Frozen River has been given a limited re-release due to Melissa Leo's well deserved nomination for best actress. Since I missed it in its original go round I thought I'd take advantage of the re-release to see it. Ms. Leo plays Ray Eddy, an underemployed mother of two boys, whose husband has abandoned her due to his uncontrollable gambling habit. He's likely off to Atlantic City to gamble away the money they've been saving to upgrade to a bigger trailer. She lives in upstate New York, near the Canadian border and the family is in such dire straits that she's forced to serve popcorn and Tang to her kids for dinner. Somebody please direct this woman to the nearest food stamp office. In the course of looking for her husband she gets involved in a smuggling ring involved in bringing illegal immigrants across the Canadian border through the local Mohawk reservation. In order to minimize getting caught they must drive back and forth between, you guessed it, the frozen river of the title. This film does more than tell a story, as it also portrays the dreariness of the local town, and the difficulty in making a life in an area that offers so little opportunity. It does such a good job that you almost feel that you have to bundle up just to watch it, and I don't mean because the theater doesn't have its heat turned up high enough. At times the film was a little too dreary for my taste, although the story-telling is first rate throughout. Ms. Leo's performance, as noted above, is superb, and she'd likely be a favorite to win the Oscar if she was Charlize Theron or Nicole Kidman playing the role sans makeup. I'd bring an extra sweater to the theater.
Rating - Light 3
While not an uninteresting film on some levels, the first part of Steven Soderbergh's over four hour saga on the life of Ernesto "Che" Guevara does not provide a whole lot of insight into the man or how he was formed. The film begins in 1955 as Che is meeting with Fidel Castro and others, discussing the soon to be commenced attempt to overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. The film ends just before the rebels triumphant march into Havana. There are also a number of scenes that depict Che's visit to New York and the United Nations in 1964, where he tries to win support for the Cuban regime amongst diplomats, and some well connected, trendy, Upper East Side types. This film works best as a procedural, and does a pretty good job in explaining how a basically ragtag army was able to defeat a much more professional force, namely by having the people behind them. The film also makes sure we understand why the regime had such little support among the poverty stricken, exploited, and ill educated common folk. A much better film to see first though would be The Motorcycle Diaries, released in 2004, which depicts Che's journey throughout South America, and how witnessing the poverty of so many helped form him, and gave purpose to his life. Benicio Del Toro does a fine job in the title role and the film does have merit, but in the end, you won't get much more insight into the man than from wearing the T-shirt.
Rating - 2 1/2 Stars
In Last Chance Harvey, Dustin Hoffman plays the title character as a man whose career as a jingle writer is imploding, as his daughter is about to get married 3000 miles away in London. Upon arriving in town for the wedding he's made to feel the odd man out from the start, and is even informed by his daughter that her step-dad will be giving her away instead of him. I must say that I lost a lot of sympathy for the impending bride at that point, and assuming that Mr. Hoffman was not some sort of beast as a father, her snubbing of him was likely uncalled for. Anyway, Harvey goes to a bar in order to numb his pain, meets Kate, played by Emma Thompson, who herself is not leading a very satisfied life due to an unfulfilling job, a nagging but loving mother, and no romantic prospects on the horizon. If you've seen a movie or two in your life you can probably figure out much of what happens next, but fortunately, it doesn't matter because the story is told so exceedingly well. It doesn't hurt that the film has two masters in the lead roles, and that they have turned what could have been no more that a light piece of fluff into a quite enjoyable film. After a series of cartoon voice, and supporting roles, it's great to see Mr. Hoffman play the lead once more in such an enjoyable film.
Rating - 3 1/2 Stars
In The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a wrestler who was once at the top of his game, and who now, just barely manages to operate on the fringes. For people who follow these sort of things it obvious that the film also serves as a metaphor for the star himself. Mr. Rourke was one of hottest rising actors in the 1980's, as he appeared in Diner, The Pope of Greenwich Village and Year of the Dragon, amongst others. He gave it all up to become a boxer, got beaten up a lot, and then came back to acting, but never to anywhere near the same level of acclaim that he enjoyed in the 1980's...until now. This renewed acclaim is certainly justified as Mr. Rourke manages to give a brilliant performance, as he portrays all of the sadness, regret and hope of his character, and all of the Oscar "buzz" surrounding his portrayal is certainly justified. Marisa Tomei also gives a fine performance as a stripper at a local club, who is the closest thing to a friend that Randy has. As someone who hasn't followed professional wrestling since Buddy Rogers and Bruno Sammartino were fighting it out in the early 60's , I must say I was a little surprised at the brutality of some of the wrestling matches, which included the use of stapler guns in a particularly brutal episode. Although these scenes are necessary in order to set the character, I must also say that the movie really picks up when the the action leaves the ring and shows how this broken-down guy negotiates the routines of his life, including his sad relationship with his daughter. This is a good film with some great acting that anyone looking for a serious story should appreciate.
Rating - 3 Stars
Defiance begins shortly after the German invasion of Russia, as the Nazis have begun to occupy what is now the Republic of Belarus. As they did throughout all the lands they occupied in eastern Europe, they begin rounding up and executing the local Jewish population, with an assist from some of the local populace and police. Defiance is the story of over a thousand escaped Jews who fled into the local Belorussian forest, hid, fought back against the Nazis, as well as formed their own rudimentary society. This society was led by Tuvia and Zus Bielski, two brothers, played by Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber respectively. This film does an excellent job in conveying both the fear and uncertainty that obviously ensued from living under such conditions, as most of the people had no idea how to survive in the forest. The two brothers apply tough love in helping them to adapt to forest life, in addition to forming their own partisan group amongst the men in hiding, to both sabotage Nazi operations, as well as to defend themselves. The battle scenes are outstanding and most definitely give you the feeling of watching a real war in action. The principals all do an excellent job in portraying their characters, and the two leads also realistically portray the conflict that can occur when two brothers have different viewpoints. Unlike the other two major Holocaust/WWII themed movies that are out now, Valkyrie and The Reader, there are no sympathetic Nazis here, only a great story that should be seen.
Rating - 3 1/2 Stars
I'm sure I'm not the first to make this comparison, but the film that Frost/Nixon most reminds me of is Rocky. Of course this is a much more literate version, with broken egos instead of noses. For those to young to remember, about two years after Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency in disgrace, David Frost, a relatively lightweight talk show host, decides to conduct a series of interviews with the former President. Since no one considers him to be a "hard news" guy, he's not able to sell it to the networks, and takes on considerable financial risk to himself. The film also shows the difficulty Mr. Frost had in selling the project to his own research staff, who didn't have a lot more respect for his abilities than the networks did. This film does an excellent job in portraying the behind the scenes preparations that both sides went through, as Mr. Frost assumes the role of a prosecutor that Mr. Nixon would never have to face in an actual court of law. The scenes of the actual interviews are quite revealing as both combatants slowly build to the only topic that frankly anyone is interested in, namely the Watergate break in, and its aftermath. Frank Langella is getting most of the acclaim for his outstanding performance, and he deserves every bit of it, but, Michael Sheen as David Frost also does a fantastic job in a much more subtle role. The film, while not glossing over Mr. Nixon's misdeeds does succeed in humanizing him, while also showing just how uncomfortable he was with people. It's amazing to know that someone like this was so successful in his chosen career. I'm also old enough to remember the Nixon Presidency, and Watergate, and I remember at the time that I considered him akin to the devil. I'm not ashamed to admit though, that I felt some sympathy for him as the film progressed. A great film, and history lesson...and I can't wait till "W" gets his turn.
Rating - 4 Stars
Suburbia, rightly or wrongly, has always made for a convenient whipping boy in popular culture, and Revolutionary Road is certainly no exception. Helmed by American Beauty director Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road is the story of Frank and April Wheeler, who meet at a kind of bohemian party, marry and have kids quickly, and before you can say "yard sale" have bought into the whole suburban lifestyle. April, played by Kate Winslet, longs to be an actress, and is held back by her lack of talent, as well as by her familial responsibilities. Frank, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, hates his job and doesn't know what he wants to do , but is easily seduced by the economic opportunities that his firm has to offer. April, who is miserable, hatches a plan to go to Paris in order to revitalize their lives, and to give Frank an opportunity to "find himself", and this brings a brief flash of optimism to their lives. This film does an excellent job in portraying uphappy people leading miserable lives, and at times will remind you of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe. It also captures the feel and look of a time when the big house in the suburbs was everyone's goal, and that goal was attainable. In addition to the fine job done by the leads, Kathy Bates, as an upbeat realtor and Michael Shannon as her mentally ill son add much to the film. Mr. Shannon in particular has a couple of riveting scenes of pure honesty that both electrify, and even provide some comic relief to the film. This is an adult entertainment of the purest kind, no gimmicks, just a slice of life, and a must see by any serious filmgoer.Rating - 4 Stars
I used to be a quite a big fan of Jim Carrey, and have seen most of his films. My enthusiasm has faded through the years though, maybe due to changing tastes due to age, or maybe I just felt I've seen everything he can do, more than once. In fact I wasn't even planning on seeing this film, but, for reasons that would be of no interest to anyone in particular, I did, and, was pleasantly surprised. Jim Carrey plays Carl Allen, a depressed loan officer in a bank who hasn't gotten over his wife leaving him, and who says "no" to every offer of social interaction, or anything else for that matter. A friend convinces him to attend a motivational meeting based on the concept of saying "yes" to life, and is convinced by the motivational group's leader to say "yes" to every opportunity that comes his way. Mr. Carrey proceeds to take this to the extreme, saying yes to virtually every offer presented to him, including learning Korean and making a bungee jump. Terence Stamp plays the group's leader and I guess it's hard to say no to General Zod. Although Mr. Carrey does some of his patented shtick here and there, he's much more subdued than in many of his comedies, as he lets the story take over. In spite of this, there are plenty of laughs mixed in with a good story and message. It even endorses the concept of making small loans to poorer individuals, an idea which has had some success in third world nations. When I first saw the trailer for this film I immediately figured it was just another version of Liar Liar, and there are some superficial similarities. This film is actually better, and, stands on its own, and, although I recommend the film, no, I will not say, say yes, to Yes Man.
Rating - 3 Stars
Here are some films that I highly recommend that were little seen during their original theatrical run. If you're not sure what to order from Netflix I would give these a try.
eXistenZ - Released 1999
This film stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law, and was directed by David Cronenberg. The plot revolves around a virtual reality game and a possible assassin. It reminded me of Total Recall, only better.Let Him Have It - Released 1991
This is an English film, and concerns an intellectually challenged young man who gets involved with a group of petty criminals. It's based on a true story that took place in 1950's England, and the portrayal of the results of his involvement are truly riveting.
The Comfort of Strangers - Released 1990
An English couple are on vacation in Venice and bump into Christopher Walken, who invites them back to his home. Obviously not the best decision they could have made. Mr. Walken is at his creepiest in this film, and whenever I see him, or someone else parody his persona, this is the film I think of. Directed by Paul Schrader, and a real gem.
The Vanishing - Released 1988
Guy and his girlfriend stop at a service station and girl disappears; guy becomes obsessed with finding out what happened with her. A great film, and the less said the better. This film is in Dutch with English subtitles, and do not rent/order the American remake by mistake. It was directed by the same director and I guess he felt he had to dumb down, or make more obvious one of the main characters, as well as change a major plot point. It didn't work.
The Thirteenth Floor - Released 1999
This film stars Craig Bierko and Gretchen Mol and concerns parallel worlds, virtual time travel, and good old fashioned murder. A great story.
This film is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald and tells the story of baby born old, who then proceeds to physically age in reverse. The film takes what could be considered as nothing more than a gimmick, and then proceeds to use it to build a rich and engrossing tale. Benjamin is played by Brad Pitt, and the love of his life Daisy, is played by Cate Blanchett. The story covers more than eighty years in the lives of its main protagonists, and is told in flashback, as Daisy's grown daughter is reading from Benjamin's diary. Early on in the film Benjamin is abandoned as a newborn by his father on the steps of a nursing home. He's just not able to deal with his son's unique condition, especially after the death of his wife in childbirth. The proprietor of the home, Queenie, then takes on the role of his mother. In spite of what fate has handed him, Benjamin embraces life fully, and never hesitates to try anything that comes his way, and he never feels sorry about his fate. He goes to sea on a tugboat, fights in World war II, discovers brothels, all the while growing younger, stronger and looking more and more like Brad Pitt every day. This film has been compared to Forrest Gump by some in that Benjamin, like Forrest, always remains positive and upbeat in spite of all of the challenges that life has given them. In that sense the comparison is valid, and this film is a most enjoyable fable that celebrates life.
Rating - Solid 3
The Spirit is based on the classic Will Eisner scribed comic of the same name. The original comic was innovative and creative, and influenced all comic writers and illustrators who came after. This film contains none of the positive characteristics of the original comic. There isn't one character that you care about in this dull and uninvolving film. The chief bad guy, The Octopus, played by Samuel L. Jackson, is characterized as the usual semi-psychotic bad guy that you'll often see in these type of films, only it just doesn't work here, unlike Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight. Mr. Jackson is a fine actor, so the fault can only lie, and it does, in a poorly written script, and mediocre direction. You never feel any real sense of danger when he's on screen. As far as Gabriel Macht, he does what he can playing a second rate Dark Knight as boy scout. It's not his fault either. This film was directed by Frank Miller, who also wrote and co-directed the much better Sin City, a film The Spirit tries to emulate in "spirit", unsuccessfully. I generally love this genre of film, and was really looking forward to it. A big disappointment.
Rating - 1 1/2 Stars
This must be the year for for sympathetic Nazi movies, first Valkyrie and now The Reader. Unlike Valkyrie, The Reader is basically the story of just two people, a middle aged streetcar conductor played by Kate Winslet, and a teen-aged schoolboy played by German actor David Kross, and then by Ralph Fiennes as an adult. The two meet when Ms. Winslet's character briefly comforts the young man when she finds him ill on the street. The young man, spurred on by gratitude, and possibly some interest, seeks her out to thank her after he's recovered. A brief summer affair ensues, and when not rolling around in bed Ms.Winslet's character asks the young man to read to her, which he eagerly does whenever they meet. Flash forward about eight years later and the young man, now in law school, is observing a trial of some female concentration camp guards when he spots her again. This causes the young man much anguish and conflicted feelings. This film deals with the issues of shame, guilt, and complicity, in an enlightening and entertaining way. This film also does an excellent job in humanizing someone who was a small cog in a horrible atrocity apparatus, and the audience may feel some guilt about their own feelings themselves. This is a serious story told well, with excellent performances all around, and it's a movie you'll talk about as you leave the theater.Rating - 4 Stars
