By Rick Jackson
Max Msnus is a compelling World War II drama about the Norwegian titular hero of the film's title who went underground in the early 1940s to fight Nazi oppression after first fighting with the Finns against Russia. The group he led became known as the Oslo Gang and their aim was to sabotage as many Nazi assets by planting mines on ships that destroyed the SS Monte Rosa in 1944 and the SS Donau in 1945.
By concentrating on Manus' efforts you get an up close and personal look at his plans to thwart the Germans and avenge the deaths of his friends who joined him valiantly.
Norwegian actor Aksel Hennie portrays Max as a determined resistance fighter whose courage made him a national hero in his home country. The film uses information in the real Max Manus' two books that were about his wartime experience. He died in 1996, trained as an Air Force pilot in Muskoka and Toronto Island, and as a saboteur in Scotland where this film was mostly shot.
Hennie makes his character more human by conveying his faults as a human being who could have done more but, more importantly, there is his reluctance to not turn into a hero you've seen before in such Hollywood productions, for example, Defiance.
The sole surviving member of the Oslo Gang is Gunnar Sonsteby, who was invited to the first Canadian screening of Max Manus at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2009. His acts of sabotage, according to The Globe And Mail (April 2, 2010) numbered in the "dozens."
Directors Espen Sandberg and Joachim Roenning are not afraid to expose the Nazi retaliation against the Norwegian fighters and they do it without ruining the main reason for doing the film. There are some requisite scenes you may recognize from Hollywood films but they do not take anything away from Manus and his cronies who remained steadfast and heroic right to the end.
The directors and screenwriter touch on Manus' personal life without extending the narrative to make the movie too long. The use of little dialogue throughout makes it possible for you to witness just what Manus the resistance fighter did during a time in Norway's history when they needed a hero.
The action scenes are often gripping and the supporting cast of unknown actors leave an indelible mark.
It is really Rennie and his strong performance that holds everything together. His facial expressions bring across the emotions the real Max must have had in completing his mission to save Norway. As you continue to watch him, the camera stays with him, too. The actor's own instincts, inhibitions and trepidations are dead on and real as if Max Manus has come back to life for two hours.
It is rated 14A, with the warning: violence.
May 21, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
IRON MAN 2 (PARAMOUNT, 2010)**
By Rick Jackson
There isn't anything to define this sequel as anything but a major disappointment. Based on characters from the Marvel Comic created by Stan Lee, the screenplay by Justin Theroux has so many of them, there is little plot development to give them all proper support. Robert Downey Jr. reprises the title role as a conceited super hero whose altar ego, Tony Stark defies defeat. Iron Man's fans love him and so do the Ironettes in their skimpy outfits.
Theroux is content to continue what we saw in the much superior original from 2008, including the blood monitor which is meant to prolong Stark's life.
With the introduction of Ivan Vanko aka Whiplash, Mickey Rourke reduces the film to a cartoon where the plot is as predictable as the comic book as a page turner. He comes and goes so much you aren't sure what his real place is, although he is supposed to be the formidable villain. Had his part been more thought out, it might have matched the villains in Spider-Man, another of Lee's other creations adapted for the screen. Rourke is never mean enough and his mission to avenge his father is a weak premise to build on. It is also a throwback to the thin plots of the old movie serials that captivated an earlier generation of moviegoers.
Returning as Pepper Potts is Gwyneth Palthrow and this time around she proves her mettle as the real boss of Stark's company.
Scarlet Johannson joins the cast as Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff and it's too bad she is a failed attempt to inject a certain sexiness or sexual allure. Her ambition to move up in Stark's company is hampered by a weakly developed role that should have stood out more.
Sam Rockwell tries to add a shade of deceit and cunning as Justin Hammer but it all unravels fast as a meagre display of screen villainy. He just doesn't impress.
Don Cheadle's Rhodes serves no useful purpose than to add some welcome sanity to the entire plot when it derails due to the ludricous plot threads that somehow manage to hold your interest. However, it just proves Theroux and director Jon Favreau are trying too hard to make this sequel work.
The special effects team hardly has anything new for us to see and it ruins whatever credibility there is left.
It is clear right from the start that this Iron Man is dying from the same blood toxicity like the title character. All originality ended with the first film. With the addition of Samuel L.Jackson, a missed opportunity to make his character, Nick Fury, a substantial plus makes Iron Man 2 an exercise in total familiarity and, arguably, boredom.
Despite its promotional hype, this first Iron Man sequel will be a box office hit for fans who need their weekly summer fix at the movies.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance, with the warnings: violence and language may offend.
May 15, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
There isn't anything to define this sequel as anything but a major disappointment. Based on characters from the Marvel Comic created by Stan Lee, the screenplay by Justin Theroux has so many of them, there is little plot development to give them all proper support. Robert Downey Jr. reprises the title role as a conceited super hero whose altar ego, Tony Stark defies defeat. Iron Man's fans love him and so do the Ironettes in their skimpy outfits.
Theroux is content to continue what we saw in the much superior original from 2008, including the blood monitor which is meant to prolong Stark's life.
With the introduction of Ivan Vanko aka Whiplash, Mickey Rourke reduces the film to a cartoon where the plot is as predictable as the comic book as a page turner. He comes and goes so much you aren't sure what his real place is, although he is supposed to be the formidable villain. Had his part been more thought out, it might have matched the villains in Spider-Man, another of Lee's other creations adapted for the screen. Rourke is never mean enough and his mission to avenge his father is a weak premise to build on. It is also a throwback to the thin plots of the old movie serials that captivated an earlier generation of moviegoers.
Returning as Pepper Potts is Gwyneth Palthrow and this time around she proves her mettle as the real boss of Stark's company.
Scarlet Johannson joins the cast as Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff and it's too bad she is a failed attempt to inject a certain sexiness or sexual allure. Her ambition to move up in Stark's company is hampered by a weakly developed role that should have stood out more.
Sam Rockwell tries to add a shade of deceit and cunning as Justin Hammer but it all unravels fast as a meagre display of screen villainy. He just doesn't impress.
Don Cheadle's Rhodes serves no useful purpose than to add some welcome sanity to the entire plot when it derails due to the ludricous plot threads that somehow manage to hold your interest. However, it just proves Theroux and director Jon Favreau are trying too hard to make this sequel work.
The special effects team hardly has anything new for us to see and it ruins whatever credibility there is left.
It is clear right from the start that this Iron Man is dying from the same blood toxicity like the title character. All originality ended with the first film. With the addition of Samuel L.Jackson, a missed opportunity to make his character, Nick Fury, a substantial plus makes Iron Man 2 an exercise in total familiarity and, arguably, boredom.
Despite its promotional hype, this first Iron Man sequel will be a box office hit for fans who need their weekly summer fix at the movies.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance, with the warnings: violence and language may offend.
May 15, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
ROBIN HOOD (UNIVERSAL, 2010)****
By Rick Jackson
Action is the key word in describing director Ridley Scott's new telling of the origins of Robin Hood. Although it is made up it works on a surprising level as entertainment because screenwriter Brian Helgeland is consistent in recreating the 12th century as a starting point and from there his version of how Robin Hood came to be is interesting to follow. Scott prefers to present it without magesterial pride and in refusing to copy other Hollywood productions, he deserves credit for trying to make an original tale out of a familiar story by allowing history and authenticity to replace any anachronisms which you might find.
Russell Crowe deftly plays the title role as a strong warrior whose ability to fight went beyond the archer's bow as a military strategist with the common knowledge of him as a righter of wrongs as a result of the tyranny of Prince John which happens after King Richard is killed. The main difference here forces you to think of the legend of Robin Hood in light of events that may have happened if it were entirely a true story. As the legend becomes fact, this understanding contributes to your enjoyment, if you are open-minded and try to believe it. After all, it is completely fictional and Scott and Helgeland succeed in presenting their Robin Hood as something beyond argument by infusing relevance of another kind in asking yourself how it all came about.
As Lady Marion, Cate Blanchett does not take away her character being feisty and ready to fight. Previous screen incarnations, i.e. Enid Bennett and Olivia de Havilland, are equally worthy for Marion was always strong and Blanchett demonstrates this in her strong and commanding demeanor.
Although Crowe's Robin is not as athletic as Douglas Fairbanks in the 1922 silent and Errol Flynn in 1938 inThe Adventures of Robin Hood, there is a commonality in Crowe's wanton ability to act solo and do what is necessary, and his band of merry men are still his supporters and defenders of what stands for the good in all men and country.
Helgeland's original screenplay begins with Crowe as Robin Longstride who is assuming the identity of another man, Robin of Loxley, who has been killed during the Crusades. When he returns to the real Robin's home in Nottingham, you know he will be eventually discovered as a fake, but rather turn the story into another Martin Guerre the opportunity to make this plot point works as part of the secret of his origins that you see unfold. You don't know where it is going and it is this important turn of events that drives the story from this point on. Frustrating it is not. Intriguing. Yes, of course.
It shares qith the 1922 silent the premise of Robin Hood as someone else: the Earl of Huntingdon who later becomes Robin Hood.
Max Von Sydow steals the film as Sir Walter Loxley, Robin's blind father. He gives the film its soul, along with some welcome advice and wisdom that a father would pass on to his son. The scenes between Sydow and Crowe contribute a much needed powerful family bond that keeps the main story alive along with the latter's scenes with Blanchett. It is important to remember this familial bond is in keeping with the The Adventures of Robin Hood.
The rest of the supporting cast in Scott's latest features Mark Addy as Friar Tuck, Matthew MacFayden as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Scott Grimes as Will Scarlett and Alan Doyle as Allan A'Dayle.
Marc Streitenfeld's music score is nicely kept in the background with the appropriate musical strains to match the emotions of the main characters. Although it is nothing like Erich Wolfgang Korngold's exceptional score for The Adventures of Robin Hood, it still enhances this handsome production.
Cinematographer John Mathieson succeeds in creating the muted colours of the battle sequences to match the sombre and humble beginnings of Robin Hood. By film's end they are bolder to go along with the impending legend that is about to begin and hopefully carry on in the talked about sequel.
One may find issue with with Scott's directorial effort. Granted it is not perfect, it conveys the background story with relish and without too much compromise. This Robin Hood is better than expected and it comes complete with the requisite action to fill moviegoers' boots.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance, with the warning: violence.
May 16, 2010
Copyright 2010 Rick Jackson
Action is the key word in describing director Ridley Scott's new telling of the origins of Robin Hood. Although it is made up it works on a surprising level as entertainment because screenwriter Brian Helgeland is consistent in recreating the 12th century as a starting point and from there his version of how Robin Hood came to be is interesting to follow. Scott prefers to present it without magesterial pride and in refusing to copy other Hollywood productions, he deserves credit for trying to make an original tale out of a familiar story by allowing history and authenticity to replace any anachronisms which you might find.
Russell Crowe deftly plays the title role as a strong warrior whose ability to fight went beyond the archer's bow as a military strategist with the common knowledge of him as a righter of wrongs as a result of the tyranny of Prince John which happens after King Richard is killed. The main difference here forces you to think of the legend of Robin Hood in light of events that may have happened if it were entirely a true story. As the legend becomes fact, this understanding contributes to your enjoyment, if you are open-minded and try to believe it. After all, it is completely fictional and Scott and Helgeland succeed in presenting their Robin Hood as something beyond argument by infusing relevance of another kind in asking yourself how it all came about.
As Lady Marion, Cate Blanchett does not take away her character being feisty and ready to fight. Previous screen incarnations, i.e. Enid Bennett and Olivia de Havilland, are equally worthy for Marion was always strong and Blanchett demonstrates this in her strong and commanding demeanor.
Although Crowe's Robin is not as athletic as Douglas Fairbanks in the 1922 silent and Errol Flynn in 1938 inThe Adventures of Robin Hood, there is a commonality in Crowe's wanton ability to act solo and do what is necessary, and his band of merry men are still his supporters and defenders of what stands for the good in all men and country.
Helgeland's original screenplay begins with Crowe as Robin Longstride who is assuming the identity of another man, Robin of Loxley, who has been killed during the Crusades. When he returns to the real Robin's home in Nottingham, you know he will be eventually discovered as a fake, but rather turn the story into another Martin Guerre the opportunity to make this plot point works as part of the secret of his origins that you see unfold. You don't know where it is going and it is this important turn of events that drives the story from this point on. Frustrating it is not. Intriguing. Yes, of course.
It shares qith the 1922 silent the premise of Robin Hood as someone else: the Earl of Huntingdon who later becomes Robin Hood.
Max Von Sydow steals the film as Sir Walter Loxley, Robin's blind father. He gives the film its soul, along with some welcome advice and wisdom that a father would pass on to his son. The scenes between Sydow and Crowe contribute a much needed powerful family bond that keeps the main story alive along with the latter's scenes with Blanchett. It is important to remember this familial bond is in keeping with the The Adventures of Robin Hood.
The rest of the supporting cast in Scott's latest features Mark Addy as Friar Tuck, Matthew MacFayden as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Scott Grimes as Will Scarlett and Alan Doyle as Allan A'Dayle.
Marc Streitenfeld's music score is nicely kept in the background with the appropriate musical strains to match the emotions of the main characters. Although it is nothing like Erich Wolfgang Korngold's exceptional score for The Adventures of Robin Hood, it still enhances this handsome production.
Cinematographer John Mathieson succeeds in creating the muted colours of the battle sequences to match the sombre and humble beginnings of Robin Hood. By film's end they are bolder to go along with the impending legend that is about to begin and hopefully carry on in the talked about sequel.
One may find issue with with Scott's directorial effort. Granted it is not perfect, it conveys the background story with relish and without too much compromise. This Robin Hood is better than expected and it comes complete with the requisite action to fill moviegoers' boots.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance, with the warning: violence.
May 16, 2010
Copyright 2010 Rick Jackson
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
THE LOSERS (WARNER BROTHERS, 2010)**
By Rick Jackson
Adapted from the comic book series of the same name, The Losers is a poorly conceived action flick about an elite group of soldiers who are betrayed and their search for Max, who they believe is responsible. You are told much too soon where he is as you watch this manly group of five men sort out their feelings and priorities and settle down to business. Unfortunately, much of what follows is predictable, while Jason Patric's portrayal of Max is a rip-off from James Bond because, as the villain, he thinks he is superior and more clever than anoyone else.
Patric's bald head and conceit don't serve his character well and you wait impatiently for the moment for the inveitable showdown you know is going to come, which takes two hours.
The screenplay by Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt focuses on the group's mission of vengeance after a violent pre-credit sequence where the losers deal with a drug lord in Bolivia. However, it is aborted when they learn there are kids near their target. The kids are rescued by Max in a plane which is summarily shot down. There are no survivors. The losers feel they have been doublecrossed by their superiors when the real culprit is Max. They also find themselves without any money and passports. Just what happens next is so old hat, you wish someone could have rewritten the plot because you know the five men on the ground are going to do get back at the person who left them helpless in South America.
The screenwriters begin the film all over again by introducing the five individually: Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the colonel and leader; Jensen (Chris Evans), Roque (Iris Elba), Pooch(Columbus Short) and Cougar (Oscar Jaenada). You quickly learn each of their special skills and why they obviously were picked.
Although it takes time for Max to appear you get to see the reuisite female join the five and her name is Aisha (Zoe Saldana who was much better in the Oscar-winning Avatar. Despite the fact she plays your typical tough female character, she does prove her mettle and demonstrate her usefulness to the five and us.
Director Sylvain White gets credit for trying to infuse originality but it only works in fits and starts. The Losers is well paced in spite of the cliched plot and characters. The second half is a little better than the first, but not by much.
By the time the end credits roll, there is plenty of action. The cast pulls off what they need to do even if it is annoyingly simple and frustrating to watch. The plot threads suffer blindly by boring you to death. However, action fans may want to risk seeing The Losers anyway. Just remember to not expect a lot and come away disappointed or mad when you realize you've wasted an afternoon or evening at the movies.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance.
May 2, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Adapted from the comic book series of the same name, The Losers is a poorly conceived action flick about an elite group of soldiers who are betrayed and their search for Max, who they believe is responsible. You are told much too soon where he is as you watch this manly group of five men sort out their feelings and priorities and settle down to business. Unfortunately, much of what follows is predictable, while Jason Patric's portrayal of Max is a rip-off from James Bond because, as the villain, he thinks he is superior and more clever than anoyone else.
Patric's bald head and conceit don't serve his character well and you wait impatiently for the moment for the inveitable showdown you know is going to come, which takes two hours.
The screenplay by Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt focuses on the group's mission of vengeance after a violent pre-credit sequence where the losers deal with a drug lord in Bolivia. However, it is aborted when they learn there are kids near their target. The kids are rescued by Max in a plane which is summarily shot down. There are no survivors. The losers feel they have been doublecrossed by their superiors when the real culprit is Max. They also find themselves without any money and passports. Just what happens next is so old hat, you wish someone could have rewritten the plot because you know the five men on the ground are going to do get back at the person who left them helpless in South America.
The screenwriters begin the film all over again by introducing the five individually: Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the colonel and leader; Jensen (Chris Evans), Roque (Iris Elba), Pooch(Columbus Short) and Cougar (Oscar Jaenada). You quickly learn each of their special skills and why they obviously were picked.
Although it takes time for Max to appear you get to see the reuisite female join the five and her name is Aisha (Zoe Saldana who was much better in the Oscar-winning Avatar. Despite the fact she plays your typical tough female character, she does prove her mettle and demonstrate her usefulness to the five and us.
Director Sylvain White gets credit for trying to infuse originality but it only works in fits and starts. The Losers is well paced in spite of the cliched plot and characters. The second half is a little better than the first, but not by much.
By the time the end credits roll, there is plenty of action. The cast pulls off what they need to do even if it is annoyingly simple and frustrating to watch. The plot threads suffer blindly by boring you to death. However, action fans may want to risk seeing The Losers anyway. Just remember to not expect a lot and come away disappointed or mad when you realize you've wasted an afternoon or evening at the movies.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance.
May 2, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (ALLIANCE,2010)****
By Rick Jackson
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a well crafted thriller complete with characters so diverse it puts you on the edge of a living nightmare you hope won't last too long.
The mult-layered plot takes you for a ride through a maze of twisted family histories mixed with aberrant behaviour. family loyalty and Nazi Germany, not to mention rape, violence of a sexual nature and murder.
You won't easily forget the titular character who has led an unstable life. You don't know what is going to happen next and director Niels Arden Oplev presents for two-and-one-half hours a film with a compelling and fascinating look at the evils on men's minds by what they think and how it all transfers to a passive storytelling with all the passion and secretiveness that make it forcefully rear its ugly head as a prologue to the other two books (and screen adaptations) of the late Stieg Larson's trilogy.
Some moviegoers may be offended by the scenes of bondage but they arenot exploitative. What makes this movie so arresting to watch are the performances by Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth, a girl who captures your undivided attention by her feminist views on life and her attitude toward men in general. She is resourceful and totally interesting by her innate ability to strike with an unglaring sense of daring that fits her character perfectly. Not since Anne Parillaud in La Femme Nikita has a young woman been so intense and dangerous at the same time.
In the screenplay by Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg from Larson's novel originally called Men Who Hate Women, there is ample time to get to know Lisbeth and the determined investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) as they work together to find Harriet, the long missing niece of tycoon Henrik Vanger (Sven Bertil Taube). How the plot threads get entangled in religion and politics is reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code but it is not a carbon copy.
There is a sense of foreboding slowly building up as Mikael and Lisbeth get closer to finding Harriet and it creates the appropriate suspense and chills as you wait to see where each lead goes in advancing the story.
Rapace plays Lisbeth as one of the screen's unique femme fatales. With her short black hair and attitude she proves to be equally cunning. When she is blackmailed by a sleazy lawyer (Peter Andersson) who thinks he knows her and persuadesher to do some surveillance work for him. Like Antonioni's Blow-Up (1966), voyeurism becomes a subplot that backfires on the lawyer and also helps you understand more about Harriet and her secret that she has kept for many years.
The supporting cast includes Peter Haber as Martin Vanger, an important character who demands your attention. What he does is linked to the mystery behind Harriet's disappearance along with a bigger and more explosive issue I won't divulge.
The director is bold enough to offend sensitive moviegoers and also unafraid to make you think while provoking you with the odd jarring emotion and scene where you might be unprepared if you are not following closely. However, it does get sorted out by film's end.
Nyqvist brings to Mikael some omniscience that works to his advantage and you can appreciate every one of his moves.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a richly textured dramatic piece with all its integrity intact as a brave and forceful work of distinction.
It is rated 18A, with the warnings: coarse language and sexual violence.
May 7, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a well crafted thriller complete with characters so diverse it puts you on the edge of a living nightmare you hope won't last too long.
The mult-layered plot takes you for a ride through a maze of twisted family histories mixed with aberrant behaviour. family loyalty and Nazi Germany, not to mention rape, violence of a sexual nature and murder.
You won't easily forget the titular character who has led an unstable life. You don't know what is going to happen next and director Niels Arden Oplev presents for two-and-one-half hours a film with a compelling and fascinating look at the evils on men's minds by what they think and how it all transfers to a passive storytelling with all the passion and secretiveness that make it forcefully rear its ugly head as a prologue to the other two books (and screen adaptations) of the late Stieg Larson's trilogy.
Some moviegoers may be offended by the scenes of bondage but they arenot exploitative. What makes this movie so arresting to watch are the performances by Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth, a girl who captures your undivided attention by her feminist views on life and her attitude toward men in general. She is resourceful and totally interesting by her innate ability to strike with an unglaring sense of daring that fits her character perfectly. Not since Anne Parillaud in La Femme Nikita has a young woman been so intense and dangerous at the same time.
In the screenplay by Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg from Larson's novel originally called Men Who Hate Women, there is ample time to get to know Lisbeth and the determined investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) as they work together to find Harriet, the long missing niece of tycoon Henrik Vanger (Sven Bertil Taube). How the plot threads get entangled in religion and politics is reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code but it is not a carbon copy.
There is a sense of foreboding slowly building up as Mikael and Lisbeth get closer to finding Harriet and it creates the appropriate suspense and chills as you wait to see where each lead goes in advancing the story.
Rapace plays Lisbeth as one of the screen's unique femme fatales. With her short black hair and attitude she proves to be equally cunning. When she is blackmailed by a sleazy lawyer (Peter Andersson) who thinks he knows her and persuadesher to do some surveillance work for him. Like Antonioni's Blow-Up (1966), voyeurism becomes a subplot that backfires on the lawyer and also helps you understand more about Harriet and her secret that she has kept for many years.
The supporting cast includes Peter Haber as Martin Vanger, an important character who demands your attention. What he does is linked to the mystery behind Harriet's disappearance along with a bigger and more explosive issue I won't divulge.
The director is bold enough to offend sensitive moviegoers and also unafraid to make you think while provoking you with the odd jarring emotion and scene where you might be unprepared if you are not following closely. However, it does get sorted out by film's end.
Nyqvist brings to Mikael some omniscience that works to his advantage and you can appreciate every one of his moves.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a richly textured dramatic piece with all its integrity intact as a brave and forceful work of distinction.
It is rated 18A, with the warnings: coarse language and sexual violence.
May 7, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
GUNLESS (ALLIANCE, 2010)***
By Rick Jackson
The structural western takes a comedic turn in the often funny Gunless. There is the hero who appears to be the protagonist but I won't reveal it here, the archtypical community of townsfolk who are helpless, and the familiar landscape reminiscent of the classic westerns of John Ford and Howard Hawks.
The bounty hunter, Ben Cutler (Callum Keith Rennie) is a caricature of the old western villain who wants a showdown with the Montana Kid (Paul Gross).
The wisecracks and dialogue courtesy of writer/director William Phillips is meant to be more of a lark redeemed by the film's western flavour and spirit brought across by the verbose Gross who overacts his part while still managing to hold your interest. He is a thinly disguised shadow of the Oklahoma Kid in the 1939 film of the same name starring Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney.
Gross does, admittedly, entertain with his western swagger and conception of the good/bad guy cultivated by Clint Eastwood. Although Gross is not exactly authentic, he gets marks for trying to be something more than just a character out of an old western pulp novel.
The supporting cast features Dustin Milligan as Corporal Jonathan Kent, a serious Mountie with a comic sidekick named Two Dogs (Graham Greene). They convey a comic team without the one-liners in an effort to hold your interest.
There is the appropriate and nicely endowed female, not unlike Jane Russell in the 1943 classic, The Outlaw which probably explains why actress Sienna Guillory plays a character named Jane. She is nothing like Russell, but she does fill the role Jean Arthur played so well in another top western, Shane (1953) as the dependable female with a heart of gold. Guillory is perfect in expressing the heroine's concerns, despite Phillips' intention to make Jane a composite of the western gal, including Gail Russell in such westerns as Angel And The Badman (1947) and The Lawless (1950).
Tyler mane's Jack Smith, the town's blacksmith is game for a shootout at sundown if the Montana Kid can find a gun. The only pistol around neds new parts.
The runaround gets short shrift abd fits in another predictable plot turn so what follows can make sense. It also gives Gross time to use his western accent some more.
There are some key moments in the town that are comical in their delivery and I will let you experience them as they are intended rather than spoil it by revealing them here. They appear ridiculous on the surface, but if you are a true fan of the western you will laugh without any problem unless, of course, you are not in the right mood.
One can read into Gunless the myth that Canada is too nice but it is more a cliche that Phillips would like to perpetuate. Kindness is no myth to begin but a courtesy and sign of respect and the Montana Kid certainly aspires to this in spades. Gunless is thankfully not a carbon copy of an Eastwood western, although it features western music reminiscent of Sergio Leone's trilogy of the Man With No Name starring Eastwood.
The echoes of Greg Keelor's original music score figures prominently as a throwback to the Sons of the Pioneers. It also injects the proper attitude that makes up for any of Gunless's arguable shortcomings.
Shot on location in British Columbia, the landscape provides the proper backdrop for the western locales which, in the end, contribute to the story's expectations as an enjoyable movie from the western fan's point of view.
Gunless is not meant to be the best western ever made but it does present itself as an escape which the western of yesteryear was all about in the first place. This one deserves your attention.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance, with the warnings: crude content and language may offend.
April 30, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
The structural western takes a comedic turn in the often funny Gunless. There is the hero who appears to be the protagonist but I won't reveal it here, the archtypical community of townsfolk who are helpless, and the familiar landscape reminiscent of the classic westerns of John Ford and Howard Hawks.
The bounty hunter, Ben Cutler (Callum Keith Rennie) is a caricature of the old western villain who wants a showdown with the Montana Kid (Paul Gross).
The wisecracks and dialogue courtesy of writer/director William Phillips is meant to be more of a lark redeemed by the film's western flavour and spirit brought across by the verbose Gross who overacts his part while still managing to hold your interest. He is a thinly disguised shadow of the Oklahoma Kid in the 1939 film of the same name starring Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney.
Gross does, admittedly, entertain with his western swagger and conception of the good/bad guy cultivated by Clint Eastwood. Although Gross is not exactly authentic, he gets marks for trying to be something more than just a character out of an old western pulp novel.
The supporting cast features Dustin Milligan as Corporal Jonathan Kent, a serious Mountie with a comic sidekick named Two Dogs (Graham Greene). They convey a comic team without the one-liners in an effort to hold your interest.
There is the appropriate and nicely endowed female, not unlike Jane Russell in the 1943 classic, The Outlaw which probably explains why actress Sienna Guillory plays a character named Jane. She is nothing like Russell, but she does fill the role Jean Arthur played so well in another top western, Shane (1953) as the dependable female with a heart of gold. Guillory is perfect in expressing the heroine's concerns, despite Phillips' intention to make Jane a composite of the western gal, including Gail Russell in such westerns as Angel And The Badman (1947) and The Lawless (1950).
Tyler mane's Jack Smith, the town's blacksmith is game for a shootout at sundown if the Montana Kid can find a gun. The only pistol around neds new parts.
The runaround gets short shrift abd fits in another predictable plot turn so what follows can make sense. It also gives Gross time to use his western accent some more.
There are some key moments in the town that are comical in their delivery and I will let you experience them as they are intended rather than spoil it by revealing them here. They appear ridiculous on the surface, but if you are a true fan of the western you will laugh without any problem unless, of course, you are not in the right mood.
One can read into Gunless the myth that Canada is too nice but it is more a cliche that Phillips would like to perpetuate. Kindness is no myth to begin but a courtesy and sign of respect and the Montana Kid certainly aspires to this in spades. Gunless is thankfully not a carbon copy of an Eastwood western, although it features western music reminiscent of Sergio Leone's trilogy of the Man With No Name starring Eastwood.
The echoes of Greg Keelor's original music score figures prominently as a throwback to the Sons of the Pioneers. It also injects the proper attitude that makes up for any of Gunless's arguable shortcomings.
Shot on location in British Columbia, the landscape provides the proper backdrop for the western locales which, in the end, contribute to the story's expectations as an enjoyable movie from the western fan's point of view.
Gunless is not meant to be the best western ever made but it does present itself as an escape which the western of yesteryear was all about in the first place. This one deserves your attention.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance, with the warnings: crude content and language may offend.
April 30, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
PRECIOUS(LIONS GATE, 2009)****
By Rick Jackson
This adaptation of Precious, based on the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire is a rare achievement in American Cinema. It exposes the underbelly of the black American family from the perspective of a wife and mother who is obese, pregnant, illiterate and on welfare. The tone of the entire film is depressing and hard to watch, but no more than Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple was in 1985. What you see here is the American Dream come true against impossible odds and the triumph of the human spirit prevail. Precious will resonate with you for a long time after you've other movies that have a lighter subject.
Gabourey Sidibe conveys a quiet reserve of volatility that rises to the surface when she is forced to use it. As you watch her closely, you quickly realize that her upbringing as a member of the poor working class has prevented her from ever breaking free of the chains of poverty.
At the same time she is an example of the strength of someone whose instinct for survival has left hr no choice but to fight back. When you learn she is pregnant with another child, her ambition to aim for a better life for herself and her children, you can liyerally feel the tension of her situation. Her looks of despair and desperation are real enough when she yells out forhelp. Dramatic irony allows you to empathize with her and this becomes essentially the heart of the movie. You share in the defining moments of chaos at home and school while praying someone will come to her rescue. Her scenes at school reveal more of her situation and what she has to conquer in order to be heard and understood by her classmates. Her teacher Ms Rain (Paula Patton) invites her home to stay with her and this single moment is powerful and sustaining.
Director Lee Daniels is able to bring across various states of emotions and feelings that give you the opportunity to witness how student and teacher react in an uncomfortable and demeaning situation and how the latter is able to instill hope in her student by an act of kindness beyond the call of duty as her teacher.
Sidibe's own inner strength as an actress is her ability to show her character's vulnerability and ambition to succeed at all costs. Watch how she overcomes these obstacles by her determination and resolve to be a better person and she does it with an unerring sense of reality that you are impressed by it through her own unflinching courage and fortitude.
Unrecognizable at first is Mariah Carey as Mrs. Weiss, the social worker who helps and singer Lenny Kravitz plays Nurse John.
With Mo'Nique's introduction as a kabuki artist, Daniels is speaking through her. His voice is mentally communicating the avuse of blacks and what they have had to endure for a long time. Precious decidely shows a prime example of the black community and the urgent response it needs to be treated with respect and dignity in today's affluent societies. There are poor blacks blacks like any other race, creed or colour and it is important to remember they are all people. Without preaching the point, Daniels wants you to better understand everyone by allowing them to be respected and treated equally without any prejudice whatsoever. I can't think of another film that addresses this problem so instinctively and powerfully that you feel moved to do something about it.
It is rated 14A with the warnings: coarse language and disturbing content.
February 14, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
It is rated
This adaptation of Precious, based on the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire is a rare achievement in American Cinema. It exposes the underbelly of the black American family from the perspective of a wife and mother who is obese, pregnant, illiterate and on welfare. The tone of the entire film is depressing and hard to watch, but no more than Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple was in 1985. What you see here is the American Dream come true against impossible odds and the triumph of the human spirit prevail. Precious will resonate with you for a long time after you've other movies that have a lighter subject.
Gabourey Sidibe conveys a quiet reserve of volatility that rises to the surface when she is forced to use it. As you watch her closely, you quickly realize that her upbringing as a member of the poor working class has prevented her from ever breaking free of the chains of poverty.
At the same time she is an example of the strength of someone whose instinct for survival has left hr no choice but to fight back. When you learn she is pregnant with another child, her ambition to aim for a better life for herself and her children, you can liyerally feel the tension of her situation. Her looks of despair and desperation are real enough when she yells out forhelp. Dramatic irony allows you to empathize with her and this becomes essentially the heart of the movie. You share in the defining moments of chaos at home and school while praying someone will come to her rescue. Her scenes at school reveal more of her situation and what she has to conquer in order to be heard and understood by her classmates. Her teacher Ms Rain (Paula Patton) invites her home to stay with her and this single moment is powerful and sustaining.
Director Lee Daniels is able to bring across various states of emotions and feelings that give you the opportunity to witness how student and teacher react in an uncomfortable and demeaning situation and how the latter is able to instill hope in her student by an act of kindness beyond the call of duty as her teacher.
Sidibe's own inner strength as an actress is her ability to show her character's vulnerability and ambition to succeed at all costs. Watch how she overcomes these obstacles by her determination and resolve to be a better person and she does it with an unerring sense of reality that you are impressed by it through her own unflinching courage and fortitude.
Unrecognizable at first is Mariah Carey as Mrs. Weiss, the social worker who helps and singer Lenny Kravitz plays Nurse John.
With Mo'Nique's introduction as a kabuki artist, Daniels is speaking through her. His voice is mentally communicating the avuse of blacks and what they have had to endure for a long time. Precious decidely shows a prime example of the black community and the urgent response it needs to be treated with respect and dignity in today's affluent societies. There are poor blacks blacks like any other race, creed or colour and it is important to remember they are all people. Without preaching the point, Daniels wants you to better understand everyone by allowing them to be respected and treated equally without any prejudice whatsoever. I can't think of another film that addresses this problem so instinctively and powerfully that you feel moved to do something about it.
It is rated 14A with the warnings: coarse language and disturbing content.
February 14, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
It is rated
Saturday, May 1, 2010
AN EDUCATION (SONY PICTURES CLASSICS, 2009)****
By Rick Jackson
A distinguished cast makes An Education a film worth seeing. This Oscar nominated film draws you into its simple plot and strong performances focused on a young woman named Jenny and her experience at home with an overbearing father named Jack (Alfred Molina) and the choice she makes between going to Oxford and her first, impressionable love affair with an older man named David (Peter Sarsgaard) who happens to be an Oxford graduate. What happens during their scenes together conveys a dichotomy of feelings and emotions which you've seen before in other romantic movies. However, this time the director succeeds in absorbing you in the head-to-head dialogue with the lead actress, her father and her boyfriend. Each scene is carefully played out as if they were all a play by George Bernard Shaw because it is mixed with humour and a sense of drama which are lacking in most American movies.
Sarsgaard downplays his role by not getting carried away which he usually does when he acts and his more gentle and sophisticated demeanor conveys a more powerful performance. His scenes with Carey Sullivan are indicative of his station as a more experienced man about love and life and he provides a nice balance when you compare him to Jenny's father who tries to impress his daughter about the ways of the world. He almost the definition of reason and understanding as the voice of authority.
Sullivan's innocence and naivete in her early scenes can be nicely compared to her maturity and growth as a young lady who has grasped her situation both at home and with David. This is the education the film refers to and not the more conventional kind.
The cast delivers their dialogue with the appropriate emotions and feelings to create a dramatic masterpiece of such magnitude, it transcends its simplicity to be something far more than less profound and more entertaining than expected. This is the education you, the moviegoer, receives as you enter the theatre blindly and assuming the worst as you watch the story unfold with utter familiarity, only to be surprised along thee way.
Emma Thompson's role as the headmistress adds solidarity as your British stereotype and, as always, she dominates every scene she's in.
Credit for all this goes to screenwriter Nick Hornby who has adapted Lynn Barber's memoir, Each bit of dialogue captivates you with its sense of humour punctuated by insight into the behaviours of the common man and woman when it comes to intimate and personal reminiscences of a time in one's life which are meant to be important and which are, in retrospect, perhaps more than the proverbial eye which is prone to lots of missed opportunities. What many of us need is more than just what is really missing and lsatisfy less our inner compulsions to override exactly what it is we need to fulfill our basic human needs as members of the human race.
Director Lone Scherfig asserts the story's thoughts and feelings like an expert and you are not cheated any of the appeal or vulnerabilities of the main characters who, within the context of the plot threads convey everything in spades in communicating Barber's written word for the big screen. It leaves us all, in turn, satisfied by its outcome despite it's penchant to be more conventional in its ending instead of trying to shock us by something that might not ring true and thereby ruin the dramatic flow and ease of the main cast who effortlessly assail the big screen in all their unrivalled glory and esteem. This British film completely puts you off guard by the weight of their performances and the unbridled conclusion which, for some, may still be ordinary, whether or not you are ready to be seduced by something altogether different or not.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance, with the warning: mature theme.
March 10, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
A distinguished cast makes An Education a film worth seeing. This Oscar nominated film draws you into its simple plot and strong performances focused on a young woman named Jenny and her experience at home with an overbearing father named Jack (Alfred Molina) and the choice she makes between going to Oxford and her first, impressionable love affair with an older man named David (Peter Sarsgaard) who happens to be an Oxford graduate. What happens during their scenes together conveys a dichotomy of feelings and emotions which you've seen before in other romantic movies. However, this time the director succeeds in absorbing you in the head-to-head dialogue with the lead actress, her father and her boyfriend. Each scene is carefully played out as if they were all a play by George Bernard Shaw because it is mixed with humour and a sense of drama which are lacking in most American movies.
Sarsgaard downplays his role by not getting carried away which he usually does when he acts and his more gentle and sophisticated demeanor conveys a more powerful performance. His scenes with Carey Sullivan are indicative of his station as a more experienced man about love and life and he provides a nice balance when you compare him to Jenny's father who tries to impress his daughter about the ways of the world. He almost the definition of reason and understanding as the voice of authority.
Sullivan's innocence and naivete in her early scenes can be nicely compared to her maturity and growth as a young lady who has grasped her situation both at home and with David. This is the education the film refers to and not the more conventional kind.
The cast delivers their dialogue with the appropriate emotions and feelings to create a dramatic masterpiece of such magnitude, it transcends its simplicity to be something far more than less profound and more entertaining than expected. This is the education you, the moviegoer, receives as you enter the theatre blindly and assuming the worst as you watch the story unfold with utter familiarity, only to be surprised along thee way.
Emma Thompson's role as the headmistress adds solidarity as your British stereotype and, as always, she dominates every scene she's in.
Credit for all this goes to screenwriter Nick Hornby who has adapted Lynn Barber's memoir, Each bit of dialogue captivates you with its sense of humour punctuated by insight into the behaviours of the common man and woman when it comes to intimate and personal reminiscences of a time in one's life which are meant to be important and which are, in retrospect, perhaps more than the proverbial eye which is prone to lots of missed opportunities. What many of us need is more than just what is really missing and lsatisfy less our inner compulsions to override exactly what it is we need to fulfill our basic human needs as members of the human race.
Director Lone Scherfig asserts the story's thoughts and feelings like an expert and you are not cheated any of the appeal or vulnerabilities of the main characters who, within the context of the plot threads convey everything in spades in communicating Barber's written word for the big screen. It leaves us all, in turn, satisfied by its outcome despite it's penchant to be more conventional in its ending instead of trying to shock us by something that might not ring true and thereby ruin the dramatic flow and ease of the main cast who effortlessly assail the big screen in all their unrivalled glory and esteem. This British film completely puts you off guard by the weight of their performances and the unbridled conclusion which, for some, may still be ordinary, whether or not you are ready to be seduced by something altogether different or not.
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance, with the warning: mature theme.
March 10, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
THE YOUNG VICTORIA (ALLIANCE, 2009)***
By Rick Jackson
The Young Victoria is a sumptuous drama about Queen Victoria and her rise to power as England's longest reigning monarch. Emily Blunt is so good in the title role you easily become immersed in her strong performance which doesn't detract for a minute how the young queen was determined to be the woman she would become as an adult. Although you are not given any insight into her role, it is your prior knowledge of English history that enables you to enjoy this true story to the fullest.
The added bonus of the politics of the time evoke the historicity of an exciting time for the teenaged Victoria and Blunt essays the part with equal precision and favour. You are not cheated the excitement of a coronation which arguably is nicely edited so as not to bore you with details that could've ruined the continuity and dramatic impact of the entire film.
An excellent supporting cast increases your enjoyment and appreciation, especially if you are a history buff. Your understanding of Victoria's early years up to her marriage to Prince Albert (Rupert Friend) is nothing short of thrilling.
Paul Bettany gives a solid performance as Lord Melbourne, a cad who is there for his own political ends, while Miranda Richardson's Duchess of Kent offers a more sophisticated appearance of royal civility and pride toward royalty which is symbolic of the way royal authority and protocol should be followed.
One of the more interesting characters is King William IV, Victoria's father. Jim Broadbent's portrayal is a caricature of royalty. His demeanor speaks volumes as an arbiter of pomposity and political posture literally as you watch him parade around with the mannerisms of a bombastic, yet gentile personality full of acerbic wit and a sense of humour to make his entire performance unforgettable. The actor has enlivened many movies by his strong supporting roles and this time is no exception.
The screenplay by Julian Fellows (Gosford Park) is complete with a balance of historicity and royal flavour to satisfy the most stubborn royal watcher and, in the end, anyone who liked such fare as Elizabeth and The Queen will leave the theatre smiling from ear to ear by the sheer weight of the cast and the story which is strongly represented as a shining example of a decent film for adults tired of the same old popcorn commercial features that continue to inundate theatres far too much.
Meticulously directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, who is best known for the hilarious comedy, K.R.A.Z.Y. which was a hit in Quebec in 2002, The Young Victoria is here for the moviegoer with discriminating tastes.
February 6, 2010
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance, with the warning: mature theme.
The Young Victoria is a sumptuous drama about Queen Victoria and her rise to power as England's longest reigning monarch. Emily Blunt is so good in the title role you easily become immersed in her strong performance which doesn't detract for a minute how the young queen was determined to be the woman she would become as an adult. Although you are not given any insight into her role, it is your prior knowledge of English history that enables you to enjoy this true story to the fullest.
The added bonus of the politics of the time evoke the historicity of an exciting time for the teenaged Victoria and Blunt essays the part with equal precision and favour. You are not cheated the excitement of a coronation which arguably is nicely edited so as not to bore you with details that could've ruined the continuity and dramatic impact of the entire film.
An excellent supporting cast increases your enjoyment and appreciation, especially if you are a history buff. Your understanding of Victoria's early years up to her marriage to Prince Albert (Rupert Friend) is nothing short of thrilling.
Paul Bettany gives a solid performance as Lord Melbourne, a cad who is there for his own political ends, while Miranda Richardson's Duchess of Kent offers a more sophisticated appearance of royal civility and pride toward royalty which is symbolic of the way royal authority and protocol should be followed.
One of the more interesting characters is King William IV, Victoria's father. Jim Broadbent's portrayal is a caricature of royalty. His demeanor speaks volumes as an arbiter of pomposity and political posture literally as you watch him parade around with the mannerisms of a bombastic, yet gentile personality full of acerbic wit and a sense of humour to make his entire performance unforgettable. The actor has enlivened many movies by his strong supporting roles and this time is no exception.
The screenplay by Julian Fellows (Gosford Park) is complete with a balance of historicity and royal flavour to satisfy the most stubborn royal watcher and, in the end, anyone who liked such fare as Elizabeth and The Queen will leave the theatre smiling from ear to ear by the sheer weight of the cast and the story which is strongly represented as a shining example of a decent film for adults tired of the same old popcorn commercial features that continue to inundate theatres far too much.
Meticulously directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, who is best known for the hilarious comedy, K.R.A.Z.Y. which was a hit in Quebec in 2002, The Young Victoria is here for the moviegoer with discriminating tastes.
February 6, 2010
It is rated PG/Parental Guidance, with the warning: mature theme.
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