Category Archives: Movie Reviews – D

“The Da Vinci Code” – 1 STAR

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DA VINCI POSTER

For the sake of full disclosure, it took two sittings for me to get through Ron Howard’s “The Da Vinci Code” and I felt that was an accomplishment. I was never interested in seeing this movie but finally caught up with it over a three day span. There were several things that pushed me away from it from Tom Hanks’ hideous hairdo too much more glaring flaws. As you can probably guess, the Hanks mop is the least of the film’s unforgivable vices. “The Da Vinci Code” is a sloppy, lazy, and amateurish production from a director that should know better.

“The Da Vinci Code” was based on Dan Brown’s wildly popular 2003 novel of the same name. It reportedly cost $6 million to obtain the rights for the film with Howard signed to direct and Academy Award winning writer Akiva Goldsmith handling the screenplay. Goldsmith is hard to figure out. He’s done some brilliant work including “A Beautiful Mind” and “Cinderella Man” but he’s also written some real stinkers. But even with some questionable work on his resume, I wasn’t expecting the lazy and amateurish results that we get here.

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Hanks plays a noted religious symbology professor named Robert Langdon who is doing a series of lectures in Paris, France. He finds himself the prime suspect in a grisly murder inside the Louvre museum. He’s asked to come to the crime scene by a suspicious police captain (Jean Reno). While there Langdon discovers that he has been left a message from the victim that points him towards a mysterious cryptex, a device containing a message that could hold world-changing secrets. He’s joined by Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), a French cryptologist and granddaughter of the victim. The two find themselves in the crosshairs of the French police and a mysterious religious sect, both trying to get their hands on the cryptex.

The big revelation turns out to be a possible death blow to Christianity and the Catholic Church. It’s told through a swirl of long-winded religious conspiracy theories, absurd revisionist history, and anti-Christian nonsense that serves as nothing more than insulting shock value. Most of this is revealed to Robert and Sophie by Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen), an old acquaintance of Robert’s and a Holy Grail enthusiast. He believes many of the secrets are hidden in Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”, secrets that the cryptex can corroborate. Blah, blah, blah. Honestly it’s all so bloated, preposterous, and boring.

Goldsmith’s script is simply terrible. There’s not an ounce of creativity or subtlety in his storytelling. Everything is so contrived and by the books. There are numerous scenes of tedious exposition meant for nothing more but to fill in the audience on certain bits of information. There’s nothing wrong with that except for the fact they’re so poorly written and we know what they’re there for. This is also a movie loaded with ridiculous conveniences. So many times the story is advanced by a simple convenience that allows our heroes to either escape or find the next clue. Some of them are so lame that I found myself laughing out loud.

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I could go on about the writing but I can’t let Ron Howard off the hook either. This thing is an utter mess. It’s a thriller without thrills. The action sequences have no pop whatsoever. The dialogue is as stale and lifeless as you’ll find. His movement from scene to scene feels more like an assembly line production. And his dull and dank color palette gives the movie a dark and unattractive look. I mean neither Paris or London have ever looked worse on screen. Howard has shown in the past he knows how to direct a picture. I have no idea what happened here but a lot of the movie’s problems can be put on him.

I still can’t imagine how “The Da Vinci Code” made over $750 million at the box office. That’s something that boggles my mind. Maybe it was the controversial label that it received and deservedly so. Whatever the reason, it wasn’t because this is a good film. Even without its eye-rolling, anti-Christian shock value, “The Da Vinci Code” is a movie filled with cheap shortcuts, head-shakingly bad dialogue, and poor visual decisions throughout. It’s a shame it turned out this way because there was a good cast in place. But this just shows that you can have a good cast but if you throw them crap the result is going to be crap. Such is “The Da Vinci Code”.

REVIEW: “Delicacy”

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delicacy-movie-posterOver the past several days I’ve been catching up on movies I’ve wanted to see in an effort to close out the 2012 movie year. I was finally able I catch up with the French romantic comedy / drama “Delicacy”. What a shame it took me so long to get to it. “Delicacy” is such a sweet and witty little film whose cleverness works hand-in-hand with its simplicity. When watching this movie it won’t take long to recognize a fairly familiar premise. But that doesn’t matter especially when the material is this well-written and sure-footed. It offers nothing necessarily groundbreaking but it certainly worked for me.

The movie stars the perky and petite Audrey Tautou, the lead from 2001’s quirky yet brilliant “Amélie”. Tautou plays Nathalie and the film opens with her strolling into a small Paris restaurant. Sitting inside is François (Pio Marmaï). He watches Nathalie walk in and take a seat in the corner. He seems enamoured by her and begins trying to guess what she will order to drink. Is she a coffee or juice person? He makes a deal with himself. If she orders apricot juice he’ll talk to her. Strangely enough she orders apricot juice. He follows her out as she leaves and the two kiss outside the restaurant. In this lovely and playful scene we learn that the two are a couple and this was the restaurant where they first met. We get a good sense of this young couple’s relationship which eventually leads to marriage.

Nathalie and François are a perfect couple with great chemistry and big plans for the future. But that all changes in the blink of an eye on a seemingly normal afternoon. François is hit by a car and killed while jogging. This sends Nathalie into solitude where she tries to cope with her grief. The movie doesn’t cheapen her emotions but it also doesn’t overplay them. In fact I was struck by how well the film presents her grief while never feeling forced or manipulative. It was some of the truest bits of cinema I’ve seen all year. We watch her struggle with the reality of her shattered future plans. We also see how every detail of a loved one can haunt you. Whether it be memories of that favorite restaurant or a simple bottle of aftershave.

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While Nathalie initially shuts herself off from the outside world, she eventually determines not to let her grief destroy her life. She forces herself back to work and opens herself back up to her family and best friend. But the opportunity for true healing may lie in an awkward, balding, middle-aged co-worker named Markus (François Damiens). The two seem the most unlikeliest of pairs. She is an attractive and radiant woman while he is an unattractive slob. But both have their fair share of baggage. Of course she is struggling with the loss of her husband and he hasn’t one shred of self-confidence. It’s these personal barriers that may keep them from finding a deeper relationship that they both need.

This really sets the table for most of the movie. We watch these two clumsily try to manage and figure out this budding relationship that they both seem to want. Yet their own inner conflicts are constantly warring against it. And then there are the superficial judgments of their coworkers and of Nathalie’s friends which never go beyond Markus’ exterior. But this is also where the movie takes on a much lighter tone. And while there is a more deeply emotional undercurrent, there are some very funny moments throughout the rest of the picture. Markus is both a sympathetic and funny character. A lot of the laughs come from his awkwardness. But he’s not a shallow guy at all and that’s what makes him such a good character.

“Delicacy” is a movie that could easily be dismissed as slight or fluff. But I think there’s a lot more going on under the surface that sets this movie apart. It’s well-written, well constructed, and well acted. It also has an undeniable genuineness to it and a competency in both the handling of the characters and with the narrative. Yes, variations of this story has been done many times before. But I love the sincerity, the humor, and the heart that permeates this entire picture. It’s a true delight and is head and shoulders above most of the romantic comedies you’ll find today.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Dream House” (2012)

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10

Don’t you hate it when you buy a new house only to find out it was the scene of some grisly murders? Such is the case with Jim Sheridan’s schizophrenic psychological thriller “Dream House” – well, kinda. This is a movie featuring loads of talent and at its core a familiar but fairly interesting story. But it’s also a movie plagued with amateurish writing and an off-the-rails ending that undermines everything the movie tries to do.

The film starts with the standard yet pretty interesting haunted house treatment. Will (Daniel Craig) has quit his job as a successful editor to spend more time with his wife Libby (Rachel Weisz) and his two daughters in their new suburban home. As always things seem lovely at first. But through several discoveries they find out that five years earlier some horrible murders had taking place in their home. Their weird-acting neighbors and the uncooperative Police Department sends Will on an investigation of his own.

It’s here that the movie offers a big twist, and then another twist, and then another twist. Now I’ve always appreciated when a movie tries to shake things up. But here it’s done in a hamfisted and clunky way. The first big reveal does offer promise although it doesn’t necessarily take things in a better direction. From there the story launches into several different directions mimicking everything from “Shutter Island” to “The Shining”. This wouldn’t be a problem except everything feels fractured and manufactured and the constant shifts in tone are jarring. It just keeps throwing things at you right up to its ludicrous and off-the-wall ending. I mean the finale is so poorly conceived, so under developed, and utterly preposterous.

A lot of what does work can be contributed to the committed performances from Craig and Weisz. While the material is all over the place the two do inject some energy and spark into the script and I enjoyed them on screen. On the flip side, the usually good Naomi Watts seems bored playing a neighbor who knows more than she’s letting on. And then you have an equally flat performance from Marton Csokas as her jerk ex-husband. He ends up having a fairly important role in the movie but he’s without a doubt the worst written character in the entire film.

“Dream House” is ambitious and it starts on a pretty good note. But all of its ambition ends up being its undoing. Yet while critics have universally panned it, there are certainly worse thrillers out there. In fact, “Dream House” is a very watchable movie and it’s easy to digest. But it’s also an easy movie to forget and unfortunately it’s plagued with too many faults to forgive. And the biggest bummer is that all of this great talent simply goes to waste.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

“The Descent” – 4 STARS

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When it comes to horror movies, we’ve seen it all. Whether it be haunted houses, possessions, zombies, vampires – Hollywood has explored them all in a variety of different ways. I think that’s one reason “The Descent” works so well. This is a fresh and original horror movie concept that also has its share on genuine scares. Writer and director Neil Marshall brushes with several unique strokes in crafting a film that bucks many of the genre’s trends while never running away from what makes the genre great. “The Descent” is a fairly simple piece of survival horror but don’t let the straightforward narrative fool you. It’s also a gruesome edge-of-your-seat nail-biter that will remind you of just how entertaining a well conceived horror movie can be.

One of Marshall’s touches that I really liked was his decision to make this a predominantly female story. It couldn’t have played out any better. Its been a year since Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) lost her husband and daughter in a tragic car accident. Five of her adventurous friends plan a caving trip that they hope will help Sarah who is still struggling with her loss. There’s a fun and playful dynamic established between the girls and we get a brief introduction to each of them during their overnight stay in some mountain cabins. Juno (Natalie Mendoza) is the ring leader who organized the entire outing. Early the next morning she leads the girls out to a remote cave entrance and they begin their adventure. As they make their way deeper into the caves, Sarah is nearly killed during a cave-in that blocks their way out. It’s here that Juno reveals that she has taken them to a set of caves not recognized in the guide book and that no one knows where they are. Alone and scared, the group sets out to try to find a way out.

The movie does a fantastic job of making the cave the women’s first big enemy. They’re forced to manuever tiny crawlspaces, deep chasms, and jagged ledges all hidden in the pitch-black darkness. Marshall’s camera puts the audience in the same dark and claustrophobic conditions as the characters. He also masterfully manipulates light and sound to give the caves a greater sense of danger. The women use helmet-mounted lights, flares, and light sticks which offer the only illumination amid the darkness and clouds of dust. He also heavily uses sound to help create a tenser ambiance. There are the cavernous echos, the clanging metal of the climbing gear, crumbling rock, and water drips. This is perfectly realized and intense environment really drew me in.

But the cave isn’t the only enemy. As they are forced deeper underground, they cross paths with a pack of vicious and carnivorous creatures. This is where “The Descent” moves from suspenseful survival to full-blown horror and let me say that it’s mighty effective. It’s basically a “lets see who makes it out alive” story but it’s hard not to be hooked. The intensity really amps up and the scares are authentic. I rarely jump even while watching my favorite horror movies. But “The Descent” got me on several occasions and not with the cheap, conventional tricks that we see so often. The creatures are frightening and when you throw them into the already established dark and creepy environment, you have a wonderful horror mixture.

“The Descent” is a fine horror movie but it isn’t perfect. While I was able to stay interested in the six main characters, I couldn’t help but want a little more character development before diving straight into the caves. The performances are solid and the characters are interesting. But it felt as if there was information left out that would have given the women and their relationships more depth. In fact, there are hints at an underlying tension between Sarah and Juno prior to their adventure (and I’ll leave it at that) but we only get small tastes of that. I would have liked to see more. And then there are some head-scratching questions that the story doesn’t seem to anticipate. One thing we see after the creatures make their appearance are bones, lots and lots of bones. Some are from animals but there are tons of human bones. I couldn’t help but wonder how that hundreds of people could have been killed in that area and it not be noticed? Wouldn’t it be well-known that people were disappearing in that neck of the woods?

While those negatives did stand out to me, they certainly didn’t ruin the movie. “The Descent” was a welcomed change from the traditional horror film formula. It incorporates several familiar techniques that we’ve seen in everything from psychological to slasher horror. But they’re used in a unique and fresh environment and I was hooked from the moment they entered the cave. This isn’t a movie for the faint at heart. Things get pretty gory as we get further into the picture. But for old-school horror fans, it’s a perfect fit and when you toss in some genuine scares and a superb cast you have a nicely packaged modern horror film.

REVIEW: “Damsels in Distress” (2011)

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7

There’s few things better than being pleasantly surprised by a movie that you really weren’t expecting much from. Such was the case with “Damsels in Distress”, a quirky comedy written and directed by Whit Stillman. It’s almost impossible to put “Damsels in Distress” in a box or compare it to any other comedy out there. It’s an entirely unique movie that’s driven by its slick dialogue, cleverly constructed narrative, and its own special sense of humor. It’s not a movie that will have you constantly laughing out loud. But if you’re like me, you’ll be smiling all the way through it.

The story takes place at the East Coast college of Seven Oaks and focuses on a group of three eccentric girls with very unusual perspectives of college, boys, and life in general. Violet (Greta Gerwig) is the awkward and gawky group leader, Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke) is Violet’s cynical long-time friend, and there’s Heather (Carrie MacLemore) whose peppy and agreeable demeanor fits perfectly with her two more verbal friends. The group finds fulfillment and purpose in things such as fashion and hygiene while making it their goal to enlighten and positively influence the degenerated student body around them. At the orientation for new students, the group almost forcibly takes a freshman, Lily (Analeigh Tipton), under their wings and makes it their mission to enlighten her on the keys to survival and achievement at the university.

The first thing I noticed about the film was the razor-sharp writing. This is most clearly evident in the dialogue. The girls converse about everything from frat houses to soap fragrances. So often their conversations wander off into hilariously absurd directions but Gerwig, Echikunwoke, and MacLemore deliver their lines with a deadpan sincerity that sell it completely. Most of the groups goals and perspectives come from Violet and stem from her need to be needed as well as her almost desperate pursuit of purpose. She heads the campus suicide prevention center. She prefers loser guys, or “doufi” as we come to know them, because they need stable and calming forces in their lives. She wants to start a new dance craze because of the emotional value past crazes have had on society. There is an almost sad undercurrent to the Violet character. In with the genuinely funny moments are scenes that show her to be a pitiful, sad, and sympathetic person. In fact, Stillman uses a clever trick of baiting the audience into laughing at the girls and then having us feel bad about doing so.

But there’s more going on that just this small group of eccentrics talking back and forth. We meet moronic frat guys who make the girls seem like Rhodes Scholars, a clinically depressed group who find tap dancing therapeutic, a self-absorbed Frenchman with a, shall we say, backwards religion, and several other side characters that work really well within the story. I also appreciated how this is a college movie that doesn’t cling to the conventions of most other college or frat films. I enjoyed the innocence and naivety that gives the movie a uniqueness and freshness that I haven’t seen in a while.

“Damsels in Distress” certainly can’t be called a traditional Hollywood comedy. But it’s certainly a good one. That being said, I can still see where it may not connect with some people. It’s quirky and unusual but also impressively intelligent in its silliness. I couldn’t get enough of the bizarre conversations, the straight-faced line deliveries, and the playful look at college life. But there is also some heart mixed with the humor that surprisingly works well. I’ve watched “Damsels in Distress” twice now and found that it only gets better. It’s a movie that has flown under many people’s radar but it deserves an audience. Especially considering the number of subpar films these days that pass as comedies.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

REVIEW: “The Deep Blue Sea”

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8

“The Deep Blue Sea” is a British drama written and directed by Terence Davies and based on a play of the same name by Terence Rattigan. It’s an interesting character-driven story about a struggling woman who’s wedged between a passionless marriage and a passion-fueled romance. It’s not a bold or extravagant picture but it’s a good one mainly due to two incredible performances by its leads.

The story takes place sometimes “around 1950”. The movie opens with Hester (Rachel Weisz), a troubled and depressed woman, attempting to take her own life. From there the story unfolds through a series of flashbacks sprinkled throughout. They tell the story of Hester’s lifeless marriage to a devoted but passionless Court Judge (Simon Russell Beale) and her eventual fling with Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston), a pilot and war hero. Hester is a quiet and reserved woman with a genuine affection for her husband. But there is an emotional disconnect between the two which is most evident during a visit with his domineering mother. In a different flashback we see her meeting and eventually falling for the charismatic Freddie. In an almost puppy-love way, she’s struck by his vivacity and ‘live for the moment’ mentality which leads her to make a costly decision.

I like how the film doesn’t portray infidelity in a light-hearted way. Hester’s choice is costly and most certainly has consequences. I don’t want to give away too much but there are clear ramifications to her actions both physically and emotionally. Rachel Weisz is very good as Hester and she handles the character extremely well. When asked what drew her to the role, Weisz spoke of her attraction to playing someone who had fallen so hopelessly in love and completely humiliated herself in the process. I found Hester to be a frail and sometimes childlike character whose poor choices are rooted more in new emotions and new passions than a true understanding of love.

Tom Hiddleston is fantastic as Freddie. I’ve become a huge Hiddleston fan as he seems to have a natural ability when it comes to acting. Whether he’s portraying a classic literary figure or a comic book supervillain, Hiddleston commands the screen and never seems to struggle with the material he’s given. Here he sells us completely on Freddie’s free-spirited energy. But he shows us another side of the character which causes us to question not only him but his motivations.

“The Deep Blue Sea” moves and feels like a play. The performances drive the movie and the two leads give top-notch work. The sets also capture a compressed but precise 1950’s vibe that is perfectly fitting for a story so ill-advised and taboo. I do think the movie would have better served by a smarter and more fluid use of the flashbacks. There were a few instances where I thought the jumps did more to hinder the storytelling than help it. I also struggled a bit with Beale’s character. While Beale’s performance is solid, I never could wrap my mind around his character. He was sympathetic but yet seemed emotionally inconsistent. These gripes don’t kill the movie by any means, but they do hold it back.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

3-5-stars