Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Movie Review: Margaret (2011)

Originally slated to be released in 2007, "Margaret" was deemed "too long" by studio execs and the final cut was delayed by lawsuits.  I watched the version cut down to 2 1/2 hours so that may make a difference when other viewers read this review and possibly watch the film. 

The film is a character study of Lisa (a young and dark-haired Anna Paquin), who is a 17 year-old New York high school student whose selfish and immature existence is drastically changed when she distracts a city bus driver (Mark Ruffalo) who then runs over a lady crossing the street.  The lady dies in Lisa's arms but Lisa tells the police that the light was green shifting blame from the driver and herself to the victim.  Dealing with the tragedy and her role in it proves very difficult for Lisa as she takes out her inner turmoil on others around her including her mother, brother, and friends.  Later Lisa seeks out the family and friends of the accident victim and attempts to make amends mainly through seeking punishment of the driver.

I didn't know much about Anna Paquin before this film but I think her very emotional performance was impressive.  I also liked Matt Damon and Matthew Broderick in small roles as Lisa's teachers, particulalry Damon as her very likeable math teacher.  Kieran Culkin did a good job as one of Lisa's classmates/love interest.  The real meat of the film appears during scenes between Lisa and her stage actress mother (J. Smith-Cameron).  Even with the edits this film is still a bit long and the flow just doesn't feel right throughout.  Perhaps the editing to a prescribed 150 minutes made a real difference in the flow.  Though the film firmly centers on Lisa (rightfully so) I think there are several characters who don't get much development and that might have made them feel less one-dimensional.  This one's not for everyone but I think a B- for solid acting on Paquin's part and an interesting yet long drama.

Movie Review: Project Nim (2011)

"Project Nim" is a documentary about a chimp taken from his mother just days after birth and used for a now famous research study to see if a chimp living with humans could learn sign language and communicate in sentences.  The chimp, "Nim" did learn sign language and put together sentences, though at first the lead researcher concluded he was communicating but later retracted.  During the study, Nim lived with and was taught by the researcher and a group of students but when the researcher decided to wrap the study Nim was suddenly thrust from his life of living as a human and dropped into a habitat for other chimps.  Having not been around other chimps, Nim had trouble adapting but formed a bond with a young man who would later champion better treatment for Nim.  From that point Nim's life took a bad turn as he was sold to a research group doing medical experiments on chimps but eventually he landed at an animal refuge but he didn't always thrive there.

This movie is really well-done.  Thanks to all the archival footage of Nim's life, much of it from his time in the sign language research study, there is a clear picture painted with interviews by principle players interwoven.  Clear ethical issues emerge throughout the film.  First, the research study seems to have been run by a faculty member and his gang of students, many of whom were his lovers, which begs the question of how "scientific" was this study to begin with.  Second, there's clearly the issue of taking a chimp and raising it to be human when Nim was clearly a wild animal.  Following raising Nim as a human and not allowing him to be an animal then as soon as the research was done this poor animal was dumped at a chimp facility where he was expected to be a chimp.  Clearly the medical research done on Nim and his fellow chimps also raises issues on animal research.  It's a little hard to watch at times, but this film is really captivating and  raises important issues about animals and research.  Give this one a chance - B+.

Movie Review: Too Big to Fail (2011)

"Too Big to Fail" is the film adaptation of the book with the same name by Andrew Sorkin.  As I haven't read the book, I can only evaluate the film as it stands alone.  The film focuses on Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson (William Hurt) and his team as they attempt to navigate the 2008 US financial meltdown.  As more of the major banks' problems come to light, Paulson and his team try to rally and find a solution leading to TARP (Troubled Assets Recovery Program).

It's an entertaining and dramatic look at the financial meltdown through the lens of Henry Paulson and his team.  I thought the relationships and the team working among the banks was interesting.  Though this film doesn't cover all angles (it's not a documentary), there's food for thought and it's interesting.  The cast is very good with Ed Asner, Billy Crudup, Paul Giamatti, Cynthia Nixon, and James Woods among others.  I say take this one as entertainment not as fact and enjoy it as a dramatization of the 2008 meltdown.  It's a solid C+ for me - good not great.

Movie Review: Safe House (2012)

"Safe House" is an action thriller about Matt (Ryan Reynolds) who runs a CIA safe house in Cape Town, South Africa.  Matt's job is pretty tame until former agent Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) seeks refuge at the US Consulate and Frost is brought to the safe house for interrogation.  The secrets Frost holds puts himself, Matt, and everyone in the safe house in immediate danger and soon Matt and Frost are out on the run with Matt desperately trying to deliver Frost to the next safe house.  Matt's mission becomes increasingly dangerous when he begins to learn Frost's secrets and who really is after him.

The acting in this film by the leads is pretty good.  Denzel is really playing a character we've seen him play many times before.  He's not showing us anything new here but rather just showing us why he's good at what he does - the smooth, intellectual "bad" guy.  Ryan Reynolds is no Denzel but he does show some range as his character goes through a range of emotions.  The script and editing could've been better.  I felt that the last 30 minutes had so many twists that I was almost dizzy.  In a way there's not much really stand-out about this film but it's not a bad way to pass the time.  Solid C for what could've been better but manages to be average with good leads.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Movie Review: Norwegian Wood (2010)

"Norwegian Wood" is a Japanese film directed by Tran Anh Hung that adapts a novel with the same name written by Haruki Murakami.  I haven't read the book so I can only evaluate the film as a stand-alone product.  The film is the story of Toru Watanabe, who struggles with the unexplainable suicide of his childhood best friend and his later feelings for the late friend's girlfriend, Naoko.  As a romance develops between Toru and Naoko, she falls into depression and flees to a mountain retreat/sanitarium.  Toru loves Naoko but also feels an obligation not to abandon her as his late friend did.  Things get complicated when Toru meets a fellow student at his Tokyo university named Midori, who is almost an opposite of Naoko.

This film was beautifully done.  The cinematography is just outstanding and makes the film a visual treat.  I felt though that the pacing was a bit slow and the acting/dialogue stilted at times.  Since I didn't read the novel I can't say how much of the issues have to do with simply taking a novel and attempting to translate it into a film.  The characters other than Toru were underdeveloped and could've used a bit more fleshing out. 

Beautiful film with some issues - solid C+

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Movie Review: Good Deeds (2012)

"Good Deeds" is written, directed, and starred by Tyler Perry though don't expect Madea in this one.  It's really a film about people struggling to make the tough choices necessary to follow their dreams.  Wesley Deeds (Perry) is highly predictable according to fiance Natalie (Gabrielle Union) and strives to please by following the path set out for him particularly by his mother Wilimena (Phylicia Rashad).  Wesley has taken over the helm of his late father's company, much to the chagrin of his wayward brother Walter (Brian J. White).  A chance meeting with a struggling single mother Lindsey (Thandie Newton) and her daughter makes Wesley rethink what makes him happy, while Natalie, Lindsey, and Walter also have issues of their own to resolve.

I think that this film is so different from Madea that it's unbelievable.  "Deeds" is so much more contemplative and thoughtful as the characters stumble through their choices.   I liked that all of the characters were flawed and had their own struggles though I would've liked to have seen Union's character get more development.  White overacts a bit in his role but really it's Newton who steals the film and tugs on the heartstrings as the down-on-her-luck single mother turned janitor who is too proud to take help from anyone.  At times I thought the storylines were a little predictable but overall I appreciate a more thoughtful film from Perry and the theme which I think is relatable. 

C+ from me but rent with caution if you are a Madea fan because this is not a comedy.