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Film Review: The Nature of Heroism and "Zero Dark Thirty"
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Tuesday, 08 January 2013 09:56
- Written by Matt Oakes
Zero Dark Thirty
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Starring Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Mark Strong, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt
Based on the real life exploits that led to the location and assassination of Bin Laden, Zero Dark Thirty presents intelligence as a process of patience rife with moral ambiguities.
We’re introduced to our protagonist Maya, played here by Jessica Chastain, by way of a Guantanamo-esque torture sequence which happens to be her inaugural assignment after arriving fresh-faced to Pakistan. What plays out subverts our expectations of Bush/Cheney era torture tactics.
It’s less of Jack Bauer-fueled “Where is the bomb?” stylings and more a drawn-out game of carrot-and-stick lead by an outwardly bipolar interrogator, played by Jason Clarke, performing the role of both the good and bad cop but the result is equally, if not more, distressing.
This is a harsh reality where humanity is chiseled away. Like Chastain’s Maya, we know we can look away from the water-boardings taking place in front of us but that know we need to watch.
Many have pointed fingers at director Katheryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and screenwriter Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) for legitimizing the use of torture but these accusations are a little more than fuzzy.
While these factual accounts may raise an opportunity to debate American intelligence gathering techniques, to accuse Bigelow of supporting torture is analogous to accusing Coppola of aggrandizing gangster vengeance or Spielberg of reveling in dino mass murder.
A documentarian should not be held accountable for the views and mannerisms of their subjects as Bigelow should not be for hers. Her task her is to present a true story in an interesting manner- to play mediator between art and reality. In that capacity, she has exceeded herself.
But let us delve further into the film itself. Zero Dark Thirty is a slow-moving train with a foregone conclusion but the strength of the film lies in the amplification of our emotional investment which, for the most part, delivers.
The story at the center is truly miraculous and one that needed to be told. In essence, it’s the tale of a modern unsung American heroine who pursued her convictions to the point of disrepute and chastisement.
Losing nearly everything along the way, Maya is a woman on a mission- a mission to kill the most high profile terrorist to ever live. But don’t expect this mission to involve shadowy espionage and state-of-the-art gadgetry as most of it plays out in a cubicle. This is realism 101.
It’s hardly a spoiler to say that her goal is eventually executed but don’t expect a “Mission Accomplished” banner. No, it’s a deeper film than that- a film that explores the consequences of obsession and the nature of patience, the burying of grief and the pain of success. Lacking are the tattered flags, melodramatic victory speeches and hoorahs of pro-Americano filmmakers like Michael Bay, replaced by a more forward looking message of “where do we go from here?”
To think that this film was originally constructed without the eventual tagging of Osama Bin Laden is shocking. I truly cannot imagine this film without that cathartic pinnacle. It’s a testament to Bigelow’s talent that she could even conceive of this film prior to his eventual take down but also points to some of the film's flaws.
While it’s hard to pinpoint Bigelow’s intent, much of the film is a series of knitted together factoids-- little vignettes that play into the overarching mission but often do little to gain much traction towards that goal. This plodding storytelling makes some moments seem inconsequential and burden the film making it at times yawnable.
Having said that, the perceived boringness does play into the central message of intelligence and heroism as patience. So is Bigelow in effect challenging the audience to undertake this same patience to prove a point about heroism? We can only wonder.
To some, Zero Dark Thirty may overindulge in its 157 minute run time, but to call the end product unfulfilling is to misunderstand the journey. This is not a ragtag, shoot-em-up, tag ‘em and bag ‘em, round up a posse, rara America scenario. This is carefully constructed, meticulously plotted realism. It’s a procedural in both product and process and the end result is a modern history lesson that sneaks an age old adage about the notion of heroism.
Movie Review: "Les Miserables" Is an Uneven Time Consumer
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Saturday, 29 December 2012 14:22
- Written by Matt Oakes
"Les Misérables"
Directed by Tom Hooper
Starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Samantha Barks
Tom Hooper's all singing, all dancing Les Misérables is in a word: long. Based on the musical of the same name by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, which was adapted in turn from Victor Hugo's 1862 novel, this massively scaled production features a whopping 49 musical numbers that fill the entirety of the film's 160 minute runtime.
Les Misérables charts the 33 year transformation of Jean Valjean from convict to factory owner to adoptive parent as he runs from the shadow of his former self and uptight lawman, Inspector Javert, in search of redemption.
Hooper experimented with the novel idea of recording all the songs "live." Instead of going the traditional route of pre-recording songs in a studio and lip-singing along for the feature, all of the songs were belted out in front of the camera and used for final cut. This unique approach to the feature film is surely original and allows the actors an unbound freedom to emote in the moment but the end result is extremely uneven.
The film starts strong with some outstanding acting and powerful musical numbers but immediately illuminates an obvious fact: some of the performers pipes aren't quite up to snuff.
From the opening number, "Look Down," the vocal capacity of Hugh Jackman seems limited. Although he's no stranger to musical theater- he won a Tony for "The Boy from Oz" in 2004- he just doesn't possess the power and intensity to fit the bill of the trumpeting ballads of Jean Valjean. Don't get me wrong, Jackman is a terrific actor and has a palpable intensity burning behind his eyes but he's just not a terrific singer and that's all this film is about.
Most insulting however is Jackman's unorthodox handling of the revered tunes he's handling. It's one thing to adjust a piece of music in order to make it seem more natural and suiting for the silver screen but he so drastically alters the melodies and time signatures that few of the pieces he performs actually feel like songs. To call it butchery isn't a far stretch.
Another questionable bit of casting is Russell Crowe who fills the shoes of the least empathic law officer alive- Inspector Javert. Crowe again is a top notch thespian but his singing capabilities failed to impress. He didn't go out of a ten note range and everything from him sounded flat and spark-less. For a character written with a drastic arc, he just wasn't very compelling and I felt little to nothing towards him for the entirety of the film.
On the other end of the spectrum is the stirring Anne Hathaway. It's no wonder why the trailer for the film features Hathaway's powerful rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" as it is both the emotional and musical climax of the entire film. She jolts life and chills into the number with an intoxicating finesse and has all but solidified her position as front runner for Best Supporting Actress.
However once her little ditty is over, no other piece of acting or singing ever quite reaches those highs again…and this is only thirty or so minutes in.
Entering it's second act, the film begins to drag on and by the final act it's running on fumes. Jackman's acting with the eyes technique grows tiresome and his apparent lack of musical timing becomes more and more egregious especially in light of Hathaway's triumph.
The final 100 minutes is rounded out by a number of supporting cast that are equally hit or miss.
Amanda Siegfried, who plays Valjean's adopted daughter Cosette, suffers from an egregious case of Snow White syndrome, peddling a grating soprano that wears thin in her mere introductory moments. Her lover counterpart Marius, played by Eddie Redmayne, however offers a moving performance and actually does his tunes justice as does his secret admirer, Eponine (Samantha Barks.)
The consistent saving grace of the film though is the delightful pairing of Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as a duo of slimy innkeepers turned sewer rats. Although their singing isn't top notch by any standard, they never were expected to be and they crank up the comic relief, offering it up in generous heaps.
What it all boils down to is a picture without a man at the reins. Hooper quite obviously had massive aspirations but I can't help but feel that they got away from him time and time again. If you're executing a strictly musical adaptation of a widely known piece go with actors who can kill it in the vocal department. Crowe and Jackman were quite obviously miscast as the leading men and largely lack the chill factor that makes these musicals actually work. Everything is cracked up to 11 but there is the no backbone tying everything together.
Ultimately, Tom Hooper's experimental Les Misérables is a jigsaw of performances with no central momentum that is both exhaustive and exhausting.
December '12 Digital Week V
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Saturday, 29 December 2012 05:00
- Written by Kevin Filipski
The cast is game—especially Meaghan Rath as the ghost Sally—but the material isn’t original enough or given decent enough twists to make one willing to stay with it over the long haul. The hi-def image looks excellent; extras include an hour-long making-of featurette, a 45-minute Comic Con conference and interviews.
But he fails miserably: what DeLillo describes on the page looks ridiculous literalized onscreen; the metaphor-symbolism-allegory of a young Manhattan exec in a limousine has no dramatic impetus. Lead Robert Pattinson is dull, while Juliette Binoche and Samantha Morton are reduced to ciphers in short scenes that must encompass whole characters. The Blu-ray image is good; extras comprise interviews and a making-of documentary.
Anyone under 13 will definitely have fun; their parents might also remain interested, thanks to talented young Zachary Gordon and his canine friend. The hi-def image is good; extras include a director commentary, animated Class Clown, featurette, gag reel.
The storylines stretch credulity, a cancer for most television series—ah, for the good old boring shows of yesteryear!—but a good cast and precisely rendered atmosphere make it worthwhile viewing. The Blu-ray image looks tremendous; extras include commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, interviews and outtakes.
This self-indulgent character study boasts the lovely presence of Elizabeth Olsen as a level-headed college student who messes up an older teacher’s head, but since Radnor plays the teacher so whiningly, it’s hard to see why she likes him. Nicely turned support from Richard Jenkins and Allison Janney is also too little to help. The Blu-ray image is good; extras include a commentary, deleted scenes and short promo.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt and Jeff Daniels can’t do much with their flimsy roles, and the special effects are as random as the scattershot script and end up ineffective. The Blu-ray image looks great; extras include a commentary, deleted scenes and featurettes.
Milla Jovovich has an intense physical presence, but she has literally nothing interesting to do. The Blu-ray image looks terrific; extras include commentaries, deleted/extended scenes, gag reel and featurettes.
This might have been funny or insightful if the leading man was interesting; Birbiglia is the exact opposite. The Blu-ray image looks pretty good; extras include Birbiglia and Glass’ commentary and Q&A, outtakes, featurettes, interviews.
How parents respond to the loss of children due to war or social disgrace is marvelously dramatized by Auteuil with appropriate understatement, particularly in his own performance; Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, as the title character sublimely blends teenage naïveté and mature womanliness. The Blu-ray image superbly displays the luscious Provencal visuals.
Literally: Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana are one couple, Olivia Wilde is on hand and exquisite newcomer Nora Arnezeder is a most ravishing Frenchwoman. The Blu-ray image looks fine; extras include brief featurettes.
For those so inclined, there’s even a bit of hardcore sex, which probably makes this a rarity in mainstream Indian cinema. Extras include a making-of featurette.
After an hour or so of chronicling everyday existence—which includes ubiquitous August music festivals—the movie switches gears, as Gomes and his producer enter to steer the real-life people into a fictional plot. It sounds better than it plays; extras include several Gomes short films and a making-of featurette.
This shallow character study follows Morris Bliss—get the title?—a 30-ish loser who still lives with his father while messing around with a former classmate’s 18-year-old daughter: when a married neighbor comes onto him, things start to really go awry.
As usual in this kind of film, the characters are less real than quirky—isn’t anyone ordinary any more? Brie Larson is a bright light as the precocious teen, but Michael C. Hall does indifference too indifferently. Extras include a Hall interview and deleted scenes.
Movie Review: 'Django Unchained' is a Nasty, Blood-Splattered Masterpiece
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Friday, 28 December 2012 06:51
- Written by Matt Oakes
Django Unchained
Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L Jackson, Kerry Washington, Walton Goggins
Quentin Tarantino tactfully draws back the shade on the dark underbelly of America's great shame- slavery- and the result isn't easy to swallow. Django Unchained is an ugly, gruesome, ruthless film...and I loved every second of it.
The uncharacteristically chronological narrative follows the journey of ex-slave Django (Jamie Foxx) and his bounty hunting liberator (Christopher Waltz) as they attempt to free Django's wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from twisted plantation owner and mandingo curator Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio.)
This splatterfest symphony has all the earmarks of a Tarantino film- flashy superimposed text, snappy dialogue, terse banter, larger than life characters and an emotional revenge narrative- but it uses the backdrop of the slave-ridden south to expose the nastiness of our nations past. The sad truth- this is pulp fact, not fiction.
While we can conjecture about the historical accuracy of the film, it's probably all more true than we'd like to admit. Tarantino sweeps the most unpalatable of human nature from under the rug and into our faces and we can't help but watch paralyzed and hopefully take something away from it. In an interesting juxtaposition to this years similarly-themed Lincoln, Django may not be the history lesson we want but it's probably the one we deserve.
Without the vast talent of its cast, Django may have fallen flat and lost its emotional oomph. Thankfully, every performer in this sprawling epic places their definitive stamp on their varied roles with great success.
Waltz is easily the highlight, not only of this film but of the entire year, as he chews up the scenes with masterful gusto. He has a mysterious way of making you listen to his each and every word, perfectly slung like the sweet-talking gunfighter he is. Waltz is the ideal vessel for Tarantino's trademark dialogue and their pairing is a perfect marriage we can hope to see prosper for many years to come.
Foxx plays the titular Django with swagger and style. He's a no-frills badass with a crystal clear motive and he executes his worthy mission with trigger-happy snark.
In a career first, DiCaprio assumes the role of the villain and is downright venomous. A highlight of the film involves him and Waltz in a confrontation about a handshake that will be sure to leave you shaken and wowed.
And last but not least is Samuel L. Jackson, who hasn't been this good since his unforgettable turn as Jules in Tarantino's sophomore phenomenon- Pulp Fiction. This nasty-hearted head house-slave may not be spouting Ezekiel but his conniving ways are equally malicious and chill-inducing.
As should be expected, there are moments where Tarantino is overindulgent- I could have used about five minutes of riding horses through various landscapes and a couple unfitting musical numbers edited out- but it's all a part of a great and sprawling film that's not only highly stylized but injected with a urgent sense of purpose. Plus, has gangster rap ever been better in a feature film?
While it's not for the faint of heart- be prepared for torrents of blood and no short measure of the "n-word"- Django Unchained is that rare masterpiece that will have you laughing out loud one moment and in jaw-dangling horror the next.
All the performers involved are hitting their mark with pitch perfect bravado and Tarantino once again proves that he's the king of cinema.
