The Sessions - 4 smiles

One reason to see “The Sessions” is for John Hawkes’ remarkable performance as Mark O’Brien, who, at age 6, was ravaged by polio that required him to spend most of his time in an iron lung. Hawkes uses only his face to capture the depth and essence of this thoughtful man. But if Hawkes is the heart of the movie, Helen Hunt’s portrayal of Cheryl, a sexual surrogate who helps Mark lose his virginity, is the soul and the second reason to this exceptionally touching movie. Hawkes undoubtedly deserves an Oscar nomination for his touching performance and so does Hunt as a woman who has no problem taking off her clothes for strangers, but can’t have a single honest conversation with a husband who takes her for granted. Both Hawkes and Hunt elevate the material into something memorable.

As an adult, Mark used a motorized gurney and a portable respirator, which allowed him to unplug and leave the house for a few hours at a time, to attend UC Berkeley, where he majored in English literature. He wrote by pushing the keys of a typewriter with a pencil in his mouth and he eventually published several collections of poetry and freelanced as a journalist. Ben Litwin, who wrote and directed, focuses on one specific chapter in Mark’s life – the time he lost his virginity. However, Mark first must get permission from his priest, Father Brendan (William H. Macy). Mark is a devout Catholic and his request for sex outside of marriage first puzzles the priest, but he eventually tells Mark, ‘In my heart I believe He will give you a pass on this one.’ The only question is to find a willing partner, who turns out to be Cheryl (Hunt), a married woman and mother who works as a sexual surrogate, helping the disabled and the mentally challenged to explore their sexuality. The core of the movie is the scenes between Mark and Cheryl, which are uncommonly frank about sex and nudity, but they’re also about how Mark overcomes his shyness and self-consciousness and how Cheryl is able to look past her client’s disabilities to see the intelligent, brave, funny man inside. “The Sessions” treats intimacy with an honesty that’s rare in movies and with two top-notch performances, it’s certainly worth seeing. 10/20/12

Looper - 2 1/2 smiles

“Looper” is one of those movies with a great cast, a great look and an intriguing story, but by the time it’s over, it’s ‘sound and fury signifying nothing.’ I was clearly disappointed with the last 30 minutes of the film, which raises issues of free will vs. destiny, nature vs. nurture and questionable ethics (would you consider killing a child if you knew it meant saving lives in the future from the monster he might grow up to be?) and then ignores them as the movie rushes to its bloody conclusion.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, a hired assassin whose targets are sent back in time from the future. You see, time travel becomes a reality in the future, but when time machines are outlawed, only outlaws have access to them. And killers like Joe are part of a force led by Abe (Jeff Daniels), a menacing boss from the future. These Loopers, as the killers are called, are handsomely paid and given a retirement that lasts exactly 30 years. Then they are captured, send back in time and killed, thus closing the ‘loop’ of their lives. As the movie opens, a new crime lord, a fearsome gangster known as the Rainmaker, has taken over in the future and is issuing new orders about the existing Loopers: He wants all their future selves sent back in time and killed immediately. When Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) turns up, things get more complicated because at some point, Young Joe and Old Joe are going to have to meet and decide whether they’re going to continue as enemies or allies. The meeting takes place in a diner in the middle of nowhere where they stare at each other over identical plates of steak and eggs.

The best scene in the movie is the diner scene, which crackles with smart dialogue as they discuss sci-fi clichés, especially the idea of meeting each other face to face and its consequences. Gordon-Levitt’s more finely boned face has been fitted with prosthetics to make him more closely resemble Willis. This sorta works and sorta doesn’t. It does make him resemble Willis, a little, but it makes watching him in the scenes without Willis weird because he just doesn’t look like Gordon-Levitt. The mind-bending story that is “Looper” has gotten a lot of critical acclaim and I liked it … up to the last 30 minutes. That’s when it all falls. 10/5/12

Pitch Perfect - 3 smiles

Luckily for “Pitch Perfect,” the good outweigh the bad in this fun but predictable story about an all-girl a cappella singing group. Inspired by the 2009 nonfiction book Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory by Mickey Rapkin, this movie showcases a collegiate subculture in all its competitive glory. Beca (Anna Kendrick) goes to college against her will, prodded by her professor father. What she really wants is to produce music. Her first move is to get a job at the campus radio station, where she meets fellow music fan and singer Jesse (Skylar Astin). A sorta friendship begins. Beca is roped into joining The Bellas, a female a cappella group, by Chloe (Brittany Snow), who hears her singing in the dorm shower. Soon, Beca becomes a key member of this group of lovable musical misfits. The funniest of the bunch is Amy (Rebel Wilson), who calls herself ‘Fat Amy’ because she figures that’s what the others will call her behind her back. Then there’s Lilly (Hana Mae Lee), an Asian girl who speaks in barely audible whispers (but pay attention to what she’s saying.) The Bellas take on the all-male Treblemakers (which Jesse joins) in the national competition. In between singing groups, we get funny quips from commentators John (John Michael Higgins) and Gail (Elizabeth Banks) a la Best in Show.

Kendrick, who is also in End of Watch, proves her versatility and much of the movie hinges on her likable outsider character. The bonds of sisterly friendship forged between Beca and her singing companions are just as important as the results of their big Lincoln Center sing-off. So the movie succeeds in spite of some painful stereotypes, a tepid romance, and projectile vomiting. Plus you’re not supposed to ask how the Bellas get so good so fast. Nonetheless, the musical numbers are quite good and “Pitch Perfect” is enjoyable fluff. 10/1/12

The Master - 1 smile

After seeing the much-hyped “The Master,” I was puzzled and a little angry, wondering what this movie was trying to say or why it was even made. The first hour of the movie contains a good story. It’s post-World War II and Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), an emotionally disturbed loner who had trouble fitting in with his fellow sailors in the Navy, has landed a job as a portrait photographer at a swanky department store. But Freddie doesn’t fit in and doesn’t last long at the job. In the darkroom where he develops pictures, he has sex with women and chugs down the concoction he makes out of photo-processing chemicals. Then Freddie meets Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a rotund, fast-talking man constantly surrounded by people who treat him like a sage, hanging on his every word, laughing at his jokes. Lancaster describes himself as a ‘doctor, writer, and theoretical philosopher.’ He is married to Peggy (Amy Adams), a friendly woman who is much more aware than she initially seems. He has a son, Val (Jesse Plemons), who, later, tells Freddie that his father is ‘making it up as he goes.’

Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson sets everything up so well that you wait for the plot, the real meaning of the film, to kick in. Instead, nothing happens. There are a series of incidents and you’re not sure how much time has passed between events. Freddie stows away on Lancaster’s boat in San Francisco and then they’re in New York. Freddie and Lancaster spend the night in adjacent jail cells, with the bars the only barrier that keeps them from beating each other up. In one mystifying scene, the women at a house party all suddenly lose their clothes while Lancaster sings. Freddie’s sexual addiction, which was emphasized in the early portions of the film, suddenly disappears. And what’s with the scene in the desert? None of the characters in “The Master” are interesting although Phoenix and Hoffman are exceptional. However, because none of the characters are interesting, you don’t really care what happens to them, not that Anderson makes anything clear. Some critics claim that this movie is intentionally elusive and mysterious, but that’s just a sophisticated way of saying Anderson’s script isn’t all that good. Anderson poses questions about faith, emotional damage and the human capacity for change, but he never explores them with any depth. It seems Anderson is making a movie for himself and not for a typical audience. 10/ 5/12

Argo - 4 smiles

“Argo,” directed by and starring Ben Affleck, is perfection. It’s a political thriller told with intelligence, period detail and a surprising amount of humor for a serious look at the Iran Hostage crisis of 1979-81. “Argo,” Affleck’s third feature film as a director after Gone Baby Gone (2007) and The Town (2010), grabs you from the opening sequences and doesn’t let go. And even though you know going in that this is a true story, he has you on the edge of your seat as the tension builds and builds.  Affleck went to some effort to make “Argo” look like it was shot in the 70s. Not only is the picture intentionally grainy, giving it a home-movie feel, but the old Warner Brothers logo is used at the start. The recreation of Tehran circa 1980 is effective with exteriors shot in Istanbul and he uses archival footage of President Carter, the Shah and Ayatollah Khomeini and old news footage of Ted Koppel, Mike Wallace and Walter Cronkite to add more flavor of the period. Crisp pacing of Affleck’s direction allows “Argo” to feel shorter than its 120-minute running time and the exceptional balance of tone, humor and seriousness, makes for an Oscar contender.

“Argo” opens with a compelling re-creation of the takeover of the US Embassy in Iran by militant students. As civilians enter the compound, first in a trickle then, once the gates are forced open, in droves, employees and diplomats rush to shred and incinerate all sensitive material. Six of them – Bob Anders (Tate Donovan), Lee Schatz (Rory Cochrane), Mark and Cora Lijek (Christopher Denham and Clea DuVall), and Joe and Kathy Stafford (Scoot McNairy and Kerry Bishe) – escape and make it to the residence of Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor (Victor Garber), where they are hidden away for nearly 90 days. With pressure mounting for the safety of the six and the ambassador and his staff, CIA director Jack O’Donnell (Bryan Cranston) calls agent Tony Mendez (Affleck), an extraction expert, to devise a plan to get the six people out. Mendez’ scheme is audacious. With the help of Hollywood make-up artist John Chambers (John Goodman) and producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), Tony establishes a fake production company for a cheesy sci-fi flick called Argo and devises a cover story for the trapped Americans that will, hopefully, allow them to pass through security at the airport and board a Swiss Air flight. “Argo” is such a compelling movie that I want to see it again…and again. 10/10/12

Trouble With the Curve - 1 1/2 smiles

As much as I wanted to like “Trouble With the Curve,” starring Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams, it’s just too predictable to recommend. It’s as if screenwriter Randy Brown wrote the script for his senior thesis and then didn’t bother with any revisions to the formulaic story about a grumpy father and adult daughter finding one another during his twilight years. Every line that the story takes is signaled loudly and clearly so there are no surprises when everything you are expecting happens, Some of the baseball material is interesting, but it contradicts the premise of Moneybll, arguing that ‘old time’ baseball scouting is superior to modern technology and the numbers-based approach favored by Billy Beane and his supporters. “Trouble With the Curve” shows how good baseball know-how and dozens of years of experience trumps whatever a computer can spit out. To reinforce this, the chief proponent of the scientific approach is an oily character played by Matthew Lillard.  No subtlety there.

Amy Adams does more with her role than Eastwood does with his, although her character isn’t written with any more depth. She’s a 33-year-old lawyer married to her job. Her long workweeks are about to pay off with a partnership when she gets a call from her father’s boss and best friend, Pete (John Goodman), who’s concerned about his buddy’s health. Pete wants Mickey (Adams) to join her dad on a scouting trip to North Carolina. This would interfere with her partnership drive and she and Gus (Eastwood) aren’t at the best place with their father/daughter relationship, but she agrees nonetheless. Of course, we know where this is going. Mickey will have to make a choice. Any guesses which one she makes? While in North Carolina, Mickey meets Johnny (Justin Timberlake), an ex-player-turned-scout who gradually worms himself into Mickey’s affection. It would have improved the story’s effectiveness if there were more chemistry between these two, but, again, we know where the story is going. Mickey is going to have to make another decision. “Trouble With the Curve” is full of artifice, resulting in a weak movie. Rookie director Robert Lorenz needs to select a stronger script for his next effort. 10/7/12

Dredd - 1 frown

I can’t imagine why there is a remake of the Sylvester Stallone 1995 Judge Dredd although critics say that this one is closer to the comic version. I’ll take their word. Karl Urban never removes his mask so the most we see is his lips and chin. Also he speaks in a growl so that sometimes you can’t understand what he’s saying. The action scenes are graphic and bloody and the body count is high. It’s devoid of any pleasure and you’re glad when it’s finally over. At least, I was. Skip this mess. 10/1/12