at his laptop, struggling with the eulogy. He hears something outside. Someone’s looking over the boat. Imir introduces himself to Neil. Is he really a prospective buyer, or are the events of the day somehow connected?

 

 

Bean, best known as a swashbuckling hero in TV and film, gets to show his acting range with his take on an average American “Joe”, albeit one that’s hiding a dark, dark secret. With his unkempt hair and clumsy manner, Neil is trying hard to show the world that all is normal, while he slowly unravels, knocking back a few too many beers and too much wine at dinner. McCormack as Ellen is working at keeping up appearances also, playing the dutiful wife and mother while juggling an affair that twists her in too many directions. Masking his emotions seems to be the usual demeanor for Haynes as their son Shane, still stinging from the loss of a grandfather he respects and perhaps loves more than his own papa. And then an outside element is thrown into this repressed, but still volatile mix with Sabongui as the ethereal Imir. He’s a tad jittery, nervous about hiding his true purposes. He avoids an altercation at the park, only to spring into action mode, when cornered. Soon after their first meeting, Imir is almost a therapist for Neil, helping him deal with his family loss. But later, he’s exposing this “happy family” . a real embodiment of the “chickens coming home to roost” adage.

 

Director Jason Bourque attempts to organize several ongoing narrative threads that never really merge. The script he worked on with three other writers wants to be an “edge of your seat” thriller, political “message”, and family drama. Subplots (Ellen’s affair, the Shane/Grandfather secret, Neil’s strained ties to his brother) are left dangling in the wind. Even the big showdown, the suspenseful meeting of Neil and Imir is undercut by sluggish pacing as they engage in a long meandering “dance” to the big reveal. And what of this whole dour atmosphere? Seeing the Canadian production credits, I wondered if this was a commentary on the US from its Northern neighbors. Maybe many their think they live above lots of violent repressed bigots (I hope they think we’re a bit better than these characters). The casual racial slur Neil’s co-worker Gary spews after finishing a “job”, then the Islamaphobic threats to Imir at the park contribute to this tone. There’s another unresolved story bit about a shooting at Shane’s school, so we can seem walk past a flower memorial before getting “wanded”by security. Again, no follow-through. But this is all a build-up to a final denouncement and “twist” ending that’s no real surprise to anyone. DRONE has a lot to say about the consequences of this brand of “clean” warfare, but it fumbles the final drop of its dramatic “payload”. Target missed.

 

2 Out of 5

 

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES – Review

L-R: Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) threatens and Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES. Photo: Peter Mountain. © Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

“Pirates of the Caribbean” sets sail for one more adventure at sea, in what is being hinted to be the final chapter in the franchise, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES. The result is mixed, with the good being Javier Bardem and Geoffrey Rush as villains, great visual effects, and a nice, satisfying ending. The bad being having to endure an over-long, nonsensical plot with sporadic moments of entertainment to get there.

OK, everyone has a guilty pleasure, and mine might be pirates. As a fan of all things pirate, including silly pirate movies, it was a delight when the first PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, Disney’s attempt to turn an amusement park ride into a movie, turned out to be such fun. Audiences were surprised by the original movie, which harkened back to the fun of Errol Flynn adventures at sea. The Gore Verbinski-directed original featured Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley as the romantic leads, and Johnny Depp as a loopy, colorful pirate that was comic relief as much as protagonist, in a tale of high-seas adventure, comedy and romance.

But after three sequels, the franchise has lost its luster, as it sank into a series of increasingly complicated ghost stories and sea legends magical story lines, more in the realm of fantasy than “Treasure Island.” After four sequels, this pirate movie franchise has clearly played out.

Still, this latest installment DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES is better than the previous one, ON STRANGER TIDES. Of course, it is no where near the fun of the first film. While this sequel has dazzling effects, some enjoyable moments and wraps it all up with a nice finish, the confusing, rambling plot all but sinks it before it gets to that end.

After being absent from the last one, Bloom returns as Will Turner in DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES, as does Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa, the nemesis of Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, along with the whole colorful, crazy crew of pirates. This time, the romantic leads are Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), the son of Will Turner and wife Elizabeth, and a beautiful astronomer named Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario).

The main villain is Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), an angry ghostly captain leading a crew of dead men, trapped in the Devil’s Triangle by a young Jack Sparrow. Salazar is set on revenge, and release from the curse that has kept him and his crew half-dead for years. The key to that is a magical object called the Trident of Poseidon. Resourceful scientist Carina is also seeking the Trident, for her own reasons, using her scientific knowledge and skills, with the help of British seaman Henry. Naturally Jack’s magic compass plays a part too.

Depp does his usual bit as Jack Sparrow, drunken and mumbling as always, vaguely clueless and seeming to accidentally stumble out of harm’s way over and over, with the occasional moment of clarity and cleverness. Geoffrey Rush is still wonderfully entertaining as cold-hearted, smiling Barbossa, now living a life of luxury aboard his ship, at least until Salazar’s ghost ship turns up. Barbossa and Salazar team up to hunt Sparrow, but their prey is elusive, naturally.

The plot, frankly, makes no sense, and has a kind of unsettling magic-tops-science theme. Still, the real point of the whole film is to showcase familiar characters and show off some really fabulous special effects, before tying it all up.

Those visual effects are the real treat of this film, and mostly why it is worthwhile for fans of the series to see it. The effects for Bardem and his disintegrating ghost pirates are particularly amazing. Bardem’s CGI hair seeming to wave as if underwater even on the ship’s dry deck. Salazar’s disintegrating ghost ship is a wonderfully eerie creation, which swallows up other ships, and the equally disintegrating crew members are amazing as well.

In other visual effects scenes, the pirates drag a whole building through a seaport, knocking down buildings as they go. A wall of water hovers over the action in the final sequence. Amazing effects and outstanding make-up – again, Bardem in particular – dot the whole film.

While the plot is dimwitted, there are some good comic moments. Watch for a cameo by Sir Paul McCartney as a Jack Sparrow relative, one of the little comic gems in the film. The writers borrowed from Charlie Chaplin for a scene where Sparrow is uncovered asleep in the safe he is supposed to rob, and other physical comedy bits abound. Down-on-his-luck, Sparrow’s shabby little ship is named the Dying Gull, which of course is a cute reference to the famous Roman statue the Dying Gaul.

Geoffrey Rush does his usual good job as the comically menacing Barbossa. But Bardem does the real menacing, with deliciously chilling style. Having these two gifted actors on board really gives a boost to the film.

After rambling around, the plot gets around to the final sequence, which really delivers and gives the series a fan-pleasing, satisfying send-off, with Jack Sparrow literally sailing off into the sunset.

Truthfully, it was time to let this franchise go, although one never knows if a franchise is truly gone now, what with prequels and so forth. But PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES wraps it all up nicely, although it could lose about 20 minutes of pointless plot. Still Johnny Depp made one heck of a fun pirate, and there are other pirate stories to tell. Maybe Depp in movie versions of Gilbert and Sullivan’s THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE or PETER AND THE STARCATCHER? Arrrgh, it could work, matey.

 

BAYWATCH – Review

BAYWATCH begins so promisingly! Dwayne Johnson as Mitch Buchannon, chief lifeguard of Baywatch, dives into treacherous waters to rescue a drowning parasailer. He then rises from the water grinning ear-to-ear as dolphins leap in the background and the movie’s title, sculpted in stone, rises from the ocean. This opening sets a perfectly silly tone but one that the film can’t maintain as things slowly go downhill from there. Don’t’ get me wrong –  BAYWATCH is good, and I’ll be seeing it again opening weekend, but it’s a far cry from the masterpiece I think we were all expecting. Time to silence that Oscar buzz.

The elements are here for epic summer indulgence – vulgar comedy, explosive action, a dream cast, a vamping Bollywood superstar, cameos from the TV show’s original stars, and a sea of fine bikinied bottoms. So how do they screw up the big-screen BAYWATCH reboot? Much of the problem is with the film’s length and its tone, which is all over the map. It’s never sure if it wants to be a self-aware satire a la 21 JUMP STREET or a conventional action film. Sometimes it seems like the filmmakers just dusted off an old Baywatch TV script and filmed it with a straight face, while other times they’re ridiculing the show with winking postmodernism. One problem is that BAYWATCH doesn’t offer a vision of its source material that will appeal to either those who hold the show dear or younger moviegoers who may not realize this is an adaptation in the first place.

When things stay on the beach, which it does for about the first 40 minutes, BAYWATCH is a lot of fun. There are tryouts for Mitch’s elite Emerald Bay lifeguard team where the new recruits (and cast) are introduced. There’s Ronnie (Jon Bass), the chubby nerd with the hots for always-running-in-slow-motion blonde CJ (Kelly Rohrbach). There are brunettes Summer (Alexandra Daddario) and Stephanie (Ilfenesh Hadera) and there’s Matt Brody (Zac Efron),  a disgraced Olympic swimmer who’s forced on the crew as a publicity stunt, something Mitch is not too happy about (his name-calling  of pretty-boy Matt – “New Kid on the Block” “One Direction”, even “High School Musical” –  is one running gag that works). Director Seth Gordon fills the frame with gorgeous people and luscious scenery in these early scenes, but soon a generic crime plot kicks in involving murders and drugs and cover-ups and the whole enterprise starts to go south.  The team is soon trying to stop a drug-running villainess (Priyanka Chopra ) who has some vague plan to buy the surrounding community in hopes of establish a massive crime operation. This leads to a series of pointless, loud action scenes at nightclubs, aboard yachts, and in a morgue that stretch the film to almost two hours. I just kept wishing they’d get back to the beach.

There are a lot of raunchy, gross-out scenes that earn BAYWATCH its R rating (though surprisingly no nudity – unless you count one dead man’s schlong). There’s an encounter with dripping bodily fluid at that morgue and Ronnie getting his dong stuck between the wooden slats of a chair, but for a movie ostensibly about beach boobs, there are far more jokes about penises than breasts. Much of this is funny (much is not), and the cast is clearly having a good time, but so many scenes drag on and on (that’s what the ‘deleted scenes’ feature on the Blu-ray is for). The screenplay feels a few drafts away from something that might have worked. BAYWATCH is uneven in that way, veering from scathing humor to patience-trying nonsense and back again, but it does ultimately wind up just barely on right side of good and bad. I wish more thought would have gone into the cameos from David Hasselhoff and Pam Anderson. The Hoff grunts a couple of lines in one terribly-written scene and an air-brushed Pam is barely there

Any attempt to adapt a television series for the big screen is inherently an effort to wring cash out of a dormant property, leveraging name recognition in the hopes that it will translate into solid box office. Reviving a beloved show without fresh ideas is why we have more films like WILD WILD WEST and CHIPS and fewer like MISSION IMPOSSIBLE which reinvigorated its franchise decades after the show went off the air. BAYWATCH falls somewhere between those extremes.

2 1/2 of 5 Stars