Category Archives: Movie Reviews – A

REVIEW: “August: Osage County”

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AUGUST POSTER

“August: Osage County” is a hard pill to swallow. It’s based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name and could be categorized as a dysfunctional family drama with pinches of dark comedy. It features a star-studded cast led by Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts and a premise that may have a lot of appeal to some audiences. But underneath all of the big acting from big stars lies a coarse and abrasive film that never knows when to pull back the reins. It ends up being a movie I could never wrap my arms around.

Tracy Letts (who also penned the play) writes the screenplay and John Wells (better known for his television work) directs the film. It’s set in Osage County, Oklahoma during a sweltering hot August. Violet (Streep) is a mean and contentious women suffering from mouth cancer and a heavy addiction to pain pills. Her husband Beverly (Sam Shepard) is a calmer sort who seeks refuge in his books and liquor. One day Beverly hires a caretaker for his wife and soon after disappears.

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Distraught over her husband’s disappearance, Violet calls in her family and a parade of family dysfunction follows. First to arrive is her sister Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale) and her husband Charles (Chris Cooper). Shortly after, Violet’s three daughters come. Barbara (Julia Roberts) is a shrill carbon copy of her mother. She’s at odds with her mom for leaving home and moving to Colorado. Karen (Juliette Lewis) is the spacy middle daughter who hasn’t been home in years. And there is Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), the youngest daughter and the only one who lives close to home. Each of these characters have a wheelbarrow full of flaws and baggage that all comes into play as the film moves along.

But if that assortment of maladjusted individuals wasn’t enough, we also have Barbara’s husband Bill (Ewan McGregor) who apparently has an eye for younger women and their daughter Jean (Abigail Breslin) who is bearing the fruits of their horrible parenting. Then there is Karen’s fiance Steve (Dermot Mulroney), a phoney and moral-free Florida businessman. Oh and then there is Charles and Mattie Fae’s awkward son Little Charles (Benedict Cumberbatch) who may have a weird little secret.

It’s almost impossible to like any of these people. With the exception of the caregiver, practically every character reveals an appalling secret, spits out hateful insults, or does something vile. And the film is relentless. It bludgeons you to death with one dysfunctional family scene after another. I found it to be smothering. The story never allows any breathing room or provides any variation with its characters. And the constant barrage of bad behavior and disgraceful revelations is a bit ridiculous. It’s as if Letts wants to trump one disgraceful act or insult with another. And so on and so on…

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Again, the cast is a laundry list of big names and the performances are good. However many of the scenes are so big and the characters so loud that it can be difficult to really appreciate the performances. It’s one of those cases where the material hurts what the actors are doing. Streep is fine as the venom-tongued Violet but she is so big and brash. It’s definitely how the character is written but Streep does her share of scene chewing. Julia Roberts has been applauded for her work but it too is a loud and showy performance. Roberts is never overmatched by the character and she shows brilliance in some scenes. But the character is crassly written and some of her dialogue is so over the top. The other performances aren’t getting the same attention, but they’re generally good when the screenplay allows them to be.

I’ve heard that the stage version of “August: Osage County” is very good. Sadly I don’t think it has translated well to the big screen. This is a crude and unyielding adaptation that has a powerful and potent potential. The idea is appealing and every so often we get glimpses of what I hoped the film to be. Unfortunately I was put off by these characters, their endless dysfunction, and their profane spite. This was a tiresome watch and tough movie to endure. It’s a shame because with this much talent I was expecting more.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

REVIEW: “American Hustle”

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HUSTLE POSTER

I may not be a card-carrying member of the David O. Russell fan club, but there are several things you have to give him. He has a knack for creating and developing raw and thoroughly engaging characters. He is also able to put together incredible ensemble casts perfectly in tune with his characters. Both of these strengths are the key reasons why Russell’s new film “American Hustle” works. The movie has several of his same indulgences that don’t always work for me but it’s the characters and performances that makes this film so intriguing.

The movie is set in 1978 and is loosely based on the FBI’s ABSCAM operation. It’s a time of good music, big collars, and really bad hair. Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is a con artist who joins up with and falls for Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams). The two run a small time but controlled loan scam that is bringing in some nice cash. Things are going well until they are caught up with by an ambitious FBI agent named Richie Di Maso (Bradley Cooper). But Richie doesn’t want small time cons. He wants the career-boosting big fish. So he forces Irving and Sydney to work for him and entrap bigger targets, namely politicians and government officials.

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Irving doesn’t like his circumstances at all. He likes things small and low-key. He also doesn’t like Richie and his constant changing of the rules. He feels that going too big will jeopardize the whole operation. But the biggest threat to their plans may be Irving’s loose cannon wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). She’s loud, volatile, and she knows Irving has a thing for Sydney. That’s a pretty lethal cocktail. Another complication comes in the form of a New Jersey mayor named Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner). He’s a popular and seemingly well-meaning guy who develops a friendship with Irving. The trouble is he becomes one of Richie’s prime targets.

This interwoven web of ‘who’s conning who’ could have been an utter mess but it actually plays out in an entertaining and fairly cohesive way. Much of that is due to the sharp script penned by Russell and Eric Warren Singer. It’s not perfect. There are lulls along the way and I couldn’t help but feel that they stretched the story to its limits. There are also a few glaring questions that remain unanswered. They don’t cripple the story the way major plot holes do, but they did stand out to me. Still, in terms of delivering a slick and stylish story, Russell and Singer pull it off.

But getting back to a previous thought, neither the direction nor the script are the film’s strongest point. The movie’s true success lies in the performances. It starts with Christian Bale. Armed with pretty much the same voice that he used playing Dicky in “The Fighter”, Bale was the most compelling character of the bunch. While he may sound like Dicky his physical appearance was quite different. In “The Fighter” Bale lost over 30 pounds to convincing depict a crack addict. In “American Hustle” he gained nearly 50 pounds which we get a good look at in the film’s opening scene. But Bale delivers much more than just a physical transformation. He gives us a character who is funny, selfish, crooked, pitiful, sympathetic – all encapsulated within a wonderful performance.

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I also liked Bradley Cooper, an actor who has gotten surprisingly better over time. His character is a little hard to gauge at first but as the story unfolds so does Richie’s personality and ambitions. Cooper gives an hearty performance that does at times get a tad too big but is still impressive. And speaking of big, Jennifer Lawrence is also good as the powder keg Rosalyn. She has already raked in a ton of critical acclaim but I wouldn’t call this her best work. The character is loud and abrasive by design so the performance has to be big. But it isn’t until later in the film that Lawrence is actually allowed to show her range. On the other hand Amy Adams (goofy split-up-the-front blouses aside) is fantastic. Her character isn’t a ‘take home to meet the parents’ kind of girl, but there is a sad and needy underlying thread to her. Adams never misses a beat. And I can’t forget Jeremy Renner who has a smaller role but to me was just as good as anyone else.

I can’t say that “American Hustle” has any kind of staying power and I don’t think I’ll remember it as one of the great films. But there is something about these generally unlikable characters that draws you to the screen. In typical David O. Russell fashion they are a little too abrasive for my taste. But each is fascinating in their own right and each truly desires something more: Irving – to be a more successful con, Richie – an FBI superstar, Sydney – British royalty, Rosalyn – a loved and appreciated wife, Carmine – a legendary mayor. Most of the credit for this goes to the performances. “American Hustle” is more of a showcase of great actors than it is great storytelling, but it still keeps you glued to the screen as you watch them do their work.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “All is Lost”

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ALL POSTERPerhaps not since “Cast Away” has a movie been more concentrated on a single performance than “All is Lost”. And it’s interesting that this film also features survival elements involving the sea. But unlike “Cast Away” there is no supporting cast. There is no interaction between characters. There is only 77-year old Robert Redford in what may be the most physically demanding role of his long career.

The film opens with an unnamed man reciting what sounds like a short goodbye note. Moving back eight days, we see the man is awoken when his yacht collides with a cargo container in the middle of the Indian Ocean. With a hole in the hull and water gushing into his cabin, the man immediately tries to fix the problem. This launches our time with this character as he faces one challenge after another for the next eight days – challenges brought on by the sea and the elements.

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“All is Lost” is unique in that we get no backstory whatsoever. We are never told who this man is or why he is so far out at sea by himself. We do glean small fragments of information throughout the film. For example the opening narration leads you to believe there is a family he has left behind. We also get scenes that show a wedding band on his finger. Could he still be married? Could his wife have recently died? Writer and director J.C. Chandor doesn’t take us by the hand and spell everything out for us. His film allows us to put these pieces together in our minds and come up with our own solutions.

Chandor’s first film was 2011’s ultra-talky “Margin Call”. This movie couldn’t be more different. Aside from the short opening narration, Redford has only three lines of dialogue (if you can call them that) in the entire movie. The bulk of his performance is physical and through expression. It’s truly marvelous work. Unlike most, I have always been a bit mixed when it comes to Redford’s movies. There’s no apprehension here. Redford is great. He gives an ‘every man’ performance without an ounce of his once prominent ‘golden boy’ artifice. He tells us so much through a gesture or an action. It’s a remarkably understated performance that doesn’t rely on big showy scenes or spotlights.

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Now we do get some of the familiar plot developments – shark attacks, punishing storms, depleted supplies, etc. Yet despite that the film feels remarkably fresh and invigorating. Perhaps it’s the connection we have with Redford’s character. Maybe it’s the circumstances which we are thrown into. I was wrapped up in all of it and even though some of the plot devices were conventional, there is still an undeniable attraction to this ‘man versus sea’ tale.

Hats off to J.C. Chandor for creating a small but gripping picture that may embrace familiar devices but that brilliantly carves its own path. With only a man, a boat, and the vast sea Chandor shows his versatility as a filmmaker by embracing the confines of his environment and making a movie that feels grander than it may be. But to be honest, I love it’s simplicity. I love it’s focus. And I love the performance from Redford. “All is Lost” may not work for everyone, but it sure worked for me.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

REVIEW: “After Earth”

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AFTER EARTH POSTER

Is “After Earth” a noble attempt at creating a fresh and entertaining science fiction experience or is it a glaring example of Hollywood nepotism hidden under the guise of a $150 million summer movie? I wish I had an answer to that question. To be honest, at times it feels like both. “After Earth” has some good ideas and occasionally shows promise. Unfortunately it also sometimes feels like a shameless promotion of Jaden Smith by his very popular and wealthy family – a debutante ball of sorts set on a uninhabitable and deadly future Earth instead of a posh, stuffy mansion or ballroom.

“After Earth” found its genesis in the mind of Will Smith. He, his wife, and brother-in-law prepared to produce the film and M. Night Shyamalan would sign on to co-write the screenplay and direct the picture (a little detail that didn’t get much press due to the filmmaker’s recent line of box office flops). Will Smith would also use his fading star power to star in the film along his real life son Jaden. Now all of these family connections don’t automatically equal a bad movie. On the other hand poor writing, poor acting, and poor directing usually does and it’s hard to believe that “After Earth” was intending as something other than a starring vehicle for the younger Smith.

The story starts out in a pretty familiar fashion. Through narration we are once again told how we destroyed the Earth eventually making it uninhabitable for humans. Therefore a full evacuation of the planet is ordered (I bet that was an undertaking). 1,000 years pass and humans are enjoying life on the newly settled Nova Prime. But then we get the ominous line “they were not alone”. Aliens are also there and they battle the humans for Nova Prime. Enter the Ranger Corp, a militaristic peacekeeping group who use a goofy technique called ghosting to fight the fear-sensing aliens. Ghosting removes all fear making the Rangers undetectable, blah, blah, blah.

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Cypher (Will Smith) is an accomplished Ranger General but a harsh authoritarian father to his struggling son Kitai (Jaden Smith). Cypher is convinced to carry Kitai with him on his proverbial ‘last mission before retirement’ in hopes the two can get some much needed bonding time. As you can probably guess things don’t go according to plan. An asteroid shower, a wormhole, and a crash-landing on the now deadly and evolved Earth put a damper on things. To make matters worse Cypher is seriously injured and Kitai is the only one who can find a beacon that is in the lost tail section of their ship. Without the rescue beacon they will surely die.

I wish I could say there were some interesting or compelling moments in the buildup to the crash on Earth. Unfortunately I can’t think of any. The entire premise seemed overly familiar and the science fiction itself lacked any sense of ingenuity or awe. An even greater problem is with the family dynamic. The central father-son relationship is only allowed a few brief scenes to develop. Instead of appealing and believable it comes off as
stiff and hollow. Faia (Sophie Okonedo) is tossed in to try and inject some warmth into her husband and son’s relationship and we get some random flashbacks scattered throughout the film which attempt to add a little backstory. Neither attempts are very effective.

But you would think things would liven up once they crash-land, right? This is where the movie’s ideas show some potential yet are never realized. There is some pretty scenery and the depiction of Earth is mildly interesting. But it’s still the same vapid and plodding mess just in a prettier location. I mean how can such a vivid concept be so lifeless and dull? Shyamalan does little to help. He does frame three or four fairly memorable shots but other than that everything is fairly underwhelming.

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And speaking of dull let’s talk a little bit about the performances. I know many people are big fans of Will Smith. I’ve never really got that. Here he gives one of the worst performances I’ve seen this year. The role calls for him to be ultra-serious but I found him to be ultra-annoying. He’s constantly making this weird sullen face and speaking in this low monotone consisting mostly of grunts and grumbles. He’s dull, wooden, and uninteresting. And that’s before he takes the pain pills with the holographic warning label marked “extreme drowsiness”. His performance really flatlines after that. And Jaden isn’t much better. I’m sorry, but he just can’t carry a movie. He shows virtually no acting chops here which only adds to the movies laundry list of problems.

I could talk more about Shyamalan’s lackluster direction, the mediocre CGI, or the predictable ending. Ultimately I think you get the point. “After Earth” is a sleep-inducing bore that hasn’t the material or performances to rise above its faults. In fact, the material and performances ARE some of the bigger faults. In the end “After Earth” will do nothing to reignite Will Smith’s fading light, reinvigorate M. Night Shyamalan’s once promising career, or prove that Jaden Smith is a good actor. It will however frustrate you, bore you, and remind you of a dozen other things you could be spending your time on.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery”

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Austin powers posterIt was 1997 when the wacky Mike Myers concoction known as Austin Powers hit the big screen. I still remember the large number of people talking about the movie and quoting it’s numerous lines. Yet, for one reason or another, I never took time to check it out even though it was really popular. Well that has changed and now I’ve seen “Austin Powers: International Man of History” but I wouldn’t say my movie watching life is the better for it.

Saturday Night Live alumnus Mike Myers created his Austin Powers character as a spoof of popular spy movies most notably the earlier James Bond pictures. It begins with a brief scene in 1967 of Austin trying to take out his arch nemesis Dr. Evil (also Myers). Dr. Evil escapes by jettisoning into space and placing himself into a cryosleep. For weird reasons unknown, Austin has himself cryogenically frozen only to be brought back if Dr. Evil resurfaces. Wouldn’t you know it, he does return 30 years later and Austin is brought back to hunt him down again.

The movie goofs around with several familiar gimmicks but its main thing is Austin as a man out of time. He was a big player in the days of free love and excess. The problem is, that brand of chauvinistic hedonism doesn’t sit too well in 1997. Dr. Evil also runs into his share of complications due to the changes in the world since his departure. Now there are some funny bits scattered throughout all of this and it’s politically incorrect silliness can be amusing. But it is the film’s bread and butter and quite honestly it grew tiring after a while. The culture shock angle is a big focus and how much you like the film may depend on how long you can stay with that.

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And if course there is Myers’ ludicrous antics and appearance. Sporting ridiculously bad teeth, a flowing mane of chest hair, and outfits that I don’t believe any normal person wore in the late 60’s, Myers clowns around with goofy poses and dialogue loaded with corny lines and overused innuendo. Now to be fair it’s all played as absurd and it certainly is that. But after a small dose it can be a bit taxing. Dr. Evil has some of the film’s funnier moments particular when his genetically created son Scott (Seth Green) appears. But even he grows old after a while. Perhaps the best thing about the film is watching the beautiful Elizabeth Hurley. I’m not saying she or her character is great, but watching her certainly made digesting everything else a little easier.

I know this film has its share of fans. I just can’t be counted among them and I can’t see myself checking out the sequels. Again, the movie does have its moments but most of them are drowned out by repetitious gags that quite frankly grew old. I spent most of the film stone-faced and that’s just not the reaction I’m looking for from a comedy. I certainly don’t begrudge anyone for liking it since comedy is so subjective. But I can think of a ton of other comedies I’ll be checking out before I watch this one again.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

REVIEW: “Alex Cross”

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ALEX POSTER

“Alex Cross” is Tyler Perry’s attempt at starring in a serious movie outside of his normal comfort zone. Now you won’t see him running around in drag sporting his familiar Madea getup, but there are times in “Alex Cross” where that might have made things more interesting. Now to be fair, this movie is nowhere near as unbearable as I was anticipating and there are some pretty good moments. But in the end this is all to familiar material and the movie never does anything to set itself apart. In other words we’ve seen this all before.

Tyler Perry isn’t the first actor to portray Alex Cross, the lead character from James Patterson’s series of novels. Morgan Freeman took on the role in 1997 with “Kiss the Girls” and in 2001 with “Along Came a Spider”. Not only are these two films considerably different than this new vision, but the Alex Cross character undergoes a hefty transformation as well. He’s still a police detective and forensic psychologist but here he’s more open to mixing hand-to-hand combat and his sawed off shotgun to his Sherlock Holmesesque skills of deduction.

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Life is good for Alex. He has a beautiful wife, two lovely children, and one on the way. He’s also been offered a cushiony FBI desks job that pays a lot more money and would allow him to spend more time with his family. But isn’t it just like a sadistic serial killer to make things more complicated. Alex is called to a high-profile crime scene with his partner and lifelong friend Tommy (Edward Burns). They connect the murder to a man they call Picasso. He’s played by an almost emaciated Matthew Fox sporting a shaved head and noticeably fake tattoos. As with all of these movies, Alex and company set out to stop Picasso by picking through clues and getting to the next victim before the killer does. Like I said, it’s pretty familiar material.

“Alex Cross” runs the gamut from a crime drama to a revenge thriller. As the movie continues things get grislier to the point of seriously pushing the bounds of its PG-13 rating. Considering the movie does focus on a brutal serial killer and the hunt to find him, it’s not unreasonable to expect some rather gruesome content. But while “Alex Cross” does stretch the PG-13 rating, it seems shackled by it as well. I kept feeling as if the movie wanted to be darker, grimmer, and a bit more shocking than it was. I don’t think that would transform this into a great film but I can see where it would provide an edge that would help it overall.

But back to one of the bigger questions surrounding the movie. Was Tyler Perry able to pull this off? Let me just say that he was surprisingly adequate but nothing extraordinary or memorable. And while there were no egregious flaws in his performance, there are several times where he overplays a scene and other times where his stale line-reading is a distraction. It’s interesting that Idris Elba was initially cast for the part and I can’t help thinking he would be a better choice. But as for Perry, I was expecting a lot worse.

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Edward Burns probably gives the best performance of the movie even though some of the lines he’s given are pretty lame. And then there’s Matthew Fox. His performance is a tough one to peg. There are a few scenes, particularly when he’s wrestling with threatening dialogue, where he’s not that convincing. But overall I do think he pulls it off mainly because he sells ‘crazy’ pretty well through the combination of his unusual appearance and his moral apathy. But perhaps the most jarring performance comes from John McGinley as Alex Cross’ police captain. He’s terribly miscast and every line he says is ridiculously overdone. His performance stands out but for all the wrong reasons.

“Alex Cross” isn’t the worst movie out there. Its biggest problem is that it’s just not memorable enough to overcome its clear flaws. Most of the movie features too much that we’ve seen before and the ending feels like a cheap cop out. And while Tyler Perry may not have been the worst choice, I think it’s obvious he wasn’t the best choice. All of this contributes to “Alex Cross” being pretty forgetful. Some ingredients are there for what could’ve been a good movie. But the ingredients themselves don’t equal a fine dish. That’s certainly the case here.

VERDICT – 2 STARS