Be Back Soon...

Sorry about my inactivity recently. I've been keeping up with getting out to see movies, just not with writing the reviews.

I've recently been cast as Valmont in a production of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" and have an insane number of lines to memorize for the part. I've felt compelled to dedicate most of my free time to that.

Once I have my memorization well in hand, I'll get back to writing my reviews, probably putting several shorter ones together at first to get back on track.

I'll be back as soon as I can!

-Erik

Review: A Walk Among The Tombstones

176. A Walk Among The Tombstones
Although his role here is not substantially different from his other recent performances, Liam Neeson proves ones again that he has the grounded authority and gravitas needed to elevate just about any film. "A Walk Among The Tombstones" is hardly a masterpiece. It lies somewhere between average and good, with Neeson keeping it from falling into the former category.

Neeson plays a private detective, formerly a police officer, and with the type of tragic backstory that seems to go hand in hand with cinematic law enforcement. He is hired to track down the criminals who kidnapped and collected ransom for the wife of a drug trafficker (Dan Stevens, about as far from his "Downton Abbey" role as he could get), but killed her anyway. The story from this point on is fairly straightforward. It's almost more of an atmospheric piece as Neeson slogs through a world whose horrors no longer seem able to surprise him. This isn't the most interesting character he's ever played, but there's enough for him to work with, and Neeson is always worth watching as an actor. His sometimes wry, sometimes aggressive (and sometimes both) sense of humor does provide a few laughs.

I was particularly impressed by two things this movie got right that many films get wrong. The first is that it allows Neeson's character to be an alcoholic without suffering a relapse during the film. Most times a film makes reference to a character's alcoholism early on, you know this will come into play later when they'll throw years of sobriety out the window at whatever point it would most heighten the drama to do so. Neeson doesn't do that. His character's alcoholism and attendance at AA meetings is an important layer of his character, not a cheap plot device (the next film I'll be reviewing fell into the usual trap, and is what made me take notice of how well this film had handled it). The second thing "A Walk Among the Tombstones" got right, against all odds, is that it managed to include a kid sidekick who wasn't incredibly annoying. Instead, he had a believable relationship with Neeson, and helped add even more layers (as well as some likeability) to the main character. Usually kids who follow around the lead character, insistent on helping out, are meant to be "charmingly precocious" but end up being the worst, most irritating part of the film. It's done right so rarely that this film's success is a true accomplishment.

The film doesn't have the most interesting storyline you'll ever see, a side effect of trying to maintain a tone of grounded realism instead of opting for shocking plot twists and revelations. But if you're going to see a movie that focuses more on a character in a drab world than it does on surprises, you could do a lot worse than have that character be played by Liam Neeson. The man has the ability to command the camera's attention no matter what he's doing. That no longer needs to be proven, but he keeps proving it just the same.

B

Review: The Pirates

175. The Pirates
The third South Korean period film I'd seen in just over two weeks, "The Pirates" was a lot like the typical action-adventure release, trying to mix a little drama with heavy doses of comedy and a lot of action, some of it reveling in its over the top nature. It mostly succeeds, providing an entertaining time in spite of a slightly bloated length, and managing to fit a few memorable moments into its fun but mostly forgettable story.

I'm not going to try too hard to explain the film's plot, as it's actually quite complex, with a large cast of characters whose allegiances to one another shift with some regularity. To sum it up: when a royal seal (a stamp, not the pet of a king) is lost at sea, swallowed by a whale, several groups set out to hunt the whale and retrieve the seal. Of greatest prominence are a group of pirates (duh) and a group of bandits.

There are some decent action sequences thrown into the film. The most interesting is a chase sequence that really called to mind typical American action-adventure fare. It embraced its own silly nature. A path of destruction and explosions were left in the wake of the chase. One character caught up to the others by sliding along in a water chute as it fell apart just behind her. It was a fun scene. Another scene, featuring the bandits trying to steal a ship from the docks (while setting fire to the other ships to avoid pursuit) was also a standout. The remaining action bits, mostly consisting of naval combat, were well done, but paled in comparison to the action in both "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" and "Kundo: Age of the Rampant".

Some of the film's best moments came courtesy of the character Chul-Bong (Yu Hae-Jin). He's the comic relief character, starting out as part of the pirate crew, but soon leaving and joining up with the bandits. He's a buffoon, always making a mess of the situation, whether it's an attempted raid on a convoy, or just his own misguided efforts to talk himself up. He gets to show off a bit of smarts, however, once the bandits decide to go out to sea. Some of the funniest scenes are of him trying to explain to the other bandits how big a whale really is when they set out in little more than a rowboat. His words of knowledge go unheard over the din of the others' excitement when they spot a shark and are certain it's the whale they seek. When they finally do see a whale, poor Chul-Bong is attacked for not trying hard enough to warn them about its size.

Overall, "The Pirates" has little new to offer. Without the comedic moments, it probably would have fallen flat, but they managed to keep things entertaining. It's a fun movie, probably made a little better to me than it deserves to be because of the foreign flavor.

B-

Review: The Drop

174. The Drop
While it doesn't ever come close to the operatic heights of crime classics like "The Godfather" (not that it tries to), "The Drop" is a solid film, elevated by good performances, that lacks the indefinable spark needed to be "great".

Tom Hardy is onscreen for almost the entire film (it does cut away to other characters a few times, unlike his one man performance in "Locke" earlier this year), and carries it well, establishing a sympathetic character in an unsympathetic world. As the film goes on, it becomes less clear whether his simpleminded bartender, Bob, is truly as simpleminded as he appears, or if it's merely an affectation. My money is on a little bit of both. I think he's content to live an uncomplicated, plain life, but is also far more capable than he's given credit for when the equilibrium of that life is threatened. A character near the end states almost the same thing, and I agreed with the assessment. It's a good performance that anchors the film and gives the audience a character to invest in.

The film has garnered a good deal of attention for being James Gandolfini's last performance. He is also good in a supporting role as "Cousin" Marv, the former owner and still manager of the bar that bears his name. He is still resentful after being forced to give up ownership by the Chechen mob almost ten years earlier. The character is a nice contrast to Bob. He's willing to do bad things to get what he wants, while Bob is also willing to do bad things, but usually only to protect what he already has.

I haven't said much about the plot so far, and I won't. While it does progress at a nice pace, I got the sense that Bob's reactions to what was happening was always meant to be more important than the events themselves. Character study pieces like this can easily fall flat. The character has to be interesting enough to be worth following, and it also helps if there is a decent plot, even if it's not the main focus. Fortunately, this film meets both of these criteria.

I'm not going to go back to my opening paragraph and change my comment saying that the film falls short of being "great". It may well just miss out, but I'll admit to being more conflicted than when I started the review. Thinking and writing about certain aspects of the film have given me a greater appreciation for it. I'll leave everything as it is, but it's quite possible that the B+ I'm giving the film now could become an A- after a second viewing.

B+

September 19 Weekly Preview

This will be another big week at the movies, with six new releases. That won't leave any time for foreign films this week, especially as I'm starting rehearsals for a new show on Monday.

A Walk Among the Tombstones- I actually caught a Thursday night screening of this, so I can't "predict" my reaction. The review should be along in a few days.

The Maze Runner- Yet another Young Adult novel adapted for the big screen with franchise aspirations. I've heard some iffy things about it, so my expectations aren't that high.

This Is Where I Leave You- It looked okay in previews, but I have yet to see any enthusiastic reviews. I might still like it though, as I go against the critical consensus with some regularity.

Tusk- I only saw the trailer for this recently. It seems like a gross-out horror movie, but has been getting some good notices. And it stars Esteban Vihaio, so that's a plus.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them- This is a unique circumstance. Next month, two more movies will come out in this "series" with the subtitles "Him" and "Her". They will tell the story of a dissolving marriage from each point of view. This film (apparently put together at the studio's insistence) features parts of both films edited together. An interesting cinematic experiment, and one I hope pans out. I also hope the other two films are released in local theatres so I can see them as well.

My Old Lady- A European comedy. I've only seen the trailer once, and it didn't make a huge impression, but it could be a pleasant enough film.

Review: No Good Deed

173. No Good Deed
While the actual payoff moments are generic facsimiles from previous home invasion thrillers, "No Good Deed" is overall a solid effort, thanks in large part to the amount of time the filmmakers were willing to spend in the setup phase, gradually increasing the tension.

Idris Elba turns in a strong performance (probably better than the film deserves) as Colin Evans, a man imprisoned for manslaughter (but also suspected of several murders) who escapes from a prison transport early in the film. When his vehicle crashes, he finds his way to a nearby home. A woman and her two children are the only ones home as her husband is away on a trip. The film's trailers would have you believe that Colin quickly breaks into the house, immediately revealing himself as dangerous. Instead, they do something more clever and interesting. After claiming to be waiting for a tow truck, the woman invites him into the home, and a lengthy chunk of the film is devoted to seemingly benign conversation between the two (and, eventually, a friend who has come over for a "girls' night"). All the tension comes from the audience's knowledge of the danger Colin poses and the other characters' lack of that knowledge. Elba comes across as very charming in these scenes, injecting just the right amount of subtle menace into his performance to make it work. We know that events are about to spiral out of control, but the extended wait for that to happen was fun. It's like watching a game of cat and mouse that the mouse doesn't even know is being played.

Unfortunately, once the tension does finally break, the film has nothing new to offer. Most of your standard home invasion tropes are quickly put on display. They're done well, but it's still old hat. If you've seen one scene where the hero hits the bad guy over the head, then runs away to hide, allowing the villain to get back up and pursue without showing any ill effects from the concussion they should have received, you've seen them all. You know it's going to eventually end with a final physical confrontation where, after surviving a multitude of fatal wounds, the villain will finally die after being shot, stabbed, thrown out a window, or maybe all three. Again, these moments weren't done poorly, but the film did feel as if it was on autopilot compared to the more intricately crafted first half. There was one clever plot twist near the end that helped make things interesting again, but the physical action was unable to work up anything fresh to match it.

While the moments that were supposed to be the most exciting fell short, the time taken to draw out tension during the setup, along with Elba's performance help this film to stand out in its genre, if only just a little.

B

Review: Love is Strange

172. Love is Strange
While my last review, for "Dolphin Tale 2" was about my dislike for a film that I went into expecting to dislike, I walked into "Love is Strange" with the opposite expectation. It had a good cast lined up and a premise that seemed well suited to the "dramedy" genre. In the end, however, my reaction to the two films was largely the same. Despite some good performances, "Love is Strange" doesn't have much of anything to offer.

The film features John Lithgow and Alfred Molina as a gay couple, together many years, who finally get married. This results in Molina's character losing his job at a Catholic school, meaning that they can no longer afford to stay in their apartment. Until they can find a new place to stay, they're forced to live separately, Molina with some friends, and Lithgow with his nephew's family. While this is a decent setup for a film, it comes with one major drawback. It shows you two leading actors who have good chemistry together, then proceeds to separate them for most of the movie. Watching Molina grow tired of the endless parties their friends throw, or Lithgow gradually become more of a burden to his nephew's family isn't nearly as interesting as the times the two of them have scenes together. In fact, their moments together serve to highlight how lacking most of the other scenes are.

There didn't seem to be much of a point to the film. Instead of having a plot that advanced progressively, the film seemed content to wallow in depression. There was occasional humor to be found, but it often took a backseat to dramatic subplots that felt pointless. Lots of time was devoted to a storyline about Lithgow's great-nephew and a friend that may or may not be a bad influence on him. Why it was such a big part of the film, I have no idea. The filmmakers didn't seem overly concerned with trying to make a grand political statement, except for one scene where Molina reads via voiceover a letter he's written about the injustice he's suffered. It's a very out of place moment. I have no problem with a film trying to make political points, but if it's going to try, it should commit to it, not randomly throw in a single speech.

I also thought the ending ran on a good ten minutes past the point it should have ended. Clearly it was an attempt at some degree of profundity that, for me, fell flat. While Lithgow and Molina are good actors and deliver good performances, I've never found a good performance capable of making a bad film good. I get the sense that the filmmakers did make the film they wanted to make here. In my mind, it just wasn't a good one.

D