Author Archives: Keith Garlington

REVIEW: “Human Capital” (2020)

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With “Human Capital” director Marc Myers takes a swing at Stephen Amidon’s 2004 novel which has already been adapted once by Italian filmmaker Paolo Virzi. Myers pulls a little bit from both in crafting a dense story full of interconnected storylines and shifting perspectives. Along with screenwriter Oren Moverman, Myers maneuvers us through this thorny morality tale with mostly positive results.

“Human Capital” starts at a fancy restaurant where a waiter (Dominic Colon) phones his wife during a smoke break. At closing time he clocks out, hops on his bicycle, and heads home. As he rides under the street lamps we hear the growing hum of a car engine. An SUV coming from behind clips his bike sending him hurdling into the ground. The vehicle stops for a second then speeds off into the night while the man lays unconscious.

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Photo Courtesy Vertical Entertainment

Jump back a few days and we meet Drew (Liev Schreiber) dropping off his daughter Shannon (Maya Hawke) to see her boyfriend Jamie (Fred Hechinger). While there Drew meets the boy’s parents for the first time – the chilly, detached Carrie (Marisa Tomei) and her snotty financier husband Quint (Peter Sarsgaard). Drew, a down-on-his-luck realtor, smells an opportunity and persuades Quint to let him buy into a hot new hedge-fund. The problem is he doesn’t have the required initial investment of $300,000. With an almost blind assurance, Drew lies on his SEC forms and finagles a high-interest loan for what he considers to be a sure-thing. We know it’s not.

From there we rewind again, this time following the same timeline but from Carrie’s perspective. The once aspiring actress turned disenchanted trophy wife has relished her life of privilege but now finds herself desperate for some kind of fulfillment. And then the movie bounces back once more, this time following Shannon. Her angle reveals more about her relationship with Jamie while also introducing Ian (Alex Wolff), a troubled young man who captures Shannon’s eye.

All three story threads are woven together by the opening hit-and-run. At first things seem predictable and the culprit looks pretty obvious. But as the three stories intersect, new drops of information make it clear that things aren’t so cut-and-dry. Before long it festers into smug elites versus the modestly upper class while the true victim, a working class waiter, is almost forgotten and essentially relegated to being a plot device. Unfortunately it’s not just the characters who seem indifferent to the victim, but the film itself. You could argue that’s kind of the point, but it still leaves the movie feeling cold.

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Photo Courtesy Vertical Entertainment

The undercooked ‘whodunit’ aspect aside, the story of “Human Capital” is pretty engaging in large part thanks to a stellar cast. In a rare leading role, the often underrated Schreiber is convincing at every turn. Sarsgaard is ideal playing an unscrupulous slime who sees people as capital that he can move around for his own self-benefit. Tomei does a good job with a character who’s boxed in by the script pretty early on. And Hawke (a “Stranger Things” breakout) is a natural – mopey, impulsive and unpredictable. And I haven’t mentioned the always good Betty Gabriel. She plays Drew’s second wife and easily the most sympathetic character outside of the hit-and-run victim.

It’s easy to see where “Human Capital” could have done more with the class disparity theme. Then again countless movies have been plowing the same ground for a few years now. I think the movie works best as a look at unbridled selfishness, the ripple effective it can have on families, and what people are willing to do to protect their own interests. Most of that comes through the film’s array of characters who didn’t really need a crafty narrative hook or half-baked mystery to be compelling.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

3-stars

REVIEW: “Run All Night”

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There are several common threads that run through amost every Liam Neeson film so that you know what to expect. Since the always likable Irishman redefined himself with 2008’s “Taken”, he has become a bona fide action star. Armed with his signature gravelly voice, some clever one-liners, and particular sets of skills, Neeson has created his own unique brand of action movie and audiences normally have an idea of what they are going to get.

But sometimes Neeson adds a twist – something different to his successful formula. We get an example of that in “Run All Night”, a crime thriller from Spanish director and frequent Neeson collaborator Jaume Collet-Serra. Set (mostly) over the course of one night and spanning across a night-lit New York City, the film is a fast paced, high stakes game of cat and mouse laced with an assortment of complicated relationships.

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One of the differences from other Neeson pictures is that his character isn’t what you would call a ‘good guy’. He plays Jimmy Conlon, a former mob hitman who was given the nickname “Gravedigger” (now that just screams bad news). Jimmy is struggling with the sins of his past which cost him his relationship with his son Mike (Joel Kinnaman). Mike is now married with children and he mentors fatherless boys at a local gym while also driving a limo at night for extra money.

Jimmy’s only friend is his former boss Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris). Shawn has adapted his criminal organization to the times but his cocky and careless son Danny (Boyd Holbrook) is a loose cannon. When a deal goes bad, Danny murders some Albanian drug dealers and Mike witnesses the crime. Danny sets out to take care of the witness but Jimmy kills him in order to save his son. An angry and grief-stricken Shawn sends his army of thugs and crooked cops to kill Jimmy and Mike before the night is over.

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The story puts Jimmy and Mike together with their very lives on the line. But that brings along a very interesting dynamic. The two must navigate the animosity from a broken relationship just as much as the numerous dangers Shawn sends their way. This little father/son angle adds some cool elements to the story but it also results in a couple of odd plot twists that defied common sense. Plus it leads to an obvious ending that you see coming a mile away.

Despite that, “Run All Night” is a fun crime thriller that jets along at a nice pace and keeps you entertained. There is some good action and real intensity yet very little in terms of surprises. But perhaps the most fun comes from watching Neeson and Harris, two always reliable and enjoyable actors squeeze every bit out of their roles. This is an edgier Neeson picture and it does differentiate itself a bit from his action catalogue. Maybe not enough to make it something truly special, but I still appreciated its effort.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

3.5 stars

5 Phenomenal Movies You May Never Want to Watch a Second Time

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Great movies come in all shapes and sizes. That’s a rather lame way of saying there are great movies from all genres. But great movies aren’t by necessity ones you watch over and over again. In fact some can be dark, disturbing, and difficult to sit through while still being truly wonderful films. Today’s Phenomenal 5 looks at five incredible movies you may never want to watch a second time. Now with so many to choose from I wouldn’t call this the definitive list. But there’s no denying that these are truly phenomenal (even if you only see them once).

#5 – “The Passion of the Christ” (2004)

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Mel Gibson’s passion project chronicling the final twelve hours in the life of Jesus polarized critics. Much of it came from Gibson’s unwillingness to compromise in depicting the graphically violent nature of Jesus’ scourging and crucifixion. The bloody brutality overwhelmed some and provided ammo for others looking for reasons to dismiss the film. But many were moved by the intensity of the realism despite it being excruciating to watch. And its impact and its message has stuck with a particular segment of cinema fans.

#4 – “Au Hasard Balthazar” (1966)

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This 1966 classic from acclaimed French auteur Robert Bresson is as heart-crushing as it is brilliant. The movie follows a donkey named Balthazar who is passed from owner to owner, many of whom are cold, callous and abusive. Bresson’s movie is rich with symbolism but it’s the potency of his images that makes this such a difficult watch. The moments of compassion Balthazar experiences are few, but we cherish each one as a welcomed respite from the abject cruelty that defines most of his life. It all packs one massive emotional wallop.

#3 – “Funny Games” (1997)

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Michael Haneke has a reputation for pulling no punches in his movies. This sometimes makes for brutally uncomfortable yet deeply affecting cinema experiences. None of his movies personifies this more than “Funny Games”. In giving a stinging rebuke of violence in the media and our penchant for absorbing it, Haneke tells a story that is horrifying both narratively and visually. Many people were repulsed by the film and the graphic nature of its violence. I think it makes a powerful statement despite being one of the hardest films I’ve ever sat through.

#2 – “Amour” (2012)

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It may surprise some that a movie titled “Love” would be so incredible difficult to watch. But Michael Haneke (yes, again) looks at love in its truest and rawest sense. “Amour” follows a loving elderly couple exquisitely played by legendary French stars Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant. The wife suffers a debilitating stroke and the husband is determined to care for her himself. By highlighting the daily routines, Haneke shows the deep commitment (aka the love) it takes to care for a ailing loved one. And as her condition worsens it becomes even harder to watch. Still, it so beautifully examines an element of true love that is rarely considered.

#1 – “Schindler’s List” (1993)

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Steven Spielberg is credited with so many great films but none are quite like his historical masterpiece “Schindler’s List”. Holocaust movies are important and (as their subject matter dictates) they are naturally tough to watch. “Schindler’s List” more so due to Spielberg’s earnest and passionate desire to show the Nazi atrocities without taking shortcuts. The intensity of the Jewish roundups, the inexplicable horrors of the concentration camps, the heart-wrenching emotions of all those victimized. It is all depicted in vivid detail. I love “Schindler’s List”, but it leaves a mark on me every time I watch it.

So those are my choices of great movies that you may never want to watch a second time. What do you think? What would have made your list? Let me know in the comments below.

RETRO REVIEW: “Dead Poets Society” (1989)

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There was a time when the inspirational new teacher trope found its way into a lot of movies. “Stand and Deliver”, “Lean on Me”, “Mr. Holland’s Opus”, “Dangerous Minds” are all films that came out within the same window. Add to that group Peter Weir’s “Dead Poets Society”, an Oscar-winning drama about self-discovery, free-thinking, and the unfortunate costs that sometimes comes with them.

The story comes from screenwriter Tom Schulman and earned him the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. It’s set in 1959 Vermont at the fictional Welton Academy, a prestigious private prep school for boys. The film stars a restrained Robin Williams (who nabbed an Oscar nomination) and a cast of relative newcomers, most notably a young, baby-faced Ethan Hawke.

Williams gets top billing playing John Keating, the academy’s charismatic new literature teacher and a Welton graduate himself. His eccentric nature and unorthodox teaching grabs the attention of his students (and a few faculty heads). Rapid quoting Whitman, Tennyson, and Thoreau. Holding class in the hallways, the courtyard, or on a soccer field. Urging the boys to focus on feeling rather than form. Keating’s methods invigorate his students while rubbing some of his colleagues the wrong way.

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Photo Courtesy Buena Vista Pictures

While Williams is the bigger name, the movie is really about the boys and their thirst for individuality. Mr. Keating may trumpet the mantra “carpe diem: seize the day”, but it’s the boys search for its meaning that drives the story forward. For Todd (Hawke) it’s in finding his voice. For Knox (Josh Charles) it’s in winning the heart of a local girl. For Neil (Robert Sean Leonard) it’s in following his own dream and not the one defined for him by his rigid authoritarian father (Kurtwood Smith).

The boys learn that Mr. Keating was a bit of a free spirit during his student days and was a member of the Dead Poets Society. It was a clandestine club that met in a cave just off campus where members would take turns reading excepts from classic poets. Using Thoreau, Mr. Keating described it as a bunch of romantics “Sucking the marrow out of life“. Naturally the boys put together their own secret version of the Dead Poets Society. But poetry soon takes a back seat to newfound self-expression and their budding desires to take life by the horns.

The acting is delightful throughout, especially from Williams who puts aside his frantic, quip-a-second routine for a much more contained performance. He quietly embodies a character full of empathy and compassion. The one shortcoming is that he is essentially a blank page outside of the classroom. Schulman’s script doesn’t seem as interested in him as Weir’s camera so we’re left with only tidbits of information about who he really is. But it reenforces that the story is truly about his students.

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Photo Courtesy Buena Vista Pictures

Hawke is fun to rewatch especially in 2020 now that he is an established star. In “Dead Poets” you can see an up-and-comer with some real chops. But I was just as impressed with the other young actors who mostly avoid the pitfalls that often accompany these roles. Leonard is especially strong, playing the character with the most complexity and layers. Neil is the definition of the dutiful son, inescapably tethered to his father’s strict vision for the future. Leonard really sells us a young man repressed and pained despite his happy facade.

Weir and his cinematographer John Seale use their camera to portray a stuffy, buttoned up New England campus but a beautiful one nonetheless. There is an ever-present taste of autumn as golden leaves tumble across the sidewalks and the gorgeous stone masonwork feels plucked out of time. But there are also those Weir flourishes like the stunning wide shots of the boys, barely more than silhouettes, heading off to their secret cave. Or when his camera spirals up a staircase as noisy students cascade down.

There’s a good chance “Dead Poets Society” won’t satisfy those looking for a deeper dive into poetry or a more in-depth representation of classroom education. But that’s not what Weir and company are going for. This is about seven boys coming of age just as the world is about to get a lot more complicated. Yes things start to get a little predictable and I do wish Mr. Keating had more outside-the-classroom depth. But for the most part “Dead Poets” hits its target and it still leaves an impression some twenty-five years since I last saw it.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

4-stars

REVIEW: “Vivarium” (2020)

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VIVposterI can’t remember a movie that more closely resembles a feature-length Twilight Zone episode than Lorcan Finnegan’s new film “Vivarium”. For 97 minutes I could almost hear the faint voice of Rod Serling communicating his approval. Now if you’re unsure about the definition of vivarium, a quick Google search defines it as “an enclosure, container, or structure adapted or prepared for keeping animals under seminatural conditions for observation or study or as pets“. Fitting.

“Vivarium” is directed by Finnegan and based on a story he conceived with his screenwriter Garret Shanley. It’s basically science-fiction with a subtle horror bend, not to mention an unintended current day relevance. In a time where “self-quarantining” and “social distancing” has become a part of our everyday vernacular, a movie about being trapped at home takes on a whole new meaning.

Gemma (Imogene Poots) is an elementary school teacher and her boyfriend Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) a gardener/handyman. The two make for an fairly ordinary young couple. They have a good playful chemistry and both seem to be ready for the next phase of their lives together. Little did they know a suburban nightmare was right around the corner.

They visit the offices of a creepy real estate agent named Martin (a deliciously bizarre Jonathan Aris). He tells them of a brand new subdivision called Yonder and offers to lead them out to the development. Personally speaking, those few moments with Martin would be enough for me to take off running, but that wouldn’t be much of a movie. So Gemma and Tom hop into their Toyota hatchback and follow Martin outside of town to the sprawling gated community.

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Photo Courtesy of Saban Films

Immediately Yonder gives the impression of dull, stale uniformity. Every house is identical. Each has matching puke green exteriors. Each has the exact same well-manicured yard. Even every cloud in the sky are bright, cotton-puffed perfection. You would think that, along with the complete absence of any other living being, would be another reason for Gemma and Tom to turn around and speed off. Instead they arrive at house #9 and Martin begins giving them the tour.

Within minutes the couple realize Yonder is not the place for them, but before they can tell Martin he up and disappears. They hop in their car and head out but never find an exit. Just rows of the identical homes on identical streets that always end up at house #9. Trapped, out of gas, and out of options, Gemma and Tom have no choice but to stay at Yonder. They get by on mysterious boxes of bland, tasteless food left in front of their house. But one morning something else comes in a box – a baby boy with “Raise the child and be released” printed on the flap.

As it gets older the child brings new meaning to the term “creepy kid“. He ages much like a dog which makes judging time a challenge. He speaks in freaky off-key tones, often mimicking what he hears from his quasi-parents and lets out shrill screeches whenever he wants something. He adds a freaky presence to their prefab domesticity which becomes more suffocating with each passing day. From there “Vivarium” takes a slow-burn approach before eventually sticking its landing.

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Photo Courtesy of Saban Films

As critics we often gripe about movies telling us too much and not trusting us to figure things out for ourselves. But sometimes the opposite can be true. Sometimes you need more dialogue or conversations. “Vivarium” shows us little but tells us less. We’re left to gather for ourselves what the two main characters are feeling without being truly convinced. That may sound like criticism mumbo-jumbo but it gets to the heart of my lone yet significant gripe. You never get more than a surface level understanding of Gemma and Tom.

None of this is due to Poots and Eisenberg who worked together in last year’s “The Art of Self-Defense” and earlier in 2009’s “Solitary Man”. Both are good fits, especially Poots as her character is given a broader range of emotions to explore. Even as the film bangs on some familiar thematic drums (Suburbia is terrible. Marriage is hard. Raising a kid is even harder), the performances remain strong. I just wish the characters weren’t such hard nuts to crack. If more of the slow-burn had been spent cutting them open this good sci-fi thriller could have been something even better.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

REVIEW: “Uncorked” (2020)

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UNCORKEDposterThe new Netflix drama “Uncorked” tells the age-old story of a demanding father and a dutiful son. The father has plans for his son, but the son has dreams of his own. It’s a tried-and-true formula and well-plowed movie ground. Yet despite its familiar premise, “Uncorked” has its own welcomed flavor and is pleasant enough going down. And with that I promise no more wine-inspired puns.

Writer-director Prentice Penny caught the wine bug while attending a wedding in Paris. He quickly began soaking up books and documentaries as well as taking a wine studies class. All of this helped inspire “Uncorked” which sees a young man named Elijah (Mamoudou Athie) sporting a passionate interest in wine. The problem is his father Louis (Courtney B. Vance) runs a BBQ restaurant that was handed down to him from his father. “This place is historic,” Louis says. “Frankie Beverly had a stroke here.”

Obviously Louis’ plan is for Elijah to one day take over the place. But he grows frustrated at his son’s lack of interest which (predictably) drives a wedge between them. As is often the case, it’s the mother who plays referee/voice of reason. Here she’s played by a fun but affecting Niecy Nash. While we have seen this whole family dynamic in numerous other films, Penny and his cast inject a strong dose of personality and authenticity while showcasing a welcomed perspective on the black experience not often represented in cinema.

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Photo Courtesy of Netflix

Athie’s subdued performance hits it mark in giving us a conflicted twenty-something who feels an obligation to his family while dreaming of becoming a master sommelier (for the unlearned like me, a sommelier is a trained wine professional who specializes in wine services for fine restaurants). He finds encouragement in his new girlfriend Tanya (a terrific Sasha Compère) and his mother backs his enthusiasm. But it all comes back to his father who only thinks of the restaurant and his expectations for his son.

The central conflict plays out as you might expect, but it’s getting there that makes “Uncorked” feel fresh. First off, Penny nimbly walks a fine line and keeps Louis from being an all-out villain. You’ll want to pull his hair out at times, but Penny gives the character several dimensions and imbues him with enough human complexity to avoid caricature. In fact I can see Louis striking a chord with many people who will see shades of their own fathers.

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Photo Courtesy of Netflix

I also like the scenes with the rest of Elijah’s family, many of whom are endowed with their own special eccentricities. Penny gives them all a role in Elijah’s story whether it’s back-and-forths at the BBQ joint or the comical dinner table rapport when they all gather to eat. All of these side players breathe a lot of life into the story. So does the Memphis setting which moves in the background like a silent supporting character. The hip hop interludes aren’t quite as effective although I appreciate what Penny is going for.

As Elijah decides to pursue his dream the movie shifts to Paris but home is always somewhere in the scene. And while Penny allows us to dip our toes into wine culture, he doesn’t bypass Deep South urban living and all of it’s moving intimacies and bitter realities. And despite being built on an all-too-familiar framework, there is enough fresh meat on its bones to make “Uncorked” as enjoyable as a plate of Louis’ scrumptious ribs. Okay, maybe not that good but you get what I’m saying.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

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