There are disaster films and then there is "The Impossible". This isn't just any disaster film--that would be to insult the movie. A film of this genre usually has a tragedy, a hero (macho of course), a small comedy relief, and a rescue at the end. Sound familiar? There's some of that in this, but surprisingly, it had an interestingly amount of humanity, poignancy, and the ability to be just plain touching in places.
It's December 24, 2004. A regular family-- Maria Bennett (Naomi Watts), Henry Bennett (Ewan McGregor), and their three sons, Lucas (Tom Holland), Thomas (Samuel Joslin), and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast)-- travel to Thailand to spend Christmas together. They inadvertently receive an upgrade to a beach resort villa on the coastline. After settling in and exchanging gifts, they turn in for the night so they can enjoy the next day. December 26th, they decide to go to the pool, like so many other tourists. A perfect paradise vacation until a distant noise becomes a roar. Because there is no forewarning, and it creeps up so suddenly, there is no escape from a tsunami that has just hit! Maria and her eldest son, Lucas are swept away in one direction, Henry and the two youngest sons the other direction. Who will survive, and what will become of them?
Others to round out the cast are Marta Etura as Simone, Sonke Mohring as Karl, Geraldine Chaplin as Old Woman, Ploy Jindachote as Caregiver, Jomjaoi Sae-Limh as Red Cross Nurse, Johan Sundberg as Daniel, Jan Roland Sundberg as Daniel's Father, La-Orng Thongruang as Old Thai Man, Tor Klathaley as Young Thai Man, Douglas Johansson as Mr. Benstrom.
With minimal theatrical experience under his belt, this was extremely well directed by J.A. Bayona ("The Orphanage" '07, and a plethora of videos). How he was able to get the raw emotion and pain out of Watts and even Holland who played Lucas was next to perfection. Watts is a very talented actor in her own rights, but her performance was also a compliment to Bayona's ability. It was effectively well written by Sergio G. Sanchez ("The Orphanage" '07, Los manos del pianista" (TV movie) '08, "The End" '12), which was based on Maria Belon's harrowing story. Besides the story, the visual effects and miniatures were equally seamless.
I now understand why Watts received an Academy Award nomination as best actress. She was phenomenal as one could just feel her pain. You just wanted to wince for her. And through all her pain and not even knowing if she lost her husband and two younger sons, she was still concerned about others. But isn't it the way we humans are-- that when there is a tragedy, it seems to bring out our best? If there's any silver lining in this, that would be it.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: PG-13 114mins.
We've all seen crime drama films about the mob or mafia before. So many have there been, they could be considered having their own genre. The list is endless: "The Godfather", "Casino", "Goodfellows", "American Gangster", the most recent, "Killing Them Softly"; even in the form of a comedy like "The Freshman" and most recently "Seven Psychopaths", but "Gangster Squad" certainly put the 'C' in colorful.
Los Angeles, 1949. A secret crew of police officers created by Chief Parker (Nick Nolte) who are led by two determined LAPD sergeants, Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) work together in an effort to take down the ruthless mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) who runs the city as far as guns, drugs, prostitution with the protection of not only the henchmen he has, but through the corrupt cops and politicians he controls and 'owns'. This is a retelling of those events that involved a handful of honest, good-intentioned LAPD cops to do what they had to do to get their city back, or lose it to dishonesty, corruption, and immorality.
Others to round out the cast are Emma Stone as Grace Faraday, Mickey's gal, Anthony Mackie as Officer Coleman Harris, Giovanni Ribisi as Officer Conway Keeler, Robert Patrick as Officer Max Kennard, Michael Pena as Officer Navidad Ramirez (all officers represent rest of the squad), Sullivan Stapleton as Jack Whalen, Mireille Enos as Connie O'Mara, John's wife, Josh Pence as Officer Darryl Gates, Jon Polito as Dragna, a Chicago mobster, John Aylward as Judge Carter, Austin Abrams as Pete, shoeshine kid, Haley Strode as Keeler's wife, and Maxwell Perry Cotton as Keeler's son.
This was very adequately directed by Ruben Fleischer ("The Right Now! Show (TV movie) '07, "Zombieland" '09, "30 Minutes or Less" '11). He was really able to get these actors to realistically emit a true determination of their stance, whether it be for the good or the bad. It's was slickly, almost effortlessly written by Will Beall which was based on the book "Gangster Squad" by Paul Lieberman which, of course, was based on the event itself.
If you're sitting on the fence of whether or not to see this on the large screen, the photography alone by Dion Beebe,acs/asc, and additional cinematography by Caleb Deschanel,asc would be enough to prompt you. These guys are both superb at their craft and this film shows that.
This is a solid film, not perfect, but considering the few flaws in this, they aren't enough to detract from the full impact that the makers of this project were attempting to convey. Penn's over-the-top performance as Cohen was, alone, worth the price of admission.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: R 113mins.
Films about dysfunctional, quirky, and disturbed people are usually very serious dramas that are incredibly depressing and cold, but after watching "Silver Linings Playbook", I found this film to be a smart, funny, dramatic, quirky movie with extremely well delineated characters brimming with dysfunction and at times, in some amazingly subtle ways.
After an eight month stint in a mental health institution in Baltimore, Pat Jr.(Bradley Cooper) gets sprung by his mom, Dolores (Jacki Weaver), but only with the contingency of moving back into his parents', Dolores and Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) home in Philadelphia. You see, Pat Jr. was institutionalized for beating up the lover of his wife, Nikki (Brea Bee), so knowing this, the institution diagnosed him with having bipolar disorder. Nikki has since left him and has issued a restraining order against him. He doesn't take his medication, claiming it makes him feel 'foggy', but reluctantly goes to his mandatory therapy sessions with Dr. Cliff Patel (Anupam Kher). Pat Jr. feels like he can manage outside if he focuses on the 'silver linings' in life. His goal is to ultimately reunite with Nikki, but in the process, happens to meet a very quirky, dysfunctional woman named Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) which happens to have mental health issues herself. He meets her through his buddy, Ronnie (John Ortiz) and Ronnie's wife, Veronica (Julia Stiles). Veronica is Tiffany's sister, so they meet at a dinner. The rest is who is crazier as their getting to know one another is a bumpy ride at best.
Others to round out the cast are Chris Tucker as Danny, buddy of Pat Jr.'s, Shea Whigham as Jake, Pat Jr.'s brother, Paul Herman as Randy, Pat Sr.'s friend/business partner, and Dash Mihok as Officer Keogh.
This was brilliantly directed by David O. Russell ("Spanking the Monkey" '94, "Flirting with Disaster" '96, "Three Kings" '99, "I Heart Huckabees" '04, "The Fighter" '10). The pacing of this film and the way he was able to get the right amount of intensity out of these actors was perfect. It was also written by Russell which was based on the novel, "The Silver Linings Playbook" by Matthew Quick. This was written in an extremely real format, whereas these characters changed for the better, but not without a lot of stumbling, and there was still a lot of room for improvement--people don't heal overnight.
After viewing this, I now can understand why it has received so many Academy Award nominations, including best picture, actor and actress. It was like looking through someone's window as they're living, it was that convincing. Films about mental health has always been a topic that a lot of people find intriguing, maybe because these mental health characters are so different. But when you couple that with fine acting, writing and directing, how can one go wrong?
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: R 122mins.
We have all seen war films before. We have even seen war films based on a particular battle, attack, or incident. With the exception of '08's "The Hurt Locker", I can't remember when a war film was quite as intense as "Zero Dark Thirty". Interesting that these two films were done by the same people.
This chronicles Maya (Jessica Chastain) who is a CIA operative. Her whole first experience is in the interrogation of prisoners following the Al Qaeda attacks against the U.S. on the 11th of September 2001. The film starts with her being trained to interrogate by shadowing a fellow operative, Dan (Jason Clarke) as he interrogates Ammar (Reda Kateb). As Dan uses tactics of duress, such as water-boarding, isolation in a small box, stripping them naked, this is all to break them down so as to give them the feeling of helplessness. Maya is reluctant to participate in these extreme tactics, but believes that the truth may only be obtained through such tactics.
For several years, she is single-minded in her pursuit of leads to uncover the whereabouts of Al Qaeda's leader, Osama Bin Laden. Finally, in May 2011, it appears that her work will pay off, and a Navy SEAL team lead by Squadron Team Leader, Patrick (Joel Edgerton) is sent to kill or capture Bin Laden. But only Maya is confident Bin Laden is where she says he is. Even her boss, Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler) and the CIA director (James Gandolfini) question where he might be even though Maya has spent the better part of ten years trying to figure it out.
Others to round out the cast are Jennifer Ehle as Jessica, Chris Pratt as Justin-DEVGRU, Harold Perrineau as Jack, Jeremy Strong as Thomas, J.J Kandel as J.J., Mark Duplass as Steve, Taylor Kinney as Jared-DEVGRU, Callen Mulvey as Saber-DEVGRU, Siaosi Fonua as Henry-DEVGRU, Phil Somerville as Phil-DEVGRU, Nash Edgerton as Nate-DEVGRU, Mike Colter as Mike-DEVGRU, and Frank Grillo as Squadron Commanding Officer.
This was brilliantly directed by Kathryn Bigelow ("The Loveless" '82, "Near Dark" '87, "Blue Steel" '89, "Point Break" '91, "Strange Days" '95, "The Weight of Water" 2000, "K-19: The Widowmaker" '02, "The Hurt Locker" '08, "The Miraculous Year" (TV movie) '11). Each and every frame of film was chocked full of intensity. Even though you know how this ends, the experience she creates in different scenes still keep you right on the edge of your seat. This was equally well written by Mark Boal ("In the Valley of Elah" (story) '07, "The Hurt Locker" '08). The film has recently been nominated for an Oscar for best picture. Even though it was released today, it was limited released on 12-19-12, so it squeaked in before the 12-31-12 deadline to be eligible for any Oscar nominations.
Anyone who wants to see a war film that is dripping with painstaking realism, will revel with this. Actually, who would want to see a war film unless it is as realistic as possible? I think both Bigelow and Boal answered this question for us in spades.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: R 157mins.
Message films or films whereas certain characters make a stance for something are usually stories that are fraught with issues that can sometimes run the gambit. We've seen a plethora of them: "Silkwood", "Milk", "And the Band Played On", "Mo' Better Blues", "The China Syndrome", even 2012's "Won't Back Down". These films are very important as our culture continually needs to be reminded that there are issues we need to think about. With that thought, we have been offered "Promised Land".
Corporate salesman, Steve Butler (Matt Damon) from Global Corporation, a natural gas company, arrives in a rural town with his sales partner, Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand). With the town having been hit hard by the economic decline of recent years, the two outsiders see the local townsfolk as likely to accept their company's offer, for drilling rights to their properties, as much-needed relief. What seems like an easy job for the duo becomes complicated by the objection of a respected schoolteacher, Frank Yates (Hal Holbrook) with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man, Justin Noble (John Krasinski), from an environmental company, who questions Steve both personally and professionally.
Others to round out the cast are Rosemarie DeWitt as Alice, Scott McNairy as Jeff Dennon, Titus Welliver as Rob, Ken Strunk as Gerry Richards, Tim Guinee as Drew Scott, and Lucas Black as Paul Geary.
This was directed with ease by veteran, Gus Van Sant ("Drugstore Cowboy" '89, "My Own Private Idaho" '91, "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" '93, "To Die For" '95, "Good Will Hunting" '97, "Psycho" '98, "Finding Forrester" 2000, "Gerry" '02, "Elephant" '03, "Last Days" '05, "Paranoid Park" '07, "Milk" '08, "Restless" '11, "My Own Private River" '12). Van Sant has that uncanny ability to make his actors so 'at ease', that these characteristics shine when you see his films. This was equally written well by John Krasinski and Matt Damon. Damon co-wrote "Good Will Hunting" with his lifelong friend Ben Affleck, so he was really able to prove, once again, that this guy can write. With the exception of the story being a little slow at the beginning, once it got going, it picked up and moved. There's even a nice twist closer to the end which makes it intriguing.
If you're a 'soap box' type of person, no matter which side of the fence you'd be on, you will really be able to sink your teeth into this one. Even if you're not, the fine acting and script, along with some nifty comedy relief, will be enough to keep your attention and then some.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: R 106mins.
Most films based on a biography usually span a number of years if not a complete lifetime, but with "Hyde Park on Hudson", this biopic spans the time of a weekend in a pre-WWII event in New York.
This is the story of the love affair between FDR (Bill Murray) and his very distant cousin, Daisy (Laura Linney), in real life actually named Margaret Stuckley, centered around the weekend in 1939, when King George (Samuel West) and Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) visited FDR and his wife Eleanor (Olivia Williams) in their home in upstate New York.
In pre WWII time, the U.S. and Great Britain experienced a certain amount of tension between one another, so FDR thought that having this visit at a more relaxed setting, as opposed to something formal like Washington, D.C., would be more conducive to possibly lifting these tensions, so they can bond as allies assuming that their involvement in the great war was imminent.
Others to round out the cast are Elizabeth Marvel as Missey, one of FDR's life-long assistants, Elizabeth Wilson as Mrs. Roosevelt, Martin McDougall as Tommy, Andrew Havill as Cameron, Eleanor Bron as Daisy's Aunt, Nancy Baldwin as Mrs. Astor, and Samantha Dakin as Mary the Maid.
This was well directed by veteran Roger Michell ("Persuasion" '95, "My Night with Reg" '97, "Titanic Town" '98, "Notting Hill" '99, "Changing Lanes" '02, "The Mother" '03, "Enduring Love" '04, "Venus" '06, "Morning Glory" '10). The way he was able to get his actors to go from a relaxed situation to a very intense and stressful one was so convincing, it kept you that much more captivated. It was equally well written by Richard Nelson ("Ethan Frome" '93, "Roots in Water" (short) '10). Considering the small theatrical experience this guy has, he will undoubtedly receive more work.
Production values wise, this film was right on the money--production design, makeup, photography, and specifically costume design by Dinah Collin ("Bloody Sunday" '02, "The Bourne Supremacy" '04, "Beyond the Gates" '05, "United 93" '06, "Flawless" '07, "The Ghost Writer" '10). As anyone can see, this designer has proven herself time and again, and certainly did in this production. No doubt she will be considered come Oscar time.
The one that will surely be nominated for an Academy Award here will be Murray as FDR. He was spot on. The look, the tonation, dialect, even that trademark smile that FDR would flash for the camera was amazing. If you're an FDR fan or a biopic fan, you will really get into this, but even if you're not, you will still be able to respect and even enjoy what it took to get this film off the ground at all.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: R 94mins.
Love it or leave it, 3D films are here to stay, at least for now. We have seen a ton of films in this process, whether they be new or films of the past reprocessed in this format. Certainly the animated corale has seen this i.e. "Beauty and the Beast", "Finding Nemo", "Toy Story", etc. But these films certainly are worthy to be presented in 3D. So why stop there when we can revel once again with the incredible Pixar Animation Studios production of "Monsters Inc. in 3D".
This centers on Monstopolis, a city of monsters without humans and more to the point, the city's power company, Monsters, Inc. The city is powered by the screams of human children when these monsters enter their 'doors'. But it seems that kids are becoming more desensitized to being scared which is a direct threat to the existence of Monstopolis.
Enter the lovable, but confident, and tough, furry blue behemoth-like giant monster named Sulley (John Goodman) and his wise-cracking best friend, short, green cyclops monster Mike (Billy Crystal), discover what happens when the real world interacts with theirs in the form of a 2-year-old baby girl who Sulley has named Boo (Mary Gibbs), who accidentally sneaks into the monsters world with Sulley one night. And now it's up to Sulley and Mike to send Boo back in her 'door' before anyone finds out, especially two evil villains such as Sulley's main rival as a scarer, chameleon-like Randall (Steve Buscemi), a monster which scares Boo a bunch, and the boss of Monsters, Inc., Henry J. Waternoose (James Coburn).
Others to round out the cast are Jennifer Tilly as Celia, Mike's girlfriend, Bob Peterson as Roz, the paper work control freak, John Ratzenberger as The Abominable Snowman, Frank Oz as Fungus, Daniel Gerson as Needleman/Smitty, Steve Susskind as Floor Manager, and Bonnie Hunt as Flint.
This was incredibly well paced by director Pete Docter ("Up" '09) and co-directed by David Silverman ("The Road to El Dorado" 2000, "The Simpsons Movie" '07), and Lee Unkrich ("Toy Story 2" '99, "Finding Nemo" '03, "Toy Story" '10). It was equally well written by by Andrew Stanton and Daniel Gerson which is based on an original story by Docter, Jill Culton, Jeff Pidgeon, and Ralph Eggleston. Again, as I've mentioned before, how can these guys at Pixar take such a simple premise-- monsters in the closet, and create a script with such depth, humanity, hilarity, and character development, and be entertaining at the same time? It boggles the brain.
I'm not an advocate of films in 3D, primarily because so many are done for profit reasons, but this clearly is more enhanced in this process, because these type of films were created for this process. With this in check, one can not only go down memory lane, but can do it enjoying the ride all the way.
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: G 92mins.
There are disaster films and then there is "The Impossible". This isn't just any disaster film--that would be to insult the movie. A film of this genre usually has a tragedy, a hero (macho of course), a small comedy relief, and a rescue at the end. Sound familiar? There's some of that in this, but surprisingly, it had an interestingly amount of humanity, poignancy, and the ability to be just plain touching in places.
