Tag Archives: Drama

Musical Movie “Les Misérables” is an Intimate Story Against Sprawling Landscape

Les Miserables movie posterAs a movie musical, Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables (A) gets nearly every sonic and emotional note right. Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne and Anne Hathaway are the standout performers in this silver scall-singing spectacular that toggles between moments both intimate and epic. Fans of the theatrical show will have a lot to love, and the modest revisions nearly all serve to clarify the story in its cinematic translation. Themes of rebellion and redemption ring true through the urchins, anthems, baritones and barricades of a gangbuster movie musical.

“The Master” Tackles Cult Life

masterPaul Thomas Anderson’s The Master (C) is a not-so-veiled look at a religion not-so-different-from-Scientology with Philip Seymour Hoffman as the chief guru of a peculiar religion, Amy Adams as his wife and Joaquin Phoenix as his apprentice. Once the film gets each of the characters settled into place, however, it doesn’t seem to know what to do with them. Rarely has this writer/director seemed adrift, but I’m afraid it seems a bit of an Emperor’s New Clothes moment.

“Magic Mike” Makes for Lightweight Drama

imageSteven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike (C) is the origin story of a Tampa-based stripper group (ahem, male entertainment) and is made notable by both the titular character played and danced by a charming Channing Tatum and by the veteran emcee and ringleader placed by a wily and entertaining Matthew McConaughey. Alex Pettyfer plays the film’s mangenue, and his and all the film’s subplots are threadbare indeed. As drama, it doesn’t have heft. As escapism, it’s not quite trifle or truffle. It all compares unfavorably to Boogie Nights, which plumbs the adult entertainment industry with much more vivid aplomb. The fun in Mike comes in some of the ribald choreography and music/dance sequences, but I expected Soderbergh to well, step it up. The magic goes poof pretty quickly.

“Promised Land” (2012) a Parable About Caring for the Earth

Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land (A-) is a thought-provoking small-town parable about the people we become when wrestling with the dual responsibilities of capitalism and being caretakers of the planet. Instead of taking a scorched-earth approach relying on histrionics or heavy-handed plot devices, co-screenwriter/actors Matt Damon and John Krasinski closely observe characters both native and new to town as folks are faced with the potential riches of natural gas beneath family farms. There are shades of The Graduate here as the film passes generational torches. Filled with smart dialogue, fully realized performances and idyllic imagery, it’s a reminder that films can teach without being preachy.

“Amour” (2012) is a Poignant Drama

amourMichael Haneke’s sometimes pretentious, deliberately paced directing can’t eclipse the poignant acting in the very depressing film Amour (B). Jean-Louis Trintignant is the underdog actor here, superb as a devoted elderly husband nursing his slowly degenerating spouse, played gracefully by Emmanuelle Riva. Haneke lingers on the couple’s routines with near-scientific observation, but it’s the moments the central duo gets to play against type that help them truly shine in the film’s effective final act. It’s bleak material, no doubt, but often affecting.

Steven Soderbergh’s Sprawling “Contagion” Twisty and Topical

NOTE: 2016 marks the 70th anniversary of the Centers for Disease Control. Many believe this film is a very accurate depiction of the CDC in action. The show “On Second Thought” on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s NPR radio will examine the role of CDC in popular culture in July 2016, featuring interviews with Silver Screen Capture.

Contagion_PosterPandemics, public health, punditry and political cronyism collide in Steven Soderbergh’s excellent medical thriller Contagion (A-). The director employs a sprawling, star-studded cast and a multi-narrative approach to help tell an ultra-realistic story about how a virus spreads globally into the lives of its characters. More of a worldwide mosaic than intimate character drama, the film is highly effective in showing the science behind the spread of disease and the ramifications and ripple effects on people from a variety of walks of live. Kate Winslet is superb as an epidemic intelligence officer. Matt Damon is also strong as an everyman whose life becomes consumed by something much larger than himself. Jude Law also gets to do some unexpected work with a snarky character. The film is well-shot and well-researched and is a standout in its genre without employing sensationalism.

“Water for Elephants” Moves at Pachyderm Pace

imageAlthough pretty as a postcard, Water for Elephants (C-) is as formulaic as a tale can be that blends animal cruelty and forbidden love. At pachyderm pace, this three-ring melodrama fails to ring true. Robert Pattinson gives an inert performance. Witherspoon and Waltz dial it in as the other stock characters in the most mediocre show on earth.

Andrew Haigh’s “Weekend” Showcases His Penchant for Intimate Gay Love Stories

imageAndrew Haigh’s Weekend (B+) is a highly perceptive and dialogue-rich British-set film about two men who spend a few days together discussing the nature of love, relationships, art and the Big Topics of our age before one leaves the country. More than just a gay riff on the Before Sunrise movies or My Dinner with Andre, it’s a smart and discerning character study about the space between where passion starts and true love truly blossoms. Tom Cullen and Chris New are magnificent in their roles, and Haigh is masterful in depicting how they let down their guards. His documentary-like and episodic style conceals a deeper mission, as he’s accomplished quite a profound glimpse into the origins of romance.

“Rabbit Hole” a Tough Tearjerker

Rabbit Hole (A) is a tearjerker of the first order with a never-better Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart mining a groundswell of grief after the loss of their son. Director John Cameron Mitchell does an elegant and intimate job at getting to the heart of the story. Miles Teller is superb as the family’s son in flashbacks.

Unsentimental “Social Network” About Facebook Founder Displays Craft and Cunning

socialnetworkDavid Fincher’s The Social Network (B) tells the true-life story of the founding of Facebook. Its fairly unlikable hero Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) aside, the film is a glossy and smartly told story about the lengths folks will go to protect their vision and invention and how stone-cold they can be in discarding friends in the process. Andrew Garfield gets a “like” for his performance. Armie Hammer is also good in two performances as twin investors jilted by Zuckerberg. The film is a bit austere, cold and calculating like its subject, which doesn’t take away from its craftsmanship but maybe from its endearment. Aaron Sorkin wrote the absorbing screenplay which, along with the direction, is a highlight.

2010 Remake of “True Grit” a Stunner


True Grit (A) is another masterpiece from the Coen Brothers with superb acting from the leads and enough adventure to please western film purists. It’s a fun, feisty and rightly acclaimed modern classic in the Western milieu with Jeff Bridges in the “Rooster Cogburn” role formerly inhabited by John Wayne. Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are also standouts, with newcomer Hailee Steinfeld making a superb impression as a feisty 14-year-old farm girl embarking on a quest for vengeance.

“An Education” (2009) is Sublime

educationAmong many end-of-year prestige pics, here’s a gem: Lone Scherfig’s An Education (A+) in which surefire Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan plays a determined British schoolgirl who falls topsy turvy for older man Peter Sarsgaard. The film captured young love with timeless, poignant truth as moments of Lolita-ish unease heighten the heroine’s struggle with moral ambiguities. Mulligan is a revelation and the film an instant coming-of-age classic.