Movie Reviews
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(*Updated 01/29/12*)
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The Artist
Directed by Michel Hazanavicius
In 1927 Hollywood, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a huge star in silent romantic/adventure melodramas, lives a glamorous life with his loving wife, Doris (Penelope Ann Miller) and dog. He even has his own chauffeur, Clifton (James Cromwell). When producer Al Zimmer (John Goodman) shows him some clips of movies with sounds, a.k.a. “talkies,” a new format that will soon replace silent movies, George refuses to believe in the new technology, storms off and starts directing and starring in his own silent films. Meanwhile, as he falls from fame into despair and even bankruptcy during the Great Depression, his co-star Peppy Miller (Bérénice Béjo), rises to fame in Hollywood.
Shot in glorious black-and-white, The Artist will dazzle you with its visuals and captivate you with its lively performances so much that you’ll easily forget that it’s actually a silent movie and not in color. Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius imbues the film with a plethora of wit, charm, humor and a little poignancy along the way. Finding the right tone can be quite a challenge, but he achieves it above and beyond without it ever feeling uneven or over-the-top. The same can be said for the performances all across the board whether it’s the charismatic, playful Jean Dujardin, the sizzling and radiant Bérénice Béjo or even the cute little dog that would get a nomination if there were Best Performance by a Dog category at the Oscars.
A true classic movie is one that not only provokes you intelligently and emotionally while thoroughly entertaining you, but also takes some risks. The Artist certainly takes risks being a silent, black-and-white movie because there’s simply no other film like it in today’s world, unless you count the experimental films that aren’t exactly delightful or accessible for mainstream audiences. The risks this film takes pay off tremendously, and audiences will be rewarded with a sense of joy and exhilaration upon leaving the theater. At a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, The Artist is an invigorating, charming, witty and crowd-pleasing delight that’s destined to become a classic while skyrocketing the careers of Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Béjo.
Number of times I checked my watch: 0 Now playing at the Angelika Film Center and The Paris Theatre.Released by The Weinstein Company.
Into the Abyss
Directed by Werner Herzog
Ten years ago, in a small Texas town, homeless teen Michael James Perry and his friend, Jason Burkett, decided to steal the belonging to Sandra Stotler, the mother of their acquaintance, Adam. Michael killed Sandra, and when Adam arrived home with a friend, Jeremy Richardson, Michael and Jason lure them into the woods where they kill them as well. Jason received a life sentence while Michael was given the death penalty. His interview takes place merely eight days before his execution. This profoundly moving documentary tackles the thoughts and feelings surrounding many individuals from the different sides of the case.
Director Werner Herzog opposes the death penalty, but never lets that opinion get in the way of his questioning. He interviews Michael, Jason, Jason’s wife, Jason’s incarcerated father, Jason’s brother, Sandra’s daughter, the prison chaplain, and executioner. Herzog wisely doesn’t bombard the audience with facts surrounding the case right away because they’re not as important as the human beings—good or bad—involved in the case. There’s much more to the case than meets the eye which is what makes it so fascinating and even unpredictable. You’d never guess what Jason and his wife manage to accomplish together while just being allowed to hold hands. It’s impossible to effectively describe the emotions that a former executioner goes through as he vividly recalls what it was like to execute death penalty inmates, and why he ended up quitting his job. Good luck if you try not to cry during his interview, or during the interview with Sandra’s daughter. Fortunately, Herzog keeps his distance from his interviewees by focusing the attention solely on them, which is no easy feat given the difficult subject matters that they’re willing to openly discuss. By not delving explicitly into the pros and cons of the death penalty or by not investigating the case itself, Herzog allows you, as an intelligent member of the audience, to gather your own conclusions which leaves plenty remove for debate and discussion. By the end of this powerful documentary, you’ll never look at the death penalty the same way again.
Number of times I checked my watch: 0 Now playing at the IFC Center.Released by Sundance Selects.
Tower Heist
Directed by Brett Ratner
Multi-millionaire Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) lives in the penthouse The Tower, a condominium overlooking Central Park. After the building manager, Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller), learns that Arthur has swindled him and the rest of The Tower’s staff Bernie Madoff-style via their pension funds, he teams up with Charlie (Casey Affleck), the concierge, elevator operator Enrique DevReaux (Michael Peña), Odessa (Gabourney Sidibe), a maid, evicted resident Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick) and Slide (Eddie Murphy), a thug. They plan a heist of $20 million that Josh expects to find in Arthur’s hidden safe. Téa Leoni plays Claire, an FBI agent, who romances Josh, and Judd Hirsch briefly shows up as Josh’s boss, Mr. Simon.
Everyone once in a while comes an ensemble comedy that’s very funny, clever and crowd-pleasing. Tower Heist is just that kind of comedy mainly because of its well-written screenplay and its talented comedic actors, each of whom get his or her own chance to shine. Just like in a true ensemble film, no one onscreen leads the film per se. Even those in small rolls have memorable moments. The real surprise here, though, is just how many witty and hysterically funny one-liners screenwriters Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson manage throw at the audience through the fast-paced film. This is the kind of comedy that would benefit from repeat viewings to catch all of those lines. Griffin had written the screenplays of Matchstick Men and Ocean Eleven, while Nathanson had written Speed 2: Cruise Control, Rush Hour 2 & 3, and Catch Me If You Can, so perhaps it makes sense that Tower Heist is consistently entertaining, delightfully hilarious outrageous while never insulting the audience’s intelligence like most American comedies do nowadays with excessive toilet humor.
A truly classic comedy should not only be funny, but also somewhat grounded in reality and stand the test of time. It’s unclear if Tower Heist will achieve the latter, but it certainly hits a reality bone because its greedy, corrupt, selfish villain uses a Ponzi scheme to get rich. You may think you’ve seen a heist movie like this before given the seemingly derivative premise, but it does have its fair share of unpredictable surprises up its sleeve. Just because a movie doesn’t use completely fresh ideas doesn’t make it any less funny (or classic). Take Bringing Up Baby as an example. At the time, critics panned it for being so derivative and unsurprising, and most audiences were getting tired of screwball comedies, so it flopped at the box office. No one was treating it fairly back in 1938, yet, despite that, years later, it finally became recognized as a comedy classic to this very day. Hopefully, Tower Heist will become the instant comedy classic that it deserves to be, and it won’t take critics and audiences so many years to truly appreciate its genuine wit, hilarity and charm.
Number of times I checked my watch: 0 Now playing nationwide.Released by Universal Pictures.
50/50
Directed by Jonathan Levine
Upon learning that he has a rare form spinal cancer with a 50/50 chance of survival, 27-year-old Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) must deal with the consequences of telling his parents, Diane (Anjelica Huston) and Richard (Serge Houde), his best friend, Kyle (Seth Rogen), and girlfriend, Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard), who moves in with him to take care of him. He and Rachael break up and, soon enough, he seeks the help of a therapist, Katie (Anna Kendrick), who’s young, attractive and inexperienced at her job---he’s merely her third patient. A romance gradually blossoms between them. While at the hospital, Adam meets two older cancer patients, Alan (Philip Baker Hall), and Mitch (Matt Frewer), who help him as good friends on his bumpy journey through cancer treatment.
It’s not too often that a film blends comedy, tragedy, drama and romance so smoothly and effectively, so it’s a testament to the sensitive screenplay by Will Reiser that it works so well without being uneven, melodramatic or awkward. For every minute that you feel like laughing, there’s another that will make you misty-eyed. Moreover, the relationships between Adam and his mother, ex-girlfriend, therapist and best friend, are fully fleshed out in ways that make them human, honest and, most importantly, believable. Rachael might seem initially like a bitch for the way that she treats Adam, but she’s not really a complete bitch that makes you totally hate her. You’ll actually be able to feel the chemistry between Adam and Katie, and to root for them end up together because they’re very good each other.
Not surprisingly, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, gives yet another solid performance that encompasses a wide range of emotions convincingly. There’s one particular scene in a car where he really nails the frustration, anger, confusion and sadness that Adam experiences. It’s quite a powerful and memorable moment. Anna Kendrick’s sweet, tender performance will also tug at your heartstrings. Seth Rogen provides some of the dirty humor as Adam’s best friend, while Anjelica Huston, even in her brief scenes, is quite radiant as Adam’s mother.
At a running time of 1 hour and 49 minutes, 50/50 manages to be funny, heartfelt, well-acted and refreshingly honest. It’s one of the best movies of the year.
Number of times I checked my watch: 0 Opens nationwide Released by Summit Entertainment.
Drive
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
&Nbsp A Hollywood stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) also works as a mechanic at the car shop of his boss, Shannon (Bryan Cranston), and as a driver for criminals during the nighttime hours. He gets caught up with a local mobster, Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks), who hires him to drive his race car. Meanwhile, a romance between him and his neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan), blossoms. Irene has a husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), who’s about to be released from prison, and a young son, Benicio (Kaden Leos). Upon Standard’s release from prison, the stunt driver gets into deep trouble as he tries to protect himself as well as Standard from criminals.
For a film that combines many different genres, namely, drama, thriller, action, mystery and romance, Drive succeeds that delicate rather well thanks to the sensitively-written screenplay by Hossein Amini ans the stylish, assured direction by Nicolas Winding Refn. If you’re familiar with Refn’s previous films, Bronson and Valhalla Rising, you should already know by now that he has a knack for including bold, stylish visuals as a means of creating atmosphere. The most captivating scenes of Drive are the ones where the characters remain silent thereby allowing you to interpret what they think and feel through their facial expressions. Ryan Gosling, a very talented actor, does a great job of conveying a lot of hidden emotion throughout those silent scenes. You’ve never seen Albert Brooks in such a mean-spirited role as a gangster before.
&nsbp Given that Refn relies on nuances, character development and atmosphere, his film feels somewhat European in its sensibilities while paying homage to the B-movies of the 1980’s. The opening sequence, with its well-chosen soundtrack and cinematography, is worth the price of admission alone. There are also a few very graphically violence scenes that might shock you on a visceral level, but those moments are far and few between. Fortunately, Refn doesn’t resort to using shaky camera movements as a means of creating tension nor does he bombard the film with action sequences; the tension builds gradually as you learn more and more about the stunt driver and observe the evolving dynamics between him and the other characters. There are a few twists and turns that transpire along the way, but they won’t be spoiled here.
&nsbp At a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, Drive manages to be atmospheric, refreshingly intelligent and suspenseful with a well-nuanced performance by Ryan Gosling. It’s one of the most invigorating thrillers of the year because it offers both style and substance.
Number of times I checked my watch: 0 Opens nationwide. Released by FilmDistrict.
The Tree of Life
Directed by Terrence Malick
Jack O’Brien (Sean Penn), a middle-aged architect, feels haunted by the death of his older brother, R.L. (Laramie Eppler), who died at the age of 19. As he grapples with the emotional pain, he recalls his memories as a child and teenager growing up with R.L., his younger brother, Steve (Tye Sheridan) and parents (Jessica Chastain and Brad Pitt) in Waco, Texas during the 1950’s. His father was a tough, domineering man who never fulfilled his dreams of becoming a pianist; his mother was kind and gentle. Little by little, vignette by vignette, you learn more about the dynamics of the O’Brien family, but, concurrently, there are more questions than answers to be found here. The opening scene’s quote from the Book of Job helps to provide an overview of the film’s thematic elements as does the voice-over narration where the mother states that there are two ways through life: the way of nature, and the way of grace.
Had writer/director Terrence Malick chosen the conventional approach to tackling the themes in The Tree of Life by spoon-feeding the audience with an easy-to-follow narrative, it would have been criticized for being too cliché and familiar. Instead, he takes an approach that’s concurrently elliptical, spiritual, infused with symbolism, and awe-inspiring on a purely visceral level. The picturesque images of nature coupled with the enchanting musical score create an experience that cannot be adequately explained merely through words. Malick leaves the narrative of the O’Brien family wafer-thin, thereby demanding a lot from the audience because it leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Patient audience members will be able to tolerate that effort for 2 hours and 18 minutes, but others will most likely become frustrated and exhausted after the first hour.
The Tree of Life leaves you with a lot of heavy topics to thinking about and discuss, such as grief, love, grace, the purpose of life, death, true happiness and hope. Each of these is an important issue that can be easily ignored throughout the hustle-and-bustle of today’s technology-centric world. If you watch the film and feel confused by it, perhaps a second viewing would help or perhaps you’ll see it in a whole new perspective at another stage of your life and will only be able to appreciate it or understand it then. Nonetheless, The Tree of Life manages to be a mesmerizing experience filled with breathtaking sights and sounds. It’s much like life itself: visceral, enigmatic, spiritual, profound and simply complex.
Number of times I checked my watch: 1 Now playing at Landmark Sunshine Cinema.Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures. 
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