*NEW* Nightcrawler Review

NIGHTCRAWLER ****
Directed by Dan Gilroy.

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Louis "Lou" Bloom, who has a great ambition to be a success, but is first seen pushing stolen construction merchandise.  He doesn't get much traction when looking for a job, until one day he discovers the world of freelance video journalism while stopped at the scene of a car accident.  So he gets himself a camcorder and a police radio scanner.

Lou learns that this works a bit like storm chasing.  In order to get the best footage of a crime scene, you have to race against not only police, but also rival freelancers.  A fast learner, Lou advances in this medium by selling his videos to a local news station director named Nina (Rene Russo).  Despite the more cautious attitudes of her crew, Nina senses a ratings opportunity in Lou's increasingly aggressive tactics, which include attempting to get the most graphic close-up images of crime and accident victims.  Hiring an assistant, naive and money-desperate Rick (Riz Ahmed), Lou is in business.  As Lou and Nina enter into a dangerous pact, he profiting from her eagerness for better ratings, we begin to wonder just how far Lou is willing to go with his scheme.

Sensationalism in news has long been a topic of concern for people.  "Nightcrawler" uses this to its advantage by giving us a scenario where amoral people are willing to cross certain lines to get the most attention-grabbing headlines, no matter the consequence.  Gyllenhaal is superb at presenting Lou as a borderline psychotic without ever seeming to have evil motives.  It's quite a trick.  Rene Russo has her best role in years, playing a woman who is nearly as amoral as Lou but for different reasons.  They need each other to survive this seedy underworld of nightcrawling journalism.  This is one of the best films of the year.

* NEW * ST. VINCENT

ST. VINCENT ***½
Directed by Theodore Melfi.

Bill Murray is a great actor. Today, many would agree with this statement, but when he started making movies, this was not the case. Misfires, such as "Razor's Edge" (1984) and "Where the Buffalo Roam" (1980) were offset by popular comedies like "Ghostbusters" (1984) and "Meatballs" (1981). Critics of that time would not have imagined the heights he has achieved since then in "Lost in Translation" and "St. Vincent."

Vincent MacKenna (Murray) is a cantankerous, anti-social person who comes across as kind of an even grouchier Mr. Wilson, of "Dennis the Menace" fame. Fortunately, we learn that this is not to be a one-note character as Vincent's new neighbors, a 12 year old boy named Oliver Bronstein (newcomer Jaeden Lieberher) and his mother Maggie (a very good Melissa McCarthy) force him -- through circumstance -- to gradually reveal his true nature. This story works well, but the film isn't perfect.

A subplot involving Terrence Howard as a loan shark, to whom Vincent owes a gambling debt, doesn't go anywhere. However, this side story is neatly disposed of in a well-handled seen later in the picture. Another part of the story that doesn't always seem to fit is the Naomi Watts character, a pregnant stripper/prostitute who has developed a close bond with Vincent. She sports an obvious Russian accent and seems entirely too nice at times, but Watts has fun with the role.

There is a really nicely done scene when Oliver's mom is confronted with his recent misbehavior at the religious school he attends. She begins very formally, but the meeting devolves into a sort of cathartic moment for her as she relates how difficult it has been to keep things together amid a contentious divorce. McCarthy earns the audience's sympathy in a real and affecting way here.

It's Murray's film, though, and his work here is as good as anything he's done. He straddles that line between likable and unlikable like an expert trapeze artist. This helps us to not only accept, but embrace, the final scenes when things all come together and Oliver uses a school project to show Vincent what his life's worth really is. Really a wonderful delight to watch such a pro at the top of his form.

FLASHBACK DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: The Sea That Thinks

FLASHBACK DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: 

THE SEA THAT THINKS **½

This is a film that starts out as a meditation on existentialism and perceptions of who we are as people. Slowly, it focuses on a screenwriter struggling to write about these themes. In the beginning this is interesting, although one begins to wonder if it really belongs in the category of documentary.

Questions like "Are dreams real while we dream them?" and "What are you?" are placed before us as a precursor to a long, self-indulgent look at a man becoming unhinged by the search for the meaning of his own existence, trying to look at the world in a new way. The first section prompts us to think about how we measure our lives in terms of success, rather than on how we live. We ask ourselves if that should matter. People seek fame, fortune and power because they want to influence events, to shape our reality. Thus the question becomes, "what is reality?" The film touches on this theme of perception, and then largely abandons it to use the writer as a means of exploring the search for its meaning.

The rest of the movie uses optical illusions and heavy-handed dramatic measures, which reminded me of Terrence Malick. One of the things that frustrates me about films using existentialism as a theme is that they necessarily divert attention away from concrete thought and indulge in pretty imagery when there is no way to satisfactorily answer the many questions posed. Similarly, director-writer Gert de Graaff uses diversions like these to try and make sense out of his premise, which ends up being more frustrating than illuminating. Like a lot of Malick movies, when it ended I found myself with a sentiment of relief rather than catharsis.
 [Dutch with Subtitles]

* Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival Award 2000:  Best Documentary

* Rhode Island International Film Festival 2001:  Best Experimental Film

NEW REVIEW: Life Itself

REVIEW:  LIFE ITSELF ****

Many people knew Roger Ebert from his show with Gene Siskel, "At the Movies," which ran in various forms for 24 years.  When Mr. Siskel passed away in 1999, from complications following surgery for a brain tumor, Mr. Ebert continued the show with various other critics (finally settling on fellow Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper).  I can remember looking forward to seeing "Siskel & Ebert" every week.  They always had something interesting to say, often reviewed at least one movie you wouldn't hear about otherwise and, of course, the two of them just might get into a heated argument over their opinions on something they were reviewing.

Those days are long gone now.  Ebert tried to keep the show going as long as he could, even after he could no longer fully participate in the on-air presentation himself.  Siskel and Ebert remain the only film critics who successfully used the medium of television to bring their brand of criticism to national prominence.

The documentary Life Itself is a film begun by Steve James (Hoop Dreams) with the collaboration of Roger Ebert, and his wife Chaz, all of them understanding that Mr. Ebert might not be around when the final product was completed.  It covers a lot of ground, telling his story of growing up and becoming a journalist.

We learn where he gained his outlook on the world (dad was a hard worker and a Democrat; Mom was a housewife).  There are accounts of how his professional relationship with Gene Siskel evolved over the years.  Friends and colleagues tell us how deeply entrenched his alcoholism was, and how he could sometimes be arrogant or egotistical.  What's refreshing is that we see and hear Ebert, himself, on these subjects.  

There are funny and insightful stories, like the time he was doing a seminar on film and a student asked him why people should listen to him.  He simply stated he was appointed film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times, and turned the question on the student by asking "would you want to listen to you?" Or his unlikely friendship and work with controversial film maker Russ Meyer, for whom Mr. Ebert wrote "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls."

Director James covers a lot of material, and weaves it all together with interviews.  What makes this film so moving, and even fascinating, is witnessing Roger Ebert in his final days after his own battle with cancer.  It is clear how loving and inter-dependent his relationship with his wife Chaz was.  How apparent it is that he struggled to make every day count, and mean something after all he'd been through, is very touching.  Life Itself shows us how one man led a full life and how valuable Roger Ebert was to the world of film.

NEW REVIEW: Snowpiercer

FILM REVIEW:  SNOWPIERCER ***

In the near future, a botched attempt to avert the effects of Climate Change leads to a frozen age where everyone but a select few survive.  These people live on a constantly moving train built like an ecosystem, with the 1% at the front and the poorest relegated to the rear.  (Yes, it's got a political message)

An eccentric buck-toothed woman (Tilda Swinton, The Grand Budapest Hotel), backed by uniformed guards, keeps order in this totalitarian system, assuring the people that "everyone has his place" in the society as determined by the designer of the train that runs on a global track through icy mountain sides and snow-covered land.   The people in the back of the train are beaten down by the guards, made to eat strange "protein blocks" and their children are routinely taken away for unknown reasons.  A band of self-appointed warriors, led by Curtis Everett (Chris Evans, Captain America), are planning a rebellion against these oppressors.

The plan is a risky dream, until it is discovered that the guards' ammunition seemingly ran out years ago.  This opens the opportunity for a fight to reach the engine in the front and take over the train. Enlisting the drug-addicted train security designer, Namgoong Minsu (Song Kang-ho, The Host) and his daughter Yona (Go Ah-sung, After the Banquet) to help them open the various gates throughout the train. As they implement this plan and start moving forward, they find that each compartment is increasingly cleaner and richer.   We see train cars with pools, aquariums, clubs, and an especially odd one where children are taught that the people in the rear are terrorists.  Not subtle, true, but beautifully rendered imagery nonetheless.

The film does sometimes get a bit lost during its action sequences, which slow down the story a bit.  Every moment, every move, every intruding snowflake is lingered on for maximum effect.

One could question the purpose of certain characters, like a seemingly unstoppable killer who comes at Curtis and his crew along the way, or whether the ending featuring Ed Harris (The Truman Show) as the train's founder makes much sense.  But there's no denying that the production design, most of the acting and the unusual setting are imaginative and interesting.

NOAH: Available on DVD and Blu-Ray July 29, 2014

REVIEW:  NOAH **½

Darren Aronofsky is best known for smaller scale fare, like "Requiem for a Dream" (2000) or "Black Swan" (2010).  Now he's taken on an epic movie, based on a fairly brief Biblical story. 

Some will debate whether the film's approach is sufficiently respectful of its origins.  Aside from the odd appearance of rock people who were fallen angels banished to earth, the film does take on a spiritual tone.  However, Aronofksy seems surprisingly more interested in creating an action picture than in getting too deep into the meaning of the story.

A young Noah (Dakota Goyo, Real Steel) witnesses his father Lamech's (Marton Csokas, The Amazing Spider-Man 2) death at the hands of Tubal-Cain (Ray Winstone, The Proposition).  Flash forward years later, Noah is married to Naameh (Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind), with three sons.  They are Shem (Douglas Booth, 2013's Romeo and Juliet), Japheth (Leo McHugh Carroll, Fred Claus) and Ham (Logan Lerman, The Perks of Being a Wallflower).  The family also adopts a little girl whose village has been destroyed. 

One day Noah sees a flower bloom in an instant out of the ground.  He begins to experience harrowing nightmares of the world's destruction, and goes to his grandfather Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs) for advice.  He is given a seed from Eden, which grows a forest within mere seconds, providing the material for the fabled Ark.  When discovered by Tubal-Cain, a stand-off occurs where a vow of revenge is made against Noah for refusing his men passage to the Ark.

As the time draws near to the flooding from his visions, Noah's family begins to breakdown in a series of arguments over whether they are meant to survive.  Ham wants a wife, but Noah sees the nearby camp settlement as a swarm of sin and forbids it.  Nevertheless, the son goes and finds a woman only to arrive at the same time as an attack by Tubal-Cain is in progress.  When the girl is killed, Ham blames his father, thus setting up a scheme by Tubal-Cain later in the film to take down Noah.  Meanwhile, Naameh pleads with Methuselah for help.  Her plea leads to the once barren Ila (Emma Watson, The Perks of Being a Wallflower), their adopted daughter, to become pregnant by Shem.  When Noah learns of this he is furious, convinced that it is not part of The Creator's plan for mankind, and vows to kill the baby should it be a girl.  Thus sets up the finale, where a final conflict between Noah and his offspring stand-off, with Tubal-Cain attempting to use that as a weapon against him.

Noah is an ambitious action film, rather than a Bible story that happens to have action in it.  I think this is an important distinction, because the goal here seems to be to tell a fable with lots of special effects.  It is not, apparently, to tell the story faithfully. And you know what? That's okay.  Noah succeeds in being an entertaining movie.  There is a sense of spirituality in parts of the film, such as when Noah explains the creation of the universe to his children, but it's mainly in the service of action and effects.  As an entertainment, this is sufficient.  Chances are, you will enjoy the movie.  But it doesn't reach greatness, because it hedges its bets in order to reach the largest possible audience by toning down its religious origins, thereby losing some of the passion it might have displayed.

NEW FILM REVIEW: Jersey Boys

NEW FILM REVIEW:  Jersey Boys ***

At first glance Clint Eastwood, director of Unforgiven (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004), would seem an unusual choice to make an adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical about the rise of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons during the 1960s.  Yet, one looks at his resume to find he is also the same person who directed Forest Whitaker in the excellent Charlie Parker biopic Bird in 1988.  Movie fans also recognize that Eastwood is an accomplished pianist and composer, as well, often writing scores for his own films.  So, taking that into consideration, it's not so far-fetched to find this particular film maker behind the camera on this project.

The big-screen version takes its cues from its stage origins, complete with characters speaking directly to the audience to tell its story.  This gimmick shouldn't work, but somehow it does.  We are shown the story in flashback to the days when Frankie Valli went by his given name Francesco Stephen Castelluccio.  Like many singers of the era, Castelluccio was inspired by the success of Frank Sinatra, whom his mother took to see as a child at the Paramount Theater in NYC.  Along with his friend, small time hood and fellow musician Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza) they form a band, but struggle to hit it big.  After a series of band names, and the addition of songwriter Bob Guadino (Erich Bergen), they become The Four Seasons and begin to have success with hits like "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man." 

In spite of this upward trend, the band begins to unravel, as Tommy jeopardizes the group's financial stability by secretly going back to his criminal tendencies and other personality clashes occur.  Some of these disputes are moderated, at Frankie's request, by local mob man and uncle figure Gyp DeCarlo (Christopher Walken).  Added to this mix is Frankie's increasing neglect of his familial responsibilities, which weighs heavily on Valli when tragedy strikes.

None of these story elements are particularly new, as countless rags-to-riches musical biographies attest to, but there is much to be entertained by.  The film is colorful without being overly flashy, and touching without being overly sentimental.  Director Eastwood finds the right balance between musical enthusiasm and dramatic restraint.  It works.  The cast, many from the original award-winning stage production, offer convincing portraits of eager and ambitious musicians who meet that inevitable break up moment.  While some of that is cliche, the reason for the film's existence is the music.  Here the film offers plenty of toe-tapping sequences, and will likely leave the viewer wanting more.