The Fighter

OPENING: 12/10/2010

STUDIO: Paramount Pictures

RUN TIME: 144 minutes

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
A look at the early years of boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s.

Opening Statement
Christian Bale has returned to acting! Thank God Almighty! After languishing in barely there roles, growling in Batman and picking a paycheck for Terminator, Mr. Bale reminds me why he used to be a name that made me want to see whatever movie he was in, regardless of what it was. The commitment he brings to this role, Dicky Eklund, took me aback, because to go as far as he did in his acting really was not necessary, nor did this particular film deserve it. Just before the end credits we get a glimpse of the real Dicky Eklund and the similarities in mannerisms and speech patterns is evident, however it never feels that Bale is ever trying to emulate or duplicate. This is the kind of performance that starts from understanding, from internalizing and letting the personality, the dress, the sunken cheeks and bulging eyes not be something superficial but be something organic. It really is a sight to behold and, if for nothing else, makes this picture something that must be seen.

Facts of the Case
Dicky Eklund was a former boxer that squandered his talents and threw away his shot at greatness. Having gone the distance with the World Champion, Sugar Ray Leonard, and perhaps knocking him down (it is a source of contention throughout the film) Dicky’s fell on hard times and on the speed needle. Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), his half brother, is the struggling boxer who spent his life living in his big brother’s shadow. The Fighter is inspired by the true story of these two brothers who come together to train for a historic title bout that will unite their fractured family and redeem their pasts.

The Evidence
Dicky and Micky’s (really? They couldn’t have changed one of their names? Just for the movie?) mother is played by Melissa Leo in a good performance as a woman who has all the best intentions but is too myopic to see that her intentions are ruining her children. Micky finds council and courage in a new girlfriend, Charlene (Amy Adams) who encourages him to split ties with his destructive family in order to save himself. At times their performances, and most of the other actors/actresses/sisters in this film were played so broad that they bordered on caricature, but the times where all the pieces were clicking and tempers started flaring were the times when I got all goose pimply in the theater. Mark Wahlburg plays the same role he’s always played. There is no stretch in his acting whatsoever. However, I understand that he was the main driving force behind getting this film made and getting all the people and pieces in place, so kudos to him for that.

As an underdog story, there are no surprises here. As a boxing movie, it really didn’t move me. The only interesting touch brought to the fight sequences was the decision to change the film stock so that portions of the fights looked like we were watching them through old cathode ray tubes. No boxing is even really shown until a good way through the film. However once it is brought in and while it’s on screen the pace of the film does pick up, but there was nothing new that I hadn’t seen in Raging Bull, Rocky or Cinderella Man. Still, my main point of contention is against the last fight. You know. The big fight. The one that this has all been leading up to, the one that could wrap up this sad little story in a nice shiny bow. My gripe is this: The last fight should never have a montage. Montages are used to show the passing of time and as such pass by too quickly to attach any sort of emotional heft to them. They are used earlier in The Fighter to do just that. The emotions between those fights are even and at a low intensity because every cut takes away any momentum that was building. The last fight needs to get all the momentum it can so that we can be thrilled when what we all know is going to happen eventually happens. Throwing a montage into the last fight undermines the emotions, the suspense and the power of the last two hours of our lives.

Closing Statement
David O’Russell has made good films (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees) although none have really made an impression on me. It is interesting to see him working with Christian Bale, being that both of them are rather infamous for the tirades they’ve had on set. Perhaps Mr. Wahlberg, being that this is the third time working with O’Russell, deserves some kudos for keeping the peace as well.

The Verdict

7/10

The Other Guys

OPENING: 08/06/2010

STUDIO: Columbia Pictures

RUN TIME: 107 min

ACCOMPLICES:

Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
They’re not heroes — they’re The Other Guys.

Opening Statement
The buddy-cop subgenre is firmly in the sights of director Adam McKay and frequent collaborator Will Ferrell in their new movie, The Other Guys, and while it might not match the heights of absurdity achieved in Anchorman, the pair’s first and perhaps finest cinematic effort, it still stands tall as one of this summer’s funniest entertainments.

Facts of the Case
The two most respected and recognized detectives in New York City are P.K. Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Chris Danson (Dwayne Johnson); having earned their heroic reputations by kicking ass and taking names, destoying millions of dollars in property to nab their perps and getting their names in the press. These preening showhogs bask in the glory while their colleagues, such as forensic accountant Allen Gamble (Ferrell) and hot-headed Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), are left with the reality of doing the paperwork. Meek Allen is happy to maintain this arrangement, but Terry, who has been stuck behind a desk since an infamous incident involving Derek Jeter, lusts to get back on the street, ready for action. After Detectives Highsmith and Danson are unexpectedly indisposed, Allen and Terry find their chance to fill the void when a seemingly innocuous lead from Allen’s file threatens to become the NYPD’s hottest case.

The Evidence
The highest compliment I can pay The Other Guys is that it’s funny, which is more than can be said for many of the so-called “comedies” released these days. The opening chase featuring Highsmith and Danson is outrageously over-the-top, and the contrast when we are introduced to the deskbound world of Allen and Terry perfectly establishes the tone of this parody: the juxtaposing and exploring the inherent absurdity of the buddy-cop movie through the lens of the mundane.

This tonal balance, which admittedly walks a thin line, is best maintained in the first act. The daily harassment of Allen by fellow officers Martin (The Daily Show’s Rob Riggle) and Fosse (Damon Wayans Jr.), the seething anger Terry holds against Allen for his unwillingness to go out on calls, Allen and Terry conducting police business while riding in a Prius — these elements, while greatly exaggerated, are built around grains of realism. These hints of truth enhance the humor by grounding the situations for the audience, allowing for greater shocks at the lengths to which these sketches extend for a laugh; when the rift between Allen and Terry explodes into an argument over combat strategies in the animal kingdom, it may well be one of the most riotous exchanges you’ll hear this year.

But after Highsmith and Danson are sidelined, things begin to falter a bit. The film becomes more focused with its ripped-from-the-headlines scandal plot involving a fraudulent investor (Steve Coogan of Tropic Thunder), which unfortunately adheres too rigidly to the formula it is parodying and is largely uninteresting. Events become predictable and expected, as do a fair number of the jokes. It is arguable that a stronger version of the film would have avoided getting its unsung heroes into the ridiculous predicaments this plot requires, instead focusing entirely on the trials and tribulations of everyday policework in the shadow of the larger-than-life heroes as the anti-buddy cop movie. But The Other Guys isn’t that film, and Ferrell and Wahlberg get into trouble with authority, play “good cop, bad cop,” and hide out from the bad guys to await the final confrontation. In particular, the scenes where an office they hope to investigate explodes and when the two attempt to talk a witness down from a high ledge stand out as two of the film’s low points.

What saves the film from failure is both Ferrell’s innate likability and the moments when it embraces the surreal: Allen’s dismissal of his curvaceous wife (Eva Mendes) as “plain,” the second job held by Michael Keaton’s police captain, a character’s dark collegiate history, and a description of what befalls the aforementioned Prius that is so foul that you will never again hear the phrase “soup kitchen” in quite the same way. These jewels are stark reminders of the hilarious and bizarre alternate universe that McKay and Ferrell created in 2004′s Anchorman, while also cutting through the detritus of the well-worn plot, recalling the freshness of the first act. They keep it afloat, carrying the film past its plodded mechanizations and over the finish line. If the entire film were infused with this boldness, it would flirt with greatness, but as is it provides merely an entertaining ride.

Closing Statement
Despite failing to overcome the formula of the buddy-cop movies it parodies, The Other Guys is bolstered by a fresh first act and enough moments of glittering comedic brilliance throughout to ensure that you will be entertained. Watch it, laugh, and hope that in the future its creators will be given enough free reign to once again give us something extraordinary.

The Verdict
7/10

The Lovely Bones

OPENING: 01/15/2010

STUDIO: DreamWorks

RUN TIME: 135 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
The story of a life and everything that came after…

Opening Statement
Once just a little-known cult film director, Peter Jackson catapulted himself into position as one of the most-lauded modern filmmakers with his masterful Lord of the Rings trilogy and epic remake of King Kong, capturing the attention of critics and audiences alike. So it’s no surprise his adaptation of Alice Sebold’s much-loved novel The Lovely Bones was hotly anticipated. How does Jackson fare stepping into less bombastic cinematic territory? Not very well, I’m afraid.

Facts of the Case
Set in the early 1970s, the story centers on 14-year-old girl Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan, Atonement), an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. Susie enjoys taking photographs with the camera she received as a birthday gift from her parents, has a desperate crush on a boy named Ray (Reece Ritchie, 10,000 BC), and generally loves life. Alas, Susie’s time on this earth is cut tragically short when she is brutally raped and murdered by George Harvey (Stanley Tucci, Blind Date (2007)), a quiet neighbor who lives down the street. George did a good job of covering up any evidence of the crime, leaving the Salmon family suffering from both the loss of their daughter and an inability to reach some sort of closure. This is only the beginning of their story.

The film follows Susie into the afterlife; not heaven, but what is referred to as the "In-Between," where she must confront a variety of personal issues before moving on. Meanwhile, Susie’s father Jack (Mark Wahlberg, The Happening) obsessively attempts to solve his daughter’s disappearance, while her mother (Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener) moves away to deal with the grief. Even with Susie making several mysterious attempts to reach out to her family from beyond, will the Salmons (living or deceased) ever truly find peace?

The Evidence
Here’s the thing: when you’re making a movie that involves the rape and murder of a teenage girl, you have automatically indebted your film to its audience. Such a horrible occurrence plays sharply on the emotions of every viewer, and it’s up to the filmmakers to demonstrate the film is both worthy and mature enough to deal with the subject matter responsibly and appropriately. If they succeed, they present a strong and powerful story. If not, they run the risk of delivering a genuinely repulsive experience. Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones falls into the latter, offering up a bewildering concoction of elements that are by turns exasperating and infuriating.

The Lovely Bones is essentially a fusion of standard-issue murder mystery and super-cheesy paranormal melodrama. Let’s tackle the murder mystery first. It’s remarkable just how mundane and unconvincing the scenes in which Jack attempts to discover what happened to his daughter are. I think a small portion of the blame lies on the performance of Mark Wahlberg, who never quite manages to sell his portrayal of the grieving father. Another portion rests on the screenplay, which makes every member of the Salmon family (aside from Susie) terribly one-dimensional. Wahlberg doesn’t seem to have been given any direction other than, "Look disturbed and somewhat frantic," in every scene, and there’s only so much he can do with that. Speaking of direction, the largest portion of blame lies with director Peter Jackson, whose helming of the mystery sequences falls surprisingly flat. An average episode of Law & Order generates more suspense. Stanley Tucci’s genuinely creepy performance goes a little way towards creating some measure of tension, but that’s a small consolation.

Saoirse (Ser-sha) Ronan spends most of her performance gawking in wonder at Jackson’s RoseArt screensaver fantasy world, which is a much less involving version of heaven offered up in Vincent Ward’s What Dreams May Come. The scenes certainly look expensive, but there’s an odd poverty of imagination behind their construction. Moments that should have taken our breath away instead seem all too ordinary. This is only made worse by Susie’s strange journey. Unsure of where she’s going until she gets there, the ultimate destination is so cornball the audience gets the sinking feeling we just wasted more than 10 bucks and two hours of our time. That is when you realize just how nauseating this movie truly is: cornball happy endings maybe okay in my book, but not when you’re using the rape and murder of a child as a springboard to get there.

The film is rated PG-13 and thus can only go so far in its portrayal of the violent event that triggers the story. In fact, the film goes out of its way to be as vague and non-specific as possible, turning the rape and murder into a mystically unhappy dream sequence. It’s tastefully done, but so purposeless and vague it robs the moment of its required intensity. I’m not saying more should have been shown, but rather the imagery displayed should have packed a stronger punch.

Frankly, The Lovely Bones had started to grate on me well before that scene arrived, thanks to the poorly-written and incredibly obnoxious narration Ronan provides. Early in the film, there’s a sequence where Susie is sitting in the mall, informing us that she is being spied on by her murderer. The camera cuts to images of an ominous-looking man who keeps looking at Susie. I forget his name at the moment, so let’s call him Mr. Smith. Susie says, "By the way, it’s not Mr. Smith who was watching me. Mr. Smith never hurt anyone in his entire life. His daughter died of leukemia a year and a half after I did." What condescending crap! So you set up a suspicious red herring just so you can tell the audience their suspicions are wrong? Then, adding insult to injury, you try to make us feel guilty about suspecting him because his daughter is dying of leukemia? The guy’s not even a character in the film. We never see or hear from him again. So why is that fact relevant? Rarely have I felt such an urge to show a movie screen one of my fingers.

I also have an issue with Susan Sarandon’s character, who does not belong in this film. Look, Sarandon is an excellent actress and does a good job with the role. However, the last thing The Lovely Bones needs is a wacky, chain-smoking, alcoholic grandma to provide us with a few chuckles. Hey everybody, forget about that whole rape thing for a few minutes. Look at Grandma being all crazy! I could continue to list my complaints, from Brian Eno’s anachronistic score to the manner in which the film completely wastes the talented Rachel Weisz, but there’s no point in beating a dead horse.

Closing Statement
I wouldn’t say The Lovely Bones offended me, but it certainly pissed me off. Not just because the movie is bad, but because the talent involved is capable of so much better. This should have been one of the year’s strongest films. Instead, it’s one of the worst.

The Verdict
3/10

Approximately nine months ago, my wife brought up an interesting proposal: “Why Don’t We Go to San Diego for Comic Con?” This was without virtually any prompting on my part; I had no horse in the race, so to speak. I’m not that big of a comic book fan, but we were looking for something to do. So why not go, right? And if you’re going to go, go in style; I booked a room at the newly opened Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, which seemed like a pretty cool status symbol. Aside from an experience at the franchise’s New York restaurant years ago, I did forget that the Hard Rock plays music. All the time. But, compared to other places, it was rock music. The merchandise shop played Black Flag in there, so booyah bitches!

Anyway, the film lineup was pretty good, and I’ll be sharing those here after the jump of the films I managed to sit in on. I’m sure the webs have the footage somewhere, so feel free to search on your own time. On with the opinions!

The Day The Earth Stood Still: Fox was the first to the show, and Keanu Reeves (The Matrix), Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) and Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) came out to pimp the remake of the 1951 classic to be released in December. It was discussed, sometimes at great length, with a couple of shots from the film, and an extended trailer. No, we didn’t get to see Gort, but WETA is doing the work on him now, and things are still very close to the vest. Aside from Connelly being VERY much out of place, barely talking, I’d come in fresh to this, and personally am still wondering why it’s being remade to begin with.

Max Payne: Mark Wahlberg (The Departed), Mila Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Chris Bridges (a.k.a., the artist formerly known as Ludacris) and John Moore (The Omen) discuss the film which is coming out in October. Wahlberg clearly had fun and played up to the crowd, and everyone talked about how fun it was to do it, meaning how cool it was to fire weapons all day. Moore talked about their own little version of “bullet time” that was employed for the film. Aside from an extended trailer cut to a live version of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” this was a bit of a yawner.

Wolverine: Ole Wolverine himself Hugh Jackman came onstage as an unannounced surprise to throngs of delirious hysterics. After shaking the hand of Len Wein, the creator of the comic book icon, Jackman was happy to finally actually be onstage, as he’d apparently missed the X-Men presentations that occurred in previous Cons.  I’m going to rattle off the cast here; Ryan Reynolds (The Nines) as Deadpool, Liev Schreiber (The Sum of All Fears) as Sabretooth, Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights as Gambit, to name a few who appear in the trailer. And it’s loaded with action too, which doesn’t hurt. Definitely the one people will be looking forward to in ‘09, unless the GI Joe teaser comes strong.

As a side note; what was particularly interesting about the Fox presentation was that a lot, and I mean A LOT of people got in early so they could be ready for Summit Pictures’ presentation of Twilight. Everyone around my wife and I was there in their “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob” shirts, whatever that means, but unfortunately I was called away for other events. I’m told though that the Twilight footage was essentially an extended version of the second trailer with the climatic ballet room sequence, and everyone ate it up. As they should I suppose. But I thought it was a little funny that the Fox gang seemed to trot out their products to hordes of Twilight fans, without knowing what they were getting into. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Watchmen: Try as I might to stay away from the masses, I snuck in for a second, where Zack Snyder (300) and the cast were discussing the film. Aside from an extended trailer, more shots of the heroes were shown which really illustrated Snyder’s vision and faithfulness to the source material, and since this is being released in March, expect some more mad money on a Snyder production.

The Spirit: Frank Miller (Sin City) might be an influential comic book figure, but he needs to lay off the liquor or something. At times he seemed to ramble, and cast members Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) and Jaime King (Blow) seemed to notice. Still though, the footage that was shown of the film looks good, done visually much in the same way that Sin City was. While there’s humor, there are also a couple of required action sequences that look impressive as well. A concern I have a little with this film is that it might not seem to possess the spark of similar comic book films that possess a similar visual style, but I hope I’m proved wrong in this because at least from what I saw, The Spirit could potentially be a good film.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno: Showed up a little late to the game on this one, as I was drinking with some of the cast of ABC Family’s Samurai Girl, which appears to be a Buffy-ish show, except without some of the wit and wisdom. But I will say this about Kevin Smith, he’s got some fans in the biz, for sure, and now in this film, he’s got a couple members of the Judd Apatow stock company in Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) and Justin Long (Accepted) together in this film that looks pretty funny. Bonus points for Long’s, er, “moment” with Brandon Routh. Yes, that Brandon Routh, from Superman Returns. Aside from listening to Rogen’s kind of funny Ian McKellen joke and Jason Mewes looking very impressive all cleaned up from addiction, Zack and Miri comes out in October hopefully, and should be worth the hubbub, even if they might have to change the title.

Terminator Salvation: You know, Christian Bale and Bryce Dallas Howard(?) aside, McG seems to carry himself as a bit of a pompous arse. Why exactly would we want to see a film about a battle with first-generation terminator robots? Why would Arnold Schwarzenegger even consider appearing in this? Ugh. To be fair, McG (Charlie’s Angels) likes paying homage to the previous three films, even including attendees who dressed like Robert Patrick and Linda Hamilton from T2 on stage with him, along with an Asian kid whose Arnold accent seemed to venture into Walken-esque territory. He showed an extended teaser of sorts, without any CG shots in it, and the results? Meh. I counted nods to The Road Warrior and The Great Escape in there, along with something that looked visually a little like Charlie’s Angels, right now to the hot chick almost taking her top off. I’ve got to say I liked the teaser in front of Dark Knight more than I did this stuff, and unlike some of the buzz so far, am concerned that this “reboot” might nuke the franchise from orbit.

Pineapple Express: Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to sneak into the preview screenings that apparently were going on in town, and the footage that Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin), Rogen and gang brought seemed a little to be desired. It seemed like they basically brought stuff from the website or something. One of the scenes came from the Superbad DVD. But come on, you know what this film is going to be about, you’re either going to go see it or you’re not. Oh, and Green Hornet is still on the track of getting made, so yay to that.

Well, that’s the short story on the film side. A quick note on things to come, expect a review of Tropic Thunder in the very near future, along with TV Verdict thoughts from the Heroes and Lost panels, including some teasing of Heroes 3^rd season, as the opener was aired in its entirely exclusively for the Comic Con folks. Until next time, get the funk out your minds and into your hearts people!