Movie Review: The Crazies

The beauty of living across the street from a movie theater is that even when you are buried in a foot of snow, you can still go see a movie. Fun, even if the movie isn’t that great. This review is strictly for those who would even consider seeing a B horror movie called The Crazies, a remake of the 1973 film written and directed by George Romero. This new and improved 2010 version is better, but not what it should be. The large number of zombie-like* horror films released over the past 10 years gives this one a lot of competition. But let’s go back even further, to 1963, to the mother of all zombie movies; Night of the Living Dead (also directed by Romero): unforgettable because of its unrelenting and unsentimental brutality. Will any of us ever forget the scene of the little girl with her mother? I never will. It has become the barometer by which all these movies are judged. More recently, there was: Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later , Planet Terror and Zombieland, to name a few. The Crazies is not as good as any of those but it is watchable. It makes a significant social statement, integrating a myriad of similar real life nightmares that resonate with us because of their frequency coupled with the constant undercurrent of possible government secrecy. Breck Eisner (son of Michael Eisner – former CEO of Disney) does a respectable job directing this remake, working with decent actors but marginal material. The movie starts out strong with an excited high school baseball team getting set for their first game. A vacant looking, shotgun-wielding man walks onto the ball field of this very small, peaceful, Midwestern town. The local sheriff, played by Timothy Olyphant (tall and handsome he makes a terrific hero – see him in The Perfect Getaway), quickly figures out they have a big problem on their hands. He’s right; the locals are being driven insane by a government biological warfare experiment. You can figure out the rest. Overall, The Crazies is underwhelming and never goes for much more than loud noises and gore (there is plenty of both) for its fright factor. Wait for it to come out on cable.

*There are no proper zombies anymore. Once upon a time, 'zombie' meant a soulless corpse that walks around feeding off the living. Nowadays, more often than not, a zombie is created by some kind of virus; something that might be curable. The ‘soulless corpse’ concept is infinitely scarier because of its complete lack of humanity. The past decade has brought us the zombie-virus-apocalypse flick. The first few were good, fun, innovative. I’ve grown tired o them. Enough already!

Movie Review: The Ghost Writer

The Ghost Writer is an all-or-nothing movie experience. You will either love it or hate it. I, for one, loved it. It’s a political thriller with no bells or whistles; just tight storytelling perfectly executed. It’s long and plodding but if it captures your interest, you will be glued to the screen, hanging on every word. Fun, because it doesn’t happen often. Working together with author Robert Harris from his novel "The Ghost”, Roman Polanski has co-written and directed a compelling mystery, thanks to very powerful performances, an excellent screenplay, interesting cinematography (black, white and variations of gray –very little color) and the architectural masterpiece that sits on an island off the U.S. Eastern seaboard, where much of the movie takes place. The film will captivate (those who ‘love it’) whether you like politics or know anything about foreign policy. Even our protagonist, the ghost writer, played flawlessly by Ewen McGregor (he is unnamed in the movie), is clueless and actually naive about these matters. The movie opens with a dead body washed up on shore and in movies like this, a person, inebriated or not, does not fall into the ocean, they are always pushed. Whatever secrets he discovered that led to his demise have now fallen into the hands of the new ghost writer.The Ghost agrees to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnsan). His agent Rick (Jon Bernthal) assures him it is the opportunity of a lifetime. But while questioning Lang about his rise to power, the pieces just don’t seem to fit and McGregor is driven to question and investigate what happened to his predecessor. In the midst of all this, there is plenty of marital and political intrigue. Ultimately this movie works so well because of the emotional chemistry between the major players. This is one of Polanski’s gifts. He can get unlikely actors to deliver outstanding and nuanced performances. Remember Chinatown? Olivia Williams (An Education) is brilliant as Langs’ wife and virtually steals every scene she is in. Kim Cattrall, as the assistant and mistress, delivers a surprisingly subtle performance (who knew she could do 'subtle'!). But it is what goes on between Brosnan and McGregor that provides the fuel that makes this film a standout. Nicholas Cage was originally cast as 'the ghost'. We can all be very thankful that he dropped out at the last minute. There are a handful of stellar performances that don't amount to much more than cameos. My favorites are Eli Wallach as “the old man” and Jim Belushi (you will have a hard time recognizing him with his shaved head). This movie is not for everybody. You need patience and the willingness to pay close attention. If you want to see it, I suggest you see it soon. For a generation brought up on The Bourne Identity type of political thriller, this will seem much too tame. I doubt it will be in the theaters for very long.

p.s. I am a fan of Polanski’s work (Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby, The Pianist, Frantic). I am not a fan of the man. He committed a serious crime and shirked his obligation to serve out his sentence. I believe he should be incarcerated. But it doesn't make him any less the craftsman. Maybe he'll write something wonderful while in prison.

Movie Review: Shutter Island

In 2002, Martin Scorsese took the torch away from Robert De Niro and passed it on to Leonardo DiCaprio, when he directed him in Gangs of New York. Shutter Island is their fourth collaboration. With every movie it would seem impossible for Scorsese to get a better performance out of him, but with every movie he does. It’s a miracle. After Gangs came The Aviator and after The Aviator came The Departed. DiCaprio is an incredible talent and you can credit De Niro for recognizing it very early on. When casting for This Boy’s Life (a film based on the memoirs of Tobias Wolff), De Niro, who played the abusive father, pointed to DiCaprio and said “I wanna work with the blonde haired kid”. That was 17 years ago. It was his first big role and was soon followed by another amazing performance when he played the mentally challenged little brother of Gilbert in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. O.K., back to Shutter Island: way long but it is moderately engrossing. The movie kinda sucks you in and even without the use of 3-D magic, you feel as though you are in the middle of this nightmare. There is something hypnotic about it. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (he also wrote Gone Baby Gone), I understand the movie is very true to the book. The exceptional screenplay was written by Laeta Kalogridis (Pathfinder – not great). With surprising little screenwriting to her credit, she does an unbelievable job with this complicated story. It is a '50s style suspense film that opens with two federal marshals meeting on a ferry going to an island that is home to a hospital for the criminally insane. Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) meets Chuck Aule (a surprisingly excellent, Mark Ruffalo) for the first time between seasick heaves and chain smoking. They have been instructed to check out the disappearance of a patient/prisoner named Rachel, a psychotic mother who drowned her children and has apparently vanished. Teddy, a veteran of World War II, has a hidden agenda: he is looking for another patient, a man he thinks is responsible for the death of his wife, Dolores (Michelle Williams). I’m not going to say any more about the story but I am going to talk more about the cast. I don’t know how they managed to put together so many extraordinary actors known for their portrayals of creeps and psychos. Just for starters, there is Ted Levine - Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs and Jackie Earl Haley who plays a child molester in Little Children. In addition, we have John Carroll Lynch from the Zodiac and Elias Koteas who played the very scary, Edgar Reese in Fallen. And if that’s not enough, there is Max von Sydow, the Exorcist! He does “creepy” with very little effort. Shutter Island is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Clocking in at 138 minutes, it is simply too long. Ten to 15 minutes carved out of this film and it would be much better. The music is disturbingly loud at times and 'misplaced' (music should enhance without ever being a distraction). But it is well worth it for the not so unexpected but well executed twist, the stellar performances (Ben Kingsly is terrific as the benevolent doctor), dream sequences and spooky cinematography. And, my friends, right now, there is nothing new out there to see. If you have not seen: Crazy Heart, The Hurt Locker, Broken Embraces, The Single Man, The Young Victoria or Avatar, go see them first.

Movie Review: The Wolfman

Very disappointing. It’s never a good sign when a movies’ release date is postponed. The Wolfman was scheduled for release last Fall. Unfortunately, no matter how much re-shooting and re-editing was done, they could not save this movie. Riddled with problems; all the meddling simply made it very close to unwatchable. This blood and guts remake never elicits much more than a tiny little startle and it does it by using the oldest trick in the book; sudden loud noises. With all its savagery the director, Joe Johnson (Jurassic Park III, Hildalgo), never gets even close to the emotionally laden 1941, Lon Chaney Jr. production, which remains a favorite 7 decades later (absolutely no chance of that here). Interestingly enough, Benicio Tel Torro, an actor with significant talent (think Che, Traffic and 21 Grams), fails to bring any life to his portrayal of Lawrence Talbot: a man bitten and doomed to transform into a beast when the moon is full. Chaney, an actor with very limit ability, manages to impart the role with the anguish of a tortured soul; the point of this classic tale.
Talbot returns home after learning that his brother has disappeared. Once there, he meets up with his father, Sir John (Anthony Hopkins) and his brother's fiancée and soon to be love interest, Gwen (Emily Blunt). After discovering his brother has been murdered he heads out into the foggy moors to find the killer. It was adapted from Curt Soidmaks' original screenplay (1941). Revised by Andrew Walker (Sleepy Hollow, Seven) and David Self (Road to Perdition, Thirteen Days); they took what amounts to, unnecessary liberties with the hopes of bringing something more interesting to the story. By adding more they ended up with less. Thankfully, Blunt and Hugo Weaving (as the Scotland Yard detective) bring some energy to this otherwise very stale and lackluster remake. One stroke of genius by the producer: bringing Rick Baker, the fabulous makeup artist, on board. In 1981, Baker brought us the truly inspired movie-monster transformation in the unforgettable, An American Werewolf in London (none of us had ever seen anything like that before - a must see!). The Wolfman is not a computer generated image. Baker brings back the craft of make-up and physical effects creating a real living beast. When the camera was focused on the beast, I was moderately entertained. Wait for it to come out On Demand (if for no other reason than to watch the transformation) but in the meantime, try to see the original.

Movie Review: Broken Embraces

Broken Embraces (Los abrazos rotos), may be hard to follow for some, not because it’s subtitled but because of the wild, convoluted plot. It is worth every bit of extra effort to experience this truly unique and extraordinary film. Beautifully shot by Rodrigo Prieto (Brokeback Mountain), every frame is filled with eye-candy even when it’s not focused on Penelope Cruz, who, no matter how close the camera gets, is always a stunner. Credit must be given to Pedro Almodóvar (he also directed the incredible Volver), the writer/director for brilliantly getting this complex story effectively to the screen. Trust me, it’s not easy. Broken Embraces mingles comedy and the unsettling style of Hitchcock with the 1950’s approach to melodrama, ultimately creating a unique style all its own. The movie opens with Harry Cain (Lluis Homar), a blind writer - who use to be a sighted director - being escorted across the street by a beautiful woman. He effectively turns their encounter into a seduction. It’s a scene you will not soon forget. It would take all day and half the night for me to explain the plot. Let’s just say it is a movie about film and it is a film about love. It is powerful, funny, painful and rich. The truly remarkable screenplay moves easily back and forth through time; a tribute to the fine editing by Jose Salcedo. Cruz is outstanding in this complicated role, effectively playing three different women; she captures fierce jealousy like nobodies business. Really exceptional. The movie is not without its flaws. Not every question is answered, not everything is credible but quite frankly, only American audiences expect that in a movie. Broken Embraces doesn't quite reach the ranks of Volver, but it is still a must see for movie lovers (and lovers - the movie is an ode to passion). If you haven’t seen it, see it. It will work on a TV screen but it will be so much more enjoyable in a dark, quiet movie theater.

Movie Review: Dear John

Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, Dear John is so beyond formulaic, that anyone who has ever seen a romantic drama will figure out everything from the opening scene. Endless montages, beautiful faces, dreamy stares and a super thin plot will make you yearn for the credits. John Tyree (the very hunky model turned actor - Channing Tatum), a U.S. soldier, meets Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried - Mamma Mia) , a college student, while home on leave during spring break, 2001. It is love at first sight. John introduces her to his father (Richard Jenkins), an obsessed coin collector who’s suffering from, what appears to be, Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism. When the 9/11 tragedy takes place, John must go back to fight overseas and feels sad to be separated from the love of his life. He and Savannah promise one another that they will communicate through letters in order to keep their love alive. When John goes off to war; Savannah bonds with his autistic father. But after corresponding back and forth through many letters, she suddenly writes her very last letter simply stating that she has moved on with her life. Ugh! Ring a bell? This is what happens when you take sappy but moderately respectable source material and turn into an insipid screenplay. Even the young teenagers, who are the target audience for this movie, were laughing. Jamie Linden, (who wrote the screenplay for We Are Marshall - also not great), fails to bring any of these characters beyond a cliché. The one exception is John’s father (Jenkins). Time spent with him was the most enjoyable. Tender and sweet; we love this man. The film ends with every possible corny, mushy, contrived trick in the book to elicit tears. None of them work. And in case the director, Lasse Hallstrom (he did direct the fantastic, Cider House Rules), doesn’t know it, the audience can only handle so many montages before we start checking our watches. It runs for 1 hour and 45 minutes but feels much longer. Forget it. See The Notebook again if you’re hungry for Sparks’ material.