Category: Reviews

  • ‘Rust and Bone’ shows Marion Cotillard is made of tough stuff

    ‘Rust and Bone’ shows Marion Cotillard is made of tough stuff

    Matthias Schoenaerts and Marion Cotillard star in 'Rust and Bone'
    Matthias Schoenaerts and Marion Cotillard star in ‘Rust and Bone’

    One of the more common images used in marketing Jacques Audiard’s intense new drama, Rust and Bone, is that of a killer whale, a gorgeous and not irrelevant sight given that Stephanie, the role essayed by Marion Cotillard, is a whale trainer. Having such a creature represent the film is a wise choice given that Bone itself is a crude look at animal instinct and magnetism – especially in human form.

    Bone, which Audiard and Thomas Bidegain loosely adapted from Craig Davidson’s short story collection, is a corporeal film, equally interested in the beatings the body takes and the ways in which it learns to recover. It follows the wavy but intersecting lines of both Stephanie and Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts), concentrating on Ali’s bumbling attempts to bear responsibility for himself and his young son, Sam (Armand Cerdue). Taking up residence with his sister, Louise (Céline Sallette), Ali works in earnest as a nightclub bouncer but also illegally as a street prizefighter and surveillance criminal. Ali is a character in almost constant motion, which director of photography Stéphane Fontaine chronicles incessantly in close-up, whether Ali is out for a run, getting his face pummeled by an opponent or engaging in the casual sex that Bone ultimately comes to hypothesize serves as both communication and therapy.

    Marion Cotillard is hauntingly good in 'Rust and Bone'
    Marion Cotillard is hauntingly good in ‘Rust and Bone’

    Ali meets Stephanie early on in Bone, rescuing her after a bar fight in his current place of employ. Their paths do not cross again until after a major catastrophe at Marineland, essentially a Sea World of the Côte d’Azur, has forced Stephanie’s legs to be amputated below the knee. Rendered alone and lonely by a combination of both choice and circumstance, Stephanie gets a random phone call from Ali to meet up. There’s neither pity nor a hidden agenda to their socializing, which acts as a refreshing salve to the quiet depression Cotillard so subtly communicates her character nursing. Of course, their undefined relationship escalates, and as French filmmakers so often do, Audiard requires that his actors bare all, both outside – unflinchingly captured by Fontaine – and within.

    With its very European (that is to say, honest) depiction of sex and violence, Bone is a film of visceral impact. But is also one of limited effect, as well. Like Stephanie herself, Audiard at times appears frustrated by the boundaries offered by celluloid. For instance, he films the actual incident that injures Stephanie rather obliquely; I’m still not sure exactly what happened, what caused it, or how it could have possibly been prevented. Additionally, his reliance on visual symbolism feels redundant rather early into the film, and his characters’ suffering gradually grows less palpable. (Convincing CGI effects are used to erase Stephanie’s limbs, however.) And while his last film, A Prophet, managed to circumvent storytelling tropes with a tale of similar brutishness, Bone does fall victim to foreordained plot developments.

    It’s Audiard’s cast that provides sufficient weight. Cotillard navigates Stephanie’s adjustment, which eventually includes prosthesis, with great delicacy, but also unleashes a temper when her inner tiger is threatened or as she grows closer to Ali. And Schoenaerts, who similarly toed the line between man and animal in last’s year’s Oscar-nominated Bullhead, channels early Marlon Brando here. He reminds us that no matter how rough and raging man may be on the outside, on the inside he’s still always looking to be tamed.

  • ‘Middle of Nowhere’ is raw, real and outstanding

    ‘Middle of Nowhere’ is raw, real and outstanding

    Omari Hardwick (left) and Emayatzy Corinealdi are lovers separated by bars in 'Middle of Nowhere'
    Omari Hardwick (left) and Emayatzy Corinealdi are lovers separated by bars in ‘Middle of Nowhere’

    Middle of Nowhere is a gritty movie about how tough life can be when living in limbo.

    In this case, “Ruby” (Corinealdi) enters that state in the film’s opening scene when she’s visiting her husband “Derek” (Hardwick) in prison.  He’s apparently just taken up residence there and she announces that she is dropping out of medical school.  This will enable her to preserve her relationship by visiting every weekend and keeping a home ready and waiting for his release.  He’s in for eight years, but she’s holding onto the fact that he could be out in five with “good behavior”.  He tells her that he doesn’t want her to let go of her dreams, but she won’t be convinced otherwise.

    Fast forward four years and Ruby is working hard to achieve her dream of Derek’s return.  She takes extra shifts at the hospital where she works as an RN in order to pay off Derek’s legal bills.  She’s doing everything she can to prepare for his eventual parole hearing.  She endures long bus rides to and from work, while helping her sister “Rosie” (Finley) by taking care of her nephew.

    Emayatzy Corinealdi delivers strong performance in 'Middle of Nowhere'
    Emayatzy Corinealdi delivers strong performance in ‘Middle of Nowhere’

    Then comes the good news that Derek may be released, but that only leads to more problems.  The lawyer who represented Derek at trial suddenly demands her retainer up front before she handles his parole hearing.  There’s a child that Derek fathered before he married Ruby and her mother comes around complaining she hasn’t received child support payments.  Things worsen when Derek is involved in an altercation and ends up in solitary confinement.

    While Ruby still loves her husband, she gets involved with the bus driver (Oyelowo) who she sees regularly when visiting the prison. He makes a pass at her during a chance encounter at the beach, which turns into so much more. Derek’s friend and fellow criminal “Rashad” (Curvey) learns of her relationship with the bus driver, and that threatens everything.

    DuVernay won the Best Director award at the Sundance Film festival and Cornealdi has been nominated for an IFC Spirit award for her performance.  The win and the nomination are well-deserved.  DuVernay has crafted an outstanding film with real characters facing real problems.  There is a clarity in her on-screen visions seldom seen in someone with her relative level of inexperience in directing features.  This one is a winner.

  • ‘Killing Them Softly’ is far from killing it on screen

    ‘Killing Them Softly’ is far from killing it on screen

    Brad Pitt gets down and dirty in 'Killing Them Softly'
    Brad Pitt gets down and dirty in ‘Killing Them Softly’

    Killing Them Softly is based on the crime novel “Cogan’s Trade”, which was published in 1974 and set in Boston.  The film, however, changes the locale to New Orleans and sets it during the 2008 presidential election.

    “Markie” (Liotta) runs illegal poker games for the local area mob bosses.  There was a problem in the past when one of these games was robbed. The card games are shut down, but eventually reopen. In a moment of weakness, Markie admits he was behind the robbery.  He isn’t killed, but instead receives a ‘pass’.  But the understanding is clear: Do it again, and you’re dead.

    That’s where “Squirrel” (Curatola) comes in.  He’s an ex-con who runs a dry cleaners and thinks he’s a smart guy.  His idea is to get two guys to hold up one of Markie’s current games, then let Markie take the blame.  Squirrel goes to “Frankie” (McNairy), who he has worked with in the past, telling him to get another guy for the job.  He shows up with “Russell” (Mendelsohn), who Squirrel doesn’t like but eventually okays.  The robbery goes off without a hitch and once again the poker games are shut down, choking off the local criminal economy.

    So they go to “Jackie” (Pitt) to resolve the problem.  He’s convinced Markie wasn’t involved in the robbery this time because he’s certain that Markie isn’t that dumb.  But he’s told by the bosses to rough him up anyway.

    Meanwhile, Russell goes on a trip with someone Jackie knows and confesses that he did the robbery, and rats out everyone else.  Once Jackie gets this information he asks Driver if he can bring in an outside man named “Mickey” (Gandolfini) to handle killing Squirrel (the two are friends).  The bosses agree to pay Mickey his price.  But that turns into more problems than it solves and it’s clear that it will be up to Jackie to handle all of the loose ends.

    The adaptation of the novel to the big screen is very good, although perhaps we could have done without the heavy-handed messages about the economy and politics.  There are frequent references to the 2008 presidential campaign (it amazes me that so many bars would be tuned into political speeches) and they don’t drive the story forward.  Pitt’s performance is good, particularly in his scenes with Gandolfini, but the rest of the cast is only ordinary.  However this is at least partially offset by the excellence and realism of the actual killings themselves.

  • ‘Price Check’ is well worth the price of admission

    ‘Price Check’ is well worth the price of admission

    Parker Posey and Eric Mabius star in 'Price Check'
    Parker Posey and Eric Mabius star in ‘Price Check’

    Price Check is interesting, thought-provoking and contains a third act plot twist that might just make you sit straight up in your seat, wondering “where did that come from”.

    Eric Mabius is “Pete Cozy” and the name implies where he is and where he isn’t in his life.  He’s comfortable in his job as a marketing specialist for a struggling supermarket chain at their regional headquarters on Long Island, yet he longs to return to the music industry.  He wants to do work that makes him happy, which his current position does not.  He’s married and they have a young son, a mortgage and are struggling financially.

    The film opens with Pete’s boss leaving the company and on his way out the door, letting Pete know that his last act was to give him a small raise.  He also lets Pete know that the woman who is coming in to take over is a real “ball-buster”.  Enter Parker Posey as “Susan Felders”, an enthusiastic and energetic0 woman who seems to be brutally honest.  She’s also profane and prone to fits of rage and other strong emotions.  She immediately warms to Pete and quickly makes him her confidante.  She also manages to worm her way into Pete’s home life, even inviting herself to their son’s school Halloween party.

    Susan plans to turn things around by bringing in an outside consultant, something her budget doesn’t allow for, so she makes it possible by doing something Pete doesn’t approve of.  When her boss, “Mr. Bennington” (Edward Hermann) tries to stop her from implementing her plan, she insists that Pete accompany her to the Los Angeles headquarters of the parent company, to sell their plan.  Bennington finds Pete to be a winner and drops hints of a job offer and eventually the board signs off on the plan.  But they give Susan a nearly impossible deadline to meet in implementing these changes.

    Upon their return, Susan and Pete work frantically to meet this deadline. Price Check’s best scenes by far are in that final act, which was brilliantly scripted by writer/director Michael Walker.

    One of the things that makes this film work as well as it does is that it sounds like “real” grocery chain-speak being spoken.  It also benefits from fine performances by everyone with more than a minor role in the film.  Posey is particularly stellar, proving once again that she is the reigning Queen of indie film and needs to be in more of them.

  • ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ falls short of the goal

    ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ falls short of the goal

    Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper co-star in David O. Russell's weak adaptation of 'Silver Linings Playbook'
    Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper co-star in David O. Russell’s weak adaptation of ‘Silver Linings Playbook’

    In Matthew Quick’s sensitive novel Silver Linings Playbook, the Solitano family – moody paterfamilias Pat Sr., peacekeeping mother Dolores, and son Pat Jr., recently released from a mental institution for reasons yet to be discovered – live in an Eagles-obsessed Philly suburb in South Jersey. David O. Russell has both adapted and directed the movie version of Quick’s book, which results in a scattershot translation lacking in many of the details that grounded the original story. That the Solitano household now exists in an unspecified Pennsylvania town is just the tip of the iceberg in how Silver, a piercing look into the mind of the mentally ill, has morphed into a neutered, loosy-goosey comedy without claws.

    The biggest nail trimmer to the story is that Russell has dialed down the instability of Pat Jr. (Bradley Cooper), who narrated the book, and was an unreliable narrator at that. Russell shows his hand early on, explaining that Pat Jr. has been institutionalized after nearly killing the man with whom his teacher wife (Bree Bea) had been having an affair. In the book, this was a secret kept not just from the reader but repressed by Pat Jr. from himself. Pat Jr.’s world should be cloudy, and his house should maintain a sense of danger. But the approval of his father (Robert De Niro, strictly limited to a puppy dog portrayal) is a mere teddy bear, a superstitious ne’er-do-well who buffets his unemployment with a small book-making operation offset by football bets with his friends, and worried mother (a terrific Jacki Weaver, shamelessly chewing on what should have been a far meatier role) seem to hold little import on Pat Jr.

    It’s easy enough to see what Russell is aiming for here. Through clipped editing and a series of rushed zoom shots, Russell denudes the story of pathos in favor of barbed humor and achieves a sense of the frenzy in the lives of the Solitanos; these are lower-middle class people all finding their own, potentially injurious ways to reclaim control in any way they can. And they’re not alone. Pat Jr. meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), the sister of his best friend’s wife (John Ortiz and Julia Stiles play the couple). Tiffany is a deeply wounded bird – widowed young and fired from her job for having sex with a dozen of her officemates, she knows a world of hurt from which Silver largely shies away. She and Pat Jr., however, make an odd match, albeit one on even footing. A bonding conversation about anti-depressants actually makes them look like not just the sanest people in the room, but the most believable. (Russell’s film works best when his characters are at their most matter-of-fact.)

    Jacki Weaver Robert De Niro in 'Silver Linings Playbook'
    Jacki Weaver and Robert De Niro in ‘Silver Linings Playbook’

    And that’s part of the problem. Silver paints these two as crazy like a fox, instead of just plain crazy, able to look at the world in ways more rational than the supposedly “normal” people around them. It cheapens the notion that they are in fact, suffering, in favor of an inevitable pairing of Tiffany and Pat Jr., who forge a push-me-pull-you bond dominated by Lawrence’s arch delivery and Cassandra-like ability to know everything. How, for example, does she know to show up at the Solitano household right as Pat and his friends have returned from an Eagles game? How, too, does she know he has been in a fight? Or, for that matter, exactly when the weight-loss obsessed Pat will be jogging by her house on his daily runs? (Russell’s script is sloppy in other areas, too: Pat’s older brother, Jake (Shea Whigham), appears out of nowhere and spits out his life story in a sloppy attempt at exposition; the movie never explains why Pat wears an Eagles jersey to a posh dinner or why he oddly opts to order Raisin Bran when out with Tiffany).

    Cooper has difficulty delineating Pat Jr.’s sharper edges. He seems to observe everything at face value, only to have caught on to things under the surface without telegraphing just how. It’s Lawrence’s wounded woman that really holds the film upright. About two-thirds of the way through the movie Silver basically shifts from Pat’s story to Tiffany’s. Russell’s adaptation distances us further from Pat’s head and closer to Tiffany’s heart, a cheat, but an alchemical one. It’s an overly tidy way of looking at two damaged souls trying to find their way in a world full of dangers, and it’s Lawrence’s well-tuned blend of volatility and aching that their connection works at all.

    Russell’s choice to mine humor from mental illness isn’t objectionable, it’s that the result of his methods remain undercooked. Eventually, Silver builds up to a climax at a local dance contest, where Pat and Tiffany strive for just a middling score. Like the film’s very own leads, Silver, too, seems perfectly satisfied just aiming for the middle.

  • ‘Life of Pi’ more than just a 3D treat – it’s complex, profound and highly intelligent

    ‘Life of Pi’ more than just a 3D treat – it’s complex, profound and highly intelligent

    The all-CGI Bengal tiger, Richard Parker, will have you believing in movie magic in 'Life of Pi'
    The all-CGI Bengal tiger, Richard Parker, will have you believing in movie magic in ‘Life of Pi’

    I’m a big proponent of reading the book before seeing the movie so I felt a bit hypocritical when I plunked down the $15 for my ticket to Life of Pi having no knowledge of the plot except for the snippets I caught in the trailers and the little I knew from my feeble attempt at reading it a few years ago. The novel, by Yann Martel, had won the Man Booker Prize and the movie, directed by Ang Lee, was getting rave review everywhere I looked, so I figured I couldn’t lose.

    The movie is about the experiences of a young Indian boy, Pi, played by Suraj Sharma, who is stranded on a lifeboat with an adult Bengal tiger (named Richard Parker)  after the ship carrying Pi and his family sinks in a storm.  The story is told through flashbacks and voice-overs by the adult Pi to a fledgling author looking for a story that will make him believe in God. After some tedious exposition that reminded me why I never finished the book, the movie kicks off into the main story: Pi and the tiger alone at sea.

    Suraj Sharma makes his motion picture debut in 'Life of Pi'
    Suraj Sharma makes his motion picture debut in ‘Life of Pi’

    Since Pi is the narrator, we know he eventually survives the ordeal, but even so, you will swear that there is no way he will make it through all of the tribulations he faces. Ang Lee uses 3D technology here the way it is supposed to. You are right there in the midst of a storm that quite literally blows you away and you face off with the Bengal tiger in eye-covering, seat-gripping, terror. But even though the effects are useful in scaring the bejeezus out of the viewers and inducing some simulated motion sickness, the movie also uses it for more than the in-your-face gimmicks. Pi’s experience is not just a gritty story of physical survival, it is a spiritual journey and it is during the calm, pensive moments that the effects are simply breathtaking. One scene in particular, involving thousands of meerkats on a unique island, will leave you scratching your head wondering how on earth they were able to do that.  The scenes are so impressive and stunning in their colors and construction that I felt like I was watching a piece of art rather than following a story.

    Now, a boy on a boat with an animal for companionship seems to smack of Tom Hanks and his trusted “Wilson,” but trust me, this tiger is no volleyball.  I couldn’t figure out how they were able to get a tiger to perform like that until I found out it was all CGI (duh!). But seriously, you will not be able to tell, even in 3D. That tiger was as real as my hand over my eyes and I would not be surprised to see Sharma’s name popping up around awards time.

    The movie is a visual feast and an experience that must be watched on the big screen to fully appreciate its power.  By telling the story mainly through images rather than narrative, Lee highlights the mystical nature of Pi’s experience and in turn, relies on the viewer to interpret the meaning of the ordeal. For people looking for a relaxing night at the movies, this is not the film to see. This is a movie that will sit with you for days as you mull over the implications left at the ending of the film. It is complex and profound and highly intelligent.  But even if you aren’t much of a deep thinker, bring a friend to explain the ending and go for the sheer sensory festival the film provides. Because on its simplest level, the film is beautiful.

  • Ang Lee’s ‘Life of Pi’ is magical and best seen in 3D

    Ang Lee’s ‘Life of Pi’ is magical and best seen in 3D

    Pi (Suraj Sharma) and a Bengal tiger known as Richard Parker are stranded together on lifeboats in 'Life of Pi'
    Pi (Suraj Sharma) and a Bengal tiger known as Richard Parker are stranded together on lifeboats in ‘Life of Pi’

    Life of Pi is a fascinating tale of faith and survival told in flashback.  Rafe Spall plays the writer who goes to visit “Pi Patel” (Irrfan Khan) whose full name is Piscine Molitor Patel.  The story behind his name and how he manages to get others to refer to him as Pi are best experienced by viewing the film.

    The writer is there because he’s been told that Pi (who is portrayed by three other actors in the film at various stages of his life; the main one being Suraj Sharma, who portrays him in his teenage years) has a story to tell that will make the writer believe in God.  So Pi tells him the story.

    It begins with his early life with his father, his mother and his older brother. They live in a lush part of India where the family operates a zoo.  He is born a Hindu, but by the time he becomes a teen he has developed beliefs in Christianity and Islam, and seems to be practicing all three faiths.  He’s also fallen in love with “Anandi” (Shravanthi Sainath) and suddenly his father announces that the family is moving to Canada.  They will be taking all of the animals with them, to be sold there and the money from the sale will allow them to start a new life.

    Ang Lee fills 'Life of Pi' with stunning visual and vibrant color
    Ang Lee fills ‘Life of Pi’ with stunning visual and vibrant color

    They board a Japanese cargo ship, and after some difficulties (including a cook played by Gerard Depardieu who won’t make them vegetarian meals), they wind up getting caught in a storm.  Things go bad and the boat sinks. Pi is separated from his family and ends up in a lifeboat with a tiger by the name of Richard Parker.  Pi constructs a makeshift raft to stay at a safe distance from the tiger, and seeks to keep both of them alive.

    Life of Pi is simply magnificent.  Director Ang Lee makes the most of the adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel by screenwriter David Magee, particularly in the images that leap off the screen when viewed in 3D.  Even knowing that Pi lives, it’s nearly impossible not to marvel at his continued survival as he’s confronted by all he faces during a journey that seems to never end.  Sharma is very, very good in his lead performance.  If you can, see it in 3D to get the most from this magical film.

  • ‘Dragon’ (‘Wu Xia’) is best seen on the big screen

    ‘Dragon’ (‘Wu Xia’) is best seen on the big screen

    Donnie Yen in ‘Dragon’

    Wuxia is a genre of Chinese fiction.  Generally we in the West think of it as “martial hero”, although that’s not a precise translation.  Wu Xia on the other hand, is the Chinese title of a film titled Dragon in English.  It’s an excellent representation of the genre, making up for the only average fighting sequences by adding elements of superb character development and a bit of CSI-like forensic detective work.

    Pet“Liu Jinxi” (Yen) is a simple papermaker in a quiet village where he lives with his wife “Ayu” (Wei) and two children.  One is hers from a prior marriage and the other is theirs.  He is in the village’s general store when two criminals come in and attempt a robbery.  Reluctantly, Jinxi intervenes.  His clumsy efforts to stop the robbers are successful and somehow both of the thieves wind up dead.  He is hailed as a hero, but when a detective named “Xu Baijiu” (Kaneshiro) shows up, he determines that one of the two men was a wanted murderer who had escaped from police custody.  More interestingly, he was a highly skilled assassin and Baijiu wonders just how this simple papermaker could overcome such a man.

    Takeshi Kaneshiro searches for clues in 'Dragon' ('Wu Xia')
    Takeshi Kaneshiro searches for clues in ‘Dragon’ (‘Wu Xia’)

    Using deductive reasoning and visualizations that would be hailed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself, Baijiu determines that in fact, Jinxi is an incredibly talented martial artist and may well be a criminal himself.  As he investigates inconsistencies in Jinxi’s history, he becomes more and more convinced of this fact.  It should be noted that early in his career, Baijiu showed mercy to a young criminal and released him, after which he went home and poisoned his parents, killing them. Baijiu also ate that meal but somehow survived.  Now the law is his lodestone and he leaves no criminal free.

    It turns out that Jinxi is really “Tang Long”, son of the leader of a ruthless group known as the “72 Demons”.  “The Master” (Wang Yu) wants his son back and dispatches people to retrieve him at any cost.  Meanwhile, Baijiu has obtained a warrant for Tang Long’s arrest.

    Donnie Yen delivers swift kick in 'Dragon' ('Wu Xia')
    Donnie Yen delivers swift kick in ‘Dragon’ (‘Wu Xia’)

    Yen is better as the actor portraying this tormented man than he is as the film’s fight choreographer.  As stated previously, the action sequences are adequate but no better than that. What saves them is the terrific effects used to illustrate the impact of certain blows on people during these combat sequences, and the excellent commentary concerning some of them by Kaneshiro’s Baijiu.  Chan is a director who gets the most from his cast while delivering excellence in visual presentation, and he uses some lush areas to their best effect as scenic backdrops.  While not a remake or reimagination of The One-Armed Swordsman, it is clearly an homage to that outstanding movie.  Considering that the name of Bruce Lee’s character in Way of the Dragon was also named “Tang Long”, that is probably an homage as well.

    This is a film that is best seen on a big screen with the best in sound, to get the most out of the excellent visual and audio.

  • ‘Red Dawn’ is proof most films should not be remade

    ‘Red Dawn’ is proof most films should not be remade

    Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson and Chris Hemsworth battle North Korean invaders in 'Red Dawn'
    Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson and Chris Hemsworth battle North Korean invaders in ‘Red Dawn’

    It is nearly impossible to evaluate the remake of a film without comparing it to the original.  In the case of Red Dawn, the original was a better than average film that was perfectly cast and told a topical tale of the times.

    The same cannot be said in any measure about the 2012 remake directed by Dan Bradley.

    The tale this time around is somewhat different.  The U.S. is invaded, but this time by the North Koreans rather than the Soviet Union (which is defunct now anyway).  They are enabled in this unlikely effort by an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) that destroyed all of the electronic components of all military weapons systems of the U.S., as well as causing massive power outages.

    The invasion takes place after we’re shown a high school football game where “Jed” (Hemsworth), home on leave from the Marine Corps, gets to see his younger brother “Matt” (Peck) lead the local high school team, the “Wolverines”, to defeat.  Matt does get props from their father, “Tom”, a sergeant in the Spokane Police Department, for trying his best.

    The North Koreans have conquered the city, as well as the entire Western and Eastern seaboards.  But thanks to Tom’s help, Jed and Matt, along with several other teens, are able to escape and head to the family’s cabin out in the wilderness.

    Chris Hemsworth leads the Wolverines in 'Red Dawn'
    Chris Hemsworth leads the Wolverines in ‘Red Dawn’

    After their father is killed, the teens, dubbing themselves the Wolverines, begin a series of raids on the North Koreans.  Eventually they are joined by several “real” soldiers who are there hoping to take one of the North Korean’s communications units. The two groups eventually team up and plan a dangerous raid the headquarters of the North Koreans.

    The original Red Dawn was about a threat that was at least plausible.  The possibility of the North Koreans invading the U.S. at this point or anytime in the foreseeable future is less likely than winning the lottery.

    The cast is also much too “attractive” to be believable and while this is a common flaw of films, here it is worse than usual.  Hemsworth is alright in the lead role and Peck isn’t bad, but the rest of the cast does little to bring anything to the story, save Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who is good in his minor role.

    The logic flaws abound, the opening montage trying to explain what comes is disjointed and the combat sequences are nothing special.  In the end, better to watch the original on DVD than see this weak remake.

  • ‘Nobody Walks’ is such a wasted opportunity

    ‘Nobody Walks’ is such a wasted opportunity

    Olivia Thirlby stars in 'Nobody Walks'
    Olivia Thirlby stars in ‘Nobody Walks’

    Nobody Walks, from director and co-writer Ry Russo-Young, gets right down to business in its scant 82 minutes. No sooner do we meet Martine (Olivia Thirlby), a 23-year-old Brooklyn artist just off an LAX-bound flight than we see her making out with the guy with whom she has headed to the parking garage. It turns out they’ve only just met, and while she’s happy for the ride, so to speak, that’s all. I guess she doesn’t have much time to waste either.

    Nobody is Russo-Young’s third film, after You Won’t Miss Me and Orphans, both of which were blessed by the indie-sphere. And though she has dabbled in the world of mumblecore, Nobody, with cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt’s sun-dried shots of Silver Lake homes, maintains the polish of a movie blessed with studio frills. She even collaborated on the script with Lena Dunham, who herself graduated from Tiny Furniture’s small-film world to HBO as the star and creator with Girls.

    In other words, this film bears a reasonable pedigree. So why is it such a wasted opportunity?

    Lord knows it has nothing to with the cast, which features John Krasinski as Peter, an established sound editor with whom Martine gets linked to complete an experimental film for an upcoming gallery event. Peter is married to psychiatrist Julie (RoseMarie DeWitt), and together they raise two children from her first marriage to rocker Leroy (Dylan McDermott). Kolt (India Ennenga), their elder child, harbors a secret crush on Peter’s assistant, David (Rhys Wakefield). And before long, Martine will get caught up with both David and Peter. (Like I said, she moves quick.) It’s a plot so basic, so formulaic that even Julie herself calls Peter out on his burgeoning crush early in the film.

    Things get complicated between Olivia Thirlby and John Krasinski in 'Nobody Walks'
    Things get complicated between Olivia Thirlby and John Krasinski in ‘Nobody Walks’

    Not that Julie’s totally an innocent – she’s wrapped up in a flirtation of her own with Billy (Justin Kirk), an occupational indiscretion way worse than her husband’s, since she’s Billy’s therapist. Russo-Young follows these bright young things around. One of the factors preventing one from getting too involved in the film’s plot is just how inevitable everything feels. People couple with little motivation other than it feels like what needs to have happened; there is no emotional investment nor organic logic to the way these characters collide. These are smart people flattened into dumb, inobservant chess pieces. Only DeWitt and Kirk succeed in suggesting any kind of legitimate inner torment for their characters.

    And one is never sure quite what to make of Martine, because neither the film nor her portrayer provides much insight into her. Is Martine a manipulator, a slinky minx using sexual attraction to get what she needs? It doesn’t seem like she wields feminine wiles for her own advancement because Martine does not seem to know exactly where she wants to be in general. But Thirlby never really hints at any lingering malaise that would cause her to make potentially destructive decisions. And the mention of a lawsuit by a previous boyfriend of whom she took and published nude photos only complicates the matter. Martine is a user, but not an abuser.

    A third distancing factor is that all of these actors are stuck playing enviably successful people. Martine, not at even her quarter-century mark, already has gallery shows. Julie and Peter are highly regarded in their professions and own a gorgeous home. Their problems are all luxury ones, the stuff only of soap opera, not real drama. Whether it’s a direct adaptation or not, Nobody bears more than a passing resemblance to the 1960s film Teorema, by Italian socialist filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini. But that film was undercut by Pasolini’s own subtext about homosexuality and duplicity in relationships. Everything in Russo-Young’s film, in contrast, feels foreordained, superficial, and unearned. Nobody learns anything in Nobody Walks.