Tag: Morgan Freeman

Review: ‘Feast of Love’

Zac:

An interesting look at love that dissects a number of individuals’ lives that are all closely connected and the consequences and effects love has on this group of individuals.
Morgan Freeman serves as a mediator and father figure for all of these individuals as he deals with his issues with his family while trying to protect those that he still can. Greg Kinnear is the other lead and we follow him through his mis-steps and successes in relationships as well that spans over the course of three women. Another plot line is a young couple that meets at Kinnear’s coffee shop as they find love and fate and family stands to get in their way.
The film is more or less a window into these people’s lives as we watch them deal with love and the hurdles and joys that come with it. Some cheat, some lie, some just need a dog. The film can be a tad pretentious at times and is very graphic and raw when it comes to sex and making love. The film also can come across as a little to convenient and think it’s deeper then it really is as well. The film as a whole is feels like it was aiming higher then it actually ever achieves, but is by no means a failure.
Kinnear does an excellent job as the oblivious lover that always seems to find the wrong women as he moves through tragic relationships. One of his girlfriends is bravely played by Radha Mitchell who has racy scenes with a cheating husband that she might wish for more from. Selma Blair’s brief appearance is solid and sets up Kinnear’s characters arc and vulnerability. The young couple is anchored by an excellent turn by Alexa Davalos who bares all and brings a believable understanding and love to her relationships with everyone she encounters in the film. Morgan Freeman is Morgan Freeman and while doing nothing extraordinarily new, he is as solid as a rock throughout.
The film’s pacing is also very good, though leaves you a bit jarred at how much time is passing as it jumps forward with little to no notice. Director Robert Benton’s work on the film is solid and engaging but upon reflection there seems too little below the surface and doesn’t really stand for much rewatchability.
Feast of Love is an interesting indie film that leaves me feeling not much for one way or the other. A couple of the actors stand out, Kinnear in particular, but the story and message doesn’t really have much impact. While I didn’t hate it by any means, I didn’t really go crazy for it either. It remains a watchable film though and if you are interested you should definitely give it a shot, I just don’t know how much of an effect it will have on you.

[rating: 3/5]

Review: ‘Gone Baby Gone’

Zac:

Another movie dealing with the loss of a child, this one excels on pretty much every level. Gone Baby Gone is an adaptation of the Dennis Lehane(Mystic River) novel by Ben Affleck in his directorial debut. I have always been a fan of Affleck and I am glad that he does a great job here which is supported by his great cast.
Leading the cast is Ben’s brother Casey who, along with Jesse James, is having a breakthrough year. Casey is just as good here as he is in Jesse James but is playing a completely different animal. As a private investigator contracted to help with the “neighborhood” investigation of the disappearance of a little girl he is a great as the evolving investigator gaining experience on the job. Affleck is accompanied by his girlfriend, Michelle Monaghan who helps with the detective work; though Affleck is usually figuring out most of the turns. As Affleck moves through his investigation we find twists and turns and fall onto some unexpected paths with some amazing tense scenes that get the blood rushing and wont let up.
The rest of the cast is rounded out by a couple of legends, Morgan Freeman as a police captain and Ed Harris as the cases detective. Freeman is more in the background, but good as always, while Ed Harris is fantastic as the rough detective willing to do anything to get the girl. He gets so intense and so scary with some of the investigated sometimes you are glad you don’t have to deal with his tactics.
Another great turn is by, Amy Ryan, as the mother of the missing girl. You completely forget she is some actor and totally buy into her as this horrible druggie mother that is lost in the trash and underworld of Boston. You just don’t really like her, might even hate her, yet she maintains some sympathy. But when you really hate a character, you know the actor is doing a pretty damn good job.
Ben Affleck does a great job at making this movie feel real as well, which makes it easy to buy into the world. No one is really attractive in this, its gritty and dirty, and it’s a place I wouldn’t want to be in. Even Amy Ryan and Michelle Monaghan some how manage to be not very appealing for being beautiful women. As the rest of the directing duties go, Affleck has some great moody scenes and shoots tension incredibly well and crafted a story that for the most part stays entertaining; rarely slowing up at all.
The movie is carried by a good story with great actors doing what they are supposed to do for a fantastic debut for Ben Affleck as a director. I hope he gets behind and in front of the camera a lot more in the future and that is brother becomes the star that he deserves to be sooner, rather than later.

[rating: 4.5/5]