Escape Plan - 3 smiles

“Escape Plan,” with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in roles they could have easily done 20 years ago, is a solid B action movie meant to be taken on its own terms. There are no wink-wink situations about two old guys making a come back. And it succeeds in doing something difficult: it provides a creative script that allows each to play to his strengths. That is, Schwarznegger gets to play the comedian (overacting and all) and Stallone focuses on drama. Stallone plays Ray, a security expert whose job is to figure out the weaknesses of maximum-security prisons from the inside. He goes in, undercover, and then breaks out. Simple enough, but things get complicated when he takes a job testing a CIA prison, from which, he realizes, there’s no escape. It takes about a half an hour before Schwarznegger shows up, playing a German anarchist stuck in the CIA prison. He’s Stallone’s comic relief. Soon the two are studying prison patterns and plotting their escape. Our heroes are pitted against a coldly effective Jim Caviezel as the sadistic warden.

The cast is first rate down the line, with Vincent D’Onofrio as Ray’s germ-a-phobic business partner, Amy Ryan as Ray’s friend on the outside and Sam Neill lending the weight of his presence to a small role as the prison doctor. Director Mikael Hafstrom strikes a good tonal balance that allows him to take advantage of lighter moments without losing anything in dramatic intensity. “Escape Plan” is pure escapist fare, a fun way to spend an afternoon with some ‘old’ friends. 10/30/13

Spinning Plates - 3 smiles

“Spinning Plates,” a portrait of three American restaurants, is an engrossing documentary about artistic innovation, cultural legacy, community pride and beautiful food ably assisted by Erin Harvey’s cinematography. The undisputed star is renowned chef Grant Achatz, owner of Chicago’s Alinea. The wispy-goateed wunderkind describes his ongoing efforts to make his molecular gastropub the ‘best restaurant in the country’ and he envisions food as art. Alinea has already received numerous honors, including being named the best eatery in America by Restaurant magazine. And staffers are seen anxiously waiting to hear if they’ve been awarded the coveted Michelin three-star rating. Achatz’s aspirations are grounded by the story of his diagnosis of stage-four tongue cancer at the peak of his career.  By contrast, Breitbach’s Country Dining in tiny Balltown, Iowa, a town that rose up around the restaurant rather than vice versa, is a community center as well as a tourist destination. (Balltown’s population is about 70, but the business can serve up to 2,000 on a busy weekend.) All-American comfort food (fried chicken, mashed potatoes, homemade pie) is the name of the game and the Breitbach family is as involved in daily operations as it was when the restaurant opened 161 years ago. La Cocina de Gabby, a Mexican restaurant in Tucson, Arizona, opened by émigré Francisco Martinez, is a smaller venture, one that showcases Martinez’s wife Gabby’s cooking. But the establishment struggles and the couple’s heavily mortgaged home hangs in the balance.

While the different types of fame Alinea and Breitbach’s enjoy provide a certain insurance, the Martinez venture illustrates just how difficult it is to launch and sustain a restaurant in today’s tough economy. Director Joseph Levy tries to draw parallels in the subjects’ extreme dedication, exhausting long hours and trouble fitting in normal family time, which sometimes works. There are vague correlations drawn between food and community, although that means something very different at an event destination like Alinea (where dinner for two might cost $800) than it does at a neighborly mega-diner like Breitbach’s. Also, we seldom hear from customers so there’s a curious blank spot in the narrative as if the quality of food really isn’t important. What really works are the personal dramas that arise. The Martinez family’s precarious financial situation is one source of suspense as is Achatz’s health and the two serious fires that hit Breitbach’s. Ultimately, “Spinning Plates” is an enjoyable experience that will have you seeking food when you leave the theater. 10/26/13

Fifth Estate - 2 smiles

“The Fifth Estate” takes on the important 21^st century question of information flow vs. privacy rights and turns it into a confusing mix of techno thriller and future-of-journalism lecture. Directed by Bill Condon, the movie is about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the polarizing figure who became famous by posting secret documents from whistleblowers on his website. The script is based on books written by a former Assange collaborator, Daniel Domscheit-Berg (played by Daniel Bruhl) so Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) comes off as less than heroic. Assange is a devoted champion of the underdog whose halo swiftly tarnishes once his gargantuan ego is challenged. The film focuses on the relationship between the two men, with the mysterious Assange as sort of Svengali who seduces Daniel with promises that they can change the world. The movie hints that Assange may suffer from some form of schizophrenia. Their partnership is threatened when they clash over a leak of classified documents on the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Assange is not interested in redacting names of government sources; Daniel and The Guardian editor who wants to co-publish the story say publishing the names will get people killed all over the world. Assange won’t budge; to him, editing equals bias.

The movie provides a showcase for British star Cumberbatch, whose Assange is mad prophet, sincere visionary, egomaniac, narcissist. On the other hand, Daniel Bruhl (recently in Ron Howard’s Rush) isn’t as dynamic an actor and his Berg often fades into the background. Overall the movie turns out to be more of an elementary primer on WikiLeaks than anything else. And computer code, IMs, emails and people banging away on keyboards does not translate well to film, no matter how many bells and whistles you add. And Condon slaps on quite a few. Bottom line, the film lacks focus with too many subplots: Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci and Anthony Mackie as U.S. government employees trying to deal with the WikiLeaks fallout. Another focuses on Alexander Siddig as a source in Lebanon whose life is in danger by Assange’s refusal to redact names. A third takes a look behind-the-scenes at The Guardian, whose top editors (David Thewlis and Peter Capaldi) figure out how to disseminate information being fed to them by Assange. By movie’s end, you know a lot about WikiLeaks, but not much about Assange. Condon doesn’t explore the sexual assault allegations against him or the fact that he’s now living at the Ecuadorean embassy in London. Although “The Fifth Estate” is a skillful assemblage of bits and pieces, it tells its story haphazardly and doesn’t have an ending. 10/24/13

Runner Runner - 1 1/2 smiles

Three things are true about “Runner Runner,” starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Afflick. One, director Brad Furman likes to use the shaky cam way too much, two, Ben Afflick makes a good villain and three, this should have been a better movie. The story is essentially one you know: a young hotshot gets in over his head while being tutored by a mentor who ultimately betrays him. There’s also a half-attempt at romance (but there’s absolutely no chemistry) and some law enforcement interference.  Co-stars Gemma Arterton and Anthony Mackie are underused. And I’m not sure whether to blame the lack of tension on the director or Brian Koppelman & David Levien’s script. Plus the whole movie seems rushed, nothing is developed, not the story, not the characters, not the action.

The movie starts out strongly enough, with Richie Furst (Timberlake) trying to earn a Master’s degree at Princeton. To pay for his tuition, he has become affiliated with a few online casino sites where he gets commissions for every player he signs up. When the dean shuts him down, he desperately risks his entire savings in poker and loses. When he realizes he was cheated, he travels to Costa Rica to meet with online gambling mogul Ivan Block (Afflick), who takes an interest in this brash kid from New Jersey. Despite providing a few glimpses behind the curtain of online gambling, “Runner Runner” never fleshes out this setting. Another failing. 10/21/13

Gravity - 4 smiles

“Gravity,” starring Sandra Bullock in an Oscar-winning performance, is spectacular. I saw it in 2D and it was amazing. I’m going to see it again in 3D, which, I understand, is another movie, like Avatar, that deserves to be seen in the 3D medium. Director Alfonso Cuarón has stated that his goal is to put the viewer in space with the characters and he certainly accomplishes this. He opens “Gravity” with a 20-minute unbroken shot that follows two characters, astronauts Ryan Stone (Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) on a spacewalk as they complete improvements to the Hubble Telescope. The camera dips and dives and moves to give us a sense of what it’s like to be in orbit. Earth is a big, beautiful globe in the background. The accident, when it occurs, is shocking and brutal. As an untethered Ryan somersaults through space, the camera moves into her helmet and provides a first person point-of-view of her panic and confusion. The story is a straightforward exploration of the difficulties faced by a woman alone fighting for survival. Stranded in space with her only obvious means of escape smashed, she must confront new challenges and dangers – fire, oxygen depletion, lack of fuel, a storm of satellite debris – to get home.

The level of tension is high and the conclusion is not certain. Bullock’s performance is top notch, outstripping her Oscar-winning role in The Blind Side. She runs the gamut of emotions from relief to despair and in many scenes must convey her emotional state without dialogue and with the camera close on her face. Physically, the role is demanding. And like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, she has no one to play off for a majority of the film. George Clooney is given co-billing with Bullock (probably because of his box office draw), but “Gravity” is Bullock’s movie all the way. And the setting, created entirely on computers, is a wondrous thing to behold. It gives is an idea of what it must be like to be in space, surrounded by silence, floating in a near vacuum. “Gravity” is state-of-the-art special effects and superior acting and must be seen on the big screen. 10/23/13

Captain Phillips - 3 1/2 smiles

“Captain Phillips,” starring Tom Hanks, is a taut, white-knuckle thriller that features an ordinary guy placed in an extraordinary situation. And since this is based on a true story, it’s not your typical action hero flick. If there’s a complaint against director Paul Greengrass, it’s that he’s overly fond of shaky handheld shots, which he does too much in the first half. Billy Ray’s screenplay is based on a book written by Captain Richard Phillips (co-authored by Stephan Talty) called A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea. It tells of events in April 2009 when Phillips (Tom Hanks), commanding the merchant vessel Maersk Alabama, helped defend his ship against Somali Pirates. Eventually, four armed men boarded the ship and Phillips was able to keep them off guard. He was taken prisoner aboard a life raft and became a pawn in a game of brinksmanship between the pirates and the US Navy.

Tom Hanks has proved that he can be trusted to star in a film (Cast Away) where his character is placed in constant, evolving jeopardy. In “Captain Phillips,” Hanks is an everyman. He’s great at representing how a normal person might react in this situation: by seeking to avoid a confrontation and, when that proves impossible, to achieve victory by outthinking his opponents rather than blowing them up. Hanks does some powerful acting and it makes the film unforgettable. The rest of the cast consists of unknown actors. The four men playing the pirates, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahat M. Ali, are making their feature debuts, but you wouldn’t know that they had no acting experience. “Captain Phillips” is impressively directed with an Oscar-worthy performance from Tom Hanks. 9/17/13

Machete Kills - 1 frown

“Machete Kills,” a sequel for Machete, is another lampoon of bad genre movies from the 60s and 70s, but it’s a joke that’s getting old really fast. Machete was originally a fake trailer for Grindhouse, a Robert Rodriguez movie. The character generated so much buzz for Rodriguez that he eventually expanded it into a whole film that he released in 2010. This is a bad movie by design, but that doesn’t make it enjoyable unless you’re a Rodriguez fan. A bad movie by design is still a bad movie. I shared the theater with one other audience member. There’s lots of blood and violence, campy performances (Demian Birchir, Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderas, Lady Gaga, Cuba Gooding Jr.) and a meandering script. There will probably be a third movie because this one ends with a cliffhanger. And Rodriguez has already indicated that it’s going to be called “Machete Kills Again … in Space!” Count me out. I’m sorry I went to see this one. 10/16/13