The most unexpected thing about Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (C-) is what a letdown it is after his famous Middle Earth trilogy that came before it. If the Lord of the Rings novels were each dense books distilled into what amounts to a mini-series of episodic wonders, The Hobbit is a light paperback prequel stretched out into a three-part tedium. What else accounts for the first hour of this film being used for an unnecessary tacked-on framing device about Bilbo Baggins’ birthday party followed by an extended dinner party with a bunch of dwarves singing a song? By the time the underwhelming protagonist is introduced at his rightful age and played by Martin Freeman, the film has long since lost its ability to kickstart the thrills. This time around, the effects look like overproduced video games. There are simply too many characters winding through too many caverns for the eye to focus in on anything distinctive that looks at all remarkable or interesting. Instead of a cliffhanger that teases the thrills ahead, the ending prompts the question, “did this really need to be three films?”
“Cabin in the Woods” (2012) an Inventive Horror Film
Director Drew Goddard’s film of a story he co-wrote with Joss Whedon, Cabin in the Woods (B+) is a funny and subversive deconstruction of the horror genre with shocks and surprises to delight terror flick enthusiasts and virgins alike. From the opening frames, it’s clear this is a bit of an upstairs/downstairs tale with parallel dimensions to the story. It’s quite a cozy conundrum.
2012 “Avengers” Assembles Hilarious Superheroes
Marvel’s The Avengers (A) is a remarkable action spectacle with superb ensemble acting (especially Rovert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man and Mark Ruffalo as Hulk), wry humor and some of the best 3D IMAX effects ever realized on screen. After Cabin in the Woods, writer/director Joss Whedon is having quite a creative year.
De Palma Phones it in for “Passion” (2012)
Somewhere on the guilty pleasure scale between Black Swan and Boxing Helena is writer/director Brian De Palma’s Passion (D+), a twisty tale of a ruthless ad exec (Rachel McAdams) and her talented protégée (Noomi Rapace). And if it were made by anyone other than the veteran master who made Carrie, Sisters, Body Double and The Untouchables, it would be roundly laughed out of the room as an incompetent student film. Still, it’s fun to hear the overblown score, to see the director rehash his signature split screens and to plumb classic fallbacks of sapphic obsession, doppelgängers and eerie closets, elevators and showers. The campy, terrible acting just adds to the off-the-rails ambiance.
“Rock of Ages” a Misfire Despite Great Music Catalogue
Marred by Adam Shankman’s uninspired direction (Hairspray fit more like a comfy housecoat) and mainly lifeless performances, Rock of Ages (C-) is a tedious karaoke with the stars. It’s a musical with poorly performed ’80s songs and choreography, and only about five jokes actually land. Tom Cruise is pretty good as Lestat, except that’s not who he’s supposed to be playing. The young leads are lost in the tacky bombast.
“Argo” an Unexpected Thriller
Gone Baby Gone and The Town proved Ben Affleck is an excellent director. Argo (A+) proves he’s a masterful one with a politically-minded action potboiler set during the Iran Hostage Crisis. It’s authentic in all the details of its declassified true story, riveting and even sometimes funny as an intelligence officer mounts a very improbable mission using a touch of Hollywood magic.
“Amour” (2012) is a Poignant Drama
Michael 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.
“Zero Dark Thirty” is Wonderful Wartime Thriller
Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty (A) is an extraordinary procedural film that plumbs the depths of terrorist tradecraft, intelligence gathering and hitting one’s target. Expertly written and filmed, it is anchored by a sterling performance by Jessica Chastain. You may already know the ending, but this journey is well worth taking.
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is Solid Thriller
A lived-in performance by Gary Oldman is a standout in the taut espionage ensemble Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (B+). The film’s slow-boil pace and period detail are rewarding as members of the British intelligence elite dodge double-crosses with duplicitous Cold War villains. Thomas Hardy, Colin Firth and Toby Jones are all good in bit roles.
Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” a Loving Tribute to Artists
Woody Allen hits a late-career spark of comedic bliss with the supernatural romantic comedy Midnight in Paris (B) featuring Owen Wilson as a man who steps back in time to turn of the century France where he encounters a famous collection of artists, authors and celebrities. It’s essentially Bill & Ted for the intellectual set but told with such color and ebullience that it works as a wistful and enjoyable lark.
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.
Pandemics, 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.
“Take This Waltz” is a Magnificent Find About Romantic Choices
Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz (A) presents a beguiling choice for its female protagonist (a mesmerizing Michelle Williams): does she stay with the husband she knows and loves (Seth Rogen) or pursue the charming guy she just met who seems to be sweeping her off her feet in multiple chance meetings (Luke Kirby)? The fact that our heroine is so flawed and unsure of herself is so rarely explored in film, and Williams is so relatable that it somehow works. Her vacillation should be irritating, but it is instead endearing. Polley’s film style is so fresh and exciting as she explores a young woman’s crisis of conscience. There are some final reel choices that will definitely stick with you, in addition to the amazing soundtrack and beautiful cinematography.