Review: "Stone"

Stone advertises itself as a thriller, but it falls very short of being thrilling. Robert De Niro continues his streak of poor career choices and along, with Little Fockers, many have wondered if this downward trajectory will taint his legacy. This is the same actor that owned the screen in The Godfather, Part II (1974), Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980). The major problem with Stone is that the screenplay is so poorly conceived that the characters and their choices seem ludicrous. This is the same screenwriter, Angus MacLachlan, who wrote the criminally underrated Junebug (2005). Having said that, De Niro brings nothing to the film and even model-turned-action star Milla Jovovich outclasses him. Edward Norton, who has never quite matched the success of his earlier films (Primal Fear (1996) and American History X (1998)), brings the most energy to the film, but his character is still far too one-dimensional. The only character worthy of any empathy is played by Frances Conroy, and her name is not even on the poster. There is no unity or cohesion to the story. The film has a great opening sequence but is never able to match that energy. There are so many plot holes and a great lack of emotional structure in John Curran's film. Stone does have a somewhat interesting premise but the weak screenplay and uninspired acting make it one of the most forgettable films of 2010.

The film begins with a look at a young couple and their young daughter. The wife announces that she is leaving, fed up with her husband's behaviour. He rushes upstairs to their daughter's bedroom and threatens to throw the child out the window if his wife leaves. This man is Jack Mabry (De Niro) and he is still married to Madylyn (Conroy). Jack is a parole officer nearing retirement and his last assignment is to review the case of Gerald 'Stone' Creeson (Norton). Stone has been in prison for eight years for setting a fire to cover up his grandparents' murder. He is a tough and vulgar man who resents having to talk to Jack about his life. Stone speaks excessively about his wife Lucettta's (Jovovich) sexual appetite. At first Stone is reluctant to give Jack any reason to believe he has reformed and does not seem too interested in early release. Lucetta, with her husband's blessing, attempts to use her sexual prowess to seduce Jack. The two begin an affair and Lucetta starts calling him at home, speaking to Madylyn, and even showing up at his door. Meanwhile, Stone tells Jack that he has found faith, adopting a religion called Zukangor.

There is hardly anything redeeming about Stone. It is one of the least thrilling films I have ever seen. The religious undertones of the script are very forced. Jack is a very religious man and attends his Episcopalian church regularly. Angus MacLachlan's script tries to contrast right and wrong and sin and redemption, but along with John Curran's poor direction and the unimaginative performances, Stone is just a terrible mess. The film's website goes as far as to Milla Jovovich's performance startlingly raw. Unfortunately, she is required to do nothing except use her beauty to seduce an older man. I have never seen Robert De Niro give a weaker performance and it is hard to say whether Edward Norton is giving a great performance or if he just appears strong by comparison. The only element of Stone that I appreciated was the tension between Jack and Madylyn, which was mostly built at the beginning of the film (with performances from Enver Gjokaj and Pepper Binkley). Frances Conroy is such a terrific actress that I yearned for her character to be given more emotional depth. The entire screenplay would have to be reworked and the major roles recast for Stone to even have a chance at being a decent film.

My rating: 1 star out of 4.

Review: "True Grit"

Joel and Ethan Coen have achieved great success with their unique blend of comedy and drama. While True Grit is as well made and impeccably acted as one would expect from a Coen brothers film, it is a far cry from their usual efforts. They have adapted Charles Portis' 1968 novel and have stated their intention was to stay truer to the source material than the 1969 adaptation that starred John Wayne. For that reason, True Grit does not have the wicked dark humour one might expect. The Coens won four Academy Awards for No Country For Old Men (2007), a unique adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel that was full of the Coen brother's brand of humour. It is refreshing to see them tackle another adaptation without forcing their style. The Coens are no stranger to the western genre, as No Country For Old Men is considered an urban western, but to remake a film that won Western legend John Wayne his only Oscar could be viewed as a risk. Jeff Bridges does a great job creating his own Rooster Cogburn, but the real star of the film is Hailee Steinfeld, who is a revelation as the brash fourteen year old Mattie Ross. This is a compelling story about a young girl's attempt to avenge her father's death, and though True Grit lacks the traditional wry wit of the Coen brothers previous films, it is nonetheless an expertly made film with terrific performances from Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and the undeniably brilliant Hailee Steinfeld.

Mattie Ross (Steinfeld) has traveled from her home in Yell County, Arkansas to Fort Smith to accompany the body of her dead father home. Her father had gone to Fort Smith to buy horses and was killed by one of his hired hands, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Mattie takes it upon herself to hire a U.S. Marshall to track Chaney into the Indian Territory. She is given three recommendations but ultimately chooses to conduct business with Rooster Cogburn (Bridges), as he is the most merciless. He repeatedly rejects her offers to hire him and is less interested when she insists on joining him. While staying at a boarding house in Fort Smith, Mattie encounters LaBoeuf (Damon), a Texas Ranger who has been tracking Chaney for months. LaBoeuf believes it would be best for him to team up with Cogburn because Cogburn knows the territory and LaBoeuf knows Chaney's habits. The two men try to head off without Mattie, but the young girl is incorrigible and forces her way back into the mix. After a disagreement LaBoeuf heads off on his own, leaving Cogburn and Mattie to track Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper), an outlaw gang with whom Chaney is believed to be riding. They end up at a shack and plan to ambush the gang when they return. LaBoeuf, arriving at the shack ahead of the gang, is injured in the ensuing shootout and he has another disagreement with Cogburn and they part ways again. The following morning Mattie encounters Chaney by the river and her gun misfires and Chaney drags her off to join his gang. Pepper forces Cogburn to retreat, leaving Mattie in the hands of her father's killer.

While True Grit does not have the trademark quirky style of the Coen brothers, it is a great Western with great performances from its main cast. Jeff Bridges, who crafted his most iconic character in the Coens' The Big Lebowski (1997), has great subtly in his characterization of Rooster Cogburn. He is a great actor who manages to make every character multidimensional. I was pleasantly surprised by Matt Damon who uses his natural arrogance to great as LaBoeuf. The Coen brothers gave Hailee Steinfeld, who only just turned fourteen, a lot of trust and confidence. She has such a natural charm and charisma that her insolent character is still sympathetic. Westerns have become considerably less popular in the past decade and though the Coens have done nothing to reinvent the style, they have demonstrated an ability to work outside of their comfort zone. True Grit may not be the Coens best film or the greatest embodiment of their style, but Joel and Ethan Coen have used their great skills at writing, directing and editing to craft one of the best modern attempts at the Western genre.

My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4.

Review: "Somewhere"

Sofia Coppola's Somewhere may be the film that surprised me most this year. The trailer reveals nothing except a man and his relationship with his daughter and I assumed that the film would delve much deeper into the characters and their relationship. I was wrong, the film is decidedly simple in its delivery. Yet while Somewhere features limited dialogue and long shots of an introspective Stephen Dorff, the film has an extraordinary emotional profundity. Some had made comparisons between Somewhere and Coppola's most successful film, Lost in Translation (2003), but I felt a stronger connection to her first film, The Virgin Suicides (1999), because of the emotional complexities. Sofia Coppola has tried with great success to find her own distinct cinematic voice without drawing comparisons to her father, whose Godfather trilogy is amongst the most revered films in American cinema. She has demonstrated a great gift for exploring characters and their emotional dilemmas. Somewhere is a film about a famous actor who has grown tired of his vacuous life. A transformation begins when his daughter arrives for an extended visit. So much of the film hinges on Stephen Dorff's facial expressions and the way Sofia Coppola's camera lingers on him. Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning thrive in roles that allow them to act from the inside out. Somewhere is a richly complex and beautifully shot film that flows with a melodic rhythm that left me spellbound.

Johnny Marco (Dorff) is a successful actor who lives at the Chateau Marmont, a hotel in West Hollywood known for its privacy and celebrities. He has few responsibilities. He spends his time driving around in his Ferrari and hiring two blond women to perform pole dances in his room. The film focuses a great deal on Stephen Dorff's eyes and his inner turmoil. He is unhappy, yet there is little evidence of drug or alcohol addiction. He uses women to numb the monotony. He has an eleven year old daughter Cleo (Fanning) from a failed marriage. Johnny has been a presence in Cleo's life but the two have never had a relationship. He takes her to a figure skating practice and has no idea she has been doing it for three years. Johnny is then informed that Cleo's mother is going on an extended trip. She wants him to make sure Cleo gets to summer camp. The problem is that Johnny has a commitment in Milan before Cleo is due at camp. The trip to Italy is a turning point for Johnny and his relationship with his daughter. This is when he must decide whether he wants to continue to drift along in life or if he is ready to make some major changes.

Somewhere premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September and won the prestigious Golden Lion amid much controversy. The head of the jury, Quentin Tarantino, once had a relationship with Sofia Coppola and many viewed the surprising award as favoritism. Unfortunately for all the naysayers, Somewhere is an incredible film that is drenched in sunlight. The lush and bright colours, like the official poster, drench the film in such warmth that are stunningly beautiful. Sofia Coppola demonstrates great control as a director and the film flows with such great ease. Stephen Dorff spends much of his time in the film without speaking. It shows a great maturity from actor and director to have such confidence in each other. I have never seen Stephen Dorff give such a richly complex performance and I was mesmerized by his talent on screen. So much of the role depends on an unspoken connection between actor and audience and I did not expect to be so emotionally invested in character who spends the majority of the film looking directly into the camera silently. Sofia Coppola's Somewhere is as beautifully photographed as it is acted. The beauty and emotional depth of the film exist in the quiet moments when Stephen Dorff is given the freedom to act and connect with the viewer.

My rating: 4 stars out of 4.

Review: "The Grifters"

The Grifters, Stephen Frears' 1990 thriller, combines two of my favourite actresses and one of my favourite film genres. Annette Bening and Anjelica Huston are sublime in this terrific noir that was produced by Martin Scorsese. The Grifters is the kind of film that leaves you guessing and challenges you to pay attention. The three main characters, played by Bening, Huston and John Cusack, are three con artists (grifters) that spend the whole film trying to screw over each other. Stephen Frears is an accomplished and talented director who may be most widely known for his 1988 adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons and 2006's The Queen. Film noir is a difficult genre with its dark themes and imagery, but Frears helms The Grifters with a competent and steady vision. While a noir is often remembered for its style, its success is often rooted in acting. Anjelica Huston was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards (losing to Kathy Bates in Misery), but it is Annette Bening who completely awed me in one of her first major film roles (she too was nominated for an Oscar, for Best Supporting Actress, losing to Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost). The Grifters is a dark and seductive noir with finely-tuned performances from its main cast. It is a film that still leaves me guessing and conjecturing after seeing it again.

Roy Dillon (Cusack) is a small-time grifter living in Los Angeles. He spends most of his time cheating people out of small amount of money. After suffering a near-fatal injury after a con gone wrong, he finds himself in the hospital. He is less than thrilled to see his mother Lilly (Huston) by his side. Lilly works for a bookmaker named Bobo Justus (Pat Hingle) and her job is to bet large amounts of money to lower odds at the racetrack. She is unimpressed by Roy's older girlfriend Myra (Bening). Myra uses her beauty and her body to get men to get what she wants. Lilly was supposed to be in La Jolla for work and as a result of her stop in Los Angeles she finds herself in major trouble with Bobo. Although Lilly and Roy have not seen each other in a number of years, she tries to convince him to quit grifting. After being released from the hospital, Roy and Myra take a weekend trip to La Jolla. Myra catches him conning a group of young sailors and reveals that she is also a grifter and is looking for a new partner in a long-con operation. Roy chooses not to join Myra and Myra believes it is due to his mother's influence. Myra, dubious of Lilly's real intentions, discovers that Lilly has been stealing money from Bobo and concocts her own plan of revenge.

Part of the brilliance of The Grifters is the awkward and inappropriate relationship between Roy and Lilly. The two live their lives conning other people and go long periods without seeing each other. Lilly was fourteen when Roy was born, which is roughly the age difference between John Cusack and Anjelica Huston. Their borderline incestuous relationship adds to dark complexity of the film. The star of the film, for me, is Annette Bening. She brings such incredible energy to Myra, the oversexed and underestimated vamp. On the surface Myra seems uneducated and dimwitted, but Bening has made Myra a woman who understands her greatest assets and uses them accordingly. The Grifters unfolds in a calculated and often surprising way. The tricks of the film are unexpected and the viewer is being conned as the characters trick each other. John Cusack is our sympathetic hero caught in a web between two very powerful women. Stephen Frears has crafted a beautifully styled noir, based on a 1963 pulp fiction novel by Jim Thompson, and as an assured and confident director he allows his actors to thrive. Stephen Frears exploits the film noir genre to expertly weave an unpredictable story which makes The Grifters a great crime drama with superb performances from its three lead actors.

My rating: 4 stars out of 4.

My Wait List (December 2010)

With only eleven days left of 2010, there are only a handful of films that I am still waiting to see. This time last year Avatar had only just been released into theatres and we had to endure three months of speculation that the James Cameron film, with its fantastic effects and horrible screenplay, would win Best Picture. This year The Social Network has won many of the critics awards and its only competition seems to be The King's Speech. Both are great films, but neither will be number one on my top ten list. Speaking of my top ten list, here are three films that I want to see before making my final decisions:

3. Blue Valentine
Blue Valentine has received quite a lot of publicity in recent months. The drama, starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, was awarded an NC-17 rating. The Weinstein Company appealed the rating, which is reportedly based on an intense sex scene, and the film has now been given an R rating. Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling are both fantastic actors, though Ryan Gosling has appeared in one film since 2007's under-appreciated Lars and the Real Girl.

2. True Grit
I am a true Coen brothers fan, with Fargo (1996) being among my top ten favourite films. I am most excited to see Jeff Bridges reunite with the men that made him The Dude in The Big Lebowski (1998). I have really been fond of westerns, but I am expecting the Coen brothers to bring their trademark style in their remake of the 1969 iconic film that won John Wayne an Oscar.

1. Another Year
With the Coen brothers, Woody Allen and Quentin Tarantino, Mike Leigh is one of my favourite directors. He brings a refreshingly unique voice to British cinema and his film Secrets & Lies (1996) is one of the most well-crafted and brilliant films I have ever seen. I have been waiting to see Another Year since I first heard about its production and I wish I had been it at the Toronto International Film Festival since it will not be released here until January 14, 2011.

Review: "The Fighter"

If Mark Wahlberg receives an Academy Award nomination for The Fighter it will be thanks to his incredibly talented costars and his commitment to the project, which he joined as early as 2005. I applaud his transformation from Marky Mark, the rapper and underwear model, to Mark Wahlberg, the serious actor, but other than an undeserved Oscar nomination for The Departed (2005), he has done little to earn my admiration. The Fighter is a good film because of three outstanding performances from Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. Both Bale and Leo give frightening and riveting performances. My problem with The Fighter is that I had no sympathy for Micky Ward, the real-life boxer portrayed by Mark Wahlberg. I found it very hard to cheer for a character who, while being a victim of his upbringing, is ultimately a a victim of his own poor choices. Wahlberg's performance left me feeling less than inspired. Like Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg seems to thrive when he is playing a character from Boston, or its environs. It becomes much harder to appreciate a performance when it feels familiar even when the character is unique. The Fighter is not unlike many other films based on real life events. We have seen characters from poor backgrounds fighting the odds and succeeding. I take issue with Micky Ward because he is content to be emotionally repressed by his mother and brother and turns down a fresh start. Despite three electrifying and powerful performances from its trio of supporting actors, The Fighter is an underwhelming and predictable film with a disappointing lead performance from Mark Wahlberg.

Micky Ward (Wahlberg) has always lived in the shadow of his older brother Dicky Eklund (Bale). In 1978 Dicky became the pride of Lowell, Massachusetts when he beat Sugar Ray Leonard in a fight. Their mother, Alice (Leo), who has nine children, has spent most of her life putting Dicky's needs first. She is abusive and controlling. Micky had always looked up to Dicky and wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a boxer. Now, Dicky is a crack addict and still a major influence in Micky's life. Micky has told everyone, including his daughter, that he is going to win a fight in Atlantic City. When his team arrives they are told that his opponent is unable to fight and that they have found a replacement. Unfortunately, the stand-in is twenty pounds heavier and beats Micky convincingly. Micky is then given an opportunity to get paid to train in Las Vegas, but he is too attached to his abusive mother and his brother. The one highlight in Micky's life is his girlfriend Charlene (Adams), a woman who has had her share of pain and believes Micky should put some distance between him and his family. When Dicky is arrested and put in prison Micky, with the help of his father George (Jack McGee), begins training again without interference from his mother and brother. Micky starts to win fights and eventually earns a chance to fight for the Welterweight Championship.

I would not say that I have any interest or knowledge when it comes to boxing, yet it seems to be a very popular sport to film. Rocky (1976), Raging Bull (1980) and Million Dollar Baby (2004) all won Academy Awards. These three films have one thing in common: a thoroughly fascinating lead character. The Fighter, and Micky Ward, are hardly fascinating. Roger Ebert, in his review of the film, has a similar viewpoint. He calls the character unfocused. While Roger Ebert may have a greater respect for Mark Wahlberg, I agree that the character is one-dimensional. It is hard to believe, as an audience, that Micky Ward would be so devoted to a mother that shows such little interest in his well-being. Dicky, Alice and Charlene are such passionately envisioned characters that is hard to forgive the film, and screenplay, for making Micky feel so flat. Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams are more talented and have a greater range than Mark Wahlberg, but it is no excuse when he has been working on and training for this film for so many years. Personally, the film started on a sour note when the words "Based on a true story" appeared on the screen. It felt unnecessary and pretentious. There may have been a lot of heart surrounding the production of The Fighter, but the film fails to connect emotionally because of its unsympathetic lead character.

My rating: 2 stars out of 4.

Review: "Casino Jack"

Kevin Spacey was one of Hollywood's greatest leading men during the 1990s. He won Academy Awards for The Usual Suspects (1995) and American Beauty (1999) and played a leading role in one of my favourite films of the decade, L.A. Confidential (1997). It all seemed to go downhill for him after 2000's Pay It Forward and he has really faded from the public consciousness. This year he returns with Casino Jack, a film based on the real life corruption scandal involving Washington D.C. lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Spacey was recently awarded a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, though the category is one of the weakest in recent memory. Kevin Spacey has made a career playing shady and unlikeable characters and, while Jack Abramoff is no exception, he brings a natural charisma to the role. It is this charm that made Lester Burnham such a memorable character and won Spacey the Oscar. Unfortunately for Spacey, and for Casino Jack, the film has little else to offer. The other characters are very one-dimensional and director George Hickenlooper does not give his characters very much to do. Kelly Preston, Rachelle Lefevre and Barry Pepper are underused in pivotal roles. Casino Jack turns a fascinating political scandal into a pedestrian and unprovocative film which cannot be saved by a better-than-average performance from Kevin Spacey.

In 2006 Jack Abramoff (Spacey) was convicted of defrauding American Indian tribes and involved with the corruption of public officials, which included Speaker of the House Tom Delay (Spencer Garrett). Abramoff and his partner Michael Scanlon (Pepper) conspired to extort tens of millions of dollars out of an American Indian tribe by telling the tribal leader (Graham Greene) that their money would guarantee that the right people in Washington D.C. would support their interests. Abramoff was using the millions he was stealing to invest in a boat cruise casino outfit in Florida. He felt that it was in his best interests to have a proxy act in his stead at the casino and hired an acquaintance to act in his stead. This man, Adam Kidan (Lovitz), became a major liability. In Washington, the Wall Street Journal was investigating many of Abramoff's corrupt dealing, lead by reporter Susan Schmidt (Ruth Marshall). Abramoff kept his wife Pam (Preston) out of the loop, but it was the womanizing Scanlon, whose girlfriend Emily (Lefevre) eventually put their whole plan in jeopardy.

Considering that American history is rife with political scandal, it is unfortunate that such a modern and complex story like Casino Jack was handled so clumsily. Casino Jack at various times, and often at once, wants to be a drama, a comedy and a political satire. The story is far too comical to be played straight, but the scenes involving Abramoff with his family are very stale. Kelly Preston, whose work as an actress has become infrequent at best, is given little to do in a horribly one-dimensional role. Even Barry Pepper, whose character is fundamental to the story, comes across as incompetent. Casino Jack, in terms of performance and character, rests entirely on Kevin Spacey. So much has gone into the screenplay and the film to make Jack Abramoff a likable character that all other characters have been reduced to stereotypes. Ultimately, Casino Jack struggles because it wants to be a true story while also being a parody. Sometimes it is perfectly acceptable for a film to be enjoyable, but Casino Jack is also unavoidably forgettable.

My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4.