Category: Film Review

What “The Iceman” has to offer, we’ve seen before. It’s a hitman story, a
bio-pic of sorts studying the cold-blooded career of Richard Kuklinski,
a mafia enforcer who murdered over 100 people during his two decades on
the job, dealing with all types of godfathers and hot-heads as he tried
to raise a family in relative peace. It’s a tough guy saga touched up
with some texture by co-writer/director Ariel Vromen, who makes a
passable attempt to deepen the displays of underworld gamesmanship by
focusing on the nuclear power generated in Kuklinski’s mounting
frustration with his eroding life. It’s not a feature that lingers after
it concludes, but considering the cliches available to the production,
it shows some taste when it comes to goombah happenings.
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I’m almost embarrassed to admit that my introduction to Ricky Jay was
through his acting credits, watching him perform in the films of David
Mamet and Paul Thomas Anderson, completely unaware of his legacy as a
sleight of hand master. His magical authority would come later to me,
making his accomplishments and skill even more impressive, with his very
career a type of delicious misdirection to people of a certain age.
“Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay” returns
focus to Jay’s far-reaching history with tricks and stage performance,
sitting down with the subject to discuss his influences and career,
placing attention on a man who would much rather communicate through his
indescribable brilliance with something as simple as a stack of playing
cards.
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Danish director Susanne Bier has built a career out of difficult
pictures with hard edges, gracefully exploring the limits of
vulnerability with a decidedly humane approach, always aware of natural
behaviors that have generated some spellbinding cinema (including 2004’s
“Brothers”). “Love Is All You Need” is an unnerving step toward
mainstream acceptance for the helmer, masterminding an unexpectedly
conventional romantic drama that carries a predictability about it
that’s a touch deflating. I’m not suggesting the movie is a Kate Hudson
rom-com with Katrina and the Waves needle drops, but for every touch of
emotional texture that’s inviting, there’s a wallop of formula that’s
disheartening.
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After playing second fiddle to Gerard Butler in last month’s “Olympus
Has Fallen,” it’s about time star Aaron Eckhart proved himself in the
action arena. It’s only a shame “Erased,” as nondescript a title as can
be, doesn’t reveal much ingenuity in the stale genre, electing to reheat
plot elements and violent encounters viewed in other, better films.
Eckhart commits to the material like a professional, but his feverish
investment in Arash Amel’s repetitive script and Philipp Stolzl’s
pedestrian direction is wasted, with “Erased” struggling to come across
exciting when it’s really just painfully average, resembling a sleepy
version of “The Bourne Identity.”
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I wish “The English Teacher” was as humorous and mischievous as it
believes itself to be. A farce in serious need of speed and content, the
picture doesn’t exactly achieves its minimal goals, falling short of
its intended satiric aim toward high school theatrical productions,
while lacking spitfire as a comedy of errors tinged with uncomfortable
sexuality. Although the cast is invested in the shenanigans to a
satisfying degree, there’s simply not enough to the feature that
translates to dynamic filmmaking. “The English Teacher” unfolds with all
the edge and depth of a television movie, and despite some tempting
turns of unsavory behavior, it barely shows interest in itself.
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With “Down Terrace” and “Kill List,” director Ben Wheatley was striving
for more of a severe atmosphere of family dysfunction and the dark
unknown, creating interesting but indulgent cinema that fell short of
its initial promise. “Sightseers” takes Wheatley in a distinctly broad
direction, creating a pitch-black comedy that’s uproarious when it isn’t
completely horrifying. It’s shocking in all the good ways, lead by two
fantastic performances from Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, who capture the
elusive feel of cheery malevolence early on the feature, helping to sell
Wheatley’s casual atmosphere of whiplash temper down to the last gasp.
“Sightseers” is a legitimate doozy.
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“Aftershock” is a strange disaster film that desires to merge broad
comedy with utter depravity, looking to concoct a pungent brew of
exploitation for those who’ve developed a taste for such bitter screen
insanity. Unfortunately, the feature is lopsided, unfunny, and
needlessly aggressive, or, in other words, it was co-written by Eli
Roth, the horror player behind the “Hostel” series and “Cabin Fever.”
Though Nicolas Lopez is credited as co-screenwriter and director of
“Aftershock,” the picture bears all the birth defects of a Roth
endeavor, including wild tonal swings, cruel violence toward women, and
an overly jokey introduction. Although it hopes to depict the utter
downfall of man in the face of a natural disaster, it’s mostly obnoxious
and forgettable.
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The marketing for “Peeples” has been stamped silly with the Tyler Perry
brand name, though he only has a vague producer presence here, not a
primary creative role. Actually, it’s probably a mistake to have Mr.
Madea’s name anywhere near the picture, as Perry’s core fanbase will be
expecting something volcanic from a movie that just wants to relax and
have a little harmless fun. It’s more Huxtables than hysterical. That’s
not to suggest “Peeples” is an especially good film, but when it finds
its silly stride, there’s some amusement to be had, providing a few
scattered laughs. Its even-tempered atmosphere of mischief is perfectly
alien to Perry’s bazooka approach, so be warned acolytes, this feature
isn’t going to scratch that pan-wielding melodrama itch.
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Director Baz Luhrmann is not a miracle man, but he’s successfully
restored pluck to fatigued material with his unique brand of cinematic
voodoo. He made Shakespeare dizzy with 1996’s “Romeo + Juliet,” sent
turn of the century Paris to Mars in 2001’s “Moulin Rouge,” and restored
romantic sweep to a majestic continent with 2008’s “Australia.”
However, turning his laser focus to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel
“The Great Gatsby” somehow tangles his antennae, faced with material
that doesn’t allow for the type of spunk Luhrmann has turned into a
brand. Despite his best intentions to make this collection of mope and
alienation feel like a celebration of a euphoric era and its force of
personality, the helmer can’t inject feeling into a cold-blooded
creation. It’s a gorgeous film; sadly, it’s not a silent one.
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Continuing his barbed but playful filmmaking interests as of late,
writer/director Francois Ozon works his way to an exploration of
voyeurism with his latest effort, “In the House.” Playing to the
helmer’s strengths as it details obsession and mental gamesmanship, the
feature is a riveting endeavor that blurs the line between fact and
fiction, working as delicious commentary on the mechanics of literary
manipulation while managing a peculiar complexity as a tale of depressed
people avoiding their own realities. It’s amusing and unexpected,
capturing the compulsive spirit of writing with wit and attention to
mischief that keeps it unpredictable to the very end.
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In the mid-eighties, there was bumper crop of films examining the plight
of the red-blooded, family-oriented American farmer as they faced
industry demands, corporate interests, and dwindling profits. In 2013,
the vocation has changed radically, with little room for a personal
touch, giving way to fields of crops born from genetically modified
seeds, with Big Agriculture turning to science and law to control what
was once an Earthly treasure shared by all. “At Any Price” uses the
discomfort surrounding GMO seeds as a foundation for its story of
domestic dissolve, but largely ignores the possibilities of the
conflict. In fact, the results are quite disastrous when it steps away
from farming concerns, resulting in a movie that’s unforgivably clunky,
tone-deaf, and dreadfully acted.
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After securing blushes from teen girls worldwide with his supporting
role in the “Twilight” series (playing Emmett, the vamp bruiser), Kellan
Lutz is looking to break out on his own, accepting starring vehicles
that require displays of strength and beefcakery. However, the true star
of “Java Heat” is the Indonesian island where the location takes place,
often displaying more nuance and personality than any of the performers
onscreen. Rote and uneventful, “Java Heat” could’ve easily starred
Jean-Claude Van Damme 15 years ago and probably would’ve been a total
gas. Today, we’re stuck with Lutz, who doesn’t have the Euro charm or
martial art prowess required to gift the production an identifying
trait.
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“What Richard Did” doesn’t move in traditional melodramatic directions,
preferring to sustain an air of realism that often results in startling
turns of character. It’s a low-key production, perhaps painfully so to
some viewers, asking those with patience to stick with the relatively
mundane aspects of Irish teen life before it springs an act of violence
that changes the entire rotation of the picture. “What Richard Did”
isn’t shocking in obvious ways, preferring to stun the audience with an
authentic atmosphere of guilt and indecision, investing in the
frustration of delayed response over unapologetic manipulation. It’s a
quiet film, with stillness its secret weapon.
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“Gambit” announces its retro intentions right away, kicking off with an
animated title sequence not unlike those found in the “Pink Panther”
series. Although credited as a remake of a 1966 picture starring Michael
Caine and Shirley MacLaine, the new “Gambit” is more of its own thing,
only retaining the comedic sensibilities of the 1960s, along with a
jazzy score. Colliding into today’s marketplace of irony and
improvisation, and the update’s silly sense of rehearsed humor might
appear ridiculously old-fashioned, yet it works in small doses. The
feature is seldom funny, but it’s consistently amusing thanks to a
screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen and performances from stars Colin
Firth and Alan Rickman, who appear to enjoying themselves immensely
while the story concocts rising flood waters of humiliation and
mischief.
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The Bert Stern that we know is the legendary advertising and celebrity
photographer, a man with a singular eye for feminine beauty and
unforgettable composition, building his career on iconic pictures, most
notably of Marilyn Monroe just before she passed away in 1962. The Bert
Stern of the “Original Madman” documentary is an older gentleman with
limited patience, allowing his longtime infatuation, director Shannah
Laumeister, to track his life and career, interviewing the subject
seemingly whenever she could find five minutes of his undivided
attention. Candid but cold, “Bert Stern: Original Madman” remains a
riveting sit, granted front-row access to an obsessive mind and a
startling artistic visionary.
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When we last saw Iron Man saving the day, he was a member of the
Avengers, teaming up with his superhero friends to save the Earth from a
city-smashing alien invasion. Unable to topple that mighty achievement,
co-writer/director Shane Black selects an insular path for the arrogant
but lovable Tony Stark, and that unusual mix of spectacle and personal
inventory keeps “Iron Man 3” stuck in neutral, unwilling to soar as
summer entertainment while frustratingly confused with its gratuitously
expansive storytelling. One major sequence nearly saves the whole
endeavor, but what Black has here is flat and overstuffed with contrived
comic book business, feeling about as heavy and immobile as Stark’s
famous armor.
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In 2004, writer/director/actor/producer/composer/editor Shane Carruth
brought “Primer” into view. A no-budget but highly sophisticated picture
that exhaustively explored the elasticity of the time travel subgenre,
“Primer” was appreciated by a cult following that adored Carruth’s
attention to detail and steely moviemaking approach. Nearly a decade
later, the filmmaker returns to screens with “Upstream Color,” out to
top his earlier work in the realm of abstract details and indie cinema
polish. A brain-bleeder with no particular need for an audience,
“Upstream Color” marks a bold creative step forward for the helmer, now
blessed with more forgiving funding to explore his nervy yet calculated
eccentricities.
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Vampire movies have had it rough lately, what with the “Twilight” saga
managing to regress fearsome, sensual creatures into dour Teen Beat
centerfolds, complete with shimmering skin. “Kiss of the Damned” isn’t a
rebuttal to the world of Edward Cullen, but it does a fine job
reminding audiences that bloodsuckers are far more amorous and
reprehensible than popular culture suggests. Stylish and seductive,
“Kiss of the Damned” is more of a macabre snapshot than a cohesive
picture, capturing a specific throb of sexuality that helps to ignore
frustratingly slack storytelling from writer/director Xan Cassavetes,
daughter of famed filmmaker John Cassavetes.
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There are times when “Generation Um…” is an authentic indie production,
and there are moments where it feels like a parody of one. At the very
least, it’ll be the one film this year where the audience is treated to a
sequence comprised entirely of star Keanu Reeves eating two cupcakes.
Perhaps that alone should be a gauge to the must-seeness of the movie.
For those who decide to stick it out, “Generation Um…” doesn’t reward
the patience, supplying a meandering, intellectually shallow inspection
of fried minds attempting to communicate their innermost pain while
bombing around New York City. It’s a patience-tester, salvaged only a
smidge by Reeves’s uncanny ability to remain perfectly still while his
co-stars strap on acting school rocket packs and pinball around the
frame.
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“The Numbers Station” earns points for being a somewhat original take on
the bunker thriller subgenre, using a spy vs. spy world of codes and
assassination attempts to beef up an otherwise simplistic siege story.
While not a terribly convincing picture, “The Numbers Station” has a few
moments of workable suspense and puzzle solving, while star John Cusack
supplies an appealing restless energy to the effort, strengthening
scenes that would otherwise die on the vine. Strictly for fans of the
stars and perhaps those with an insatiable curiosity about career low
points, the feature is certainly digestible, but rarely memorable.
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