Yearly Archives: 2014

5 Surprising Yet Phenomenal Movie Bromances

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Everyone likes a good bromance, right? Some call them guy flicks and others call them buddy movies, but let’s be honest. We can call them bromances and it fits just fine. Now I’m not talking about romantic relationships. These are guys whose close friendships are well-defined. But I’m not talking about the obvious ones. Today’s list looks at some of the more surprising and unexpected movie bromances. Now with so many out there I wouldn’t call this the definitive list. But there’s no denying that these five movie bromances are not only surprising but phenomenal.

#5 – Joker & Noah (“The Defiant Ones”)

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There are a number of reasons why the bromance between Joker and Noah in Stanley Kramer’s “The Defiant Ones” is surprising. First, it didn’t start that way. In fact the two men despised each other. The escaped convicts were shackled together by a prison warden with “a sense of humor” and for most of the film we wonder who is going to kill who first. There was also racial tensions between the two, one man white and one man black, which boils over into several scenes. But over time an amazing thing happens. The two men begin to gain a respect for each other and their unusual circumstances forge one of the most unlikely bromances.

#4 – Jules & Jim (“Jules et Jim”)

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Jules is an Austrian writer and Jim is a reclusive Frenchman. The two meet in Paris and become inseparable friends. That doesn’t sound like a surprising bromance, does it? The surprise isn’t that they became friends. The surprise is that they maintained their friendship. First came World War I which saw Jules and Jim fighting on opposite sides. But the biggest obstacle to their bromance comes in the form of Catherine. She’s a beautiful and free-spirited woman that captivates the two friends. As you can expect, both fall in love with her yet maintain a friendship that we usually don’t see in movies. The movie branches into some strange directions which makes their sustained bromance all the more surprising.

#3 – Bodhi & Johnny (“Point Break”)

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If you look at their personalities, desires, and overall approaches to life the bromance between Bodhi and Johnny in Kathryn Bigelow’s “Point Break” makes perfect sense. There’s only one problem (and trust me, it’s a big one) – Bodhi is wanted by the law and Johnny is the FBI agent assigned to take him down. But Johnny’s undercover work brings him into Bodhi’s world and the two develop a strong bond which makes Johnny’s dedication to his assignment even tougher. He never wavers in his pursuit even as their bromance grows stronger. It leads to a number of great encounters between the two surprisingly good friends.

#2 – King George & Lionel (“The King’s Speech”)

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Now this could easily be the most surprising bromance on this list. Two men who couldn’t be more opposite in terms of their social status and place of power come together in a moment of desperation. The newly crowned King George VI is the right man to take over the crown, but he has one significant problem. He uncontrollably stammers which makes public speaking and communication (an absolute necessity at that time) frustrating and impossible. That’s when he reluctantly employs the help of Lionel, an Australian speech therapist. Their lifestyles clash. Their living conditions clash. Their personalities clash. Yet through all of that they develop an incredibly touching friendship that is most certainly surprising.

#1 – Driss & Philippe (“The Intouchables”)

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One of my favorite films from the last few years is “The Intouchables” and it just so happens to feature one of the most surprising bromances. Philippe is a wealthy quadriplegic who lives in Paris. His condition requires a permanent live-in caregiver an that’s where the cocky streetwise Driss comes in. The problem is Driss only applies in order to get a check from the government for job searching. But Philippe likes Driss’ brash approach to things while Driss likes the idea of living it up in Philippe’s mansion. Several obvious conflicts arise between these two polar opposites but a fascinating bromance develops between these two men who desperately need new directions in their lives. It’s a fantastic movie.

So there are my five surprising movie bromances that stand out above the rest. Agree or disagree? I would to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!

REVIEW: “Broken City”

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Lost in the corpulent backlot of 2013 movies is “Broken City”, a political/crime thriller that features a fine cast and a common but still interesting idea. The film marks the solo directorial debut of Allen Hughes who is known for his past works with his brother including “The Book of Eli” and “Menace II Society”. An underperformer at the box office and generally panned by critics, “Broken City” is looked at as a movie that squanders its potential. But is that a fair criticism? In a nutshell, yes it is.

For me, the biggest problem with “Broken City” reveals itself early and persists through the entire picture. There is practically no fire or energy shown in any facet of movie. In a story that should generate plenty of emotional spark, all we get are dry characters, dry scenarios, and a dry ending. There is rarely a charge of life anywhere to be found and the movie seems to wallow in lethargy. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact blame. Is it the direction from Hughes? Is it Brian Tucker’s script? Could it be the actors who seemingly have no interest in what they’re doing?

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Mark Wahlberg stars as a former New York police detective named Billy Taggert. Seven years after being forced to leave the department following a controversy and PR nightmare, he works as a struggling private detective. Things get complicated when the New York City Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Russell Crowe) hires him to find out who his wife (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones) is having an affair with. Little does Billy know that by taking the case he would be catapulted into a complex political web involving the mayor, his opponent for the upcoming elections (Barry Pepper), and the police commissioner (Jeffrey Wright).

There is a pretty familiar formula that the movie uses while still trying to do a few things of its own. Unfortunately a lot of time is wasted on superfluous side stories that are never fleshed out to the point of being interesting. The best example of that involves Billy’s aspiring actress girlfriend (played by Natalie Martinez). Her character and their struggling relationship seems shoehorned in to try and add some humanity to Billy. She is present for a short time and then completely drops off the map. It’s also one of those movies littered with lucky timing and all sorts of conveniences. Whether Billy is pulling up just as someone throws out a suspicious bag of garbage or whether he is never spotted while supposedly hiding in plain site.

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While the characters are mostly flat and dormant, there are moments where that approach really works. Crowe and Wright have some great back-and-forths generated from the internal rivalry of their characters. Their verbal jabs are stinging and these two great actors have a lot of fun with the animosity. Wahlberg doesn’t get those types of moments. He spends the entire movie stone-faced and rarely shows one ounce of emotion. I’m not sure if it is how he is written or how he was directed, but his character could have been so much better with just an ounce of charisma or personality. That toned down approach turns out to be a problem for every character.

“Broken City” does featuring some great cinematography that captures a variety of New York City flavors. And again, there are a few moments of good crisp dialogue particularly between Crowe and Wright. Unfortunately the lack of zest and the wasted time spent on half-cooked characters doesn’t elevate the film past its already formulaic structure. It’s really a shame because a movie with this strong of a cast could have been better. Instead it’s a forgettable, below-average thriller that deserves its spot in the backlot of the 2013 movies.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

REVIEW: “Getaway”

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I have to start by addressing Ethan Hawke (because I’m so sure he reads this site). What were you thinking? I mean you’ve made some strange and questionable movie choices recently but none as mind-boggling as this. You’re a talented actor Mr. Hawke. Your work in movies like “Training Day” and the “Before” trilogy proves it. But if I may be blunt, your film “Getaway” absolutely sucked. And let me add a quick bit of advice. If anyone on your “staff”, whether it be an advisor or agent, recommended that you take this role, fire them immediately. Trust me, it’s for the good of your career.

Now with that out of the way, “Getaway” is one of these movies that has an obvious ambition but it fails to realize it in practically every regard. It’s poorly written, poorly acted, poorly directed, and poorly edited. Even the likable Ethan Hawke can’t save the film from its sleep-inducing monotony and overall lack of intelligence. It’s no surprise the film wasn’t able to come close to reaching its $18 million budget.

Hawke plays a former race car driver named Brent Magna (gotta love that name). One day he comes home from work to find his wife has been abducted. A mysterious man calls him to take responsibility and to give him a wild assortment of tasks to carry out in order to get her back. The first task leads him to a fully customized Shelby Mustang. It has all the normal accessories: AM/FM radio, power windows, automatic transmission, armored plating, bulletproof glass, and a number of cameras so that the kidnapper can keep up with Brent’s whereabouts. He takes the car and is told to follow the man’s instructions implicitly and if he gets caught by the cops his wife dies.

This way my reaction too after seeing "Getaway"

This way my reaction too after seeing “Getaway”

From there the movie collapses into eye-rolling stupidity. Some of these tasks that Brent is asked to do make no sense whatsoever. They are mainly just reasons to drive the car really fast. That’s really all this film is – an endless parade of high speed chases many of which are some of the worst ever filmed. They are extremely repetitious with little variation at all. At one point I honestly wondered if I was watching the same chase sequence from earlier in the film just from a different camera angle. There is very little creativity to them and practically no thrills. Just a mind-numbing assembly line of wrecked cars and engine roars.

“Getaway” does try to expand its tissue paper-thin plot by throwing in a girl known only as ‘The Kid’ (Selena Gomez). She ends up in the car and her role mainly consists of having a bad attitude and spitting out expletives. She is a terrible character shoehorned in by the dumbest contrivance. In fact, that’s a great way to summarize this movie. It’s one of the (unintentionally) dumbest movies of last year built around one of the worst scripts of the year. And the car chases (which should be the film’s saving grace) are the blandest and most repetitive scenes to endure. This is an awful movie and again I ask “Ethan Hawke, what were you thinking?”

VERDICT – 1 STAR

REVIEW: “Le Week-End”

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Le_week-end Poster“Le Week-End” was one of my more eagerly anticipated films of the 2014 Spring movie season. My absolute adoration for the city of Paris combined with the intriguing story of a conflicted older couple was enough to get me onboard. This British drama marks the fourth collaboration between director Roger Michell and writer Hanif Kureishi. While I’m not familiar with their other collaborative works, there are undeniable signs of quality and brilliance in “Le Week-End” even though the final product isn’t as captivating as I had hoped.

Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan play Nick and Meg Burrows. In light of their 30th wedding anniversary, the couple takes off to Paris, France – the place of their honeymoon. It doesn’t take long for us to see that their marriage is on life support and Nick especially hopes this trip will resuscitate it. Years of pent-up emotion and complex feelings boil to the surface and Nick and Meg try to navigate the waves the best way they know how.

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“Le Week-End” isn’t a formulaic run-of-the-mill couples drama. It has a very grounded sensibility and its approach to storytelling is unique. Much like the struggling relationship it depicts, “Le Week-End” features a number of mood shifts and knotty emotional moments. There is a stinging realism to Nick and Meg’s relationship that separates the film from most other movies of this type. The movie also moves at a fairly slow pace and there are moments where nothing much happens. That’s not always a problem but there are times where it works against the picture.

I can certainly appreciate the deliberate pace and the occasional idling that we get throughout the film. On the other hand, there were times when I really wanted the movie to kick into another gear. The very thing that sets it apart from other movies of this type is the same thing that kept me from truly loving the film. I also left with a number of questions that the ending never answered or hinted at. It’s not that it is a terrible ending, but I can’t say it was all that satisfying.

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I can say that Broadbent and Duncan were extraordinary. Both are seasoned performers and their chemistry is spot-on. The way they develop their characters and expose their flaws and frustrations is nearly flawless. Even when the script shortchanges them (and there are a small handful of weird moments), Broadbent and Duncan rise above the material. I also really liked seeing Jeff Goldblum appear as an old acquaintance of Nick’s. He is a fine actor who I believe always adds good moments to a film.

While “Le Week-End” may not be the brilliant film I was hoping for, it’s still an easy movie to recommend. It makes pretty good use of one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the story of Nick and Meg is certainly an interesting one. But I really hoped that Michell would pull more from this magical setting and that Kureishi would give his performers more fluid material. But even these issues can be overlooked to a degree. “Le Week-End” strives to give us a movie that bucks convention and it puts two truly strong performances in front of us. Those are things I can certainly appreciate.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

REVIEW: “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”

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While it certainly wasn’t a bad film, I can’t say that I was amazed by “The Amazing Spider-Man”. Maybe it was just too soon after the previous trilogy and a rebooted origin story simply felt too familiar. I liked the movie but it didn’t stay with me. As you would expect in today’s modern Hollywood, a big budget sequel was already in the works and it arrives only two years later in the form of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”. It is director Marc Webb’s $250 million continuation of the web-slinging superhero’s story, at least this version of it.

Spider-Man is probably the most popular superhero in the Marvel Comics universe and he has been box office gold for Sony Pictures. That trend has proven to continue. This film has already raked in over $350 million worldwide only one week into its United States release. People flock to Spider-Man pictures. But are they flocking to a good movie? Quite honestly the trailers for this film did little to excite me. Still, I’m a comic book guy so any chance to visit these great characters piques my interest at least to some degree.

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Andrew Garfield returns to play Peter Parker and Emma Stone is back as Gwen Stacy. It’s high school graduation and the two are still romantically involved although Peter still struggles with a promise he made to keep her out of his dangerous crime-fighting life. He’s also still haunted by the truth surrounding the disappearance of his parents many years earlier. We are also introduced to Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) who returns to Manhattan to see his dying father Norman (Chris Cooper). We also meet a lonely, unassuming man named Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx). He works as an engineer for OsCorp and he has a longing to be needed and noticed. All of these characters plus more find their way into this busy story.

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is the perfect definition of a mixed bag. Several of the film’s components work really well while others drag the film down or hinder the storytelling. Perhaps the biggest problem is that the movie tries to cram in too much story and too many characters. This results in some characters who are thin and who feel terribly underdeveloped. More importantly there are significant story angles that are never given the time they need to build. This makes certain parts of the story feel forced and shortchanged which ultimately waters down their effect.

On the flip-side, the movie does shine in the more human emotional moments. Garfield and Stone create a strong and truly believable romance hindered by the complications their lives have brought. The two have really good chemistry and they share several fantastic non-superhero scenes together. I do miss the changes made to the Peter Parker character. Gone is the nerdy awkwardness that has always been a defining quality. There are also some good scenes between Peter and his Aunt May (Sally Field) as well as one particular good scene where Peter catches up with his old high school buddy Harry. The movie was at its best when focusing on the human elements.

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But this is a superhero movie so naturally you look for and expect certain things. First off, Garfield is very good behind the mask. He has a lot of personality and I found several of his quips to be quite funny. Of course the majority of his fighting is presented through CGI. Sometimes it looks good, other times the animation is obvious. But even he suffers due to the film’s lack of a bankable villain. Jamie Foxx’s Electro is a huge stretch from the comic book inspiration and frankly this version is not that interesting. I’ve never been sold on Foxx as an actor and he is very dull and uninspired here. But it’s hard to put the blame squarely on him. He’s given flimsy material and he doesn’t have the chops to rise above it. I also didn’t care for DeHaan’s Harry Osborn. He barely resembled this important character in Spidey lore and there were times when he was just painfully bad. The movie needed these characters to work and I didn’t buy into either of them.

So basically this movie works on the human level but only occasionally where it needed to the most as a superhero movie. It’s a cramped and underdeveloped story which is surprising considering the film is a long 2 hours 20 minutes. There are so many plot lines that feel shoehorned in and that barely contribute to the movie as a whole. There isn’t a good villainous presence and the rebooted series has yet to find itself an identity. It does have its moments, but in the end it doesn’t feel like the movie that this character and his great history deserves. Despite its scattered good scenes, I still felt Spider-Man deserved better.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

REVIEW: “Joe”

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Joe posterWhere on earth did Nicholas Cage’s career go? Cage’s early career was filled with good performances and good movies. He worked with top-notch directors such as the Coen Brothers and Spike Jonze and he even won an Academy Award. But movie fans know the story. His worldwide real estate spending spree led to financial woes and soon Cage was excepting any role he was given to help get out of his mess. There have been brief glimmers of the old Nick Cage but for the most part he has become so synonymous with crappy movies.

But Cage is still a likable guy which is why I’m so excited to talk about “Joe”. I’m not sure if I’m ready to say Nicholas Cage is back, but this is an eye-opening performance and a bold reminder of what he can do when given good material and a capable director to work with. David Gordon Green is a filmmaker who has had his share of misses especially when he jumped into the mainstream comedy arena. But he is also a smart and nuanced director who can draw so much out of his stories and characters. Last year’s “Prince Avalanche” was a great example of that and “Joe” makes him two-for-two.

The film is set in a low income, deep south community. Joe Ransom (Cage) is a timber worker who runs a hard working local crew. He has a good reputation among his men and some of the locals. He meets and befriends a 15-year old boy named Gary (Tye Sheridan). Gary has a tumultuous family life mainly due to his abusive and alcoholic father Wade (Gary Poulter). He finds an escape in Joe while also making some money to support his mother and sister.

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Early on Joe looks to be a good and stable mentor and father figure. He is a sharp antithesis to Gary’s real father who is despicable in ever regard. But perhaps the most compelling thing about the movie is how Joe’s character unfolds. Throughout the film one thin layer after another is peeled back revealing a deeply flawed man with an intensely troubled past. He is a tortured soul assaulted by demons that we don’t always fully meet. His inability to cope with them sometimes makes him his own worst enemy. This forms the central conflict which drives a lot of the story.

Cage absolutely owns this character. His performance is saturated with grit and authenticity. He is the centerpiece of the picture and for those not familiar with his once promising acting chops, this is a spectacular showcase. Tye Sheridan follows up his wonderful work in “Mud” with a darker and more mature performance. He handles the heavy and emotionally charged material with the skill of a veteran. His opening scene with Poulter is piercing and uncomfortable and it sets the table for the rest of the picture. Speaking of Poulter, the realism in his performance is surreal and effectively disturbing. Even more unnerving is Poulter’s real story. He was homeless and a terrible alcoholic when Green cast him. This undoubtedly fueled his performance with such honesty. Sadly Poulter was found dead on the streets of Austin, Texas shortly before the film was set to debut.

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Another key strength of the film is Green’s impeccable southern vision. The striking detail he puts in every little thing helps to create this otherworldly setting which is actually more real than many realize. The story flourishes in this sad and smothering environment and it just gets darker and darker as things progress. It could be said the film exploits southern stereotypes in order to create such a setting and sometimes the movie slips off the rails in its attempts. But ultimately it is a vivid and ferocious setting that never allows us to feel comfortable (and that is a good thing).

“Joe” isn’t an easy movie to digest. It is southern gothic to the core with an emphasis on the unpleasant and disturbing. It’s not a movie for the faint of heart. But it is an exciting return of sorts for Nicholas Cage and one can only hope it is a sign of things to come. “Joe” is uncomfortable and unflinching yet it is almost impossible to take your eyes off it. It may be a bit too abrasive, but the story at the heart of the film is what shines through in the end.

VERDICT – 4 STARS