Category: Reviews

  • Shia LaBeouf is woefully miscast in intense ‘Lawless’

    Shia LaBeouf is woefully miscast in intense ‘Lawless’

    Tom Hardy in 'Lawless'
    Tom Hardy in ‘Lawless’

    Lawless comes from a historical novel, “The Wettest County in the World.” It’s the story of three brothers in Prohibition era Franklin County, Virginia. “Forrest Bondurant” (Tom Hardy) is the family’s leader, while his brothers “Howard Bondurant” (Jason Clarke) and “Jack Bondurant” (Shia LaBeouf) follow his lead. They are in the moonshine business and “Cricket” (Dane DeHaan) has a knack for brewing up some of the best ‘shine around.

    Moonshine is a big business when the film opens and there are a lot of people involved in the ‘shine trade in Franklin County.

    The local cops have no issue with the Bondurants or anyone else engaged in the moonshine business until a new special deputy comes to town. “Charlie Rakes” (Guy Pearce) is from the big city and is in cahoots with a new prosecutor, “Mason Wardell” (Tim Tolin), who has designs on taking a cut from every single bottle of moonshine produced in the area that he considers his. The other bootleggers making ‘shine fall in line fairly quickly, but the Bondurants just aren’t interested in Wardell or his henchman Rakes. They don’t feel the need to share any of their hard-earned profits, and intimidated easily.

    Jack wants to strike out on his own, to make something of himself, because he wants to impress a girl, “Bertha Minnix” (Mia Wasikowska). She’s the preacher’s daughter and the preacher doesn’t want this man courting his daughter. Bertha is definitely attracted to Jack, but isn’t sure what to make of his involvement in his “trade.” She seems to want a church-going, God-fearing man. In spite of that, Jack’s ability to provide a better life proves attractive to young Bertha.

    Shia LeBeouf and Mia Wasikowska in 'Lawless'
    Shia LeBeouf and Mia Wasikowska in ‘Lawless’

    Soon the Bondurants are operating a major moonshine distillery hidden in the backwoods where Rakes and his men can’t find it, and all seems to be going just fine. But there will be a reckoning between the Bondurants and Rakes and Jack ends up blamed for problems that arise.

    There are three good performances in this film.

    Hardy is practically perfect as Forrest Bondurant, a man with no fear of anyone else on the planet, and who expects everyone else to fear him. Quiet, soft-spoken but with a serious reserve of inner strength. Pearce is over the top as Rakes, but that’s how he was directed, how the role was written, and he does it well. And the beautiful Jessica Chastain is great as the woman who wants to be the lady behind the man in power, and will bide her time until opportunity presents itself.

    But Shia LaBeouf is woefully miscast here and it shows in how he handles the part he plays. The story is alright, the action more than adequate, but you can predict much of what is going to happen and who it will happen to – even if you didn’t read the novel. With a better actor playing Jack, this could have been a real winner.

  • ‘The Manzanar Fishing Club’ tells amazing tale

    ‘The Manzanar Fishing Club’ tells amazing tale

    'The Manzanar Fishing Club'
    ‘The Manzanar Fishing Club’

    It is one of the darkest stains on our nation’s tradition of liberty and freedom for all. I’m referring to the forced internment of over 120,000 Japanese-Americans in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The first of the internment camps was created at Manzanar, in the Owens valley of California, not too far from the towns of Lone Pine and Independence. It was here that the story behind a new documentary film entitled The Manzanar Fishing Club took place.

    The first 10,000 internees were brought here, mostly from the Southern California area. Many were from the Japanese community that had sprung up around the fishing industry located on L.A.’s Terminal Island. That community was razed after the residents were forcibly relocated. Not too long after Pearl Harbor, thousands of Japanese, roughly 2/3rds of whom were U.S. citizens were being held behind barbed wire fences, with armed guards and machine-gun equipped towers keeping them within a one square-mile area.

    The area is beautiful and filled with streams and lakes. So some of the residents of this concentration camp (to call it anything else is to ignore reality) decided to risk their very lives, sneak out beneath the barbed wire, and go fishing. There were beautiful, strong-willed trout in those lakes and streams and the men (mostly) of the camp sought more than just a tasty alternative to the mass-produced meals served in the Manzanar mess hall. They sought the freedom of hours spent outside of barbed wire fences. Hours spent among nature, engaging in the challenge of negotiating difficult terrain, and finding ways to fish the local waters.

    The location of Manzanar was chosen because it features strong physical barriers to keep the internees close at hand. Mountains on two sides, including the Sierra Nevada. Some of the lakes they fished were high up in those mountains and some of these dedicated fisherman scaled those heights to fish.

    'The Manzanar Fishing Club poster
    ‘The Manzanar Fishing Club poster

    The story of how some of the first residents of the camps were actually volunteers is told quite well, and with excellent photograph representation of the people and places involved. The interviews are compelling and you can almost see the scenes being described by both the people who actually lived at Manzanar, and by the descendants who heard the tales told by their ancestors and are relating their experiences because they themselves are no longer with us.

    The perspectives of a renowned historian, along with two people who work at the Interpretive Center that maintains the history of the site aid greatly in telling this fascinating tale of men who sought out the challenge of fishing as a way to combat the awful life of being confined for having done nothing wrong save being born of a particular ethnicity. None of these people committed any crimes. They sought freedom through the vaunted U.S. legal system and were denied relief at every turn.

    This documentary is focused on the story of the fishing and the fisherman and only touches on the legal battle. It also barely makes mention of the fact that 20 of the internees at Manzanar volunteered to fight on America’s behalf in Europe as part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Brigade, a unit of Japanese soldiers which was among the most decorated units in history. Even then, prejudice against Japanese kept some of those soldiers from being properly honored with the nation’s highest award, the Medal of Honor, a terrible oversight that has only begun being rectified in recent years.

    This is the sole flaw I can find with this documentary on the fisherman and the fishing at Manzanar. That the rest of the story was left out of a film that is only 74 minutes in length seems an oversight. The credits are lengthy and among those thanked is foundation that bears the name of Fred Korematsu. He was a Japanese-American who fought against being detained and while he lost before the Supreme Court in 1944, ultimately he prevailed. He was presented the Medal of Freedom in 1998 by President Clinton.

    But this is only a minor oversight. The 74 minutes that we get are amazing footage of a very compelling story. Don’t miss it.

  • ‘Flying Swords of Dragon Gate’ is a treat for the eyes in IMAX 3-D

    ‘Flying Swords of Dragon Gate’ is a treat for the eyes in IMAX 3-D

    Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

    Wuxia is a genre of Chinese films.  Wuxia is a compound word, with wu meaning martial, military or armed, while xia means honorable, chivalrous or hero.  The wuxia is therefore a martial hero who isn’t a servant of the emperor or any other state official or other government functionary.  The wuxia hero protect and represent the lower classes in their struggle against the ruling class.  Wuxia films are usually epic in nature and provide the basic, classic confrontation between the good and the evil, for control of society.

    Flying Swords of Dragon Gate takes place in the aftermath of a titanic struggle at the Dragon Gate Inn which was actually done in a film some 20 years ago.  The inn was burned down and “Jade” (Xun Zhou) the innkeeper disappeared.  This film opens three years later, with a new inn on the site of the old, burned out hulk of a building.  Legend says the Inn is built on the site of a lost city filled with treasure that is hidden deep within the city.

    The emperor has put two Bureaus, East Bureau and West Bureau in charge of overseeing the nation, and ferreting out any opposition.  The men who run these bureaus seek to carry out the emperor’s wishes while enriching themselves at the expense of the people.  But “Zhou Huai’an” (Jet Li) and his compatriots are defenders of the people and when the East Bureau plans to carry out executions at a shipyard, they interfere, battle a legion of East Bureau guards and kill the leader of the East Bureau contingent there.  This sends the rest of the leadership of the East Bureau into hiding.

    'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate' poster
    ‘Flying Swords of Dragon Gate’ poster

    Where “Yu Huatian” (Kun Chen), leader of the West Bureau shows up with his men and demonstrates his martial superiority over the East Bureau, and tells them he is taking over.  He’s a busy guy as he is also in charge of a search for a pregnant maiden who escaped from her position in service to the Emperor’s concubine, who happens to also be very much attracted to Yu.  He does whatever she asks or orders.  When it looks like this maid, “Su Huirong” (Mavis Fan) is about to be captured by Yu’s men, someone attacks, claiming to be Zhou Huia’an, although it cannot be he.  For he is watching from nearby and sees the fake Zhou overpower the West Bureau soldiers.  The fake Zhou and the maid make their escape and from there, they journey to the Dragon Inn.

    At the inn, they will find some Tartars, and some of Yu’s men.  The Tartars, and others are involved in a plan to find the hidden city that lies somewhere beneath the Dragon Inn, which will be revealed by a giant sandstorm that is due soon, and comes only once every 60 years.  One of the conspirators is “Wind Blade” (also Kun Chen) who looks just like Yu, and will come to impersonate him, to try to learn what his men are up to.

    The plot is complicated.  Capture the runaway maid.  Reunite Zhou with the person who is impersonating him, because they have a past.  Stop Yu.  Find the gold.  Get out in one piece.  There’s action, fights, lots of flying swords and knives, and it’s all in magically precise IMAX 3D for your viewing pleasure.

    Sadly, Jet Li disappears at the height of the story for about 25 to 35 minutes, which doesn’t help the action, or the story.  That doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of fight sequences which are fast paced, although perhaps just a bit too “aerial” in nature, even for wuxia.   The plot twists and turns keep the audience interested in the story, which is more than just a visual tale.  The variety of characters, almost all of whom are engaging is also a plus.  Clever writing is present, although as always, dialogue will suffer when it has to be translated and subtitled from its original language.  Writer/director Tsui Hark is at his best and he delivers the first wuxia film in IMAX/3D and delivers a fine effort, worthy of even a non-wuxia fan checking out.

  • ‘The Good Doctor’ has a strong heart beat, but suffers cardiac arrest

    ‘The Good Doctor’ has a strong heart beat, but suffers cardiac arrest

    Orlando Bloom examines Riley Keogh in 'The Good Doctor'
    Orlando Bloom examines Riley Keogh in ‘The Good Doctor’

    “Dr. Martin Burke” (Orlando Bloom) is a brand new resident in his first year of residency in The Good Doctor, a new film from director Lance Daly (Last Days in Dublin) and it’s going to be a challenge.  Because not only does Dr. Burke lack confidence in his own abilities, the physician supervising him, “Dr. Waylans” (Rob Morrow), and the nurse he will encounter most often in performing his duties, “Nurse Theresa” (Taraji P. Henson), don’t think a lot of him either.  Even his good friend, fellow resident “Dan” (Troy Garity), appears not to think all that highly of Dr. Burke.

    But one of the very first patients he treats, “Diane Nixon” (Riley Keogh), has a very different opinion.  She thinks the world of him and is convinced he will cure her kidney problems, which he does in short order.  She is a definite confidence builder for Dr. Burke, and when he tries to keep her in the hospital just one more day, “to be sure she’s alright”, he is disappointed to learn Dr. Waylans has already sent her home.

    But, because her family is very grateful for his work, and because her older sister “Valerie” (Sorrel Carradine) has the hots for the cute doctor, Diane’s father stops by the hospital and invites Dr. Burke to their home for dinner.  That doesn’t go well, as Diane isn’t there, Valerie’s lust is written on her face, and her brother is being a pain in the ass.  When Dr. Burke excuses himself to use the restroom, he pauses there for a moment, not wanting to return to the dining room.  Looking in the medicine cabinet, he spies Diane’s medication and an idea pops into his head.

    He finds a pretext to return to the Nixon home the next day and replaces the antibiotics in her capsules with sugar.  This produces the results he desires, and she winds up right back in the hospital, in the same room.  To ensure she doesn’t get better right away, he prescribes her stronger medications, but then while she sleeps, he replaces the IV meds with water.

    For fans of medical shows like ER, Chicago Hope, and Grey’s Anatomy, you’re probably thinking about the diagnosis of Munchhausen Syndrome by Proxy and you’d be 100% correct.  But in this case, the reasons for the condition are clear.  Burke wants the confidence and adoration that Diane provides, even if it means keeping her ill.

    Things don’t work out as Burke wants.  Diane gets worse as her condition spirals out of control and there is nothing to be done to save her.  There is no evidence of how Dr. Burke tampered with her tests or medications, so he should be home free, but there is a shady orderly named “Jimmy” (Michael Pena) and he found Diane’s diary hidden in her bed.  Dr. Burke doesn’t know what’s in the diary and he knows that the worst thing he did for which he could be taken to task is having stolen a kiss while Diane slept.  The evidence of everything else is destroyed.  But Diane’s emotional involvement and what she wrote about that in the diary is an unknown and he can’t afford to risk letting that information fall into the wrong hands. So he submits to Jimmy’s blackmail to provide him with some good drugs for “partying”.  It seemed at first like it would be a short term thing, but when it becomes obvious that Jimmy wants his supply of ‘stuff’ for the long-haul and Dr. Burke will never get that diary back, he has to find a way to end his dependence on Jimmy.

    This probably looked great on the monitor when writer Jon Enbom conceived it, and it involves ideas that have strong potential.  It just didn’t turn out that well when it got translated to the big screen.  Orlando Bloom has great emotional range, or at least has demonstrated it in other roles, but the Dr. Burke we get seems extremely uni-dimensional.  Perhaps that’s an intentional thing, as part of the portrayal of the character, but it doesn’t work well.  Riley Keogh is attractive and does well with her part, but it’s a limited role because of how it’s structured.  Taraji Henson and Rob Morrow are fine in their roles as medical professionals and kudos to the producers and location scouts who secured the use of Century City Hospital for filming.  The hospital scenes look like they were filmed in a real hospital, because that’s what Century City Hospital was until it went out of business not that long ago.

    The conclusion is interesting, probably some of the best moments of the film and the final resolution isn’t nearly as predictable as one might imagine.  Will Dr. Burke find the confidence he needs to practice medicine?  Will he end up owning up to what he’s done to try to gain that confidence?  One of the themes we are shown consistently in the media’s portrayal of the teaching of medicine to doctors is that one isn’t really a doctor until they’ve killed a patient.  But when that death is one of commission rather than omission, one is left to wonder if too high a price was paid.

  • Frankly, ‘Robot & Frank’ is a winner

    Frankly, ‘Robot & Frank’ is a winner

    Frank Langella isn't too happy in 'Frank & Robot'
    Frank Langella isn’t too happy in ‘Frank & Robot’

    In Robot & Frank, “Frank” (Frank Langella) is an older guy who lives alone and not too close to the nearest small town.  He has two adult children, “Hunter” (James Marsden) and “Madison” (Liv Tyler).  Hunter comes and visits with some frequency even though it’s a 10 hour round trip drive, while Madison is travelling abroad for work and can only phone Frank on the videophone.

    Frank’s memory is going and he doesn’t want to go to the “memory center” to be treated, nor does he want to be put into an old folk’s home.  So Hunter comes up with the next best solution.  He purchases a health care robot to monitor Frank’s physical condition and to try to take care of him.  It will cook him a healthier diet, try to get him engaged in activities and in general, prevent Hunter from having to look in on his father quite so often.

    It turns out that Frank has a past.  He’s divorced and no longer in touch with his ex-wife.  He did two terms in prison for burglary, something that he was once very, very good at.  He keeps up his interest in his old craft by shoplifting on occasion, although he doesn’t quite get away with it completely unnoticed.  He also loves going to the library and getting books to read, as well as visiting with the librarian “Jennifer” (Susan Sarandon).  The library is being renovated, with all of the books being scanned into the computer systems, so they can be read via computer rather than checked out like Frank has been doing.  Jennifer also points out that there is a very rare book in the library, an original copy of “Don Quixote” and that’s when Frank gets the idea.

    Frank Langella in 'Robot & Frank'
    Frank Langella in ‘Robot & Frank’

    The idea to go back to his old trade, and get Robot (voice by Peter Saarsgard) to help him.  After all, it’s sure-handed and able to do things much faster and more accurately than he.  Things like trying out combinations on safes.  Picking locks.  It isn’t easy to talk the robot into going along with Frank’s plans, but he’s much more likely to get involved with robberies than he is with the robot’s attempts to get Frank into gardening or other activities it has tried and failed to get Frank interested in.

    Meanwhile, Madison, who is opposed to the presence of the robot comes to visit, and uses the secret code she got from Hunter to deactivate the robot.  Frank had begun to get close to the robot and wants it back, but Madison refuses to bring it back online.  Only when she finally gives in and uses it to clean the house that has become a mess yet again, will she allow the robot to remain activated.

    Ultimately, Frank successfully steals the rare book, and then begins planning to steal some very valuable jewels from some of the rich people who are involved with the renovation of the library.  But once he undertakes the first such burglary, he’s a suspect, in the eyes of the victim “Jake” (Jeremy Strong) and the local sheriff, “Sheriff Rowlings” (Jeremy Sisto, playing a very different type of cop than the one he portrayed for an extended period on TV’s “Law and Order”).

    The evidence is well hidden.  But it turns out the best potential witness against Frank is the robot, whose memory is easily wiped.  However, Frank doesn’t want to do that.  He feels like that would be the same as losing his friend.  Will he wipe the memory?  Will he be caught?  Will the evidence ever be found?  All those questions are ultimately answered, but you’ll have to go see this very smart, well-written film to find them out for yourself.

    Director Jake Schreier and writer Christopher Ford have combined here to deliver an excellent movie that engages its audience early on and holds their attention with a great story about how old age may someday impact any of us.  Frank’s cognitive dysfunction will resonate with anyone who has an Alzheimer’s or dementia patient in their extended family.  There’s a great plot twist that I won’t even hint at, because it’s just too good to spoil.  Just sit back and enjoy Robot and Frank.

  • ‘Cosmopolis’ is not Cronenberg’s best

    ‘Cosmopolis’ is not Cronenberg’s best

    Robert Pattinson in 'Cosmopolis'
    Robert Pattinson in ‘Cosmopolis’

    Cosmopolis by David Cronenberg, from his own screenplay adaptation of the novel by Don DeLillo is one of “those” films.  Those films being the ones where if you were a big fan of the book, you’ll undoubtedly be a big fan of the movie.  But if you haven’t read the novel, or you didn’t like it, you may well not like the film.  It is not his best effort, and that may be due to his close adherence to the source material.

    Robert Pattinson is “Eric Packer”, a man with billions, who manages billions more for others as a “fund manager”.  He is somewhere beyond an information addict, it’s more than an addiction.  It’s at the core of his being.  His tricked-out limousine and the office we’re never shown are repositories of the ultimate in information gathering and tracking.  He has the best experts in their fields at his disposal and he uses their knowledge and the information he gathers to place huge wagers on dangerous things like foreign currencies.  Win and you win big.  Lose and you may not get a seat at the table again.

    On the day that the President of the U.S. happens to be in town, making the normally bad traffic in New York City much worse than usual, Eric decides he’s going to go across town to get a haircut.  His head of security “Torval” (Kevin Durand) is opposed to the idea.  Of course he won’t win the argument, if he did we would have no movie to watch since the journey to get to the haircut is the crux of the film.  But it’s an interesting notion.  A billionaire doesn’t have to ride across town just to get a haircut.  Barbers go to billionaires, not vice versa.  Heck, even such ordinary folk as Presidents get their barbers to come to them.  President Obama’s been flying his Chicago area barber into D.C. since he moved into the White House, and who can forget that famous haircut that then President Clinton got while aboard Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport?  Christophe and President Clinton kept air traffic gnarled in knots for over an hour as the high-priced hair stylist gave the President a trim while Air Force One’s engines were running.

    So Eric is going to go across town for a haircut.  Along the way there will be many visitors who will join him in the back of the limo.  Strangely enough, his new wife, “Elise Shifrin” (Sarah Gadon) won’t be one of them, although he will encounter her several times along the way.  They have very interesting dialogues and yet clearly there is some part of the connection between a couple that is clearly absent.  Then again, there are Eric’s extra-marital sexual escapades, which the audience gets to see quite graphically displayed in and out of the limo.  Once with “Didi Fancher” (Juliette Binoche), his mistress, and another time with one of his security guards, “Kendra Hays” (Patricia McKenzie).

    The people and experiences that Eric encounters along the way are varied, and mostly involve dialogue, although there is a running reference to rats that may or may not be of interest to a viewer.  It’s a reference from the novel, wherein “a rat became the unit of currency”.  There is chaos, unrest in the streets, and along the way, it becomes known that there is a credible threat on the life of Eric Packer.  He remains unconcerned about the threat, as he is focused on getting that haircut he wants, and monitoring the Yuan (Chinese currency) because he has made huge wagers on movement in it.

    Cronenberg is a visual director and while the visuals here are pleasing in many places, in others they are merely ordinary.  Worse yet, the dialogue is stilted and on many occasions, seems forced.  Pattinson is a good actor, but given what he undergoes, one would expect to see a wider variety of emotions coming from him.  Gadon, contrarily, is perfect as the wife who is fascinated by many aspects of her life, but is not all that concerned with her marriage or making her husband happy.

    It isn’t all bad.  Interesting social commentary, based on a great book,  Cronenberg’s gift at visual language and the like push this from a two to a three rating on the popcorn scale.  But it barely gets there, and once again, if we had half-ratings, it would be just a 2.5 on the popcorn scale.  My best recommendation is that this is best seen at a bargain matinee, or just wait for the DVD.  But if you loved the novel, it is then a must-see.

  • ‘Premium Rush’ is worth rushing right out to see

    ‘Premium Rush’ is worth rushing right out to see

    Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dania Ramirez in 'Premium Rush'
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dania Ramirez in ‘Premium Rush’

    David Koepp is an extremely successful screenwriter.  Among his credits are Jurassic Park and its first sequel The Lost World (my favorite scene in that movie is when Koepp, in an uncredited appearance is devoured by the T-Rex while it rampages in San Diego), and the most recent Indiana Jones movie.  He’s had nowhere near that success as a director, but that may change with his new film Premium Rush, starring Joseph Gordon-Leavitt as “Wilee”, a law school graduate who eschewed the bar exam and works instead as a bicycle messenger in New York City.

    It’s difficult, dangerous work and Wilee insists on riding a “steel-frame, single gear” bike with no brakes.  You see, Wilee is convinced that “brakes kill”.  He is a maniac on wheels, weaving in and out of traffic, pedestrians, sidewalks and anywhere else he needs to go to get whatever he’s delivering to wherever it needs to go.  Since his bike doesn’t coast, he’s pedaling all day long.  He works for “Security Courier” and the security of one particular package is at issue in this film, which is a “clock” picture.  By that I mean, a movie that takes place in a very narrow, finite amount of time.  The structure isn’t linear, but by the end, the absolute deadline set early in the film will pass.

    Joseph Gordon-Levitt races for his life in 'Premium Rush'
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt races for his life in ‘Premium Rush’

    Wilee is having a bad day.  He’s fighting with his girlfriend, Vanessa (“Dania Ramirez”) over his having blown off her graduation from school.  She’s being forced to move out of the apartment she shares with “Nima” (“Jamie Chung”) because of some mysterious personal issue.  “Manny” (Wole Parks) is a muscle bound messenger for the same service both Wilee and Vanessa work for, and he is helping Vanessa move while trying to help himself to Vanessa.

    Near the end of the day, Wilee gets an order to pick up a package at his law school alma mater and deliver it to Chinatown.  It’s an envelope that Nima has and the contents are very important.  It’s a single scrap of paper, but it represents a lot of money and someone else wants to get his hands on it.  That someone is NYPD Detective “Bobby Monday” (Michael Shannon).  Monday needs that scrap of paper to bale himself out of a major mess that gambling, borrowing money from shylocks to repay his gambling debts and then losing the borrowed money has gotten him into.  He’s given a line on this valuable scrap of paper and its whereabouts, and he intends to get it one way or another.

    So the crux of the few hours that this movie covers, going back at times to illustrate the backstory behind certain plot points is will this scrap of paper be delivered to its intended recipient before that hard and fast deadline.  That makes for excellent tension, which Koepp exploits expertly.  The visuals, particularly a unique perspective of Wilee’s as he’s about to enter an intersection where there is no apparent path through the obstructions, as his computer-like mind considers the various scenarios before finding the only way through, are terrific.

    Why is this scrap of paper so valuable?  It turns out that Nima has been working three jobs to save money during her time in the U.S., in order to pay for her son to be sent to her.  She’s here on a student Visa, and because of something from her past, the Chinese government won’t let her son join her through normal channels.  As a result she’s worked like a dog to be able to afford to smuggle him out of the country.  But, the contact she has who has arranged the smuggling of Nima’s son doesn’t take cash.  Only the promise of cash that this slip of paper represents, backed by a Chinese crime syndicate that Nima gave the cash to in return for the paper.  The paper is as good as cash to whoever redeems it and that’s why Detective Monday wants it.

    Gordon-Leavitt may or may not deliver his package, but he definitely delivers a strong performance.  A tension, action/adventure without a lot of shots fired, without a huge body count, and that still keeps your interest.  That makes Premium Rush a winner.

  • ‘Solomon Kane’ brings another pulp hero to the big screen

    James Purefoy gets down and dirty in 'Solomon Kane'
    James Purefoy gets down and dirty in ‘Solomon Kane’

    Solomon Kane is the title character of a film that’s been around the festival circuit for a while now and is finally coming to theaters in the U.S., and VOD here in the U.S., fortunately for fans of this type of film.  For some, hearing that Solomon Kane is a character created by the late, master of pulp fiction, Robert E. Howard is enough to get them to go see it all by itself.  After all, Kane comes from the mind that brought us Conan and Red Sonja.

    James Purefoy is “Solomon Kane”, who is a ruthless killing machine of a ship captain when the film begins, slaughtering his opposition left and right.  But when he moves to plunder a temple in North Africa that has a throne room filled with golden treasure, he runs into a problem.  The Devil’s Reaper, come to claim his soul over a deal he says Kane made with the Devil himself.  Kane escapes, but clearly he is aman whose soul has been damned and he will have to work hard to avoid being sent to hell.

    He moves to a monastery in England where he wants to live in solitude the rest of his life, atoning for his sins.  But that is not to be his path.  The head of the monastery has a dream in which he sees that Kane must leave and find his answers elsewhere.  He tells Kane to go home.  That is when we learn that Kane is of noble birth and is a landowner, something of import in the 1600s.  But as we learn in flashback, he was the second son of “Josiah Kane” (Max Von Sydow) and his father plans to let Solomon’s older brother “Marcus Kane” (Samuel Roukin) inherit and rule.  Solomon rebels at being ordered to join the church and become a priest and leaves.  He later encounters his brother Marcus and in a struggle, Marcus falls to his death.

    James Purefoy is 'Solomon Kane'
    James Purefoy is ‘Solomon Kane’

    Back in the present, Solomon is accosted on his journey by three thieves who assault him, more violently when he refuses to fight back and claims he is a “man of peace”.  When he awakens, he is in the back of a trailer that had passed him earlier and offered him a ride (which he refused).  The father is “William Crowthorn” (Pete Postlethwaite).  The Crowthorn family are Puritans, and planning to leave for the New World.  There is a mother, two sons and a daughter, “Meredith” (Rachel , who takes a little fancy to Solomon Kane.

    But the idyllic journey is shattered when the family passes by a village that is being pillaged and looted by a gang of marauders led by a man in a mask who does not speak.  He is the lead henchman of Malachi, the sorcerer who is trying to conquer these lands and enslave the people.  The Crowthorn party is discovered and the marauders want to carry Meredith off.  She bears the mark of a witch the group had encountered earlier that Solomon had driven away.  The family beseeches Solomon to kill the marauders before they can take Meredith away, but at first he tries to hold on to his stance of no more fighting, no more killing.  This is because he knows that once he starts down the path of violence again, his soul is lost and he will ultimately join the Devil in Hell.

    But when they start to leave with Meredith, and they have stabbed William who tried to resist, Solomon can sit by no longer.  In the struggle, he slays many of the marauders, although they manage to kill both of William’s sons and escape with Meredith.  Dying, William tells Solomon that he must go after and rescue Meredith, and that if he succeeds in saving her, his own soul will be redeemed.

    From that point, Solomon Kane is nothing more than the journey of Solomon to save Meredith and find redemption.  There is plenty of action along the way, with the true nature of the man behind the mask, the fate of Solomon’s father, the true goal of Malachi in taking Meredith, all being revealed.

    Director Michael Bassett, who adapted the screenplay from the creation of Solomon Kane by Robert E. Howard shows his clear, deep understanding of Kane and what drives him.  He is a tortured soul, who knows just how evil a man he was, and how that drives him to find a way to cleanse his being of his sins.  The visuals are a bit disjointed in places, and the coloring and frequent presence of rain and mud become a hindrance rather than an enhancement of the scenery of the era.  Purefoy is excellent, striking the right mix of emotional expression for a man who would give anything to undo his past and who is willing to do anything to rescue the woman who may be able to prevent his impending descent into the depths of Hell.

    Why this film traversed the festival circuit two years ago and is only now becoming available is a question for studios and distributors to answer.  That it is available for viewing now is a good thing for fans of this genre of filmmaking and they should not miss it.  I suspect it won’t be around long.

  • ‘Sparkle’ fails to shine

    Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks in 'Sparkle'
    Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks in ‘Sparkle’

    “Sparkle” (Jordin Sparks) is one of three daughters of “Emma” (Whitney Houston), a single mother living in Detroit. She works in a dress shop, is an avid church-going woman and intends for her middle and youngest daughters to make something of themselves. “Tammy” (Carmen Ejogo) is known as “Sister” and she’s the oldest sister. Emma isn’t too invested in her future, as she’s only tolerating her presence in her home since Sister moved back home after her marriage fell apart.  “Dolores” (Tika Sumpter) is the middle daughter and she’s got her future all planned out, medical school and then being a doctor.

    Sparkle follows her mother’s dictums and goes to school, but her dream is to be a singer and a songwriter.  Sister has a spectacular voice, and Sparkle writes great music, one song of which she convinces Sister and Dolores that they should form a “girl-group” and try to sing at a local spot.  Sister’s performance, singing and how she moves and grooves, garners the attention of both “Stix” (Derek Luke), who is a wannabe music group manager, and “Satin” (Mike Epps), a black comedian whose audience is primarily white.  Satin will also end up giving “Levi” (Omari Hardwick), the man who loves Sister and wants to marry her a hard time.

    Stix wants to take the trio to the next level, and will do whatever it takes to get them there.  The girls have to sneak out to perform, as their mother will have nothing to do with them trying to get anywhere in the world through music.  She tried and failed, and after a rough patch with alcohol built a life for herself.  She won’t let her girls make the same mistakes, if she can avoid it.

    Whitney Houston in 'Sparkle'
    Whitney Houston in ‘Sparkle’

    The girls begin to enjoy success and the popularity of Sparkle’s one song is not a flash in the pan.  She has the gift.  With her writing and Sister’s ability to sing and perform, things are looking up.  Until Sister decides she’s moving out of Emma’s house and in with Satin.  That’s the first step on her downward spiral into drugs, being beaten and worse.  But it doesn’t hurt the group’s chances for success, especially when Stix manages to get “Larry Robinson” (Curtis Armstrong) an A & R manager for a big record label to come hear the girls sing.  He is blown away, but wants to see the girls in the “light of day”.

    That takes place on a day where Sister shows up badly beaten, hair askew and in need of some of the cocaine she’s been using to get by.  The girls are in a utility closet, trying to get her together when Larry orders his secretary to open the door, and just like that, their big break falls apart.

    Sparkle wants to continue, and both Dolores and Sparkle want to get Sister away from Satin.  They go to Satin’s house to rescue her and there is a confrontation that turns violent.  A poker from next to the fireplace gets swung and suddenly, Satin is dead, Dolores and Sparkle are sent fleeing by Sister, who gets arrested and goes to jail.

    Will Dolores get where she wants to go, into medical school with the scholarship she needs to pay for it?  Will Sparkle find her dream of success in the music business?  Will she and Stix find happiness?  Will we hear the late, great Whitney Houston’s voice soar like it did before her own personal struggles with alcohol and drugs tore apart one of the finest careers any female solo singer ever had?  Will you win the lottery next week?  Well, all but one of those questions are answered before the end of the film, and you can probably predict all of the resolutions of those issues before you set foot in the auditorium.

    There is little tension in Sparkle.  Drama, yes, tension, no.  There is little that you can’t predict.  How Sparkle will respond when her mother tells her to stop pursuing her dream.  How that dream will be resolved.  Sadly, aside from what appear on the surface to be appropriate sets and costuming for the era, and wonderful music (have to love any film that sneaks in at least one Nina Symone number), there isn’t much to recommend Sparkle.

  • ‘ParaNorman’s lack of frights makes it safe for kiddies, little dull for adults

    'ParaNorman' is light on frights but heavy on fun
    ‘ParaNorman’ is light on frights but heavy on fun

    As a fan of Coraline, I was looking forward to seeingParaNorman since the first teaser trailer last year. A movie about zombies, curses, witches, and ghosts? Perfect for the kids! A little bit of trauma might do them some good! Don’t let the trailers fool you, though. ParaNorman is far from scary.

    ParaNorman tells the story of Norman, a cartoon character who should be the poster child for children’s Prozac. He’s lonely, depressed, misunderstood, and has an unhealthy preoccupation with horror movies and the undead. He walks around like a miniature Stephen King without the sense of humor.

    Then again, Norman has good reason to feel out of sorts. In addition to dealing with the insanity of middle school, he also sees dead people. All the time. To make matters worse, a centuries-old curse is about to bring the dead to life and only Norman can stop it.

    'ParaNorman'
    ‘ParaNorman’

    This is where the movie quickly turns into Night ofthe Living Dead for the Nickelodeon-set. As zombies take over the town, the filmmakers try to up the suspense, but it’s a pretty docile invasion. The zombies look like they just escaped from a Plants vs. Zombies game and are more comical than vicious. By the time the film ends you even start to like them. Norman, with the help of his irritating sister, his best friend, and his best friend’s brother, struggle to stop the curse in ways that again, are amusing, not frightening.  In fact, the scariest parts of the film are the ones that have to do with real life rather than fantasy. The constant bullying Norman has to endure at school and Norman’s father – a brash, angry, frustrated parent who constantly argues with his wife about their peculiar son – make up the real horror scenes in this film. The curse itself, which dates back to the Salem witch trials, the Puritans, and a misjudged “witch,” is a little too complex for the audience the film is intended for and will probably sail over most kids’ heads. But they will relate to the general theme of being misunderstood and will love cheering for Norman. With all his hang-ups, he is such a likable character that you can’t help feeling bad for him.

    Even though the story isn’t particularly strong, the animation, as expected, is brilliant. Though the features of the adult characters are somewhat distracting and in some ways disturbing, the zombies are awesome with features that horrifically define them as individuals without completely grossing out the viewers.  Most dramatic are the scenes involving the ancient witch whose effects are so fluid I forgot it was stop animation.

    Kids will like the jokes, but there isn’t much for adults here beyond the artistic appreciation. Though there are some small shout-outs for the grown-ups – “Cu-Jo” bars in the candy machine, Scooby Doo references, and some overt allusions to classic horror films – this is definitely one for the kiddies.

    I love animated films and with Fankenweenie, and Hotel Transylvania coming out soon, it seems that everyone is jumping the Princess-and-Prince-Living-Happily-Ever-After ship and embracing the horror and dark corners that kids have always been into. ParaNorman does a good job opening the door to that and will definitely have you smiling, but you don’t need to shell out the cash for this one, even in 3D. Rent the video and you’ll be just as pleased.