REVIEW: “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Thieves”

February 27, 2013 by Keith Garlington

It may surprise some but the Oscar-winning juggernaut “The Artist” wasn’t the first collaboration between director Michel Hazanavicius and stars Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. In 2006 the three came together to make the spy thriller spoof “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies”. These two films couldn’t be any more different yet there is an interesting similarity. “The Artist” was a silent movie that paid tribute to an often forgotten era of moviemaking. “OSS 117” is a parody of the old 1950s and 1960s spy pictures particularly the early James Bond films. While quite different in production and intent, both have sharp eyes when it comes to the era of filmmaking they take place in.

Jean Dujardin plays OSS 117, a French secret agent who is a cross between Bond and Inspector Clouseau. He’s sent to Egypt to investigation the death and disappearance of fellow agent and friend Jack Jefferson, to stop all fighting between the Americans and Russians, and bring complete and total peace to the Middle East. To this ridiculously unreasonable task he simply replies “No problem”. In the first few scenes you get a good idea what kind of movie this is and what kind of character OSS 117 is. He has the suave and debonaire looks of Bond but the intelligence and deductive skills of Clouseau. As he was getting his assignment from his superior, I couldn’t figure out who the film was spoofing more, a nitwit secret agent or the French government for actually sending this guy. Perhaps a little of both I think.

He lands in Egypt and meets with his contact, a beautiful local named Larmina (Bejo). It doesn’t take him any time to show her and us his utter stupidity as he tries to impress with his incorrect knowledge of the country and his offensive comments about it. That gets to one of my favorite things about this movie – it’s definitely politically incorrect. OSS 117 manages to unknowingly yet repeatedly put down the country, its people, and even its religion. Some of these scenes are hysterical and this is when his buffoonery stands out the most. We also quickly learn that he couldn’t recognize a clue if it were parked right behind him. There are so many leads and bits of evidence in plain sight that anyone other than our bumbling protagonist could see.

There are also several other hilarious running gags the go on throughout the film. There is his infatuation with a light switch and the effects it has in a chicken house (I’ll leave it at that), a reappearing spy who constantly calls in 117’s locations, and one gag that specifically focuses on 117’s always perfect hair. All of these worked for me. But there are scenes where the film goes a little over the top. For example, there’s an intense shootout later in the movie but not with guns and bullets. The weapons of choice? Chickens! Now I’ll be honest, I did chuckle a bit at that, but overall it felt a little too outlandish.

With the exception of the parody, this film looks and feels like it could have been made by the filmmakers of the late 1950s. It’s set in 1955 and Hazanavicius goes to great lengths to recreate that. He does so not just with the cars, clothing, and interior designs, but also by using the same style of special effects. I particular loved the driving sequences with the obvious rolling video screen behind them. There are also a couple of fight sequences that feel yanked right out of that period.

Another highlight was Dujardin. He really impressed me with his sharp sense for comedy. He’s completely believable and brings out the silly shallowness of this character who’s more interested in opportunities to wear his tuxedo and learning to smoke cigarettes. Dujardin’s wacky array of postures and facial expressions work perfectly and Bejo is a wonderful compliment. There are also several other side characters that bring in some really good laughs.

Considering the absence of good quality comedies, “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” was a great find. I have to admit that Hazanavicius, Dujardin, and Bejo became known to me through “The Artist”. But because of the impression they made, I was immediately interested in this film just by seeing their names attached. It didn’t let me down. Now obviously this isn’t the type of comedy that everybody will respond to. But I loved the mix of subtle humor and over the top absurdity. And now I find out that Hazanavicius and Dujardin did a sequel? Sign me up!

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Brave” (2012)

February 26, 2013 by Keith Garlington

Does anyone even question the amazing filmmaking that comes out of Pixar Studios anymore? Well, “Cars 2” didn’t do them any favors, but still Pixar has evolved into one of the most impressive filmmaking teams in cinema. Me, I’m not the biggest animated movie guy. But even I can appreciate their amazing knack for good quality storytelling. That knack is once again on display with “Brave”. Once again Pixar gives us another solid animated feature mainly by following their proven formula. They take meatier subject matter and cover it with a beautiful and playful animated wrapping. They hire the perfect voice talent, create beautiful visuals, and throw in some fantastic music. This tried and true formula once again really pays off here even for a tepid animation guy like me.

“Brave”starts off with the perfect approach. The first thing it does is give us a true sense of location via some of the greatest uses of scenery and surroundings I have seen. Even though I knew it was animated, I was amazed by the huge, sprawling, panoramic shots of the Scottish Highlands. The film creates a breathtaking natural canvas that quickly places us within the story’s location and environment. Tall trees, grassy meadows, jagged mountains, and beautiful streams grab us and submerge us into this beautiful land. This gorgeous landscape is the home of a young princess-to-be named Merida who lives with her brave but playful father King Fergus and her stern and often times overbearing mother Queen Elinor.

Merida is an adventurous free spirit who loves archery and riding her horse through the countryside with her long, bright red locks of hair flowing in the wind. But her mother has quite a different vision for her. Queen Eleanor is infatuated with tradition and feels she knows what’s best for a young princess. A strong tension develops between the mother and daughter and it all boils over during a customary competition between three awkward princes from other clans vying for Merida’s hand in marriage. Merida wants no part of it so she hops on her horse and takes off. This infuriates the queen and sets in motion the events of the rest of the film.

The tension soaked relationship between mother and daughter is at the heart of the story. Something takes place later in the film, and I don’t want to give away what it is, that causes both of them to reevaluate their relationship. This is one place where I give Pixar a lot of credit. This isn’t shallow stuff. This is pretty real and heavy subject matter and they tackle it with sensitivity and smarts. And once again they’re able to walk that line between being faithful to the weighty material and keeping it within the bounds of a fun animated family feature.

But it’s not like this is a drab and overly serious film. This is a Pixar movie which means there’s a lot of fun and playfulness. King Fergus’ ‘typical male’ personality is a lot of fun. Even funnier are Merida’s rambunctious and mischievous little brothers – three little red-headed terrors who are always getting into something. I also loved the three Clan’s leaders and their sons. Talk about wacky! This peculiar bunch offered up some if the movie’s funniest moments. All of this worked for me but I have to admit that the heavy dose of slapstick silliness near the middle of the film began to wear me down. It seemed a bit monotonous and was pretty typical stuff. But this is a small part of the movie and things pick up on its way to its tender and rather satisfying ending.

“Brave” is another winner from Pixar Studios. It’s a powerful and relevant story wrapped up in gorgeous animation and one of the best soundtracks of the year. The characters come to life through great voice work particularly from Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly, and Emma Thompson. All of these components come together to form an entertaining whole and even though it does contain some of the standard cartoony moments, its impossible to watch this movie and not have a great time. This isn’t the best Pixar film but it’s certainly a very good one.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

The Oscars Wrap up…

February 25, 2013 by Keith Garlington

They’ve come and they’ve gone. The 2013 Academy Awards are in the bag and as a whole I enjoyed the show. Despite a few stumbles, Seth MacFarlane was actually better than I thought, there were a few surprises, some good musical numbers, and in the end plenty to talk about. As usual it was a long show and I’m sure many non-cinephiles labored through the categories such as Production Design and Sound Mixing. But I gobbled it all up. I applauded several times and shook my head at other times. So lets look at the big night in movies starting with the big six categories.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

Nothing like starting off the show with a big surprise! I had this race as a battle between Tommy Lee Jones and Robert De Niro. I felt Jones would win but my allegiance was with De Niro. The more I thought on his brilliant work in “Silver Linings Playbook” the more I was sure he deserved the Oscar. Sadly the Academy weren’t as impressed. Now don’t get me wrong, I really like Waltz. But this should have gone to De Niro. This one was a head scratcher!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

This was considered a certain win for Hathaway but after the Waltz win I wasn’t so sure. It turns out the Academy stayed on course and Hathaway took home the gold. Honestly I was quite satisfied with her win. Some have said this was a role aimed at an Academy Award nomination. Maybe so but I loved it. I predicted Hathaway and for me Hathaway was the clear choice.

BEST ACTRESS – Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

In what turned out to be the only win for “Silver Linings Playbook”, Jennifer Lawrence was who I predicted to win and she did. My personal choice was Emmanuelle Riva. No one came close to doing what she did on screen. But everything was pointing to Lawrence although you never know with the Academy and young actresses. Even though she gave my third or fourth favorite performance of the nominees, she was still very, very good and she’s only going to get better. Get ready to move aside Meryl Streep!

BEST ACTOR – Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

In the biggest non-surprise of the night Daniel Day-Lewis set an Oscar record becoming the only 3-time Best Actor winner in Oscar history. It was a well deserved win. Who else could have pulled off what he was able to accomplish. I love DDL and his wonderfully humble acceptance speech only enhanced that. He is on an acting level above most others and I’m proud he was recognized for his work yet again. He was my personal favorite and I predicted him. But didn’t everybody?

BEST DIRECTOR – Ang Lee (Life of Pi)

I’ve said it multiple times – the Best Director category is the most screwed up of any at this year’s Oscars. Ang Lee’s win proves it. Not don’t misunderstand, “Life of Pi” was a really good film, but I thought Spielberg deserved this one. Of course this one is equally confounding because the two biggest snubs, Kathryn Bigelow and Ben Affleck both should have won over Lee. But this is how the Academy rolls and its often times impossible to understand. I had predicted Spielberg and was rooting for Haneke. Sorry guys, not this year.

BEST PICTURE – “ARGO”

While Ben Affleck was denied his chance at a directing Oscar, he went home a happy man after winning a Best Picture statue for “Argo”. I predicted “Argo” but I have to admit I was growing uneasy with my pick as the night went on. But as with most other Awards this season, the Oscars fell in line. I have to say I was proud for Affleck. “Amour” was my preference but I found myself clapping once “Argo” was announced. It was a wonderful film.

There are my thoughts in the Big 6 categories. Here are some random thoughts on the show:

SOCK PUPPET “FLIGHT” – While I though MacFarlane and Shatner’s bit went a little too long, I loved the “Flight” sock puppet gag. The booze, the coke, the tumble dryer! And then the politically incorrect “This is 2013! You can’t do black hand”. Hilarious!

THE BOND TRIBUTE – First of all it was surprising to see the Academy pay tribute to a franchise they for the most part have ignored. Maybe that explains the mediocrity of the montage. At least Shirley Bassey came in and saved the day.

THE JAWS THEME – I have to admit, the delinquent in me thought the first use of the Jaws theme was kind of funny. It didn’t sound live and it came across as a mistake. Well, it was no mistake and it turned out to be a pretty rude method of speeding things along.

THE AVENGERS – I loved the bit where the cast of “The Avengers” (minus Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson) came out to present. Hysterical! And many have heard me say this before, but when is Robert Downey Jr. going to host the Oscars? He would bring the house down.

ZERO DARK THIRTY – I knew the Academy was too scared to put their stamp of approval on “Zero Dark Thirty”. It took home only one Oscar and that was a tie for sound editing. I thought Mark Boal should have won for original screenplay but it went to Django instead. Just more evidence that the Academy will steer clear of anything deemed controversial regardless of how stupid the controversy is.

LES MISERABLES NUMBER – I thought one of the highlights of the ceremony was the musical number from the cast of “Les Miserables”. Talk about knocking it out of the park. I know many people had mixed feelings about the film, but this reminded me of everything I liked about it.

“SKYFALL” BY ADELE – Wow! Talk about talent. Adele blew away everyone on her way to her deserved Oscar win for Best Song. It seems absolutely effortless for her and she didn’t miss a note. And then there was the incredible stage design behind her. This was a real treat!

KRISTEN STEWART – I think it was Ruth over at Flixchatter who asked why anyone would invite Kristen Stewart to appear or present at an awards show. Last night she seemed high and completely uninterested. She also looked like a total slob despite the fancy dress she was wearing. Next year let’s invite someone else!

BEN AFFLECK’S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH – I loved the humility and childlike excitement from Ben Affleck after winning the Best Picture Oscar for “Argo”. Yes he was rambling and tripping over his words but I loved it. It wasn’t a heavily scripted speech. It was pure excitement and exuberance – exactly as it should be! Well done!

MICHELLE OBAMA VIA SATELLITE – Ok, I’m not throwing any type of political position in this, but Michelle Obama’s appearance via satellite was a bit jarring. I mean we have the screen legend Jack Nicholson come out in good form and then he has to step aside for a big jumbo screen? C’mon Academy, seriously?

So those are just a few thoughts on this year’s Oscars. There was no big heavyweight winner but a few films go home disappointed such as one time frontrunner “Lincoln” and heavily nominated “Silver Linings Playbook”. I hoped to see more wins for “Amour”, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, and “Zero Dark Thirty”. But such is the nature of The Academy Awards. Now it’s time for your thoughts!

5 Phenomenally Beautiful Actresses from the Golden Age

February 25, 2013 by Keith Garlington

Over the years I’ve grown to love the Golden Age of cinema more and more. As my love for movies has matured, I’ve found myself appreciating film history and the great classics that came from that special time. I also discovered just how many beautiful actresses there were during that period. So I thought it would be cool to do a Phenomenal 5 that looked at the beautiful women of the Golden Age of movies. Talk about hard, this could easily be a Phenomenal 20 but you know the rules. As a point of clarity, by the Golden Age I’m referring to the end of the silent era all the way to the early to mid 60s. Now that’s a lot of years so obviously this isn’t the definitive list. But these five Golden Age actresses are without a doubt phenomenally beautiful.

#5 – DEBBIE REYNOLDS
There was always something so adorable about Debbie Reynolds. She had such pep and energy but she was also a beautiful actress. Now some may point to the fact that Reynolds made several movies past the Golden Age. I would counter that by saying the bulk of her best films came within that wonderful era. She made her first film in 1948 but it was “Singin’ in the Rain” from 1952 that made her a star. In this classic her beauty matches her song and dance skills as she steals one scene after another. She would go on to make 22 films throughout the 1950s and she seemed to get prettier with each one. Whether she was dancing alongside Gene Kelly in “Singin’ in the Rain” or roughing it on the frontier in “How the West was Won”, Debbie Reynolds was an astounding beauty.

#4 – MARILYN MONROE
Seriously, did you expect me to have a list of Golden Age beauties and not include Marilyn Monroe? For many, she is the first name to pop up when having a conversation about beautiful actresses. While I think you can debate Monroe’s acting abilities, there’s no denying that she was a gorgeous woman. In fact some believe her popularity as a major sex symbol was greater than her popularity as an actress. What ever the case, Marilyn Monroe became a cinematic icon and her beauty adorned magazine covers, wall calendars, and several great films including “The Seven Year Itch” and “Some Like it Hot”. Sadly Monroe died at the young age of 36 with so much ahead of her. But she left us with memories of one of the most beautiful women ever to grace the big screen.

#3 – GRACE KELLY
Not many women can say they had an opportunity to be a celebrated actress and a royal princess. Well Grace Kelly could and you can add ‘one of the most beautiful women in film history’ to the list as well. Kelly only appeared in eleven pictures but many became true classics. She appeared in two of my very favorite Alfred Hitchcock films “Dial M for Murder” and “Rear Window”. She also appeared in other wonderful movies such as “High Noon” and “To Catch a Thief”. Regardless of the movie, she was absolutely stunning and it’s hard to take your eyes off of her. She retired from acting at the early age of 26 and went to be the Princess of Monaco. She had a tragic end to her life but she left behind so many reminders of her great talents and her incredible beauty. There’s no way I could leave her off this list.

#2 – AUDREY HEPBURN
While she may not be one of the sexy blonde bombshells that took Hollywood by storm, to me Audrey Hepburn is one of the most beautiful actresses of her era or any era. It was easy to be attracted to Hepburn’s peppy and graceful charms on the screen. It was even easier to be mesmerized by her physical beauty – the dark hair, the big eyes, the darling smile. Her sprightly attitude fits perfectly with her glamorous appearance and throughout her movies you couldn’t help but be swept away by her presence. From her early films such as “Roman Holiday” and “Sabrina” to later Golden Age films like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Charade”, Hepburn dazzled audiences during her amazing run. Some may downplay this choice, but I think Audrey Hepburn is nothing short of stunning.

Ingrid 600 #1 – INGRID BERGMAN
I still remember the first time I saw Ingrid Bergman in “Casablanca”. I thought she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen in the movies. Nothing has changed. I still feel the same way. Much like Kelly and Hepburn, Bergman had an undeniable grace and elegance to her. But she also had a beauty that could command and sometimes take over the screen. Her look wasn’t showy or overtly sexy like Monroe and others. The Swedish beauty possessed a subtle and natural allure. Don’t believe me? Well just watch her in “Casablanca”, “Gaslight”, and “Notorious”. Bergman would often times take on roles that would require her to hide her beauty. But even then you couldn’t help but recognize her as a gorgeous leading lady.

So there are my five choices. So many other beautiful Golden Age actresses come to mind. Who did I miss? Please take time to share your pick.

OSCAR TIME: Who’ll Win & Who Should Win

February 22, 2013 by Keith Garlington

oscar2012

I love this time of year! It’s awards season for the movies and the granddaddy of them all are The Academy Awards. With the Oscars set to take place this Sunday, it’s time for me to look at the nominees and predict the winners and tell you who I think should win. Now last month I shared my Top 10 Films of 2012, Best Actress Performances, Best Actor Performances, Best Supporting Actress Performances, and Best Supporting Actor Performances. So this isn’t about my personal favorites for the entire 2012 movie year. This is all about the nominees. I’m going to tell you who I think will take home the golden statue Sunday night. I’m also going to share who I’ll be rooting for. One more note, click on any movie title to check out my review of that film. Ok, here we go.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Amy Adams – “The Master”
Sally Field – “Lincoln”
Anne Hathaway – “Les Miserables”
Helen Hunt – “The Sessions”
Jacki Weaver – “Silver Linings Playbook”

The supporting actress category is really, really strong this year. Helen Hunt’s performance is the only one I haven’t seen but that doesn’t matter. She doesn’t have a chance. Amy Adams was really good in “The Master” but that’s a film that I was mixed on and that has received limited love from the Academy. Jacki Weaver is a wonderful actress but I’m not sure she deserved the nomination considering how little she had to do. Sally Field is really good in “Lincoln” but I think she is way behind Anne Hathaway. This is one category that can be called before one person hits the red carpet. Anne Hathaway has it wrapped up and personally I agree.

WHO’LL WIN : Anne Hathaway – “Les Miserables”
WHO SHOULD WIN : Anne Hathaway – “Les Miserables”

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Alan Arkin – “Argo”
Robert De Niro – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Philip Seymour Hoffman – “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones – “Lincoln”
Christoph Waltz – “Django Unchained”

Here’s yet another really strong category filled with some seasoned talents. First off Christoph Waltz is wonderful. But he’s just coming off a recent Oscar win and he has very little buzz going into the big show. Hoffman has a lot of support from those who loved the film but that’s about it. Alan Arkin was outstanding in “Argo” and I could handle him winning except for one thing. He’s only in the film for about 10 minutes. So I see it coming down to two old veterans, Tommy Lee Jones and Robert De Niro. Jones had the early momentum but De Niro has really come on lately. A lot of people are happy to see him giving nomination worthy performances again. He hasn’t won since “Raging Bull” so this could be his night. I hope so because I loved his performance. But I think it’s going to Tommy Lee Jones.

WHO’LL WIN : Tommy Lee Jones – “Lincoln”
WHO SHOULD WIN : Robert De Niro – “Silver Linings Playbook”

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Jessica Chastain – “Zero Dark Thirty”
Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Emmanuelle Riva – “Amour”
Quvenzhane Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Naomi Watts – “The Impossible”

For my money this is the strongest of all Oscar categories. The women of cinema really brought it in 2012 and I loved every one of these performances. First there’s Naomi Watts. I was happy to see her nominated because I thought she was wonderful in “The Impossible”. But it’s a movie that hasn’t been on many people’s radar and Watts has no chance. One of my very favorite performances of 2012 came from young Wallis. Unfortunately she hasn’t a chance mainly due to the lack of support for child actors at Oscar time. That leaves us will Lawrence, Chastain, and Riva. At first it appeared that this was a two woman race between Chastain and Lawrence. But it seems that Riva has gained some steam and rightly so. I loved Chastain’s work and Lawrence was quite good. But no actress in 2012 did what Riva was able to do. It’s the most gripping and committed performance I’ve seen in a long time and she deserves to win. But I think too much is pointing towards Lawrence. Still, keep your eyes on this category.

WHO’LL WIN : Jennifer Lawrence – “Silver Linings Playbook”
WHO SHOULD WIN : Emmanuelle Riva – “Amour”

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Bradley Cooper – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Daniel Day-Lewis – “Lincoln”
Hugh Jackman – “Les Miserables”
Joaquin Phoenix – “The Master”
Denzel Washington – “Flight”

There’s a fantastic group of lead actors this year. I can’t say I have a problem with any of these performances being nominated. But this is a category with a sure winner. Denzel Washington gives yet another solid performance in “Flight” but he’s not going to win. Joaquin Phoenix was brilliant in “The Master” but there’s no buzz around him and his general disdain for the awards won’t help him. Hugh Jackman took home a Golden Globe and I thought he was mighty good in “Les Miserables”. But he won’t win here. Then there’s Bradley Cooper. I’m so happy to see Cooper actually taking on a substantive role and knocking it out of the park. But he, like every other nominee mentioned, has no chance with Daniel Day-Lewis in the race. Day-Lewis was nothing short of brilliant in his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln and if he doesn’t win something is terribly wrong.

WHO’LL WIN : Daniel Day-Lewis – “Lincoln”
WHO SHOULD WIN : Daniel Day-Lewis – “Lincoln”

DIRECTING

Michael Haneke – “Amour”
Benh Zeitlin – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Ang Lee – “Life of Pi”
Steven Spielberg – “Lincoln”
David O. Russell – “Silver Linings Playbook”

This year’s best directing category is the most screwed up of any. It features more egregious and indefensible snubs than any category I’ve seen in a long time. But there are still some good choices here. Ang Lee’s nomination was a big surprise to me. He did a great job but I don’t think he belongs in this conversation. I loved what Zeitlin did in his small but powerful film “Beasts of the Southern Wild”. His nomination was a pleasant surprise but he has no shot to win. Michael Haneke is a director who uses incredible techniques in his films and his work on “Amour” was brilliant. I’d have no problem seeing him win. Then there’s David O. Russell. I know I’m in the minority but I don’t see how he’s on this list especially considering the snubs. His film was a performance driven picture and the movie’s only weaknesses could be traced back to him. I can’t imagine him winning. That leaves Spielberg who really blew me away with “Lincoln”. It’s an amazing accomplishment and I think he will win. Of this group I think I prefer Haneke but this one belongs to Spielberg.

WHO’LL WIN : Steven Spielberg – “Lincoln”
WHO SHOULD WIN : Michael Haneke – “Amour”

BEST PICTURE

And now it’s time for the big one. There’s some intrigue surrounding this year’s Best Picture category. First let’s do some pruning. “Life of Pi”, “Django Unchained”, “Les Miserables”, and “Beasts of the Southern Wild” are movies that should be really happy to be nominated because they have no realistic chance to win on Oscar night. “Zero Dark Thirty” was an incredible film and one of my favorites of 2012. But considering director Kathryn Bigelow’s directing snub and the pointless controversy surrounding the picture, I don’t think the Academy has any plans of touching this movie. What a shame. “Silver Linings Playbook” could bring in a few Oscars this Sunday. It’s picked up a lot of steam lately but I don’t see it being a contender for Best Picture. I loved “Amour” and I love that as more people are seeing it it’s gaining momentum. Sadly it will be to little, to late. “Lincoln” is still an interesting film. It has a lot of what the Academy seems to gravitate to and it was the early front-runner. That said, I still think it will fall short leaving “Argo” to win the biggest prize of the night despite director Ben Affleck’s snub. I think my personal choice would be “Amour” but I would have no problem with “Argo” winning the night.

WHO’LL WIN : “Argo”
WHO SHOULD WIN : “Amour”

So there’s the Big 6 categories for this Sunday night. What do you think? Where did I get it right and where did I miss the mark? Please take time to share your picks.

“Flight” – 3 STARS

February 22, 2013 by Keith Garlington

If you watch the trailers for “Flight” you come away expecting this to be a movie about a doomed flight and the heroic pilot who tries to save it. But as with so many trailers whose lone goal is to sell a product, this isn’t the case at all. It’s the story of a self-destructive man whose many vices are brought out into the spotlight by one heroic deed. It marks Robert Zemeckis’ return to live action movies, this being his first since “Cast Away” in 2000.

“Flight” stars Denzel Washington so automatically there’s one thing you know for sure – the lead performance is going to be strong. Here he plays an airline pilot named William “Whip” Whitaker. After a mostly sleepless night of booze, drugs, and sex with one of his flight attendants, Whip heads out to pilot a commercial airliner from Orlando to Atlanta. I don’t think this will be scheduled as an in-flight movie anytime soon. Right off the bat the film introduces us to Whip’s raging alcoholism. Before the flight even takes off, he slips two travel bottles of vodka into his orange juice before heading into the cockpit. Washington handles this subject matter like an old pro. Scene after scene we see him in his self-inflicted hell and as despicable as his actions are, he causes us to feel sympathy for this character.

After taking a questionable risk to get through some turbulence after takeoff, Whip falls asleep while copilot Ken Evans (Brian Geraghty) flies the plane. But he’s jarred awake after the plane goes into a nose dive while approaching Atlanta. Whip takes control of the situation and pulls off an incredible series of maneuvers before landing the plane in a field. Watching this was an incredibly intense visual experience and its one of the best movie moments from last year. The impact knocks him unconscious and he later wakes up in an Atlanta hospital. He learns from pilot union head and old friend Charlie Anderson (Bruce Greenwood) that his heroics saved 96 people of the 102 on board.

This creates one of the most interesting dynamics in the entire film. As Whip says, “No one else could have landed that plane” and his heroics seem unquestionable. But due to the loss of life, mandatory investigations have to take place which uncover his drunkenness during the time of the crash. As I mentioned above, his one amazing deed which saved many lives turns out to reveal his darkest secrets. A team is put together to try and cover up his intoxication. Charlie brings in attorney Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle) who believes he has all the pieces to keep things under wraps. But it turns out that Lang is not just fighting the evidence. He’s fighting the uncontrollable alcoholism of his client.

“Flight” does good when it stays on course and focuses on Whip’s problems and the potential trouble he faces due to the crash. Washington is amazing to watch and I also really liked Greenwood and Cheadle. But there’s also a side story where Whip gets together with a recovering heroin addict (Kelly Reilly). This really didn’t work for me at all other than to show the depths of Whip’s fall via a handful of scenes. The two seem to connect through their desperation but as a whole I just didn’t buy into or care about their relationship. Unfortunately this takes up a big hunk of the middle part of the picture and I can think of other ways I wish they would’ve spent that time.

I also didn’t care for what I feel was Zemeckis’ gratuitous use of some of his content. The opening features a nude scene which goes on and on and (as is often the case) adds nothing to the film. Zemeckis pulls his camera back and for seemingly no other reason than to have nudity in his picture, he keeps it going while Nadine Velazquez parades around while on display. I had similar feelings about John Goodman’s character. No, thankfully he doesn’t walk around in the buff, but his character’s foul mouth seems so forced. I know he’s a dope dealer but his dialogue is at times terrible and it seems like it’s straining to include profanity. I’m not trying to get on a soapbox about movie content, but both of these instances in “Flight” really pushed me away.

Unfortunately these gripes of mine played a big role in my overall experience with “Flight”. There’s a really great movie somewhere in what we get but you have to cull the wasted moments to get to it. Washington is wonderful as always and through his performance we see a fascinating study on addiction and personal destruction. I only wish the movie could have stayed focused on it and that Zemeckis didn’t lose control of his mesmerizing central story. With a little pruning and a tighter vision, I think this could’ve been an even better film than it was.

Want more Denzel? Check out my reviews of “Safe House” and “The Taking of Pelham 123”.

Keith & the Movies