Among the things I wasn’t expecting to see in an adaptation of the story of Noah and the Ark: huge talking rock-people who help build the maritime vessel, magic crystals that foretell the future and, oh yeah, a shipboard pregnancy test. I’m generally willing to follow visionary director Darren Aronofsky as he tilts at windmills even when the breeze is swelling with CGI doves and the slings and arrows from the evil armored descendents of Cain. But unfortunately the epic Noah (D+) is a folly of Biblical proportions. Although his unconventional take on the tale allows viewers to ponder the weight of the mission at hand (everyone else on the planet must die so that earth’s goodness can be saved), the director simply gets in his own way with his gonzo choices. As the title character, Russell Crowe is single minded of purpose, which can drive his family – including ladies Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson – a little crazy. The film’s tone shifts wildly from apocalyptic journey to domestic drama to pirate adventure. I suppose Waterworld seemed as good a blueprint as any for a big-budget adventure. There are lots of WTF (“what the flood?”) moments throughout, some simply surprising and a few of them actually tender and touching; but by the time all is said and done, everyone involved should feel adequately punished for the evil of man.
All posts by Stephen Michael Brown
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” is Wes Anderson at His Best
An all-star polka-palooza of exquisite Euro-production design, droll dialogue and screwball pacing, Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel (B) is a glorified episodic buddy comedy with Ralph Fiennes and newcomer Tony Revolori bringing considerable wit and charm to their central duo of hotelier protagonists. There are roomfuls of incidental storylines from murders to jailbreaks (all meticulously crafted), star cameos (many that go nowhere) and plot points that aren’t all that revelatory. I wasn’t too sure of any theme except for the oft-repeated notion of the plot thickening. But chances are, if you’re an Anderson fan, this will be your cup of Darjeeling tea. Cozy up — your screening room is ready.
“Normal Heart” a Wake-Up Call to Activism
Director Ryan Murphy’s film adaptation of Larry Kramer’s AIDS activism ensemble drama The Normal Heart (B) tells a stirring chronicle of life in New York in the ’80s among gay men with the dreaded new virus sneaking up on the population with a slow burn akin to the zombies of modern myths. Mark Ruffalo has never been better as the lead agitator to the political powers that be; and Matt Bomer, Jim Parsons and Taylor Kitsch are excellent as the alternately spellbound and skeptical members of his inner circle. Julia Roberts is also effective as a driven doctor helping early casualties of the epidemic. Roberts’ inner Brokovich and Ruffalo’s inner Hulk bring the rage of the stage to the events that unfold. But the director of Eat, Pray, Love, not known for his sustained narrative cohesion, sometimes follows a formula of Meet, Yell, Scream and fizzles without resolution. When he gets it right, especially in the Ruffalo-Bomer romance and in framing a double tragedy, Murphy nails it. But there are other undernourished supporting characters and subplots that don’t propel the plot as effectively. Ultimately the film is a significant slice of history, told with care and resonance about a critical topic that still calls out for our attention. Thanks to commanding performances and an absorbing underdog story, there are great lessons to learn here.
“Lone Survivor” Re-Creates Military Raid
Some great counterprogramming for those who like matinee idol Mark Wahlberg in a role that doesn’t involve mind-numbing transforming robots is Lone Survivor (B), the true-life tale of a military raid in Afghanistan that takes some surprising, perilous and deadly turns for a group of heroes. Director Peter Berg is basically the anti-Michael Bay, serving up action undergirded with subtle characterization and vivid detail. Along with a sharp Wahlberg, there are other strong performances by Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and others in a film comprised largely of a re-creation of the stunning skirmish. The set-up for the mission and camaraderie of the characters creates a nice arch for the events to come; and even though the format doesn’t leave a lot of room to paint outside the lines, Berg applies a signature you-are-there vibe to the proceedings. It is high on action and suspense with an excellent epilogue reinforcing the themes of brotherhood and singularity of purpose.
“About Time” (2013) is Quirky Time Travel Romcom
Writer/director Richard Curtis, famous for Love Actually, is a master of capturing great emotional details but getting lost in the big picture, so it’s no surprise that his romantic time travel dramedy About Time (B-) is a lovable mess. Despite massive tonal shifts and meandering to subplots that distract from the central plot, it is cute and thoughtful nonetheless. Domhnall Gleeson smartly plays the reluctant hero who finds out as a young man from his father (a tender and restrained Bill Nighy) that the men in their family can travel in time and alter their fates. Enter Rachel McAdams, the woman with whom Gleeson wants to get everything right; and enter entanglements and plot holes aplenty as this British Groundhog Day weaves its magic spell. The premise is far-fetched and occasionally a little creepy; and yet still the charming performers keep pace with crackling dialogue and poignant moments. The wish fulfillment angle doesn’t jive completely since there’s really no reason the protagonist needs sci-fi tricks to get the girl. But ultimately the witty banter and generally winning ensemble make it a quite watchable affair.
“Ender’s Game” is Minor Outer Space Drama
For most of its duration, Gavin Hood’s outer space saga Ender’s Game (C-) is like supervising a bunch of kids at a Laser Tag park; it’s a whole lot more fun for the little ones. In a future when children such as the protagonist played by stoic Asa Butterfield are subjected to war game simulations as a test for battles against alien races, Harrison Ford and Viola Davis are talent scouts for a major war on the horizon. Lots of seen-that-before basic training activity ensues but with kids and with subpar effects within uninspired sets that look like discarded EPCOT pavilions. There were honestly some better flight effects in Hocus Pocus. This battle hymn of the pre-pubescent only gets good in the last 15 minutes or so when some moral weight is added to the proceedings. None of the actors gets to shine, and there are loose plotlines aplenty in what feels like the latest franchise that’s likely not spawning a sequel since Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins or Catwoman.
“On the Road” (2013) a Coming of Age Travelogue
Buoyant performances by Garrett Hedlund and Sam Riley and impeccable period details in production design lift Walter Salles’ otherwise mixed bag of a coming of age travelogue On the Road (B-). Based on Jack Karouac’s classic novel about nonconformity, the film traces episodic encounters between friends and lovers, capturing the delirium that bonds young people in their quest for identity and escape. Hedlund is pretty magnetic in a role once earmarked for Brando. It’s a pretty intense mess but watchable. Good supporting cameos by Amy Adams and Steve Buscemi, and even (gulp) Kristen Stewart and Kirsten Dunst are good.
“Nebraska” is a Nifty Slice of Life
The next stop on Director Alexander Payne’s twisted travelogue is Nebraska (A-), and it’s a corker of a film, a comic father-son road trip wrapped within a requiem for the American Dream. Veteran actor Bruce Dern sheds all vanity as a befuddled cotton swab tipped codger who believes he has won a sweepstakes. Will Forte is a revelation as the preternaturally sensitive sad sack of a son who reluctantly takes dad on a journey to collect his prize and perhaps his last shreds of dignity. Lyrically paced and perfectly cast (June Squibb is hilarious as the long suffering matriarch), the film sneaks up into some of its life lessons. Although the central performance isn’t all that showy, it’s quietly affecting. The film is a black and white mini-masterpiece that is slyly observant and quite touching.
Stage Hit “August: Osage County” Doesn’t Fully Translate to Screen
There are worse ways you could spend two hours at the movies but few as talent-filled as John Wells’s tart melodrama August: Osage County (C-). Drably filmed, oddly paced and crammed with an assorted cast of self-conscious A-listers, it’s an inert film indeed. Meryl Streep makes a marvelously horrible matriarch – a breathy, pill-popping spitfire second cousin of sling blade. I think I saw her chewing on an Osage armoire. Looking sternly Shetland, Julia Roberts is often effective as her dysfunctional daughter. Because the characters are so vile, though, it’s difficult to find the heart of the piece. It’s neither dramatic or funny enough to travel too far from just OK.
“Her” (2013) is a Strange Romcom
A most genius first hour squandered a bit for its remaining two acts, writer/director Spike Jonze’s Her (B) is an ambitious dramedy analyzing the bits and bytes of relationships. Joaquin Phoenix is superb as the lonely protagonist who falls in love with a coquettish computer operating system voiced by Scarlett Johannson. Although some similar themes were plumbed in Electric Dreams (oddly in 1984), Jonze makes a flimsy premise fresh and affecting. Setting this romance in an unspecified future gives the filmmakers some poignant portals to examine human rituals from a higher plane. The film soars most when the cyber siren summons the best in our hero, challenging him to experience the world anew. But there’s a point in which the audience has likely moved on, and Jones continues to belabor his themes. Woody Allen’s theory that comedies should clock in at no longer than 90 minutes would have been aptly applied here. A series of sequences bookended by snowfall could be edited out almost entirely, leaving a leaner and more consistently entertaining movie in its wake.
“Philomena” a Bittersweet Bonbon
Stephen Frears’s Philomena (A-) is a bittersweet bonbon about a cynical journalist (Steve Coogan) and a staunch Irish Catholic woman (Dame Judi Dench) on a journey to find the son she unwittingly put up for adoption a half century ago. The characters are lovingly drawn, and the enterprise rises above melodrama thanks to a sharp script and nuanced performances. You’ll hear more about this sleeper hit come Oscar time as voters will undoubtedly be charmed.
David O. Russell’s “American Hustle” Largely Successful
David O. Russell’s comedic crime caper American Hustle (B) is sometimes an undisciplined mess, and this hurly-burly quality gives the enterprise both its frustrations and its charms. The con-women, played outrageously by Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence, steal the show. Other Russell repertory actors including Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper and others don’t quite nail indelible characters. At its best, there were flashes of wily wit suggesting a Goodfellas/