MACHETE (2010)

September 6, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Sprung from the loins of the fake trailer during the Tarantino/Rodriguez double bill Grindhouse, this one delivers everything it promises: comedy, corn, bloody violence, over-the-top political statements, and wild spoofy stunts. There really is no legitimate way to critique it or review it. If you possess the gene that allowed you to enjoy Grindhouse, you will certainly be entertained by Machete.

Robert Rodriguez co-directed and co-wrote the film and puts his stamp all over it. There is no challenge to discovering where Mr. Rodriguez stands on the immigration issues. He is fortunate enough to be a filmmaker who can deliver a message in ways that very few can. Of course, this is not strictly speaking a message movie. It is better termed a spoof … heck, it’s billed as mexploitation! Danny Trejo, character actor extraordinare, finally gets his chance to carry a movie and he seizes the moment. His portrayal of Machete is with striking force and a straight poker face. There is little doubt that he is the Mexican federale whose family was killed by a drug kingpin (played by Steven Segal). Trejo tries to get on with his life, but is drawn right back in to the battle thanks to a local activist played by Michelle Rodriguez (headquartered in a Taco stand … yes, really), and by Jeff Fahey, henchman to an ultra racist State Senator played by Robert Deniro.

For a movie that prides itself more on brain spatters than brain matter, there are sufficient twists to the story to keep the viewer interested. But the real fun comes in the outrageous moments like opening credits “introducing Don Johnson“, and the cat-like ability of Machete to avoid certain death. Laughs ensue when Machete drags his brother into the fight. His brother? A new-age priest (Cheech Marin) packing an arsenal in the pews.

All of this is going on while an immigration agent played by Jessica Alba is trying to put the squeeze on Latin legend “She”, who she suspects is Michelle Rodriguez. Alba spends her lunch break playing Wii to keep fit. If all this isn’t quirky enough for you, how about Lindsay Lohan playing Fahey’s strung-out daughter, who later in the film dons a nun’s habit and a pistol?

You could think of this movie along the lines of a master spoof, similar to Airplane, only with tons of violence and explosions. The visual gags are on display, as are the one-liners that come out of left field. Mr. Rodriguez has done well for himself and his high expectation fans. I believe he knows what we want because it’s exactly what he wants himself!

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you loved Grindhouse and can appreciate violent, over-the-top action spoofs … or if you just want to be shocked by seeing Steven Segal onscreen again.

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you are “normal”

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Posted by David Ferguson

MESRINE: PUBLIC ENEMY #1 (pt 2, 2008)

September 6, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. This is part two of director Jean-Francois Richet‘s tale of famed criminal Jacques Mesrine. As in part one, Vincent Cassel delivers a frightening portrayal of this psychopath who is addicted to the spotlight, danger, women and little else.

This second film drives home the point that Mesrine was little more than an ultra-aggressive hoodlum. What I mean by that is that he was no criminal mastermind. No real strategist. He just steals when he needs money and then quickly helps the press fill in the blanks on his escapades. Watching him swell with pride as he is pronounced France’s Public Enemy Number One is just plain creepy.

Ludivine Sagnier (so great in Swimming Pool) plays Sophie, his last girlfriend. Watching her reaction to her dog being shot in the final shootout tells you all you need know about her and her relationship with Mesrine.

Much of this part is based on the police chases and the efforts put into “catching” Mesrine and his accomplice. His new partner in crime is played by the terrific Mathieu Amalric (Quantum of Solace, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). Amalric has the steely eyed stare and the acting chops to hang with Cassell.

While I truly admire Cassell’s performance in these two films and I find both extremely well made, I still feel a bit empty about the subject matter. Mesrine was a brutally violent criminal who managed 3 daring prison escapes, numerous bank robberies, kidnappings and killings. However, there is just not much depth to the man. Maybe it’s true … some people just want to see the world burn. No matter what, these two films should be seen as close together as possible. This is ONE STORY cut into two pieces. Set aside 4 hours and see the entire thing.

For my comments on part 1, please click on this link:

https://moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/mesrine-killer-instinct-pt-1/

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Posted by David Ferguson

MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCT (pt. 1, 2008)

August 29, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Haven’t looked at next week’s new releases yet, but I am almost hoping for a rom-com after watching this film and Animal Kingdom back to back. That’s a couple of very rough, though well made films.

Jacques Mesrine was an infamous French outlaw/bank robber/kidnapper who actually began to feed on his media coverage. This film, as well as part 2, are based on his own writings while he was incarcerated. Somehow Vincent Cassel captures the pure evil of Mesrine and presents him as the charismatic and powerful figure he evidently was.

Having apparently lost his soul during the war in Algeria, Mesrine joins forces with a local crime lord played by French acting legend Gerard Depardieu. Their wake of criminal activity is only eclipsed by the pile of bodies. No surprise that Mesrine’s wife runs from him and he then hooks up with Jeanne, played by Cecile DeFrance. They seem to be the perfect match and quickly become known as the French Bonnie and Clyde. Only they are much more violent and brutal. In fact, Mesrine seems to thrive on risk and danger.

Mesrine manages a daring prison escape and even attempts to break back into the same prison to keep a promise of helping other prisoners escape. Director Jean-Francois Richet does an excellent job of displaying the menace of Mesrine and the absolute lack of morals he flashes.

The film never drags even while he is on the lam through Canada and the U.S. Since the film is broken into two parts (Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 will be released in a few weeks), I found it very interesting that the first film opens with what appears to be the end of part two. Maybe I am wrong, but that’s how it looks.

The score is terrific and Mr. Cassel delivers his best performance yet. He is riveting as Jacques Mesrine. Not sure I recommend it as a double feature with Animal Kingdom. They are both excellent films, but that’s an overload of crime and violence for one weekend!  Mesrine: Killer Instinct is French with English subtitles.

For my comments on part two, please click this link:

https://moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/mesrine-public-enemy-1-part-2/

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Posted by David Ferguson

ANIMAL KINGDOM (2010)

August 29, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. An Australian movie that packs a wallop! Writer/Director David Michod delivers an unsettling look into one family’s life of crime and the corresponding order of things – the circle of life in the Animal Kingdom. Supposedly based on a true story, this is a tough family that you would not want as relatives.  These are not smooth operators like Scorcese provided in Casino or Goodfellas.  No, in fact, these guys are much worse.

The matriarch is played chillingly by Jacki Weaver. She is mother or grandmother to the guys (except for one outsider) in the band of crooks. While she messes with your mind through the story, it’s not until the final 15 minutes when she really kicks it up a notch and becomes flat out frightening in her power.

There are only a couple of actors that most people would recognize. Joel Edgerton is the outsider in the group, and the one trying to go straight by playing the stock market with his “earnings”. The other is Guy Pearce, who plays the detective trying to both solve the cases and rescue young Josh, played by newcomer James Frecheville.

Not only is this the type of story that sucks you in, it is a reminder of just how distracting movie stars can be to a film. The lack of stars allows us to really be absorbed into this family, or better, this world of crime, deceit, corruption and paranoia. There is not a single movie star – no one who can capitalize on his film history of characters and immediately generate recognition. Here, the viewer must get to know an entire family for who and what they are. This is powerful stuff for a film lover.

The winner for best psychopath is Ben Mendelsohn as Pope. His dead eyes will scare you. His demeanor will scare you. His actions will disgust you. There are two lines in the film that help us make sense of what occurs. Early on, the narrator tells us that “all crooks come undone” at some point. Later, the detective (Pearce) tells us that in the Animal Kingdom, you are either weak or strong. The lines seem pretty clear.

The focus of the film is on Josh (Frecheville) who gets plopped into this family of criminals after his mom dies of an overdose and he calls his long-lost grandmother (Weaver). Josh spends the rest of the film trying to blend in while staying clean. Of course, even his stoic mask doesn’t save him from the path of destruction created by Pope.  The only question is, can he find a way to survive or escape?

In the end, the film is about survival, adaptation and exploring what really defines strong and weak, good and bad. Are you weak or strong?  It’s not always easy to tell … and beware of the quiet ones.  If you enjoy powerful crime thrillers, this one is worth checking out … and be appreciative for the lack of Hollywood star power. That’s part of why it works!

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Posted by David Ferguson

CAIRO TIME (2009)

August 22, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. I am as intrigued and fascinated by the mysteries of Egypt as most. Seeing the majestic monuments from the past still standing is remarkable and awe-inspiring. Not so awe-inspiring are the dusty road and crowded streets and walk ways of Cairo. Unfortunately, writer/director Ruba Nadda provides much more of the latter than the former.

This is supposed to be an intimate tale of charm and love in the mesmerizing city of Cairo. Instead, it’s a torturously slow moving train to nowhere. The two lead characters, Tareq and Juliette, are well played by Alexander Siddig and Patricia Clarkson. Unfortunately, they are not supported by a worthy script. Where was the connection between these two? She makes no effort to contact him until she “needs” him after being accosted on the street … where Caucasian women just don’t walk alone.

I was amazed at how this magazine journalist was so clueless on the way of life in a city she was to visit for 3 weeks. Tareq was more of a tour guide, who also happened to be a lonely heart – whether for Juliette or the “love of his life” who reappears. It seemed he could go either way, if not for the cultural disrespect shown to a widow.

The driving force seems to be Ms. Nadda’s obsession with romance between a Muslim and non-Muslim. If that’s the case, the film desperately needed more insight into the cultural and religious differences. Instead what we get is a woman who, on one hand, is willing to risk a dangerous trip to find her “missing husband” and, on the other, teetering on whether to toss him aside for a new found tour guide.

I found little of this believable or rewarding. More substance was needed in the story and the “relationship” between these two. I enjoy nuanced romance very much when it makes sense (see The Remains of the Day). I also enjoy political thrillers where a wife refuses to give up her search for her husband (see Missing). What I don’t enjoy are movies that think they have earned the right to be considered important just because they start with an interesting premise.

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Posted by David Ferguson

GET LOW (2009)

August 22, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. I am not familiar with director Aaron Schneider, who apparently has done mostly cinematography work on TV for the past 10 years. He must feel like a lottery winner getting to direct his first feature film and having a cast with Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek.

This is a very odd film centered on the story of 1930’s Tennessee backwoods recluse Felix Bush, played exceedingly well (no surprise) by Robert Duvall. We learn – slowly – that Felix has been in a self-imposed exile carrying enormous guilt over an incident from 40 years prior. The wonderful thing is that it takes us just about the entire film to discover what caused this guilt and how Felix has dealt with it.

Over that 40 years, the legend of old man Bush has grown with the town people. It is approaching Tall Tale status when he whips up on a local wise-ass on one of his rare visits to town. When Felix realizes that stories have been concocted about him over the years, he heads to local funeral home to arrange a “funeral party” where everyone can come and tell their stories … while he is still alive!  The local mortician is played by Bill Murray and I can best describe his personality as eager opportunist.

While this appears to be a slow moving story, it really isn’t. The real motivation for the party, a reconnection with the past and a cleansing confession all play parts in this fine story. Sissy Spacek plays a painful link to Felix’ past, as well as a key to this latest/last event.

Excellent performances by Duvall, Spacek,  and Bill Cobbs really make this one work. While Bill Murray and Lucas Black hold up their end by supplying a bit of humor and purity, respectively, the story really belongs to Duvall. His ability to convey emotion with a grunt or facial expression is just amazing to watch.

My only real complaint with the film is that it lasted about 2 minutes too long. The perfect ending had occurred and then we are dealt one final, seemingly forced scene. A minor quibble with a film that kept me fully engaged.

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE EXPENDABLES (2010)

August 22, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Well since I got pressured into posting full comments for Eat Pray Love, I figured it was only fair that I also post comments for the other half of my “Cinematic Battle of Estrogen vs. Testosterone.”  The most difficult movies to comment on are those in which even the filmmakers don’t take themselves seriously. Here, Sylvester Stallone creates a movie with his tongue firmly planted in his plastic surgery-enhanced cheek. It is a bit goofy and meant to be so. The good stuff is actually pretty good, but the stuff that misses the mark is a bit painful to watch.

The good stuff includes the already infamous cameo scene with Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. It has the single best line (maybe two) in the movie and it’s just great to see Arnie back on screen. The other funny touch is the character names: Barney, Christmas, Ying Yang, Gunner, James Munroe, Toll Road, Paine, Hale Caeser, and of course, Tool. More work might have gone into the character names than the balance of the script.

The parts that don’t work include the lame one-liners that Jason Statham is forced to recite throughout. Also, after all these years, Stallone remains in love with his own face. I believe he is off screen for a total of 3 minutes. And enough with the Jet Li short jokes. One was plenty. We could have really used more of Terry Crews. He lights up the screen when he starts his trail of destruction.

Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Steve Austin, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture and David Zayas all have their moments. But therein lies the problem. Just can’t do justice to so many characters … or is it caricatures? This one is exactly what it was meant to be. Don’t expect the world’s greatest action film. Think of it as more of a Tribute Film with non-stop stunts. Oh and a blasting version of “Mississippi Queen” by Mountain with Leslie West.

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Posted by David Ferguson

EAT PRAY LOVE (2010)

August 22, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Though I secretly hoped the tongue-in-cheek comparison of this movie to The Expendables would get me off the hook from writing what I really thought, some of you have requested full comments.  The reason I avoided putting any comments down about the film version of Elizabeth Gilbert’s best selling novel was honestly that the movie just really annoyed and even angered me … and my reasons aren’t very politically correct.

Julia Roberts stars as a woman who is on a mission to find meaning for her life. “Logically”, the route to self-discovery is a one year sabbatical with 4 month stints in Italy, India and Bali. Already, I am irritated … Rarely does one need to GO somewhere to FIND their self. If this were necessary, the world would be even a more screwed up place because “dropping out” for a year means we leave our responsibilities, friends and loved ones behind.

Speaking of loved ones. Julia’s character is on a mission to prove she has worth beyond that derived from being partner to a man. So here is her track record over the 2 and a half hours: She dumps her husband who loves her. She dumps the boy toy whose bed she immediately fell into after the divorce. She spurns her Italian interpreter and a lonely Texan and finds herself on a beach with a naked party boy. She spurns Javier Bardem … at least until she reconsiders and realizes that this is JAVIER BARDEM! For someone trying so hard to prove a man isn’t necessary, she spends an inordinate amount of time WITH men.

I realize this was an Oprah-blessed book, but the amount of whining, self-indulgence and narcissism was beyond my tolerance level. Even the choice of director seems pre-fab: Ryan Murphy of “Glee” fame. Talk about going with the flavor of the day.

Caught in the web of thankless supporting roles were Billy Crudup, James Franco, Richard Jenkins, Viola Davis and Hadi Subiyanto as Ketut, the toothless guru. This guru reads Julia’s palm and she immediately decides to throw away  her life. When they meet again, this guru doesn’t even remember her! Seriously, you don’t need a guru to tell you to follow the golden rule, that if you give love it will come back to you, and make some time for yourself.

OK, I will admit the film captured the beauty of Italy and Bali. And the music mixture of Neil Young and Mozart (The Magic Flute) helped ease my pain. But overall, this was a year long journey and I felt every single moment sitting in that theatre.

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Posted by David Ferguson

EAT PRAY LOVE vs. THE EXPENDABLES

August 18, 2010

 EAT PRAY LOVE                               

 vs.

 THE EXPENDABLES 

 

The Cinematic Battle of Estrogen vs. Testosterone!

This past weekend provided a very interesting sociological battle at the box office or what I like to call … “The Cinematic Battle of Estrogen vs. Testosterone”.  The two biggest new releases were Eat Pray Love and The Expendables.  The first is based on the best-selling (and Oprah blessed) search-for- enlightenment book by Elizabeth Gilbert.  The latter is a Sylvester Stallone labor of love/fun featuring an ensemble cast of some of the most popular action film stars of the past 25 years.

What makes this battle interesting is the clear line of demarcation among movie lovers.  Almost no one is interested in seeing both of these movies.  You either want to see the no-holds-barred chick flick OR you want to see the full-bore action film.  Maybe neither, but not both.  Because of the extremes, I thought it would be a hoot to compare the two movies side-by-side. 

For the record (and full disclosure), I was more drawn to the action film than the chick flick, but in the interest of art and fun, I decided to keep a (somewhat) open mind and see both.  What follows is the categorized comparison of the two movies along with a bit of editorial commentary.  Please remember, this is all in good fun and I am by no means making a judgment on which is the stronger sex … even though The Expendables (SLY) did annihilate Eat Pray Love (EPL) at the opening weekend box office!

While this looks like a narrow victory for the BOYS (9 to 8, 5 ties), it’s understandable if your preference remains unaltered.  Of course, the battle of the sexes cannot be won in a movie theatre … The choice is yours to make!  And if you still aren’t sure … just try an icy stare and a look of disgust – over a plate of pasta and a full glass of Italian Chianti.

By David Fergsuon

www.moviereviewsfromthedark.wordpress.com

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE CONCERT (Fr., 2009)

August 8, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Typically when a film is billed is a “French comedy”, we can expect a farcical good time with self-centered characters who flitter their days away. Director Radhu Mihaileanu delivers something completely different and unexpected.

Two really fine performances drive this film. Aleksei Guskov plays Andrei Filipov, the one time conductor of the Russian Bolshoi orchestra, who lost his beloved job because he employed Jewish musicians during the harshest of Communist days. Nearly three decades later he finds himself as the janitor in the same hall where he once conducted. Because of this, an opportunity presents itself that allows him to seek redemption in his own life, and that of another.

Melanie Laurent, who was so outstanding as the theatre manager with a nasty plan in Inglourious Basterds, plays Anne-Marie Jacquet – a violin virtuoso who Filipov longs to have in his orchestra for a show in Paris. Ms. Laurent displays tremendous screen presence with minimal dialogue. She is quite a talent and I hope she spends more time in the U.S. making movies! The comedy portion of the film occurs as Filipov frantically assembles his orchestra from all over town. They have each gone their separate ways and some no longer even have their own instruments. Of course, none of the musical portion is believable, but as I said, this is a story of redemption.

The film climaxes with a wonderful onstage performance combined with a startling montage that deftly provides the details into the story that’s been skirted for the first 90 minutes. It is a wonderful ending to a decent film that really had the potential to be amazing.

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Posted by David Ferguson

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