Movie Review - "The Grey" (2012) ****1/2

     It's times like this that make me enjoy movies so much. I love going in to a movie with one set of expectations and then having those expectations blown out of the water. I've seen a few survival films over the years and while the stories tend be intriguing for the most part, often times the whole product is a bit of a letdown. Sometimes we know ahead of time what the outcome is, and then there are times where we don't know ahead of time but after a few minutes into the movie we can easily predict where things are heading. So I headed to an advanced showing of The Grey thinking this may be an okay movie but it looked like one where the previews gave away quite a lot of the story. What transpired instead over the next 2 hours was a film that was a lot more thought-provoking and dramatic than I had anticipated.

      The movie stars Liam Neeson as Ottway, a lonely man fighting depression who works with a group of roughnecks and ex-cons at an oil-drilling facility in Alaska. Ottway's job is as a sharpshooter killing wolves who have come on the property and threaten the workers. At the end of a work stint, all of the men are heading home for a long vacation. During the flight, the plane becomes damaged due to the harsh weather conditions and crash lands in the remote Alaskan wilderness. Only about 8 men survive the crash and Ottway is the only who seems to have any survival training so he immediately proves his worth to the team with the only real resistance of ideas coming from Diaz (Frank Grillo), who learns quickly that his ways are not best. It's one thing to face the harsh, cold weather of Alaska and try to survive, but the guys are about to learn that things are even worse than they initially appear when a group of wolves show up at their camp and threaten them, eventually killing one of the crew members. Ottway knows the wolves well and he fears that they have crashed near the wolves den so he advises the men they should head to a patch of woods nearby where it should be easier to defend themselves. The survivors make it to the woods following more attacks, but their nightmare is only beginning and it will require the men to band together to face the extraordinary circumstances they are confronted with. Along the way, each mans will and faith will be put to the ultimate test.

     I think The Grey is a really fantastic film. The movie is billed as an "action-packed adventure", and to a certain extent that is correct. There are some great action sequences here, the plane crash is one of the most frightening I have ever seen on film. It seemed very real for some reason; there's no way this movie will ever be shown as the movie on your next long-distance flight, just saying.  Other than the action though, this film has a few surprises up it's sleeve. There are times when it's a borderline horror movie. The wolf attacks often come out of nowhere and there was more than one occasion when the audience jumped at the shock. But outside of the action and the thrills, I was mostly surprised by the dramatic elements of the movie. Some of the best scenes in the movie occur as the guys are sitting around a campfire discussing faith and survival. It becomes very talky at points and that will scare some people off as talky often translates to boring. But that is not the case, at least it wasn't for me. I was happy to see this movie touching on elements like this because I think if we put ourselves in this situation, we would find times where we would question our faith and life. It's the Why Me? syndrome that is just natural for most humans. That is dealt with at length and not just simply glossed over. By the end of the movie, we feel like we are there with the guys and struggling through this with them. We connect to the characters. For that, the kudos go to director and screenwriter Joe Carnahan and co-screenwriter Ian Mackenzie Jeffers, who refuse to follow a specific formula for these types of movies and instead create something that is much more thought-provoking. I would also be at fault here if I didn't mention the cinematography of Masanobu Takayanagi. This is a beautiful film to look at, when it's not scaring you. Some of the shots that are captured are breathtaking with British Columbia, Canada standing in for Alaska.

      I would be remiss if I did not talk about Liam Neeson, the glue that holds this film together and really makes it work. I've always been a fan of Neeson's. His role as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List is a performance that will stay with me forever, and I loved him as Qui-Gon Jinn in the Star Wars saga. Lately he has become a bit of an action star as evidenced by this movie and the terrific thriller Taken, but he pulls it off because he brings an instant credibility to every performance. I was reading on IMDB that Bradley Cooper was originally slated to play this role and I found that interesting because after the movie was over I was thinking about who else could have pulled off this role and I can't really think of anyone honestly. Someone like Cooper, or his like, could have done a decent job with the action in the scene but I don't think they could have pulled off the dramatic elements near as well. And it's those scenes that make this movie rise above the rest. This movie was released in the first month of the year, so come Oscar time next year I'm sure it will be forgotten, but that's unfortunate because Neeson should get serious consideration for Best Actor. He does that well. The rest of the cast including the previously mentioned Grillo, as well as an almost unrecognizable Dermot Mulroney (I had no idea it was him until I saw his name in the closing credits), all do admirable jobs here. We get to know each guy pretty well and while Neeson is clearly the highlight, the other actors deserve a job well-done salute. It's odd that this is just the second movie I have seen this year that was officially released in 2012, I have a feeling it will remain the best film I see this year for a good while.

     

   

2012 Oscar Nomination Predictions

     Being a big movie fan, the Oscars are always a big event for me. I will break out a scoresheet every year, make predictions and then pull for my picks, just like it was the March Madness basketball tournament. More times than not, my selections do not win but I still pull for them. The thing I love about the Oscars, and the awards season in general, most is they introduce me to movies I might not normally catch. Every theater will have the big-budget, special effects laden blockbuster when it comes out, but there is a whole slew of movies that are not seen by movie going audiences unless you live in one of the major metropolitan areas. The one exception for a lot of these films is if they get attention during awards season which will lead to most of these films being released to a broader audience, and that is a good thing. So I encourage people that if you have never heard of some of these movies, do some research on them and look deeper, you may just find something that knocks your socks off. That being said, a lot of these films I have not seen either. If I hear of a movie getting strong Oscar talk, I will usually hold off on seeing it, especially if it is getting Best Picture talk. The reason I do this is because of the AMC Best Picture Showcase, which has become a highlight of the movie year for me. AMC shows all of the nominations over the course of one or two weekends for one price. I have participated in this the last 3 years and I look forward to this year as well. Even though I haven't see a lot of them, I do intend to, and because I keep up with all the critics and guilds awards leading up to the Oscars, I think I can make some pretty decent predictions as to what will happen. So without further ado, let's break out our crystal ball and see what we think will happen tomorrow morning (Tuesday, the 24th) at 8:30 am.

BEST PICTURE:   This category is different than it has been in the past. For a long time, there were 5 nominations each year. Then the last two years, they went to 10 nominations. Well, this year, there can be anywhere between 5 and 10. A movie must receive a first place vote from 5% of the Academy voters to be nominated. The general consensus is that there will be 7 or 8 nominations. Due to the dominance so far of two movies during awards season, I'm going to predict there will be 7 nominations. The Artist and The Descendants are no-brainers. Both have cleaned up during awards season so far and are the odds on favorite heading into Oscar night. I also feel like The Help and Hugo are pretty safe as well. That gives us four. The Academy loves Woody Allen so I'm going to make Midnight in Paris my fifth choice. After that it gets tricky. One movie I have seen this year, and absolutely loved, was Moneyball.  It has lost some of its momentum but I still think it sneaks in there. That leaves one more film. I'm going to go out on a limb and say The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo gets the spot over War Horse, The Tree of Life and Bridesmaids.

BEST DIRECTOR:  The director nominations tend to fall hand-in-hand with the Picture nominees. Martin Scorsese (Hugo), Alexander Payne (The Descendants) and Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) are locks. Once again, the Academy loves Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris) so I look for him to pick up the fourth spot. For the final nod, I'm going to go with David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). A lot of people feel he was robbed last year for The Social Network (me included), so while he has no shot at winning, I think they will reward him with a nomination.


BEST ACTOR:    This is really a 3-man race for the prize, but four actors look to be locks for a spot. George Clooney (The Descendants) has been racking up most of the early awards. Brad Pitt (Moneyball), Jean Dujardin (The Artist), and Michael Fassbender (Shame) also appear to be set. The last spot is a toss-up. I think the Academy is finally going to reward Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy). If it's not him, Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar) or Ryan Gosling (Drive) could benefit.

BEST ACTRESS:    This will be one of the real mysteries come Oscar night. Three ladies have split the victories in the early awards season. Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady), Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn) and Viola Davis (The Help) will battle it out on the big stage. This will be one of the toughest predictions of the night. Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) should be rewarded with a nomination even though she has no chance. The final spot is a tough call. I'm going to go with Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs), but watch out for Charlize Theron (Young Adult) and Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) as possible spoilers.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:   This is one of the few awards that appears to be locked up already. Christopher Plummer (Beginners) has pretty well swept all the awards so far and an Oscar looks to be in his future. Jonah Hill (Moneyball), Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn) and Albert Brooks (Drive) seem like sure bets also. For the final spot, I'm going to say Nick Nolte (Warrior) over Viggo Mortensen (A Dangerous Method).

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:  Octavia Spencer (The Help) has been on a role this awards season and should be the favorite on Oscar night. Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) and Jessica Chastain (The Help) will try to pull off the upset. For the last spot, I will go with Berenice Bejo (The Artist).

Movie Review - "Remember Me" (2010) **1/2

     Here's a movie that was never on my radar when it was released but at the request of a good friend, I decided to give it a shot. It's not the type of movie I typically enjoy but as I was watching it, I felt myself being pulled in every now and then. There are some good things here, unfortunately it ultimately falls apart and comes up just short of a recommendation for me.

     The movie stars Twilight heart throb Robert Pattinson and LOST alum Emilie de Ravin as Tyler and Ally, the two parts of a brooding romance that does not start out that way. Tyler is a rebellious New Yorker who spends his days mostly drinking and smoking. His parents have divorced following the suicide of his brother, the result of which has led to a strained relationship between Tyler and his father, played by Pierce Brosnan. The only member of his family that Tyler seems real close to is his younger sister, Caroline (the cute as a button Ruby Jerins), who pleads with her brother to clean up his act. We get the sense that Tyler loves her a lot and will do anything to protect her. Ally has a troubled past as well. She witnessed her mothers murder on a subway platform when she was young. Her father, Neil (Chris Cooper), is a police sergeant who was called to the scene the night his wife was murdered and spent his time since then being protective of his daughter. Neil ends up arresting Tyler one night when he gets in a fight outside a bar. Tyler's friend, Aidan (Tate Ellington), finds out that Ally is Neil's daughter and talks Tyler into taking her out and then dumping her to get back at Neil for arresting them. Tyler goes along with this plan but he eventually starts having feelings for Ally and decides not to go through with it. Over time, Tyler and Ally start sharing their deepest secrets with each other and both find a reason to change their outlooks on life.

     As I stated at the start, there are some things here I like. Don't even get me started on Twilight, but Pattinson is....ok here. Not great, but he's not terrible either. de Ravin is a delight on the screen and she is one of the main reasons I miss LOST so much. I loved her as Claire on that show, and she is good here as well. The out-of-nowhere acting highlight for me is this young Ruby Jerins, who plays Tyler's sister. I think this girl could be a young actress to watch over the years if this performance was any indication. When she was on the screen, I was hooked into this movie and I would have liked to of seen more with her and Pattinson. Now the bad...the pacing of this movie is glacial at times. I've always said that if I look at my watch during a movie it's an automatic half star deduction from my ratings. I was checking the time often, not a good thing. The biggest gripe I have with the movie though is the ending. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a twist ending so I don't want to spoil anything but I thought it was exploitative and a complete miss for me. It was just an easy way to get a cheap reaction from the audience and I didn't buy it at all and it ruined the movie for me. A stronger ending would have probably earned that extra half star and a mild recommend for me. But I can't overlook the faults of what is there and I had to knock it. I think there is a good movie here and in the hands of a strong writer it could have been a lot better. It can't overcome its faults though and that's unfortunate.

Movie Review - "Horrible Bosses" (2011) ***

     If you have been in the workforce long enough, it's almost natural to have a time or two where you wished ill will against your boss. While I have been lucky and had pretty good bosses my entire work career, there have been a couple of exceptions and there have been moments where I wanted to toss them out a window. It happens. But the majority of us are sane and never actually consider carrying out our malicious thoughts. So we are given the movie Horrible Bosses to do that for us.

     The movie focuses on three characters who represent a microcosm of what most of us do on a daily basis. Nick (Jason Bateman) is moving up the corporate ladder and feels he is close to a big promotion. The only thing holding him back is Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey), the boss from hell. He's the kind of person that freaks out, even if you are one minute late, and will hold it over your head every chance he can get. Kurt (Jason Sudeikis), actually likes his boss but when his mentor passes away, the coke addict son (Colin Farrell) takes his place and every decision he makes is meant to make more profit to support his drug habit. Dale (Charlie Day) is a dental assistant who is looking forward to marrying his fiancee. There's one problem though. His boss, Julia (Jennifer Aniston), is a sex addict and spends most of the day making unwelcome sexual advances towards Dale. Sexual Harassment are not words that exist in her dictionary. After a night out drinking, and some shady advice from a "hitman" named Mother****er Jones (Jamie Foxx) (this is not a movie for kids by the way!!!!), the trio decide to murder each others bosses, ala Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train. Of course, the best laid plans of mice and men don't always work out, and with these bumbling criminals the odds of everything going right are nil.

      Horrible Bosses isn't up to the level of The Hangover, but if you enjoyed that movie you will probably enjoy this too. The story is pretty basic, and the ending is a big letdown, but the buildup has some very funny scenes and I found myself laughing a lot. The director, Seth Gordon, hasn't done many films but he did make the excellent documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, a must-see for any video game enthusiasts out there, so I like the body of work he has going so far. The actors in this movie are the real stars though. For whatever flaws the script has, the actors do a great job with what they are given. Has Jason Bateman ever been in anything bad?? I'm less familiar with Sudeikis and Day, but they have a good rapport with Bateman and when those three were on screen together the movie really works. Jennifer Aniston drops her girl-next-door persona and provides some of the raunchiest, and funniest, moments of the film. (Once again, this movie is NOT for kids) Kevin Spacey, and an almost unrecognizable Colin Farrell, also are great over-the-top fun in their roles as bosses who you hope you never have. Horrible Bosses is not a great movie but if you are looking for something to watch one night and want a few good, raunchy laughs, you can do a lot worse.

Movie Review - "Red Tails" (2012) ***

     This is a tough one for me. I have been anticipating seeing this film for a while now. I have kept up with it off and on as it is a project from George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars saga. Lucas has been working on Red Tails since 1988 and has had trouble finding support from studios, which ultimately led to him fully financing the project himself. Lucas has stated in recent promotional interviews for the film that it is his belief that a movie with a primarily African-American cast has scared off many studios from wanting to back the picture with the money necessary to fund the project. I do not know if this is true or not but I think it could be a valid argument. In recent years, movies with a high percentage of black actors tend to only fall in the comedy category. This is unfortunate, but it does seem to be a reality. So I was intrigued to see how the cast would do, and I'm also a fan of World War II history in general, therefore Red Tails was high on my must-see list.

     The movie is about the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American fighter pilots who fought during World War II. The group served their country honorably even though they faced racism and prejudice from many of their fellow soldiers. As the movie opens, the group is already stationed in Italy and is running routine missions to destroy trucks and tanks because the military leaders at the Pentagon do not trust them with more important tasks. We are introduced to a group of four pilots and it is these individuals that the movie focuses on during it's duration. The group is led by "Easy" (Nate Parker) who is a great pilot and leader but has issues with alcohol. His three wingmen are "Junior" (Tristan Wilds), "Joker" (Elijah Kelley) and "Lightning" (David Oyelowo). The group has a good rapport and they perform their tasks well, but "Lightning" is considered one of the best pilots even though he has a tendency to not follow orders. He and "Easy" butt heads over this several times but they are held together due to the presence of Major Stance (Cuba Gooding Jr.), the leader of the group while stationed on the ground. Stance reports to Colonel Bullard (Terrence Howard), who spends much of his time in Washington D.C. trying to convince the military hierarchy to put their trust in his men and send them more worthy assignments. They are eventually assigned a task that will have them see dogfight action and after succeeding with ease, they become a valuable asset to the military. They are asked to provide escort support to a group of bombers and it is during these missions where the Tuskegee Airmen earn their true stripes.

      I said at the beginning of the review that this was a tough one for me. What I meant by that was the fact that this movie disappoints me some. If you peel away some of the bad stuff and look at its core, there is a GREAT movie lurking here. The action scenes are very well done and I felt like I was up in the skies flying with these guys during battle. Even though Lucas didn't direct the film, you can see his touches during the aerial combat scenes, it's obvious Star Wars was an influence here. However, when the movie is on the ground it is a hodgepodge of hits and misses, unfortunately it's mostly misses. I believe the acting is fine in this film. Nobody really stands out and gives a tremendous performance, but there is not a lot wasted either. I think everyone pulls their role off admirably. Unfortunately, they aren't given much of a script to work with. There is a romance element installed in the movie and it is completely unnecessary and drags the movie down. I was reminded of Pearl Harbor, another war movie that had great action scenes but it gets bogged down in a ridiculous romantic angle that kills the pace of the movie. I also wish the movie would have gone for a bit more of a dramatic tone and focused on some of the issues these gentlemen faced. I'm sure the decision by Lucas and director Anthony Hemingway was to go lighter to appeal to a wider audience, but I think that was a mistake. There is a brief scene where several of the men are sitting around at base discussing why they are performing their duties even though they are not respected, but it only lasts a couple of minutes and then isn't brought up again. I wanted more of that. I wanted to see more scenes where the men faced difficulties from white soldiers. It's touched on but not enough. The movie frustrated me because of this, I came away thinking it was a missed opportunity. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a good film and I am recommending it. The war scenes are fantastic and it is a great opportunity for people to learn about a group of men who were heroes to their country, even though their country did not believe in them at first. I just wish it would have gone to the next level and been a more thought-based experience.

Movie Review - "Carnage" (2011) ***1/2

     Have your ever been to a kids sporting event, perhaps a little league baseball game or something similar, and you see "those" parents. I'm talking about the ones that are just a little bit too invested in their childs performance during the game and they tend to forget that it's just a game and they need to backup and let the kids play. You know what I'm talking about. Well if people like that get on your nerves and you feel they deserve to be mocked, Carnage may be a movie that you find appealing.

     Carnage is based on a French play titled "God of Carnage" and the film is very much like a stage performance. It takes place almost entirely in one location with only four characters getting any screen time of note. As the film opens, we see a brief incident on a playground where a couple of kids get into an altercation, and ends with one of the kids hitting the other with a stick. We see this from a distance, and hear no dialogue, so we don't know the context of what happened, and that's important to the story. This opening scene is very brief and is one of only two times that we are outside of our main setting. We then proceed to our primary location, the home of Michael and Penelope Longstreet (John C. Reilly, Jodie Foster). Their son, Ethan, was the kid hit by the stick in the playground scene. He has suffered some physical damage and Michael and Penelope have invited the family of the other kid, Zachary, to their home to discuss the incident. Zachary's parents are Alan and Nancy Cowan (Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslet). The discussion between the couples begins very cordially as they agree in writing to what happened between their children. We believe things are going to end well when Alan and Nancy start to leave, but then something is said that leads to more conversation between the couples. It's here where things slowly start to fall apart as the two sides start to splinter. The disagreements start out simple enough but eventually things deteriorate and when alcohol is introduced into the mix, all hell breaks loose. Can these 4 "adults" work out their differences or will human nature lead to carnage that will claim each of them?

      Based on that brief description, Carnage may seem like a serious film. And while there are some underlying lessons here about being an adult, this is really a comedy as we see just how childish adults can be at times. I found myself laughing a lot during this film and there were a couple of scenes where I was almost in tears. This is a testament to the acting in this film, which is really what makes this film work. It's an actors movie, pure and simple. Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet are two of my favorite actresses and while both have been more memorable in other roles, they both show the enormous talent that they possess here, especially when they are going head to head on screen. Christoph Waltz is the actor I'm least familiar with but he more than holds his own here as an attorney who can't seem to stay focused on the task at hand due to the numerous distractions on his cell phone. John C. Reilly is a great actor and he is a catalyst for much of the comedy here. Of the four performances, Reilly's is the one that I will remember the most from Carnage. This is not a movie that will be for everyone. It's more of an artsy picture and while it is funny, it's not slapstick comedy which is more appealing to a wider audience. A lot of people will also be disappointed with the ending as we are not given clear cut answers to everything. You have to think about the closing scene a bit but if you pick up on the irony of it, you will enjoy the film more. If you don't, you may walk away going "Huh??" I got it and therefore I enjoyed the movie and recommend it.

Movie Review - "Senna" (2010) ****

     I have been a big fan of NASCAR racing since I was a young kid. I grew up cheering for one of my idols, Terry Labonte, and when he retired I became a fan of Jeff Gordon, one of Terry's teammates. I root for these guys almost as much as I root for my favorite baseball or football team. While I love racing, I have become well aware of the dangers that the sport can provide. I can't imagine what I would feel like should one of my two favorite drivers die while on the race track. I suspect that I would be emotional about that. In 2001, Dale Earnhardt, one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history was killed in a last-lap wreck at the famed Daytona International Speedway when his car collided head-on with the wall and Earnhardt sustained massive head trauma. I was not a fan of Earnhardt, while he was idolized by many, he was also the biggest antagonist on the track to many fans, me included. But his death did bother me and I felt bad for quite a while after. Just this past year, the Indy Car racing series lost arguably its best driver, Dan Wheldon, in a crash that occurred at the Las Vegas Speedway. I am not a big fan of that style of racing but I just happened to be watching live when it happened that fateful day. It took a good long while for Wheldon to be pronounced dead but if you have been watching racing for a long time, you just sorta of know when things are not normal. I knew that crash was bad and it was likely to result in the loss of Wheldon, but you always keep your hopes up that it will turn out okay. Usually it does, but when it doesn't you just feel terrible for the driver, his family and the racing community.

     While Earnhardt and Wheldon were arguably the top drivers in their respective circuits at the time of their deaths, there was no such argument for Ayrton Senna, a Formula 1 3-time champion from Brazil, who died in a wreck in 1994. The documentary Senna by director Asif Kapadia, compiles actual footage from Senna's career including many in-car camera shots from his races, including the race which claimed his life. Senna himself, along with other family members and colleagues, provide the soundtrack tracing Senna's roots in go-kart racing as well as his brilliant ten-year career in the Formula 1 racing circuit. During his decade in the sport, Senna won three championships, was robbed of a fourth and set many records which still stand to this day. The documentary details his strained relationship with fellow competitor Alain Prost, a French driver who worked the politics of the sport better than Senna, a fact which Senna resented during his entire career. Senna was of the belief that politics should not be a part of the sport and the drivers should battle to win at all times. Prost is not seen merely as an enemy, just simply a guy who approached the sport differently. If there is an antagonist in the film, it is Jean-Marie Balestre, the President of Formula 1 racing, who did bring politics into the sport on too many occasions and does not come out looking great at the end of this film. You get the sense on several occasions that Senna was fighting the people off the track more than he was battling with other drivers on the track.

     The film also shows the great impact that Senna had on his home country of Brazil, which was strife in political corruption and poverty during this decade that Senna ruled the sport. He was so beloved by ladies that there are a couple of instances shown when female reporters almost couldn't do their jobs because they were overcome by being near him. Some of these scenes are kind of funny and you realize what a huge figure Senna was. While not well-known here in the US outside of racing fans, he was an icon in Brazil and other parts of the world. During his funeral, the streets of Brazil are lined by spectators for many miles. He gave much of his wealth back to the community and in return, they showed him the ultimate gratitude of love.

Senna is one of the better documentaries I have ever seen. It's a genre I really should embrace more since the ones that I usually try out, I tend to like more often than not. While race fans, especially those of Senna or Formula 1, will get the most of this movie for obvious reasons, I still think there is enough here that would appeal to the casual viewer as well. The movie is an hour and forty-five minutes long and that was about the perfect length. It tells its story without getting bogged down in minutiae. I highly recommend it. I can remember watching the NASCAR race the same weekend that Senna died. Dale Earnhardt won the race and in victory lane he dedicated his win to Ayrton Senna. Looking back on that now, I like to think that the two of them are up in heaven somewhere talking about racing.