Tag: Oscar Issac

TRIPLE FRONTIER – Review

Alright troops, ready to move out…to the multiplex. Yeah, it’s military movie time as a hardened group of Special Forces vets team up to tackle another big challenge. So, are they coming to the aid of a tiny village or town threatened by superior foreign mercenaries? Perhaps they’re being brought back together to rescue a group of innocents held captive by terrorists. Does a mad marauder have his grimy mitts on a stolen doomsday device? No, what’s brought the guys back together is green (no, not eco-terrorists), as in money, lots and lots of it. And their ex-military commanders haven’t any knowledge of this, so there aren’t any jets and battleships to offer backup or a fast exit. Those would be very handy when this former squadron must deal with a south of the border (more like south of the Equator) TRIPLE FRONTIER.

After a brief intro to part of the team, we are suddenly dropped into a police raid on a hideout for drug runners in a South American hotspot. Aiding the local authorities is former US Special Forces soldier Santiago ‘Pope’ Garcia (Oscar Isaac) as an “advisor’. At the conclusion of the destructive battle (rocket launchers, grenades, and a ton of bullets), the occupants of the now nearly demolished cafe are lined up for the police wagon that will cart them off to jail. But one young woman bolts and Pope chases her through the winding streets to no avail. Later, when he returns to his hotel room, she’s awaiting him. Yovanno (Adria Arjona) is working with Pope, providing him with important intel on local drug kingpin Lorea (she’s part of his home staff). Soon Pope is back in the US, and looking up another SF pal Tom ‘Redfly’ Davis (Ben Affleck), a soon to be divorced dad now struggling as a real estate agent. After recalling old times, Pope tells him of this new mission for themselves. They’ll break into Lorea’s compound/mansion on a Sunday morning (when his family and guards are going to mass in separate shifts), execute him, and haul away all his cash (Pope has been told that “the house is a safe”). An unsure Redfly agrees to join Pope as they meet the three other members of the old crew: pilot ‘Catfish'(Pedro Pascal), ‘Ironhead’ (Charlie Hunnam) and his brother Ben (Garrett Hedlund), an aspiring MMA fighter. After a convincing pitch, the four decide to join up with Pope, who insists there will be little danger. And what happens when God hears your plans? Despite their preparations, the five are on the run in this foreign land, dealing with the treacherous elements (the Andes mountains, torrential rains, blistering heat) and trying to avoid the angry locals, while clashing with each other over the loot. Though this mission isn’t impossible, it certainly is not a “sure thing”.

The starring quintet has a good, easy-going chemistry, despite the inclusion of two cinematic “heavy hitters” who command most of the drama. As Pope, Isaac is, once more, the “man with a plan”, the “head honcho” much like his recent role in OPERATION FINALE and his continuing character of Poe Dameron in the new STAR WARS chapters (nine months to the next). He handles the role well, always a compelling screen presence, since we can see him mentally weighing options as his expressive eyes dart about, seeking the least deadly option. Competing for the story’s focus is always interesting Affleck, another veteran of big action franchises (he’s just hung up his bat-cowl and cape), who we first encounter at nearly his lowest ebb (we can almost see his spirit leave his body as another couple declines to sign on the dotted line). Redfly is a man in conflict, wanting to leave his past, but knowing his sharpened skills are the only way to provide for his family (which is drifting away from him). He may have the most complex character arc. Within seconds of finding more loot than he ever hoped to find, an inner lever is pushed, and his morality takes a back seat. Unfortunately, the remaining trio, from lesser action flicks, are mostly one-note. Hunnam (PACIFIC RIM) is a cynical pessimistic, while his kid brother, Hedlund (PAN) is all hair-trigger bravado. Pascal (KINGSMEN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE) as Catfish the “getaway flier” is a fiery realist who’s the one that’s really “sweating the small stuff”. Aside from the “bros”, Ms. Arjona makes quite an impression with her opening scenes with Isaac, particularly in the exhausting street chase (get her an action series).

This is quite a departure for director J.C. Chandor, who co-wrote the script with Mark (ZERO DARK THIRTY) Boal, as he appears to be going for more of a mainstream action film as opposed to the character-driven high concept films like A MOST VIOLENT YEAR, ALL IS LOST, and MARGIN CALL (the last two were indie “art house” hits). The action films he’s emulating are the ones from 25 or 30 years ago with PREDATOR coming first to mind (the tough guys minus the toothy alien trophy hunter), though you can go back to THE GUNS OF NAVARONE and their ilk. There’s little to distinguish this from “big boys with big guns in the jungle” fodder that flood antenna channels like “Charge” and “Grit TV” every weekend (well these fellows spent more time on stages than in gyms). Still, a couple of the action sequences are gripping, mainly the opening drug bust, and a hair-raising helicopter ordeal in the Andes, complete with a “hard landing” (almost comparable to the copter “dog fight’ in the last MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE epic). It is somewhat “telegraphed’ as Catfish voices concerns over the weight, cut then to the “not new” chopper with a net full of bags and luggage (also filled with cash) dangling several yards under its landing gear. We know it’ll have to be cut loose, but will the onboard release switch work (three guesses)? Luckily we’re treated to excellent location work showcasing the varied terrain of Colombia. There’s just an air of missed opportunity floating through the set pieces, as though they considered doing a modern-day take on the themes of greed and obsession (best done in the iconic TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE) and opted instead for big explosions and “shoot-em-ups”. As it is, action movie buffs will enjoy but soon forget (especially with this generic title) TRIPLE FRONTIER.

2.5 Out of 5

TRIPLE FRONTIER opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre and can be seen on the Netflix streaming app

AT ETERNITY’S GATE – Review

Willem Dafoe as Vincent Van Gogh in Julian Schnabel’s AT ETERNITY’S GATE.
Photo credit: Lily Gavin

Willem Dafoe gives an amazing performance as Vincent Van Gogh is Julian Schnabel’s impressionistic biopic AT ETERNITY’S GATE. Schnabel ‘s beautifully-shot film is presented from the viewpoint of the artist, and makes a perfect companion to the earlier animated film LOVING VINCENT,which told the artist’s story told from the viewpoint of someone trying to understand him and is presented through animated oil-painted recreations of his works.

Director/co-writer Schnabel based AT ETERNITY’S GATE on Vincent Van Gogh’s letters, commonly agreed on events from his life, and rumors, but then invented or improvised scenes, to create a sense of the artist at work in his productive but troubled later life. The film suggests the life of Vincent Van Gogh rather than being a straight-forward biography, and focuses more on his art and the process of painting than on familiar events. The director describes the film as being “about what it is to be an artist.” Schnabel, a painter himself, is just the director to explore that.

It is also a more sympathetic film that most on the artist, one that avoids wallowing in the “mad genius” theme in favor of concentrating on the astonishing number of masterpiece paintings Van Gogh was able to produce despite his failing mental health. His mental health issues are shown more as the obstacle to his work than the source of it, although there is a little nod to the idea that his mental state may have helped free his perceptions from restraints.

Watching AT ETERNITY’S GATE is often like being in Van Gogh’s paintings, although less literally than in than the animated LOVING VINCENT. Using a hand held camera, Schnabel takes us through an impressionistic version of Van Gogh’s years in the south of France. The film is largely from the artist’s point of view, and is seen in a disjointed, emotional fashion that represents both his fragile mental state and his compulsion and joy in painting. The film is anything but straight-forward and seems as impressionistic as his paintings. Events are seen through the artist’s eyes, often hazy, sometimes are confusing or upsetting, occasionally even inappropriate. We are both moved by the artist’s emotional pain and comprehend the misunderstanding and even negative reaction he produced in some townspeople.

The most riveting thing about this film is Dafoe’s outstanding performance. Dafoe finds a resemblance to Van Gogh that is striking in this film, most notable in several shots recreating Van Gogh’s his self portraits, despite the actor,in his 60s, being much older than Van Gogh, who died at age 37. The film’s excellent supporting cast includes Rupert Friend as Vincent’s supportive art dealer brother Theo, Oscar Isaac as fellow artist and friend Paul Gauguin. Mathieu Amalric appears as Vincent’s friend Dr. Paul Gachet and Mads Mikkelsen plays a pivot role as a priest at an asylum, while Emmanuelle Seigner plays another friend, Madame Ginoux.

The film is filled with gorgeous photography by director of photography Benoît Delhomme, depicting the artist in the midst of creating famous works. We see scenes in rooms where famous works hang on the walls, in locations familiar to us from those paintings and faces in poses familiar from his paintings, including self-portraits.

We see several scenes of a solitary Dafoe walking, even climbing over the landscape, with his easel, brushes, and paints in a pack on his back, like a metaphor of the artist’s struggles to create his art. Schnabel has Dafoe’s Van Gogh painting in the outdoors, battling wind and cold. The film has several scenes where Dafoe actually paints, partly recreating some of the artist’s less familiar works, as the director’s attempt to evoke the moment of artistic creation. It is a noble impulse but not always an effective technique. Dafoe does much better portraying Van Gogh discussing his art and why he paints.

When Dafoe as the artist speaks about his work, we get wonderful discussions or monologues on his drive to paint, about the intentions of his work, or his earlier failure as a cleric and his difficulty with people. The film gives us a sense of both the devotion he engendered in those who support him, and the public misunderstanding of both the artist as a person and his work. The film touches on his lack of financial success, and his mysterious death but avoids other well-known moments. All the familiar elements of his later life are present, but presented in a unique and unconventional manner.

This film sometimes hearkens back to Schnabel’s THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY, but this one is not purely POV. Mostly we get Van Gogh’s view of events, but we also get sympathetic insights into those around him, especially his devoted brother Theo and his friend and fellow artist Gauguin. Overall, Van Gogh comes across as a sort of spiritual being, furiously cranking out masterpieces while lingering on the “eternity’s gate” of the title. At one point, the artist speculates if God meant for him to be born ahead of his time.

What a magical film this is for those who love Van Gogh’s work. Instead of presenting his mental fragility as the central aspect of the artist, the focus is on his work ethic, on his drive to paint great masterpieces, with his mental health struggles as something Van Gogh fights through in order to do what he must – which is paint. It is a stirring and sterling homage to the artist who created so many remarkable works in such a brief life.

AT ETERNITY’S GATE opens Wednesday, Nov. 21, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Behind the Scenes Photos Of Madonna’s W.E.


Director Madonna on the set of the film W.E.
Photo by: The Weinstein Company

Check out these brand new photos from the set of Madonna’s film W.E. The film premiered at the 68th Venice Film Festival earlier this month and will show this evening at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Weinstein Company will release W.E. in New York and Los Angeles on December 9, 2011.

Synopsis:

W.E. tells the story of two fragile but determined women – Wally Winthrop and Wallis Simpson – separated by more than six decades.  In 1998, lonely New Yorker Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish) is obsessed with what she perceives as the ultimate love story: King Edward’s VIII’s abdication of the British throne for the woman he loved, American divorcée Wallis Simpson.  But Wally’s research, including several visits to the Sotheby’s auction of the Windsor Estate, reveals that the couple’s life together was not as perfect as she thought. Weaving back and forth in time, W.E. intertwines Wally’s journey of discovery in New York with the story of Wallis (Andrea Riseborough) and Edward (James D’Arcy), from the glamorous early days of their romance to the slow unraveling of their lives in the decades that followed.


Abbie Cornish as Wally Winthrop and Oscar Issac as Evgeni in Madonna’s film W.E.
Photo by: The Weinstein Company


Andrea Riseborough as Wallis, James D’Arcy as Edward and director, Madonna on the set of W.E.
Photo by: The Weinstein Company


Abbie Cornish as Wally Winthrop and Oscar Issac as Evgeni in Madonna’s film W.E.
Photo by: The Weinstein Company