Category: Reviews

  • ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’ – odd, but not good

    CJ Adams in 'The Odd Life of Timothy Green'
    CJ Adams in ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’

    “Jim Green” (Joel Edgerton) and “Cindy Green” (Jennifer Garner) are a happily married couple who live in Stanleyville.  Stanleyville is named after the town’s most famous former resident, the man who founded the Stanleyville Pencil Making company.  There’s a museum in town dedicated to him, and to pencils and that’s where Cindy works. There is a serious drought in the area.   Jim works at the pencil factory which is struggling.

    The couple are also struggling, trying and failing to have a child. They’ve gone through their savings and beyond that, trying to get pregnant and they’ve just found out that it won’t be happening for them.  That’s how they begin the story they are telling at the opening of the film in an adoption agency’s offices, to the people who will determine their fitness to adopt a child.  Rather than fill in the part of the application that explains why they are qualified to be parents, they want to tell their story.

    The Odd Life of Timothy Green goes on from there to the night that they learn this awful truth.  They decide to write down all the wonderful qualities a child of theirs would have, put them into a box and bury them in the garden that Cindy maintains when she isn’t busy working.  That night, it appears to rain and when the couple is awakened by some noises in the house, they discover “Timothy” (C.J. Adams) who is around ten years of age, and calls them “Dad” and “Mom”.  He also has some strange leaves on his lower legs that can’t be cut off.

    It’s a miracle and the brand new parents get to introduce their new son to their family the very next day at a family event.  Cindy’s sister “Brenda” (Rosemarie DeWitt) is skeptical and begins pointing out all the reasons there are problems with adopted children.  Of course, how could her sister’s adopted child compare to her three, perfect children, might be why she’s so motivated to point out the negatives about Tim.

    Tim asks unusual questions, and has a way of standing and soaking in the sun that Brenda finds weird, but he seems to assimilate alright at first.  There’s a little trouble with a fight, and he also meets a girl that he immediately finds a spark with.  Her name is “Joni” and she has a secret of her own.

    The basic idea of a child magically appearing from the garden is appealing.  The execution in this case fails to take advantage of the good portions of that basic idea.

    The Odd Life of Timothy Green is clever to take the little things about the child that were written down and make them come to pass, but the result not exactly being what was intended when the note was written.  But that’s the only thing clever about this cloying, maudlin, let’s force you to feel something film.  The parents lack depth.  Their stories aren’t fleshed out.  Tim is a neat kid, but that only takes you so far.  His future becomes predictable the moment something happens involving his leaves and this unspoken reality weighs heavily, the 800 lb gorilla in the room that no one else is aware of and he won’t mention.  I’m sure this sounded better on the written page than it came to be on-screen.  Strong acting talents like Dianne Weist and David Morse just go to waste in this film.

    One of the drawbacks and yet advantages of fantasy films, is that the boundaries are stretched much wider than in non-fantasy films.  There is no use made of this unshackling of limitations here, and that might have saved what could have been a good film and ends up being a not-so-good one.

  • ‘The Expendables 2’ is loud, fun, and a real ‘E’ ticket adventure

    'The Expendables 2' (from left to right) Jason Stratham, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger
    ‘The Expendables 2’ (from left to right) Jason Stratham, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger

    The recipe for The Expendables 2 was pretty simple.  Take just about every famous and successful action-adventure star from the 1980s, stir into a simmering story about 5 tons of misplaced weapons grade plutonium and add lots of shooting and action.  Voila!  The nearly perfect popcorn flick for summer of 2012.

    Oh and let’s not forget, the first major action/adventure film in history where there had to be a gerentologist on-set at all times, to care for the aging lead actors.  They may be in great shape, but they’re still getting on in years.

    First let’s fill in the scorecard.  “Barney Ross” (Sylvester Stallone), “Lee Christmas” (Jason Statham), “Yin Yang” (Jet Li),  “Gunner Nelson” (Dolph Lundgren), “Hale Ceasar” (Terry Crews),  and “Toll Road” (Randy Couture) are all back from the first film, joined by “Billy the Kid” (Liam Hemsworth).  “Mr. Church” (Bruce Willis) and “Trench” (Arnold Schwarzenegger) are also back, while “Booker” (Chuck Norris) and “Maggie” (Nan Yu) are new, as is lead villain “Vilain” (Jean-Claude Van-Damme).

    The film opens with Ross’ Expendables rescuing a Chinese billionaire from an exotic location where he’s being held by a bunch of bad guys.  Trench is also there, as a prisoner, although he claims he was there also to rescue the hostage and that his men were about to come in and take over when Ross’ forces beat them to the punch.  He “owes” one to Ross, a debt that will come due in the near future.

    Sylvester Stallone in 'The Expendables 2'
    Sylvester Stallone in ‘The Expendables 2’

    Afterwards, Billy admits to Ross that the life of the mercenary is not for him after all, not because he’s not good at it.  He excels.  But he wants to live a life where he isn’t forced to spend so much of his time away from Sophie, his girlfriend.  He says he wants to finish the month out, which results in his going on the next mission, a mission that Ross did not choose.

    It comes from Mr. Church and it’s one of those offers from the CIA that you can’t refuse without ending up behind bars in Gitmo.  There’s a safe aboard a downed plane that crashed in “a hellhole” of a place, and it’s up to Ross and men to take in a specialist to recover what’s inside.  The specialist is Maggie, and she is the only one who can open the safe, which changes its combination every 2 minutes.  The addition of a “passenger” is not welcome and the requirement that she be returned without so much as a hangnail doesn’t help.

    They manage to get what’s in the safe out and are “extracting” back to their aircraft when they run into Vilain and his men, who get the drop on them, and making matters worse, have captured Billy.  This results in Vilain leaving with the contents of the safe, a map to five tons of weapons grade plutonium hidden in an old mine by the former Soviet Union and worth billions on the weapons market.  One of Ross’ crew dies in the confrontation and from that moment forward, Ross intends to get both the plutonium, and revenge.

    The action isn’t non-stop, but close.  The firefights are much like those in Rambo, fast, violent, bloody and intense (Rambo was the 4th movie in that franchise).  The body counts are massive and along the way Ross and company help out a village where most of the men were taken to work in the mines where the plutonium is hidden.  Maggie can take care of herself, as she demonstrates.  There’s an evil henchman working for Vilain that will have a climactic fight scene with Christmas, and of course Vilain will take on Ross near the end in the requisite mano a mano confrontation.

    The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, and provides laughs in doing so.  “Booker” is an homage to one of Chuck Norris’ first lead roles (Good Guys Wear Black) and he’s also referred to as “Lone Wolf,” an homage to Lone Wolf McQuade.  There are references to the Terminator films involving Ahnold, one in particular made by Bruce Willis that’s rather clever.  Good guys versus bad guys, with lots of guns, bullets, fists, feet, knives and quarts of blood being spilled.

    Definitely a fun romp to enjoy.

  • ‘Hope Springs’ won’t win Oscars, but it’s not bad

    Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones in 'Hope Springs'
    Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones in ‘Hope Springs’

    Let’s meet the Soames family.  “Arnold Soames” (Tommy Lee Jones) is an accountant who has a bad back, loves golf so much he falls asleep every night watching golf instructional television, and has been married for 31 years to “Kay” (Meryl Streep).  Kay works in a clothing store and longs for the days when Arnold didn’t sleep in a separate bedroom because of his bad back.  She longs for the days when he would touch her with longing, and kiss her somewhere other than chastely on the cheek .  She longs for the days when they had sex.  Frustrated, she is wandering through the self-help section of a brick and mortar bookstore (they are getting rarer and rarer, aren’t they?) when she finds a book on having a better marriage by “Dr. Bernie Feld” (Steve Carell) and buys it.

    She soon discovers that he offers week-long intensive couples counseling seminars and she signs up for one, planning to go with or without Arnold.  Arnold definitely does not want to go, but when confronted with an ultimatum that she’s going to be on the plane, he goes.  But as is his want, he gripes about everything from the moment the plane lands and they drive off to get to Great Hope Springs, ME.

    It’s a small Maine town, with old, beautiful buildings, and as Arnold points out, overpriced restaurants.  They take up residence at the Econolodge, where the room comes with a pull-out sofa/bed since Arnold has a bad back after all.

    Then comes their first session with Dr. Feld.  He’s warm, engaging and everything you’d expect a professional therapist to be.  Everything you would NOT expect a Steve Carell character to be.  He asks probing questions and while it’s tough sledding at first, soon the couple is opening up. At least a little.

    Slowly, the real issues come to light. What led to their sleeping in separate bedrooms and why it never stopped.  How long it’s been since they had sex.  When they stopped touching each other.  How they’ve managed to get this point after 31 years of marriage, where life is such a routine that Kay poaches the single egg and cooks the sole slice of bacon that Arnold eats each morning, finishing and plating them just as he walks in the room.  Life has become nothing more than each day’s passing, with the requisite rituals that start, fill and end each day.  It is an empty existence and Kay is intent on making it fulfilling once again, even if it means risking everything.

    Streep and Jones are just fine in their roles, she the woman who loves her man and wants little more for him to show his love for her in return.  He, the man focused on his work, his other interests and having lost sight of his wife’s needs.  And perhaps, of his own.  Carell is excellent as the therapist who sincerely wants to help the couples he sees.  He’s willing to ask the questions they won’t ask themselves and help guide them to the solutions that exist within themselves, but that they won’t reach for on their own.

    Elisabeth Shue has a couple of great moments as a bartender that Kay encounters in a particularly rough moment.  Jean Smart is perfect as Kay’s co-worker who has been her sounding board.  The casting of the small roles, right down to Mimi Rogers as their neighbor who is the object of one of Arnold’s fantasies.  Props for very effective use of music to set up and enhance certain moments of the film.

    This isn’t a laugh out loud comedy, although there are certainly moments where they will be titters, giggles and a few outright laughs.  But it’s touching and poignant and worthy of a viewing.

  • ‘The Campaign’ is a laugh riot

    Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in 'The Campaign'
    Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in ‘The Campaign’

    Meet “Cam Brady” (Will Ferrell).  He’s the four-term Congressman from North Carolina’s 14th district (in reality, NC has only 13 congressional districts at present).  He’s got a beautiful wife who is totally devoted to him, two great kids, and he is dedicated to his constituents, his district, his church and getting reelected.

    At least that’s his story.  His wife doesn’t care about his various infidelities, including one in a port-a-potty, as long as he gets to the office of the Vice-Presidency eventually, so she can be Second Lady.  He’s a more or less absentee father, who hasn’t taught his kids a thing, can’t remember the last time he went to church, but he will do anything at all to get relected.

    Enter the Motch brothers, “Glenn” (John Lithgow) and “Wade” (Dan Akyroyd).  Of course, any resemblance or similarities between this pair and the Koch Brothers of Tea Party and conservative politics is strictly coincidental.  The Motch brothers have an interest in importing cheap goods from sweatshops in China and they decide they can move those factories to North Carolina’s 14th District, and get someone else into office there, to allow them to push through exceptions to the minimum wage and other laws to let them operate their sweatshops there.  Then they’ll sell them back to the Chinese at a huge profit and save on shipping as well.  The catch is, they need to find someone they can run against Cam Brady.  The answer is “Marty Huggins” (Zack Galifianakis) the son of a long-time political operative in the area.  His father “Raymond Huggins” (Brian Cox) was the campaign manager of Jesse Helms after all.

    The problem?  Marty Huggins doesn’t begin to resemble a Republican in any way, shape or form, except perhaps for his tendency to corpulence (while not an exclusively Republican trait…well, you know).  He’s the local manager of a tourism business that conducts guided tours to an almost non-existent audience.  He owns a pair of pugs that he takes to work with him daily.  He’s a bit effeminate, but appears to be happily married to an ordinary looking woman, with two children and the best that can be said of the family is that it’s clearly well-fed.  But that’s no problem for the Motch brothers.  They send in “Tim Wattley” (Dylan McDermott) who is a crack political operative and the race is on, in earnest.  The made-over Marty has Cam Brady on the run from the get-go.  Especially with the deep pockets of the Motch brothers backing him, while Brady makes mistake after mistake.

    One of Brady’s mistakes is that he’s not listening to his own right hand man, “Mitch” (Jason Sudeikis).  Most of his other mistakes are turned into hysterical bits, including a phone call that he thought was going to his mistress’ answering machine, but it turns out to be a wrong number.

    The Campaign becomes nothing more than a backdrop to set up the comedy bits for most of the campaign.  There’s a debate, that features some serious trash talking beforehand, but surprises when Marty is fierce, well-prepared and ready to kick Cam’s ass.  Cam dips his guard and goes to see Marty to share a drink and discuss a less confrontational campaign and that comes back to bite him in the ass in the worst way.  When Marty appears to cross a line involving family, Cam repays him in kind.  It’s all very funny.

    But there is a message here from writers Chris Henchy and Shawn Harwell, director Jay Roach, and Galifinaikas and Ferrell.  Big money is the root of evil in politics.  They aren’t overt, but they aren’t subtle either.  Thankfully the message doesn’t detract from the humor because that’s what makes this a winner.

  • ‘The Bourne Legacy’ is only an average inheritance

    Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz in 'The Bourne Legacy'
    Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz in ‘The Bourne Legacy’

    In case you missed all the memos, there is very little of Jason Bourne in The Bourne Legacy, the fourth film to spring from the novels written by the late Robert Ludlum about a highly skilled intelligence operative.  If one believes the entertainment media, when director Paul Greengrass was no longer attached to Bourne IV, Matt Damon’s interest in the project ended.  That meant new story and new star.  Jeremy Renner became “Aaron Cross,” yet another incredibly trained and talented operative working for the shadowy forces that toil for the Central Intelligence Agency.

    Cross is part of project Outcome.  Like Treadstone and Blackbriar, Outcome is all about making better agents, but in this case not just through training.  Chemistry is involved, and there’s a Ph.D. of biochemistry named “Dr. Marta Shearing” (Rachel Weisz) who works for a government contractor on Outcome.  The idea is to use viruses to enhance the mental and physical abilities of these operatives, and then keep the enhancements alive through the use of medications.  The drugs are referred to as “meds” or “chems” and the agents keep them in small containers on a chain around their neck.  There’s another program called Larx, and keep that name in mind, because it will come into play later.

    The film opens with Cross involved in a training exercise in the remotest part of Alaska that turns out to be a punishment of sorts.  After days on his own, he winds up at a cabin with someone else who is in the program for a night of rest.

    Jeremy Renner is Alex Cross in 'The Bourne Legacy'
    Jeremy Renner is Alex Cross in ‘The Bourne Legacy’

    Meanwhile, the Director of Central Intelligence has come across evidence that what’s been going on with Treadstone and Blackbriar may be leaked and become public knowledge.  That would result in big problems for him and others, so he goes to see retired Admiral “Turso” (Stacy Keach) who turns to retired Colonel “Byer” (Edward Norton) who works for some other government agency that seems to exist solely to clean up messes caused by the CIA.  He decides that the only answer is to “burn down the entire program”, which means killing everyone involved.

    Cross survives the attempt to take him out, and uses some ingenious thinking to convince his pursuers that they succeeded in killing him.  He knows that the only person he may be able to trust is Doctor Shearing, who has examined him a number of times.  He makes his way to her Washington D.C. area home to make contact.  But she’s a target as well, even after she survives the first attempt to kill her and all the other key scientists involved in the project.  He arrives in the nick of time and the race is on, to get away and deal with the problem of Cross’ supply of meds being exhausted.

    The story here has very little to do with Ludlum’s works, or the novel of the same name written by the very talented Eric Van Lustbader in 2004 (I’m a major fan of his original “The Ninja” trilogy).  The script, from director Tony Gilroy and his brother Dan Gilroy (husband of actress Rene Russo), is good enough to hold interest, but there are problems with it.  One of which is Larx.  You see, Larx is yet another program of enhancing humans for intel operations, and it’s supposedly better than Outcome, but has no connection to it.  If it did, after all, it would have been burned down as well.  Instead, the agent designated Larx 3 is available and just happens to be in the right part of the world to be sent after Cross and Shearer in a last-ditch effort to kill them before they disappear forever.

    The action sequences are above average.  Technical things, like “spook-speak”, weapons and other equipment are well done.  I hate it when a movie like this features good and bad guys shooting like crazy without ever having to reload and that’s not the case here for the most part.  There is a strong chase sequence to follow in the pattern of prior Bourne films, this one set in Manila which made an excellent backdrop for the pursuit.  I won’t get into the science, that’s for people who are fascinated by bio-chemistry and eugenics.

    Renner is good.  Very believable in the lead role, both in the action sequences and in the display of betrayal and determination to survive that one would expect of such a man.  Weisz is excellent.  She is limited by the narrowly drawn dimensions of her role and yet she manages to deliver in every scene.  Sadly, Edward Norton, who is one of my favorite actors, is not nearly as good in his role as the morally bankrupt, self-righteous patriot who will order the death of anyone he thinks jeopardizes the safety of the United States.  The maniacal commitment of such a person is mostly absent from his performance, save a great scene where he’s explaining the facts of life to an Army general who doesn’t want his operatives killed.  Were it not for the contrivance of the Larx 3 operative, this would have been a better film.

  • ‘Celeste and Jesse Forever’ is not bad… but it isn’t good either

    Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg in 'Celeste and Jesse Forever'
    Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg in ‘Celeste and Jesse Forever’

    Rashida Jones is attractive, and has more than a little talent in the acting department.  She seems to be getting better as her career progresses.

    I just hope the same happens with her writing, because her debut as the co-writer of a feature film, Celeste and Jesse Forever was not a great beginning.

    Co-written with Will McCormack, also an actor making his feature debut as a screenwriter, this is the story of two people who are best friends, married and going through a divorce.

    Jones plays “Celeste,” who has a great career as a Trend Forecaster, working for a marketing/PR firm.  Andy Samberg is “Jesse,” who is a struggling artist who currently resides in the guest house of Celeste’s home.  The guest house was his studio while they were married and became his residence when they separated.  Their best friends, “Beth” (Ari Gaynor) and Tucker (Eric Christian Olsen, from NCIS:LA) are engaged, but a bit tired of seeing their good friends having such a strange separation.  Celeste and Jesse spend hours together each day, remind each other they love one another, insist they are each other’s best friends, and make cute heart gestures when they part company.

    Jesse really wants things to move in the direction of their reuniting, although he’s slept with one other woman already, and another friend pushes him into dating the Yogurt Shop girl.  Celeste makes it clear that she doesn’t see Jesse as the man of her future, she ticks off his flaws and says that the future father of her children is not a man with those bad qualities.

    Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg co-star in 'Celeste and Jesse Forever'
    Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg co-star in ‘Celeste and Jesse Forever’

    Yet when there’s a problem for either, they immediately phone the other.  Celeste can’t put her new Ikea dresser together, so she calls Jesse.  He can’t do it either, and that night turns out badly on all fronts.  Meanwhile, Celeste’s attempts to enter the dating world don’t go well, while it turns out that Jesse’s one night stand may end up changing his life in a major way as “Veronica” (Rebecca Dayan) re-enters his life.

    To complicate matters, Celeste’s firm is in a bit of trouble and it’s important that they do well in marketing the new CD from their newest client, pop star “Riley Banks” (Emma Roberts).  She’s nowhere near as clueless or vapid as Celeste thinks, and how Celeste treats her could become problematic.  In fact, it turns out that Celeste is convinced she’s always right about just about everything.  Even if you are right about everything, it creates problems of other kinds when you insist on letting others know you’re right and they are wrong.

    Those of us who’ve been married and divorced, or had long-term relationships, where we stayed friends with our former lover know that keeping such a relationship is not easy.  That may be why it seems that part of what’s going on here just doesn’t ring true.  You don’t just fall out of love, but when a relationship ends, you have to end that phase of it to move forward.  That’s part of the problem these two face.  They, for differing reasons, aren’t ready to end that phase, or move forward.  Until Jesse is forced to, by Veronica’s revelation.

    There are great moments in this film.  Sadly, too few of them.  There are a lot of moments that just meander and plod along, where clever dialogue is substituted for substantive storytelling.  That’s never a good trade-off.  Lesser dialogue and stronger story would have helped.

    Roberts is particularly good as the supposedly vapid pop singer who is much smarter than anyone gives her credit for being.  Samberg’s character has a story arc, but he doesn’t make the most of it.  “Celeste” has a variety of emotional highs and lows and Jones is good in those moments.

    But in the end, this isn’t a great film.  It has promise, and shows that its creators can do better.

    I hope they do the next time out.

  • ‘Killer Joe’ slays its audience with fine filmmaking

    ‘Killer Joe’ slays its audience with fine filmmaking

    Juno Temple in 'Killer Joe'
    Juno Temple in ‘Killer Joe’

    Killer Joe is a film that flirts with extreme brilliance and easily exceeds excellence. It’s smart, witty, and easy to watch, while holding you firmly in its grip.

    The film is about the “Smith” family.  Let’s meet them:

    There’s the son, “Chris” (Emile Hirsch) who has been tossed out by his mother and needs to crash at his father’s house.

    There’s the daughter, “Dottie” (Juno Temple) who seems a bit “touched” as they might say in Texas, where Killer Joe is set.

    There’s the patriarch, “Ansel” (Thomas Haden Church), who is either clueless or oblivious, and his new wife, “Sharla” (Gina Gershon).

    The three live in the trailer where Chris shows up as the movie opens.  Seems he has been booted out of his mother’s home on a rainy night.  Everyone is sure that Chris hit her, but he denies this repeatedly until he finally admits that he did throw her against the wall.

    With good reason.  Seems his mother sold two ounces of cocaine that he’d had stashed and kept the money for herself.  Now he’s in serious trouble as he owes $6,000 to a nasty sort named “Digger Soames” and has no way to pay it back.  But he does have an idea and he brings his father in on the scheme.  It seems that according to his mother’s boyfriend Rex that she has a $50,000 life insurance policy and Dottie is the beneficiary.  So if they could kill her, they could split the money between the three of them.  Or as Ansel insists, the four of them, since Sharla deserves a share.  Chris also knows that there is a police detective known as “Killer Joe” (Matthew McConaughey) who kills people for money.  His fee is $20,000, but Chris is sure that they can talk him into doing the murder on spec and then reimbursing him from the insurance proceeds.

    Matthew McConaughey is 'Killer Joe'
    Matthew McConaughey is ‘Killer Joe’

    Two problems with this scheme pop up.

    One is that the fee is $25,000.  So if you’re good with numbers and you do the math, Chris will only be left with $6,250 by the time the insurance comes in, and the ‘vig’ on what he owes will grow beyond that by then.  The other is that Joe doesn’t work on spec.  You pay cash in advance or there is no deal.  Fortunately for Chris and Ansel, Joe has seen Dottie and is willing to accept her as a “retainer” until he’s paid.  Chris is against the idea, but agrees in order to dig himself out of this hole.

    To delve into the rest of the story would be to spoil the excellent story woven together by playwright Tracy Letts, who adapted his own stage play.  The twists and turns can be followed, but you have to pay attention and not be distracted by the biting wit of his dialogue.  There are a number of well-placed laughs in this very dark film.  The film’s brilliant conclusion is well worth the wait and I promise, you’ll never look at a chicken drumstick the same way ever again.

    The producers tried to appeal the MPAA’s NC-17 rating, but there was little chance of that happening.  This movie earns its rating within the first three minutes or so when “Sharla” answers the door of the trailer wearing nothing below the waist.  There is violence, and plenty of exposed flesh.  There is also high-quality filmmaking and Caleb Deschanel’s deft touch behind the camera is evident on screen.  Director William Friedkin keeps his audience very interested in what happens to all of the key players in this black drama.

    The entire cast is terrific, but the stand-out performances are from McConaughey as “Joe” and Temple as “Dottie”.  McConaughey plays Joe with a quiet, understated tone that makes it clear this is a killer who is quite probably too tightly wrapped in some way, but we don’t get to see how until the final sequence begins.  Only then does he allow us a peek behind the veneer of soft control he maintained throughout.  Temple’s “Dottie” is aware of things no one else wants or chooses to see, or perhaps they aren’t real outside of her imagination.  But she makes the audience understand very clearly that they are real to her.  Thomas Haden Church always delivers a fine performance and this is no exception.  There were moments when it seemed to me that Emile Hirsch was trying to channel the more talented Leonardo DiCaprio, but I’m sure that was just some strange thing that only I saw.

    This is a fine film, worthy of a much wider release and audience.  Sadly, it will probably end up with neither, thanks to the well-deserved rating of NC-17.

  • ‘Total Recall’ is another remake that should not have been

    ‘Total Recall’ is another remake that should not have been

    Kate Beckinsale is out to kill in 'Total Recall' (2012)
    Kate Beckinsale is out to kill in ‘Total Recall’ (2012)

    Hollywood’s obsession with remaking great films, good films, and even bad films continues with the remake of Total Recall, a sci-fi thriller based on the terrific short story by the late Philip K. Dick, “We Can Remember it For You Wholesale.”

    Made only 22 years after the original was a hit, both at the box office and with critics, the remake both exceeds and pales in comparison to the original.  Sadly, the only ways in which director Len Wiseman’s 2012 version is better than its predecessor is in its visual presentation.  The special effects are wonderful, the sets brilliant and compelling.  But there is not much else about Total Recall 2012 of a positive nature.

    For those familiar with the original film, there will be no trip to Mars.  Here, the conflict is between a resistance that is seeking to free “The Colony” (Australia) from the very firm rule of the “United Federation of Britain.” They are the only two land masses left on Earth after World War III that are habitable without the use of a gas mask.  Travel between the two is accomplished by means of “The Fall,” a gigantic subway-like device that travels to and from through the center of the planet, right through the Core.  Anyone who saw the disaster that was The Core knows why this is problematic in reality.

    Colin Farrell stars in 'Total Recall'
    Colin Farrell stars in ‘Total Recall’

    Colin Farrell is “Douglas Quaid,” a worker on a construction line that constructs “synthetics”, the mechanical police/soldiers that the Federation uses to enforce their very restrictive laws, although the synthetics work alongside and are controlled by humans.  He is married to “Lori” (Kate Beckinsale) who is an EMT.  Doug is having nightmares about trying to escape someone chasing him during which he is trying to save himself and a beautiful woman.

    In spite of warnings from his friend and co-worker “Harry” (Bokeem Woodbine), Doug decides to visit Rekall, a business that will give you memories of having done something you’ve only dreamt of doing.  Something amazing, magical, and those memories will stay with you for the rest of your life.  But as they are hooking Doug up to their machine, a scan of his mind reveals that his desired memory implant, that of a secret agent, already exists in his mind (there’s a rule against giving someone a memory they already have).  But before they can stop, cops bust in and shoot all the Rekall workers and try to take Doug into custody.

    One minute he’s an assembly line worker, cowering on the floor and the next he’s a combination of John Rambo and Li Mu Bai, and all the cops are dead.  Killed by his hand or by him with their own guns.  He makes his escape and heads home, where his lovely wife Lori tries to comfort him, before she tries to kill him herself.  She reveals that he isn’t who he thought he was, that his memories were an implant and that the leader of the Federal, “Cohaagen” (Bryan Cranston) himself put him into this situation.

    Jessica Biel to the rescue in 'Total Recall' (2012)
    Jessica Biel to the rescue in ‘Total Recall’ (2012)

    Jessica Biel is good as “Melina”, the woman who aids Quaid/Hauser in his efforts to get to “Matthias” (Bill Nighy) because there is vital information buried in Hauser’s mind that will help the resistance overcome the plans of Cohaagen.  Farrell is adequate in the lead role, and manages to give some of the range of emotions that a man who finds out he is not who he thought he was, but if forced to compare his performance to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original, Arnold wins easily.

    The original film features a henchman named “Richter” who worked for Cohaagen, was a friend of Hauser and was having an affair with the female agent who was posing as Quaid’s wife.  This role has been written out in the remake and the void used to build up the role of “Lori.”  That this did or didn’t happen because Kate Beckinsale is the wife of director Len Wiseman is pure speculation.  But the result is unsatisfying.  She seems to have some personal vendetta against Hauser because of his legend as a highly effective agent and it just seems senseless.

    When all is said and done, this is a remake that should not have been.

  • ‘Craigslist Joe’ is an eye-opening documentary

    Joseph Garner meets people across the country in 'Craigslist Joe'
    Joseph Garner meets people across the country in ‘Craigslist Joe’

    Craigslist Joe is a new documentary film from first-time director Joseph Garner.  His idea was to explore a somewhat complex and yet simple at heart question.  Is the spirit of community gone from America?  Was it beaten out of its people by continued economic setbacks and an increasingly isolated, yet connected society thanks to social media?

    The basic idea seems simple enough.  Leave everything good in your life, friends, family, money, shelter and work behind.  Go off on an adventure with just the clothes on your back, a laptop, a cellphone and a toothbrush.  Oh yes, and a cameraman to record everything that happens during your 31 day journey in December.  Oh, and the cellphone is a new one, with a completely empty contact list.

    Everything Joe needs in life will come to him, or not, from Craigslist.  For anyone who is so sheltered they aren’t aware of what Craigslist is, it’s a website started by an ordinary man from San Francisco to allow people to connect.  Through events, jobs, personal ads, discussion forums and the offerings have grown incredibly since its humble beginnings.  Joe’s plan was to get food, shelter and anything else he needed from this site, along with trying to connect with people and see if he could foster a sense of shared community and experiences.

    It’s an interesting journey.  Without giving away all the details, the viewer will watch Joe criss-cross the country, West to East and North to South.  His journey begins on December 1st and the plan is for him to arrive back at home for a party on New Year’s Eve, thrown to celebrate his return by family and friends.

    It’s important to take note of something before examining the film and Joe’s journey.  As he admitted in an interview with Tail Slate, the difference between his experience and what a truly homeless person experiences is that he always had an out.  He could have phoned a friend or family member and been home within hours, if he’d found what he was doing to be too much.  But he was committed to seeing the project through and he never considered bailing out.  That in and of itself is worthy of recognition.

    Joseph Garner is 'Craigslist Joe'
    Joseph Garner is ‘Craigslist Joe’

    The best part of Craigslist Joe is the people he meets on his journey.  They are vastly different in so many ways and yet all share one thing in common: A willingness to use social media to not just interact, but to make connections and share what they have.  Many of them were going on drives and just wanted someone to ride with them, to talk to.

    Some stand out more than others:

    – Daisy, from Chicago, isn’t just a corporate employee with whom Joe shared a breakdancing class.  She opened up her home to Joe and he found out that she is also a dominatrix, exposing a subset of culture he’d been relatively unaware of before he met her.

    – John, an artist from New Orleans, is committed to making a change in his city and the lives of the residents still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

    – Mohammed, from Seattle, spends his time tutoring the less fortunate and trying to improve their lot in life.

    – Fran, from New York City, was an actress who is handling aging and illness with a dignity others might not muster in similar straits.

    Documentary films have a problem in that when people are first exposed to the camera they have a tendency to perform, rather than just be.  As Joe spent more time with some of these people, they stop performing and just live their life in front of the lens and those are the best moments of this film.  Those, and the realizations by Joe that living this way is not easy, and that sometimes giving back can be more rewarding than just receiving.

    The moments I wanted to see that aren’t on screen are those moments when people weren’t willing to share what they have with a stranger they encounter through Craigslist.  Joe said that for every person that said “yes” to sharing a ride, food, shelter, whatever, with him, there were 200 that said “no.” Perhaps that’s an exaggeration, perhaps it’s very accurate.  But I would have liked to have seen at least one or two of those encounters that did not go well for Joe.  In seeing only all or part of those who said “yes,” we may have missed something.  Maybe we’ll get that in the DVD extras.

    That’s intended to be a very minor criticism, for the overwhelming majority of Craigslist Joe worked and worked well.  I don’t recommend that everyone take the journey themselves, as the idea of hundreds or thousands suddenly doing what Joe did might well overwhelm the abilities of Craigslist’s users to provide.  Fortunately, there is no need for them to make the journey.  They can watch this excellent film instead.

  • ‘Dark Horse’ is one animal you may not want to saddle and ride

    ‘Dark Horse’ is one animal you may not want to saddle and ride

    Selma Blair stars in 'Dark Horse'
    Selma Blair stars in ‘Dark Horse’

    Todd Solondz directed Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness and Storytelling among others.  Now comes his latest and sadly it doesn’t live up to the films that preceded it.  Dark Horse stars Jordan Gelber and Selma Blair, and co-stars Mia Farrow, Christopher Walken, Justin Bartha, Zachary Booth and Aasif Mandvi in a dark, meandering tale.

    Gelber plays “Abe” who lives at home, drives a Hummer, works in his father’s real estate business and is mad at just about everyone in his family for things they did or didn’t do for him, and things he feels they did to him.  Even though our first encounter with Abe is at a wedding where he’s trying to his on “Miranda” (Blair), he’s nearly impossible to like almost immediately.  Worse, any chance we had of his character being redeemed and made likeable disappears rapidly from that point forward.

    Abe is a numbers cruncher in his father’s employ and we’re never told exactly why he resents his father and the work that he is supposed to do so much, we’re just shown that he has no desire or intention to do it.  “Lori” (Mary Joy) tries to cover for him as much as she can, but when his father “Jackie” (Walken) insists he needs the spreadsheets by Monday, Abe drops an f-bomb and announces he is quitting and moving out.

    When he sees his mother “Phyllis” (Farrow) she asks him if he needs money which he denies.  She asks where he plans to go, but he’s noncommittal.  The only thing he’ll commit to is that he has savings  and he’s tired of being mistreated.

    Then there is his second encounter with Miranda.  When they finally connect, even though they spent little time together at the wedding, Abe proposes marriage.  Then he says she should just think about that, and consider going out on a date with him while she’s thinking it over.  She needs to discuss it with her ex-boyfriend “Mahmoud” (Mandvi) via Skype and his response, like many things in this film is unexpected.

    Turns out that Miranda’s own life is so unfulfilling, that even though she doesn’t find Abe attractive, doesn’t think he would make a good husband and has other issues, she’s so unhappy otherwise that accepting his proposal makes more sense than declining it.  Soon her parents are meeting his, and she’s revealing something about herself that Abe might have wanted to know much sooner.

    Then we start to see Lori appearing in and out of Abe’s life as advisor, confidant, and we’re not sure if he is really seeing her and talking with her about his future and the choices available to him, or if these sequences are dreams.  Later we see more of the characters from his reality in these “unreal” sequences and the line between what is and what isn’t gets too blurred for the audience to follow easily.

    There’s a subplot involving Abe’s brother “Richard” (Bartha) who Abe doesn’t have any real relationship with, and with whom he’s been angry with for over ten years.  Another involving his cousin “Justin” (Booth) with whom he works and who his father decides to give his job to after another disappointing performance from Abe.

    All this intertwines and coalesces into a third act that seems almost incomprehensible, although if you pay close attention, you can follow most of the plot movement.  Even the appearance of Mahmoud at a social engagement between Abe and Miranda doesn’t turn out at one might have expected, especially when you see how close the former lovers appear in the presence of her current fiancé.

    I got the feeling that parts of Dark Horse were left on the cutting room floor, as the run time for this is only 84 minutes and there are several things that I can’t be specific about without engaging in unwanted spoilers.  I’ll leave those to you to try to decipher if you choose to see this film.  Sadly there isn’t much to recommend it.  Farrow, a brilliant actress at times is woefully underused.  Walken who has been terrific in other indies (“Pretty Persuasion” comes immediately to mind) is not at his best.  Even Selma Blair, who I love to watch on-screen disappoints with her mostly montone, uni-dimensional character.  I understand that was how Miranda was written, but that makes it no less disappointing.