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Leviafan (2014)
One Whale of a Winning Movie
Premise: No matter how good your case, never assume you can beat a corrupt system.
Dripping with symbolism which will impress the most severe movie critic or English professor, Leviathan is a tragic story which keeps on giving long after the 150 minute movie ends. Andrey Zviagintsev (director and screenwriter with Oleg Negin) takes us to a remote fishing village where its main characters Kolya (Aleksey Serebryakov), his teen-aged son, Roman (Sergey Podhodkaev), and new young wife, Lilya (Elena Lyadova), live in a modest home by the sea, in a setting both desolate and beautiful, with an unending supply of medicinal vodka.
The town, like many, has a police force, a church, and a corrupt mayor, Vadim (Roman Madyanov). He wants Kolya's property and wires the system to take it "legally" away from him.
Despite a determined effort by Kolya's Moscow lawyer friend, Dimitry (Vladimir Vdovichenkov), his appeal to save the property is denied. In a final attempt to change the mayor's mind, Dimitry confronts him with a file of his corrupt past. But the powerful mayor swats him away easily, teaching Dimitry a lesson he will not soon forget.
As legal proceedings to take away Kolya's home move inexorably forward, Kolya, Lilya, Roman, Dimitry and police friends drive to the mountains for a Russian style picnic -- plenty of vodka, kabobs, and rifles for plinking bottles, while the women gossip and kids play dangerously close to a nearby cliff. Several bad things happen off camera, without explanation, but the aftermath leaves everyone unhappy and Lilya and Dimitry together in a hotel bed.
After Vadim puts the fear of God in Dimitry, he returns to Moscow defeated. Lilya is more desperate, Kolya is more angry and drinking more vodka. But he still lusts after Lilya and catches her downstairs as they pack their belongings. Finally, Roman becomes enraged at Lilya, blaming her for all the misfortune.
What possible resolution can their be? Therein lies the essence of this leviathan tale. It can leave you thinking very differently about yourself. You may be much closer to Kolya, Lilya, or Roman than you think.
Beware!
A Most Violent Year (2014)
If you're gonna do business with sharks, someone with teeth better be watching your back.
This is the third feature film of J. C. Chandor in as many years, after Margin Call and All Is Lost. My expectations were peaked, perhaps too much. Chandor shines a spotlight on people under serious stress, and we watch them sweat and deal with it. This seems to work best if the storyline aligns with personal experience, which need not be in the exact same arena.
In A Most Violent Year we meet immigrant businessman, Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac). He is good looking, intelligent, well dressed, ambitious, and the owner of a successful heating oil company in NYC, one that may be crossing lines and under the scrutiny of authorities. He is married to the beautiful and street smart Anna (Jessica Chastain), who keeps the books, raises their perfect kids, and live the good life in a big house in the burbs.
All seems well as Abel is about to purchase a large oil storage depot and grow his business big time. About to close the deal bad things start to happen. A home intruder with a gun, the hijacking of his trucks, and the mugging of a young sales associate. None of this ruffles the self-assured Morales. He continues to run on his wits and basic belief in himself, until the bank pulls out of the deal. Unless he can come up with the cash ($1,5M) in a week, all is lost. It looks bleak.
Anna is now quite unhappy, most about what she sees as Abel's passivity, and offers the assistance of her mob connected father. Undaunted, but feeling disrespected by his wife, Abel is determined to find a way out, without compromising a set of values which have always worked for him. What happens then to Abel and his family is the substance of this movie.
Chandor's storytelling and direction has a certain flair and originality that is quite refreshing, but it is a long way from Bergman. There is violence in the movie, but it is relatively low key, compared with others out there. This movie is basically all about watching Abel deal with his predicament. Some of it predictable, some not. If you like this kind of dramatic emphasis, you may enjoy the movie.
Interstellar (2014)
From dust bowls, to wormholes, to black holes and beyond.
The set-up:
It is the near future. The earth is drying up. Widower Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), former astronaut cum corn grower and his family watch their vast crop slowly wither. His family, including father-in-law (John Lithgow) and two kids worry about a very bleak future.
What to do?
One day Cooper drives his large, tandem wheeled pickup into a remote corner of the cornfield and stumbles upon a secret government installation. He goes inside and meets the eminent astrophysicist, Professor Brand (Michael Caine), who thinks very big indeed. To save humanity, Brand and his team are searching for a habitable planet. But none are close by, as in thousands of light years distant.
What to do?
No problem, says the professor. I've checked and rechecked my equations! And, by the way, there are eleven other expeditions already out there. We need to see who among them has succeeded. To span the great distance in a reasonable time, you will traverse a wormhole. And, conveniently, there just happens to be one not too far away. But, says the professor, we need an experienced pilot like you to lead the mission.
What to do?
A devoted father, Cooper is torn by this opportunity, not wanting his kids to feel abandoned. But to save humanity, he'll go, and vows to return, placating himself if not the kids.
Lift off:
Cooper and crew, including (surprise) the professor's beautiful daughter, Dr. Brand (Anne Hathaway,) begin a long and dangerous interstellar adventure... Back on earth his kids, true to form, begin to wonder whether he has abandoned them.
What happens next? Lots of suspense, astronaut jargon and cgi that will entertain most, at least at first. But this space ride has just begun, and the story, hinging on rather abstract astrophysical theory, may be become just a tad difficult to fathom, unless you've been to Cal Tech summer camp. But let's suppose you don't care about understanding the story and simply enjoy immersion in the mystery of cool science and thrill of a great movie ride in space. So, you sit tight and go through the wormhole, sweating the experience alongside Cooper and Dr. Brand. And, beyond.
Although still very cool, suspenseful and thrilling, you are now in for a long. long ride.
The producers, writers, actors and others have invested considerable creative energy, time, and money in making this movie, paying special attention to getting the space physics right, but perhaps at the expense of something far more basic: getting the movie physics right. An enjoyable three hour movie requires a cosmic leap in attention span, especially when combined with a complicated story line.
So, one of two experiences await you: clever, cosmic yarn or deep space yawn.
Unfortunately, to find out, you will have to see the movie. Bon voyage!
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Bared man screeches for birdseed, gets pecked instead.
Fine actors, intense performances, set in a classic Broadway theater, together with very clever camera work and a fractured storyline, all come together to produce a "masterpiece" of cinematic cacophony. Meaning an extremely harsh, discordant mixture of sights and sounds. From the opening credits, a drummer (think of an eleven year old in the garage with a new drum set) bangs away, insuring a certain amount of distraction no matter what you think of the movie...
So, we meet Riggan (MIchael Keaton), a very successful Hollywood super hero (Birdman) who has come to NYC to direct and act in his own Broadway play. He has great hopes, but pulling this off will not be easy. His wide-eyed, bratty daughter, Sam (Emma Stone), just out of rehab, lurks in the wings and does her best to remind him of his shortcomings, as well as flirt with Mike (Edward Norton), the play's obnoxious male lead. Riggan's girlfriend, Laura (Andrea Riseborough), does not feel loved, and wants more attention. And, here are others sapping Riggan of what energy he has left, and we wonder how will he survive, let alone open a successful play.
But Riggan has something of an ace up his sleeve; he possesses special powers. Think moving things at a distance as in telekinesis. We see this power whenever he is angry and he uses it to destroy things in his office. Think also of defying gravity. In the beginning we see Riggan sitting in air, perhaps meditating on the challenge before him. What else might Riggan be able to do? The answer more or less allows the story to reach a conclusion, sort of.
Never mind the fractured story line, and din of the drums, the main problem with this movie is the difficulty in liking anyone. For me, the one scene worth seeing again is the bar confrontation between the NYT critic, Tabitha (Lindsay Duncan) and Riggan. Don't get up and leave until you see it. You just might get behind Riggan after he rebuts her major put down of him and his play.
But don't bet on it! Masterpiece? I think not. More, missed a piece!
The Drop (2014)
Meet Bob. Think you know him? Better think again.
Bob Saginowski(Tom Hardy), is a sort of down, but not quite out, kind of guy. Maybe even slow. He and his cousin, Marv(James Gandofini) run a mob owned, NYC neighborhood bar. The bar, once Marv's, is now a "drop" (as in the movie title) because the mob often parks its daily take there. Bob's life is complicated. He sort of watches over his cousin, Marv, who's still not happy about losing ownership of the bar years ago and still schemes foolishly. Bob also takes care of a puppy he finds in the garbage. Neighbor,Nadia(Noomi Repace), helps with the puppy, and slowly falls for Bob. Unfortunately the puppy's owner and Nadia's wacko ex-boyfriend, Eric Deeds(Matthias Schoenaerts), is not happy about this. The mob is also not happy after its money is stolen. What will Bob do? Therein lies the well crafted story.
This movie is great entertainment. More than that, it's great movie making. The writing, directing, acting, camera work are first class. But the story is what really shines. Based on a short story (Animal Rescue) by Dennis Lehane it's got all the ingredients we crave: flawed good guy, flawed beauty, really bad guys, and and a superb ending. You might say it's all very predictable, but maybe not.
The Drop is a juicy, violent slice of urban Americana. Does everyone get what they deserve? Ya gotta see it to find out. See it also for the last performance of James Gandolfini, which should not be missed.
The Equalizer (2014)
Meet the inverted Caspar Milquetoast, a man who speaks softly and hits with a mighty big stick.
Denzel Washington plays the title role as Robert McCall. In this reincarnation of the Edward Woodward TV series (1985), there is no Jaguar for McCall to move around NYC, as a suave, well dressed guy with a British accent. Instead, Washington's McCall gets around Boston by walking and public transportation. He is a very average guy who keeps to himself, lives modestly, and works at Home Mart, a Hollywood version of Home Depot or Lowe's. There he encourages co-worker, Ralphie (Michael Skourtis), to lose weight and move up the ladder by becoming a security guard.
After work the McCall visits a local diner to eat, read, and occasionally discuss life, calmly extolling the virtues of self- discipline and healthy eating. There, we see also that he has become a genuine friend to a young working girl, Alina (Cloe Grace Moretz). She asks questions about the book he reads and looks troubled.
In the first act we often wonder when McCall will show his aces. Washington's nice guy character is introduced as quite passive and slow moving, as it moves through several relationships with increasing drama and tension. This reaches a peak when he confronts the Russian mob, who have beat the living crap out of Alina.
McCall has come to the mob's restaurant to buy Alina her freedom, making an offer the boss, Slavi (David Meunier), instantly mocks and refuses. Here, finally, we see McCall as the bad ass MF we have been impatiently expecting. The camera and special effects go into high gear revealing him to be a calculating, superhuman fighter who swiftly dispenses the heavily armed Russians in an incredibly bloody and violent encounter.
Now the die is cast, pitting McCall against the big Russian mob boss, Vladimir Pushkin (Vladimir Kulich), who must retaliate and kill him. To do this he employs Teddy, aka Nicolai (Martin Csokas), his best and most ruthless lieutenant. Working with corrupt cops Teddy methodically tracks down McCall, hurting or killing anyone who gets in his way. Meanwhile, more is revealed about McCall's past, when he meets with mysterious (CIA) characters who provide him with information and tools he requires to deal with the Russian mob.
This version of the Equalizer is quite compelling as was the original. There are few of us who have not wanted an equalizer in our lives to deal with an actual bully, predator, or obnoxious asshole who seem beyond the reach of "justice." This is about a primal as it gets when you find yourself as as a victim with no defense. So rooting for McCall is a piece of cake, no matter how much violence he spawns, and very uplifting, potentially.
Alas, this fantasy ends when we leave the theater, but maybe not, if we keep wishing harder!
Ida (2013)
Very Polish and very polished !
Ida (pronounced Eeda) is quite simply a gem of a film, and very different from others out there now (June 2014). The story is set in 1960's Poland, filmed in black & white, with English subtitles. The camera work, said to be done with one camera and a relatively inexperienced person, captures scenes with extraordinary depth and sensitivity; the places and people are brought to life with a reality that is mesmerizing. And yet, the story moves forward with purpose, and an ending where each of its main characters resolve their inner conflicts unambiguously.
The title character is a young nun in training played by Agata Trzebukowska. Orphaned early in life Ida is reunited with her aunt, Wanda, played by Agata Kulesza. Soon after meeting we learn Ida is Jewish. Together, Ida and Wanda search for family members murdered during WWII. Ida is quiet, sensitive and tough. Wanda is loud, sensitive, and tough. Ida relies on her faith to get through the day; Wanda on alcohol and cigarettes. They work effectively, but each wonders what really compels the other. As we watch this lovely, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, story unfold, a frequent question each seems to be asking (usually)silently is: why do you live this way?
There are other characters and performances, all showcasing the stark contrast between the natural beauty of the Polish people and a Polish landscape which has often been reduced to rubble or a killing field. The importance of learning to get through life with little, except one's humanity, is a standout feature and perhaps an important takeaway of the story.
In the large, the movie is rich in symbolism, particularly one of a continuous struggle that is the history of Poland, where a strong religious core has been continually tested by war and its tragic aftermath.
But whatever your age, expectations, tastes, or opinions, the movie is a must see for all but the most technologically infatuated movie goer. And, finally, note the literacy requirement; there are subtitles!
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Another Wes Anderson Adult Fairy Tale
Once upon a time, in a place named after a rather tasty, flavored Polish vodka, there was a great hotel and an even greater concierge. Therein lies a cleverly conceived story within a story, which touches humorously, and occasionally darkly, upon almost every human emotion. Notable among these are love, lust, greed, fear, happy, sad, silly, and, of course, mad. We connect with these emotions mainly through the exploits of the main character, M. Gustave, the impeccably correct, near perfect concierge played by Ralph Fienes and his able, young protégé, Zero, played by Tony Revolori. Their acting is superb, aided by (usually) very well crafted screen writing,and story telling But there's more. The movie includes a veritable menagerie of wacky characters, many from the Anderson stable, and others, all of whom perform well. If you're an Anderson fan, the movie is a must see. If not, despite the fine acting and writing, and sets, the story could become a little tedious. But, should that be the case, you are urged to sit through the movie trailer, and its fascinating balalaika music, which will make all but the most sleepy person wake-up and feel good, before leaving the theater. Also, to celebrate your experience and if you like vodka, try to find Zubrowka (pronounced zha-broof-ka), and see what buffalo grass tastes like...I am convinced this movie was fun to make, and and should be fun to watch for all but the most literal minded and sober viewer.
Le Week-End (2013)
Paris is not only for lovers
An aging British couple, Nick and Meg, played by Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan, have come to Paris by train to celebrate their 30th anniversary. But there's a problem. He loves her, but not she, him. And, not far into the movie, Lindsay has proved herself the quintessential, mean-spirited bitch. Nevertheless, Nick's love for her persists, and no matter how hard he tries, she won't have any of it, though at times she hints otherwise. In what may be the most memorable scene, Nick seems to be making real progress when Meg tempts, then rejects an attempted carnal sniff. Fortunately, Nick and the story are saved when he meets an old friend, Morgan, played by Jeff Goldbloom, who invites them to a dinner party in his large, Paris apartment. Unlike Nick, Morgan is a success, and credits much of it to Nick, who sits and listens sadly to Morgan's praises. Later, at the dinner table, Morgan delivers a great self-congratulatory speech, with even more praise for Nick, who is then moved to publicly confess his failures, most notably his marriage to Meg. Nick's comments both embarrass and impress Meg, who now sees something in him she likes, and they leave Morgan's apartment with hopeful expectation, albeit short-lived. They are broke and can't pay the hotel bill. So, what to do? Of course, they walk out of the hotel, find a bar, and start downing drinks they can't pay for either...now looking very down, but not yet out, and still together. Before they hit bottom, Nick reaches out for help, in the same way as his moocher-of-a-son, whom he has just given the boot. Do Nick and Meg get a second chance? To know the answer, you will have to see the movie. And, after watching, you will wonder how many marriages resemble Nick and Meg's. Just be glad yours is not among them. Or, is it?
Under the Skin (2013)
A beautiful, predatory alien has come to Glasgow
Under The Skin is a strange tale indeed. Scarlett Johansson plays an alien on a mission in Glasgow. Unfortunately, we have no idea why she is there. There is no story, although the screenplay is an adaptation of a Michael Faber book which, BTW, does have a story. What we do have is lots of mood and ambiguity, with the camera following characters very closely, most unsuspecting, ardent males, who have very little to say, and seek just one thing, but get something else. Besides Scarlett's alien, there is her minder, played by Jeremy McWilliams. He rides a very cool motorcycle, very fast, on mostly dimly lit, winding and hilly Scottish roads. Together, they do their very alien thing. We see, but we do not know why. The important block this movie does check is "primal", and, for that reason alone, we keep watching. It would be easy to read more into this movie, particularly, as some deep social commentary. I prefer not. This movie stirs and plays on basic human juices, and, if you decide to watch, it will get and keep your attention. I don't know what the takeaway for this movie is. Perhaps, beware of any beautiful woman who offers you a ride. Or, better, beware of this movie.