I always approach Quentin Tarentino films with much trepidation, knowing that from experience they will be alternately profane, violent, amusing, creative, energetic, outrageous, musical and perhaps tedious at times. His newest film DJANGO UNCHAINED is right up there with his most (see adjective above and insert here) films. I must say that I loved the first 90 minutes very very much, for its audacious plot/script, that has a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) teaming up with a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) in search of the well paying bounty hunting of white criminals that seem to end up exploiting slaves on Southern plantations. The film is an extreme black revenge fantasy, and in spite of it's lurid moments and bizarre humor, the film is intelligently entertaining. But the final third, set on the plantation of an over the top sadistic slave master played with gleeful abandon by Leonardo DiCaprio and his faithful overseer of the slaves Samuel L. Jackson at his ornery, witty mode changes the mood to a more brutal tone. The violent climax features buckets of abstract red blood splattered copiously far and wide and the greatest explosive pyrotechnics that Hollywood can provide. (Quentin Tarentino, in a small cameo role, gets a spectacular exit.) If you're in the mood, it's a hoot. If not, it can dampen your pleasure in the film. Still, I WAS NOT BORED, and give the film snaps for creativity and entertainment value given the melodramatic subject matter. You've never seen anything like this. GRADE--------B+
ZERO DARK 30 played for me much like director Katheryn Bigelow's previous Oscar winner THE HURT LOCK from a couple years ago---technically proficient, some intense scenes, competent actors, but rather clinical in it's approach to the story--this time the hunt for and killing of Osama Bin Laden. There is also some use of a hand held camera which I detest--at least it is not used as intensely as some films that have been ruined by excessive motion--(LES MISERABLES, END OF SHIFT come quickly to mind.....)
I've been enjoying Jessica Chastain for the last two years---she's appeared in over 6 roles, most effectively in THE HELP last year. Here she is portraying someone who is work obsessed, clinical, determined, driven---but with no back story, she's not very intriguing. The final 45 minutes is the most interesting, as the mission goes into effect and is played out probably as accurately as the bits of news we witnessed on TV gave us. Over all the film is intelligent in a clinical manner--there's nothing to engage our sympathies, however. GRADE--------B
I finally saw LES MISERABLES again, this time at a much better theatre, and while the earlier assessment is accurate for me, at least the foreheads and chins of the actors were not cut off and the hand held camera work and the "way to many closeups" were not quite so annoying. I've been humming the score for several weeks now, and not a bad score to hum. GRADE-------B
Screened at the recent Vancouver Intl Film Festival in October, the modest film FRANCINE features a fine performance by Melissa Leo as a recently released convict who has trouble relating to people but, we think at first, seems able to relate to animals. She works at an animal shelter, feeding and washing and adopting animals, until towards the end of the short 70 minute feature, we realize her home has become a hoarders nightmare of dozens of animals, with food and liter covering nearly every inch of her home. As usual, Miss Leo is fascinating, and the film wouldn't exist without her layered and compelling nuances. GRADE--------B
Watched on DVD----------------------------
The final installment of the DRAGON TATTOO TRILOGY is called THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST and it is a compelling and satisfying mystery thriller that ties up most of the loose ends and brings some closure to the characters that make up the nearly 9 hour Swedish TV series that was made into 3 film for the US viewers. I watched the Extended Version, and while there is not a lot of crucial scenes that were missing from the theatrical version, it was interesting to see some of the scenes that weren't there--usually adding some clarification to the drama, and there are a couple modest subplots that help make the film feel stronger. GRADE------------A-
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010) is a superior animated film with lots of adult humor stirred in, having to do with domesticating dragons, honoring family, becoming your own person, etc---all presented with lovely special effects and scenery. GRADE-----B+
Roman Polanski's version of OLIVER TWIST (2005) was a flop in the USA, barely opening in most of the country, but in Europe, the film was a modest hit, bringing it's box office gross to over $40 million. It was made just after his award winning THE PIANIST (2002) and just prior to THE GHOST WRITER (2010). It's a pity, because this version has a lot to recommend it. The sets are quite spectacular, the actors very effective (Ben Kingsly plays Fagin), and the music score (by Rachel Portman) is most lovely. I enjoyed this film quite a bit---certainly even better than anything you'd see on Masterpiece Theatre. Well worth a watch on DVD. GRADE--------B+
Billed as "a dark feel good comedy" and quite funny in it's deadpan humor, the Norwegian film A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN (2010) starring Stellan Skarsgaard is a strange hybrid of gangster film crossed with love story crossed with character study. Just out of prison, his boss wants to set him up with a job and a revenge plan, but Skarsgard's characters just wants to eat and make love to any number of women who cross his path--and in that order, too. GRADE-------B+
I watched Jodie Foster's film NIM'S ISLAND (2008) prior to seeing her bizarre, confusing, rambling speech on the recent Golden Globe's show, and thought that for a desert island child's fantasy film, it was pretty good, and she seemed calmer and less intense than usual, for a change, and I like her that way. Gerard Butler and Abagail Breslin also star, and the film should have been a bigger hit on the family circuit than it was. Now, back to the Golden Globes show, it seemed like she was trying to say a lot of things, but felt she didn't have to, so the "is she out or not" question seemed obscured by the pleas for privacy (and this from one of the most reclusive stars working in Hollywood these days) and the heartfelt anguish over her mother's dementia (?). And is she retiring or not from film making? Weird. GRADE-------B-
Produced by 20th Century Fox just after the disastrous years long filming of CLEOPATRA that nearly sank the studio, this trifle of a comedy TAKE HER SHE'S MINE (1963) stars James Stewart and Sandra Dee as an overly possessive father who tries to protect his college bound daughter from losing her virtue, but he ends up in a succession of scandalous situations--mostly from his own eager stupidity. Surprisingly, there are a number of funny sight gags and clever lines strewn among the predictable situations, and Jimmy Stewart is nothing if not a stalwart good sport as an actor. GRADE-----C+
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OSCAR NOMINATIONS came out last week, and as usual there were surprises and missed opportunities. I don't have too many problems with the best picture category, but I think that SKYFALL, being touted as the best BOND ever should have eked out a nomination. I would have loved to have seen Samantha Barks and Eddie Redmayne get supporting nominations for LES MISERABLES--they both stand out in my mind as more subtle choices than some others. I think it was brave for the Academy to honor the small indie BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD with nominations for Picture, Director and Actress--I admired this film a lot, except for the distracting hand held camera business, and the child star Emmanuelle Riva certainly makes this film stand out in memory. The foreign film category always disappoints me, as the country nominates their own film--not necessarily the best film---for consideration. Hence, THE UNTOUCHABLES missed out on a nomination--one of the best from SIFF. More comments later, and watch out for my FAVORITE FILMS from 2012 coming in the next few weeks.
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