Directed by: Gore Verbinsky
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Hope Davis, Gemmenne de la Pena, Nicholas Hoult, Michael Caine
Rated: R for strong language and sexual content.
Parental Notes: This is a fairly standard R film in terms of sexual content, and it has plenty of foul language. More importantly, it's not the sort of film likely to appeal to youngsters; it's a melancholy and thoughtful character study.
Nicholas Cage has a knack for both dark comedy and for playing utterly hapless, pathetic men. Those two talents intersect in "The Weather Man," a character study with a strong thread of dark comedy about a man whose life is disintegrating. Unlike Cage's last film, "Lord of War," here he plays a guy who is basically decent but somehow has gone off track. David Spritz is deeply flawed but almost impossible not to sympathize with, largely because of Cage's performance.
David is a weather man on the local television news station, and is highly paid for a job which even he admits consists mostly of gesturing at a green screen and reading the prompter. He doesn't even come up with the weather forecasts, he just reads them. His marriage to Noreen (Hope Davis) has dissolved and his two kids, overweight and depressed nine-year-old Shelly (Gemmenne de la Pena) and fresh-out-of-rehab teenager Mike (Nicholas Hoult), aren't doing very well. Worse, his prize winning novelist father, Robert (Michael Caine), is disappointed in him.
If all that sounds depressing, it is. It's meant to be. David has largely given up. He hopes in a general way that he can get his life back together, but he accepts most of his problems the way he does the food people throw at him on the street. He identifies it (an apple pie from McDonald's, a Big Gulp, a taco) and tries to shrug it off. David's life is heading for a crisis, but it's not the kind of simple good-versus-evil crisis you'll find in an action movie. It's a general upheaval in every area of his life. His job and his relationships with his children, his ex-wife, and his father all come to crises of their own and he tries to find a way to cope. How he deals with everything shows us just the kind of guy he is: well-meaning but flawed.
Cage's performance is perfect: he's despairing and nearly hopeless, but trying to keep up appearances. In the moments when he lashes out or tries to actually connect with the people he cares about, it's ineffective: he slaps a man in the face with his glove and winds up feeling foolish, misaims a snowball and breaks his wife's glasses, and utterly fails to connect with his daughter. Cage is masterful in roles like this. He doesn't chew the scenery, and he's able to be sympathetic in a role that is the embodiment of all those worries insecure people have.
The rest of the cast is equally solid. Caine is magisterial and imposing as a father who has very nearly given up on his son. Robert is from a different time in many ways, but he wants the best for his family and seems to despair of them managing to achieve it. The two kids are spot-on. Anyone who was an outcast as a youngster will cringe in sympathy with them. As Noreen, Davis embodies exasperation. David must have been an unbearably frustrating man to be married to, and Davis manages to bring across both Noreen's strengths and her utter incompatibility with David.
"The Weather Man" is a wonderful look at a woeful man. It's sad, but in the way that some beautiful paintings are: you sigh or cringe or weep in sympathy and don't look away. It's a meditation on the plight of the everyman in modern America, and while it's painful to watch at times it also rings very true.
Directed by: Andrezej Bartkowiak
Starring: The Rock, Karl Urban, Ben Daniels, Richard Brake, Al Weaver, Rosamund Pike, Dexter Fletcher
Rated: R for strong violence/gore and language.
Parental Notes: This mediocre film is violent and messy, and therefore not for youngsters who can't handle that sort of thing. There's some sexually suggestive language as well. While not suitable for kids or most preteens, teenagers will probably enjoy it.
"Doom" is clearly aimed at two groups of people: those who are fans of the computer game series of the same name and those who enjoy sci-fi action fests. Unfortunately, it fails both groups, and even fails to be actively bad enough for folks who enjoy awful sci-fi movies. It's a fairly mediocre film from all angles -- not good enough or bad enough to make much of an impression.
The plot, which concerns a group of soldiers sent to Mars to find out what exactly has gone wrong at a research station there, is straightforward and apparently based on the storyline of the third Doom computer game. The soldiers are the standard assortment for this sort of flick. There's Sarge (The Rock), the tough as nails commanding officer; Reaper (Karl Urban), the conflicted hero with a mysterious past; Goat (Ben Daniels), the religious one; Portman (Richard Brake), the perverted one; The Kid (Al Weaver), who is on his first mission; and so on. Once they get to Mars, they meet up with Samantha (Rosamund Pike), a beautiful, blonde scientist -- another standard element. It quickly becomes apparent that the genetic experiments being carried out on Mars resulted in the creation of superhuman monsters, and it's up to the soldiers to kill them all before they get to Earth and infect the populace with their mutation.
Fans of the games are probably shaking their heads at this point. In the games there are indeed zombies, but the primary monsters you fight are literally demons from Hell: transporters created using alien technology opened up a gateway to the underworld. Unfortunately, the movie has eliminated all traces of Hell and all but a few visual references to the demons. In fact, the coolest weapon in the game makes an appearance in name only: the BFG ("Big Force Gun") our heroes find doesn't do the things gamers will expect. Even the much discussed first-person sequence falls flat: our hero doesn't turn as quickly as you can in the game (presumably in an effort to keep the audience from becoming motion-sick), so he seems to be moving slowly.
It would be unreasonable to expect a film based on a game not to have changes, but "Doom" fails as a pure sci-fi action flick as well. An attempt to explain how the genetic experiments resulted in the zombie-like creatures is unnecessary and far-fetched, the stock characters are completely uninteresting, and the first-person sequence is likely to make those not used to playing the game feel carsick. Even the big climactic fight at the end fails to be either beautifully artistic or realistically brutal and is simply mildly interesting.
Worst of all, "Doom" is insufficiently tongue-in-cheek to be delightfully terrible. There are those who may appreciate films which try and fail to be straightforward and serious in their chosen genre, but this reviewer is not one of them. There are some laughs here, some intentional and some not, but not enough for a truly campy good time. There's no self-mocking tone to indicate that the actors are aware of the poor quality of the script.
The main thing "Doom" has going for it is that it is the only film in its genre currently playing in theaters. It certainly isn't unbearably awful; if you're looking to be mildly entertained and aren't picky, it might work for you. Where it falls short is if you're looking for a great roller-coaster ride of a movie.
Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Keira Knightley, Mickey Rorke, Edgar Ramirez, Delroy Lindo, Christopher Walken, Mena Suvari.
Rated: R for strong violence, pervasive language, sexual content/nudity and drug use.
Parental Notes: This is not a kids film. This is probably not a film you want your preteens or immature teenagers seeing either. It's gleefully violent and the main character borders on being a sociopath.
Domino, the new film from Tony Scott ("Man on Fire"), begins with huge, white block letters on a black screen: "This film is based on a true story.". Then it's amended: "Sort of." That unapologetic refusal to let reality get in the way permeates the film, not only in the way it differs from the life of the late Domino Harvey but also in whether the events it shows us are even possible at all. It's like one of those huge, special-effects laden concerts. We know people can't really breathe fire or fly through the air, but it sure does look cool. We don't go to shows like that, or to movies like "Domino," to see reality. We go to have our senses assaulted and our minds blown.
"Domino" follows our heroine from her disaffected youth in high society (her father was an actor and her mother a Vogue cover girl) through her career as a bounty hunter. It's told mostly in flashbacks as Domino explains everything to an FBI analyst (Lucy Liu). Keira Knightley plays our heroine with fearless intensity, and it quickly becomes clear that while Domino may do things on impulse, she never backs down, ever. She bullies Ed Moseby (Mickey Rorke), a top bounty hunter, into letting her join his team after signing up for his class on a whim. The team consists of Ed and Choco (Edgar Ramirez), a half-crazed young man who almost immediately falls for Domino.
The trio are immensely successful, and soon Domino has not only won the Bounty Hunter of the Year Award but gotten television producer Mark Heiss (Christopher Walken) interested in doing a reality show about their work. Soon Ed, Domino, and Choco are involved in a heist which involves money stolen from an armored car, a quartet of DMV workers, the mafia, a casino owner, and plenty of others. It's incredibly complicated and not easy to follow in spite of the diagrams the film provides.
It may be fortunate that by this time, the audience has been so battered by flashbacks, jumping subtitles to emphasize the wittiest bits of dialog, hand-held jiggle-cam, and the grainy, super-saturated colors of the film that it doesn't really matter whether we can keep track of who exactly is trying to do what to whom. Even reality has been bent -- there are several scenes which are rewound as we learn that they didn't actually happen at all. It's hard to complain about something not making sense when the very scenes you're watching have a tenuous grip on reality.
Domino is a difficult character on a number of fronts. She is completely unafraid of physical danger and uses her sexuality and physical attractiveness as a weapon. She offers a lap dance in exchange for information at one point, and constantly dresses provocatively. But, as one fellow astutely observes before she breaks his nose for his trouble, it seems likely that somewhere inside she's just a scared little girl with daddy issues. If "Domino" were less frenetic and more interested in storytelling than in making us gape at its raving lunacy, Domino might be a good, although ultimately tragic, subject for a character study.
"Domino", however, is not a character study. It's a roller coaster ride, a lunatic race through frenetic, unreal territory. By the end, anything seems possible because it is. The plot is so divorced from the real world that it seems almost natural that an elevator lacks the standard emergency braking systems, that a man doesn't bleed to death after having an arm blown off, or that Tom Waits appears as a divinely-inspired preacher in the middle of nowhere. Things don't happen because they make sense, they happen because someone on the creative team thought it would be exciting.
Whether you will enjoy "Domino" depends almost entirely upon whether you like this sort of film. Think of "Natural Born Killers," "Kill Bill," or any of the other hyper-violent, surreal paeons to cinematic lunacy. "Domino" is definitely of their ilk. I certainly enjoyed it, unreality and poor character development and all, but I see approximately a hundred films a year. Domino required me to throw my complaints out a window and then rewarded me for doing so by being unrepentantly over-the-top. Is it a good movie? Probably not. Is it enjoyable? Without a doubt -- for the right sort of audience. This is a love-it-or-hate-it sort of film, and I suspect that you can tell from the trailer which camp you'll fall into.
--30--
Directed by: D.J. Caruso
Starring: Al Pacino, Rene Russo, Matthew McConaughey.
Rated: R for pervasive language, a scene of sexuality and a violent act.
Parental Notes: This isn't a film for kids, but mature teens who can appreciate the tension of a grand-tragedy-slash-character-study will likely find it fascinating.
About a third of the way into "Two for the Money," Walter Abrams (Al Pacino) stands up in front of a gamblers anonymous meeting and tells the gathered men and women that their problem isn't that they love gambling, it's that they have a compulsion to lose. If only they placed good bets, he says, they'd be fine. His comments are well-received until one of the members recognizes him as a purveyor of sports betting tips.
Loss is at the heart of "Two for the Money" -- both the gambling addict's compulsion to lose and the fall that all too often comes after a meteoric rise. Indeed, the film is a twofer itself -- it's simultaneously a tale of a Brandon's rise and fall within the sports betting tip world and a character study of Walter, his mentor.
Brandon is a former college football player whose career ended when he came between two tacklers headed opposite ways. He finds work in the sports betting world where his detailed knowledge of college football enables him to predict the outcomes of games with startling accuracy. Walter Abrams, the head of a major sports betting tip firm in New York, recruits Brandon to be his new second-in-command.
Soon Brandon has a new persona and a new name, and is practically on fire with talent. He's making money hand over fist, both for himself and for Walter. Of course, those of us who know the signs of a classical tragedy spot hubris in the way he starts to believe his own press. Walter shows plenty of hubris too, smoking after popping his nitroglycerine pills for an attack of angina and constantly upping the stakes in the grand game of life. It's not so much a question of whether it will all come crashing down as when and how badly.
Al Pacino is in fine form here, playing the exuberant, optimistic Walter with the natural energy we've come to expect. Sure, he chews the scenery once or twice, but that's why we love him. Walter is a deeply flawed character, and Pacino brings him to life with a completeness that is all too rare in films these days. But then, if there's one thing you can count on from Pacino, it's a fearless, no-holds-barred performance.
Pacino is given excellent company onscreen. Rene Russo is a joy to watch as Toni, Walter's wife, and for once she's allowed to look her age while she's heating up the screen. This may be because Toni, as we learn, has a rough past, but this reviewer would like to think it's because maybe, just maybe, Hollywood has finally realized that a sixty-four year old actor like Pacino should be paired with a woman within a decade and a half of his age. Russo can match Pacino's intensity, and they make a fantastic leading pair.
McConaughey is a perfect choice for Brandon, and manages to hold his own onscreen with Russo and Pacino without straining. He brings both Brandon's uncertainty in a new environment and his determination to life and delivers a solid performance. Some actors, put onscreen with a giant like Pacino, would quail, but McConaughey rises to the challenge. It's like watching the new kid in the group do a complex routine with two experienced jugglers and pull it off with flair.
"Two for the Money" is a terrific drama and a fascinating look inside the world of sports betting. Think "Wall Street," but with football games instead of stocks. This is no lightweight flick, and those in search of mindless entertainment or light comedy would be better off looking elsewhere.
Written and Directed by: Joss Whedon
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Summer Glau, Sean Maher, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense violence and action, and some sexual references.
Parental Notes: This film has some fairly intense moments but is probably fine for mature preteens and up.
If you're in the mood for some outer-space adventure, "Serenity" may just be right up your alley. Set 500 years in the future, it is an odd blend of old westerns, Eastern thought and language, and classic science fiction. Like much of writer-director Joss Whedon's work, it seems like pure thrill ride about 95% of the time - but that other 5% will hit you where it hurts.
The film, which picks up not long after time covered in the television series "Firefly," takes place 500 years in the future, after humanity has abandoned Earth and colonized a new star system. The central planets are in the grip of the Alliance, which also took over the less-civilized outer planets after a brutal civil war. Our heroes are the captain and crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity. They make their living by hiring themselves out for jobs -- usually things like holding up payroll houses or transporting high-risk cargo.
They're a motley crew. Mal (Nathan Fillion), the ship's captain, is a veteran of the civil war, a classic rogue, and he runs his ship his way -- if you don't like it, get off. He's also a true hero, although he doesn't see himself as one. Zoe (Gina Torres), his second in command, also served with him in the war. She's a skilled fighter and unquestioningly loyal to Mal. Her husband, Wash (Alan Tudyk), is the ship's pilot and source of wisecracks.. Jayne (Adam Baldwin) is a pure mercenary -- he's in it for the money and not terribly particular about the bodycount. Then there's Kaylee (Jewel Staite), the irrepressible mechanic. Together, they're a family -- dysfunctional, maybe, but they work well together.
The film revolves around the story of River and Simon Tam (Summer Glau and Sean Maher), a brother and sister who are on the run from the Alliance. River was kidnapped and experimented on by Alliance scientists until Simon broke her out and got them passage on Serenity. Simon studied to be a doctor, and now that he's on Serenity he serves as the crew's medic. River can't be much help because although the experiments gave her psychic powers, they also left her more than a little insane. Things really get rolling when she suddenly snaps and takes on a cantina full of ruffians with precision martial arts. In trying to figure out what set her off, the crew find themselves digging into a conspiracy that makes the one on "The X-Files" look like the work of amateurs.
But what makes "Serenity" a delight among sci-fi films is more than its plot. It's the dialog, which has its own flavor and is a mix of new idioms and phrases borrowed from Chinese.It's the courage and daring of the characters, who come up with some truly amazing strategies when all seems lost. It's the villains, who are a new kind of nasty: there are the Reavers, insane humans who prey on lone spaceships and do terrible things to the passengers, and there's the Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a soft-spoken man who knows that what he does is evil, but believes it is serving the greater good. It's the use of practical, near-anachronistic things like horses and guns with bullets on outer planets that don't have the fancy technology of the Alliance. It's the feeling of reality these characters have as they wisecrack their way through danger. Put together, the sum is a film that shines far and above most offerings out of Hollywood.
The thing that mars this amazing creation of Whedon's is the same thing that pops its head up in his other stories: his desire to make sure you don't rest easy in your seat. He wants you to know that these characters he's written so brilliantly are in danger, and to be afraid they will be badly hurt or killed. It's unfortunate that Whedon relies on a "gotcha!" moment to create that fear, but then again, not everybody is bothered by that kind of thing.
"Serenity" is easily the best science fiction film to hit the screens in years, and I am including George Lucas' recent offerings in that estimation. This film is virtually flawless, and fans of the show will not be disappointed (except maybe by the fact that the characters of Inara and Shepherd Book are barely in the film). Many questions from the series are answered here, but the movie isn't inaccessible to those who missed the show. It stands on its own feet -- but it may well drive you to beg, borrow, or steal the DVDs so you can spend more time in this amazing universe.