Movie Review: Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

"Zero Dark Thirty" dramatizes the hunt for Osama bin Laden and focuses on CIA Operative Maya (Jessica Chastain).  Maya spends years sifting through intelligence, looking for clues, and interrogating prisoners with a razor-like focus.  Her hunch that a man called Abu Ahmed is a personal courier for bin Laden consumes her as she faces a temporary dead-end and then a breakthrough that brings a dramatic end to her quest.

The level of violence (aka torture) in this film makes it difficult to watch at times.  The direction is amazing, especially during the raid scenes where bin Laden is finally killed.  I found Chastain to be very effective in her role as she conveyed the highs and lows of her character's single-minded determination.  Some good supporting acting from Jason Clarke and Kyle Chandler among others.  The film did feel a bit long but it covers a lot of ground and I guess is meant to show the long road to bin Laden the lead character experienced.

A lot of controversy surrounds this film as to how realistic some of the scenes and the general public likely won't know how close the film is to reality.  My advice is to take it as a dramatization not as 100% authentic.

Good direction and acting with a difficult story - A-

Movie Review: Robot & Frank (2012)

"Robot & Frank" is a little film with a lot of heart and an impressive cast.  Frank (Frank Langella) is an aging ex-convict living alone when his son Hunter (James Marsden) decides that Frank could use a robot companion to keep him company and help with his dementia.  Originally Frank and his daughter Madison (Liv Tyler) are against the robot but Frank learns to like it especially once he discovers that the robot is skilled at picking locks and the robot is not programmed to discern right from wrong.  Frank and the robot become partners in crime committing heists centering on the local library, where a woman Frank is interested in is the librarian (Susan Sarandon).

This film is different but very touching as it says a lot about the value of memory.  I thought Langella was amazing in the lead role as he made me laugh and feel sympathy for his character.  His chemistry with a robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard, played by Rachael Ma) felt genuine as though the robot was a human friend.  It makes the viewer question the role of machines in our lives and how we treat the aging in society.

Overall the film is thoughtful and touching and well-acted.  B+

Movie Review: Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding (2011)

"Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding" is a comedy-drama with a simple story but a big cast.  Diane (Catherine Keener) is a high-powered lawyer blind-sided when her husband (Kyle MacLachlan) asks for a divorce.  Diane flees to her estranged hippie mother Grace (Jane Fonda) and drags her kids Zoe (Elizabeth Olsen) and Jake (Nat Wolff) with her.  The family is overwhelmed with the hippie/free-spirit lifestyle that Grace and her friends are part of but soon each find love (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chace Crawford) and maybe what they're missing.

I admit that overall the script here is filled with stereotypes and predictability, but the cast really took the material and made the most of it.  Jane Fonda, for example, seemed to have fun with her over-the-top hippie role as Grace and I thought she had nice chemistry with Catherine Keener in their mother-daughter roles.  Elizabeth Olsen and Nat Wolff also have good performances too and I was surprised to find I liked the Olsen/Crawford romantic pairing. Watch for small appearances by Rosanna Arquette and Katharine McPhee.  The themes here are trite and a bit tired ("leave the big town to find love in the small town" and "find love where you least expect it") I thought the theme about accepting failed parents as people to actually be effective and moving.

Don't expect a lot new here but enjoy the cast and performances - B