Category: Drama

Fruitvale Station

Bill I’s Review – 3.5 out of 5

It’s a pseudo documentary in that it’s based on real life events, but it’s scripted and performed by excellent actors, including an award-worthy performance by Michael B. Jordan as the young protagonist (Oscar) who is  struggling mightily to get on the straight and narrow and raise his young daughter and earn a living so he can marry his long-time girlfriend. Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz are outstanding as well as Oscar’s mom and lover respectively. The ending is shown first, so you know it’s ugly, and gives you a feeling of dread throughout the daily comings and goings of this family. You get to admire and hope for Oscar, knowing all the time that he’s doomed. The incident is reminiscent of many real-life cases of police shootings, and by the closing credits we learn how justice is meted out once again.

Bill C’s Review – 4 out of 5

I also liked this movie a lot although this will be tough to watch for a lot of people.  This is a very timely movie with the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin story in the news recently.  While our society has made a lot of progress we still have a ways to go and this movie definitely makes you think about that.

The scene at the beginning that Bill talks about is actual video from a phone camera leading up to the shooting.  Michael B. Jordan is excellent (he played Wallace on The Wire) as are the others in the supporting cast.

This is a very powerful movie and is worth seeing.

NY Times article about director

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The Way Way Back

Bill C’s Review – 4 out of 5

Unintentionally the last three movies I’ve seen have all been about kids dealing with parenting issues.  This  is one of the two that have been teenage boy coming of age stories. The other was about a 6 year old girl.  I’ve liked them all but this is my favorite.

The Way Way Back is a funny, touching movie about 14 year old Duncan.  He has to spend the summer with his mom (Toni Collette), her boyfriend (Steve, Carell) and his daughter at his summer home by the beach.  Duncan is quiet and sullen as he doesn’t get along with his mom’s boyfriend (or his daughter) and it looks like it will be a long summer.

Luckily he runs into Owen (Sam Rockwell) and a job at the  local water park.  Owen brings Duncan out of his shell and give him the opportunity to get comfortable in his own skin.

The acting is very good.  Sam Rockwell is great in this movie and very funny at the water park. Allison Janney is also very funny as the next door neighbor.  Collette is good as the stressed out mom trying to make the most of a not very good situation and Carrell is good in a rare non comedy role as the cruddy boyfriend/supposed father figure for Duncan.

Nat Faxon and Jim Rash wrote, directed and have small funny supporting roles as water park employees.  They were also 2 of the writers of The Descendatnts.

This is definitely worth seeing

Bill I’s Review – 4 out of 5

I agree with my buddy on this, excellent film. One of the best portrayals of adolescent angst/coming of age/frustration I’ve seen. The young actor is seething with being forced to accompany his mom and her slimy new boyfriend (an unlikeable Steve Carrell, a first) to summer cottage by the beach in Cape Cod, where the adults are just drinking and partying and getting frisky while their kids are doing who knows what. Nothing really original in the plot, but the characters are memorable and it’s cool to see how a caring adult (Sam Rockwell is an adult in age but a goofy kid on the surface) can make a huge positive difference in a teenager’s life. Without being creepy! I particularly liked the last scene, which I won’t describe, but it was very nicely done, with zero dialogue. Check it out.

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The Angels’ Share

Bill C’s Review – 4 out of 5

This comedy/drama is my favorite movie since SXSW in early March.

Robbie, played by newcomer Paul Brannigan, seems to be headed to jail. Due to his impending fatherhood, he is given a lenient sentence of community service. Despite the sentence and his desire to turn things around, it appears the Robbie is doomed to a life of trouble. Things look so bleak for Robbie that his girlfriend’s father offers to pay him to leave Glasgow and never return.

In community service, Robbie befriends three other troubled souls without bright futures who are all helped by the leader of the group, Harry, played by John Henshaw. Most of the comedy is the interaction of these characters. Harry takes the group on a whiskey tasting excursion and Robbie’s burgeoning nose for whiskey provides a possible path to redemption and a better life for him and his family (so this is definitely a film to see for anyone really into whiskey).

This isn’t the funniest or deepest movie ever, but it just makes you feel good. It reminded me of The Full Monty…just a good comedy with some drama mixed in about someone with a future that doesn’t look bright, but who gives it their best. One other similarity is that The Angels’ Share features people who speak English, but whose accents make it very tough to understand at first. In this case the filmmakers were kind enough to provide subtitles.  After the first 15 minutes or so they weren’t really needed, but it was nice to have them there.

My two favorite parts of the movie were the very beginning and the very end (sweet), but I also liked the stuff in between. This is an art house movie that may be hard to find, but if you can, check it out.

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The Place Beyond the Pines

Bill I’s Review – 4 out of 5

Why the weird title? It’s the translation for Schenectady, the film’s setting. I didn’t learn this until after watching the film, which made me keep wondering where are the pines and what place are they talking about. So, consider this a spoiler that actually improves your viewing experience – no need to waste time wondering about the title. Ryan Gosling kicks this movie off with a terrific sequence of him walking from his trailer at a carnival right into his role as motorcycle rider inside a metal globe along with a couple of others. I will not give away any of the plot other than to say the following:

  • Ryan Gosling is fantastic, compelling to watch as his character both exhibits deep flaws while recognizing, sometimes only minutes after doing something stupid, how he continually makes bad decisions. His humanity shines through and you don’t doubt his sincerity (OK, you might have doubts), while you feel highly skeptical about his chances for a successful life.
  • Eva Mendes makes a startling first impression, appearing as one of the most beautiful figures in cinema that I can recall ever seeing. Pay attention, because she’s not as compelling later on.
  • Bradley Cooper is also terrific, playing a more complicated character than he did in Silver Lining’s Playbook, maybe the best performance of his career.

The film is structured in three parts, with each part’s story line connected to the prior part. Not all parts are equally excellent, but the ending is perfect, and I never got bored for the whole 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Bill C’s Review – 3.5 out of 5

First – thanks to Bill for the info on the title – I’m sure  I would have been distracted the whole time without his explanation.

I liked this movie a lot but not quite as much as Bill.  I agree with Bill that Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper were excellent with Gosling being the hilight (and I was oh so impressed with Goslings high jumping ability in the bank scenes!).  The other performances were great too.  I especially liked Ben Mendelsohn as Gosling’s friend.

While Bill really liked the ending I liked the first 2 segments more than I liked the third.  I found those a lot more interesting and thought the last third was bit contrived to bring the story together and just wasn’t as compelling to me.  And maybe I’m just a little denser as  I didn’t know how to interpret the final scenes (so I couldn’t spoil the ending of this movie if I wanted to).    But this is definitely worth seeing.

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War Witch

Bill C’s Review – 4 out of 5

This is another really good 2012 Academy Award Nominated Foreign Language film. The movie tells the horrific story of Komona, a 12-year-old girl who is kidnapped and forced to become a child soldier in her (unnamed) African homeland. Komona has a gift for sensing the presence of the enemy and hence the title of the movie and her value to the rebels. Komona goes through unimaginable horrors, finds some happiness and then it’s back for more horrors before the final hopeful ending as she comes to terms with what she’s been through so she can move on with her life..

The movie is anchored by a great performance by untrained actress Rachel Mwanza. The story is well-told and I’d recommend it for anyone who doesn’t mind some violence and subtitles.

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No

Bill C’s Review – 3.5 out of 5

‘No’ is the 2012 Chilean Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.  It tells the story of the the Chilean plebiscite that would determine if Augusto Pinochet would remain in power for another 8 years. Due to international pressure Pinochet allowed for the creation of political parties and 15 minutes of political ads on TV per day.

The film  uses a lot of archival footage (about 30%) and the fictionalized pieces are shot in a way that gives the whole film the feel of  a documentary.  The film centers on an advertising exec, Renee Saavedra (well played by Gael Garcia Bernal) and his desire to focus the campaign on returning the country to happiness instead of a  more serious theme that emphasized the atrocities of Pinochet.  This alienates many of the leaders of the ‘No’ camapign but once the happiness them gains traction the leaders of the ‘No’ campaign face dirty tactics and threats.  The story is well told and has both humor from the campaign and tension as the campaign unfolds.

The film has faced some controversy in Chile as many feel the film oversimplified the campaign by just focusing on the advertising campaign,  Here’s a good article from the N.Y. Times

This film is definitely worth seeing.  The film has English subtitles but even my subtitle hating wife enjoyed the movie.

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Side Effects

Bill C’s Review – 2.5 out of 5 

Side Effects is a crime thriller with a lot of plot twists, a good director, and a very good cast.  I  expected to like it a lot. Despite all of that, the plot just seemed unrealistic to me, and despite the fun of trying to follow the twists and turns, I was disappointed. If there’s a lawyer is reading this entry who saw this movie, I’d love your view on whether some of the plot is realistic or if there are legal checks and balances that make this unrealistic.

The cast included Rooney Mara (from the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Channing Tatum. Tatum’s role is very small, so don’t go see this film just because you are a big fan. Rooney Mara was excellent. Most reviews seem to like Jude Law’s performance, but I thought he was a little over the top.

I seem to be in the minority on this review, so while I didn’t really like this movie, you shouldn’t let my cynicism about the plot stop you from seeing it.

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Amour

Bill C’s review – 4 out of 5

Amour is one of the best movies that most people will want to avoid seeing. It’s a very well-acted and honest portrayal of a couple in their eighties dealing with the declining health of the wife due to a series of strokes. The husband lovingly takes care of her despite the hardships to keep his vow not to let her die in a hospital or nursing home. This movie doesn’t pull any punches in telling the story of slow decline of the wife.

This movie has deservedly received several Academy Award nominations. Emmanuelle Riva plays the wife and is nominated for Best Actress. This is a challenging role physically as she goes from healthy through various stages of post-stroke to near-death. Amour is also nominated for Best Picture and Michael Haneke is nominated for Best Director.  Haneke directed Cache a few years  ago—a movie that Bill I. recommended, but that I never got around to seeing. Jean-Louis Trintignant does a great job as the husband, and one of my all-time favorite French actresses, Isabelle Huppert, plays the daughter.

So this is another film that I like a lot, but but it is sad and depressing and not for everyone AND it’s French so it has subtitles.

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Les Miserables

Bill C’s Review – 2.5 out of 5

This is another one of those movies where my opinion is totally irrelevant on whether or not you should see this.  If you’ve a) seen this on Broadway and liked it, b) if you’ve never seen a musical you didn’t like, c) enjoy lots of closeups of Hugh Jackman or Anne Hathaway (even though she’s most likely crying), or d) like movies that have a lot of crying or that easily make you cry (even though I didn’t), then you should go see this. Otherwise you might want to skip this one. The other reason why my opinion should probably be ignored is that I am not a good judge of singing talent (remember. . . I’m the guy who likes to listen to Craig Finn of the Hold Steady).

The performances were all very good. The actors needed to do two things: sing and cry profusely (and do both at the same time!). They all came through with flying colors. I even was surprised by Russell Crowe’s and Sacha Baron Cohen’s singing (who along with Helena Bonham Carter brought needed comic relief). The two main kids in the movie were excellent. Special kudos go to Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman. Jackman also seemed to transform physically as the movie went on. I barely recognized him in the first scene where he was an emaciated prisoner (with incredible strength).

For me, there were a few things that detracted from the movie:

– I’m ready for the slings and arrows from all Les Mis fans—I didn’t like the music that much. I have never seen the Broadway musical. But for most Broadway hit musicals that I only saw in the movies or years after they were a hit, I have always recognized and liked some of the music. For a show that opened over thirty years ago, Les Mis should fit in that category. But I didn’t recognize/remember any of it, and I’m not humming any songs today.

– Too many closeups! I’ve never seen so many closeups in a movie, especially of people crying non-stop or from the 1800s with poor dental hygiene! The closeups were made especially annoying by me being in the third row of the theater. If you plan on seeing this movie, sit towards the back!

– My guess is the plot of the book fills in a lot of holes. SPOILER ALERT ON *** The love-at- first-sight of Cosette and Marius while the world is falling apart and Marius’ happy return to the bourgeois life surprised me (to say the least). But the movie was long enough as it was. SPOILER ALERT OFF  ***

This gets a marginally positive review due to the performances, but again, if you are a fan of the show, you should go (actually you probably have already).

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Zero Dark Thirty

Bill I’s Review – 4.5 out of 5

Best review of the topic I’ve read is this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-hoffman/zero-dark-thirty-terrorism_b_2421874.html

It’s a fantastic film, fact based combined with the best film-making from Kathryn Bigelow. The acting is superb, doesn’t ever seem like acting, just seems real. I loved Argo, but comparing the scenes from each film where the protagonists try to work their cars through angry mobs in Pakistan or Iraq, and you will see that Zero Dark Thirty takes it to another level, of realism, of feeling the threat, or what it must have been like. The subject of torture (“enhanced interrogation techniques”) is controversial but to me appears very well portrayed: the US did it, it wasn’t pretty, wasn’t effective in most cases, and damaged our reputation. It wasn’t the key to unlocking where Bin Laden was, and if you pay attention this film shows that. It yielded pieces of information, but it took sleuthing, bribery, technology and persistence to finally track him down. The capture exercise by the Navy Seals is a mini-movie in itself, one of the best, and I assume realistic, I’ve ever seen. The CIA is portrayed as comprised of some heroic, dedicated, career professionals who make it through (or don’t, in some tragic circumstances) the hell that is terror central. The CIA is also shown as home to some career bureaucrats, who are more concerned about their careers, showing some “wins” even if it means taking down low value targets, while not taking undue risks, more than succeeding at getting Bin Laden. But, Spoiler Alert…we got him!!!

Bill C’s Review – 4.5 out of 5

I agree with Bill that this is an exceptional film. It draws us right in with actual, heartbreaking recordings of people in the WTC and responding to the tragedy. The film then does an amazing job of netting out a 10-year search into a well-told 2.5 hour movie.

I think part of the reason I liked this movie so much was that these events are so fresh in my mind. The events of—and since—9/11 had such a real and emotional impact on all of us. I think the strong emotions of the Iranian hostage crisis contributed to my strong feelings about Argo also.

As Bill points out, the search and successful mission was totally dependent on the sacrifice and dedication of many Americans. The film does a great job of showing how success came more from ferreting out the lies from captives and painstaking attention to detail and mundane detective work.  While this sounds boring, as presented in the movie, it is not.

Jessica Chastain and her supporting cast are excellent. She deserves her best actress Oscar nomination. I am surprised that Kathryn Bigelow was not nominated as Best Director. She won the Oscar a few years ago for The Hurt Locker (which I highly recommend).

Unless you will be turned off by the torture and violence, you should definitely see this film.

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