INCEPTION (2010)

July 18, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Some movies are made as pure visual entertainment. Others are made as a vision of a story. The best combine elements of both. The great ones WOW you with what you see on screen, while keeping your mind focused on the multiple dimensions of a story that just won’t let you jump ahead. The previous sentence is my feeble attempt at describing what happens during Inception.

Writer/director Christopher Nolan turns 40 at the end of this month. He now has 3 instant-classic films to his credit: Memento, The Dark Knight and now Inception. I am not a good enough writer to describe just how talented he his at making films. What I can tell you is that this movie gave me a “runner’s high” … it put me “in the zone”. As a viewer, I felt in perfect sync at each twist and turn.

There are two pieces of advice I will offer. First, go see the film at a theatre on the big screen. Don’t wait for NetFlix. Second, pay attention to every scene and every line. Trust Mr. Nolan to take you on this wild ride. You may be able to figure out the ending (if there even is one), but you will have missed the real point of the film … how did you get here?

Here is a brief synopsis: Leonardo DiCaprio plays an expert thief. He is a thief who steals ideas by infiltrating the dreams of his targets and snatching their ideas. A very wealthy tycoon played by Ken Watanabe hires DiCaprio for a risky project of Inception – the inserting of an idea into the subject’s mind through dreams, rather than the stealing of an idea. DiCaprio’s team is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (with physical brilliance while lacking gravitational force), Tom Hardy (from Rocknrolla), master chemist Dileep Rao, and new recruit Ellen Page (“Juno” plays a brilliant architect prodigy with a genius of space and dimension). Cillian Murphy plays the target and Michael Caine is DiCaprio’s father in law … the link between who Leo is now and his previous life with his wife, played hauntingly well by Marion Cotillard.

A perfect Nolan touch is Ellen Page’s character name – Ariadne. A quick google finds that Ariadne, in Greek mythology, fell in love with Theseus and helped him escape Minotaur’s labyrinth. The film is full of mazes and is itself a labyrinth punctuated by a stunning and powerful score by Hans Zimmer. You will find yourself bouncing from dream to reality, jumping into another’s dreams, layering dreams upon each other … oh, and watching a mind-bending special effect as the city of Paris is folded over on top of itself.

Clear your mind for 2 and a half hours and let a terrific filmmaker take you on a journey through mindspace that we never really pay attention to. The payoff is dream-like.  This film was on my “films of interest” list on my First Half recap.  If you missed the recap, here is the link:  https://moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/2010-first-half-recap/

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE (Sweden, 2009)

July 11, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. This is the second of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, though we have a new director for parts two and three. Daniel Alfredson takes a more mainstream approach to filming and story telling and, of course, he loses the element of surprise we enjoyed in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, one of my favorite films of the year so far.

With Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist back as Lisbeth and Mikael Blomkvist respectively, it certainly helps to have seen the first film to fill in the character development that this one assumes. We are treated to a more intricate, complex story line in this one, but the fun research part we enjoyed in part one, comes up a bit short.

Swedish acting veteran/legend Per Oscarsson appears as Lisbeth’s first (and trusted) state assigned officer. He plays a small, but vital role and is quite interesting on screen – even at age 83! The story fills in some of the gaps on Lisbeth’s childhood and background but really leaves her a bit short on screen time despite being suspected of 3 murders.

Lisbeth’s look is somewhat softer in this one and we get full on views of her eyes, which rarely happened in part one. I believe the movie suffers a bit by making it easier to relate to her as a wronged woman. Still, the story is much better than the average thriller and the two lead characters are more interesting than most. I look forward to the final film of the trilogy … The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.

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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

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (Sweden, 2009)

April 18, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. What usually sets apart a great mystery thriller from an average one is the story. In part one of the Millennium trilogy based on Stieg Larsson’s books, the story is really good, but the point of difference comes in the titular performance of Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth. American audiences are rarely treated to this type of raw, gritty performance from an actress. She alone makes the film worth seeing.

Please don’t get me wrong … I really like the film. A murder mystery who-dunnit that on the surface appears like an Agathy Christie story, it quickly proves to us how looks can be deceiving – both in story line and in characters. Though the story wraps up a bit too neatly, the long winding road (over a fortuitous bridge) gives us a wild ride of hints, suspects and research that is a blast for those who enjoy such things.

Michael Nyqvist stars as Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative writer who gets set up on charges of libel against a powerful businessman. While awaiting his jail time, Blomkvist is hired by an 80 year old uncle of a girl gone missing some 40 years ago. Oh yes, she is part of the Vanger family who live on a private island and who have multiple members with a history of Nazi loyalties. As Blomkvist investigates the ancient mystery, it turns out he is being followed via super-hacker Lisbeth. After a few twists, these two turn into a highly unlikely, but very interesting and effective mystery-solving couple.

Besides the performance of Rapace, what really sets this one apart is that the villains really aren’t the most interesting characters – Blomkvist and Lisbeth are. We are treated to a great deal of character development for both, and trust me when I say, Lisbeth’s story is not pleasant.

I hear this will be Americanized in the remake and that makes me sad. The source material title for this story is “Men Who Hate Women”.  While director Niels Arden Oplev pulls no punches in his version, in a remake the edgy undercurrent of sex, abuse, politics and religious racism will undoubtedly be softened and surely the lead actress will bring little of the fascination that a fearless Noomi Rapace delivers.

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Posted by David Ferguson

REPO MEN (2010)

March 22, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. A sci-fi action thriller set in the near future, the film is based on the novel by Eric Garcia. It stars Jude Law and Forest Whitaker as organ repo men. No, not Wurlitzer pipe organs … artificial body organs. The idea is that any vital body organ can be replaced for a price. Just make sure to read the fine print in the repo clause before signing anything!

Liev Schreiber is the supervisor of Repo Men at The Union. Judging from the size of the building and the mass of the lab, business is booming in the artificial organ transplant business. And who could be surprised? The Union sales team has a perfect sales pitch – sign here or die. And actually, they don’t expect you to stay current on your payments, hence the Repo crew.

I never did figure out if this was supposed to be a comedy/satire or dramatic thriller. The actors seem to play it straight, but that actually adds to the humorous moments. Despite some fine and interesting songs on the soundtrack, the film is a bit of a mess at times … though there are also some fun action scenes. The warning must go out that gore abounds and the actual repo scenes are a bit squirm-inducing.

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Posted by David Ferguson

GREEN ZONE (2010)

March 13, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. The trailers and the involvement of director Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon gave me the initial impression this was to be little more than a “Bourne” rip-off. I am happy to report that’s not the case. This is a fantastic story that is a cross between an Iraqi War movie and political thriller.

Matt Damon plays an officer responsible for following the military intel for WMD locales in the early days of the invasion. He gets more frustrated and untrusting as each target comes up empty. When he questions the intel to his superiors, he is “politely” told to follow his orders. At the same time, he is approached by a grizzled CIA veteran played by Brendan Gleeson. The CIA happens to agree with Damon’s character … the intel is faulty and the belief is an ulterior motive is at play by the administration.

Of course, this is not a documentary. It is merely another step in the exploration of what the driving force was for invading Iraq in the first place. Were WMD’s a cover for the pursuit of Saadam? The script is based on a book, and leads us to believe the WMD intel was rigged because that was a great reason to present to our allies and citizens. The disconnect between the administration and the CIA appears evident. A smarmy Greg Kinnear plays an administration official who has much power … and a special forces team reporting directly to him.

The film highlights the blunders and poor decisions made early on in the invasion. Not really sure if they were blunders or if the mission was simply misguided. Either way, this makes for a great story and an intense one to follow. A real statement is made when one of the locals who has been assisting Damon, surprises him and states something along the lines of “You don’t get to decide the fate of my country”. That’s not the exact quote, but it is the key point the film is making.  We also get a replay of President Bush on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln proclaiming “Mission Accomplished”.  That gets more painful upon each viewing.

The bad news is that Paul Greengrass is at his shaky camera worst. The first 15 minutes of the film and the climax chase scene to, through and outside the safe house were so bad that I felt queasy. I love well placed hand-held camera work, but this was beyond extreme – it was quite simply over the top and distracts from what should have been a near-classic.

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE GHOST WRITER (2010)

February 26, 2010

(2-26-10)

 Greetings again from the darkness. It’s not very often we get new releases from Martin Scorcese (Shutter Island) and Roman Polanski within a week of each other. And both are thrillers. And both stories are immersed in water. And both have lead characters who might not be what they seem. Heck both films have PLENTY of characters who might not be what they seem!

Say what you will about Mr. Polanski as a human being, but he is a craftsmen when it comes to film. Rosemary’s Baby, The Tenant and Chinatown are all classics. Here he works with the source material from Robert Harris’ novel. The story is centered around the process of an ex-British Prime Minister writing his memoirs through the use of a ghost writer. Oh yeah, this ex-Prime Minister is accused of being overly friendly with the U.S. and may have even committed war crimes? Sound familiar? Yes, Adam Lang, played convincingly by Pierce Brosnan, has numerous similarities to Tony Blair.

Ewan McGregor plays the nameless ghost, actually a replacement for the original ghost, who died under suspicious circumstances. Polanski channels Hitchcock by making every character either a suspect or, at a minimum, suspicious. The use of water, rain, stark surroundings, cozy double-edged dialogue, and even a note passed in a key moment all evoke the master of suspense and thrills.

Olivia Williams is Brosnan’s tormented wife who remains oddly loyal and involved despite full acknowledgment of his mistress-assistant (another horrible performance from Kim Cattrall). Timothy Hutton is solid in his role as Brosnan’s attorney, and James Belushi does much with the small role of publisher. Ninety-something year old Eli Wallach is very cool and spirited in his short scene, and Tom Wilkinson adds another powerful turn to his sterling resume.

All of these people could be the “who” in who-dunnit; however, we aren’t even sure what the crime is. Or how many crimes have been committed. The only thing that keeps this one from being an instant classic is the lack of a truly complex web of intrigue. Don’t get me wrong, it will keep you glued for the entire time, but I would have enjoyed a few more clues and dead-ends and real investigative work, rather than the stumbling curiosity of a ghost writer. Still, the story is strong enough and the acting is fine enough to make this one worth seeing. Need to also mention the score … a fabulous score is a necessity in a thriller, and this one is top notch.

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Posted by David Ferguson

SHUTTER ISLAND (2010)

February 20, 2010

(2-19-10)

 Greetings again from the darkness. Ahh yes, the psychological thriller is my favorite movie genre. Not sure what that says about me. There are so few good ones, at least since Alfred Hitchcock passed on. Director Martin Scorsese often includes some psychological warfare in his films, but with Shutter Island, he leaps feet first into the world of the criminally insane.

This is a very difficult film to comment on because it is crucial that the viewer watch with a clean slate … in other words, don’t let someone toss out some spoilers if you plan to see the film. All I will say regarding the story is that it’s fun to watch and my brain was working non-stop the whole time (that’s a good thing!).  Scorcese uses many different camera angles, close-ups and bright red to go with they island storm.  The film has some of the style of his Cape Fear, but even more darkness to the story, as here, EVERY character is a bit off center.

Scorsese has, as usual, assembled an excellent cast. Leonardo DiCaprio takes the lead as Teddy. His partner is played by Mark Ruffalo and they “investigate” the disappearance of a patient from Shutter Island – a treatment center for the criminally insane. This is no vacation island and at the center is a civil war fort that houses the worst of the worst. The creepy place is run by Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow, who could both make afternoon English Tea seem downright ominous.

The cast is so strong that Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson are basically limited to one scene each and Jackie Earle Haley continues his resurgence with a wicked one on one scene with Leo. Michelle Williams makes her appearances via flashbacks, visions and sweaty, late night dreams. By the end of the film, her ugly yellow dress was itself a frightening prop.

To cap off the mental and emotional turmoil, Scorsese adds an unusual score that at first seems overbearing at odd times, but later reveals itself to have been “right” all along. My favorite shot of the film is at the very beginning when the ferry first breaks through the fog. Funny enough, it was ME in a fog for the next 2 hours!

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Posted by David Ferguson

EDGE OF DARKNESS (2010)

January 30, 2010

 (1-30-10) Greetings again from the darkness. Of course, we never expect much from January films – especially Rom-Coms or Action films. Sad to say, the stereotype fits Edge of Darkness like a glove.

Held out some hope for a pleasant surprise when Mel Gibson returned to acting with Casino Royale director Martin Campbell at the helm. Unfortunately, so little effort was put into the script, that it gives the appearance of a story being made up as filming occurs.

Mel Gibson stepped away from acting for awhile to concentrate on directing (Apocalypto and Passion of the Christ) … oh yes, and carousing. His face readily displays the stress of both. This is not to say he can’t generate some fine dramatic moments, but mostly, the rust shows and he is unable to lift the weak story.

In support we have Ray Winstone (very good in The Departed), Bojana Novakovic as Gibson’s slain daughter, and Danny Huston, who might as well wear a name badge that says, “Hello my name is BAD GUY”. While not the fault of these actors, a film like this desperately needs a few standout secondary characters. Here we have none, so the story is pretty simple with little tension … not a good thing for a “thriller”.

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE LOVELY BONES (2010)

January 23, 2010

 (1-23-10) Greetings again from the darkness. With the uproar from fans of Alice Sebold’s novel, I am actually glad I have not read it yet (though I will). I found director Peter Jackson’s take to be interesting, attention-grabbing and well filmed, though at times a bit sloppy in story structure.  The fact that the actual murder and rape are not shown did not affect my ability to connect.

Certainly not a who-dunnit, the viewer instead is exposed to the many forms of grief after a family tragedy. I found myself quite angry at Rachel Weisz (the mom) for deserting her kids, though I understand the clash with Mark Wahlberg’s (the dad) approach. Not only was I angry at her as a parent, but as a viewer, her running away meant more screen time for Susan Sarandon, which is rarely a good thing.

Saoirse Ronan (excellent in Atonement) plays Susie, the victim of neighbor Stanley Tucci’s crime. Tucci is my favorite kind of movie villain … non-descript and blends right in. I find that to be the creepiest possible monster – the one that lives amongst us. Some of Jackson’s camera work with Tucci is fascinating and frightening, especially around the dollhouse. We can’t wait to see this guy burn.

Again, I consider myself lucky in that I can appreciate the film for what it is rather than comparing to a great book. Oh, and don’t miss Peter Jackson as the customer playing with the video camera in the store when Wahlberg picks up the first roll of developed film.

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Posted by David Ferguson

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