True Grit

In a return to the look and feel of classic westerns, True Grit remakes the 1969 film of the same name. This take fills John Wayne’s Oscar winning role with reigning holder Jeff Bridges. The hard-nosed US Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) is on the trail of a known killer alongside a “by the book” Texas Ranger (Matt Damon) and the young daughter of a murder victim (Hailee Steinfeld). The trio is obviously an odd couple troupe of bounty hunters, but what is equally as entertaining is the difference between the actors involved.

Bridges’ obsessive commitment to the Cogburn character is unwavering, carrying the weight of the film on his shoulders, as elite actors should. With this pressure off, Damon is able to evolve with the story and portray a person more likely to be seen in real life. Steinfeld builds off the others, committed, but adapting as she moves along.

While highly popular, the original story needed to be adapted to fit modern cinematic standards. The Coen brothers did well, maintaining classic themes and characterization with contemporary elements mixed in. Pacing is relatively slow throughout, but never boring. It tends to correspond directly to Cogburn, which falls into my previously mentioned point about Bridges making the movie come to him.

It’s very easy to ignore the setting with such strong players on screen, but everything from the landscapes to set pieces are on point. Perfectly lit, while being almost completely outside, the film sticks to the fundamentals. Not to mention it’s a lesson in strong point of view filming and flawless editing. As much as I like to see new faces during award season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bridges’ name called a few times. True Grit doesn’t need to resort to any cheap camera tricks or gimmicks to gain respect. Everything is put out there in the open and to great effect. (9.2 out of 10)

Black Swan

The highly hyped Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers, is psychologically focused look into an overworked and unstable ballet dancer. As themes and setting are established in the early moments of the film, the ballet is a bit constricting, only appealing to fans of dancing. But that didn’t last too long. Suffering from some unspecified mental problem, events in Sayers’ life soon become supernatural as the pressure of her role in the ballet builds.

What also builds is Portman’s eerie performance. With help from a frenzied script, she sneaks into the audience’s minds garnering feelings from pity to disgust and even envy at times. The character is so sheltered that there is a feeling of claustrophobia and suffocation that keeps the viewer’s attention, whether they want to give it or not. Even with the support of the less deranged supporting cast, Black Swan is painful to watch because of the shear terror Portman portrays with her character. It doesn’t hurt that the whole saga takes place in a very accurate New York City backdrop. Even with the countless people, the lead constantly finds herself in empty spaces, which often leads to a spooky event and gasps from the audience.

The frequent use of hand held camerawork and shaky close-ups add more discomfort, but give a contemporary feel to the film. Building with the plot, the film’s dramatic ending is all over the place, from a cinematic standpoint, yet is still easy to follow. The final success and definitely the most pronounced of the film is the lasting psychological effect Black Swan has on the audience. After tons of creepy/scary scenes, the ending is sudden and abstract. I found it hard to leave the theater when the credits rolled. In addition to the knot in my stomach, I had an unnerving feeling that was difficult to pinpoint. I do tend to avoid horror films, but I can easily say this was the scariest movie I saw in 2010. (9.3 out of 10)

The Fighter

The latest look into how seemingly terrible life in the Boston area is, The Fighter is the true story of boxer Micky Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg and his rise to world champion while dealing with an overly possessive family, drug addicted brother and small town politics. While there is a significant amount of boxing, the film focuses more on the anatomy of the relationships that come to define this athlete’s attempt at following his dream. This all proves to be very frustrating to watch, which is a testament to the script and the actors.

The film’s commitment to authenticity is revealed in the cringe worthy realism through the 90’s clothes and hairstyles, that are just plain embarrassing. But on a more substantial level, Christian Bale’s portrayal of Micky’s older brother, Dickie Eklund is a complete dedication to his role. The audience would have definitely accepted his performance without the extreme weight loss, but Bale has proven throughout his career that he doesn’t fool around with his roles. In fact, it is almost too much.

But when the audience can pry their eyes away from Bales rotten teeth and bald spot, there are some other quality performances. Wahlberg has become one of the strongest lead actors in Hollywood. Following up his comedy hit The Other Guys with this highly methodical biopic; he has proven to have a significant range. While his commitment was less scary looking than Bale’s, it was possible more intense after training for years and become ridiculously jacked.

It’s tough to pinpoint flaws with the movie. If anything, it could be a lull around the middle with frustrating and repetitive fights within the family. The boxing proves to be much more entertaining and helps progress the plot. While the well known actors steal the show, the unknowns’ support is of such quality that it’s like the audience could be watching home movies, very uncomfortable and painful home movies. (9.2 out of 10)

The Tourist

With all talk of the superstar duo of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie aside, it seems most people, including myself, knew nothing about The Tourist. Well, I should be fair. I knew that Jolie would strut across the screen for no cinematic purpose other than showing off some designer clothes the audience could never afford. And Mrs. Pitt obliged my anticipated peeve. But in regard to any type of story, I had no idea. Turns out Depp plays an American on vacation in Europe when he’s believed to be a wanted criminal with a surgically changed face. Jolie plays the real criminal’s love interest and accomplice.

While The Tourist is considered a thriller, it doesn’t contain the urgency that the genre should muster. The pacing is, in fact, quite slow, but that allows the simplicity of Depp’s performance to feature. Playing an everyday person for the first time in many years, it is an interesting presentation to watch because with all the talk of the actor’s depth as a performer we rarely see him play people that could actually exist in nature. So, combine the two actors and it is an interesting mix of real and overstated.

The film’s puzzle type plot is more out in the open than other movies in this element. The viewer’s attention is held throughout the entire movie, even if it isn’t always the most exciting developments on screen. I’m not the biggest fan of the resolution, but that is a matter of opinion. Similar to my review of Faster, it’s tough to believe that this movie had enough depth to be made without the attached star power. Though The Tourist is filled with quality acting involved in an intriguing plot. The aesthetically pleasing Venice backdrop doesn’t hurt either. It’s definitely worth watching. (7.8 out of 10)

The Warrior's Way

We still have some time before the highly anticipated Jon Favreu movie, Cowboys and Aliens, but in the meantime The Warrior’s Way can act as a warm-up. While there are no aliens, there are enough superhuman ninjas for it to be called Cowboys and Ninjas. Dong-gun Jang plays Yang, an expert warrior who helps his clan eliminate all remaining members of their rivals. Though when he refuses to kill the infant that separates the enemy from extinction, he is forced to flee to the United States. There he integrates into a small society of circus performers to raise the girl. Abandoning the fighting of his past, he is forced with the dilemma of battling again when a band of evil cowboys come to town.

No matter what actors were involved with this project, the fighting was always going to be the strength. The weapons based sequences prove to be as good as any martial arts film. Unfortunately, after the first few scenes there is only sporadic fighting until the final battle scene, which is outstanding. But beyond the fighting actors, there are some question marks. Geoffrey Rush’s, Ron is a drunk who is never entirely necessary to the plot, even at the end when his coincidental past is revealed. Danny Huston and Tony Cox’s characters are what would be expected from the actors and never confront their lack of development. And Kate Bosworth who is believable despite dialect issues creates an interesting bridge between the Americans and the warriors.

The Warrior’s Way is by no means a perfect film. The opening scene contains text that is as amateur as can be. The ninjas, who I’ve already praised, go a bit over the top at points. One example being how they fall from they sky like they can fly. The last unexpected positive to the film is the setting. A run down circus town in the desert is distinct and eerie enough to separate this film from other B martial arts efforts. It’s probably not for everyone though. (7.3 out of 10)

Faster

With a marketing campaign relying completely on the draw of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, very few movies have looked as generic as Faster. Though it is better in execution. Johnson plays Driver who, after being released from prison, goes on a calculated rampage to take revenge on the group of men involved in killing his brother after a bank robbery. The film has long stretches of mindless action with instances of conspiracy type adventure mixed in, the latter being much more entertaining the former.

Johnson gives a consistent performance, but it is by no means a complex one. With the occasional action cliché thrown in, I can’t help but think he could have done better. The same could be said for Billy Bob Thorton’s strung out cop character. The most interesting player of the bunch is Killer played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen. The hit man is shown as a rich daredevil facing an internal struggle between retirement and the thrill of the job. Most other characters in the film are played by a who’s who of “what are they from” actors.

The confused script proves to be the main problem from which all others form. The three intertwining storylines, focused on the previously mentioned characters, are not of similar strength, which makes for some variation in pacing that is not always desirable. Though Johnson and Jackson-Cohen’s pieces of the puzzle are gripping most of the time.

There is something to be said for a movie that can use basic action and keep an audience entertained, as is the case with Faster. Even a cookie cutter resolution that is eye roll inducing doesn’t compromise it. In the future, I can only hope that Johnson expands his horizons, but it’s nice seeing him back on screen with a gun because as charming as he is, the Tooth Fairy was a bit soft for “The Rock.” (6.3 out of 10)