Category: Reviews

  • ‘Captain Phillips’ is clearly in command

    ‘Captain Phillips’ is clearly in command

    The lifeboat being launched with pirates and hostage Tom Hanks aboard in 'Captain Phillips'
    Tom Hanks plays the real merchant captain Richard Phillips in ‘Captain Phillips’

    Tom Hanks is a two-time Best Actor Oscar winner and obviously an extremely talented actor.  Until the release of Captain Phillips, his talents have not been shown off in their best light for some time.  Based on the true story of the merchant ship captain who was taken hostage by Somali pirates in 2009, this is the kind of story an actor of the caliber of Hanks can really do a lot with.  He did.

    Hanks portrays Captain Richard Phillips as he is about to go back to sea aboard the container ship MV Maersk Alabama and he’s seen off at the airport by his wife, Andrea (Catherine Keener).  The ship was going to travel to Mombasa, Kenya and had 5,000 metric tons of relief supplies aboard.  Phillips is portrayed as a martinet who is very concerned about the crew and ship’s readiness to deal with any potential hijacking.

    When the pirates show up, the captain and crew do their best to prevent the pirates from boarding but they are unsuccessful.  With the exception of Captain Phillips and two of the crew, who man the bridge, the rest of the crew hides out in the Engineering compartment.  Muse (Barkhad Abdi) is the leader of the four pirates and he makes it very clear that he is now in charge of the MV Maersk Alabama.

    Barkhad Abdi leads the pirates who capture 'Captain Phillips'
    Barkhad Abdi leads the pirates who capture ‘Captain Phillips’

    A search of the ship is conducted but turns up nothing.  Eventually Muse is overpowered by the crew and taken prisoner.  The First Officer of the ship, Shane Murphy (Michael Chernus), attempts to exchange Muse for the other hostages.  The pirates agree and then double-cross Murphy and crew by taking Captain Phillips into the covered lifeboat with them and departing the ship.

    The U.S. Navy, warned at the time of the hijacking, dispatches the U.S.S. Bainbridge and other ships to the area to prevent the pirates from landing in Somalia and taking Captain Phillips inland, making rescue much more difficult.  Now it is a race against time to find a way to save Captain Phillips.

    While this is not a masterpiece, it is a superior film in terms of the production values, the writing and the telling of a true story that captured the front pages of newspapers around the world.  Hanks is outstanding in the role as previously mentioned and his name will be tossed around when awards season arrives.  Keeping an audience tense when they already know what will happen is not easy and director Paul Greengrass does it very well.

    There is some controversy over whether or not the real-life Captain Phillips should be considered a hero, or as a risk-taker who gambled with the lives of himself and his crew by sailing much closer to Somalia than they had been advised to.  Some members of the crew have sued the Maersk Line over the incident for knowingly sending them into “pirate-infested” waters.  That the film does not address this is not a flaw of the filmmakers, but a choice about the story they wish to tell.  It was a good choice.

  • Don’t miss ‘Like Father, Like Son’ a terrific Japanese film (yes, there are English subtitles)

    Don’t miss ‘Like Father, Like Son’ a terrific Japanese film (yes, there are English subtitles)

    The two families caught up in the drama of 'Like Father, Like Son'
    The two families caught up in the drama of ‘Like Father, Like Son’

    It’s a question that will be debated, probably forever.  Is it nature or nurture that makes the father of a son?  Writer/director Hirokazu Koreeda’s most recent film won a Jury Prize at Cannes exploring this question using an interesting device.

    Like Father, Like Son opens with six year old “Keita” (Keita Nimomiya) going through the ritual that is competing for a place in the entering class at a prestigious private school in Japan.  He’s been prepped, tutored and grilled until he knows exactly what to say.  Even if that means saying something he doesn’t believe or feel.  His father “Ryota” (Masaharu Fukuyama) is an alum of this particular school and he’s doing quite well in his career.  Although his wife “Midori” (Machiko Ono) wishes he spent more time with her and Keita.  Even at the rare moments when he is home, he’s usually focused on work.

    The rural hospital where Midori insisted on giving birth (so she wouldn’t be alone all the time) calls and wants to meet with the couple.  At that meeting they learn that Keita and another child were “switched at birth” (yes, that’s a current U. S. family drama series on cable) and the hospital, Keita’s parents and the parents of the other child need to work together to find a resolution.  In all previous situations like this, the families ultimately switched children.

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    Masaharu Fukuyama and Machiko Ono look at a photo of their biological son in ‘Like Father, Like Son’

    The other couple is “Yudai” (Lily Frankly) and “Yukari” (Yoko Maki).  Their son is “Ryusei” (Shogen Hwang) and they have two other, younger children.  Yudai is a definite contrast to Ryota, owning a small appliance shop where he ekes out a living fixing things and selling light bulbs.  He and his family live on the second floor of the building above the shop.  Yudai appears to be much more interested in how much money he can get from the hospital and how much free food he can enjoy in the process.

    Discovery of this switch understandably causes much tension between the people involved.  Midori believes Ryota blames her, thinking that she should have known instinctively.  He blames himself but also sees the switch as being the reason that Keita is not the son he anticipated.  Ryusei and Keita are very different children, and they have very different reactions when they begin spending time with each other’s “parents.”  Ryota has a plan of his own about what will happen to the two boys.

    This is a beautiful film that easily engrosses the audience.  Rather than being another in the endless supply of films from and about Japan that focus on the samurai, geishas and combat, it is about modern people and contemporary issues.  Like previous films from Hirokazu Koreeda, Like Father, Like Son is about the lives of families and how difficult, interesting, and enjoyable they can be.  This is a must see.

  • ‘The Monuments Men’ deserves at least a small monument of its own

    ‘The Monuments Men’ deserves at least a small monument of its own

    The cast of 'Monuments Men' (from right to left): John Goodman, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray
    The cast of ‘Monuments Men’ (from right to left): John Goodman, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray

    In 1943, at the height of World War II, it became clear that the Germans were engaged in the systematic looting of every major art work in Europe.  It was up to the soldiers and civilians who worked in the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Program to recover and repatriate this stolen art back to its rightful owners.  That is the true story on which the film The Monuments Men, written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov and directed by Clooney is based.  If you know anything about the actual events, you know that poetic license is in play.  The choices to exercise such license are good ones in this case, as was the decision that the film wouldn’t take itself so seriously.  This allowed the filmmakers to poke fun at situations where humor works, and still display the high drama that is war right up on the enemy lines.

    Clooney stars as “Frank Stokes”, a fictional character based on real-life Monuments Man George Stout.  He organizes a small unit that includes “James Granger” (Matt Damon), “Richard Campbell” (Bill Murray), “Walter Garfield” (John Goodman), French soldier “Jean Claude Clermont” (Jean Dujardin), “Donald Jeffries” (Hugh Bonneville) and “Preston Savitz” (Bob Balaban).  They are all experts in fields that make them ideally suited for their mission.  Locate, identify and recover the artworks that the Nazis have stolen from all over Europe.

    George Clooney stars and directs 'Monuments Men,' seen here with co-star Matt Damon
    George Clooney stars in and directs Monuments Men, seen here with co-star Matt Damon

    They have several issues to deal with.  They aren’t trained as soldiers, but in order to get to the artworks before German soldiers can destroy them (Hitler gave an order that this would be done if it appeared the Allies would recover the art, or if he died).  They are racing against time as there are Soviet soldiers also trying to find the artworks and other valuables, which they intend to seize as reparations for the millions of Soviets murdered by Hitler’s minions.

    The achievements of the real life Monuments Men were remarkable.  Heroic.  Epic.  But sadly, while this is not a bad film, it doesn’t do justice to their story.  It plods in places.  Uneven, it manages moments of sheer brilliance, followed by a longer stretches of mediocrity.  Clooney, who has shown a real talent for directing period pieces (Good Night and Good Luck is amazing) is hampered by a story that some will not find truly interesting.  One area where he succeeds is making the best possible use of his cast.  Goodman and Murray are uncharacteristically restrained and yet still evoke laughs where they are supposed to, and generating drama when appropriate.  Bob Balaban is a joy to watch in anything he performs in.  Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett as a Frenchwoman who is a key source of information for the Monuments Men have good chemistry in their scenes together.

    This is a good fictionalized history of some true heroes.  To learn more about them, visit http://www.monumentsmenfoundation.org/

  • Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’ is as excellent as its five Oscar nominations would indicate

    Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’ is as excellent as its five Oscar nominations would indicate

    Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams in 'Her'
    Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams in ‘Her’

    If someone could figure out a way to bottle and sell the whimsy of Spike Jonze, they would make an insane amount of money.  His fourth film, Her, is as imaginative as any of the prior three and a very thought-provoking movie.

    Joaquin Phoenix plays “Theodore Twombly” (obviously a nod to the late Cy Twombly, a noted artist), who lives somewhere in the not too distant future.  He earns his keep by writing letters for those who don’t express their own feelings well.  He is living in that limbo men occupy after separating from their wives, before the divorce is finalized.  He’s clearly still aching for his soon-to-be ex-wife, “Catherine” (Mara) but he is trying to fill the void in his life with online games and the infrequent visit with friends.

    Then he spies a new operating system, the OS-1.  It’s being touted as the world’s first such technology imbued with artificial intelligence.  The interactive female voice of the system quickly names herself “Samantha” and she begins to undertake changes in Theodore’s life.  She learns very quickly and Theodore perceives she is growing on more than just an intellectual level.

    Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara in 'Her'
    Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara in ‘Her’

    One of those friends that Theodore visits with on occasion is “Aimee” (Amy Adams), who is married to “Charles” (Matt Lescher) who Theodore disapproves of.  However, as a good friend, he keeps mostly quiet about his opinion.  Aimee wants Theodore to go out on a blind date with a friend of hers (“Blind Date” is how she’s listed in the credits and she’s played by Olivia Wilde).  Samantha pushes Theodore to accept the date and he does.  It starts well but in the end, Theodore is back in his apartment, talking to Samantha.

    Despite the fact that Samantha is only an operating system, with no physicality, she and Theodore’s relationship grows into a romantic one.  Theodore is ecstatic and as a result his writing improves, although it was among the best before he became involved with Samantha.

    Theodore meets with Catherine to sign the divorce papers, and mentions that he’s seeing someone.  At first Catherine is thrilled, as she doesn’t hate him.  But when she learns that his new girlfriend is just an operating system, she becomes agitated.  Soon, Aimee is divorcing Charles and is involved with her own operating system.

    Joaquin Phoenix and Olivia Wilde in 'Her'
    Joaquin Phoenix and Olivia Wilde in ‘Her’

    In the second decade of the 21st Century, where you can see friends dining together at a restaurant, all banging away on their iPhones while basically ignoring one another, the commentary of this movie is clear.  The progression of technology is driving us further apart in person while bringing us closer and closer to the computers that grow ever more critical to our daily existence.  As seems to be the case with any Spike Jonze film, the acting is superb.  Joaquin Phoenix excels as Theodore.  Scarlett Johansson is wonderful as the voice of Samantha.  Great dialogue and excellent cinematography enhance a terrific story.

    An interesting tidbit about Her is that Samantha Morton was originally cast as “Samantha” and she had voiced the entire film before the part went to Johansson.  During editing, Jonze realized that the Samantha that had been created during filming wasn’t exactly what he wanted.  Morton gave her blessing to re-casting the role.

  • In ‘August: Osage County’ temperatures and tempers rise

    In ‘August: Osage County’ temperatures and tempers rise

    The extended Weston family dining together in 'August: Osage County'
    The extended Weston family dining together in ‘August: Osage County’

    “Families are like fudge – mostly sweet with a few nuts.” – Anonymous

    August: Osage County is all about family and the strong-willed women who keep them together, or tear them apart.  Adapted by Tracy Letts from his own Pulitzer and Tony award winning play, it is the tale of the Weston family.

    “Beverley Weston” (Sam Shepard) is the patriarch.  He was once a poet of some renown but now spends his days drinking too much alcohol in an effort to ease the pain of what his life has become.  He lives with his wife “Violet Weston” (Meryl Streep) who is addicted to prescription drugs, suffers from cancer of the mouth, won’t give up her cigarettes and has a tongue that’s been sharpened to razor-like perfection.

    They have three daughters, two of whom no longer live in the rural area outside Pawhuska, OK. “Ivy” (Julianne Nicholson) still lives in the area and resents her sisters “Barbara” (Julia Roberts) and “Karen” (Juliette Lewis) for leaving her to care for their parents.

    Julia Roberts, Julianne Nicholson and Juliette Lewis are the Weston sisters reunited in 'August: Osage County'
    Julia Roberts, Julianne Nicholson and Juliette Lewis are the Weston sisters reunited in ‘August: Osage County’

    Soon after Beverley has hired a Native American woman named “Johnna” (Misty Upham) as live-in cook and housekeeper, he disappears.  Upon realizing he hasn’t returned, Violet phones her sister “Mattie Fae” (Martindale) and her daughters and they all show up. Mattie Fae brings her husband “Charles” (Chris Cooper) while Barbara brings her husband “Bill” (Ewen McGregor) and daughter “Jean” (Abigail Breslin). Karen has her new boyfriend “Steve” (Dermot Mulrooney) in tow.  After a few days have passed, they learn that Beverley had drowned in the nearby lake.

    Now there’s a funeral and the last player in this drama, “Little Charles” (Benedict Cumberbatch), son of Charles and Mattie Fae somehow manages to be late to his uncle’s funeral.  After the funeral they sit down at the Weston home for a family dinner and things get out of hand.  Violet has decided this is the right moment for her to do some “truth-telling”, managing to enrage just about everyone.  She may be addled by her addiction, but she is quite perceptive.  Each of the people sitting around the table with her has a secret and she has somehow divined most of them.  It is the revelation of these secrets and how they impact relationships that provides the most interesting and compelling portion of the movie

    Julia Roberts trying to cool down in a hot 'August: Osage County'
    Julia Roberts trying to cool down in a hot ‘August: Osage County’

    It should come as no surprise that author Tracy Letts is a brilliant writer and actor.  His mother, Billie Letts is a professor of writing at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and author of the award-winning novel “Where The Heart Is.”  His father, Dennis Letts was a Fulbright Scholar who was also a professor of writing and English for most of his adult life, before becoming an actor.  This is the third time that Tracy Letts has adapted one of his plays for the big screen and it’s wonderful.

    Director John Wells does not have a lot of experience as a director, but more than a decade as showrunner and head writer for the television series ER probably helped.  He certainly provided his cast with a landscape that allowed them to put every iota of talent they possess on the screen.

    Like the other works from Tracy Letts, the film is more than a bit dark and yet evokes laughter.  Don’t miss it.

  • ‘Lone Survivor’ is worth going through Hell Week for

    ‘Lone Survivor’ is worth going through Hell Week for

    Mark Wahlberg, Emilie Hirsch, Taylor Kitsch and Ben Foster in 'Lone Survivor'
    Mark Wahlberg, Emilie Hirsch, Taylor Kitsch and Ben Foster in ‘Lone Survivor’

    Navy SEALs.  Tears of the Sun.  The Finest Hour.  G. I. Jane.  Act of Valor.  All movies focused on Navy SEALs and fictional operations.  Now we have a movie about an actual SEAL operation and it is very realistic, dramatic and compelling.  Lone Survivor tells the story of Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg) and the other members of SEAL Team 10 who were involved in “Operation Red Wings”.

    This operation involved deploying a four-man reconnaissance team into a mountainous area to search for Ahmad Shah (Azami).  Aside from Luttrell, the team members were Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch) and Matthew “Axe” Axelson (Ben Foster).  Their commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Erik Kristensen (Eric Bana) would lead a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) in to carry out the mission of killing Shah once the recon team had pinpointed his location.

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    The team quickly reached the pre-planned recon point and located the target, but problems with their communications equipment prevented them from calling in the QRF.  This was the first of a series of problems that beset this mission.  The attack helicopters detailed to the mission were pulled away to support other forces who were in contact with the enemy.  Then, while the team was in a hide position, shepherds walked right up on them.  While the four easily overpowered the three shepherds, they faced a difficult choice.  Release them and they would soon be overrun by the Taliban forces in the area.  Tie them up and leave them in the area while they carried out the mission would probably lead to the death of the shepherds.  Or they could just kill the shepherds and proceed.  However, this would have violated the Rules of Engagement (ROE) and could have resulted in a court-martial.  Ultimately LT Murphy ordered the shepherds be released and they attempted to exfiltrate.

    The Taliban fighters came after the SEALs quickly and there were a lot of them.  While the SEALs killed a number of their pursuers, they were all wounded although able to continue to fight.   They tried to escape the area but the pursuit was relentless.  You can tell from the film’s title that only one of the four will survive and which one it is.  How he survives you can experience for yourself when you see the film, but afterwards you might want to Google the word “Pashtunwali” to better understand some of what takes place.

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    The opening of most movies about Navy SEALs usually involves scenes of the incredibly grueling training they go through and this is no exception.  However, director Peter Berg makes the excellent choice to use actual images from future SEALs going through that training, known as BUD/S.  The influence of Marcus Luttrell and the other SEALs who acted as technical advisors can be seen in the stark realism of the film.  Berg did not “dumb down” the material as some directors seem to do when they make a movie about the men and women who fight wars.  The weeks of training the actors did shows in how well they move like Special Forces operators once they’ve begun their mission.  The action is frenetic.  Viewers will be on the edge of their seats for nearly the entire 121 minutes.  It’s a tour of duty well worth enlisting for.

    These are photos of the three men who died in the service of the United States while part of Operation Redwings:

    LT Michael Murphy, Medal of Honor recipient
    LT Michael Murphy, Medal of Honor recipient
    SO2 Matthew "Axe" Axelson, Navy Cross recipient
    SO2 Matthew “Axe” Axelson, Navy Cross recipient
    SO2 Danny Dietz, Navy Cross recipient
    SO2 Danny Dietz, Navy Cross recipient
  • Jack’s back in ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ and it’s a welcome return

    Jack’s back in ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ and it’s a welcome return

    Chris Pine in 'Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit'
    Chris Pine in ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’

    Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is the second reboot of this franchise and dedicated to author Tom Clancy who passed away in 2013.  Unlike the previous films, this is not based on a novel by the author, but is an original story that involves his most iconic character.  Considering that the first Jack Ryan novel, “The Hunt for Red October” was published in 1984, this was the first of several good ideas the filmmakers came up with.  The second was choosing Kenneth Branagh to sit in the director’s chair, while the third was casting him as the central villain.

    John Patrick “Jack” Ryan (Chris Pine) is studying at the London School of Economics when 9/11 takes place.  He has a very visceral reaction and races off to join the Marine Corps.  Becoming an officer, he is injured in Afghanistan while heroically saving two of his men.  After regaining the ability to walk, thanks to “Doctor Catherine Mueller” (Kiera Knightley), he is recruited into the CIA by “William Harper” (Kevin Costner).  Harper sends Ryan back to finish his studies in London and he graduates with a Ph.D. in Economics.

    Chris Pine and Keira Knightley in 'Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit'
    Chris Pine and Keira Knightley in ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’

    Fast forward a decade and Ryan is living with Mueller, working as a compliance officer for a Wall Street banking firm and continuing his work as a CIA analyst.  He discovers some irregularities in financial transaction involving a Russian, “Viktor Cherevin” (Kenneth Branagh).  Cherevin’s firm does business with Ryan’s employer and this allows Ryan to travel to Moscow, ostensibly to audit the accounts he couldn’t access remotely from his own office.

    On arrival, he is nearly killed and then learns that Cherevin has disposed of the questionable assets, thwarting Ryan’s attempt to learn more.  Harper is Ryan’s handler on this operation and he comes up with a plan to take advantage of the unexpected presence of Mueller in Moscow (she flew in to find out what Jack is up to).  They learn that Cherevin’s son has been sent to the U.S. as a sleeper agent to trigger this all-out assault on the U.S. by setting off a major explosion to cause the markets to free-fall.  It becomes a race to see if Ryan’s incredible ability to recognize patterns will allow him to prevent the explosion.

    Chris Pine and Kenneth Branagh in 'Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit'
    Chris Pine and Kenneth Branagh in ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’

    What makes Jack Ryan such a satisfying character to read about, and watch on the big screen is that while he’s brave and heroic, he’s also not a “superspy” in terms of his ability to be physical.  He’s a brilliant, creative thinker.  He’s also incredibly driven to accomplish his mission, keeping the nation he loves safe.  Chris Pine nails these attributes as well or better than anyone who played the role before him.  Sadly, he and Keira Knightley do not have the chemistry that Tom Clancy created between his favorite hero and the woman that this hero was madly in love with.  Watching Kevin Costner in this role is like seeing an older version of his Naval Intelligence Officer character “Tom Farrell” from 1987’s No Way Out, using his experience and wisdom to make a mission work.  Gemma Chan is good but underutilized as one of Harper’s operators.  Kenneth Branagh is one of those rare exceptions, an actor who can direct and still deliver a strong performance while he is in front of the lens.  I’m looking forward to seeing this on DVD so I can scroll through what I’m sure are a bunch of fun extras.

    Hopefully the film’s underwhelming performance among a younger audience won’t prevent an attempt at a sequel.  As franchise reboots go, this is well above average.

  • Tune in to ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’

    Tune in to ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’

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    Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner and Will Ferrell are once again a news team in ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’

    Picking up where Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy left off, this raw comedy opens with “Ron Burgundy” (Ferrell) and “Veronica Corningstone-Burgundy” now married and working as co-anchors for a newscast originating in New York City.  Then the managing editor/chief anchor (Harrison Ford in a cameo) announces he will be retiring.  Rather than being promoted into his place as he expects, Ron Burgundy is fired for consistently screwing up on-air.  Veronica gets the job and it causes Ron to leave her.

    Unable to find a job he can keep, Ron is back in San Diego when the Global News Network comes calling, offering him a job.  He reassembles his news team of “Brick Tamland” (Carell), “Brian Fantana” (Rudd) and “Champ Kind” (Koechner).  They go back to the world headquarters of GNN and discover they’ve been relegated to the 2 a.m. timeslot.  Ron makes an ill-advised wager with “Jack Lime” (Marsden) the star anchorman who will hold down the prime-time slot, and as a result he does something unusual with his newscast.  The ratings go through the roof and this catches the eye of the head of news, “Linda Jackson” (Good).  But then Ron is injured and loses his sight, costing him his job and just about everything else.  He had already been failing in his responsibilities to his son “Walter” (Nelson) and was horrified to find that another man had moved into the home that he had once shared with Veronica.  That this man “Gary” is a touchy-feely sort doesn’t help.  Ron retreats to a remote beachfront shack and eventually Veronica and Walter join him there.  The rest is predictable but moderately entertaining.

    Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate in happy times in 'Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues'
    Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate in happy times in ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’

    While still a sequel, this is more of a send-up of other films as part of the attempt to generate laughs.  There are a number of funny bits, but some of the humor seems more than a tad forced.  While Ferrell and writer/director McKay have made funnier films, the bulk of the comedy is decent.  I suspect that playing Ron Burgundy is one of Ferrell’s favorite roles, as he seems quite comfortable in it.  His ability to generate the well-intentioned goofball makes this a better movie than it otherwise might have been.  The subplot involving Brick and “Chani” (Wiig), a secretary at GNN is cute and the network’s financial backer “Kench Allenby” (Lawson) brings an element that the original Anchorman film did not possess.

    This film took nearly a decade to be made and it is nice to see that it didn’t suffer from that long lag time.  CNN may be the model for GNN in this movie, but this is not the story of how the 24 hour news network came to be.  It’s a funny movie.   You’ll laugh.

  • You should invest in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’

    You should invest in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’

    Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Wolf of Wall Street'
    Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘Wolf of Wall Street’

    “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it” – the real Jordan Belfort

    The movie The Wolf of Wall Street is based on the memoir of Jordan Belfort, a man whose story had already inspired one movie, Boiler Room.  Martin Scorsese’s film is a much better movie, and offers more insight into a man for whom there was never enough.  Never enough money.  Never enough sex.  Never enough drugs.  Jordan Belfort should be made the poster boy for the era of conspicuous consumption that went on in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

    Portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, Belfort is starting his first job on Wall Street as the film begins.  He is mentored briefly by “Jack Hanna” (Matthew McConaughey), his boss.  However their relationship is cut short because of an event we now know as “Black Monday”, the day in October of 1987 when the stock market fell over 500 points.

    Margot Robbie is startlingly sexy in 'Wolf of Wall Street'
    Margot Robbie is startlingly sexy in ‘Wolf of Wall Street’

    Desperate for work, Belfort is about to apply for other types of jobs until his wife Teresa Petrillo (Cristin Milioti) spies an ad for stock brokers at a place called the Investor Center.  Belfort goes there for an interview and once he begins, the rest of the brokers are blown away by his technique for selling the penny stocks they deal with.  Not listed on any regulated stock exchange, these stocks are listed on what are called pink sheets and while the prices are low, the commissions are huge.

    Soon Belfort is starting his own firm, Stratton Oakmont and it grows like a wildfire.  The money is rolling in.  Jordan Belfort becomes known for the excess he lavishes on himself and his employees.  While he’s throwing wild parties for his employees and exhorting them to sell more and more on the office PA system, he’s also snorting massive quantities of cocaine, dropping Quaaludes and screwing prostitutes on a regular basis.

    Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio in 'The Wolf of Wall Street'
    Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’

    Things change along the way.  Teresa is replaced by wife #2, Naomi Lapaglia (Margot Robbie), they have a daughter, a great big house and all seems good.  His father Max (Rob Reiner) is overseeing the company’s finances with an iron fist.  Then Stratton Oakmont handles the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Steve Madden’s company (Madden is portrayed by Jake Hoffman). The FBI begins an investigation into Belfort and his firm and from that point, it’s an even wilder ride than before.

    Some of Scorsese’s best films have been displays of the excesses of historical figures.  Goodfellas and Casino’s characters are fictional versions of real people.  Raging Bull and The Aviator show actors portraying some or all of the real people involved in the story.  While characters other than DiCaprio’s performance as Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street are fictionalized versions of the real people; who those real people are/were is evident on the screen.  Showing off the foibles and flaws of such people is one of Scorsese’s fortes.

    Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort teaching his salesmen how to "close" in 'The Wolf of Wall Street'
    Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort teaching his salesmen how to “close” in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’

    However, while this is a good film, it isn’t a great film and suffers by comparison with his earlier works.  The actors give strong performances, particularly Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie and Jean Dujardin.  When a film goes well beyond the two hour mark in running time, it challenges the stamina, attention-span and bladder of its audience.  This movie runs 179 minutes and with the f-bomb being dropped 506 times (a new record for a mainstream non-documentary film) that’s one f**k every 21 seconds, on average.

    There are some who think this movie glorifies and excuses the actions of Belfort and cohorts.  That is not the case.  If anything, it points out that the American financial systems are in need of more and better oversight.  Sadly, The Wolf of Wall Street virtually ignores the victims of Belfort’s crimes, and to give them less than he gave them is a terrible shame.

  • ‘47 Ronin’ is a bit disappointing, but it isn’t awful

    ‘47 Ronin’ is a bit disappointing, but it isn’t awful

    Keanu Reeves is "Kai" in '47 Ronin'
    Keanu Reeves is “Kai” in ’47 Ronin’

    There is no American equivalent to the story of the 47 Ronin.  It is a story so famed and honored in Japan that it has its own word in the language, Chushingara.  It has been made into plays, an opera and before this film, six different movies.  The basic events in the story actually took place in Japan at the beginning of the 18th Century.

    Daimyo were the feudal territorial lords through Japan at the time, ruling their lands, while the entire nation was ruled by the Shogun, (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa).  In this film version of the story, the Shogun has ordered a daimyo, Lord Asano (Min Tanaka) to play host to a gathering where two champions will face off.  In ensuring the Shogun will be safe, he and his samurai retainers are out hunting a monster that has terrorized the countryside.  They find and fight the monster and it is actually “Kai” (Keanu Reeves) who kills the beast.  Lord Asano saved Kai when he was found wandering in the forest.  Kai is now a servant on Lord Asano’s estate.  He is also the favorite of Lord Asano’s daughter Mika (Kou Shibasaki) although theirs is a love that can never be.

    Lord Kira (Tadanobu Asano) is another daimyo and he covets the lands of Lord Asano and he has a powerful weapon at his disposal that he will use to get them.  “Mizuki” (Rinko Kikuchi) is a witch who serves Lord Kira and she uses her powers to get him whatever he wants.  She befuddles Lord Asano who attacks Lord Kira, thinking that his action is to protect Mika.  As a result, the Shogun orders Lord Asano to commit seppuku.  He does so, asking Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), leader of his samurai to be his second.  Once Lord Asano is dead, the Shogun gives his lands to Lord Kira to administer until one year later, when Mika will marry Kira and the lands will become his.  Oishi and all of the other samurai who had served Lord Asano become ronin when their lord dies.  Oishi and 46 others swear to avenge their lord’s death by killing Lord Kira, in spite of an order from the Shogun that Kira is not to be harmed.  But they will need the help of Kai to carry out Oishi’s plan.

    It is a rare thing to see a first-time feature director given a film with a budget approaching $200 million and it is asking a lot of anyone.  47 Ronin isn’t a bad film but it might well have been a better one with a more seasoned director at the helm.  The fight sequences are done well, and some of the visuals are pleasing to the eye.  The acting from the cast of very talented Japanese actors is first rate and that helps overcome the movie’s other limitations.  Sets and costumes are one of the film’s strengths.

    Those familiar with the story as it happened will probably dislike this fictionalized version from writers Chris Morgan, Hossein Amini and Walter Hamada.  Adding a witch and tengu to the story detract from a tale that’s quite interesting in that it is very much about honor and loyalty, but not about bushido, as many believe.