Snippet Reviews

The Soloist
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To paraphrase a quote from Roger Ebert, this is a film that is so bad that it could have only been made by very talented people. What trips this movie up is the incredibly disjointed pacing, especially when director Joe Wright (Atonemnt) indulges himself in long tracking shots that accompany the methodical classical music. The film also feels like it splits itself in two by trying to comment on the bigger issue of the homeless problem, and the depiction of that problem generally feels like it's predominately focused in the population's minority. Add these problems to a pedestrian and formulaic story, plus some really unnecessary scenes and jokes (there are two urine gags), and not even great actors like Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., and a constantly underused Catherine Keener can save what I think is the worst film of the year so far. *1/2 / ****; GRADE: C-


State of Play

An intriguing mystery, this is if sometimes it does falter every now and again. All the actors are top of the line here, as Russell Crowe shows once again that despite some choices in the past, he's still got what it takes to be a commanding screen presence. Ben Affleck also is good here as his congressional friend, and so is Rachel McAdams as the paper's new generation blogger and Helen Mirren as their tough as nails editor. The story doesn't always do every character justice, and the end might have one too many twisty reveals, but at the end of the day, director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland), along with ace writers Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton), Billy Ray (Shattered Glass) and Matthew Michael Carnahan (Lions for Lambs), the film becomes a great commentary on the newspaper status of today as well as great thriller. ***1/2 / ****; GRADE: A-


Crossing Over

With it's large ensemble cast participating in interconnecting storylines that play into a theme of minorities in the United States, it's very easy for this film to get labeled as a Crash rip-off. However, there is an element here that makes this different than that movie and at times a little better. This film deals with immigration, and where as Crash showed how people are participants of racism, this film shows how the immigration issue affects people's lives. This shows how the theme affects people, not how they affect the theme. I think that's why some didn't like Paul Haggis's Oscar winner, and that issue is fixed here. It's also nice to see the movie not only talk about immigration from Mexico, but from all the other countries. However, I will give it Crash for having a better ensemble, as people like Ray Liota and Ashley Judd don't always work. This is also one of the few films that could have been better if it were longer, as it seems it ends just as the storylines start to get interesting. Never the less, despite some flaws, it's a movie that pokes at the mind and offers up some interesting discussion. *** / ****; GRADE: B


Sin Nombre

There are really two stories going on in this film. One is the depiction of a Mexican gang and their brutal practices as they hunt down a dissenting member of their klan heading north. The other is a "race to the border" story following a young girl traveling with her estranged father and uncle to the United States. The former is far more intense, riveting, and better than the latter. But that doesn't bring the film down too much thankfully. The film offers great performances from nearly everyone involved and the story never hits too many wrong notes. Most of it feels like it is grounded in some sort of reality, and I guarantee that the ending will certainly reflect that. Add to it the purely gorgeous cinematography and not even the sometimes odd pacing of the film can make you deny one of the best the year can offer. ***1/2 / ****; GRADE: B+

Reviews: Adventureland & The Escapist

Amusement Lark

Here we go again. The trend shows its ugly head once more. That is the trend I pointed out in my review of I Love You, Man about the comedy featuring the raunchy style that we have come to expect from Judd Apatow without actually having his name attached to the project. With all the advertisements and even some of the casting, one might consider this film to follow that same formula which is already beginning to get stale. However, upon viewing this film, one will actually see that the trend is not present, despite the best efforts of the trailers to make it seem that way. So, no, the trend is not here even though you may expect it. What is here instead is a surprisingly sweet and genuinely funny ride.

Indie favorite Jesse Eisenberg is James Brennan, a newly made college graduate who doesn't get the best of luck in the summer of 1987. His alcoholic father has just been downgraded meaning the funds for his European trip have been thwarted. Then to raise money for his grad school costs at Columbia, he has to take an immediate summer job and the only position he can get is at his local amusement park.

Here are the characters that make his life special, like the socially akward Joel (Martin Starr), the brash and loony Frigo (Matt Bush), the lust and desireable Lisa P. (Margarita Levieva), and the park's head managers (Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig). Kristen Stewart, most notable to many Twilight fans as Bella, is Em, the girl James falls for, who is also having an affair with Mike Connell (Ryan Reynolds), the unhappily married utilities manager.

What is really important to understand about this movie is that it's a lot more sincere than the ads make it out to be. The movie is very proud to tote writer-director Greg Mottola, the helmer of Superbad, as the film's visionary force, but the film is nothing of the sort. The gross out gags and raunchy humor are kept at the bare minimum and it's the reason why the movie feels so refreshing. Mottola gives us a simple tale, no doubt based on some past experiences, that feel grounded and genuine. His characters are cartoonishly forced nor are their problems too distant to relate. He includes many tender moments in the film that pull off a great emotional leap for an audience.

Eisenberg, I thought, was absolutely wonderful in The Squid and the Whale a few years ago, and his talent shows through here as well. He's not meant to be over the top and because of that, we really want to believe in him and see him through. The same is said for Stewart, who's got real emotional baggage with her character and pulls it off very well. Other supporting players do great with their roles as well, particularly Reynolds who has a more subdued character that is no less endearing. The only one who strives for that Superbad style would be Bush, and at times Hader. They deliver some funny moments, but it feels out of place in a movie that really didn't need it.

I wasn't completely sure what to expect with Adventureland and wasn't totally confident that I wanted to see it. Now that I have, I can certainly say I'm glad I did, because I discovered the movie that finally broke the trend. A movie this tender, enlightening, sincere and funny deserves a much better campaign than it's getting. A wonderful cast and a fine script seal the deal for what is one of the best films the year has had to offer. ***1/2 / ****; GRADE: A-



Prison Break

This is the part I really like. I really like getting to a movie that has made little headway in the number of movie theatres it has played in but has had enough people talking about it that I've become interested. I've always tried to make that effort more and more but sometimes it is not always successful. I am happy to report that I'm very glad to have made it to this one. It's a fantastic little movie that succeeds in nearly every avenue it takes.

Brian Cox has the lead role of Frank Perry, a man who has seen his fair share of prison crimes but now has the urge to escape his confines in order to see his daughter who is ill. The other men tagging along are his best friend Brodie (Liam Cunningham), his cellmate Lacey (Dominic Cooper), the handy man Lenny Drake (Joseph Fiennes) and the drug chemist Viv Batista (Seu Jorge). Not only must they avoid detection from the guards, but they must also watch their steps around the prison's top bully Rizza (Daminan Lewis) and his sadistic, perverted brother (Steven Mackintosh).

It has been said that this role was written specifically for Cox, and if that is true, then it is a great fit. In America, Cox has become a well known character actor, but here he shows us that he is more than capable of carrying a film. He has the personality to make us believe that rough edge while also making us care about his softer moments. He never goes over the top, and it is very much appreciated. His agony and triumphs within the story are deeply felt by Cox's sincere and earnest portrayal.

Surrounding him is an incredible supporting cast. Lewis and Mackintosh present real evil in the film and pull their characters off in an incredibly realistic level. Cunningham, Cooper and Fiennes also do great work as they add another layer of reality to prison life, from the somber elderly inmate with a life sentence, the hard edge tough guy who's always got something to prove to the newly inducted inmate traumatized by the sexual violations of the other inmates. The entire ensemble work well to flush out their parts and as well as doing a great job with each other.

Director and co-writer Rupert Wyatt creates a wonderful atmosphere with this film. The story might seem simple, but Wyatt's execution is well appreciated. He creates an disturbing and tense portrait of this prison and then an exciting and suspenseful world during the escape. In fact, the narrative of cutting back and forth between the escape's planning and the escape itself is what makes the film more than just a regular prion break movie. The only major fault I would credit the script is making the prison guards so passive that they could have been nonexistent. However, it's not enough to bring down the film immensely.

This is a great example of a seemingly weak premise finishing out in a flawless way. Brian Cox and the many talented actors that surround him deserve a lot of that credit and the execution from Wyatt deserves some as well. With the exception of some thick accents and one section of weak characters, the film is nearly perfect. In fact, the only thing I regret about the film is I didn't make it to theatres to see it. I caught this film as featured with On Demand from Comcast. Whether you see it there or in the theatre, I highly recommend this movie. ***1/2 / ****; GRADE: A-