Cyrus - A Review

So I just finished watching Cyrus, starring John C Reilly, Jonah Hill, and Marissa Tomei. Great cast, right? The conceit is easy enough to size up; a man meets a woman he connects with, they start to get serious but she's hiding something... her son Cyrus. He's close to his mother in a way that feels... odd. We don't really know why it's weird but the film makes it clear for us. If you looked at this one and thought you knew how it ended, you're right. If you thought the journey would be insightful and emotional; about how a son and mother could get so close that the son would go out of his way to psychotically and systematically destroy his mother's happiness with another man; if you thought there would be any reason why a man wouldn't tell his girlfriend the incredibly creepy things her son said to him, in this movie, you'd be wrong. You'd be wrong on all counts. And that's unfortunate because this is fertile ground to explore the dysfunctional relationships of adult parents and children in the wake of divorce. What happens when the abandoned child gets older? How do the dynamics change? What happens when a mother is single for a decade and starts dating, finally, after all that Time alone with the now adult child? This movie is concerned with none of this. Instead it explores, and superficially at that, the relationship between the new boyfriend and the jilted (?) son. It all boils down to a mildly entertaining farce during which I had to keep forgiving the ridiculous choices of the characters until it all gets wrapped up in a very unsatisfying bow. And roll credits.
The writing is good, if light handed. The story is interesting, if unexplored. The acting is beyond reproach; look at the stellar cast! Reilly, Hill, Tomei! They all did a great job with a script in which they must've seen a lot of potential. Sadly, that potential is not reached.
I wanted to like this movie. I think Jonah Hill is so promising, moreso after seeing this because he expands his range, but I was disappointed by the writing. This movie offered no insight into the central idea.
What would happen if, after a decade of co-dependence, your mother started dating and you weren't ready? I'm not looking for a Freudian tutorial but I'd at least like my intelligence to be respected.

The DVD is currently available. Feel free to tell me what you think.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes -A Review

I just finished watching this flick and I have to say, I'm surprised by how thoughtful and, even emotional it was. Damned if I didn't tear up at the end! I really liked this one, so much so that I came out of the void to write my first review in months. You're welcome, world. lol

THE POOP:
James Franco plays scientist Will, a brain doctor testing a new drug meant to cure Alzheimer's disease on monkeys. The drug proves to be so successful that it's main test subject, a chimp called Bright Eyes, gains near-human intelligence. However during a board meeting with potential investors in the miracle drug Bright Eyes goes on a rampage and testing is effectively shut down. When its discovered that Bright Eyes had secretly given birth days earlier Dr. Will saves the baby chimp by taking it home and raising it for study purposes. He soon realizes that the baby, named Caeser, has inherited his mother's intelligence and continues to develop at an incredible pace; so much so that eight years later Caeser is caring for Will's elderly father, himself an Alzheimer's patient. Unfortunately, as Will's girlfriend Caroline (Frieda Pinto) points out, Caeser is soon going to grow into a big strong ape, and when he finally does... well, let's just say an unfortunate misunderstanding with a mean-spirited neighbour gets Caeser locked up in an ape sanctuary, which in this film is not unlike an insane asylum, especially for the super-intelligent Caeser. Faced for the first time with his own kind he quickly begins plotting a liberation for himself and his soon-to-be much smarter captives. Of course this all builds to a thrilling and visually breathtaking conclusion that left me moist eyed and adrenaline rushed.

THE REVIEW:
Franco is fast becoming one of my favourite actors, which is somewhat a surprise since I knew almost nothing about his work pre-Spiderman. His performances in Pineapple Express and, more notably, 127 Hours, have shown that this guy is a serious actor. Unfortunately he's kind've expendable here. Yes he's good, believable, etc., but the real star of the movie is Andy Serkis (Gollum, King Kong) as Caeser. No, Serkis didn't don an ape suit, he provided the motion capture upon which was layered the ape, and the ape is spectacular! Advances in SFX mean that surprisingly no actual apes were needed. Instead Serkis and others endowed their monkey avatars with souls and real, tangible emotions. Caeser is an incredible character and Serkis has proven himself the go-to guy when you want a realistic non-human actor. An odd niche, but it seems to be working for him.
Frieda Pinto is engaging as Will's girlfriend, whose character serves to remind us that the humans have souls too, lest we forget. She's the picture of evolved civility as a counterpoint to the apes' newfound evolution. She's kind and gentle and patient; Caeser and his cohorts are smart but confused and frightened. They don't yet know what to do with their intelligence, they just know they have to do something!
Director Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist) delivers a visually and emotionally compelling film, and quite smartly keeps the focus on Caeser's emotional development, which drives the entire plot. He has hinted several times that this could be not just a prequel to the original 1968 Planet of the Apes, but a reboot of the franchise, which could see a second installment of a post-prequel involving all out war between the humans and the apes. Hell, I'll watch it!
The pace of the film is fast as is the plot development. I was fully involved at all times whether there was action or not, and there usually was.
I have to say this was a pleasant surprise. The action was good, the story was good and it turned out to be better than just a B movie. This could've gone wrong sooo many ways, but the creators did the almost impossible; resisted the temptation of a brainless blockbuster for a genuinely solid film.
Tim Burton's 2001 remake of the original must be crying in a corner somewhere. What? A movie that can cry? Andy Serkis could play that!

The Rite - A Review

Having just screened The Rite I must disagree with a lot of the critics out there who compared it unfavourably to The Exorcist. In that context their criticisms are true; it's dull, it's slow, not enough supernatural sfx. They're right. The Rite doesn't use a bunch of crazy visuals to convince you of the reality of possession. They don't need to. The story is convincing enough. It's based on a book written by Matt Baglio who apprenticed an american priest in Rome learning how to perform exorcisms. He was a passive witness to over twenty exorcisms and based the book on his experiences. Baglio called the film, "very accurate". Odd that the filmmakers didn't include a 'Based on a true story' title in the opening credits. But then, as Baglio also notes, the filmmakers "took licence".

THE POOP: Michael (newcomer Colin O'Donoghue) has entered the seminary and soon finds he has doubts about his faith. A lifelong atheist, he throws himself into religion to honour his dead mother and get a free college education, rather than follow the family business of becoming a mortician like his defeated father. Although he excels in his studies he ultimately decides to quit, until a respected priest at the school convinces him that studying exorcism in Rome will shore up his faith. Reluctantly Michael accepts and he's off to Rome. Being forewarned that "the american" is a reluctant believer Michael is introduced to Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), a seasoned exorcist and (as is often pointed out) unorthodox priest. He tries to show Michael the reality of exorcism and it's importance to the church, but Michael remains a skeptic. Then, in a true test of his beliefs, Michael is forced to confront his own belief system: god or science.

THE REVIEW: Despite his lacklustre reviews (due, I think, to the low general opinion of the film) lead Colin O'Donoghue is very effective as the doubting priest wanna-or-not-wannabe. He brings a solemn and thoughtful air to the otherwise fantastic subject matter. Anthony Hopkins is typically brilliant whether he's performing an exorcism or shooing away cats. "Rome", he tells us, "is overrun with cats". Supporting actors are all fine, with an interesting cameo by an aging Rutger Hauer as Michael's father and a solid supporting job by Alice Braga as Angelina. The film itself is beautiful to look at. Directed by Mikael Hafstrom (of 1408), you can tell he chose his crew well. All in all it's a good exercise in scary religious movie. I think part of the reason it didn't do well at the box office is that it was marketed as a horror and audiences (and critics) were disappointed. This is the story of a young man deciding his life path. It just so happens that his life path involves demons and devils. Think about this film as if it was about an accountant. Accountants are important in our society. Arguably more important than exorcists. But if someone made a movie about an accountant who didn't know if accounting was his true calling would you watch it? His struggle over whether he was a 'numbers guy' or would rather just not know how it all happened? Michael is like that with exorcisms, and he learns a big lesson. And that's waaaay more fun to watch. I like this film, despite the reviews of many, except for my man Roger Ebert, who said "I found myself drawn in. It is sincere. It is not exploitative; a certain amount of screaming, frothing and thrashing comes with the territory". It IS sincere. Maybe too much so. I can think of a few directions it could've gone to be more interesting but ultimately it's a good, solid religious thriller; NOT a horror film.

The Rite is currently in theatres. It will be available for rent or sale on May 17.

Somewhere - A Review

Let me start by saying that Sofia Coppola is a genius. She is the future of film. She has singlehandedly redefined what we watch and I love it. Her gift for storytelling is otherworldly, and her ability to capture it on film is prodigious. Her forth major motion picture is perhaps less ambitious than her previous three, but it is no less heartfelt and enigmatic.

The Poop: Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) is an actor promoting his latest film. He's also a drunken womanizer. Cleo (Elle Fanning) is his daughter who gets left with Johnny when her mother disappears. Never having had a close relationship before, the two get close and bond over the course of time it takes until she's due at camp. When she goes to camp Johnny must reexamine his life.

The Review: The direction is the exciting thing about this film and it doesn't dissapoint! Sofia Coppola has an incredible capacity for making the mundane fascinating. The opening scenes of Johnnie's car doing laps is mesmerizing! She has a talent for making anything interesting. Stephen Dorff is dusted off and starred in this film and he does a good job, although you could credit his performance to the director. It seems he does what he's told. Elle Fanning is Cloe, the daughter. She too is good but you wonder how much is talent and how much is writing and directing. An odd surprise is Chris Pontius (Jackass) as a friend of Johnny. He was effective as the friend of an adult who had to entertain a child. Borderline creepy without being creepy.

If I had a criticism it would be that I didn't hear enough from the characters; but then in real life people rarely speak their minds. I think Sofia captured peoples inability to say what they feel. When's the last time you told your best friend how much you love them? Exactly.

I think Sofia is defining a new way of telling stories. Say less, let the audience use their brain, keep the story clean and tight. It's minimalism reimagined. I like it. Keep it coming, Sofia!

Available for rent on DVD and Blu Ray on April 19th.

The War of the Roses (1989)- A Really Retro Review

I saw this movie for the first time I think when it came out on video in 1989. Surprisingly the DVD didn't hit until 2001! Shocking, considering how good it was. If you aren't familiar with this film I direct your attention to 2005's Mr. and Mrs. Smith., starring Brad and Angelina. If you saw it you know it was about a couple of spies who don't know each other is married to a spy and when they discover they are meant to kill each other they rediscover their love in, what Chief Wiggum of The Simpsons called in their parody of said film, "an elaborately choreographed, high-octane super-fight". We were meant to see the passion of two people who decided to separate played out in the extreme. Brad and Angie's characters wanted to kill each other. No shit. They had guns and bombs up the wazoo. But eventually they decide to come together and realize they never hated each other, they were just doing their jobs. That's the modern way. That's Hollywood. Way back in 1989 Danny DeVito directed a dark comedy called War of the Roses and he pushed every button available for pushing. He took the concept of a married couple in the process of divorce trying to destroy each other to levels that, at the time, made many reviewers uncomfortable. The great Roger Ebert at the time said, "It's to the credit of DeVito and his co-stars they they were willing to go that far, but maybe it shows more courage than wisdom." A very tepid review. I'd love to hear his opinion now in this day of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The thing about this film is not the extremes to which they go, but the emotion behind each and every move made. There's a clear sense that the characters feel something, especially the wife. I wonder why that is. I'll ask Danny DeVito. The Poop: Oliver and Barbara are young lovers who marry and start an ideal life. As Oliver's star rises at his law firm, Barbara wonders how to continue filling their home with pretty things. He is work obsessed, she feels unfulfilled. Eventually and inevitably they must divorce. Neither of the two want to surrender ownership of their home so they attempt to live together, but this turns out to be a bad idea. Like, on the level of asking your bully not to punch you between 2:30 and 3:00 because you have an accordian lesson. It's bad. A war ensues and they torture each other in the most extreme ways they can imagine. The Review: This film is called a dark comedy, but it almost plays like a thriller. It's so dark Wesley Snipes looks white. Ahh stereotypes. Ironically this film looks at a typical white upper-class relationship and shows the hurt and hate that can come in a divorce. The film is based on a novel of the same name and is largely considered a cult hit. Michael Douglas is sympathetically asshole-ish as Oliver, and Kathleen Turner is bitchily brilliant as the regretful wife, Barbara. Danny DeVito directs with an ambitious interest in angles and POV shots. Interesting for an indulgent filmmaker but ultimately not distracting. I liked it, and I hope you'll give it a chance because it's an example of the kind of movie that no big studio would ever make again. You'd have to search for this one nowadays. War of the Roses is a great example of filmaking when it wasn't so politically correct. See it!