Django Unchained - 2 smiles

When all is said and done, “Django Unchained,” Quentin Tarantino’s latest, is too long, too bloody and too indulgent. And where Tarantino got away with rewriting history with his outrageous Inglorious Basterds, trying the same trick doesn’t work here. Django is a slave turned bounty hunter, a black man who gets to ‘kill white folks and they pay you for it.’ The film features a couple of Oscar winners – Jamie Foxx in the title role, and Christoph Waltz, who won for his role in Inglorious Basterds. Here Waltz is again playing a similar character, only this time he’s a German charmer who is the good guy. Dr. King Schultz (Waltz), a German dentist turned bounty hunter in the pre-civil War Wild West, who abhors slavery but doesn’t mind murder, purchases and then frees Django (Foxx) so Django can help him catch some wanted men. This is a pretty complicated setup for two characters that never come clearly into focus and a wandering, episodic narrative that takes a long time to get anywhere. So for roughly two-thirds of the movie, the cool-headed Schultz and stone-faced Django travel the country, killing a bunch of people. Sure there’s lots of scenery and some gags, but there are few surprises. That changes when the pair head to Mississippi to rescue Django’s German-speaking wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). There they encounter the despicable Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), an effete, Francophile plantation owner and Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), the superficially obsequious ‘house slave’ who dominates Candie’s household. And although Candie is actually under Stephen’s grinning and jiving thumb, both men are hopelessly affected by the crushing weight of slavery.

Foxx and Waltz are in fine form. And DiCaprio is incredibly adept at being charming and evil at the same time. Unfortunately, there are way too many instances of people getting shot, erupting with intentionally fake-looking spurts of blood, and beaucoup uses of the N word. The partnership of the Waltz and Foxx characters makes no sense. Sure, maybe at the beginning when Schultz needs Django’s help, but they continue on together for no apparent reason than this is supposed to be a buddy movie. The movie writer and director Tarantino has created is a hit-and-miss affair, at times an amusing reimagining of history, more often an over-indulgent, blood-spattered bore.  12/28/12

Rust and Bone - 2 smiles

The main problem with “Rust and Bone” is that the narrative’s protagonist is Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts), a totally unsympathetic character, rather than Stephanié (Marion Cotillard), a victim of a killer whale attack. It is Stephanié‘s journey from self-sufficient young woman to a physically and emotionally shattered victim to someone revived in her discovery that life can still be good despite her handicaps that is most affecting. Unfortunately, her story takes a backseat to the more obvious melodrama of the man who becomes her confidante and sex buddy, a ne’er-do-well struggling to become a father. Throughout most of the film, Ali is a blank slate. He is neither likable nor charismatic enough for us to care what happens to him. He consistently stays at a distance even though he is the central character. On the other hand, Cotillard as the more complex Stephanié is a far better actor than Schoenaerts and a focus on her story might have resulted in a narrative with more impact. And for a movie that moves slowly (almost meanders) through Stephanié and Ali’s lives, the ending seems rushed and confusing.

With his five-year-old son Sam (Armand Verdure) in tow, Ali (Schoenaerts) leaves Belgium to live with his estranged sister (Corinne Masero) and her husband in France. Ill equipped as a father, he leaves his son with her and gets a job as a club bouncer, where he meets Stephanié during an altercation. She is an orca trainer at the local Marine Land and, when she loses her legs during a freak accident, it is Ali who comes to her rescue when all else seems hopeless. They explore a sexual relationship as Ali begins to make money fighting in back-alley brawls. Ultimately, it will take a near-fatal accident with Sam for Ali to realize what’s important in his life. “Rust and Bone” provides some insightful moments, but it’s ultimately hard to like. Subtitles. 12/29/12

Jack Reacher - 3 smiles

Like all fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, I was dismayed when I heard that Tom Cruise was going to play that character in a soon-to-open movie. Cruise is nowhere close to resembling Reacher, who’s 6’5” tall with a 50-inch chest and weighing between 210-250 pounds. However, I also understand Hollywood’s reluctance to make a movie without a name star attached. And because I really like Jack Reacher and want to see more of his stories on the screen, I went to see “Jack Reacher” with an open mind. While Cruise’s physical appearance takes some getting used to, he has the charm, eloquence and physicality to effectively play Jack Reacher. And he has created a protagonist that’s full of personality. He has a sharp sense of humor and a smart, calculating mind that allows him to piece together clues. And casting filmmaker Werner Herzog as the film’s creepy villain is a cool move. Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie (an Oscar winner for his screenplay The Usual Suspects) opens the movie with a sequence that doesn’t contain a single line of dialogue, signaling that this isn’t your typical actioner.

A man gets into a white mini-van and drives to a quiet parking lot in central Pittsburgh. He parks on one of the upper floors and slips a quarter into a parking meter. He looks across the river with his long-range rifle and starts firing. Five random people are killed. The man then jumps into his van and flees the scene. Within 24 hours, the police have made an arrest. The car, gun and a fingerprint on the coin in the parking meter have led authorities to James Barr, an ex-army sniper who has lived a solitary life. With this overwhelming evidence, Alex Rodin (Richard Jenkins), the DA, needs Barr to sign a confession. Instead, Barr writes three words on a piece of paper: ‘Get Jack Reacher,’ The only information Rodin can discover is Reacher used to be an MP and he is not on any wanted lists. Luckily for Rodin, Reacher finds him. And although Reacher believes Barr is guilty, he is persuaded by Barr’s attorney and the DA’s daughter, Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike) to take a look at the crime scene and the case files. The deeper he digs, the stranger things get. Things fall into place a little too easily in the end, but “Jack Reacher” is certainly worth seeing. I can only hope that this is the first of a franchise. 12/21/12

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - 2 1/2 smiles

As I watched (and loved) each of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, I wondered how he was going to get enough of Tolkien’s complex story into each. When I heard that he had decided to make “The Hobbit” into three movies, I wondered how he was going to stretch a fairly simple, straightforward story into three parts. Unfortunately, Jackson spends way too much time setting up characters and plots in needlessly intricate detail. Of course, there’s a lot of ‘stuff’ in this movie, all the way up to a bloated 169-minute running time. But stuff is not the same thing has having a rich and complicated plot. As a result, it can’t help but lose focus on both story and, more importantly, on its Hobbit hero, Bilbo Baggins. Much of ‘An Unexpected Journey’ focuses on the dwarves and we do not spend enough time with Bilbo. He is just there. Nonetheless, it was good to return to Middle Earth and the narrative becomes more engaging when, two-thirds of the way through, we meet an old friend, Gollum.

The script (written by Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Guillermo del Toro and J. R. R. Tolkien) doesn’t try very hard to differentiate the 13 dwarves that comprise the group Bilbo Baggins (an amiable Martin Freeman) joins. Although it seems as dwarves age, their noses grow bigger and they get more facial hair. Led by the warrior Throin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), the dwarves are on a quest to reclaim their home, Erebor, which was lost to the dragon Smaug. Since this movie is only the beginning of the tale, Bilbo and the company of dwarves is still far from their destination at the end of the film, but they are on their way. There is plenty of swordplay and action as well as Bilbo finding the One Ring, a dangerous encounter with Gollum and battles with lots and lots of goblins, wargs, trolls and other dark creatures. Unfortunately, the dwarves aren’t interesting characters. Bilbo is a solid character as is Gollum (once again played by Andy Serkis, one of the best motion-capture actors). Gollum is richer and deeper this time around as the technology has improved since the Lord of the Rings movies. Gollum‘s delightful passive-aggressive character generates much needed humor. While “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” held my attention throughout and the look of the movie is amazing, the action scenes are repetitive and there’s little forward narrative progress.  12/14/12

Killing Them Softly - 1 1/2 smiles

Although there is some craft in “Killing Them Softly,” the many amoral characters do too much talking for me to find them engaging and Director Andrew Dominik’s over-riding metaphor is distracting. Dominik uses a George Higgins novel to launch a familiar saga about a pair of low-IQ lowlifes (Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn) who think they’re smart enough to rob some heavy dudes who play in a poker game hosted by the slightly less moronic Markie (Ray Liotta). Brad Pitt, giving an unlikeable cool-guy performance, is the cruelly efficient hit man who gets called in to clean up the miss by administering punishment for all involved. That’s the story.

However, Dominik sees his narrative as a metaphor for the 2008 financial crisis and the election of Barack Obama. There’s an Obama speech in the opening seconds and a shot of Obama and John McCain billboards at the movie progresses. Plus there’s always a video or audio clip of Obama or George W. Bush in the background and at the end, Pitt’s big speech ties politics to crime. The problem with Dominik’s metaphor is it wasn’t just one person who needed to have his brains splattered in the super slo-mo of Dominik’s most visually captivating scene. It was the entire crazy mortgage system that was broken, from lenders to people who bought more house than they could afford to regulators who encouraged them. So I ask you, does the metaphor even work? “Killing Them Softly” is trying too hard to be more than a story set in the world of mobsters, junkies and lowlifes. 12/10/12

Red Dawn - 1 smile

“Red Dawn,” a totally unnecessary re-make of the 1984 original, sat on the shelf since 2009 partially because of the financial problems of MGM, the studio that made it. The other reason is that it’s pretty awful. The original “Red Dawn,” co-written and directed by John Millius, reflects Millius’ belief in the Soviet menace. So in that movie we have the Soviet Union, with the help of Cuba, invading the United States. America fights back, of course, in the form of some Colorado teenagers turned resistance fighters. Pretty silly stuff, but it proved to be pure popcorn entertainment and it acquired cult status because its cast included Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Lea Thompson and Charlie Sheen. Now comes the re-make and what was silly fun becomes just plain stupid.

Originally the bad guys were the Chinese, which seems plausible, but after the film was made, studio execs decided that would hurt ticket sales in the lucrative Chinese market. So through digital magic, everything was changed to North Korea. And, for whatever reason, Spokane, Washington (really? Spokane?) becomes the prime target, where the invading forces run into a band of suburban teenagers led by Jed Eckert (Chris Hemsworth before he became Thor), a Marine on leave from his unit. Jed’s group includes Josh Hutcherson (of Hunger Games) and Connor Cruise (Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s son). Some of the battle scenes are exciting, but most of the movie is undermined by no character development and shaky camera work. Skip this one and wait for it to be on cable. Nov. 23, 2012

Life of Pi - 3 smiles

“Life of Pi” has an interesting mix of the ordinary and the magical. At times, the simple story has a quiet power, but there are also instances when it strikes a jarringly wrong note, especially at the end. This movie is more remarkable because of the excellent special effects than because of its strength of narrative, emotional impact or allegorical complexity although the movie argues that faith is necessary for survival. The movie is divided into three sections. The first introduces us to Pi (Suraj Sharma), whose name is short for ‘Piscene,’ but he changes it because it sounds too much like ‘pissing.’ There is a brief summary of his early life as he explores various faiths, including Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Essentially, he wants to ‘know’ God. In India, Pi’s family owns a zoo, but economic conditions force his family to move to Canada. They, along with the zoo’s animals, are packed aboard a freighter for an ocean crossing. In the middle of a rough storm near the Marinas Trench, the ship sinks. The only survivors are Pi and four animals.

The second segment of the movie comprises the difficulties of crossing the Pacific on a 20-foot lifeboat. Three of the four animals, a zebra, a hyena and an orangutan, are quickly devoured by the fourth, a large Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Pi abandons the lifeboat for an improvised raft that’s tethered to the boat, but circumstances eventually force him to forge an uneasy co-existence with the tiger. The movie’s third section, which has a tacked-on feel, offers an ‘alternative’ narrative of Pi’s sea adventures. The problem with this part of the movie is that it is explained, with no visual re-interpretation of events. Pi is in a hospital bed telling this other story, which really doesn’t work. And because the movie starts with the adult Pi (Irrfan Khan) telling his story to a Canadian author (Rafe Spall), there’s never any doubt that Pi will survive his ordeal. Nonetheless, the most compelling part of the movie is the middle segment with Pi’s evolving relationship with Richard Parker, especially since the tiger is CGI. At no point do we doubt that this is a living, breathing tiger. “The Life of Pi” is a gorgeous movie and you must see it in 3D, but its weak ending keeps it from being a 4-smile film.  11/7/12

Silver Linings Playbook - 4 smiles

With “Silver Linings Playbook,” director David O. Russell has pulled off a tricky feat: finding just the right tone in crafting a romantic comedy whose sweethearts suffer from bipolar disorder and depression. He takes you from mental illness and adultery to football obsession and competitive dance and when it’s over, you’re amazed that everything works. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence give inspired performances that allow them to play against type as the unlikely couple at the center of this romance. After roles in Winter’s Bone and Hunger Games, Lawrence impresses with yet another facet of her talent. On the flip side, Cooper gets a rare chance to demonstrate his acting ability. There’s rawness as his character strives to convince himself that he deserves a happy ending.

Cooper is Pat Solatano, a teacher who’s just been released from a mental hospital at the film’s start. He suffered a breakdown when he caught his wife in the shower with one of her co-workers. Now, having lost his marriage, home and career, he hopes to start over – and that starts by moving back in with his parents. Robert De Niro does some of his best work in years as Pat Sr., a hardcore Philadelphia Eagles fan whose game-time superstitions have long since developed into full-blown obsessive-compulsive disorder and Jacki Weaver, who was so formidable in Animal Kingdom, is effective as Pat’s loyal, long-suffering mother. Pat tries to take all the right steps to further his recovery – attending therapy sessions with a no-nonsense Dr. Patel (a funny Anupam Kher), running every day – but he just can’t accept that his wife wants nothing to do with him. Pat meets Tiffany (Lawrence) at a small dinner party hosted by his friend (John Ortiz) and his wife (Julia Stiles). Tiffany is recently widowed after the death of her police-officer husband and fired from her job. And like Pat, she has no internal filter so this first meeting is full of sharp banter and spectacularly inappropriate observations. “Silver Linings Playbook” will garner Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and probably Best Actor nominations. You’ll certainly want to see this soon. Nov. 21, 2012