By Rick Jackson
There have been many films about Burlesque going to Trilby Burlesque in 1896. Written and directed by Steven Antin, this new Burlesque doesn't live up to expectations as an outstanding film of any merit. As a backstage drama, it falters. As a musical, there isn't one memorable song.
As you watch Cher's Tess belt out Welcome To Burlesque, you have goose bumps but it is short-lived. Co-star Christine Aguilera, who plays Ali, a farm girl who has aspirations of being a singer is as cliched as 42nd Street, the old Warner musical where you went to Broadway and became a star.
Burlesque is more dubious and uncertain of where it is going because of the superficial plot that is more incredulous as it tries to live up to the classic example set by Liza Minnelli in the Oscar-winning Cabaret (1972) which is far superior.
The burlesque lounge where most of the action takes place is meant to be a den of iniquity but it is more shameless in its equivocal and tiresome scene after scene.
Production designer Jon Gary Steele hasn't brought a shred of originality to even entertain you at any time during the blandest of songs like I Am A Good Girl (Aguilera).
The supporting cast lacks any memorable characters. From Stanley Tucci's Sean, the stage manager whose sexual orientation is evident from the start to Peter Gallagher's Vince, Tess' ex-husband, who is around to add unnecessary tension. The marginal display of production numbers mirrors Flashdance (1983) more than A Chorus Line (1985).
Kristen Bell from the Twilight series plays Nikki, a rival for Ali in a plot point that is also very cliched since you can figure out how it is all going to end up.
Cam Gigandet's Jack The Bartender is hardly interesting as are Georgia (Julianna Hough from TV's Dancing With The Stars) and real estate developer Marcus (Eric Dane) who supply more derivative babble than any useful dialogue to fill out their story. Their short contribution does nothing than prolong the inevitable conclusion.
Anyone expecting a striptease, nudity, comedians or performers of the same ilk for a burlesque will be disappointed. Some of it might have added a measure of real entertainment than what you get here.
The best film about Burlesque is still Lady of Burlesque (1943) starring Barbara Stanwyck.
This one is so uninteresting to follow, you wonder if it will finally pick up. However, that moment never comes.
It is rated PG, with the warning: language may offend.
November 27, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
NEVER LET ME GO (FOX SEARCHLIGHT, 2010)****
By Rick Jackson
Never Let Me Go is an extraordinary story of three young lives who are preordained to be cut short and how their life expectations have affected them emotionally. Told via narration by Kathy (Carey Mulligan), you are slowly immersed in a tale that is transfixed in the past rather than in the future. You don't expect to see them face a strange fate that lacks any kind of basis in science fiction. There isn't anything sinister going on, either, which makes the entire film more intriguing as a morality tale wrapped in its own surreal levels of ominous reality set in Hailsham, a progressive school where rumours of what happens to runaways are true stories, and students earn tokens for creating works of art for the gallery personally selected by Madame (Nathalie Richard) at this special place.
Based on the 2005 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, who serves as the film's executive producer, the screenplay by Alex Garland weaves Kathy's story through an aching landscape of altruistic sadness underscored by Rachel Portman's brutally sad music score.
Mulligan gives Kathy an added sense of remorse while stating quite clearly that she, Ruth (Keira Knightley) and Tommy (Andrew Garfield) make their choices and in a state of hopelessness they each have to go through despite the fact that two of them have fallen in love and are led to believe it can defer their deaths.
As teenagers they each have a common interest in nature and, as yet, haven't realized the bleakness of their futures because they still aren't old enough to understand the appalling fate that hangs over them, which is only clear to you.
It is interesting how director Mark Romanek maintains the entire narrative without resorting to science fiction which would've ruined the movie's overall impact. What it does do on a different level is present to the moviegoer a more compelling view because it increases your empathy toward the three main characters and, at the same time, demands your undivided attention. Until the very end, you are meant to observe what is happening to these three innocent lives.
It is also undeniably thought provoking underneath the undercurrent of themes concerning your views of how we have placed ourselves as human beings who remain precious and fragile. It is something to think about.
The combined talents of Knightley, Mulligan and Garfield contribute to the powerful, poignant overtones of love expressed in simplistic terms in the lyrics of the title song heard by Jane Monheit, and equally endemic to how we have made it so important to all of us. Don't miss Never Let Me Go, it is one of the y ear's very special films.
It is rated 14A, with the warning: sexual content.
Nov 27, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Never Let Me Go is an extraordinary story of three young lives who are preordained to be cut short and how their life expectations have affected them emotionally. Told via narration by Kathy (Carey Mulligan), you are slowly immersed in a tale that is transfixed in the past rather than in the future. You don't expect to see them face a strange fate that lacks any kind of basis in science fiction. There isn't anything sinister going on, either, which makes the entire film more intriguing as a morality tale wrapped in its own surreal levels of ominous reality set in Hailsham, a progressive school where rumours of what happens to runaways are true stories, and students earn tokens for creating works of art for the gallery personally selected by Madame (Nathalie Richard) at this special place.
Based on the 2005 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, who serves as the film's executive producer, the screenplay by Alex Garland weaves Kathy's story through an aching landscape of altruistic sadness underscored by Rachel Portman's brutally sad music score.
Mulligan gives Kathy an added sense of remorse while stating quite clearly that she, Ruth (Keira Knightley) and Tommy (Andrew Garfield) make their choices and in a state of hopelessness they each have to go through despite the fact that two of them have fallen in love and are led to believe it can defer their deaths.
As teenagers they each have a common interest in nature and, as yet, haven't realized the bleakness of their futures because they still aren't old enough to understand the appalling fate that hangs over them, which is only clear to you.
It is interesting how director Mark Romanek maintains the entire narrative without resorting to science fiction which would've ruined the movie's overall impact. What it does do on a different level is present to the moviegoer a more compelling view because it increases your empathy toward the three main characters and, at the same time, demands your undivided attention. Until the very end, you are meant to observe what is happening to these three innocent lives.
It is also undeniably thought provoking underneath the undercurrent of themes concerning your views of how we have placed ourselves as human beings who remain precious and fragile. It is something to think about.
The combined talents of Knightley, Mulligan and Garfield contribute to the powerful, poignant overtones of love expressed in simplistic terms in the lyrics of the title song heard by Jane Monheit, and equally endemic to how we have made it so important to all of us. Don't miss Never Let Me Go, it is one of the y ear's very special films.
It is rated 14A, with the warning: sexual content.
Nov 27, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 (WARNER BROTHERS, 2010)***
By Rick Jackson
The first half of the seventh chapter in the Harry Potter franchise impresses despite its lack of story development and the plethora of special effects that dominate from beginning to end. Harry Potter's legions of fans will undoubtedly love it more and judging by its popularity during its opening weekend, it is going to set the record to beat during the upcoming season of Christmas blockbusters that begins with the American Thanksgiving.
For anyone who has followed the adventures of Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson), you will notice how grown up they are in The Deathly Hallows, Part 1.
Director David Yates captivates the average moviegoer along with the Harry Potter fanatic. There is a scene to underscore just how mature these three have become. Their loyalty, once again, is tested and it helps hold your interest as you watch the plot unfold amid the special effects created as part of the magical landscape they inhabit which, this time, is away from Hogwarts.
In his screenplay based on J.K. Rowling's best selling novel, Steve Kloves doesn't waste time in setting the pace of the entire film. Right from the beginning you are re-introduced to the Ministry of Magic, an esteemed organization that is determined to see the end of Harry Potter. Presided over by Lord Valdemort (Ralph Fiennes), you may find him more formidable when he comes up with a plan that may work. Kloves doesn't give anything away that will ruin what's ahead in Part 2 which will come out next July. You also have to be patient to see if there will be deviations from the book for dramatic purposes or even changes. Both the Harry Potter fan and non-fan must be prepared for anything and this increases your interest in The Deathly Hallows.
You will notice how strong the friendship is among the three main characters. Ron still expresses doubt and the passion for life for all three is undiminished as they become determined to track down the clues to the missing pieces of Voldemort's soul. You can feel the danger ahead because it is omnipresent.
The late and beloved Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) may still be alive and this, too, creates excitement to see Part 2 unless, of course, you've read the book, which I haven't.
The level of mystery and suspense remains at an all-time high, and there is room for surprises which I hope will come in Part 2.
Radcliffe plays Harry with equal conviction and he is sure to have more female fans, while Ron and Hermione will be forever identified with Harry when all three actors pursue other roles.
The supporting cast ceaselessly continue to make Harry's adventures fun, from the wiles of Bellatrix Lastrange (Helena Bonham Carter) to Toby Jones' Doby, the menacing Valdemort and the unpredictable "Mad Eye" Moody (Brendan Gleeson).
Other notables worth mentioning include Ollivander (John Hurt), Xenophilius Lovegood (Rhys Ifans), Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), and Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton).
The familiar goings on that involve Harry Potter are, by now, nothing new but the excitement of seeing him is breathtaking just the same because, with each film, there is its own allure and escapism for the individual moviegoer.
Under Yates' capable direction, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 1 delivers because of the characters and storytelling which, despite its flaws, will never lose its appeal.
It is rated PG, with the warnings: some scary scenes and violence.
November 27, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
The first half of the seventh chapter in the Harry Potter franchise impresses despite its lack of story development and the plethora of special effects that dominate from beginning to end. Harry Potter's legions of fans will undoubtedly love it more and judging by its popularity during its opening weekend, it is going to set the record to beat during the upcoming season of Christmas blockbusters that begins with the American Thanksgiving.
For anyone who has followed the adventures of Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson), you will notice how grown up they are in The Deathly Hallows, Part 1.
Director David Yates captivates the average moviegoer along with the Harry Potter fanatic. There is a scene to underscore just how mature these three have become. Their loyalty, once again, is tested and it helps hold your interest as you watch the plot unfold amid the special effects created as part of the magical landscape they inhabit which, this time, is away from Hogwarts.
In his screenplay based on J.K. Rowling's best selling novel, Steve Kloves doesn't waste time in setting the pace of the entire film. Right from the beginning you are re-introduced to the Ministry of Magic, an esteemed organization that is determined to see the end of Harry Potter. Presided over by Lord Valdemort (Ralph Fiennes), you may find him more formidable when he comes up with a plan that may work. Kloves doesn't give anything away that will ruin what's ahead in Part 2 which will come out next July. You also have to be patient to see if there will be deviations from the book for dramatic purposes or even changes. Both the Harry Potter fan and non-fan must be prepared for anything and this increases your interest in The Deathly Hallows.
You will notice how strong the friendship is among the three main characters. Ron still expresses doubt and the passion for life for all three is undiminished as they become determined to track down the clues to the missing pieces of Voldemort's soul. You can feel the danger ahead because it is omnipresent.
The late and beloved Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) may still be alive and this, too, creates excitement to see Part 2 unless, of course, you've read the book, which I haven't.
The level of mystery and suspense remains at an all-time high, and there is room for surprises which I hope will come in Part 2.
Radcliffe plays Harry with equal conviction and he is sure to have more female fans, while Ron and Hermione will be forever identified with Harry when all three actors pursue other roles.
The supporting cast ceaselessly continue to make Harry's adventures fun, from the wiles of Bellatrix Lastrange (Helena Bonham Carter) to Toby Jones' Doby, the menacing Valdemort and the unpredictable "Mad Eye" Moody (Brendan Gleeson).
Other notables worth mentioning include Ollivander (John Hurt), Xenophilius Lovegood (Rhys Ifans), Severus Snape (Alan Rickman), and Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton).
The familiar goings on that involve Harry Potter are, by now, nothing new but the excitement of seeing him is breathtaking just the same because, with each film, there is its own allure and escapism for the individual moviegoer.
Under Yates' capable direction, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 1 delivers because of the characters and storytelling which, despite its flaws, will never lose its appeal.
It is rated PG, with the warnings: some scary scenes and violence.
November 27, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST (ALLIANCE, 2010)****
By Rick Jackson
Moviegoers intrigued by Stieg Larsson's first two films of his millennium trilogy that began with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and continued with The Girl Who Played With Fire will want to see the smashing conclusion, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest. It neatly brings together the plot threads that may have had you asking yourself questions about the story and where it all was going to end up.
It begins where the second film ended in the same barn where there was an encounter between Lisbeth's father and half-brother. She has been taken to hospital where a bullet is removed from her brain.
Using the backdrop of a courtroom, screenwriter Jonas Fykberg brings to the entire story some historical purpose and meaning that allows you to better understand Lisbeth and why she has been so rebellious and driven to do the things you saw in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Repugnant when you saw it happened, it now is referred to in a piece of unseen footage which you only hear as part of her defense in court.
Noomi Rapace brings to the title role the combined qualities of a person who grew up to fight back for justice and, in the process, exposed a political organization that insidiously was trying to infiltrate society. Fykberg cleverly ties this subplot in with the characters you have followed so farand in this third part, there is a fine performance by Michael Nykqvist who, again, takes center stage as Mikael, the investigative reporter whose tenacity and gut instinct helps defend Lisbeth. You also learn about a rogue subversive group called the section within the Swedish national police.
Daniel Alfredson's sensitive direction lets you feel the range of emotions that control the reactions of the characters in various situations. Almost from the first frame the tension and suspense build up to the point where you become so absorbed, you forget the film is two-and-one half hours long.
As Lisbeth Salander, Noomi Rapace holds your attention this time primarily by her silence and her life story where you learn more about her. Her vengeful nature in the first two films has been replaced by a mature woman whose intelligence is surprising. She conveys a welcome balance between sensibility and revenge and is still dressed in a punk outfit complete with black leather pants, jacket, boots, spiked hair, body piercings and eyeliner.
The rest of the supporting cast features Lena Endre as Mikael's editor, Erika and Mikael Spitz as Lisbeth's menacing half-brother Niedermann.
The books based on all three movies have become worldwide best sellers. If you haven't seen the first two or want to see them again, they are available on DVD.
In researching Larsson, I discovered that Lisbeth was based on the children's character,Pippi Longstocking. He began thinking about writing detective novels in the 1990s. In an interview with a former school colleague, Kenneth Ahlborn, Larsson discussed the possibilities of turning fictional characters into real ones when they are all grown up. He decided to create Lisbeth as a dysfunctional character with attention deficit disorder. He then proceeded to see how she would cope in normal society. From it he came up with Lisbeth and, as a result, we have all come to appreciate her.
There is a fourth untitled book which he was working on when he suddenly died in November 2004. Swedish law prohibits his female companion, Eva Gabrielsson from finishing it. She had helped him write the other three when he was still alive.
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest is rated 14A, with the warnings: violence and disturbing content.
November 20, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Moviegoers intrigued by Stieg Larsson's first two films of his millennium trilogy that began with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and continued with The Girl Who Played With Fire will want to see the smashing conclusion, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest. It neatly brings together the plot threads that may have had you asking yourself questions about the story and where it all was going to end up.
It begins where the second film ended in the same barn where there was an encounter between Lisbeth's father and half-brother. She has been taken to hospital where a bullet is removed from her brain.
Using the backdrop of a courtroom, screenwriter Jonas Fykberg brings to the entire story some historical purpose and meaning that allows you to better understand Lisbeth and why she has been so rebellious and driven to do the things you saw in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Repugnant when you saw it happened, it now is referred to in a piece of unseen footage which you only hear as part of her defense in court.
Noomi Rapace brings to the title role the combined qualities of a person who grew up to fight back for justice and, in the process, exposed a political organization that insidiously was trying to infiltrate society. Fykberg cleverly ties this subplot in with the characters you have followed so farand in this third part, there is a fine performance by Michael Nykqvist who, again, takes center stage as Mikael, the investigative reporter whose tenacity and gut instinct helps defend Lisbeth. You also learn about a rogue subversive group called the section within the Swedish national police.
Daniel Alfredson's sensitive direction lets you feel the range of emotions that control the reactions of the characters in various situations. Almost from the first frame the tension and suspense build up to the point where you become so absorbed, you forget the film is two-and-one half hours long.
As Lisbeth Salander, Noomi Rapace holds your attention this time primarily by her silence and her life story where you learn more about her. Her vengeful nature in the first two films has been replaced by a mature woman whose intelligence is surprising. She conveys a welcome balance between sensibility and revenge and is still dressed in a punk outfit complete with black leather pants, jacket, boots, spiked hair, body piercings and eyeliner.
The rest of the supporting cast features Lena Endre as Mikael's editor, Erika and Mikael Spitz as Lisbeth's menacing half-brother Niedermann.
The books based on all three movies have become worldwide best sellers. If you haven't seen the first two or want to see them again, they are available on DVD.
In researching Larsson, I discovered that Lisbeth was based on the children's character,Pippi Longstocking. He began thinking about writing detective novels in the 1990s. In an interview with a former school colleague, Kenneth Ahlborn, Larsson discussed the possibilities of turning fictional characters into real ones when they are all grown up. He decided to create Lisbeth as a dysfunctional character with attention deficit disorder. He then proceeded to see how she would cope in normal society. From it he came up with Lisbeth and, as a result, we have all come to appreciate her.
There is a fourth untitled book which he was working on when he suddenly died in November 2004. Swedish law prohibits his female companion, Eva Gabrielsson from finishing it. She had helped him write the other three when he was still alive.
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest is rated 14A, with the warnings: violence and disturbing content.
November 20, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
LEBANON (MAPLE PICTURES, 2010)****
By Rick Jackson
Lebanon is an excellent character study about the effects of war on the ordinary Israeli soldier during the first day of conflict on June 6, 1982. It is inspired by Samuel Maoz's personal experience of the war as a young man, and who has also written and directed the film with an incisive and penetrating understanding of what war was really like inside an Israeli tank which has been sent to check a hostile town destroyed by the Israeli air force. Once in the war zone, the gunner, Shmulik (Yoav Donat) freezes when ordered to fire on a car headed in his direction. After the tank is hit by a rocket attack, a Syrian is captured. Inside the tank tensions run high when one of the Israeli soldiers needs to pee.
The claustrophoic confines of the tank mirror the submarine in 1982's Das Boot. Its viewfinder shows you the targets and non-targets as if it was the conscience of the war. The silence at various times is almost deafening as you wait for something to happen.
The facial expressions of the men in various closeup shots depict the tension that lives inside their heads guided by the unseen voice of their superior at command centre who uses such code words as Rhino, Cinderella, flowers, and angels.
Before the tank must go inside a building, you can hear on the soundtrack a stringed Arabic instrument as a prelude to the attack. It insidiously brings with it more tension filled moments where you can almost feel their hearts beating.
They end up capturing a Christian-Arab phalangist whose appearance becomes a threat when he whispers to a Syrian prisoner what will happen to him. The Israeli soldiers don't understand the language spoken and like them you join him in experiencing the fear of the unknown that lies ahead.
The peace and tranquility of war is punctuated by a sunflower field that frames the beginning and end of the film.
What is especially effective is the use of sound to convey the nightmarish encounters which are modulated to such a degree you end up sitting on the edge of your seat from the mood it creates in sync with the faces that try to cnquer their own fears which, in turn, force you to keep watching. Each assault plays like a maximum sense of danger which heightens the climactic note it reaches within the sphere of the action dictated by the ensuing moments, including the apprehension of the other three Israeli soldiers inside the tank: Hertzel (Oshri Cohen), Assi (Itay Tiran), and Yigal (Michael Moshonov).
It all contributes to the authenticity of the war's unflinching and grim realties with the most basic movements and space. The character of Shmulik is actually the director speaking through the memory of his experience. The scenes inside the tank reveal the insanity of war, from waking up from their sleep to find pieces of shrapnel to an inexplicable foot infection, and the quarrelsome nature of their simple conversations which tell you how scared they really are. The skirmishes they see help relieve the tension and the overall fumes of oil they breathe day and night.
The minimum use of dialogue underscores the fearful hesitation of the Israelis who are depicted more honestly through their own individual motivations rather than wartime heroics.
Lebanon is undeniably powerful from beginning to end. It is certain to leave an indelible way for anyone who leaves the theatre impressed.
It is rated 18A, with the warnings: coarse language, violence and disturbing content.
November 14, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Lebanon is an excellent character study about the effects of war on the ordinary Israeli soldier during the first day of conflict on June 6, 1982. It is inspired by Samuel Maoz's personal experience of the war as a young man, and who has also written and directed the film with an incisive and penetrating understanding of what war was really like inside an Israeli tank which has been sent to check a hostile town destroyed by the Israeli air force. Once in the war zone, the gunner, Shmulik (Yoav Donat) freezes when ordered to fire on a car headed in his direction. After the tank is hit by a rocket attack, a Syrian is captured. Inside the tank tensions run high when one of the Israeli soldiers needs to pee.
The claustrophoic confines of the tank mirror the submarine in 1982's Das Boot. Its viewfinder shows you the targets and non-targets as if it was the conscience of the war. The silence at various times is almost deafening as you wait for something to happen.
The facial expressions of the men in various closeup shots depict the tension that lives inside their heads guided by the unseen voice of their superior at command centre who uses such code words as Rhino, Cinderella, flowers, and angels.
Before the tank must go inside a building, you can hear on the soundtrack a stringed Arabic instrument as a prelude to the attack. It insidiously brings with it more tension filled moments where you can almost feel their hearts beating.
They end up capturing a Christian-Arab phalangist whose appearance becomes a threat when he whispers to a Syrian prisoner what will happen to him. The Israeli soldiers don't understand the language spoken and like them you join him in experiencing the fear of the unknown that lies ahead.
The peace and tranquility of war is punctuated by a sunflower field that frames the beginning and end of the film.
What is especially effective is the use of sound to convey the nightmarish encounters which are modulated to such a degree you end up sitting on the edge of your seat from the mood it creates in sync with the faces that try to cnquer their own fears which, in turn, force you to keep watching. Each assault plays like a maximum sense of danger which heightens the climactic note it reaches within the sphere of the action dictated by the ensuing moments, including the apprehension of the other three Israeli soldiers inside the tank: Hertzel (Oshri Cohen), Assi (Itay Tiran), and Yigal (Michael Moshonov).
It all contributes to the authenticity of the war's unflinching and grim realties with the most basic movements and space. The character of Shmulik is actually the director speaking through the memory of his experience. The scenes inside the tank reveal the insanity of war, from waking up from their sleep to find pieces of shrapnel to an inexplicable foot infection, and the quarrelsome nature of their simple conversations which tell you how scared they really are. The skirmishes they see help relieve the tension and the overall fumes of oil they breathe day and night.
The minimum use of dialogue underscores the fearful hesitation of the Israelis who are depicted more honestly through their own individual motivations rather than wartime heroics.
Lebanon is undeniably powerful from beginning to end. It is certain to leave an indelible way for anyone who leaves the theatre impressed.
It is rated 18A, with the warnings: coarse language, violence and disturbing content.
November 14, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
CONVICTION (FOX SEARCHLIGHT, 2010)****
By Rick Jackson
Films based on true stories have always been of interest to moviegoers. Although they have not been consistent box office winners, it is the acting that distinguishes them from ordinary dramas. Conviction starring Hilary Swank is similar in tone to two other notable films: Marie:A True Story (1985) and Changeling (2008) because it has the same elements that ring true in forcing you to pay attention to the character driven plot. It is the built-in credibility factor that overrides any manipulation of the facts and, thereby, the predictable becomes fact in its presentation as a drama in the first place. Your interest is peaked by the inherent nature of what you see and your general appreciation of the fact-based story as it is dramatized.
Conviction doesn't get bogged down in flashbacks. Director Tony Goldwyn sticks to the facts by letting you see enough to tell you why the sister of a convicted Massachusetts man has been incarcerated.
Set in 1980, Swank immediately captures your attention by her understated performance as Betty Ann, a single mother who is determined to get her brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) out of prison.
Written by Pamela Gray, the facts are meticulously presented within the framework of the story's fictional elements. The underlying dramatic tour de force by Swank effectively holds your attention as the central character in a case that goes on for 18 years.
Goldwyn is equally diligent in persuading you not to give up too easily as far as Kenny is concerned, and Rockwell does an excellent star turn in portraying him with a hair trigger temper that convinces you that he just might be guilty. When Betty Ann decides to go back to school to become a lawyer, the story begins to gain momentum. There is evidence that hopefully will clear Kenny and, like him, you have to wait.
It doesn't matter if some sequences are predictable since it can't be helped. The unequivocal innocence of Kenny is underscored by Rockwell's consistent performance. You feel by watching him as the obnoxious prisoner he can't be innocent. However, if you've been paying attention you will realize something is afoot. The truth is uncovered in the testimonies of the witnesses which, you hope, will lead to Kenny's freedom along with the real perpetrators going to jail.
As you soon learn, it isn't quite as easy as it appears, and there are mitigating circumstances which cause doubt amid the muddy waters of the unwavering sense of injustice. The director paces the rest of the story on Kenny's reactions which are justifiable, along with the supporting cast's penchant for allowing you to watch the outcome slowly evolve from grounds of implicit suspicion to more certainty of his innocence by the clues revealed in the probe carefully planned by Betty Ann and her supporters, who, in turn, are there to guide her. It isn't clear sailing and there are bumps in the proverbial road ahead. From her personal defiance and fortitude she is able to overcome all obstacles and the outcome, albeit predictable, comes at the right time to make you believe in the justice system.
Lending excellent support are Minnie Driver as law student Abra, Melissa Leo (Frozen River) as policewoman Nancy Taylor, Juliette Lewis as Roseanna, one of the witnesses, and Peter Gallagher as attorney Barry Scheck.
Swank doesn't repeat what other actresses like Sally Field (Norma Rae), Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich), and Spacek (Marie:A True Story) did on screen. However, the obvious does become clearer in Swank's strong role. The fact she doesn't have the big scene where she shouts or screams to be heard keeps the entire film focused and it contributes to its credibility. Swank injects Betty Ann with the requisite determination all siblings share in similar situations and her reactions are dead on accurate in calling for justice to save Kenny.
At the same time, she isn't too emotional in conveying any of her gut feelings. There is an essential understanding of Betty Ann's motivations which makes it necessary for you to keep remembering so the film will resonate properly in your own mind as it reaches its compelling and moving conclusion.
It is rated 14A, with the warning: coarse language.
November 13, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Films based on true stories have always been of interest to moviegoers. Although they have not been consistent box office winners, it is the acting that distinguishes them from ordinary dramas. Conviction starring Hilary Swank is similar in tone to two other notable films: Marie:A True Story (1985) and Changeling (2008) because it has the same elements that ring true in forcing you to pay attention to the character driven plot. It is the built-in credibility factor that overrides any manipulation of the facts and, thereby, the predictable becomes fact in its presentation as a drama in the first place. Your interest is peaked by the inherent nature of what you see and your general appreciation of the fact-based story as it is dramatized.
Conviction doesn't get bogged down in flashbacks. Director Tony Goldwyn sticks to the facts by letting you see enough to tell you why the sister of a convicted Massachusetts man has been incarcerated.
Set in 1980, Swank immediately captures your attention by her understated performance as Betty Ann, a single mother who is determined to get her brother Kenny (Sam Rockwell) out of prison.
Written by Pamela Gray, the facts are meticulously presented within the framework of the story's fictional elements. The underlying dramatic tour de force by Swank effectively holds your attention as the central character in a case that goes on for 18 years.
Goldwyn is equally diligent in persuading you not to give up too easily as far as Kenny is concerned, and Rockwell does an excellent star turn in portraying him with a hair trigger temper that convinces you that he just might be guilty. When Betty Ann decides to go back to school to become a lawyer, the story begins to gain momentum. There is evidence that hopefully will clear Kenny and, like him, you have to wait.
It doesn't matter if some sequences are predictable since it can't be helped. The unequivocal innocence of Kenny is underscored by Rockwell's consistent performance. You feel by watching him as the obnoxious prisoner he can't be innocent. However, if you've been paying attention you will realize something is afoot. The truth is uncovered in the testimonies of the witnesses which, you hope, will lead to Kenny's freedom along with the real perpetrators going to jail.
As you soon learn, it isn't quite as easy as it appears, and there are mitigating circumstances which cause doubt amid the muddy waters of the unwavering sense of injustice. The director paces the rest of the story on Kenny's reactions which are justifiable, along with the supporting cast's penchant for allowing you to watch the outcome slowly evolve from grounds of implicit suspicion to more certainty of his innocence by the clues revealed in the probe carefully planned by Betty Ann and her supporters, who, in turn, are there to guide her. It isn't clear sailing and there are bumps in the proverbial road ahead. From her personal defiance and fortitude she is able to overcome all obstacles and the outcome, albeit predictable, comes at the right time to make you believe in the justice system.
Lending excellent support are Minnie Driver as law student Abra, Melissa Leo (Frozen River) as policewoman Nancy Taylor, Juliette Lewis as Roseanna, one of the witnesses, and Peter Gallagher as attorney Barry Scheck.
Swank doesn't repeat what other actresses like Sally Field (Norma Rae), Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich), and Spacek (Marie:A True Story) did on screen. However, the obvious does become clearer in Swank's strong role. The fact she doesn't have the big scene where she shouts or screams to be heard keeps the entire film focused and it contributes to its credibility. Swank injects Betty Ann with the requisite determination all siblings share in similar situations and her reactions are dead on accurate in calling for justice to save Kenny.
At the same time, she isn't too emotional in conveying any of her gut feelings. There is an essential understanding of Betty Ann's motivations which makes it necessary for you to keep remembering so the film will resonate properly in your own mind as it reaches its compelling and moving conclusion.
It is rated 14A, with the warning: coarse language.
November 13, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
LIFE DURING WARTIME(E-ONE, 2010)**
By Rick Jackson
From writer/director Todd Solondz comes another introspective look into his imaginary world of characters who are unceremoniously placed in an uncomfortable position of such suffering, it all amounts to a masochistic display on such a scale, you wonder if life at any time is going to amount to anything.
As you watch this return to the same people in Happiness (1998), you find yourselves wondering why would anyone want to experience their individual lives in such a literal manner, only to remain in an excruciating state of loneliness defined by their behaviour and environment, and lack of goodwill that only matters to them on their level and in their states of desperation you ask yourself continually,"Why?" which comes without any explanation.
There is good reason for Solondz to derail your happy day with a dismissive hand of rhetoric so entrenched in his psyche you are maddeningly opposed to it naturally.
When you learn he wrote the screenplay after September 11, there is reason not to celebrate it by calculating its impact in terms of generating each moment by allowing this family of three sisters (Joy, Trish and Helen) in Manhattan to treat themselves and everyone around them as if they are collecting their miserable pasts to such a degree you can't possibly empathize with them because Solondz doesn't tell you anything but the straight story without a prologue or epilogue to frame what could have been a more powerful film about human nature after 9/11.
The cast in Life During Wartime exit the stage of theatricality and become entangled in their own abyss of guilt, remorse, and helplessness in their individual worlds of freedom which have been invaded by situations which are simply consequences of their actions. There is nothing unique about that.
Shirley Henderson plays Joy, whose latest man is a ghost named Andy (Paul Reubens, aka Pee Wee Herman. His appearances come and go at will because she is still in love with him through her thoughts.
Trish is played by Allison Janney. Her ex-husband, Bill (Ciaran Hinds) is on parole and he wants to see his son who is in college. She is currently dating Harvey (Michael Lerner) whose divorce has affected him so badly that he has forgottenhow to have sex with another woman.
Helen (Ally Sheedy) is a successful screenwriter in Hollywood.
In an excellent supporting role, Charlotte Rampling plays Jacqueline, Bill's love interest. Their scenes play out as if they are the last man and woman.
While watching all of these people, their life predicaments come across as more superficial and you don't get to really know them enough to empathize or care about them. In inviting you to be voyeurs in the director's imagination, you see them thrown into a state of dismal ranting and there is nothing left than to wait and see where they will all end up.
What defines them is the fact they are still humans and despite their eschatological leanings their lives are lost in a continuing vacuum of co-existence.
Apart from Helen, the rest of them are casualties of life, not war. Had Solondz taken better aim at the external influences that affect humans daily in a better setting, Life During Wartime wouldn't amount to an empty psychological example of humanity.
It is rated 14A, with the warnings: coarse language and sexual content.
October 31, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
From writer/director Todd Solondz comes another introspective look into his imaginary world of characters who are unceremoniously placed in an uncomfortable position of such suffering, it all amounts to a masochistic display on such a scale, you wonder if life at any time is going to amount to anything.
As you watch this return to the same people in Happiness (1998), you find yourselves wondering why would anyone want to experience their individual lives in such a literal manner, only to remain in an excruciating state of loneliness defined by their behaviour and environment, and lack of goodwill that only matters to them on their level and in their states of desperation you ask yourself continually,"Why?" which comes without any explanation.
There is good reason for Solondz to derail your happy day with a dismissive hand of rhetoric so entrenched in his psyche you are maddeningly opposed to it naturally.
When you learn he wrote the screenplay after September 11, there is reason not to celebrate it by calculating its impact in terms of generating each moment by allowing this family of three sisters (Joy, Trish and Helen) in Manhattan to treat themselves and everyone around them as if they are collecting their miserable pasts to such a degree you can't possibly empathize with them because Solondz doesn't tell you anything but the straight story without a prologue or epilogue to frame what could have been a more powerful film about human nature after 9/11.
The cast in Life During Wartime exit the stage of theatricality and become entangled in their own abyss of guilt, remorse, and helplessness in their individual worlds of freedom which have been invaded by situations which are simply consequences of their actions. There is nothing unique about that.
Shirley Henderson plays Joy, whose latest man is a ghost named Andy (Paul Reubens, aka Pee Wee Herman. His appearances come and go at will because she is still in love with him through her thoughts.
Trish is played by Allison Janney. Her ex-husband, Bill (Ciaran Hinds) is on parole and he wants to see his son who is in college. She is currently dating Harvey (Michael Lerner) whose divorce has affected him so badly that he has forgottenhow to have sex with another woman.
Helen (Ally Sheedy) is a successful screenwriter in Hollywood.
In an excellent supporting role, Charlotte Rampling plays Jacqueline, Bill's love interest. Their scenes play out as if they are the last man and woman.
While watching all of these people, their life predicaments come across as more superficial and you don't get to really know them enough to empathize or care about them. In inviting you to be voyeurs in the director's imagination, you see them thrown into a state of dismal ranting and there is nothing left than to wait and see where they will all end up.
What defines them is the fact they are still humans and despite their eschatological leanings their lives are lost in a continuing vacuum of co-existence.
Apart from Helen, the rest of them are casualties of life, not war. Had Solondz taken better aim at the external influences that affect humans daily in a better setting, Life During Wartime wouldn't amount to an empty psychological example of humanity.
It is rated 14A, with the warnings: coarse language and sexual content.
October 31, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
NOWHERE BOY (MAPLE PICTURES, 2010)****
By Rick Jackson
Anyone who is a Beatles' fan or remembers them in their heyday will not want to miss the British film, Nowhere Boy which looks at the earliest beginnings of the group before they became famous. Aaron Johnson gives an outstanding performance as John Lennon who is described early in the film as a nowhere genius. His troubled life growing up in Liverpool quietly turned a raw talent into a pulsating and inspiring one. In the actor's portrayal, you can literally the excitement of his future as a musician e very time he picks up a guitar. He embodies the cocky youth of his real counterpart and you sense a deep sense of loneliness that was drawn out of him through his determination to succeed as he listened to rock and roll music in the 1950s when he was a teenager.
Set in 1955, director Sam Taylor-Wood didn't want a look-alike to play Lennon but someone who had the spirit to play him from his humble beginnings.
In his screenplay, Matt Greenhaigh focuses on John's relationship with the two most important women in his life: Aunt Mimi and his mother Julia. From there, it gently moves into more familiar territory as it explores his interest in music and his attention in starting a rock and roll band, a skiffle outfit called The Quarrymen.
For any Beatle fan like myself, it complements the underpinnings of Lennon's personal troubles and allows him the opportunity to escape from them as you will see if you watch Nowhere Boy. It all breathes such excitement, you can actually witness history in the making of a pop group unlike other recent screen biographies like Ray and Walk The Line.
When Paul McCartney (Paul Brodie Sangster) is introduced, you can't wait to see Lennon and McCartney together and the momentum of their relationship as it grows.
The director maintains control over his subject by turning equal attention to John's personal life and it becomes the real heart of the film.
Julia loves her son and gives him his first guitar. As she watches and dances to his playing, there is an added familial connection to his music that is generated from their chemistry.
Kristin Scott Thomas plays Aunt Mimi with such conviction you are easily impressed by her performance. She is dressed plainly and with little makeup.
Ann-Marie Duff equally comes across as John's biological mother and, although she is not perfect, she, too, loves her son even if she can't dote him in the same way as her sister Mimi. The Lennons were members of the working class.
Throughout the film the attention to detail reminds you of this since it is an essential part in understanding where John Lennon came from.
At one point he tells both of them they are sisters when they try to compete for his affection. They become two strong influences in his life. You also learn how he came to live with his aunt and it speaks volumes when it comes to the real John's inspiration as a songwriter. It is appropriate that one of his best songs from 1971 was Mother, which you hear over the end credits.
Aunt Mimi remained in John's heart and he kept in touch with her for the rest of his life.
The rest of the cast stars David Threlfall as Uncle George and Sam Bell as George Harrison.
Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey maintains the integrity of the period by using muted colours to underscore the sensitive nature that pervades almost every frame. You come away with the profound feeling of just how brilliant John was as a person and a deeper understanding of him.
Nowhere Boy features a great soundtrack: Wild One by Jerry Lee Lewis, Mr. Sandman by Dickie Valentine, I Put A Spell On You by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Hard Headed Woman by Wanda Jackson, Hound Dog by Big Mama Thornton, Be Bop A Lula by Gene Vincent, and the Nowhere Boys whose most notable song is Hello Little Girl.
Nowhere Boy is rated 14A, with the warnings: coarse language and sexual content.
November 6, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
Anyone who is a Beatles' fan or remembers them in their heyday will not want to miss the British film, Nowhere Boy which looks at the earliest beginnings of the group before they became famous. Aaron Johnson gives an outstanding performance as John Lennon who is described early in the film as a nowhere genius. His troubled life growing up in Liverpool quietly turned a raw talent into a pulsating and inspiring one. In the actor's portrayal, you can literally the excitement of his future as a musician e very time he picks up a guitar. He embodies the cocky youth of his real counterpart and you sense a deep sense of loneliness that was drawn out of him through his determination to succeed as he listened to rock and roll music in the 1950s when he was a teenager.
Set in 1955, director Sam Taylor-Wood didn't want a look-alike to play Lennon but someone who had the spirit to play him from his humble beginnings.
In his screenplay, Matt Greenhaigh focuses on John's relationship with the two most important women in his life: Aunt Mimi and his mother Julia. From there, it gently moves into more familiar territory as it explores his interest in music and his attention in starting a rock and roll band, a skiffle outfit called The Quarrymen.
For any Beatle fan like myself, it complements the underpinnings of Lennon's personal troubles and allows him the opportunity to escape from them as you will see if you watch Nowhere Boy. It all breathes such excitement, you can actually witness history in the making of a pop group unlike other recent screen biographies like Ray and Walk The Line.
When Paul McCartney (Paul Brodie Sangster) is introduced, you can't wait to see Lennon and McCartney together and the momentum of their relationship as it grows.
The director maintains control over his subject by turning equal attention to John's personal life and it becomes the real heart of the film.
Julia loves her son and gives him his first guitar. As she watches and dances to his playing, there is an added familial connection to his music that is generated from their chemistry.
Kristin Scott Thomas plays Aunt Mimi with such conviction you are easily impressed by her performance. She is dressed plainly and with little makeup.
Ann-Marie Duff equally comes across as John's biological mother and, although she is not perfect, she, too, loves her son even if she can't dote him in the same way as her sister Mimi. The Lennons were members of the working class.
Throughout the film the attention to detail reminds you of this since it is an essential part in understanding where John Lennon came from.
At one point he tells both of them they are sisters when they try to compete for his affection. They become two strong influences in his life. You also learn how he came to live with his aunt and it speaks volumes when it comes to the real John's inspiration as a songwriter. It is appropriate that one of his best songs from 1971 was Mother, which you hear over the end credits.
Aunt Mimi remained in John's heart and he kept in touch with her for the rest of his life.
The rest of the cast stars David Threlfall as Uncle George and Sam Bell as George Harrison.
Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey maintains the integrity of the period by using muted colours to underscore the sensitive nature that pervades almost every frame. You come away with the profound feeling of just how brilliant John was as a person and a deeper understanding of him.
Nowhere Boy features a great soundtrack: Wild One by Jerry Lee Lewis, Mr. Sandman by Dickie Valentine, I Put A Spell On You by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Hard Headed Woman by Wanda Jackson, Hound Dog by Big Mama Thornton, Be Bop A Lula by Gene Vincent, and the Nowhere Boys whose most notable song is Hello Little Girl.
Nowhere Boy is rated 14A, with the warnings: coarse language and sexual content.
November 6, 2010
Copyright Rick Jackson 2010
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