THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES (El secreto de sus ojos, Arg., 2009)

May 30, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. I was a bit miffed when this film beat out both A Prophet and The White Ribbon for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2010 Academy Awards. Since then, I have been anxious to see this “upset” winner. It is with great pleasure that I state my faith in the Academy voters is restored. This is a staggeringly wonderful film!

Based on the novel by Eduardo Sachesi, it is written and directed by Juan Jose Campanella, who also directed Argentina’s 2001 Oscar entry Son of the Bride. Mr. Campanella also has quite a resume of U.S. television in addition to his film work. What really stands out in “Secret” is the multitude of story lines and character development, none of which are cheated … yet each which could have carried their own as a film. This is terrific film-making with rare balance between comedic dialogue, a full-fledged crime drama, unrequited love and nasty politics.

The excellent script is helped along with fine acting by the key players: Ricardo Darin as Esposito, Soledad Villamil as Irene, Guillermo Francella as Sandoval, Pablo Rago as Morales, and Javier Godino as Gomez. Each actor has physical features that play well with the film’s title.

I certainly don’t wish to give away much of the substance of the film, but it mostly revolves around the investigation by Esposito and Sandoval into the brutal rape and murder of Morales’ young, beautiful wife. Esposito works for Irene and they have “eyes” for each other, and Gomez is the key suspect despite all the political maneuvering designed to throw the investigators off track.

There are a few outstanding scenes and two of my favorites were an incredibly intense elevator ride, and a fascinating crowd scene at a soccer/futbol game (including the year’s best single, long take). As you might guess, there are innumerable close-ups for a clear eye-level shot and the film bounces back and forth between 1974 and 2000, so we must adjust to the weak make-up.

For anyone who enjoys fine film-making and isn’t afraid of 2 plus hours of subtitles, you will surely be satisfied and impressed at the quality of this film.

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Posted by David Ferguson

HARRY BROWN (2009)

May 27, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Michael Caine (at age 77) is like a favorite blanket … it just feels good to have him around. He always delivers a fine performance, and sometimes he puts it all together to provide proof of just what an outstanding actor he really is. Harry Brown is one of those films.

Some will take this as a revenge story in line with Bronson’s Death Wish, but I see it more in the vein of Gran Torino.   A “British” Gran Torino.  Caine’s Brown is not just after revenge for his buddy Leonard’s murder, but more importantly, he is trying to make a stand – to take back his neighborhood stolen by drug dealers and vicious punks.

Unfortunately for the film, a first time director (Daniel Barber) and a miscast Emily Mortimer don’t have the strength to keep up with Mr. Caine. Mortimer plays her detective role as if she is more of a social worker. It is actually painful to watch her. On the other hand, Ben Drew has a key role as Noel, a sinister punk lacking a conscience. His scenes with Caine are pretty intense.

The best scene of the film is when Harry Brown ventures inside a drug dealer’s lair to purchase a gun for his crusade. Caine must pull off the necessary subtlety and play it close to the vest in this quite volatile situation. Of course, not everything goes to plan and Caine’s character really takes off from there.

We are treated to the expected police department politics and the back-stabbing/not-who-I-thought-you-were character, but mostly this is one man’s mission to make things right and better. Who better than Michael Caine for that job?

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Posted by David Ferguson

LETTERS TO JULIET (2010)

May 22, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Admittedly, for me there is a fine line between an acceptable chick flick and one that is pure fluff. Oddly enough, this one brings a few fine moments to the screen despite its simplistic predictability and overall lack of creativity.  It easily could have been titled “Where for art thou, Lorenzo?”.

Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia) stars as Sophie, a wannabe writer who stumbles on a 50 year old letter at the wall of Juliet in Verona. She then tracks down the Secretaries of Juliet who let her answer the letter. Poof! Just like that, the author of the original letter (a radiant Vanessa Redgrave as Claire) shows up in Verona to meet Sophie and track down Lorenzo, the lost love of her life (the reason for the letter).

There are absolutely no twists or surprises in the movie. We recognize immediately that Sophie and her fiancé (a miscast Gael Garcia Bernal) are all wrong for each other. How this will end is very clear when Claire’s grandson (Heath Ledger clone Christopher Egan as Charlie) first confronts Sophie in cliched rude Brit manner.

The road trip to find lost love Lorenzo is of course a road of discovery for not just Claire, but also Sophie and Charlie. I am struggling to avoid typing yada, yada, yada. The coolest part of the film is when Claire finds her Lorenzo … a dashing Franco Nero on a galloping steed, who also happens to own the vineyard for Claire’s favorite wine (insert eye roll here).

Anyway, the Tuscan scenery is staggeringly beautiful. And watching real-life couple Redgrave and Nero walk hand in hand is very heart-warming. These two first fell in love during the mid-60’s while filming Camelot. This cost Ms. Redgrave her first marriage (famed director Tony Richardson), but the lovers did not marry until 2006. It’s never a good sign when real life is more interesting than the movie.

If you are cool with an obvious and uncomplicated story line (similar to Amy Adams’ Leap Year) set in the gorgeous Tuscan wine country, then the film will be fine for you. On the other hand, director Gary Winick was also responsible for Bride Wars, so the least he can do is turn in his director’s card and move into a second career dealing with pure maple syrup.

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Posted by David Ferguson

ROBIN HOOD (2010)

May 20, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Hard to argue with the box office success when director Ridley Scott teams up with Russell Crowe (Gladiator, American Gangster). Can’t really challenge the resume of writer Bryan Helgeland (Mystic River, L.A. Confidential) or the acting chops of Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow or William Hurt. And only the most cynical would deny the appeal of the Robin Hood legend … stealing from the rich to give to the poor. So why is it that I feel so cheated and let down by this version?

First of all, it is presented as a prequel to the legend. This is the story of how Robin and his band of merry men (and Maid Marion) came to be united. If it is a prequel, why then is Robin (Russell Crowe) so darn old? There is even a line in the film noting the advanced age of King Richard the Lionheart being 40 or even more! For the times, this was considered old, yet somehow Robin is ready for a career change.

The best parts of the film are the amazing sets and pieces – both the villages and the boats. And we all know that Mr. Scott can film a massive battle scene! There is a touch of Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan and Braveheart in many scenes. All fine, but what I really missed was the flirtatious banter between Robin and Marion. Maybe I am biased, but a Lorena Bobbitt threat doesn’t strike me as light-hearted bed chamber conversation.

My biggest complaint is with the script. It just felt clunky and messy. A couple of scenes were apparently included just so Mark Strong could scowl … and he has a great scowl! Other scenes and lines were seemingly included just to give the film a complex feel. Probably too complex for what it really is.

Oscar Isaac as Prince John was the funniest and most interesting character in the film. The preview made him look like a buffoon, but the film gave him more depth … and a couple of great lines. Danny Huston as Lionheart, Mark Addy as Friar Tuck and Matthew Macfadyen as the Sheriff of Nottingham all add to the luster, but remember this is prior to Robin’s ongoing battles with the Sheriff.

Be cautious with younger kids as it is a strong PG-13. The battle scenes are entertaining, but this is one legend that did not need its roots exposed.

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Posted by David Ferguson

IRON MAN 2 (2010)

May 9, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. No secret that I really enjoyed the first Iron Man movie a couple of years ago. For 2, we get the return of key players: Robert Downey, jr as Tony Stark, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, and Jon Favreau in the director chair. We also get an onslaught of new players: Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, Scarlett Johansson as Natalie/Natasha/Black Widow, Garry Shandling as Senator Stern and Don Cheadle (replacing Terence Howard) as War Machine.

Onslaught may be the best word I can use to describe the film. It is an onslaught to the senses. There are so many characters – both good guys and bad. There are so many explosions, fights and booms that we resist the urge to blink. There is so much overlapping and oddly paced dialogue that we strain to fill in the blanks. And what of the inside jokes and “advertising” for future Avengers fun? OK, maybe “Fun” is the key word, not onslaught. These characters are a blast (pun, slightly intended). Watching a creepy Mickey Rourke plot revenge in the Russian darkness is terrific. Sam Rockwell chewing scenery is not to be missed. Garry Shandling’s snarky senator is a hoot, especially at the end. And I have been surfing the net all night searching for a suitcase sized Iron Man suit. OK, not really … but that was super cool.

I’ve got it!  “An onslaught of fun!” The great and talented Justin Theroux was brought in to script the multitude of players and story lines … he must be a master juggler as none get cheated in their screen time. Even Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury is given a much heavier workload than in part one – setting the stage for his NINE scheduled film appearances as Mr. Fury.

The film is huge and spectacular, but falls just short of the first one for a single reason. The wow of discovery can only be had once. That’s not a knock on this one, but timing is crucial. Must also mention the brilliance of Robert Downey, Jr who seems born to play Tony Stark. Of course, the brilliance of Mr. Downey is that he always seems born to play his roles. He is a great actor … check his ability to spout wise cracking one-liners and then mix in a couple of actually tender moments with Paltrow’s Pepper Potts. Not many actors could do that effectively. He pulls it off seamlessly.

What really matters is that it’s a fun trip to theatre. Don’t expect this year’s Best Picture winner. Expect to laugh and be visually wowed. I certainly was.  If you liked the first one, chances are good that you will appreciate this well made sequel.

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Posted by David Ferguson

BABIES (Bebes, Fr., 2010)

May 9, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. About 4 months ago I saw this trailer and knew immediately I wanted to see it. The word “documentary” is usually box office death, with only a few exceptions. Those exceptions usually involve penguins and sometimes kitties and puppies.  Barely included in the Top 5 would be babies which are on display here.  Sorry, no penguins here. Only babies. And a couple of cats.  And goats.

Director Thomas Balmes from France had a pretty good idea – show the first year of life for four babies from different parts of the world. The babies are from Namibia, Mongolia, Tokyo and San Francisco. It seems his ideas pretty much stopped there. What we see are interlocking scenes of each of the babies at similar stages of developments. The stark contrast in environment seems to be the driving force of photography.

Developed countries vs. un-developed countries. Is it best to raise your child in the wilderness or in the big city? Does it even matter? We see babies rolling on dirt hut floors and poking at goat’s ears. We see other babies going through baby yoga and group therapy sessions. Apparently the big surprise is that all four babies learn to crawl, walk and talk no matter the level of luxury or amount of parental attention.

Roger Ebert says all babies are cute. Any fan of “Seinfeld” will tell you that’s just not true. What is true is that babies are curious and observant and creative. No one knows if the over-indulgent and over-protectiveness of high society actually helps or stifles the development of babies. What we do know is that life finds a way and babies keep growing and learning, whether in a hot tub with mom or in a bowl that a wild goat uses as drinking water.

I just wish the director had put more substance into the delivery. We are simply observers in quick snapshots of each baby. We get very little from the parents or other kids. Luckily, there is no narrator – not even Morgan Freeman!  The obvious points are made, but in the end, this feels a bit empty and probably better served on the National Geographic channel than the local cinema.

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Posted by David Ferguson

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010)

May 9, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. OK, if you are seeking cinematic genius, no need to check this one out. On the other hand, if you enjoy a good scare, a creepy story and a really messed up bad guy … the latest reincarnation of Freddy Kreuger may be just what you have been dreaming of.

The list of Elm Street alums is pretty impressive: Johnny Depp, John Saxon, Laurence Fishbourne, Patricia Arquette and of course, Robert Englund. Sadly, the new one only gives us a bunch of mid-20’s types as high schoolers (yes, STILL a pet peeve of mine), though Kate Cassidy is the daughter of former pop star David Cassidy, and Rooney Mara is Kate’s sister. Kyle Gallner and Thomas Dekker are familiar enough and wear sufficient bleary-eyed make-up to help us forget their real ages.

Of course, the real stars here are Freddy and the dream sequences. We get a decent enough scrip without the total camp of the later Elm Street films. The first time director is Samuel Bayer, who made his name as a music video director. His eye for visual effects and camera shots is a plus here. I really enjoyed some of the spectacular individual shots, even if the overall flow was a bit choppy.

Wes Craven’s original creation lives on through the fine work of Jackie Earle Haley as Mr. Kreuger. Many will remember Jackie Earle as the dirt bike riding center fielder in the first Bad News Bears. He is all grown up now and experiencing a really nice career revival. He possesses the necessary creep factor to pull off this nastiest of nightmares.

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Posted by David Ferguson