Tag: 2011

Jessica Chastain sits on a bench smiling at her son in The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life

On By Stephen LoveletteIn Film ReviewsLeave a comment

Who enjoys melancholy?

Floating in existential whispery sadness doesn’t warm the cockles.

I can’t believe The Tree of Life was nominated for best picture. Sure there’s good stuff in there, but it’s been a long time since I wanted a movie to end so badly.

The hushed tone head-hopping voiceover. It’s artistic, and perhaps it works well with this particular plot.

But I doubt it.

Terrence Malick used the exact same effect in his film The Thin Red Line from 1998. Thirteen years later, it’s still just as distracting and uninformative.

I watched Thin Red Line with my Dad a week ago. He seemed to enjoy it more, because I didn’t love it.

In fact, I found TTRL dull, preachy and heartless. More ‘technically’ good, rather than ‘unquestionably’ good. Throw enough dollars into the visual layout, build a bunch of tension and you’ve got a thumbs-up.

Folks toss around the word, ‘boring’ too much. ‘Boring’ is mostly for whiners. It should only be used to describe something that’s extremely dull.

The Tree of Life is boring.

It’s not better than The Thin Red Line, despite a similar visual format.

What is with the gospel music? Was the plot not dull enough?

The cast is excellent. Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Sean Penn are all very good.

With all the stylish editing, the movie’s very difficult to follow.

Half of The Tree of Life is nature imagery, and features footage from cosmic to microscopic, from water molecules to supernovae. I’m open to a more whimsical form of storytelling, but eventually it gets tiresome.

I disliked this movie because I think Terrence is saying a lot less than he lets on.

As a period piece and a study of a family living in Waco, Texas in 1956, I’m fine with it. But do we need all of this existential stuff, the intergalactic imagery or the vague timeframe?

It seems the puzzle pieces don’t fit together in any coherent fashion.

There are a couple things I’m confused about.

When the velociraptor removes its foot from the wounded dinosaur’s head, is that supposed to be the moment in Earth’s history when humans began evolving? That our greatest redeeming quality is the capacity for compassion?

Well, if so, then great! What’s it teach us about Brad Pitt’s family in 1956?

I’m not convinced the dinosaurs belong in the movie.

The Oedipus complex is also something I never connect with. Perhaps Terrence is trying to show how it manifests itself even in recent history.

I don’t know, and I guess I just don’t care.

The Tree of Life has a few good moments, however.

Young men will appreciate much of the father-son interactions between Brad Pitt and Hunter McCracken.

Whenever Jessica Chastain’s on-screen is generally enjoyable.

At one point, she’s bouncing and twirling in zero gravity beside the tree and it’s enchanting.

If Terry cut out some babbling brooks and tossed in a bit more of Jessica dancing on air, The Tree of Life may have been great.

★★★★★

Briefer takes at IMDb & Letterboxd.

Check World War Z for better Pitt, and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby for better Chastain.

Gina Carano holds a glass of wine in a quiet scene – haywire review

Haywire

On By Stephen LoveletteIn Film ReviewsLeave a comment

This film satisfies. Easily worthy of this Haywire review.

Specifically, it scratches the urge to watch a female protagonist square off with a male in hand-to-hand combat – and realistically win.

Admittedly, I’ve never considered how ill-equipped women are for fist-fighting. But that’s probably a good thing.

With the long hair, the unstable shoe heels, and simply the lack of body mass for throwing punches—in reality, most male vs. female altercations won’t result in sophisticated brawls.

And I suppose that’s why we rarely see it in film. In fact, when reviewing Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I mentioned how we never get enough combat from Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson.

Anyway.

Haywire is great.

The writing, directing, editing, casting, soundtrack/scoring and acting are all fantastic. Moreover, the fights are awesome.

Steven Soderbergh may be my favorite director. His movies never disappoint.

For instance, Side Effects podiums amongst the top three films of 2013. You may also know him from the Oceans Eleven franchise, Traffic or Out of Sight.

Interestingly, Gina Carano’s biography on IMDb claims Soderbergh “wrote the role of Mallory Kane specifically for her,” though the screenplay’s written by Lem Dobbs (who also wrote The Limey, another famous Soderbergh flick).

I knew I recognized Gina C. Turns out she plays a great character in Fast & Furious 6!

Others may know her as the famous MMA fighter.

If you see the movie, you’ll understand why Soderbergh’s such a great director. The action is entirely more riveting without stunt doubles.

I dig that Gina Carano. She’s charismatic and lovable as the protagonist. Let’s hope we see more of her in future films.

Meanwhile, the chase scenes are quietly spectacular. The plot moves along at a break-neck pace, so you have to pay attention.

There’s something about the on-foot chase scene that’s gripping. When it really feels like the characters are sprinting for long periods of time – it’s so engaging.

On top of that, Haywire is stylishly edited and utilizes innovative storytelling techniques. One scene cuts between three different types of footage to show a trio of plots developing simultaneously. Plus, there’s no in-scene sound or dialogue – just the musical score.

It’s very cool. And slightly confusing. So again, pay attention.

The supporting cast is spectacular.

Channing Tatum never disappoints.
Ewan McGregor doing quality Ewan.
Bill Paxton doing quality Paxton.
Antonio Banderas. Michael Douglas.
Michael Fassbender!

Come on. What more do you need?

Haywire is a top-notch action thriller available for HD rental through Xfinity OnDemand, Amazon or iTunes for $3.99.

There’s nothing special during the credits.

Still, it’s 93 minutes – and it’s an R-rated flick that males and females will both enjoy.

You may even call it a great ‘date movie’.

★★★ ★★★ ★★★

My edited thoughts at IMDb and Letterboxd.

The Raid: Redemption

On By Stephen LoveletteIn Film ReviewsLeave a comment

Kung fu needs a new publicist.

Somewhere along the way, martial arts acquired a bad reputation.

Perhaps Keanu’s been over-quoted.

Regardless, a number of great movies from the past few decades feature hand-to-hand combat: The Matrices, Shanghai Noon, the Rush Hours, Rumble in the Bronx.

[Sidebar: Top two films involving a woodchipper: Rumble in the B and Fargo.]

Now, hesitation’s healthy when a martial art is all a motion picture offers.

The Raid: Redemption is a lot more than just kung fu.

If I ever review an entirely male-oriented flick, it’s The Raid.

It’s often compared to another movie released around the same time, because both flicks portray an assault on a crime-ridden high-rise.

Dredd, however, isn’t good.

Lena Headey as the cruel antagonist, and SLO-MO (the reality altering drug) are the only redeeming aspects in that overrated reboot. Everybody that played GoldenEye 007 on N64 is well-aware of proximity mines, smoke grenades and the like.

On the contrary, The Raid is fantastic.

The fellow who owns the criminal complex being raid redeemed has an interrogation room with a chain restraining system. It’s a chamber specifically suited towards information extraction via shackled prisoners.

Speaking without hyperbole, Raid: Red contains the single greatest action sequence in cinematic history.

Gareth Evans deserves a standing ovation for the fire-axe scene.

Multi-layered tension. The characters realistically adapt to an evolving conflict. There are varied threats and the individual movement through the scenery (plus the interplay with props/weaponry) is magnificent.

It’s a delicate waltz, my Friends.

A riveting score overlays elaborate choreography, creative stunts and sharp camerawork.

The Raid is originally an Indonesian film and Sony Pictures tasked Mike Shinoda (of Linkin Park and Fort Minor) with creating a new score for the U.S. market. The Shinoda scored version made its U.S. debut at Sundance 2012.

The fireaxe is just one of many great scenes though. Rent it and see for yourself.

The stakes are high. The plot is smart and dark.

Neither slasher nor ‘torture porn.’

It’s as good as action gets.

Somebody at the festival must have noticed the issue with the subtitles, right?

Whoever translated the closed captioning did very poor work. One of the main barriers between non-viewers is the necessary reading, so naturally a minimalist approach would seem appropriate.

There were subtitles for grunts, music notes to indicate the swell of Shinoda’s composition (which goes against the very nature of a film score), footsteps and other sound effects. This would make sense if America were a deaf culture.

One subtitle in particular, “Okay [English],” appears toward the middle of the film. This is more than a distraction. It’s especially problematic because it instigates needless confusion.

Why haven’t the distributors fixed the closed captions yet? Especially since the sequel’s release.

But behold; I let it go. You will too.

If you’re a lady who loved The Raid, please set me straight; your comments are welcome below!

Gentlemen – go gorilla.

★★★ ★★★ ★★★

Briefer takes at IMDb & Letterboxd.

For more sleeper action read Haywire.

The Descendants

On By Stephen LoveletteIn Film ReviewsLeave a comment

Alexander Payne doesn’t direct movies for me.

Much like Wes Anderson’s work, I appreciate the look, about 25% of the humor and the smart writing. I also applaud the directors for having a distinct visual style to their films.

After The Descendants I feel the same way I did after watching Nebraska; somewhat disappointed, pretty bored, and uninspired.

The only other Payne flick I’ve ogled is About Schmidt, which I found even more underwhelming than his two most recent works.

What’s good about this movie is it’s subtle, but it’s a long wait and a lot of Hawaiian soundtrack in between each nuance. I think more of the humor is supposed to hit home.

George Clooney’s the best part of this movie.

At the same time, it’s my least favorite film starring the Cloondogger.

This is at least his second time in the starring role where the movie opens with his voiceover. Up in the Air is another.

That Shailene Woodley’s a solid young actress. I dig this chick; she seems very promising.

Shailene delivers just as excellently in The Spectacular Now where she plays a lovable sweetheart. (A great movie by the way.)

Judy Greer is the type of actress you’ve seen all over the place. She plays a hilarious character in Arrested Development, and is all-around tremendous. Hopefully we see more of her in the future.

Payne’s clearly a fan of reversals and double reversals. He likes to build a swell of emotion, rinse it away with a wave of disappointment, and then provide a glimmer of hope through an unexpected and unprecedented character’s behavior.

For example, in Nebraska, against all odds, Will Forte finds Bruce Dern’s dentures lost in abandoned train tracks. When he shows them to his father, Dern claims they don’t belong to him. Eventually, grabbing them, he says, “Of course they’re my teeth.” Up until that moment, we’re given no hint Dern’s character has a sense of humor. A similar exchange takes place when they steal the wrong air compressor.

This type of character interaction recurs throughout The Descendants. For example, Alex’s friend Sid (played by Nick Krause) seems like an oblivious moron. He says something inappropriate to Matt, causing him to pull over the car.

Matt: [to Alex] Your friend is completely retarded, you know that?

Sid: Hey man, I’ve got a little brother who’s retarded. Don’t use that word in derogatory fashion.

Matt: Oh.

Sid: [laughing] Psych! No I don’t have a retarded brother.

Ultimately, I come out of these moments feeling disappointed and unfulfilled. Sure the exchange catches me off guard but that jolt seems to be the end to the means. It happens four or five times. I guess that and the stilted humor are what I essentially disagree with. The shocking reversals and muted humor don’t add up to a great film. (Despite such potential in the story’s framework.)

Krause turns in a solid performance as well, but the scene in which he laughs at ‘Tu-Tu’ feels off.

The character of Scottie (played by Amara Miller) is painful. It reminds me of how I feel about Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine, another quirkedy with an annoying little girl. I don’t understand the appeal in these types of characters.

When Scottie flicks off the well-meaning guy in the restaurant, is that supposed to be funny? The ‘twat’ scene, the cursing and stupidity? When she’s wearing her sister’s lingerie and dancing poolside? When they have the conversation about the sand in her bikini top?

Are all of those moments supposed to make us laugh? They’re neither funny nor cute and detract greatly from the overall film.

Look. I know every feminist shakes her head at me and replies with some dismissive comment like, “Oh just get over it,” or “Well then look forward to parenthood buddy.” But my criticism is the exact same as it was after Moonrise Kingdom (a Wes Anderson film ironically enough):

It does the male audience a great disservice by having an excess of screen time featuring scantily clad little girls.

Not because of some gross proclivity.

It’s the same aversion I feel to images of male genitalia. Every second it remains onscreen, I cringe into the seat cushion a little bit further.

And I only bring up this natural feeling of discomfort because I think that’s what Payne’s trying to ‘challenge’ (so to speak, I’m using that word loosely). Or he thinks she’s adorable and funny. Either way, I don’t think anything is gained through Scottie’s character.

It’s illustrative of a pattern I’ve recognized in A. Payne’s recent filmography. Going back to the reversals thing, he likes to have women in the polar extremes of age exploring sexual and explicit themes. Just like June Squibb, an older woman, pulling up her skirt in front of some guy’s tombstone. She’s rubbing it in the dead guy’s face that he never got inside her pants. I find that scene morbid and off-putting; not empowering, insightful or worthy of a chuckle.

There’s a beautiful camera shot down a set of hospital stairs, while Matt’s voiceover speaks above the sound of his ascending footsteps. He is heading to find out his wife must be taken off the machines and will soon die.

And the entire movie is a series of sequences; a number of character interactions where others talk down to Matt about his choices. Like the staircase, they can only watch from above, and patronize.

Except the kids, all other characters condescend to Matt, are inconsiderate of his feelings and pride themselves for praising his comatose wife in comparison. It’s mostly a despicable lot he encounters.

And yet he keeps his mouth shut. Towards the end, we see a tiny victory in this choice.

But this ‘glimmer in the darkness’ doesn’t distill the discomforting sadness (and often boredom) one must wade through to get there.

I don’t know. I’m not trying to rain on the Payne parade, but it’s just not my spot of tea.

The Descendants is a good enough movie. I call it ‘good’ because it’s visually stunning, and intelligent. It’s easily watchable, but there’s just a lot of better stuff out there. Especially starring Clooney.

Might I suggest the aforementioned Up in the Air, instead, perhaps?

It touches on a bit more sadness, but it’s just as intelligent plus more captivating and fun.

Best of all?

No quirky teenage girls.

★★★ ★★★

Briefer takes at IMDb & Letterboxd.

The Muppets

On By Stephen LoveletteIn Film ReviewsLeave a comment

Draw the line between Man and Muppet

My recliner’s dusty because I was tearing up something fierce during The Muppets.

I know I’m a hardcore softy, but this movie really touched me.

As always, The Muppets tells a self-referential tale. The plot reflects the real-world state of the Muppet tradition.

The last time Jim Henson’s puppets hit the screen was back in 2005, in a movie I’d never even heard of. The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz features Ashanti, Queen Latifah, and Quentin Tarantino—one of the most baffling casts ever assembled in a loose attempt to retell the classic story with a Black ensemble. Clearly, the film bombed.

This new adventure tries to revive the original spirit of Muppet storytelling.

What fascinates me most about this franchise is its narrative style. It draws power from the audience’s nostalgia, and it thrives on self-awareness. The plot—while particularly strong in this entry—matters less than the Muppet experience itself, which always carries the show.

I don’t think we often get to see the full performance of The Muppet Show. By the end of this movie, though, we get the whole shebang-a-bang.

Jason Segel played a major role in getting this film off the ground. He didn’t just star—he also co-wrote the screenplay (second only to Jim Henson in the credits). Henson died in 1990 at only fifty-four, so there’s no chance he helped write this script. Still, it’s a nice gesture that they credit him anyway.

Back in 1969, Henson created a philosophical teleplay called The Cube. It’s sharp, funny, and under an hour long—you can find it online. And he didn’t stop there. He wrote, directed, and produced all sorts of experimental works like The Cube, none of which featured puppets. The man had serious range and left us too soon.

Amy Adams also stars here, and she might be the best actress working today. She’s easily top three (with Jennifer Lawrence and Scarlett Johansson right behind her).

Fun fact: Segel and Kermit recorded a video—also online—personally asking Amy to join the cast. Clearly, she accepted. She’s an absolute delight and even dances (and possibly sings, though I haven’t confirmed it!).

Now I don’t love talking about myself, but I think my Muppet experience is pretty relatable. Before watching this 2011 movie, I’d never seen a Muppet film in full. Sure, I visited the 3D Muppet experience at Disney World a few times, but that’s about it.

So I walked into this one expecting disappointment. That low bar might’ve boosted my reaction. At worst, this is a good movie. At best, it’s great.

But here I am, writing this review days later, and even with a clear head I still believe it deserves all 8 stars.

Seems to land with just about everyone.

I’d like to meet someone who can look me in the eye and say they hate The Muppets. Honestly, I’m not sure such a person exists.

Still, after all that praise, let’s talk about what doesn’t work.

At first, I thought the budget was tight—mainly because they joke about it in the movie. Fozzie Bear even remarks that he’s surprised they could afford an explosion. (IMDb puts the budget around $45M, which doesn’t seem all that skimpy.)

But the Muppet machine involves a lot of moving parts: backup dancers, seat-filling extras, music composition, orchestral recording (presumably), and more.

And once Fozzie made that crack, I started noticing potential corner-cutting. For instance, the “Muppet Man” gag looks oddly cheap compared to the rest of the film. Thankfully, the movie’s hyper self-awareness forgives a few weak spots.

The slowest moments—as usual—come whenever Miss Piggy takes the spotlight. I don’t care what anyone says, Miss Piggy is by far the most boring Muppet.

She always has been. And I don’t get why this problem keeps showing up. People like to explain it to me: “Well, she’s supposed to be an intentionally grating foil to the others. She’s written that way.”

Fine. But that doesn’t change the fact that Miss Piggy remains a drag—no matter what the writers intended. Regardless of whether she’s parodying something or opposing the other characters, her scenes and solos fall flat. So can’t we just give her less screen time?

Sorry. That swine really sets me off.

Generally, I’m not a fan of scatological humor. If you’d asked me beforehand, I’d have said Fozzie Bear’s “fart shoes” would feel beneath the Muppets.

But the gag isn’t cheesy or overdone. In fact, it’s one of the funniest bits in the movie. Which says a lot about the humor throughout: fast-paced and sharply crafted.

Bret McKenzie (from Flight of the Conchords) wrote the soundtrack, and it’s excellent. Even Chris Cooper’s surprise rap—which gets glossed over—works. The best track is easily “Man or Muppet.” It’s clever and genuinely fun.

The cameos? Utterly charming.

I wanted to roll my eyes at “The Rainbow Connection.” I really did. But I caved. Some tears got involved. I don’t want to talk about it.

All in all, The Muppets is a fantastic movie that doesn’t get the credit it deserves.

Give it a shot—you’ll be glad you did.

★★★★ ★★★★

Briefer takes at IMDb & Letterboxd.

Read my review of Muppets Most Wanted.

Much better than The Descendants.