True Grit

Okay, let me first say that I did not see the first incarnation of Charles Portis' novel basically because I am not a John Wayne fan. I say that to say I have nothing to compare Jeff Bridges portrayal of Federal Marshal Rooster Cogburn to but in my opinion he did a pretty good job. It would have been better though had he put more time between this role and his Oscar award winning performance in "Crazy Heart" as Bad Blake. Bad and Rooster are pretty much the same character, drunken bafoons initially but finding redemption in the end so there wasn't much of a stretch for Jeff. That being said, Rooster is bad ass and Jeff plays him with some serious subtle nuances. Like how Rooster can go from being a scruffy drunken idiot one minute to cold blooded killer the next and everything in him changes. His stance changes, his glare changes, and his demeanor changes. It's impressive to watch.

Whats even more impressive than Jeff's portrayal though is the debut of Hailee Steinfeld playing the precocious and frighteningly intelligent Mattie Ross. This your lady definitely has the ability to have a great career because she can really act and she makes this movie all hers. Mattie is determined to find the man that killed her father and that's a difficult task for anyone but how Mattie goes about doing it is just flat out impressive and for a first time actor, Hailee was exceptional. She goes to collect her fathers body to bring him home, settle up his accounts, and to find his killer. For a fourteen year old girl she is hardly taken serious by anyone and in fact everyone tells her to go back home and be a good girl. To say Mattie is underestimated is putting it lightly but she forges on, gets her fathers accounts settled, hires the one federal marshal that everyone is seemingly scared of and agrees to set out in indian territory to find her man. Matt Damon shows up as Texas Ranger LeBoeuf (pronounced LaBeef which I found oddly funny) and plays it by the book and with all the hero stardom being a Texas Ranger comes with. He brings the humor to a movie that could have easily avoided it but it was welcomed. LeBoeuf is also chasing the same man Mattie is after because he shot a Senator in Texas and that makes things kind of sticky as far as the arrangements and agreements go. The banter that goes back and forth between Cogburn, Mattie, and LeBoeuf is sharp. If you know the Coen brothers past works to say the writing is well done and witty is like saying water is wet, it's a given.

The one man they are all after is Tom Chaney played by Josh Brolin and to say I was let down by Tom Chaney and the way it was played is legitimate. Maybe I need to read the book but in this movie they build Tom Chaney up to be the biggest villian this side of Jesse James and a bigger badass than Rooster. Even Texas Ranger LeBoeuf stated that taking Chaney is at least a two man job so you're looking forward to these men going to war when they eventually meet. It's a let down when you realize that Tom Chaney is a complete idiot and isn't even the leader of his gang. That falls to Barry Pepper (remember Barry Pepper?) who plays coincidentally Lucky Ned Pepper. Now Pepper and Cogburns clash was impressive but that's not what you wanted and what happens to Chaney is anticlimactic at best.

To me the best part of the film was the end when Rooster does all he can to save Mattie's life. You come to realize that he actually loves this little girl and would do anything for her. Somewhere along the way he and you the viewer realizes that she's actually the one with true grit. While I enjoyed the movie I think it's missing something in the story. The acting was great, the direction was competent, and the cinematography by Roger Deakins was in my opinion Oscar worthy but overall the film felt like something was off. Maybe I need to see it again or maybe it will always seem this way, I don't know but what truly disappointed me was the score. Carter Burwell who has worked with the Coen brothers before brings you a completely forgettable score which is regrettable considering the wonderful opportunity this movie genre brings to create something really moving and stirring, just ask Ennio Morricone.

Would I recommend this movie? I don't know. Let me see it again and then I'll let you know for sure. See you at the theater!

The Tourist

While watching Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp work their charming ways through the streets of Venice in "The Tourist" I couldn't help but be struck by the fact that this film was a nod to the past. This movie actually felt like it could have been a vehicle for Cary Grant and Grace Kelly because it had that look, that feel, and it even had that kind of story line. You could imagine Cary Grant sitting in the cell with the crazy prisoner and Grace Kelly piloting the getaway boat after rescuing Cary from impending doom. If director Florian Henckle von Donnersmarck did this on purpose then for a fledgling filmmaker directing just his second full length feature film, he is a very talented man.

The story centers around a man you never meet named Alexander Pearce who you come to realize has stolen an ungodly amount of money from a ruthless gangster. Remember Victor Maitland from "Beverly Hills Cop"? Yes, Steven Berkoff is still acting and is still as intimidating on screen as he ever was playing Reginald Shaw, the gangster that will stop at nothing to get his money back from his once personal banker Pearce. Shaw however isn't the only one after Pearce, Interpol's Financial Crimes Unit is also hot on his tail and heading up this motely crew is Inspector John Acheson played by Paul Bettany. He has his keystone cops trailing Elise Clifton-Ward played by the incomparably beautiful Angelina Jolie in the hopes that she will lead them to Alexender. The man she is hopelessly in love with. Sounds like Grace, right?

To throw everyone off the scent Elise connects with tourist Frank Tupelo played by Depp on a train to Venice. A math professor from Wisconsin who is in Europe to get over the loss of his deceased wife Depp at first appears to be miscast. He looks uncomfortable and seems like he's more at home playing Captain Jack Sparrow then he is playing the straight and narrow Frank. Sitting on the train, minding his own business and reading his spy novel he encounters Elise and that's when things start to really cook. Sounds like something Cary could have pulled off perfectly.

Elise, under the surveillance of both the good guys and the bad guys gets Frank who everyone now thinks is Pearce so far in over his head that she begins to actually feel sorry for doing this to him. Frank, much like any man begins to fall head over heels in love with Elise that he refuses to leave and go back to Wisconsin. All the while, one of my favorite actors, Rufus Sewell who can play both the nicest of nice guys and the baddest of bad guys keeps popping up and dropping off letters of instruction for Elise from Pearce. Now Elise and everyone else is in their element except Frank. Frank is the classic fish out of water character and doing his best to survive and his phone call to the concierge at the front desk of his hotel and subsequesnt rooftop run in his pajamas to escape the gangsters henchmen is hilarious.

Scored by the very talented James Newton Howard, the music is lush, moving, and very 1950's feeling at times which again is perfect for this movie. Angelina and Depp are dressed in clothes that could have come out of that time period easily so in my opinion this movie was a throwback. A nod to those movies that are rarely made anymore these days. It's funny, charming, and the perfect movie to see after see Tron :-) I recommend it and I'll see you at the theater.

TRON: Legacy

To call TRON: Legacy visually arresting would be like calling the Grand Canyon a mere hole in the ground. It's so much more than that. Now I will admit that I was nervous going in for a few reasons. One was the limited color scheme that appeared everywhere in the commercials and trailers for the movie. Second was every commercial and trailer I saw made the film look cornier and lamer. Add to that this film being directed by a first time director and admittedly my expectations going into the movie were pretty low. I am happy to say that even if they were high, Legacy would have met or surpassed them. The only real thing I did have high hopes for was hearing how the music created by Daft Punk was going to be used and for first time film scorers they did an epic job.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Legacy is a story about Kevin Flynn's son Sam being digitized and sucked into the same mainframe his father was some twenty years ago. The story line this time around much like the first one required you to suspend all rational thinking and just enjoy the ride. For those that didn't, they will pick apart this movie until they can't see straight and there is a lot they can pick at. For those that sat back and did indeed enjoy the ride, to say that they saw a highly entertaining movie would again be like calling the Grand Canyon just a hole in the ground. Kevin Flynn is again played by the Oscar award winning actor Jeff Bridges, his son Sam is played by Garrett Hedlund, and the female lead Quorra is played by Olivia Wilde fresh off her turn as Dr Remy Hadley from "House".

In my opinion the story line could have used some serious tweaking, tightening, or even a few more rewrites but i'm letting that go. This movie catches you up on what's been happening on "the grid" since the first movie and why Kevin Flynn never returned home. When Kevins old business partner Alan Bradley played by Bruce Boxleitner get's a page on his pager (yes his pager) from Kevins old number he reports this news to the hard headed, truculent, and rebellious/slacker Sam. Sam decides to go check it out and activates the same computer that got his father. Once Sam is there Kosinski wastes no time giving audiences what they've been waiting for. The disc wars and light bikes action sequences are a blast and absolutely breathtaking.

The special effects and CG work is exceptional and that even goes for making Jeff Bridges look twenty years younger in both the real world and on "the grid" in his evil alter eog known as "CLU". Much in the way they made Brad Pitt appear to age backwards in "Benjamin Button" the same was done with Jeff. It didn't always look natural but it sufficed. Remember, just go with it. Sam once reunited with his father wants to get him back home but CLU has other ideas and so the drama ensues.

TRON: Legacy will undoubtedly do better at the box office than it's predecessor ever could have hoped to do. It's a cinematic feast for the eyes and one hell of a wild ride. Can't forget the ears too thanks to Daft Punk. I recommend this movie if you want a good time and I highly recommend it in IMAX if you want a kick ass time.

See you at the theater!

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

I have to admit that I was really looking forward to this particular Harry Potter film, well the first part of it anyway because in my opinion "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows" was the best book of the series. Now granted I didn't read all the books and I'll be the first to say that I am not a fan of Rowlings writing but I did catch all the movies (for the most part). This film wasn't my favorite out of the series, that dubious distinction goes to "The Prisoner of Azkuban" because I felt that was the most creative of all the films but when watching "Hallows", everything I remembered from the book was right up there on the screen and that made this movie the best representation of a book to film adaption since The Lord of the Ring movies.

The one thing I did like about the Potter movies is that they weren't all helmed by the same director. The first two were directed by Christopher Columbus and my fave was directed by Alfonso Cauron and that gave each film its own look, feel, and flavor. However that last few films have been helmed by David Yates and while he's done an admirable job, "Hallows" may be his best work. That also goes for the acting of Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. The child actors have finally come into their own and it seems have finally grasped the concept that their performances will last forever. That to the fans of the books their representation of the characters they love truly matters. And that was brought to vivid life during the death of a beloved character.

The previous Potter film and this one pretty much had no change in the staff behind the camera except one huge one. The last two movies were scored by the lesser known Nicholas Hooper and he's done a pretty good job in scoring the movies. It's never an easy task following in the footsteps of the great John Williams but Nicholas did well. This time around however the producers brought in a real heavy hitter to close out the series musically, Alexandre Desplat. It was a very good choice. The movie is dark and dramatic and the music by Desplat fit perfectly. His sound has a darker, heavier feel than anything Hooper has done in the series and since these last two films deals with a war pitting good against evil they needed an artist that could convey that musically and since John and Hans were busy, Alexandre fit the bill and came through brilliantly.

I am really looking forward to part two and seeing how Yates and company pulls this all together. Here's hoping it brings unbridled joy and not disappointment to those lifelong fans around the world. See you at the theater!

the social network

Going in I want to say I heard mixed reviews about “the social network” but as I told those who had trepidations, I would see a movie about the birth of the minivan if David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin were involved so there was no way I was missing this movie. David Fincher is one my favorite directors with a collection of movies under his belt that I marveled at, especially his last one “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. And as a writer myself I love the talents of Aaron Sorkin. His writing is crisp, clean, and littered with humor and irony so when I heard about this project that had these two towering talents involved, I was eager to see it mixed reviews be damned. I’m glad I did because this movie was awesome and those that know me know I don’t use that word much because I hate it. I think it’s overused and has been abused by the burnt out, surfer, pot heads of the word (think Bill & Ted) but in this case the word fits perfectly. It’s awe inspiring and will have you thinking on it for days afterwards much the way “Inception” did. It’s a “talkie” but it’s talking about the one thing we all use pretty much on a daily basis, the phenomenon that is “facebook”.

Based on the book “The Accidental Billionaire” “the social network" tells the story of the origins of facebook from three differing points of view. Those different points of views are told in depositions from those suing Mark Zuckerberg, the man who founded facebook by those he burned along the way. Zuckerberg is played brilliantly by Jessie Eisenberg who gives you the impression that Zuckerberg had a case of Aspergers Syndrome when all this went down. Zuckerberg gets sued by his one and only best friend and initial investor Eduardo Saverin played by Andrew Garfield as well as the Winklevoss twins played by Armie Hammer and their business partner Divya Narendra played my Max Minghella. They initially came up with the foundation of the idea that is facebook.

Zuckerberg comes off as a pompous asshole but you see that this part of his personality all stems from rampant jealousy and insecurity. Zuckerberg so wants to be part of the in crowd and so wants to be cool that he allows Sean Parker the inventor of Napster, played surprisingly well by Justin Timberlake to worm his way in on the ground floor before facebook really takes off. Zuckerberg sees Parker as a God and like Pavlov's dog gives into Parkers wishes and so called guidance without thinking for himself which destroys his friendship with Eduardo Saverin.

The movie starts off with Zuckerberg getting dumped by his then girlfriend Erica Albright and this sets him off. He goes back to his dorm, starts to drink, starts to blog, badmouths Erica and creates a site called "facemash" where Harvard male students can vote on who the hotter girl is in their pics that are side by side. Eduardo makes it into the Phoenix Club and that incites Zuckerbergs jealousy since all he ever really wanted was to be a part of one of Harvards exclusive Final Clubs and it's these two incidents that eat at the core of Mark Zuckerberg or so the movie wants you to think.

Fincher's direction is brilliant. The cinematography by Jeff Cronenweth is dark but the acting is bright and the dialogue is the real star of this movie. The biggest surprise for me though was the score. It was a collaborative effort between Atticus Ross who did the music of the disappointing "Book of Eli" and Trent Reznor, the mad genius behind Nine Inch Nails. The music is pitch perfect and fits the mood nicely. I highly recommend seeing this film, espcially if you are a facebook user (which is exactly where this blog entry will be posted, how's that for irony?). I know I'm seeing it again so....

See you at the theater.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

I just want to start this off by saying I think Oliver Stone is a brilliant filmmaker. I have been a fan of his since Platoon. I walked out of the movie physically exhausted and mentally drained and films/movies should have that effect on it's audience. If you don't walk out somewhat changed, however slightly then what was the point? He's helmed some of the most impactful films in the last twenty years. He's taken you to places that you would have never seen and he's never missed the chance to show the world something tragic and/or new, or move you in some way. Except now.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps did not need to be made. I thought going in it was going to be relevant and impactful. That it would show those who don't really know what a hedge fund is or a derivative is and how the banks did their dirt and almost ruined the economy. I thought going in he would show perhaps both sides of the coin, show you the greed, opulence, and decadence of the wealthy and unscrupulous bankers and how that greed impacts the little man who can't seem to find a job or pay the bills. Instead all Oliver gives us is the Shia LaBeouf vanity project.

Don't get me wrong, this is an entertaining movie most of the time and it even made me laugh out loud when Charlie Sheen reprising his role of Budd Foxx came on the screen but it didn't move me and Oliver got bit with the Scorsese bug. So many of the same faces you've seen in Olivers films over the years find their way into this one, hence Charlie Sheen. For the most part though it's all Shia all the time. Just when you thought you couldn't get anymore of the kid thanks to the Transformer movies here he is in almost every shot. Not that he's not charming when he's going line for line with the likes of Frank Langella, Josh Brolin, Michael Douglas, and Susan Sarandon who plays his mother but this project seems to be all about making Shia a household name.

The story follows Shia's character Jake Moore as he works his way through the financial industry as the protege to FrankLangella's cahracter Louis Zabel. There's a nice real father son type relationship between the two men and when Zabel's firm starts hitting on hard times thanks to some foul rumors started by Josh Brolin's character, the impressively name Bretton James. It ruins Zabel and his firm and he decides the best way to handle things is to have a big of chips and then catch some subway poisoning. All the while Gordon Gekko get's released from prison and publishes a book asking the question "Is Greed Good?". He seems all contrite and well meaning and Jake who is dating Gekko's daughter get's sucked in by the man who seems to be saying all the right things and seems like he really wants to reconcile with his daughter who doesn't like and doesn't trust her father. Gekko subtly convinces Jake to go after Bretton and do what the old Gekko would do. Jake didn't need much of a push and the two men form some twisted Batman and Robin. There was never a case though of Batman destroying Robin that I know of.

Gekko was and is a shark and Jake eventually gets bit by the shark and his life falls apart. What makes no sense though is Jake getting this kind of treatment. Granted, he trusts Gekko when he shouldn't but really he's just a nice guy. He's nowhere as ambitious as Budd Foxx was which is what Budd in hot water. Jake just wants to love his fiance and bring father and daughter together and for that he pays the ultimate price. But then Oliver Stone makes a huge mistake in my opinion and goes for the heartwarming ending which is really hard to swallow.

It's a beautiful movie to look at and the clothes, wow! The wardrobe is really impressive and the preformances are as well. The cinematography captures the beauty of New York City nicely (it's really pretty to look at), the music is weak and virtually nonexistent, and the story has gaping holes. The movie does entertain however, it just won't move you.

See you at the theater.

The Town

To say I was excited to hear about Ben Affleck's movie entitled "The Town" is an understatement. After thoroughly enjoying his directoral debut "Gone Baby Gone" I couldn't wait to see his new work and I am happy to say "The Town" did not disappoint. I thought "Inception" had a lock on movie of the year but I feel it suddenly has some serious competition. I had high hopes for this movie going in and it not only met them, it surpassed them. I know, who would have thought it?

"The Town" has an amazing cast starting with the enigmatic Jeremy Renner who fresh off his role in the Oscar award winning film "The Hurt Locker" (the movie that won me my very first Oscar wager by the way) brings a menacing presence to this movie in a way that would make you look at your best friends differently. Playing James Coughlin, Renner is all hot head and danger rolled up in one with such a twisted sense of loyalty that he's not only deadly to complete strangers but to those he loves as well. Affleck plays his best friend Doug MacRay and together with Slaine playing Albert Magloan and newcomer Owen Burke playing Desmond Elmond they are an unforgiving and well organized band of theives from Charlestown, Mass. They take down everything from armored trucks to banks and it's a bank job where Affleck's MacRay meets Claire Keesey played by Rebecca Hall and things really get complicated.

Rounding out the cast is Jon Hamm from "Mad Men" and he plays the FBI agent charged with bringing MacRay and his team to justice. Then there's Blake Lively, the amazing Peter Postlewaite and Chris Cooper, as well as the underrated Titus Welliver who plays Jon Hamm's partner. To call this a powerhouse cast is to be putting it mildly and Affleck does one hell of a job getting the best out of each of them. He definitely knows what he's doing behind the camera.

This film has everything you could possibly want for your dollar. Gripping drama, unresolved father/son issues, a love story, and even a car chase William Friedkin, the director of the testosterone fueled "To Live and Die in L.A." would be proud of. The only issues I have with the film are the constant closeups of the actors (you could practically count each facial hair and tooth sometimes) and the music, it's forgettable. Outside of those to glitches, this picture shines and if you ever wanted to get an inside tour of Fenway Park then definitely see this film.

Ben Affleck, director....who knew?

See you at the movies!