Category: Movie

The Gatekeepers

Bill C’s Review – 4 out of 5

The Gatekeepers is a very good but unfortunately depressing/pessimistic documentary that explores Israel’s war on terror through interviews with all surviving ex heads of Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency.  The documentary does a great job of using (sometimes graphic) archive footage of some of the agencies successes and failures.

The movie goes through the history of Shin Bet focusing on the period after the 1967 war and issues that resulted with the Palestinian refugees.  The film also explores internal political conflicts within Israel that resulted in the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the derailment of the peace process.

The movie leaves a pretty pessimistic view of the future in the region.   It’s fascinating to listen to these interviews with Israelis who hunt and often times order killing of others with Israelis discussing the need to not just focus on security but also to resolve some of the valid grievances of the Palestinians, the difficulty to do that in Israel today and how Palestinians are at times more interested in inflicting pain upon Israel than reaching a long term peace that will benefit everyone. This is definitely worth seeing.

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SXSW Films – Irwin’s Reviews

Short reviews of the films I saw at SXSW Film Festival

Drinking Buddies – 3.5 out of 5

Great premise: bunch of guys working at a small craft-beer factory hang out with their one female co-worker, played by Olivia Wilde. For the first 10 minutes, the film portrays Olivia as everyman’s perfect woman: beautiful, easy going, loves joking around including food fights, beer drinking, pool playing at the bar after work, and enticing and loving at home. With a sophisticated Mr. Big type as a boyfriend, Olivia even dresses and leaves after their weeknight fun so she can be home for the morning. What more can a guy want? Well, apparently, not even Olivia’s character is perfect, and complications ensue. I really enjoyed the whole movie, and most of all appreciated it’s avoidance of cliche’s and typical Hollywood plot line. Anna Kendrick is terrific along with Jake Johnson (the latter a beer worker and aforementioned buddy, the former as his girlfriend).

Elena – 3.5 out of 5

Bill C. reviewed this below, and I agree, it’s excellent documentary about a young Brazilian woman who goes to New York City to become an actress. She ends up committing suicide (not a spoiler), and this story tries to undestand what happened. The interesting and unique part of this documentary is that it was produced by Elena’s younger sister, aided by 50 hours of home movies and audition tapes that she was able to uncover, and by her mother’s recollections. In other words, it’s all real, from the scenes of Elena as a 12 year-old singing and dancing in her parents living room, to current day when her mom and sister visit the apartment in NYC where Elena ended up. It’s very touching and artfully done. (not to be confused with another movie called Elena)

Some Girl(s) – 3 out of 5

Young man, about to be wed, decides to conduct an apology tour of his old flames, touring the country, meeting them in his hotel rooms, and confronting why they didn’t work, asking if they “are good”, but apparently not looking for a final fling. Sounds creepy and suspicious, but the film kept my interest by the actors interactions and variety of old girlfriends, one as interesting as the other. Adam Brody is believable as the guy, nice guy on the surface buy maybe not so nice if he left all these women without a proper break-up. Best of the women are Kristen Bell, Mia Maestro, and Zoe Kazan.

The Bounceback – 3.5 out of 5

Set in Austin, 20-somethings try to re-connect with their old loves, and/or find new ones, whichever is easier. Some hysterical scenes, some touching scenes, and plenty of memorable characters, especially Sara Paxton as self-styled slut, who takes no BS from her ex-boyfriend.

The Wait – 1.5 out of 5

I waited, and waited, for something to happen, while Chloe Sevigny’s character waits for her recently deceased mother to come back to life (in the bed she passed away in), and her sister and son go about their wandering ways in the Oregon upscale wooded community. Lots a strange scenes, many of which make no sense. Don’t waste your time.

Maladies – 2 ouf of 5

Going to a film festival movie I don’t have much to go on, certainly no reviews, so I thought I couldn’t go wrong with this film starring James Franco and Catherine Keener. Well, I learn something new every day and boy I needed reminding that while they are terrific actors, a good film needs a good story to be written, and that is not the case here.

Sound City – 3 out of 5

Solid documentary about a sound board – actually about the music studio that houses the board, and the many great artists who created legenday rock music there. Directed and conceived, and funded, by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Nirvana, it’s clearly a labor of love, as it is with his guest musicians, including Paul McCartney, Rick Springfield and John Fogarty.

 

Springbreakers

Bill I’s Review – 2.5 out of 5

I try to have no expectations other than to see a good film, so I was continually waiting for the good part to start while watching Springbreakers. It’s centered on 4 college girls who scrap up enough cash to head down to St. Petersburg for their wild week. Some of the girls are wild already, and the supposedly religious, “innocent” one, played by Selena Gomez, looking about 14 years old, goes along with the others, disregarding being warned by others to watch out for these girls. They partake in the MTV version of Spring Break, with alcohol flowing, bikini tops being dropped, and drugs being smoked and snorted. That’s not enough, so they delve into more extensive wildness “fun”, after meeting a captivating rapper/gangsta, and about that time I realized that the good part is not going to come at all, nor will my enjoyment. The girls and their lives are depressing, to live and to watch, and overall I did not find any redeeming characters to root for or learn anything about. James Franco plays the white gangsta, and it’s a tour de force, and the only memorable portrayal I will remember in a few weeks.

The Call

Bill I’s Review – 3.5 out of 5

The Call is a terrific suspenseful thriller starring Hallie Berry as a 911 operator, super-competent, cool under pressure, but wracked with guilt and anxiety when she fails to save a desparate caller, and when she ignores her own advice not to develop an emotional connection with the callers. I won’t give away any of the plot, because the less you know the more you will enjoy it. I was skeptical that this simplistic scenario would hold my interest, but it certainly did, reminiscent of other movies such as Speed, The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 and Phone Booth, where the protaganist, typicaly an ordinary citizen doing his job, has a limited amount of time to resolve a life threatening situation. Good, time tested formula, well done here. Hallie is excellent in a non-glamourous role

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56 Up

Bill C’s Review – 4 out of 5

Time marches on!  56 Up is the latest installment in the documentary series that has visited the same people every seven years to see how their lives have evolved. The series started with when they were seven years old. This airs as a TV special in the UK, but is released here as a movie. The series started out to look at class differences in England, but has evolved to show how people evolve, with the many twists and turns that life takes.  The first installment had 14 participants; of those, 13 are still participating. Some have been successful and others not so successful. Many have had ups and downs, with divorces, physical and mental health issues, etc.

Michael Apted directs and he does a fine job of including clips from previous films and different ages. It is not important to have seen previous movies. This is the type of movie that makes you reflect on your own life (especially for those like me, roughly the age of the participants—if the initial show had been in N.Y. it could have been little Billy and Billy being followed and giving our views on movies all these years!). The folks in the movie have definitely started to age and they are now at a time in their lives where they look back on their successes and failures,  the choices they could have made, and how their view of the world has changed over the years. Many reflected on how their kids are doing and the job they did raising them.

It takes a few minutes to adjust to the British accents, and the movie could have been a little shorter than 2.5 hours, but I’d definitely recommend seeing 56 Up if you get the chance.

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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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Identity Thief

Bill C’s Review – 2 out of 5

I had originally intended to skip this movie based on the poor reviews it received from critics.  But based on the audience reception on Rotten Tomatoes and since there’s not a lot that’s really good out there right now I decided to give it a shot.  Unfortunately I agree with the critics.  Melissa McCarthy is excellent and provides the laughs but they are too few and far between and this movie violates Bill I’s prime rule of movie previews – don’t show all the best laughs if the movie is a comedy.

This movie seemed to me like a weak clone of the John Candy/Steve  Martin classic Planes, Trains and Automobiles with  two strangers driving each other crazy on a disastrous road trip together before coming together at the end.  Unless you really like Melissa McCarthy I would rent that  instead.  Another option if you’re a fan of the director Seth Gordon is to rent one of my favorite and very funny documentary, The King of Kong, the story of good vs. evil in the quest to be the record holder in ‘Donkey Kong’.

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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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